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AN 
 
 HISTORIC RECORD AND PICTORIAL 
 
 DESCRIPTION l^^ 
 
 OF 
 
 THE TOWN OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT 
 
 AND MEN WHO HAVE MADE IT. 
 
 FROM EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO CLOSE OF ITS FIRST CENTURY OF 
 
 INCORPORATION. 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN 
 
 THE SILVER CITY." 
 
 Issued as the Official Souvenir History iiv Authority of th; 
 
 General Committee at the Centennial Celebration, 
 
 June to to 16, 1906. 
 
 Compiled by C. BANCROFT GILLESPIE. 
 
 Early History by GEORGE MUNSON CURTIS. 
 
 ^VITH PROFUSE ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT. 
 
 Journal Puislishing Co., 
 meriden, conn. 
 
 1906. 
 
LIBRARY of congress/ 
 
 , Two Conies Received 
 
 AUG 80 1906 
 
 ^Goayriffnt Entry 
 
 CLASS a xxc.no, 
 COPY b; 
 
 Copyright, 1906, by 
 C. Bancroft Gillespie. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. Page. 
 
 Historical Sketch of Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven. First Notices of Ter- 
 ritory of Meriden. Disputes between the Two Colonies Relative to Dividing Line- 5 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 Jonathan Gilbert, Meriden's Firs,t Landowner. Meriden Farm. Edward Higbee's In- 
 dian Purchase. Andrew and Jonathan Belcher own Meriden Farm. Old Tav- 
 ern and Stone House or Fort. . . . . . . -15 
 
 CHAPTER HI. 
 New Haven Colony's Purchase of Land of Indians. Rev. John Davenport's Letter to 
 Governor John Winthrop. Early Extent of Territory Included Lender Name 
 of Meriden. ......... 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Origin of the Names of Meriden and Pilgrims' Harbor. . . . .42 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Founding and Settling of Wallingford. Hop Lands. Dogs' Misery, Pilgrims' Harbor, 
 
 Milking Yard, Falls Plain or Hanover, Hanging Hills Woods- . . .52 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Northern Half of Meriden. Purchase from Adam Puit, Indian. Dispute with Middle- 
 town. Setting otif of Parish of Meriden, 1728. . . . . .67 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Grants of Farms to James Bishop and William Jones, Magistrates of Colony of Con- 
 necticut. Some Old Meriden Farms. . . -75 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Further Account of Old Meriden Ivarms and Landowners. Capt. Josiah Robinson's 
 
 Tavern. .......... 88 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Old Meriden Farms Continued. Rev. Theophilus Hall. .... 105 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Old Farms of Meriden Continued- ....... 126 
 
CHAPTER XL Page- 
 
 Building of i*"irst. Second and 'iliird Meeting Houses- Cliurch and ['arish History. i;8 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 Meeting House Hill and Broad Street Cemeteries. Inscriptions and Epitaphs. . . 159 
 
 CHAPTER XHI. 
 Life in Meriden During the Eighteenth Century- Industries. Wallingford and Mer- 
 
 iden Stores and Store Keepers. Taverns- Mining. Early Physicians. . . 209 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Indians. Negro Slaves and Slavery. . - - " - . - . 242 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Witchcraft Persecutions in Wallingford. ....... 254 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Meriden and Wallingford in .the Wars. ....... 260 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 Tories in Meriden and Wallingford. ....... 290 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 P)angall. L\irther Account of Meriden Earms and Landowners. Wallingford and 
 Middletown Boundary Disputes. Mt. Lamentation, Leonard Chester's Adven- 
 ture. Beset Mountain. ........ 308 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 1806 — Meriden a Town- The Village Streets. ...... Ti;^;^ 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Early Struggles of Meriden to Become a Manufacturing Town. Success Crowns the 
 
 Effort. ---....... 346 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Merchants of the Middle of the Nineteenth Century. Hotels. Places of Amusement 
 and Resort. Town Hall- ConHagrations- Meriden a City, 1867. Newspapers- 
 Early Lawyers. Conclusion. ....... 361 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 Lists of Representatives in the General Assembly. State Senators. Town Clerks. 
 
 First Selectmen. Judges of Probate. Mayors of the City. City Clerks. . . 395 
 
 EARLY VITAL STATISTICS- 
 Early Vital Statistics. Marriages- Baptisms and Burials. .... 400 
 
 J 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN 
 
MERIDEN'S EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 BY GEORGE MUNSON CURTIS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the history of Meriden as a township certainly does not begin 
 until 1806, the year of its incorporation, still the story of its set- 
 tlement starts man}- years previous to that date, at a time when historic Ply- 
 mouth was only forty-one years old and scarcely twenty-five years had elapsed 
 since the founding of Hartford, while New Haven had little more than attained 
 its majority. 
 
 When the white man first began to clear the primeval forests that covered the 
 land now embraced within the territory of Meriden, Wallingford settlement had 
 not even been thought of. It is a fact that the name of the daughter antedates 
 that of the mother town on the colonial records by four years, for as early as 1666 
 the name of ]\Ieriden appears in the lists of the General Court. In all probability, 
 no Indian village was ever located within these borders, and yet the land was 
 claimed as his heritage by three different red men who each in turn sold it to 
 the white man. In fact, the greater part of Meriden was bought of the aboriginal 
 inhabitants five different times. Here the dusky savage came to follow the chase 
 cr trap the beaver and many were the hunting parties that roamed these hills and 
 valleys. 
 
 All that part of Aleriden lying north of Main street was for many years in 
 Hartford county and, in turn, jurisdiction was claimed by the Colonial court, 
 Wethersfield, Farmington, Middletown and Wallingford, and records of very early 
 purchases of real estate must be searched for hither and thither, one can never 
 be sure where. With such an imccrtain lineage and such a complexity of juris- 
 diction it would be strange indeed if some stories of the past could not be gleaned 
 from the early records that will hold the attention of those in wdiose hearts there 
 lurks an aft'ection for the town where so many of us were born, or have placed 
 our hearth-stones and built our homes. We may not have a continuous town his- 
 tory of mibroken local government, but our homes have been laid in a countr}^ of 
 lovely hills and vales, and our eyes are daily confronted by as beautiful a land- 
 scape as can be found in Connecticut and those who have not been neglectful of 
 
6 A CENTURY OF MF.RIDEN. 
 
 the beauties that surround us love ever_v inch of her rugged diffs, brawHng brooks, 
 woodland paths and smiling, cultivated meadows, swelling and sinking in ever 
 changing vistas of loveliness. 
 
 It will assist one to better understand and appreciate our early annals if, on a 
 bright and clear day in summer, a climb is made to the summit of West Peak, 
 or better still to the grey tower known as Castle Crag, standing on the verge of 
 the dizzy cliff that, like a sentinel, dominates all the landscape to the west of Mer- 
 iden. 
 
 In a vast panorama spreads the valley to the north and south, dotted with 
 ponds, lakes, meadows, woodland and villages, and checked on the east by moun- 
 tains and crags wdiich distance clothes in a purple haze, half veiling the ruggedness 
 of grim old Lamentation, Higby and Beseck, torn and rent by the storms and 
 frosts of ages. Like a map the country lies below us, for we are more than a 
 thousand feet above the sea. Away in the north gleams the gilded dome of the 
 Capitol in that gentle depression which holds in its lap Hartford, Windsor and 
 Wethersfield, washed on the east by the waters of the Connecticut and swelling 
 in the west into the wooded slopes of Talcott Mountain, while further south and 
 west the spreading waves of pioneer life extended the colony into the valley of 
 the Farmington river. With a strong glass we even fancy we can see the spire 
 of the old meeting house in Farmington peeping above the green elm trees of the 
 village street ; near at hand, lie New Britain, Berlin, Bristol and Southington, 
 all settled by the same movement which drew the pioneers into the lovely Tunxis 
 \ alley and all for many years parts of the town of Farmington, 
 
 On the borders of Berlin and Meriden gleams like a spot of burnished silver a 
 large lake, or pond, now used by a Hartford Company as an ice reservoir, but in 
 those days of long ago, no pond would have met our eyes, but instead a vast mo- 
 rass or swamp alive wath beavers and water fowl and curiously called by the old 
 Dutch name of the Fly or Vly. Just south of this pond was cleared the first set- 
 tlement in the territory of Meriden. Glancing to the east over Meriden and the 
 summit of Lamentation we suspect rather than see the ancient town of Middle- 
 town, in those early da}'s called Mattabesett, the seat of the great Sachem Sow- 
 heag, from whose son, bearing the euphonious name of Montowese, was bought 
 by the English of New Haven the land extending northward from its bounds up 
 through North Haven and Wallingford as far as where Kensington avenue in 
 Meriden winds to the northwest on its way to New Britain. Just at the foot of 
 the steep side of the most eastern of the parallel ridges close at hand. Cold Spring 
 j.iours forth its ice cold water, now almost forgotten by a generation which re- 
 members not the attractions of the place before the Cold Spring Home or poor- 
 house had contaminated it by its depressing association. The fame of Cold 
 Spring was once so great that it lent its name to localize all the territory for at 
 least two miles to the north, east and south. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 7 
 
 On the southeast, beyond WalHngford, the range of Lamentation and Beseck 
 Mountains stretches the bold front of its trap-rock cHft's into the town of Bran- 
 ford, known there as Totoket Mountain ; while towards the south on the horizon 
 rise the sharp hills known as East and West Rocks and over their summits we 
 catch glimpses of Long Island Sound, indenting the land in a little bay where 
 the Ouinnipiac river, winding quietly through this southern valley, finally pours 
 its waters, gathered from the hills and meadows of Bristol, Southington, 
 Meriden, WalHngford and North Haven. New Haven we cannot see, for East 
 Rock, capped by the monument erected in memory of the dead of the Civil war, 
 hides and shelters it from the north. 
 
 It is an historic as well as a beautiful panorama on which we are gazing and 
 students and historians have many times told the story of Connecticut and New 
 Haven colonies and it may seem unnecessary to give in these pages even the 
 slightest sketch of this early history, but Meriden's earliest settlement depends so 
 largely on the relations of these two rivals that the attempt will be made to re- 
 fresh the memory of those who have forgotten. 
 
 In 1635 a little band of Englishmen who had but lately arrived from the mother 
 country, began to regret their decision to reside near Boston. Resenting the re- 
 ligious and civil intolerance of the lately settled towns in eastern Massachusetts 
 and longing to found a commonwealth on a more liberal basis, they gathered up 
 their possessions and turned their faces towards the Connecticut river at Hartford. 
 Driving their cattle and herds before them they traversed on foot the long and 
 tedious journey and by 1636 they had founded the three towns of Hartford, Wind- 
 sor and Wethersfield. Here, under the leadership of Rev. Thomas Hooker, the}^ 
 laid the foundation of constitutional government in this country, for it was in 
 Hartford that was drawn up the first written constitution of which history gives 
 us any record.^ Hartford was the birthplace of American democracy. . These 
 three river towns were the nucleus of the colony of Connecticut and hardly an 
 event in the settlement of America was of more importance than the cornerstone 
 of free government laid by these early pioneers, for here grew up the theory of 
 government "of the people, by the people, for the people,"^ that American idea 
 of a free and equal government where every freeman in good standing is entitled 
 to the ballot and can register his approval or disapproval of men and measures. 
 
 In 1638 another company of Englishmen landed in Boston, the most opulent 
 of any of these early migrations across the sea. Led by the London merchant, 
 Theophilus Eaton and the Rev. John Davenport, they were not satisfied by the con- 
 ditions they found in the towns around Massachusetts Bay, and, in spite of in- 
 ducements to settle in the neighborhood where they had landed, they sought for 
 a virgin field where they could establish the religious and political ideas they had 
 
 1 Johnston's Conn. Am. Commonwealth series, p. 63. 
 
 2 Idem, p. 70 
 
8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 brought with them. They finally decided on the meadows near the mouth of the 
 Quinnii)iac river as the place where they could safely try their experiment in civil 
 government. Called at first Quinnipiac, after the tribe of Indians from whom 
 the land was bought, the name was soon changed to New Haven. Other bands 
 of pilgrims soon arrived and ]\lilford, Branford and Guilford were founded and 
 these four towns were soon welded into the colony of New Haven. 
 
 The methods of government were very different from those of the colony of 
 Connecticut at the north. In New Haven the Bible was the constitution and no 
 one was entitled to the ballot who was not a church member in good standing. 
 In other words, the colony was governed by w'hat may be called a church oligar- 
 chy. It may readily be imagined that the commonwealth with a center at Hart- 
 ford was speedily to become much more popular than the one located on the 
 Sound. It grew more rapidly in territory and numbers and soon embraced 
 the newly settled towns of Stratford, wSaybrook, New London, Farming- 
 ton, Fairfield and Norwalk, while New Haven never extended its original bounds 
 except to settle and absorb the town of Stamford. 
 
 Flere, then, were two rival colonies only thirty-six miles apart, but as widely 
 separated as the poles in methods and theories of government. Just half way 
 between was the territory of Meriden, a buffer as it were between two rival push- 
 ing bands of land-hungry Englishmen. 
 
 Without doubt the oldest highway of any length in the state of Connecticut 
 is the Old Colony road, leading from Hartford to New Haven and still bearing 
 this descriptive name as it passes through Meriden and Wallingford. Probably 
 there was an Indian trail occupying the same general position before the white 
 man's advent, for, according to credible tradition and written records the Indians, 
 although never inhabiting the valley between Lamentation and Hanging Hills, 
 resorted hither from the vicinity of Hartford and New Haven to follow the chase. 
 Although travel between the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven could not 
 have been very frequent during the first few years, still the old records preserve 
 evidences of communication between the two colonies. In 1639 letters from 
 Quinnipiac were demanding the attention of the General Court in Hartford^ and 
 the same year it was thought best to send to Quinnipiac counsels relative to de- 
 fense against the Indians and Mr. Webster and Mr. Willis were dispatched on 
 the errand. 2 
 
 A few weeks later Edward Hopkins, of Hartford, set out from that town for 
 Stratford with a drove of cattle and passed through New Haven^ and afterwards 
 he confesses to frequent journeys over the same road when he writes 'T remember 
 with what pleasure he (Gov. Theop. Eaton) would come down the street that 
 
 1 Conn. Col. Rec, Vol. I., p. 2S. 
 
 2 Idem, p. 32. 
 
 3 Idem, p. 35. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 9 
 
 he might meet me when I came from Hartford unto New Haven. "^ In 1640 word 
 was sent to Xew Haven of Indian depredations^ and in 1645 the New Haven 
 court ordered a bridge built over "East River in the way to Connecticott."^ On 
 September 13, 1649. the Connecticut Court directed Mr. Ludlow and Mr. Tayle- 
 coat (Talcott) to ride to New Haven to-morrow to confer with Air. Eaton relative 
 to the Indians. "* In 1653 the New Haven court passed the following vote "for hire 
 of horses the owner shall have from New Haven to Connecticote tenn shillings."^ 
 These extracts show that there must have been more or less communication be- 
 tween the two colonies which grew as the years went by and population increased. 
 Doubtless, Rev. Mr. Hooker, of Hartford, Rev. Mr. Davenport, of New Haven, 
 and Rev. Mr. Whitfield, of Guilford, who had been intimate friends in England, 
 sometimes visited each other to discuss the many problems which vexed them and 
 to devise means to overcome the wiles of the Devil, wdio in this new country of 
 unbroken wilderness and terrible solitudes was cunningly devising new tempta- 
 tions to draw the souls of the faithful from the straight and narrow way. 
 
 Consequently, the country in the vicinity of Meriden soon became familiar to 
 many of the colonists in Hartford and New Haven and other towns. If these 
 ancient worthies had time and inclination to admire the beauties of nature they 
 must have been impressed as they entered the valley between Lamentation Moun- 
 tain on the east and the gently rising Hanging Hills on the west, which, gradu- 
 ally climbing higher and higher, with here and there great spaces of rock, grey 
 with the frosts of ages, drop precipitously into the plain extending to the Sound. 
 No other place on their weary journey could have compared in beauty and pic- 
 turesqueness with this little valley. But even the beauty of hill and dale can hardly 
 have repaid them for the hardships endured during the long and weary thirty-six 
 miles which lay between Hartford and New Haven, with hardly a house to break 
 the monotony of the journey. There were only two methods of overcoming this 
 distance: one must travel afoot or on horseback over a path without bridges and 
 with the directions blazed on the trees of the primeval forest. 
 
 The necessity for caution in following this road through the wilderness may 
 be judged by the following extract from a letter written by Rev. John Daven- 
 port, of New Haven, to Gov. Winthrop at Hartford, dated 6 month, 1660: 
 
 'T received a former letter from you by Mr. Bishop who, in his return from 
 your parts hitherward, tooke a wrong path twise and was so bewildered that he 
 lost his way from \\>thersfield and lay in the woods in a very cold night and 
 came not to us til the last day of the weeke towards noone."*' 
 
 1 Mather's Magnalia, Ed. 1820, Vol. I, p. 134. 
 
 2 Conn. Col. Rec, Vol. I, p. 58. 
 
 3 N. H. Col. Rec, Vol. I, p. 188. 
 
 4 Conn. Col. Rec, Vol. I., p. 197. 
 
 5 N. H. Col. Rec, Vol. 11., p. 3. 
 
 6 Mass. His. Soc Col., 8rd Series, Vol. X, p. 37. 
 
lO A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 I 
 
 Even as late as 1672 the Governor of New York in his instructions to post 
 riders from that colony to Boston states, "You are principally to apply yourselfe 
 to the Governors especially Governor Winthrop (at Hartford) from whom you 
 shall receive the best directions how to form ye best Poast Road. When you 
 think it requisite you are to marke some Trees that shall direct Passengers the best 
 way."i "The Indian paths were good though only two or three feet wide and in 
 many places the savages kept the woods clear from underbrush by burning over 
 large tracts," and doubtless the colonists followed the same method. "Thus the 
 'blazes' stood out clear and white in the dark shadows of the forests like welcome 
 guide-posts, showing the traveler his way."^ And yet, always haunting one, like 
 a ghost that will not be exorcised, was the fear of the lurking savage and wild 
 beast ; and at any sudden noise there was a tenser strain of the nerves and a tight- 
 ening grasp of the trusty rifle, that constant "vade mecum" of the sturdy colonist. 
 The Rev. John Davenport, in a letter to Governor Winthrop, dated April 2, 1660, 
 gives us a little story which illustrates the perils of the journey and which for 
 dearth of other material may well be inserted : 
 
 "Honored Sir — I received yours by Brother Benham, whom God preserved 
 from being drowned in his journey homeward. The river by Mr. Yale's farm 
 was swollen high ; his wife was fearful of riding through it. God provided an 
 help for her at the instant by a passenger who traveled from Windsor to Bran- 
 ford to Mr. Crane's, whose daughter he had married. He helped Sister Benham 
 over a tree. But her husband, adventuring to ride through, a foot of his horse 
 slipped, so he fell into the water, and his horse, as he thinketh, fell upon him or 
 struck him with his foot, for he had a blow on his head. But through the mercy 
 of God he is now well." * * * This was doubtless at the crossing of Pil- 
 grims' Harbor Brook, for no one could cross the Ouinnipiac River when swollen, 
 by means of a tree or log. 
 
 But they were a brave and undaunted people and notwithstanding the hidden 
 terrors of the wilderness slowly but relentlessly the van of the settlements was 
 constantly advancing, and as the numbers increased the question of a dividing line 
 between the sister governments of Connecticut and New Haven began to attract 
 attention. It is easy to imagine that, when bounds had been described only in 
 deeds from the Indians, drawn up when limits were not considered of moment, 
 accuracy in tracing these bounds would cause much friction. At last New Haven 
 determined to leave no room for doubt as to the extent of her territory, and at a 
 General Court held April 23, 1660, "the Governor desired that the bounds of a 
 p'cel of land towards Connecticote might be sett out for the prevention of future 
 differences that might otherwise arise betwixt us w'ch motion was approved and 
 thereupon it was ordered yt Mr. Yale, Wm. Andrews, John Cowper, John Brock- 
 
 1 N. Y. Evening Post, Feb. 18, 1899. 
 
 2 Earle's Home Life in Colonial Days, p. 330. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. II 
 
 itt, Nathaniel Alerriman with the help of jMantowees, an Indian ye late pprietor 
 shall set out the bounds wth lasting marks wch is to be done wth the first con- 
 venyence/'^ 
 
 It is interesting to note that two of these men were leaders in the settlement 
 of Wallingford ten years later, and probably their first acquaintance with that 
 vicinity was made during their service on the committee to execute this vote of 
 the General Court. 
 
 As soon as spring has really come we may in fancy see these men, clad in 
 leathern doublet and breeches, accompanied by the dusky warrior, Montowese, 
 striding along the road leading to "Connecticote," crossing the bridge lately built 
 over the Quinnipiac, and setting their faces towards the north where in the hazy 
 distance can be traced the dim outlines of the Hanging Hills. First, we note the 
 sturdy form of Nathaniel Merriman, a veteran of the Pequot War of 1636 and 
 destined later, as captain of dragoons and accompanied by his son, Nathaniel, Jr., 
 to play his part in the great swamp fort fight of King Philip's War ; where, alas ! 
 many of the flower of Connecticut's young manhood perished, Nathaniel, Jr., 
 among the rest. Our veteran as he firmly strides along is now in the prime of 
 life; born in 1614, the son of George Merriman of London, who died there in 
 1656,2 he early cast his lot among the New Haven planters, and when Wallingford 
 was settled in 1670 he was one of the pioneers and until his death in 1694 was 
 conspicuous and honored in that community. He is still represented among us 
 by worthy and respected descendants. 
 
 Next we see Thomas Yale who came to New Haven a youth in charge of Gov. 
 Theophilus Eaton, who had married his widowed mother, the daughter of Thomas 
 Morton, Bishop of Chester, England. He evidently was fond of pioneer life, for 
 when New Haven had grown to be a larger town he settled in North Haven ; he 
 also has left many descendants among us who still maintain the prestige of his 
 name. Then comes John Brockett, who also served in King Philip's War; he 
 was frequently employed as a surveyor and many of the early roads in New Ha- 
 ven County were laid out under his direction ; after him comes Wm. Andrews 
 who accompanied Gov. Eaton to New Haven at the first settlement and was for 
 many years the keeper of the only inn in that town ; and last of all is John Cooper, 
 a prominent man in the community, for many years manager of the iron works 
 and frequently a representative at the General Court. 
 
 In December, 1638, Theophilus Eaton and John Davenport had bought of 
 Montowese, the son of the sachem at Middletown, a tract of land ten miles long, 
 lying north of a purchase previously made of an Indian sachem named Momau- 
 gin. This purchase was added to by a subsequent deed in 1645 which has been 
 lost. Our committee, intent on carrying out the instructions of the General Court, 
 
 1 N. H. Col. Rec, Vol. II, p. 409. 
 
 2 X. E. His. aud Gen. Reg., Vol. LIII., p. 21. 
 
12 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 following' the lead of ]\Ionto\vese. pass up the road through what was later \\^al- 
 lingford and over the hill by Walnut Grove cemetery until they come to Pilgrims' 
 Harbor. Here, we fancy, some little time was consumed in crossing the brook 
 where Lyon & Billard's office now stands, and in picking their way through the 
 swamp which formerly made this locality almost impassable. On they went up 
 what is now Colony street until quite to the present junction of that street and 
 Kensington avenue. 
 
 As far as this Montowese claimed his domains had extended and here they 
 placed "lasting marks" which would define the boundaries between Connecticut 
 and New Haven colonies. Their work done, doubtless, they leisurely proceeded 
 home, possibly lingering a little while on the hill where the future Wallingford 
 was to lie. 
 
 It was not long before the General Court at Hartford had been informed of 
 New Haven's action and although no record of debate or action appears on the 
 minutes, we know that a protest was sent and that the action of New Haven was 
 not suffered to pass without comment or opposition. Rev. Mr. Davenport's letter 
 of October 30th, 1660, to Governor Winthrop was unquestionably an answer to 
 some complaint from Hartford colony and it is well to quote those passages relat- 
 ing to the question in dispute "Concerning the matter of the Indians, I hope Mr. 
 Gilbert hath or will give a clear account." Nor will there be anything done by 
 any of ours to hinder your Indians in theyre hunting. But for the purchase it 
 was made above 20 yeares past without any seeking, on our part, upon an offer 
 made to our Governour & Co. It was of Montoweeze that the land was bought 
 whereby N. H. bounds extended neare unto the Cold Spring beyond Pilgrims 
 Harbour."! 
 
 This latter throws a flood of light upon the condition, at that time, of the ter- 
 ritory now embraced in Aleriden. It shows that it had been used by the Indians 
 as a hunting ground and it indicates about where the New Haven committee had 
 placed the "lasting marks.'' This action of New Haven in accurately marking 
 the bounds between the two colonies was one of the earliest acts in that drama, 
 the closing scene of which was the absorption of New Haven colony by Connecti- 
 cut in 1665. 
 
 The General Court at Hartford apparently did not formally present a protest 
 until 1661. At a General Court held in New Haven May 29, 1661, the follow^ing 
 vote was passed : "It was alsoe ordered that a committee be chosen by this court 
 for the treating with and issueing of any seeming diff'erance betwixt Connecticot 
 Colony and this, in reference to the dividing bounds betwixt them and of some 
 seeming right to this jurisdiction which they pretend in a letter sent to this Gen'll 
 Court." The letter in question was from Sec'y Clark of Hartford and read in part 
 
 1 Mass. His. Soc. Col., 1th Series, Vol. VII., pp. 517-519. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. I3 
 
 as Inllows: "This Court having" receaved information not only 1)y what appeares 
 in one of yor La\ves respect ; the purchase of land from ye Indians wherein there 
 is a sceminge challeng of very large intrests of lands and likewise by what intel- 
 lio-ence we have had of yor strechting yor bounds up towards us by markeing 
 trees on this side Pilgroomes Harbour wch things as ye intrench upon or intrest 
 soe they are not satisfying or contentful, "^ etc., etc. 
 
 ^Meanwhile Connecticut did not content herself by letter writing only. She 
 was determined to forestall any attempt on the part of New Haven to absorb the 
 territory north of Pilgrims' Harbor. On Aug. 28, 1661, she granted to Jonathan 
 Gilbert, of Hartford, "a farm to ye number of 300 acres of upland and 50 acres 
 of meadow,"^ which he immediately proceeded to take up, at Cold Spring, in the 
 northern limits of our town, for on Alay 15, 1662, he is granted permission "to 
 keep an ordinary, or inn, at his house at Cold Spring.'"^ And on Oct. 15, 1664, 
 Edward Higbee, of Connecticut, bought of a Hartford Indian the land between 
 ]\Ir. Gilbert's farm called Merideen and Pilgrims Harbour River or Brook. ^ Thus 
 in a somewhat high-handed way Connecticut had secured possession of all the 
 territorv of ]\Ieriden north of Harbor Brook, notwithstanding that Rev. Mr. Dav- 
 enport had asserted in 1660 that Xew Haven had bought the same land of Alon- 
 towese about 1638. 
 
 The rival claims to this territory resulted in an anomalous situation. For 
 manv A'cars the land was a part of no township. It formed a sort of buiTer be- 
 tween Wallingford and Farmington, although it was a part of Hartford County 
 until some time in the next century. In 1686 the General Court in anticipation 
 of the possible loss of the charter through the action of Sir Edmund Andros (of 
 Charter Oak fame), took such steps as would secure the colony against the fu- 
 ture exactions of an arbitrary governor. The court was empowered to dispose 
 of all vacant lands. It granted "to Wethersfield, ^liddletown and Farmington all 
 those vacant lands between Wallingford bounds and the bounds of those planta- 
 tions to make a village therein." 
 
 It must not be forgotten that when the limits of Wallingford were assigned at 
 its planting in 1670 its northern bounds ended at a line drawn east and west at 
 about where Colony street crosses Plarbor Brook. In 1683 Wallingford bought 
 of John Talcott, of Hartford, all the land between this east and west line and Gil- 
 bert's farm called ^Meriden who, in turn, had bought it of Adam Puit, an Indian 
 of Podunk -^ so that the action of the court in assigning the lands to Wethersfield, 
 iMiddletown and Farmington was clearly illegal. These lands were for many 
 vears called Wallingford Purchase Lands and its anomalous position did not 
 
 1 N. H. Col. Rec. Vol. II., p. 409. 
 
 2 Conn. Col. Rec, Vol. I., p 372. 
 
 3 Idem, p. 382 (and soon called Meriden). 
 
 4 Perkins' Historical Sketches of Meriden, p. 104. 
 o Idem, p. 105. 
 
14 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 cease until it was finally set oft' to Wallingford about 1728 as a parish by the 
 name of A'leriden. It is interesting to note that practically all the land between 
 the Colony street crossing of Harbor Brook and the Belcher, or Meriden, farm 
 was bought of the Indians three separate times ; first by New Haven of Monto- 
 w^ese in 1638, then of Seaukeet by Edward Higbee in 1664, and lastly by John 
 Talcott of Adam Puit in 1683. There were also two other deeds confirmatory 
 of previous grants. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 1 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Whether Connecticut's protest sent to New Haven against the action of the 
 latter colony in placing "lasting marks" or bounds in this vicinity was brought 
 about by a belief that the lands in question were commercially valuable or simply 
 by a desire to push back any attempt at further expansion by New Haven, of 
 course we cannot tell. But the action of the General Court in granting a farm 
 of 350 acres to Jonathan Gilbert perhaps shows that the wilderness about Meriden 
 was of value in one way at least. For many years after the colony was settled 
 there was a considerable trade in furs and the immediate locality of Gilbert's 
 farm certainly abounded in beavers and other fur-bearing animals at one time. He 
 built across the river from Hartford a warehouse whence he shipped to Boston 
 furs and other produce of the country. Just north of his farm was the old "Fly" 
 already mentioned. This word is of Dutch origin and is in common use in those 
 parts of New York and New Jersey first settled by the Dutch.^ The original 
 form of the word was Vly or Vley ; then corrupted into Fly^ and was the Dutch 
 expression for a swamp or morass. From time out of mind the old swamp now 
 named the Peat Works Pond was called The Fly and the Old Fly, and so far as 
 the writer can learn this locality is the only place in Central Connecticut that 
 bears such a name, although the word is sometimes met with in the extreme west- 
 ern part of this state. Are we to believe from this use of the word in Meriden 
 that the locality was known to the Dutch who erected the Good Hope Fort at 
 Hartford before the arrival of the English and that they were in the habit of re-. 
 sorting hither to trap the beaver ? Albert Norton, of Berlin, the owner of a large 
 part of the old Meriden Farm, says that when the disastrous attempt was made by 
 the Aetna Peat Works to manufacture marketable peat at the "Fly" many years 
 ago, in several places excavations were made at least fifteen feet in depth and in 
 each instance trunks of trees were frequently found even at the bottom of the holes, 
 so perfectly preserved that they still bore the marks of the teeth of beavers made 
 centuries ago. The Dutch knew Central Connecticut well and one of their early 
 maps indicates the mountains at Meriden as well as East and West Rocks at New 
 Haven which they called Rodenberg (Red Mts).^ The vote of the General Court 
 of Connecticut which granted to Mr. Gilbert the right to keep an inn at his farm 
 in Meriden reads as follows, under date of May 15, 1662: "This colony grants. 
 
 1 A point in illu.stration is the Fly Market in N. Y. City where there was formerly a swamp. 
 
 2 Century Dictionary. 
 
 3 Narrative and Crit. Hist, of America, Vol.. IV., p. 43S. 
 
l6 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 liberty to ye jMarsliall Jonathan Gilbert to keep an ordinary at his house at Cold 
 Spring for releiving of travellers according to their needs," showing that, although 
 the farm had been granted to him August 28, 1661, he had already built a house 
 on it the following May, hardly time enough to have erected a stone house which 
 later records show was standing there subsequently. This farm as first laid out 
 was on the west side of Colony road and extended from the laneway just south 
 of the house of Albert Norton in Berlin, southerly to a line a little south of the 
 house now occupied by L. Michaelis, but formerly owned by James Bartlett and 
 known to most ^leriden people as the Belcher farm. It was bounded on the east 
 by Colony road and on the west by a stone wall still standing about three thousand 
 feet west of the railroad track and running parallel to it. The old house proba- 
 bly stood between the Michaelis house and that of Mrs. E. H. Yale, a little to 
 the north. As Meriden's settlement originated with this farm it does not seem in- 
 appropriate to devote some space to it and to Meriden's first land owner, Mr. 
 Gilbert. The fact that this farm was originally granted to Mr. Gilbert seemed 
 to have been entirely forgotten until Dr. Davis brought the fact to light in his 
 History of Wallingford and Meriden. Dr. Perkins, in his interesting Historical 
 Sketches of Meriden, saysr^ 'Tt appears that one Mr. Belcher very early, but how 
 early we cannot precisely ascertain, had a grant of a large tract of land on our 
 present northern border. Whether this was a colonial grant or a royal grant we 
 do not know for no trace of deed or grant can be found in the state records or 
 town records." This seems even now to be the generally received opinion and 
 yet it is entirely erroneous and it is singular that a man so discriminating and 
 painstaking as Dr. Perkins was should have utterly overlooked records that were in 
 the Capitol at Hartford. The first white man to own land within the present 
 limits of the town of Meriden was Jonathan Gilbert. 
 
 (Facsimile of signature taken from his will.) 
 
 He was one of the earliest settlers at Hartford and a man of marked influence 
 in that community and at his death left a large estate. At one time he was em- 
 ployed as interpreter in negotiations by the colonial government with the Indians, 
 indicating that he had mixed much with the savages. His profession was that of 
 inn keeper at Hartford, a position at that time of much respectability. He was 
 also marshal of the colony and frequently a member of the General Court. He 
 was engaged also in the fur trade with Boston, as already mentioned. The produce 
 
 1 Page 13. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. I7 
 
 of tlie country he sold was carried in the ships of his son-in-law, Andrew 
 Belcher. In all his undertakings he appears to have been a man of energy and 
 push. Mr. Gilbert died December lo, 1682. Some idea of his wealth may be 
 gained by noting that his inventory among other things contained two gold rings, 
 gold shoe buckles, gold toothpicks, gold shirt buttons and one hundred and forty 
 ounces of plate. His house in Hartford was a large and commodious one and 
 his total inventory amounted to £2484-17-9 — a large fortune for those days. 
 After Mr. Gilbert had acquired his farm at Cold Spring he put in charge of it, 
 apparently, Edward Higbee, who seems to have been of a singularly roaming 
 disposition, for he was located at difterent times in New London, Stratford, Mid- 
 dletown, Meriden and Jamaica, L. I. He probably died at this latter place. One 
 of his sons did not accompany him but settled in Middletown near Higby Moun- 
 tain, and his descendants are hereabouts to this day. So far as we can learn 
 Edward Higbee (or Higby as spelled now) was the first white man to take up 
 his permanent abode in Meriden. Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary, says 
 he was an inn keeper in ^liddletown in 1674. That he lived on Mr. Gilbert's 
 farm is certain from the contents of a deposition made by his son, John Higbee, 
 in 1683, in which he says "* '■' * when my father, Edward Higbe Sen. lived 
 at Mr. Jonathan Gilbord's farme called Meriden. "^ We know that Mr. Higbee 
 was in this vicinity very shortly after Mr. Gilbert accjuired his farm, for Mr. Per- 
 kins in his Historical Sketches of Meriden,^ copied a deed from Seaukett, Indian, 
 to Edward Higbee conveying all the land between Mr. Gilbert's ]\Ieriden Farm 
 and Pilgrims" Harbor Brook. Seaukett was an Indian whose name appears in 
 Windsor documents. It is variously spelled Seoket and Seacet. Dr. Stiles in his 
 History of Windsor says he was one of the Poquonnock Indians. The deed is as 
 follows." 
 
 Oct. 14, 1664. 
 Know all men by these presents that I Seaukett Indian ( abiding in or about 
 Hartford on Conec't) Sachem owner and true proprietor of a large tract of land 
 in the woods towards New Haven att and about the lands now in possession of 
 Mr. Jonathan Gilbert entitled and known by the name Merideen doe sell unto Ed- 
 ward Higby on parcell of land adjoining to the lands of Jonathan Gilbert afore- 
 said — Hills, Rocks, Swamps and all other appurtenances bounded and formerly 
 (formally) defined by marked trees and by the land of say'd Jonathan Gilbert 
 and Pilgrims' Harber Brook or River — all which say'd parcell of land with all 
 prerogatives, ])riviledges and any kind of appurtenances thereon and thereunto 
 belonging, it shall be Lawful for the say'd Edward Higbey, his heirs and assigns 
 to improve, possess, enjoy and that forever as fully and as freely as the said Sea- 
 
 1 Volume called Private Controversies in the State Library in the Capitol at Hartford. 
 
 2 Page 104. 
 
my name. 
 
 The mark of V^ • 7 Seaukeet 
 
 l8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ket ever did or might have done in witness whereof by these presents I bind my- 
 self, my heirs and assigns, quietly and peaceably to leave in the full possession 
 of all the premises the say'd Edward Higbey never to be molested by me the say'd 
 Seaket my heirs or any other Indian or Indians whatsoever and so subscribe 
 
 O 
 
 In presence and witness of Bryan Rossetter and Mary Gilbert. 
 
 Mr. Rossetter was a man of prominence and a physician and lived at Guilford 
 and his son John afterwards married Mr. Gilbert's daughter. In this deed is the 
 first recorded use of the name Meriden. After Mr. Higbee had acquired the In- 
 dian title to the land in question he was confirmed in it by the action of the General 
 Court October 12, 1665. On the Middletown land records under date of July 15, 
 1668,1 is a further description of the property which is considerably contracted from 
 that of the Indian deed just quoted. It is somewhat difficult from the certainly inac- 
 curate survey and description to locate the precise limits of the tract of land. But 
 from later deeds when the land was sold and divided one would say that the 
 boundaries were about as follows : Beginning at the Center street crossing of Har- 
 bor Brook draw a line west one mile long, thence north another mile, then east 
 half a mile ; thence southeast to about where Broad street crosses Harbor Brook 
 thence to the starting point at Center street. Just where his house stood we can- 
 not positively state but it was probably on the south side of the junction of Ken- 
 sington avenue and Colony street. This deed takes us back to a time when there 
 were, in all probability, only two houses in Meriden, one Mr. Higbee's and the 
 other the inn of Mr. Gilbert, and our township was almost an unbroken wilder- 
 ness. Some idea of the amount of travel between Hartford and New Haven may 
 be gained by the following extract from the Conn. Col. Records under date of 
 Oct. II, 1666. 
 
 "This Court orders that Edward Higbey for makeing and maintaining the 
 way over Pilgrooms Harbour passable for man and horse shal have his estate and 
 farme free of countrey [Rates] for this yeare and next he maintaineing the way 
 soe longe as aforesaid."^ One who remembers the condition of the "Corner" 
 many years ago will confess that Mr. Higbee fully earned his exemption from 
 taxes. It probably involved much more than building a bridge 
 over the brook which is not mentioned. Nothing would have made the way 
 passable except a corduroy or log foundation. How long Mr. Hig- 
 bee continued to live in Meriden we do not know ; but Middletown records tell 
 us that in 1673 he sold his "housing and land near Pilgrims' Harbor" to Henry 
 Cole, of Middletown, and shortly after removed to Jamaica, L. I. 
 
 1 Middletown Land Records, Vol. I., p. 111. 
 
 2 Conn. Col. Records, Vol. II.. p. 52. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. I9 
 
 But to return to Jonathan Gilbert and his farm. Shortly after he 
 had obtained it he built his inn. Mr. E. H. Yale many years ago 
 in digging a well just south of his house, unearthed the remains of 
 the ancient foundation. The inn was doubtless a famous place and 
 many an interesting tale must have been told around its hospitable hearth of 
 witches and goblins and hairbreadth escapes from the savage Indians. Nothing 
 now is left but a name and a few facts gleaned from musty records. Could these 
 sturdy pioneers return again to this spot and in the dusk of a summer evening 
 watch the ghost-like bicycles and automobiles fleeting by on the smooth macadam 
 road which now skirts the farm, what tales of wonder and mystery they would 
 tell — of how witches have discarded the awkward broomsticks and now bestride 
 the back of an iron goblin, or, borne by a snorting, flaming dragon, they pass one 
 like a breath of wind to their nocturnal orgies ; while the roar and rumble of a 
 train on the other side of the farm would certainly convince them that the 
 powers of hell were waxing strong indeed. But those old days are gone never 
 to return and so utterly are they forgotten that the few facts we can save from 
 oblivion merely sketch like a wisp of mist events we would fain see more clearly. 
 It should be constantly kept in mind that at this time the name of Meriden was 
 applied solely to Mr. Gilbert's farm. It was not until many years later that the 
 name was used to describe the whole territory we now know as Meriden. What 
 to-day we call colloquially the "Corner" was then known as Pilgrims' Harbor and 
 the brook acquired its name because it flowed through the locality. After Mr. 
 Gilbert's death in 1682 there followed a bitter controversy among the heirs which 
 resulted in probably one of the first, if not the first, contested will case in Con- 
 necticut. The documents in the case are on file in The State Library in the Cap- 
 itol at Hartford in the volumes known as Private Controversies, and they give 
 an interesting picture of the times. Mr. Gilbert left nine children and a widow. 
 The eldest child, Jonathan, Jr., born of a previous wife, was cut off by the terms 
 of the will with a small portion of his father's estate. He had been wild in his 
 youth and evidently always a ne'er-do-well who had caused his father much dis- 
 tress, about which he had conversed with Edward Higbee at Meriden Farm. Th; 
 will, which was dated in 1674, had left Meriden Farm to a son, Nathaniel, but as 
 this son died before his father, the farm became the joint inheritance of all the 
 surviving children. The contested will case was finally settled by Jonathan, Jr. tak- 
 ing some land on the "East side of the great River in Haddum" in settlement of 
 his claim and the widow, Mary, bought his interest in the Meriden Farm on January 
 9, 1684. On September 6, 1686, all the other children sold their right in this 
 farm to Andrew Belcher, of Charleston, New England, mariner, stating in the 
 deed that the place was commonly called Alerriden Farme and that it was then, 
 in whole or in part, in the occupation of Samuel Elmor. The date of Elmor's be- 
 
20 A CENTURY OF MRRIDEN. 
 
 coming a tenant is not known ; he was from \Mndsor and his father, Edward, was 
 killed in King" Philips war in 1676. The Belcher connection with the farm made 
 such an impression that to this day the locality is known as the Belcher farm and 
 the Belchers, father and son, were men of such importance in New England that 
 these facts ought to create in us a romantic interest in their person- 
 ality and ownership of this farm. 
 
 Captain Andrew Belcher had married ^Ir. Gilbert's daughter Sarah 
 July I, 1670. He was born in Cambridge, Mass., January i, 1648, 
 and was son of Andrew Belcher, inn-keeper, who emigrated from Dan- 
 burv, Essex Co., England.' We know of .Vndrew, Jr., first as a 
 mariner plying between Boston and Hartford and his name occurs frequently 
 in the Colonial Records and he evidently amassed a considerable fortune in his 
 ventures, for he finally achieved the reputation of being the most opulent mer- 
 chant in New England. He was shrewd and energetic and evidently was capa- 
 ble of driving a hard bargain. While he was one of the counsellors of Massa- 
 chusetts the selectmen of Boston, having objected to his sending corn to Cura- 
 coa in the Dutch West Indies on account of a scarcity of that article in New- 
 England he tartly replied, "The hardest ftnd ofi:' : if you stop my vessels I will 
 hinder the coming in of three times as much."- He was in trouble in 1682 for 
 breaking the navigation laws and his vessel was seized at Boston,'^ and in 1688 
 he was accused of trading with a "pyrate" for hides and elephants' teeth. ^ After 
 the terrible swamp fort fight at South Kingston in R. I. Dec. 19, 1675, in King 
 Philips war, the hardy soldiers were in great distress for lack of provisions, but 
 that very night "it mercifully came to pass that Captain Andrew Belcher arrived 
 at ^Ir. Smith's with a vessel laden with provisions for the army which must oth- 
 erwise have perishcsd for want."' Whether the merciful appearance of Captain 
 Belcher's vessel was caused by his love of gain or by patriotism, let whom will 
 decifle. His success in life w-as pronounced and evidently atoned for some short- 
 comings for after his death he is described as "a man of integrity and honor, a 
 friend to reli(.:;ion and learning."*' He certainly was an illustrious example of a 
 "free trader" for he seems to have traded wdiere he listed without fear of laws 
 or conseciuences. His son Jonathan wrote a letter to Mr. Prince, giving an es- 
 timate of his father's character as follows : "Sir "^^ * * What you desire re- 
 specting my deceas'd Father and myself is a difficult Task and I know^ not when 
 1 shall be able to imdertake it. For altho' this be a little Government [Xew Jer- 
 sey] yet it calls for much attention and attendance for the King's honour and for 
 
 1 N. E. Hist, and Gen. Reg., Vol. XXVII., pp. 239-240. 
 
 2 Sewall's Diary, May 20, 1713. 
 
 3 Wheedon's Econ. and Sceial His. N. E., Vol. I., p. 239. 
 
 4 Idem. Vol. I., p 342. 
 
 5 Hutohinson's Hi.'t. Ma.ss., Ed. 1795, Vol. I., p. 272. 
 
 6 N. E. Hist, and Gen. Reg., Vol. XXVIII., p. 230. 
 
EARLY lIISTom'. 21 
 
 seeking the good and welfare of the people and my large correspondence to New 
 England and larger than heretofore to Great Jjritain, keeps me in fnll employe. 
 These things, notwithstanding. If yon would tell me your Design and State any 
 questions to me I would Indeavour to answer them. My father was as great a 
 Genius as his Country could boast of but wanted an Education to Improve and 
 polish it. (Gov. Dudley) who was a good Judge used to say j\Ir. Comissary Bel- 
 cher would make a good Minister of State to any Prince in Europe, Especially 
 in the Article of Finances. His late Farewell and Blessing of me show'd his 
 strong thoughts and great modesty. Its fresh in my Memory and will be till the 
 Frost of Age seals up that Faculty ; he called me to his Bedside, took me by the 
 hand and said — Son you may expect me to bless you in a better manner and 
 ityle than T am able to do for God did not put it into your Grand Father's ]:)Owcr 
 to give me the Education he Inabled me to give you, but remember my Last Words 
 to you are — May the Blessing of the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and 
 the God of Jacob rest upon you and your seed forever. Amen. Farewell. Neith- 
 er the Patriarchs nor Apostles could have done it better. Just as he was Ex- 
 piring the Blanket w^as offensive to His Face so he rais'd himself a little from his 
 Pillow and said to the Late Madam Sewall who watcht with him, give me the 
 sheet for it is my winding sheet ; then he unroll'd his arms in it and said I will 
 lay me down and dye in Peace and Expir'd in a minute. I should not have Troubled 
 A'ou with this Ace' but as it may make some Little part of an Answer to what vou 
 have desired * * * I thank you for the Sermon preacht upon the death of 
 my Late dear and Excellent Sister which has given me much pleasure in rcadg. 
 Rev. and Worthy Sir 
 
 Very much your Friend and servant. 
 
 J. BELCHER. 
 Burlington, June 7, 1748.^ 
 
 Why Capt. Belcher should have desired to own ]\Ieriden Farm we cannot 
 certainly know. It is probable that the returns from the farm at this time were 
 considerable. It was an important place evidently and possibly the proceeds from 
 beavers in the vicinity were considerable. But beyond any apparent returns from 
 the surface there was always the alluring possibility of hidden wealth in the ground. 
 Our Puritan forefathers were always chasing a will o' the wnsp of this sort. ]\Iany 
 of the old deeds bear witness to the truth of this statement and the mountains in 
 the vicinity of Aleriden seem to have excited the expectation that some day the 
 diligent searcher would be handsomely rewarded. On the hills west of the farm 
 there are still to be seen places where excavations were made in the hope of find- 
 ing iron or copper or even gold. "Many of the adventurers to North America 
 
 1 X. E. Hist, and Gen. Reg., Vol. XXVII., pp. 240-241. 
 
22 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 were strongly possessed with an idea of the riches of North as well as of South 
 America. They conceived that its mountains and hills abounded with precious 
 metals and minerals ; and that, however rich the soil might be, yet that the bowels 
 of the earth would afford them much greater wealth. Much pains were, there- 
 fore, bestowed on various parts of the country to discover these sources of 
 wealth. "1 A man of Capt. Belcher's wealth and widely extended business ven- 
 tures could not have spent very much of his time on the farm ; still he kept in 
 touch with its needs and possibilities and he certainly expended considerable sums 
 in improving the property. On June i8, 1700, he bought of the widow, Mary Gil- 
 bert her interest in the farm^ and in October, 1703, the Colonial Court, in con- 
 sideration of the "amount of money Mr. Belcher hath expended in improving- 
 
 (Facsimile of signature taken from a letter in possession of tiie writer.) 
 
 the land and building tennantable houses and settling tennants therein and other 
 improvements which are like to be a publick as well as private benefitt the said 
 tenements being conveniently situate for the relief of travailers in their journeying 
 from place to place, for his incouragement to goe forward with his improvements 
 doe see cause to grant his petition and doe now give and grant unto the said An- 
 drew Belcher all the said four hundred and seventie acres" he had bought of the 
 Gilbert heirs^ and the following May gave him in addition the land from the 
 East Side of the farm to the top of Lamentation Mt., "consisting of steep rocky 
 hills and very stoney land, judged to be very mean and of little value. "^ Mr. Bel- 
 cher's farm was now a very large one and with other purchases he had made ad- 
 joining, contained about twelve hundred acres and he now called it "My ]\Ieriden 
 Manor." It is probable that Capt. Belcher built the stone house that made the 
 farm noteworthy. But it disappeared many years ago, no one knows how or 
 when. There arc many traditions still extant, for the personality of the Belchers 
 impressed itself strongly on the locality. Of the wall which bounded the farm 
 on the west the following story is told by Mr. Kendall in his Travels Through the 
 Northern Parts of the United States in 1807-8.1 
 
 1 Trumbull's Hist of Conn., Vol. II., p. 40. 
 
 2 Records : Office Secretary of State. 
 
 3 Col. Records, Vol. IV., pp. 450-451. 
 
 4 Idem, p. 475. 
 1 Vol. I„ p. 122. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 23 
 
 When Mr. Belcher owned the farm "the Indians were at this time trouble- 
 some ; and mention is made of a wall built b}' Mr. Belcher as if for purposes of 
 defence. In this way, however, it could be of no use ; for it was of more than a 
 mile in circuit and formed of uncen]ented stones, raised only four feet high, like 
 the walls at present common in the country. This wall, however, had some ex- 
 traordinary personages among its builders. It is current in tradition, that four- 
 teen or fifteen settlers came into Mr. Belcher's neighborhood, from the town of 
 Farmington, of whom the wdiole band possessed unusual strength and stature. 
 Two were of the name of Hart. Of these one, whose son at the age of seventy 
 years is still alive, is said to have had bones so large that an Indian, who, with 
 others, was passing through the settlement, stopped and examined him with sur- 
 prise. Mr. Hart and his fellow' giants were employed by Mr. Belcher on his wall." 
 This stone wall skirted the then road to Kensington which long since ceased 
 to be used, but it is still possible to trace this old road, once the usual route of 
 travel to that parish. If one starts at the old Way place now ow'ned by Mr. E. H. 
 Higginson and follows the road running west over the railroad track, within per- 
 haps a quarter mile a point is reached where the road turns at right angle and runs 
 south to Colony street, reaching it just below the old Malleable Iron Co. factory, 
 now owned by The IMeriden Fire Arms Co. If, instead of turning south at the 
 right angle mentioned, one keeps on to the west the lane is soon found turning 
 gradually to the north and soon one has the ancient Meriden Farm on the right. 
 At times the traces of this ancient highway are difficult to follow ; but per- 
 severance, after a while, brings one to where it is again a well traveled road. 
 
 There was another road to Kensington which began where Kensington avenue 
 leaves Colony street and followed the present line of the avenue as far as the 
 present trotting park (there was then no road through Cat Hole Pass). Here it 
 turned toward the north and finally climbed the steep sides of the mountain, com- 
 ing out near Botsford's or Corrigan's corner. All that is now left of this road is 
 the old Bailey road, skirting the west side of the trotting park. There was a road 
 branching from it which joined the one already described as bordering Meriden 
 Farm, on the west. Over these old roads now neglected and almost lost to sight 
 in a tangle of briar bog and forest our great grandparents plodded their way on 
 foot, or in saddle or pillion on horseback were carried over these weary miles to 
 Kensington Parish or Farmington Village. The southern limits of Farmington 
 at this time were bounded by the laneway just south of Albert Norton's house in 
 Berlin, so that none of Meriden Farm was in the town of Farmington. 
 
 For some years after the colony had confirmed Capt. Belcher's title to the 
 farm and enlarged its bounds we learn nothing to add to our annals. It is proba- 
 ble that the caj^tain frequently visited the farm and gave careful attention to its 
 needs and with his tenants made frequent search for the minerals which the rocky 
 
24 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 sides of Lamentation had seemed to promise, but evidently without success. On 
 Oct. 22, 1707, he deeded to "My son Jonathan my mannor or farme of Meriden 
 near to a place called Cold Spring now in tennance and occupation of Joseph Hop- 
 kins, Sam'l Peck and Samuel Hubbard, their under tenants or assigns" and hence- 
 forth his connection with Aleriden Farm ceases ; he died Oct. 31, 1717. 
 
 And now enters a character, the most famous in our early annals. In his day 
 the most distinguished of the sons of New England ; charming in his manners, 
 delightfid in his vanity ; picturesque in his lordly way of dispensing hospitality 
 and alwa}s conscious that he was his majesty's most imposing representative in 
 these i'uritan commonwealths. 
 
 (Fat'simile of signature taken from document in possession of writer.) 
 
 son of Captain Andrew and Sarah (Gilbert) Belcher, w^as born in Boston Jan. 8, 
 1682-3. He graduated at Harvard college in the class of 1699 and then spent 
 some time in traveling in England and on the continent to prepare himself for 
 the large inheritance his father was to leave him. He had an honorable reception 
 at the Court of the Elector of Hanover and that of St. James in England. Re- 
 turning home he followed in his father's steps as merchant, representative in the 
 General Court of jMassachusetts and member of the Council. In person he was 
 graceful and attractive ; he had a cheerful countenance, a hearty voice, a demon- 
 strative gesticulation and an habitually afifable address ; altogether he was a man 
 of society and of the world. ^ An heir to a large fortune, he had been accvistomed 
 to dispense it in ways to draw attention and give him consequence. His acquaint- 
 ance with Connecticut people was wide and in 1729 he acted as agent for this 
 colony in England. While there he threw out intimations in high quarters that 
 the view he once held regarding the king's prerogative had undergone a change.^ 
 Returning he was appointed royal governor of Massachusetts, which position he 
 held until 1741. His administration, while considered by some a fairly good one, 
 has ])een accused by others as honeycombed by political corruption. He had the 
 usual troubles with the colonial court ; and his character, prone to small resentments 
 and foolishly irritable, did not tend to smooth matters. He was not troubled like 
 his differently constituted and differently trained predecessor by pride and obsti- 
 nacy abouts points of honor. He loved intrigue and underhanded methods. 
 
 1 Palfrey's Hist, of X. E., Vol. IV., p. .530. 
 
 2 Nar. and Crit, Kist. of Am.. Vol. V., pp. l.'il-1.32. 
 
EARLY lIISrOKV. 25 
 
 The wavs of thinking' of liis early training' kept their hold on his experienced mind. 
 He hrougiit into politics some habits of trade. When finally removed from his 
 position in 1741 he was appointed governor of New Jersey, where he governed 
 with success and satisfaction to himself and the people for sixteen years. The 
 following anecdote illustrates the governor's vanity to perfection. He lived in 
 grand style in a mansion he had built at Milton, Mass., which was surrounded 
 by large grounds, modelled on the style of an English estate ; and he had many 
 
 GOVERNOR BELCHER.i 
 
 servants and equipages. In laying out the avenue to his proposed mansion he 
 told his architect that he wished it executed with such precision "that friends and 
 visitors on their first entrance upon the avenue nfight see the gleaming of his 
 gold kneebuckles as he stood on the distant piazza." This house was burned 
 in 1776. Governor Belcher, as stated before, acquired the title to ]\Ieriden Earm 
 < )ct. 21, 1707. Eor some years his ownership left no impress on our records. But 
 he doubtless was familiar with the property and frequently visited it for his ac- 
 quaintance with people in central Connecticut was considerable. He kept a book 
 in which were preserved drafts of all his letters so that we have a record of a 
 great deal of his correspondence which has been printed in the Massachusetts 
 Historical Society collections. It has already been stated that the elder I'elcher 
 was probably induced to buy iMeriden Earm by the alluring prospect of hidden 
 
 1 This cut taken from Memorial History of Boston follows a portrait painted in 1729 by Leopold!. It 
 hangs in the gallery of Mass. Hist. Soc. 
 
26 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Stores of copper and other minerals in the rocky sides of the nearby hills and had 
 left the still visible traces of diligent prospecting at different points. But in 1712 
 there ap])cars in the records of the General Court^ the first positive evidence that 
 the Belcher family had at last discovered sufficient traces of this hidden wealth 
 to warrant an actual investment of pounds, shillings and pence to bring it forth 
 to the light of day, and from that time on for many years Jonathan Belcher and 
 his partners poured forth a steady stream of good colonial money in the vain 
 endeavor to mine copper in sufficient quantities to make the investment a profitable 
 one. In the western parts of Wallingford and in Granby the mines were located 
 and miners were imported from Germany and other places. Not only was Jon- 
 athan Belcher a loser in these ventures but the craze infected all classes and the 
 records of Wallingford abound in mining leases to men and w^omen in Boston, 
 New York and Wallingford. Some were ruined and lost their all in this mad hunt 
 for wealth, among others Adam Winthrop, a great-grandson of the first governor 
 of Massachusetts. The venture was an unfortunate one for Governor Belcher, and 
 his losses were very large for the operations were carried on for many years. But 
 this is not the place to tell the story of copper mining in Connecticut. Governor 
 Belcher muet have spent much time at his Meriden Farm during the copper min- 
 ing venture, for his correspondence book contains many items relating to people 
 m this part of Connecticut. In the year 1720 he placed Eleazer Aspinwall, of 
 Brookline, Mass., in charge of his Meriden Farm and thereafter there are con- 
 stant references to this farm. Aspinwall, doubtless, kept up the tavern or inn 
 and gained what income he could from the soil and paid a rental to the owner 
 and so far as we know this arrangement was satisfactory to Mr. Belcher and the 
 relation between landlord and tenant was harmonious for many years. But in 
 the year 173 1 Mr. Belcher was appointed royal governor of Massachusetts and 
 naturally his interest in the far away Connecticut farm began to wane. To add 
 to his dissatisfaction the copper mining ventures had proved anything but profita- 
 ble. He wrote in 1735 that during about twenty-three years he had disbursed 
 upwards of fifteen thousand pounds in this vain quest.- Added to this ^Ir. Aspin- 
 wall had become dilatory in paying his rent. Altogether the governor thought it 
 high time to dispose of his Meriden Farm. From 1731 to 1735 we find in his 
 draft book various letters to Rev. Elisha Williams, rector of Yale college. Rev. 
 Samuel Wliittlesey of Wallingford, Joseph Pitkin of Hartford and Rev. Ebenezer 
 Williams of Pomfret. All these letters betray great anxiety to sell Meriden 
 Farm and the last one of the series says, 'T am content to sell my Meriden Farme 
 if you can meet a chap that will give a reasonable price and pay the money down 
 when I execute the deed." In Oct., 1732, he sent his son, Andrew, to Connecti- 
 
 1 Col. Records Conn.. Vol. \., pp. 323 and 455. 
 
 2 Phelps Hist, of Simsbury, Granby and Canton, p. 115. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 2/ 
 
 cut to look after his interests there and his letters to Aspinwall about his unpaid 
 rent became quite peremptory. Whether it was ever paid we do not know, but the 
 disgust of the governor now became so great that he determined to get rid of 
 the farm at any cost and the only victim he seems to have been able to find was 
 his son, Andrew ; perhaps on the theory that adversity is a good teacher and that 
 if his son could make an income out of the farm he would acquire a talent and 
 genius for business that would make him a rival to his grandfather. Governor 
 Belcher during his ownership had spent much money on the farm, and had evi- 
 dently tried to make it an attractive "Manor." The pond which now spreads 
 over seventy-five acres of its meadows, due to the dam built by the Hartford Ice 
 Company, had a predecessor, for the governor during the days of his pride in 
 the estate had also built one about three hundred feet north of the present 
 one and the remains of this old dam now shaded by lordly old oaks and hickories 
 are very easily traced.^ On a recent summer day the writer followed the brook 
 as it wanders through the meadows, murmuring and gurgling as it did in the days 
 of the beavers and the aristocratic old governor. He paused at the gap between 
 high banks where his excellency had once caused the dike to be built, and he sud- 
 denly found himself confronted by four genuine knights of the road. Three were 
 fast asleep on the grassy bank, their dirty and peaceful faces shaded by the sun- 
 flecked shadows cast by a sturdy old oak. The fourth, wide awake, and absorbed 
 in a copy of the New York Journal, looked up and asked "looking for anything, 
 boss." "Yes," was the answer, "a dam that used to be here." "Well, boss," said 
 the tramp, "this has been one of our resting places for fifteen years and I never 
 seen no dam here." He proved to be a philosophical knight for after a short 
 talk he said, "purty here, isn't it, and handy to the railroad? I'm better off than 
 you, boss, for you want to stay and have got to go, but I can stay until I'm tired 
 of it and then go to another place just as purty." A parting glimpse from a dis- 
 tance showed the tramp busy hanging a can of water over a fire, preparing a re- 
 past of one knows not what concoction. We have followed the career of the gov- 
 ernor through many years and it would not be displaying proper respect to leave 
 him here. A few brief facts will be added to this sketch and then we will say 
 good bye to him when he enters "the undiscover'd country from whose bourne no 
 traveler returns." He was twice married ; first to Alary, the daughter of Gov- 
 ernor Partridge, of New Hampshire. She died in 1736, and her funeral was on 
 so magnificent a scale that the streets and housetops were packed with sight- 
 seers as the cortege passed through the streets of Boston. His second wife was 
 a Miss Teal, of New Jersey. Of his children, it is only necessary to mention 
 two — Andrew, to whom Meriden Farm was deeded, and Jonathan. Jr., who be- 
 
 1 Farmington Records Aug. 17, 1714 : Samuel Newell sold to Jonathan Belcher the right to drown 
 or flood his lands by any dam or dams not exceeding 12 foot high from bottom of work. 
 
28 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 came Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. They were both the cause of much 
 anno}-ance to their father on account of their idleness and extravagance. Andrew, 
 in particular, did not aspire to the rank which his father's ambition had marked 
 out for him. The event in his life which is most interesting to us is that when 
 Bishop Berkeley sent his library to Yale college in 1733, the gift was consigned 
 to Andrew Belcher.^ The governor died Aug. 31, 1757, at Elizabethtown, N. J. 
 We learn from the Boston Nczcs Letter of Dec. i, 1757, "The corpse of his excel- 
 lency, Jonathan Belcher, Esq., late Gov. of New Jersey, was brought hither last 
 week from New York and deposited in a new tomb built for that purpose at Cam- 
 bridge agreeable to the desire of his Excell'y before his death." In a funeral 
 sermon preached by Rev. Aaron Burr, president of the college of New Jersey, it 
 is stated, "His father was the Famous Andrew B., Lst]., one of his Majesty's Coun- 
 cil in the Province of Mass. Bay, justly esteemed an ornament and blessing to his 
 country. (The Governor's) excellent endowments of mind (learning and travel) 
 were set off by a peculiar beauty and gracefulness of person, in which he was 
 excelled b}' no man of his day. There was a dignity in his mien and deportment 
 which commanded respect. This joined with the frank, open and generous man- 
 ner in which he treated his friends, his polite and easy behaviour towards strangers 
 rendered him the delight of the one and the admiration of the other. The schol- 
 ar, the accomplished gentleman and the true Christian were seldom ever more 
 hap])ily and thoroughly united than in him." Gov. Hutchinson, in his History 
 of Massachusetts, states that Belcher was the victim of political intrigues while 
 governor of that province and his view of his character does not at all agree with 
 the slurring remarks of more modern historians. On the W'allingford land rec- 
 ords^ under date June 9, 1741, Andrew Belcher, of Boston, sold to Jedediah Nor- 
 ton and John Yale of Wallingford for £1950 "all that tract of land contain- 
 ing by estimation 670 acres, being that part of Meriden Farm, so called, lying 
 westof the Country Road leading from Hartford to New Haven." To this day much 
 of the old farm still remains in the hands of the Yale and Norton families. On 
 March 4, 1742, Andrew Belcher sold to Samuel Peck, Nathaniel Edwards and 
 Zebulon Peck, all of Middletown for £1925, "all that farm of land called 
 Meriden, lying eastward of Country Road and containing 350 acres, bounded 
 easterly on top of Lamentation Mt.," etc.^ Thus came to an end all connection 
 •of the Belcher family with our Meriden Farm ; a connection so noteworthy that 
 to this day the property is still frequently called the Belcher Farm. 
 
 Since the foregoing chapter was put in print the writer has gained some addi- 
 tional information relative to Meriden Farm, which he thinks of sufficient im- 
 portance to add in the form of a note or appendix. 
 
 1 N. H. Col. Hist. Soc. Collections, Vol. I., p. 162. 
 
 2 Wallingford Land Records, Vol. IX., pp. 18-19. 
 •3 Idem, pp. 30-31. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 29 
 
 A careful study of the Wallingford records has couvinced hiui that the 
 southern boundary of the farm extended to the road or laneway running west 
 from the old Eh Way place on X'orth Colony road, now owned by Mr. E. H. 
 Higginson. This road was the ancient highway to Kensington, which has al- 
 ready been described. It is full}- a quarter of a mile south of what the writer 
 had previously believed to be the southern boundary of the farm. 
 
 From ]\Irs. Hiram Richmond (a daughter of Selden JMerriam and grand- 
 daughter of Sidney Alerriam who came into possession of the tavern or inn and 
 many acres adjoining about the year 1812) has been gained the fact, that in 1833 
 the old building was moved to the rear for a wood shed and carriage house, and 
 the present house was erected on the ancient site, now occupied by Air. 
 -Michaelis. Between this house and that of Mrs. E. H. Yale to the north, stood 
 what Airs. Richmond had supposed was a stone fort which disappeared long be- 
 fore the Alerriams accjuired the property. The reason for believing this building 
 to have been a fort was the existence of subterranean stone chambers in the rear 
 that were called powder magazines, which were filled in probably fifty years since. 
 This old stone building was doubtless erected for purposes of defense and was 
 really a fort, but it must have had the general outlines of a house for the old rec- 
 ords refer to the old building as "stone house." The entries relating to stone 
 house farm are many and are always used in connection with this particular part 
 of Meriden or Belcher Farm. Had the building been in shape like a fort the rec- 
 ords would have called it stone fort farm. 
 
 Nearly sixty years ago, the late Henry S. Wilcox, then a boy of ten, wrote a 
 composition on the early history of Meriden. There was no history of the town 
 then in existence. There are so many early dates and facts given in this article 
 that are corroborated by recent examination of the early records that there is 
 the strongest evidence that the boy got his data from some one who knew many 
 facts long since forgotten, and who had seen the old stone house. From this 
 boy's composition, we learn that the building was well constructed to withstand 
 an Indian attack, for the door was filled so full of spikes that a bullet could not 
 be shot through it, and instead of windows there were port holes, through which 
 one inside could use his rifle with deadly eflrect. 
 
 The probable ex})lanation of this stone house seems to the writer to be this: 
 viz, that the building was erected during the troublous times of 1675 and 1676 
 when all Xew England was in great apprehension on account of the war of ex- 
 termination begun b}- the Indians, \vhich is commonly called King I'hilips ^\'ar. 
 Wallingford was so alarmed b\' the outlook that armed guards or pickets were 
 constantly maintained and the village fortified, ^\'hat more natural than that 
 the owner or occujiant of a farm un])rotecte(l and alone in the wilderness, should 
 erect a stone Imilding adjoining his ordinar\- hal)itation. for refuge is case of last 
 
30 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 resort? It was doubtless built hastily, and therefore did not last as long as the 
 wooden building adjoining, built much more leisurely. This wooden house was 
 very old when removed to the rear and has long since disappeared ; it was prob- 
 ably the building erected by Mr. Gilbert when the farm was granted to him in 
 i66i, and was consequently 172 years old when abandoned as a dwelling. 
 
 (Facsimile of book plate used by Andrew Belcher, Sr. 
 From original in possession of writer.) 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 3 1 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Copies of land deeds and documents relating to the purchase of lands to the 
 northward showing the basis for the statement that the planters of New Haven 
 made purchases of land from the Indians extending from New Haven harbor 
 northwardly as far as the junction of Kensington avenue and Colony street or one 
 mile north of where Colony street crosses Pilgrims' Harbor brook. 
 
 INDIAN DEEDS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE PLANTATION OF NEW HAVEN. 
 
 Articles of agreement betweene Theophilus Eaton & John Davenport & others, 
 English planters att Quinopiocke on the one partye & Momaugin y® Indian Sa- 
 chem of Quinopiocke & Sugcogisin, Quesaquauch, Caroughood, Wesaucucke, & 
 others of his counsell on the other partye, made & concluded the 24^^^ of Novem- 
 b^ 1638. Thomas Stanton being interpreter. 
 
 That hee y® s*^ sachem, his counsell & company doe jointly profess, affirme & 
 coven*^, [th]at he y® s*^^ Momaugin is the sole sachem of Quinopiocke, & hath an 
 absolute and independant power to give, alien, dispose or sell, all or any part of 
 the lands in Quinopiocke, & that though he have a son now absent, yet neither 
 his s'^ son, nor any other pson whatsoever hath any right title or interest in any 
 part of the s*^ lands, soe that whatsoever he, y® forenamed sachem, his counsell 
 & y® rest of y® Indians present doe & conclude, shall stand firme & inviolable 
 against all claimes & psons whatsoever. — 
 
 Secondly y® s*^ sachem, his counsell & company, amongst which there was a 
 squaw sachem called Shampishuh sister to y® sachem, whoe either had or p^'tend- 
 ed some interest in some part of y® land, remembring and acknowledging the 
 heavy taxes & eminent dangers w^'^ they lately felt & feared from y® Pequotts, 
 Mohaucks & other Indians, in regard of which they durst not stay in their country, 
 but were forced to fiie, & to seeke shelter under the English at Conecticutt, and ob- 
 serving y® safety & ease y*^ other Indians enjoy neare y® English, of which benefitt 
 they have had a comfortable tast already since the English began to build & plant 
 at Quinopiocke, which w^^ all thankfullnes they now acknowledged. They jointly 
 & freely gave & yeilded up all y'' right, title & interest to all y® land, rivers & 
 
32 
 
 A CENTURY OF INIERIDEX. 
 
 ponds, trees with all >'=' libertyes & appurtenances belonging unto y^ same in 
 Ouinopiocke to y® utmost of their bounds East, West, Xorth, South unto Theophi- 
 lus Eaton, John Davenport & others, the p^'sent English planters there, & to their 
 heires & assignes for ever, desiring from y"^ _\-® s^^ English planters to receive 
 such a portion of ground on the East side of the Harbour towards y^ fort at 
 v*^ mouth of y^ river of Conecticott as might be sufficient for them, being but 
 few in number, to plant in ; and yet within these limitts to be hereafter assigned 
 to them, they did coven* & freely yeild up unto y® s^^ English all the meadow 
 ground being therein, with full liberty to chuse & cut downe what timber they 
 please, for any use whatsoever, without any question, licence or consent to be 
 asked from them y® s*^^ Indians, and if, after their portion & place be limited & 
 set out by the English as above, they y® s*^ Indians shall desire to remove to any 
 other place within Ouinopiocke bounds, but wntliout y^ limitts assigned them, 
 that thev doe it not without leave, neither setting up any wigwam, nor breaking 
 up any ground to plant corne, till first it be sett [ou]t & appointed by y® fore- 
 named English planters for them. 
 
 Thirdly y*^ s*^^ sachem, his counsell & company desireing liberty to hunt & 
 fish [withi|n the bounds of Ouinopiocke now given and graunted to the English 
 as before, doe [hereby] jo[in]tly coven* & bind themselves to sett noe traps neare 
 any place where y*^ [ ] whether horses, [ox] en, kine, calves, sheep, goates, 
 
 hoggs or any sort [ 
 
 to take] any fish out of any ware belonging to any English, nor to doe any thing 
 neare any such ware as to dis[turb] or affright away any fish to y® p^judice of 
 such ware or wares; & that upon discovery of any inconveni[en]cy growing to 
 y® English by the Indians disorderly hunting, their hunting shalbe regulated and 
 limited for the p^'venting of any inconvenience, & yet with as litle damage to y® 
 Indians in their himtiiig as ma}' be. 
 
 I'^jurthly, y'^ s*^ sachem, his counsell & company doe hereby covenant and bind 
 themselves y* none of them shall henceforth hanker about any of y*^ English 
 houses at any time when the English use to meete about the publique worship of 
 God ; nor on ye Lords day henceforward bee scene within y® compass of y*^ English 
 towne, beareing any burdens, or oft'ring to truck with y® English for any comodity 
 whatsoever, & y* none of y"^ henceforward without leave, open any latch belonging 
 to any English mens dore, nor stay in any English house after w^arneing that he 
 should leave the same, nor doe any violence, wrong, or injury to y*^ pson of y® 
 English whether man, Avoman, or child, upon any p^'tence whatsoever, and if the 
 English of this i)lantation, by y'^selves or cattle, doe any wrong or damage to 
 y® Indians, upon complaint, just recompence shalbe made by y® English ; and y* 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 33 
 
 none of y"^ henceforward use or take any English mans boate or canoe of what 
 kind soever, from y® place where it was fastened or layd, without leave from the 
 owner first had & obtayned, nor y*^ they come into y® English towne w*^'^ bowes 
 & arrowes. or any other weapons whatsoever in number above 6 Ind3'ans soe armed 
 at a time. 
 
 B'ifthly y*^ s'^ sachem, his counsell & company doe truly covenant & bind 
 v'^selves y*^ if any of y'^ shall hereafter kill or hurt any English cattle of w*^ sort 
 soever, though casually or negligently, they shall give full satisfaction for the loss 
 or damage as the English shall judge equall, But if any of y"^ for any respect, 
 wilfully doe kill or hurt any of the English cattle, upon proofe they shall pay y® 
 double valew. And if, at anytime, any of them find any of the English cattle 
 -t raying or lost in the woods, they shall bring them backe to the English planta- 
 tion, & a moderate price or recompence shalbe allowed for their paynes. provided, 
 if it can be proved y* any of y"^ drove away an-*' of y® English cattle wheresoever 
 they find them, further from y® English plantation to make an incre[ase] or ad- 
 vantage, or recompence for his paynes finding or bringing y"^ back, they shall in 
 any such case pay damages for such dealings. 
 
 Sixthly, the number of y® Quinopyocke Indyans, me[n] or youth growne to 
 stature fit for service being forty seven at p^'sent, they doe covenant and bind 
 y'^selves not to receive, or admitt any other Indians amongst them without leave 
 first had & obtayned from y® English, & that they will not, at any time hereafter, 
 entertaine or harbo^' any that are enemies to y® English, but will p^sently ap^'hend 
 such & deliver y'" to y® English, and if they know or heare of any plott by ye In- 
 dyans or others against y® English they will forthwith discover & make y® same 
 knowne to y™, & in case they doe not, to be accounted as partyes in y® plott, and 
 to be proceeded against as such. 
 
 Lastly y® s*^ sachem, his counsell & company doe hereby promise truly & care- 
 fully to observe & keepe all & every one of these articles of agreem*, & if any 
 of y'" ofifend in any of y® p^'misses, they jointly hereby subject & submitt such of- 
 fendo'' or offender's to y® consideration, censure & punishm* of the English mages- 
 trate or officers appointed among them for government without expecting y*^ y® 
 English should first advise with y"^ about it, yet in any such case of punishm'^ 
 if the s^ sachem shall desire to know the reason & equity of such pceedings, hee 
 shall truly be informed of the same. 
 
 The former article being read & interp'"ted to y"^, they by way of exposition 
 desired v* in v® sixth article it might be added, that if anv of the English cattle 
 be killed or hurt casually, or negligently, & proofe made it was done by some 
 of the Quinopiock Indyans, they will make satisfaction, or if done by any other 
 Indyans in their sight, if they doe not discover it, & if able to bring y® offendo'" 
 til y^ English they wilbe accounted & dealt with as guilty. 
 3 
 
34 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 In consideration of all which, they desire from y^ English, that if at any time 
 hereafter they be affrighted in their dwellings assigned by the English unto y^ 
 as before, they may repayre to the English plantation for shelter, & that y® Eng- 
 lish will therein a just cause endeavo^ to defend y™ from wronge, But in any 
 quarrell or warres which the}- shall undertake, or have w^'^ other Indyans, upon 
 any occasion w^soever they will manage their affaires by y™selves with(3ut ex- 
 pecting any ayd from the English. 
 
 And the English planters before mentioned accepting and graunting according 
 to V® tenor of the p'mises, doe further of their owne accord, by way of free & 
 thankefull retribution, give in [to] y® s*^ sachem, counsell & company of y® Ouin- 
 opiocke Indians, twelve coats of Eng'lish trucking cloath, twelve alcumy spoones, 
 twelve hatchetts, twelve hoes, two dozen of knives, twelve porengers & foure 
 cases of French knives and sizers ; All which being thankfully accepted by y® 
 afores*^ & y® agreements in all points perfected ; for rattification & full confirma- 
 tion of the same, the Sachem, his counsell & sister, to these p''sents have sett to 
 their hands or markes \'® dav & vear above written. 
 
 Momaugin 
 
 Siigcogisin 
 
 Quesaqtiatisli 
 
 his marke. 
 
 Carroiighood 
 Weesaucuck 
 
 his marke. 
 his mark 
 
 Sliiuinipisluih 
 
 her 
 marke 
 
 I, Thomas Stanton, being interpreter in this treaty, doe hereby profess in y® 
 p^sence of God, y*^ I have fully ac(|uainted the Indyans with y® substance of every 
 article, & truly returned their answer & consent to the same, according to y® ten- 
 no'' of the foregoing writeing, the truth of which, if lawfully called, I shall read- 
 ily confirme by my oath at any time. 
 
 Thomas Stanton. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 35 
 
 Articles of agreem* betwixt Theophiliis Eaton, John Davenport, & sundry oth- 
 er EngHsh planters at Ouinnypiock on y*^ one part, and Mantowese sonne of an 
 Indvan sachem liveing att Mattabezeck, and nephew to Sequin on y® other part, 
 made & concluded the ii^^'' day of Decenib^' 1638. 
 
 First y® s*^ JMantowese in p^'sence & w^'^ allowance and consent of Sawseunck an 
 Indyan w'^'^ came in company w*^'^ him, doth profess, affirme and covenant, to & 
 ^yth ye gd Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport & others above, that y® land on 
 both sides the river of Quinnypiock from y® Northerly bounds ofy® land lately 
 purchased by the s^ English of y® Quinnypiock Indyans, namely from y*^ pond in 
 y^ great meadow, about two miles above y® great hill, to y® head of y® river at 
 y® great playne toward y® plantations settled by y*^ English upon y® river of Quin- 
 tecutt Southerly, wdiich is about tenn miles in length from north to south, the 
 bounds of which land run alsoe eight miles easterly from y® river of Ouinnypiock 
 toward y® river of Ouintecutt, and five miles westerly towards Hudsons river, doth 
 truely & solely belong to him y® s^ Mantowese in right of his deceased mother, to 
 whom y® s*^^ land did appertaine, & from whom it justly descends upon him as his 
 inheritance, soe y^ he hath an absolute & independant power to give, alien, dispose 
 or sell all or any part of y® s^ land, as he shall think good ; and y^ neither his s*^ 
 father, or any other pson whatsoever, have any right, title or interest in any part 
 of y® land described and limited as above, whereby he or any other may here- 
 after justl}' question what y® s^ Mantowese now doth, or lay any clayme to any 
 part of y® s*^ land now disposed of by him. 
 
 Secondly the s*^ Mantowese being fully acquainted w^^^ y® agreem^^ lately 
 passed betwixt y® s*^ English planters & y® sachem of Ouinnypiock, his counsell 
 & company, did freely, of his o^vne accord, upon full tS: serious deliberation, give, 
 grant and yeild up all right, title and interest to all y® land mentioned and bound- 
 ed as above, with all the rivers, ponds, trees, and all liberties and appurtenances 
 whatsoever belonging to y® same, to the s*^ Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport 
 and other English planters att Quinnypiock, and to their heyres & assignes for 
 ever, desireing from them, the s*^ English planters, to receive such a small portion 
 of land b_\- the rivers side about two miles l)eyond y^ tree over }'' rivtr, in the pas- 
 sage from hence towards y® townes at Ouintecutt, as may be sufficient for his 
 small company, being but tenn men in number, besides women and children, w'^^ 
 portion of land they desire may hereafter, upon a view, be assigned, appointed 
 and limited unto them by y^ s^ English planters, rcscrveing alsoe lo himselfe and 
 his forenanied company, liberty in fitt seasons & due manner without p''udice to 
 y^ English, to hunt, & fish & kill beaver, yet therein alsoe to be regulated by y® 
 s*^ English upon discovery of any annoxance. as the Ouinn_\]Mock lnd\;iiis are in 
 that case. 
 
 Lastly, the said Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport (Jv:c accepting frnm Manto- 
 wese this free gift of his hand as above, doe by way of thankful) retributiou, give 
 
36 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 unto him eleven coates made of trucking cloth, and one coate for himselfe of Eng- 
 lish cloth, made up after the English maner, w^^^ being thankfully accepted by the 
 s*^ Mantowese, and the agreements in all points pfected, for ratification, and full 
 confirmation of y® same, Mantowese and Sawseunck have hereunto sett their 
 hands or markes the dav and vear before written. 
 
 Mantowese ^ 11 lus mrke 
 
 Sawseunck I his mrke 
 
 I, John Clarke, being interpreter in this treatie, doe hereby professe in the 
 p^'sence of God that I have fully acquainted the Indyans with the substance of 
 every article, to y® w°^^ they have freely agreed, that is to say y* Mantowese have 
 given to Mr. Davenport & Mr. Eaton all his land w*^^^ he had by his deceased 
 mother, w*^'^ he saith is from y® head of y® great playne to the pond w°^ he professe 
 to be his, & promise to make it good to o'' English, & for this hee is satisfyed with 
 twelve coats, onely reserve a piece of land by the river for his men which are 10 
 and many squaws, to plant in, & when o'' cowes come there what harme their 
 doggs doe to o^ cattle, they will satisfye for, and we for what harme o^ hoggs doe 
 to them in corne, & as for hunting & fishing, to be free to them as o^'selves, pro- 
 vided o"" cattle suffer not by them, & with these particulars they are acquainted, 
 & doe freely consent to them, as their marke wittness, the truth of which, if law- 
 fully called, I shall readily confirme by my oath at any time. 
 
 per me John Clarke 
 
 We Robert Coggswell, Roger Knapp and James Love, doe hereby renounce all 
 right to any & every part of the forementioned land. 
 
 "Wittnes our hands .hereunto 
 
 James Love 
 
 Robert Coggswell 
 
 Roger Knapp ^J his mrke. 
 
 ? 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 37 
 
 Letter from Rev. John Davenport of New Haven Colony to John Winthrop, Jr.,i 
 
 of Connecticut Colony. 
 
 To the Right Worshipfull John Winthrop, Esq''., Governonr of Connectacute, 
 these present at Hartford 
 
 Honoured Sir — Scio sapiunt Phryges.- If I had as wel used my Upovoia 3 in 
 preparing a letter as T was dilligent in harkening after opportunities for transmit- 
 ting it, I had not bene thus surprized, before I had begun my letter. Brother 
 Benham just now tells me that his companie is gone before: & he is going to 
 Hartford. I blame him for not letting me know last night, but in vaine ; yet I 
 urge his stay a very little, that I may write these few lines, while he is buisied 
 about making up your Curtaines which had bene with you before now if my wife 
 could have procured him or John Thomas to have carryed them. I hope you 
 will now receive them by him. Concerning the matter of the Indians, I hope 
 Mr. Gilbert hath or will give you a cleare account. If the Indians you are pleased 
 to mention should revenge themselves upon ours they will greatly wrong the in- 
 nocent: for our Indians had no hand in that buisencs nor have spoken the least 
 word for ought I can learne, to animate our men to what is done. And that which 
 it seemes bro. Yale & bro. Cooper have spoken to your Indians, I never knew nor 
 heard of but by your letter. Nor will there be anything done by any of ours to 
 hinder your Indians in theyre hunting. But for the purchase it was made above 
 20 yeares past, without any seeking, on our part upon an offer made to our then 
 Governour & Co. It was of Mantoweeze that the land was bought, whereby N. 
 H. bounds extended neare unto the Cold Spring beyond Pilgrims Harbour. But 
 of these things if you desire it our Governour will give you full intelligence 
 when he shall be able, which I hope will be shortly, for the wrightings of that 
 transaction are in his hands. 
 
 Aly selfe wife and son present our affectionate salutacions to yours. I rest 
 
 Yours exceedingly obliged 
 
 John Davenporte 
 New Haven the 30th day of the 8th m. 1660. 
 
 This letter shows that New Haven, in Mr. Davenport's opinion, had bought 
 of the Indians, land extending north of Pilgrims' Harbor as far as Cold Spring. 
 
 In Volume I. relating to colonial lands and on file in the office of the secretary 
 of state in the capitol at Hartford is a deed from the Indians to the proprietors 
 
 1 Mass. Hist. Society Col., 4th Series, Vol. VII., pp. 517-519. 
 
 2 Equivalent to our saying "a Yankee's wit comes too late." 
 
 3 Forethought. 
 
38 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 and inhabitants of Wallingford, dated May 24, 1681, a full copy of which ap- 
 pears in Dr. Davis' History of Wallingford and Meriden, p. 27. Only a portion 
 of this deed is here given, which shows that an Indian deed had been executed in 
 1645 extending the grant of 1638 ten miles farther to the north. 
 
 Wheras our predecessors Mantowese Sachem in the year 1638, December the 
 eleventh, by a general deed of grant alienated, enfeoffed and sold a tract of land 
 to Theophilus Eaton Esq^"., Mr, John Davenporte minister & to other English 
 planters of Quinipyog alias New Haven as by an instrument at large doth ap- 
 peare, alsoe by a second Grant as by an instrument dated in the year 1645 in the 
 moneth May of the sayd year renewed the former grant and tract of Land to run 
 from a great pond in New Haven east meadow twenty miles North & to be thir- 
 teen miles in breadth East: & West which sayd tract of land was made over unto 
 Theophilus Eaton Esq"" & Mr. Stephen Goodyear & Mr. Thomas Gregson Gen- 
 tillman, of the aforesayd New Haven" etc., etc. 
 
 This deed of 1645 is probably not now in existence as a very diligent search 
 has failed to reveal its whereabouts. The great pond in New Haven East Mead- 
 ow is of course Lake Saltonstall and twenty miles north from the "great pond" 
 would more than cover the statement of Rev. John Davenport that New Haven 
 had purchased of the Indians land extending "neare unto the Cold Spring be- 
 yond Pilgrims' Harbour." 
 
 In the Connecticut State Library in the Capitol at Hartford are preserved 
 many manuscript documents. Among these archives in Vol. IV., Document 66, 
 of "Towns and Lands," in a petition dated October 10, 1722, and signed by sev- 
 eral of the inhabitants of Wallingford, praying" to the general court for relief 
 in a certain land dispute and controversy, occurs this passage : "Humbly Shew- 
 eth That whereas there was a purchase of Land obtained by y® ancient Proprie- 
 tors of New Haven in y® year 1638; of one Mantuese an Indian Sachem w"^^^ pur- 
 chase extended northward even beyond y® northermost bound of y* w*^ is now y® 
 Township of Wallingford ; and Livery of Seisin was made to y® Gentlemen of 
 New Haven by y® s^ Indian Sachem of this Tract of Land being eight miles from 
 N haven East River eastward and extending into y® north to a certain tree marked 
 by y^ said Indian sachem (w° tree is about a mile north of Pilgrims harbour.)" 
 
 Pilgrims Harbour was a territory of considerable extent and deeds early in the 
 i8th century locate lands fully half a mile north of where South Colony St. crosses 
 Harbor brook (just east of the office of Lyon & Billard Co.) as in Pilgrims Har- 
 bor. If the territory was indicated in the above petition rather than the ford or 
 crossing, then New Haven's purchase of the Indians must have extended to a 
 point a little distance north of where Colony street is crossed by the Meriden, 
 Waterbury and Connecticut River railroad. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 39 
 
 A few words as to the extent of the territory called by the name of ^leriden. 
 .Mr. Alfred Andrews in his Genealogy and Ecclesiastical History of New Britain^ 
 j-ays : "This locality at the the 'south eastern boundary of tifarmington' called 
 above 'Great Swamp' had an early English name, which seems to have been aban- 
 doned for this .of 'Great Swamp,' viz. jMeridun, Meridan or Meridon, a name 
 finally given 1725 to the present town of Meriden to take the place of 'Pilgrims 
 Harbor.' But to settle the question of the old name to this locality I quote from 
 a deed of Captain Daniel Clark, of Windsor, to Jonathan Gilbert, dated 22 April, 
 1672, of 300 acres of land (forty of which was to be meadow, by grant of the 
 colony to S*^ Clark) lying, situate, and laid out at a place called Moridan where 
 Jonathan Gilbert's farm is & bounded partly on the Alattabesick River where it 
 may be allowed of the town of Farmington" "This deed is in possession of the 
 Gilbert family living 1867 on the same farm said above to be owned by Jonathan 
 Gilbert previous to 1644" (1664). 
 
 Now this farm stated to be still in possession of the Gilbert family is about 
 one mile northeast of the railroad station in Berlin on wdiat is known as Christian 
 Lane. The very ancient brick house is still in existence, built probably by Eben- 
 ezer, son of Jonathan Gilbert. The first church of Great Swamp parish was lo- 
 cated several hundred feet south of it and this whole locality was known as Great 
 Swamp parish. It is fully four miles north of Jonathan Gilbert's "Meriden 
 Farm" as we know it. Had he been in possession of these two farms and the 
 land between he would have owned several thousand acres in the vicinity when 
 he died in 1682. The best judge of what he owned was Mr. Gilbert himself. In 
 his will, dated 1674, he says, 'T give to my son Nathaniell Gilbert my farme at 
 Meriden with all the houses and land thereto belonging, I give to my son Eben- 
 ezer Gilbert & his heires forever all that three hundred acres of land I bought 
 of Capt. Daniel Clark in Farmington Bownds with all priviledges thereunto be- 
 longing & also that purchase of land I bought of Messaccup, commonly called 
 & known by name of Pagon Chaumischaug."^ In the inventory the Meriden 
 Farm is valued at £110 and Pagon Chaumischaug at £120. This shows that 
 Mr. Gilbert owned two distinct and separate farms — one at or called Meriden, 
 and the other on Christian Lane in Berlin where stands the brick house built 
 by Ebenezer Gilbert and called by the Indian name. Mr. Andrews was misled by 
 the fact that Daniel Clark was conveying two separate tracts of land in the same 
 deed, into believing that both tracts were one and bore the name of iMeriden, 
 and the luistake was a very natural one. 
 
 That two separate and distinct tracts were granted to Daniel Clark is proved 
 by the following extracts from the Colonial Records of Connecticut. On March 
 
 1 Page 17. 
 
 2 Dr. Trumbull was unable to give the meaning of these Indian words. 
 
40 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 13, 1661-62 "There is granted to Secy Daniel Clark & John Moor the number 
 of 400 acres of land upon y® forementioned ternies whereof 80 acres of meadow 
 wch is to be divided between them and if it can not be found together they have 
 liberty to seek it out severally." On Oct. 12, 1665, "The secretary hath granted 
 unto him an augmentation to his former grant to y® sum of one hundred acres 
 of upland and he hath liberty to take it up for his meadow the remainder 
 of the meadow that is not taken up at Jonathan Gilbert's farme if it be there to 
 be had with an hundred acres of upland adjoyening and the rest to make up his 
 former grant at some place upon Mattabeseck River where he can find it free 
 from those limitations inserted in his former grant." What Mr. Clark did was 
 to take up 120 acres adjoining Mr. Gilbert's Meriden Farm and the balance else- 
 where. This is proved by Farmington land records Vol. i, page 50, where it 
 reads as follows : "Land .in Farmington belonging to Mr. Jonathan Gilbert & 
 to his heires forever in y® jurisdiction of Conecticut and county of Hartford, 
 viz. one p'sell which he bought of Captin Daniell Clark Lying and being about 
 Cold spring in y® roade from Wethersfield to New Haven containing" sixe score 
 acres butting p'tly on Mr. Gilbords owne land given him by y® country and p'tly 
 on comon land to y® south, to y® east neare to the roade aforesaid & to y® west 
 and the north on comon land." 
 
 "One p'sell more contayning nighne^ score acres which was allso bought of 
 Captin Daniell Clarke lying & being about the branches of Metabesit River butting 
 to y® north p'tty on comon land & p'tty on p'ticuler lots. To y® south on p'ticuler 
 mens lots and to y*^ west on p'ticuler lots now belonging to farmingtowne & to y® 
 east on comon land belonging to Farniingtowne." 
 
 That these tracts were not contiguous is proved by the boundaries. 
 
 To put it in modern English,Mr. Gilbert bought of Sec'y Clark 120 acres 
 which adjoined his Meriden farm near Cold Spring and 180 acres on the branches 
 of the Mattabesitt River — a separate and distinct tract — making 300 acres in all, 
 and all conveyed in the one deed which Mr. Andrews said was in the possession 
 of the Gilbert family living in Christian Lane in 1867.2 This shows how the con- 
 fusion or error arose of thinking that the name of Meriden was used to describe 
 the territory afterwards called the Great Swamp. The words Cold Spring iden- 
 tify the locality of the first or 120 acres for that name was used some time before 
 the recorded use of Meriden to describe the territory within two or three miles 
 of our famous spring near the poorhouse. In the deed quoted by Mr. 
 Andrews the quantity of land conveyed was mentioned as 300 acres : On 
 the Farmington records it is given as "sixe score acres" and "nighne 
 score acres" ; exactly the same amount. The writer has deemed it wise 
 
 1 Actual form of the word on the records. 
 
 2 The Gilbert family live there no longer. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 4I 
 
 to i:iive this explanation because it cannot be other than an error to say 
 that "Meriden" ever went wandering away up into Beriin. The error is 
 repeated in the Memorial History of Hartford County,^ and Mr. Camp in his 
 interesting work, the History of New Britain,^ says what is equivalent to the 
 same thing. As a matter of fact, Capt. Belcher did not buy Meriden Farm of 
 Mr. Gilbert, but of the Gilbert heirs on Sept. 6, 1686, when they sold him "Meri- 
 den Farme being partly or all neere the comon roadway between Wethersfield 
 and ^Vallingford, estimated at 350 acres." The deed is recorded in "Colony Rec- 
 ords and Deeds" in Secretary of State's office. Curiously enough, the 120 acres 
 adjoining, bought by Sec'y Clark went to Ebenezer Gilbert with Pagon Chaum.is- 
 chaug and was sold to Capt. Belcher on June 18, 1700, by Ebenezer as "6 score 
 acres being about the Cold Spring bounded partly on Belchers farm & commons 
 on south, east neare the Road west & north on commons." In the Connecticut 
 Colonial Records^ this distinction of the grants to Sec'y Clark being in two sep- 
 arate places is specifically mentioned as "three hundred acres of land for the same 
 use, to be taken up partly^ upon the branches of Mattabesitt River and partly 
 upon the road from Wethersfield to New Haven at or neare a place called Cold 
 Spring on the west side of a ridge of mountainous land comonly called or known 
 by the name of the Lamentation Hills." Although it is not distinctly stated, it 
 is probable that the 180 acres or "nighne" score acres adjoined the land called 
 Pagon Chaumischaug bought by Mr. Gilbert of Messacup, lying in Christian 
 Lane in the Great Swamp parish. 
 
 Jonathan Gilbert, in the record just quoted, is also said to have acquired the 
 "native (Indian) right of the land adjoining his 470 acres, amounting in the 
 whole to one thousand acres." This must have been land east of the 470 acres 
 and east of Colony road, for when Andrew Belcher was granted the land from the 
 east side of the farm to the top of Lamentation ]\Iountain in 1703, it is stated 
 as 280 acres only, whereas the land from the east side of Colony road to the top 
 of mountain would have been considerably more than 280 acres. Lastly when 
 the farm was sold by Andrew Belcher, Jr., in 1741-2, he conveyed 670 acres to Yale 
 & Norton & 350 acres to Peck, Edwards & Peck, and the whole deed is of land in 
 W'allingford bounds and is only recorded on Wallingford land records. 
 
 1 Vol. II., pp. 278-279. 
 
 2 p. 27. 
 
 3 Vol. IV., p. 450. 
 
 4 Italics are not in records. 
 
42 A CENTURY OF MF.RIDEX. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The origin of the name of IMeriden has for years been a subject of more or 
 less interest to many of the residents of this town, and several theories have been 
 advanced as to the derivation of the word. 
 
 One hypothesis urged, and which seems to be accepted as satisfactory by many, 
 is that the old tavern or inn situated in that part of the town which first bore the 
 name was a place of so much carousing and merriment that the house soon be- 
 came known as the "Merry-den," hence Meriden. This attempt to explain the 
 name reminds one of the effort of the school boy to translate the first three words 
 of Virgil's Aeneid, "Arma virumque cano," by the astounding rendering "Man 
 with a dog in his arms." The boy was able to advance the argument that "Arma" 
 means "arms," "virum" is a man, and "cano" is much like "canis," a dog. The 
 advocates of this theory also show ignorance of the character of our first Con- 
 necticut settlers. A very grave and austere people they were, and had they for 
 one moment suspected that a house of entertainment of such repute was within 
 their borders, they would have considered it as the headquarters of the Devil, 
 and would have proceeded to demolish the house and drive the proprietor out of 
 the colony. 
 
 Again, it has been suggested that the name is a corruption of the word "Mer- 
 idian." Some time ago one of our local papers printied an extract from Bradley's 
 Register for the year 1847, reading as follows: 
 
 "Its name (Meriden) is probably a corruption of the word Meridian, the town- 
 ship being equidistant from the two semi-capitals, Hartford and Nev/ Haven — 
 from Hartford seventeen miles and from New Haven seventeen miles." 
 
 That meridian means "equidistant" is probably news to all our readers. As 
 every one knows, meridian is an astronomical or geographical term ; but when 
 used in a non-technical sense it indicates culmination. Moreover, the farm to 
 which the name was first applied is not equidistant from Hartford and New Ha- 
 ven ; it is about sixteen miles from the former city and twenty miles from the 
 latter. This farm, now sometimes called the Belcher Farm, was granted to Jon- 
 athan Gilbert, of Hartford, Aug. 28, 1661, and a full account of it has been given 
 in a previous chapter. See pages 15-16. 
 
 Just when the name of Meriden was applied to the locality, we do not know. 
 The first recorded use of the name was in a deed of land to Edward Higbey, 
 dated Oct. F4th, 1664, which has already been given in a previous chapter. It 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 43 
 
 is a well known fact that almost every township name in New England was taken 
 from England. Names of rivers, lakes, and mountains are frequently Indian in 
 their origin ; but the names of settlements seldom have but one derivation, and 
 that is the mother country of the colonists. Cotton Mather says : 
 
 "For as there are few of our towns but what have their names sake in Eng- 
 land, so the reason why most of our towns are called what they are is because 
 the chief of the first inhabitants would thus bear up the names of the particular 
 places there from wdience they came."^ 
 
 Danbury, Norwich, Hartford, Windsor, Wallingford, Milford, Stratford, Dur- 
 ham, and a host of others are all familiar names on the map of England. Meri- 
 den also appears on the map of England. In the "History of Wallingford, Mer- 
 iden and Cheshire,"^ it is stated : 
 
 "There cannot be a shadow of a doubt but that Mr. Belcher gave the name, 
 and that it was taken from Meriden, Warwickshire Co., England. In the parish 
 church at Meriden in England are deposited the remains of the Belcher family 
 for many generations. The resemblance of the valley in which our town is sit- 
 uated, with the stone house or inn, with the town in England and other associa- 
 tions doubtless suggested to him the propriety of giving the name to his tract." 
 
 Dr. Perkins, in his Historical Sketches, also suggests the same derivation. 
 And, indeed, the inference was a natural one, and without any other facts to guide 
 one it would be reasonable to conclude that the matter was settled and that Meri- 
 den was surely called after the village of the same name in Warwickshire, England. 
 
 Unfortunately, however, the theory will not stand when a careful investiga- 
 tion is made. In the first place, Mr. Belcher did not name the farm. At the time 
 of the first recorded use of the name, viz. 1664, he was a boy, living in Cambridge, 
 Mass., and it was not until 1670, at the age of 22, that he married Mr. Gilbert's 
 daughter, Sarah, and not until 1682 or aft^r the death of Mr. Gilbert did he ac- 
 quire an interest in Meriden Farm. Moreover, the Belcher family in c|uestion 
 did not come from Aleriden in Warwickshire. The home of the family previous 
 to emigration was in London and Danbury, Essex county.^ 
 
 The writer has made a careful search in the parish register of Meriden in 
 Warwickshire and not a name can be found in it similar to that of any one of our 
 early settlers and there is not a Belcher buried in the parish church ; and there is 
 no topographical similarity between our Meriden and the one in Warwickshire 
 for the village over the water lies in a flat valley about half a mile wide with gently 
 sloping hills around. It is embraced in the territory of the forest of Arden, fa- 
 mous as one of the haunts of Robin Hood. 
 
 1 Magnalia, Ed. 1820, Vol. I., p. 83. 
 
 2 pp. 159-160. 
 
 3 N. E. Hist, and Gen. Reg., Vol. XXVII., pp. 239-240. 
 
44 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 A few years ago, while reading a book called "England, Picturesque and De- 
 scriptive," by Joel Cook, the following singular paragraph was noticed. Th( 
 Parish Chur«Lh Register of Dorking, Surrey Co., among other curious entries 
 records the christening in 1562 of a child, whose fate is stated in these words 
 
 "Who, scoffing at thunder, standing under a beech was stroke to death, hi< 
 clothes stinking with a sulphurous stench, being about the age of twenty year* 
 or thereabouts, at Mereden House." 
 
 Naturally, it was at once concluded that there must be a locality near Dorkins 
 called "Mereden." A resort to the maps failed to show such a place, but latei 
 a careful examination of a section of the ordinance survey of Surrey Co., Eng- 
 land, with the aid of a strong reading glass, revealed a place about three mile; 
 south of Dorking, called Meriden Farm. The coincidence was striking. Hen 
 was the very name by which Mr. Gilbert's farm was known two hundred anc 
 thirty years ago. This English farm is in the civil parish of Dorking, and lie; 
 in a valley of the same name ; it is not a village. It was some time before an) 
 definite information could be gained. A search through the pages of Manning 
 & Bray's History of Surrey furnished the following" meagre facts. 
 
 "In the Borough and A'Ianer(sic) of Westcote is a vale called Mereden, com- 
 mencing between Cold Harbour and Boar Hills, in which is a Farm of the same 
 name belonging to Abbotts Hospital in Guildford and in a wood or coppice belong- 
 ing to this Farm is a spring called Meg's Well, the water of which is of greai 
 beauty and uncommon coldness." 
 
 The writer, when in London a few years ago, easily persuaded himself thai 
 it ^vas a duty that he owed to his native town to go down to Dorking and see whai 
 sort of a place Meriden Farm was. He had previously corresponded with a Mr 
 Alfred Mitchell, in whose charge was the care of this farm, and so on a beautifu 
 day in spring, when the hawthorn hedges were bursting into leaf and the tendei 
 green of the English meadows was suffused with sunlight and bathed in a gentle 
 haze, duty and inclination, assisted by the railway train, soon carried him over the 
 twenty miles that separates Dorking and London, and placed him in the care oi 
 Mr. Mitchell. The farm is a part of the large estate of Mr. Robert Barclay, i 
 wealthy London brewer, and Wx. Mitchell, his father and grandfather have beer 
 faithful stewards of the property of the Barclay family during nearly a hundrec 
 years; and singularly enough his aunt, Mrs, Arrowsmith (since deceased) was 
 an inmate of the Curtis Home in Meriden, Connecticut, and was born on Mr 
 Barclay's estate. This fact and his natural courtesy led Mr. Mitchell to do every- 
 thing in his power to assist to a thorough acquaintance with Meriden Farm, anc 
 a tramp over the hills and through the vale to Cold Harbor just below, gave one r. 
 fair knowledge of the lay of the land and the appearance of the country. The 
 topography is very similar to the valley in which lies our ]\Ieriden Farm, only i1 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 45 
 
 is on a smaller scale, and the hills are not so grand and rugged as Lamentation Mt. 
 I and Hanging Hills. This valley in England is called by many the most beauti- 
 ful in Surrey Co. It lies between parallel ranges of hills running north and 
 ■ south, that on the west rising gradually to an elevation of nearly one thousand 
 feet. From its summit can be had a view over a beautiful country extending to 
 I the sea twenty miles away. It is called Leith Hill. There are two stone cottages 
 in the valley which is well wooded and now used as a game preserve. A mile to 
 . the south beyond Leith Hill lies the hamlet of Cold Harbor. Less than a mile to 
 the north lies Wotton House, a fine old estate once the home of John Evelyn, the 
 celebrated botanist and diarist of the reign of Charles II. Here he passed many 
 years of his life and one of his favorite walks was through Meriden Farm to the 
 top of Leith Hill. The estate is still in possession of the Evelyn family. Near 
 the entrance to the vale as one comes from Dorking is a small elegant mansion 
 once the property of Daniel Malthus, and here was born and lived Thomas Robert 
 Malthus, the scientific expounder of the principals of population, and frequently 
 called Population Alalthus. In the woods on the side of the hill is a spring that 
 is celebrated the country round on account of the great coldness of the water. 
 It is called Meg's well, but this is a comparatively recent name as time is counted 
 in England ; a century and a half ago it was one of the haunts of a witch-like 
 J creature and many curious legends are told of the woman until like Noma in 
 j Scott's Pirate the character of Meg is more mythical than real. The Vale of 
 Meriden in Dorking cannot boast of a single historical event. During all the 
 centuries it has rested in peaceful loveliness ; for a long time the farm was in 
 the possession of Abbott's Hospital in Guildford, not many miles away, an endr^w- 
 ment gift from Archbishop Abbott, who founded the institution. But about five 
 years ago it was bought by Mr. Barclay whose estate quite surrounded it. Dork- 
 '' ing itself has had nearly as quiet an existence as the Farm of Meriden and we 
 should hardly know of it were it not for the peculiar breed of poultry with five 
 claws which originated here, and that Dickens chose it as the scene of some of 
 the adventures of the immortal Weller family. Here was located the "Markis of 
 Granby" where Mr. Weller, Sr., lived and smoked his pipe and practiced patience, 
 , while the "Shepherd" imbibed hot pineapple rum and water until Tony Weller 
 I could stand it no longer and the Rev. Stiggins was ignominously kicked out and 
 ' ducked in the horse trough in front of the inn ; and here the father imparted to 
 I Samivel the oracular information that "Vidth and Visdom alvays grows together." 
 I About three miles beyond Cold Harbor lies the parish of Ockley. The Rev. Henry 
 I Whitfield, who with his flock settled the town of Guilford, Conn., was from 1618 
 to 1638 rector of this parish. He was, of course, a clergyman of the Church of 
 England at that time, but he had pronounced Puritan sympathies that finally in- 
 duced him to leave the church and join the great Puritan migration across the 
 
46 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ocean. During his ministry in Ockley his home was a place of refuge for non- 
 conformists in their trials and tribulations. The Rev. John Davenport of New- 
 Haven, the Rev. Thomas Hooker, of Hartford, and others frequently found 
 refuge in his rectory, ^ and two of Mr. Whitfield's parishioners in Ockley came 
 with him to Guilford, Conn., and many of his flock in this country were from 
 Surrey Co., England. With the many striking resemblances between Meriden 
 Farm, lying between Lamentation Mt. and Hanging Hills, and Meriden Farm in 
 Surrey Co., England, does it take very much imagination to believe that some one 
 of these men saw the likeness and gave the name to our farm ? Both farms lie in 
 pronounced valleys. In both cases the name was that of a farm and not of a town ; 
 each valley has a spring of uncommon coldness ; each valley is screened by a lofty 
 hill whence may be had a glimpse of the sea about twenty miles away. Another 
 point of resemblance is that each has at the entrance to the valley a harbor. Ours 
 is called Pilgrims' Harbor ; the one in Surrey Co. is called Cold Harbor. Now it 
 is a singular fact that these names are interchangeable. They both mean the 
 same thing. The Century Dictionary gives the definition of Cold Harbor as "a 
 protection at a wayside for travelers who are benighted or benumbed with cold." 
 The term is not an uncommon one in England. Now as to the origin of the name 
 of our Pilgrim Harbor, one thing is absolutely sure and certain — it was not so 
 called because the regicides or judges of King Charles I. found protection and 
 shelter on the banks of our stream when pursued by the king's officers. The 
 letter from John Davenport to Governor Winthrop dated 30th day of 8th month, 
 1660, and printed on page 37 of this book, proves this conclusively, for at that 
 date the regicides had not left Boston and did not come to Connecticut until the 
 following spring." Moreover it will be observed that the name of Pilgrims Har- 
 bor was well known at the date of this letter. It was written to a man in Hart- 
 ford by a New Flaven man and there is no attempt to explain its location, so that 
 the name must have been in use for some time. Dr. Ezra Stiles, president of 
 Yale College for many years, born 1727 and died 1795, was responsible either 
 for the preservation or birth of this tradition^ and it is one of those stories that 
 will never die no matter how often it is shown to be entirely unsupported by facts. 
 Singularly enough Dr. Stiles' diary, lately published, gives a clue to the very fact 
 that we are looking for. ' Under date May 7, 1793, he says "Rode to Meriden and 
 loged at Capt. Webb's, aet 86, wife 82" ; on the 8th follows, "Tra- 
 dition at Meriden and about here (Hartford) Pilgrim's Harbor, so 
 named from two men stopt here till they could make a float. After- 
 wards Public built a shed for Pilgrims caught here bv high Freshes. 
 
 1 Steiner's Hist, of Guilford, Conn., p. 15. 
 
 2 Palfrey's Hist, of New England, Vol. II., p. 499. or any other history treating of the regicides. 
 
 3 Stiles' Hist, of the Three Judges, p. 108. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 47 
 
 I^Ir. ]\Ieriani^ aet say 35 lives at the Bridge — intelligent — tells the common story 
 — 2 pilgrims — but nothg of Regicides — rather persons travellg fr. X. H. to Hart- 
 fd." The next year (1794) Dr. Stiles' History of the Three Judges was pub- 
 lished and so notwithstanding the information he had picked up in Meriden and 
 Hartford, he started this story about the Regicides and Pilgrims Harbor Brook — 
 a storv that will alwa\s have perennial youth and like the brook will go on for- 
 ever. Dr. Stiles tells the story in this way : "there is a tradition of their mak- 
 ing a lodgment at Pilgrims Harbor, so called from them, being twenty miles from 
 New Haven at a place since called Meriden, half way between New Haven and 
 Hartford." The Rev. Mr. Perkins, in his Historical Sketches, repeats the story 
 but Dr. Davis in his History of Wallingford show^s that there can be no truth 
 to the tradition. Now note the similarity of the meaning of Cold Harbor as given 
 in the Century Dictionary and that of Pilgrims Harbor as found existing in Mer- 
 iden over a hundred years ago and stated in Dr. Stiles' diary. They both mean 
 a refuge for travelers by the wayside — not an inn or a tavern, but simply a shel- 
 ter. There must have been other places of like character in Connecticut during 
 those days of sparsely settled country, but to one only was the name of Pilgrims 
 Harbor given. So is it not fair for the sake of argument to admit that the nam- 
 ing of Pilgrims Harbor was, like the naming of Hartford or Windsor — a calling 
 of localities by the old names of the mother country, and that the original form was 
 Cold Harbor but that it was changed to Pilgrims Harbor to avoid confusion with 
 Cold Spring only a couple of miles away? 
 
 From a topographical point of view there are again striking coincidences. 
 Cold Harbor, in Surrey Co., lies not far from the entrance to the vale in which is 
 nestled Meriden Farm. Pilgrims Harbor here is not far from the entrance to the 
 valley in which lies our Meriden Farm. Back of Cold Harbor in Surrey Co. to 
 the northwest is an escarpment or steep hill very like the sudden rise to the north- 
 west that one would observe standing at the corner of Colony and Main streets 
 if the ]\Ieriden House and other buildings did not hide the view of the elevation 
 crowned by Prospect and Mt. Pleasant streets and Washington Heights. Two 
 or three miles to the west we see the heights of West Peak range ; a mile or two 
 to the west of Cold Harbor is the elevation known as Leith Hill. Besides these 
 remarkable coincidences of names and topography we have learned that a num- 
 ber of people in this colony had lived or visited near Cold Harbor and Meriden 
 Farm in Surre\- Co. To the names of Thomas Hooker, John Davenport and 
 Henry \\'hittield. we may perhaps add the name of Edward Higbee. whose Indian 
 deed, printed or. pages 17-18 of this book, contains the first recorded use of the 
 word Meriden in this colony. The records of the parish church in Dorkiug show 
 
 1 Benjamin Merriam, son of Benjamin Merriam. who died in 1807, and owned tlie Meriden House 
 corner and east side of Colony street''also. His house stood on site of the Meriden House. 
 
48 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 that in 1602 a John Higbey was Hving near that town. Savage, in his genealogi- 
 cal dictionary, suggests that Edward Higbee was the son of a John Higbee. Of 
 course this does not prove that the two men named John Higbee were one and the 
 same person, but in this first recorded use of the word, Meriden, it is spelled Mer- 
 ideen, which denotes an intimate acquaintance with the correct and early spell- 
 ing, as will be seen later, at a time when others in the colony were writing it Mer- 
 idin, Meridan and even Meridon. It is very likely that this Indian deed was 
 drawn up by Higbee, Mr. Gilbert in his will dated 1676, written by himself, 
 wrote the word Meridin — that is he spelled it as he thought it was pronounced. 
 Mr. Gilbert was not from Surrey Co. in all probability. With so many individuals 
 in this colony who were acquainted with this particular locality in Surrey Co. it 
 is not difficult to believe that the resemblance to be seen in Connecticut on the 
 highway between Hartford and New Haven was sooner or later recognized. 
 
 Necessarily the question is incapable of an absolute solution. But the coin- 
 cidences in names and topography is remarkable and one may surely be par- 
 doned for believing or trying to believe that our Meriden Farm took its name from 
 Meriden Farm, Surrey Co., England. It is a curious fact that the country folk 
 who live around our English namesake, display the same tendency to explain 
 the origin of the name by its evident sound as their Yankee cousins in Connecticut. 
 The story goes that 200 or 300 years ago there was a cave in the vicinity where 
 smugglers were in the habit of resorting with their ill gotten goods to make a 
 fair division and to celebrate their exploits by a carousal and hilarious merry- 
 making — hence Merry-den. When Mr. Barclay bought the farm he acquired the 
 old deeds that went with the property and the earliest one was dated in the twelfth 
 century, over seven hundred years ago and the form of the name was then Mer- 
 rideen. 
 
 And now it is time to ask the question. Wliat does 'Meriden' mean? What 
 is the derivation of the word? Will etymology teach us its primitive signification? 
 
 The naming of towns and localities in England was an entirely dififerent pro- 
 cess from that employed in New England. Here, the forefathers borrowed the 
 names of Indians, or else they endeavored to quiet the longings of their home- 
 sick hearts by using the words made familiar to them in the Mother Country. 
 In England, however, names of places were not borrowed ; they were indigenous, 
 and grew up with the people, so to speak. In every case a name embodies some 
 local peculiarity of physical aspect, or perpetuates some historical fact. DeOuincy 
 says^ "they are not inventions of any active faculty, but were passive depositions 
 from a real impression upon the mind." Dean Trench has written of words as 
 "fossil poetry" and "fossil history," and the comparison is fitting. Almost every 
 town name in England illustrates this simile ; thus, Boston, in Lincolnshire, Avas 
 
 1 Essay on Style. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 49 
 
 anciently "Botulfeston," or "Botiilphs town," preserving the fact that a monaster}^ 
 was hnilt by him in 654, around wfiich a town grew up ; Oxford was "Oxenford," 
 and was just what the nanje implies; Windsor, centuries ago was "Windelsora," 
 from early English "Windel," to wind and "ora," a shore, — that is, a winding 
 shore, referring to the course of the Thames at that point ; Rochester was ages 
 ago "Hrofe," a man's name, and "ceaster," a fortified place, — i. e., "Hrofeceaster" ; 
 Wallingford, one of the most ancient towils in England, on the Thames a little 
 below Oxford, was by the Britons called "Guallhen," that is "Old Fort;" the Sax- 
 ons added "ford" to it on account of the crossing of the Thames at that place, and 
 it became "Guallhenforde," that is, the Crossing by the Old Fort ; but the curious 
 lingual inclination of the Saxons to change a "g" of a Romance tongue to a "w" 
 (as perhaps best illustrated in the French "Guillaume" which became "William" in 
 the Saxon mouth), corrupted the word to "Wallengaforde," which easily became 
 the modern Wallingford. ^ And the illustrations might be extended indefinitely. 
 
 The word "Meriden" is no exception to this general rule, and from it may 
 be extracted a little fossil poetry. The prefix, Meri, Merri or Mere is undoubtedly 
 a corruption of IMerry or Alerrie. The definition of "Merry" as used to-day is 
 sportive, playful, or mirthful, but its early meaning was decidedly different. Per- 
 haps the best illustration of the distinction will be found in the following examples : 
 
 In the Psalter of the Book of Common Prayer ( which is the same as the Book 
 of Psalms in the Great Bible of Henry VIIL, published about 1541), the second 
 verse of the 8ist Psalm reads as follows: 
 
 "Take the psalm, bring hither the tabret, the Jiicrry harp with the lute" ; 
 but in the Bible of 161 1. commonly known as the King James Version, the same 
 verse is as follows : 
 
 "Take a psalm and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltry." 
 During the time between the two translations, the character of "merry" has changed 
 and no longer means "pleasant." 
 
 Another example; an early English song runs thus: 
 
 'Wlcrry sung the monks within Ely 
 That Cnute King rowed thereby ; 
 Row Knights near the land 
 And hear we these monks' song." 
 
 A Latin translation of this song made at about the same date renders "Merry" 
 as "dulce," and the modern translation of "dulce" is unquestionably "sweetly." 
 
 In 1528 Sir Thomas ^lore wrote his wife as follows: 
 
 "I pray you be with my children and your household merry in God." He un- 
 doubtedly wished her to understand him as bidding her be cheerful. No one 
 
 ] Camden's Britannia, Gibson's edition, 1695, p. 140. 
 
50 
 
 A CKNTURY OF MliRIDEN. 
 
 would for an instant think he wished her to be sportive or gay or mirthfnl in God. 
 
 It is difficult to realize to how great an extent our language has changed dur- 
 ing the last four or five centuries. Had a man of the time of Chaucer been 
 asked to describe a sweet and amiable girl, he would doubtless have spoken of her 
 as a "Merry Wench." What self-respecting young maid of to-day would submit 
 to such a classification? Illustrations might be added indefinitely, but enough 
 have been employed to demonstrate that the early meaning of "Merry" or "Merrie" 
 was cheerful, sweet or pleasant. 
 
 The suffix "den" is very common in Surrey, and, indeed, in all parts of Eng- 
 land. Not far from the Vale of Meriden are Oakdeane, Morden and Cotmanden. 
 A beautiful country seat near Dorking was called, in the time of John Evelyn, Dip- 
 den, but the present proprietor has revived the ancient form of the name, and it 
 is now Deepdene. The place is appropriately named, for it is surrounded by an 
 amphitheatre of hills. This suffix "den" was anciently dene, or dean, and was the 
 early English term for valley, or vale. 
 
 With the information we now have, what does Meriden mean? "Meri" pleas- 
 ant, "den" vale or valley ; that is, Pleasant Valley. 
 
 There were, or are, several places of this same name in England. In the time 
 of Edward I., i. e. the 13th century, there was a village in Shropshire called 
 "Meryden."^ Camden, in his "Britannia" written in the i6th century, mentions 
 a village called "Merival," north of Coventry, The same book speaks of "Meri- 
 field" as a "delightful meadow." There is to-day a "Merrivale" in Devonshire. 
 Sir Wm. Dugdale, in his Antiquities of Warwickshire, states that Meriden, near 
 Coventry, is derived from Mire-dene, meaning a muddy valley. Even that form 
 would not prove his definition correct, for one of the early forms of "merrie" 
 was "mirie" or "myrie." We know, however, that etymology in the 17th century 
 was anything but a science, and we find that long before his book was written 
 the place was recorded as "Meryden," and every one who has visited the place 
 describes it as a pleasant valley. ^ Human nature is always the same, and we still 
 find evidences of this desire to describe one's residence as attractive. Vermont, 
 Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and many other states, each 
 has its Pleasant Valley which may be found on the map. Did we still use the 
 primitive language of our remote forefathers, these places would all be Meridens 
 or Merivals. We have learned that "Meriden is the loveliest vale in Surrey," 
 and Surrey is one of the fairest of all the counties of England, full of picturesque 
 hills and dales. Have we not, then, extracted the fossil poetry from "Meriden," 
 and may we not safely conclude that it means Pleasant Valley? 
 
 1 Collectanea Topographica et Genealogica, Vol. I., p. 128. 
 
 2 The writer has a map printed in the 18th century. In which the name appears as Mereden, the 
 same form as we find first recorded for Surrey. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 5 1 
 
 It may be urged that after all it is not a matter of great moment that we 
 should know the origin of the name of Meriden. The writer as gracefully as 
 possible acknowledges the force of the criticism. The only apology he has to of- 
 fer for the great length to which this chapter has grown is that he is a son of the 
 soil, and anything that relates to the early history of Meriden appeals to a particu- 
 larly susceptible part of his mental makeup. 
 
 Note — Since this sketch was put in print, the writer has come into possession of a little book en- 
 titled "Notes on Staffordshire Place Names," by W. H. Duignan, published in London, 1902. The 
 preface states that Rev. Walter William Skeat (professor of Anglo-Saxon in Cambridge university and 
 probably the greatest living authority on Early English) and Mr. W. H. Stevenson, Fellow of Exeter 
 College, Oxford, are in a measure sponsors for the scholarship of the little book, for their advice and 
 suggestions have been constantly sought and given. The arrangement of the work is that of a diction- 
 ary, and the author has this to say under the word "Merridale, an ancient estate of 1% m. S. W. of 
 Wolverhampton. The mediaeval forms are Miiridene. Meriden, in Warwickshire was Myridene. (Prob- 
 ably A. S. Myrige, pleasant, sweet, delightful Merry, and dene valley. This would account for the i in 
 Muridene, W. H. S.)" An old meaning of "Merry, was as stated. 'Merry,' England; the 'Merry month of 
 May,' mean sweet, pleasant, not jocund or mirthful." 
 
 The initials W. H. S. indicate that the brackets enclose the note of W. H. Stevenson. 
 
 Here then we have another form of Meriden ending in "dale" that has not been mentioned in the 
 foregoing pages, and also as good an endorsement as could be asked, for the theory that the writer of 
 this chapter advances, viz. that the ancient meaning of Meriden was pleasant valley. 
 
52 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The story of Meriden Farm has now been told and its romantic chapter is 
 closed, for the last of the Belchers has shaken its dust from his feet and hence- 
 forth its annals deal only with the quiet and uneventful life of families compelled 
 to get their living from its soil by the sweat of their brows and an unremitting 
 struggle with the rugged conditions of rural life in New England during the 
 eighteenth century. To go back in imagination to those days of simple living 
 when nature was almost man's master, instead of servant ; to picture to ourselves 
 the isolation of life, the lack of communication with the outside world, the dearth 
 of incident except the grinding ceaseless toil required to subdue a country of un- 
 limited forests and unknown possibilities, require a power that no one possesses 
 except in a limited degree. , 
 
 Life could not have been attractive from our point of view. There were few 
 amusements and scarcely any inventions to add to the comforts of life, and the 
 grinding toil and struggle with a barren soil amid rocky hills left little chance to^ 
 cultivate the amenities of social intercourse. 
 
 "The machinery of production showed no radical difference from that famil- 
 iar to ages long past. The Saxon families of the eighth century enjoyed most 
 of the comforts known to Saxon families of the eighteenth century."^ , 
 
 Life under such conditions is, to us of the twentieth century, almost incon- 
 ceivable. But the result, however, was a race of men and women of rugged 
 constitution, and indomitable will ; this combination influenced by the religious 
 training and belief to which they were accustomed produced a condition of life 
 with which we are utterly out of sympathy. They cannot have been an agreeable 
 people and many doubtless would be ready to subscribe to the sentiment. "Let us 
 thank God for having given us such ancestors ; and let each successive genera- 
 tion thank Him not less fervently for being one step from them in the march of 
 ages." 
 
 The conditions for telling the story of Meriden are not the most felicitous, 
 for until 1806, this territory was only a suburb to Wallingford, second even to 
 Cheshire, which was made a separate township in 1780, twenty-six years earlier 
 than our successful attempt to go without leading strings. 
 
 It is not proposed to tell the story of Wallingford except so far as may be ab- 
 solutely essential to the proper understanding of events in the parish of Meriden. 
 
 1 Henry Adams Hist, of U. S., Vol. I., p. 16. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 53 
 
 The colony of New Haven was absorbed by that of Connecticut in 1665, 
 and, although the attempt was made to heal the wounded sensibilities of the peo- 
 ple bv making New Haven twin cai)ital with Hartford, the result was received 
 by manv of the inhabitants with disgust, and good John Davenport left the town 
 ni sorrow and took up his residence in Boston. , 
 
 Bv 1669 many of the first settlers of New Haven were dead and a new gen- 
 eration had grown up. In that year began the movement which resulted in the 
 settlement of Wallingford, and in 1670 the foundations had been laid and a new 
 town had been born in the colony. , 
 
 At a court of election held at Hartford ]\Iay 12th, 1670, the following vote 
 was passed : "This court haveing been moved to state the bownds of the New Vil- 
 lage that is settled upon the playne as you goe to New Haven, doe grant that their 
 bownds shall com from the Brook at the south end of the great playne to the 
 northward tenn miles;, and from the said [Brook] sowthward to Brandford 
 bownds. and on each side the river five miles ; that is five miles on the east side 
 and five miles on the west side the river, provided that the sayd village be car- 
 ryed on and made a plantation w*^^^out any relation or subordination to any other 
 towne and provided the bownds hereby granted to the sayd village doe not preju- 
 dice any bownds formerly granted to any plantation or perticuler person, or doe 
 not extend to the north any further then wh[ere] the old road to New Haven 
 goeth over Pilgrimes Harbour. The Court orders that the plantation on the playne 
 in the Road to New Haven, be called Wallingford." 
 
 Thus at the very birth of Wallingford the old limitation of the northern 
 boundary by the Pilgrims' Harbor ford comes up ; the same limitation which had 
 been a bone of contention between New Haven and Connecticut Colonies ten 
 years previously. It is difficult to understand why Wallingford should not have 
 been allowed to extend its bounds up to those of Farmington for this limitation 
 left a territory three miles wide, which was not a part of any township. . 
 
 The names of those who subscribed to the plantation agreement of W^alling- 
 ford are as follows : 
 
 Samuel Street 
 Nathaniel ]\Ierriman 
 Abraham Dowlittle 
 ^\'illiam Johnson 
 Benjamin Lewis 
 Sam'l Whitehead 
 Eliasaph Preston 
 Eleazer Holt 
 Samuel Andrews 
 Daniel Sherman 
 
 Samuel Munson 
 John Harriman 
 John Alosse 
 Jeremiah How 
 Daniel Hogge 
 Thomas Hall 
 Thomas Curtis 
 John Beech 
 Jehiel Preston 
 Samuel Hall 
 
 Eleazer Peck 
 Samuel Potter 
 John Peck 
 Francis Heaton 
 John Brockett 
 Zachariah How 
 John Miles 
 Nathaniel How 
 
 Thomas Yale 
 
 John Ives 
 
 John Hall 
 Joseph Ives 
 Joseph Benham 
 Simon Tuttle 
 Samuel Browne 
 Samuel Cook 
 Samuel Miles 
 Nathan Andrews 
 
54 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 All these men with the exception of Thomas Curtis, Thomas Beach and Ben- 
 jamin Lewis (who were from Stratford) were residents of New Haven. This 
 shows what a distinctively New^ Haven movement was the settlement of Wal- 
 lingford and possibly indicates why the court of election inserted in the vote of 
 May I2th, the precautionary clause "provided that the sayd village be carryed on 
 and made a plantation w'^'^out any relation or subordination to any other towne," 
 and explains why it was first proposed to call the new settlement New Haven 
 village. 
 
 But when, in the same year, the house lots were assigned, the names of sev- 
 eral in the previous list are missing and the record of assignment reads as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 A record of y® house lots in y® town of Wallingford as they were first sit- 
 uated upon y® hill on y® east side of y® Great Playne commonly called New Ha- 
 ven playne and of y® order of place and quantity of acres to each person allotted 
 
 for his house lot by order after some land was left for other use, y® first 
 
 house lot for John Brockett Senior 6 acres ; y® 2^ for John Mosse Senior 6 acres : 
 next to that a piece of land was left for a planting field. Next to that y® 3^'*^ 
 house lot for Abraham Dowlittle Senior 6 acres ; 4th house lot for Daniel Sher- 
 man 6 acres y® 5*^ house lot for James Eaton :^ y® 6*^ house lot for Samuel Street 
 6 acres. These 6 lots having some land lieing at y® end of y™ towards Whar- 
 tons Brook it is agreed by y® Comitte y* it be distributed to y® aforesaid persons 
 as a part of their other outlands, hieways excepted. Next to y® aforesaid 6 house 
 lots it is ordered by y® aforesaid first comitte y* there shall be a hieway cross y® 
 hill from east to west of 6 rods broad and from these a long hieway of 6 rods 
 broad on top y® hill to run northward and on each side of it two ranges of house 
 lots at 6 acres to a lot, one range on y® one side eastward and one range on y® 
 other side westward and these lots to be distributed to persons as follows : y® 
 first lot on y^ east side and y® first lot on y® west side of y® long hieway ; and on 
 y® north side of y® aforesaid hieway : each of y"^ 6 acres is by s*^ commite granted 
 to NathI Merriman Senior : y® one 6 acres for his house lot y® other 6 acres on y® 
 other side with respect to other outlands as to y® other persons before mentioned. 
 Next to these on y® east side of y® afores*^ long hieway y® 2*^ house lots to Sam* 
 Cooke 2,''^ to Sam^ Hall 4th to Joseph Benham 5*^^ ^q Jq}-,,-, y[^\\ At y^ end of 
 these on y® west side of y® aforesaid long hieway 2*^ Nath^ Merriman Jr. 3^^ to 
 Sam' ^funson 4th to 5*^^^ y® ministry. 
 
 a hieway a hieway 
 
 on y® east side on y® west side 
 
 6 Eleazur Peck 6 John Harriman 
 
 7 Samuel Potter 7 Samuel Brown 
 8 Nathaniel How 8 Nathan Andrews 
 
 1 Perhaps Heaton. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 55 
 
 9 
 
 Zachariali How 
 
 lO 
 
 Joseph Eives 
 
 II 
 
 Jeremiah How 
 
 
 a hieway 
 
 12 
 
 John Mix 
 
 13 
 
 Daniel Hopper 
 
 1 4 
 
 Samuel Thorp 
 
 15 
 
 Thomas Hall 
 
 16 
 
 David Tuttle 
 
 
 a hieway 
 
 17 
 
 Xehemiah Rovce 
 
 18 
 
 Samuel Rovce 
 
 9 
 
 Samuel Andrews 
 
 10 
 
 John Miles 
 
 II 
 
 Joseph Peck 
 
 
 a hieway 
 
 12 
 
 John Eives 
 
 13 
 
 Simon Tuttle 
 
 14 
 
 Thomas Curtis 
 
 15 
 
 Samuel Royce 
 
 16 
 
 Thomas Yale 
 
 
 a hieway 
 
 17 
 
 Nathaniel Royce 
 
 18 
 
 Benjamin Lewis 
 
 Through the courtesy of Rev. J. E. Wildman, of Wallingford, a map of the 
 tillage is here inserted. This map is a copy, not a facsimile, of a very ancient one 
 
 i:<xcK">1ou.Je i.of contcxlns 
 fix acres oT LtxnoL . 
 
 HIQK 
 
 COLON>f "RO/*,!) f,om HatX^ord to N' 
 Cominon "Fi-elcL 
 
 ajterthc 0. 
 
 WEST 
 
 iginal b^ Perkins . l.itho.jroipky I28rult0n3t. N .\j . 
 
 ie^ 
 
 IjftJt 
 
 §/onm of WafClngjcTcL . 
 
 iZti tfie name oj eotc/k crwnv of fUe IHoitfe ■^ots, as- diftribuTcd by Jiew Jiavrn Committee 
 i^ Cmoi^oL frcm Tfiejiecords 
 
r6 A CENTURV OF MERIDEX. 
 
 brought to Mr. Joseph P. Beach, of Cheshire, by EHhu Yale, in 1852, to be trans- 
 ferred to stone and lithographed. Consequentlx' the handwriting is 'Sir. Beach's. 
 The two names, Jo. Lines and John Lines should have been Jo. Lives and John 
 Lives. The middle name of Air. Beach is Perkins, under which name he was 
 then running his lithographing establishment in New York City. The original 
 map has disappeared from the office of the town clerk in Wallingford. James 
 Laton, Daniel Sherman and David Tuttle did not finall}- join the plantation, their 
 lots being taken by John Beach, Llisaph Preston and Lleazer Holt respectively. 
 Mr. Beach thinks the words "Old Colony road," "long highway." "cross highway 
 the first laid out," "common fields," "wilderness" and "planting field," etc., were 
 on the original map, but to the writer this seems doubtful. 
 
 So the town began with all the planters settled in a compact little village with 
 home lots of six acres each, arranged on a street at the top of the hill — the pres- 
 ent Main street. At the south end were grouped the elderly men. while at the 
 northern end were young men, several not then married. We can imagine what 
 a busy community it must have been for some time: the building of houses, the 
 laying out of streets, the clearing away of forests, the breaking of virgin soil 
 under the plow, must have kept every member of the little town thoroughly oc- 
 cupied. Material of all kinds and household furniture and supplies were large- 
 ly brought from New Haven in boats, for at fhis period the Quinnipiac river con- 
 tained much more water than at present, as we will learn by subsequent records. 
 
 The first houses built were probably of very rude construction for none of this 
 period have survived the destructive hand of time, wdiile a number built fifty 
 years later are still in very good condition and seem capable of lasting many 
 years. 
 
 The town government having been organized, the home lots assigned and 
 the houses built, the next question to engage the attention of the people was the 
 distribution and division of lands for farms. The whole community was agri- 
 cultural in its pursuits and the only source of wealth was the produce of the 
 farms. The rank of a man in the distributions was proportioned on what he 
 was able to pay in taxes, and divisions were made in lots or multiples of four, six 
 and eight acres. Naturally, the older men were able to pay larger rates than the 
 younger, and generally it will be found that those wdio received the largest al- 
 lotments of land were the elder men of the towil. These divisions of land re- 
 mind one of the methods of a modern business corporation in distributing its 
 surplus earnings among its stockholders. After the first division which assigned 
 lands on the banks of New Haven East (now Quinnipiac) river, the planters 
 seem to have been privileged to take up their allotments of land where they 
 pleased providing they did not conflict with any previous grants or reservations ; 
 and the rights seem to have been inherited by descendants of the first planters in 
 
EAKLV HISTORY. ^"J 
 
 addition to those they held as hving inhabitants or land owners : so that frequently 
 these inherited rights were sold to newcomers by those who had removed from 
 the town. In other words, the original corporation of the town was kept alive 
 by inheritance until all the vacant or unoccupied lands had been distributed, and 
 a separate ledger or "original proprietors' book" was kept which gave a strict 
 account of all such transactions. But no land owner was allowed to sell his 
 land or future rights to a stranger rntil the character of the new comer had been 
 thoroughly looked into and approved in town meeting. A man had the right to 
 jdin the higher grade and receive a larger allotment of land by expressing his 
 willingness to pay a bigger tax. On May 22, 1678, it w^as voted in town meet- 
 ing that "a man of lower rank may take a higher rank by paying rates accord- 
 ingly for the future, viz. : 20 shillings a year for 7 years provided they decide 
 before next town meeting which if they do not 'then ye town will looke att them- 
 selves att liberty whether they will grant it or not'." The rate of taxes paid by 
 those of the highest were double those of the lowest rank and one-third more than 
 those of the middle rank and divisions of lands were based on these proportions. 
 Frequently assignments of lands were m.ade to persons who had moved to other 
 towns, because they were descendants of the "ancient" or first planters. Some- 
 times lands were granted to particular individuals for meritorious service ; as, 
 for instance, service in wars ; in other words, a pension. This was a cheap way 
 to confer a gift that cost the giver little, and yet was of value to the recipient. 
 Allotments were made to the minister simply because he was the minister. This 
 added considerable to his income beyond what he received annually from his flock. 
 This method of dividing lands seems to have been general throughout the colony 
 of Connecticut. The following vote is illuminating and interesting: 
 
 "At a town metting in Wallingford february y® 12 1712 \^oated in town 
 nietting that y^ town look upon y® several parsons whos names are upon record 
 in several rank viz first 2^ and 3*'"^^ rank »S: thair hairs & assigns recorded in Ranks 
 and order in v^ vear 1672 are v® sole proprietors of all y® undivided Lands in 
 Wallingford together with such other parsons as have formerly by y® towns 
 Leave & consent come into town one or other of these Ranks mentioned in y® 
 room of sundry parsons recorded in y*^ above s*^ ranks that went away from y® 
 town & lost y^ lots they had taken up ; and tharupon \'^ ]:)roprietors are to take 
 y® best methods they can in settling & securing the titels of all those parsons that 
 formerly obtained grants or divitions of land from y® town so that they may niver 
 be molested and Disturbed in y® possession of such lands when ever such parsons 
 desir it." 
 
 The organization of the "Ancient Proprietors" was kept alive until the year 
 1803 when it formally released to the town all interest, right and title to the un- 
 
[^8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 divided lands, and then ceased to exist. The date was April 25. Probably all 
 the land had been, by that time, distributed. 
 
 '"Race suicide" was not popular in those days in W'allingford. or elsewhere, 
 and the record of vital statistics teem with the entries of births and marriages, 
 and a family with ten children was only moderately large. Naturally the ques- 
 tion of farms for the support of the present and the coming generations was one 
 to engage the attention of the town, and the allotments of lands soon began to 
 be taken up in what is now Meriden ; and Cheshire also, for at that time, Wal- 
 lingford bounds stretched not only as far north as where Colony street crosses 
 Harbor Brook but extended away over into Prospect on the west, so that more 
 than the whole of modern Cheshire was included in the township. 
 
 The first entry on the town records that refers to the territory of Aleriden is 
 a vote passed at a town meeting held Sept. 10, 1677, reading as follows: "That 
 every planter now in seizin shall have according to their ranks 4 acres. 3 acres, 
 2 acres, of the choice land upon the river hopp ground land beginning at Pil- 
 grims Harbour and what that place doth not afford they are to please themselves 
 elsewheare." On Nov. 17, 1679, the record reads "Town grant to Nath^ Royce, 
 David Hall, Thomas Hall, Daniel Mix and Joseph Holt each 3 acres of land ly- 
 ing on east side of meadow called Dogs Misery by the southward branch of Pil- 
 grims Harbor brook." At a meeting held Nov. 24, 1679, it was "granted to 
 Nehemiah Royce, Isaac Curtis each 3 acres and Nathaniel How and Isaac Royce 
 each 2 acres and all at dogs misery." 
 
 The question arises, where is Dogs' Misery? It is in the extreme eastern part 
 of Meriden, south of the Middletow^n road and half a mile west of Black Pond. 
 In going north on Paddock Ave., after passing the home of Rollin S. Ives, one 
 comes to a road turning to the right and running northeast.^ This grass-grown 
 road is still called Misery Bar road and runs through the very heart of Dogs' 
 Misery, a swamp even to this day, almost impenetrable with its growth of alders, 
 briars, brambles, and trees. Perhaps not so swampy as it once was, but still an 
 extremely unpleasant place for a woodland walk. The southern branch of Pil- 
 grims' Harbor brook flowing north from Foster's pond passes through this 
 swamp. The eastern branch flows from Black pond and joins the southern 
 branch at Baldwin's pond. There is a tradition that when the country was first 
 explored this swamp was under water because of the dams that had been built 
 by the beavers. The story goes that after the beavers were all killed the dams 
 were destroyed and the territory then became a hideous swamp, and a refuge 
 for wild animals when pursued by men and dogs. No further explanation of 
 the reason for the name is needed. Black pond was also a famous place for 
 beavers. Mr. Erwin Beardsley, who lives in the old Crocker place on the Mid- 
 
 1 The Meriden dirtctory has a map which indicates rural i-treets and lanes. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 59 
 
 dletown turnpike, almost at the !\Iiddletown line, had occasion when a young- 
 man, to work on the shore of the pond and found in the black muck many short 
 logs or heavy sticks still preserving the marks of the teeth of the beavers. Mr. 
 Perkins also speaks of the beaver-gnawed logs in his Historical Sketches.^ As 
 already noted the whole territory of Meriden was famous for its game and was 
 used by the Indians as a hunting ground. Many localities still preserve names 
 indicative of this fact. Thus we have Cat Hole, in the northwestern part of the 
 town; Cat Swamp, south of the junction of Charles street and Parker avenue; 
 Deer Hill, now called Meeting House or Buckwheat Hill ; Beaver Dam Brook, flow- 
 ing south from the swamp north of the state fair grounds and also draining the 
 swamp north of Kensington avenue and west of the railroad track ; this swamp 
 was once known as Wolf Swamp. Beaver Dam Brook is now usually called Sodom 
 and runs under the Waterbury railroad bridge on West Main street. Then there 
 was Cat Swamp on the road to Southington, and Beaver Pond, adjoining the 
 Old Fly, on the borders of Berlin. But it was not for game that Meriden's early 
 settlers desired these lots in the vicinity of Dogs' Misery. They seem to have 
 been considered very choice and valuable bits of real estate and were only distrib- 
 uted in lots of two, three or four acres and were called "hopp lots." Every one of 
 the planters had his "hopp lot" either in the neighborhood of Dogs' Misery or in 
 the lowland bordering Harbor brook, south of West Main street, all the way to 
 the Ouinnipiac river. And on Wharton's brook and on other brooks in Walling- 
 ford there were "hopp" lots also. Mr. Perkins, so often quoted, says: "This 'hopp 
 ground land' was that which produced the material for making hoops [hopps]. 
 Such land, though swampy, was then the most valuable in the town. For in the 
 dearth of a circulating medium and of means for purchasing all foreign produce, 
 these hoops [and staves also] always found a great demand, and a ready sale in 
 the West Indies. Of course, our farmers in trading with the New Haven mer- 
 chants, found these hoop poles as useful as cash." 
 
 This seems a doubtful explanation for several reasons. First, hoops for bar- 
 rels are always made from hickory and hickor\^ does not grow in swamp ground, 
 such as Dogs' Misery was and is. Again, those versed in such matters, say they 
 do not know of any wood grown in swamp land that could be used for such pur- 
 poses. Again, the word in the Wallingford records is invariably "hopp." Here, 
 as elsewhere, during these early years the spelling is a fearful and wonderful 
 phenomenon and one is prepared for almost any coiubination of letters to mis- 
 represent a word. But after 1735 the penmanship in the records is excellent and 
 frequently beautiful and the spelling good, and yet this word is still hop or hopp. 
 Waterbury and Wethersfield, and doubtless other towns, had their "hopp 
 lands" and the use of the word in this same way is found in the C'(tlonial Records 
 1 Page n. 
 
6o A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 of Connecticut. If hoop had been intended, somewhere, somebody would have 
 been found to g-ive the right form to the word.^ Consequently, one is forced to 
 the belief that the word bore some relation to hops or the hop vine. Hops- must 
 have been raised in the early days of the colony, for they are as indispensable in 
 the making- of bread as wheat itself, for bread without yeast or something to 
 make it rise would have been the last resort of a desperate housewife. England 
 for centuries, has been a great consumer of hops, and our early settlers, after using 
 what was needed for bread-making and home-brewed beer, would have found a 
 ready market for their surplus produce by selling it to New Haven to be shipped 
 to England.'' Consequently hop poles were needed and must have been in great 
 demand. Hops are not grown in swampy or moist ground but hop poles are. 
 A gentleman, now a resident of jMeriden, wdiose boyhood was passed near Dan- 
 bury, says that in those days hops were grown in large quantities in that locality 
 and that the farmers in winter, when the ground was frozen solidly, invariably 
 resorted to the swamps to cut poles for use the next season in supporting the 
 hop vines. This then seems the probable use. in the opinion of the writer, to 
 which "hoj) land lots" were put. It is not disputed that there was a large business 
 in hoop-poles, but the farmers must have resorted to the forests for the source of 
 supply. As a matter of fact, timber was exported in large quantities and at last 
 became so serious a question that the town took action as follows : 
 
 "At a town meting in Wallingford desember 25th 1705 The town considering 
 the great destruction that hath bene of timber by reason of geeting and transport- 
 ing of pipstaves^ which to prevent the town voted and agreed to put a stop to 
 the same and that no man shall have liberty to transport any staves after the 
 tenth day of June next insuing the date hearof on the penalty of the Law in 
 that case provided and to afeect that mater the town doth desire at least tow of 
 the townsmen to give notis to all the marchants that used to traid in seach waire 
 with the peo]:»le of our town that whatsoever staves are shipt on bord or landed on 
 shoore side to be shiped for transportation after July next shall be seased ac- 
 cording to law also the s^ townsmen shall desire the grand jure men at Newheav- 
 en to make search after and present the same." 
 
 That this action did not accomplish what was desired, or else that the trade 
 had again started up is evident by another vote. 
 
 1 In 1676 the inventory of Henry Cole dec'd was recorded in tlie Court of Probate in New Haven : 
 Cole was a cooper and among articles gcbeduled were casks, barrels and hoops. A few pages beyon'' 
 this list the records show the inventory of an individual who owned '^hopp" lots, and the word is spelled 
 as it is in the Wallingford records. In both instances Nathaniel Merriman, of Wallingford, was the 
 appraiser. This proves conclusively that when Wallingford people wanted to spell lioop they knew how, 
 
 2 Hops are still raised in Meriden in small quantities. 
 
 3 There are many entries in the early probate records of hops in the same category with wheat, rye, 
 €tc. 
 
 4 Pipe — A wooden wine measure. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 6 1 
 
 "Town niefting Deecember y*^ first 1724 
 
 \'oated : therfor the more effectually preventing unlawful transportation of 
 timber out of this town of Wallingford the town considering the great Damage 
 that will insue upon the town by gitting & transport great quantitys of stavs & 
 other timber y® which to prevent it is enacted by the inhabitants of the town in 
 town meting conveined : to witt that for the futer no person shall be allowed to gitt 
 or transport out of this town any^ staves of what sort soever or any board plank 
 slit work or other timber whatsoever without a lycence first had & obtained ac- 
 cording to law ; under the hands of the majoure part of y® selectmen for the time 
 being. * * * * that for such butt staves as are already got the persons that 
 gott the same coming to the selectmen paying down to them ten shillings money 
 p*" thousand for y*^ use of y® town and so pro rater for greater or lesere quantityes, 
 may have lycence to transport y® same & in no other manner ; & for hogsed staves 
 eight shillings per thousand & for pipe staves seven shillings p*' thousand & for 
 barrel staves six shillings p'" thousand ; and for whitewood & cheestnut bords 
 seven shillings p'' thousand ; & for oak bords eight shillings per thousand and for 
 plank & slitt work ten shillings p'" thousand & so proportionable for greater 
 & leser quantity. * * ■" * ''^" 
 
 The vote then proceeds to hedge about the selectmen with fines and penalties 
 in case they do not rigidly enforce the town vote. The action shows that the trade 
 j in pipcstaves, hogshead staves and general lumber was considerable. It is very 
 I likely that the words, "slitt work," was a term used for barrel hoops. 
 I But to return to the "hopp lots/'^ they were carefully alloted and recorded 
 
 I and for a number of years there are many entries of distribution and sale of 2, 
 [ 3 and 4 acres. The regulation or usual shape of these lots in Dogs' Misery was 5 
 I rods by 120 rods, although where adjoining differences in the ground, either in 
 I quality or topograph}-, interfered with the breadth of the growth of the shrubs 
 I or small trees, away from the brook, the size or shape of the lots varied and ap- 
 proximated 10 by 60 rods. The distance along the brook (frequently called Mis- 
 ery brook) divided into these long, narrow lots, was considerable. A map of a 
 portion of this distance made up from the records is here inserted and explains 
 the arrangement at a glance. Each lot was bounded north and south by the lots 
 of adjoining owners, one on each side, and on the east and west bv common or 
 undivided land. 
 
 By most people a foot is more readily comprehended than a rod ; so that 
 
 1 The thought occurs that as swamp land is frequently or generally full of bogs, and in walking 
 across it, one is compelled to jump or hop from one bog to another, that this fact may be the reason 
 for the name. Our ancestors were quick to embody some striking peculiarity in their local nomencla- 
 ture. Dances for many years have been called hops. 
 
62 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 when it is said that these "hopp" lots were 1980 feet long (more than a third of 
 a mile) by 82^/2 feet wide a better idea of their shape and size is conveyed. 
 
 There seems to have been more than the usual amount of work for the town 
 committee or surveyors in laying out these lots and we find the following vote re- 
 corded Dec. 16, 1679: "Whereas it was formerly granted that every planter there 
 in being should have a proportion of y® hopp ground lands y^ commite are to have 
 
 DOGS MISERY LOTS. 
 
 4'i per acre for theire paynes in laying out y« same." A road ran to the locality 
 from Wallingford that the old record in one place says is 20 rods wide — a most 
 extraordinary width. Probably because the territory was swampy and if in one 
 place the road was impassable it might be comparatively dry in another.^ This 
 
 1 This extraordinary width of highway was not confined to Wallingford. Possibly the explanation is 
 that there might be a settlement some day along the street and it would then be a green such as is 
 seen in so many New England villages. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 63 
 
 road was called .Misery road and the old grass grown Misery Bar road that now 
 runs through the heart of the swamp w^as probably constructed at the same time 
 for the convenience of the owners to reach their various lots. The name of Dogs' 
 Misery was applied to a much larger territory than that covered by the swamp. 
 A name had to be employed and our ancestors were not particular as to the eu- 
 phony^ of a word providing it expressed the idea intended to be conveyed and 
 so we find that those who took up "lands for farms in the district bounded by 
 the morntains on the east and Meeting House or Deer Hill (as it was then called) 
 on the west, were property owners in Dogs' Misery. It is probable that homes 
 were built and settlements made in the neighborhood of Dogs' Misery Swamp as 
 early as 1689. With so many property owners in so contracted a quarter and land 
 grants so closely joined it is not surprising that disputes arose and appeals were 
 made to the courts in New Haven. Capt. Yale and Ensign' Royce became in- 
 volved in a bitter quarrel that drew in many of the other lot owners. The im- 
 mediate cause was a dispute about a watering place. Appeals were made to the 
 town authority and one petition signed by twenty-four different men is a par- 
 tial directory of the lot owners. A copy of the petition and names of the signers 
 is given in Dr. Davis' history, page 132. Encroachment on a lot by an adjoining 
 holder was not uncommon and the evident value of the lots makes it easy to un- 
 derstand how easily disputes would arise. Of course, these lot owners were 
 constantly buying and selling until there was finally an accumulation in a few 
 hands. The li "st house to be built in Dogs Misery was probably that of Daniel 
 Hall, which stood not far from the present Julius Hall homestead, now occupied 
 by his son 3nd daughters on Murdock avenue. He took up his land grants in 
 the vicinity until he had a farm of several hundred acres. 
 
 As already noted, there was a division of '"hopp" lots taking place at the same 
 time along Harbor brook, south of West Main street. It was a repetition of the 
 allotments in Dogs' Misery, although the lots were not so long, as the configura- 
 tion of the land would not admit of it, for the depressions here are more narrow 
 and the course of the stream more winding. In this territory was a large tract 
 called "town farm" sequestered for public uses and on the Andrew Coe farm in 
 South Meriden, a short distance west of the highway and half a mile south of 
 the stone "castle" there is a ledge called "Town Rock." Few are aware of its 
 existence and fewer still know that it is so called because it marked the western 
 side of this town farm. This farm was one hundred and fifty acres in extent and 
 was a long narrow lot that extended across Pilgrims' Harbor brook just above its 
 junction with the Quinnipiac river, and ran well over toward the hill on which 
 Walnut Grove cemetery is situated. It was afterwards granted to Rev. Samuel 
 Whittlesey, of Wallingford, and held by him and his descendants for nearly a 
 
 1 Wethersfleld had a swamp called "Hang Dog." 
 
64 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 hundred years. The name of Pilgrims' Harbor locahzed a territory as far south 
 as the junction of Cook and New Hanover avenues, w^est at least to Lewis ave- 
 nue, north to Columbia street and perhaps farther, east certainly to the junction 
 of East Main and Liberty streets, and deeds have been noticed granting tracts of 
 land on Broad street that defined the real estate as in Pilgrims' Harbor. It was 
 a name that did not have precise or definite boundaries, and they were shifted ac- 
 cording to the notions of the grantor or grantee. But all that portion where 
 "hopp lots"' were located was very swampy and very likely just as uninviting in 
 appearance as the swamp land of Dogs Misery. Indeed, the early deeds of lands 
 in Pilgrims' Harbor speak of it as "ye wilderness" — a term not applied to any 
 other part of Meriden, which shows that this central part of the town was en- 
 tirely uncleared, with no meadow land — nothing but swamp and an almost impene- 
 trable growth of trees and brush. The line of the northern extent of Walling- 
 ford at the Colony street crossing of Harbor brook was marked by two "mere" 
 stones — so-called in old deeds ; one on each side of the brook. Of course, there 
 were "hopp" lots north of this boundary but they were private property and did 
 not belong to Wallingford to dispose of ; as we will see later. Another portion of 
 Meriden that was attracting the attention of the planters at an early date was that 
 south of Walnut Grove cemetery that we now term the Farms District. It was 
 known as "Milking Yard." On Dec. i6, 1679, the record reads "town agreed 
 and voated that y® land about y® Milking Yard and on y^ north side y® broke at 
 y^ head of y^ Little Playne w'^^^ was formerly designed for that end be viewed 
 & provision made for settling of planters as they shal appeare." This name seems 
 to have been derived from a brook that crosses Colony road a little south of the 
 Dr. Archer place. Mr. Perkins says the brook was "so called because cattle were 
 of old there driven into a pen to be milked." The land below was a common and 
 used as pasturage for the herds of the planters living in Wallingford village, 
 with provision for gathering the cattle to a common point at nightfall. As in all 
 other towns the live stock was branded with each owner's particular mark which 
 was carefully recorded. The following vote seems to show that the tradition 
 of the pasturage and milking pen is correct. In 1672 the record reads "no more 
 house lots granted except on west side y® river or above y® brook at v^ head of 
 y® littel playne called y® tow mile playne ; that all lands from thence downwards 
 be for convenence of pastures & towne lands for home lots already granted on 
 hill east of y^ gi't playne." This milking yard plain was also called "Little 
 playne," to distinguish it from the "Great playne" west of the village, and "Falls 
 Playne." This locality seems to have been particularly attractive to the Royces 
 and several members of this numerous family took grants of large tracts of land 
 in Milking "^'ard and their farms ran up Colony road for nearly a mile, and the 
 district was later called Royce's farms. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 65 
 
 Xo part of Aleriden seems to have been regarded so favorably by the pioneers 
 as the territory now known as Hanover, or South Meriden. It is a beautiful 
 spot. As one stands on the hill west of Walnut Grove cemetery and looks down 
 on the little village nestled between bold hills and half circled by the waters of 
 the Ouinnipiac sweeping from the deep wooded valley known as Oregon, and 
 then in the northwest beholds the glorious view of the rugged, serried ranges 
 of the Hanging Hills, one admires the judgment of the planters. It is an ideal 
 spot for just what seems to have been intended by the action of the town on Feb. 
 19, 1689. The ground had been laid out with a two rod street running north 
 and south through the middle of the plain and the land on each side staked off 
 into sixty-three lots. The street was eighty rods long and the lots ran from it 
 to the hill on the west and the river on the east. The vote reads, "At a Lawful 
 Towne meeting February ig^^ 1689-90 y® Towne voted that y® Falls Playne shall 
 be cast lots for and laid out according to y*^ written platform or map. Y® lots be- 
 ing cast each mans lot as followeth," etc., etc. 
 
 The event was considered of such importance that a map was drawn and 
 si)read upon the land records — the only map ever thus honored by Wallingford. 
 A reproduction on a small scale is shown. The place was called Falls Plain 
 until well into the nineteenth century, but there was no attempt to settle on it 
 at the time. It will be observed that there is no mention of the place being in- 
 tended as a village. Indeed, one can hardly avoid the suspicion that perhaps 
 this raffle of lots and laying out of a highway was another case of "hopp lots." 
 The long narrow grants look suspiciously like those of Dogs' Misery and it is 
 certain that there were constant transfers of hopp lots at Falls Plains thereafter. 
 A few of these lots were very narrow — too narrow to have been used as house 
 lots ; for instance, lot No. 23, belonging to William Cole, was 80 rods long east 
 and west, and 3 rods and 6 feet wide, or 1,320 x 55^/2 feet. That of Joseph Royce 
 was 80 rods long and 5 rods and 4 feet wide. 
 
 But there cannot have been swamp land on the plain for it is too sandy to ad- 
 mit of it. There was a fall or rapids in the river near and just above the present 
 site of the Meriden Cutlery Co., which gave the name to the plain, but there was 
 no lake north of the village as that was lacking until the dam was built. 
 
 That part of Meriden north of the Ouinnipiac river and northwest of Falls 
 Plain or Hanover, which rises in foot hills extending to the base of Hanging Hills 
 was called Hanging Hill woods and early in the next century the land records 
 begin to frequently refer to this district. Allen avenue, leading from '"Crow Hol- 
 low" on West ]\Iain street to Cheshire street on the other side of the long hill, 
 takes one through the heart of Hanging Hill woods. The land was fertile and 
 some of the most profitable farms in Meriden were located in this territory. It 
 was so called even down to the foot of the hills east of Cheshire street. 
 
66 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Interest in these outlvins^" districts is not sufficient to warrant further atten- 
 tion ; we will return to that part of Meriden north of the Wallingford houndary line 
 
 FALLS Plain 
 DIVISION. 
 
 Febriiai-y m 
 
 90 
 
 ^^S^ Side 
 
 
 
 at Pilgrims' Harbor ford, a large part of which was at the date to which these 
 annals carried us in 1676, in the possession of "Hennerie" Cole. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 6/ 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Almost from the inception of the settlement of Walling-ford the planters 
 looked with longing eyes on the forbidden territory north of Pilgrims' Harbor 
 ford. They desired it and they intended to get it. A considerable portion of the 
 country which the colonial court had granted the town in 1670 was absolutely 
 barren and not susceptible of cultivation. To-day one enters this tract in going 
 south on the railroad a short distance below the Yalesville station. There are 
 places where the sand plains are fully half a mile wide and they extend south in- 
 to North Haven. Geologists tell us that the "great playne," as it was called, 
 was once the bed of a large river — perhaps the Ouinnipiac, or possibly the Con- 
 necticut before it broke through the rocky walls at Middletown. Moreover, they 
 saw the enormous extent of Farmington, which at that time included the towns 
 of Southington, Bristol, Burlington, Avon, New Britain, and a large part of 
 Berlin. Middletown, on the east, was another large town which then included 
 Cromwell, Portland, Chatham and Middlefield. There seemed no reason why 
 this strip of country, three miles north and south and between five and six miles 
 east and west, which was a part of no township, should not be incorporated into 
 the town. John Talcott, of Hartford, a great Indian fighter and a man of con- 
 sequence, was apparently the friend of some of the Wallingford planters and his 
 influence was asked to assist in getting" possession of the coveted land. It was im- 
 possible to procure a grant from the general assembly, so, by the aid of John 
 Talcott, an Indian title to the land was bought. The experience in this vicinity, 
 and doubtless elsewhere, was, that no sooner was a title bought from one In- 
 dian than another would present himself, claiming that the first Indian's title 
 was "no good," but his was the genuine article. Already New Haven had bought 
 the land as far north as Kensington avenue and Edward Higbee had bought the 
 right to a large part of Meriden's soil of Seaukctt in 1664 : and now Adam Puit 
 of Podunk presented himself with a clear and unsullied title to the land extend- 
 ing five miles south from Jonathan Gilbert's "Meriden farm." The deed tells 
 its own story : 
 
 "Hartford. August 10, 1684. 
 
 "Know all men whom this may concern, that I, Adam Puit, Indian belonging 
 and now resident at Podunk have and doe hereby mortgage all my land lyeing 
 upon the roade towards Newhaven beyond and adjoyning to Jonathan Gilbert's 
 
68 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 farme whicli tract of land being- in length east & west six miles and in bredth 
 north and south hve miles with all the swamps rivers and meadow lands lyeing 
 within the bownds & limits thereof to John Talcott of Hartford in Conecticutt 
 & his heires forever. In case I the sayd Adampewitt do pay for & make full 
 sattisfaction for one parcell of trucking cloth in hand received of the sayd John 
 Talcott within one full year after the date hereof, & in case we the sayd parties 
 agree about the sayd land before the end & terme of one full yeare (to say) for 
 the purchase or sale thereof the sayd Adam is to receive foure coates more as 
 full sattisfaction for the purchase thereof, the premises not being performed as 
 above sayd, I the sayd Adam Puit doe freely & fully resigne & deliver up the 
 sayd land to John Tallcot & his heires forever to be theirs to possess & enjoy & 
 to hold as their own porcon, as witness my marke the day and year above sayd. 
 
 The mark of Adam -^ J). Puit. 
 Witnessed by us 
 
 Samuel Tallcot, Dorothy Tallcot. 
 
 Xesehegan Indian, Cherry Indian & Wenumpa Indian belonging to Tunxis 
 & Hartford all appeared at Hartford on this i8th of October & testify & witness 
 that Adam i^uit above written in the deed of guift afoarsayd had sole right & 
 title in the land above sayd being about six miles east & west & five miles north 
 & sowth beyond & next adjoyneing to Jonathan Gilberts farme in the way to New 
 Haven which we understand is now sold to Major John Tallcot this we certify 
 & know to be true & testify unto y^ yeare & day above written before me, Rob- 
 ert Treat, Dep : governor, which three Indians above sayd Nesshegen Wenampis 
 & Cherry being examined about the contents of this sayd writing which they tes- 
 tify unto, and they all of them Joyntly and severally answered in English that 
 they well understood the same & doe witness to the same in all the particulars 
 thereof this day & yeare above written bf me Robert Treat Dep :Govr."i 
 
 1 Major Talcott had previously obtained the native deeds from certain Indians of the land granted to 
 Wallingford by the General court in 1670 and the names of these Indians are wonderful examples of the 
 ability to combine letters into words that are almost impossible to pronounce. The names of the grant- 
 ors and witnesses are Nes.samboccome, Manappash, Sunksqua Matoesse. Son Wetautson, Mymesque 
 Accanent, Wayashunt, Pettuquatton, Wyashur, Necananip, Nodanuco and Awawoss. 
 
 Major Talcott sent a letter to the Wallingford committee with the deeds which is quaint and in- 
 teresting. 
 
 "Worthy Gentillman : After Sallutations presented these may enforme you that I have sent you 
 your long waited for Indian deed purchase by my Cousan Sammuell Wakeman : it was finished on the 
 second day of the present week. Gentillmen I must confess my many errors by reason of the often 
 Blots also at the pening of it : mistake a name or two in the first part but rcovered in the latter part 
 so that I hope nothing therein will prove above the nature of a circumstantiall error ; as for the sub- 
 stance, it will hold firme and good in law for your security ; the truth is I was shortned for time and 
 having but one day after the Court to write in and draw the modell of the deed before the Indians 
 were appoynted to be at my house and there came a considerable company, that I could not doe any- 
 thing in reference to drawing it over more faire, being willing to gain as many hands and seals as I 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 69 
 
 John Talcott then gave an assignment of the above deed to Wallingford and 
 both docnments are dnly recorded on the town books and also in Deeds and Patents 
 to Lands in the office of Secretary of State. 
 
 This deed from Adam Puit conveyed land as far south as Yalesville, notwith- 
 standing that all south of Pilgrims' Harbor ford already belonged to Wallingford. 
 Five miles south from Jonathan Gilbert's Meriden farm would measure fully to 
 that point. This transaction must have convinced the Wallingford planters that 
 it was only a question of time before the colony of Connecticut would confimi this 
 Indian deed by allowing the town to absorb the land by actual extension of its 
 bounds to the southern bounds of Farmington. This Indian grant only put Wal- 
 lingford in the position of owning the land just as a private person might, but gave 
 the town no right to tax the individuals who were living in the locality. Already 
 Henry Cole held an Indian title to the same territory or a good part of it which had 
 been given by Seaukett to Edward Higbee and by Higbee to Cole. It would 
 have been better for all concerned had the colony decided at once to incorporate 
 the land in the township of Wallingford. But instead, in view of the impending 
 advent of Sir Edmund Andross to assume the reins of government, the land was 
 given to the towns of "Fannington. Wethersfield and Middletown to plant a vil- 
 lage in" as has already been told in Chapter II. The act was certainly unjust, but 
 it was probably done in the heat of excitement. As we, of course, know, the 
 land was ultimately incorporated into Wallingford, but not until bitter land dis- 
 putes had been occasioned by the anomalous situation. Not until many years 
 later did the territory receive much attention from these favored towns and then 
 the struggle to take away whatever rights Wallingford had under her Indian 
 grant was carried on mainly by Middletown. The struggle lasted more than 
 fifty years. When last our attention was given to this northern territory Henry 
 Cole with his family were practically the sole inhabitants, and little attention 
 seems to have been paid to it by the four surrounding towns. P>ut on Dec. 20, 
 
 could then ; otherwise it should have been more prepared and presented to vour view : and at time 
 of drawing, many people crowding in upon me put me beyond my ordinary pace and the Indian names 
 being many and odd were hard and difficult to retaine and distinctly and precisely to enter : and hath 
 often been in mv thoughts to have renewed it but have feared that I should not get the Indians to- 
 gether to sign ; they lived in such a scattered way and a great distance one from another that another 
 year in reason would have been little enough to have brought this matter to pass and thought perhaps 
 some might die whose names were in as salers* as was almost the case of the young sunk squa so that 
 I thought it to be so tedious a business to adventure upon that which had proved soe troublesome al- 
 ready ; some of you Gentillmen may remember what Court it was that the Indians agreed in Mr. Adams 
 orchard they would meet at my house at that time. I had but a day as I sayd before me to write and 
 draw ; now hoping worthy gentillmen and friends you will excuse me wherin I have fallen short of your 
 expectations, granting your favorable acceptance of what I have herewith presented to your view who 
 am honord. Gentillmen and friends your reall 
 
 friend and faithfull Servant, 
 
 John T.\i.cott. 
 
 * An obsolete word ; meaning sellers, that is grantors. 
 
yO A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1708, this vote was passed in town meeting by both Wethersfield and Middjetown 
 "Whereas the Gen^^ assembly of this colony having formerly granted unto the 
 townes of Weathersfield Middletown and Farmington all that tract of Land ly- 
 ing between Weathersfield Middletowne and Farmington and Wallingford not 
 before granted, this town appoints Capt Robt Wells, Capt Joshua Robbins & 
 Leut Benja Churchill a committee they or any two of them, fully Impowering \™ 
 to do any Lawfull act or acts w^*^ we are able to doe in order to a Survey of the 
 said tract & what further they may Judge meet in order to the settling of the 
 same with Inhabitants or Its distribution for our use and to make return of what 
 they do in this affair to this town as soon as they can perform the trust com- 
 mitted to them hereby." These votes were in identical language and passed on 
 the same day, which shows that it was concerted action, and an attempt to take 
 advantage of the grant by the Colonial government in 1687. That same year a 
 Wethersfield man had bought a large part of Henry Coles' farm of his heirs, and 
 possibly some action was deemed necessary to protect him in his purchase, for 
 Wallingford had insisted that the deed should be recorded in her land records. 
 Two years later the latter town made this individual buy her Indian or native 
 right to his purchase, held under the deed, from Adam Puit. Nothing further 
 transpired to show that Wethersfield and Middletown were giving attention to 
 the disputed territory until 1722 and 1723. In those years two petitions were 
 "presented to the General Assembly by two groups of Wallingford men, show- 
 ing that the dispute over these lands had broken out again. The petitions are in the 
 Connecticut State Library among the archives entitled Towns and Lands. ^ The 
 first one reads as follows: "To y® Hon^^® The Gov'' & Councill and Representa- 
 tives in y® Gen^i Court Assembled at New Haven October ii^h 1722. The Pe- 
 tition of Joseph Moss of Derby, Thomas Yale, Nath'^ Yale, John Yale, Hawkins 
 Hart, Samuell Hall, Joshua Culver, John Atwater, Thomas Miles, Daniel Tuttle, 
 Henry Williams, y*^ heirs of John Moss deceased, Gideon Ives, and Thomas Hall, 
 all of Wallingford : and the heirs of John Burroughs deceased : Humbly Shew- 
 eth : That whereas there was a purchase of Land obtained by y® ancient Pro- 
 prietors of New Haven in y® year 1638; of one Mantuese an Indian Sachem, w*^^ 
 purchase extended northward even beyond y® northermost bound of yt w^ is now 
 y® Township of Wallingford ; and Livery of Seizin was made to y*^ Gentlemen 
 of Newhaven, by y® S*^ Indian Sachem of this Tract of Land being eight miles 
 wide from Nhaven Fast River eastward, and extending into y® north to a cer- 
 taine tree, marked by y® Said Indian Sachem (w*^ tree is about a mile north of 
 Pilgrims harbour). And whereas y« Proprietors of y® Town of NHaven were 
 in actual Seizin of these Lands (as all y® Rest of their Township purchas*i of 
 y® Natives) for many years before y^ date of Connecticut Charter without Dis- 
 
 1 Vol. IV.. Doe. 66. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 7 1 
 
 turbance or Interruptions of any person or persons laying claim thereunto, or any 
 part thereof : And Whereas ab^ y® year 1669 some of y® Inhabitans of Nhav'en 
 inclining to settle themselves in northern parts of y*^ Lands belonging to Nhaven 
 & to make a village or new Town there; The Town of Nhaven (according to 
 V® honest and well-meaning customs of those times) did in full Town meetiiig, 
 bv vote grant all their Right of Lands, in y® northern part of their purchase, un- 
 to such persons as would Inhabit there and Incorporate themselves in a Town or 
 Milage Society, for y® Setting up and Supporting y® publique Worship of God 
 according to Gospel Institution, etc. : Whereupon Sundry Persons y® Ancestors and 
 Proprietors of y® Petitioners Removed thither and Obtained from y® Gen'^ Court 
 A Grant of a Township with priviledges of a Town, w*^'^ is now called Walling- 
 ford ; but only when Wallingford obtained their Pattent from y*^ Gov'' & Com- 
 pany for y® better holding their Lands, their bounds were not extended north- 
 ward so far as their just claims from /Vncient purchase and Grant from Nhaven, 
 y® Reason of w° was (as our Ancestors have told us) viz y^ Worship'fll Major 
 John Talcott Deceased (sometime before Wallingfords Pattent was moved for) 
 
 had obtained a Mortgage from some ■ one Indians of Connecticut River 
 
 of these verv Lands w'^ were y® Northern-most part of Nhaven's purchase of 
 IMantuese as abovesaid, and he y® s*^^ Major Talcott being at yt time Walling- 
 ford's great Patron for obtaining a settlement from y® Gen^^ Court : therefor 
 Wallingford did not earnestly move for y*^ bounds of their Pattent to be ex- 
 tended any farther northward than was pleasing to yt s^^ worthy Gentleman, but 
 since yt Time y® Town of Wallingford have purchas'd y*^ s'^ mortgage of y® 
 abovesaid Major Talcott yt they might have y® good likeing of y*^ above said 
 Major Talcott and might be sure to obtain an undoubted Native Right & Title 
 by Purchase either from Mantuese as abovesaid or by these latter Indian Claim- 
 ers, who mortgage'd to y® abovesaid Major not knowing wt Indians might have 
 y« most just claim to those Lands: And Whereas now in y® one or y^ other of 
 y« methods abovesaid y® Town of Wallingf'd Supposing that they had obtain'd 
 an undoubted honest Native Right above y® bounds of their Township, they did 
 thereof in a Lawfull Town-meeting Authorize and Impower Capt Thomas Yale 
 and Capt j,, ]-,,-, yierriman and Sergt Tho^ Hall as a committee to sell any of 
 those Lands above y® Tow!ishi]i and yet within their Indian ])urchase w^ Buyers 
 should appear willing to take of : and to Deposite y® money w'' Should be so ob- 
 tain'd into y® Town Treasury: whereupon your Petition.ers (l)eing y*" heirs and 
 assigns of some of y*^ Ancient Inhabitants of Wallingford) did severally pur- 
 chase of y® above said committee severall parcells of those Lands abovesaid and 
 took Deeds from y« s^^ committee as followeth viz Joseph Moss and John Moss 
 deceased as partners for 150 Acres. Thos Yale 100 Acres. John Yale 100 Acres, 
 Nath" Yale 80 Acres. Hawkins Hart 100 Acres, Samuel Hall 2Q Acres, Joshua 
 
72 
 
 A CEN'TUKV OF MEKIDEX. 
 
 Culver lOO Acres, John Atwater lOO Acres, Thos Miles 50 Acres, Dan" Tuttle 
 80 Acres, Henry Williams 200 Acres : Gideon Ives 20 Acres, and Thomas Hall 
 ICK) Acres, John Burroughs 480 Acres: wherefore y^ Prayer of your humble Pe- 
 titioners is yt this Hon^'^ Assembly in their Wisdom, Justice and Equity, would 
 Grant a confirmation of y® several parcells of Land Specified above unto y^ Persons 
 above named for y*^ better holding of those Lands to them and their heirs for- 
 ever: according to y® Laws of this Governmt, and y^ Royal Charter of King 
 Charles y® Second of blessed memory and y® Petitioners as in Duty bound shall 
 ever pray &c 
 
 John Moss &c. 
 
 The year following a like petition was presented by Gideon Ives and Nathan- 
 iel Curtis who had each purchased under like circumstances two hundred acres. 
 The purchases of the first petitioners had been made in the extreme northern part 
 of the disputed tract on the other side of Cat Hole pass and adjoining ; and the sec- 
 ond group had bought the land in the extreme northeastern part known as Xotch 
 Meadow near Middletown. Both seem to have been test cases ; and each purchaser 
 found his land claimed by people in the neighboring towns. The petition while 
 it stated the case fairly showed ignorance of the records, for John Talcott did not 
 obtain the mortgage from Adam Puit until 1684, fourteen years after the set- 
 tlement of Wallingford, and he could not have had a claim to the land when 
 the bounds of the town were granted. Moreover New Haven had not been in 
 quiet possession of the lands in question '"without disturbance or interruptions 
 of any persons lading claim thereunto." But more than 50 years had elapsed since 
 the date of the union of the two colonies and the memory of man is short and 
 in the main the petition was a just claim. The General Assembly appointed a 
 committee to view the land, and set such ])rice on the land as said committee 
 should think just and i)roper. Thus the petitioners had to pay another purchase 
 price in order to buy the right of the colony to these lands. But the colonial 
 government then settled once and for ahva}s. the jurisdiction over the disputed 
 territory, for at the October session, 1723, the following resolution was passed: 
 "That the polls and rateable estate of all the inhabitants living on a tract of lanrl 
 bounding east on Middletown, north on Jonathan iJelcher Esq'" his farm, north- 
 westerly on Farmington, south on Wallingford, shall be put into the general list 
 of the town of Wallingford ; and the said inhabitants are to give in their lists 
 to the listers of the town of Wallingford (upon lawful warning given them by 
 said listers) etc., etc:"i At the xMay session, 1725, the following resolution ap- 
 pears: "Upon the petition of the north farmers in Wallingford and those inhab- 
 iting the land northward of said Wallingford. commonly called Wallingford Pur- 
 
 1 Colonial Rfcords of Conn., Vol. VI., p. 414. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. J^ 
 
 chase Lands. This Assembly grants that they be a separate society for setting 
 up and carrying on the pubhck worship of God among themselves, with all such 
 liberties, powers and priviledges. as other such societies in this colony have and 
 do by law enjoy ; and that the bounds of said society shall be as followeth viz. : 
 all that part of said Wallingford Purchase Lands not already granted to VVal- 
 lingford West Society^ or to Farmington South Society,- which lands adjoyn to 
 said Wallingford north bounds, and also that part of said Wallingford township 
 bounded as followeth, that is to say : that the river shall be the line from the 
 bounds of the West Society down the stream unto the south side of Joseph Coles 
 farm, and from thence unto the country^ road north of Amos Hall's farm, and 
 from thence a straight line unto the highway below Amos Camp's house at the 
 east end of said highway, and from thence an east line unto the mountain ■ and 
 if these lines shall happen to cross any man's land, the said piece of land shall 
 wholly belong unto that society wherein the owner dwells."* 
 
 In the main these bounds are the present boundaries of Meriden, except that 
 Jonathan Belcher's farm called Meriden was not included. At the May session, 
 1728, "Upon the prayer of the North Society in Wallingford: It is now ordered 
 that Merridan farm shall be annexed and the same is hereby annexed to the said 
 society ; and that all the lands heretofore ordered by this Assembly to belong to 
 said society, together with said farm, is hereby annexed to the town of Wal- 
 lingford and to the County of Xew Haven, and that said society shall be called 
 and known by the name of Merridan."'' Thus at last the status of the parish 
 was established and christened by the name of Meriden, the name heretofore 
 borne only by the farm in the northern part.*^ 
 
 The new boundaries gave Meriden parish a straight line on the north and in- 
 cluded the territory in modern P.erlin up to the laneway running west, just south 
 of the house of Albert Norton, and so it continued until the last years of the eight- 
 eenth centurw Those farms lying around what is known as Botsford's Corners, 
 beyond Cat Hole pass in Kensington, were then also included in Meriden. lUit 
 the disputes about boundaries were not settled even by this action of the General 
 Assembly and during many years Wallingford and Middletown were almost an- 
 nually involved in controversies that brought out the count}' su.rve\ors. the se- 
 
 1 Cheshire. 
 
 2 Great Swamp Society or Keiit^ington. 
 
 3 Colony Road. 
 
 4 Colonial Records of Conn., Vol. VI., p. 521. 
 
 5 Colonial Records of Conn., Vol. VII., p. 196. 
 
 6 The absorption of this farm into the parish of Meriden was not pleasing to Eleazcr Aspinwall who, 
 it will be remembered, was Gov. Belcher's tenant at this time. At the October .session he petitioned 
 the General Assembly that he didn't wish to belong to the new parish but to Kensington parish where 
 he had attended since the start : but the petition was refused notwithstanding it was fortified by an 
 affidavit from Rev. Mr. Burnham, of Kensington, saying that Aspinwall had paid his rates to Kensing- 
 ton parish frnni 1717 until 1727. 
 
74 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 lectmen of both towns and adjoining property owners until it seemed as if the 
 matter never would be settled. These troubles will be related later. 
 
 At anv rate much had been accomplished. The long coveted land north of 
 Pilgrims' Harbor ford was now a part of the township of Wallingford and a new 
 society or parish had been formed out of this newly acquired territory and a por- 
 tion of what had been incorporated in the township in 1670, and henceforth 
 when one spoke of Meriden the name covered almost identically the same stretch 
 of mountain, hill and dale that it does to-dav. 
 
 jVt^n'tVILLIAGE. 
 
 MAP PREPARED P.V lUSEPH P. PEACH OF CPIESHIRE. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 75 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Before the Indian deed given by Adam Puit had been obtained by WalHng- 
 ford through the mediation of Major Talcott, the colony of Connecticut had 
 granted two large tracts of land in the territory north of Pilgrims' Harbor ford 
 to two prominent men: one James Bishop, the other William Jones, both of New 
 Haven. Each gift was probably a pension or reward for valuable services per- 
 formed. Both men had been conspicuous in the colony of New Haven before the 
 union with Connecticut and both were influential in the councils of the colony 
 after the union. 
 
 The name of James Bishop does not appear on the New Haven records until 
 1646, so probably he was not one of the original planters. Evidently he was a 
 man of ability and high character, and after 1661 he was conspicuous and in- 
 fluential. In that year he was elected secretary of the colony and continued in 
 that office until the union. In 1668 he was chosen one of the magistrates of Con- 
 necticut and was re-chosen annually until 1683 when he was made deputy gover- 
 nor. To that office he was re-elected each year until his death on June 22, 1691. 
 
 William Jones, ^ who had been a lawyer in London, came to America in the 
 same ship which brought the regicides Whalley and Gofife in 1660. He had mar- 
 ried in London, Hannah, the youngest daughter of Governor Theophilus Eaton. 
 of New Haven. The governor had died in 1658 and Mr. Jones came to New 
 Haven to look after his wife's estate and there he made his home. He was a man 
 of good talents and the fact was soon recognized, for in 1662 he was chosen one 
 of the magistrates of the colony of New Haven. In 1664 he was elected deputy 
 governor. Upon the union in 1665 he was elected a magistrate of Connecticut 
 and was annually re-elected until the death of James Bishop in 1691 when he w^as 
 elected deputy governor to succeed him. He was each year re-chosen until 1698 
 when he refused to continue in the office longer as he was then 74 \ears old. He 
 died Oct. 17, 1706, at the age of 82, and the General Assembly which was 
 then sitting in New Haven voted to give him a public funeral and appropriated 
 the funds to defray the expense. The most interesting fact in his life was his 
 connection with the two judges, Whalley and Goffe. While they were hiding in 
 New Haven, Mr. Jones' house was their place of refuge for eleven days, and he 
 seems to have shared the honors with Rev. John Davenport during this exciting 
 episode in the historv of New Haven.- 
 
 1 His father was executed as one of the judges of King Charles 1st; see Palfrey's History of N. 
 B., Vol. 11., p. 504. 
 
 2 Connecticut Magazine ; year 190.5, p. .539. 
 
76 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 At the October session of the General Assembly, 1669, the following vote was 
 recorded: "This court grants Mr. James Bishop three hundred acres of land, pro- 
 vided he takes it up where it does not prejudice any former grant," and the fol- 
 lowing year the "Court appoynts ]\lr. John Mosse and Mr. James Brockett to 
 lay out to the Hon^<^ * * * * jyjj. j^mes Bishop that land that was for- 
 merly granted by this court." The farm or grant laid out for Mr. Bishop was 
 in the very heart of Meriden. and although we cannot locate the exact bounds we 
 can approximate it very closely. 
 
 Start at the bridge over Harbor brook, just east of the office of Lyon & Bil- 
 lard Co. — the southwest corner, and follow the west bank of the brook until we 
 reach the northwest corner of the Center street bridge over Harbor brook. Then 
 draw a straight line westward to the intersection of Springdale and Capitol ave- 
 nues ; thence due south to Main street, and then by a straight line to the starting 
 point. The northern line of this land grant crosses Colony street a 
 little north of Foster street and the south line runs just back of or through all 
 the business blocks on the south side of West Main street. The Meriden Bri- 
 tannia Co. factories and all the business blocks on West Main street and nearly 
 all on North Colony street are in the Bishop farm, and it includes within its 
 bounds the most valuable part of Meriden's business center. But at the time the 
 grant was made, it was what may well be termed a "howling wilderness." Just 
 what use Mr. Bishop made of it we cannot tell. Doubtless he sold timber which 
 was floated down Harbor brook and Ouinnipiac river, and perhaps, after part of 
 the land was cleared he put some one in charge to till the land and raise crops. In 
 an inventory of his estate made after his death in 1691 this farm was valued at 
 £40, or say $200. Of course this sum is ridiculous when compared with the valua- 
 tion that two hundred years of settlement and progress have added to it. 
 
 Capt. John Prout, a mariner of New Haven, and a man of large wealth, mar- 
 ried one of ^Ir. Bishop's daughters and eventually gained possession of the farm. 
 There is no record of the boundaries until it was sold by Capt. Prout and 
 his wife, Mary, for £305, to John Merriam on Nov. 3, 1716. In this deed it is 
 described as "300 acres in the wilderness at Pilgrims Harbour, butting south on 
 Wallingford old line, north on Cole farm, east on a brook formerly Mr. William 
 Jones, west on land lately laid out to sundry persons by the town of Walling- 
 ford." The phrase "south on Wallingford old line." is the key by which we 
 are enabled to roughly locate all the ancient farms in Meriden that were in Pil- 
 grims' Harl)or. It should be mentioned here that there never was an attempt to 
 establish a village in Meriden. The land was granted in large tracts scattered 
 here and there, and they were solely for farming purposes. That a village was 
 finally formed was due wholly to unconscious gravitation towards a convenient cen- 
 ter. In other words it was a form of evolution. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. "77 
 
 In the description of the Bishop farm, the eastern boundary is given as butting 
 Dn a brook or Mr. William Jones. Mr. Jones' farm was laid out in 1680 by vote 
 3f the General Assembly and two additions were granted him at a later date by 
 Wallingford and the colony so that eventually he had 550 acres. The description 
 jf the first or colonial grant is as follows,^ "beginning by Wallingford Bound 
 stake on the south (or east) side of Pilgrims Harbor River and from thence east- 
 ward by the line of Wallingford bounds a mile in length to a walnut tree marked 
 VV. I., from thence a line varying from a perpendicular eastward trianglewise to 
 a white oak standing upon the land of the aforesaid river marked W. I., and from 
 thence the mavne branch of the aforesaid river to the forementioned stake by the 
 sayd river in the old road from New Haven to Hartford." This grant is very 
 easy to trace on a modern map except that the eastern line is a trifle indefinite. 
 Start at the southeast corner of the Colony street bridge over Harbor brook just 
 east of the ofiice of Lyon & Billard Co. and draw a straight line eastward running 
 through the Main Street Baptist church and then up Liberty street until 
 'Orient street is reached, or a spot just a mile from our starting point; then by a 
 straight line running northeast to the southeast shore of Baldwin's pond ; then 
 back to our starting point, following the bank of the pond and Harbor brook. 
 This was the first grant and contained 300 acres. The second grant was wholly 
 in Wallingford territory and contained 150 acres and is dated in 1680. The 
 boundaries are as follows: Start at the southeast corner of the bridge where first 
 Igrant started and then by a line south to the intersection of Colony and Olive 
 streets, thence eastward by a line parallel to Liberty street to a point due south 
 from the junction of that street and Orient street; then northerly to that junction 
 and thence westward by the south boundary of the first grant or Liberty street 
 t*) our original starting point. The third grant contained 100 acres and was made 
 Ml 1687 to "Debity" governor Jones, by the colony, acting by the hand of her 
 iduly accredited agent Mr. Thomas Yale, not only by the delivery of a deed, but 
 also by an old English custom dating from time immemorial, viz : the delivery of 
 'turf and twig."- It was w-holly east of the first grant of 300 acres. Its south- 
 I ;rn boundary was simply an extension of the same line which began at South 
 oolony street bridge and ran up Liberty street to Orient, mentioned in the first 
 ^rant. It was extended now until it reached the brook^ on the east and then 
 :he line ran down the brook northerly to the northeast corner of the first grant 
 
 1 Volume entitled Deeds and Patents of Lands, Vol. II., p. 14S in the office of secretary of state, 
 artford. 
 1 2 This method of taking possession was formerly required by English law. Its origin antedates the 
 [ise of written documents ; a twig broken from a tree and a sod cut from the turf of the property sym- 
 ollzed the transfer. The later written deed simply took the place of this symbol. See Andrew's 
 liver Towns of Conn. Johns Hopkins University Studies, p. 41. 
 
 3 Some call this Willow Hill Brook : The ancient name was South Branch of Pilgrims' Harbor 
 Irook. 
 
78 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 by Baldwin's pond. Consequently this third grant and the first gave him all the 
 country bounded on the east, north and west by the brook and on the south by 
 the straight line mentioned. Here then were two great farms given to Messrs. 
 Bishop and Jones that really embraced a very great part of the business center 
 of modern Meriden. 
 
 It almost seems as if these gentlemen had a prophetic vision of what the fu- 
 ture was to be when choosing their grants in territory that was to contain so large 
 a part of Meriden's business activity. 
 
 It is now time to describe the "northern bound line of Walling- 
 ford" or "Wallingford old bounds," which has been mentioned in the 
 foregoing descriptions. Its location was as much of a puzzle in the 
 early days as it is to-day. The one point already located — its intersection with 
 Colony street at Harbor Brook bridge is easy to remember. As land transfers be- 
 gan to increase the selectmen found it necessary to locate this line in a way that 
 could not be mistaken. It was particularly necessary for this reason. All grants 
 south of this line were given by the town of Wallingford — the town was, there- 
 fore, the fountain source. But land north of the line had been granted by the 
 colonial government or the "Country," as the old records express it, and was 
 governed and taxed by it. Wallingford had nothing to do with these north farms 
 previous to 1723, except that she held the Indian or native right after 1684 through 
 the purchase from Adam Puit, and made some grants under it. The re- 
 sult is interesting. The northern territory was settled almost wholly by people 
 from Wethersfield, Middletown, Farmington, Durham and Massachusetts, while 
 the southern or Wallingford section was settled by the inhabitants of that town. 
 This rule was not invariable, but it was general. A lack of knowledge of the lo- 
 cation of the northern boundary line made it easy for one man to encroach on an- 
 other's property. It is anticipating events somewhat to describe how this boun- 
 dary line was marked for we have to jump from the year 1687 to 1721 — a year 
 when the Jones farm had begun to be broken up into smaller holdings. In Oc- 
 tober, 1 72 1, the town committee or selectmen laid out a "two rod highway be- 
 ginning at Pilgrims Harbor brook at the Country road to follow the town line to 
 Middletown bounds. "^ Later deeds show the exact location of this road and it 
 is a straight line the whole distance to Middletown. The Rev. Theophilus Hall 
 and Aaron Lyman acquired the southern part or second grant of the Jones farm, 
 and their northern bounds both from their own frequent descriptions and from 
 tradition were on Liberty street. The old Brenton Hall farm in the extreme 
 eastern part of Meriden, originally granted to Rev. Samuel Hall, of Cheshire, 
 was also bounded on the north by this old town line or highway. Imagine Liberty 
 street extending westerlv until it reaches the Colonv street bridg-e over Harbor 
 
 1 Wallingford Land Records, Vol. III., p. 520. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 79 
 
 Brook and also easttrlw running- in a straight line on its present course, and it will 
 give us the highway laid out by the selectmen in 1721. In order to picture it 
 as it was, it is necessary to obliterate, in our minds, East Main street from Colony 
 street to the Center Congregational church, as that street was laid out at a much 
 later date.^ One's mind is so dominated by this more important street that this 
 ancient layout cannot be understood until we imagine or picture Liberty street 
 as the one highway running from what is now the center of the town to the east. 
 This old road, as it ran east from Harbor Brook bridge, passed just south of the 
 middle of the present location of the Main Street Baptist church and came out at 
 the northern end of what is now Willow street, and it will be readily seen that 
 this is on the line of Liberty street. This old section, now obliterated, was in 
 existence within the memory of people still living. Mrs. Breckenridge in her 
 "Recollections of a New England Town," mentions it.^ This old Liberty street 
 (as we may call it) can still be traced at many points. If one stands on Preston 
 avenue where the old Booth place formerly stood in the extreme eastern part of 
 Meriden and looks west, one can see the old grass grown road bordered by old 
 stone walls and running through the meadows until the hill hides it from view, 
 and on the horizon in the same line one will perceive on a clear day the old "Bill" 
 Johnson place in the extreme western part of the town. It is easy to follow the 
 road on foot for a long distance, but here and there the traces are lost because the 
 ground has been cultivated. The John Yeamans place, built over a hundred and 
 seventy years ago. seems to front only on the meadows until one discovers that 
 it faced this old highway, which has been closed since 1786, at which time the 
 relectmen sold to John Yeamans 1,200 feet of it west of his house. ^ The sit- 
 uation of the Brenton or Caspar Hall place is not intelligible until one has in one's 
 mind the fact that the old highway running in front of it was once the onlv road 
 from Pilgrims' Harbor running east. One hundred years ago Brenton Hall was 
 probably the most prominent man in Meriden and when his house^ was built at an 
 
 1 Main Street from Broad Street to Liberty Street was laid out in 1782 and from Liberty to Colony 
 Street in 1812. 
 
 2 P. 105. 
 
 3 Wallingford Land Records, Vol. XXIV., p. 84. 
 
 4 This old house was torn down a year ago. If one rides to the end of the electric car line 
 in East Meriden and then walks up the road running to the north, one is on Preston Avenue. At the 
 top of the hill, about an eighth of a mile from the car tracks, one reaches this old highway running 
 east and west. That part of the highway east of Preston Avenue is still in use and climbs a hill, at 
 the top of which on the south side of the road stood the old Casper or Brenton Hall place. From this 
 point the view is beautiful ; in the south extends the range of Besett or Beseck Mountains with Black 
 Pond at the foot mirroring the rugged cliffs in its sombre waters, while in the west a charming stretch 
 of meadow, wood and vale ends with the grand range of the Hanging Hills. About half a mile to the 
 west on the same old highway stands the John Yeamans house with its old stone chimney still undis- 
 turbed (taken down since this was written). This house was built by Daniel Baldwin about 1730. 
 Chimney Hill derives its name from the old stone chimneys of two or three old houses, left standing 
 after the houses had disappeared. These houses also faced this road. Several old houses once stood 
 on this street that have completely disappeared. 
 
8o A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 early date bv Rev. Samuel Hall of Cheshire, it was on the main thoroughfare and 
 the present Middletown and Meriden turnpike was not in existence. In the year 
 1744 (twenty years after Wallingford had acquired the northern half of Meriden) 
 bitter disputes about land boundaries were agitating the farmers, and it was 
 deemed wise to define and lay out the western half of the ancient Wallingford 
 north line. Therefore, on Jan. 25, 1744-45, the selectmen engaged the services 
 of the New Haven county surveyor, John Hitchcock, to run it. He ran "the old 
 north line beginning at northwest corner by Farmington bounds" (now Southing- 
 ton) down to the "white wood stub by west end of Pilgrims Harbor bridge" and 
 stakes were driven every eighty rods the whole distance to define it. Then the 
 selectmen laid out a highway just south of this line beginning at Farmington line 
 and running to the "road that goes west through John Merriam's farm." 
 
 In 1735 John jMerriam had sequestered land for a road running through his 
 farm, 2 rods wide, beginning at the Country road just north of his house and 
 running west past Beaver Dam brook now known as Sodom brook ; this was the 
 first lay out of West Main street. What was done by the selectmen was to run 
 the road now known as Johnson avenue (down the steep Johnson hill just south 
 of the Parker Clock Co. shop) until it came to West Main street, a short distance 
 west of Capitol avenue. ^ The extreme western part of Johnson avenue begins 
 at Southington line and is skirted for half a mile on the north by that town ( 1745 
 Farmington). If one is fortunate enough to own a copy of the 1851 map of !Mer- 
 iden (one of the most accurate maps of Meriden ever made and particularly val- 
 uable because it delineates the whole township) and will take a long ruler and 
 place one end on Johnson avenue and the other end on the bit of road running 
 in front of the Brenton Hall place in the extreme eastern part of Meriden. the 
 ruler will show the ancient northern boundary of Wallingford and one will find 
 this line coming down Johnson avenue and thence running very closely to the 
 line of West Main street until it reaches Butler street when the line cuts down 
 through the buildings on the south side of West Main street, coming out in front 
 of L}-on & Billard Co.'s office, over the bridge and through the south part of the 
 Baptist church, up Liberty street, and so on until it runs in front of the Brenton 
 Hall place to Middletown, just as it was laid out by the selectmen so long ago, to 
 show the farmers the northern boundaries of what had been the jurisdiction of 
 Wallingford until 1723. The coast survey map of the Meriden district published 
 by the state will also give this line accurately. Thus the ancient Wallingford 
 boundary line cuts the town into two nearly equal parts. 
 
 Mention has been made of the Country road. It was thus that our forefathers 
 called Colony street, meaning, not that it was in the country, but that it belonged 
 to the country or colonial government of Connecticut. This is proved conclu- 
 
 1 Wallingford Land Records, Vol. XI., p. 498. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. ol 
 
 sively bv a vote of the General Assembly passed at the May session in 1760.^ 
 A committee reported '"that upon viewing the road thro' Wallingford Plain they 
 found the same too narrow, and the passing of travellers greatly hindered and 
 obstructed by gates, bars and fences being made and erected across said highway 
 and that they are of opinion that said gates, fences and obstructions should be 
 runoved and a highway of four rods wide at least laid open, etc. 
 
 "It is, therefore, resolved by this Assembly, That said gates, bars and fences 
 be removed, and the highway thro' Wallingford Plain be laid open at least 
 four rods wide, and the town of Wallingford is hereby recjuired to remove said 
 obstructions and lay open said w^ay accordingly," etc., etc. Had the road not 
 been a government highway the Assembly would not have given the town of 
 Wallingford directions regarding it. It was invariably called Country road 
 until about the year 1800. After that date it was called the Old road until our 
 modern name of Colony street was adopted, which has exactly the same signifi- 
 cance as the early name. They were conveying precisely the same meaning as 
 when we speak of a highway as the state road. There was another Country road 
 leading from Farmington to Wallingford that passed just west of Meriden ter- 
 ritory. There was only one other in Meriden that had a name in those 
 early days, and that was ^Misery road or path leading from Wallingford village 
 to Dogs' Misery. 
 
 John Merriam bought the Bishop farm in 1716 and may have found the house 
 in existence or built it ; we cannot tell which, for no mention is made of it in the 
 deed. It stood on the west side of the Country road, the north end extending 
 north as far as the West Main street car tracks, while the south end of the house 
 would, if now in existence, jut into the store of Victor Schmelzer, No. 6 West 
 Main street, possibly touching Griswold, Richmond & Clock and Church & Morse, 
 adjoining. The well was on the north side of the house and will be remembered 
 by many as the old well that once was located in the junction of Colony and Main 
 streets, and which w^as filled up more than thirty years ago. The old house had 
 probably disappeared before the turnpike (now known as East and West Main 
 streets) was cut through in 1812. The extra width of Main street west of the 
 junction with Colony street is due to the addition of the turnpike to the road two 
 rods wide north of his house opened by Mr. Merriam in 1735. He made this 
 road so as to reach his saw mill, located a little west of where the Waterbury rail- 
 road station stands. North Colony street where it intersects Main street was 
 once much narrower than it is to-day. In 1831 Dr. Isaac I. Hough and Major 
 Elisha A. Cowles conveyed to the town for highway purposes a strip of land 
 twenty feet wide on the west side of Colony where it joins Main and extending 
 north about 300 feet. This was in front of the present location of the Meriden 
 
 1 Colonial Records of Conn., Vol. XI.. pp. 480-481. 
 6 
 
82 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 House, Home National Bank and the Wilcox block. The western side of the 
 street before that date was about where the west car track lies. It was as narrow 
 as South Colony street where it enters Main street between the Rogers block and 
 the store of Griswold, Richmond & Clock. Would that some generous soul had 
 made a like gift at that point ! To properly understand the situation of John Mer- 
 riam's house as first built one must divorce from one's mind East and West Main 
 street. The house stood in a wilderness fronting Colony or the Country road 
 that passed through Pilgrims' Harbor, and turned a little at this point, so as to 
 cross the brook. It faced the east and there was no change until Mr. 
 Merriam laid out the narrow road just north of his well. His barn stood on the 
 other side of the Country road, in what he called his Harbor Meadow, and judg- 
 ing from inference only, the Rogers block must stand on part of its site. His ap- 
 ple orchard occupied the meadow northwest of the house and ran up the hill where 
 the Corner school stands and back of the First Congregational church.^ To prop- 
 erly understand the ancient layout of this, the most central and active business 
 point of Meriden, a sketch has been prepared which will show at a glance what can- 
 not be so clearly explained by words. 
 
 It is evident that the encroachment on Colony street had been nearly as great 
 here as on the plain in Wallingford. But it took place long before any one now 
 living was born. 
 
 We will not leave John Merriam- (the ancestor of all the r^Ieriden families of 
 that name) until we have given a few more facts concerning his career. He was 
 born in Lynn, Mass., April 25, 1671, the son of William, of that place. He and 
 his brother William (three years older) came to Connecticut in 1716. John bought 
 the Bishop farm, as already told, while William settled in Cheshire in the vicinity 
 of Roaring Brook or "West Rocks," as it was then called. John brought with him 
 his half grown family consisting of four boys, Nathaniel, John, William and Jo- 
 seph, and four daughters, Rebecca, Ruth, Abigail and Susanna. The family took 
 a prominent place in the community and the sons, when they came of age, built 
 their homes in Meriden, near or on their father's farm, and here they lived and 
 brought up their families and their bodies lie buried in the old cemeteries on Meet- 
 ing House hill and Broad street. There are four of the old Merriam houses still 
 standing in jMeriden: Nathaniel, the oldest son, in 1730 bought thirty acres of the 
 Jones farm, lying east of his father's home and probably about the same time built 
 his home which until about the year 1866 stood on the present site of St. Andrew's 
 church. Here Captain Nathaniel lived and died, and his descendants after him ; 
 
 1 An enormous apple tree, thirty-otie inches in diameter tlirough the trunk, four feet from the 
 ground, stands back of the First Congregational church and just south of the residence of Mrs. George 
 R. Curtis. It is not a modern named species and the fruit is worthless. It is perhaps one of those 
 set out by John Merriam nearly 175 years ago ; it certainly is very ancient. 
 
 2 The Merriam family is an entirely distinct and separate family from that of the Merrimans. 
 
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 Drawn by James A. Toner, of City Engineei-'s office, from notes furnished by writer. 
 
 ANCIENT ROADS AND BUILDINGS OUTLINED IN HEAVY BLACK LINES. 
 MODERN BUILDINGS AND STREETS REPRESENTED BY DOTTED LINES. 
 
84 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 until they moved away in 1800, when the house became the property of the Barnes 
 family, and after them it was occupied by Cornelius Hull, until finally it was moved 
 around to Miller street where it stands opposite the office of Manning, Bowman 
 &Co. 
 
 The gambrel roof proclaims its age, but its shape alone is about all of the ex- 
 terior that is old. The old stone chimney of giant proportions on the great hearths 
 of which once blazed the fires that warmed and cheered Capt. Nathaniel, has long 
 since disappeared and m its place stands a pigmy substitute for its great predeces- 
 sor. But the sturdy rafters that Capt. Nathaniel put in place still support the 
 
 
 
 
 
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 L/ii 
 
 
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 SSlSSm^^^aB' 
 
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 ^^ 
 
 CAPT. NATHANIEL MERRIAM S HOUSE. 
 
 roof, and the great hewn beams and joists are yet doing the duty they began 175 
 years ago. 
 
 The second Merriam house still standing is a very ancient one to all appear- 
 ances, and was certainly built as early as 1744 and doubtless earlier. Age is de- 
 picted in every angle and line, but the great oaken beams and rafters are still as 
 sound as the day they were cut and hewn in the surrounding forests, and bid fair 
 to last another hundred years without any diminution of strength. The old stone 
 chimney adds dignity and strength, and its massive base covers fifteen feet square 
 in the cellar and the capacious old fireplaces have blazed with logs that would 
 blush with shame if crowded into one of our modern fireplaces, were it possible 
 to do so. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 This house was built by Joseph, the youngest son, and is still occupied by a 
 descendant — Edward M. Alerriam, a great-great-grandson. It stands on Johnson 
 avenue, perhaps half a mile west of the junction with West Main street, and 
 it is necessary to climb a very steep hill before one can gaze on this venerable old 
 monument of early days. The writer has explored it in all its ramifications and 
 it bears the appearance of being in almost the original condition in which it was 
 left when the last nail was driven by the carpenters of colonial days. 
 
 The third Merriam house has drifted from its ancient moorings and is now 
 stranded on Camp street. No. 94, near the office of the H. T. Smith Express Co., 
 
 JOSEPH MERRIAM S HOUSE. 
 
 moved there bv the late Horace T. Smith. It is so changed from its original ap- 
 pearance that one would never know it. William, the third son, lived in this 
 house and it stood where the Home Club house is now located, at the corner of 
 Colony and Foster streets. His father, John, presented the house to him with five 
 and one-halt acres of land on March 28, 1735. It is unquestionably the original 
 house, for before its removal and alteration it bore every mark of antiquity, and 
 manv will remember its venerable appearance. Asaph, the grandson of William, 
 here lived and reared his family and his sons. Selden, Sidney, Lauren^ and Noah, 
 were the ancestors of most of the Merriams of modern Meriden. 
 
 1 Lauren was the father of Lauren and Nelson and built a house that formerly .=tood near the house 
 of the late George W. Lyrn, 138 Colony Street. Hi« farm extended west and included a large part of 
 Grove Street. It was of him that so many Irishmen bought their building lots. 
 
86 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The founh house, built by John, Jr., is in a condition that would distress its 
 builder could he see it as it stands fronting the street — its joists and beams, like 
 the ribs of some vertebrate monster of prehistoric days, exposed ; and showing 
 through them the interior is revealed to him who looks. 
 
 The old house is certainly a wreck and as it is now would be much better de- 
 cently buried. It stands on the west side of South Colony street a short distance 
 south of the plant of The Meriden Electric Light Co. The lot was bought by 
 John, Jr., in 1/3/, of Stephen Atwater, and doubtless he built the house soon 
 after. He lived there for several vears, but after his father's death he sold it 
 
 JOHN MERRIAINI, TR. S HOUSE. 
 
 and it went through a succession of hands, finally becoming the home of Christo- 
 pher Atwater. Early in the last century the property was acquired by Capt. Lit- 
 tle. Of him children used to tell mysterious stories with bated breath. After- 
 wards it 1 ec:'r. e tl"e propertv of Alfred Snow. Then Florence \A'. Shelly was the 
 owner and Liter it became the home of Kate McGlynn. It is now owned by John 
 W. Coe and Emma L. Cook. 
 
 A fifth i\Terriam house was standing until within a }"ear or two at the west side 
 of the junction of Capitol avenue and West ]\Iain street. It was built probably 
 about 1760 by Joseph, Jr., the son of the first Joseph. By people of the last cen- 
 tury it was known as the Asahel Merriam place. He died many years ago and of 
 late vears the house had been deserted. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 8/ 
 
 The question may arise, how can we be certain that these houses are the ones 
 actually built and occupied by these different men? Of course there is no way to 
 absolutely prove it. We have only probability to guide us. When an ancient 
 house occupies what is known to be the site of the original one. the inference is 
 that the present one is the original, without it can be shown that the first one 
 was destroyed by fire or was grossly neglected. There is no reason why one of 
 these old houses should not last indefinitely providing it has good care. The main 
 cause of the destruction of old dw^ellings w'as that frequently there was no ven- 
 tilation in the cellar. This caused the floor beams to decay and took the life from 
 the foundation walls. In many cases the floor beams and sills have been 
 replaced bv new ones and the foundation walls reconstructed and recemented. One 
 house in town, almost positively known to have been erected as early as 1740, 
 is in the best state of preservation of any ancient dwelling in Aleriden. This is be- 
 cause it has always had the best of care. With proper attention one of these old 
 homes ought to last 500 years. The reason they do not get such care is because 
 people want new homes, and the old ones have been sold to those who have not 
 been able to expend much money in their preservation. There are houses in Hart- 
 ford, Farmington, New London and other places that are known to have been 
 built 250 years ago. and they are still capable of lasting much longer. There is one 
 feature about the ancient dwellings of Meriden that makes it hard to form an esti- 
 mate of their age. In the towns mentioned mud or clay mortar in foundation walls 
 and chimneys is a sign of a very early building, ^ but in Meriden this method of con- 
 struction was followed up to the beginning of the last century. 
 
 1 See page 186, •'Early Connecticut Houtes,"' by Irham and Erowu : two Rhode Island architects, who 
 have made an exhaustive study of the subject. 
 
88 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER \'III. 
 
 In the story of Meriden Farm, related in Chapter II., we learned that Edward 
 Higbee made a purchase of a large tract of land of Seaukett, Indian. This was in 
 the year 1664 while he was probably a tenant on Mr. Gilbert's farm. In 1668 the 
 colony contirmed this purchase by a grant that was much contracted from the 
 boundaries given by Seaukett ; but still Mr. Higbee and his successor, Mr. Cole, 
 who bought the title in 1673, were in actual possession of at least 800 acres not- 
 withstanding the colonial grant of only 257 acres. In other words, while in ac- 
 tual legal control of the colonial grant they were squatters on the rest of the farm.^ 
 Apparently no house was standing on Mr. Higbee's farm in 1668 but when he 
 sold it to Henry Cole in 1673 ^^^ deed included "housing." 
 
 The Meriden boy's- composition written nearly sixty years ago, already quoted, 
 said that the house of Hiram Foster was built in 1669. As the first Meriden an- 
 cestor of Mr. Foster acquired a large part of this old Cole or Higbee farm, and 
 was the first purchaser to buy any portion of it. we may safely take it for granted 
 that the house occupied by Hiram Foster, which stood on Colony street south of 
 the junction with Kensington avenue, at what is now No. 464, was the one built 
 by Edward Higbee about 1669 ; the date given in the composition fits in exactly 
 with the records and is another proof of the accuracy of the schoolboy's informa- 
 tion. This old house was no longer in existence when the composition was writ- 
 ten and the present Foster house occupies the same site. 
 
 The residence of Mr. Cole on this farm made no impression on the records 
 until his death on Alay 12, 1676. In that year the inventory of his estate was 
 filed in the court of probate in New Haven. Although the owner of so large a 
 farm his wealth was not large, for the land had probably been only slightly im- 
 proved and land was worth but little until it had been cleared of forests and broken 
 under the plough and until there was sufficient population to make a demand for 
 farms. The inventory is curious and interesting for it shows how simple was the 
 life of these early pioneers and how few of the comforts of life were in their 
 possession. 
 
 1 There were undoubtedly many cases of this kind in the Colony. When the 'New Haven Committee 
 in 1638 bought of Montowei-e "ten miles in length from North to South" they found whites already 
 in possession of a portion of this territory and probably for a consideration the following clause was 
 added at the end of the deed : "We, Robert Coggswell, Roger Knapp and James Love, doe hereby re- 
 nounce all right to any and every part of the forementioned land :" this was duly signed by these 
 men. See N. H. Colonial Records, Vol. I., p. 7. 
 
 2 The late Henry S. Wilcox. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 89 
 
 AX INVENTORY OF YE ESTATE OF HENRY COLE WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 
 
 MAY 12, 1676: 
 
 40 acres of land in jMiddletown bounds 20 lb: the farme by y^ Road to Hartford 
 
 20 lb : 40 :oo :oo 
 
 6 bush of indyan corne & some bedding 01 :i2 :oo 
 
 2 oxen 12 lb: 3 cows 12 lb: one 3 yeare old heifer 3 lb : a bull 4 yeares old 3 lb : a 2 
 
 3-eare old steare 2 lb : 32 :oo :go 
 
 3 calves 30S : 7 swine at 5 lb 5s : 3 lesser swine 12s : a mare 30s : a two yeare old 
 
 calf I lb: 09:17 :oo 
 
 A yeare old colt 15s: a feather bed, bolsters & the blanketts 4 lb 6s 05:01:00 
 
 3 blanketts 2 lb : a beare skin & deare skin 3s : bacon I lb : an iron pot i lb : an 
 
 iron pot 15s : 04:18:00 
 
 A brass kettle i lb 2S : a brass skillettl 6s : In pewter 15s : 5 piggins2 gs : a can 
 
 & wood bottle 3s : 02 :i5 :oo 
 
 A frying pan 5s : a payre of tongs tramells^ & pot hooks 6s : 00 :ii :oo 
 
 In porke 2 lb 3 bushs of wheat 13s 6d : 5 bushs & peck of Rye i lb 2S : 10 bu'ihs 
 
 Indyan Corn 30s : 05 :o5 :o6 
 
 A meate barrell 3s : a runlett^ 2S : 13 dry caske i lb : a beare barrel 2S : 6*3 : 01 :07 :o6 
 
 2 spinning wheels 8s : 2 chayrs 4s : a chest 8s : by wearing cloaths 2 lb : 03:00:00 
 
 2 payre of sheets 2 lb: homespun cloath 7 lb 7s : a bible 5s a payre of cards^ 2s : . . 05:14:00 
 
 Cart, hoops, boxes, i lb i6s ; chayne plow irons, span shakle i lb los : 03 :oC) :oo 
 
 2 guns 2 lb : powder & shott i8s : 2 swords 12s : 2 stubbing hoes & 4 hoes I2» : . . . . 04 :02 :oo 
 
 2 broad hoes 8s : a saw 5s : 2 axes 5s : coopers tools 3 lb los : 04 :o8 :oo 
 
 127:17 :oo 
 taken by us 
 
 JNathI'I' ^NIerriman. 
 Elisaph Preston. 
 
 Henry Cole was a cooper, which accounts for the tools and large number of 
 boxes, barrels, casks, etc. It is interesting to notice that there is no mention of 
 a bedstead and that the total value of this large farm of at least 800 acres was 
 only £20. The low valuation of the bear and deer skins show that "Hennerie" 
 (as the old records sometimes quaintly called him) did not wander far from his 
 door to obtain them. The mother with her ten children continued, probably, to 
 reside on the farm until they were old enough to marry and move away. She 
 then resided in Saybrook where she died in 1687. In that year a document was 
 drawn up and signed by the various heirs, which appears on the probate records 
 in New Haven in 1692, 
 
 1 A pan with feet and long handle. 
 
 2 Wooden dipper. 
 
 3 Implement in firephu-e en which to hang cv.linary vessels. 
 
 4 Eighteen gallon barrel. 
 
 5 For carding wool. 
 
90 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 "Wethersfield Jan y® 2^ 1687 
 
 Whereas there is a certaine estate in land & other personal estate formerly of 
 Rig'ht belonging unto our hond^''*^ father Henry Cole sometyme since dec^^ at 
 Wallingford in y® late^ colony of Connecticut in New England left in p* in y® 
 possession of our hon'"'^ mother lately alsoe deceased at Saybrook w*-"'^ s*^ estate 
 had never vet orderly distribution between theire children. We therefore y*^ 
 children of y® s*^ Henry Cole & his wife dec"^ whose names are hereunto subscribed 
 in order to a loving yssue of y*^ matter have mutually & unanimously agreed that 
 y® s^ estate shall be divided between all y® s"^ children in equall proportions. And 
 to y^ end have alsoe agreed to desire & Impower two of our Beloved Brethren 
 with our trusty & beloved friend Nath^ Royse of Wallingford afore^*^ to settle 
 & distribute the same accordingly. And alsoe to make sale of a certaine parcell 
 lying within y® Bounds of Middletown belonging to us containing by estimation 
 twenty acres be it more or less. And having soe don to distribute _\® effects 
 unto us y® s^ children 
 
 In wittness hereof that this is our unanimous agreement we have hereunto 
 set o'' hands or marks this 23'"^ day of January Ano Dom one thousand six hrn- 
 dred eighty & seven 
 
 Samuell Cole Hannah Coie 
 Aron Goofe the mark of 
 
 his mark James Cole 
 
 Rebekah Cole Wm Cole 
 
 her mark Samuel Taylor 
 
 John Stevens Rich^ Goodale" 
 
 The husbands signed this document in place of those daughters who were 
 married. 
 
 The two Beloved Brethren mentioned in the above document were James and 
 William Cole, who continued to reside in this locality, James for a while in the 
 homestead, while William took a farm on Clapboard Hill, south of the present 
 residence of J. Hobart Yale on Yale avenue. John became a school teacher in 
 Boston and Samuel lived in Wethersfield. 
 
 A curious question arises when considering the southern boundary of the Cole 
 or Higbee farm. The colonial grant to Edward Higbee, which is recorded on 
 the Middletown land records, says, "257 acres more or less abutting on Pillgrims 
 Harbour River south till it comes to the way which goeth to Xew Haven & from 
 
 1 The word late refers of course to the usurpation of the Colonial government bv Sir Edmond Andross 
 at this time. 
 
EAKLV HISTORY. 9 1 
 
 thence straight to a river at the end of the mountain which lyeth west." This 
 would naturally lead one to believe that one side of the boundary was positively 
 deterniined. On the other hand, when the General Court or Assembly granted a 
 farm to James Bishop the following year his southern boundary was on a line 
 running west from where "Pillgrims Harbor River comes to the way which goeth 
 to New Haven." The natural inference would seem that James Bishop had 
 bought up Higbee's claim to that particular tract, at least, for the southern boun- 
 daries cannot be the same for two distmct farms. But, unfortunately for this 
 theory, we iind that when Higbee sells his farm to Cole in 1673, he gives iden- 
 tically the same boundaries that are mentioned in his grant from the colony. 
 Were there tw^o crossings that might each be considered the "way that goeth to 
 New Haven?" There were, if the following records can be interpreted in that 
 wa>', and there seems to be no alternative. As already mentioned, the reason for 
 staking the old north bounds of Wallingford in 1744 was because disputes had 
 arisen between the farmers relative to land divisions. These contentions lasted 
 some time, and in the year 1748 it w^as found necessary to take the deposition of 
 Robert Royce who lived in what is now known as the Dr. Archer place in South 
 Farms, then called Milking Yard or Royce's Farms. The fight had been carried 
 to the General Assembly and Deacon Royce w^as either summoned to appear or 
 else a special agent was sent to see him. The deposition now in the State Library 
 at Hartford reads as follows : 
 
 "Robert Royce of Wallingford in y*^ county of New Haven of full age Testi- 
 fies and Sa}s that he is now and hath been weW acquainted for sixty years last 
 past with the north line of the town of Wallingford as it was shown to him sev- 
 crall Times by Old Mr. Yale who Informed him he was with y^ Committee that 
 Laid out the Township of Wallingford and that he hath been Severall Times 
 appointed with old Capt Yale to Perambulate the line or lines of y® Towniship, 
 that the North West Corner, Something in Farmington, Bounds the line 
 [* * * '"] down to Pilgrims Harbour to a wdiite wood stubb near wdiere the 
 Bridge now Stands which Stubb is the South West Corner of Jones's farm and 
 so continues down to y^ South East Corner of Streets farm where Daniel Balding 
 now Lives! and the Town farms were always laid south, up to the Said Described 
 Line and that y® Country farms that lay north of said Line were all bounded 
 South on Said Line and that he is well knowing to y*^ Improvement & Bounds 
 of the farms both Country & Town Bounding on Said Line, and hath had Severall 
 of them y® Said Farms Committed to his Watch & Care and that the other sup- 
 posed Road over the Harboiu" was nothing otherwise than a Road laid out bv 
 
 1 John Yeamans place on Bfe Lane 
 
52 A CENTUin- UK MliRIDEN. 
 
 Old Capt. Yale to accommodate Mr. Cole to go to Meeting and went by the name 
 of Cole's path and this I often heard old Capt. Yale say, and further the Said 
 Royce Saith not 
 
 Taken in l'erj)etuam rei Memoriam 
 
 Robert Roys 
 
 Wallingford Feby 23''*^ 1747-48 
 
 Robert Roys personally appeared and made oath to the truth of the foregoing 
 evidence before me 
 
 Xath*^ Stanly Assistant" 
 
 This document shows that there was another road that was considered by some 
 as the "Way that Goeth to New Haven." James Cole is probably referred to 
 and his home was at the corner of Colony street and Kensington avenue. To go 
 to meeting for him meant to go to Wallingford for there was no church in Meriden 
 until long after that early date. If he was looking for a short cut or a way to avoid 
 the swamp and muck and mire that formerly existed at the Colony street cross- 
 ing of Harbor Brook and to escape the sand flats beyond Yalesville, the natural 
 way to go would lie somewhere near the present line of Center street, and after 
 the summit of the hill was gained then down Broad^ and Curtis streets, and so on 
 to Wallingford. When what is now called Curtis street was laid out in 1721, the 
 records state that it "goes as the road now goes up Pole Hill''^ and is 6 rods wide, 
 and runs north to the end of the bounds, or "Wallingford North bounds." In 
 other words the selectmen were following an ancient road and were merely adopt- 
 ing it as one of the town highways ; and when Rev. Theophilus Hall laid out 
 Broad street from Curtis street to the new meeting house in 1752, which he was 
 then building, he simply sequestered this same path or road that led just west of 
 the church and then down to Liberty street — the Wallingford north bounds. 
 Could this path from North Colony street down Center, Broad and Curtis streets 
 have been in existence before Capt. Yale marked it out for Mr. Cole to go to 
 meeting? if he laid it out, he was laying out in the Center street part a path in ter- 
 ritory that did not belong to Wallingford until nearly fifty years later.^ If he 
 was marking out a highway that had already been in existence he was merely 
 performing the part of a surveyor, which position he held. Now there was a road 
 other than Colony street, evidently at an earlier date, that is mentioned in the 
 ancient recorrls. 
 
 1 Broad Street Forth r{ the iunetion with Curtis Strfpt was net laid out then. 
 
 2 The hill down which the southern narts of Curtis and Broad Streets descend was called Pole Hill. 
 
 3 Laying out a road or path in those early days in many locations meant simply to "blaze" and cut 
 out a few trees and hushes. One could not easily follow such a path through the trackless forests with- 
 out some one constantly renewed these marks and "blazes." 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 93 
 
 At a General Court for New Haven ]\Iarch 12, 1654-55, "Mr. Goodyear was 
 desired when he goes to Conecticote to go the new way & take notice of it and 
 let the Court understand how he finds it & that if they see cause they may send 
 t(>rt\- n.on to mark it ort." The southern boundary of the Cole farm was cer- 
 tainly almost, if not quite, on a line drawn due west from Center street bridge. 
 It is a problem that is not now possible to solve. But certainly the evidence looks 
 as if Air. Higbee thought that about where Center street bridge is now located was 
 where the "way that goeth to New Haven" was located. 
 
 The beloved brethren and trusty friend, Nathaniel Royce, did not soon find 
 customers 01 purchasers for the Cole farm. The power of attorney authorizing 
 them to sell the farm was executed in 1687 and not until January 29, 1707-8 did 
 they sell a rood. On that date they sold to Bartholomew Foster, of Wethersfield, 
 ship carpenter, "2-10 of that howle farm known as Cools Farme set on Country 
 road near South side of Ijelcher's Farme." Mr. h^oster was originally from 
 Gloucester, Mass., where he was born about 1649. ^^^'^ where he remained until 
 1696: he was engaged in the ship building business. Then he came to 
 Wethersfield and made a purchase of John Curtis of a piece of land with a "Man- 
 sion house" on it. There he probably made the acquaintance of some of the Cole 
 family and was persuaded to buy a part of the farm in Meriden.^ He bought 
 more during the two or three years following. Bartholomew Foster came to Mer- 
 iden with his two sons, Thomas and Timothy, and the family has always been 
 prominent and influential. When the church was formed Bartholomew was ac- 
 tive and conspicuous in the negotiations and served on various committees, such 
 as purchasing a farm for the new^ minister, etc. When considering these two ad- 
 joining farms of the Fosters and Merriams and their neighbors the thought strikes 
 one that the name of a prominent manufacturing company of to-day applies with 
 peculiar descriptive force to the community on Colony or Country road in those 
 early days, viz. Foster, Merriarn & Co. 
 
 Meantime, an agreement appeared on the Wallingford records under date of 
 March 12, 1708, whereby the Cole heirs divided the farm into ten parts, five 
 parts on each side of the Country road. It would be tedious to follow up the 
 different transfers but w-e will notice one or two items relating to the farm that 
 are curious: One of the heirs was Samuel Taylor, of Wethersfield, who had mar- 
 ried a daughter of Mr. Cole. His share of i-io was 80 acres and it lay in the 
 southern part adjoining the Merriam farm on the south. ]Mr. Taylor died in 
 February, 1711-12, and his portion of the Cole farm was inventoried as "Farm 
 
 1 None of these ancient Foster houses are now in existence. Thomas, by the terms of his father's 
 will, got the house standing at the corner of Colony Street and Kensington Avenue previous to 1S48, 
 while the house of Timothy stood probably on what is now the property of the State School for Boys 
 where it fronts on Colony Street. 
 
94 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIDICX. 
 
 in the woods called Cole's farm, 80 acres, £20." It is on file in the records of 
 the court ot jjrobate, Hartford, and there is no location given other than that 
 quoted. Aaron Goffe, of Wethersfield, who had married another of Mr. Cole's 
 daughters, had an inventory which mentioned his 100 acres near Pilgrims" Harbor 
 as worth four shillings. 
 
 For nearly a hundred years if there was a transfer of any part of this great 
 farm of Henry Cole's the deed always mentioned that the land was a part of Cole 
 farm. By the year 1725, after two or three transfers, that part of the Cole farm 
 that had belonged to Samuel Taylor became the property of Josiah Robinson. 
 
 CAPT. JOSIAH ROBINSON S HOUSE FROM S. W. 
 Note condition of Colony Street in 1876. 
 
 He bought some adjoining land until he had a farm of more than lOO acres. 
 It fronted along Colony street, beginning at about where the Meriden Silver Plate 
 Co. factory now stands and running up to, perhaps, where the residence of Arthur 
 S. Lane is located. No. 341. Mr. Robinson's house was located where now stands 
 the home of Mr. E. J. Doolittle, No. 285. The farm stretched ofif towards the 
 east across Harbor Brook and nearly to Hobart street line. There is evidence 
 that he built his home shortly after he bought the farm, and it continued to stand 
 there until 1876, when Mr. Doolittle bought the house and lot and demolished 
 the building. From its enormous chimney, which was a regular quarry, he was 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 95 
 
 able to IniiM the whole foinulati(>n of his present house and wall up the brook on 
 both sides, that flows in the rear, and had a quantity of stone left to sell. Of all 
 the ancient houses in Meriden, it was the largest so far as we know. 
 
 Mr. Robinson^ was an important man in the community and for those times 
 had considerable wealth. He was captain of the train band and was always 
 called Capt. Robinson, and in 1750 was one of the delegates to the General As- 
 sembly for the town of Wallingford. For many years his house was the tavern of 
 the parish.- He had five slaves at the time of his death named Phoebe, Lemmon, 
 Rose, Primus and Jennie, who probably helped take care of the farm or waited on 
 guests in the inn. The house in its day must have been a fine one and its size made 
 it imposing even in age. The addition in the rear was perhaps made by General 
 Walter Booth who owned and lived in the house from 1816 to 1843. It was 
 doubtless a tin shop as he, in his younger days, was engaged in that business. 
 
 CAPT. JOSIAU k( i|;l XSOX S llol'SI': IK(iM N. W 
 
 The first notice we find that Capt. Josiah Robinson's house was an inn appears 
 in the record? of New Haven county court in 1751. At the April session each 
 year licenses were issued and duly recorded. In 1763 Ames' Almanac began to 
 give a list of the diiTerent post roads and towns between New York and Boston 
 with the names of the best taverns. 
 
 Robinson's is the only name given for Meriden and it continues so until the 
 year 181 1. It is the onlv one mentioned in Meriden b\- Green's "State 
 
 1 Captain Robinson probably came here from Dorchester, Jlass., perhaps through the influence of 
 Bartholomew Foster. 
 
 2 There is a tradition that Gtneral Washington s-topped at this iun.- Perhaps he did: but if we are 
 to believe all the traditions relating to the hou.ses in New England, that are said to have been honored 
 by the presence of General Washington at one time or another, we are forced to the conclusion that 
 Instead of attending to the military atl'airs of the Colonies and later assuming the duties of Chief Mag- 
 istrate of the Nation he was spending his time in haunting the hostelries and was better fitted to 
 
g6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Register." an accurate and reliable publication full of statistics relat- 
 ing to Connecticut. Capt. Robinson died in 1766 and left an estate 
 valued at £1636. He owned 261 acres of land, but not in a connected tract. 
 He had a law library containing eleven volumes, so that he probably occiipied 
 somewhat the position of a legal luminary among his neighbors. Back of the 
 house, which was valued at £165, stood a barn, a horse house, a Dutch barn^ 
 and a malt house. The inn was continued by his son, Josiah, until 1771 when he 
 died also. He had evidently lived a rapid pace or been unfortunate in his in- 
 vestments, for his estate was found to be insolvent and a list of his creditors 
 contained the name of almost every man in the parish. The two widows (the 
 elder being the daughter of John Merriam) continued the tavern for some time. 
 It then went into a succession of hands who all ran it under the 
 name of "Robinson's ;" among them Caleb Bull, Seth D'Wolf and Giles 
 Foster. Finally Jotham Mitchell owned and lived in it until his son- 
 in-law. General Walter Booth, bought it in 1816. Then its fame as 
 an inn ceased and it was used by General Booth only as a residence 
 until 1843, when he sold it to Deacon Elah Camp. He sold it and one acre of 
 land to Keyes S. Hathaway in 1852. Mr. Hathaway lived there until 1876 and 
 then sold it to E. J. Doolittle. who pulled it down. Xorth of Capt. Robinson's 
 farm was a strip of land belonging to Bartholomew Foster, which ran up to the 
 road that is now called Britannia street. North of this was a tract of some 140 
 acres which was taken by Aaron Goffe, of Wethersfield, in the settlement of the 
 Cole estate. Nothing was done with the land until Solomon Goffe bought his 
 brothers' interest in,, the property in 171 1 after his father's death. The deed, re- 
 corded only in Wethersfield, reads that the farm is in the woods and bounds west 
 on the Country road and extends north, east and south. Truly a somewhat 
 indefinite description. Mr. Goffe moved to Meriden and built his house in 171 1, 
 that is still on the east side of Colony street a little north of the Griswold street 
 junction and is now known as the Samuel Clark place. It is undoubtedly the 
 oldest house in Meriden and certainly has a venerable appearance. We know noth- 
 ing about Mr. Goffe except that he lived here ten years, married a Wallingford girl, 
 Mary Doolittle, and the birth of one child is recorded. In 1721 he sold the place to 
 Thomas Andrews, of Wallingford, who, apparently, lived there until 1729, when 
 he sold it to Jonathan Collins, of Middletown. The old house was enlarged, perhaps 
 soon after Mr. Collins bought it, for the addition looks as old as the rest, but 
 
 write a guide book to New England, giving the names of the best taverns than to be called the father 
 of his country. He may have stopped here to get a bite or quench his thirst but there is no record 
 of the fact, notwithstanding that an itinerary of his travels has been published. When journeying 
 to Boston in 1775 to take charge of the armies (his first trip through New England) he left New 
 Haven in the morning arid reached Springfield that night. The larger towns of Hartford and New 
 Haven were so near that it is very doubtful if he ever stopped at Robinson's. 
 2 A hay house with no sides, but with a roof supported by four corner posts. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 97 
 
 that there has been an addition is plain to be seen. The dormer windows in the 
 old gambrel roof are probably a later addition, and there have been apparently 
 some changes in the interior. That the house is the one built by Solomon Goffe 
 will be apparent to any one who will examine the old rafters and the huge floor 
 ueams. The chimneys in the cellar are enormous and the stones were cemented 
 with clay mixed with straw as were the foundation walls, a sure sign of an early 
 house ; another indication of age is the split laths, used in very early houses. 
 The Collins family continued to own the house until 1796 when a son, Jonathan, 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 JONATHAN COLLINS' HOUSE. 
 
 Jr.,1 sold it to Samuel Taylor of Chatham. Mr. Taylor doubtless lived in it until 
 1806 when he sold it to his son-in-law, Partrick Clark. The Clark family own 
 the house and farm to this day although they no longer live in it. It is now 
 rented to a German named Charles Hackbarth. 
 
 Jonathan Collins was the son of Robert, of Middletown, and the father came 
 to Meriden two vears earlier than the son. 
 
 1 This Jonathan Collins removed to Turin, N. Y., where he became very prominent 
 7 
 
98 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In the settlement of Henry Cole's estate the son, John, who was a school teach- 
 er in Boston, took 350 acres on the west side of Country road just opposite the 
 Solomon Goffe farm. It had a frontage on the road of 2,270 feet, and extended 
 south nearly to the ]Meriden Firearms plant and ran north quite a ways be- 
 yond the Waterbury railroad crossing. It extended in the west quite to Cat 
 Hole mountain. In 1721 Mr. Cole sold the farm to Samuel Butler and Dr. Eben- 
 ezer Cooper, and these gentlemen apparently built a house on it and probably 
 lived in it. Dr. Cooper was so far as we can learn the first physician to live in 
 Meriden. The deed calls him a "phititian."" He afterwards lived in the south- 
 eastern part of Aleriden and on December 30, 1739, Rev. Theophilus Hall bap- 
 tized his son Thomas. Beyond these three entries we know nothing about him. 
 In 1727 Butler and Cooper sold the farm to Robert Collins,^ of Middletown. 
 He came here with his two younger sons, Robert and Edward. The house he 
 bought with the farm was late in the century sold to Joseph Twiss, of Cheshire, 
 the ancestor of the Twiss family in Meriden. It stood near the northern limits 
 of the farm close to the Country road and this part of the farm was some years 
 since the links of the Meriden Golf Club. The old house was destroyed by fire a 
 great many }xars ago. 
 
 In 1737 Robert Collins gave to his son, Edward, a tract of land containing 
 100 acres, iti the southern part of the farm, and probably very soon after Edward 
 built his house, for on Aug. 29, 1738, he married Susannah Peck, of Walling- 
 ford, and his home was in the house now occupied by Junius S. Norton, at 
 596 Colony street. 
 
 The house is a very ancient one, unquestionably, although it has been greatly 
 altered. The picture show^s it as it was some twenty years ago. Even then it 
 had been greatly changed from its original condition. The front door was at 
 first in the middle of the street side, but at the date of the picture was on the 
 south side. The old house is in somewhat the condition of the boy's jack knife: 
 a new blade and a new handle, but still the same old knife. The great chimney, 
 cemented by clay mortar, and the old split laths still to be seen in the attic, are 
 unquestionable evidences of its age. Here was born on February 16, 1741, Dan 
 Collins, afterwards known as Capt. Dan, wdio w^as a very prominent figure in 
 Meriden early in the last century. He married in 1774 Susannah, the daughter 
 of Esq. Aaron Lyman, and lived in the old Lyman home that stood on East 
 Main street, east of Broad street, and was pulled down many years ago. That 
 farm is still Collins property. The Edward Collins house had a number of own- 
 ers before it came into the possession of Mr. Norton. It was sold late in the 
 eighteenth century to Reuben Stocking and bv him in a few vears to Ira Yale. 
 
 1 He was born in Branford in 166S. 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 99 
 
 It later became the home of a y\r. Tennant and Mr. Xorton bought it of the late 
 Eli Btttler. North of the Collins farm on the same side of the road was another 
 large tract of land reaching to the road or laneway that runs west from the resi- 
 dence of Edward Higginson, already described as the southern boundary of the 
 Belcher or Meriden Farm. It contained 400 acres and extended west 400 rods, 
 or 6,600 feet, and had a frontage on Colony street of 150 rods or 2,475 ^^^t- 
 
 The Cole heirs sold it in 17 10 to John Burroughs, of Stratfield, a grandson 
 of Edward Higbee, a previous owner. Burroughs' son, Edward, sold to 
 Richard Hubbell 120 acres of this land — the south part — and he to John 
 
 EDWARD COLLINS HOUSE. 
 
 Dcnnie, a rich Boston nierchant in 1734, and ^Ir. Dennic immediately built a 
 house that is still standing, once called the Stephen Bailey place, but by many 
 known as the Grimes house. It stands about a quarter of a mile north of the 
 Waterbury railroad crossing on the west side of Colony street on a high bank 
 with a stone wall in front, and is shaded by several large maple trees. That 'Sir. 
 Dennie never lived here is certain, and he must have leased the farm to some one 
 in Meriden. The house does not look as old as it is, for it has been newly clap- 
 boarded and painted. But let any one examine it from cellar to attic as the writer 
 has done, and he will soon be convinced of its age. 
 
lOO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In some respects it is the oldest appearing house in Meriden. It is very prim- 
 itive in its construction, and on the second floor only one room has been done 
 off and that is on the south side. On the north side an addition has been built, 
 very roughly, in such a way that the ancient oak clapboards are part of the inside 
 finish. The inside walls are mostly boarded over and around the mantels there 
 is some paneling. There was originally no ventilation in the cellar and as a re- 
 sult the huge oak sills and many of the floor beams decayed and have had to be 
 replaced by new ones. Late in the eighteeenth century the farm was bought by 
 Stephen Bailey (1795), and remained in that family for many years. It 
 is now the property of William Nelson and is occupied by a Dane named James 
 Rasmersson. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 STEPHEN BAILEY S HOUSE. 
 
 The northern part of this 400 acre tract, belonging to John Burroughs origi- 
 nally, eventually became the property of the Yales and was by them sold to the 
 Edwards family of Middletown, On the old road described as running west 
 from the old Eli Way, or now Edward Higginson farm, stands a poor, forlorn 
 old house, bereft of its sides and looking the picture of desolation. It stands 
 about three hundred feet west from Colony road and is on the north side of the 
 old road or laneway. It is shaded by large maple trees and has a forbidding 
 and sinister aspect, as if its old walls had once hidden some mystery. It is a 
 very old house and was built by one of the Belchers, probably by the governor, 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 roi 
 
 and thus dates previous to 174 1. It was standing when the farm was bought 
 by John Yale. 
 
 Here hved the Jonathan Edwards family for many years, and their interests 
 seem to have been more closely identified with Middletown than with Meriden 
 parish. At the end of the eighteenth century the farm was bought by James 
 Avery Hough, and the old house was identified with that family for many years. 
 In the middle of the last century it was the home of Cyrenus Booth. For several 
 years now the house has been abandoned and it is only a question of time 
 before it will follow the way of all the earth. 
 
 On Colony street stood, until some ten or fifteen years ago, an old house 
 known as the Eli Way place, which has been mentioned many times as opposite 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. JOSEPH EDWARDS* HOUSE. 
 
 the old Kensington road. In the division of the Cole estate a tract of 50 acres 
 was sold to Thomas Miles, blacksmith, in 1713. In every case when the Cole 
 heirs sold a portion of their farm it was necessary for the purchaser to pay toll 
 to Wallingford by buying her Indian right acquired from Adam Puit, so that 
 the Cole title was not considered valid without buying Wallingford's title. Gen- 
 erally this secondary charge was paid by the Cole heirs. Thomas Miles was no 
 exception to the rule and we find him buying or at least acquiring a secondary 
 
102 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 deed from W'allingford's commissioners. His north line abutted on the Belcher 
 estate and the farm was on the Country road on the east side and the old Way 
 house stood on this tract. That he lived on the farm is not probable for when 
 he disposed of it in 1724 to James Scovill, of Aliddletown, no house is mentioned 
 in the deed. But when J\Ir. Scovill sold the farm to Eden Burroughs in 1733, 
 a dwelling house was included. As the Way house was very ancient in appear- 
 ance it is possibly the one built by Mr. Scovill. The farm was sold in 1742 to Asa 
 Yale and by him in 1745 to Samuel Yale. Without stopping to give all the trans- 
 fers we will state that in 1796 it was sold to Elisha Cowles, the father of Major 
 Elisha A. and Roswell Cowles. 
 
 Mr. Cowles was a mason by trade and probably made many of the old grave- 
 stones in the Broad street cemetery and doubtless many of the old chimneys and 
 foundations in Meriden were the results of his labors. North of this house on 
 the west side of the road there is a ledge which looks as if much stone had been 
 quarried from it. After his death the house and farm was sold by the heirs to 
 John B. Douglass and it did not become a Way place until sold to Eli by xA-very 
 Hough in 1823. To the writer it seems probable that the house was built by 
 Elisha Cowles, the old one having disappeared in the description in one deed. 
 
 Just south of the Jonathan Collins farm, now the Samuel Clark place, and 
 north of the strip owned by Josiah Robinson, was a small farm of thirty acres 
 belonging to Jacob Pars'ons ; it fronted west on Colony street and there was a 
 house on it that disappeared long ago. Parsons bought it of Thomas Andrews 
 in 1722, who at that time was the owner of the farm that he later sold to Jon- 
 athan Collins. 
 
 In the northern part of the Burroughs tract of 400 acres on the west side of 
 the Country road, and just south of the Belcher farm, was a small tract of some 
 thirty acres that was about 1720 sold to Timothy Jerome and on which he was 
 living at that time, although the tract was shortly after acquired by the Edwards 
 family. 
 
 The first farms and houses on Colony street have now been located and it can 
 be seen that the owners formed a community by themselves. Until 1728 the ter- 
 ritory was not formally made a part of Wallingford, although paying taxes in 
 that town. These farms w^ere far away from Wallingford church and all the 
 conveniences of that community, and the situation must have at times been irk- 
 some. On October 8, 1724, they presented the following petition to the General 
 Court then assembled at New Haven : 
 
 "The Humble petition of the Subscribers Humbly Sheweth 
 
 That we are under great disadvantages for want of a Pound nere y® Merriden 
 
EARLY HISTORY. IO3 
 
 or Stone House and are compelled to drive unruly Cattell nere 6 or 9 miles to 
 ye nearest pound which if we had one nere it would save us a Great Deal of troble 
 and we would carry the marks and brands of those Cattell impounded where the 
 Law directs, to the next towns unless the Honorable assembly, would pleas to 
 Constitute ?. man among us to Despose of Unruly Creatures as the Law directs. 
 Therefor your Humble Petitioners Pray that there may be order for a Pound 
 near y® Meriden, or Stone House, and an officer to Despose of impounded 
 Cattell and vour Petitioners as in duty bound will Ever Pray 
 
 N. Merriam J. Parsons 
 
 N Merriam Jr Eleazer Aspinwall 
 
 Wm Merriam J. Merriam Jr. 
 
 Timo Foster B. Foster 
 
 J. Robinson T. Andrews 
 
 Thos. Foster D. Rich 
 
 T. Jerrum J. Scofell." 
 
 That this petition was granted cannot be learned. 
 
 Eleazer Aspinwall was, at this time, a tenant on Meriden or Stone House 
 farm, and it is probable that David Rich was also. Thus we have followed up the 
 grants to the different owners and located all the farms on Colony street and in 
 several instances the titles have been carried to the present day. ]\Ieriden was 
 settled in a manner so different from most New England towns that it has seemed 
 to the writer better to locate the different farms in the parish of ]\Ieriden, so 
 that when we come to the formation of the church and scan the roll of those faith- 
 ful pioneers who wished a church in their very midst, we may know who they 
 were, where they lived, and have a fair general idea of the topography of the 
 country. To the writer the old houses are of a peculiar interest for they con- 
 nect us with the past as nothing else does. If one of our forefathers could return 
 to his former home and walk about our streets busy with the hum of mod- 
 ern life, how much would he find as he left it? The old highways liavc changed 
 their courses, or been closed and new ones opened. The whole face or topog- 
 raphy of the country he would find greatly changed. Where was woodland, now 
 lie broad fields, and where he left meadows and |)astures, are blocks of houses 
 and factories. With the exception of the eternal hills standing like sentinels on 
 each side of the town, and a few old houses, nothing would be as it was when 
 he closed his eyes forever. 
 
 Something of pathos should swell within our breasts as we gaze on these old 
 homes, the onlv visible reminders of an age that is gone, of names that have 
 
I04 
 
 A CENTURY OP' MERIDEN. 
 
 vanished and of hands that have been dust these hundred years. They are the 
 onlv witnesses of a Hfe that we know no more — a Hfe of simple pleasures and 
 primitive conditions. The phantoms of many generations pass before our eyes, 
 generations that were once as we are now, busy with their ceaseless round of joy 
 and sorrow, of marrying and burying, of feasting and mourning, of laughter 
 and weeping and of play and work. And these old houses have seen it all. 
 Through the door of each have passed the husband and wife, newly wed, the 
 first to call it home : and then, children's feet have pattered through, and chil- 
 dren grown to men and women have hastened heitce to build them other homes. 
 And so, one generation after another, they have come and gone, and still the 
 old house stands, perhaps sheltering people of an alien race, and sometimes de- 
 scended to uses, that are low. And the names of those who built them and first 
 lived within their walls have been entirely forgotten, and all that is left to tell us are 
 a few old musty records, with only a name and a date, as witnesses that they have 
 ever lived. And, as with these old houses, so will ours be soon. Other lives 
 will be passed beneath their roofs ; and our names — only a memory, and soon 
 utterly forgot. 
 
 PORCH OF THE OLD WILLIAM JOHNSON 
 PLACE, ON JOHNSON AVENUE. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. IO5 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The boundaries of Deputy Governor Jones' large farm have already been de- 
 scribed. Naturally he did not live in Meriden but, nevertheless, he must have 
 made frequent visits of inspection to ascertain the condition of his farm and to 
 see that it v/as properly cared for. In charge of it he placed Captain Thomas 
 Yale of Wallingford. Just a glimpse of the relations of the two men is given in 
 a deposition made in 1757 by Theophilus Yale, the son of Capt. Thomas. 
 
 "About y® year 1740 I went with ^Ir. Hitchcock y'' County Surveyor and Dea- 
 con Robert Roys upon y® Desire of Dan^^ Baldwin to Wallingford North West 
 corner bounds and we run from thence eastward along by y® line of Marked Trees 
 which my Hon^'^^ father Thomas Yale informed me was Wallingford North Line 
 untill we came to Pilgrims Harbour bridge which my s<^ father informed me was 
 V® place where people Constantly pased over, and then we came to y® Southwest 
 corner of Mr. Jones'es Farm which farm was Laid out in y® Country Land (So 
 Caled) and then we continued y*^ same course as far Eastward as y® South East 
 corner of Mr. Streets farm now Dan'^ Baldwins * * * I remember when I 
 was young y* Mr Jones Desired my father to take care of his s^^ farm and renew y® 
 bounds, and when my father was old Mr Jones Desired him to take me with him 
 and Shew me y® bounds of y® farm, and I remember I often went with my father 
 to renew y® bounds of s"^ Jones'es farm. I see all y® bounds thereof and well 
 remember y^ y^ south bounds of s"^ farm joyned on Wallingford north line," etc., 
 etc.i Theophilus was at that time 82 years old. 
 
 Of course in this deposition Theophilus was speaking of the Colonial grant. 
 After the death of Mr. Jones the farm remained intact until 1722 when the heirs 
 divided it. 
 
 It would be tedious to follow these divisions, so we will take the year 1735 as 
 a convenient date to show the owttiership of this great farm. 
 
 It requires a good bit of imagination to go back and see in one's mind's eye 
 what it looked like then — a stretch of meadow and woodland, with scarcely a 
 house in all the great tract. All roads and streets must be obliterated from one's 
 mind except the old Liberty street running east from Pilgrims' Harbor bridge; 
 and Curtis street running in its present course and coming down to Liberty a 
 little east of the course of present Center street and so on to North Colony road. 
 The farm of 30 acres belonging to Captain Nathaniel Mcrriam has already 1)cen de- 
 
 1 Colonial Lands, Vol. VII L, p. 170, State Library. 
 
I06 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 scribed. It fronted on the north side of Liberty street and extended as far east as 
 the Meriden High school property, his barn probably standing on the site of that 
 building. His land was bounded north and west on Harbor Brook. 
 
 The next farm was that of Timothy Jerome. It also fronted on Liberty street 
 on the north side ; it extended as far east as present School street and was bounded 
 on the north by Harbor Brook. His house stood very nearly on the site of the 
 present Walter Hall house. No. 202 Liberty street. How long it continued to 
 stand cannot be told, but shortly after his death in 1750, his son, Samuel, built a 
 house that was standing until ten or twelve years ago and will be remembered by 
 many as the Upson place, just south of the residence of the late Reuben T. Cook,. 
 No. 608 Broad street. Before Broad street was opened in 1799, Wall street 
 joined Liberty street near what is now the south end of Hobart street, and passed 
 between the house and barn of Timothy Jerome, as is told in the layout of Wall 
 street, made by the selectmen in 1739. 
 
 The Samuel Jerome house formerly faced south on this old extension of Wall 
 street to Liberty, and wdien Broad street w-as projected in 1799, there was at first 
 the suggestion that the house would have to be moved farther west, which was 
 finally avoided by moving the road slightly to the east. When Broad street was 
 widened in 1869, it left this old house jutting into the road eighteen feet, and the 
 common council ordered it moved back. So it was shifted twenty-five feet to the 
 rear and turned at right angles so as to face Broad street, at which time it lost 
 its old stone chimney. It has been impossible to obtain a picture of this old Samuel 
 Jerome place. Timothy, the father, emigrated to America about 171 7 and he evi- 
 dently came directly to Meriden. He was probably from the Isle of Wight 
 and the family is believed to have been of Huguenot origin. As already noted, he 
 seems to have lived at first on a tract of land just south of Meriden farm and he 
 bought his portion of the Jones farm in 1722. Timothy was a man of consider- 
 able wealth lor at the time of his death in 1750 his inventory included four slaves, 
 named Pomp, Rose, Jenny and Prince. 
 
 The valuation placed on these slaves was enormous, viz: £460, £295, £190 
 and £95 respectively. This was because the value of the currency was at that 
 time much depreciated. His wearing apparel included such articles as a straight 
 bodied coat of pale blue, a red vest of bayse, a black vest of callimanco and leath- 
 er breeches; mixed colored coat and vest, a beaver hat, etc., etc. 
 
 Altogether Timothy Jerome must have been very smartly attired when ar- 
 rayed for meeting or expecting guests : and he must have often had friends at 
 his home who Were not disinclined to hilarity, if we may judge from the list of 
 seven punch bowls, a case of bottles, large drinking glasses and sixteen pewter 
 tankards mentioned in his inventory. 
 
 It should interest all to know that the brilliant district attorney of New York,. 
 William Travers Jerome, is a descendant of Timothy in the sixth generation. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. lO/ 
 
 Chauncey Jerome, the well known clock manufacturer of Xew Haven fifty years 
 ago, was also descended from Timothy. Samuel Jerome moved to Stockbridge, 
 Mass., and sold his farm to Abel Curtis in 1771, and Abel later gave a consider- 
 able portion of it to his son Levi, who lived in the old house many years. It 
 was bought years ago by Benjamin I'pson, and his widow died in it in 1888 at 
 the ripe old age of ninety-six. 
 
 That part of the Jones farm that was south of Liberty street became the 
 property of Stephen Atwater from New Haven and Daniel Harris. Atwater's 
 part was bounded west on Colony street, north on Liberty, south on Olive and it 
 extended east as far as Pleasant street. His house stood at the junction of Olive 
 and Colony streets on the south side, on a piece of land bought of Eleazer Peck. 
 This old house disappeared many years ago. His farm extended also across Har- 
 bor brook to the west, probably as far as Cook avenue. This Atwater^ family 
 continued to dwell here until the beginning of the last century. 
 
 Daniel Harris came here from Durham and bought the east half of this south- 
 ern portion of the Jones farm as early as 1726. He continued to hold it until 
 1739 when he sold sixty acres to Rev. Theophilus Hall, together with a house and 
 a barn on it. There is a tradition that the parson built the old house, afterwards 
 known as the Central tavern in 1752 for his son Samuel. As this son was only 
 thirteen years old at that date it cannot be that there is any truth to the tradition. 
 It seems much more probable that this building was the one standing when he 
 bought the farm of Daniel Harris. 
 
 Samuel was only twenty-eight years old when his father died in 1767, and the 
 house with adjoining land was left to him in the will, as well as the barn, which 
 stood not far from the site of the Broad street Baptist church. The house cer- 
 tainly was a very ancient building and as the parson's home was where the Wil- 
 lard Hall house now stands, south of the junction of Curtis and Ann streets, on 
 the southeast corner, there seems to have been no reason for building the old 
 house in 1752. It is probable then that it was the one built by Daniel Harris as 
 early as 1730. at least. Of course, this refers to that part covered by the gam- 
 brel roof only. The rest of the house was evidently a combination of after 
 thoughts, built as the demands of the tavern increased, by Dr. Insign or his son. 
 Dr. Isaac I. Hough. 
 
 The house was the scene of many an interesting event in the early history 
 of the town, although its importance as a tavern was not luitil after 1811 when 
 Robinson's ceased to be mentioned. It stood on the site of the residence of Fran- 
 cis Atwater, No. 510 Broad street. 
 
 The eastern boundary of the Harris farm was a line periiaps four hundred 
 
 1 This Stephen Atwater was a de.scendant of the New Haven family of that name very prominent 
 there: One of the name, Jonathan, was one of the richest men of the Colony. 
 
io8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 109 
 
 feet east of and parallel to the old Curtis street which ran on the western edge of 
 the present Broad street and would, if now in existence, run through the western 
 part of the Center Congregational church. 
 
 Aaron Lyman came here from Durham about the year 1732 and bought a 
 portion of the Jones farm both north and south of the old Liberty street. His 
 farm at first consisted of 130 acres and it lay just east of the Harris-Hall tract, 
 and extended south a little beyond the present Charles street and north consid- 
 erably beyond Wall street. It extended on the east to the top of the hill beyond 
 
 
 411 in 
 ill i» - 
 
 r 
 
 i-r..-:. 
 
 n: His 
 
 
 AARON LYMAN PLACE. 
 
 Orient street. His home stood about 200 feet northwest of the house now occu- 
 pied by Benjamin W. Collins, 450 East Main street. 
 
 This house was torn down about thirty years ago and much of the timber is 
 now in Mr. Collins' barn. The picture is a reproduction of a crayon drawing and 
 is a faithful representation of this ancient house. Mr. Lyman was an important 
 man in the community and possessed of large wealth for those days. The old 
 probate records bear abundant evidence of the numerous positions of trust he 
 was called on to fill. He was twice married and left only one child at his death 
 who was the wife of Captain Dan Collins and it was thus that the Collins family 
 
no 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 became identified with this part of ]\Ieriden, and all evidence of the former res- 
 idence on North Colony road was forgotten. Esq. Lyman largely increased his 
 land holdings and at one time his farm extended down, east of Meeting House 
 hill, running over on wdiat was then known as Little Success hill, which is east 
 of and just about as high as Meeting House hill. The home of Charles Z. Mur- 
 dock stands on the southern slope of Little Success hill. Esq. Lyman also bought 
 a part of the Jerome estate and his farm extended north as far as the residence of 
 Dexter W. Parker, No. 8i6 North Broad street. Many acres of the old farm are 
 still in the possession of the Collins family. 
 
 Daniel Baldwin, of Milford, came to Meriden about 1725, and bought a farm 
 in the eastern part that was bounded on the south by the old Liberty street that 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 DANIEL BALDWIN, OR JOHN YEAMANS PLACE. 
 
 has been described. It was a part of a farm that had been granted to Rev. Sam- 
 uel Street, of Wallingford, in 1680, by the colonial government at the same time 
 that Deputy Governor Jones was given his farm. This Street estate was just east 
 of the Jones tract, from which it was separated by the south branch of Pilgrims' 
 Harbor brook, or Willow Hill brook as it is now sometimes called. Daniel Bald- 
 win immediatel)' built his house, and the old building is still in existence and is 
 still sound and staunch and good for many years more. 
 
 Daniel died in 1777 and half the house and a number of acres were given by 
 his will to his daughter, Lois, the wife of John Yeamans, and later Mr. Yeamans 
 bought the remainder of the land adjoining and the other half of the house and 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 Ill 
 
 here he and his son and grandson lived man}- years. The house is still called 
 the Yeamans place. Daniel had a saw mill on the brook west of his home. The 
 old place is now the property of Fred A. Baumann. 
 
 The house looks lonesome, standing as it does in the meadow, with scarcely 
 another within view. The old road on which it formerly faced has long been 
 closed, although it can still be traced distinctly in its course to the east; that part 
 was in use long after the western portion had become private property. 
 
 North of the Daniel Baldwin tract was another great farm that was bought 
 b}' John Way at a date as early as 1725. The house stood on what is now known 
 
 DR. ALEXANDER WOLCOTT, NATHANIEL PEXFIELD^ 
 OR WILLIAM HUDBARD YALE PLACE. 
 
 as Baldwin avenue, a little west of Bee street, and not very far from the north- 
 east district school house. It disappeared many years ago and its site is now oc- 
 cui)ied by a modern dwelling. The A\'ay family continued to own this farm many 
 years. 
 
 West of the John ^^'av and Daniel Baldwin farms was another great tract 
 of land that was purchased by Dr. Alexander Wolcott in the year 1735 ; part of 
 Aaron Lyman and part of the Jones heirs. Dr. A\'olcott was of Windsor and was 
 afterwards of New Haven where he was a prominent physician. He apparently 
 lived in IMeriden a short time and he built a house that was still standing until a 
 few vears aeo. 
 
112 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 A curious deed appears on the Wallingford records under date of March 3,. 
 1739-40, reacHng as follows: "I Alexander Wolcott^ in consideration of £300' 
 paid to me by Lydia Wolcott, lately my wife, and likewise in consideration of said 
 Lydia Wolcots obtaining a divorce from me at my request and desire," etc., etc. 
 The deed grants to the said Lydia this Meriden property. It certainly was a pe- 
 culiar transaction and is like nothing else that the writer has seen on the Wal- 
 lingford records. 
 
 This Lydia must have afterwards married John Elliott, of New Haven, for 
 on December 30, 1747, she and her husband deeded to Nathaniel Penfield this 
 farm of 160 acres that had been granted to her by her former husband. For two 
 or three years previous to the deed to Lydia Wolcott the farm was leased to Da- 
 vid Rich, but when Penfield obtained it he moved here from Guilford and for 
 many years he and his sons continued to live on the farm. Late in the eighteenth 
 century it became the property of Nathaniel Yale and he and his son Jonathan 
 and grandson, William Hubbard Yale, were the subsequent occupants of the 
 house. The photograph taken a few years ago shows the rear of the dwelling 
 with its owner, William Hubbard Yale, standing at the well. It stood on Gravel 
 street on the east side, a few hundred feet south of Baldwin avenue. It met the 
 fate of so many of these old landmarks, for it was burned to the ground, per- 
 haps three years ago. , 
 
 Little Success hill has already been described as lying just east of Meeting 
 House hill : north of it was what was called for many years a "town farm,"^ 
 sequestered by Wallingford about 1703 for some purpose unknown. It extended 
 as far north as Liberty and just east of it w^as the farm of Nathaniel Roys. 
 
 He was the "trusty friend" of the Cole family who. with the "beloved breth- 
 ren," had disposed of much of their large farm : and, indeed, he was the "trusty 
 friend" of others for he was several times appointed executor or administrator of 
 different estates at a time when there were very few to care for ; he was evi- 
 dently quite a man of affairs. He was five times married, his fourth wife being 
 the widow Abigail Hoyt, in whose life had occurred a gruesome tragedy — a not 
 uncommon event in those days of savage Indians and frontier life. 
 
 She had previously been the wife of Deacon David Hoyt, of Deerfield, Mass. 
 Two hours before daybreak on February 29, 1703-4, a party of French and In- 
 
 1 Dexter's "Yale Biographies" says, "his wife was compelled to get a divorce from him on account of his 
 irregular habits." He was considerable of a poet, and a contemporary said of him "Very tall, erect 
 as a plane tree, with hair hanging down his shoulders, of silvery whiteness, and with an eye and eye- 
 brow and complexion of a dark hue ; his appearance very noble." 
 
 2 This town farm must not be confounded with the one north of the river in South Meriden. The 
 description of this one in East Meriden was as follows, taken from the town records, "1703 town farm 
 80 acres lies above Leatel Success Hill 4 score and 12 rods north and south and 8 score rods east and 
 west bounded on Mr. Jones' farm on ye west (the south portion) on ye town line (Liberty street) on 
 ye north, on Benjamin Roy's farm on ye east and south also and south on Common land ; allowance 
 for highway through ye land upward." 
 
EARLY HIS'IORV. II3 
 
 dians under the command of AI. de Ronville, swooped down on the sleeping town 
 and l)utchered many and captured a number of others. David Hoyt, his wife 
 Abigail, and four of their children were among the prisoners, and, suffering such 
 tortures as may be imagined on a winter trip under such conditions, they were 
 started on the way to Canada ; one child was killed on the road and David died 
 of starvation at Cowass in X. H., near the mouth of Wells river. She was finally 
 brought back from Canada and married Nathaniel Roys in 1708.^ 
 
 In the year 1687 he was granted his farm of 207 acres by the town. It was 
 thus described in the records: "lying near upper end Misery Swamp, beginning on 
 y® east side of y® river^ near Middletown mountains to north of his hog sty, then 
 west 119/^ rods, then south 160 rods, then east towards y^ mountains 94 rods, then 
 north 160 rods." As the only landmarks in the boundary are the hog sty and 
 the river, its location might be termed a trifle indefinite. But as a subsequent 
 deed shows that it joined the town farm on its western side, it is safe to say that 
 it was located between Paddock avenue and Gravel street on the west and Misery 
 Bar road and Bee street on the east. It was probably bounded by the "Walling- 
 ford north bounds" on the north. 
 
 It was between this Nathaniel and Captain Thomas Yale that the quarrel arose 
 in 1696 regarding a watering place which involved so many of the Wallingford 
 planters.^ The watering place was, doubtless, where Misery Bar road crosses 
 the south branch of Pilgrims' Harbor Brook. His house, perhaps, also stood on 
 this road, for at that date there was no other highway in the locality. In 1701 
 Ensign Nathaniel gave to his son, Benjamin, a farm of seventy-two acres, a part 
 of this same tract. There is no record of where his house stood and it must have 
 disappeared many long years ago. 
 
 East of the farm of Nathaniel Roys was one belonging to Ebenezer Prindle. 
 The house was situated near the north end of Misery Bar road, a little south of 
 its junction with Pomeroy avenue, but has long since disappeared. Mr. Prindle 
 came here from ]\Iilford about 1722 and evidently in some way was connected with 
 the William Jones family, for he obtained his first land in Meriden as a Jones 
 heir. He was the owner of another large tract of land extending quite a dis- 
 tance north of old Liberty street and east of the Daniel Baldwin farm in the so- 
 called Country land. His two daughters married Abraham and John, sons of 
 Daniel Hall. 
 
 Mention has already been made in a former chapter of the farm of Daniel Hall.'* 
 Murdock avenue runs through the heart of it and it contained a ver\- large tract 
 
 1 See Sheldon's History of Deerfield, Vol. I, pp. 283-284. 
 
 2 These Englishmen were used to small rivers at home, hence they commonly called Harbor Brook 
 a river until a considerably later date. 
 
 o See page 63. 
 
 4 This Hall family were de-^cendants of the same stock as Rev. Theophilus Hall : a very prominent 
 race in the annals of Wallingford and Meriden. 
 
114 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDKX. 
 
 of land. The house owned by Daniel Hall was undoubtedly the first one erected in 
 the east part of ^leriden — perhaps as early as 1685. It stood immediately south 
 of the present dwelling- of John P. Hall,^ a descendant, but became uninhabitable 
 and was pulled down many years ago. 
 
 The line of the Halls, owners of this farm is Thomas, Daniel, John, Joseph, 
 Julius and John P. and his sisters. The farm is still a large one and undoubtedly 
 represents the longest continued ownership in the same family of anv land in 
 Meriden. 
 
 South of this Hall farm, perhaps three-quarters of a mile, on the east side of 
 Murdock avenue, and just north of the dwelling of George B. Murdock, 
 stood the house of Benjanu'n Whiting.- He came to Meriden in 1725 froiu South- 
 
 
 M 
 
 I ' : 
 
 
 
 " 
 
 
 H 
 
 
 1 
 
 ,^j^^S 
 
 1 
 
 
 ^m 
 
 
 H 
 
 
 H 
 
 WBkSiB^^ 
 
 HOUSE OF DANIEL HALL. 
 
 ampton, L. I., and bought some sixty acres which he subsequentl\- added to until 
 he owned a large farm which extended on both sides of the highway. For many 
 years he served as a deacon of the church and died in the year 1773 at the age of 
 seventy-eight. Of his three sons only Samuel remained in Meriden and he died 
 more than a hundred }ears ago. He left no sons, so the name became extinct in 
 Meriden, but his two daughters, Lucy and Sarah, married two brothers, Joel and 
 Levi Foster, respectivel}', and it was thus that some of the farm is now owned by 
 George A. Foster, ^ a descendant. The old house built by Benjamin Whiting dis- 
 appeared many years ago. 
 
 1 The writer here acknowledges his Indebtedness to John P. Hall for much valuable information re- 
 lating to the ancient farms in East Meriden. 
 
 2 Deacon Whiting was a son of the Rev. Joseph (Harvard Col. 1G61), minister at Southampton, L. I. 
 See Pres. Ezra Stiles' diary, Vol. I., p. 289. 
 
 3 Foster Bros.' pond is on tills old Whiting farm. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. I 15 
 
 South of the Whiting- farm was the large one helonging to the Ives family. 
 The old house stood, in fact stands, in the dwelling- of George B. Murdock. Bur- 
 ied in the depths of this modern house is the kernel or nucleus of the one built b\' 
 John Ives at an early date.^ In the year 1723 he appears to have taken up his 
 residence in the parish of Meriden. He died in 1738 and the house and east part 
 of his farm passed into the possession of his son, Captain Bezaleel. He died in 
 1798, and his only child. Captain Samuel, then became the owner and at his death 
 in 1803 it became the property of Ivah Curtis, who had married his daughter, 
 Hannah. Here was born Rev. Samuel Ives Curtis, whose son. Rev. Samuel Ives 
 Curtis, Jr., lately deceased, was probably as great a Hebrew scholar as this coun- 
 tr\- has ever produced, and professor in Chicago Theological Seminary. About 
 the middle of the last century the farm was bought by Zina K. Murdock, and 
 he made the changes and additions to the old homestead. The farm of John Ives 
 was a large one, con-iprising several hrndred acres and stretched down on both 
 sides of the highway nearly to the town line or farm of Amos Camp. His son, 
 John, in the division of his father's estate, took the western part and probably 
 built the house many will remember as the Othniel Ives place, a few hundred feet 
 west of the dwelling of Mr. Murdock. , It was erected very likely about the year 
 1745. It was bought man\- years ago by J. George Schwink and perhaps ten years 
 ago was burned to the ground. In it was born Levi Ives, who was the father of 
 Levi Sillimar. Ives, who becan-ie the Protestant Episcopal bishop of Xorth Car- 
 olina. In the year 1852 he produced a great sensation by leaving the church and 
 embracing the Roman Catholic faith. The Ives family has always been numerous 
 and influential in Meriden and the old records abound in frequent evidences of 
 this fact. Almost due south from the house of George B. Murdock stands the 
 home of John Francis, just inside the Wallingford line; it occupies the site of 
 the house of Cato Freenian, probably a brother of Chatham Freeman ; both were 
 freed negro slaves; fron-i the road just west of the house there was formerly a 
 laneway leading to the house of Amos Camp, perhaps three hundred feet to the 
 north. Consequently it was just within the Meriden line and was one of the land- 
 marks used in describing the first boundary of the parish of Meriden. He came 
 here at an early date from Durham and bought at different times land fron-i Sam- 
 uel Hall, William Cole and John Gaylord, which was variously described as near 
 P.urnt Swamp. Clapboard Hill, etc. i\Iost of this land is now in Wallingford, but 
 the house stood within the Meriden line and, consequently, he belonged to the 
 parish. His family moved away fully a hundred years ago, and they were very 
 distantly related to the Deacon Elah Camp family that n-ioved to Meriden in the 
 middle of the last century. 
 
 Paddock avenue north of where Misery Bar road leads to the northeast is 
 called a comparatively modern road, nevertheless, there was a road running north 
 
 1 Some doubt has been expressed as to this statement ; at any rato the sites are the same. 
 
ii6 
 
 A CEXTUKV OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 perhaps a little further west, at an early date, on which a Gideon Ives was living 
 in the middle of the eighteenth century. His farm was bounded south on the 
 Berrv farm (to be described) and land of Dr. Isaac Hall, and east on the highway 
 and not on Misery Bar road. He was a son of John and brother of Bezaleel 
 Ives. Some of the farm was given him by his father and some he purchased of 
 Benjamin, the son of Nathaniel Roys. East of this farm, on the other side of the 
 road, just north of the Paddock homestead, once stood the house of ^lichael Mitch- 
 ell, one of the early settlers of Meriden. 
 
 Miller avenue, which runs west from Misery road (now called Paddock ave- 
 nue) and begins its course between the home of William B. Rice and the south- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 SILAS RICE PLACE. 
 
 east district school house, is an ancient highway and was laid out in 1723, and 
 runs to Yale avenue. The Rice house occupies the site of the dwelling of Cap- 
 tain Divan Berry, of Revolutionary fame. His father's (Divan, Sr.) home was quite 
 a distance further west on the same road but disappeared long ago ; there are people 
 still living who remember the site by the depression marking the cellar. Divan, 
 Jr., bought the house at the corner of David Ives and six acres also, bounded 
 north and west on his own land. Divan died in 1785 and the house and six acres 
 soon became the property of Levi Ives and it was doubtless here that Bishop Levi 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 117 
 
 Sillinian Ives was born. The house was bult before 1740 by Dr. Ebenezer Coop- 
 er. Meriden's first "phititian." About 1796 this dwelHng was destroyed by fire 
 and Levi Ives immediately bci^an the erection of another, but before it was com- 
 pleted he sold the half finished house to Deacon Silas Rice on October 3, 1796. 
 
 So that really it is a Rice place and is now occupied by a descendant, William 
 B. Rice. Levi Ives, after selling his home, removed to Turin, N. Y.. called at that 
 time in the Black River Country, where so many other Meriden families moved at 
 about the same date. The Berrv farm was a large one and extended west on 
 
 riioto by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 EPHRAIM r.KRRY, OR AARON IIIGBEY PLACE. 
 
 Miller avenue over Little Success hill to Swayne avenue and (|uite a dislance to the 
 north. 1 
 
 There was another Berry farm not far away, and on it stands a I'.crry 
 house, a fine substantial dwelling, probably the best type of a colonial house in 
 Meriden. In the vear 1743 Thomas Vale sold to E])hraim r)crry of "Chilsy" 
 (Chelsea) ]Mass., fiftv-forr acres of land bounded south on the ten rod highway, 
 
 1 The writer mentioned to Chas. Z. Murdot-k that his liouse stands on the old Berry farm and he re- 
 plied, that when he was a child his aunt had called the fields the Uerry lots: he supposed the term in- 
 dicated that berries once grew there — a natural inference. 
 
Il8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 now Ann street and Meeting House Hill road, north on Benjamin Curtis and east 
 on highway (Swayne avenue). With it he sold a barn. Shortly afterwards Berry 
 mortgaged the land and on it then, were a house and a barn, showing that the 
 house had been built in the intervening time. The late ]\Irs. Julia Knight, who 
 owned it, told the writer that a few years ago the barn was taken down and on 
 a beam was found the date 1735, and that her father, Aaron Higbey, had told her 
 the house was standing when the old meeting house was in use. This fixes the 
 date very close to 1743 and the pedigree of the dwelling is practically certain. 
 Ephraim was, doubtless, a brother of Divan Berry, Sr. He finally moved from 
 Meriden on November 22, 1756, and sold the house and farm to Stephen Perkins. 
 
 The Perkins family occupied it many years, the last one being Liberty, who 
 passed a good part of his life developing a character commonly denominated as 
 crusty ; he married late in life as his second wife the widow of one of the sons of 
 Squire Darius Benham of Colony street, who with her son. Henry W. Benham, 
 came to live in the old house. The boy, who had high ideals, did not get on well 
 with Liberty and many stories are told of the hardships endured. The story in 
 detail can be found in Airs. r)reckenridge's "Recollections of a New England 
 Town," page 49. 
 
 The lad afterwards became a general in the army and had a very successful 
 career. In the first half of the last century the dwelling became the property of 
 Aaron Higbey. The house has been kept in perfect repair and no one of the very 
 old homes in Meriden is as well preserved as this. There is much fine paneling" 
 and everything about the house indicates how carefully it was built and kept in 
 repair. It stands on the east corner of Parker avenue and Ann street. 
 
 The name of Captain Thomas Yale has been frequentl}' mentioned in the fore- 
 going pages. He was born in New Haven in 1647, the son of Captain Thomas, 
 Sr. He was a grandson of Ann, the daughter of Bishop Lloyd, of the diocese 
 of Chester, England. Her first husband was Thomas Yale, of Wrexham, Wales. 
 He died about 1719 and she then married Theophilus Eaton, a merchant in Lon- 
 don, who afterwards moved to New Haven and became governor of the colony. 
 Captain Thomas, Jr., was first cousin to Elihu Yale, after whom Yale College was 
 named on account of his benefactions to the institution, and who, although born 
 in New Haven, was afterwards a member of the famous and rich corporation 
 known as the East India Company of London and later became its governor. 
 
 Captains Thomas,^ Sr. and Jr., although so well connected, seem to have pre- 
 ferred the life of a pioneer on the frontiers, to that of a man of afifairs in the center 
 of New Haven colony, for the senior early moved to a large farm in North Haven 
 w'hile the junior was one of the original planters of W^allingford in 1670 and at 
 
 1 No reliance can be placed on tlje early pedigree of the Yale family, found in the pages of the gen- 
 ealogy compiled by Elihu Yale and published in 1850. See N. E. Hist, and Gen. Register, Vo.1. 
 XXXVIII., p. 317, Vol. L, p. 72 and Vol. LIII., pp. 82-83. The statement made on page 11 of this 
 book that Thos. Yale's mother was a daughter of Thos. Morton, Bishop of Chester, was a mistake. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 119 
 
 various times held almost every otifice his fellow townsmen could bestow on him ; he 
 certainly was a very important man in the community. At an early date the town 
 i^ranted to Thomas Yale a large farm which cannot be precisely stated because the 
 "ledger book" containing most of the original surveys of Wallingford is not to be 
 found among the archives of that town. There is a description of an addition 
 in 1702, and judging by inference when portions of the farm were sold at a later 
 date, he originally had a tract boimded on the east by Swayne and Yale avenues ; 
 on the west by an ancient highway a few hundred feet west of the southern part 
 of Curtis street (this was really the tirst layout of the southern part of Curtis 
 street; it is now closed) and by Curtis street; on the south by the town line, and 
 on the north by Ann street and Meeting House Hill highway (which were one and 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 XOAH YALK, OK J. lIOIiART VALI-: I'l.ACl-:. 
 
 the same road originallv). Another section ran north of this old highway. Lap- 
 tain Thomas had his home lot in Wallingford village so he used the large farm 
 in A'leriden for agricultural ])uri)Oses only. In 1703 he distribute<l a great part 
 of it to his sons, Thomas and Nathaniel, who were shortly afterwards married. 
 For a while they both lived with their families in a house that nuist have stood 
 very close to the junction of Yale and Miller avenues, for it was just half a mile, 
 or i(')0 rods south of Meeting House Hill road, as described in a iK'vd when the 
 two brothers divided the farm in 1706. Nathaniel died a young man in 171 i, 
 leaving three sons, Asa, Moses and Abel, and it was of these three sons tlat the 
 
I20 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 committee^ appointed by the church in 1728, bought the western portion of this 
 farm, which they later (1729) disposed of to Rev. Theophihis Hall and which be- 
 came his homestead farm. In the deed it is described as bounded north and west 
 on hi<5;hways (Curtis and Ann streets) and east on Thomas Yale. Julius and J. 
 Hobart Yale and Levi Yale are descendants of Thomas Yale and much of his 
 old farm is in their possession. The house erected as early as 1706 disappeared 
 many years ago and was probably the one occupied later by David Levitt, who 
 bought quite a farm of the Yales at an early date. There are two Yale houses 
 still standing in Meriden, one on Yale avenue and occupied by J. Hobart Yale that 
 was erected by his ancestor Noah, the son of Thomas, in the year 1761. 
 
 The house was certainly a fine one for those days and contains much 
 good paneling and wainscoting, and is yet a comfortable and dignified dw'elling 
 and for years has been a landmark in that part of the town. Mr. Yale has re- 
 moved the great chimney and thereby obtained much additional room and has 
 established a water supply in the attic and a steam heater in -the cellar, so that it 
 is now as well equipped for comfort and convenience as though it were within the 
 city limits. The house in all its lines shows that it was built by a man who was 
 in good financial condition and desired to make it an exponent of his conifortable 
 position. Another ancient Yale dwelling is on East Main street, that was built by 
 Abel Yale about the year 1735. It is on the north side of the street perhaps 500 
 feet west of Paddock avenue. The first mention of it on the records was in 1737 
 when his brother Moses quit claimed to Abel all his interest in the house and 
 farm. It stands on a part of the "town farm," which the brothers had bought 
 in 1728 after disposing of their father's lands to the church committee. It was 
 evidently a comfortable and substantial dwelling and it is still in such shape that 
 it may last many years. Of course, it is considerably changed from its original 
 condition, particularly in the interior. 
 
 The old iean-to roof is one of the signs of its antiquitw The last of the Yales 
 to own it was Jonathan^ who died in 1833. Orchard Guy, his brother-in-law, who 
 owned and built the old house, three hundred feet west, about 1793, bought the 
 Yale homestead after Jonathan's death, and in 1844 sold it to S. C. Paddock. It 
 is now occupied by a German family who keep a grocery store in the west room 
 of the ground floor. 
 
 Mention has been made of the Orchard Guy home. It is of much later date 
 — probably about 1795. In this house was born the late Joel H. Guy, and also his 
 brother and sister, George W. and Esther. She became Mrs. Melvin C. Lee and 
 mother of Mrs. George S. Seeley. 
 
 1 Committee was Bartholomew Foster, Samuel Roys and Samuel Ives. 
 
 2 EHhu Yale in his genealogy says that Jonathan died a bachelor in 1833. But Daniel Hall in his 
 will dated June 19, 1804, and proved Nov. 1. 1805. says Jonathan was his son-in-law and husband of 
 his daughter, Esther. Most people will be inclined to believe that Daniel Hall had the most reliable 
 information on the subject. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 121 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 ABEL YALE PLACE. 
 
 t)K(.ll.\KL) GLY PLACE. 
 
122 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Ijctween Yale avenue and AJisery highway or Paddock avenue and hounded 
 on the north by Miller avenue was a large Curtis farm which had been granted 
 to Sergeant Nathaniel Curtis, whose homestead was near Falls Plain or Hanover. 
 
 He was the son of Ensign Thomas Curtis, who was born in Stratford in 1648, 
 a son of the original John, and came to Wallingford, one of the company of first 
 planters in iG/O, probabl}' through the influence of Captain Xathaniel Merri- 
 man, whose daughter Mary he married. Ensign Thomas was active and influ- 
 ential and during his sixty-six years of life in Wallingford held at various times 
 almost every office on the list. He died the last of the original planters in Mav, 
 1736. This Curtis farm originally extended all the way from Paddock avenue 
 to Yale avemie and was bounded north on Miller avenue and extended south 
 towards Clapboard Hill. Nathaniel divided it between two of his sons, Moses and 
 Enos, but a? Moses died young, it finally became wholly the property of Enos, 
 who resided on the farm until 1767, when he sold part of it, and his home 
 to his nephew Abel^ and removed to Stockbridge, Mass., where he settled near 
 the "Bowl" and his farm there is now part of the Anson Phelps Stokes estate, 
 known as Shadowbrook. The Meriden home stood on the summit of the hill 
 on the south side of Miller avenue. It disappeared sometime early in the last 
 century. It was a cold, bleak place for a dwelling, and the magnificent 
 view of the Hanging Hills and Lamentation range in the north and east, with 
 glimpses of East Rock and Alount Carmel in the south can hardly have repaid 
 Enos and Abel for the terrible winter blasts that must have whistled down from 
 the summits of Meeting House and Little Success Hills. ^ 
 
 Another Curtis farm fronted on Curtis street and extended easterly until it 
 climbed the steep sides of Meeting House Hill and ran quite down to Swayne 
 avenue. It had a frontage of only a few hundred feet on Curtis street but spread 
 out fan-like in its easterly course until it comprised nearly 200 acres. It was 
 deeded by Nathaniel to his son, Benjamin, in 1729. This Benjamin was the an- 
 cestor of most of the Curtis family of Meriden. His house stood on a site between 
 the dwellings of the late Lenniel J. and Edwin E. Curtis, Nos. 128 and 112 Cur- 
 tis street. It disappeared about the year 1830, some of the timbers being used 
 in constructing a barn that stood in the rear, l^enjamin died a comparatively 
 young man in 1754, aged fifty-one, and his body lies in the old Meeting House 
 Hill cemetery, while that of his wife, who died in 1776, lies in the Broad street 
 graveyard. His son, Benjamin, ^ who was born in 1735 and died in 1822, was 
 not a believer in the race suicide theory evidently, for he had a family of fourteen 
 children. As his house was not a large one, he, unlike the "old woman who 
 
 1 Great grandfather of Floyd Curtis. 
 
 2 Ju.st west of the Southeast district school house and the barn of Wm. B. Rice is a swamp that was at 
 one time much larger than it is to-day and extended north and south for quite a distance. It was 
 called Invincible .swamp and is frequently mentioned in the old records. 
 
 3 Grandfather of the late Edwin E., Lemuel .J., George R., Alfred P., Homer Curtis and others. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 123 
 
 lived in a shoe," knew what to do; for he built a house, probably about 1795, into 
 which he put those members of his family for whom there was no room in the 
 old homestead. 
 
 This old house is a substantially built one and is located at Xo. 54 Curtis 
 street. It is in good shape to-day and ought to last many, many years. That it 
 was positively built in 1795 is not sure. All we know is that in that year he deed- 
 ed a part of it to his son, Benjamin, and called it his new house: this may have 
 been only a relative term to distinguish it from his old one. It was his brother, 
 Abel, who bought of his uncle, Enos Curtis, the farm on Little Success Hill. 
 
 The farm bought by Rev. Theophilus Hall in 1729 has already l^een mentioned. 
 He paid the church committee £250 and as they had given the Yale brothers the 
 year previous £300 for the same farm, the difference, perhaps, represents a con- 
 tribution sfiven the minister at his settlement. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 BENJAMIN CURTIS HOUSE. 
 
 This home farm comprised eighty acres, afterwards added to. so that it con- 
 tained all told ninety acres. The north line was Ann street which at that time 
 was a ten-rod highway or 165 feet wide ; the east line was on the west slope of 
 Meeting House Hill, east of the brook, and it extended sotith probably some 
 ways below Booth's pond ; on the west it was bounded by L'urtis street 
 or the "highwav that goeth up Pole hill." His house stood where tlie Willard 
 Hall dwelling now stands. Xo. 212 Curtis street, but he did not build it until 1734 
 in all probability, for he did not come to ]\Ieriden to reside until that date (the 
 year he was married), although officiating in the church after 172S. The high- 
 way that now runs south from Ann street through the farm beginning a little 
 east of Parker avenue was not laid out until 1820. liack of his dwelling he later 
 
124 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEX. 
 
 built a "cyder" mill, a chair^ house, a horse house and a barn. In addition to 
 the home farm he bought later the Levitt farm of sixty-six acres south of it, so 
 that his land must have extended well towards ]\liller avenue. Then he owned the 
 Harris farm which has already been described as around the old Central tavern, 
 or farm house as it was then. This consisted of seventy-one acres, as he made 
 a purchase of additional land after buying out Harris. He also owned forty 
 acres in what was called the Notch Meadow, on the road to Westfield, and 
 a large farm in Killingworth, and also 151 acres in Southington. Consequently 
 he was a gentleman of large landed estate, in fact, wealthy. He owned five 
 slaves, viz : Jack, Phillis, Prince, Primus and Dinah, at the time of his death in 
 1767, and possessed a total estate of about £4,000, or $20,000. He was a very 
 rich man for his generation and in all his actions gave evidence of being a 
 shrewd man of business. In fact, one is constantly impressed by his strength of 
 character. He w^as certainly the strong man of his parish and seems to have com- 
 pletely governed his flock in every way. His contemporaries speak of him as a 
 strong preacher and a forceful man, although small of stature and slight of 
 physique. The more one studies the early annals of Meriden the more one ad- 
 mires Parson Hall. 
 
 He was born in W'allingford village on April i, 1707, the son of Sanuiel and 
 Love^ (Royce) Hall. He was of distinguished stock and many of his relatives 
 became very prominent. His uncle, Hon. John Hall, was for eight years one 
 of the governor's assistants and ancestor of Hon. Lyman Hall, governor of Geor- 
 gia, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and he was a cousin to Rev. 
 Samuel Hall, pastor of the church in Cheshire. 
 
 Rev. Theophilus graduated at Yale in the class of 1727, and after a course in 
 theology he came to preach in Meriden in 1728 and was ordained pastor on the 
 29th of October, 1729. The Rev. Dr. James Dana, of the church in Wallingford, 
 who was a contemporary of the Rev. Theophilus for eight or nine years, in his 
 Century Discourse,^ 1770, says : "Mr. Hall was a gentleman of strong intellectual 
 powers, much esteemed as a preacher, of great firmness and stability, and a zeal- 
 ous advocate for civil and religious liberty." Rev. Edward Hungerford, in his 
 Centennial Sermon,'* delivered in the Center Congregational church October i, 
 1876, says : "Theophilus Hall was a man of powerful intellect, and of large heart. 
 As I have searched among old papers, it has been an inspiration to come into con- 
 tact with the earnestness, and the vigor of this man who began to preach a hun- 
 dred and fifty years ago." "This man's words flashed ; his short, quick, clear cut 
 sentences went to the mark. His familiar style with its 'don't' and 'won't/ 
 
 1 A chaise or two-wheeled gig. 
 
 2 A daughter of Nathaniel Royce who was the trusty friend of the Cole family. 
 
 3 Page 41. 
 
 4 Page 15. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 1 25 
 
 makes it easy to listen, while his sentiments belong more to a future age than to 
 the one in which he speaks." "I do not hesitate to say that if he stood in one of 
 our pulpits to-day, he would stand there as a thoroughly popular preacher whom 
 men would love to hear." 
 
 The Rev. Theophilus Hall published three sermons: ist, The Righteous perish- 
 ing, and no man laying it to Heart, Illustrated. Two Occasional Sermons [from 
 Isa. lvii:i], delivered at North Haven, June i, 1760, soon after the Death of the 
 Rev. Isaac Stiles. 
 
 2. The most important Question Considered and Answered : or A Saving 
 Faith, Scripturally explained, in Two Sermons [from Acts xvi:30, 31], preached 
 at Meriden, August 10, 1760. 
 
 3. The Ministerial Work great and important, arduous and difficult ; yet 
 pleasant, noble and honorable. A Sermon [from i Cor. i:i7], Preached at the 
 Ordination of the Rev. Mr. Matthew Merriam, to the Pastoral Office in Berwick, 
 25tb Sept. 1765. 
 
 Matthew !\Ierriam was the son of Captain Xathaniel and Mr. Hall fitted the 
 young man for college and then made a journey of over 200 miles to the province 
 of Maine to preach at his ordination. ^ 
 
 Mr. Hall married May 21, 1734, Hannah Avery and he died of pleurisy in 
 Meriden on March 25, 1767, at the age of sixty, survived by his widow and seven 
 children and universally lamented. 
 
 It is a pity that there is no portrait of j\Ir. Hall in existence, and that there 
 are so few facts in his life that have come dow^n to us. He left to his beloved 
 church a sum of money with which to buy a "fashionable" communion cup, which 
 the writer is under the impression is still in existence. His body lies in the ceme- 
 tery on Meeting House Hill and the slab that covers the grave is in better condi- 
 tion than almost any other stone in the yard. 
 
 There are a few of his descendants still living in ?\Ieriden. 
 
 1 See Dexter's Yale Biographies and Annals, Vol. I., p. 35S 
 
 Facsimile from a receipt in possession of Wm. B. Rice. 
 
126 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Had Parson Hall occasion to go to Pilgrims' Harbor on a day in 1740 to call 
 on his friend, John Merriam, he would have left his house on Curtis street and 
 turned to the north up the road and perhaps stopped a few moments to chat with 
 his parishioner, Daniel Bradley, busy at the anvil in his blacksmith shop beside the 
 house. We can fancy Daniel hastening to the door, cap in hand, to pay his re- 
 spects to the dominie and inquiring" if the last job of horseshoeing had been sat- 
 isfactory. Daniel had only just come to IMeriden, having bought the house that 
 was built by Lazarus Ives, son of John, who lived on Misery road. Lazarus had 
 built the place about 1730, and lived in it quite ten years. Daniel Bradley stayed 
 here only a few years and then sold the place to Daniel Hough, who lived in it 
 many years ; he was the father of Dr. Insign Hough and of i\Plndwell, wdio married 
 Benjamin Curtis, and became the mother of the fourteen children. It was owned 
 by Isaac Lewis for a while and in it the late Isaac C. Lewis, his son, was born. 
 A great many years ago it was bought by Samuel Curtis and in it his son, the 
 late Captain Alfred P. Curtis lived and here were born Mrs. George A. Fay, his 
 daughter, and Alfred W. Curtis, his son, who still lives in the old house, but has 
 altered it so much that if Daniel Bradley were to come back to look for his for- 
 mer home and blacksmith shop he w^ould never dream that the dwelling. No. 160 
 Curtis street, was the place he was seeking. 
 
 The photograph was taken in 1868; against the fence leans George A. Fay. 
 Mrs. Fay is just behind it and Captain Alfred is in the background at the right, 
 and his son, Alfred W., in front, while at the extreme left stands Frank S. Fay. 
 
 Following the steps of Rev. Mr. Hall we would go up the street, past the house 
 of Benjamin Curtis, until we reached a spot a little south of his new dwelling; 
 here the parson would turn to the left to follow the street leading to Pilgrims' Har- 
 bor. At this corner, on the south side, was a house that disappeared probably 
 nearly a hundred years ago. In it lived Captain John Webb. For many years 
 Captain Webb was a well known figure and influential man in Meriden, and pos- 
 sessed of considerable wealth. He came here from Wethersfield in 1729 and built 
 his house which stood perhaps a hundred feet east of the present home of Mrs. 
 Juliette Y. Curtis, No. 309 Broad street. 
 
 Captain Webb and his wife lived until 1799. When he died he left no children 
 and willed the greater part of his estate to his kinsman, Benjamin Hart, whose aunt 
 he had married. He doubtless tore down the old house and erected the present 
 home of Mrs. Curtis on the then new turnpike. 
 
EARLY HISTORY 
 
 127 
 
128 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Captain Webb's kindness of heart was so great that he left his two negro 
 slaves, Joe and Daphy Prinn, a handsome competence, and gave them their free- 
 dom. They afterw'ards hved on Paddock avenue, near the home of another ex- 
 slave, Chatham Freeman (who had earned his freedom by serving in the Revolu- 
 tion in place of his master, Noah Yale). His house stood on Paddock avenue, near 
 the private driveway leading to the home of Charles Z. Murdock. The commis- 
 sions of John Webb as lieutenant and captain hang in the Curtis Memorial library. 
 The farm was a large one and extended westerly quite to the property of the 
 Curtis Home, and was bounded on the north partly by the highway to be de- 
 scribed and the farm of Rev. Theophilus Hall. This highway passed to the 
 west from Curtis street, following the general line of New street until it reached 
 present Elm street when it turned diagonally to the northwest until it met Olive 
 street, and -then westerly in the same direction now followed by that street to 
 Country road or Colony street. At its junction on the south side was the home 
 of Stephen Atwater already mentioned. Olive street, east of the junction with 
 this old street was not in existence until many years later. This highway now 
 described must have been the course of the parson to the house of his friend, John 
 r\Ierriam, standing" in what is now the junction of Main and Colony streets. 
 
 If the parson had wished to visit his friend, Deacon Samuel Royce, he would 
 have passed south down Curtis street until he came to the road that runs west 
 and comes out on Colony street just south of the South Farms school house near 
 Archer's corner. This road passes just south of Sacred Heart cemetery and is 
 the only means of approach. The land in that vicinity for many acres around 
 once belonged to the Cowles family. In houses that have long since disappeared 
 north and south of the road lived Deacon Ebenezer Cowles and his sons, Joseph, 
 Jr. and Ebenezer, Jr. In the house on the south side was born Elisha, the father 
 of Major Eiisha A. Cowles, the most prominent figure in Meriden in the first 
 half of the last century. This Cowles family was not related to the Cole family 
 that owned the large farm in the north part of Meriden, so far as we know, al- 
 though the names were the same originally. The first of the Cowles family to 
 live in Meriden was Joseph, who came here from Farmington, and married Abi- 
 gail, the daughter of Samuel Royce on July 13, 1699. His father-in-law gave 
 him a farm just south of Archer's corner in South Farms district and in the year 
 1701, 107 acres up the hill on the old highway down which we can fancy the good 
 parson descending after stopping, perhaps, to chat with some of this Cowles fam- 
 ily, who were always very prominent in church matters. It is difficult to believe 
 that on the summit of this hill, called Ox Hill, there was once a colony of Cowleses 
 and also Rices, for so far as the writer can discover there is not the least remnant 
 of the depression of a cellar to mark the site of a house anywhere in the vicinity : 
 but there is no doubt that here they lived for several generations. The highway 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 129 
 
 was laid out in 1723, following a path. It runs through from Colony street to 
 Yale avenue, just north of the farmhouse of Levi Yale. 
 
 As has already been mentioned the South Farms district was at first called 
 ]\Iilking Yard and later Royce's (or Rice's as we may now begin to call it; for at 
 this date the name began to assume the modern form) Farms. But this later 
 name embraced a much larger tract than that known as South Farms. 
 
 It began at the town line and extended up Colony or Country road on both 
 sides, until it embraced a large part of what is Walnut Grove cemetery to-day and 
 it stretched over the hill to the W'Cst, for some distance, perhaps including the farm 
 of Rev. Samuel Whittlesey, once known as Town Farm, which has already been 
 described as bounded on the west by Town Rock, and on the south by the river ; 
 and also the Rice farms to the north. Every member of the Rice family in Meri- 
 den except Nathaniel, seems to have located his home farm in this territory, al- 
 though like all the other planters they owned other tracts in various parts of the 
 town. Robert Royce, the pioneer, came to this country about 1631 and landed in 
 Boston just in time to get into that theological dispute which twisted the budding 
 town into a turmoil of religious controversy and centered around Mrs. Hutchin- 
 son and which w^as such a mixture of metaphysical and religious problems that 
 it is doubtful if any one to-day knows what it was all about. Robert got aw^ay 
 safely and went to Stratford and the next we know of him he was in New Lon- 
 don, where he was elected a delegate to the General Court in Hartford, and was 
 a respected and influential man. His four sons, Nehemiah, Samuel, Nathaniel and 
 Isaac, came to Wallingford among the first planters, and all of them except Na- 
 thaniel took the major part of their land grants at Milking Yard, although, doubt- 
 less, having their homes in Wallingford village. These four sons were the fath- 
 ers of numerous sons, and to many of them were given the paternal and fraternal 
 names, with utter disregard to the trouble that w^as to be the lot of those of modern 
 days who should attempt to assign to each his proper place in a genealogical tree. 
 But out of the tangle we can, at least, extricate these facts. Samuel had a son, 
 Robert, born in 1674, to whom he gave a large tract of land in 1706, at the south- 
 ern end of Milking Yard, and adjoining the farm of his son-in-law, Joseph 
 Cowles : it was north and west of it. One gift conveyed 100 acres and there were 
 subsequent gifts and purchases. It was this Robert who made the deposition in 
 1748 about the Country farms and Cole's Path.i His farm extended beyond the 
 river on the west, and was bounded on the east by the Country road. His house 
 stood where the Archer homestead is located. This house cannot have been built as 
 long ago as 1706, although it is a very old one. The earliest notice of the present 
 one was in 1740 when the highway running west from it was opened. This road 
 went directly across the river and did not curve towards the northwest and cross 
 
 1 See page 91. 
 9 
 
130 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDF.X. 
 
 at the point where the bridge is now located. This dwelHng is one of the best pre- 
 served of the old colonial homes in Meriden. 
 
 It has been kept in fine repair and there have been many additions, notwith- 
 standing which, the line of the lean-to can be plainly traced. The interior, perhaps, 
 better preserves the ap{)earance of age than the exterior. Roljert. like several 
 other members of the Rice family, was a deacon and a man of substance and in- 
 fluence. At the end of the eighteenth century a part of the farm containing the 
 dwelling was sold to John Xott b}- one of the Rice heirs and on December 5. 1801. 
 he sold it to Caleb Wilcox. At his death aljout 1830, Airs. Maria Carter, an heir 
 of Mr. Wilcox, became the owmer and in 1866 she sold it to Mrs. Harriet A. 
 Archer, the wife of Dr. H. A. Archer. It is now owned by their daughter, ]Mrs. 
 Agnes C. Butler. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 DEACON ROl'.EKT ROYCE. OR PR 
 
 II. A. ARCHER PLACE. 
 
 North of the Robert Rice farm was one that originally belonged to Isaac Rice, 
 but later was bought of his heirs by Dr. \\"illiam Hough as early as 1730. The 
 greater part of his farm is now included in Walnut Grove cemeter}-. Dr. Hough 
 was the second physician mentioned on the Wallingford records. He was the 
 uncle of Daniel Hough who lived on Curtis street and great uncle of Dr. Insign 
 Hough, Daniel's son. Dr. W^illiam Hough leased a part of his farm "west from 
 his house," to an association of Aleriden men for mining copper in 1736. It ad- 
 joined the Golden Parlor Mining Co.'s operations on the west, and as everv one 
 knows, the remains of the shafts of this latter company can still be seen in the 
 
EARIA' HISTORY'. 
 
 131 
 
 west part of the cemetery. Dr. Hough Hved here until 1740 when he moved to 
 Cheshire and later to Haddam. 
 
 That this is the original house it is impossible to assert. But it is certainly 
 a very old dwelling and it occupies the site of the Dr. Hough home. Age has 
 raised havoc with the floor beams and sills in the cellar, and it has been found 
 necessary to reinforce and strengthen them. After the doctor moved away, his 
 son William lived here and had a blacksmith shop adjoining his house, for he 
 was the smith of Rice's farms. About the year 1800 it was bought by Cornelius 
 Hull who lived in it a few years. In the year 1807 Ichabod Wood, who came here 
 from North Haven, acquired the property, and he and his son, X^orman. lived 
 here with their families many years. At his death in 1843 Ichabod owned a farm 
 of 112 acres, which was inherited bv Xorman, and the old house is known to most 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 DR. WILLIAM HOUGH, OR NORAIAX 
 
 WOOD PLAfL. 
 
 Meriden people as the Norman Wood place. The house and farm were bought 
 more than twenty years ago by the \\'ahnit Grove Cemetery association. There 
 is no prettier stretch of meadow in Meriden, rolling as it does in gentle slo])es that 
 open here and there with glimpses of further hills and dales, while in the distance 
 the spires of Wallingford lend a (|uiet and peaceful charm to the landscape that 
 is in harmon'." with the environment. 
 
 We left the Reverend Theoi)hilus coming down Ox Hill an.l 1)> this time he 
 has doubtless had his little chat with Deacon Robert Rice and is now well uj) the 
 road towards Doctor Hough's, so we will join him and continue on his course. 
 
132 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Stopping a moment while he steps to the door of Daniel Holt's to see that all is 
 well within. The site of this house is now occupied by a modern dwelling, a 
 square, flat-roofed structure opposite the north entrance to the cemetery. The 
 road now running east a few hundred feet north of this house is an old one and 
 was laid out in 1723 and we call it Holt's Hill road. It ran also w^est from 
 Colony road until it joined the road that was laid out in 1744 to mark 
 Wallingford north bounds. Much of the west highway is still in existence, al- 
 though the entrance to it on Colony street is now almost a cliff owing to the cut 
 that has been made in this latter road. The parson passes on this road to the west, 
 
 EZEKIEL, OR OLIVER RICE PLACE. 
 
 bordered by fields and meadows belonging now to Daniel Holt and now to Sam- 
 uel Rice, in an inextricable confusion that only the original owners could disen- 
 tangle ; no house meets his view for a long distance until he descends the hill and 
 crosses Pilgrims' Harbor brook. Here in the meadow, south of the road, was 
 the home of his faithful friend, Deacon Samuel Rice, the son of the original Sam- 
 uel who came to Wallingford at the birth of the town in 1670. This house dis- 
 appeared many years ago and it is doubtful if now the remains of the cellar could 
 be discovered. Deacon Samuel and his uncle, Nathaniel, the trusty friend of the 
 Cole family, were frequently deputies to the General Court and were prominent 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 1 33 
 
 in every way. In the old house hved Samuel^ and it was afterwards owned bv 
 his son, Ezekiel, who was a soldier in the French and Indian wars and rejoiced 
 in the title of Esquire. His son, Ezekiel, Jr., who was a soldier in the Revolutionary 
 war, built the house now standing, on land given him by his father, in 1781. 
 
 It is a style different from any other ancient dwelling in Meriden in that it 
 has two chimneys, one at either end, and through the middle runs a hallway. 
 The house is so sheltered by fine old trees and the ground is so graded to meet 
 the style of dwelling that there seems to be a sort of mutual adaptability, the ef- 
 fect of which is heightened by the small picket fence in front. Altogether the 
 house has the appearance of belonging there because it grew there, and about it is a 
 quaintness and quiet charm that is very pleasing and restful. The broad 
 acres of the farm extend in all directions in pastoral beauty, and the effect of the 
 homestead is so striking that it is only necessary to call it the Oliver Rice place to 
 identify it in every one's mind who has lived in Meriden long enough to become 
 familiar witli the country round about. In their ancestral home still live Miss 
 Anna C. and William T. Rice with their mother, the widow of the late Oliver 
 Rice, while another daughter, the wife of Dr. E. W. Smith, lives in a house not 
 far away, built by her husband on a part of the home farm. 
 
 Among the first planters of Wallingford appears the name of Samuel 
 Andrews, son of William, who signed the Fundamental Agreement of New Ha- 
 ven in 1639, and was one of the twelve appointed to choose among themselves the 
 men who were to be the pillars of the new church, and built the first meeting 
 house there. Altogether this William was an important man in Xew Haven 
 colony. Samuel, the grandson of Samuel the first of W^allingford, bought several 
 tracts of land in Meriden parish during the decade from 1720 in the western part 
 of the town that aggregated 200 to 300 acres. It may be roughly stated as bound- 
 .(1 by the jMerriam farm on the north or West Main street, the Stephen Atwater 
 farm on the east, or Cook avenue ; it ran south to Harbor brook and perhaps some- 
 what beyond, certainly including Hemlock grove, and on the west it ran over 
 nearly to Allen avenue. 
 
 It is impossible to give thoroughly accurate bounds of any of these old farms, 
 for the planters were constantly buying and selling land, and in proportion to the 
 inhabitants the number of transfers were vastly greater 'than they are to-day. 
 Land and cattle were about all they had to sell, and the old records fairly groan 
 under the number of entries, and the position of town clerk was no sinecure. 
 
 The Andrews family, like most of the others, was numerous and their position 
 in the communitv was alwavs an eminently respectable one, although their early 
 alliance with the Church of England seems to have prevented their holding many 
 town offices. The house of Sanuiel x\ndrews stood in the rear and slightlv to 
 
 1 He had a family of 16 fhildren. 
 
134 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the east of the old house at No. 412 West Main street. It probably was built as 
 early as 1727 but disappeared many years ago. In it were born all his family. 
 One son. Laban, who lived in Wallingford village, until late in life, was se- 
 lectman during, or a good part of, the Revolution, while another, Samuel the 
 youngest son, was minister of the Episcopal church there and had a not very pleas- 
 ant experience during the same war. One of the sons, Moses, built a dwelling, 
 
 MOSES ANDREWS PLACE. 
 
 probably about the year 1760, that is still in existence and stands on West Main 
 street, at No. 424, a large, comfortable old colonial house that is still in good re- 
 pair. When St. Andrew's Society was formed in 1789, the organization took 
 place in this house and here for several years the Sunday services were held, Moses 
 Andrews frequently acting as lay reader. 
 
 For many years this family was the mainstay of the Episcopal church in 
 Meriden. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 U5" 
 
 The highway leading from the OHver Rice farm, which originally came 
 tip to West Main street about in the line of Capitol avenue, was opened in 
 the year 1780. This is the highway that runs on the west side of the William 
 Bradley place now used by the Meriden Golf Club for their links. If we re- 
 turn by this highway to the road running by the Oliver Rice place we can follow 
 it on its old course eastward and when we come to Colony road we still keep on 
 in the same direction up Holt's Hill. To the south was the farm of Daniel Holt, 
 as already noted : on the north was that of x\rthur Rexford, who came here 
 about the year 1737 to run the Golden Parlor mine on the Dr. Hough farm. Rex- 
 
 ABEL ROVCE, OR WILLIAM W. I'LUMI! PLACE. 
 
 ford's^ farm ran from Colony road well up the hill; bounded south 1)_\- Holt's llill 
 road; it extended north nearl}- as far as the Curtis Heime ])roperty and although 
 the Rexfords did not stay here many years it was known by their name for a long 
 time. During the time of the Revolution it was the property of a man named 
 Jauncy, who joined the enemv, and conse(|ueutly the farm was oontiscated 1)\ tlic 
 colonial or state government and sold as a Tory fanu. Jauncy never lived here. 
 His home was in X^ew York and he was a rich man. When we reach the to]) of the 
 hill we come to the TMumb faruL This house, standing on the soutli of the road 
 
 1 He bought his farm of Daniel Holt and Abel Royee. 
 
136 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 near the junction of Gale avenue, was once probably the home of Abel Rice. At 
 l^st, his house was on this site and the present one is apparently a very old 
 dwelling'. 
 
 Abel Rice was the son of Samuel and was born in 1700 and this land came into 
 his possession in 1722, a gift from his father. He appears to have been living on 
 this farm as early as 1733. The house is certainly a very ancient one; although it 
 has lost some of its original features, it still preserves sufficient to show that it 
 was built in the days when the great massive beams in the ceilings of kitchen and 
 parlor showed their strength by boldly crossing from the great chimney to the 
 outside walls without being concealed. The great chimney has disappeared and 
 there have been several additions built. 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 '^--■,*i/ * 
 
 
 
 MWMPtwrV 1 ^^ 
 
 JAMES HOUGH, OR JAMES BALDWIN HOMESTEAD. 
 
 The house continued in the Rice family until the last years of the eighteenth 
 century when Solomon died and his widow married Israel Hall. It was then 
 known by this latter name. Finally William Yale bought it and at his death in 
 1833 it was left to his daughter Mary, the wife of Francis A. Gale, and has con- 
 tinued in that family since. It is now the home of her daughter, the widow^ of 
 William W. Plumb. The photograph was taken about thirteen years ago, before 
 some of the present additions had been built. 
 
 1 Deceased since this was written. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 1 37 
 
 There were two other ancient farms of which no mention has been made. The 
 first was the Hough farm in the northeast part of the town. It was located on 
 what is known as the Westfield road, and included a large tract of land. Samuel 
 Hough, the immediate progenitor of the JXIeriden family, owned a tract of land 
 that is at present known as the Joseph Hough farm ; it is south of the old Yale 
 farm, just over in the Wallingford line, and it includes the Spruce Glen or Gutter 
 district, where Samuel apparently owned and worked a sawmill at an early date. 
 He was the father of Dr. William Hough, whose home has been described, and 
 also of James Hough, who in the year 1730 bought of the Way family two acres 
 of land in the bend of the Harbor ; sufficient as the deed says for a sawmill to 
 stand on. In the early days that part of Harbor brook was always called the 
 "bend." The pond was then constructed and the mill site we now know as Bald- 
 win's ; but it continued to be known as Hough's until 1796 when James Baldwin 
 bought an interest. He was the ancestor of several of the Baldwin families in Mer- 
 iden, notably Moses (whose son, Nathan S.,-*- still has his home in the northeast dis- 
 trict) and Ransom, who was the father of Mrs. Russell Hall and Mrs. Benjamin 
 Kennard, of this city. The old James Hough homestead was built probably as 
 €arly as 1740. 
 
 As may readily be perceived, it is a very ancient building, and when the pho- 
 tograph was taken it still preserved its stone chimney. It was acquired by James 
 Baldwin after he bought the mill property and it is now the home of Gardner W. 
 Reynolds. It stands on the north side of the road, several hundred feet east of the 
 mill. East of it stood until a few years ago an old house known as the Phineas 
 Hough dwelling, built by a son of James. North and east of the Hough property 
 was the large farm of James Scovill. He came to Meriden as early as 1721 from 
 Middletown, and for several generations the Scovill family was prominent and 
 well known in Meriden, but the name has become extinct in this vicinity. The late 
 Henry S. Wilcox and his son, Albert H.,^ are descendants of this family. The 
 Scovill houses have all disappeared, one or two of them by fire. 
 
 The highway leading to these Hough and Scovill farms, known now as Bri- 
 tannia street and Westfield road, was laid out in 1739. Wall street, which was also 
 laid out in the same year, led from Liberty street to Hough's or iJaldwin's ]\Iill ; 
 both roads when laid out or adopted by the selectmen followed ancient paths. 
 
 1 Mr. and Mrs. Nathan S. Baldwin have given the writer much information pertaining to the old 
 farms and early inhabitants of Meriden. 
 
 2 The writer is indebted to Albert H. WiUo.K, clerk of the First Congregatioual Society, for much 
 assistance in getting information from the old church records. 
 
138 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Having now mapped out the various farms and located their owners in 
 the parish of Meriden those who have had the patience to follow the narrative 
 ought to have a fair idea of the topography and general appearance of 
 the country which has since grown into the town of Meriden. There was no part 
 that bore an appearance of a village, for the farms were scattered here and there 
 and the homes of the farmers were seldom contiguous. 
 
 The first notice of distinct religious services held in Meriden appears in a vote 
 on the town records of W'allingford under date of December ist, 1724, as follows: 
 
 "In respect of y*" north farmers the town voated that they may hire a Minister 
 four montlT^ this winter on their own charge." 
 
 The distance from Wallingford was considerable and the request to be al- 
 low/ed to hold separate services in the winter was such a reasonable one that it 
 could not be refused. This vote was the first act that in any way separated the 
 territory of Meriden from W'allingford or that recognized that these north far- 
 mers were a distinct community. The year previous the General Assembly had 
 added the territory north of Libert\- street and south of Meriden Farm to the 
 lists of Wallingford. as has been told in a previous chapter. 
 
 At a meeting held in "Wallingford Aprill y'' 2/ 1725: the town voated & 
 agreed conserning our North farmers petition — 'that in case the Generall Courte^ 
 will grant y'' land north of our bounds called purchase land to joyne to them that 
 they shall be a society by themselves and shall have such bounds as shall be thought 
 proper in y*^ case sett out by a committee chosen for that work bv \^ town." The 
 
 1 The following petition was presented to the General Assembly : 
 
 To the Honble the Govr Assistants and Deputies in Genii Court assembled May 13th 1725 — The 
 Prayer ot Nathanll Meryam In behalf of himself and neighbours Inhabiting in or near the North part 
 •of Wallingford Humbly Sheweth 
 
 That the Town of Wallingford att their meeting April 27th: 1725 Did by their vote grant that 
 there should be a Society in or near sd north part of wallingford upon the Condition in sd vote men- 
 tioned and appointed a committee to State bounds for Sd Society or Such part thereof as is Intended 
 to be taken out of Sd wallingford w'h together with the Lands Commonly Called Wallingford purchase 
 Land not already granted to sd Wallingford west Society or to Farmington South Society we hope are 
 and will be Capable of Carrying on and supporting the work of a Society and the Gospel ministry 
 among themselves (especially if Mr. Belchers farm were added) and the sd Inhabitants Living very 
 Remote from anyplace of Publick worship viz. at the distance of 6 : 7 & 8 miles and the nearest 4 : 
 Wee therefore urged by these pressing Difficulties and Encouraged by yor Honbl wonted paternal Care 
 and goodness Do Humbly Pray this Honble Assembly that we may (with the addition of Mr. Belchers 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 139 
 
 (ieneral Court did grant the lands "North of our bounds" as already related and 
 they therefore became a separate society in May, 1725. In May. 1728, the farm 
 of Meriden was added and the parish henceforth was known under that name as 
 has been related on a former page. It is a fair inference, therefore, that from De- 
 cember I, 1724, the Meriden farmers held separate church services in their own 
 territory.^ 
 
 The story of the building of the chtirch has been told so often that 
 tlie tradition must be familiar to every one who has paid any attention to our 
 early annals. To thoroughly understand it one must picture in one's mind's eye 
 the appearance of Ann street. A highway ten rods wide, it ran from Curtis street 
 eastward up fleeting House or Deer Hill, over the brow and nearly down to 
 what is now Swayne avenue. The burying ground was in the highway and so 
 was the church. The writer hunted in vain for an act of the town or of a pri- 
 vate person, sequestering the land for these sacred purposes, until he suddenly 
 discovered that the road was 165 feet wide ; then the situation was apparent. 
 Vale avenue was not in existence, and instead of by that route, one coming to the 
 burying ground from ]\Iiller avenue used a road that can still be traced a little 
 west of Swayne avenue and reaching Aleeting House Hill highway a little east 
 of the burying ground. 
 
 The tradition tells us that the farmers living in Milking Yard, Pilgrims' Har- 
 bor and south of Meriden Farm wished the church to be located near the junction 
 of Curtis and Ann streets, while those living about Dogs' Misery desired it to be 
 placed further east on the spot that was finally chosen. The material was all in 
 place in this latter locality, ready to be put into shape : but during tlie night a part\ 
 of men, presuma1)ly the Royces, the Merriams, the hosters, the Collinses and Rob- 
 insons, brought teams and hauled the material up the hill to the west, to the place 
 
 farm afore sd) be made a Distinct Society for Setting up and Carrying on and Supporting tlie Pub- 
 lick worship of God among or selves with Such Liberties powers and priveledges as other Such So- 
 cieties have and do by Law Enjoy 
 
 And yor Petitioners Shall Ever pray 
 
 Nathaniel Merriam 
 
 This petition was accompanied by another sheet containing the following names — all persons 
 dwelling in Meriden and evidently fellow petitioners with Nathaniel Merriam. 
 
 John ives 
 Samll ives 
 Elick Roberds 
 Benjamin Ives 
 Israel hall 
 Ebenezer pringle 
 John way 
 Benjamin Whiting 
 Timothy jerram 
 William hough 
 Bartholomew foster 
 
 Josiah robeson 
 Jacob persons 
 John Meriam 
 Abell roys 
 Eleizer peck 
 William Meriam 
 Samuell andrus 
 Thomas andrus 
 Josiah roys 
 John meriam 
 Isaac roys 
 
 Samuel roys 
 Nathaniell meriam 
 Theophilus mix 
 James Schovill 
 Thomas yale 
 John yale 
 Kobcrd roys 
 William Cole 
 Nathaniel roys 
 Amos Camp 
 Joseph Cole 
 
 Ezekiel roys 
 William andrias 
 Timothy foster 
 Joseph meriam 
 Nehemiah may 
 Benjamin levit 
 Jonathan Seemer 
 Micael mitchell 
 Samuel butler 
 Ebenezer Cooper 
 
 1 There is a tradition that until the meeting house was built the services were held in the Daniel Hall 
 homestead. 
 
I40 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 where they wished the meeting house located. The next day when the act was dis- 
 covered there was great wrath on the part of the Dogs' Misery residents, and the 
 Iveses, the Yales, the Levits, the Whitings and the Halls compelled the men, who 
 had worked all night to carry out their darling project, to spend the following day 
 hauling the same material back to the spot whence they had removed it. Whether 
 there is any truth to the tradition one cannot tell, but it was firmly believed fifty 
 years ago. Mr. Perkins says that the church was about thirty feet square, and 
 built in the very plainest style. 
 
 VIEW OF MEETING HOUSE HILL FROM THE WEST. 
 
 Arrow No. 1 indicates the remains of the stone wall which was the northern boundary of the ten 
 rod highway. Arrow No. 2 indicates the boulder marking the site of the first meeting house, and 
 arrow No. 3 points to the south boundary of the highway. The graveyard is at the top of the hill. 
 
 From various evidences in the land records of which he has made a careful 
 study the writer is convinced that the old meeting house site is accurately marked 
 by the great boulder set on the western slope of Meeting House hill, by the First 
 Congregational Society, in the fall of 1904. Around this church there were prob- 
 ably several Sabbath day houses. There certainly was one, which was distinctly 
 mentioned in a deed in 1740 as standing on the land north of the church. There 
 is no record of one in the highway except in an inventory of the estate of Robert 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 141 
 
 Royce. The first house mentioned was just a rod square, or at least the land 
 was, on which it was built. One as large as this would perhaps be used by two 
 or more families ; of course, during the "nooning," between "meetings," to re- 
 pair the ravages caused by too close attention to long, doctrinal sermons ; to thaw 
 out one's numbed extremities, before a blazing fire after sitting in an absolutely 
 unheated church in the dead of winter ; and to consume a little food during the 
 brief intermission, in order to be fortified against a second doctrinal discourse. 
 During the summer, probably the vicinity of the spring, under the grateful shade 
 
 UNVEILING OF THE GRANITE BOULDER AND BRONZE TABLET OCTOBER 
 22, 1904, MARKING SITE OF FIRST MEETING HOUSE. 
 
 cast by the old oaks around its source was the usual place of refreshment of those 
 who lived too far away to go to their homes during the noon hour. 
 
 The meeting house was finished in 1727 and the farmers must have hired 
 various ministers to preach for them during the following year. On December 
 1st, 1728,1 the Reverend Theophilus Hall began to preach here and probably reg- 
 ularly thereafter. Early in the following year a petition was presented to the 
 General Assembly, for at the May session the following vote was passed : 
 
 1 Church Records. 
 
142 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEUIDEN. 
 
 "This Assembly do grant liberty to the inhabitants of the society of ^Nlerridan 
 in the town of Wallingford, to embody themselves into church estate and settle 
 with them an orthodox gospel minister: the said inhabitants first obtaining" the 
 consent of the neighboring churches." 
 
 The first church record, made by ]\Ir. Hall, reads as follows: 
 
 ■'W'allingford (]\leriden in W'allingford j ( )ct 9th 1729 
 
 on the 8th day of this inst the Christian Brethren of Meriden the Xorth Society 
 in Wallingford met together at their meeting house with myself to come to an 
 agreement as to matters of discipline in said church that was about to be settled 
 in that place. 
 
 And the agreement between them and myself according to which it should be 
 practiced in the church when settled, is principally comprised in two things. 
 
 1st the admission of members which was that such as desired admission to 
 full communion should stand propounded a fortnight at least, and none of the 
 Brethren making any motions or objections should be admitted. 
 
 2d as to duty with offenders that the church should have a vote in order to pass 
 a sensure upon an\-, and at the conclusion of the meeting I repeated the agreement 
 as above written and told them that I should look upon it as an unanimous agree- 
 ment if none objected and not one did object anything against it. 
 
 Theophilus Hall" 
 
 This preliminary having been settled, on "the 22d of October a church was 
 gathered on a fast da}- observed by the societ}' ; and the 29th of the same month 
 Mr. Hall was ordained their pastor. The number of communicants was then 51, 
 males 21, females 30."^ 
 
 The roll call was as follows : 
 
 Robert Royce John Hecock and wife 
 
 Saml Royce and wife John Cole 
 
 Thomas Yale and wife The wife of W"^ Hough 
 
 John Merriam The wife of John Yale 
 
 Bartholomew Foster The wife of Joseph Cole 
 
 Robert Collins The wife of Xath' Royce 
 
 David Levit The wife of David Rich 
 
 Ezekiel Royce and wife The wife of Daniel Harris 
 
 Abel Rovce and wife The wdfe of S. Andrews 
 
 1 Dr. Dana's Century Discourse 1770, p. 41. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 145 
 
 Belli. Royce and wife 
 Nath^ JMerriam and wife 
 John Merriam Jr. and wife 
 Joseph Merriam 
 Dan Balding- and wife 
 Amos Camp and wife 
 Benj. Whiting and wife 
 Sam'l Ives and wife 
 Ebenezer Prindle and wife 
 John Way and wife 
 
 The wife of Tim Jerome 
 The wife of Benj. Cnrtis 
 The wife of John Ives 
 The wife of J. Robinson 
 Tile wife of W. Merriam 
 The wife of Jos. Royce 
 Widow Royce 
 Mary Hough 
 Eunice Cole 
 
 Although j\Ir. Hall began to preach in Meriden on December i, 1728, he did 
 not become a resident in the parish until Aug. 24, 1734.^ At this time his house 
 at the southeast corner of Curtis and Ann streets was probabl\' finished and hence- 
 forth his residence was in ^Meriden. This delay in coming here to dwell was 
 perhaps due to the small amount paid him for his services. He did not begin to 
 keep accurate parish records until this date, showing that his whole time and at- 
 tention had not been given to Meriden parish previously. 
 
 But the good parson after his removal to ]vleriden was faithful and unremit- 
 ting in his attention to his duties and his forceful character made a great and en- 
 during impression on his little flock ; discipline was firmly enforced in his church 
 and the early records contain numerous evidences of this fact. The most striking 
 case is told in the following votes taken from the records. The General Statutes 
 of the colony contained a clause at that time that forbade young men from meeting 
 together after nine o'clock at night on the streets and from "making any Rout" or 
 committing "any disorders at an}- time in the night season." the penalty being a 
 fine of six shillings. Seven young men one evening in March, 1745. imi)elled by 
 the desire to give vent to the exuberance of their feelings, met together and made 
 considerable noise with bells and horns, to the great scandal of those who desired 
 to sleep in j^eace and quiet.- These young men were all neighbors and li\-cd in 
 the territory south and east of the church. They were immediately a])prehon(led 
 by the civil authority; and the church, not to be backward in au\ good work, met 
 together and passed the following vote on ^March 6, 1745: "The case of h^nos 
 Curtis. Benj" Yale, John Livingston, Samuel Levit. .\oah Vale. David Levit and 
 David Ives, as being under suspension from the hol\' commmiion. on accoimt of 
 lewd disorders committed in the night season, for which ihey were prosecuted 
 in the civil law — was laid l)efore the churcli ^K: the same remaining sitb-iiidicc & 
 
 1 Mr. Hall's record of burials. 
 
 2 Perhaps to celebrate the departure of some of their friends for the Nova Scotia campaign which 
 resulted in the capture of the strong fortress of Louisburg. One .voung Meriden man. Samuel Royce. 
 went as a .soldier in this expedition and paid the penalty with his life. The troops embarked In 
 March, 1745. 
 
144 '^ CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 not yet determined in the civil law, the question was put, whether the said case re- 
 lating to the said persons, as it now lies before the church, and under the present 
 circumstances, should be suspended till the third Alonday in April next for con- 
 sideration & voted in the affirmative. 
 
 Test, Theo. Hall, Pastor. 
 
 At a church meeting in Meriden April 15, 1745, the case of the above men- 
 tioned brethren was laid before the church for consideration, being brought on by 
 the attested copy of the complaint to civil authority & the judgement of court 
 against them, for disorders in the night season in assembling together with bells 
 & horns, etc., which was laid before the Church & the said Enos Curtis, Noah Yale 
 & David Ives before the church acknowledged that the said actions were neither 
 justifiable nor commendable & they were really sorry that they had any hand 
 in it & promised that they would do so no more & the church by their vote accept- 
 ed them to communion — & said Benj"^ Yale Samuel Levit & David Levit justify- 
 ing their conduct in said afit'air, the church unanimously voted to apply themselves 
 to the Association of N. Haven Covmty at the next session for advice in the case — 
 & then chose Mr. John Ives & Capt Nathaniel Merriam, their agents to lay the 
 said case before the said Association, at the said session. Test. Theo. Hall, 
 Pastor." 
 
 Mr. Ives refused to act and Capt. Merriam was made sole agent. The Asso- 
 ciation advised the church to hold the recalcitrant members under suspension un- 
 til they agreed "to do so no more." 
 
 This action shows that the members of the community were held severely in 
 check and illustrates liow closely the parson guarded his flock from worldly con- 
 tamination. 
 
 The General Statutes also contained this clause : 
 
 "And that whatsoever Person shall not duly Attend the Public Worship of God 
 on the Lord's Day in some congregation by Law allowed unless hindered by sick- 
 ness or otherways Necessarily Detained or Hindered shall incur the penalty of 
 Three Shillings for every such Offense." 
 
 This law was not a dead letter by any means. Among the papers treasured in 
 the Oliver Rice homestead in South Meriden is one of which the following is a 
 copy : 
 
 "Wallingford february y® 4^*^ 1/54: I the subscriber Do Enter this Complaint 
 to Ezekiel roys Esq. and say : that Icabod Stark is guilty of the breach of the Law 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 1 45 
 
 bv not Attending the public worship of God : on the Second third and fourth Lords 
 day of Januar}- last past in any Congregation by Law Alowed 
 
 Ebenezer Cowles: grand juryman." 
 
 It is fortunate for many that there is no such law now in force and that good 
 Deacon Cowles has long been gathered to his fathers. 
 
 There are many references in old records to the custom of "dignifying the meet- 
 ing house." It was a formal undertaking and one that required great care and cir- 
 cumspection. Perhaps a better idea of the rules observed can be gained from the 
 following vote passed in a Wallingford town meeting on Xov. 5, 1720, than l)y an 
 attempt at a more elaborate description. 
 
 "Y® rules that s^ committee are to attend in y® work of seating are as follow- 
 cth viz. to have respect to y*" aged amongst us that has been servisable in y® town, 
 this to be left to y^ comitee to do in y^ matter as they shall think most just decent 
 & reasonable & y*^ s*^ comittee shall have respect to those men that do & have borne 
 commissions as they are to have respect to y® aged as above s^, that is to say what 
 is just decent & reasonable & voated the generall rule for y^ comittee in seatting 
 y^ meeting house shall be the lists on which y'^ charge has been raised heads only 
 exempted & layed a two penny rate to be raised on this present list for the defray- 
 ing the charge in finishing the meeting house" etc.. etc. "April 25 1721 voated that 
 no young men shall go up into y*^ upper gallery to sitt there on y*" Sabbath day un- 
 der 18 years old." 
 
 Would that we could have an adequate picture of this little church half way up 
 the slope of Meeting House Hill with its faithful pastor and devoted flock. 1\t- 
 haps we wrong them in calling it church. These Christians of colonial days bit- 
 terly resented such a term for their house of worship. In their doctrine, the 
 church was the body of believers and they sang their songs of praise, followed the 
 the ])rayers of the minister, and listened to his exhortations, in the "meeling house." 
 If on the Lord's day one of these early Meriden farmers had been asked "are you 
 going to church?" the reply would have been swift and in no uncertain tones, "no 
 Sir! I am going to meetin"." 
 
 The temperature of the meeting house in winter must have been frightful at 
 times, for there was never any artificial heat allowed except that the women in 
 bitter weather carried foot stoves, little square metal boxes, filled with glowing 
 coals from the home hearth and replenished, ])erha])s. at noon from the hearthstone 
 of the Sabba" -dav house. These were all that made the ic\- cold bearable to the 
 women. "Alen with bald spots on their heads were often compelled to i)ut their 
 mittens thereon to keep their heads warm,"' and ilie stamping of feet sometimes 
 
 1 175th Anniversary First Congregational Society, p. 21. 
 10 
 
146 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 quite drowned the voice of the preacher. The congregation stood while the min- 
 ister led the praters, and the sermons were timed by an hour glass which was 
 sometimes turned twice before the w'ord "lastly" was heard; while the tithing 
 man saw that order was kept, particularly in the galleries^ and prevented any 
 "tired" individual from leaving before "meeting" was ended. 
 
 The singing must have been anything but pleasing according to our 
 modern ideas, for there was never instrumental accompaniment. At this 
 date there were no singing schools'- and each congregation evidently had 
 its own idea of producing sweet melody, and the results must have frequently 
 been atrocious. Just wdiat version of the psalms was used in Meriden we do not 
 know. It may have been that contained in the Bay Psalm Book which was used 
 in many New England churches. This book was anything but creditable to New 
 England scholarship, for the versification was appalling, and the meter and rhythm 
 was something almost ludicrous. But the hymns were certainly sung and prob- 
 ably answered the purpose until perhaps Sternhold and Hopkin's version was 
 adopted. "A New Version of the Psalms of David by N. Brady and N. Tate" 
 could not have been used until after Parson Hall's death for we find on the society 
 records of Wallingford at about that date, a record that for a number of months 
 at Dr. Dana's desire they had made trial of that version and have now decided 
 to adopt it permanently.^ Probably Meriden fell in line shortly after. We find 
 now and then a society record relating to the choir as, for instance, on "Feb 7 
 1774 voted that choristers shall sit in next pew north of pulpit" ; on ]\Iarch 8, 1777, 
 "voted that Jonathan Yale and Caleb Merriman Jr assist the choristers." Feb. 3, 
 1783, "voted that Joel Rice assist in singing," and on Dec. 26, 1786, "Barnabas 
 Meky was chosen assistant chorister." 
 
 The people were summoned to meeting by the beating of a drum, and the 
 records of Wallingford contain one or two references to the election of an officer 
 for this duty. 
 
 The election of deacons took place shortly after the organization of the society. 
 On December 14, 1729, Samuel Royce was selected the first deacon, and some days 
 
 1 There were probably no galleries in the first meeting house. 
 
 2 At a society meeting held in 1808 it was voted that the committee provide for teaching singing. At 
 a meeting held in 1821 it was voted that the singing committee be authorized to unite with the Episcopal 
 Society in employing a singing teacher. These are the only references to .singing schools on the early 
 records. 
 
 3 At the annual society meeting in Wallingford first society 1st Tuesday of December, 1766, the 
 following from Revd Mr. Dana was read in said meeting : 
 
 "Gentm — Since agreeable to a very full vote of the church I have read to you Brady & Tates ver- 
 sion of the Psalms in the afternoon of Lords days and on other occasions for near a year past upon 
 Trial whereby you have been able to form a judgment of the same I would now refer it to you wheth- 
 er I shall continue to read it or desist. You are sensible that the old version of the Psalms has for 
 some time been laid aside by almost all the congregations of this Government : and if it is your Judge- 
 ment to receive Brady & Tates in its room you will know it will be very acceptable to 
 
 Gentm your friend & servant in the Gospel Jas. Dana. 
 
 Then the question was put whether Mr. Dana be desired to sing the version of Brady and Tate 
 wholly — Voted in the affirmative."' 
 
EARLY HISTORY. I47 
 
 later Robert Royce was elected as his colleague ; both these men lived in the south- 
 western part of the parish, in or near to Milking Yard. They were undoubtedly 
 of great asssistance to the pastor, and must have been satisfactory to the congre- 
 gation as well for they served without additional colleagues until 1748 when Ben- 
 jamin Whiting and Benjamin Royce. were elected in November of that year. 
 
 The little meeting house on the western slope of Meeting House Hill continued 
 in use for at least twenty-five years. As the inhabitants increased in numbers it 
 was seen that it had served its purpose and that a new house must be provided. 
 
 We have learned that there was a very decided disagreement not to say quar- 
 rel when the location of the first meeting house was chosen. Apparently the same 
 conditions arose in deciding where to place the second. The society was 
 unable to come to an amicable agreement, so the matter was brought to the at- 
 tention of the county court at New Haven. At the January session, 1750-51, 
 Josiah Robinson and Benjamin Royce as agents for the parish "preferred a me- 
 morial representing that the inhabitants of s*^ parish had agreed by their vote to 
 build a new meeting house, and praying the court to appoint a judicious and dis- 
 interested committee to repair to s*^ parish and view the same and affix a place." 
 Accordingly the court appointed John Hitchcock, Deodate Davenport and John 
 Hubbard a committee and what they did appears in the following" memorial on 
 file in Vol. IX. relating to ecclesiastical matters in the State Library at Hartford : 
 "We, the subscribers. Did on y® 16*'^ Day of March, 175 1, repair to s*^ Society and 
 affix a place and set a stake and stones around it near a highway that is called Ly- 
 man's highway^ at y® west part thereof. In our fixing s*^ stake we alowed in our 
 computation 2000 acres more north of s'^ stake than there was south of s^' stake by 
 reason of broken & rough land, which [has] among s*^ broken land & north of it 
 within y® bounds of s"^ Meriden about six or seven hundred acres of passable good 
 land as we judge. In our setting of y® stake at s*^ time we did suppose y*^ high- 
 way to be narrow y* runs northerly & southerly & thought we had set s*^ stake 
 on y^ edge of y^ Rev^ Mr Halls land. But if it be six rods wide it stands a rod 
 & a half in \® highway from y® westward side thereof." This location was very 
 displeasing to Ezekiel Royce and Daniel Hough. The former, as we know, lived 
 near IMilking Yard and the latter at the corner of Curtis and Ann streets. There 
 were, undoubtedly, others who agreed with them. These two men were so dis- 
 turbed that they presented the following petition to the May session of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly 1752: "The memorial of Ezekiel Royce, Daniel Hough, and others 
 
 * * * * humbly sheweth That application being made to y^ county court 
 
 * * * for a committee to fix a place to set a meeting house * * '^^ the 
 court appointed ***** ^ committee for that purpose who pitch*' upon a 
 Place which being greivious to your memorialists who are near half of the said 
 
 1 Apparently Lyman's highway was the name of present East Main street from the churih running 
 east. It extended no farther west until 1782. 
 
148 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Society * * * * ''' and by the Doings of said Court Concluded of the Place 
 for our meeting House to our Greivious Disadvantage, and indeed to y® Disadvan- 
 tage as we suppose to the Society in general and without relieve unless by the 
 Interposition of this Hon^'^ Assembly whereupon your memorialists beg leave to 
 observe that the Place set by the said committee is upon y® Rev*^ Mr Theophilus 
 Halls land which renders it impracticable to use the Place for the Purpose pro- 
 jected. 2'' The s^ committee acted by mistake supposing the center of said society 
 to be north of the Place where truly it ought to be esteamed by reason of much 
 mountainous and wast land in the northern part of said society and sundry par- 
 cels of Land received in. which ought not to be. 3'"*^ There is another place South 
 of the place set by the said committee much more commodious and to which the 
 People might resort with less Travel and which your memorialists are apprehen- 
 sive the maj'' part of the society would be better pleased than the Place now stated. 
 Whereupon your Honours memorialists humbly pray this honorable assembly to 
 take y*" affair into your consideration and annul set aside and make void the Doings 
 of the said county court and appoint another committee" etc., etc. 
 
 In answer to this petition the Assembly summoned Joseph Merriam and Sam- 
 uel Hough and the rest of the inhabitants to appear and make answer. After 
 hearing both sides the Assembly refused to annul the action of the County Court 
 and the committtee. 
 
 During the year the house was probably finished, for on December 19, 1752, 
 IMr. Hall deeded a highway across his farm. It was to be four rods wade and 
 to run north and south and to terminate north of the new Meeting House. In 
 other words he deeded a highway already in existence. This was not an unusual 
 circumstance. 
 
 On February 16, 1753, Mr. Hall deeded the house to Nathaniel ^lerriam, Jon- 
 athan Collins, Amos Camp and Timothy Andrews, a committee representing the 
 society. The society records until 1755 are missing. The first entry found relat- 
 ing to the new church is under the date of December 11, 1755, when a receipt is 
 entered of £150, advanced by Mr. Hall for building. It would appear, therefore, 
 that the church was built by Mr. Hall and that the society gradually repaid to 
 him the money advanced. His salary at that time was £50 and firewood annual- 
 ly. The only contemporary record of the size of the church that the writer has 
 been able to find was made by President Ezra Stiles of Yale College. Mr. Stiles 
 was accustomed to preach in Meriden quite often during the ministry of his broth- 
 er-in-law, Rev. John Hubbard. In his diary, under date of September 25, 1772, 
 he says: '"Meriden meeting house 64 x 44." This old church was considerably 
 east of the location of the present one. The east end was about where the car 
 tracks are located on Broad street. Back of it ran the highway, four rods wide, 
 continuing on to Liberty street. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 149 
 
 After Broad street was opened in 1799 the church stood in a triangle 
 bounded by highways, and so it continued until 1830 when the present church was 
 built and the old highway in the rear was closed. East and north of the church 
 stood at least thirteen Sabbath-day houses, and perhaps more. The first entry on 
 the land records referring to these houses was made on July 2T,, 1757, under which 
 date we find Theophilus Hall deeding to "Deacon Benjamin Whiting, Ensign 
 Amos Camp and Bezaleel Ives a spot of land sufficient for 3 Sabbath-day houses 
 with stables adjoining of the dimensions of those now standing on said spot Iving 
 nigh and a little east of the meeting-house bounded north by the highway leading 
 to Capt. Lymans and east south and west by my own land." These men lived in 
 the extreme southeast district — too far away to admit of their going to their homes 
 during the "nooning" on Sundays. 
 
 Others who owned houses of this sort were Jonathan Foster, Ephraim Hough, 
 who owned the Hough Mills on Quinnipiac river, near Cheshire street, Joseph 
 Edwards, who owned a farm south of Aleriden farm, Reuben Rice, Phineas Hough, 
 owner of what is now Baldwin's pond and dam, John Yale, who owned a portion 
 of the old Meriden farm, Samuel and Dan Johnson, who lived respectively in Milk- 
 ing Yard and on Johnson hill in the west, Ezekiel Rice, the son of Deacon Samuel 
 Rice, and the Cowles family, living on Ox Hill in Rice's farms. Two of these 
 houses were twenty feet square and stood north of the church, and may have been 
 used by two or three families each. The others stood on a tract of land east of 
 the present location of Eli C. Birdsey's dwelling. The church nnist have presented 
 a singular spectacle with all these small buildings in the vicinity. The only other 
 buildings in the neighborhood were what was afterwards the Central Tavern 
 and the barn near the site of the present Broad street Baptist church. Immediate- 
 ly in front of the church to the east was a parade ground where the local train 
 bands performed their evolutions, and we find one contemporary account of their 
 impression on him in the diary of Ezra Stiles who says under date of Septem- 
 ber 28, 1772 : "Training day at Meriden : Company 93 Rank & file — 1 19 on the List. 
 Not above 3 or 4 above aet. 40." At this time John Couch was captain, Bezaleel 
 Ives, lieutenant, and John Hough, ensign. 
 
 From 1755 the records of the society are fairly complete. The first meeting 
 recorded was held December 4, 1755. Aaron Lyman was moderator and Jon- 
 athan Collins, Robert Collins, z\bel Yale and Samuel Austin were appointed so- 
 ciety's committee. Rev. Mr. Hall's family was assigned a pew for life, 
 and then, as the question of pastor's salary was brought up, they adjourned and 
 came together again on the nth and voted to give him £50 and wood. This 
 salary question was frequently bothering the jjarish and in 1757, after adjourning 
 two or three times, it was finally agreed that the pastor's salary should be £54 
 and firewood. It took a committee of five to settle this momentous question. 
 
1^0 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and even the £54 did not decide the matter for it took another arbitrating commit- 
 tee to agree whether to pay the sum in money or in provisions, viz. wheat, rye and 
 Indian corn/ In 1760 Mr. Hall's salary was made £70 and firewood, and that 
 amount was thereafter annually paid him until his death in 1767. It is certain 
 that it was not the size of his salary that made Mr. Hall a wealthy man. The par- 
 ish in their annual meetings performed the functions of a town meeting, for they 
 appointed school committees and laid a tax to support the schools and mapped out 
 the school districts. ^ They appointed a grave digger and a sexton. The names 
 of Captain Robinson, Esquire Lyman, Samuel and Ezekiel Rice were always con- 
 spicuous in these meetings, and the other names that we have met in describing 
 the farms, occur with differing degrees of frequency. Now and then, a new one 
 appears, as, for instance, that of John Couch who was elected one of the society's 
 committee in 1760. He was afterwards a captain in the Revolutionary war. In 
 1764 the southwest district, that is Milking Yard or Rice's Farms, was given lib- 
 erty to keep ?. school. 
 
 In 1765 a committee was appointed to buy the land east of the Meeting House 
 as far as Aaron Lyman's Esq''. This was probably for a parade ground. At a 
 meeting held February 2-^, 1767, we find the first record of the custom of dignify- 
 ing and seating the meeting house. The first notice that the men and women 
 were separated in the church services appears as follows: "Feb 7 1774 voted the 
 society committee advise with those that sit in the fore seat and if they think best 
 take away the bench from the w'omens side." 
 
 From various references in the records there seem to have been doors on the 
 north, east and south sides of the church. That on the north side was, about 1772, 
 closed and bolted and appears to have been used no more. 
 
 There were, perhaps, no formal pews until 1767. In that year it was voted 
 *'to take up seats in square body^ except the fore seat and make pews" and it 
 also was voted "to choose a committee to see that the work was done and to dig- 
 nify and seat the meeting house." In fact, whenever repairs to the pews were 
 made the members were reseated according to their position in life. New pews 
 were apparently "the first dignity." This question of dignity was always an im- 
 portant one. For instance, on Jan. 29, 1801, Aaron Johnson promised to pay 
 
 1 At a meeting held in Dec, 1758, the scarcity of money is mentioned on account of the war and it 
 was voted to pay Mr. Hall's salary in provisions until after the war is over. 
 
 2 "Feb 6 1776, Voted ye Society Committee shall call in ye Loan & excise money that belongs to 
 ye Parish for the use of schools next March & let it out with good security upon lawful Interest to be 
 paid yearly to said committee for use of schools only & to let not less than £5 to one man nor let it 
 more than two years at one time."' 
 
 "Dec 6 1773 voted to lay a Rate of one farthing upon the Pound for ye use of schools and each 
 quarter or schoql to. have their proportion of sd money according to ye list of each quarter." This 
 shows that even at that early date Meriden was divided into school districts. 
 
 3 These were undoubtedly the square, high-backed pews so common a century ago and of which 
 a few examples still jremain. There were only three of these pews on each side or six altogether, as 
 appears by a later vote. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. I5I 
 
 the yearly lax for the support of the Presbyterian rehgion providing he and his 
 family are given seats according to his standing in life. The "dignity" commit- 
 tee, after duly considering the matter, voted to accept the proposal of Aaron and 
 give him a seat according to his list and age. 
 
 In 1767, on March 25, the Rev. Theophilus Hall died. His loss was a great 
 blow to the little parish for he had been the strong man at the helm who always 
 steered a wise course. While there may have been frictions during his pastorate 
 they were all confined to the question of salary. His personality was so strong 
 that he held his flock with a vigorous hand. That there were discordant ele- 
 ments^ is proved by events in the pastorate of his successor, but they manifested 
 themselves ver}' feebly during the life of Mr. Hall. The parish, probably as a 
 token of respect, paid the funeral expenses of the pastor, and then took up the 
 (|uestion of choosing his successor. On Nov. 7, 1767, the majority of the parish 
 made choice of the Rev. John liubbard, of New Haven, but he did not suit the 
 discordant element which has been mentioned and there were numerous confer- 
 ences which were unable to arrange a compromise. Mr. Hubbard was not or- 
 dained until June 2.2, 1769, and the minor party would take no part in the pro- 
 ceedings but withdrew and formed a separate society and maintained another place 
 of public worship for several years. ^ 
 
 The Rev. John Hubbard was born in New Haven Jan. 24, 1726-27, and grad- 
 uated from Yale in the class of 1744. He studied divinity and was licensed to 
 preach in 1746, but instead of following his profession he went into business in 
 New Haven with Chauncey Whittlesey. He preached occasionally but had no 
 parish until he was invited to Meriden. There was a suspicion that his beliefs 
 were somewhat unorthodox, which accounts for the troubles in Meriden. He 
 married Jan. 25, 1749-50, Rebecca Dickerman of New Haven. President Ezra 
 Stiles, of Yale College, married Mr. Hubbard's sister and to this fact was due Mr. 
 Stiles" frequent visits to Meriden. There are frequent references in his Literary 
 
 1 And even In Mr. Hall's pastorate these discordant elements manifested themselves. For instance, 
 on May 24, 1762, Ebenezer Prindle, Gideon Ives, Jr., and Noah Yale entered a complaint to the conso- 
 ciation because Mr. Hall had exchanged pulpits with Rev. Jas. Dana, of Wallingford, whose orthodoxy 
 was suspected by many. The consociation turned a deaf ear to the complaint and hardly dignified it 
 by a formal hearing. 
 
 2 That this schism embraced an influential part of the population is proved by the roll of those who 
 withdrew. They were : 
 
 Dr Isaac Hall Levi Yale Peter Penfield Stephen Perkins 
 
 .John Ives Amos Camp, Jr. Ebenezer Prindle John Hall 
 
 Elijah Scofel Timothy Ives Amos Camp Samuel Scovel 
 
 Samuel Penfield Abel Yale .Xathaniel Penfleld Daniel Hall 
 
 Isaac Hall, 3rd Edward Collins Reynolds Beckwith Elnathan Ives 
 
 Brenton Hall Elisha Scofel Noah Yale John Berry 
 
 Dan Collins Yale Bishop Gideon Ives 
 
 These separates met each Sunday in a house belonging to Joseph Shaylor, which stood on Gravel 
 street a short distance north of the Penfleld house on the other side of the street. It long since 
 disappeared. The locality bears the name of Winket. 
 
152 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEIUUEN. 
 
 Diary to these visits and as .he was one of the most distinguished men in New- 
 England, the people of Meriden must have congratulated themselves that they 
 had the opportunity to hear this famous man so often. ^ Mr. Hubbard bought a 
 farm of some ten or twelve acres and built a house in 1769 which occupied a site 
 somewhere near that of the present residence of Edward Miller, No. 360 Broad 
 street. The house is still in existence; it was bought in 1795 by Benjamin Cur- 
 tis and by him given to his son, Ivah Curtis, who lived in it until 1800 when he 
 sold it to Cornelius Hull ; he in turn in two or three years sold it to Seth D. Plumb, 
 who maintained a tavern there for many years. Mr. Miller, when he built his 
 present residence in 1866, moved the old house to No. 229 Broad street, and there 
 it still stands. 
 
 After Mr. Hubbard was ordained it was voted to give him a salary ( 'f £80 
 lawful money per year, one-half to be paid in wheat, rye and Indian corn, the other 
 half in cash provided he supplies the pulpit in case of his own infirmities.^ Mr. 
 Hubbard was a forceful preacher and a gentleman of tact ; these qualities com- 
 bined with an estimable character and winning manners gradually drew back to 
 the society those who had seceded, and the parish was prosperous and harmon- 
 ious during the latter part of his ministry. In the winter of 1783-4 he was thrown 
 from his sleigh and seriously disabled, which made it necessary to engage a col- 
 league to assist him. At a meeting of the parish held September 6, 1784, a com- 
 mittee was appointed to supply preaching and September 22, 1785, the Rev. John 
 Willard was permanently engaged, but did not become pastor until June, 1786. 
 Rev. Mr. Hubbard died November i8th, the same year, survived by his widow^ and 
 two sons. 
 
 About this time there begin to appear on the parish records notices of with- 
 drawals by various persons to unite with the Baptist and Episcopal societies which 
 had been recently formed. 
 
 1 In an entry by Mr. Stiles in his diary under date of September 25, 1772, he naentions that there 
 was a congregation of 200 present in meeting on Sunday in Meriden. And in a letter to Mr. Hubbard 
 in .Tune, 1775, Mr. Stiles says : "The gloomy & dangerous Prospect of Things &. the events forseen by 
 many as coming upon Newport (tho' I dont so clearly forsee them) have determined me to send Kezia 
 (his daughter) & commit her to your care .... I should like she might be kept to business, 
 Spinning, Milking &c so as to lay a founda of a notable woman. Pray counsel her on the great Things 
 of Religion & Virtue and Sobriety & call upon her daily to read her Bible.'" During the "British 
 Invasion" of New Haven in 1779 Mr. Stiles sent his daughters, Ruth and Polly, to Meriden to stay 
 with Mr. Hubbard. (From 1755 to 1778 Mr. Stiles was pastor of the 2d Congregational church of 
 Newport, R. I., and from the latter year until his death president of Yale College.) 
 
 2 On Dee. 11, 1778, It was voted to pay Mr. Hubbard only in provisions. This was probably due 
 to the hard times caused by the Revolution. The prices were as follows : 
 
 Wheat at 6s 8d per bush Beef at £1 6s 8d per cwt 
 
 Rye at 4s 6d per bush Wool in the fleece at 2s 8d per lb* 
 
 Indian Corn at 3s 6d per bush Flax lOd per lb 
 
 Oats at 2s Id per bush Butter Is Od per lb 
 
 Pork at £1 13s Od per cwt Good cheese Os 7d per lb 
 
 3 This widow was his second wife — a Mrs. Frost of Newport, R. I., born Mary Russell : Pres. 
 Ezra Stiles is supposed to have made the match. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 1 53 
 
 Mr. Willard's theological tendencies were not pleasing to many of his par- 
 ishioners and the church grew feeble in numbers and suffered a severe decline. 
 At this time most of those who were alive when the parish was organized were 
 dead and a new generation was in control. One of the last to go was our old 
 friend, Esq. Aaron Lyman. He died in 1801. Others who died about the same 
 time were Widow Ruth Merriam, aged eighty-nine, Captain Ijezaleel Ives, aged 
 seventy-two. In the issue of August 24, 1796, of the Conn. Journal, published 
 in Xew Haven, was the following item : 
 
 "On the 1 2th of August the following persons dined at the house of Doct 
 Hough in Meriden viz. Aaron Lyman Esq 89 years old : his wife 80. Capt John 
 Webb 89 and his wife 84 and have been married 64 years. Phinehas Hough 83 
 and his wife 82. Xoah Yale 82 and his wife 81 have been married 60 years. The 
 widow Sarah Yale age 84. 
 
 After spending the afternoon in agreeable conversation on the things of this 
 world and the world to come, they went to their respective homes expecting not 
 to meet again till they meet in Heaven." 
 
 Sarah Yale was probably the widow of Abel. They lived in the old house 
 still standing on East Main street a few hundred feet west of Paddock avenue. 
 Noah Yale died in 1803 and John Webb and his wife^ in 1799. Mr. Willard built 
 a house, probably about 1787, at which time he bought a lot. This house is still 
 standing, a square building with a roof fashioned somewhat like those we term 
 Mansard. It is the second house on the southeast corner of Broad and Liberty 
 streets, No. 583. It formerly stood perhaps one hundred feet farther north. In 
 the year 1791 it was voted to divide the parish into seven school districts, pre- 
 sumably for the purpose of having seven separate school houses. There seem to 
 have been two school houses in the center of the parish — one located east of the 
 meeting house beyond the Sabbath day houses, and the other a few hundred feet 
 south near the burying ground. Both these school houses are distinctly men- 
 tioned in deeds of this period. The names of the school districts were southeast, 
 east, northeast, northwest, west, southwest and the center. In 1804 a census of 
 the inhabitants belonging to the society is given on the records and their resi- 
 dences are located in the dift'erent school districts. The list follows at the end of 
 the historical portion of this book. 
 
 The society appears never to have been satisfied with Mr. Willard. The records 
 for a number of years contain constant references to disputes and disagreements 
 relative to his salary. His theological tendencies were not pleasing to the peoj^le 
 and the numbers of those withdrawing to other religious bodies were rapidly in- 
 creasing. He finally left here in 1802 and removed to \'ermont. but died in Mer- 
 iden and is buried in Broad street cemeterv. 
 
 1 Error: Mrs. Webb died in 1806. 
 
154 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In Febrnarv, 1803, the Rev. Erastus Ripley was engaged as pastor, and while 
 there was no question as to his orthodoxy, his personality was not pleasing. He 
 was apparently a man of great sincerity but was totally lacking in tact and had 
 no hold on his people. He probably was an ultra conservative person, who did his 
 best to repair the damage caused by his predecessor's long stay in Meriden, but 
 without success, for the desertions to other churches continued even more rapidly, 
 until the society became dismayed and began to wonder if the church would be- 
 come extinct. While here he built and lived in the house just north of Franklin 
 T. Ives, No. 629 Broad street. 
 
 To the great relief of the society, he left here in 1822, and the same 
 year Rev. Charles J. Hinsdale was engaged and was ordained on January 
 15, 1823. Mr. Hinsdale was a man of another stamp. He had life and 
 energy and immediately began a series of revivals which brought numbers 
 into the society. He was a good preacher and had tact and sociability to a large 
 degree and was very successful in his work in Meriden. During his ministry the 
 present Center Congregational church was built. During many years there were 
 references to repairs made to the old church. Much money had been spent in these 
 attempts to save the building, but in 1829 the situation had become so serious 
 that it was deemed wise to appoint a committee to look into the matter thoroughly 
 and report to the society. Although the church had been standing only sev- 
 enty-seven years, the committee, consisting of Silas Rice, Fenner Bush, Nathaniel 
 C. Sanford, Asahel Rice and Benjamin Hart, reported on September 28, 1829. that 
 the front ground sill had been spliced three times, & many other beams were rot- 
 ten, that the beams in the steeple^ were in the same condition, and that the whole 
 building was in a state of general dilapidation, and was not worth repairing. So 
 on October 9, 1829, a subscription paper was drawn up and a committee appointed 
 to circulate it, and soon the erection of the new church was begun, and wonderful 
 to relate ! it was voted to place in it two chimneys. The church was apparently 
 finished in 1831 for in that year Mr. Hinsdale was instructed to "make suitable ar- 
 rangements for the dedication of the new meeting house," and at the same time 
 he was given permission to use the basement for a private school. Mr. Perkins 
 states that the cost of the church was $7,000. 
 
 It was almost the first building erected in Meriden of any architectural pre- 
 tensions. 
 
 Its front is in the form of an ancient Greek temple ; the pediment being sup- 
 ported by six Doric columns of excellent proportions. The spire reminds one of 
 the work of Sir Christopher Wren and doubtless the motive was borrowed from 
 him, although it is not a copy. It resembles very much the spire of the old north 
 church on the green at New Haven. There is reason to believe that the late Sid- 
 
 1 The steeple was added to the church in 1802 and bell bought. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 155 
 
 , ■ , TV 7 ?''■'"' "■'' "'' "■'^'^"^'=' °'" "^<= Center Congresjational 
 ch„rch. Mr. Henry L. Gay of Chicago, who was at one tin,e emploKd in Mr 
 Stones office ,n Mew Haven, has the in,pressio„ tliat the bnihiing was desi^^ned by 
 Mr. Stone and the drawings ntade by a Mr. Galway.^ The design is a vv pleas 
 
 TIIIRl) CHURCH. 
 
 '"g one and the color, white, is in complete harmonv with the arcliitecture The 
 congregation is to be congratulated for having never attempted to -improve- the 
 sever^dassic hnes or to change the color. 
 
 relali'n'grM'r.'ston?'' °'"''"°'^ '" ''''• "^ '''■ ^^"•''"■'^°"' ^■•^•'^""•'- "^ -^•-^- «--. ^o^ these facts 
 
156 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Dating from the organization of the town government in 1806 the old meeting 
 house had been used for town meetings, and there had finally grown up the senti- 
 ment that it was not a proper thing to do, for in 1823 it was voted that a "com- 
 mittee be appointed to arrange a compromise with the selectmen, so that one-third 
 of the town meetings only would be held in their church, provided the other socie- 
 ties (the Episcopal and Baptist) would open their doors for this purpose the rest 
 of the time." "If such an arrangement could not be made the selectmen were 
 prohibited from holding further meetings in the society's house." This vote cre- 
 ated considerable friction, for the selectmen made the claim that the society did not 
 exclusively own the church and that it was really a part of the town property. 
 Then the society voted to close the doors against the town. This resulted in an 
 examination of titles, with what results we do not know, for the records are si- 
 lent. When the new church was finished an arrangement was made whereby 
 the town was allowed to use the basement for public meetings. In 1831 a stove 
 was bought to warm the church and at the same time it was voted to insure the 
 building, and the next year a second stove was bought. Henceforth, the members 
 could worship in midwinter without danger of freezing. 
 
 In March, 1836, Rev. Arthur Granger became the pastor. He was here only 
 two years. His stay was cast in stormy times. It v^as in the midst of the Aboli- 
 tion agitation when strong feelings were in play and an attempt to give a lecture 
 on the subject in the church by a Mr. Ludlow resulted in a small sized riot. The 
 Rev. Charles Rich officiated during the years 1840-1. On May 19, 1841, Rev. 
 George W. Perkins was engaged as pastor. It is impossible to speak of Mr. 
 Perkins except in words of praise. A genial, cultured, attractive man, he at once 
 won all hearts. He was a strong, forceful preacher, a man of convictions who 
 was not afraid to express them, a leader of public opinion, and a great force in the 
 community. His little history of Meriden is admirable in tone and accurate in 
 its statements and he seems to have been the first individual in Meriden to excite 
 an interest in the past. His portrait in Dr. Davis' History shows a face that 
 must have been an inspiration to all who came in contact with him. The numbers 
 of the society were largely increased during his stay, and in fact, Mr. Perkins' pas- 
 torate may be called the turning point in the history of the Congregational society. 
 
 Mr. Perkins was born in Hartford February 12, 1804. He graduated from 
 Yale in the class of 1824 and then taught school in Cambridge, Mass.^ During 
 the incumbency of Mr. Perkins the society was divided ; the larger body calling 
 themselves the First Congregational society, removing to what was then West 
 Meriden. Mr. Perkins in his history says, "But as the population increased rap- 
 idly there soon was need of another house of worship. As this increase was 
 mainly in the western part of the town, it was decided to erect a new house at 
 
 1 One of his pupils was Margaret Fuller, afterwards Marchioness Ossoli, the brilliant woman who 
 was the friend of Hawthorne and other leading literary lights. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 157 
 
 the point usually styled "the Corner; or 'West Aleriden.* Accordingly, the 
 house we occupy at this time (1849) was here built at an expense 
 of $8,000. It is 90 feet in length, and 56 feet in width. In addition to the cost 
 of the house the land was purchased for $800." Mr. Perkins remained here un- 
 
 FOURTH CHURCH. 
 
 til 1854 when he resigned and went to Chicago to the l"'irst Congregational cliurch. 
 The ministers succeeding Mr. Perkins were Rev. George Thatcher, 1855-1861 ; 
 Rev. Hiram C. Hayden, 1862-1865 ; Rev. W. H. H. Murray, 1866-1868. Mr. Mur- 
 
158 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ray's pastorate in Meriden will long be remembered. He was a brilliant and 
 forceful preacher and achieved a national reputation. His church was crowded 
 each Sunday by a congregation that fairly devoured his burning words. His ser- 
 mons were models of style and eloquence. Such a man could not be expected to 
 stay in Meriden and he was called hence to the Park Street church in Boston the 
 latter part of 1868. He died in 1903. 
 
 Rev. W. L. Gaylord, 1870-1874; Rev. Alfred H. Hall, 1874-1879, a man be- 
 loved as few ministers have been; Rev. Thomas M. Miles, 1879-1881 ; Rev. Llew- 
 ellyn Pratt, 1 882- 1 883 ; Rev. Charles H. Everest, Oct. 1884, to July, 1885 ; Rev. 
 Charles H. Williams, 1886-1889; Rev. Asher Anderson, 1890-1902; Rev. Albert 
 J. Lord, 1902-. 
 
 The present granite church was begun in 1876 and completed in 1878. 
 
 FIFTH CHURCH. 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 159 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Some fifty rods east of the first meeting house was located the first burying 
 ground and, like the house itself, it stood in the highway or common. A few 
 of the mouldering grave stones, memorials of these early settlers, are still in 
 existence. The view from the sacred place is beautiful. To the east lies Little 
 Success Hill, and over its summit loom the somber crags of the Besett range, 
 while in the foreground to the south stretch the beautiful rolling meadows, pas- 
 ture and woodland of the old Yale farm ; in the distance are the spires of Wal- 
 lingford, while Mt. Carmel or the Sleeping Giant like a great bulwark forms the 
 horizon in the southwest, and at its left we catch glimpses of the Sound on a clear 
 day. 
 
 The date of the first interments in the old burying ground we do not know, but 
 it was doubtless as early as 1727. However, from the date of the first burial noted 
 by Parson Hall in his records, until 1771 when this graveyard was abandoned 
 as a place of sepulture, there were recorded 357 burials in the parish. But when 
 the shaft in the middle of the lot was erected by the town in 1857, it was possi- 
 ble to save from oblivion the names of only twenty-nine persons, who were there 
 entombed. To-day there are not more than twenty stones that are in a fair 
 state of preservation. The rest have practically utterly disappeared. The isola- 
 tion of the place has made possible this vandalism. It is sad to contemplate, and 
 yet perhaps it could not have been prevented without maintaining a constant guard. 
 It is hard to realize that this place was once the center of the parish. Just below 
 to the east stood the home of Deacon Moses Mitchell, at the foot of Little Success 
 Hill, and just this side of the house were his tan vats and yard, for he was the 
 tanner of the parish one hundred and thirty years ago. Mr. Julius Yale can re- 
 member, as a boy, that the remains of the vats half buried in the earth were still 
 in existence. 
 
 If one stands at a point in the highway perhaps a hundred feet east of the 
 burying ground the old road can be seen running to the south and meeting Miller 
 avenue at its junction with Swayne avenue. The latter road is quite modern. 
 Standing at this same spot east of the burying ground, one can trace the old 
 road which wound around the hill, to the northeast. It came out on the Middle- 
 town turnpike near the old Abel Yale place, and terminated on Gravel street, 
 perhaps half a mile north of the turnpike. By this route those in the northeast 
 and east came to the old meeting house, or to bury their dead in the old cemetery. 
 
l60 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The roll of the twenty-nine known burials as recorded on the brown stone 
 shaft erected by the town in 1857 is as follows : 
 
 On the north side : On the West side : 
 
 Rev. Theophilus Hall, Pastor of the First Benjamin Curtiss, Oct. 29, 1754, ae. 52. 
 
 Church, ]\Iar. 25, 1769, ae. 62.I .\aron Curtis, Dec. 18, 1763, ae. 20.3 
 
 .Mehitable Hall, Sept. 11, 1767, ae. 16. Rebekah Lyman, Nov. 8, 1748, ae. 44. 
 
 Timothy Jerome, Feb. 21,, 1751, ae. 62. Joseph Cowles, Nov. 30, 1760, ae. 83. 
 
 Abigail Way, Sept. 12, 1741, ae. 12. Mindwell Cowles, April 17, 1770, ae. 89. 
 
 Daniel Hough, July 25, 1768, ae. 49. Sarah Bishop, May 31, 1766, ae. 43. 
 
 Thos. Beech, May 14, 1741, ae. 83. Elizabeth Merriam, June 11, 1767, ae. 70. 
 
 Phebe Merriam, Feb. 23, 1753, ae. 22,. Elizabeth Penfield, Nov. 20, 1765, ae. 18. 
 
 Hannah Ives, Nov. 5, 1770. ae. 70. Deacon Samuel Royce, May 14, 1757, ae. 85. 
 
 Christopher Robinson, Dec. 6, 1760. ae. 60.2 Ezekiel Rice, Esq., Sept. 4, 1765, ae. 66. 
 
 Capt. Josiah Robinson, Apl. 2, 1766, ae. 67. Ebenezer Roys, Oct. 18, 1752, ae. 39. 
 
 Theophilus Mix, July 3, 1750, ae. 53. Benjamin Roys, Jan. 20, 1758, ae. 53. 
 
 Rachal Andrus, Jan. 11, 1756, ae. 2i- Joseph Merriam, Aug. 24, 1752, ae. 49. 
 
 Timothy Andrus, Nov. 25, 1743, ae. 2t,. Deborah Merriam, Aug. 12, 1761, ae. 52. 
 
 Hannah Royce, Jan. 12, 1761, ae. 91. Ruth Merriam, Nov. 12, 1755, ae. 72. 
 
 Samuel Johnson. March 2, 1777, ae. 23. Mindwell Rice, June 15, 1769, ae. 27. 
 
 On the soutli side of this shaft is the following inscription : ■' 
 
 Erected 
 
 By the town of Meriden 
 
 1857 
 
 On the east side it reads : 
 
 In Memory of the First Settlers of the Town of MERIDEN 
 who were buried within and near this enclosure and 
 whose names so far as known are inscribed on 
 this Monument 
 Tlie Meeting House in which they worsliipped. and the j 
 
 lirst erected in the town, stood about 50 rods * 
 
 west of this Memorial _^, 
 
 The inscriptions on the few gravestones remaining are given below 
 
 Here Lies ye Body 
 
 of Eunice Daugtr Phebe Daughter 
 
 of Titus & Dinah Benjamin & Phebe 
 
 Merriman She ^°>'S She died 
 
 died Septbr ye ii 1756 N"^^' ^^ ^5 1757 m 
 
 in ve 2d vear of her ^^ ^ ^^^'^ °^ h^"" 
 
 Age Age 
 
 3 
 
 1 Error ; he died 1767, aet. 60. 
 
 2 Error ; ho died ae. 26. 
 
 3 He was thrown from a horse and killed. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 i6i 
 
 Here lies y^ Bod\- of 
 
 James Son of John & 
 
 Azubah Coucli he died 
 
 Novbr ye 12 1755 in ye 3rd 
 
 year of his Age 
 
 In Memory of Airs 
 
 Sarah Wife of Mr 
 
 Yale Bishop died 
 
 ]\lay 31 1766 in ye 
 
 431'd year of her Age 
 
 and was buried with 
 
 her Infant on her arm 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Deborah Wife of Joseph 
 
 Alerriam died Augs* 
 
 12 I 761 in ye 52 
 
 year of her Age 
 
 Death tho Awful 
 
 is but a sleep 
 
 To them that Gods 
 
 Commandments keep. 
 
 Here lies y© Body of 
 
 Oliver Son of Mr Ebene 
 
 zer & Abigail Roys he died 
 
 Decbr ye 6th 1753 in ye 7th 
 
 yer of his Age 
 These four things 
 Remember well 
 death & Judgement 
 heaven & hell 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Hannah 
 
 Wife of Mr John 
 
 Ives Dec<i She 
 died Novbr ye 5th 
 
 1770 in ye 70th 
 year of her age 
 
 Mindwell 
 
 Wife of Mr Joseph 
 
 Cowls She died 
 
 April 17 1770 
 
 in ye 89th year 
 
 of her Age 
 
 In Alemor}- of 
 
 Enci Daniel 
 
 Hough died 
 
 July 25 1768 
 in ye 49th year 
 
 of his Age 
 
 Here lies y^ 
 
 Body of Rebekah 
 
 Wife of 'Mr Aaron Lyman 
 
 She died November 
 
 ye 8th 1748 in ye 44th 
 
 year of her 
 
 Age 
 
 In Alemory of 
 
 Mr Christopher 
 
 Robinson died Decbr 
 
 6 1760 in ye 26th 
 
 year of his Age 
 
 as you are now 
 
 so once was I 
 
 Prepare for death 
 
 for you must die 
 
 Here lies y^ Body 
 of Joseph Merriam 
 
 who died August 
 ye 24 1752 in his 49 
 year 
 Loving Friends behold 
 My Body turned to dust 
 O now prepare for death 
 For follow me you must 
 
 Here lies Interred 
 ye Body of Mrs. RutTi 
 Aleriam formerly wife 
 
 of Mr John Webb 
 
 but died w<lo of Mr 
 
 \\'illiam Mcriam 
 
 on X..V'- 12 .\. I). 1755 
 
 Aged 72 years 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr Joseph 
 
 Cowls Who 
 
 died Novbr 30th 
 
 1760 in ye 83rd 
 
 year of his Age 
 
1 62 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Here lyes y<^ Body 
 
 of Ebenezer Roys 
 
 who died October 
 i8 1752 in His 
 39th year 
 For Sin Man being curst 
 His Body turns to Dust 
 But Christ will Raise 
 His Saints in endless 
 
 Pardise 
 
 Here lies y^ Body of 
 De"i Benjamin Roys 
 he died Jenry ye 2 o 
 1758 in ye 53rd year of his 
 Age : Bhold & see as you 
 Pass by : as 30U are now so once 
 was I as I am now so must 
 you be Prepare for death & 
 follow me 
 
 In Memory of Miss 
 
 Mehitable Hall 
 
 Daughtr of the Revd Mr 
 
 Theophilus & Md^ 
 
 Hannah Hall died Sept^r 
 
 II 1767 aged 16 years 
 
 Happy y« dying youth 
 
 Whose early steps have 
 
 Trod y® Christian road of 
 
 Pious virtue up to god 
 
 Deal Ezekiel Rice Esq 
 Aged 66 years 
 Departed this Life Sept 4 1765 
 To God and Man a faithful friend 
 In Serving both his life did spend 
 His Sun is set his work is done 
 Lies here beneath this Gloomy Stone 
 So Great & Good both High & Low 
 To Conquering Death their knee must bow- 
 In Memory of 
 Theophilus Hall 
 Pastor of ye church who having for 37 
 years discharged the duties of his function 
 with distinguished fidelity and accomplished 
 Christian life, the uniform disciple of Jesus 
 Christ deceased Mar 23 1769I 
 
 In the 6oth year of his Age 
 They that be wise shall shine as ye bright- 
 ness of ye firmament 
 
 In 1904 Ruth Hart Chapter, D. A. R., erected an iron fence around the old cem- 
 etery and in the following spring a hedge of Japanese barberries was set out just 
 inside. In digging the trench the laborer noticed that it immediately filled with 
 water ; and to such an extent that he called attention to it for fear it might hurt 
 the shrubs. The time was the latter part of April. This situation of affairs bears 
 testimony to the accuracy of the schoolboy's information in the composition^ 
 already mentioned. In it he states "The first Burying Ground was so wet that 
 they had to have another." 
 
 The old cemetery was abandoned in 1771. Among the old papers in the 
 Oliver Rice homestead is one of which the following is a copy : 
 
 Whereas the Inhabitants of the Parish of Meriden did in their Meeting on the iS^^ of 
 Febry last, agree to purchase a piece of Land of the Revd Mr. Hubbard for a Burying Yard. 
 We the subscribers being desirous of a speedy accomplishment of said affair do herewith our 
 
 In memory of 
 
 Mr Aaron Curtiss 
 
 he died Decbr 
 
 iStb 1763 in ye 
 
 iQth year of 
 
 his Age 
 
 1 As already noted this 
 1 Page 29. 
 
 -hould be 1767. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 163 
 
 names subscribe the several sums that we will give towards purchasing said piece of Land. 
 And do promise to pay them in to the Parish Committee within Nine Months after said 
 Comtee shall receive a Deed of said land to secure the same to the use of the Parish as afore- 
 said — Meriden, March n, 1771. 
 
 Abel Hawley, 
 Ebenezer Cowles, 
 Samuel Johnson, 
 Ezekiel Rice, 
 Solomon Rice, 
 Daniel Howlt, 
 Ebenezer Cowles, 
 Joseph Cowles, 
 Wait Rice, 
 Samuel Whiting, 
 Bezaleel Ives, 
 John Miles, Jun., 
 Timothy Cowles, 
 Theo Hall, 
 Thomas Hough, 
 
 Jr., 
 
 £ s d 
 
 
 2 
 
 Josaih Merriam, 
 
 3 6 
 
 Ezra Rice, 
 
 3 
 
 Titus Rice, 
 
 I 6 
 
 Thomas Merchant 
 
 I 
 
 Aaron Hull, 
 
 36 
 
 Moses Hall, . 
 
 I 
 
 Thos. Berry, Jun. 
 
 3 
 
 Benj. Rice, 
 
 I 
 
 Timothy Foster, 
 
 I 6 
 
 Aaron Lyman, 
 
 2 
 
 Abigail Rice, Wid. 
 
 I 
 
 Amasa Rice, 
 
 I 6 
 
 Samu^'l Leavit, 
 
 2 
 
 Hannah Hall, 
 
 
 
 Noah Yale. 
 
 £ s d 
 
 . I O 
 
 2 O 
 
 • I 4 
 
 1 6 
 . I 
 
 I 3 
 
 . 2 o 
 
 2 o 
 
 • 3 4 
 040 
 
 . 2 
 
 1 
 
 ■ 4 o 
 
 2 
 2 
 
 The following is a literal and believed to be a complete copy of the inscrip- 
 tions on the old tombstones in the Broad street cemetery that are still legible ; a 
 number of the stones are in snch condition that the names and epitaphs are for- 
 ever lost. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mr. 
 Archelaus Allen 
 
 who died 
 
 Aug 24, 1828 in 
 
 his 79th year. 
 
 Sacred to 
 
 the Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Prudence Allen 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Mr. Archelaus Allen 
 
 She departed this Life 
 
 Novr. 29th A. D. 1807 
 
 AE. 61 
 
 Free from this dream of life, this maze of 
 
 care 
 The tender mother rests, and friend sincere : 
 She foUow'd virtue as her truest guide. 
 Liv'd like a christian, like a christian died. 
 
 Aaron Andrews 
 
 Died 
 
 Oct 18 184s 
 
 AE. 80. 
 
 Charlotte Ann 
 
 His Wife Died 
 
 Dec 12 1851 
 
 AE. 8r ^ 
 
 In 
 
 Alemory 
 
 of Mrs. 
 
 Abigail 
 
 Andrews 
 
 wife .of Mr. 
 
 Denison 
 
 Andrews 
 
 wiio died 
 
 ( )ct ith .\. 1). 
 
 1796 AE. 
 
 60 vears 
 
164 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 In Mt'iiKin- of 
 
 Mrs. Thryphciia Late 
 
 wife of Mr. Archelaus 
 
 Allen & formerly wife 
 
 of Mr. Simeon Perkins 
 
 who died March 2d. 
 
 1832 Aged 81 
 
 In Menior}- of 
 
 Mabel AUin Daughter 
 
 of Mr. Archelaus & 
 
 ]\Irs. Prudence Allen 
 
 who died Dec. 6th. A. D. 
 
 1802 AE. 22 years 
 
 Ah ! cheerful reader pause the 
 
 tombstone view 
 Behold the grace of her whose 
 
 soul is fled. 
 Think ! the Almighty God may 
 
 consign you 
 Soon to the clay cold regions 
 
 of the dead. 
 
 Aaron 
 
 died at Coventry 
 
 South Alabama. 
 
 Nov. 1840, AE. 35. 
 
 Alexander F. 
 died at Arkansas. 
 Sept. 1840 AE. 25. 
 
 Sons of 
 Aaron & Ann C. 
 Andrews. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory 
 
 of Miss 
 
 Rebecca 
 
 Daugh of Mr. 
 
 Den i son 
 
 and Mrs 
 
 Abigail 
 
 Andrews 
 
 ■ who died 
 
 Aug. 24th A. D. 
 
 1792, in the 
 
 i8th year of 
 
 her age. 
 
 In 
 
 Memor}' of 
 
 Abner Andrews 
 
 who died 
 
 Dec 22 1825 
 
 Aet 69 
 
 Also Betsey his wife 
 
 who died 
 
 ]\Iarch 24 1846 
 
 Aet. 86 
 
 Clarissa R. 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Amon Andrews 
 
 Born Dec 15th 
 
 1808 
 Died April 11 
 
 1844 
 Aged 35 years 
 
 Here lies the body of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Denison Andrews 
 
 who died June 30th A. D. 
 
 1807 AE. -j-j years 
 
 He was a friend to morality 
 
 & episcopal discipline. 
 
 O mournful thought & must I 
 
 die 
 & in a silent mansion lie 
 What is my hope my Christ 
 
 my all 
 Into thy arms my spirit call 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. Elon Andrews 
 
 Who died Sept. 22d 
 
 A. D. 1784. 
 
 in the 63d 
 
 year of his age. 
 
 Sarah Andrews 
 
 died Apr 30. 1797 
 
 Aet. 60. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Hannah Andrews 
 
 died 
 
 Sept 12 1825 
 
 AE. 18 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 165 
 
 Erected 
 
 In Memon- of 
 
 Mrs. Hannah 
 
 Andrews late Consort 
 
 of Mr. Marvel Andrews 
 
 who departed this Life 
 
 Jan. 31st A. D. 1801 in her 29th 
 
 year. Also their babe 
 
 departed this Life 
 
 Jan. 31st A. D. 
 
 1801 
 
 Let not the dead forgotten ly 
 Remember that you all must die 
 
 Jane G. Andrews 
 
 Died 
 
 Sept II 1870 
 
 AE. 68 
 
 Harriet Andrews 
 
 Died 
 
 Sept I 1878 
 
 AE. 78 
 
 Sacred 
 
 to the Memory of INIrs. 
 
 Huldah Elizabeth 
 
 Andrews, w-ife of 
 
 Mr. Marvel Andrews 
 
 who died Nov. 20 A. D. 
 
 1819 in her 29th 
 
 year 
 
 Though in the paths of death I tread 
 With gloomy sorrow overspread 
 My steadfast heart shall fear no ill 
 l"or thou O Lord art with me still. 
 
 Marvell Andrews 
 Died Dec. 5, 1848. 
 AE. 83 years 2 mo. 
 Our Father has finished his 
 work and rests in peace 
 
 Sacred 
 to the Memory of 
 Mr. Moses Andrews 
 who departed this fleeting scene 
 Nov. 24, 1811. 
 Aged "jy years 
 The benificent Father of the 
 universe whom he feared, richly 
 endowed him with wisdom 
 of genius, and the adoreable 
 Redeemer of mankind, whom 
 he lov'd liberally blessed him 
 with piet}' of goodness : adorned 
 with all these noble gifts of 
 nature & grace this christian 
 man became a bright & 
 distinguished member in 
 the Lords Church. Reader 
 follow carefully his virtuous 
 course ; it ends in peace. 
 Imitate his example : it 
 leads to God 
 
 Moses Andrews 
 
 Died 
 
 Oct 2 i8f)o 
 
 AE. 76 
 
 Lucy Andrews 
 
 Died June 13 1832 
 
 AE. 86 
 
 Levina daughter of 
 
 Oliver & Hannah 
 
 Andrews, died 
 
 Oct. 28, 1827 
 
 in her 25 year 
 
 Wm. H. son of 
 
 Oliver & Hannah 
 
 Andrews, died 
 
 May 29, 1827 
 
 in his 21 vear 
 
 Lucy Andrews 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug 25 1888 
 
 AE. 81 
 
 In Memory of Mr. 
 
 Nicholas Andrews 
 
 Who died Decembr 
 
 ye 21 A. D. 1784. In 
 
 The 59 Year of 
 
 His Age. 
 
1 66 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDFN. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Oliver Andrews 
 
 Who died 
 
 Feb 16 1839 
 
 AE. 68 
 
 Sacred 
 to the Memory of 
 Mrs Sally 
 wife of Mr. 
 Marvel Andrews 
 who died Oct. 30th 
 1816 in her 44 
 year 
 I know whom I have 
 believed, and am persuaded 
 that he is able to keep that 
 which I have committed 
 unto him. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mr. 
 
 Samuel Andrews 
 
 Who died Aug. 
 
 ye 5th A. D. 1874 In 
 
 The 87 year of his 
 
 Age. 
 
 Likewise 
 
 The Remains of his 
 
 Wife Mrs Abigail 
 
 Andrews Who Died 
 
 Febr ye 13th A. D. 1786 
 
 In the 89th year 
 
 of her Age. 
 
 The sweet Remembrance of the Just 
 
 Shall flourish when he sleeps in dust. 
 
 In Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Elizabeth Atwater 
 
 Consort to Mr. Stephen 
 
 Atwater. She Died 
 July 2<i A. D. 1793; in 
 the 80th year of 
 her Age 
 I end a long and tedious life, 
 I leave a world of care and strife : 
 And while I pass through deaths dar'c road 
 I hope to rest in thee my God 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Jane 
 
 late wife of 
 
 Mr. Samuel Atwater 
 
 & formerly wife of 
 
 Dea. Isaac Hubbard 
 
 who died 
 
 March 25, 1842, 
 
 Act. 82. 
 
 The memory of the just is 
 blessed. 
 
 In Memory of Mr. 
 
 Stephen Atwater : 
 
 Departed this Life March 
 
 7th A. D. 1784: in the 69th 
 
 year of his Age 
 
 Let not the dead Forgotten Lie 
 Remember that your Born to die 
 
 In Memory of ; 
 
 Stephen Atwater 
 
 He Died on the 27 
 
 of January A. D. 1817 
 
 AE. 74- 
 
 Surviving Friends you here may see 
 What I am now What you must be 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 Mr. Daniel Austin 
 who died April 
 29, 1828 Aet. 66 
 Life is the time to serve the Lord 
 The time to insure the great reward 
 And while the lamp holds out to burn 
 the vilest sinner may return 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr 
 
 Joshua Austin 
 
 who departed this Life 
 
 March 4th A. D. 1809. 
 
 AE. 74 years & 
 
 4 months. 
 
 Learn to live well that thou may'st 
 
 die so too 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 167 
 
 Sarah 
 
 wife of 
 
 Daniel Austin 
 
 died 
 
 July 2, 1837 
 
 Act. ^6. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Amrillis Babcock 
 
 wife of the late Rev. 
 
 C3'rus Babcock 
 
 of Colebrook & formerly wife of 
 
 Jesse Hawley : died April 
 
 I2th 1826 in her 42d year. 
 
 Stephen Bailey 
 died July 3 1842 
 
 ae" 82 
 
 Lydia 
 
 His wife 
 
 died April 6 1848 
 
 AE. 90 
 
 Alma 
 
 Daughter of 
 
 James & Bethiah 
 
 Baldwin 
 
 Died 
 
 Feb. 17, 1803 
 
 AE. 17. 
 
 In 
 
 ^lemory of 
 
 Achsah 
 
 wife of 
 
 Samuel Baldwin 
 
 Who Died 
 
 April 9th 1829 
 
 AE. 57. 
 
 Asahel Baldwin 
 
 Died 
 
 Feb. 4. 1865. 
 
 Aged 74 
 
 In 
 
 ^Memory of 
 
 Samuel Baldwin 
 
 who died 
 
 March i 1844 
 Aet. 66 
 
 James Baldwin 
 
 Died 
 
 March 3, 1838 
 
 Aged 78 ^ 
 
 Bethiah 
 
 wife of 
 
 James Baldwin 
 
 Died 
 
 June 5. 1798 
 
 Aged 34 
 
 Also 
 
 Mary his wife 
 
 Died 
 
 July 18. 1838 
 
 Aged 84 
 
 James Baldwin 
 
 Three Years a 
 
 Revolutionary Soldier. 
 
 Charles Baldwin 
 died July 17, 1818 
 AfI 67 
 God my Redeemer lives, 
 And ever from the skies 
 Looks down and watches all my dust 
 Till he shall bid it rise 
 
 Mary M 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Giles G. Baldwin 
 
 Died 
 
 April II, 1844 
 
 Aet. 20. 
 
 In Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Patience Wife of Mr. 
 
 Danniel Baldwin 
 
 who died March ye 13111 
 
 1 77 1 in ye 89 year of 
 
 her Age. 
 
 Vincent Baldwin 
 
 Son of 
 
 Charles & Susanna 
 
 Baldwin. 
 
 died Sept. 2'i'i 1818 
 
 AE. 24 
 
 Be }•€ also ready for in such an hour 
 
 As ve think not the son of man cometh. 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Lucy Ann 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Augustus Barnes 
 
 Died 
 
 April 24, 1849 
 
 Act. 26 y"rs 
 
 Darius Benham, 
 
 Died Mar. 4. 1855. 
 
 AE. 71- 
 
 Cynthia C. 
 died Aug. 4, 1825, AE. 42. 
 
 Nancy B. 
 died Nov. i, 1835, AE. 46 
 Wives of Darius Benham. 
 
 Grace Ann 
 
 Wife of 
 
 E. W. Benham, 
 
 died Dec. 30. 1849 
 
 Aged 20. 
 
 Jared Benham Jr. 
 
 Died At Quebec L C. 
 
 Aug. 1817 AE. yj. 
 
 Rebecca. 
 
 His Wife Daughter of 
 
 Capt. Joseph Hill. 
 
 Of H. B. \\. Army. 
 
 Died at Guilford Ct. 
 
 Jan. 7, 1857, AE. -},. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Nancy 
 
 late wife of Mr. 
 
 Darius Benham 
 
 & formerly wife of 
 
 Mr. James Couch 
 
 died Nov. i, 1835 
 
 Aged 46 years 
 
 Jared Benham, 
 
 Died Mav 8. 1829, 
 
 AE. n. 
 
 Elizabeth Benham. 
 
 Died Dec 5, 1841. 
 
 AE. 83. 
 
 Here Lies the 
 
 Body of Capt 
 
 Divan Berry 
 
 Who Departed this 
 
 Life Decemr 3d 
 
 A. D. 1783 In ye 
 
 49th Year of his AE. 
 
 How Loved How Valued Once 
 
 Avales thee not 
 By Whonie Related or by Whome begot 
 
 A heap of Dust 
 Alone Remains of thee 
 
 Tis all thou art 
 And all that Live shall Be 
 
 Here Lies Intei'tl 
 The Body of Mrs 
 Bethiah Berry Daughter 
 to Mr Divan & Mary 
 Berry, Who departed this 
 Life April ye 25th A. D. 1781 
 In y® 22d Year of her Age 
 Behold Young Friends as You Pass By 
 Come View the G^'ound Where I do lie 
 Ive Changed my Dress & Bridal bed 
 (Rest illegible) 
 
 Julia 
 Daughter of 
 Gershom & Lucy Birdsey 
 died Mar. 17, 1820 
 Aged 19 yrs 
 May you dear youth come view my age 
 And be prepared to quit the stage 
 Renounce the world with all its charms 
 You then may rest in Jesus arms. 
 
 Sevelia 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Austin Bishop, 
 
 died Eeb. 14, 185 1 
 
 Aet. 33. 
 
 Loyal Booth 
 
 Mary Hall His Wife 
 
 Eliza Booth Sage 
 
 Their Daughter 
 
 Apr. 13. 1822. Aug. 21. 1898 
 
 Alice Daughter of 
 
 Philip & Eliza Booth Sage 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 169 
 
 Ebenezer W. Booth 
 
 Died 
 
 July 21, 1843 
 
 AE. 65 
 
 Betsey His Wife 
 
 Died 
 
 Feb 7 1842 
 
 AE. 56 
 
 James Bradley 
 
 died at Newbury 
 
 S. C. Sept. 9, 1820 
 
 Aged 24 
 
 Harriet Bradle\' 
 
 died Oct. 12, 1825 
 
 Aged 27 
 
 \\'m. Bradley 
 
 died at Union, S. C. 
 
 Dec. 28, 1841 
 
 Aged 41 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 ^Ir. 
 
 Titus Brocket 
 
 who died Dec. 23d 
 
 A. D. 1805 in his 
 
 49th year 
 
 Also Ira, son of 
 
 J\lr Titus & Mrs 
 
 Catharine Brocket 
 
 he died April 14th. 
 
 A. D. 1797 in his 
 
 14th year. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Ruth 
 
 wife of 
 
 William Bull 
 
 Who Died 
 
 Jan-y 8, 1835 
 
 Aet. 45. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Catharine 
 
 Brocket wife of 
 
 Air. Titus Brocket 
 
 died March 23d A .D. 
 
 1816 .^et. 66 V. 
 
 Harlow son of Mr. 
 
 Titus & Mrs 
 
 Catharine Brocket 
 
 died Feb. i8th 1810 
 
 Aet. 14 y. 
 
 In Memory 
 
 of Mrs. 
 
 Abigail Butler 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Divan Butler 
 
 who died Dec. 22d 
 
 A. D. 1841 in her 
 
 34th year. 
 
 Lord I commit my soul to thee 
 Accept the sacred trust, 
 Receive this nobler part of me, 
 & watch my sleeping dust. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Comfort Butler 
 
 who died Feb. 19, A. D. 
 
 1826 in his 
 
 83 year. 
 
 The aged saint wean'd from the earth 
 Longs to enjoy his heavenly birth 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Mary 
 
 wife of 
 
 Mr. Comfort Butler 
 
 Who died Oct. 28. 1823 
 
 In her 82 year. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Albert Butler 
 
 who Died 
 
 Nov 28 1844 
 
 Aet. 43 
 
 John Butler 
 
 Died 
 
 Oct. 6th. 1852 
 
 AE. S2. 
 
I70 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Divan Butler 
 
 Died 
 
 Nov 22, 1858 
 
 AE. 79 
 
 Mary Little 
 
 his wife 
 
 Died Jan 20 1863 
 
 AE. 83 
 
 Philomela 
 
 wife of 
 
 John Butler 
 
 Died Mar. 20, i8og, 
 
 AE. 32 
 
 Philomela 
 
 Daughter of 
 
 John & Susannah 
 
 Butler, 
 Died July 17, 1814, 
 AE. 2 yrs, 4 mo. 
 
 Lemuel Butler 
 
 Died 
 
 Dec. II, 1852, 
 
 AE. 78. 
 
 Salina 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Lemuel Butler, 
 
 died Sept. 25, 1842 
 
 Aged 56 years 
 
 & 6 months. 
 
 Samuel Butler 
 
 died Nov. 6, 1822. 
 
 Aged 55 years 
 
 Lois His Wife 
 
 died Sept. 6, 1837 
 
 AE. 66. 
 
 Fanny Butler 
 
 . their daughter 
 
 died July 14, 
 
 1839. Aet. zz. 
 
 Susannah 
 
 wife of 
 
 John Butler 
 
 died Mar. i, 1865 
 
 AE. 83. 
 
 Ruth 
 
 wife of 
 
 John Butler 
 
 died Sept. 30, 1799 
 
 AE. 22 
 
 Julia 
 
 daughter of John & Ruth 
 
 Butler 
 
 died Oct. 2, 1799 
 
 AE. 8 mos. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Xemena 
 
 wife of 
 
 Ozias Camp 
 
 and daughter of 
 
 Deac. Nath'el & 
 
 Hannah Yale 
 
 Who died Nov. 7. 
 
 1814 
 
 AE. 24. 
 
 Lewis C. Carter 
 
 died at Barber-Ville Ala. 
 
 Nov. 27, 1840 
 
 Aet. 40. 
 
 Harriet C. 
 
 Daughter of 
 
 Lewis C. & Maria Carter 
 
 died Jan. 26, 1846 
 
 AE. 17 y's 
 
 Orange A. Carter 
 
 Died 
 
 Feb. 15, 1849. 
 
 Aged 23. 
 
 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. 
 
 Gilbert S. Carter, 
 
 died June i. 1849, 
 
 AE. II. 
 
 Far from affliction, toil and care 
 
 The happy soul is t^ed: 
 The breathless clay shall slumber here 
 
 Among the silent dead. 
 
 N. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 171 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Jesse Churchill 
 
 Who Died 
 
 Mar. 29, 1842 
 
 in his 60 year. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 David Clark 
 
 died Aug. 12 
 
 A. D. 1825 
 
 AE. 39. 
 
 David Clark 
 
 Died June 19, 1828, 
 
 Aged 42 yrs. 
 
 (Illegible) 
 
 His Wife 
 
 Died Nov. 16, i860 
 
 Partrick Clark 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 28, 1 85 1 
 
 AE. 76. 
 
 Lydia. His Wife 
 
 died Sept. 8, 1853, 
 
 AE. 70. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Polly Clark 
 
 Who departed this life 
 
 Nov. 13, 1843. 
 
 Aet. 65. 
 
 Sarah G. 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Remick K. Clark 
 
 Born 
 
 Feb 10 1805 
 
 Died 
 
 June 7 1844 
 
 Aged 39 years 
 
 3 months 
 .\nd 28 Days 
 
 Her record is in 
 Heaven 
 
 Hiram 
 
 Son of 
 
 David & Adah 
 
 Clark 
 
 died at Aiken, S. C. 
 
 Feb 19 1844 
 
 Aet. 21 
 
 His end was peace 
 Hope. 
 
 This Monument is 
 erected by his friends 
 & associates as a tribute 
 to the memory of 
 Curtis R. Collins 
 son of John B. & 
 Catharine Collins 
 who died Feb. 22 
 1834 Aged 17 years 
 
 How short the race our friend has rtin 
 Cut down in all his bloom. 
 
 Sacred 
 
 to the Memory of 
 
 Capt. 
 
 Dan Collins 
 
 who died Nov. 9th A. D. 
 
 1819 Aet. 79. 
 
 years 
 
 This stone 
 
 is erected by her bereaved children 
 
 to the memory of Susannah 
 
 wife of Capt. Dan Collins 
 
 who died Oct. 14, 1821 
 
 .•\ged 67 \-ears 
 
 Her pious Life & conversation 
 is the only consolation for surviving 
 friends & the best pledge of her 
 happy exchange of worlds. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr 
 
 Edward Collins 
 
 who died Nov. 11, 1826. 
 
172 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 L. C. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Lyman Collins 
 
 Who Died 
 
 March 3, 1856 
 
 Aged 71. 
 
 E. C. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Elizabeth 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Lyman Collins 
 
 Who Died 
 
 Nov. 7, 1845, 
 
 Aet. 48. 
 
 Sacred to the 
 Memory of Mr. 
 Beri Conch 
 who died April 21, 
 A. D. 1826 
 Aged 35 years 
 He was humane & charitable & 
 through life maintained the 
 most unsulied integrity. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Ira Couch, 
 
 Who Died 
 
 Dec. 26, 1845, 
 
 Aet. 41. 
 
 In the midst of life we are in death. 
 
 Erected 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 John Couch 
 
 who died 
 
 April nth A. D. 1806 
 
 in his 82 
 
 year. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 John Couch, 
 
 wlio died - 
 
 Sept. 12, 1828: 
 
 aged 34 years. 
 
 Erected to the me 
 
 mory of Mrs Azubah 
 
 Wife of Capt. John 
 
 Couch, she died May 
 
 25, 1799, Aged ^z 
 
 And in the Livel_v hope of 
 seeing Jesus as he is 
 
 Pile - 
 Pass not by this monumental 
 Till you have stood and paus'd 
 
 awhile 
 Ore this my Grave, for you 
 
 must die 
 And be entom'd as well as I. 
 
 John Couch 
 
 died Sept. 3, 1807 
 
 Aet. 44 
 
 Anna Merriman 
 formerly wife of 
 
 John Couch 
 
 died Feb, 17, 1843 
 
 Aet 83 
 
 The dust returns to the earth as it was 
 and the spirit to God who gave it 
 
 But the trumpet shall sound 
 and the dead shall be raised. 
 
 In memory of 
 
 Mr. ' 
 
 James Couch, 
 
 Who died Oct 27 
 
 1824 
 
 aged 39 years 
 
 By his conjugal & parental solicitude 
 & affection has left the best consolation 
 to his afflicted companion & bereaved 
 children that of having died like a 
 (Illegible.) 
 
 In Memorv of 
 
 . Mrs. Mary Cowl 
 
 Consort to Deac. 
 
 Ebenr Cowl 
 
 died April 22d 
 
 A. D. 1777. AE. 50 
 
 Memento ^lori. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 173 
 
 Joel Cowles 
 
 Died 
 July 9, 1810 
 in his 60th 
 
 year. 
 
 Erected to 
 the Memory of Dea. 
 
 Ebenezer Cowls 
 Who died Aug 12th 
 A. D. 1800 
 in his 83 year 
 Farewell my friends 
 A short farewell 
 Till we shall meet 
 You all again. 
 
 Erected to 
 
 the Memory 
 
 of Mr. 
 
 Elisha 
 
 Cowles 
 
 who died 
 
 Nov. 23d A. D. 
 
 1799 AE. 
 
 50 years. 
 
 Also of 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Rebekah 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Mr. Elisha 
 
 Cowles 
 who died 
 Aug 15th A. D. 
 1785 AE. 
 30 years 
 Heaven gives friends 
 Why should we complain 
 If heaven resumes 
 Our friends again. 
 
 Elisha Allen Cowles 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug 27 1853 
 
 Aged 44 yrs 
 
 Allen D. 
 
 His Son 
 
 Died Dec 8 1861 
 
 Aged 14 yrs 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Phebe Cowles 
 
 daughter of Elisha 
 
 who died Jan. 11, 
 
 1830 in the 36 
 
 year of her 
 
 Age. 
 
 In Memor\' of 
 
 Mr. ' 
 Moses Cowles 
 who died April 
 i6th A. D. 1804 
 AE. 52 years 
 
 ]\Ian like a flow'r soon faids 
 
 away 
 Xor long continues in one 
 
 stay. 
 
 Here lies deposited untill the 
 resurection the body of Mrs. 
 Rebekah Cowls, Wife of the 
 late Mr. Joseph Cowls she 
 departed this life May 13, 
 A. D. 181 1 : in the 88 year of 
 her age 
 
 at her right hand lies the 
 body of Mrs Rebekah Mitchel, 
 wife of Mr. Jotham ^litchcl, 
 she departed this life ]May 
 15 A. D. 181 1 in the 54 year 
 of her age 
 
 We must through much tribulation 
 enter into tlu- kingdom of Heaven 
 Acts 14. 22. 
 
 Roswell Cowles 
 
 Died 
 
 July 24 1848 
 
 AE. 68 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Laura Wife of 
 
 Roswell Cowles 
 
 who died April 
 
 24 1827 .-Kged 
 
 44 years 
 
174 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Harriet, Wife of 
 
 Roswell Cowles 
 
 Who died March 
 
 5th 1832 in 
 
 her 43d 
 
 year. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mary Ann, 
 
 daughter of 
 
 Roswell & 
 
 Laura Cowles 
 
 who died Oct. 10, 
 
 1826 Aged 
 
 21 years. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Aaron Curtis 
 
 who died 
 
 Dec. 24. 1841 
 
 Aet. 17. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. Abel 
 
 Curtis 
 
 Who died Nov. 
 
 1st A. D. 1797 
 
 AE. 67 
 Memento Mori 
 
 Alfred P. Curtiss 
 
 Died 
 
 July 21, 1870, 
 
 AE. 53 
 
 Emeline Amelia 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Alfred P. Curtiss 
 
 & Daughter of 
 
 Levi & Abigail Ann 
 
 Bradley 
 
 died July 19, 1847. 
 
 Aet. z-j. 
 
 Sarah M. Hitchcock 
 
 Wife of A. P. Curtiss 
 
 died Dec. 3 1857 
 
 Ae. 24 
 
 In 
 
 IMemory of 
 
 Patience, Wife 
 
 of Abel Curtis 
 
 Who died Dec. 22 
 
 1828 Aet. 86. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr.' 
 
 Benjamin Curtis 
 
 Who died Jan. 16, 
 
 A. D. 1822 
 
 AE. 86 
 
 Time how short Eternity how long 
 
 Erected In memory 
 
 of Mrs. 
 
 INI indwell Curtis 
 
 Wife of Mr 
 
 Benjamin Curtis, 
 
 She deceast June 
 
 8th A. D. 1807, in her 
 
 63d year 
 
 The dust has to the dust returned 
 & tears bedew'd the lonely way, 
 The silent corpse lies now intomb'd 
 Beneath the cold and dampning clay. 
 
 But oh ye mourners cease to weep, 
 Receive with joy some cordial charms, 
 & view her in the world of bliss, 
 Encircled in her Saviours arms. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Benjamin Curtiss 
 
 who died 
 
 Oct. 23, 1843 
 
 Aet. 76. 
 
 One ho^r in apparent health 
 the next cold in death. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Mary Wife of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Benjamin Curtis 
 
 Died Feb. 20, 1835 
 
 Aet. 60. 
 
 The righteous hath hope in his death 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 L/0 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Benj. Upson 
 
 son of Mr. 
 
 Asahel & Mrs. 
 
 Mehitable Curtiss 
 
 who died Sept. 
 
 2d 1835 Aged 
 
 18 years. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Chauncy Curtis 
 
 died Dec. 6, 1824 in 
 
 his 45th year. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Anna Curtis 
 
 his wife died Nov. 
 
 5th 1826 in her 
 
 41st year. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 EUsha Curtiss 
 
 Who Died 
 July 26. 1847 
 Aet. 74 
 Mark the perfect man and behold 
 the upright for the end of that man 
 as peace Ps. 37. 37. 
 
 Mary his wife 
 
 died Aug. 29. 1857 
 
 AE. 72. 
 
 Weeping 
 friends Erected 
 this Monument to 
 perpetuate the memory of their 
 most dear and valuable friend 
 Mr. Amasa Curtis 
 He was snatch'd from Life & all his 
 •comforts & pleasure very suddenly 
 in the 39th year of his age 
 Dec. 2 A. D. 1808. 
 Living he was much esteemed and 
 "beloved & dying was greatly lamented 
 He was a very kind & affectionate hus 
 "band Father & friend he was a mild 
 & peaceable Neighbor & Citizen he loved his 
 Country & most ardently wished 
 Ihe happiness of all mankind. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Elisha Curtis 
 
 who died 
 
 July 24 1831 
 
 Aet. 80 
 
 In memory of 
 
 Mrs Sarah wife of 
 
 Mr Elisha Curtis 
 
 who died Nov 29 
 
 1825 Aet. •/-/ y's 
 
 Mrs 
 Abigail Curtis 
 Wife of Mr. 
 Elisha Curtis 
 died Feb. 28. 1826 
 Aet 47 
 Watch therefore for ye know 
 not what hour your Lord doth come 
 Math. XXIV. 42 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Polly Curtis 
 
 Wife of ,Mr. 
 
 Amos Curtis 
 
 died April 30. A. D. 
 
 ]8i8 Aet. 31 y- 
 
 Aiaria Curtis 
 
 Daugh. of .\mos & Polly 
 
 Curtis died April 13 
 
 A. D. 1818 Aet. 12 y. 
 
 and Ruth died Dec. 
 3d A. 1). Aet. 3 y- 
 
 Polly 
 daughter of .\mos 
 
 & Polly Curtis 
 
 died April 10. 1826 
 
 .\et. 14 
 
 .\melia 
 
 wife David (iilliert 
 
 & daughter of .\mos 
 
 & Polly Curtis died 
 
 July 15. 1827 in 
 
 her 24th \ear 
 
1/6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Hannali 
 
 Wife of Ivah Curtis, 
 
 died Oct. 8th 1844, 
 
 Aet. 66 
 
 Mary R. 
 
 their daughter died at Otis 
 
 Mass. July ist, 1832 
 
 Aged 21. 
 
 Then soft be thy skimbers in thy lowly bed 
 
 Though rudely earths tempests sweep over 
 
 thy head 
 The Saviour remembers thy slumbering dust 
 And will wake thee again when He calls 
 for the just 
 
 Laura Curtiss 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 5, 1872 
 
 Aged 74- 
 
 Julianna Curtiss 
 
 Died 
 
 Dec. 13, 1856 
 
 Aged 55. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Meriam Curtis 
 
 Wife to Mr. Ben jam 
 
 Curtis Deceast Who 
 
 Departed this Life 
 
 May ye 29th A. D. 1776 In 
 
 ye 74 year of her Age 
 
 Weeping 
 
 friends erected this 
 
 monument to perpetuate 
 
 the memory of Mr. 
 
 Marcus Curtis 
 
 son of ]\Ir. Jesse & Mrs. 
 
 Martha Curtis who 
 
 died Dec. 11, 1812 
 
 AE. 31 years. 
 
 In Memory of 
 William Curtis 
 son of Abel & 
 Patience Curtis 
 Whose life was 
 closed Oct. 14th A. D. 1800 
 in the 19th year 
 of his Age 
 
 In 
 
 ^Memory of 
 
 Sarah 
 
 Wife of 
 
 William A. Curtiss 
 
 Who died 
 
 jNIarch 24, 1847 
 
 Aet. 30 
 
 There shall be no more death 
 
 Samuel Curtiss 
 
 died Nov 8 1838 
 
 Aet. 57 
 
 Polly 
 
 His Wife 
 
 died Nov 5 1846 
 
 Aet. 61 
 
 Rhoda Pantlin 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Jesse Curtiss 
 
 died Aug 10 1844 
 
 AE. 54 ys 6 mo. 
 
 From her labors she doth rest 
 
 And in Christ I hope shes blest 
 
 Asenth 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Darling Dayton 
 
 Died Aug. 13, 1845 
 
 Aged 52. 
 
 In 
 ]VIemor\' of 
 Darling Dayton 
 who died Jan. 24, 1826 
 Aet. 34 
 My breath is gone my spirit's fled 
 My body's mouldering- with the dead; 
 But Jesus my redeemer reigns 
 He's paid the debt he's. bro'<e the chains- 
 And eas'd my body from its pains. 
 
 Erected to the 
 
 Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Lydia Davenport 
 
 consort of Mr. 
 
 John Davenport 
 
 who died Jan. 
 
 25 A. D. 1792 
 
 Aged 45 years. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 177 
 
 In 
 
 Memon- of Mr. 
 
 John B. Douglass 
 
 who after a severe ilhiess 
 
 died June 22d A. D. 181 1 in 
 
 his 53d y. 
 
 He was a kind Husband 
 Parent & Neighbor He was 
 respected as a Christian and 
 unerversally esteemed upright 
 in his deahngs 
 
 On God for all events depend 
 You cannot want when God's 
 j-our friend. 
 
 Roxey 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Ariel Ens'gii 
 
 Born Apr. 14, 1785. 
 
 Died Oct. 29, 1840. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr. Joel Foster. 
 
 who died Nov. 20th, 1814 
 
 AE. 48 
 
 My tiesh shall slumber in the ground 
 Till the last trumpet joyful sound 
 And burst the chains with sweet surpi'ise 
 .And in my saviours image rise 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr. Levi Foster 
 
 Who died Dec. 19th 
 
 A. D. 1 814 AE. 42 
 
 Nor pain nor grief nor anxious fear, 
 Invade thy bounds, no mortal woes 
 Can reach the peaceful sleeper here, 
 And angels watch his soft repose. 
 
 -Also in Memory of 
 
 Mr. Homer Foster 
 
 who died at Pittsburg 
 
 Penn July ist 1832 
 
 Aged 26 years 
 
 In the midst of life we are in death. 
 
 12 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Levi Foster 
 
 who died 
 
 Sept. 2, 1844, 
 
 AE. 38. 
 
 Sarah 
 
 W^ife of 
 
 Levi Foster 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 28. 1849, 
 
 Aged 74. 
 
 Lucy Foster 
 
 Died 
 
 June 4, 1890 
 
 AE. 91. 
 
 In ^lemory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Matthew Foster 
 
 who died Feb. 13 
 
 1835 Aged 54 years 
 
 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Noah Foster 
 
 who died March 
 
 27, 1833 in his 
 
 64 year. 
 
 In 
 Memory of 
 
 Purlina 
 
 Widow of 
 
 Noah Foster 
 
 who died 
 
 May 25 1843 
 
 AE. 73 y's 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Anna Foster 
 
 wife of Mr. 
 
 Noah Foster 
 
 died Dec. 2d 1824 
 
 .•\ged 51 years 
 
 The future world repays with bliss 
 The trials saints endure in this. 
 
178 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Luc}' 
 Widow of 
 Joel Foster 
 
 Died 
 
 Dec. 12, 1862 
 
 AE. 90. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 Othinel Foster 
 
 son of Mr. 
 
 Noah & Mrs. 
 
 Amia Foster 
 
 who died Aug. 5th A. D. 
 
 1818 in his 19th 
 
 year. 
 
 As blooming flowers that fade at noon 
 So lovely }onth may l>e cut down. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Thankful 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Timothy Foster 
 She died March ye 
 9th 1 77 1 in ye 69th 
 
 year of her Age. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. Ozias Forster 
 
 Who died July nth 
 
 A. D. 1789 in his 
 
 30th year. 
 
 Let not the dead 
 Forgotton ly 
 Remember you 
 Were born to die 
 
 Charlotte 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Matthew Foster 
 
 died May 18. 1838 
 
 Aet. 53 
 
 The righteous rest in hope. 
 
 Miss 
 
 Laura Foster 
 
 died Nov. 9, 1835 in 
 
 her 39 year. 
 
 Samuel W. Foster 
 
 died at Penn Yan 
 
 State of New York 
 
 July 24, 1831 in his 
 
 39 year 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Elizabeth Foster 
 
 Consort of Mr. Thomas Foster 
 
 who died Dec. 19th 1815 
 
 AE. 77 
 
 Death is to us a sweet repose 
 When we in faith do die 
 Believing what the Lord hath said 
 That we shall reign on high 
 
 Elisha Frary 
 
 died March 21, 1842, 
 
 Aet. 58. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr. Samuel Frary 
 
 Who died May loth 
 
 1826 Aet. 84 
 
 And of Mrs. 
 
 Lucy his wife who 
 
 died Sept. 17, 1812 
 
 Aet. 61 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Miss Anna Guy 
 
 Who departed this Life 
 
 Janry nth A. D. 1789 
 
 in the 21st year 
 
 of her age 
 
 Orchard Guy 
 
 Died 
 
 Jan. II. 1850 
 
 AE. 80 
 
 Lois 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Orchard Guy 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 31, 1862, 
 
 AE. 86. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 179 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Giles O. Griswold 
 
 Who died 
 
 Nov. 13, 1840 
 
 AE. 65 
 
 Also Lucy 
 
 his Wife 
 
 died Feb. 22, 1822 
 
 AE. 42 
 
 To the memory of 
 Mrs. Eliza Ann 
 wife of Mr. 
 Giles O. Griswold 2d 
 who died Aug. 27, 1836 
 Aged 28 years. 
 How tender the tears and the sighs 
 A husband and orphan bestow 
 Sweet spirit look down from the skies 
 And pity the mourners below. 
 
 Jesse Griswold 
 
 died Apr. 21 1840 
 
 AE. 62. 
 
 Fanny 
 
 his wife 
 
 died Jan. i, 1821. 
 
 AE. 41. 
 
 Angeline 
 
 their daughter 
 
 died Nov. 25. 1820 
 
 AE. 9 y's 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Cyrus Griswold 
 
 died Feb. 15, 1836 
 
 Aged 30 years 
 
 & ir Months 
 
 Mr. Giles Griswold 
 
 Died Sept. 10, A. D. 
 
 1818. Aet. 70. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Eunice, his wife 
 
 died Oct. 25, 1826 in 
 
 her 74 year 
 
 Our Savior's smiles dispels the gloom 
 
 And smooths the passage to the tomb. 
 
 In Memory 
 
 of Mrs. 
 
 Lois Hall 
 
 wife of Mr. 
 
 Abner Hall 
 
 who died Dec. 20 
 
 1822 in her 22 year 
 
 A virtuous life & a 
 
 peaceful death. 
 
 Polly 
 
 wife of 
 
 Augustus Hall 
 
 died Aug. 31, 1819 
 
 in the 2>i year 
 
 of her age. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Sarah wife of 
 
 Benjamin Hall who 
 
 died March 17, 1792 
 
 in the 19 year 
 
 of her Age. 
 
 Beri Hall 
 Died 
 April 6, 1832 
 AE. 19 y'rs 
 Son of John W. 
 & Polly Hall 
 Sweet peace and heavenly 
 hopes and humble joy, 
 Divinely beam'd upon his 
 pious mind. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mrs Rebecca Hall 
 
 wife of 
 
 Mr. Col lens Hall 
 
 who died 
 
 April 16, 181 1 
 
 In the 37th year of her age. 
 
 In 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr.' 
 
 Daniel Hall 
 
 He died Oct. 26th A. D. 1805 
 
 in his 79th year 
 
i8o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Also in memory of Mrs. 
 Patience, wife of Mr. 
 
 Daniel Hall, she 
 
 died July A. D. 1756 
 
 AE. 30 years 
 
 Also in memory of Mrs 
 
 Zerviah wife of Mr. 
 
 Daniel Hall, she 
 
 died Oct. 6th A. D. 1777 
 
 AE. 41 years. 
 
 Brenton Hall Esq. 
 
 Died Nov. 25 1820 
 
 AE. 82 y's 
 
 Abigail 
 
 his Wife 
 
 Died May 5, 1837 
 
 AE. 88 y's 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Daniel Hall 
 
 who died 
 
 Jan. I, 1829 
 
 in his 60 year 
 
 Some walk in honors gaud}^ show 
 Some dig for golden ore 
 They toil for heirs they know not who 
 And straight are seen no more 
 
 Elizabeth 
 
 Wife of 
 Daniel Hall 
 
 Died 
 May 5, 1859 
 
 AE. 83 
 
 Grandison Hall 
 
 Son of 
 
 Casper & Levinna 
 
 Hall 
 
 died May i, 1833 
 
 Aged 18 years 
 
 The hour is coming and now is when the 
 dead shall hear the voice of the Son of 
 God : and they that hear shall live. 
 
 This monument is erected to the 
 
 Memory of Col. 
 
 Solomon R. Hall 
 
 who died at Baltimore 
 
 March 18, 1825, Aet. 44 
 
 Charles E. son of Solomon 
 
 & Jerusha Hall died Oct. 11 
 
 1810 AE. 5 y 3 m. 20 d. 
 
 Susan their Daughter died April 
 
 24, 1812 Aged I y. 7 m. 16 d. 
 
 & Also of Andrew J. their son who 
 
 died at Baltimore April 30, 1815 Aged 
 
 3 years. 
 Tis God that lifts our comforts high 
 Or sinks them in the grave 
 He gave & oh my soul be still 
 He took but what he gave. 
 
 Sacred to Memory 
 
 In this Sepulchre lies buried 
 
 Doctor Isaac Hall, 
 
 who departed this Life 
 
 in the Faith and Hope of the Gospel, 
 
 on the 27th Day of March A. D. 1781 
 
 Aged 66 years. 
 
 to the great Loss and Grief of his Friends 
 
 and universally Lamented as 
 
 A Physician 
 
 of eminent Reputation and L^sefulness 
 
 very s^kilful in the various Disorders of 
 
 the human Body : 
 
 and in Clinical Practice excellent 
 
 laborious and successful. 
 
 The lowly Cot and lofty Dome 
 
 With joy his healing art proclaim 
 And teaming Nature sav'd from Death 
 With grateful Tears embalms his Name. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mrs. Mary Hall 
 Consort to Doc. 
 Isaac Hall 
 Who departed this Life 
 Oct gth 1791 in the 7Sth 
 year of her Age 
 T end a long and tedious life 
 I leave a world of care and strife 
 .\nd while I pass through deaths dark road 
 I hope to rest in thee my God. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 i8i 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Ruth, Wife 
 
 of Deacon 
 
 John Hall 
 
 who died Sept 9 
 
 1829 in her 
 
 64 year. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 John Hall 2d 
 
 died July 9, 
 
 1836 in his 
 
 29 year. 
 
 Dea. John Hall 
 
 Died 
 
 April 21, 1851 
 
 aged 83 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Elizabeth 
 
 wife of Mr. 
 
 John Hall 
 
 who died Oct. 21th 
 
 A. D. in 
 
 her 71th year 
 
 In Memory of 
 Huldah Daugh 
 to Mr Timothy 
 & Mrs Huldah 
 
 Cowls. Who 
 died Sept. 29th 
 A. D. 1795 AE. 17 
 years 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mr. 
 John Hall 
 who departed 
 this life May 15th 
 A. D. 1795 AE. -/i years 
 Thrice happy if 
 Prepared to meet 
 A change so awful 
 & so great. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. Moses Hall 
 
 Who died July 4th 
 
 1835 aged 87 
 
 years 
 
 Maria Hall 
 
 Died 
 
 May 5. 1846 
 
 in the 31 year 
 
 of her age. 
 
 John W. Hall, 
 
 died April 24, 1865, 
 
 AE. 79. 
 
 Polly, his wife 
 
 died May 16, 1868, AE. 79. 
 
 years 
 
 Hall. 
 
 Sons & Daughters of 
 
 J. W. & P. Hall 
 
 Beri, 
 
 died Apr. 6, 1832. 
 
 AE. 19. 
 
 Erastus, 
 
 died Aug. 5, 1847 
 
 AE. 20. 
 
 Lydia, 
 
 died Mar. 3, 1836 
 
 AE. 6. 
 
 Clarissa, 
 
 died Nov. 23, 1863 
 
 AE. 44. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Joseph Hall 
 
 Who died March 
 
 13th 1831 in his 61 
 
 year 
 
 In 
 
 ]\Iemory of 
 
 Mr. Phinehas Hall 
 
 who died Dec. 27, 1819 
 
 in his 69 year. 
 
 William Hall 
 
 Died 
 
 In Brighton Ohio 
 
 May 13. 1877 
 
 AE. 61 
 
1 82 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In ^^ifiiiory of 
 
 Samuel Hall 
 
 Who died March pth 
 
 1/95 
 AE. 2b years 
 
 Nor let Soft Slumbers close your Eyes 
 Before you've recollected thrise, the train 
 
 of actions 
 thro" the Day 
 
 Where have my feet chose out their way 
 (copied as far as can be read) 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Theophilus Hall 
 
 who died 
 
 May 17th A. D. 1804 
 
 in his 63d 
 
 year. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Maryett 
 
 Wife of 
 
 William Hall 
 
 Who died 
 Sept. 18, 1841 
 AE. 27. 
 Let not your hearts be troubled : 
 ye believe in God believe also in me. 
 In my Father's house are many man 
 -sions if it were not so I would have told 
 you. I go to prepare a place for 
 you. 
 
 To The 
 
 Memory of 
 
 William B. Hall 
 
 Aged 28 
 
 Perished in the Conflagration 
 
 of the Manufactory of 
 
 Julius Pratt & Co. 
 
 Nov. 27, 1846. 
 
 Mary Ann Hall 
 
 Died 
 
 April 12, 1894 
 
 AE. 76 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Elizabeth Hall 
 
 wife of Mr. 
 
 Theop Hall 
 
 Who died March 
 
 17, 1824, AE. 74 
 
 Blessed are the dead 
 which die in the Lord. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Benjamin Hart 
 
 who died Oct 7 
 
 1836 Aged 
 
 85 years 
 
 Jerusha Hart 
 
 Died 
 Aug. 26, 1832 
 AE. 76 y're 
 
 wife of 
 Benjamin Hart 
 
 Lucy Jane 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Philo Hart 
 
 died May 23, 1847 
 
 AE. 23 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Julia Harrison 
 
 daughter of 
 
 Leonard & 
 
 Lucy Harrison 
 
 of Southington who 
 
 died Nov. 7, 1820 
 
 Aet. 18. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Jesse Hawley 
 
 died at Wallingford Sept. 
 
 5th 181 1 Aged 30 years 
 
 Daniel Holt, 
 
 Died 
 
 Dec. 20, 1806 
 
 AE. 78. 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 183 
 
 Mary his wife 
 
 Died Jan. 10, 1821. 
 
 AE. 90. 
 
 Sacred to the Memory 
 
 of Mrs. Abiah Holt 
 
 The Consort of Air. Ben 
 
 jamin Holt who died 
 
 Oct. 31st 1793 in the 32CI 
 
 year of her age With 
 
 A lively hope of a blessed Resur 
 
 rection 
 
 What age or sex can death defy 
 Mortals be wise prepare to die 
 Shall the delights of sences & time 
 Keep you from joys & bliss Devine. 
 
 Abigail 
 
 their Daughter 
 
 Died Sept. 19, 1826 
 
 AE. 6s 
 
 There is rest in Heaven. 
 
 Charles E. Holt 
 
 Co I 20 Regi. 
 
 Conn Vols 
 
 Died 1874 
 
 In 
 Alemor}' of 
 
 Mr.' 
 
 Daniel Holt 
 
 Jun who died 
 
 July isth A. D. 1802 
 
 in his 48th 
 
 year. 
 
 In 
 Memory of Mrs 
 
 Sally Hooker 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Seth Hooker 
 who died March 
 28th A. D. 1809 
 
 AE. 24 years. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Elizabeth Hotchkiss 
 
 died June 19, 1833 
 
 AE. 80. 
 
 Ambrose Hotchkiss, 
 
 died Jan. 25, 1825. 
 
 AE. 58. 
 
 Lucretia 
 
 his wife 
 
 died Oct. 9. 
 
 AE. n- 
 
 Amasa 
 
 their son 
 
 died Mar. 21, 1827. 
 
 AE. 20. 
 
 Sophronia Hotchkiss 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Henry C. Butler. 
 
 died April 17, 1841 
 
 Aged 34 years. 
 
 Dea 
 
 Ambrose Hough 
 
 born Sept. 2, 1754 • 
 
 died June 30, 1825 
 
 AE. 70. 
 
 Sally Bradley 
 
 Daughter of 
 
 Dr, Insign & Mercy 
 
 Hough 
 Died Aug. 11, 1864 
 AE. 85. 
 
 Lucy Hough. 
 
 Died Nov. 27, 1848 
 
 Aet. 51 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 James A. Hough 
 
 who died 
 
 ]\Iay 9, 1827 
 
 Aet. Ty-j. 
 
 In ]\Iemor\- of 
 
 Mrs. Hannah wife to 
 
 Mr. Ephraim Hough 
 
 Who died Eel). 
 
 I 6th .A. D. 1777 
 
 In the 6ist 
 Year of her Age 
 
1 84 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr Ephraim Hough 
 
 Who died Feb. i6th. 
 
 A. D. 1781. 
 
 In the 62d 
 
 Year of his Age 
 
 In Memory of 
 Huldah Daughr of 
 
 Mr. Phinehas & 
 
 Mrs Huldah Hough 
 
 who died April 2n(i 
 
 A. D. 1777 
 
 Aged 8 Months 
 
 Death is a debt 
 
 to nature due 
 Which I have paid 
 and so must you 
 
 John Merriam Consort to 
 
 the Rehct of the late 
 
 Mr. Phinehas Hough Jun^ 
 
 hath Erected this Monument 
 
 to his Memory. 
 
 He died in the service of his 
 
 Country Aug. ist A. D. 1776, 
 
 In the 31st Year of his Age. 
 
 And lies buried in the 
 
 Presbyterian Church Yard 
 
 at New York. 
 
 Who can grieve too nnich, what 
 
 time shall end 
 Our Mourning for so dear a friend. 
 
 In Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Lucy Hough 
 
 ye Consort of Mr. 
 
 James Hough, Who 
 
 Departed this Life Oct. 
 
 ye 5th A. D. 1775. Aged 
 
 34 years. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Sarah Merriam 
 
 formerly wife of 
 
 James A. Hough 
 
 Who died 
 
 Nov. 21, 1842 
 
 Aet. 75. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Dea. 
 James Hough 
 
 Who died 
 Sept. 14th A. D. 
 1794, AE. SI 
 The sweet memor_v 
 Of the Just, 
 Shall flourish when 
 They'r laid in dust. 
 
 Doctor 
 
 Insign Hough 
 
 died Dec. 3, 1813 
 
 Aged 67 
 
 Mercy 
 
 wife of 
 
 Insign Hough 
 
 died Feb. 6, 1820 
 
 Aged 72 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Chloe Wife 
 
 of Doct Insign, 
 
 Hough Who died 
 
 June ye : 24th : 1771 
 
 in ye : 26th : Year of her 
 
 Age Daughter of Mr 
 
 Mapes & Mrs. Mary Yale. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Ira son of 
 
 Dr. Insign and 
 
 Mrs. Sarah 
 
 Hough 
 
 Who died July 
 
 27th A. D. 1777 
 
 In the 5th year 
 
 of his Age. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Rosetta 
 
 Daught of 
 
 Dr. Insign and 
 
 Mrs. Cloe 
 
 Hough 
 
 Who died Ma 
 
 rch 9th A. D. 1778 
 
 In the 8th year 
 
 of her age. 
 
 i 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 185 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mrs. Sarah Wife of 
 
 Dr. Insign Hough 
 Who died Jan. nth 
 A. D. 1775 
 In the 31 year 
 of her age. 
 Life's Uncertain 
 Death is sure 
 Sin's the wound 
 And Christ the 
 cure. 
 
 Doctor 
 
 Isaac J. Hough 
 
 died Feb. 26, 1852 
 
 Aged 71 
 
 Hear Lies Interrd 
 
 Sacred to Memory the 
 
 Body of Den John Hon 
 
 gh Esq. Who in hopes 
 
 of a Glorious Resurrection 
 
 Departed this Life In Peace 
 
 Febi- 24th A. D. 1788 In the 
 
 53d Year of his Age 
 
 les the not 
 How loved How Valued Once avai- 
 Fiy Wiiome Related or By Whom begot 
 .\ heap of Dust Alone Remains of thee 
 Tis all thou art & All the Proud shall be. 
 
 In Memor_v of 
 
 John Hough Jun. 
 
 ye Son of Esq. 
 
 John & Mrs. 
 
 Lois Hough : 
 
 he Died Dec. ye 
 
 Sth A. D. 1776 in 
 
 ye 10 year of 
 
 his Age. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory 
 
 of Mr.' 
 
 Phinehas Hough 
 
 Who died Sept. ith. 
 
 A. D. 1797 
 
 In the 85th 
 
 year of his age 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Lucrecia 
 
 Hough Consort to 
 
 Mr. Levi Hough 
 
 Who died April 2d 
 
 A. D. 1797 in her 
 
 23d year 
 
 Death is a debt 
 To nature due 
 Which I have paid 
 & So must you 
 
 In Memory of Mrs. 
 Elizabeth the Consort 
 
 of Mr. Moses Hall 
 
 who departed this Life 
 
 June 23d, 1777 
 
 Aged 43 Years 
 
 Sudden death bespeaks 
 The human 
 
 thought 
 And cries prepare 
 
 In Memor}^ of 
 
 Mrs. Mehetabel 
 
 Hough ye Consort 
 
 of Mr Saml Hough 
 
 Who died Dec. 
 
 ye 25th A. D. 1774 
 
 in ye 62nd year 
 
 of her Age. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mr. Samuel Hough 
 
 Who Departed 
 this Life August ye 
 26th A. D. 1776 in 
 
 ye 66th year of 
 his Age. 
 
 Mortals Give Ear attend these faithful lines 
 The Lord of all the Weighty Truth enjoins 
 Love God, his will obej' on Christ rely 
 Then sleep in Death abov" the sky. 
 
 Yale I Hough 
 
 died April 23d 
 
 1819, Aged 
 
 44 years 
 
i86 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Ira Hough 
 
 died May nth 
 
 1822 Aged 
 
 23 years. 
 
 Sacred 
 
 to the Memory 
 
 of Lucy Hough wife 
 
 of Yale I. Hough who 
 
 died Feb. 4th. A. D. 1807 AE. 
 
 28 years & 2 months. 
 
 The Children of Yale & Lucy 
 
 Hough. Minerva died 
 
 Nov. 22 A. D. 1803 AE. I year 
 
 & II months. 
 
 Daniel died Sept. loth A. D. 
 
 1805 AE. I year & 11 
 
 months 
 
 Mary died Sept. 15th A. D. 
 
 180S AE. 8 M. 
 
 Resurection chcaring thought 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Aurilla 
 
 Wife of 
 
 John Hubbard, 
 
 Who Died 
 
 July 17, 1844. 
 
 Aged 49. 
 
 In Memory 
 
 of the Revd 
 
 John Hubbard A. M. 
 
 Pastor of the Church in 
 
 Meriden 
 
 Who died Nov. i8th 1786 Aet. 
 
 60. He was a rational 
 
 and serious Christian 
 
 Exemplary for Gravity Integrity 
 
 Piety and Benevolence. He was 
 
 an able Minister of the 
 
 New Testament and Beloved 
 
 By all his Flock For his Faithful 
 
 ness and apostolic Diligence In the 
 
 Work of the Ministry and for the 
 
 Prudence Kindness & Humanity 
 
 Which adorned his manners 
 
 and rendered him 
 
 a most excellent Pastor. 
 
 Mrs Mary Hubbard 
 relict of 
 the reverend John Hubbard 
 died 2d March 1806 
 having that day completed her 70th 
 year 
 An early Christian profession 
 was adorned by her living to Christ 
 With a rare tenderness of conscience 
 she kept in view the glory of God 
 in all the duties of her 
 relations and conditions 
 Remarking the providence which 
 numbereth the hairs of our heads 
 she improved by ever\- incident. 
 The comforts of vital piety which she 
 sensibly enjoyed were subject to intervals 
 of extreme mental darkness 
 Light is sown for the righteous 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Eunice, Wife of 
 
 John Hubbard 
 
 died March 25, 1837 
 
 Aged 39 years 
 
 in death 
 
 She was supported by a christian hope 
 
 Also James their son died 
 
 ]\Iarch 12, 1829 Aged 5 
 Months. 
 
 Erected to the 
 
 Memory of Mrs 
 
 Sarah Hull 
 
 wife of Mr. 
 
 Aaron Hull 
 
 who died Sept. 
 
 22d A. D. 1807 AE. 
 
 56 years. 
 
 In 
 
 ^Memory 
 
 of Mr." 
 
 Miles Hull 
 
 who died 
 
 April 24th 
 
 A. D. 1801, 
 
 in the 31th 
 
 year of his 
 
 Age. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 187 
 
 In Memory 
 of 
 Deacon Isaac Hubbard 
 Who died July 5, 1806 
 in the 44th year of his age 
 The ornament of a meek 
 and quiet spirit 
 a conscience void of offence 
 and attention to the duties of 
 
 every relation 
 rendered him a general respect 
 
 Faith and hope 
 
 gave him victory over death 
 
 Mark the upright 
 
 His end is peace 
 
 Also of 
 
 Mrs Deborah 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Miles Hull 
 
 who died 
 
 Oct. 31st 
 
 A. D. 1802, 
 
 in the 26th 
 
 year of her 
 
 Age. 
 
 In 
 Memory of Isaac 
 Hubbard son of Deac. 
 
 Isaac & Mrs. Jane 
 
 Hubbard Who died Feb. 
 
 17th A. D. 1812 AE. 
 
 22 years 
 He was supported in 
 Death by a 
 christian hope 
 
 John Hubbard 
 
 Died 
 
 July 21, 1862. 
 
 AE. 70. 
 
 Amasa Ives 
 
 died Dec. 13 
 
 181 7 Aged 73 
 
 Rebecca his wife 
 
 died at Sullivan (N. Y.) 
 
 Sept. 12, 1826 
 
 Aged 71. 
 
 Erected In memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Cornelius Hull 
 
 who died at Jamaica 
 
 on Long Island in the 
 
 State of New York 
 
 Sept. 6th A. D. 1805 in 
 
 his 35th year 
 
 Also Mariah Daugh of 
 
 Cornelius & Susannah 
 
 Hull died Sept. nth A. D. 
 
 1802 in her 2d. 
 
 year. 
 
 Erected to the Memory 
 of Capt. Bezaleel Ives 
 who died Nov. 24, 1798 
 Aged ^2. In early Life he 
 became a follower of Jesus 
 & through Life supported 
 the character of a faithful! 
 friend a Kind husban and 
 an affectionate parent and 
 died in the lively hope of 
 future bliss. The Memory 
 of the Just is blessed. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mrs. Hannah Ives 
 wife of Capt. 
 Bezaleel Ives 
 who died March 21st. 
 A. D. 1815 in her 
 84th year 
 Sure of endless joys possessing 
 Sin and death had lost their power 
 Future prospects rich in blessings 
 Cheered her last departing hour 
 
 John Ives 
 Born July 4, 1729. 
 Died Feb. 1816. 
 Father of Othniel, Titus, 
 and Ten Other Children. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mr. Gideon 
 
 Ives Who died January 31 
 
 h. D .1777 In 57 Year of 
 
 His Age. 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Marilla, 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Jesse Ives. 
 
 Died 
 
 Oct. 12, 1865, 
 
 AE. 85. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Elias Y. Ives 
 
 who died Oct. 
 
 19, 1829, in his 
 
 24th. 
 
 year. 
 
 Erected in Memory 
 
 of Jerusha late 
 
 wife of Isaac Ives 
 
 of Danbury who died 
 
 of a consumption on the 
 
 18 day of August A. D. 1795 
 
 Aged 2T, years. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Jesse Ives 
 
 Who Died, 
 
 Feb. 12, 1836. 
 
 Aged 61. 
 
 Hear Lies Interrd Sa- 
 cred to Memory the Body 
 of Mrs Mary Ives the late 
 Amiable & Virtuous Con 
 sort to Mr John Ives 
 she Closed her Eyes in deth 
 Febry ye isth A. D. 1788 In 
 The 46th Year of her Age 
 
 Why do we mourn Departing friends 
 Or shake at Death's alarms 
 Tis but the Voice that Jesus sends 
 To Call them to his Arms. 
 
 Titus Ives Esq. 
 
 died March 12 1834 
 
 Aet so. 
 
 Watch thee therefore for ye know not what 
 
 hour your Lord doth come 
 
 Matt. XXIV. 12. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Rosetta Ives 
 Wife of Dea. 
 Othniel Ives 
 Who died March 
 3d 1833 Aged 
 36 years. 
 
 In 
 Memory of 
 Mr. 
 Timothy Ives 
 who died Jan. loth. 
 A. D. 1812 AE. 
 LXXX. 
 years 
 The strong know that they must die 
 Beneath the clods there dust must lie 
 They'll have no share in all thats done 
 Beneath the circle of the sun. 
 
 Sarah Ives 
 Wife of Mr. 
 Othnial Ives 
 died Nov. 24, A. D. 1814 
 Aet. 32 y'rs 
 Also an infant Aet. 4 days 
 May we who survive consider 
 that no age is exempt from death 
 Our Life is ever on the wing 
 And death is ever nigh 
 The moment when our lives begin 
 Ye all begin to die. 
 
 Erected to the 
 memory of 
 
 Dea. 
 
 Othniel Ives 
 
 Who died 
 
 Nov. 22, 1829 
 
 aged 52. 
 
 Susan L. 
 
 daughter of Titus & 
 
 Lodema Ives 
 
 died June 14, 1833 
 
 aged 12 years 
 
 Go home my friends dry up your tears 
 
 Here I must lie till Christ appears. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 189 
 
 In Memory of 
 Capt. Samuel Ives 
 who died Oct. i8th 1803 
 AE. 52 
 Universally Lamented as an active 
 friend to Christianity and public 
 Good & in the comfortable hope & 
 prospect of immortal blessedness 
 
 beyond the grave. 
 Thy Powr alone, O faith can death deform 
 Break all his Darts and all his fierce 
 ness charm 
 
 In 
 
 Memor\' of 
 
 Cornelia Wife of 
 
 Elias Y. Ives. 
 
 who died Xov. 
 
 21, 1827, Aet. 
 
 19 years 
 
 7 Months and 
 
 20 days 
 
 A blooming flower thus early cut 
 down in the morning of usefulness 
 is a lesson to her associates 
 Be ye also ready. 
 
 In 
 
 Memon.' of Mr. 
 
 Aaron Johnson 
 
 Who died Sept. 
 
 2d A. D. 1808 in 
 
 his 40th year 
 
 In the comfortable 
 
 hope of eternal 
 
 Life. 
 
 Sacred to the 
 
 ^lemory of 
 Aaron Johnson 
 son of Aaron and 
 Rebecca Johnson 
 who died Oct. 7, 
 A. D. 1826 AE. 
 18 years 
 Remember now thy Creator 
 in the days of thy youth 
 This monument is erected 
 by his two youngest Sisters. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mr. 
 
 Israel Johnson. 
 
 Who died March 21, A. D. 
 
 1820, in his 72d 
 
 year. 
 
 Take comfort christians when your 
 
 friends 
 In Jesus fall asleep 
 Their better being never ends 
 Then why dejected weep. 
 
 Huldah 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Israel Johnson, 
 
 Died 
 
 Jan. 10, 1850, 
 
 AE. 96. 
 
 Sacred 
 
 to the Memory of 
 
 Francis King Esq. 
 
 Who died 
 
 May II, 1837: 
 
 Aged 40 years. 
 
 In 
 
 Memor\' of 
 
 John O Lane 
 
 who Died 
 
 May 9, 1833 
 
 AE. 26. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. ' 
 
 Samuel Leavitt 
 
 He died 
 
 Dec. 30th. A. D. 1803 
 
 AE. XCIII 
 
 In Memor\- cf 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Adah Leavitt 
 
 Consort of Mr. 
 
 Samuel Leavitt 
 
 she died Feb. 9th 
 
 A. D. 1801 AE. 
 
 LXXIX 
 
^i 
 
 190 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Silas B. Lawrence. 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 4, 1852, 
 
 AE. 72. 
 
 Old age and death retard our steps 
 
 From all our youthful toils 
 
 Erected to the 
 
 memory of 
 
 Wm. Henry Lester 
 
 who died 
 
 April 25, 1837 
 
 Aged 27 years. 
 
 William A. Linsley 
 
 died Oct. 7th 1841 
 
 Aged 66 years 
 
 "My flesh also shall rest in hope" 
 
 Abigail T. 
 
 wife of 
 
 William A. Linsley 
 
 died Feb. 2, 1820 
 
 Aged 35 years 
 
 "I shall be satisfied when I awake 
 
 with thy likeness." 
 
 William 
 Son of 
 Wm. A. & A. T. Linsley. 
 died Nov. 13, 1812, AE. 11 m. 14 d. 
 Harriet A. 
 their daughter 
 died May 5, 1812, AE. 3 j-'s 7 mo 
 "Hope looks be3'ond the bounds of time 
 When what we now deplore 
 Shall rise in full immortal prime 
 And bloom to fade no more." 
 
 Harriet 
 
 wife of 
 
 William A. Linsley 
 
 died May 24, 1841, 
 
 Aged 52 years. 
 
 "When he shall appear we shall be 
 
 like him for we shall see him as he is." 
 
 Anna Lyman 
 
 Died 
 
 April 8 1858 
 
 AE. 70 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. Aaron Lyman 
 
 Esq. Who departed 
 
 this life nov. 15th A. D. 
 
 1801 AE. 94 
 
 The public offices he sustained 
 he discharged with honor 
 he was a patron of good 
 order and a friend to religion 
 he manifested a lively sense 
 of the worth of religion 
 and died in the full hope 
 of coming to the resur- 
 rection of the Just. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 ^Ir. " 
 
 Phinehas Lyman 
 
 who died April 16 A. D. 
 
 1825 aged 71 years 
 
 and of Mrs. 
 
 Huldah Lj'man 
 
 his wife who died 
 
 March 16, 1804 
 
 aged 46 years. 
 
 f 
 
 J. W. L. 
 
 1 
 
 John W. Lyon, 
 
 ;■; 
 
 born at Meriden 
 
 « 
 
 Feb. 5, 1821. 
 
 ^ 
 
 i 
 
 died at 
 
 ) 
 
 Springfield Mass. 
 
 
 Sept. 26, 1842. 
 
 '■1 
 
 Ruth Maria 
 
 1 
 
 Daughter of 
 
 t 
 
 Asahel & Elizabeth 
 
 
 Merriam 
 
 
 died Dec 3 1843 
 
 
 Aged 31 years 
 
 
 Anson Merriam 
 
 ... 
 
 Died 
 
 
 Oct. 14, 1833 
 
 
 AE. 29 
 
 
 Our 
 
 
 Fathers Grave. 
 
 
 James E. Merriam 
 
 
 William B Merriam 
 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 191 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Asaph Merriam Esq. 
 
 Who died July 27th 
 
 1836 aged " 
 
 years 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of ]\Ir3. 
 
 Damaras Wife of 
 
 Asaph Merriam Esq. 
 
 who died Aug. 24 
 
 1828 in her 63 
 
 year. 
 
 Weeping friends 
 Erected this to 
 perpetuate the mem- 
 ory of Selden son 
 of Asaph Merriam 
 
 Esq & Mrs 
 
 Damaras Merriam 
 
 Who died 
 
 April 28th A. D. 1806 
 
 in his 22d. 
 
 year. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 ^Ir. 
 
 Benjamin Merriam 
 
 Who died suddenly 
 
 the T4th of Feb. A. D. 
 
 1807 AE. 76 years. 
 
 Blessed are the dead that 
 
 die in the Lord. 
 May sudden death remind us 
 all 
 That old or young Death soon 
 may call. 
 
 In ]\Iemory of 
 jNIr. Edmund 
 
 ?^lerriam 
 (lied Jan. 25th 
 A. D. 1791 AE. 30 
 Death is a debt 
 To nature due 
 That I have paid 
 & so must vou. 
 
 In Memory of Mrs. 
 Mary ye Wife of 
 
 Mr. Benjamin 
 
 IVIerriam she Died 
 
 March ye 14th 1772 
 
 in ye 30th year of 
 
 her Age. 
 
 Mrs. Beulah 
 
 Wife of jNIr. 
 
 Ephraim Merriam 
 
 died Feb. i8th. 
 
 1827 in her 
 
 68th year. 
 
 In Alemory of Airs. 
 
 Mary Merriam 
 ye Consort of Mr. 
 Elisha Merriam Who 
 Departed this life 
 Nov. ye 15th A. D. 1774 in ye 20th 
 year of her Age. 
 A soul prepared needs no delays 
 The summons come, the saint obeys 
 Swift was her flight, and short the road 
 She closed her eyes and saw her God ; 
 The flesh rests here till Jesus come 
 And claims the treasure from the tomb. 
 
 In ]\lemory of 
 
 Mr. John Merri 
 
 am Who Died 
 
 May 26, 1772 in 
 
 ye 75 year of his 
 
 Age 
 Let not the dead 
 forgotten lie 
 Remember Friends 
 that you nuist die. 
 
 In Memory of jVD's 
 Mary Merriam 2d. 
 Consort of M'" John 
 Merriam Wlio died 
 Decern'^ 6th 1756 in 
 ye 56th year of her 
 
 Age. as I am now so 
 
 must you be (indecipherable). 
 
192 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Mr. 
 Ephraim Merriam 
 
 died March 
 
 22<i A. D. 1834 
 
 Aet. -jy. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Capt. Nathel Alerriam 
 
 Who died 
 
 A. D. 1775 
 
 Sist vear of 
 
 Erected In memory 
 
 of Mr. 
 
 Joseph Merriam 
 
 who died April 30th. 
 
 A. D. 1807 in his 
 
 75th year. 
 
 Behold and see as you pass by 
 
 As you are now so once was I 
 
 As I are now so you must be 
 
 Therefore prepare to follow me 
 
 Erected In memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Nathaniel Merriam 
 
 Who was born at 
 
 Merriden Jan. i6th. 
 
 A. D. 1734 
 
 His terrestrial course was 
 
 suddenly terminated 
 
 August 5th A. D. 
 
 1807 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Mary Merriam, 
 
 Wife of Mr. Marshel 
 
 Merriam Who Died 
 
 February ye 20th A. D .1780 
 
 in the 30th year of 
 
 her Age 
 
 She gave to her friends cause 
 
 of great consolation 
 And died in good hopes 
 
 of eternal salvation 
 
 Sacred to the 
 
 memory of Mrs 
 
 Mindwell 
 
 wife of 
 
 Joseph Merriam 
 
 who died Oct. 15 
 
 1839, in her 100 yi" 
 
 The memory of the just is blessed 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Martha 
 
 Consort to Mr. 
 
 Nathaniel 
 
 Merriam Who 
 
 died Dec. 28th. 
 
 A. D. 1797 AE. 61. 
 
 Calm resignation cro- 
 wn'd 
 Her latest hours. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory 
 
 of Mn 
 
 Thomas Merriam 
 
 who died 
 
 April 1st. A. D. 181 1 
 
 in his 
 
 Both year. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Ruth Merriam 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Thomas Merriam 
 
 died April 6 
 
 1827, in her 87tli 
 
 vear. 
 
 In Memory of Lieut 
 
 William Merri 
 
 am. He died Ocf 
 
 ye 4th A. D. 1751 In 
 
 The 52 Year of 
 
 His Age 
 
 Likewise the Rema 
 ins of his wife Mrs 
 
 Ruth Merriam. 
 
 she died Novr ye 4 
 
 A. D. 1784 In ye 81 
 
 Year of her Age. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 193 
 
 111 JNlemor}- of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Howel Merriman 
 
 He died Oct. 29th. 
 
 A. D. 1805 in the 
 
 33d j-ear of 
 
 his age 
 
 He was much respected 
 
 in Life & equally 
 
 lamented in 
 
 Death. 
 
 In 
 
 ]\lcmory of 
 
 Dinah Merriman 
 
 Relict of 
 
 Titus ^Merriman 
 
 who died Sept. ist. 
 
 A. D. 1813 in her 
 
 85th year. 
 ]\Ir. Ives Merriman 
 died Oct. 3, 
 A. D. 1825, 
 Aet. 33 
 His domestic virtues endeared 
 him to a large circle of relatives 
 & friends & his christian walk & 
 humble hope in death left them 
 the best consolation in his loss. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Polly Merriman 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Jessa ]\Ierriman died Aug. 
 
 13 A. D. 1808 Aet. 42 y. 
 
 and Mr. Joel ]\Ierriman 
 
 died nnich lamented Oct. 18, 1819 
 
 .Act. 35 y. in the midst of flatering 
 
 worldly prospects and yet with 
 becoming resignation & comfortable 
 hopes of eternal Life. 
 Our life is like a summers day 
 It seems so quic":ly past: 
 Youth is the morning bright & gay 
 .\nd if tis spent in wisdoms way 
 W e meet our doom without dismay 
 .■\nd Death is sweet at last 
 
 Here all is rest & sweet repose 
 Here all our sorrows cease 
 For Jesus needs our spirit there 
 .■\nd kindly whi>])ers peace. 
 13 
 
 In memory of 
 Mr. 
 Titus Merriman 
 whn (lied 
 Dec. 24th A. D. 1806 
 AE. 80 years. 
 Tho' strict in his Christian 
 walk for man}- \ears he 
 was much distressed in his 
 sickness thro" anxious 
 fears for his soul, but died 
 at last full of joy & triumph, 
 If the righteous scarcely 
 be saved where shall the 
 ungodly & the sinner ap 
 pear. 
 I Peter IV. 18. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mr. 
 
 Jesse Merriman 
 
 who died May 
 
 8, 1827, aged 
 
 68 years 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Mary Roberts 
 
 wife of 
 
 Ephraim INIerriam 
 
 died July 7, 1816 
 
 Aet. 23 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mr. 
 
 Jotham Mitchcl. 
 
 who died Nov. 2, 1825 
 
 Aged 71 years 7 months & 
 
 I day 
 
 In Life respected & 
 
 In death lamented 
 
 Also in memory of Betsey 
 
 dautr of Jotham & Rebekah 
 
 Mitchel, she died the 26 Nov. 
 
 1784 AE. 13 months & 8 d"s. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Mary Mitchel 
 
 Consort to Mi" Moses 
 
 Mitchel. she died 
 
 May the 14th .A. D. 1776 
 
 In tlie 5_'nd year of her 
 
 Age. 
 
194 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Miss 
 Mary Mitchel 
 Who died March 
 1 2th A. D. 1806 in her 
 49th year. Live while 
 you Hve that when grim 
 Death approaches the re- 
 collection of your past life 
 may force a smile even 
 from that formidable 
 
 tyrant 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Moses Mitchel 
 
 Who died Nov. 
 
 7th A. D. 1797 AE. 75 
 
 Forbear to mourn for me my 
 
 friends 
 But for your sins and follies 
 
 mourn 
 Short is the time on earth 
 
 you spend 
 & then to dust return. 
 
 Sacred 
 
 To the Memory of 
 
 Sarah 
 
 Wife of Zanak Murdock 
 
 & Daughter of 
 
 Levi & Sarah Foster 
 
 Who 
 
 Died March 26, 1836 
 
 Aet. 28. 
 
 So near, so kind, so gentle, so sincere 
 So lov'd so early lost must claim a tear 
 Yet mourn we not if the life resumed bj' 
 
 heaven 
 Was spent to every end for which twas 
 given 
 
 As humble trust in thy Redeemers love 
 Matured thee early for the courts above 
 We cease thy death too fondly to deplore 
 For naught could the longest life have 
 added more 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Joel Mix 
 
 who died Dec. 7th. 
 
 A. D. 1813 AE. 
 
 27 years 
 
 My weeping friends as 3'ou pass by 
 
 Remember you are born to die. 
 
 In 
 Memory of 
 Lucy Moran 
 
 Who died 
 
 June I, 1846 
 
 in the 68 year 
 
 of her age 
 
 Here lies deposited untill the 
 resurrection the body of Mr. 
 Moses Mitchel Son of Mr. Joth- 
 am & Mrs. Rebekah Mitchel, he 
 departed this life July 4, A. D. 
 181 1 : in the 25 year of his age. 
 at his left hand lies the body 
 of Mr. Aaron Mitchel Son of Mr. 
 Jotham & Mrs Rebekah Mitchel, 
 he departed this life June 11, 
 A. D. 181 1 : in the 18 year of 
 his age 
 Thy earthly hopes fond youth are but a 
 
 dream 
 Ore all things here I claim a power 
 
 supreme 
 While love prepares the nuptial torch to light 
 I quench its splendors in sepulchral night: 
 My name is death ; see here my victims lie, 
 Renounce thy pleasures & prepare to die 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Eunice Miles 
 
 Formerly the Consort 
 
 of Lieut. Josiah 
 
 Robinson 
 died July 26th 
 A. D. 1787 Aged 61. 
 If bright the prospect 
 We the Grave defy 
 Trust future Ages 
 And contented die 
 
EARLY HISTORY 
 
 195 
 
 Henry 
 
 Son of 
 
 Amos & Hannah 
 
 Newton 
 
 died 
 
 Feb. 3, 1839. 
 
 AE. 22. 
 
 John C. 
 Son of 
 Amos & Hannah 
 Newton 
 Died 
 Oct. 20, 1841 
 Aet. 20. 
 Our friend and brother lo ! is dead 
 The cold and lifeless clay, 
 Has made in dust its silent bed. 
 And there it must decay. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Nancy 
 
 Late Wife of 
 
 Andrew Norton 
 
 & Formerly wife of 
 
 John Hough 
 
 who Died 
 
 Sept. I, 1839 
 
 Aet. 53- 
 
 E. H. O. 
 In 
 Memory of Mrs 
 Eunice H. Olds 
 Wife of Mr. 
 Jared Olds 
 Who died April i8th 
 A. D. 1843 AE. 
 28 years 
 Each friend by fate snatched from 
 us is a plume plucked from the wings 
 of human vanity & from their grave 
 how soon we disingage. 
 
 Samuel Paddock 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 7, 1869 
 
 AE. 85. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Samuel Paddock 
 
 who died Nov. 
 
 21, 1825 in the 
 
 68th year of 
 
 his age. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mehitabel 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Samuel Paddock 
 
 Who departed this life 
 
 July I, 1817 
 
 AE. 59. 
 
 This is a debt all natures due 
 Which I have paid & so must you. 
 
 Charlotte 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Samuel Paddock 
 
 Died 
 
 May 31, 1864, 
 
 AE. 67. 
 
 In Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Temperance 
 Parmelee Consort to 
 Mr. Bani Parmelee 
 who died Oct. 5th 
 A. D. 1797 in her 42^ 
 year. 
 Death is a debt 
 Tt) nature due 
 Whicli I have paid 
 & so must you. 
 
 Susanna Peck 
 relict of 
 Deacon Phineas Peck 
 & formerly consort of 
 Stephen Hine 
 died Nov. 22, 1810 
 Aged 74 
 Death like an ovcrllowing stream 
 Bears all its sons away 
 They fly forgotten as a dream 
 Does at the opening day. 
 
196 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mrs. Hannah 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Mr. Nathaniel 
 
 Penfield Who 
 
 died June 5th. 
 
 1777 in the ^T.^ 
 
 Year of her age 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Sarah, wife of 
 
 Mr. Liberty Perkins 
 
 Who died June 3, 1825 
 
 Aet. 44 Y. 
 
 Huldah their daugh. 
 
 died Aug. 20, 1802 AE. 4 Y. 
 
 Hiram & Elias their 
 
 Sons died March 31, 1801 
 
 AE. 4 Y. & April 20, 1807 
 
 AE. I Y. 
 
 Amanda 
 
 wife of 
 
 Sherlock Perkins 
 
 Died 
 
 Dec 22 1842 
 
 Aet. 42 
 
 Polly 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Samuel Paddock 
 
 Died 
 
 Oct. 26, 1822 
 
 AE. 41 
 
 In Memory of Mr. 
 Nathaniel Penfield 
 Who died January 
 the 5th A. D. 1776 
 Aged 67 9 Years 
 Corrected date — probably 79 years. 
 
 The grave of Mrs. 
 Elizabeth wife 
 
 of Mr. 
 
 Seth D. Plum 
 
 who died June 4th 
 
 1826 in her 
 
 45th year. 
 
 Death is certain and may you all 
 
 prepare to meet your God. 
 
 ■ In 
 
 ^Memory of Mr. 
 
 Seth D. Plum 
 
 who died May 16, 
 
 1836. Aged 57 
 
 Years. 
 
 In 
 
 Memor\' of 
 
 Russel Harrison Plum 
 
 son of Mr. Seth D. & Mrs. 
 
 ElizabethPlum 
 
 Who died Jan. 22^ A. D. 
 
 1816. AE. 2 years & 
 
 7 Months 
 
 Beneath, the lovely Chil-d doth lie 
 
 To earth his boddy's lent. 
 
 More glorious shall hereafter rise 
 
 Yet not more innocent 
 
 sound 
 When the archangels trump shall 
 & souls to bodies join 
 Millions & millions here around 
 Will wish their lives as short as 
 
 mine. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Jehiel Preston 
 
 Who died 
 
 Aug. II, 1820. 
 
 aged 65 years 
 
 Also Permelia 
 
 daughter of 
 
 Jehiel & 
 
 Molly Preston 
 
 died 
 
 (illegible) 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Molly, relict of 
 
 Jehiel Preston. 
 
 Who died 
 June 15, 1833. 
 Aged 74 years. 
 The grave is now an honor'd spot 
 To saints who sleep in Jesus bless'd 
 For there the wicked trouble not 
 And there the wearv are at rest. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 197 
 
 Ann Eliza 
 Wife of 
 Freeman R. Randall 
 Died 
 Apr. 7, 1857 
 AE. 18 y's & 8 mo's. 
 \\'e have loved her. Oh how fondly, 
 \\'c have laid her down to rest : 
 She has gone to dwell with Angels, 
 In the mansions of the blest. 
 She was lovely far too lovely 
 In this cold world to stay 
 Her spirit pure and holy 
 To Heaven winged its wa\'. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Ann 
 
 the wife of 
 
 Augustus Redfield 
 
 Who died 
 
 July 4, 1844, 
 
 in her 75 ^-ear. 
 
 Horace R. Redfield 
 
 Died 
 
 Dec. 31, 1851 
 
 AE. 58 
 
 Lucy Curtis 
 
 His Wife 
 
 Died Mar. i, 1882 
 
 AE. 82. 
 
 In Memory of Lieut. 
 
 Allin Rice 
 
 Who departed this Life 
 
 May ye 2*1 A. D. 1776 
 
 Aged 40 years 
 
 I trust in Thee and know in Whom I trust, 
 
 Thy call I follow to the land unknown. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs Phebe 
 
 Wife of Dean 
 
 Benjamin Rice 
 
 Who died June 
 
 ye 13th 1776 in 
 
 the 46th Year 
 
 of her Age. 
 
 Erected to 
 
 Memory 
 
 of Mr' 
 
 Amasa Rice 
 
 Who departed 
 
 this Life 
 
 Dec. 12th A. D. 
 
 1797 in the 
 
 47th year 
 
 of his Age 
 
 Also of 
 
 Miss Thankful 
 
 Rice Daugh. 
 
 of Mr. 
 
 Amasa & 
 
 Mrs. Mary 
 
 Rice Who ^ 
 
 died Feb. iQ^h. 
 
 A. D. 1794 in 
 
 the 21 th year 
 
 of her Age. 
 
 In ^Nlemor}- of 
 Dean Benjamin 
 Rice Who died 
 February ye 7th 
 1777 in the 47th 
 Year of his 
 Age. 
 
 In Memor\- of 
 Mrs Mindwell 
 Wife of Decon 
 Benjamin Rice 
 Who died May 
 ye 13th 177C) in 
 
 the 74! '1 Year 
 of her Age. 
 
 In memory of Capt. 
 
 Ezekiel Rice who 
 died Sept. 3^ 1808 
 .Aged 69 years 
 The race is run in (lut\s path 
 
 faith 
 Fought the good fight & kept the 
 
 breast 
 Now leaning on my Saviours 
 My spirit seeks its final rest. 
 
198 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 In AJemory of 
 
 Mr. Halsey son 
 
 of Dea. Benjamin & 
 
 Mrs. Phebe Rice 
 
 Who died May 2^ 
 
 A. D. 1786 in the 
 
 22^ Year of his 
 
 Age 
 Thrice happy if 
 Prepared to meet 
 A change so awful 
 & so great. 
 
 In Memory of Mr. 
 Joseph Rice : he 
 Departed this Life June 
 ye 5th A. D. 1777 in 
 ye 22nd Year of his 
 Age 
 See bloming youth 
 My mournfull fate 
 Prepare for death 
 
 In Memory of 
 Jemima Rice 
 daughter of Mr. Ezra 
 & Mrs. Anna Rice 
 Who died Jan. 23d. 
 1793, ill the 20th 
 year of her age. 
 Time what an empty vapour tis 
 And days how swift they are 
 Swift as a featherd arrow flies 
 Or like a shooting star. 
 
 Erected. In memory of 
 Rachel dautr of Titus & Rachel 
 Rice. She perished in the flames of 
 a dwelling house occupyed by 
 Jotham Mitchel Oct. 28, 1784; 
 in the 9 Year of her age 
 
 Melinda 
 
 wife of 
 
 Reuben J. Rice 
 
 Died 
 
 May I, 1833. 
 
 AE. 22. 
 
 Prepare to meet thy God. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Charlott Rice 
 
 daughter of Joel & 
 
 Eunice Rice, who 
 
 died Aug 18, A. D. 1829 
 
 Aet. 40 
 
 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. 
 
 In Memory of Mrs 
 Mindwell Rice consort 
 
 to Mr. Lyman Rice 
 
 who died April 14th 
 
 1805 in the 23(1 year 
 of her age 
 Youth in the blossom must resign 
 to Death the end of all mankind 
 But hark the Gospel doth proclaim 
 The dead in Christ shall rise again 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Oliver Rice 
 
 who died 
 
 April 28th A. D. 
 
 1794, AE. 34. 
 
 In faith he died, 
 
 In dust he lies 
 
 But faith forsees 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Ruth Royce 
 
 Who died March 30th A. D. 1801. 
 
 in the 25th year of her age 
 With joyful hopes of future bliss 
 Behold the saints rejoice to die, 
 For heaven shines round their heads 
 And angel guards prepar'd to fly; 
 Attend their fainting beds. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 Jane Daugh. of 
 Dean Silas & Mrs. 
 Rebeckah Rice 
 ■who died Feb. 13 A. D. 
 1824 in her 19 year 
 Lifes uncertain death is sure 
 Sin's the wound & Christ 
 the cure. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 199 
 
 Rev 
 Erastus Ripley 
 Pastor Of The 
 Congregational Church 
 In Meriden 
 20 years 
 Died Nov 17 1843 
 Aet. 7i 
 Blessed are the dead which die in the 
 Lord, from henceforth yea saith the Spirit 
 that they may rest from their labors 
 and their works do follow them. 
 
 In Memory of Lieut. 
 Josiah Robinson he 
 died April 17th 1771 
 in ye 45th yea of his 
 Age. Death ore all 
 nature casts a shady 
 Gloom. Believe & look 
 With triumph ore 
 ye tomb 
 
 In ]Memor}' of 
 Sarah Russell 
 Who died April 14 
 1S33 in her 20th year. 
 When blooming youth are torn away 
 By deaths resistless hand 
 Our hearts the mournful tribute pay 
 Which pitty must demand. 
 
 In iMemory of 
 
 Mr. " 
 Elijah Scovill 
 Who died 
 jMarch i8th A. D. 
 1798 in his 24*11 year 
 Death is a debt 
 To nature due 
 Which I have paid 
 & so must you. 
 
 Elizabeth 
 
 wife of 
 
 Eleazar Scovil, 
 
 died July 24, 1849 
 
 Aet. 66. 
 
 Erected 
 In JVIemory of 
 
 Mrs. 
 Tryphena Selby 
 the amiable Consort of Mr. 
 David M. Selby 
 who departed 
 this Life May 2d A. D. 
 1804 aged 43 
 years 
 Confined within this narrow tomb 
 The lovely sleeper lies 
 But when the grand Morn shall come 
 May she with joy arise. 
 
 Mrs 
 Electa Seymour 
 
 wife of Mr. 
 
 Stephen Seymour 
 
 died Jan. 4, 1820 in her 
 
 32*1 year 
 
 Daniel their son died Oct. 
 
 23d 1808 in infancy 
 
 AE. I y. II m. 18 d. 
 
 Phebe Ann their Daugh. 
 
 died Oct. 13. 1818 AE. 3 y. 3m. 
 
 & 14 d. 
 
 Sacred to the Memory of 
 
 Mrs Rachel Sl'aylor 
 
 Consort to Maj. 
 
 Joseph Shaylor 
 
 Who died Nov. i8th 
 
 A. D. 1790 AE. 41 
 God gives us friends 
 Then why should '^^'e 
 complain 
 If he resume i 
 
 Our friends again '. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mr Joseph Shaylor 
 
 the only son of 
 
 ?*Iaj. Joseph & Mrs 
 
 Rachel Shaylor who was slain by the 
 
 Indians at Fort Jefferson Feb 11 .\. D. 1792 
 
 AE. 15 
 
 His Surviving Sisters Consecrate 
 
 this Inscription to his Memory 
 
200 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. James Scovil Juni' 
 
 Who departed this Life 
 
 June the ist 1776 
 
 Aged 43 Years 
 
 In the midst of Life we are in Death 
 
 In Memory of Miss 
 Thankfull Sheldon 
 Daugti' of Ml" Asa and 
 Mi-s Thankfull 
 Sheldon of New 
 Malborough She 
 Died June ye 9th 1772 
 in ye i8th year of her Age 
 Come Blooming Youth 
 When This You Read 
 O See My Fate. 
 
 In Memory of Abigail 
 
 Silliman: ye Daughter 
 
 of Mr Hezekiah & Mrs 
 
 E'nilia Silliman : she Died 
 
 May ye 31st A. D. 1776 in ye 
 
 8th year of her Age 
 
 Why are friends ravished from 
 
 us : Tis to bind 
 
 By soft affections lines on human 
 hearts the thought of death 
 
 Erected to the Memory 
 of ]\Irs. Mary Simpson 
 Wife of Mr. Samuel 
 Simpson Who died 
 April 2nd A. D. 1799 AE. 
 34 years. Also their 
 babe died 1799. 
 Heaven gives friends 
 Why should we complain 
 If heaven resumes 
 Our friends again. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Solomon Smith 
 
 Who 
 
 Died Sept. i, 1844 
 
 Aet. 76. 
 
 In memory of 
 Mrs. Eunice 
 wife of Mr. 
 Robert Smith 
 
 who died 
 Feb. 2d, 1837 
 Aged 69 years. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Lucy, wife of 
 
 Solomon Smith 
 
 who died 
 
 June 13 1831 
 
 Aged 63 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Orrin Smith 
 
 son of Darling & 
 
 Rachel Stuart 
 
 Who died Jan 2 
 
 1821 Aged 18 
 
 years 
 
 Temperance, Fortitude, Justice. 
 I. O. R. 
 Emery B. Sherman 
 Died July 10, 1846 
 Aet. 21 
 "We will drink no wine ; for, 
 Jonadah, the son of Rechah, our 
 Father, commanded us saying 
 Ye shall drink no wine." 
 
 Sarah 
 
 wife of 
 
 William Talmadge 
 
 died Jan 21 1843 
 
 AE. 28 
 
 Sarah 
 
 wife of 
 
 Daniel Talmage, 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 24, 1855, 
 
 AE. 79- 
 
 Mr Abner & Mrs. 
 
 SarahTibbals died 
 
 Wallingford Oct. 6, 1801-1799 
 
 AE. 75-80. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 201 
 
 ]Mrs. Lois & Mrs. Chloe 
 
 Companions of Mr. Samuel 
 
 Tibbals died Oct. i6, 1803. Feb 
 
 I, 1820. The former at Branford 
 
 AE. 36-42 
 
 Also two infant sons of Mr. 
 
 Samuel & Mrs Chloe 
 
 died Oct. 21, 1805. 
 
 Dec. 21, 1815 
 
 Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord 
 
 even so saith the spirit for they rest 
 
 from their labors 
 
 Sacred to the 
 
 Memory of Mr. 
 
 Samuel Tibbals 
 
 Who died July 14 
 
 1829 Aet. 64. 
 
 Sacred to the INIemory 
 
 of Mrs. Polly Consort to 
 
 Mr Caleb Todd 
 
 Who departed this Life 
 
 March loth A. D. 1792 in the 
 
 25th year of her Age 
 
 Here my dear Polly lies 
 Obscur'd in the dust 
 Thus all but virtue dies 
 Whose memor}- cannot rust. 
 
 There Shall Be No ^vlore Death 
 Mary Elizabeth 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Lauren Tuttle 
 
 died Feb. 26, 1843 
 
 AE. 26 y's 
 
 "Precious in the sight of the Lord 
 is the death of his saints." 
 
 P's C.X.VL 15. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Philomela Twiss 
 
 late Consort of Mr 
 
 Daniel Twiss 
 
 she suddenly departed 
 
 this life March 
 
 6th A. D. 1805, in the 
 
 35th year of her age 
 
 also Champion 
 
 son of Daniel & 
 
 Philomela Twiss 
 
 died May 6th 1800 
 
 AE. 6 Months 
 
 Though sudden gone 
 
 yet still in mind. 
 
 Erected 
 
 to the Memory of 
 
 Joseph Twiss 
 
 Who Died 
 
 ]\Iay 15, 1842 
 
 Aet. 81 
 
 Lois C. 
 
 Daughter of 
 
 Austin & Vincey Twiss 
 
 Died Dec. 24, 1842. 
 
 Aged 19 Years 
 
 F"riends nor physicians could not save 
 My mortal body from the grave 
 Nor can the grave con line mc here 
 When Christ my Saviour doth appear. 
 
 Bolivar A. 
 
 Son of 
 
 Austin & Vincey Twiss 
 
 Died March 25, 1844 
 
 Aet. 18. 
 
 Abigail Twiss 
 
 Daugh. of IMi- 
 
 Joseph & Mrs 
 
 Lois Twiss 
 
 died June 2, 1819, 
 
 Aet. 24 yrs. 
 
 Great God thy goodness hath no 
 
 bounds 
 We hope our friLMul hath mercy 
 
 found 
 iler nnnd i/ercast willi dismal 
 
 gloom 
 Has sought a refuge in the 
 
 tomb 
 Darkness & gloom shall flee 
 
 away 
 .\t the great opening day. 
 
202 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Lois Austin 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Joseph Tiss 
 
 Died Jan 31, 1848 
 
 Aet. 85. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Joshua A. Twiss 
 
 who died May 
 
 29, 1829, Aet. 
 26 
 This world is all a fleeting show 
 For mans probation given: 
 The smiles of joy the tears of wo, 
 Deceitful shine deceitful flow: 
 Theres nothing true but heaven. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 INIr. Hiram Upson 
 
 who died Sept. 22, 1836 
 
 Aged 33 years. 
 
 And of Mrs. Silvia 
 
 his wife who died Oct. 
 
 26, 1833 Aged 29 years 
 
 Also Sophronia their 
 
 daugh. died Sept. 22, 1833 
 
 Aged 10 weeks. 
 
 Erected 
 
 to the Memory 
 
 of 
 
 Charles Way 
 
 Who Died 
 
 Dec. 4, 1842 
 
 Aet. 36. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Betsey, wife of 
 
 Samuel Way 
 
 who died 
 
 May 2, 1 83 1 
 
 Aged SO years 
 
 Also 
 
 Sherman their son 
 
 died May 30, 181 1 
 
 Aged 2 years 
 
 Also 
 
 an infant son 
 
 died Sept. 3, 1818. 
 
 Abner Way 
 
 Died 
 May I, 1841. 
 
 Aged 88 
 Eunice Way 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. IS, i8si 
 
 Aged 90. 
 
 John A Way 
 
 Died 
 
 Oct. 5, 1848. 
 
 AE. 70 
 
 Deborah 
 
 Wife of 
 
 John A. Way, 
 
 Died Apr. 6, i8so 
 
 AE. 70 
 
 Samuel Way 
 
 Died 
 
 Oct. 27, 1844 
 
 AE. 83. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Sherman P. Way 
 
 who died 
 
 Apr. 8, 1840 
 
 AE. 28 
 
 The memory of the just is blessed. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Airs 
 
 Esther Webb 
 
 wife of Capt. 
 
 John Webb 
 
 who died March 
 
 25th A. D. 1806 
 
 AE. 94 years. 
 
 Erected to the memory 
 
 of Capt John Webb who 
 
 died May 6, 1799 aged 
 92 
 He was a Man of real piety 
 and Integrity Public spirit- 
 ed, kind to the poor. And 
 through Life a patron of 
 Religion peace & order 
 in Society 
 
 The Memory of the just is 
 blessed. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 20- 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Anna Wetmore, 
 
 wife of the late Revcl 
 
 Izrahiah Wetmore 
 
 of Trumbull 
 
 Who died July 6th 1812, 
 
 AE. 70 years 
 
 unites 
 How blest the pair whom christian love 
 
 nights 
 Joy smiles upon their days and crowns their 
 In peace their happy moments glide away 
 Till both are welcomed to eternal day. 
 
 In jMemory of 
 Deacn Benjamin 
 Whiting he died 
 Octbr ye 2nd 1773 in 
 ye 7(pth year of his Age 
 The sweet Remembrance 
 of the Just, When dying 
 Nature sleeps in Dust. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mrs. Rebekah 
 Relict of Dea 
 Benjamin Whiting' 
 Who died July 6th 
 A. D. 1790 AE. 91 
 Behold all ye 
 Who do pass by 
 If you live long 
 Yet you must die. 
 
 Erected in Memory 
 of Samuel Whiting 
 Esq!-. Who died Feb. 15th 
 A. D. 1803 in his 60th year 
 In the various offices of trust 
 which he sustained he ever 
 supported the character of a 
 respectable member of society— 
 A just and faithful magistrate — 
 A kind husband — an afifectionate 
 parent— A friend and supporter 
 of religion & morality — and a 
 humble, pious & exemplary 
 christian & died in the lively 
 hope of future bliss, through 
 the merits of a Saviour. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Caleb Wilcox 
 who died 
 
 Sept. 19, 1826 
 AE. 57. 
 His death was ocasioned by a sudden 
 and unexpected fall which he received ten 
 days previous to his death. 
 Therefore be ye also ready for in such 
 an hour as ye think not the Son 
 of man cometh. 
 
 In ^Memory of 
 
 mV. 
 
 Amos White 
 
 who died Aug. 
 
 21, 1825 Aged 
 
 80 years 
 
 In Memory of 
 Mrs. Hannah D. Wolf 
 Wife of 
 Mr. Seth D. Wolf 
 who departed this Life 
 March nth jygi in the 
 27th Year of her Age 
 Virtue & grace adorn'd her mind 
 Her thoughts & passions were resign'd 
 Her innocence so fair so clear 
 Who can restrain a falling tear. 
 
 Mr. 
 Ichabod Wood, 
 
 Died 
 
 Dec. 10, 1842, 
 
 Aged 65 Years. 
 
 Mrs. Mary 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Ichabod Wood 
 
 died May 2, 1835 
 
 Aged 53 j-ears 
 
 Come all my children that survive 
 
 And let us mourn together 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Asa Yale 
 
 who died 
 
 1829 
 .Aged 30 
 
204 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Abel Yale 
 Died 
 Sept. 23, 1859 
 Aged 75. 
 
 Mrs 
 
 Polly Wife of 
 
 Abel Yale 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 15, 1840 in her 
 
 49 year 
 
 Dearest Sister thou hast lost us 
 Here thy loss we deeply feel 
 But tis God that hath bereft us 
 He can all our sorrows heal 
 
 In Memory of Mr. Abel 
 
 Yale : Departed this Life 
 
 April 8th 1784 ill the 78th 
 
 year of his Age 
 
 The seens are changed, our days are fled 
 All earth born joys are o'er 
 Mortals must follow where we're lead 
 And reach the Eternal shore. 
 
 Erected to the Memory 
 
 of 
 
 Mrs. Sarah Yale, 
 
 the Consort of 
 
 Mr. Able Yale 
 
 She departed this life 
 
 Deer. 20th A. D. 1800, in the 
 
 89th year of her Age. 
 
 Mr. Daniel Yale 
 
 died March 28, 1834 
 
 in his 84th year 
 
 Deceased friends to you I come 
 To rest my body in the tomb 
 My soul with you shall rise above 
 To shout & sing redeeming love 
 
 Mrs Phebe Yale 
 
 his wife 
 
 died Nov. 17, 1835 
 
 in her 80 vear. 
 
 James M. Yale 
 
 Died 
 
 July 30, 1842 
 
 in his 23 j-ear 
 
 Fond clustering hopes have s^nk with thee 
 That earth cannot restore • 
 
 Love casts a garland on thy turf 
 That may not blossom more. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Ira Yale 
 
 Who departed this life 
 
 Dec. 9, 1814 
 
 AE. 56. 
 
 Also his wife 
 
 Betsey 
 
 Who departed this life 
 
 April 5, 1811, 
 
 AE. 27 
 
 and Also Mehitable, 
 Who departed this life 
 Dec. 6, 1814. 
 AE. 28. 
 
 Isaac Yale 
 
 Died 
 
 Aug. 16 
 
 1864 
 AE. 81. 
 
 Diana Yale 
 
 His Wife 
 
 Died 
 
 Apr. IS 1862 
 
 AE. 79. 
 
 In 
 Memory of 
 Eli Yale 
 Who died 
 June IS, 1843, 
 in the 32 year 
 of his age 
 Our life how short a groan a sigh 
 We live and then begin to die 
 But oh how great a mercy this 
 That deaths a portal into bliss 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 205 
 
 In 
 
 Alemory of 
 
 Anna daughter of 
 
 Isaac & Diana Yale 
 
 who died Dec. 23, 1829 
 
 Aged 22 
 
 She died in the full faith of her Redeemer 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Joel Yale 
 
 Who died Dec. 14th. 
 
 A. D. 1805, in his 
 
 47th year. 
 
 Farewell my earthly friends adieu 
 Vain would I bid farewell to you 
 Now in the dust my head I lay 
 To mingle with my native clay 
 While my immortal soul has fled 
 To meet the Judge of quick & dead 
 You too must moulder in the 
 
 tomb 
 Prepare to meet your final 
 
 doom 
 
 Esther 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Joel Yale, 
 
 died Nov. 13, 1848 
 
 Aet. 82. 
 
 Here lies interred 
 
 sacred to the Memory 
 
 the body of 
 
 John Yale 
 
 who died Jan 6 1782 
 
 AE. 95 
 
 Here lies interred sacred 
 
 to the Memory the body 
 of !Mr. Jolm Yale Jun. 
 
 Who departed this life, 
 
 in the faith & hope of 
 
 the Gospel on the 28 day 
 
 of March A .D. 1795. In the 
 
 65 year of his Age. 
 Death is a debt to nature due 
 Let not the dead forgotten lie 
 Remember that vour born to die 
 
 In Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Sarah Wife of Mr. 
 
 John Yale Who 
 
 died July 2"^ 1774 
 
 in ye 84th year 
 
 of her Age. 
 
 In 
 ^lemory of ]Mrs 
 Eunice Consort of Mr. 
 John Yale late 
 Consort to Capt. 
 John Couch, Who 
 died March sth A. D. 
 1800 AE. 71 years 
 Surviving friends altho jou mourn 
 Let this console I shall return 
 The righteous Judge can by his word 
 Bring me triumphing witli the Lord. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 John Yale 
 
 died 
 
 Aug. 8, 1833 
 
 AE. 76 
 
 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord 
 
 Rev. xiv. 13. 
 Betse}' 
 Wife of 
 John Yale 
 
 Ann Yale 
 Daughter of 
 
 John & 
 Betsey Yale 
 
 Died 
 Dec. 21, 1828 
 AE. 21 
 The sweet rcmeml)rance of the just 
 Shall flourish when they sleep in dust. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Jonathan Yale 
 
 died Feb. 3d 1832 
 
 in the 39^'i. year 
 
 of his age 
 
 Partner & friends a long farewell 
 
 Oh be prepared with God to dwell. 
 
206 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Sacred 
 to the Memory of 
 Mr. 
 Jonathan Yale 
 Who died Nov. 23 
 1823 in his TJ year 
 His exemplary Life was a testi 
 mony to the power of excellence 
 of that religion which he early 
 professed & his death an evidence 
 of those consolations & hope 
 which it can alone inspire. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Esther wid. of 
 Jonathan Yale 
 who died Oct. 12, 1825. 
 Aet. 74 
 She honoured a christian profession 
 by a pious life & liberality toward 
 the poor and the church of Christ. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Polly 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 Levi Yale 
 
 Daugh. of Joel & 
 
 Esther Yale who 
 
 died July 13*1^ A. D. 
 
 1810 AE. 20 years. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mf Levi Yale 
 
 he died Nov^r 
 
 17th 1772 in ye 
 
 28th year of 
 
 his Age. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mary Yale 
 
 Who died 
 
 Nov. 21, 1837 
 
 Aged 27 years 
 
 Miss 
 
 Esther Yale 
 
 died Aug. 24 A. D. 
 
 1825 Aet. 
 
 24- 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Deac. Nathaniel Yale 
 
 who departed this life 
 
 Dec. 12, 1814 
 
 AE. 62 
 
 The grave is honor'd where 
 
 the Christian lies 
 Beyond the Skies Immortality 
 
 In 
 Memory of Mrs. 
 
 Anna Yale 
 
 wife of Mr. Noah 
 
 Yale died Sept. 
 
 8th 1809 in 
 her 84th years 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Hannah 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Dea. Nathaniel Yale 
 
 Who died 
 
 Feb. 28, 1847 
 
 AE. 86. 
 
 In Memory of 
 Rebekah Daugtr 
 of Mr. Noah & 
 Mrs. Anna Yale 
 She died Novbr 
 15th 1773 in ye 6th 
 Year of her Age. 
 
 In 
 
 Memory 
 
 of Mr. 
 
 Noah Yale 
 
 Who died Feb. 27th. 
 
 A. D. 1803 in his 
 
 8oth year 
 
 Tho long you live & many 
 good days see 
 
 Yet to the grave you all 
 
 must follow me 
 
 From dust tho" art & must 
 to dust return 
 
 In silent language speaks each 
 mouldering urn 
 
KARLV IIISTORV, 
 
 207 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mr. Russel Yale, 
 
 Who died April 28th. 
 
 A. D. 1794. In the 19th. 
 
 year of his Age 
 
 Behold vain youth as you pass b}- 
 And think how suden you may di, 
 Come \ie\v my grave & read my age 
 Prepare for death while on the stage. 
 
 In Memory of Mr. 
 
 Samuel Yale 
 
 who died Sept. i8th A. D. 
 
 18 10 AE. 48 years 
 
 Also in ]\Iemory of Mrs. 
 Mahitabel wife of Mr. 
 Samuel Yale who died 
 Nov. 19th A. D. 1808 AE. 28 vears. 
 
 Erected 
 
 In Memorv of 
 
 Mrs. ' 
 
 Eunice Yale 
 
 Late Consort of Mr. 
 
 Samuel Yale 
 
 who died Aug. 
 
 1 8th A. D. 1804 
 
 in lier 44^^''. 
 
 year 
 
 My husband dear & children all 
 Forget me not tho I am gone 
 'l"he way of truth dont you des 
 
 pise 
 & Heavenly joys shall be the 
 
 prise. 
 
 Our Father and Mother 
 
 William Yale 
 
 Died Jan. 23, 1833 
 
 AE. 49 
 
 Mary Yale 
 
 Died Apr. i. 1854 
 
 AE. 69. 
 
 Susan Silence 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Samuel H. Yale 
 
 Died 
 
 June 8 1847 
 
 Aged 26 yrs 
 
 In 
 
 Memory of 
 
 Selden D. Yale, 
 
 Who died 
 
 in the City of N. York. 
 
 March 17, 1836, 
 
 Aged 19 j-ears. 
 
 Thus while the dew of his youth was 
 so fresh upon him, he was summoned 
 from the midst of a large circle 
 of affectionate relations and friends. 
 But he died in the full hope of a 
 blessed immortality. 
 
 As sets the morning star — 
 which goes not down behind the darkened 
 west, nor hides obscured among the 
 tempests of the sky. But melts away into 
 the sight of heaven. 
 
 This 
 
 monument is erected 
 
 to perpetuate 
 
 the memory of 
 
 Silas S. Yale 
 
 by his affectionate 
 
 Brother Levi 
 
 who departed this Life 
 
 June 30, 181 1 
 
 AE. 26. 
 
 In Menior\- of 
 
 Mr. John Yeamans 
 
 who died Jan ist. 
 
 1833 in his 81 St. 
 
 year 
 
 and of Mrs 
 
 lumice 
 
 Lis wife who died 
 
 Feb. 5, 1835 in lier 
 
 76 year. 
 
208 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Selina 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 John Yeamans 
 
 Jr. who died Oct. 
 
 II, 1820 Aet. 28 
 
 Also Eunice their 
 
 Daugh. died Feb. 16 
 
 181 7 Aet. 4 m. & 
 
 21 davs. 
 
 Caroline 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Solomon Yeamans 
 
 Died Feb. 10, 1855 
 
 Aged 39. 
 
 Sarah A. 
 
 their daughter 
 
 died Feb. 9, 1839 
 
 aged II mo's. 
 
 "each in his narrow cell forever laid, 
 
 THE rude forefathers OF THE HAMLET SLEEP.' 
 
^ 
 
 th 
 ds 
 
 )S- 
 
 lis 
 he 
 an 
 
 al- 
 )d- 
 to 
 
 )US 
 
 ids 
 in- 
 
 
 lie 
 ide 
 on. 
 ncr 
 
 irly 
 
 in"\' 
 
 jes. 
 
 dif- 
 
 lal] 
 
 ICx- 
 
 an 
 
 for 
 
 56 
 
 ime 
 
 lose 
 
 ised 
 
 be- 
 
 )ut- 
 
208 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In Memory of 
 
 Mrs. Selina 
 
 Wife of Mr. 
 
 John Yeamans 
 
 Jr. who died Oct. 
 
 II, 1820 Aet. 28 
 
 Also Eunice their 
 
 Daugh. died Feb. 16 
 
 181 7 Aet. 4 m. & 
 
 21 davs. 
 
 Carohne 
 
 Wife of 
 
 Solomon Yeamans 
 
 Died Feb. 10, 1855 
 
 Aged 39. 
 
 Sarah A. 
 
 their daughter 
 
 died Feb. 9, 1839 
 
 aged II mo's. 
 
 "each in his narrow cell forever laid, 
 the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. 
 

 2 /a '-^ - <»- 
 11 .-' % ' 
 
 (o! ' 
 
 
 .i «^ — ,...v.,.?'rR1\K\5.''^llR^,5 '' ' 
 
 ■' •Error This should be Aaron Lyman i ~--X L- J- "T" .JT^ 
 
 -- — ) »r c ^ \^- 
 
 DStead of Aaron Se 
 
208 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 20g 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 To faithfully and fully portray life in Meriden as it was durinsa,- tlie eighteenth 
 century is of course impossible ; but many facts have been gleaned from the records 
 that at least shed light on the conditions then existing, and which will make it pos- 
 sible for one with a little imagination to catch glimpses of th.c daily life of this 
 long forgotten generation and to acquire a slight acquaintance with some of the 
 characters that were once the central figures in this tiny community of more than 
 a century ago. 
 
 This parish was a very isolated farming settlement — a rural suburb of W'al- 
 lingford — one of the larger towns of the colony. Every family lived on the prod- 
 uce of its farm, or b}' the proceeds of some useful trade which was secondary to 
 the work of tilling the soil. There was no great difference between the various 
 families in the value of their possessions. There was not much wealth in the hands 
 of any one man, neither was any person ver}- poor, except he were some poor un- 
 fortunate to whom nature had denied an ortlinary mental equipment. 
 
 Many of the houses have been portrayed, and more will be shown later. Life 
 in them was of a Spartan-like simplicity. There was little news from the outside 
 world: there were no daily newspapers and ver}- little to read of any description. 
 Of course the Bible was read and reread, faitlifull}' and devoutl\' in a manner 
 of which we can hardly form a conception. 
 
 The early Puritan read the Bible to such an extent that his mind was fairly 
 Judaized as some one has expressed it, and his successor of the eighteenth century 
 for want of other material was nearly as faithful in his devotion to its sacred pages. 
 
 The few presses in the colony were always busy printing the sermons of dif- 
 ferent eminent preachers, which were widely circulated and read. Parson Hall 
 delivered a sermon on August lo, 1760, entitled "A Saving I'aith .Scriplurally Ex- 
 plained" that was afterwards published, and a copy dug out of the rubbish of an 
 old ]\Ieriden attic, where it had slumbered in an ancient pelt covered trunk for 
 at least seventy-five years, bears the marks of most diligent reading. Its 56 
 pages are stained and worn with constant use. lieside it was a l'.il)le in the same 
 condition. They are silent witnesses of the dearth of reading material in those 
 days of long ago. 
 
 The annual almanac was a notewnrlln event, and it was read diligently, used 
 as a farmer's log book, and bv some the weather ])redictions were implicity be- 
 lieved. About the onlv book f(ir children was the Xcw I'.ngland Primer. Out- 
 14 
 
>IO A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 side of the school books it was ahiiost their sole mental pabulum and stimulus. ^ 
 iven when the library was established in Meriden in 1796, the list of books in its 
 :atalogue has hardly a single inviting title. Truly it was a time of literary famine. 
 
 All the dwellings in IMeriden were farm houses ; there was no village street 
 vhere could be found the homes of those who had accumulated sufficient wealth 
 ;o indulge in a dignified architectural representation of their position and taste. 
 Meriden houses were plain to severity. There was little or no attempt at orna- 
 nentation on the exterior. Inside there was frequently to be found some good 
 )aneling and wainscoting, or a handsome mantel, or a quaint and pleasing corner 
 cupboard. On ever\' house the clapboards were nailed directly to the studding, 
 md in the earliest there was no plaster on the inside of the outside walls, boards 
 )eing used in its place. 
 
 Such houses were comfortable enough in summer ; but think what the condi- 
 ion must have been in winter ! Of course, the cold of the rooms was tempered 
 )y the huge fires maintained on the ample hearths. But as such fires only rad- 
 ate heat as they do light, one part of the body would be roasted, while over the 
 
 1 The writer has a little book entitled "The School of Good Manners," printed in New London in 
 754 by T. & J. Green. It was designed for the instruction of children and this copy has been well 
 humbed. A picture of the times is presented in the following extracts : "Mal^e a Bow always when 
 'ou come Home and be immediately uncoverd" ; "Never Sit in the Presence of Thy Parents without 
 lidding, the' no Stranger be present." "Never speak to thy Parents without some Title of Respect, viz. 
 )ir. Madam, &c." "Sit not down at Table till thou art bidden by thy Parents." "Speak not at the 
 ^able." "Bite not thy Bread, but break it ; but not with slovenly Fingers nor with the same where- 
 rith thou takest up thy Meat." Apparently there were no forks. 
 
 There was another book, widely circulated in N. E. entitled "The Day of Doom," by Michael Wig- 
 lesworth. Tyler (in his History of American Literature) says "its pages were assigned in course 
 little children, to be learned by heart, along with the catechism." The pictures of the torments of 
 lell are most graphic and it is scarcely conceivable that such a book should have been put in the 
 lands of children at the impressionable age. At the last judgment the words spoken to unbaptized 
 hildren are as follows : 
 
 "You sinners are : and such a share 
 
 As sinners, may expect. 
 
 Such you shall have, for I do save A crime it is ; therefore in bliss 
 
 None but mine own elect. You may not hope to dwell ; 
 
 Yet to compare your sin with their But unto you I shall allow 
 
 Who lived a longer time, Tjie easiest room in hell." 
 
 I do confess yours is much less 
 
 Though every sin's a crime. 
 
 The torments of those in hell are thus scorchingly described: 
 
 With iron bands they bind their hands For day and night, in their despite 
 
 And cursed feet together ; Their tormenfs smoke ascendeth ; 
 
 And cast them all, both great and small. Their pain and grief have no relief, 
 
 Into that lake forever ; Their anguish never endeth. 
 
 Where day and night, without respite. There must they live and never die 
 
 They wail and cry and howl. Though dying every day. 
 
 For torturing pain which they sustain. There must they, dying, ever live, 
 
 In body and in soul. And not consume away. 
 
 This milk for babes and intellectual stimulus for adults, was absorbed down to the beginning of the 
 ast century. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 211 
 
 other, the drafts generated by the huge fires would play an accompaniment to Jack 
 Frost outside. If this was the lot of one in the sitting room or kitchen, it is easy 
 to imagine the situation in a bed room and to understand the use for warming pans 
 and feather beds. They were absolute necessities if one did not wish to freeze 
 to death. 
 
 Of course, no water could be kept in a chamber in such a frigid temperature, 
 and as there were no bathrooms or places of ablution except in the kitchen, the 
 habits of personal cleanliness to which all are accustomed to-day must have been 
 almost wholly lacking. One will look in vain in the ancient inventories for such 
 items as washbowls and pitchers. There w'as now and then such an article as 
 a pewter or an earthen bowl, but water was not considered the necessity it is deemed 
 to-da}'. Even at a much later date when our forbears had begun to use the earthen 
 ware bowl and pitcher the diminutive size is a confession, that even in warm 
 weather at that date, the maxim of Lord Bacon that "Cleanliness of body was 
 ever deemed to proceed from a due reverence to God" was more honored in the 
 breach than in the observance. 
 
 There was certainly an abundance of food of various kinds, but fresh meat 
 could only be had when a "butchering" took place, and every farmer was accus- 
 tomed in the fall to salt down a hog or a side of beef for use during the long winter 
 months. Poultry there was in plenty, and eggs, milk, butter and cheese, and veg- 
 etables of various kinds. But the cooking" can hardly have been of a nature to 
 tempt the modern appetite. 
 
 Game must have been in abundance at first, but even as long ago as 1760 there 
 was a law in force on the colonial statute book regulating the killing of deer, and 
 forbidding it each year between the first day of January and the first day of August, 
 under a penalty of four pounds for every ofifense. In several cases the writer has 
 noticed in the ancient inventories the mention of wild pigeon nets, showing that 
 our ancestors were prepared to take advantage of the great flights of pigeons that 
 annually took place, and to have a great feast of these toothsome birds, besides 
 using the feathers for beds and pillows.^ 
 
 Troublesome game was more abundant than deer. In the issue of the N^ew 
 London Gazette Oct. 10, 1766, appears a letter from Hartford saying, "There are 
 the greatest number of bears come down among the towns that ever was known : 
 they destroy great quantities of Indian corn and make great havoc among the 
 sheep and swine. Last Tuesday morning a large He Ik^ar was discovered in an 
 inclosure opposite the Treasurers and being j^ursred he took to ilie Alain street." 
 etc.. etc. "In the evening he was roasted whole and a large com])any sup"d on 
 him." 
 
 1 Trumbull'.s History of Conn. Vol. I., p. 20, ed. 1898. says: "There were such incredible numbers 
 of pigeons in New England, when the English became first acquainted with it, as filled them with a kind 
 of astonishment. Such numerous and extensive flocks would be seen flying for some hours, in the morn- 
 ing, th:U they would obscure the light. "' This continued until well into the eighteenth century. 
 
212 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Again, on Feb. 2, 1767, a Hartford letter says in same newspaper, "One night 
 last week a panther killed nine sheep in a yard at Windsor." When such things 
 could happen in towns as large as these it can easily be imagined how plentiful 
 game was about Meriden. A bounty was paid for all troublesome game de- 
 stroyed ; notably wolves. On one occasion Thomas Yale killed a she wolf which 
 was about to litter. The town voted to pay the bounty for the old wolf but balked 
 at the "young wolves that were in the belly of the wolf he killed."^ 
 
 These illustrations of the primitive conditions then existing might be multiplied 
 by accounts of the household work of the women, in weaving the wool into gar- 
 ments, and the flax into linen for sheets and undergarments ; of home-made soap 
 and candles ; and of the various domestic makeshifts for what is now to be pur- 
 chased ready made at any store. But enough has been written to make us realize 
 the truth of the statement made by Henry Adams in his History of the United 
 States, saying that "neither their houses, their clothing, their food and drink, their 
 agricultural tools and methods, their stock, nor their habits were so greatly al- 
 tered or improved by time that the eorls and ceorls of Offa and Egbert would have 
 found much difficult}- in accommodating their lives to that of their descendants of 
 the eighteenth century."^ 
 
 All worked with their hands, either at farming or in following some useful 
 trade such as that of a blacksmith, a carpenter, a shoemaker, or a tanner. Most 
 of the clothing was homespun, woven at home by the women, as well as made 
 up into suits and gowns by them. 
 
 It was common to apprentice young boys to a neighbor to learn a trade, and the 
 l)apers and documents drawn up and executed on such occasions were of a very 
 formal and binding nature. Daniel Hough, who lived at the corner of Curtis and 
 Ann streets, was a blacksmith and nail maker. 
 
 In 1746 his uncle, William Hough, the doctor, whose house still stands in Wal- 
 nut Grove cemetery, placed his son, William, with Daniel, to learn the trade. The 
 following is a copy of the document that was executed at the time: 
 
 "This Indenture made this twenty-fourth day of March in the nineteenth year 
 of the Reign of King George y® Second Annoq. Domini 1746. Between William 
 Hough of Meriden in Wallingford in Xew Haven County in Connecticut Colony 
 
 1 A gentleman who was a boy in Meriden in 1830, not long ago wrote as follows : It may interest 
 some of your sportsmen to know that in 1830 the streams all the way from Black Pond to the "Corner" 
 were the habitat of great numbers of speckled trout, and three-pounders have been taken from Pratts- 
 ville pond by a boy with a short pole, a piece of twine, and a common hook baited with a worm. I have 
 seen Sherman Lawrence about 1830, carrying a string of trout of large size, which he had caught with 
 the primitive gear of that day, in the stream ju.st above the bridge at the "Corner." 
 
 Lovers of the gentle art of Izaak Walton would have found a paradise in this territory during the 
 eighteenth century ; but It is doubtful if trout were as highly e.steemed then as they are to-day. 
 The writer has heard second-hand from one who was a boy then, that the streams were so full of trout 
 that no effort was required to catch them. 
 
 2 Vol L, pp. 16-17. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 213 
 
 in Xew England & his son William Hough on the one part and Daniel Hough of 
 s*^ Meriden in County & Colony afores*^ Blacksmith & Xailer. on the other part 
 witnesseth 
 
 That the s*^^ William Hough minor 1)_\- & with the advice & consent of his father 
 doth Hereby bind and put out Himself unto the s*^ Daniel Hough as an apprentice 
 to Serve for the full space of six years to be compleated from the twenty-fourth 
 day of this Instant March, During all which term of time the s^ apprentice his s'' 
 Master & ]\Iistress shall faithfully serve, their Secrets keep and all their Lawful 
 Commands obey : During s*^ term the s*^ apprentice shall not fornication committ 
 nor Matrimony Contract, neither shall he spend his time in idleness, nor in any 
 other unlawful way during all s'^ term, neither shall He purloin his s*^ Masters Es- 
 tate, nor do any Rong thereunto, nor suffer it to be done by others without due in- 
 formation thereof, nor absent himself from his s*^ master's service during all s*^ 
 term : But shall do His Honest Endeavour to promote his Master's Interest & his 
 s^ Master & ^listress shall faithfully Serve as an apprentice ought to do During 
 all s** term. 
 
 And the s*^ Daniel Hough doth Hereby bind and oblige Himself unto the s*^ 
 apprentice that he will teach & instruct him or cause Him to be well taught and 
 learnt in the art & m}stery of a Blacksmith and also of a Xailer and teach and 
 instruct him in writing and C3'phering so far as to be able to keep a Book of ac- 
 compts, and that he will well provide for the s*^ apprentice suitable Meat Drink ap- 
 parel washing & lodging Both in Sickness &. Health During all s*^ term. And at 
 the end of s*^ term, that he w'ill Dismiss the s*^^ apprentice with two Good Suits of 
 apparel to all parts of his Body the one for work Days & the other for holy days. 
 In witness whereof the partys Have Hereunto interchangeably set Hands & Seals 
 the Day & Date first mentioned. 
 
 Signed Sealed & Delivered in presence of William Hough 
 
 Theophilus Hall WW' l:oi-gh. 
 
 Hannah Hall Daniel Hough" 
 
 Whether the terms of this indenture were faithfully kept we do not know ; j^er- 
 haps not, for on Dec. i6 of the following \ear Daniel sued Dr. Hough and attached 
 his real estate in ]\Ieriden. Wm. Hough, Jr., afterwards carried on the blacksmith 
 business in Rice's Farms in a sho]) near his home. These apprentices sometimes 
 caused their masters trouble and now and then ran away. The following adver- 
 tisement is from a X>w Haven newspaper : 
 
 "Run away from the subscriber, (m Tuesday, the 4th inst. Sept. an ap])renlice 
 by the name of Cull Malorx. about 20 years old, 5 feet high, light complexion. 
 \\ hoever will return said boy shall receive one cent reward and no charges. All 
 persons are forbid harboring or trusting said boy on penalty of the law. 
 
 Joseph Twiss." 
 
214 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Evidently the notice was for the pnrpose of disclaiming all responsibility for 
 bills the boy might contract rather than to get him back. Joseph Twiss lived on 
 Colony street in the old Robert Collins place. 
 
 Naturally the first industry to locate in Meriden, other than farming and some 
 of the minor crafts such as shoemaking and blacksmithing, was milling. The first 
 mill of which we have a record was one owned by James Hough. On May 14th, 
 1730, he bought of the Way family two acres in the "bend of the Harbor where it 
 was most convenient to build a saw mill."^ 
 
 The "bend" was the name given to that part of Harbor brook where it changes 
 from a northerly course and bends towards the southwest. Very shortly a grist 
 mill was added and the old records sometimes mention one and sometimes the 
 other. 
 
 James Hough was the son of Samuel, who was proprietor of a mill somewhere 
 in the vicinity of Spruce Glen or Gutter, just over the Wallingford line. Samuel 
 in his will dated in 17 14 mentions the mill and gives it to his grandson Samuel 
 who afterwards sold it to his father James, so that James at one time owned two 
 mills. 
 
 When Wall street was laid out in 1739 it terminated at Hough's Mills, accord- 
 ing to the records, joining the road leading to Middletown. These saw and grist 
 mills continued in possession of James and his son Phineas, during the greater 
 part of the eighteenth century. 
 
 The first outsider to obtain an interest in the mills was Joseph Shaylor, who 
 on May 7, 1790, bought a quarter share from the heirs of Phineas Hough. His 
 venture was not successful for a little later he was forced out on an execution for 
 debt. Then Joel Mix and Jonathan Collins became part owners. On Dec. 15, 
 1796, James Baldwin obtained a quarter interest in the saw mill, and the year 
 previous Titus Brockett bought all rights in the grist mill, so that for a term of 
 years it was known as Brockett's mill. James Baldwin eventually obtained both 
 mills and also bought the James Hough homestead now owned by Gardner Rey- 
 nolds. The mill, as every one knows, is still Baldwin property. That the saw and 
 grist mills were contiguous is a natural inference, but just where each was located 
 it is impossible to tell for the present mill is modern and so is the dam. Some 
 thirty-five years ago when a new dam was being built it was swept away by a 
 freshet ; the result was a flood that inundated that section then known as West 
 Meriden.2 
 
 There was another Hough mill in the town, still known by that name. It is 
 located in the extreme western part on the Ouinnipiac river — almost in the town 
 of Cheshire. The first mention of this property that the writer has been able to 
 
 1 Wallingford land records Vol. VI., p. 329. 
 
 2 In 1807 Samuel and William Yale bought a right in the saw mill which they continued to own 
 for a few years. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 -^15 
 
 discover was made in the year 1776, and then incidentally in the transfer of a piece 
 of real estate near it. Probably the mill was established much earlier than this 
 date. 
 
 It was known as the Ephraim Hough^ mill and was nsed both for sawing logs 
 and grinding grain. The illustration from a photograph taken twenty years ago, 
 shows a building that is evidently quite ancient and may be the original grist mill. 
 There is a tradition that corn was here ground and then carted to New Haven 
 to be shipped to the West Indies. It is said that spoons were once manufactured 
 in the old building. Certain it is that this mill and the vicinity was once a very 
 busy place and the center of more trade than was then carried on in Meriden. 
 
 It continued in the Hough family solely until 1784 when James Baldwin bought 
 an interest in it — the same Baldwin who later purchased Hough mills in the north 
 
 -^IJEjc: '' 
 
 ^^, 1 
 
 jm^^^^^^^^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 HOUGH S MILL. 
 
 east section of the town. On Dec. 12, 1792, he sold his right to Caleb Atwater and 
 later the property was acquired by a firm called Wadsworth, Hull- & Atwater. 
 During the last century- it was for a long time owned by the Bristol family. It is 
 now occupied by George McKenzie, who still grinds grain at the old stand and 
 also uses the water power for polishing marble grave stones which are cut in the 
 yard adjoining. 
 
 In the east part of Meriden on Black Pond brook were a saw and a grist 
 mill that should be mentioned. The earliest notice is in a deed dated Mar. 3, 1783, 
 
 1 He was a son of Jame.= Hough, owner of mill in N. E. part of Meriden. 
 
 2 Generals .James Wadsworth of Durham and Andrew Hull of Cheshire. 
 
2l6 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 in which Levi Hall gives to John Ives, Jr., a half interest in a grist mill on Black 
 Pond brook, half a mile west of the pond. In 1785 the two owners admitted 
 Joshua Ives into the partnership. Apparently the location of this mill was a little 
 east of where the Charles Parker Co. spoon factory is now situated, the east end 
 of a small pond still in existence marking the site. In 1785 Silvanus Nichols, of 
 Middletown, bought this property, who in turn sold it to Joseph Driggs, of the 
 same place in 1792. In 1794 Constant Miller bought it and had added a fulling 
 plant to the establishment by 1796. \'ery shortly, the records call it solely the 
 fulling mill and in the early part of the next century it has grown to the dignity of 
 a clothier's shop, and is the property of Stephen ^Miller, who sold it to his three 
 sons in 1816; in 1829 the records call it an establishment for "carrying on the 
 clothier's and dyer's business and carding wool." On Nov. 2, 1837, Joseph Miller 
 sold the mill to Samuel Cook, who conducted the business for a number of years. 
 
 Quite a distance southeast of the Miller clothier's shop, in fact, near the dam 
 or outlet of Black Pond was a saw mill that was probably run by Brenton Hall. 
 It was then abandoned and probably disappeared, for on Nov. 9, 1796, Brenton 
 Hall leased to Phineas Hall 2d, the "saw mill place where the saw mill formerly 
 stood," and by the terms of the lease Phineas was obliged to erect the mill and 
 give to Brenton half the net proceeds. It was apparently run for a number of 
 \ears by Phineas Hall. Alany years later Edwin Birdsey owned a saw mill at 
 the same location, where he later manufactured wooden drawer pulls, wooden 
 combs and bone buttons. The shop was afterwards destroyed by lire. 
 
 In the year 1735 John Merriam, Sr., owned a saw mill that was run by water 
 power supplied by Sodom brook. The first mention of it was when he opened up 
 a two rod highway, starting at the Country road just north of his house, and 
 running west to his saw mill. As previously mentioned, this was the beginning 
 of West Main street. The stream was at that early date called Beaver Dam 
 brook. Sodom was at that time a name for a tract of country lying west of the 
 State- School for Boys. This Merriam saw mill in all probability was situated 
 where Nathan Fenn's mill was located many years after; The pond was drained 
 off when the Waterbury railroad was built, and the railroad station stands in what 
 was formerly the bed of the pond and is a short distance east of the old mill site. 
 Merriam's saw mill is frequently mentioned in the records during the eighteenth 
 century, and for a number of years after the nineteenth century had opened. 
 
 The first notice found of Andrews' mill was in the year 1798 when Ezekiel 
 Rice sold to Ambrose Hough a piece of land on which to build a grist mill and at 
 the same time Moses Andrews leased to Hough a tract of land to flood when his 
 dam should be built. The following year Hough disposed of the property and it 
 was soon in the hands of Giles Foster and then included a kiln drying house, show- 
 ing that a saw mill had been added, and later the records say a gin dis- 
 tillerv was installed. Two vears later Eli Barnes, who was then livine' in 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 2\'J 
 
 the house now known as the Calvin Coe place, bought the mill. It would 
 be tedious to follow the different transfers until it finally drifted into the hands of 
 the Andrews famil}- by whom it was run as a grist mill man}- }ears during the last 
 century. The old establishment is idle now and it has ground its last bag of grain 
 for the dam and pond have disappeared, and the old building stands as a monu- 
 ment of departed days and conditions. For those who do not know the old names 
 and places, it may be stated that the mill is on the road to Hanover or South ]\Ier- 
 iden, a few hundred feet east of the Oliver Rice place. 
 
 The reason that Ambrose Hough (who was a son of Ephraim Hough, owner 
 of Hough's mill near Cheshire street) sold the Andrews mill, was because he had 
 cast his e}"e on a site nearer the center of the parish. Cat Swamp, just south of the 
 Curtain Fixture factor}- on Parker avenue, is the source of a small stream that runs 
 north and crosses Broad near Liberty street and runs down near the reservoir on 
 Hobart street, and finally makes its way westward under Center street and the 
 Manning, Bowman & Co. factory until it comes to Harbor Brook. At the point 
 near the intersection of Broad and Liberty streets it was known a hundred years 
 ago as Roaring Gully. In the year 1800 Levi Curtis, who lived in the old Samuel 
 Jerome house and owned a part of the fami, leased to Ambrose Hough a piece of 
 land southwest of his house and extending west across the south end of present 
 Hobart street to erect a dam and form a pond for his grist mill that he was to build. 
 The land in the vicinity has now been filled in to such an extent that it is difficult 
 to realize that there was ever a pond and a mill in that locality. The brook must 
 have been a much larger stream than it is to-day to have gained such a formidable 
 name as Roaring Gully. At about the same time Mi:»»Hough built a house in which 
 he lived, that is still standing and owned by Walter B. Hall, No. 202 Liberty street. 
 The position of the house so far below the level of the street is a strong evidence 
 of how much filling in has taken place at that point. Mr. Hough's mill must 
 have stood a short distance east of Center and north of Liberty streets. There are 
 many people living who remember this pond called Jordan, in which the r>aptists 
 formerly immersed their converts. 
 
 In 1804 a gin distillery was added to the establishment and William Olds was 
 admitted as a partner, and later Partrick Clark became a part owner. How long 
 the mill and distilling plant continued to be used the wiiter has ''een unable tc 
 learn; the last notice of it was in 1828 when it was owned by Jonathan Xicholson 
 and Cyrus Manvil of New Haven. 
 
 Fulling mills were necessary establishments in a community where most of the 
 cloth worn was woven in the farm houses by the wives and daughters. Before 
 this home-spun fa1:iric could be used it was necessary to have it treated in fulling 
 stocks or troughs, where it was made thoroughly wet with warm soap and water, 
 or fuller's earth in place of the soap. It was here vigorously pounded by great 
 oaken mallets worked h\ water power. This process cleaned the web, and at the 
 
2l8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 same time thickened and shrunk it. A nap was given by "teazehing" or scratch- 
 ing the surface with a large prickly bur or thistle grown on a plant that was cul- 
 tivated for the purpose and called fuller's teazel. If a color was to be given the 
 cloth was immediately placed in the dyeing vats, and afterwards taken to the tenter 
 field, where it was spread to dry. 
 
 Naturally, there were shops and mills in Wallingford many years before any 
 were established in Meriden. As a matter of fact, as long ago as 1746, there was 
 a ship-building yard on the Ouinnipiac river that must have been on the other 
 side of the stream opposite where the factory of R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. is 
 located. On Book 10, Page 208, of the Wallingford land records. Lent Munson 
 transferred to Daniel Clark "25^ acres of meadow land on the west side of the river 
 a little south of Parker's bridge near against the middle of the town at the Ship 
 Building Yard." The word "ship" indicates that boats of considerable size were 
 constructed, perhaps as large as a small-sized sloop. David Cook, of Wallingford, 
 an active man at this date, was a ship owner and had vessels that were sent to all 
 parts of the world, and were used in bringing negro slaves to this country. Who 
 owned the ship-building yard no one knows. 
 
 That section of Wallingford, now known as Yalesville, was once called Tyler's 
 Mills. In the year 1748 Samuel Tyler, of that locality, owned a fulling mill which 
 must have stood a little east of the present dam, for the meadow where it was 
 located was bounded on the east by the river, but his clothing shop was on the hill 
 west of it, perhaps where the Parker box shop now stands. In the year mentioned 
 Tyler leased the mill and shop to James Hazard of Blanford, Mass., for the term 
 of three years, with all utensils belonging to said mill for carrying on the clothiers 
 trade, such as mill "tainters," hooks, shears, presses, dyes, dye stufif, coppers, etc., 
 and also the help of his two sons, Lothrop and Samuel Tyler, who were to be 
 taught the art and mystery of the clothier's trade. Tyler was "to provide Hazard 
 with sufficient meat, drink, washing and lodging, and keep the mill in repair," and 
 was to receive as remuneration half the proceeds. This lease appears on Book 
 10, Page 494, of Wallingford land records, and is the first mention the writer has 
 found of a fulling mill in the town of Wallingford. 
 
 One of the mills in Meriden of this description has been mentioned. There 
 were two others : the first was near the Ephraim Hough mill at the Cheshire line. 
 The earliest mention of it was in 1769 when Ephraim Hough gave to his son 
 Ephraim a piece of land on which stood a fulling mill he had built for him. It is 
 mentioned again incidentally in 1793 and afterwards there is no further notice 
 to be found. It stood just west of the grist mill. 
 
 In the September 12, 1797, issue of the Connecticut Journal, New Haven, ap- 
 pears the following advertisement : 
 
 "Blue Dveing: The business of fulling, dveing and dressing woolen cloth blue 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 2I9 
 
 (and other colors) is carried on by the subscriber: also, woolen, cotton, and linen 
 }arn dyed bine. Those who wish for work done in the above business, are in- 
 vited to call on the subscriber at his shop in Meriden, where he wishes to serve 
 the public to their satisfaction. Noel Ives. 
 
 Meriden September 12 1797." 
 
 The writer is unable to positively identify the site of this fulling mill. There 
 is, however, a strong probability that it was on that branch of Pilgrims" Harbor 
 brook which flows north into Baldwin's pond. 
 
 Many persons know the location of a huge trap-rock bowlder standing on the 
 edge of the_ brook, about a quarter of a mile east of Gravel street, which is called 
 Phebe rock. Children used to resort there years ago for picnics and afternoon 
 excursions. Some three or four hundred feet south of this rock on the edge of 
 the brook, can still be plainly traced, depressions marking the site of a wheelpit 
 and raceway ; while some ways to the south are to be seen the remains of an ancient 
 dam. There is not the slightest sign of a building or machinery. 
 
 William Atwater, who has lived more than fourscore years and ten and is 
 still in vigorous health, resides in a house on Gravel street, directly west of this 
 mill site ; he led the writer to the spot one summer afternoon, during the year 
 just passed. Trees and shrubs now shelter the place with a thick shade, and the 
 brook glides quietly by on its way to Baldwin's pond to the north. William Hub- 
 bard Yale, who died a few years ago an old man, once pointed out the site to 
 Mr. Atwater and told him that long ago a fulling mill was located there, 
 but whose it was he did not know, although he, his father and grandfather had 
 owned the adjoining farm for a hundred years at least. There seems to the writer 
 little doubt that Mr. Yale pointed out to Mr. Atwater the site of Noel Ives' full- 
 ing mill and further evidence that this mill was located in about the spot mentioned 
 is found in the following advertisement from the Middlesex Gazette of Mar. i, 
 1797: 
 
 "The Subscriber respectfully informs the Public, that he is about to set up the 
 dyeing of Cotton and Linen Yarn Blue, at Meriden in Wallingford, one mile east 
 of the Meeting House at the Clothier's Shop occupied by Noel Ives. Those that 
 will please to favor hiiu with their custom may depend on having good colours and 
 done with Dispatch by Josc])h Rogers." 
 
 In the year 1781 a stocking weaving shop was established, somewhere, a])i)ar- 
 cntly, on the Country road in Rice's farms, for in the Connecticut Journal under 
 date of October, 1781, the following advertisement api)ears : 
 
 '■James Vautie, stocking weaver. Has removed into .Meriden, about four miles 
 north of Wallingford Meeting Hf)i'se, on the road to Hartford, where he carries 
 
220 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 on his trade of Stocking-weaving and asks the continuance of the Favour of his 
 former customers, and others. Said Vautie wants a journey man Stocking- weaver, 
 wdio may have constant employ and good wages. Also an Apprentice to said Bus- 
 iness." 
 
 In the issue of the Middlesex Gazette dated April 20, 1801, "Jonathan Yale in- 
 forms the public, that he intends carrying on the business of Dyeing yarn blue 
 and stamping handkerchiefs at his dwelling house in Meriden." 
 
 On Colony street, on the east side, perhaps about opposite the foot of Wilcox 
 avenue, was once a shop for manufacturing potash. The first mention of the es- 
 tablishment was in the year 1771 when it was owned by John Barrett. In the 
 Connecticut Journal July 30, 1777, appears the following notice: 
 
 "On Thursday the 7th day of August will be sold at Robinsons tavern in Mer- 
 iden ; The dwelling house, both potash works, and utensils, together with the land 
 on which they stand, in quantity about an acre and a half, situate in said Meriden, 
 being the same lately owned by Mr. Barrett. The potash works are as complete 
 as any in the state : the house has been built but a little while and that with the 
 other buildings are in good repair. The vendue will begin at three of the clock 
 P. M. A title to the aforesaid several houses, barns &c will be given by the sub- 
 scribers of said Xew Haven. 
 
 Samuel Bishop Junior 
 David Austin 
 Pierpont Edwards" 
 
 Matthew Bellamy bought the works and John Carter, Jehiel Preston and John 
 Hooker were later owners. 
 
 In the year 1795 Amos White bought the corner adjoining the present home lot 
 of Eli C. Birdsey and erected a store, and we find in the Middlesex Gazette, under 
 date of May i8th, 1796. the following: 
 
 "New Goods: Just opened and now ready for sale, a few rods east of the 
 Meeting House in Meriden, a general assortment of Dr}- Goods, Groceries and 
 Hardware, which will be disposed of on very reasonable Terms for cash or short 
 approved credit. Amos White & Co." 
 
 The "Co." was a man named John Hooker, for he seems to have been 
 closely associated with him in business. Amos White was later the first town 
 clerk of Meriden. This store was probably the first one opened in Meriden. The 
 lot was bounded on the east by Sabbath day house and horse shed lots according 
 to the deed. 
 
i:aklv history. 
 
 221 
 
 Another store, started shortly after, was owned by Amasa Curtis, whose part- 
 ner was Isaac Lewis, father of the late Isaac C. Lewis. It was at first on the east 
 side of Curtis street near its junction with liroad but in the year 1800 it was 
 located just opposite, in the old house which is still standing- in the point formed 
 by Curtis and Broad streets. 
 
 The business was carried on in the northwest room, and continued until the vear 
 1808 wdien Amasa died, only thirty-nine years old. He built the house and bought 
 the lot in 1799. of Benjamin Hart, the consideration being a beaver hat. There 
 was just an acre in the plot and it was bounded on all sides bv streets, the high- 
 
 AMOS CURTIS HOUSE. 
 
 way running west from Curtis street being then in existence : it lias alrcad}' l)een 
 described. 
 
 The house was bought of the Amasa Curtis heirs by Amos, his Ijroilier. and 
 most people know it to-da\- as the Amos Curtis i)lace. In it were born his children, 
 the late William A., the late Svlvester J., a stockbroker of Xew York and the late 
 Mrs. Edgar Alunson (Lucy Maria), of W'illiamsport. Pa. The writer has heard 
 many times of the trips to X"ew York made by Amasa to buy goods for his little 
 country shop: of how his wife and neighbors would gather around and throw old 
 shoes after him as an omen of good luck, when he started on the perilous trij) to 
 
222 A CENTURY OF AlEKIDEN. 
 
 the great citv, which involved perhaps several days in a sailing vessel on the waters 
 of the Sound, or two or three days in a stage coach. 
 
 Wallingford village, as compared to ^leriden in those early days, was a large 
 town. There were several stores there, a short account of which may not be amiss. 
 
 One was run by the immortal Roger Sherman, of New Haven, an ardent 
 patriot, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. In an advertisement in 
 the Connecticut Gazette of March lo, 1761, he speaks of his stores at New Haven 
 and Wallingford. In two entries of the town records he levied execution on two 
 different farms in Meriden showing that he must have had business in this vicinit}-. 
 
 Under date of January 17, 1761, the Connecticut Gazette prints, "Jwst im- 
 ported and to be sold by Samuel Holt, Wallingford, an assortment of English 
 goods." 
 
 Under date of March 4, 1778, The Connecticut Journal prints, "To be sold 
 by Jason Tyler, of Wallingford: West India and New England rum, currant 
 wine, Muscovado sugar of the best quality, indigo, pins, needles, choice bohea Tea, 
 alspices, Dilsworths Spelling Books, white holland cambric, gauze, fine twixed 
 dimothy, chintz, calico, mohair, snuff, white and black shammy gloves, white lead, 
 Prussian blue, black ribbon, white tape, writing paper, a quantity of cyder ; Goshen 
 peas and cheese, bar iron, cart tire, crooked and straight combs, scissors and jack- 
 knives." What modern store in Wallingford can display a greater variety? 
 
 The year 1779, Jan. 24, the same paper says, "To be sold for cash at the store 
 adjoining Doctor Jared Potter's in Wallingford — Rum, wine, etc." Dr. Potter 
 was one of the most prominent physicians in New Haven county and his home 
 lot is now the site of St. Paul's Episcopal church. 
 
 The same year the doctor advertises, "Rum. brandy, coff'ee. tea, pepper, indigo, 
 nails, etc.," and again on March 24, 1779. "American manufactured steel to be 
 sold by Doctor Jared Potter, in W'allingford." 
 
 On June 23, 1779, the Connecticut Journal prints, "Excellent earthen ware by 
 wholesale and retail, to be sold on as reasonable Terms as the Times w-ill admit of 
 by Hosford and Hull at their Earthern Ware store in Wallingford near Capt 
 James Rice's." 
 
 On March 29, 1781, the Connecticut Journal tells us that "Hezekiah Johnson 
 has for sale at his store in Wallingford, West India Rum by the barrel or gallon. 
 New England Rum by do. glass, tea & dry goods," and on ^lay 31 the same paper 
 says, "To' be sold by Newton Whittlesey at his store in Wallingford Dry Goods, 
 knives & forks, spices, etc., together with West India goods." On Nov. 27. 1782, 
 the Connecticut Journal announces. "Isaac Bull, druggist and apothecary in Wal- 
 lingford Hereby informs his friends and customers in particular and the public 
 in general That he has just received a fresh and general supply of the most use- 
 ful medicines ; also sundry other articles, such as ?\Iadeira, Malaga and Port wines. 
 Raisins, Figs, etc." 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 223 
 
 On Dec. 5, 1783, "Oil of \'itriol of the best quality, by the C. T. or less Quan- 
 tity, European and West India goods to be sold by the Subscriber: Caleb At- 
 water." 
 
 Dr. Potter had later formed a partnership with two other gentlemen, John 
 McCleave and Elisha Whittlesey, Junior, which was dissolved on Jan. i, 1785, 
 and the following notice printed : 
 
 "The Partnership of Potter, McCleave & Whittlesey, is this day dissolved b}' 
 mutual agreement — all persons indebted to them by book or note, are requested to 
 make immediate payment, and those who have demands on said company, to ren- 
 der their accounts for settlement — it being necessary to close their accounts speed- 
 ily ; they flatter themselves, that this notice will have its desired effect." 
 
 On Oct. 19, 1791, the Connecticut Journal prints: 
 
 "Aaron Hackley has for sale at his store in Wallingford A Cood assortment 
 of European and India Goods, wdiich he is selling as cheap as any of his neighbors. 
 Said Hackley has set up a Button Factory in said Wallingford, where Gentlemen 
 Merchants and others may be supplied with Hard Metal Buttons of various Sizes 
 and Figures, wholesale and Retail as cheap and as good as they can be purchased 
 on the Continent. All kinds of produce, woolen. Linen, Tow Cloth and Yarn will 
 be received for any of the above articles. Cash paid for Block Tin, old Pewter. 
 Brass & Copper by said Hackley: who wants a likely, health}- well-l)re(l Lad 12 
 or 14 years old, as an Apprentice to the P.utton-Making Business." 
 
 On August 26, 1 79 1, Caleb Atwater announces that he has gone out of bus- 
 iness and desires all persons owing him to settle their accounts at once. 
 
 On Nov. 28, 1791, the Connecticut Journal states: 
 
 "Stanley & Carrington have for sale at their store in Wallingford a few rods 
 east of the church, A General assortment of European and West India Goods, 
 which they are now selling on the most reasonable terms. They want to pur- 
 chase a number of likely Shipping Horses, and a quantity of barley, for which 
 good pay will be made. They also want to purchase a f|uantity of Pork for whicli 
 they will pay one-half in cash." 
 
 On March 14, 1793, Samuel Tyler and Jarcd Kirthuul announce that the part- 
 nership heretofore existing between them is b\- nnitual consent dissolved, and 
 that all persons indebted to them for clothier's work done since Sept., 1788, are 
 requested immediately to settle. This was at Tyler's Mills, now Valesville. 
 
 On Marcli 2J, 1794. the Comiecticut journal states: 
 
224 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 '"To be sold 'by the Subscriber, Garden Seeds of all kinds. From that cele- 
 brated garden belonging to the Shaking Quakers in New Lebanon. Those per- 
 sons not only take pains to save the earliest and best seeds, but they import them 
 once in two or three years from their friends in London. Asahel Benham. 
 
 N. B. Some of the seed called Scarcity." 
 
 On March 19. 1800, the partnership existing between Joshua Atwater and 
 Thomas B. Cook was dissolved. 
 
 On April 7. 1800, the following advertisement appears: 
 
 "The Subscriber has constantly for sale warranted axes made by one of the 
 best workmen at his shop in Wallingford. James Carrington." 
 
 The following advertisement relating to the mills known as Tylers, now Yales- 
 ville, appears in the Connecticut Journal: 
 
 ■'These are to inform the Public, That the subscribers have a machine now in 
 motion, at Mr. Samuel Tylers Alills in Wallingford, on the turnpike road leading 
 from Hartford to New Haven, where sheeps wool will be broke and carded into 
 rolls on the shortest notice at 10 cents per pound : wool must be well picked & 
 not more than one ounce of oil to one pound of wool. Rolls can be done up in 
 sheets or blankets, and carried any distance without injury. Likewise batting wool 
 broke in the best manner at 6 cents per pound. . . . All commands attended 
 to by the publics humble servants, 
 
 Strang, Woodruff & others. 
 
 Wallingford, July 25, 1803." 
 
 Besides paying so much attention to trade the citizens of Wallingford were 
 interested in matters educational. The following notices appear in the Connec- 
 ticut Journal : 
 
 "The subscriber has opened a school in Wallingford for the purpose of instruct- 
 ing young Ladies and Gentlemen in the Latin, Greek and English languages,. 
 Arithmetic, Geography, Composition, etc. Tuition will be low, and no endeavour 
 wanting to give satisfaction. George W. Stanley. 
 
 \\'allingfor(l, July i, 1794." 
 
 "Boarding School. The public are respectfully informed that a school for 
 Young Ladies will be opened in Wallingford on the first day of May next, in the 
 house formerly occupied by the Rev. Mr. Andrews but now by Mrs. Hall and her 
 Daughter from New York, in which will be taught tambour work embroiderv and 
 various kinds of fine needle work, bv ]\liss Hall: and to such as choose, reading. 
 
EARLY HISTORY 
 
 22'- 
 
 writino^, arithmetic and Geography, by the Rev. Mr. Hart: (uxhI acconiniodations 
 will be provided by Mrs. Hall. 
 Wallingford, April 16, 1795.' 
 
 Choate School for Boys stands to-da\ on the site of Mr. Andrews' house. 
 
 Truly, Walling-ford must have been a veritable metropolis to the people of 
 Meriden. 
 
 Taverns in those earl\- days were very important centers of life in everv com- 
 nnmity. There the farmers congregated to learn the news of the outside world 
 
 SITE OK THE OLD l!i:iA' 1 1 l-.K lAkM. 
 
 .\irnw No. 1 indicates the site of the Gilbert or Belcher tavern : No. 2 indicates the site of the old 
 stone house or fort, and No. .3 indicates residence of A. R. Yale adjoining. 
 
 from the chance traveler, to get their mail, and to exchange notes and observations 
 on crops and live .stock. \o one was i)ermitled to become an iund<eei)er wuhout 
 the recommendation of the .selectmen, and a license obtained from the county court. 
 It was a profession of eminent respectability, even if considerable li(iuor was sold. 
 There was one tavern keej^er in Meriden who was relieved ot the necessity of 
 "litaiiiin-- a license, and he was the owner of the stone house and I'elcher tavern 
 i; 
 
226 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 on Meriden Farm. John Yale, who with jedediah Norton had bought the west- 
 ern part of this old farm, in the division of the same with Norton, took the south- 
 ern half which included the tavern. He ran the inn for a number of years and 
 then gave it to his son, Nash Yale, in 1750. 
 
 Nash continued as proprietor until 1763 when he sold it to Yale Bishop, of 
 New Haven, perhaps a relative. 
 
 In June, 1770, appears the following advertisement in the Connecticut Journal: 
 
 "To be sold or let by the Subscriber: The noted House and Homestead in the 
 Parish of Meriden, in the Town of Wallingford where he now lives, containing 
 about one hundred acres with a suitable Proportion of Meadow, Pasture, Plow and 
 Wood Land. The Buildings are all convenient, and in good Repair. The house 
 is a licensed House by the colony. Whoever Purchases the Premises will have a 
 right to keep a House of Entertainment: it lies on the Great Road leading from 
 Boston to New York thro' Hartford and New Haven, and is tho't by good Judges 
 to be the best stand for a Tavernkeeper in the Colony. The Purchaser may have 
 credit for the whole a number of years, with good Security if required, on Interest. 
 For the Terms either of purchasing or hiring, apply to the subscriber, on the 
 Premises, who will give a good Title. Yale Bishop."" 
 
 The wife of Mr. Bishop died in 1766 and lies in the old cemetery on Meeting 
 House hill and on her tombstone it is recorded that she "was buried with her in- 
 fant on her arm." 
 
 There has been for many years a tradition that whoever owned the old tavern 
 had a right to keep a place of entertainment forever, and its truth is settled by 
 the statement in the advertisement. The right had been given by the General 
 Court in 1662 when it granted to Mr. Gilbert the right to keep an inn. In other 
 words the authority was above that of the county court to which every other tav- 
 ern keeper in Meriden or the colony was obliged to apply. 
 
 On Ma}- 24, 1773, an execution on the tavern was taken by Jonathan Fitch, 
 of New Haven, and the place soon passed into the hands of James Jauncey of New 
 York. As Mr. Jauncey was a Tory, the farm was confiscated during the Revolu- 
 tionary war and sold by the state to Watt Hubbard. It is probable that Mr. Hub- 
 bard kept a tavern here for a while and then disposed of it to Seth De Wolf. It 
 subsequently passed into the possession of Asaph Merriam, who gave it to his son, 
 Sidney. At what date its use as a tavern ceased the writer does not know. 
 
 Mention has already been made of Josiah Robinson"s tavern, which was the 
 really important one, according to the ancient almanacs. 
 
 Aaron Lyman was given the right to keep a tavern in 1757 by the county court 
 and the same authority conferred a like distinction on John Webb in 1752 and 17 S3- 
 But the business was short lived in the case of these two gentlemen. Daniel 
 Hough also maintained an inn for one year in 1767. Brenton Hall in 1765 and 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 22/ 
 
 Uezakel Ives in 1769- 1772 and 1774 did likewise. Dr. Insign Hough bought the 
 old Central Hotel property in 1792 of the heirs of Samuel Hall, the son of Rev. 
 Theophilus, and in it he very soon started his tavern. The writer has been unable 
 to discover the record giving him the authority to maintain an inn. We have al- 
 ready read the notice in the New Haven paper giving an account of the dinner 
 at his house at which sat down Esq. Aaron Lyman and his wife, Capt. John Webb 
 and his wife, Phinehas Hough and his wife, Xoah Yale and his wife and the widow 
 Sarah Yale, which would indiciate that they were in a public house. In the Mid- 
 dlesex Gazette of Nov. 26, 1791, appears the following: "Lee Hall advertises an 
 elegant two story House in Meriden ; good for merchant or tavern." ^Ir. Hall was 
 executor of Samuel's estate. 
 
 Letter writing was probabl}' not very common in Meriden in the eighteenth 
 century, but taverns were used in lieu of post offices in small communities, and 
 the post rider left there the mail to be delivered, and took thence letters to be sent 
 away. We obtain a slight glimpse of the post rider in the issue of the Connecti- 
 cut Journal under date of Feb. 2, 1770: 
 
 "Last Monday evening, the Hartford Post, having arrived at his stage in 
 Wallingford, and but just entered the House, when his Horse and Mail were 
 taken away: The Horse was soon found, but the Mail was missing: after search- 
 ing for several Hours, it was found, near a Mile from the stage, broke open, tho' 
 none of the Letters were gone. The Villain who committed this most audacious 
 Offence has not yet been discovered."" 
 
 For the convenience of the traveling public which was constantly growing in 
 numbers as the colony increased in population it was determined b}" the General 
 Assembly to erect on the great thoroughfares, mile stones, which would tell the 
 wayfarer his distance from the county town : so. at the October session, 1767. the 
 following resolution was passed :'^ 
 
 "Be it enacted by the Governor, Council, and Representatives in General Court 
 Assembled, and by the authority of the same. 
 
 That it shall be the duty of the selectmen in the several towns on the several 
 post roads in this Colony, at the expense of such town to erect and kec]) up stones. 
 at least two feet high, near the side of the common travelling road, marked with 
 the distances from the county town of the county where such town lyes, according 
 to the mensuration lately made by public order."- 
 
 1 Conn. Col. Rec. Vol. XII., p. 60S. 
 
 2 Alice Morse Earle in her entertaining book entitled "Home Life in Colonial Day.''"' has this to say 
 relative to mile stones: "Benjamin Franklin set mile stones the entire way on the post-road from Boston 
 to Philadelphia. He rode in a chai.se over the road ; and a machine which he had invented was at- 
 tached to the chaise : and it was certainly the first cyclometer that went on that road, over which so 
 many cyclometers have passed during the last five years. It measured the miles as he traveled. 
 
228 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 There are three of these old mile stones still to be seen in Aleriden, doubtless 
 erected in conformity with this law. One is on the east side of Colony street in 
 front of the Swift Company building, Xo. 57 ; another in front of the residence 
 of Junius S. Norton, Xo. 596, and the third a mile north, in front of the old Eli 
 Way farm, now owned by E. H. Higginson. 
 
 There was for a short time another industry in Meriden that brought good 
 luck to no one, except possibly to the workmen who labored underground to bring 
 to light the hidden wealth of copper or gold that was supposed to lurk in certain 
 localities in Meriden. A quite full account of this enterprise is given in Mr. Per- 
 kins" Historical Sketches of Meriden. His information was gained from certain 
 papers and documents in possession of Deacon Silas Rice : the Deacon is long since 
 deceased but the papers are still in possession of his grandson, William B. Rice. 
 
 Copper deposits or veins were discovered in Wallingford in the year 17 12, 
 possibly through the prospecting of Gov. Jonathan FJelcher or his agents. At any 
 rate in that year articles of agreement were drawn up between William Partridge 
 and Jonathan Pelcher on the one part and a committee representing the inhabitants 
 of Wallingford on the other. The right to dig for minerals was granted, and various 
 acts were passed by the General Assembly to safeguard and protect the industry. 
 The mines were dug in what is now the southeastern part of Cheshire near or on 
 the old Bellamy farm. Other mines were established in Simsbury, in that part 
 now set off as Granby, which later developed into the famous old X'^ewgate prison. 
 How nmch copper was mined in Wallingford there is no way of learning. We 
 know that Jonathan Belcher and his partners exi)en(led large sums in their ven- 
 ture and that it resulted in loss to all concerned. 
 
 As late as 1732 Mr. Belcher was still interested in the Wallingford mines, for in 
 that }ear he sent a Mr. X'orth Ingham, of Boston, with a letter of introduction to 
 Rev. Samuel Whittlesey of Wallingford, saying that Ingham was come to view 
 the mines and that he was a partner with Mr. Con'^ Adam Wlnthrop, of Boston. 
 Mr. Ingham was still living in the vicinity of the mines in 1740. Undoubtedly 
 more copper was produced in the Granby mines than in \\"allingford. 
 
 The mines in Meriden had no connection with the Wallingford operations and 
 were sunk by an entirely different set of men. ( )n h^eb. 8, 1735-6, Edw. Burroughs, 
 of Stratford, leased to Jeremiah Atwater, Xathaniel Merriam, Samuel Austin, ann 
 others, a tract of land containing fifty acres for digging for all manner of minerals.^ 
 The lease specifies that the land is located just south of the Belcher farm and in 
 the east part of the lUirroughs farm. The s]3ot where the prospecting was done 
 
 When he had riddeu a mile he stopped : from a heavy cart loaded with mile stones, which kept alongside 
 the chaise, a stone was dropped, which was afterwards set by a gang of men." Mrs. Earle does not 
 give the authority for this statement : but the writer does not believe Franklin was responsible for 
 the mile stones in Meriden. The vote of the Colonial Court makes certain the pedigree of Connecticut 
 mile stones. 
 1 Wallingford land records, Vol. 7, p. 47R. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 22i) 
 
 is on a hill east of the Hartford trunpike about a mile north of Britannia street. 
 IJeautiful specimens oi clear crystal quartz have been picked up on this hill l)y 
 nianv now liviui;". and it was fondly hoped b}' our predecessors of a hundred and 
 seventy years ago that here gold would be found. It is doubtful if anything more 
 than a mere scratching of the surface was ever attempted by these gentlemen in 
 their vain quest for gold. There is no evidence that actual mining ()])erati()ns were 
 begun. 
 
 ( )n the hill in the western part of Walnut (irove cemetery are the remains of 
 an ancient working known as Golden Parlor Mine. There are two adjoining 
 shafts still to be seen which were excavated to a depth of twelve or fifteen feet. 
 J-'rom the shafts, galleries or drifts led to the west a good man}- feet. The farms 
 of Dr. William Hough and Timothy Ro\ s were adjoining and ran from the Coun- 
 try road to the river on the west. That of Timothy's was wliolh' west of Dr. 
 Hough's and the common boundary was somewhere on the hill or crest where 
 the mines were dug. The Hough farm and quite a portion of the Ro\s holdings 
 were during the greater part of the last centur\- in the possession of the Wood 
 family, and the writer has been told by Xorman S. Wood and his nephew, Charles 
 H., that when they lived on the farm it was possible to penetrate quite a distance 
 into the old drifts. In one of the shafts the present superintendent of the ceme- 
 tery. Fred F. Bowen, found quite a nugget of copper and also the remains of one 
 of the ancient iron hammers, probably used by the workmen in the olden days. It 
 is not positive that the present shafts were those of the Golden Parlor mine on 
 the Roys lease or were made b\" those who were digging for copper on the Hough 
 farm. The mines were not far apart. 
 
 ( )n the Wallingford land records under date of l*"eb. 2, 1735-''). ap])ears a sale 
 
 of the right to mine copper on the farm of Dr. Hough by Thomas Foster to 
 
 Nathaniel Bacon and Josiah Wetmore. of Middletown, for £20.^ ( )n l"cb. 20, 
 
 1735-6, Dr. Hough executed a new lease of the property to Samuel Dwight. Seth 
 
 Wetmore, Nathaniel Bacon, Josiah Wetmore and Edward Higbee of Aliddletown, 
 
 ( and Jonathan and Robert Collins of Aferiden: the consideration being "one-fifth 
 ' " •••7 ' 
 
 part of all dug out upon said land at the end of ever\- month. ""- 
 
 On March 13, 1736-7, Timothy Roys leased the right to mine copper on his 
 side of the line, which perhaps subse(|uently grew into the Golden Parlor Mine.'" 
 The lessees divided i\\) the propert\- in the following pro])ortions : lulward Higbee. 
 1-3 part : Thomas Thomas, 1-6 jxu't : Walter Hender.son, 1-6 part ; John Way. 1-30 
 part: Arthur Rexford, 1-15 part: IJenjamin Roys, 1-15 part: Samuel .\ndrews, 
 1-15 liart : Daniel Higbee, 1-30 part, and unassigned 1-15 ])arl. 
 
 Mr. Perkins co]:)ie(P the documents relating to this mine, in the possession of 
 Deacon Silas Rice, and they are here reproduced : 
 
 1 Wallingford land records. Vol. VII., p. 401. 
 
 2 idem, p. 436. 
 
 3 idem, p. 428. 
 
 4 Historical SkeBches of Meriden. p. 7S rt sen. 
 
230 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 "Articles of Agreement made and concluded upon this twenty Seventh day of 
 April Anno Domini 1737 Between Edward Higbee of Middletown and Walter 
 Henderson of Hartford, both of y*" county of Hartford, and Thomas Thomas of 
 New York, Arthur Rexford, Sam'^ Andrews, Benj Royse, all of Wallingford, in 
 y® county of Newhaven, and Colony of Connecticut, and Daniel Higbay of Mid- 
 dletown in y^ county of Hartford afores'd. and Josiah Griswold, Thomas Goodwin, 
 Benjamin Stillman, John Pierce, all of Wethersfield in y*^ county aforesaid. Pro- 
 prietors and Joint owners of a certain piece of land or mines in said Wallingford, 
 as leased out to them by Timothy Royce of s^ Wallingford, as will appear by said 
 Lease, reference there unto being had to carry on the work in said Mines, Wit- 
 nesseth that we the s'd partys do covenant and agree to, and with each other, and 
 do hereby oblidge and bind our Selves to Stand to, and perform the following 
 articles viz : 
 
 1. That the name of s<^ Mine, shall be Golden Parlour. 
 
 2. That the Work to be done in said Mines shall be ordered by a vote of y® 
 Alajority of y*^ owners, and y^ costs and charge arising on y® work in said mines 
 shall be paid according to y*^ proportions of each owner's part. 
 
 3. That each owners vote shall be in proportion to what part he owns. 
 
 4. That if any owner or owners cannot attend y"^ meeting or meetings ap- 
 pointed by y® Majority of y® owners in order to manage y® affairs of said mine, 
 they shall have liberty to appoint any of y^ owners to vote or act in his or their 
 behalf, and said owner so appointed shall vote or act therein, shall be Esteemed as 
 good and valid as if the owner appointing was himself present. 
 
 5. That Mr. Benj. Royce be a Clark to Enter and keep y® votes that may from 
 time to time be passed by the owners or the majority of said owners untill y^ said 
 owners shall chuse another in his room in which case y® said Royce is to deliver all 
 y® votes he has Entered and kept in y® Hands of said owners. 
 
 6. That the last Wednesday of July, October, January and April, be days. 
 Stated for y® meeting of said owners at Meriden, to make up the acc'tts of said 
 mine, and also to pay what Charge or Cost may arise between each Meeting to y® 
 Satisfaction of y® undertaker, and if y® majority of y^ owmers shall think fitt to 
 order a meeting on any other time or times besides those herein Stated v® meetings 
 so ordered and y® affairs managed therein shall be good and valid. 
 
 7. That these articles be committed into y^ Hands of y® Clark for y^ time be- 
 ing, and if any of y® owners desire a Copy hereof, y® said Clark shall give it him at- 
 tested under his Hand, he or they satisfying him therefor. 
 
 In confirmation of y® above mentioned articles, we the subscribers, have here- 
 unto Sett our Hands and Seals in Meriden, the Day and Date above mentioned 
 
 Edward Higbee L. S. Samuel Andrus L. S. Thomas Goodwin L. S. 
 Josiah Griswold L. S. John Pierce L. S. Benjamin Rovs L. S. 
 
 Arthur Rexford L. S. Thomas Thomas L. S. B. Stilman L. S. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 23 1. 
 
 In Presence of 
 
 Amos hall Moses Parse Jr W^m Hou^h'' 
 
 Truly, the above is very much like a modern business document. 
 
 "A Record kept by Benjamin Roys, Clark of the proprietors of the mines in 
 the land of Timothy Roys in woUingford 
 
 February y® ii 1736-7. Then the owners of the mines in the land of Timothy 
 Roys in Wallingford,, being Regularly met together at the hous of John \Va\- m 
 W'allingford, did then make up their Acounts of the Charge expended in the 
 mines from 8 of November 1736 Which Charg did amount to the Sum of 86 £ 
 4s 2d. 
 
 At a meeting of the proprietors of the mines in the land of Timothy Roys in 
 W'allingford, February y*' 11 1736-7. The said oneers did make A fair agree- 
 ment with Arther Rexford, one of the owners, to Dig ten foot in the north Shaft 
 of said mines keeping the Smoth wals east and west and about five foot wide find- 
 ing himself Tools and materials for the Same to be done in five months, for which 
 work the said proprietors did unanimously agree to give Said Rexford the Sum 
 of eighty-one pounds — 81 £-0-0. 
 
 At a meeting of the Proprietors of y® Mine in Meriden on y^ 27'^' day of A])ril 
 
 Voted, that mr. Griswold Shold be moderator for Said meeting. 
 
 That Thomas Thomas be an undertaker to carry on the work in Said Mine for 
 y^ Space of three months next ensuing. 
 
 That y^ s'd Thos. Thomas be allowed at the rate of fifteen pounds per month, 
 for so much time as he spends in said service, the time of pay to begin when the 
 Hands begin to work in said mine. 
 
 That Arthur Rexford having desired to be released from a bargaui he made 
 to sink a shaft of ten feet deep in s'd mine that he be released. 
 
 At a meeting of y® proprietors of y® Mine in ^leriden on \® 2/^^^ day of July, 
 
 \'oted That Mr Grizwold be Moderator for s'd Meeting. Also \'oted l)y a full 
 \'ote the majority of y^ owners, that y'' owners according to their proportionable 
 parts, pay to Georg Bell the Sum of fourty pounds, upon his finishing a job of 
 work he had undertaken to do in the Golden Parler. viz : to sink twelve feet in 
 the deeper Shaft nerest to doctcr houghs and to leave the bottom of the Shaft 
 nere the wedth and length that it now is, to find him Self with all materials &c. 
 nccisar\- and Sutable to carv on and finish Said work. 
 
 And at s'd meeting, Julv v*" 2/ 1737, the s'd owners made u]) their acoimts 
 which did amount to the sum of 132 £ 13s id." 
 
232 A CEXTUKV OF MERIDEN. 
 
 These records comprise all the knowledge we have of die doings of the Golden 
 Parlor Mine association. There is a tradition that a cargo of ore was shipped to 
 England and the vessel was lost at sea and the owners were so disconraged by this 
 misfortune that the mines were abandoned. 
 
 But Dr. Hough was at work at the mines on his side of the hill 18 years later. 
 At this time he was living in Haddam and the farm was the homestead of his son, 
 \A'illiam Hough. Jr., the blacksmith. On .March 21. 1755. the son mortgaged the 
 farm to his father and this clause occurs in the deed: "The condition of the above 
 obligation is such that if the above William Hough shall allow his said father free 
 liberty at the mines on the west end of his home lot to dig for ore as he shall see 
 lit, and shall have liberty to cut timber for the use of the mines or digging drains 
 or whatever shall be needfid for carrying on the work, and shall have liberty to 
 pass to said mines, on the south side of his home lot, from the highwav, to the 
 mines for carting,"^ etc., etc. 
 
 These records make it very doubtful to the writer whether the remains of the 
 shafts in the western part of Walnut Grove cemeter}- were those made by the 
 Golden Parlor Mine Compan}- or by Dr. William Hough and his lessees. 
 
 It is a singular fact that in 1754 the mining fever should have found a victim 
 in one of Wallingfords fair damsels. That distinguished divine. Rev. Samuel 
 Whittlesey, for many years pastor of the church in Wallingford, and one of the most 
 popular clergymen in the colony, had a daughter, Katharine, who married on May 
 8, 1759, the Rev. James Dana, successor in the pastorate to the Rev. Samuel. On 
 Koy. 29th, 1754- Katharine bought of the heirs of Timothy Roys all right to the 
 mines and minerals that had formerly been leased to the Golden Parlor Mining 
 Co., and on December 4th'^ following she bought of Timothy, Jr., 18 acres, which 
 contained the mines in (juestion. What she did with the proj^erty there is no record 
 left to tell us. 
 
 Mr. Perkins says that nearly one hundred and fifty years ago Dan Johnson 
 bought large tracts of land in the Hanging Hills district in the hope of finding 
 minerals in sufficient ciuantities to make the venture pa}' and mentions "Within the 
 'Notch" is an elevation called 'Mining Hill," which is said by those acquainted 
 with Geology to abound in indications of valuable minerals." Many will remem- 
 ber the obstacle encountered by the city authorities when it was first proposed to 
 locate the new water works or reservoir in the valle}- where "Mining Hill" is 
 located. It was suddenly discovered or at least announced that the hill contained 
 valuable deposits of gold and a large price was demandetl. The hill is now a 
 thickly wooded island at the south end of ^Merimere. 
 
 From what has been here recorded, it can readilv be seen that Meriden had 
 
 1 Wallingford land record.s. Vol. XV.. p. 531 
 
 2 Idem, Vol. XIII.. p. 231. 
 
 3 Idem p. 2.''.0. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 233 
 
 (juite a mining" craze for a numl)er of years and much money must have been lost 
 in the ventures, for no Cakimet and Hecla pU'.m ever dropped into the pockets 
 of Meriden's homespun coats and troupers. 
 
 A curious inference relative to the name Hanover may be drawn from the cop- 
 per mining- industry on Milking Yard Hill, now a part of Walnut ( irove cemetery. 
 This name was adopted for the village of Falls Plain, now South Alcriden. 
 in the year 1832. Dr. Davis says in his History of Wallingford and Meriden^ that 
 the name was decided on by the proprietors of the augur factory, and the result 
 was announced to the people by Dr. Isaac L Hough, on June 6, 1832. This is 
 doubtless so; but perhaps the name has an older pedigree than one might be led 
 to believe l)y this statement. It is a fact that the workn'ien engaged in the co])])er 
 mining industr}' in this colon\- were mostly liermans. This was the case in the 
 iielcher mines in Wallingford and also in Simslxu"}', now Granby. In I'helps' 
 History of Simsbury, (iranby and Canton- the names of three of these (Germans 
 are preserved viz: John S}dervelt, Caspar Hoofman and John Christian Aluller. 
 \'ery close to the mines in that town were the smelting works where the ore was 
 crushed, refined and smelted and the locality was called Hanover, because these 
 ( iermans lived there, and the name of a large Cierman city was used to describe 
 the settlement just as to-day we frequentl\- eniplo}' the name Dublin to designate 
 a colony of Irishmen. 
 
 The copper mining industr\- in Meriden was located on the hill just east of 
 Falls Plain and it does not take a large share of imagination to fancy that while 
 Hanover was formally adopted in 1832 to describe the new village, it ma\ reallx 
 have been in use for a long time previously and applied to a localitx in the inune- 
 diate vicinit}', just as the name Meriden, which belonged originally to the large 
 farm in the northern ]:>art of this town, was formally ado]>ted in 1729 for the whole 
 parish. 
 
 PHYSICI.\NS. 
 
 While the practice of medicine cannot perhaps be called an industry, but rather 
 a science and a profesion, still it is always an important part of the daily life of 
 every community, and the proper place to treat of the early medical practitioners 
 of Meriden would naturallv seem to fall into that chapter dexoted to the home life, 
 industrial pursuits and avocations of the j^eople. 
 
 Incidentally two or three early physicians have been mentioned. The ])ioneer 
 Dr. Ebenezer Cooper, is first heard of in Meriden in 1724 when, in partnershij) with 
 a .Samuel l>utler. he bought of John Cole, the lioston schoolmaster, a tract of 350 
 acres on the west side of the Country road north of the farm of luirtholomew 
 Foster. 3 This land they .sold to Robert Collins, of Middletown. on .May 30. 1727. 
 
 1 Page 162. 
 
 2 Page 117. 
 
 ."• Wallinsford laiul records. Vol. V, p. lo. 
 
234 --^ CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Dr. Cooper must have lived on this farm for his name occurs in a Hst of ]vleriden 
 petitioners in 1725.^ 'He next bought a small tract in the southeastern part of the 
 town and the house of Wm. B. Rice, corner of Paddock and ^liller avenues, occu- 
 pies the site of the homestead of Dr. Cooper. He died in 1742 and \\as survived 
 by his widow, Thankful. She was appointed administratrix of his estate at a pro- 
 bate court held on jNIay 8, 1742, in Xew Haven, and an inventory was then filed 
 which included the following items : 
 
 House and lot : a great Bible : an old Bible : 5 books of sermons : a testament 
 and psalter : i sermon, 7 paper books, a book of authors and a dictionary ; sundry 
 bottles : phials and apothecary things : a lignimi-vitae mortar & pestle : i p^" small 
 scales, box and weights : 3 seives : 3 Lances and 2 glasses. 
 
 The estate was found to be insolvent and in the Colonial Records of Connec- 
 ticut- at the May session appears the following : 
 
 "Upon the memorial of Thankful Cooper, administratrix on the estate of Doc- 
 tor Ebenezer Cooper, late of Wallingford, deceased, shewing this Assembly that 
 the debts due from said estate sunnounts the moveable estate the sum of two 
 hundred twenty six pounds eighteen shillings, and a penny : and praying for lib- 
 erty to sell lands &c." 
 
 The court empowered Capt. Samuel Hall to dispose of so much of the real 
 estate as was necessary and he sold the homestead to Enos Curtis : he in turn on 
 Dec. 17, 1744, sold to David Ives "I/4 acres with a dwelling house, barn, well and 
 pump, standing thereon, being the homestead the late Dr. Ebenezer Cooper last 
 dwelt in : bounded west by Divan Berry north by Benj. Ives and east and south by 
 highways."^ Doubtless, the old physician lies buried in the cemetery on Meeting 
 House Hill. 
 
 The second physician. Dr. \Mlliam Hough, has been mentioned so often and 
 so recently that it hardly seems necessary to add to what has been said except to 
 note that he was a brother of James Hough, who owned the grist and saw mills 
 where Baldwin's Mills are now situated. He was born in a house which stood 
 somewdiere on the farm now called the Joseph Hough property just within the 
 Wallingford line and south of the Yale fanns on Yale avenue. Dr. Hough left 
 more mining impressions on the old records than medical memories in the parish. 
 He was the vmcle of Daniel Hough, as has been mentioned. He removed to 
 Cheshire parish and later to Haddam ; he was living in the latter place in 1755. 
 
 Of the third physician. Dr. Alexander Wolcott, a few notices have appeared. 
 He owned a farm here in 1735 through the heart of which ran Gravel street. It 
 
 1 Dr. Davis' History, p. 144. 
 
 2 Vol. VIII., p. 523. 
 
 3 Wallingford land records Vol. XI.. p. 27 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 23: 
 
 is not certain that he Hved here ; at any rate for a very short time onh- : a brief 
 sketch of him appears on page 112. 
 
 Of the fourth physician. Dr. Isaac Hall, considerable is known. He is called 
 by Mr. Perkins and Dr. Davis, Meriden's first physician. This was, doubtless, 
 because the others had died or moved away so very long ago that all memorv of 
 them had been utterly lost, even in the time of Dr. Isaac I. Hough, who doubtless 
 gave Mr. Perkins some of his facts. 
 
 Dr. Isaac Hall was the son of Jonathan Hall and was born probably in the 
 village of Wallingford on July 11, 1714. He married Nov. 5, 1739. ]\Iary Moss. 
 The writer cannot find that he owned land in the parish of Meriden until Oct. 13, 
 
 ISAAC HALL, OR ROLLIX S. IVES HOUSE. 
 
 1758, when he bought of Ephraim Hough, eight acres of land at Dog's Misery 
 and doubtless built his house at that time which stood perhaps two hundred feet 
 north of the present home of Rollin S. Ives, on Paddock avenue. The old site 
 can still be seen at the corner where Misery Ear road bends to the northeast. It 
 is said that the road has been changed and that it formerly ran just east of this 
 house. Mr. Ives" house is said to have been built by Isaac Hall, the son of the 
 doctor, perhaps about the year 1770. It is a dignified old farmhouse, large and 
 commanding, and is in an excellent state of preservation. 
 
236 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 The writer has had the privilege of a careful examination of an old account 
 hook^ once kept hy Dr. Hall. A portion only is left, hut sufficient to show that 
 his practice took him at various times to Cheshire. Guilford, W'estbury, Middle- 
 town, Middlefield, Xorthford, Durham and even Hebron. His charge always 
 included travel to the patient which varied according to the distance. In Meriden 
 the item is usually charged at one shilling. The medicine was a separate item, and 
 included such drugs as elixir camphire. hypochondriac pills, iniiversal pills, \\'ar- 
 wick powders. Elixir Proprietatis (commonly called nowadays Elixir Pro.). Bit- 
 
 
 
 ■>t3!-,^„^ A,^/i^eK'^'^J^'lyjf, 
 
 ,y-t-. 
 
 ':.0- 
 
 • 'A 
 
 \ 
 
 "^-X 
 ^/"% 
 
 
 
 P.VGE FROM IS.\AC HALL S ACCOUNT BOOK. 
 
 ter powder, stinking drops (probably asafetida), rhubarb, contrayerva, viperane, 
 salts of amber, etc. Among the list of patients we find the names of Deacon Eben- 
 ezer Cowles on Oxhill. Stephen Perkins, whose house stands at the corner of 
 Parker avenue and Ann street, William Merriam of Pilgrims" Harbor. Lazarus 
 Ives, Samuel Penfield. John Hall. Elisha Scovill and Daniel Baldwin. 
 
 Now and then he bleeds a patient, and finally we encounter an entry that fairly 
 takes the breath awav when we ren^.ember that in those davs no merciful anaesthe- 
 
 1 Through the coiiitesy of Ives W. and his sister. ;\nss Ellen Hart. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 237 
 
 sia had been discovered to comfort the poor sufferer. Un September 17. 1770. he 
 was called to the home of Ebenezer Hubbard, of Middlefield. for which he charged 
 ■"travel 4s" and then comes the gruesome item "to burning his wifes cancer twice 
 IS." This probably involved nothing more or less than searing it with a red hot 
 iron. 
 
 In those days smallpox was dreaded even more than it is to-day : one terrible 
 scourge devastated the parish of Cheshire in 1732 when eighteen people died in 
 a few weeks. The disease was always a possibility and ever\- known precaution 
 was used to avoid it. The usual remedy for rendering a person immune was in- 
 oculation and it was a custom to form neighborhood parties and take the infection 
 together. In the Oliver Rice homestead is preserved a recipe to be t?ken during 
 inoculation, of which the following is a copv : 
 
 "A Receipt for the preparation for the Small Pox 
 
 Take one Pound of Blue Flagg root pound it well boil it in a Gallon of Water 
 to a paste, strain it through a lawn, then add to its fourth Manna, then half the 
 Whole Castle soap Mix it well and make into Pills somewhat less than a small 
 pea — A Dram is a dose for a grown Person — Take a Pill each morning after In- 
 ncculation till the Symptoms come on."' 
 
 In the Connecticut Journal for Jan. 31. 1793. appears the following adver- 
 tisement : 
 
 "Inoculation. The Subscribers beg leave to infomi the public That they are 
 carrying on the business of Inoculation at the house of Col. Isaac Cook, a place 
 extremely well situated for the purpose about one mile east of the meeting house — 
 Any person desirous of receiving the infection may depend on the utmost punc- 
 tuality and attention by their most obedient servants 
 
 Aaron Andrews and 
 Bilious Kirtland" 
 ■'Waliingford Jan 22 1793" 
 
 The writer has been told that Dr. Isaac Hall for a time carried on an inocu- 
 lating establishment in a house that once stood on High Hill in the southeastern 
 part of Meriden. 
 
 He died iNIarch 7. 1781. His inventory included 
 
 Books on Physick. £18 j o 
 
 Medicines and bonles. ....... *--JO o 7 
 
 His son Jonathan was also a physician and probably practiced for a short 
 time in Meriden and removed to Xew Hartford. X. Y.. in 1787. 
 
238 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In the Middlesex Gazette, under date of March 16, 1793, appears the following 
 notice : 
 
 "Inoculation — The subscribers who the last season, inoculated in company for 
 the Small Pox, are now carrying on the same in the eastern part of Meriden, six 
 miles west of this city (Middletown) at Matthew Yales House, very convenient 
 for that purpose. The same successful- method will still be pursued — whoever 
 wishes to receive the Infection by Inoculation, will have the closest Attention paid 
 them, by the Publics humble servants John Dickinson 
 
 Middletown Jan 12 1793 William B. Hall 
 
 N. B. Apply to said Dickinson or Hall, in this city or at Brenton Hall's Esq 
 near the Pest House." 
 
 There is a tradition in the Julius Hall family that there was formerly a pest 
 house located on High Hill road a little east of its junction with Thorp avenue, and 
 it probably was the house mentioned in the advertisement. Brenton Hall's home 
 was in the extreme eastern part of Meriden, and to a person in Middletown it 
 would be near the pest house. 
 
 The introduction of vaccination in Meriden took place in 1814.^ At a town 
 meeting held April 23rd of that year it was "voted to appoint a committee of two 
 persons in each district to introduce the kine pock innoculation into this town. 
 
 Dr. Isaac I. Hough and Dr. Theophilus Hall for the Center district. 
 
 Partrick Clark and Matthew Foster, N. \\'. district. 
 
 Phinehas Hough and Eleazer' Scovel, N. E. district. 
 
 Samuel Baldwin, Jr., and Ira Hall, E. district. 
 
 Othniel Ives and Ivah Curtis, S. E. district. 
 
 Ichabod Wood and Moses Cowles, S. W. district. 
 
 Dan Andrews and Levi Allen, W. district. 
 
 John Plymert, PlMuert district. 
 
 Voted That any person who is inoculated in this town for the Kine Pock by 
 Dr Eancher may have the priviledge of being innoculated for the Small Pox free 
 of expense under the Superintendance of Physicians of this town." 
 
 Dr. Theophilus Hall was a grandson of the Rev. Theophilus and was born in 
 Meriden April 20, 1773. He married Mar. 24, 1803, Bethia, daughter of Eph- 
 raim and granddaughter of Benjamin Merriam, whose farm house stood where 
 the Meriden House is located. He occupied the parson's old homestead. Not 
 
 1 In Dr. Rufus W. Matthewson's address at the 86th Annual Meeting of Middle.sex Co. Medical Soc. 
 in April 1877 it is stated that "in 1801, a few months after 1st vaccination on this Continent, Dr. 
 Jonathan Hall with Dr. Insign Hough introduced vaccination in this vicinity beginning with a Mr. Pad- 
 dock of Meriden and a Mr. Bradley of Middletown. who were induced to become subjects for experiment 
 and in view of the uncertainty of the results the physicians agreed to attend the men each on alter- 
 nate days for 3 weeks." 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 239 
 
 much is known of his Hfe here and he died at the age of 42 on Sept. 26, 1815, in 
 Lenox, Mass., where he had gone on a visit. 
 
 Dr. Insign Hough, son of Daniel, the blacksmith, was born in the old house 
 at the corner of Ann and Curtis streets on Sept. i, 1746, and began to practice in 
 1769. In 1792 he bought of the heirs of Samuel Hall the house which he soon 
 turned into an inn, known at first as Hough's tavern and later as Central tavern 
 or hotel, which stood at the corner of Broad and East Main streets, and now re- 
 placed by the residence of Francis Atwater. Here he combined the professions 
 of medicine and tavern-keeping. He was successful in both callings. He had 
 apparently retired from business of all kinds some time before his death in 1S13. 
 
 his mantle falling on 
 his son. Dr. Isaac I. 
 Dr. Insign has been 
 described as of a 
 genial and lively dis- 
 position, and quite 
 slight in body, al- 
 though his son was 
 a man of enormous 
 proportions, weigh- 
 ing at one time fully 
 350 pounds. 1 
 
 Dr. Isaac I. 
 Hough was a man 
 of influence in the 
 community, enter- 
 ing largely into 
 the industrial enter- 
 prises of the town, 
 and his success as a 
 physician was excel- 
 lent. 
 
 DR. LSAAC I. HOUGH. - 
 
 His face indi- 
 cates character and 
 strength, and his 
 enormous bulk is in 
 evidence in the por- 
 trait. He was born 
 in 1 781 and never 
 married. He died in 
 Aleriden Feb. 26, 
 1852. Alany people 
 still living remember 
 the bluff old doctor 
 and his kindly ways. 
 1 lis size made it nec- 
 essary that every ar- 
 ticle of furniture he 
 used should be built 
 especially for him. 
 His chair was so 
 large that an ordi- 
 nary ])erson was lost 
 in it. If calling on 
 have two chairs ti") sit in. Flis 
 
 any one he always found it necessary to 
 coffin was made several \ears before his death and stored in a loft in his 
 carriage house. Many anecdotes are still told of him and the following is 
 a good one on the doctor: His friend Captain Roswell Cowles occupied 
 a house that stood on the site of the old town hall : he was a mason builder and 
 also made the tombstones of the town, his stoneyard being located on the site 
 of the George R. Willmot place, on the opposite side of Main street. One day in 
 
 1 Mrs. Breckenridge in her RecoUeftions of a X. K. Town writes entertainingly of her grand- 
 father, Dr. Insign, and her uncle. Dr. Tsaac I. Hough. 
 
 2 From an oil painting in the possession of Miss Ida C. Tibhals. 
 
240 A CEXTUKV OF mi-:kidi:n. 
 
 passing- the place. Dr. Hough saw the captain standing in his stoneyard, and 
 drawing up his horse to the side of the road, began to chat, and finally remarked, 
 "Well, Captain, I suppose you keep a stone for each person in town, duly in- 
 scribed with the name, and date of birth, and are only waiting to fill in the date 
 of death." "Yes," said the captain, "that's right, but in the case of your patients, 
 I can calculate the date of death so closely that it isn't necessary to leave it blank." 
 His tavern at the corner of Broad and Main streets was a famous place, and 
 kncnvn the country roimd : it stood just half way between Hartford and Xew 
 Haven on the old turnpike, and was the headquarters for stage coach passengers, 
 for here horses w'ere changed and a stop was made for meals, and his acquaint- 
 ance with travelers, of course, was large and he knew many of the prominent 
 figures of this and other states. Although, of course, liquor was dispensed at his 
 bar he never drank himself, and, in fact, used his influence to dissuade others from 
 the practice. In Dr. Davis' History of Meriden is a verse that was composed and 
 told to the doctor to his great enjoyment. 
 
 "Dr. Hough, he keeps good stufif, 
 And lives just under the steeple 
 By hook or by crook, he keeps his good looks 
 .Vnd takes the cash from the people." 
 
 It was largel}' through Dr. Hough's ettorts that the turnpike from Aleriden to 
 Middletown was built in 1809: he and Hezekiah Rice of the latter place being 
 the incorporators. Late in life Dr. Hough lived for a short time in what is now 
 known as the Rogers' block, corner South Colony and Alain streets. He died in 
 the hous-e owned by Henry C. Butler on the site of which dwelling now stands the 
 First National Bank building. In 1825 he formed a ])artnership with Dr. W'yllys 
 Woodward. 
 
 Dr. Woodward was born in Southington in 1801 and graduated from Yale Med- 
 ical school in 1823 and soon after located in Meriden. He died Mar. 31, 1842. 
 
 The following is a list of physicians who succeeded those named, and wdiile they 
 were of a considerably later date, still it is so long since they were among those 
 living that the present generation has almost forgotten them. 
 
 Succeeding Dr. Woodruff was Dr. Benjamin Catlin, for nearly forty years 
 active in this community, and one of the foremost citizens of the town. Dr. 
 Wm. H. Allen was a conspicuous figure during the decade from 1840 to 1850 and 
 Dr. Gardner Barlow from 1845 to 1850 is still remembered by many of the older 
 inhabitants. Dr. Edward W. Hatch for a number of years, until 1858, was an 
 active practitioner, when he became superintendent of the State School for Boys. 
 In. 1850 Dr. Timothy F. Davis began to practice in the town and for eighteen 
 years was an active and prominent physician. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 24 I 
 
 In or about the year 1850, Dr. H. A. Archer moved to Meriden and at first 
 located in the house now occupied by Dr. Tait. He became well known in the 
 community and afterwards moved to the old Robt. Royce place in South h^arnis, 
 where he continued his profession. 
 
 In the issue of the Connecticut Whig April 7, 1854, appears the prospectus of 
 the Meriden Water Cure Company. The responsibility for the institution was Dr. 
 .Archer's but John, Charles and Edmund Parker and others were financially inter- 
 ested in the undertaking, and the sanatorium was located in the present homestead 
 of Dr. Tait. A start was made with a flourish of trumpets and much was expected 
 of the hospital, but the project was short-lived and soon died a natural death. 
 
 Dr. Grove Herrick Wilson came here during the hard times of 1857 and soon 
 built up a lucrative and successful practice, and the balance of his life was passed 
 in Meriden. He was of the homeopathic school. 
 
 Dr. Asa H. Churchill came here in 1858, and for many years was in active 
 practice, but during the latter part of his life practically gave up his profession and 
 followed another calling. Dr. Chas. J. Mansfield was a physician here for many 
 years with a very large and lucrative practice and had a host of friends and fol- 
 lowers. He died a comparatively young man a few years ago. 
 
 Dr. John Tait has been active in the practice of his calling for more than 
 fifty years in this town, and from 1854 to 1870, Dr. James Wylie, a brilliant and 
 tireless physician, ministered to a host of people, many of whom still remember 
 his successful career. Dr. X. Xickerson, a faithful and conscientious j^hysician, 
 who, altiiough still with us, came here long enough ago to be classed among 
 these mid-century physicians, is too well known to need extended comment. 
 
 Biographies of other physicians of more recent date will be found in another 
 part of this volume. 
 
 16 
 
242 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 As has been already stated, it is not probable that there was ever an Indian 
 settlement in any part of the territory of Meriden. Nevertheless, Indians fre- 
 quently resorted here for game, and in journeying from the Tunxis \'alley or the 
 country about Hartford to the waters of the Sound at New Haven, they followed 
 a trail which led through this valley in the general line of Colony street. 
 
 There were, however, Indians living in Meriden after it had become a separate 
 parish — probably a few stragglers from some tribe, perhaps of the Quinnipiacs 
 at East Haven. There is a tradition in the Julius Hall homestead on Alurdock 
 avenue, that during cold weather two or three of these stragglers were in the 
 habit of coming to the home of Daniel Hall, the first of Wallingford's pioneers 
 in the Dogs' Misery Country, and asking to be allowed to warm themselves before 
 the white man's fire. These red men were said to live somewhere northwest of 
 the old homestead. 
 
 Mention has been made of a large bowlder lying on the bank of Harbor Brook 
 about a quarter of a mile east of Gravel street, which is called Phebe rock. It is 
 said to be so named because the phebe birds build nests in the crevices of the rock. 
 
 But there is a deed on file in the Wallingford land records^ which indicates 
 that the word Phebe formerly was used to locate a certain tract of land in the 
 vicinity of this rock. It was a part of the Penfield farm that had previously been 
 the property of Dr. Alexander Wolcott. Nathaniel Penfield on Mar. 16, 1774. 
 leased to Joseph Shaylor, a tract of land containing one acre and ninety rods that 
 was Ijounded west on what is now Gravel street and east on Phebe Quive land. 
 At that time there was no one in the parish of Meriden of that name owning land, 
 and never had been. Besides, this strip of land was wholly in the farm of Nathan- 
 iel Penfield ; his neighbor on the east being Daniel Baldwin. This name sounds 
 very much like that of an Indian. Two or three persons whose opinions are of 
 weight in such matters were consulted and each one thought it the name of an 
 Indian woman. Now was there ever in Meriden an Indian woman named Phebe? 
 The records of Rev. Theophilus Hall were consulted, and the suspicion was con- 
 firmed. In his record of baptisms are found the following entries : 
 
 "May 9 1737 Baptized Phebe an Indian woman privately upon a sick bed." 
 On May 14, 1737, in the parson's record of deaths appears: 
 "Died Phebe an Indian Woman in my house." 
 
 1 Vol. 19, p. 445. ; 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 243 
 
 On Feb. 20, 1744, the following entry was made: 
 
 "Died Phebe an Indian child in my house." Doubtless, a child of the first 
 Phebe. 
 
 The day after the death of the first Phebe occurs : 
 
 "May 15 1737 Baptized my Indian children Patience and Anthony." 
 
 Again on Dec. 27, 1741 : 
 
 "Died an Indian child at ^Ir Sanfords." 
 
 While one person's opinion is as good, perhaps, as another's in such a ques- 
 tion, where absolute proof is impossible, still there is a very plausible inference 
 ■suggested by these facts. 
 
 While probably phebe birds build nests around the lonesome old rock, still 
 they cannot have given the name of Phebe Quive to the land adjoining. The 
 fancy is liable to arise in one's mind that an Indian woman of this name was 
 .a squatter on the land, that she became very ill and that the good parson went 
 to see her and told her of the danger of death without faith in Christ and signaliz- 
 ing that faith by the act of baptism : that then he took her from her rude shelter 
 to his house where she died five days later, but not until she had his promise to 
 Isaptize her children, which he proceeded to do the day after her death. 
 
 Children for years have been in the habit of going to this rock on excursions. 
 Perhaps they used to visit the Indian woman there in the old days, and the 
 •survival of the custom was simply a habit, for children are alwaxs imitative and 
 like to do what their predecessors have done. It is possible with such suggestions 
 to let one's imagination run riot ; it is a harmless form of amusement, but as these 
 annals should deal only with actual facts as recorded, it is beyond the province of 
 Ihe writer to attempt to weave a romance. 
 
 In the vicinity of New Haven at the time Wallingford was settled, viz. 1^70. 
 there lived an Indian named Rum Tom. He seems to have been a ])eculiar old 
 tellow who was always getting into trouble through his love of firewater. There 
 are several entries on the records of the county court of his being brought before 
 the grand jury on the charge of drunkenness and wanton mischief. His invar- 
 iable plea was that some white man had sold hin^either "cyder" nv rum. and that 
 lie had partaken of it intending no harm. Both the white man and Rum Tom 
 Avere invariably fined and commanded to do so no nmre. ( )n one occasion he 
 very nearly caused the death of Isaac Royce. of Wallingford, who afterwards 
 owned a large tract of land at Milking Yard or Royce's farms. We will let Isaac 
 tell his own story as he did to the court on Nov. 8. 1676. 
 
 "Isaac Royce of Wallingford complained y^ as he was going home the 6^'* this 
 instant bctweene Sunsett and dav light shutting- in he saw fire ujion the playnes 
 
244 -^ CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 & coming towards it & pretty neare there was a gun shott off & he heard the 
 bulhtts flv but how neare to him he knew not & it appeared to be Rum Tom as 
 he saw after. Rum Tom being called to answer S*^ That he strucke fire but he 
 was sorrv he did soe : he S*^* he had drunke two cups of cydar that he scarce knew 
 what he did : after nmch debate with him about it Rum Tom was dismist & or- 
 dered to pav Isaac Royce for his dayes attendance & charge at the ordinary." 
 
 This was positively Rum Tom's last appearance, and the facts above recorded 
 comprise all the information the writer has been able to glean relating to Indians 
 in ^leriden and Wallingford. 
 
 NEGRO SLAVES. 
 
 There is no fact in our early history more difficult to realize at this day than 
 that our ancestors were holders of negro slaves and that they bought and sold 
 them as they did horses and cattle. 
 
 Any one, however, who burrows among ancient papers and documents is liable 
 at the very beginning of his researches to run against the evidence so forcibly, 
 and the facts accumulate so rapidly that he is soon almost persuaded that all the 
 early property owners were slaveholders. 
 
 Such is not the case, however, but slaves were sufficiently numerous in Meri- 
 den and Wallingford as elsewhere in Connecticut, to make this phase of colonial 
 life a very interesting one. It was a general custom all over the country and in- 
 deed wherever the negro was domiciled. 
 
 The earliest record that the writer has been able to discover of a negro slave 
 belonging to a Meriden man is contained in the will of that "trusty friend," Na- 
 thaniel Royce, dated April i, 1718. and proved in the probate court on June 15, 
 1726. One clause in the will bequeaths to his wife his negro woman. 
 
 The records of vital statistics kept by Rev. Theophilus Hall abound in bap- 
 tisms of the children of negro slaves, and in accounts of deaths and burials. 
 
 They were as carefully recorded as those relating to white people, although 
 with perhaps a little less dignity. For instance, we meet with such entries as 
 "March i 1741 baptized London servant of John Webb," "Sept 12 1742 baptized 
 Primus servant of Lazarus Ives," "April 24 1748 baptized negro child of John 
 Merriam." There are just twenty of these entries. 
 
 The parson also recorded the deaths or burials of thirty-four negro servants 
 entered as. for instance : 
 
 "1737 Aaron Lymans negro." 
 "May 7 1741 Dyed Eben^'" Sanfords negro boy." 
 "October 1746 two negro twins of Lemuel Hough." 
 "Dec 20 1746 London servant to lohn Webb." 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 245 
 
 "June 8 1758 my negro child Gin." 
 "June 29 1758 my negro child Rose." 
 
 On the other hand although the baptisms and deaths are so carefully entered, 
 one will look in vain in ]\lr. Hall's notes for a record of the marriage of a negro 
 couple. In fact, there are only three or four such notices in the town records of 
 \\"allingford. Perhaps slave couples were married by a justice of the peace, but 
 that there was a marriage service is beyond question. That the marriage was 
 performed in a different manner from those of white people might seem possible 
 if one can believe that there is a kernel of truth in the following tradition : 
 
 Noah, the ancestor of Julius Yale, was the owner of a slave named Chatham 
 Freeman, who earned his freedom by serving in the place of his master, as a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary war. The story goes that when he at last became a 
 free man he told his former master that he "wanted to be married just like white 
 folks." According to the Wallingford records, Noah Yale emancipated Chatham, 
 his wife jMercier and child Jube on April 29, 1782. 
 
 Some little time after the marriage he came to Mr. Yale and said he wanted 
 to be "unmarried as I never can stand it to be married to that woman." On 
 being told that there was no remedy- — that now he was married he must stay so, 
 he went away exclaiming, with uplifted hands, "Oh Massa what I gwine do, what 
 1 gwine do?" Chatham afterwards made the best of his bargain, became a land- 
 owner and lived in a house that fonnerly stood on Paddock avenue just north of 
 the driveway leading to the house of Charles Z. ]\Iurdock. Another negro named 
 Cato Freeman, perhaps a brother of Chatham, lived in a house just over the line in 
 Wallingford, on Misery road. Its site is now occupied by the homestead of John 
 Francis. Fowler's "Historical Status of the Negro in Connecticut," has this to 
 say : 
 
 "Pews were set apart for the negroes in the meeting-houses, where they gen- 
 erally were present ; they were often questioned about the sermon heard on the 
 Sabbath. They joined the church, if qualified ; their children were often offered 
 in baptism, by their believing masters or mistresses. They were encouraged to 
 marry and rear families. Some of these facts I get from ancient church records : 
 some from tradition ; and some from statements which T heard, when yoimg. made 
 1)}' owners of slaves, or by those wIk) were l)red u]) in families with llicni. In 
 some of these records of baptisms and marriages, the names of the negro children 
 and the names of their masters and mistresses who offered them in I>a]Jtism, are 
 given ; and the names of their masters and their consent to the marriage, are given.'' 
 
 The negro was bought and sold withotU the dignity of a record of tlie event 
 on the town books. He passed with the delivery of a bill of sale, which was con- 
 sidered sufficient evidence of the new ownership. 
 
246 -\ CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The following is a copy of a document that is preserved in the Oliver Rice 
 
 homestead : 
 
 "Bond to fulfill Indenture 
 
 I the subscriber Silas St John of Sharon do Promise and oblige myself and 
 heirs to fullfill in every particular a certain Indenture Dated Sept. 21 1758 
 whereby George Trashen a Malato Boy is Bound to Ezekiel Rice Esq'' Late of 
 Wallingford Deceased and to his Heirs the said servent falling into my hands by 
 Heirship and other Contracts, I stand Obliged & bound to fulfill to said servent 
 
 V. Cut f^ a^J feJ^ <^^ M.^g.,%r^yc.fn .%^ ^/ 7^-^-1^^..- ^ 
 
 
 
 fjaMt^%K.'^^^ 
 
 \A\A. OF SALE OF SLAVE GIRL. 
 
 when he arives to the Age of freedom all the perticulers mentioned in said In- 
 denture and Indemnify all the Heirs of the estate from any burden or charge 
 from that quarter, in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the 3''<^ day 
 of March 1767 Silas St John" 
 
 Ezekiel Rice 
 Ezra Rice 
 Esther Blakslee" 
 
 The above is a fac-simile of a bill of sale preserved in a Meriden household. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 247 
 
 The following appears in Dr. Davis' history : 
 
 "Middletown July 8, 1760 
 Received of Ahel Curtis (of Meriden) Forty Pounds In full of a negro Boy 
 Called Ben, about nine years old, which s'^ Negro Boy I IVomis to warrant and 
 Defend against all Lawful Claims & demands of any Person whatsoever as wit- 
 ness my hand. 
 
 George Phillips" 
 
 The laws of the colony relating to slaves were very strict. Granted the ex- 
 istence of slavery, such laws are absolutely necessary for the preservation of the 
 institution, for a slave is a species of property that can steal itself. 
 
 "Xo negro, mulatto or Indian servant" could go from one town to another with- 
 out a ticket or pass in "writing under the hand of a Magistrate or the owner of the 
 slave." If the slave could not show such ticket on demand he or she was treated 
 as a runaway and was seized and returned to the owner. Xo slave was allowed 
 to be absent from home after nine o'clock at night without a special order from 
 the master or mistress. X'^o free negro was allowed to travel without he or she 
 had a certificate testifying to such condition of freedom.^ The state of the poor 
 negro slave was certainly not an enviable one. 
 
 And yet notwithstanding these various laws and restrictions they were 
 treated with much kindness and consideration. It was not an uncommon act for 
 a master to embody a clause in his will making his slaves free, and even distribut- 
 ing a certain amount of the estate for the support of the slave or freedman. Capt. 
 Titus Brockett, of Wallingford, who died in 1773. by the terms of his will, gave his 
 slaves, Esau and Grace, their freedom after the death of his widow, and the widow, 
 Mary, at her death in 1777, left for the support of the dusky couple the use of 
 her homestead so long as they should live, together with cows, household furni- 
 ture and farming utensils. 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Hall, of Cheshire, who died in 1776, willed his negro slave, 
 Charles, to his widow to wait on her as long as she should live and when she 
 should die Charles was to choose which son he would live witli and if not able 
 to earn his living, some of the parson's property was to be used for his support. 
 
 Capt. John Webb, who died in 1799, left to his servants. Daffy and Joe. whom 
 he had previously emancipated, a considerable amount of propcrtx fur their su])- 
 port. Joe and Dafi^y Prinn afterwards lived in a house on Paddock avenue on 
 the east side of the street a number of hundred feet south of the turnpike. .V 
 slight depression by the roadside filled with stones still marks the .site nt' tlic old 
 house. The son of Joe and Dafify, Robin, married the daughter of Chatham Free- 
 man and after the latter's death, he and his wife lived in Freeman's old house, near 
 
 1 Acts & Laws of His Majesty's Colony of Conn. Ed. 1TG9. 
 
248 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the entrance to Mr. j\Iurdock"s driveway. A son of Chatham Freeman, Lemon, 
 Hved in a house that formerly stood near the north end of Swayne avenue. Lemon's 
 son Richard died in this house some fifteen years ago. There are still many peo- 
 ple who can remember Robin Prinn, who was once in great demand on man\' 
 occasions, for he and his violin were famous the country round. 
 
 But, notwithstanding the general kindness with which the negro slave was 
 treated, he yearned for freedom and once in a while took French leave and set out 
 for "fresh woods and pastures new." It must have been difficult for the fugitive 
 to get away to any distance, and even if he gained the shelter of another colony he 
 was again liable to be impressed into new service and virtually kidnapped. As 
 soon as the master was aware that his servant had run away he hastened to the 
 nearest town where a newspaper was published, and inserted an advertisement. One 
 of the earliest of these notices inserted by a Wallingford man appears in the Con- 
 necticut Gazette under date of Oct. 21, 1758, and reads as follows: 
 
 "Run away from Nathaniel Curtis of Wallingford 3 weeks ago a negro man 
 named Jack aged about 23 or 24 years mark'd with the small-pox, a middling 
 stature strong and well set. can read and talk good English. He had on a blue 
 home-spun cloth coat. Whoever wall bring home the said negro & secure him 
 and give notice to the subscriber so that he may get him again shall be handsomely 
 rewarded besides all necessary charges paid by 
 
 Nathaniel Curtis" 
 
 "Wallingford Oct 6 1758" 
 
 In the Connecticut Journal of Nov. 5, 1777, is the following: 
 
 "Twenty dollars reward. Run away from the Subscriber of Wallingford on 
 the night after the 27th instant a Mulatto Boy, named Adam about 20 years old, 
 about 5 feet 6 inches high, well made except his right leg crooking in, talks good 
 English, and can write and read and its probable may have forged a pass: had 
 on and with him when he went away a beaver and felt hat, 2 checkt shirts, one 
 woolen, the other linen, two pair shoes, A Rifle Frock, a brown homespun vest, 
 and an old red Duffil Great Coat. Whoever will return said boy to the Sub- 
 scriber, shall be entitled to the above Reward and all necessary charges paid by 
 
 EHhu Hall" 
 
 "Wallingford Oct 28 1777"" 
 
 As already noted, Parson Hall had five slaves, and a story- has come down to 
 the present day, which is without much doubt, based on fact. In the days when 
 the parish still worshipped in the little church on Meeting House hill, the parson 
 was the owner of a slave who was surly and unruly and whom it was sometimes 
 necessary to chastise. One Sunday morning the parson was obliged to whip this 
 negro, and then went to his duties at the church. Some one saw what looked like 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 249 
 
 a fire at Mr. HalTs house which could be easily seen from the church. 
 So the congregation hastily adjourned and on reaching the house found 
 that the surly negro had set fire to a ha\' rick closcl}- adjoiniug it. For a time 
 it looked as if the house would be destroyed but by hard work it was saved. A 
 short time after, this negro climbed into a chestnut tree in the southern part of 
 the farm, and falling, broke his neck.^ 
 
 in the Connecticut Journal for April 22, 1774, we read that "Last Wednesday 
 Lemon, a negro slave (owned by Mr John Ives of Wallingford) was brought to 
 Gaol in New Haven for abusing an Indian (lirl."" ( )n the following week "ihe 
 boy was sentenced to sit on the Gallows with a rope al)out his neck one hour, and 
 to be whipt 39 Stripes at a Cart's Tail. Which sentence was immediately ex- 
 ecuted." 
 
 David Cook, a man of affairs of Wallingford. who has been mentioned as a 
 shipowner and doing a business of importing negroes to be sold as slaves, at one 
 time got into serious difiiculty with the Colonial government, through the action 
 of his son. Phinehas, in kidnapping a swarthy white man and selling him as a 
 negro slave. Phinehas was a sea captain and commanded one of his father's ves- 
 sels. This swarthy man was a Portuguese and his story told in his own words, 
 reads like a romance, and it would be impossible to improve by either cutting out 
 or adding to it : so it is given as he told it to the General Assembly on February 
 9- 1757: 
 
 "The ^Memorial of Joseph Deming (otherwise called Joseph De Mink) now 
 residing at Goshen in the county of Litchfield Humbly Sheweth — That your Mem- 
 orialist was a free born Subject of the King of Portugal, a Native and an Inhabitant 
 of the Island of Brava in the Indies one of the Cape De Verde Islands where your 
 memorialist's Parents not Long Since were, and he hopes are yet Living. That 
 sometime in the month of March A. D. 1755 by Leave of his Father he went to 
 the Island of Bonavista one of the Cape de Verde Islands under the Dominion 
 of the s"^^ King of Portugal, but a few Leagues Distance from \'' Memo'*"^^ Xative 
 Island. That after some Short Stay at said Island of Uonavista your memorialist 
 was Seeking an Opportunitv to return home, and falling in Company with one 
 •Mr Phinehas Cook, then Master of a N'essel lying at Anchor at said Island of 
 BcMiavista (who belonged to Wallingford in the s'' Colony of Connecticut) & he 
 enformed your [Memorialist that he was bound to Barbadoes. and in his Way should 
 ])ut in to s^' Island of IJrava. where }'our memorialist was going and would freely 
 give your memorialist a Passage home to his Parents. That when the said Cook 
 was ready to Sail \our ^Memorialist took Leave of his Friends and went on Board 
 s'^ \'essel. and witliin a .short .S])ace arri\ed in ."^ight of said Island and j-'xpected 
 to be put on Shore, but to \our memorialists amazement, the s'' L'ooke Steered oH' 
 
 1 This story was told to tlie writer by Willard Hall and his sistpr. :Mrs. Oallup. 
 
250 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and soon after arrived at Barbadoes, and there kept your ]vIemorialist Confined 
 & would not Suffer him to goe on Shore, and in a few Days afterwards sailed for 
 New England. That after our Arrival at New England your memorialist was 
 Delivered up to j\Ir David Cook of sd Wallingford, owner of said Vessell and 
 Father and Employer of the s*^^ Phinehas Cook who together with the said Phine- 
 has immediately proclaimed that y'' memo^*'* was a Negro being lately brot from 
 someparts of Guinea, and presently sold your memorialist to Mr Noah Waddams 
 of Goshen aforesaid for a New Negro and as a Slave for Life, for the price of 
 Fifty-two pounds ten shillings Lawful mony, with whom your memorialist has- 
 ever since Lived and Served and from whom much kindness and pitty has been 
 Shewn. That the s^ Mr Waddams haveing been Long since Satisfied that your 
 memorialist is no negro nor any Thing resembling, a Native of Guinea, saveing 
 in his Tawny and dark Complexion which is but Common to the Portuguese Na- 
 tion Especially in the Southern Plantations and being also satisfied that your 
 memorialist was very wrongfully taken away from his Native Country and Friends 
 and greatly grieving to retain him as a Slave while Convinced of the Fraud and 
 Injury done him. He the s"^^ Mr Waddams did sometime in the beginning of this 
 month of February attempt to relieve your Memorialist and to that End bro't his 
 action against the sd David Cooke, for Selling your Memorialist being a free man,, 
 as a Slave &c. That the said Cooke being Served with the Process immediately 
 Compounded with the said Mr. Waddams, and Obliged the said Waddams to re- 
 turn your memo^^* back to him. the Consequences whereof your memorialist 
 greatly dreads, and has now^ reason to expect soon to be disposed of in some parts 
 remote where he can have no relief. 
 
 Your Distressed Memorialist therefore begs the Speedy aid and interposal of 
 this Honor'^i® Assembly that your Hon'"*5 would commiserate him as a poor youth 
 seperated from all his former Friends helpless in himself and Exposed to the 
 Rapine conceived by y^ said Cooke. That your Honours would give me Leave- 
 to appear in y'' Presence, and to Convince your hono'''^ by Countenance, by my 
 Education by my proficiency in reading and writing of the Portuguese Languages 
 and by other Evidence. That I am no Slave or Native of Guinea. 
 
 And that your Honours would A^ouchsafe me the same Protection that a Sub- 
 ject of the King of Great Brittain could reasonably Expect from the King of 
 Portugal, or from any of his Government with whom there has been, and with 
 whom there hopefully may be Subsisting the most Lasting Friendship. And that 
 y'' Honours would at Least appoint me a Refuge where to fly and a Guardian to 
 undertake In my Defence, till it be Decided whether I am a free man or not or 
 otherwise relieve your Memorialist and as in Duty bound ever prays. ^ 
 
 Thos Seymour Jun'' 
 Prochein Ami To the Memorialist" 
 
 1 Vol. 11., Miscellaneous Documents, No. 88, State Library. 
 
EARLY HISTOKV. 25I 
 
 As a result of this petition the General Assembly decided that De Mink was 
 a freeman and a subject of the King of Portugal, and was brought to this country 
 against his will, and David Cook was ordered to pay to De Mink £30 damages 
 and £4 to pay his passage back to the Cape de \'erde Island. Cook was also fined 
 £20 and costs, and Capt. Thomas Seymour, of Hartford, was appointed guardian 
 to De Mink to assist him in procuring passage to his native country. 
 
 Let us hope that he got safely back to his family and friends. Xo matter how 
 generously a slave was treated by his master the institution was an iniquitous one 
 and such a story as that of De Mink must have made many realize what a blight 
 on civilization it was to hold in bondage one's fellow man even if the color of his 
 skin was black. It is only just to David Cook to say that De Mink's story was not 
 believed in \\'allingford. 
 
 The first public condemnation of the sin of slavery made in W'allingford seems 
 to have been contained in a sermon delivered by Rev. Samuel Andrews preached on 
 a day of General Fast July 10, 1775. Mr. .\ndrews was the minister of the Epis- 
 copal church there and a pronounced Tory in his views. Speaking of one of the 
 vices of the people in which there should be reform, he said, "And here, as we 
 profess to be now contending for those liberties which God and nature have given 
 us: and in common with us, to all the human race: is it not worth our serious con- 
 sideration, whether our detaining in captivity, a part of our fellow creatures, can 
 be reconciled with our principles of liberty, and if not, to examine whether it is not 
 necessary, either to change our principles, or let the oppressed go free : for how 
 can we expect God will work that deliverance for us, which we refuse to give to 
 others ?" 
 
 The Declaration of Independence, and the circulation among the people of the 
 general ideas and principles of civil liberty soon made luany realize the absurdity 
 of keeping the black man in servitude. The feeling against the traffic in slaves 
 had become so strong that at the October session of the General Assemblx 1774 
 it was enacted that whoever "shall import or bring any Indian negro or niolatto 
 slave or slaves into this Colony to he disposed of" "shall forfeit and jiay to the 
 Treasurer of this Colony the smn of one hundred pounds." and the State Assembly 
 at the October session 1777 enacted "That if any owner of any slave shall ap])ly to 
 the selectmen of the town to which he belongs for liberty to emancipate such slave 
 it shall be the duty of such selectmen to enquire inln the age abilities etc of such 
 slave, and if they are of the opinion that it is likely to be consistent with the real 
 advantage of such slave, and that it is probable that the slave will be able to sup- 
 port his or her own person etc: such selectmen shall give to the owner of such 
 slave a certificate, and that the owner of such slave hath liberty t<T emancipate such 
 slave." 
 
 This was a decided step towards the gradual emancii>ati(in of all slaves. And 
 the result was that the town l)Ooks now began to bear recrirds rif slave transactions 
 
252 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 for the first time ; but instead of being" transfers of the negro as a chattel, they 
 were the blessed harbingers of the complete freedom of the negro race in Con- 
 necticut. 
 
 The Wallingford books contain many entries of the emancipation of negro 
 slaves under the new law. 
 
 On Sept. 24. 1778, "I Rachel Johnson for divers good reasons and causes but 
 more especially because I believe all mankind should be free I do hereby manumit 
 my servant maid Dolly who is about 8 years of age, that is I do make her free 
 from all bonds that she is under to me when she shall be 18 years of age." 
 
 Dec. 7, 1778, "I Ruth Alerriam emancipate my woman servant Rhoda." 
 
 Aug. 19, 1778, John Hough emancipated his man servant, Cuff, and woman 
 Kate. 
 
 May 29, 1780, Gould Gift Norton and wife, administrators of the estate of Dr. 
 Amos Hall, emancipated negro servant Ishmael. 
 
 Nov. 26, 1780, Martha Doolittle emancipated servant Rose. 
 
 Dec. 18, 1780, Miles Johnson emancipated Phillis. 
 
 March i, 1781, Ruth Merriam emancipated Lilly. 
 
 Mar. 26, 1 78 1, Jno. Barker emancipated Jubie and Peter. 
 
 Jan, 10, 1782, Dr. Jared Potter emancipated Jack. 
 
 Feb. 19, 1782, Samuel Street emancipated Cuff. 
 
 June 21, 1782, Elisha Brockett emancipated Nancy. 
 
 Jan. 20, 1795, Turhand Kirtland emancipated his negro Isaac. 
 
 Aug. 6, 1795, Edward Barker emancipated Cato Warner. 
 
 Dec. 17, 1798, Abner Rice emancipated negro woman Violet. 
 
 Oct. 12, 1786, Thomas Hall made an agreement with his negro servant Cato 
 that if in the opinion of his neighbors, David Hall, Jacob Francis and Edward 
 Fenn, at the end of three years, he had faithfully served his master during all the 
 interval, he would emancipate him. At the end of the three years the neighbors 
 duly certified that in their opinion Cato had faithfully carried out his part of the 
 contract and he was duly made free. 
 
 But death was the only emancipator of man}- of these faithful old servants. 
 
 The pace of the state, however, was steadily towards the freedom of the slave 
 and in 1784 it was enacted that, 
 
 "Whereas sound public policy requires that the abolition of slavery should be 
 effected, as soon as may be consistent with the rights of individuals and the public 
 safety and welfare," "no negro or mulatto, born after Mar. i, 1784, should be held 
 as a slave after reaching the age of twenty-five. "^ 
 
 The holding of slaves was not absolutely forbidden in Connecticut until 1848.^ 
 In the year 1833 there was founded the New Haven Anti-Slavery Society and a 
 
 1 Stelner's History of Slavery in Conn. Johns Hopkins University Studies pp. 30-31. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 253 
 
 missionary movement was started which caused a rapid growth of AboHtion sen- 
 timent all over the state. 
 
 In the year 1836 a like society was started in this town called the Meriden 
 Anti-Slavery Society. Its constitution stated that it was auxiliar}- to the American 
 Anti-Slavery Society. It no doubt aroused a considerable local sentiment and 
 119 names constituted its roll of members. The leaders of the movement were 
 evidently Walter Webb, Harlow Isbell, Fenner Bush, Zina K. Murdock, Julius 
 Pratt. Homer Curtiss. Major Elisha A. Cowles and their wives. Mr. Curtiss had 
 Mr. Isbell were ardent members of this society and labored earnestly in its behalf. 
 The former was engaged to a considerable extent in the so-called "underground 
 railroad" movement and his son. Homer A. Curtiss, remembers as a boy the mid- 
 night visits of fugitive slaves, on their way to Canada or others havens of security, 
 requesting either a hiding place or assistance to continue their journey. 
 
 At one time two colored men named Eldridge and Jones came north as jockeys 
 and grooms to the two famous racing horses Phantom and Fashion. On reaching 
 Philadelphia these men were told by the Quakers that they were free under the 
 law. They, accordingly, escaped from their masters and made their way to Mer- 
 iden, and Mr. Curtiss gave them employment in his lock shop situated where the 
 factories of Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co. are now located. Their owners later 
 ascertained that the ex-slaves were in Meriden and wrote to the sheriff ofifering 
 him a reward if he would kidnap and return them. The sherilY took the letter 
 to Rev. Mr. Perkins who wrote them that under no circumstances would they be 
 allowed to regain possession of the men. Soon after, one of the owners appeared 
 in person and demanded of Mr. Curtiss that he give up the men, and blustering 
 and threatening the intervention of the U. S. government. Mr. Curtiss was not 
 frightened and ordered the man from his premises. No further effort was made 
 to take the runaways but for a long time they were very timid and scarcely dared 
 to go on the streets. They lived here many years. 
 
 Mr. Isbell w'as so carried awav by the abolition movement that he removed to 
 Kansas to assist in the attempt to make it a free state. 
 
 In the fall of 1837 a Rev. Mr. Ludlow was requested to deliver a lecture in 
 j the church now called the Center Congregational church, on the subject of slavery. 
 The meeting was broken up by a mob: ancient eggs and a miscellaneous assort- 
 ment of articles were thrown at those attending the lecture, until as one man who 
 was a participant expressed it, "they looked like a lot of pumpkin ])ies." Blows were 
 struck and altogether a most disgraceful attack was made on those who were 
 laboring for the good of a down-trodden race. A full account of this riot will 
 lie found in Dr. Davis' History, p. 502 
 
254 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 When Wallingford was a frontier town of three or four hundred inhabitants 
 and New England was almost an unbroken wilderness, when a journey from 
 Hartford to New Haven was an event to be contemplated with concern, and the 
 forests were the abode of wild beasts and savage Indians, it is not surprising that 
 imagination should have been active in conjuring unknown terrors and that the 
 belief in witches, which from time immemorial had been the common heritage of 
 the people of all lands, should have been particularly prevalent in the towns of 
 New England. 
 
 It is difficult in this age of wide education and altruism to understand this su- 
 perstition, and still harder to realize that Wallingford had its acute attack of this 
 mental phenomenon. Hardly any one is acquainted with the facts in the case; 
 indeed, the occurrence is barely mentioned in the "History of Wallingford and 
 Meriden," and even then the name of the accused family is given as Denham. 
 
 Some facts relating to this case have come to the attention of the writer, and 
 they are sufficiently interesting to be given to the public. It is best to give the 
 names as they appear in the records, because no descendant can possibly object 
 to such a course. It is no disgrace to have had as an ancestor one who was sus- 
 pected of witchcraft. Three reasons present themselves as probable causes of 
 suspected cases of witchcraft. Sometimes it was the unconscious homage which 
 stupidity paid to superior ability, in other cases, the unfortunate martyr was simply 
 a victim of a conjunction of circumstantial evidence, and, again, the results were 
 brought about by the devious and tortuous workings of unprincipled and malicious 
 persons. The unhappy family, which was the center of the witchcraft excitement 
 in Wallingford, was thoroughly respectable, and we can only conjecture as to why 
 it was the victim of this morbid superstition. 
 
 However, the witchcraft trials of Connecticut did not result in such tragedies 
 as those of Massachusetts, which culminated in the horrors of Salem in 1692. A 
 list of trials and executions in Connecticut can be found in Orcutt's History of 
 Stratford and Bridgeport, p. 156. New Haven County seems to have escaped with- 
 out one of these legal murders. 
 
 Among the first planters of Wallingford in 1670 was Joseph Benham, son of 
 John Benham, an immigrant at Dorchester, Mass., in 1630. John was undoubt- 
 edly the ancestor of all the Benhams in this part of the country. Joseph married 
 in 1657 Winifred King, of Boston, and when the homestead lots were assigned in 
 Wallingford in 1670 he received one a little below what is now Center street, on 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 255 
 
 the east side of Main street. We know little about Joseph in his relations to his 
 neighbors and townsmen until 1691. He seems then to have had some disagree- 
 ment with the selectmen which caused him so far to forget himself that he was 
 guilty of some rather strong expressions regarding the fitness of these gentlemen 
 -for their official positions. In those days, speaking lightly of dignitaries was not 
 permitted ; in fact, our present free and easy manner of criticizing the acts of our 
 public servants would have been looked on with horror and as something not to 
 be tolerated. At the County court held in Xew Haven June 15, 1691, Joseph 
 Benham was presented for trial. It is better to let the records tell the story in 
 their own quaint phraseology : 
 
 '■Joseph Benham of Wallingford presented for speaking words in Reproach 
 3.g^ ye townsmen (selectmen) of Wallingford viz*^ that they were noe more fit for 
 townsmen than Doggs w*^"^ was upon ye last tuesday in Aprill and was now proved 
 ag*^ him in Court by 3 witnesses & ye substance of ye accusacon confest by himself 
 lor w*^*^ he was fined to pay 5^ into ye County treasury before ye ist of Xov. next 
 for his soe traducing & vilifying s'^ townsmen." 
 
 We are not enlightened by the records as to why Joseph so far forgot himself 
 as to make possible so serious a charge and punishment. He may have been a 
 man of violent temper, or he may have been provoked beyond endurance by the 
 acts and gossip of his neighbors and subsequent investigations by the "townsmen." 
 It is somewhat difficult to-day to realize the condition under which our ancestors 
 lived in these early Puritan days. To us now it would be intolerable. The or- 
 ganization of each community was aptly described by the old Puritan gibe, 'The 
 world belongs to the saints, and we are the saints," and woe betide the poor un- 
 fortunate who had fallen under the ban of his fellow church members. 
 
 ''Considerations of the methods of interpreting Scripture and of theological 
 theories which were in credit will suggest explanations of the morbid vigilance" 
 exercised by every church association. "In those days Xew England men meant 
 as they professed. Their convictions, covering the whole length and breadth of 
 their creeds, laid a wide basis for imagination and emotion." Every one felt at 
 liberty to spy upon the acts of his neighbor, and that this was thoroughly done 
 no one will doubt who has made an examination of early church records. What 
 to-day is considered the act of a scandalmonger and busybody was then felt to 
 be the part of a conscientious man's duty. It can easily be imagined that life in 
 such a community was not pleasant. They were a sturdy lot. and thoroughly lived 
 up to their lights. 
 
 The next appearance of Joseph and his family was under decidedly distress- 
 ing circumstances. Of course, we cannot tell whether this situation was the re- 
 sult of underhanded work of malicious persons, or simply an explosion of the 
 
256 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 pent-up emotions and morbid imaginations of persons sincerely believing what 
 they reported. Let us again turn to the records : 
 
 "At a meeting of ye authority of Xew Haven, 25th of July, 1692. 
 
 Joseph Benham of Wallingford appeared according to summons before ye 
 Authoritv this day And being Examined upon Complaint and evidence being 
 brought ag*^ him that he had lately threatened to charge his gun with two Bullets 
 & shoot Goody Parker if she come into his house about such matters or things upon 
 w^^ examination he ye s*^ Benham Confest ye s*^ threatning words in p^ being as 
 he s^ provoked by ye s*^ Parkers casting some refleccons (in her speech) about 
 witchcraft upon his wife yet not intending mischiefe to s*^ Parker & blaming him- 
 self for his passion & such threatning expressions. The authority having con- 
 sidered ye case & finding (besides his p*^ Confession) ye s*^ threatning w*^^ clearly 
 proved by 2 witnesses viz* Sarah How Sen^ & Abigaile Atwater did order ye s^ 
 Joseph Benham to acknowledge him selfe & his estate bound in a Recognizance of 
 50^ to ye County treasury that he shall keepe ye kings peace towards all theire 
 ]y[agties Subjects Especially ye s*^ Joseph Parker & Hannah his wife & theire fam- 
 ily. And his s*^ Recognizance to stand good ag* him untill November County 
 Court next and then he to appeare for his Release as ye Court shall see Cause & 
 in y® meane tyme to pay just fees for y® psecution." 
 
 Evidently Joseph did not relish the conscientious motives of his neighbors in 
 seeking to show that his wife was in league with the devil and guilty of the mon- 
 strous crime of witchcraft. Conscious of her innocence and resenting this pry- 
 ing into his domestic afifairs, we can easily understand the wrath of the 
 outraged husband and his desire to plant two bullets in the body of the over-anxious 
 Goody Parker. This Joseph Parker (whose wife was Hannah Gilbert) was a 
 son of William Parker, of Saybrook, ancestor of all the Parkers in this vicinity. 
 
 But the gossip regarding Winifred Benham had now grown to the proportion 
 of a great scandal, and was the subject of anxious solicitude to Rev. Mr. Street, 
 pastor of the Wallingford church, who, no doubt, was greatly disturbed to think 
 the devil had gained possession of the body and soul of one of his flock. At this 
 same court, viz. 25 July, 1692: 
 
 "The Rev^^ Mr. Street appeared before Authority & he & Airs. Street, Deacon 
 Hall & Goody Parker menconed many pcular things as grounds of suspicion of 
 Witch Craft reflecting upon Goody Winifred Benham then alsoe psent whereupon 
 the Authority desired and advised Mr. Street and others of Wallingford consernd 
 to consid'' of ye matter being weighty & to p'^pare such evidences as could be come 
 at for ye further discovery & conviction of ye p'ty suspected if guilt or clearing 
 if Innocent & ye s^ suspected p^'son being a member of theire church twas left w*'^ 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 257 
 
 Mr. Street y*^ he & ye church should consicF \x^ did or mi^^ht belong to them hop- 
 ing God wold direct y""" on theire seeking Council! from him or w^"*^^ to y*^ purpose 
 & soe ye matter was dismist & left till next County Court." 
 
 Doubtless the time until the November session of the court was anxiously spent 
 by the Benham family. The whole of New England was stirred up by the ter- 
 rible tragedies taking place at Salem and other towns. It was fortunate for Win- 
 ifred Benham that the trial was postponed until November, for by that time a 
 great revulsion of feeling had occurred, and ministers and magistrates were re- 
 penting bitterly the awful horrors enacted in Massachusetts. Poor Winifred was 
 I >u hand in Xew Haven in November, and the record is as follows : 
 
 "A County Court held at New Haven the 2^ Wednesday in Nov 1692 
 
 Present Robt Treat Esq. Gov. W™ Jones Esq. Dep. Gov. .Andrew Leet Assist. 
 Capt. Moses Mansfield Mr. Thomas Trowbridge County Com'" 
 
 "Winifred Benham of Wallingford being sumoned to appcare at this Court 
 for examinacon upon suspicon of Witch Craft was now present. And ye witt- 
 uesses were called to testify what they had to say in the case & accordingly gave 
 in theire testimonyes in writing w^''^ were Redd in \e hearing of the s'' Winifred. 
 And she being called to say what she had to say for her selfe her generall Answer 
 was that she knew nothing of ye matters testified and was not concerned therein. 
 She alsoe gave in some testimonies for her selfe w*^"'' were Redd. 
 
 "The Court having heard & considered all ye evidences ag*^ ye s'^ Winifred 
 Benham and not finding sufficient grounds of conviccon for further i)rosecution 
 (at present) of ye s^^ Winifred Doe therefore at this tyme dismiss \e buissnes yet 
 advising the s*^^ Winifred Benham solennily to Reflect u])on ye case and grounds 
 of suspicon given in and alledged ag^ her. And told her if further grounds of 
 suspicon of witchcraft or further evidences shold a])peare ag' her by Reason of 
 niischiefe don to ye bodyes or estate of any preternall acts ])r\(l ag' her she might 
 justly feare and cxs]iect to be brought to her tryall for it." 
 
 Presumably Joseph & \\'inifre(l breathed more freelx on their return journev 
 as they thought of the peril she had escajjcd. lUit her life in WnllingfonI could 
 not have been pleasant thereafter. Her neighl)f)rs looked at her askaiice. and 
 every act and word must have been scanned and twisted to suit the desires of 
 those who sincerelv believed she spent her nights riding on a bntomstick in com- 
 pany with the devil. Thev had a daughter, Winifred, who nmst have shared 
 much of the unhappine.s.s of her niotlier's life. This strained situation continued 
 for five years with no outbreak. 
 
 At last human nature can stand it no longer, ller neighl)ors are convinced 
 that all their misfortunes are (\\-n: to Winifred's intiniac\ with his satanic majesty. 
 And poor little Winifred, onlv thirteen years old. is now believed to ride tandem 
 
258 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 on the broomstick with her mother in her nightly peregrinations with the devil. 
 Just try to fancy what a life this poor child must have led! On Aug. 31, 1697, all 
 her neighbors are again in New Haven, determined that Winifred and her daugh- 
 ter shall surelv pav the just penalty of their monstrous crimes and persecutions. 
 
 "A special County Court by order of the Gov'' held at New Haven the 31^* Qf 
 Augt 1697. 
 
 Present Robt. Treat Esq'' Gov'' W"' Jones Es'^>. D. Gov'' Major Aloses Mansfield 
 Assist. 
 
 "Complaint being made to the Authority by Ebenezer Clark Joseph Royse & 
 John Moss Jun'' all of Wallingford ag*^ Winifred Benham Sen'' & Winifred Ben- 
 ham Jun'" her daughter that Sarah Clark daughter of Ebenezer Clark, Elizabeth 
 Lathrop and John Moss son of y® s*^^ John Moss Jun'" were frequently and sorely 
 afflicted in theire bodys by ye s*^ Benhams, mother & daughter or theire Appar- 
 icon and as they strongly suspect by theire means or procurance by y® Devil in 
 theire shapes. And therefore desire y® Authority as Gods Ordinance for theire 
 relief e strictly to examine ye s*^ suspected persons. In order to a due tryall of 
 them yt a stop may be put to theire sufferings ; prevention of such mischeifes 
 among them for the future. 
 
 "The Court having seriously considered the Accusations & Informations on 
 good testimony given ag* Winifred Benham Sen'' & Winifred Benham Jun'' upon 
 suspicon of them for witchcraft, they or the devill in theire shapes afflicting sundry 
 young persons above named. As formerly accused & suspected in ye yeare 1692. 
 And finding clere & Sufficient ground of suspicon ag*^ them after strict examina- 
 tion of ye s^ persons apart & severally see just cause to bind over the said Ben- 
 hams mother & daughter to appeare at ye next Court of Asst-'^ in October next at 
 Hartford in ord'' to theire further examinacon & tryall personally. And the hus- 
 band of s<^ Winifred Sen'' gave 40^ Recognizance for theire appearance accord- 
 ingly or that they be secured in person for theire s*^^ tryall. And s*^ Benham to pay 
 ye charge of this County Court, Charges 21^ exem" granted for s*^^ 21 shillings. 
 
 Also ye Death of s*^ young child to be inquired into w*'' w*^ ap- 
 peared of spotts on s<^ child and ye like spots on s<^ Benham quickly vanishing." 
 
 What transpired between the date of this Court and that in Hartford 
 we do not know ; but mother and daughter were quickly released when the 
 case came to trial, as appears by the following extract from records in the office 
 of Secretary of State in Hartford : 
 
 "Att a Court of Assistants Held at Hartford October 7"' 1697 Capt Dan'' 
 Clark also at this (Court) as attorney in behafe of our Soveraign Lord the King 
 appeared in Court and accused Winifred Benham Sen'" and Winifred Benham Jun'' 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 259 
 
 both of Wallingford for having- faniiUarity with Sathan the enemy of God and 
 mankind and by his aid doing many preternatural acts by mischievously hurting 
 the bodies and Goods of Sundry persons viz*^ of Jno ]\Iosse Jun'' J()sei)h Rovs and 
 Ebenezer Clark with Divers others to the Great Damage and disturbance of the 
 Public peace, &c. This bill of charge with the testimonies Relating thereunto 
 being referred to the consideration of the Grand iur\- they Returned upon the bill 
 Ignoramus." That is "not proven." 
 
 Fortunately, a more enlightened feeling had grown u\) in the colon\-, and for 
 this reason mother and daughter were henceforth not publicly persecuted, but 
 doubtless the memory of these terrible experiences never forsook them. From 
 the late Dr. Charles J. Hoadley. state librarian, the writer had the assurance that 
 this was the last witchcraft trial in Connecticut. 
 
26o A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Meriden and Wallingford in the Wars. 
 
 KING Philip's war. 
 
 Wallingford's share in The Indian War of 1675-6, commonly called King 
 Philip's, was doubtless thrilling to the inhabitants even though it was not suffi- 
 ciently stirring to gain a notice on the records of the colony. The actual war be- 
 gan in an attack by the Indians on the town of Swansea in Massachusetts, just 
 west of Fall River, on June 20, 1675. Troops were immediately raised in Bos- 
 ton and Plymouth and sent against the Indians, and Deputy Governor Leete of 
 Connecticut sent men to Stonington to defend that part of the country. 
 
 As towns were sacked, inhabitants butchered, and disasters multiplied, the 
 alarm through the New England colonies soon became general. How intense 
 the feeling was may be gathered from the following statement in Trumbull's His- 
 tory of Connecticut : 
 
 "As the Indians had lived promiscuously with the English in all parts of the 
 country, they were generally as well acquainted with their dwellings, fields and 
 places of worship as themselves. They were perfectly accjuainted with the roads, 
 times and places of resort. They were at hand to watch all their motions, to at- 
 tack them at every difficult pass and in every unguarded moment. Except some 
 of the thickest settlements and the center of the towns, the country was a vast 
 wilderness. This enabled the enemy, not only in small skulking parties, but in 
 great bodies, to make their approaches undiscovered, almost to the very midst of 
 them : and under cover of the night to creep into their barns, gardens and out- 
 houses, to conceal themselves behind their fences, and lie in wait for them on the 
 roads and in their fields. Sometimes they concealed themselves before their very 
 doors. No sooner did they open them in the morning than they were instantly 
 shot dead. While the English were hunting them in one place they would be 
 slaying the inhabitants and plundering and burning in another." 
 
 Although the towns in Connecticut did not suffer from attacks owing to the 
 friendly attitude of the Indians of this colony there was no telling how soon the 
 wily King Philip would win them over by his arts and blandishments, and the 
 towns of Connecticut knew not how soon the hurricane that had broken loose in 
 Massachusetts would sweep into this vicinity. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. ^6 1 
 
 The gathering" storm looked ominous to the people of Wallingford and on 
 August 2^, 1675, they met in town meeting and i)assed the following votes: 
 
 "In respect of the present danger of the Indians it was ordered that y® in- 
 habitants secure themselves and the principall of theyre goods by fortifying about 
 two houses w^'^ houses are to be Mr Samuel Streets and Lieutenant ]\lerrimans & 
 that this work of fortif\ing be set upon the 28^'^ August by y'' whole town, & 
 followed until it be effected & whosoever fails, to pay a fine of 5 shillings." 
 
 "Also that every man bring his amies & ammunition compleate upon the Sab- 
 oth day y"^ he may be able in a fitt posture to do service if need require." 
 
 "That y^ select guard serve as sentinells on y® Sabath and y*^ rest of the town 
 ^\■ard 4 men ever}- Sabbath and 2 every weeke day & be warned by order from y® 
 Constable by y*^ watch & called & \'^ they begin to ward when the watch l)reaks 
 up and hold on till y® watch be sett again : \^ they begin and end at y^ dawning 
 and shutting in of y*^ day : and y'^ both watch & ward come to y® constable and \^ 
 theire arms ma}' be viewed if they be according to law : this until! further order, 
 provided notwithstanding y^ select guard is not hereby freed from warding on 
 y® weeke days : it is alsoe ordered \^ \^ driun beat at y® setting and breaking up 
 of y® watch." 
 
 Sept. 2'\„ 1675 'Tt was ordered y* y® day workers for y® cutting of Brush be 
 performed y*^ next Monday & Tuesday being y*^ 27^'^ & 28*^'^ instants & y® Drum 
 to beat in y*^ morning & y^ persons to work meet at Eleazur Peck's house & so dis- 
 tribute 4 parts to work at y® view part of y® town & y^ other 3 persons towards 
 y^ lower end of the town & that is about y*^ South." 
 
 "Sept 28 1675 It was ordered & agreed hoping it ma\ be no oft'ence to y*^ Hon- 
 orable Council that as in other towns they have abated of y*^ number ap])ointed for 
 warding considering y® necessities of occasions and inability to hold to ward on 
 4 qurts of y*^ towne everv day ; w'e also have j^resumed to make some abatement 
 for y^ present until more danger a])])ears or our superiors see cause to reduce us 
 to our former injunction." 
 
 "Oct 5 1675 It was ordered y^ those persons \^ live at that end of y*^ towne 
 where Mr Moss liveth viz Mr Moss Mr Brocket Serg*^ Doolittle b>hn lleach Sr 
 Eliasaph Preston W"^ Ebnatha. if they see cause to fortif\- an\' nf their house? 
 which they can agree upon for their safety in their time of danger w hat their first 
 charge is shall be defraved out of y® town treasury: alsoe y* an}- that are willing 
 to be assistant to make flankers at Lieut. Merrinian's barne shall have ^Xwv.^ recom- 
 pence out of y® town treasury." 
 
 "Dec 4 1675 Y® towne consented to be at y® charge of fnnir\ing one house at 
 y® lower end of y® towne where Serg*^ Doolittle liveth." 
 
 "Mar 4 1675-6 these persons were allowed to belong to y*^ lower garrison .Mr. 
 Moss Eliasaph Preston W'"^ Ebnatha John Peck Jerenn'ah !I<>w Saml I'.rockett 
 Jabez Brocket Insign Doolittle John Beach." 
 
262 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 "]Mar 4 1675-6 'Mr Moss Lieut ^Merriman & Benj. Lewis chosen a committee 
 to see to the fortifications y^ they be made sufficient according to y^ true intent 
 of y® councils order Mar 3 1675-6."' 
 
 During the latter part of 1676 all danger from the Indian insurrection being 
 deemed at an end, on "Oct 4^^ it was agreed y^ all y® labor that has been bestowed 
 upon fortifications shall be waved & no account be made about them." 
 
 The back of King Philip's insurrection was broken by the terrible fight which 
 took place in what is now South Kingston, R. L. Dec. 19, 1675. It was called 
 the Swamp Fort fight because the Idians had erected a fortification or palisaded 
 fort on some solid ground surrounded on all sides by a horrible swamp. Xo battle 
 with the Indians fought in Xew England can compare with it for fierceness and 
 bloodshed except the terrible slaughter of the Pequot Indians in 1637. In this 
 Swamp Fort fight the power of the Indians was completely shattered in that part 
 of the country. Eighty Connecticut men were killed and wounded in this battle, 
 one W'allingford man, Nathaniel Merriman, Jr., apparently being among the num- 
 ber of those slain. Nathaniel ]»klerriman, Sr., was made Captain of Dragoons for 
 Xew Haven county on Xov. i, 1675. ^^ ^ meeting of the Governor and Council, and 
 was probably engaged in this fight, judging by the votes of the town of Walling- 
 ford at a later date. 
 
 On Jan. 26, 1684-5, "tlie town showing their respect to those that were em- 
 ployed in the countrys service in the war do grant unto Lieut Merriman 10 acres 
 and to the brothers of Xathaniel ^Nlerriman that was slain at the fort fight 10 acres: 
 as to the rest of them 5 acres apiece which they are to take up together in some 
 place viewed bv the townsmen that may not be predudicial to the town, highways 
 and other grants excepted."' 
 
 Feb. 14. 1686. '"the town granted to Lieut. Merriman 8 acres of his soldiers land 
 joining to a swamp. 
 
 The town voted that John Moss, Jr., should have his 5 acres of soldiers* land 
 in the common field." 
 
 April 9, 1688, "town granted Jabez Brocket 5 acres of land for his services in 
 the war joining to his father's 40 acres." 
 
 X^ov. 16, 1687 "town granted Samuel Brocket 5 acres of land for his service 
 in the war joining to his swamp land." 
 
 Dec. 2/, 1687, "town gave Joseph Benham, Jr.. 5 acres of land for his service 
 in the war joining to his 20 acres on the east side." "Also John Doolittle for his 
 service in the war 5 acres at a place called Jonathan IMeadow." 
 
 April 9, 1688, "town granted Roger Tyler 5 acres of soldier land." 
 
 Samuel Hough (father of James Hough who established Hough's, now known 
 as Baldwin's ]\Iill in the northeastern part of ]\Ieriden). was also a soldier in King 
 Philip's war. In his will dated in 1714 he mentions his soldiers land in the X'ar- 
 
E-\RLY HISTORY. 26^ 
 
 rag:an5ett countn\ and in Bodge's "Soldiers in King Philips War," his name oc- 
 curs among the volunteers ( Xo. 135)* who were granted land in Xarragansett 
 Township by Connecticut in 1701 as a reward or pension for ser^^ces in the war. 
 At the time of his enlistment he lived in Norwich and did not remove to \\'al- 
 lingford until about 1680. 
 
 From the foregoing notes the roll of honor of Wallingford men engaged in 
 King Philip's \\'ar is made up of the following names: 
 
 Lieut. Xathaniel Merriman. Joseph Benhara, Jr. 
 
 Xathaniel ^lerriman. Jr., John Doolittle, 
 
 John !Moss. Jr., Roger Tyler, 
 
 Jahez Brocket Samuel Hough 
 Samuel Brocket 
 
 LOUISBURG EXPEDITIOX. 
 
 In the early spring of 1745 the Xew England colonies sent out the troops on 
 the Cape Breton expedition that resulted in the capture of the strong French cita- 
 del or fortress of Louisburg and tilled all the colonies with joy and exultation, and 
 surprised the military" authorities of England. The names of a few Wallingford 
 men have been preser\-ed who took part in the expedition. One was Xathaniel 
 Beetle who lived in the first societ}- and was appointed at the Februar\- session 
 of the General Assembly, "Lieutenant of a company in the regiment of foot to be 
 raised and sent from this government on the expedition against his Majesty's ene- 
 mies at Cape Breton." .\nother was Samuel Royce. of Meriden parish, son ot 
 Deacon Ezekiel Royce. At the October session of the General Assembly appears 
 the following: "Memorial of Capt. Ezekiel Royce of Wallingford praying this 
 assembly to grant to him the siud of £26-11-3 money old tenor to be paid out 
 of the publick treasury- of this colony for that he expended the same sum on his 
 son Samuel Royce lately arrived from Cape Breton to Xew London sick & there 
 dyed a soldier in the service of this colony." The petition was granted. 
 
 On the Wallingford record of vital statistics appears the following: 
 
 "Men of Wallingford who died in Cape Breton. 
 
 Elihu Yale Dec 31 1745 Samuel Mott Mar 5 1745-6 
 
 Jesse Dutton Feb 4 1745-6 Thomas Holt Feb 2j 1745-6 
 
 Thomas Hitchcock Feby 3 1745-6 Diodate Jones Mar 18 1745-*' 
 
 Ebenezer Culver Feb 6 1745-6 Eleasaph Munson Feb i 1745-6 
 Xathaniel How Feb 2j 1745-6 
 
264 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS. 
 
 During the series of campaigns beginning in 1755 and ending in 1762, com- 
 monly known as the French and Indian Wars, WalHngford seems to have been 
 represented, although to what extent it is impossible to state. 
 
 A number of muster and pay rolls, which narrowly escaped the junk dealer 
 and destruction, have been printed in Volumes IX. and X. of the Connecticut His- 
 torical Society collections. 
 
 These rolls, although of course very incomplete, and a few entries on the Wal- 
 lingford death records, furnish all the information we have relating to the partici- 
 pation of men in this vicinity, in these very important wars, which sealed the des- 
 tiny of this continent so far as the influence of France was concerned, for at the 
 close of this struggle it was settled, once and for all, that the English speaking 
 races were to be the masters from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 
 
 In the muster roll of a company under the command of Col. Elihu Chauncey. 
 of Durham, in the year 1755 appear the following unmistakable Wallingford, Mer- 
 iden and Cheshire names :^ 
 
 Sergt. Laban Andrus Jos. ]\Ioss 
 
 Corp. Evan Roice Thomas Merwin 
 
 Samuel Penfield Jacob Francis 
 
 Solomon Yale Abr"^ Hall 
 
 Aaron Yale Titus Hall 
 
 Thomas Yale Dan^i Bates 
 
 Abel Curtis John Sutlifif 
 
 Joseph Waye Elihu Atwater 
 
 Benjamin Fenn John Hitchcock 
 
 John Davis Elisha Steele 
 
 Jawkins Hart Moses Beach 
 
 Street Hall, of Wallingford, was made captain of a company of Connecticut 
 men "on the pay and encouragements"- of N^ew York, in the same year, but ap- 
 parently there were no men from his home town in his command. 
 
 The colonies won a rather barren victory at Lake George on September 8th 
 and two Wallingford men met a hard fate in the field. Abijah Ives, Jr., in Major 
 Isaac Foot's Company, lost an arm in the battle^ and James, the son of Evan Roys'' 
 was killed at the same time ; while Moses, the brother of Abijah Ives, Jr., died Nov. 
 13, 1755,* and Justus Kellogg^ on X'ov. 17, 1755, both in camp. 
 
 1 Conn. Hist. Soc. Col. Vol. IX.. pp. 48-49. 
 
 2 Idem p. 65. 
 
 3 Idem p. 87. 
 
 4 Wallingford record of deaths. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 265 
 
 No names of Wallingford men can be found in the rcjlls of 1756, Init in the 
 campaign of 1/5/, Ephraim Preston,^ of WalHngford, was made captain in Col. 
 Lxman's Regiment and we find the following representatives of Wallingford or 
 iNIeriden families in his command : 
 
 Ebenezer Prindle Levi Munson 
 
 Hezekh Brocket Ichabod Stark 
 
 Timothy Bristol Henry Cook 
 .\mbruse London 
 
 These men were in service from eight t(j nine months and probablv were in 
 Fort William Henry on Lake George, under the command of Col. Monroe, 
 who was forced to surrender by the Marquis Alontcalm on August 9th. for one 
 member of the company. Israel Calkins, was carried a prisoner to France.^ 
 
 In the same campaign was the following company from Wallingford and Mer- 
 iden : 
 
 Samuel Hull, Captain - Charles Peck 
 
 Enos Brooks, Lieutenant Samuel Doolittle 
 Ebenezer Bunnell, Lieut (of Cheshire) Abraham Stanley 
 
 Joel Holcomb, Ensign Hawkins Hart 
 
 Benj. Culver, Sergt. Asa Francis 
 
 Stephen Culver, Sergt. Charles Yale 
 
 Elnathan Ives Corp. Diamond Berry 
 
 Isaac Roys Corp. Joseph Merriam 
 
 Joseph Miles Tim'^ Roys 
 
 Daniel Doolittle John Ives 
 
 Giles Doolittle Joshua Ives 
 
 Samuel Tyler Leml Collins 
 
 Thad^ Carter Ebenezer Mattoon 
 
 Street Yale Elijah Scovel 
 
 Amos Hosford Xath' Cook 
 
 In the campaign of 1758 when General Al)ercn)n>bie made an unsuccessful at- 
 tempt to capture Fort Ticonderoga. and gallant Lord Howe was killed in the first 
 charge, there was one company present in which were a few .Meriden men. Daniel 
 Hough was ensign of Ca])tain Wadsworth's Comixany and with him as a ])ri\ate 
 was his future son-in-law, Benjamin Curtis, as well as Moses Curtis, who died 
 July 21. Abraham Hall. Isaac Cook. Jr.. and IJenj. Re.xford, -^ and the Wallingford 
 death records give us the following information: Jose])h Thorp died in battle on 
 
 1 Conn. Hist. Soc. Col.. Vol. I.\.. pp. 192-3. 
 
 2 Idem pp. 234-5. 
 
 3 Idem Vol. X., pp. 45-6. 
 
266 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 September 13, Dr. Jesse Lewis died in camp October 20 and Benjamin Cook died 
 in the government service at Stillwater, N. Y., on October 28. In the same cam- 
 paign Caleb Atwater was injured in Rogers' fight August 8th,i and Abner Curtis 
 was in a Southington company under Captain Lewis. 
 
 In the campaign of 1759 the following Meriden men served in a company un- 
 der Captain Amos Hitchcock, of New Haven ; Abner Curtis, ensign ; Nathaniel 
 Yale, corporal; Ephraim Berry, Benjamin Curtis, Benjamin Rexford, Samuel 
 Royce and Ichabod Stark. ^ 
 
 Winfield S. Curtis, of Meriden, a descendant of Abner Curtis, has in his pos- 
 session an old powder horn bearing this inscription : "Ensign Abner Curtiss's^ Horn 
 made at Crown point Sept 26 1759." He was made ensign of 7th company in 
 regiment of foot commanded by Nathan Whiting colonel Mar. 22, 1759 and 2d 
 lieutenant of same regiment Mar. 24, 1760, according to commissions preserved 
 with the powder horn. The Wallingford records tell us that Moses Doolittle died 
 at Lake George Nov. 13, 1759. In the campaign of 1760, Abner Curtis was second 
 lieutenant of Captain Hitchcock's company, and with him were Abraham Hall, 
 Ephraim Berry and Ambrose London, of Meriden and XN'allingford,"* and in a 
 Southington company under Captain Clark were Benjamin Culver, first lieutenant, 
 Daniel Hall and Michael Mitchell and probably Ebenezer Prindle, of Meriden and 
 Wallingford.'' 
 
 In the campaign of 1761 Ebenezer Prindle and Waitstill Yale, of Meriden 
 served in Captain Fitch's company and in Captain Hitchcock's company served 
 Samuel and William Andrews and Abraham Hall^ of Meriden. In the roll of 
 the company it is stated that the latter man died on Sept. 17, and this statement 
 is confirmed by the Wallingford death records. 
 
 In the campaign of 1758 a number of Meriden antl Wallingford men were 
 engaged in transporting supplies to the army at Lake George. In the issue of 
 the Connecticut Gazette of Dec. 30 that year appears a communication reading, 
 "whereas there has been a great number of teams employed in his ^lajestys ser- 
 vice to the northward in carting, and it appears that the contractors intend that 
 the owmers of the teams shall pay for all the Indian corn and forage that they had 
 the whole of the time * " * * '■' and likewise they do not intend to pay 
 but for five days out of seven before the forces went over the Lake," etc, etc. ; the 
 letter then sa}'s that a man has been sent to Albany to find out what can be done 
 and that all must act together, and appointing a meeting of the ow'ners on January 
 10 at Air. Hinsdale's tavern at the Great Swamp (Kensington). This letter is 
 
 1 Conn. Hist. Soc. Col. Vol. X., p. 92. 
 
 2 Idem rP- 137-S. 
 
 "?, Abner CurUs lived in Hanging Hills Woods district just west of the Allen farm. He removed to- 
 Farmington in 1764. 
 
 4 Conn. Hist. Soc. Col. Vol. X., pp. 198-99. 
 
 5 Idem pp. 266-7. 
 
 6 Conn. Hist. Soc. Col. Vol. X., p. 272. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 267 
 
 signed by the following" Aleridcn men : Jedediah Norton, Elnathan Ives, Timothy 
 Foster, John Cole. Titus Ives and Edward Collins, and by hdiakim Ilall, Street llall 
 and David Cook, of Wallingford. 
 
 The next meeting was called for Febrnary 7 at Mr. Robinson's tavern in Mer- 
 iden. \\hat was the otitcome does not appear. 
 
 REV0LUTI0NA1<^' WAR. 
 
 These various campaigns of the French and Indian War, in which the Amer- 
 ican people had played so glorious a part, taught them their strength as a military 
 force, trained officers and men in the game of war, and made them begin to real- 
 ize, dimly perhaps, the manifest destiny that the future had in store for the Amer- 
 ican people. 
 
 r.oth England and the colonies had gone to great expense in prosecuting these 
 cani])aigns, and although the Americans were already saddled with a great debt, 
 England was determined to get their aid in assisting her to pay for a war, which,. 
 as her statesmen said, was waged purely for the benefit of the colonies. Conse- 
 quently the stamp act was passed, and every one knows with what fury the news 
 was received in this country. 
 
 Before the colonies knew that the obnoxious law had been repealed Walling- 
 ford freemen met in town meeting on January 13, 1766, and voted the following 
 ringing preamble and resolution : 
 
 "Whereas it appears from ancient Records and other Alemorials of incontesta- 
 ble Validity that our Ancestors with a great Sum purchased said Township at their 
 own Expense, planted with great Peril, possessed and defended the same : (and we 
 were free born) having never been in Bondage to any ; an Inheritance of inesti- 
 mable \"alue. 
 
 Voted and Agreed, that if any of said Inhabitants shall introduce, use, or im- 
 prove any stampt vellum, parchment or Paper, for which Tax or Tribute is or 
 may be demandable, such Person or Persons shall incur the Penalty of 20'^ — to 
 be recovered by the Selectmen of said Town for the 1'inic being, for the use of 
 the Poor of said Town. 
 
 This order to continue in I-'orce until the ne.xt meeting of said Inhabitants in 
 Town meeting." 
 
 This act was one of rebellion and independence: it was not like a riot, where 
 the body politic can plead non-participation : it was the solenni vote of the free- 
 men in town meeting assembled. 
 
 That this was a much bolder note than was soimdcd by any other town of the 
 colonv at that time seems certain, for Bancroft mentions it in his History of the 
 
268 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 United States^ in a way that shows he thought it deserving of special notice, and 
 the press of the period spread it broadcast through this and neighboring colonies. 
 
 The obnoxious act was repealed in January, 1766. That a second one should 
 have been voted by Parliament in 1767 seems like the act of insane men and almost 
 justifies a belief in the old saying: "Whom the Gods would destroy they first 
 make mad." 
 
 The rapid succession of events which followed, intensified the excitement and 
 ripened the American people for armed resistance and independence. The "Bos- 
 ton Harbor tea party," the Massachusetts Act and Boston Port Bill were fitting 
 preludes to the coming drama, and at last the mutterings of the great Revolution 
 began to be heard. What had been but a little fleck in the sky now overcast the 
 whole heavens and sorrow and anxiety filled the hearts of all. 
 
 Meetings and resolutions agitated the whole American people and Wallingford 
 was no exception to the rule and the following letter which appeared in the Con- 
 necticut lournal of September 9, 1774. is an evidence of the feelings that existed 
 in this community. 
 
 "Wallingford Sept i 1774 
 
 Although there are too many among us of tory principals ; yet there are God 
 be thanked not a few true sons of Co)istitutio)ial liberty. As a demonstration of 
 this about an hundred of these respectable gentlemen did on Monday last as a 
 public proof of their sentiments and patriotic resolutions at an elm tree in this 
 town sacred to Hhert\ erect a Liberty Pole an hundred and ten feet high : on 
 which thev have this day hoisted a pendant bearing Liberty and underneath the 
 British Union Flag bearing the words The Congress in honor of the general Con- 
 gress which are to meet this day at Philadelphia : and to testify their warmest and 
 sincerest wishes that a spirit of Liberty, Union, Wisdom and Firmness may pre- 
 vail in that respectable and important Body: and kindle more and more through 
 every class of men in British America." 
 
 On Nov. 27, 1774, a town meeting was held at which a committee of corre- 
 spondence was appointed '"'to receive and communicate such intelligence as may 
 tend to maintain Peace and Union in this and neighboring colonies," and a vote 
 of thanks was given Dr. Dana for opening the meeting with prayer and for his pa- 
 triotic speech. 
 
 The situation in Wallingford only serves to illustrate the conditions all over the 
 country ; correspondence on the vital questions at issue was flying from town to 
 town : meetings were being held, resolutions passed and the line of cleavage be- 
 tween England and the colonies was growing wider and wider. Events moved 
 fast and at last the storm breaks. 
 
 1 Vol. III., p. 172 Ed. 1883, author's last revision, says "The town of Wallingford voted a fine of 
 20 shillings on any of its Inhabitants 'that should use or improve any stamped Vellum or paper' : its 
 Sons of Liberty were ready to 'oppose the unconditional stamp act to the last, extremity, even to take 
 the field.' " 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 269 
 
 At ten o'clock on the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere stands waiting on 
 the Charlestown shore watching the belfry of the old North church in Bos- 
 ton, to learn by a prearranged signal if the British troops are to leave Boston 
 that night in an expedition to seize Adams and Hancock at Lexington. At last 
 the lights are hung out, the signal is given, and into the blackness of the night 
 Paul Revere spurs his steed on that immortal ride. The alarm is given and all 
 along the line the British find the farmers prepared to receive and give them a 
 warm reception. 
 
 The news of the day at Lexington and Concord spreads like wildfire through 
 the colonies. Patriots hesitate no more and ardent, eager men go hurrying to- 
 wards Boston. Wallingford sends two companies, one from Meriden under 
 Captain John Couch and the other from the older parishes under Captain Isaac 
 Cook. 
 
 Under Captain Couch were 38 men as follows : 
 
 John Hough, Lieut. 
 Divan Berry, Ensign 
 Ezekiel Rice, Sergt. 
 Samuel Hall, Sergt. 
 Phineas Hough, Corp. 
 David Ives, Corp. 
 Daniel ^LAIullen, Fifer 
 Ephraim Merriam, Fifer 
 Benjamin Rice, Private 
 Bela Warner 
 Joseph Shaler 
 -Moses Hall 
 Samuel Collins 
 Jonathan Vale 
 Ensign Hough 
 Enos Ives 
 Isaac Livingston 
 1 benjamin Hart 
 Christopher At water 
 
 Samuel Rice 
 Nathaniel Yale 
 Rufus Hall 
 Phineas Lyman 
 Joel Hall ' 
 John Butler 
 Gideon Rice 
 Samuel Johnson 
 John Alerriam 
 John Pearce 
 Seth Smith 
 Asael Deming 
 Israel Hall. Jr. 
 Aaron Hull 
 Elnathan Ives 
 Epaphras Knott 
 John Allen 
 Sannicl Briggs 
 Moses r)aldwin 
 
 I nder Captain Cook were 59 men as follows : 
 
 James Peck, Lieut 16 days 
 
 Samuel Barnes, Ensign 8 days 
 
 Samuel Culver. Sergt 8 days 
 
 Asael Coolev, Sergt 8 davs 
 
 Isaac Doolittle, Clerk 
 
 Miles Sperry 
 
 1-jios Mix 
 
 Ambrose Cook . . . . 
 
 8 days 
 8 days 
 8 days 
 8 davs 
 
^70 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Amos Austin 8 days 
 
 Samuel Mattoon 8 days 
 
 •Gideon Bristol 8 days 
 
 Joel Moss 8 days 
 
 Caleb Hull 8 days 
 
 John Ives, 3''^ 8 days 
 
 .Samuel Merriam 8 days 
 
 Giles Cook 8 days 
 
 Joel Matoon 8 days 
 
 Samuel Hall, 3'"^^ 8 days 
 
 Daniel Slead 8 days 
 
 Jonathan Slead 8 days 
 
 Samuel Hull 8 days 
 
 Rice Hopson 8 days 
 
 Giles Curtiss 8 days 
 
 Peter Peck 8 days 
 
 Abner Avered, Jr 8 days 
 
 Joseph Bartholomew 8 days 
 
 Amasa Yale 8 days 
 
 Chester Hale 8 'days 
 
 Aaron Ives 8 days 
 
 Amos Mix 8 days 
 
 Archelaus Allen 8 days 
 
 Ambrose Ives 8 days 
 
 Oliver Hitchcock, Jr 8 days 
 
 Titus Hall 8 davs 
 
 Jesse Street 8 days 
 
 Ebenezer Warner 8 da}s 
 
 Chas. Culver 8 days 
 
 Joseph Wolcott 16 days 
 
 Calvin Hopson 16 days 
 
 John Booth 16 days 
 
 John Slade 18 days 
 
 Timothy Hart, Jr 18 days 
 
 Nathaniel Hart, Jr 18 days 
 
 Ephraim Chambers, Sergt. ... 34 days 
 
 Daniel Johnson, Sergt 34 days 
 
 Amos Fowler 34 days 
 
 Amos Davies 34 days 
 
 Daniel Bailey 34 days 
 
 John Mecar 34 days 
 
 David Ward 34 da}s 
 
 Stanton Richardson 34 days 
 
 Daniel Smith 34 days 
 
 Charles Tuthill 34 days 
 
 Samuel Mills 34 days 
 
 Benjamin Chrittenden 34 days 
 
 Thomas Dudley 34 days 
 
 Jesse A'orse 34 days 
 
 Daniel Lindsey 34 days 
 
 Samuel Benham 34 days 
 
 The Meriden men were out only seven days, hardly time to go to Boston and 
 return. They doubtless received notice while on the march that their services 
 were not needed. The news of the Battle of Concord reached Wallingford by noon, 
 on Friday, the 21st of April, and the companies set out on the expedition on the 23rd 
 and 24th. James Lockwdod writing from Wallingford under date of April 24th, 
 says : "Col. Wadsworth was over at this place most of yesterday and has ordered 
 twenty men out of each company of his Regiment, some of which had already set 
 off and others go this morning * * * * * The country beyond here are 
 all gone."^ Samuel Kilbourn rendered an account for ferrying "across Connec- 
 ticut River at Hartford" in the Lexington alarm Capt. Couch, of Meriden, with 
 18 men, 4 horses and i waggon. ^ Also Capt. Cook of \\'allingford. 
 
 1 Record of Conn. Men in the Revolution, p. 4. 
 
 2 Idem p. 24. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 27I 
 
 Shortly after the alarm the Legislature issued the first call for troops. The 
 regiment was recruited in Xew Haven county and about Sept. 28 it marched to 
 the Northern Department and took ])art in operations along Lakes George and 
 Champlain under General Schuyler. 
 
 Captain Isaac Cook, of Wallingford, was in this campaign and in his c<;)m- 
 l)any were the following Meriden men who had been in Cai)t. Couch's company 
 during the Lexington alarm : 
 
 John Hough, ist Lieut. Isaac Livingston 
 
 Samuel Hall, Sergt. Phineas Lyman 
 
 Israel Hall ?\Ioses Hall 
 
 Gideon Rice Rufus Hall 
 
 John Pierce Jared Benham 
 
 In the Siege of Boston, which took place after the Battle of Bunker Hill, there 
 Avere certainly ]\Ieriden men engaged, although the only official record of service 
 is that of Captain John -Couch. ^ Doubtless, several of the company he commanded 
 at the time of the Lexington Alarm were with him before Boston. He was in 
 Col. \\'adsworth's regiment which reached there towards the end of January, 1776. 
 The names of only two men in Capt. Couch's Company have come down to us in 
 a trustworthy form. Among the papers in the Oliver Rice homestead is a letter 
 written by Ezekiel Rice when in camp at Roxbur\- in the early part of that year. 
 The letter mentions the name of another Meriden man as with him, viz. Samuel 
 Scovil. 
 
 "These lines to my family and all friends, wishing them health as through the 
 goodness of God I enjoi at present except a Bad Cold but not sick. Our people 
 are all well so as to eat there aLowance for it is as (jood for soldiers as can be ex- 
 l)ectc(l: we have a pound of good Bread a day: 17 ounces of ])ork and _' i:)ound of 
 Beef Salt or 2^ fresh for 3 days: not any saus only jieas one day in a week: we 
 have a good house to quarter in all the Company in one House the Sergeants and 
 tlie Corprils and Drumer are in one Room and a man freed from Duty to Cook for 
 [us]. I have not time to write much of the Sercomstances of things: there hath 
 not P.en any fireing from one Camp to the other sence we came Hear: the Regclers 
 went out 3 days after our arivel at Night & took six prisoners at Dojesters [Dor- 
 chester's] pint and burnt 5 or Six housen and barns: three of the prisoners are Re- 
 turned back: one man 2 women: the others arc there: on the 22 instant I was on 
 gard and had the comand of the ( iard at ihe Left hand fort down l)y the Neck, 
 our Centery is about 80 Rods out on the ]\lash the advance gard with in alxnit 60 
 or 70 Rods of them. I had jest sent the Corperil to Relieve the Sentry when En- 
 
 1 Conn. Hist. Soc. Col. Vol. VIII.. p. i:U. 
 
272 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 sign Lyman came to me about 6 Clock at night and told me that he had liberty from 
 the General to trv for there gard. I emedietly went the Rounds to the Sentry and 
 told them and in Half an Hour from that time he with ten men took of there ad- 
 vance gard which consisted of 3 men only which he Brought to our gard : he went 
 around then in the Dark of the evening in the storm of snow' and hail and cam the 
 way that their Relief come and they thought it Relief for them till he demanded 
 their amies ; the}- are sent to Head Quarters : the same night between one and two 
 of the Clock I was ordered to bring the advance gard back in sight of the Brest 
 work which I Did and told them to be still and I would go and see if the Regelers 
 had set their Sentry again, when I went under the covert of a fence within about 
 12 or 15 Rods of their Lines where I staid about a quarter of an hour and could 
 here nor see nothing : I went to the chimneys where their Station was but there was 
 no gard their that night : the above was their advance gard. We expect to go on 
 to Doj esters pint very soon and there an action will come on I expect. We have 
 Hard Duty once in three Days on gard or on feteeg [fatigue] it is thought that 
 the enemy will Due their best if we strike Doj ester. We Have had 7 or 8 Hun- 
 dred men to cut fasheans [fascines] for a week past to cajy there, and how soon 
 we shall go I know not. I cant write no more for it is allmost dark. I would be 
 glad to have some of our friends come and see us and the extrordinary things which 
 are Hear for which I presume they will not Begrug their time and expense 
 * * * * * " * I am Auctions to hear from Home for I have not heard 
 a word sence I set out and Rather than fail I would give something to have some 
 of our Brothers come and see us : let them take the old mear if they want a Horse 
 if she is in good state. I want not for money at present tho we have Received 
 none. We have sider at 2 Dolers a barril : we hope to Receive our bills but it is 
 unsertain when 
 
 I must Desist tho with Reluctance and Recomend }'ou my Dear and our chil- 
 dren with myself to the Disposal of a kind providence who orders all things for 
 the Best hoping in Due time I shall be Returned in health and safty to you. So I 
 remain your Affectionate friend and Husband Ezekiel Rice 
 
 Roxbury Camp February y® 25 
 
 My duty to our Parents 
 
 Samuel Scovil is sick wath the plurisy in the horspital tel Asahel to call Dady 
 and I hope I shall hear him in a Short time.'' 
 
 \\'ithin eight days after this letter was written Washington had found a place 
 for the fascines, for on the night of March 4th Dorchester Heights was seized and 
 when morning dawned the British saw with astonishment the hastily constructed 
 fortifications and the siege guns in place, and on March 17 they evacuated Boston. 
 
 The British having departed General Washington and his army set out for 
 New York, and that the Meriden men went with him is certain although there is 
 no official record of the fact. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 2/3 
 
 Hut there are two letters in existence that prove this: one was written just 
 before the battle of Long Island which occurred Aug", ij, 1776. It is as follows: 
 
 "Xew York, August 24th, A. D., 1776 
 To Mr Oliver Rice of Meriden with care 
 
 Dear Cousin 
 
 After my regards to you I take this oppertunit}- to write to you and hojie 
 that these Lines will find \'ou well as they Left me and I pray God to continue 
 my health to me : it is a very sickly time wnth us here there has Six Died out of 
 our Regiment sence we came here two of them out of otir Company. I have no 
 great Xews to write only that the Regulars have Landed on Long Island and our 
 men make all the preparation to Defeit them that is possible. ]\Icriden Melisha 
 has got in all well : there is a fine Number of men on our Side and with the hel]) 
 of God we shall be able to Conqur our enemy. I shall write no more at present 
 r.ut |)lease to send me a letter so I remain your Loving Cousin and Humble Scrvt 
 
 Joseph Rice 
 
 Give my regards to all inquiring friends. I would send Aunt Deborah but 
 paper is very Dear and so please excuse me." 
 
 But the Continental troops did not win and the army was compelled to move 
 out of Xew York. The next two letters were written by Ezekiel Rice, and evi- 
 dentl\' do not display very bright hopes as to the future. 
 
 "New York Sept. 7 1776 
 Loving wife These leave me in comfortable Helth as I wish they may find you 
 and all our family: we are moved 2 miles out of the City. We have no tents l)ut 
 Brush and many of our people are sickly : our living is very poor our Docters 
 have no things to Docter with and many of our folks Die. But none out of Mer- 
 iden yet tho there are many sick ; there is no likely Hoods of any being Dismist 
 with out there is somebody to helpe them home : they did Dismiss a number at 
 first and some of them well which made the Generals very shar]> and at jiresent 
 they wont Releas any. I do not expect to be Released until the Regiment is: if 
 T have my health and I know not when that will be. I wish it might l)e soon for 
 1 want to come home more than ever I Did before. Noah Austin is gaining some. 
 1 would be glad that you would send me a horse as soon as you hear that the 
 Milishe are Dismist: if it should come to New York I would not care: there is 
 no news to tell you of " '•' ''^' ''■' * * * * I want to have you write me 
 a line for I have not heard from you one word sence I come from home — 
 Sister Deborah my sincere Love to you and all the family 
 
 I am &c 
 
 Kzekicl Kice." 
 18 
 
2/4 -"^ CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 "New York Sept 8 1776 
 I take a minits time to write a line to you in the open field while I trust and 
 hope }ou are at publick Worship which I am Deprived of. Yesterday I wrote to 
 you by a Hartford man which he was to leave at the Widow Robinson: we are 
 a mooveing to day about a mile further from the city. Last night the cannons 
 began to play on our fourt at Hell gate and they continue their fire today: it is 
 expected that the enemy will exert them selves to the utmost against us and per- 
 haps we are in the greatest Danger of all most any as we expect they will land 
 near by us : we know not when the trying hour will come on but it is expected soon 
 by the wisest men in the Army. God grant us success. We are very sickly with 
 the Camp Distemper and many Die therewith and no Doubt but that many will 
 be wounded and fall in the Day of Battle and why not I as well as any. I pray 
 God prepare for all events, there is no likely whods of our being Dismist soon as the 
 situation of the Army is as it is. As to Business it is Sabath Day and I cant write 
 much. But conduct it as well as you can with out over doing: provisions of all 
 sorts are extreme Dear: the Inhabitence give five Dolers a 100 for flower; mutten 
 9 pence a pound and other things as high and some higher in proportion. But 
 I must Dissist. Commending you to the wise Disposal of our all wise God fer- 
 vently. Asking his grace for me and each of you that we may be kept by his all 
 mighty power through faith to Etarnel Salvatision through Christ. I am very 
 Desirous to here from home once more as I have not since I came from there. I 
 ask a Remembrence with you at the Throne of Divine grace as each of you have 
 with me. Farewell my loving wife, Dear Sister and all the family. 
 
 Ezekiel Rice 
 To Mrs Lydia Rice 
 
 My duty to my Parents and love to all. I have sent Brothers and Sisters and 
 friends this is the forth leter." 
 
 The Continentals were compelled to evacuate the island of Manhattan and 
 then retired to White Plains where the British again attacked them on Oct. 28. 
 But some time before this battle took place there had evidently been an encamp- 
 ment of some sort where some Meriden men were stationed for a letter dated there 
 seems to show that such was the case. 
 
 "White Plains Augst 19 1776 
 Miss Shailer These lines leve me in halth, hope they will find you so. I 
 
 w^ant to have my shirts which you mentioned sent by the first opportunity that 
 
 Presents. My complyments to all friends. 
 
 These from yours, Joseph Shailer 
 
 White Plains August the 20th since I wrote the above Elijah Hall hath come 
 into camp, Saith Mr Cobin is a coming down on Monday next. I should be glad 
 
 kj 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 2^5 
 
 you would send me the art of speaking it l\Ir Cobin would take the trouble to 
 bring it I will reward him well for it Vours Sincerely jo. Shailer 
 
 (Addressed) 
 For Miss 
 
 Rachel Shailer: ]\leriden" 
 
 Following" is another letter of later date from Joseph Sha}lor or Shailer to Eze- 
 kiel Rice: 
 
 "Constitution Island (West I'oint) 
 Feby 12 1781 
 Dear Sir 
 
 These leve me in health ; I ariv'd saif in Camp in four Days after leaving Mer- 
 iden. Camp afifairs are as usule. all hands hearty : we have Just enough to keep 
 soulc and body from parting, but hope for Good times: Our Newengland Lines 
 have Done themselves immortal Honour, in bairing with jiatience, those incon- 
 veniences for which the Southern Troops have revolted, tho they were much better 
 provided then our line * * * * * * * * ^: * * * =!: * ^: 
 
 Pleas to make my Compliments to sister and all Friends. 
 
 I am sir ^ or.r .Most obedient 
 
 Jos. Shailer 
 
 Jose])h Shaylor^ served continuous!}' in the arm\' from the begimiing to the 
 end of the war and attained the rank of ist Lieutenant, and was a member of the 
 order of the Cincinnati. He was in the battles of Long Lsland. White Plains, and 
 took part in the storming and capturing of Stony Point under "■Mad" Anthony 
 Wayne on July 15, 1779, one of the most brilliant exploits during the war. 
 
 It is doubtful if the Meriden men whose letters have been given, viz: l'>.ekicl 
 and Joseph Rice, were in Capt. Couch's company at the time of the campaign in 
 Xew York City and vicinity for the captain was at that time in Col. l>radley's 
 battalion in General Wadsvvorth's brigade which "was stationed the greater part 
 of the summer and early fall of 1776 at Bergen Heights and Paulus Hook (now 
 Jersey City). In October it moved up the river to the vicinity of Ft. Lee, then 
 under General Greene's command. In November most of the regiment was sent 
 across the river to assist in defending Fort Washington which on the fall of the 
 fort November 16 was captured with the entire garrison. "- 
 
 Captain Couch was taken prisoner and also the following Meriilen men in his 
 
 1 Hi.s home was on Gravel street ou the west ^\de, a little south of Baldwin avenue. It was in thi.s 
 bouse that the minority party of the church held their services after Rev. .John Hubbard began to 
 preach. Mr. Shaylor later moved to Ohio. 
 
 2 Conn. Men in the Revolution, p. 41-1. 
 
2^6 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 company : Gideon Ives, John Pierce, Nathaniel Yale,^ Samuel Rice, Jonathan Hall, 
 Benjamin Austin, Gideon Rice, Stephen Atwater and Moses Hall. 
 
 John Couch was in a British prison on Long Island for some time after this 
 capture. In the State Library at Hartford in Revolutionary War documents, Vol. 
 XII., pp. 130-181, are preserved various receipts for money conveyed by the state 
 to men in prison on Long Island, 1777. John Couch's name is among the num- 
 ber of those signing. He evidently gained his freedom during the year, for he 
 appears as captain of a company in a militia regiment ordered to Peekskill in 
 1777. His name does not again occur among the records. 
 
 Isaac Hall, Jr., son of Dr. Isaac Hall, was apparently captain of a company 
 of militia which was in 1776 attached to a regiment of Light Horse. In 1777 he 
 was in service in New York and "parts adjacent," and in 1779, according to some 
 old military papers found in the Wallingford town vault within recent years, men 
 were detached from Capt. Isaac Hall's company to go to Greenwich, and his name 
 appears in the roll of those companies doing service in the Tryon invasion of Xew 
 Haven, 1779. 
 
 Divan Berry was second lieutenant of a company in Bradley's battalion, Wads- 
 worth's Brigade, and was at Fort Washington but it does not appear that he was 
 captured. From July to November, 1776, he was second lieutenant in Prentice's 
 company and was at Ticonderoga under General Gates. In the year 1779 he was 
 a captain under Major Smith's command, and was on coast guard duty at Horse- 
 neck near Greenwich this state, during the time of the British expedition up the 
 Sound under Tryon. In 1780 he was a captain in the 17th regiment. 
 
 John Hough was a lieutenant in Capt. Isaac Cook's Company. On Sept. 28, 
 1775, the regiment was ordered to the Northern Department under General Schuy- 
 ler and was engaged in operations along Lakes George and Champlain. They 
 assisted in the reduction of St. John and were stationed for a while at Montreal. 
 Many soldiers in this company became sick and were mustered out Oct. -Nov. 
 John Hough was also in Captain Hammond's company. Third battalion, under Col- 
 onels Spencer and Wooster in 1776 and 1777, which did service in this state. In 
 October, 1777, he was in Colonel Baldwin"s regiment ordered to Fishkill. In 
 1779 he was a captain in a company that served during the Tryon invasion and 
 in 1780 he was captain in the Seventh militia regiment. 
 
 Asaph Merriam enlisted in the Sixth Connecticut regiment on April 24, 1777, 
 and served three years and was made a pensioner in 1832. He was in Captain 
 Couch's^ company at the time so many were captured in 1776, but he was not made 
 a prisoner. The Sixth regiment saw a great deal of service. 'Tt went into camp 
 in Peekskill in the summer of 1777, but frequently was detached on expeditions or 
 
 1 Mrs. Nathan Baldwin says Nathaniel Yale, who was a carpenter, was sent across the river to do 
 some work and was not captured. 
 
 2 Conn. Hist. Soc. Col.. Vol. VIII., pp. 206-207. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 2/7 
 
 outpost duty on the line above Kings Bridge. It served in Aug.-Oct. on the Hud- 
 son, in Parsons Brigade, under Putnam, and engaged in all movements made in 
 consequence of enemy's move against Fort Montgomery. It wintered '77-/8 at 
 West Point, and assisted in constructing permanent fortifications, etc. In oper- 
 ations of 1779 it served with Connecticut division on east side of Hudson, and 
 perhaps engaged at storming of Stony Point July 15, '79. On discovery of Ar- 
 nold's treason, it was ordered to West Point in anticipation of advance of the 
 enemy." Lieut. Joseph Shaylor was with this regiment. 
 
 Chatham Freeman, the slave of Noah Yale, who earned his freedom by serv- 
 ing in the room of his master during the war, was in this regiment for three 
 years. He was made a pensioner in 1818. Others who served in this regiment 
 were Moses, Rufus, and Jonathan Hall, Levi Robinson^ and Joseph Coban. 
 
 In the month of October, 1777, Lieut. Colonel Baldwin's regiment of militia 
 was ordered to the Hudson at Fishkill to aid the Continental army. They were 
 out perhaps thirty days, and probably saw no active service. In the regiment 
 were these Meriden officers, viz. Capt. Bezaleel Ives. Lieut. John Hough and 
 Capt. Dan Collins. 
 
 The following accounts of service by various !\Ieriden men have been ex- 
 tracted from Record of Connecticut Men in the Revolution : 
 
 Abner Andrews was in the 5th Regiment and served 3 years and was most of 
 the time stationed on or near the Hudson river. 
 
 Lamberton Clark is mentioned by Mr. Perkins as among the men from ]\Icr- 
 iden who served, but he enlisted in Middletown and did not move to Meriden 
 until some time after peace was declared : he was drummer in Col. Sherburne's 
 regiment, and also served with Capt. Heart in the ist regiment. 
 
 Benjamin Rexford was in Capt. Leavenworth's company in the 6th regiment 
 for 3 years and saw most of his service near the Hudson. 
 
 Fdnnmd Merriam was a corporal in Capt. Robertson's company in the 2d reg- 
 iment and also in the 4th regiment: he was stationed at West Point in 1783. 
 
 David Roberts, a pensioner in 1818. was in Capt. Shepherd's company in Gen- 
 eral Wolcott's brigade at Peekskill in 1777. and was also in Capt. Johnson's com- 
 pany, \\''adsworth's brigade at Fort Washington in '76, and was made prisoner: 
 his residence was in Middletown, however, until after the Revolution. 
 
 Jotham Hall, a pensioner in 1818, served in Capt. Richards company. 2i\ Reg- 
 iment, and was in General Lafayette's army at the siege of Yorktown. 
 
 James Baldwin, at the time a resident of Cheshire, was in Capt. Barnes' com- 
 pany, militia regiment, 1777, enlisted in Capt. Sizer's company in a regiment of 
 artificers, 1778, and was at Brandywine. Germantown, ]\[onnn>uth and elsewhere. 
 in service with the regiment: he was a pensioner in 1818. 
 
 T Grandson of Capt. .Tosiah Robinson. 
 
2^8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Ephraim Alerriam was a tifer all through the war and was with Capt. Couch's 
 company when Ft. Washington was captured in 1776: but the records do not say 
 that he was made prisoner : he was in Capt. Barker's company under Lafayette at 
 the siege of Yorktown and in Capt. Potter's company, 2d regiment, at West Point, 
 in 1783. He was a pensioner in 1818. 
 
 Isaac Atwater, a boy of sixteen, was in the campaign around New York in 
 
 1776 and retreated with the army to Harlem and White Plains. 
 
 Josiah Merriam was in the first troop of Col. Sheldon's Light Dragoons from 
 
 1777 to 1783, and saw service at Germantown and under Gates against Burgoyne. 
 David Hall, a pensioner in 1818, was in Capt. Edwards' company in Col. Wa- 
 
 terbury's regiment on sea coast duty in 1781, but began his military career in 
 Capt. Couch's company and was at Fort Washington in 1776 but according to 
 records was not made a prisoner. In 1777 he enlisted in Captain Leavenworth's 
 company of Sixth regiment and served three years. 
 
 Joash Hall was in the Danbury Raid April, 1777; his horse was killed under 
 him, for which the state reimbursed him. 
 
 Abner Rice was in Captain Couch's company and was with the command at 
 Fort Washington but evidently not taken prisoner. 
 
 Samuel Rice was paid a bounty by Wallingford to serve in 1781. 
 
 Black Boss, a negro slave of Abel Curtis, is stated in Perkins' Historical 
 Sketches, to have been a soldier in the Revolution : on a roll or report of the town 
 of Wallingford 1779 in the State Library, appears the name of Boston negro, next 
 to the name of Chatham negro. 
 
 Archelaus Allen, a soldier in the Lexington alarm, and afterwards in Capt. 
 Street Hall's company in the 7th regiment, is generally accounted a Meriden sol- 
 dier in the Revolution, but he did not move from the ist society to Meriden until 
 after the war. He was the grandfather of the late Deacon E. C. Allen, of Meri- 
 den, and the late John Allen, of Saybrook. 
 
 Ebenezer and Joel Cole were both in Capt. Couch's company in 1776 and 
 probably they were the Meriden men whose Christian names were the same but 
 whose surname was Cowles. 
 
 Nathaniel Douglas, Justus Rice, Joel Hall and Thomas Spencer were in Capt. 
 Couch's company but, according to the records, were not captured. 
 
 Solomon Rice, who was also in this company, shared the fate of Capt. Couch 
 and for some time languished in a British prison on Long Island. 
 
 Samuel Collins was first a musician and later a sergeant in Conn. Line from 
 1777 to 1781 and went south to Yorktown under Gen. Lafayette. 
 
 Phineas Hough was a corporal in Capt. Russell's Company, W^ads worth's Bri- 
 gade, and died in the army August i, 1776, just after being promoted sergeant. 
 Benjamin Hart and Wait Rice were both pensioners, so they must have served. 
 Israel Johnson was a corporal in Capt. Hall's company and enlisted for three 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 279 
 
 ^eal"s in I'J'J'J- Isaac Rice was at West i'oint in 1781 in militia regiment and Jotliam 
 Kice was at Yorktown in Lafayette's arm\ in 1783. 
 
 Xo doubt other Meriden men saw service in the Continental arm\ , l)ut their 
 names in the official records, if there the\ occur, cannot be positivel}- identified as 
 belonging to men from this vicinity. The lack of a middle name, an almost uni- 
 versal custom at the time, and the failure to give the addresses of the great ma- 
 jttrity of the soldiers in the records, makes it general!}' unwise to assume an ad- 
 dress. 
 
 The iJritish expedition up the Sound, under ( icucral Tryon, came to anchor 
 in Xew Haven harbor about midnight on Sunday, Jul} 4, 1779. X^o doubt beacon 
 fires and scurrying horsemen soon carried the news through the surrounding coun- 
 try, and probably by daybreak of the 5th. the various militia companies in this and 
 adjoining parts of the state were on the march for Xew Haven. 
 
 The British troops, about 3,000 strong, were landed at daybreak on the east 
 and west shores, and X'^ew Haven was soon in possession of the enemy, and several 
 buildings w^ere fired, a number of people killed and numerous outrages committed. 
 ( )n the East Haven side there were many encounters with the local militia and 
 shar]) fighting a good part of the da}'. 
 
 The swiftly gathering companies from up the state soon convinced the British 
 that their position was untenable and on the evening of the 6th they embarked and 
 set sail for Xew York, stopping on the way at Fairfield and Xorwalk. where they 
 committed greater devastation and havoc than at X'ew Haven. 
 
 From Meriden two companies and from Wallingford one, marched to Xew 
 Haven, probably starting on the morning of Jul\- 5th. Idie rolls of these com- 
 panies as preserved in the State Library and ])rinted in the Conn^'Cticnt TIi>toricaI 
 Society Collections, \o\. VHL,^ are as follows: 
 
 Capt. Collins' Company. 
 
 Dan Collins, Caj^t. Jesse Mcrriani 
 
 James Hough, Lt. Stephen Perkins 
 
 Brenton Hall, Ens. James Cabon 
 
 Saml Hall, Sergt. iienj-'^ Hart 
 
 Benjamin IMerriam ."^and Johnsou 
 
 .Amos Ives, Sergt. Titus Merriam 
 
 John IMerriam Sergt. \\'m. Merriam 
 
 Daniel James, Corpl. Joseph Merriam 
 
 I'-zra Rice, Corpl. A'alc I'isho]) 
 
 .Sanborn Ford, Fifer John Barns 
 
 Johu Couch John Ives 
 
 ISezaleel Ives Abel ("urtiss 
 
 1 Conn. Men in the RevoUition, pp. 102-.1. 
 
28o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Timothy Ives 
 Timothy Foster 
 John Miles 
 VIoses Hall 
 Caleb Merriman 
 Elisha Scovil 
 
 Jared Benham 
 Moses Hall, Jr. 
 Insign Hough 
 Daniel Hall 
 Isaac Hall 
 
 Capt. Hough's Company. 1 
 
 John Hough, Capt. 
 Nathaniel Merriam Lt. 
 Thos. Foster, Ens. 
 Serj. Joseph Edwards 
 Serj. Timothy Hall 
 Serj. Jonath'^ Yale 
 Serj. Comfort Butler 
 Serj. Giles Griswold 
 Marshall Merriam 
 Elisha Merriam 
 Phinehas Hall 
 Phinehas Lyman 
 Edward Collins 
 Enos Hall 
 Daniel Mekye 
 Jn*' Morgan 
 Caleb Merriman 
 Thos. Spencer 
 Amasa [Merriam 
 Giles Foster 
 Ozius Foster 
 
 Jeremiah Farrington 
 Simeon Perkins 
 Amerton Yale 
 Elijah Scovil 
 Elijah Yeomans 
 Elisha Curtis 
 W}llys Mekye 
 John Yale 
 Moses Way 
 Jesse Merriman 
 Abner Way 
 Israel Hall 
 Wyllys Bishop 
 Daniel Yale 
 Nathaniel Yale . 
 Asa Brown 
 David Scovil 
 Samuel Merriam 
 John Robinson 
 Samuel Rice 
 
 Capt. Stanley's Company of Wallingford ist Society, 
 in two alarms : one to New Haven on July 5, 1779. and the other to Fairfield July 
 8, 1779. 
 
 Captain Abraham Stanley 
 Lieut. Solomon Doolittle 
 Ens. Benjamin Preston 
 Sergt. Charles Hull 
 Sergt. Elihu Yale 
 
 Sergt. John Davidson 
 Sergt. Daniel Parker 
 Sergt. Abner Rice 
 Corp. Jotham Ga}"lord 
 Corp. David Johnson 
 
 1 Conn. Men in the Revolution, pp. 192- 
 
EARLY HISTORV. 281 
 
 Corp. Joel Rice Ebenezer Hull 
 
 Corp. Isaac Doolittle Eliakini Parker 
 
 Drum. Ebenezer Moss Stephen 1 leach 
 
 Samuel Ives \\'illiam Atwater, Jr. 
 
 Joseph Doolittle, Jr. Nicholas Jones 
 
 John Doolittle Jonathan Johnson 
 
 Jedediah Button Daniel Hitchcock 
 
 Charles Parker Abel \\'ard Atwater 
 
 Joel Hough jchie! Rice. jr. 
 
 Joshua Parker Abijah Ives 
 
 Oliver Doolittle James Prout 
 
 Lent Hough Levi Parker 
 
 John Lewis l-'rancis Wilcox 
 Caleb Merriman 
 
 The writer's lack of familiarity with the names of those resident in W'alling- 
 ford and Cheshire makes it impossible for him to fully treat the Revolutionary rec- 
 ord of soldiers from those towns as he has tried to give those from Meriden. Tiie 
 names of the officers, however, are so consj^icuous in the records that it is an easy 
 task to give a brief record of each. 
 
 Colonel Thaddeus Hall was certainly the most prominent military official in 
 Wallingford during the war. He was born in 1728 so that he was not a young 
 man when hostilities began. He served under Washington in the campaign of 
 1776 and then bore the title of major. He was stationed at first near Fort Lee 
 and then at White Plains and later took part in the battles of Trenton and Prince- 
 ton. He was made a colonel in October, 1776. He took part in the battle of Still- 
 water September 19, 1777, and was under General Gates in his campaign against 
 P.urgoyne to the northward. 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Street Hall received his commission July 6, 1775, and was 
 also appointed captain of the Second company: on Sept. 14. 1775. Washington or- 
 dered the regiment to Boston, and he served there until December that year. It 
 does not appear that he saw other service, 'although ]x^ssibly he was in Colonel 
 Charles W^ ebb's regiment at White Plains. Trenlon and Princeton in I77'> and 
 
 -111- 
 
 Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Cook, who had charge of a company in the Lexing- 
 ton* alarm, was also captain of the Seventh comi)any in General Woostcr's regi- 
 ment in 1775. and first was stationed at Harlem and Long Island and later marched 
 to General Schuyler's department and took part in operations an~)und Lakes George 
 and Champlain, and afterwards was stationed at Montreal. He was appointed 
 major January 10. 1780, and in June, 1783. he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. 
 
 Captain Nathaniel Bunnell was appointed second lieutenant of the Ninth 
 
282 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Company, First Regiment, Alay i, 1775, and served around New York and later 
 at St. Iohn"s and Montreal. In 1776 he was a captain of Seventh company, Fifth 
 Battalion, and was at the battles of Long Island and White Plains. He was at 
 Peekskill in 1777 with his company, to serve in aid of Continental Army, and in 
 1779 responded to the call during Tryon's invasion of New Haven, but the roll of 
 his company is not given. He was apparently a Cheshire man. 
 
 Captain Ephraim Chamberlain was commissioned first lieutenant on January 
 I, 1777, and was promoted to captain November 13, 1778. He was continuously 
 in service until 1781. In the Seventh regiment he was at Peekskill in 1777 and 
 in September with Washington in Pennsylvania ; was in the battle of German- 
 town, wintered at Valley Forge and in June, 1778 was in battle of Monmouth, 
 and at storming of Stony Point in 1779. 
 
 Captain Jarius Wilcox, Lieutenant Titus Hall and Lieutenant John Osborn 
 in 1777 were in a company attached to a regiment of artificers, whose duty it was 
 to serve under the directions of the quartermaster general. It was a pioneer and 
 construction corps and saw service at Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth. 
 
 Captain Stephen Osborn and Lieutenant Samuel Hough were in a company at- 
 tached to the same regiment. 
 
 Lieutenant John Mansfield was in a company of the Fourth regiment and later 
 in Connecticut Light Infantry, serving from February-November, 1781, under 
 Lafayette: he was in service from 1776 to 1783, and while under Lafayette led a 
 "forlorn hope" at an assault on a redoubt on October 14 and was wounded and 
 complimented in Colonel Hamilton's report. He was a pensioner in 1818. 
 
 Lieutenant Lemuel Hitchcock, of Cheshire, was a sergeant in Captain Bun- 
 nell's company in 1776, and saw service at Battle of Long Island. He was made 
 lieutenant of a company in the Eighth regiment and fought at Germantown, Fort 
 Mifflin, Mud Island, Pa., wintered at \'alley Forge, and was at the assault on 
 Stony Point. He was a pensioner in New York state in 1818. 
 
 Lieutenant Titus ]\Ioss was in Captain Street Hall's company at the siege of 
 Boston. 
 
 Lieutenant Levi Munson was engaged in the Montreal expedition under Colonel 
 Ethan Allen in 1775 ; he was captured with the others, and sent a prisoner to Eng- 
 land, and subsequently sent to Halifax where he was confined in a dungeon several 
 months. He served in the Sixth regiment from 1777 to 1780, and his most ser- 
 ious engagement was at Stony Point. 
 
 Lieutenant Ambrose Hine began as a corporal in the Eighth regiment in 1777; 
 saw service at Germantown ; wintered at A'alley Forge, and was at battle of Mon- 
 mouth ; he was promoted to second lieutenant in the Fifth Battalion, Wadsworth's 
 brigade. 
 
 Lieutenant Thomas Shepard was appointed second lieutenant in Captain Cook's 
 company. First regiment, and saw service in the northern department under Gen- 
 
 I 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 283. 
 
 eral Schuyler at Lakes George and Champlain in 1775. He was captain of mil- 
 itia in Tryon's invasion of Xew Haven but his company is not given. 
 
 Lieutenant James Peck took jjart in the Lexington Alarm, was an ensign in 
 Captain Cook's company of the First regiment in 1775 and served under General 
 Schuyler in the northern department; in 1776 he was in Colonel Ward's regiment, 
 and took ])art in battles at White Plains, Trenton and Princeton. 
 
 Lieutenant Linus Hopson was in Captain Sizer's comi)any in regiment of ar- 
 tificers. 
 
 Lieutenant Hawkins Hart was in Captain lUmneU's ccjmpany in Fifth Bat- 
 talion of Wadsworth's brigade and took ])art in l)attle of Long Island in 1776. 
 J-ater was in a troop of light horse. 
 
 Lieutenant Miles Hull was also in Captain llunncU's company in 1776. He also 
 marched to the front in Tryon's invasion of New Flaven in 1779 as a captain. 
 
 Ensign David Hitchcock was also in Captain Bunnell's company in 1776. He 
 was also a captain in the Tryon invasion. 
 
 Ensign Samuel Culver, who was in Captain Couch's compan\ at Fort Wash- 
 ington in 1776 was a prisoner from June 29, 1779, to June 2. 1781. 
 
 Ensign Jonathan Slead, who took part in the Lexington Alarm, was commis- 
 sioned ensign in the Seventh regiment in 1777, and saw service at Germantown, 
 and wintered at Valley Forge, and perha])s the privations and cx])osurc killed him 
 for he died March 10, 1778. 
 
 The following oflficers joined the order of the Cincinnati : 
 
 Lieutenant John Mansfield, Lieutenant H. Peck, Captain Fphraim Lhamber- 
 lain and Lieutenant Joseph Shaylor. 
 
 Dr. Jared Potter was surgeon of the First regiment in 1775 and again of the 
 Fifth battalion, Wadsworth's brigade, in 1776. 
 
 .As the first enthusiasm of the war wore away it was found necessar\- to make 
 an inducement for men to join the army: accordingly on Marcli _^ i . 1777, it was 
 "voted, that the town will give a Bounty to those that engage in the Continental 
 service. \'oted that each soldier that engages in the Continental service for the 
 quota of Wallingford shall be paid by the town the sum of five pounds lawful 
 money by the year for three years imless sooner Discharged: to be paid by the 
 beginning of each year." 
 
 This payment of bounty was carefully recorded, and in April. I77<». the town 
 reported to the State War Dej^artment a list of all those to whom bounties had 
 been paid. A second report was made in December. 1779. and at various times lists 
 were furm'shed of those soldiers whose families were assisted by the (own during 
 their absence in the field. 
 
 These reports are all on file in the State Lil)rary and from ihem the following 
 li'-t has been prepared of those men of Wallingford who were in the service of 
 *he government during the Revolution, but not members of militia companies. Tt 
 
284 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 includes all those who were in service during the years 1778 and 1779, according 
 to the best knowledge of the selectmen, and many during the years 1776, 1777, 1780 
 and 1 781. It embraces Wallingford, Cheshire and Meriden, but does not give the 
 commissioned officers. 
 
 Andrew Andrews 
 
 Amos Andrews 
 
 John Anthony 
 
 Titus Atwater 
 
 David Burns, Cheshire, 
 
 Moses Barns 
 
 Roswell Beach 
 
 Asa Beach 
 
 Asa Bellamy 
 
 Samuel Blakeslee 
 
 Elisha Bishop 
 
 Benjamin Bristol, Cheshire, 
 
 Ebenezer Brockett 
 
 William Brinton 
 
 James Brown 
 
 Daniel Bradley 
 
 Levi Bunnell 
 
 Joseph Clark 
 
 Daniel Cady 
 
 Abel Clark 
 
 Aaron Clark 
 
 Divan Clark 
 
 Joseph Coburn 
 
 James Coburn 
 
 Samuel Collins, Sergt, 
 
 Elihu Cook 
 
 George Cook 
 
 Joel Cook 
 
 Johnson Cook 
 
 Warren Cook 
 
 William Cook 
 
 Thomas Davis 
 
 Israel Dodge 
 
 Thomas Dudley 
 
 Edmund Field 
 
 lotham Ford 
 
 Jonathan Ford 
 Benjamin Ford 
 Ebenezer Fox 
 John Francis 
 Anthony Goodsill 
 William Grant 
 Aaron Hall 
 Benajah Hall 
 Daniel Johnson Hall 
 David Hall 
 Elisha Hall 
 Jotham Hall 
 Moses Hall 
 Rufus Hall 
 Samuel Hall 
 Titus Hall 
 Benjamin Hart 
 Titus Hart 
 Timothy Hart, Sergt, 
 John Hastings 
 Charles Heydon 
 Benjamin Hndrie 
 Ambrose Hine 
 Ichabod Hitchcock 
 Levi Hitchcock 
 Thomas Hitchcock 
 Samuel Holt 
 Samuel S. B. Hotchkiss 
 Samuel Hoyt 
 John Hulbert 
 Daniel Hummiston 
 Abijah Ives 
 Thomas James 
 Benjamin Johnson 
 Eliakim Johnson 
 David Johnson 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 285 
 
 Israel Johnson 
 
 John Johnson, Cheshire, 
 
 Luther Johnson 
 
 Charles Jones 
 
 Samuel Jones 
 
 Thomas Jones 
 
 Benjamin Kendrick 
 
 Luke Kerns 
 
 Charles Kimberly 
 
 Hezckiah King 
 
 Abel Lewis 
 
 Chauncy Lewis 
 
 Ebnezer Lewis 
 
 John Lewis 
 
 Charles London 
 
 Eliada Matthews, Cheshire 
 
 Charles Merriman 
 
 Enoch [Nlcrriman, Sergt, 
 
 Josiah Merriman 
 
 Asaph Merriam 
 
 Edmund Merriam 
 
 Ephraim Merriam 
 
 James ]Miles, Sergt., 
 
 Barnabas ^litchell 
 
 Enos Mix 
 
 Amos Mix 
 
 Thomas Mix, Jr. 
 
 Andrew Moor 
 
 F'enoni Moss 
 
 Tsiah Moss 
 
 Reuben Moss 
 
 Almond Munson 
 
 Lent Munson 
 
 Orange Munson 
 
 " "Toney, negro, 
 
 *Lemon Cumber, negro, 
 
 * Boston, negro. 
 
 *Chatham Ereeman, negro, 
 
 *Samson, negro, 
 
 ''' Prince Hotchkiss. negro. 
 
 '•'Job Hull, negro, 
 *Dick Ereedom, negro, 
 
 * Sharp Yale, negro, 
 *Adam 3tlolatto 
 *Buel, Affrica, 
 
 * Peter, negro, 
 Timothy Page 
 Benjamin Parker 
 Amos Parker 
 Abram Parker 
 Elisha Parker 
 Elijah i'arker 
 John Parker 
 William Parker 
 Timothy Parker, Sergt, 
 
 Charles Peck, Sergt. Art., Cheshire, 
 
 Jehiel Peck, Sergt. Art., 
 
 Jesse Peck 
 
 Samuel Parsons 
 
 John Perkins 
 
 Samuel Perkins 
 
 Eldad Porter 
 
 Medad Potter 
 
 John Prince, Sergt, 
 
 James Prout 
 
 William Trout 
 
 Benjamin Rexford 
 
 Benjamin Rexford. Jr. 
 
 Jotham Rice 
 
 Levi Robinson 
 
 Elmer Russell 
 
 Jill) Sanderson 
 
 John Sled 
 
 Hull Shepherd 
 
 Daniel Smith 
 
 Seth Smith 
 
 Samuel Spencer 
 
 Samuel Spellman 
 
 Selali Stedman 
 
 David Stone 
 
 Probably s]av< 
 
^86 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Abel Thori) Jesse \'ose 
 
 Amasa Thorp Gideon Webb, Cheshire 
 
 Amos Thorp Joel Willmot 
 
 Thaddeus Todd Lemuel Willcox 
 
 James Tibbels Joseph Wolcott, Jr. 
 
 Peter Tibbels Samuel Wright 
 
 Levi Tyler Nash Yale 
 
 Nathaniel Tyler Waitstill Yale 
 Job Tyrrell Total 169 men. 
 
 In the expedition to Lakes George and Champlain in 1775 were several Meri- 
 ■den men in Captain Cook's company. Many of the soldiers were taken sick and 
 the following bills were paid by the state for medical attendance to Meriden men. 
 
 Dr. Insign Hough presented a bill for going after Benjamin Austin to Still- 
 water, N. Y., on October 30, 1775: 
 
 To Horse hire 130 miles at 2^ per mile . . . £1-1-8 
 
 To my time 8 days at ^g per Day .... £1-4-0 
 
 To cash paid expenses on said Journey . . . 18-5 
 
 Simeon Perkins presented a bill for bringing home his apprentice Jared Ben- 
 ham from beyond Albany. 
 
 Lieutenant Joseph Shaylor was taken sick at Putney, Vt., after the northern 
 <;ampaign and "was tended 16 days" at an expense of £1-10-0 and then was 
 obliged to hire a man and a horse to bring him home, a distance of 190 miles at 
 an expense of £6-16-18. 
 
 John Stanley, of Wallingford, presented a bill for going to Fort George for 
 his sick brother, Salmon, in Captain Cook's company. 
 
 Dr. Aaron Andrews, of Wallingford, presented a bill for doctoring Charles 
 Hall and Ephraim Chamberlain, two sick soldiers in Captain Cook's company. 
 
 John Austin, of Wallingford, presented a bill for going for his sick son. Amos, 
 six miles this side of Albany. 
 
 A soldier on his way home from the campaign was taken sick at Edward Col- 
 lins' home in Meriden and could go no further, so there he stayed helpless for 
 six weeks, with Doctors Insign Hough and Isaac Hall attending him and Mr. 
 Collins furnishing nurses and watchers. The quantity of rum and brandy ad- 
 ministered to this sick man was prodigious during the two weeks when he was 
 "worst." He finallv recovered and went on his wav. but his name is not given in 
 the bill. 
 
 The Wallingford records give a few particulars relative to mortalities in the 
 service, viz. : 
 
KAKLV HISTORY. 28" 
 
 Archable McLean, soldier, belony;iiig to company of Col. Street liall, died in 
 camp near Boston, Xov. ii, 1775. 
 
 fas. Frazer, a soldier, a regular, died Jan. 25, 1777. 
 
 Hliah, son Capt. Benjamin and Alary Hall, died in camp at Xew York Aug. 
 
 4, 1776- 
 
 Abraham, son Abraham and Barbary Ives, died in army July 29, i/j(^*. 
 
 Ambrose, son Abraham and Barbary Ives, died in army Sept. 4, 177^). 
 
 William, son Samuel and Ehzabeth Aierriam, died at Xew York in battle with 
 the enemy Sept. 16, 1776. 
 
 Pitt, son Laban and Prudence Andrews, killed in battle at Greenwich, denied 
 quarter by the enemy June 29, 1779. 
 
 JUitler, son Charles and Sarah Ives, died a prisoner in Xew "S'ork with the 
 enemy Aug. 15, 1779. 
 
 As there was no manufacture of salt in this countrw the question of su])ply was 
 an im])ortant one. A quantity was finally imported at Boston, and the state dis- 
 tributed it pro rata to the different towns. ^ Its division among the inhabitants of 
 Wallingford was a burning issue for some time and during 1777 there were many 
 votes passed at town meetings relative to the matter. At a meeting held Dec. 
 4, 1777, a committee to distribute it was appointed and it was voted "that the 
 committee set off the quantity of salt for every thousand pounds in the list, which 
 they shall class, and appoint some meet person head of said class to receive the 
 salt that belongs to said class. 
 
 "V'oted that the head of every class of a thousand ])Ounds that receives the salt 
 that belongs to every class respectively shall ]iay to the selectmen of said town 
 the cost of bringing said salt from Boston." 
 
 At the same meeting they chose a committee to take care of the families of those 
 in the Continental service. 
 
 On Dec. 16, 1777, they "voted a tax of three pence on the pound for the ben- 
 efit of the soldiers and their families that are now in the Continental army." 
 
 C)n April 12, 1779 "voted relative to keeping the powder and stores belong- 
 ing to said town, that the selectmen view the old Powder house and if they think 
 proper, to repair the same, or otherwise to build a new one to put the town stores 
 in." 
 
 Un June 26, 1780, a committee was api:)ointed "to concert some measure for 
 raising soldiers to fill up the Continental armw" 
 
 Ucbanoii. C'ouiiiil of Safety Oct. 2 1770 
 1 "WliPi-pas the great cry and want, of the nece.ssary article of salt thrpatens to disturb the p\ibllrk 
 peace and safety of the state, that it makes it absolutely necessary in order to supply both the pub- 
 lick and private necessities of the people and that in the most private and speedy method, therefore 
 voted and resolved that a suitable number of vessels be provided at publick expense to be sent under 
 convoy in order to get a speedy supply of that article and Capt. .John Deshon [of New Ix)ndon and 
 ancestor of the late Rev. Dr. Deshon of this city] is appointed as an apent to carry this resolve Into 
 execution." Capt. Deshon got the salt. 
 
288 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 "Voted that whosoever demands more for any merchandize, labour or any other 
 article than he or they shall demand in Hard Money, or shall refuse to receive or 
 pass the money lately emitted by the General Assembly of this state for any greater 
 discount than he or they would for hard money ; he or they shall be deemed as 
 trampling on the Public Faith, and we will withdraw our commerce from him and 
 esteem him unfriendly to his country." 
 
 The struggle for independence was long, arduous, and discouraging, and the 
 amount of money raised by taxation was an almost crushing burden for the dif- 
 ferent towns. 
 
 But at last the dawn came, and the glorious news of independence and peace 
 was trumpeted the length and breadth of the land. 
 
 Note — Although not printed in chronological sequence this extract from the Connecticut 
 Gazette supplements the town vote appearing on page 267. 
 
 "At a meeting of the true sons of Liberty in Wallingford, in New Haven County, on the 
 evening of the 13th day of January, 1766, after duly formed by choosing a moderator and 
 a clerk, the following resolves were come into, viz. 
 
 Resolved i That the late act of Parliament called the Stamp act is unconstitutional, 
 and intended to enslave the true subjects of America. 
 
 Resolved 2 That we will oppose the same to the last extremity, even to take the field. 
 
 Resolved 3 That we will meet at the Court House in New Haven, on the third Tues- 
 day of February ne.xt; and we desire all the sons of liberty in each town in the county 
 would meet there b\- themselves or representatives; there to consult what is the best to be 
 done in order to defend our liberties and properties and break up the stop to public affa'rs. 
 
 Resolved 4 That this meeting be adjourned to the first Tuesday of February next, there 
 to choose our representatives to attend the aforesaid meeting. 
 
 .\ true copv, examined 
 
 P. P. Clark." 
 
 WAR OF 1812. 
 
 With the exception of scattered Indian wars the American people were to 
 dwell in peace until the second war with Great Britain in 1812. In one of these 
 Indian wars, that of General St. Clair's unhappy expedition to the Northwest Ter- 
 ritory in 1 79 1, a few INIeriden men were engaged. On the records of the First 
 Congregational church are entered the following notices : 
 
 Sept. 1791, Mr. Hotchkiss died in the army. 
 
 Nov. 1791, Mr. Goodrich killed in the army. 
 
 Nov. 1 791, George Hall died in the army. 
 
 Feb. II, 1791, Joseph Shaylor, Jr., slain by Indians at Fort Jefferson. ^ 
 
 Beyond these facts nothing has been learned. 
 
 The war with England in 1812 was not popular in New England for one of 
 the results was the embargo of the port of Boston and the effect was disastrous 
 on the business interests of this section of the countrv. 
 
 1 This item from tombstone in Broad street cemetery. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 289 
 
 Xevertheless, Aleriden men did military service in this war and a goodly num- 
 ber enlisted, but the writer has not been able to learn that they were ever engaged 
 w ith the enemy. The records seem to show that they were stationed either at New 
 Haven or Xew London for the period of a few weeks, viz. : from Sept. 5 to Oct. 
 20, 1814. 
 
 In the old Merriam house on Johnson hill in the west part of the town, is 
 preserved a little blank book in which is recorded the roll of a company. It is 
 that of the Second company in the Second regiment, commanded by Col. Elihu 
 Sandford. In it are found the following names that were certainlv of Meriden: 
 
 Capt. John Butler 
 Lieut. Elisha A. Cowles 
 ."^ergt. Matthew Foster 
 ^ Darius Benham / 
 Salmon Hall 
 Asahel Curtis 
 Samuel Curtis 
 Ira ]^Ierriman 
 James \\'right 
 Abel Peck 
 John Collins 
 Levi Allen 
 John E. Bradley 
 William Andrews 
 
 Lemuel Butler 
 Elah Cam}), 2d. 
 ^^'illiam ^^lerriam 
 William Merriam, 2d, 
 Arba Merriam 
 Stephen Morse 
 Benjamin Buel 
 Florus Cook 
 David Clark 
 Theophilus Hough 
 Hervey Johnson 
 Sylvester Merriam 
 Simon H. Smith 
 Solomon Smith. Jr. 
 
 This roll corresponds with the published records of the state. 
 
 In the Mexican War of 1847 there is evidence of but one Meriden man who 
 served, and that was Lemuel O. Anthony, who enlisted in Co. F, 4th Inf., on April 
 8, 1847, and died July 14, 1847. 
 
 The account of the Civil war of 1861-65. from the ])en of Colonel Charles L. 
 Upham. appears in Part 11. 
 
290 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER X\II. 
 
 According to an eminent authority "in Connecticut the Tories were probably 
 more numerous than in any other New England Colony. "" The same authority 
 says this was on account of its proximity to New York : but this reason does not 
 seem satisfactory. A more probable cause was the strength of the Church of 
 England among the people. The growth of this communion was remarkable from 
 about the year 1740. It began at a time when religion was at a low ebb in all the 
 New England colonies : and when the attempt to arouse the people to a realization 
 of their low spiritual condition resulted in the movement known as the "Great 
 Awakening." A revulsion from such methods caused many of conservative 
 ideas to fly to the bosom of that church which had previously been so detested by 
 the colonists. But the question may be asked why should a member of the Church 
 of England necessarily have been a Tory. The terms were certainly not synony- 
 mous for many of the greatest patriots and leaders in the Revolution were Episco- 
 palians, viz. : Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Madison, Robert Morris, Rufus 
 King and many others. In the south, in several instances. Church of England 
 clergymen went directly from the pulpit into the field to fight on the side of pa- 
 triotism, and the chaplain of Congress during the war, was William White, after- 
 wards bishop of Pennsylvania; why should it have been otherwise in Connecticut? 
 Why did the clergy here to a man maintain their loyalty to the British crown? 
 Unquestionably, on account of the oath of allegiance the}' took at the time of their 
 ordination and their constant comnumication with England as agents of the So- 
 ciety for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, and to some extent be- 
 cause their stipends were almost wholly derived from the same organization. An- 
 other phase of the situation which was singular to say the least is the fact that the 
 persecution of Loyalists in Connecticut was not nearly so virulent as in other col- 
 onies. Patriotism was as strong but it did not go to such extremes. From ^las- 
 sachusetts and New York large numbers of Tories emigrated to Canada and 
 England during and at the close of the war but the number from Connecticut was 
 extremely small and the lists of confiscations of property were limited to a few 
 cases. Connecticut thus early laid claim to her title of "the land of steady habits." 
 Her patriots barked as loudly as in other colonies but they confined their efforts 
 to intimidation and seldom resorted to extreme measures. An amusing illustra- 
 tion of this attempt to intimidate was the baptismal adventure of Dr. Learning, 
 the Episcopal missionary at Norwalk. who was called in April, 1776, to Stratford 
 
EARLV HISTORY. 29 1 
 
 to christen a child in the chnrch under the name of Thomas Gage, in honor of the 
 liritish commander at Boston. Immediately the Committee of Ins])ection sum- 
 moned the doctor to give an ex])lanation of why he should have l)ai)lize(l a child 
 with the name of such a monster of iniquity as General Gage. The poor man 
 stated that he had no discretion in the matter but was obliged by the rubric to give 
 the name in baptism which the godfathers and godmothers desired. Of course, 
 the clergyman's position and reply were unanswerable and the Committee of In- 
 spection were powerless to punish him, much as they desired to; so they contented 
 themselves with publishing the facts in the Weekly Gazette, in order that the 
 Friends of Liberty may pass judgment on the attempt of the clergyman "to insult 
 and ridicule the Continental struggle in the defence of their just rights which are 
 miist wickedl}' and injuriously invaded." How soon all the bitterness and enmity 
 of the war were forgotten may be judged from the fact that William ."^amuel John- 
 son, son of the first Episcopal clergyman in Connecticut, and a sympathizer with 
 the British cause was one of the three delegates from this state to the convention in 
 1787. which formed our nati(_)nal constitution, and he was afterwards elected as 
 our first Cnited States senator. 
 
 The Revolution found few Tories in .Meriden, judging from tlie records. ( )n 
 June iS, 1 78 1, the state sold to Jonathan Meigs, of ^liddletown, sixt\-four acres^ 
 known as the Rexford farm, lately the property of James Jauncey, of Xew York, 
 who had joined the enemies of the United States and whose estate had been con- 
 fiscated. This farm is bounded west by Country road, south by Holt's Hill road, 
 and north by Curtis Home property. On February 8. 1785. the state sold the 
 Stone House- farm, part of the same confiscated estate. 
 
 We have already noted that when the pioneers of Meriden chose their farms 
 and built their homes, Samuel Andrews and his good wife. Abigail, selected a 
 tract of land about a mile west of the present railroad station, on what is now 
 West Main street. Here, almost under the shadcnx of the grim and rugged Hang- 
 ing Hills, their children, eight sons, were born and reared to manhood, and when 
 the pioneers erected their primitive little churcli on the slope of Meeting House 
 hill, just above that oak-shaded s])ot whence a l)ountiful and never-failing spring 
 gushes forth into a brook that forms a trout-lovers' ]iaradise. Sanniel Andrews 
 and his wife were enrolled among the faithful members of I 'arson Mall's dock. 
 
 It was nearly three miles from their home to this little meeting house, and each 
 Sunda\'. doubtless, the famih wended their way ihrougli tlie forest and uj) the 
 hill to this pioneer sanctuary, and no suspici(jn existed in their minds or in 
 those of their neighbors concerning their orthodoxy or loyalty to the I'uritan 
 faith. 
 
 r Land Records of Walliiigford. Vol. .\.\II.. p. 205. 
 i UUtn. Vol. XXIV., p. 1 HJ. 
 
292 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In the course of time it became necessary for one of the sons, Laban by name, 
 to go away from home to learn a trade ; so he was apprenticed to Captain Macock 
 Ward, who Hved on Pond Hill, in the southern part of Wallingford, almost on 
 the North Haven line. Here the captain lived, respected by his neighbors and 
 prominent in the affairs of the town ; for he was many times deputy to the Gen- 
 eral Court, and served with distinction in campaigns against the French and Span- 
 ish. Governor Talcott, of Hartford, in 1740, writing to the Duke of Newcastle, 
 mentions that he has commissioned Macock Ward, a lieutenant, and we also learn 
 that he was a captain in the Crown Point campaign of 1755. Captain Ward was 
 evidently a man with an inventive turn of mind, for the fact has come down to 
 us that the first pleasure carriage to be used in Wallingford, was owned by him 
 about the vear 1755. To it he had attached a sort of cyclometer arrangement. 
 The carriage was a one-horse chaise and the diameter of each wheel was about 
 five feet. P>v means of machinery and a bell attached to one of the wheels and 
 put in motion by the progress of the vehicle, each revolution was recorded and 
 the driver was notified when a mile had been traveled by the striking of the bell.^ 
 One can imagine the sensation created by the doughty captain when riding about 
 the streets of the town in his strange and wonderful vehicle. He carried on the 
 manufacture of reeds used in hand looms and it is probable that it was to this 
 trade Laban Andrews was bound as an apprentice. The only cause of complaint 
 that the town could urge against the captain was that he was a Churchman or mem- 
 ber of the Church of England, an organization that was decidedly not in general 
 favor at this time in New England. Indeed, the Ward family generally seems to 
 have been identified with this church, for his grandfather, Andrew, was on the 
 register of members of the Episcopal church in Stratford and his brother, Am- 
 brose, was a vestryman of Trinity church, New Haven, during the years 1774- 
 1776, and 1 778- 1 780. But these facts cannot have much oppressed the captain 
 vor he would not have occupied so prominent a position in the community and 
 been so largely the recipient of the favors of his fellow townsmen. Young An- 
 drews, as was the custom in those days, was made one of the family, and forth- 
 with proceeded to fall in love with one of the captain's daughters, and was so 
 successful in his suit that he was soon the affianced lover of the young woman. 
 For some reason this engagement did not terminate in a marriage, but during the 
 brief heyday of bliss the young woman, mindful of the welfare of the soul of her 
 lover, succeeded in converting him to the faith of her father ; and the result was 
 so lasting and thorough that the broken troth did not cause Laban to desert the 
 altar from which he had hoped to lead Miss Content Ward as his blushing bride, 
 but rather led him to cling more closely to it. and to become such a missionary in 
 
 1 From a manuscript History of Wallingford, by Geo. W. Stanley, and now in the posses.sion of the 
 Conn. Hist. Soc. The sketch was prepared a hundred years ago. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 293 
 
 its behalf that it was not long before his parents and brothers had all become 
 members of the Chnrch of England.^ Miss L'( intent eventnall_\- married the Rev. 
 Ichabod Camp, who was missionar_\- in charge at Middletown and Wallingford. 
 Their home was in the former place and liere she died some five years after her 
 marriage. Mr. Camp soon moved to the West and settled in old Kaskaskia, 
 where he met a terrible fate, being killed 1)}- an infuriated son-in-law while tr\ ing 
 to protect his darghter. 
 
 Samuel Andrews now determined that his }onngest son, Samuel b\- name, 
 born April 2'j, 1737, should become a clergyman and to this end he and his sons 
 
 united their means 
 and Samuel w^as sent 
 to Yale College. He 
 graduated in the 
 class of 1759, one of 
 his classmates being 
 Benjamin Trumbull, 
 who became the or- 
 thodox minister at 
 North Haven and 
 the famous historian 
 of Connecticut. Tra- 
 dition says that these 
 two godly men hated 
 each other as the 
 devil is said to hate 
 holy water and it is 
 probable that in this 
 connection tradition 
 is correct. Samuel, 
 after acting as a lay 
 reader for a short 
 time in Wallingford, 
 
 was sent to h^ngland 
 in 1 761, and in Au- 
 gust he was ordain- 
 ed to the ministry by 
 the Bishop of Lon- 
 don, and in January, 
 1762, he returned to 
 America. He was 
 ni)w a missionarv 
 regularly licensed by 
 the "Society for the 
 Propagation of the 
 Gospel in Foreign 
 Parts," an organiza- 
 tion formed in Eng- 
 land in 1701 to en- 
 courage the growth 
 of the church in the 
 colonies. The so- 
 ciety directed him to 
 take charge of the 
 wtirk in \\'alling- 
 ford. Cheshire and 
 
 North Haven ; and there for a number of years he quietly labored in his appointed 
 
 field. 
 
 His personality was charming, for in him were united ik^I only a handsome 
 
 presence and delightful manners, but keen wit and humor, and affability and good 
 
 nature. He won the respect and warmest affection, not only <if his parishioners, 
 
 1 The main facts of the story of the conversion of the Andrews family to the Church of England 
 and the Washington dinner in Wallingford are taken from a sketch published in The Calendar of 
 March .30th and April 6, IS.'iO, by Rev. Hillard Bryant. He was rector of St. Paul's church, Wal- 
 lingford, 1841-50, and at that time there were many still alive who would have been eye-witnesses of 
 the dinner and only one generation removed from contemporaries of the Andrews conversion. 
 
 REV. .SAMUEL ANDREWS. 
 From an oil portrait now in England. 
 
294 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 but also of the whole community. The rectory which stood a little to the east of 
 North Main street in Wallingford rested on the same foundation which supports 
 the house until lately forming the home of the Choate School for Boys. He was 
 well provided for by the income of fourteen acres of glebe land, a stipend from the 
 Missionary Society and the contributions of his faithful parishioners. He mar- 
 ried on September 13, 1764, Hannah Shelton, of Stratford, and was blessed by 
 a family of six children and the manner of his living is indicated by the fact that 
 he had two negro slaves. St. Paul's church stood at the corner of Main and 
 Christian streets on the same lot on which the public school now stands, not far 
 from the parson's home. His life was a happy one, although laborious, for his 
 work extended over a large amount of territory. 
 
 The church was prosperous and growing and reflected- much credit on the 
 zeal and faithfulness of the efficient minister. He was rewarded by the warm 
 regard of his flock, by the kind words of the venerable society in England, and 
 lastly by a present of a gilded and much carved royal coat of arms which occupied 
 a conspicuous place in the little parish church of Wallingford. The rapid growth 
 of the church under his care was probably largely assisted by the bitter contro- 
 versy which for some time had divided the Congregationalists in Wallingford into 
 two hostile camps ; a controversy so bitter that all New England was exercised 
 by it and the noise of the warfare had even penetrated to remote colonies. For 
 reasons too tedious to enumerate and which it is doubtful if we should understand 
 if related, the schism had become permanent, and henceforth for a number of 
 years there were two Congregational churches in Wallingford. ^ Dr. James Dana 
 w'as the pastor of the old society and the new or Wells society had called the Rev. 
 Mr. Waterman to minister to them. Tradition says that a warm personal friend- 
 ship sprang up between Dr. Dana and the Rev. Mr. Andrews: a friendship which 
 was doubtless much tested and tried by their radically dififerent religious and po- 
 litical views, but which lasted until the death of Dr. Dana in 1812. 
 
 Most of the years of Mr. Andrews' ministry were uneventful until we ap- 
 proach the time when the American Revolution broke out. His brother, Laban, 
 for a number of years, was one of his church wardens, and his work was also as- 
 sisted and supplemented by two strong and influential men who were a tower of 
 strength to him in seasons of doubt and distress. These two men were our friend, 
 Captain Macock Ward, and Captain Titus Brockett, a man of considerable means, 
 and with very pronounced and not popular views on the relations which he thought 
 ought to exist between the king and the colonists. Captain Brockett was so staunch 
 a Tory that when he died in July, 1773, a tradition exists that it was only after 
 strong efifort that his widow and friends were permitted to bury his body in 
 the old cemetery, and then, only in the easterly portion of the graveyard, where 
 
 ^ A whole chapter in Dr. Trumbull's History of Conn, is devoted to this controversy. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 ^95 
 
 the ground was so soft and swampy, tliat tlic cot^n could only be tirnily fixed in 
 the bottom of the grave by the aid of two strong fence rails bound together where 
 they crossed each other diagonally just above the eartli. As proof of the truth of 
 this tradition it may be stated that the gravestone of the old Tory is in a neglected 
 and lonesome spot in the extreme eastern part of the cemetery, just south of the 
 tool house, and it is necessary to pull aside the hedge before one can comfortablv 
 
 ROVAL lOA'l' OF ARMS. 
 
 Formerly in the Episcopal fhurch in Walliiigford, now in All Saints' church, St. An- 
 drews, X. B. 
 
 read the inscription, "In Memory of Capt. Titus Brockett wlio (lepartc<l this life 
 July 20 1773 in the 74th year of his age." Xear at hand a mouldering and moss- 
 covered stone announces that it was erected 'Tn Memory of Mary Brockett who 
 died May ist A. D. 1777 in the 64th year of lier age." 
 
 As was quite customary among people of means in those days of long ago. the 
 opinionated and obstinate old captain had among his goods and chattels, two negro 
 
2q6 a century of meridex. 
 
 slaves, a boy named Esau and a girl called Grace. In his will he directed that 
 so long as his wife should live and remain his widow, the slaves should be her 
 property ; but in the event of her death or remarriage, Esau was to be free. 
 
 St. Paul's church was also handsomely endowed and the widow donated £50, 
 the income of which was to go to the poor. We note among the personal effects 
 of the captain a silver tankard (from which he doubtless frequently drank the 
 health of King George and death to his enemies), six pairs of breeches, seven 
 coats, seven waistcoats, a sword, wig box, hat case, gold buttons and silver buckles. 
 Truh' he must have been a gorgeous individual when parading the streets of Wal- 
 lingford clad in his finery, his sword at his side, and followed by his ebony-hued 
 body servant, Esau. 
 
 The sensational attempt to prevent the interment of Captain Brockett's body 
 in the cemetery (which lies about three hundred feet east of the present Walling- 
 ford railroad station) was but one of many evidences of the intensity of feeling in 
 the country generally. 
 
 Wallingford was like every other town in New England. Disgust with the 
 acts of the British parliament was fast ripening the people for almost any step ; 
 it needed but a match to fire the pent-up feelings, and the day at Lexington and 
 Concord at last set free all restraint. Then on June 17th, 1775, came the battle 
 of Bunker Hill where the green and raw provincial forces showed a grim deter- 
 mination and bravery that should have warned the British of the seriousness of 
 the conflict which was impending. 
 
 Congress in Philadelphia had already appointed George Washington command- 
 er-in-chief of the Continental forces and on the 21st he started for Cambridge with 
 his retinue of officers to take charge of the army which invested Boston. On Sun- 
 day, June 25th, he reached New^ York and on Wednesday, the 28th, he arrived at 
 New Haven where he passed the night in the tavern of Isaac Beers, which stood 
 near the location of the present New Haven House. Everywhere his progress 
 was a triumphal procession and he was met with joy and acclamation. The next 
 morning he departed from New Haven attended by great numbers of the inhabi- 
 tants of the town. A New Haven paper of the times said : "They were escorted 
 out of town by two companies dressed in their uniforms and by a company of 
 young gentlemen belonging to the seminary in this place." One of this latter 
 company was Noah Webster who marched at the head playing a fife or drum. At 
 the rate they were moving they must have reached Wallingford a little before 
 noon. This was on June 29th. Accompanying Washington was General Charles 
 Lee, soldier of fortune, and also braggart and poltroon, who later went down to 
 everlasting infamy and disgrace at the battle of Monmouth. 
 
 Washington with his ofificers stopped to dine at the tavern and the clergy of 
 the town were asked to dine with him. As he was a Churchman, it was but nat- 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 297 
 
 ural that I'arson Andrews should he invited also, notwithstanding- his suspected 
 Royalist s\nipathies. The Rev. Mr. Waterman of the Wells Society asked the 
 hlessing'. and became so voluble and continued the prayer to such a length, that 
 impatient General Lee could restrain his appetite no longer and sat down and began 
 to eat while the prayer was still in progress. Tradition saxs nothing- as to the con- 
 di'.ct of General Washington, but it is safe to assume that, as usual, it was irre- 
 proachable. 
 
 After the repast Parson Andrews was asked to give thanks, possibly with the 
 idea that he would make some remark that could be twisted into treason to the 
 commonwealth, but he refused to be drawn into the trap and with a keen sense 
 of humor and with the idea of administering a rebuke to Parson Waterman for 
 his excessively bad taste in boring- the guests with so many words, he repeated a 
 verse from Ecclesiastes, v: 2, "Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart 
 be hasty to utter anything before God : for God is in Heaven and thou upon earth : 
 therefore let thy words be few,'" and sat down. To an ardent patriot the courag- 
 eors minister's words must have been like waving a red flag in the face of a bull: 
 but. to a patriot like Dr. Dana, with an abounding sense of the ludicrous and a 
 not too pleasant feeling toward his rival, Mr. Waterman, the situation must have 
 been an enjoyable one ; but the occasion was remembered and Parson Andrews' 
 words rankled in the breast of many a patriot. 
 
 After the repast General Washington and his retinue moved on to Wethers- 
 field where they arrived in the afternoon and dined ; then on to Hartford and 
 Springfield, at which latter place the}- were n-iet l)y a committee from the Mas- 
 sachusetts Provincial Assembly who escorted the distinguished parl\' to Cam- 
 bridge.^ 
 
 In July a da}- of fasting and humiliation was proclaimed b}- the General Con- 
 gress in I'hiladelphia and Parson Andrews chose the opportunity to deliver a ser- 
 mon to his faithful flock. His text was from Amos v: 21, "I hate, I despise your 
 feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies." 
 
 Naturally, as soon as the text became generally known there was a profound 
 sensation throughout the comnumity. Some one communicated the text to the 
 Connecticut Gazette and New Haven Postboy and a very acrimonious correspond- 
 ence followed in the same paper. ()ne correspondent stated that since Mr. .\n- 
 drews had come to Wallingford three fasts had been proclaimed and that at the 
 time of the Stamp Act in 1765 he had preached a sermon in his church on this 
 .text: "Tn those days there was no King in Israel, but ever}- man did lliat which 
 
 1 Washington again visited Wallingford in 1789. His diary, under date of October 19th, after a 
 withering reference to the Inn kept by one Carrington, gives the following interesting information : 
 
 "At this place we see the White Mulberry growing, raised from the seed, to feed the silk worm. 
 We al.'io saw samples of lustring (exceedingly good) which had been manufactured from the cocoon 
 raised in this town, and silk thread, very fine. This, except the weaving, is the work of private fam- 
 ilies, without interfering with other business, and is likely to turn out a beneficial amusement." 
 
208 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 was right in his own eves." which showed his utter lack of sympathy with the 
 motive which inspired the fast. At the time of the fast in 1774 he told his con- 
 gregation on the Sunday previous that he did not think it worth while to read 
 the proclamation, that he should not open his church and that his hearers might 
 go where they wished. He himself was seen riding on his horse in the town 
 street at the time of ])ublic worship and some of his people spent the day in fes- 
 tivitv. His conduct at that time gave so much umbrage that on the third fast 
 February ist, 1775, he opened his church for public worship. Mr. Andrews re- 
 plied to his correspondents and followed up the matter by publishing his sermon, 
 to which was attached the following affidavit: "August 12, 1775, The following 
 discourse was examined and found to be a true copy of the original by Street 
 Hall, Caleb Hall." The sermon certainly does not show any sympathy with the 
 cause in which the country was now embarked. He warns his hearers to pause 
 ere it be too late, reminds them of the prodigious strength of England, calls their 
 attention to the fact that it is absurd to prate so much about liberty and equality 
 of all men when so many men are held as slaves in various parts of the country. 
 The sermon is mild in tone but it is anything but encouraging to the cause of 
 patriotism. 
 
 But notwithstanding the mild tone of the sermon the harm had been done, and, 
 added to the disagreeable impression made at the dinner to the generals, caused 
 excitement to reach a w'hite heat. A meeting of the Inspection Committee was 
 held and the parson was put under heavy bonds to keep the peace and he was for- 
 bidden to go anywhere except to and from his church without permission of the 
 committee. The breaking out of hostilities and the Declaration of Independence 
 must, of course, have cut ofif Mr. Andrews" stipend from England: and during 
 the long and weary years, with some of his flock serving in the army and others 
 deserting to the enemy his life cannot have been a cheerful one. It is probable 
 that he did not continue to hold services in his church after the edict of the In- 
 spection Committee had been issued. There was an extremely bitter feeling in the 
 community against all Churchmen, for this term was generally considered 
 synonymous with Toryism. A very respectable Episcopalian had been shot for 
 being a Tory^ and it was rumored that the wells of several other Tories were to 
 be poisoned. But it is believed that after the order of the bishop of London was 
 sent over in 1778 directing the clergy to open their churches and hold services, 
 omitting the prayer for the king and royal family that the parson called his fright- 
 ened flock together and began once more to minister to his people. 
 
 Laban Andrews, who was a staunch patriot, was one of the Inspection Com- 
 mittee and also a selectman and presumably made life as easy for his unhappy 
 
 1 Julius Yale, as a boy, heard that a Mr. Tyler, of Tyler's Mills, now Yalesville, a strong Tory, was 
 shot while going from his mill to his house. No one was arrested, and no attention was paid to the 
 body for some time. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 299 
 
 brother as possible. Laban's son Pitt (iio doubt named lor the great Karl of 
 Chatham, the sturdy friend of America until his death ) met a tragic end in the 
 arm\- at the early age of fourteen. 
 
 The \\'allingford records briefly state: "Titt, son of Laban and Prudence An- 
 drews, killed in battle at Greenwich: denied quarter by the enem\- June 29, 1779." 
 This, no doubt, was but a minor engagement with the British just previous to their 
 descent on Xew Haven in July, for we learn from some old Revolutionary rolls 
 lately discovered in the town clerk's office at Wallingford, that several companies 
 were detached to go to Greenwich the 15th of June, 1779. 
 
 We wonder if the parson was allowed to call on that rank old Tory, Governor 
 William Franklin of Xew Jersey (son of the immortal Benjamin), who w-as for 
 some time confined in the old Carrington house on Main street, which stood just 
 north of the present Simpson block. 
 
 I'ranklin was the last royal governor of New Jersey and a natural son. Pie 
 was a man of fine appearance and on a visit to England with his father made 
 such an impression on the celebrated Earl of Bute, that, on his recommendation, 
 he was appointed governor of New Jerse}' in 1763. During the first days of the 
 dispute of America with the mother country, he became involved with his as- 
 sembly which soon declared him to be an enemy to his country, and gave orders 
 that he should be sent a prisoner to Connecticut. He was accordingly placed in 
 the custody of a guard commanded by a captain wdio had orders to take him to 
 Governor Trumbull. The officer in charge halted at Hackensack. and was re- 
 buked by \\^ashington for his delay, as the commander-in-chief believed that the 
 deposed governor was designing to effect his escape; basing his l)clic'f on the fact 
 that he had refused to sign the parole and that a letter to .Mrs. Franklin liad l)cen 
 intercepted. 
 
 He arrived in Connecticut July 5. 1776. He was immediately sent in Wal- 
 lingford after he had signed his parole. He was at first placed in the inn, then 
 kept b\' Cai)tain Johnson. It was crowded with officers, soldiers, travelers and 
 townsmen whose sympathies were all on the patriotic side. Naturally his lite was 
 made exceedingly disagreeable. He w'as insulted and jeered at and even threat- 
 ened with assassination. The Tories of the town who were among the most re- 
 spectable and wealthy families in the community, desiring to assist the governor 
 and relieve him from his sufferings, api)lied to Mrs. Potter, the wife of Dr. Jared 
 Pfttter, for a suite of rooms in her spacious, well-furnished house on the otlier side 
 of the street. ])romising to see that she was ampl\- reimljursed. Dr. l^itter, an 
 ardent and strenuous patriot, was aw^ay with the army, and so she agreed to the 
 proposition and Governor FVanklin was quietly removed at night to his new^ 
 abode where he was kept secluded and comparatively secure. No one visited him 
 except a few of his Torv friends and. in the meantime, he amused himself as best 
 
300 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 he could with Mrs. Potter's httle girls, with whom he walked in the flower garden 
 back of the house. He made himself as gay a companion as possible, playing, 
 chatting and romping with them, and he would eagerly watch the clock to see 
 the hands indicate the hour when they would return from school. It soon be- 
 came known that the governor was in Mrs. Potter's house and the patriots openly 
 promised to visit personal violence upon him so that both parties became alarmed 
 at what might be the outcome of the situation. Rumors of poisoned wells 
 and personal violence were circulated. The Whigs noticed the frequent visits 
 of the Tories to the prisoner's apartments and believed that a plot was on 
 foot to take him quietly away at night to the seashore and put him on some British 
 boat in the Sound. ^ Petitions were sent to Governor Trumbull asking him to re- 
 move the prisoner to a place of greater safety. The Governor agreed to 
 do as he was asked and he was taken to East Windsor where he was quar- 
 tered in the house of Captain Ebenezer Grant. In 1777 he requested liberty to 
 visit his wife who was sick in a house a few miles away. In reph- to his request 
 General Washington refused to grant it, although he wrote him a sympathetic 
 letter. Mrs. Franklin continued to pine and finally died in great unhappiness in 
 1778 and on a monumental tablet erected to her memory in St. Paul's church. Xew 
 York, we may read: "Compelled by the adverse circumstances of the times to 
 part from the husband she loved and at length despairing of the soothing hope of 
 his speedy return, she sunk under accumulated distresses." In 1778 an exchange 
 of prisoners was effected and Governor Franklin was removed. His course was 
 a source of great mortification to his distinguished father. 
 
 Had Dr. Tared Potter been at home it is very doubtful if Governor Franklin 
 would have been able to find refuge in the patriotic doctor's house for his loyalty 
 to the Continental government was so strong that he would hardly have tolerated 
 the idea of harboring a traitor in his house under any conditions. - 
 
 We wonder if the Inspection Committee gave the parson permission to condole 
 with and try to comfort his former parishioner, the unhappy Abiathar Camp, who 
 was for a while confined on parole in his own house in Wallingford? Mr. Camp 
 was a resident of New Haven and followed the profession of shipmaster. The ship- 
 ping news column of the weekly gazettes of the period are constantly mentioning 
 the arrival or departure of Captain Abiathar Camp from or to such ports as St. 
 
 1 See N. H. Colony Hist. Soc. Col. Vol. 11., pp. 320-1, for the main facts of this account of 
 Franklin's detention in Wallingford. 
 
 2 Dr. Potter was a man of importance in the community, and it was he who afterwards introduced 
 silk-worm culture into Wallingford. He corresponded with Benjamin Franklin on the subject, and 
 stocked his farm with mulberry trees, the seed for which he received from Franklin. 
 
 In 1805, that Baron Munchausen, the Rev. Samuel Peters, author of that lying book, "A Genera! 
 History of Connecticut," visited Dr. Potter for some weeks, having been referred to him by President 
 Jefferson in his efforts to acquire some lands of which he had procured the title. The asperities of 
 the war were so far forgotten that the clergyman and physician became very good friends, and had 
 many a laugh over the clergyman's effort in historical literature. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 3OI 
 
 Martins, the Barbadoes or Nova Scotia. He was evidently a man of considerable 
 wealth, owning, besides his residence in New Haven, farms in Eastbury and Wal- 
 lingford. He was a vestryman of Trinity church, New Haven, and a man of 
 verv respectable position in the community. 
 
 He was eventually allowed to leave Wallingford and return to his home in 
 New Haven, having become what was known as a Recanter, but at the time of 
 the invasion of New Haven by the IJritish in 1779, he left with the enemy when 
 thev retired from the town and settled at last in New Brunswick where he died 
 at the age of eighty-four years. 
 
 At a town meeting held in 1775, a Committee of Inspection was elected to en- 
 quire into all cases of suspected loyalty and to take such measures as were neces- 
 sary. The committee did not let the grass grow under its feet. The members 
 were as follows : Eliakim Hall, Stephen Andrews, Deacon David Hall, Ensign 
 Caleb Atwater, Isaac Bull, Uriah Collins, Nathaniel Hart for the First society ; 
 Captain Asahel Hall, Major Reuben Atwater, Captain Moses Atwater, David 
 Brooks, Samuel Beach, Esq., Lieutenant ]\Iunson ]\Ierriman for Cheshire parish. 
 and James Hough, Ensign Divan Berry, Lieutenant Allen Roys, Laban Andrews, 
 Captain Hezekiah Johnson and Miles Johnson for Meriden parish : another com- 
 mittee was appointed Dec. 17, 1776. 
 
 In the Connecticut Journal Nov. 22, 1775, appears the following: 
 
 "At a meeting of the Committee of Inspection for the u>\\u ni Wallingford, 
 in the county of New Haven, on the 6th day of Nov 1775 ISenjamin llall,^ the 
 3rd, of said Wallingford, having been notified to appear before the committee ami 
 answer a complaint made against him, for a ])reach of the Hon. Continental .Asso- 
 ciation against his attendance. To the charge exhibited against him pleaded not 
 guilty: whereupon the committee proceeded to hear and examine the evidence and 
 on a full and fair trval are unanimously of the opinion, that the complaint was 
 fully proved against said Hall, and that he has violated the nth article of the 
 < "ontinental Association, in employing Asa Austin of said \\^illingford, as a 
 -ihoolmaster who was then considered as an enemy to his country, and as such 
 had been advertised in the Connecticut Journal, and that said Hall has also in- 
 dustriously used his influence and endeavours, to frustrate the designs of the 
 Grand Continental Congress, in representing them to be a hot headed absolute 
 body of men, aiming at the subversion of the English constitution, and exercising 
 a tyrannical dominion over the colonies: In justifying parliamentary measures, 
 and in casting virulent reflections upon the committees acting under the Con- 
 gress: such as being arl)itrar\ in their })r(^ceedures — and meanly, and most ridic- 
 
 1 In the iKsue of the Connecticut Journal April 12, 1780, the estate of Benjamin Hall, late of Wal- 
 lingford, politically deceased, by joining the enemies of the U. S. is adverti.sed as in the hands of an 
 administrator. 
 
302 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 uouslv employed to peep into old womens tea pots and pots. Strictly adher- 
 ing to the doings of the Congress we now hang up to public view the aforesaid 
 Benjamin Hall, the 3rd as an inveterate enemy to the rights of British America: 
 .and most devoutly recommend to all the friends of this once happy but now in- 
 jured and bleeding country,, forthwith, upon the publication of this, to withdraw 
 all connections and commercial dealings from said Hall, as directed by the afore- 
 cited Congress in the nth article of their Association: And the Chairman is de- 
 sired to procure a copy of this judgment to be inserted in the public papers. 
 
 Signed by order 
 Caleb Johnson, Chairman." 
 
 Asa Austin, the schoolmaster, was also in dire disgrace for rash remarks: 
 after considering the matter carefully he was ready to do penance for his transgres- 
 sion, and accordingly we find in the same newspaper, under date of Dec. 20. 1775, 
 the following: 
 
 "I, Asa Austin, of Wallingford, being sensible that I have contemptuously 
 violated the third article of the Honorable Continental Association, and treated the 
 Committee of Inspection with contempt, in refusing to treat with them when 
 duly notified to appear before them : and also in speaking unfavorably to the 
 measures taken by my country in defence of her stipulated rights, whereby I have 
 greatly offended the good people of the United Colonies : which inconsiderate 
 conduct I heartily reflect upon, praying the forgiveness of all whom I have justly 
 offended ; and as I am hearty in my request, I promise that for the future I will 
 stand by my country, in defence of its sacred liberties, and utterly discountenance 
 and disunite from those who are iniiuical to the rights of British America. 
 
 Asa Austin 
 
 looted, that the above confession is accepted upon the signer thereof, forthwith 
 publishing the same in the Gazette. A true copy examined. 
 
 Wallingford. Dec 11 1775 Per David Brooks, Clerk" 
 
 The power of this inspection or vigilance connnittee must have been great in 
 ■crushing out all independence of statement. 
 
 Parson Andrews" influence among his parishioners in behalf of the cause of 
 the mother country must have been far reaching and thorough. Abraham Blakes- 
 lee, of North Haven, Senior Warden of the parish there and captain of a military 
 company in the Second Regiment, having manifested his disaft'ection to the gov- 
 ernment by speaking contemptuously of the measures taken by the General As- 
 sembly was broken and cashiered from office and was summoned to appear at the 
 bar of the General Assemblv to answer for seditious conduct. 
 
MAKLV HlSTOin'. 3O3 
 
 111 1778 ten members of his parish in Xorth Haven sent the following letter 
 to " lohn Martin, Commissary General at Xew York with speed, Xorth Haven, 
 l-'ebruary 12, 1778, We the inhabitants of Xorth Haven whose names are under- 
 written are the king's loyal subjects and well-wishers to his Majesty, George HI. 
 We have, therefore, provided a considerable quantity of provisions and tobacco for 
 the use of his arm\ and intend to send at the first opportunity we have to Xew 
 ^'ork or Long Island. We have, likewise, several young men that intends to 
 join the regulars the first chance they have. 
 
 We hope the God of Heaven will succor you in your endeavors to sul)due the 
 rebels to \our subjection, so we must conclude }"(iur heart}' friends and well- 
 wishers." 
 
 l*"ortunately for the signers of this document it did not become public until long 
 .ifter the war was ended. 
 
 I'arson Andrews" brothers in Meriden did not escape without a visit from the 
 same authority which was oppressing him. Moses, who lived on the old home 
 farm in Meriden, had been forbidden by the Inspection Committee to leave it under 
 any pretext whatsoever and Denison, another brother, was laboring under a like 
 sitvation. To Moses the most grievous part of his punishment was in being for- 
 bidden to worship God with his brethren on the Lord's Day and in his ])arish 
 church. He petitioned for permission to go to church on Sundays in Walling- 
 ford. The request was refused, but he was graciousl\- given liberty to at- 
 tend the Congregational meeting in Meriden. To a Churchman of the An- 
 drews stripe this favor was galling, l-'inding that he would not be allowed to at- 
 tend the church of his choice he determined to have services in his own 
 house. Immediately liis parlor was transformed into a chapel. Slabs and 
 blocks of wood served as benches and the other Churchmen who were his neigh- 
 bors were invited to attend. Moses himself acted as lay reader. This was the 
 beginning of St. Andrew's church. .Meriden. The services here so humbly be- 
 gun, were continued in the same house for a quarter of a century. 
 
 It should not be forgotten that at the time of the Revolutionary War. W alling- 
 forrl was a much larger place relativeK' tlian it is to-da\. Ii liad almost as many 
 inhabitants as Hartford and a trifle larger tax list. In fact, it was one of the 
 large towns of the state and was generallv noted as a stronghold of patriots of 
 which there is evidence in the record of ihe taxes laid during the different years 
 of the war. lu 1775 the tax rate was 2d. on the ' £. in 1771) id. in 
 ^777 M.'/^'*'- ''1 1779 39fh ^iii'l ill 1780 it reached the enormous sum of ()s. 4d. ou 
 the £, which was ])ractically confiscation, or else it denoted a great depreciation 
 of the circulating medium. While Wallingford did not furnish any noted men 
 to the Revolutionary cause it had a large body of tro<ips in the field officered by 
 able Wallingford men. 
 
304 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 Wallingford served as a place of detention for many others who had been 
 voted inimical to their country. These prisoners were confined in different houses 
 and on January 21, 1777, it was voted that all regular prisoners that shall be sta- 
 tioned in Wallingford and quartered in the houses of different families shall not 
 be allowed to go about or abroad without license from the heads of these families. 
 A large powder house was stationed in the town which seems to have been the 
 cause of much anxiety to the selectmen and citizens generally. Guards were ap- 
 pointed to look after it carefully and see that the hated Tories might not find op- 
 portunity to cause the powder to be exploded. Wallingford was as susceptible as 
 any other part of the country to news of success or hope for the future, and we find 
 in the Connecticut Journal of May 6, 1778, a letter from Wallingford dated May 
 1st, which reads as follows: "Tuesday last a number of respectable inhabitants 
 assembled towards evening to celebrate in civil demonstration of Joy the late im- 
 portant intelligence from Europe brought by the frigate La Sensible. The re- 
 joicings were introduced with thirteen discharges of cannon, followed by three 
 cheers. To this succeeded the same number of volleys with small arms with the 
 under-mentioned toasts interspersed with the cheers repeated. The whole was 
 conducted with the greatest propriety and regularity and the company dispersed 
 early in the evening."" We will not give a complete list of the toasts. Among 
 them were the following which have some interest for us because they show the 
 cause of the rejoicing : 
 
 "France and Spain." 
 
 "The American Ambassador at the Court of France."' 
 
 "General Gates and his brave army who gave the last deadly blow to the pride 
 of Britain."" 
 
 "General Stark and the brave militia who fought the battle of Bennington." 
 
 "May monopolizers and withholders, Tories and Tyrants, meet with the confu- 
 sion they so justly deserve.'" 
 
 "May the internal Foes of America never taste the Sweets of Liberty." 
 
 "May the Union of the American States be perpetual and their Prize Free- 
 dom until time shall be no more." 
 
 Wallingford was intensely democratic in its sympathies and opposed bitterly 
 the attempt to retire officers with five years full pay ; and the idea of a Society of 
 the Cincinnati was too odious to contemplate. At a town meeting held in Sep- 
 tember, 1783, the local representatives to the legislature were instructed to oppose 
 all encroachments of the American Congress upon the sovereignty and jurisdiction 
 of the separate states and to pursue a strict and thorough investigation of the great 
 and interesting question whether Congress was authorized by the Federal consti- 
 tution to grant half-pay for life to the officers of the armv. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 305 
 
 r.iU all things have an end and at last the weary war was hronght to a close 
 and the country hegan to resume a normal condition. And yet this was a time 
 which has been well-called "The Critical Period of American History." For in 
 some places anarchy stalked abroad and it began to look as if the liberty for which 
 so much blood had been shed was but a mockery and a delusion. 
 
 l'"inallv Mr. Andrews recognized the inevitable, that the separation from the 
 mother countr\- was irrevocable and complete, and in .\pril, 1785, signed the 
 oath of fidelity to the state of Connecticut. 
 
 With man}- of his dock gone and the rest impoverished and discouraged, the 
 outlook was not cheering. LJroken in spirit and in health, he decided to leave the 
 c<-)untr\ and settle under the IJritish crown in .\'ew Brunswick. In spite of 
 pravers and entreaties thither he went in the spring of 1786 and chose as his asy- 
 lum the town of St. Andrews, where, from his home he could look across the St. 
 Cn)i.\ river and see the shores of Maine. He returned to Wallingford in the fall. 
 but in the spring of 1787 he bade farewell to his parishioners and with his family 
 made the journey to St. Andrews, taking with him the royal coat of arms which 
 for so long a time had been a conspicuous object in St. Paul's church. Doubtless 
 during the war of the Revolution it was safely hidden in some cellar or garret 
 sccrre from the prying eyes of meddlesome patriots. lUit shortly after the ad- 
 vent of Parson Andrews in St. Andrews it was hung on the walls of All Saints' 
 church, which was built about 1792. and although the old church is gone, still 
 it hangs on the walls of the new sanctuary to this day, brilliant with paint and gold. 
 
 -Mr Andrews Ixnight at first a home lot in St. .\ndrews, but on .March 15. 
 I7<)i. ■"Samuel ( Jsborn Esq. late commander of his Majesty's ship the Ariadne 
 and now of London, for £150,'' sold to Samuel Andrews, clerk and missionary of 
 
 I', (i.. an island called Chamcook, containing 500 acres. On this island, over- 
 looking St. Andrews, ]\Ir. Andrews built his house and here he passed the re- 
 mainder of his life. A large jiart of the island is now owned by Sir William \'an 
 Home, of Canada, and on it he lias built a beautiful country seat. The island is 
 now called Minister's Island. 
 
 Mention has been made of the friendship e.xistitig between Dr. Dana and .Mr. 
 Andrews. On Christmas day, 1788, an event occurred which is strong evidence 
 of this fact, and considering the feeling of hostility at that time between the Con- 
 gregational and Episcopalian bodies it is evidence of a kind we would not expect 
 to find. On this festival dav Dr. Dana preached a sermon in St. Pauls church 
 on "The Nativity of Christ," and after the discourse delivered tlir following 
 jirayer. "May grace and ])eace from ( lod our lather and from the Lord Jesus 
 Christ be multiplied to the flock of (lod who usually worship in this sanctuary. 
 May they remember how they have received the messages of salvation from their 
 late worthy pastor and hold fast and repent. W'e commend him and his family 
 to the grace of God. Grant him more ])erfect and confirmed he.ilth. iVotect his 
 20 
 
3o6 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 life and usefulness. May the wilderness and the solitary place be glad for the 
 good tidings he may bring and welcome him saying: Blessed be he that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord." 
 
 Some time after his arrival in St. Andrews the good parson w-as stricken with 
 a paralytic stroke which for a while incapacitated him for work in his new field. 
 During the winter of 1792- 1793 he made a visit to Wallingford. How much of 
 sadness must have mingled with the pleasure of revisiting the old familiar places. 
 His friend, Captain Macock Ward, had passed away an unrepentant Tory to the 
 last. He never received an office from his fellow-townsmen after being elected 
 to the Colonial Court in 1774 and he sturdily refused to the end to sign the oath 
 of fidelity to the state of Connecticut. Dr. Dana had been called to the First 
 church in New Haven. Mr. Andrews' father, Samuel, and brother, Laban, had 
 been gathered to their fathers. Death had been busy in many places among his 
 friends. But his brothers, Denison and Moses, were still living in Meriden and 
 doubtless many of his hours were passed wath them. He officiated to some ex- 
 tent in the churches in Wallingford, North Haven and Cheshire and performed 
 the marriage ceremony for children of his former parishioners. 
 
 And now the time had come to return to his home in New Brunswick ; the 
 farewells were said and the sloop "Prosperity," Isaac Kirtland, of Wallingford, 
 master, was lying in New Haven harbor at Tomlinson's Wharf. In the Connec- 
 ticut Journal for several weeks there appeared the following advertisement: "For 
 St. Andrews, New Brunswick, the Sloop Prosperity will sail early in April. For 
 freight or passage apply to the Master in Wallingford or to Mr. Isaac Tomlinson 
 in New Haven." The first week in April the anchor was raised, the prow was 
 headed towards St. Andrews ; on board were the Rev. Samuel Andrews and his 
 wife, and his son and wife. The voyage was prosperous until they reached a ledge 
 of rocks a few miles off the coast of Mt. Desert. Unfortunately the boat ran full 
 head on this ledge although the sea was smooth and it was soon apparent that 
 the boat was to be a total less. The passengers and crew were with difficulty 
 saved but they were finally landed on the shore in safety, and eventuallv they 
 were transported to St. Andrews. ^ Evidently the memory of this shipwreck al- 
 ways stayed with the good parson for he never again came back to Wallingford 
 to revisit the scenes of his childhood and early ministry. He continued to labor 
 in St. Andrews until his death September 26, 1818. at the ripe old age of eighty- 
 one years. The local Canadian paper contained the following obituary notice: 
 
 "Died at St. Andrews on the 26th ulto. in the 82d year of his age the Rev. 
 Sam'l Andrews, a venerable missionary from the S. P. G. and Rector of St. 
 Andrews. This pious and amiable character has. retired from the world full of 
 years and full of the admiration and esteem of all who knew him — to his family 
 and friends an irreparable loss — and while memory holds its seat the recollection 
 
 1 From a New Haven newspaper of that period. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 3O7 
 
 of his virtues and of his worth will be consecrated in the hearts of all his Par- 
 ishioners. He was interred on Tuesday the 29th ult. after a sermon preached 
 upon the occasion and his funeral was attended by the whole parish, the military 
 and a most respectable body of clergy and gentry from the neighborhood, and of 
 the American shores, amidst the tears and griefs of a grateful people." 
 
3o8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 If one takes the electric car line and rides to the end of the track in East Mer- 
 iden, nearly to the Middletown boundary, one is in Bangall. There are no precise 
 limits to the district, and one hardly knows when Bangall is reached or when it 
 is left ; but still the name is there and has been for a long time, and people joke 
 about it and try to explain its origin in various ways. The writer has heard sev- 
 eral theories that attempt to account for it. 
 
 Dr. Davis gives this story in his history: "Capt. Benjamin Hall had a tavern 
 at the Noah Pomeroy place, which in those days was a place of great resort by 
 parties who came from Middletown, Durham and Wallingford. One night in 
 particular, a large party came from Middletown and kept up their frolics all night: 
 in the words of Captain Hall, 'they banged all creation' : from which circumstance 
 came the name of Bangall." 
 
 Here is one }arn that was told by its narrator to the writer as a veracious ac- 
 count of the origin of the name : Years ago a man in the Bangall country named 
 Samuel Baldwin was an eccentric character who, instead of bursting into profanity 
 when stirred by excitement, always exclaimed, "bang it all, bang it all." Thus 
 were his emotions relieved, and thus he gave a name to the neighborhood. 
 
 Another explanation which the writer heard from an old man who has always 
 lived in the vicinity, is that the young men who worked in the Pomeroy tin shops 
 in that locality were so noisy and boisterous and full of horse play, that the name 
 arose in that way. In fact, one can hear various yarns from the older inhabitants, 
 but they all agree in this particular, viz. that there was a great deal of "banging" 
 in the vicinity. 
 
 If this were the only instance of the use of the word Bangall the writer would 
 not be at all sceptical, and would be inclined to believe this derivation. But, un- 
 fortunately for these various explanations, there are six other Bangalls, all located 
 in New York state. The following is the list : 
 
 Bangall P. O., Dutchess Co. 
 Bangall (Guildersleeve P. O.), Albany Co. 
 Bangall (East \'enice P. O.), Cayuga Co. 
 Bangall (Taylor P. O.), Cortland Co. 
 Bangall (Parish P. O.), Oswego Co. 
 Bangall (Easton P. O.), Washington Co. 
 
 In every case, except the first, they are all hamlets in townships. 
 
EARLY HISTORY 
 
 309 
 
 The writer has no theory to offer but he can hardly Ijeheve that the 
 Meriden story is a satisfactory reast^i : if it is, then we must assume that 
 the '"banging" habit was a general one in various parts of the country at some time 
 in the past. It seems more likely that it is an old place name, and that the various 
 yarns offered to account for its origin, are simply developments of the same in- 
 genuity which would exi)lain the origin of the word Meriden In saving that it 
 was once a Merry-den. 
 
 Mr. Berthold Fernow. the otficial translator of the earlv Dutch records of Xew 
 
 OLD BRENTON, OR CASP.AR II.xr.L PLACE. 
 
 \ ork. and a man of profound kin)wledge of early colonial Dutch and I-jiglish. 
 suggested to the writer that perhaps the word is a corruption ..f the old I-jiglish 
 place name of Bagnall. 
 
 r.ut whatever the origin of the word, it is certain that if the earlv inhabitants 
 of the ea.st part of ]\Ieriden were seeking a name for that locality which would 
 1)0 descriptive, they could not have done better than to select that of Hall 
 farms. A hundred years ago it would have been perfectly safe to address anv 
 man one met in P.angall as Mr. Hall. Although the I'.aldwin family had secured 
 an entering wedge on the west side of the loealitv. their pif-cn.-r but .served to 
 
3IO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERlDliX. 
 
 emphasize the predominance of the name of Hall. And they were all scions of 
 the ancient Hall stock of Wallingford. 
 
 Perhaps the most prominent man in Meriden and certainly of his name, when 
 the town was incorporated in 1806, was Brenton Hall. The Hon. Brenton Hall 
 he was called and he was a worthy representative of the stock. 
 
 He was born in Cheshire April 2, 1738, and was a son of Rev. Samuel of 
 that parish, and his wife, Ann, the daughter of Jonathan Law, governor of Con- 
 necticut. He was a great-great-grandson of Governor Brenton of Rhode Island. 
 Hence his name. His father, Rev. Samuel, had, at an early date, received a grant 
 of two hundred acres in Meriden parish, in the extreme eastern part, fronting on 
 the north on old Liberty street. The farm ran down to Black Pond on the south 
 and adjoined the Middletown line on the east. There is evidence that Brenton 
 was in Meriden as early as 1760, and on February 18, 1762, he married Lament, 
 the daughter of Jonathan Collins, whose old house has already been pictured, 
 now known as the Samuel Clark place. In 1767 his father presented to Bren- 
 ton the farm of 200 acres which then included a dwelling and other buildings. 
 
 The house is said to have been built by Rev. Samuel for his son at about the 
 date of his marriage, viz. 1762. A year or two ago, this dwelling, which was fast 
 going to decay, was pulled down. It has already been described as fronting on 
 old Liberty street, several hundred feet east of Preston avenue, at the top of the 
 hill. This picture is a reproduction of one that appeared in the Hall Genealogy. 
 
 According to the "Hall Ancestry," Brenton Hall was a man of dignified bear- 
 ing, a clear, dark complexion, bright intelligent eyes, and dark brown hair. He 
 was Meriden's first representative to the General Assembly, and had acted in like 
 capacity for the town of Wallingford previously, and was largely instrumental in 
 having Meriden set ofif as a separate township. Brenton was first cousin of Col. 
 Street Hall of Revolutionary fame and first cousin of Lyman Hall, a signer of the 
 Declaration of Independence, and during the Tryon Invasion of New Haven in 
 1779, Brenton as ensign, marched with a company of Meriden men to the scene of 
 action. He was twice married, his second wife being Widow Abigail Guy, of 
 Branford. 
 
 He died Nov. 25, 1820, and his body lies buried in the old Broad street ceme- 
 tery. His son, Caspar, inherited the homestead and many acres of the farm and 
 Mrs. Joseph Morse, of Meriden, is one of his children. Collins Hall, the second 
 son of Brenton, married in 1795 and, doubtless, built his home at that time. It 
 is still standing on the east side of Pomeroy avenue, at its junction with East Main 
 street or Middletown turnpike. 
 
 On Nov. 9, 1796, his father gave him a farm of sixty acres "on which he now 
 dw'ells," showing that the house w-as then built. The northwest corner of the 
 farm is stated to be near Constant Miller's mill dam. Collins died in 1849. When 
 the house was built the turnpike was not in existence. 
 
EARLY HISTOKV. 
 
 311 
 
 Another son of Brenton, Augustus, was given a farm by his father that fronted 
 west on F^reston avenue, and the house he built is still standing and is located 
 on that avenue on the cast side, about 160 rods north of East Main street. Walter 
 Hall, the son of Augustus, lives in the old Ambrose Hough place, at the corner of 
 1 iberty and Broad streets. 
 
 At the junction of Pomeroy and Murdock avenues formerly stood a very old 
 house which was bought and lived in by Noah Pomeroy when he came to Meri- 
 iden about 1816. Tt was that in which Captain Benjamin A. Hall was supposed 
 to have kej)t the tavern that gave the section ihc name of B>angall. Many vears 
 
 Photo by K. S. Godfrey. 
 
 COLLINS IL\LL I'L.VCL 
 
 ago the I'omeroy family moved the did dwelling a few hundred feet east of its 
 former location and there it stands to-day. A modern house occu]iies the old site. 
 It has lost the dignified aspect it presented when it stood on its former site 
 shaded by lordly old maples. Its ancient lines, hnwever, are still ap]X'ircnt, al- 
 though it has lost its great chimney. The first mention the writer has been able 
 to find relating to this house is dated March 2^. 1751. when Israel Hall and his 
 wife, Abigail, deeded it and sixty acres of land to j'liineas Hall. The land ex- 
 tended north to Black Pond P^rook and it was surrounded on three sides by the 
 land of Enos and Abraham Hall and on the east also by a highway. The descrip- 
 
312 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 tion is the same very nearly of the farm afterwards bought by Noah Pomeroy, 
 and without much doubt the house is the same. 
 
 This Israel Hall was a son of Thomas and the brother of Daniel whose farm 
 was further down Murdock avenue and whose house has already been described. 
 It is probable, therefore, that it is a very old one and the date of erection was con- 
 siderably earlier than that of the transfer in 1751. Captain Benjamin A. was cer- 
 tainly a son of a Phineas — probably the grantee in this deed. Here Noah Pomeroy 
 lived for many years. 
 
 If now we retrace our steps to East Main street and then follow Preston ave- 
 nue towards the north, we pass, at the corner of old Liberty street, another old 
 Hall homestead site: the house was known for manv vears during the last cen- 
 
 BENJAMIN A. HALL, OR NOAH POMEROY PLACE. 
 
 tury as the Captain Booth place and it stood just south of the present home of 
 William H. Booth. Before the days of Captain Booth it was the dwelling of an- 
 other Phineas Hall. The house was a very old one, and when and by whom it 
 was built the writer has been unable to learn from either records or tradition. 
 
 After passing the former home of Augustus Hall, we come within less than a 
 half mile to the Nelson Hall homestead on the left, and then just before Baldwin 
 avenue is reached, we pass the George L. Hall house on the east, now occupied by 
 his widow and two sons, George A. and Clayton F. From what has been written 
 it can readily be seen that a large portion of the eastern part of Aleriden was the 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 313 
 
 domain of the Hall family. It is a strange fact that not one of all the roads in 
 this section bears the name of Hall. 
 
 r>ut before we leave this interesting- family neighborhood, there is another Hall 
 homestead to be seen. Just as we reach Baldwin avenue, on the west side of the 
 street, is the wreck of an old house that is in a most pitiable condition. All its dig- 
 nitv has gone, and it is now used as a wood house. 
 
 As in the case of so many of these old houses, it seems to have grown on its 
 site ; the old builders, now and then, combined the hap])y faculties of harmony of 
 environment and utilit}-. They fre(|uontly nestled their houses into some nook or 
 sheltered spot, in a way that is pleasing to the artistic sense. 
 
 MOSES 1I.\LL HOUSi:. 
 
 It was once known as the Moses Hall ])lace. built by Phineas for his son. but 
 just when, it has been impossible to learn. Moses was doubtless the soldier in the 
 Revolution of that name, .so that it is safe to assume that the house has a llavor of 
 very respectable antiquitw In the early pan of the last century it was known a:- 
 the Loyal Booth place. 
 
 If now we go w'est on llaldwin avenue, we come within half a mile to the 
 homestead of Nathan S. Baldwin, located on a gentle knoll, where a sweep of the 
 eye takes in the broatl meadows to the south. Hanked (ju the east by the bold 
 ranges of Higby and Beset mountains. To the north lie Mt. Lamentation and the 
 Notch leading to \\'estfield parish. Here Mr. I'aldwin has passed his life, tilling 
 the meadows of the farm bought b\ his father. Moses, about the year 1815. of 
 
314 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Timothy Ives. Timothy was a carpenter and built the house in the year 1798. 
 Moses was a son of James who came from Cheshire in 1796 and bought an 
 interest in Hough's Mills in that year. James was a soldier in the war of the 
 Revolution. 
 
 If now, after leaving Mr. Baldwin's house, we turn north on Bee street until 
 we come to the Westfield road and then turn west, passing the mill site known 
 as Hough's or Baldwin's, we soon come to Broad street. A little south of the junc- 
 tion stands a house, No. 1065. known as the Asahel Curtis place. In it were born 
 the late Geo. R. Curtis, Mrs. Robert A. Hallam and Asahel Curtis, Jr. The house 
 was built probably, by Joel Yale in the year 1807, and was his homestead for a num- 
 ber of vears. until he moved to another part of the town. It was originally a story 
 
 NATHAN BALDWIN PLACE. 
 
 and a half structure, and was bought with four acres of ground in 181 3 by Isaac 
 Lewis (father of the late Isaac C. Lewis) and Asahel Curtis. In a building ad- 
 joining the firm of Lewis & Curtis for a number of years manufactured metal 
 buttons, but in 1818 the firm was dissolved and Mr. Curtis became the sole owner, 
 and shortly after moved from his father's (Benjamin) homestead on Curtis street, 
 with his wife and daughter (Mrs. Jennett Clark) and here passed the remainder 
 of his life. 
 
 Now going down Britannia to Colony street, and then turning up Kensing- 
 ton avenue, we come within a few hundred feet of the junction to an old house. 
 No. 67, on the north side of the street and known as the Comfort Butler place. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 
 
 315 
 
 He came to Meriden from Micklletown in the year 1770, having married in 1765^ 
 Mary, the daughter of Divan Berry, wliose home was on Miller avenue, as already 
 lescribed. Comfort in the year 1770 bought of Josiah Robinson, Jr., a tract of 
 -eventeen acres, on which the present house stands. 
 
 The southeastern corner of the farm, according to the deed, began at a "place 
 known as W'oU Swamp pasture bars." The swamp nortli i)f the tract was then 
 known by that name. Although there have been several additions built, still the 
 old house erected in 1770 has changed very little. Comfort was a shoemaker, and 
 probably pursued that calling in Meriden, and carried on the tanning business as 
 well. He was a rival of Moses .Mitchell, who ran a tanning industrv in the hollow 
 just east of Meeting House hill. 
 
 AS.\HEL CURTIS PLACE. 
 
 Comfort's son, John, was afterwards engaged in the same line ol business, and 
 many will remember his tanyards and vats that were once located on Liberty 
 treet, a little west of the homestead of Walter ?lall. .\s has been told, land in 
 iliis locality was once a part of the old Jerome farm, bought by Abel Curtis in 1771. 
 On March 15, 1796, Abel sold to John Butler and William Olds a piece of real 
 estate containing thirty rods, and these men immediately began a partnershi|i on 
 the property, of tanning and dressing leather. They continued together until 1804 
 when Butler bought out Olds' interest and carried on the business alone until well 
 into the last century, and was a successful and shrewd man. 
 
 Comfort Butler's familv and descendants were ntnnerous and prominent, and 
 
3i6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the roll call embraced such names as Henry C, Joel I., Eli C, Hiram, Lemuel 
 and others. 
 
 There is one of the Yale houses still standing that is a dignified and substantial 
 dwelling, and carries lightly its ii8 years of service. It was built in the year 1788 
 by John, a grandson of that John Yale, who, in company with Jedediah Norton, 
 bought the Belcher or Meriden farm in 1741. 
 
 The Yales had bought and sold much of the land in that locality, and, although 
 they originally began with the west half of the old farm, by 1788 they had sold 
 considerable on the west side and bought much on the east, and the family had 
 been successful and stood high in the community as this old dwelling would in- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 COMFORT BUTLER PLACE. 
 
 <licate ; the homestead continued in the Yale famil_\- until a number of years ago 
 when John Yale, a great grandson of him who built it, sold the property to Wil- 
 liam H. Warnock, of Meriden, and removed to West Worthington, Mass. 
 
 A little more than a hundred years ago that country north of Cat Hole pass 
 as far as the road leading to the Meriden reservoir, that is, Merimere, was included 
 in the township of Wallingford and was a part of the parish of Meriden ; in fact, 
 the road mentioned was the county line. On that corner known now as Botsford's 
 or Corrigan's stood a farm house that was long since replaced by the present 
 modern one. This horse and six hundred acres adjoining were for a number of 
 
EAKI.^ HISTORY' 
 
 2>'i^7 
 
 vears owned by James Hillhouse of Xew Haven, very prominent in that town and 
 the state, and for a while United States senator from Connecticut. He acquired 
 the property in 1790 and it extended from just west of llie Belcher farm and that 
 I "f Joseph Edwards, over the mountain to a point fully a ([uarter of a mile west 
 t>f Botsford's or Corrig^an's corner. Evidently Mr. Hillhouse ent^aj^ed in lum- 
 herinij to some extent for he erected a sawmill mi the l)r<i(ik west of the corner, 
 and the pond which sujjplied the water ])ower is still in existence and can he seen 
 
 Toiix V.M.I-: iiou.si-:. 
 
 close to the road. He also owned the inevitable cider mill. There is a tradi- 
 tion in Meriden that Senator Hillhouse i)rocured in .\Ieriden the elms with wliich 
 he beautified the streets of Xew Haven, and if the tradition is true it imist have 
 been on this farm that the younsj;^ saplin.t,'s ijrew. 
 
 The farm was sold on Xovember 14. I7<;7. to Isaac I'.olsford. and a maj) of the 
 district made by Mr. Botsford more than a century ai^o is before the writer as he 
 j)ens these lines and it shows that there were many metre houses in that locality 
 
3i8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 than exist to-day. It indicates the old road that formerly lumbered over the moun- 
 tain, coming out just west of the trotting park in Meriden. Cat Hole Pass road 
 was not built until 1803 and this same Mr. Botsford was the builder. 
 
 On Johnson avenue, which has already been described as a part of the old 
 Wallingford north bounds, and perhaps half a mile west of the old Merriam 
 house, stands a dwelling that is now unoccupied, and which was probably built 
 about the year 1785 by Israel Johnson. 
 
 
 
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 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 WILLIAM TOHNSON PLACE. 
 
 Jacob Johnson acquired a tract of 100 acres on this hill as early as 1732, and 
 Israel was his grandson : he bought his brother Dan's interest and then began to 
 buy large tracts adjoining until he had acquired a large part of the mountain land 
 north of his home, from the Hoadleys, Harrisons and Hills. 
 
 It has always been supposed that Mr. Johnson bought the mountain land, 
 expecting some day to develop the property into a valuable mining tract, for it 
 was believed that prospecting had shown untold wealth of gold and copper : but 
 
EARLV HISTORY. 
 
 319 
 
 alas ! the metal never materialized and much of the i^ood Johnson money was sunk 
 in profitless prospecting- and digging". 
 
 After the father's death, the son William and his sisters. Amanda and Huldah. 
 continued to live in the old homestead : none of them ever married and there they 
 passed their lives gazing off on the ancestral mountain land and dreaming that 
 some day fortune would show them the spot where nature had huried her treas- 
 ures. The family made some i)rotcnsions to ])olite and elegant living, and it was 
 
 Photo by H. S. Godfrey. 
 
 LEVI .\LLEN' PL.XCIi. 
 
 considered quite an honor to he invited to partake i>\ the hospitality of rnclc W il- 
 liam. 
 
 They are all gone now and the ancestral peak ha.^ heen divided among iIm^c 
 who think it a fine spot for summer cottages. 
 
 On Allen hill, or avenue, stands an old house that was built many years ago, 
 probably by Titus Merriman, and the first record we find is dated in 17S4 when 
 Titus deeds it to Giles Collins, with its thirty-nine acres of land, all in Hanging 
 
320 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Hills Woods : and here Giles continued to live until 1793 when he deeded the house 
 and farm to Archelaus Allen, who had previously lived on a farm in the north- 
 eastern part of Wallingford. 
 
 The house is interesting, both in itself and on account of those who were born 
 and lived there. In the year 181 5 Archelaus gave the house to his son Levi and 
 moved towards Meriden center, building the house known now as the Griswold 
 place, opposite All Saints" church. No. 198 West Main street, where he died a few 
 years later. The dwelling has been raised or the street cut down and under it is 
 a Chinese laundry. 
 
 Levi continued to live in the old homestead and here were born his children, 
 the late John Allen in 181 5, a successful man of affairs in New York who died in 
 Savbrook in 1901, the late William Allen, who died unmarried in New York in 
 1874 and who was a successful business man in that city, and the late Edward C. 
 Allen, born in 1823, who passed his life in Meriden on the home farm, a success- 
 ful and highl}- esteemed citizen, and died in 1887. He built the home east of the 
 old farm house and the delightful hospitality there dispensed, hallows it in the 
 memory of those who were fortunate enough to partake of it. 
 
 Levi Allen had bought largely of surrounding land and the farm was conse- 
 tjuently an extensive one, and his son, Edward C, took great pride in its manage- 
 ment and it had the reputation of being one of the best farms in the county. He 
 was a man of influence in the community and will be remembered for the great 
 interest he took in matters musical in Meriden, and his interest in the First Con- 
 gregational church was always deep. For years he sang in the choir and was 
 for a long time one of the deacons. 
 
 Levi Allen was the fifth in descent from Roger Ailing, who came to Boston 
 with Rev. John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton from England in 1638, and with 
 them helped found and settle the colony of New Haven in the same year. He 
 was the first treasurer of the colony. 
 
 Perhaps a quarter of a mile west of the Oliver Rice homestead is a house 
 known as the Calvin Coe place, where the latter for many years lived and man- 
 aged in a very successful manner the 200 acres that surround the house. Some 
 twenty years or more ago it was abandoned as the home of the family and the 
 large stone mansion southwest of the old place was built by Andrew J. Coe, and 
 it has been christened as the Coe Castle. The only member of the family now 
 left in Meriden is Winfield R. Coe, who lives in a house somewhat east of the 
 Oliver Rice place. 
 
 The old Coe homestead had a history previous to its becoming the dwelling 
 of Calvin S., for in 1795 it was sold by Samuel Rice to Asa Barnes, who came 
 here from Southington. Samuel was cousin to Ezekiel Rice, who served in the 
 Revolutionary war and for nearly 100 years this farm had probably been Rice 
 
EARLY IIISTOKV 
 
 3^1 
 
 1)roi)crtv. Asa liarnes lived here for a nunil)er of years, his son l-^h inheriting 
 the farm and for a while running the Andrews mill. 
 
 Finally Eli sold the farm to Ebenezer I'eck, a retired sea captain of X'ew Ha- 
 ven, who made this place his summer home. He had been one of the old line of 
 mariners who once made the port of New Haven famous. He died in 1819 and 
 the administrator of his estate sold the farm to Calvin Coe in 1820. 
 
 On the Coe farm in the corner near Allen avenue is a quarry of sandstone of 
 very good quality that was once quite extensively worked both b\ .Mr. Coe and 
 by his predecessors ; the stone in the railroad culvert in Yalesville came from this 
 (|uarry, and doubtless also the foundation stones of many of the old houses in 
 Meriden. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 CALVIX COE PLACE. 
 
 Until 1798 if one living in the vicinity of the Rice or .\ndre\\s farms wished 
 to go to I'alls Plains or Hanover, there was only one ])ul)lie road to travel and 
 that was over the present high\va\' running sduth thnmgh iliis Cue farm on which 
 the stone "Castle" is now situated. 
 
 To be sure, the southern extremity was farther cast than at ])resent, for there 
 was then no dam at the falls or rai)ids, setting the waters back into a pond. In 
 the year mentioned a road was opened numing south, starting just west of the 
 Andrews Mill, and going through to Rice's bridge, which was exactly 1.^50 feet 
 south of Falls Plains bri<lge. according to the records.' This would make it i)os- 
 sible for a surveyor to show exactl\- where Rice's bridge was located, for Falls 
 
 1 Wallingford Land Kerords, Vol. XXIX. pp. 14-17. 
 21 
 
322 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Plains bridge was then precisely where it is to-day, viz. adjoining the land where 
 the plant of the Meriden Cutlery Co is now located. Evidently Rice's bridge was 
 either washed away or badly damaged during a flood in the spring of 1792, for at 
 a town meeting held April 13 that year, the question for consideration was whether 
 the town would replace or repair several bridges carried away during the last 
 floods ; they voted not to rebuild or repair Rice's bridge, and perhaps Falls Plains 
 bridge was built, after this decision, by private subscription. The present old 
 house, now used as a saloon and facing the east end of the bridge^ occupies the 
 site of the original Justus Rice house, built perhaps as long ago as 1730. The 
 present one was built after 1790 by Justus, Jr. Rice's bridge was for manv vears 
 the sole approach to Falls Plains from the east and it was simply the continuation 
 of the road running west from the Robert Rice place, now called Archer's. 
 
 ASA BRAY^ OR BALDWIN HOUSE. 
 
 The total length of this road running north from Rice's bridge to Andrews' 
 Mill was 381 rods, but it must have followed a private way or path already in ex- 
 istence, for on it were standing the houses of Col. Asa Bray and Justus Rice. 
 The year following the layout of this north and south road, viz: 1799, a highway 
 was built running west from Falls Plains bridge — the present Main street of 
 Hanover. 1 For ninety-two rods west from the bridge the road ran through Rice 
 property; this was evidently to a point just west of the old Chester Rice place. 
 
 Just south of the entrance to Hanover Park stands the house built bv Col. Asa 
 
 1 W'allingford Land Records, Vol. XXIX, 
 
 pp. 36, 211, 212. 
 
EARLY HISTORY 
 
 323 
 
 Bray, of Southington, in the year 1794: he had just bought the whole of the old 
 Whittlesey farm consisting then of 230 acres which ran away over to Town Rock 
 on the west, its south side skirting the river: at the mouth of Harbor Brook he 
 built a sawmill. 
 
 The colonel saw much service in the Revolution and attained the brevet rank 
 of major, receiving his colonel's commission after the war was over. He re- 
 mained in Meriden only six years, selling his farm and house in 1800 to Charles 
 Baldwin of Woodbridge, and his saw mill to Joel Cook. Mr. Baldwin appar- 
 ently employed his time tilling his large farm and lived here until 1818 when he 
 died. 
 
 JULIUS IVES HOUSE. 
 
 His will contained a bequest of $225 to aid in building a Methodist meeting 
 house in Meridcn center: his property was vahicd at $15,000 — <|uite a large sum 
 at that time. The house and considerable adjoining land continued in the Bald- 
 \\\n family for many years: it is now the property of the electric railroad. 
 
 The tract of land known as Falls Plains or Hanover, bounded on the north and 
 east by the river, was at first divided into a multi])licity of small holdings in the 
 \ear 1689, and a copv of the map of this land division has been printed on page 66. 
 Ihe level tract extending south nearly to Yalesville, was also included under this 
 name, and as there were only two roads on the ])lain and very few houses, it is 
 ditficult to follow intelligentl\- the accumulation into farms. 
 
 Robert Rice, whose home was in the old honse now known as the .\rchei' 
 place, was a very large land owner and apparently ac(|uircd nearly all the northern 
 
324 
 
 A CENTURY OF MliKlDEN, 
 
 part of Falls Plains as far south as Plumb brook and runnings west nearly to the 
 foot of the hill. 
 
 Plis son. Captain Moses Rice, inherited or bought of the other heirs, most of 
 this land ; towards the close of his life he sold the homestead to John Nott and 
 distributed most of his land to his sons, Abner, Joel and Amos. In 1783 he gave 
 to Abner nine acres at the north end of the plain which probably included the 
 site of the Chester Rice place, and on the death of Moses, Abner inherited a large 
 tract adjoining, so that he must at one time have owned nearly the whole of the 
 north end which had previously belonged to Robert and Moses, father and son. 
 But he did not live on it, apparently, for he bought on August 12, 1795, a large 
 
 CHESTER RICE I'LACE. 
 
 tract of land up the hill to the west, where he at once built a house that is still 
 standing, and in a fine state of preservation : it is a good example of a roomy, 
 comfortable farmhouse of that day. 
 
 Abner lived there until 1800 when he sold the farm and house to Abel San- 
 ford, of Woodbridge. In 1828 it was bought by Jesse Ives, the grandfather of 
 Julius and the late Amos Ives ; it is now the farm of the former and it is one of 
 the best in this part of New Haven county ; everything about the place denotes 
 thrift and enterprise. 
 
 Abner Rice, after selling the farm on the hill, probably built the house now 
 known as the Chester Rice place on the Main street in Hanover, and his son, 
 
EARLY IIISTORV. 
 
 325 
 
 Chester, later acquired this homestead and many acres of land. He was an en- 
 terprising and successful man. The only persons in Aleriden who are descend- 
 ants of Deacon Robert Rice and his son. Captain Moses, of whom the writer is 
 aware, are the Misses Lizzie S. and Emma L. Rice, who still have their homt 
 on a part of the ancestral acres: they are dauij^hters of Asahel, the son of Chester. 
 
 Away down on the southern pnvt of Curtis street, almost at the W'allingford 
 line, stands a house known as the Louns])ury place. 
 
 It was built about 1778 or 1780 by Noah Yale for his son Thomas: but when 
 erected there was no street runnino- bv the house: it was situated on a lanewav 
 
 I'linto by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 THOM.VS V.\Li;, OK L( )U.\ SliLKV I'l.ACI': 
 
 that ran up to Yale avenue somewhere near the homestead of J. lb than "S'ale ; 
 the house does not face the street which was not opened until iSjo. 
 
 .A.way back in the early part of the last century, on account of its remoteness 
 from other dwellings, and because it was not on a highway, it was used for a while 
 as an inoculation hospital. This fact was told by the late l-'dwin Iv Curtis. wh<» was 
 born in the year 1800. 
 
 Many people know the house built by Rans(jm r.aldwin in 1828. standing on 
 Wall street, a little west of th.c place wlicre the street terns t<i the north: the 
 land around was once part of the farm owned b\ Captair [ohn Couch of Revo- 
 
226 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 lutionary fame. His house stood in the spot which is now the junction of Wall 
 street and the road running east over Cherry hill to Gravel street, and the old 
 well can still be seen which was just north of the house. Captain Couch came 
 here in 1746, and bought most of his farm of Aaron Lyman, so that he could not 
 have been a young man w'hen the war broke out, which doubtless accounts for his 
 short term of service. 
 
 WALLINGFORD AND MIDDLETOWN BOUNDARY DISPUTE. 
 
 Away down in the southwestern corner of Middlefield, on top of Beset moun- 
 tain, once stood a poor old cedar tree that was the center of more interest in Wal- 
 lirigford and Middletown than perhaps any other point in the two townships. 
 This tree marked the southwestern corner of the latter place, and during the nu- 
 merous boundary disputes between these two towns everything began, centered 
 and ended around this tree. 
 
 When the bounds of Middletown were stated at a meeting of the General Court 
 March 11, 1652-53, the description was as follows: "This court grants the bounds 
 of Middletown to extend four miles to y® South from y® meeting house and five 
 miles from y® said house westward." 
 
 In other words the court defined the southwest quarter of the town by two sides 
 of a rectangle ; the other two being understood, and the northwest quarter was 
 defined in the same way. 
 
 The manner in which the southwestern corner was determined was by draw- 
 ing a line from the meeting house due south four miles, the southern terminus be- 
 ing marked by a tree. Thence a line was drawn due west five miles to the notorious 
 tree on Beset Mountain. 
 
 Had the court not divided the northern half of Meriden between the towns 
 of Farmington, Wethersfield and Middletown in 1687, "to plant a village in," 
 these boundary disputes would probably never have taken place : but the division 
 was made and the bitterness of feeling engendered between Middletown and 
 Wallingford was so great that each accused the other of chicanery and sharp 
 practice, and the matter was brought to the attention of the General Court many 
 times, and was not decisively settled until 1773. 
 
 The dispute was first brought before the assembly in May, 1722, when Wal- 
 lingford stated that whereas Middletown's west boundary should extend north 
 from the cedar tree in a line parallel to their center line, they had so managed 
 it that they had encroached on Wallingford's territory to the extent of three 
 miles and more, although the latter town's grant from the court had given territory 
 five miles east of the Quinnipiac river ; and as a consequence there was only left to 
 them a distance of one mile and a quarter east of the river. 
 
 As a result of this petition the General Assembly or court "Resolved that a 
 north line bv the needle of the survevinq- instrument drawn from the cedar tree 
 
EARLY HISTORY. ^^Z"] 
 
 viz. the reputed southwesterly corner boundary mark of Aliddletown shall for- 
 ever be and remain the divident line between the said townships provided always 
 that Middletown have liberty with the assistance of the county surveyor to meas- 
 ure their said five miles from their meeting house west, at the end wdiereof a 
 north and south line shall determine the bounds of Wallingford, providing Mid- 
 dletown take the benefit of measuring said five miles before the first of May 
 next, and give seasonable notice to Wallingford to be present at the measuring." 
 
 Accordingly, Wallingford procured the services of the New Haven county 
 surveyor and ran a line north by the needle from the cedar tree and supposedly 
 the matter was settled. 
 
 But, unfortunately, no. At the October session, 1726, Middletown appeared 
 before the court and asserted that Wallingford by "false misrepresentations had 
 obtained a disannulling of their west line to Middletown's great loss" and pray- 
 ing for relief. 
 
 Accordingly, the sheriiT was sent to Wallingford to smiimon the inlial)itants 
 before the assembly : Theophilus Yale acting for the town entered appearance and 
 (presumably) presented a counter petition signed by four Wallingford men who 
 had made purchases in the so-called Country or Purchase Lands, and the matter 
 was apparently dropped for the time being. 
 
 At the October session, 1729, this perennial matter again came before the as- 
 sembly in the form of a petition from Wallingford stating that after the resolve 
 of the Assembly in 1722 they had procured the services of the New Haven county 
 surveyor to run the north line from the cedar tree, which they had had subse- 
 quently verified by the Fairfield county surveyor. But that Middletown, not sat- 
 isfied with this line, had procured the services of the Hartford county surveyor 
 who had so run the line that he had given to Middletown half a mile of Walling- 
 ford territory ; the main object of the petition was to ask why this north line should 
 not run parallel to Middletown's center line. 
 
 An examination of the map will show that all this disputed land was in what 
 is now the territory of the town of Meriden. The cause of the difference in the 
 lines as run by the several county surveyors, was a variation in the needles of the 
 instruments. A difference of one or two degrees at the cedar tree would, of 
 course, cause a great discrepancy when a point as far north as old Liberty street 
 was reached by the north line. When the matter was brought to a vote, the up- 
 per house declared that \\^allingford's petition was a reasonable one: but the lower 
 house voted in the negative. 
 
 In the meantime a dispute between Middletown and Farmington relating to 
 boundary lines, had broken out and the services of two surveyors. David Good- 
 rich and Thomas Seymour, had been employed in 1725 to affix the southeast cor- 
 ner of Farmington which adjoined at thai time tlie nortliwest corner of Middle- 
 
328 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 town. The latter town was not satisfied with the Hne as run. probably because the 
 surveyors after locating the corner had drawn a line south to old Liberty street to 
 mark the west boundary of Middletown adjoining W'allingford. An att-empt on 
 the part of Middletown to remeasure this line between her bounds and those of 
 Farmington was frustrated by a man named Hezekiah Hart, who refused to allow 
 the surveyors to cross his farm ; several times the attempt to remeasure was re- 
 sumed, but each time Hezekiah said "No ! you cannot cross my farm" : and ap- 
 parently acting within his rights, for no penalty or punishment resulted to the 
 doughty farmer. , 
 
 Then the dispute between Middletow^n and Wallingford began agam, and 
 dragged its weary length along and finally aid of the Assembly was invoked for 
 Middletown had taken the matter in her own hands and rerun her western bound 
 and then sued Wallingford's selectmen in the sum of £5 each for not perambu- 
 lating the bounds with her. Wallingford, in concluding her appeal in 1734, said 
 "your honors have found a remedy for other towns in like predicament so please 
 allow the line of New Haven count}' surveyor to stand which is nearest the true 
 line or else settle the line yourself." Accordingly, [Middletown was summoned to 
 answer the complaint or petition, but the upper and lower branches of the As- 
 sembly were unable to agree on a decision and the matter was referred to the 
 May session, 1735. 
 
 As usual, the lower house agreed with Middletown at the May session and the 
 argument in her behalf was as follows: "the assembly in 1722 acted with the ut- 
 most care and caution and enacted that the dividing line between ]^Iiddletown and 
 Wallingford shall be a line north by the needle from the cedar tree, with a proviso 
 that Middletown may extend a west line from their meeting house five miles, and 
 ^n y® extent of that, a north and south line to determine Wallingford bounds, with 
 a further proviso y^ Middletown should take the benefit thereof before the first 
 of May next coming; in relation to which we observe first y® act or judg*^ is ab* 
 solute and y® proviso is only a liberty granted to Middletown and if only a liberty 
 then not necessary for 'till liberty and necessity can be blended together and con- 
 sidered as synonymous words or things, we cant understand that Middletown was 
 obliged to measure their five miles to establish their north line by the needle. 
 2<^ly if Middletown were laid under a necessity of carrying out their five mile line 
 then they were obliged to defeat their grant to establish it which is a contradic- 
 tion," etc., etc. 
 
 The upper house took an opposite view and said "since ^^liddletown's extent 
 gives them their width of five miles west from their center line through the meet- 
 ing house, then the bounds between the two towns should be a line paralel to the 
 center line, and when the assembly say upon a certain condition that a north line 
 by the needle from the cedar tree shall be the dividing line, it is upon a supposition 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 329 
 
 that the cedar tree stands at the south end of the s'^ paralell hne and that the hue 
 from thence should be run north from that tree by the same needle that ran their 
 center line." 
 
 Again, at the October session, 1735. W'allingford stated that "Middletown did 
 in 1727 without any order or direction from this court procure another surveyor to 
 run another line to the great detriment and disturbance of the town of W'alling- 
 ford, the needle of whose compass varies above three degrees westward from the 
 needle by which their center and other lines were run. If sufficient authority was 
 not given to either party by the act of 1722 to run and ascertain the line, then your 
 honors should now appoint some suitable person or persons to perform it and that 
 vou should supply what is wanting in s*^ act by determining by what needle the s'^ 
 line shall be run. If there be more compasses than one in the world, and they dif- 
 fer from one another, and the act doth not determine by which of them the lines 
 should be run its necessary then the act should be explained by declaring the par- 
 ticular needle by which it should be performed, otherwise it must forever remain 
 uncertain which of them was intended." 
 
 W'allingford was insistent to gain what she considered her rights and again 
 brought in a petition in 1736; such persistence could not be withstood and the 
 General Assembly finally at the October session enacted the following: "It appears 
 that this Assembly at their sessions October 11, 1722, did order that a north line 
 from the cedar tree to be run by the needle of the surveying instrument should 
 divide said towns and thereupon W'allingford procured the surveyor of Xew Ha- 
 ven county to run said line, and afterwards Middletown procured the surveyor of 
 Hartford county to run said line, and also that neither of said lines passeth right 
 between said towns: that by Xew Haven county surve\or taking from .Middle- 
 town and that run by Hartford county surveyor taking from W'allingford. It is 
 now ordered by this Assembly that the line dividing said towns shall be a line 
 run from the said southwest corner of Middletown, parallel to their center line 
 as far northward until it intersects the south line | Lil^erty street] of those lands 
 called the Purchase Lands, and that then the line already ordered by this assem- 
 bly for the east line of said l^u'chase Lands shall divide said towns." 
 
 The line was according!} run on Xovember 2^, i~^(>. 
 
 WHicn it had been finallv decided as above the towns of Farmington. Middle- 
 town and W'ethersficld called the attention of the Assembly in the tact that the 
 Purchase Lands now definitely given to W'allingford had been allotted to tlicm 
 in 1687, and asked damages for their loss: but the Assembly al)solutel\- refused 
 to grant any renmneration. 
 
 One would be ])ardoned for believing that the matter was at last decided iov- 
 ever and that no further disjiutes could possibly arise; but such was not the case. 
 
 At the May,, 1742, session of the (icneral .\ssembly ten Middlet<iwn men pre- 
 
330 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 sented a petition stating that by the new line estabHshed in 1736 their town had 
 lost some fifteen hundred acres, which had been distributed to them and their 
 ancestors as early as 1671. That the Assembly did in 1680 grant to Mr. Samuel 
 Street of Wallingford a farm of 200 acres which was bounded on the east by the 
 old Middletown line which was, therefore, recognized at that time. But now cer- 
 tain Wallingford proprietors claim the land formerly granted to the petitioners 
 lying between the old and new west lines of Middletown ; therefore, they ask the 
 Assembly to sell the rights to them or else give them the right to sue the Wal- 
 lingford holders. This was essentially a private petition, but, nevertheless, it was 
 just as serious for the Wallingford holder of the land in question as if it were the 
 act of Middletown. 
 
 Accordingly, the sheriff of New Haven county served notice on Samuel Hall 
 (father of Rev. Theophilus) Thomas and Daniel Hall, Ebenezer Prindle, Israel 
 Hall, Jobe Camp, Daniel Baldwin, John Way, Jehiel Baldwin and Rev. Samuel 
 Hall, of Cheshire, to appear in Hartford and make answer to the complaint. Their 
 answer was apparently satisfactory for the petition was refused. 
 
 The names of the property owners, however, give a clue as to how much 
 of East Meriden was originally claimed by Middletown until the Assembly de- 
 cided the matter in 1736. Their old west line must have been located as far west 
 as Bee street. 
 
 Again, in 1757, Wallingford presented a petition which proved abortive; but 
 in it occurs a clause which gives a glimpse of what had been going on for years : 
 it is as follows: "Since which endless law suits have been and still subsist to the 
 impoverishing and almost total ruin of many persons and families in this day of 
 great and necessary expense against foreign invaders." 
 
 In 1 77 1, Wallingford again appeared before the Assembly and stated that Mid- 
 dletown's southwest corner was now in dispute, and prayed that a "committee might 
 be appointed to repair to the spot and ascertain the true location; for adjoining 
 property owners have been in long and expensive quarrels and disputes ; courts 
 and juries having been much perplexed with s<i disputes, sometimes giving judge- 
 ments in favor of one claim and sometimes in favor of the contrary claim, and 
 still s^ disputes continue to the great detriment of the public and also to the preju- 
 dice of particular persons." 
 
 Therefore, a committee was sent to the spot which made a report to the Oc- 
 tober, 1773, session of the General Assembly, stating that the cedar tree on top of 
 Besit mountain was now lost, and some now claimed that a rock oak tree marked 
 the corner, and others a heap of stones seventy or eighty rods north of the oak tree. 
 The committee made various measurements, took the statements or depositions of 
 several aged men, and decided that the rock oak marked the original southwest 
 corner of Middletown. Accordingly, the Assembly adopted the report and con- 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 33 I 
 
 firmed the rock oak as standing in the true spot and henceforth no more was 
 heard of WalHngford and Middletown boundary disputes. 
 
 The foregoing account is an abridgment of a great quantity of manuscript doc- 
 uments on file in the vohunes entitled "Towns and Lands," preserved in the State 
 Library at Hartford. 
 
 Many times in this book has occurred the word Beset as applied to the moun- 
 tain lying east of Black Pond and extending south, through Wallingford to Bran- 
 ford. Its northern terminus is the pass through which the turnj)ike to Middle- 
 town runs : this pass was once known as Royce's Notch. The old records have 
 three forms for this word, viz. Beseck, Besit and Beset, and it is doubtless a short- 
 ening of the word Mattabeset — the Indian name for Middletown. 
 
 Mount Lamentation derives its name from a romantic and rather distressing 
 incident in the life of one of the early inhabitants of Wethersfield ; the most plaus- 
 ible version appears in Stiles' History of Ancient Wethersfield.^ and is as follows : 
 
 "Mr. Leonard Chester's Adventure — Prominent among the old-time legends 
 with which Wethersfield mothers and nurses were wont to regale their children, 
 was this 'o'er true tale.' " Sometime, presumably in the fall of 1636 he set out 
 alone (as Tradition saith) to seek a suitable site for a grist-mill which he proposed 
 to build, on the stream which flows through the south part of the tow^n." "His 
 exploration took him or would naturally do so, to near the source of the stream, 
 southwest of the village of Griswoldville of the present day. This whole section 
 traversed by the stream, was, of course, then an unbroken wilderness." "Before 
 the }oung explorer had made much progress on his return journey as to strike upon 
 any well defined trail or path which he might follow in the dark, night had fairly 
 closed upon him, and he entirely lost his bearings for even the north polar star 
 was shut out from his sight by the dense foliage. So. when at last day broke, he was 
 really further away from his home than when he had started to return to it." "In 
 the meantime, his neighbors at Pyquaug [Wethersfield] liad become .'darnicd at 
 his absence, and parties with drums, muskets, pails and pans of tinware, copper or 
 brass — anything, in fact, with which to make noisy sounds and signals — had be- 
 gun to search the woods in all directions. It was not, however, loitil the third day 
 after he left his home," "that he was found and in fact rescued from starvation by 
 his friends. In his uncertainty as to his whereabouts and place of destination, Ches- 
 ter had dragged himself, with failing strength and in f.imislK-d condition, to the 
 summit of a mountainous peak or ridge in the extreme southeast part of what is 
 now Berlin^ township. From that place, a distance which measurerl in a straight 
 line would be Trry near ttveh'e uiUes fro)ii 7cJiere lie started, he hoped to be able 
 to see, if he might not be able to reach the little settlement which held all that 
 was dear to him. The result was more fortunate than he had ex|)ected. From 
 
 1 Vol. I, p. 686. 
 
 2 The southern lialf of Mt. Lamentation is in the town of .Meriden. 
 
332 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 that elevation, he was able, for the first time, to hear the noises and calls of his 
 friends, and (what must ever be considered a most remarkable turn of chance) 
 he descended in the direction whence these noises proceeded, and found himself 
 safe and unharmed in the hafids of his rescuers. Fortunately, he had met no In- 
 dians, and though he had heard the how^ls of wolves and the screams of cata- 
 mounts, he had not been followed or attacked by either. It was in memory of this 
 event, which might have proved almost a public calamity, that the elevation in 
 question, received and has ever since retained, the historic name of 'Mount Lam- 
 entation.' " 
 
 Another version of Mr. Chester's adventure is found in Rev. Charles A. Good- 
 rich's "Stories of the History of Connecticut," published in 1829: but the story is 
 so embellished with fanciful pictures of Mr. Chester's emotions and prayers, that 
 it is easy to see that it was written for the amusement of very young persons. 
 
 In Barber's "Conn. Historical Collections," the story is given in an abridged 
 form, and the statement is made that a unicorn or griffin carved on Mr. Chester's 
 tombstone was believed by some to have been one of the animals seen by him on Mt 
 Lamentation ; it was, of course, a part of his coat of arms. 
 
 Just east of Murdock and Pomeroy avenues in the eastern part of ]\Ieriden is 
 quite a high elevation which was once known as Bowdng hill. The name seems 
 now to be entirely forgotten. 
 
 There are very few, if any. Indian names preserved in this locality with the 
 exception of Beset and Quinnipiac, the latter used to describe the river in the 
 southwestern part of the town. It was formerly known as New Haven East 
 River and sometimes called W'allingford River. In Morse's American Gazetteer 
 published in 1797 the statement is made that the old Indian name for the town- 
 ship of Wallingford was Coginchauge. 
 
 I 
 
I•:ARL^' HisroKV. 333 
 
 CHAl'TF.R XIX. 
 1806 — THK TOWN OF .mi:kii)i:.\. 
 
 In the year 1730 the total population of the parish of Meriden could not have 
 nuniliered more than 250 souls, and during many years thereafter the increase was 
 very slow. Few moved into the parish and after the French and Indian war 
 tliere began that steady drifting into far away communities in the northwestern 
 parts of the colony, into western Alassachusets and \ ermont and later into New 
 York state, a phenomenon common all through the longer settled parts of New 
 England. 
 
 Therefore, the parish did not get the full advantage of its birth rate which was, 
 of course, large ; but after the Revolution a slow but steady growth began which 
 is nowhere better indicated than in the records of real estate transactions on the 
 books of the town of Wallingford. 
 
 Flven at the close of the Revolution there could not have been a population of 
 more than 500; but when the town was incorporated in 1806 the indications point 
 to a community of perhajis 1,100; it was more than half as large as the older 
 parish of Wallingford. 
 
 The example of Cheshire, which was set oil as a separate town in 1780, was 
 ne that the parish of Meriden was eager to emulate, and accordingly, the inliabi- 
 iants came together at the meeting house on April 12. 1786, and appointed Cap: 
 Dan Collins, Samuel Whiting and Capt. John C(3uch agents to present a memorial 
 to the General Assembly ]>raying that the parish might be constituted a town and 
 annexed to ^Middlesex county ; this clocumcnt is as follows: 
 
 "The Petition of the Inhabitants of the I'arish of Meriden in the Town of 
 W allingford and County of Xew Haven, humbly sheweth : That from the Ccnirt 
 House in Xew Haven, the Southern i)art of Said ])arish is Distant about Seven- 
 teen .Miles, and the Xorthern part of it Twenty three: and from the Court House 
 in .Middletown in the Comity of Middlesex, the eastern limits of ."^'^ ]iarisli is Dis- 
 tant but about five miles and its western limits about ele\en and from tlie ."-Southern 
 part of said Parish to the Town is four miles, and from the northern i)arl about 
 eleven. That the Lists of Said pari.sh is about £8000. .\nd in attending upon 
 the Ordinary Business of the Town, Proxys, Town Meetings &c and upon their 
 Business at the County and .Snj)erior Courts, the Inhabitants of S'' parish are sub- 
 jected to great trouble, inconvenience &• exigence, from which they would be freeVl 
 if constituted a Distinct Town, and annexed to the County of Middlesex. Where- 
 
334 -^ CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 fore your petitioners pray your Honours to take their case into your wise and equi- 
 table Consideration & enact, that S*^ parish of Meriden be Constituted a Distinct 
 Town by the name of the town of Meriden and incUided in. and made part of the 
 County of Middlesex, and that the S*^ Inhabitants have all the rights and privi- 
 leges usually appertaining to Towns in this State, except the right of Sending two 
 Representatives to the General Assembly instead of which your petitioners request 
 the privilege of but one and your petitioners as in Duty bound will ever pray &c. 
 Dated at Meriden in the Town of Wallingford the 13th day of April A. D. 1786. 
 John Couch, Saml Whiting Dan Collins 
 
 Agents in behalf of the Society." 
 
 The older parish had no desire to lose the growing society at the north and 
 they met in town meeting on May 9, 1786, and 
 
 "Voted that this meeting will oppose the Parish of Meriden being a Town. 
 Chose Col Street Hall agent to remonstrate against the Petition of the Parish of 
 Meriden being made a Town at the next General Assembly." 
 
 The petition was not granted, and matters remained quiescent until 1794 when 
 on Sept. 29 at a meeting of the parish it was "voted that the Society be made a 
 town and annexed to Middlesex County. Voted to call a town meeting for the 
 purpose and a committee be appointed to obtain a map of the society and tran- 
 sact any business respecting the society being made a town." 
 
 The matter was postponed by a town meeting until the following year, and on 
 Sept. 7, 1795, the parish of Meriden "Voted that the Society wish to be a separate 
 town and belong to Middlesex County. Voted to petition the General Assembly 
 and chose a committee of five persons to present it." A like vote was passed on 
 Sept. 22 the same year, and the matter was finally compromised by agreeing in 
 town meeting that one-third of the Town and Selectmen's meetings should be 
 lield in the parish of Meriden. 
 
 But this was a mere truce and makeshift, and the inhabitants of Meriden were 
 ■determined that the parish should be a separate township, and accordingly a peti- 
 tion dated February 14, 1804, was circulated and found ready signers and was 
 presented to the May session of the General Assembly that year. The town of 
 Wallingford at a meeting held, exclusive of the inhabitants of Meriden parish, 
 voted not to approve the petition ; but the following year, as it was seen that it was 
 hopeless to keep up a continual opposition to the desires of Meriden. it was voted 
 to refer the matter to a committee selected from Wallingford or first society and 
 Meriden. and as a result a report was drawn up agreeing to the separation and 
 the following vote was passed at a town meeting held Sept. 18, 1805 : "Thereupon 
 it was voted that this Meeting do accept and approve of the same ; and said report 
 Tdc lodged in the Town Clerk's Office. " 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 335 
 
 Accordingly, it was resolved that Meriden should be a separate town and the 
 following bill was passed: 
 
 "At a General Assembly of the State of Connecticut holden at Hartford on 
 the second Thursday in May, 1806 — 
 
 Upon the Petition of Phineas Lyman and others Inhabitants of the Town of 
 W'allingford in the County of Newhaven shewing to this Assembly that the Par- 
 ish of Meriden in said Town constitutes, in extent, population and Property more 
 than one-third part of said Town, and they do not in their present situation enjoy 
 their just rights to which they are entitled in common with their fellow Citizens; 
 praying that said Parish may be incorporated with the ordinary rights, privileges 
 and inmumities which are enjoyed by other Towns in this State as by Petition 
 on File dated February 14th A. D. 1804 — This Petition was preferred to this As- 
 sembly at their Session holden at Hartford on the second thursday in May 1804, 
 and was legally served on the Inhabitants of said Town and returned, and by legal 
 continuances came to this Session of said Assembly when the said Inhabitants were 
 three times publicly called and made default of appearance — 
 
 The Petitioners were heard and the facts stated in said Petition were fully 
 proved to be true — 
 
 Resolved, by this Assembly that the Inlial)ilants living within the limits of 
 said Parish of Meriden be and they are hereby incorporated into and made a Town 
 by the name of MERIDEN, and that they and their Successors Inhabitants within 
 said limits are and shall forever be and remain a Town and body politic with the 
 ordinary rights privileges and immunities which are enjoyed by other Towns in 
 this State b}- virtue of their respective incorporations : and the right to elect and 
 send one Representative only to the General Assembl\ until by Law they shall be 
 entitled to elect and send two ; That the dividing line between the first Society in 
 said Wallingford and said Parish of Meriden be and remain the dividing line. 
 That all Persons who shall be resident in said Town including said Parish and 
 supported in whole or in part by said Town and Parish at the rising of this As- 
 sembly, and also all Inhabitants of said Town and Parish who shall then be with- 
 out the limits of said Town and Parish, and afterwards return and become charge- 
 able, with all charges and expences which shall arise by reason of an\ such person 
 or persons shall be apportioned between said Town of W^allingford and said Town 
 of Meriden according to the amount of their respective Lists for August 20th 
 1804 as compleated and returned to the Town Clerks Office ; >aiil (li\iviMn and ap- 
 portionment in case said Towns shall not agree, to lie made by three disinterested 
 Persons of whom two shall be chosen by said Tnwn of W'allingford and one by 
 said Town of Meriden : and with a just reference to the munber, ami expence 
 necessary for the support of such chargeable Persons : That all Debts which shall 
 be due from said Town including said Parish, and all Debts which shall be due to 
 
336 A CENTURY OF MERIDE.X. 
 
 said Town at said date shall be divided and apportioned between the said Towns 
 accordiiag to the Lists and in the manner herein before prescribed relating to 
 chargeable Persons : That the said Town of Meriden shall repair and when neces- 
 sary build the Bridge of which one-half is within the limits of said Town of Wal- 
 lingford, across W'allingford River so called, known and called by the name of 
 Falls plain bridge, at the cost and expence of said Town of !Meriden ; That all Col- 
 lectors of Taxes granted or which shall be granted before said time, shall have 
 power to collect the same as fully as if this Resolve had not passed ; That said 
 town of Meriden shall hold their first Town Meeting at the Meetinghouse in said 
 Meriden on the third Monday in June next at one o'clock afternoon, and proceed 
 to the choice of all Town Officers, the Moderator of said ^Meeting excepted ; by 
 Law allowed and established ; which IMeeting shall be warned and by Warrant 
 signed by George W. Stanley Esquire a Justice of Peace for Xew Haven County 
 and Posted on the Public Sign post in said Meriden at least ten days previous to 
 said third Monday, and said George W. Stanley Esquire shall be Moderator of 
 said Meeting : and in case of the absence of said Justice, Ephraim Cook Esquire a 
 Justice of Peace for said County is hereby impowered to sign such Warrant, and 
 preside in said meeting — 
 
 A True Copy of Record. 
 
 Examined by Samuel Wyllys. Secretary 
 
 Amos White Town Clerk." 
 
 Wliile these struggles of the parish of Meriden to become a separate town 
 were in progress, two portions of her territory at the north had been cut ofif and 
 added to the town of Berlin. 
 
 In the year 1773 those farmers who lived on the northern half of the old Bel- 
 cher or Meriden farm petitioned the General Assembly praying that they might 
 be annexed to the town of Farmington and we accordingly find the following vote 
 on the Wallingford records. 
 
 "Special Town meeting May 17 1773 question was put whether the Town 
 would chose an agent or agents to represent said Town at the General Assembly 
 May instant on the memorial of the society of Worthington by their agent Jede- 
 diah Norton Petitioning that the lands called the Belchers Farm in the Society of 
 Meriden and the inhabitants Included therein might belong and be annexed to 
 the County of Hartford and Town of Farmington. \'oted in the affirmitive that 
 they would appoint an agent. Chose ]Macock Ward Esq. to be their agent to 
 represent said Town on said Memorial." 
 
 This petition was not granted, but at the October session, 1803. a second one 
 signed by Andrew Norton Samuel Norton and Abraham Wright was presented. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 337 
 
 and a strip of territory about half a mile wide iiurth and south and extending 
 from the eastern boundary of the parisli to the ledge west of the Belcher farm 
 was added to the town of BcrHn : this left the northern boundary of Meriden about 
 where it is to-day. 
 
 At the October session 1798 on the ])etiti()n of Isaac lloisford. Harvey Parsons, 
 John Parsons, Josiah Hill, Samuel Peck, Titus IJronson, Aaron Parsons and Jon- 
 athan Hills, a portion in the northwestern part of Meriden was annexed to Ber- 
 lin. This is represented on tlie map by a jog w'hich extends from Botsford's or 
 Corrigan's corner in Berlin to the southern part of Cat Hole mountain. 
 
 MINUTES OF THE FIRST TOWX MEETING HELD IN MEKIDEN. 
 
 At a meeting of the Inhabitants vi the Town of Meriden having been legally 
 warned agreeable to the resolve of the "General Assembly of this State" ordering 
 S*^ Town meetmg to be held at the meeting house in Meriden on the si.xteenth 
 day of June 1806 — 
 
 George W. Stanley Esq. Moderator of this meeting by order of Gen^ Assembly. 
 
 Chose, Amos White Town Clerk. 
 
 Chose. Capt. Ezekiel Rice, Ambrose Hough and Stephen Bailey, Selectmen 
 for this Town. 
 
 Chose, Jared Benham and Eli Barnes, Constables. 
 
 \ oted. That any person may wear his hat in Town meeting '"Except" when 
 addressing the Moderator. 
 
 Chose, Enos Hall 2nd, Giles O. Griswold & Joseph Hall Grand jurors. 
 
 Chose, Samuel Yale, Asael Yale, Jehiel Preston, Harvey Andrews, Aaron Mer- 
 riam, Benjamin Merriam 2nd & Levi Hall Surveyors of Highways. 
 
 Chose. Nathaniel Yale, Stejihen Perkins & Insign Hough Pence viewers. 
 
 Chose, Seth D. Plum, Titus Ives & Asahel ^lerriam Listers for this Town. 
 
 Chose, Capt. William Olds Sealer of Leather. 
 
 Chose, Samuel Yale Sealer of weights and measures. 
 
 Chose, Daniel Yale, Sealer of dry measures. 
 
 Chose, Eli Barns, Nathaniel Yale, Levi Foster. Israel ilall and i'.lislia Merri- 
 man Pound keepers. 
 
 \ oted. That the keepers of Pounds provide their ])oun(ls free of ex])ence to 
 the Town. 
 
 \ oted. To lay a Tax for the ])urposc of defraying the debts and eNi)enccs to 
 which this Town now is or may be liable. 
 
 \'oted. That a Tax of five mills on the dollar du the List for August jotli. 1805, 
 be granted and collected for the i)urpose of defraying the debts and expcnces to 
 which the Town is nr may l)e liable and that the same be collected and paid to the 
 Town Treasurer within thirt\ days. 
 22 
 
338 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Chose, Abner Griswold Collector of the tax laid this day. 
 
 Chose, Samuel Yale Town Treasurer. 
 
 Voted, To appoint a committee of four persons to settle and adjust all business 
 between this Town and the Town of Wallingford respecting the Town poor and 
 all other business that shall be found necessary for said Committee to do. 
 
 Chose, Capt Ezekiel Rice, Ambrose Hough, Stephen Bailey & Eli Barns a 
 committee for the purpose making the before named setttlement. 
 
 Voted, That the Bill in form granted by the Gen^ Assembly for incorporating 
 Meriden into a Town distinct from the Town of Wallingford, be Recorded in the 
 beginning of the Town Book for recording deeds of Land &c. 
 
 Voted, That no horse kind or neat Cattle shall be allowed to run at large on 
 the highway or Commons in this Town. 
 
 Voted, That Sheep shall not be allowed to run at large on the Commons in 
 this Town. 
 
 Voted, That if the owners of any Boar shall suffer him to run at large when 
 more than three months old, he shall be liable to pay a fine of one Dollar. 
 
 Voted, That Geese shall not be suffered to run at large on the highways un- 
 less they are well Yoaked. 
 
 Voted, That the Selectmen of this [town] be allowed to give and take Deeds 
 in behalf of this Town at their discretion. 
 
 Voted, That the selectmen shall warn a Town meeting to be holden at the 
 Meetinghouse in Meriden on the second Tuesday of November next. 
 
 After choosing the Clerk, and Constables ; the motion was made and tried ; 
 \Miether Moses Barns shall be allowed to vote in this meeting and Voted in the 
 negative. Amos White, Town Clerk. 
 
 Meriden June i6th 1806. 
 
 And now at last Meriden was one of that "federation of independent towns en- 
 dowed with all the attributes of sovereignty not expressly granted to the General 
 Court" of the state of Connecticut. The long struggle was ended, and the town 
 could now grow and expand, unhampered by the vexatious conditions, inseparable 
 from its former state of suburban parish of a larger community. 
 
 Meriden must have been very primitive in appearance even at as late a date 
 as 1806: it still retained its distinctive feature of a territory parceled out into 
 farms : to be sure, there was the beginning of a village settlement in the vicinity 
 of the Meeting House, for the advantage of locating near the common center had 
 appealed to those who gained their livelihood by other than agricultural pursuits , 
 notably Ambrose Hough the miller, Butler & Olds the tanners ; Amos White & 
 Co. and Curtis & Lewis, who were storekeepers and sold everything from a spool 
 of thread to a gallon of rum ; and Seth D. Plum and Dr. Insign Hough, the tav- 
 ern keepers. 
 
EARLV HISTORY 
 
 339 
 
 But the real central pivot was the tavern kept by Dr. Insign Hough at the 
 •corner of Broad and East Main streets : here were the headquarters of the select- 
 men and other town officers : here the books of the public library were kept and 
 here the farmers met to discuss the events of the day : and, last but not least, here 
 twice a day the stage coaches from Hartford to Xew Haven and vice versa, stopped 
 to change horses and to give the passengers a chance to sample the bountiful 
 larder provided by the doctor. 
 
 In the old days when the tavern was in its prime, and still the center of the 
 quiet little village, many a merrymaking was held around its generous hearth. 
 and hilarious fun flowed fast and free from honest hearts untainted by the guile 
 and sham that often mar convivialitv of these modern davs. 
 
 THE OLD CENTRAL TA\EKN. 
 
 And when the annual town meetings and elections drew near, hot were the 
 word\ battles that resounded through the rooms in the eager attempt to change 
 some wavering vote: for Meriden was so close a town, that one man convinced, 
 sometimes spanned the distance between defeat and victory. 
 
 Linus Birdsey. who carries lightl\- his more than fourscore years, remembers 
 those old days, when, youngster like, he would hover on the fringe of a group of 
 old political Nestors, and listen to words of wisdom and prophecy that unfolded 
 the hideous destiny of the Republic if it wavered from the good old Democratic 
 faith and followed the strange new gods of the renegade Whigs. 
 
 Another group he recalls of only five, called the Old Guard : survivors per- 
 haps of a larger circle : men of wit and weight who ha^l live<l and learned : and 
 
340 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 yet in the evening of their hves with vigor little changed, and with capacity for 
 fun as keen as ever, they would meet at stated dates and live again the old days 
 in retrospect, whiling away the hours with story after story of other times : and 
 perhaps now and then a spoon would tinkle in a glass with a melody most be- 
 witching: but of this the writer cannot tell as he was never there. He only knows 
 that he has heard that one cold night when the hour was late, and the time had 
 come to say good night, one of the famous guard left his friends, wended his way 
 to his home and had snugly tucked himself in bed before he remembered his pa 
 tient nag left tied in the tavern shed more than a mile away. 
 
 The turnpike was opened in 1799 and the event was hailed with as much joy 
 and created as great excitement as did the railroad thirty-eight years later. 
 
 The layout of this highway was adopted in 1798 by the General Assembly on 
 the petition of Senator Hillhouse and others and work was immediately begun. 
 The damages awarded to property owners at the time, and recorded in a volume, 
 preserved in the office of the secretary of state in Hartford, make it possible for 
 us to eliminate the hundred years that separate our day from that of 1806, and 
 start at Ann street and walk north, noting the different houses just as one might 
 have done a century ago. 
 
 First we would have seen over on Curtis street, the old Parson Hall house, oc- 
 cupied by his grandson. Dr. Theophilus Hall, and north of that, on the other side 
 of Ann street, the Daniel Hough place, and north of that the Benjamin Curtis 
 homestead, where the old man and his family were still living, and a few hundred 
 feet further on, the new house, the residence of his son Benjamin, Jr., while just 
 across the road we would have observed the Capt. John Webb dwelling, and back of 
 that, and fronting on Broad street (the new turnpike), his nephew, Benjamin 
 Hart's new house (now the home of Mrs. Juliette Y. Curtis). Just north of this 
 place, in the fork of the roads (and surrounded on all sides by highways, for the 
 road running west to Colony street, already described, was still in existence), stood 
 the home of Amasa Curtis, in which he and Isaac Lewis kept store. Across the 
 street to the west and a little north was Seth D. Plum's tavern. 
 
 All these places have been described before, and the risk of repetition has been 
 run so that the view of the village street may be made clear in one's mind. Al- 
 most opposite the Plum place on the east side of the street but a little to the north, 
 stood the Jeremiah Farrington homestead, which, although much altered, is still 
 standing, and now the dwelling of Frederick W. Ives, No. 391 Broad street. 
 
 When this street or turnpike was cut through it left the house of Samuel 
 Yale in a peculiar plight. He had bought a lot on the east side of Curtis street 
 which then ran north and continued down to Liberty street. It is difficult to pic- 
 ture in one's mind just the situation: the house must have stood so that the west 
 portion would, if in existence, stand somewhere near the east part of the old 
 
EARF.^' HISTORY. 341 
 
 Methodist church (now occupied by the Aleriden Curtain Fixture Co. office, 440 
 Broad). The turnpike took a course just east of the Yale house and left it with 
 ui) hackvard. .\s the land l"n>ni lliis house to ihc church was a ])ul)lic i^reen. with 
 streets on the east and west sides. ^ the house became an eyesore, and at a town 
 meeting held May 17, 1808. it was voted "to make an accommodation with Samuel 
 Yale, to have his house at the south end of the screen removed to some other place, 
 so as to accommodate the public, and voted to buy the land where house stands." 
 The house was accordingly removed to the northeast corner of liroad and East 
 Main streets, and reposed there until tlie liassett brick ])lock was built, when it 
 igain started on its travels and found a final abiding place a little to the east; it 
 Is perhaps the old building- still standing' there and said to have once been used by 
 .^amuel, Jr.. and William ^'ale for manufacturing' tin ware. 
 
 South of this old house, before its removal, stood the center district school 
 house in what is now the northeast corner of the old cemetery,- and where stands 
 ihe house of Dr. h'rederick \\ (iriswold, Xo. 481 Broad street, was located the 
 liomestead and shoe store of John Butler. 
 
 On the other side of the street to the northwest stood the church, with Ros- 
 well Cowies" Sabbath da_\' house south of it, and two or three other small houses 
 like it north of the church on the other side of the street. East of these buildings on 
 the corner was the tavern belonging to Dr. Hough ; on the southeast corner of 
 Broad and East Main, stood the store of Amos White, and the building served 
 as his dwelling as well : while east and southeast of it was another collection of 
 Sabbath day houses. 
 
 North of Amos White's store on the other side of the street was a triangidar 
 piece of land which had been formed in this way: in 1782 Samuel Hall, son of 
 Rev. Theophilus, had deeded to the town a strip of land for a highway, beginning 
 at East Main, just one hundred and sixty-five feet east of his house (later the 
 tavern) and running due north to Liberty street.^ The land from the house to 
 this new street was the garden of both Samuel Hall and Dr. Hough until the 
 turnpike on Broad street was cut through in 1799: this we learn from the descrip- 
 tion in the deed when Dr. Hough bought the ])roperty in 1792. At the same time 
 that this new street was opened, the town closed the north end of old Curtis street 
 running from just west of the meeting house, north to Liberty street, and also 
 
 1 Saml Yale was given only .$57 damages by thi- turnpikf company for thus (listurMnR tlic house lot. 
 
 2 Thlf .site was later ocpupieti by the Baptist t-hurrli built about IS."^! and when the new church was 
 built in ]84fi this old building became the academy where many still living received their education. 
 On March 23, ISC'), the .selectmen sold to Seth 1). Plum a "sirip of highway lying a little south of the 
 meeting house, running north and south from the school house to old Sabbath day house belonging to 
 RoBwell Cowies & is 1 rod & 4 links wide at north end where Sabbath day hou.se is and 1 rx>d & S 
 links at the South end." Wall, land records, Vol. XXXII.. p. 18. On Feb. 22, IS.Sl, Amos Curtis, acting as 
 AKfiit for the Center school district sold this school house site to Wni. Vale for the Baptist society. 
 
 i Wallingford land records. Vol. XXIII., p. 67. 
 
342 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 opened up a highway from the meeting house, running west and meeting Liberty 
 street at what is now the town hall site: viz. East Main street. 
 
 On the triangular piece of land east of the tavern, was a barn for the conven- 
 ience of the stage coach line. 
 
 Just opposite the old brick bank building on Broad street and just south of the 
 house known as No. 544, are still to be seen the foundation walls of an old dwell- 
 ing built probably in 1792 by Aloses Barns,^ sometimes of Cheshire and then of 
 Reading, Mass., and finally of Meriden ; but in 1806 it was the homestead of 
 Jarius Mix ; later it was the dwelling of Isaac Lewis, who bought it about 1813, 
 and afterwards it was the home of William Merriam and is still remembered as 
 a boarding place where Episcopal clergymen were carefully looked after. Mrs. 
 Merriam has the reputation of having been the first milliner in Meriden ; the house 
 disappeared a number of years ago. 
 
 The second house north of the Barns place is known as the Beckett home- 
 stead, but it was built in 1792 by Tared Benham and for many years he dwelt 
 there ; it will be noticed that it does not stand square with Broad street, because 
 it was built to front on the highway deeded by Samuel Hall in 1782. 
 
 On the other side of the street stands the old Willard house built about 1787 
 by the parson, but as already stated, formerly located one hundred feet north of 
 its present site. In 1806 it was the home of Samuel Yale ;i west of this at the 
 corner of Liberty and Broad streets was the Ambrose Hough place already de- 
 scribed and now the home of Walter B. Hall. 
 
 North of this house was the old Jerome homestead, occupied in 1806 by Levi 
 Curtis and at that time it was probably the last house on Broad street going north, 
 for the Edmund Wilcox place. No. 721, was built about 1813 by Archibald Plum, 
 and the old Belden house. No. 692, was probably erected in the same year by Ira 
 Andrews, and the Asahel Curtis dwelling. No. 1065, just south of Britannia street, 
 was probably built by Joel Yale in 1807. 
 
 In going west from the meeting house we would have come first to the home- 
 stead of Samuel Tibbals, only a hundred feet or so west of it, and the old house 
 has only recently disappeared ; further down the road, and probably on the site of 
 Dr. John Tait's house. No. 244 East Main street, stood a dwelling built by Yale I. 
 (the eldest son of Dr. Hough) but in 1806 the home of Gardner Tryon: on the 
 other side of the street on about the site now occupied by a small building, once 
 the office of Dr. Archer, stood a house occupied by Joseph Farrington, and west 
 of the Tryon dwelling, perhaps where George Clark's residence now stands, No. 
 222, was the home of Burrage Yale, who afterwards moved to South Reading, 
 Mass., and became a manufacturer of tinware. At this time his father, Amerton 
 
 2 He died in 1816 and his inventory contains the first notice we have of a stove in Meriden. The 
 item appears as stove and pipe $10. 
 1 Wallingford land records, Vol. XXX., p. 426. 
 
CHWlSTOPMtR ATIYATE 
 
 AT WATER 
 
 HOMEareAO 
 
342 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 opened up a highway from the meeting house, running west and meeting Liberty 
 street at what is now the town hall site : viz. East Alain street. 
 
 On the triangular piece of land east of the tavern, was a barn for the conven- 
 ience of the stage coach line. 
 
 Just opposite the old brick bank building on Broad street and just south of the 
 house known as No. 544, are still to be seen the foundation walls of an old dwell- 
 ing built probably in 1792 by Moses Barns, ^ sometimes of Cheshire and then of 
 Reading, Mass., and finally of Meriden; but in 1806 it was the homestead of 
 Jarius Mix ; later it was the dwelling of Isaac Lewis, who bought it about 1813, 
 and afterwards it was the home of William Merriam and is still remembered as 
 a boarding place where Episcopal clergymen were carefully looked after. Mrs. 
 Merriam has the reputation of having been the first milliner in Meriden ; the house 
 disappeared a number of years ago. 
 
 The second house north of the Barns place is known as the Beckett home- 
 stead, but it was built in 1792 by Jared Benham and for many years he dwelt 
 there ; it will be noticed that it does not stand square with Broad street, because 
 it was built to front on the highway deeded by Samuel Hall in 1782. 
 
 On the other side of the street stands the old Willard house built about 1787 
 by the parson, but as already stated, formerly located one hundred feet north of 
 its present site. In 1806 it was the home of Samuel Yale ;^ west of this at the 
 corner of Liberty and Broad streets was the Ambrose Hough place already de- 
 scribed and now the home of Walter B. Hall. 
 
 North of this house was the old Jerome homestead, occupied in 1806 by Levi 
 Curtis and at that time it was probably the last house on Broad street going north, 
 for the Edmund Wilcox place. No. 721, was built about 1813 by Archibald Plum, 
 and the old Belden house, No. 692, was probably erected in the same year by Ira 
 Andrews, and the Asahel Curtis dwelling, No. 1065, just south of Britannia street, 
 was probably built by Joel Yale in 1807. 
 
 In going west from the meeting house we would have come first to the home- 
 stead of Samuel Tibbals, only a hundred feet or so west of it, and the old house 
 has only recently disappeared ; further down the road, and probably on the site of 
 Dr. John Tait's house, No. 244 East Main street, stood a dwelling built by Yale I. 
 (the eldest son of Dr. Hough) but in 1806 the home of Gardner Tryon: on the 
 other side of the street on about the site now occupied by a small building, once 
 the office of Dr. Archer, stood a house occupied by Joseph Farrington, and west 
 of the Tryon dwelling, perhaps where George Clark's residence now stands. No. 
 222, was the home of Burrage Yale, who afterwards moved to South Reading, 
 Mass., and became a manufacturer of tinware. At this time his father, Amerton 
 
 2 He died in 1816 and his inventory contains the first notice we have of a stove in Meriden. The 
 item appears as stove and pipe $10. 
 1 Wallingford land records, Vol. XXX., p. 426. 
 
MERIOEN 
 
 1S06 
 
 ^eEtme House 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 343 
 
 Yale, was probably living witli bim, wbo bad served in tbe Revolution and was 
 noted as a musician, being a skillful performer on tbe violin and flute. 
 
 Only one of tbe old bouses of 1806 on East Main street is still standing, and 
 tbat is located just west of tbe bomestead of E. B. Everitt. Its number is 194, 
 and wben tbe town was incorporated it was tbe dwelling of Timotby Ricbards, 
 and near at band he bad a sbop wbere be made bats. He sold the house in 1807 
 to Elisba A. Cowles and it was probably here tbat tbe Major first started in tbe mer- 
 cantile business, for tbe windows bear tbe appearance of at some time having been 
 used for displaying goods. It was afterwards owned by Samuel Tibbals, and was 
 for many years tbe home of John Mecorney ; it is now tbe property of E. B. 
 Everitt. 
 
 On the south side of the street, opposite tbe Mecorney residence, was the dwell- 
 ing of Selden \\'rigbt, and on tbe town ball site, stood tbe home of Roswell Cowles, 
 the brother of the Major, and tbe property consisting of bouse and two acres, was 
 sold to the tow-n in 1853 by Roswell's widow. His stone cutting yard has already 
 been described as occupying the site across tbe street wbere now stands the Wilmot 
 place. 
 
 Where stands St. Andrew's church was the old Nathaniel Merriam place (in 
 1806 tbe home of Giles O. Griswold) and on tbe site of tbe north part of Main 
 Street Baptist church was the homestead of Simeon Perkins, afterwards occupied 
 by Sherlock, bis son ; tbe old building now stands on Veteran street. 
 
 Doubtless there were other bouses in the central part of the town in 1806 that 
 have escaped the notice of the writer, but in tbe main the buildings mentioned con- 
 stituted the village of Meriden. Accompanxing is a ma]) which at a glance ex- 
 plains the plan as related in the text. 
 
 Some of the early town votes are interesting and those relating to tbe running" 
 at large of geese, cattle and boars illustrate the primitive conditions of the time. 
 
 One of the first votes after tbe town was fully organized was one instructing 
 the selectmen to open the street now called Griswoid: this was on Dec. i. 1806. 
 On Feb. 2t^, 1807. it was voted that tbe books of the public library be kc]U \\\ tlic 
 town clerk (who was then Isaac Lewis) and that they be loaned out for four 
 weeks only, and any one wbo kept a book longer than this was to be subject to 
 a fine of 25 cents and an increasing forfeiture of one cent per day until returned.^ 
 Previous to 1807 Britannia street, east of Griswold. ran around tlie south side of 
 the swamp and the marks of this old section can still be plainly traced : on May 
 25, 1807, it was voted to change the layout by running it directly across the swamp. 
 
 In those days one was permitted to work out one's taxes by assisting in re- 
 pairing the highways and on Xov. 16. 1807, it was voted that the rate allowed for 
 this work should be 75 cents per day in the spring and (>'j cents in the fall. On 
 Nov. 14, 1815, the rate was changed to $1.25 in the spring and $1 in the fall. 
 
 1 A full account of this first library will be found in an article by the writer on page 46, Part 11. 
 
344 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 On May 6, 1811, it was voted to sell strips of the old highway made no longer 
 iiecessaTy by the opening of the turnpike to Middletown which had been built in 
 1809. On Nov. 9, 181 3, it was voted to close the highway from foot of hill run- 
 ning to Elisha A. Cowles no longer needed on account of the opening of the South- 
 ington turnpike in 1812. This was that part of old Liberty street which ran across 
 the present site of the Main street Baptist church and coming out at the South 
 Colony street bridge. 
 
 On Sept. 15, 1816, it was voted that the town bell (located in the church 
 steeple) should be rung at 9 and 10:30 o'clock a. m. and i o'clock on Sundays anci 
 on all other days at 12 noon and 9 o'clock at night. On Oct. 4, 1824, it was voted 
 to close the road from East Main to Liberty streets that had been laid out in Samuel 
 Hall's land in 1782. 
 
 On Aug. 3rd, 1812, a large liberty pole was erected on the green, presumably 
 somewhere near the church. ^ Among the papers preserved by Mrs. Hiram A. 
 Yale is a bill of expense incurred in the undertaking which include the following : 
 
 To Asahel Merriam for oxen half a day 34 
 
 To Paid Dan Andrews for mending chain broke in service 25 
 
 Paid for ensign 8.00 
 
 Paid for halyards 1.25 
 
 Paid for 10 lbs. powder 8.78 
 
 Paid for carting pole -So 
 
 Paid for waggon & time to Middletown i-oo 
 
 Paid for Wm. Yale's bill for entertaining on Aug. 3. 10.00 
 
 Paid for 2 quts rum -67 
 
 Paid for cannon 2.00 
 
 These items with others paid to various persons brought the total cost of pole 
 ensign and entertainment to $58.18. 
 
 Imprisonment for debt was common in those days and the following is a copy 
 of a letter written by one who was in torments dire. 
 
 "New Haven Oct 6 1825 
 Mr Samuel Yale Sir 
 
 Please to lett Mr Lawrence know what you think Lewis will do about keep- 
 ing me here after Monday and Please Be to see Father or some other But speak 
 to him first about Being a Bondsman till Monday for I dont want to stay in close 
 confinement till then. Please to send me w^ord about all I have writ 
 
 Yours respectfully 
 
 Samuel Tibbals Jr. 
 
 Please take this trouble for me and I will pay you all you ask." 
 
 1 Many still living remember a flag pole which stood where the elm tree now stands just south of 
 watering trough at junction of Broad and East Main streets. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 345 
 
 In the year 1812 an association was fornietl for the detection of thieves and 
 bringing them to their just deserts. Ijefore the writer as he pens these Hnes is 
 a copy of the constitution vi the S(X"iet\- which is headed. 
 
 "Constitution of the 
 
 Aleriden Association for the 
 
 Detection of Thieves and Recovery of Stolen Property" 
 
 The main object of combining in this way seems to have been to bring horse 
 thieves to justice. Article VII. reads, "It shall be the duty of the Secretary to 
 keep a box of ticl.ets. with each member's name written thereon for the purpose 
 of drafting men, to pursue the thief or thieves, and to recover property stolen." 
 The articles would lead one to believe there had been much crime of this nature 
 committed and that the society was more or less a "\'igilance Committee." 
 
 The sources of information relating to the life of the people in this quiet coun- 
 try village during the early years of the last century are not abundant and doubt- 
 less events were few and far between and little of interest trans])ired tliat would 
 appeal to us to-day or that made nuich impression on those who were then ac- 
 tive on the stage of life. That Meriden was to have a life different from most 
 quiet country farming comnumities was hardly dreamed by an\- one of that 
 period. There was one man who insisted that the day would come when 
 a comer lot in the village of ]\leriden would bring as much as a thousand 
 dollars: but he was considered craz\- and no one paid nnich attention to his vag- 
 aries or dreamed that his wild prophecies contained an element of truth, until he 
 was dead and gone, and building lots had really l)egun to creep up to a figure that 
 approached the halluciiuitions of Iiis cloudy brain: tlien peoj^le remenil)ered liis 
 sa\ ings, and wondered if he did not know more than was susi)ected during his life. 
 
 The source of the increase in real estate values in Meriden was. of course, in 
 the manufactures and the story of the beginnings and early growth of the indus- 
 tries of Meriden deserves a chapter of its own. 
 
346 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 There was little about the town in its early days which indicated that some day 
 it would grow to a place of considerable size : it was simply a cjuiet, peaceful com- 
 munity, bent on getting a living as best it could from the rather sterile soil ; and 
 that the farms were not as productive as they once had been seems to be indicated 
 in various ways. 
 
 The houses built after 1790 until a considerably later date were not so capacious 
 and roomy as those of an earlier period, and the inventories of estates had also be- 
 gun to dwindle in amounts, and many of them were pitifully small when compared 
 with those of the first settlers. Evidently the feeling became prevalent that some 
 other resource besides farming was necessary to make the town a growing, thriving 
 place, and this feeling soon manifested itself by the establishment of many small 
 shops and factories. 
 
 As early as 1802 there was a shop of some kind standing on a part of the land 
 now occupied by the Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co. A deed dated in that year con- 
 veyed from John Hooker to Eli Barnes a tract of land at the southwestern corner 
 of Colony and Main streets, containing eighteen acres, most of the extent being 
 in an easterly and westerly direction and it was bounded on the south by the land 
 of the firm of Rice, Yale & Co. What they made or who the parties were is not cer- 
 tain, but the Yale was perhaps Samuel Yale. He seems to have been the first man- 
 ufacturer in Meriden, if we do not consider those who owned grist, fulling and 
 sawmills. Mr. Perkins in his history ays that in "1791 Samuel Yale began to 
 manufacture cut nails. He and his son worked in a small shop on the hill, near 
 the present site of the Center Congregational church. Their little machine was 
 worked by their own hands, and each nail was 'headed' separately and by hand. 
 About the year 1794 the same Mr. Yale commenced the manufacture of buttons 
 on a small scale. They were made of pewter, and would be considered by us a 
 very rough article." This shop was probably on land adjoining the old Methodist 
 church on Broad street, for in 1808 he sold to Seth D. Plum a piece of land where 
 his blacksmith and tinshop then stood, which was evidently a part of the same tract 
 on which the old house was presenting such an annoying spectacle to the public, and 
 which was removed at about the same date. He probably then established his bus- 
 iness on Liberty street near Ambrose Hough's mill ; he died In 1810 and his sons, 
 Samuel Jr. and William, carried on the same line in a building still standing back 
 of the Bassett block at the northeast corner of Broad and East Main streets. Wil- 
 liam, who died much earlier than Samuel, Jr., viz. in 1833, apparently at that 
 
EARLY IlISTOKV. 347 
 
 time owned a small shop just north of his dwelling". This house is still standing 
 and known as No. 447 Broad street, and now occupied by James H. Kelsey. These 
 brothers, William and Samuel, were for many years quite extensively engaged in 
 manufacturing metal buttons and tinware, and must have employed many hands 
 for they sent travelers, or peddlers as they were called, into various parts of the 
 country, and the writer has been fortunate enough to examine a number of papers 
 and documents,^ which reveal a little of the character of the business, and the man- 
 ner of conducting it. Following is a copy of a contract with a peddler that is in- 
 teresting: 
 
 "Articles of agreement made and entered into l)y and Ijetwccn William and 
 Samuel Yale of Meriden in Xew Haven comuy on the one part and Amos Francis 
 of W'allingford in said county on the other ])art witncsseth, viz. I the said Amos 
 Francis agree on my part to hawk, peddle and \cn(l such articles as the said Vales 
 shall deliver me for that purpose in any part of the United States they shall see 
 fit to send me for the term of ten months from the ist day of October next and 
 to furnish a good horse, w^aggon and harness and to be faithful in their said em- 
 ploy during said term of time to be fully completed and ended ; And we the said 
 William and Samuel agree to pay the said Amos Francis for his said services 
 thirty dollars per month certain wages, forty dollars per month, if said Francis 
 clears it over and above the first cost of his load and expenses, and one-half of 
 all profits over and above said forty dollars that he. the said Francis, shall 
 actually clear. Dated at Meriden, this 3rd day of Sept.. 1816 
 
 William Yale, 
 Samuel Yale. 
 Amos Francis." 
 
 '1 he following is somewhat different from a modern communication of a 
 traveling salesman to his employer. 
 
 ''Xewburgh, West Liranch of the Susquehannah Ri\er. 
 
 May 1 1, 1S14. 
 W orthy Patron : 
 
 A\'here to begin or end my uncouth e[)istle I know not. but upon retlection 
 w dl try to compose my mind while T inform you that I .shall sink one hundred 
 dollars at least unless fortune turns the soak- in my favor. 
 
 R. P>aldwin and I have traversed the country from Dan to Beersheba, be- 
 sides going to Albany, and I have not sold either buttons or spoons to any 
 amount. The reason which people give for not purchasing those articles is 
 
 1 Tbrougfa the kindness of Mrs. Hlrani A. V.tI". widow of the .^on of Samuel V.ile. .Ir. 
 
248 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 that the embargo is repealed, an armistice on foot and peace at the very door, 
 when all these things are to be showered down upon them as Manna was to the 
 Israelites. 
 
 Moses [Baldwin] has gone to Pittsburgh to see what may be done there 
 while I am cruising about here & there wherever the spirit moves as I thought 
 it would hardly quit cost for me to go any farther. Tin goes extremely well. 
 
 Your well washer till Death, 
 
 Warren P. Stone. 
 Mr. Samuel Yale." 
 
 President Timothy Dwight, of Yale College, made a trip up this valley 
 on the way to the White Mountains in the early part of the last century, and 
 has this to say regarding these salesmen :^ "The manner in wdiich this ware 
 is disposed of puts to flight all calculation. A young man is furnished by the 
 proprietor with a horse, and a cart covered with a box, containing as many 
 tin vessels as the horse can conveniently draw. This vehicle wathin a few 
 years has, indeed, been frequently exchanged for a wagon ; and then the load 
 is doubled. Thus prepared he sets out on an expedition for the winter. A 
 multitude of these young men direct themselves to the Southern States, and 
 in their excursions travel wherever they can find settlements. Each of them 
 walks and rides alternately through this vast distance till he reaches Rich- 
 mond, Newbern, Charleston or Savannah ; and usually carries with him to the 
 place of his destination no small part of the gain, which he has acquired upon 
 the road. Here he finds one or more workmen, wdio have been sent forward 
 to co-operate with him, furnished with a sufficient quantity of tinned plates to 
 supply him with all the ware which he can sell during the season. With this 
 he wanders into the interior country ; calls at every door on his way : and with 
 an address and pertinacity, not easily resisted, compels no small number of the 
 inhabitants to buy. At the commencement of summer they return to New York : 
 and thence to New Haven, by water ; after selling their vehicles, and their horses. 
 The original load of a single horse, as I am told, is rarely worth more than three 
 hundred dollars ; or of a wagon more than six hundred. Yet this business is 
 said to yield both the owner and his agent valuable returns." 'T have seen them 
 on the peninsula of Cape Cod, and in the neighborhood of Lake Erie: distant 
 from each other more than six hundred miles. They make their way to Detroit, 
 four hundred miles farther ; to Canada ; to Kentucky ; and if I mistake not to New 
 Orleans and St. Louis." The Rev. President waxes eloquent in his description 
 of the damage to the character of these agents and paints with a feeling pen their 
 generally demoralizing conduct while engaged in this business : but as the career 
 of a salesman was then a novelty in this country, it is possible that the author 
 
 1 Travels in New England and New York, Vol. 2, pp. 53-4. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 349 
 
 \\a> unduly alarmed and that they were not so black in their actions and heart 
 ,is he believed. 
 
 His remarks were given in his sketch of Berlin which was then a much more 
 important place in the business world than Meriden, and where the manufacture 
 had been begun a long time previous to the Yale venture in Aleriden. The pion- 
 eer in Berlin was William Pattison, a native of Ireland, who settled there about 
 1740. Of Meriden President Dwight says, "a small neat village on a handsome 
 miinence in the center of the parish. The remainder of the township is distributed 
 into farms." "The business of manufacturing culinary utensils from tin i)lates 
 has been considerably extended ; and is becoming a source of wealth to the inhab- 
 itants. Fruit trees usually blossom here on the Southern declevity of the hills, in 
 the valley at the bottom, three or four days earlier than at New Haven." 
 
 The Yales continued in the business for many years, and both accumulated 
 ft>r the times considerable property, and were held in high esteem in the com- 
 munity : the son of William, General Edwin R. Yale, was also extensively engaged 
 in this manufacture, and his shops were back of his homestead, Xo. 405 Broad 
 -treet. He left here finally to engage in the hotel business in Xew York where 
 he was for a number of years proprietor of the United States Hotel and later of 
 the Mansion House, Brooklyn. 
 
 Another early manufacturer of tinware in Meriden was Partrick Clark, who 
 IS will be remembered, bought the old Jonathan Collins place on Xorth Colony 
 road, of his father-in-law in 1806. He evidently at once engaged in the busi- 
 ness, for in 1 81 3, he was enough of a factor in the '"tin world" to be one of the 
 signers of an agreement to maintain prices — doubtless the first document of the 
 sort ever drawn up in this vicinity. It is as follows : 
 
 "June 16 1813 We the Subscribers each and every one of us agree not to sell 
 off tin ware Plain & Japann'^ below the ])rices aftixed to the several articles. 
 
 Shubael Paterson. Orin Bcckley, Saml i'aterson, John Dunham 2'^, Samuel 
 Gilbert, John Goodrich Jun., Aziel P>elden, John lUicknum. John Hubbard, l>enj"^ 
 Willcox. Sanniel Kelsey, I'artrick Clark." 
 
 This agreement was followed by a list of the articles manufactured with the 
 minimum prices annexed. Evidently all these names were those of r>erlin men 
 with the exception of Partrick Clark, and possibly later the names of the ^'ales 
 were attached, for the original of the above was itself a copy, and was found 
 among the Yale papers, where, ])erhaps. it was ])rescrved as a memorandum. 
 
 Partrick Clark's shoj) was just south of his hou>e where he was engaged in 
 manufacturing many years. His sons, Samuel. I'artrick, Jr., and for a while. 
 Judge James .'~^. I'rooks. engaged in the business in a shop that stood on the i)res- 
 ent site of the .Meriden ."taxings liank on h'ast Main street: the old woc^den build- 
 ing was built there more than fifty years ago. h'or manv vears the firm located 
 here was known as Stedman & Clark. 
 
350 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 Another prominent manufacturer in the early days of the town was Partrick 
 Lewis, who in 1826 bought of Dr. Isaac I. Hough, the old tavern, and not only 
 performed the functions of "mine host," but also started a store in the old build- 
 ing, probably in one of the additions, which plainly show in the illustration that 
 they were not of the same date, as that part covered by the gambrel roof. He 
 was then only twenty-five years old but was enterprising and energetic ; and he 
 also began at this time the manufacture of tinware in a small shop on or near 
 the spot now occupied by Birdsey & Raven's store, No. 294 East Main street. He 
 took as a partner Elias Holt, also an enterprising and resourceful man, and began 
 to enlarge the business, fitting up a barn in the rear of the brick block which for- 
 merly stood just north of the residence of Eli C. Birdsey: here they made 
 tea and coffee pots, candle sticks, molasses gates, etc., etc., and soon finding their 
 quarters too small they built a shop just west of the junction of High and East 
 Main streets, which to-day is a dwelling house and was once occupied by 
 Charles Parker and later by George C. Merriam. Mr. Lewis also built the brick 
 block just referred to, which was devoted to a general mercantile business. This was 
 the site of the store and dwelling of Amos White. The young men did a large 
 business for the times, and but for some untoward circumstances which they could 
 not control, they would have built up a large industry. ^ 
 
 But fate was unkind or human judgment was at fault, for on January 6, 1834, 
 on the petition of Mr. Lewis, the firm of Lewis & Holt was compelled to go into 
 bankruptcy with liabilities of more than $75,000. 
 
 A copy of this petition is before the writer as he pens these lines, and contains 
 a formidable list of creditors. The failure was considered a bad blow to the com- 
 munity, for the citizens were proud of the enterprising young manufacturers whose 
 products embraced a wide variety of articles for household uses in tinware. Sym- 
 pathy seems to have been particularly felt for Mr. Lewis, for he was a man of 
 integrity and honor, and it was he who, when he knew the crash could not be 
 averted, insisted that the bankruptcy proceedings be taken at once rather than con- 
 tinue and make a more disastrous failure later. Capt. Almeron ]\Iiles took the 
 business and carried it on for a while but eventually Charles Parker bought the 
 factory at the corner of High and East Main streets, and later when he had begun 
 to manufacture in the factories which are the nucleus of the extensive works 
 southwest of this spot, he altered the shop into a dwelling. 
 
 Mr. Lewis, when profits were large and the future looked rosy with promise 
 in the year 1830, built the dignified old mansion at No. 497 Broad street, now the 
 home of Eli C. Birdsey ; it was the first fine dwelling to be erected in Meriden, and 
 was well and carefully constructed, and the carved mantels and door casings and 
 paneling, and the mahogany stair railings and general details show that the thought 
 of failure was far from his mind. 
 
 ] These facts ure from memoranda furnished tho> late Dr. Ch;ipin by the lite Isaac C. Lewi-^. 
 
EAKLN' IIISTOKV. 
 
 35J 
 
352 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Mr. Holt also built a substantial and pleasing dwelling in the same year, which 
 stands on the east corner of Main and High streets, and is now the home of Mrs. 
 Russell Coe. 
 
 Noah Pomerov came here in the year 1817, and immediately bought the old 
 Benjamin A. Hall farm in East Meriden, with the homestead which formerly stood 
 at the junction of Pomeroy and Murdock avenues and has since been moved a 
 short distance eastward. He must have at once begun the manufacture of tin- 
 ware in shops which he built across the street from his house to the east. The 
 factories have now all disappeared, and one would never imagine from present 
 
 ELIAS HOLT, NOW THE MRS. RUSSELL COE HOUSE. 
 
 appearances that this was for many years the busiest locality in Meriden, for he 
 engaged very extensively in the production of this line of goods, and employed 
 more workmen than any other manufacturer in town, vmtil 1845 when he retired 
 with a comfortable fortune ; his sons continued the business for a number of years. 
 The manufactories so far mentioned were the more prominent ones, and they 
 are all remembered by people still living, but an examination of the land records 
 has revealed the fact that there were in those early days, a number of other men 
 
EARLY HlSTdKV 
 
 iSS' 
 
 engaged in the production of tinware, metal and bone buttons and wooden combs,. 
 who probably in the aggregate sent large quantities of their wares into the markets. 
 
 (Df course, the records will not disclose all these small shops, for one would not 
 be mentioned in a deed without the owner sold his ])lant : in a few instances they 
 are included in the inventories of estates on the probate reccirds. 
 
 In 1808 Sidney and Arba Merriam were manufacturing buttons in a shop that 
 was located somewhere in the vicinity of the Parker Clock Co. ])lant in what we 
 know as Crow Hollow and it was still in existence in 1815 : in 1808 Seth D. Plum, 
 as already related, bought Samuel Yale's old tin shop which stood near the present 
 -ite I'f the old -Methodist church and continued the manufacture until 1835 : in 1814 
 
 .MKklDEN ri-:XTi:K .M'.OIT 1834, I,f)OKI.\G NORTH FRd.M llli: jlNt II(i.\ OK ( IR II.S 
 
 .\.\1) I'.RO.M) STKKET.S.l 
 
 The biiildins; on the left, before \vhi<h the stage conch i.>; passiiiR. is the Epi.^copal Chur< h. the 
 next is the Baptist Church (which stood at the northeast corner of the jjravevard, afterwards the 
 Mertden .\cadeniv). the third is the Congregational Church, beyond which stands the old Central 
 Tavern 
 
 Benjamin I'.uel was making buttons in a building on the land some yards north of 
 the Calvin Coe homestead on Coe avenue, and it was later owned by Jesse Curtis 
 and Spicer Leonard. In 1S15 William i,awrence leased of l-"lisha .\. ("owles a 
 button shop south r)f "llarbMr i'-ridgc." "a^ lung as grass grows and water runs,"' 
 
 1 Krom Barber's Historical f'ollectlons of Ccinmi tirut. 
 2i 
 
354 -^ CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and the same year Timothy Richards sold to Mr. Cowles a store standing near the 
 latter 's tin shop ; this store stood on land just west of the present Record building- 
 site. In 1816 Enos Grannis mortgaged to Avery Hall a tin shop that was located 
 somewhere on Ichabod Woods' farm which is now Walnut Grove cenietery, and 
 in 1817 Edward Collins sold to Walter Booth a half interest in his tin shop, wiiich 
 stood on land now belonging to the State School for Boys near the driveway lead- 
 ing from Colony street, and the inventory of Moses Barns wdio died in 1816 shows 
 that he had a tin shop just west of his house ; he was then living in the old dwell- 
 ing known as the Nathaniel iMerriam place, standing where St. Andrew's church 
 is now located. 
 
 In 1813 Asahel Curtis and Isaac Lewis were manufacturing buttons in a shop 
 near the residence known as No. 1065 Broad street and at about the same date 
 Enos H. Curtis was making like articles on Curtis street, and Amos Curtis was 
 engaged in the same kind of business in a shop south of his house at the junction 
 of Broad and Curtis streets, and Henry Peck was making tinware in a building that 
 stood west of the Belden house, No. 692 Broad street. At an early date Laureii 
 Merriam was in the same business in a factory that stood a little north of the junc- 
 tion of Foster and Colony streets. 
 
 And in the year 1820 Abel Sanford was manufacturing spoons in a shop which 
 stood somewhere on the farm now owned by Julius Ives on the hill just west of 
 the village of Hanover, for in that year he sold his farm to Jesse Ives, reserving 
 his spoon shop, and Ives sold the Meriden House corner to Sanford, reserving his 
 tailor shop standing on it. 
 
 This list by no means exhausts the catalogue of these small shops located in 
 various parts of the town, but further extension would but make patience cease to 
 be a virtue and could serve no useful purpose. 
 
 In the year 1819 Amasa Merriam leased to Lauren Merriam and Edward Col- 
 lins under the firm name of Collins and Merriam the right to erect a dam twenty 
 rods northwest of their comb factory which had evidently just been built ; this shop 
 stood where the present Parker Clock Co. plant is located in the west part of the 
 town, and in 1822 we find on the town records John B. Collins of Hartford selling 
 to this firm his invention for sawing ivory for combs. This was apparently the be- 
 ginning of the ivory comb business in Meriden which was for a time an important 
 industry. 
 
 In 1827, Collins having died, Merriam sold a half interest in the business to 
 Walter Webb and Albert Foster and it was then continued under the firm name 
 of W^alter Webb & Co.. and for a number of years the manufacture was carried 
 on in two adjoining shops, one of which is to-day used by the Clock Co. 
 
 A few hundred feet west of this spot, on the north side of the turnpike, stands 
 an old house, on an elevation considerably above the road, that was built probably 
 all of a hundred years ago by Noah Merriam. and in it as early as 1829, Albert 
 
KARLV IllSlOK^'. 355 
 
 Foster was living-, and manufacturing hcjiie and metal buttons and other articles, 
 in a shop just across the street, and the outlines of the foundation of the building 
 can still be seen. At the same time John Sutlift" was manufacturing goods of a 
 like nature in a factory that stood east of the ivory comb shcjp. in the point formed 
 by the junction of Johnson avenue and the turnpike: it was afterwards used by 
 Dana Lewis as a button shop and burned down many years ago : some of the foun- 
 dation stones may still be seen. West of Albert Foster's factory, at a point just 
 east of the fountain, stood a small shop that was used b}' George Hull fi)r mak- 
 ing German silver spoons at about the same date. 
 
 The two small plants of Sutlitt & I'oster were the beginnings of Foster, Mer- 
 riani & Co. and for a while they ran independently, and then forces were joined 
 and Iliram Foster and Asaph and Xelson Merriam were taken in as partners and 
 the enlarged firm hnall\' located on their present site in the decade following 1840. 
 
 Near the main entrance to Hubbard park on the north side of the road, stood 
 until a few years ago, an old stone building known as the Julius Parker foundry : 
 it was built abovit 183 1 or 1832 by Jonathan Leonard who came here from Canton. 
 Mass. ; the land was owned by William Johnson, and Leonard leased the right for 
 a term of years to erect a factory and occupy it, and here he carried on the business 
 of casting various kinds of articles and was successful and enterprising.^ He sold 
 the shop to Charles Parker and in 1835 bought of Homer Curtiss a plant which 
 the latter had built in the east part of ]\Ieriden in 1831 in ])artnership with a man 
 named Walker, and here for a number of years Leonard continued the manufacture 
 of the same class of goods he had produced in Crow Hollow. In the first number 
 of the Meriden Weekly Mercury, dated March 24. 1849, appears an advertisement 
 signed by Jonathan Leonard in Xew Haven in which he ofifers for sale "the Water 
 Privilege and Factory owned and occupied by him for the last fourteen years in 
 the easterly part of Meriden.'" Eventually the shop came into possession of 
 Charles Parker and doubtless the original building is buried somewhere in the 
 depths of the Parker spoon factory. 
 
 Mr. Perkins, in his history, sa}S that Julius Pratt began to manufacture ivory 
 combs in Meriden in 1822. and the factory was at first located on Harbor brook on 
 the south side on land now occupied by P»radley & Hubbard Mfg. Co. and the old 
 dam which formerly stood there furnished the water power: but finding it not suf- 
 ficient for his purpose, he bought in 1824 a tract of land on Broad street wliich is 
 now covered mostly by Pratt's pond: here he built a daiu, and a factory nn the 
 south side, probably, and again began the manufacture of coiubs, and in the same 
 year he admitted as partners, Thomas Howard, of Providence. R. 1.. Alpheus Star- 
 key, George Reid, John C. Rodgers and George Spencer, of Sayl)rook. and Fcnner 
 Bush, of Meriden : not finding the premises large enougii. the firm, known as 
 Howard Pratt & Co.. in 1828, bought of Weaker Booth ten acres, which gave suf- 
 
 1 BuReno Loonard. his son. gave these facts to the writer. 
 
356 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 ficient room for a raceway, and a new factory at present occupied by Miller Bros. 
 Cutlery Co. on Pratt street. The firm did a large business and was prosperous, 
 notwithstanding misfortunes by fire, etc. Mr. Pratt was a man of resource and 
 enterprise and ranked high in the community ; his home stood just south of the 
 dam and the old dwelling is still there, while just north of the dam stands the 
 house built by his partner, Fenner Bush. The firm continued in business many 
 years and was later known as Julius Pratt & Co. Mr. Perkins gives a description 
 of the processes of manufacture, in his history, and Mrs. Breckenridge writes en- 
 tertainingly in her "Recollections" of both Mr. Pratt and Mr. Bush and relates facts 
 pertaining to the ups and downs of the business. According to the table at the 
 end of this chapter Mr. Pratt was making cutlery also in 1845. 
 
 Philo Pratt & Co. was the name of another comb manufacturing establishment 
 that was located at Hanover: the building stood on land closely adjoining the 
 present Meriden Cutlery Co. plant at the south end and the business was finally 
 absorbed by Walter Webb & Co., and this latter company took possession of the 
 factory and sold the old one in Crow Hollow to Charles Parker, where for a num- 
 ber of years he made locks. 
 
 When Julius Pratt gave up the factory where Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co. 
 is now located, it was leased by the owner, Elisha A. Cowles, in 1828, to N. C. 
 Sanford & Co., of which firm the following gentlemen were partners, viz: Fenner 
 Bush, Julius Pratt, Xathaniel Sanford and Howell }^Ierriman, and this company 
 began the manufacture of augers. They stayed there until 1832 when they moved 
 to Hanover and bought the plant of Carter, Goodrich and Bishop, who for some 
 time had been making bone buttons in a factory located just south of the old ten- 
 ement houses near where the road turns and comes out at Archer's Corner. The 
 remains of the old raceway can still be seen west of the road after leaving the 
 bridge, and running south to where the factory was standing. The firm of N. C. 
 Sanford & Co. afterwards moved to Yalesville and the shop they built is now oc- 
 cupied by the Jennings & Grifiin Co. 
 
 In 1834 the plant on Harbor brook abandoned by N. C. Sanford & Co. was sold 
 to Homer Curtiss and Harlow Isbell, trading under the name of Curtiss, Isbell & 
 Co., who had previously been located in a plant west of where the Meriden House 
 now stands, just back of the Lewis block. This firm was enterprising and suc- 
 cessful in making door latches, locks and builders" hardware. Air. Isbell finally 
 moved to Kansas and Mr. Curtiss then formed a partnership with a Mr. Morgan 
 and the new company was known as Curtiss. Alorgan & Co. and continued to do 
 business at this stand until January, 1854, when the firm, to the great regret of the 
 whole community, was compelled to make an assignment through endorsing for 
 Curtis L. North. 
 
 Benjamin and Hiram Twiss began the manufacture of clocks in 1828 
 and located their factory near the east end of Pratt's pond where it could be seen 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 357 
 
 from Broad street and they built for i)o\ver purposes a dam which formed a pond 
 still known by their name : after a number of years the business was moved to 
 Canada. 
 
 In East Meriden. or Bangall, more than ^.event} years ago, (Jrsamus Crocker 
 built a factory in the point of land formed b\ the junction of Cone avenue and 
 Middletown turnpike, which was designed for the making of clocks, but the bus- 
 iness proving a failure, it was occupied later by Crocker on the upper floor making 
 wooden combs and drawer pulls, while William J. Ives made suspenders on the 
 lower floor. Isaac C. Lewis was at one time engaged in making liritannia ware 
 in the same building. ^ 
 
 David W. Ropes began the business of manufacturing table cutlery in ^leri- 
 den in 1845, and located in Hanover just north of the Walter Webb & Co. factory 
 and later he formed a partnershi]) with Julius M. I'ratt and Walter Webb under 
 the firm name of Pratt, Ropes, Webb & Co., and in 1855 the business was merged 
 into a corporation bearing the present name of ^leriden Cutlery Co. and there it 
 has since continued, a successful and prosperous concern. 
 
 Henry T. Wilcox came to Meriden in 1829 and entered the employ of Julius 
 Pratt & Co. About 1845 ^^^ built a small shop a little south of his house, Xo. 
 400 North Colony street, where for a number of years he made coflfee mills, spring 
 balances, steelyards, iron bit braces and door knockers. The first shop was burned 
 in 1 85 1, and a second built on the same site was burned in 1853. 
 
 I'ndoubtedly, many of the early industries have been omitted in ilic forego- 
 ing pages, but sufficient have been given to show that Meriden had become a per- 
 fect hive of manufactories by 1850 and this in the face of the fact that there were 
 few advantages such as are usually considered necessities when a community is 
 engaged in industrial pursuit: that such a situation should have (levelo])ed was 
 due wholly to the genius of the people ; they were determined to succeed and they 
 did: and as one looks over the roll of manufacturers of Meriden since 1800, one 
 is conscious that there have been S(imc great men among the number — men who 
 with more natural advantages woulcl have achieved much bigger rcsidts 
 
 Some of the difficulties of manufacturing in Meriden in the early days will be 
 realized when it is remembered that there was a very limited amount of water 
 power in the township, which probably accounts for the great number of tin shops 
 which did not require such power: added to this situation it was necessary to cart 
 all finished and raw material to and from Middletown and Xew Haven, until the 
 railroad was opened in 1838. 
 
 The population of Meriden during the first fifty years was as follows: 
 
 1810, 1.249; 1820. i,30<>: 1830. 1,708; 1840. 1,880: 1850, 3,559. 
 
 1 TblB factory, then ownpfl by Ives. Lewis & Co.. was destroyed by flre. Tliiirsdny nlBht, .June 27, 
 18t}7. The Recorder tells us there were three '.niildiiigs in the sjroiip. and thry were vised for making 
 hoop skirts, .skirt tape and webbing. 
 
358 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 (Jut of the 1.249 persons in 1820, 105 were engaged in manufacturing and of 
 the 1,880 people in town in 1840, 406 were working in factories, either as employer 
 or employee, or 21^ per cent. — a very large proportion. To show the difference 
 between the two communities at this date it may be stated that Wallingford, with 
 a population of 2,204, had only 118 engaged in manufacturing, or about five per 
 cent. 
 
 A Gazetteer of Connecticut and Rhode Island by Pease & Niles, published in 
 1 81 9, has this to say about Meriden : 
 
 "A spirit of enterprise and activity in business characterizes the inhabitants of 
 this town. Various manufactures and mechanical employments are carried on; 
 but those of tin ware and buttons are the most important. There are five distinct 
 Factories of the former, and equal number of the latter, for making metal buttons ; 
 and I Factory for ivory buttons. There are also i Factory for ivory combs ; and 
 2 block tin or hard metal spoon Factories. The wares and manufactures of these 
 establishments, like those of other towns in the vicinity, are sent abroad for a mar- 
 ket. This furnishes employment for a number of hands ; and it has been estimated 
 that there are 20 to 40 persons that are constantly employed in vending the wares 
 that are manufactured in this town. Most of them are employed in the southern 
 and western states, wdiich afford an extensive market for the products of our in- 
 dustry. And this market will not be likely soon to fail, for wherever slavery pre- 
 vails, mechanical ingenuity and industry will be excluded. In addition there are 
 12 Cider Distilleries, 2 Grain Mills, i Fulling Mill, i Carding Machine and 2 Tan- 
 neries. There are 2 Mercantile Stores and 2 Taverns." 
 
 The Gazetteer of the U. S. published in 1833 has this to say about Meriden: 
 "An important manufacturing place but with little water power: $1,000,000 an- 
 nually produced: i company has 230^ hands in making britanniacofifee pots, spoons, 
 coffee mills, waffie irons, signal lanthorns : $200,000: other manufactures are 
 wooden clocks value $50,000 ; ivory, wood, boxwood and horn combs value $40,- 
 000: auger bits and rakes value $20,000; tin ware value $90,000: another manufac- 
 turer of britannia ware $250,000 ; there are other manufactures of Japanned ware, 
 shoes, boots : some very useful inventions have originated here ; first branch of 
 manufacture extensively engaged in here was that of tin ware." 
 
 In 1833 the Meriden Bank was organized with a capital of $100,000, and 
 opened for business at once or very shortly after in the old brick block on North 
 Broad street still known as the "bank building." 
 
 A very large percentage of growth was shown by Meriden in the decade from 
 1840 to 1850 when the population rose from 1,880 to 3,559 or nearly 100 per cent. 
 
 The following table of manufactories in Meriden in 1845, compiled by Howell 
 Merriman and filed with the Secretary of State, is a fitting ending to this account 
 of the early industries. The writer has sketched a short account of the early man- 
 ufacturers of britannia ware, which will be found on page 37, Part III, of this book. 
 
 1 Probably an exaggerated statement. 
 
EAKLV UISTOKV, 
 
 359 
 
 "A statement of the ditTerent inanufaeturers in the Town of Meriden, as 
 rendered hv tlie Secretary of State, a.G;recable to an act of the Legislature 
 passed at tlie May session, 1845. 
 
 
 
 Xames of 
 
 
 
 a* 
 t 
 Or 
 
 
 ■6 
 
 
 Kind of 
 
 ■^ 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 _; 
 
 _ 
 
 ■a 
 
 
 re 
 
 Manufacturers. 
 
 
 rai 
 
 £"" 
 
 — £ 
 
 - 3 
 
 — 
 
 Manuf.ictures. 
 
 X 
 
 
 
 '0.9 
 
 S S 
 
 0.^ 
 
 C c 
 
 S 
 
 
 6 
 y. 
 
 
 
 
 
 5i 
 
 < s 
 
 c 
 
 Tin Ware, 
 
 17 
 
 L. T. Merriam, 
 
 
 $2,000 
 
 $10,000 
 
 
 
 
 Tin Ware, 
 
 2 
 
 Samuel Yale, 
 
 
 1,000 
 
 2.000 
 
 
 
 
 Till Ware, 
 
 32 
 
 Stedman & Clark, 
 
 
 18,000 
 
 32,000 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 Tin Ware, 
 
 20 
 
 Goodrich & Rutty, 
 
 
 7,000 
 
 35,000 
 
 
 
 
 Tin Ware, 
 
 3 
 
 Hiram Bradley, 
 
 
 2,500 
 
 6.000 
 
 
 
 
 Tin Ware, 
 
 4 
 
 Burr Andrews, 
 
 
 2,000 
 
 7.000 
 
 
 
 
 lin Ware, 
 
 2 
 
 F. A. Gale, 
 
 
 500 
 
 1.500 
 
 
 
 
 Tin Ware, 
 
 4 
 
 H. W. Curtiss, 
 
 
 1,200 
 
 4.000 
 
 
 
 
 Tin Ware, 
 
 12 
 
 N. Pomcroy, 
 
 
 10,000 
 
 15.000 
 
 $44,200 
 
 $112,500 
 
 96 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 7 
 
 Bull, Lyman & Cou 
 
 ch, 
 
 3,000 
 
 9.000 
 
 
 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 8 
 
 James A. Frary, 
 
 
 4,000 
 
 15.000 
 
 
 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 3 
 
 De Witt Kimberly, 
 
 
 1,500 
 
 4.400 
 
 
 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 2 
 
 Enos H. Curtis, 
 
 
 1 ,000 
 
 1 .500 
 
 
 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 2 
 
 Edwin E. Curtis, 
 
 
 600 
 
 1. 000 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 2 
 
 Lemuel J. Curtis, 
 
 
 1,200 
 
 3.200 
 
 
 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 8 
 
 Thomas R. Holt , 
 
 
 5.000 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 
 
 Britannia Ware, 
 
 5 
 
 Isaac C. Lewis, 
 
 
 3,000 
 
 5.000 
 
 19,300 
 
 49,100 
 
 i7 
 
 Ivory Combs, 
 
 45 
 
 Julius Pratt & Co., 
 
 
 80,000 
 
 100,000 
 
 
 
 
 Ivory Combs, 
 
 35 
 
 Walter Webb & Co 
 
 •) 
 
 60,000 
 
 80.000 
 
 140,000 
 
 180,000 
 
 80 
 
 Cutlery. 
 
 50 
 
 Julius Pratt & Co., 
 
 
 15,000 
 
 25,000 
 
 15,000 
 
 25,000 
 
 50 
 
 Coffoc' Mills. 
 
 12 
 
 Chas. Parker, 
 
 
 3,000 
 
 20,000 
 
 
 
 
 Coffee Mills and Stillyards 
 
 3 
 
 H. T. Wilcox, 
 
 
 1,500 
 
 5.460 
 
 
 
 
 Coffee Mills, 
 
 2 
 
 Foster, Merriam & 
 
 Co., 
 
 1,000 
 
 J. 000 
 
 
 
 
 Coffee Mills, 
 
 3 
 
 Almeron Miles, 
 
 
 1,000 
 
 3.000 
 
 6,500 
 
 3o,4C>o 
 
 20 
 
 Steelyards, etc., 
 
 2 
 
 Henry M. Foster, 
 
 
 500 
 
 2.000 
 
 500 
 
 2,000 
 
 2 
 
 Boots and Shoes, 
 
 12 
 
 John Butler, 
 
 
 6.000 
 
 7.400 
 
 
 
 
 BiM)ts and Shoes, 
 
 2^/^ Ira Preston, 
 
 
 300 
 
 4-'5 
 
 
 
 
 Boot.s and Shoes, 
 
 iM 
 
 Amasa Sizer, 
 
 
 200 
 
 350 
 
 6.500 
 
 8.175 
 
 16 
 
 Cigars. 
 
 5 
 
 Clark &Aamson&R.K.C 
 
 2.000 
 
 3.txx) 
 
 
 
 
 ' "igars. 
 
 3 
 
 Blake, Johnson & C 
 
 urtis 
 
 . 1. 000 
 
 2,400 
 
 3,000 
 
 6,000 
 
 8 
 
 runks and Harness, 
 
 2 
 
 R. H. Beckley, 
 
 
 500 
 
 1.200 
 
 
 
 
 Trunks and Harness, 
 
 2 
 
 Chas. Stedman, 
 
 
 600 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,100 
 
 3,200 
 
 4 
 
 Brass Foundries, 
 
 ID 
 
 I'oster, Merriam & 
 
 Co. 
 
 4,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 
 
 Brass F-'oundries, 
 
 12 
 
 Jarid Pratt, 
 
 
 10,000 
 
 20.000 
 
 * 14,000 
 
 30,000 
 
 22 
 
 Hardware, 
 
 4 
 
 Win. L. Coan, 
 
 
 1,700 
 
 4.000 
 
 1,700 
 
 4,000 
 
 4 
 
 Door Handles, casting, etc. 
 
 25 
 
 I shell & Curtiss, 
 
 
 12,000 
 
 25.000 
 
 
 
 
 * A clerical error Id the original manuscript made this amount read $1,400 Instead of $14,000. 
 
36o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Kind of 
 Manufactures. 
 
 Names of 
 Manufacturers. 
 
 Si 
 0^ 
 
 ■o-d 
 
 a; 
 i. 
 
 2 c 
 
 «1 
 
 u 
 
 ■3 
 
 Is 
 
 'A 
 
 •3 
 
 6 
 Z. 
 
 Charles Parker, 
 
 $14,000 
 
 $26,000 
 
 $26,000 
 
 $5 1 ,000 
 
 63 
 
 Sanford, Newton & Co. 
 
 , 12,000 
 
 20,000 
 
 12,000 
 
 20,000 
 
 28 
 
 Stillman & Eastman, 
 
 800 
 
 2,500 
 
 800 
 
 2,500 
 
 3 
 
 Ezra Ives, 
 
 4,000 
 
 4.500 
 
 
 
 
 J. W. Russell, 
 
 2,000 
 
 4.500 
 
 6,000 
 
 9,000 
 
 16 
 
 Oliver Snow & Co-, 
 
 8,000 
 
 14,000 
 
 8,000 
 
 14,000 
 
 20 
 
 Jonathan Leonard, 
 
 ir,8oo 
 
 19,000 
 
 11,800 
 
 19,000 
 
 14 
 
 Asahel Laurence, 
 
 5,000 
 
 15,000 
 
 
 
 
 Redfield & Butler, 
 
 3>ooo 
 
 10.000 
 
 
 
 
 John Davidson, 
 
 1,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 
 
 
 Wm. D. Coan, 
 
 2,000 
 
 5,000 
 
 11,000 
 
 32,000 
 
 41 
 
 Almon Andrews, 
 
 2,500 
 
 3.600 
 
 2,500 
 
 3.600 
 
 2 
 
 S. S. Green, 
 
 700 
 
 15,000 
 
 
 
 
 E. and E. A. Rice, 
 
 1,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 
 
 
 Wm. Green & Mr. Wood, 500 
 
 1,000 
 
 2,200 
 
 4,500 
 
 24 
 
 Stevens & Peck, 
 
 1,200 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,200 
 
 2,000 
 
 4 
 
 Lewis & Hough, 
 
 200 
 
 750 
 
 200 
 
 750 
 
 4 
 
 Elias Baldwin, 
 
 250 
 
 500 
 
 250 
 
 500 
 
 2 
 
 Edwin Birdsey, 
 
 500 
 
 2,000 
 
 500 
 
 2,000 
 
 3 
 
 Stephen Atkins, 
 
 2,000 
 
 4,000 
 
 
 
 
 A. R. Johnsons, 
 
 300 
 
 2.450 
 
 2,300 
 
 6,450 
 
 7 
 
 Wm. J. Ives, 
 
 4,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 
 
 Samuel Cook, 
 
 500 
 
 2,000 
 
 4.500 
 
 12,000 
 
 29 
 
 Orsamas Crocker, 
 
 1,000 
 
 2.000 
 
 r.ooo 
 
 2,000 
 
 7 
 
 Jared R- Cook, 
 
 2,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 20 
 
 Harry Griswold, 
 
 6,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 6,000 
 
 10,000 
 
 14 
 
 Total. 
 
 $350,050 
 
 $651735 
 
 640 
 
 Door Handles, casting, etc. 38 
 
 Augurs, Rakes, etc, 28 
 
 Ink Stands, etc., 3 
 
 Carriages, Wagons, etc, 9 
 
 Carriages, Wagons, etc., 7 
 
 Tools, Pumps, etc, 20 
 
 Castings, Scales, etc., 14 
 
 House Joiners, 20 
 
 House Joiners, 12 
 
 House Joiners, 4 
 
 House Joiners, 5 
 
 Flour Mills, 2 
 
 Clothing, 7 
 
 Clothing, 13 
 
 Clothing, 4 
 
 Stone Cutter, 4 
 
 Tin Face Buttons, 4 
 
 Window Blinds, 2 
 
 Lumber and Boxes, 3 
 
 Blacksmiths, 4 
 
 Blacksmith, 3 
 Suspenders and Webbing, 23 
 Suspenders and Webbing, 6 
 
 Wood Combs, 7 
 
 Stone, 20 
 
 Bone Suspender Buttons 14 
 
PUBLISHED BY RH 
 
36o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Kind of 
 Manufactures. 
 
 Names of 
 Manufacturers. 
 
 O 0) 
 O b 
 O 3 
 
 3 3 
 
 Door Handles, casting, etc. 38 
 
 Augurs, Rakes, etc-, 28 
 
 Ink Stands, etc., 3 
 
 Carriages, Wagons, etc, 9 
 
 Carriages, Wagons, etc., 7 
 
 Tools, Pumps, etc, 20 
 
 Castings, Scales, etc., 14 
 
 House Joiners, 20 
 
 House Joiners, 12 
 
 House Joiners, 4 
 
 House Joiners, 5 
 
 Flour Mills, 2 
 
 Clothing, 7 
 
 Clothing, 13 
 
 Clothing, 4 
 
 Stone Cutter, 4 
 
 Tin Face Buttons, 4 
 
 Window Blinds, 2 
 
 Lumber and Boxes, 3 
 
 Blacksmiths, 4 
 
 Blacksmith, 3 
 
 Suspenders and Webbing, 23 
 
 Suspenders and Webbing, 6 
 
 Wood Combs, 7 
 
 Stone, 20 
 
 Bone Suspender Buttons 14 
 
 Charles Parker, $14,000 
 
 Sanford, Newton & Co., 12,000 
 
 Stillman & Eastman, 800 
 
 Ezra Ives, 4,000 
 
 J. W- Russell, 2,000 
 
 Oliver Snow & Co-, 8,000 
 
 Jonathan Leonard, 11,800 
 
 Asahel Laurence, 5,000 
 
 Redheld & Butler, 3,000 
 
 John Davidson, 1,000 
 
 Wm. D. Coan, 2,000 
 
 Almon Andrews, 2,500 
 
 S. S. Green, 700 
 
 E. and E. A. Rice, 1,000 
 Wm. Green & Mr. Wood, 500 
 
 Stevens & Peck, 1,200 
 
 Lewis & Hough, 200 
 
 Elias Baldwin, 250 
 
 Edwin Birdse}-, 500 
 
 Stephen Atkins, 2,000 
 
 A. R. Johnsons, 300 
 
 Wm. J. Ives, 4,000 
 
 Samuel Cook, 500 
 
 Orsamas Crocker, 1,000 
 
 Jared R. Cook, 2,000 
 
 Harry Griswold, 6,000 
 
 p26,ooo 
 
 20,000 
 
 2,500 
 
 4'5oo 
 
 4.500 
 
 14,000 
 
 19,000 
 
 15,000 
 
 10.000 
 
 2.000 
 
 5.000 
 
 3,600 
 
 15,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 1,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 750 
 
 500 
 
 2,000 
 
 4,000 
 
 2.450 
 
 10,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 2,000 
 
 10.000 
 
 10,000 
 
 
 11,000 
 
 2,500 
 
 2,200 
 
 1,200 
 
 200 
 
 250 
 
 500 
 
 
 M6,ooo $51,000 63 
 
 1 2,000 20,000 28 
 
 800 2,500 3 
 
 6,000 9,000 16 
 
 8,000 14,000 20 
 
 11,800 19,000 14 
 
 32,000 
 3,600 
 
 4-500 
 
 2,000 
 
 750 
 
 500 
 
 2,000 
 
 2,300 6,450 
 
 41 
 
 2 
 
 24 
 
 4 
 
 4,500 12,000 29 
 
 r,ooo 2,000 7 
 
 2,000 10,000 20 
 
 6,000 10,000 14 
 
 Total $350,050 $65 1,735 640 
 
\ 4 ' 
 
 W " ar rm?" ¥hM ifM&i 3i ^ 
 
 PUBLISHED BY RICHARD CLARK, OF PHILADELPHIA, IN iSSI. L. M. WOODFORD, SURVEYOR. 
 
36o 
 
 Door 
 Augu 
 Ink S 
 Carri 
 Carri 
 Tools 
 Castii 
 Hous 
 Hous 
 Hous 
 Hous 
 Floui 
 Cloth 
 Cloth 
 Cloth 
 
 StOlK 
 
 Tin I 
 Wind 
 Lumt 
 Blacl< 
 Black 
 Susp( 
 Susp< 
 Woo. 
 Stont 
 Bone 
 
 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 361 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 MERCHANTS. 
 
 Mention has already been made of a few of Meriden's early merchants, viz: 
 AniDS White and Amasa Curtis and Isaac Lewis, and to them should be added 
 the tirni oi Butler & Olds, succeeded by John LUitler alone, who ran a boot and 
 shoe store on Broad street nearly opposite the Baptist church, and the 
 business was carried on by him for many years. 
 
 Major Elisha A. Cowles began his first mercantile venture in the old Mecor- 
 ney House, at 194 East Main street, as has already been mentioned : in the year 
 181 1 he was in business on the corner bounded east and north by South 
 Colony and East ]\Iain streets, for in that year he admitted Joel Merriman to 
 partnership, selling" him a half interest; but in 1813 the firm was dissolved. 
 In 181 5 Mr. Cowles bought a piece of land just east, where the Rogers block now 
 stands, and, according to one authority, he erected that building in 1840, in com- 
 pany with Dr. Isaac I. Hough, and it was run as a railroad restaurant for a nuiu- 
 ber of years ; it was originally a gable-roofed structure. In 1846 ]\Irs. Cowles 
 sold it to Hervey Rogers, and he ran it as a hotel for twenty years or more. 
 
 Major Cowles apparently sold everything that a country store could be ex- 
 pected to carry in stock, and he was in the undertaking business as well, for 
 the writer has come across one bill for such services. In 1830, with James S. 
 Brooks, he bought seven acres, which included the site where the Meriden 
 House now stands, and these two gentlemen then engaged in business some- 
 where on this corner, and later, viz., in 1836, he was also in company with 
 Randolph Linsley, but located on the East side of Colony street : he was in ]Kirt- 
 ncrship with Henry C. Butler on the Meriden House corner in April, 1838, and 
 the writer has discovered one bill from Cowles & Butler for coffee, chickens and 
 goslings, that was receipted by C\u'tis L. Xorih in tlie same year, showing that 
 that arch h\])ocrite was already in town. 
 
 Major Cowles was a shrewd and successful merchant aufl was interested 
 in several of the manufacturing \eninres of his native town as well, and he 
 and Judge James S. Brooks probably had more to do with having the X. Y.. 
 X. H. & H. R. R. Co. tracks laid through Meriden in the present course than 
 any other men in Meriden : while the residents of the center were fighting 
 tooth and nail to prevent the tracks being laid in that part of tlie town, for 
 
362 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 fear of damage to their cattle and live stock, Major Cowles and Judge Brooks 
 were quietly urging the present layout. The Major was one of the Board of 
 Directors of the New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company from 1835 to 
 1840, and it must have been a proud moment for him when he saw the first 
 train of cars come puffing into the station in Meriden, in November, 1838.^ 
 This was as far as the trains ran until Saturday, December 14, 1839, when 
 the road was so far completed that a train was conducted from Belle Dock in 
 New Haven to the Engine House in Hartford. Some idea of the small 
 amount of business done by the railroad at first may be gained when it is 
 stated that the gross income from passengers and freight for the first nine 
 
 months was $24,000. 
 The first railroad 
 station in Meriden 
 stood on the east 
 side of the track a 
 little north of Main 
 street, but it was evi- 
 dently only a tempo- 
 rary affair, and 
 Rockey's History of 
 New Haven County 
 says it was located 
 in the Rogers block 
 from 1840 to 1842. 
 In the latter year it 
 was changed to the 
 rear part of what 
 was afterwards call- 
 ed Conklin's Hotel, 
 which fronted on 
 Main street, just 
 the street 
 the Rogers 
 
 across 
 from 
 
 MAJOR ELISIIA A. COWLES. 
 
 From an oil painting owned by his grand- 
 daughters, the Misses Churchill, of Berlin. 
 
 building. On Xo- 
 vember 18, 1853, 
 William Hale sold 
 to the railroad a 
 tract of land- which 
 had been his garden 
 plot and which we 
 now know as Winth- 
 rop Square, and in 
 the following year 
 the railroad com- 
 pany erected the 
 brick station on it 
 wdiich continued to 
 stand there and be 
 used for that purpose 
 until the present one, 
 on the other side of 
 the track, was ready 
 for occupancy, in 
 September, 1882. 
 Major Cowles 
 
 died in March, 1846, 
 
 leaving a good estate for a country town in those days. Judge James S. Brooks, 
 a much younger man, was a worthy coadjutor in Major Cowles' efiforts, and was 
 a director in the railroad from 1841 to 1863, and acted as president in 1856, and 
 signed the annual report as president in 1859. 
 
 1 Walter Stickney wa.'s a passenger on this train, which only came as far as Harbor Brook Crossing. 
 
 2 William Hale sold his garden plot to the railroad company for $3,000, and immediately placed 
 the sum with Curtis L. North for investment. On the very next day North failed, and thus another 
 man was added to the list of his victims. 
 
EAKI.V HISTORY. 363 
 
 Xaturallv, the location of tlic railroad track so far west of the center of the 
 town, drew business to what was then known as West Meriden, and eventually 
 the "Corner" became the real commercial center of Meriden, and the stage 
 coach line was soon driven dut of business by its steam competitor, and its 
 shares, which had once been deemed a securt- and profitabk' form ot in\est- 
 ment. soon became worthless. 
 
 Howell Merriman was another of the early Meriden merchants, and his 
 dwelling and store stood where the building now occupied by W. W. Mosher 
 is located. No. 13 Colony street: just to the left of his entrance may still be 
 seen a stone bearing the inscription, ''Howell ]\lerriiuan. June 1. 1827." W hen 
 he opened the store the writer has been unable to learn, but an examination of 
 his account book, written in a neat, legible style, reveals his methodical habits 
 and painstaking accuracy, and gives his inventory in 1831 and again in 1832, 
 and shows that he carried a stock of drv goods, notions and jewelr}': among 
 the latter articles are mentioned three diamonds. He continued in business 
 a number f>f years and finally entered a firm com]:)Osed of Joel I. and Henry 
 . Butler, located in the Collins building, wdio conducted a sort of j^rivate 
 bank, by discotinting notes and arranging the placing of loans. Mr. Merri- 
 nian^ was also interested in several of the local manufacturing ventures: he 
 died in 1858. 
 
 A picture of the business center, near the railroad station, in 1842, is shown 
 m the accompanying reproduction of a poster distributed to the traveling 
 public in that year by Nelson Merriam and Henry M. Foster. The observer 
 is supposed to be standing just south of where the Morse & Cook building is 
 now located, on the east side of the brook : on the extreme left is shown the 
 building which Major Cowles and Dr. Hough erected, now^ known as tlie 
 Rogers block, and for many years after the Major's death used by Hervey 
 Rogers as a hotel. Oi)posite stands the hotel just opened (says the poster), 
 and in front of it is waiting the stage coach to convey passengers to Middle- 
 town. This building was famous afterwards as Capt Conklin's hotel, and in 
 the rear, just behind the engine tender, can be read the words. "Railroad Re- 
 fectory:'' and tmder this sign was also the intr.inee lo the ticket office and 
 pa.ssenger station: upstairs in this annex, which was afterwards enlarged, was 
 the famous Conklin^ Hall, wdiere political caucuses and meetings were held. 
 Here also the young people held their balls anrl assend)lies. and here, too. the 
 hardene«l crinu'nal. or one who was bln^lu'ng for his first offence, was brought, 
 either defiant or humble, before the justice of the peace for trial. ^ Just to the 
 right of this hall in the backgroimd. stands the dwelling house and store of 
 
 1 Fathfr of Mrs. .John L. Btllanl. 
 
 2 Known later tLn Burdick's Hall. 
 
 3 I'p-town people at this time u-ied the old Aoidiniy hiill for .in assen)t>ly ronni. 
 

 
 
 i"^ > 
 
 
 ME RID EN, CONN. 
 
 
 Sill. 
 
 = I lie i^iiiis( iiii' r< n ~|irririilly nimoiinr'c In lljcir iViciids ;ui(l tlii' piihlic goni'mlly fliaf 
 
 I" I fills ni u niid s|.:i mil-, r<l;il>lisliiii:i)t, <'li;.rilil\ lociilid at llio Ifr/tol of tlio Hartford andJS'cir 
 
 I Jliiifii l/iiil llii.'il. U iiciu (ipin lor the reception of 4 'iiiiipaTiy. 
 "^ " Tlic House liiis Ik'i'ii riiiiuslic (I lliroii<ilioiil Willi \(\v I'lii'iiiliin, ami cvi-iv arran^'oinniit 
 
 IS liccii fiiailr to piiHiiolr llir loiiil'oil anil convciiiciM c ol" <iu('«ts. 
 Pm-ti<f*ilar atlnilioii will In' tlcvolnl to all i'(irlii.< ,if I'/rtiKiirc. 
 
 A HEFK<"r<>KV Is coniii ( Ifd with llic IFoiisc, wli.ii 'a \aii(lv of R< rirsliinoiits arc 
 pr<par.-fl fortlic an oninioilalioi. of 1V\SS|;.\(; i;i{ S U\ TUE ( VRS. 
 A .}rtnf Slum runs to ami from tliispla.o ami Midillctown daily 
 i.'iiiiil i'diiri iidiiiif arc always in ri-ailincs 
 
 '^1 I lias l.ccn fiiadr t 
 
 •I cr. 
 
 -»* = 
 
 carry I'lissciii^rrs to any of the adjoining 
 
 (ouiis. 
 
 Iv\ irv ilVort w ill lio made to render the IIousc worthy of a liheral sn])porl. 
 
 N. MERRIAMi, 
 H. M. FOSTER. 
 
 p. S. Superior arcoiiinio^lntions for .SVoi/iHiT- Travelers wishing to leave their Horses 
 foi- a l<-ii;.'tli of liiiH . may rely on having them well provided for. 
 
 1 
 
 iiifiiintiiniiiwnmiufiraiuumuiRiiiMmtiiimi^mfiJi 
 
i-:.\K 
 
 iiiSTdkV. 365 
 
 Howell Merriani. and on tlic extreme rii^lit of the i)icture is the freight station 
 of those clays. Capt. Conklin's hotel fronted nn what we now know as 
 Main street, but at that time called the W'aterhury and Southinj^ton turnpike: 
 the i)ictiire just misses showing; the- old wnoden bridge which formerly spanned 
 Harl»or brook, a little to the rig^ht of the tree, and over w hich the stage coach 
 will soon be rumbling and towards which the ducks in the brook are paddling. 
 
 Before Lewis & Holt's failure in 1S34. the brick block at the southeast corner 
 t)f luist Main and Inroad streets had been sold to a tirm named Potter 
 Shipinan <S: Lewis, and these gentlemen were carrying on a general mercantile 
 business in what was then the real center of .Meri(U-n: in 183^) the building 
 was bought by Eli C. Mirdsey,^ as well as the I'artrick Lewis residence, just 
 south of it. and for several years he conducted a successful dry goods estab- 
 lishment in the front ])art of the brick block, while Alanson IJirdsey carried on 
 a grocery store in the basement in the rear, with an entrance on Main street. 
 Eli C died in 1843. '^"^^ t^''^' business was then carried on by his son Linus and 
 John Ives, under the tirm name of llirdsey »S: Ives. Mr. Ives- afterwards went 
 into business by himself, and erected the brick block, in 1854, which he now 
 uses as a dwelling. Xo. 489 Broad street, and here conducted a dry goods es- 
 tablishment for many years: after the war he admitted Col. L'has. L. L^pham 
 and Philip C. Rand as partners, and later removed the lousiness to the building now 
 occu])ied by Howard I'ros., and later to the W'inthro]) Hotel block. 
 
 Another prominent nurch:int at the same time was Harrison W. Curtis. 
 who was also a tinware manufacturer and made his goods in sho])? back of 
 his house on the south corner of I'road and Charles streets. He first started 
 his hardware store in b^ranklin ilall, just after it was com])leted, in 1854.-^ but 
 .•^onie time after moved one of his tin shops to the northeast corner of East 
 Main and Center streets, and there installed his store and continued at that 
 stand until his death in 1869. The business was then bought by Birdsey & 
 Miles, and the present brm, Pirdsex (S; l\a\en, is a lineal successor. 
 
 Tn Franklin Hall was also located for a while the firm of X. P. Ives & Co., 
 which dealt in such a variety of merchandise that it included the finest kind of 
 Boston tripe at one end of the list. and. at the other, an unexcelled line of the 
 most improved farming utensils. 
 
 H. D. Basett built the brick block at the northeast corner of P.road and 
 East M.'tin streets, in 1857. and for many years be was there engaged in dis- 
 pensing groceries. 
 
 1 The present Ell C. i.s his son. 
 
 2 Mr. BIrdsey then took William .1. Ives as oartner. 
 .'< Built by Kussell Coe. 
 
EARLY HISTORY 
 
 367 
 
 The old Hough, or Central tavern, after the failure oi Partriek Lewis, had a 
 varietv of ups and do^vns, passinj^ through a suceession of hands. In 1837, 
 according' to a town vote, it was known as Smith's Hotel, and, whether due 
 to the quality of its liquor or to friction with the Church authorities, a special 
 town meeting voted to adjourn to the tavern and there wind up the matter that 
 had brought them together. After Mr. Smith had departed Evelyn Beck- 
 lev was proprietor, and he was followed by a Mr. Douglass and Ira Twiss. 
 In 1844 it was in the charge of a firm of partners named Andrews & Warren: 
 but the glory of the place was departing, and it finally degenerated into a 
 common drinking place. From the day the railroad was opened its doom 
 
 I r -e- ^i - PH -ryrxtyy 
 
 '"^Z- '^^^' 
 
 #1 I •■^---]>^s^i^i^...l ! 
 
 CURTIS L. NORTH S STORE. 
 
 Ns.t-. sealed, and could good old Dr. Insign Hough have returned to his former 
 haunts and beheld the low estate to which the tavern had descended, he would 
 have been the first to exclaim. "Ichal)o(l. th\- glorx- hath (k])arted !" I'o the 
 great relief of all, it ceased to be a ])lace of entertainment in 1873. 
 
 Mention has been made of the store on the Meriden House corner, con- 
 ducted by Major Cowles and Henry C. liutler. and their clerk, ("urtis L. 
 Xorth. .\ picture of the collection of buildings standing there in 185 1 is 
 shown in the annexed cuts. They are reproductions of illustrations that ap- 
 peared in the map of Meridrn of tliat date. Eventually Xorth became the 
 owner of the store: and as he was energetic, enterprising and shrewd, he 
 
368 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 built up a large business and added to it an insurance agency and so-called 
 private bank ; he was forceful, and gained a wide constituency, and became the 
 State agent for several large fire insurance companies, and his business extended 
 all over this section. 
 
 R. B. Loomis. now living in Hartford, was then a young man and in the em- 
 ploy of Mr. North, and has told the writer many facts relating to the 
 disaster which befell ^Nleriden through the mad course of Mr. North. Had 
 he possessed balance, and less recklessness, he would undoubtedly have had 
 a great career in the business world ; but he was unwise in his speculations, 
 and at last became involved in a quarrel with the Meriden bank, and on ac- 
 count of some fancied slight, he made the attempt to break the bank by buying 
 up all the notes of that institution that he could lay his hands on ; but unfor- 
 tunately his calculations were not carefully planned, and he succeeded only in 
 wrecking himself and friends. 
 
 Mr. North had been, apparently, a very religious man : he was a prominent 
 leader in prayer meetings, and his unctuous efforts in this direction so im- 
 pressed his fellow church members that to this cause, perhaps, we can ascribe 
 the fact that he drew into the maelstrom of his mad speculations and business 
 ventures Homer Curtiss, Mrs. Elisha A. Cowles, Luther Webb and a host of 
 others. Mr. Curtiss once said that "Mr. North's most successful ruse was to 
 visit the home of some friend, and engage in an earnest religious conversation, 
 which would be followed by an impressive prayer and supplication to the 
 throne of grace." Before departing, and while the odor of sanctity was 
 fairly oozing from his pores, he would ask for and usually obtain the endorse- 
 ment on a note which had been the mainspring of all this religious fervor. 
 
 At last the crash came, and ^leriden was astounded, and the state as well: 
 the following is from a diary of the oeriod :^ 
 
 "Saturday, Nov. 26, 1853. 
 
 The past week has been a deeply painful and gloomy one for our com- 
 munity. It seems as if the foundations of the business world were breaking 
 up. No less than seven failures have taken place within the past week, in- 
 cluding our most enterprising business men and some substantial citizens who 
 were considered rich, and were rich. And it is all occasioned by one man, 
 Curtis L. North, who, after pursuing a reckless course of hazardous business, 
 accompanied by great extravagance in living, has succeeded in drawing in 
 the means of a large number of persons who usually had a reputation for 
 sagacity and foresight : and so he has at length failed, and carried down with 
 him a host of others. During this week there have been the following fail- 
 
 1 Kept by the late George R. Curtis. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 369 
 
 iires: Curtis L. North, or the Mcriden Aijency Co.; P. J. Clark, Curtis, Mor- 
 gan & Co., Walter Webb, Luther R. Webb, Mrs. Rosetta Cowles and others 
 of less note ; of course the whole community is in a state of great excitement, 
 anil time will alone tell the tale." 
 
 This of course was written immediately after the event was known, and things 
 did not prove ciuite so black as then thought. 
 
 Mr. North erected the house now owned by Edmund A. Parker, corner of 
 \\ ashington and Colony streets, one of the best built d\vellings in Meriden. 
 His banking building had just been completed and the money was all sub- 
 scribed to begin business at the time of the failure.^ It stood on the site now 
 occupied by the Home National f'ank, but is not showm in the illustration, 
 which was made in 185 1. The picture shows, on the right, the insurance 
 office, which occupied a site where Circle Hall now stands, but it finally wan- 
 dered away to the north corner of Camp and Colony streets. (3n the corner 
 south of the insurance office is seen the dwelling- occupied by Mr. North until 
 he built his new house in 1853. This old dwelling, when the ^Meriden House 
 was built, slunk away, abashed, to Veteran street, and the banking house, at 
 a later date was moved to 38 W^est Main street, and is now used by John A. 
 'Hiomas to cater to the wants of sportsmen. Back of the insurance office, on 
 the hill, will be noticed the old Corner Schoolhouse, moved to King street 
 about 1868. Southwest of the dwelling, and on the west side of a sort of 
 half fpiadrangle stood Mr. North's store, which is seen in the second illustra- 
 tion, and it was here that he began business: at that time its front, dignified 
 by four scpiare columns, faced easterly, but when the Meriden House was 
 built it was turned at right angles to face Main slrccl. and it is now 1 loi)])ed 
 of its two wings), the store of F j. Wheeler who has occui)ied il since 1862. 
 
 Mr. North was never successful after his failure for an\- length of time, 
 although his plausibility and versatility sometimes gave him a seeming tem- 
 porary prosperit}-. He died a few years ago in abject ]io\erty. The fol- 
 lowing ap])cared in the Ri])ul)lican under date of Noxxmbcr 3. 1861). 
 
 "(urtis L. North, formerl\- of this city, and very well known among the old 
 residents of this place (some of them in fact knowing him too well for their 
 own ha])piness and pecuniary welfare, is now in llmoklyn. l)eing .'settled 
 down in the insurance business. His office is at the C(^rner of Fulton and 
 Broadway, New York. He is rapidly improving, and is sui)erintendent of a 
 
 1 Kxiract from diary of Mr.«. Benj. II. Catliii. This was known as Meriden Savings Dank and 
 tliiildlnK Association, and was continued after Xorth's failure. It was an institution somewhat like 
 "tir modern Building and I-ioan Associations. 
 
 IhiN house was built about 184.3 by Ezokiel A. Rice. who. for three or four years var the owner 
 me acre of sroimd at th\.< corner, which contained the .store. The latter was built bv Major 
 Hllsha A. Powlci, some years earlier. 
 
370 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Sunday school and a leading member of the church. He recently put a $500 
 bill in a potato and presented it to his pastor. 
 
 We understand that he is making money at the rate of $50,000 a year. He 
 informs his friends in Brooklyn that he has effected a satisfactory settlement 
 with his creditors here. 
 
 What say the victims — is it so?" 
 
 In the Connecticut W hig, a weekly newspaper, then published in Aleriden, 
 by the late Senator O. H. Piatt and R. W. Lewis, under date of January i. 
 1853, appears the notice that the project of building a new hotel is being 
 taken hold of with vigor, and the same paper tells us in September that the 
 Meriden House has been started and that A. S. Lawrence is building it for 
 a company of Meriden gentlemen. Funds were lacking, for a much better hotel 
 was being constructed than had originally been planned, and it was not fully 
 completed until 1855. It was opened on the evening of December 19, that 
 year, with a bancpiet, at which most of the prominent gentlemen in town were 
 present. J. S. Parmelee, who had been managing the McDonough House in 
 Middletown, was the first proprietor, and \Villiam AL Bates^ was the clerk. 
 
 It was deemed as good as any in the state, and the furnishings were con- 
 sidered very fine, and Meriden was justly proud of its new hotel. The first 
 gas plant in town was connected with it. a manufacturing plant and storage 
 tank eighteen feet in diameter having been built in the rear of the hotel for 
 supplying the means of illumination, and naturally its installation produced a 
 sensation in the community. But the hotel was really better than the de- 
 mands of the times warranted, and Air. Parmelee was compelled to close its 
 doors in November, 1856. It was opened again January 31, 1857, by Fred 
 W. Bartholomew, of Wallingford, Mr. Bates lending his assistance to see that 
 it was started under favorable auspices. It ran afterwards, spasmodically, 
 under a succession of proprietors, which included W. Lilley and Wni. H. 
 Crossnian, until Stephen J. Ives took the managenu'nt, and then it stark'd 
 on a successful career for a number of years. In 1881 a fire damaged the 
 top floor, and when the building was repaired it was leased for offices for 
 two or three years. In 1885 it w^as bought by A\'illiam B. H-es, who replaced 
 the story that had been destroyed, and again rented it for an hotel, first to D. 
 W. Crippen and then to Lohman & Sinclair. For the last twelve years E. 
 M. Smith has been the tenant, and has conducted a successful and popular 
 house of entertainment. 
 
 1 Mr. Bates, who has given the writer the above facts, went from here to the Scovill House in 
 Waterbury, and from there to various prominent hotels in this country, at first as clerk, and later as 
 manager or owner ; they include St. Nicholas, New York ; Ocean House, Newport : Congress Hall, 
 Saratoga ; Fifth Avenue Hotel, New York ; New Southern, St. Louis, and for the past 12 year.s has 
 been proprietor of Everett House, New York, and will have the Belmont when campleted. 
 
E.\KI.^' HISTORY. 371 
 
 The year 1853 was a busy Diie in the buildino- line in Meriden : during the 
 <lecade from 1850 to i860 the town more than doubled in population, rising 
 from 3.559 to 7,426, and better and more numerous quarters were needed in 
 cverv line of busine^>^. Tlie Whig for .\i)ril 14. 1853, in an artiele entitled 
 ••r.uilding in Meriden" sa_\s. "the new building of the Messrs. Collins is nearly 
 finished. It is three stories high. l)uilt of brick ; the south half of the first 
 stt)r\- is occupied by the Messrs. Collins, and the store on the north end is 
 occupied by Charles Rlanchard as a clothing establishment : a small store 
 near the center on the west side is being fitted up for a jeweler's shop to be 
 occupied Ijy Samuel Dunham." The Messrs. Collins were Aaron L. and 
 Charles H., who carried on the grocery business here for a while, having at 
 I me time been located in the old Curtis L. Xorth building : the firm was later 
 known as Collins & Brooks. D. F. Southwick,^ at a later date, was selling 
 boots and shoes in this building. (?)n the second floor were locatetl the 
 rooms of the Young ]Men's Institute, immediately after its organization, and 
 tluy continued to be put to that use until the Town Hall was completed in 
 1855. 'I'hen, the Institute moving into (juarters in tliat building provided for it, 
 the Home Bank, just organized (Nov., 1855), moved into the vacated rooms 
 in the Collins block. O. H. Piatt's offices were also on the same floor for a 
 while. .\t a later date the store on the south side, where the Messrs. Collins 
 had Ijeen located, was for a time the home of the post oftice. with one en- 
 trance on Colonv street and a second on the Main street side, by means of an 
 iron stairwav leading to a balconv. Tin- l)uil(ling ^vas ])()])ular as a stand l)e- 
 cause so central: it was destroyed by the great fire of .March (^ 1864. and the 
 I-i'wis &: Hall block now occupies the same site, at the east corner of Colony 
 and Main streets; but tlie Collins l)uil(ling extended C(insi(leral)l\- further north 
 than its successor. 
 
 "J'he newspaper article just (|Uoted also states that "L'urtis L. Xorth's 
 splendid house is now com])leted and he is engaged in beaiUifying his groiuids." 
 This was hardly mon.- than six momhs before his failure. 
 
 Another ])oi)ular building at this ])eri(Ml was thr brick l)lock known as 
 Andrews' Exchange, whicli stood where the ( i. .\. I\. Iiall is now located: it 
 was perliajjs erected in the _\ear 1S30, and in it tlie owiur. Almon .\n(h-ews, 
 had a hardware store; but. as in i83_| br liad built ,1 sicam grist mill on I'.rooks 
 >tri.-et, at a spot now occu])ied by the north end of the .\k-riden I'.ritannia Co. 
 l)lant. he sold his hardware business to .\ewlon 1'. Ilart. wl-,o condu.cted r|uite 
 an extensive store in the same line, and added to it a drug de])artment. and 
 
 1 In 1S.58 C. H. Collin.s aflverti.'^es that Ix- him opciu-d a boot ami shoe .store in the north .store, where 
 rhas. Blanchard had conducted the clothing establishment, and Mr. Southwirk must have succeeded 
 him some rears later. In ].S.=iS Sannn'l Tiniilinm .■ulvt-riisos that he has nponiMl up a .ipwe'rv s-hop 
 iWT d'>ors west of TUch Sthool a\eiuc 
 
372 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 later took a partner, B. P. Foote, while in the south half of the building (where 
 H. C. & J. I. Butler had carried on the grocery business, under the name of 
 Butler & Butler) Henry Stedman was attempting to rival the Messrs. Collins 
 in catering to those who needed provisions of all kinds. He was compelled 
 to make an assignment in 1856, and the business was bought by Henry T. 
 Wilcox. Mr. Hart believed in the efificacy of advertising, for the newspapers 
 of the period contained in each issue a column setting forth the merits and 
 variety of the merchandise he was offering to the "selection of a judicious and 
 discriminating public," and he was evidently one of the most prominent of 
 Meriden's merchants of that period. He is still living, and resides in Engle- 
 wood, one of Chicago's suburbs. This building was also destroyed by the 
 fire of 1864, and the present one was erected by H. T. Wilcox shortly after. 
 
 The building known as No. 2 West Main street, at present owned by the 
 Wilcox Realty Co., and now occupied by Griswold, Richmond & Clock Co., 
 was erected about the year 185 1 by the late Horace C. Wilcox, who had not 
 long before started in business with his brother, Dennis C, and had already 
 begun to show that indomitable push and energy which was later to make 
 him such a factor in the growth and enterprise of Meriden : in 1853 the east 
 half of the first floor of this block w-as leased by him as an office to the Meri- 
 den Britannia Co., which had just been organized, while in 1854 the other side 
 contained the jewelry store of F. A. Grover, but which had been replaced in 
 1857 by the tailor shop of J. H. Stevens, who had moved there from the west 
 store in the Rogers block, across the street to the east: he had been in Meriden 
 only a short time and was trying to impress on the Meriden public that Lewis 
 S. Green was not the only tailor in the world. Mr. Stevens was of a jovial 
 nature and popular, and became a well known character, and for many years 
 continued to clothe the forms of those of the masculine gender, apparently to 
 the satisfaction of his customers if not to that of his rivals. The earliest 
 advertisement in a newspaper that the writer remembers to have noticed, 
 probably on account of its constant repetition in invariably the same words 
 and arrangement, was an announcement which continued to occupy a con- 
 spicuous place in the daily press for at least twenty years, and ran precisely 
 as follows "Still they come, more new goods, cheap for cash, warranted to fit. J. 
 H. Stevens." This continual refrain so impressed itself on the boyish imagi- 
 nation that the belief became fixed that Mr. Stevens would never be able to find 
 a place large enough to store all these new goods, which fancy pictured as con- 
 stantly being dumped into his place of business by an unending procession of ex- 
 pressmen. 
 
 Upstairs on the top floor in this Wilcox block, Chas. Page in 1855 had opened 
 a studio for the production of daguerreotypes, or rather ambrotypes, as what was 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 373 
 
 considered to be an advance in the photographer's art was then called, and the 
 second floor was supporting the printing press, and furnishing a place of seclu- 
 sion for the editor of the "Meriden Observer." and William H. Green, a skilled 
 draughtsman and engraver, (who had come to this country in company with Frank 
 Leslie of illustrated newspaper fame) was furnishing in an adjoining room il- 
 histrations of their goods for various manufacturers of Meriden. 
 
 Just west of this block was a frame house painted white which had been the 
 home of Major Cowles and which Mr. Wilcox was then using as his dwellins"; 
 a long stretch of lawn, ornamented with a rustic summer house and a flower 
 garden separated this house from the home of Mrs. Rosetta Cowles, the widow of 
 the ]\Iajor, which she and her brother. Dr. Isaac I. Hough, had lately built ; in it 
 were also living at this time Henry C. Butler and his family, and his daughter, 
 Miss Lucy T., had just been married to William L. Squire (June i8, 1856), and af- 
 ter a notice of the wedding ceremony the editor of the Meriden Transcript had 
 inserted "The Printer tenders his thanks for being generously remembered in the 
 distribution of cake." 
 
 This house, greatly altered, still stands in its original location, 20 West Main 
 street, just west of the First National Bank building, and in one section of it Al- 
 bert Babb now dispenses druggists' supplies. 
 
 A little west of this in a building which has given place to the brick block in 
 which Louis H. Church and James F. Gill are serving the public in Nos. 30 
 and 7,2 West Main street, F. E. Hinman^ was selling books and stationery and 
 manipulating a hand power printing press in the rear, and just west of this stood 
 another small building in which Joel H. Guy kept the W^est Meriden post office 
 when the fortunes of the political world had not sent it across the street into the 
 keeping of Noah A. Linsley as happened now and then. ?\Ir. Guy's dwelling house 
 stood immediately west of this building, and in it was the first home of the Meri- 
 den Savings Bank ; it stayed there for a year or two and then moved uptown to 
 Franklin Hall ; the dwelling house now stands on Morgan street, the ])resent large 
 white house, 34 West Main street, having taken its place on the first site. 
 
 Across the street, on the west corner of High School avenue, was a store in 
 which Ward Coe was tr\ing in rival Aarnii L. and C. H. Collins in the grocery 
 line, and on the corner just east in the brick block now known as Lewis' but then 
 owned by Levi P>radley, R. L. Webb was selling confectionery in the west store. 
 later succeeded by W^illiam 1>. .^mith in tlie same line, until he moved to Colony 
 street, while in 1854 Stocking & Church were occu])ying the east side of this 
 P>radley block with a selection of novelties and notions running from harmonicas to 
 bird cages. Walter Tlul)l)ar(l ( who was later lo ])nil(l u]) witli N. L. Bradley the 
 
 1 When Mr. Tlinman publisliid Mr. Perkins' Hi.-toriral Skrtchos of Mcricien. 1S40. lie was located in 
 the Rogers block, and a little later he was doing business in a little printing shop which stood about 
 where Howard lirothors" store is situated, Xo. 7 Colony. 
 
374 -'^ CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 great nianiifactr.ring' plant of Bradley & Hubbard ^Ifg. Co.), was also located in 
 this store for a while with a line of dry goods. 
 
 East of this block at Xo. 21 where R. C. ^lorse's tailoring shop is now located 
 and in the same building, Lewis S. Green was carrying on the same line of bus- 
 iness, and as he was well liked and hospitable and fond of hearing the talk of the 
 day, his tailor shop became the rendezvous of those who had a new story to tell, 
 a little gossip to retail, a new scheme to unfold or desired to pass an idle hour free 
 from the cares of business. This little building must have been well crowded with 
 business for during several years Noah Linsley occupied the same store with Green 
 in dispensing boots and shoes while dow'n stairs in the basement in 1854 C. A. 
 Hotchkiss was serving what he called the "Aleriden Lunch," and in 1856 in the 
 same place C. W. Bradley, with less patriotism in nomenclature, was running a 
 plain "eating saloon," but which he flattered himself "could not be excelled in Mer- 
 iden in the variety and excellence of its viands." 
 
 Li the block now occupied by F. J. Wheeler, 17-19 West Alain street, which 
 has already been described as the Curtis L. North store, after the Meriden House 
 had been built, and this building had been fronted on !\Iain street, S. B. Parmelee 
 in 1855 advertises that he has opened a grocery store; but he w^as soon succeeded 
 by D. & N. G. Miller with a large stock of dry goods, and there they continued 
 until 1862. 
 
 The Meriden House block was, of course, considered a fine stand for merchants, 
 and in 1854, A. Birdsey & Co., who had been located in the east part of the Bird- 
 sey block, corner of East Main and Broad streets, and being impressed by the well- 
 worn epigram of Bishop Berkeley that "westward the course of empire takes its 
 way" had finally yielded to the inevitable and rented the north store in the new 
 hotel block, on Colony street, where P. T. Ives now tempts the eye with a glitter- 
 ing array of gold and silver novelties. Mr. Birdsey opened with a stock of cloth- 
 ing and just north of him in the building where Adam Orr now sells meats and 
 vegetables, William B. Smith was selling in 1856 ice cream and all sorts of delec- 
 table sweets. 
 
 In the Meriden House block just south of A. Birdsey & Co. in the corner store 
 was located A. C. Wetmore shortly succeeded by Charles P. Colt with an attrac- 
 tive line of dry goods. 
 
 In the same block in the store now occupied by the Western L^nion Telegraph 
 ofifice, Edwin L. Yale was selling newspapers and periodicals of the dav and soon 
 succeeded by Julius Ives with a stock of merchandise which he was selling under 
 the sign of Cash & Exchange Grocery store, and the west store was occupied by 
 Morris Levy with a line of ready-made clothing, and when he got through, the 
 room was used by the hotel as a billiard parlor. 
 
 The banking building which had been erected by Curtis L. North just previous 
 to his failure, on Colony street next to Church street, stood there several years 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 375 
 
 lirc-vioiis to its removal to West Main street as has been deseribed elsewhere, and 
 when the Home JJank deciiled to elimb down and out of the Collins bloek they 
 moved into this ill-fated structure and stayed there until 1863 when they built the 
 present banking- house. 
 
 Xorth of this was the First Congregational church, presenting its dignified 
 front, graced by a pediment supported by six Corinthian columns and crowned by 
 a spire of pleasing proportions, and on the lot north, where the W'inthrop Hotel 
 now stands, was the dwelling house of the widow Cordelia Couch who vied with 
 Mrs. Merriam of Broad street in producing in her millinery parlors those fasci- 
 nating creations so dear to the feminine heart and still more dear to the masculine 
 pocketbook. 
 
 ( )n the other side of the street where the liyxbee House block now stands was 
 located the homestead of William Hale, which he bought in 1846 of Richard X. 
 Dowd: the property included half an acre and we have already noted that he sold 
 his garden plot to the railroad companx in 1853. Mr. Hale began the manufac- 
 ture of si's])enders in the rear ])art of the house, and after a few years finding his 
 business ra])idly increasing, built a shop east of the house and fronting on the 
 railroad track: having begun to make carpet bags also he took into partnership 
 about 1852 Hezekiah H. Miller and Edwin H. Loomis. He sold the carpet bag' 
 business in 1855 to Jedediah Wilcox who had begun business in the same line 
 some years previously in a shop which stood where the house of L. C". Urown is- 
 ntnv Uicated at X'^o. 842 Broad street : from thence he had moved to a factory which 
 he had erected in the triangle formed b\ the junction of Pratt and Camp streets,. 
 and afterwards building a shop where the Wilcox Silver Plate Co. plant is now 
 located, in order to accommodate his new line of balmorals and hoop skirts. .Mr. 
 Miller went into company with Mr. Wilcox when he bought the carpet bag busi- 
 ness, and Mr. Hale contimed in his own shop, taking into partnership J- S. Xor- 
 ton. Sr., and making tape measm-es and also sewing-birds, once such an indispens- 
 able requisite to a woman's work table. Mr. Hale subsequently sold the plant and 
 house to Mr. X'orton and bought the .Meriden House which he made his home 
 until his death. .Mr. Xtjrton finally sold the sho]) and business to the I'.radlex «^ 
 Hubbard Co. and l;oth house and shop were destroyed by fire as described on a 
 -'ibse(|uent i)age. 
 
 ft has already been mentioned that the Rogers block was erected b\- Major 
 C«iwles in 1840 and sold by Mrs. Cowles to ller\<.\ Rogers in i84(). The latter 
 siibse(|uently enlarged the Iniilding .and raised it. making the roof flat and there 
 Was complaint at the time that he liad encroached ini the liigliwax. When Ceorge 
 S. Jeffrey came to Meriden al)out 1851 he found the north front of the ground 
 fl(H^r of this block occupied as a barber sho]) by I'^ldridge Jones. Jones^ was the es- 
 
 1 On pa^c 25.S it is ttated that the names of Uie two fugitive .■.^laves, to whom Homer Curtiss gave 
 Rbpller. were Eldridge and .Tones. The person who gave the information was in error. "Lon" 
 .leffrey oays one was named Eldridge Jones, the other Hinton Foster. 
 
3/6 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 caped slave who had come to Meriden and received shelter from Homer Curtiss. 
 Although the son of a colored woman his father was said to have been the brother 
 of James K. Polk, president of the United States. Mr. Jeffrey stayed with Jones 
 a few months as an employee and then left Meriden : returning in a year or so 
 he found Jones had moved his shop to the Conklin hotel across the street in the 
 rear part where we have noted the words "Railroad Refectory." 
 
 The hotel was at that time under the management of Peter Near and later his 
 wife. Mr. Jeffrey worked for Jones two or three years and then bought him oui 
 (the latter moving to Springfield) and after a time Mr. Jeffrey moved his barber 
 shop, first to where Adam Orr is now located on Colony street ; then to Wilcox 
 block, No. 2 West Main street, and later to the Rogers block on the second floor, 
 and there continued a number of years and many will remember the large emblaz- 
 oned poster which used to stare one in the face when reclining in one of the barber 
 chairs : it read as follows : "It chills my blood to hear the great Supreme rudely ap- 
 pealed to on such trifling themes. Maintain }our rank, profanity despise : to swear 
 is neither brave, polite, nor wise." 
 
 This sign was placed there after a scene which occurred one day when the late 
 Rev. Dr. Giles H. Deshon and Edwin E. Curtis were in the shop to have their un- 
 necessary hirsute growth removed. A couple of young men or boys, happening 
 to be there at the same time, were indulging in a most foolish and unreasonable 
 display of profanity. The doctor could stand it for a short time only and turned 
 and rebuked the young men ; and then Mr. Jeffrey, impressed by the weight of 
 the doctor's remarks, erected the sign. 
 
 To return to the Rogers block: in 1854 E. Levy was carrying on the clothing 
 business in one of the stores and in the other J. R. Clark & Co. were selling hats 
 and caps, and C. F. Atwood was using part of the room as a periodical and news 
 stand and at one time Asahel Curtis, Jr., was there selling cigars and tobacco; as 
 already noted J. H. Stevens was also for a short time selling his wonderful accunui- 
 lation of "new goods" in this building. 
 
 In the Meriden Recorder for Sept. 10, 1870, we read that C. Rogers & Bros, 
 (sons of Hervey Rogers) are about to retire from the hotel business and wish to 
 dispose of the building and in the issue of September 26 following it is announced 
 that the establishment is closed. On the 6th of the next month we read that "the 
 Rogers Brothers have leased their hotel to the Smith Brothers for five years. The 
 lessees will move their hair dressing establishment to the building and continue the 
 hotel as heretofore." 
 
 Where Grant's tea store is located in Paddock's block on the corner of State 
 and Main streets was a building-^ in which Merriam & Blakeslee manufactured and 
 
 1 Judging from a deed to the Hartford and New Haven Railroad in 1836. this same building or site 
 was occupied at that time by a firm called Tibbals, Brooks & Co., manufacturers : composed of Elisha A. 
 Cowles, Walter Booth, James S. Brooks and Isaac I. Tibbals. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 377 
 
 sold tinware, and nnder it was a drug store and just a little further east was 
 W'illmot's "furniture emporium" while across the street in the block bounded by 
 I'erkins, Main and South Colony streets and the railroad track was the lumber 
 \ard of L}man Clark, and south of it where Saleski's fruit store now stands was 
 his steam sawmill. 
 
 During this growing and developing period there hatl been formed a partner- 
 ship know'n as Lyon & Billard, composed of George W. Lyon and John D. Bil- 
 lard, who had started in business in 1847 on Butler street. They were burned 
 out and at the time in question had settled down in the locality wdiere the corpo- 
 ration known by that name still has its headquarters except that its growth has 
 largely extended the original premises. 
 
 .Many, in fact probably a majority of the buildings mentioned in this mid-cen- 
 tury period, were erected by this enterprising firm. 
 
 -Many will remember the old w'ooden bridge that once spanned Harbor brook 
 at the Main street crossing : the brook must run under a part of Grant's tea store 
 on the north side and directly beneath Maurice O'Brien's market on the south, but 
 the stream is now^ so completely hidden by bridge and buildings that it is difficult 
 to give exact locations. In the Recorder for May 20, 1864, we read "as will be 
 seen by our report of the town meeting, it was voted last Saturday to have a sub- 
 -stantial stone arched bridge across the Harbor Brook, on Main street. The new 
 bridge is to be sixty-six feet wide or twenty-eight feet wdder than the present 
 bridge. It is to be completed during the coming summer and autunm and is to 
 cost a sum not exceeding three thousand dollars." 
 
 Before leaving this description of the business center of the village of Meriden 
 between the years 1850-1860, we must not forget one -of the ineradicable features 
 which remain in the minds of every one wdio has a recollection of those days. 
 
 In the junction of Main and Colony streets stood an elm tree, a sign post, a hay 
 >cales and a pump communicating with the well dug l)y John Merriam so long ago. 
 
 According to a letter which a])pcared in the Meriden Repul)lican on ."September 
 5. 1868. from William J. Screen, this elm tree w'as planted b\ him in 1834 at the 
 request of Dr. Isaac I. Hough. ]\Ir. Screen found the elm in ilie woodland near 
 Cat Hole pass and dug the hole for it in the junction of the two roads, while Dr. 
 Hough trimmed the branches to the proper portions: anrl then it was planted while 
 Dr. Hough stood by and directed the work and linall\ paid all bills. There the 
 tree continued to grow and llouri>h until it was scorched and badly damaged bv the 
 L^Tcat fire of March 9, 1864. 
 
 It was hoped that a few }ears wimlil enable the tree to overciMiie the damage, 
 but in 1868 it was determined to take it down and its valedictory appeared in the 
 Republican as follows : "The tree was j^lanted and grew as the city grew, and as 
 the city throve and as manufactories arose, so did the elm spread forth its branches 
 and increase in beauty and in strength. Under its ample shade stuni]) speakers 
 
3/8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 have orated, lecturers have lectured, divines have held forth, and quacks have 
 gulled the public and carried thousands of dollars from the town. When the ped- 
 dlers of the future flock to the usual trysting place they will find it no more! their 
 profit as well as its glory has departed." On Aug. 22, 1868, the same paper says 
 that "stern necessity has compelled the removal of the old elm tree from the middle 
 of our most crowded thoroughfare and in view of the immediate removal of the 
 obnoxious old pump and sign post everybody is pleased with the change." 
 
 The temperance movement^ which for some time had agitated the communitv 
 finally crystallized into the establishment of what was called the Young Men's In- 
 stitute. The first meeting was held Feb. 2, 1853, in the lecture room that stood 
 in the rear of the First Congregational church. It at once became popular, for the 
 membership embraced the most influential of the young men of Aleriden and 
 many of those of riper years : attractive rooms were fitted up in the Collins block 
 and weekly meetings were held, at which debates took place and a series of lec- 
 tures was given each year in the town hall or other convenient places. Many of 
 the most prominent speakers of the country were among the lecturers and the in- 
 stitution became a great help, giving young men a chance to acquire knowledge 
 and information who would otherwise have had perhaps no inclination or at least 
 opportunity to come in contact with the best thought of the time. A library of 
 several hundred volumes was contained in the rooms and the influence of the In- 
 stitute was felt in many ways through the whole community. As already stated, 
 the rooms were changed to the town hall in 1855 and it was maintained for per- 
 haps a dozen or fifteen years, and when at last it ceased to exist the books were 
 inherited by the Y. M. C. A. 
 
 Before 1849 .Ufln^s Andrews had opened a place of amusement and recreation 
 known as Hemlock Grove, which speedily became very popular ; indeed it is not 
 so many years ago since the Grove was still a popular place of resort, where Sun- 
 day school picnics were held and various societies and organizations availed them- 
 selves of the attractions afforded bv its grateful shade and novel entertainments. 
 
 1 To show to what extremes the temperance movement was once carried in this town, the following 
 vote is quoted, passed at a town meeting held June 3, 1842 : 
 
 "Eesoh^ed, That whereas the unlimited sale of Ardent spirits is, in our opinion, injurious to the 
 purchaser, and the cause of a great proportion of our poor Taxes, and that the sale is. in our opinion, 
 a source of considerable profit to the seller, we are therefore of opinion that all profit arising from 
 the sale should go into the Town Treasury to help pay our poor rates : we, therefore, the Inhabitants 
 of this Town would authorize the Civil authority and Selectmen to appoint some suitable person to be 
 furnished by tlie said Selectmen with a good article of Spiritous Liquors and Wines to be sold on ac- 
 count of the town, and the profits arising from said sale shall be paid into the Treasury of the Town, 
 and that the persons so authorized shall be required to keep a record of the quantity sold, the quantity 
 purchased by each individual, with their names, and a true report made to the next annual meeting of 
 this Town." Vote was adopted, ayes 85, nays 57. 
 
 Shortly afterwards the question again came up, because tlie previous act had not been properly 
 enforced by the Selectmen, and, naturally, the pendulum swinging the other way, a vote was proposed 
 which authorized any inhabitant to have liberty of using or vending spirituous liquors. The re.'iolu- 
 tion stood, ayes 64 and nays 64. The moderator. Fenner Bush, then cast a negative vote and the 
 resolution was defeated. 
 
F.ARLV HlSKiRV. 37y 
 
 III ilx- Connecticut Whii,>- of (Jctol^er 20, 1S52. a])])cars the tollnwini;- advertisc- 
 niciil : 
 
 ■■ r.i iwlini;" I I'xiulini;' ! 
 
 Till- Lovers of tliis healiliful and a-rccahlc exercise are respectfully informed 
 that the far-famed 
 
 Hemlock (Irove Alleys! 
 
 arc o])en to the public every day and evening" in the year (Sundays excepted). 
 The establishment is conducted on strictly temperance princi])les and nothing- 
 is neglected that will contribute to the comfort of those who may favor it with 
 their calls. " 
 
 ' >n page 380 is a reduced facsimile of a poster issued in 1857 which, in glow- 
 iig words, pictures the attractions of the ])lace and gives an idea of how popular 
 the resort had become. 
 
 Another place of resort was on West Peak where attractions had been placed 
 it <!rew a multitude of nature's admirers. 
 In the Whig of February 19. 1853. we are toM that 
 
 "Mr. W. J. Cadwell of Hanover, is, we understand, engaged in an enterprise 
 which will make the 'Hanging Hills of Meriden," and especially West Peak, as 
 familiar as 'household words." He is constructing a road from the \\'aterbur\- 
 turni)ike to the summit of the Peak, which w ill be of so easy a grade the ascent w ill 
 scarcely lie felt. A house is to be erected on the Peak, and a telescope of great 
 power, which is now being manufactured in Xew York, at a cost of $800. will be 
 mounted on a revolving pedestal, afTording a view scarcely surpassed in extent. 
 varietN of scenery and beauty. With West Peak, Hemlock Grove and Cold Spring 
 •■ e >shall have summer resorts superior to any inland town in Xew Knghnid." 
 
 I he house was duly completed and the telescope installed; but the next year 
 was being conducted by A. J. Hills and for .several years it was one of the at- 
 tracti(;tns of the town. It was destroyet! l)y tire all of fortv years ago. 
 
 Capt. ( ieo. 75. Conklin, who for several years owned anil managed the .Meriden 
 Hotel already described, afterwards disposed of it to Peter Xear and his wife, who 
 maintained it for a numl)er of years. Captain Conklin. h<iwever, did not intend 
 to give up the hotel business but had larger ambitions than could be satisfied by 
 the hotel at the c<»rner of Railroad avenue and Main street. In the Whig of Jul\- 
 iH^^. appears the following under the column entitled I'.revities and Xews Items. 
 
 "told .spring I louse 
 
 ' )ne of the finest retreats in the cnuntry is at told ."^|)ring. ("a])l. Conklin has 
 just finished his fine House, on an eminence near the spring, commanding a fine 
 
380 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 view of a large tract of country, and himself and lady are prepared to receive and 
 entertain visitors. The ice left in the glens, the wild scenery, the beautiful drives 
 in the neighborhood, combine to make it attractive to all. Call and see the cap- 
 tain at his home, and taste his bountv and humor." 
 
 HEMLOCK 
 
 GBOIE. 
 
 The abovr nanird Urove l« open for t iolrors nnd r*r Ihr arranimodalioDor Escuroion and Pir 3(ic 
 
 ■"^"THAT OLD ABM CHAIR" 
 
 aod each of (he lev»er oue« is a- intilins as ever. The 
 
 is situated in the lirox— (be »aler ^ni«he« from the eretiee ora large rock nhirh it is suggested 
 Moses smote nhen he naierrd the igfaeliten during llieir forlj jears nanderings furnishes an 
 abundance of the material nhieh makes X.rmona«f<> no ?oorf. 
 
 That COMET did not hit our REVOLVER, 
 
 We iiiran llic Rr>ahln|{ Snluu, anil xe are liiip|.> lo loTorni our iiuiiierou* friends thai II la a« eooj as iie». 
 Inn-e rccentl,v been put in "/</» Jop" order as «/l nho use them can lestlfj. 
 
 ■ii— a v..-,-«. •™iB«'-«.v ..> Nfcj^Mv^s >Tr:r;'» > iMMti^ ggE5^ ^ ■aaiBfea ig'S Ngsv^tsao*' Tii>ii*m\hij r^ ^^:: v- — ? e j 
 
 Owr Pic NIc eroiintl iwcap^le of ahcHerlnc l«,«0Oi*fr*OH<>iiultT it-i leafv cnnopv. Aii» KelKinuN St>cif(%. or SiiMi.Vlli 
 ^boolf or any of the HtibUc Silioob in tonii cuii haie ilir U4^'of'> ATI REH^^I.^LL, nt any lioif frffrn not btherwNe ea- 
 Si«ed,ft^ or charge. 
 
 "EVERY DAY BRINGS SOMETH NC NEW" 
 
 A DANCING B0AR:D 
 
 ca|Mble of accotomfxtatlf]]; the crowd, haa been added to the vther attrarllont r>r fhi§ famous resorL Parties wishhig our 
 Vic NIc grouod or Dancing Board should make appllcallqn Id iteasoo lo present diBappointiueiil. 
 
 Th^ O. B. B% will dlsrour^e Mweel mu*tir if applied to In !%ea<«on. 
 
 Omr JItUitary PrUnda are lelWrned thnf we hinr a Tnrcrl i;r«uud m hicli defies eompelltfon a» lo location, ahade AC 
 The JHeHden Light OuartU are respecttull; inforiued that It In at Ibeir service free of charge, at any lime when not 
 Cttgaged. PedlarM Hill doK be allowed on the crounds with their '*lrap«" without a permit from llfr subscriber. 
 
 Merfideii, June I84T. OOr Motto— ''Ftrst come first served." Jl'LllS ANDREWS. 
 
 ^ 
 
 This building" is now known as the old poor house, having been abandoned 
 -when the present "Cold Spring Home" was built a few years ago. It was Capt. 
 Conklin's desire to make a resort that would be patronized by people of New York 
 .-and other large places seeking a spot for rest and recreation, and indeed, in those 
 
EAKLV lIISHtRV. 381 
 
 days it was a romantic and charming place ; the Captain had hniU a rnstic stone 
 bowling: alley and the spring at that time was celebrated on account of the great 
 coldness of its waters ; for a number of years it was a place of resort for Aleriden 
 people, and it also seems to have had a New York clientage.^ 
 
 The property was acquired by the town about i860. The writer is in posses- 
 sion of a iliary of the period which gives accounts of excursions and picnics of the 
 \oung peojjle of that day and the names of Hemlock Grove, Conklin's Cold S]iring 
 House and Hill's ^^'est Peak House occur fre(|uently in its pages. 
 
 It seems to have been in the period just mentioned that the attempt was begun 
 to induce the public to buy l)uilding lots in that ])ortion of Meriden known for 
 !uany years as New City. 
 
 If there is crystallized truth in the aphorism of ^Montesquieu stating that 
 "Happy the people whose annals are blank in history -books" then Meriden must 
 have been a very happy place during these and succeeding years. The town was 
 growing rapidly and the people were prosperous but its history has made little im- 
 pression on the memory of those living. 
 
 The pages following are mostly gleaned from the diaries and newspapers of the 
 period and while there is nothing startling to cull from the different sources, a 
 fair idea of the events of succeeding years can be gained in this wav. 
 
 In an issue of the Whig dated Sept. 15, 1853, attention is called to the rapidity 
 of the work in constructing the State Reform School building ; the location of the 
 
 1 The following, taken from the Weekly Recorder, .June 22, 1864, gives an idea of the place before- 
 ftK glory had departed : 
 
 ■T'old Spring, in the western part of the town, under the great mountain, has from time im- 
 
 •i ••morial been a place of local resort, and has acquired some distinction abroad as a watering place. 
 
 •• twelve vears ago a large hotel was here built and, for two .seasons, kept as the Cold Spring 
 
 i-^e. The number of boarders were comparatively few, mainly New York celebrities, who could 
 
 opre pa.s« away a few weeks pleasantly, amused with the natural beauty and romance of the place — 
 
 with a drive on the .spacious race course — with rolling "nine-pins" in the "cobble-stone" bowling 
 
 saloon, or drinking mint juleps and .sherry cobblers concocted from the cool, sparkling water that 
 
 poured forth from the iced .spring beneath. But the Cold Spring House proved unprofitable as a 
 
 'I, and, aftfr exchanging hands, proprietors, occupants and inmates, times numerous, finally, with 
 
 kirounds. became the property of the town of Meriden, and here, for the three years preceding the 
 
 ' of .January last. Mr. Nathan Fenn, a Connecticut Yankee, has cared for the poor of the town, 
 
 at the same time carried on a very extensive manufacture of brimstone matches, his shop being what 
 
 orifdnallv built for the bowling saloon of the Cold Spring Hou.se. Here he employs some fifteen 
 
 b<)vs and girls, and puts up about two thousand gro.ss of matches per month. Cold Spring is 
 
 i an outlet for the water which, during the summer, melts away from the large quantities of ice 
 
 remaUiUiK under the huge boulders of the Hanging Hills, and finds its way, under the surface of the 
 
 Rroiind. to this ,»lace. Strange as it may read to those who have not ocular evidence of the fad, it 
 
 18 none the less true that ice may he found around and under rocks in the vicinity of the spring through 
 
 the months of July and August ! Although the crop of Ice last winter was unusually small, vet Cold 
 
 Spring had Us due proportion ; and a visit to its natural, out-door "Ice-houses ' on one of the warmest 
 
 day* of last week, revealed Its plenteousness. The temperature of the various localities betrays 
 
 almoxt Instantly the whereabouts of the cooling luxury. Here the air about one will be as cool as that 
 
 of an ire hou.'-p. while at a yard's distance the heated atmosphere of a summers sun, in its sudden 
 
 l>r«-alh, !.•< alnio.>it oppres-^lve. Let those who are skeptical as to the existence of ice, in mid-summer, 
 
 Fn H natural surface, and exposed to the action of the elements, visit Cold Spring and satisfy them- 
 i)..-- ,,f ..t rf-ality." 
 
382 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 institution in Meriden having shortly before been determined by the legislature ; 
 mention is made also of the new factory being erected for the Meriden Machine 
 Company ; it is now occupied by j\I. B. Schenck & Co. ; the work on the new hotel 
 now called the ]\Ieriden House is described : attention is called to the new brick 
 store that John Ives is building on Broad street then called South Market street. 
 And again the article speaks of the residence which is being constructed for Charles 
 P. Colt on Colony street, which until a short time ago was the home of Major J. A. 
 
 OLD TOWN HALL. 
 
 Hurley: another dwelling, mentioned as partly built, is one that is to be the home 
 of Hiram Butler, which is modeled on the style of a southern villa : it is to-day 
 the homestead of Judge James P. Piatt: and Franklin Hall, a brick block, until 
 a few years ago standing immediately north of the Center Congregational church, 
 v^as another building mentioned. 
 
 At a town meeting held April 29, 1844, the movement was started to build a 
 town hall, but nothing tangible was done until 1853. The diary already quoted 
 
I•:AKL^■ msToRN'. 383 
 
 savs under date of I'cljriuirv 18 that year, "this afternoon attended a town meeting' 
 held for the purpose of considering the expediency of huilding a town house : after 
 an angry discussion a motion was made to adjourn wliicli was finally carried after 
 much excitement." Another meeting was held a week later and there was again 
 a clash owing to a desire by uptown residents to have the new building in their 
 section, and a like wish vigorously expressed by downtown interests. A compro- 
 mise site, midway, was finally selected and the property of the widow of Roswell 
 Cowles was bought and the building was begun shortly after a town meeting held 
 Sept. 17, 1853. It was considered a very fine structure when finished and the 
 cost is said to have been about $30,000. It was not completed for use until the 
 latter part of 1855 and the following copy of a newspaper announcement tells the 
 story of its first use by the pul)lic : 
 
 GRAXD COXGRATIXATORY FESTR'AL 
 
 The Citizens of Meriden and vicinity are invited to participate in a 
 
 SOCIAL FESTR'AL AXD GRAXD CELEr.l^VriOX 
 
 To be held at the 
 
 XEW TOW^X HOUSE 
 
 on 
 
 WEDXESDAY EVE. DEC. 5TH. 1855 
 
 There to ai)propriately celebrate the comi)letion of the alxive named si)lendid edifice 
 
 and to formally Dedicate the 
 
 LARGEST PCI'.LTC" MALL 1\ THE STATE 
 
 The occasion will l)e enlivened 1)\ a])])ropriate speeches, music, etc. 
 
 and b\ a 
 
 VREE COLLATION 
 
 'Jhe proceeds after paying l{x])enses will be given to the Meriden Young Men's 
 
 Institute 
 
 Admission 2=, cents: children Half 1 'rice 
 
 X. B. Should AX'ednesdav evening be stormy, the l''esti\al will be held on the 
 first pleasant day hereafter. 
 
 Per order 
 lULTl'S H. I'RATT. (."hairman n\ Town I'ommittee. 
 
384 A CENTURY OF AIERIDEN. 
 
 The new town house was duly and properly opened on the date announced, 
 viz. Dec. 5, 1855, and the first use it was put to after this '"Grand Congratulatory 
 Festival" w^as a lecture by Henry Ward Beecher on the evening of December 28th, 
 under the auspices of the Young Men's Institute ; the subject was "Patriotism," and 
 the editor of the Weekly Transcript does not seem to have been greatly impressed 
 by the famous man's efforts for he says under date of Jan. 3, 1856, "As a lecturer 
 he is the most able, the most conceited, the most pathetic, the most silly, the most 
 eloquent, and the most vulgar that we ever saw stand before a refined audience." 
 
 The first town meeting took place in the new building Mar. 31, 1856. Pre- 
 viously the basements of the Center Congregational and the Broad Street Baptist 
 churches had been used, not only for town meetings but for elections as well. 
 
 As already announced, the rooms of the Young Men's Institute were moved to 
 the town hall and thenceforth the various lectures arranged by this association 
 were held in the hall and indeed all amusements that required a large auditorium 
 were held there. In 1889 it was decided to enlarge and remodel the building and 
 the work was finished in 1891. On the morning of February 14th, 1904, it was- 
 totally destroyed by fire. On Tuesday, Aug. 17, 1858, a very elaborate celebration 
 of the completion of the laying of the Atlantic Cable or Ocean Telegraph, as it 
 was called, was held in the town hall. At 9 o'clock a. m. the American and British 
 flags were floated from the dome and a discharge of three signal guns notified 
 the public that news had been received of an exchange of messages between the 
 Queen of England and the President of the United States. Bells began to ring and 
 a cannon in charge of the Light Guards belched forth its thunder in a national sa- 
 lute of thirtv-two guns in the morning and twenty-one guns in the afternoon. In 
 the evening a crowded meeting was held in the hall at which General Walter Booth 
 presided and ringing speeches were made by Rev. Mr. Miller, Judge James S. 
 Brooks, Dr. James Wylie, Dr. Hatch, Dexter R. Wright and others. A brass band 
 was present, patriotic songs were sung, the hall was beautifully illuminated, and af- 
 ter the meeting a procession through the streets took place in which the Light 
 Guards took part, accompanied by bands from Meriden and- Wallingford : the 
 streets were brilliantly lit by bonfires and an enormous one was made on West 
 Peak. Altogether it was one of the most spectacular events that had ever taken 
 place in Meriden. 
 
 The weekly press consisting of the Whig, the Transcript and the Chronicle, 
 covering the period from about 1852 to 1859, contains little of local news but 
 much information was printed in the advertisements which have been freely 
 consulted in the foregoing pages. But with the establishment of Riggs' Literary 
 Recorder in 1863 considerable of local interest was printed and one of the first 
 articles of this nature which seems to the wTiter to contain matter worth inserting 
 in these pages in an abridged form is the following from the issue of Sept. 26, 
 1863: 
 
3^5 
 
 blish- 
 nt of 
 nents 
 fifty 
 ■liars, 
 iiliiijj;- 
 > and 
 ibout 
 riiii:- 
 
 lorn- 
 th of 
 The 
 1 by 
 cti< 111 
 C(l in 
 ce if 
 I (li.l 
 f the 
 with 
 •arks 
 Ot."s 
 and 
 At 
 •avi-d 
 ttiiijM^ 
 : and 
 f of- 
 
 ('ark«T 
 
384 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The new town house was duly and properly opened on the date announced, 
 viz. Dec. 5, 1855, and the first use it was put to after this "Grand Congratulatory 
 Festival" was a lecture by Henry Ward Beecher on the evening of December 28th, 
 under the auspices of the Young Men's Institute ; the subject was "Patriotism," and 
 the editor of the Weekly Transcript does not seem to have been greatly impressed 
 by the famous man's efforts for he says under date of Jan. 3, 1856, "As a lecturer 
 he is the most able, the most conceited, the most pathetic, the most silly, the most 
 eloquent, and the most vulgar that we ever saw stand before a refined audience." 
 
 The first town meeting took place in the new building Mar. 31, 1856. Pre- 
 viously the basements of the Center Congregational and the Broad Street Baptist 
 churches had been used, not only for town meetings but for elections as well. 
 
 As already announced, the rooms of the Young Men's Institute were moved tO' 
 the town hall and thenceforth the various lectures arranged by this association 
 were held in the hall and indeed all amusements that required a large auditorium 
 were held there. In 1889 it was decided to enlarge and remodel the building and 
 the work was finished in 1891. On the morning of February 14th, 1904, it was 
 totally destroyed by fire. On Tuesday, Aug. 17, 1858, a very elaborate celebration 
 of the completion of the laying of the Atlantic Cable or Ocean Telegraph, as it 
 was called, was held in the town hall. At 9 o'clock a. m. the American and British 
 flags were floated from the dome and a discharge of three signal guns notified 
 the public that news had been received of an exchange of messages between the 
 Queen of England and the President of the United States. Bells began to ring and 
 a cannon in charge of the Light Guards belched forth its thunder in a national sa- 
 lute of thirty-two guns in the morning and twenty-one guns in the afternoon. In 
 the evening a crowded meeting was held in the hall at which General Walter Booth 
 presided and ringing speeches were made by Rev. Mr. Miller, Judge James S. 
 Brooks, Dr. James Wylie, Dr. Hatch, Dexter R. Wright and others. A brass band 
 was present, patriotic songs were sung, the hall was beautifully illuminated, and af- 
 ter the meeting a procession through the streets took place in which the Light 
 Guards took part, accompanied by bands from Meriden and- Wallingford : the 
 streets were brilliantly lit by bonfires and an enormous one was made on West 
 Peak. Altogether it was one of the most spectacular events that had ever taken 
 place in Meriden. 
 
 The weekly press consisting of the Whig, the Transcript and the Chronicle, 
 covering the period from about 1852 to 1859, contains little of local news but 
 much information was printed in the advertisements which have been freely 
 consulted in the foregoing pages. But with the establishment of Riggs' Literary 
 Recorder in 1863 considerable of local interest was printed and one of the first 
 articles of this nature which seems to the writer to contain matter worth inserting 
 in these pages in an abridged form is the following from the issue of Sept. 26, 
 1863: 
 
;ikli's-i;n i; \ii;\\ <>i .\ii;i(iiii :.\ aihjit i!^55. iuum wiiai is xuw ruiisi'ia r stuiikt. 
 
 , ii;w 111' \vi 
 
 
 II \i.i., i\ liSii 
 
384 
 
 The m 
 viz. Dec. I 
 Festival" 
 under the 
 the editor 
 by the far 
 he is the i 
 eloquent, 
 
 The fi 
 viously th 
 churches 1 
 
 As air 
 the town 
 were held 
 were held 
 the work 
 totally de; 
 of the coi 
 was callec 
 flags wer 
 the public 
 Queen of 
 a cannon 
 lute of th 
 the evenii 
 presided 
 Brooks, I 
 was prese 
 ter the n 
 Guards t 
 streets w 
 Peak. .A 
 place in I 
 
 The ^ 
 covering 
 much in] 
 consulted 
 Recorder 
 articles o 
 in these 
 1863: 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 385 
 
 PARKERS SNOW iV CO. 
 
 We have during the past week visited the extensive manufacturing estabHsh- 
 ment of Parkers Snow & Co. of this town — a firm which enjoys a large amount of 
 cajiital and employs more workmen than an\' two manufacturing establishments 
 in the state.- Parkers Snow & Co. employ upwards of four hundred and fifty 
 men. and their monthly pay roll foots up more than eighteen thousand dollars. 
 This princely company manufacture machine work of all descriptions, including 
 Campbell's Country Printing Press, Coining Presses, Steam Engines, boilers and 
 apparatus for heating dwellings and public buildings. In the gun works, about 
 three hundred men are employed who turn out from eighty to one hundred Spring- 
 field Rifled Muskets per day." etc.. etc. 
 
 ( )n Friday, March ii, 1864. the Recorder printed the following: 
 
 DESTRUCTINE FIRE 
 
 $72,000 WORTH OF PROPERTY DESTROYED 
 
 ONE MAN killed: TWO SERIOUSLY INJURED. 
 
 The most destructive fire our town ever witnessed occurred Wednesday morn- 
 ing [March 9], consuming five buildings, seventy-two thousand dollars' worth of 
 property and burning seventeen different firms and families out of doors. The 
 fire originated in Andrews Exchange Building and was first discovered by 
 George A. Fay shortly after two o'clock (midnight) when he saw the reflection 
 of the fire upon his walls. ^ He immediately arose and before he had succeeded in 
 getting dressed the light disappeared. He watched some five minutes to see if 
 anything more could be discovered ; but seeing nothing he again retired. It did 
 not at that time occur to him that it might be a fire and he took no notice of the 
 matter till some twenty minutes afterwards when the fire was again reflected with 
 considerable brilliancy. Upon going to the window, he could ])lainly see sparks 
 and brands of fire dropping through the second floor into II. T. Wilcox & Co.'s 
 grocery store directly beneath. He immediately dressed, gave the alarm and 
 rushed down to Lyman Clark's"* and caused the steam whistle to be sounded. At 
 this time and for half an hour afterwards, an ordinary fire engine would have saved 
 the adjoining buildings on either side. .Mr. Fay now set himself about getting 
 out the safe and stock of Mr. O. F. J^outhwick'' who was absent in Xew York and 
 also made an efifort to secure the xaluablc lil)rarv of Hon. O. H. Piatt whose of- 
 
 1 Successors of Snow. Brooks & Co., a firm competed of Oliver Snow and .lames S. Brooks. 
 Brothers' Gun factory is the direct successor of Parkers, Snow & Co. 
 
 2 Certainly an exaggerated statement. 
 
 3 He was then rooming in what we now call the Circle Hall Building. 
 
 4 Where Saleski's building is now situated, 37 S. Colony street. 
 
 5 Boot and shoe dealer. 
 
 ^5 
 
386 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 fice he reached by ascending the water conducting pipes. But the intensity of the 
 atmosphere rendered it impossible for him to penetrate the room and he was obhged 
 to give over the undertaking. The tlames soon generated a gas among the chem- 
 icals, and when the walls of the buildings became sufficiently weakened, they were 
 suddenly thrown outward. Some twenty persons were standing in front of the 
 building, on or near the walk, where the walls fell over, when they all rushed back, 
 receiving trifling injuries, but three men were seriously injured. J\lr. Porter Ed- 
 gerton, engraver, was struck on the head by the falling walls and rendered sense- 
 less. He was dragged from the ruins and carried to the depot and expired in half 
 an hour." The buildings destroyed by this fire were Conklin's, or Xear's hotel, the 
 Collins block, Andrews' Exchange, and the building standing where Mosher's 
 Drug store is located, at that time occupied by W. A. Butler. 
 
 From the diary of George A. Fay the writer has learned of another fire which 
 broke out at 3 a. m. on Sept. 5, 1862, in the machine shop just south of the rail- 
 road station when it was located on Winthrop Square. The shop was destroyed, 
 the house of J. S. Norton, Sr., just west of it, was also burned to the ground and 
 the passenger station badly damaged. The shop at that time was occupied by 
 some one making sewing birds for Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co. 
 
 On July 16, 1870, occurred the great fire which completely destroyed the two 
 top floors of the main building of the Meriden Britannia Co. The Republican of 
 that date has this to say : 
 
 "The most terrible fire which has ever aftlicted this city broke out this morning 
 in the Meriden Britannia Company's works." "The fire originated in the top- 
 most story at the north part of the brick building. At about two o'clock [a. m.] 
 a disagreeable smoke was smelt in the composing room of the Republican office 
 * * * * In ten minutes afterwards the Britannia shop gong blew out its stern 
 summons. The 2 a. m. down train at this moment came along and added its warn- 
 ing voice, and the alarm becoming general the city fire department were soon on 
 the spot. * * * The flames spread rapidly and the firemen were unable to 
 stay its slow but sure onward progress. * * * In twenty minutes after the 
 fire was first discovered the flames burst through the roof. At 3 a. m. the roof 
 fell in with a tremendous crash and the flames increased in their intensity." Ac- 
 tive work saved the two lower floors from destruction, but the loss was great and 
 for several months the large force employed by the company was thrown out 
 of work, and the damage not only to the company but to the community at large, 
 was very great. 
 
 On March i, 1863, the Messrs. Byxbee Bros. (John C. and Major Theodore) 
 began the erection of a wooden hotel building just south of Winthrop Square (or 
 the passenger station of the N. Y. & N. H. R. R. as it was then) and for several 
 years conducted a well appointed hostelry: on Mar. 21, 1868, the building was de- 
 
KARLV HISTOKV. 387 
 
 >i!"o\ed bv fire and for a time it was feared that the entire block of Ijuildings south 
 to Main street would follow in its wake ; but diligent etifort ])y the tirenien confined 
 the confiagration to the hotel. The embers had hardly begun to co(j1 before the Byx- 
 hee I'rt)tliers had started to clear away the debris and soon the walls of the ])resent 
 brick block were in process of construction. 
 
 The factory of the Aleriden Woolen Co. was built by the firm of J. Wilcox & 
 V o. in 1865. Their factory had been previously located where the present plant of 
 the Wilcox Silver Plate Co. branch of the International Co. is situated, on the south 
 si«ie of Pratt street. On May 3, 1865, fire completely destroyed the old shop. 
 throwing the workmen out of employment and stopping for a while the large pro- 
 duction of goods which had been placed on the market in increasing ([uantities by 
 this enterprising firm. It was considered at the time as the most disastrous fire 
 that had ev'er visited ^leriden. 
 
 in the year 1869 there was standing between the block now occupied by Gris- 
 u old, Richmond & Clock and the First National Bank, the old Elisha A. Cowles 
 residence, used at the time by Mrs. Moses Wright as a boarding house; west of 
 that a Structure once the home of the post ofiice and immediately west of that, the 
 dry goods store conducted by the firm of Williams & Smith. On the morning of 
 Dec. 3, 1869, at 2 a. m., a fire was discovered in the old post office building and 
 in spite of all efforts that structure, Mrs. Wright's boarding house and the dry 
 gt^xls store were completely destroyed by the conflagration. 
 
 In 1870 H. C. Wilcox began the erection of the ])lock which now occujiies the 
 site oi these burned structures, ground being broken I'eb. 15. It was so much in 
 advance of any building previously erected in Meriden that it was called Palace 
 P>lock. a name which it retains to this daw 
 
 In the month of March, i860, occurred a very destructive fire which destroyed 
 the block of buildings on the north side of East Main street from State to Pratt 
 streets. It began in the "furniture emporium" belonging to George R. Willmot 
 and on account of the limited a])paratus for fighting fire in those days the district 
 was swept clean. ^ 
 
 In giving a list of places of amusement in Meriden during this period one has 
 l)een omitted that was so bizarre, quaint and uni(|ue that a j)lace in the list is cer- 
 tainly deserved. Reference is had U) what was known as I'^agle Cottage on South 
 Colony street on ground ik^w occupied by the Meriden P>rewing Company. The 
 earliest reference to it that the writer can find is contained in the issue of the Re- 
 corder under date Xovember 13. i8'>3. and then evidently on account of oue of the 
 eccentricities of architecture or ornamentation developed bv that singular man. 
 N'ornian Allen, the owner of the place. .\11 sorts of odd attractions were added as 
 the years wcin !)y. mainly mechanical contri\ances designed to be excited by a 
 breath of wind to some surprising i)erforniance. (^n top of tlie house was ])erched 
 
 t Dlar>- of Mrs. Benj. H. Catlin. 
 
388 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 a counterfeit presentment of a man and a Hon and when the wind blew the man 
 was convulsed into various contortions in his efforts to get the mastery of the 
 beast of prey. Like arrangements were scattered about the grounds ; the house 
 was painted in a most surprising combination of black and white, as if it had been 
 raining paint on South Colony street, and in an apple tree was built a pavilion 
 where ice cream and lemonade were served. As the years went by the place at- 
 tracted so much attention that Air. Allen determined to make of it a place of amuse- 
 ment. According to the Republican of April 12, 1870, Mr. Allen was given per- 
 mission that week to build a wooden house on his premises for the purpose of mak- 
 ing a music room, menagerie and "happy family," and on June 15, 1870, accord- 
 ing to the same paper "Norman Allen's picturesque residence, with its beautiful 
 grounds will be opened to the public this evening. Should the weather be favor- 
 able a grand display of fireworks will take place. The balloon parlor will be 
 lighted with gas, the English lion ignominiously suspended in chains to the neck 
 of a very big spread eagle, the emblem of this glorious country, will roar gratis, 
 the eagle will favor the public with its best screech, Norman Allen will deliver an 
 inaugural address, the band will play and so will the fountains," etc. 
 In the Recorder of June 5, 1871, we read: 
 
 "The most noticeable feature of South Colony street is Mr. Norman Allen's 
 Eagle Cottage and ice cream. We visited Mr. Allen's place on Saturday evening 
 and were more than satisfied with what we saw and heard. The Rocky ]\Iountain 
 scene interested us more than anything else. Here a train of cars, loaded with 
 passengers, has just emerged from the tunnel and is proceeding on its way. (Jn 
 the side of the mountain, a little higher than the track, a saw mill with an appro- 
 priate sign over its entrance is seen in operation," etc. "In the museum are a large 
 number of stereoscopic views * * outside there is every convenience for those 
 who wish to test Mr. Allen's ice cream." A really surprising amount of mechan- 
 ical ingenuity was shown by Mr. Allen in producing his different attractions. For 
 several years the place ministered to the amusement of the people and then like 
 the Arab he folded his tent and stole away to places where the shekels were more 
 plentiful and the crowd of pleasure seekers more numerous. When one passes 
 the place and sees the complete metamorphosis, one realizes how true is the saying 
 that "the place that has known him shall know him no more." But who that ever 
 visited the museum will forget its strange attractions, or the son of the proprietor 
 who used to parade the streets, bell in hand, announcing in a loud voice the pro- 
 gramme for the coming evening. 
 
 An attempt has been made to picture Meriden as a village and again as a grow- 
 ing town that was beginning to feel that its increase in numbers had been suffi- 
 cient to warrant the adoption of whatever dignity, position and influence would 
 be gained by the incorporation of its central and more densely populated part into 
 
EARLY HIST()U^. 389 
 
 „ vil\. Its rapid gniwlh IkuI spread al-mad llx' fcclin.L;- thai Mcridcn was hound 
 t(i become a large coinnuinity and now and tlicn estimates of future growth had 
 been made, based on the rapid increase in importance of some of the manufacturing 
 industries and the location and ftjrmation of new plants. As already stated, the 
 census of i860 showed 7.42^) souls, or an increase of over 100 per cent, in ten 
 \ears. As a matter of fact, the showing" in 1870 was only 10,495, ^'^ that it was 
 apparent that some of the estimates had been over sanguine. 
 
 MERIDEN A CITY. 
 
 The city of !Meriden was incorporated by act of the General x\ssembl\ jnl\ 11. 
 1S07. and on July 24, 1868. an amendment to the charter was passed in order to 
 permit the construction of a water supply or city reservoir. 
 
 The first election resulted in the choice of the following officers: Mayor, 
 Charles Parker; clerk. John H. Uario : aldermen. William j. Ives. Hiram iUitler, 
 < ieorge W. Lyon, Jedediali Wilcox: councilmen. Lenir.el J. Curiis, ( )\ven 15. Ar- 
 nold, Charles L. Upham. Charles A. Roberts, Hezekiah H. Miller. Mli Ives, Augus- 
 tus C. Markham, Eli C. lUitler, Aaron L. Collins. Isaac C. Lewis. Jared R. Cook. 
 jared Lewis. Horace C. Wilcox, Dennis C. Wilcox. John C. liyxhee. Walter Hul)- 
 bard ; treasurer. Asahel H. Curtis; collector, Samuel ( ). Church; auditor. Joel H. 
 Guy. 
 
 ibis was certainly a selection of a \cr\ high order : they were all men of abil- 
 it\ and although enterprising, they also possessed a great fund of business sense 
 and sagacity that started the city under the best ])ossible auspices. 
 
 The change seemed to inspire the community with a desire to take every meas- 
 ure or step that could add to the genuine imi)r(^vement and appearance of the city. 
 Within a year or two the following dwellings were erected — all creditable to the 
 city: (leorge A. Fay.^ 1868; Lenniel J. Curtis,- 1868; Julius Pratt," 1868: l^dward 
 Miller.'' 1868; Henry T. Wilcox,'' 1868; Jedediah Wilcox," 1870, considered at the 
 time one of the finest residences in Connecticut, and now the home of Dexter W. 
 Parker. The Corner district schoolhouse was completed and dedicated Sei)t. 4. 
 iVf)8. St. .Andrew's Episcopal church was completed in 1867, and the .Methodist 
 church was dedicated Jmie 26, 1868, and the Main Street Paptist church was ded- 
 icated July. 1868. and in tlie same year the Center di.strict schoolhouse was built, 
 and also the engine house and ])olice station on Pratt street, now the ])ropert\ of 
 the Turner society, and the X. V.. X. H. &• H. R. R. C'^. liegan the erection in the 
 same year of the present freight ■station north of C':imp street, and in the following 
 
 1 144 Curtis street. 
 
 2 128 Curtis street. 
 
 3 118 Colony street, now lioniH of Floyd Curlb 
 
 4 .1«0 Broad street. 
 B 4«)o Colony street. 
 « 816 Broad street. 
 
390 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 vear after great debate and much hot discussion the city began the building of its 
 tirst reservoir now known as Merimere. 
 
 In 1868, after much complaint of the lack of adequate police protection, the 
 citv decided to create a force wdiich would at least be the nucleus of a future and 
 larger body of blue coated men, so on Monday evening, September 14th, the com- 
 mon council elected Jared P. Parker, chief of police, and on November 17, 1868, 
 the following men were added to the force: S. S. Wilcox, A. H. M. Pratt and 
 George Van Nostrand. On Alonday evening, December 5, Mr. Pratt having de- 
 clined to serve, Capt. Roger M. Ford was elected to fill the vacancy. 
 
 Some of the arguments used in opposing the appointment of a police force are 
 rather amusing. One alderman said Middletown had given up their police force 
 because they found they bred riots ; another said he didn't believe we needed a 
 police force, for Waterbury had only one man and he had nothing to do : another 
 who was opposed to paying a fair rate of pay, said it was a lazy sort of life any- 
 way and he would be glad to take such a position at $2 per day. 
 
 During the year 1869 the grading and widening of the following streets was 
 begun : Broad, Pratt, Colony, Main, Liberty, and Curtis. The great changes in 
 the profiles and widths produced many lawsuits but they were finally adjusted 
 by compromise or the decisions of the courts, and Meriden began gradually with 
 her changed streets bordered by flag sidewalks, to take the appearance of the mod- 
 ern city. , 
 
 On May 9, 1870, the common council passed a by-law relating to the number- 
 ing of houses and lots and on May 23 the same year the council adopted the names 
 of streets that are still retained by those thoroughfares then in existence. 
 
 The really final event to convince Meriden that it was at last a city was the 
 announcement in the Republican under date of Sept. 7, 1869 that "canvassers are 
 now collecting the names of our citizens with a view of publishing a directory." 
 
 NEWSPAPERS OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The newspapers of the period have been frequently mentioned in the fore- 
 going pages and they evidently played an important part in the daily life of the 
 people. 
 
 The first newspaper printed in Meriden was called "Northern Literary Mes- 
 senger" and published by O. G. Wilson. A copy in the writer's possession dated 
 Feb. 3, 1849, s^ys 't is "edited by an Association of Gentlemen" and "Devoted to 
 Literature and the Arts." This copy is No. 5 of Vol. IV., which would seem to 
 bear out the statement in an article of The Meriden Press-Recorder under date 
 March 28, 1883, that the first number of the Messenger appeared in September, 
 1844. The local news, as usual in that period, amounted to nothing but the ad- 
 vertisements gave us a little information. The paper was printed in a building 
 that stood just west of the Center Congregational church where the Central Hotel 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 391 
 
 is Situated. Xo. 297 East Main street, but the number above referred to had hardly 
 made its appearance before its pubHcation was suspended and on March 24, 1849, 
 the "Mcriden Weekly Mercury" made its l)()\v to the i)ul)lic under the manage- 
 ment of (). G. Wilson and Geo. W. Weeks, as successor U> the Messenger and in 
 an editorial the announcement is made that "The Messenger" "is dead ! Stark dead ! 
 It died a natural death on the 3rd of February last, purely for want of breath 
 ( i. e. California gold) which caused its locomotion to stop." The Press-Recorder 
 above quoted says that the paper had been run under its new name only six weeks 
 when the building was destro\ed by fire. It was then printed in the old Academy 
 building. How long it continued no one seems to know. 
 
 rhe same authority says "The Connecticut Organ" was started in 1851 by 
 {-"ranklin K. Hinman as printer with ( ). II. Piatt as editor, but that 'Sir. Hinman 
 sold out the paper early in 1852 to James X. Phelps & Co. and this statement 
 seems corroborated by a copy, before the writer as he pens these lines, dated May 
 I. 1852- the name of Xew Pritain Journal had been added to the title: how long 
 it continued to be published is uncertain ; perhaps the Connecticut Whig was suc- 
 cessor to it for a copy dated Mar. 30. 1854. says "X^ew Series, \"ol. 3. X^o. 36." 
 
 R. W. Lewis and ( ). H. Piatt were the jjublishers of the Whig and Mr. Piatt 
 was also its editor. Geo. W. Rogers was afterwards associated with Mr. IMatt. 
 The i)aper was discontinued about 1854. 
 
 Contemporary with this publication was a journal called ".Meriden d>anscri])t." 
 published by Lysander R. Webb & Co., begun in 1850, and after the W big had 
 sus{)ended Mr. Piatt became editor also of the Transcri])t. This paper continued 
 to exist until August, 1856, when ^Ir. Platt"s increasing law business compelled 
 him to cease all connection with newsj)a])er work. 
 
 In the early part of the same year Ro])ert Winton, a Canadian who had been 
 connected with newspaper work in .\orth .\dams, Mass.. came to .Meriden. and 
 being encouraged and aided by the leading manufacturers and merchants, estab- 
 hshed a newspaper called the .Meriden Chronicle, which was ])rinted in A\'ilcox 
 block where Griswold, Riclimond iS; (llnck are now Incated. although on an u])])er 
 floor. 'I'his publication continued three years, and was then bought 1)\ a Mr. ."^^till- 
 man who established a paper called The limner. Tt was Democratic in ])olitics 
 and lasted only four weeks. 
 
 f >n Aup;. 20, 1863. Luther (i. Riggs .started the .Meriden Literary Ri-corckr. the 
 printing house being located in what is now known as Circle Hall l)uilding on 
 lonx street. His associate was a Mr. Dorman. 
 
 Mr. Riggs had talent and abilitx but lacked balance and his cour.se here was a 
 stormy one. and the controversies he engaged in brought him onlv great adversitv 
 and more than one personal chastisement. 
 
 All these varirms i)ublications so far described were weekly sheets and there 
 was no daily newsj)a|)er imtil tlie Weekly \'isitor begun on ^Tarch 21, 1867. bv 
 
392 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Monroe Eaton commenced a daily issue on Jan. i, 1868. On March 16 it was 
 merged into the Weekl\' and Daily Republican which was at first under the edi- 
 torial control of Marcus L. Delevan and George Gibbons and later of William F. 
 Graham. The publication was continuous until March i, 1899. when it was con- 
 solidated with the Morning Record, a newspaper established on Oct. 8. 1892. by 
 the same publishing house, so that since March 16, 1868, it may be said that this 
 same newspaper has been printed by this establishment. The editor at present is 
 Thomas H. Warnock. 
 
 There were various other short lived newspapers which may be briefly named, 
 viz: "Daily News," "Evening Recorder" and "Morning Call," under the leader- 
 ship of Luther G. Riggs. "The Penny Press," established by J. H. Mabbett in De- 
 cember, 1881, soon changed to the Evening Press and on Oct. 16, 1882, consolidated 
 with Riggs' Daily and Weekly Recorder, and was called the Meriden Press-Re- 
 corder and continued until 1884. For a brief period in 1872 William F. Gra- 
 ham published a newspaper called the evening Monitor which was soon merged 
 with the Republican. 
 
 On March 4, 1886, The Journal Publishing Company was incorporated with 
 Francis Atwater, president ; T. L. P^eilly, secretary ; F. E. Sands, treasurer, and 
 Lewis Allen, editor. They immediately began the publication of The Meriden 
 Journal, a newspaper which has a wide circulation and wdiich has steadily grown 
 in influence as the years have rolled by. 
 
 The publication of The Evening Times began May 22, 1905. The moving 
 spirit of the enterprise w-as Henry C. L. Otto, whose untimely death on November 
 7, 1905, took aw^ay the mainspring of the organization, and the paper was discon- 
 tinued on ]\larch 2. 1906. 
 
 EARLY LAWYERS OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The first full fledged lawyer resident in Meriden seems to have been Benajah 
 Andrews whose homestead stood where the present residence of Mrs. T. F. Breese 
 is located, 501 East Main street. For several years he was judge of probate in 
 this district and his name appears many times on legal documents drawn up dur- 
 ing the first half of the nineteenth century, but the writer has been unable to learn 
 many facts relative to his life. 
 
 Dexter R. Wright came to IMeriden immediately after graduating from Wes- 
 leyan College in 1845 ^'^d took the position of principal of the Aleriden Academy. 
 In 1848 he graduated from Yale Law School and began the practice of his profes- 
 sion in this town the same year. 
 
 After Franklin Hall was built his office was in that block. His influence was 
 felt in many directions for he was a man of energy and resource. He attained 
 political honors while living here. In 1862 he enlisted in the T5th regiment and 
 
i;.\l<LV 11IST()K\. ^<-Ji 
 
 .,.1^ made colonel l)Ut ill health coinpelleil him to retire in \>^\^- He retf.rned to 
 Meriden and sold out his hr.sinc-ss here and removed to Xow Ha\en where he 
 had an active practice. 
 
 Tiltun E. Doolittle was located in Meriden .several \ear.s after ^ra<luatin,u- from 
 N'ale Law school in 184^). The map of Meriden made in 1S51 shows that his of- 
 fice was located on West Main street just west of the Guy residence. 
 
 Hon. Orville H. Piatt, senior I'. S. senator from Connecticut, came to Meriden 
 a voun^ man in 185 1 : he had studied law in the office of Judge Hollister of Liteh- 
 tield and was admitted to the bar in 1849. I lis many activities and resources were 
 constantly in evidence during the early years of his residence in this town, (jut- 
 side of his [profession as a lawyer, and those who were best acquainted with him 
 knew how great his abilities were and it is safe to say that none of them w;is sur- 
 prised bv the eminence he attained in the service of the government as senator 
 <Uiring his career of twent\ -six years in that distinguished body. It is not the pur- 
 p<tse to give his biograplu here as it has been printed in another part of this book. 
 
 I.\" (OXCLL'SION. 
 
 There comes a year in the cycle of time embraced in an historical narrative 
 sketching the growth of a ])resent day couinumity. even though the story be of 
 s(» unpretentious a nature as the chronicles of a town like Meriden. when the rapid 
 accummulation of facts and midti])licit\- of details, render ])erspective distorted. 
 and prepare one to recognize the homel\ truth contained in the remark, that one 
 "couldn't see the woods for the trees that were in it." 
 
 We have followed the story of the development of Meriden imlil we have seen 
 the struggles of the early pioneers succeeded by a dawning of the cousciousness 
 that there was a future full of hope and promise for all who would energetically 
 coiuitnie the labors of those gone before. The town of 1806 has been succeeded l)y 
 the city of 1867. the spirit of enterprise is everywhere, factories are growing and 
 new ones springing up. and the year 1870 seems a fitting period in which to write 
 the word m.ms to this |)art of the ■Centennial iiook, " 
 
 .\nd so at last, notwithstanding all that has been left untold, the end of these 
 
 annals is here, and at a very much later date than was anticipated when the work 
 
 was undertaken some ten months ago. I'egun with the idea of writing a sketch 
 
 t sonic thirty or forty ])ages this stor} has grown in ;i most surprising manner 
 
 ntil with dismay page yx^ has been seen and ])assed and courage is lacking to set 
 
 limit to that one on which these final words will appear. 
 
 I he writer, as nuich as an\ one who may chance to read these annals, is in.- 
 
 presserl by the sins of omission an<l commission that are to be found both in style 
 
 iikI construction. He can oidy plead in apology that the material has had to be 
 
 'llected in great haste, and then digested with such a rush as to prochice the nu- 
 
394 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 merous examples of literary dyspepsia that the printed pages render only too fre- 
 quently apparent. 
 
 The great storehouses of information on which the writer has constantly relied 
 are contained in the land records of Aleriden and Wallingford and the probate rec- 
 ords of these two towns reinforced by the earlier ones of Xew Haven. The wealth 
 of facts there found, has been largely supplemented by the memories of those 
 whose age enables them to give reminiscences that would otherwise be utterly lost, 
 or whose associations in the various localities have caused them to treasure up the 
 traditions and stories of the past that are handed down from generation to gen- 
 eration. 
 
 To give a list of the names of those who have patiently submitted to question 
 after question and who have voluntarily given information not sought for because 
 the writer had no clue to such sources, or who have assisted in ways too numerous 
 to mention would require almost another chapter. But although these names are 
 omitted the waiter's gratitude is no less profound. 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 
 
 395 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 RliI'KESENTATI\"ES IX THE GENERAL AsSE.MIJLV FknM AllCKlDEX. 
 
 CCIMI'ILFT) 1!Y HEk.NLAN 11 ESS. 
 
 1800 
 1807 
 1807 
 1808 
 1808 
 1809 
 
 i8og 
 1810 
 1810 
 181 1 
 181 1 
 1812 
 1812 
 1813 
 1 81 3 
 1814 
 1814 
 1815 
 1815 
 1816 
 1816 
 1817 
 18.7 
 1818 
 t8i8 
 1819 
 1820 
 1 821 
 1822 
 182.1 
 1824 
 1825 
 
 l82<) 
 
 1827 
 1828 
 
 Oct. session, Brenton Hall- 
 May session, Amasa Curtiss. 
 Oct. session, Theophihis Hall. 
 May session, Amos White. 
 Oct. session, Nathaniel Yale. 
 May session, Xathan Yak-. 
 Oct. session, Solomon R. Hall. 
 May session, Jared Benham. 
 Oct. session, Solomon R. Hall. 
 May session, Partrick Clark. 
 Oct. session, Partrick Clark. 
 -May session, Samuel Paddock. 
 Oct. session. Samuel Paddock. 
 May session, Theophilus Hall. 
 Oct. session, John Hall. 
 May session, John Hall. 
 Oct. session, William Yale. 
 Ma\- session, William Yale. 
 Oct. session, James Baldwin. 
 May session, James Baldwin. 
 Oct. session, Stephen Bailey. 
 May session, Stephen Bailey. 
 Oct. session, Othniel Ives. 
 May session, Othniel Ives. 
 Oct. session. Elisha Curtis. 
 William Yale.l 
 .'Xshbel Griswold. 
 Levi Yale. 
 Partrick Clark. 
 Samuel Paddock, 
 .Amos Curtis. 
 William Yale. 
 .-\shl)el Griswold. 
 (iershom Birdsey. 
 .Ashbcl Griswold. 
 
 Jr. 
 
 1829 Walter Booth. 
 
 1830 Titus Ives. 
 
 1831 Ashbel Griswold. 
 
 1832 Noah Pomeroy. 
 
 1833 Enos H. Curtis. 
 
 1834 Eli C. Birdsey. 
 
 1835 Hezekiah Rice. 
 
 1836 Asahel Curtis. 
 
 1837 Horace R. Redtield. 
 
 1838 Walter Booth.^ 
 
 1839 James S. Brooks. 
 
 1840. Eli C. Birdsey. 
 
 1841. Tie vote — no election. 
 
 1842 Ira Couch. 
 
 1843 Henry Stedman. 
 
 1844 James S. Brooks. 
 
 1845 Tie vote — no election. 
 
 1846 Elias Howell. 
 
 1847 Ashbel Griswold. 
 
 1848 Isaac C. Lewis. 
 
 1849 James A. Frary. 
 
 1850 William J. Ives. 
 
 1 85 1 Hiram A. Yale. 
 
 1852 Julius Pratt. 
 
 1853 Isaac C. Lewis. 
 
 1854 .Albert Foster. 
 
 1855 James S. Brooks. 
 
 1856 i^evi Yale. 
 
 '857 James S. Brooks. 
 
 1858 .Asahel Curtis. 
 
 1859 William W. Lyman. 
 i860 .Andrew J. Coe. 
 
 1861 Owen B. .Arnold. 
 
 1862 Isaac C. Lewis. 
 
 1863 De.xter R. Wripht. 
 
 1 UntU 1819 there were two elections annually. 
 
 2 Three elertions ; fir.«!t two re.'sulted In tie. 
 
396 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1864 
 
 Orville H. Piatt. 
 
 
 
 1881 
 
 1865 
 
 Oliver S. Williams. 
 
 
 
 1882 
 
 1866 
 
 Isaac C. Lewis. 
 
 
 
 1883 
 
 1867 
 
 Andrew J- Coe. 
 
 
 
 1884 
 
 1868 
 
 William A. Hall. 
 
 
 
 
 1869 
 
 Orville H. Piatt. 
 
 
 
 1885 
 
 1870 
 
 John Parker. 
 
 
 
 
 I87I 
 
 Joseph J. Wool ley. 
 
 
 
 1886 
 
 1872 
 
 H. Wales Lines. 
 
 
 
 1888 
 
 1873 
 
 Chas. H. S. Davis. 
 
 
 
 1890 
 
 1874 
 
 Owen B. Arnold. 
 
 
 
 1892 
 
 1875 
 
 Wallace A. Miles, Asahel H. 
 
 Curtis.l 
 
 
 April 
 
 1876 Wallace A. Miles, 
 
 Asahel H. 
 
 1894 
 
 
 Curtis. 
 
 
 
 1896 
 
 Nov. 
 
 1876 Wallace A. Miles, 
 herlain, Jr. 
 
 A. 
 
 Cham- 
 
 1898 
 1900 
 
 1877 
 
 James P. Piatt, George R. 
 
 Willmot. 
 
 
 1878 
 
 James P. Piatt, Samuel Dodd. 
 
 1902 
 
 1879 
 
 Emerson A. Merriman, G. 
 
 H. 
 
 Wilson. 
 
 1904 
 
 William W. Lyman, G. H. Wilson. 
 
 John Morse, Reuben T. Cook. 
 
 George O. Higby, William H. Golden. 
 
 Chas. H. S. Davis, William Wallace 
 Lee. 
 
 William Wallace Lee, Chas. H. S. 
 Davis. 
 
 William H. Barbour, Louis H. Hart. 
 
 James H. Chapin, E. D. Castelow. 
 
 E. D. Castelow, Joseph H. Potts. 
 
 Oscar L. Bradlej-, Timothv M. Crow- 
 ley. 
 
 Benjamin Page. Jacob S. Morrill. 
 
 William G. Gallager, Geo. W. Couch. 
 
 Geo. W. Couch, Geo. L. Ellsbree. 
 
 August Maschmeyer, George E. Bick- 
 nell. 
 
 George E. Bicknell, Willis L Fenn. 
 
 Willis L Fenn. Fred'k L. Huntington. 
 
 List of State Senators from Meriden. 
 compiled by w. d. w. p.vkker. 
 
 From 1806 to 1818 we lived under the original King Charles Charter of i6f^2. 
 During the period mentioned there was no office of state senator, those occupying 
 that relative position being called "assistants." No authentic information indi- 
 cates that any of the "assistants" were residents of Meriden. they being taken 
 from the state at large. 
 
 From 1818 (when the October sessions of the General Assembly were abol- 
 ished) "Senators" came into vogue, but not districted. 
 
 1833 Ashbel Griswold. 
 
 1834 Walter Booth. 
 1837 Noah Pomeroy. 
 
 1848 Fenner Bush. 
 
 1849 Dexter R. Wright, speaker of the 
 
 House, 1879. 
 1854 Julius Pratt. 
 
 1861 Orville H. Piatt, clerk of the Senate, 
 
 1855 ; secretary of state 1857. 
 
 1862 Orville H. Piatt, speaker of the 
 
 House, 1869; United States 
 senator, 1879- 1905. 
 
 1871 George A. Fay. 
 
 1874 H. C. Wilcox. 
 
 1876 Joel H. Guy. 
 
 1879 H. Wales Lines. 
 
 1885 Wm. H. Golden, Jr. 
 
 1887 Edgar J. Doolittle. 
 
 1889 George N. Morse. 
 
 1891 Seth J. Hall, "Dead lock year.' 
 
 1893 Seth J. Hall. 
 
 1905 George E. Bicknell. 
 
 1 Beginning in 1875 Meriden was entitled to two representatives. 
 
early history. 
 Town Cm:rks of ]\Ii:rii)i:x. 
 
 397 
 
 
 
 COMPILED 11 V I 
 
 11: KM AN HESS. 
 
 !8ot) 
 
 Amos White. 
 
 
 IS44 
 
 Joel Miller. 
 
 l«Ot) 
 
 Isaac Lewis. 
 
 
 l^<45 
 
 Lyman Butler. 
 
 18^3 
 
 Partrick Lewis. 
 
 
 1849 
 
 Hiram Hall. 
 
 i8j<> 
 
 Amos Curtis. 
 
 
 1854 
 
 Linus Birdsey. 
 
 iS.W 
 
 Partrick Lewis. 
 
 
 1854 
 
 John Ives. 
 
 1X34 
 
 Alljert R. Potter, 
 
 appointed Feb. 9, 
 
 1865 
 
 Levi E. Coe. 
 
 
 1834- 
 
 
 1866 
 
 John H. Bario 
 
 1834 
 
 Kli C. Birdsey. 
 
 
 1878 
 
 Selah A. Hull. 
 
 1843 
 
 James S- Brooks, 
 1843. 
 
 appointed Oct. 9, 
 
 1886 
 
 Herman Hess. 
 
 First Selectmen oe .M i:kii)i:n. 
 
 COMPILED BY GEO. \V. MH.LEK. 
 
 i8o() i:zekiel Rice. John Hall. 
 
 i8d7 Theophilus Hall. 
 
 1S08 .Marvel Andrews. 
 
 i8oy .NLirvel Andrews. 
 
 1810 Partrick Clark. 
 
 181 1 Partrick Clark. 
 
 1812 Partrick Clark. 
 
 1813 Partrick Clark. 
 
 1814 Partrick Clark. 
 
 1815 Othniel Ives, 
 s'lh Othniel Ives. 
 •^17 Llisha Curtis. 
 >!|8 Klisha Curtis, 
 ''ly .Ashael Merriam. 
 "^JO .\shael Merriam. 
 "^^i .Ashael Merriam. 
 Sjj Scth D. Plum. 
 >;-'3 Seth I). Plum. 
 S24 Seth 1). Plum. 
 N.'5 .Seth I). Plum. 
 >!j<i Moses Baldwin. 
 X27 Moses Baldwin. 
 
 iHjH Moses Baldwin. 
 
 ' l8jy Klisha Curtis. 
 
 18.K) Klisha Curtis. 
 
 1831 Klisha Curtis. 
 
 |83J C)rrin Hall. 
 
 1K33 Kli C. Birdsey. 
 
 18^4 Benj. I'pson. 
 
 i8i> C;il\in Cue. 
 
 1836 
 
 CaKin Coe. 
 
 1837 
 
 Noah Pomeroy. 
 
 1838 
 
 Stephen Atkins. 
 
 1839 
 
 James S. Brooks 
 
 1840 
 
 Moses -Vndrews. 
 
 I84I 
 
 Noah Pomero\\ 
 
 1842 
 
 Noah Pomeroy. 
 
 1843 
 
 Noah Pomeroy. 
 
 1844 
 
 Calvin Coe. 
 
 1845 
 
 Levi Yale. 
 
 1846 
 
 Levi Vale. 
 
 1847 
 
 Levi Yale. 
 
 1848 
 
 Levi Yale. 
 
 1849 
 
 Calvin Coe. 
 
 1850 
 
 Joel Miller. 
 
 1851 
 
 Joel Miller. 
 
 1832 
 
 Levi Yale. 
 
 1853 
 
 Levi Yale. 
 
 1854 
 
 Levi Yale. 
 
 1855 
 
 Levi Y.iK'. 
 
 1856 
 
 Joel 1. Butler. 
 
 1857 
 
 Othniel Ives. 
 
 1858 
 
 Othniel Ives. 
 
 1859 
 
 Othniel Ives. 
 
 i860 
 
 Othniel Ives. 
 
 I86I 
 
 Humphrey Lyon. 
 
 imj 
 
 Bela Carter. 
 
 1863 
 
 Bcia Carter. 
 
 i8r.4 
 
 Bela Carter. 
 
 18^.5 
 
 Dtliiiitl Ivc-;. 
 
398 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1866 
 1867 
 1868 
 1869 
 1870 
 187I 
 1872 
 1873 
 1874 
 1875 
 1876 
 1877 
 1878 
 1879 
 1880 
 
 :88i 
 1882 
 1883 
 1884 
 i88s 
 1886 
 
 Othniel Ives. 
 S. C. Paddock. 
 George Gay. 
 George Gay. 
 George Gay. 
 George Gay. 
 George Gay. 
 Oliver Rice. 
 E. D. Castelow. 
 E. D. Castelow. 
 E. D. Castelow. 
 E. D. Castelow. 
 D. S. Williams. 
 D. S. Williams. 
 D. S. Williams. 
 D. S. Williams. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 C. C. Kinne. 
 C- C. Kinne. 
 C. C. Kinne. 
 H. E. Hubbard. 
 
 1887 
 1888 
 1889 
 1890 
 189 1 
 1892 
 
 1893 
 1894 
 
 1895 
 1896 
 1897 
 1898 
 1899 
 1900 
 1901 
 1902 
 
 1903 
 1904 
 
 1905 
 1906 
 
 LeGrand Bevins. 
 LeGrand Bevins. 
 LeGrand Bevins. 
 LeGrand Bevins. 
 LeGrand Bevins. 
 LeGrand Bevins. 
 LeGrand Bevins. 
 Geo. L. Ellsbree. 
 Geo. L. Ellsbree. 
 Geo. L. Ellsbree. 
 Ernest A. Leigh. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 Geo. W. Miller. 
 
 List of Judges of Prob.\te for District of Meriden. 
 
 compiled by herman hess. 
 
 .Tames S. Brooks, appointed by Legislature. 
 
 Benajah Andrews, appointed by Legislature. 
 
 John Parker, appointed by Legislature. 
 
 Hiram Hall, elected 1851. 
 
 Orville H. Piatt, elected 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1856. 
 
 Hiram Foster, 1857, 1858, 1859. 
 
 George W. Smith, i860, 1861, 1862, 1863. 1864, 1865. 1866. 1868, 1869. 1873. 1882. 1884, 
 
 1886, 1888. 
 Levi E. Coe, 1867. 
 
 Emerson A. Merriman, 1870, 1871, 1872. 1874. 1875, 1876, 1878, 1880. 
 John T. Pettee, 1876. 
 Wilbur F. Davis, 1890, 1892. 
 John Q. Thayer, 1894 to date. 
 
 M.VYORS OF THE CiTY OF MeRIDEN. 
 
 Charles Parker, elected August 12, 1867. 
 Russell S. Gladwin, elected June 7, 1869. 
 Isaac C. Lewis, elected June 6, 1870. 
 Chas. L. Upham, elected Dec. 17, 1872. 
 Horace C. Wilcox, elected Dec. 15, 1874. 
 H. Wales Lines, elected Dec. 19, 1876. 
 George R. Curtis, elected Dec. 15. 1879. 
 
 E. J. Doolittle, Jr., elected Dec. 20, 1881- 
 Chas. H. S. Davis, elected Dec. 21, 1886. 
 Wallace A Miles, elected Dec 18, i888- 
 Benjamin Page, elected Dec. 17, 1889. 
 Andrew W. Tracy, elected Dec 15, 1891. 
 G. Herrick Wilson, elected Dec 15. 1892- 
 Amos Ives, elected Dec. 19. 1893- 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 399 
 
 I r\ I I.. Coe, elected Dec. i8, 1894. Edward E. West, elected Dec. 19, 1899. 
 Amos Ives, elected Dec. 21, 1897- George S. Seeley, elected Dec 17, 1901. 
 
 Thomas L. Reilly. elected Dec. 19, 1905. 
 
 Clerks of the City of Meridfn. 
 
 J..hn H. Bario, elected August 12, 1867. John H. Bario, elected Dec. 6, 1873. 
 
 II It MiL," Pomeroy, elected May 29, 1873. Selah .\. Hull, elected Dec 19. 1876. 
 
 Merman Hess, elected Dec. 21, 1886. 
 
400 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 EARLY VITAL STATISTICS 
 
 A transcript of the record of Vital Statistics of the First Congregational church, 
 Meriden, compiled mainly by Albert H. Wilcox, clerk of the society. 
 
 EARLY MARRIAGES. 
 
 An Account of the Number of Persons thai I Have Married: the Number from October 
 Anno Domini 1729 the time When I was Ordained till January 1 : st 1736-7 according to the 
 Best of My Remembrance : 
 
 (Theophilus Hall) 
 
 Samll Barns & his Wife: one Judd of Waterbury to Robert Royce his Daughter. 
 Isaac Brockitt, to one of Samll Culvers Daughters: Caleb Merriman to Another and 
 Samll Tyler to Another : 
 
 one Baldwin of Brandford to Jacob Royce his Widow 
 
 Aaron Cook to his Second and third wife : 
 
 Thomas Royce to his second Wife. 
 
 one Holibert of Middletown to Thomas Royces Daughter. 
 
 Giles Andrews and his Wife : 
 
 Stephen Ives & his wife : 
 
 John Webb & his Wife : 
 
 Lazarus Ives & his Wife. 
 
 one of Joseph Curtiss his sons to Elizabeth Parkers Daughter : 
 
 Hawkins Hart and his Wife : 
 
 Nathaniel Pentfield and his Wife : 
 
 Moses Curtiss & his Wife: 
 
 John Austin & his Wife : 
 
 Timothy Gailord & his wife : 
 
 the number is 20 couples 
 
 Enos Curtiss & his wife: 
 Isaac Curtiss to his third wife: 
 Danll Johnson to Joanna Preston : 
 John Hull to Mary Andrews 
 Joseph Parkers' son & his wife : 
 Daniel Murwine to Mehitabel Twist: 
 Daniell Ives and his wife: 
 Abraham Ives to Barbary Johnson : 
 John Ward & his Wife: 
 Samll Hough to Mehitable Royce: 
 Henry Stanton to Sarah Scofield : 
 Jonathan Curtiss to Deborah Mix: 
 
EARLY HISTORY, 40r 
 
 Jan :3 : Ncheniiah Manross of N : (Cambrig?) to Widow thankful Cooper: 
 Feb : 28 : David Ives to Elizabeth Merriam : 
 
 March : 19 : Abel Doolittle of Westbiiry to thankful Moss of Wallingford : 
 Octo : 16 : Abel Austin of Wallingford to Temperance Hough : 
 :3i : Mr. Ignatius Rhody of Lynn to Mrs. Sarah jMerriam : 
 
 Decern : 19 : Joseph Hoult of East Haven to Wid Joanna Johnson of Wallingford: 
 Couples : 6 : 
 
 Marriages Anno Domini 1737 : 
 beginning Jan*"*' . I^t . 
 
 Jan Married Joseph Adkins of Middletown to Abigail Rich : 
 Feb : 28 : Nash Yale to Sarah Emerton. 
 
 June : 20 : Xehemiah Pratt of Sea Brook was married to Deborah Hougii of Walling- 
 iord. 
 
 July ;:ii : Married Timothy Bartholomew to Mary Hull 
 N(tv : 3 : Jedediah Norton to the wid Eunice Curtiss. 
 
 Nov : 29 Eleazer Peck of Southintown to the Widow Ann Camp of Meriden: 
 Decern : i : John Hendrick to Ruth Daughter to Daniel Mix: 
 Couples : 7 : 
 
 Marriages : Anno Domini 1738. 
 Beginning Jan^y : i :st 
 
 March : 27 : John Painter to Deborah Welshire: 
 May :4 : Benjamin Andrews of Middletown to Tabitha Sanford. 
 Aug ;^t 30 : Zerubbabel Jerom to Phebe Cook a second W'ife: 
 NovtT : g : Joseph Gailard to Elizabeth Rich 
 Nov : 13 : William Jerom was Married to Elisabeth Hart 
 Couples : 5 : 
 
 Marriages A : D : 1739 : Begin : Janry : ist — 
 
 Feb : ( : Married Ephraim Munson of Wallingford to Comfort Curtis? 
 June:6:Stephen Atwater to Elizabeth Yale 
 June : 26 : Ephraim Royce to Eunice Harriss 
 Sept : 23 : Samli Levit to Adah Curtiss 
 Couples : 4 : 
 
 Marriages : A : D : 1740 : Begin : Jan : i :st 
 
 March : 17 : Married Andrew Andrews of Wallingford to Esther Royce 
 April : 2 : Zebulon Frisbee to Luce Lewis both of Wallingford : 
 July : 21) : Jonathan Preston to Sarah Williams of Waterbury 
 Nov : 5 : Timothy Shattuck of Middletown to Desire Hall 
 Decern :3 : Benjam Matthews of Cheshire, to Luce Clark of Xorthbury 
 Couples : 5 : 
 
 Marriages A I) 1741 begin : Jan'V : i^^t; 
 
 July : 1 : Married Ebenezer Hawley of farmington to Mary Hart: 
 Octob : 14 Daniel Luttonton of East Haven to Susanna Clark 
 
 Novem : 19 : Mr. John Johnson of New Haven to Widow Joanna Royce of Wallingford 
 Decern : 15 : Benjamin Brooks of Cheshire to thankful Hickock 
 Couples : 4 : 
 
402 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Marriages : A : D : 1742 : begin : Jan^y : ist ; 
 Jan : II : Married Joseph Stone to Abigail Jearom : 
 April : 21 : Thomas Heart to Hannah Coe 
 May : 12 : Nehemiah Manross to Sarah Royce 
 June : 2 : John Wai to Phebe ford : 
 Octo : 7 Gideon Royce to Mary Dutton 
 
 Decern : 15 John Adkins of Middletown to Elisabeth Jerom 
 Decern : 30 : Amos Camp to Wid. Mary Andrews 
 Couples : 7 : 
 
 Marriages : A : D : 1743. beginning Jan^y i : 
 Novem :2 : Samuel Foginson was married to Lois Royce: 
 Nov : 10 : David Rich Juni' to Mehitabel Ives : 
 
 Nov : 15 : Phinehas Royce of Northberry to thankful Merriman of Wallingford : 
 Nov : 30 : Jehiel Baldwin to Mary Way: 
 Couples 4 : 
 
 Marriages : A : D : 1744 : 
 
 Jan : 24 : Married John Way Jun^ to Hannah Royce : 
 Jan : 26 : Thomas Berry to Rebecca Yale : 
 Feb : 2 : Daniel Cowls of Kinsington to Martha Powel : 
 May : 24 : Benjamin Hart to Phebe Rich : 
 Aug : 2 : Noah Yale to Anna Ives : 
 Aug : 22 : Jonathan Collins to agnis Linn : 
 Sept : ig : Stephen Mix to Rebecca Ives: 
 Couples : 7 : 
 
 Marriages : A : D : 1745 : 
 Joseph Cowls Jun. to Susannah Cook 
 Tim : Jearum to Ann Norton : 
 John Prout to Widow Royce : 
 Reuben Royce to Kesiah Moss : 
 Joseph Moss to Jones's Daughter : 
 Samil Beach to Hannah Benham 
 Couples: 18: 
 
 Marriages : A : D : 1746 : 
 Feb : 20 : Nathanael Yale to Hannah Weeks 
 June : 23 : Abraham Hall of Wallingford to Mary prindle : 
 Nov. : 25 : Asa Royce to Annah Royce : 
 Decem : 17 : Noah Austin of Wallingford to Abiah Hough 
 29 : Amos Beach of Goshen to Sarah Royce : 
 Couples : 5 : 
 
 Marriages : A : D : 1747 : 
 
 March : 25 : Married Gideon Royce to B. Wid. Rebecca Elenoth of Wallingford : ye 2^ 
 wife: 
 
 May : 12 : Caleb Merriman of Wallingford to Margaret Robinson: 
 
liARLV HISTORY. 4O3 
 
 Octo : 13 : David Dutton to Widow Juda Yale both of Wallingford : 
 21 : Linus Beach of Goshen to Dinah Royce 
 May 4 : Mr. Walter to Susanna Sniitli : 
 Couples : 6 : 
 
 Marriages ; 1748 : 
 
 Feb :9 : Married John Coach to Azubali Andrews of Wallingford 
 
 10 : Joel Ives of Wallingford to Rebecca Merriam : 
 
 : 1747 : In the Summer XathH : pecks Son to David Cooks Daughter of Wal- 
 lingford : 
 
 Octo : 5 : David Way to Eunice Hall of Wallingford 
 Couples : 3 : 
 
 Marriages : 1749 : Married 
 Feb : 2^ : Josiah Robinson to Eunice Ives. 
 
 May :2 : Jared Spencer of Haddam to Susannah Dickinson: 
 4 : John Hall to Elisabeth prindle : 
 10 ; William Andrews to Widow Mary Yale : 
 July : 20 : Tina Thomson of East Haven to Esther Curtiss: 
 Nov : 9 : Thomas Scofel of Hadlime to Jerusha Scofel : 
 21 : Saumel Jerom to Luce foster : 
 Decern : 22 : John Yale Jun. to Eunice Andrews 
 Couples : 8 : 
 
 Marriages : 1750 : Married 
 
 Jan : n : James Cobbon to Irania Powel : 
 
 18 : John Whiting to Sarah Foster: 
 
 May : 9 : Jesse Merriam to Mary Johnson : 
 
 July : 25 : Daniel Hall to patience Baldwin : 
 
 Octo :3i : Joseph francis Junf to Mary tuttle of Wallingford. 
 
 Couples : 5 : 
 Marriages : 1751 : 
 
 Jan : 29 : Married Joseph Mitchel of Deerfield to Lydia Foster 
 Feb.; 14 : John Ball to Anna Mitchel: 
 & Barzeliel Ives to Hannah Merriam : 
 
 April : 24 : Gershom George (?) to Mary Salter of Cheshire: 
 May 29 : William Merriam Jun to phebe Ives 
 
 Couples 5 
 
 Marriages : 1752 : 
 
 March : 29 : Married Mr. Jacob Deming of Kensington to Mrs. Abigail Jerom : 
 June ;3 : Thomas Berry y® 2^ to Annah perkins: 
 Nov :9 : Samuel Andrews 2<^ to Lydia Royce 
 27 : Nathan Cobbin of Deerfield to thankful foster: 
 Marriages : 1752 : 
 
 Decern : 20 : William Hough Jun : to Mary Hall 
 27 : Benj. Hall of Wallingford to Mary Daughter of .\bijah Ives 
 Couples : 6 : 
 
404 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Marriages : 1/53 : 
 
 Jan : 17 : Tim foster Junf to Elisabeth Berry: 
 
 24 : Nathll Hart of Wallingofrd to Elce Hall & Daniel Macky of Cheshire to Hannah 
 Yale: 
 
 Feb : 22 : Joshua Curtiss of Cheshire to Sarah Psalter: 
 May : 8 : Stephen Royse of Cornwal to Mary How of Wallingford 
 June : 26 : Benjn Tyler to Mehitabel Andrews of Wallingford: 
 Sept : 24 : Moses Blachley of Northbury to Hannah Dunbar of Wallingford : 
 Nov : 28 : Joseph Rexford to Lydia Spenser 
 Decern : 19 : Benj" Merriam to Mary Berry 
 : 27 : Amos Hall to Mary Johnson of Wallingford 
 : Aug : 1753 : Abijah Ives to Josiah Mixs Widow 
 II C. 
 
 Marriages 1754 : 
 
 Jan : 9 : Married John Berry to Luce Royce 
 16 : Matthias Hitchcock of Cheshire to Widow Sarah Hough 
 31 : John Thomson Juni" of Wallingford to Hannah Eaton of N. Haven : 
 Feb : 6 : Eldad Curtiss to Tabitha perkins : 
 March : 20 : Moses Hall to Elizabeth Johnson 
 
 May : 16 : John potter of Southington to Widow Elisabeth Spenser 
 Decern : Mr. John Moss to Widow fenn : 
 Couples : 7 : 
 
 Marriages : 1755 : 
 
 Jan. Married Nath^ pentfield Jun^' to Lydia Barns 
 13 : Thomas Dutten Jun'" to Anna Royce of Wallingford. 
 March : 13 : Jonathan Webb to Elizabeth Judd 
 Spt. 24. Willm Merriam to Mary Austin of Wallingford 
 Octo : 14 : Benjii Whiting Jun^ to Esther Merriam 
 Decem : 10 : James Scofel Jun"" to Hannah Hough 
 Couples : 6 : 
 
 Marriages : 1756 : Jan. i : 
 
 John prout & Sarah Corbet : 
 
 22 : Thomas Merriam to An Moss of Wallingford 
 
 March : 11 : Abel Merriman of Wallingford to Ens Merrimans Daughter 
 
 Morlo. A. Blachley to Stephen Ives Daughter of Wallingford : 
 
 May : 12 : perkins to Susanna Curtiss 
 
 13 James Scofel Jun^ to Hannah Hough 
 
 Aug : 18 Joseph Atwater Junr to phebee Holt of Wallingford : 
 Sept : 16 : David Wetmore to Sarah Stanton of Middletown 
 Oct : 19 : Joshua How Junr to Merriam Blachley of Wallingford 
 Couples : 9 : 
 
 Marriages : 1757 : Jan 20 
 
 Asa Bronson to Achsah Curtiss 
 
 26 : Timothy St John of Norwalk to Deborah Royce 
 
EARTA' HISTORY 
 
 405 
 
 I'cli ; 10 Asaliel Beacli to Kesiah Royce of Walliiigford 
 17 ; Recompence Miller of Middletown to Isabel Ives 
 _'3 : Gideon Horsford to Jeruslia Cook & Amos Cook to Rhoda Horsford of Walliiig- 
 ford : 
 
 April 14 : Christopher Robiiist)n to Sarah Mix 
 
 21 : Enos tuttle to Sarah francis 
 
 27 : Thomas Shyoha (?) to Mary Hull ol Walliiigford 
 
 Marriages : 1757 : 
 
 May :5 : Moses Hull to Mary I\o^ of W'allingford 
 March Thomas Berry Junr" to Annah Merriam 
 May :u : Den i son Andrews to Abigail Whiting 
 Aug :9 : Mr. John Merriam to Mrs. Hannah Ives: 
 Nov : ID : Jotham Hall to Elizabeth Saxton of Middletown. 
 
 16 : Abel Cook to Mary Atwater of Wallingford & Gideon Barns of Canaan to Luce 
 Way 
 
 Decem :8 : Thomas Atwater to Lose Hull of Cheshire 
 13 : Waitstill parker of Wallingford to Martha Hall 
 Couples : 18: 
 
 Marriages : 1758 : 
 
 Feb. 16 : Jesse parker of Wallingford to Dorothy Spenser 
 
 22 : Divan Berry Jun*" to Lydia Yale 
 March : 9 ; Elnathan Ives to .\nnah Vale 
 
 28 : Divan Berry to Widow Andrews 
 April :6 : Isaac Royce to Hannah pentfield. 
 
 May : 10 : Dennis Covert of N. Haven to Esther Jones of Wallingford: 
 June : i : Samll pentfield to Rebeca Scofel : 
 
 29 : Filisha Goodich Juni" to Sibil Mix. 
 
 Sept : 21 : Joseph Higbee to Abigail Ives of W'allingford. 
 Couples : 9 : 
 
 Marriages : 1759 : Married 
 
 Jan : 17 : Elijah powel of Middletown to Mary Andrews :& John Ives to Mary Hall: 
 
 Feb : 8 ; Hezekiah Warner of Middletown to Lois pentfield : 
 
 March 7 : Abel Curtiss to Hannah foster. 
 
 June 7 : Ezekiel Royce Jun'' to Lydia Hough. 
 
 21 : .Ksa Barns to Lois Yale 
 
 28 : John Smith of Saybrook to thankful Curtiss 
 
 Novem : 15 : Joseph Merriam to Sarah Austin of Wallingford 
 19 : Daniel Hall Junr to Zeruiah Whitmore 
 
 Decern : 27 : William .\iidrews to Mary Curtiss • 
 
 Couples : 10 : 
 
 Marriages : 1760 : Married 
 
 Jan : 10 : John Hough to Lois Merriam 
 
 29 : Barnabas Hough to Eunice Weeks. 
 
 Feb : 21 : Thomas Foster to Elizabeth Berry 
 
 May -.22 : John Newel of farmington to Ruth Merriam: 
 
 June Bartholomew Andrews to the daughter of Andrew Andrews of Wallingford 
 
406 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 July : I : Benjamin Rexford to Esther Hall 
 Oct : i6 : philemon Johnson of Wallingford Sarah Hall 
 20 : James Clark a streyer to the Widow Yale 
 Decern : 4 : Allen Royce to Miiidwel Cowls 
 Couples 9 
 
 Marriages : 1761 : Married 
 
 March : 24 : John Denison of E. Haven to Sarah Hough 
 Nov : 19 : Daniel Mecky to Sarah Yale. 
 Decem : i : Silas St. John of Sharon to Ahigail Royce 
 Couples 3 
 
 Marriages 1762. 
 
 Feb : 11 James Churchhil of Middletown to Sarah pentfield 
 May : 12 : Jahleel Clark to Esther Yale & Jacob Tyler to Hannah Rigford : 
 27 : Robert Royce of Wallingford to Jerusha parker 
 Sept : 30 : Decon Parker of Cheshire to Widow Ruth Merriam 
 Nov : 18 : Danll parker of Wallingford to Merriam Curtiss 
 
 Matthew Grant of Torrington to phebe Foster : & William Grant of Torrington to 
 Lois Foster 
 
 Decem : 2 : Cornelius Coverling to Sibil Iglestone 
 Couples 9 : 
 
 Marriages : 1763 : Married 
 
 Feb : 24 : Joseph Cowls to Widow Rebeccah Rice : 
 
 March 31 : Benja"in Curtiss to Mindwell Hough 
 
 Oct : 18 : John Morgan of Middletown to Ann Hall Daughter of Israel Hall 
 
 20 : Elijah Scofel to Jemima Shaler 
 Nov : ID : Isaac Parsons to Leah Clark 
 
 17 : Mr. Obediah Allin of Middletown to Widow Hannah Macky 
 
 21 : David Hotchkiss of Waterbury to Abigail Douglass 
 Decem :i : Nathanael Luttenton to Elizabeth Macky: 
 
 15 : William Johnson of Wallingford to Hannah Cole : 
 Couples . 9 . 
 
 Marriages : 1764 : Married 
 
 Jan : 16 : James (or Janna) Meigs of Salisbury to Rebecca Whiting :6:3: 
 23 : Ephraim Allin of Kensington to Widow Azubah Yale. 3s : 
 
 Feb : 6 : Eldad Peck of Kensington to Mary Foster : 6s : & Jonathan Foster to Rebecca 
 Foster — 2/3 : 
 
 May : 10 : Robert pattin to Eunice Curtiss : 2/6 
 Sept : 6 : Isaac Hall Junr to phebe Ives of Wallingford 5/2 : 
 Octob : 4 : Ephraim Rice to Abigail Fox of Cheshire 3:1 
 II Daniel Bradley of oblong to Rebecca Berry Jun : 6s: 
 15 : Joseph Hall to Sarah prout : 2/9 
 Couples 9. 37s 
 
 Note. The figures following each marriage recorded in the years 1764, 1765 and 1766, are re- 
 cords of wedding fees kept in shillings and pence, and added at the close of each year. 
 
 Albert H. Wilco.x, Clerk First Congregational Church. 
 
ICARLV IIISKIKV. 4O7 
 
 Marriages : 1705 : Married 
 
 Jan : 16 : James (or Janna) Meigs of Salisl)ury to Rd)ccca Whiting : 6/3 : 
 May : 10 : Comfort Butler to Mary Berry : 3/5 
 
 Sept : 12. ye Revd Burrage Merriam of Stepna to Mrs. Hannah Rice 5/10: 
 Nov -.2' Joseph Yale to Martha Levingston 14/2: 
 Couples : 4 : 16:5 
 
 Marriages : 1766 : Married 
 
 Jan : Z}t John Miles Jun to Abigail pirkins : 3s: 
 
 Feb : 27 : Samuel Whiting to Hannah P>orry :3s: 
 
 Marriage : 1766 : Married 
 
 Jinie : 26 : John Butler to Lois Cole 3/9 
 
 Decern : 11 : Thomas Mix Jun"" of Wallingford to Lois Collins. 6s: 
 
 Couples :4 : 15/9 
 Marriages : 1767 : 
 
 Record of marriages by Rev. John Hubbard. 
 
 "1783. Noybr 3 Samuel Collins marrieed to Phebe Ives 
 December Xlth 1783 Lamberton Clark married to Martha Re.xford. 
 February 12, 1784. Married Ephraim Merriam &• Bulali Galpin &■ Levi Robinson and 
 Ehzabeth Vale. 
 
 Record of marriages by Rev. John Wiiiard. 
 Marriages : 1786 : 
 
 Sept 25 Mr. Hezekiah Miller of Middletown and Miss Bradley of X. Haven 
 
 1787 Feby Mr- Edward Collins Mrs. Mary Hall were married 
 F'eb\- 28th Mr. Dowd & Miss scovil were married 
 
 March 22. Mr. Moses Sibly of Ashford & Miss Patience Veamans 
 
 April: 19 Mr. Isaac Rice & Rachel pain 
 
 June 14 Mr. Levi Douglass & Miss Hall of Cheshire were married. 
 
 July u : Mr. John Merriam & Mrs. Johnson were married 
 
 July ly Mr. Samuel Plough Jr. & Miss Anna Page 
 
 Sept 10 Mr. Shelden Johnson & Miss Hannah Rice. 
 
 Kov. 15 Mr. Matthew Hough & Miss Martha Cowles 
 
 1788 I-eby. 14 : Mr. Ozias I'dster & Miss Phcbe Miles. 
 April 23 : Mr. Dewolf & Miss Hannah Robinson 
 May I : Mr. Todd & Miss Polly Rice were married. 
 
 NoTK. The foregoiiiB ropy (•oiiipri.«ps all the record of murriages kept by Rev. Theophilus Hall 
 during his ministry. Mr. Hall died March 2r>. 17t;7, in the 6(ith year of his age. and in the 38th year 
 of bli< mlnlKtry. He was .succeeded by Rev. John Hubbard, and the following are all the marriages ri - 
 cordid during hi.s pastorate which ran be found. It is known that many of Rev. Mr. Hubbard's old 
 church papers wiTe stored in the attic o fa house tornu rlr located in the southeast part of Meriden at 
 church papers were stored in the" attic of a house formerly leicated in the southeast part of Meriden at 
 ■ place oalle-d Spruce Olen. This house was afterwards owned by Mr. Hubbard's great grandson, Isaac 
 I. Hubbard, and wn'- burned with nearly all its contents, August .Tl, ISG.'i. It is supposed that many 
 of Mr. Hubbard'K church rce-ords were destroyed at that time. Rev. .lohn Hubbard died November IS, 
 ]7S«. 
 
 Albe;it H. Wiuetx. Clerk I'irst Congregational Church. 
 
4o8 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 June 22 Aaron Lyman Esquire to the Widow Rebeckah Hough 
 
 Oc 2nd Mr. Solo Yale & Miss Sarah Andrews were married 
 
 Oc. 6 Mr. Jesse Merriam Jr & Miss Sally Andrews 
 
 Oc Mr. Hull & Miss Carter 
 
 Nov 27 Mr. Jerom & Miss Polly Cobbon 
 
 Nov 27 Mr Timothy Hall of Cheshire & Mrs. Hannah Hall of Meriden 
 
 1789 Jany Mr. Josiah Norton & Miss Phebe Edwards were married 
 
 Feby Mr. Samuel Hally & Miss Babbit both of Middlefield were married 
 
 May 4 Mr. John Miles & Miss Ruth Atwater were married 
 
 June 18 Mr Levi Ives & Miss Fanny Silliman 
 
 Marriages 1790 Jany 
 
 Mr. Amerton Yale & Miss Mercy Scovil. 
 Feby Mr. Matthew Yale & Miss Lucy Ives. 
 April Mr. Joel Mix & Miss Eleanor Merriam 
 May Mr. John (Richmon?) & Miss Rhoda Adnans 
 
 June Mr. Bacon & Mrs. Edwards Sepf : 26. Mr. Fletcher Perkins & Mrs. Damaris 
 Miller 
 
 1791 Jany Mr. John Butler & Mrs Phebe Foster 
 Feby Mr. Thos Foster Jr & Miss Hannah Yale 
 May Mr. Barnabas Yale & Miss Lois Merriam 
 Aug 24 Mr. Benja Hall & Miss Sally Hall 
 
 Octr 20 Mr Matthew Hough & the Widow Woodruff. 
 
 Nov 4 Mr. Joseph Ives & Miss Clarissa Hall 
 
 Nov 17 Mr Hotchkiss of Cheshire & Miss Keturah Hough 
 
 1792 Jany. Mr. Hull & Miss Rice 
 Feby 2 : Mr Elihu Ives & Miss Hall 
 
 Feby 9. Mr. Joel Foster & Miss Lucy Whiting 
 
 Marriages 1792 April 19 . . ^ . .- , 
 
 Mr James Avery Hough & Miss Sarah Todd 
 
 Octr Mr Nathl Merriam & Miss Eunice Curtis 
 
 1793 Mr Noah Foster & Miss Anner Ives 
 April Mr Aaron Johnn & Miss Rice 
 Octr Mr Aaron Curtiss & Susannah Cutler 
 Nov. 14. Mr Levi Hough Lucretia Merriam 
 Nov 14 Mr Talmage & Miss Bellamy 
 
 1803 Feb or March Mr Hall of Canada and Miss Hart daughter of Mr Benjamin Hart 
 of Meriden 
 
 March Doct Theophilus Hall and Miss Bathiah Meriam 
 
 May or June Mr Yale & Mrs Butler 
 
 August 29th Mr Lawrance to Miss Curtiss 
 
 September 1 Lyman Rice to Mindwell Meriam 
 
 Nov. TO. John Way to Miss Deborah Houg*h. 
 
 Decem 10 Saturday Seth Plumb to Miss Betsey Hall 
 
 Dec 20 John Bliss to Sally Foster ■" 
 
 Dec 29. Matthew Foster to Miss Preston 
 
 Mr. Willard's remaining records cannot be found. Mr. Ripley commenced in 1803. G. W. P. 
 
EARI.V HISTORY. 409 
 
 JaiiN igi'i Jesse Hawley to Miss Aurilla Covvles 
 
 Septem 11 '^h 1804 Chancy Curtis to Anna Hall. 
 
 Joel Vale to Lucy Rice 
 
 October Sherman Rice to Roxaiia Meriam 
 
 Nov. .^i 1804 Phinehas Hough to Miss Desire Cook 
 
 Nov 21 1804 Ceaser .\ugustus Ste^^venson to Elizabeth Cambridge 
 
 1804 Robert & Catherine Freeman 
 
 1805 Sept .\masa Hall to Miss Permelia Sanford 
 Oct Mr Smith to Miss Douglass 
 
 Do 24ih Mr W Baldwin (?) to Rosetta Gri>\vold 
 Nov Edward Johnson to Miss Hull 
 Obed Shepherd to Mary Yeomons 
 March 13 Levi Rice & Isabel Ives 
 
 1806 : Ja 20 Webb I Heart to Clarissa (Peck?) 
 .\pril 2ist 1806 Isaac Hough to Miss Plymert 
 do 2i Mr Richards to Esther Hough 
 
 July or .August Dorius Bcnham to Synthia Cone & Phmehas Lyman to Mrs Monsons 
 
 Oct Mr Yeanians 2^ daughter 
 
 Nov Laura Stow 
 
 Mr Hall to Polly Preston. 
 
 EARLY n.VPTISMS. 
 
 Meriden In Wallingford Xoveni'> : J<1 1729 I Baptized Abigail ye Daughter of John Way 
 
 Theoph Hal. Paster 
 
 this Instant 23 I Baptized Robert : son of Nathaniel Royce 
 
 December 28 I baptized Abel ye son of Benjamin Curtiss — 
 
 January 25 I Baptized Samuel ye son of David Rich 1729/30. 
 
 March 8 : I Baptized thankful Daughter to Jonathn Roberts — 
 
 March 22 I Baptized Stephen, son of Josiah Royce. 
 
 .\pril 5 I Baptized Joanna Daughter .\bel Royce, Benjamin s<5n of Benjamin Royce — 
 
 12:1 Baptized Mary ye wife of John Cole. 
 
 May :3 : I Baptized Sarah, Enos, Israel Children of Israel Hall 
 
 10 : I Baptized John the son of John Meriam Jun**. 
 
 June : 7 I Haptizeil Hannah :L\<lia Daughters of Tim (?) Royce and son of Daniel 
 Harris 
 
 9 : Ezra — son of .Moses \'ak-— jirivately 
 
 21 : .Abigail and Jerusha children of James Scotield 
 
 July : 12 : Ezra ye son of Lent Royce 
 
 .August 2 John ye son of John Vale 
 
 August :9 Danison ye son of Sam'l .Andrews 
 
 I'j . Samuel— Eunice children of Will'" Andrews— 
 
 Dfccniber -.27 1730 Benjamin ye son of Joseph Meriam 
 
 March : 21 : 1731 : EInathan ye son of Elnathan Ives. 
 
 April :4 : Sarah Daughter of thomas Foster 
 
 11 : thankful Daughter of John Cole 
 2Q .Abigail Daughter of Israel Hall 
 Rebeckah: Benjamin children of Benjamin lve>. 
 
4IO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 May I : Mary Daughter of Theophilus Mix— privately 
 
 2}, : Thomas son of Abel Yale — 
 
 (Sept ?) ID Samuel son of James Scofield 
 
 Num : 34. 
 October 24 1731 Baptized Benjamin son of Insign Whitng 
 Thomas son of William Merriam 
 
 31 : I Baptized Joseph son of John Way Elisha son of Nathaniel Royce Novemb : 14 : 
 Baptized Susanna Daughter of Benjamin Curtiss or Whtng (?) 
 
 24 Baptized Samuel & Mary twin chl of Samuel Ives privately 
 28 Baptized Reuben son of John Hickock 
 
 December 19 baptized Hannah Daughter of Benjamin Ives 
 
 173-'- 
 January 16. Charles son of Josiah Royce 
 february : 13 : Elizabeth Daughter of Daniel Harris 
 
 20 : Titus son of John Ives Elizabeth Daughter of Ebenezer prindle. 
 2-/ Mary Daughter of Divan Berry 
 
 Alarch : 5 : Luce Daughter of Left. Eze : Royce 
 
 May : 21 : Jacob son of Abel Royce and Luce Daughter of Tho : foster. 
 
 June — of Tim Royce 
 
 July 9 titus son of William Andrews 
 
 Aug : 6 : Ephraim son of Sarg. Camp Marshal son of James Allin : 
 
 2"] : Sarah Daughter of Theo. Mix Sometime after — Eldad son of Mcses Curtiss 
 
 April : 8 : 1733. John son Divan Berry Samuell son of Samll Ives. 
 
 Feb. II. Abigail Daughter of Elnathan Ives 
 
 March — Titus son of Eng. Curtiss 
 
 April : i : Sarah Daughter of David Ives( ?) 
 
 April 29 Solomon of John Yale 
 
 October 28 1733. Baptized Esther, Mary, David (Mery) Hannah, Thomas, Elizabeth & 
 Abigail children of David Way & Rachel, Else William, Mary & Jonathan children of Wil- 
 liam Anderson 
 
 November : 11 : James son of James Scofield & Dante (?) Daughter of aaron Aspinwel 
 
 25 : Arthur Rexford & Esther Daughter of Willm Merriams. 
 January 6 : 1733/4 nathanel son of Capt. Merriam 
 
 Febry : 10 : Rebeca of James Allin & Hannah of Thomas foster — privately 
 March . 17 . Lois of Benj. Ives. 
 24 : Willm of Willm Andrews 
 31. Amy Daughter of David Way. 
 April . 14 Titus son of Ens. Curtiss 
 
 21 : Caleb son of Josiah Royce 
 
 May 5 : Rebecca Daughter of Ens. Whiting 
 
 Jime : 2 : Jonathan of Jonathan Roberds 
 
 July : 7 : John of John Hecock 
 
 July : 21 Samuel, Arthur Joseph & John of Rexford 
 
 Num 32. 
 August : II : 1734 Baptized thankful wife of Tim Foster 
 Abigail Daughter of Israel (?) Hall Mary, of Theo. Mix 
 18 Deborah of Left Zekiel Royce 
 September : i : moses & aaron of Samll Andrews — twins 
 
EAKLY HISTOKV. 4^ 
 
 December 29 1734 baptized Anna Daughter of Joseph Mcriam 
 
 February 28. 1734/5 : Benedic of Abel Royce & Jerusha of Elnathan Ives 
 
 March : 16 : 1735 baptized my own Daughter Hannah 
 
 29 ; Ambrose ye son of Thomas Hal 
 
 April : 6 : Joseph & Jesse children of John Ives twins. 
 
 20 : Mary Daughter of Will : Meriam 
 
 Mav :4 : Samuel of John Cole & Divan of Divan bury 
 
 18 ; Phebe Daughter of Sarg Nath Royce 
 
 June : 1 : Timothy, Lydia, thnakful. & Hannah children of Tim Foster & Kilbrut of 
 Dan Hall (?) 
 
 8 ; Christie son of Josiah Robinson 
 
 1735 the child born to Wid : Camp of her dec<i husband baptized privately 
 
 Sept : 7 : Ruth of Tim Royce & Abigail of Moses Curtiss 
 
 14. Mary of John Meriam 
 
 21 : John of Samuel Hough 
 
 Novr : Benjamin of Benjamin Curtiss 
 
 Feb : Abigail daughter of James Allin 
 
 March (20?) Ann of Dan or (David) ? Way. 
 
 April : II : 1736 : Baptized Timothy, Mamre, & Lazarus, children of Lazarus Ives. 
 
 May ; g : Baptized Caleb of Aron Aspinwell. Baptized Ambrose of Lazarus Ives 
 
 July : II : David son of Benj. Ives- 
 
 July : 25 : Baptised Allin of Left Ezeqiel Royce. 
 
 August : 8 : Baptised Theophilus my first born son 
 
 Sept : 12 : 1736. Abigail Daughter of Ens. Whiting 
 
 October: 3 : Ruth Daughter of Will™ Meriam 
 
 17 : Luce, Daughter of John Way 
 
 Novem : 14 (or 19) Mary Daughter of Enos Curtiss 
 Decern : 12 Joseph son of John Yale 
 
 19 : Rebecca daughter of Tim Foster 
 
 Jan : 2 : 1736/7 Daniel of Arthur Rexford & Thomas of Thomas Foster. 
 
 23 : Mary Daughter of John Hickock 
 Feb : 6 : david of David Sanford 
 20;Jotham of Israel Hall David of Abel Yale 
 March : 13 : Aaron of Aaron Lyman 
 
 March : 27 : John of Sarg. Royce & Isaac of Joseph Meriam 
 
 (Num : 23) 
 April : 3 11737 : Baptised Mehitabel Daughter of Abel Royce 
 
 24 : Tim sone of Joseph Cowls Jun^ 
 
 May : I : SaniU of Sam'l Andrews & Esther of Asa Yale 
 
 9 : phebe an Indian woman privately upon a sick bed 
 
 15. Hannah Daughter of Jos Hills Junr 
 
 June . 26 : baptised my Indian Children, patience & Anthony 
 
 Sept : 4 : Meriam Daughter of Benj. Curtiss 
 
 n : John of John Meriam 
 
 18 : Bethiah of Divan Berry 
 
 Octob : 16 : daughter of Daiil Harriss 
 
 2^^ : Samuel of David Way. 
 
 Decern -.4 : My Second Son Avery & Lois daughter of Nash Yale. 
 
412 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Jan : 29 : 1737/8 : Matthew of Capt Meriam 
 
 Feb : 19 : Job of Benj™ Yale 
 
 26 : Levi of John Ives & Josiah of James AUing 
 
 March : 12 : Ruth of Benj Ives 
 
 19 : Hannah of Phinehas Hough 
 
 April : 2 : Luce, of peter Curtiss 
 
 22, : Isabel of Lazarus Ives 
 
 June : 25 : Sarah of Henry Stanton 
 
 Aug : 13 : Sarah of Doc Cooper 
 
 August 20 : 1738 Elijah of James Scotield 
 
 (Nuni 26) 
 Octo : 15 : 1738 : of Thomas Foster 
 
 16 : Benjm of Doc. Hough privately — Nov. 12 : Susannah of Sarg. Willm Merriam 
 Jan^y : 7 : 1738/9 : baptised John of Ebenezer prindle SaniH of SaniH Austin Ruth of 
 
 Asa Yale Lydia of Jedidiah Norton 
 
 March : 4 : Joanna Daughter of John painter 
 
 18 : Josiah of Elnathan Ives 
 
 25: Mary of Tim Foster Thomas of Benjm Yale 
 
 April Deborah of Joseph Merriam 
 
 May : 27 : Sarah of Benj Curtiss 
 
 July : 15 : Benjamin of Arthur Rexford 
 
 22 : Baptised my own son Samuel 
 
 Aug : 19 :Hannah of Jos Cowls Jun'', Sarah of William Jerom 
 
 Sept : 9 : Lois of Asa Yale Kesiah of Joseph Hills — Juni" 
 
 30 . Abigail Cooper adult 
 
 October : 8 : Ezekiel of Left. Royce & Burrage of John Merriam Jun^ 
 
 Decem : 2^ : Hezekiah of Abel Royce : 
 
 30 : Thomas of Doc Cooper : & Abigail of Alexander Douglass 
 Feb : 10 : 1740 : Lydia of Tim Jearom 
 
 March : 3 : phebe of Tho : Foster privately 
 16 : Lent of Joash Royce 
 
 23 : Joshua of Lazarus Ives 
 
 April : II : John of Sarg Will™ Merriam 
 
 June : i : Lydya of Phinehas Hough 
 
 8 : peter of peter Curtiss Ruth of Stephen Atvvater 
 
 15 . Joash of Israel Hall 
 
 22 : David of Ben : Ives 
 
 July : 27 : Rebecca of James Scofel 
 
 (Num 36) 
 August :3 : 1740 : Baptised Lois of Capt. Merriam : Anna of Enos Curtiss : (?) Heze- 
 kiah & Joseph of Joseph Hall (or Hale) 
 10 : Benjm of Benjamin Yale 
 
 17 : Eunice of Jedh Norton. 
 Mindwell of Ephraim Royce 
 
 24 : Mary of William Andrews: 
 
 31 : Samuel of Ensign Whiting 
 
 October : 12 : Clark of Sargt NathH Royce. 
 Janu : 18 : 1741 Abigail of Willm Jearom. 
 
 25 ■ Bartholomew of Timothy Foster 
 
F„\RLV HISTORY. 4^3 
 
 2/ . Hannah of Divan Berry privately — 
 Feb : i : Solomon of Sarg . Benjm Roycc. 
 
 22 ■ Asa of Asa Yale 
 
 March : i : London Servant of John Webb 
 
 April : 26 : Joseph son of Joseph Cowls Jun^" 
 
 May : 10 : Son of Samuel Austin 
 
 June : 4 : Ruth ford. 
 
 July : 19 : Abigail of Left. Ezekiel Royce 
 
 July : 26 : James Cobbon. Phebe. Zerubl Jeroms wife. & Tht.nias of David Sanford 
 
 .Aug : 2 : Robert of ZerubH Jerom 
 
 23 My twins Theophilus & Luce & .Abigail of .Arthur Re.xford 
 Sept : 13. Sarah of Xash Yale 
 
 Sept : Ruth of Benjamin Curtiss 
 
 October : 18 : Samuel of Joseph Merriam 
 
 r)eccm : 6 : Lydya of David Way : 
 
 John & Sarah twins of Thomas Berry. 
 
 27 Martha of Samuel Cowls 
 
 March : 14 : Lois of Thomas Foster 
 
 21 : William & John twins of Willm Lusk 
 
 March 28.Lydia of Benjamin Yale 
 
 April : 7 : Andrew of Tim Jerom Juni". 
 
 May : 16 : Kesiah of Ephraim Royce 
 
 May :28 : Reuell (?) of (Theophilus) (?) Mi.x 
 
 1742 : May : 30 : Baptised Saah of .Alexander Douglass 
 
 June : 20 : Mary of Divan Berry 
 
 July : 18 : Kesiah of Joseph Hills Juni". 
 
 Sept : 12 : Jesse of Joash Royce & Elizabeth of Joseph Stone 
 
 primus servant of Lazarus Ives : Sometime ago 
 
 IQ Abigail of Joseph Cowls Jun«" Stephen of Stephen .Atwater 
 
 2<> Susannah of John Merriam Juni" 
 
 October : 17 : Elisha of James Scofel & Jane of John Livingston 
 
 Nov : 21 : Huldah of .Abel Royce 
 
 Decern : 5 : Jedediah of Jed : Norton : 
 
 26 Rebecca of thomas Berry 
 
 :Num 48 : 
 JarK : 9 : 1743 : Hannah of Ebenczcr Royce: 
 March : 13 : Josiah of John Way & Sibil of .Asa Yale 
 
 27 ; Amasa of Lazarus Ives 
 
 .April 10 : .Agift a child of David Hills. 
 
 June 5 John of John painter. 
 
 June 26 : My Daughter Mary & Levi of Benjm Ives 
 
 July : 17 : Esther of Abel Yale & Enos of SaniH Cowls 
 
 31 : James of phinehas Hough 
 
 Sept : 18 : Thomas of Zerubbabel Jerom : 
 
 25 : Lydia & Mindwell children of Ebenezer Cowls 
 
 cK-tnl)er : 2 : Samuel of Ens : Whiting 
 
 \t : Abigail of Daniel Bradley 
 
 2}, : Deborah of Joseph Merriam & .Am()s of AnK)s Camp 
 
 30; Lydia of Timothv .Andrews 
 
414 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Feb. : 26 : 1744 : Abigail of Ephraim Hough: 
 
 IVIarch : 11 : Reuben of Elnathan Ives : & phebe wife of John Way 
 
 April : i : Huldah of Ebenezer Cowls. 
 
 April : 8 : Zebulon of Zebulon Peck 
 
 May :6 : Nash of Nash Yale & Mary of Elijah Peck 
 
 13 : Hannah of Divan Berry 
 
 20 : Sarah of John Way & Huldah of Tho. Foster 
 June : 17 : Levi of Samll (Austin?) 
 
 July : I : James of Sargt Nathl Royce & Comfort of Enos Curtiss 
 
 8 : Alexander & Rebecca twins of Alexander Douglass 
 July : IS : 1744 Ephraim of Ephraim Royce 
 
 Aug : 5 : Jehiel of Jehiel Baldwin 
 Sept : 2 : Joseph of Joseph Stone 
 
 9 : Anna of Israel Hall 
 
 Josiah of David Rich Juni" & fortune servant of Sargt Jerom 
 Sept : 23 : Abel of David Way 
 
 Sept : 30 : Eunice of Stephen Atwater Timothy of Joseph Cole Junr 
 Nov : 9 : Mary of Lazarus Ives Enos of Benjm Yale 
 Nov : II : Aaron of Benjm Cui'tiss 
 
 Decem : 30 : Kate Servant of Sam Hough : the number baptised 1744 ; 28 
 1745 : Jan : 27 phebe of Joash Royce titus of Gideon Royce. 
 March : 10 : My Son Elisha 
 
 31 : Benjamin of ye Widow Hart Ellis servant of John Ives 
 April : 21 : James of Willm Lusk 
 26 : Joel of Jeremiah How Jun^ privately 
 
 28 : phebe of Asa Yale 
 
 May : 5 : Mindwell of Daniel Hough 
 12 : Asahel of Zerubbabel Jerom 
 
 26 Luce of Elijah Peck 
 
 June : 9 : Levi of Noah Yale & Nehemiah of Thomas Weeks 
 July : 7 : Lament of Jonathan Collins. 
 
 21 : Elisabeth of Willm Jerom 
 Aug : II .-Rebecca of Abel Royce 
 18 : a child of James S'cofel. 
 Sept : 8 : Rhoda ford 
 
 15 : Susannah of Joseph Merriam 
 
 22 : Phinehas of phinehas Hough & Willm of Ichabod Stark 
 
 29 : Sarah of Ephraim Berry & Joseph of Joseph Hills : 
 Octo : 13 : Edward of John Painter 
 
 27 : Chloe of Moses Yale : 
 
 Decem : 8 : Martha of John Livinstone- 
 
 15 : allathere of John Way. 
 
 22 : Asahel of Ens. W. Merriam 
 
 28 
 
 1746 : Jan : 22 of David Rich of N : Cambridge 
 
 Feb : 2 : Ebenezer of Ephraim Royce 
 '9 : Theophilus of Stephen Mix 
 
 In March or April : Sarah of NathH Royce & Irania of Arthur Rexford 
 April : 27 : Katherine of Moses Mitchel 
 
RARLV HISTORY. 4^5 
 
 25 : Grinne of servent of Sargt Jerom 
 June : i : Alexander of Alexander Douglass 
 8 : thankful of Sargt Benjamin Ives. 
 
 29 : Enos of Enos Curtiss 
 
 1746 : July : 6 : Moses of Joseph Cols Jun'" 
 20 : Rhode of William Andrews. 
 
 Aug : ID : Mary of Gideon Ives : & tobiah servant of Widow Ives. 
 
 17 : abel of Zebulon peck 
 
 Sfpt : 7 : Insign of Dan'l Hough 
 Octo 5 Mary & Clare children of Joel Mitchel 
 Decern : Elisha of Timothy Andrews 
 In Meriden : 19 
 
 1747 : Jan : 18 : of Abel Yale & ozias of Benj Yale. 
 Feb : i : agnis of Jonathan Collins & David of Jehial Baldwin 
 8 : Ann of Saml foginson : 
 
 15 : .Abigail of John Way 
 
 March : 8 : oliver of Ebenezer Royce : 
 
 18 : or 13 : Ezra of Asa Yale. 
 22 : My daughter Eunice : 
 April : 26 : abner of Joash Royce 
 May : 17 : 1747 : John of Laz : Ives. 
 Lois of Willm Jerom 
 
 Eunice of Nathll Yale 
 
 June : 7 : of Sam^l Cowls 
 
 12 : Mary of Abraham Hall privately 
 28 : Caleb of aaron aspenwell 
 
 July : 12 : Rebecca of Stephen Mix 
 
 26 : Lois of Nash Yale 
 
 Aug : g : Mercy of phinehas Hough 
 
 16 ; anna of Thos Foster & of Noah Yale 
 
 Sept : 6 : David of Stephen Atawter & Champe a Negro child of Laz. Ives 
 
 13 : Mehitable of Jos. Merriam & Dan of Sam' (Austin?) 
 Octo : II : Eunice of Ephraim Royce 
 
 25 : Elisabeth of Nathl penttleld : & Rachel of Asa Royce : 
 
 ( 28 : ) 
 Jan : 10 : 1748 : Joel of Joel Mitchel 
 
 17 : Huldah of Elnathan Ives. 
 24 : Elijah of Danll Hough 
 
 March : Flunice of Ebenezer Cowls privately 
 
 rj : buel of Ebenezer Hough 
 
 April : Joseph of Jacob .\ndrcws .\masa of Gideon Ives 
 
 ^4 : negro child of John Merriam Jun'" 
 
 May : 18 : or (13) of Jonathan Collins & of Joseph Cowls Junr 
 
 '5 '■ Higginson of Joseph Hills 
 
 July : 24 : asaph of Moses Mitchel 
 
 .\ug :7 : My Daughter Mehitabel & Lydia of llphraim Berry. 
 
 14 : Wait of Gideon Royce & Susanna of John i)ainter 
 Sept : Levi of Benamin Ives 
 
 Decern : Stephen of Stephen Mix. 
 
4l6 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1 8. 
 
 1749 : Jan : Rebecca of SaniH Mitchel & Mary of (Joash?) Royce, afterward Benj. Yales 
 child. 
 
 Noah Yales child : Abel yales child : Tim Andrews child : (alether?) of John Way : 
 Laz. Ives child. 
 
 October : 29 : Comfort of John Cole : Eunice of Gideon Ives. Thomas of dan^l Hough:, 
 afterwards Jonathan Collins child : 
 
 Dec 10 Jacob Andrews child 
 
 24 Samuel of Danll Baldwin 
 Num : 19 : 
 
 1750 : Jan :28:Mary of Stephen Atwater : 
 
 march : 25 : Justus of Gid Royce a child of Stephen Mix : a Negro child of Amos Camp 
 Apbil :8 : (perish?) of James Coburn :a child of phinehas Hough 
 May -.zy : Enos of Saml Austin : Mehitabel of (As-royse?) 
 1750: Baptisms : June 129 :(or 24) Elisha of Ebenezer Cowls. 
 Time Servant of Dec^ Benj" Royce 
 June : Moses of Moses Mitchel 
 
 July : 29 : Daniel of Abel Yale Barnabas of Nathl Yale 
 Sept : 9 : Mary of John Way. 
 October 7 : Samuel of Samii Rexford 
 Nov : 18 : Esther of Joseph Cowls Jun 
 Decem : 30 : Rachel of Timothy Andrews 
 Num : 17: 
 
 1751 : Baptisms : Jany 2"] \ Mary of Jonathan Collins 
 Feb : 24 : Jerusha of Saml Coles 
 
 March : 17 : Samuel of Dan'l Hough. Elias & Gideon of Elias Roberts 
 
 18 : Esther of Doc : I : Hall privatey. 
 
 24 : Elisabeth of John Yale Junr 
 
 May : 5 : titus of Will Andrews Samuel of Samuel Jerom 
 
 19 Sibel of Joseph Curtiss 
 
 Aug : 4 : Anna of Ephraim Berry 
 
 18 : Eunice of Ebenezer Cowls My Daughter Mehitabel : 
 
 25 : John & Justus of Nehemiah Manrow : 
 
 Sept : 8 : Esther of Daniel Hall — afterwards Abel of Nehemiah Manro 
 Nov : 24 : Benjamin of Jacob Andrews : 
 Decem : i : Samuel of Ebenezer Royce: 
 num : 20 : 
 
 1752 : baptisms : Jan : 5 : amos of Gideon Ives. 
 
 12 Samuel of Ba^'zeleel Ives afterwards anna of Noah Yale privately 
 Feb : 7 : Ruth Lothrop 
 9 Gideon of Gideon Royce 
 16 : (Thodel?) of Samuel Rexford & Lucy of Sam^ Jerom 
 23 : Christopher of Joseph Merriam 
 In Jany a child of Elias Roberds 
 
 1752 : Baptisms : March : Benjm of Benjamin Yale & Lois of Enos Curtiss: 
 afterwards a child of Stephen Mix : 
 April ye 19 Ann of phinehas Hough : 
 
 26 : Hannah of Danll Baldwin Juni" 
 
 May : 3 : Rebecca of David Ives & : Jeptha of Joseph Curtiss 
 
KAHl.V lllSKiKN'. 4^7 
 
 Aiij; :2 : Mary of Moses Mitchcl & Josiah of Jolin Vale Jun'" 
 
 cj ; Hlisabeth of Doc Hal & Seth of Asa Royce : 
 
 2J^ : Mary ann of Hez : Dickinson: 
 
 ^5 Klisabeth of Stephen Atwater privately 
 
 Sept 24 N S Stephen of Kphraim Royce 
 
 Oct 22 Daniel of John Levinston 
 
 Nov iq Ezekiel of Hez Dickinson 
 
 j( : phebe of Lazaus Ives : 
 
 i>ece :3 : phinehas of Tim ; Andrews : 
 
 10 : Lois of Joseph Hough 
 
 J4 : Martha of Danl Moss of Kent : 
 Xum : 28: 
 
 Ha(iti»nis : 1753 : Jan : 21 : Baptised Lois of Danl Hall 
 
 Feb ; 4 : Asahel of tho : Dutton : 
 
 March :4 : Joseph of Sam : Austin : 
 
 25 ; l'"unice of Dan : Hough : 
 
 May : 6 : Moses of Ebenezer Cowls : 
 
 27 • Jonathan of Ephraim Berry : 
 
 June : 10 : Amos of Heman Hall : 
 
 17 ; thankful of Ephraim Hough : afterwards Xathanael of Abel Yale: 
 
 Octo : 14 : Eunice of Sam" Merriinan Xath or Xash of Joel Mitchel & Joseph of Jo- 
 tph Cowls Jun"" 
 
 Decern : 2 : Keturah of Jon : Colllins Rachel of Reuben Royce : Enos of Gid : Ives : 
 , t. T.- Bethiah (<i tim : Foster Jun''. 
 Xum : 16 or 17. 
 
 lohn of John Parsons private!}- 
 
 Baptism> : r754 : Jan : 13. Mary of Gideon Royce: 
 
 20 : Amos of Thomas Mix: 
 2f' : Daniel Holt. 
 
 March ; 17 : Elisabeth of Daniel Baldwin Jun'" 
 
 .■\pril .- : Jotham of Moses Mitchel & John of Sam" Jerom : 
 
 21 ; Eunice of Daniel Hall 
 
 May 19 : a child of Joseph Curtiss: 
 
 2t : Ebenezer : .Allen of Tim : Brunson : 
 
 July : 14 : Joel of Noah Yale: 
 
 2f);R»ith & Joiin & Huldah of Josiah Robinson Jun'" :& of Sam" (ialpin : alter- 
 
 ards Asa of asa Royce : a chid of Stanley : 
 
 Stpt : 15 : Susanna of Left : Lyman : Justus of John \:t]v Jun'' 
 
 Octo : 13 : Benjamin of La2:Ives. Samuel of John P.erry :& M> Servant phyllys :a 
 liUI of EU-nezer Cowls :& one of Ephraim Royce: 
 Xum : 23 
 
 Raptism.s 1755 : Jan : Baptized 3 children att town: 
 
 feb -.2 : Dojle of Dan" Hough, afterwards a Child of tim'l' I-'o-tcr Jun'' 
 
 April : 20 :a child of John Livinstone : 
 
 May :25 : My Son Elisha: 
 
 June I : Huldah of .Miner Curtiss : Jonathan <.f Jonathan Collins a child of Joseph 
 wis Jun"". 
 
 Aug : 3 : Molle of Hez : Dickinson. 
 
 10 : Tim : of Jerom :& David of David S).cns,r: 
 
4i! 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Octob : 12 : Jeruslia of Gideon Ives : 
 Nov :23 : philene of francis Wetmore : 
 Aug: 12 child, att town att one time; 
 Decern : 28 : Benjamin of tim : Andrews : 
 
 Num : 13 in the month : & 15 att town 
 Baptisms : 1756 Jan :ii : John Coach & azubah his Wife: 
 
 18 : Elisabeth of John Coach & John of Samll Scofel : 
 
 25 : Mehitabel Timthy ; Moses & abner of John Way : & Nathanael beedle & Samuel 
 of Samuel Johnson. 
 
 Feb : i : Enoch of Caleb Merriman 
 
 Since : Samll, Lydia. anna of David Royce Danll of Danll Hall (or Holt) a child of 
 Joseph Curtiss : Joseph of Ezra Royce. a child of SaniH Galpin phebe of Willm Merriam: 
 June :6 : Mehitabel of John Berry: 
 13 : phinehas of NathH pentfield Jun'" 
 July : 4 : amerton of Nash Yale : 
 II : Lois of Ephraim Hough 
 Aug : 8 : Katherine of Danll Baldwin Jun'' 
 
 19 : ( ) of Nash Yale 
 
 26 : Susanna & Mary of Will™ Hough : 
 
 Decern : Giles of Tim foster Jun^ Eunice of Josiah Robinson Sarah of John Cooch 
 Num : 32 : J : Scofel & Noah Yales 
 
 Baptisms : 1757 : Jan : 2 : 
 
 (S E Clark :& Sam?) of Jesse Merriam privately : after Justus of Gideon Royce :& a 
 child of Ebenezer Cowls 
 
 Feb : 6 : Hannah of John Way since a child of doc Hall one of lA.mbrose tuttle : one of 
 Danll Hough : a child of Samll Hall : 
 
 April : 24 : John of SaniH Jerom : 
 
 May :8 : Mary of Robert Austin : Mary of Moses Mitchel : & John of John Yale : 
 
 15 : Gideon of Gideon Ives : . 
 
 22 : Amos of Moses Royce. 
 
 June : 19 : Jedidiah of Nathan Scofel : after a child of Titus Merriman : 
 
 Note. — Remaining records of Baptism.s of Rev. Mr. Hall cannot be found. Most of the records 
 of baptisms by Rev. .John Hubbard are missing. The following are all known of. 
 
 November 16 1783 Elisha Merrimans Chid named Orin 
 Thomas Spencers Child Matthew 
 
 November 2;^ Capt. Chamberlains Child Clarissa baptised 
 1784 Isaac Hubbards Child baptised January 18 named Rebecca 
 Israel Halls child baptised February i named Elisha 
 February 8 1784 John Merriams Child baptised named Anna 
 Baptisms by Rev. John Willard 
 1786 July a Child of Mr & Mrs Hull named— 
 Aug a Child of Benjamin Curtis & wife named Asahel 
 Septr A Child of Mr & Mrs Farrington named Orrin 
 Septr A Child of Mr & Mrs Amasa Rice named Lee By Mr Huntington 
 Sept. The wife of Mr. Ammerton Yale. 
 Sept. A Child of Ambrose Hough named : 
 
 Ocf :5 Children of Mr. Jonathan Collins & his Wife named as follows. Keturah. Levi. 
 Selden, Lament & Dema. 
 
EARLY HISTORY 
 
 419 
 
 Oct A child of Mr. Caleb Hough named orrin 
 
 Oct. 2 A child of Mr. Elisha Merriman named Damaris 
 
 Nov 25 Capt Dan Collins 
 
 Dec : 6 : A child of Air Elisha Cowles named Eldad : 
 
 Dec 31 :A Child of Mr. Ashbel Beach named Samuel Bellamy 
 
 Dec 31 : A Child of Phineas Hall named Noah : 
 
 1787 
 
 March : 18 : 4 Children of Capt Dan Collins cS: his wife were baptized named. Molly, 
 Susannah, Lucy & Lyman. 
 
 Also a Child pf >|r Israel HaM 
 
 April 29 :-5 Children of Chatham Freetiian & ALareah his wife were baptized : Named 
 Jube & Kate. 
 
 June A Child of Air & Mrs Lawrence named billy. 
 
 Also a Child of Lieut Hough & his wife named Ruben 
 
 Dec 30. A Child of Capt Joseph Edwards & his wife named Betsey 
 
 1788. 
 
 Jany 2otli a Child of Mr Griswold named Rosetta 
 
 Feb 3 Mr Samuel Collins, also 2 Children of his named Samuel & Hulsey 
 
 Note. — No further record of bapti.-ms until the year 1803. G. W. P. 
 
 Baptisms 1803. 
 
 A child of Joel Yale named Harriet 
 Do of Iva Curtis named Samuel Ives 
 Do of Asahel Yale named Keturah 
 Do of Dea. Yale named Neomy hannah 
 
 May 29 5 children of Mr. Root named Samuel, Joel, Sophia. Sabrina & lucy 
 July 3 an infant of Avery Hough 
 July 31 An infant of Moses Hall by Mr. Miner 
 -Vov 20th An infant of C Samuel) Butler named Samuel 
 Jan I 1804 An infant of Silas Rice named Ruth Curtis 
 May 27 do do of Isaac Rice named Benjamin 
 
 July 29th 1804 the children of Benjamin Merriam Junior & Noah Foster 
 By Rev James Noyse namely Julia & Benamin Ely. Meriam & Levi. Eli. Mary, Oth- 
 nie! & George Fauster. 
 
 I-"aII a child of Aaron Johnson 
 July 7 1805 do of Iva Curtiss named Erastus 
 August nth If I mistake not. a child of John Yale 
 Baptisms 1805 Octo 13th The Wife of John Yale 
 1806 .August 3 A child of Isaac Rice Titus Andrews 
 \ugust Eli Bams 
 
 do Three children of Eli Barns by .Mr Smith 
 N'ov 2 Two of Theophilus Hall 
 
 Dl'.ATIIS. 
 
 A Bill of Mortality or an acomnt of the Xiuui)er of Deaths in the parish of Meriden in 
 Waliingford began to be taken IVb.i 1736-7. 
 
 The number of Deaths from Deceml.r , ; .^..s : ,1k- tune I began t,. preach att Meriden 
 tt 1 August :29 : 17.U : the time I came to Dwell at Meriden : (according to mv best Re- 
 membrance :) ■ 
 
420 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 Isaac Royce & his Son ye wife of John Merriam Jun. & his child : 2 children of Theophi- 
 lus Mix : One Thomas Prindle : the wife of Moses Yale & her child : a daughter of Thomas 
 Yale : a child of Enos Curtiss Thomas Seward 2 Infants of SaniH Ives twins : a child of 
 Divan Berry : the aged Widow Robberds : a child of Ebenezer Prindles : one of Israel Halls 
 children 
 
 mim : i8 
 
 deaths from 1728- 1748 
 
 The number of Deaths from Angst 29 : 1734 : till January i : 17367. 
 
 Samll Ives and his wife : Sarg : Cap & his Infant : Josiah Royce : Lydia Yale : a daugh- 
 ter of Capt' Meriam : a child of TheoP Mix : Ebenezer Prindles Daughter : a child of John 
 Meriam Jun : a child of Moses Curtiss : a child of Joseph Hills Jun. 2 Children of John 
 Hickox : a child of Willm Meria™ : 2 children of Thomas Foster : Aaron Lymans negro. 
 
 Deaths Anno Domini 1737 : beginning JanV : i : 
 
 Feb : 20 : a child of Benj : Ives : 
 
 March : 3 : Died Moses Curtiss : 
 
 May: 2 : Died Timothy Royce 
 
 May : 14 : Died Phebe an Indian Woman In my House : 
 
 May : 16 : Died Mary Infant of Zerubbabel Jearum 
 
 Ma}- : 22 : Dyed Sarah Daughter of Ens : Whiting : 
 the number 6 : 
 
 Deaths Anno Domini 1738 : Begin : JanV : i : 
 
 June : 28 : Died John ye Son of John Merriam Jun : 
 
 Septem : 3 : Died Rachel Daughter of Lef Ezkel Royce 
 
 Decem 30 of Thomas Foster : 
 
 number : 3 : 
 
 Deaths: A : D : 1739 : Begin : JanJ' : i^t ; 
 
 Feb : 4 : Dyed Lois Nash Yales child 
 
 Feb : 14 : Dyed John, Ebenezer Prindles child : 
 
 May : 7 : Dyed my own son Theophilus Hall : 
 
 July: 14 :Dyed John ye son of Sarg* Josiah Robinson 
 
 Sept : 18 : Dyed Lydia Jedediah Nortons child 
 
 Oct : ID : Dyed Kesiah Joseph Hills Juni" child : 
 
 Nov : 15 : Dyed Theo : Mixs Negro man : 
 
 Decem : 31 : Dyed Levi, John Ives child 
 number : 8 : 
 
 Deaths : Anno Domini 1740 : Begin Jan'-V : i^t ; 
 
 A'larch : 31 : Dyed Susannah Sargt Will"i Merriams child 
 
 May : 2 : Dyed Esther Abel Yales Wife 
 
 May : 7 : Dyed Ebeni" Sanfords Negro Boy : 
 
 May 12 Dyed Deborah Joseph Merriams child : 
 
 June : 8 : Dyed Jonathan Joseph Cowls Jun child : 
 
 June : 8 : Dyed Doc William Hough's wife : 
 
 July : 7 :A son an infant of Robert Collins Jun : 
 
 Nov: 2 : Mr Bartholomew Foster Died : 
 
 Deaths : Anno : D :i74i. Begining Jan^y : ist; 
 
 Jani" : 29 dyed Hannah Infant of Divan Berry : 
 
 Feb : 7 : Dyed Rebecca Rich : 
 
 May : 13 : ye aged Thos Beach 
 
 May : 18 : dyed an Infant of Ebenr Sanford : 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 421 
 
 Ma\- : 23 : Dyed a son an Infant of Abraham Hills 
 Sept : 12 : Dyed Abigail Daughter of John Way : 
 Sept : 17 : Dyed Joseph son of Joseph Cowls Jun^ : 
 Decern : 9 : Dyed a son of Moses Yale : 
 Decern : 10 : dyed ye wife of John Way : 
 Decern 127 : an Indian child att Mr. Sanfords 
 
 number 10 
 Deatiis: A : D : 1742 begin Januiy : i : 
 Jan : 2i : Dyed John : a twin of Thos. Bern . 
 Feb : 4 : y^ wife of John Cole 
 March : 11 : Sarah other twin of Tho^^ : Berry : 
 March 29 : Doc Ebenezer Cooper 
 May : 2 : Samuel a child of Ens : Whiting : 
 Octo : 21 : Eunice Yale: 
 Oct : 25 : Susannah Infant of John Merriain Jun'" 
 
 Num : 7 : 
 Deaths : A : D : 1743 : begin Janv : 1 : 
 Sept : 23 : the wife of Tho Berry 
 October : 15 : Lydia child of David Way : 
 October : 19 : Sarah another child of David Wa>- : 
 Nov : 25 : Dyed y^ wife of Timothy Andrews 
 
 number : 4 : 
 Death : A : D : 1744 : 
 
 Feb : 20 : Phebe an Indian Child In my House : 
 April :ii : an Infant of John Cole : 
 Aug : 20 : Alexander Infant of Alx'l Douglas : 
 Sept : 7 : the other twin of Alexander Douglas : 
 
 num : 4 : 
 Deaths : A : D : 1745 
 Feb: 16 : Benjamin Hart 
 Feb : 25 a negro child of Sargt Jerom 
 June : 18 : Joseph ye son of John Ives : 
 Aug : 4 : John Ives 
 Aug : 30 : Robert Collins Sen'" 
 Aug : 29 : Titus the son of Willm Andrews 
 Sept ; 4 : Samuel son of Capt Royces att N. London 
 10 : Levi a child of Sargt Benjamin Ives 
 29 : Mary a child of Gideon Royce : 
 Octo 28 : Mathew Infant son of John Way : 
 
 num 9 
 Deaths : A : D : 1746 : 
 Feb : 9 : Samuel Ives 
 : 14 : Phebe a child of Asa Yale 
 March : 27 : Sarah daughter of Benjamin Curtiss 
 April : 7 : An Infant child of Robert Collins : 
 May : 2 : the wife of Gideon Royce : 
 4 : a child of Curtiss 
 
 10 : a child of Ebenezer Royce 
 12 :a child of Moses Mitchel : 
 
^22 A CEiSfTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 July : 20 : an Infant of Joseph Cowls Juni" 
 
 Aug : 3 Primus Servant of Capt" Merriam : 
 
 8 : My own son Elisha 
 
 26 : the aged widow Andrews 
 
 October : two negro twins of Lemuel Hough : 
 
 Decern : 13 : a negro child of Lazarus Ives 
 
 num : 15 : 
 Deaths : 1747 : 
 
 April : 7 : a child of Edward Collins 
 May : 12th ; the wife of Abraham Hall 
 Tune : 3 : the wife of Robert Collins 
 July a negro child of Widow Ives 
 Aug : 10 : a child of Abraham Hall 
 18 : ve wife of Thomas Yale 
 Octo ; 3 : Child of Noah Yale 
 17 : ve wife of Ephraim Royce 
 
 27 : Dan Baldwins negro man 
 
 20 : London servant to John Webb : 
 : 21 : Samuel Houghs negro woman 
 
 num 12 
 Deaths : 1748 
 Feb : 9 : Widow Ives Negro woman 
 
 28 : Sargt Jerom negro child 
 
 March : 26 : ye wife of Ebenlezer Cowls 
 
 April : 23 the wife of William Andrews : 
 
 24 : a child of Ebenezer Cowls 
 
 June : 2 : Robert Powel 
 
 Deaths — 1748 
 
 Sept : 6 : a child of Jehiel Baldwin 
 
 8 : another child of Jehiel Baldwin : 
 
 10 : a child of Ephraim Hough : 
 
 1 1 : Moses Yale : 
 
 21 : a child of Edward Collins : 
 
 22 : ye wife of Jehiel Baldwin 
 Octo : 9 : My daughter Mehitabel : 
 15 : ye Widow Mindwel Royce 
 Nov : 9 : ye wife of Aaron Lyman 
 
 num : 16 : 
 Deaths : 1749 : 
 
 Jan : 15 : a child of James Corbett. 
 22, : a child of John Couch 
 May -.21 : a child of Asa Royce 
 June : 22 : a child of Tim Andrews an Idiot : 
 July : 26 : a child of Edward Collins : 
 Aug : 9 : a child of Abel Yales 
 Octo : 19 : Lois daughter of Benjan Curtiss : 
 Decem : 12 : A child of Nathl Pentfield : a monster: 
 24 a negro child of Nathtl Yale 
 
 Num — 9 : 
 
KAKI.V 11>;< KV 
 
 4-'3 
 
 Ui-alhs: 1750 : 
 
 Keh : 2} : Dyed Sargt Jim. Jeroni : 
 
 April :3 :a child of Joseph Hills 
 
 May : 13: Bristo negro of John .Xkrriain Jnn 
 
 July : I : Theophihis Mix 
 
 14: Gideon Royces negro man : 
 
 Sept :6 rye wife of Henry Slanton : 
 
 zb : Mr. Thomas Vale : 
 
 October :8 :A child of Nehcniiah Manrow 
 
 14 : David Way 
 
 19 ; A child of Nehemiah Manrow : 
 2L) A negro child of Amos Camp 
 : Nov : 1(1 : A child of James Corbit : 
 
 Nnm : II : 
 Deaths : 1751 : Dyed 
 Jan :5th :A child of Jacob Andrews 
 : A Boy of Benjn Vales 
 Feb : 10 : A child of James Curtiss 
 13 : 2 Children of Ichabod Stark : 
 24 : A negro child of Ebenezer Royce 
 April 130 : the Wife of Mr. John Merriam 
 May : 21 : John Merriam Jun'' negro child. 
 Aug : 7 . Sargt Jos Merriams negro woman 
 Q ; a child of James Cobon 
 10 : the Wife of James Cobnrn : 
 23 : old Mr. Camel 
 31 : A child of Gideon Porter : 
 Sept :6 : Henry .Stanton 
 13 : A child of John 'S'ale Jnnr 
 If : John Way 
 lo:As!ibnrn Way. 
 Sept : a child of Joseph Hill 
 ( >ctr. : 4 ; Left. William Merriam : 
 f) ; a child of Jonathan Collins : 
 Dcrcm 23 : John Front : 
 
 d of Capt Robinson 
 
 num : 22 : 
 Deaths : 1752 : 
 
 Feb :g : Ruth I,f»throp a girl att Capt- kolim^on^ 
 N'arch : Mr James .Mlin. 
 \pril , lo'b :a child of (iideon Royce : 
 Dvaths : 1752 : June : 27 : David Hough. 
 19 ; a child of Zadoc Doolittle : 
 .Susannah Hough 
 Aug • .-4 : Sargt Joseph Merriam 
 Sept : 20 : N :S : an Infant «)f Janus Corbit 
 Octo : 3 : a child of Zadok Doolittle : 
 
 15 : the wife of Divan Berry : 
 18 ; Kl>enezer Rovce 
 
424 - A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Num : II : 
 Deaths : 1753 : 
 
 l^eb : 2T, : ye Wife of William Merriam : 
 April : 24 :a child of Joseph Curtiss : 
 30 : Bethiah Daughter of Divan Berry : 
 Iviay : 20 David Ives : 
 
 Aug : 15 : My Daughter Hannah (?) at New London : 
 18 : an infant of Ephraim Hough : 
 Decern : Oliver of Widow Abigail Roys. 
 
 Num : 7 : 
 Deaths : 1754 : 
 an infant of John Salter 
 March : 30 : Widow Elizabeth Ives : 
 
 Seme time in the Summer 2 children of W^arner : 
 
 Oct : II : Mr. John Merriam 
 
 14 : a child of Hez : Dickinson. 
 
 15 : another of Hez : D'c inson 
 30 : Benjn Curtiss : 
 
 Nov : 5 : a child of Francis Wetmore : 
 9 : James Hough : 
 15 : Capt : Webb, Mother Merriam : 
 Decem : 21 : Mary Tudrah or Tindrah? 
 
 Num : 12 : 
 Deaths : 1755 : 
 
 March : 9 : a Boy of Ambrose Tuttle : 
 April : 24 : the Wife of Eldad Curtiss : 
 June : 2:My son Elisha : 
 29 : a child of John Levinston : 
 July : 17 : a child of John Berry : 
 28 : a child of Asa Royce 
 Aug : 31 : a child of Doct Hall 
 Sept 21 : a child of Jos Andrews of Southington 
 Nov : 12 : a child of John Couch : 
 13 : another of Couchs child : 
 Decem : 15 : a child of Widow Way 
 : 19 : Stephen Mi.xes Wife 
 
 Num : 12 : 
 Deaths : 1756 : 
 
 Jan : 11 : ye Wife of Timothy Andrews 
 March : 29 : Moses a lad of James Scofel : 
 April 5 : a child of Moses Mitchel : 
 24 : A Child of Ichabod Stark : 
 July : 8 : a child of Gideon Ives : 
 18 : A child of Ichabod Stark 
 
 Sept : II : a child of Titus Merriman 
 13 : a child of Caleb Merriman : 
 Octo : 4 : a child of Ephraim Royce : 
 8: Joseph Thorpes wife 
 9 : a child of Ephraim Royce : 
 
KAKI.V llISTtn<V. 4-5 
 
 24 : A cliild 1)1 Klon Anilrcw? ; 
 Nov : 2S : a child of Will : Hough 
 Decern : i : a child of Jos : Curtiss : 
 3 : ye wife of John Meriani : 
 8 : Willm Andrews. 
 : before : a cliild of Abner Curtiss 
 
 Xtini : 17 : 
 Deaths : i757 : 
 
 Jan : I :a child of Ephraim Royce : 
 J : a child of Jesse Merriani 
 April : 3 : Wife of David Spenser : 
 May : 14 : Deacon Sam^ Royce 
 July : 24 :the wife of Dan'i Hall Jun'" 
 Aug: 2 :a child of Ephraim Houj^ii 
 Octo :4 : Aged Mr. Collins 
 Nov :a infant of P>enj :Ri)>C(.' Jun'" 
 
 Num : 8 
 Deaths : 1758 : 
 
 Jan : 17 : an Infant of Asa Bronson. 
 20 : Decon Benjm Royce : 
 
 Feb :3 :a Negro Girl of Josiah Robinson Jun"' 
 19: the Wife of Enos Tuttle : 
 June ;8 ; My Negro child Gin. 
 
 29 : My Negro child Rose : 
 
 Aug : II : a child of Charles Bailey 
 
 Nov : 6 : an Infant Negro child of SaniH Hough 
 
 after a Negro child of Left. Hough 
 
 Decern ; 23 : an Infant of Ens : Hough 
 
 N : 10 : 
 Deaths : 1759 
 
 Jan : 1 : Dyed an Infant of Divan Berry Jun'' 
 March : 11 : the Wife of Decon Robe't Royce : 
 19 ; a Negro child of Capt : Rol)inson : 
 
 30 : Smith a stranger & a single woman 
 April : 2 : Decon Robert Royce. 
 
 .\f)<iut .\pril or May a child of Xoah N'ale 
 July ; the aged Mr. Harris 
 Sept : 21 : a child of Benamin Mcrriam 
 Octo : 10 : a child of Abel .\ustins 
 
 11 : another child of his 
 
 12 ; iiis Wife 
 
 Nov : 13 : an Infant of Ezra Royce 
 Decern : 14 :a cliild of V.us. .\bner Curtiss 
 
 N : 13 : 
 Deaths: 1760 : Dyed 
 
 July : 24 : an Infant of Ezra Royce just born : 
 Sept : 13 : a Negro Child of Sam" Hough. 
 17 : a Child of E/ra Royce 
 Octo :8 :a child of J.ihn Hal! 
 
426 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Novem : 6 : two Infant twins of Thomas Foster : 
 29: The aged Mr. Joseph Cowls 
 Decern : 2 : Abraham Hall 
 
 6 : Christopher Robinson 
 
 7 : the aged Mrs. Berry. 
 
 N : 10 : 
 Deaths : 1761 : Dyed : 
 Jan : i : Ephraim Berry 
 
 30 : Gideon Royce 
 
 31 : an Infant of John Griswold just born 
 March : 13 : Rhode Ford 
 
 June : 29 : a Child of Josiah Robinson Juni" 
 
 July : 19 : Daniel Meky : 
 
 20 : an Infant of Divan Berry Juni" 
 
 Aug : 12 : the Widow Deborah Merriam 
 
 Oct : 22 : Joseph Blanchard 
 
 25 : an Infant child of Abner Curtiss Jun. 
 
 N : 10 : 
 Deaths 1762 Dyed 
 
 Feb 4 a Negro Child of Left. Camp 
 March : 7 : Alexander Douglass 
 May : 8 : Joseph Dickinson 
 25 : Silas Curtiss son of Left. Curtiss 
 June : 6 : Mr Josiah Clark 
 12 : a lad of John Hall being Scalded 
 July : 2 : a child of Benjam Merriam, an Idiot : 
 30 : Isaac Rice 
 
 Sept : 14 : Ephraim Rice 
 
 26 : an Infant Child of Thomas Berry Juni" 
 
 Oct : 5 : the Wife of Joseph Cowls : 
 
 to: Bartholomew Foster : 
 
 Deaths 1762 : 
 
 Oct : 14 : Rebecca Pentfield 
 
 : a child of Noah Yales 
 
 Nov : 30 : Barnabas a lad of NathH Yales 
 Num : 15 : 
 
 Deaths : 1763 : 
 
 Dyed Jan : 28 : a Child of Timothy Foster Jun : 
 
 Feb : 6 : Mr Pentfields Negro Man : 
 
 April : 2 : Mr. Sam Houghs Negro Woman Zill : 
 
 June : 8 : David Yale was found Dead having hanged himself as the Jury Supposed 
 
 Sept: 9 :a Child of Allen Rice : 
 
 Octo : 15 ; Capt ; Webbs Negro Woman Lille 
 
 Nov : 22 : a Child of Phinehas Hall by falling on a pen knife : 
 
 29 : a child of Enos Hall 
 
 Decem : 18 : Aaron Curtiss 
 Num : 9 : 
 
 Deaths : 1764 : Dyed 
 
 April : 6 : a Lad of Left. Eben. Cowls : 
 
EAKLV HISTORY. 4-7 
 
 Ma\ :o ; Lois daughter of Ens Yale: 
 
 29: an Infant of Abel Curtiss 
 
 .Time ; 3 : a Negro Child of Doct. Hall 
 
 13 : a Child of Benjamin Rice : 
 
 July : 2 : a Child of Asa Barns 
 
 6: the other twin of Asa Barns 
 
 Aug : 2Ti : Abigail Daughter of Joseph Coles- 
 
 Ni>v : 20 : Elizabeth Pentfield : 
 
 N :9: 
 Deaths: 1765 Dyed 
 
 Jan : 30 an Infant of Thos Berry Jun'" 
 May : 3 : a Child of Joseph Merriam by Swallowing a Ry Ear 
 
 30 : Experience Tyler an old Maid : 
 
 31 : the Wife of Jonathan Collins : 
 July ; 2 :an Infant of Isaac Hall Jun'" 
 Sept : 4 : Dec : Ezekiel Rice Esq : 
 
 Num : 6: 
 
 Deaths : 1766 : Dyed 
 
 Feb : 4 : Phebe Daughter of Laz : Ives : 
 
 March :2i :Joel a lad of SamU Jerom 
 
 April : 2 : Capt Josiah Robinson : 
 
 Nov : 10 : Mary Infant of Samll Whiting. 
 
 Decern : 5 : Infant of Banjn Hough 
 Num : 5 : 
 
 Deaths: 1767 
 
 (The following records of deaths are not the handwriting of Mr. Hall, probably some 
 clerk's.) 
 
 Revd liieophilus Hall died Mach 25, 1867 act f>otli an in y^ Sgtli year of his ministry. 
 
 .\ child of Joesph Meriam 
 
 Joseph Meriams wife 
 
 a child of Benjn Meriam 
 
 Capt Meriams wife. 
 
 Deac" Sam'l Rices widow 
 
 A child of Joseph Cole 
 
 a child of Divan Berry Jun"" 
 
 a child of Caleb Merriman 
 
 a child of Eliphalet Horton (or Norton) 
 
 Mrs Mehitabel Hall daughter of thi? Rcv'1 Theopjiihis Hall died Sept. 11 
 
 The Widow Smith 
 William Merriams child 
 
 .\ child of Yale Bishop 
 
 No. 14. 
 I he whok' nimiber of deaths in ye proceeding Catalogue from Dccemr i 1728 to JanX 
 T 17^18 
 
 34R- 
 J7f>8 — Dimon Berry 
 The Wife of John Livingston 
 July 25 Danll Hough 
 
428 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Deer The Widow Eaton 
 12 Danil Hall 
 
 The youngest child of Ephraim Rice 
 1769 Elijah Scovils Child 
 June Ailing Rice's Wife & Child 
 
 Note. — The next record of deaths is that ot Rev. .John Hubbard's ministry, and is all that now 
 remains of the records of this church. 
 
 Novembe 25, 1783 Samuel Merrianis Child Benedictt died 
 
 30 Nathaniel Douglass Child 
 
 Thomas Berry died. 
 
 December 3d Day died Capt. Divan Berry. 
 
 Record of deaths, by Rev. John Willard. 
 
 1786 July The Wife of Mr John Merriam 
 July The Wife of Mr Samuel Johnson 
 July The Wife of Esqi" Lyman 
 
 Novr 18 The Rev<i Mr John Hubbard died aged 60. 
 
 1787 Jany 13. One Jervis a transent person 
 Jany 19 Miss Sally Meky aged 17 : 
 
 March 25 a child of Mr Joel Yale aged a year & 10 months 
 
 A Child of Mr. Samuel Balden 
 
 Mar Mr. Halsey Rice 
 
 July 26. The Wife of Mr. John Miles aged 60. 
 
 Oc The Widow Douglass aged about 84 
 
 Oc. A Negro child of Capt. Webb. 
 
 Dec An Infant Child of David Foster. 
 
 Deaths 1788 
 
 Janry 4th. A Child of Chatham Freeman (Negroe) 
 
 Jany 15. Oliver Son of Giles Collins aged 19: — 
 
 Feby 15 Mrs Ives wife of Mr. John Ives aged 45 
 
 Feby 22 Mr. Foster aged 88. 
 
 Feby 24. Deacon Hough Esquire aged 52. 
 
 March 27. Mr. James Scovil aged 88. 
 
 April : Miss Polly Galpin. 
 
 May I A Negro Child belonging to Jack & Bet. 
 
 May : An Infant of Mr Jesse Merriman 
 
 May : 27 : A Daughter in Law of the Widow Andrews. 
 
 July 7th Capt Joseph Edwards in the 46th of his age 
 
 IS An Infant of Mr. Jotham Hall 
 
 August 5. Mr. Moses Hall aged 53. 
 
 August. An Infant Negroe Child belonging to Jack 
 
 Nov. The Wife of Mr. Amerton Yale 
 
 Dec. An Infant of Mr Amerton Yale 
 
 Dec. The Wife of Mr. Isaac Hall. 
 
 1789 Jany II Miss Anna Guy 
 
 Jany a child of Mr. Ephraim Hough. 
 
 Feby A Child of Mr Benja Rexford Jr. 
 
 March A child of Mr. Ezra Butler. 
 
 
EAKl.V HISTOKV. 4^9 
 
 iHilths— 1789. 
 
 May a Child of Mr. Daniel Baldin. 
 
 — 15. A Daughter of Mr. Simion Perkins aged 16. 
 
 Jul\ II. Mr. Ozias Foster 
 
 July 16. The wife of Ezra Butler. 
 
 August 13 An infant Cliild of Mr Samuel Hough being drowned in his Mill po"d. 
 
 Sepf 30. Mr. Nash Yale Jr. 
 
 Oc Mr. Anthony 40 
 
 Nov. 19. an infant child nf Mr. Simeon Perkins. 
 
 I7ix> March 6th the wife of Mr Jesse Merriam died 
 
 March 21*^^ The Wife of Mr. Samuel Hall aged 45 
 
 April 6 (or 5) a Child of Mr Samuel Rice aged 10 years 
 
 April. An i"fant Child of Mr. Lamberton Clarke 
 
 May Mrs Coverland. 
 
 May an infant of Mr. wade 
 
 June jt the wife of Mr. Beckwith : 
 
 July The Widow Whiting aged 94. 
 
 July The wife of Mr Matthew- Hough 
 
 July 28 Samuel Langdon, Son of Rev<^ John Willard aged a year & ten months. 
 
 Sept'" 27 A Son of Mr. Joel Rice aged 12 years. 
 
 Nov 17 The wife of Capt. Joseph .Shalor. 
 
 1791. 
 Jan'y 20 a child of Mr Isaac .At water 
 JanV 25 Mr Edmund Merriam aged 30 
 Deaths — 1791- 
 
 Feby an Infant of Mr. Wades. 
 Ffby .\n Infant of Mr Abel Barns 
 March an Infant of Mr. Berry 
 March an Infant of Mr. Dewolf 
 March Ji the Wife of Mr. Dewolf. 
 March the Wife of Mr. Sanderson 
 March 29 Mr .Samuel Hall aged 52. 
 Apl 19 Mr. Oliver Hough aged 21 
 May 12 the wife of Mr. Levi Curtiss 
 June Mr. Eli hue Lawrence. 
 July .A child of Mr. I'pson. 
 July .An infant of Mr Barnabas Vale. 
 August 12. Mr. Jesse Merriam aged 63. 
 August 24 The Wife of Mr. Phineas Hough .Xe 67 
 Sepir .Mr William Merriam aged b^,- 
 Sepf .Mr. Hotchkiss in the army 
 Oc. The widow Hall aged 74 
 Oc 2H An i'lfant ofMr-.-Xbel Barns 
 Novr An Infant of Mr. Joel Rice 
 Ncvr The Widow Johnson aged 85. 
 
 Nov. Goodrich was killed in the army 
 
 Nov. Ge(»rge Hall in the army. 
 
 Dec. 18. an infant of Mr. Jotham Hall. 
 
430 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1792. 
 Jan-V. The Widow Davenport 
 
 Fe b.v. A transient person at Mr. Timothy Fosters. 
 Feby. 9. A Child of Mr. Asahel Berry aged 3 years. 
 Feby. Joseph Shalor 
 March 2. An infant of David Foster. 
 March 10. The Wife of Mr. Caleb Todd aged 24. 
 March The wife of Benja Hall. 
 April. The Widow Hall aged 93. 
 June : an infant of Mr. Samuel Anthony. 
 Sepf. The wife of Flijah Hall 
 Octr an infant of Lt- Elisha Merriman. 
 1796. Deaths — { j^^ ) 
 
 March 25. a pair of twin Children of the Rev^ John Willard & Huldah his wife who 
 died in the birth. 
 
 April An infant of Mr. Hookers 
 
 April The Wife of Thos Stone (or Stowe) 
 
 May. The wife of Mr. Olds. 
 
 June. An infant of Mr. Joseph Hall. 
 
 July 15 Deacon Isaac Hubbard aged 44 
 
 Aug. a Daughter of Mr. (Melorth?) Silby aged 3 years. 
 
 Sept. An Infant of Mr. Fitch Ives. 
 
 Sept. 12. a Daughter of Mr Giles Griswold aged 3 years. 
 
 Septi' a Daughter of Mr. Giles Griswold aged 5 years 
 
 Septr 29. A female Infant of Mr. Giles Griswold. 
 
 Octi'i. The Wief of Mr. Dana Andrews aged 60. 
 
 Ocf. 2. An Infant of Mr. Amos Foster. 
 
 Oct!" Mr. John Miles aged 73. 
 
 Nov'". An Infant of Fbenezer Baldin. 
 
 Dec''. 27. Mr. Raynolds Beckwith aged 92. 
 
 1797- 
 Feby. A child of Mr. Sanderson aged 2 years. 
 March. Hannah, a Child of Mr. Asahel Berry aged 14. 
 March 31. The widow Berry aged 85- 
 April 2. The wife of Levi Hough aged 22. 
 April 14 A son of Mr. Brocket aged 14. 
 April 30. The Widow Sarah Andrews aged 60. 
 May 12 The wife of David Scovil. 
 July : An Infant of Samuel Yale. 
 July 16 The wife of Daniel Baldin aged 75. 
 Deaths 1797. (26) 
 
 August 6. Mr. Caleb Merriman aged 72 
 Septr 2. Mr. Phineas Hough aged 84. 
 August 13. ,\n infant of Mr. Moses Root. 
 18. The wife of Noah Austin aged 77- 
 Octr Mrs. Parmale aged 44. 
 Nov. 2. Mr Abel Curtis aged 67. 
 
 Note. — Part of the record of deaths is missing. 
 
EARI.V HISIOKV. 431 
 
 .\.i\. <>. Mr. Moses Mitchel 74 
 
 Nov. Mr. Abel Hawley 8_'. 
 
 Nov. an Infant of Aaron Merriani. 
 
 Nov. An Infant of Jairus Mi.x 
 
 Dec'". Mr. Aniasa Rice aged 4X. 
 
 28 TI1C wife of Nath' Merriani aged ()i 
 
 1788. ( Error— should be 1798.) 
 
 Jan> — A Child of Mr. Crane aged 4 years. 
 
 Niarch 18. Mr. Elijah Scovil aged 23. 
 
 March 31. .\ child of Mr. Joseph Merriani aged 3 years 
 
 June 5. The wife of James Baldin aged 34- 
 
 Sepf. An Infant of Mr Bishop 
 
 Ocf. The wife of Mr. Xasli Vale age.l .S4. 
 
 Nov''. Capt. Bezalel Ives aged ~2. 
 
 I7'^^ 
 March 2_*. .\n Infant of Mr. Sini])^ m 
 .\pl. 2. Mrs. Simpson aged 34. 
 Apl. 3. A Child of Mr. Joseph Twiss aged 8. 
 May 6. Capt. Jolm Wehh aged ahni)>t gj. 
 Deaths— 1799. 
 
 May 8. .^n I'M'ant of Mr. Asah.el ^ale. 
 May 10. .\n Infant of Mr. .Aaron Merriani 
 May 18 An Infant of Fitch Ives— 
 May 24 Miss Eleanor Payne aged 44. 
 May .\n Infant of Fletcher Perkins. 
 May 2^- The wife of Capt. Couch aged 73. 
 July .V Daughter of Prindle Hall. 
 August i3. An Infant of Mr. Silas Rice. 
 
 .\ugust 14. An Infant of Mr. Taylor. 
 
 .\ugust 24. Mr. Moses Tufts. 70 
 
 Sepf. The wife of Mr. John Austin aged 93. 
 
 Scpf. 20. .\ Child of N'thl Merriani Jr. aged about 2 years 
 
 Sept'". 30 the wife of Mr. John Butler aged 21. 
 
 Ocf t. The infant of Mr. John Butler 
 
 Nov'" 2i. .Mr. Elisha Cowles aged 49 : 
 
 Dec'" 7. Mrs. Lois Veamans aged y2- 
 
 i8oo. 
 Fehy 9 Mr Daniel I'.aldiii aged S(). 
 
 March 5. The wife of Capt Cone formerly The Widow Einiice ^'.ile age<l 
 .\pl 2t). An Infant of Mr. Daniel Twiss. 
 May I. An Infant of Mr. Levi Foster 
 July Deacon Cowles aged 82 
 Ocf 13. William Curtis aged 18. 
 Deer The Widow Sarah ^"ale aged 8). 
 N'ov"" Mr. Farrington aged 53. 
 
 1801. 
 Jan.^ 31 The wife of .Marvel .\udrews &• their luf.iul. 
 
 Deaths 1801 
 r.l.v ,si \„ I,,, ••,,,, ,,,- I-^Inathan Ives Jr 
 
432 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Feby gth The wife of Mr. Leavet aged 80 
 
 Feby. an Infant of Mr. Amos Cowles 
 
 March. An Infant of Mr. Moses Root. 
 
 March. The wife of Mr. Joseph Hall aged 29 
 
 March 30th The wife of Mr. Silas Rice aged 25 : 
 
 Apl Mr. Miles Hull died aged 32 
 
 Ocf an Infant of Mr. Levi Foster. 
 
 Noyi" 9. The wife of Mr. Stephen Talor. 
 
 Novi' 15 Aaron Lyman Esquire aged 94 wanting four days. 
 
 Novi" An Infant of Mr Thos Stow. 
 
 Novi" An Infant of Mr. Asahel Rice. 
 
 Novi" An Infant Child of Mr. Aaron Foster. 
 
 1802. 
 Jany 2. Mr. Edward Collins aged ninety 
 
 Feby 7 An Infant of Mr. Othniel Ives, which died in the birth 
 Feby 14. The wife of Mr. John Plymet aged 40- 
 Feby. An Infant of Mr. Samuel Baldin Jr. 
 March. A Child of Mr Joel Yale aged 4 years. 
 March 30. Mr Nash Yale aged 88 2-4 years. 
 
 Records by Rev. Erastus Ripley 
 April A child of Aaron Merriam. 
 Death — 1802. 
 
 April. An infant of Mr. Adkins 
 Do do of Mr. Noah Foster 
 Do Miss Clarissa Anthony aged 17 
 do An infant of Mr. Iva Curtiss 
 May 7. Mr. Noah Austin 
 
 do A Daughter of Mr. Andrew Hough aged 21. 
 June 6. Jack a Negro aged about 46. 
 19 A child of Benjamin Hall aged i year. 
 July 2d The Wife of Isaac Hall aged 59 
 June 29. Benjamin son to Isaac Rice aged 5 years. 
 July iQ. Two infants of Benjamin Hall. 
 15 Daniel Hall Junior aged 46 
 
 August 13. The Wife of Samuel Whiting Esquire aged 58. 
 
 Sept. 14. Died at Dea John Halls the Widdow Hall of Walingford aged about 70 years. 
 15. A Daughter of Cornelius Hull aged i^/^ years. 
 Widdow Elizabeth Hall aged 70 
 Widdow Deborah Hull 
 
 Dec™ 6th. Mabel Allen Deceased aged 22 years 
 
 Dec"! 30*^ a Male Infant Deceased being a Twin Child of Dec" Natht Yale 
 Octi- The Widow Deborah Hull Deceas^ 
 
 Lois Daughter of Mr Andrew Hough Deceased the last summer 
 Nov. II John Austin aged 98 years 
 James Daughter of Andrew Hough deceased the last summer 
 
 Deaths 1803. 
 
 An infant of Deacon Yale. 
 Jan. 19 do of Samuel Way. 
 
EARLY HISTORY. 433 
 
 Feb. 15. Samuel Wliiting lisq. aged 60. 
 
 17 Alma daughter of James Baldwin aged 17 years 
 
 ji). Noah Vale aged 80 years 
 
 March 3. An infant of .\mos Curtis 
 
 lnl> 14 .Miss .^nner Rice aged 47 
 
 1).. !5 A Son of Dean Nathaniel Yale aged 4- 
 
 August 29 A child of John Hooker aged i year 
 
 Septem. .\xe daughter of Amerton Yale aged 9 years. 
 
 October 8tli The Widdow Mitchel. 
 
 Do. g. Mr. Nathaniel Douglass. 
 
 Do. 15 Captain Samuel Ives aged 52. 
 
 .\ov. 2J. A child of Yale Hough aged 2 years. 
 
 Do 2<i .\ child of Timothy hes Junior aged 2 weeks. 
 
 Dec 29 Samuel Leavet aged i>/. 
 
 16 in all. 
 l-'el) 1804 -A child of Oliver Andrews. 
 .\ child of liberty perkins 
 Feb -Mrs. Peck widdow. 
 March The wife of Phinehas Lyman 
 May Mrs. Selbey 
 TheopheUis Hall. 
 August 18 Wife of Samuel Yale. 
 Septenil)er a child of Mr. Conory. 
 Nov. i^t 1804 Mr Phinehas Hall aged 90- 
 March 1804 a child of James Bradley 
 
 ID in all. 
 
 1S03. 
 I'eb 171'' Joseph Meriam aged 35. 
 Do 18. the wife of Berry Lyman 22. 
 .March (i"i The wife of Daniel Twist 50. 
 .May 29. .\ child of Moses Barns 
 .May or June .\ child of .Avery Hall. 
 June gtli the Wife of .Avery Hall 28. 
 I>1 a child of .Abijah Bradley. 
 July litli or I2tli Nob .Squaw 60 or 70. 
 August 2Sth a child of Mr. Simpson aged 15m. 
 September 19H1 Widow .\nna Collins 67. 
 Cornelius Hull about 35. 
 Do loth a child of Yale hough. 
 Octn igtli Old Mr- .\ustin aged 83. 
 Dii a child of Mr Tibbels aged i da.\ 
 Do 26 Daniel Hall aged 7H. 
 Do 29. Howel Meriman about 3f) or ^,7 
 Nov 29 Jotham Hall aged 2\ 
 Dec I. .Abigal Mitchel age U). 
 Dec 8 1805 a child of Mr. Spencer. 
 Do 14. Mr. Joel Yale aged 47 
 Do 2I1 Mr. Bracket aged 49. 
 Do 24. Miss Levina Mitchel aged 20 
 
 Total 23 
 
434 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1806 Jan. 12. Joseph Cowls aged 96. 
 Jan. 2ist An Infant of Mr Ellinds or Allins (?) 
 Feb. 23. a child of Eli Barns 2. 
 March 3. The Widdow Hubbard 70. 
 Do 12th Miss Polly Mitchel 49 
 Do 22 A child of DanielTwist 
 Do 24 or 5. Widdow Webb aged 94. 
 April 9 or 10 A child of Yale hough. 
 Do nth Cap" Cooch aged 81 
 April 28th Selden Meriam aged 22. 
 May, Child of Levi Curtis aged 3 days. 
 15 Patience Johnson 40 or 50 
 20 A child of Widow right aged months. 
 June 7th Widdow Barns aged 62. 
 Do 15 Jeremiah Winscot aged 21. 
 July ist 1806. Tabatha Rice aged about 19. 
 Do 29th A child of the Old Widow Hull aged 5 
 August a child of Patric Clark 
 Octo 9th Mr Thomas Foster aged 70 
 Do nth A child of Cap N Ives. 
 Nov. I. a child of Mr. Gleason 
 Dec. 19 Widow Lyman aged 90 
 Dec 20 Captain Holt about 80 
 Do 24 Titus Meriman aged about 80 
 24 in all. 
 
PART II. 
 
 (\ 
 
MHUIDKN IN THE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 MERIDEN IN THE CTV^L WAR 
 
 By Col. Charles L. L'pham 
 
 The firing upon the flag at Fort 
 Sumter caused intense excitement 
 throughout the entire Xorth : patriotic 
 men and many whose sympathies had 
 been with the South at once deter- 
 mined to supi)ort the government and 
 to maintain at all hazartls the integrity 
 of the Union. 
 
 .Vpril 14th. i86i.the President called 
 I'lr seventy-five thousand vokmteers 
 to repossess the forts, places and 
 propert) which had been seized, and 
 '1 maintain the per]K'luity of ])opular 
 .^'ivernment." 
 
 < >n the iCith. Gov. Uuckingham 
 ailed for volunteers to form one reg- 
 ;me!it of Infantry to serve three 
 months. Meriden (juickly responded 
 with a patriotism that did not falter 
 during the entire four years of war. 
 
 The Meriden Light Guards, Capt. 
 Theodore P>yxbee. was the only mili- 
 tar\ organization in Meriden. 'fhc 
 MKjrning after the issue of the ri(jv- 
 ernors proclamation and after a can- 
 vass of its members. Capt. P>yxbee* 
 drove to Hartford, reported to the .\d- 
 
 jutant tieneral his company as ready — 
 the first organization to respond to 
 the call. 
 
 April 19th. an immense war meeting 
 was held in the Town Hall, presided 
 (jver by the Hon. Charles Parker ; elo- 
 ([uent and patriotic speeches were 
 made by O. H. Piatt, Dexter R. 
 Wright. Rev. D. Henry Miller and G. 
 H. Wilson. It was unanimously voted 
 to instruct the selectmen to call a town 
 meeting immediately for the purpose 
 of api)ropriating five thousand dollars 
 ti3 e(|ui]) the Meriden Light Guard. 
 Mr. Parker announced his purpose to 
 give each member a Colt's revolver. 
 
 April 25th a town meeting was held, 
 of which 1 Ji Ives was moderator. 'Tt 
 was voted that the town of Meriden 
 appropriate the sum of five thousand 
 dollars for the ])ur])ose of defraying 
 the expenses of clothing. aruLs. cash 
 advances, and other outfit for the com- 
 panv of volunteers from this town, 
 lately nuistered into the service of the 
 Um'ted States and for any other com- 
 ])anv of volunteers of Meriden which 
 
 • At tlic Oorenior's rail fnr voliiiitefrs for oiif 
 regiment for three year.s, a canva.ss wa.s made 
 of the Light Guards, and as there was a general 
 de-ilre to enlixt, I at once opened a recruiting 
 ofl»<e and received more than enough application.'' 
 ti» form a company. They organized at once and 
 plerted me Captain. As there was no train for 
 wome hours. I. accompanied by Richard H. Fos- 
 
 ter, drove to Hartford and olTered my ciMnpany 
 to the Adjutant General. Governor nuckliiKham 
 wa.s at his home In Norwich. A telegram was 
 sent him and hl.s reply was "accepted." There 
 were pre'-eiit a number of gentlemen includ- 
 ing General Hawley and Cilonel Burnhani. who 
 gave three chc« rs for the Prst <'jmpany offered 
 and a.cppled Thkouokk Uvxbkk.. 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 may hereafter be mustered into the 
 same service ; also for the further pur- 
 pose of supporting the famihes of the 
 said volunteers now or hereafter to be 
 mustered into said service from this 
 town. Voted, That Isaac C. Lewis, 
 John Parker, Humphrey Lyon and 
 Moses Waterman be a committee to 
 receive said appropriation and to ap- 
 ply the same to the purposes and ob- 
 jects intended." 
 
 The military laws of this state were 
 such that the Governor had no author- 
 ity to order a regiment of militia be- 
 yond the state ; the Light Guard, there- 
 fore, was required to reorganize as a 
 company of volunteers and was mus- 
 tered into the state service April i8th, 
 and assigned to the First Regiment 
 Conn. Vols., as Company F ; was 
 mustered into the L^nited States ser- 
 vice April 22nd, i86i, and left for 
 \\'ashington May lOth, with the fol- 
 lowing roster : 
 
 Captain — Theodore Byxbee, promoted 
 Major. 
 
 First Lieutenant — Geo. Wilson, pro- 
 moted Captain. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — Oliver S. Sanford, 
 promoted First Lieutenant. 
 
 Sergeants — David T. Lyon, promoted 
 Second Lieutenant ; Richard H. Foster 
 Hiram Botsford, Frank B. Wright. 
 
 Corporals— Joseph H. Tole, Frank J. 
 Carter, Benj. W. Warner, Seager S. At- 
 vvell. 
 
 Musicians — John Mackay, Thomas W. 
 Crawford. 
 
 Privates — Julius Adams, William J. 
 Brooks, Edward T. Blodgett, Albert T. 
 Booth, Thomas Burns, E. Lewis Bull, John 
 C. Brooks, Augustus Campbell, Albert A. 
 Carter, Daniel E. Comstock, Levi O. Curtis, 
 
 Julius O. Deming, David E. Deming, 
 Charles E. Everts, Horatio W. Everts, De- 
 Witt C. Isbell, Daniel B. Johnson, Rendolp 
 Kauert, Andrew W. Loomis, Frank B. Lax, 
 Chas. C. Lee, Wm. O. Levaughn, Abram 
 I\linor, Edward McCarty, Dennis O'Brien, 
 Henry H. Pierce, Francis W. Parks, John 
 S. Quinn, Charles Roberts, Alexander 
 Rache, Elijah Eggleston, Jr., Henry A. 
 Eggleston, George A. Ely, Roger M. Ford, 
 Geo. W. Flint, Raphael Gilbert, Gottleib 
 Grumdeo, Samuel W. Geer, Henry Grove, 
 Alfred P. Green, Frank Hunt, Dwight H. 
 Hall, Nathan B. Hoyt, Lauren Hall, John 
 W. Hall, Henry Hall, Edward Hibbard, 
 George K. Hyde, Newton A. Roberts, 
 Henry Rich, William L. Seward, John 
 Splaguer, George M. Stevens, Benjamin 
 R. Sherman, Theron Scott, Edward H. 
 Shumway, Milton Sagendorf, Geo. W. Tay- 
 lor, Peter Talbot, Edward Tallmadge, Jo- 
 seph S. Wright, Henry Warnock, John B. 
 Willitt, Zopher C. Woodward, Enoch Wil- 
 co.x, 2nd. 
 
 A second company to serve three 
 months was immediately formed, 
 which went to rendezvous April 29th ; 
 was assigned to the Third regiment as 
 Rifle Co. B, and mustered into the 
 L'nited States service May 14th, 1861, 
 and left for Washington May 23rd, 
 with the following roster: 
 
 Captain — Jared R. Cook. 
 
 F1R.ST Lieutenant — Frederick J. Peck. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — Asa S. Cowdry. 
 
 Sergeants— Charles L. L^pham, Solomon 
 H. Woods, Wallace Bull, Isaac W. Cook. 
 
 Corporals — Thomas A. Knight, Eliph't 
 W. Bliss, R. Scott Cheney, Frederick Doo- 
 little. 
 
 Musicians — Thomas Moesley, George 
 W. Farnham. 
 
 Privates — John V. Adams, George N. 
 Bailey, Emil Berger, Elbert A. Bell, John 
 Barlow, Henry C. Burr, Julius Bassett, 
 
MEKIDKN IX THE Cl\ IL WAR 
 
 larwcll Booker, Frank H. Bowen. John G. 
 Barrows, George W. Clark, Andrew W. 
 Cook, Sylvester J. Cook, Joseph Dainton, 
 John K. Doolittle, Osborne F. Elwell, Wil- 
 bur Fisk, William H. Fisher, John Finne- 
 gan. William B. Greene, Albert P. Greene. 
 Gilbert J. Goodyear, Benjamin Gould, 
 Homer Hamilton, Warren Hall, George 
 Hirschfeld,. Henry W. Hirschfeld, Benja- 
 min L. Hough, James F. Lewis, Walter S. 
 Lord, William G. Lewis, Chas. N. Lewis, 
 Thomas J. Leeds, Addison Lanfear, Jacob 
 McCall, Norris Matthews, William C. 
 Maines, Benjamin C. Mallory, Michael Mee- 
 han, George Mecorney, James Meachin, 
 William C. Moroney, Giles J. Newton, 
 Joseph H. Parker, Frederick Pfannekuchen. 
 Zeno M. Redfield, John L. Richmond. 
 James H. Riley. Edward Riker, Chas. 
 Scrader, William H. Shaw, Chas. Sleeter. 
 George A. Strong, William W. Thompson. 
 Elnathan B. Tyler, Albert Von Esser, John 
 If. Vorra, Thomas Warnock, Samuel C. 
 Williams, George C. Williams, Isaac Wil- 
 liams, Henry H. White. Joel W. Yale, John 
 Va!o. Jr. 
 
 These Meriden companies were in 
 Keyes" Brigade, Tyler's Division, and 
 were activel}' engaged at the Battle of 
 lUill Run and acquitted themselves 
 with credit. Colonel Keyes says, "The 
 gallantry with which the Second ]\Iainc 
 and Third Connecticut regiments 
 charged up the hill upon the enemy's 
 artillery and infantry was never in my 
 opinion surpassed." 
 
 (ieneral Tyler says: 'T saw the three 
 Connecticut regiments with two thou- 
 sand bayonets march under tlie guns 
 of Fort Corcoran in good order, after 
 having saved us, not only a large 
 amount of puhlic i)ro])crty. hut the 
 mortification of having our standing 
 camps fall into the hands of the 
 
 enemy. I hope, General, that you 
 will appreciate this service on the part 
 of a i)ortion of my division, and give 
 credit to whom credit is due." 
 
 Upon the return of these two com- 
 panies at the expiration of their term 
 of enlistment, the citizens of JMeriden, 
 to show the appreciation of their ser- 
 vices, gave them on August 20th, a 
 grand parade and ball. 
 
 From an early hour in the day, 
 friends and strangers continued to ar- 
 rive from the surrounding towns, 
 some in cars, many on horseback and 
 in wagons, and hundreds on foot, until 
 two o'clock, when the procession was 
 formed, himdreds of non-residents 
 were present. The procession was 
 formed at the Town Hall, the military 
 under command of Major Byxbee, and 
 the civic under direction of Joel H. 
 Guy. Esq.. marshal of the day, with 
 nineteen aides. The military parad- 
 ing were the Trumbull (.iuard, Capt. 
 D. R. Wright, the two companies of 
 returned volunteers ; a company en- 
 listed for the Seventh Regiment. Capt. 
 (). S. Sanford. and the \'eteran Guard, 
 of Aleriden. the renmant of an ancient 
 c()r])s called the Meriden Greys. Capt. 
 Alfred P. Curtis ; following these was 
 the civic procession on foot, on horse- 
 l)ack and in carriages. The march 
 about town was a splendid ovation. 
 After a circuitous route the prf)ces- 
 sion arri\ed al the Town llall. At 
 four o'clock there was a dinner in the 
 hall at which hundreds were present. 
 After liunger was satisfied. Judge 
 James .s. Unxiks called the assembly 
 to order, when Capt. Wright inaugu- 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 rated the speaking with a patriotic ad- 
 dress. Speeches were made by Cap- 
 tain Cook, Elder Swan and Father 
 AValsh of the Roman Catholic church. 
 In the evening there was a ball, at 
 which the first men of the town were 
 active participants and the ladies were 
 out in full force. 
 
 THE THREE YEARS MEN. 
 Company C, /TH Regiment. 
 
 In the summer of 1861 a company 
 was raised which was assigned to the 
 7th Regiment as Co. C. This regi- 
 ment left the state for Washington 
 September i8th, was in the expedi- 
 tion to Port Royal and was the first 
 to land, and their flags were the first 
 on the soil of South Carolina. These 
 Meriden men with their regiment have 
 a brilliant record and well entitled to 
 their reputation as a fighting regiment. 
 They saw service in Georgia, South 
 Carolina, Virginia and were at the 
 taking of Fort Fisher, North Caro- 
 lina. 
 
 ROSTER. 
 
 Captain — Oliver S. Sanforcl, promoted 
 Major. 
 
 First Lieutenant — Ossian L. Hatch. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — Seager S. Atwell, 
 promoted Colonel. 
 
 Sergeants — John J. Hutchinson, pro- 
 moted First Lieutenant; E. Lewis Bull, pro- 
 moted Adjutant; Edward J. Merriam, pro- 
 moted Second Lieutenant, died of wounds ; 
 Raphael Gilbert, promoted Second Lieuten- 
 ant; Henry H. Pierce, promoted Second 
 Lieutenant. 
 
 Corporals — Alfred P. Green, 2nd, Augus- 
 tus Campbell, promoted Sergeant; Ira B. 
 Smith, promoted Captain; Isaac N. Wester- 
 
 veldt, promoted Second Lieutenant, First 
 Artillery ; Chas. E. Hamilton, Hobart H. 
 Smith, promoted Sergeant; William C. Cut- 
 ler, Dennis O'Brien, promoted First Lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 Musicians — Wm. S. Edgerton, ist, Wm. 
 S. Edgerton, 2nd. 
 
 Wagoner — Silas Davis. 
 
 Privates — Wm. H. Augur, promoted 
 Quartermaster; George W. Andrus, killed 
 in action ; Henry Avery, died ; Wm. F. 
 Ackerman, died ; William E. Augur, pro 
 moted Corporal ; James W. Belden, died 
 of wounds; Isaiah L. Baker, wounded; Ed- 
 win H. Butler, wounded ; George Blake, 
 died ; George Burrows, died ; Osmond 
 Bronson, wounded; Levi Barnes, died; 
 Bernard G. Bassett, Waiter Bartholomew, 
 John H. Bario, promoted Corporal ; Eli 
 Bouchi, Watson Curtiss, Edward E. Cran- 
 dell, Ralph P. Childs, Henry Deangelist, 
 died ; William H. Davis, John Donahan, 
 Watson W. Davis, promoted Corporal, 
 died ; Isaac Dorman, William H. Evans, 
 Chas. H. Fuller, Daniel Goodspeed, Alex- 
 ander Goodspeed, George B. Garritt, pro- 
 moted Corporal ; Anson S. Goodenough, 
 promoted Corporal ; John W. Galligher, 
 promoted Corporal, wounded ; Burton W. 
 Goodenough, Chas. Holmes, William L. 
 Hill, John W. Hall, Jasper Hale, Edwin 
 Hibbard, promoted Sergeant ; Charles H. 
 Howe, Edwin Illsbury, Dewitt C. Isbeil, 
 John R. Jackson, Joshua Jones, died of 
 wounds; Daniel B. Johnson, promoted 
 Sergeant; James Kewell, wounded; Henry 
 Longden, Dexter M. Latham, John A. 
 Lego, died; Chas. P. Lewis, killed in ac- 
 tion ; John A. Leeds, promoted Sergeant, 
 wounded ; Chas. McWhinney, died in Flor- 
 ence, S. C. ; James A. Miller, killed in ac- 
 tion ; Abraham Minor, killed in action ; El- 
 kanah Morse, John H. Munson, Thomas 
 McCormick, Henry Marshall, deserted ; 
 Jesse W. Perkins, George B. Paddock, 
 wounded ; Horace G. Painter, wounded, 
 died in .^ndersonville; Edward F. Petti- 
 bone, Chauncey W. Roberts, died in Flor- 
 ence, S. C. ; John Richards, Justin Redfield, 
 
MERIDEX IN THE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 Derrick A. Roberts, wounded ; Samuel N. 
 Sperry, Samuel L. Spencer, Edward Smith, 
 George E. Sellew, Henry Slater, wounded ; 
 James Thrall, Rollin Tenant, wounded ; 
 Gilbert Talmadge, Robert Thompson, 
 wounded ; Alexander H. Ventrus, Chas. F. 
 Waterman, died; Francis Williams, Thos. 
 V. Wells, Norman S. Wood, promoted Ser- 
 geant ; Edward Westerhood, killed in ac- 
 tion; William A. W^edmore, William War- 
 ner, died in Andersonville ; Horace W. 
 Wright, Charles W. Yale, promoted Cor- 
 poral, wounded. 
 
 Joined as Recruits — Julius Augur, John 
 Byxbce, died ; Henry A. Edgerton, acci- 
 dentally killed; William Frazier, John B. 
 Flint. Walter H. Merriam, wounded ; 
 Nathaniel B. Rogers, musician ; William 
 Scofield, died. 
 
 CoMP.WY K, 8th Regiment. 
 
 This company was recruited late in 
 the stimmer of 1861 and was assigned 
 to the 8th Regiment as Co. K. It 
 left the state October 17th for Annap- 
 olis, ]\ld., and was a part of the Btirn- 
 side Expedition. From North Caro- 
 lina the regiment was sent to reinforce 
 the Army of the Potomac when Lee 
 invaded Maryland, and at the battle 
 of Antietam was conspicuous for hav- 
 ing advanced the farthest of any of 
 our forces on their part of the field. 
 Their losses exceeded fifty per cent. 
 Near Petersburg and at the assault 
 and capture of Fort Harrison it added 
 to its reputation. Company K was 
 composed of men of excellent char- 
 acter, and among those who carried 
 rifles were two clergymen. The 
 company was noted in the regiment 
 from the numlicr of enlisted men (six- 
 teen) who received commissions dur- 
 ing its term of service. 
 
 ROSTER. 
 
 Captain — Charles L. Upham, promoted 
 Colonel 15th, wounded. 
 
 FiR.ST Lieutenant — Noah P. Ives, pro- 
 moted Captain and Assistant Quartermas- 
 ter. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — Roger i\L Ford, 
 promoted Captain, wounded. 
 
 Sergeants — Wm. H. Johnson, promoted 
 Second Lieutenant, died ; John H. Vorra, 
 promoted Second Lieutenant, wounded ; 
 Levi C. Bingham, promoted First Lieuten- 
 ant, died of wounds; Milo J. Goodrich, pro- 
 moted Second Lieutenant; Frank J. Car- 
 ter, wounded. 
 
 Corporals — Geo. M. Stevens, promoted 
 Second Lieutenant; Sam H. Foster, Wm. 
 G. Lewis, killed in action; Isaac Williams, 
 Edmund A. Parker, promoted Second 
 Lieutenant ; Albert T. Booth, promoted 
 First Lieutenant, wounded; John H. Si- 
 monds, killed in action; Alpheus Starkey. 
 Musicians — Geo. W. Farnham, promoted 
 First Lieutenant; Edwin F. Strong. 
 Wagoner — Warren Hall. 
 Privates — Francis L. Albee, Levi Allen, 
 Chas. W. Allen, died of wounds ; Lewis 
 Allen, wounded three times ; Lyman D, 
 Allen, wounded ; Bartholomew Bailey, Gor- 
 don P. Bailey, Leonard Bailey, Isaac C. 
 Bartholomew, Heber L. Bassett, Charles 
 H. Bassett, Wallace W. Bates, died; Ben- 
 jamin H. Beebe, Edward G. Billett, 
 wounded; Elijah W. Bingham, Seth D. 
 Bingham, Hiram A. Blakeslee, wounded ; 
 Henry C. Burr, wounded ; George Camsell, 
 wounded ; Kelsey D. Clark, Morris C. 
 Clark, Wallace T. Cloud, promoted First 
 Lieutenant ; John D. Comstock, died ; 
 Lucius J. Cook, Charles H. Dagle, Geo. V. 
 Dagle, killed in action ; Chas. S. Dickin- 
 son, Charles Dixon, promoted Chaplain 
 Sixteenth; John K. Dooiittio, died of 
 wounds: William E. Dudley, i)romote(l 
 Corporal, wounded : Jacob Eaton, promoted 
 First Lieutenant; Osborn F. Elwell, Lem- 
 uel 1*>. Fvarts, Barney I-'itz Harris, pro- 
 moted Corporal; Chas. P. Fairbanks, 
 
8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Henry Finken, killed in action; Albert H. 
 Forbes, Elam T. Goodrich, promoted Cap- 
 tain; George C. Gear, John B. Gear, Fran- 
 cis W. Gray, Patrick J. Gibney, Albert P. 
 Green, Robert D. Greenfield, Alfred F. 
 Griswold, died at Salisbury, N. C. ; Wil- 
 liam Hagadon, Timothy E. Hawley, 
 Thomas J. Huffstidler, Heber S. Ives, pro- 
 moted Second Lieutenant Fifteenth; Na- 
 thaniel C. Jonas, Henry W. L. Keach, died ; 
 George W. Lane, Chas. H. Lewis, promoted 
 Corporal, died of wounds; Benjamin C. 
 Mallory, Luther R. Matthews, promoted 
 Corporal; John L. Merriam, promoted Cap- 
 tain; Augustus W. Morse, wounded two 
 times; Frank H. Parker, Frederick H. Par- 
 ker, promoted Sergeant ; Henry G. Parker, 
 wounded two times ; John A. Parker, 
 Henry H. Parsons, promoted Corporal ; 
 Warren M. Parsons, promoted Corporal ; 
 Edward E. Pelton, wounded; John A. 
 Phelps, Daniel R. Pruden, Alonzo L Rich- 
 ards, killed in action; Willis B. Richmond, 
 killed in action; Newton A. Roberts, Jo- 
 seph A. Root, wounded; Stephen M. Rus- 
 sell, Siaicon Santa, Emerson R. Stevens, 
 Ellis M. Stevens, wounded; Oscar A. 
 Sweetland, wounded ; Elihu Talmadge, 
 drowned ; Myron E. Terrill, Leonard K. 
 Warren, Joseph H. Walker, died of 
 wounds ; Ambrose P. Watrous, Joseph G. 
 Witham, promoted Sergeant ; George S. 
 Wilcox, wounded ; Ogilvie Wright, died. 
 
 Joined as Recruits — Sylvanus Brenton, 
 wounded ; Hiram Botsford, Henry E. Da- 
 vis, Augustus Fry, wounded; William H. 
 Fisher, Alvin C. Green, Wilbur F. Hart, 
 Sylvester Lane, MoSes Lousell, William M. 
 Pratt, promoted Lieutenant Colonel ; Wil- 
 bur Range, Edwin E. Westover, died ; 
 Francis Wallace. 
 
 Company B, qth Regiment. 
 This company, composed of Irish 
 citizens, was organized in September, 
 i86r, and assigned to the 9th Regi- 
 ment as Co. B. It left the state No- 
 vember 4th for Lowell, Mass., and 
 
 from there for Ship Island, Missis- 
 sippi Sound. It served with credit in 
 the Department of the Gulf until 1864 
 when, after a veteran furlough, it was 
 sent to Bermuda Hundred, and in Au- 
 gust, 1864, to Sheridan's army in the 
 Shenandoah Valley and took active 
 part in the battle of Cedar Creek ; 
 later, it was for a time at Savanaah, 
 Ga., and was mustered out August 
 3rd, 1865. Though not entirely, its 
 membership was largely from Meri- 
 den. 
 
 ROSTER OF MERIDEN MEN. 
 
 Captain — Patrick Garvey. 
 
 Sergeant — John Duffey. 
 
 Corporals — Michael Reynolds, James 
 Butler, Malachi Hackett, Edward Riley, 
 James Morrissey. 
 
 Musician — Patrick Cain, died. 
 
 Privates — Andrew Anderson, Patrick 
 Bohen, Jr., John Burke, Patrick Burke, 
 wounded ; Andrew Carlin, died ; John Car- 
 roll, John Cassidy, James Crevy, James 
 Donohue, died ; James Doran, died ; Thos. 
 Farrell, John Ferris, died ; John Frawley, 
 Patrick Green, died ; Joseph Harrington, 
 died ; Thomas Harvey, died ; John Hazlett, 
 Michael Hughes, Patrick Hughes, James 
 Kelley, John L. McKay, deserted; Michael 
 Magee, died; Michael Molloy, died; 
 Thomas McCormick, John Murphy, Luke 
 Quinn, died ; Edward Rhatizan, promoted 
 Corporal ; Thomas Roach, Daniel Ryan, 
 Thomas Waldron, died. 
 
 Joined as Recruits — Patrick Craig, Wil- 
 liam Casheen, Joseph Cassidy, Co. F ; John 
 C. Coogan, not assigned; James Morrissey, 
 Frank McGee, Co. D. 
 
 Companies A and F, 15TH Rkgiment 
 Two companies were organized 
 during the month of August, 1862, 
 and were assigned to the Fifteenth 
 "Lyon" regiment as Companies A and 
 
 ft I 
 
MERIDEX IX THE CI\IL NN'AK 
 
 1-". While in camp August 25th on be- 
 luill of the ladies of Aleriden, who 
 were represented by ^Misses Helen 
 I'.rudley and Mary Brooks, Hon. O. 
 H. Piatt presented them with a beau- 
 tiful silk flag with a most eloquent ad- 
 dress. Col. W'right, in behalf of the 
 regiment, made a feeling and patriotic 
 response. Afterwards, Col. Wright 
 was presented with a noble black stal- 
 lion, the gift of his personal friends. 
 Hon. Charles Parker presented the 
 horse in behalf of the donors. Col. 
 Wright responded and closed his re- 
 marks, saying "I make no pledges in 
 return, of what I shall do. I simply 
 say. I mean to do my duty, and I 
 pray God will give me courage and 
 nerve to do that duty well." 
 
 The regiment left for Washington 
 .Vugust 28th and was stationed for a 
 time at Long Bridge, Va. It partici- 
 ]>ated in the battle of Fredericksburg, 
 the Siege of Suffolk, Va.. by Long- 
 street, and in minor affairs in North 
 Carolina. It was the provost guard at 
 Xew Berne, N. C. at the time of the 
 great e])idemic of yellow fever in 
 1864 and many died of that disease. 
 In the actions before Kingston, ]\Iarch 
 8th to iith. 1865. it suft"ered severe 
 loss and a considerable part of the reg- 
 iment were taken prisoners. 
 
 The regiment was mustered out at 
 New Berne, N. C, June 27th, and ar- 
 rived at New Haven July 4th, 1865. 
 
 KOSTRR 01" M1:RII)E\ MEN. 
 Colonel — De.xter R. Wright, resigned. 
 Chaplain — D. Henry Miller, resigned. 
 Sergeant-Major — Julius B. Bissell, pro- 
 moted First TJeutenant. 
 
 Commissary Sergeant — Elisha S. Cur- 
 tis. 
 
 Company A. 
 
 Captaix — Julius Bassett, killed in action. 
 
 EiRST Lieutenant — Marshall C. Augur, 
 died. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — George C. Mer- 
 riam, promoted Captain 8th. 
 
 Sergeants — Philip C. Rand, promoted 
 Eirst Lieutenant and Adjutant; Gilbert L 
 Goodyear, Joseph Dainton, John B. Willett, 
 promoted Captain 14th U. S. C. L ; Geo. 
 W. Elint. 
 
 Corporals — Geo. N. Bailey, killed in ac- 
 tion; Levi B. Curtis, promoted Sergeant; 
 Geo. W. Allen, promoted Captain 29th ; 
 Thomas J. Symonds, Geo. Harwood, died 
 in Andersonville; Wm. H. Catlin, Benj. R. 
 Sherman, died ; Tiomthy C. Root. 
 
 Musicians — Otis S. Kelsey, Norris S. 
 Burnett. 
 
 Wagoner — George W. Quinn. 
 
 Privates — William H. Allen, Eugene At- 
 wood, Michael Augur, Julius Augur, John 
 P. Butler, Lyman P. Butler, Chas. H. Bart- 
 lett, Thomas Brooks, died ; Chas. F. Beck- 
 ley, Daniel J. Clark, Albert Clark, Freder- 
 ick H. Carter, Richard Crosby, Henry H. 
 Church, John Dainton, Thomas H. Day, 
 deserted ; Albert Dickinson, James W. 
 Derby, promoted Corporal ; Nathan Dar- 
 ling, promoted Corporal ; James S. Ely, 
 died ; James O. Eisk, Frederick Foley, Hor- 
 ace F. Farnsworth, Alfred T. Finch, pro- 
 moted Corporal ; James M. Ford, died, 
 Florence, S. C. ; John Ferns, Franklin F. 
 Field, promoted Corporal; Wilbur C. Fow- 
 ler, Nathan G. Fenner, Delison B. Foote, 
 David Grobel, Charles F. Green, wounded; 
 John n. Griswold. James Greenland, 
 wounded : I'"redcrick M. Huntington, pro- 
 moted Sergeant: Mortimer Hamblin. Theo- 
 dore Hayden. William Hughes, Franklin 
 Harrison, .\ndrew B. Hitchcock, died; 
 James H. Howard, Albert S. Hotchkiss, 
 Bunting Johnson, George F. Johnson, 
 Charles .\. Justin, John Keefe, Mark Kil- 
 l)ride, died: Frank K. Little, promoted 
 First Lieutenant. 107 I". S. C. L : Jefterson 
 
10 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Lawrence, Oscar E. Larkin, promoted Ser- 
 geant; Stephen M. Millard, Eckford I. 
 Morse, John Maltby, Felix McCabe, 
 wounded; Owen Macxay, Robert M. Mur- 
 dock, George L. Miner, William E. Old- 
 ham, John W. Oughton, Aaron J. Pratt, 
 promoted Corporal, died; James B. Parker, 
 wounded, died ; Joseph J. Quinn, John S. 
 Quinn, Joshua B. Rice, Andrew J. Rum- 
 mell. Robert Robinson, Henry W. Rich- 
 mond, Reuben Root, Willis Redfield, died ; 
 J. George L. Roberts, died ; James E. Stev- 
 ens, Laban A. Smith, appointed Hospital 
 Steward ; Julius Shepard, Frank P. Tal- 
 madge, died; Madison A. Treat, James C. 
 Welch, Henry Warnock, wounded ; Ed- 
 mund P. Welch, wounded; Elbridge 
 Wright, promoted Corporal, wounded ; 
 Samuel Whittlesey, promoted Corporal ; 
 Henry B. Wood. Michael York. 
 
 Recruits for Co. A — Theodore T. But- 
 ler, Frederick Brant, Thomas B. Hawkins, 
 Lewis Lawrence, Frederick E. Quinn, Ed- 
 ward J. Steele. 
 
 Company F. 
 
 Captain — Allen W. Harvey, resigned. 
 
 First Lieutenant — Reuben Waterman, 
 promoted Captain. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — Wm. W. Thomp- 
 son, promoted First Lieutenant, died. 
 
 Sergeants — Henry B. Levi, promoted 
 Second Lieutenant, died ; Lyman H. Hall, 
 John Guinang, Charles F. Harwood, pro- 
 moted Second Lieutenant; William H. 
 Snow. 
 
 Corporals — Theron Scott, Chas. C. WHiit- 
 ney, promoted Sergeant; Henry H. 
 Wright, promoted Sergeant ; Henry J. 
 Church, David E. Dunham, Hezekiah W. 
 Hale, Frederick Doolittle, Frederick A. 
 Higby. 
 
 Musicians — Jonas P. Curtis, John R. 
 Sabins. 
 
 Wagoner — Alvin Kenney, died. 
 
 Privates — William A. Atwood, Henry B. 
 Andrews, Henry G. Atkins, Geo. W. Aver- 
 ist. Francis P. Baker, promoted Corporal, 
 killed ; James R. Baker, died ; Patrick 
 
 Bowen, Theodore F. Bailey, Oscar M. Bai- 
 ley, died; Hubbard C. Barrell, Samuel L 
 Bartholomew, James O'Brien, Noah E. 
 Baldwin, Phineas P. Bradley, Lyman A.- 
 Beach, died; Jacob W. Brown, Henry B. 
 Blakeslee, James Cunningham, Alvah J. 
 Cook, died; Asa S. Cowdry, deserted; 
 Lucius W. Curtis, promoted Corporal ; 
 John Camel, Philip E. Chapin, promoted 
 Second Lieutenant, 2nd Artillery; Clarence 
 Carpenter, Franklin S. Carpenter, died ; 
 Edward C. Carpenter, Daniel Copper- 
 thwait, Geo. Couch, Daniel Crowley, died; 
 Abraham Dunn, deserted; Patrick Duffy,. 
 John N. Davis, died ; John Finnegan, . 
 Michael Fitzpatrick, William Ferry, Wil- 
 liam F. Fay, Cord Finken, Jesse W. Gris- 
 wold, Robert D. Greenfield, Alonzo H. 
 Gallup, Sylvanus A. Hull, died ; Andrew 
 Hazlitt, Levi Hotchkiss, John A. Harvey,, 
 promoted Corporal ; James Judge, Edwin 
 
 A. Kenney, promoted Sergeant ; Asa Kirt- 
 land, George H. Lewis, died ; Handford 
 
 B. Lindley, promoted Corporal, Leverett 
 Lindley, Chas. F. Lindsley, promoted: 
 Quartermaster Sergeant; William H. Min- 
 chin, promoted Corporal; James B. Marvin,. 
 William McGlynn, John O. Marvel, John 
 Neace, Giles L Newton, Elisha M. Pom- 
 eroy, Jr., promoted Corporal ; Thomas Pil- - 
 lion, Henry Pearson, William W. Pinks, . 
 Edwin C. Pinks, Henry D. Pardew, pro- 
 moted Corporal; Patrick Reynolds, Benja- 
 min F. Ross, Patrick Roby, Stephen G. 
 Rockwell, Joseph Rancorn, died ; Samuel ' 
 G. Simpson, Washington Smith, James ■ 
 Smith, deserted; William R. Sheppard, 
 Heinrick E. C. Tittel. Wm. A. Tomp'cins, . 
 Charles H. Taylor, George C. Williams, 
 James H. Williams, Selden C. Williams, . 
 Hubert F. Wightman. Robert F. Webster, 
 Noah J. Welton, Chauncey P. Welton, . 
 Benj. W. Warner, Emerson J. Wolcott. 
 
 Recruits for Co. F — Frederick A. Byxby, . 
 James C. Butler, Frederick W. Beach, Eu- 
 gene E. Bridgeman, Daniel W. Easton, 
 John Ford, died; Wm. G. Gallager, Alois- 
 Loeffler, Elliot L^pson. James T. Carter,. 
 Edwin C. Clark, William J. Fergurson. . 
 
MKRIDliX IN THE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 II 
 
 ■'rank O. Gladwin, Joseph Grant, Harlow 
 i. Isbcll. Reuben W. Lowell, Wallace A. 
 lilies, Chas. A. S3-monds, Henry Sedg- 
 iick. Edward J. Steele. 
 
 LOMPAXY G, 27TH Regiment. 
 
 This company was enlisted for nine 
 nonths and assigned to the 27th Reg- 
 ment as Company G. It was only 
 )artly composed of Meriden men. 
 rhey were mustered into the United 
 states service October 22nd, 1862, and 
 eft for Washington, being assigned to 
 he Army of the Potomac. 
 
 They were actively engaged at the 
 •attles of Fredericksburg, Chancel- 
 :irsville and Gettysburg. They were 
 mistered out of service July 27th, 
 863. on expiration of their term of 
 ervice. 
 
 ROSTER OE MERIDEN MEN. 
 
 Major — Theodore Byxbee. 
 
 Second Lieutenant — Frank B. Wright. 
 
 Commissary Sergeant — John H. Stead- 
 lan. 
 
 Sergeants— George W. Taylor. 
 
 Corporals — Wm. H. Stannis, wounded; 
 "••Ilins Upson, Albert J. Puffer, George 
 .. Seymour, Gilbert Upson. 
 
 Musician— Thomas W. Crawford. 
 
 Wagoner — James M. Warner, 
 
 lERIDEN MEN IN OTHER ORGANI- 
 ZATIONS, OMITTING SUBSTI- 
 TUTES WHO DESERTED. 
 
 tkir.son. Johnson, Private, Co. C, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 
 tkinson, Johnson, Private, Co. C, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 
 tkins, William, Private, Co. C, ist Conn. 
 
 .■\rtillery. 
 
 chler, Peter, ist, Private, Co. E, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 
 Aichler, Peter, 2nd, Corporal, Co. E, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillerj'. 
 Aichler, John M., Corporal, Co. E, ist 
 
 Conn. Artiller}-. 
 Adams, Arthur, Private, Co. I, ist Conn, 
 
 Artillery. 
 Anderson, Andrew, Private, Co. K, 14th 
 
 Conn., Infantry, died in Andersonville. 
 Allen, George W., Captain, Co. E, 29th,. 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Atkinson, John D., Private, Co. D, 5th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, deserted. 
 Baldwin, Truman, Private, Co. B, ist 
 
 Conn. Cavalry, captured, died. 
 Bates, Robert H., Private, Co. F, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalry. 
 Bradley, Elisha K., Private, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Cavalry. 
 Butler, Henry W., Private, Co. A, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Beebe, Newell S., Corporal, Co. A, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Birge, Lewis, Private, Co. I, ist Conn. Ar- 
 tillery. 
 Bullus, Thomas, Corporal, Co. D, 2nd 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Button, Lucien, Private, Co. K, 2nd Conn. 
 
 Artillery, killed in action. 
 Bond, Patrick S., Private, Co. F, 5th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Becker Henry, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Bauer, Conrad, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Behm, August, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Berkcr, Conrad, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Belden, Marshall, Private, Co. A, 7th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, killed in action. 
 Brooks, William P., Private, Co. F, 7th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Barrett, John, Private, Co. C, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Barnard. Theodore C, Private, Co. I. 8iii 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Bates, John, Corporal, Co. E, loth Conn. 
 
 Infantrv. 
 
12 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Baker, Arthur A., Private, Co. F, nth 
 
 Conn. Infantr\', died. 
 Brooks, John C, Private, Co. C, 12th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Butler, Joseph, Private, Co. H, 14th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Brown, Samuel R., Private, Co. E, 29th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Brinsmaid, Willis, Private, Co. F, 29th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Bullock, George E., Harland's Brigade 
 
 Band. 
 Benham, Henry W., Brevet-Major, General 
 
 U. S. Army. 
 Brooks, William P., Private, Co. A, loth 
 
 U. S. Infantry. 
 Butler, John F., Landsman, U. S. Navy. 
 Bristol, George, Private, Co A, 31st Mass. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Bond," Patrick, Private, Co. F, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery, deserted. 
 Barnard, George I., Private, Co. I, 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Burns, Thomas, Private, Co. C, i3tli Conn. 
 
 Infantry, killed in action. 
 Chapman, John, Quartermaster Sergeant, 
 
 1st Conn. Light Battery. 
 Cochran, William H., Private, Co. E, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Grossman, Edward O., Private, Co. E, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Catlin. Horace S., Private, Co. H, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Cahill, John, Private, Co. I, ist Conn Ar- 
 tillery, deserted. 
 Cassidy, William, Pri\-ate, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery, died. 
 Caraher, James, Private, Co. K. ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Clark, Kelsey D, Private, Co. D, 2nd Conn. 
 
 Artillery, wounded, deserted. 
 Cragie, Patrick, Private, Co. F, 5th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Canary, Michael, Private, Co. G, 5th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, deserted. 
 Catlin, Chas. D., Private, Co. I, 5th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Collins, Edward F., Private, Co. F, 6th 
 
 Conn. Infantrv, died of wounds. 
 
 Clark, Russell N., Wagoner, Co. B, 7th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Cook, James, Private, Co. I, 7th Conn. In- 
 fantry, killed in action. 
 Clark, William, Private, Co. A, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Cassidy, Joseph, Private, Co. F, 9th Conn. 
 
 Infantr}-. 
 Coogan, John C, Private, unassigned. 
 Cummings, John, Private, Co. E, 2d Conn. 
 
 Artillery, died. 
 Clapp, Anson D., Private, Co. F, 2d Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Clark, William A., Musician, Co. I, 2d 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Carney, John, Private, Co. I, 15th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, died of wounds. 
 Combs, William C, Corporal, Co. G, 17th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Coleman Jeremiah, Private, Co. F, 20th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, wounded. 
 Coy, Granville, Private, Co. D, 30th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, missing in action. 
 Coy, Henry, Harland's Brigade Band. 
 Co.x, David, Corporal, Co. A, 8th Conn. In- 
 fantry. 
 Davis Randolph, Private, Co. L, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalry, died. 
 Derragh, Thomas, Corporal, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Duff, Patrick, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery, killed. 
 Di.xon, John, Private, Co. E, 8th Conn. In- 
 fantry, died. 
 Duerest, Paul, Private, Co. F, 14th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Dale, Benj. B., Harland's Brigade Band. 
 Dennis, Alfred, Private, Co. G, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, deserted. 
 Emmons, Gilbert S., Sergeant, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Ernest, Paulus, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Eaton, Jacob, Chaplain, 7th Conn. Infantry. 
 Emanuel, Salvador, Private, Co. A, 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Eggleston, Elijah, Private, Co. G, 14th 
 
 Conn. Infantrv. 
 
MERIDEX IN THE C1\"1L WAR. 
 
 13 
 
 Ellis. George, Private, Co. K, 14th Conn. Guptil, Jacob T., Private, ist Light Bat- 
 Infantry, ter}'. 
 
 Felix, Augustus, Private, Co. B, ist Squad- Griffin, Julian A., Private, Co. A, ist Conn, 
 
 ron Cavalry. Artillery, died. 
 
 Foster, Samuel H., Com. Sergeant j\I, ist Grimes, Michael, Private, Co. B, ist Conn. 
 
 Conn. Cavalr\-. Artillery. 
 
 Frances, George, Private, Co. G, 13th Gangloff, Charles, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Conn. Infantry', died. Infantry, wounded. 
 
 Fordham, Theodore P., Private, Co. I, ist Glaessner, Frederick, Corporal, Co. H, 6th 
 
 Conn. Artillery. Conn. Infantry. 
 
 Foster, William, Private, Co. K, 14th Conn. Gagion, John, Private, Co. A, 7th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, died in Richmond. Infantry, wounded. 
 
 Flower, Artemas, Private, Co. K, 20th Gode, William, Private, Co. K, 7th Conn. 
 
 Conn. Tnfantrv. 
 
 'f"<f(^ -^^ 
 
 CHAPL.M.N JACOB EATON. 
 
 1 'iwlcr, Isaiah, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 Artillery. 
 
 Fowler, Abel C, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 Artillery. 
 
 Fitzgerald, William, Private, Co. I, 2nd 
 Conn, .\rtillery, killed in action. 
 
 Farrdl, Owen, Private, Co. I, 7th Conn. In- 
 fantry. 
 
 Frazier, Joseph, Private, Co. 1, 71!: Conn. 
 Infantry. 
 
 Fox. John, Private, Co. G, 1st Conn. Ar- 
 tillery. 
 
 Greentield. Robert, Private, Co. K, 1st 
 Conn. Cavalry. 
 
 Grow, Henry, Sergeant, F"irst Light Battery. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Galligan, Thomas, Private, Co. F, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantr}'. 
 Goodrich, Alfred N., Private, Co. I, 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Giesecki, William, Sergeant, Co. C, nth 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Gillon, Charles, Private, Co. I, 14th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded, deserted. 
 Griswold, Hobart H., Private, Co. H, ist 
 
 LT. S. Infantry. 
 Hogan, Patrick, Private, Co. B, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalry. 
 Hall, William G., Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalr}-, died in Andersonville. 
 Hayden, Hector C, Sergeant. Co. M, ist 
 
 Conn. Cavalry. 
 Hays, John, Private, unassigned. 
 Harvey, William H., Private, Co. G, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Hayes, Patrick, Private, Co. H, 1st Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Ilawes, Charles A., Private. Co. I, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery, wounded. 
 IloUoran, Simeon, Private. Co. K, 1st Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Haggerty, Thomas. Private, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Haggerty. William H., Private, Co. G, 1st 
 
 Conn. Artilk-r\-. wounded. 
 Ilorsefall, George H., Private. Co. L, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Iligbee. Charles C. Private. Co. D. 5th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, wounded. 
 Haas, Jacob, Private, Co. C, Cth Conn. In- 
 
 fantrv. 
 
M 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Handell, Christian, Sergeant, Co. H, 6th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Hess, Frederick, Musician, Co. H, 6th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Haaga, Gottleib, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Heckler, Christian, Private, Co. H, 6th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Hotchkiss, Seth W., Private, Co. A, 7th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, died. 
 Hardy, John, Private, Co. A, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Hinman, John S., Private, Co. C, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Holden, Stephen L., Private, Co. D, 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Hyde, Phineas, Private, Co. I, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Hart, Francis J., Private, Co. C, 13th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, died. 
 Homan, Henry H., Private, Co. G, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery, wounded. 
 Hugal, John, Private, Co. D, 14th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Hughes, Edward, Private, Co. D, 14th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, died in Andersonville. 
 Hinkey, Julius, Private, Co. H, 14th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 HoldeUj James, Private, Co. C, 15th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Holmes, Joseph W., Private Co. G, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Hale, Cutler R., Private, Co. H, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Hildreth, Edgar A., Private, Co. L, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery, died. 
 Hofifman, Joseph, Private, Co. B. 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Hall, Aruna, Private, Co. D, loth Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Ives, John W., Private, Co. C, 15th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Jameson, Edward S., Quartermaster Ser- 
 geant, Co. M, 1st Conn. Cavalry, died 
 
 in Andersonville. 
 Johnson, Chauncey W., Private, unas- 
 
 signed, deserted. 
 TCelly, Francis, Farrier, Co. H, 1st Conn. 
 
 Cavalrv, died. 
 
 Knight, Oscar F., Private, Co. A, ist Conn. 
 Artillery. 
 
 Kelsey, Henry C, Private, Co. E, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Kron, Jacob, Corporal, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 Infantry. 
 
 Kern, John, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. In- 
 fantry, died. 
 
 Kohlenberg, Christian, Private, Co. D, 7th 
 Conn. Infantry, died in Andersonville. 
 
 Kudewind, Adolph, Private, Co. C, loth 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 
 Knowlton, George H., Private, Co. K, 15th 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 
 Kanel, John, Private, Co. D, i6th Conn. 
 Infantry. 
 
 Knowles, James M., Second Lieutenant, Co. 
 I, 1st Conn. Cavalry. 
 
 Kelly, John, Private, Co. G, 8th Conn. In- 
 fantry. 
 
 Link. Gottleib, Corporal, Co. A, ist Squad- 
 ron Cavalry. 
 
 Lewis, Charles N., Quartermaster Ser- 
 geant, Co. K, 1st Conn. Cavalry. 
 
 Laurence, Henry S., Corporal, ist Light 
 Battery. 
 
 Link, Casper, Corporal, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 Infantry. 
 
 Lathrop, Henry A., Private, Co. I, 8th 
 Conn. Infantry, died. 
 
 Leonard, William, Private, Co. H, I4tli 
 Conn. Infantry, died in Andersonville. 
 
 Lane, Oscar B., Harland's Brigade Band. 
 
 Lane, Josiah W., Harland's Brigade Band. 
 
 Lane, Theo. F., Harland's Brigade Band. 
 
 Leonard, Levi, Sergeant, Co. C, ist Conn. 
 Cavalry. 
 
 Lewis, James B., Private, Co. C, ist Conn. 
 Cavalry. 
 
 Lewis. Charles, Corporal, Co. C, ist Conn. 
 Cavalry, wounded. 
 
 Locke, James H., Private, ist Light Bat- 
 tery. 
 
 Lamphear, Harrison, U. S. Navy, died. 
 
 Lamphere, Irving, Musician, Co. E, I4''i 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 
 Marsh. George, Corporal, Co. A, ist Squad- 
 ron Cavalrv. „ 
 
MERIDEN IN THE CIVIL WAR. 
 
 15 
 
 IMurphy, Patrick, Farrier, Co. C, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalry. 
 Madden, James, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalry. 
 Miller, Charles D., Private, Co. I, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalry. 
 Murray, Thomas, Private, Co. I, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Miller, Henry W., Private, Co. H, 2nd 
 
 Conn. Artillery. , 
 Matthews, William S., Mnsician, 5th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Mackie, John, Musician, 6th Conn. Infantry. 
 Machmeyer, Edward, Private, Co. H, 6th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, died. 
 Mayer, Jacob, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, died. 
 Mayer, Frederick, 2nd, Private, Co. H, 
 
 6th Conn. Infantry. 
 Morrison, Edward, Private, Co. C, 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, died of wounds. 
 Moenkmeyer, Christian, Private, Co. C, 
 
 nth Conn. Infantry, wounded. 
 Mecorney, Charles R., Private, Co. B, 12th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, killed in action. 
 Mahone, Thomas, Private, Co. D, 14th 
 
 Conn. Infantr\-, wounded. 
 Mackey, Kegan, Private, Co. H, 14th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Meagher, .\le.xander, Private, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery, deserted. 
 Merriam, John, IMusician, Co. B, 12th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 McCormack, John, U. S. Navy. 
 McGee, Frank, Private, Co. D, 9th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 McGlcnn, Patrick, Private, Co. D, loth 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 McPartlan, Charles, Private, Co. K. ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 McPartcen, Charles, Private, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery, killed in action. 
 McGovern, Michael, Private, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Newcomb, Jeremiah, Private, Co. I, 2n(l 
 
 Conn. Artillery, wounded. 
 Newton, Isaac R., Musician. Co. .\, loth 
 
 Conn. Infantrv. 
 
 Osborne, John, Private, Co. I, 15th Conn; 
 
 Infantry. 
 O'Brien, John, Private, Co. D, 14th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, died of wounds. 
 Perkins, Frederick J., Private, Co. D, ist 
 
 Conn. Cavalry. 
 Plumb, Henry A., Private, Co. L, ist Conn. 
 
 Cavalry, died of wounds. 
 Pearson, William, Private, Co. E, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Parker, William H., Corporal, Co. G, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. 
 Pratt, Robert R., Private, Co. I, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Parkinson, Anthony, Private, Co. K, ist 
 
 Conn. Artillery. , 
 
 Parker, Thomas, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Potter, Judson A., Private, Co. L, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Pfeifer, George, Corporal, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantry. ^ 
 Plumb, William W., Sergeant, Co. F, 7th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Peterson, William H., Private, Co. E, 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, killed in action. 
 Plunkett, John, Private, Co. E, 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 Pendleton, William, Private, Co. C, 14th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, died in Andersonville. 
 Pratt, Eugene H., Musician, 8th Conn. In- 
 fantry. 
 Quinn, Felix, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. Ar- 
 tillery. , 
 Rich, Henry, Corporal, ist Light Battery. 
 Reynolds, James H., Private, ist Light 
 
 Battery, wounded. 
 Roly, Patrick, Private, Co. B, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Reynolds, Gardner, Second Lioulonant. Co. 
 
 C, isl Conn, .\rtillory. 
 Raymond, Albert C, First Lieutenant, Co. 
 
 F, 1st Conn. Artillery. 
 Ryan, James, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 
 .Artillery. 
 Richardson. William W., Private. Co. D. 
 
 -Mid Conn. .Artillery, died. 
 Riley, James H.. Private, Co. F, 6th Conn. 
 
 Infantrv. 
 
l6 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Robinson, Lorenzo, Private, Co. F, 6th Sloane, James R., Quartermaster Sergeant, 
 
 Conn. Infantry. Co. C, ist Conn. Artillery. 
 
 Rache, Alexander, Private, Co. H, 6th Sloane, George F., Private, Co. C, ist 
 
 Infantry. Conn. Artillery. 
 
 Rebstock, William, Private, Co. H, 6th Stutter, John, Private, Co. K, ist Conn. 
 
 Conn. Infantry, wounded. Artillery. 
 
 Rebstock, John, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. Stoddard, William L., Private, Co. D, Sec- 
 
 Infantrv *^"*^ Conn. Artillery, wounded. 
 
 Roselius, Louis, Private Co. H, 6th Conn. Skehon, Dennis, Private, Co. C, 5th Conn. 
 
 Infantrv, wounded. Infantry. 
 
 Robinson,' William J., Private, Co. B, 7th Schaupp, Conrad, Private, Co. H, 6th Conn. 
 
 Conn. Infantry. Infantry. 
 
 Rogers, Emerson, Musician, Co. D, 7th Schutt, August, Private, Co. H, 0th Conn. 
 
 Conn. Infantrv. Infantry, wounded. 
 
 Rosa, Lewis. Private, Co. E, 8th Conn. In- Sellew, Oliver D., Sergeant, Co. A, 7th 
 
 r ^ Conn. Infantrv, wounded, died l^lorence, 
 
 fantrv. „ „ 
 
 S. C. 
 
 Sanderson, Frederic's, Private, Co. A, 7th 
 
 _, ^ , ^ . /- TT .1 ^ Conn. Infantrv. wounded. 
 
 Ransom, John, Private, Co. H, loth Conn. „ , _-, .^ '-n ■ ^ r- a ^\ n . 
 •^ Stv es, Burrett, Private, Co. A, 14th Conn. 
 
 Riley, Lawrence, Private, Co. E, 8th Conn. 
 Infantrv, killed in action. 
 
 Infantry 
 Remington, Thomas F., Private, Co. K, 
 nth Conn. Infantrv, died of wounds. 
 
 Infantry, wounded. 
 
 Smith, Charles, Private, Co. E, 29th Conn. 
 
 Infantrv. 
 
 Riggs, Ranford, Private, Co. B, 14th Conn. ^^^^.^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ p^i^,^^^^ ^^ ^^ j^t 
 
 I"^^"try. ^^^^,^,^ Cavalrv. 
 
 Ryman, Thomas, Corporal, Co. C, 14th g^^^f^rd. Joseph W., Private, ist Light 
 
 Conn. Infantry. Batterv. 
 
 Richardson, Robert, Private, Co. A, 30th Smith, Thomas, Private, Co. G, ist Conn. 
 
 Conn. Infantry. Artillery, deserted 
 
 Rosenberg, Simeon C, Harland's Brigade Snyder, James, Private, Co. I, 13th Conn. 
 
 Band. Infantry. 
 
 Ryder, John W., Private, 14th U. S. In- ^^]^^ Antoine, Private, Cc I, 15th Conn. 
 
 fantry. Infantry. 
 
 Rogers, Wilbur F., Sergeant, Co. F, 4th Tanner, William L., Private, Co. B, ist 
 
 N. Y. Infantry. Conn. Cavalry. 
 
 Robinson, Frederick S., Private, Co. C, ist Tennant, Clinton Y., Corporal, Ct F., ist 
 
 Conn. Cavalry. Conn. Cavalry. 
 
 Rogers, Matthew, Private, Co. G, ist, Conn. Thrall, William H., Private, Co. E, 1st 
 
 Artillery. Conn. Artillery. 
 
 Smith, Theophilus, Private, Co. B, ist Turner. Cornelius, Private, Co. L, ist Conn. 
 
 Conn. Cavalry. Artillery. 
 
 Somers, Augustus, Private, Co. A, ist Tinch, Frank, Musician, Co. A, 8th Conn. 
 
 Conn. Cavalry. Infantry, died. 
 Shields, Patrick, Private, 1st Light Bat- Tuttle, Hezekiah, Private, ist Light Bat- 
 tery, tery. 
 Shelton, Charles F., Private, Co. B, ist 'lodd, Edmund B., Private, 3rd Light Bat- 
 Conn. Artillery. tery. 
 Smith, Lewis, Private, Co. C, ist Conn. Thrall, Alfred, Private, Co. E, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillerv. " Artillerv. 
 
MEKIUEX IN THE CIXIL WAR. 
 
 17 
 
 Thrall. John E., Private, Co. E, ist Conn. 
 
 .\rtillcry. 
 Vandervleit, Cornelius, Private, Co. D, 14th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 W'arriner, Edwin, Chaplain, ist Conn. Cav- 
 alry. 
 Wood. George H., Private, Co. D, ist 
 
 Conn. Cavalry, died. 
 Worin, John C, Private, Co. I, Est Conn. 
 
 .\rtillery. 
 Wells Marcellns, Private, Co. L, ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Worstky. Thomas R., Second Lieutenant, 
 
 i6th Conn. Infantry. 
 WaNh, Michael, Private. Co. C, 5tli Conn. 
 
 Infantry. 
 Welch, John, Private, Co. G, 5th Conn. In- 
 fantry. 
 Wright. William, Private, Co. B. 8th Conn. 
 
 Infantry, died of wounds. 
 Welch, Patrick, 2nd, Private, Co. F, 8th 
 
 Conn. Infantry, wounded, died Salisbury, 
 
 X. C. 
 Williams, Thomas, Private, Co. K, 29th 
 
 Conn. Infantry. 
 Welch, Frank AI., First Lieutenant, 54th 
 
 Mass. Infantry. 
 White, Henry II., Private, Co. G, ist Ore- 
 gon Cavalry. 
 Warner. Levi J., Private, Co. G, ist Light 
 
 Battery. 
 Wells, John H., Private. Co. L. ist Conn. 
 
 Artillery. 
 Warner. Irwin F., Private, Co. I, 2nd Conn. 
 
 Artillery, deserted. 
 Warner, Melvin R., Private, Co. I, 2nd 
 
 Conn. Infantry, wounded. 
 Zimmerman, Casper, Private, Co. H, 6th 
 Conn. Artillery, deserted. 
 
 Note — There are vmdoubtedly others who 
 ser\ed in the Navy but it has not been possible 
 to ascertain their names. 
 
 COMMISSIONED OFFICERS FROM 
 MERIDEX. 
 
 Gener.vl— Henry W. Pienhani. Brevet 
 Major General L". S. Army. 
 
 Colon EL.s—Seagcr S. Atwell. 7th Conn. 
 Infantry; Charles L. rph.ini. 15th Conn. 
 
 Infantry; De.xter R. Wright, 15th Conn. 
 Infantry. 
 
 Lieutenant Culunel.s — Wm. M. Pratt, 
 8th Conn. Infantry. 
 
 Majors — Theodore Byxbee, 27th Conn. 
 Infantry; Oliver S. Sanford, 7th Conn. In- 
 fantry. 
 
 Chaplains — Charles Dixon, lOth Conn. 
 Infantry, Jacob Eaton, 7th Conn. Infantry; 
 D. Henry Miller, 15th Conn. Infantry. 
 
 Captains— George W. Allen, 29th Conn. 
 Inf.intrv-; Julius Bassett, 15th Conn. Infan- 
 try; Jared R. Cook, 3rd Conn. Infantry; 
 Roger M. Ford, 8th Conn. Infantry; Flam 
 T. Goodrich, 8th Conn. Infantry; Patrick 
 Garvey, 9th Conn. Infantry ; Allen W. Har- 
 vey, I5tli Conn. Infantry; N. P. Ives, As- 
 sistant Quartermaster; Geo. C. Merriam, 
 8th Conn. Infantry; John L. Merriam, 8th 
 Conn. Infantry; Ira B. Smith, 7th Conn. 
 Infantry; Reuben W^aterman, 15th Conn. 
 Infantry; John B. Willett, 14th U. S. C. 
 Artillery; George W. Wilson, ist Conn. 
 Infantry. 
 
 First Lieutenants — Marshall C. Augur, 
 15th Conn. Infantry; Julius B. Bissell, 15th 
 Conn. Infantry ; Albert T. Booth, 8th Conn. 
 Infantry; Levi C. Bingham, 15th Conn. 
 Infantry; C. Lewis Bull, 7th Conn. Infan- 
 try; Wallace T. Cloud, 8th Conn. Infantry; 
 Jacob Eaton, 8th Conn. Infantry; George 
 W. Farnhani, 8th Conn. Infantry; Ossian 
 L. Hatch, 7th Conn. Infantry; Edwin A. 
 Kenney, 14th U. S. C. Artillery; Frank E. 
 Little. 107th U. S. C. Infantry; Dennis 
 O'I'.rien. 7th Conn. Infantry; Philip C. 
 Rand. 15th Conn. Infantry; Albert C. Ray- 
 nuMid, 1st Conn. Artillery; William W. 
 Thompson, 15th Conn. lnfanlr\-; l-^rank 
 M. Welch, 54th Mass. Infantry. 
 
 Second Lieutenants — Wm. H. Augur, 
 7th Conn. Infantry; William P. Brooks, 
 29th Conn. Infantry; Asa S. Cowdry, 3rd 
 Conn. Infantry; Milo J. Goodrich, 8th 
 Conn. Infantry; Charles V. Ilarwood. 15th 
 Conn. Infantry; luwin D. Hall. 8th Conn. 
 Infantry: Heber S. Ives. I5lh Conn. In- 
 fantr\ ; William IT. Johnson, 8th Conn. In- 
 fantry; J.ames M. Knowk<, 1st Comi. Cav- 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 -J ,i>s 
 
 .^m\ 
 
 Reproduced from Davis' History of Meriden. 
 
 COMMISSIONED OFFICERS FROM MERIDEN. 
 
MliKIDKX IN I UK (,1\IL W AK. 
 
 19 
 
 airy; Henr}' B. Levi, 15th Conn. Infantry; 
 David T Lyon, 7th Conn. Infantry ; Ed- 
 mund A. Parker, 8th Conn. Infantry; 
 Henry H. Pierce, 7th Conn. Infantry; Gard- 
 ner Reynolds, ist Conn. Artillery; George 
 M. Stevens, 8th Conn. Infantry: George E. 
 Sellew, 6th U. S. C. Infantry; John H. 
 \'orra, 8th Conn. Infantry; Frank B. 
 W'riglit, 27th Conn. Infantry; Thomas 
 Wiirstley, i6th Conn. Infantry. 
 
 RALLY 
 
 TO THE SUPPORT OF THE 
 NATION. 
 
 Tin: I.Ot tl. 1 I ri'/,l''.>K OF ^Kllini:% nho nrr ready 
 laLr naoilii r I'lTorl lc> «»<<- Ihi' \nllon in Ibii lt> Krrnlriil prril, 
 ri|ar«(t-il in mrrt ill Ihr 
 
 II l.t Kllh. ■••AH. Hi T t.-i ii'i'Irk. Ici roannll apon ■nrRsarc'v rr- 
 laliDii to ihi I'l ill.H Stl'irrV. Ill hnoilo lo thr rearar. Thr 
 Cow-r-^mi-nl tnlU limilU fur :ii<l. Had Virrldi-n mDNt rrnpoad Bobfv 
 • »« In ni:> nnil fll:i\N. UN sIm' hna finnr In Ihr pnnl. 
 
 HOH. SENATOR DKOH. CYRDS HORTHRUP, ESQ.. 
 
 From the Nria Haven Palladium of July 
 wth, 1862. 
 
 WAR mr1':tixg tx .\[i^ridi-:x. 
 
 1 he nicetiii!4' in Alcridcn last even- 
 iiijc: ^va.s an honor to tlic town, and fnll 
 of hope and ])r()mise for the I'nion 
 cause. Amid the roar of cannim and 
 the roll of drums, the people came to- 
 i^ether to consult for their country. 
 
 When we reached tlie Town Hall 
 at an early hour, we found a larqe 
 audience already as.semhlcd and in a 
 
 few minutes every seat was filled, and 
 the aisles were packed from the door 
 to the platform. 
 
 The meeting- was organized by ap- 
 pointing Judge James S. Brooks 
 chairman and a large number of \'ice- 
 Presidents and Secretaries. 
 
 Speeches were made by Judge 
 Brooks, Lieutenant Colonel D. R. 
 Wright, Hon. John B. Wright, of the 
 Senate, Hon. O. H. Piatt and Cyrus 
 Xorthrup. 
 
 Resolutions were reported by a com- 
 mittee that JMeriden will furnish all 
 the men and money that arc required 
 of her to put down the rebellion ; that 
 the selectmen be requested to call a 
 town meeting to vote $10 bounty to 
 volunteers, and appointing a large 
 committee to co-operate with a simi- 
 lar one in X'^ew Haven in encouraging 
 e'distments. 
 
 When the question upon the pas- 
 sage of the resolutions w'as put, one 
 mighty "aye" rose up from every part 
 of the hall and not a single "no" was 
 heard, """raitors do not thrive in ^Nler- 
 iden. 
 
 At 10 o'clock, when we left, the 
 meeting was still in progress and vol- 
 unteers were coming forward from the 
 audience. 
 
 The meeting was not a noisy one, 
 l)ul it was deei>ly earnest and thought- 
 ful. .Men had met to consult i)rcpar- 
 ator\- to action. Alrea<ly the work of 
 enlistment has ])egun. Ten or twelve 
 of the best young men in Aleriden en- 
 listed \ esterday and it is ex])ected that 
 tlie conii)an\- now forming imder Capt. 
 i'.a-sett will soon be ftill. 
 
20 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MKKIDEN. 
 
 ]\leriden has already sent over four 
 hundred men to the war. Her quota 
 for the new enhstments will be about 
 one hundred and twenty-five. There 
 is no doubt but that they will be fur- 
 nished and more if required." 
 
 ANOTHER WAR MEETING. 
 
 Tuesday, August 12th, 1862, the 
 Town Hall was packed with an au- 
 dience embracing all classes of society 
 and of all parties interested in the 
 prosecution of the war. Judge James 
 S. Brooks presided and the volunteers 
 of the new company now being raised, 
 were elected A'ice-Presidents. Ad- 
 dresses were made by Hon. O. H. 
 Piatt, Rev. D. Henry Miller, H. Clay 
 Trumbull and others. 
 
 The meeting was a great success. 
 Great disappointment was felt in con- 
 sequence of the absence of Col. 
 Wright, who was detained with his 
 regiment in New Haven. 
 
 The expression of the meeting was 
 that there shall be no necessity for a 
 draft in Meriden. 
 
 Another War Meeting was assem- 
 bled at the Town Hall Friday evening, 
 December i8th, 1863, to take into con- 
 sideration some method of filling" ]\Ier- 
 iden's quota with volunteers. 
 
 The meeting was organized by the 
 appointment of President Dr. E. W. 
 Hatch. Vice-Presidents Eli Putler, 
 Bela Carter, Capt. Jared R. Cook and 
 Captain Luther G. Riggs, Secretary 
 George W. Lyon. 
 
 Stirring and patriotic speeches were 
 made by Col. George P. Bissell, Hon. 
 O. H. Piatt and Rev. Jacob Eaton. 
 
 A committee of five, consisting of 
 Hon. O. H. Piatt, Dr. E. W. Hatch, I. 
 C. Lewis, Charles Parker, and Rev. 
 Jacob Eaton were appointed to take 
 into consideration some means for fill- 
 ing the Cjuota of the town by enlist- 
 ment. 
 
 The meeting then adjourned until 
 Tuesday evening, the 22nd. 
 
 THE ADJOURNED MEETING. 
 
 The adjourned meeting was called 
 to order by the President and the fol- 
 lowing were appointed additional 
 \'ice-Presidents — Chas. Parker, Gen- 
 eral Walter Booth, O. S. Williams, 
 Lieutenant L. E. Webb, Lieutenant O. 
 L. Hatch, Captain Hobart Smith, 
 Lieutenant J. B. Bissell, Edwin H. 
 Butler, Sergeant Wells. 
 
 O. H. Piatt, chairman of the com- 
 mittee, appointed at the previous meet- 
 ing, made report and submitted the 
 following" resolution which was passed 
 unanimously : 
 
 Resolved, That a committee of nine 
 be appointed by the chairman of this 
 meeting to devise ways and means to 
 obtain a sufficient number of volun- 
 teers to fill the quota of the Town of 
 Meriden. 
 
 The chair subsequently announced 
 the following" gentlemen as comprising 
 the committee : 
 
 Jared R. Cook, Isaac C. Lewis, Ed- 
 mund Parker, Eli Butler, O. H. Piatt, 
 Wm. W . Lee, Bela Carter, Jacob 
 Eaton and P. Hall. 
 
 A letter was read from Captain At- 
 well, of the Meriden Company, 7th 
 Regiment, stating one-half of his com- 
 
.MilUIDliX IX THE CI\IL WAR. 
 
 21 
 
 pail}- had re-enlisted for the war and 
 that many others were about doing so. 
 
 Earnest and impressive speeches 
 were made by Chaplain J. ^1. Morris 
 of the 8th. Chaplain D. Henry ]\liller, 
 of the 15th, and Sergeant Dickinson 
 of the nth. 
 
 August 19th, 1864, a meeting of 
 those interested in filling the quota of 
 Meriden under the last call for 500,000 
 men was held at the Institute rooms. 
 The meeting was organized by elect- 
 ing Captain Jared R. Cook, chairman, 
 and Captain Luther G. Riggs, secre- 
 tary. The chairman briefly stated the 
 object of the meeting to be to adopt 
 measures for averting the impending 
 draft and save the town the ignominy 
 of conscription. 
 
 The following resolution was pre- 
 sented : 
 
 Rcsohrd, That the selectmen of the 
 Town of Meriden be requested to call 
 a public meeting of the legal voters of 
 said town, at the earliest day possible, 
 for the purpose of reconsidering the 
 vote of Thursday week, and extending 
 the benefits of said vote to all persons 
 who shall furnish an acceptable sub- 
 stitute to count on the quota of the 
 town. 
 
 Pending its passage remarks were 
 made by Wm. P. Morgan, Hiram Ent- 
 er, Chas. Kingsley, Wm. A. Baldwin, 
 I. C. Breckenridge, Chas. Parker and 
 thers. 
 
 The resolution was passed without a 
 lissenting vote. 
 
 A committee of seven was appointed 
 o prepare the business of the meeting 
 or action. The committee chosen 
 
 was Charles Parker, J. C. BrecKen- 
 ridge, Jared R. Cook, J. J. WooUey, 
 Stephen S. Good_\ear, Edward Miller. 
 
 They reported the following reso- 
 lutions : 
 
 Resolved, That we raise the sum of 
 fifteen thousand dollars, to be appro- 
 l)riated for the purpose of paying vol- 
 unteers, or acceptable substitutes, to 
 fill the quota of the Town of Meriden, 
 to be paid in the same rates as by the 
 town. 
 
 Resolved, That we la}' a tax of ten 
 dollars and upwards on every enrolled 
 man in order to raise the above 
 amount, said tax to be paid imme- 
 diately. 
 
 Resolved, That we request the 
 Town of Meriden, at the next town 
 meeting, to swell the sum of fifteen 
 thousand dollars to a sufficient amount 
 to pay six hundred dollars to those 
 men who enlist for three years. 
 
 Resolved, That a committee- of one 
 in each school district except the Cor- 
 ner district, be appointed to collect the 
 amount subscribed by each individual. 
 
 Resolved, That the above committee 
 report at an adjourned meeting to be 
 held in the Institute room Monday 
 evening, August 22nd. 
 
 The following persons were ap- 
 pointed collectors : 
 
 Corner district, Geo. W. L}on. Jared 
 R. Cook, S. S. Wilcox; Center dis- 
 trict, Charles Kingsley ; Hanover dis- 
 trict, J. C. Breckenridge ; North Cen- 
 ter district, Stephen \\\ Goodxear : 
 Stone School House district, Oliver 
 Rice : Railroad district, James Tuttle ; 
 East Side district. X. P. Griswold ; 
 
22 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Prattsville district, Thos. G. Hotch- 
 kiss ; Farms district, S. E. Johnson ; 
 Southeast district, Levi B. Yale ; Ives 
 district, JuHus Parker; Northeast dis- 
 trict, Alerritt Baldwin; Old Road dis- 
 trict, \\". W. Lyman. 
 
 August 22nd, 1864, pursuant to ad- 
 journment the meeting assembled at 
 the Institute rooms. The Soliciting 
 Committee reported there had thus far 
 been subscribed $4,197.00. The fol- 
 lowing resolutions w^ere passed : 
 
 Rcsok'cd, That in case we do not 
 raise the sum of fifteen thousand dol- 
 lars, that we divide the sum already 
 raised or that shall be raised equally 
 between those men who shall enlist or 
 furnish an acceptable substitute, or 
 who shall be drafted, provided they 
 (the drafted men) have subscribed 
 ten dollars or more to this fund. 
 
 Resolved, In order those entitled 
 may be benefited, this money must be 
 subscribed and paid prior to the next 
 town meeting. 
 
 The resolutions were unanimously 
 adopted. 
 
 looted, That three trustees be ap- 
 pointed to receive and disburse the 
 funds subscribed, and that the follow- 
 ing gentlemen be constituted such 
 trustees, namely, J. C. Breckenridge, 
 J. R. Cook, H.T. Wilcox. 
 
 Voted, To adjourn to meet Wednes- 
 day evening next. 
 
 August 24th, 1864, an adjourned 
 meeting was held in the Institute 
 rooms, J. R. Cook, chairman ; L. G. 
 Riggs. secretary, Mr. S. S. Wilcox 
 stated for the honor of Meriden he 
 would be one of seventy to volunteer 
 
 and fill its quota. He produced an en- 
 listment blank when the following 
 persons signed their names : S. S. 
 Wilcox, S. P. Stannard, Michael Mc- 
 Govern, E. H. Griswold. 
 
 Patriotic speeches were made by 
 Rev. J. J. Woolley, Rev. E. M. Jer- 
 ome, Hon. O. H. Piatt, W. A. Bald- 
 win, Hiram Butler, Geo. W. Lyon and 
 others. 
 
 Voted, That a committee of four 
 be appointed to solicit subscriptions of 
 one hundred dollars for the purpose of 
 making the bounty seven hundred dol- 
 lars to each volunteer for three years, 
 provided the quota is filled. 
 
 The following persons were ap- 
 pointed on this committee : Hiram 
 Butler, J. J. Woolley, Jared R. Cook, 
 William J. Ives. 
 
 The following persons each pledged 
 themselves to pay one hundred dollars 
 if the quota shouuld be filled : O. H. 
 Piatt, W. W. Lyman, Julius Merriam, 
 Hiram Butler, George W. Lyon, Dr. 
 John Tait. 
 
 J'^oted, That the resolution passed 
 by the previous meeting, viz: "In or- 
 der that those entitled may be benefited 
 this money must be subscribed and 
 paid prior to the next town meeting," 
 be so amended as that subscriptions 
 may be received till the fifth of Sep- 
 tember ; provided, however, that all 
 moneys now subscribed be paid as 
 soon as demanded, and that all moneys 
 hereafter subscribed be paid at the 
 time of subscribing. 
 
 Voted, To adjourn to meet in this 
 place Saturday evening, the 27th, at 
 half-past 7 o'clock. 
 
.MKRIDKX IX THE CI\IL WAR. 
 
 23 
 
 August 27th, 1864. Though not 
 hirge ill attendance, this proved one 
 of the most earnest, enthusiastic and 
 patriotic meetings of the campaign. 
 After hearing reports from the various 
 committees regarding the number of 
 men alread\" enhsted, eloquent and pa- 
 triotic s])eeches were made by Rev. 
 J. J. W'oolley, Rev. J. H. Farnsworth, 
 Hiram Butler, O. S. Williams and 
 others. 
 
 I'otcd, That the Rev. J. J. Wool- 
 icy and other speakers be invited to ad- 
 dress this meeting on Friday evening 
 next. 
 
 I'otcd, That Jared R. Cook be ap- 
 pointed a committee to invite and pro- 
 cure the attendance of the Yalesville 
 Band at our next meeting. 
 
 Adjourned to meet Friday evening, 
 September 2nd, at half past seven 
 o'clock. 
 
 FAIR AND FESTIVAL. 
 CIRCULAR. 
 
 To the Citizens of Mcriden: 
 
 The committee appointed to make 
 arrangements for a Fair and Festival 
 to be held at the Town Hall, for the 
 benefit of soldiers and their families 
 from Meriden, take this opportunity of 
 commending the project to ovir citi- 
 zens. 
 
 This town has sent her best and 
 bravest sons to the war under the 
 
 '^'ote — We are unable to find any account of 
 a mefling on Sept. 2nd, but do find a state- 
 ment that Meriden's quota wa.s filled and an 
 excess of 29 men. 
 
 The Hartford Courant says Meriden "beats 
 the world in furnishing soldiers." 
 
 pledge, both implied and expressed, 
 that their families should not want 
 (luring their absence, and the soldiers 
 themselves should be taken care of in 
 sickness and, if disabled, should be 
 cared for on their return to our midst. 
 This pledge is a sacred obligation 
 which should be performed in the 
 s])irit in which it was given. It will 
 not do for us to 
 
 "Keep the word of promise to the ear 
 And break it to the heart." 
 
 We owe it to the brave men who are 
 battling for our rights and liberties to 
 raise such a fund as will relieve the 
 wants of all soldiers and the families 
 of all soldiers from this town. 
 
 To this end every citizen of Meriden 
 is asked to contribute with a liberal 
 hand to this Fair and Festival. 
 
 The manufacturers are asked to 
 give their wares, the merchants their 
 goods, the farmers their wood and 
 their produce, and every man and 
 woman in Meriden is asked to con- 
 tribute according to their abilit}', for 
 the benefit of this Festival. There is 
 scarcely an article which cannot be 
 made available, and turned into 
 money. 
 
 The proceeds of the Fair will be 
 placed in the hands of a lil)cral com- 
 mittee and faithfully a]^i)licd to the ob- 
 jects indicated in this circular. The 
 Festival will be held \\'C(lnesdav even- 
 ing. Thursday and Friday afternoon 
 and evening. Dec. 30th and 31st. 1863, 
 and January ist, 1864. It is ex]:)ccted 
 that such entertainments will be of- 
 fered to the public as will make the 
 
24 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 occasion one of the most pleasant ever 
 known in the town of jMeriden. 
 
 In conckision, the committee ask the 
 citizens of Meriden to meet the de- 
 mands made upon them in a spirit of 
 generous hberahty. The fund to be 
 raised should be counted by thousands 
 and not by hundreds. 
 
 Let us perform the promise we have 
 made to the soldiers. Let us keep our 
 plighted faith. 
 
 Committee— O. H. I'latt, L C. 
 Lewis, E. \\'. Hatch, Eli Butler, John 
 Ives. 
 
 Meriden, Dec. 24th, 1863. 
 
 The Fair was an eminent success. 
 There were present each evening prob- 
 ably not less than seven hundred per- 
 sons. The hall was tastefully deco- 
 rated. There were tablets on which 
 were painted in large black letters the 
 names of local and national soldiers, 
 our lamented dead and the names of 
 battles in which IMeriden soldiers had 
 distinguished themselves. About the 
 room were numerous booths repre- 
 senting tents, in which refreshments 
 were served, and tables abundantly 
 laden with tempting wares. 
 
 Thursday evening was devoted to 
 tableaux, pantomimes and music bv 
 gentlemen from the Meriden Musical 
 Association. Friday evening the young 
 people enjoyed themselves with a 
 grand dance. Saturday evening the 
 articles unsold were disposed of to the 
 highest bidder. The proceeds of the 
 Fair netted about two thousand dol- 
 lars. 
 
 FAIR AND FESTIVAL. 
 
 On Monday, Tuesday and Wednes- 
 day, February 13th. 14th and 15th, 
 1865, a great Fair and Festival was 
 given in the Town Hall, jointly in be- 
 half of the destitute families of the 
 Meriden soldiers, and the Ladies' Sol- 
 diers' Aid Society. Arrangements 
 were made on a most extensive scale 
 and a large number of our most capa- 
 ble and energetic women and men 
 constituted the committees. 
 
 Executive Committee — ^Irs. P. J. 
 Clark, Mrs. J. H. Farnsworth, Hon. 
 O. H. Piatt and Isaac C. Lewis. 
 
 Treasurer — Alden Clark. 
 
 The Festival was in every wav a 
 decided success. Many thanks and 
 much credit was given Mrs. P. J. 
 Clark and Hon. O. H. Piatt, of the 
 Executive Committee for the leading 
 and active part taken by them. The 
 Fair netted upwards of thirteen hun- 
 dred dollars. 
 
 LADIES' SOLDIERS' AID SOCIETY. 
 
 In February, 1864. the ladies of 
 ^leriden formed a Soldiers" xAid So- 
 ciety, their object being to incite the 
 people of Meriden to more systematic 
 and efficient effort in the cause for 
 which they labor. This organization 
 was an auxiliary to the New Haven 
 branch of the V. S. Sanitary Com- 
 mission. 
 
 The officers were : 
 
 Directresses — ]\Irs. P. J. Clark. Mrs. 
 J. H. Farnsworth. 
 
 Treasurer — ]Mrs. John Ives. 
 Secretarv — Mrs. Oliver Rice. 
 
-MERIUEX IX THE CI\ IL WAR. 
 
 -5 
 
 Hoard of Managers — ]\Irs. Lucas C. 
 Hotchkiss, Airs. Levi Butler, Miss 
 Georgiana Parker, Airs. Dr. Churchill, 
 Mrs. A. E. Bull, Aliss Helen Bradley. 
 .Mrs. Eli C. Birdsey, Mrs. Fred Ives, 
 Mrs. Lyman Clark, Mrs. Chas. Page, 
 Mrs. D. C. Easton, Airs. I. C. Lewis, 
 Mrs. I'Ji Butler, Miss Laura Brooks, 
 Mrs. Jacob Eaton, Airs. Elijah Rice, 
 Mrs. John Evarts, Airs. Edward Gris- 
 wold. 
 
 "It is proposed to canvass the town 
 of Aleriden to collect funds to furnish 
 our Soldiers' Aid Society with money 
 to carry on its operations. Citizens, 
 we pray you receive our messengers 
 kindl\ and give — remembering the 
 noble band of heroes for whom it is 
 asked." 
 
 The following reports for two 
 months will show how earnestly the 
 women of Aleriden worked for the 
 comfort of the soldiers. 
 
 The Ladies' Aid Society of Aleriden 
 in November, 1864, donated $108 in 
 casli suljscriptions to the "Ten Cent 
 1-und" and likewise the following ar- 
 ticles: 12 cotton shirts, 2 surgical do, 
 9 flannel do, =,3, pairs flannel drawers, 
 2 pair cotton drawers, 26 pair woolen 
 socks, 33 handkerchiefs, 3 quilts, i 
 ^hou]der quilt. 13 arm slings, 17 house- 
 A-ives, 40 cushions. 2 pillows, 5 pillow 
 ■ases, bandages, rags and lint, 18^^ 
 bs. dried fruit. 3 cans blackberries, to 
 jalions ])ickles. sage, hops and Ilar- 
 ber's Weekly. 
 
 The report for December, 1864. was : 
 15 pairs of flannel drawers, 1 1 flannel 
 hirts. 8 ])airs of socks, i sheet. 6 
 andkerchiefs. 3 14 lbs. dried currants. 
 
 2 lbs. dried apples, besides cotton and 
 linen pieces. 
 
 For purchase of materials the con- 
 tribution was sixty dollars. The do- 
 nation and contribution to the "Ten 
 Cent Fund" by the Young Ladies' 
 Fair. First Congregational Church of 
 W est Aleriden amounted to one hun- 
 dred and forty dollars. 
 
 THANKSGIVING DINNER. 
 
 At a meeting of citizens held Nov. 
 14th, 1864. it was proposed that the 
 loyal citizens of Aleriden send the sol- 
 diers at the front a Thanksgiving din- 
 ner, and a committee was appointed 
 to solicit contributions of monev and 
 eatables. Their report follows:" 
 
 "The committee appointed to take 
 charge of the fund and provisions for 
 the Soldiers' Thanksgiving Dinner beo- 
 leave to report that they packed and 
 forwarded seven cases containing one 
 hundred and twenty-hAc turkevs. with 
 chickens, spare-ribs, pickles, jellies, 
 pies, tomatoes, doughnuts, stewed 
 pears, cakes, etc., with two barrels of 
 onions, three barrels of apples, three 
 barrels of potatoes, and two cases of 
 pickles, which we have reason to be- 
 lieve have reached the army and navv 
 in good order. l"he committee take 
 this occasion to thank the donors for 
 their timely liberality, and to congrat- 
 ulate the citizens of Meriden on hav- 
 ing the pleasure of bearing their share 
 in this outburst of loyalty and delight 
 so well expressed in a National 
 • Thanksgiving, and for their sympathy 
 so well deserved toward our armv and 
 navy, while in their untold privations 
 
26 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and sacrifices they stand by the flag of 
 our country. The committee have a 
 small balance in their hands which 
 they purpose to appropriate to the de- 
 serving families of the soldiers in our 
 midst. 
 
 Committee — R. Linsley, Eli Butler, 
 E. W. Hatch." 
 
 VOTES OF THE TOWN RELATING 
 TO VOLUNTEERS. 
 
 In pursuance of notice, at a Town 
 Meeting held at Town Hall on Sat- 
 urday, June 29th, at 2 o'clock, of which 
 James S. Brooks, Esq., was appointed 
 moderator, it was 
 
 Voted, That the sum of $3,ocxd 
 be appropriated by the Town of 
 Meriden in addition to the sum of 
 $5,000 appropriated in town meeting 
 on the 25th day of April A. D., 1861, 
 and that said sum of $3,000 be placed 
 in the hands of four that day appointed 
 to be by them disposed of as follows : 
 
 First, So much thereof as may be 
 necessary to pay for the pistols fur- 
 nished Capt. Byxbee's company mus- 
 tered into the first of Conn. Vols. 
 
 Second, So much thereof as shall 
 be necessary to furnish pistols or other 
 arms for Captain Cook's company 
 mustered into the Third Regiment 
 Conn. A'ols. if in the judgment of said 
 committee it shall be deemed best to 
 furnish either said pistols or other 
 arms, and lastly that the balance 
 thereof not expended for the pur- 
 poses hereinbefore stated be held by 
 said committee to be by them expended 
 if necessary for the support of the 
 wives and families of said volunteers, 
 
 and for other purposes and objects 
 expressed in the votes passed in town 
 meeting on said 25th day of April, 
 1 86 1. Also 
 
 J'otcd, That if the committee shall 
 procure pistols, rifles or other arms for 
 Capt. Cook's company, they shall de- 
 liver the same to Capt. Cook upon his 
 agreement to return the same to the 
 Town of Meriden when said company 
 shall return home, except such as may, 
 by the fortunes of war, have passed 
 from under his control. 
 
 In pursuance of notice, at a Town 
 Meeting held on Wednesday, July 
 i6th, 1862, at 2 p. m., of which meet- 
 ing J. R. Cook was appointed chair- 
 man, it was 
 
 Voted, That the Town of Aler- 
 iden appropriate the sum of $50 
 bounty to be paid to each recruit who 
 shall enlist in any Connecticut regi- 
 ment now in the field, in the 14th 
 Connecticut regiment or any subse- 
 quent regiment which shall be organ- 
 ized in Connecticut, in answer to the 
 President's late call for 300,000 men, 
 [provided such recruit shall be a resi- 
 dent of Meriden at the time of his en- 
 listment or shall enlist in a company 
 started or got up in Meriden, whether 
 resident of Meriden or elsewhere. 
 
 Voted, Second, That whenever any 
 recruit, resident of Meriden, shall 
 have a mother or other persons de- 
 pendent for support upon such re- 
 cruit, such mother and other persons 
 shall be entitled to receive from the 
 town the same monthly payment as is 
 now given bv the state of Connecticut 
 
MERIDEX IX THE CI\^IL WAR. 
 
 27 
 
 for tlie support of the wife and chil- 
 dren of vokniteers, and the selectmen 
 shall determine who shall be entitled 
 to such monthly pay under this vote. 
 Third, fotcd, That said sum of fifty 
 dollars bounty be paid at the time such 
 recruit shall be sworn into the service 
 of the United States and that the se- 
 lectmen be directed to pay the moneys 
 appropriated by this meeting out of 
 any moneys in the treasury belonging 
 to the Town of Meriden-; and if no 
 such moneys be in the treasury, that 
 the selectmen be authorized and em- 
 powered to raise the sum by loan or 
 loans upon the credit of the town, and 
 to execute and deliver the proper ob- 
 ligations of the town to repay such 
 loan or loans to the lender or lenders 
 thereof. 
 
 In pursuance to notice, at a Town 
 Meeting held on Saturday, August 
 23rd, 1862, it was 
 
 Voted, That the town pay a bounty 
 of one hundred dollars to each 
 volunteer from this town for the nine 
 months volunteers under the Govern- 
 •jr's call for seven regiments of volun- 
 teers, to a number not exceeding that 
 required to make one full company. 
 
 . otcd. That the selectmen be au- 
 tliorized to borrow the money to carry 
 out the above vote. 
 
 In [)ursuance of notice, a special 
 Town Meeting was held on the 24th 
 day r»f August, 1863. of which Henry 
 C. lUitler was moderator, which said 
 meeting unanimorsly ])assed the fol- 
 lowing^- |)reamb](' and resi ihiti< m. to 
 wit : 
 
 lllicrcas, JJy the operation of the 
 Act of Congress approved March 3rd, 
 1863, entitled, "An act for enrolling 
 and calling out the National forces and 
 for other purposes,"" many of the in- 
 habitants of the town have been or are 
 liable to be drafted into the military 
 service of the United States whose 
 labors are required for the support of 
 their families and others dependent 
 upon them, and whereby the town is 
 exposed to charge on that account, and 
 other inhabitants have been or are 
 liable to be drafted who have not the 
 means enabling them to pay the United 
 States the sum required to be paid for 
 the procuration of a substitute as pro- 
 vided by the 13th section of the act 
 aforesaid. 
 
 First, Voted, That the selectmen of 
 the town of Meriden are hereby au- 
 thorized, instructed and directed to pay 
 to each man from the Town of Meri- 
 den who have been heretofore, or who 
 may be hereafter drafted into the ser- 
 vice of the United States under the 
 act of Congress approved March 3rd, 
 1863, entitled "An act for enrolling 
 and calling out the National forces, 
 etc."" the sum of $300, upon such 
 drafted n.ian being mustered into said 
 service. 
 
 Seeond, Voted, That the selectmen 
 of the Town of Meriden are hereby 
 authorized, instructed and directed to 
 pa\' to each man from the Town of 
 Meriden who has been heretofore or 
 who may hereafter be drafted into 
 the service of tlie United States under 
 the act of Congress, "An act for en- 
 rolling and calling out the National 
 
28 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 forces, etc," approved March 3rd. 
 1863, who furnishes an acceptable sub- 
 stitute, the cost of such substitute not 
 exceeding' in any case the sum of $300, 
 upon such substitute being mustered 
 into the United States service. 
 
 Third, Voted, That the selectmen of 
 the Town of Meriden be and they are 
 hereb}' authorized, instructed and di- 
 rected to pledge the faith and credit of 
 the Town of Aleriden for the purpose 
 of raising the money necessary to 
 carry out the foregoing votes. 
 
 In pursuance of call at a Town 
 Meeting held at the Town House 
 Thursday, August nth, 1864, at 2 
 o'clock p. m., Jared R. Cook was ap- 
 pointed moderator. 
 
 Said meeting after free discussion 
 passed the following resolutions of- 
 fered by Hon. O. H. Piatt, to wit : 
 
 Resolved, That the sum of twenty 
 thousand dollars or so much as may 
 be necessary thereof be and the same 
 is hereby appropriated by the Town of 
 Meriden for the purpose of encour- 
 aging enlistments and of paying ex- 
 penses incurred in filling the quota of 
 the Town of Meriden under the pres- 
 ent call for $500,000 men. 
 
 Resolved, That said sum be placed 
 in the hands of the selectmen for the 
 purpose aforesaid to be used at their 
 discretion. 
 
 Resolved, That said selectmen are 
 requested not to pay more than the 
 sum of one hundred dollars for the 
 enlistment of any man for one year, 
 two hundred dollars for two years, and 
 three hundred dollars for three vears. 
 
 Resolved, That the selectmen are 
 hereby authorized to borrow said sum 
 of money in the name and upon the 
 credit of the town. 
 
 In pursuance of call, a Town Meet- 
 ing was held in the Institute room in 
 To\\n House on Wednesday, August 
 24th, 1864, at 2 o'clock p. m. of which 
 Henry C. Butler was appointed mod- 
 erator. 
 
 The following resolutions offered 
 by O. H. Piatt, Esq., were upon free 
 discussion, unanimously adopted, to 
 wit : 
 
 Resolved, That the selectmen of 
 Meriden be and are hereby authorized 
 and directed to pay to each man who 
 has enlisted or shall hereafter enlist 
 counting upon the quota of the Town 
 of Meriden under the present call for 
 500,000 men a sum which with the 
 amount he ma}' receive from the fund 
 raised and to be raised by subscription 
 shall amount to the sum of six hundred 
 dollars if enlisting for the period of 
 three years, and three hundred dollars 
 if enlisting" for a less period. 
 
 Resolved, That the selectmen of 
 Meriden be and are hereby authorized 
 and directed to pa}' to each person who 
 has procured or shall procure a sub- 
 stitute counting on the quota of said 
 town under said call, a sum which with 
 the amount he may receive from said 
 subscription fund shall amount to six 
 hundred dollars, if said substitute is 
 or shall be accepted for three years, 
 and three hundred dollars if accepted 
 for a less period, provided, no per- 
 son shall be paid a sum which with the 
 
MKKIUEX IN THE CIX'IL WAR. 
 
 29 
 
 State bounty shall be greater than the 
 amount paid by him for such substi- 
 tute. 
 
 Rcsolz-cd, That the selectmen be and 
 are Iiereby authorized to borrow all 
 mone_\s required to carr_\- these resolu- 
 tions into effect upon the faith and 
 credit of the town. 
 
 Rcsol:-i'd, That the resolutions 
 l>assed in town meeting Aug. nth, 
 18^4. be and are hcreliy rescinded, but 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 -MA (OK THKODOKH I'.^XDEE. 
 
 ill acts done by the selectmen thereun- 
 ler l)e and hereby arc validated and 
 "onfirmed. Said meeting also ])asscd 
 he following, to wit : 
 
 Rcsoh'Cii. Idiat the four several 
 anks in this town be hereby requested 
 ) loan in equal amounts temporarily, 
 
 the necessary funds to carry into ef- 
 fect the foregoing resolutions. 
 
 In pi rsuance of call, a special 
 Town Meeting was held at the Insti- 
 tute room of which Henry C. Butler 
 was appointed moderator. 
 
 O. H. Piatt offered the following 
 resolutions which, after discussion, 
 were adopted, as follows, to wit : 
 
 Kcsolrcd, That the selectmen of this 
 town be and are hereby authorized and 
 directed to pay for the enlistment of 
 every volunteer for three years who 
 shall be credited to the Town of Mer- 
 iden, a sum not exceeding one hun- 
 dred dollars and shall also pa\' to t\er\ 
 person who shall furnish an accepta- 
 ble substitute for three }ears who shall 
 be credited to the Town of ]\Ieriden a 
 sum not exceeding one hundred dol- 
 lars, proz'idcd that the number of vol- 
 unteers and substitutes for which said 
 amount shall be paid, shall not exceed 
 fifty. 
 
 Rcsolzrd, That the selectmen be and 
 hereby are authorized to borrow on 
 the faith and credit of the town suf- 
 ficient money to carry out this vote. 
 
 In ])ursuance of call, a special 
 Town Meeting was held at the Town 
 House Saturda}-, Jan. 14th. 1865. 
 jared R. Cook was appointed moder- 
 ator. 
 
 / 'otcd, That the selectmen l)e and 
 tliey are hereby authorized to pav such 
 sum for the enlisting of men or ob- 
 taining substitutes to apply on the 
 (|uota of Meriden under the present 
 call for 300.000 men. as they shall 
 deem fit. 
 
so 
 
 A CENTURY OF 3IERIDEN. 
 
 SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 
 
 Although Meriden showed her pa- 
 triotism in pronounced degree by fur- 
 nishing all the men asked for by the 
 government, her sons had no oppor- 
 tunity of going to the front and tak- 
 ing an active part in the War with 
 Spain. They were, however, ready 
 and even anxious for the fray but the 
 sudden and happy termination of hos- 
 tilities made it unnecessary for them 
 to show the fighting material contained 
 in their ranks. 
 
 It was the first of June, 1898, that 
 Captain C. B. Bo wen, then on the re- 
 tired list of the Connecticut National 
 Guard, was commissioned by the Ad- 
 jutant General's office of Connecticut 
 to recruit a full company of men for 
 the First Infantry, Connecticut Volun- 
 teers, a part of which regiment was 
 then in the field. The JMeriden com- 
 pany was recruited by him and ready 
 to be mustered in June 15, but owing 
 to delays by the war office, the United 
 States army surgeons and mustering 
 officer did not report here until July 
 5. On that date began the physical 
 examinations of the men recruited, 
 and finally on the afternoon of July 
 9, 1898, the entire company, ol^cers 
 and men, mustered to its full comple- 
 ment of 109, was formally mustered 
 into the service at the town hall, 
 at which ceremonv none but the 
 
 recruits, the mustering officer and 
 surgeons were allowed to be present. 
 All the recruits took the oath at once, 
 and that same evening, in compliance 
 with orders, boarded a train for Fort 
 Knox, Me. Fort Knox is an old style 
 stone fort located on the banks of .the 
 Penobscot river opposite Bucksport, 
 Maine, about fifty miles from the coast. 
 The Meriden company was designated 
 by the war office as L Company of the 
 First Infantry, U. S. Volunteers, and 
 assigned to that regiment. The regi- 
 ment had been mustered into the ser-. 
 vice May 4, 1898, at Camp Hayen, 
 New London, and Ma}' 22 was as- 
 signed to duty at different stations. 
 The colonel's headquarters, unassigned 
 field officers and six companies of the 
 regiment were at Fort Knox when 
 Company L arrived there. The other 
 companies of the regiment were sta- 
 tioned as follows : With the lieutenant 
 colonel two companies at Plumb Isl- 
 and, N. Y. ; two companies at Fort 
 Preble, ]\Ie. ; one company at Gull Is- 
 land, N. Y., and one compan\- at Fort 
 Constitution, N. H. The field and 
 other officers of this regiment were: 
 colonel, Charles L. Burdett, Hartford, 
 Conn. ; lieutenant colonel, A. G. Ham- 
 mond, of Fort Leavenworth, Kan. ; 
 major, John Hickey, South Manches- 
 ter, Conn. : major, Edward Schulze. 
 
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR. 
 
 31 
 
 Hartford, Conn.; captain and adju- 
 tant, J. M. Wainwright, Hartford, 
 Conn. ; first lieutenant regiment quar- 
 tennaster, A. H. Bronson, Hartford, 
 Conn. ; first lieutenant and battalion 
 adjutant, P. J. Cosgrove, Hartford, 
 Conn. ; first lieutenant and battalion 
 adjutant, F. E. Johnson, Hartford, 
 Conn. ; major and surgeon, T. F. 
 Rockwell, Rockville, Conn. ; first lieu- 
 tenant and assistant surgeon, R. S. 
 Griswold, Hartford, Conn. ; first lieu- 
 tenant and assistant surgeon, J. B. 
 McCook, Hartford, Conn. ; chaplain, 
 H. H. Kelsey, Hartford, Conn. 
 
 The regiment at this time comprised 
 Ijut ten companies, but by virtue of 
 general order No. 61, Headquarters of 
 the Army, June i, 1898, providing for 
 the extension of regiments to twelve 
 companies allowed the mustering of 
 Companies L and M, the former of 
 which was furnished by Meriden. On 
 July 16, 1898, the war department is- 
 sued orders for the rendezvous of the 
 entire regiment at Camp Haven, New 
 I-ondon, and from there was ordered, 
 July 18, to Camp Alger, \a.. The 
 regiment at this time comprised 1,362 
 officers and men witli Ijand, and 
 on their way to Camp Alger marched 
 through Washington, D. C, where 
 tiie\ were reviewed by the Secretary 
 of War. The regiment was assigned 
 to the Second Brigade, First Division 
 and Second Army Corps and on Sep- 
 tember 7 left Cam]:) .Mgcr for Camp 
 Haven. Conn., arriving two davs later. 
 The entire regiment was shortl\- after 
 furloughed for thirty days, at the ex- 
 ])iratioii of \vhich time it was ren- 
 
 dezvoused at Hartford, Conn., for the 
 final muster out, which occurred Oc- 
 toljcr 31, 1898 
 
 On the memorial tablet, placed in 
 the First Regiment armory at Hart- 
 ford, in memory of those who died 
 while in the service during the Span- 
 ish-American war, is the name of the 
 only man lost l)y Company L during 
 the service, Arthiu" C. Lucchini, who 
 died (jctober 20, 1898, while on a fur- 
 lough, from fever contracted while in 
 camp. 
 
 The roster of Company L was as 
 follows : Captain, Charles B. Bowen ; 
 first lieutenant, Delbert R. Jones ; sec- 
 ond lieutenant, Raymond G. Keeney, 
 Somerville, Conn. ; first sergeant, 
 Philip T. Vibert ; quartermaster ser- 
 geant, Arthur A. Abel ; sergeant, W. 
 H. Rees ; sergeant, Howard L. Bar- 
 tram ; sergeant, Walter L. Bevins ; 
 sergeant, William H. Banner; corpo- 
 ral, Clifford A. Hauschild ; corporal, 
 Charles E. Wachtelhausen ; corporal. 
 Fred H. Relyea ; corporal, Frederick 
 C. Benziger, Yalesville ; corporal, 
 Thomas P. Timothy, Wallingford : 
 corporal, Othniel Tves : nutsician. Jo- 
 seph G. -\ichler : musician, l^dwin F. 
 P)olton, W'allingford ; artificer, Eugene 
 W. Early ; wagoner, Louis E. Couter- 
 mash ; privates, Alfred A. Abel, Hart- 
 ford, discharged August 11, disability : 
 Louis Ammann, George H. Anthony, 
 Southington : Axel AL Benson, i.fiuis 
 H. P)ickford, Ferdinand L. r.iircliard, 
 Maxwell Bofird. Clarence A. I'.uwer. 
 ^"alesvilk•: Cliarlo A. I'.recklin. ("has. 
 S. Br.rdctt. Albert A. Burr. i)romotcd 
 to C(^rporal : Walter W. Burr, Philip 
 
32 
 
 A CENTURY OF ^MEKIDEX. 
 
 T. Carlin, Edward Carter, Anton Con- 
 reaux, transferred to band ; Arthur 
 Cooper, John J. Cox, Walhngford ; 
 Rollo Cobb, South Meriden ; Frank E. 
 Dainton, Frank A. Duhcke, Charles 
 J. Depree, Frank W. Durkin, Bristol ; 
 Alfred Dussault, John W. Fletcher, 
 New Haven ; Henry E. Folse, John V. 
 Foran, John J. Francis, Wallingford ; 
 Thomas Galvin, Willis W. Gardner, 
 Louis Goldstein, Fred Gollnick, Mi- 
 chael Goodman, Joseph H. Gracey, 
 Harry C. Granger, William G. Hiller, 
 Harry E. Harvey, Morris Hennessy, 
 John W. Hickey, promoted to corpo- 
 ral ; Edward Higgins, Edwin T. Ho- 
 gan, John Hopwood, James D. Hour- 
 igan, William G. Hyde, Michael Jirma, 
 Wallingford ; Herman Kaschube, John 
 Kay, John J. Kelley, John J. Kennedy, 
 Wallingford : John King, Joseph R. 
 King, promoted to corporal ; Chas. J. 
 Kline, Wm. J. Knoblauch, August O. 
 Kline, William D. Lee, Philip F. F. 
 Lacourciere, James J. Lenihan, Arthur 
 
 C. Lucchini, died October 20 ; John 
 G. McGoldrick, Edward T. McLaugh- 
 lin, Patrick J. Mulroney, William E. 
 Xoonan, August Numann, Charles J. 
 O'Donnell, Charles A. Olson, William 
 L. Penfield, promoted to corporal ; 
 Frank W. Pickhardt, John F. Plun- 
 ket, Charles S. Perkins, Jr., promoted 
 to corporal ; \\'alter S. Reama, Eu- 
 gene C. Rogers, Walter H. Royce, 
 Bristol ; Julius G. Runge, Lorenzo C. 
 Russell, Joseph Seneal, George W. 
 Shea, promoted to corporal ; Patrick 
 J. Shea, Norwich, transferred from 
 Company A, Third ; Anthony A. Shee- 
 hey, Wallingford ; John J. Shinkey, 
 Patrick J. Shortell, Herbert J. Siege), 
 Leonard Skinner, promoted to corpo- 
 ral ; Michael Smith. Harry Stanley, 
 discharged August 6, for disability ; 
 Floyd W. Stillman. Thomas E. Tighe, 
 \Miitney A. Todd, Yalesville ; Michael 
 Walsh, 'Frank M. Wollschlager, Wil- 
 liam Wren, Middletown, and William 
 G. Younsf. 
 
MERIDEN S PUBLIC PARKS. 
 
 33 
 
 MERIDEN'S PUBLIC PARKS 
 
 CITY PARK. tlie direct supervision of that l)oar(l. 
 
 The oldest of Aleriden's parks is 
 
 Meriden possesses at the end of the known as City Park and has been re- 
 first century of its existence, a park served as a piibHc lireathin,": place 
 
 I.OOKIXG TOWARD WALl.I XCI-ORD FKO.M WKST PEAK. 
 
 sy.stfni of which its residents may well .-ince 1880. The situation of City 
 I»c justly ])roud ; for in both area and Pnrk makes it a convenient s])ot for 
 
 an hour's recreation, beiui;' situated 
 (|uite near the business center and con- 
 tains about fifteen acres. 
 
 It is bounded on the south b\- 
 Ilruki r a\enue. on the west l)y h'rank- 
 liu street, on the north bv Park ave- 
 
 scenic beauty it is unexcelled by any 
 city in Xew England. 
 
 In i8y<j. by an anieudnieut of the 
 
 :ity charter, a park commission was 
 
 reatefl and Meriden's excellent ])ark 
 
 'vstem since that time has been under 
 
34 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIUEX. 
 
 nue, and on the west by Warren 
 street, and adjoins Brookside Park. 
 For man\- }ears City Park 
 was given but little attention by the 
 city but since the creation of the park 
 commission many improvements have 
 been made. 
 
 oaks, red oaks, hickory, hard and soft 
 maple, wild cherry and stately elm 
 trees, and afit'ord ample shelter from 
 the rays of Old Sol, to tired individ- 
 uals seeking respite from home and 
 business cares. 
 
 The city has generously provided 
 
 L()(JKIXG WEST FROM WE.ST PEAK 
 
 City Park contains some of the this park with swings and there is am- 
 stateliest shade trees in or about ])le room on the well kept lawns for 
 Aleriden and many of them are children to gambol on the green, 
 older than the town itself. Xature This ]:)ark contains a pavilion of gen- 
 has richly endowed this park with erous capacity in case of sudden show- 
 chestnut trees whicli bend with a ers and other conveniences necessary 
 friendly nod to the ]Mn oaks, yellow to a pul>lic park. There is also a pig- 
 

 WF.ST PiiAK, FKO.M liAST PEAK. 
 
 \vi:sT i'i:ak, mk "i'I'.aki. knoi;. i-'kom path. 
 
36 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CASTLE CKAIC. TOWER, LOOKING WEST 
 
MEKIDliN's I'Uni.IC PARKS. 
 
 37 
 
38 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
MKKIDEX S PUHLIC PARKS. 
 
 39 
 
40 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
MliRlDEX S I'UULIC PARKS. 
 
 41 
 
 con house which is the home of a 
 large Hock of these domestic birds 
 both summer and winter. City I'ark 
 also contains a water pool always 
 tree from stagnant water and set- 
 tees are also to.be found beneath 
 the trees. 
 
 HUBBARD PARK. 
 
 In the western part of Meriden, antl 
 named in honor of its founder, is one 
 of the largest, most diversified, inter- 
 esting and strikmg parks, public or 
 private, within the borders of New 
 iMiglantl. Included in its 1,000 acres 
 or more are the celebrated Meriden 
 Hanging Hills, with their mountain 
 peaks (over one thousand feet eleva- 
 tion), with their crags, cliffs, etc., and 
 abounding in features that suggest the 
 wildness of the primeval period, while 
 there are to be found all around spots 
 of sylvan beaut}-. These hills are the 
 highest land on the Atlantic seaboard, 
 within fifty miles of the coast, from 
 -Maine to Florida. They are higher 
 than Mt. Royal Park at Montreal. 
 Blue Hills near Boston, East Rock in 
 \cw Haven, or Eagle Rock of l<lsse.x 
 County Parks, New Jersey. These 
 five are the mountain j'tarks of the 
 eastern coast. All ha\e rich beanl\ 
 and magnificent views of their own. 
 I-!ach differs so nmch from the other 
 that comparisons are not desired, but 
 <»f this it is certain — let a ])erson jour- 
 ney ever so far. he will never regret a 
 visit to Hubbard Park. The scenery 
 is exceedingly wild and i)icturcsque. 
 and is pronounced l)y celebrated land- 
 
 scape architects to be the most strik- 
 ing reservation of natural scenery for 
 the use of a pul)lic ])ark possessed b\ 
 any New England city. 
 
 With the exception of about eight 
 acres, a gift to the cit\' l)y the Charles 
 Parker Co. and that originally 
 purchased by the city from the heirs 
 of William Johnson for reservoir pur- 
 ])oses, the land comprising the present 
 Hubbard Park has been presented to 
 the city of Meriden by Walter Hub- 
 bard, president of the Bradley & Hub- 
 bard Mfg. Co., and by whom the park 
 has always been cared for, developed 
 and beautified without expense to the 
 city. 
 
 The park is situated west of the 
 city, about one and one-half miles, 
 and can be reached by electric cars of 
 both Meriden and Meriden & South- 
 ington lines, wdiich make frequent 
 trips, passing the entire south bound- 
 ary which extends for more than a 
 mile, aft'ording grand views of the 
 higher elevations. The founder, per- 
 ceiving the great natural advantages 
 this land ])ossessed for a public park, 
 asked and received permission from 
 the city authorities to develop that 
 jiortion belonging to the municipal- 
 il\ . and the city has set aside and ded- 
 icated this land for a ])ublic ])ark 
 ( with the beautiful reservoir. Lake 
 .\Ierimere, l_\ing' ])ictures(|uely l)e- 
 tween the cliffs and peaks) to which 
 .Mr. Hubbard has added many tracts 
 t)f land, thus enabling him to present 
 to the public its now priceless pleas- 
 ure grounds, with its many fine roads 
 and walks, leading to delightful views 
 
42 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
MERIDEX S PUBLIC PARKS. 
 
 43 
 
 and scenes, and to its sparklini;' 
 sprinj^^s, fountains, cascade and lakes. 
 
 When, therefore, the Court of Com- 
 mon Council of the City of Meriden 
 voted to i^ive Hubbard Park its pres- 
 nt name, it was but a just recognition 
 (•t Mr. Hubbard's princely generosit\- 
 and interest in his fellow townsmen. 
 
 The act which follows was present- 
 fd by -Vlderman H. T. King. March 
 7, 1898, Amos Ives, then mayor, pre- 
 siding : 
 
 "Resolved, That the tract of land 
 now owned by the city of Meriden, 
 and extending from the Southington 
 road to Merimere, or the old rescr- 
 \-i>ir. and the property adjacent there- 
 ' I. which is being improved by W'al- 
 ler Hubbard, and upon which he has 
 already expended large sums of mon- 
 for the benefit of his fellow citi- 
 zens, be and the same is hereby des- 
 ignated, known and entitled by the 
 name Tiubbard Park,' in apprecia- 
 tion in a slight degree of Mr. Hul)- 
 bard's noble and unselfish work in be- 
 half of his fellowmen." 
 
 The same body on the evening of 
 January 9, 1899, after the legislature 
 had authorized the City of Meriden 
 to bring Hubbard Park within its mu- 
 nicipal domain, adopted the following 
 resolution, introduced by Alderman 
 Pirainard : 
 
 ■■Resolved, Tlial the tract of land 
 hereinafter dcscrilied. belonging to 
 the City of Meriden, except so much 
 I if the same as is used for reservoir 
 purposes and is appurtenant thereto. 
 be and the same is hereby dedicated 
 and established as a public park, to 
 
 be designated and named 'Hubbard 
 J 'ark." ■■ 
 
 The lakes abound with fish which 
 are not for for the prey of the angler 
 but a delight to the seeker of restful 
 recreation and lover of nature. Trout 
 are in the trout pool ; pickerel at Mir- 
 ror lake, which jump and dart, and 
 in another part of the vast park is a 
 pool of gold fish. 
 
 The water fowl of Hubbard Park 
 comprise dcMiiestic geese and ducks, 
 and genuine Canadian wild geese 
 also inhabit the lakes of the park. 
 The large num1;er of tame pigeons at 
 the park are a source of delight. 
 There is also a large cage of squir- 
 rels, which, like the water fowl and 
 fish, are given the greatest care and 
 protection. The waterfalls of Hubbard 
 Park are marvelous imitations of na- 
 ture. A charming drive of abotit eight 
 miles is via the celebrated "Cathole" 
 Pass, the lUue Hills of Kensington, 
 and through the park, by Lake Meri- 
 mere, with grand scenery all the wav. 
 
 BROOKSIDE PARK. 
 
 Most appropriately named is Brook- 
 side Park, a part of Meriden's park 
 system. The land was purchased b\" 
 Walter Hubbard, in 1901, and given 
 to the city by him for park purjooses. 
 Tt extends from Cam]) to I>road 
 streets, on both sides of Harbor Brook, 
 a distance of nearly three-quarters of 
 a mile and now includes a richly 
 wooded knoll, given by the Miller 
 liros. Cutlery Company. The park 
 
44 
 
 A CENTURY OF DIERIDEN. 
 
.MliKlDKN S PUBLIC PARKS. 
 
 45 
 
 (It-rivcs its name from Harbor Brook 
 wliich flows through the entire park 
 and its swift running water of the 
 purest quality, ackls greatly to its at- 
 tractiveness. 
 
 Brookside Park was endowed not 
 only with its name by Mr. Hubbard, 
 hut with all the vast improvements it 
 possesses and until recently was main- 
 tained out of his private funds which 
 he has so freely expended. Retain- 
 ing walls have been 1)uilt along the 
 banks of the brook; rustic bridges 
 have been constructed spanning 
 the same : and the land has 
 been largely remade. That Brook- 
 side and City Parks might be connect- 
 ed, several l)uilding lots on Bunker 
 aveiu'.e were purchased : and the whok- 
 
 is now covered with a velvety lawn. 
 Three pools where gold fish and 
 beautiful pond lilies thrive add to the 
 scenic beauty of the park. All of 
 these ])()()ls possess fountains which 
 keep them well tilled with water. 
 The i)ark, with its many attrac- 
 tions, delights the visitor, and is fre- 
 quented by people from all parts of 
 Aleriden, particularly by children. 
 
 The entrance to this park, on Camp 
 street, is defined by two rustic stone 
 pillars of large proportions. A newly 
 macadamized drive extends through 
 the entire park as well as numerous 
 walks and paths. The park is kept 
 in perfect condition by a competent 
 corps of w^orkmen and gardeners now 
 i)aid bv the citv. 
 
46 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEiV. 
 
 MERIDEN INSTITUTIONS 
 
 CURTIS MEMORIAL LIBRARY 
 
 Dr. Trumbull, in his History of 
 Connecticut, states that there were in 
 1818, 140 libraries in the state and 
 that they had been instituted since the 
 Revolution. Wethersfield had one, 
 begun as early as 1783, a purely sub- 
 scription library, its subscribers be- 
 ing shareholders in the corporation ; 
 Farmington had one, started as soon 
 as 1785, and Waterbury in its Bron- 
 son library has books which were once 
 in a library in existence there in 1797. 
 
 Meriden. as befitted a very small 
 community, had a tiny library as early 
 as 1796. 
 
 In the home of John P. Hall, in the 
 eastern part of Meriden, is preserved 
 an old Bible bound in pigskin, that 
 was "Imprinted at London by Bon- 
 ham Norton and John Bell, Printers to 
 the King's Most Excellent Majestic 
 :MDCXXVHL" On the inside of the 
 front cover is this inscription : 
 
 PRESENTED TO MERIDEN 
 LIBRARY 
 
 BY 
 
 GAD ELY 
 
 OF 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 N0\' 29 1796 
 
 Miss Grace, a sister to John P. 
 Hall, has loaned to the Curtis ]\Ie- 
 
 morial Library the catalogue of this 
 first library and it is here reproduced. 
 
 There are 1 53 volumes in this list 
 mostl}' relating to divinity and theol- 
 ogy ; and the taste of the reading pub- 
 lic has changed to such an extent that 
 it is doubtful if any one of these vol- 
 umes would now be drawn if they 
 were on the shelves of the present li- 
 brary. The ]Meriden Library was a 
 subscription one like that in \Vethers- 
 field and on the probate records in 
 Wallingford (where Meriden estates 
 were then settled ) there are several 
 inventories which contain the item 
 "Share in the library" amounting to 
 about $1.65 each, viz: Deacon Eben- 
 ezer Cowles 1801 ; Samuel Whiting 
 1803; Daniel Hall 1805; and Ezekiel 
 Rice 1809. This library was discon- 
 tinued and the books distributed, but 
 at what date no one knows. ^ The 
 books were doubtless kept in the base- 
 ment of the old church that stood 
 where the present Center Congrega- 
 tional Church is located. 
 
 During the last century there were 
 several attempts to start a public !i- 
 
 1 At an adjourned town meeting held Feb'y 
 23, 1807, it was voted, "That the Books belong- 
 ing to the Town be left with the Town Clerk. 
 
 "Voted, That the Books be loaned out for the 
 term of four weeks. 
 
 "Voted, That if the Books are kept over one 
 month the forfeiture shall be twenty-five cents 
 with an increasing forfeiture of one cent per 
 day until returned." 
 
CATALOGUE 
 
 OF 
 
 BOOKS 
 
 BELONGING TO MERIDEN LIBRARY. 
 
 DIVINITY AND ECCLESIASTICAL 
 HISTORY. 
 American Preacher, 4 v 8 vo 
 Apology for Chriftian Divinity, 1 v 12 mo 
 Backus on Regeneration, 1 v 12 mo 
 Backus's Sermons, 1 v 12 mo 
 Bofton's Fourfold State, 1 v 12 mo 
 Blair's Sermons, 3 v 8 vo 
 Beauties of Watts, 1 v 12 mo 
 Burnham's Pions Memorials, 1 v 8 vo 
 Cowper's Tafk, 1 v 12 mo 
 Doddridge's Ten Sermons, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 ■ — Life, I V 12 mo 
 
 ■ ■ Mifcellaneous Works, 5 v 8 vo 
 
 Rife and Progrefs, 1 v 1 2 mo 
 
 Davie's Sermons, 2 v 8 vo 
 
 Dickinfon's Letters 
 
 Edwards's Diflertations, I v 12 mo 
 
 Difcourfes, I v 8 vo 
 
 _Evangelical Piinclples and Pradlice 
 Fordyte's Addreiiesto Young Meti 
 Fuller's Letters, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 • Gofpel its own Witnefs, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 worthy of all Acceptation 1 v 12 
 
 Flavel's Husbandry Spiritualized, 1 v 8 vo 
 
 Hawies' Church Hiftoiy 
 
 Hunter's Sacred Biography, 3 v 8 vo 
 
 Hcrvey's Meditations 
 
 Jones's Ledures 
 
 Jofephus's Hiftory of the Jews, 3 v 8vo 
 
 Life of Prefident Stiles, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 Lee's Trial of Virtue, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 Lathrop's Mifcellanies 
 
 Sermons 
 
 Lowman on tke Revelations, 1 v 8 vo 
 
 Moral and Religious Repofitory, 4 v 12 mo 
 
 Montague's Letter; 
 
 McEwen on the Types, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 Maffillon and Bourdaloue's Sermons, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 Milton's Paradise Loft and Regained 
 
 Moore's Sacred Drama, 1 v 12 mo 
 
 Female Educatien 
 
 Newton (T) on the Prophecies, 3 v 12 ma 
 Ne\yton (J's) Cardiphonia, 2v 12 mo 
 Nelfon's Fafts and Feftivals, 1 v 12 mo 
 Orton's Sermons 
 Porteus' Sermons, 2 v 8 vo 
 
 Leflures, 1 v 8 vo 
 
 Prideaux's Connections, 2 y 8 vo 
 Perkins' Sermons, 1 v 8 vo 
 Sbe '.ock on Death 
 
 Strong's Sermons, 2 v S vo 
 
 Swan's Difcourfes 
 Seabury's Sermons 
 
 — Difcourfes 
 
 Sturrn's Reflexions, 3 v 12 mn 
 Sherlock's Difcoi;rfes, v4th 
 Watfon's Apolngy for the Bible 
 Walker's Sermons, 
 Watts on the Mind 
 Weft on the Refurrcsflion 
 Willifton on ilic'Sabhp.th 
 Young's Niglu Thoughts. 
 
 HISTORY, VOYAGES, TRAVELS, 
 
 MISCELLANY, Sec. . 
 American Poems 
 American Farmer 
 Beauties of Hiftory 
 
 Brydon's Tour through Cicily and Malta 
 Car\'er's Travels 
 Cook's Voyages 
 
 Laft Voya,a;e 
 
 Camilla, 5 v 12 mo 
 Cyrus' Travels 
 Emeline, 2 v 
 
 Fool of Quality, 5 v 12 mo 
 French Revolution 
 Gifford's ReHdence in France 
 Gordon's American Revolution, 3 v 8 vo 
 Goldfmiih's Roman Hiftory, 2 v 8 vo 
 Guthrie's Geography 
 • Heath's Memoirs 
 Humphrey's Works 
 Hiftory 'of the French Revolution 
 
 of Glafcovv 
 
 Hawkin's Voyage 
 Knox's Effliys, 
 Lyttelton's England 2 v 
 Lifeof Docior Franklin 
 
 Locke on the Human Uiiderftanding, 3 " 
 
 MiUot's Univerfdl Hiftory, 5v 8 vo 
 
 Mills on Agriculture 
 
 Memoirs of an Heirefs 
 
 Modern Travels and Voyages 
 
 Man of Feeling 
 
 Neal's Hiftory of Nev/-England, 2 v 
 
 Prophri^r.e Hiftory . 
 
 Ramfay's America, 2v 8 vo 
 
 Savory's Egypt, 2 v 
 
 Smltii's Wealth o'f Nations, 3 v 
 
 Spct-laicr, 8vo 12 mo 
 
 Voltaire's Hiftory of Chiiles ICth. 1 v. 
 
 Walhington's Letters. 
 
 COMPLETE CATALOGUE OF FIRST MEUIDEX LIBRARV. 
 
48 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 brarv. The Meriden Republican in 
 its issue of May 26. 1868, said "Some 
 20 vears ago the Young Men's Insti- 
 tute collected 700 or 800 volumes for 
 a library ; but it declined and the 
 volumes were scattered. Rev. Mr. 
 Thacher, during his pastorate ( 1854- 
 1861), made an etTort to start a pub- 
 lic library but failed. Rev. Mr. Hay- 
 den succeeded a little better and was 
 instrumental in obtaining a charter 
 and organizing a library association ; 
 but he was foiled in attempting to raise 
 sufficient cajMtal to erect the neces- 
 sary building-. Xow the V. AI. C. A. 
 have a building of their own fitted 
 with library and free reading room. 
 The>- have the remnant of the Young 
 Men's Institute, and now they appeal 
 for $1,500 to buy books." For years 
 this library was the only one of a pub- 
 lic nature in town. It was at first 
 kept in the small wooden building 
 which stood on the present site of the 
 Y. M. C. A. and when the present 
 brick building was erected in 1876-77 
 it was kept in the room where it is 
 located to-day. The books were free 
 to all for reference, but in order to 
 draw a book and take it home it was 
 necessar}- to become a member and 
 pay annual dues of $2. The books at 
 present number over 8,000 but on ac- 
 count of restrictions it is far from a 
 free public library. 
 
 Tnere have been various spasmodic 
 attempts to raise sufficient money to 
 start a free public library. On the 
 evening of April 7, 1895. a public 
 meeting was held in the town hall to 
 devise means for forming a public li- 
 
 brary. Ringing speeches were made, 
 great enthusiasm was shown by all ; 
 and various committees were appoint- 
 ed to raise funds and outline a feasi- 
 ble plan. But the great financial de- 
 pression then existing blighted the 
 project and the movement soon died 
 a natural death. During the winter 
 of 1897-8 the ladies of the Thursday 
 Alorning Club gave a series of lec- 
 tures which proved so successful that 
 at the close of the season the treasury 
 of the club was found to have quite 
 a sum of money on hand. Some 
 bright mind of the club conceived the 
 idea that it would be wise to devote 
 this sum to a free public library for 
 Meriden. Thus was the movement 
 started which has proved so success- 
 ful. At a meeting of the club a com- 
 mittee was appointed consisting of 
 men as well as women to agitate and 
 work for the project; at the annual 
 towm meeting held in October, 1898. 
 an appropriation of $1,000 ($500 for 
 running expenses and $500 for buying 
 books) was voted, after considerable 
 opposition, for supporting a free pub- 
 lic library. At the same meeting the 
 following directors were elected to 
 carry on the work: Miss Jennie Page, 
 Henry W. Hirschfeld, John L. Dolan, 
 for one year ; Albert B. blather, Mrs. 
 J. H. Chapin, Walter S. Billard, for 
 two ^•ears ; George M. Curtis. Thos. 
 L. Reilly, Mrs. C. H. S. Davis, for 
 three years. 
 
 Thus was born a public library in 
 ^leriden. It was decided to begin 
 work at once. Two rooms in the T. 
 I. Coe house, No. 104 East Main 
 
MERIDEN IXSTITUTIONS. 
 
 49 
 
 strcfi, were rented and ]\Iiss Liicy B. 
 Wadhams, of Torrington, was en- 
 gaged as librarian, with Miss Corinne 
 A. Deshon as assistant. Meanwhile 
 a number of ladies had associated 
 themselves as a Library ^^'hist Club, 
 the purpose being to meet at differ- 
 ent houses, and, by a system of fines 
 and fees, raise money to aid in sup- 
 porting the library. It is certain that 
 
 constant succession of gifts of money 
 and books and the library grew as rap- 
 idly as conditions and circumstances 
 would permit ; but the rooms were 
 small and the work was greatly hin- 
 dered thereby. In April Miss Wad- 
 hams resigned her position and Miss 
 Deshon was elected her successor. 
 Mrs. Chapin would not accept the po- 
 sition of library director and Mrs. 
 
 CURTIS MEMCJKIAL LIliKAKV 
 
 the aid of these two clubs in su])port- 
 ing the library during these days of 
 small beginnings was invaluable. The 
 library was opened on the evening of 
 January 30, 1899, for inspection only, 
 and on the next day began the actual 
 work of delivering books to the pub- 
 lic with probably not more than 1,000 
 volumes on the shelves. There was a 
 
 Caro A. Lyon was elected in her place 
 and Miss Hannah K. Peck was elected 
 as successor to Miss Jennie Page who 
 married and removed from ^Nleriden. 
 On December 7, 1900, Mrs. George 
 R. Curtis announced that she w^ould 
 contribute sufficient money to buy a 
 site, erect a suitable building for a li- 
 brary and thoroughly equip it. provid- 
 
50 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ing the town would vote to annually 
 appropriate $3,000 for running ex- 
 penses. At a special town meeting 
 held on the evening of March 12, 
 1901, it was unanimously voted to ac- 
 cept the offer made by Mrs. Curtis. 
 Plans presented by W. H. Allen, 
 of New Haven, were accepted, but as 
 Mr. Allen at this time removed to 
 California, Richard Williams, his suc- 
 cessor, and who had drawn the 
 plans, became the supervising archi- 
 tect. The Lawrence property on the 
 east corner of East Main and Pleas- 
 ant streets was bought and w^ork on 
 the site was soon begun. The con- 
 tractors were The H. Wales Lines Co., 
 of Meriden, mason work ; Smith & 
 McQueen, of New Haven, carpenter 
 work ; Sheahan & Groark, New Ha- 
 ven, heating; Menzies & Menzies, 
 New Haven, plumbing ; John F. But- 
 ler Co., Meriden, painting ; C. F. 
 Wooding Co., Wallingford, electric 
 wiring ; The Library Bureau, New^ 
 York, furniture ; A. B. & W. T. Wes- 
 tervelt. New York, book stacks, and 
 The Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co., 
 Meriden, gas and electric fixtures. 
 
 On the afternoon of September 28, 
 1901, the corner stone was laid with 
 appropriate ceremonies and U. S. Sen- 
 ator Orville H. Piatt delivered the ad- 
 dress. Meantime an appeal had been 
 made for funds to buy books and the 
 response was liberal, for up to this 
 time more than $14,000 has been con- 
 tributed for this purpose and many 
 gifts of valuable books have been 
 made. A bronze plate bearing the 
 name of the donor has been placed in 
 
 the stack room whenever a gift of $1,- 
 000 or more has been made ; there are 
 now twelve of these plates in the 
 room. 
 
 List of those for whom alcoves are 
 named : John D. Billard, Dorence K. 
 Atwater, Clarence P. Bradley, Wal- 
 ter H. Bradley, Isaac C. Lewis, 
 Frederick E. Curtis, Walter Hub- 
 bard, Walter Hubbard, Nathaniel 
 L. Bradley, Edward H. White, 
 George A. Fay, Walter L. Bevins, 
 Russell Hall, Aaron L. Collins. 
 
 The autumn and winter previous 
 to removal to the new building 
 were busily employed by the librarian 
 and her assistants in buying and cata- 
 loguing more than 10,000 volumes. 
 
 On the evening of April 20, 1903, 
 the new library building was formally 
 opened and a large number of Meriden 
 citizens inspected the handsome edi- 
 fice. The actual transfer of the prop- 
 ertv to the Town of Meriden took 
 place in the assembly room on the sec- 
 ond floor. The town was represented 
 by George W. Miller, selectman, and 
 the presentaton of the deed w^as made 
 by George M. Curtis in behalf of his 
 mother, Mrs. George R. Curtis. Gov- 
 ernor A. Chamberlain, the architect, 
 Richard Williams, and the contract- 
 ors, H. Wales Lines and Mr. Mc- 
 Queen were present and a number of 
 brief speeches were made. At 10 
 o'clock the next morning the build- 
 ing was opened to the general public 
 and the usual work of a library be- 
 p-an. There are now on its shelves 
 more than 13.000 volumes. The di- 
 rectors have already been named. Tlie 
 
MERIDEN INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 51 
 
 AUGUSTA (MUNSON) CURTIS. 
 
52 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 officers are A. B. Mather, president; 
 Thomas L. Reill}', secretary, and 
 George M. Curtis, treasurer. 
 
 Corinne A. Deshon is hbrarian ; 
 Ehzabeth L. Clark, first assistant ; 
 Emma L. Woodley, second assistant, 
 and Edward lUrns, janitor. 
 
 Richard WilHams furnished the fol- 
 lowing architectural description of the 
 library : 
 
 The design of the building is classi- 
 cal, the motive adopted being that of 
 the Greek Ionic order as exemplified 
 in the Erecthion at Athens ; the rela- 
 tive proportion of all members of the 
 order to the diameter of the columns is 
 the same as in that most beautiful of 
 all temples. In working out the de- 
 tails the architect availed himself of 
 the most authentic works and meas- 
 ured drawings obtainable, to reproduce 
 with exactness, the mouldings and or- 
 naments of the temple, and thus em- 
 body in the Curtis Memorial Library, 
 a lesson in the most finished example 
 of the most refined Order of the 
 Five, and thus contribute permanently 
 to the advancement of knowledge 
 through the expression of the archi- 
 tecture of the building ; in harmony 
 with the treasures of lore which are 
 housed within its walls. 
 
 The exterior of the building is of 
 A'ermont white marble, the dome is 
 covered with copper, and the interior 
 woodwork is quartered oak, fumed 
 finish. The entrance is approached 
 by ascending several steps into a log- 
 gia which is floored with mosaic tile 
 with a border of a Greek pattern : the 
 walls and ceilinc: are covered with 
 
 white marble slabs, and lighted by hol- 
 lophane glass globes supported on 
 bronze wall fixtures on either side. 
 The vestibule is floored with mosaic, 
 designed in the same patterns as in 
 the loggia, and wainscoted with quar- 
 tered oak. It connects with the de- 
 livery room, the assembly hall on the 
 second floor, and toilet rooms at the 
 side. On the east wall is a bronze me- 
 morial tablet bearing this inscription: 
 
 IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND 
 
 GEORGE REDFIELD CURTIS 
 
 BORN DECEMBER 25 1825 DIED MAY 20 1893 
 
 AND THEIR DAUGHTER 
 
 AGNES DESHON CURTIS SQUIRE 
 
 BORN APRIL 10 1863 DIED MAY 20 1900 
 
 THIS BUILDING WAS ERECTED 
 
 1901—1902 
 
 BY 
 
 AUGUSTA MUNSON CURTIS 
 
 Opposite this tablet is a bronze alto 
 relievo figure called Amor-Caritas, de- 
 signed and cast b\' the celebrated 
 sculptor, St. Gaudens, and erected by 
 the members of the Thursday Morn- 
 ing Club in memory of Agnes Deshon 
 Curtis Squire, a former member. 
 
 Opposite the entrance to the deliv- 
 ery room is the delivery counter and 
 the stack room, 31x29 feet, with two 
 tiers of book shelves and space for a 
 third and containing altogether room 
 for 40,000 books. Each alcove be- 
 tween book cases has a window at the 
 end and the main corridor through the 
 center is lighted by a large window 
 at the end. and a skylight admits li.^ht 
 into the center of the room. This 
 room is absolutely fireproof and sepa- 
 
MERIDEN INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 53 
 
 rated from the main building by re- 
 volving steel curtains. There are two 
 reading rooms, 18x30 feet, with a fire- 
 place in each, set in a mantel of 
 red Xumidian marble. The delivery 
 room, which occupies the center space 
 under the assembly room and the 
 dome, is 30 feet by 30 feet. On the 
 north wall hangs a beautiful clock pre- 
 sented by the Ladies' Library Whist 
 Club. The assembly room is 30 feet 
 by 30 feet, and covered with a copper 
 dome, and has a stage and two ante- 
 rooms. The columns and entablature 
 of this room are designed in the Greek 
 Corinthian order and the proportions 
 and details are the same as in the 
 Choragic monument of Lysicrates at 
 Athens. There is on this floor a com- 
 mittee room which opens from the lob- 
 by at the top of the stairs. The build- 
 ing is heated by direct and indirect 
 steam radiation. Altogether the struc- 
 ture is built of the best materials and 
 workmanship known to the trade. 
 
 The total cost of the site, building 
 and fixtures was about $75,000. 
 
 THE CURTIS HO:\IE. 
 
 On Crown street, on an elevation 
 that commands a view of beautifully 
 diversified country to the south and 
 west, is the Curtis home, founded 
 by one of Meriden's noblest citizens. 
 Lemuel J. Curtis, who heeded well 
 the biblical command : "Help ye one 
 another." 
 
 The monument that tells, therefore. 
 <^f the loving memory of Lemuel J. 
 
 Curtis, w4th the highest praise was 
 this home, provided out of the good- 
 ness of his heart for worthy aged 
 women and children. 
 
 The establishment of the Curtis 
 home was a wisely guided philan- 
 thropy that has achieved noteworthy 
 success in the good Mr. Curtis aimed 
 to accomplish. Its location is health- 
 ful and pleasant and fortunate are 
 those who can avail themselves of the 
 shelter there ofifered. 
 
 The first building of this institu- 
 tion was dedicated June 28, 1884. It 
 was the children's home and stands 
 now at the north end of the structures 
 that comprise the institution. 
 
 Lemuel J. Curtis was for many 
 years senior warden of St. Andrew's 
 Episcopal church and one of its 
 staunchest supporters. Besides the 
 erection of the first building which 
 cost $50,000, before his death, he en- 
 dowed the home with about $650,000. 
 
 Perhaps the act to incorporate the 
 Curtis home of Meriden, passed by 
 the General Assembly of the state of 
 Connecticut, March 19, 1885. will Ix'st 
 tell just the purpose and object Mr. 
 Curtis had in mind when he created 
 the home: 
 
 "Rcsoh'cd by tJic asscjiibly: 
 
 ".Section i. That Rev. A. T. Ran- 
 dall. Edwin E. Curtis, Lemuel J. Cur- 
 tis. George R. Curtis, Owen B. Ar- 
 nold. Levi E. Coe, Benjamin Page, 
 Joseph Morse. James P. Piatt, Hiram 
 A. Yale, John P. Morse, Samuel 
 Dodd. John W. Coe and William W. 
 IMoshcr. being those persons at pres- 
 
54 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 LEMUEL J. CURTIS. 
 
MERIDKX IXSTITUTIOXS. 
 
 55 
 
 BEDOTIIA PIERPOXT ( BUTTON) CURTIS. 
 
56 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ent composing the membership of the 
 rectory, wardens and vestrymen of 
 St. Andrew's parish of Meriden, the 
 same being a parish of the Protestant 
 Episcopal church, together with such 
 persons as from time to time succeed 
 them in office, are hereby created and 
 constituted a body pohtic and corpo- 
 rate under the name of the Curtis 
 
 titute children, with the ultimate pur- 
 pose of procuring them permanent 
 situations and of fitting them to main- 
 tain themselves." 
 
 The late Owen B. Arnold was made 
 the first president of the corporation ; 
 Rev. A. T. Randall, vice president; 
 Robert H. Curtis, secretary, and Wil- 
 liam W. Mosher, treasurer. Messrs. 
 
 CURTIS HOME, CHILDREN S BUILDING. 
 
 Home, and by that name shall have 
 perpetual succession and may sue and 
 be sued, plead and be impleaded in all 
 courts whatsoever. 
 
 "The general object and business 
 of said incorporation shall be to pro- 
 vide a home, employment and in- 
 struction for aged and indigent 
 women, and for orphan and other des- 
 
 Randall and Mosher still continue to 
 hold the same positions. 
 
 The Curtis home is, and was in- 
 tended to be, strictly under Episcopal 
 management, but inmates who belong 
 to other Christian bodies are housed 
 there. That the Home should be a 
 public institution was not the wish of 
 the founder. It was his aim. and is 
 
MERIDEX INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 57 
 
 t!ie aim of those responsible, for the 
 carrying- out of his wishes that it 
 should be conducted with the privacy 
 of a well ordered home. 
 
 The board of managers that con- 
 trolled the home in 1885 was made up 
 as follows : 
 
 Mrs. J. T. Pettee, president; ]\liss 
 Celia J. Curtis, vice-president; ]\Irs. 
 
 W. Curtis, Mrs. George E. Howe, 
 Mrs. James P. Stowe, Mrs. A. T. 
 Randall, ^frs. George A. Fay, Mrs. 
 Charles N. Winslow, Mrs. J. H. 
 Chapin, Mrs. Henry S. White, Mrs. 
 G. H. Wilson, Mrs. Joseph Morse, 
 Mrs. R. H. Curtis, Mrs. Chas. H. S. 
 Davis, Miss E. A. Landfear, Miss H. 
 E. Bradley, Miss F. L. Twiss. The 
 
 CURTIS HUMli, OLD LADlllS liUILOING 
 
 L. E. Coe, corresponding secretar\' ; 
 Mrs. Annie Palmer, recording secre- 
 tary ; Mrs. George R. Curtis, Mrs. H. 
 Wales Lines, ]\Irs. J. H. Brecken- 
 ridge, Mrs. Hiram A. Yale, Mrs. 
 Charles C. Foskett, Mrs. John Ives, 
 Mrs. George C. Merriam, Mrs. Hor- 
 ace C. Wilcox. Mrs. M. L. Forbes. 
 Mrs. Harlow Brockett, Mrs. Alfred 
 
 matron was Mrs. Annie Palmer and 
 the physician. Dr. C. H. S. Davis. 
 
 A glance at the above names will 
 show the reader to what extent in- 
 terest in the Home was aroused 
 among the best people in the town 
 and how, from the first, the}' lent their 
 hearty co-operation and support to 
 the institution. 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 During all the years of its exist- 
 ence the Curtis home has been blessed 
 with excellent management and to 
 that fact its success has been largely 
 due. 
 
 The managing board divided itself 
 into a Visiting committee, a Purchas- 
 ing committee and Committee on Ap- 
 plications, so that from the first the 
 ladies did their part in a business-like, 
 progressive way. 
 
 It was not many years after the 
 opening of the home that the need of 
 more room to carry on the work out- 
 lined by the founder became apparent 
 and it was decided to build. The hand- 
 some light colored brick building that 
 cost approximately $100,000, was the 
 result, and was formally opened in 
 1896. 
 
 There are usually fifty or more old 
 ladies and children at the Home. 
 
 The corporation made this the Old 
 Ladies' Home and it was equipped 
 with every convenience for their com- 
 fort and happiness. It stands to the 
 south of the Children's Home and in 
 plain view of the country for miles 
 around. 
 
 Though this structure lacks the 
 many cosy features of the first build- 
 ing, it is handsome, nevertheless, and 
 fulfills all the requirements for which 
 it was intended. 
 
 Always alert to the needs of the 
 inmates of the Home and well aware 
 of the fact that the young people 
 who leave the institution, mus;t be 
 equipped to face the world, the corpo- 
 ration yoted recently to have a man- 
 ual training department, and also a 
 
 g}mnasium. To that purpose was 
 erected a building costing several 
 thousand dollars, finished in 1904. 
 
 The building stands in the south of 
 the institution's property, is con- 
 structed of brick and has two stories. 
 On the average twenty children re- 
 ceive instruction here. The buildings 
 are of brick with terra-cotta trim- 
 mings, heated with steam, furnished 
 with all modern improvements, and 
 there are accommodations for a large 
 number. 
 
 The trustees of 1906 are: Rev. A. 
 T. Randall, Benjamin Page, John W. 
 Coe, Samuel Dodd, William W. Mosh- 
 er, Watson W. Clark, George S. See- 
 ley, George M. Curtis, A. B. Mather, 
 Clarence H. Fiske, Charles T. Dodd, 
 W. J. Robinson and E. B. Moss. 
 
 President of board, Benjamin Page; 
 vice-president, A. T. Randall ; treas- 
 urer, W. W. Mosher ; secretary, 
 George M. Curtis. 
 
 The members of the board of man- 
 agers are : 
 
 Mrs. Hiram A. Yale, president ; 
 Mrs. Levi E. Coe, vice-president ; 
 Mrs. C. H. S. Davis, secretary ; Mrs. 
 A. T. Randall, Mrs. George A. Fay. 
 Mrs. Alfred W. Curtis, Mrs. George 
 R. Curtis, Mrs. George C. Merriam, 
 Mrs. Philip C. Rand, Mrs. Charles N. 
 Winslow, Mrs. LeGrand Bevins, Mrs. 
 Albert Babb, Mrs. John Ives, Mrs. W. 
 J. Robinson, Mrs. J. H. Chapin, Mrs. 
 E. A. Merriman, Mrs. L P. Butler. 
 Miss ^lary Butler, Mrs. M. L. Forbes. 
 
 The superintendency of the Home 
 is in the hands of Miss Hannah K. 
 Peck, who was appointed in 1895. 
 
M i:ridi-:x institutions. 
 
 59 
 
 succeeding I\Irs. Mary A. Carter. 
 The matron of the Old Ladies' home 
 is Mrs. M. F. Weeks. 
 
 Lemuel J. Curtis endowed the in- 
 stitution with an amount which will 
 he ample to supply its needs in time 
 to come and sufficient to pay all ex- 
 penses of the home when filled to its 
 utmost capacity. 
 
 bedotha Pierpoint Button Curtis, 
 tiie beloved wife of Lemuel J. Curtis, 
 was a native of North Haven, Conn., 
 and married Mr. Curtis in 1835. She 
 survived both husband and children. 
 The beautiful Home is also an elo- 
 (|uent memorial to the goodness of 
 Mrs. Curtis, now deceased. 
 
 MERIDEX HOSPITAL. 
 
 Meriden is peculiarly fortunate in 
 the possession of a city hospital, not 
 excelled by any city in Xew England 
 <>( like population. The accompany- 
 ing illustration shows the building en- 
 larged to its present proportions, the 
 work of which was completed at a 
 cost of $40,000, and the remodeled in- 
 stitution formally reopened June 29, 
 MX)5. The h(ts])ital was first ()])cned 
 in 1892. 
 
 To the public si)irile(l men ami 
 women of Meriden was the credit due 
 for the establishment of the hospital, 
 which has since been maintained with 
 growing usefulness every year. A 
 charter was secured from the Connec- 
 ticut legislature in 1885, and the 
 original incorporators were the fol- 
 lowing : E. J. Doolittle, N. L. Bradley, 
 John C. Byxbee. Robert H. Curtis, 
 
 Rev. J. H. Chapin, Ceorge H. Wilcox, 
 Isaac C Lewis, H. C. Wilcox, George 
 R. Curtis, John Sutliff, Charles Par- 
 ker, Seth j. Hall, Eli Ives, Levi E. 
 Coc, Walter Hubbard, IE Wales 
 Lines, William F. Graham and A. 
 Chamberlain. 
 
 February 2, 1885, a hospital fund 
 committee was appointed as follows: 
 X. L. Bradley, S. J. Hall, Walter Hub- 
 bard and the late Levi E. Coe, George 
 R. Curtis, Rev. J. H. Chapin, Charles 
 Parker and H. C. \\'ilcox. A short 
 time after a charter had been secured 
 from the legislature, the ladies of Mer- 
 iden met and appointed committees in 
 the several wards as follows : jNIrs. E. 
 C. Allen, Mrs. A. E. Austin, Mrs. T. 
 F. Breese, Miss Ida Byxbee, Mrs. 
 Charles Casper, Mrs. Ada Converse, 
 Mrs. R. H. Curtis, ]\Irs. A. Chamber- 
 lain, Miss Alice Derby, Mrs. George 
 A. Fay, Miss Emma Gay, Miss Louisa 
 Hitchcock, Mrs. X^anc\- Levi, Mrs. C. 
 F. Linsley, ^Irs. W. H. Lyon, Mrs. 
 C. J. Mansfield. ?\Irs. George C. Mer- 
 riam, Mrs. Rufus Merriam, Mrs. Ben- 
 jamin Page, Mrs. A. Babb, Miss Rice, 
 Mrs. Francis Stevenson. Mrs. George 
 II. Wilcox and Mrs. C. X"^. W'^inslow. 
 'I'he ladies elected the following offi- 
 cers : President, jMrs. A. Chamberlain ; 
 vice-president. Mrs. Albert Babb; sec- 
 retary, ]\lrs. A. 15. Mather; treasurer. 
 Miss Alice Derby. 
 
 Among the earliest undertakings of 
 the ladies in aid of the hospital fund, 
 were the rink party, February 13, 
 1885, concert and dramatic entertain- 
 ment, at the opera house, April 13 and 
 14, minstrel entertainment, at the 
 
6o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
MERIDEN INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 6i 
 
62 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 opera house, October 26 and 2"/, fair, 
 at the same place, December 8-12. 
 These entertainments netted handsome 
 sums as follows : Rink party, $446.52 ; 
 concert, $159.82; dramatic entertain- 
 ment, $201.20; minstrels, $768.91; 
 fair, $2,630.14. 
 
 The decisive step toward giving 
 Meriden a hospital was taken Febru- 
 ary 23, 1892, when the old Jared R. 
 Cook property was purchased from 
 Cornelius J. Kooreman who had 
 bought it with a view to remodeling 
 the dwelling and making it a fine ten- 
 ement house. The original value of 
 the property was stated, at the time 
 of purchase as $15,000. 
 
 Nearly every year since that time 
 some big entertainment has been giv- 
 en for the benefit of the hospital, al- 
 ways successful, especially the annual 
 hospital fair of recent years, which has 
 become one of the principal social 
 functions of the year. To a great ex- 
 tent interest has been kept up in the 
 hospital by the earnest efforts of the 
 Ladies' Hospital committee, of which 
 Mrs. A. Chamberlain has been presi- 
 dent since its organization. In 1893 
 the state of Connecticut granted an ap- 
 propriation of $25,000 and a subsidy 
 of $3,000 a year. The management 
 of the hospital has always been the 
 best and the success of the institution 
 has exceeded the most sanguine ex- 
 pectations of its founders. 
 
 The institution attempts and has the 
 facilities for caring for any case which 
 may be brought to its doors for admit- 
 tance and maintains a training school 
 for nurses. The hospital with its new 
 
 wards and private rooms has accom- 
 modations for fort}' patients and in 
 an emergency can take care of forty- 
 five. 
 
 From the matron's report of year 
 ending September 30, 1905, the fol- 
 lowing extracts are taken : 
 
 "During the year 220 patients have 
 been treated. Since the opening of 
 the new building about one-third more 
 patients have been treated than in any 
 other year during the same length of 
 time. 
 
 "Nine patients have received the 
 benefit of the Free Bed Fund for a pe- 
 riod of 33 weeks ; 30 town cases have 
 been treated, 22 from Meriden, 4 from 
 Wallingford, 4 from Southington ; 
 number of patients in hospital Oct. 
 1st, 1904, 9; whole number treated 
 during year, 220 ; discharged cured, 
 144; discharged improved, 26; dis- 
 charged not improved, 9 ; number of 
 deaths, 29 ; number of deaths within 
 24 hours of admission, 2 ; remaining in 
 hospital Sept. 30, 1905 ; 12 ; whole 
 number of hospital days, 4,722 ; aver- 
 age number treated daily, 13 ; average 
 number days for each patient, I3S<5 : 
 weekly cost of maintenance and treat- 
 ment per patient, $11.85." 
 
 The present officers of the hospital 
 are as follows : 
 
 President. Xathaniel L. Bradley : 
 vice-president, Walter Hubbard; sec- 
 retary, Edgar J. Doolitde ; treasurer. 
 Frank A. Stevens : auditor, Charles H. 
 ^^'()()(l ; directors, Nathaniel L. Brad- 
 ley John C. Byxbee, Walter Hubbard, 
 John L. Billard. Seth J. Hall, Augu^^t 
 Schmelzer. Abiram Chamberlain. Kd- 
 
^9 
 
 ■SNOIXnXIlSXI N3aiH3K 
 
64 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 gar J. Doolittle, Charles L. Rockwell ; 
 finance committee, Abiram Chamber- 
 lain, Seth J. Hall, John C. Byxbee, 
 Frank A. Stevens, Charles L. Rock- 
 well ; incorporators, E. J. Doolittle, 
 
 A. Chamberlain, N. L. Bradley, Au- 
 g-ust Schmelzer, John C. Byxbee, E. 
 
 B. Manning, Robert H. Curtis, C. W. 
 Cahill, George H. Wilcox, John W. 
 Coe, Seth J. Hall, John L. Billard, 
 Walter Hubbard, Joseph S. Stokes. H. 
 Wales Lines, Oliver Swan ; medical 
 board. Dr. E. T. Bradstreet, chairman. 
 Dr. E. W. Smith, vice-chairman. Dr. 
 E. W. Pierce, secretary ; physicians 
 and surgeons. Dr. F. P. Griswold, Dr. 
 J. A. Cooke, Dr. E. W. Smith, Dr. J. 
 
 D. Eggleston, Dr. H. A. Meeks, Dr. 
 
 E. T. Bradstreet ; diseases of the eye, 
 ear, nose and throat. Dr. E. A. Wilson, 
 Dr. E. W. Pierce ; matron. Rose G. 
 Reed ; pathologist. Dr. A. E. Van 
 Tobel. 
 
 HOSPITAL ASSOCIATE COMMITTEE. 
 
 President, Mrs. A. Chamberlain ; 
 first vice-president, Mrs. T. F. Breese ; 
 second vice-president, Mrs. J. L. Bil- 
 lard ; recording secretary, Mrs. N. F. 
 Griswold ; corresponding secretary, 
 Mrs. C. L. Rockwell ; treasurer, !\Irs. 
 
 C. H. Stockder. 
 
 The hospital staff, aided by an ef- 
 ficient superintendent, a capable ma- 
 tron and a competent corps of trained 
 nurses, has made an enviable record 
 for this hospital in the curing of dif- 
 ficult cases and performing of delicate 
 surgical operations. The hospital has 
 had an efficient ambulance service 
 since October, 1900. 
 
 CONN. SCHOOL FOR BOYS. 
 
 The Connecticut School for Boys, 
 beautifully located on a high elevation 
 with large sloping lawns joining the 
 buildings with Colony street, is the 
 only state institution that Meriden 
 possesses. This comprises a tempo- 
 rary home for boys wdio are delin- 
 quent and wayward and here they are 
 taught discipline and good behavior 
 as well as manual training, farming 
 and several trades, and given a gen- 
 eral education, in all of which the 
 youths, who are committed there, 
 show remarkable results of good 
 training and strict discipline in a short 
 time. 
 
 The "State Reform School" was 
 established by act of the Connecticut 
 Legislature in 1851, the first or main 
 building shown in the accompanying 
 illustration, being finished two years 
 later. Since that time several other 
 buildings, including a chapel and cot- 
 tages, have been erected, until the in- 
 stitution has the appearance from a 
 distance, of a college or seminary. 
 The buildings of the institution, all 
 well constructed, and mostly of brick, 
 consist of one central building, 300 
 feet long, four stories in height, pos- 
 sessing a wing 120 feet long; five cot- 
 tage buildings ; a church edifice cost- 
 ing $15,000; a large boiler and coal 
 house, an ice house, bakery, a large 
 hay and cow barn, a horse stable and 
 carriage shed, cattle sheds, wood 
 houses and other smaller buildings. 
 
 In the rear of the institution is a 
 farm of 195 acres suitable for raising 
 
MERIDEN INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 65 
 
 small fruits and garden vegetables, 
 and through which a stream of pure 
 water flows ; and here there is also am- 
 ple pasturage for cows. About 100 
 acres of this farm are cultivated by 
 the boys who comprise the inmates of 
 the institution. The various indus- 
 tries of the school give employment 
 to over 400 boys. There is a tailor 
 shoji where the clothing worn by the 
 
 SllT. C'1I.\K1.!:S M. w]i.i-i.\.\rs. . 
 
 boys is made and repaired ; a printing 
 office where all the printing of the 
 instiution is done and from which has 
 been issued for fifteen years, the 
 monthly publication of the school 
 called The Dawn. There arc also six 
 chair shops, where cane-seating is 
 taught ; a shoe shop where shoe-mak- 
 ing is taught, and a manual training 
 department where dailv instruction is 
 
 given to over 100 boys. The institu- 
 tion is carried on with every regard 
 for economy ; ant! the laundry, din- 
 ing room, bakery, kitchen and sleeping 
 halls all require classes of from six to 
 ten boys each. 
 
 The boys are supplied with the 
 best of ])lain food and every care is 
 given to their mental and physical 
 welfare. The inmates of the institu- 
 tion are boys between the ages of sev- 
 en and sixteen years, committed to the 
 school by any court of record in the 
 state and also those who have their 
 board paid at the rate of $3.00 per 
 week, quarterly in advance, by their 
 parents or guardians. Boys who ob- 
 serve the rules of this institution, even 
 though they have been sentenced to 
 serve a term there, may secure their 
 discharge at the expiration of eleven 
 months, no matter how serious the of- 
 fense may have been for which they 
 were conunitted. 
 
 r^rom the fact that not all the boys 
 at the Connecticut State School are 
 necessarily bad boys, they are divided 
 into several grades and for good l)e- 
 havior they may win honor marks, 
 which means more privileges and more 
 freedom. It is seldom that a boy tries 
 to escape from this institution. 
 
 There is a force of about fifty offi- 
 cers and teacliers eni])loyed at the 
 school, which includes some of the 
 best educational talent in the state. 
 The boys are given at least two hours 
 daily for recreation and on Saturday 
 afternoon enjoy the freedom of ball 
 l)la\ing or to indulge in other games 
 that mav suit tlu'ir inclinatiDn. 
 
66 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 A well trained band, composed of 
 State School boys, has for some years 
 been in existence. 
 
 Appended is a list of the trustees, 
 officers and teachers at the beginning 
 of 1906: 
 
 TRUSTEES OF THE SCHOOL. 
 
 Nathaniel L. Bradley, Meriden. 
 George P. Crane, Woodbury. 
 John C. Byxbee, Meriden. 
 Francis H. Parker, Hartford. 
 Joseph Hutchins, Columbia. 
 George O. Balch, Ashford. 
 John W. Coe, Meriden. 
 James N. States, New Haven. 
 Irving L. Holt, Meriden. 
 Charles B. Frisbie, Cromwell. 
 Clark C. Palmer, Griswold. 
 Zalmon Goodsell, Bridgeport. 
 
 OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES. 
 
 President — Francis H. Parker. 
 
 Secretary and Treasurer — Irving L. 
 Holt. 
 
 Executive Committee — George P. 
 Crane, John C. Byxbee, John W. Coe, 
 Charles B. Frisbie, Francis H. Parker. 
 
 Committee on Discharges — John C. 
 Byxbee, Nathaniel L. Bradley, John 
 W. Coe, Irving L. Flolt, George P. 
 Crane. 
 
 Committee on Instruction and 
 Training — Joseph Hutchins, James N. 
 States, Zalmon Goodsell, George O. 
 Balch, Clark C. Palmer. 
 
 OFFICERS OF THE SCHOOL. 
 
 Superintendent — Charles M. Wil- 
 liams. 
 
 Matron— Mrs. Charles M. Wil- 
 liams. 
 
 State Agent — J. H. Parish. 
 
 Chaplain — H. N. Howard. 
 
 Bookkeeper — F. P. Owen. 
 
 Assistant Matron— Mrs F. P. 
 Owen. 
 
 Consulting Physician — Harold A. 
 Meeks, M. D. 
 
 Clerk— Miss Marie L. Duis. 
 
 Supervisor Manual Training De- 
 partment — F. S. Hitchcock. 
 
 Assistant Manual Training Depart- 
 ment — H. R. Stone. 
 
 Supervisor Printing Department — 
 F. E. Tucker. 
 
 Carpenter — H. F. Wilbur. 
 
 Supervisor South Division and 
 Band Master — T. H. Maguire. 
 
 Supervisor Dining Room — Mrs. T. 
 H. Maguire. 
 
 Farmer — H. W. Kibbe. 
 
 Supervisor Sleeping Hall — Mrs. H. 
 W. Kibbe. 
 
 Gardener — Hugo Reama. 
 
 Supervisor Chair Shop — C. P. Con- 
 nolly. 
 
 Supervisor Sewing Room — Mrs. C. 
 M. Brandenberger. 
 
 Hospital Nurse — Miss Julia 
 
 O'Brien. 
 
 Supervisor Shoe Shop — Bernard 
 Swenson. 
 
 Supervisor Boys' Kitchen — Miss 
 Harriet Furbish. 
 
 Supervisors Laundry and Ironing 
 Room— Mrs. Alida B. Clarke, Mrs. 
 Kate McCauley. 
 
 Assistant Housekeeper — Mrs. J. S. 
 Farnsworth. 
 
 Supervisor Bakery — B. Kreuz- 
 berger. 
 
 Engineer — W. D. Bennett. 
 
 Assistant to Engineer — Edward B. 
 Hall. 
 
68 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Supervisor North Division — Paul 
 C. Booth. 
 
 Teachers in Congregate Depart- 
 ment — Harold C. Robertson, James S. 
 Farnsvvorth. 
 
 Cottage A. 
 
 Supervisor — W. W. Lunt. 
 
 Matron— Mrs. W. W. Lunt. 
 
 Teacher — Miss Clarise Stowell. 
 Cottage B. 
 
 Supervisor — E. S. Berry. 
 
 Matron — Mrs. E. S. Berry. 
 
 Teacher — Miss Amelia C. Aleckes. 
 Cottage C. 
 
 Supervisor — Nelson J. Wells. 
 
 [Matron — Miss Mary I. Rand. 
 
 Teacher — ]\Irs. John H. Parish. 
 Cottage D. 
 
 Supervisor — C. C. Sawyer. 
 
 Matron — Mrs. C. C. Sawyer. 
 
 Teacher — Mrs. Lilla F. Davis 
 Cottage E. 
 
 Supervisor — R. C. Leonard. 
 
 Matron — Mrs. R. C. Leonard. 
 
 Teacher — Miss Ruth M. Hanks. 
 
 Night Watchman — Issacher Cur- 
 rier. 
 
 Teamster — Dennis Keohane. 
 
 COok Superintendent's Kitchen — 
 Miss Hannah Crowley. 
 
 Cook Officers' Kitchen — ]\Irs. ^lary 
 Shandaroski. 
 
 MERIDEN YOUNG MEN'S 
 CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. 
 
 The Meriden Young Men's Chris- 
 tian Association dates from the win- 
 ter of 1865-6 and was incorporated 
 June ij, 1866. The incorporators 
 
 were Julius Pratt, Dennis C. Wilcox, 
 Eli Butler, Hiram Foster, Charles 
 Parker, Alden Clark. E. B. Everitt, 
 William A. Bacon, Eli I. Merriman, 
 Charles L. Kingsley, Erastus Hub- 
 bard, Edward H. Loomis, James H. 
 Breckenridge, Alfred E. Camp and 
 Levi Yale, Jr. The present site was 
 purchased together with a small wood- 
 en building by means of a subscription 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 GENERAL SECRETARY E. K. ALLEN. 
 
 of about $7,000. By its charter the 
 corporation was authorized "to estab- 
 lish, keep and maintain a library and 
 reading room, and to promote such 
 other literary and benevolent objects 
 as it may think proper." In 1876 with 
 a subscription of a little more than 
 $20,000, it commenced the erection 
 of its present building; the corner 
 
MERIDIiX INSTITUTIONS. 
 
 69 
 
 stone of which was laid October 19, 
 and July 31, 1877, the building, at a 
 cost of $28,000, was finished, furnished 
 and dedicated. The last of the debt 
 was paid February. 1886. It was the 
 
 the building, so great became the ^ic- 
 mand for a modern gymnasium, that 
 in 1897 the entertainment hall on tlie 
 top floor was remodeled, the pillars 
 removed and truss work substituted 
 
 ^^Wi '$MamLiiMi 
 
 YOUNG MI:N S CHKISITAN ASSOCIATION BUILDING. 
 
 irst building erected exclusively for to support the roof. These changes 
 
 I. M. C. A. purposes in New Eng- have given the association the largest 
 
 ind and the property is now valuer! and best equipped gymnasium in the 
 
 t $50,000. city. In 1889 the association secured 
 
 After twenty years' occupancy of an amendment to its charter and under 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the new organization the work has 
 steadily developed in efficiency. 
 
 Its membership during the past year 
 averaged 330, and with the addition 
 of about 175 life members, totals more 
 than 500 members. 
 
 The following men have served the 
 association as presidents since the in- 
 corporation : 
 
 J. H. Breckenridge, from July '66 
 to September '68 ; E. W. Hatch, from 
 September '68 to September '69 ; F. 
 H. Williams, from September '69 to 
 September "70 ; F. G. Otis, from Sep- 
 tember '70 to '75 ; W. E. Benham, 
 from September '^2 to May '90 ; J. 
 L. Rutherford from May '90 to May 
 '93 ; W. L. Squire, from May '93 to 
 May '96; W. H. Catlin, frqiii June 
 '96 to May '98 ; M. B. Schenck, from 
 June '98 to May 1900; W. H. Squire, 
 from May 1900 to May '03 ; W. L. 
 
 Bevins from May '03 to February '05 ; 
 C. A. Learned, from February '05 to 
 date. 
 
 The officers of the association at 
 this writing, are : President, Charles 
 A. Learned ; vice-president, Arthur 
 E. Hall ; second vice-president, Wal- 
 ter S. Billard ; recording secretary, F. 
 L. Burleigh ; treasurer, W. M. Ques- 
 ted ; librarian, B. R. Gardner. Fol- 
 lowing are the directors ; George S. 
 Seeley, F. A. Camp, Arthur E. Miller, 
 L L Gardner, R. J. Merriam, Hubert 
 Little, Rev. R. J. Beach, W. A. Hall, 
 George S. Pratt The trustees are: 
 George M. Lucas, 1908 ; James H. 
 White, 1908 ; J. L. Billard, 1907 ; 
 George M. Curtis, 1907 ; J. L. Ruth- 
 erford, 1906 ; W. H. Squire, 1906. 
 The general secretary is E. K. Allen ; 
 the physical director, J. Edward Rey- 
 nolds. 
 
POLICE AXD FIRE DEPARTiMENTS. 
 
 71 
 
 POLICE AXD FIRE DEPARTMENTS 
 
 I\)LICE DEPART ML-: XT 
 
 The Police Department of the city 
 Ml Meriden was created in Septem- 
 ber. i868' the Common Council, with 
 Mavor Charles Parker at the head. 
 
 CHIEF c. n. l!OWl-:.\. 
 
 votinj^ to replace the constahvlary with 
 a permanent and regularly paid force 
 to meet the growing demand for better 
 police protection ; in the same month 
 the police committee, consisting of 
 Hezekiah H. Miller, William J. Ives. 
 Walter Hubbard, Jared Lewis and J. 
 
 J\. Look. ])ractically effected the or- 
 ganization of the department, and in 
 Xovember the force began duty with 
 the following members : W'illiam Hag- 
 adon. chief; and George \"an X^os- 
 . trand, Roger J\I. Ford and Samuel H. 
 Wilcox, patrolmen. 
 
 The department at first had no par- 
 ticular headquarters ; the lock-up was 
 in the basement of the Town hall and 
 was a large plank box affair, located 
 at the west end of the building, the 
 entrance being at the cast end. 
 
 The chief did duty from 6 a. m. 
 to 6 p. m. and the patrolmen from 6 
 p. m. to 6 a. m. At the beginning the 
 men wore badges but had no uniforms- 
 and were distinguished by liats with 
 Haring brims, upturned at the side, 
 ile.'-e. the first of Meriden's "finest,"' 
 carried a club, revolver and twisters 
 of catgut and wood. A little later 
 uniforms were donned, the trousers of 
 which had white stripes down the 
 seams. The chief was paid $2.75 per 
 day and the men $2.50 and they were 
 elected yearly by the city L"ouncil. 
 
 William N. Beach was the next 
 chief: and soon after his election the 
 de])artment was transferred to a city 
 building on the site on Pratt street 
 now occupied as the Turner hall, 
 where the fire department also had 
 (juarters. Here there were cells and 
 the chief had an office. Under Chief 
 
72 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Albert L. Otis, who succeeded Beach, 
 and FrankHn G. Bolles, his successor, 
 there were but few changes. 
 
 With the election of Roger M. Ford 
 to the head of the department in 1883, 
 radical innovations and improvements 
 
 police surveillance, but the same lock- 
 up was retained as before. 
 
 Ford had seven men and they in- 
 cluded Captain Van Nostrand, later 
 chief. Patrolmen Herman Duis and 
 Charles Kimball, still regular patrol- 
 
 MERIDEN TOWN HALL, DESTROYED DV FIRE FEBRUARY, I904. 
 
 were begun. The headquarters was 
 transferred to a room in the Rogers 
 block at the corner of East Main and 
 South Colony streets, a central loca- 
 tion and one that allowed of better 
 
 men, and Simon S. Hills, F. G. Bolles 
 and Emanuel Withey. 
 
 About four years later the depart- 
 ment was installed in safe and com- 
 fortable quarters in the remodeled 
 
POLICE AND FIRli UEl'ART.M KNTS. 
 
 72> 
 
 Town hall where were a main office, 
 :hief's office, patrolmen's room, squad 
 room and police committee room. 
 The lock-up then was well equipped 
 and divided into sections for men and 
 women prisoners. 
 
 In 1895, the force consisted of a 
 chief, captain, lieutenant, sergeant and 
 twelve patrolmen and also a corps of 
 fifty special policemen. 
 
 At the previous session of the Leg- 
 islature the jurisdiction of the j)olice 
 was extended to the limits of the town, 
 and the Police court was made the 
 only tribunal for the lioaring and dis- 
 position of criminal cases within the 
 town's boundaries, abolishing the cum- 
 bersome and unsatisfactory system of 
 grand jurors formerly in vogue. 
 
 In i8»;2 the (jamewell police signal 
 and teleplione system was installed 
 and a patrol wagon was placed in ser- 
 vice during Chief Ford's regime. 
 Ouring Mayor Ives' administration 
 tlie present municipal commissions 
 were established and much of the 
 power of the Police committee and the 
 Council became then vested in the 
 iJoard of Police Commissioners. 
 Things went along smoothly in the 
 '.rtnient, with few noteworthy iii- 
 nts, until February, 1904, wlun 
 '' ' Town hall was destroyed by fire 
 jjind it was necessary to hastily seek 
 piarters elsewhere. A store in the 
 'yxbee block on Colony street was 
 ented by the city, cells being con- 
 tructed in the basement, pending the 
 ompletion of the new Town hall. 
 April 30, 1898, Captain Van Nos- 
 and was promoted to succeed Chief 
 
 Ford. Under him the department 
 was soon brought t(j a high standard 
 of efficiency. He resigned February 
 1, i(;of), and was succeeded March I 
 1)\- Charles P.. Ilowen and at which 
 time also James j. Landrigan was ap- 
 l)oinled caj^tain. 
 
 h\ 1903 the Legislature gave the 
 four officers of the force the right to 
 appeal to the Superior court if dis- 
 missed or reduced in rank. In 1905 
 the Legislature granted an amendment 
 to the city charter, at the instance of 
 Mayor George S. Seeley and com- 
 missioners August Masclinieyer, C. A. 
 King, C. L. Upham and Robert W. 
 Carter, whereby a police retired re- 
 serve list was established. The Coun- 
 cil had defeated a movement for 
 a pension fund. In August, Patrol- 
 man Simon S. Hills, who has been 
 on the force since 1882, was placed on 
 the list, and later at his own reciuest, 
 Chief \ an Xostrand was also ])laced 
 on the reserve list. 
 
 The department is considered one 
 of the best in the state. Its mainte- 
 nance costs the city $20,000 a year and 
 it is conducted on an economical yet 
 wise basis. In addition to four offi- 
 cers, twelve patrolmen and forty su- 
 pernumeraries, there is a superinten- 
 dent of the jiolice signal system, a 
 matron of the police station and a jan- 
 itor. Funds are provided by the city 
 for a physician for the prisoners and 
 hospital service for the police. The 
 signal system costs $600 a year and 
 the patrol wagon but $125. 
 
 The department is provided with 
 up-to-date equipment of which one of 
 
MEUIDEN POLICE FORCE, MARCH I, I906. 
 
 James M. Tolles Chas. D. Lewis 
 
 Lieut. John J. McGovern Capt. J. J. Landrigan 
 James F. Grady Jas H.Burke 
 
 Simon S. Hills Joseph B. Dcran 
 
 Chas. P. Kimball 
 Chief C. B. Bowen 
 Jeremiah J. McCarthy 
 Herman F. Schuerer 
 
 Herman Duis 
 Sergt. Wm. D. TU.ayer 
 Edwin A. Puffer 
 Howard H. Bartram 
 
POLICE AND FIRK I)i:i'.\RTM KXTS. 
 
 75- 
 
 the latest and most important acldi- llradley & Hubbard company's prop- 
 
 tions is all the necessary apparatus for erty and the cistern on what would 
 
 photographing prisoners accused of a now be \\\-t Main street are as well 
 felonv. 
 
 The yearly arrests average about 
 600 and fines and costs nets a revenue 
 to the city of about $5,000. 
 
 The personnel of the force is as 
 follows : Chief of police, Charles B. 
 Dow en ; captain, James J. Landrigan ; 
 lieutenant, John J. McGovern ; ser- 
 geant. William D. Thayer; patrol- 
 men. Herman Duis, Charles P. Kim- 
 ball, James M. Tolles, Edwin A. Puf- 
 fer, Charles D. Lewis, James H. 
 r.urke, James F. Grady, Herman T. 
 Schuerer. Joseph B. Doran, Jeremiah 
 J. McCarthy, Howard H. Bartram, 
 Joseph X. Lajoie and Biagio Guer- 
 rieri, the last two of whom were ap- 
 pointed ^larch 19, 1906; reserve of- 
 ficers, Simon S. Plills and Geo. A'an 
 Xostrand. 
 
 MKRIDEN FIRE DEPARTAIEXT. 
 
 The Meriden Fire Department had 
 a very small beginning wdiicli dates 
 back to the Cataract Engine Company, 
 Xo. I. West Meriden, formed in 1851 
 and numbering 100 men. The first 
 engine of that company is now- proud- 
 ly exhibited by the Meriden Veteran 
 Firemen's Association in i)arades and 
 on other occasions. The company 
 had quarters in a building on the site 
 :ifterwards occupied by the opera 
 house block. Water was first ob- 
 tained from Harbor brook and cis- 
 terns conveniently placed ; the old 
 mumping pole on what is now the 
 
 remembered 1)_\- a few old timers as 
 the cry of "Break her down, boys." 
 Robert Oughton, later chief en.;ineer 
 of the fire de])artment. was the first 
 foreman of the old Cataracts. Later 
 S. F. Linslev was first assistant fore- 
 
 Plioto by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 JOHN' c. r.vxr.KE. 
 
 man : R. Moss Breckenridge. secre- 
 tar\ and treasurer. Some of the oth- 
 er members were: W. 1'.. Hcnham.. 
 William W Clark, E. R. Merriam. E. 
 D. Castelow. A. E. Camp. II. W. .\n- 
 drews. Mark M. Linsley, James Bea- 
 dle, C. H. Wanier, George Gay, J. 
 I'. Parker, C. J. Hull, J. B. Steven's. 
 II. r.otsfnrd. Bela Carter, Wallace- 
 I'.idl. C. 1). I.oveland.. Tniman Stiles,. 
 
7^ 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 John Vorra, W. J. Kirtland, Wilson 
 Carpenter, D. B. Comstock, Levi 
 Moses, Gordon Bailey, William Good- 
 will, Norris B. Bull, Milo Goodrich, 
 G. W. Lyon, and later on O. H. Piatt. 
 Some six years after the forming 
 of the Cataract Engine Company, T. 
 J. Coe and other organized the Bucket 
 Brigade which had a short existence. 
 
 Charter Oak Engine Company, Xo. 
 I, and the company had quarters in 
 the first engine house in Meriden, lo- 
 cated on State street. 
 
 John C. Byxbee was also instru- 
 mental in giving Meriden its second 
 company — Washington Engine com- 
 pany, No. 2. By subscription another 
 and improved engine was bought and 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 CHARTER OAK HOSE HOUSE, ALSO HOME OF VETERAN FIREMEN's ASSOCIATION. 
 
 The machine used by this brigade was 
 built after the style of the present 
 "trucks," and buckets hung from long 
 iron rods. 
 
 It was after the famous Corner fire 
 of 1863 that John C. Byxbee, after- 
 wards the first chief engineer of the 
 department, with others, started the 
 
 at the time the Pratt street station 
 was dedicated, in 1867. was put to 
 test with flattering results. 
 
 The old engines still do good work 
 but Meriden has made progress in fire 
 matters and there is now no further 
 use for them. 
 
 The Charter Oak Hose Company, 
 
POLICE AND FIRE DKl'AKT.M EX TS. 
 
 77 
 
 Xo. I. began its useful existence in 
 1863, as a companion to the Charter 
 Oak Engine Company, George O. 
 Higby being the first foreman. The 
 company's two-story brick house on 
 Butler street was the first of tlie 
 buildings erected by the city : and this 
 company holds an important place at 
 the i)resent time in the fire fighting 
 
 tain of the company ; John D. Rob- 
 erts, lieutenant ; W. E. Tourgee, 
 clerk, and the hosemen are : Curtis 
 Rockwell, W. D. Francis. William H. 
 Rees, H. B. Penfield, B. I. Thompson 
 and the substitutes, All)ert Kaschu- 
 bey and Oliver S. Warner. 
 
 At the outset, the Byxbcc Hose 
 Comi)any, No. 2, was known as the 
 
 Phot-> hy R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 llEAIHiUAKTEKS OF BVXBEE HOSE CO. AND DOOI.riTL 
 
 IIOOK \- I.ADDEK CO. 
 
 service of Meridcn. Its ccjuipment 
 
 comprises a hose wagon and a pair 
 
 pf fine horses skilfully handled and 
 
 l\e}l cared for by Driver George N. 
 
 phepherd, who grew up with the com- 
 
 any and was appointed in Chief 
 
 ohn Tracy's administration. The 
 
 ther permanent man is Wallace R. 
 
 ucas. William X. Goodrich is cap- 
 
 Washington Hose Compan} and in 
 1865, was associated with the old 
 Washington Engine Company. In 
 1870 the members joined the dei)art- 
 ment under the present name and the 
 company has proved a very valuable 
 addition to the fire fighting force. 
 I-Vank Mcl'artland was the first reg- 
 ularly api)ointed foreman and then 
 
78 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 •came William Seery with John Luby 
 .as his assistant. In 1885 the hand 
 "jumper" was exchanged for a new 
 hose wagon and horse and E. J. Cor- 
 rigan, the present driver, was ap- 
 pointed the driver. Mr. Corrigan 
 was the first of the permanent men 
 :and possesses a proud record. 
 
 The company is now hoirsed in the 
 
 driver ; John J. Coogan, Michael J. 
 Liddy, James Ford, Frank Waldron, 
 P. F. Corcoran, John M. Reynolds, 
 hosemen, and Robert J. Donahue and 
 William H. Watts, substitutes. 
 
 The Parker Engine Company, No. 
 3, old, reliable guardians of the up- 
 town district, was organized in a 
 building on School street in 1869. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 PARKER ENGINE CO. 
 
 commodious fire building on Pratt 
 street and has an up-to-date hose 
 wagon with a pair of the best horses 
 in the service. The beginning of 
 1906 finds the company personnel as 
 follows: John F. Donovan, captain; 
 James J. Donovan, lieutenant; Chris- 
 topher Seery, clerk ; E. |. Corrigan, 
 
 Originally this was a hose house lo- 
 cated on Center street opposite St. 
 Rose's church and in 1877 quarters 
 on East Main street were dedicated ; 
 but shortly after the steamer was 
 bought the present fine building was 
 erected on Broad street and the com- 
 pany's name was changed from tlie 
 
POLICE AND FIR1-: 1 ) i: 1 '. \ RT M KXTS. 
 
 79 
 
 Parker Hose Co. to the [jresent title. lier.tLiiaiit ; X. C. Smith. cleri< ; W'il- 
 Finding that the ])res.si're of the ham C Lucas, engineer ; (George C. 
 
 citv water was low on the hill, the 
 Common Council voted t(3 buy a 
 steamer and one was procured in Julw 
 1884. Although not sufficientl}- sur- 
 rounded with modern equipment at 
 tliat time to prove its usefulness, the 
 steamer has since become a valuable 
 
 Coan, stoker; Charles A. Merriam. 
 h.o^e dri\-er : John H. Santars, steam- 
 er driver: John Spencer. Charles A. 
 Berry. C. H. Th(jmas. John Stickel, 
 J. j. Thomas. W. II. UenKjut, hose- 
 men : Charles L. Selka, John J. .Mar- 
 ([uardt. sul)stitutes. 
 
 I'Liot) by R. S. G)dfi-ev. 
 
 WILCOX IKJSI-: CO. 
 
 adjunct of the service and this steam- 
 er is now drawn by three powerful 
 horses. 
 
 When the Parker Hose Companv 
 was organized George Lee was elect- 
 ed foreman. The members of the 
 Parker Engine Company iwc : Wil- 
 liam R. liailey. captain; M. J. Cullen. 
 
 The 1"'. J. Doolittle Truck Com])any, 
 at present a ver\- important adjunct of 
 the {L>])ariment. was organized in 
 1868 and William I laggerty was the 
 first foreman. The "Hnoks" had 
 (|r.arters in the uld j^olice building on 
 Pratt street but afterwards moved op- 
 j)osite to share the present large and 
 
8o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 handsome fire house with the Byxbees. 
 The company was first known as 
 the Ever Ready Hook and Ladder 
 Company, but the name was changed 
 when the present quarters were tak- 
 en, in honor of ex-Mayor E. J. Doo- 
 little. The first foreman of the "Ever 
 Readys" was WilHam Haggerty. Lat- 
 er came C. H. Warner, WilHam Mar- 
 
 er July i, 1887.^ Patrick McGrath 
 came next and he is the present driv- 
 er of the three horses that haul the 
 new Seagrave Trussed Hook and 
 Ladder truck. The members of the 
 company are : John E. Moffatt, cap- 
 tain ; Charles M. Blackwell, lieuten- 
 ant ; Walter C. Case, clerk and tiller- 
 man ; Patrick McGrath, driver; 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 VOLUNTEER HOSE CO. 
 
 shall, George M. Barnes, Lew Allen, 
 L B. Hyatt and James O. Brainard. 
 Among the old "Ever Readys" still 
 in the "Hooks" are: Charles M. Black- 
 well, W. C. Case and A. S. Butler. 
 
 When the old hand truck w'as suc- 
 ceeded by a modern one Julius A. 
 Lego was appointed permanent driv- 
 
 Charlcs E. Tyler, spare driver ; W il- 
 iiam Roselius, Jr., A. S. Butler, Sam- 
 uel Hobson, Thomas J. Roark, John 
 Hobson, Emil Rebstock, John L. Cole- 
 man, John T. Ryan, laddermen ; Frank 
 M. Wollschlager, Thomas F. O'Con- 
 nor, substitutes. 
 
 The Wilcox Hose Company, No. 4- 
 
POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS. 
 
 is one of the younger companies but 
 long ago made up for its youth by 
 faithful and conscientious attention 
 to fire fighting. It was started in 
 1 8/ 1 as a volunteer company and in- 
 stalled by the city in the handsome 
 brick house on Colony street in 1878 
 as a permanent and regular company. 
 John Inglish was the first foreman 
 and his assistants were John Fitzpat- 
 rick and Oliver ^McCarthy. Later 
 John Fitzpatrick became foreman and 
 afterwards John Rahale\' and later W. 
 E. Byrne. 
 
 The Wilcox Company now has a 
 substantial hose wagon and a pair of 
 fine horses. The make-up of the com- 
 I)any is as follows : Richard Shaw\ 
 captain ; Dennis j. Horgan. lieutenant : 
 T. L. Hagerty. clerk; John Rahley. 
 driver ; Timothy L. Haggerty. spare 
 driver ; T. F. Waldron, William L. 
 Fredericks, Thomas H. Haggerty, 
 }ames Kenworthy, Daniel Alexander, 
 C. J. Heineman, hosemen ; W'illiam J. 
 Dowling, Michael Walsh, substitutes. 
 
 The last organized fire company is 
 the \'eteran X'oluntecr Hose Com- 
 pany. Xo. 5. located in comfortable 
 but cosy quarters on Camp street. 
 This company came to be organized 
 through the removal of the "Wilcoxes" 
 from Camp street in 1878 to their 
 present home. This left a thickly- 
 l)opulated district practically without 
 fire protection, so prominent citizens 
 got together and the \'eteran \'olun- 
 teer Hose Company was the result. 
 .\mong the charter members were : P. 
 E. Hull, E. E. West, L. C. Brown. J. 
 H. Williams. C. A. Miller. D. T. Lvon. 
 6 
 
 Robert ( Jughton, W. T. Church, H. L. 
 Sharkey, C. J. Heineman, R. Lee Is- 
 bell, T. \l. Smith. Robert Oughton 
 was the first foreman and D. T. Lyon 
 succeeded him in 1884. 
 
 The volunteers have pulled their old 
 reliable hand hose wagon to many fires 
 in recent years, and they have done 
 good work, but the fine equipment of 
 the regular companies has made their 
 services less and less urgent and the 
 members now give more attention to 
 the social gatherings for which they 
 are justly renowned. 
 
 The officers and members of the 
 company are as follows : David T. 
 Lyon, captain ; Henry G. Strickland, 
 first lieutenant ; James Hirst, second 
 lieutenant; J. ]\Iessner, clerk; L. H. 
 Sutterlin, treasurer ; William Benzi- 
 ger, G. J. Griswold, H. L. Starkey, G. 
 Gchrman, E. J. Oefinger, D. Flans- 
 burgh, J. J. Cassid}', \Mlliam Oefinger, 
 John Meiklem, William Benziger, Jr., 
 Charles Milner, Harry Hirst, P. H. 
 Timms, Jacob Oefinger, Gustave Ris- 
 er, hosemen. 
 
 The Meriden \'eteran Firemen's As- 
 sociation, W'hich has been in existence 
 only a short time, numbers among its 
 members many of Meriden's promi- 
 nent citizens. It gives frequent social 
 times that are very well received by 
 all the ]:)Cople. John C. Byxbee was 
 the first president : E. E. W^est. the 
 second, and John D. Roberts is now 
 president. The late Senator O. H. 
 Piatt was a member and wlun he died 
 in 1905 the association took appro- 
 ])riate action and many members at- 
 tended the fimeral. 
 
82 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The Meriden fire alarm and tele- 
 graph system dates back to 1869 when 
 Charles Warner was chief engineer. 
 Under Chief John C. Byxbee the 
 ward system of sounding an alarm 
 in case of fire was adopted. In 1881 
 the fire alarm telegraph was intro- 
 duced and the alarm was sounded 
 from St. Andrew's church bell for a 
 time, then the present tower bell was 
 erected on Pratt street. In 1889 the 
 fire alarm boxes were changed and 
 systematized much as at the present 
 time. There are now tower bells 
 in all the houses and the amount 
 of wire used in the fire alarm 
 telegraph is seventeen and one-half 
 miles. From the last annual report of 
 Superintendent William C. Lucas, it 
 is found that there are also forty-five 
 signal boxes and one mile of under- 
 ground wire. The fire alarm tele- 
 graph system of jMeriden is valued at 
 about $15,000. 
 
 The volunteer fire department was 
 started in 1867, when Meriden was in- 
 corporated a city, and John C. Byxbee 
 was made the chief engineer. His as- 
 sistants were Christopher Rebstock 
 aad Michael Carlin. The following 
 year J. W. Hiney was made chief and 
 he was assisted by Charles Warner 
 and Arthur J. Hughes. Warner, with 
 A. J. Hughes and A. W. Harvey, as 
 assistants, followed Hiney and that 
 same year, 1869, the water works was 
 finished, and the old hand engines 
 were abandoned. Arthur Hughes 
 succeeded Chief Warner and then 
 came Robert Oughton. He was the 
 last head of the volunteers. 
 
 The present paid fire department 
 was started in 1873 and John C. Byx- 
 bee was made first engineer. He was 
 also chairman of the water board and 
 for both positions received $500 a year. 
 After two years he declined to serve 
 longer and Edward Roarke was elect- 
 ed. Following Chief Roarke came 
 Linus Moses, John F. Butler, Isaac B. 
 Hyatt, Owen Horan, John Tracy and 
 Frank L. Cowing. Chief Hyatt served 
 many terms, coming between Chief 
 Engineers Horan and Tracy and 
 Tracy and Cowing, but after many 
 years of efficient service he died April 
 28, 1906. 
 
 Jerome Bailey, assistant chief engi- 
 neer for years and rightfully consid- 
 ered a valuable man in the department, 
 then became acting chief. David 
 Bloomfield has been the efficient fire 
 marshal for years. 
 
 The Meriden department is one of 
 the finest in Connecticut. It consists 
 of ninety-one men, sixteen horses and 
 there are about 9,000 feet of hose. The 
 apparatus is as follows: One hook and 
 ladder truck, one Silsby steam fire en- 
 gine, four hose wagons, one chief's 
 wagon, one hand jumper, two three- 
 horse exercise wagons ; in reserve, one 
 two-horse hose wagon and one two- 
 wheeled hose jumper. 
 
 The property of the department is 
 valued at nearly $100,000, and the de- 
 partment is maintained at an expense 
 of about $28,000 a year. 
 
 The largest fire the department hail 
 to fight in recent years was the burn- 
 ing of the old Town hall in February, 
 1904, and the force did nobly in pre- 
 
POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS. 
 
 83 
 
 venting the total destruction of the 
 building. 
 
 Meriden's latest great fire was that 
 of the Meriden Opera House in 1906. 
 
 .AlERIDEN VETERAN FIRE- 
 MEN'S ASSOCIATION. 
 
 This organization, as its name im- 
 plies, is composed of men who have 
 made records as fire fighters in Mer- 
 iden. Although the services of some 
 date back to 185 1, the association 
 was organized under its present 
 name, June 13, 1902, since which 
 time its meetings have been held at 
 the Charter Oak Hose house, where it 
 was formally organized. John C. 
 Byxbee was elected the first president ; 
 Edward E. West, vice-president ; John 
 D. Roberts, secretary ; and George N. 
 Morse, treasurer. 
 
 About a month later the old 
 "hand pump" shown in the accom- 
 panying illustration was presented 
 to the association by the Charles 
 Parker Company. The engine has 
 an interesting history, being over 
 fifty years old and is a relic of by- 
 ■ gone days justly cherished by the 
 j members of the association, and it 
 ( has been the center of attraction 
 : at the dift'ercnt firemen's parades 
 in this and other cities for man}' 
 years past. This machine recalls 
 interesting reminiscences to the old- 
 er citizens of the town, for as rec- 
 orded by R. Moss Brecken ridge, one 
 of the first officers of the old Cata- 
 ract Fire Engine Coiui)any, when 
 the machine was in its best davs 
 
 practically ever}' male resident of 
 the town, whether rich or poor, 
 loaned a helping hand in case of 
 local conflagration. 
 
 The constitution of the \"eteran 
 Firemen's Association was drawn 
 up by George O. Higby, L. C. 
 Brown and Thomas Kearns. This 
 was adopted at a meeting held April 
 16, 1903. The late E. E. West, at 
 one time mayor of Meriden, was 
 chosen the second president of the 
 association May 4, 1903 ; John D. 
 Roberts then being made vice-presi- 
 dent ; George N. Morse, secretary, 
 and George N. Shepherd, treasurer. 
 On September 2, 1904, the associa- 
 tion, largely augmented by the ad- 
 dition of several new members 
 including many prominent citizens 
 of the town who were made honor- 
 ary members, took a most credit- 
 able part in the firemen's muster 
 held in Southington, the uniform of 
 the association at that time com- 
 l)rising caps, red shirts, and badges, 
 the old "hand tub" being gorgeously 
 decorated with ribbons. 
 
 On January 7, 1904, the associa- 
 tion held its first ball which was 
 one of the social events of the town. 
 At a meeting of the association held 
 Sei)tember 15, 1904, John D. Rob- 
 erts was elected jiresident ; A. .V. 
 May. vice-president: A. B. Butler, 
 secretary: and George N. Shepherd, 
 treasurer. May 11. i^o^. John D. 
 Roberts was elected president : Rich- 
 ard B. Kearney became its vice-presi- 
 ''jut: Albert A. May. secretary, and 
 Ceoroe N. Slie])herd. treasurer. In 
 
84 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1905 the association voted to apply for 
 membership in the Connecticut Val- 
 ley League, and for several months 
 prior to the Centennial celebration of 
 Meriden, this association became ac- 
 tive in the formation of plans to bring 
 to Meriden during the celebration the 
 \'eteran Firemen's Associations of 
 
 other Connecticut cities, during which 
 the old "hand tub" was again the cen- 
 ter of attraction, and drawn through 
 the streets with just pride on the 
 part of the men of the town who 
 have earned their title as veterans, 
 and with it membership in this organ- 
 ization. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 OLD CATARACT ENGINE AND MEMBERS OF VETERAN FIREMEN's ASSOCIATION. 
 
SOCIAL CLUBS. 
 
 85 
 
 SOCIAL CLUBS 
 
 THE HOME CLUB. com])osed of men representative of the 
 
 best interests of the state. 
 
 The Pionie Chib of ^leriden. the The Home Chil) was formed in 
 
 leadins: social organization of the city, 1880, when, after the disl)andmcnt of 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 HOME CLUB HOUSE. 
 
 occupies a handsome chilj honse at the 
 corner of Colony and Foster streets, 
 which was built for its use in 1902. 
 Its active membership is limited to 
 250 and includes the leading business 
 and professional men in the city while 
 'its non-resident membership list is 
 
 the old Aleriden Club, which occu- 
 pied rooms in Palace blnck. the need 
 of such an organization became ai)par- 
 ent. h'arly in that \ear a meeting of 
 those interested was held at the Mer- 
 iden House. A temporary organiza- 
 tion was effected and arrangements 
 
86 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 made for securing rooms on the third 
 floor of Wilcox block, then being built. 
 When the block was completed that 
 fall, the club was formed with E. J. 
 Doolittle as its first president and at 
 the January session of the Legislature 
 it was incorporated as "The Home 
 Club of Meriden" with E. J. Doolittle, 
 Horace C. Wilcox, Isaac C. Lewis, 
 
 which rooms on the second floor had 
 been planned for its use. 
 
 Before 1900 those quarters were 
 inadequate and unfitted to the growth 
 and development of the club, and a 
 number of efforts were made by spe- 
 cial committees to secure a club house 
 but without success until January, 
 1902, when a special committee was 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 PARLORS, HOME CLUB. 
 
 Levi E. Coe, E. B. Cowles, W. H. 
 Lyon, E. C. Savage, George H. Wil- 
 cox and John W. Coe as incorporat- 
 ors. This act of incorporation was 
 accepted by the club on May 7, 1881. 
 The club continued to occupy those 
 rooms until January i, 1885, when it 
 moved to the new Bvxbee block in 
 
 appointed to report to the club plans 
 for enlarged quarters. This commit- 
 tee consisting of Abiram Chamber- 
 lain, E. J. Doolittle. C. F. Linsley, Dr. 
 E. T. Bradstreet, James H. White, 
 Charles T. Dodd, C. F. Monroe, Dr. 
 E. W. Pierce and F. E. Sands, after 
 careful consideration of plans and 
 
SOCIAL CLUBS. 
 
 87 
 
 sites, recommended to the club the 
 fomiation of a holding company to 
 purchase a site and to erect thereon 
 a club house. The lot at the corner 
 of Colony and Foster streets was se- 
 lected by vote of the club and a spe- 
 cial committee of seven, consisting of 
 C. F. Monroe, F. E. Sands, I. L. Holt, 
 A. B. Squire. Dr. F. L. Murdock, Louis 
 
 let the contract to H. L. Morehouse 
 for the erection of the club house. It 
 was completed, furnished and for- 
 mally opened, January i, 1903. 
 
 The club house is a very commod- 
 ious and conveniently arranged build- 
 ing of colonial design with broad ve- 
 randas, and large and light rooms, at- 
 tractively furnished. On the north 
 
 Photo by li. S. Godfrey. 
 
 UPPER HALL AND BILLL\RD ROOMS, HOME CLUB. 
 
 Fisk and James H. White, was ap- 
 pointed to further the plan and obtain 
 subscriptions to the capital stock. 
 They were so successful that soon af- 
 ter the Home Club Realty Corpora- 
 tion was formed, with a capital of 
 $25,000. The corporation at once 
 purchased the site, adopted plans and 
 
 side of the first floor is the reading 
 room, and on the south side very 
 handsome parlors. Back of the par- 
 lors is the dining room and a cafe, and 
 back of the reading room, a card room 
 and coat room. < )n the second floor, 
 besides a large, light card room ()])en- 
 ing on the upper veranda, is the big 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 billiard room at the north end with 
 committee and card rooms at the 
 south end. On the third floor is a 
 large ball room with storage room ad- 
 jacent. In the basement are private 
 dining rooms, the kitchen and neces- 
 sary storage room. The building is 
 equipped throughout with telephones, 
 call hells, exhaust fans and all mod- 
 
 About the club centers the social ac- 
 tivit}' of the city, as each year theic 
 is given a series of balls, cotillions, 
 club dinners, card parties, ladies' af- 
 ternoons and musicales. For such 
 events the club is particularly well 
 equipped with its three floors of com- 
 modious rooms, including the ball 
 room on the top floor. Its social 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 HALL AND RE.\DING ROOM, HOME CLUB. 
 
 ern conveniences vv^hich go to make 
 club life attractive to the business or 
 professional man. 
 
 The club is governed by an execu- 
 tive committee of nine members, in- 
 cluding the president, secretary and 
 treasurer, from which are appointed 
 all standing committees. 
 
 prestige is therefore high and the nu- 
 merous events largely attended and 
 greatly enjoyed. 
 
 The officers of the club January i, 
 1906, were: Dr. F. L. Murdock, pres- 
 ident ; Arthur D. IMeeks, first vice- 
 president ; C. E. Stockder. second vice- 
 president ; Louis Fisk, secretary, and 
 
SOCIAL CLUBS. 
 
 89 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 W. H. A. MAVXARD. 
 
go 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 W. J. Pronty, treasurer ; who with C. 
 W. King, F. H. Billard, R. W. Car- 
 ter and I. Burton Miller constituted 
 the executive committee. 
 
 MERIDEX WHEEL CLUB. 
 
 W. H. A. MAYXARD. 
 
 Walter H. A. Maynard. manager of 
 the Home Club since January i, 1903, 
 was born in Natick, Mass, March 26, 
 1857, and is known by the members of 
 the club as "Pop." He learned the doc- 
 trines of an epicure under Daniel H. 
 Maynard, his uncle, who for a quarter 
 century conducted the famous Samoset 
 House at Plymouth, Mass. 
 
 Since coming to Meriden Mr. May- 
 nard has enjoyed a high reputation, 
 first established here at the Winthrop 
 Hotel. When his services were se- 
 cured by the Home Club, the members 
 became satisfied that there was none 
 better to manage their house. His 
 paraphernalia comprises every facility. 
 No social function is too large and 
 none too small to secure his service 
 as a caterer, provided the call comes 
 from the right direction ; nor in recent 
 years has any occasion been considereci 
 a complete success unless he has fur- 
 nished the viands. 
 
 He is a member of Meridian Lodge, 
 yy, A. F. & A. M. ; Keystone Chapter, 
 R. A. M. ; Hamilton Council, R. & S. 
 M., and enjoys a wide acquaintance 
 and deserved popularity among the 
 leading citizens of this town and else- 
 where. His leisure moments are spent 
 at the "Bungalow," which he built on 
 Notch Road at Lake Merimere in 
 1903. 
 
 The oldest cycling organization in 
 Connecticut is the Meriden Wheel club 
 and it was started December 18, 1880, 
 when there were less than a dozen bi- 
 cycle riders in Meriden. For two 
 years members met in Dentist T. S. 
 Rust's rooms, but in 1882 permanent 
 quarters were secured in Palace block 
 and have been continually occupied 
 since. 
 
 Among the early members were Dr. 
 T. S. Rust, W. H. Squire, J. E. Brain- 
 ard, L. A. Miller, Max E. Miller, Wil- \ 
 liam Collins, Horace Miller, Frank A. 
 Stevens, Reuben J- Rice, Wells Mc- 
 Masters, Joseph Hyde. E. J. Pooley, | 
 Harry A. Stevens, Albert L. Stetson, ; 
 John W. Lane and C. Win. King. '• 
 
 Cycling those days was a far dif- ' 
 ferent proposition than the present 
 dav. The ordinary, or high wheel, as 
 known by many, was the only make in 
 existence and later day devotees of 
 the low safety never experienced the 
 exhilarating fun of coasting down a 
 steep hill with feet thrown high over 
 the handle bars and seated in a narrow 
 saddle fifty-six inches from the 
 ground. It was seldom a "high wheel- 
 er" went through the season without 
 one or more croppers and these are 
 often recalled when the veterans get 
 together and talk over old times. 
 
 Twenty years ago the roads through- 
 out Connecticut were in abominable 
 condition. Sandy soil and rocks 
 abounded in every direction. The ag- 
 itation of the rapidly increasing ranks 
 of cyclists for good roads quickly bore 
 
SOCIAL CLUBS. 
 
 91 
 
 fruit and Connecticut to-day has hun- 
 dreds o{ miles of macadamized state 
 highways. 
 
 The Meriden Wheel Club was a 
 strong factor in the good roads move- 
 ment. J. E. Brainard, then president, 
 and -Attorney H. T. King, also a mem- 
 ber, appeared before the Legislature 
 several times and their hard work did 
 
 was a great ])0()m for bicycling at that 
 time. John .s. Lane & Son furnished 
 free tlie Ira]) rock used. Liberal con- 
 tributions were received and the path, 
 was finally constructed under the di- 
 rection of President J. E. llrainard, 
 who later made one of the best street 
 superintendents Meriden ever had. 
 It was under the aus])iccs of the 
 
 JM.olo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 p.\RLoi<, .mi:ridi:.\ wiikel clur. 
 
 much towards the success of the pro- 
 ject of improving the roads. 
 
 It was two Wheel Club members, 
 W. H. Squire and F. C. Borst, the lat- 
 ter at the time being a reporter fcr 
 The Journal, who originated and 
 pushed through the cycle path project 
 from Meriden to North Haven, wh'ch 
 
 Meriden Wheel Club that three big 
 national circuit race meets were given 
 in this city in i895-"96-'97. All the 
 famous riders participated and some 
 idea of the magnitude of the under- 
 taking can be realized when the club 
 went to an expense of over $1,000 for 
 each meet. Thev were verv success- 
 
92 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 fill, however, and all told the club 
 netted about $400 by the races. 
 
 While the bicycle craze has departed 
 in the last few years the Wheel Club 
 still retains its membership of nearly 
 100 and many socials are enjoyed at 
 the club. Last year the twenty-fifth 
 anniversary of the club was celebrated 
 with a banquet at the Winthrop hotel. 
 
 Graham ; treasurer, E. J. Pooley ; cap- 
 tain, F. A. Morse ; executive commit- 
 tee, H. F. Neuman, E. B. Matteson, 
 T. E. McKenzie, A. U. Unger. 
 
 THE COLONIAL CLUB. 
 
 This leading social club with a 
 full membership of 350, non-meni- 
 
 Photo })>• R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 BILLIARD AND CARD ROOM, MERIDEN WHEEL CLUB. 
 
 No liquor is allowed in the Wheel 
 Club and it is an organization of which 
 the citizens of Meriden are proud. 
 
 The present officers are : 
 
 President, Carlton H. Winslow ; 
 vice-president, Horace W. Stowe ; 
 financial secretary, William H. Hirsch- 
 feld ; recording secretary, William E. 
 
 bership of fifty and a waiting list of 
 thirty, occupying commodious and 
 handsome quarters covering the en- 
 tire top floor of the Wilcox Block, 
 was formally organized March 19, 
 1901. The meeting was attended 
 by the members of the Royal 
 Arcanum and when the charter 
 
SOCIAL CLUDS. 
 
 93 
 
 membership list was opened forty- 
 eight signatures were then and there 
 secured. This was the final result 
 of a {previous suggestion made at 
 Pilgrims' Harbor Council, by its 
 \ ice-regent. Joseph A. Roberge. His 
 ])lan of forming a social club in 
 Meriden composed of members of 
 the Royal Arcanum for the purpose 
 of extenrling the social features of 
 
 (;. Birdsey and N. D. Clark of Pil- 
 grims' Plarbor Council and J. H. 
 P)Owker, W illis J. Prouty, Horace S. 
 Savage, G. H. Yeamans and L. H. 
 Ives of Alfred H. Hall Council. 
 
 The committee reported adversely 
 on the i^roject. believing that the 
 Arcanum should not be asked to 
 assume any financial responsibility 
 in the premises ; but the members 
 
 1, -;«ce>^ 
 
 WILCOX BLOCK. HOMK OF THE COLONIAL CLUB. 
 
 the order nut with immediate fa\'or were of the mind tliat the club 
 by the members most interested in should be formed independent of the 
 the upbuilding of the organization, corncils. Personal solicitation re- 
 The committee of ten appointed to suited in securing 138 names and 
 ascertain if the project was a feasi- many more ])romises should the 
 ble one for the iwo local councils to ch b lecon e a reality. Thus en- 
 assume, was composed of the follow- couraged an in(ki>endent c<:)mmittee 
 ing: Col. C. L. Cpham, chairman; set about making ])lans for the orga- 
 !•:. J. Doolittle. J. A. Roberge, L. nizati.m and considering locations 
 
 i 
 
94 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 PARLOR, COLONIAL CLUB. 
 
 ASSEMBLY HALL, COLONIAL CLUB. 
 
SOCIAL Cr.UBS. 
 
 95 
 
 CARD ROOMS, COLONIAL CLUB. 
 
 BILLIARD ROOM, COLONIAL CLUB. 
 
96 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 for rooms, the top floor of the Wil- 
 cox Block being selected by this 
 committee as most desirable. 
 
 At the meeting held at City Mis- 
 sion Hall, at which the organization 
 was perfected, the following officers 
 were chosen : C. L. Upham, president ; 
 J. H. Bowker, vice-president ; H. S. 
 Savage, secretary and C. P. Rice, 
 treasurer. 
 
 Roberge, Thomas L. Reilly, C. J. 
 Hinsdale, J. H. Bowker, ^peo. F. 
 Rogers and A. W. Hitchcock. 
 
 It was voted at a later date to 
 restrict the membership to 200, and 
 the full complement of members 
 was secured before the rooms were 
 opened. That the fair given by the 
 club was a success both socially and 
 financiallv is now a matter of his- 
 
 SOCIAL ROOM, COLONIAL CLUB. 
 
 A committee consisting of H. A. 
 Curtiss, C. J. Danaher and G. H. 
 Yeamans was appointed to draft the 
 constitution and by-laws. There 
 was also another appointed to 
 arrange and carry out a fair the 
 proceeds of which were to be used 
 for furnishing the club. That com- 
 mittee was composed of J. A. 
 
 tory and that subsequent functions 
 of the club have likewise reflected 
 credit upon its members and the 
 community as well, cannot be gain- 
 said. That the Arcanum Club start- 
 ed on its journey forward without 
 any of its members being blind- 
 folded seems to be conclusively 
 proven by the remarkable success 
 
SOCIAL CLUBS. 
 
 97 
 
 achie\cd from the very beginning. 
 (^n Xov. 1, 1904, the chib became 
 an ojicn one and others lieside mem- 
 bers of the Royal Arcannm were made 
 ehgible to membersliip. bVom this 
 date the chib experienced a remarkable 
 growth, increasing from 125 members 
 to 350, its present limit, and largely 
 owing to the untiring and earnest ef- 
 forts of Geo. F. Rogers. 
 
 FJy vote of its members in Jan- 
 nary H)o(), the name of the club was 
 changed to that of the Colonial 
 Llub, which it now bears. In the 
 spring of 1906 the (juarters of the 
 club were enlarged and the building 
 was altered and refurnished at an 
 expense of $3,000, giving the club 
 the whole of the top floor of the 
 building. These changes also gave 
 the club the opportunity to better 
 accommodate the members and to fit 
 up the largest billiard and pool room 
 of any club in the state. The rooms 
 of the Colonial Club are luxurious 
 in appointment and furnish every 
 possible comfort of club life as indi- 
 cated by the accompanving illus- 
 trations. The large assembly room is 
 used for the meetings of the orga- 
 nization as well as the social events, 
 and in this also the Meriden councils 
 of the Royal .\rcanum, the Elks and 
 the Heptasophs hold their regular 
 meetings. 
 
 The club possesses its own stew- 
 lard who has four assistants in keep- 
 ing the club rooms in ap])le pie 
 order, and also catering for the regu- 
 lar Saturday evening lunches, given 
 
 in the banipiet room by the club to 
 its members. The Colonial Club 
 possesses an orchestra of ten pieces 
 composed exclusively of members, 
 and this orchestra dispenses delight- 
 ful music there every Saturday eve- 
 ning. 
 
 The ofificers of 190^) are George E. 
 Bicknell, president : W. H. Squire, 
 first vice-president ; George Ohl, 
 second vice-president ; C. C. Powers, 
 secretary and L. T. Fuller, treas- 
 urer. The house committee are 
 George F. Rogers, chairman (by 
 virtue of this oi^ce also business 
 manager of the club), J. H. Bowker, 
 E. G. Johnson and H. W. Storrs. 
 The executive committee at this writ- 
 ing consists of the olBcers of the club 
 and Geo. F. Rogers, J. H. Rowker, E. 
 G. Johnson, E. L. ^Montgomery, Harry 
 J. Williams and H. W. Storrs. 
 
 YOUXG MEN'S T. A. 
 SOCIETY. 
 
 B. 
 
 This society whose mendu-rship 
 of 560 distinguishes it as the largest 
 total abstinence organization in the 
 state, was organized .\ov. 21. 1880, in 
 room 16, Palace I'.lock. with four- 
 teen members. ha\ing tlie following 
 ol)jects in view: Tlie iiroiiiolion of 
 total abstinenci.-. morality and l)e- 
 nevolence. To tliese objects the 
 society has strictly adlicrrd and to 
 tliis fact the success of the organiza- 
 tion is .-ittributed. It is maintained 
 entiriK b\ the following sources of 
 
PARLOR, YOUNG MEN S T. A. B. SOCIETY. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 ^p, 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jl 
 
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 Photos by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 LIBRARY, YOUNG MENS T. A. B. SOCIETY. 
 
 
CARD ROO.M, VUUXG .ME.\ S T. A. ]',. SOClliTV. 
 
 
 Photos by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 SMOKIXC. ROOM, VOUXC. Mi:x"s T. A. I'.. SOCIKTV. 
 
POOL ROOM, YOUNG MEN S T. A. B. SOCIETY, 
 
 Photos by R. S, Codfn y. 
 
 CARD ROOM, YOUNG MEn's T. A. B. SOCIETY. 
 
SOCIAL CLUBS. 
 
 lOI 
 
 revenue: Monthly dues, which are 
 5(1 cents, and 1)y ]>uhlic events of 
 which two are gixen annually; an 
 excursion, usuall\' to Xew York and 
 Coney Island, on which they have 
 carried as many as 1.800 people on 
 one occasion ; and an entertainment 
 and dance that has heen given in the 
 town hall on each Thanksgiving- 
 night. Its memhership is composed 
 exclusively of Catholics between the 
 ages of i8 and 35 years. The so- 
 ciety was incorporated on March 22. 
 i8«)3. The officers are elected semi- 
 annually. The benevolent feature of 
 the organization is a sick benefit of 
 S3. 00 per week and at death the sum 
 of Si 00 is paid. There is also an 
 extra benefit branch attached to the 
 society, that is known as the "Extra 
 Benefit Branch" of wdiich the mem- 
 bers may avail themselves by pay- 
 ing a small consideration each 
 month. The society has one of the 
 finest sets of club rooms in the city, 
 having seven large rooms situated 
 on the third floor of Palace Block, 
 consisting of an elaborately furnished 
 parlor, a library, meeting room, 
 smf>king room, pool and card rooms 
 and a room for the officers, and (^n 
 these is exercised great care in fit- 
 ting for the comfort and enjoyment 
 of the members. A number of pri- 
 vate social events are given each 
 year. Of these the most notable is 
 their anniversary, celebrated with a 
 ball and banquet usually on the first 
 Friday of January. On different 
 occasions they have given public en- 
 
 tertainments, the entire proceeds go- 
 ing to public or charitable institu- 
 tions ; and they have cared for and 
 ])racticall\- maintained for a number 
 of \ears the free ice w^ater fountain 
 in front of l\alace Block. Besides 
 llu'ir rooms, the societ}^ has a valua- 
 ble piece of land on West Main 
 street, with a frontage of iio feet 
 and a depth of 125 feet and has also 
 a comfortal)le balance in the bank. 
 
 AMARANTH CLUB. 
 
 An organization which has for 
 some years figured prominently in 
 Meriden social life is the Ama- 
 ranth Club, incorporated in 1895, 
 occupying commodious and hand- 
 somely furnished quarters in the 
 Cahill Block. This social club has 
 now a resident membership of 125 
 and possesses fifteen non-resident 
 members. Its objects are the ])ro- 
 motion of sociability and friendshi]) : 
 and the organization is distinctively 
 cosmopolitan, good fellowship and re- 
 si)ectabilit}- being the necessary rer[ui- 
 sites for membership. 
 
 The formation of this popular 
 social club dates back to January 
 19. 1893. The first quarters com- 
 prised the three rooms previously 
 occupied by the Young Men's Ger- 
 man-American Club, in the Wilcox 
 l)lock, the furnishings and rental of 
 the rooms being the same year pur- 
 chased entire. The first officers 
 were: President, .\. W. Tracy; 
 vice-president, John .\. Hurley; 
 
■• — 
 
 ifr -1 . 
 
 J 
 '* 
 
 K 
 
 '-■■■ ■» 
 
 ^9 
 
 I 
 
 JL 
 
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 PAKLOKj AMARANTH CLUl! 
 
 
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 Photos by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 READING ROOM, AMARANTH CLUB. 
 
SOCIAL CLUliS. 
 
 103 
 
 secretary, T. E. Reynolds and treas- of its members. Its inaui^nral balls 
 
 urer. James J. LandriQan. I'roni have been events long looked for- 
 
 the character of its memlxM-ship the ward lo and remembered. The clnb 
 
 clnb has always been a j^rowini;- has in xarions other \va\s won dis- 
 
 and a ])rosperous one. and within tinetion and snccess. lis summer 
 
 two years it became a])|)arent that outini^s liaxe l)een in\ariably well 
 
 larj^er quarters were needed. Upon attended and the only occasion 
 
 the ctnnpletion of the C'ahill lilock when the local o])era house, now 
 
 in l8i;s. the rooms in the Wilcox destroxed b\- tire, was ever filled to 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 BILLIARD AM) CARD l^OOM, AMAKANIll (I.UI! 
 
 block together with the furnishings its full sealing ca])acitv. during a 
 
 of the club were disposed of, and at regular ihealrical ])erformance, was 
 
 the same time the present rooms in when the Amaranth club brought 
 
 the Cahill block were fitted up and a pleasurable ihealrical attraction 
 
 furnished entirely new at a cost of to .Meriden and bought the privi- 
 
 about $2,500. This club enjoys an leges of the iluatre outright. .Many 
 
 enviable reputation for hospitality, citizens of .Meridm prominent in 
 
 harmony and the good fellowshi]-) business and ])ublic life, including 
 
104 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 several mayors, have been enrolled 
 in the membership of the club. 
 
 The presidents of the club from 
 the beginning have been as follows : 
 Dr. A. W. Tracy, Thos. L. Reilly, 
 now mayor of Meriden ; John A. 
 Hurley, James J. Walsh and George 
 H. O'Malley, the last named being 
 the present incumbent. The other 
 officers of the club are vice-presi- 
 dent, James J. Niland; financial 
 secretary, James J. Walsh; record- 
 ing secretary, F. A. Lajoie; and 
 treasurer, James J. Landrigan. The 
 board of governors comprises the 
 following: Dr. A. W. Tracy, chair- 
 man; M. F. Fitzgerald, H. T. 
 Downs, C. W. Cahill, Kenneth Hil- 
 lar'd, M. F. Morrissey, Wm. Glea- 
 son, Fred. Eginton, Dennis Hor- 
 gaii, E. T. Mooney, C. E. Flynn, 
 W. E. Kavanaugh. 
 
 The house committee is N. J. St. 
 Cyr, T. J. Hagerty, Dr. M. F. Sulli- 
 van, W' H. Russell, A. E. Cope, 
 Thos. L. Reilly and Howard Island. 
 The auditors are as follows. W. H. 
 Russell, L. P. Fagan and F. A. La- 
 joie. 
 
 EAST SIDE SOCIAL CLUB. 
 
 As is indicated by its name, this 
 social club is located in the eastern 
 part of Meriden and its building is 
 situated at the corner of East Main 
 and Murray streets. This club owes 
 its existence to the untiring efforts 
 of the following young men of the 
 town : Simon J. Cahill Jeremiah A. 
 
 Lynch, John ^Y. Cahill, Daniel 
 Lynch, Patrick J. Cahill, John L. 
 Coleman, John H. Cook, Charles 
 Murray, Alfred J. Cook and Jere- 
 miah Rohan. It was nearly a score 
 of years ago that these young men 
 realized the desirability of drawing 
 the young men together in that sec- 
 tion of the town for the promotion 
 of social intercourse, intellectual 
 and literary improvement and recre- 
 ation. For the further purpose of 
 making good citizens of themselves 
 a meeting was called under the 
 branches of a historic elm tree 
 which then beautified that locality. 
 The result was the appointment of 
 a committee to consider the matter 
 and report at the next meeting to 
 be held at the same place the first 
 of the following October, 1888. This 
 committee reported favorably and as 
 a result the club was given birth and 
 ten young men became its first mem- 
 bers. The first officers were: presi- 
 dent, John H. Cook; vice president. 
 John L. Coleman; financial and re- 
 cording secretary, Jeremiah A. 
 Lynch; treasurer, Patrick J. Cahill. 
 the last named being the present 
 incumbent, having been annually 
 re-elected ever since. The com- 
 mittee appointed to look up suitable 
 quarters secured a lease of hnd 
 from Waldo C. Twiss and upon it 
 a club building was erected, the 
 entire work of construction bein,? 
 done by the members, and two 
 weeks after th? organization of the 
 club the rooms were ready for occu- 
 
SOCIAL CLUBS. 
 
 105 
 
 pancy and these were situated about 
 100 yards east of the present club 
 house. Two years later when the 
 membership had increased to twen- 
 ty the club met its first misfortune, 
 for at that time a disastrous fire 
 totally destroyed their quarters. In 
 consequence of this the club's pro- 
 srress was staved for a time but later 
 
 more up-to-date club house was a 
 necessity. A building committee 
 was appointed to procure land and 
 submit plans for the erection of the 
 same. The present site was chosen 
 by the members ui)on the recom- 
 mendation of that committee and 
 the erection of the present spacious 
 club house which became readv for 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 EAST SIDE SOCIAL CLUB. 
 
 Ind within six weeks after it had occupancy in the fall of i(S96. was 
 
 iieen decided upon, club house No. immediately bequn. December the 
 
 , larger than the former, became same }ear a ])ublic reception was 
 
 eady for occupancy. After six held in the rooms and the cliil) was 
 
 ears' continued prosperity and formally inspected by a large 
 
 leasant associations of its members gathering including ])arents of the 
 
 le club grew in membership until luembers and many ])roiiiineiit men 
 
 1 1 was evident that a larger anil of the citw at which time tlie mem- 
 
 I 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 bers were highly compHmented for 
 their creditable achievements and 
 since that time the club has contin- 
 ued to grow in membership. I'm 
 1899 the club was incorporated un- 
 der the laws of the state, receiving 
 a charter from the legislature which 
 entitles it to hold property to 
 the value of $20,000. The member- 
 ship now numbers sixty and this in- 
 cludes several of Meriden's success- 
 ful business and professional men. 
 It enjoys an enviable reputation for 
 hospitality and this has been one of 
 the most important factors in the pros- 
 perity and popularity of the organi- 
 zation. 
 
 Since its formation the following 
 have served in the office of. presi- 
 
 dent. John H. Cook, Simon J. Cahill, 
 Alfred J. Cook, John Gehring, Jr., 
 Richard Rohan, John W. Cahill, 
 David T. Keegan, Matt. F. Hanley, 
 George A: Cook, Thomas J. O'Brien, 
 Emmett E. Flanagan and J. Richard 
 Geary. The present officers are ]. 
 Richard Geary, president ; Michael 
 E. Carroll, vice-president ; John F. 
 Semrau. recording secretary; Frank 
 J. Conklin, financial secretary; Pat- 
 rick J. Cahill, treasurer ; Geo. A. 
 Cook, business manager ; Oswald D. 
 Pepin, librarian; John F. Barry, 
 warden ; Frank A. Semrau, prop- 
 erty manager ; executive committee, 
 ]\Iichael B. Carroll, Simon J. Cahill, 
 Emmett E. Flanagan, Thomas F. 
 OT.rien and ]\Iatt. F. Hanley. 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 107 
 
 BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE 
 
 MERIDEN SAVINGS BANK. 
 
 In 1851 when the Aleriden Savings 
 Bank was incorporated Meriden was 
 fast becoming" a manufacturing cen- 
 ter, small as it appears to us in 1906, 
 but the wisdom, push and energy of 
 those earl\- business men was begin- 
 ning to be felt and ^leriden was tak- 
 ing on strength for the future. The 
 wise ones saw the need of some insti- 
 tution for savings where the mechanic 
 could deposit small amounts for safe 
 keeping and also get money to build 
 themselves homes ; for it was a pe- 
 culiar feature of Meriden at that 
 time, as it has been since, that a ma- 
 jority of the working men lived in 
 their own homes, and at that early 
 period nearly all were native born. 
 To meet the needs of the little grow- 
 ing village the business men held a 
 meeting earl}- in 1851 to consider 
 plans and the outcome w'as the ap- 
 pointment of a committee to draw up 
 resolutions incorporating The Meri- 
 den Savings Bank. These were pre- 
 sented at the May session of the Gen- 
 eral Assembly and the application 
 granted by them, the certificate of in- 
 corporation being signed by John P. 
 C. Mather, Secretary of State, July 
 12. A. D., 185 1. 
 
 The trustees w^ere as follows : 
 
 Enos H. Curtis, Edwin E. Curtis,. 
 Hiram Yale, Ashbel Griswold, Charles 
 Parker, H. W. Saltonstall, Julius 
 Pratt, Alfred P. Curtiss, Isaac C. 
 Lewis, Noah Pomeroy, James A. Fra- 
 ry, Benjamin H. Catlin, Levi Yale,. 
 Bertrand Yale, A. C. Wetmore, Joel 
 H. Guy, David N. Ropes, Howell 
 ^lerriman, Elah Camp, Ward Coe, 
 Linus Birdsey, Walter Booth and Cur- 
 tis L. North. 
 
 The first meeting of the trustees 
 was held at the Aleriden Bank build- 
 ing on Broad street, then called North 
 Market street, July 16, 185 1, and the 
 following ofificers were elected : 
 
 President — luios H. Curtis. 
 
 \ ice-president — Benjamin H. Cat- 
 lin. 
 
 Directors — Julius Pratt, Charles 
 Parker, Levi \'ale. Joel H. Guy, Ed- 
 win E. Curtis, Curtis L. North, Da- 
 vid N. Ropes, Howell Merriman and 
 Henry W. Saltonstall. 
 
 Joel H. Guy was the first secretary 
 and treasurer. 
 
 The same year three vice-presidents 
 were added to the list of officers, mak- 
 ing four, as at present. The three 
 added were Walter Booth, Elah Camp 
 and Ashbel Griswold. The treasurer 
 was authorized to appoint a clerk 
 without extra expense ; and he ap- 
 pointed Samuel B. Morgan. The 
 
io8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 first attorney was Dexter R. Wright. 
 The office of the bank was for 
 about three years at the residence of 
 the treasurer on West Main street, 
 present number 34, but for the accom- 
 modation of the "up-town" people he 
 
 JOEL H. GUY. 
 
 was authorized to receive deposits at 
 the Meriden Bank on Tuesdays of 
 each week from two to four o'clock 
 p. m. 
 
 The directors met once a week at 
 the treasurer's residence for the first 
 two years ; but the time was soon 
 changed to once a month. The first 
 year the treasurer received fifty dol- 
 lars for his services. 
 
 March i, 1854, it was voted "to 
 authorize the president and secretary 
 to purchase a safe for the bank at an 
 
 expense not exceeding one hundred 
 dollars" and in April the same year it 
 was voted to purchase ten or more 
 shares of the stock of the Meriden 
 Bank at one hundred and seven dol- 
 lars per share, and in December of the 
 same year it was voted to buy two 
 shares at par. 
 
 Levi E. Coe was elected secretary 
 and treasurer July, 1854, to succeed 
 Joel H. Guy and the office of the bank 
 was moved to the fine brick block 
 called the Coe building, just then 
 erected north of the Center church. 
 
 EDWIN E. CURTIS. 
 
 This building was torn dow^n in 1894 
 and the street widened at that point. 
 
 Considering the condition of the 
 country just before the war the fol- 
 lowing vote of the directors taken 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 109 
 
 Icbniary 4, 1861, is significant: 
 
 \"otc(l. To loan the balance now in 
 the treasury as tlie appraising com- 
 mittee shall think will best subserve 
 the interests of the business commun- 
 itv and the bank 
 
 £^\ 
 
 
 
 
 S. H. W. YALE. 
 
 That the directors were patriotic is 
 shown by the vote September, 1861, 
 instructing the treasurer to buy treas- 
 ury notes, U. S. sixes, at 97J8 and 
 7-30 notes at par. 
 
 As business increased there was 
 need of larger, more convenient and 
 secure quarters of more central loca- 
 tion, and the office was moved to the 
 town clerk's office in the town hall in 
 1864, where the town vault could be 
 itilizcd. 
 
 July, 1866, A. H. Curtis succeeded 
 
 Levi E. Coe as treasurer, the latter 
 being appointed a director. The late 
 secretary and treasurer. S. 11. W. 
 Yale, became clerk the same year, bus- 
 iness increasing so that the treasurer 
 needed an assistant. 
 
 In 1868 is found an advertisement 
 in the Meriden Republican stating 
 that the deposits were then $500,000, 
 and office hours 9 to 12 and 2 to 4. 
 
 The bank occupied the town clerk's 
 office from 1864 to 1871 when it pur- 
 chased the P. J. Clark ])roperty, cor- 
 
 Plioto by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 W. H. CATLIN. 
 
 ner of East Main and Veteran streets, 
 for $16,000. The old buildings which 
 for years previous had been used for 
 the manufacture of tinware, were at 
 once made into stores and tenements. 
 
no 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The Meriden Republican then began 
 •occupying the one on the corner and 
 the bank the one west, having fitted 
 up one side for an office, putting in a 
 vault, etc. This modest frame build- 
 ing was used until 1882 when the 
 present building was erected. 
 
 July 23, 1877, the faithful and well 
 beloved treasurer, A. H. Curtis, died 
 suddenly while talking with a friend 
 in the bank. S. H. W. Yale then suc- 
 ceeded to the position of treasurer 
 .and W. H. Catlin entered as clerk. 
 
 The Meriden Savings Bank has had 
 a healthy, continuous growth from the 
 start and has met with but few losses, 
 the only one of any moment was when 
 the Wallingford tornado destroyed a 
 number of houses on which it had 
 mortgages. 
 
 In 1882 the frame building it had 
 occupied since 1871 was moved to 
 Veteran street, that asylum for old 
 Ijuildings, and the present brick block 
 w^as built. The same year Edwin E. 
 Curtis, who had been president since 
 1862, resigned and Levi E. Coe was 
 ■elected president, he serving until his 
 ■death November 2, 1903. 
 
 The present officers and trustees are 
 as follows : 
 
 President — John L. Billard. 
 
 Vice-presidents — A. Chamberlain, 
 Walter Hubbard, E. J. Doolittle and 
 H. Wales Lines. 
 
 Directors — Benjamin Page, Homer 
 A. Curtiss, Engene A. Hall, August 
 Maschmeyer, George B. Murdock, Ar- 
 thur S. Lane, Charles A. King, George 
 M. Curtis and George E. Savage. 
 
 The board of directors consists of 
 president, four vice-presidents, nine 
 directors and secretary and treasurer. 
 
 Trustees — Linus Birdsey, Walter 
 Hubbard, A. Chamberlain, John L. 
 Billard, Edward Miller, H. Wales 
 Lines, W. H. Catlin, Benjamin Page, 
 E. J. Doolittle, John Morse, Maurice 
 O'Brien, H. H. Miller, Homer A. Cur- 
 tiss, Charles C. Clock, Eugene A. 
 Hall, Arthur S. Lane, George B. Mur- 
 dock, Charles A. King, August 
 Maschmeyer, George E. Savage, 
 George M. Curtis, Herman Hess, C. 
 A. Learned,- M. B. Schenck, C. W. 
 Cahill, James P. Piatt, Lewis A. Mil- 
 ler, William C. Comstock, Frank A. 
 Stevens and Frank D. Smith. 
 
 Secretary and treasurer — W. H. 
 Catlin. 
 
 Bookkeeper, John G. Nagel ; clerk, 
 Bvron R. Gardner. 
 
 AIERIDEX NATIONAL BAXK. 
 
 This institution has an honored his- 
 tory, for it has served its purpose and 
 served it well, for nearly three-quar- 
 ters of the century which Meriden cel- 
 ebrates in 1906 as an incorporated 
 town. Organized, as all banks were 
 in those days, as a state bank, the 
 charter was approved in June, 1833, 
 and business was begun with a capi- 
 tal of $100,000, in a room in the dwell- 
 ing house, on Broad street, of Wil- 
 liam Yale, but now owned by William 
 B. Ives. The followng year a new 
 brick building was erected on Broad 
 street, which for many years after was 
 the home of the old Meriden hank 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 and wliich is shown in the smaller of 
 the accompanying illustrations. The 
 first hoard of directors consisted of 
 Silas Mix. Samuel Yale. Elisha A. 
 Cowles. Stephen Taylor, Ashabel Gris- 
 wold. James S. Brooks, Noah Pome- 
 roy, John D. Reynolds and Walter 
 Booth. Ashabel Griswold was the first 
 president, and Francis King, cashier. 
 In 1836 the bank's capital was in- 
 creased to $150,000 in order to keej) 
 pace with the business done and which 
 was a success from the very start. 
 General Walter Booth then became 
 
 OLD MERIUEX liAXK BUILDING. 
 
 president and Harry Hayden was 
 chosen cashier to fill the vacancy 
 caused by the death of Francis King 
 in 1837. After twelve years' faithful 
 service as president, General Booth 
 finally declined further re-election and 
 Xoah Pfjiueroy became the heacl, who 
 in turn was followed by Joel H. Gu\- 
 and Joel I. Butler, all of whom were 
 famous in the history of the town. 
 When Mr. liutler died. ( ). B. Arnold. 
 the fonuer cash.ier, became the presi- 
 dent and he served until his re- 
 
 gretted decease August 30, 1900. He 
 was succeeded as i)resident • by Levi 
 E. Coe and after his death by the 
 present incumbent, George M. Clark, 
 the former cashier, but who served 
 many years previously as teller. In 
 1905 Mr. Clark was succeeded as 
 cashier by W. M. Quested, formerly 
 teller, who has since served as 
 cashier. The capital stock of the 
 bank in 1850 was increased to $250.- 
 000 and again, four years later, when 
 it was made $300,000, but' in 190 1 was 
 reduced to $200,000. \Miile the busi- 
 ness of the institution has alwa_\s been 
 conducted with success, as its comfor- 
 table surplus fund and regularly de- 
 clared dividends indicate, this success 
 has been the result of conservative 
 management which has marked as well 
 the history of all other ]\Ieriden finan- 
 cial institutions during the last half 
 century or more. The Meriden B>ank 
 became nationalized in 1865 and again 
 in 1905 its charter as such was re- 
 newed for twenty years b}' the govern- 
 n-.ent at \\'ashing"ton. 
 
 The present handsome quarters have 
 been occupied since February 22. 1885, 
 and after th.e l)ank had erected the 
 large brick structure shown in the ac- 
 panying illustration and was first oc- 
 cupied on that date. The ]:)resent quar- 
 ters not onlv com])rise modern, com- 
 modious, convenient banking rooms, 
 but contain safety deposit boxes which 
 are rented. 
 
 The officers and directors of the 
 bank at this writing are: George M. 
 Clark, president ; Herman Hess, vice- 
 president : W. M. Quested, cashier: 
 
112 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 113 
 
 directors, Jolm Ives, jdlni I., llillard, 
 George 11. Wilcox. Setli J. Hall, 
 (ieorge M. Clark, Herman Hess. Wil- 
 bur F. Parker, George E. Savage and 
 r.enjaniin Page. 
 
 HOME NATION AL BAXK. 
 
 The Home National Bank, located 
 at the corner of Colony and Church 
 streets, is one of the most successful 
 institutions of its kind. It has a long 
 and honorable history, has connected 
 with it leading financial and business 
 men of the city and was chartered by 
 the legislature as a state bank in 1854. 
 The cause which led to its formation 
 was principall}- a desire for a bank in 
 the new center of business. The bus- 
 iness men about the corner cordial]}' 
 supported the movement, favoring a 
 new bank for "home benefit," as they 
 init it. and E. G. Howe, F. H. Oakley, 
 John C. Smith, Joseph Taylor and S. 
 W. Kellogg, appointed to receive sub- 
 scriptions, found no difficull}' in plac- 
 ing the Sioo.ooo of capital stock. 
 August 8, 1855, the directors met and 
 formally organized by electing S. W. 
 Baldwin president and A. C. Wetmore 
 secretary. The directors were Julius 
 Pratt. S. W". r.aldwin. Fli liutler. 
 Henry C. 1 hitler, James S. Brooks. 
 Howell Merriman, A. C. Wetmore, 
 James .-X. Frary and l-\inur Busli. II. 
 C. Yoimg became the first cashier and 
 .served until .^e])tember 7. 1857. Dur- 
 ing his time the business was carried 
 on in the rooms of the ^'oung Men's 
 Institute in Collins' block, but later re- 
 moved to the woodrii liuil(hng owiu'd 
 
 8 
 
 1)\ i lcnr\ C. Butler, which stood on 
 the site of the |)resent. bank. In 1858, 
 the property was bought for $3,750. 
 Soon after, they sold a portion of it 
 for $3,000, so that their now valuable 
 property cost them but $750. In 
 1863 the present commodious banking 
 house was built, the old building be- 
 ing removed to West Main street. 
 
 In the meantime various changes in 
 officers and capital stock had occurred 
 and the bank had seen a period of 
 great prosperity. May i, 1856. Eli 
 Butler had been elected to the presi- 
 dency to succeed Mr. Baldwin, w'ho 
 resigned, and Samuel Dodd came from 
 the City Bank in Hartford, where he 
 had been teller, to assume the ofiice of 
 cashier. The following year. Jan- 
 uary 6. 1857. the capital was increased 
 by $50,000, and two months later by 
 $2,000 more, owing to the fact that 
 the subscriptions to the increase had 
 exceeded by that sum the amount re- 
 (|uired. In September, 1859, the rapid 
 growth of the bank demanded another 
 increase and the ca])ital was accord- 
 ingly raised to the sum of $300,000. 
 
 ( )n December 24. 18' 14. it was voted 
 to nationalize the bank and increase 
 the capital to S400.000 and January 16, 
 iS'15. they were authorized to begin 
 business as a .National bank. The 
 bank's history has been one of ]iros])er- 
 it\. excellent business judgnuiit on the 
 l)art of its ot^cials and a rapid increase 
 in dejiosits. In 1867, Mr. Dodd re- 
 signed as cashier and .\. ( hamberlain, 
 then teller of thi' New I'.ritain National 
 Bank, and now pre^ideln nf this bank, 
 was called to assunu' the office left \-a- 
 
114 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 115 
 
 mt. I'"ebriiary 10, 1875. the capita' 
 t the bank was increased to $600,000. 
 .ily I, 1897, this was reduced to 
 joo.ooo. Upon the death of Eh But- 
 r. in 1 88 1, Mr. Chamberlain was 
 ected to the presidency and J. S. 
 orton, Jr., for fifteen years employed 
 I the bank, eleven years as teller, be- 
 ime cashier. At the same time, C. 
 
 
 'i. 
 
 \ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 H ■"■* )3 
 
 Jm 
 
 ^mH 
 
 LJ 
 
 J. S. NORTON, TR. 
 
 . Perkins, who had been in the em- 
 oy of the bank eleven years, was 
 ected teller. 
 
 The bank has now a ca])ital stock 
 $400,003 and a surplus of $175.- 
 )0. The directors and officers are 
 >mposed of well-known men who 
 ive given it a careful and couserva- 
 i"e manai^^emeut. 
 
 Directors: .\. Chamberlain. Walter 
 
 Hubbard, Samuel Dodd, lulward Mil- 
 ler, E. J. Doolittle, George M. Cur- 
 tis, James H. White, I. L. Holt and 
 Benjamin W. Collins. 
 
 The officers and clerks are: A. 
 Chamberlain, president ; E. J. Doolit- 
 tle. vice-president ; J. S. Norton, Jr., 
 cashier: Charles H. Wood, teller; 
 Louis Eisk, bookkee])er; Alfred M. 
 Williams and Elarold W. Scott, clerks. 
 
 EIRST NATKJXAL BAXK. 
 
 It was in 1863, when the growth of 
 the town seemed to warrant it. that 
 the iMrst National I'.ank of Meriden 
 was organized. 
 
 The bank's first ]dace of business 
 was in a small frame building located 
 near the present brown stone building 
 erected in 1872. 
 
 The late Joel H. Cuy, one of the 
 most reliable and able financiers of the 
 city, was elected its first president. 
 The first cashier was Wolcott A. Hull, 
 who was succeeded, in iS7(X by 
 Charles L. Rockwell. The lale John 
 D. liillard succeeded to the ])residenc_\- 
 upon the death of Mr. (iu\ in 1881. 
 At Mr. Billard's dealli in m^oj Mr. 
 Rockwell, who had been cashier of the 
 auk since 1870, was elected president, 
 which office he now holds: anrl Eloyd 
 L'urtis. formerly teller, was elected 
 cashier, in which cai)acity he has since 
 served. The present capital of the 
 bank is Sjoo.ooo and its surplus is 
 $300,000. The bank has long since 
 taken its place among the leading 
 bankinu institutions of the state. The 
 
ii6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING. 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AN'D POST OFFICE. 
 
 117 
 
 present ilirectors are as follows : 
 Charles [•". Linsley, L". L5. Rogers, W. 
 H. Lyon, John Tait. John W. Coe, N. 
 L. Bradley. Charles L. R.x^kwell, W. 
 S. Billard and C. W. Cahill. 
 
 Floyil Curtis, cashier of the First 
 Xational IJank, was born in Meriden 
 December 2^, 1854. He is a son of 
 tile late Harrison W. Curtis and at- 
 tended public and private schools. At 
 the age of sixteen he entered the em- 
 
 • li. by Akers 6: Pigeou. 
 
 FLO^■D CURTIS. 
 
 il"\ incut Ml the l-'irst National Hank. 
 iraduall\ he earned promotion and 
 11 October 2(S, 1882. lie was elected 
 eller of the bank : and Jid\ i. 1884. he 
 vas also elected treasurer of the City 
 Savings Bank. I'.nlh of these offices 
 le filled until h"el)ruar\ 1 i. k^oj, when 
 
 his election as cashier of the First Xa- 
 tional Bank made it necessary for him 
 to resign them. .\lr. Curtis has, there- 
 fore, been not only continuously en- 
 gaged in banking affairs from the com- 
 mencement of his business life, but has 
 been associated witli the First Xa- 
 tional Bank over thirt}-six years. 
 \\ itli lii.N added duties for seveial 
 years as the former secretary and 
 treasurer of the Savings Bank, he has 
 become one of the most familiar fig- 
 ures in local ])anking circles. He is 
 also the present treasurer of the city 
 of Aleriden. an office of honor and 
 trust he lias lield since 1899. and is 
 one of the trustees of the City Savings 
 I'.ank. 
 
 Mr. Curtis is treasurer of the finance 
 couimittee organized for the cele- 
 bration of the one hundredth anniver- 
 sary of the ^own of Meriden. He is 
 also a member of ]\leriden Golf and 
 Home clubs and prominent in social 
 life. He is affiliated with Center 
 Lodge, 97. A. 1'. & .\. -M.: Keystone 
 Chapter, 27. R. A. .M., and St. Flmo 
 C"ouimander\-. 9. K. T. He is also a 
 member of Pilgrims' Harbor Council, 
 543. Royal Arcanmn. 
 
 He was married in 1871) to Clar.i H. 
 I'lU'niss. and to that imion there is now 
 living one daughter. Bessie 1'.. who in 
 i<;02 married Harry C". Lane, of 
 Westlield. Mass. 
 
 CITY SAVINGS BANK. 
 
 The City Savings Bank was organ- 
 ized in 1874. the incorporators being 
 J"(,l 11. Guy. Charles L. I'pham. John 
 
ii8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 C. Byxbee, Jared R. Cook, John D. 
 Billard, John Tait, H. L. Schleiter, 
 George W. Smith, William H. Miller, 
 A. C. Wetmore, Ratclift'e Hicks, J. S. 
 Wightman, Randolph Linsley, Wil- 
 liam Lewis, E. B. Everitt and Gilbert 
 Rogers. 
 
 The first president was Joel H. Guy, 
 who for many years held an honored 
 position in the history of banking af- 
 fairs in ]\Ieriden. Upon the death of 
 Mr. Guy, in 1881, John D. Billard, one 
 of the most trustworthy and conserva- 
 tive business men of the city and 
 greatly beloved by all who knew him, 
 was elected to the presidency. Upon 
 his death, in 1902, Charles L. Rock- 
 well, W'ho had been the treasurer of the 
 bank, was elected president, which of- 
 fice he now holds. Floyd Curtis was 
 elected secretary and treasurer in 
 1884 but resigned in 1902 to accept 
 the cashiership of the First National 
 Bank. To fill the vacancy George M. 
 Lucas was elected secretary and treas- 
 urer and these offices he now holds. 
 
 At the present writing the number 
 of depositors is 5,000 and the deposits 
 of the bank aggregate $3,500,000. 
 
 The trustees of the bank are as fol- 
 lows : H. L. Schleiter, C. L. Rock- 
 well, Seth J. Hall, Charles F. Linsley, 
 Floyd Curtis, George M. Lucas, Rat- 
 cliffe Hicks, W. S. Billard, Clarence 
 P. Bradley, Dexter W. Parker, N. L. 
 Bradley, Edward Miller, Jr., John C. 
 Byxbee, William H. Lyon, C. F. Rock- 
 well, Charles L. L'pham, John W. Coe, 
 John Tait, Gilbert Rogers, C. B. Rog- 
 ers, J. H. Wliite, George H. Wilcox, 
 \\\ [. Robinson and Charles T. Dodd. 
 
 MERIDEN TRUST & SAFE DE- 
 POSIT CO. 
 
 This company, whose usefulness to 
 the town of ]\Ieriden and vicinity is 
 all its name implies, was organized un- 
 der a special charter granted by the 
 legislature of the state of Connecticut 
 in 1889. The original incorporators 
 were Walter Hubbard, Isaac C. Lewis, 
 John L. Billard, Charles F. Linsley 
 and Charles L. Rockwell. The first 
 board of directors w^as composed of 
 the following : Walter Hubbard. 
 Charles F. Linsley, Nathaniel L. iJrad- 
 ley, Isaac C. Lewis, Charles Parker, 
 John D. Billard, George R. Curtis, 
 John L. Billard and Charles L. Rock- 
 well. Isaac C. Lewis was the first 
 president, and upon his death in 1893, 
 Walter Hubbard was elected to fill the 
 vacancy, which office he now holds. 
 Charles L. Rockwell has been the 
 treasurer since the organization of the 
 company, and Harry H. Smith is the 
 present secretary of the company. 
 
 The company, by its charter, is au- 
 thorized to act as executor, adminis- 
 trator, guardian, trustee or receiver of 
 estates and is also authorized to acce])t 
 and execute any and all trusts that 
 may be conunitted to its care by per- 
 sons or corporations or by the direc- 
 tion of any court of probate or other 
 legally constituted authority in this 
 state or elsewhere. From the wide 
 scope of its operations, the Meriden 
 Trust & Safe Deposit Company is fill- 
 ing a long felt want in this community 
 and is indispensable as a place of 
 safet\- for the deposit of securities and 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADI-: AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 119 
 
 vahiaMcs of all kinds. TIk' vaults of 
 the cuni])any arc of the most approved 
 ])attern. constructed of the best and 
 safest material and are absolutelx safe 
 ajjainst fire or burglary. 'Hie direct- 
 ors oi the compan\- are Walter 11 ul)- 
 banl, Charles L. Rockwell. ( ieortje M. 
 Curtis. John T.. r.illard. Charles V. 
 I in>.lc\ and X. L. liradlew 
 
 .\li:Kll)i:X BO.ARD OF TR.\i)J':. 
 
 ieriden is possessed of an ener- 
 i^ttic board of trade, com])osed of 
 \vorth\- citizens and men whose in- 
 thience has been exerted with -;ood 
 results toward the betterment oi 
 the town. The following men of 
 .Meriden comprised the first officers 
 and directors: Charles L. Cpham, 
 l)resi(lent : H. Wales Lines and Sam- 
 uel Dodd. vice-presidents ; Eli C. Bird- 
 sey. secretary ; I. L. Holt, treasurer ; 
 directors. Francis Atwater, N. L. 
 I^radley. John L. Billard. Eli C. Bird- 
 sey. John W. Coe. C. W. Cahill. 
 Homer .V. Curtiss. Samuel Dodd, \i. 
 J. Doolittlc, George L. Ellsbree, H. 
 Wales Lines. William H. Lyon. John 
 S. Lane. Edward Miller. Charles L. 
 Rockwell. John .\. Hurley. .Vu.i^ust 
 Schmelzer, M. B. Schenck, George II. 
 Wilcox and Charles L. I'pham. 
 
 The organization of the lioard of 
 Trade, which occurred in July. i<S97, 
 was met with much enthusiasm on the 
 ])art of the business men of the town. 
 and not long after the first meeting, 
 which was held in the Town hall. De- 
 cember 18. 1S93. the I'.oard of Trade 
 numbered 325 members. During the 
 
 first tew \ ears ot its existence manv 
 expected that Meriden would imme- 
 diately be possessed of munerous new 
 factories, and the rapid buihling uj) 
 oi the town, and the first i^resident 
 was loyally su])portcd with that aim in 
 view. The first creditable eft'ort was 
 the assistance rendered the people of 
 Southington in devising ways and 
 means for building the electric tram- 
 way, now running between Meriden, 
 Southington and Lake Compounce, 
 which has brought th(msands of dol- 
 lars annually to Meriden merchants. 
 The committee ap])ointed by the Board 
 of Trade, to bring about this happy 
 result consisted of Francis Atwater, 
 then a director of the Board of Trade, 
 but later made president, who. with 
 John A. Hurley, another director, pro- 
 moted the company which, since its 
 organization, has been conducted with 
 success. 
 
 While there have been times in 
 the histor\' of the local Board of Trade 
 when its membcrshi]) has been re- 
 duced, there have always been a few 
 active workers within its ranks ; and 
 at the present time its meniberslii]) is 
 100. The propositions listened to by 
 the Hoard of Trade from concerns 
 who would, it they could. locate in 
 Meriden. but many of whom were not 
 desirable, have been almost number- 
 less. 
 
 Tn conducting their investigations 
 tin- members of the P)oard of Trade, 
 have s])i'nt freely of their time and 
 money without regard for personal 
 gain. In it/^o^ the board accomplisheil 
 its crowninu achievement, securing the 
 
BANKS, IJIJARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 121 
 
 thriving industry now carried on by 
 the Meriden Fire Arms Co., by raising 
 among the citizens about $io,030 in a 
 single day. The Board of Trade has 
 been of value to Aleriden, not only in 
 trving to induce desirable industries to 
 locate here, but in keeping unde- 
 sirable industries away ; it has im- 
 proved the freight service, caused all 
 express trains to be stopped here and 
 accomplished other achievements, all 
 of which have been of benefit to the 
 business man and the resident. 
 
 Francis Atwater was chosen presi- 
 dent in 1898 and served until January 
 I. 1905. since which time, the officers 
 of the Board of Trade have been as 
 follows : President, Charles H. Tre- 
 dennick ; vice-presidents, Eugene A. 
 Hall and Frank D. Smith ; secretary, 
 F. A. Stevens ; treasurer, I. L. Holt ; 
 directors, Eli C. Birdsey, H. Wales 
 Lines. Francis Atwater, E. J. Doolittle, 
 M. B. Schenck, George H. Wilcox, F. 
 A. Stevens, D. L. Bishop, W. P. Bris- 
 tol. Eugene A. Hall, A. J. Fletcher, A. 
 Schmelzer. Col. C. L. Upham. Henry 
 E. Bushnell. George S. Seeley. Frank 
 D. Smith, C. H. Tredennick, Herman 
 Hess, Flenry C. Bibeau and Leroy C. 
 Pardee. 
 
 MERIDEX POST OFFICE. 
 
 When in 1806 Aleriden was set 
 apart from the town of W'allingford 
 Amos White was named by President 
 Jefferson as the first postmaster. The 
 post office was located in a one-story 
 building, owned by Partrick Lewis, sit- 
 
 uated on the southeast corner of Broad 
 and East Alain streets, on the property 
 now owned by Eli C. Birdsey. Mr. 
 White served for several years. He 
 was succeeded by Partrick Lewis, who 
 served until 1828. In this year Pres- 
 ident Jackson appointed Levi Yale 
 postmaster, who transferred the office 
 from its previous location of twenty- 
 two years, to the building now known 
 as Xo. 641 Broad street. l\Ir. Yale 
 served through part of the two admin- 
 istrations of Jackson and through all 
 of \'an Buren's, or about twelve years 
 in all. 
 
 Richard X. Dowd was appointed 
 postmaster by President William 
 Henry Harrison in 1841, but he died 
 after being in office about six months. 
 President Tyler, during the same year, 
 appointed Walter Booth postmaster, 
 who held the office for three years and 
 six months. Ira X'^. Yale, cousin of 
 the late B. L. Yale, was appointed 
 postmaster by President Polk in 1845. 
 but died after holding office about 
 three years. Almeron Miles, father of 
 the late Wallace A. Allies, was ap- 
 pointed postmaster by President Polk 
 in 1848 to succeed Air. Yale. Air. 
 Allies resigned the office after the elec- 
 tion, but before the inauguration of 
 President Taylor, having served less 
 than a year. Hiram Hall, half Ijrother 
 of Walter B. Hall, was next appointed 
 ]:)ostmaster by President Taylor. He 
 served for two years, covering about 
 foin- months under Polk and about 
 twcnl\- months under Taylor. 
 
 L'p to this lime the post office had 
 remained in the Levi Yale buildin"'. 
 
BAXKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 123 
 
 I'lulcr ]Mr. Hall it was transferred to 
 a little frame building" built special!}- 
 for the post office. This building- 
 stood then just north of the Bassett 
 block ^)n Broad street and now stands 
 on land of B. L. Yale estate on Wall 
 street east of the Catholic cen-ietery. 
 
 Following Air. Hall, Asahel H. Cur- 
 tis was a|)pointed postmaster, and 
 served through Fillmore's term or 
 about three years. The election of 
 President Pierce brought about the 
 ai)iiointn-ient as postmaster in 1853 of 
 Hiram Hall for the second time. Mr. 
 Hall died after serving" about one year. 
 Mr. Hall had his office in a wooden 
 building" adjoining the John Ives res- 
 idence on Broad street. This building" 
 was afterwards nioved to \'iew street 
 and later was demolished. Upon the 
 deatli of Mr. Hall. President Pierce 
 ap])()inted Bertrand L. Yale postmas- 
 ter, who served for seven years, three 
 under Pierce and four under Buchan- 
 an. Mr. Yale held his office in the 
 old Levi Ya\e building already s])oken 
 of. Wlu-n Abraham Lincoln was 
 president. Asahel H. Curtis was for a 
 second tiiue a])pointed postniaster. He 
 served imtil Mr. Lincoln's death, but 
 resigned his office under President 
 Johnson. Mr. Curtis' office was lo- 
 cated in the old Franklin Hall build- 
 ing, on the now vacant corner north 
 of the Congregational church. Broad 
 street. 
 
 In 1865 Linus Pirdsey was a])- 
 pointed postniaster by President Jolm- 
 son to succeed Mr. Curtis. Mr. P.ird- 
 scy. who served for three years, trans- 
 ferred the post office to the brick build- 
 
 ing that formerl}- stood on the site of 
 the tirst post office at the soittheast 
 corner of Main and Inroad streets. 
 Lon R. Hall w^s appointed postmaster 
 by President Grant in 1869. Mr. Hall 
 transferred the post office back to the 
 building from which Mr. Birdsey had 
 taken it, and then, after a few years, 
 took it across the street to John Ives' 
 store in the brick block now known as 
 Xo. 489 Broad street. Mr. Hall 
 served seven years, and then resigned, 
 when he was succeeded by his brother, 
 William F. Hall, who was appointed 
 by President Ha}es. Air. Hall moved 
 the post office to the building known 
 as 320 East Alain street, where Station 
 A is now located. On September i, 
 1880, the Aleriden post office, the then 
 official designation of the up-town of- 
 fice, was abolished and made a branch 
 of the down-town post office, which 
 up to that date officially was known as 
 the West Aleriden post office. In the 
 changed capacity of clerk of Alain 
 street branch. W. F. Hall, under Post- 
 niaster Fl I). Hall, of the down-town 
 office, from that time officially desig- 
 nated the Aleriden office, continued to 
 serve the branch office imtil iSSrx 
 Linus ijirdsey in the same year, under 
 ai)])()intment from Postmaster \\\ H. 
 Miller, again assumed charge of the 
 up-town office, this lime as clerk of 
 the station, and served until 1890. 
 Massena l-\ Hallou was appointed as 
 clerk of the station .March 1. 18(^4. 
 ■'ind serve(l until his death, when on 
 April I. 1804. lie was followed ])y his 
 daughter. Mrs. A. A. P>. Twiss. who 
 in tiu"n. on Xoxember i. 1804. was fol- 
 
124 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 lowed by .Miss Ida L. 2\Iiller, the pres- 
 ent incumbent. 
 
 It was about 1844, that the business 
 men and residents in that portion of 
 the town then known as West Meriden 
 agitated the matter of having a post 
 office of their own. The result was 
 the establishment, during 1845, o^" the 
 West Meriden post office. Joel H. 
 Guy was named by President Polk 
 as the first postmaster, and the first 
 post office stood just east of the Guy 
 residence on the south side of West 
 JMain street. 
 
 The election of Zachary Taylor 
 brought about a change in 1849, when 
 Noah A. Linsley was appointed post- 
 master. Mr. Linsley had his office in 
 the wooden building now owned by 
 Frederick J. Wheeler, on the north 
 side of the street, known as 21 West 
 Main street. 
 
 In 1853, soon after the inauguration 
 of President Pierce, Joel H. Guy again 
 received a postmaster's commission. 
 The office was taken back again to the 
 south side of West Main street. Mr. 
 Guy continued in office this time about 
 five years, when he gave way to his 
 son-in-law, Samuel B. Morgan. Mr. 
 Morgan transferred the office to quar- 
 ters which stood on the present site of 
 the First National Bank building. 
 
 Soon after President Lincoln's inau- 
 guration in 1861, George W. Rogers 
 was appointed postmaster. The office 
 was immediately moved to the brick 
 structure which stood on the east side 
 of Colony street, corner of Main 
 street. This building was destroyed 
 by fire during Mr. Rogers' term, and 
 
 the office was taken to the room in the 
 Butler building", 13 Colony street, now 
 occupied by W. W. Mosher. 
 
 On August 8, 1865, President John- 
 son appointed Wallis Bull postmaster, 
 and with this appointment there began 
 a quarrel between the friends of Wallis 
 Bull and the adherents of George W. 
 Rogers, which hotly interested more 
 than half the population of the town. 
 
 On August 31, 1866, thirteen 
 months after Mr. Bull took office, his 
 enemies succeeded in bringing about 
 his removal and in having Air. Rogers 
 restored to office. Mr. Rogers trans- 
 ferred the office in August, 1867, to 
 the north room in the old Byxbee 
 block, known as 37 Colony street, now 
 occupied by W. H. Squire. Thirteen 
 months after Mr. Rogers had taken 
 office, namely on September 23, 1867, 
 his enemies triumphed with President 
 Johnson and Samuel B. Morgan was 
 for the second time made postmaster. 
 ]\lr. Morgan served this time for twen- 
 ty months, when on ]May 17. 1869, the 
 friends of Wallis Bull prevailed with 
 the administration and secured for him 
 his second commission as postmaster. 
 
 Mr. Bull served the second time for 
 eight years lacking two months, when 
 on February 24, 1877, he was removed 
 by President Grant, and Erwin D. Hall 
 appointed. In 1878 Mr. Hall trans- 
 ferred the office to the formerly well- 
 known Hill building which stood tem- 
 porarily on the plot of ground now 
 known as Winthrop Square. The Hill 
 building now stands on the premises 
 known as 289 Center street. In the 
 spring of 1880 the post office was 
 
BANKS, BOARD OF TRADE AND POST OFFICE. 
 
 125 
 
 moved to the Wilcox block at 24 Col- 
 ony street. 
 
 Under political pressure "Sir. Hall 
 resigned his office February i, 1886, 
 and was succeeded by William H. Mil- 
 ler, who served until February i. 1890, 
 when lie was followed by Henry Dry- 
 hurst, who received his commission 
 from President Harrison. 
 
 On August I, 1894, John J. Ander- 
 son became postmaster, by appoint- 
 ment of President Cleveland, and 
 served until August t, 1898. He was 
 succeeded by Henry Dryhurst, who re- 
 ceiveil his second api)ointment from 
 President AIcKinley, and his third 
 from President Roosevelt. 
 
 The Meriden office entered the first 
 class July i. 1890. On May 20, 1899, 
 the post office removed to its present 
 <|uarters at 2=, and zj Colony street. 
 
 The letter carrier service was estab- 
 lished in Meriden September i, 1880. 
 The first four men constituting the 
 force were William H. Minchin, Al- 
 bert L. Bartlett, Charles Allemeyer 
 and Chauncey G. Johnson. The num- 
 ber of carriers now employed (June i, 
 1906) is twenty and of clerks eighteen. 
 
 Besides Station A, there are six sub- 
 stations. The annual receipts this 
 year were $75,000. 
 
 In 1902 the congress appropriated 
 $100,000 for a federal building for the 
 ^leriden post office. The site at the 
 corner of Colony and Brooks streets 
 was purchased at a cost of $20,500. 
 All bids for the new building were re- 
 jected because excessive ; and a bill 
 for an additional appropriation for the 
 building is now pending in the con- 
 cress. 
 
126 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 NEWSPAPERS 
 
 THE 
 
 JOURNAL PUBLISH! XG 
 COMPANY. 
 
 No clearer knowledge can be briefly 
 g'leaned of a city than by a glance at 
 its newspapers. If they be prosper- 
 ous, pushing and enterprising, they 
 but indicate the spirit of the commun- 
 ity in which they are produced and its 
 progressiveness is marked in their 
 pages. It is true that they may cre- 
 ate and lead in those things which 
 make for the best progress of a mu- 
 nicipality, but to become successful in 
 progression, there must l^e an appre- 
 ciation shown in a willingness on the 
 part of the public to encourage such 
 leadership with sufficient patronage to 
 make its continuance possible. 
 
 It is this condition existing" in Mer- 
 iden which has made of The jMeriden 
 Daily Journal one of the leading pa- 
 pers not only in the state, but in New 
 England, and permitted its owners, 
 The Journal Publishing Company, to 
 -build up one of the largest publishing 
 and printing houses in the New Eng- 
 land states. 
 
 Early in 1886 it became apparent 
 that there was an opening for a new 
 evening daily newspaper in Meriden 
 and as a result The Journal Publish- 
 ing Company was incorporated on 
 April 2 of that year, for the purpose 
 of publishing The Meriden Dailv 
 
 Journal and to carry on a general 
 printing and publishing business. In 
 those days when mechanical equip- 
 ment was limited, onl_\- hundreds of 
 dollars were required in the production 
 of a newspaper where now thousands 
 must be invested, and therefore the 
 new company started business with 
 but $8,000 capital. 
 
 It was shortly after this, however, 
 that the great advance in methods due 
 to demands for the quicker and better 
 l)roduction of newspapers began, and 
 costly machinery, and the growth of 
 the business, required greater invest- 
 ments until the capital was increased 
 to $60,000 and then to $67,000. This 
 capital and the surplus in the business 
 of The Journal Publishing Company 
 to-day represents an investment of 
 nearly $200,000. Its business has cor- 
 respondingly enlarged with its in- 
 creased investment and facilities, a 
 very great share of its patronage com- 
 ing from outside Meriden. 
 
 \Mien the company was formed in 
 1886. four men held all the stock and 
 became its officers. These same men. 
 elected at the first meeting, are still 
 its directors and officers and are all 
 actively engaged in the conduct of its 
 afl^airs. They are Francis Atwater, 
 president ; Lewis Allen, vice-presi- 
 dent ; Thomas L. Reilly, secretary, and 
 Frank E. Sands, treasurer. 
 
NEWSPAPERS. 
 
 12: 
 
 When the conipaiiN' began business 
 quarters were secured on the second 
 floor of Russell's (now the Meriden 
 Grain & Feed Company's) block, on 
 South Colony street, and from there 
 The Meriden Daily Journal made its 
 first appearance on the afternoon of 
 April 17, 1886, as a four-page paper, 
 with seven columns to the page. The 
 
 patronized and highly prosperous i)a- 
 ])er and is still growing. It has been 
 changed and enlarged frequently, as 
 the demand upon its advertising or 
 news columns required more space. 
 
 The first change came in Decem- 
 l)er. 1886, when it was enlarged bv 
 adding a colunm in width. The fol- 
 lowing Ai)ril the i^ressure on its col- 
 
 BUSINESS OFFICE, TOUKXAL PUI'.LISHIXG CO. 
 
 success of the new daily was assured 
 from the very start, and from that day 
 it has continued to grow and advance, 
 until now it goes not only intcj near- 
 ly every home in .Meriden, Inil has 
 reached out into the adjoining towns 
 
 unms rc(|uired more room, and still 
 another column was added. It con- 
 tinued in this form until the year fol- 
 lowing, when, on Max 7. iSSS, it tirst 
 ap])eared as an eight-page pa])er. six 
 columns to the i)age, and cut. folded 
 
 and implanted itself firmly in those and pasted. 
 I fields. It is a widelv read, largely In the meantime, the ])rinting bus- 
 
I2J 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 iness had kept pace with the growth of 
 th€ newspaper, and during February, 
 1888, a book bindery was added, the 
 third floor of Russell's block being 
 taken for the purpose. The quarters 
 were totally inadequate to the demands 
 of the business by this time, and in 
 October the large three-story build- 
 ing, owned bv Morse & Cook, at the 
 
 partment, on Alarch 7, 1889, they 
 bought the business of Charles E. Bi- 
 beau and Richard A. Owen, who had 
 conducted a prosperous printing estab- 
 lishment under the firm name of 
 Owen & Bibeau, and Mr. Owen be- 
 came foreman of The Journal's book 
 and job printing department while Mr. 
 Bibeau took charge of the press room. 
 
 DIRECTORS ROOM, JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 junction of Perkins and South Col- 
 ony street was leased, and a change 
 made to that building after extensive 
 alterations had been made. Here was 
 found room for the much needed ad- 
 ditional machinery. To add to the 
 ability of the company to turn out 
 the book work in its mechanical de- 
 
 During this time the entire method 
 in the production of newspapers and 
 books was undergoing a great change. 
 The invention of fast web presses re- 
 quiring sterotype plates, linotype ma- 
 chines that displaced hand composi- 
 tors, and other machinery for the more 
 rapid making of newspapers to fill 
 
NEWSPAPERS. 
 
 129 
 
 constantly increasing demands and 
 quick growth, were coming in, and 
 when again in a short time the facili- 
 ties were found totally inadequate, a 
 contract was made with the Goss 
 FVinting Press Company to design and 
 build for The Journal a web perfect- 
 ing press, with a capacity of 12,000 
 complete eight-page papers per hour. 
 
 of erecting the present four-story fire- 
 proof Journal building was begun. It 
 was attended with great difificulties, as 
 all the departments had to be kept at 
 work in the old building while the new 
 one was constructed around it and the 
 old one afterward torn out piecemeal. 
 The new building was built entirely 
 of brick, iron and concrete. The out- 
 
 NEWS COMPOSING ROOM, TOURXAI, l-U lU-ISll I N( ; ((). 
 
 The Journal was first printed on it 
 November 29, 1889. 
 
 In October, 1890, the store at z'j 
 East Main street, was leased and fitted 
 up as business offices and connected 
 with The Journal building in the rear. 
 
 cr walls are of brick and the ])eams 
 and girders of iron, wliile the floors 
 are of concrete over corrugated iron 
 arches. The partitions are all of 
 pressed iron, the onl\- wood being the 
 window frames and roof girders, the 
 
 In i8()o the property was bought of latter carrying a steel roof. It is de- 
 Morse & Cook and in 1892, the work signed to be as nearly fireproof as it 
 9 
 
130 
 
 A CENTURY OF MP:RIDEN, 
 
 is possible to make such a building. 
 During the time of the building and 
 preceding it. The Journal Publishing 
 Company had absorbed and added to 
 its i:»lant the business of other concerns 
 in allied trades, the most important 
 being in 1891, when the large electro- 
 typing plant of D. S. Griswold was 
 purchased and moved into the build- 
 inof. 
 
 since been built and installed for The 
 Journal a big double deck straight line 
 Goss Perfecting Press capable of pro- 
 ducing 25,000 papers per hour. 
 
 From four pages The Journal has 
 grown to twelve pages with from si.x- 
 teen to twenty pages on Saturdays and 
 special occasions. It enjoys a splen- 
 did patronage, practically every lead- 
 inc' advertiser in the countrv beinfr 
 
 BOOK AND TOB COMPOSING ROOM. 
 
 At no time since its formation has 
 the compan}' ceased to progress and 
 grow and the energy of its officers 
 and the splendid force of assistants is 
 shown to-day in the position The 
 Journal occupies in and outside the 
 community and the large patronage 
 the other departments enjoy. 
 
 The press that was ample in 1889 
 soon became too small and there has 
 
 represented in its columns in addition 
 to every important local advertiser. 
 It is recognized as one of the hand- 
 somest and most complete newspapers 
 produced anywiiere with the result 
 that its circulation has showed a 
 steady increase each year. 
 
 The Journal's big establishment is 
 divided into distinct departments, each 
 under a separate head. Richard A. 
 
NEWSPAPERS. 
 
 131 
 
 PRESS ROO^r, JOURNAL PURLISHING CO. 
 
 BOOK CINDERV, TOUR.XAL PUBLISHING CO. 
 
132 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Owen is superintendent with direct 
 charge of the job and book depart- 
 ments: W. H. Marshall has charge of 
 the press room, E. H. Hitchcock of the 
 electrotyping, J. J. Walsh of the news 
 composing, E. C. Parry of the lino- 
 type machines and Henry Minkwitz, 
 of the sterotyping room. 
 
 Messrs. Allen and Reillv of the 
 
 i\llen and Lewis Reilly, city reporters, 
 M. F. Clark. Publishers' Press opera- 
 tor ; Miss Annie M. Whalen, proof 
 reader, and W. R. Gilbert, M. S. Mc- 
 Kiernan and Mrs. Elizabeth Lyon, su- 
 burban reporters. 
 
 The business office staff besides ]\Ir. 
 At water, publisher, and Mr. Sands, 
 business manager, consists of Jesse 
 
 ELECTROTYPING DEPARTMENT, JOURNAL PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 company devote their time to the edi- 
 torial end of the paper, and Alessrs. 
 Atwater and Sands to the business de- 
 partment. 
 
 The editorial force besides Mr. Al- 
 len, editor-in-chief, and Mr. Reilly. 
 associate editor, is composed of the 
 following: E. B. Whitney, city editor: 
 D. T. Lamb, telegraph editor : Walter 
 
 Sands, advertising department ; J. 
 Frank Morris, advertising agent ; 
 John F. Fenders, circulation manager. 
 Miss Margaret Hopkins, bookkeeper; 
 Miss Sophia Huber, clerk and assist- 
 ant bookkeeper, and Arthur Keenan, 
 clerk. 
 
 All told. The Journal employs about 
 sixty hands, manv of whom have been 
 
NEVVSPAPKRS. 
 
 133 
 
 with the company for }ears and 
 whose services are, naturally, highly 
 valued. 
 
 The products of The Journal press 
 include many notable books, not the 
 least of which is this volume, "A Cen- 
 turv of Meriden.'" 
 
 MERIDEN MORNING RECORD. 
 
 The Record, Meriden's onl}' morn- 
 ing newspaper, enjoys the distinction 
 of being the oldest newspaper in the 
 city, the Republican, whicli it absorbed 
 in 1899, having been established in 
 i860. A few years prior to the ab- 
 sorption of the Republican by the Rec- 
 ord, William A. Kelsey acquired the 
 controlling interest in the Republican 
 Publishing Company, and the merger 
 was the result of his business acumen 
 and far-sightedness. \\'ith the Even- 
 ing Republican out of the tield, Meri- 
 den was left with two strong, well 
 established newspapers ; the Record in 
 the morning, the journal in the even- 
 ing. 
 
 Prior to the time Mr. Kclscy ideiui- 
 fied himself with the Re])uljHcan PuIj- 
 Hshing Comjxmy, it had conducted a 
 general job printing and book-binding 
 business. 'Sir. Kelsey soon decided to 
 abandon these branches to enable the 
 directors of the business to devote 
 their entire energies to the Morning 
 Record. With the obstacles to its 
 progress removed, the Record went 
 ahead steadily day by day. and is now 
 recognized as one of the foremost. 
 most influential and substantial 
 
 morning newspapers in Connecticut. 
 Early in 1905 The Republican Pub- 
 lishing Company, which is the corpo- 
 rate name of the Morning Record, 
 purchased the valuable site on the 
 corner of Crown and Perkins streets, 
 and began the erection thereon of the 
 substantial building which is now the 
 home of the Morning Record. A 
 mammoth, two-deck press was or- 
 
 WII.I.IA.M A. KKLSKV. 
 
 dered from the Potter Printing Press 
 Company, of Plainfield, N. J., and in- 
 stalled a few months later, after the 
 completion of the l)uilding in Septem- 
 ber, 1905. A large amount of other 
 new machinery was purchased, mak- 
 ing the Record ]ilanl unsurpassed in 
 its ability to produce a first-class, mod- 
 ern newspaper. 
 
134 
 
 A CEXTURV OF MERIDEN. 
 
NEWSPAPERS. 
 
 135 
 
 The Record is a niemlxT of that 
 L^reat, world-wide news-^atheriiii;' or- 
 j,^anization. The Associated Press, thus 
 j:jivins^ its readers all the news of the 
 world at the earliest possible moment. 
 it irives untisuallv careful attenti(Mi to 
 
 i;i)WI.\ E. SMITH. 
 
 the j^atherin^- of local news. ])ersonal 
 items, etc.. and is a complete news- 
 paper in every sense. 
 
 I he Record lias alwa\ s lieen essen- 
 tially a family paper and has a very 
 lar^e circulation in the homes of Mer- 
 iden and all of the surroundiuf^ towns. 
 The Record's advertisino;' patronajj^e is 
 very lar^e ; it includes all of the prin- 
 cipal business houses of .Meriden. and 
 the ^reat majorit\' of the leadint^- £^en- 
 eral advertisers of the countrv. 
 
 larj^e success for the Record are un- 
 rtag-ging energy, fair treatment to all 
 in business matters and in its news 
 colunms, enterprise in anticipating the 
 wants of its readers, not only in news 
 matters, but in originating feattires 
 that appeal to the people generally. 
 
 Associated with William A. Kelsey 
 in the conduct of the Record are Ed- 
 win E. Smith, at the head of the bus- 
 iness and finances, and Thomas H. 
 W'arnock of the editorial and news de- 
 ])artments. Both of these men, like 
 Mr. Kelsev, are natives of Meriden 
 
 'I'lrOMAS 11. W.\R.\0(,K. 
 
 and lo\aI advocates of every cavise 
 that stands for the city's advancement. 
 The large financial interests of these 
 three gentlemen in the Record, assures 
 
 Among the factors that have won its loyalty solel\ to the welfare of 
 
136 A CENTURY OF MERIUEN. 
 
 Meriden and their fellow-citizens at all publisher ; T. H. Warnock, editor, 
 
 times. The directors are : W. A. Kelsey, E. 
 
 The Company's paid-in capital is E. Smith, T. H. Warnock, N. L. Brad- 
 
 $75,000.00. W. A. Kelsey is presi- ley, J. L. Billard. W. H. Lyon and W. 
 
 dent ; E. E. Smith, vice-president and W. Mosher. 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 137 
 
 CHURCHES. 
 
 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL 
 CHURCH. 
 
 This time honored church organiza- 
 tion which, previous to 1806, was by 
 law the predominating power in the 
 affairs of the town, as is told at length 
 in the first section of this volume by 
 (icorge M. Curtis, still occupies a 
 leading position in the spiritual and 
 social life of Meriden. The present 
 edifice, a remarkably attractive and im- 
 posing stone structure, was dedicated 
 April 2. 1879, but some few meetings 
 were held therein previous to its dedi- 
 cation. The corner stone was laid 
 June 8. 1876, and the cost of the 
 building was about $175,000. 
 
 The completion of the church after 
 having been in process of construc- 
 tion for over two years was a source 
 of much joy to its members, and 
 from that time to the present the 
 society has experienced a steady 
 growth in membership and influence. 
 The first sermon in the ]:)rescnt church 
 was preached by Rev. Thomas A. 
 Miles, who afterwards supplied the 
 pulpit of the church from A])ril, 1879 
 to .Xpril, 1 88 1. Other divines who 
 afterwards filled the pulpit but were 
 not installed as pastors were Rev. Llew- 
 ellyn Pratt who served a year and 
 ten months, and until December. 1883 ; 
 Rev. Charles H. Everest, who re- 
 
 mained for nine months from October 
 I, 1884 to July I, 1885; and Rev. 
 Charles H. Williams who presided 
 over the church for three years from 
 1886-89. Rev. Asher Anderson, Jan- 
 uar\- 31. 1890. was then installed as 
 regular pastor and served in that 
 capacity until November 30, 1901. 
 Rev. Albert J. Lord the present pastor 
 after having filled the pulpit from 
 December 4, 1902, was installed Jan- 
 uary 27, 1903. During its history the 
 church has had two assistant pastors. 
 The first was John -W. Logan, now 
 Y. AI. C. A. secretary at H\'de 
 Park, Mass., and Rev. F. W. Hazen, 
 the present assistant pastor. 
 
 The First Congregational Church 
 is not onl_\' a most attractive and sub- 
 stantial house of worshi]) but it com- 
 ])rises one of most modern equipment. 
 The latest acquisition, and operated 
 through the organ l)v electricitv, is 
 a costly set of chimes, the only set of 
 its kind in the city, presented to 
 the church by the White families 
 in memory of the late Edward H. 
 and Howard White. These chimes, 
 twenty in numl)er, first gave forth 
 their tuneful melodies on Easter 
 Sunday of the present year, and 
 the church became equipped with 
 them unbeknown to its members. The 
 growth of the church in membership 
 within the past decade, during which 
 
138 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 time a large number have also gone to Rev. F. W. Hazen, the assistant pas- 
 other cities, and many other members tor, is the present superintendent. The 
 removed by death, is shown by the trustees of the corporation are George 
 following figures: the total enrolled H. Wilcox. Arthur E. Hall and Rob- 
 
 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 membership in 1896 was 688, and the ert W. Carter : clerk, Albert H. Wil- 
 
 total enrolled membership to date cox, and the treasurer, Byron R. Gard- 
 
 is about 900. The Sunday school ner. The church deacons are W. H. 
 
 comprises 530 members, and of this Catlin, Arthur S. Lane, H. D. Beebe, 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 139 
 
 A. I'l. Savage, C. H. I'inks, Erastus 
 Hnbbard and Homer A. Curtiss. 
 
 The First Congregational church 
 vvieUls a might}- influence both at home 
 and abroad, and many thriving socie- 
 ties have been formed within the edi- 
 fice, all of which are in a flourishing 
 condition. Including those organized 
 iluring the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Lord 
 the church is possessed of the follow- 
 ing i)rominent societies : Young Peo- 
 ple's Society of Christian Endeavor ; 
 Junior Christian Endeavor ; The For- 
 eign Missionary Auxiliary, Mrs. F. E. 
 Hinman. i)resident; Ladies" Benevo- 
 lent Society, Mrs. Emily H. Johnson, 
 cliairman, and the following directors : 
 Mrs. Charles F. Linsley, Mrs. Wilbur 
 !•". Davis, Mrs. Geo. E. Savage, Mrs. 
 .\rthur S. Lane, ]\Irs. Chas. L. Lyon, 
 Mrs. W. H. Squire, Airs. John Q. 
 Thayer and Mrs. George H. Wilcox ; 
 ( iuardian Society, !\Irs. FL \\'. Seip, 
 president : the Dorcas Society of young 
 women. Miss Agnes Augur, president ; 
 (iranite League of young men, eighty 
 members, .Allen Vale, president : the 
 Cheerful (iivers, composed of girls, 
 Annie Ives, leader ; Order of Knights 
 of King .Arthur, Stanley White as 
 Merlin ; and Boys" Cadets, thirty meni- 
 bers, Wm. B. Blanchard of Co. L, C. 
 .\. C. drill master. 
 
 Rev. .Albert Jones Lord was born 
 at I-:ilsw()rth, Me., October i, 1868. 
 and was educated at the high school 
 of his native town, and was graduated 
 at I'owdoin College, where he pursued 
 his academic course, in i8(;4. He 
 studied for the ministry at the Theo- 
 logical Seminary at Andover, Alass., 
 
 from which he was graduated in 1897. 
 During his theological course he tille<l 
 several pulpits, and notably that of the 
 Berkeley Temple, Boston, where he 
 was for a time assistant pastor, and 
 also at the Highland Congregational 
 church, Roxbury, Mass. He was or- 
 dainetl a clergyman Oct. 19, 1897, and 
 the following July was installed pastor 
 of the Congregational church at Hart- 
 
 Ki:V. A. J. L(JKD. 
 
 ford, \ t., where he remained until he 
 received a call from the First Con- 
 gregational church of Meriden. Since 
 coming to this city the church has 
 greatly ])rospered bnancially. spirit- 
 ually and socially. 
 
 .Mr. Lord was marrieil in l-.llsworth. 
 Me., Dec. 29, 1897. to Maude I^velyn 
 Phillilis. and one child. Phillips 
 Ila\nes Lord, has blessed that union. 
 
140 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX, 
 
 THE CENTER COXGREGA- 
 TIONAL CHURCH. 
 
 The Center Congregational church, 
 situated at the corner of Broad and 
 East Main streets, in the heart of the 
 up-town district, is the oldest church 
 edifice in the city, having been erected 
 in 1830. Its architecture is typical of 
 the Puritan period of church building, 
 being indeed a visible embodiment of 
 the simplicity, dignity and stability 
 which marked the character and life 
 of the times out of which it sprang. 
 It stands in the midst of the rush and 
 complexity of our modern life, pro- 
 claiming silently the plainer virtues 
 and austerer life of the forefathers ; 
 and binding into one the past of small 
 beginnings and the flourishing present 
 of our city. A New England classic 
 it is, of unmixed type, its simple, 
 noble lines eminently satisfying the 
 sense of proportion and churchliness. 
 The auditorium is finished in white, 
 its chaste surfaces combining effec- 
 tively with the furnishings of green 
 and gold. 
 
 Especially admired is the tower 
 with its graceful symmetry, enhanc- 
 ed by a scheme of light Doric and 
 Ionic pillars and classic decorations. 
 The clock in the tower is a well- 
 known landmark.. 
 
 The Center Congregational church 
 has been so called since the year 
 1848. In that year a division in the 
 original Congregational church took 
 place largely in consequence of the 
 center of population changing to the 
 
 westward : about three-quarters of 
 the church removing, while the rec- 
 ords show about one hundred and 
 twenty to have remained, including 
 all the deacons of the church. The 
 property was divided. Those who 
 removed carried with them the rec- 
 ords of the original church organiza- 
 tion, and adopted the name "First 
 Congregational Church." Those 
 who remained to worship in the old 
 building adopted by the advice of the 
 council the title "Center Congrega- 
 tional Church." 
 
 There was left to the old site by 
 this division a band of noble men and 
 women to keep alive the altar fires 
 which their fathers had builded. 
 Some of them were men of weight, 
 the stamp of whose character was 
 already on the growing town. Call- 
 ed henceforth by a new ecclesiasti- 
 cal name, they nevertheless knew no 
 other church than the one wliose 
 u'-eeting house they then occupied ; 
 no other church traditions than those 
 which for a hundred and twenty 
 years had been taking root in the 
 soil of their aft"ections ; no other 
 memories than those centering 
 around the pastorates of a long line 
 of godly ministers, wlio, beginning 
 with Theophilus Hall, had shep- 
 herded the one and undivided Con- 
 gregational flock. Center Church 
 today is the possessor of this ancient 
 site of worship, and joint heir of 
 these traditions and memories. On 
 the membership roll of the church 
 to-dav are not a few names running 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 141 
 
 back to the coming of Congregation- 
 alism to Meriden. To the extent, 
 therefore, that the age of a church 
 is determined by the duration of its 
 organic life more than by its nomen- 
 clature, the present Center Church 
 rejoices in a spiritual ancestry as old 
 as Congregationalism is old in Meri- 
 den. 
 
 1892-1896; Rev. J. H. Grant, 1896 to 
 the present time. 
 
 Two of the former pastors of the 
 church are living, Rev. J. J. Woolley, 
 pastor of the Park Place Congrega- 
 tional church, Pawtucket, R. I., and 
 Rev. Edward Hungerford, residing in 
 Burlington, A^ermont, and still in ac- 
 tive pastoral service. During the 
 
 CEXTliR COX(".Kl-:(;.\TI().\.\l. (, ULKCll. 
 
 The pastors of the church since 
 the year 1848 have been, with the 
 terms of service of each : Rev. Asa- 
 hel A. Stevens, 1848-1854; Rev. 
 Lewis E. Lockwood, 1857-1858; 
 Rev. O. H. White, 1858-1862; Rev. 
 J. J. Woolley, 1 862- 1 87 1 ; Rev. Edw. 
 Hungerford, 1872-1879: Rev. A. H. 
 Hall. 1880-1891 ; Rev. J. C. Wilson, 
 
 ])astorate of Mr. Hungerford, the 
 house of worship was extended 
 twenty feet to the west, excavation 
 made for a new lecture room and 
 jiarlors, the present organ was pur- 
 chased and the church interior recon- 
 structed. Again during the pastor- 
 ate of Rev. J. C. Wilson. 1892-6, 
 the premises were greatly improved 
 
142 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 by the removal of an unsightly brick 
 building occupying the corner, and 
 the church interior was remodeled 
 and beautified. 
 
 The membership of the church at 
 this writing is something over four 
 hundred. Few features of the in- 
 stitutional church have been taken 
 •on, both location and constituency 
 favoring rather the type of the 
 
 REV. J. J. WOOLLEY. 
 
 •conservative family church. "Home- 
 like" expresses its chief appeal to its 
 members, who are known as a united 
 .and loyal people. Through a variety 
 of organizations which embody the 
 modern aim and method of spiritual 
 service the church seeks to make itself 
 the servant of the community in the 
 things of the Kingdom of God. 
 
 The organizations at present, in 
 addition to the Sunday school, are 
 as follows : The Woman's Foreign 
 Alissionary Society, auxiliary to the 
 New Haven Branch of the AVoman's 
 Hoard of Foreign ^Missions ; The 
 Ladies' Aid Society, for philan- 
 thropic and social purposes ; The 
 Ladies' Auxiliary, having the same 
 object as the preceding: The Men's 
 Club, for "the better acquaintance 
 of the men of the parish, and the 
 promotion of the welfare of the 
 church ;" The Young People's Society 
 of Christian Endeavor ; The Libert\- 
 Club (young ladies), for missionary 
 and charitable work ; The Sunbeam 
 Society (young children), for mission- 
 ary study and work ; The Junior 
 Church Workers (boys), for Christian 
 culture and usefulness in the church : 
 The Cradle Roll ( the youngest chil- 
 dren), for missionary and social good. 
 
 The present officers of the church 
 in addition to the pastor are : dea- 
 cons, L. B. Yale. O. C. Hupfer, A\'. 
 B. Rice, P. C. Crombie; clerk, O. ^\■. 
 Gaines ; treasurer, A\'. F. Smith : 
 superintendent of the Sunday 
 School, J. H. Yale ; superintendent 
 of primary department, Mrs. Fannie 
 A. Augur.. It deserves a place in 
 this record that ]\Irs. Augur has 
 served the church in this ca])acity 
 more than forty years. The church 
 made recognition not long ago of 
 this remarkable service with a recep- 
 tion and presentation. 
 
 The property of the church is un- 
 der the control and care of a corpor- 
 ation, the "Center Ecclesiastical 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 143 
 
 S(»eK-l\.'" 'llie ])resent society's 
 committee, who.-e functions arc 
 those of trustees, consists of F. 1'. 
 ( iriswold. chairman; |. II. Yale and 
 l>. I.. Pjisho]). Besides the church 
 difice valued at $30,000. the society 
 (.>\vns a parsonage, and invested 
 funds of the value of six thousand 
 dollars. The ])arsonage, a roomy, 
 comfortable home, situated at a 
 sightly point on Broad street, was 
 liuilt in the sixties largely through 
 the efforts of Deacon Walter Booth. 
 who gave the land and superin- 
 tended the huilding. 
 
 Re\-. John H. Grant, the present 
 pastor, completes this year the tenth 
 of his term of service. 
 
 The pastor of the Center Congrega- 
 tional church. Rev. John H. Grant. 
 was born in Goldsboro, X. C, Febru- 
 ary 10. 1870. His father. Major IL 
 L. ("irant. served with distinction 
 through the Civil war as a member of 
 the Si.xth Connecticut A'olunteer Reg- 
 iment and at the conclusion of the war 
 settletl in the south. Mr. (Irant's 
 lUDther is a native of Tlinni])si)n. 
 
 onn. (joldsboro has been the famil\ 
 home since 1868. 
 
 Tlie subject of this sketch is the eld- 
 est of five children. He attended llu' 
 public schools of his native town ; [he 
 Putnam (Conn.) High School, and for 
 a single year Wake Forest College, X. 
 C. completing his ])reparation for col- 
 lege. Four years, 1888-1892, were 
 •spent at .\mherst College, Mass., 
 where Mr. Grant availed himself es- 
 pecially of the departments of litera- 
 
 ture and pr.blic s])eaking, and was 
 identified with \-ariors college organ- 
 izations, musical, dramatic and social. 
 He is the possessor of the I 'hi lieta 
 l\a])i)a Ke\'. and is a member of the 
 l*si L'psilon fr;it(.rnity. lie was grad- 
 uated with tlie degree of A. B., class 
 of i8(;_'. 
 
 The following four xears were 
 given to i)rei)aration for the ministrw 
 
 Ki:\'. joii N 11. (',l^\^•■|■. 
 
 tin- tir.'-t two years at tlie i)i\inily 
 school of the I'nivcrsity of Chicago. 
 the la>t two at ^'ale Dixinity school, 
 Xew Haven, troiu which he was grad- 
 ualc-d iu iN(jO. with tlie drgree ot l'>. 1 ). 
 The toIli)\\iii;^ summer was passed in 
 tra\el in Furoi)e. 
 
 W ith the exception of two summers 
 in Rutlaml. \ ermont. as pastor's as- 
 sistant, the Meriden i>astorate of Mr. 
 
144 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Grant is the only one which he has. 
 held. He was ordained to the minis- 
 try at the same time that he was in- 
 stalled as pastor, October 6, 1896. 
 
 He held the office of president of 
 the local Ministers' Association, and 
 secretary of the Meriden Guild of the 
 Religious Education Association. 
 
 Mr. Grant married in 1901 Marga- 
 ret K., eldest daughter of the late Rev. 
 Alfred H. Hall, a predecessor in the 
 pulpit of Center church. One son has 
 been born to this union, Alfred Hall 
 Grant. The family make their home 
 in the parsonage, 630 Broad street. 
 
 THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 
 
 This society was organized Oct. 
 7, 1786, when Baptists were few in 
 numbers and looked then upon by the 
 "Standing Order," the Congrega- 
 tionalists, as somewhat beneath the 
 social plane. On November 3, the 
 same year, Ephraim Hough was 
 chosen deacon, Isaac HaU as leading 
 brother, and Joel Ives as church 
 clerk. They were later treated more 
 kindly by the ^lethodists, who 
 assisted them materially in the 
 building of their second meeting 
 house. 
 
 Among the men of the town who 
 became in a measure supporters of 
 the Baptist Church, but not mem- 
 bers of either the church or the so- 
 ciety should be mentioned the 
 following: Noah Pomeroy, L. Wil- 
 cox, W. Martin, Chas. Parker, I. C. 
 Lewis, John Parker, J. W. Russell, 
 Edmund Parker. Worcester Ives, 
 
 W. Beckett. John Blake, S. Glad- 
 win and L. Ives. For many years 
 before any meeting house was 
 built within the confines of the pres- 
 ent township of Meriden, Baptists 
 attended divine worship, as far back 
 ^s 1739, at the meeting house in 
 Wallingford. The present society 
 was formed after it had been decid- 
 ed to divide that church. The Mer- 
 iden constituency then formed a 
 new covenant which was signed by 
 the following twelve members of 
 this society : brethren Isaac Hall, 
 Chas. Ives, Ephraim Hough, Zena 
 Brockett, Asaph Mitchell, Charles 
 Ives, Jr., Samuel Mix, and sisters 
 Leah Peck, Sarah Ives, Mary Hull, 
 Jerusha Matoon, and Esther Ma- 
 toon, Isaac Hall being the first 
 clerk. For several years thereafter 
 meetings were held in pri\-ate dwell- 
 ings, schoolhouses and other places, 
 usually in the southeastern part of 
 the present Meriden. 
 
 In 1801 a dwelling house w^as pur- 
 chased near the present dividing 
 line of Meriden and A\^allingford to 
 accommodate Baptists living in both 
 towns, but in 181 5 the IMeriden Bap- 
 tists erected a second meeting 
 house, which stood just south of the 
 present parsonage, and on the site 
 which now^ comprises the south corner 
 of Charles street. This building 
 was named by the members of the 
 "Standing Order" the Salt Box, 
 from its unpretentious appearance 
 and scanty furnishings. The pews 
 of the church first consisted of 
 logs hewn on one side onlv, and 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 145 
 
 10 
 
 CKori' (IF I'ASTOKS OF TlIK FIRST I!.\1-T1ST ( 111K< II 
 
146 
 
 A CENTURY OF MP:RIDEX. 
 
 each family brought its own foot 
 stove which was shared during 
 the lengthy services by each mem- 
 ber of the family. During the 
 noon hour the tires in these foot 
 warmers were replenished at neigh- 
 boring houses. Such were the 
 deprivations of these worshippers 
 that at the end of the first winter, 
 ten men pledged themselves to make 
 the church more comfortable, and 
 all of them did a portion of the 
 work wdth their own hands, there 
 being little if any money used in 
 the first improvements. Among 
 these ten were: James Baldwin, who 
 sawed all the lumber to build the 
 pews ; Joseph Twiss, who furnished 
 oxen to draw the same to Mr. Bald- 
 win's mill ; and Squire William 
 Yale, who was a moimtain of 
 strength to the church and who was 
 said to have possessed at the time, 
 the only "sale" carpeted house in 
 Meriden. Squire Yale was looked 
 upon with a great deal of respect 
 by his neighbors for he entertained 
 the ministers at his house. In 1820 
 a committee comprising Joseph 
 Twiss, Othniel Ives, Daniel Hall, 
 and Seth D. Plumb, the last named 
 of whom was appointed sexton 
 without pay "to keep the key of the 
 meeting house, and see that it was 
 swept and kept in good order" and 
 wdio is said to have borne that 
 honor most gracefully, were 
 appointed a committee to procure 
 preaching for one year and also to 
 keep a book of the society in which 
 should be recorded "all the doino-s 
 
 of building the meeting house," and 
 which book was to contain also the 
 subscriptions of their own members 
 and those of the INIethodists in be- 
 half of the same. Ebenezer Hall, 
 \Vm. Yale, Daniel Baldwin and 
 Othniel Ives were appointed chor- 
 isters. The second church when 
 not in use by the Baptists was 
 free for the use of the Methodists, 
 wdio were also made welcome at all 
 times. On September 4, 1820, it 
 w^as agreed to instruct the society's 
 committee to receive the share of 
 the money previously voted by the 
 state for the "encouragement of 
 religion and literature." In 1823 
 it being decided that "the meeting 
 house must be kept in good repair, 
 looking neat and clean, and be well 
 insured," Samuel Baldwin, Samuel 
 Yale and Samuel Ives Hart were 
 appointed a committee, "to oversee 
 and manage the business," but it 
 was not until Xovember the next 
 year that this work was accom- 
 plished when Eli C. Birdsey, S. 
 Baldwin, Titrs Ives and William 
 and Jonathan Yale secured the 
 money to carry out the instructions 
 of the society. 
 
 In 1830 the society removed the 
 church building to a lot directly 
 across the street adjoining the grave- 
 yard, at which time the underpin- 
 ning was raised and a basement story 
 put in. This became a later place ot 
 worship of the self sacrificing and 
 struggling Baptists, and was accom- 
 plished through free will offering's 
 of friends within and without the 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 147 
 
 society boundaries. This building" in 
 later years came to be used for educa- 
 tional purposes, and was known as 
 "The Academy on the Hill," and for 
 many years was the only high school 
 building in the town. In 1846. it 
 being evident that a still larger church 
 
 their meeting house, which was 
 soon to be vacated, the Congrega- 
 tionalists having decided to build a 
 larger church. 
 
 The Congregationalists, however, 
 would not sell, and as a result the 
 Baptists resolved "that in the opinion 
 
 FIRST I'.APTIST CHURCH. 
 
 edifice was needed, a committee com- of this meeting ii is expedient to 
 prising Joel ]\Iiller. Alanson llird- lake immediate measures to secure a 
 sey, N. F. Goodrich. Ira Twiss. and more ample house of worship." Sam- 
 Ezra Rutty were appointed to con- uel \'ale. taking in the situation, (|uiet- 
 fer with the First Congregational 1\ ])urcliase(l the then vacant lot 
 Society with a view of purchasing adjoining the Congregational edifice 
 
148 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 of Mr. Saltonstall. after which, it 
 having been so voted, this land was 
 purchased by the society. Without 
 further delay. ( ). Crocker. X. F. 
 Goodrich and Charles E'lanchard were 
 appointed a committee "to secure a 
 design and specifications for a new 
 house of worship." The work of 
 1)uilding the new church met with a 
 remonstrance from the neighboring 
 church who caused an injunction 
 to be ])laced on the progress of the 
 
 house of worship erected. The first 
 pastor of the church was the Rev. 
 Samuel Miller, who filled the pulpit 
 for man_\- years, being both ordained 
 and installed in 1806, filling the pulpit 
 for twenty-three years thereafter. 
 After his death in 1829 an extensive 
 revival resulted in adding many scores 
 to the church. I'rom the beginning of 
 the society the name of Aliller has 
 been a predominating one, and as a 
 loyal member of the present society 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 OLIVE BRANCH CHAPEL. 
 
 work, the reason given for the 
 same when the cpiestion was decided 
 in court was as follows: "Xo objec- 
 tion to the Bapti-sts as Christian peo- 
 ple, as good neighbors and worths- 
 citizens. "' but Rev. Mr. Miller had a 
 peculiarly sharp, ringing voice, that 
 the Congregationalists claimed would 
 disturb their society in worship. As 
 may be readily su])posed the injunc- 
 tion was removed and the present 
 
 has happil\- i)ut it, "the Millers of the 
 constructive rather than the destruc- 
 tive sort, have ever hovered about the 
 church," and the members of the Mil- 
 ler famil}- through several generations 
 up to the present time have been most 
 loyal supporters of the society and its 
 commendable work. 
 
 After the death of Samuel ^Miller the 
 following served for brief terms as 
 pastors : Rev. Russell Jennings, Rev. 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 149 
 
 Xatlianiel Harvey, Rev. George B. At- 
 wcll and Rev. Leland Howard. In 
 183S. Re\-. Harvey Miller, son of 
 Rev. Samuel .Miller, l^ecame their 
 pastor and during- his pastoral term 
 the church ])rospered greatl}' and in 
 184O-47 the ])resent edifice was 
 (.rt'Cted. 
 
 In fulfilment of his dying request, 
 Kev. D. Henry Miller, D. D., was se- 
 cured as ])ast(^r and he served five 
 years, muil he enlisted in the War 
 of the Rel)ellion. Since that time the 
 following have been pastors : Rev. A. 
 F. .Mason, Rev. H. A. Cordo. D. D., 
 Rev. Almonde Barrelle, Rev. B. O. 
 Tnie, D. D., Rev. J. A'. Garton, Rev. 
 W. (i. Fennell. and Rev. Robert A. 
 Ashworth. the present pastor, who 
 came in response to the call from the 
 church, in 1(899. The growth of the so- 
 ciety has been steady although at var- 
 ious times members ha\e been dis- 
 missed to help organize the follow- 
 ing churches: Main Street Baptist, 
 Swedish and German Baptist. Much 
 has also been done by the so-called 
 up-town r>a])tist chiu-ch. to aid the 
 ('live r>ranch Mission and the Park 
 .•\venue mission which have been es- 
 tablished b\ it. .\ot onh. therefore, 
 has the h'irst Baptist church contrib- 
 uted generously to the membership of 
 the .societies of its offs])rings. but its 
 remaining members have given unsel- 
 fishly of their means to enable the 
 younger churches of their denomina- 
 tion to place themselxes on substan- 
 tial footings. 
 
 The value of the church pro])ert\-, 
 including the parsonage, now occui)ied 
 
 by the [)resent pastor, is $20,000. This 
 valuation also includes the Olive 
 liranch chapel stn:clr,re in the extreme 
 easterly portion of Meriden, and which 
 was established something over thirty 
 years ago, in which Deacon Russell 
 Perkins was for many years a lead- 
 ing spirit. According to the statistics 
 of the Xew Haven Baptist Associa- 
 tion, of which this and all other IJaj)- 
 tist churches in Meriden are mem- 
 bers, the I'^irst liaptist church has a 
 total enrolled mend)ership of 597. 
 ( )f this there is a resident member- 
 ship of 164 men and 349 women. 
 The total enrolled mend)ership of 
 the three l)ible schools, including 
 the ( )Iive Ih'anch mission school, 
 and that which has been maintained 
 during the j)ast eight \ears at Park 
 Aveinie, is 554. The average attend- 
 ance at the several Sunday schools 
 '•'^ 33S- Dtiring the year of 1905 the 
 church \\as entirely freed from debt 
 and the church property was also 
 repaired. 
 
 Rev. Robert Archil)ald Ashworth. 
 |)ast()r of the b'irst I'.aptist t'hurch, 
 was born at (jlasgow. Scotland, julx 
 26, 1871. His father. Rev. j. W. Ash- 
 worlli. also a minister of the l'>a])tist 
 denomination, after having held pas- 
 torates in Scotland and later in Eng- 
 land, emigrated to this country and 
 was installed as ])astor of the lUiptist 
 Church of Malone, X. ^^ He after- 
 wards held pastorates in X'ew 'N'ork 
 C"it\. I'ulnani. ("onn., and Ticonder- 
 oga, .v. \'.. where he died. 
 
 PI is son graduated at the High 
 school of Malone. X. ^'. lie later 
 
150 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 took the regular academic course at 
 Columbia University of New York 
 Citv, which was followed by an addi- 
 tional year under appointment as Uni- 
 versity Fellow in English Language 
 and Literature, at the conclusion of 
 which he received the degree of A. M. 
 He fitted for the pulpit at Lhiion The- 
 ological Seminary, New York City, 
 from which he graduated in 1896. 
 
 REV. R. A. ASHW^ORTH. 
 
 Rev. Mr. Ashworth had two pastor- 
 ates previous to coming to Meriden, 
 viz. the Pjaptist church at Minerva, 
 N. Y., where he remained for two 
 years, and the First Baptist Church 
 at Bridgeton, N. J., where he remained 
 for two years before accepting the call 
 of the First Baptist Church of this 
 city where he was installed in 1900. 
 
 Mr. Ashworth is one of the trustees 
 of the Connecticut Baptist Conven- 
 tion and of the Connecticut Literary 
 Institution at Suffield. He is also 
 president of the Meriden Guild of 
 the Religious Education Association 
 of America. 
 
 He is married to Mabelle, daugh- 
 ter of F. C. Edgerton of Meriden 
 and they have one daughter, Katha- 
 rine. 
 
 AL\L\ STREET BAPTIST 
 CHURCH. 
 
 ( )wing to the growth of the pop- 
 ulation of the vicinity on June 4, 1861, 
 there was formed an organization, un- 
 der the name of the West Meriden 
 1 baptist church, consisting of thirty- 
 seven members who had received their 
 dismissal from the First Baptist 
 church. 
 
 ( )n the site now ocupied by the Mer- 
 iden National Bank, they erected a 
 chapel at the cost of $1,400, which 
 was dedicated on May 15, of the same 
 year. The first business meeting was 
 held previous to the organization at 
 the rooms of Charles Page. 
 
 The present edifice, which was dedi 
 cated July 12, 1868, was built during 
 1867-68. The parsonage was addecl 
 to the property shortly after the com- 
 pletion of the church. In 1881, by 
 vote of the members, the name was 
 changed to the Main Street Baptist 
 Church, and in May, 1886, was incor- 
 porated under the laws of the state. 
 
 Although it was a small number that 
 organized the church, since that time 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 151 
 
 there have ])rohably been more than tist Society, organized the Swedish 
 
 1,000 names added to the membership Baptist Church. 
 
 roll. Tn 1890 this church ,2:ave letters Tlie Alain Street Baptist edifice is 
 
 GKOL'P OF PASTOKS OF THF MAIX STRKFT I'.AI'TIST CHURCH. 
 
 of dismissal to fifty-four members, of brick and is located in the center 
 who with others from the First Bap- of the city. Since its erection many 
 
152 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 improvements have been made exter- 
 nally as well as internally. During 
 the present pastorate the basement was 
 remodeled into beautiful social rooms 
 at a very large cost. 
 
 The church has had ten pastors, and 
 they have presided over an ever grow- 
 ing and harmonious cong-reoation in 
 
 named the church has especially pros- 
 pered spirituall}- and a large portion 
 of a long standing debt has been paid. 
 L'nder the charge of the i)resent 
 j)astor. they have one of the largest 
 and best attended Junior C. E. socie- 
 ties of any church in the city. This 
 society has doubled its membership 
 
 MAIN STREET U.M'TIST CHURCH. 
 
 the following order: Rev. E. Al. Jer- 
 ome, Rev. H. G. Alason, Rev. O. T. 
 Walker, Rev. A. M. Worcester, Rev. 
 C. E. Cordo, Rev. J. G. Noble, Rev. 
 I. R. Wheelock, Rev. E. W. Husted, 
 Rev. C. J. Greenwood and Rev. Ar- 
 thur Emerson Harris, the present pas- 
 tor. During the pastorate of the last 
 
 within a year. There is a large ljil)lt.- 
 school and also several other so- 
 cieties in connection with this church, 
 all of which are growing steadily i" 
 numbers, and great interest is shown 
 in the work. 
 
 The value of the church property, 
 including the parsonage, is ?44,8oo. 
 
CIIURCHKS. 
 
 153 
 
 l)ut tilis will be enhanced in a degTce 
 hv marked iuiprox-enients to the inter- 
 ior of the church that are to be made 
 during the summer months of H)0(). 
 The interior will then be handsomely 
 redecorated, electric li^htin^' will take 
 the place of gas : there will also be 
 made important changes in the j^ulpit 
 platform and baptistry and a new or- 
 gan will probably sui)plant the old. 
 The main body of the church will also 
 be carpetctl anew. 
 
 The resident membership comprises 
 100 men and 153 women, and the total 
 enrolled membershi]) is 7,y^. according 
 to the statistics presented at the eight- 
 ieth meeting of the Xew Haven Bap- 
 tist As.sociation held in 1905. The to- 
 tal enrolled membership of the Stm- 
 day .school is 225 and the average at- 
 tendance about 135. 
 
 The following are the officers for 
 
 Deacons, I*. A. S])encer, Ci. A. (ilad- 
 win, ( larry C. Hloomfield and Horace 
 W. l\ingsle\- : trustees, first. I. I. ( iard- 
 ner, second. K. H. Lane, and third. E. 
 R. Lewis; treasurer, j. T. Kav : col- 
 lector. H. H. Lester: auditors, 11. W. 
 Kingsley, i'Vank K. Kay and 1\. E. 
 Mills: benevoleni band. Deacon (ilad- 
 uin : ushers. C". .\l. ( ilantz. b". L. 
 'I'heime, Ed. Joel. Le Roy ( iardner. .\. 
 _|. Rowley. I'aul (iehring. Howard 
 T :n\r and Irving Wood. 
 
 Kev. .\rthur Emerson Harris. ])as- 
 tor of the Main street Baptist church. 
 was born May 3. 1870. at .Montreal. 
 Can., of English partntagc. At tin 
 aire of five his famiK removed to l-',n>j- 
 
 land. residing at Brighton, where Mr. 
 Harris received his early education in 
 one of the munerous "Church"' 
 schools of that country. ])rivate schools 
 supported partly by the established 
 Church of I'Jigland, and partl\ 1)\ the 
 fees paid l)y ])arents who were un- 
 willing to send their children to the 
 board schools, which answt'r some- 
 what to American i)ublic free schools. 
 
 PliDto by Akers .t Pigeon. 
 
 Kl-:\'. .\. !•;. II.XKUIS. 
 
 but were \er\ inft'rior. This accounts 
 lor a religious traimng from the ver\' 
 first such as was not to be had in the 
 common school education. Circum- 
 stances recalled his parents to Canada 
 in iSSj and the taniiK rcturni'd to 
 .Montreal, where .Mr. Harris, then 
 twelve \ears ot age. entered business 
 
154 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 life in the office of a celebrated patent 
 solicitor. At the age of fifteen, he 
 went alone to Toronto, to seek his life 
 work and fortune unaided, and suc- 
 ceeded in securing a training in busi- 
 ness management and acquiring a 
 knowledge of telegraphy, being placed 
 subsequently in charge of what was 
 then a new venture in Canada, a large 
 district messenger and branch tele- 
 graph office, with the oversight of 
 some fifty boys. 
 
 Mr. Harris aspired to business life 
 of a different order, however, and in 
 1883 accepted an important position 
 with a prominent New York banking 
 institution, where, after a series of 
 promotions he had a successful busi- 
 ness career, and was offered the posi- 
 tion of manager of a branch bank- 
 ing house in Reading, Penn., and af- 
 terwards in Philadelphia. It was 
 while in this latter city that Mr. Har- 
 ris finally responded to the call, that 
 he had felt justified hitherto in stead- 
 ily resisting, to enter the gospel min- 
 istry of his own denomination, the 
 Baptist church. Accordingly in 1895 
 he entered Crozer Theological Semi- 
 nary at Chester, Penn., and after pur- 
 suing the regular course of three 
 years, received his diploma, June, 
 1898, and was ordained shortly fol- 
 lowing at the Fifth Baptist church of 
 Philadelphia. He was afterward mar- 
 ried in that church October 29, 1902, 
 to Anna Loomis Meredith, of Phila- 
 delphia, who has made him an excel- 
 lent helpmate in his life work. 
 
 The first pastorate Mr. Harris 
 filled was during his senior vear at 
 
 seminary when he took charge of the 
 Liberty Park Baptist chapel, a mis- 
 sion of the Baptist churches of Cam- 
 den, N. J., and which has since become 
 the Brean Baptist church of Camden. 
 In 1898, he was called, upon his grad- 
 uation from Crozer, to the pastorate 
 of the Tabernacle Baptist church, 
 Newark, N. J., which church he served 
 for a little over five years, resigning 
 that charge in 1903 to accept the pas- 
 torate of the Main street Baptist 
 church of this city, assuming his new 
 duties with the last Sunday in June 
 of the same year. Since his coming 
 there have been noticeable additions 
 both to the property and membership 
 and he holds the love and es- 
 teem of a loyal and harmonious flock. 
 Mr. Harris is a man of great energy 
 and force and since he became its 
 pastor the church has been greatly 
 blessed spiritually. 
 
 GER^IAN BAPTIST CHURCH. 
 
 The German Baptists of Meriden 
 as indicated by the membership of 
 their church, number at this wTiting 
 about 100. Previous to 1874 when 
 the society was formally organized, 
 these good people in order to attend 
 church where their language was 
 spoken, went to a place of worship 
 in New Haven. Andrew Stockburger, 
 a staunch Baptist and a preacher 
 but not a clergyman, and his wife, 
 Christina, to a certain extent a 
 missionary in Meriden, are justly 
 called the organizers of the Ger- 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 155 
 
 mail Baptist church here. Fc^r some 
 \ ears meetings and Sunday school 
 were lield at their house on Gale 
 avenue, at first but once a month, and 
 gradually more frequently. Later 
 meetings were held in the old school- 
 house that stood on Broad street at 
 the north side of the old burying 
 ground. Meetings were also held 
 bv the German Baptists at the old 
 
 desirable Iniilding lots at the cor- 
 ner of Liberty and Twiss streets. 
 This land was purchased by the 
 First Baptist church society from 
 Waldo C. Twiss at a very reason- 
 able figure, and Edward Miller was 
 one of the largest contributors in 
 the purchase of the land, which was 
 leased by that society to the German 
 Baptists for a period of ninetv-nine 
 
 Pliotci by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 GF-:R.M.\X liAPTIST CliUKCH .\.\1) r.\KSO.\.\GE. 
 
 ti>\\H hall and before the erection 
 of their present edifice, in the east 
 wing (jf the Main Street Ba})tist 
 church. It was in 1874, a short 
 time after a regular pastor in the 
 person of Rev. Henry Moelman had 
 been engaged and who was installed 
 May 30. 1873, that they became 
 possessed of two large and highly 
 
 _\ears. The acquisition of this land 
 and the popularity of the first regu- 
 lar pastor enthused and encouraged 
 the members to such an extent that 
 the Iniilding of the present edifice 
 was soon begun and this was dedi- 
 cated on Christmas Day, 1876. The 
 growth of the society was more 
 pr< lUfiuncecl in its early davs 
 
156 
 
 A CliXTURV OF MERIDEX, 
 
 and although organized with but 
 seventeen meml)ers or famihes, the 
 first year thereafter twenty-five 
 persons received baptism at the 
 hands of Rev. Afr. Aloehuan. He 
 remained pastor for thirteen years 
 and during his pastorate the church 
 thrived handsomely both spirituall}' 
 
 RK\'. J. C. IIL'I'.ER. 
 
 and otherwise. His loss to the 
 church was sadly felt for he was 
 greatly beloved by his people. Some 
 months after his departure Rev. 
 Henry Weimar was engaged to pre- 
 side over the church and as the sec- 
 ond pastor remained four years. 
 The third pastor was Rev. Henry 
 
 I')cntz, who remained three years as 
 did also Rev. Henry Aleyers who 
 became the next settled pastor. 
 Later divines of this church were 
 Re^■. Emil Berger who served as 
 such six years and Rev. F. Knorr 
 who filled the pulpit from 1901 to 
 1904. The present pastor, Rev. J. C. 
 Huber, was installed Sept. i, 1904. 
 
 In 1891 the present church par- 
 sonage, owned by the society, was 
 built and this with a few exceptions 
 has been occupied by the several 
 pastors and their families. The first 
 deacon of the church was Andrew 
 Schwab and the present deacons are 
 Andrew Stockburger and John Luft. 
 The clerk of the church for many 
 vears at intervals has been John 
 (iuenther, a neighbor of Deacon 
 Stockburger and the treasurer is 
 Andrew Stockburger. jr. 
 
 Some time ago the church became 
 incorporated. There are 100 active 
 resident members of the church and 
 about 80 in the Sunday school. 
 There is also a society of Willing 
 W^orkers of twenty members and a 
 Young People's society of thirty 
 members, also a Ladies" Aid Society 
 and Junior League. 
 
 Rev. J. C. Huber was born in 
 Switzerland and at the age of seven- 
 teen came to this country. He was 
 educated for the ministry at the the- 
 ological seminary at Minneapolis, 
 ]vlinn., where he resided for many 
 vears. His pastorates have been at 
 Tomah, Wis., Danville. IMinn., St. 
 Charles, ^linn., and previous to 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 157 
 
 c« lining- to .Merideii was located fcjr 
 -(.vcn years in Xewark. X. ].. wliere 
 lie ])reache(l in two different 
 ehurches. one of which was the First 
 ( ierman llaptist church of that city. 
 lie. like his ])redecessors, preaches 
 in (ierman although services are at 
 times held in Enolish. He is held 
 in hi.u'h esteem not onl\- hv the Ger- 
 man speaking;' i)o]udation who at- 
 tend his church, but in the commun- 
 it\- at laro-e. He has been blessed 
 
 lield ])reachin|L;- ser\ices both in this 
 hall an<l alternately the Alain 
 Street Baptist Church, commenced 
 building the present edifice at the 
 Corner of Park Avenue and Frank- 
 lin street. The following com- 
 prised the building committee: Os- 
 car Peterson. John V_. Swenson, 
 liernard Swenson, G. Kjall, Hans 
 Hanson and Rev. A. Rohnstrom. 
 the last named being then ])astor of 
 the church. The corner stone of 
 
 with a large family and the members the new edifice was laid with appro- 
 nf his household add to his efforts priate ceremonies Jidy 6. 1890. and 
 
 1 l)ehalf of Christianit\'. 
 
 THE SWEDISH BAPTFST 
 CHCRCH. 
 
 The l-"irst .SAvedish PajUist 
 Church of .Meriden. Conn., under 
 which name it became incorporated 
 December 2. 1889. was organized 
 February 16. 1887, with nineteen 
 members who had withdrawn b\' let- 
 ter from the Main Street r.a])tist 
 Church, of Meriden. Some time pre- 
 vicnis to this the Swedish people of 
 this faith were banded together and 
 held business meetings, calling them- 
 selves a .societv as earlv as 1886, and 
 
 great was the joy in the hearts of 
 the Swedish Baptists wdien the 
 church was formally dedicated Xov. 
 21. 1890. 
 
 The church has been a growing- 
 institution from the start, and dur- 
 ing its nineteen _\-ears of useftdness 
 297 ha\-e been given the right hand 
 of fellowship, thus becoming mem- 
 bers of the church. The member- 
 ship of the church at the ])resenl 
 da_\- is 133. During its existence 
 there has been i)aid for running 
 ex])enses, charity and missions near- 
 ly $25,000. The church, of which 
 an illustration is shown, together 
 with the parsonage, has a seating 
 capacity of 250. and is valued at 
 
 several of whom came to this cit\ 
 
 from the .\nierican Paptist Church of S8,ooo. and u]ton which there is no 
 
 Xew Britain. The first chairman of debt. The c]nu"cli corjioration has 
 
 the society was Rew ( ). Pindh. now also buill a comfortable parsonage 
 
 at Cambridge. Mass.. who ofticiated 
 at the organization of the church. 
 
 The young society after ha\ing 
 maintained a ."Sunday school in a 
 small hall on i'.ritannia street near 
 the railroad crossin-j'. ami ]ia\in^- 
 
 fronting on Park axenue. at a cost 
 (if S2. 000. but u])o]i ibis a debt of 
 Si .500 still remains. 
 
 'i"he serx'ices are held in ."^wedish 
 but there are classes in tlu' Sunday 
 >chool in which I'li^li^li is used and 
 
158 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 meetings of the different societies of 
 the church, which are frequently at- 
 tended by EngHsh speaking people. 
 The members are enthusiastic and the 
 services are well attended, while the 
 Sunday school has a membership of 
 about I GO. 
 
 Several well known Swedish 
 
 he remained until 1893 when Rev. T. 
 Clafiford became the pastor, serving 
 five years. Rev. \Y. Kohler was 
 installed and held the pastorate un- 
 til i9o4, when Rev. Robert Lar- 
 son was called to the church from 
 Minnesota, and he has since guided 
 the spiritual lives of its members. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 SWEDISH BAPTIST CHURCH AND PARSONAGE. 
 
 divines of the Baptist faith have 
 presided over the church from time 
 to time. The first regular pastor 
 was Rev. A. P. Sword, who served 
 in 1888-89 ^iid was followed iby 
 Rev. A. Rohnstrom, under whose 
 pastorate the church was built, and 
 
 The deacons of the church at the 
 present writing are Hans Hanson, 
 John E. Swenson, David Dahl and 
 blof Falk. 
 
 Mr. Larson was born at Skarf- 
 sjon, Stensele, W'esterbotten, Swed- 
 en. Comine to this countrv at the 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 159 
 
 age of twenty to seek his fortune, 
 he finally entered the Theological 
 ^Seminary of the l'ni\crsity of Chi- 
 cag<J. from which he was afterward 
 graduated, and December 8, 1900 
 became an ordained preacher of the 
 Haptist church, later becoming in- 
 stalled pastor of the Swedish Bap- 
 tist Church at \\'illmar, Minn. Since 
 his coming to Meriden, the Swedish 
 Baptist Church has continued to 
 
 Photo by Aker> .*>; Pigeon. 
 
 l<I-:\'. KOliKKT LAKSOX. 
 
 grow in membership and prosperity 
 and during his brief pastorate, a 
 remaining debt on the church edifice 
 has been liquidated. Mr. Larson is 
 a man of scholarly attainments and 
 is mucli beloved by those of liis 
 nationality in Meriden. and eni(ns 
 
 llic highest esteem of those who 
 kn(_)w him. 
 
 He is married to Anna Sophia 
 Mattson, formerly of Daggett, ]\Iich., 
 and they have two bright infant boys, 
 Charles Eben and Rolf Osmund. Kev. 
 .Mr. Larson and his family reside at 
 the church parsonage. 
 
 ST. ANDREWS CHURCH. 
 
 The Episcopal parish of .Meriden 
 had its origin in the troubles in- 
 cident to the Revolution. Moses 
 -Vndrews, one of the brothers of the 
 famous Parson Andrews of W'al- 
 lingford, was a farmer in the west- 
 ern part of the town. W'lien the 
 war l)r(ike out, in common with the 
 rest of the Episcopalians, he became 
 an object of suspicion to the ruling 
 authorities. Though remarka1)le for 
 tlie mildness and gentleness of 
 his character, he was placed under 
 ]iea\y bonds and forbidden to leave 
 his farm under any ])retense what- 
 ever, without the special permis- 
 sion of the selectmen of the town. 
 To Mr. An(h-ews the severest ])art 
 of the punishment was the being 
 forbidden to worship Cod with his 
 brethren 011 the Lin-d's dax' and in 
 the Lord's house. lie tlierefore 
 ])etitioned for |)ermission to go to 
 church on Sundays in W allingford. 
 The indtilgence for which he would 
 lia\e been thankful was refused. Tn 
 ])lace of it he was graciously given 
 permission to attend the Congrega- 
 tional meeting house in Meriden. But 
 
i6o 
 
 A CENTURV OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 that was a favor which the sturdy 
 old churchman did not appreciate. 
 Finding that he would not be allow- 
 ed to attend the church of his choice 
 he determined to have a church in 
 his own house, and that house is 
 now standing at 424 West Main 
 street. Slabs and blocks of wood 
 were brought from the neighboring 
 saw mill for benches, and the neigh- 
 bors were invited to attend. Every 
 Sunda}' the little congregation, pro- 
 bably not more than fifteen or 
 twentv in all. assembled to unite in 
 the worship according to the prayer 
 book and listen to a sermon from 
 some standard author. Neighbor 
 Andrews himself was the lay- 
 reader. The services thus humbly 
 commenced were continued almost 
 a fjuarter of a century. 
 
 The organization of this time 
 honored parish of the Protestant 
 Episcopal Church, which makes 
 ^leriden somewhat famous church- 
 Avise. dates back to 1789. and ac- 
 cording to an historical sketch by 
 late Rev. G. H. Deshon, D. D., on 
 April 13, of that year, a ]M-elim.inary 
 meeting Avas held during the pro- 
 gress of which the following agree- 
 ment was signed : 
 
 Meriden, April 13, 1789. 
 
 'AA'e. whose names are underwrit- 
 ten, do declare our conformity to 
 the Church of England and desire 
 of joining the worship and sacra- 
 ments of said church, do consent 
 and agree to support the same." 
 Signed: Reuben Tves, clerk; Deni- 
 son Andrews, ]\ loses Andrews, Isaac 
 
 Atwater, David Andrews, Simeon 
 Perkins, John P. Douglass, Ezra 
 r.utler. Watt Hubbard, Seth De- 
 Wolf, and Soloiuon Yale. This 
 simple record of the first proceed- 
 ings toward the formation of the 
 society were the first steps taken by 
 these early Episcopalians in Meri- 
 den. 
 
 At a following meeting held in 
 Meriden, December 28 of the same 
 vear the society was formally orga- 
 nized, at which time Closes .\n- 
 drews was chosen first clerk, and 
 Denison Andrews and Isaac At- 
 water, the society committee. Rev. 
 Reuben Ives of Cheshire, who in the 
 meantime had served as missionary 
 was placed in charge of the parish 
 thus formed and was engaged as 
 the first rector by the following- 
 vote : "that we will hire Air. Ives to 
 preach four days for this year," 
 'A^:)ted : To keep up meetings for 
 this vear." This vote according to 
 Dr. Deshon was to have the ser- 
 A'ices of a clergyman Init for four 
 Sundavs during the year, the balance 
 of the time to continue the lay ser- 
 vices to which they had previously 
 been accustomed. Mr. Ives, who 
 remained in charge of the parish as 
 its missionary from the time of its 
 organization to 1824, sometimes 
 preached as often as six Sundays a 
 year. Although for scA'cral years 
 the society was too small in meni- 
 bershi]) and too poor in piu'se to 
 even think of building a church, yet 
 in 1795 they proposed "to erect a 
 church at the southeast corner of 
 
CIIURCIIRS, 
 
 i6i 
 
 ^ 2 
 
 /*C 
 
 II 
 
1 62 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 the green whereon the meeting 
 house now stands" (meaning the 
 Congregational Meeting house), "pro- 
 vided the land can be obtained," 
 but it was not until 1806 that they 
 voted "that we will build a house 
 for publick worship on ground be- 
 longing to Joseph Merriam." This 
 land was located on West Main 
 street, directly opposite the house of 
 
 SECOND EPISCOPAL EDIFICE. 
 
 Almon Andrews, but a month later 
 they changed their minds, and de- 
 cided to build the church elsewhere, 
 "within sixty rods of the meeting 
 house in Meriden," which they after- 
 wards did. 
 
 The raising of money for the first 
 church edifice then became a serious 
 problem and among the various 
 
 plans suggested was one to apply 
 to the legislature for a grant of a 
 lottery, a method of raising money 
 as fashionable then as fairs of the 
 present day. Another was to "build 
 a house the doors of which should 
 be opened to the Baptists and Pres- 
 byterians wdien not occupied by the 
 Episcopal Society." Both of these 
 plans were almost immediately 
 abandoned, and the society finally 
 decided, and with laudable inde- 
 pendence, to build a church by legit- 
 imate methods, building it piece by 
 piece, as fast only as they could pay 
 for it. First they raised the frame, 
 then they had it shingled, later they 
 were enabled to have it plastered, 
 and finally the pews and furniture 
 were put in. All this was accom- 
 plished after ten years of jKitience 
 and self-denial, and the first edifice 
 on Broad street was consecrated to 
 God October 18, 1816, by Bishop 
 Hobart of New York, under the 
 name of St. Andrew's Church, and 
 upon that occasion thirty-eight per- 
 sons were confirmed by him. The 
 building, a plain wooden structure 
 with a frontage of thirty-six feet 
 and a depth of forty-five feet, stood 
 in marked contrast to the impos- 
 ing edifice, the present St. An- 
 drew's church, as is shown in 
 a following illustration. The ex- 
 terior was the personification of plain- 
 ness, but the interior was neatly 
 arranged according to the fashion ot 
 the times. Dr. Deshon described 
 the interior as follows, "a gallery 
 ran around three sides of the build- 
 
CHURCHES, 
 
 163 
 
 ing. A huge pulpit stood at the 
 west end surmounted by a canopy, 
 flanked on either side by an elevat- 
 ed flight of steps, and cushioned 
 and festooned most lavishly with 
 crimson damask. In the front of 
 the pulpit was a formidable struc- 
 ture which served for a reading 
 desk. In front of the reading desk 
 was a small communion table en- 
 closed by a small semi-circular rail. 
 The space under the stairs in the 
 lower part of the church, by the 
 side door, was used for the vestry 
 room." 
 
 Rev. Reuben Ives was, in 1825, 
 succeeded by Rev. Ashbel Baldwin, 
 one of the four candidates admitted 
 to holy orders by Bishop Sea- 
 bury at the first Episcopal ordina- 
 tion ever held in America. He was 
 followed in 1826 by Rev. Nathaniel 
 Bruce who was called according to 
 the parish records by the follow- 
 ing cautious vote : ''to appoint a 
 committee to wait on the Rev. 
 Nathaniel Bruce, and see if he can 
 be obtained to officiate two-thirds 
 of the time for the year ensuing ; to 
 make his residence in ]\Ieriden, sal- 
 ary not to exceed $200 ; to be insti- 
 tuted our clergyman during the 
 amity and friendship of the parties." 
 His short term of service according 
 to the church records is therefore 
 somewhat significant. Rev. Robert 
 A. Hallam followed Rev. James 
 Keek'r as rector of St. Andrew's 
 parish, and residents of Meriden arc 
 fully aware of his successful pastor- 
 ate extending over a period of three 
 
 years. He was known as a rector 
 of "genial and winning manners, 
 the brilliancy and beauty of his ser- 
 mons and the earnest interest 
 which he manifested in his work, 
 rendered him a universal favorite, 
 not only in the parish but among 
 all classes of Christians. ^Nluch of 
 the prosperity with whTch the par- 
 ish has since been blessed may be 
 fairly attributed to his labors." 
 
 Rev. Edward Ingersoll followed 
 Dr. Hallam in ministering to the 
 spiritual comforts of St. Andrew's 
 parish, and later, in 1837, Rev. John 
 ^I. Guion became the settled rector. 
 Both of these men are said to have 
 been preachers of ''distinguished 
 abilities." Melancthon Hoyt. "one 
 of the most successful missionaries 
 upon the extreme western border, 
 known all over the land, even by 
 the Indians," took charge of the 
 parish in 1839. 
 
 Following Mr. Hoyt came Rev. 
 Sabura S. Stocking, who became 
 the rector in 1840, but was succeed- 
 ed in 1 841 by Rev. Chas. W. Ever- 
 est, the latter of wliom was distin- 
 guished not only as a preacher but 
 as a poet. Rev. John T. Gushing 
 became the head of the parish in 
 1843. '^"fl "'^ 1844 came the Rev. 
 Gvrus ]\Iunson. Mr. Munson who 
 was a lifelong friend of Dr. Desh- 
 on, and his companion in his early 
 ministry, was called to his heavenly 
 reward while in the prime of life. 
 iust after his j^astorate here. Dur- 
 ing the year following the death of 
 Rev. Mr. Munson in 1849, Rev. 
 
164 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Abram L. Littlejohn became the 
 rector; and he was succeeded in 
 1850 by the Rev. Giles H. Deshon. 
 At the time of the coming of Mr. 
 Deshon as rector, the church had en- 
 tered upon a new era of prosperity 
 for a new church edifice of Gothic ar- 
 chitecture had been constructed on 
 
 structed of brownstone. The build- 
 ing was forty-five by eighty feet 
 and its corner stojie was laid June 
 8, 1848. It was consecrated by 
 Bishop Brownell, February 6, 1850. 
 On Easter day, 1850, the Rev. 
 Giles Henry Deshon assumed his 
 duties as rector. Under his care 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 ST. ANDREW S CHURCH. 
 
 Broad street by the parish and in and oversight the parish made rai)id 
 this the ])rincely generosity of a for- strides in material and spiritual 
 mer rector. Dr. Hallam, figured con- growth. About this time the growth 
 spicuously in the cost of the build- of the town began to extend west- 
 ing, which was $15,000. This, the ward and in a few vears it was 
 second church occupied by the deemed advisal)le to Iniild a new 
 Episcopalians in Merirlen, was con- church edifice nearer the center of 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 165 
 
 l)opulation. The corner stone of 
 the new buildint^ was hiid at the 
 corner of Libert}' and Catlin streets 
 on the 8th day of August, 1866. 
 Many of the stones in the ohl 
 church were used in the con- 
 struction of the new echfice, and the 
 churcli was consecrated N(j\-. 7. 
 1S07 b\ liisho]) WiUianis. In 1871 
 the work of the parish had in- 
 creased to such an extent that an 
 assistant minister was appointed to 
 htlp the rector. Idiis first assist- 
 ant was the Re\'. Frank B. Lewis. 
 Since his appointment there have 
 been lO assistant ministers in the 
 parish, two of whom have been rais- 
 ed to the Episcopate, viz : the Right 
 Reverend Chauncey Bunce Brewster. 
 D. D., Bishop of Connecticut, and 
 the Right Reverend John Hazen 
 White. D. D., Bishop of Michigan 
 City, Indiana. For t,t, years did 
 the Rev. Dr. Deshon minister to tlie 
 people of St. Andre^v's — an earnest 
 practical preacher, and above all a 
 faithful, tender hearted and sympa- 
 thetic ])astor. He bound to himself 
 with cords of lo\c and friendshi]). 
 not only his own parisliioners, but 
 all residents in the community as 
 well. His was an uniipu- and nobk' 
 personality. In all his ministr}- he 
 was zealonsl}' su])porlcd by that 
 trio of noble laymen, long ago gone 
 to their rest. Edwin E. Curtis, 
 Lemuel J. Curtis, and George 
 R. Curtis. The last official act of 
 Dr. Deshon was on Christmas Day, 
 1882. when he attended the services 
 of the church suffering intense pain 
 
 from an ulcerated tooth. His low- 
 ered \itality could not withstand the 
 inroads of the resultant blood-poi- 
 soning, and on January i, 1883, he 
 passed to his reward. The growth 
 of the ])arish under his administra- 
 tion is seen in the following conven- 
 tion reports: 
 
 1850 1883 
 
 l*'amilies 95 I'aniilies 300 
 
 Baptisms 8 Baptisms 27 
 
 Communicants . 117 Communicants . 510 
 
 ContirniL'd 13 Contirmed 22 
 
 Marriages i Ahirriages 19 
 
 Funerals 3 Funerals 41 
 
 In June 1880, Rev. Arthur T. 
 Randall, just ordained deacon, took 
 u]) his duties as assistant minister. 
 He lield that i)osition until the 
 death of Dr. Deshon. wlien he took 
 charge of the parish. The combin- 
 ed rectorships of these tw'O clergy- 
 men extend over a period of fifty-six 
 vears. The ])arish contintied to 
 grow until in 1888 the corner stonr 
 of a ])arish house Avas laid, and a 
 few months later was com])leted at 
 a cost of $10,000. 
 
 In I )ecember 1885 ser\ices were 
 started in a dwelling house in the 
 western ])art of the city with a view 
 of tdtimately forming a i^arish. The 
 generosit\- of Mrs. rhoel)c A. ILnll- 
 am, widow of a former rector of 
 St. .Xndrew's. Dr. Hallam. made this 
 feasible, as in her will was found a 
 legacv ni $10,000 to be used for the 
 erection of a new church in Meri- 
 deii. The hrst service was held in 
 the new church on Ash Wednesday, 
 
1 66 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1893, and the edifice was separated 
 from unhallowed, worldly, and com- 
 mon uses, and consecrated for the 
 worship of Almighty God on Xov. 
 !/• 1893, sutler the name of All 
 Saints" Memorial Church. The 
 
 _/* 
 
 ^- 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1** 
 
 J 
 
 1 
 
 f 
 
 1-, _,^3PW^^I 
 
 P 
 
 ^ 
 
 REV. GILES H. DESHON. 
 
 Rev. A. Sprague Ashley, assistant 
 minister, had already been elected 
 rector of the new parish, and the 
 rector of St. Andrew's transferred 
 to his spiritual care and oversight, 
 123 communicants who resided in 
 that part of the city. 
 
 It is worthy of record to note the 
 harmony which existed between the 
 mother church and the daughter. 
 The canon law of the Episcopal 
 church requires that if application 
 be made to the bishop for the for- 
 
 mation of a new jiarish within the 
 limits of an existing parish, the rec- 
 tor and vestry of said existing par- 
 ish should be notified of such appli- 
 cation, by the standing committee. 
 In this instance, before All Saints' 
 parish had made formal application 
 to the bishop, a special meeting of 
 St. Andrew's Parish was called, and 
 a resolution passed informing the 
 Bishop that a new parish was about 
 to be formed within the limits of St. 
 
 Photo by Akers 
 
 REV. A. T. RANDALL. 
 
 Andrew's, and that the old parish 
 extended to the new one its best 
 wishes and benediction. 
 
 In the convention journal of 1905, 
 the following report from St. An- 
 drew's is recorded : 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 167 
 
 I'aiiiilics, about ^2^. 
 
 Baptized persons, about 2,000. 
 
 Communicants, 803. 
 
 Parochial expenditures, $6,878.53. 
 
 Offerings for purposes outside of 
 the parish, $1,080.30. 
 
 'l"he wardens of the church since 
 1791 have been as follows: 1791, Jo- 
 seph Merriam, Denison Andrews; 
 1792, Joseph Alerriam, Seth De- 
 W Olf : 1793, Levi Douglass, Simeon 
 Perkins; 1794, Joseph Merriam, 
 Levi Douglass; 1796, Levi Douglass, 
 Simeon Perkins: 1797, Joseph Mer- 
 riam. Simeon Perkins; 1805, Joseph 
 Merriam, Moses Andrews: 1806, 
 Joseph Merriam, Lemuel liradley; 
 1807, Joseph ^lerriam, Yale L 
 Hough ; 1808, Samuel Tibbals, Dan 
 Andrews; 1809, Samuel Tibbals, Asa- 
 hel Merriam ; 1810, Sanuiel Tibbals, 
 Moses C'owles : 1812, Samuel Tibbals. 
 Dan Andrews: 1813, Samuel Tibbals, 
 .\masa Merriam; 1814, Samuel Tib- 
 bals, Marvel Andrews; 1816, Samuel 
 Tibbals, .Asahel Merriam ; 1823, Sam- 
 uel Tibbals, Elisha Curtis, Asahel 
 Merriam ; 1848, Edwin E. Curtis, Bry- 
 ant Hotchkiss ; 1863, Edwin E. Curtis, 
 Asa H. Churchill; 1869, Edwin E. 
 Curtis, Lemuel J. Curtis; 1885, Lem- 
 uel J. Curtis, George R. Curtis ; 1888 
 Cieorge R. Curtis, Benjamin Page; 
 ^^J?i- P>enjamin Page, George ^L 
 Curtis. 
 
 The officers of St. Andrew's Church 
 in 1906 are as follows : parish clerk, 
 A. B. Mather ; senior warden, Ben- 
 janu'n Page; junior warden, George 
 M. Curtis; vestrymen, Samuel Dodd, 
 John \V. Coe, W. W. .Mo.<;her, W. W. 
 
 Clark, George S. Seele\-, A. [\. Mather, 
 C. H. Fisk, E. B. Moss, W. J. Robin- 
 son ; treasurer, George S. Seeley. 
 
 Rev. A. T. Randall, rector of St. 
 -Andrew's Church, was l)orn at Poque- 
 tannock, Ct)nn., September 23, 1854, 
 and is a son of Rev. H. C. and Mary 
 L. (Davis) Randall. He ol)tained his 
 education at St. .Ste[)hen"s College, An- 
 nandale, X. A'., from wdiich he was 
 graduated in 1877, and studied for 
 the ministry at Berkeley Divinity 
 School, Middletown, Conn., graduat- 
 ing there June 2, 1880. Two days 
 later he became the assistant minister 
 of St. Andrew's parish in Meriden. 
 He was ordained priest at Litchfield. 
 Conn.. June 7, 1881. L'pon the death 
 of Dr. Deshon, January i, 1883, Mr. 
 Randall became his active successor, 
 and entered upon his duties as rector 
 on Easter Sunday, 1884. From that 
 time to the present writing Mr. Ran- 
 dall has fulfilled the duties of rector 
 of this important ])arish, and he has 
 alwa_\s held the love and respect of 
 his parishioners and the cc^mmunity 
 at larcre. 
 
 ALL SAINTS' P. E. CHCRCH. 
 
 Athough the ])resent attractive 
 edifice of All Saints" Protestant 
 Episcopal Chm-ch. was not occu])ied 
 for services until Ash W eclnesday, 
 1893, ^'^'iie eight years or more pre- 
 vious it became exident that the 
 erection of a church was definitely 
 contemplatefl for that section of 
 -Meriden. The first service was 
 
 J 
 
1 68 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 held in the dwelling- house, 273 
 West Main street, on December 
 13. 1885, the officiating clergy- 
 man being Rev. A. T. Randall, 
 rector, and F. H. Church, assist- 
 
 bled there every Lord's Day for 
 several months until a larger place 
 of worship was secured at the junc- 
 tion of North First and South First 
 streets. But services were contin- 
 
 ALL SAINTS MEMORIAL CHURCH. 
 
 ant rector of St. Andrew's parish. ued at the latter place only until 
 
 Services were continued in the December. 1888, \vl:en they were 
 
 small room of that dwelling house discontinued owing to the fact that 
 
 by congregations who were assem- it was found impossible to heat the 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 169 
 
 room and there seemed no other 
 suitable accommodations for the then 
 so-called mission, in which to hold 
 meetings. 
 
 .\mong the enthusiastic members 
 of the new society were several 
 women who formed a sewing circle 
 and after the Sunday services were 
 discontinued, and it began to look- 
 as though the forming of the new 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 REV. I. NEWTON PHELPS. 
 
 "mission church" would have to be 
 abandoned, the sewing society still 
 continued to meet week days; and as 
 a result a considerable sum of money 
 was laid by. 
 
 The ultimate aim of these ])atienl 
 women was the ])urchase of a lot 
 on which to build a church and little 
 by little the fund grew in sjiite of 
 
 m:ui_\- disc(juragements. That their 
 u]j-hill work was bound to be pro- 
 ductixe of even greater results than 
 they had dared to hope was soon 
 to come to i)ass. ( )n January, 30, 
 i8yi, Mrs. Phoebe A. Hallam, a 
 communicant of St Andrew's church 
 was buried. In her will was found 
 a legacy of $10,000 to be used in 
 the building of a church as a memorial 
 to her husband, the late Rev. R. A. 
 llallam, 1). ]).. at one time rector of 
 St. Andrews. The money in the treas- 
 ury of the sewing society, added to 
 consideral)ly ])y the members of St. 
 Andrew's church soon after became 
 sufficient to purchase the lot on the 
 corner of West .Main and .Morgan 
 streets, and the future of All Saints' 
 church was thus determined. 
 
 W ith the understanding that most 
 of his work was to l)e in the western 
 ])art of Meriden. and with a view of 
 becoming rector of the new parish 
 when it should be set a])art. in Mav 
 i8()2. Rev. .\. Sprague Ashley accept- 
 ed tlie ])osition of assistant clergyman 
 at St. Andrew's Church. In the mean- 
 time .Mrs. Hallam's legacy was 
 largely added to by the late (ieo. R. 
 Ctirtis, then senior warden of St. An- 
 drew's C'hm-ch. so thai llie ])resent 
 I)rownsione stn:clure was erected in 
 iSi;^. The new parisli was then form- 
 ed and l\ev. A. T. Uandall. rector, 
 transferred 123 comnunn'cants of St. 
 Andrew's church to the spiritual care 
 and o\ersiglu of Rev. .A'. S])rague 
 Ashley who became tir>t rector of All 
 Saints" parish. The church was con- 
 secrated Xovember 17, i^)j^. The 
 
170 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 same year Air. Curtis, just before his 
 death presented the parish with the 
 lot adjoining the church on West Main 
 street for a rectory, and after his death 
 througli the generosity of his widow, 
 on this lot, a parsonage was buih as a 
 memorial to her late husband. Thus 
 from a small beginning has sprung 
 from St. Andrew's Church, a thriv- 
 ing and independent parish with a 
 church property valued at about 
 $55,000, within a comparatively few 
 years. During the valued service 
 of Rev. Mr. Ashley, which was 
 continued for about six years, 
 *-.here were 125 baptisms and 12^ 
 members confirmed, making a total 
 membership then of about 250. Mr. 
 Ashley was succeeded as rector by the 
 late Rev. Robert Clarkson Tongue, 
 who after five years as rector, was 
 called to his reward by the Almighty. 
 His death was much lamented for it 
 removed from Meriden one of its most 
 valued divines, and one who was al- 
 most idolized by his parishioners. Un- 
 der Mr. Tongue the membership of 
 the church was increased largely and 
 its w^ork was noticeably extended. 
 
 Rev. I. Newton Phelps took charge 
 of the parish as its installed rector in 
 April, 1905. The good w^ork of his 
 predecessors has been carried on bv 
 him and during his short pastorate 
 sixty-five members have been received 
 into the church by confirmation and 
 30 by letter. All Saints' parish at 
 the present writing possesses about 
 535 communicants. 
 
 The officers of the church for 1906 
 are as follows: Treasurer, H. P. Vi- 
 
 bert ; senior warden, Charles P. Rice ; 
 junior warden, Albert Babb ; vestry- 
 men, H. L. Schleiter, H. P. Vibert, 
 Joseph Ridley, F. A. Camp, Alfred 
 Barker, James Toothe, F. W. Fris- 
 bie, G. W. Reynolds, A. J. Tickell ; 
 delegates to convention, Gardiner W. 
 Reynolds, Joseph Ridley ; substitute 
 delegates, Charles H. Vibert, Curtis 
 W. Reynolds ; auditors, C. P. Rice, F. 
 A. Camp. 
 
 Rector Phelps is a man of scholarly 
 attainments and an able preacher of 
 strong personality and social disposi- 
 tion. He obtained his education at 
 Sampson college, graduating with the 
 class of 1885, and was conferred the 
 degree of A. M., by St. Stephens col- 
 lege, Annandale, N. Y. He studied 
 for the ministery at Union Theologi- 
 cal seminary, N. Y. Since coming to 
 Meriden he has entered thoroughly 
 into the spiritual and social life of the 
 town and is held in high regard by 
 the members of his parish and in the 
 community at large. He is at the 
 present writing senior warden of Cen- 
 ter Lodge, 97, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 THE FIRST METHODIST 
 CHURCH. 
 
 Although there were many Meth- 
 odists in Meriden previous to 1830, 
 it was not until 1844 that their regu- 
 lar society was organized. About 
 1830 a meeting house was erected 
 on East Main street hill, on the land 
 of Capt. Lyman Collins, just west of 
 the entrance to the East Cemetery, 
 where meetings were held somewhat 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 171 
 
 irregularly by the Methodists, and 
 among the worshippers at that 
 church were the following and their 
 families : Charles Baldwin, who fre- 
 i|uently occupied the pulpit ; Darling 
 Stewart, Xoah Hall, Jesse G. Bald- 
 win. Elias Baldwin and Seymour 
 r.aldwin. Owing to the good spirit- 
 ual condition of the Congregation- 
 alists and Baptists, the early }iIetho- 
 dist church did not begin to thrive 
 
 given a long shoj) owned by Chas. 
 Parker, and which stood north of 
 his offices, and where the congre- 
 gations found sittings on boxes, 
 which gave them a good view of 
 the preacher. During the summer 
 a large tent was pitched in what 
 was then an open lot between High 
 and Broad streets. 
 
 The society was formed under the 
 management of Rev. John Parker,. 
 
 FIRST METHODIST EDIFICE.. 
 
 in numbers until after 1842, when 
 the "primitive Alethodists" had sent 
 ])reachers to Meriden, who availed 
 themselves of the advantage gained 
 in awakening religious interest bv 
 the general apprehension, then pre- 
 vailing throughout the country, that 
 the end of all things was near 
 ;ii hand. These revival meetings 
 were held in what was known as the 
 '"Old Bethel" which was the name 
 
 a member of the New England Con- 
 ference, who settled in Meriden to 
 recuperate his failing health, and to 
 whom more than any other one man 
 is said to be due the foundation of 
 the Methodist church in Meriden. 
 The society as first organized was 
 composed of the following people of 
 the town: Rev. John Parker and 
 wife. Charles Parker and wife, Ed- 
 mund Parker and wife, Hiram Brad- 
 
172 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ley and wife, John Range and wife, 
 William Curtis and wife, Mrs. Try- 
 phena Bradley, Miss Betsey Par- 
 ker, Mr. Beach and wife, Joseph 
 Higby and wife, Asaph Merriam, 
 Mrs. Partrick Lewis, ]\Irs. Cook and 
 Miss Mariette R. Clark, then a mem- 
 
 Chas. Parker Co. The same year that 
 this church was built a parsonage 
 was also erected, both buildings 
 costing about $10,000. The church 
 on Broad street continued to be oc- 
 cupied by the society until 1867 
 when under the judicious manage- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 FIRST M. E. CHURCH. 
 
 ber of the Methodist church. Middle- 
 town, who later married Rev. John 
 T. Pettee. In 1847 a wooden church 
 edifice was built by the society on 
 Broad street, which many years later 
 became, as it is at this writing, utilized 
 for manufacturing purposes by the 
 
 ment of Rev. Freeman P. Tower, 
 who served as pastor from 1866 to 
 1868, and through the princely gen- 
 erosity of the late Charles Parker, 
 who gave $50,000, and the generous 
 contributions of other brethren, the 
 present costly and handsome edi- 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 173. 
 
 flic was built at a cost, inchuling 
 the land and organ of $85,000. The 
 society removed to the new church 
 at a most convenient time as the re- 
 moval comprised Aleriden's celebra- 
 tion of the Centennial of American 
 Methodism. Although the society 
 did not at first occupy the present 
 edifice without a debt, the full 
 amount of their obligations as paid 
 under the pastorate of Rev. Daniel 
 A. Goodsell, and in the spring 
 of 1875. Rev. John T. Pettee, 
 in his semi-centennial address stated 
 that when the New York East Con- 
 ference sat at this church in Aleriden 
 that "not an unpaid for brick or 
 slate looked down from the roof or 
 wall to reprove" them. In 1888 the 
 church was remodeled and re-fur- 
 nished to a considerable extent at 
 the cost of $5,000. and under the ad- 
 ministration of Rev. G. H. AlcGrew 
 the ground beneath the church was 
 excavated and social rooms were 
 constructed : under the pastorate 
 of Rev. John Rhey Thompson, D. D., 
 the present handsome brick parson- 
 age adjoining the church on Pleas- 
 ant street was built. During 
 his pastorate also a new and com- 
 modious domicile was provided for 
 the church janitor, and a debt of 
 $20,000 which had accmnulated 
 since 1874 was licpiidated. 
 
 I'nder the pastorate of Rev. F. AV. 
 Hannan the church was re-carpeted 
 and a commodious societv house was 
 built at the Plainville camp ground. 
 About the same time. also, the church 
 l)ecame possessed of its jiresent 
 
 beautiful lawn by the removal of 
 the old Lawrence house. The pres- 
 ent value of the church property is. 
 $101,200. The church membership 
 at the close of the year 1905 was 675,, 
 fifty-two more being on probation. 
 The Sunday school at that time num- 
 bered 339, including thirty-nine teach- 
 ers. Since 1847 the First Methodist 
 Church has received its pastors reg- 
 ularly from the X^ew York and New 
 York East Conferences. The pastors 
 from 1845 to the present time have 
 been as follows : Reverends Geo. A. 
 Hubbell, John C. Searles, Albert Xash, 
 Parmalee Chamberlain, Francis Bot- 
 tome, Xathaniel ]\Iead, Geo. C. 
 Creevey, John L. Peck. Wm. [Mc- 
 Allister, Geo. A. Hubbell (for a sec- 
 ond time) ; Chas. Kelsey, Charles 
 Fletcher. Frederick P>rown, Free- 
 man P. Tower, John Pegg, Jr., Dan- 
 iel A. Goodsell, later made bishop; 
 W'm. H. Boole. T. J. Lansing, B. I\L 
 Adams, J. S. lireckenridge, G. H. 
 AfcGrew, ]\L W. Prince. John Rhey 
 Thompson, F. A\'. Hannan. John Wes- 
 ley Johnston, Frank A. Scofield and F. 
 
 B. Stockdale ; assistant pastors, Geo. 
 
 C. Boswell, John A. Alonroe and F. 
 \\'. Hannan. 
 
 Rev. I'^airbank Barnes Stockdale, 
 ])astor of the First Methodist church 
 of Meriden. was Itorn in 1861, near 
 Leeds, Yorkshire, I'jigland. He came 
 from the working ])cople. his father 
 being a miner, and he was raised 
 among the coal mines of that locality. 
 As a boy he showed a tendency to ap- 
 ])]\- himself too closelx' to Ixxiks. As 
 a result, at eight xears old he left 
 
174 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 •school and went to work as his health 
 ■was not equal to day school, but con- 
 tinued until fifteen years of age at 
 night school which he attended five 
 days a week. 
 
 When only nine years old he was 
 converted and became a member of 
 the Methodist church, soon after 
 which he became a reader of theologi- 
 cal books. He preached his first ser- 
 
 REV. F. B. STOCKDALE. 
 
 mon at the age of fifteen, and from 
 seventeen to twenty was engaged in 
 evangelistic work in England, preach- 
 ing as many as eight sermons a week. 
 He first came to this country in 1882, 
 and while enjoying a summer's vaca- 
 tion drifted into the East Ohio con- 
 ference, which resulted in his remain- 
 ing in this country. He took a three 
 
 years' course at Drew Theological 
 Seminary, from which he graduated 
 in 1889 and while a student there 
 preached at Centerville and Maple- 
 wood, N. J. One year before his 
 graduation he was assigned a pasto- 
 rate at Bellport, L. I., where he re- 
 mained for three years, and joined the 
 New York East Conference. He af- 
 terwards went to Flatbush, L. I., 
 which pastorate he left at the end of 
 one year on account of the poor health 
 of his child. He was afterwards sta- 
 tioned at Port Washington, for four 
 years ; two years at Southampton, and 
 later was pastor of the Fleet Street M. 
 E. church at Brooklyn, N. Y., where 
 he remained for four years. From 
 there he went to Waterbury, Conn., 
 and after remaining there three years, 
 came to Meriden in April, 1905. Mr. 
 Stockdale is a natural and fluent 
 preacher and is highly appreciated by 
 the members of his flock. He has 
 published a book of sermons entitled 
 "The Divine Opportunity." He is a || 
 lover of preaching and has frankly !] 
 stated that everything he sees goes in- 
 to his sermons. He is a member of 
 Meridian Lodge, -/-j, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 He married Sarah A. Machin, who 
 comes from a remarkably large family 
 of twenty children, and to the union 
 have been born George and Ruth, aged 
 eighteen and sixteen years respec- 
 tively. 
 
 TRINITY M. E. CHURCH. 
 
 One of the flourishing church 
 societies in Meriden is that of the 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 175 
 
 innity M. E. church which celebrated 
 its twentieth anniversary in 1905. It 
 was on April 26. 1885, that the Meth- 
 odist residents of the western part of 
 Meriden decided to petition the official 
 board of the First ^NI. E. Society, for 
 the permission to found another 
 Methodist church in Meriden. In 
 Ma\ tlie same year, a petition was 
 sent in, which was signed by five of' 
 the most influential men. As their 
 request was granted, they immediately 
 beeau holding services in the Y. M. C. 
 
 decided to station him at Meriden. 
 In April, 1889, he was succeeded by 
 Rev. D. N. Griffin who remained until 
 April, 1892. It was during the pasto- 
 rate of Mr. Griffin that the society se- 
 cured the property at the corner of 
 West Main street and Cook avenue, 
 where the present handsome edifice 
 now stands. Rev. Edward W. W'arri- 
 ner was pastor from April 1892-94, 
 when Rev. Henry Blatz. Jr., was sent 
 by the conference to assume the pas- 
 torate of this societv. Durint"' his sue- 
 
 
 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 TRINITY M. E. CHURCH. 
 
 A. building", and within eighteen 
 niontlis the\' had a church ready for 
 occupancy, and on March 6, 1887, the 
 first service was held therein. The 
 building is now used for St. Joseph's 
 Parochial school. Rev. W. F. Mark- 
 wick, who was pastor of the South 
 Meriden M. E. church, was secured 
 early in the fall of 1885, and he served 
 as pastor for both organizations, until 
 1887. when at the close of his pasto- 
 rate in South Meriden, the conference 
 
 cessful pastorate the new church was 
 erected and was dedicated December 
 29, 1895. Rev. W. D. Tuckey suc- 
 ceeded Rev. Mr. Pdatz, and he in turn 
 was succeeded by Rev. Iv. C Carpen- 
 ter, who was appointed ])astor in 1900 
 and after a service of five years was 
 succeeded 1)\ the Rev. John I*. Wag- 
 ner, the present pastor. 
 
 louring ihc ])astorate of Mr. Car- 
 penter the meml)ers raised over $13,- 
 000 and less than a vear acfo the mort- 
 
176 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 gage notes were burned and the church 
 was freed from a heavy debt. Many 
 members have been received into the 
 church within the last few years, and it 
 now has a membership of about 375. It 
 has a thriving Sunday School society, 
 
 valued at $12,000. During 1905, the 
 church debt was reduced $4,000. 
 The last report of the church cor- 
 ];oration to the New York East 
 Conference of which it is a member, 
 gives the church membership as 
 300 with 67 on probation, but this 
 number has since been somewhat 
 increased. The Sunday school num- 
 bers twenty-seven teachers and 326 
 scholars. 
 
 Rev. John P. Wagner, pastor of 
 Trinity M. E. Church, is a native 
 of Iowa. In that state he spent 
 
 REV. E. C. CARPENTER. 
 
 both a Junior and a Senior C. E. So- 
 ciety and great interest is shown in 
 all of the various societies that are 
 connected with the church organiza- 
 tion. 
 
 The probable value of the church 
 building is $30,000 but this was en- 
 hanced in 1906 by the acquisition 
 
 of a new church organ, a portion of his boyhood on his father's farm, 
 which was paid for by Andrew receiving his early education in the 
 Carnegie. The parsonage, a brick public schools. He afterwards at- 
 structure, originally built and occu- tended the Iowa Wesleyan Univer- 
 pied by the late Randolph Linsley. is sity, where he graduated in 1883, 
 
 REV. J. P WAGNER. 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 177 
 
 and he afterward took a law course 
 there graduating in 1884. He was 
 admitted to the bar and began prac- 
 tice of law, but after a time became 
 a member of the St. Louis Confer- 
 ence and, in 1890 an ordained cler- 
 g-\nian of the Methodist denomina- 
 tion. After having held several 
 difTerent pastorates in Illinois and 
 Iowa, he came east and entered 
 the Drew Theological Seminary at 
 Madison, N. J., from which he was 
 graduated in 1892, and since which 
 time lie has been a member of the 
 New York East Conference. As a 
 member of that conference his first 
 charge was a church on Long Is- 
 land. He afterwards became pastor 
 of the Methodist Episcopal church 
 at Simsbury, Conn., where he re- 
 mained for a period of six years and 
 in 1895 became the pastor at St. Paul's 
 M. E. church, Waterbury, remain- 
 ing there until appointed pastor of 
 Trinity Church of this town, enter- 
 ing upon his duties here in April, 
 1906, succeeding Rev. E. C. Car- 
 penter. Rev. Air. Wagner was mar- 
 ried to Miss Anna Axthelm Harper 
 of Iowa, and they have four chil- 
 dren: Elmer C. L., a student and 
 member of the sophomore crew at 
 Yale University; Bertha A., Edna 
 M., and Grace \'., the first two of 
 whom graduate at the Waterbury 
 High School in June, 1906. Mr. W^ag- 
 ner, with his family, occupies the Trin- 
 ity M. E. parsonage and under his 
 pastorate the church anticipates a 
 successful period of continued pros- 
 perity. 
 12 
 
 THE SOUTH MERIDEN M, 
 CHURCH. 
 
 For twenty years the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church has been the only 
 active Protestant church in tlie pic- 
 turesque village of South Meriden, 
 where regular services have been 
 held. This church was organized as 
 a society in 185 1, but meetings were 
 
 KEV. ROl'.EKT J. r.EACH. 
 
 lield bv Methodists occasii uially 
 and somewhat irregularly as early 
 as 1839. 'I^hcy first gathered there 
 for worship in the school house. 
 Mar. IJ. 1S51. At the Ik mse of jolui 
 ICvans a determined effort was made 
 and an ecclesiastical society which 
 was called "'Hh' .M. E. Society of 
 the Hanover District." was form- 
 
178 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 etl. John D. Parmalee was elect- 
 ed chairman and John Evans sec- 
 retary. The buikUng- committee 
 appointed to arrange and carry on 
 the erection of the first edifice was 
 made up of the following: John 
 Davidson, Roger Smith and Luman 
 A. Atkins. The building, a wooden 
 structure of two stories, was also 
 planned for residence purposes, and 
 the upper stor\' contained a hall 
 
 den. and theological students of the 
 Wesleyan Seminary from Middle- 
 town. It was not until 1871 that 
 the society became possessed of a 
 regularly installed pastor, in the per- 
 son of Rev. A\'illiam \\\ Hurd. Dur- 
 ing the first year of his pastorate 
 the present church edifice was be- 
 gun and it was completed in the 
 summer of 1872. The cost of the 
 church structure was $9,000. and 
 
 Phot . by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 SOUTH MERIDEN METHODIST CHURCH. 
 
 and the "Methodist Preaching House." 
 The building was completed in the 
 fall of 1 85 1 and its cost was 
 $i'333- This building was used 
 by the South Meriden Methodists 
 for over twenty years, the preach- 
 ers being Rev. John Parker of Meri- 
 den, who had previously done more 
 than any other man in organizing 
 the First Methodist Church of Meri- 
 
 of this amount George Bristol gave 
 $2,000, John Evans $1,000. and Chas. 
 Parker of Meriden, $400. The bal- 
 ance was raised by the members of 
 the society and its friends. The 
 new church was dedicated Septem- 
 ber 25, 1872 by Rev. C. N. Foss. 
 After the dedication of the new 
 church the society entered upon an 
 era of prosperity and many influen- 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 ^79 
 
 tial members were added. Among 
 these, in 1888, was the late Dr. H. 
 A. Archer, a somewhat noted physi- 
 cian who resided in Tracy, and upon 
 his suggestion a committee was 
 formed for the purpose of enlarging 
 the church. This committee was 
 composed of the pastor. Dr. Archer, 
 Silas Bradley, Frank Rollins, C. A. 
 Hollister, William Baker, and E. B. 
 Clark. Among the impro\-ements 
 was a lecture room l)uilt in the rear 
 of the church which was also re- 
 decorated and otherwise improved. 
 On March 10. 1889. the church was 
 rededicated when it was also freed 
 from debt. The church property at 
 the present day has an approximate 
 value of $13,000. and the society is 
 possessed of a building at the Plain- 
 ville Camp Ground. The full mem- 
 bershi]) of the church is eighty-four 
 and there are ten probationers. The 
 Sunday school comprises eighty 
 scholars, and seventeen officers and 
 teachers. The jM^esent pastor of the 
 church is Re\-. R. T- Beach. 
 
 ST. ROSE'S CHURCH. 
 
 'I"he organization of this ])arish 
 dates back to 1849, although the nu- 
 cleus was formed some ten \ear; 
 previous. There were, howexer, be- 
 fore that several foreign residents of 
 the town. The building of the X. ^'.. 
 X. H. & H. R. K.. to .Meriden ni 
 1839 resulted in l)ringing a number 
 of Irish Roman Catholics to the town 
 and they were gathered together 
 first by mission |)riests. and services 
 
 were then held in a private house 
 in the northeastern part of the town. 
 Later services were held b_\' Rev. 
 Phillip ( )"Reilley and by Rev. J. Tee- 
 \-ens of Xew Haven, the latter of 
 whom organized the little Catholic 
 colony, and first celebrated mass for 
 them in the house of Robert Clark 
 on Xorth l)road street in January, 
 1845. During the next four years 
 and at intervals of about every three 
 months. Rev. b'ather Teevens contin- 
 ued to celebrate mass, but in 1849 
 he obtained permission from the 
 B)ishop of Hartford to form a parish, 
 the Hartford diocese at that time 
 and for many years afterwards com- 
 prising all of Connecticut and Rhode 
 Island. 
 
 The church edifice used by this, 
 the mother parish, was that originally 
 occupied by St. Andrew's Iqiiscopal 
 Church, then standing at the corner 
 of Hroad and ( )live streets, and com- 
 ])rised a frame house, 3f)X45 feet in 
 dimensions. This was vacated by the 
 E])iscopalians in 1850. L'nder the 
 tem])orary pastorate of Rev. Hugh 
 ( )"Reilley. wlio took charge of tlie 
 parish work in 1851. and the first 
 few vears of that of Rev. Tliomas 
 Ouinn. who in 1854 became the first 
 regular settled rector, services were 
 JK'ld in this edifice for nine years. 
 Cnder tlie direction of leather Ouinn. 
 tbr construction of the present brick 
 church on Center street was carried on 
 at an outla\' of $25,000. [■"ather (Juinn 
 later went to Pro\i(lence. R. 1., 
 and afterwards became a chaplain 
 in the ('i\il War. lie was succeeded 
 
i8o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 as rector of St. Rose's parish by Rev. 
 Thomas Walsh, in the spring of 1859 
 at which time a considerable debt re- 
 mained on the church building. Under 
 Rev. Father Walsh the debt was re- 
 moved and the parish grew rapidly 
 necessitating, in 1868, the enlargement 
 and improvement of the church which 
 
 serving thus until his death in 1883. 
 During his untiring service as rector 
 the parish grew and prospered and at 
 the time of his regretted decease, it 
 ranked fourth among the Roman Cath- 
 olic churches in the state. Under his 
 pastorate the present parochial school 
 was erected at the cost of $20,000. 
 
 y<' 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 ST. rose's church. 
 
 were made at a further outlay of 
 $30,000. .Since that date other 
 expenditures involving considerable 
 money have been made, notably in 
 1882. 
 
 Father Walsh served as pastor of 
 the church, becoming a vicar general. 
 
 Father Walsh is said to have- 
 been "a devout, learned man, highly 
 respected by the entire community." 
 Under the pastorate of Rev. Martin 
 P. Lawlor, the next rector of the par- 
 ish, the present parochial residence 
 was finished. He remained at St. 
 
CiIURCHES. 
 
 i8i 
 
 Rose's parish until February 1885, 
 when Rev. Paul F. McAlenney began 
 his most successful pastorate which 
 was concluded in 1900. Father Mc- 
 Alenney is a man much beloved by 
 the people, whose confidence and es- 
 teem he won by his zealous work 
 and kindly consideration of the well 
 being- of his parishioners. Under his 
 pastorate the church property was con- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 REV. JOHN COONEY. 
 
 siderably enhanced and in 1888 St. 
 Rose's cha]xd on Liberty street was 
 completed. Father McAlenney's re- 
 moval from the city was nuich deplor- 
 ed I)y his people by whom he is still 
 affectionately remembered. St. Rose's 
 parish since September 1900 has been 
 I)resided over by the present rector. 
 Rev. John Cooney. The property of 
 
 St. Rose's parish in 1906 consists of 
 a church edifice, rectory, two school 
 houses, St. Bridget's Convent, St. Pat- 
 rick's Cemetery and the Sacred Heart 
 Cemetery, the approximate total value 
 of all being $180,000. 
 
 Although from this parish have 
 sprung, directly or otherwise, all the 
 several different parishes now con- 
 tained in the town of Aleriden, it still 
 possesses 3,200 individuals and main- 
 tains an attendance at the parochial 
 school of 700 registered children. 
 
 Rev. John Cooney, the present rec- 
 tor was born in the County of Armagh, 
 Ireland, in, February, 1841. After ob- 
 taining his early education in his native 
 town, he studied for the priesthood in 
 the American College, Lourain, Bel- 
 gium, where in 1867 he was ordained 
 by Cardinal Sterks. After his ordina- 
 tion he came to this country and was 
 appointed curate at St. Peter's Church 
 in Hartford, where he remained for 
 two and a half years. He was then 
 transferred to St. Patrick's Church 
 in \'alley Falls, R. I., where he con- 
 tinued to serve as pastor until 1871, 
 when he was appointed pastor of St. 
 Patrick's Church, Thompsonville, 
 Conn., where under his direction both 
 a parochial school and a rectory were 
 built. In 1878 after a successful pas- 
 torate at Thompsonville, he was ap- 
 pointed rector of St. John's Parish, 
 Xew Haven, wliere he remained for 
 ten years. His next charge was at 
 Colchester, Conn., where he remained 
 for eight years, and during his ser- 
 vice there he built a church in the 
 neighboring town of Fitchville, and 
 
1 82 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 a parochial school, which territory was 
 contained in his parish. During his 
 residence in Colchester, he also serv- 
 ed as a member of the school board. 
 In 1896 he became rector of St. Ber- 
 nard's Church at Rockville, Conn., 
 where he remained for four years, 
 and during' his pastorate there a large 
 debt was considerably reduced. Since 
 coming to Meriden, thirty-five acres 
 adjoining Sacred Heart Cemetery 
 have been added to the church proper- 
 ty. Father Cooney has two assist- 
 ants, Rev. L. A. Guinan, a native of 
 Hartford, who has been attached to 
 the present parish since 1895 ; Rev. 
 J. J. McGivney, a native of Water- 
 bury, was one of the curates at this 
 church until 1891 when he became 
 one of the Connecticut apostles and 
 joined the mission band. He was suc- 
 ceeded by Rev. John A. Conlon, a 
 native of New Haven. 
 
 ST. LAURENT'S CHURCH. 
 
 The first assemblage of the French- 
 Canadian Rbman Catholics of Meri- 
 den took place at the Young 
 Men's Christian Association hall, 
 June 2, 1880. As may be readily 
 assumed the object of this first mass 
 meeting of the French-Canadians 
 was the formation of a new parish. 
 Two hundred men were present with 
 the result that a president and 
 secretary were chosen and the fol- 
 lowing committee of organization 
 was named, R. T. Chalifoux and L. 
 Morrisseau, trustees ; advisory 
 
 board, N. Anger, R. Dessureau, D. 
 Dolbec, Joseph Chalifoux and X. 
 Lisee, according to the statutes 01 
 the diocese and becoming incorpor- 
 ated under the laws of the state. The 
 formation of the parish is consider- 
 ed, however, to date from June 6, 
 1880, the Sunday following the first 
 mass meeting, at which time Rev. A. 
 van ( )ppen took charge of the par- 
 ish, which then included not only 
 the P^rench, but the German, Polish 
 and the Italian Catholics of Meriden. 
 The parish was formed with some mis- 
 givings even then in regard to num- 
 bers, though the different collectors 
 who had finished taking a census 
 rei)orted 1,150 individuals of the 
 French speaking population. These 
 serious doubts were entertained ow- 
 ing to the previous efforts to 
 form a parish having proved futile. 
 The French-Canadians, however, in- 
 spired by the presence of a rector 
 of their own, made up their minds 
 that it was then or never that 
 the enterprise was to be assured. 
 The first subscription of $100 was 
 made with the understanding that 
 the money should be refunded if the 
 project failed but the sum of $3,500 
 was quickly subscribed. This fund 
 was swelled to the extent of $6oD 
 l)y St. Jean the Baptiste Society, 
 who thus came to the aid of the new 
 parish. 
 
 On Palm Sunday, April 10, 188 r, 
 services were first held in the base- 
 ment of the present vSt. Laurent's 
 Church and were largely attended, 
 Bisho]) Laurent McMahon, for 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 183 
 
 ^k^-^f'-k^ 
 
 ST. I. A U K 1-: X T S C H U RC H . 
 
1 84 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 whom the church was named, being 
 one of the several notables present. 
 On that day the first mass was cele- 
 brated by Rev. F. de Bruycker, and 
 sermons were preached in English 
 by Mgr. Shanahan, Bishop of Har- 
 risburg and in the French language 
 by Rev. L. G. Gagnier of Springfield 
 who was then and is still the oldest 
 French missionary in New England. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 REV. A. VAN OPPEN. 
 
 During this service, which was long to 
 be remembered by those who at- 
 tended, the parish was named. 
 
 The building of the superstructure 
 was commenced by Father van Oppen 
 in 1886 and the contract, involving an 
 expenditure of $30,000 was let. Upon 
 the completion of the edifice a solemn 
 dedication took place Nov. 4, 1888, and 
 
 this became a notable event in the 
 history of the church ; and then the 
 bishop of the diocese and many visiting 
 clergymen of the faith were also pres- 
 ent. In 1882 St. Laurent's church ac- 
 quired its first rectory which was pur- 
 chased at a cost of $6,000, but that, 
 since the completion of the present rec- 
 tory, finished in 1892, has been occu- 
 pied as a convent by the Sisters of the 
 Assumption, whose headquarters are 
 at Nicolet, P. Q. Since that date these 
 sisters have conducted a paroch- 
 ial school, where the dift'erent branches 
 have been taught by them, and the 
 French language has also been pro- 
 pagated. The school was first con- 
 ducted in the basement of the church, 
 but in recent years a handsome school 
 house has been erected by the parish 
 at the cost of $10,000 and some- 
 what concerning it is stated in 
 the article by William P. Kelly 
 on Meriden's educational institu- 
 tions, in one of the following 
 pages. On March 13, 1900 the deeds 
 of St. Laurent's Cemetery were 
 passed to the church by M. ]. Rodier 
 and W. L. Henreux, and the French 
 cemetery in the Hanover District was 
 opened at once. 
 
 The present total value of St. 
 Laurent's Church property is $105,- 
 000, and the lay trustees of the 
 corporation are Dr. A. S. Alain and 
 Zotique J. St. Cyr. x'Vt the present 
 writing there are 1,850 parishioners. 
 In June 1905, the parish celebrated 
 its silver jubilee. 
 
 Rev. A. van Oppen, whose ser- 
 vice as rector of St. Laurent's 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 Church parish covers a period of 
 twenty-six years, is a man of schol- 
 arly attainments, speaks several lan- 
 guages fluently, and is a native of 
 Holland. He was born in Heerlen 
 Kingdom of Holland, and studied 
 for the American missions at the 
 American College of Lourain, Bel- 
 gium, emigrating to the United 
 States in November, 1875. His first 
 
 ent parish, but those of other nation- 
 alities, who, under his spiritual 
 guidance and encouragement have 
 been enabled to form other parishes 
 in Meriden. St. Laurent's Church 
 is of French Gothic architecture and 
 has been minus a completed steeple, 
 ])ut this, a spire extending skyward 
 over 160 feet, will be finished in the 
 coni]:)aratively near future. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 HOLY angels' church AND RECTORY. 
 
 charge was at \\'in(lsor Locks, 
 where he served as curate, after- 
 wards at the church at Putnam. 
 Conn. His extended pastorate in 
 Meriden has been a great blessing to 
 his parishioners. The growth of the 
 parish speaks volumes for his favor- 
 able work, and he is much beloved 
 not only by the members of his pres- 
 
 CHLJRCH 
 
 OF THE 
 ANGELS. 
 
 HOLY 
 
 This attractive suburban church 
 of the Roman Catholic denomina- 
 tion is an offshoot of St. Rose's ]-)ar- 
 isli. The church was built under 
 the pastorate of Rev. Paul F. Mc- 
 Alennev as a mission church to 
 
i86 
 
 A CENTURY OF :MER1DEX, 
 
 accommodate the members of his 
 parish residing' in South Meriden, 
 l>acy and Yalesville and who had 
 found the distance too great from 
 their homes to attend, very frequent- 
 ly, the services at St. Rose's church 
 on Center street. Tlie first pastor 
 appointed was Rev. R. F. Moore, 
 A. ]\I., and during the foUowing 
 year adjoining land was purchased 
 and the present church rectory built. 
 
 the same, 350 individuals, since 
 the first year after the church 
 was built. The parish became inde- 
 pendent of the mother parish in 1888 
 and since that time has been entirely 
 self supporting. In 1896 Rev. Fr. 
 Moore removed to Xew Britain and 
 became pastor of St. Joseph's 
 church, leaving behind him the affec- 
 tionate regard and respect of his 
 parishioners. He was succeeded as 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 ST. MARY S CHURCH. 
 
 This church property is now valued 
 at about $12,000 and at this writing- 
 there remains a debt of $1,500 which 
 is gradually being reduced. As the 
 church of the Holy Angels is the 
 only church of its denomination be- 
 tween Meriden and Wallingford, 
 its services became well attend- 
 ed from the first but its mem- 
 bership has remained approximately 
 
 rector by Rev. Patrick Byrne, whi' 
 came to the South Meriden church 
 from Thomaston where he had 
 been previously located. He remained 
 pastor for a period of two years 
 and then went to Xew Canaan, Conn. 
 Rev. Thomas Cronan became the next 
 pastor, also remaining two years when 
 he went to Xew 2\Iilford. The present 
 pastor. Rev. James W. Cunningham. 
 
CIIURCUKS. 
 
 187 
 
 v.uiio ti) South Mcriden from West- 'I he c-nlirc ])arish C()iii])risos ahout 
 
 Thonipson, after liavin^- hecn pre- 250 families or a])])ruviiiiatcly 1.250 
 
 viotisly connected with a church at in(h\i(luals. Tlie cliurch is incor- 
 
 I'utnani, Conn., and lie has met here pirated and owns all of its pro])erty 
 
 with the hearty .';u])port of a liiyal ])eo- without incumbrance. The lav 
 
 pie in ministeriui;- to their s])iritual trustees of the corporation are Paul 
 
 wants and h\' whom he is held in hi 
 reirard. 
 
 ST. MARY'S GERMAN ROMAX 
 CATHCLTC CHl'RCH. 
 
 r. Saleski and John Ko]>ske. Sr. 
 
 ."^ince the church was built there 
 has been accpiired an adjoiuin^- par- 
 sonage and additional land, ihe latter 
 
 This ])arish of the Roman church, 
 
 anti in which is propagated the (Ger- 
 man lan.ijuajje. was estaldished in 
 
 Meriden by liishop AIcMahon of 
 
 Hartford, and was organized March 
 
 12. 1890. At that time serxices in 
 
 the (lerman tong'ue were held in the 
 
 ba.-Nement of St. Laurent's Lhurch. 
 
 where services in the I-"rench lan- 
 uajje were also held, as they were 
 
 before that time and have been since. 
 
 Previous to that date there were 
 
 ■«e\eral ( ierman families of the Rom- 
 an Catholic faith in Meriden, l)Ut it 
 
 A as not until the Rev. Ignatius Kost 
 
 \as a])pointed rector of the new parish 
 
 hat the ( iermans of this faith ])ccame 
 
 niite<l to any considerable extent, 
 rnijer I-'ather Kost money suffi- 
 
 "ient to l)egin the erection of the fronting on ( Irove street, upon which 
 >rescnt cluircli edifice was raised, a new and permanent church edifice 
 
 nid this was dedicated Dec. (^k i8yr. may be erected at some future time. 
 
 [I he church is a wooden structure there being in the hands of the present 
 n«l Comprises both a ])lace of wor- rector, l\e\-. Nicholas !•". X. l^chnei- 
 hip and a school, the latter being der, the micleus of a necessary 
 •pened in 181/). and in which at the fund, or about $3,000. 'idie present 
 ifesent writing 220 ])U])ils are taught rector of the church assumed liis 
 1 (■|cnnati b\ four Sisters of Mercv. charge after having serve<l a>i assist- 
 
 Photo by AkiTs .>,• PiRooii. 
 
 Ki:\'. N. I", x. St' 11 m;ii)i;r 
 
i88 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ant pastor at New Britain. He is 
 said to be held in high regard by his 
 parishioners. 
 
 THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY 
 OF MOUNT CARMEL. 
 
 This house of worship at which 
 the ItaHan residents of the Roman 
 CathoHc faith of Meriden receive 
 their spiritual food was erected 
 in 1894. The church, which is 
 located on Goodwill avenue, on 
 the boarder of the Italian district of 
 Meriden, is shown in the accom- 
 panying illustration. Before the 
 formation of the present parish the 
 Italians of Meriden attended princi- 
 pally the St. Laurent's Church on 
 Camp street, but to that church their 
 attendance was not entirely confin- 
 ed. The creation of the parish was 
 a source of much spiritual comfort 
 to the sons of Italy and gradually 
 it has grown in membership until at 
 the present writing it numbers ac- 
 cording to the figures of the present 
 pastor, about 2,200 souls. The 
 church property consists in 1906 of 
 the church edifice only, which was 
 dedicated in 1894 and valued at $4,- 
 500, and upon which $1,200 was ex- 
 pended in 1905-6 in repairs and 
 improvements. The parish is incor- 
 porated under the laws of the state 
 and the lay trustees are Leonordo 
 Suzio and Pasquale lannetti. The 
 Sunday school is conducted by the 
 Sisters of Mercy from St. Bridget's 
 Convent, but the parochial day 
 school is yet a thing of the future. 
 
 . The different rectors of the parish 
 have been as follows : Father Mor- 
 elli, under whose pastorate the 
 church was built ; Rev. Antonio de 
 Falco, Victorio Sarilla,, Father Mc- 
 Laughlin, who though of Irish birth 
 also spoke Italian, and the present 
 pastor. Rev. Antonio DeSimone, 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL CHURCH. 
 
 who was appointed rector of the 
 parish and commenced his duties as 
 such April 2, 1905. Father DeSim- 
 one has accomplished much for the 
 parish in a comparatively short time, 
 and receives the undivided sup- 
 port of his parishioners. He is a 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 189 
 
 man of gentle manners and sympa- 
 thetic nature, and the worshippers at 
 his church hold him in affectionate 
 regard. He was born at Caiazzo, 
 IVovince of Casserta, Italy, April 13, 
 1871 and was educated for the 
 priesthood at the seminary in his 
 native town, wdiere he was also or- 
 dained in 1894, and was first a cur- 
 ate at the Church of San Giovanni e 
 Paolo. In 1903 he emigrated to this 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 RKV. A. UE SIMONE. 
 
 ountry and was appointed one of 
 ihe assistants at the cathedral at 
 Ibany, N. Y., and during his two 
 ears' service there he looked after 
 he spiritual wants of the Italians 
 f the capitol city of the Empire 
 
 ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH. 
 
 This now thriving parish of the 
 Roman Catholic church was orga- 
 nized in October, 1901, and is an off- 
 spring of St. Rose"s parish, having 
 been made a parish by itself by 
 P.ishop Tierney of Hartford. The 
 first services were held in the little 
 cha])el on West :\lain. near the cor- 
 ner of lUitler street, formerly occu- 
 pied bv the Trinity Methodist 
 Church, but which had for some 
 time been used as a chapel of ease by 
 the mother parish. Rev. John T. 
 Lynch, to the good fortune of the 
 parishioners, was made first pastor, 
 and under his leadership it has thriv- 
 ed and prospered, and now' com- 
 prises 2.700 souls. The territory set 
 off for St. Joseph's parish comprised 
 that ])art of Meriden west of 
 the N. Y.. X. H.. &'H. Railroad. 
 Almost immediately after the 
 appointment of a rector, the little 
 chai)el where services were first 
 held became overtaxed, and plans 
 were formulated for a new church. 
 Tlu- commiiiee appointed for that 
 ],ur])Ose was made up of the follow- 
 ing: John A. Hurley. Roger Crough, 
 William Lewis. Michael Keating, 
 M. 1-. I'itzgerald. M. <r. Reynolds. 
 llrnr\- Cashen. Clias. McCniire. 
 I,,lin McWeeney. Cornelius J. Dan- 
 aher. John V. I'utler. W'm. B. 
 Cashen. 1. j. .Mc.Malicn. I(«lin T. 
 McLoughlin and M. I'. .M.^rrissey. 
 The first lay trustees of the corpo- 
 ration were John A. Hurley and C. 
 
190 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 J. Danaher. but after the former's residence and adjoining buildings 
 
 removal from the city, he was sue- on the property was immediately! 
 
 ceeded by John McWeeney. In begun, and the foundation for the; 
 
 1902 the new parish became pos- new church, as yet uncompleted,; 
 
 sessed of a most desirable location was started, the corner stone of 
 
 for the new church and a proposed which was laid on October 12, 
 
 
 ■X^'i. ■■ 
 
 
 ST. JOSEPH S CHURCH. 
 
 new rectory, in a section of the old 
 Goodwill homestead property, and 
 now bounded by West Main street, 
 Goodwill and Lewis avenues. The 
 work of tearing- down the historic 
 
 1902. The basement chapel was com- 
 pleted in March, 1903, and since 
 that date services have been there 
 held. The completion of the 
 church entire was postponed by 
 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 191 
 
 Father Lynch to avoid heavy inter- from St. Uridg-et's convent. Another 
 est on money that would have been acquisition of the new parish is a lot 
 necessary for the work. Fr. on North First street and North 
 Lynch originally planned to spend Avenue, which comprises a most 
 $70,000 on the new church, but desirable location for church pur- 
 I when the auditorium is finished, poses. After the completion of St. 
 
 Joseph's church, the building of a 
 rectory will be begun and this wdll 
 be situated in the rear of the church 
 in the C()m])aratively near future. 
 
 St. Joseph's parish has now, be- 
 sides its regular pastor, two assist- 
 ants, Re\-. John F. Donohue. a na- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 RE\'. JOHX T. LYNCH. 
 
 which it bids fair to be at no dis- 
 I tant date, a sum somewhat m excess 
 of that amount will have represent- 
 ed the cost of the fully completed 
 edifice. 
 
 Since the new church became 
 occupied, the little chapel, which is 
 also owned by the corporation, was 
 
 converted into a parochial school of tive of Litchfield, and i\e\ . W in. J. 
 five rooms, where studies from the Judge, wln) was Ixirn ami l)r()uglu 
 first to the sixth grades have since u]) in fLartford. I\c\-. I'"ather 
 been taught to abcntt 260 children of Lynch, in addition to presiding over 
 the parish, by five Sisters of ivlercy his ])arish, with his assistants, looks 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 Kl-:\'. lOH.X F. DO.XOIIU 
 
192 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 after the spiritual needs of the Cath- 
 olic inmates of the Conn. School for 
 Boys. The Sunday school of St. 
 Joseph's Church comprises about 500 
 members. An idea of the growth 
 of the parish can be gained when it 
 is stated that during the month of 
 April, 1906, mission services held 
 there attracted as many as 1,000 men 
 at each service held for them, and a 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 REV. WILLIAM J. JUDGE. 
 
 larger number of women during the 
 women's mission. 
 
 Rev. John T. Lynch was born in 
 Waterbury, January 24, 1857, and 
 was educated in the public schools 
 of Ansonia, and the Collegiate and 
 Theological departments of Niagara 
 University, being ordained June 19, 
 1886. He besfan his career as a 
 
 clergyman as assistant at St. John's 
 church, Stamford, and was after- 
 wards transferred to St. Peter's 
 Church, Hartford, where he remain- 
 ed for a period of ten years. When 
 a new parish was formed at 
 Wethersfield, he became its first 
 rector, and while located there re- 
 modeled the church and bought the 
 land upon which he built a rectory. 
 During his pastorate at A\'ethers- 
 field and while connected with St. 
 Peter's Church, Hartford, he served 
 as chaplain at the Connecticut State 
 Prison. Since coming to Meriden 
 his tireless work has resulted in tl'-^ 
 remarkable growth of the parish and 
 large acquisitions of church property 
 in a comparatively short time. He 
 is greatly beloved and respected by 
 his parishioners and is also held in 
 high regard in the community. 
 
 ST. 
 
 PAUL'S UNIVERSALIST 
 CHURCH. 
 
 One of the more imposing houses 
 of worship in Aleriden is St. Paul's 
 I'niversalist Church, a handsome 
 structure from an architectural point 
 of view, the corner stone of which 
 was laid in 1891, the dedication 
 taking place September 27, 1893. 
 The present edifice was erected dur- 
 ing the pastorate of Rev. W. S. 
 Perkins, D. D., at an approximate 
 cost of $100,000, the late Isaac 
 C. Lewis, who in later years was 
 for a considerable time superintend- 
 ent of the Sunday school, being one 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 193 
 
 of the large contributors, not only 
 to the building' itself, but presenting 
 the set of chimes which, from the 
 church tower, have in tuneful peals 
 ever since resounded for the benefit of 
 the citizens of the town and vicinity. 
 The Universalist society was organ- 
 ized May 30, 1854, but previous to that 
 
 eroy, Calvin Coe, E. E. Smiley, \Vm. 
 H. Golden, John S. Blake, Moses 
 Waterman, Isaac C. Lewis, J. V. 
 Thayer, B. F. Stevens, Edwin Day- 
 ton, Monroe Barnes, John L. Ives, 
 
 B. R. Stevens, H. E. Welton, James 
 T. Pomeroy, E. R. Aspinwall, John 
 
 C. Marion, J. U. Foster, Charles 
 
 I'l:i)t<i by H. S. liodtiey. 
 
 ST. Paul's univi-zrsalist ciiukc h. 
 
 meetings were held at the house of Pomeroy. X. W. Pomeroy, Thillip 
 
 Xoah Pomeroy, wdiere also the first S. Pelton, P. S. Pliss, jr., Silas 
 
 sermon in Meriden by a P'niversalist Cdadwin. (i. E. Leonard, Aaron 
 
 minister. Rev. Mr. Brooks was C.ardner and j. P. Lewis. 
 preached. Rev. James Gallager was In .\]>ril. 1S35. the si>ciet\ had 
 
 the first regular pastor of the society, become increased by thirteen mem- 
 
 and signed to the constitution the fol- liers. but it was not until December 
 
 lowing names are found: Xoah Pom- 5, i860, that the first edifice was 
 1.^ 
 
194 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 erected and dedicated. The build- 
 ing committee of this first Univer- 
 salist church was composed of Dr. 
 T. F. Davis, Isaac C. Lewis, Silas 
 Gladwin, Moses Waterman and 
 Robert Hoadley. The whole cost 
 
 Ui:\ . j . 11. CHAPIN, PH. D. 
 
 of the first building including car- 
 pets and furnishings was $9,214.18 
 and at the time of the dedication 
 the church had a debt of $4,432.46. 
 It is said that of the sixty-six per- 
 sons who contributed to the erection 
 of the first Universalist church, but 
 forty-eight of them were avowed 
 Universalists. 
 
 This church, a wooden structure of 
 imprepossessing appearance, stood 
 where St. Paul's church now stands, 
 fronting on Norwood street, but was 
 
 moved to the northeast corner of Lib- 
 erty and Norwood streets when the 
 erection of the new church was be- 
 grn and services were continued there 
 until the present church was com- 
 pleted. Since the winter of 1904, when 
 the town hall was destroyed by fire, the 
 old church building has been occupied 
 as a temporary town hall, and used for 
 both town and city oftices, as it is at 
 this writing. 
 
 Rev. Frederick Foster was the first 
 pastor to occu])}- that pulpit, and he 
 
 1 
 
 REV. J. HARRY HOEDEN. 
 
 was followed, Nov. i, 1862, by Rev. J. 
 H. Farnsworth, who presided over the 
 flock for seven years and placed the 
 society on a permanent basis, for dur- 
 ing his pastorate and with thirty-six 
 members the church became perma- 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 195 
 
 ncntl}' organized. June 20, 1863. Rev. 
 Martin J. Steere became the next 
 settled pastor becoming located 
 here in 1869, and remaining until 
 1873. when the late Rev. James 
 Henry Chapin. Ph. D., was secured. 
 Dr. Chapin resigned on account of 
 l)rotracted ill health in 1885, and dur- 
 ing his pastorate 149 persons received 
 the right hand of fellowship and 148 
 children were baptized. During l;is 
 pastorate also a new organ, one of 
 the finest in the city, was placed in 
 the church at a cost of $4,000. Dr. 
 Chapin was a scholarly man who 
 exerted a great influence in the com- 
 munity. He showed a . profound 
 • interest in educational and philan- 
 thropic matters. He was succeeded 
 by Rev. C. A. Knickerbocker, also 
 an effective preacher and wdiose 
 ])astorate was marked by increasing 
 congregations, and during the four 
 years of his ministry the question 
 of a new church was first agitated. 
 Rev. W. S. Perkins, D. D., followed 
 
 tiev. .Mr. Kickerbocker as the next 
 ettled pastor and his ministrv in Mer- 
 pden exceeded in length of service that 
 pf any other man in the history of the 
 phurch. Dr. Perkins was a strong 
 i^reacher and possessed a kind and 
 ■Mupathetic nature, and during his 
 1 icessful pastorate many new mem- 
 " r> were received into the church. 
 Ii> v.Mrk in the cause of Cniversalism 
 l"esulted in a continued growth of the 
 hrrch and he will be long remem- 
 ered by the ])eople of the town. 
 The parish at the present writing 
 as a membershi]) of about 300 and 
 
 possesses a Sunday school of 200. 
 Rev. J. Harry Holden was installed 
 as pastor succeeding the Rev. Mr. 
 Perkins as regular pastor, May i, 
 1903. He was born at Middlesex, 
 \^t., March 18, 1861, was educated 
 at Goddard Seminary, afterward tak- 
 ing a course at the Academic De- 
 partment of Tufts College, from 
 which he received the degrees of 
 A. P., P. D., and A. M., and where 
 he later studied for the ministry, 
 graduating in theology in 1888. His 
 first pastorate was at Amherst, 
 }.Iass. He afterwards went to At- 
 tleboro, Mass., and after ])residing 
 over the church there for some 
 years accepted the call to St. Paul's 
 Cniversalist Church. While at .A.m- 
 lierst, Mr. Holden, in addition to 
 hiis pastoral duties, served as su])er- 
 intendent of schools, and at Attle- 
 I oro was for four years a mcmlxT 
 i'i the school board. He is a mem- 
 1 er and chaplain of Meridian Lodge 
 77. A. F., & A. ]M., and has become 
 a prominent figure in the promotion 
 of l^niversalism and social life in 
 ."^leriden. 
 
 He was married in South Poston. 
 Mass.. June 11. 1889 to Grace Lucas 
 and they have four children as follows: 
 I'harlotte. Kathryn, James Henry and 
 Ixemieth \\ inslow jjolden. 
 
 ST. JoflX'S GERM.VX lA'.W- 
 GI-.LICAL LL'THERAX (11 1 -RrH. 
 
 This, the mother chtu"cli of the 
 evangelical Lutheran denomination 
 in Meriden, was organized in the 
 
ST. JOHN S GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH. 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 197 
 
 court room of the town hall, on 
 Nov. 0, 1865. The first service at 
 which a sermon was delivered by a 
 pa.«^tor, was held December 25, the 
 same \ ear in the old Episcopal Church 
 on South Broad street. The first 
 pastor of this church society was 
 Rev. ( I. Guericke, but he resigned 
 the following }-ear and returned to 
 Germany. The second pastor. Re\'. 
 
 Kl.W S. V. GLASICK. 
 
 G. .\. Schniiilt. of I'tica, X. V.. 
 arrived in Meriden ( )ct. 1. i<S6f). but 
 was not installed until the first 
 church edifice, which had been f<^r 
 some time in the i)rocess of con- 
 struction, was dedicated, March 5, 
 1867. Rev. C. A. Graeber, the next 
 pastor, and who came here from 
 R*>ckville, was installed .August 22. 
 
 1869, his service as such continuing 
 until April i, 1886, when his resigna- 
 tion took effect. His successor was 
 Rev. A. KralYt of Otto, N. Y., who 
 was installed pastor of St. John's 
 church Ai)ril 16, 1886, and who re- 
 mained as such until Jul}' 10, 1890. 
 when he left to accept a call to the 
 Lutheran church at Fischerville, 
 Can. Re\-. William Koepchen of 
 New Haven, who almost immediately 
 afterwards received a unanimous 
 call from the Meriden church, was 
 installed as pastor August 10, 1890. 
 The erection of the present impos- 
 ing edifice at the corner of Liberty 
 and Norwood streets, was determined 
 u])<>ii just pre\ious to the coming of 
 Mr. l\oe])chen but the corner stone 
 was laid at the end of his first year, 
 on August 30, 1 89 1, its dedication 
 occurring March 13, i8o-'- 
 
 During his successful ])asti>rate 
 also, in 1897, the parsonage on Lib- 
 erty street was purchased by the 
 church corporation and in 1899 a 
 connuiKlious and comfortable parish 
 liouse was erected in the rear of the 
 ])arsonage by the Young Peo])le's 
 and Ladies" Aid societies. In the 
 same \ear. a very desirable tract of 
 land containing eight acres and front- 
 ing ou Roberts and iJee streets, just 
 ofi^ East Main street, was purchased 
 and has since been used by St. John's 
 parish as Gethsemane cemetery, being 
 one of the city's most beautiful plots 
 for the purpose for which it has been 
 designated. 
 
 Rev. .">. I", (ilaser, the present 
 ])astor of the now thri\-ing congre- 
 
198 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 gation, succeeded Rev. Mr. Koep- 
 chen and was installed in March, 
 1900 ; and in the intervening years 
 the church has increased largely in 
 membership. During the year 1902 
 the church replaced its defunct or- 
 gan with one of magnificence and 
 modern construction at a cost oi 
 $3,500. The church congregation pos- 
 sesses property at the present 
 writing to the value of about $55,000. 
 The present church building, a most 
 imposing structure of brick with 
 brownstone basement and trim- 
 mings and cathedral glass windows, 
 is of true Gothic architecture, and 
 has a seating capacity of 800. The 
 extreme width of the aisles, however, 
 makes it possible for about 200 
 more to be accommodated when occa- 
 sion demands. Under the pastorate 
 of the Rev. Mr. Glaser, the attend- 
 ance at the morning services, which 
 are held in German, averages be- 
 tween 500 and 6ao, and on the last 
 Palm Sunday, there were about an 
 even 1,000 people seated in the 
 church. During the past three 
 years, and owing to the fact that 
 many members of the congregation 
 have married Americans, the eve- 
 ning services have been held in 
 English, a most popular innovation 
 introduced by the present pastor. 
 There are both male and mixed 
 choirs at St. John's Church, and the 
 music there rendered is of high or- 
 der. The congregation now com- 
 prises 1,400 souls and there are 845 
 confirmed communicants, 185 com- 
 prising the adult male members who 
 
 decide the matters of the church liy 
 vote. For many years there has 
 been maintained by this church a 
 parochial school which is held in 
 three rooms of the basement and 
 where, besides all the branches taught 
 in the public schools a thorough course 
 in German is also given. This school 
 is maintained by St. John's church, 
 knowing it to be the sacred dutv to 
 give its children a thorough Chris- 
 tian education and training. The 
 teachers are : C. A. Burgdorf, princi- 
 pal ; Miss Elise Flora Sternberg and 
 .Miss Alarguerite Xagel, assistants. 
 The church Sunday school comprises 
 300 children and of this the pastor is 
 the superintendent and C. A. Brr;^- 
 dorf is the assistant. 
 
 The church council comprises the 
 following : Rev. S. F. Glaser, chiir- 
 man ; Albert Abel, clerk ; and John 
 W. Katt treasurer. The elders are Ed- 
 ward Schwarz and Carl SchoenrocK , 
 the deacons, Herman Ketelhut, rCarl 
 Schroeder and Herman Rufleth. The 
 trustees of the corporation are Ch^s. 
 Sternberg, Albert Maronde, Albert 
 Abel, John W. Katt and Williari 
 H. Nagel, president. 
 
 The present pastor. Rev. Sanniel 
 F. Glaser, was born in Adrian, Mich, 
 and attended Concordia College. Pt. 
 Wayne, Ind., from which he wis 
 graduated in 1885, after taking the 
 regular classical course embracing 
 the studies of the ancient languages, 
 including Latin, Greek and Hebrew, 
 he afterwards took a three years 
 course at Concordia University at 
 St. Louis, where he prepared for the 
 
ClIURClIliS. 
 
 199 
 
 ministry, and from wliich he received 
 his (hpUin'.a in 1S88. Mr. (ilaser 
 came to tliis city from .Vsldand, K}., 
 and his pastorate here has met with 
 the hearty co-operation of a large 
 congre,£(ation. Mr. ( ilaser is a man 
 of intellectnal attainments and 
 througli his ahihty as a preacher, or- 
 ganizer and ai)titnde for his profes- 
 sion has the chnrch been brought 
 to its present state of prosperity. 
 
 im mantel german luth- 
 i-:rax church. 
 
 This now thriving evangelical 
 chrrch congregation possessing at the 
 present writing a valuable cliurch 
 property and parsonage adjoining at 
 the corner of Hanover street and 
 Cook a\enne. sp'"ang from St. 
 John's ( ierman Lutheran Church in 
 1889. It was in that year that thirty- 
 six families formed the new societ}-, 
 it being their desire to worship un- 
 der the jurisdiction of the old syn- 
 od which is the ^linisterium of 
 New ^'ork■. and the adjacent states 
 under the (ieneral Ccnmcil of the 
 Lutheran Church of North .Amer- 
 ica. The first meetings c^f the 
 society were held at the hall of 
 the ^'oung Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation, where afttr the first few 
 montlis of services ])resided over b\^ 
 Rev. F^mil Wittmann, Rev. C. R. 
 Tappert became the regular ])astor. 
 
 A building lot had been ])ur- 
 rhased in the ])resent location 
 Find in 1890 the corner stone 
 :if the church was laid b\- Mr. 
 
 Tappert. The church when com- 
 ]dLted and dedicated began imme- 
 diately to show a reniarkal)le pro- 
 gress in membership and spiritual 
 ])ros])erity. Two years later it wa.s 
 deemed ad\isal)le to l)uy several l()ts 
 adjoining that uj)on which t'ne 
 church had l)ren built. The land 
 was little more than a swam]) and 
 was an excellent resort for a large 
 congregation of lusty throated 
 frogs. The ])astor. how^'xer, saw 
 great possibilities to ])e obtained 
 from improving the land, and at a. 
 large expense the same was tilled in 
 and the same year, in 1892. the addi- 
 tional land was ])urchased. there- 
 were built thereon the ])resent 
 church parsonage and carriage 
 sheds, thereby greatly im])roving 
 that section of the cit} . In 189/^ 
 the ]>ros])eritv and growth of the 
 church warranted a further outlays 
 of $3,000 which was spent in remod- 
 eling and l)eautif\ing the interior 
 to a considerable extent. After 
 the several improvements had been; 
 made the church society had a debt 
 of $14,000. reduced to $5,000 at this 
 writing, and continuing to be re- 
 duced at the rate of $1,000 a year, 
 without any special effort on the 
 part of the .society, from its regular 
 inc(ime. This has l)een accom- 
 pdished without the holding of fairs 
 or other entertainments and the 
 rrduction of ilu- drlit lias bi-en in a 
 measure accomj)lishe(l from the ])ro- 
 ';eeds of an established del)t fimd. 
 The church has ever been a most 
 liarniouious organization and its 
 
200 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 growth in membership somewhat school which has an average altend- 
 remarkable.. At the present writ- ance of 125 children, who attend the 
 ing there are 600 communicants. public schools the balance of the 
 
 GERMAN LUTHERAN IMMANUEL CHURCH. 
 
 The Sunday School possesses a week. The teachers at the Satur- 
 membership of 225. There is also day school are the pastor, Miss 
 conducted at the church a Saturday Meta Kreft, instructor at the Pe- 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 20 1 
 
 <|ii()(l business College, and Miss 
 Lena Knapp, teacher at the Public 
 school of Plantsville. The church 
 possesses a ladies' society of ninety- 
 seven members and a young people's 
 society of about the same member- 
 ship. 
 
 Rev. C. R. Tappert. the pastor, 
 was born in Hameln, Germanv in 
 
 RliV. C. k. TAPPERT. 
 
 i86<^», and comes from a good 
 old family in Germany, tracing 
 his ancestry back to the year 
 1567. He graduated at the Theo- 
 logical school, Kropp. Germany, 
 and while still too young to become 
 an ordained clergyman came to this 
 country and took charge of a con- 
 gregation at Greenport. L. T. He 
 was ordained 1)\' llu' M inistcrium 
 
 and installed as pastor of St. Peter's 
 Church. He afterwards founded 
 Trinity (ierman Lutheran church 
 in New York city with but nine 
 members, which afterwards became 
 a thriving society under his leader- 
 ship. The history of this church 
 reveals a creditable work by its pas- 
 tor. Mr. Tappert exerts a great in- 
 duence in the community ; for he is 
 also pastor of the First Evangelical 
 Lutheran clnirch in Southington, 
 which pulpit he also fills for that so- 
 ciety. He stands high in his 
 denomination and is a member of 
 the board of examination of the svnod. 
 Mr. Tappert has two brothers in 
 the ministry, the Revs. Gustave and 
 Ernest T., both having charges in 
 Xew York City. One of his sis- 
 ters holds an important position in 
 tlie Lutheran Deaconess home. 
 Philadelphia. Mrs. Tappert is a na- 
 tive of Greenport, L. L Her family 
 IS also well represented in the Luth- 
 eran clergy. One of her brothers. 
 Rev. \\' . Drach, is pastor in Syra- 
 cuse, X. Y. Another. Rev. G. Drach, 
 formerly pastor of an English Luth- 
 eran Church. Philadelphia, now 
 holds the important position of gen- 
 eral secretary of the Hoard of For- 
 eign Missions of the General Coun- 
 cil of the Lutheran Church of 
 America. 
 
 SWEDISH LUTH. CHURCH. 
 
 .\s early as 1878 Meriden contained 
 in its pn])ulatiMn a number of Swedes 
 
202 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 of the evangelical Lutheran faith, and 
 an attempt, which finally proved un- 
 successful, to establish a permanent 
 Swedish society, was made about that 
 time under the leadership of Dr. Lud- 
 wig Holmes. 
 
 The first Swedes began to arrive in 
 Meriden about 1865 but for the first 
 ten years their numbers were few. 
 
 About 1878 there was organized a 
 Swedish branch of the Y. M. C. A., 
 which for a time conducted Swedish 
 services in the homes and other places. 
 They also maintained a Swedish cir- 
 culating library of fair size. These 
 first services were led principally by 
 Dr. Ludwig Holmes, of Portland, 
 Conn., pastor of the Swedish Lutheran 
 church there, then the only Swedish 
 church in Connecticut. Dr. Holmes 
 later lived in the west for a number of 
 years but a few years ago returned to 
 the church in Portland over which he 
 still presides. He is now one of the 
 foremost ministers in the Swedish 
 Lutheran church of the United States 
 and is also a poet of some note. 
 
 It was not until the Swedish Luth- 
 erans had become reinforced by sev- 
 eral families of their nationality that 
 the present permanent organization 
 became effected. Services were first 
 held in St. John's Lutheran church and 
 later in German Immanual Lutheran 
 church, Bethany chapel on Britannia 
 street and Y. M. C. A. hall. The nu- 
 cleus of the present organization was 
 formed March 22, 1889. 
 
 The society was reorganized Feb. 
 rrary 18, 1890, as Swedish Evangeli- 
 cal Lutheran Immanuel congregation. 
 
 and the present church really dates its 
 history from that day. The society 
 became incorporated the same year. 
 
 The first officers were : Deacons, C. 
 A. Wickstrand, Peter Fohlin and 
 Ewald Thoren ; trustees, Peter Fohlin, 
 C. A. Wickstrand. Ferdinand Ander- 
 son ; secretary, J. Alfred Sjoquist. 
 
 jMeriden was at first a mission- 
 ar\- field and preaching services at 
 frequent intervals were conducted 
 b}' Rev. O. W. Ferm, then of 
 Xew Britain, but now in Sioux City, 
 Iowa. He was followed by Rev. C. 
 J. Bengtson, of Hartford, now of 
 Rockland, 111. Others who were not 
 ordained clergymen but divinity stu- 
 dents, the last of whom was Rev. K. 
 A. Martin, now of Schenectady, N. Y., 
 b}- whom money sufficient to buy a 
 building lot was raised, followed in 
 conducting preaching services and un- 
 til 1893, when Rev. A. F. Wicklund, 
 then studying for the ministry, but 
 now an ordained clergyman in Swe- 
 den, became the first resident pastor. 
 
 Under his leadership money was 
 subscribed with which to begin the 
 construction of the church edifice cm 
 the lot previously purchased at the cor- 
 ner of Center and Miller streets, where 
 now stands the handsome church edi- 
 fice. The building committee was com- 
 posed of the following : 
 
 John Anderson, John Wessman, 
 Otto E. Helin, Peter Anderson, Gus- 
 taf Swenson, Ferdinand Anderson. 
 
 Although Mr. Wicklund succeeded 
 in making the present church a cer- 
 tainty he did not remain in Meriden 
 loner enougfh to see it dedicated and 
 
CIIUKCHKS. 
 
 205 
 
 his successor, Rev. jnlius Lincoln, be- synod at Mnline. 111., and the Swedish 
 
 came the tirst pastor in the new Lutheran church here was his first 
 
 churcli. He preached his first sermon chars^e. During his pastorate, on Oc- 
 
 on the morning of June 16, 1895, and tober 2"/, 1895, the church was dedi- 
 
 on the afternoon of the same day the cated. He remained in .Meriden but 
 
 corner stone of the building was laid a year, after which, much to the re- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 SWEDISH LUTHERAN CHURCH. 
 
 with appropriate ceremonies which gret of his fast-gmwing tl^ck, he ac- 
 were largely attended. Rev. Mr. Lin- cepted a call to a pastorate at James- 
 coin was an American by birth and a town, N. Y. 
 
 young man of .somewhat remarkable I'nif. Thilip .\ndn.Tn. then a divin- 
 
 ability as a preacher. He was or- ity student, but who afterwards be- 
 
 dained to the ministry of Augustana came an ordained clergyman, and at 
 
204 
 
 A CENTURY OF M KRIDKX, 
 
 present the pastor of a thriving parish 
 in San Francisco, Cahfornia, of the 
 Swedish Lutheran denomination, be- 
 came the next pastor, and for a time 
 filled the pulpit of the newly erected 
 church. Upon his removal from Mer- 
 iden, his brother, Alexis Andreen, also 
 a student of theology, afterwards or- 
 dained a clergyman, and at this writ- 
 ing presiding over a church at Clinton, 
 
 Ri:V. D.WID FRIDLUXD. 
 
 Iowa, was the next to fill the pulpit. 
 He was succeeded by Rev. O. J. An- 
 drews, who was regularly installed in 
 the pastorate, remaining for a per- 
 iod of five years. Much to the regret 
 of the people here he finally accepted 
 an urgent call to locate in Englund, 
 Minn., but he afterwards returned to 
 Connecticut and is now located in An- 
 sonia. 
 
 Rev. David Fridlund, the present 
 pastor, became Mr. Andrews' suc- 
 cessor in 1904. The growth of the 
 church in membership has been some- 
 what notable. From the time when 
 the society became under its present 
 ]:)ermanent organization it had but 
 thirty-three members, which has since 
 been increased to about 300 at the 
 present writing. There is a Sunday 
 school of 100, and during the summer 
 months there is a day school main- 
 tained in the church by the society. 
 The church became an incorporated 
 organization in 1890 and the ap- 
 I)roximate value of the property is 
 now $9,000. The deacons of the 
 church are Otto E. Helin, J. Alfred 
 I'crson and Linus P. Carlson. 
 
 The trustees of the corporation are 
 jiihn W'essman, ^Martin Johnson, Gus- 
 tav H. Johnson, Albert Holmgren, 
 Custav Kugge and ^L A. Wickstrand. 
 The church secretary is Otto E. Helin. 
 There are two important societies of 
 the church, the ladies' society and the 
 young people's society. The former, 
 of which Mrs. C. G. Anderson is 
 president, and Mrs. Andrew Kugge, 
 vice-president, is composed of all 
 the ladies of the church. The of- 
 ficers of the young people's society 
 are : President, Fritz Ekdahl ; finan- 
 cial secretary, J. Adolph Johnson ; 
 secretary, Alton Parks, and treasurer, 
 C. J. Lundstrum. 
 
 Rev. David Fridlund, the present 
 pastor of the church, was born in Swe- 
 den in 1869, and was brought to this 
 country l)y his parents who located at 
 Manistee. Mich., when he was quite 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 20: 
 
 \oiing. He was educated at public 
 scluMjls. later attending Bethany Col- 
 lege. Lindsburg. Kan., and prepared 
 for the ministry at the Theological 
 Seminary of the Augustana college at 
 R(Kk Island. Meriden is his first pas- 
 torate. 
 
 THE lEWISH SYXAGOGl'E. 
 
 There has been a Hebrew reli- 
 gious society in Meriden since 1887 
 and the structure comprising the 
 present synagogue was erected in 
 i8«;i at a cost of S5.000. This 
 -<»ciety has grown to 125 members 
 from small beginnings and the 
 founder was Meyer Abraham, who 
 was the fourth orthodox Hebrew to 
 take up his residence in Meriden. 
 and in his house the first services of 
 his faith here were held. The first 
 Hebrew to come to Meriden was 
 -Abraham Harris, who is an indus- 
 trious tailor and came here with his 
 family about 1872. The seconi'i 
 Jewish family was that of which H. 
 Holtz was the head and he was fol- 
 lowed by Heiman Goldstein. Meyer 
 .-\braham was attracted to Meriden 
 in 1885 and after his friend Samuel 
 Edlemann also took up his residence 
 here, these two took it upon them- 
 selves to attract others of their faith 
 to this city, their object being the 
 foimdation of a synagogue. In 1889 
 Meyer .\braham. in his name, secur- 
 ed a charter and he became the first 
 president of the society, and has 
 strvtd in that capacity for nine 
 
 vears in all, being the present in- 
 cumbent of the ofiice. It was in 
 1887 that Abraham Siskind, a man 
 e.xceedingly well educated and held 
 in great respect by his people, was 
 chosen rabbi by the society and he 
 has since filled that office without 
 pay and in accordance with the Jew- 
 ish custom has settled all disputes 
 and conducted the marriages of his 
 
 P11..I.. l.y K. S. G..aire>. 
 
 JEWISH SVNWGGGUE. 
 
 people. Services are held in the 
 synagogue, which is located at 43 
 Cedar street, once every Friday eve- 
 ning and three times on Saturday. 
 There, as in other Jewish syna- 
 gogues, the prayer takes a most im- 
 portant part in the services for 
 which he receives a liberal salary. 
 
2o6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 S. Leiberman serving in that capa- 
 city at the present writing. People 
 of the Jewish faith become members 
 •of this society by vote of its mem- 
 bers, three black balls being suffi- 
 cient, however, to keep out those 
 not desired. The society pays a 
 funeral benefit and a certain stipu- 
 
 school where the Hebrew language 
 and bible are taught by experienced 
 teachers, and where ninety pupils 
 are now receiving daily instruction 
 from Principal Lewis Ginsberg. Day 
 school is also held there on Sundays 
 from 9 in the morning to 2 in the 
 afternoon. The society is now an 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 iMEVER ADRAH.\M. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 RABBI SISKIND. 
 
 lated sum is collected regularly from 
 its members for the maintenance of 
 the society. The services are always 
 private and none but members are 
 permitted to take part. The Old 
 Testament only is the Bible used. In 
 addition to the services of the syna- 
 gogue, on every w^eek day except 
 Saturday and Sunday, there is held 
 from the hours of 4 to 8 p. m.. a day 
 
 incorporated body and its property, 
 with the exception of a debt of $615, 
 is held free and clear. 
 
 THE THIRD CONGREGATION- 
 AL CHURCH. 
 
 This society of the Congregational 
 denomination, also called the Hanover 
 Congregational Church was organized 
 
CHURCHES. 
 
 207 
 
 February 13, 1853, by twenty-five 
 members who were dismissed from 
 the Meriden Congregational Church 
 by letter with that object in view. 
 Before this, however, the church 
 had been erected through the etYorts 
 of Walter \\>bb. Deacon N. C. 
 Sanford, Ezekiel Hall, Reuben Wa- 
 terman, I.. Griswold and others. 
 This church is of the typical Con- 
 gregational style of architecture 
 and comprises a wooden building of 
 several hundred sittings. The first 
 pastor was Rev. James A. Clark, who 
 served from 1853-55. He was fol- 
 lowed by Rev. Jacob Eaton, who was 
 installed May 18, 1857 and continued 
 until the breaking out of the Civil 
 War, in 1861, when he left for the 
 front as chaplain of the 7th Conn. 
 Vols. During his pastorate an im- 
 portant revival was held in the church 
 which resulted in the acquisition of 
 thirty-two new members.. Following 
 his pastorate for several years, and 
 until 1870, the church had no regular 
 
 pastor but in that year J. Howe X'oice 
 was installed and afterwards served 
 as pastor until April 3, 1873. At that 
 time the Xew Haven East Associa- 
 tion supplied the pulpit with acting 
 pastors until the regular preaching" 
 services were finally discontinued. The 
 last three acting pastors were E. B. 
 Crane, 1876-7. M. C. Wood, 1880, 
 and J. G. Griswold, 1882. Elias San- 
 ford and B. C. Eastman were the 
 last deacons and Daniel H. Willard 
 was the treasurer and superintendent 
 of the last Sunday school. The 
 church property is still kept in ex- 
 cellent condition, and although there 
 is no immediate prospect of suffi- 
 ciently large congregations to war- 
 rant regular services being held 
 there, it is not at all improbable that 
 the growth of the town may warrant 
 such services at some time in the 
 future, wlien this fine church proper- 
 tv mav again become used as intend- 
 ed by the God fearing ]ico]>le who 
 caused its erection. 
 
208 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIUEN. 
 
 SCHOOLS 
 
 BY WILLIAM P. KELLY, 
 
 The district system of school ad- 
 ministration was early devised in Mer- 
 iden to place the responsibility and 
 control of the schools directly in the 
 hands of the surrounding neighbor- 
 hood ; but to prevent deterioration 
 through their isolation, both town and 
 state could legislate for the districts 
 in some matters, and the officers of 
 each had a deciding voice in its af- 
 fairs. 
 
 The voters of each district elected 
 each year a committee of one or more 
 men to hire the teacher and to attend 
 to the business matters generally ; but 
 the voters of the town at large elected 
 a board of school visitors who ap- 
 proved of the qualifications of teach- 
 ers and of the character of the school 
 houses and text books. 
 
 The board of school visitors through 
 its acting school visitor performed the 
 duties of a superintendent, visiting the 
 schools, making recommendations to 
 the district committees, and passing 
 judgment on the work of the teachers. 
 
 The recommendations of the acting 
 school visitors often had great weight 
 with the district committees, especially 
 when accompanied by a threat to 
 withhold public money. In several 
 successive reports during the seventies 
 they publicly rebuked the Farms dis- 
 trict for the disreputable condition of 
 its school house, which in the report 
 
 of 1877 is characterized as "the poor- 
 est school building in the town and 
 enough, of itself, to demoralize a 
 school." Finally on May 24, 1879) 
 they officially notified the district com- 
 mittee that "no further appropriations 
 of school money would be made until 
 the accommodations were made satis- 
 
 THE OLD CORNER SCHOOL. 
 
 factory." On September 15, 1879, 
 that district had a new Iniilding rea ly 
 for occupancy. 
 
 The acting school visitor receive 1 a 
 small salary, but the others, both vis- 
 itors and committees, served withciut 
 pav. In most matters, as the district 
 committee controlled the purse, the 
 authoritv of the school visitor was lini- 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 209 
 
 ited to giving advice tliat was too often 
 unheeded. The board of visitors met 
 infrequently, leaving nearly everything 
 to the acting visitor. Indeed, their 
 |)o\ver was so limited that there w'as 
 little occasion to meet. The district 
 committees had real control. 
 
 The next logical step in perfecting 
 the administrative system was to do 
 away with the division of authority 
 and responsibility, and have one or- 
 
 committee of twelve men. They 
 chose an executive officer with the title 
 of superintendent who was entrusted 
 with the expert supervision of the 
 schools. Though the vote to consol- 
 idate was carried by the slender ma- 
 jority of five, the ])lan has grown in 
 popular favor as the benefits have been 
 more clearly seen. 
 
 There have been three su])erinten- 
 (lents: Charles M. Williams, 1896 to 
 
 Phot.) l).v R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 OLD MliKIDEX INSTITUTE. 
 
 ganization and a snigle govermng 
 board for the town. This change was 
 made in Meriden at the close of the 
 school year in 1896. Sixtv-six differ- 
 ent men held office in the districts that 
 year, and if some men had not lu-ld 
 more than one office the number would 
 have been larger. 
 
 In the fall of 1896 the town assumed 
 the property and indebtedness of the 
 districts, and elected a town school 
 f4 
 
 1898; Albert B. Mather. 1898 to 1905; 
 and William P. Kelly, since August I, 
 1905. 
 
 The ]jresenl members of the school 
 committee are: C. H. S. Davis, chair- 
 man ; Homer A. Curtiss, secretary ; 
 ( linrlcs L. L'pham. treasurer : Thomas 
 Kint;", Jolin A. McHugh, James P. 
 Piatt. C. E. Stockder, jr.. Xapo- 
 leon P. I'^orcier, Thomas .\. Penham, 
 M. B. Schenck, Cornelius J. Danaher 
 
2IO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and George J. Stanley. Charles H. 
 Wood is the present clerk to the com- 
 mittee, and Adelaide R. Pender the 
 clerk to the superintendent. 
 
 The consolidation of the districts 
 was agitated as early as 1863. At a 
 special town meeting that year it was 
 
 "Voted, That the Board of School 
 Visitors be instructed to mature a plan 
 for the reorganization of the public 
 schools and school districts of the 
 
 action in making the schools free will 
 be defeated. Our schools should be 
 equal as well as free or we shall lose 
 the benefits of experience and prog- 
 ress." 
 
 The recommendations of the "visi- 
 tors" were rejected, but six years later 
 the board of visitors at that time re- 
 ported that, "the district system as it is 
 applied in our town is a hindrance to 
 the efficiency of our public schools. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 OLD WEST DISTRICT SCHOOL. 
 
 town, and print the same with their 
 next annual report." 
 
 The board of visitors performed the 
 duty and reported "That they as- 
 sumed this task with pleasure, fully 
 aware that the time had come when 
 something must be done to render the 
 school system of the town more suc- 
 cessful — to bring it nearer to the 
 standard of perfection, at which we 
 aim. and, without which, our previous 
 
 There is an annual suffering of educa- 
 tional interests because new and in- 
 experienced district committees totally 
 leave out of sight the policy of their 
 experienced predecessors. There 
 should be one system and harmony of 
 school work throughout the town." 
 
 Again in 1875 the school visitors 
 urged that, "the district system is 
 prejudicial to the educational interests 
 of our town, and that onlv habit re- 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 211 
 
 tains the former arrangement,"" and 
 cites the fact that every year other 
 towns are voluntarily abandoning it. 
 In April, 1877, a proposition to con- 
 solidate the six central districts, which 
 were practically within the city limits, 
 Mas defeated. 
 
 In 1896, after more than thirty years 
 of waiting, the town voted by the 
 slender majority of five to consolidate. 
 
 The first town school committee was 
 
 me authority for stating that there is 
 simply no comparison between the 
 present system and the district sys- 
 tem." 
 
 THE DISTRICTS. 
 
 The history of the districts is vir- 
 tually the history of the Meriden pub- 
 lic schools, and some facts concerning 
 their beginnings may prove interest- 
 inof. 
 
 
 /[' 
 
 
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 > 
 
 f- ^fl 
 
 
 
 ^^^^^^H / 'Sif 
 
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 ^i^li^^H 
 
 
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 IMioto liy R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 OLD CENTER SCHOOL. 
 
 confident that taxpayers had given 
 proof of their wisdom in voting for 
 this measure, and pointed out that, 
 notwithstanding the employment of a 
 superintendent and drawing teacher, 
 the expense to the town was no 
 greater. 
 
 Mr. Mather, in referring to the 
 value received for the money ex- 
 pended, said in 1902: "Over thirty 
 years' experience in these schools gives 
 
 Broad street, running north and 
 south, and Main street, running east 
 and west, fixed in a general way the 
 Xortheast, Southeast. Xorthwest and 
 Southwest districts. The first two al- 
 ways retained these names, tliough the 
 names Old Road and Farms were sub- 
 so(juently applied to the last two. lly 
 1 79 1, fifteen years before the town was 
 incorporated the East. Center and 
 West districts had been added. In 
 
212 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1837 the North Center, the Corner and 
 Hanover had been added. The name 
 North Center disappeared, however, 
 about 1865. The Railroad district, as 
 its name impHes, followed the open- 
 ing of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. 
 about 1840, and the Prattsville dis- 
 trict was set apart in 1849. The 
 West district in 1850 took the name of 
 Ives, and in 1870 the name of North- 
 west, no doubt to distinguish it from 
 
 Comm*®^ Appointed to Set out the 
 Several School Districts in s*^ Society 
 
 which are as follows Viz 
 
 I. The Southeast District begin- 
 ning at the Southeast corner at the 
 old Society line Running north on the 
 east Road half way between John 
 Halls & Phineas Halls. Then west- 
 ardly to the old Burying Yard, then 
 South to the first line, including Asa- 
 hel Yale, the Aliddle Road to be in- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 OLD SOUTH CENTER SCHOOL. 
 
 the new West district organized be- 
 tween it and the Corner. 
 
 Although no one could now accu- 
 rately locate the original districts by 
 the following description, the vote of 
 an adjourned meeting of the society 
 held March 7, 1791, is here reproduced 
 because of its quaint character. 
 At an Adjourned Society Meeting 
 
 March 7th, 1791 : 
 
 Voted to Except the Report of the 
 
 eluded to the head of Sd. Road near 
 
 Lieut. Jonathan Yales 
 
 2 East District — beginning on the 
 north line of the South east running 
 West to the head of the lain near 
 Lieut. Jonathan Yales, extending 
 north on the East Road A quarter of A 
 Mile north of Amasa Ives ; including 
 the Road by Daniel Halls & John 
 Yeamons to Elnathan Ives including 
 Sd Ives 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 213 
 
 3. Xorth East District beginning- 
 on the north line of the East District, 
 Running north to the north hne. then 
 westardly to the Bridge West of the 
 \\^° Lois Houghs, running South to 
 the Road that goeth to Capt. Shalors 
 
 on the Road to the w^'" Louis Hough 
 
 as far as the Bridge, 
 
 5. West District, begiiming at the 
 House where James Cobon L'sd to 
 Hve. inchuHng al West of tlie Harbor 
 Brook to Cheshire Hn 
 
 HIGH SCHOOL. 
 
 then A cros to the foot of the (ireat 
 
 Hill South of John I'.arnses 
 
 4. Xorth west District, beginning 
 at the north line, extending South to 
 Benj" .Merriams including Sd Mcr- 
 riani. West to the blew Hills l-.ast 
 
 6 South west District, beginning at 
 the old Society line bounding East on 
 the South-east District running north 
 to Asaph Mitchcls then west by Israel 
 Halls jr: to ihc Country road, not 
 includiuu" Sd llall. then runninu' north 
 
214 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 to the Dog-way So called including all 
 East of the Harbour Brook 
 
 7 The remaining part of the So- 
 ciety to constetute the Center District. 
 
 Test. Nath" B. Johnson, Clerk. 
 
 The first schoolhouse in the Pratts- 
 ville district, built about 1849, was a 
 plain two-story building on the cor- 
 ner of North Broad and Camp streets. 
 The present building was erected to 
 
 The old Center school stood on what 
 is now High street, back of the old 
 Baptist church, at the northwest cor- 
 ner of the Broad street cemetery. It 
 probably served as a schoolhouse for 
 fifty-seven years or until the South 
 Center was built about 1863, on Cur- 
 tis street, when it was used a while for 
 storage purposes, and then demol- 
 ished. The South Center accommo- 
 
 Photo by K. S. Godfrey. 
 
 CHURCH STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 the north of the old one, in 1875, at 
 a cost of $23,573. It contains eight 
 school rooms and two playrooms. In 
 1864 this school registered fifty-two 
 pupils, with two male teachers ; in 
 1905, the registration was 321, with 
 nine female teachers. In 1902 the 
 name was changed to North Broad 
 street school by which it has been 
 known ever since. 
 
 dated the children of the south end 
 until the brick schoolhouse on Parker 
 avenue was erected in 1869. The 
 North Center, which stood on the cor- 
 ner of Broad and Wall streets, was 
 used by children from the north end 
 of the district. This building later 
 gave way to a better one, still stand- 
 ing on School street. The Parker 
 avenue schoolhouse and the Broad 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 2Ii 
 
 street annex gathered in all the chil- 
 dren and the old names of South and 
 North Center disappeared. "The 
 house on Parker avenue," says an old 
 report, "is altogether too high. There 
 are nearly lOO steps from the street 
 in front to the principal's platform in 
 Xumher 8." This building is now- 
 closed on account of its unsanitary 
 condition. In 1864 the combined 
 enumeration of the schools in the Cen- 
 
 house in whicli the first four grades 
 are taught. The registration for 1905 
 was 132, with four teachers. 
 
 The eight-room Liberty street school 
 was built in 1894 as a primary school. 
 When the I'arker avenue school was 
 condemned in 1904, it was made a 
 grammar school also. The school reg- 
 istered 315 pupils in 1905 under a male 
 ])rincipal and eight assistants. 
 
 The Hanover school appears on the 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 CEXTRAL GUAM.MAK SCIlOOI,. 
 
 ter district was 176, with three teach- 
 ers. In 1897 the name Center is dis- 
 placed in the report ])y the name Par- 
 ker avenue school. 
 
 South r>road street school was built 
 as an annex to the Parker avenue 
 school in 1884. It has always been 
 used for the primary grades and been 
 supervised by the ])rincipal of the Lib- 
 erty street school, H. D. Ileebc. 
 There are four rooms in this school- 
 
 list in 1837, l)ut the date of the first 
 schoolhouse cannot be accuratel\- 
 fixed, although it was before 1844. It 
 stood a little cast of the present build- 
 ing and had two rooms. When the 
 new school was erected in 1868 the 
 old one was removed to Cutlery ave- 
 nue. The new school cost $ii,00D. 
 A two-room addition was made in 
 1905. when there were 163 pupils un- 
 der six female teachers. 
 
2l6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 There seems to be no trace of the 
 Corner district until 1830 when its 
 first schoolhouse stood on the corner 
 of East Main and State streets. It is 
 spoken of as being "surrounded by a 
 swamp," and "nesthng among the wil- 
 lows," by elderly people who attended 
 it. In 1836 it was removed to a two- 
 story building on the north side of 
 Church street, near the southeast cor- 
 ner of the present Church street school 
 
 it still stands near Orange street, and 
 is now used as a dwelling. In 1864 the 
 Corner District school had enrolled 
 275 pupils, with three teachers, and an 
 old report has this to say of the insti- 
 tution : "This is the only thoroughly 
 graded school in the town which re- 
 ceives children in the elements, and 
 takes them through the successive 
 stages of the common and higher Eng- 
 lish branches and also enables them to 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 WEST DISTRICT SCHOOL. 
 
 grounds. In 1853 this building was 
 purchased by Noah Linsley and made 
 into a dwelling. H. D. Smith and 
 David N. Camp kept a high and select 
 school from 1847 ^o 1853 in a buildinc; 
 erected by the former. The Meriden 
 Institute, as it was known, was bought 
 by the district and enlarged and used 
 vmtil a brick building was put up in 
 front of it in 1868. The "Institute" 
 was then moved to Kinsf street, where 
 
 avail themselves of the facilities of a 
 classical education." The registration 
 for 1905 for this school, which since 
 1897 has been entered in town reports 
 as the Church street school, was 576, 
 under a male principal and fourteen 
 assistant teachers. 
 
 The Willow and King street schools 
 were built as annexes of the Corner 
 district, the former in 1883, the latter 
 in 1887. The Willow street school 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 217 
 
 numbers 153 and has four teachers 
 working in the primary grades. In 
 the King street school there are 326 
 pupils with eight rooms and seven 
 grades. 
 
 Lewis avenue school, an eight- 
 room building, was erected by the Cor- 
 ner district in 1893 at a cost of $10,- 
 333.44. The rooms are larger than 
 those in the older schools, the black- 
 boards put in are of solid slate, and the 
 
 elers on foot or horseback. The dis- 
 trict was first known as the Northwest, 
 and the change to Old Road was made 
 in honor of the historic thoroughfare 
 which passed through it. The first 
 schoolhouse stood on the corner of 
 Hicks and Colony streets, where the 
 second was built in 1843. The first 
 schoolhouse was moved and made into 
 a dwelling on liritannia street — it is 
 still standing. The second is at i)res- 
 
 
 'Sl^^ 
 
 'r V 
 
 r 
 
 m 
 
 s 
 
 ^BfiiMBBMBBM^&iitfi'*^'^^c*~'' ■ 
 
 ■■■■^H 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godt'iey. 
 
 XOKl'll (()\A)S\ SCHOOL. 
 
 time is kept l)y electrical clocks. Dur- 
 ing the first year three rooms in the 
 building were rented b\' the West dis- 
 trict and one was occu])ic(l by the Cor- 
 ner district. In 1905 it had 284 pu- 
 pils and eight teachers. 
 
 The ( )1(1 Road district took its name 
 from the fact that the old colonial road 
 from Hartford to Xew Haven lay 
 through its land. ( )riginally the road 
 was nothing but a bri<lK' jiatli for trav- 
 
 ent in use 1)\ llic bireanns Co. The 
 new schoolhouse was built a few rods 
 east of the old location, in 1875, at a 
 cost of $15,000. In iS()4 there were 
 si.xtv-five ])U1m1s enrolled, with two 
 teachers : in 1905. there were 375. with 
 a male i)rincipal and nine teachers. In 
 the re])ort of 1897 this school was first 
 called the Xorth Colon\' .school. 
 
 The Railroad district was not or- 
 ganized until after the o])cning of 
 
2l8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the Hartford and New Haven rail- 
 road, and its first schoolhouse was 
 probably not erected until 1853. In 
 1868 this was enlarged and made into 
 a two-story building. In 1875 a new 
 building was put up on the south and 
 this was enlarged in 1885. In Air. 
 Pettee's report of 1890 he says of the 
 district: "But the school buildings of 
 this district are badly located, and the 
 buildings themselves are discreditable 
 
 rooms on each floor open, giving ex- 
 cellent ventilation and light for the 
 corridors. The same plan was adopted 
 for the Liberty street school. In 1864 
 the Railroad school registered forty- 
 two pupils, with two teachers. In 
 1905 there were no in the Franklin 
 street school, with four teachers and 
 235 in the Columbia street school, with 
 six teachers. 
 
 The date of the first schoolhouse in 
 
 Photos by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 LIBERTY STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 to the district. I hope that soon bet- 
 ter buildings will be provided and a 
 better location found for them." His 
 suggestion was carried out in 1894, 
 when the Franklin and Columbia street 
 schoolhouses were erected at a cost 
 of $19,299.81. The Columbia street 
 school is of Iwo stories and has a cen- 
 tral octagorr.l hall extending from the 
 first floor to the large skylight in the 
 roof ; from this hall the four school- 
 
 the East district is not given in 
 old records, but it was some time pre- 
 vious to 1 8 14. It stood on the north 
 side of the Middletown road, on the 
 corner by Almon Hall's. It is not 
 known what became of the building. 
 Later another schoolhouse was used 
 until the easterly of the present East 
 buildings was erected in 1843 ; this 
 was followed b}- the w-esterly in 1846. 
 In 1864 the number registered was 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 219 
 
 sevcnt}-four : in 1905, forty-three. Tlie 
 miniber of teachers is the same now 
 as in 1864 — two. 
 
 The Northeast district is one of the 
 original seven that appear upon tlie 
 town list of 1814. Its first school- 
 house is still standing near the origi- 
 nal location on Bee street, one-fourth 
 of a mile north of the present school 
 house. It is used as a dwelling. The 
 new ht)\is.e was built in 1868 at a cost 
 
 house was built, on the north side of 
 Johnson avenue. About 1850 this- 
 was moved to the corner of Johnson 
 avenue and Spruce street, and in 1870 
 the present building was erected. The 
 district dropped the name West and 
 took that of Ives about 1850, and in 
 1870 this was changed to the Xorth- 
 west. This school was discontinued 
 in October. 1904. The building was 
 sold and is now used as a dwelling. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 KING STKEliT SCHOOL. 
 
 of $1,500. In 1888 orders were is- 
 sued to improve the house and out- 
 buildings. This was done and the 
 value of the property was considerably 
 increased in consequence. It is now 
 closed, and the pupils are conveyed to 
 the Xorth Broad street school. The 
 building has been sold and is used as 
 a dwelling. 
 
 One of the original seven districts 
 was the West, where the first .school- 
 
 The \\'est Main street school was 
 begun in 1868 as a four-room build- 
 ing. By 1890 it had been twice en- 
 larged, making it the most unsightly 
 school building in town. In 1864 there 
 were ninety-two scholars, with two 
 teachers. The report of that year 
 says : "The large number of scholars 
 made it necessary to divide the school 
 into two departiuents and the plan was 
 continued until last spring. The older 
 
220 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 children attended in the school house 
 and the younger at the house of Almon 
 Andrews." In 1905 it had ten rooms 
 under a male principal and ten as- 
 sistants. 
 
 The Farms district was called the 
 Southwest when the town was incor- 
 porated in 1806 and as late as 1837. 
 It appears on the records just once as 
 "Falls Plain." The first schoolhouse 
 was built in 1800 and repaired and en- 
 
 trict. It was built about 1800, and origi- 
 nally stood some twelve rods southeast 
 of the present location, to which it was 
 moved in 1847 ! it was enlarged and 
 refurnished during the eighties. In 
 1864 the register recorded twenty, with 
 two teachers ; in 1905 there were 
 twelve pupils, with one teacher. 
 
 FINANCES. 
 
 The first schools were inexpensive 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 FRANKLIN STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 larged in 1869. In 1878 the school 
 visitors condemned the building which 
 was moved ofl:' and a new one built in 
 1879, at a cost of $1,500. This dis- 
 trict drew about as many children 
 from Wallingford as from ]^Ieriden. 
 The school was closed in 1905, the 
 building sold, and the children trans- 
 ported to other schools. 
 
 The oldest schoolhouse in town, 
 without doubt, is in the Southeast dis- 
 
 afi:'airs, corresponding to the simplicity 
 of the life of the times. The terms 
 were short, the attendance was small 
 and irregular, and the teachers made 
 little preparation for their work and 
 received small pay. The schools shared 
 in the general progress and have be- 
 come more elaborate and costly as the 
 people have demanded more for their 
 children and have had the means to 
 pay for it. 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 221 
 
 The system of accounting is still 
 ■>L>ine\vhat complex. The first selcct- 
 nian pays all the bills from the appro- 
 priation as fast as they are approved 
 bv the school committee, but turns over 
 the money for salaries in a lump sum 
 each month to the clerk of the school 
 committee, who attends to paying the 
 employees, who are on salary. 
 
 The treasurer of the school commit- 
 tee receives the library grant from the 
 
 Thus, at the ])resent time, four dif- 
 ferent i)ersc)ns receive, disburse, and 
 account for the money used by the 
 schools. 
 
 The town voted in 1863 ^o increase 
 the educational tax from three-tenths 
 to one and one-twentieth of a mill 
 on a dollar so as to cover all 
 the expenses of the several dis- 
 tricts, and thus do away with rate 
 bills and district taxes. The motion. 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 WILLOW STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 State of $270 a year and a like amount 
 of town funds from the first selectman. 
 These are increased by a tew tuition 
 fees and other small sums. His re- 
 ceipts for 1904-5 were $848.58 and his 
 expenditures for books and apparatus 
 were $776.74. 
 
 The principal of the High school 
 collects tuition from non-residents, and 
 with it buys books for the High school 
 library. 
 
 carried in town meeting largol}' 
 through the iniluence of Rev. John 
 I'arker, Dr. (irove II. Wilson and 
 Welcome \\. lienham, declared that 
 "all the public schools of the town 
 shall be free, and the exi)ense of said 
 schools, heretofore defrayed frfim the 
 avails of rate bills, shall be paid by the 
 lown."" It thus appears that before 
 that time every parent who .sent a child 
 to school paid, or was supposed to pay. 
 
222 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 tuition. "The experiment of free 
 schools met with universal favor, the 
 attendance increased, the finances were 
 more simply and economically man- 
 aged, and the experience of the year 
 (1863-4) shows that this is the only 
 just and proper method of securing to 
 all the benefits of a good education." 
 — Report of 1864. 
 
 The total amount of public money 
 expended that year was $5,919.41 or 
 
 dentals. When buildings were to be 
 erected, altered or repaired, the dis- 
 trict financed the improvements alone. 
 For this purpose they had a complete 
 fiscal organization with collectors, 
 treasurers and auditors. While it was 
 simple and quite satisfactory to those 
 concerned, the records were often kept 
 in a fragmentary way, and only a few 
 were turned over to the selectmen 
 when the town consolidated. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 NORTH BROAD STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 about $4.11 per scholar enumerated. 
 The basis on which this was dis- 
 tributed to the districts is not stated. 
 
 For years the school visitors and se- 
 lectmen acted as a joint board of 
 finance for the town, and recom- 
 mended an appropriation by the town 
 sufficient to provide each district with 
 funds enough for the ordinary run- 
 ning expenses, such as teachers' and 
 janitors' wages, fuel and minor inci- 
 
 The year i879-'8o is typical. In 
 that year the town distributed to the 
 treasurers of the various districts $29.- 
 647.23. In addition thereto the dis- 
 tricts raised by means of district taxes 
 $11,877.17, by loans $2,053, and from 
 other sources $414.43, or about half as 
 much as the town appropriated. 
 
 The state has for many years an- 
 nually distributed money to the towns 
 on the basis of the number of children 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 223 
 
 enumerated. The sale of the Western 
 Reserve lands yielded over $2,000,000. 
 This was invested for the benefit of 
 the schools. In 1871 it yielded $1.20 
 per scholar enumerated. By 1891, be- 
 cause of the increase in the number of 
 children enumerated and the decline in 
 interest rates, it yielded but seventy- 
 five cents per scholar. The state, 
 however, appropriated in that year 
 from the civil list the amount of $1.50 
 
 which should be forever devoted to 
 school purposes. The income In this 
 town varies ; in 1864 it was $230.20, 
 in 1905 it was $179.44. 
 
 When the district system ceased, in 
 1896, the town school committee as- 
 sumed financial control. Levi E. Coe, 
 Benjamin Page and W. A. Miles, none 
 of whom were on the town school 
 committee, were appointed by the 
 town to appraise the property of the 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godtrev. 
 
 SOUTH BROAD STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 per scholar. This sum of $2.25 per 
 scholar is still received annually by the 
 town. 
 
 In 1836 the finances of the United 
 States were in such a flourishing con- 
 dition that the national treasury over- 
 flowed to the amount of $28,000,000. 
 Congress lent this to the several states. 
 Connecticut deposited her share, $763,- 
 661. among the towns, creating in each 
 a Town Deposit Fund, the proceeds of 
 
 school districts. They reported the 
 total value of the property to be $234.- 
 987.42 though the district committees 
 in the same year had set it at $413,548. 
 The town assumed the indebtedness of 
 the districts, $61,010.45, against whicli 
 were ready assets amounting to $2,- 
 488.91. 
 
 Including the income from all these 
 sources the school committee had 
 $115,980 to expend for the year 1905- 
 
224 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 06. $10,000 of this was a special ap- 
 propriation to buy the town's first sup- 
 ply of free text books. 
 
 SCHOOLHOUSES. 
 
 The Southeast school at the corner 
 of Miller and Paddock avenues is the 
 oldest schoolhouse in town. It is said 
 to have been built in 1800. It was en- 
 larged in 1885 and is still in use. 
 
 The second type of buildings, larger 
 
 twin school houses of the East dis- 
 trict standing side by side, and built 
 in 1843 S"d in 1846, belong to this 
 period. 
 
 In i860 the population of Meriden 
 was 7,426; in 1870 it was 10,571. 
 Between these years came a great re- 
 vival in schoolhouse erection, due, no 
 doubt, to the rapid increase in popu- 
 lation. During this period the Center 
 and Corner districts erected four-storv 
 
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 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 COLUMBIA STREET SCHOOL. 
 
 and more comfortable, may still be 
 recognized, though used now as 
 dwellings, sometimes on their orig- 
 inal sites, as in the case of the stone 
 structure on Allen avenue belonging 
 to the West district, sometimes moved 
 to other lots. The South Center 
 school, a roomy, frame building which 
 stood at 12 Curtis street, was moved 
 by its present owner to Hobart street, 
 and converted into a tenement. The 
 
 brick buildings of about the same 
 type, while the West and Hanover 
 erected two-story buildings of a type 
 afterward followed by the Old Road 
 district. Districts seemed to vie with 
 each other in the improvement of their 
 property. Parents became much more 
 eager to keep children in school in the 
 new buildings and school was made 
 more inviting to the children. 
 
 The Prattsville, or North Broad 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 225 
 
 Street school, was built in 1873. and 
 was a model eight-room building 
 which might well have been imitated. 
 To meet the next wave of increase 
 in the early 8o's the West district made 
 an unsightly addition to its frame 
 building, while the other districts be- 
 gan the erection of substantial brick 
 houses, two stories high, and having 
 two or four rooms on a floor. The 
 Did Road and West schools originally 
 
 In the early 90's came another build- 
 ing movement. Though the Lewis 
 avenue school followed the lines of 
 King street, the Columbia street and 
 Liberty street schools were of a 
 slightly different tyj)e. introducing the 
 central octagonal corridor and the en- 
 closed pupils' wardrobes. 
 
 One schoolhouse was acquired by 
 purchase. In 1903 the proprietors of 
 the German-American school sold to 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 LEWIS A\L-\UE SCHOOL 
 
 had a i)air of rooms on each floor, with the town their four-room brick build- 
 a corridor and stairwav space between ing in the rear of Liberty street and 
 them. They were subse(iuentl\- en- 
 larged by the addition of another pair 
 of rooms on each floor, at right angles 
 to the first, and making use of the same 
 corridors and stairs. Tliis resulte<l in 
 a building in the sha])e of a cross. 
 The substantial brick buildings for 
 
 the Central ( iraniniar sclioo] \\;is or- 
 ganized in it. 
 
 The ouh sclioolli(iu>c erected un- 
 der town, ratlier than district or pri- 
 vate management, is the Meriden 
 High school. Into this lieautiful and 
 imposing structure were incoq^orated 
 
 the Willow street. South I'.road street the best ideas of beauty and utility of 
 ami King street belong to this period. design, and the best materials and 
 
226 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 workmanship. It was erected in 1885 
 but the interior was not entirely com- 
 pleted until the needs of the school 
 required it in 1890. 
 
 The town now owns eighteen build- 
 ings, nine of which are brick. Ten 
 have eight rooms or more ; one has six 
 rooms ; there are four with four rooms, 
 and three with only one room. 
 
 The greatest event in the history of 
 schoolhouse building was the town 
 
 sanitary condition of all the present 
 houses. 
 
 LEADERS. 
 
 In comparison with the magnitude 
 of the present day interests the schools 
 of sixty years ago were small affairs, 
 yet Meriden was not then, and has at 
 no time since been lacking in men to 
 labor for the improvement of her 
 schools. David N. Camp, than whom 
 
 Photo by U. S. Godfrey. 
 
 EAST DISTRICT SCHOOL. 
 
 vote of 1905 to issue bonds to the 
 amount of $150,000 for the purpose of 
 erecting modern buildings to meet the 
 present pressing needs. The contract 
 is already let for a twelve-room gram- 
 mar school on West Main street near 
 Windsor avenue, and a lot facing City 
 Park has been bought for a similar 
 purpose in the northern part of the 
 city. The year 1905 marked the be- 
 ginning of a movement to improve the 
 
 no living educator in Connecticut is 
 held in more tender esteem, conducted 
 a high and select school here from 
 1847 to 1853. 
 
 The Rev. John Parker was a 
 staunch supporter of the public 
 schools, and led the movement which 
 made them free to rich and poor alike 
 in 1863. In 1 87 1 Dr. C. H. S. Davis, 
 then a rising young physician, came 
 on the board of school visitors, and 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 227 
 
 served as acting school visitor for the 
 next four years with a zeal that un- 
 fortunately proved too costly for his 
 practice to long continue. His report 
 of 1875 is full of information and 
 deals with the professional side of the 
 schools as well as the material. Not 
 one of the important steps in the for- 
 ward movements of the following 
 thirty years did he fail to advocate. 
 It was the decided misfortune of the 
 
 visitors were luinisters. Two men 
 of this calling will always be insepa- 
 rabl\ associated with the educational 
 history of Meriden. Rev. John T. 
 Pettee, who was acting school visitor 
 from 1876 to 1896, with the exception 
 of the years between 1880 and 1887, 
 when the leadership fell to Rev. J. H. 
 Chapin. These two men had the su- 
 pervision of the schools in hand for 
 twenty \ears. The\- were men of 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 HANOVER SCHOOL. 
 
 town that it failed to see the value of 
 his proposals at that time. He re- 
 mained on the board of school visitors 
 until that body was abolished in 1896. 
 and was the only member to be elected 
 to the new town school committee, 
 of which he has ever since been chair- 
 man. 
 
 Clergymen always figured promi- 
 nently in the lists of school visitors. 
 In the year 1857 seven of the nine 
 
 good judgnK'nl in practical atiairs 
 who held the confidence, not only of 
 the teachers under them, but of the 
 taxpayers and voters. The labors of 
 Dr. Chapin in securing a town High 
 school entitle him to be remembered 
 as one of the founders. 
 
 On September 4. 1869, Albert 
 B. ]\Iather began his duties in the 
 newly organized high school depart- 
 ment of the newlv built Corner school. 
 
228 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 He was soon made the head of the 
 school and later of the subordinate 
 schools which grew up in that dis- 
 trict. At the time of his elevation to 
 the superintendency in 1898 there were 
 1,000 children in daily attendance to 
 the thirty-six teachers working under 
 him. For the next seven years he was 
 superintendent of schools, but the 
 twenty-nine years he spent at the Cor- 
 ner school enabled him as a teacher 
 
 ber of men who thus became actively 
 interested in their welfare. After a 
 man has served a term in office he ap- 
 preciates more the work of others. 
 Rev. J. H. Farns worth was an able 
 and progressive man, giving much 
 time and thought to the duties of his 
 office as school visitor. Rev. Abra- 
 ham Norwood was an aggressive man 
 on the board for a short time. Dr. C. 
 A. Graeber and Dr. X. Nickerson were 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 SOUTHEAST DISTRICT SCHOOL. 
 
 and a man to put his deepest impress 
 on the life of the community. 
 
 To mention all the names which 
 deserve mention here is manifestly 
 impossible. Many of the best pro- 
 fessional and business men of the 
 town have served the schools in one 
 capacity or another, usually on the dis- 
 trict committees. This was good for 
 the schools because of the large num- 
 
 active and influential members of the 
 same board. Dr. Andrew W. Tracy 
 served as member of both boards, 
 school visitors and school committee, 
 for twenty years, with insight and 
 force. 
 
 EVENING SCHOOLS. 
 
 The evening schools have had a 
 varied career. During the winter ot 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 229 
 
 1S72-1873 there were 124 registered 
 pupils. The school \vas continued the 
 next \car, hut in 1874 and 1875 the 
 selectmen refused the use of the room 
 and the project was dropped for sev- 
 eral years. In the winters of 1882 
 and of 1883 Edward C. W'heatley. of 
 the West district, conducted a school 
 without any assistance from the town. 
 In 1886 the state bearan to aid the 
 
 even made up by overdraft. Men re- 
 ceived v$2.50 a night and women $1.50 
 for their services as teachers. 
 
 The next year the average attend- 
 ance dropped to 102 per night, and the 
 next year to forty-five : the following 
 year the project was given up. In 
 1893 the state required the towns of 
 more than 10,000 population to main- 
 tain evening schools and appropriated 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 ST. rose's p.\K()ciii.\l school. 
 
 tf)wns, with the result that in the win- 
 ter of 1886 and 1887 the evening- 
 schools had a decided boom. 498 pu- 
 pils were registered and the average 
 attendance for fifty evenings was 24<). 
 This was more than double that in 
 Hartford, one-third more than in Xew 
 Haven, while other cities in the state 
 were left far behind. The town ap- 
 ])roi)riated mone\' most liberalK and 
 
 $3.00 ])er ])ui)il in average membership 
 for 100 nights. The committee went 
 so far as to recommend the erection 
 of a special building for the evening 
 school, but it had no support. I'uder 
 a threat of mandannis the school was 
 o|)cned on the 27th of December. .Mrs. 
 .\dele S. r.ooth and her son. Paul (". 
 r>ooth, with the help of scholars from 
 her own private school, young ladies 
 
230 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 from the High school and even boys 
 from our Central Grammar main- 
 tained the school for thirty-seven 
 evenings with an average attendance 
 of ninety. Mrs. Booth conducted this 
 school in the Town hall for two sea- 
 sons, and after that at her own house, 
 at the small expense to the town of 
 $300. 
 
 From that time until the fall of 1905 
 the school was conducted at Mrs. 
 
 338 pupils were registered, represent- 
 ing twenty different nationalities. The 
 average attendance for the fifty nights 
 was ninety-five. 
 
 PRIVATE SCHOOLS. 
 
 The first schools in Meriden were 
 private schools, and until 1863 even 
 the public schools were not entirely 
 free. Whether because some people 
 supposed that the public schools were 
 
 
 k^ 
 
 
 
 a\ 
 
 
 
 
 
 J aat-. 
 
 flHjj^^^HMHHj^m^l 
 
 iflBI 
 
 
 .. ■■' ,S;-:"'-SSSiMlli 
 
 -^>.— ^ -■- ■ 
 
 ^H 
 
 '.irfr 'e£= 
 
 .> ^^m 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 ST. Laurent's parochial school. 
 
 Booth's, at the Pequod Business Col- 
 lege, and in the basement of St. John's 
 Lutheran church. The small appropria- 
 tion and the limited quarters inter- 
 fered much with the usefulness of the 
 schools. The use of the High school 
 building and the appointment of a 
 strong corps of eight teachers from the 
 day schools in 1905 and 1906 proved 
 a popular feature, and made the sea- 
 son the most successful of recent vears ; 
 
 inferior, or were too proud to edu- 
 cate their children at the public ex- 
 pense, the idea long prevailed that 
 children of the better class should be 
 taught in private schools. 
 
 In 1869 there were four such 
 schools — Miss Landfear's, Miss Hin- 
 man's. Miss Plumb's and Mrs. Aug- 
 ur's. The Meriden Institute flour- 
 ished from 1847 to 1853. It was lo- 
 cated in a building erected bv H. 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 231 
 
 D. Smith near the site of the present 
 Church street school. 
 
 On Aug. 17, 1848, through the ef- 
 I'orts of General Walter I'ooth, Sam- 
 uel Vale and Rev. John I'arker, the 
 Meriden Academical Association" 
 was formed, and on the 23d the "Ar- 
 ticles of Agreement" were deposited 
 with the secretary of state, thus giving 
 the organization a legal standing. 
 Eighty shares at $25 each, taken by 
 over fifty subscribers, provided the 
 $2,000 necessar}' to buy and put in 
 order the old Baptist church, then 
 standing on the northeast corner of 
 the Broad street burying ground. 
 
 The stockholders never received any 
 cash dividends, were once assessed 
 seventy-five cents a share, and several 
 times took collections at the annual 
 stockholders' meetings to make up 
 small deficits. The rent charged the 
 teacher varied from nothing to $25 a 
 quarter, 'i'here was a fairly good in- 
 come from rentals of the basement for 
 business purposes, and the hall for 
 traveling shows like "Tom Thuml)" 
 and the "Indian Exhibition" in 1849; 
 for party caucuses, religious meetings 
 of Milleritcs and Universalists, lodge 
 meetings of the Odd Fellows, singing 
 schools and other events. The Ly- 
 ceum had free use provided it fur- 
 nished the oil which was then $r.i2 a 
 gallon. 
 
 The first officers were as follows: 
 Sanniel Vale, president ; D. R. Wright. 
 .secretary ; Russell Coc. treasurer ; (icn- 
 eral Walter Booth. Rev. Harvey Mil- 
 ler. Rev. A. A. Stevens, Rev. John 
 Parker and Linus Birdsev, trustees. 
 
 -Most of these men served throughout 
 the life of the Academy. Linus Bird- 
 sey was always in charge of the rent- 
 als and repairs. 
 
 The trustees engaged a man teacher 
 each year who got what he could by 
 charging tuitiim. lie had little or no 
 apparatus to work w itli. and only such 
 books as he might own himself. Some 
 of the teachers were M. B. ^Nloore 
 ('49), James Atkins ("53), Mr. Ross 
 (■57, "58), Mr. Wilder CGi), Mr. 
 Jewett ("62), Miss Landfear ('64-'69). 
 
 In 1869, after twenty-one years' ex- 
 istence, the building was sold, the 
 school being no longer able to live in 
 competition with the new Center 
 school. It was moved to Twiss street 
 where it is now used as a dwelling. 
 
 The school of ]\Irs. A. S. Booth, 
 conducted at the lower end of Olive 
 street, belongs to a later periotl. In 
 the year 1894, in pupils came under 
 her instruction. She still teaches 
 many ])rivate pupils. 
 
 In 1879, through the efforts of 
 ])rominent Germans who wished that 
 their language might become a part 
 of the education of their children, the 
 German-American School Association 
 was formed. Some of the incorporat- 
 ors were: August Schmelzer. .August 
 and Henry Hirschfeld. Charles lleine- 
 niann, .Albert Patzer and I'eter .Maeur- 
 er. The school was organized by Mr. 
 and Mrs. IIenr\ A. Koeth. and con- 
 ducted by them in a substantial l)rick 
 building until the school was discon- 
 tinued in i<K'.V In that year the town 
 j)urchased the Imilding. and has since 
 used it for ilie Central Grammar 
 
232 
 
 A CENTURV OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 school. The school was very sviccess- 
 fnl and generall}' had from sixty to 
 I GO pupils. 
 
 Although a few children are pri- 
 vately instructed at the present time, 
 there is no private school of any con- 
 siderable size. 
 
 Church schools have been a prom- 
 inent feature in the educational life of 
 Meriden from a very early date. Of 
 the five Catholic schools St. Rose's is 
 the oldest. It was started in 1855 in 
 the basement of the church at the cor- 
 ner of Broad and Olive streets. In 
 i860 it was removed to the basement 
 of the present church, and in 1872 the 
 school occupied a wooden building, 
 first on Liberty street, ' which was 
 moved to the rear of the present build- 
 ing. As the parish grew a beautiful 
 brick building was erected on the 
 church property on Center street in 
 1874. The sisters came to Meriden 
 in 1872, previous to which the teach- 
 ing was conducted by lay workers. 
 
 In 1904 the growth of this denomi- 
 nation necessitated the building of an- 
 other church, when St. Joseph's was 
 erected and a school connected was 
 opened in the brick building on West 
 Main street, between Butler and South 
 Grove, formerly used as a chapel. In- 
 struction which covers the first six 
 vears of school life is now given in 
 five rooms of St. Joseph's school by 
 Sisters of Mercy from the Convent of 
 St. Bridget, on Center street. About 
 260 pupils are enrolled. Many of 
 these pursue their studies in the gram- 
 mar grades at the St. Rose's school. 
 
 St. Laurent's, the French Catholic 
 
 church, opened a school prior to 1893. 
 In 1894 it had an enrollment of 300. 
 At the present time the St. Laurent's 
 church has a beautiful two-story brick 
 schoolhouse. The school was origi- 
 nally conducted in the basement of 
 the church, but in 1903 a handsome 
 six-room brick school building was 
 erected in the rear of the church. Since 
 1893 the teaching has been done by 
 Sisters of the Assumption, of Xicolet, 
 P. 0., of whom eight are now em- 
 ployed. The number of pupils en- 
 rolled is 309. French grammar and 
 Christian doctrine are included in the 
 studies taught. The principal is the 
 pastor of the church, Rev. A. van 
 Oppen. 
 
 St. John's Evangelical Lutheran 
 church in June, 1886, through the in- 
 defatigable efiforts of the Rev. A. 
 Krafift, established a regular day 
 school. Its first teacher was A. 
 Miller, who temporarily took charge in 
 the fall of 1886. A year later, C. 
 A. Burgdorf, the present principal, was 
 engaged. From twenty-seven pupils 
 enrolled in 1886 the attendance has 
 steadily encreased until at the present 
 time almost 200 scholars are regis- 
 tered. There are now, besides the 
 principal, three teachers. Miss M. Xa- 
 gel and Rev. S. F. Glaser, who teaches 
 geography and religion. The school 
 occupies the lower story of the church 
 edifice. 
 
 St. Mary's German Catholic school 
 was opened in September, 1894, with 
 Professor Keller as its first teacher; 
 he was succeeded in the following year 
 by August Saleski. In September, 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 ^35 
 
 i8«/', the Sisters of the Congrega- 
 tion ot Xotre Dame, IJaltiniore, Md.. 
 Mtk charge. The staff at present 
 consists of four teachers. 
 
 The St. Stanislaus' PoHsli churcli 
 school occupies two rooms in the rear 
 portion of the church building' on Jef- 
 ferson street. This school was ojKMied 
 for the first time in iS<J7 with about 
 ninety scholars, the teacher being A. 
 Pryba. At the opening of the school 
 year in September. 1905, owing" to the 
 crowded condition of the school, it was 
 necessary to open two rooms instead of 
 one. John Xowak was appointed 
 teacher of the Polish branches, suc- 
 ceeding" A. Pryba, and Teresa 13. Hav- 
 ens was appointed teacher of the Eng- 
 lish branches. There are now about 
 si.xty scholars in each room. 
 
 The total registration in these six 
 schools for the year 1904-1905 was 
 
 HKiHKR EDUC.\TIOX. 
 
 Though the need of a central High 
 school was urged many years in vain, 
 higher education was provided in 
 '.arious ways. The Meriden Institute 
 previously referred to flourished as 
 1 early as 1847. ^^^^ report of 1864 
 ' mentions an academy as among the 
 nourishing private schools, meaning 
 die Meriden .Academy on r)road street. 
 The erection of the large brick school 
 houses of the Corner and Central dis- 
 tricts in t868 and 1869 gave an impe- 
 tus to the higher education, which had 
 already been carried on to a limited 
 extent in the sniallcr district schools, 
 and virtualK" closed the Acadeniv. 
 
 In 1868 and 1869 a regular high 
 school department was organized un- 
 der the direction of A. L5. Mather 
 at the Corner school, while Rev. j. T. 
 I 'ettee taught the senior department 
 of the South Center school, which wa^ 
 a two-room building. In Air. l*ettee"s 
 room the jmpils ranged from young 
 men and women who were instructed 
 in Latin and Creek, down to little chil- 
 dren in primary geography. In that 
 year each of the four largest districts 
 employed college graduates as princi- 
 pals in order to teach the High school 
 branches. 
 
 The visitors of that year strongK" 
 urged the establishment oi a central 
 High school. It seems that years be- 
 fore, after furniture had been pur- 
 chased to open a town liigh school, 
 the vote l)y which it liad l)een estab- 
 lished was rescinded on account of the 
 expense. The visitor in 1869 main- 
 tained that the town would save 
 money ])y having a central High 
 school with one college man at the 
 head, instead of having four (hsirict 
 high schools which re(|uired as manv 
 high-priced principals. 
 
 The school visitor in the re])ori for 
 1880 gives a full account of the high 
 school instruction given at the Corner 
 and Center schools, and states that pu- 
 pils docked to these sch(X)ls from 
 other districts in order to get the 
 higlier brandies. Still the number 
 was small in comparison with the total 
 population. The graduation exercises 
 of the (."enter school must have been 
 very good that year, for he enthusias- 
 ticalK" remarks that the essaxs would 
 
234 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 have done credit to the graduates oi 
 Vassar College. 
 
 On the 1 2th of April, 1881, the long 
 and weary fight for a town High 
 school came to an end, and the town 
 voted $3,000 with which to start a 
 Central school of not over two rooms 
 The promoters probably won the day 
 by omitting the objectionable word 
 "High." The second floor of the new 
 German-American school on Liberty 
 street was leased, and under the prin- 
 cipalship of Henry S. Pratt, the 
 school began. A committee consist- 
 ing of Dr. C. H. S. Davis, Dr. J. H. 
 Chapin and Saxton B. Little, ex- 
 amined the applicants for admission at 
 the Corner school on June 30 and July 
 I, 1 88 1. Of the seventy-three appli- 
 cants fifty-four passed and fifty-one 
 entered the school in September. 
 Thereafter the higher studies were ex- 
 cluded from the district schools. In 
 the following year by vote of the joint 
 board of selectmen and school visitors 
 the name was changed from the New 
 Central school to the Meriden High 
 school, and thereafter as long as the 
 town remained under the district sys- 
 tem, the town annually elected a spe- 
 cial committee of five members to take 
 charge of this school. On the 15th of 
 June. 1883. the first class graduated 
 with thirteen members. A total of 609 
 persons have graduated from the 
 school. 
 
 At the annual town meeting in Oc- 
 tober, 1883, it was voted to appro- 
 priate $50,000 to procure a site and 
 erect a suitable building for the High 
 school ; the sum was later increased to 
 
 $80,000. The lot, on the corner of 
 Catlin and Liberty streets, was pur- 
 chased at a cost of $19,500. Work 
 was begun upon the building in 1884, 
 and in December, 1885, it was for- 
 mally opened. There have been 
 three principals : Henry S. Pratt was 
 placed in charge of the High school 
 when it was opened in 1881. In 1888 
 he was succeeded by Simeon T. Frost 
 who taught until 1900, when he re- 
 signed, and the position was given to 
 his assistant, Willis J. Prouty, the 
 present principal. 
 
 The dedication of the High school 
 building was a notable event, the ora- 
 tor for the occasion being United 
 States Senator O. H. Piatt. The 
 building was thronged by citizens at 
 every public occasion. There were 
 prize speaking contests and public ex- 
 hibitions by the pupils which were the 
 social functions of the season. Every 
 existing report of the school visitors 
 speaks in affectionate terms of the 
 school, and recounts the liberal gifts of 
 every sort from citizens who believed 
 in its educational mission. Isaac C. 
 Lewis founded the library with a gift 
 of $1,000, and Walter Hubbard, a 
 few years later, contributed another 
 $1,000. Dr. J. H. Chapin's gifts of 
 cabinets of minerals and other articles 
 were probably of equal value. Hor- 
 ace C. Wilcox equipped the laboratory 
 for the study of chemistry, botany and 
 physics at an expense of over $1,000. 
 Ratcliffe Hicks contributed $1,000 
 for a permanent fund for prizes and 
 oratory. Besides these larger gifts 
 there were smaller ones. The town 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 235 
 
 allowed the receipts for tuition to be 
 expended for the library, which is al- 
 read\' one of the best High school li- 
 braries in the state and has over 
 4,200 volumes. There are now^ 287 
 pupils, two male and eleven female 
 teachers in the school. 
 
 EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS. 
 
 A great step was taken when, in 
 1863, the schools were made free. In 
 that year but fifty-seven per cent, of 
 the children enumerated were regis- 
 tered in the schools, and but sixty-six 
 per cent, of those registered attended. 
 In ii^(x) the irregularity of attendance 
 was said to be the most prominent evil 
 in the schools, and the apathy of the 
 parents was especially censured. But 
 as more money was expended upon 
 the school buildings and good teach- 
 ers, the public schools w'ere better at- 
 tended. In 1867 but sixty-five per 
 cent, of the registration attended 
 schools, while in 1874 the percentage 
 rose to eighty-three and one-half. For 
 many years the pupils in the upper 
 grades would drop out of school as 
 the year drew to a close. The enact- 
 ment of the compulsory education law 
 in 1877 greatly improved the condi- 
 tions. An annual inspection of the 
 factories used to be made, and from 
 thirty to fifty children were made to 
 attend school as a result. At first the 
 duties of the truant officer was to 
 bring runaways back to school. Now 
 he enforces the law against negligent 
 parents. Truancy has been so sharply 
 looked after for many years that it is 
 practically impossible for a child to 
 
 grow up in ignorance at this time. 
 
 The general progress of the coun- 
 try has l)cen rejected in the progress 
 of our schools. The reports of Dr. 
 Davis and Dr. Chapin indicate the 
 spirit of the times. Dr. Davis was es- 
 pecially progressive in temperament,, 
 and had he been able to secure the 
 adoption of his measures the name of 
 ^leriden would have been conspicuous- 
 throughout Xew England, at least, for 
 her good schools. Dr. Chapin was 
 more conservative though he was- 
 never provincial. He visited the best 
 schools of the day and brought the 
 comparisons home to the teachers of 
 2\Ieriden. 
 
 The growth from isolated schools- 
 with short terms and untrained teach- 
 ers to a system of schools unified in 
 aim and eft"ort, and crowned by a good 
 High school was gradual, and was ac- 
 complished with much patient effort. 
 
 CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT EVENTS. 
 1863 
 
 1872— 
 
 1881 — 
 1883- 
 
 1885- 
 
 i8y6- 
 
 Schools made free of tuition 
 charges. 
 
 Attendance for at least three 
 months in each }ear made com- 
 pulsory for children between 8- 
 and 14 years by state statute. 
 Meriden High school founded. 
 First class graduated from the- 
 High school. 
 
 Towns of over io.cx)o popula- 
 tion required by state law to< 
 maintain free evening schools. 
 Town voted to abolish districts^ 
 and consolidate all schools un- 
 der town management. 
 
236 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 1896— First superintendent appointed. 
 1896 — Drawing introduced under a 
 
 supervisor. 
 1898 — Singing introduced under a 
 
 supervisor. 
 1903 — First kindergarten established 
 
 at Franklin street school. 
 1905 — Town voted to furnish text 
 
 books free of expense to pupils. 
 
 TEACHERS OF MERIDEX, APRIL, I906. 
 
 High school — Willis J. Prouty, A. 
 j\I., principal ; E. L. Montgomery, B. 
 S., Augusta J. Boone, Caroline J. 
 Hitchcock, Florence M. Fisherdick, A. 
 B., Caroline L. Nagel, Emma K. Fos- 
 kett, Elizabeth DeK. Pease, Ph. B., 
 Jennie H. Gibson, Caroline -Wilbur, 
 Sara Beecher, A. B., Alice H. Breck- 
 enridge, A. B., Florence Garton, A. B. 
 
 Central Grammar school — Joseph 
 Gerard. A. M., principal ; Nellie F. 
 Russell, Flora J. Newell, Annie M. 
 Gaines, Anne P. Foskett. 
 
 Church street school — Joseph Ger- 
 ard, A. M., principal ; Anna C. Rice, 
 Caroline A. Ryan. Louise A. Hitch- 
 cock, Edith E. Reynolds, Fannie W. 
 Kelsey, Ethel H. Mix, Anna Norton, 
 Grace C. Reynolds, Mattie S. Wet- 
 more, Flora B. Ray, Rosemary Brady. 
 Minnie G. Wiles, Emma F. Ryan, 
 Mary A. Havens. 
 
 Willow street school — Edith L. 
 Bevins, principal ; Nellie A. Pagnam, 
 May A. Lynch. Katherine A. Mcln- 
 tee. 
 
 King street school — Ella Daniels, 
 principal ; Elizabeth T. Dunne. Nellie 
 W. Dow, A. Louise Hastings. Kather- 
 
 ine E. Ryan, Mary O'Brien, Barbara 
 Anderson, Agnes Falvey, Mary H. 
 Savage (absent on leave). 
 
 West Main street school — William 
 E. Gardner, principal ; Jennie D. 
 Wood, May H. Clark, Carrie F. Bo- 
 durtha. Hazel Harmon, Jeanette A. 
 Falvey, Josephine F. Fitzgerald, Nel- 
 lie T. O'Donnell, Ella G. Glynn, Au- 
 gusta F. Riecke, Eleanor AL Hagerty. 
 
 Lewis avenue school — Cornelia A. 
 Comstock. principal ; Helen S. Mix, 
 Anna T. L. Burk, Marion G. Hynes, 
 Augusta x\. Fischer, Edith P. Alacy 
 (absent on leave), Mary E. Lane, Hat- 
 tie C. Foster, AL Mabelle Fulton. Alice 
 A. Slater. 
 
 Liberty street school — H. D. Beebe. 
 principal ; Susan F. Newell, Fannie R. 
 Ives, Sarah N. Benedict, Ella L. 
 Hitchcock. Nettie L. Bo wen (absent 
 on leave), Mrs. G. F. Welch, Emma S. 
 Pease. Theresa C. Raarup, Rhoda A. 
 Briggs. 
 
 South Broad street school — Carrie 
 E. Bull, principal ; Anna Fitzgerald, 
 Anna E. Wilcox, Mrs. L O. Ives. 
 
 North Broad street school — Arline 
 Denison, principal : Ella Hackett. 
 Lena Rettman. Mabel G. Mossmaii. 
 Henrietta L. Rahaley, Katherine E. 
 Mahon. Laura A. Parker (absent on 
 leave). Fannie E. Webber, Lillian J. 
 McLoughlin, May Gilmartin. 
 
 Columbia street school — Mrs. Ida 
 S. Roeth. principal : Edna AL Harris. 
 Airs. Alary ( Foster) Dann. Lucy E. 
 Birdsey, Alary AL Rahaley, Georgia 
 Seidensticker. 
 
 Franklin street school — Blanche J. 
 Paddock, principal : Nellie Keena. 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 ^17 
 
 Mrs. H. H. Barnes, kindergarten; 
 Harriet I. Foster. 
 
 North Colony street school — S. 
 Watson Warden, principal ; Sabra K. 
 Taylor, Lillie Eldridge, Minnie Lally, 
 Dora E. Tracy, Alargaret Landargan, 
 Selena J. King, Helena E. Ryan, 
 Katherine Brady, Emma M. King. 
 
 Hanover school — Nellie E. Simons, 
 principal ; M. Endocia Bowman, lone 
 Renham. Florence W. Richmond, May 
 Seidensticker, ]\lary J. ^loriarty. 
 
 East school — Florence G. Robinson, 
 May I. Manley. 
 
 Southeast school — Mary Gaffney. 
 
 Supervisor of music — G. Frank 
 Goodale. 
 
 Supervisor of drawing — (Jllie E. 
 Ragon. 
 
 Janitors — High, John Kane ; North 
 Colony street, Frank Pease ; North 
 Broad street, James Griffin ; Liberty 
 street. William P. Camp : Church 
 street. lulward A. \\'uth ; King street, 
 Thomas McMahon ; South Broad 
 street. D. F. Pardee ; Lewis avenue, 
 Patrick Hehir ; West Main street, 
 James Mtzgerald ; Columbia street, J. 
 v.. Ta\lor : Hanover, J. J. Schwink 
 iiid j. W. Stetson: East, Josephine 
 Winner : Southeast, James Kates ; 
 I. cntral ( Irammar, Wilson Carpenter ; 
 Franklin street, Joseph King ; Willow 
 I street, Thomas H. Dalv. 
 
 WILLIAM POWERS KELLY. 
 
 William Powers Kelly, superinten- 
 ^lent of the Meriden public schools, 
 was born at Troy. Ohio, in 1865. 
 After gaining his preparation for col- 
 
 lege in the public schools, graded and 
 High school, in his native town, he 
 entered Dartmouth college in 1882, 
 and graduated with the degree of A. 
 \\. in 1886. Three years after the 
 college conferred upon him the degree 
 of A. M. 
 
 Following the example of many an 
 imi)ecunious collegiate he began to 
 teach school for the sake of the quick 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 WM. P. ki:llv. 
 
 and sure income. During llie \ear 
 1886 and 1887 he was principal of 
 Coe's Northwood Academy, .\orth- 
 wood. New Ham])shire, and for the 
 next three years was ])rincipal of the 
 High and graded schools of South 
 Hadlev, Mass. r)n leaving that ])osi- 
 tion in i8(;o he acce])ted ])fivate school 
 work for l)ovs, in St. Louis. .Mo. He- 
 
238 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ing somewhat dissatisfied in this school 
 he engaged in business in that city 
 until the fall of 1891 when he was 
 ■called to Worcester x\cademy, Wor- 
 cester, Mass., a flourishing college pre- 
 paratory school for boys. Here he 
 remained until he w'as called to the 
 principalship of the union schools of 
 St. Johnsbury, Vt., in 1894. Within 
 a few months from the beginning of 
 this work he was made superinten- 
 dent of all the schools in the town, 
 and during his three years there he 
 ^ave the schools their present organ- 
 ization, and instituted the series of 
 summer schools for the teachers of the 
 county. 
 
 In 1897 he accepted the super inten- 
 ■dency of the schools in Hudson, Mass., 
 and two years later the same office in 
 the town of Attleboro, Mass. After 
 a work of six years in these schools 
 during which the school system was 
 greatly developed he was elected su- 
 perintendent of the schools in Meriden, 
 and began his duties on the first of 
 August, 1905. 
 
 Mr. Kelly was married in 1896 to 
 Miss Lillian M. Lee, of New^port, R. 
 L, and has two sons, David, born in 
 1899, and William P., Jr., in 1901. 
 He attends the Center Congregational 
 church and is a member of the Colo- 
 nial Club. 
 
 WILLIS J. PROUTY. 
 
 Prof. Willis J. Prouty, principal of 
 the Meriden High school, who has 
 taken a prominent part as a public ed- 
 ucator, was born in Spencer, Mass., 
 
 May 22, 1865. He is the son of Henry 
 J. and Parmelia (Roberts) Prouty, 
 and his family is one of the oldest of 
 the Bay State. He is a descendant 
 of Richard Prouty, who settled in 
 Scituate, Mass., in 1667, and whose 
 great-great-grandson, David, was a 
 soldier in the French and Indian war, 
 also serving as a captain during the 
 Revolution, and later a major of the 
 militia. Adam, son of Isaac Prouty, 
 
 Photo by H. T. Shaw. 
 
 WILLIS J. PROUTY. 
 
 born in Scituate in 1721, removed to 
 Spencer previous to 1750, where the ^ 
 family name has since been a promi- 
 nent one. 
 
 Willis James Prouty was given 
 an excellent education by his pa- 
 rents. He graduated from the Spen- 
 cer High school in 1883, after- 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 239 
 
 wards entering Tufts College, taking- 
 the academic course, and graduating 
 therefrom with high honors, with the 
 class of 1887. In 1896 he was con- 
 ferred the degree of A. M. by his 
 Alma Mater. He began his success- 
 ful career as an educator by accepting 
 a position as instructor in mathematics 
 and bookkeeping at the Meriden High 
 school soon after leaving college. Two 
 years later he was made assistant prin- 
 cipal, and in 1899 succeeded Prof. S. 
 T. Frost as master of the school, 
 which position he has since filled. 
 Prof. Prouty's record as an educator 
 of the youth has reflected much credit 
 upon Meriden, and has proven that 
 as a school manager he has few supe- 
 riors. He has ever held not only the 
 regard of the school board but of the 
 pupils with whom he has entered into 
 direct fellowship both in and out of 
 the school room. In addition to his 
 duties at the High school, Prof. 
 Prouty has for two terms had charge 
 of the evening schools of the town, 
 namely 1887-8. 
 
 He is a prominent figure socially, 
 being a member of the Zeta Psi of 
 Tufts College, treasurer of the Home 
 Club of Meriden, a member and for 
 one year secretary of the Colonial 
 Club, a member of the Meriden Golf 
 Club and its executive committee, a 
 j>ast regent and collector of Alfred 
 11. Hall Council, Royal Arcanum; a 
 |l)ast councillor and collector of Invin- 
 cible Council Loyal Association, li- 
 brarian of the Meriden Scientific As- 
 sociation, member of the executive 
 rommittee of the ]\Ieriden Guild of 
 
 the Religious Educational Associa- 
 tion, and member of the Committee 
 on Historic Addresses, Events and 
 Relics of the Meriden Centennial. 
 
 He was married in 1890 to Jennie 
 W., daughter of Ilenr\- ( i. Smith, of 
 Meriden, to whom one daughter, Mar- 
 illa, has been born. 
 
 JOSEPH GERARD. 
 
 Joseph Gerard, A. .M., i)rinc!pal 
 of the Church street and also the 
 Central Grammar school, was born 
 at Mount 15ethcl, X. J. He is the 
 son of ^\'illiam and Susan (.\ntho- 
 ny) Gerard, also natives of New 
 Jersey. His ancestors on the 
 paternal side came from the Chan- 
 nel Islands and settled near Phila- 
 delphia. His great-grandfather 
 shod Gen. A\'ashington's famous 
 white horse diu-ing the Revolution- 
 ary War. 
 
 Mr. Gerard ])re])ared for college 
 at Centenary Collegiate Institute, 
 Hackettstown, Xew Jersey, later 
 entered W'esleyan L'ni\ersily .Mid- 
 dletown, and after taking the regu- 
 lar college course, was graduated 
 in 1882 witli the degree of A. I'.. 
 This university afterward conter- 
 ed u])on him the degree ot A. M. 
 
 Adopting teaching as his profes- 
 sion, he began his first \ear as a 
 pedagogue at East Hartford and 
 continued his work as an educator 
 at the public schools in Southing- 
 ton, but in 1884 he was secured by 
 the school committee of Meriden as 
 
240 
 
 A CEXTURV OF MERIU" tN. 
 
 principal of the Old Road school. 
 After fulfilling the duties of master 
 of that school for five years, he re- 
 signed and accepted an office in the 
 United States custom house in New 
 York City, after having qualified 
 for the same by passing the required 
 civil service examinations. At the 
 end of two years, however, his love 
 for teaching prompted him to relin- 
 
 JOSliPIl GliKARD. 
 
 quish his position in the custom 
 house and again enter the educa- 
 tional field. Soon after he was in- 
 stalled in his old position as prin- 
 cipal of the Old Road school, where 
 he remained until appointed the 
 successor of C. M. Williams at the 
 West Main street school. Two 
 years later when A. B. Mather was 
 appointed as superintendent of 
 
 schools, Mr. Gerard succeeded him 
 as principal of the Church street 
 school, familiarly known as the Cor- 
 ner school. This, the largest gram- 
 mar school in the city, has ac- 
 commodations for 600 scholars, and 
 contains fourteen rooms all of which 
 are taxed to their utmost and where 
 he is assisted by fourteen teachers. 
 
 At the Central Grammar school 
 the higher branches of the grammar 
 grades are taught, and this school 
 has been under his guidance since it 
 wa? acquired by the city 
 
 Mr. Gerard stands high in his 
 profession and is a member of the 
 State Teachers" Association, the 
 Schoolmasters' Club, and is a trus- 
 tee of the State Teachers" Guild. 
 
 He has also taken two courses at 
 Yale University, one in psychol- 
 ogy and pedagogy and the other, 
 school organization and supervision. 
 
 He was married in Middletown to 
 Martha J. Chapman, daughter of 
 Owen Chapman, and to this union 
 have been born two children. Ruth 
 \\'ilheln;ina. not now living, and 
 ( )wen Stephen Gerard, who gradu- 
 ated at Meriden High School and 
 from there entered Wesleyan Uni- 
 versity. 
 
 Mr. Gerard is a member of the 
 Home Club, the Colonial Club and 
 Business Men"s Association. In 
 fraternal life he is a Royal Arcli 
 Mason and a member of the B. P- 
 O. E., Xo. 35. 
 
 In church afl:"airs he and his fam- 
 ily belong to the First Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
SCHOOLS. 
 
 241 
 
 WILLIAM E. GARDNER. 
 
 William Elliott Gardner, principal 
 of the West District School of Meri- 
 den, was born at Lodi, Seneca Coun- 
 ty, N. Y., January 14, 1861. His 
 father was Edwin Forest Gardner, a 
 native of Brooklyn, N. Y., who in his 
 youngs manhood bought land and en- 
 gaged in agriculture in Lodi where 
 
 WILLIAM 
 
 GAKDXLR. 
 
 he married. Jane, dau^liter of Cor- 
 nelius Compton. Mr. Gardner is 
 also descended from the Catlin fam- 
 ily of Connecticut and liis grand- 
 mother. Marv Catlin, lixed in Litch- 
 field. 
 
 -After s])en(ling his earl\- life on 
 his father's farm and attending the 
 common schools of the town he 
 16 
 
 graduated at the High School at 
 Truinansburg, .\. V. He tittctl for 
 the work of an educator first at the 
 Albany State Normal School, after- 
 wards taking the teachers' course at 
 the L'niversity of the City of New- 
 York, where he achieved high hon- 
 ors in scholarship and took promi- 
 nent part in literary and debating 
 societies of the college, and later 
 post graduate pedagogical courses 
 at Yale College and the summer 
 school at .Martha's A'inevard. While 
 fitting for liis ])rofL'Ssion he taught 
 several terms at country schools in 
 New York State, but after his grad- 
 uation from the Normal School at 
 Albany, he was ai)])ointe(l ])rinci])al 
 of the Greenfield llill ."School, Green- 
 field Hill, Conn. His next school was 
 at New Canaan. Conn., of which he 
 was the ])rincipal for a jieriod of six 
 \ears. During the latter j)art of his 
 stay in that town he also served as 
 superintendent of schools. 
 
 In .September. 1895. he was secured 
 as principal of the Prattsville School 
 in this town, where he remained for 
 three years and until transferred to 
 the West -Main Street Sclio. ,] in 1898 
 and where hv now has ten assistants. 
 ( )wing to the (i\ ercrowded condition 
 of this school, which, at tliis writing, 
 has an a\erage attendance of 400, a 
 new building now in ])rocess of con- 
 struction has l)ecome an absolute 
 lU'cessity. Mr. (iardner is a most 
 successful educator of the yoimg, is 
 a deep student of hi^ |)rofession. and 
 enjoys the respect of his ])upils and 
 assistant teachers and the full con- 
 
242 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDliX. 
 
 fidence of the community. At his 
 home he possesses a valuable library 
 included in which are many books 
 treating on educational subjects. Mr. 
 Gardner is a member of the Colonial 
 Club, the Meriden Grange and the 
 First Congregational Church. 
 
 He has been twice married : first 
 to Etta Perry of Greenfield Hill, 
 Conn., who died in 1890. To that 
 marriage two children were born. 
 Elliott and Esther. Mr. Gardner 
 was married, second, to Emily Ho- 
 garth Covert of Interlaken, Seneca 
 County, N. Y., and to that union 
 two children, Pauline and Alan, have 
 been born. Mr. Gardner resides with 
 his family on Linsley avenue. 
 
 S. WATSON WARDEN. 
 
 S. Watson Warden, principal of 
 the North Colony School is a native 
 of Virginia. He w^as born Septem- 
 ber 7. i860, near Charleston, West 
 Virginia, which, at the time of his 
 birth, had not been set apart from 
 its mother state. 
 
 He is a son of a Methodist clergy- 
 man, and in his boyhood lived in 
 different parts of that commonwealth. 
 He, therefore, gained an extensive 
 acquaintance in his native state 
 which he values highly. He was 
 brought up to fully value educa- 
 tion, and after obtaining a common 
 and normal school training began 
 his college life in the Ohio Wesley- 
 an University, but afterwards en- 
 tered the Universitv of West Vir- 
 
 ginia from which he graduated in 
 1886. He was enabled to receive 
 his full college course by teaching 
 school at intervals, thereby paying 
 his own way. 
 
 After the graduation from the 
 University of West Virginia, he was 
 well qualified both by experience 
 and knowledge to become master 
 of a school. Mr. W^arden came to 
 
 S. WA'rSOX WARDEN. 
 
 Meriden in 1888 after having been 
 at the head of a select private school 
 at Goodground, L. I., and when se- 
 lected by the district committee as 
 master of the Hanover School, he 
 made a valuable acquisition to the 
 teaching staff of the Meriden public 
 schools. After remaining in this 
 school for a period of eight years. 
 
^(■|l()()l.^ 
 
 2-13 
 
 lie succeeded Joseph Gerard, in 1896, 
 as principal of the Old Road School, 
 which after the consolidation of the 
 districts was given the name of the 
 Xorth Colony School, where he has 
 since ably presided over the des- 
 tinies of the pupils. 
 
 Tiie increase in attendance, at this 
 school, especial]}' within the past 
 year has been somewhat remarkable 
 and has resulted in more than tax- 
 ing the building of eight rooms to 
 its fullest capacity. 
 
 The recent growth in attendance 
 is caused by the acquisition of new 
 manufacturing industries in that 
 section of the town, resulting in the 
 arrival in Meriden of a large number 
 of new families, whose children are 
 .sent to that school. At the pres- 
 ent writing Principal \\"arden has 
 nine assistants, and from the pres- 
 ent attendance at the school, 390. 
 which bids fair to prove larger 
 rather than decrease, additional 
 school room seems an absolute nec- 
 essity. At this school all the gram- 
 mar grades but the ninth are taught. 
 
 Mr. Warden, in addition to his 
 duties at the Colony School, during 
 last season was master of the Meri- 
 den Evening School, which this year 
 had the largest attendarice in the 
 history of the evening schools of the 
 town, or an average of ninety-five 
 for the fifty nights comprising the 
 term. 
 
 .Mr. Warden is a jjrominent mem- 
 ber of tlie Independent Order of 
 Odd l\-llows, having filled all the 
 chairs at Hancock Lodge in South 
 Meriden, and being twice sent as 
 delegate to the Grand Lodge of 
 Connecticut. In his religious sym- 
 pathies he is a Methodist and, with 
 his family, attends the first Church 
 of that denomination. 
 
 He was married to Henrietta 
 M., daughter of Alvin Sweet of 
 South Meriden, and to that mar- 
 riage two girls and two boys have 
 been born: Rdna. Raymond. .Mildred 
 and \\'atS(Tn. 
 
 Photo by Aki r- \ I'ii;i'oii 
 
 II. i>\\ ic.iri' i:i-:i-:nii:. 
 
244 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 BIOGRAPHIES 
 
 JERE DEWEY EGGLESTON. 
 
 Among her physicians Aleriden pos- 
 sesses none more esteemed by his pa- 
 tients and friends than Jere Dewey 
 Eggleston, M. D. 
 
 He was born in Longmeadow, 
 Mass., October 28, 1853, his parents 
 being Jere D. and Louisa (Carew) 
 Eggleston and he is descended of a 
 long hne of New England ancestry, 
 and in the seventh generation from 
 Bigat Eggleston who w^as born 
 in 1590 and came from Exeter, 
 England to Dorchester, Alass., in 
 1630. He was a freeman in 1631, was 
 an original member of ]\Ir. Warham's 
 church and with it moved to Wind- 
 sor, Conn., in 1635, becoming one of 
 the first citizens of that historic place. 
 He died in September, 1674, and his 
 wife, Mary, preceded him December 
 8, 1657. From his first American an- 
 cestor, Dr. Eggleston's lineage is as 
 follows : James, Nathaniel, Eben, Eli, 
 and Jere D. Eggleston. 
 
 Dr. Eggleston is essentially a self- 
 made man in the very best interpreta- 
 tion of that term. His father's death, 
 while he was yet an infant, followed 
 not many years afterwards by that of 
 his mother, threw the boy upon his 
 own resources and developed in him 
 those qualities which have united to 
 
 make his career eminently successful. 
 
 He began to be self-supporting at 
 the age of thirteen, and, first by 
 working on a farm and afterwards bv 
 teaching school, he prepared the wav 
 for the education which he had early 
 determined should be his. He grad- 
 uated from Williams College, and later 
 from the College of Physicians and 
 Surgeons in New York City. 
 
 He began the practice of his pro- 
 fession in Windsor Locks, Conn., and 
 in about 1880 he removed to Meriden 
 which has been his home ever since. 
 It was not long after his coming to 
 Meriden that he began to be known as 
 one of the leading young physicians 
 of the city. He threw himself heart 
 and soul into the practice of his chosen 
 profession, and his marked abilities, 
 united with a pleasing address and 
 genial personality, soon won for him 
 a firm place in the opinion of all. H^' 
 has kept abreast of the times in all 
 his works, and his opinions on all 
 subjects connected with his profession 
 are eagerly sought, not only by his 
 patients, but by his fellow practition- 
 ers as well. 
 
 Dr. Eggleston's many professional 
 calls have not kept him from other 
 calls and pleasures, political and so- 
 cial. His home is often thrown open 
 for enjoyable events in the social life 
 
RIOGKAPHIIiS. 
 
 245 
 
 ^.^. %^' 
 
246 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 of the city and no one excels him as 
 a host. In poHtics he is a Repub 
 Hcan and, although always a busy 
 man, took the time to serve his city 
 as alderman for several years. He is 
 prominent in both Free Masonry and 
 Odd Fellowship and is a member of 
 local orders. He is also a prominent 
 
 zens and manufacturers, Thomas 
 Duncan, who was a native of Scot 
 land, where he came from distinguished 
 Scotch ancestry. The following 
 children have been born to 
 them : Robert D., born March 7, 1882 ; 
 Ralph B., born November, 1884, ^'id 
 died March 19, 1886 ; Jeannette L., 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF DR. J. D. EGGLESTON. 
 
 member of the Meriden Medical so- 
 ciety and the city hospital staff. 
 
 May 18, 1 88 1. Dr. Eggleston was 
 married to Elizabeth C. Duncan, of 
 Poquonnock, Windsor, Conn., a na- 
 tive of Poquonnock and the daughter 
 of one of its former prominent citi- 
 
 born April 18, 1887; Arthur ]., born 
 November 19, 1890, and Jere Dudley, 
 born May 29, 1894. 
 
 The Eggleston home is a delightful 
 one as many who have enjoyed its 
 hospitality can testify, and an illustra- 
 tion of which is here shown. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 247 
 
 E. T. BRADSTREET. 
 
 Edward Thomas Ilradstreet. M. D., 
 was born at Thomaston, Conn., Feb. 
 15, 1852. He is the son of Thomas J. 
 and Amanda 1 Thomas ) Bradstreet, 
 and a descendant of the earlv colo- 
 nial governors, Simon Bradstreet and 
 Thomas Dudley, Governor B)radstreet 
 having: married Anne, dauQlitcr of 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 DR. E. T. liRADSTREET. 
 
 Dudley, before leavinjr England. His 
 luaternal strand father was Seth Thom- 
 is. for whom Thomaston was named. 
 The father of Dr. Bradstreet grad- 
 lated from Vale College in 1834, and 
 oon after comjjleting the course at 
 he .Andover Theological Seminarv. 
 ras engaged to preach for six months 
 t the Center Congregational church 
 
 at Meriden. Poor health affecting his 
 voice soon after taking a church at 
 Thomaston. he left the ministrv. After 
 filling various positions with Iiis 
 father-in-law, Seth Thomas, in his 
 clock lactory, cotton mill and brass 
 mill, including that of traveling sales- 
 man, being probably the pioneer drum- 
 mer of the brass trade, he adopted the 
 more healthful occupation of improv- 
 ing land and doing light farming. He 
 died at the age of ninety years. 
 
 Dr. Bradstreet was educated at the 
 Thomaston Academy, afterwards tak- 
 ing the academic course at Yale Col- 
 lege, and graduated in 1874 with the 
 degree of A. B. He studied medicine 
 at the College of Physicians and Sur- 
 geons of Columbia University, from 
 which he was graduated in 1877, and 
 after a brief period, in which he was 
 engaged in further study, he came to 
 Meriden in the same year, and began 
 the practice which he has ever since 
 continued. 
 
 Since its organization Dr. Brad- 
 street has l)een a member of the staff 
 of the Meriden City Hospital, where 
 he is now president of the medical 
 board: and his services have always 
 been highly valued. 
 
 He stands high in his chosen pro- 
 fession. He is a member of the Amer- 
 ican Medical Association. Connecticut 
 State Aledical Society. New Haven 
 County Aledical Society. President of 
 the Meriden Medical Society, one of 
 the directors of the Gaylord Farm San- 
 atorium, examiner for fourteen of the 
 leading life insurance companies; 
 I)resident of the Meriden Yale Alumni 
 
248 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Association; since 1901 has served as 
 medical examiner of the town of Mer- 
 iden, and from 1882-1893 was a mem- 
 ber of the New Haven Board of Ex- 
 aminers for Pensions. He is a mem- 
 ber of the First Congregational 
 church, the Home Club, president of 
 the Meriden Golf Club since its or- 
 ganization, member Gov. Thomas 
 Dudley Family Association and of the 
 Sons of the Revolution. He is also 
 one of the General Committee arrang- 
 ing for the Centennial Celebration of 
 the town. 
 
 He was married in 1875 to Alice E., 
 daughter of Hiram and Sarah (Beers) 
 Pierce, of Thomaston, Conn., to whom 
 have been born Edward Dudley Brad- 
 street, a graduate of Yale College in 
 1901, who has ado])ted painting as a 
 profession ; Mary Thomas Bradstreet. 
 and Alice Pierce Bradstreet, who died 
 at the age of six years. 
 
 E. W. SAHTH. 
 
 Edward Wier Smith, M. D., a rep- 
 resentative physician and surgeon of 
 note, and valued member of the city 
 hospital staff, was born here October 
 17, 1854, and has for more than five 
 decades been identified with Meriden's 
 educational, social and medical inter- 
 ests. His parents were David and Fi- 
 delia (Parker) Smith, and his ances- 
 tors won considerable distinction in 
 the battles of the American Revolu- 
 tion. 
 
 Dr. Smith acquired his early educa- 
 tion in the schools of Meriden. This 
 was followed by a course in the Hop- 
 
 kin's grammar school. New Haven, 
 and Yale college, from which institu- 
 tion he graduated in 1878. 
 
 During his college life Dr. Smith 
 took considerable interest in athletics. 
 He played on the Yale University 
 baseball team and participated in con- 
 tests with Harvard, Princeton and 
 other educational institutions. 
 
 His predilection for a medical ca- 
 
 DR. E. W. SMITH. 
 
 reer took definite form when he en- 
 tered the medical department at Yale, 
 but like the great majority of pro- 
 fessional men in former years, his col- 
 legiate course was interrupted in his 
 case, and at the end of a year, he 
 turned his attention to teaching as a 
 temporary makeshift. He did not 
 lose sight of his goal, however, for in 
 1880 he returned to college to pursue 
 
lUOGRAPIIIES. 
 
 249 
 
 the course upon which his hopes were 
 centered, at McGill Medical school, in 
 Montreal, Canada, by which institu- 
 tion he was granted his diploma and 
 degree of ^I. D. in 1882. He lost no 
 time looking about for a suitable open- 
 ing, but returned at once to Meriden 
 and established his office in a desira- 
 ble location that same year. 
 
 Dr. Smith's ambition to keep 
 abreast of the times in his profession 
 was further manifested when he pur- 
 sued a post graduate course, in the 
 medical college, New York City, in 
 1892. Dr. Smith has allied himself 
 with various medical associations, in- 
 cluding the Conn. Medical Society, 
 American }iledical Association : Amer- 
 ican Academy of ^Medicine and the 
 Meriden ^Medical Society. He has 
 ever kept in touch with the great 
 Strides that have been made in the 
 medical and surgical fields and his 
 success in the latter has won for 
 him the admiration of his brother 
 practitioners. 
 
 He was married October 14. 1885. 
 to Helen B. Rice, daughter of Oliver 
 and Abbie C. Rice, of ^leriden, and 
 their two children are ]\Iarion R. and 
 David Parker Smith. 
 
 Dr. Smith is a member of the First 
 Congregational church and is also a 
 member of the Meriden Golf club and 
 the Home club of Aleriden, in all of 
 which he takes a deep interest. 
 
 E. W. PIERCE. 
 
 June 18, 1862. He is a son of the late 
 Rev. A. C. Pierce, a Congregational 
 clergyman, who removed to Brook- 
 field Center, Conn., in 1870, and there 
 was a pastor until his death in 1888. 
 Dr. Pierce obtained his ])reliminary 
 education in a private school in Brook- 
 field, the Newtown (Conn.) Acad- 
 emy, and the Sheffield Scientific 
 School, of Vale : his professional edu- 
 
 Elbridge \\'orthingt()n Pierce. ^I. 
 1)., was born in Northford. Conn.. 
 
 \n<. 1:. w. \'\\:\<( !■:. 
 
 cation in the medical de|)artnK'nt of 
 the I'niversity of New York, the New 
 ^'ork Postgraduate School and Hos- 
 pital, New York Policlinic. New York 
 Eye and Ear Infirmary and the out- 
 patient department of Bellevue hos- 
 pital. 
 
 He came to Meriden in September, 
 1885, and engaged in general prac- 
 tice in ])artnership with Dr. V.. W. 
 
250 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Smith but after seven years this part- 
 nership was dissolved ; and since then 
 he has hmited his practice to diseases 
 of the eye, ear. nose and throat. 
 
 Dr. Pierce became a member of the 
 medical stafif of the Meriden Hospital 
 when it was first organized and was 
 elected secretary of the Medical Board, 
 which position he has held to the pres- 
 ent time. 
 
 He is a member of the American 
 Medical Association, Connecticut 
 Medical Society, New Haven County 
 Medical Society and the Meriden 
 Medical Association. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Home Club and Meriden 
 Golf Club. 
 
 He was married to Bessie Hubbard 
 November 12, 1895, and to that union 
 one son has been born. 
 
 E. A. WILSON. 
 Edgar Adams Wilson, M. D., ocu- 
 list and aurist. and since its organiza- 
 tion, a member of the hospital staff, 
 is the only son of the late Dr. Grove 
 H. Wilson, a former mayor of Meri- 
 den and for many years a leading prac- 
 titioner of the medical profession. He 
 was born at Conway, Mass., Decem- 
 ber 4, 1853. When he was four years 
 old his parents removed to Meriden ; 
 and he obtained his early education 
 first at private school and later at the 
 Corner school. He fitted for college 
 at Phillips Academy, Exeter, N. H., 
 and was later graduated from the 
 academic department of Yale College 
 with the class of 1877. He studied 
 medicine at the University of Penn- 
 svlvania where he took the medical 
 
 course and received his diploma in 
 March, 1881, and from the New York 
 Homeopathic College in 1882. 
 
 He began his professional career bv 
 conducting a general practice at 
 Rockville, Conn., where he remained 
 from 1883 to 1888, afterwards engag- 
 ing in general practice with his father 
 until 1893 ; when he became the clini- 
 cal assistant surgeon at the Manhat- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 DR. 1-:. A. WILSON. 
 
 tan Eye and Ear Hospital. There he 
 became intensely interested in that spe- 
 cial branch of his profession, and 
 since 1897 he has confined himself to 
 the treatment of those diseases and 
 continued practice in the office made 
 vacant by the death of his father. 
 
 He was for five years city health of- 
 ficer, and since 1893 has been health 
 
D10GKAl"Iin-:S. 
 
 2^1 
 
 officer of the Town of Meriden and 
 since its formation, in December. 1890, 
 he has been secretary of the Xew 
 Haven County PubHc Heakh Associa- 
 tion. Dr. Wilson is a member of the 
 various medical societies, also of the 
 Alumni of the ^Manhattan E\e and 
 Ear Hospital, the New England As- 
 sociation of Alumni of the University 
 of Pennsylvania. As well as being a 
 member of the city hospital staff, he 
 fulfills similar professional duties at 
 the Connecticut Masonic home at 
 Wallingford. He is a member of 
 .Meridian Lodge, 'j'/, A. F. & A. W.\ 
 .\Ifred Hall Council, Royal Arcanum ; 
 and also of the Home Club of Mer- 
 iden. 
 
 He married in 1883 Ida M.. daugh- 
 ter of George and Lydia (Redfield) 
 Beach, and they have one son, Leslie 
 Adams \\'ilson, born in 1886, and a 
 graduate in 1906 of W'illiston Acad- 
 emy, Easthampton. 
 
 F. P. GRISWOLD. 
 
 Frederick Pratt Griswold. AL D.. a 
 leading physician and member of the 
 cit\ hosjjital .staff of Meriden. was 
 born in Esse.x, Conn.. ^larch 3. 1850. 
 He comes of early colonial ancestry 
 and is the son of Samuel and Susan 
 (I'ratt) Griswold. One of his fore- 
 fathers. Edward Doty, the fortieth 
 signer of the Mayflower Compact, 
 served under Myles Standish in the 
 hirst Military company and took part 
 in the first encounter, December 8. 
 1620. 
 
 Dr. Griswold received his education 
 in the common schools of his native 
 town, later studying at the Suffield 
 Institute and afterwards taking up 
 medicine at the College of I'h\sicians 
 and Surgeons of New York City, 
 from which he graduated and received 
 his degree of M. D. in 1876. After 
 spending a }ear and a half in Belle- 
 vue Hos])ital, he began the i)ractice of 
 
 UK. I", r. (iKiswdi.i). 
 
 medicine in (iuilford. remaining there 
 for six \ears. He afterwards s])ent 
 six monllis at the Polyclinic in Xew 
 ^'ork City and came to Meriden in 
 the fall of 1884. 
 
 Since that timi' he has been a val- 
 ued resident of the town and has con- 
 tinued practice without interruption to 
 the present writing. Dr. Griswold 
 
252 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 has always stood high in his profes- 
 sion and has built up a large practice, 
 his office and residence being situated 
 on Broad street opposite the Center 
 Congregational church. He has been 
 a member of the hospital staff since 
 the excellent institution was first 
 founded in Meriden. He is a member 
 of the American Medical Association. 
 Connecticut State Medical Society, 
 the New Haven County Medical 
 Society and the Meriden City Medi- 
 cal Society, in all of which he enjoys 
 the fellowship and esteem of the mem- 
 bers of the profession in the highest 
 degree. He is examiner for the Mas- 
 sachusetts Mutual and the National 
 Life Insurance companies. 
 
 He was married October 30, 1878, 
 to Caroline P., daughter of Wm. Sew- 
 ard and Caroline Parmelee Hull, of 
 Madison, Conn., to whom have been 
 born two boys : Frederick Prescott. 
 born April 16. 1880, and Harold Hull, 
 born November 12, 1886. Both Dr. 
 and Mrs. Griswold are active members 
 of the Center Congregational church. 
 
 H. A. MEEKS. 
 
 Harold Albert Meeks. M. D., a well 
 known physician of Meriden, who has 
 been a member of the city hospital 
 staff since its organization, was born 
 at the summer home of his parents, 
 Preakness, Wayne Township, N. J., 
 July 27, 1868. He comes from an old 
 Knickerbocker family and his descend- 
 ants figured prominently in the affairs 
 of Manhattan Island lono; before the 
 
 Revolution. His father was of Eng- 
 lish and Spanish descent. Dr. Meeks 
 has also Holland-Dutch and French 
 blood in his veins. 
 
 He is descended from Abra Clark, 
 one of the signers of the Declaration 
 of Independence and also from Cap- 
 tain Francis Van Dyke, of the Conti- 
 nental artillery whose prominence and 
 valor at the Battle of Monmouth are 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 DR. H. A. MEEKS. 
 
 matters of history, and who was also 
 instrumental in the capture of Major 
 Andre. His wife, a daughter of a 
 French Huguenot minister, entertained 
 Lafayette and acted as interpreter in 
 his first conference with Washington. 
 The father of Dr. Meeks was captain 
 of the Eighth Company of the Ander- 
 son Zouaves which served under 
 
P.IOGKAPHIES. 
 
 253 
 
 Generals McClellan and Keyes and 
 throughout the Civil war. , 
 
 Dr. Meeks attended school in New 
 York City, afterwards entered and 
 graduated at Phillips Exeter Academy 
 where he prepared for Columbia Col- 
 lege. He studied medicine at the 
 Bellevue Hospital Medical College, 
 from which he graduated and was 
 conferred the degree of M. D., in 
 1890. He began practice immediately 
 at the St. \'incent's Hospital, New 
 York City ; and after his service there 
 continued, a few months, with a pri- 
 vate office at the metropolis. He 
 came to Meriden in 1891 to continue 
 the i)racticc of his profession which he 
 has since conducted here. 
 
 Dr. Meeks was three years town 
 ])hysician of ]\Ieriden and has been 
 city health officer since 1901. In ad- 
 dition to being a valued member of 
 the city hospital statt. upon which he 
 has served ever since the hospital was 
 founded. Dr. ]\Ieeks has for eleven 
 \ears been the physician and surgeon 
 for the State School for Boys. He 
 stands high in his profession ; is a 
 member of the ?\Ieriden City ]\Iedical 
 Society. New Haven County Medical 
 Society, Connecticut State Medical 
 Society, New Haven County Health 
 Officers Association, and is also a 
 member of the Home Club of Meriden. 
 
 He was married in 1892 to Florence 
 Austin, of Meriden, and has two sons. 
 
 JOSEPH A. COOKE. 
 
 of the medical profession, one of the 
 ablest of which is Dr. Joseph A. 
 Cooke. He was born at New Haven, 
 February 11, 1866, and was grad- 
 uated from the medical department 
 of Yale University in 1897. After 
 practicing for a time in New Haven, 
 and getting further valual)le expe- 
 rience at St. Francis' hospital. New 
 York Citv, he came to Meriden in 
 
 Meriden is peculiarly fortunate in 
 the possession of skillful practitioners 
 
 DK. j- A. (.OOKi:. 
 
 1899. -^^ warm letter of introduction 
 from the celebrated Dr. I'rancis 15a- 
 con, of New Haven, assured him a 
 cordial reception from the other mem- 
 bers of the medical profession in Mer- 
 iden by whom he has ever since been 
 extended every courtesy and consid- 
 eration. Dr. Cooke has, therefore, 
 been in continuously active and sue- 
 
254 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 cessful practice in Meriden for six 
 years. 
 
 He was appointed a member of the 
 hospital stafif in 1901 and has proven 
 himself one of the most enthusiastic 
 workers in the cause of science and 
 humanity at that excellent institution. 
 Like many other physicians and sur- 
 geons of the town, he is possessed of 
 admirable judgment, a quality which 
 must be inborn and his capacity for 
 work is somewhat remarkable. He 
 has a particularly large office practice 
 and usually several hospital cases. He 
 is a general favorite in the commun- 
 ity. He is a member of several fra- 
 ternal organizations, including the 
 Eagles, Foresters, Elks and Turners, 
 and is also a member of Division 2, 
 Ancient Order of Hibernians. Dr. 
 Cooke is local medical examiner for 
 the Massachusetts Mutual Life In- 
 surance Co. and is a member of the 
 city, state, county and American med- 
 ical societies. 
 
 Dr. Cooke married Susan Josephine 
 Stanford, of Xew Haven. Conn., Au- 
 gust 6, 1903. 
 
 GEORGE ROCKWELL. 
 
 George Rockwell, secretar}- of the 
 International Silver Co.. now of W^a- 
 terbury, but for many years a resi- 
 dent of Meriden, was born at Ridge- 
 field, Conn., and is one of the three 
 sons of Francis A. and Mary (Lee) 
 Rockwell, who have figured promi- 
 nently in the manufacturing and finan- 
 cial life of Meriden. 
 
 He was educated in the schools of 
 his native town and concluded his 
 studies at the academy at Fort Ed- 
 ward, New York. He began his suc- 
 cessful business career as a clerk in 
 the First National Bank, of Norwalk, 
 Conn., where he became schooled in 
 banking methods. At the end of two 
 years he accepted a position with a 
 firm of wholesale grocers in New York 
 City, with whom he remained for a 
 period of nine years, and during that 
 time became the head of the account- 
 ing department. 
 
 In 1879 hs was elected auditor of 
 the ]\Ieriden Britannia company and 
 later became a director and secretary 
 of that company. He held that office 
 until the organization of the Interna- 
 tional Silver Company, when he was 
 elected secretary of that corporation 
 and holds the office at the present 
 time. 
 
 His general business ability and 
 great energy have brought him many 
 other positions of honor and responsi- 
 bility. He was treasurer of the Rog- 
 ers & Brother corporation, of Water- 
 bury, and the Meriden, Waterbury &- 
 Connecticut River Railroad Co. while 
 those two corporations were carried 
 on under those titles and since its or- 
 ganization has been one of the di- 
 rectors of the International Silver 
 Company. 
 
 He is also one of the directors of 
 Alanning, Bowman & Co. and the Mil- 
 ler Bros. Cutlery Co., of Meriden. 
 
 Air. Rockwell took up his residence 
 at Waterbury in 1890 to become man- 
 ager of the Rogers & Bro. corpora- 
 
BIOGUAPHIES. 
 
 255 
 
256 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 tion, one of the companies forming 
 the International Silver Company, and 
 holds that office at the present time. 
 He is a man with an almost unlimited 
 capacity for work, and never shirks a 
 duty he is called upon to assume either 
 in business or social life. His success 
 in business life may be largely at- 
 tributed to the fact that he has found 
 pleasure in the faithful performance 
 of every duty. 
 
 Mr. Rockwell is a member of the 
 board of managers of the Waterbury 
 Club and is a member of the house 
 committee of the Manufacturers' Club 
 of Waterbury. 
 
 He was married in 1881 to Minnie 
 F. Battles, of Lowell, Mass., and that 
 union has been blessed with two chil- 
 dren, George Rockwell, Jr., and Sher- 
 burne B. Rockwell. 
 
 E. LYMAX MARVIN. 
 
 E. Lyman Marvin, for more than 
 twenty years a valued resident and 
 leading merchant of Meriden, was 
 born in Greene, Shenango county. 
 N. Y., July 15. 1839, and died in 
 Meriden, ^lay i. 1899. His early 
 life was spent upon his father's 
 farm. He afterwards for a time 
 taught a village school wdnters. He 
 learned the drug business, which he 
 made his life's calling, at Bingham- 
 ton, N. Y., where he also enlisted 
 in the Civil War in the Eighth N. Y. 
 Cavalry, serving as hospital stew- 
 ard until the close of the war. He 
 then returned to Binghamton, 
 where he assumed his former po- 
 
 sition as drug clerk, and in 1867 was 
 married to Mrs. Susan B. Barber,, 
 mother of W^illis N. Barber, now a 
 well known druggist of Meriden. 
 Mr. Marvin, with his wife and step- 
 son, came to Meriden in 1868, and 
 on Broad street, in the building now 
 the residence of Silas B. Hall, start- 
 ed the third drug store in Meriden, 
 his quarters comprising one-half of 
 
 E. LYMAX MAKXTN. 
 
 the ground floor, and the other halt 
 being used as a shoe store. Owing 
 to the scarcity of rents Mr. Marvin 
 secured accommodations with board 
 in the old Central hotel, afterwards 
 removing his family to a small 
 house on East Main street, but in 
 1883 built a comfortable residence 
 at 530 East Main street, where he 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 257 
 
 lived with his family until he passed 
 out of this life. ^ 
 
 His strict integrity and reliability 
 as a merchant soon won the con- 
 fidence of the buying public at the 
 center, and his enterprise in putting 
 in one of the first soda fountains in 
 Meriden made him somewhat cele- 
 brated. His progressiveness as a 
 merchant was also demonstrated in 
 various ways. In February, 1870, 
 having bought out the drug store 
 of Davis (S: (ireenfield. he removed to 
 the present location, where he con- 
 tinued in business as long as he 
 lived, and which store, now owned 
 by his stepson, Willis N. Barber, 
 has been gradually enlarged from 
 time to time until it comprises one 
 of the largest and best ordered drug 
 .stores in the city. Athletic goods, 
 school books and periodicals former- 
 ly comj)rised a large portion of the 
 -tock. aufl during the youth of W^il- 
 - \. r.arber, Avho grew up \\ith 
 ;he st<->re, a job printing business 
 was conducted, but as the popula- 
 tion at the center increased, the 
 store became more confined to the 
 goods usually found in a drug store, 
 but a large stock of stationery, 
 blank books and ])eri()dicals is still 
 carried. 
 
 .Mr. .Marvin was affiliated Avith 
 everal organizations and was es- 
 l)ecially active in the Odd Fellows, 
 being a member of Meriden Center 
 Lodge, 68. I. C). O. F.. in which 
 odgc he passed through all the 
 chairs. Fie was also a member of 
 
 17 
 
 tile building committee and one of 
 the trustees of the ( )d(\ b'ellows' 
 building on Hroad street. lie was 
 a member of (J)asis Encam])ment, 
 and of the uniform rank of that 
 order. I U- was a n)end)er ot' ('en- 
 ter Lodge, 97, -A. F. & A. .M.. and 
 Keystone Chapter, 2"/, R. A. .M., 
 and was highly esteemed in .Masonic 
 circles. He was also a niend)er of 
 .Merriam Post. 8. (',. A. R.. and also 
 of the -Meriden I )ruggists' Associa- 
 tion and the Connecticut I'liarma- 
 ceutical .Association. In i)olitics he 
 was a consistent Republican, and 
 although he served two }ears from 
 the Fifth ward in the common coun- 
 cil, he declined further to hold pul)- 
 lic office. W ilh his wife lie was a 
 devout member of the h'irst llaptist 
 church. 
 
 Airs. Alar\in. Avho died July 16, 
 1903. was an exemplary Christian 
 character. She was prominent in 
 Rachel Lodge. D. of R.. and was 
 also a member of the relief corps 
 auxiliarv to Merriam Post. C .A. R. 
 
 W ILLI.^ X. P.ARP.I'.R. 
 
 \\ illis Xorman P>arl)er. druggist, 
 of .Meriden. a merchant who. though 
 much engrossed in business, has for 
 nian\- \ears been a ])r(iininent tigure 
 in military and fraternal circles, was 
 born in flarwinton. Conn.. ( )ctober 
 II, i85(;. He is the son of the late 
 .Xorman P.uell. and ."^u^.-m I'.each 
 (Wood) P.arber. lli> father was 
 the .son of Lo\al and Lucretia 
 
258 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERlUliN. 
 
 (Buell) Barber, and his mother, a 
 daughter of David B. and Beulah 
 (Beach) Wood. His father lived 
 in Harwinton until the breaking out 
 of the Civil War, when he enlisted, 
 August 28, 1862, in Litchfield, in 
 Company A, Nineteenth Connecti- 
 cut Volunteers, dying after one 
 year's service. 
 
 In 1867 his mother was again 
 married to E. Lvman Marvin, 
 
 WILLIS N. B.\RBER. 
 
 of whom a sketch appears else- 
 where. Mr. Barber, coming to this 
 city with his mother and step- 
 father in 1868, has ever since been 
 identified with the town. He ob- 
 tained his early education in the 
 Center school, and after gradu- 
 ating in 1877, entered the store of 
 
 his stepfather, where he commenced 
 to learn the drug business. There 
 he finished his course, becoming a 
 registered pharmacist in 1883, and 
 has always remained either as clerk or 
 proprietor, with the exception of 
 two years, when he was employed 
 at the old Whittlesey drug store. 
 New Haven. 
 
 Returning to Meriden in May, 
 1899, upon the death of Mr. Marvin 
 and after having previously man- 
 aged the store and looked after his 
 mother's interests, in 1891 he pur- 
 chased a part interest in the busi- 
 ness, but since September, 1899, has 
 been sole proprietor. 
 
 This store, the fourth oldest drug 
 store in Meriden, has always enjoy- 
 ed the unstinted patronage of the up 
 town people, and has ever been con- 
 ducted under honorable business 
 principles, at the present day com- 
 prising an establishment of most 
 modern pattern containing a large 
 stock of pure drugs and medicines, 
 sundries, and all the goods usually 
 found in a high class drug store, as 
 well as a large stock of stationery 
 and periodicals. 
 
 Mr. Barber stands high in the drug 
 trade, being a merchant of good 
 repute and a mendjer of the Con- 
 necticut Pharmaceutical Associa- 
 tion and the Meriden Druggists' 
 Association. He is also a director 
 of the Meriden Business Men's As- 
 sociation. 
 
 In fraternal life he is one of the 
 best known men of Meriden. He 
 is a past master and has been for 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 259 
 
 several years treasurer of Center 
 Lodge, 97, A. F. & A. ]\I. ; member 
 of Keystone Chapter. 27, R. A. M. ; 
 also of Hamilton Council, 22, R. & 
 S. M. ; and a past commander of St. 
 Elmo Commandery, 9, K. T., and a 
 member of Meriden Chapter, O. E. 
 S. He is, as well, a member of the 
 New Haven Ijodies of the Scottish 
 Rite and of LaFayette Consistory. 
 Bridgeport, where he obtained his 
 thirty-second degree, and is a mem- 
 "ber of Pyramid Temple, ^I. S. Mr. 
 Barber has also taken all the de- 
 grees in Odd Fellowship. 
 
 Since 1884 he has been a charter 
 member of C. L. Upham Camp, 7, 
 S. of v., and has held all the offices, 
 not only in the camp, of which he 
 was its first captain, but others with- 
 in the gift of the state. He was 
 colonel of the Connecticut division 
 in 1891, and has served as special 
 aide on the staff of the commander- 
 in-chief, and attended several of the 
 national encampments. 
 
 He began his creditable service 
 in the Connecticut National Guard 
 ])y enlisting, ^larch 15, 1883, in Co. 
 I, Second Regiment, from which he 
 Avas discharged in 1888. In July, 
 1888, he again enlisted in the service, 
 becoming a member of Co. B. C. X. 
 '■ t. (the New Haven Blues), in 
 which he served until his return to 
 Aferiden, when, in August, 1889, he 
 was appointed hospital steward on 
 the staff of Col. John B. Doherty. 
 
 After six years" service in that 
 cai)acity he was re-appointed by Col. 
 
 Lucien F. Burpee, serving until the 
 retirement of Col. Burpee, and thus 
 completing a service of seventeen 
 years. Sergeant Barber, while in 
 the state militia took an active in- 
 terest in rifle practice, shooting on 
 both the Co. I and the regimental 
 teams, winning several handsome 
 decorations with tlie rifle. He has 
 since presented to his old company, 
 the Barber medal, shot for annuallv 
 b}- the members of Co. I. 
 
 Mr. Barber was married in 1877 
 to Melissa, daughter of George H. 
 and Maria (Lewis ) Beckley of Meri- 
 den. The father of Mrs. Barber 
 was the son of Luther Beckley, who 
 was born at the old homestead, 
 Beckley Quarter, Berlin, Conn., and 
 her mother was the daughter of 
 Partrick and Sarah (Flagg) Lewis. 
 To Mr. and .Mrs. Barlier have been 
 born the following children : Maude 
 Beckley (Mrs. Chas. E. Wheeler); 
 Norman George, a book-keeper at 
 the office of the Chas. Parker Com- 
 pany; Lewis \\'illis, associated with 
 his father in business ; Ethleen Su- 
 san, a student at the IMeridcn High 
 School, and W'auneita Ruth, who 
 ]:)assed out when three years of age. 
 Mr. B>arber resides with his family 
 in his own comfortable home at }^1 
 ( )rient street. 
 
 E\AX o\vi-:x. 
 
 Evan Owen, remembered for his 
 good citizenshi]:) during a long resi- 
 dence in Meriden, was born in 
 
26o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Newtown, Montgomeryshire, North 
 Wales, July 7, 1832. He came to this 
 country in the spring of 1857, locat- 
 ing in Rockville, Conn. Owing to the 
 financial panic of that period, he did 
 not bring his family from Wales until 
 two years later. 
 
 At Rockville and at Windermere 
 (Ellington) he worked at his trade in 
 woolen mills until after the close of 
 the Civil War, when he went to Hol- 
 
 EVAN OWEN. 
 
 yoke, Mass. He afterwards returned 
 to Windermere, however, remaining 
 there until 1873. In that year he came 
 to Meriden and with the exception of 
 a few years spent in Lawrence. Mass., 
 and Chester, Pa., made this city his 
 home until his death, which occurred 
 September i, 1900. 
 
 He was always deeply interested in 
 politics, and was an ardent Republi- 
 can from the time when he was a mem- 
 ber of the "W'ide-awakes"" in Rock- 
 ville during the Lincoln campaign of 
 i860, and thereafter as long as he 
 lived. He never desired public office 
 but was at one time a member of the 
 board of selectmen of the town of El- 
 lington, and at the time of his death 
 was a member of the city government 
 of Aleriden, serving as a member of 
 the common council from the Fifth 
 ward. 
 
 He was especially beloved in fra- 
 ternal circles and was a member of 
 Fayette Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of 
 Rockville, and Meriden Center Lodge, 
 68. L O. O. F. 
 
 In 1850 he was married to Sarah 
 Pryce, who, with his two sons, Llew- 
 ellyn and Richard A., survive him and 
 live in ^feriden. 
 
 RICHARD A. OWEN. 
 
 Richard A. Owen, a valued citizen 
 of jMeriden for many }'ears past, and 
 since 1889 superintendent of the job 
 printing and binding departments of 
 The Journal Publishing Company, was 
 born in Newtown, North Wales, April 
 27. 1855. He is one of the two sons 
 of Evan and Sarah (Pryce) Owen. 
 He came to this country when he was 
 four years of age with his mother, two 
 years after his father's arrival here, 
 and went to live in Rockville. He 
 came to Meriden in 1873 where he has 
 ever since lived and for many years 
 has been one of the most familiar fig- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 261 
 
 ures of the town associated with the 
 printing' business. He began to learn 
 the art preservative at the office of the 
 Meriden Recorder in 1874. later be- 
 coming employed at the office of the 
 Meriden Republican. In 1875 he went 
 to work for E. A. Horton, with whom 
 he remained for more than seven 
 vears. In 1883 with Charles E. Bi- 
 beau as a partner, and under the firm 
 name of Owen & Bibeau, he engaged 
 in the job printing business for him- 
 
 Publishing" Comi)any, whose extensive 
 printery and iiinder\" has during hio 
 superinlcndencN l)ecome one of tlie 
 most complete in all Xew I^ngiand. 
 Mr. Owen is well versed in his call- 
 ing, is an almost infallible authorit.' 
 in all things ty])ographical and his 
 knowledge and judgment are often 
 turned io the good advantage of the 
 customer and the author. 
 
 He is a member of Meriden Center 
 Lodge. 68, I. O. O. P.; A. H. Hall 
 Council, 1423. R. .\.. and ElectriL 
 Lodge, 50, X. E. ( ). 1'. 
 
 He was married October 25, 1876. 
 to Elizabeth J. Barlow, and to them 
 were born two children, Grace Eliza- 
 beth, died September 30, 1885, aged 
 six years ; and Alice Cary, died Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1889. aged seven years. Mr 
 Owen resides in his own comfortable 
 residence at 50 Fourth street. 
 
 W. l\. THOMl'SOX, 
 
 KiciiAKi) A. o\\i;\. 
 
 William Henry 'rhom])son. mer- 
 chant of Aieriden. and who conducts, 
 on Colony street, an extensive ice 
 cream and confectioner} business, was 
 born in Xew Haven. After ac(|uiring 
 a good common school education, at 
 the age of seventeen lie went to Phil- 
 adelphia to learn the trade of a con- 
 fectioner under Whitman, .\fter ten 
 self. '1 he firm continued the Ijusincss vears at his trade, .Mr. Thompson en- 
 successfully for six years, until 1889. gaged in business in the (Juaker L'hy. 
 when they sold out to The Journal He came to Meriden in 1879 and 
 
 Publishing Co. Since that date Afr. opened a store at 73 West Main .street, 
 f )wen has held his present res])onsible After conducting business at that lo- 
 position. where his efforts have re- cation for a ])eriod of twenty-one 
 dniindcd to the credit of The Jou.rn.d \ears. he riMuoxrd to hiv present estab- 
 
262 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 lishnient on Colony street, which is 
 justly considered one of the handsom- 
 est and best equipped of its kind in all 
 New England, and where he has fa- 
 cilities for manufacturing the confec- 
 tionery for a large retail trade, com- 
 prised largely of the elite of the city, 
 and also for manufacturing ice cream 
 in large quantities which he has always 
 served to the public in its purest, rich- 
 est and most delectable form. 
 
 JOHN H. PARKER. 
 
 ■F 
 
 ^ 
 
 S 
 
 ■ 1 
 1 
 
 .:|llS'#'-,- 
 
 ( 
 
 P 4 
 
 I 
 
 Photo by Akers Ai Pigeon. 
 
 W. H. THOMPSON. 
 
 Mr. Thompson is a member of Mer- 
 idian Lodge, yy, A. F. & A. M., and 
 the Meriden Business Men's Associa- 
 tion. He has two sons, George H., a 
 talented musician and organist of Ply- 
 mouth Congregational church at New 
 Haven, and Charles E., associated 
 with his father in business. 
 
 John H. Parker, an estimable 
 citizen of Meriden and owner of 
 the Parker block, one of the most 
 substantial business structures of 
 the town, was born in Windsor, Yer- 
 mont, January 12, 1857. He is the 
 son of George A. Parker, a native of 
 Ashford, Conn., who married Laura 
 L. Conant of Reading, Vt. Mr. Par- 
 ker, on the maternal side, is a direct 
 descendant of Roger Conant, who 
 emigrated to this country, landing at 
 Plymouth, Mass., in Julv, 1623, mak- 
 ing the passage in the ship "Ann". 
 L'nder the Sheffield or Cape Ann 
 charter, he was the predecessor of 
 Endicott as governor of the Colony, 
 with residence at Salem, and was 
 appointed as such by the Dorchester 
 Company, an office he held for some 
 three years, and until the Massachu- 
 setts Bay Colony was chartered by 
 King James in 1628. He is also a 
 direct descendant of Nancy Hanks, 
 the mother of Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 (ieorge A. Parker, father of John 
 H., was a gun and spectacle maker 
 in his young manhood, and was em- 
 ployed in the government armory at 
 Windsor. About a year and a half 
 after the birth of our subject, he 
 came to Meriden with his family, 
 driving the entire distance. He 
 came to Meriden to take charge of 
 a livery stable then located on East 
 Alain street where the Morse & 
 Norton block now stands, and which 
 stable was owned by Prosper Merrill, 
 a wealthA- manufacturer of A'ermont. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 263 
 
 and which had previously been con- 
 ducted by his son. Mr. Parker with 
 his young wife and child took up his 
 residence on East Main street. 
 
 John H. Parker in his boyhood 
 was sfiven the best education the 
 
 later, after serving one _\car in the 
 drug store of John W. Shedden. cor- 
 ner of Broadway and 34th street, 
 New York City, he entered the drug 
 business on his own account by 
 opening a well patronized store at 
 the corner of 6th avenue and 124th 
 street, where he continued success- 
 fully for six years. 
 
 After the completion of his busi- 
 ness block, one of the most desirable 
 and thoroughly built structures on 
 the main thoroughfare of Meriden, 
 
 I 
 
 GEORGE A. PARKER. 
 
 town atlorded and iinished by taking 
 the high school course at the ( )Id 
 Corner School, under Prof. A. LI. 
 Mather, graduating with the class of 
 1872, He began his business life 
 in the store of W. W. Mosher, 
 where he learned the drug business. 
 After two years" experience he se- 
 cured a position in a drug store in and which during its CDUsiruction 
 Hartford, one vear later entering was under the su]>ervisi()n of his 
 the Xew York College of Pharmacy, father, he returned to Meri-den and 
 where after taking a two years' occupied the corner store, fitting up 
 ■Murse. he graduated in 1877, and the same as a drug st.ire. disposing 
 
 I'lioto by .Akcrs iV Pigeon. 
 
 |()11 X II. PAKKIIK. 
 
264 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 of his interests in New York City. 
 Mr. Parker conducted the drug store 
 in his business block thereafter for 
 a period of twenty years, retiring 
 from the drug business in June, 1904, 
 with a well earned competency and 
 after having made an enviable busi- 
 ness record. He has since devoted 
 himself to the care of his real estate. 
 He is a member of the Connecticut 
 Pharmaceutical Association, and the 
 Meriden Druggists' x\ssociation. He 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 PARKER BLOCK. 
 
 is also a member of Myrtle Lodge, 
 4, Knights of Pythias, and was once 
 for many years treasurer of the Pa- 
 triot (3rder of the Sons of America. 
 He is also a member and one of the 
 executive committee of the Colonial 
 Club. He is a member of the First 
 Congregational Church. 
 
 On November 23, 1880, he was 
 married to Mary E. Balcom of New 
 York City, to whom two daughters 
 
 and one son have been born as fol- 
 lows. Marion Conant, born in 1881, 
 married Edward C Waterman of 
 Troy. N. Y., and to whom one son, 
 John Parker Waterman, was born 
 February 8, IQ06; Laura Albertina 
 Parker, born in 1884: and Robert 
 Lane Parker, born 1890. The par- 
 ents of Mr. Parker are still living in 
 Meriden. 
 
 S. C. PIERSON. 
 
 Stephen Condit Pierson was born 
 at Orange, N. J., Nov. 18, 1841. son 
 of Aaron and Mary C. (Ogden) Pier- 
 son. 
 
 Ancestry : Thomas Pierson of 
 Yorkshire, England, who with his 
 brother. Rev. Abraham Pierson, 
 ( father of the first president of Yale 
 College) was a founder of South- 
 ampton, L. L, Branford, Conn., and 
 Newark, N. J. ; John Odgen, born 
 1610 at Corfe Castle, Dorset County. 
 England, built the first church in 
 New York City (within the old 
 Dutch fort) in 1643, named on Royal 
 Charter 1662, as assistant to Gover- 
 nor ^^'inthrop, the founder of Eliza- 
 l)eth, N. J., and "Schout" of the Eng- 
 lish towns in New Jersey ; Edward 
 Howell, (gent.) born 1584, Marsh 
 Gibbon, Bucks County, England, 
 ])urchased east end of Long Island 
 for his colony, and for the hon- 
 or of being the first English set- 
 tler of New York state, his CHowell) 
 coat of arms was carved on the stair- 
 way of the present capitol at Al- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 26 = 
 
 bany ; Richard Treat, born London 
 1584, named in Connecticut charter 
 1662 as assistant to Governor Win- 
 throp ; Robert Treat ( son of Rich- 
 ard) born London 1622, commander- 
 in-chief Connecticut troops in King 
 Phihp's War, magistrate Xew 
 Haven Colony 1661-65, governor of 
 Connecticut 1672. governor or de])u- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 S. C. PIKkSOX. 
 
 ty-governor for thirty years, a 
 founder of Xev.ark. X. j.; Jasper 
 Crane, a founder of Xew Haven and 
 Rranford, also a founder and chief 
 magistrate of Xewark. X. J. His 
 son married Mary, daughter of Gov- 
 ernor RolxM-t Treat. Richard Har- 
 rison, a founder of X'ew Haven and 
 r.ranford: Jose])h P-aldwin. a 
 
 founder of Milford; Rev. Peter 
 Prudden. the leader of Milford and 
 a founder of Xew Haven; Daniel 
 Dod, a founder of Branford ; Henrv 
 Botsford, a founder of Milford. 
 
 Mr. Pierson resided in Hartford 
 1850-65, graduated at Yale in the 
 class of 1864, and took post-gradu- 
 ate course of one year at Sheffield 
 Scientific School ; then was member 
 of N. Y. C. R. R. engineer corps and 
 thereafter in the employ of the X. 
 H., H. & S. R. R., and engaged in 
 railroad surveys, for the most part, 
 until coming to .Meriden. Since 
 1888 has been, and still is, activelv 
 engaged as civil engineeer and sur- 
 veyor. 
 
 He was city engineer and sur- 
 veyor from the organization of the 
 city to 1888, with the exception of 
 four years. During this time the 
 more important streets laid out, and 
 for the most i)art graded and side- 
 walked, were as follows. — Crown, 
 Camp, Bunker Avenue, Xorth Colo- 
 ny, South Colony. West Main, East 
 Main. Pratt, Center, IJritannia, Gris- 
 wold. Hicks, \\arren, Sherman Ave- 
 nue, Franklin. Lewis .\venue. Lins- 
 ley Avenue, Hanover to end of Xew 
 City. Maple, (Irove. Columbia. Lin- 
 coln. Miller. Liberty. Cook Avenue 
 from West Main lo Harrington Hill. 
 N'eteran. Willow. Pleasant, Elm, 
 High. Cooper. Hobart. Olive, Oak. 
 School. Cottage, Xewton, Broad and 
 Curtis. Harbor P.rook from :\ Idler 
 Street was laid out and graded, and 
 the dams removed. 
 
266 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Married at Simsbiiry, Sept. 23, 
 1868, Hannah Pettibone Lati- 
 mer, who was ever diligent in minis- 
 tries and good works, and died Sept. 
 22, 1883. 
 
 Married Mrs. Mindwell Hastings 
 Glazier Sept. 18, 1890. 
 
 Children. I Guy Rowland Phelps, 
 died young. 
 
 n Decius Latimer, died 
 1897 at age of twenty-five years. 
 
 HI Mary Caroline Ogden 
 who married June 7. 1898, Horace 
 Bushnell Cheney of South Manches- 
 ter. They have children, Horace 
 Bushnell. Antoinette Phelps and 
 Stephen Pierson. 
 
 IV Antoinette Randolph 
 Phelps, died 1903, aged twenty-seven 
 years. 
 
 V Lucy AA'ilcox, who 
 married April 6, 1904. George 
 Francis Dominick of Xew York. 
 Thev have one child, Antoinette 
 Pierson. 
 
 A. E. AUSTIN. 
 
 Abner Ellsworth Austin for many 
 years prominent in the business life 
 of the community, was born in 
 North Haven, . September 13, 1839. 
 He was educated in the common 
 schools of his native town and 
 brought up on his father's farm, 
 where from early boyhood he was 
 taught the value of industrious 
 habits. His father, Joseph Austin, 
 died when Abner was fourteen years 
 old and a portion of the property 
 
 was thereafter managed by him for 
 agriculture until April, 1905. 
 
 At the age of sixteen, in addition 
 to carrying on the share of the farm 
 which he had inherited, and also his 
 mother's portion, he engaged in the 
 meat business, first on a small scale, 
 driving a meat cart and doing his 
 own butchering. At twenty he 
 married Ruth B., dauehter of Eben 
 
 Photo by Aker<= & Pigeon. 
 
 A. E. AUSTIN. 
 
 J. Coe, of Stony Creek, who died in 
 Meriden in 1895. and to that union 
 was born one daughter, Sarah Flor- 
 ence, who married Dr. H. A. Meeks 
 of Meriden. Mr. Austin continued 
 W'ith growing success in the meat 
 business until 1867 when he came 
 to Meriden and engaged in business 
 with his brother-in-law as a member 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 267 
 
 of the firm of Coe & Austin, and the 
 firm during the four years ensuing 
 carried on the largest retail market 
 business in Meriden, also doing their 
 own butchering, which was common 
 in that period. In 1871 they sold 
 out their successful business to 
 Charles Grether. 
 
 The following March, Mr. Austin 
 engaged in the livery stable busi- 
 ness by buying out the Meriden 
 House stables, which were then 
 conducted by Orrin Carpenter, and 
 where he became one of the best 
 known horsemen in the state. He 
 conducted the ^leriden House sta- 
 bles until 1890 when he built the 
 present four story brick stable at the 
 corner of High School avenue and 
 Church street where he became pos- 
 sessed of better facilities and more 
 room and did a larger business than 
 before until ^larch 15, 1903, when he 
 'lis])osed of the livery business, still 
 retaining his ownership of the build- 
 ing, which is the largest livery sta- 
 ble in the citv and one of the most 
 desirable in the state. During Mr. 
 Austin's career in the livery stable 
 business, he not only provided fine 
 'Iriving equipages and furnished 
 ' arriages for every occasion, but his 
 -tables always contained fine speci- 
 men of the equine race, and he be- 
 came famous as a dealer in well bred 
 horses of which he is a connoissem\ 
 Mr. Austin has done much in im- 
 proving local real estate and with 
 others showed keen foresight in ac- 
 Muiring land in the once undc- 
 \eloped section of Lewis and 
 
 Springdale avenues which he later 
 disposed of advantageously. He 
 built his own comfortable residence 
 on East Main street in 1874, the 
 contractor whom he employed being 
 the late George Gay. 
 
 Mr. Austin was one of the 
 founders of the Meriden Trotting 
 Park Association, and is a member 
 of Meridian Lodge, j"/. A. F. & A. 
 M., but is not affiliated with any 
 other organization. He was mar- 
 ried the second time in 1899 to ■Mary 
 Gilbert of North Haven. 
 
 H. L. MOREHOUSE. 
 
 Henry L. ]\Iorehouse. Meriden's 
 leading carpenter and builder, was 
 born in New Mil ford. Conn. He 
 comes from one of the coldest families 
 in the state and is a son of the late 
 Cvrus A. and Cornelia (Canfield) 
 Morehouse, and is directly descended 
 from Thomas Morehouse who came to- 
 Wethersfield in 1640. but the follow- 
 ing vear settled in Stamfi>rd where he 
 received a grant of seven acres of 
 land which was his jiortion. Besides 
 tilling the soil and clearing the for- 
 est he conducted a gristmill later in 
 life at Fairfield. 
 
 His father was a marl)le worker and 
 lived and died at New ]\Iilford. 
 
 Hcnrv L. ^forehouse received a 
 cmnmon scIiodI educatinn which was 
 su])plemented by attendance at the 
 Eastman Business College at Pnngh- 
 keepsie. from which he graduated in 
 1866. .\fter learning the trade of a 
 car])cnter and i)uilder at the shops of 
 
268 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Mr. Dykeman at Bridgeport, he made 
 his start in business for himself in 
 that city. 
 
 In 1869 '""^ removed his business to 
 New Haven and in 1872 came to Aler- 
 iden where he has since resided and 
 done business, achieving a high repu- 
 tation as a contractor and an esteemed 
 citizen. His business grew^ with his 
 reputation and for some years Mr. 
 Morehouse has possessed a large plant 
 for the storage, dressing and matching 
 of lumber. For some years the office 
 and entrance to the plant were on State 
 street but since 1901 both the business 
 of Mr. Morehouse and that of the 
 Morehouse Bros. Company have been 
 brought under cover and the office re- 
 moved to 24 Miller street, and the 
 plant is now one of the most complete, 
 best equipped and ably managed in 
 New England. 
 
 Being one of the leading carpenters 
 and builders of this part of the state, 
 Mr. Morehouse has naturally con- 
 structed several of the imposing build- 
 ings of Meriden and vicinity which 
 stand as monuments to his thorough 
 and conscientious work. 
 
 Among these could be mentioned 
 the Aleriden High School and the St. 
 Laurent's Roman Catholic Church, 
 many factories and business blocks. 
 
 Mr. Morehouse has always taken 
 an active interest in everything that 
 pertains to the welfare of his adopted 
 city. He has never sought nor held a 
 public office and is a man of domestic 
 tastes and habits. He is always to be 
 counted upon in matters where local 
 pride is concerned. 
 
 Mr. Morehouse has four children as 
 follows : Allison F., with the A. L. 
 Robinson Co., of New York City, sec- 
 retary of the Morehouse Bros. Com- 
 pany ; Andrew C, of Meriden, treas- 
 urer of that company ; Mattie C. and 
 Franklin L. Morehouse. 
 
 NOAH POM FRO Y. 
 
 Noah Pomero}', a man who took an 
 active part in the afifairs of Meriden, 
 was a worthy descendant of honorable 
 ancestry. One of his ancestors, Elt- 
 weed Pomeroy, came from England in 
 the ship John and Mary, it is under- 
 stood, landing in Dorchester, Mass., 
 now a part of Boston, March, 1630. 
 He descended from Ralph de Pom- 
 eroi, wdio went to England from Nor- 
 mandy with William the Conqueror, 
 (nth century) taking active part in 
 the conquest for which he was 
 knighted. 
 
 Eltweed settled in Dorchester where 
 he was prominent in organizing the 
 provisional government. In 1637 he 
 removed to Windsor, Conn., for per- 
 manent settlement. Like many of his 
 descendants he was a blacksmith, 
 which trade meant more than now 
 that machinery is superseding handi- 
 craft. In the settlement of Massachu- 
 setts and Connecticut they were wel- 
 come artisans, being granted large 
 tracts of land to induce them to settle 
 and carry on business. They were 
 the gunsmiths of their locations, wild 
 beasts and savages making the gun a 
 necessity. In the French and Indian 
 wars the Pomerov sjun was in i^reat 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 269 
 
 ^. 
 
 ^^^^^ 
 
2/0 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ■demand and in the Revolution, indis- 
 pensable. Before the United States 
 had an armory the private armories 
 ■of the Pomeroys were famous. These 
 men were of hberal and independent 
 jiiinds, determined to preserve their 
 civil and religious liberties. Among 
 their descendants were successful mer- 
 chants, civil engineers, lawyers and 
 ministers, one of the last named pro- 
 fession was Samuel Pomeroy, a grad- 
 uate of Yale College in 1705. 
 
 Noah Pomeroy was born in Say- 
 brook, Conn., March i. 1786, the 
 youngest of five children. His father, 
 'Charles Pomeroy, a merchant of that 
 place, who died shortly before Noah's 
 birth, was a soldier of the Revolution, 
 who enlisted July 8, 1775, as ser- 
 geant and served in the Sixth com- 
 pany. Col. Charles Webb's regiment. 
 In 1776, he joined Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Seymour's light horse cavalry as pay- 
 master and in 1777 was appointed re- 
 ceiver of the 400 pounds of powder 
 granted Saybrook. At the age of ten 
 Noah began to earn his living, work- 
 ing summers, saving his meager earn- 
 ings, thereby enabling him to attend 
 school winters. At fifteen he com- 
 menced peddling tin, of which he 
 eventually became a manufacturer, not 
 only of plain, but japanned and orna- 
 mented ware, which industry he car- 
 ried on in several locations, finally 
 moving it to Meriden in 1818 where 
 he bought a farm and spent the rest 
 of a useful life. He retired, nomi- 
 nally, from business in 1839, leaving it 
 to his sons, but continuing to exercise 
 an oversight of the finances, suggest- 
 
 ing improvements and inventing ma- 
 chinery that made the establishment a 
 leading one. For pastime, when not 
 engaged in official duties, for he held 
 every office wdthin the gift of his 
 townsmen, he devoted his still un- 
 abated energies to the improvement of 
 his farm. 
 
 He filled the office of justice of the 
 peace by appointment of the legisla- 
 ture as long as it possessed the power 
 to appoint. His knowledge of law 
 and impartial judgment were such 
 that an appeal was never taken from 
 his decisions. He was an ardent ad- 
 vocate of progression and reform con- 
 tending for the broadest religious and 
 political liberty. He earnestly urged 
 the calling of the convention which re- 
 modeled the state constitution and ex- 
 punged many of those statutes known 
 as "blue laws." In 1832 he was elected 
 to the legislature and in 1837 was 
 chosen senator from the Sixth dis- 
 trict. 
 
 When the ^^leriden Bank was organ- 
 ized in 1833 he was made a director 
 and in 1849 i^s president. From 1851 
 he was a charter member and a trus- 
 tee of the Meriden Savings Bank. 
 
 Mr. Pomeroy was a lifelong I'ni- 
 versalist and an ardent supporter of 
 that faith. In his house the Univcrsa- 
 lists of Meriden held their first meet- 
 ings. There also in 1821 the first ser- 
 mon in Meriden by a Universalist min- 
 ister was preached. 
 
 He took a deep interest in the Civil 
 War and the abolition of slavery which 
 he lived to see accomplished. He cast 
 his last vote for General Grant for 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 271 
 
 president, dying November 2^, 1868. 
 He was twice married ; first to Xancy 
 Merriman, a descendant of Lieutenant 
 Xatlianiel Merriman. a first settler of 
 W'allingford, Conn., by whom he 
 had ten chihlren : Corneha, I'-liphalet. 
 Angehna ( Mrs. EH Ives), EHza ( Mrs. 
 John S. Blake), Harriet (Mrs. Isaac 
 C Lewis). Xorman. Eugenia (Mrs. 
 James P. Stow), Xancy. Charles and 
 James T., none of whom are living. 
 His second wife was Hattie Hasen, 
 also deceased, by whom he had two 
 daughters, Hattie (Mrs. George B. 
 Fi~»<tte) and Cornelia, the former of 
 >vh()ni is now livinc 
 
 HEXRY lAMES LEWIS. 
 
 Henry James Lewis was born at 
 Meriden, Connecticut, on October 21, 
 184 1. He was the son of Isaac C. and 
 Harriet ( Pomeroy) Lewis. His father 
 was one of Meridens most prominent 
 citizens and one-time mayor, a worthy 
 de.scendant of William Lewis, who 
 came to this country from England on 
 the ship "Lion." landing in Boston, 
 Mass., in 1632. and settling in Cam- 
 bridge. Four years later, William 
 Lewis became one of the Rev. Thomas 
 Hooker Company that settled in Hart- 
 ford, and still later he removed to 
 Farmington, where was built the 
 homestead that is yet standing as a 
 part of the "Elm Tree Inn." know;: 
 now and for many years as a famous 
 hostelry. The land, a tract sixteen 
 miles s(|uare. he, together with Samuel 
 Steele, bouirht from the Indians on 
 
 behalf of the Farmington Company. 
 Henry J. Lewis was also descended 
 from Jared Lewis, a patriot of the 
 Revolutionary War. who served in the 
 Continental Army in the regiment 
 commanded by Col. Canfield and on 
 tlie maternal side from Sergeant 
 Charles Pomeroy, also a soldier of the 
 Revolution. By virtue of this ances- 
 try, Mr. Lewis was a member of the 
 Connecticut Society of the Sons of the 
 American Revolution. 
 
 He was educated in the common 
 schools of Meriden, later attending 
 the Meriden Academy, finishing his 
 schooling at Eaton's Commercial Col- 
 lege, Worcester, Mass. He began his 
 business career by entering the office 
 of the Meriden Britannia Company, of 
 which his father was one of the found- 
 ers. Some years after this he went 
 into the hardware business as a part- 
 ner of X. F. Ciriswold. under the style 
 of Griswold & Lewis. About 1880 
 he disposed of his interest to John 
 L. Richmond. Always a lover of 
 outdoor life, he removed to Stony 
 Creek, where he could engage in a 
 business that should satisfy his desire. 
 Here he had from boyhood owned one 
 of the Thimble Islands, charted as 
 "Lewis Island." The business of his 
 choice was that of oyster cultivation, 
 and he was one of the first men in the 
 state to realize the importance this in- 
 dustry was to attain. It was not long 
 before he made his headquarters, first, 
 at Bridgeport and later at Stratford. 
 From now on he rapidly built up a 
 business of huge ])roportions until hi.<i 
 
2.^2 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 
 )MUl ^cJjM/^^ 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 ^71 
 
 iiii^s extended from Xorwalk 
 
 , .. iward aloiiij the Sound as far as 
 
 kiuilford and Madison, with wharves, 
 
 "s and offices at various places, and 
 
 ,,. , .iiional oyster-heds off the south 
 
 Miore of Long" Island and in the waters 
 
 i.f Xarraij^ansett 15ay. Rhode Island. 
 
 In iJV)5 the Connecticut husiness was 
 
 •r|;anized as the H. J. Lewis Oyster 
 
 omi)any. Lnder the name of this 
 
 ■oqjoration Mr. Lewis hecame pos- 
 
 essed of a title to more than 10,000 
 
 icres of territory in Connecticut wa- 
 
 ers alone, thus heing at the time of his 
 
 leath the larg-est holder of oyster 
 
 grounds in the state. His Long Isl- 
 
 md branch was incorporated as the 
 
 .ewis I'due I'oint ( )yster Cultivation 
 
 "innpany, with lu-adtiuarters at Say- 
 
 ille. L. I. 
 
 Mr. Lewis was also interested as a 
 tockholdt-r and director in a nnmlier 
 f hanks, trust companies, and indus- 
 ial enter])rises. Some of the Meri- 
 en concern> were the International 
 ilver Company, of which he was one 
 f the lar^e stockholders, the Meriden 
 National Uank, and the Mcridcn Trust 
 
 Safe Deposit Comi)any ; he was pres- 
 lent of the Horton Printini^ Com]iany 
 n<l a director of Edward Miller t.^- 
 oinpany and the Miller brothers Cut- 
 ry Company. These varied interests 
 ept him vigorously active up to the 
 ay of his death. 
 
 ( )n .\ugust 7, 1S84, .Mr. Lewis 
 larricH Mary E. Stringer, daughter 
 f William C. and Mary Stringer, of 
 old Spring, Long Island, X. \ . They 
 id four children, Henry Leroy, Helen 
 
 Margery, Kate Ma\ and Isaac Chaun- 
 cey. 
 
 Xever a seeker after ])ul)liciiy or 
 popularity, .Mr. Lewis devoted himself 
 t(j his husiness and his home, and tlis- 
 liked nothing more than a paratle of 
 his virtues. Yet a biographical sketch 
 omitting all mention of character and 
 characteristics could hardly be re- 
 garded as satisfactory. 
 
 His ability to see, antl quickness to 
 grasj) ui)portunities, prove him to 
 have been possessed of the two prime 
 essentials of business success — good 
 judgment combined with courage. 
 Indeed, of business sagacity he had a 
 generous endowment both by nature 
 and by heritage. This, however, was 
 but one phase of a singularly well-bal- 
 anced temperament, lucn more dom- 
 inant traits were tin- e(|uit_\- wliich 
 earnrd him the hearty good-will of his 
 business associates, the symi)athy and 
 generosity that made of his force of 
 emi)lo\es a little army dexoted t»t his 
 interests, and the philanthropy whose 
 manifestations were known only to 
 those institutions and individuals that 
 stood in the position of l)eneficiaries. 
 The town of Stratford, which he made 
 his place of residence for a score of 
 years, has known no man that ever did 
 more for the town and its peoi)le than 
 did he. To talk with him. no matter 
 on what subject, was to be imjiressed 
 with the sanity of his outlook; to ap- 
 peal to him in behalf of a worthy 
 cause was to be convinced of the gen- 
 uine spirit of kindness and sympathy 
 that ruled his life. 
 
274 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 He died at his home in Stratford, 
 on the nth day of January, 1902. 
 
 AARON L. COLLINS. 
 
 A sturdy son of Meriden was Aaron 
 Lyman Collins who, during a long and 
 useful life, was an influential figure 
 in the town and city. He was one of 
 the sons of Lyman and Elizabeth 
 (Carter) Collins and was born in the 
 house on East Main street hill owned 
 and occupied by his father and grand- 
 father before him. His father carried 
 on a large farm and was an extensive 
 owner of land which he acquired when 
 property valuation was many times 
 less than at the present day. 
 
 Aaron L. Collins was reared among 
 healthful surroundings and he at- 
 tended the common schools of the 
 town. He began a long and success- 
 ful business career by starting in the 
 grocery business on Broad street with 
 his brother, the late Charles Collins. 
 The venture was successful and the 
 Collins brothers built up a large trade 
 and established a reputation for busi- 
 ness acumen maintained by them 
 through life. In 1854 the partnership 
 was dissolved and Mr. Collins became 
 associated with Pratt, Ropes, Webb & 
 Co., who conducted the manufacture 
 of cutlery in the location at South 
 Meriden now occupied by the Meriden 
 Cutlery Company. Of this firm he 
 became a traveling salesman, each 
 year becoming a more important fac- 
 tor in the business until 1878, when 
 he was elected president of the Meri- 
 den Cutlery Company, which through 
 
 his wise and conservative management 
 was kept on a solid business basis as 
 long as he lived, continuing to carrv 
 out his duties as the head of that large 
 concern for about forty years and until 
 within a short time previous to hi^ 
 death which occurred March 25, 1903. 
 
 J\Ir. Collins had interests in other 
 ]\Ieriden factories, and was a large- 
 stockholder in various other Meriden 
 industries, and for a number of years, 
 until it was absorbed by the Interna- 
 tional Silver Company, he was pres- 
 ident of the Wilcox Silver Plate Com- 
 pany. He was also a director of tlie 
 Home National Bank, a trustee of the 
 City Savings Bank and was president 
 of the Meriden Grain & Feed Com- 
 pany. During his long and useful 
 life Mr. Collins maintained a large 
 farm of sixty acres situated on what 
 is now Williams avenue, and in hi- 
 early life owned many acres on East 
 Main street hill ; a portion of the latter, 
 however, he cut up into house lots, 
 and the once extensive property is 
 now invaded by many streets, upon 
 which substantial residences stand. 
 
 Mr. Collins was a man who held the 
 entire respect of the people of the town 
 and city of which he was privileged to 
 take an important part in its growth 
 from a small village. He was emi- 
 nently successful as a business man 
 and his loss to the community is one 
 not easily filled, especially at the Cen- 
 ter Congregational church, of which 
 he was a valued member and gener- 
 ous contributor. 
 
 He was married to Sylvia, daughter 
 of Rev. Mr. White, of Middlefield, 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 275 
 
276 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Conn., and three sons survived him : 
 Charles Lyman, of CHnton, Edward 
 John, since deceased, and Benjamin 
 White Collins. 
 
 EDWARD J. COLLINS. 
 
 Edward J. Collins, a lifelong resi- 
 dent, whose life was cut short in his 
 prime through the wisdom of the Al- 
 mighty, was one of the most lovable 
 personal characters in Meriden. At 
 the time of his death he was man- 
 ager of the Boston office of the Meri- 
 den Cutlery Company. He was 
 born in the old Collins homestead 
 on East Main street on March 31, 
 1856 and was the second son of the 
 late Aaron Lyman Collins, a leading 
 and influential citizen of the town 
 and for forty years president of the 
 Meriden Cutlery Company. His 
 ancestors in this town date back to 
 Robert Collins, who came to Meri- 
 den in 1727 and became a large land 
 owner, since which time the family 
 name has held an honored place in 
 the history of the town. 
 
 Edward J- Collins with his bro- 
 thers, Charles L., and Benjamin W'. 
 Collins, a sketch of the latter of 
 whom immediately follows this, was 
 reared on his father's large farm in 
 East Meriden. He was possessed 
 of strong mental and physical vigor 
 and although he was given an oppor- 
 tunity to prove himself in business 
 by his father, his success was due to 
 his ability to make the most of his 
 opportunities. In 1879 after securing 
 a good, practical education he en- 
 
 tered the Meriden Cutlery Company 
 as a foreman of the stock depart- 
 ment, where he became familiar with 
 the methods of manufacture and the 
 product of the company. In 1894 he 
 was promoted to traveling salesman, 
 his territory comprising New Eng- 
 land and New York, and in 1898 he 
 took charge of the Boston office of 
 the company. During this long 
 period he became one of the best 
 known and most popular traveling 
 men in the hardware trade, his sun- 
 ny disposition, even temperament, 
 and proverbial good nature under all 
 circumstances making him a general 
 favorite with all. He had the facul- 
 ty not only of making but of holding 
 friends to whom he was always loy- 
 al. He was a man who could be 
 counted upon whether in business, 
 social or private life. 
 
 After the death of his father he 
 became one of the directors of the 
 Meriden Cutlery Company, and was 
 also one of the directors of the Meri- 
 den Grain & Feed Company. Mr. 
 Collins was a thirty-second degree 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, 
 being affiliated with all the different 
 branches of the order in Connecticut 
 including Center Lodge, 97, A. F. & 
 A. M., Meriden; LaFayette Consist- 
 ory at Bridgeport, and Pyramid 
 Temple, Mystic Shrine. 
 
 His death was a particularly sad 
 one owing to the fact that he had 
 been married but four months, and 
 was building a handsome residence 
 on School street on land owned by 
 the Collins familv for four eenera- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 277 
 
 &,J.^/e:a . 
 
27\ 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 tions, where he was to make his 
 home with his newly wedded wife. 
 
 He was married June 28, 1904, to 
 Miss EHzabeth J. Alahon, daughter 
 of Thomas Mahon of South Meri- 
 den, who survives him and makes 
 her home in Aleriden. His funeral 
 was largely attended and the active 
 and honorary pall bearers included 
 men prominent in public, business 
 and social life. The following reso- 
 lutions adopted by the Meriden Cut- 
 lery Company express a measure of 
 the esteem in which he was held ii7 
 the community. 
 
 "For the third time within the 
 brief period of less than two years 
 this board is called to deplore the 
 loss of an honored member. Mr. 
 Edward J. Collins died at his home 
 in Boston, October 19, 1904, at the 
 close of a brief but severe illness. 
 
 "In the midst of a useful life in 
 accordance with the workings of an 
 inscrvitable Providence he was tak- 
 en from us. We as a body desire 
 to leave upon record a testimonial 
 which shall speak our profound es- 
 teem for one deceased associate 
 therefore : Resolved that for the ex- 
 cellence of his business qualities, for 
 his faithfulness in the performance 
 of every duty intrusted to his care 
 in the interest of the company ; for 
 his worth as a man and a citizen we 
 seek through this memorial to give 
 honor to his memory ; Resolved 
 that these resolutions be spread up- 
 on the records of the company and 
 a copy sent to the family. Direc- 
 tors, Homer A. Curtiss, John L. 
 
 Billard, James W. Gildersleeve, 
 Charles L. Rockwell, Robt. W. Hal- 
 lam, Frank P. Wilcox, A. Chamber- 
 lain and Walter Hubbard.'' 
 
 BENJAMIN W. COLLINS. 
 
 Benjamin White Collins, an active 
 man of affairs in business and agricul- 
 tural circles, is of a family for many 
 years a leading one in Meriden. He 
 is a son of the late Aaron L. Collins, 
 and a worthy descendant of early col- 
 onial ancestry. Lewis Collins came to 
 this country from England in 1630 
 and with his four sons, Nathan, John, 
 Albert and Dexter, located in Charles- 
 town, Mass., and whose grandson, 
 John Collins (second) became one of 
 the patentees of Guilford, this state, 
 where as early as 1682 he taught 
 grammar school. His family in Mer- 
 iden dates back to Robert Collins, who 
 settled on a portion of the Belcher 
 farm in 1727. Captain Daniel Collins, 
 of Meriden, served three enlistments 
 in the Revolutionary war ; first in 1775 
 as sergeant in Captain Haven's com- 
 pany ; again in 1777; and in 1779 re- 
 sponded to the New Haven alarm, 
 serving in Col. Thaddeus Cook's reg- 
 iment, assisting in the defense of Led- 
 yard. For valiant service he was 
 made a captain in 1780 and was then 
 stationed at Guilford in the defense of 
 the coast. Lyman, grandfather of 
 Benjamin W. Collins, also of Meriden, 
 was a soldier in the War of 1812, and 
 like his ancestors, became a large 
 owner of land in Meriden, which af- 
 terwards became possessed by his heirs. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 279 
 
 f'liol.i by H. T. Shaw. 
 
28o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Benjamin W. Collins is the fourth 
 generation born in the old Collins 
 homestead on East Main street hill, 
 where he still resides and where he 
 first saw light April i, 1859. He at- 
 tended the old Center school and be- 
 came trained in matters of business 
 and agriculture long before he reached 
 his majority. His father's large farm- 
 ing and other interests gave him ani- 
 ple opportunity for assuming respon- 
 sibilities long before he had reached 
 the years of discretion of the ordinary 
 youth. The farm of sixty acres he 
 took an important part in the manage- 
 ment of, and as well looked after the 
 family real estate. He has for many 
 years been interested in the raising of 
 fine stock and has bred many good 
 blooded horses as well as pure Jersey 
 cows. In 1895, with his father, he be- 
 came possessed of the old established 
 hay, grain and feed business of A. S. 
 Russell on South Colony street. In 
 December, 1897, they incorporated the 
 business under the present name of the 
 Meriden Grain & Feed Co., of 
 which he has been the leading spirit in 
 the management and since the death 
 of his father, the former president, he 
 has held the offices of both treasurer 
 and president. Under his able man- 
 agement the business has increased 
 every year and is at this writing of 
 large proportions, the concern doing 
 its own milling and grinding on the 
 premises and dealing in flour, seed and 
 fertilizer, as well as hay. grain and 
 feed. Mr. Collins is also a large 
 stockholder and one of the board of 
 control of the large potato dealing 
 
 concern of the R. D.. Prentice Co., 
 which controls twent}'-tliree potato 
 jobbing houses in the state of Maine. 
 He is also a large reai estate owner 
 and taxpayer and interested in several 
 local manufacturing industries and is 
 one of the directors of the Home Na- 
 tional Bank. In politics he is a Re- 
 publican. He has served as a mem- 
 ber of the board of selectmen and for 
 the past ten years as one of the school 
 board of Meriden. He is also a mem- 
 ber of the Town Hall Building Com- 
 mittee and one of the reception com- 
 mittee of the Meriden Centennial. 
 
 He is a thirty-second degree mem- 
 ber of the Masonic fraternity, being a 
 member of the following bodies of the 
 state: Center Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; 
 Keystone Chapter, R. A. M. ; Hamil- 
 ton Council, R. & S. M. ; St. Elmo 
 Commandery, K. T., and the Scottish 
 rite bodies of New Haven and Bridge- 
 port. He is also a member of Pyra- 
 mid Temple, j\I. S. and of Alfred H. 
 Hall Council, Royal Arcanum'. Mr. 
 Collins is treasurer of the Coniiecticut 
 Cattle Breeders Association, secretary 
 of the Connecticut Agricultural So- 
 ciety and president of the Meriden 
 Agricultural Society. 
 
 He was married March 5, 1895, to 
 Sophia Lovell Northrop and to that 
 union one daughter, Betsey, was born 
 October 9, 1901. 
 
 OWEN B. ARNOLD. 
 
 Owen Brainard Arnold, financier 
 and literatus, deceased, and who was 
 associated with the life of Meriden for 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 281 
 
 nearly half a century, was born in 
 Haddam, Conn., the home of his an- 
 cestors for many generations, July 11, 
 18 1 8. He was the son of Jared and 
 Susan (Brainard) Arnold. On the 
 maternal side he was descended from 
 David Brainard, a native of Braintree, 
 England, one of twenty-eight persons 
 who moved to Haddam, Conn., from 
 Hartford in 1662, and took up large 
 sections of land deeded by the Indians 
 to Matthew Allyn and Samuel W'yllis. 
 Daniel Brainard became the largest 
 land owner in the town and his pro])- 
 erty included not only much land in 
 what is now known as Haddam proper 
 but all now covered by the present 
 village of Higganum. From that 
 early colonial period the name has 
 ever since been prominent in the town. 
 In his boyhood, Mr. Arnold was in- 
 dustrious and while he was given a 
 good education, he showed an inde- 
 pendence not only in thought and ac- 
 tion but in monetary affairs. Among 
 his playmates were many men who 
 achieved national prominence in var- 
 ious walks of life, and among them 
 Cyrus W. Field. To work he thought 
 was honorable, and when not employ- 
 ing his time in the school room, did 
 work about his father's farm, and oc- 
 casionally neighboring farms. After 
 receiving due preparation, he entered 
 Yale College, taking the academic 
 course ; he was considered one of the 
 brilliant men of the class of 1837 w itli 
 which he was graduated, a class that 
 has passed down in college history as 
 one of the most famous in its amials 
 from the large luunber of men it con- 
 
 tained who became eminent in various 
 professions. 
 
 Mr. Arnold Ijegan his lousiness life 
 in the IJank of Xew England, now 
 the Xatitnial Bank of Xew England 
 at Haddam, one of the oldest banks 
 of the state. There he learned the 
 rudiments of banking, a business he 
 followed continuously thereafter. It 
 was in 1856 that he came to ^^leriden 
 to become cashier of the Meriden 
 l!ank, his brother, Joseph Arnold, 
 having previously occupied the same 
 ]>osition — and who had resigned in 
 1853 to accept the office of cashier of 
 the bank in Derby, Conn. O. B. Arnold 
 served as cashier until the death of 
 Joel I. Butler in 1890, when he was 
 chosen president, and he held the lat- 
 ter office continuously imtil the day 
 of his death which occurred August 
 30, 1900. 
 
 The following extracts from the 
 resolutions adopted at a meeting of 
 the directors of the Meriden Xational 
 Hank held a few days after his death 
 show in what high regard he was held 
 ])y his bank associates: 
 
 "After a considerable training in 
 banking and financial atifairs he 
 (Owen 1'). Arnold) joined his for- 
 tunes with our bank forty-four years 
 ago, and has remained in continuous 
 service, until death following a lin- 
 gering illness, severed our official re- 
 lations. 
 
 "Knowing him as few did, we held 
 him in the highest respect and es- 
 teem, llis advice was frequently 
 sought and nnich prized. He was 
 careful, thorough and painstaking, 
 
282 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 ^A\ 
 
 scrupulously exact, ever affable aiacl 
 courteous, with a quiet dignity and 
 charming refinement of manner. 
 
 "The worthy never appealed to him 
 in vain, and his charity, public and 
 private, at home and abroad, was un- 
 failing and without display. He was 
 a helpful, sympathizing friend, a loved 
 companion, and a favorite wherever 
 he lived. His library was carefully 
 selected, and was always at the ser- 
 vice of friends or callers. 
 
 "It is a matter of regret that no ar- 
 tist has preserved such work as might 
 always call to our minds that tall, 
 spare, courtly figure, that winning 
 personality, that inspiring face, that 
 kindly but searching eye, that impres- 
 sive brow, and crowning all, that 
 wealth of luxuriant hair. 
 
 "There are enterprises now nour- 
 ishing which might have perished 
 long ago, except for the courage 
 which he infused and the support he 
 imparted. 
 
 "His friendly advice and kindly 
 word has more than once saved the 
 young from ruin, and led them into 
 a better and w-orthier life. He heart- 
 ily supported all measures calculated 
 to elevate, educate and improve man- 
 kind, but he received with caution any 
 suggestion which involved a possible 
 menace to financial, social or commer- 
 cial integrity. He scrutinized every 
 proposal which might lead to useless 
 and burdensome expense, and tried to 
 test all questions by the touchstone 
 composed of truth, honor, justice and 
 fair play. 
 
 "While to the unthinkinc: his ca- 
 
 reer may seem an entire success, he 
 had in ihe twilight of his later life 
 realized only too clearl\ the uncer- 
 tainty (if liuman ])lans, and his grief 
 was the keener because he suffered 
 for those whose interests were under 
 his care, so that at last his troubled 
 heart began to long the more for that 
 rest and peace which can only be found 
 in the companionship of Him who is 
 infinitely tender and compassionate." 
 
 Besides the important part Mr. .\r- 
 nold took in the successful manage- 
 ment of the ]\Ieriden National Bank, 
 he was from 1862 until his death one 
 of the trustees and directors of the 
 Meriden Savings Bank, of which in- 
 stitution he was also from 1870 one 
 of its vice-presidents. Several local 
 manufacturing enterprises were aided 
 to success and encouraged both by his 
 sound judgment and his means. He 
 was one of the directors of Edward 
 Miller & Co., and The Wilcox & 
 White Organ Company. In the af- 
 fairs of the town of Meriden he was 
 always active, and although quiet and 
 unpretending was a man whose influ- 
 ence invariably was exerted for the 
 welfare of his fellow townsmen. He 
 was kind, not only to relatives. l)ut it 
 was his delight to help the jioor and 
 unfortunate. 
 
 Tic was one of the founders of the 
 Meriden Boys' Club, and contributed 
 liberally towards its maintenance. He 
 was for about twenty years one of the 
 trustees of the Connecticut School for 
 Boys. For several years and until 
 his death he was president of the Cur- 
 tis Home, and he was treasurer of St. 
 
284 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Andrew's parish for many years, with 
 wdiich church he was connected as one 
 of the vestrymen for a great many 
 years, although in his early life he 
 was affiliated wath the Congregational 
 church. 
 
 Mr. Arnold's public career con- 
 sisted of two terms in the legislature 
 where he ably represented the town 
 of Meriden, being first elected in 1861 
 and again in 1874. 
 
 Mr. Arnold amassed considerable 
 land in and about ]\Ieriden and among 
 his possessions was quite a tract on 
 West Peak and in his will the extreme 
 point of the Peak, consisting of about 
 four acres, was left to the city of Mer- 
 iden. It was his earnest hope that by 
 some means this high point of land 
 could be used in the same way that 
 Mt. Tom in Massachusetts is used, as 
 a pleasure resort for the people of 
 IMeriden and vicinity during the warm 
 days of summer. 
 
 During his entire life he was a stu- 
 dent, and as he advanced in age he 
 found his greatest pleasure, outside of 
 banking hours, with his books. 
 
 His acquaintance among men of let- 
 ters was unusually large, while his 
 generosity and charity were not fully 
 known until after his death. In his 
 will were provisions for many charita- 
 ble objects, but so reserved a man was 
 he that even his executor had no idea 
 of the extent of his liberality until 
 proven to him conclusively by the 
 large number of calls from individuals 
 and institutions that had previously 
 been helped by Mr. Arnold. 
 
 ]\Ir. Arnold was never married. One 
 
 of his nieces, Katherine Arnold, 
 daughter of Joseph Arnold, married in 
 1874, Charles H. Nettleton, of Derby, 
 Conn., whom he appointed executor 
 of his w'ill. 
 
 The accompanying engraving of 
 Mr. Arnold and the only one of him 
 known to exist is from a photograph 
 probably taken shortly after his re- 
 moval to Meriden. 
 
 HENRY B. BEACH. 
 
 A loyal citizen of Aleriden who 
 has taken a part in the betterment of 
 the town for over forty years, is 
 Henry Burton Beach. He was born 
 in New Milford, Litchfield County, 
 Conn., ]March 17, 183 1, and is a son 
 of Burroughs Beach, a native of Ox- 
 ford. Conn., who married Harriet M. 
 daughter of Justice A\"eller of 
 Bridgew^ater, Conn. His father was 
 an exemplary Christian character 
 and in his young manhood engaged 
 in the manufacture of cabinet furni- 
 ture at New ]\Iilford, and his factory 
 grew to be the largest in that indus- 
 try for several miles around. He 
 was a man of strong personality 
 and pronounced convictions, es- 
 pecially on the slavery question, and 
 was one of the earliest advocates of 
 the abolition of slavery. On this 
 question he had the sympathy of 
 but few residents of the town, 
 among them was Augustine Thayer, 
 father of Judge John Q. Thayer of 
 Meriden. Another strong sympa- 
 thizer was Daniel Piatt, father of 
 the late O. H. Piatt wdio lived in the 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 285 
 
 J^Cl.^ 
 
286 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 adjoining town of Washington. 
 Burroughs Beach, who afterward be- 
 came a resident and property owner 
 of Meriden, where he died January 
 12, 1872, lived to see slavery abol- 
 ished, very much to his satisfaction. 
 
 To his son, the subject of this 
 sketch, he gave a good education, 
 first at the common schools, later at 
 private school in his native town, 
 afterwards at the Methodist Semi- 
 nary at Amenia, N. Y., concluding 
 w^ith an attendance at a select private 
 school at New Milford. Henry B. 
 Beach, after entering a dry goods 
 store at New Milford as a boy, be- 
 came a clerk and later owned a store 
 of his own where he became engag- 
 ed in the sale of general merchan- 
 dise. In the early 50s he went front- 
 iering, locating at Stillwater, Minn., 
 where he became a leading factor in 
 that town and vicinity and was 
 heavily engaged in the lumber and 
 milling business, and also in the 
 droving of cattle and horses. Just 
 previous to i860 his parents re- 
 moved to Meriden where they con- 
 tinued to reside until called to rest 
 from earthly cares. 
 
 Henry B. Beach returned from 
 Minnesota and settled permanently 
 in Meriden about 1863 engaging in 
 the chuck and drill business in a 
 portion of the office of Lyon & Bill- 
 ard. After a year or more be began 
 his long and successful career as a 
 traveling salesman in the employ of 
 what was then known as the Wil- 
 cox Britannia Co., but soon after as 
 the Wilcox Silver Plate Co. Mr. 
 
 Beach continued, with the excep- 
 tion of one year, in that capacity un- 
 til 1905, and still retains his con- 
 nection with the company Al- 
 though he has now retired from the 
 road, he is one of the best known 
 traveling men of the trade, and has 
 for over forty years been an import- 
 ant factor in the concern. He served 
 as one of the directors from 1879 
 until the business became re-orga- 
 nized as a part of the International 
 Silver Company in 1903. Mr. Beach 
 is connected with the Masonic fra- 
 ternity being affiliated with Merid 
 ian Lodge yj, A. F. & A. M., of Meri 1 
 den and is also a member of thd. 
 Council R. & S. M., of Bridgeport-^ 
 He is a communicant of St. Andrew's 
 Episcopal church. He was marrieo, 
 September 5, 1850 to Charlotte 
 daughter of Sheldon and Jennettc 
 ( Wooster) Leavenworth and to thai 
 union six children have been born 
 Joseph B., of Meriden; Julia B. 
 married George B. Paddock, former 
 ly of Meriden, of Jackson, Minn. 
 Harry Burroughs ; Sheldon B. 
 Frederick, died in infancy; and E 
 AV. Beach. Mr. and Mrs. Bead 
 are also blessed with grandchildrer 
 and ereat-erandchildren. 
 
 JAMES COOK. 
 
 Nearly a half century of activ< 
 residence and participation in th< 
 business affairs of Meriden mad( 
 James Cook one of the best knowi 
 citizens of the town. He was bori 
 in Higganum, Conn., April 26, 1835 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 287 
 
 -; 
 
 G 
 
 Z2/^3^>^t^>^<2^ ^S> ^J-2r-^< 
 
288 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 where he obtained an education. 
 Mr. Cook came to Meriden in 1858 
 where he resided continuously until 
 his regretted decease. He was in 
 every sense a self-made man and be- 
 gan his extensive business career by 
 securing employment with Lyon & 
 Billard where he remained for five 
 years. He then became associated 
 with Julius I^ratt & Co. 
 
 James Cook as a young man was 
 industrious and thrifty and it was 
 not long before he had saved enough 
 from his earnings to engage in the 
 livery business, the site of his stable 
 being on Crown street in the rear of 
 where the Cook block now stands, 
 but which afterwards was destroyed 
 by fire. 
 
 Mr. Cook was successful from his 
 first business venture, but he started 
 on a greater era of prosperity after 
 he bought the square on East Main 
 street, also bounded by South Col- 
 ony street. Crown street and the 
 tracks of the N. Y.. X. H., & H. 
 railroad. He had an eye to the 
 improvement of the property and 
 was ever known as a fair minded 
 and liberal landlord. 
 
 With Joseph Alorse he built the 
 Morse & Cook block, one of the most 
 substantial business structures of 
 Meriden, located in the heart of 
 the business section, and which has 
 always proved to have been an ex- 
 cellent investment, and at the time 
 of its construction was considered an 
 important stroke of enterprise on 
 the part of its owners. Among Mr. 
 Cook's other property holdings 
 
 were a partnership in the Curtiss & 
 Cook block located on Main street, 
 186 feet of railroad frontage on 
 South Colony street, the whole of 
 the corner of East Main and Crown 
 streets, the old Trading Company 
 store on East Main street, and be- 
 sides his own residence on Crown 
 street he possessed several tenement 
 houses and other property. 
 
 Mr. Cook was a man of good re- 
 pute and one who was ever consid- 
 ered a worthy adopted citizen of the 
 town. He took a deep interest in 
 the afl:'airs of the locality and no 
 movement for the betterment of the 
 town was ever known to be 
 discouraged by him During the 
 last few years of his life Air. Cook 
 did not enjoy customary good health 
 but his indomitable energy and per- 
 severance would not permit him to 
 give up his business cares until he 
 succumbed to a complication of dis- 
 eases. He was much devoted to his 
 home and his family and was affil- 
 iated with but one fraternal organi- 
 zation. Meridian Lodge, No. yy, A. 
 F. & A. M. 
 
 He was married to Enuna L. Fay 
 who now survives him and to that 
 union were born two children : a 
 daughter who died in infancy and 
 one son, Arthur E. Cook, who now 
 fills the important place in the busi- 
 ness world made vacant by the death 
 of his father, which occurred June 
 10, 1903. Mr. Cook was also sur- 
 vived by a sister, Mrs. Joseph Hub- 
 bard of Middletown, and a brother, 
 Henry Cook of Higganum. 
 
IlIoiiK \l'll 1|- 
 
 289 
 
 19 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 JOHN SHERMAN LANE. 
 
 Meriden being a manufacturing city 
 can boast of many able and progres- 
 sive business men. One of the most 
 prominent of these is John S. Lane. 
 Although he did not become a resi- 
 dent of Meriden until 1894 he has 
 so identified himself with the business 
 and social life of the city as to be 
 looked upon as a foremost citizen. 
 
 Mr. Lane is a native of Connecti- 
 cut, having been born in Kent, No- 
 vember 27, 1839. His father was 
 Hon. Daniel P. Lane and his mother 
 a member of the well known Sher- 
 man family which has given to New 
 England so many illustrious citizens. 
 Daniel Lane fought in the War of 
 1812, and was a well known man about 
 the state, having been a member of 
 the State Assembly from Kent in 1840. 
 He had five children of whom John 
 Sherman was the second. 
 
 Mr. Lane attended the district 
 school of his native town during the 
 winter months and worked on the 
 farm during the summer until he was 
 thirteen years of age, when he served 
 as clerk in a store for one yeear. At 
 the age of eighteen he left the hill- 
 side home and went to -Bridge- 
 port to make his fortune. He 
 found employment with the New York 
 & New Haven Railroad Company as 
 a track repairer. His ability soon 
 earned for him a better position, that 
 of foreman, and later he served the 
 Housatonic road in the same capacity. 
 During this time the double track was 
 
 laid between New York and New 
 Haven. 
 
 The western fever seized him about 
 this time, and in 1859 he went to Chi- 
 cago where he remained until 1861. 
 Lincoln's call for "500,000 more" after 
 the battle of Bull Run found John S. 
 Lane ready and willing to answer to 
 his country's call, and he came back 
 to Connecticut and joined the Eighth 
 Connecticut Volunteers, enlisting from 
 New Mil ford September 14, 186 1. He 
 acquitted himself with gallantry in 
 all the engagements of his regiment 
 which included the following: Roan- 
 oke Island, Newbern, N. C, siege of 
 Fort Macon, N. C, South Mountain, 
 Antietam, Fredericksburg, Va., Fort 
 Huger, Va., Fort Darling, Va., Cold 
 Harbor, Petersburg, Watthall Junc- 
 tion and Fort Harrison. 
 
 Mr. Lane left the army a first lieu- 
 tenant October 14, 1864. On his re- 
 turn home he was appointed supervis- 
 or of the Housatonic Road, and in 
 1880 he accepted a similar position 
 with the New York, New Haven & 
 Hartford Railroad. Part of his work 
 at this time was to attend to the stone- 
 ballasting of the tracks, and he soon 
 felt that there was a good opening 
 in this section of the country for the 
 business of furnishing crushed stone 
 to the railroads. It was found upon 
 investigation that the hills about Mer- 
 iden furnished excellent material for 
 this crushed stone, and in 1894 Mr. 
 Lane moved to Meriden where the 
 great industry of John S. Lane & Son 
 was started and has ever since been 
 growing to greater proportions. In 
 
292 
 
 A CEXTL'RY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 1893 a quarry was opened near West 
 field, ;Mass., on the Boston & Albany 
 Railroad where the same class of stone 
 is found, and this has also been ver\ 
 successful. ^Ir. Lane, at this writing, 
 is president of the following concerns : 
 John S. Lane & Son, Incorp., Lane 
 Construction Co., Incorp., Lane Quar- 
 ry Co., and he is a shareholder in the 
 Connecticut Trap Rock Quarries In- 
 corp. 
 
 For some }'ears he has devoted 
 most of his time to his extensive prop- 
 erties in Eustis. Florida, where he 
 owns large orange groves and a hotel. 
 
 On January 2"/, 1863, ^Mr. Lane was 
 married to Miss Emma S. Plumb, and 
 their children are as follows: Arthur 
 S., Bertha, wife of W. R. Smith, E. 
 Le Rov, Harry C, and Edna C, wife 
 of Oliver Yale, formerly of ^leriden. 
 now of Brooklyn. X. Y. Arthur S., 
 E. Le Roy and Harry are all engaged 
 in the trap rock business. 
 
 HOX. EDGAR T. DOOLITTLE. 
 
 Hon. Edgar J. Doolittle, for five 
 terms mayor of ^Meriden and once 
 representing the district in the State 
 Senate, was born in Hebron. Conn.. 
 January 29. 1845. He is descended 
 from Abraham Doolittle who came 
 from England in 1640, and took a 
 prominent part in the organization uf 
 the Town of W'allingford. His father 
 was Rev. Edgar J. Doolittle,. a native 
 of Xew Haven, and a clergyman of 
 the Congregational denomination. 
 On the maternal side Mr. Doolittle is 
 of the Sage family. David Sage, his 
 
 early antecedent, coming to Middle- 
 town from Wales in 1652. One of 
 his ancestors on his mother's side. 
 Captain William Sage, who fought at 
 the battle of Bunker Hill, was also 
 one of the antecedents of Russell Sage, 
 the noted financier of X'ew York. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received 
 his early education in the public 
 schools in his native town, his father 
 at that time being the settled pastor 
 of the First church of that town. Af- 
 ter obtaining a practical education, and 
 a year after receiving his diploma from 
 the Guilford Institv.te. he engaged in 
 the paper box industry in ^leriden, 
 which from a modest beginning has 
 been developed by him into one of the 
 largest in the state. From the high 
 character of the output of the factory 
 (situated on Camp street and conven- 
 iently adjoining the tracks of the N'. 
 Y.. X. H. & H. R. R.), the industry 
 has for many years refl-rcted great 
 credit upon Meriden and given em- 
 ployment to a large mmiber of hands, 
 who find there both regular and re- 
 munerative employment. The gf ods 
 made at the Doolittle factory comprise 
 a great variety ; and almost ever}' de- 
 scription of paper boxes and cartons 
 are produced there, a large portion of 
 the output consisting of the finest 
 goods lined with satin, silk and plush, 
 and used extensively by the manufac- 
 turers of silverware and plated ware. 
 The name of the factor}- over which 
 ^Ir. Doolittle has continuously main- 
 tained a personal supervision and man- 
 agement, is a synonym for the best 
 boxes for all uses in the trade. 
 
BKCBAFHIES. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ) 
 
294 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Strict integrity and honesty of pur- 
 pose in all his dealings have won the 
 confidence and esteem of Mr. Doolit- 
 tle's fellow townsmen, and he has 
 many times been called to accept poz)- 
 tions -of honor and trust. He is at 
 this writing vice president and trus- 
 tee of the Meriden Savings Bank ; di- 
 rector of the Meriden Gas and Elec- 
 tric Light companies ; vice president 
 and director of the Home National 
 Bank ; trustee of the Meriden Hospi- 
 tal, and in 1904 was appointed by the 
 governor of the state a member of 
 the Connecticut Commission to the St. 
 Louis \¥orld"s Fair Exposition, where 
 his service to the commonwealth was 
 marked with rare judgment and abil- 
 ity. During his terms as chief mag- 
 istrate of the city of Meriden, his ad- 
 ministration, which was concluded in 
 1887, was productive of many perma- 
 nent improvements and conducted in 
 the interests of all citizens and tax- 
 payers. 
 
 While in the State Senate he won 
 the esteem of his colleagues and con- 
 stituents alike by his close attention 
 to the proceedings of that worthy 
 body and fearless prosecution of bills 
 which embraced that which was right 
 and wise. 
 
 In social life Mr. Doolittle is a 
 prominent figure and universally es- 
 teemed and respected. He is a mem- 
 ber of Meridian Lodge, St. Elmo Com- 
 mandery, K. T., and a thirty-second 
 degree member of the F. & A. M. He 
 is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. 
 
 He was married November 13, 1867, 
 to Martha W., daughter of George 
 
 and Mary Warner (Couch), of Meri- 
 den, who died August 21, 1902. He 
 has one daughter, Dorothy. 
 
 HON. BENJAMIN PAGE. 
 
 Hon. Benjamin Page, mayor of 
 Meriden in 1890 and 1891, was born 
 in North Branford, a son of Benjamin 
 and Sarah E. (Merriam) Page, Sep- 
 tember 4, 1840. He comes of English 
 ancestry. Both his father and grand- 
 father were farmers whose names 
 were Benjamin and they took a most 
 active part in the affairs of their na- 
 tive town. 
 
 Inheriting a love of learning and 
 a desire for knowledge, young Benja- 
 min by close application to his school 
 books, fitted himself to become a 
 teacher at the age of seventeen ; and 
 after an attendance at the State Nor- 
 mal school began his career in that 
 capacity, his first school being at Wal- 
 lingford. He continued with like suc- 
 cess as a teacher at East Haven and 
 in his native town of North 
 Branford. afterwards becoming prin- 
 cipal of the school at South Meriden, 
 which position he held for four years. 
 In 1865 and while still a teacher, he 
 established the insurance agency which 
 in 1892 became Page & Pardee, of 
 Meriden, and for some years past has 
 been known as one of the largest and 
 most reliable in the state. 
 
 A man of acknowledged judgment 
 and with a conscientious regard for 
 the rights of others, he has been chos- 
 en to settle many important estates, 
 and in that capacity has proven him- 
 
BIOGRAl'IllKS. 
 
 -'95 
 
 (/ tf^^-c^ c/J^^^- 
 
296 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 self a valued friend to many bereaved 
 families. His broadness of mind, 
 wide experience and knowledge of 
 men and affairs have made him a man 
 much sought for advice ; and he has 
 achieved a success in business life 
 that can only be attained by much ex- 
 ecutive ability and the practice of 
 methods of strict integrity. 
 
 Mr. Page has had an extended and 
 fionorable public career. Shortly af- 
 ter obtaining his majority he became 
 an active and interested worker in the 
 ranks of the Republican party of 
 which he has ever been a loyal and 
 able supporter. He was first elected 
 to office in 1883 when he was chosen 
 a member of the Board of Aldermen 
 from the Third Ward. His re-elec- 
 tion was but a fitting tribute to his 
 valued service and during the lasi 
 two of the four years he was a mem- 
 ber of the upper branch of the citv 
 government, he was made president 
 pro tem. His nomination and elec- 
 tion as mayor in 1889 were the results 
 of his popularity and general fitness 
 for the honor ; and upon assuming the 
 duties of the office he became the chief 
 magistrate of the city in fact as well 
 as in name. His first term won him 
 a spontaneous re-election and the ex- 
 ecutive ability and display of wisdom 
 during his second term was but a 
 continuation of his first. Although 
 a third time honored with a nomina- 
 tion by his party he declined to serve 
 another term as mayor but in 1894 ac- 
 cepted the call to take a seat in the 
 state Legislature. He was made 
 clerk of the Committee on Insurance, 
 
 in which capacity he was admirably 
 qualified to serve and at the close of 
 the session had made a record satis- 
 factory to his constituents. 
 
 Mr. Page was collector of taxes for 
 the Town and City of Meriden for a 
 period of ten years and during his ser- 
 vice in that office handled the public 
 funds in a manner most satisfactory 
 to the people. His appointment as a 
 member of the Board of Fire Com- 
 missioners by Mayor Seeley in 1902 
 was met with expressions of warm ap- 
 proval from both the public and press. 
 
 Mr. Page is a director of the Meri- 
 den Savings and Meriden National 
 Bank ; president of the board of trus- 
 tees of the Curtis Home and one of 
 the directors of the Middlesex Mutual 
 Assurance Company of Middletown. 
 He is prominent in church and social 
 life and is one of the wardens and 
 vestrymen of St. Andrew's Episcopal 
 church. He is also a member of Mer- 
 idian Lodge, F. & A. M., and Pacific 
 Lodge, L O. O. F. 
 
 He was married in 1864 at North 
 Branford to Miss Margaret A. Cook, 
 daughter of Leverett and Thankful 
 (Stevens) Cook, of Wallingford, to 
 whom one daughter, Mrs. Frederick 
 W. Kilbourne, of Springfield, Mass., 
 was born. 
 
 WILLL\M W. LYMAN. 
 
 The late William Worcester Ly- 
 man, one of the foremost citizens of 
 Meriden from 1836 to the time of his 
 regretted decease, November 15, 1891, 
 was born at Woodford. Vermont, 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 297 
 
298 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 March 29, 1821. He was the son of 
 Andrew and Anna (Hall) Lyman. 
 When he was but seven years old his 
 father died, and with his mother he 
 removed to Northford, Conn. In 
 1836 he came to Meriden and served 
 his apprenticeship in the shop of Gris- 
 wold & Couch, britannia ware manu- 
 facturers, where he remained for a 
 period of five years. With a determi- 
 nation to make his mark in life, in 
 1844 he embarked in business on his 
 own account, which he was enabled 
 to do by the practice of strict economy 
 for some years previous. With a 
 practical knowledge of his business he 
 engaged in the manufacture of bri- 
 tannia spoons, taking with him as 
 partner Ira Couch. A short time later 
 he purchased his partner's interest and 
 continued in the same factory, which 
 was near his late residence in jMeriden, 
 for the following two years. He then 
 removed his enterprise to the Twiss 
 factory in Prattsville, which offered 
 larger and more suitable quarters, and 
 took as partner Lemuel J. Curtis. 
 This partnership was afterwards dis- 
 solved and Mr. Lyman took possession 
 of the old Frary shop which at that 
 time stood near the works lof the 
 present Meriden Firearms Company. 
 He continued in the manufacture of 
 spoons until 1858 wdien he patented 
 the "Lyman Fruit Jar," which was 
 well received by the trade from its 
 highly desirable qualities and practi- 
 cal usefulness for the canning of 
 fruits. The jar was the first of its 
 kind put upon the market and after- 
 wards became in srreat demand in 
 
 fruit growing communities. While 
 his patent of the fruit jar in itself 
 gave him a competency and enabled 
 him to leave his family well provided 
 for, he also patented an ice 
 pitcher, a copper-bottomed tea pot, a 
 butter dish and several other articles. 
 
 Mr. Lyman was possessed of rare 
 business attainments, and was a citi- 
 zen of enterprise and public spirit. 
 For many years and until the time of 
 his death he was one of the directors 
 of the Meriden Britannia Company. 
 He was also until 1878 president of 
 the Meriden Cutlery Company, of 
 which concern he afterwards and until 
 his decease continued as one of the di- 
 rectors. Fie was also one of the prime 
 movers of the street railway and a 
 director in the Meriden Horse Railway 
 .Co. He was a director of the Meri- 
 den National and also in the City Sav- 
 ings Bank, and was the first president 
 of the old Meriden Flint Glass Co. 
 
 ]\Ir. Lyman was a man who could 
 be counted upon at all times to do his 
 duty toward his fellow citizens, and 
 several terms served the town of 
 Meriden in the state Legislature, 
 his service comprising the years 1849, 
 1 88 1 and 1882. He also served as a 
 member of the Common Council from 
 the Fifth ward. 
 
 He was married in 1844 to Roxanna 
 G. Frary, daughter of James Frary, a 
 leading dry goods dealer of his day, 
 and is now survived by one daughter, 
 Mrs. Henry Warren (formerly Miss 
 Josephine Griswold Lyman) who re- 
 sides on Britannia street with her hus- 
 band and dauarhter. 
 
BIOGRAI'IIIKS. 
 
 299 
 
 THE LATE KLl C. lURDSEV. 
 
 One of the noted citizens of Meriden 
 in his time was the late Eh C. Bird- 
 se> . known as Squire llirdsey. mer- 
 chant, pubhc official and churchman. 
 who during" his life stood high in th.e 
 estimation of his fellow townsmen. 
 He was born in Meriden December 21, 
 1799. and was the oldest son of De'i- 
 con Gershom and Lucy P. P.irdsey. 
 After an eventful life of usefulness he 
 passed away October 9, 1S43. He re- 
 ceived his education in the schools of 
 Meriden, and when a very young man 
 engaged in business at the corner of 
 East Main and Broad streets, but after 
 having had a practical experience pre- 
 viously in manufacturing, purchased 
 the brick building now demolished, 
 previously occupied by Potter, Ship- 
 man & Lewis, the site of which is 
 near the present stately residence now 
 occupied by his son, Eli C. Birdsey. 
 
 Squire Birdsey was knuwn as the 
 leading merchant of his day, and over 
 his counters was sold nearly every- 
 thing in the way of mercliandisc to be 
 procured at that time except groceries. 
 The store and the strong personality 
 of its [)roprietor attracted the leading 
 men of Meriden who for years con- 
 gregated there, esi)ecially in the win- 
 ter time, ancl many matters of public 
 interest were there discussed, .'^tjuire 
 Bird.sey usually taking the leading 
 part. That he held the entire confi- 
 dence of the comnumity seems also to 
 be proven by the fact that he kept the 
 savings of many of his friends and 
 acted as banker before the establish- 
 
 ment of local banks, and he was 
 known to be the only possessor of an 
 iron safe for "some years in Meriden. 
 lie was a natural born leader of men 
 and his judgment and foresight were 
 nuich relied upon. Although Ijy no 
 means stubborn or arbitrary he had a 
 quiet faculty of leading others t(j his 
 way of thinking rather than being one 
 who changed his mind easily without 
 just cause. Early in life he identified 
 himself with the Baptist Church, of 
 which he was an active member, and 
 of this society he was for some years 
 treasurer, and permanently identified 
 with its growth and prosperity dur- 
 ing his life. He was first selectman 
 in 1833 and clerk of the town of Mer- 
 iden continuously from 1S34 to 1S43, 
 and served the town in the Legislature 
 in 1834 and 1835. He was a man 
 who never shirked his diUy. and ever 
 had in mind the Golden Rule and the 
 just dues of his friends and neighbors. 
 S(|uire liirdsey was of a genial, kind- 
 ly ami benevolent disposition, and was 
 highly esteemed by all who knew 
 him. 
 
 He was marrieil June 3. 1S24, to 
 Rebecca Cook Wilcox and three chil- 
 dren blessed the union: Liiuis. born 
 .April 13, 1825. married first X'incey 
 .\nn Miller, second Julia Davis, and 
 now residing in .Meriden: .Min.i. born 
 .^e])t. 2-:,. 182^. married John Ives, of 
 -Meriden, and die<l .March 13. 1855; 
 I-'li Coe Birdsey, now a leading resi- 
 dent and busijiess man of .Meriden, 
 born I-'ebruary 2^. 1843. .^cpiire P.ird- 
 sey was buric<I in the family lot at the 
 East Cemetery. 
 
300 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 t^' C ^^^^^^^ 
 
BIOGRAl'IIIES. 
 
 ^OI 
 
 -/ .y^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
302 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ELI COE BIRDSEY. 
 
 A life-long identification with ]\Ier- 
 iden, following that of his father, 
 whose full name he bears, has made 
 the name of Eli C. Birdsey one most 
 familiar to both present and past res- 
 idents of the town. He was born in 
 Meriden February 25, 1843, ^"^1 still 
 resides in the stately Colonial mansion 
 built in 1830, at the corner of Broad 
 and East Main streets, and which 
 from its prominent location and pleas- 
 ing style of architecture has been for 
 many years one of the most conspic- 
 uous landmarks of the town. His 
 father, of whom a biographical sketch 
 is given elsewhere, died when Eli was 
 an infant and he was trained early to 
 paths of rectitude by his mother. He 
 attended the schools of Meriden and 
 later took a course at Pierce Academy 
 at Middleboro, Mass. He began his 
 business career as a clerk in his broth- 
 er's general store but at the end of 
 four years engaged in business in the 
 hardware line for himself, taking as 
 a partner the late Wallace A. j\Iiles, 
 one of the past mayors of the city. 
 Adhering to the same location and 
 since having as partners the late Frank 
 S. Foster and his present partner, 
 John F. Raven, Mr. Birdsey has be- 
 come known as one of the most re- 
 liable and enterprising merchants of 
 the locality and the large trade the 
 firm of Birdsey & Raven enjoys is the 
 result of a long and uninterrupted 
 period of a carefully conducted busi- 
 ness during which the confidence of 
 the buying public has been justly mer- 
 
 ited. In matters of public interest 
 concerning the town and state Mr. 
 Birdsey has shown a conscientious re- 
 gard. During its existence he was 
 secretary of the Meriden Merchants' 
 Association, and upon the organiza- 
 tion of the Meriden Board of Trade 
 he became a director and was its first 
 secretary. Since its organization he 
 has also been vice president of the 
 Connecticut State Board of Trade. 
 
 Mr. Birdsey has always taken much 
 interest in historical research and is 
 considered an authority on many sub- 
 jects relating to the past. He is a 
 valued member of the Hartford His- 
 torical Society and one of the state 
 managers of the Sons of the American 
 Revolution, a society to which he is in 
 several directions eligible owing to his 
 distinguished ancestry. In his polit- 
 ical affiliations Mr. Birdsey is a Re- 
 publican and while he has ever been 
 willing to further the political ambi- 
 tions of his friends has never sought 
 nor accepted any public office. 
 
 His prominent connection with the 
 Masonic order dates back many years 
 and brings no little distinction to 
 Meriden. A thirty-third degree mem- 
 ber of that order, he entered the blue 
 lodge (Meridian) as far back as 1864 
 and since has devoted much time to 
 the work in the various branches of 
 the order, being, at the present writ- 
 ing, one of the best known members 
 in the country. He was a charter 
 member of Center Lodge, of which he 
 has also been secretary, junior and 
 senior wardens and treasurer at dif- 
 ferent times ; he has also held several 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 303 
 
 offices of honor and trust in Keystone 
 Chapter, R. A. j\l. ; and was one of 
 the organizers and the first gcnerahs- 
 simo of St. Ehno Conimandery, of 
 which he is also a past eminent com- 
 mander. He has further l)een hon- 
 ored with the offices of grand warden 
 and grand commander of the Grand 
 Commandery of Connecticut and since 
 1894 has continuously been elected 
 grand recorder of the Graiivd Com- 
 mandery in this state. In addition, 
 he is. at this writing, secretary and 
 treasurer of both the Connecticut and 
 New England associations of past 
 grand commanders of K. T. and is 
 the grand representative of the Grand 
 Conimandery of the District of Col- 
 lumbia near the Grand Commandery 
 of Connecticut. Mr. Birdsey is grand 
 treasurer of the Council of Deliber- 
 ation of the A. A. S. R. 
 
 That he should be known among 
 members as one of the best authorities 
 in the state on Masonic law, methods, 
 legislation and discipline and that the 
 work of his pen has ever been appre- 
 ciated to the fullest extent by his 
 brother members in the various 
 branches of the order are facts con- 
 ceded by all familiar with his honor- 
 able record and standing as a Mason. 
 As a resident of Meriden he is 
 highly esteemed in the community rmd 
 deserves that regard which is accordrd 
 men in any community only when 
 they have won it by good citizen and 
 fellowship. Mr. Rirdsey was married 
 I in 1864 to Miss Catherine P>utlcr, a 
 jdaughter of Lyman and Mary Anne 
 riark) Butler, and has no children. 
 
 HON. GEORGE S. SEELEY 
 
 Hon. George S. Seeley, mayor of 
 Meriden in 1902-3-4 and 5, like sev- 
 eral of his antecedents, was born in 
 Waterbury. He first saw light Feb- 
 ruary 2, 1846. His ancestors on the 
 paternal and maternal sides comprised 
 old Connecticut stock. His great- 
 grandfather was one of the patriots 
 who fought in the Revolutionary War 
 and his grandfather, Roger Pritchard, 
 saw active service as a continental sol- 
 dier in the War of 181 2. 
 
 The subject of this sketch and his 
 mother were born at the old Pritchard 
 homestead, and he received his edu- 
 cation by attending the public schools 
 of Waterbury and Meriden. When he 
 was 12 years old, his parents removed 
 to Meriden, his father purchasing the 
 farm at East Meriden, now owned by 
 Edwin Birdsey, where for some years 
 he continued in agricultural pursuits, 
 later engaging in business as a stone 
 mason. 
 
 At the age of 19 George S. Seeley 
 began to learn his trade and after 
 serving his apprenticeship pursued 
 the calling of a metal turner with 
 marked perseverance and industry for 
 twenty-five years. For the past eleven 
 years he has devoted his energies to 
 the handling of real estate. His wide 
 kn(iwle(lge of public afiairs has been 
 gained by ])ractical experience ac- 
 c[uired by his repeated election to 
 town and city offices. Affiliated 
 closely with the Republican party, 
 Mr. Seeley. although a strong organ- 
 izer, has never been classed a politi- 
 
304 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ^ 
 
 /J^ 
 
CIOGRAPIIIILS. 
 
 J^D 
 
 cian in the generally accepted sense of 
 the term, and his public record and 
 private life have ever been above re- 
 proach. He served creditably as a 
 member of the Common Council and 
 later of the Board of Aldermen from 
 the third ward and in 1898, 1899, 1900 
 and 1 901 as second selectman and sev- 
 eral years as chairman of the Repub- 
 lican Town Committee. 
 
 After the city had gone Democratic 
 two municipal elections, the Republi- 
 cans of ]\Ieriden chose Mr. Seeley for 
 their standard bearer and his election 
 was a high personal tribute to his pop- 
 ularity. 
 
 Subsequent to his election it was 
 pro\'en that the people of the city had 
 made no mistake, for both his terms 
 as mayor were marked by wise ap- 
 pointments and an administration of 
 public affairs which reflected credit 
 upon the city as well as its mayor ; 
 for the city's business was conducted 
 in the interest of the taxpayer and 
 property owner. During his four 
 years as mayor he was accredited a 
 most loyal support from the various 
 commissions of his appointment and 
 his management of the city's finances 
 was most pleasing and gratifying to 
 the citizens. Mr. Seeley is a promi- 
 nent ()(\i\ I'Vllow, and since 1888 has 
 served that fraternity as treasurer of 
 Meriden Center Lodge, of which 
 lodge he is also a past grand, lie is 
 a member of the Arcanum Club; one 
 of the vestrymen of St. Andrew's 
 Episcopal church of Meriden. of which 
 parish he has also been treasurer since 
 1900: he is also a member ami a di- 
 
 rector of the Meriden Board of Trade ; 
 member of the Meriden Business 
 Men's Association, and as a member 
 of the General Committee has shown 
 an active interest in the Centennial 
 celebration. 
 
 November 24, 1867, he was united 
 in marriage with Anna G., daughter 
 of Melvin C. and Esther (Guy) Lee, 
 of ]\Ieriden, and three children have 
 blessed the union ; Frank Guy, wIkj 
 now resides with his wife and lw<j 
 children in Mt. X'ernon. X. ^'. : Mrs. 
 James H. Guernsey, of Ansonia, and 
 Arthur D. Seeley. a promising young 
 man in liis seventeenth year. 
 
 GEORGE REDFIELD CURTIS. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, George 
 Redfield Curtis, was a descendant of 
 John Curtis, who. with bis motiiei, 
 IClizabeth, and his brother, William, 
 was among the first settlers of Strat- 
 ford. Conn., in the year 1639. ^^'"^ 
 line of descent is as follows: Widow 
 Elizabeth. John, Thomas (who settled 
 in Wallingford. Conn., in 1670, as 
 an original planter), Xathaniel, Ben- 
 jamin, r>enjaniin. .\sahel. In 1670 
 the territory now comprised in Meri- 
 den was a jiart of Wallingford. and 
 so for over two hundred years tli:.> 
 branch of the Curtis family haye lived 
 l)ractically in the same locality. 
 ( "leorge Redfield Curtis was" the 
 youngest child of Asahcl Curtis and 
 his wife. Mehitabel Redfield. of Clin- 
 ton. Conn., through whom he was a 
 lineal descendant of John Alden. of 
 ".MaNtlower" fame. lie was born in 
 
3o6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Meriden, Conn., on Christmas Day, 
 December 25, 1825, and received his 
 education principally in the schools 
 of that place. He left school at the 
 age of eighteen, and took a position 
 in a dry goods store in Middletown, 
 Conn., where he remained four years. 
 In 1847 lis went to Rochester, N. Y., 
 and for one year taught school in a 
 town near that city. During the year 
 
 1848 he taught school in Meriden. In 
 
 1849 ^''6 became bookkeeper for Ju- 
 lius Pratt & Co., of Meriden and con- 
 tinued with them until October, 1850, 
 when he became teller of the Meriden 
 Bank. On January 7, 1853, the 
 month following its organization, he 
 began work with the Meriden Bri- 
 tannia Company. The following 
 April he was elected its treasurer, 
 which position he held until his death ; 
 he was also for some time its secre- 
 tary. For many years his life was 
 bound up in the increasing interests 
 of that company and his labor and 
 care contributed largely to the pros- 
 perity of the corporation. He was an 
 ideal business man and the financial 
 affairs of the company were admir- 
 ably conducted under his personal di- 
 rection for many years, until advanc- 
 ing age and many outside interests 
 made him gradually withdraw from 
 their administration. He was always 
 interested in whatever increased the 
 prosperity of his native town, and his 
 connection with the financial and man- 
 ufacturing concerns of Meriden is in- 
 dicated by the following list of of- 
 fices held by him: He was treasurer 
 of the Meriden Britannia Company, 
 
 president of the Meriden Silver Plate 
 Company, Meriden Horse Railroad 
 Company and Meriden Gas Light 
 Company ; director in the Wilcox Sil- 
 ver Plate Company, Chapman Manu- 
 facturing Company, Manning, Bow- 
 man & Company, Home National 
 Bank, Meriden Trust & Safe Deposit 
 Company, R. Wallace & Sons Manu- 
 facturing Company of Wallingford, 
 Rogers & Brother of W^aterbury, and 
 William Rogers Manufacturing Com- 
 pany of Hartford. He was trustee in 
 the Meriden Savings Bank and the 
 Curtis Home for Orphans and Old 
 Ladies. Mr. Curtis married May 22, 
 1855, Augusta Munson, youngest 
 child of Jesse and Sophia (Talmadge) 
 Munson, of Bradford, in western 
 New York. Of this marriage were 
 born three children — George Munson, 
 Frederick Edgar (who died in child- 
 hood), and Agnes Deshon. 
 
 Mr. Curtis was a Republican in pol- 
 itics but he was never a politican, al- 
 though he served his city as council- 
 man and alderman, and finally as 
 mavor during two terms, from 1879 
 to 1881. Of the social, domestic and 
 religious characteristics of Mr. Curtis, 
 it is difficult to speak truthfully and 
 justly without seeming over-eulogis- 
 tic. Litellectual in his tastes and wide- 
 ly read in general and historical lit- 
 erature, he was a most genial and re- 
 sponsive companion and acquaintance. 
 As a husband and father, he was most 
 loving and indulgent ; as a son, most 
 filial in his devotion to his mother, 
 whose life almost reached a century of 
 years. His religion seemed to be in- 
 
BIOGRArillRS. 
 
 307 
 
 ^.Z^A^^ , y\i. , CJ^ --t 't-J-^Zv*' 
 
3o8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 nate. An elderly person who had 
 known him from childhood says of 
 him: "The peace of his natal Christ- 
 mas-tide seemed to have influenced his 
 mind and character." His interest in 
 St. Andrew's Episcopal church in 
 Meriden and in the church at large 
 was very strong. For years he rep- 
 resented his parish at the diocesan con- 
 ventions, and in 1892 he was a dele- 
 gate from Connecticut to the general 
 convention of the Protestant Episco- 
 pal church held at Baltimore. For 
 about forty-five .}'ears he was an offi- 
 cer of St. Andrew's parish, and for 
 many of them either senior or junior 
 warden. As the years went on and 
 his means enlarged, he gave to his be- 
 loved church munificently. In 1891 
 his sister, Mrs. Hallam, died and left 
 the bulk of her property to build a 
 church in a new parish in Meriden, as 
 a memorial to her husband. Mr. Cur- 
 tis supplemented this gift largely, and 
 two days before his death added to his 
 generosity by presenting to the new 
 parish a house and lot for a rectory. 
 Mr. Curtis first became seriously ill 
 at the time of the convention in Bal- 
 timore. A trip south in the early 
 spring of 1893 failed to materially 
 benefit him and he died suddenly May 
 20, 1893, at his home in Meriden. aged 
 sixty-seven vears. 
 
 GEORGE MUNSON CURTIS. 
 
 George Munson Curtis, treasurer of 
 the International Silver Company and 
 one of the most valued citizens and 
 active men of afifairs of Meriden. is 
 
 a son and the onl}- living child of Hon. 
 George Redfiekl, and Augusta (Mun- 
 son) Curtis. He is a worthy repre- 
 sentative of the eighth generation of 
 one of the oldest families of Connec- 
 ticut. His paternal ancestor, John 
 Curtis, came to this country from 
 England, settling in Stratford, Con- 
 necticut, in 1639, and since 1670, 
 when Thomas Curtis, son of John, lo- 
 cated in Wallingford. the family have 
 been prominent in the affairs of this 
 immediate vicinity. The subject is 
 also descended in the eighth genera- 
 tion from William Redfiekl, one of 
 the earliest English settlers of the 
 Massachusetts Bay Colony,, and on 
 the maternal side of the ninth genera- 
 tion from Thomas Munson, a pio- 
 neer of Hartford and New Haven. 
 
 George M. Curtis attended the pub- 
 lic schools of Meriden, military 
 school of Cheshire and Trinity col- 
 lege, Hartford, with the class of 1880. 
 He entered business life as a clerk in 
 the office of the Meriden Britannia 
 Company immediately after leaving 
 college ; and of this company he was 
 elected assistant treasurer five years 
 later. Upon the death of his father 
 he was chosen treasurer of the con- 
 cern which office he held until tie 
 Meriden Britannia Company was 
 merged into the International Silver 
 Company in 1898 when he became its 
 first assistant treasurer. Two years 
 later he was elected treasurer of the 
 company which ofiice he has since 
 held. In addition to the responsible 
 duties of that important position he 
 serves as a director of the Interna- 
 
iU()(^,R.\pniKs. 
 
 309 
 
3IO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 tional Silver Company, Home Nation- 
 al Bank, Meriden Savings Bank, Mer- 
 iden Trust & Safe Deposit Company 
 and Meriden Gas Light Company. 
 He is also secretary of the Curtis 
 Home of Meriden ; treasurer of the 
 New Haven Anti-Tuberculosis Asso- 
 tion which maintains a most humane 
 sanatorium at Wallingford, and treas- 
 turer and one of the directors of the 
 Curtis Memorial Library. The 
 last named institution, a handsome 
 and costly marble structure, was pre- 
 sented to the Town of Meriden by his 
 mother and built solely vmder his per- 
 sonal supervision. He is also chair- 
 man of the committee to select the 
 books of the library. 
 
 Mr. Curtis has always been a great 
 lover of literature and is also one of 
 the best authorities on historic mat- 
 ters. He is a member of the Con- 
 necticut Historical Society, of Hart- 
 ford ; New Haven Colony Historical 
 Society and American Historical As- 
 sociation. Through his love for dili- 
 gent historical research he has con- 
 tributed much, not only to the socie- 
 ties of which he is a member, but to 
 his native town. The early historical 
 section of this book is from his ver- 
 satile pen in which his accuracy of re- 
 search is made fully manifest. 
 
 When the citizens of Meriden be- 
 gan to plan for the one hundredth an- 
 niversary of the incorporation of the 
 town Mr. Curtis was their most hap- 
 py choice for chairman of the general 
 committee ; and his efforts in behalf of 
 the celebration have been productive 
 of the most pleasing results. 
 
 Mr. Curtis in his religious affilia- 
 tions is associated with St. Andrew's 
 Episcopal church, of which he is jun- 
 ior warden. He is also secretary and 
 treasurer of John Couch Branch, Sons 
 of the American Revolution, and one 
 of the most influential figures of the 
 Home Club, of which he was one of 
 the charter members. 
 
 He married November 30, 1886, 
 Sophie Phillips, only daughter of the 
 late Thomas Trowbridge Mansfield, of 
 this city. They have one child, Agnes 
 Mansfield Curtis, born September 6, 
 1887. 
 
 CHARLES PARKER. 
 
 The name of Charles Parker is not 
 only indissolubly connected with that 
 of Meriden but is properly recognized 
 throughout the country as that of one 
 who during his long and useful life 
 was a leader in the manufacturing 
 world. 
 
 He was the founder of the Charles 
 Parker company, the first mayor of 
 the city of Meriden, and lived to the 
 extraordinary age of 93 years. He 
 was born in Cheshire, January 2, 
 1809, and was the son of Stephen and 
 Rebecca Parker. He was descended 
 in the sixth generation from \\^illiam 
 Parker, who in 1636, was one of the 
 proprietors of Hartford, but who af- 
 terwards removed with his wife, Mar- 
 gery, to Saybrook. 
 
 Their son, John, was one of the 
 earlv settlers of Wallingford, a por- 
 tion of which is now called ^^leriden. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 311 
 
 and the Parker farm was first oper- 
 ated by him. 
 
 IMward Parker, son of John, born 
 in 169 J ; Joel Parker, son of John and 
 Jernsha, born in 1723; and Stephen 
 Parker comprise his paternal ances- 
 tors. Stephen Parker, son of Joel 
 and the father of Charles Parker, a 
 soldier in the Revolutionar\' army, 
 was born Ang. 8, 1759, and was twice 
 married, first in 1787, to Sallie, 
 daughter of Joseph Twiss, and sec- 
 ond to Mrs. Rebecca Stone, daughter 
 of Joshua Ray, who died in Meriden 
 July I, 1846. 
 
 Charles Parker was the second son 
 born to the second marriage and like 
 many boys of that period began his 
 battle of life early. At nine \ears 
 of age he was placed on a farm own- 
 ed by Porter Cook with whom he 
 lived until fourteen years of age. He 
 did the chores and attended the vil- 
 lage school and made himself gener- 
 ally useful to his employer. 
 
 His first insight into manufacturing 
 was at the shop of Anson ?^Iatthews 
 in Southington. which he entered in 
 1827. where he went to work cast- 
 ing pewter buttons, his wages being 
 but S^i a week. Although a poor boy 
 he was full of ambition, good health 
 aufl a strong determination to succeed. 
 I'.vfu liiDUgb he received but a ])it- 
 tance f(ir his hard a^d conscientious 
 labor, with the practice of self-denial 
 and strict economy he saved the sum 
 of $70. 
 
 After remainiu'^f in the .^^oiUhing- 
 ton I'.utton sho]) for a year and later 
 being employed by Horace and Har- 
 
 ry Smith in Xaugatuck, in August, 
 1828, he came to Meriden and went 
 to work for Patrick Lewis. 
 
 His first manufacturing venture 
 was making coffee mills on a contract ; 
 and during the next thirteen months 
 by good management and close ap- 
 plication he cleared $1,800, a large 
 portion of which he was able to save. 
 He then took in as a partner Jared 
 Lewis and assumed another and 
 larger contract from Lewis & Holt, 
 manufacturing coffee mills, ladles and 
 skimmers. 
 
 In 1831 he sold out to Jared Lewis 
 and purchased an acre of land upon 
 which was situated an old brown 
 house for which he paid $650. On 
 this land he built a stone shop which 
 was finished in the spring of 1832, in 
 which he itianufactured coffee mills 
 and wat'de irons and from which 
 sj^rung the several plants of the 
 Charles Parker Company of the 
 l)resent day, the interesting history of 
 which is given elsewhere in this vol- 
 lune. He later took in as partners 
 his brother. Edmund Parker, and 
 Heman White. 
 
 'I'hat he was a ])i(^neer in the man- 
 ufacture of hardware in this coun- 
 try and that he was the first man to 
 introduce steam power in Meriden are 
 matters of record. That he also over- 
 came, it would seem almost miracu- 
 lous] v. obstacles which would have put 
 n stop to the operations of any ordi- 
 nary man, is shown several times dur- 
 ing his remarkable business career. 
 
 The panic of 1837 affected him 
 temporarily but he rallied rpiickly anrl 
 
312 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 3IS 
 
 1> 
 
 T^t^CU^ }t J ayiy^u^i^ 
 
314 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 within five years he had repaid to his 
 creditors every penny of his indebt- 
 edness including" the interest. That 
 Mr. Parker knew his own business 
 capacity and never undertook that 
 which he could not accomplish him- 
 self alone, seems also to be proven by 
 the fact that his great success seems 
 to date from 1845 when he dissolved 
 the partnership then existing with his 
 brother and Mr. White. Mr. Parker 
 was a man who relied entirely upon 
 his own judgment and, possessing re- 
 markable foresight and almost bull- 
 dog tenacity, having once decided ur- 
 on a course of action, always san- 
 guine of ultimate success, he was nev- 
 er dissuaded from his purpose either 
 by seeming adversity or the well in- 
 tended advice of his friends. 
 
 His business grew year by year to 
 mammoth proportions. The great di- 
 versity of product of the several scat- 
 tered factories, called for a display of 
 his remarkable ability as a financier, 
 yet it is stated that there never was a 
 time during his whole business ca- 
 reer that he could not tell how he 
 stood. 
 
 The evolution of his business life 
 from an apprentice boy to a captain 
 of industry, according to one of his 
 biographers, would be "the story of 
 the growth of a small inland Connec- 
 ticut town possessing a few local ad- 
 vantages developing in a compara- 
 tively few years into a thriving and 
 prosperous city, prominent among the 
 residents of which he w'as a prince 
 among his equals." 
 
 About twenty vears before his 
 
 death he was stricken with an illness 
 which alTected his strong physique 
 but not his unusual mental attain- 
 ments and which confined him much 
 of the time to his home. Notwith- 
 standing this he continued to direct 
 his several large enterprises and up 
 to the very last of his long and use- 
 ful life his counsel was that which de- 
 cided the more important matters of 
 the company. Few men, indeed, have 
 made such a record for a continued 
 business service for the benefit of the 
 town, and no man's business credit 
 in the history of Meriden was rated 
 higher than that of Charles Parker. 
 As a resident of jMeriden Mr. Par- 
 ker w^as naturally a foremost citizen. 
 He took an active interest in all pub- 
 lic aft'airs both locally and otherwise. 
 In his early life he was a Democrat 
 and after the Civil war broke out he 
 showed his loyalty to the Union by 
 helping to equip companies of mili- 
 tia in response to President Lincoln's 
 call for troops, and thereafter identi- 
 fied himself permanently with the Re- 
 publican party of which he became a 
 staunch supporter and, although one 
 of the presidential electors wdio voted 
 for Franklin Pierce, he became an ar- 
 dent admirer of Abraham Lincoln and 
 was a delegate at both the conven- 
 tions in Chicago and Philadelphia 
 where General Grant received re- 
 spectively his first and second nomi- 
 nations for President. 
 . When Meriden received its city 
 charter in 1867 Air. Parker was 
 shown the confidence and esteem of 
 the peojile by being chosen the first 
 

 
 ,^/ ..^ 
 
 If 
 
3i6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 mayor. During his administration 
 he conducted the affairs of the then 
 infant city not only wisely but with 
 as much care as he did his own pri- 
 vate business. 
 
 As a result Meriden as a city es- 
 tablished a remarkable precedent, 
 which its citizens look back upon 
 with pride. 
 
 Mr. Parker was a member of Mer- 
 idian Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and held 
 the distinction of being the last sur- 
 viving charter member of that Ma- 
 sonic lodge. He was also a member 
 of St. Elmo Commandery to the 
 members of which before his death 
 he presented a beautiful banner in 
 memory of his brother. Rev. John 
 Parker, his son, Wilbur Parker, and 
 his nephew, George White Parker, all 
 of whom were active members of that 
 high branch of the order. 
 
 He was a true member of the Sons 
 of the American Revolution from 
 1893. From early manhood until 
 his regretted decease he was a 
 devoted and influential member of the 
 First Methodist church to which so- 
 ciety at one time he gave the prince- 
 ly sum of $40,000 towards building 
 the present handsome edifice. He 
 also gave to the city of Meriden eight 
 acres of land now contained in the 
 beautiful public breathing place 
 known as Hubbard Park. 
 
 His late residence on Broad street, 
 an illustration of which is presented, 
 is still one of the grandest in Meri- 
 den, and since his death has been oc- 
 cupied by his son, Dexter W. Parker. 
 
 Mr. Charles Parker was married 
 
 in 183 1 to Abi Lewis Eddy and to 
 that union ten children were born, of 
 whom Dexter W. Parker is now the 
 only one survivins:. 
 
 DEXTER W. PARKER. 
 
 Dexter Wright Parker, president of 
 the large manufacturing corporation ' 
 known as the Charles Parker Com- 
 pany, is the only living son of the 
 late Charles and Abi Lewis (Eddy) ' 
 Parker. He was born at the corner 
 of Main and High streets, Meriden, 
 November 23, 1849, and received hisi 
 early education at Russell's Colle- 
 giate and Commercial School. ThisI 
 was supplemented by an attendance 
 at the government military academy 
 at West Point, the appointment as a 
 cadet to which came to him through 
 Congressman Warner, of Middle- 
 town. 
 
 He graduated from West Point in 
 1870 and, with the commissioned rank 
 of second lieutenant, saw active ser- 
 vice with the Sixth U. S. Cavalry on 
 the frontier of Texas, Indian Terri- 
 tory and Kansas. 
 
 After a creditable service in the 
 regular army he returned to ]\Ieriden 
 and began his extended business ca- 
 reer as his father's partner. In 1878. 
 when the firm was merged into a cor- 
 poration, he became one of the offi- 
 cers and gradually his father came to 
 rely more and more upon him until ni 
 his old age the entire management of, 
 the large business finally devolved up- 
 on him and his brother, Charles I'- 
 Parker. 
 
BIOGUAPlIIliS. 
 
 i^7 
 
 111 rcakh finally conipclk'tl him in 
 take an extended rest, which was con- 
 tinued until after his hrother's death 
 when W. l\. Lyon assumed the man- 
 agement (.»f the business and the sub- 
 ject of this sketch became treasurer of 
 the company. This office he lield un- 
 til the death of his father in 1902, 
 whom he naturally succeeded as pres- 
 ident of the compan\ . 
 
 Mr. Parker resides in the impos- 
 ing j'arker homestead on liroad 
 street and is lield in lii.i^h rej^ard in 
 the communit}'. His i)rominence in 
 the manufacturing" world makes him 
 one I d" the ])rime factors of the wel- 
 fare of Mcriden and his concern in 
 the progress of his native town has 
 ever been conclusively shown. 
 
 In addition to filling the important 
 office of president of the Charles Park- 
 er Cdmpanx he is one of the direct- 
 ors of the City Savings Bank and for- 
 merly was one of the directors of the 
 I-ir^t N'ational I'.ank. lie is also a 
 member of the Home Club. 
 
 .\xnRi:\v j. coi:. 
 
 .\n<lrew J. Coe. the first judge of 
 the Municipal Court of Meriden. was 
 born in this town September 15, 1834. 
 He was a son of Calvin and Harriet 
 ( Rice) Coe and the sixth of a family 
 of nine children who reached matur- 
 ity. He flied I'ebruary 2^. iHi^j. af- 
 ter a life fully identified with Meri- 
 dens welfare, and his death was a 
 personal loss to an unlimited circle 
 of intimate friends. Piorn on tlie Coe 
 farm, which was alwa\s his home. 
 
 lu' lirst left it fnr a college course and 
 graduated from • W'esleyan L'niver- 
 sity with honors in the class of 1S55. 
 Deciding to establish himself in the 
 west, he commenced the stud\' of law 
 in Iowa. ])ut being unable to endure 
 the malarial climate there, he returned 
 to Aleriden, and completed his law 
 studies in the (jffice of the late Col. 
 Dexter K. Wright, being adnntted to 
 the Xew Haven county bar in 1858. 
 Another effort to locate in the west 
 was frustrated by a long illness fmm 
 which he never quite regained his 
 early vigor. After three years of pro- 
 gressive law practice in Xew York, 
 Mr. Coe returned to the farm which 
 he carried on for .some years but 
 spending most of his winters in the 
 south. 
 
 He became the sole owner of the 
 Coe ])roperty in 1873. having bought 
 out the interests oi his brothers. Henry 
 and W'infield. It was Judge Coe who 
 conceived the building of the famous 
 Coe "Castle."' This and the old Calvin 
 Coe homestead, is described else- 
 where in these pages. 
 
 In 1860 Judge Coe was elected rep- 
 resentative to the legislature and 
 served on the iu<liciary committee. 
 Again elected, in 1867. by the Repub- 
 lican ])arty. although himself a Dem- 
 ncrat. he was made chairman of the 
 fniance comnn'tlee. During his ser- 
 vice in the state legislature, he was 
 ap|)iiinted to adiiist the court house 
 contest between the towns of Dan- 
 bury and P.ridgcport, and also served 
 as chairman, the same year, of the spe- 
 cial committee that examined the ac- 
 
3i8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
BIOGRAPHIi:S. 
 
 319 
 
 /^^j: K^rC c^ 
 
320 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 counts of the state treasurer. When 
 the Meriden Municipal Court was es- 
 tabhshed, by the unanimous nomina- 
 tion of the citizens, he was appointed 
 the first judge. This office he re- 
 signed in 1869 to engage in the fer- 
 tihzer business and assumed the 
 charge of the Southern Department of 
 the Bradley Fertilizer Company, with 
 headquarters at Charleston, S. C, 
 where he remained for sixteen years. 
 He was also one of the founders of 
 the Dryer Company of Cleveland, 
 Ohio, also manufacturers of fertiliz- 
 ers. Judge Coe was descended from 
 a long line of ancestors famous for 
 patriotism, integrity and independence 
 of thought and action. A lifelong 
 friends says, "He inherited in marked 
 degree characteristics that gave him a 
 strong and uncompromising individ- 
 uality. Of rare intellectual tastes, he 
 found time for a vast amount of study 
 and research. Broad and liberal in 
 his views, his convictions, always 
 strong and the result of serious 
 thought, once formed he yielded them 
 to none ; yet with the rare consistency 
 that advanced with further accession 
 of knowledge he was always in the 
 line of progress." 
 
 "Two years before his death Judge 
 Coe had a severe attack of pneumonia 
 and hoping to avoid the recurrence of 
 it, spent the succeeding winter in Car- 
 acas, Venezuela. About the same time 
 his marriage with Miss Kate Foote. 
 of Guilford, took place, and his 
 friends looked for a bright afternoon 
 to crown his life but his honeymoon 
 was marred bv ill health which did 
 
 not improve. His last illness was of 
 about six months' duration and his 
 death was peaceful and painless. He 
 was laid at rest in Walnut Grove cem- 
 etery. His home life, his untiring de- 
 votion to his mother and his loyalty 
 to his friends and relatives was ad- 
 mirable and those who knew him es- 
 teemed him as a peer among men." 
 
 Judge Coe is survived by his wid- 
 ow, Mrs. Kate Foote Coe, now of 
 New Haven, a woman of charming 
 personality, superior intellect, and 
 cultivated mind. 
 
 KATE FOOTE COE. 
 
 Kate Foote Coe, widow of Judge 
 Andrew J. Coe, was born in Guilford, 
 Conn., May 31, 1840. She is one of 
 a family of ten children, a daughter 
 of George A. and Eliza (Spencer) 
 Foote ; and her mother, still living, 
 is possessed of good health and all 
 her faculties at the age of 93. 
 
 Her ancestry on her father's side 
 includes General Ward, of Revolu- 
 tionary fame, and Colonel Andrew 
 Ward, an officer in the French and 
 Indian wars. The place at Nut 
 Plains, Guilford, on which she was 
 born, has been in the possession of 
 the family for many generations and 
 the first apple trees planted in New 
 Haven county were brought here by 
 her forefathers. 
 
 As a girl she attended the Guil- 
 ford district school, afterwards Miss 
 Dutton's Private School at New Ha- 
 ven, and later the Guilford Institute 
 and High School. After having ac- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 321 
 
 quired sufficient training" she began 
 her career as a teacher. 
 
 The first school over which she 
 presided was the district school of 
 her native village ; later she taught at 
 the Hartford Female Seminary. In 
 1863 she went south and during the 
 latter part of the Civil war taught 
 among the blacks. 
 
 One of her sisters was Harriet 
 Ward Foote, who died in 1885 and 
 was the first wife of General Haw- 
 ley who later became United States 
 senator from Connecticut. During 
 the war she with ]\Irs. Hawlcy joined 
 him at dififerent points. 
 
 From Beaufort, S. C, where she 
 first taught the negroes, she went to 
 St. Augustine, Fernandino and Jack- 
 sonville, Fla., in all of which both 
 she and Mrs. Hawley did their ut- 
 most in a noble, womanly way to al- 
 leviate suffering humanity and en- 
 lighten the heli)lessly ignorant. Af- 
 ter the close of the war Miss Foote 
 continued teaching. 
 
 The work of her pen has ever de- 
 lighted the reading public and for 
 many years she has contributed fic- 
 tion to the best magazines. For fif- 
 teen years she was the Washington 
 correspondent of the "Independent" 
 and during her extended stay at the 
 national capital she secured the full- 
 est confidence of many of the coun- 
 Itry's famous men and women ; and to- 
 Iday it is probable that she enjoys as 
 Iw'ide an acquaintance as any woman 
 >f Xew England. This acquaintance. 
 :oupled with the knowledge of the 
 )eople of this and other countries, in 
 
 which hhc has traveled extensively, 
 has been of profit to the readers of 
 her writings. 
 
 While in Washington she became 
 interested in the welfare of the In- 
 dians and after the death of her sis- 
 ter, Mrs. Hawley, who was the first 
 president of the Washington branch 
 of the National Indian Society, she 
 became the head of that society. In 
 carrying out the duties of the office 
 from 1886 to 1895 she traveled exten- 
 sively over sections of the country in- 
 habited l)y the Indians, and accom- 
 plished much in establishing schools 
 and hospitals for them. 
 
 In 1886 she accompanied Miss 
 Alice Fletcher, who had previously 
 done much for the Indians, to Alas- 
 ka. The party sailed from Port 
 Townsend in a schooner and made the 
 extended and somewhat perilous trip 
 only under difficulties ; and her com- 
 panions, upon the advice of Charles 
 Dudley Warner and General Hawley, 
 were sent by the government to study 
 the customs and needs of the nations. 
 It is needless to state that they were 
 greatlv aided in the work by Miss 
 Foote, whose observations were also 
 helpful in her literary work. 
 
 1 Icr extensive travels to other qtiar- 
 ters of the globe have also broadened 
 her scope of information. Her first 
 trip abroad was in 187J wlun she 
 spent a year in I'.urope. Some time 
 after her celebrated trip to Alaska 
 she visited Japan in company with the 
 daughter of Moses Beach, of Peeks- 
 kill, X. v.. and while there making 
 her headquarters at the .American Le- 
 
322 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 gation, was also entertained by the 
 wives of leading Japanese officials, 
 including Baroness Matsuki, in whom 
 she found a constant friend. 
 
 In her travels Mrs. Coe has found 
 and improved the opportunity of 
 studying the people also in the Phil- 
 ippine Islands, Mexico, Jamaica and 
 Trinidad and upon her marriage with 
 Julge Andrew J. Coe she spent a win- 
 ter in Caracas, Venezuela. Her mar- 
 ried life, which was highly congenial, 
 was saddened only by the poor health 
 of her husband which in two years 
 was ended by his death, a sad blow 
 from which she has never fully re- 
 covered. 
 
 Upon the death of her husband she 
 returned to Meriden and for some 
 time thereafter conducted the Coe 
 farm from which she held a life in- 
 come, but a few years later she sur- 
 rendered her interests to the future 
 heirs and removed to New Haven, 
 taking up her residence with her sis- 
 ter, Mrs. Edward H. Jenkins, whose 
 husband. Dr. Edward H. Jenkins, is 
 director of the Agricultural Experi- 
 ment station of Connecticut, and 
 where she has since resided also with 
 her aged mother. 
 
 Mrs. Coe has for many years been a 
 leader in the Daughters of the Amer- 
 ican Revolution. After having been 
 one of the charter members of ]\Iarv 
 Washington chapter, D. A. R., of 
 Washington, D. C, she became a 
 member of Susan Carrington Clarke 
 chapter, D. A. R., of Meriden. Of 
 this chapter she has been the regent 
 since 1895. She is also a member of 
 
 the Washington Ladies' Club of 
 Washington, D. C. Her interest in 
 Meriden is unbounded from her pleas- 
 ant associations with it and Meriden 
 is proud to claim her as its own. 
 
 JOHN DENTON BILLARD. 
 
 John Denton Billard, who died on 
 February i, 1902, w'as one of Meri- 
 den's most respected and prominent 
 citizens. His long life was a success- 
 ful one, and in his death Meriden sus- 
 tained a genuine loss. Not only was 
 he a shrewd, broad-minded man of 
 business ; but he possessed a personal- 
 ity that won for him many and true 
 friends. He did not herald his good 
 deeds, but they were not few. He 
 was, in fact, an unostentatious Ameri- 
 can gentleman. 
 
 John D. Billard was born in New 
 York City, February 28, 18 19. At the 
 age of fourteen he removed to Say- 
 brook, Conn. After attending school 
 two years, he was apprenticed to Jere- 
 miah Gladwin to learn the carpenter's 
 trade. At this time he became ac- 
 quainted with a fellow employe of .Mr. m 
 Gladwin, George W. Lyon, with whom 'f 
 later he was to form the firm of Lyon 
 & Billard of Meriden. When his five 
 years' apprenticeship was completed 
 he continued to work for Mr. Gladwin 
 as foreman, and superintended the 
 building of some of the best houses in 
 Essex, iD'eep River, Saybrook, and 
 Lyme. 
 
 In 1847 ^fr- Billard came to Meri- 
 den, and with ^Ir. Lvon formed the 
 
niOGRAPHIES. 
 
 323 
 
324 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 firm which became so successful aud 
 which is now oue of the most impor- 
 tant business institutions of the city. 
 The company was incorporated in 
 1878 as The Lyon & Billard Company, 
 with Mr. Bijlard as president, an of- 
 fice he continued to hold until his 
 death ; although during the last ten 
 years of his life he was not actively 
 engaged in its management. 
 
 Mr. Billard's financial career was 
 highly successful and most honorable. 
 He was elected president of the First 
 National Bank on April 2, 1881 ; also 
 of the City Savings Bank, succeeding 
 the late Joel H. Guy. He continued 
 to hold these offices during the last 
 twenty years of his life, devoting 
 practically his entire attention to their 
 interests and developing a knowledge 
 of the business that gave him high 
 rank in banking circles as a man of 
 sound judgment and keen discern- 
 ment, cjualities that made him a safe 
 and conservative executive for those 
 two important and prosperous insti- 
 tutions. He was one of the organiz- 
 ers and original stockholders of both 
 these banks and of the Meriden Trust 
 and Safe Deposit Company. 
 
 Mr. Billard took an intelligent and 
 active interest in the affairs of the 
 city and town, serving the city as 
 councilman and alderman. For over 
 twenty years he was a member of 
 the board of compensation, a position 
 in which he rendered valuable service 
 to his fellow-citizens. 
 
 Mr. Billard was married Septem- 
 ber 8, 1 84 1, to Emeline E. Spencer, 
 
 daughter of Captain Samuel Spencer, 
 of Saybrook. She died in December, 
 1887.' 
 
 Mr. Billard's home life was a hap- 
 py one. He loved his home, and his 
 beautiful house and grounds on Col- 
 ony street gave him a vast amount 
 of pleasure. The only social organ- 
 ization to which he belonged was the 
 Home Club. Notwithstanding his 
 quiet and simple tastes he was far 
 from being a recluse ; and his friends 
 and acquaintances knew his as a pleas- 
 ant and affable gentleman, kind of 
 heart, and constantly doing little act:' 
 of kindness that showed the true spir- 
 it of charity. 
 
 At his death Mr. Billard left one 
 son, John L. Billard, one of Meriden's 
 leading citizens, who has followed 
 in his father's footsteps as business 
 man and banker ; three grandsons, 
 Herbert M., who died on October 14, 
 1902 ; Walter S. and Fred H. Billard, 
 engaged with their father in the Lyon 
 & Billard Company ; and a great- 
 granddaughter, Mary E., daughter of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Herbert M. Billard. 
 
 BERTRAND L. YALE. 
 
 Bertrand L. Yale, a successful gen- 
 tleman farmer, prominent in business 
 and politics at the time of his death, 
 October i, 1902, was born in Meri- 
 den November 17, 1820, the son of 
 Levi and Anna (Guy) Yale. Mr. 
 Yale's family was of Welsh and Eng- 
 lish descent, two of his ancestors, 
 Bishops Morton and Bonner, being 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 3-'5 
 
326 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 high in ecclesiastical circles. ]\Ir. 
 Yale's father was an ensign in the 
 war of 1 812 and commissary of the 
 troops stationed along the coast from 
 New Haven to Branford. For twelve 
 years he was postmaster of Meriden. 
 He also represented the town in the 
 General Assembly and held many oth- 
 er positions of trust. 
 
 Bertrand L. Yale spent his early 
 life on the farm to which he was to 
 return in later years. At the age of 
 twenty he began the manufacture of 
 cigars which he carried on for some 
 time in a small way. From cigar 
 making he turned his attention to the 
 business of a merchant tailor and deal- 
 er in furnishing goods. While thus 
 employed he received the appointment 
 of postmaster, a position of honor and 
 responsibility his father had likewise 
 held. He held office for eight years 
 and fulfilled the exacting duties with 
 credit to himself and to the satisfac- 
 tion of his fellow townsmen. 
 
 j\Ir. Yale, while still a merchant, 
 had entered the fire and life insurance 
 business which grew so rapidly that 
 he was compelled to dispose of his 
 store. He carried on the insurance 
 business for about twenty-five years. 
 The latter part of his life he spent up- 
 on his farm. 
 
 Mr. Yale became interested in poli- 
 tics early in his career, taking an en- 
 ergetic part in the work of his party 
 in the city and town. Later his bus- 
 iness interests for many years pre- 
 vented so active participation. In 
 1888, however, he was induced to ac- 
 cept the nomination for alderman. He 
 
 served on the finance and water com- 
 mittees and in 1889, in addition to 
 these, on the committee on by-laws. 
 During his last term in the council 
 he acted as mayor pro teni. 
 
 j\Ir. Yale was recognized as a man 
 of sound and conservative business 
 judgment. His financial ability was 
 held in high regard, and for many 
 years he was a director of the Meri- 
 den National Bank, a position he 
 ceased to hold only when he declined 
 a re-election. 
 
 Mr. Yale had a remarkably reten- 
 tive memory. A lover of sound and 
 elevating literature, he was an author- 
 ity on the political and general history 
 of our country. 
 
 Mr. Yale's life furnishes an example 
 of success won by industry and integ- 
 rity and a determination to succeed. 
 
 His boyhood on the farm, no doubt, 
 helped to supply the physical strength 
 necessary, and the good old New Eng- 
 land stock from which he sprang, fur- 
 nished the inspiration and ideals that 
 played no small part in his advance- 
 ment. 
 
 r\Ir. Yale married on February 4, 
 1 86 1, Chloe Elizabeth Holcomb, 
 daughter of Honorable Raynor Hol- 
 comb, of East Granby, Conn. Mrs. 
 Yale survives her husband. Their 
 only child, Jennie Holcomb Yale, is 
 now the wife of John B. Hall, of 
 Meriden, 
 
 HIRAM AUGUSTUS YALE. 
 
 Hiram Augustus Yale, who was 
 born in Meriden November 5, 1825, 
 
niOGRAPrilKS. 
 
 327 
 
 
328 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and died July 19, 1887, was a repre- 
 sentative of one of the oldest and most 
 distinguished families of Connecti- 
 cut. He was a son of Samuel Yale, 
 third, and a grandson of Samuel Yale, 
 second, who was the first manufactur- 
 er in Meriden. 
 
 In 1 79 1 he began to make cut nails 
 in a small shop which stood on the 
 hill near the present location of the 
 Center Congregational church, he and 
 his oldest son working their machine 
 by hand and heading each nail sepa- 
 rately. In 1794 he commenced the 
 manufacture of pewter buttons, in 
 which he was successful, employing 
 several hands and accumulating a 
 handsome estate. The business 
 founded by him developed into the 
 manufacture of pewter cups, teapots 
 and other articles and grew to large 
 proportions. It was continued after 
 his death by his six sons, by whom 
 other factories were established else- 
 where. The industry prompted the 
 foundation of the Meriden Britannia 
 Company, of which a sketch is given 
 on other pages. 
 
 Hiram A. Yale was a descendant in 
 the eighth generation of Thomas Yale, 
 one of the first settlers of Walling- 
 ford, who came to New Haven from 
 England in 1637, and was one of the 
 principal men of the colony. He was 
 one of the signers of the Plantation 
 Covenant, of New Haven, who, re- 
 moving to what is now Wallingford, 
 filled there many offices of public 
 trust. 
 
 The father of Hiram A. and Sam- 
 uel Yale finally settled in Meriden and 
 
 continued the japanned tin and bri- 
 tannia business, having a shop for 
 some time on Liberty street and later 
 at the corner of East Main and Broad 
 streets. He retired from business in 
 1858. 
 
 Hiram A. Yale's mother was La- 
 minta Clark, daughter of Jahleel and 
 Esther (Law) Clark, a lineal descend- 
 ant of Jonathan Law, governor of 
 Connecticut from 1742 to 1751. 
 Jahleel Clark and his eldest son were 
 in the battle of Bennington while Mrs. 
 Clark and her younger sons were at 
 Lanesboro, Mass., gathering in the 
 wheat harvest, a duty which devolved 
 on many a mother during the Revo- 
 lutionary war. 
 
 Hiram Yale was educated in the 
 schools of Meriden, fitted for college 
 at the Episcopal Academy, of Chesh- 
 ire ; entered Washington, now Trinity 
 College, at Hartford, in 1842, and 
 graduated with the degree of A. B. 
 in 1846. During his young manhood 
 he was associated with his father in 
 the manufacturing business and was 
 at times his traveling representative. 
 After his father's decease in 1864, up- 
 on him devolved the management of 
 the estate which included much busi- 
 ness property, besides a farm, all of 
 which he managed successfully. Mr. 
 Yale represented Meriden in the state 
 legislature in 185 1. In 1870 he was 
 elected to the common council and 
 was for four years a member of the 
 finance committee. He was also one 
 of the trustees of the Connecticut 
 School for Boys from 1873 to 1877 
 and for manv vears one of the direct- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 3^9 
 
 ors of the Meridcn Xational aiul also 
 ot the Meriden Saviiiijs bank. Mr. 
 Yale was one of the vestrymen of St. 
 Andrew's Episcopal church, of which 
 he was both a liberal supporter and a 
 member held in his^h regard. 
 
 In i8C)6 -Mr. Yale married Miss 
 Mar\ (fatharine Welles, of Wethers- 
 field, daughter of John Welles (who 
 traces his ancestry back to Gov. 
 Thomas Welles) and Mary W. Wol- 
 cott. a descendant of Henry Wolcott, 
 i>ne of the first settlers of Windsor. 
 He is survived by his widow and one 
 daughter, Mary Welles, both of whom 
 are active members of St. Andrew's 
 church, and belong to the Daughters 
 of the American Revolution. The 
 formtT has been also one of the man- 
 agers of the Curtis Home from its 
 opening and president of the board 
 since the death, in 1893, of Miss Celia 
 Curtis, daughter of the founder. 
 
 HENRY T. WILCOX. 
 
 Henry Truman Wilcox (deceased) 
 was born in Westbrook, Conn., Feb. 
 7, i8ir. He removed to Meriden in 
 1829, entering the employ of Julius 
 Pratt & Co., comb manufacturers. 
 The same year he united with the 
 Congregational cliurch, and remained 
 a faith fid member as long as he lived. 
 
 Dn May 9. 1832. Mr. Wilcox mar- 
 ried Elizabeth White Scovil, daughter 
 of Fllcazer Scovil, and a great-grand- 
 daughtrr of James Scovil, who settled 
 fin Meriden about 1722. 
 
 In 1836. Mr. Wilcox bought the 
 Ipiece of land on the HM Colony Road 
 
 on which the famil\- has lived since 
 1837. His house then stood at the 
 northeast corner of said lot, and 
 at the MUilhea^t corner he built a 
 small shop about 1845, and manufac- 
 tured cofl'ee mills, spring balances, 
 steelyards, bit braces and door- 
 knockers. This shop burned down in 
 185 1, and a second shop, built on the 
 same site, was burned in 1853. 
 
 Hi:.\KV .>^. WILCOX. 
 
 Henry Scovil Wilcox, son of Henry 
 T. Wilcox, was born in Meriden Jan- 
 uary 4, 1835, ^"<^1 received his educa- 
 tion at the Old Road school and the 
 West Meriden Institute — the latter lo- 
 cated on the site of the present Church 
 street school. Before leaving school 
 he was employed in his father's shops 
 part of the time and was bookkeej)- 
 er there in 1848. 
 
 In 1854 H. T. and H. S. Wilcox 
 were associated with the Meriden 
 Hardware Co., located on the site 
 now occupied by the M. H. Schenck 
 Co.'s factory. This shop also suf- 
 fered from fire, after which Messrs. 
 Wilcox retired from manufacturing 
 and in 1855 bought of Couch & 
 Blakeslce a grocery store located at 
 the south corner of Colony and I'ri- 
 tainiia streets. There they conduct- 
 ed a prosperous business under the 
 firm name of H. T. Wilcox & Co. 
 
 In 1857, they moved the grocery 
 business to the .\ndrews' block, lo- 
 cated where the Grand .\rmy hall now 
 stan<ls. That brick block, built al)Out 
 1847. was owned by James F. G. An- 
 drews, and was also occupicfl by .\1- 
 
330 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 mon Andrews' flour and feed store. 
 On March 9, 1864, the building was 
 burned down, whereupon H. T. Wil- 
 cox & Co. bought the land and ruins 
 of the old building and erected the 
 present block in 1865, which H. S. 
 Wilcox sold to Merriam Post, G. A. 
 R., in 1895. Upon the completion of 
 this block, B. P. Foote, drug and 
 hardware merchant, rented the north 
 store and H. T. Wilcox & Co., con- 
 ducted the grocery business in the 
 south store. 
 
 About February i, 1867, H. T. Wil- 
 cox & Co. bought the drug and hard- 
 ware business of B. P. Foote. Ten 
 years later they sold the hardware 
 business to Church & Sprague, and 
 retained the drugs together with man- 
 ufacturers' supplies. 
 
 H. T. Wilcox died January 7, 1885, 
 after which event, H. S. Wilcox con- 
 tinued the business until March 15, 
 1899, when as his health became im- 
 paired, he sold out to Edwin A. Wat- 
 rous, after having occupied the same 
 store thirty-two years. 
 
 In public matters H. T. Wilcox held 
 the office of town treasurer from 1863 
 to 1874, and H. S. Wilcox held tlie 
 same position from 1878 to 1879. 
 The latter also served as councilman, 
 as assessor, and as a member of the 
 board of compensation and the boa^d 
 of relief. 
 
 In 1886 he was chosen a trustee of 
 the Meriden Savings Bank, and the 
 vear following a director of the same 
 institution. 
 
 Mr. Wilcox united with the First 
 Congregational church in 1852, and 
 
 at various times was chosen to fill the 
 offices of secretary and treasurer of 
 the Sunday school, also of the Eccles- 
 iastical society. In 1889 he was elect- 
 ed a deacon, which office he held till 
 the date of his death, December 8, 
 1900. 
 
 Mr. Wilcox married December i, 
 1869, Jane E. Merriman (daughter of 
 Ira and Elizabeth Alerriman), who, 
 with his son, Albert H. Wilcox, sur- 
 vives him. 
 
 WILLIAM G. WARNOCK. 
 
 William George Warnock, a strik- 
 ing example of the self-made man of 
 afifairs of this vicinity, one of the 
 largest taxpayers of Meriden, was 
 born April 25, 1849. ^^^ parents, 
 poor but \vorthy people, made their 
 home in IMeriden when he was three 
 years old, and taught their children 
 to be honest and industrious. Owing 
 to the somewdiat straitened circum- 
 stances of the family, the education 
 of our subject, obtained vmder diffi- 
 culties, was interrupted at the age of 
 nine years when he left the East Mer- 
 iden district day school and went to 
 work on a farm. With an ambition 
 and determination to get an educa- 
 tion, later while working days at his 
 trade in the factory of the Meriden 
 Britannia Co., he studied evenings, 
 until by self-denial and prudence he 
 had saved enough of his earnings to 
 take a course at Potter & Hammond's 
 Business College, Hartford. Later 
 he read law evenings in the office of 
 the late Cook Lounsbury. At nine- 
 
Di()r,u.\i'iiii:s. 
 
 331 
 
332 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 teen, with his brother the late J. C. 
 Warnock, afterwards head salesman 
 of the Meriden Britannia Company, he 
 started the Chicago Silver Plate Co., 
 now the Aurora Silver Plate Com- 
 pany, one of the most prosperous con- 
 cerns in the west, competing with 
 Meriden's main line of manufacture. 
 Two years later, in 1870, the War- 
 nock Brothers sold their interests in 
 Chicago advantageously and returned 
 to Meriden, resuming their important 
 positions in the Britannia factory. 
 His brother, who had accumulated no 
 inconsiderable fortune and acquired a 
 high standing in the community, died 
 at the age of 34, beloved and respect- 
 ed by all who knew him. 
 
 William G. Warnock gradually be- 
 came interested in real estate brok- 
 erage and for many years has devoted 
 his entire attention to the care and 
 improvement of local property in 
 which his keen foresight, sound judg- 
 ment and careful movements have 
 made him unusually successful. His 
 knowledge of property values has for 
 some years been much relied upon by 
 others who have sought his advice. 
 Perhaps one of the most conclusive 
 instances of his judgment was his 
 erection of the Warnock block on 
 West Main street in which is situated 
 the Hotel Bloxham. This stately 
 business block has proven a wise and 
 profitable real estate investment and 
 was built by Mr. Warnock in 1887, 
 under his own personal supervision, 
 he furnishing material and labor. 
 
 Mr. Warnock having large inter- 
 ests in this locality and being natural- 
 
 ly possessed of public spirit, takes no 
 little pride in the rapid progress of 
 Meriden. Among his real estate pos- 
 sessions is what was formerly known 
 as the John Yale farm, situated on 
 North Colony Road. 
 
 Mr. Warnock is a stockholder in 
 several enterprises but has never 
 sought prominence in public life, be- 
 ing" devoted entirely to his business 
 and his home. His love for good 
 horse flesh has ever been his one 
 weakness and he has always owned 
 well-bred equines ; and in years 
 gone by he has had in his stables sev- 
 eral celebrated trotting horses. 
 
 He was married Jime 2, 1885, to 
 Miss Avilla M. Tinker, formerly as- 
 sistant principal of the Church street 
 school, of Meriden, in whom he has 
 a most congenial, intelligent and able 
 helpmate. Her father, the late Wil- 
 liam R. Tinker, removed to Vineland, 
 N. J., in 1884, where he died March 
 13, 1905. He was well known in 
 musical circles and was, in his day, 
 a skillful player of the violin and a 
 vocalist of note, which talents were 
 inherited in the fullest degree by his 
 children. 
 
 His daughter, Mrs. Warnock, be- 
 fore her marriage, was one of Meri- 
 den's most promising vocalists and 
 her well-trained contralto voice was 
 often heard in unprofessional con- 
 certs and private entertainments. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Warnock have been 
 blessed with the following children: 
 Harold, who died April 23, 1887, at 
 the age of eleven months, John Ches- 
 ter, graduate of the Meriden High 
 
Di()GR.\r*iiii:s. 
 
 scliool in lyo'); William George Jr., 
 attending' Hopkins (iranimar scliool, 
 Xew Haven, hoth i)rei)aring for Vale 
 college, and Katherine Avilla, a bright 
 young miss just entering her teens. 
 All the chiUlren are musical, making 
 home most attractive, and Mr. War- 
 nock tinds his greatest pleasure at the 
 family fireside. 
 
 He is a member of the Pilgrims' 
 Harbor Council, Royal .\rcanum, but 
 besides being a member of the .\rca- 
 nuni Club, is not affiliated with any 
 other s(jcial or fraternal organizations. 
 Both he and Airs. W'arnock are mem- 
 bers of the First Congregational 
 church, in the welfare of which they 
 take deep interest. 
 
 EDW'IX CADV. 
 
 Edwin Cady (deceased) was one of 
 Meriden's most upright and respected 
 business men. For a period of over 
 twenty-seven years, during which he 
 held the responsible position of su- 
 perintendent of the Meriden Cutlery 
 Company, at South Meriden, he was 
 looked up to as a man who stood for 
 the very best and most honorable 
 methods. 
 
 Mr. Cady was born in Woodstock. 
 Connecticut, October 21. 1833. a son 
 of Charles Edwin and Clementine 
 (Cheney) Cady. His father. Charles 
 Edwin Cady. was born June 3, 1804. 
 in Killingly. Charles Cady followed 
 his trade of blacksmith in his native 
 place until 1S37 ^vlien he removed to 
 Southbridge. Massachusetts, where he 
 
 slartet-l a machine shoj) in a place now 
 called Saundcrsdale. lie retired in 
 1857, but continued to live in South- 
 bridge until he died, August 7, 1893, 
 respected and beloved by all who 
 knew him. His wife, Clementine 
 Cheney, was the daughter of Captain 
 Joel Cheney, of Southbridge, and died 
 in 1871. They had live children, of 
 whom Edwin was the oldest. 
 
 J-!dwin Cady received the ordinary 
 education in the public schools of his 
 native place, followed by a course of 
 study in W^ilbraham Academy. After 
 leaving school he learned the trade of 
 a machinist in his father's shop, and 
 in a factory at Worcester, Massachu- 
 setts. In June. 1856, he went to Buf- 
 falo. Xew York, where he entered the 
 employ of George Parr, as superinten- 
 dent of his factory, and where he re- 
 mained two years. Owing to the fail- 
 ure of Mr. Parr, he lost this position 
 and soon acceptetl one with the firm of 
 Pitts Bros., manufacturers of thresh- 
 ing machines. In \Xy) he returned to 
 Southbridge an<l after two years more, 
 in 1 861, he entered the government 
 armory to engage in gun making. He 
 filled this position acceptably for .-^even 
 vears. when he moved to South Mer- 
 iilen. Connecticut, and accepted the as- 
 .-istant superintendency of the Meriden 
 Cutlery Company. .\ year later, on 
 the death of the superintendent, he 
 was promoted to that position atid 
 held it up to the time of his death, in 
 i8(>5. His training as an expert ma- 
 chinist was of great value to him in 
 his work, and his genial manners 
 
334 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ^P^-LAJT-t^ AO'il^^ 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 335 
 
 and impartial judguKnt won fur him 
 the respect of all those who worked 
 iimier him. 
 
 Mr. Lady was a Repuhlicaii in \)o\- 
 itics, and although never seeking no- 
 toriety, did his duty in the community 
 by serving for some time in the Com- 
 Mon (."onncil in which he admirably 
 iurthertd the best interests of his 
 ward. 
 
 He was always much interested in 
 iraternal organizations and gained 
 many friends through the lodges of 
 which he was a member. These in- 
 cluded Meridian Lodge, Xo. jy, A. F. 
 & A. M. ; Keystone Chapter, Xo. 2y, 
 R. A. M. ; St. Elmo Commandery. 
 Knights Templar, Xo. 9 ; Hancock 
 Lodge. L O. O. F. ; Montowese Tribe, 
 Xo. 6. L O. R. M.. and Columbi.. 
 Council, Xo. 5. (). U. A. M. In n^- 
 ligious views he was a Congregation- 
 alist. Kindly and affectionate in dis- 
 position, he treated every man as if 
 he were a brother so that many a fel- 
 low citizen felt a keen personal loss 
 at his death which occurred Tune 6. 
 
 On December 25. 1856. Mr. Cady 
 was married to Rosclia Marble Lathe, 
 daughter of Levi Lincoln and Fran- 
 cis (Marble) Lathe, of Southbridge. 
 They had only one child, which was 
 bom July 22, 18^)2. and died .\ugust 
 14. 1865. Mrs. Cady still survives her 
 hu.sband, and has ever been most de- 
 voted to his memory as she was to 
 him while he was still with lur. Her 
 bf)nie was ever her chief coi.rern in 
 life and to make that home a hapfiy 
 place was her great aim. 
 
 CllAKLi:.s .\. WlX.sI.oW 
 
 ihe death of Charles X. W'inslow 
 on December 29, 1904, at the age of 
 60 took from Meriden's daily life a 
 good citizen and a trusted business 
 man. Mr. W insNjw had been iden- 
 tified with the business life of the 
 city for forty years, during which time 
 he had been agent for the Meriden 
 branch of the .\dams IC.xpress Com- 
 ])any. He was the oldest agent in the 
 .W'w Ijigland division of the com- 
 pany and was justly regarded as one 
 of the most faithful and efficient. 
 
 Mr. W'inslow was born in Xew- 
 ])ort. k. 1. After completing his 
 school career he was employed in the 
 office of the Adams Express Com- 
 pany, in llridgeptjrt, to which city his 
 faiuily had removed. After two 
 years he was appointed agent in Mer- 
 iden. which position he held until his 
 death. During the forty years he 
 served in Meriden the office grew 
 steadily in importance, a fact due in 
 no small degree to his energy and bus- 
 iness capacity. He ever had the in- 
 terests of the company at heart and 
 he was recognized as a progressive 
 an<l at the same time strictly conscien- 
 tious executive. 
 
 Mr. W'inslow .served as alderman 
 in the Meriden Court of Common 
 Council in 1880 and 1881. That was 
 the only public office he ever held, al- 
 though urged on more than one occa- 
 sion to accept political honors. I""ar 
 from .seeking n<»toriety. he sought 
 rather to devote himself to his home, 
 hi> br>iness an<l his church. 
 
336 
 
 A CE.YTURY OF MERIDExX. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 337 
 
 Mr. Winslow was closely identified 
 with the Center Congregational 
 church, serving as deacon, member of 
 standing committee and of the Ec- 
 clesiastical society's committee. For 
 years he taught in the Sunday 
 school. Of him his pastt r. Rev. J. 
 H. Grant, wrote: ".Mr. Winslow was 
 a pillar of the church in the fine old- 
 fashioned sense. Xext to his family 
 came the church in his afifection and 
 in his loyal devotion. No succession 
 of ministers in any church, I venture 
 to say. was ever given a more gra- 
 cious, practical and steadfast loyalty 
 than he gave his ministers ; nor has 
 a generation of members in Center 
 church often had before its eyes an 
 example of such fine courtesy, honor 
 and integrity as a man, a counselor 
 of such ripe and trusted judgiuent, a 
 Christian of such piety, and a chitrch- 
 man of such utter fidelity to the wel- 
 fare of his church." 
 
 He was a member of no fraternal 
 organization. In the year 1874 Mr. 
 Winslow married Miss Henrietta E. 
 Baldwin, of Mcriden, who survives 
 him. Mr. W'inslow's home for thir- 
 tv-one years was at 750 Broad street. 
 
 LE GRAND BEVINS. 
 
 The death, on January 12, 1905, 
 lof LcGrand Bevins took from Meri- 
 ien one of her best known and most 
 Inghly respected citizens, one who for 
 learly twenty years was prominent in 
 ^he public life of the city, and during 
 [hat f)eriod earned the esteem of all. 
 
 22 
 
 Mr. P>evins was born in Meriden 
 February 2, 1839, the son of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Bevins. He 
 lived in his native town until he was 
 nineteen years of age, when he went 
 to Ohio, irom which state he enlist- 
 ed and was first sergeant of Co. E 
 in the Twenty-nhith Ohio Volunteers, 
 leaving a position of railroad fireman 
 to enter the service of his country at 
 the breaking out of the Civil War. 
 His record as a soldier from lUill Run 
 to Appomattox was a splendid one. 
 At the close of the war he returned to 
 his old home and entered the employ 
 of the Meriden Silver Plate Company, 
 with which concern he remained un- 
 til he was elected first selectman of 
 the town in October, 1887. 
 
 Mr. Bevins was most devoted to his 
 family, advancing years only adding 
 to the pleasure he found in the fam- 
 ily circle. In 1887 Mr. P.evins was 
 elected selectman on the Democratic 
 ticket and held the office continuously 
 until ( )ctober, 1893. making a record 
 never surpassed by any Meriden gov- 
 ernment official. I'nder his care- 
 ful su])crvision a town tax of eight 
 mills was the highest rate that the 
 town was obliged to make during 
 his incumbency of office. He had 
 previously served the city from the 
 I'irst ward as councilman and 
 alderman, being mayor pro lem 
 under Mayor C. H. S. Da\is. 
 .\fter retiring from the office of se- 
 lectman. Mr. r.evins was a member 
 of the board of assessors for five 
 vears, at one timi- Iiiiiu' it's rh.iirnian. 
 
338 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 -fyoOn^yOC 0^ oUyu-i"*^^^ 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 339 
 
 t^A-(A' -^ (yJ-e^^^^ 
 
340 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 He was re-elected assessor in the Oc- 
 tober preceding his death. 
 
 He was a member of the special 
 committee that revised the assessment 
 of Meriden property, making out a 
 new list at which real estate was put 
 at its market value. 
 
 Mr. Bevins was a conservative man 
 in all affairs, both public and private, 
 and could always be counted upon 
 to stand for the best interests of the 
 town and city. He was a candidate 
 for the Democratic nomination for 
 sheriff at one time. In politics he 
 was one of the old school Democrats, 
 whose devotion to party was unwav- 
 ering at all times. "' 
 
 Mr. Bevins was for a number of 
 years before his death a trustee of 
 the Meriden Savings Bank. In fra- 
 ternal circles, he had held membership 
 in Merriam Post, G. A. R., of which 
 he was at one time a trustee. He was 
 one of the organizers of Lincoln Com- 
 mand, U. V. U., and held its highest 
 office, that of colonel. He was also 
 prominent in the state organizations. 
 He was at the time of his death treas- 
 urer of Alpha Lodge, Knights of Hon- 
 or. He was also a member of Cen- 
 ter Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; Silver City 
 Lodge, A. O. U. W. ; Pacific Lodge, 
 I. O. O. F., and Center Congrega- 
 tional church. 
 
 Mr. Bevins was deeply interested in 
 school matters and for several years 
 was chairman of the Corner School 
 District Committee, before the con- 
 solidation of the districts took place. 
 He managed the affairs of the large 
 district most judiciously and had the 
 
 confidence of the majority of the tax- 
 payers, who insisted upon his retain- 
 ing the office of chairman year after 
 year. He was also prominently men- 
 tioned for other political honors and 
 was a candidate for the legislature. 
 
 Shortly after leaving the army, Mr. 
 Bevins married, May 17, 1865, Miss 
 Jane L. Stiles, daughter of Captain H. 
 H. Stiles, of North Haven, and be- 
 sides his widow at the time of his la- 
 mented decease, was survived by three 
 children : Miss Edith L. Bevins, prin- 
 cipal of the Willow street school ; 
 Miss Anna L. Bevins and Attorney 
 Walter L. Bevins, whose death, how- 
 ever, followed a few days after that 
 of his father. 
 
 WALTER L. BEVINS. 
 
 A most promising life was cut short 
 when on January 18, 1905, Walter 
 L. Bevins died of pneumonia con- 
 tracted while caring for his father, 
 LeGrand BeVins, who died 'of the 
 same disease January 12. Seldom 
 has the death of so young a man 
 caused such a genuine grief in a com- 
 munity. Not only was it particularly 
 sad, coming so soon after that of his 
 father ; but Meriden citizens felt that 
 Mr. Bevins was a young man who 
 could ill be spared. He had crowded 
 much into his brief career and had 
 made for himself an enviable position 
 in the life of the city. 
 
 Mr. Bevins was born in Meriden, 
 August 4, 1876, in the house in which 
 he died, and except for a short time 
 when he resided in Winsted had lived 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 341 
 
 in Mcriden all liis life. He altciided 
 the Corner school, and later the High 
 school, graduating in 1895. While 
 there he was the first business mana- 
 ger of the school paper, TJie Pennant, 
 and a member of the Alpha Delta 
 Sigma. He was also organizer of the 
 Clio Debating Club, a school organi- 
 zation, and after graduating, he went 
 to Winsted, and for considerably over 
 a year was editor of the Citizen 
 there. He always evinced a liking 
 for newspaper work, and had unusual 
 talent in that direction, writing much 
 for the local papers until his law prac- 
 tice became too engrossing. Leaving 
 Winsted. having decided to adopt the 
 legal profession, he entered the Yale 
 Law School. During his attendance 
 there he was editor of the Yale Shin- 
 gle and was a student there when the 
 Spanish War broke out. With the 
 spirit of patriotism imbibed from his 
 father and ancestors who had served 
 their country in the Revolution, he 
 enlisted in Company L, First Infantry, 
 and was made orderly sergeant. He 
 served with that company until peace 
 was declared, and then resumed his 
 law studies at Yale, graduating in 
 1900. In October of that year he 
 opened his office in Meriden, meeting 
 with deserved success. He was the 
 first captain of the local Spanish Wnr 
 Veterans' Association, an active mem- 
 er of C. L. I'pham Camp, Sons of 
 '^cterans, and was the promoter of 
 ompany L, Second Infantry. He 
 vas chosen first lieutenant of this or- 
 ganization, having declined to serve 
 ,s captain. 
 
 lie had been for some years ])rior 
 to his death actively identified with the 
 Center Congregational Church, and 
 had been chosen deacon, an umisual 
 honor for one of his youili. Death 
 I)reventcd his fulfilling the duties of 
 the office. He w^as at one time su- 
 perintendent of the Sunday School, 
 and was the organizer of the Lyceum, 
 a successful literary and debating so- 
 ciety of the i)arish. 
 
 Mr. Lievins was the attorney for 
 the Mcriden Business Men's Associa- 
 tion, and served it most efficiently. 
 He was president of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association and his deep in- 
 terest in the work, and his executive 
 ability made him one of the best pres- 
 idents the association ever had. He 
 was a member of Center Lodge, A. F. 
 & A. M., the Arcatuim Club, and the 
 Meriden Wheel Club. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Bevins, like his 
 father, was a Democrat. He served 
 his party as councilman and alderman 
 from the b'irst Ward, and in the elec- 
 tion in the fall before his death, was 
 the nominee for representative to the 
 general assembly. 
 
 .Attorney Bevins was one of the 
 best known and most highly respected 
 young men in Meriden and none had 
 a brighter future. He was able, ener- 
 getic, lumest and reliable in every re- 
 spect. He was the soul of honor, a 
 most faithful and r.bedient .<;on. de- 
 voted to his home, taking interest in 
 matters that offered rational amuse- 
 ment, and thoroughly devoted to any- 
 thing that tended to help or advance 
 his native town. 
 
342 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 JOHN EDWARD DURAND. 
 
 Among those who were prominent 
 in the affairs of Meriden must be 
 reckoned John Edward Durand, de- 
 ceased. Mr. Durand was a native of 
 Cheshire where he was born April 9, 
 1833, one of a family of fourteen chil- 
 dren. His father, George A., was of 
 French descent and his mother, Eu- 
 nice, a member of the Clark family. 
 
 Mr. Durand's school life was short. 
 At the age of fourteen the desire to 
 take his small part in the great busi- 
 ness of life seized him and he entered 
 the employ of his brother who was a 
 carpenter and joiner in Meriden. 
 During his six years of manual la- 
 bor the longing to secure more edu- 
 cation took possession of him and 
 was manifest in his frugality, which 
 enabled him to attend a select school 
 in the Hanover district for a year. 
 
 While employed in a sash and blind 
 factory in Waterbury there came to 
 Mr. Durand that urgent call to de- 
 fend the Union, and it was the pleas- 
 ure of this loyal son and good patriot 
 to exchange the instruments of peace 
 for those of war. He enlisted as a 
 soldier in Company C, 14th Conn. V. 
 T., and was in some of the fiercest 
 conflicts of the Rebellion, taking part 
 in the battles of South Mountain, An- 
 tietam, Fredericksburg and Belle 
 Plain Landing, where he was wound- 
 ed. 
 
 Returning to his old employers he 
 remained with them until 1867, then 
 
 worked in a clock factory and came 
 to Meriden in 1868. He was stock- 
 holder, secretary and treasurer of the 
 Steam Mill Lumber Company and its 
 superintendent for three years. 
 
 He also traveled extensively 
 throughout the state selling drugs 
 and medicines for C. P. Colt until the 
 possibilities of the real estate business 
 claimed his attention and for twenty 
 years in his capacity as agent for Hon. 
 Ratcliffe Hicks, lawyer and real estate 
 dealer, he was thoroughly convers- 
 ant with all the vital interests con- 
 nected with buying and selling lands 
 and buildings. 
 
 Amid the laborious cares of his 
 daily life Mr. Durand found time to 
 cultivate the religious side of his na- 
 ture. He was converted and joined 
 the Center Baptist church at the age 
 of fifteen years ; but on his return 
 from Waterbury he became a member 
 of the Main Street Baptist church. 
 
 Mr. Durand was connected with 
 Meridian Lodge, No. ']'], F. and 
 A. M. ; Merriam Post, No. 8, G. A. 
 R., of Meriden ; the Knights of the 
 Golden Eagle, and Hawley Division 
 of the Sons of Temperance, Hartford. 
 He was the first pension agent in 
 Meriden and for years a notary pub- 
 lic. 
 
 Mr. Durand's wife was Miss Rox- 
 ana Sophia Root, daughter of a land- 
 owner and farmer in Waterbury. 
 She survives her husband and resides 
 in this city. He died July 29, 1899, 
 and was buried in the Brockett cem- 
 etery at Waterbury. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 343 
 
344 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHARLES A. KING. 
 
 Charles Alonzo King, superinten- 
 dent of the gun shop of the Parker 
 Bros., and one of the poHce commis- 
 sioners of Meriden, was born in 
 FrankHn, New London county. Conn., 
 February lO, 1837. He received his 
 education in the schools of Franklin. 
 Lebanon and Norwich, and in the 
 last named city learned his trade as a 
 machinist in the works of J. S. and S. 
 J. Mowry. He worked at his trade 
 next in the machine shops of Tracy 
 & Brand where were manufactured 
 whaling guns and projectiles for kill- 
 ing whales. His next employment 
 during his younger manhood was at 
 the works of Pratt & Johnson, manu- 
 facturers of sewing machines in Mid- 
 dletown. Conn., afterwards securing a 
 more lucrative position in the factory 
 of the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Ma- 
 chine Company, at Bridgeport. 
 
 At the age of twenty-five he en- 
 gaged in business for himself at Mid- 
 dlefield, forming a partnership with 
 Otis A. Smith and at the breaking out 
 of the Civil war leased the old John- 
 son & Pratt works and manufactured 
 by contract for the government, parts 
 of the regular standard government 
 rifles that were used in the Rebellion 
 by the Union army. This partnership 
 was dissolved in 1865. 
 
 Immediately after the war Mr. King 
 devoted his attention to designing 
 small models of the various cannon, 
 Columbiads, Dahlgrens, Rodmans, 
 etc., used during the strife and which, 
 it was thought by General Hawley 
 
 and others, were to be continued in 
 use at the U. S. armories for military 
 drill throughout the country. With 
 the prolTered financial support of 
 these moneyed men a corporation was 
 formed at Hartford of which Mr. 
 King was the practical head. The en- 
 terprise failed of any great success, 
 however, owing to the lack of sup- 
 port accorded, at the time, to the mil- 
 itary necessities of the various states. 
 There was sufficient demand, never- 
 theless, to keep the plant busy until 
 1867 when Mr. King was called to 
 Springfield, Mass., to become super- 
 intendent of the Smith & Wesson Fire 
 Arms works, it being the ambition of 
 that company to put on the market a 
 higher grade of goods than they had 
 formerly manufactured. In Mr. King 
 the company soon found they had a 
 man who could bring about the de- 
 sired results and the world-wide fame 
 of the Smith & Wesson revolvers is 
 due to his ingenuity as a designer and 
 practical thoroughness as a superin- 
 tendent. He designed the army size 
 revolver now largely used in the Rus- 
 sian and other armies and patented 
 and sold to Smith & Wesson the im- 
 provements that made the weapon 
 the leading revolver of the world and 
 as such it is still recognized. 
 
 Mr. King was called to Meriden in 
 1874 to assume charge of the Parker 
 Bros.' gun shops. Since coming to 
 this city Mr. King has devoted hi.s 
 entire efforts to the making and im- 
 provement of the Parker shot gun 
 which, tmder his watchful eye and 
 studious brain, has for manv vears 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 345 
 
 c ^/c^: 
 
346 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 been known as the best shot gun in 
 the world and is used by leading 
 sportsmen in every quarter of the 
 globe. 
 
 During his residence in Springfield 
 in 1873 and 1874 he served as a mem- 
 ber of the Common Council there and 
 after coming to Meriden in 1875 was 
 chosen a member of the local Board 
 of Aldermen from the Third ward, 
 where he looked well after the inter- 
 ests, not only of his constituents, but 
 the whole city. He was appointed to 
 fill an unexpired term in the board of 
 police commissioners in 1903 by May- 
 or Seeley and the following year was 
 reappointed by the same mayor for a 
 full term. 
 
 Mr. King's family numbers, beside 
 himself and wife, one daughter and 
 three sons: Mrs. G. E. Gaskell, of 
 Mystic, Conn. ; Charles Winfield, as- 
 sociated with The H. Wales Lines 
 Co. ; Walter A., with Parker Bros., 
 and Raymond Earle King, a student 
 at the Meriden High school. Mr. 
 King's three sons all reside in Meri- 
 den. 
 
 HENRY WARREN. 
 
 Henry Warren, a retired manufac- 
 turer and a well known citizen of Mer- 
 iden, was born in Watertown, Conn., 
 September 17, 1837. He is the son of 
 Alanson and Sarah M. (Hickox) 
 Warren and is descended from early 
 English and American ancestry. 
 William De Warenne, Earl of Nor- 
 mandy, who died in 1088, and who 
 married the vounsfest daughter of 
 
 William the Conqueror, is one to whom 
 he traces his lineage. Richard War- 
 ren came over on the Mayflower, 
 landed at Plymouth in 1620, and died 
 there six years later. 
 
 In the seventeen hundreds the fam- 
 ily moved to Woodbridge, Conn., and 
 Abigail Warren, wife of James War- 
 ren, died in Watertown, September 13, 
 1800. Edward Warren, his ancestor, 
 fought in the Revolutionary War, was 
 drowned in the Naugatuck river in 
 1814. and his wife, Mary (Steele) 
 Warren, died in Watertown, February 
 26, 1849, ^t the age of 85 years. 
 
 Alanson Warren, father of the sub- 
 ject of this article, was one of the 
 founders of the Wheeler & Wilson 
 sewing machine industry and died at 
 Watertown, October 20, 1858. 
 
 Henry Warren, following in his 
 father's footsteps, identified himself 
 with manufacturing enterprises and 
 for many years has been one of the 
 directors of the Bridgeport Wood Fin- 
 ishing Company. He has until recent- 
 ly been president of the Butler fe Ly- 
 man Land Company of Meri(|en, a 
 company which has (lone much in the 
 development of real estate and the im- 
 provement of property. Mr. Warren's 
 business acumen and clear-headed 
 foresight have made his advice in en- 
 terprises in which he has become in- 
 terested trtuch relied upon by his bus- 
 iness associates. 
 
 Since taking up his residence on Bri- 
 tannia street, which is one of Meri- 
 den's most comfortable abodes, 
 he has won the esteem of the 
 community and the respect of his fel- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 347 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^yi^-k-L 
 
348 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 low townsmen. He is one of the at- 
 tendants of St. Andrew's Episcopal 
 church and has shown an active inter- 
 est in the affairs of that parish. In 
 recent years, with his charming wife 
 and daughter, he has spent much of 
 his time in travel. Mr. War- 
 ren is a great lover of athletic sports 
 and in various ways has encouraged 
 baseball and other similar enterprises. 
 May 5, 1868, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Josephine Griswold Lyman, 
 daughter of William Worcester and 
 Roxanna G. (Frary) Lyman, and 
 they have one daughter, Miss Etta 
 Warren, born some years after. The 
 Warren home has for several years 
 been much frequented by Meriden's 
 society folk, and many delightful 
 home affairs are arranged by Mrs. 
 Warren and her accomplished daugh- 
 ter for the entertainment of their large 
 circle of friends. Miss Etta Warren 
 inherited from her mother her artistic 
 tastes and her skill with the violin, 
 mandolin and piano has delighted her 
 friends upon many occasions at pri- 
 vate musicales. She is also possessed 
 of a highly cultivated soprano voice 
 and is a member of St. Andrew's 
 church. 
 
 CORNELIUS W. CAHILL. 
 
 Among those who may be said to 
 have amassed a competency in the 
 legitimate business life of ]\Ieriden, 
 outside of manufacturing, Cornelius 
 W. Cahill is one of many. 
 
 He was born in Ireland, Februarv 
 12, 1844, and his parents located in 
 
 Middletown when he was three }ears 
 old. His father, now deceased, was 
 for forty years or more a resident of 
 Staddle Hill where he enjoyed the 
 entire respect of the community. Cor- 
 nelius attended the Staddle Hill 
 school, which is still standing and one 
 of the landmarks there. 
 
 At the age of fourteen he first com- 
 menced to work at his present busi- 
 ness and by driving a butcher cart 
 in Middlefield laid the foundation for 
 future success. 
 
 In 1865 he came to Meriaen and 
 became a clerk in the provision store 
 of Samuel C. Paddock where by 
 courteous attention to patrons he 
 made himself not only valuable to his 
 employer but popular with a large 
 number of customers. When he was 
 offered a more lucrative position in 
 the same line of business he made 
 up his mind that he could be as much 
 value in his own store as in that of 
 others and encouraged by his custom- 
 ers, of whom he had made per- 
 sonal friends, established the City 
 Market. After carrying on the bus- 
 iness for some time alone he took in 
 a partner, John W. Coe, and contin- 
 ued the business for three -years. 
 John W. Coe sold his interest to Pat- 
 rick Cahill and M. O'Brien. It then 
 became known as Cahill & O'Brien. 
 Later with Bartholomew & Coe he 
 went into the pork packing business, 
 but within a year returned to the re- 
 tail business at the City Market. 
 Some time afterward he retired from 
 the retail business, selling his interest 
 in the City Market to B. B. Lane, ancF 
 
BIOGRAPIIIKS. 
 
 349 
 
350 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 351 
 
 became again the partner of Barthol- 
 omew & Coe, who in the meantime 
 had become the Meriden agents for 
 Swift's beef. At the end of a year 
 Messrs. Coe and Bartholomew retired, 
 selling their interest to Mr. Cahill, 
 who for the past twenty-five years has 
 continued the wholesale commission 
 business in handling the Swift beef, 
 which at the close of the first century 
 of Meriden's history has increased to 
 almost mammoth proportions. 
 
 In 1903 Swift & Co. erected their 
 present handsome brick building on 
 Xorth Colony street which is 
 equipped with every modern facility 
 for receiving, keeping and handling 
 the large amount of beef shipped daily 
 from Chicago and supplied by Mr. 
 Cahill to the meat markets in the vi- 
 cinity of Meriden. Mr. Cahill, hav- 
 ing been for so many years engaged in 
 the wholesale beef commission busi- 
 ness, is known to the trade and is a 
 business man of high standing in the 
 community. 
 
 In 1895 he erected the Cahill block, 
 located on East Main street, one of 
 the substantial and most frequented 
 business structures. 
 
 He is one of the directors of the 
 First National Bank and a trustee of 
 the Meriden Savings Bank. 
 
 He was married in May, 1869, and 
 has five sons and two daughters: 
 Three of his sons, \\'illiam J., Joseph 
 and George Cahill, are associated 
 with him in business; C. W. CahiU. 
 Jr., is a talented musician and organ- 
 ist of St. Joseph's church ; Walter Ca- 
 hill is .still at school ; Mrs. Jo.seph B. 
 
 Weed, of Xcw York, and Margaret 
 Cahill. With the exception of one 
 married daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Ca- 
 hill reside in their comfortable resi- 
 dence on Liberty street with their 
 children, all of whom give much 
 promise. 
 
 ED WIN BROWNSOX l-LX ERl'i T 
 
 Edwin B. Everitt became a resident 
 of Meriden in the early sixties. He 
 was born in Watertown, Conn., Oc- 
 tober 6, 1835, and is the son of Abra- 
 ham and Sarah C. (Stone) Ever- 
 itt. The family is of English origin 
 and has been represented in Xew 
 England for nearly three centuries. 
 He attended the public schools of his 
 native town and completed his educa- 
 tion at the Watertown .Academy. At 
 the age of twenty he became a ckrk 
 in a jewelry house in Hartford, re- 
 maining but a .short time. Returning 
 home he taught school in his native 
 town and also in Northfield. He then 
 removed to Waterbury and engaged 
 in photograjjhy. Subsequently, he 
 oi)ened a studio in Meriden which he 
 conducted with success, but on ac- 
 count of ill health abandoned that 
 calling and became agent for the Con- 
 tinental Life In.surance Co.. of Hart- 
 ford. So successful was he that he 
 was soon made the company's gener- 
 al agent for a portion of Connecticut 
 and Rhode Island. Some years later 
 lir accepted a clerical position with 
 the Meridin Britannia Co. (now the 
 International Silver Co.) which posi- 
 tion he still retains. During the life- 
 
352 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 time of Horace C. Wilcox he served 
 that gentleman in a private capacity 
 and since his death has assisted in the 
 management of his large estate. For 
 more than twenty years he was presi- 
 dent of the North American Mercan- 
 tile Agency of New York, and at the 
 time of the formation of the C. F. 
 Monroe Co., of Meriden, became its 
 first secretary, which position he still 
 retains. 
 
 Mr. Everitt was married in Otis, 
 Mass., to Miss Mary A. Thompson, of 
 that town, who descended on her 
 mother's side from Peregrine White, 
 the first child born among the Puritan 
 settlers of Massachusetts. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Everitt are people of 
 culture and refinement and are active, 
 consistent members of the First Con- 
 gregational church and in 1899 Mr. 
 Everitt was unanimously elected a 
 deacon. 
 
 Emanuel Swedenborg is his favor- 
 ite author and he has long been an ar- 
 dent advocate of the beautiful truths 
 known as the "Heavenly Doctrines of 
 the New Church." He has always 
 taken an interest in musical matters 
 and for twenty-five years was organ- 
 ist and choir master in various 
 churches in Meriden. 
 
 In a social way Mr. Everitt has al- 
 ways been gladly received by his many 
 warm friends. He is one of the char- 
 ter members of the Home Club and a 
 member of the various Masonic bodies 
 of Meriden, also the Scottish Rite 
 bodies of New Haven and of Lafay- 
 ette Consistory, of Bridgeport, where 
 
 he received the thirty-second degree 
 in Masonry. He is a Past Eminent 
 Commander of St. Elmo Command- 
 ery, No. 9, Knights Templar, and has 
 since 1893 filled the responsible po- 
 sition of prelate with great credit to 
 this organization. He has also for sev- 
 eral years been the chairman of the 
 committee on Necrology for the Grand 
 Commandery of Connecticut, Knights 
 Templar, and in this connection has 
 written several poems appreciated by 
 the order and copied through the oth- 
 er grand jurisdictions of the United 
 States. He was the poet at the fif- 
 tieth anniversary of Meridian Lodge, 
 F. & A. M., when he read a lengthy 
 poem which was happily received and 
 copied by the Masonic publications of 
 the country. 
 . Having been one of the St. Elmo 
 party who visited California in 1883, 
 he produced on his return, by request, 
 a beautiful souvenir volume entitled 
 "From the Nutmeg State to the 
 Golden Gate." 
 
 Mr. Everitt has been for many 
 years a member of the Sons of the 
 American Revolution by reason of the 
 service of his grandfather, Abner 
 Everitt, \vho was a soldier in the Rev- 
 olutionary army. 
 
 Edwin B. Everitt is a man of strict 
 integrity with high business princi- 
 ples, a good citizen, very popular with 
 his large circle of friends, a favorite 
 among his associates and beloved 
 throughout the town as well as at his 
 own fireside, where he finds his great- 
 est enjoyment. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 353 
 
 &,/S.&. 
 
 ?3 
 
354 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ISAAC CHAUNCEY LEWIS. 
 
 The late Hon. Isaac Chauncey Lew- 
 is, whose strong personality was felt 
 in almost every walk of life, was one 
 of the most public-spirited men that 
 have ever been a part of Meriden's 
 history. He was born October 19, 
 1812, in this city, and was the son of 
 Isaac and Esther (Beaumont) Lew- 
 is, his first American ancestor, Wil- 
 liam Lewis, coming from London in 
 the ship Lion arriving at JBbston Sep- 
 tember 16, 1632. He settled in 
 "Newtown," now Cambridge, Mass., 
 in the summer of 1636 and was, lat- 
 er, one of a company who became the 
 first settlers of Hartford, Conn. His 
 name is inscribed on the monument 
 erected by the Ancient Burying 
 Ground Association of Hartford, in 
 the memory of the first settlers of 
 that town. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a de- 
 scendant in the eighth generation. 
 His father, Isaac Lewis, was born in 
 Wallingford and married Esther 
 Beaumont. He removed to Meriden 
 where, as an inn-keeper and later a 
 merchant, he was held in high esteem 
 in the community. He was chosen 
 town clerk in 1806 soon after the day 
 of Meriden's incorporation as a town 
 and held that office until his death in 
 1823. 
 
 His son, Isaac C. Lewis, had but 
 one term of school after his father's 
 death, barring an occasional attend- 
 ance at evening school. Although 
 only eleven years of age at that time 
 he secured emplo}'ment on farms and 
 
 in stores until he entered the estab- 
 lishment of Charles and Hiram Yale, 
 manufacturers of britannia ware in 
 Wallingford, in his fifteenth year. 
 From then on Mr. Lewis engaged in 
 business several times until 1841, 
 when he bought the Fordred farm, 
 about a mile east of Meriden center. 
 He built a factory there and carried 
 on the britannia business — the initial 
 step in a manufacture which lias 
 made Meriden noted all over the 
 world. 
 
 He increased his w^orks in 1850, 
 bought a larger factory in East Meri- 
 den and shortly after, with Daniel 
 B. Wells, formed the firm of I. C. 
 Lewis & Co. After Mr. Wells' 
 death Mr. Lewis purchased his part- 
 ner's interests and continued alone. 
 
 In 1852 the Meriden Britannia Co. 
 was formed and incorporated with a 
 capital of $50,000. For nearly four- 
 teen years he stood at the head of the 
 new corporation, giving his constant, 
 personal attention to the business in 
 all its details ; not only did he per- 
 form all the onerous duties of the 
 presidency, but he exercised a care- 
 ful supervision over the manufacture 
 of the company's goods which went 
 far toward establishing the enviable 
 reputation that the product of the 
 factory soon gained. 
 
 At the end of this period the af- 
 fairs of the Britannia company were 
 running smoothly ; and its success be- 
 came so pronounced that Mr. Lewis 
 felt he should be partially re- 
 lieved. He accordingly, in Jan- 
 uary, 1866, resigned from the 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 355 
 
 d^^d^^ZCC^i^^ ^^^ 
 
35^ 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 presidency of the company. The 
 office of superintendent, the du- 
 ties of which Mr. Lewis had fulfilled 
 most practically all these years, was 
 then created and Mr. Lewis was 
 elected to fill the office which he held 
 unti 1874, which he then resigned. 
 On the death of Horace C. Wilcox, 
 in 1890, at the earnest solicitation of 
 the directors, Mr. Lewis again as- 
 sumed the office of president, thus 
 continuing in that capacity and 
 until his death. Though relieved of 
 the presidency from 1866 to 1890, Mr. 
 Lewis, during this entire period, was 
 a potent factor in the management 
 of the company's affairs ; and his ex- 
 ecutive ability and substantial views 
 played an important part in shaping 
 the course of the Meriden Britannia 
 Company, whose business had grown 
 to large proportions, which state of 
 affairs was arrived at in no small de- 
 gree by Mr. Lewis' practical knowl- 
 edge of profitable manufacturing and 
 his wise counsel as a director. 
 
 Mr. Lewis became a stockholder 
 in a score of thriving concerns and a 
 director in many of them. He was 
 president of the Meriden Trust and 
 Safe Deposit Co., the Miller Brothers 
 Cutlery Co., one of the directors of 
 the Meriden National Bank, the Mer- 
 iden Savings Bank, the Wilcox Sil- 
 ver Plate Co., the Meriden Silver 
 Plate Co., the Manning & Bowman 
 Co., Edward Miller & Co. and others. 
 
 ]\fr. Lewis was reared a Democrat, 
 but during the War of the Rebellion, 
 joined the Republican party and was 
 a stalwart exponent of that party un- 
 
 til 1883, when on the sole issue of 
 temperance, he joined the Prohibition- 
 ists. He was an ardent advocate of 
 woman suffrage and gave substan- 
 tial proof of his confidence in it, "as 
 a cause that ought to prosper and is 
 bound to succeed." 
 
 He was elected representative to 
 the legislature four terms, was justice 
 of the peace three terms, a member of 
 the board of relief and of the city 
 council,, an alderman, and was mayor 
 of the city from i870-'72. He was 
 at the head of the commission ap- 
 pointed in 1865 to build the water 
 works, and the following year was 
 appointed one of the sewer commis- 
 sion. 
 
 As a philanthropist he did much 
 for his city. To the City Mission he 
 presented a handsome block, to St. 
 Paul's Universalist church, of which 
 he was an earnest member and active 
 worker, his contribution was a large 
 part of the $100,000 that it cost, as 
 well as giving of his means for the 
 new organ and other features ; and 
 he gave freely to many organizations. 
 He was a life-long member of Mer- 
 iden Center Lodge, No. 68, L O. 0. 
 F., and of the Sons of the American 
 Revolution. 
 
 ]\Ir. Lewis married May 11, 1836, 
 Harriet, daughter of Noah and Nancy 
 (Merriman) Pomeroy, of ]\Ieriden, 
 Conn. Six children w^ere bom to 
 them: Nancy Melissa, Martha En- 
 genia (now ]\Irs. Charles H. Fales), 
 Henry James, Isaac, Kate Alabama 
 (now ]\Irs. James Henry Chapin) 
 and Frank, two of whom, iMf-'^' 
 
|:^lf;I^\I•^rRs. 
 
 ^57 
 
358 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Charles Henry Fales and Mrs. James 
 Henry Cbap-in, are living, and reside 
 in Meriden. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis 
 celebrated their golden wedding May 
 II. 1886. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Lewis erected a cost- 
 ly residence on East Main street, and 
 this is still one of the handsomest 
 in Meriden, as shown in the accom- 
 l)anying illnstration. 
 
 Mr. Lewis' death occurred Decem- 
 ber 7, 1893. Of Mr. Lewis' personal 
 characteristics there was a perfect 
 balance of every good quality : public 
 spirit, sound judgment, generosity, 
 prudence, humility, firmness, afifec- 
 tion and conscience combined in a 
 complete manhootl, to whom one 
 could safely- point and exclaim, "Be- 
 hold a Christ-like man !" 
 
 AUGUST MASCHMEYER. 
 
 Meriden is proud, while celebrating 
 the one hundredth anniversary of her 
 birth as a town, to number among her 
 prominent citizens, not only those who 
 can look back to a long line of Con- 
 necticut and New England ancestry, 
 but also those Americans by adoption 
 who have thrown themselves heart 
 and soul into the social, jjusiness and 
 political life of the connnunity. 
 
 Mr. Maschmeyer was born near 
 Hildesheim, Hanover, Germany, Jan- 
 uary 14, 1843. His father, Edward 
 Maschmeyer, was born in the same 
 place, and was successfully engaged 
 in a general mercantile business until 
 1854, when he decided to try to still 
 further enlarge his fortune bv coming 
 
 to America. Leaving his wife and 
 children until he should have made a 
 home for them in the new land, he 
 came to South Meriden and entered 
 the employ of the Meriden Cutlerv 
 Company, and later that of the Par- 
 ker shop at Yalesville. When the 
 Civil war broke out, although he had 
 only been in this country for seven 
 years, he heeded the call to arms and 
 went out to help preserve the Union. 
 He joined Company H, Sixth Connec- 
 ticut V. I., and after proving his 
 Ijravery and devotion gave up his life 
 for his adopted country, and was bur- 
 ied at Hilton Head, S. C. in Septem- 
 ber, 1862. He never saw his wife and 
 children after leaving his home in 
 (lermany. They felt, however, that 
 the land for which he had given np 
 his life was the home for them, and 
 in 1864 August came to this country, 
 followed later by the rest of the 
 family. 
 
 August Maschmeyer was fortunate 
 enough to receive a good education 
 in Germany, having been a student 
 in both public and private schools. 
 He learnetl the trade of a black 
 smith, and worked at this occupation 
 until he came to America. His jour- 
 ney hither was a long one, consuming 
 six weeks on the sailing vessel Nep- 
 tune. "Through the good offices of 
 friends he at once secured eniplo\- 
 ment on his arrival and worked as 
 a mechanic for a month. Relatives 
 of his having previously settled m 
 Yalesville, he decided to follow them, 
 and became an employe of the Meri- 
 den Cutlery Company, with whom lu' 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 359 
 
 ^^^^^^.^^^.t^c^^ /y/^^^-^iC^ 
 
 ■* ^ -cy^ \ 
 
360 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 remained for six years. After work- 
 ing for the Charles Parker Company 
 for five years more, he decided to 
 strike out for himself, and according- 
 ly in 1877 began business as a whole- 
 sale and retail dealer in bottled beer 
 and other goods. This enterprise 
 proved very successful, and after 
 eight years he was enabled to sell his 
 business and retire from active work. 
 During these years he had acquired 
 considerable property about the city, 
 the management of which now em- 
 ploys his time. He has a fine resi- 
 dence on North avenue, where he and 
 other members of his family make 
 their home, and where his mother 
 lived up to the time of her death. 
 
 Mr. Maschmeyer has always been 
 active in the political life of the city. 
 He was a Republican up to the time 
 of Horace Greeley, and since then has 
 been a Democrat. In 1891 he was 
 elected a member of the Meriden City 
 Council, and has been a member of the 
 Board of Education and the General 
 Assembly of Connecticut. He is at 
 present a police commissioner. He is 
 a member of the German Aid society, 
 the German Order Harugari, and the 
 Saengerbund. 
 
 LEVI E. COE. 
 
 Levi Elmore Coe, whose influ- 
 ence during a long and varied ca- 
 reer was felt in all the vital problems 
 of this city, was the son of Colonel 
 Levi and Sarah (Ward) Coe. He was 
 born in the town of Middlefield (then 
 Middletown), Conn.. June 6, 1828. 
 
 He received his education in the com- 
 mon schools of his neighborhood and 
 Post's and Chase's academies. He 
 was ready to teach school at the age 
 of eighteen, a profession which he fol- 
 lowed until he was twenty-five, wlien 
 he located in Meriden, where he lived 
 until death claimed him November 2^ 
 1903. 
 
 In 1854 Mr. Coe was elected treas- 
 urer of the Meriden Savings Bank, 
 which bank recognized his abilities 
 and honored him w^ith the oifices of 
 treasurer, director and president, the 
 last two of wdiich he held until his 
 death. 
 
 At the age of seventy-one years he 
 was elected president of the Meriden 
 National Bank and when he died was,, 
 therefore, president of that financial 
 institution, and also of the Meriden 
 Savings Bank. 
 
 Mr. Coe was a man of great men- 
 tal as well as business capacity and 
 whatever he undertook was character- 
 ized by conscientious care. To this 
 fact was due his ability to carry on his 
 multifold duties with confidence in 
 their stability and success. For fifty 
 years he was engaged in the real es- 
 tate business, and he rendered to Mer- 
 iden invaluable service in this con- 
 nection. 
 
 He was interested in all agricultur- 
 al matters and especially in pet stocky 
 and his interest crystalized in practi- 
 cal form when he became identified 
 with various agricultural societies. 
 He was secretary of the Farmers'" 
 Club ; president of the Meriden Poiil- 
 trv Association; secretary, treasurer 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 \0l 
 
 CO-^CP^iT-E^ 
 
362 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and president of the Meriden Agricul- 
 tural Society ; secretary and treasur- 
 er of t^e Connecticut Agricultural 
 Society, and a member of the State 
 Board of Agriculture. 
 
 He was elected a grand juror in 1857, 
 was registrar of vital statistics from 
 1858-63; justice of the peace from 
 1858 to 1881 ; trial justice for many 
 years ; first clerk of the city court ; 
 judge of the city court for eighteeen 
 years ; agent of the town to convey 
 real estate ; registrar of voters, town 
 clerk, judge of probate, a water com- 
 missioner, an office he held for sev- 
 eral years ; and a member of the board 
 of compensation. These offices all 
 enabled him to advance the city's in- 
 terests ; but it remained for an appre- 
 ciative people to offer him their high- 
 est gift, and he was elected mayor of 
 Meriden in 1894 and re-elected in 
 1896 and 1897. He planned and ex- 
 ecuted with intense earnestness every 
 project that claimed his time and his 
 logical mind, coupled with his expe- 
 rience in private affairs, combined to 
 give Meriden an administration in 
 which the people had fullest confi- 
 dence. 
 
 Judge Coe was a Republican and he 
 served as a member of the town ani 
 state central committees. The Secre- 
 tary of the Interior appointed him a 
 town site trustee for Oklahoma City, 
 Oklahoma. He was a director of the 
 Meriden National Bank from 1862 ; 
 treasurer of the Meriden Park Com- 
 pany ; director of the Meriden Hospi- 
 tal ; trustee of the Curtis Home ; pres- 
 ident of the Meriden Historical So- 
 
 ciety ; a member of the Connecticut 
 Historical Society ; S. A. R., and 
 of the Home Club. He was author 
 and compiler of the "Coe-Ward Me- 
 morial,'' a genealogical work pub- 
 lished in 1897. 
 
 He was a prominent Mason ; was 
 secretary, treasurer and held the of- 
 fice of worshipful master of Meridian 
 Lodge, No. '/'] ; eminent commander 
 of St. Elmo Commandery, Knights 
 Templar, and representative of the 
 Grand Commandery of South Dakota 
 near the Grand Commandery of Con- 
 necticut. He was a member of St. 
 Andrew's Episcopal church and a ves- 
 tryman from 1858. The beautifi'.l 
 public library in Middlefield was a gift 
 of Judge Coe in 1893. 
 
 He married Sophia F. Hall, of Miil- 
 dlefield, in 1851, and she now sur- 
 vives him. Their two children died 
 while infants. Mrs. Coe is the w- 
 thor of the Hall family genealogy, a 
 work of great value from its com- 
 pleteness in detail. She still resides \ 
 in jMeriden. 
 
 GEORGE COUCH MERRIAM. 
 
 Captain George Couch Merriain. 
 born September 17, 1834, was the 
 son of Nelson and Rosetta Merriam. 
 The place of his birth was the old 
 Merriam homestead, built about 1730. 
 which stood on the site now occu- 
 pied by the Home Club. His father 
 was among the founders of one of 
 the oldest manufacturing establish- 
 ments in Meriden. 
 
 For over two centuries the Mer- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 363 
 
364 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 riam family have been prominent in 
 Meriden and W'allingford, John 
 Merriam came to Meriden from 
 Lynn, Mass., and from him the Mer- 
 riam family have descended. He 
 died in 1689. 
 
 George C. Merriam received a good 
 common school education and in 1851 
 went to New York City where he re- 
 mained eight years in the wholesale 
 drygoods concern of Hopkins. Allen 
 & Co. In 1859 he went to Wilming- 
 ton, N. C, where he became a mem- 
 ber of the business firm of J. M. Mc- 
 Carter & Co. 
 
 Shortly after Fort Sumter was 
 fired upon he returned to Meriden 
 and on July 10, 1862, enlisted as a pri- 
 vate in Company A, 15th Conn. Vols, 
 and served throughout the remainder 
 of the war. He was in active service 
 in the battles of Fredericksburg, 
 Edenton Road, siege of Sufi:'olk and 
 Providence Church Road. For gal- 
 lant service he won several promo- 
 tions and retired with the commission 
 of captain of Compan}' K of the 8th 
 Conn. Vols. 
 
 At the close of the war he became 
 superintendent of a large lumber bus- 
 iness at St. Johnsbury, Vt. During 
 that period he returned to INIerideri 
 and on May 29, 1867, married Helen 
 R. Bradley, daughter of Charles and 
 Sarah (Parker) Bradley. Soon after 
 his marriage he went to Nevada 
 where he spent two years. In 1872 
 he returned to Meriden and became 
 connected with the Chas. Parker Com- 
 pany. 
 
 In 1880, after the death of Albert 
 
 Foster, he became secretary and 
 treasurer of Foster, Merriam & Co. 
 and upon the death of James Sutliff, 
 the president, he was elected pres- 
 ident and treasurer, which position he 
 retained until his death. While in 
 Boston on a business trip, he died 
 suddenly on March 23, 1904. 
 
 A life-long friend said, upon hear- 
 ing of his death, "One of God's noble- 
 men has passed away. He was my 
 friend and counselor in many a per- 
 plexing situation. He was beloved by 
 all who knew him, rich and poor, high 
 and low, and Meriden is a better 
 city for his having lived here." 
 
 He was a Christian gentleman, a 
 shrewd and careful business man, 
 whose integrity and honesty of pur- 
 pose were unimpeachable, a consist- 
 ent church member who practiced the 
 golden rule, and was always ready at 
 all times to give his money and exert 
 his influence in every good cause. He 
 never shirked his duty to his fellow 
 citizens. He served six years in the 
 Meriden Common Council and two 
 years as alderman. In politics he 
 was a Republican. He was for many 
 years identified with the First M. E. 
 church and was a trustee of the 
 church from 1880 until his death. 
 He was a director of the First Na- 
 tional Bank, a member of Merriam 
 Post, No. 8, G. A. R., and also of Capt. 
 John Couch Branch, Sons of Ameri- 
 can Revolution. He was a member 
 of the Army and Navy Club of Con- 
 necticut, and a life member of the 
 Meriden Y. M. C. A., a member of 
 the Home Club, and of the Meriden 
 
BIOGRAl'nii:S. 
 
 36: 
 
 liiispiial corporation of Meriden. 
 He is survived by liis widow and 
 bv an adopted son and daui^htcr. Kol)- 
 ert J., and Ruth K. -Merriani. children 
 of his brother, Xelson C. Merriani. 
 Robert J. Iieing" the present treasurer 
 of Foster. Alerriam & Co. 
 
 RATlTJin^'E HICKS. 
 
 A former resident of Meriden of 
 nuich renown is Ratcliti'e Hicks. 
 and his family name holds an 
 honored place in the history of Con- 
 necticut, where for over a century and 
 a half his antecedents have lived. 
 
 Born in the town ot Tolland, Coim.. 
 in 1843, he is the most prominent rep- 
 resentative of his disting^uished ances- 
 tors. Thomas Hicks, his first pater- 
 nal antecedent in this country, left 
 London, Mn.c^land. in 1644. and located 
 in Scituate, Mass., nnd his descend- 
 ants have won success in many of the 
 higher walks of life. 
 
 (Jn his mother's side Ratcliffe Hicks 
 is descended frf)m Charles Stearns. 
 horn in England, and settled at W'a- 
 tertown, Mass.. in 1646, and there ac- 
 (iuire<i lands which he sold to his son. 
 Samuel, and in 1681 removed to Lynn. 
 Mass. His son, Shubael. born at 
 Cambridge, Mass., in 1655, served in 
 the Xarragansett Expedition in the 
 King riiilip War, and was stationed 
 at the garrisons at Chelmsforil and 
 r.roton. Mass.. and whose brother. 
 Charles, was slain in the king's ser- 
 vice. Shubael Stearns, second, was 
 r>nc of the original grantees of land 
 in what is now Tolland, where he .set- 
 
 tled in 1714 and wIkj later became a 
 Baptist i)reacher. but on account of 
 religious ditterences with his neigh- 
 bors removed with his own and his 
 sons' families to X'irginia. later to 
 Pepper Cotton and linally to Sandy 
 Creek, X. C, where he died. His 
 son. also named Sliubael. became a 
 noted preacher of the same faith. 
 
 John Stearns, a later ancestor, was 
 born at Lymi. Mass.. in i6yi. and 
 died at Tolland. March 10. 1787. and 
 his son, John, great-grandfather of 
 IvatclitVe 1 licks was born in Tol- 
 land. January 11. 173^). He was a 
 physician and practiced most of his 
 life at W'ilbraham. Mass.. where his 
 children were born. He returned to 
 Tolland on accmmt of his sym])athy 
 with the Shay Rebellion and died in 
 17S8. His wife, left a widow with 
 two sons and three daughters, carried 
 on her husband's business, traveling 
 many miles daily on liorseback an<l 
 was thus enabled to send her sons to 
 ^'ale College. One of them. Dr. John 
 ."^tearns became a noted practitioner 
 in Xew ^'ork City and the first |>res- 
 ident of the Xew b'ngland society, 
 liis brothir. Judge l''lisha Stearns, 
 grandfather of our subject, was born 
 July 12. 177^*. at W'ilbraham. Mass.. 
 but early in life removed to Tolland 
 where he died in 1S5'). He was a 
 man f)f much prominence and a valued 
 resident of that town, than whom no 
 man was held in higher esteem in the 
 locality where he lived. 
 
 Ratcliffe Hicks. j)atcrnal grand- 
 father of Mr. Hicks, and for whom 
 be wa< tinnied. wa-^ n di>-f ingiu'>-bed 
 
366 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 sea-captain and in his day was 
 called "one of New England's brav- 
 est, most daring, and ablest" ; whose 
 voyages took him to every part of the 
 globe and whose life was tempestuous, 
 but successful and who left behind 
 him a name which his grandson has 
 ever cherished with ardent love and 
 infinite respect. He was a native of 
 Providence, R. I. ; was born June 14, 
 1784, and died October 26, 1846. 
 
 Charles R. Hicks, father of the sub- 
 ject, was born in Providence, R. I., 
 July I, 1812, and was educated at 
 Plainfield, Conn., where at that time 
 was one of the best seminaries of the 
 state. He, afterwards, and when 
 quite young, engaged in the dry 
 goods trade in Providence and, be- 
 coming a prominent merchant, later 
 continued in the same business in New 
 York City, retiring from active busi- 
 ness in 1842, when he removed to Tol- 
 land and spent his last years. He 
 died July 29, 1878. From his father, 
 Ratcliffe Hicks inherited many of his 
 intellectual attainments ; and that he 
 has won fame and fortune as a law- 
 yer, manufacturer, business man and 
 legislator has been natural. 
 
 Ratcliffe Hicks secured his early 
 education at home and prepared for 
 college at Alonson Academy. He en- 
 tered Brown University in i860 and 
 graduated with high honors with the 
 degree of A. B. in 1864. "From his 
 earliest youth he became an omniv- 
 orous and careful reader and the law 
 and sciences of all ages were to him, 
 and are now, what many forms of 
 amusement are to the ordinarv voung 
 
 man," states one of his biographers. 
 While at Brown University he was 
 one of the founders of the Delta Up- 
 silon Chapter, of which he is still a 
 member and to which he has ever 
 been a generous contributor. Early 
 in life he began to take a prominent 
 lead in school and college debates; 
 ■and at the commencement exercises, 
 was one of the orators of his graduat- 
 ing class. After leaving college he 
 began the study of law in the office 
 of Judge Loren P. Waldo, which study 
 he pursued only during his leisure 
 hours, and taught school. Admitted 
 to the bar in 1866, he immediately re- 
 moved to Meriden and began the prac- 
 tice of his profession as the law part- 
 ner of the late Hon. O. H. Piatt, 
 which partnership continued until 
 1869, after which Mr. Hicks con- 
 tinued alone until 1882. His natural 
 ability, keen foresight and remarkable 
 judgment, coupled with his self-con- 
 fidence and sanguine disposition, the 
 result of his success in important 
 cases, made him a familiar figure in 
 the higher courts. He was ever well 
 versed in law for he never ceased his 
 study of his chosen profession. His 
 ability as a pleader was remarkable; 
 and his name is found in every vol- 
 ume of the Connecticut Report from 
 1866 to 1879. While practicing he 
 received large fees and his income in 
 Meriden averaged over $10,000 a 
 year. From 1869 to 1874 he served 
 Meriden as city attorney and from 
 1873 to 1876 was New Haven county 
 attorney. His public service, how- 
 ever, began in 1886 by his election 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 367 
 
368 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 to the state legislature from Tolland, 
 when as the youngest niember of the 
 house, during his first term of ser- 
 vice, he attracted general attention, 
 not only by his activity on the floor, 
 but by the exhibition of rare and ma- 
 ture judgment for one of his years. 
 During his second term, his speeches 
 as a legislator were forceful and of 
 brilliant diction and won him the ad- 
 miration of the members on both sides 
 of the house ; although he was most 
 loyal to the Democratic party, of 
 which he has ever been a staunch and, 
 in late years, a prominent factor, his 
 manly and eloquent presentation of 
 his convictions secured him also the 
 respect and admiration of the Repub- 
 licans. His breadth of mind and 
 keen sense of fairness were ever ap- 
 parent, and it was his special delight 
 to debate on questions which rose 
 above party politics. He once stated 
 on the floor of the house that he pre- 
 ferred to stand where the old Romans 
 stood and to do right though the 
 heavens fell. In 1891 he was again a 
 member of the state legislature, as 
 chairman of the committee on Woman 
 Suffrage which reported the bill giv- 
 ing women the right to vote on school 
 matters. During his entire and val- 
 ued service in the legislature, and 
 which was continued until 1895, he 
 introdrced many bills of vast import 
 to the people of the commonwealth 
 and he usually accomplished as much 
 if not more than anv other member. 
 His prominence in public life has kept 
 him well before the eye of the public ; 
 and he has been prominently men- 
 
 tioned in the past, for both lieutenant 
 governor and governor of the state 
 of Connecticut. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Hicks became inter- 
 ested in the Canfield Rubber Company 
 as its president, and which, under his 
 sagacious business head, has grown 
 from a concern of $10,000 capital to 
 one whose capital stock is a quarter 
 of a million ; whose surplus is as much 
 more and whose sales are considerably 
 in excess of $1,000,000 a year. The 
 success of the conipany has been 
 spoken of as "one of the most re- 
 markable achievements m the history 
 of New England manufacturing"; 
 for the business has rot only been the 
 means of making a substantial fortune 
 for Mr. Hicks, but for other promi- 
 nent stockholders whose holdings he 
 has gradually purchased until he has 
 become the sole owner of the vast 
 enterprise. Mr. Hicks is also the 
 owner of the Hicks Realty Company, 
 of Bridgeport, and under this title 
 owns considerable real estate in Mer- 
 iden. Bridgeport and New York. Mr. 
 Hicks has always remained loyal to 
 his native state and, since leaving Mer- 
 iden, claims Tolland as his residence. 
 He has also a fine house in New York 
 City and a comfortable country place 
 at Lakewood, New Jersey, but he 
 still retains his fond interest in Mer- 
 iden where he made his success in 
 professional life. He has contrib- 
 uted liberally of his means to objects 
 of benefit to his former townsmen ; 
 and in recent years defrayed the ex- 
 pense, with others, in restorinif and 
 modernizinsf the Congregational 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 369 
 
 Cliurcli. ill Tdllaiul. where his i;nuul- 
 father was also a Hbera! contributor. 
 
 He has also estabhshed annual 
 prizes for jiublic speaking at Brown 
 I'niversity, IVovidence ; Storrs Agri- 
 cultural College, Mansfield, Tolland 
 Comity, and at the Meriden High 
 School, all of which have inspired, in 
 a greater measure, the ambition of 
 students. Mr. Hicks has traveled ex- 
 tensivel}' in this comitr\ and luirope 
 and has crossed the Atlantic more 
 than fifty times. He is the author of 
 the book "Observations,' published in 
 1880. and during its composition, he 
 has been jileased to state has "Helped 
 him while away hours that otherwise 
 may have been lonely" and in which 
 he i)resents "the oflf-hand utterances 
 of a man who for twenty-five years 
 was deeply absorbed m business cares, 
 and who has jotted down the observa- 
 tions for his own amusement and oc- 
 cupation." It is needless to state 
 that this book is well considered by 
 litterateurs as one of the most enter- 
 taining publications on 'Europe by an 
 American author He is also the au- 
 thor of a book on California, equally 
 interesting aiifl instructive to the read- 
 er. 
 
 Mr. Hicks was married to Lizzie 
 Canfield, now deceased, and has one 
 daughter. 
 
 RUFUS HA 1.1 
 
 Rufus Hall, for over forty years a 
 ,alued resident and leading merchant 
 )f Meriden. and whose useful life end- 
 -'4 
 
 ed l-'ebruary 3. 1901, was born in Mid- 
 dlefield, October 3, 1839. 
 
 .V direct descendant of John Hall, 
 Boston 1633, New Haven 1637, one 
 of the original proprietors of the town 
 of W'allingford in 1670, a signer of 
 the original "Covenant" or original 
 agreement of the first planters of W'al- 
 lingfonl. as were two of his sons, 
 Samuel and Sergeant Thomas, whose 
 marriage to Grace Walker Watson 
 June 5, 1673, ^^'^^ the first marriage 
 in Wallingford. The following an- 
 cestors of Rufus Hall were also sign- 
 ers of the "Covenant": Lieut. John 
 Peck. Sergeant Abraham Doolittle 
 and John Mosse. 
 
 He was the youngest of the four 
 children born to Harley Hall [the 
 fifth in descent from John | and Mar- 
 tha Cone Hall. His mother, a native 
 of East Haddam, born April 3. 1805, 
 and died in Meriden April 20, 1880, 
 was directly descended from that John 
 Hall who was one of the first pro- 
 prietors of Middletown in 1650 and 
 who. coming to this country from 
 1-jigland. settled in Boston in i^>33. 
 She was a granddaughter of Sylvanus 
 (."one, a Revolutionary soldier. 
 
 Rufus ILall, as a boy. during his at- 
 tendance at the .Miildlefield district 
 .school, assisted in the work about his 
 father's farm. He left home at tlie 
 age of nineteen and engaged in tlie 
 meat business, first at Portland. 
 Conn., later in .MiddU-fiehl. after- 
 wards at Wallingford, and finally in 
 i860 came to Meriden and clerked for 
 L H. Hall & Co. in the old Franklin 
 Hall building uj) town. The next 
 
3/0 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 year he engaged in the grocery trade 
 with his brother under the firm name 
 of N. C. Hall & Co. His honorable 
 dealings and energy won him the con- 
 fidence of the townspeople, and his 
 good imme, thus early established, he 
 maintained throughout his life. 
 
 In 1870 he sold out his interest in 
 the grocery store and engaged in the 
 meat business, in partnership with 
 Charles Grether, under the firm name 
 of Grether & Hall, later buying out 
 Grether, and after a long period of 
 success he sold out to his former part- 
 ner, and again became associated with 
 his brother in the grocery trade. In 
 1884, however, he again engaged in 
 the meat business, which he conduct- 
 ed with uninterrupted success until he 
 was stricken with pneumonia and died 
 at the age of sixty-one, after which 
 his well established business was con- 
 ducted by his son, Eugene A. Hall, the 
 present treasurer of the Town of Mer- 
 iden. 
 
 Mr. Hall, on April 2, 1859, married 
 Esther Asenath Grover, to whom two 
 children were born : Effie Maria, born 
 March 13, i860 and died March i, 
 1862, and Eugene Ashley Hall, above 
 mentioned. The wife of Rufus Hall 
 was born in Middletown, January 2, 
 1837, and died in Meriden, December 
 18, 1 89 1. She was a daughter of Ar- 
 den and Sarah ]\Iaria (Clark) Grover, 
 her father being a son of Oliver and 
 Asenath (Eaton) Grover. Her 
 grandfather, Daniel Clark, served as 
 a soldier in the Revolution. The wife 
 of Rufus Hall was also descended 
 from William Eaton, who settled in 
 
 Watertown, Mass., in 1642, and from 
 Thomas Flint, who located in Salem 
 in 1650. 
 
 Rufus Hall, who, with his wife, is 
 buried at Indian Hill cemetery, Mid- 
 dletown, was a man who held the un- 
 limited confidence, respect and esteem 
 of his fellow townsmen to a remark- 
 able extent. His genial disposition 
 made him the typical merchant with 
 whom customers found pleasure in 
 trading. He was always deeply con- 
 cerned in local afi^airs and never re- 
 fused his influence in matters of ben- 
 efit either to his neighbors or the 
 town. His loss to the ranks of the 
 business men of Meriden will be long 
 remembered. 
 
 EUGENE ASHLEY HALL. 
 
 Eugene A. Hall, a prominent mer- 
 chant and treasurer of the town of 
 Meriden, is a life-long resident of the 
 town. He is the only son of Rufus 
 and Esther Asenath (Grover) Hall. 
 He is a worthy descendant of sturdy, 
 reliable New England ancestry. 
 He was born in Meriden August 7, 
 1865, attended the old Corner district 
 school until at the age of fifteen he left 
 school to begin his own career and 
 has succeeded in earning his own liv- 
 ing ever since ; was first with J. Cook 
 & Co., manufacturers of printing 
 presses, cards, etc. ; a short time on a 
 drop press at Bradley & Hubbard's; 
 then one year in William Hagadon's 
 news, fruit and toy store, clerking and 
 delivering newspapers, and one year 
 in castor bottle department, Meriden 
 
BIOGRAnilliS. 
 
 Uritannia Co., until ]\Iay. 1883, when 
 ho eiUcrcd the employ of the Merickn 
 savings Bank as office hoy. 
 
 .\fter an honorable connection of 
 jii^hteen years with that institution, 
 and after the sudden and regretted de- 
 cease of his father, he resigned his po- 
 sition as teller and assumed control of 
 his father's business, for many years 
 known as Hall's Cash ^Market, and 
 which he has since continued with in- 
 creasing success. 
 
 He is a trustee, director and auditor 
 of the Meriden Savings Bank ; for 
 several years was a member of the 
 lioard of trustees and secretary and 
 treasurer of the Connecticut School 
 for Boys : is treasurer of the Connec- 
 ticrt State and the Meriden Agricul- 
 tural societies ; treasurer of the Town 
 of .Meriden. which office he has filled 
 most acceptably since 1899 • '■'^ ^ direct- 
 or and first vice president of the Mer- 
 iden lioard of Trade; director and 
 treasurer of the Meriden Times Pub- 
 lishing Co., publishers of Tlic /:7't';//;;,t; 
 Tintrs. 
 
 -Mr. Hall is a ])rominent figure in 
 Masonic circles and is connected with 
 no other fraternity. He is a past 
 master and present treasurer of Meri- 
 dian lodge. No. jj, A. F. & .\. M.: 
 a i)ast high priest of Keystone Cha])- 
 ter. Xo. 27, R. A. M. : l\ T. I. mastc-r 
 of TTamilton Council. Xo. 22. K. «S: 
 S. M.. and a past eminent commander 
 of St l-'Imo Cojnmandery. Xo. <;. 
 Knights Templar: a thirty-.secoml de- 
 gree Mason, being a member of the 
 Xew Haven and Bridgejjort bodies of 
 Scottish Rite; is an officrr in tbr fal- 
 
 lowing Masonic grand bodies of Con- 
 necticut, (irand Lodge, Cirand Cha])- 
 ler and (Irand CcMumandery. an hon- 
 orary life member of the .Masjnic 
 Charity Foundation of Connecticut, 
 and a member of Pyramid Tem])le, 
 Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport. 
 
 He was married December 15. 1S97, 
 to Fdna Adele Mix. daughter of ex- 
 Senator John Walter and Kale L'rana 
 (Wallace) Mix. of (Yalesville) Wal- 
 lingford. Jfjhn Walter Mix. Cnited 
 States collector of customs of the ])ort 
 of Xew Haven at the time of his 
 death, was a direct descendant of 
 Thomas Mi.x. r»f Xew Haven. \(^t,. 
 and three of his ancestors. Daniel .Mix. 
 Robert Roice and John Hall, were 
 original j^roprietors of W'allingford. 
 His widow, Kate Uraha Wallace, is a 
 daughter of Franklin and I'anny 
 (Hall) Wallace, the latter a daughter 
 of Lyman and Milla Hall, both direct 
 descendants of John Hall, the original 
 l)roprietor of W'allingford. Benjamin 
 Hall, father of Lyman, wn^ a -"Lljer 
 in the Revolution. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hall have three chil- 
 dren: I'anny. born Xovember 15. 
 iS<;8: Ivdna. born I'ebruary 3. 1903. 
 and luigeiu- .Mix. l)orn June 27. n>(\V 
 
 .Mr. Hall is known as one of the 
 more progressive merchants, who pos- 
 sesses a wide experience in matters of 
 finance and who has been much hon- 
 ored by elections to various offices, all 
 of which he has filled with credit, not 
 only to himself but to those wlv> have 
 safely placer! their confidence in bis 
 ability and honesty to carry out the 
 
 ilnliiv i|>\-. living Upo'i him 
 
372 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 RUFUS HALL. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 373 
 
 EL'Cjl'Al-: ASIILi-.V liAI.l 
 
374 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
KESIDENXE ui- W . IJ. r.h .l-.i.ow. 
 
376 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 W. H. BIGELOW. 
 
 William Henry Bigelow, now an 
 influential resident of Meriden, was 
 born in Westminster, Mass., in Jan- 
 uary, 1853. He was an only child 
 and his parents were Benson and 
 Charlotte (Rice) Bigelow. His fam- 
 ily is an old one in that town and the 
 original Bigelow homestead has been 
 in -their possession for many genera- 
 tions. The subject of this biography 
 is descended on both the paternal and 
 maternal sides from early colonial an- 
 cestry and on the mother's side his 
 progenitors served in the Revolution- 
 ary War. 
 
 Mr. Bigelow obtained his early ed- 
 ucation at the common schools and 
 finished at the Westminster Acad- 
 emy, which has since been destroyed 
 by fire. He has traveled considerably 
 both in this country and Europe and 
 has acquired a higher education 
 through his travels, in which he has 
 come in contact with many people. 
 He is a close observer of men and 
 customs. Mr. Bigelow has also had 
 a varied experience in business. For 
 several years he was located in Bos- 
 ton and Gloucester, Mass., and later 
 in Hartford. For the past twelve 
 }'ears, however, he has resided in Mer- 
 iden. 
 
 In 1895 he was united in marriage 
 with Emma Norton, daughter of the 
 late C. L. and Amanda (Norton) 
 Strong, and has since resided in the 
 Strong family residence on Cook ave- 
 nue. Mrs. Bigelow died July 13, 
 1905, after a lingering illness of a 
 
 year. Before her death and with her 
 Mr. Bigelow spent much time in trav- 
 el and visited Europe, Cuba, Bermu- 
 da Islands and the Canadas, as v\ell 
 as the south and west of his own 
 country. In his travels he has col- 
 lected many relics which now adorn 
 his home. Mr. Bigelow is far from 
 being a disinterested resident of IMer- 
 iden ; for he is deeply concerned in all 
 that tends to benefit and improve the 
 locality either in business or social 
 life. He is a member of Washington 
 Lodge, No. 15, Knights of Pythias, of 
 Hartford. 
 
 COL. CHAS. LESLIE UPHAAI. 
 
 Colonel Charles Leslie Upham, by 
 birth a Vermonter, was born in 
 Townshend May 24, 1839. His pa- 
 rents were Rev. William Dennis V\y- 
 ham, a graduate of Brown Univers- 
 ity, and Lucy McKenzie Spink, a na- 
 tive of the old town of Wickford, R. 
 I., situated on Narragansett Bay. . 
 
 The Spinks were Norman-French 
 and distinguished for bravery. They 
 went to England with William the 
 Conqueror. The LTpham ancestry 
 has been traced to Richard Upham, of 
 Bicton, Dover, England, 1583. 
 
 John Upham was the pioneer and 
 only LTpham who emigrated to this 
 country, having come to Wessagus- 
 cus, now Weymouth, Mass., with the 
 Hull colony in 1635. His wife was 
 Elizabeth Slade. 
 
 Lieutenant Phineas Upham was 
 their only son who left posterity. He 
 won distinction in the Indian Wars 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 377 
 
 (Z4^U/Ja 
 
378 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and at the storming of Ft. Canonicus, 
 sometimes called the Great Swamp 
 fight, was mortally wounded and died 
 soon afterward. 
 
 Colonel Upham's great-grandfath- 
 er was William Upham, who was in 
 1776 one of the Committee of Safe- 
 ty in Vermont and captain of a com- 
 pany which did service in the field 
 during Burgoyne's invasion. 
 
 Colonel Upham was educated at the 
 Leland and Gray Academy at Towns- 
 hend, and at the age of sixteen came 
 to Meriden to enter the employ of 
 Ives Brothers. Having a taste for the 
 sea, in 1858 he went before the mast 
 in a voyage that circumnavigated the 
 globe, touching at Australia and the 
 west coast of South America, in all an 
 absence of over a year. 
 
 Upon his return he re-entered the 
 employ of Ives Brothers and remained 
 with them until the commencement of 
 the Civil War, when he at once en- 
 listed in Rifle Co. B, 3d Regiment, 
 Conn. Vols., as first sergeant. This 
 regiment was in Keyes' Brigade, Ty- 
 ler's Division, and was engaged at the 
 Battle of Bull Run, Sergeant Up- 
 ham commanding his company, owing 
 to the absence of his superior officers. 
 
 Upon being mustered out August 
 12, 1 86 1, he immediately raised a com- 
 pany for three years' service, of which 
 he was appointed captain, and joined 
 the 8th Conn. Infantry as Company 
 K. He served with this regiment as 
 captain, major and lieutenant col- 
 onel imtil April 6. 1863, when he was 
 appointed colonel of the 15th Regi- 
 ment, Conn. Infantry, commanding 
 
 the same until the close of the war. 
 His service record was: With Mc- 
 Dowell's Army at the Battle of Bull 
 Run July 3, 1861 ; The Burnside Ex- 
 pedition and battles of Roanoke Isl- 
 and Feb. 7, and New Berne March 
 14, 1862, where he was severely 
 wounded; in the Army of the Poto- 
 mac, ''9th Corps," at the battles of 
 South Mountain Sept. 14, Antietam 
 Sept. 17, and Fredericksburg Dec. 13, 
 1862. At Fredericksburg he was in 
 command of the i6th Regiment 
 Conn. Infantry, its field officers being 
 either sick or wounded ; with General 
 Peck's command on the so-called 
 Blackberry Raid to the north of 
 Richmond ; at the Siege of Suffolk by 
 Longstreet, including the engage- 
 ments on the Edenton Road April 24, 
 and Providence Church Road May 3, 
 1863 ; with his regiment while on pro- 
 vost duty at New Berne, N. C, in the 
 summer of 1864 during the deadly 
 epidemic of yellow fever ; in com- 
 mand of a brigade of Scofield's col- 
 umn in the advance from New Berne 
 including the actions before Kingston 
 March 8 to 11, 1865 ; mustered out at 
 the close of the war, reaching home 
 July 4, 1865. 
 
 In September, 1865, the firm of 
 Ives, Upham & Rand was organized, 
 the partners being John Ives, C. L. 
 Upham and P. C. Rand. Mr. Ives 
 was already a merchant of long stand- 
 ing and high reputation. Messrs. 
 Upham and Rand had been in his 
 employ prior to 1861 and had served 
 together during the war. This firm 
 is one of the most prominent in its 
 
BIOGRA I'll IKS. 
 
 ^7\) 
 
 line, with llic unusual record of more 
 than forty \cars without a change of 
 personnel. 
 
 L'olonel Ijihani's civil record is: 
 Member of the first common coim- 
 cil upon the organization of Mcriden 
 as a city : two terms as mayor, 1873 
 an«! 1S74: a trustee of Connecticut 
 School for Hoys from 1877 ^^ 1891, 
 also serving as treasurer, and at the 
 present writing a police commission- 
 er and a member of town school com- 
 mittee. He has also at different 
 times served as president of the lioard 
 of Trade and of the I'usiness Men's 
 Association. 
 
 Colonel ('])bani married first Emily 
 Clark who died August 26. 1864. 
 leaving a daughter Emily. On July 
 12. 1877. he married Elizabeth II. 
 Ifall. daughter of B. Kirtland Hall 
 and F.mil\ M. Curtis. Among Mrs. 
 I'pham"^ ancestors are included the 
 names of Hall. Cook, At water. An- 
 drews. Curtis. Ives, Royce and Hough, 
 all prftmineiu in the first settlement of 
 |\\ allingford and Meriden. The chil- 
 Iren of this marriage are: William 
 iall, Lucy Curtis, who <lied in in- 
 ancy. Charles Eeslie, I'mncis Curtis 
 ;in<l Elizabrtli. 
 
 SETH TACOP. HAM 
 
 A long and hono'-able business ca- 
 |eer. aiupl)' crowned with success. 
 o!nl)ined with the election to many 
 Iftices of ptiblic trust, is that of Seth 
 ticob Hall. He is the eldest son of 
 |\lvester and Rosetta (Johnson) Hall 
 h<l was born September 4. 1829. at 
 
 Middletowu. He is descentled in a 
 direct line from John Hall, horn in 
 l-!ngland in H)05. one oi the early set- 
 tlers of W'allingford. where he died in 
 l()j(t. The Hall family is one of the 
 oldest, largest and most infiuential in 
 this part of the state. 
 
 lie attended the couuuon schools 
 and Moore's select school. After ob- 
 taining his education he worked on a 
 farm until twent\-one years of age 
 and for nine consecutive winters 
 taught district school in the vicinity 
 of Middletowu. He also worked at 
 the factories of Jesse G. lialdwin and 
 Charles Parker as a burnisher, and in 
 1857 entered the crockery and hard- 
 ware store of Harrison W. Curtis. 
 His employer's business being dull. 
 Mr. Hall taught school the following 
 winter but returned to the store in the 
 spring where he remained imtil 1861 ; 
 when he started in the Hour and grain 
 business in which he has in later years 
 l)een assisted by hi.s sons. John P>. and 
 Silas B. Later, for a little over two 
 years. Mr. Hall was a member of the 
 firm of 1. (.'. Lewis & Co., which firm 
 was fiirnurly I. C. Lewis & P.ro. 
 He retired from that firm in 
 1863 and has since conducted a 
 successful grain, feed and coal 
 business alone, his store at the 
 ■Corner* being one of the old land- 
 marks of Meriden. I'ew men of the 
 town have been more successful in 
 business than .Mr. Hall, for by care- 
 ful methods he has built up a large 
 trade and has also made several profi- 
 table investments in real estate. 
 
 Besides being a prominent figure 
 
38o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
DIOGRAI'IIIKS. 
 
 381 
 
 in ilie business life of the lt»\vn he 
 has been much in the public eye. A 
 lifeli>ng Democrat, he served his ward 
 in both branches of the city j^overn- 
 metit and the town as treasurer, se- 
 lectman and luembcr of the hoard of 
 relit f. From 1890 to 1K94 he served 
 in the Connecticut State Senate, re- 
 flecting credit on the sixth district 
 which he ably re])resented. Since the 
 inaigiiration of the Akritlen hospital 
 he has been consecutively elected one 
 of the trustees and has also scr%'ed 
 as treasurer of the corporation. He 
 was formerly one of the directors of 
 the Mid<llesex County Xational Bank 
 and is at ])restnt one of the directors 
 of the Meriilen Xational Dank and 
 vice president of the City Savings 
 r.ank. He was for many years trus- 
 t<«' and treasurer of the Connecticut 
 Sihool for I'.oys. For nearly twenty 
 vf.irs he has been one of the deacons 
 
 t the I'irst Uaptist church of which 
 vitr]>oration he is also one of the trus- 
 tees, lie has served both as treas- 
 iirt r and trustee of the V. M. C. A. 
 
 Mr. Hall was married October 14, 
 i.*-Yi ). tf) Fois i'llakcslce. who was born 
 lanrary 24. 1833, and is a daughter 
 )f Silas an<l l-lsther (Rucl) P>lakcslec, 
 
 r \\ alhngf'ird. Their children are 
 • " "» - jdhn I'dakeslee. born Sep- 
 'W. married December 16. 
 
 X<j>. Jiniue Holcomb, daughter of 
 I'erirand and Chloe (Holcomb) Vale, 
 
 in! they reside with their children on 
 
 rMa«l street. Mcridcn ; Ju<lson Syl- 
 -icr. born March 30, 1S66; Silas 
 t!.< <.lee. born March 28, 1869, mar- 
 I November 2^. 1903. to Alida 
 
 r.aktr. daughi«.r of Dr. Rufus Uaker, 
 tii .Middletdwn ; anil i-]sther Kosetta, 
 born July 24. iS<So. The residence 
 of Mr. and Mrs. S. j. Hall is one of 
 the finest in Meriden. having been 
 erccte<l in 1S91. and is situated on 
 Fast .Main street. 
 
 X.Mil.W FOWLFR C.RISWOLD. 
 
 Xalhan bowler Griswold, president 
 <^f the (jriswold, Richmond & Clock 
 Company, comes of one of the oldest 
 families in Xew I-Jigland and the line 
 may be traced unbroken to Humphrey 
 Griswold, a "lord of the manor." wIhj 
 lived in Fngland in the sixteenth cen- 
 tury. Martin, the father of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was born in the 
 old (iriswold homestead in Killing- 
 worth, where he married Miss Sally 
 I'owler, daughter of Xathan and 
 Chloe (Davis) Fowler. 
 
 .\athan Griswold was born at l.o.-k- 
 I)ort. X. v.. and his mother dying af- 
 ter his birth, he was taken to Durham, 
 Conn., and placed in the c.ire of his 
 gran<lparents, where he remained un- 
 til six years old, when his fatlur a;^ain 
 married and he again came under the 
 parental roof, where he lived until 
 he was eleven years of age and at- 
 ten«led a private .school. At the age 
 of eleven, after working on a farm 
 fine season, he was employed in the 
 .store of Crial Avers, of liast Had- 
 <lam, and he first began to learn his 
 trade f)f tinsmith. He came to Mer- 
 iden afterwards and entered the em- 
 ploy of Pomeroy & Ives, remaining 
 four years at his trade as an ai>prcn- 
 
382 
 
 A CENTURY OP AIERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 383 
 
 tice, but honorably purchased the last 
 few months of his apprenticeship 
 and went to Cincinnati, where he 
 worketl at his trade for three years, 
 when he again removed to Holyoke, 
 Mass.. and first started in business 
 for himself. At the end of two years 
 he again returned to ^leriden and 
 bought out the manufacturing busi- 
 ness of his former employers, giving 
 as payment several hundred dollars 
 due him as wages, and the balance in 
 notes, with interest at six per cent. 
 These notes he met when due, and 
 continued the business successfully 
 for ten years. He then disposed of 
 the factory to Charles Parker and 
 others and engaged in the jobbing 
 business at the corner of West Main 
 and Hanover streets. He afterwards 
 took in as a partner, George F. 
 Searles, whom he afterwards bought 
 out. and later Henry J. Lewis, son of 
 the late Isaac C. Lewis, became his 
 partner, under the style of Griswold 
 &• Lewis. In 1876. Charles C. Clock. 
 a frmner valued employe, was taken 
 into the firm, which afterwards be- 
 came Griswold, Lewis & (jlock. 
 John L. Richmond purchased Mr. 
 ewis' interest in the firm which af- 
 erwards became Griswold. Richmond 
 S: < dock, anfl in 1889 at Mr. Gris- 
 A"ld's suggestion, about a dozen of 
 he employes were given an interest 
 n the business as an inducement for 
 leritorious service and the firm was 
 lade into a corporation with a cap- 
 al of $50,000, under the name of 
 rriswold. Richmond & Clock Co-op- 
 rative Co. Some time after the 
 
 death of Mr. Richmond his interest 
 held by his widow was purchased Jan- 
 uary 10, 1905. for a large sum, after 
 which the business again became a 
 co-operative concern on the same lines 
 as originally agreed when the com- 
 pany was first formed. 
 
 Li his religious views Mr. (iriswold 
 declares himself to be an agnostic, 
 refusing to believe that which does 
 not appeal to his reason. 
 
 Mr. Griswold was married in Meri- 
 den to Eliza W^illiams. To them were 
 born these children: Ella A., who 
 married Eugene H. Ray, superinten- 
 dent of the Silver City Plate Com- 
 pany ; Charles, who died in early man- 
 hood ; Frank, who died while a resi- 
 dent of Chicago, and Lewis F., de- 
 signer for the Charles Parker Com- 
 pany. After his wife's death Mr. 
 Griswold married Mira Rockwell, a 
 daughter of Sanniel Rockwell. Mrs. 
 Griswold presides over her beautiful 
 home on Lincoln street with grace and 
 tact and is ])rominent in the social and 
 philanthropic life of Meriden. 
 
 GEORGE W. MILLER. 
 
 George W. Miller, first selectman of 
 the town, was born ( )ctober 13. iS.V*^. 
 in Ramapo, jxockland county. \. ^'. 
 At tlu' agi- of twilvi- years he went 
 with his parents to live in Chicoiiec 
 i-"alls. .Ma>s.. where he attended 
 school until sixteen years of age. 
 
 He then went to work for the Mas- 
 sachusetts .\rms Co. on guns and j)is- 
 tols. learning there the trade of a tool 
 maker. 
 
384 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 '^^6r^^£^CeeA^ 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 385 
 
 In i8<32 he removed lo Akriikn 
 where he has since resided and in the 
 latter part of that year went to work 
 lor l^arker, Snow. Brooks & Co., a 
 coneeni engaged in manufactnring 
 Springfield ritles for the U. S. gov- 
 ernment. Mr. Miller was first a tool 
 maker and afterwards a contractor, 
 having charge of getting out the locks 
 for the riHes. He remained in this 
 business until 1868, when in company 
 with his brother, William H. Miller. 
 he started in the manufacture of 
 p<»cket cutlery. From this business 
 grew the Miller Bros. Cutlery Co. and 
 with it he continued until 1878. Mr. 
 Miller then withdrew his interests and 
 started a factory at the corner of 
 George and Mechanic streets where 
 he made [)ocket knives and novelties 
 imtil i8<>). 
 
 .Mr. Millt 1 s(.i\cd as councilman in 
 
 I tin- city government during the years 
 
 \>^f<). 1877 '^^^^ '879; was appointed 
 
 Idiputy collector of internal revenue 
 
 |in \HifC>. serving in this capacity four 
 
 I arv 
 
 in |K<)4 lie was appointed superin- 
 
 leiident of the Meriden water depart- 
 
 |n»'nt. and during his administration of 
 
 ':ir \ears the storage reservoir "llall- 
 
 '< r. .' holding about 140,000.000 gal- 
 
 'I'- was constructed. In iS8j. Mr. 
 
 dilK-r was elected first selectman of 
 
 |lii' town, serving one year. In 1808. 
 
 |Ir .Miller was again elected tn this 
 
 pVi- 1- and has been re-elected annual- 
 
 \«r sitice. His administration has 
 
 ^■'■u practical and economical, h.vi- 
 
 •ntly the |)eopk- of Merirlen consider 
 
 Sm safe and reliable as thcv have 
 
 elected him to this responsible office 
 for a longer term than any of his 
 predecessors. 
 
 His eflforts to secure for Meriden 
 a suitable home for its unfortunate 
 |)oor were successful. Under his su- 
 pervision "Cold Spring Home" was 
 constructed, furnished and occupied 
 within one year from the time the 
 citizens were first called together to 
 consider the matter. All bills for this, 
 including the grading of the grounds, 
 were paid from the original appropria- 
 tion of $40,000 and there was an un- 
 expended balance of over $5,000.00. 
 
 This is but one instance of the many 
 iliat shows his loyalty and devotion 
 to the interests of the town he serves. 
 In these days of graft and mismanage- 
 ment in many other cities, a faithful 
 public servant shoidd be especially 
 commenrled in Meriden. 
 
 Mr. Miller was one of the charter 
 members of St. Elmo commandery. K. 
 T.. with which he is consequently 
 prominently identified. He was mar- 
 ried 1-Vbruary 4. 1863, to Lydia M. 
 Tucker, of Chicopee Falls. Three sons 
 have been born to them: Horace G. 
 .Miller, secretary and treasurer of 
 I'nion Iron Works, of Los Angeles, 
 Cal. : Lewis .\. Miller, secretary of 
 riu- II. Wales Lines Co.. of Meriden. 
 and .Ma.\ V.. Miller, vice presiflent and 
 secretary of The Warner-Miller Co.. 
 • if Xew liaveti. 
 
 DWID N. CAMP. 
 
 David .\eI.son Camp. A. M.. a well- 
 known educator, author and lecturer. 
 
386 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and a former resident and teacher of 
 Meriden, was born in Durham, Mid- 
 dlesex county, Conn., October 3, 1820. 
 He is a son of the late Elah Camp, 
 who during his early life owned a 
 large farm which comprised about 
 one-fifth of the present town of Mer- 
 iden and through which Camp street 
 now extends. David N. Camp is the 
 seventh in line descended from Nicho- 
 las Camp, of Naseby, Eng., whose son, 
 Samuel was one of the first settlers 
 of Milford, Conn. From the last 
 named have descended his son, 
 Nathan, of Durham, the paternal 
 grandfather of the subject. 
 
 His mother was Orit (Lee) Camp, 
 a direct lineal descendant of Theophi- 
 lus Eaton, the first governor of New 
 Haven colony. Prof. Camp received 
 his early education in both public and 
 private schools and after preparing 
 for college, although prevented from 
 taking his course by illness, he con- 
 tinued, studying with private tutors, 
 and received the honorary degree of 
 A. M. from Yale college in 1853. He 
 became a resident of Meriden in 1846, 
 having previously lived here for a few 
 months during the year 1841. 
 
 Prof. Camp began teaching in the 
 public schools of Guilford and later 
 taught at Branford and Upper Mid- 
 dletown. From 1848 to 1850 he be- 
 came one of the instructors at the old 
 Meriden Academy, which then excel- 
 lent school he left in 1850 to become 
 professor of mathematics, natural and 
 moral philosophy and geography at 
 the Connecticut State Normal school 
 which was opened that year. In 1855 
 
 he became associate principal of the 
 State Normal School and also was 
 professor of English (language and 
 literature) and mental philosophy, 
 theory and practice of teaching. He 
 was appointed principal of the State 
 Normal School and also state superin- ' 
 tendent of schools in 1857, both of ' 
 which offices he filled with great ben- , 
 efit to Connecticut until 1865, when I 
 on account of ill health, he resigned . 
 and went at once abroad. 
 
 While engaged in European travel, 
 and during his quest of health, when 1 
 he visited many of the educational in- 
 stitutions of Great Britain, he was ap- ; 
 pointed professor at St. John's Col- { 
 lege, Annapolis, Md., and upon his re- ^ 
 turn from Etirope assisted in reopen- ; 
 ing that college after the close of the ; 
 Civil War. When Henry Barnard , 
 LL. D., president of the college, re- 
 signed to accept the appointment of 
 commissioner of the National Bureau i 
 of Education, Prof. Camp resigned . 
 his professorship, then in 1867, and i 
 went with Dr. Barnard to Washinij- i 
 ton, and entered the U. S. educational | 
 service ; but in 1868 returned to Mer- 
 iden, upon the death of his father, 
 whose large estate he afterwards set- 
 tled. 
 
 From 1870 to 1880 he again became 
 a professor at a New Britain seminary 
 but since 1880 has devoted his efforts 
 to a broader educational field and as ;i 
 writer, author, lecturer and meinber 
 of various educational, scientific, his- 
 torical and missionary societies, has 
 done as much as any man in the state 
 in educating both voung and old. 
 
KlMCkAI'lllKS. 
 
 387 
 
388 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 He was one of the organizers of the 
 National Council of Education of 
 which he is still a member ; has been 
 one of the directors of the Missionary 
 Society of Connecticut since 1875 and 
 of that society was its auditor for fif- 
 teen years ; and he has been president 
 of the society since 1900; he is also a 
 member of the Connecticut Historical 
 Society, and has appeared on the pub- 
 lic platform more than 400 times as 
 a lecturer on educational topics. 
 Prof. Camp is also a prominent figure 
 in financial and manufacturing circles, 
 having since 1874 been a director and 
 since 1883 vice president of the New 
 Britain National bank ; president of 
 the Skinner Chuck Mfg. Co. since 
 1887 ; of the Atkins Printing Co. from 
 1875, and a director of several other 
 corporations. His bright career in 
 public life began in 1871 when he be- 
 came a member of the New Britain 
 common council. The year following 
 he was a member of the board of al- 
 dermen, in which body he served four 
 years. He was elected mayor of New 
 Britain and held that office from 1877- 
 79. After his creditable administra- 
 tion as ma}or he was chosen a mem- 
 ber of the state legislature from New 
 Britain in 1879 ; and served the year 
 following as chairman of the Com- 
 mittee on Education. He was mar- 
 ried June 25, 1844, to Sarah Adaline 
 Howd, and their children have been 
 Ellen R. and Emma Jane Camp. 
 
 Prof. Camp enjoys a wide personal 
 acquaintance in ^^leriden, the home of 
 earlier days, and which has ever been 
 proud to claim him as one of its own. 
 
 JOHN IVES. 
 
 John Ives, of Meriden, is perhaps 
 the oldest dry goods merchant in Con- 
 necticut, having been a proprietor in 
 continuous business either alone or 
 with others since 1847. He was born 
 December 25, 1825, on the old Ives 
 homestead in the southeast district of 
 Meriden. the fifth son of a family of 
 ten children, is a member of the Con- 
 necticut Sons of the American Revo- 
 lution, is descended from one of the 
 oldest and most infiuential families of 
 this vicinity, and is now, with his 
 younger brother, Frederick Wight- 
 man Ives, the only survivor of his 
 father's family. His father, Othniel 
 Ives, was twice married ; first October 
 8, 1800, to Sarah Yale and to whom 
 four children were born ; she died No- 
 vember 24, 1 814. On October 26, 
 181 5, he was again married to Rosetta 
 Yale, sister of his first wife, to whom 
 six children were born. John Ives, 
 the fourth child of the second mar- 
 riage, was left an orphan at the age 
 of four years, and with an older 
 Ijrother, Othniel, continued to live on 
 the home place until he was sixteen 
 years of age. He then went to live 
 with Squire Eli C. Birdsey whom he 
 had chosen as his guardian. His 
 school education was acquired in the 
 southeastern district and at Posts 
 Academy. Shortly after the death of 
 his guardian, in 1844, he went to New 
 York City, to seek employment which 
 he obtained from Simpson & Ben- 
 ham, a firm engaged in the tin and 
 britannia trade, composed of the late 
 
CIOGRAPIIIi:S. 
 
 389 
 
390 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Hon. Samuel Simpson, of Walling- 
 ford, and Darius Benham, iormerly of 
 Aleriden. Later he accepted a posi- 
 tion as clerk in the then famous hat 
 store of Leary & Co., located under 
 the old Astor House in New York 
 City, where his lirother, Isaac I., was 
 formerly employed, and a concern in 
 which his Ives relatives were finan- 
 cially interested. Two years later, 
 upon the advice of his brother-in-law, 
 Eli Butler, he went to Alabama, 
 where the latter conducted a general 
 store in Perry county, and where Mr. 
 Ives remained until 1847. He then 
 returned to Meriden and engaged in 
 the dry goods business in the store 
 formerly carried on by Squire Birdsey 
 and in partnership with Linus Bird- 
 sey, under the style of Birdsey & 
 Ives. In 1853 the partnership was 
 dissolved and Mr. Ives built a new 
 store on Broad street, in which, 
 with his brother, Russell Ives, as 
 Ives Brothers, and afterward alone, 
 he continued business until 1865. In 
 that year when Colonel C. L. Upham 
 ^ and Lieutenant Philip C. Rand, who 
 had previously been clerks for Mr. 
 Ives, returned from their service in the 
 Civil war, Mr. Ives with them both as 
 partners, formed the well known dry 
 goods firm of Ives, Upham & Rand. 
 The firm continued oti Broad street 
 and also opened another store on Col- 
 ony street, in the location now occu- 
 pied by Howard Bros., which was 
 then known as West ]\Ieriden. Both 
 of these stores were carried on for 
 some years and until the up-town 
 store on Broad street was finally dis- 
 
 posed of. The firm gradually out- 
 grew their first Colony street loca- 
 tion, and upon the completion of the 
 Winthrop Hotel block, in 1883, thcv 
 removed thereto and have retained 
 that location, which, although exten- 
 sively enlarged, was then thought to 
 be amply spacious for many years to 
 come. In addition to looking after 
 his mercantile business, Mr. Ives 
 served efficiently as town clerk of Aler- 
 iden from 1854 to 1865, when he de- 
 clined longer to serve in that office. 
 He has continuously been one of the- 
 directors of the Meriden National 
 bank since 1863 ! was one of the 
 founders of the i\Ieriden Cemetery 
 Association, owners of the Walnut 
 Grove cemetery, and from its organ- 
 ization in 1875 has held the offices of 
 director, secretary and treasurer of 
 that corporation. From 1853 he has 
 been a member of the First Baptist 
 church. In politics, while he was 
 born and raised a Democrat of the 
 old school, he has been identified with 
 the Republican party since the stror.g 
 pro-slavery demonstrations of i858-(;, 
 to which he was strongly opposed. 
 Mr. Ives was married first to Alina. 
 daughter of the late Eli C. Birdsey 
 in 1847; she died in 1856. He was 
 again married December 5. 1858. to 
 Wealthy Sage Merwin, of Durham. 
 Conn., and to whom two children 
 were born : Leland Howard, asso- 
 ciated in business with his father, and 
 Harriet W., wife of Judge James P. 
 Piatt, of Meriden. Mr. Ives" resi- 
 dence on Broad street comprises the 
 buiding erected and manv years oc- 
 
I!IOGRAPlIII-:S. 
 
 391 
 
 ciipii'tl 1>\ ]iini as a store l)ut in after 
 Ncars rc-motlelcd for residence i)ur- 
 
 WILLIAM TACKSOX R'ES. 
 
 IVrhaps no deceased resident of 
 Aieriden left behind him to a fuller 
 extent the respect of the community 
 tlian William Jackson Ives. He was 
 born in Meriden July 28, 1815, and 
 was a worthy representative of one of 
 the oldest families in this vicinity. 
 \\'atrous Ives, son of Amasa and Re- 
 l)ecca Ives who September 15, 1809, 
 married Polly Yale and had ten chil- 
 dren. William Jackson Ives being the 
 third. 
 
 He was l»rouc:;'ht up on the old Ives 
 farm, attended the district school, and 
 as a younj^ man drove a peddler's 
 team from Meriden to the Southern 
 tStates and sold the goods made by the 
 Itiien small factory of Charles Parker 
 vhich was conducted under the 
 lame of Parker & White, and being 
 onsidered an extra good salesman, 
 lis services were highly appreciated 
 >y the concern. He afterwards be- 
 anie a manufacturer, engaging in 
 taking suspender webbing in East 
 leriden, but his factory was de- 
 royed by fire, and he afterwards 
 Ipened a general store at Benton, Ala. 
 his store was conducted with re- 
 arkable [)rofit to himself and later 
 ith his two partners, who consisted 
 his brother Stephen and his book- 
 vper. William Sayre. After the 
 rtnershif) was formed he spent 
 iluoli of his time in the Xorth buv- 
 
 ing goods for the store and still con- 
 tinued to carry on his farm in aieri- 
 den. The Civil War made many poor 
 debtors of their customers, composed 
 of large plantation owners of the 
 South ; and the firm on account of 
 this, sustained a great pecuniary loss, 
 including a large store and warehouse, 
 none of which was recovered by Mr. 
 Ives. After the town had been burnt 
 by the Union armies he returned to 
 Meriden, abandoning his interests in 
 the South and remained here the Ijal- 
 ance of his life. 
 
 At his well cultivated farm he 
 raised many valuable horses which oc- 
 cui)ation was very congenial to him : 
 as he was not only a great lover of 
 well bred animals but understood 
 thoroughly their successful raising. 
 As a stock farmer he was no less for- 
 tunate than in any other of his un- 
 dertakings ; and many were the val- 
 uable specimens of the equine race 
 which he sold at handsome figures. 
 
 Mr. Ives was widely respected by 
 his fellow townsmen and a man who 
 held to the fullest extent their con- 
 fidence. During his life he settled 
 many estates, and he seems to have 
 been a most natural personage for oth- 
 ers to go to for advice in business 
 and other matters. He was generous 
 to the worthy poor, public spiritc<l and 
 very considerate of his -neighbors by 
 whom he was highly regarded. An 
 active member of the First P)aptist 
 church, he took a (leej> interest in the 
 welfare of that society. He was a 
 Democrat in his political sympathies. 
 He served in both branches of the 
 
392 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 393 
 
 city government and April i, 1850,. 
 was elected a representative to serve 
 Meriden in the state legislature. 
 
 He was married September i, 1841, 
 to Lucy Julia Birdsey, daughter of 
 Gershom and Lucy (Coe) Birdsey, 
 and their children were as follows : 
 William Birdsey, born October 27, 
 1843 ; Ellena Lucy, born JNIarch 24, 
 1847. deceased; Elizabeth and Carrie, 
 both of whom died in infancy, and 
 (ieorge W'., born August 8, 1861, and 
 died April 17, 1889. William B. Ives, 
 an influential man of affairs, and 
 from his birth a resident of Meriden, 
 is the only one surviving. William 
 Jackson Ives, his father, and the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, died at his home 
 in Meriden May 16. 1887, and was 
 
 uried in the East cemeterv. 
 
 BENJAMIN H. CATLIN, M. D. 
 
 Benjamin Hopkins Catlin, M. D. 
 
 I deceased), eldest son of Benjamin 
 
 [nd Rhoda (Catlin) Catlin, was born 
 
 aigust 10, 1 801, in the town of Har- 
 
 inton. Litchfield county. Conn. Dr. 
 
 Catlin came of a long line of distin- 
 
 juished ancestry, one dc Catlin hav- 
 
 jig been a follower of William the 
 
 anrjueror, and the first American an- 
 
 I'stor having come to Hartford in 
 
 ji^j. where he and his son were very 
 
 ominent in colonial affairs. 
 
 [Dr. Catlin had more than the usual 
 
 iucational advantages of a country 
 
 Uy of his da\ , the district school 
 
 wrk being followed by study at an 
 
 aademy in his native town unrler the 
 
 tjtion of the Rev. Luther Hart, and 
 
 medical training under several prom- 
 inent physicians, and at ^'ale, where 
 he was graduated March 4, 1825. 
 On July 12 of the same year he opened 
 an office at Haddam. Conn., filling a 
 vacancy made by the death of Dr. 
 Andrew Warner. He soon had a 
 large practice and remained over six- 
 teen years. Then, at the request of 
 some of the leading citizens of Meri- 
 
 ^ i^* 
 
 ^^'» 
 
 i;i:.\j.\Mi.\ II. (All. I.N, M. I). 
 
 den, he came to this city to till the 
 vacancy caused by the death of Dr. 
 Wyllis WoodrufT. His fee in his 
 early practice was but tifty cents. 
 He practiced during the latter period 
 of Dr. Hfiugh. with whom he held 
 considtations in serious cases, and 
 who extended him not only all the 
 usual courtesies of the i)rofessiou but 
 
394 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 a warm personal friendship as well. 
 Dr. Catlin was early elected a Fel- 
 low of the Connecticut Medical Socie- 
 ty. In 1854 he was elected vice-pres- 
 ident of the society, re-elected in 1855, 
 appointed president in 1856, and 
 elected in 1857. In 1840 he was 
 given the honorary degree of M. D, 
 by Yale. He was always very activ.- 
 in both state and national medical cir- 
 cles, being a prominent member of 
 the American Medical Association 
 from 1853 imtil his death, and often 
 attending its annual meetings as del- 
 egate from the state society. In 
 i860 he was elected an honorary mem- 
 ber of the New York Medical Socie- 
 ty, and in 1869 a corresponding mem- 
 ber of the Gynaecological Society of 
 Boston. In 1871 he was president 
 of the annual meeting of the Ameri- 
 can Medical Society. He was the 
 chief promoter in the establishment of 
 the state Board of Health, and his 
 writings upon the subject of sanitary 
 conditions were widely read and had 
 much influence in the prevention of 
 disease. 
 
 Dr. Catlin held many important po- 
 sitions in the community aside from 
 those connected with his profession. 
 He was director of the Home Nation- 
 al Bank, and was either president or 
 vice-president of the Meriden Savings 
 Bank from the time of its organiza- 
 tion. At the time of the removal of 
 the First Congregational church to 
 West Aleridcn he was elected deacon 
 for life and held the ofifice of treasurer 
 of the church until the January before 
 his death. 
 
 As a physician Dr. Catlin en j eye 
 the fullest confidence and esteem c 
 the whole community. As a man h 
 was unassuming but earnest and up 
 right, firm in principle and consisten 
 in every deed. 
 
 His death, which occurred Febru 
 ary 18, 1880, brought a sense of per 
 sonal loss to all Meriden, and hi 
 memory will live for many years tf 
 come. 
 
 On September 9, 1835, Dr. Catlii 
 was married to Amelia Deborah Spen- 
 cer, born November 4, 181 1, daughtoi 
 of William and Deborah (Selden' 
 Spencer. To this marriage came 
 (i) Benjamin Spencer Catlin, borr 
 September 14, 1837, died February 15. 
 1871 ; he was in the Civil war from 
 1862 to 1865, serving as surgeon of 
 the Second N. Y. V. I. and Twenty- 
 first N. Y. V. Cav. (2) William Hop- 
 kins Catlin. The mother died Au- 
 gust 7, 1883. 
 
 WILLIAM HOPKINS CATLIX. 
 
 No mention of the prominent citi- 
 zens of Meriden would be complete 
 without the name of William H. Cat- 
 lin, who was born in this city, August 
 24, 1842, and has always been fore- 
 most in both financial and religious 
 circles. If any one can boast of ;in 
 illustrious American ancestry, that 
 man is Mr. Catlin. Twenty-five '^f 
 his forbears fought in the Indian war- 
 and were members of the General 
 Court ; five served as soldiers in tli<' 
 Revolutionary War, one. Colonel Sam 
 uel Selden, being captured at the tak- 
 
UIOGRAI'HIKS. 
 
 3W: 
 
 ing of Xew ^'<•I■k Cily in ijJ'k ami 
 dying soon after in prison. Mr. Cat- 
 lin's great-grandfather enlisted in 
 1777. when he was fifteen, and re- 
 ceived a pension for his services. 
 
 The subject of this sketcli is a di- 
 rect descen<lant of Rev. Thoinas 
 Hooker, founder of Hartford; of Rev. 
 John \\ ilson. who came to America 
 in I'X^o. ajul was pastor of the First 
 
 Mr. C'ailin was furiunate in receiv- 
 ing,^ a good education at the district 
 school in Meriden. and afterwards at 
 the Hopkins (irammar school in Xew 
 Haven. His first work was teaching 
 school iluring the winter of iSf)i-6j 
 at Xortlieast. Mrie Co.. I'a. Hut he 
 soon felt that the place for him was 
 in the army helping to preserve the 
 I'nion. and. relurniuij" to Meriden, he 
 
 \ I 1.^ \ Ki I I I \i ,1 . \\ I > 1 II \ K 
 
 hurch of Iioston ; of Rev. Koger 
 'ewton. first pastor of the I'arming- 
 l>ii ciujrch : of Rev. John Warham. 
 ih" eanic from Plymouth, England, 
 |i i'>.V'. a^fl ^^'ss first pastor of the 
 liiirch at W'inflsor. Conn.; and of 
 Iliad I'lfown. who in i(^2, was or- 
 |iit)e<i as ilie first .settled pa.stor of 
 
 <■ 1 baptist church at IVovidcncc. 
 
 was one of the first half dozen to form 
 (.'ompany .\, Fifteenth Connecticut 
 \'oluntecrs. His coni])any was mus- 
 tered into the army .\ugust 2$, 1862, 
 and in a few days left for Washing- 
 ion. Mr. Catlin, with tlie rest of his 
 com|)any. fought valiantly during 
 many important engagements for over 
 three years until the end of the war. 
 and was mustered out in lime. i8<»v 
 
396 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Mr. Catlin then found himself in 
 Erie, Pa., and from 1865 to 1867 he 
 acted as bookkeeper in the hardware 
 store of John C. Selden. After a 
 winter spent at his old home in Mer- 
 iden he felt the call of the West and 
 went out to Alissouri, where he 
 bought a ranch in Barton count}-. In 
 1873 he returned to Meriden, in 1877 
 entered the Meriden Savings Bank 
 as clerk, and in 1890 was chosen sec- 
 retary and treasurer, which position 
 he still occupies. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. Catlin was chosen dea- 
 con of the First Congregational 
 church and has always been most ac- 
 tive in everything pertaining to the 
 w^elfare of the church, and most gen- 
 erous in its support. He is inter- 
 ested in all philanthropic works both 
 at home and abroad. He was for two 
 years president of the local Y. M. C. 
 A., and has been one of the leading 
 spirits in the maintenance of the Boys' 
 Club. He is a member of the Board 
 of Park Commissioners, and, in fact, 
 promoters of any good work may look 
 to him for sympathy and co-opera- 
 tion. 
 
 Mr. Catlin was married September 
 13, 1871, in Barton county. Mo., to 
 Helen Mar Bailey, who died June 23, 
 1880. His second wife was Jane 
 Winslow, of North Brookfield, Mass., 
 daughter of David Lilly and Dolly 
 Powers (Harwood) Winslow. Mrs. 
 Catlin's father was a direct descend- 
 ant of Kenelm Winslow. This Ken- 
 elm Winslow is supposed to have 
 come over in the Mayflower on her 
 second vovasfe. Mrs. Catlin's srreat- 
 
 grandfather. Major Peter Harwood, 
 was in the Revolutionary War and 
 was officer of the day when Andre 
 was hanged. She is also a direct de- 
 scendant of Governor Prence and EN 
 der William Brewster. 
 
 RANSOM BALDWIN, SR. 
 
 Ransom Baldwin, Sr. (deceased) 
 was born in Cheshire, Conn., March i, 
 1793, the son of James Baldwin, of 
 that place, then a parish of Walling- 
 ford. His mother's name was Bethia 
 Goodsell. She was a daughter of Ja- 
 cob Goodsell and Lydia Denison of 
 East Haven. 
 
 The family of which Ransom was a 
 member moved to Meriden when he 
 was about two years old and settled 
 on the Westfield road a little way be- 
 yond the present Baldwin's mills. 
 The house is still standing at the 
 crown of the hill and seems likely to 
 last for an indefinite period. 
 
 The father succeeded to the run- 
 ning of the Hough mill which from 
 that time has been known as the Bald- 
 win mill. 
 
 Ransom, at the age of twenty-one, 
 donning his freedom suit, started out 
 for himself as a traveling salesman or 
 peddler, his business taking him, af- 
 ter fitting out at Squire Yale's, down 
 through Virginia, North and South 
 Carolina. 
 
 He followed this business for about 
 twelve years when he retired from its 
 activities and settled upon a farm on 
 the east side of the town, at present 
 occupied by his descendants. In his 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 397 
 
 political sympathies Mr. Baldwin was past century is the late Ransom Bald- 
 
 a life-long Democrat of the Jackson- 
 ian type. 
 
 On November lo, 1823, he married 
 Sarah Twiss, daughter of Joseph 
 
 win, Jr., who died December 25, 1897, 
 at 2yj Wall street, Meriden. An ob- 
 server of men naturally falls into the 
 habit of segregating a personality 
 here and there and collecting around 
 it as a center the events that lead to 
 the making of a successful man. Mr. 
 Baldwin furnishes material for such a 
 study not alone by reason of his con- 
 spicuous business career but because 
 of his high position as a private citi- 
 zen. 
 
 He was the son of Ransom and 
 grandson of James Baldwin, who es- 
 
 RAXSOM P.ALDWIX, SR. 
 
 and Lois Austin Twiss, and remained 
 in jNIeriden on his farm until his death 
 on November 3, 1870, leaving four 
 children: Sarah, who married William 
 Briggs ; Ransom, who married Mary 
 Hall, of Wallingford; Mary E., the 
 wife of Russell Hall ; Justina C, the 
 wife of Benjamin C. Kennard, of Mer- 
 iden. raxso.m i-.ai.dwix, jr. 
 
 tablishcd the saw and grist mill at 
 Baldwin's pond. The old homestead 
 Among the citizens who stand out where James Baldwin lived is still 
 prominently as l)iisincss men of the standing in the eastern part of ]\Ieri- 
 
 RAXSDM T5ALDWTX. JR. 
 
398 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 den. James Baldwin was stirred 
 by and took active part in the Revolu- 
 tionary war. If there was any other 
 goal to the ambition of this sixteen 
 year old boy it was buried under the 
 exciting events of the times. War 
 had 'reared its ugly head and the de- 
 mand was for soldiers. There were 
 other members of the family who par- 
 took of the resistless tendency toward 
 fighting for liberty. Ransom Bald- 
 win's maternal grandfather, Joseph 
 Twiss. enlisted with James Baldwin 
 and both made gallant records for 
 themselves. 
 
 In addition to farming Mr. Baldwin 
 conducted a flour and grain business, 
 the one working in with the other and 
 bringing Mr. Baldwin into closest 
 touch with the resources of Meriden 
 and its business men. The result was 
 natural, he became a large property 
 owner, and, in consequence, a large 
 taxpayer. 
 
 But he is greatly mistaken who 
 thinks Mr. Baldwin was limited to 
 business interests. He read much 
 and thought earnestly on the problems 
 of the day, especially on those prob- 
 lems that pertain to the uplifting of 
 the people. His opinions were not 
 formed to accord with the drift of 
 public opinion but were held with a 
 marked individuality of conviction. 
 He had large humanitarian sympa- 
 thies but believed that a deep religious 
 life should be the vital energy of wise 
 and effective humanitarian effort. He 
 was for many years identified with 
 the First Baptist church, Meriden, to 
 which he was a liberal contributor. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. Baldwin was married 
 to Miss Mary Hall, of Wallingford, 
 who has alwa}s been in the worthiest 
 sense of the word, the "partner" of 
 his business prosperity, and has shared 
 to the fullest measure in his higher 
 thoughts and purposes. Mrs. Bald- 
 win still survives him as also a daugh- 
 ter, Alice A., now Mrs. Charles Mor- 
 gan, and a son. Ransom Leland, one 
 of the leading business men of the 
 towm, whose sketch appears following. 
 Two children have died. Flora C. and 
 Henry H. He left two sisters also 
 who are well known in Meriden, Mrs. 
 B. C. Kennard and ]\Irs. Russell Hall. 
 
 RAXSOM LELAXD BALDWIN. 
 
 The foundation for the thriving 
 grain business of Ransom Leland 
 Baldwin was laid by his father, the 
 late Ransom Baldwin, a sketch of 
 whose life appears above in this 
 volume. The son has successive- 
 ly enlarged his business as the years 
 have brought new experience and 
 strengthened the old, until he has be- 
 come one of the most substantial and 
 promising of the }ornger men of this 
 city. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin, whose mother was 
 Mary Hall, was born January 29, 
 1870, in the house where he has lived 
 ever since. He attended the comnKMi 
 schools and then instead of marching 
 into a new and untried field, he made 
 his father's interests his own and 
 learned the grain business on the home 
 farm consisting of 100 acres. 
 
 The mastery of a business is the 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 399 
 
 ability to meet new conditions and 
 make them a prominent factor of the 
 old. Accordingly when j\Ir. Bald- 
 win's increasing trade, in 1899, de- 
 manded better shipping facilities he 
 built a large elevator on North George 
 street — a commercial depot possess- 
 ing excellent railroad facilities and 
 connected with the X. Y.. N. H. & H. 
 railroad by a spur track. He is able 
 to receive and ship goods in a manner 
 
 RANSOM LELANU BALDWIN. 
 
 satisfactory to himself and his pat- 
 rons. 
 
 The elevator is a brick structure 
 built with every convenience for the 
 handling of grain and it is only nec- 
 essary to visit the big repository 
 whose capacity is from 12,000 to 15,- 
 000 bushels and look at the shutes to 
 1 get a slight hint of the large quantity 
 
 of grain and hay that is handled every 
 day under the owner's capable man- 
 agement. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin has never been satis- 
 fied to follow a narrow business ca- 
 reer, his field widens yearly, a con- 
 dition due to his well balanced com- 
 mercial faculties, tempered with the 
 elements of organization and execu- 
 tion — elements that are whetted by 
 his close attention to business. 
 
 His interests in life are not one- 
 sided. While the goddess of agricul- 
 ture has smiled blandly upon his acres 
 he has also grappled with the prob- 
 lems of finance and conducts a suc- 
 cessful brokerage business in the Byx- 
 beb block. Thus he is brought into 
 close relations with many public men 
 whom he might meet in his regular 
 work. His interest in the welfare of 
 his town is always at heart. 
 
 He belongs to Meriden Center 
 Lodge, F. and A. M.. the Royal Ar- 
 canum, the Meridcn Lodge of Elks, 
 the Grange and the Meriden Business 
 Men's Association. Like his father, 
 he is a member of the First Baptist 
 church. 
 
 WALDO C. TWISS. 
 
 Waldo Clinton Twiss, extensive 
 land owner and one who has built 
 and sold a great number of dwellings 
 in Meriden, was born in Montreal, 
 Can., in 1829, and is, therefore, just 
 the age of the railroad industry. His 
 ])arents were Ira and Vincie (An- 
 drews) Twiss, and his ancestor, Jo- 
 seph Twiss, fought at the l)attle of 
 
400 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Saratoga. His father was a clock-mak- 
 er by trade, and he and his brothers 
 were the first Yankees to manufac- 
 ture clocks in Canada. As a boy the 
 subject of this sketch was of deli- 
 
 plicated, proved a success and he and 
 his father were the pioneers in bag- 
 ging wheat flour of their own manu- 
 facture, the quality of which was very 
 superior to any made. The work of 
 the mills attracted customers from 
 great distances, some of its patrons 
 passing by three others to have their 
 grinding done at Twiss Mills. 
 
 In 1870 he engaged in the lumber 
 business and the building of houses 
 on his own land and at one period of 
 his operations as many as twenty cars 
 of lumber were due at a time for his 
 use. On Twiss street Mr. Twiss has 
 erected manv houses, while Britannia, 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 WALDO C. TWISS. 
 
 cate health which, however, he out- 
 grew. His parents removed to Meri- 
 den when he was seven years old and 
 he was educated in the district 
 schools and Meriden Academy, at- 
 tending later the institute at Suffield. 
 His father, who kept the old tavern 
 at the corner of Broad and East Main 
 streets from 1839 to 1843, became the 
 owner of extensive lands, mostly in 
 the northern section of the town and 
 after erecting saw mills at Twiss pond, 
 gave his son, Waldo, the management 
 of them. The mills, somewhat com- 
 
 IRA TWISS. 
 
 Murray, Clinton and Pearl streets also 
 show the results of his enterprise in 
 building up the town. For many 
 vears Mr. Twiss also carried on a 
 
BIOGRAPHIES- 
 
 401 
 
 building moving business and while 
 he was thus engaged practically all the 
 buildings moved w-ere by him and his 
 men, including the old Baptist and 
 Episcopal churches. In moving the 
 latter a gas pipe was broken, the only 
 breakage of that kind that ever oc- 
 curred in the twent}'-five years he was 
 engaged in business. 
 
 He began to purchase land on an 
 extensive scale during the Civil war 
 time and first bought a large tract for 
 $1,200, and after selling a portion of 
 it sufficient to get his money back, still 
 owned more than he had bought it 
 for, owing to the generous old-fash- 
 ioned measurement. He afterwards 
 bought twenty-three acres from Wil- 
 liam J- Ives, for which he paid $6,- 
 000, and by whom he was not re- 
 quired to give any security other than 
 his word and wdiom he paid out of his 
 sales to others. His next purchase 
 was twenty-three acres, also outside 
 the city limits in the eastern section of 
 the town and where he still owns 
 much land desirable for building pur- 
 poses. 
 
 He was married in i860 to Cor- 
 nelia, daughter of A\'atrous Ives, of 
 Meriden, who died in 1900. after a 
 happy married life of nearly forty 
 years. He has no liviuG: children. 
 
 MARSHALL LEE FORBES. 
 
 Marshall Lee Forbes, a resident of 
 
 leriden, now deceased, and who held 
 
 lie res])ect of the community, was 
 
 "•rn in East Hartford, July 29, 1828. 
 
 md was the son of Orin and ^larv 
 
 26 
 
 Forbes. Coming to this town from 
 Wallingford where he had previously 
 worked, he became employed by the 
 Meriden Britannia Company as a sil- 
 ver plater, wdiich occupation he fol- 
 lowed until his death. He was indus- 
 trious and thrifty in his habits and be- 
 came a property owner and was al- 
 ways known as a citizen of the town, 
 who had its interests at heart. 
 
 MARSHALL LKK FORISES. 
 
 On November 28. 1849, he married 
 .Susan C. Hall, daughter of Hiel and 
 Sarah ( Kirtland ) Hall, of Walling- 
 ford, who si ill survives him and re- 
 sides in the comfortable residence 
 ^vhich he owned some years before his 
 regretted death. Mr. b^orbes served 
 creditably in the city government and, 
 with his wife, was a devoted member 
 
402 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 of St. Andrew's Episcopal church. 
 He was also a prominent member of 
 the Masonic fraternity, being con- 
 nected with the .blue lodge, Walling- 
 ford, and St. Elmo Commandery, 
 Knights Templar. He died April 24, 
 1891, respected by all who knew him. 
 His son, Henry Eorbes, was born 
 in Wallingford January 2, 185 1, was 
 educated in the public schools, but dur- 
 
 HENRY FORBES. 
 
 ing the latter part of his life was in 
 very poor health. When he was 
 eighteen years of age his father built 
 for him a small greenhouse, and upon 
 his advice, the son employed himself 
 in the study and cultivation of flowers. 
 From this small start grew a florist 
 business of quite large proportions, 
 which was carried on for some years 
 with success. 
 
 Henry Forbes married May O. 
 Ward, of Rochester, N. Y., but for- 
 merly of Wallingford. The surround- 
 ings of the greenhouse and the duties 
 involved in conducting it, without 
 question, prolonged the life of the 
 younger Forbes, but at the age of thir- 
 ty he died, after having passed a short 
 but active life. After his death the 
 florist business, which was at that time 
 the largest in Aleriden, was conducted 
 by his wife, a woman of exceptional 
 business ability and energy, who also 
 conducted the store on West Main 
 street, until her death which occurred 
 in 1894, when the business was sold 
 by Mrs. Forbes, Sr., to others who 
 have since conducted it in the green- 
 house adjoining her residence. 
 
 HOMER CURTISS. 
 
 Homer Curtiss, deceased, was born 
 August 4, 1800, at the Curtiss Home- 
 stead, on Curtis street, where his 
 father was also born. He spent sev- 
 eral years while a young man, first in 
 teaching school, and later as clerk m 
 a store which he left because his pr-n- 
 ciples forbade his selling liquor. He 
 thus early took a stand on the tem- 
 perance question which he maintained 
 by precept and example throughout 
 his life. 
 
 About 1833, in partnership with 
 Harlow Isbell, he commenced the 
 manufacture of latch keys, and later 
 of locks and knobs, in a building lo- 
 cated near the corner of Church 
 street and High School avenue. 
 About 1845 the factory was removed 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 403 
 
 to the site now occupied by the Brad- 
 ley & Hubbard Alfg. Co.. the firm lie- 
 intj: Curtiss, Morgan & Co. 
 
 In 1855 the factory was destroyed 
 by fire and the business removed to 
 Norwalk and organized as the Nor- 
 walk Lock Co. In 1857 Mr. Curtiss 
 returned to Meriden and remained 
 until 1 86 1 when he removed to New 
 York. There he was engaged in the 
 
 HOMER CURTISS. 
 
 hardware business until failing health 
 comjjelled him to retire from active 
 business and he returned to Meriden 
 where he died Alay 30, 1880. 
 
 Mr. Curtiss in early life united 
 with the First Congregational church, 
 and went with that church when it 
 moved to Colony street. In 1848 he 
 was elected a life deacon and served 
 
 until he moved to X'orwalk. He was 
 superintendent of the Sunday school 
 and was for many years a teacher 
 there. Soon after he removed to New 
 York, there being a strong pro-slav- 
 ery sentiment in the community, he 
 with several members of the Presby- 
 terian church which he attended, 
 founded Pilgrims Church, now locat- 
 ed on 123rd street, to propagate anti- 
 slavery principles ; and he was a dea- 
 con and loyal supporter of that church 
 until his return to Meriden. 
 
 In 1835 ^^^ married Julia Ann Up- 
 son. They had four children, all of 
 whom are living. 
 
 Mr. Curtiss was fearless in follow- 
 ing his convictions and "Dared to be 
 in the right with two or three." 
 Early in the history of the Anti- 
 Slavery agitation he and Mrs. Cur- 
 tiss became ardent adherents of that 
 cause and gave to it freely of their 
 time and substance, frequently sufifer- 
 ing serious loss in consequence. 
 'I^heir home was a station of the ''Un- 
 derground Railway" and many fugi- 
 tives passed through it on their way 
 to freedom. 
 
 Mr. Curtiss maintained an unblem- 
 ished reputation as a business mim 
 and Christian citizen through his lon.g 
 life, being everywhere respected and 
 l(jved, and his "works do follow him." 
 
 HENRY J. CHURCH, 
 
 Henry James Church, during his 
 life, was one of the oldest and best 
 known men engaged in the undertak- 
 ing Inisiness in the state. While born 
 
404 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 at East Haven a greater part of his 
 useful life was spent in Meriden where 
 he died May 20, 1903. The date of 
 his birth was August i, 183 1. He 
 was a son of James and Huldaii 
 (Barnes) Church and was descended 
 from Thomas Church, who cair.c 
 from England in 1680 and settled in 
 Plainfield, Conn. Henry J. Church's 
 grandfather, a farmer of Haddam and 
 a Continental soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary war, was taken a prisoner by 
 the British and being confined in their 
 prison ship in New York harbor, es- 
 caped by swimming, a feat wliich 
 historians record as unequalled by any 
 other man during the Revolution. 
 Mr. Church was also descended from 
 patriotic ancestry on the maternal 
 side ; for his grandfather, Isaac 
 Barnes, a farmer of East Haven, en- 
 listed during the Revolution and un- 
 der Benedict Arnold marched from 
 New Haven to Ticonderoga. 
 
 Henry Church, father of Henry J., 
 a shoemaker by trade, and who spent 
 many years engaged in the retail shoe 
 business in the West Indies, served 
 his country as a soldier in the War of 
 1812. He died in East Haven m 
 1839, and his son, Henry J., who 
 spent his boyhood in his native town, 
 New Britain and Meriden, was the 
 last of seven children to survive him. 
 
 Apprenticed as a cabinet maker in 
 1847, he became a skilled workman at 
 that trade and later became a clerk in 
 a Meriden furniture store. When the 
 Civil war broke out he followed the 
 example set by his forefathers and in 
 August, 1862, enlisted from Meriden 
 
 in Company F, 15th Conn. \'ols. He 
 took almost immediate active service 
 at the front and his regiment was en- 
 gaged in the battle of Fredericksburg 
 and the siege of Sufifolk. He was 
 later assigned to the subsistence de- 
 partment of the Army of the Potomac 
 under General Burnside with whom 
 he remained until 1863, but continued 
 in active service in the North Caro- 
 lina district until the close of hostili- 
 ties. After receiving his honorable 
 discharge July 8, 1865, he returned to 
 Aleriden and engaged in tlie under- 
 taking business. Through the evi- 
 dent painstaking service he rendered 
 the people, many years before his 
 death he had established the largest, 
 oldest and best known establishment 
 within several miles of the city. Of a 
 naturally kindl}' and humane disposi- 
 tion, lie could not fail to win the 
 personal gratitude and regard of all 
 who employed him. He was usuall\ 
 called to arrange the services in cases 
 of bereavement not entirely confined 
 to the older and leading fanulies. 
 During his life he officiated at the ser- 
 vices of over 6,000 people but drr- 
 ing the latter years of his life was as- 
 sisted by his son, Louis H. Church, 
 who succeeded him upon his re- 
 gretted decease. 
 
 He was a member and ])ast ])resi- 
 dent of the New England and tin' 
 Connecticut L^ndertakers' Associations 
 and stood high as was possible for 
 any man to stand in his professit)n. 
 He was a prominent member and past 
 commander of Merriam Post, (I. A. 
 R. ; served as a member of the city 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 405 
 
 government in both the Common 
 Council and Board of Aldermen ; was 
 a member of the higher branches of 
 the Masonic order, being connected 
 with the St. Elmo Commandery, K. 
 r., and was a past master of Meridian 
 l.odge. A. F. & A. M. ; he was also a 
 charter member of Myrtle Lodge, K. 
 of W : Silver City Lodge, No. 3, A. 
 O. I'. \\'.. and was an honorary mem- 
 ber of Meriden Center Lodge, Xo. 68, 
 L O. O. F. 
 
 lie was married in 1853 to Eliza- 
 beth, daughter of Luke T. and Eliz- 
 abeth (Foster) Draper, of Monson, 
 Mass., and they had five children, of 
 whom Louis H. is the only one sur- 
 viving. Mr. Church is remembered, 
 not onl\- as a man who conducted his 
 business on a plane with the profes- 
 sions, but one who w^as a good citi- 
 zen, neighbor and friend indeed to all 
 who knew him. 
 
 LOUIS H. CHURCH. 
 
 Louis Henry Church, Meriden's 
 leading funeral director and who in 
 business succeeded his father, the late 
 Henry J. Church, was born in Meri- 
 den January 15, 1878. His education 
 in the local public schools was fol- 
 lowed by an attendance at the schools 
 of embalming from which he grad- 
 uated. I'ew \oung men have been 
 favored with better training for their 
 profession, but he was never sent to 
 college to be taught to think. Froir. 
 boyhood he became associated with 
 his father, who taught him in the old 
 and thorough wav his life's calliuij-. 
 
 and the high standard of which he has 
 alwaAs maintained. The present well 
 equipped establishment, the oldest in 
 Meriden, stands near the site where 
 \oung Mr. Church was born and he 
 naturally became an undertaker. 
 Perhaps never was the saying "like 
 father like son" more forcibly illus- 
 trated than in Louis Church and his 
 deceased father, Henr\- Church. He 
 not only resembles him in personal 
 appearance, except being taller in 
 stature, but in actions, methods and 
 dis])osition. That he fills in an offi- 
 cial capacity the place in the busi- 
 ness world made vacant by the loss 
 of his father is a fact fully conceded 
 by the better and older families of 
 this vicinity by whom he is constant- 
 1\' employed and has enjoyed an ac- 
 quaintance with for many years. 
 While imbued with the teachings of 
 his father who was of the old school, 
 he is also an authority on the mod- 
 ern methods of the business of which 
 he has become master. 
 
 The first glance at the establish- 
 ment he conducts suggests to the vis- 
 itor nothing as to the nature of the 
 work done there unless he looks fur- 
 ther than the large and nicely fur- 
 nished office, finished in well polished 
 hardwood fittings : but hidden from 
 view is a full Hedged morgue. Ad- 
 joining the office is a mortuary chap- 
 el and beyond that a workroom. The 
 office is never closed night or day and 
 two competent assistants are em- 
 ])loyed. 
 
 Mr. Church. lia\-ing bec'ii born and 
 brought u]) in llie business which he 
 
4o6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 ^^^^^^^^B 5 
 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^ 
 
 ^ ' ' '^ 9| 
 
 
 ^j|^^ 1 
 
 ,# i 
 
 ■J^LI 
 
 ^L 
 
 ^-.;j;;,f;v, -^-ia^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 407 
 
4o8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 has by study and long practice devel- 
 oped to a scientific standard, enjoys 
 the fullest confidence of the commun- 
 ity. His funeral arrangements are 
 always to be relied upon in every de- 
 tail which he attends to with that 
 kindly consideration for the feelings 
 of his fellowmen which must be in- 
 born. 
 
 As a resident of IMeriden Mr. 
 Church is held in high regard by the 
 citizens. He resides with his family 
 in the old Church homestead. 78 
 Pleasant street, and is a prominent 
 figure in social life. From early 
 manhood he has been an active mem- 
 ber of the First Methodist church, of 
 Meriden, in which he takes a 
 deep interest. He is also a member 
 of several fraternal organizations. 
 He is identified with the Masons, 
 holding membership with Meridian 
 Lodge, j-j, A. F. & A. M. ; Meriden 
 Center Lodge, 68, L O. O. F. ; Meri- 
 den Lodge, 35, B. P. O. Elks; Myr- 
 tle Lodge, 4, Knights of Pythias ; Col- 
 umbia Council, American Mechanics ; 
 Alfred H. Hall Council, Royal Arca- 
 num ; Charles L. Upham Camp, Sons 
 of Veterans, and is one of the charter 
 members of the Colonial Club of 
 Meriden. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican. He is also a member of the 
 Meriden Business Men's Association 
 and the Connecticut L-ndertakers' As- 
 sociation. He stands at the head of 
 his profession and has met with fa- 
 vor from a fastidious clientele, the re- 
 sult of the fact that he has attained 
 his position by the merit of his own 
 cfi'ort. 
 
 He is married to Maude Lillian 
 Marshall, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and 
 they have the following named chil- 
 dren : Grace Huntington, Annie 
 Louise and Elizabeth Augusta. 
 
 THE MCRDOCK FA^HLY. 
 
 The first of the ]\Iurdock family to 
 come to this country was Peter, son 
 of John Murdock and Mary ( ALin- 
 son) Murdock. They were natives of 
 Scotland but removed to Limerick, 
 Ireland, on account of religious per- 
 secutions. John Murdock was a loyal 
 subject of \A'illiam of Orange in whose 
 interests he sacrificed nearly all his. 
 property. For this reason Peter was 
 sent to live with his uncle, also named 
 Peter, in the north of England. At 
 seventeen }ears of age he emigrated 
 to this country, landing in Philadel- 
 phia with but a crown in his pocket. 
 Naturally of a frugal and industrious- 
 disposition, he saved enough to go in- 
 to mercantile business. He, later,, 
 settled on Long Island and married 
 Mary E. Fithin, of Southampton. 
 He then opened a store in East Hamp- 
 ton which he left in charge of his 
 wife while he engaged in the coasting 
 trade with a small vessel. He pur- 
 chased later, 2,200 acres of land at 
 Little Egg Harbor, N. J., and 840 
 acres more at what is now Westbrook, 
 Conn., removing his store to the let- 
 ter town and continuing there initil 
 his death November 6, 1755. 
 
 John Murdock. only child of Peter 
 and Mary, was born in East Hampton. 
 Long Island, in 1706. He became 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 409 
 
 i 
 
 
4IO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 a large land owner and a successful 
 farmer in Westbrook, and was one of 
 the deacons of the Congregational 
 church, major in the colonial militia, 
 judge of the Court of Common Pleas 
 of New London county and also rep- 
 resented the town of Saybrook in the 
 legislature. He married Phebe Sill 
 of Lyme, who died ten months after 
 the marriage. His second wife was 
 Frances Conklin of East Hampton 
 who bore him thirteen children and 
 three of their sons were graduates of 
 Yale College. 
 
 William ]\Iurdock, son of John, 
 born i\ugust 31, 1740, was a farmer 
 in Westbrook ; he married Jerusha 
 Lay of Lyme and they had thirteen 
 children. His fourth child, Peter 
 Murdoch, the patriot, was a cabin 
 boy, serving three voyages on the pri- 
 vateers "John Jay" and "Thomas Mar- 
 shall" during the Revolution and re- 
 ceived $300 prize money on the first 
 trip. In later life he was a farmer in 
 Westbrook. He married Mrs. Bath- 
 sheba (Dodge) Bush, widow of John 
 Bush, of East Lyme. To this union 
 were born the following children : 
 Polly U., who became Mrs. DeWolf, 
 of Clinton, Conn. ; Charles and Delia, 
 twins, the latter of whom married 
 Edw. Dowd, and was the mother of 
 Zina Dowd, of Meriden ; Emeline, who 
 married Horace Nettleton, of Clinton, 
 Conn. ; Zina Kelsey, and Matthew 
 Griswold. Mrs. Murdock by her 
 marriage to John Bush was the moth- 
 er of Fenner, John and Amaziah 
 lUish, Fenner Bush being prominent 
 in his dav in the manufacturing life 
 
 of Meriden ; Mr. Murdock died at 
 Westbrook in 1853. 
 
 Zina Kelsey Murdock was born at 
 Westbrook, March 2, 181 1, and re- 
 ceived his education there. Although 
 in delicate health, but being ambitious, 
 at the age of fourteen, he walked from 
 Westbrook to Meriden where his half 
 brother, Fenner Bush was engaged in 
 manufacturing ivory combs, in whose 
 employ he worked for several years, 
 finally becoming the partner of Cur- 
 tis L. North and carried on a trading 
 business along the shores of the Mis- 
 sissippi and Ohio rivers, leaving Mr. 
 North to manage the insurance and 
 investment business in Meriden. The 
 outcome not being satisfactory to Mr. 
 Murdock, he dissolved partnership, 
 leaving Mr. North in full possession. 
 He later bought a large farm on Mur- 
 dock avenue, where his son, George 
 B. Murdock now resides. Mr. Mur- 
 dock was a man of strong character 
 and believed in every man receiving 
 his just rights. He was also a man 
 possessed of indomitable courage and 
 energy, a well trained mind and cul- 
 tivated intellect. 
 
 During the so-called Meriden riots 
 in 1837, Mr. Murdock, with several 
 other advocates of free speech, took 
 a stand in favor of allowing the Rev. 
 Mr. Ludlow to lecture on anti-slav- 
 ery, wdiich in consequence of the pre- 
 vailing sentiment in Meriden caused 
 a mob to gather during which the de- 
 fenders of free speech were severely 
 injured. 
 
 Mr. Murdock was a Whig in poli- 
 tics during the existence of that party. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 411 
 
 bill during the last years of his hfe 
 supported the Democratic party. He 
 never sought or accepted any pohtical 
 office. Both Mr. Murdock and his 
 wife belonged to old Congregational 
 families antl were members of that 
 church but in later life joined the 
 Episcopal church. 
 
 He married Harriet AI. Bronson, 
 daughter of Judge Bennet and An- 
 na (Smith) Bronson, of Waterbury, 
 to whom three children were born: 
 Mary E., October 8, 1843 ! George 
 Bronson, February 25, 1846, and 
 Charles Z., ]\lay i, 1850. Mr. Mur- 
 dock died January 30, 1874, and his 
 wife survived him twenty years, pass- 
 ing away in 1895. 
 
 George B. Murdock, oldest son of 
 Zina K. and Harriet M. Murdock, at- 
 tended the Meriden public schools, 
 Mcriden Academy and the Russell 
 Military Academy at New Haven. 
 He grew to manhood on the farm 
 where he has always remained en- 
 gaged in general agriculture. 
 
 .Mr. Murdock is one of the directors 
 of the Meriden Savings Bank and was 
 one of the organizers of the Meriden 
 Grange, the first three years of which 
 he was master. He was married in 
 Meriden in 1896 to Harriet Elizabeth 
 Graves, of Xew Haven. Their chil- 
 dren arc George Peter, born May 11, 
 1897; Harriet Josephine, born Octo- 
 l>er 22, 1898, and Bennet Bronson, 
 born January 15. kjoi. 
 
 Charles Zina .Murdock. youngest 
 son of Zina K. and Harriet M. ( I'ron- 
 son) Murdock. was born on his fath- 
 er's farm May i. 1850. He attended 
 
 the 2\leriden public schools and the 
 Meriden Acadeni}- and also the Rus- 
 sell Military Academy at Xew Haven. 
 
 He remained upon the home farm 
 until ■ he was thirty-eight }-ears old. 
 previous to which he was engaged in 
 general agriculture and dairy farm- 
 ing. In 1888, by agreement with his 
 mother and brother, he took one hun- 
 dred acres of his father's estate on 
 Paddock avenue, upon the highest ele- 
 vation of which he has erected his 
 present modern residence. 
 
 He is a member of the Meriden 
 Grange and belongs to no other so.- 
 ciety ; is domestic in his tastes, well 
 versed in the topics of the day and is 
 an extensive reader of the best lit- 
 erature. 
 
 He was married March 6, 1889, to 
 Miss Alice C. Carter, who is remem- 
 bered as a woman of marked beauty, 
 a warm and generous heart and cul- 
 tivated mind, with a keen apprecia- 
 tion of the highest and noblest in 
 daily life, and who died April 25, 1891, 
 and was buried in the West cemetery 
 at Meriden. But one child was born 
 to the union. Carter Z., Feb. 12, 1891. 
 
 REV. HARVEY AHLLER. 
 
 One of the clergymen of the town 
 who enjoyed the esteem of the com- 
 munity in a marked flegrec was the 
 late Rev. Harvey Miller, who was for 
 eighteen years pastor of the First 
 liaptist church. 
 
 He was born in W'allingford. the 
 son of Samuel Miller. His father 
 was a preacher before him and like 
 
412 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the divines of his period had to rely 
 upon other methods of money mak- 
 ing than tliat which he received at the 
 hands of his church society. He 
 taught school during the day and cob- 
 bled shoes at night. 
 
 Harvey Miller was one of a fam- 
 ily of nine boys and early in life re- 
 ceived a lameness, caused by stepping 
 on a scvthe, from which he never 
 
 REV. HARVEY MILLER. 
 
 recovered. This gave him a 
 halting gait. At one time he suf- 
 fered severely from inflammatory 
 rheumatism and was able to walk only 
 with the aid of crutches which he dis- 
 carded when in the pulpit and his 
 wise sermons were delivered under 
 great personal physical pain. As a 
 bov he was delicate and he never ac- 
 
 quired a physique sufficiently strong 
 to lead the life of the clergyman 
 whose deeds furnish such a bright 
 spot on the pages of the history of 
 this town. 
 
 He was born April 3, 1814, and 
 died August 2y, 1856. He was edu- 
 cated in the district school and the 
 Hamilton Theological Seminary, of 
 New York. His first pastorate was 
 at Ann Arbor, Mich., but he remained 
 there but a short time owing to ill 
 health, which was caused by the poor 
 board furnished him. 
 
 During his eighteen years as pas- 
 tor of the First Baptist church, the 
 society grew and prospered both spir- 
 itually and otherwise. The kind and 
 sympathetic nature of its pastor was 
 always a source of comfort .to its 
 members and his able sermons always 
 presented on evangelical lines result- 
 ed in the saving of many souls. 
 
 His wife was Sarah Rosetta Ives 
 and their children were as follows: 
 Sarah Eliza, Mrs. Edward A. Wilcox, 
 of St. Paul, Minn., born July 5, 1841. 
 died April 8, 1886; Catherine Juliet, 
 widow of Edward H. Yale, of Meri- 
 den, born March 21, 1844; Alina 
 Birdsey Miller, born Aug. 21, 1846, 
 died July i, 1869: X'incie Rosetta, 
 born June 15, 1851, died December 
 19, 1855. 
 
 During his married life Mr. Miller 
 lived with his family at the parsonage 
 standing on Broad street, next ad- 
 joining the residence of Edward Mil- 
 ler, which was afterward purchased 
 of the church society by his widow. 
 
 Mr. Miller during his life was 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 413 
 
 deeply interested in educational mat- 
 ters and was a member of the school 
 Committee for many years. He 
 served as a member of the visiting 
 committee and also selected the text- 
 books used in the IMeriden schools in 
 his time. 
 
 His only surviving daughter is Mrs. 
 Edward 11. Yale, who for many 
 years has been a widow and has con- 
 ducted, with her son, a large farm on 
 the North Colony road until 1905, 
 when upon her son's marriage, she 
 leased the farm to him and has since 
 remained there but a portion of the 
 time. 
 
 CHARLES S. PERKINS. 
 
 Charles Smith Perkins, national 
 bank examiner of Connecticut and 
 Rhode Island, is one of the best 
 known Federal officials of the state. 
 He was born on Perkins street. New 
 Haven, May 11, 1854, and is the son 
 of Charles Perkins, who durirjg the 
 latter part of his life, was a promi- 
 nent contractor and a partner of H. 
 Wales Pines. His mother was Eu- 
 nice, daughter of Deacon David 
 Smith, of Woodbridge, Conn. 
 
 chael Dooley, of Hartford, who had 
 resigned to become the head of a large 
 financial institution of Providence, R. 
 I. Mr. Perkins has since acted in his 
 official capacity under the comptroller 
 of the currency and his duties require 
 him to visit every national bank in 
 Connecticut and Rhode Island, once a 
 year, and to see that they observe the 
 regulations set forth bv the govern- 
 
 ClIARLES s. 
 
 liKKlXS. 
 
 He was educated in the public ment at Washington. Probably 
 
 schools of New Haven. Russell's In- 
 stitute, New Haven, and finished at 
 the academy at Cheshire. In 1870 he 
 ent.'.red the Home National Bank, of 
 Meriden, where he remained contin- 
 uorsly for twenty-nine years. In 1899 where he has resided the greater por- 
 he received the appointment as nation- tion of his life. 
 
 al bank examiner, b\- the Cnited Slates He has served Meriilen ])olh as town 
 
 '1 reasury I)e])artnient. to succeed .\li- and cit\- treasurer, having served sev- 
 
 no 
 man in the state has had a greater ex- 
 ])erience or is l)etter ])osled on l)ank- 
 ing matters, than Mr. Perkins, and 
 his service as a national ])ank ex- 
 aminer reilects credit u])on this town 
 
414 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 en years in the former and six years 
 in the latter otifice. While not at the 
 present writing active in politics, he 
 was for many years a prominent mem- 
 ber of the Republican town commit- 
 tee. He has for thirty years been a 
 member of the Home Club, with which 
 social organization he was affiliated 
 when it was known as the Meriden 
 Club. He is a member of Meridian 
 Lodge, 'j'j. A. F. &: A. ]\I. ; Keystone 
 Chapter and Hamilton Council. He 
 is also a member of St. Elmo com- 
 mandery, 9, K. T., and was for some 
 years its recorder. 
 
 He has been twice married ; first, 
 in 1877, to Laura Piloodgood, and to 
 that union two children were born ; 
 September 24, 1889, he was again 
 married to Ada Pitt, of ^leriden; to 
 them four children were born, three of 
 whom are now living, two Ijoys and 
 one girl. Mr. Perkins with his fam- 
 ily resides on Xorth Colony street. 
 
 REV. TOLL S. R'ES. 
 
 Joel Stone Ives was born in Cole- 
 brook, Connecticut, December 5, 
 1847. His father. Rev. Alfred 
 Eaton Ives, Yale 1837, was descended 
 from A\^illiam Ives, who came from 
 England to Ouinnipiac in 1637 and 
 from John Howland, of the Mayflow- 
 er company ; his mother, Harriet 
 Piatt Stone had as ancestors John 
 Stone, of Guilford, the Rev. Thomas 
 Hooker and Governor Treat. Fit- 
 ting for college at his home in Cas- 
 tine, Maine, he graduated at Am- 
 herst in 1870 and received his A. M. 
 
 in 1872. Dr.ring the school year 
 1 870- 1 87 1 he taught in what was 
 then the Railroad district, the school 
 house being on Colony street south 
 of the entrance to the State grounds. 
 After three years in Yale Divinity 
 school he received his B. D. in 1874. 
 In May of the same year he went to 
 East Hampton, Connecticut, and in 
 September was ordained pastor of the 
 
 REV. JOEL S. IVES. 
 
 Congregational church. Being dis- 
 missed in 1883, he was immediately 
 installed pastor at Stratford where he 
 remained for sixteen years. Xovem- 
 ber, 1899, he became secretary of The 
 Missionary Society of Connecticut, 
 and moved to his wife's home, 430 
 Colony street, although th.e office is 
 at 426 Asylum street, Hartford. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 415 
 
 Mr. Ives was on the school boards 
 both in East Hampton and Stratford ; 
 president of the Stratford Library 
 association, 1885-1899, during which 
 time the elegant library building was 
 constructed ; president of the John 
 Stone Association ; registrar of the 
 Fairtield East Consociation for ten 
 years ; director of The Missionary 
 Society 1894-1899; registrar and sta- 
 tistical secretary of the general con- 
 ference of the Congregational 
 churches of Connecticut since 1898 ; 
 moderator of the General Association 
 in 1895 and its registrar and treasurer 
 since 1899 ; registrar of the National 
 Council of Congregational Churches 
 of the United States since 1900. He 
 has published several sermons and 
 historical addresses and numerous pa- 
 pers relative to the missionary work, 
 giving particular attention to the 
 problems of immigration and has 
 been a frequent contributor to various 
 publications. 
 
 July 15, 1874, he married Emma 
 Sarah, the daughter of Joel Ives But- 
 ler, who was the grandson of Com- 
 fort and Dolly Ives Butler. Father 
 and daughter were born in the Lieut. 
 Comfort I'utler house on Kensing- 
 ton avenue, which house, one of the 
 oldest domiciles of this locality, is 
 shown elsewhere. Dolly Ives was 
 descended from John, the son of 
 William Ives, who took up land in 
 Xcw Haven village, now \\'alling- 
 ford. They have had five children. 
 three of whom are living, Anne Em- 
 ma. Joel Butler and Dwight Stone 
 Ives. 
 
 ASAHEL H. CURTIS. 
 
 Asahel Harrison Curtis was a resi- 
 dent of Meriden and connected with 
 the Curtis family which has been so 
 noticeably prominent in the history of 
 the town during the past century. 
 
 He took a most active part in its 
 business and political affairs until his 
 
 A.-5AIII.I. II. CUKTI.S. 
 
 death which occurred July 23, 1877. 
 He was born in Meriden and was a 
 son of Enos H. Curtis. He attende;! 
 the common schools of the town and 
 began his business career in part- 
 nership with a son of Julius Yale with 
 whom lie conducted the grocL^ry bus- 
 iness for a number of years. In 1840 
 he was married to Juliet ^'ale who, 
 at an advanced aoe. still survives h'm. 
 
4i6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and who, at this writing, is the only 
 surviving descendant of Charles Yale, 
 the founder of Yalesville. 
 
 Mr. Curtis was a man whose scrup- 
 ulous honesty won the united confi- 
 dence of his fellow townsmen and his 
 financial ability brought him a high 
 position in the community. 
 
 At the time of his death he had been 
 for eleven vears the treasurer of the 
 
 ENOS H. CURTIS. 
 
 Meriden Savings Bank, having pre- 
 viously enjoyed the distinction of hav- 
 ing been the first treasurer of the Citv 
 of Meriden, to which office he was 
 chosen in 1867. 
 
 Mr. Curtis was also postmaster of 
 IMeriden for a number of years and 
 was appointed to that office by Pres- 
 ident Millard Fillmore. He was a man 
 
 whose character was above reproach 
 but was not a member of any church 
 society. He was, however, a Master 
 Mason and also a member of Center 
 Lodge, I. O. O. F. His death was se- 
 verely felt by the people of Meriden. 
 He is survived bv no children. 
 
 DAVID BLOOM FIELD. 
 
 David Bloomfield, oldest architect 
 of Meriden, was born in Cromwell, 
 Conn., November 6, 1851. He is de- 
 scended from Welsh ancestry and his 
 grandfather, David Bloomfield, was a 
 native of Woodbridge, N. J., who 
 spent his life in agricultural pursuits. 
 His mother was Elizabeth (Butler) 
 Bloomfield, a native of Staten Island, 
 a woman of strong religious inclina- 
 tions. His father, Nathan Bloom- 
 field, was a ship builder and some three 
 or four years before David was born 
 engaged in ship carpentering at Crom- 
 well and still later formed a partner- 
 ship with Andrew F. Parker and con- 
 ducted a ship building business at 
 Middle Haddam, where he died in 
 1861. 
 
 Young David obtained his early ed- 
 ucation at Middle Haddam and when 
 he became old enough to handle car- 
 penters' tools, industriously assisted 
 his father in his spare time until the 
 age of seventeen. 
 
 He came to Meriden in 1869 and 
 continuing to work at carpentering, 
 being ambitious, he took up the study 
 of architecture and mechanical draw- 
 ing. During his young manhood he 
 worked a portion of the time in Massa- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 417 
 
 /\iJo(M7^ 
 
 Ct<C^ 
 
 27 
 
4i8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 chusetts where he made the fortunate 
 acquaintance of H. C. Shute, who 
 took an interest in him. 
 
 In 1886 he felt warranted from his 
 previous successes to open an office in 
 Meriden and engage in the profession 
 of architecture which he has success- 
 fully carried on to the present time. 
 
 Among the many structures de- 
 signed and their construction super- 
 intended by Mr. Bloomfield may be 
 named the following: Franklin street, 
 Columbia street, Liberty street and St. 
 Laurent's school houses ; St. Mary's 
 Roman Catholic and German Luth- 
 eran churches, the C. W. Cahill block, 
 the Beuchler block, the Schwander 
 block, Fox's block, the Record build- 
 ing, the Journal building, Pacific 
 Lodge building, the residence of the 
 late W. F. Rockwell, First Congre- 
 gational Church parsonage, and the 
 residences of the late Edward J. Col- 
 lins, L B. Miller, A. S. Thomas, Mrs. 
 Mary Wilson, George Rockwell, W. 
 L. Squire, and of many others in this 
 city. 
 
 When the office of plumbing in- 
 spector was created in 1894 he was 
 made the first incumbent ; and the du- 
 ties of that office he has performed ef- 
 ficiently and satisfactorily to the pub- 
 lic up to the present time. 
 
 He was appointed fire marshall by 
 Mayor Ives in 1893, a position which 
 his knowledge of building construc- 
 tion admirably fits him to serve the 
 interests of the citizens. He has also 
 served two years as a member of the 
 Common Council and was a member 
 of that bodv from the Fifth ward in 
 
 1893 and 1894. He was one of the 
 directors of the Pacific Real Estate 
 Association and during the difficulties 
 of Pacific Lodge, I. O. O. F., after 
 the construction of the building, was 
 one of the first to put his shoulder to 
 the wheel and guide the enterj5rise to 
 success. 
 
 He is a member of the Meriden 
 Board of Trade, Business Men's Asso- 
 ciation, Montowese Tribe, I. O. R. M., 
 and Colonial Club. In 1884 he was 
 married to Miss Clara R. Richards, of 
 Bristol, Conn. 
 
 WILLIAM L. BRADLEY. 
 
 Perhaps no resident of Meriden 
 during the century of its existence as 
 an incorporated town, ever won to a 
 higher degree the admiration and es- 
 teem of his fellow townsmen than did 
 the late William L. Bradley. His life 
 furnishes not only a conspicuous ex- 
 ample of perseverance and ability 
 worthy to be chronicled in the pages 
 of history but one which may well be 
 emulated by generations following 
 him. 
 
 Born in Cheshire, Conn., May 25, 
 1826, he was a son of Levi and Abi- 
 gail A. (Atwater) Bradley, and his 
 progenitors on both sides are traced 
 directly to the first settlers of New 
 Haven county. His early ancestor, 
 William Bradley, was a major in Oli- 
 ver Cromwell's army, and he immi- 
 grated to this country and settled in 
 North Haven as far back as 1643. 
 William L. Bradley was also de- 
 scended from David Atwater, one r,i 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 419 
 
 tlie first planters of New Haven, who 
 the records show, settled there in 1639. 
 
 \\'illiani L. Bradley, as a boy, at- 
 tended the district school of his native 
 town, following which he further pur- 
 >ued his education at the academies 
 of Southington and Cheshire, con- 
 cluding his schooling at the Lancas- 
 terian School at New Haven. 
 
 At the age of thirteen he began his 
 remarkable business career as a clerk 
 in a Xew Haven dry goods store, and 
 at seventeen he became a member of 
 the firm of one of the largest dry 
 goods houses in that city. The busi- 
 ness not being entirely congenial to 
 his tastes he withdrew his interest in 
 the store and entered the emplo}^ of 
 Charles Parker as travelin'g salesman. 
 That he adapted himself to his new 
 circumstances with unusual versatil- 
 ity seems to be proven by his success 
 in largely increasing the sales of his 
 employer. 
 
 With the consent of Mr. Parker, he 
 also became interested with a friend 
 in the manufacture of portemonnaies, 
 and later in the manufacture of 
 clocks and small metal wares with his 
 brother. Nathaniel L. Bradley, and 
 Walter Hubbard, which afterward de- 
 veloped into the Bradley & Hubbard 
 Manufacturing Co., the largest indus- 
 try of its kind in the world. 
 
 During this ])eri()d he ])urchased 
 four acres of land in West iMeriden 
 and erected a fine residence thereon, 
 which is still standing. He improved 
 and beautified this proi)ert\- to a no- 
 ticeable extent, and gradually added 
 more land to the estate until it com- 
 
 ])rised over two hundred acres. In 
 this house his two sons, Peter 
 B. and Robert S., and one daughter, 
 Abby A. Bradley, who now survive 
 him, were born, and with his family 
 he occupied the house for many years. 
 Although it is now over forty years 
 since he removed with his family 
 from the city, the estate now occupied 
 by the Meriden Golf Club, is still 
 well kept and almost intact, although 
 as stated elsewhere in this book, is ere 
 long to be cut up into house lots. 
 
 It was in 1861 that Mr. Bradley 
 saw the future possibilities of chemi- 
 cal fertilizers and it was he who first 
 embraced the opportunity in this 
 country to make a success of that in- 
 dustry. 
 
 With his notes endorsed for a lim- 
 ited amovmt by Oakes Ames, of Bos- 
 ton, whom he had interested in his 
 project, he began the manufacture of 
 fertilizers in a factory situated on the 
 banks of the old South Bay, Boston. 
 The business soon outgrew this small 
 plant and later another and larger fac- 
 tory was built at North W^eymouth, 
 which eventually became the largest 
 of its kind in the world. 
 
 Greater and greater became the de- 
 mand for Bradley's fertilizers until 
 their use became general among the 
 farmers in the cast and south. 
 
 In 1872 the business was incorpo- 
 rated under the name of the Bradley 
 I'ertilizer Com])any and branch offices 
 were established at Rochester, N. Y., 
 Cleveland, O.-, lialtimorc. Md., and 
 Augusta, Ga., Mr. Bradley continuing 
 at the head of the corporation as pres- 
 
420 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
422 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 iclent and manager. Later he became 
 largely interested in other fertilizer 
 works at Carteret, N. J., Cleveland, 
 O., Baltimore, Md., and Charleston, S. 
 C, besides operating extensive phos- 
 phate mines in Sonth Carolina and 
 Florida. 
 
 His early struggles and constant 
 cares so impaired his health that he 
 retired from active business some 
 years before his death, and was re- 
 lieved from the management of his 
 various large enterprises by his sons, 
 Peter B. and Robert S. Bradley, who 
 had been associated with him for 
 many years. During the last years of 
 bis life he devoted much of his time to 
 the care of his beautiful country es- 
 tate at Hingham, Mass., where he 
 died after a short illness December 
 15, 1894. He had attained the age of 
 sixty-eight years, and his active life, 
 kind disposition and benevolence will 
 ever be remembered by those who 
 knew him. 
 
 Mr. Bradley was married in 1848 
 to Frances Martina Coe, the daughter 
 of Calvin and Harriet (Rice) Coe, 
 who before her marriage lived with 
 her parents on the celebrated Coe farm 
 in the Hanover district. Two sons 
 and one daughter, as stated above, sur- 
 vive him. 
 
 THE WM. L. BRADLEY ESTATE. 
 
 This old estate, comprising over 
 200 acres, and one of the grandest in 
 all Connecticut, is soon to be invaded 
 by streets and gradually portioned ofif 
 into residence lots. The history of 
 
 this estate, every square foot of which 
 fvrnishes delightful views of the cel- 
 ebrated Meriden Hanging Hills and 
 other charming scenery of woodland, 
 hill and dale, recalls pleasant mem- 
 ories to the people of Meriden, both 
 of present and past generations. 
 
 The original estate, purchased 
 from Hezekiah Rice in 1851 by the 
 late William L. Bradley, comprised 
 but four acres upon which Mr. Brad- 
 ley erected a fine house and spent a 
 large amount of money in beautifying 
 the grounds. To this small acreage 
 he continually added by subsequent 
 purchases of adjoining property until 
 the estate embraced over two hundred 
 acres of the most beautiful lands in 
 this part of Connecticut. 
 
 The name of the so-called "Old 
 Road" was changed to Bradley ave- 
 nue ; and Hanover street was put 
 through on the other side of the prop- 
 erty. The introduction of street cars 
 has now brought the whole estate 
 within ten minutes of the heart of 
 Meriden. 
 
 A section of the estate, years ago, 
 was converted into a fair grounds and 
 in those days the "Meriden Fair" was 
 held successfully every year. The 
 marks of the old race track over which 
 noted races were run, although now 
 merged into the giant velvety lawn, 
 are still discernable on close inspec- 
 tion. Within the past few years the 
 estate, with the old homestead for a 
 club house, has been leased by the 
 Meriden Golf Club and used exclf- 
 sively by the members. The grounds 
 have been admirably laid out for the 
 
DIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 423 
 
 purpose and comprise as desirable an 
 area for the game as is to be found 
 in Xew England. 
 
 The present owners of this proper- 
 ty, Peter B. and Robert S. Brad- 
 ley, sons of the late William L. Brad- 
 ley, both of whom were born in the 
 Bradley homestead, but for many 
 years have been prominent in business 
 circles of Boston, have planned to al- 
 low the entire estate to be sold into 
 house lots, stipulating only that houses 
 to be built thereon shall be of a cer- 
 tain value. With this aim in view 
 the property has been placed in the 
 hands of the well known real estate 
 agents of Meriden, Holt & Stevens. 
 The owners will furnish capital to 
 build houses on the property if de- 
 sired by purchasers of land. It bids 
 fair, therefore, to assume that ere 
 Meriden begins her second century as 
 an incorporated town the picturesque 
 Bradley estate will have assumed 
 the appearances and evidences of a 
 fashionable residence section. 
 
 ANTHONY S. THOMAS. 
 
 Anthony S. Thomas, a prominent 
 merchant of Meriden, was born at 
 Newlnirgh, N. Y.. July 14. 1845. He 
 is the son of John W. and Mahala 
 l"hon:as, his father being a native of 
 Leeds. N. Y., and was an iron mould- 
 er l)y trade. His mother died when 
 he was but five and a half years old 
 and he was but thirteen when he was 
 left an orphan. He received his early 
 eflucation in the common schools of 
 his native town but later entered the 
 
 public schools of Napanoch and af- 
 terwards continuing his schooling at 
 Port Jervis, N. Y. ; but finally re- 
 turned and finished his education at 
 Newburgh. 
 
 After the death of his father he se- 
 cured employment in a general store 
 at Cameron Mills, N. Y., where he se- 
 cured his first insight into mercantile 
 life. After some years' service in stores 
 elsewhere he was engaged as salesman 
 by John Hinchman & Co., a whole- 
 sale hosiery concern of New York 
 City. After Mr. Thomas had ac- 
 quired a large trade he became later 
 associated with the wholesale depart- 
 ment of Jordan, Marsh & Co., of Bos- 
 ton, for whom he continued represen- 
 tative until 1 88 1 when he established 
 himself in business in Meriden in the 
 present location, and since which time 
 the store has been noticeably enlarged 
 at two difl^erent periods. 
 
 The store as first started gave em- 
 ployment to but a dozen clerks. The 
 increase in the business has been both 
 stead}' and rapid and the store, now re- 
 quiring fifty clerks, and, with the sev- 
 eral different departments, all little 
 stores in themselves, furnishes a most 
 desirable establishment for patronage. 
 Mr. Thomas is a thorough business 
 man in every sense and gives his per- 
 sonal supervision over the large es- 
 tablishment he conducts and has a 
 most competent staff' of assistants. 
 
 Although never prevailed upon to 
 accept the nomination for public of- 
 fice. Mr. Thomas has proven a deep 
 interest in the affairs of the town 
 where he has now resided and done 
 
424 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 425 
 
426 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 business for nearly a quarter of a cen- 
 tury. He is known as a kind and con- 
 siderate employer, standing high in 
 both business and social circles. He 
 is a member of the Meriden Board of 
 Trade, the Business Men's Association 
 and of the Home Club of Meriden. 
 He is also a member of the Center 
 Congregational society and of that 
 society's committee served for several 
 years as its chairman. 
 
 He was married in 1870 to Emma 
 J., daughter of Edmund and Jane Rus- 
 sell. In 1891 he erected his present 
 handsome residence on Broad street, 
 where with his family he has since re- 
 sided. 
 
 JOHN SUTLIFF. 
 
 John Sutliff, one of the deceased 
 capitalists of Meriden, who followed 
 Nelson Merriam as president of Fos- 
 ter, Merriam & Co., was born in Wol- 
 cott, Conn., August 2, 1802, and died 
 June 22, 1897, at the remarkable age 
 of ninety-five years. When sixteen 
 years of age he bought his time from 
 his father, to whom he gave a two 
 years' note to the amount of $100 in 
 payment. Going to Northford he first 
 found work on a farm at $7.00 a 
 month. He was industrious and eco- 
 nomical from necessity and his steady 
 habits and thrift enabled him, at the 
 end of fifteen years, to engage in the 
 manufacture of ivory combs at South- 
 ington with three other partners. Af- 
 ter a successful start had been made 
 by him and his partners, Albert Fos- 
 ter, one of the firm of Foster, Merriam 
 
 & Co., who had confidence in Mr. Sut- 
 liff. invited him to purchase an inter- 
 est in the concern and take charge of 
 one of the departments, which he did ; 
 and he continued to work in the fac- 
 tory, in which he became still more ex- 
 tensively interested, devoting himself 
 unceasingly to the interests of the 
 manufacture of the goods ; and from 
 the time he entered the concern until 
 his death, he never ceased to take an 
 active part in the development of the 
 business. At the time he entered the 
 firm but five or six hands were em- 
 ployed and the rapid growth of the 
 company's business was in no small 
 measure due to his ability, energy anl 
 management. 
 
 He was for many years a director 
 of the First National bank, and at the 
 time of his death was a trustee of the 
 City Savings bank. During the lat- 
 ter years of his life he became known 
 as one of the larger investors of the 
 town and many of his profitable ven- 
 tures w^ere in the West. 
 
 Mr. Sutliff was twice married, first 
 to Mary Ann Dayton of North Ha- 
 ven, to whom were born the follow- 
 ing children : Mary Ann, who married 
 Frederick A. Higby and died Decem- 
 ber 22, 1859; John A. and James R., 
 the latter who at the time of his death 
 had long since succeeded his father 
 as president of Foster, Merriam & Co. 
 On November 9, 1842, he was again 
 married to Rebecca Miles, of Chesh- 
 ire, to whom were born Abbie R. and 
 Edgar M. Sutliff, both of whom died 
 in infancy. Mr. Sutliff left a large 
 estate. 
 
niOGRAPHIES. 
 
 427 
 
 ^'^^'^^'-f-C, ^^<C^^>^^#^^ 
 
428 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 CHARLES L. FLOTO. 
 
 Charles L. Floto (deceased) was a 
 well known German citizen, whose 
 residence of half a century in the Sil- 
 ver City was marked by that indus- 
 try which is a prominent characteris- 
 tic of his nation. He was born in 
 Germany in 1838, and ten years later 
 he came to America with his mother 
 who located at Warehouse Point. 
 Not long after they removed to Broad 
 Brook, then to Rockville, and during 
 this time the boy w'as earning money 
 for his mother and himself in the 
 woolen mills. Before coming to Mer- 
 iden ]\Ir. Floto resided in Hotchkiss- 
 ville four years and subsequently in 
 South Britain and Waterbury. In 
 1857 he was attracted by the indus- 
 trial situation in this city and entered 
 the employ of the Bradley & Hubbard 
 Manufacturing Company where his 
 capable workmanship was recognized 
 and his connection with the shade and 
 lamp department as its overseer con- 
 tinued for seventeen years. 
 
 A short period now passed when 
 Mr. Floto left the shop to become a 
 clerk in a shoe store, an occupation 
 which he abandoned to take a position 
 with Edward Miller & Co., but an op- 
 portunity to buy out John A. Par- 
 ker's shoe business presented itself, 
 and for twelve years Mr. Floto was 
 a prosperous shoe merchant in the 
 city. 
 
 But as time passed his health failed 
 and he was forced to sell. A desire 
 to visit his fatherland and the hope 
 that a lengthy voyage would bring 
 
 restoration to health, induced him to 
 go abroad. He enjoyed an extended 
 period of leisure traveling in Europe 
 until 1884 when he returned to Meri- 
 den, only to plan a new itinerary for 
 a southern trip in the winter of 1885. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Floto's real 
 estate transactions had been highly 
 satisfactory and upon his return to 
 Meriden he devoted his time to the 
 improvement of his property at the 
 corner of Gold and Crown streets 
 where he had erected a residence in 
 1864. A number of other dwellings 
 were built by Mr. Floto. 
 
 He decided to visit Europe again in 
 1888 and enjoyed revisiting places 
 which had interested him before and 
 in 1889 he took a pleasure trip to the 
 south and west. From that time un- 
 til Mr. Floto's death, which occurred 
 January 7, 1901, he developed his real 
 estate interests and became an active 
 element in that portion of his adopted 
 city where his property was located. 
 It is to such citizens as Mr. Floto that 
 Meriden owes her growth. They are 
 the units which make the grand whole. 
 
 Mr. Floto's mother, who had lived 
 to see her son a prosperous merchant 
 and a retired land-owner, died in Mer- 
 iden at the advanced age of eighty 
 years. His wife was Marie U. Usch- 
 nig, a native of Klagenfurt, Austria, 
 who was born May 24, 1837. Sin- 
 survived her husband four years, her 
 death occurring September i, IQ^S- 
 They had no children of their own 
 but left an adopted daughter, Marie. 
 Mr. Floto had one brother, Frederick, 
 a prominent resident of Rockville. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 429 
 
 CHAKl-Kh L. FI.OTO. 
 
430 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 BELA CARTER. 
 
 It is true of many citizens that the 
 esteem in which they are held is due 
 to their conscientious discharge of du- 
 ties whether of a civic or business 
 character. Of such a type was Bela 
 Carter, a descendant in the sixth gen- 
 eration of Rev. Thomas Carter, the 
 first pastor of the church of Woburn, 
 Mass. This clergyman, who was born 
 in England and laid the foundation 
 for his future career at St. John's col- 
 lege, University of Cambridge, w-here 
 he received the degrees of B. A. and 
 M. D., emigrated to America in 1635 
 in the ship "Planter." He went to 
 Dedham, thence to Watertown and in 
 1642 was ordained at Woburn. A 
 further study of Mr. Carter's ances- 
 try reveals interesting characters, men 
 who inherited from the pioneer his 
 zeal, his honesty of purpose, his con- 
 scientiousness. 
 
 Bela Carter, son of Silas Johnson 
 and Ruth (Vining) Carter, was born 
 Febuary 6, 1828, in Hardwick, Mass., 
 where he received a common school 
 education. His natural ability mani- 
 fested itself at the early age of six- 
 teen when he began teaching pen- 
 manship. Not long after his atten- 
 tion was directed to the trade of paint- 
 ing and interior decorating, which he 
 followed in Palmer, Mass., and 
 Springfield, Mass., directly after, lo- 
 cating in Meriden in 1850, where he 
 established himself in business two 
 years later. He soon became inter- 
 ested in real estate in which he dealt 
 extensively up to the time of his death 
 
 and was considered to be an expert 
 on Meriden realty, one of his larg- 
 est transactions being the sale of the 
 property known as "The Flats," upon 
 a part of which stand the buildings 
 now known as Factory E of the In- 
 ternational Silver Company. He also 
 acted as agent for several out of town 
 savings banks for the placing of loans 
 and incidental business. For twenty 
 years he was a director in the First 
 National bank of Meriden. In early 
 life he was a Whig, but later became 
 identified with the Republican party. 
 
 The qualities which he displayed in 
 his business relations gained for him 
 the esteem and confidence of his fel- 
 lowmen so that during the Civil war, 
 in 1862, he was elected first selectman 
 of Meriden and was-Eg-elected twice 
 thereafter. For four years he was 
 treasurer of the military fund. He sat 
 for three terms in the Court of Com- 
 mon Council as councilman or alder- 
 man and served for six years as chair- 
 man of tlie Corner School District 
 committee. For several years he was 
 a member of the Boad of Assessors. 
 He undoubtedly could have had hi;:?h- 
 er political honors had he evinced a 
 willingness to accept them. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. Carter married Mary 
 J., daughter of Captain Butler and 
 Polly (Converse) Barrett, of Bel- 
 chertown, Mass., who survives her 
 husband and is a loved and honored 
 resident of Meriden. Of their eight 
 children, Henry Johnson, Agnes 
 Smith and Wilbur Barrett, died with- 
 in one week of diphtheria. The oth- 
 ers are: Elmer Bela, a sheep ranch- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 431 
 
 "f^^^lOOAt^ 
 
432 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 man in Montana, who married Laura 
 M. Edwards, of Billings, Mont. ; 
 Alary C, widow of the late Edward 
 H. White, of Meriden ; Bertha C, 
 wife of Frederick E. Bemis, of Meri- 
 den ; Robert William and Annie Z., 
 both of Meriden. 
 
 Mr. Carter, after retaining his fine 
 hold on Meriden interests for forty- 
 three years, died September 28, 1893, 
 before old age had really claimed him. 
 He was buried in West cemetery. 
 
 J. T. POMEROY. 
 
 The ancestry of the late James Tib- 
 bals Pomeroy embraces Connecticut 
 families who helped to lay a solid 
 foundation for the Nutmeg state's 
 greatness. Many of the men were 
 rugged tillers of the soil who derived 
 their pi^vsical endurance and menta! 
 firmness among the rocks and loam 
 where they labored as in God's vine- 
 yard. 
 
 The Pomeroy name is as old al- 
 most as the hills and its bearers have 
 no cause to feel ashamed of their 
 forebears. 
 
 His father. Noah Pomeroy, was bv 
 turns a farmer and an itinerant tin 
 peddler in those days when this oc- 
 cupation was lucrative, highly honor- 
 able and full of the charm and spice 
 of life. He was likewise a manufac- 
 turer of tin and again a farmer. 
 That he was held in the highest re- 
 spect by his townsmen is evidenced 
 by the public offices he filled, all that 
 were in the gift of the people. The 
 Universalist church of this citv was 
 
 organized in his house and Mr. Pom- 
 eroy was one of its most able sup- 
 porters. The greater a man's mental 
 caliber, the greater the duties that are 
 borne by him ; it is quite natural, there- 
 fore, to find Mr. Pomeroy one of the 
 first directors of the Meriden bank, 
 and later its president. 
 
 James Pomeroy was born in this 
 citv and turned naturallv to agricul- 
 
 JAMES TIBBALS POMEROY. 
 
 ture, owning and operating his fath- 
 er's large stock estate in East Meri- 
 den. His knowledge of rural meth- 
 ods and his comprehension of a sit- 
 uation which called for unity of 
 thought, purpose and action among 
 the farming element led him to or- 
 ganize the Meriden Grange, a society 
 to which he gave largelv of his time 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 433 
 
 ati;l experience. He was also con- 
 nected with Meriden Center Lodge, 
 69, I. O. O. F. 
 
 As a loyal son who subscribed to 
 tile sentiment of his father, Mr. Pom- 
 eroy adopted the faith of the church 
 wliose foundation his father had laid 
 in .Meriden and was a devout believer 
 in Universalism until his death. 
 
 Delila F. Guild, a daughter of Wil- 
 liam H. Guild, of Middletown, Conn., 
 became Mr. Pomeroy's wife. Their 
 children were: Lenora E., who married 
 Joseph Beckett, of Meriden ; Nellie J., 
 wife of Richard J. Molloy, of Meri- 
 den ; Carrie F., deceased, wife of Da- 
 vid Flansburgh ; Charles L. and Wil- 
 liam Harrison, who married Lura 
 Booth. Mr. Pomeroy died Decem- 
 ber 21, 1891, and was buried in the 
 East cemetery ; his wife residing on 
 Broad street, Meriden, still survives 
 and is a staunch adherent of the Uni- 
 versalist church, and a member of 
 Meriden Grange. 
 
 RUSSELL HALL. 
 
 Russell Hall, one of the many sub- 
 stantial citizens of Meriden. a large 
 dealer in grocery store supplies and 
 woodenware, and a manufacturer of 
 tinware, as well as a large property 
 ■iwner. was born in Meriden. July 26, 
 i''^,^5. lie is lineally descended from 
 that John Hall, who was born in Eng- 
 land, 1605. and died in Wallingford. 
 Conn., 1676. one of the pro])rietors of 
 Hartford. Russell Hall is also de- 
 scended from Rev. Samuel Hall, and 
 Anne Law, whose father, Jonathan 
 j8 
 
 Law, was governor of Connecticut. 
 He is the son of Orrin Hall and Anna 
 G. Hall, a daughter of Brenton Hall, 
 of Meriden. His father, like several 
 men of the town, who afterwards be- 
 came prominent in the manufacturing 
 and business life of the locality, during 
 the past century, in early life drove 
 a peddler's team and supplied the peo- 
 ple in portions of the southern states 
 with the product of Meriden factories. 
 He spent the last years of his life on 
 his farm at East Meriden. 
 
 Russell Hall, as a boy, worked on 
 the home farm during his spare time 
 and was educated in the district 
 school, vmder the veteran teacher, 
 James Atkins. Inheriting a taste for 
 trading from his father, at the age of 
 eighteen, with a small svmi of money 
 which he had saved from his previous 
 earnings, he engaged in the making of 
 tinware and supplied peddlers with 
 the then small product of his industry. 
 At the end of eight years, his business 
 had increased to such an extent that 
 he was warranted in adding grocery 
 store supplies and established himself 
 in his present business, which has in- 
 creased to that of the largest in his 
 line, in this part of the state. His rep- 
 utation for dealing in honest goods at 
 the lowest jobbing prices, together 
 with his energy and popularity among 
 the trade, have been ])rominent factors 
 in his success. With the aid of trav- 
 eling men, he looks carefully after 
 the wants of his wholesale trade and 
 from his long and successful business 
 career, is one of the best known of 
 Connecticut wholesalers. 
 
434 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 J^^^f-aU^^ 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 435 
 
 He has ever been known as an en- 
 thusiastic man of business, and he has 
 made many profitable investments in 
 real estate ; and property which he has 
 purchased in different parts of the city 
 has invariably shown the result of the 
 ownership of a fair minded landlord. 
 His residence on East Main street is 
 one of the handsomest in Meriden and 
 is one of the most thoroughly built 
 domiciles in this vicinity. In 1905 he 
 erected near it, the construction of 
 which was also under his personal su- 
 pervision, another handsome residence 
 for his son. Mr. Hall is known as one 
 of the thoroughly upright men of Mer- 
 iden, and is highly esteemed in 
 the community. His generosity has 
 been oftentimes demonstrated to his 
 fellow citizens and within a year of the 
 present writing, he donated $1,000 to 
 the Curtis ^Memorial Library. His in- 
 terest in the affairs of his native town 
 seems to be unbounded. Mr. Hall is 
 interested in the First Baptist church, 
 and in politics is a Democrat. 
 
 He has been twice married : First to 
 ICniily Preston, daughter of Ira Pres- 
 ton, deceased. He was again married 
 June 28, 1866, to Mary E., daughter 
 of Ransom and Sarah (Twiss) Bald- 
 win, and six children have been born 
 to them : Howard Baldwin, who was 
 recently married to Gertrude B. Wet- 
 more, of Wallingford, Conn.. l)eing 
 the onlv one surviving:. 
 
 A. L. STEVENS. 
 
 in Naugatuck, January 30, 1829. At 
 the age of six years he moved to 
 Oneida, N. Y., with his parents, and 
 in that town he first attended school. 
 At the age of fifteen he returned to 
 Naugatuck and lived with his old 
 uncle, completing his education at the 
 Waterbury High school. 
 
 In 1854 he married Julia E. Beech- 
 er, of Naugatuck, and in 1865 he 
 
 This veteran real estate d( aler and 
 resident of South IMcriden, was born 
 
 A. L. STEVENS. 
 
 moved his family to South ]\Ieriden 
 and entered the Meriden Cutlery fac- 
 tory where he worked four or five 
 vears at his trade as die sinker. 
 
 It has been happily said that there 
 is a divinity which shapes our ends 
 rough hew them as we will. Mr. 
 Stevens began as a mechanic and 
 ])rribably had not the slightest idea 
 
436 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 that any other ship was saihng into 
 his port, but when Albert Otis was 
 made chief of pohce in Meriden an 
 impulse to enter a new field became a 
 chance and Mr. Stevens bought out 
 the interests of the new city official 
 in the firm of Frank and Albert Otis, 
 from wdiich date he has been contin- 
 uously engaged in the fire insurance 
 and real estate business. Two years 
 later in 1872, he bought out the re- 
 maining interests of Frank Otis. 
 
 Mr. Stevens' first office was in a 
 small one-story building which stood 
 on the present site of the Byxbee 
 block, but for the past thirty years 
 his offices have been in the Wilcox 
 block. Up to 1897 he had a steam- 
 ship and money draft agency and for 
 many years he was the only steam- 
 ship agent in Meriden. 
 
 Mr. Stevens' business career has 
 been an honorable one, and no man in 
 Meriden enjoys to a greater extent 
 the confidence of the community. 
 
 Mr. Stevens' political sympathies 
 are Democratic, and, while he has 
 never sought office, he served one 
 year on the board of selectmen. He 
 belongs to Hancock lodge, I. O. O. 
 F., and the A. O. U. W. For many 
 years he has been a member of the 
 First Methodist church of which he 
 is steward. 
 
 At his residence in South Meriden 
 comfort and plenty are in evidence 
 and here Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are 
 enjoying marital relations that have 
 extended over a period of fifty-one 
 years. They have one daughter, Mrs. 
 Albert Rice, of Cheshire. 
 
 FRANCIS ATWATER. 
 
 Francis Atwater, one of the more 
 prominent figures of Meriden busi- 
 ness life and president of the Jour- 
 nal Publishing Company, was born 
 in Plymouth, Litchfield county, Con- 
 necticut, in 1858. He comes from 
 distinguished ancestry and is de- 
 scended from David Atwater, the first 
 signer of the planters' agreement of 
 the New Haven colony in 1638. On 
 the maternal side he is a direct de- 
 scendant of Benjamin Fenn, the first 
 magistrate of New Haven colony. 
 
 As a boy he came to Meriden and 
 became associated with the printing 
 and publishing business and after he 
 had learned the trade of a printer, at 
 the youthful age of sixteen, he was 
 given charge of the mechanical de- 
 partment of the Meriden Recorder, 
 which at that time was the leading 
 paper of the town. At twenty years 
 of age, he established the Winder- 
 mere Weekly Forum, in Wallingford, 
 which he published for one year until 
 it was sold. He afterwards went to 
 Hartford and became assistant fore- 
 man of the composing room of the 
 Hartford Courant. Later going 
 w'est on account of ill health, he lo- 
 cated in California and became man- 
 ager of the Red Bluff Sentinel, which 
 paper he carried on for a time. Re- 
 turning to Meriden with renewed 
 health he established a job printing 
 office on Perkins street and founded 
 the ^leriden Sunday News, but in 
 1886 when the Meriden Evening 
 Press ceased publication. l\Ir. At- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 437 
 
 water embraced the opportunity, and 
 with Frank E. Sands, Lew Allen and 
 Thomas L. Reilly, launched the j\Ieri- 
 den Daily Journal wdiich has ever since 
 thoroughly covered the evening field, 
 each year gaining in circulation, ad- 
 vertising patronage and influence, 
 until it has become one of the best 
 paying publications in Connecticut. 
 It occupies its own fire-proof build- 
 ing, iii wdiich The Journal Publish- 
 ing Company now possesses one of 
 the most complete printing plants in 
 all New England as is stated at some 
 length elsewdiere in this "^^ volume. 
 Since its incorporation April, 2, 1886, 
 Mr. At water has been the" head ; and 
 to his able leadership is the success 
 of the now large business consider- 
 ably due. 
 
 ]\Ir. At water has been a prime mov- 
 er in many other large enterprises, in 
 all of. which he has been eminently 
 successful. He was one of the or- 
 ganizers of the Meriden, Southington 
 & Cqmpounce Tramway Company, the 
 capital for which w^as raised largely 
 through his effort and to the construc- 
 tion of the road he also gave his per- 
 sonal supervision. 
 
 After the close of the Spanish- 
 American war, he became ^.financial 
 agent of Clara Barton of Red Cross 
 fame and honor, who had known him 
 from childhood. At her request he 
 accompanied her to Cuba whither she 
 went to establish asylums for the un- 
 fortunate reconcentrados. While in 
 Havana. Mr. Atwater saw an oppor- 
 tunity to start the first American 
 news])aper, the Havana Journal, and 
 
 of this newspaper, which became an 
 organ wielding an immense influence, 
 he retained the control until he re- 
 ceived an oft'er from a syndicate to 
 dispose of it most advantageously. 
 He afterwards and without relin- 
 quishing his interests in Meriden, 
 purchased the Daily News of New 
 Britain which he carried on for a time. 
 He then bought the Waterbury 
 Daily Republican, the only morning- 
 newspaper in the Naugatuck Valley, 
 wdiich he conducted until he placed it 
 on a paying basis and then sold it at 
 a handsome profit. 
 
 In 1905 he was chosen a director 
 and president of the Washington 
 State Colonization Company, exten- 
 sive owners and buyers of lands in 
 the state of Washington and which 
 has within the past year established a 
 large colony in that delightful resi- 
 dential state. 
 
 Mr. Atwater is also the sole owner 
 of the T. H. Hubbard Paper Co., of 
 Boston, Mass., extensive wholesale 
 dealers of book and writing papers and 
 cardboards. 
 
 In local afifairs Mr. Atwater is par- 
 ticularly active and influential. He 
 was one of the organizers and for 
 several years president of the Meri- 
 den Board of Trade, which organiza- 
 tion has succeeded in bringing several 
 industries to Meriden, and in which 
 Mr. Atwater has always been a lead- 
 ing sj)irit. Of the Centennial cele- 
 bration of Meriden he was not only 
 one of the originators, but as corre- 
 sponding secretary of the committee 
 of 400 or more citizens, has been in- 
 
438 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 FRANCIS ATWATER. 
 
440 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 strumental in bringing about the no- 
 table celebration of 1906. In 1904 
 after having persistently refused to be- 
 come a candidate for any public office, 
 he entered the senatorial contest of 
 that year and the Democratic party 
 which honored him with the nomina- 
 tion, suffered its usual defeat of a 
 presidential year ; but Mr. At water 
 was far in the lead of the rest of the 
 ticket. Mr. At water is a member of 
 the Home Club, and occupies a 
 comfortable residence which he pur- 
 chased some years ago of William A. 
 Kelsey and which is located on the site 
 of the historic old Central Tavern, 
 corner Broad and East Main streets. 
 
 Mr. Atwater, whose life has been 
 more than active as people generally 
 live, has found time by burning the 
 midnight oil to do considerable lit- 
 erary work, and has compiled the 
 History of Plymouth, Conn., History 
 of Kent, Conn., and the History and 
 Genealogy of the Atwater Family 
 from 1638 to the present time. 
 
 Mr. Atwater was married in 1879 
 to Helena J. Sellew, to whom was 
 born May 10, 1880, a son, Dorence 
 Keith Atwater, who died August 
 23, 1900. 
 
 O. H. PLATT. 
 
 Orville Hitchcock Piatt, LL.D., 
 Meriden's greatest public man, was 
 born July 19, 1827, at Washington, 
 Conn., and died April 21, 1905. Edu- 
 cated in the district schools of Wash- 
 ington and later at the academv 
 
 known as the "Gunnery," he remained 
 on the home farm until twenty years 
 of age when he began the study of 
 law and was afterwards admitted to 
 the bar in 1849. He then weiit to To- 
 wanda. Pa., where he remained six 
 months in a law office, coming to Mer- 
 iden in 185 1 and up to the time of his 
 death was thereafter identified with 
 the town and made his home here. 
 
 Mr. Piatt's early law practice in 
 Meriden was beset with the usual dif- 
 ficulties of the young lawyer strug- 
 gling for position in the world and in 
 his early life he gave no perceptible 
 promise of becoming a man of na- 
 tional repute. Shortly after coming 
 to Meriden he became associate edi- 
 tor of the "Whig,"" the revenue from 
 wdiich made up for his lack of fees. 
 In 1853 he was elected judge of pro- 
 bate, wdiich office he held for three 
 years and in 1855 ^"^1 1856 was chos- 
 en clerk of the Connecticut Senate. 
 He was one of the original members 
 of the Republican party and from 
 1856 took an active part in 
 politics, his influence in that party 
 mcreasing every year. In 1857 he 
 was elected secretary of state, which 
 office he filled for one term. In 1861 
 and 1862 he served in the state sen- 
 ate and in 1864 was elected to the 
 state legislature, when he was ap- 
 pointed chairman of the judiciary 
 committee. In 1869 he again served 
 in the legislature from Meriden and 
 was then elected speaker of the house, 
 after which service it was his desire 
 to retire permanently to private life 
 and resume his neglected law practice 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 441 
 
 0K\ ILI.E 11. PLATT. 
 
442 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 which, however, he was not permitted 
 to do. In 1877 he was appointed 
 state's attorney of New Haven coun- 
 ty, which office he held for two years. 
 In 1879 he was first elected by the 
 state legislature to fill the vacancy in 
 the United States Senate caused by 
 the death of Senator Orris S. Ferry, 
 Republican, his election, however, be- 
 ing a surprise, for he was chosen on 
 the thirty-eighth ballot, through the 
 successful work of Senator H. Wales 
 Lines and others who took advantage 
 of the situation when a compromise 
 candidate had to be found. His ca- 
 reer in the United States Senate, from 
 the time when he first took his seat, 
 was most remarkable, and he was al- 
 ways his own successor, being re- 
 elected at the expiration of every suc- 
 ceeding term until his regretted de- 
 cease. For many years before his 
 death he was counted as one of the 
 most influential figures at the Nation- 
 al capital, whose counsel was much 
 sought and relied upon by the pres- 
 ident and members of the cabinet. 
 Without resorting to the tactics of the 
 politician he became the dean of the 
 senate and attained the highest legis- 
 lative rank in the Union. Always a 
 man of rare example, he developed in- 
 to a statesman in every sense and was 
 an orator who could adapt himself in- 
 stantly to every occasion. He was a 
 perfect master of diction and his ir- 
 resistible logic and sound reasoning 
 made him a strong power in the high- 
 est legislative body in the land. His 
 loyalty to the government and to the 
 Republican party was never ques- 
 
 tioned and his honesty of purpose, 
 coupled with the remarkable ability 
 which he developed in the latter part 
 of his life, won him the respect, con- 
 fidence and love of the nation. He 
 was one of the great men of the 
 United States who was never puffed 
 up by public praise but treated every 
 man whether he were great or small 
 with the same consideration and def- 
 erence. His modest bearing under all 
 circumstances made it always appar- 
 ent that he was a true gentleman. 
 
 In Meriden, where he resided, he 
 never became greater than his fellow- 
 townsmen b}- whom he was greatly 
 beloved for his many good traits as a 
 citizen. Without show or ostentation 
 he was the promoter of more chris- 
 tian and philanthropic work than was 
 ever generally known. 
 
 During the last years of his life he 
 occupied a summer place at Washing- 
 ton, Conn., his native town, and there 
 his funeral services were held and 
 which were attended almost unani- 
 mously by the. leading citizens of Mer- 
 iden as well as many prominent in na- 
 tional affairs. 
 
 ABIRAM CHAMBERLAIN. 
 
 IMeriden is proud to number among 
 her citizens a governor of Connecticut, 
 Abiram Chamberlain, who held that 
 office for two years, having been 
 elected in November, 1903. 
 
 He is descended from sturdy 
 New England stock, and was 
 born December 7, 1837, at Cole- 
 brook, Conn. He is a son of Abiram 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 443 
 
 Photo by H. T. Shaw. 
 
 C—^-^^^^^.:^ ^ ^^ -^.iJ^^i^ 
 
 ^iwCili-*^ 
 
444 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 and Sophronia (Burt) Chamberlain 
 and has been a resident of Meriden for 
 thirty-eight . years. After obtaining 
 his education, he began his business 
 career in the New Britain National 
 bank in 1867, there resigning the po- 
 sition of teller to become cashier of 
 the Home National bank of Meriden, 
 and he has been president of the lat- 
 ter financial institution since 1881, hav- 
 ing been elected to that office upon the 
 death of Eli Butler, the former pres- 
 ident. His efficiency as its executive 
 head, has earned for him an enviable 
 reputation, not only in the business 
 and financial circles of Meriden, but 
 throughout the state. 
 
 For many years he has been iden- 
 tified with other enterprises. He was 
 one of the promoters and directors of 
 the Meriden & Waterbury railroad ; 
 president of the Meriden Fire Insur- 
 ance company ; one of the promoters 
 and president of the Winthrop Hotel 
 company ; a director of the Meriden 
 hospital ; for many years a vice presi- 
 dent of the Meriden Savings bank ; a 
 director also of the Meriden Cutlery 
 Co., Edward Miller & Co., of Meri- 
 den, and the Stanley works of New 
 Britain. He is also president of the 
 Connecticut Bankers' association and 
 a vice-president of the American Bank- 
 ers' association. He is affiliated with 
 several social and fraternal organiza- 
 tions, including the Home and Col- 
 onial clubs and has long been identi- 
 fied with the First Congregational 
 church of Meriden. 
 
 He has always been known as a 
 staunch Republican and has held many 
 
 important public offices in the dis- 
 charge of the duties of which he has 
 proved his ability and trustworthi- 
 ness. In 1877 he represented the 
 Town of Meriden in the state legis- 
 lature ; he was nominated by acclama- 
 tion for state comptroller at the Re- 
 publican convention, held at New Ha- ; 
 ven, September 5 and 6, 1900, and 
 served in that office for two years. [ 
 He has also rendered Meriden vahia- ; 
 ble service as a member of the city j 
 government. : 
 
 As governor, Mr. Chamberlain 
 added to his host of friends through- 
 out the state ; his administration was 
 one which reflects credit upon Con- i 
 necticut, and is justly regarded with : 
 pride by the citizens of Meriden. His 
 wide knowledge of affairs of state en- ; 
 abled him to transact the duties of 
 the office most acceptably. The de- 
 gree of LL.D. conferred upon him 
 by Wesleyan University in 1903 was 
 but one of the many tokens of appre- ; 
 ciation he has received in recognition 
 of his service as governor. 
 
 He was married November 21. 1872, 
 to Miss Charlotte E. Roberts, who has 
 been active in philanthropic matters 
 in ?^Ieriden, and her connection with 
 the cit}- hospital will not be forgot- 
 ten by the people. Their sons 
 are Albert Roberts and HaroM 
 Burt Chamberlain. The elder son is ; 
 a graduate of the Sheffield Scientific 
 school of Yale University and Yale 
 Law school and now engaged in the 
 practice of law in Meriden. He was 
 also Governor Chamberlain's secre- 
 tarv durine his administration. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 445 
 
 HENRY DRYHURST. 
 
 Hoiiry Drvhurst, postmaster, has 
 lived nearly all his life in Meriden. 
 He came here in 1865 from Taunton, 
 Mass., and he had previously resided 
 in Providence, R. I. He is the son 
 of Henry Dryhurst and Eleanor 
 (Lewis) Dryhurst, and he has broth- 
 ers and sisters living as follows : 
 Louisa E.. wife of Montgomery R. 
 r.udd ; Rowland L., of Rockford, 111. ; 
 Hugh, of Hartford; Eleanor, of New^ 
 York City ; Laura A., of Meriden, 
 and Emma, wife of Edwin W. Hall, 
 of Wallingford. 
 
 Mr. Dryhurst attended the district 
 schools until his fourteenth year, 
 when, being employed days by the 
 late George R. \\"illmot. he began at- 
 tending the evening school kept by 
 the Rev. and Mrs. J. T. Pettee. and 
 later received instruction in the high- 
 er studies from Alfred K. Ives and 
 Emily J. Leonard. 
 
 In 1877 .Mr. Dryhurst secured a 
 partial clerkship in the post-office 
 (there being in those days no civil 
 1 service), under Postmaster P>win D. 
 Hall. Being thus employed l)ut a 
 few hours a day Mr. Dryhurst decid- 
 led. in connection with his duties in 
 the post office, to take u]) llu' stud\ 
 pf the law. 
 
 He read law in the offices of Kul- 
 rliffe Hicks, George A. I'ay and of 
 [he late Drville H. Piatt, and was ad- 
 nitted to the Xew Haven countv bar 
 ^1 1884. 
 
 In l8<>o Mr. Dryhur.st was ap])(>int- 
 Id postmaster of Meriden 1)\- Presi- 
 
 dent Benjamin Harrison. When his 
 term as postmaster expired a change 
 in the national administration obliged 
 Mr. Dryhurst to resume the practice 
 of law. Four years later, however, 
 he was reappointed postmaster by 
 President McKinley and in 1898 his 
 third appointment was signed by 
 President Roosevelt. 
 
 In early manhood Mr. Dryhurst 
 gave attention to politics, has served 
 several years as chairman of the Re- 
 publican tow'n committee, and has at- 
 tended as delegate, state, congression- 
 al, senatorial and city conventions of 
 his party. From its organization Mr. 
 Dryhurst has been chairman of the 
 First Meriden Building and Loan as- 
 sociation, and he was chairman of the 
 committee which invited President 
 Roosevelt to visit Meriden and enter- 
 tained him August 22, 1902. 
 
 When Mr. Dryhurst first assumed 
 the duties of postmaster the Merideii 
 office was in the second class and 
 had six carriers and six clerks. The 
 office entered the first class during 
 I\[r. Dryhurst's first term of service, 
 and has now seventeen regular clerks, 
 twenty regular carriers, and seven 
 stations. 
 
 It was Mr. Dryhurst who first con- 
 cei\-ed the idea of having a federal 
 building for the Meriden post office. 
 He interested the late Senator O. H. 
 Piatt in the ])roiect, who obtained 
 an ap])ropriation of $100,000 froiu the 
 Congress for that ])uri)ose. The site 
 at the corner of Colony and ]>rooks 
 streets was selected for the building, 
 which will be erected as soon as an 
 
446 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 Photo by Akers £ Pigeon. 
 
 
 t 
 
 JCeux^^ ^ri^Xu44^^fy^ 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 447 
 
 additional appropriation is available 
 to enlarge the present plans. 
 
 Air. Dryhurst married Aliss [Mar- 
 garet C. Dutcher, of Sag Harbor, and 
 they have the following children : 
 Jennie E., wife of Guy A. Palmer ; 
 Henry Jr. ; and Orville J. 
 
 He is a member of the First Bap- 
 tist church and of the Home and Col- 
 onial Clubs. 
 
 THOMAS L. REILLY. 
 
 Thomas Lawrence Reilly, mayor of 
 Meriden in 1906, was born in New 
 Britain, September 20, 1858. and re- 
 ceived his early education there in the 
 town schools. Later he attended the 
 State Normal school, from which he 
 graduated in 1876, but instead of 
 teaching he took the position of town 
 clerk's'. assistant, which he held for a 
 year. Soon after, he engaged as a 
 reporter on the Hartford Sunday 
 Globe. \n the fall of 1877 he came 
 to Meridfen with his parents and en- 
 tered the law office of Judge D. J. 
 Donahoe, now of Middlctown. re- 
 maining a student there for one year. 
 Disturbed by the death of his mother 
 and the removal of J"dge Donahoe to 
 Middletown, Mr. Reilly found circum- 
 stances unfavorable to the continuance 
 of his legal studies and took a posi- 
 tion as book-keeper with J. F. Butler, 
 continuing with him until 1880, when 
 he became the Meriden correspondent 
 of the New Haven Union. Later Mr. 
 Reilly became connected with the 
 Meriden Penny Press, under J. H. 
 Mabbett. filling a reportorial position. 
 
 and still later was associated in a like 
 capacity with W. F. Graham, on the 
 Meriden Republican, remaining with 
 this latter journal until December, 
 1885, when he went to the New Ha- 
 ven Register. He was that paper's 
 legislative reporter during the session 
 of 1886. In April, 1886, with Fran- 
 cis Atwater, F. E. Sands and Lew Al- 
 len, he formed The Journal Publish- 
 ing company, and was made secre- 
 tary of the company and city editor 
 of the paper, with which he has been 
 ever since connected. 
 
 An active Democrat, he has been 
 one of the leaders in his party in Mer- 
 iden, and in the presidential campaign 
 of 1900 he was elected chairman of the 
 Town coiumittce, and the Republican 
 majority was reduced from 1,447 i" 
 1896 to 54 in 1930. 
 
 Mr. Reilly has taken an active part 
 in all progressive movements in Meri- 
 den ; is clerk of the school board, a 
 director of the Curtis Memorial public 
 library, and prominent in social and 
 fraternal organizations, being a mem- 
 ber of Aleriden lodge, No. 35, Benevo- 
 lent and Protective Order of Elks, in 
 which he filled the office of exalted 
 ruler for two terms ; of the Ama- 
 ranth club, in wb.ich he has filled the 
 office of president for three years ; a 
 charter member and organizer of Sil- 
 ver City council. Xo. 2, Knights of 
 Columbus : a member of the Royal Ar- 
 canum and tlio Maccabees. Much is 
 due to Mr. Reilly for the stand he has 
 taken in regard to sports in Meriden. 
 
 In iSS_(, in I'lackstone, Mass., he 
 Wc-'.s married to Marie I''.. Rowen, a 
 
44^ 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
DIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 449 
 
 sell' i.'l teacher of that town. To this 
 union have been born seven children, 
 Kobert. Katherine. Mary, Louis. Ar- 
 thur, Rose and Agnes. 
 
 HERMAN HESS. 
 
 Herman Hess, the present town and 
 cit clerk of Meriden, and who has 
 he'.! these offices for a longer period 
 th:in any other man in the history of 
 the town, was born in ]\Ieriden, April 
 4. 1861. He is of German parentage 
 ai :\ the son of Frederick and Johan- 
 na ( Yooke ) Hess. His father, whose 
 li^ath occurred in 1898, from his early 
 rr..irhood was a respected and indus- 
 trious citizen of Meriden and was 
 one of the first of his nationality to 
 settle in this part of the state. He 
 was for eighteen years employed in 
 the mechanical department of the ]Mer- 
 idea Britannia Company and pursued 
 tie calling of a burnisher until his 
 deriih. He was a veteran of the Civil 
 w:ir. an honored member of Merriam 
 Post. G. A. R., and both he and his 
 wife were devoted members of the 
 <jern:an Lutheran church of ^^leriden. 
 
 Herman Hess, than whom the res- 
 idents believe there is none better 
 fitted by ability and disposition to keep 
 the records of both the town and the 
 <"ity. is a man Hberally educated but 
 his knowledge has been, acquired 
 1< r ely outside of that limited educa- 
 tion which his parents were able to 
 giv? him. He attended the public 
 schools only until he was eleven years 
 
 39 
 
 of age, when he left to become a cash 
 boy in the store of W. H. Babb. He 
 began on a salary of $2.50 a week 
 and remained in the store five years, 
 during which time he spent his even- 
 ings in home study thereby depriving 
 himself the pleasures enjoyed by oth- 
 er boys. 
 
 In 1877 he obtained a clerkship in 
 the employ of the N. Y.. N. H. & H. R. 
 R., and served in the freight offices of 
 that company both in ^Meriden and 
 Xew Haven, and one year in the tick- 
 et department. In 1882, he became a 
 bookkeeper at the office of the .Mer- 
 iden ^Malleable Iron Co., where he re- 
 mained for five years more, and added 
 to his reputation as a skillful and ac- 
 curate accoimtant. 
 
 He began his public career as city 
 auditor in 1883, when he was elected 
 to fill a vacancy. In 1886, he was 
 elected town clerk and registrar of 
 vital statistics. In the following 
 city election, of the same year, he was 
 also chosen city clerk and has been 
 re-elected each subsequent year to the 
 present writing and since 1892, al- 
 though a Democrat, has been honored 
 with the nomination of both parties. 
 His incumbency of the offices has been 
 especially pleasing to the citizens of 
 the town, for not only has he fuffilled 
 the complicated duties in a manner 
 most satisfactory to the ptiblic. but 
 he has familiarized himself so thor- 
 oughly with the town and city rec- 
 ords that his services in his official 
 capacity have become almost inval- 
 uable. Mr. Hess, from his promi- 
 
450 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
lUOGRAPIIIES. 
 
 451 
 
 iience in public affairs, has natur- 
 ally become one of the leading citi- 
 zens of the town and no resident en- 
 joys perhaps a larger personal popu- 
 larity. Through his industry he has 
 Iteconie somewhat endowed with 
 earthly goods. 
 
 He is a trustee of the !\[eriden Sav- 
 ings Bank and since 1900 he has been 
 one of the directors of the Meriden 
 Xational Bank, of which institution 
 he is also the vice i)resident. He is 
 also a director of the Meriden Perma- 
 tK-nt Piuilding & Loan Association. 
 Me IS ])roniinent as well in the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity, being at this writing. 
 eminent commander of St. Elmo Com- 
 mandery, K. T., and affiliated with 
 Pxramid Temple, A. A. O. N., Alystic 
 Shrine. He is also a member of AJen- 
 (len Center Lodge, Xo. 97. F. & A. M. ; 
 Keystone Chapter, Xo. 27, R. A. ^L ; 
 Ifamilton Council, Xi^o. 22, R. & S. 
 M.; Meriden Center Lodge, 68, L O. 
 < ). F. ; Myrtle Lodge, Knights of Py- 
 thias ; is a member of the Elks and 
 the American Order of Foresters, 
 ' leriden 'j'urn A'erein, Home Club 
 .nid Colonial Club, and one of the di- 
 rectors of the Meriden Board of 
 Trade. 
 
 On r^Liy 2S., 1883, he was married 
 to Eugenia DeCrosbv. daughter of 
 N'ormaii W. and Uulli Ann ( Xor- 
 wood) Pomeroy. Tluir children 
 have been Raymnnd I 'nmeroy and 
 Ruth Imogene ; the latter died in 
 1887. '" li'-'^ religinus sym])atliies. he 
 is with his family, an attendant of 
 St. Paul's Universalist church. 
 
 lk\ IXC L. HOLT. 
 
 Irving Lucius Holt, one of the 
 leading business men of Meriden and 
 tax collector of the town since 1893' 
 was l)orn in Somers, Conn., Septem- 
 ber 5, 1851. He is a worthy descen- 
 dant of one of the oldest families in 
 I'onnecticut and is a son of Elijah and 
 Xancy L. (Harwood) Holt. He 
 traces his ancestry directly back to 
 Xicholas Holt, born in England al)Out 
 1602, who was one of the passengers 
 on the shi]) "James," of London, 
 which sailed from Southampton and 
 arrived after two months' ])assage in 
 Boston in 1635. He became one of 
 the first settlers of Xewbury, Mass., 
 and in 1644 removed from there to 
 become one of the first settlers of An- 
 dover, }klass. Among his later fore- 
 fathers was Caleb Holt, an early set- 
 tler of \\'illington. Conn., oue of the 
 ratifiers of the consiiiution : Royal 
 liolt. of Willington. married Lavina 
 Lamb, a natixe of \ ermont, whose 
 father ser\ed in the Revolutioiuary 
 war from the age of sixteen as a 
 waiter boy for George Washington 
 and continued in that capacity until 
 the close of the war. 
 
 I. L. Ildlt iibtained his early educa- 
 tion in the dislrict schools c^f Rock- 
 \ ille. Conn., which was interrupted for 
 a brief ])erio(l b\' a service at thv ( ilas- 
 gow thread mills, but continued his 
 education at 1 lall's boarding school 
 at I'"llington. ('onn.. and W'illiston 
 seminary at lCastliain])tou. Mass. 
 The famih' reniovinu to .Meriden 
 
452 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 453 
 
 in 1870, he went to South Man- 
 chester to teach his first school l)ut 
 soon after was engaged as a teach- 
 er at the State School for Boys in 
 Meriden, where he remained for two 
 and a half years. He afterwards took 
 a course at the Sheffield Scientific 
 school at Yale, class of 1874; after 
 which he became principal of the 
 Prattsville school, ]\Ieriden, which po- 
 sition he held for one year and re- 
 signed to take up the insurance bus- 
 iness in the office of the Meriden Fire 
 Insurance Co., where he was assist- 
 ant secretary, continuing with that 
 company nineteen years until the hon- 
 orable closing of its business, but 
 March i, 1892, with Frank A. Stev- 
 ens, formed the firm of Holt & Stev- 
 ens, wiiich has ever since been a lead- 
 ing insurance and real estate concern 
 and whose business has grown to large 
 proportions. 
 
 Mr. Holt has always been a staunch 
 Republican and for many years has 
 been a prominent worker in the ranks 
 of that party. He has served as chair- 
 man of the Republican Town com- 
 mittee, registrar of voters and since 
 1893 has served continuously in his 
 present office as collector of town 
 taxes, and during which time he has 
 collected over a million and a half 
 dollars for the town. He is promi- 
 nent in social circles, being an influ- 
 ential member of the Home Club, is 
 also connected with ^Meridian Lodge, 
 '"J, A. F. & A. M.. and St. Elmo Com- 
 mandery, 9, K. T.. of Meriden. 
 
 He was married August 11, 1875, 
 to Ella ^f. Rice, who died January 17. 
 
 1903, and who was a descendant of 
 one of the oldest families of Connec- 
 ticut and for many generations iden- 
 tified with this locality. The children 
 to this marriage are : Harry H., born 
 May 28, 1878, a graduate of the Mer- 
 iden High school, who for several 
 }ears has been associated with his 
 father in business ; and Ralph G., who 
 died in infancv. 
 
 WILLLAM LEWIS. 
 
 William Lewis, a prominent resi- 
 dent and financier of Meriden, now 
 deceased, although a native of Queens 
 county, Ireland, lived in Meriden 
 nearly all his useful life. He was 
 born in 1832 and as a child came to 
 this country with his parents. He wa5 
 given a good common school educa 
 tion and he began business life it 
 Meriden in a modest wa}- by open- 
 ing a confectionery and toy store on 
 Main street. In 1882 he retired from 
 mercantile business, having acquired 
 some little property, including the his 
 toric brick block situated at the cor 
 ner of High School avenue and West 
 Main street. This block he jnirchased 
 from the late Levi Bradley, of Chesh- 
 ire, and comprised the first brick block 
 of its class in Meriden. A Democn'^.t 
 in politics, he became a candidate for 
 town and city treasurer, his well 
 known integrity secured him the elec- 
 tion, although the town has ever been 
 Republican, and he held the office con- 
 tinuously for several years. He was 
 once a second selectman and served as 
 a member of thr Corner school com- 
 
454 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
l;i;,gkai'III1£S. 
 
 455 
 
 niittcc. As one of the incorporators, 
 directors ami trustees of tlie City Sav- 
 in.ijs l)anl< Mr. Lewis was highly hon- 
 ored in banking- circles and his suc- 
 cess in real estate ventures made him 
 an important factor in business life. 
 
 For many years he resided in the 
 brick l)lock which he owned on West 
 Main street but in 1895 he erected a 
 line residence on Piatt avenue where 
 he s])ent the last few years of his life 
 and which since his death has been 
 occi'pied by his three daughters and 
 grandson. William Lewis Dorsey. 
 
 He was married to jMargaret Fl}nn 
 who died in Meriden in 1880 and to 
 whom the following children were 
 born: John T.. May L. (Mrs. ^L L. 
 Dorsey, of the dry goods firm of Dor- 
 sey & Harrison ). Harriet A., Augusta 
 J. and Catherine T.. all of ^leriden. 
 Although a few years past the alloted 
 three score and ten, Mr. Lewas was 
 a man of strong, or wiry, physique and 
 none supposed him to be in any other 
 than the best of health. On the morn- 
 ing of the day of his death, June 18, 
 iqo5, he was up and about his home 
 but died froni a violent hemorrhage 
 I the stomach, before medical aid, 
 which was hastily summoned, could 
 reach him. His three daughters, all 
 of whom are young women of rare 
 personal accomplishments, and well- 
 known in the social circles in wliich 
 they are prominent figures, were the 
 recipients of the fullest sympathy of 
 the community as was evidenced in 
 many ways. 
 
 The funeral services of Air. Lewis 
 were held at St. Joseph's Roman 
 
 Catholic church, of which he was an 
 infiuential member. A solemn high 
 ma-ss of requiem was celebrated, of 
 which the following clergymen par- 
 ticipated : Rev. J. T. Lynch, celebrant ; 
 Rev. P. Skelly, of Litchfield, deacon, 
 and Rev. William Judge, master of 
 ceremonies. The burial w'as in the 
 Lewis plot at St. Patrick's Cemetery. 
 
 FREDERICK P. LOOMIS. 
 
 Frederick Porter Loomis. station 
 agent of the N. Y., N. H. & H. Rail- 
 road at Meriden, and a young man of 
 marked executive ability, was born in 
 Meriden May 4, 1871. He is the son 
 of \\'illiam C. Loomis, a veteran of 
 the Civil war, who served as chief 
 bugler in the First Connecticut Cav- 
 alry, and who was for some years an 
 officer of the State Reform school. 
 His mother was Mary A. Porter, 
 daughter of John B. Porter, a for- 
 mer resident of Chestnut street, who 
 was also one of the officers of the 
 State Reform school. 
 
 Frederick Loomis is a descendant 
 of' Joseph Loomis. one of the original 
 settlers of Uraintree, Mass., who was 
 born in Essex. England, in 1590, and 
 became one of the proprietors of 
 Windsor, L'oun., in 1640. Daniel 
 Loomis. the great, great grandfather 
 of Frederick, showed his patriotism 
 as a Revolutionary soldier by melting 
 the weights of his clock for bullets. 
 
 When he was quite young the pa- 
 rents of Frederick Loomis removed 
 with him to Cleveland. Ohio, where he 
 attended school, but he finished his 
 
456 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 457 
 
 education at the Meriden High school, 
 his parents having taken up their res- 
 idence in Yalesville where his father 
 died in 1896 and where his mother 
 still resides with the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 In 1 89 1 he entered the freight of- 
 fice of the N. Y., N. H. & H. railroad 
 as a clerk and worked up through the 
 various clerical positions until he was 
 entnisted with his present responsi- 
 bility as station agent to which he 
 was appointed by the company in 
 1901 and in which capacity he has 
 since served with efificiency to the 
 railroad and satisfaction of the pub- 
 lic. Mr. Loomis' responsibility 
 includes the charge of all prop- 
 erty of the steam railroad inter- 
 ests within the bounds of Meriden 
 and the general oversight of nearly 
 all the company's vast operations at 
 this point. Under his charge is a 
 force of eighty railroad employes. 
 Since the discontinuance of the Cen- 
 ter street station, the entire freight 
 business has been handled at the Main 
 freight station, the sheds of which are 
 300 feet long, and about 100 freight 
 cars are emptied and filled daily. All 
 of this calls for much executive abil- 
 ity on the part of the present agent 
 who, in dispatching his duties, has 
 ever been accorded the name of serv- 
 ing the public conscientiously and the 
 railroad with equal efiiciency. 
 
 Mr. Loomis, while not a member of 
 any social organization, is a member 
 of the Yalesville M. E. church where 
 he is organist and musical director, 
 succeeding his father. 
 
 He was married May 4, 1896, to 
 Avaline E. Brown, daughter of A. J. 
 Brown, superintendent of the Chas. 
 Parker Company factory at Yalesville 
 and to that union have been born two 
 boys and two girls, as follows : Wil- 
 liam Erwin, Frederick Brown, Mary 
 Elizabeth and Emilv Avaline. 
 
 GEO. E. BICKNELL. 
 
 George Edward Bicknell, first mem- 
 ber of the Connecticut State Sen- 
 
 r.i:oK(;i-; 1:. liU'K XlILl.. 
 
 ate from the new thirteenth (Meri- 
 den) district, was born in Belfast. 
 Me., November 25. 1861. A son of 
 James M. and Sarah (Stevens) Bick- 
 nell. he traces his ancestry in this 
 conntrv back to Zacliarv Bicknell of 
 
458 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Norman extraction, who settled in 
 Weymoutli, Mass., coming from Lon- 
 don, in 1635. He obtained his edu- 
 cation and remained in his native town 
 until he came to ]\Ieriden in 1880, 
 since when he has become active in 
 public affairs and a staunch member 
 of the Republican party and several 
 social and fraternal organizations by 
 which he has been much honored. His 
 public record is as follows : Member 
 IMeriden Common Council, 1896-7 ; 
 one of the police commissioners of 
 Meriden in 1900, 1901 and 1902 ; four 
 years a member of the state legisla- 
 ture from Meriden from 1901 to 1905 ; 
 member state Senate 1905 and 1906. 
 He is well versed in matters of finance 
 and since 1903 has served as president 
 of the Meriden Permanent Building 
 and Loan association. Senator Bick- 
 nell enjoys the confidence and respect 
 of the community and is prominently 
 identified with the following social 
 and fraternal organizations : Meridian 
 Lodge y'j, A. F. & A. M., of which 
 he was master in 1899 ; Keystone 
 Chapter, R. A. M. ; Pacific Lodge 87, 
 L O. O. F., and noble grand of which 
 in 1893 and 1906 ; Meriden Camp, 
 771 1, M. W. of A. ; Silver City Lodge 
 3, A. O. LT. W. and Colonial club of 
 Meriden. 
 
 He was married in 1886 to Eleanor 
 D. Stanley and their children are: 
 Charles, Roscoe and Corinna. 
 
 EDGAR T. PERKINS. 
 
 Shop, was born in Meriden, November 
 20, 1852, and is the son of James Mon- 
 roe Perkins, for several years a cele- 
 brated engineer on the New York & 
 Erie Railroad, but who spent the last 
 portion of his life in Meriden, where 
 he had become superintendent of the 
 Charles Parker Spoon Shop, former- 
 ly conducted by Parker & Perkins, 
 which position he held at the time of 
 
 Edgar J. Perkins, superintendent of 
 the Charles Parker Company Spoon 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 EDGAR J. PERKINS. 
 
 his death, August 2, 1898. Edgar J. 
 Perkins is the great-grandson of 
 Elisha Perkins, a soldier in the Rev- 
 olutionary War and one of the heroes 
 of Bunker Hill. 
 
 Edgar J. Perkins, who since 1898 
 has been superintendent of the manu- 
 facturing plant where his father, 
 grandfather and uncle were engaged 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 459 
 
 lief ore him. entered the spoon shop to 
 learn the trade of a tool maker, at the 
 Ui^e of eis^hteen. Previous to this he 
 had been thrown upon his own re- 
 sources and had a varied experience. 
 After attendint^ school he had worked 
 on neig'hboring' farms and served as a 
 coal ])asser on the Old Dominion 
 Steanishi]) Line, which plied between 
 New York and X'orfolk and Ports- 
 
 J. M. PERKINS. 
 
 mouth. \'a. His mechanical ability 
 at the spoon shop was soon demon- 
 strated ; for he had ambition and de- 
 teniiination to succeed. He finally 
 entered the die-sinking shop in which 
 he continued until he was appointed 
 to the present position which he has 
 since filled. The plant furnishes em- 
 ployment to about loo hands and im- 
 
 der his superiiitendency has continued 
 to be an important branch of the great 
 industry of ]\Ieriden, controlled In- the 
 Charles Parker Company. His abil- 
 ity to manag-e the w^ork and the larg-e 
 number of employes, of whom he has 
 charge, has been significantly demon- 
 strated. 
 
 He has for many years been an ac- 
 tive Republican, has served as grand 
 juror, tax collector and a member of 
 the school board. He is a member of 
 Center Lodge, 97, A. F. & A. M., and 
 is extremely liberal in his religious 
 views. 
 
 He was married in Meriden to Miss 
 Ellie M. Smith and to them have the 
 following children been born: Belle, 
 Airs. Leon Brainard. Hartford; 
 Daisy, JMrs. George Farrow, Middle- 
 town, and Howard, employed at the 
 Charles Parker Spoon Shop as a tool 
 maker. In 1900 from plans of his 
 own, he had erected for him on Mid- 
 dletown Road, one of the most com- 
 fortable and comely residences of the 
 town, wdiere, with his family, he has 
 dispensed genuine hospitality to a 
 large circle of friends. 
 
 WALLACE A. AHLES. 
 
 Wallace A. Miles, deceased, mayor 
 of the city of Meriden in 1889, was a 
 man of the people and was born in 
 Southington in 1841. His parents, 
 xAlmeron and Caroline (Lawrence) 
 Miles, resided at the place of his birth 
 but temporarily. Removing to Mer- 
 iden when six months of age, he con- 
 
460 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 tinned to live here nntil the time of 
 his death, December 16, 1904. 
 
 He was edncated nnder a private 
 tutor and finished his schoohng at the 
 Meriden academy and his first em- 
 ployment was as a clerk in the Meri- 
 den post office where he continued un- 
 der postmasters Yale and Ashahel H. 
 Curtis. After faithful service there 
 he entered the factorv of the Charles 
 
 WALLACE A. MILES. 
 
 Parker Co., where he held the posi- 
 tion of shipper, afterwards engaging 
 in the hardware aand crockery busi- 
 ness with Eli C. Birdsey under the 
 firm name of Birdsey & Miles. Dur- 
 ing his connection with the firm they 
 manufactured stationer's hardware. 
 In 1876 the partnership was dissolved, 
 
 and Mr. Miles took the manufactur 
 ing business which he continued un 
 til 1888 when he gave up his business 
 having been elected mayor of the city 
 Mr. ]\Iiles was a man who enjoyec 
 the fullest confidence of his fellov 
 townsmen and was honored at variou! 
 times by election to public office, tht 
 duties of which he dispatched with £ 
 conscientious regard for the taxpayers 
 and the citizens. He was collector oi 
 taxes in 1875-76-77, and in the last 
 year became one of the board of as- 
 sessors, serving for a number of years 
 in that capacity. In 1886 he was 
 chosen a member of the board of ed- 
 ucation and he was from 1875- 1877, ^ 
 period comprising three terms, a rep- 
 resentative from Meriden in the state 
 legislature. In politics he was a Dem- 
 ocrat and when he was chosen mayor 
 of the city in December, 1888, his ad- 
 ministration, conducted in the inter- 
 est of the people, was highly gratify- 
 ing to the city. 
 
 Mr. Miles was a veteran of the Civil 
 war, having enlisted in the 27th Conn. 
 ^'ols. in April, 1862, serving until Au- 
 gust, 1863. When IMerriam Post was 
 formed he was one of the first to be- 
 come one of its comrades and as such < 
 continued until he was called by the 
 x\lmighty to his reward. Of this post 
 it was his intention to publish a his- 
 tory of its members, but his life was 
 not spared to complete the work he 
 had well in hand, and after his death 
 a large amount of manuscript which 
 he had gathered was turned over to 
 others. His death caused a severe 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 461 
 
 loss to Mcridcn and he is survived by 
 a widow, residing on Broad street, in 
 his late residence. 
 
 SIDXEY D. TUFTS. 
 
 The death of Sidney D. Tufts on 
 November 11. 1891, at the age of 
 46, marked the passing away of an 
 upright man and pubHc-spirited citi- 
 zen. For twenty-three years, Air. 
 Ti tts was a contractor at the Wil- 
 cox Silver Plate Company (now Fac- 
 tory X, International Silver Com- 
 pany). 
 
 -Meriden is proud of men who have 
 done their duty as they have seen it. 
 putting forth their best efforts in their 
 daily work, even when that work- 
 brought no high rewards. Such a 
 man was Mr. Tufts. He had a wide 
 circle of acquaintances and friends 
 who were attracted to him because of 
 his sterling qualities. 
 
 Mr. Tufts was a quiet, domestic 
 
 man, one who found pleasure in his 
 
 own cheerful home. He was a firm 
 
 believer in fraternal life also and was 
 
 affiliated with many of the orders 
 
 prominent in the city. He was a 
 
 leading member of Meriden Center 
 
 Lodge, I. (). O. F.. Columbia Coun- 
 
 il. O. I'. .\. M.. Electric Lodge, X. 
 
 E. C). P.. and for a tiiiTC a member of 
 
 )a5is Encampment. The friendships 
 
 omicd in these organizations were 
 
 tiany and congenial and his death 
 
 aused sorrow that was deep and 
 
 enuine. 
 
 He was held in high regard by the 
 )fficers of the Wilcox Silver Plate Co. 
 
 and b}- the men who worked under 
 him. In his business relations he was 
 strictly honest and just and the many 
 years he held the contract in the rouge 
 buffing department is an indication of 
 the satisfactory quality of his work. 
 
 Mr. Tufts' home at 9 Gladwin place 
 was a most hospitable one and there 
 he and Mrs. Tufts were wont to find 
 comfort and contentment. Thev 
 
 SIDNEY D. TUFTS. 
 
 were ever ready to receive their 
 friends and the latter were able to 
 gain an insight into what might well 
 be termed a model household. Mr. 
 Tufts' wife survives him. He left no 
 children. 
 
 It is such men as Sidney D. Tufts 
 who constitute the backbone of Meri- 
 den or any other progressive commun- 
 itv. A manufacturing citv needs 
 
462 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 more than "Captains of Industry." 
 It requires that the men at the bench 
 and those set over them shall be faith- 
 ful in the performance of their duty, 
 that they shall ever be alive to the best 
 interests of the institution for which 
 they labor, that they shall be alert in 
 the endeavor to bring about improve- 
 ments. Added to this is the broad- 
 minded and intellig'ent interest in the 
 affairs of the city and country. In the 
 enumeration of these qualities Mr. 
 Tufts' character is described. 
 
 W. E. BENHAM. 
 
 Welcome E. Benham, founder of the 
 Young Men's Christian Association, 
 of Meriden, the first to construct its 
 own building in New England, and 
 one whose life was devoted to relig- 
 ious labor, was born in Cheshire, Sep- 
 tember 9, 1820, and died at Meriden 
 August 23, 1898. He was educated 
 in the Cheshire common schools and 
 Southington academy. After his 
 graduation from the latter, he taught 
 district school for three winters, and 
 afterwards concluded his education at 
 the Oberlin, O., Collegiate Institute, 
 where he was a student from 1837- 
 1841, but on account of ill health was 
 compelled to give up his studies. 
 
 In 1847, having regained his health, 
 he became a traveling bookseller, cov- 
 ering a territory in central Connecti- 
 cut, for over a period of thirty years, 
 his sales during that time, a portion 
 of which were Bibles, aggregated 
 $200,000. In 1850 he made a tour 
 abroad, visiting England, Ireland, 
 
 France and Italy, and in 1854 he mar: 
 ried Martha Street, daughter of Jame 
 Street and Betsey Scott, and settlei: 
 permanently in Meriden and thereaf 
 ter devoted much of his useful life t( 
 the educational and spiritual welfan 
 and comfort of its people. 
 
 From sixteen years of age his \iU\ 
 was that of a most devout and exem-; 
 plary Christian. Through his eft'ort; 
 
 W. E. BENHAiM. 
 
 $30,000 were raised to erect the build- 
 ing and equip the library of the above 
 named institution ; and for twelve 
 years he was president and for the last 
 fourteen years of his life, was chair- 
 man of the board of trustees. He was 
 a member and for thirty years a teach- 
 er of an adult class at the First Con- 
 ereeational church. His considera- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 463 
 
 tion for his fellowmen was always ap- 
 parent and it was his dehght to per- 
 form acts of kindness. He placed a 
 free ice water barrel in front of the 
 Palace block and this he looked after 
 personally for many years, and the 
 drinking fountain at the head of 
 Crown street was dedicated to him. 
 
 He served for some years as chair- 
 man of the Corner school district com- 
 mittee and officiated as a member of 
 the school board for nine years, two 
 of which he was acting school visitor. 
 During his service he introduced 
 printed school reports and schedules of 
 school terms. His efforts in behalf of 
 free schools enabled Meriden to pass 
 down in history as the first town in 
 this state to adopt them. In 1884 he 
 was chairman of the Winthrop Square 
 Association that established the pres- 
 ent green opposite the railroad sta- 
 tion which has since added to the 
 beauty of the city. In 1882 he wrote, 
 illustrated and published a book of 240 
 pages containing sketches of his life 
 and writings ; and through his person- 
 al effort for church. Y. M. C. A. and 
 other benevolent purposes, he solic- 
 ited and obtained from the generous 
 public of Meriden over $60,000, with- 
 out ever desiring or receiving any com- 
 pensation except the pleasure such 
 commendable work afforded him. His 
 death was a sad loss to Meriden ; 
 for his life was largely spent in good 
 works that were always wrought by 
 him purely in the interests of his 
 fellowman. He is survived by a 
 widow and daughter, Mary J. Ben- 
 ham, who reside on Prospect street. 
 
 JOSEPH E. COE. 
 
 By the death of Joseph E. Coe on 
 May 5, 1902, Meriden lost a most 
 earnest and indefatigable worker in 
 the cause of temperance and Chris- 
 tianity ; a man who devoted his life 
 to the betterment of his fellows. He 
 was born on a farm in the town of 
 Middlefield, Connecticut. June 16, 
 
 JOSEPH E. COE. 
 
 1827, the Aoungest son of Eli Coe. 
 His early life was spent on the farm, 
 but he desired a wider field for his 
 activities and wdien he felt sure of his 
 mission he began to devote his ener- 
 gies in behalf of mankind, a service 
 to which practically the remainder of 
 his long life was given. He had wise- 
 ly invested his early savings and had 
 displayed much business ability. His 
 
464 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 investments in Chicago real estate 
 brought to him a comfortable income 
 which, to a large extent, he applied to 
 the carrying out of his plans as a re- 
 former. 
 
 Mr. Coe was a strong advocate of 
 teniperance and was a consistent ene- 
 my of tobacco. He was every ready 
 to denounce the vices he had set out 
 to oppose although often to do so re- 
 quired no small degree of courage. 
 
 Mr. Coe was known throughout the 
 country as a distributor of Bible 
 leaves. At great expense to himself 
 he traveled many thousand of miles, 
 covering every state of the Union, in 
 order to distribute these tracts, one 
 leaf at a time. This required about 
 2,000 copies of the revised and 4,000 
 copies of the King James version of 
 the New Testament. 
 
 Mr. Coe was always interested in 
 education and gave freely of his mon- 
 ey in behalf of schools. He was 
 prominent in Y. M. C. A. work and 
 was an active member of the Amer- 
 ican Bible Society of New York City. 
 He was a promoter of the Meriden 
 hospital and was much interested in 
 its work. He provided commodious 
 quarters in the Middlefield town hall 
 for the W. C. T. U. in whose work 
 he also took a deep interest. In the 
 work he had made peculiarly his own 
 he employed others, paying them out 
 of his own means. In all these causes 
 there are few men who have proved 
 themselves so devoted as Mr. Coe, 
 whose time and thought, whose ener- 
 gy and money were given without the 
 slightest expectation of personal gain. 
 
 Mr. Coe's first marriage was to 
 Laura L. Miller. His second wife, 
 who survives him, is Orpha R. Root, 
 who, during his life, proved a faith- 
 ful wife and gave him moral support 
 and encouragement in his efforts for 
 others. 
 
 F. J. WHEELER. 
 
 Frederick J. Wheeler, a striking 
 example of the self-made man, who 
 has accumulated a competency in the 
 business life of Meriden, was born 
 in Stratford, Conn., and is a son of 
 Everett Wheeler, a farmer of that 
 town, where his ancestors resided for 
 many generations before him. He is 
 also descended from Moses Wheeler, 
 who lived in London, England, dur- 
 ing the existence of the plague which 
 caused many to flee to this country 
 over two centuries ago. Moses 
 Wheeler was one who was stricken 
 and supposing he was about to die, 
 dug his own grave and lay down in 
 it. His neighbors believing him to 
 be dead, he came near being buried 
 alive, but recovered and was one 
 of the early settlers of Stratford, be- 
 coming the operator of the ferry 
 which in olden times plied between 
 Stratford and Milford. 
 
 Frederick J. Wheeler of whom this 
 article now speaks more especially, 
 w^as educated in the district schools 
 of his native town and worked on his 
 father's farm until sixteen years of 
 age, when he journeyed to Seymour, 
 Conn., and learned the trade of a tin- 
 smith, serving his full apprenticeship 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 465 
 
 there and afterwards working as a 
 journeyman for seven years at Wa- 
 terbury. From the fruits of his labor, 
 he was enabled to engage in business 
 in 1862, and happily for him, he chose 
 Meriden for the field of his business 
 life. He leased a portion of his pres- 
 ent store, one of the most historic 
 buildings of the town, and from a 
 small beginning has increased his bus- 
 iness to large proportions. r)egin- 
 
 F. J. W HEELER. 
 
 ning business as a tinsmith, he later 
 added plumbing, heating and venti- 
 lating, increasing his employes and 
 business steadily and j^rofitably. Mis 
 original stock consisted of stoves and 
 tinware but gradually other lines have 
 been added until at the present writ- 
 ing the store, wliich has l)een several 
 30 
 
 times enlarged, contains an endless 
 variety of general haidware, cutlery, 
 tools, stoves, crockery, wooden, tin 
 and willow ware. For many years 
 Air. Wheeler has conducted a large 
 I)lumbing, gasfitting, heating and 
 ventilating business, employing a 
 number of workmen to whom he gives 
 steady employment. From a long 
 and honorable business career, Mr. 
 Wheeler has become one of the most 
 responsible business men of the town. 
 
 GEORGE A. CHURCH. 
 
 George A. Church, one of Meriden's 
 ablest merchants and respected citi- 
 zens, and from 1878 until the time of 
 his death, senior member of the firm of 
 Church & Morse, and for some years 
 previous to that engaged in the hard- 
 ware business in Meriden, was born 
 in Hartford, May 11, 1847. He was 
 the son of Abner and Lucy Church 
 and was educated in the public schools 
 of Hartford and Cheshire Academy. 
 After the war broke out, although a 
 mere boy he enlisted in the Union 
 army as a private and saw active ser- 
 vice as a member of the 64th 111. A^ols. 
 Infantry. 
 
 He came to Meriden in 1872, after 
 having received a business education 
 from his previous cxjierience, and en- 
 gaged in the hardware business as a 
 member of the firm of Chinxh & 
 Sprague, in a store on East Main 
 street in the vicinity of the depot 
 crossing. The business rapidly outgrew 
 the first location and was later re- 
 UKued to West Main, directh' o])posite 
 
466 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 GEORGE A. CHURCH. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 467 
 
 Colony street. In 1878 J\lr. Church 
 bouglit the interest of Mr. Sprague 
 antl continued the growing business 
 for one year ; but at the end of tliat 
 time, Charles P. Morse bought a half 
 interest and the business has ever since 
 been conducted under the firm name 
 of Church & Morse. Since the 
 death of his father, Robert G. Church 
 lias represented the interests of the 
 estate and taken his place in the store. 
 The growth of the business of Church 
 & .Morse to that of the largest in the 
 hardware line in Meriden, is in no 
 small degree due to the somewhat re- 
 markable business acumen of the late 
 (George A. Church. He was known 
 as one of Meriden's most progressive 
 merchants and his popularity, both in 
 anti out of his store, wnll be long re- 
 membered by the people of Meriden 
 and vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Church was a familiar figure 
 in social life as well as a business 
 man standing high in the community ; 
 he was a prominent member of the 
 Masonic fraternity, in wdiich he filled 
 a large place in the hearts of his 
 brethren. He was eminently devoted 
 to tliat craft and his energy was ex- 
 erted to the best results. Among his 
 prominent characteristics were his 
 scrupulous honesty, faithfulness to 
 trusts, whether in private or official 
 relations, and fidelity to principles 
 which he miglit espouse wiihout re- 
 gard to either j;o])uIar clamor or fa- 
 vor. Mr. Church was also a member 
 '•f the Red Men ami his connection 
 with that order will cause him to be 
 long rcmemliered bv h.is fellow braves. 
 
 He was also a member of the Home 
 Club and his good fellowship there 
 made his loss greatly deplored by its 
 meml^ers. For many years before his 
 death he was also a member of Mer- 
 riam Post, G. A. R. His death, Sep- 
 tember 13, 1896, came w'ithout warn- 
 ing and caused great surprise and pain 
 in the community, with which he had 
 become so thoroughly a part. 
 
 He was married in Middletown, 
 Conn., 1875, to Lucy R. Goodell, to 
 whom three sons haye been born : 
 Robert G., Howard W. and William 
 B. Church, who with 'Sirs. Church, 
 survive him and still reside in the 
 same residence, 93 Crown street. 
 
 WILLIAM F. ROCKWELL. 
 
 William Francis Rockwell was born 
 in Ridgefield, Conn., January 12, 1845, 
 and died at his home in Meriden, 
 Conn., January 5, 1901. His early 
 education was acquired at a pri- 
 vate school. He afterwards graduat- 
 ed from Fort Edward Collegiate In- 
 stitute. His business career began in 
 the forwarding and commission house 
 of Miller 15ros.. in Xew York, when 
 about eighteen years of age. He 
 held an important position with that 
 concern for several years, being sta- 
 tioned at Norfolk, \'a.. as supercargo 
 of a vessel during" the war. In 1868 
 he went to Washington, X. J., and 
 engaged in mercantile business under 
 the firm name of Cummins, Rockwell 
 & Co. In 1874 Mr. Rockwell re- 
 turned to Connecticut and became 
 treasurer of the Ignited States Steel 
 
468 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 d 
 
 '^^cpT. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 469 
 
 Shear Company. In 1876 he partici- 
 pated in the reorganization of the 
 Miller Bros. Cutlery Company. That 
 concern had failed for a large amount 
 and Mr. Rockwell, in connection with 
 four other gentlemen, bought out the 
 ])lant and reorganized the company. 
 Mr. Rockwell became treasurer and 
 general manager, and the late Lem- 
 uel J. Curtis was the first president. 
 At the death of Mr. Curtis, I. C. Lew- 
 is became president, and in 1893, when 
 Mr. Lewis died, Mr. Rockwell was 
 elected president and held the ofifice 
 until the time of his decease. In 1877 
 Mr. Rockwell was one of the organ- 
 izers and first president of the x\mer- 
 ican Pocket Cutlery Association of the 
 L'nited States, organized to look after 
 the protective interests of the cutlery 
 trade. He was also a member of the 
 committee on the revision of customs 
 laws of the Merchants' Association of 
 N'ew York. While that organization 
 is composed largely of importers and 
 merchants, they recognized Mr. Rock- 
 well's knowledge and experience and 
 were glad to avail themselves of it. 
 
 The following tri])rtc to Mr. Rock- 
 well's character and ])()sili()n in the 
 cutlery trade is from William 11. ]Ma- 
 her, of Toledo, Ohio, who knew him 
 long and intimately : 
 
 "For twenty-five years 'Sir. Rock- 
 well had been one of the controlling 
 forces in the hardware trade of this 
 countrw and has left his impress u])oii 
 the tariff laws and rulings to an ex- 
 tent that very few realize. He was a 
 mamifacturer. but hr was something 
 more than that: in a broad sense he 
 
 was a statesman, and though he held 
 no office his was the mind and brains 
 and research and perseverance that 
 furnished facts, figures and arguments 
 to the men who made laws. He 
 worked through them, meeting every 
 point raised b\- the opposition, until 
 to-day the .American consumer who 
 wishes American goods cannot be 
 fooled by having foreign stuff forced 
 on him under an American name. 
 
 "His battle for .\merican cutlery 
 was something grand and Titanic. 
 Mr. Rockwell began his battle as a 
 lawyer prepares his case when im- 
 mense issues are at stake. His fight 
 was made on facts, facts, facts ! 
 Every point was fortified with figures 
 that could not be questioned. In that 
 contest the American cutler triumphed, 
 and if he wished to know who was his 
 friend he need but listen to the mal- 
 edictions heaped upon Mr. Rockwell's 
 head by the importers, whose false 
 brands and under valuation had been 
 summarily interfered with. And 
 when Congress ha_^l done its work Mr. 
 Rockwell's task was seemingly but 
 just begun. The men in the New 
 York custom house had his knowledge 
 at their command, and liis (|uick eye 
 caught at every loophole through 
 which the s])irit of the law might have 
 been rendered aboriive. 
 
 "< )f all ni\ ac(|uaintances T know of 
 none who lias shown more resource- 
 ful enu'gy. more knowledge of everv- 
 thing connected with his business, or 
 who has left or.e tithe of his impress 
 upon his associates. In his own office 
 and in his home he was a most genial 
 
470 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 host. In his city and state he was 
 one of the controlhng minds, and in 
 national affairs he was a power." 
 
 Mr. Rockwell was married in 1876 
 to Miss Louise Taylor, of Washing- 
 ton, N. J. To them was born one 
 son, Charles Francis Rockwell. 
 
 GEORGE COOLEY. 
 
 George Cooley, one of the substan- 
 tial residents of the town of Meriden 
 
 GEORGE COOLEY. 
 
 and the veteran liveryman engaged 
 in business at the present writing, was 
 born in Ashford, Windham county. 
 Conn., June 23, 1835. He is the son 
 of RoweandMira (Snow) Cooley and 
 his father was a well-to-do farmer of 
 that town which is now Eastford. He 
 was educated in the district school and 
 brought up to work on the home farm 
 
 until sixteen years of age, when he 
 went to Hartford and learned the 
 trade of a burnisher, first entering the 
 factory of William & Asa Rogers and 
 later being employed by J. H. Martin. 
 
 He came to Meriden soon after and 
 secured employment as a burnisher at 
 the works of the Meriden Britannia 
 Co. and for some years was employed 
 by that company in Wallingford ; and 
 during this time Samuel Simpson was 
 a member of the concern. In 1864, 
 while still employed by the Meriden 
 Britannia Co., he started in the livery 
 stable business on Broad street, by 
 buying out William Fisher, where he 
 soon recovered his previous failing 
 health, and since that time he has been 
 engaged in the livery business contin- 
 uously. He remained on Broad street 
 for a period of sixteen years, but be- 
 fore he sold out the Broad street sta- 
 liles to Mr. Smith, of Middletown, he 
 had for four years at the same time 
 been conducting also the stables of 
 Willliam Parker on Main street. The 
 latter stables he carried on successfully 
 in all for twenty-one years, but May, 
 1 90 1, he sold out the Parker stable 
 and from J. H. McDonald, purchased 
 the Meriden House stables, which he 
 has since conducted. 
 
 Mr. Cooley is a Republican in pol- 
 itics and a member of the Home Club 
 He is married to Emily J., daughter of 
 Leander Parmelee, of Wallingford, 
 once high sheriff of New Haven coun- 
 ty, and l^y that marriage are t\\<> 
 grown children : Irving G., the mana- 
 ger of the Meriden Curtain Fixture 
 Co., and Jennie, wife of C. S. Howaril. 
 
LIUGKAI'lilES. 
 
 471 
 
 FRANCIS STAXLEV l-oSTRN 
 
 ]-rancis Stanley I'ostcr, deceased, a 
 lifelong resident of Meriden, active 
 and popular in business life, a member 
 of the firm of JSirdsey d^: b'oster, now 
 Dirdsey & Raven, was born in this 
 town April 25, 1840. He was the son 
 of Ira and Harriet F. (Kclscy) Fos- 
 ter. He was a grandson of !\Iathcw 
 and Charlotte (Preston) Foster and 
 their family name is one of the oldest 
 and most familiar in this section. His 
 maternal grandmother was Lucy, 
 ilauglUer of Lot and Rhoda ( \\'ads- 
 worth) Stanley, of New Britain, 
 who was descended from one of the 
 best known families of Hartford. 
 
 Francis Stanley Foster attended the 
 Corner school. \\'hen he was quite 
 young his father removed from wdiat 
 was known as Crow Hollow and built 
 a house on the corner of Main and 
 Ihitkr streets, the land at that time be- 
 ing worth less than $300, but now val- 
 ued at about $20,000. At sixteen 
 years of age he entered the grocery 
 story of H. D. P.assett on Broad 
 street. Later he was employed as 
 clerk l)y Jared Lewis, whose employ 
 le left to fill the position of head clerk 
 in the dry goods store of David S. 
 Williams. He was a natural salesman 
 and devel(»])i'<l into a successful mer- 
 chant. He became the partner of I'di 
 C. Birdsey in May. iF^jC). which \ydn- 
 nership was cnntiiiued under llic name 
 of B.irdsey & I'oster until his hmuuled 
 death in 1P09. 
 
 He was ])OFsessed of an especially 
 
 lia]i])\- disposition and his good fel- 
 lowshi]) was as full_\- ai)parent in his 
 store as elsewhere. He was known as 
 very genial, strictly honest, and one 
 who treated all with due consideration. 
 J [e was known as a good Mason and a 
 loyal Odd Fellow and was a member 
 of the Center lodges of both orders 
 and also was a valued member of Key- 
 stone Chapter, Hamilton Council and 
 St. Elmo Commandery, Knights Tem- 
 ])lar. 
 
 He was married October 22, 1863, 
 to Mary J., daughter of Alanson and 
 Clarissa (Wilcox) Birdsey. He died 
 November 12, 1899. His wife, moth- 
 er and a sister, Mrs. Martha Hillard, 
 survived him. 
 
 Alanson Birdsey, the father of Mrs. 
 Foster, was the son of dershom and 
 Lucy Coe 15ir(lse\ and was born in 
 the present town of Middlefield in 
 1807. He was a brother of Eli C. 
 liirdscy, known as Squire Birdsey, of 
 whom a sketch ai)pears elsewhere in 
 this volume. The family moved tn 
 East ]\Ieriden and after s])ending his 
 younger days on the hdme farm he 
 finally engaged in the grocery busi- 
 ness on liroad street and carried on 
 that trade for man\ \ears. 
 
 Tn 1844 he built what was then 
 kiiDwn as a most imposing brick man- 
 sion on Broad stret't. wlure he resided 
 until his death which occurretl June 
 14. iSSi. wlun I'rancis S. I'oster and 
 his wife became the occu])ants and 
 since the death of lur husband it has 
 continued to be occupied by Mrs. 
 
 I'o^tU". 
 
472 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 FRANCIS S. FOSTER. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 473 
 
 ALANSON BIRDSEY. 
 
474 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 WILLIAM GARLICK. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 475 
 
 \\!L1JA.A[ GARLICK. 
 
 W'illinni Gaiiick, whose death oc- 
 curred October lo. 1904, at his home 
 in South Meriden, was born in Shef- 
 field, England, August 19, 1847. His 
 parents moved to this countr\- when 
 he was but three years of age : and 
 he was reared in South Meriden. For 
 many years he was engaged in the ice 
 business and he was also a con- 
 tractor at the Meriden Cutlery Com- 
 pany's factory and president of the 
 Colorado and Connecticut Gold Alin- 
 ing Company. 
 
 Mr. Garlick was educated in the 
 South Meriden district school. At 
 the age of fifteen he entered the em- 
 ploy of the Meriden Cutlery Company 
 in the same department in which his 
 father was engaged, continuing there 
 until he reached his majority. For 
 three years thereafter he was em- 
 ployed as inspector at the Aetna Cut- 
 lery Works at New Britain. He 
 then returned to take the etching con- 
 tract at the Meriden factory, that con- 
 nection continuing for nearly thirty 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Garlick had purchased his 
 father's ice business in 1878 and in 
 1889 he consolidated it with the Mer- 
 iden Ice Company. He was elected 
 president and served for five years. 
 Tn 1894 he withdrew from this ccm- 
 nectidn and started the leaver Lake 
 Ice Company. Mr. (larlick being the 
 sole owner. 
 
 In 1898 Mr. Garlick made a tri]) to 
 Alaska prospecting for gold in the 
 
 Klondike. He was gone eighteen 
 months, during which the ice business 
 was successfully carried on by his 
 wife and daughter. Returning home 
 he formed the Colorado and Connecti- 
 cut Gold Mining Company and was 
 chosen president. Mr. Garlick was a 
 member of Hancock Lodge, No. 28, 
 I. O. O. F., of South Meriden, Pil- 
 grims' Harbor Council, Royal Arca- 
 num, and the Home Club, of Meriden. 
 He was a member of the Methodist 
 church. 
 
 After r\Ir. Garlick's death his wife 
 and daughter again assumed the man- 
 agement of the ice business, which 
 thev carried on in a successful man- 
 
 ARTIIUR S. GARLICK. 
 
 \KV for several months until dispos- 
 ing of same to parties who now carry 
 on the business under the same name — 
 riie Heaver Lake Ice Company. 
 
 Mr. ( larlick was held in high re- 
 L;ard l:otIi ris a citizi-n and business 
 man. lie was r.pright in his deal- 
 
476 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ings with his fellows and progressive 
 in his ideas. He took great pride in 
 municipal affairs and was ready to aid 
 in anything that promised to advance 
 the welfare of city or town. He was 
 respected and liked by his employes 
 in whom he always took a kindly in- 
 terest. 
 
 Mr. Garlick was married on No- 
 vember II, 1875, to Nellie May Stev- 
 ens, daughter of Philander and Eunice 
 Stevens, of South Meriden. Two 
 children were born, Miss Mabel Stev- 
 ens Garlick, prominent in Meriden so- 
 ciety, and Arthur Stanley Garlick, 
 who is an instructor in Cincinnati 
 University. Young Mr. Garlick has 
 a bright future. He is a member of 
 Meridian Lodge, F. & A. M., of Mer- 
 iden, and is well known and liked in 
 social circles. His advance in his 
 chosen profession is certain, and the 
 position he now holds in Cincinnati 
 University is most promising. 
 
 PAUL T. SALESKL 
 
 Paul T. Saleski, president and 
 treasurer of the wholesale grocery, 
 fruit and produce dealing corporation 
 which bears his name, and one of the 
 most energetic and successful busi- 
 ness men of the vicinity of Meriden, 
 was born in Germany, September 2, 
 1866. His father, Charles Wilhelm 
 Saleski, was a well known manufac- 
 turer of pottery and earthenware, 
 who ' married Mary Lietz. Their 
 children, fourteen in number, nine of 
 whom are now living, are as follows : 
 Gustav W., Charles M., a carpenter 
 
 and joiner; Frank, August B., Anton 
 A., of the Wilcox & White Co. ; Ce- 
 cilia I., widow of Samuel H. W. Yale; 
 Anna A., wife of John Velz, and Ida 
 r\L, wife of Joseph Dumackowski, all 
 of whom came to Meriden with their 
 parents in 1878, where they have re- 
 sided ever since, excepting Frank, a 
 prominent dairy farmer of Walling- 
 ford. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, who was 
 eleven years old when the family 
 came to Meriden, having previously 
 attended school in his native land, 
 was further educated in St. Rose's 
 parochial school of Meriden. He be- 
 gan his business life as a clerk in the 
 grocery store of Martin Booth where 
 he began at a salary of seventy-five 
 cents a day and remained until he had 
 learned the business, to which he read- 
 ily adapted himself. 
 
 He began business for himself in 
 1890 in a somewhat small way in 
 partnership with J. L Parker under 
 the firm name of J. L Parker & Co. 
 In 1892 he bought his partner's in- 
 terest and the growing and success- 
 ful business was continued under the 
 name of P. T. Saleski & Co. He af- 
 terwards took an extensive trip to Eu- 
 rope and the old world and upon his 
 return again formed a partnership 
 Avith Mr. Parker whose interest he 
 again bought out in 1895, when he be- 
 came an importer of foreign fruits as 
 well as an extensive dealer in domes- 
 tic fruits, vegetables and country prod- 
 uce, having since been the only im- 
 porter of fruits between Hartford and 
 New Haven. The srowth of the bus- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 477 
 
 6?-.<^ ^ 0^^^.,..^ 
 
4/8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 THE P. T. SALESKI LIUILDING. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 479 
 
 iness, of which he has for many years 
 been the head, has been remarkably 
 steady and rapid. As early as 1901, 
 the enterprise first began to show the 
 evidence of success and was removed 
 to South Colony street and later the 
 adjoining store was added and im- 
 provements costing $4,000 were made 
 which included cold storage accom- 
 modations and every facility for keep- 
 ing fresh the goods sold to the trade. 
 In 1905 a large four story brick 
 structure was erected on the opposite 
 side of the street at a cost of $25,- 
 000. This is one of the most sub- 
 stantial buildings in Meriden and 
 admirably adapted for the large 
 business carried on by the P. T. Sa- 
 leski Co., a corporation which was 
 chartered by the legislature, of which 
 Mr. Saleski owns ninety per cent, 
 of the stock, the balance being 
 owned by trusted employes. In the 
 basement of this building are the cold 
 storage and steam heating plants. The 
 first floor, where the handsomely 
 fitted offices are, is devoted to fruits 
 and produce, the second to groceries 
 and the third to woodenware. The 
 building is of buff brick with granite 
 trimmings and is most conveniently 
 arranged for the business now car- 
 ried on there so extensively. The 
 business of the company of whicli Mr. 
 Saleski is the head, adds nuich to the 
 mercantile life of Aleriden and several 
 traveling men are now employed to 
 wait ui)on the trade in adjoining 
 towns. The success of Mr. Saleski 
 from a poor boy, has been the result 
 fif untiring energy, honi'st derdings 
 
 with the trade and his ability to rise 
 to the occasion. He has the respect 
 of the comnumity and stands high in 
 business circles. 
 
 He was married September 28, 
 1897, to Anne Reichardt, of Buffalo, 
 X. Y., a lady of culture, who has since 
 made him an excellent helpmate. To 
 this union these children have been 
 Ijorn, Henrietta, Eugene and LMiilii), 
 and one who died in infanc\ . 
 
 Mr. Saleski was iov many years a 
 member of the Knights of Columbus, 
 and a past grand knight of that or- 
 ganization, and also of the Ancient 
 Order of United Workmen and St. 
 Boniface society and others, but re- 
 tired from them all in order to devote 
 his time to his business and 
 home. He is a Republican in politics 
 and a member of the building commit- 
 tee of St. Mary's Roman Catholic 
 church. He is also a man who has 
 never meddled with politics and is 
 deeply devoted to his business, his 
 family and his home. He resides in 
 his own house on Liberty, street. 
 
 C. A. GRAEBER. 
 
 Rev. Charles Augustus Graeber, 
 born in St. Louis, Mo., June 2/, 18.41, 
 son of Carl August Graeber and Car- 
 olina Reissner, entered the pariK-hial 
 school of the Trinity Lutheran 
 church when five years of age, then 
 the Concordia College of the Synod 
 of Missouri. Ohio and other states 
 .\pril 4, 1853. On account of ill 
 health he took u]) the ])raetical side 
 of the ajxithecary's trade with Dr. 
 
48o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Tschirpe. In 1858 he re-entered the 
 college and graduated in April, 1861. 
 He clerked with Druggist Buenger 
 for six months and then entered the 
 theological seminary of Concordia in 
 St. Louis. He graduated on March 
 II, 1864, was ordained March 20, and 
 accepted the missionary board's call 
 to go to southeast Missouri, locating 
 at Pilotknob, Iron Co.. Mo., preach- 
 
 DR. CHARLES A. GRAEBER. 
 
 ing and teaching there and at Farm- 
 ington, Sainte Genevieve, Mine La- 
 motte, and other places. His voice 
 failing, he accepted a call to Rock- 
 ville, Tolland Co., Conn., being in- 
 stalled there December 16, 1866, sup- 
 plying also at Broad Brook. August 
 I, 1869, he accepted a call to the St. 
 lohn's Lutheran church of Meriden 
 
 and was installed August 22 by the 
 Rev. F. W. Fochlinger, of New York 
 city. He supplied Southington's St. 
 Matthew society and New Britain 
 mission, starting also a mission at 
 New Haven, Conn. He accepted a 
 call to the Wartburg Home and Luth- 
 eran hospital in East New York in 
 April, 1886. He resigned in April, 
 1888, and returned to Meriden, devot- 
 ing himself to the practice of medi- 
 cine. 
 
 He was married Aug. 7, 1864, to 
 Miss Christina Elizabeth Haeppler, of 
 St. Louis, Mo. This union was 
 blessed with six sons and five daugh- 
 ters. His wife dying in January, 
 1902, he married July 4, 1904, Mrs. 
 Crescentia Wilhelm, of Durham,. 
 Conn. He has several children in 
 Meriden now grown to maturity. 
 
 ALBERT A. MAY. 
 
 Albert A. May is one of Meriden's 
 leading business men and has been a 
 resident of this city for the past ten 
 years. He was born in Northfield, 
 Vt., on March 17, 1844, and was the 
 eldest son of Hustin and Nufflet (Du- 
 pheney) May. He sp6jit his early 
 years and was educated in the town 
 of Ludlow, Vt., graduating from the 
 Black River academy in i860. 
 
 Always intensely patriotic, he re- 
 sponded to the first call for troops at 
 the outbreak of the Civil War. enlist- 
 ing as a private April 20, 1861, as a 
 member of Co. I, Second Vcnnont 
 Vol. Infantry. He saw much active 
 service, participating in twenty-seven 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 481 
 
 battles. He was wounded six times, 
 and suffers to this day from the ef- 
 fects of a badly shattered leg received 
 in the Battle of. the Wilderness, May 
 4. 1864. He was honorably dis- 
 charged July 15, 1865, ranking as 
 second lieutenant. 
 
 After the close of the war and his 
 recovery, to some extent, from his 
 injuries, he established himself in bus- 
 
 Phnto by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 ALBERT A. MAY. 
 
 iness in Massachusetts, where he re- 
 sided until the spring of 1896, when 
 he came to Meriden and founded the 
 I'equod Business College, which is to- 
 , day one of the valued educational in- 
 I stitutions of the city. For several 
 \ears he has been engaged in the un- 
 dertaking business in which he has 
 met with marked success. 
 31 
 
 Mr. Ma\- is a past post commander 
 of Merriam Post, G. A. R., and a past 
 master in the Masonic fraternity. He 
 has also been at the head of many 
 other patriotic, fraternal and social 
 organizations. In June, 1905, he was 
 chosen department commander of the 
 G. A. R. of the state of Connecticut, 
 and served his term in that office most 
 acceptably to the comrades in the 
 state. He is also an earnest church 
 and SundaA' school worker. 
 
 HUBERT LITTLE. 
 
 One of the best known merchants 
 in Meriden is Hubert Little, a mem- 
 ber of the corporation of The Little, 
 Somers & Hyatt., and for over 
 thirty years has been a valued 
 resident of the town. He comes of 
 distinguished ancestry on both sides, 
 and is of the eighth generation in de- 
 scent from Thomas Little, who came 
 to Plymouth, Mass., from Devonshire, 
 England, in 1630, and. in 1633 
 married Ann Warren, daughter of 
 Richard Warren, who came over in 
 the Mayflower, and was followed in 
 1623 by his wife and five children, 
 who crossed the Atlantic in the good 
 ship "Fortune." He is also descend- 
 ed, through the line of Warrens, 
 from one of the oldest families in 
 England, and his descent may be 
 traced directly to William de Warren. 
 Earl of Xormandy. who died in 1088, 
 and married ( hmdred. youngest 
 daughter of William the Conqueror. 
 
 Hubert Little is the son of William 
 r.uckingham and Harriet N. (Palmer) 
 
482 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Little, and was born at Columbia, 
 Conn., November 14, 1843, where his 
 father was also born and was one of 
 the more prominent men of that town. 
 Hubert Little was brought up on his 
 father's farm, and after attending the 
 district school, finished his education 
 at the Willimantic High school. He 
 afterwards assisted in the work on the 
 home farm. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 HUBERT LITTLE. 
 
 He came to Meriden to learn the 
 trade of a painter under his cousin, 
 Charles L. Little, but finally formed a 
 partnership with his brother, Elbert 
 C. Little, and buying out his cousin, 
 established himself in the paint, wall- 
 paper and interior decorating busi- 
 ness, under the firm style of H. Little 
 & Co. After several rears of success- 
 
 ful business, John E. Somers bought 
 out the interest of the junior partner. 
 The firm of which he has always been 
 a member became Little, Somers & 
 Hyatt in 1886, when Isaac B. Hyatt, 
 the present chief of the Meriden Fire 
 Department, bought an interest in 
 the business, and which in 1904 be- 
 came incorporated with a capital of 
 $20,000. The concern of which Mr. 
 Little is the head, is now one of the 
 leading business houses of Meriden, 
 and he is known as one of the most 
 reliable in local circles. 
 
 He has for many years resided in 
 one of the most comely residences in 
 that part of the town known as Wash- 
 ington Heights. Mr. Little is a 
 member of several fraternal organi- 
 zations, including Pacific Lodge, I. 
 O. O. F., and Pilgrims" Harbor Coun- 
 cil, Royal Arcanum. 
 
 He is a Republican in politics, but 
 has never aspired to public office. 
 
 He was married November 14, 187L 
 to Alice L., daughter of Egbert 
 Brown, of Columbia, Conn. ; she died 
 May 20, 1877, and to her three chil- 
 dren were born : Elora L., November 
 18, 1872, died January 14, 1875 ; Clay- 
 ton E., born December 19, 1874, died 
 March 27, 1875 ; and Clinton E., born 
 May 8, 1877, a successful traveling; 
 salesman. Mr. Little has been again 
 married to Martha L., daughter of 
 William Williams, of Westfield, Conn., 
 and they had these children : Edna M.. 
 born January 28, 1879, died April 9. 
 1883 ; Thomas Saxton, born Novem- 
 ber 27, 1882, died May 12, 1883 ; Har- 
 old Saxton, born July 7, 1884, and 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 483 
 
 Burton Elbert, born May 4, i8yo, died 
 October 31, 1891. Mr. and Mrs. Lit- 
 tle are botli influential members of 
 the Trinity M. E. church in Meriden. 
 
 JULIUS HO BART YALE. 
 
 Julius Hobart Yale, a prominent 
 agriculturist of Meriden. who resides 
 in the house built by his ancestor, 
 Xoah Yale, in 1761, was born in the 
 house next to his present residence, 
 July 3. 1863. He is a son of Julius 
 Wilcox and Mary (Cooley) Yale and 
 a descendant in the fifth generation 
 from Noah Yale. ;' ' 
 
 He was educated in A the public 
 schools and since then he has con- 
 ducted his present well cultivated 
 farm of 115 acres which has been in 
 the possession of his family for so 
 many generations. 
 
 His residence, although one of the 
 oldest houses in Meriden, has been 
 fitted by him with all modern im- 
 provements. The water is supplied 
 from an artesian well built in 1905 
 and operated by a windmill. The sit- 
 uation of his residence is most pic- 
 turesque and delightful views are fur- 
 nished from the windows. His fruit 
 cellar, for he raises a large amount, is 
 kept well ventilated by a system of his 
 own invention which keeps his apple 
 and vegetable bins at the proper tem- 
 perature. His barns contain all mod- 
 ern farming implements and the farm 
 shows the result of careful cultivation. 
 He is the possessor of a large herd of 
 cattle and is also a dairyman of note. 
 
 Mr. Yale has contributed much to 
 
 the press and was for three years a 
 correspondent for the Connecticut 
 Farmer and a like term for the New 
 England Homestead. He has also 
 taken a prominent part in the town 
 meetings of Meriden, and is known as 
 a good speaker, well versed in the 
 topics of the day. 
 
 Since 1885 he has been actively 
 connected with the Grange and in that 
 
 JULIUS HOr.AKT VAI.E. 
 
 vear was one of a committee of five 
 to secure the charter members for the 
 organization of the Meriden Grange, 
 in which he has served as chorister for 
 eleven years and two years each as lec- 
 turer, overseer and master. He has 
 for many years also been a memlier of 
 the Center Congregational church, 
 which soeiety he has served in various 
 capacities. 
 
484 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 He was married February 7, 1889, 
 to Emma Louise Norton, of Guilford, 
 Connecticut, a daughter of Geo. B. 
 and Maria (Chalker) Norton, who 
 before her marriage was for nine 
 years a teacher in the schools of Guil- 
 ford. Five children have been born 
 to this marriage, three of whom are 
 now living. 
 
 SERENO D. SAIlTH. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born 
 in Cheshire in the Cheshire Street 
 district, receiving his education there 
 and at the Lewis Academy, South- 
 ington. He engaged with his father. 
 Loyal Smith, in the carpenter and 
 joiner business until 1858, when, up- 
 on advice of Horace Greeley to voung 
 men to "go west," he went to Illinois 
 and with a partner engaged in house 
 building near the city of Ottawa. 
 There he heard one of the great de- 
 bates between Stephen A. Douglas 
 and Abraham Lincoln. After his re- 
 turn he was employed by Deacon Ly- 
 man Clark at whose sash and blind 
 factory he made blinds by contract. 
 This factory, located where the Ar- 
 mour building now stands on South 
 Colony street, was burned in the 
 spring of 1865. That year he formed 
 a partnership with C. L. Little in 
 the manufacture of sash doors, and 
 blinds, which was continued for about 
 a year, when they sold out to Fin- 
 ney & Clark. In 1876 Mr. Smith 
 opened a store at 167 State street, for 
 the sale of windows, doors, blinds, 
 
 paints, oils, etc., which he continued 
 until April, 1901, with fairly good 
 success, disposing of his stock at that 
 time to the Meriden Lumber Co., and 
 since which he- has not been engaged 
 in active business. 
 
 Although not a member of any 
 church organization he has for many 
 years taken quite an interest in the 
 Main Street Baptist church, con- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 SERENO D. SMITH. 
 
 tributing according to his means to 
 the construction of the edifice and its 
 maintenance. 
 
 On January i, 1863, he was 
 married to Fannie E.. daughter 
 of the late J. C. Beach, of South Col- 
 ony street. She died in November 
 the same year ; and in November, 
 1866, he was again married to Ann:i 
 
1!I()(;R.\1'HII£S. 
 
 485 
 
 M. llanly. who died March 12, 1905. 
 In poHtics ^iv. Smith may be 
 classed as an independent, beheving 
 it his duty to support the best man 
 for office without regard to party. 
 He voted for (irover Cleveland three 
 different times; in 1896 and 1900 as 
 a gold Democrat supported William 
 McKinley. Mr. Smith, at this writ- 
 ing, is a great admirer of Theodore 
 Roosevelt. He now lives in retire- 
 ment at his home, i Olive street, Mer- 
 iden. 
 
 pEORGE M. CLARK. 
 
 George M. Clark, president of the 
 Meriden X^ational Bank and since 
 1865 an active resident of Meriden. 
 was born at Willimantic, Conn., Oc- 
 tober 5, 1844. His ancestors include 
 men of standing and influence in the 
 early history of this country and he is 
 descended from Lieut. William Clark. 
 one of the first settlers of Dorchester, 
 Mass., and who came to this country 
 from England in 1636, but in 1639. 
 removed to Northampton , Mass. 
 He served as a soldier in the King 
 I Philip's WsLV and for fourteen years 
 was a representative from Northamp- 
 ton in the general court. George M. 
 Clark's forefathers afterwards became 
 prominent in Connecticut, and as far 
 back as 1784. Jonatlian Clark, son of 
 David, was born in Tolland where he 
 grew to manhood and became a land 
 owner and a jjrosjjcrous farmer. 
 Silas Fuller Clark, son of Jonathan 
 and the father Df the subject of this 
 sketch, was also a native of Tolland. 
 
 but spent the last five years of his life 
 in Meriden, where he died in August, 
 1900, and was buried in the Willi- 
 mantic cemetery. He married at Wil- 
 limantic, Elizabeth L. Woodworth, a 
 daughter of Asa Woodworth, of Heb- 
 ron, Conn. 
 
 George AL Clark was the only child 
 of his parents to grow to manhood, 
 his twin brother having died in child- 
 hood. Ele was educated in the public 
 schools and also private schools of 
 Willimantic where he prepared for col- 
 lege, buf his close application to stud- 
 ies caused his health to break dow^n 
 and he had to give up the college life 
 which. he had looked forward to with 
 much .pleasure and ambition. 
 
 He, therefore, began his business 
 life at the age of sixteen, as a clerk 
 in the Willimantic post office, but a 
 year later entered the bank at Wind- 
 ham, as teller, ever since which time 
 he has been continuously associated 
 with the banking business. In 1865 
 he was invited by the late O. B. Ar- 
 nold, then its cashier, to enter the Aler- 
 iden National Bank and become its 
 teller, which position he filled with 
 faithful attention to his duties until 
 1 89 1, when he was elected cashier. 
 This office he held until the death of 
 Mr. Levi E. Coe, president, when he 
 was chosen president and since that 
 date has been at the head of the insti- 
 tution. Mr. Clark, from his long con- 
 nection with banking, is properly re- 
 garded as one whose conservative 
 ideas and sound judgment have al- 
 ways held the confidence of his di- 
 rectors and the public in general. 
 
486 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 4S7 
 
 Since becoming" a resident of Meri- 
 ■len. he has entered heart and soul in- 
 II all matters where the welfare and 
 ^iH)d name of the town were at stake 
 and is particularly active in church 
 circles. He has for many years been 
 a i)r(>minent member and one of the 
 trustees of the First Methodist church 
 of Meriden, in the afifairs of which he 
 has been a valued participant. 
 
 He was married in Alansfield to 
 Lovisa Maria, daughter of Perry and 
 Lois (Fenton) Holly, and two chil- 
 dren have been born to them as fol- 
 lows : George S. Clark, teller of the 
 Meriden National Bank, who married 
 Carrie Capen, of Norwich, Conn., and 
 who have one child, Rolland B. Clark ; 
 and Elizabeth Louise, assistant libra- 
 rian at the Curtis Memorial Library, 
 of Meriden. 
 
 GEO. \'AN NOSTRAND. 
 
 Ex-chief of Police of the City of 
 Meriden, Geo. \ an Nostrand. un- 
 der whom the department has been 
 brought to a high state of eflficiency, 
 was born in New York City, March 
 25. 1 84 1. He comes from an old 
 Knickerbocker family and his fore- 
 fathers were among the Holland 
 Dutch settlers of Manhattan Island. 
 who were afterwards Quakers. Fie is 
 a son of Ansell and Mary Van Nos- 
 trand. of New York City, and his 
 grandparents were George and Fanny 
 \ an Nostrand. who resided at Far- 
 mingdale. Long Island. He is also a 
 nephew of Walt. Wliilman. His bov- 
 
 hood days were s]jent largel\' with his 
 grandparents and while he attended 
 school in New York City, the great- 
 er part of his education was obtained 
 at Farmingdale. 
 
 Li 1857 he started to learn the trade 
 of a ship carpenter, but soon after be- 
 came employed as brakeman on the 
 Long Island railroad. He was pro- 
 
 CKOROI-: \AX XO.STKAXI). | 
 
 moted to baggage master and later be- 
 came a conductor on a freight train 
 on the New Jersey Central railroad, 
 which controlled tlie Long Island 
 railroad. Afterwards he secured a 
 more lucratixe and resjjonsible posi- 
 tion and became express messenger for 
 Ho])e's Express Co.. his service being 
 on the trains between New York and 
 ReadiuL''. Pa. 
 
488 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 He came to Meriden in the fall of 
 1867 and was for a short time em- 
 ployed in the Britannia shop. When 
 the Meriden Police Department was 
 organized he was the first man ap- 
 pointed a patrolman and for several 
 years was No. i of the department of 
 which he is now chief. During his 
 long service he has been promoted ser- 
 geant, captain, and April 30, 1898, was 
 appointed chief, succeeding Roger M. 
 Ford in that office. Chief Van Nos- 
 trand is known as one of the most 
 capable and trustworthy officers in the 
 state ; and to his ideas of discipline and 
 ripe experience in the business, has 
 the police department of Meriden been 
 brought to its present high standard 
 of excellence. He has also become 
 highly esteemed as a resident of the 
 town and has shown an interest in 
 everything that pertains to its wel- 
 fare. 
 
 He resides on Windsor avenue 
 where in 1891 he built one of the 
 comely residences of Meriden. In 
 fraternal life, Mr. Van Nostrand is a 
 Knight Templar Mason, being a mem- 
 ber of Meridian Lodge, '^y, and St. 
 Elmo Commandery, 9, of Meriden, but 
 is affiliated with no other organiza- 
 tions. 
 
 During the Centennial celebration 
 Chief Van Nostrand served as a mem- 
 ber of the committee on public 
 safety. 
 
 In 1866 he was married to Sarah 
 Kellam, of Glastonbury, Conn., a lady 
 of gentle manners, but with a keen 
 sense of business methods. They 
 have no children. 
 
 AUGUST SCHMELZER. 
 
 August Schmelzer, a leading Ger- 
 man resident, manufacturer, merchant 
 and president and treasurer of the Au- 
 gust Schmelzer Co., was born in Wer- 
 dau, Saxony, Germany, in 1841, and 
 came to this country in 1870. In 1873 
 he began business in this city, opening 
 a stationery store at the corner of 
 Pratt and East Alain streets. In 1884 
 he purchased the trucking business of 
 James H. Chapman, which he has con- 
 tinued ever since with growing suc- 
 cess. 
 
 He went into the coal and wood bus- 
 iness in 1889 when he purchased the 
 business and property of George C. 
 Beadle, which he afterwards enlarged 
 materially ; and in 1893 purchased the 
 land on South Colony and Cooper 
 streets where he had constructed for 
 him coal pockets adjoining the tracks 
 of the Consolidated railroad of 2,000 
 tons capacity and where 350 tons can 
 be unloaded daily. At the coal yards 
 is all modern machinery for cutting 
 and splitting wood; and in the con- 
 ducting of his coal business as well as 
 other enterprises he has been assisted 
 by his son, Edgar E., now secretary 
 and treasurer. In 1895 he removed 
 his stationery and periodical store to 
 Morse & Cook's block where he added 
 cigars and tobacco ; and in 1896 began 
 the manufacture of cigars which he 
 now conducts on a large scale, his fac- 
 tory adjoining the coal pockets. 
 
 Mr. Schmelzer was one of the pion- 
 eers of the German-American school 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 489 
 
 ^^^^isW^^^'^^fr^^. 
 
ff 
 
 490 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 association, and since its organization, 
 he has been one of the prominent mem- 
 bers of the school board. He is also 
 a member of Teutonia lodge, I. O. O. 
 F., Meriden lodge, D. O. H., Aleriden 
 Turn \'erein. Cosmopolitan clnb and 
 the Meriden Saengerbund. And not 
 alone as a prosperous and an energetic 
 business man is Mr. Schmelzer well 
 known to the public, for, with his man- 
 ifold responsibilities, he has found 
 time to devote eight years in the faith- 
 ful service of the city government, six 
 years of which he was a member of 
 the common council. On committee 
 work and in the council his honesty of 
 purpose was never questioned ; for it 
 was always his aim to exercise the 
 same business care with the city's in- 
 terests that he did in conducting his 
 own private afifairs. 
 
 He serves on the committee of re- 
 ception and entertainment of the com- 
 ing Centennial celebration. 
 
 JAMES F. GILL. 
 
 James Frederick Gill, who since 
 1872 has been associated with the mu- 
 sic store on West Main street, Meri- 
 den, is one of the best known resi- 
 dents of the town, and a business man 
 of high standing in local circles. He 
 is a son of George Gill, of Meriden, 
 who for many years was a con- 
 tractor at the works of the Meriden 
 Cutlery Company. His mother was 
 Emma Mitton, and his parents, of 
 English birth, settled in Meriden, his 
 father in 1858, and his mother in i860. 
 
 The latter brought with her the 
 subject of this sketch, who has since 
 lived here continuously and grown up 
 with the town. He was educated at 
 the Hanover district school, and as a 
 youth showed a talent for music, 
 which was duly encouraged by his pa- 
 rents. He took lessons from the late 
 T. T. Mansfield, who was at that time 
 organist of the old Corner church, 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 JAMES F. GILL. 
 
 then located where the Meriden Opera 
 house now stands, and afterwards be- 
 came his assistant. Mr. Mansfield 
 was also proprietor of the music store 
 where Mr. Gill was first employed and 
 to whose business and good will he 
 finally succeeded and which he has 
 maintained successfully since 1881. 
 Mr. Gill became a music teacher un- 
 
RIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 491 
 
 (ler the in>tructioii of Air. Mansfield 
 ami in years gone by has also taken 
 part in numberless concerts and musi- 
 cales. showing a deep interest in all 
 musical matters. His music store 
 contains a large stock of pianos and 
 other musical instruments, sheet mu- 
 sic, and musical merchandise of every 
 description ; and having been estab- 
 lished for so many years has become 
 a most natural rendezvous for people 
 musically inclined. ]\lr. Gill enjoys 
 the confidence of his fellow townsmen 
 in the fullest degree. 
 
 He is the present secretary, and was 
 for several years treasurer, of the Sec- 
 ond Building & Loan Association of 
 Meriden. the meetings of which or- 
 ganization are held in his store. He 
 is also a well known member of the 
 different Masonic bodies, including 
 Meridian Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; Key- 
 stone Chapter ; Hamilton Council, 
 and St. Elmo Commandery, Knights 
 Templar. Mr. Gill, with his family, 
 is a Communicant of All Saints' Epis- 
 coi)al church. 
 
 He was married January 11, 1882. 
 to Mary E.. daughter of Mrs. Luc\' 
 F. Hitchcock, of New Haven, and 
 they reside at 195 Cook avenue, with 
 their children, as follows: Emma A., 
 Mora F. and Margaret M. Gill. 
 
 A. H. GARDNER. 
 
 Arthur Hugh (Gardner, senior mem- 
 
 Ibcr of the insurance and real estate 
 
 firm of A. H. & T. T. Gardner, was 
 
 born August 3, 1853, in Charlotte, 
 
 Washington count}', Maine. He 
 comes from early colonial ancestry. 
 His great-great-grandfather, Stephen 
 Gardner, was born in Hingham, 
 Mass., in 1727, and his son, War- 
 ren (Jardncr, removed to I'embroke, 
 Me., where the family have remained 
 through several generations and con- 
 tinued in agricultural pursuits. Isaac J. 
 Gardner, father of Arthur Hugh and 
 Irving I. Gardner, was also a well- 
 to-do farmer. His wife was Annie 
 L., daughter of Hugh Potter. He 
 was also a farmer of Pembroke, and 
 was born in Scotland. 
 
 A. H. Gardner was one of a family 
 of nine children, eight of whom are 
 now living and from the fact that 
 the 'Soil at the ])lace of their birth is 
 not sufficiently fertile for successful 
 farming, four of the five boys are now 
 in Meriden or vicinit}'. 
 
 A. H. Gardner came to Meriden at 
 the age of nineteen and first secured 
 employment in the greenhouses on 
 the farm of the late Randolph 
 Linsley, through which now extends 
 Linsley avenue, where in later years 
 Mr. Gardner built a comfortable res- 
 idence for himself. Air. Gardner af- 
 terwards worked two years in the 
 market of S. C. Paddock and later in 
 the store of Augur & Gardner where 
 he continued as a clerk for a number 
 of years luUil he 0])ened a first class 
 restaurant in the then new Pacific 
 lodge building on State street and 
 i-ontinued until he engaged in the in- 
 surance business, afterwards taking in 
 as a ])artner his brother. Irving L 
 ( iardner. 
 
492 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Mr. Gardner is a prominent mem- 
 ber of the Main street Baptist church 
 and has taken a deep interest in 
 all its affairs, having filled the offices 
 of deacon, trustee, collector, usher 
 and superintendent of the Sunday 
 school. He has also served as a di- 
 rector of the Meriden Y. M. C. A., 
 is a member of Center lodge, A. F. 
 & A. M. and the Roval Arcanum. He 
 
 I. I. GARDNER. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 A. H. GARDNER. 
 
 is known as one of the influential and 
 public spirited men of Meriden. 
 
 He was married in 1879 to Julia 
 Pearce, daughter of Captain Marion 
 Small, of Eastport, Me., and they 
 have one child. Mr. Gardner re- 
 sides on West Main street, and 
 with his brother also occupies their 
 summer home at Westfield. 
 
 Irving Isaac Gardner, who since 
 1 89 1 has been a member of the rea 
 estate and insurance firm of A. H. & 
 I. I. Gardner was born in Charlotte. 
 Washington county. Me., August 3. 
 i860. His early progenitors are re- 
 corded in the sketch of his brother, A. 
 H. Gardner, immediately preceding. 
 He attended the district school of his 
 native town winters, until he was sev- 
 enteen years old, following the pur- 
 suits of his father summers. 
 
 His parents were upright, Christian 
 people and like his brothers he was. 
 reared in the paths of rectitude. He 
 attended the Eastport High school for 
 one term and concluded his education 
 at the high school of Pembroke, Me. 
 After teaching in the country schools 
 of Charlotte and Pembroke, he came 
 to Connecticut in 1880. He worked 
 at first for a season on a farm in Ken- 
 sington where his employer after- 
 wards engaged him to teach the 
 "Ledge School" in winter. 
 
 He afterwards went west, stopping 
 at Chicago for emploAment but con- 
 tinued to Stillwater, Minn., where he 
 taught school another winter, the fol- 
 lowing spring going further west to 
 Montana, stopping at North Dakota 
 to take up a government homestead. 
 He returned, however, to Stillwater 
 and again taught school there: and 
 the next spring returned to North Da- 
 kota to complete his legal "home- 
 stead" residence. Finally returning to 
 Meriden, he has ever since resided 
 here with the exception of four years 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 493 
 
 when lie was bookkeeper at the Mal- 
 leable Iron Works in New Britain. 
 
 Since he became associated with his 
 "brother in the insurance business, the 
 firm has become extensively engaged 
 in real estate and their business has, 
 from a small beginning, increased to 
 large proportions through their activ- 
 ity, knowledge of property values and 
 Cf^nscientious business methods. Mr. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 I. I. G.VRDNER. 
 
 iardner is secretary of the Pacific 
 eal Estate Company and, like his 
 )rother. is a man of strong personal 
 haracter and executive ability. 
 He has been a member of the O. 
 A. M. Pilgrims' Harbor council, 
 ^oyal Arcanum, and is also an Odd 
 ^>llow. He is a first trustee of the 
 Jain street Baptist church, where 
 
 he is, at the present writing, the su- 
 perintendent of the Sunday school. 
 He served for many _\ears as a trus- 
 tee and director of the Y. M. C. A. 
 and w'as vice president of that insti- 
 tution during the process of recon- 
 struction through which the .\leriden 
 association passed. 
 
 He was married in 1886 to Inez B. 
 Upson, of Kensington, who died 
 March, 1904, of pneumonia. Eight 
 children were born to them, six of 
 whom are now living. The life work 
 of the Gardner Brothers has been 
 with their large family, l)oth con- 
 sidering it a higher duty and 
 a greater pleasure to devote their time 
 to its interests, to their home and the 
 church than to the man}- calls of lodge,, 
 political or social life. 
 
 CHARLES S. PALMIER. 
 
 Charles Scranton Palmer, architect 
 of Meriden, is the son of Ralph A. 
 and Sarah A. Palmer, who in 1903 re- 
 moved to Braidentown. Morida, where 
 for twenty-five years they have owned 
 a productive orange grove. Their 
 son, a young man, has achieved well 
 deserved success in his chosen life 
 work, his reputation having been 
 well established when he opened an of- 
 fice in the G. A. R. building, .Meriden, 
 in the spring of 1905. ?Ie first became 
 associated with a leading architect 
 and builder and acciuired his knowl- 
 edge of his profession by a fortunate 
 experience in practical building con- 
 struction. This, coupled with an in- 
 born talent and possession of modern 
 
494 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ideas and good taste, has enabled him 
 to plan several pleasing and practical 
 buildings and residences constructed 
 recently. His success in planning 
 and also in superintending the con- 
 struction of manufacturing plants in 
 various sections of New Englaand, 
 and now especially the large fire de- 
 partment building of which the city 
 of Torrington is so justly proud, all 
 
 CHARLES S. PALMER. 
 
 are creditable to his efforts. Mr. Pal- 
 mer makes a deep study of architec- 
 ture and is especially efficient in plan- 
 ning fireproof buildings of which he 
 lias made a specialty. He has proven 
 liimself an architect of modern and 
 progressive ideas and his success has 
 been due to his ability to plan and 
 ^superintend the construction of build- 
 
 ings in keeping with the age whicl 
 marks the close of the first cen 
 tury of Aleriden's incorporation as i 
 town. One of his notable achieve- 
 ments is the new $75,000 school build 
 ing in process of construction on Wesi 
 Main street, his plans being selectee 
 in competition with those of oldei 
 and more celebrated architects. Ht 
 is a member of the Home Club, Meri-| 
 dian Lodge, yy, A. F. & A. M. ; Key-i 
 stone Chapter, R. A. M., and St. Elmc, 
 Commandery, K. T. ; Pyramid Tern-: 
 pie. Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport: 
 Mr. Palmer stands high in his profes: 
 sion and has shown an active interes' 
 in the advancement of his native town ' 
 He was married October 18, 19051' 
 to IMaude Elizabeth Hendey, of Tor-| 
 rington. 
 
 WM. W. ^lOSHER. : 
 
 William Wooster Mosher, a lead- 
 ing and valued citizen of Aleriden; 
 and who for thirty-nine years, a.' 
 proprietor, has been engaged in thf, 
 drug business in the same location on' 
 Colony street, was born in Canajo-: 
 harie, N. Y., July 4, 1843. He is the: 
 son of Benjamin Weaver Mosher.'^ 
 born at Duanesburg, X. Y., April 13' 
 18 16, who on December 31, 1835, mar-' 
 ried Anna Maria Wooster. Theiri 
 children comprised three girls and 
 two boys. He is also descended from 
 Rev. Hugh Alosher, who came to tliis^ 
 country from England about 1632 and 
 who until his death continued as a, 
 preacher of the gospel in Massaclm- 
 setts and Rhode Island. 
 
lUOCiKAl'lIlKS. 
 
 495 
 
 W . W. MosIkt Ccimc to Mcridcn in iS()^ as 
 a ck-rk in ihc drng" store of 1. V>. Klock, Ijul 
 two wars after became the proprietor of the 
 present store, which he has carried on ever 
 >ince with tliat measure of idtimate success 
 wliich is but the resuk of an old estabhshed 
 business conducted with due rej^ard for the 
 intere>ts of a lt)\al patrona.ge. Shortl}- after 
 he enj^aged in business for himself. Mr. Mosh- 
 er associated his father with him. and who 
 continued tlius until his death which occurred 
 April 2y, 1896. after having been a partner of 
 his son for twenty-nine years. The late ]'>. \\ . 
 Mosher was an upright and highl\- respected 
 business man. His father before him was a 
 clergyman of the Methodist denomination and 
 he became a consistent comnumicant of that 
 faith. He was one of the original members 
 of Trinity M. E. church, Meriden, and was 
 one of its trustees. 
 
 His son, W. W. Mosher. has been honored 
 by election to man\ offices of honor and trust 
 in Meriden, having served one year as coun- 
 cilman ; four years as alderman ; treasurer of 
 the town for seven years, and city treasurer 
 for two }ears. He has for mam years been 
 a prominent member and one of the vestry- 
 men of St. Andrew's Episcopal church. In 
 i8<>3 ui)on the death of George R. Curtis, he 
 was elected treasurer of the Curtis Home of 
 Meriden. which office he still holds, in addi- 
 tion to being, at this writing, one of the agents 
 of the I'Mwin K. Curtis fund. Mr. Mosher is 
 a member of the Meriden i;u.siiie.-s Men"s As- 
 sociation and IJoard of Tradi'. also of the Con- 
 necticut IMiarmaceutical .Association and .Mer 
 iden Druggists' .Association, lie is also a 
 member of Meridian Lodge. A. I\ &• A. M.. 
 an<l Keystone Chapter. R. A. M.. of Meriden 
 
 In 1868 he was married tn Cxnlbia A.. 
 <laughter of lames A. I'rarv and to 
 
 1:. w. Mnsiii;i; 
 
 W. W . MdSIIKU. 
 
 W . 1;. MDSIIKU. 
 
496 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 them have been born one son, VVil- 
 Ham Reid Alosher, born in Meriden 
 August 20, 1869. 
 
 W. R. Mosher was educated 
 in the Meriden pubhc schools 
 and after attending the High school 
 three years, became associated with 
 his father's business and since 1888 
 has applied himself to the interests of 
 the now large and thriving establish- 
 ment. He is a member of the Con- 
 necticut Pharmaceutical Association, 
 Meriden Board of Trade, and has for 
 some }-ears been treasurer of the Mer- 
 iden Permanent Building and Loan 
 Association. He was married Sep- 
 tember 19, 1894, to Katherine Eu- 
 genia, daughter of the late T. M. 
 Smith, of Meriden. 
 
 ARTHUR SHERMAN LANE. 
 
 Arthur S. Lane, prominent in the 
 public and social life of Meriden, and 
 treasurer of several corporations, was 
 born in Kent, Litchfield county, Con- 
 necticut, October 27, 1864. He is the 
 eldest son of John Sherman Lane, 
 concerning whom much is stated else- 
 where in this volume. Arthur S. 
 Lane was educated at the private 
 school of J. H. Hurlburt, Lime Rock, 
 Conn., and since entering business life 
 has shown a marked aptitude for the 
 responsibilities he has been called up- 
 on to assume. 
 
 In March, 1880, he was appointed 
 agent of the Housatonic railroad at 
 West Stockbridge, Mass., the follow- 
 ing month being transferred to Ca- 
 naan, Conn., a station on the same line 
 
 and still later in the same year to 
 Bridgeport. In March, 1881, he en- 
 tered the employ of the N. Y., N. H. 
 & H. R. R., where for a period of ten 
 years he served that company efficient- 
 ly as freight cashier at its Harlem 
 River terminal at New York City. This 
 position he resigned in March, 1891, 
 to enter into partnership with his 
 father who had, a short time before, 
 established the stone crushing and 
 road building business. 
 
 The business of John S. Lane & 
 Son has developed into a large 
 and profitable industry and other 
 quarries than the one in Meriden, 
 have been opened and are operated by 
 the following corporations, of which 
 Mr. Lane is the treasurer: John S. 
 Lane & Son, Inc. ; Conn. Trap Rock 
 Quarries, Inc. ; Lane Quarry Company 
 and The Lane Construction Company, 
 the operations of which are chron- 
 icled in another part of this volume. 
 
 He is also one of the directors of 
 the Meriden Savings bank. Since 
 becoming a resident of Meriden, he 
 has taken a prominent part in public 
 atTairs. He was elected and served 
 as a member of the board of alder- 
 men from the First ward, in 1896-7, 
 and during his services in the city 
 government, was chairman of the 
 committees on parks and streets. In 
 1897 he was nominated by the Repub- 
 lican party, of which he is one of the 
 local leaders for mayor of Meriden, 
 but was defeated in the Democratic 
 "landslide" of that year. 
 
 He is a member of the First Con- 
 o-reeational church of Meriden and 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 497 
 
 has served as a member of its several 
 official boards. He was the first char- 
 ter member of Alfred H. Hall Coun- 
 cil, Royal Arcanum, and is a member 
 of the Home Club of Meriden. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 ARTHUR S. LANE. 
 
 He was married in New York City 
 ]\Iay 15, 1884, to Carrie Eva Shove, 
 daughter of Oliver Prince Shove of 
 that city. Children of the marriage 
 are: Gertrude Emma and Grace 
 Louise, twin daughters, born March 
 13, 1889, and Samuel Virgin, born No- 
 vember 6, 1897. 
 
 E. T. SILLS. 
 
 Elias Taylor Sills, a leading mer- 
 chant of Meriden, engaged in business 
 as a bookseller and stationer, was born 
 
 3-' 
 
 in Nottingham, England, July 16, 
 1855. His early education was ob- 
 tained in his native town, but when he 
 was twelve years of age, the family 
 removed to Sheffield; and there he 
 concluded his education by an attend- 
 ance at the People's Business College, 
 from which he graduated at the age 
 of sixteen. After acquiring a thor- 
 ough and practical business expe- 
 rience in mercantile life in England, 
 he came to this country and direct to 
 Meriden in 1880, three years later en- 
 gaging in business, but on a nmch 
 
 
 
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 ^* Jfci Va^H ^1 
 
 B 
 
 KLIAS T. .SILLS. 
 
 smaller scale, than at the ])rcscnt day. 
 Previous to securing his ])resent lo- 
 cation in Palace block, he had con- 
 ducted business at two other locations 
 near his present store, however. He 
 
498 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 first started on Colony street, where he 
 estabHshed himself thoroughly by his 
 painstaking attention to his trade and 
 his thorough knowledge of the wants 
 of a discriminating public. He later 
 removed to West Main street, above 
 his present location but in December, 
 1901, purchased the business of the 
 former occupant and removed his 
 stock thereto. His store, which is 97 
 feet deep and 40 feet in width, con- 
 tains one of the largest and most com- 
 plete stocks of books and stationery 
 in Connecticut ; and the basement, 
 filled with toys, resembles, in the hol- 
 iday seasons, a perpetual fair. The 
 success of Air. Sills as a merchant, 
 while somewhat remarkable, is no less 
 deserved ; for he has always held the 
 well merited confidence of a large and 
 constantly increasing patronage. 
 
 He is a member of the Home Club ; 
 Alfred H. Hall Council, Royal Arca- 
 num ; jMeriden Board of Trade : Aler- 
 iden Business IMen's Association, and 
 is one of the directors of the Second 
 Building and Loan Association of 
 Meriden. 
 
 He was marrietl June 6, 1895, to 
 Winogene, daughter of Mrs. Laura L. 
 Payne, of East Haddam, and resides 
 in his own home on Wilcox avenue, 
 which he had built in 1895. 
 
 WILLL\.AI M. QUESTED. 
 
 William M. (Juested, cashier of the 
 ]\Ieriden National Bank and one of 
 the board of fire commissioners of 
 Meriden, received his education in the 
 public schools of Meriden and Albany, 
 
 N. Y., finishing his studies at the Jen- 
 nings' Seminary for Boys at Aurora, 
 111., and began business life as a clerk 
 in the shipping room of the Wilcox 
 Silver Plate Co., but shortly after- 
 wards secured a position as clerk in 
 the Meriden National Bank where he 
 has ever since remained. By careful 
 attention to his duties he received well 
 deserved promotions, and after work- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 WILLIAM M. QUESTED. 
 
 ing Up through the positions of book- 
 keeper and teller, was elected cashier 
 of the bank in Januar}-. 1905. 
 
 While Air. Quested has for many 
 \ears been an active resident of Mer- 
 iden, he has never sought nor accepted 
 public office, excepting that which he 
 now holds as one of the fire commis- 
 sioners of Meriden. To fill out the 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 499 
 
 unexpired term of Fred M. Hotchkiss, 
 he was first appointed in iyo2, l)ut in 
 1903 he was reappointed for a full 
 term of four years, in which capacity 
 he now serves. Mr. Quested is a thir- 
 ty-second degree member of the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity, being a member of the 
 following branches of the order in this 
 city and elsewhere : Meriden Center 
 Lodge. A. V. & A. M. ; Keystone 
 Chajiter. R. A. .M. ; Hamilton Council, 
 R. & S. M. ; St Elmo Commandery, K. 
 T. : a member of the Scottish Rite 
 bodies of both X'ew Haven and 
 Bridgeport ; also of PVramid Temple, 
 Mystic Shrine. He is prominent in 
 Odd Fellowship, being a past grand of 
 Center Lodge, I. O. O. F. ; a past 
 grand of ( )asis Encampment. He was 
 formerly a member of the Patriarchs 
 Militant, is now a member of the 
 Meriden Wheel Club, Meriden Ritle 
 Club, Citizens' Rifle Club. [Meriden 
 Business Men's Association, and since 
 1885 has been one of the directors of 
 the y. 'SI. C. A., of w'hich he has also 
 been treasurer since 1903. He has for 
 a number of years been associated 
 with the Center Congregational 
 church, and during i(S(;3-4-5 served a 
 cerm as one of its deacons, being also 
 prominent in the offices of the Bible 
 school of that church since 1880. 
 
 F. L. MURDOCK. 
 
 Frederick L. Murdock. a leading 
 l)ractitioner of the dental profession. 
 and whose handsomely furnished of- 
 fices have for some years been located 
 in the Wilcox building, is one of the 
 
 better known professional men of 
 Meriden. He is of English birth, but 
 came to America when a boy and re- 
 ceived the greater part of his educa- 
 tion here. 
 
 After graduating at the High 
 school, he took a course in arts and, 
 upon receiving the degree of B. A., 
 he returned to I^ngland and took a five 
 years' course in dentistry at London, 
 under the famous professor, B. B, 
 
 KKKDl'.KU K 
 
 M ri^noCK'. 
 
 W^olscott. .M. n.. L. I). S. He re- 
 ceived his admission tn practice, there- 
 fore, in ICngland. but afterwards went 
 to Montreal. Canada, and took a post- 
 graduate course of three years under 
 tlie instruction of J. W. P.e<lf<ird. L. D. 
 S.. T). 1). S.. a celebrated s])ecialist in 
 crown and liridue work. I'rom his 
 
500 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 long college course and diligent study, 
 he was well fitted for the practice of 
 his profession, when he located in 
 Syracuse, X. Y., and first began prac- 
 tice. At Syracuse he associated him- 
 self with S. C. Dayan, M. D., D. D. S., 
 a specialist in diseases of the mouth. 
 It was in 189 1 that Dr. Murdock, 
 who was thus especially well fitted by 
 experience and knowledge of his pro- 
 fession in all its branches, came to 
 Meriden and began the practice which 
 he has ever since continued. He has 
 built up a large and lucrative practice, 
 especially with those who comprise the 
 leading families of this vicinity. That 
 he understands his profession in as 
 great a degree as any leading dentist 
 of the state, is acknowledged by his 
 patients and fellow practitioners, 
 among all of whom he is both well 
 known and popular. He is a member 
 of the Connecticut State Dental Asso- 
 ciation, and is also well known in Mer- 
 iden social life, being at this writing, 
 president of the Home Club, of which 
 he was one of the members instru- 
 mental in causing the present hand- 
 some clubhouse to be constructed. Dr. 
 Murdock is an enthusiastic sportsman 
 and is an adept with the rod and gun. 
 He also drives one of the fastest auto- 
 mobiles in the state and is a member 
 of the committee having in charge the 
 automobile parade to be held during 
 Centennial week in Meriden. 
 
 LEW ALLEN 
 
 ciated with newspaper making in 
 Meriden. In age as well as in years 
 of actual newspaper writing he is the 
 oldest man in the profession in the 
 city. Born in New York in 1852, he 
 came to Meriden in 1870 and a few 
 years thereafter began to report for 
 Riggs' Daily Recorder and Gibbons' 
 Weekly Citizen. He has been con- 
 nected with newspapers ever since. 
 He was employed in New Haven, 
 though residing in Meriden, at the 
 time The Meriden Daily Journal was 
 started twenty years ago by Francis 
 Atwater, Frank E. Sands, Thomas L. 
 Reilly and Lew Allen. The Journal 
 Publishing company was fonned and 
 of this Mr. Allen is vice-president. 
 He has been the active editor of The 
 Journal from its first publication and 
 to it has devoted all his time and en- 
 ergy, engaging in no other enterprises 
 or undertakins:s. 
 
 F. E. SANDS. 
 
 For more than thirty years the 
 name of Lew Allen has been asso- 
 
 Frank Elbert Sands, one of the 
 most familiar figures in Meriden busi- 
 ness and social life, is a son of Jesse 
 and Mary Melvina (Turner) Sands, 
 and was born July 17, 1863, in New 
 Fairfield, Conn., which town was set- 
 tled by his maternal great-great-grand- 
 father and associates, on a grant from 
 the general assembly. On his moth- 
 er's side he is a direct descendant of 
 John Wakeman, the first treasurer of 
 New Haven colony and is eligible 
 through his progenitors to the Sons 
 of the American Revolution, and of 
 which societv he is a member. His 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 501 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 LEW ALLEN. 
 
502 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 FRANK E. SANDS. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 503 
 
 early days were spent in New Fair- 
 fielil and Danbury where he attended 
 school until fourteen years of age, 
 when he removed to Xew Haven. 
 There he ])repared for Yale Univers- 
 ity under private tutors and entered 
 in the fall of 1882, graduating with 
 the class of '85 S. with the degree of 
 Ph. L5. as civil engineer. While wait- 
 ing for the commencement of work 
 on a railroad line to which he was to 
 become attached, he was for a time 
 engaged in the wholesale produce bus- 
 iness, but. that not being to his taste. 
 he became connected in 1885 with the 
 Xcw Haven Union. 
 
 Early in 1886 he became interested 
 in the formation of The Journal Pub- 
 Hshing Company in Meriden and 
 moved to this city. He was elected a 
 director and treasurer of the company 
 and has filled those positions ever 
 since, his active duties being entirely 
 devoted to that company in the posi- 
 tions noted as well as business mana- 
 ger of The ^Nleriden Daily Journal. 
 
 .Mr. Sands is a member of the 
 Home Clul) and was for a number of 
 years chairman of its executive com- 
 mittee and its president in 1897-8. He 
 is also a director of the Home Club 
 Realty corporation and was an active 
 member of the committee that planned 
 and l)uilt the present handsome club 
 house. He was one of its founders 
 and is a member of the board of gov- 
 ernors of the Meriden (iolf Clul). He 
 also belongs to the Colonial Clul). .\. 
 H. Hall Council. R. A., the Loyal .Ad- 
 dition, the Knights of Maccabees and 
 Silver City Lodge. A. ( ). L'. W.. and 
 
 is a director of the Meriden Business 
 Men's Association. He is particular- 
 ly well known in newspaper circles 
 outside his own town and is secretary 
 of the Associated Dailies of Connec- 
 ticut. When the Aleriden Centennial 
 was planned Mr. Sands was chosen as 
 chairman of the committee on public- 
 ity and souvenirs and it is largely to 
 his efforts that the centennial cele- 
 bration has been so widely and wisely 
 advertised and successfully carried on. 
 He w^as married April 26. 1888, to 
 Alice Louise Brasee, daughter of 
 Judge John Schofield Brasee and Anna 
 (Dickinson) Brasee, of Lancaster, 
 Ohio. They have one daughter, 
 Anna Brasee Sands, born in 1889. A 
 son. Trafford Turner B)rasec, died in 
 infancv. 
 
 CEPHAS B. ROGERS. 
 
 Cephas Brainerd Rogers, one of 
 Meriden's most successful business 
 men and the senior of the once well- 
 known firm of C. Rogers & B)ros.. was 
 born in Saybrook, Conn.. December 
 30, 1836. I lis ])arents, Hcrvey and 
 Elizabeth (Tryon) Rogers, moved to 
 Meriden to engage in the hotel l)usi- 
 ness when their son, Cephas, was thir- 
 teen years of age. 
 
 His education was ])ursued in the 
 schools of Meriden. Later he took a 
 ]M)sition as clerk in the ollice of the 
 Meriden Luml)er cK: Coal Co. He 
 again resumed his studies at the Mer- 
 iden Academy where he fiinslied his 
 schooling; but he has always addeil to 
 
504 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 his education by reading, travel and 
 experience until he may be styled a 
 self-educated man. 
 
 Previous to the Civil War, Mr. 
 Rogers engaged as a clerk in the New 
 Haven House, which hostelry was the 
 rendezvous of distinguished men of 
 the state and nation in political, mili- 
 tary and educational circles, and he 
 became acquainted with many notable 
 men. Among them was Abraham 
 Lincoln, who came to Meriden es- 
 corted by a committee of which Mr. 
 Rogers was one, and delivered an elo- 
 quent political speech. Mr. Rogers, 
 who was always an ardent and loyal 
 Republican, was so impressed with 
 Mr. Lincoln that he went to Wash- 
 ington when Mr. Lincoln became 
 president and heard his first immor- 
 tal inaugural address. Still later, Mr. 
 Rogers took charge of the Wadawa- 
 nock House, a summer hotel in Ston- 
 ington. Conn., and soon after became 
 manager of the St. Denis Hotel, in 
 New York City. He was very suc- 
 cessful in both enterprises. 
 
 In February, 1866, the partnership 
 of C. Rogers & Bros, was organized 
 for the manufacture of silver plated 
 goods. The firm consisted of the 
 three brothers, Cephas B., as presi- 
 dent ; Gilbert and Wilbur F. Rogers. 
 Beginning in a small factory, the bus- 
 iness advanced rapidly until the name 
 of C. Rogers & Bros, on spoons, 
 knives and forks, became known 
 throughout the world for quality and 
 beauty of design. The business of C. 
 Rogers & Bros, was successfully car- 
 ried on for nearlv fortv vears, when 
 
 in 1903 it was sold to the Interna- 
 tional Silver Company, the greatest 
 silver-ware corporation in the world, 
 and Cephas Rogers and his two 
 brothers retired to private life. 
 
 Mr. Rogers is also a public spirited 
 man and has always been identified 
 with local affairs in Meriden. He 
 was a valued member of the city coun- 
 cil for six years and is now a director 
 of the First National Bank of ]\Ieri- 
 den and a trustee of the City Savings 
 Bank. In 1880 he made a trip to Eu- 
 rope, combining business with pleas- 
 ure while visiting their branch house 
 in London. The last honorable po- 
 sition which has been bestowed upon 
 Mr. Rogers is a membership in the 
 National Geographical Society at 
 Washington, D. C. In religion, he is 
 a most devoted Methodist and great- 
 ly interested in the First Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, of Meriden, to 
 which he has always been a liberal 
 contributor. He has been a member 
 of the official board since 1866 and at 
 the present time is the president of 
 the board of trustees. In 1888 he was 
 made president of the New York East 
 Lay Electoral conference held in Mid- 
 dletown. Conn. In 1900 he was a lay 
 delegate from the New York East con- 
 ference to the Alethodist Quadrennial 
 general conference at Chicago. In 
 1904 he was again delegate to the 
 Methodist general conference at Los 
 Angeles, Cal. Mr. Rogers has also 
 been a trustee of Wesleyan Univers- 
 ity, at Middletown, Conn., for twenty 
 years. He was the first subscriber 
 to the "Additional Endowment Fund" 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 505 
 
5o6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 of that university, heading the Hst 
 with twenty-five thousand dollars. 
 
 In 1870 he was married to Margaret 
 Clark, daughter of Dr. Peter F. and 
 Anna (Goodwin) Clark, of New 
 York City. Mrs. Rogers is noted for 
 her charming hospitality and is prom- 
 inent in church and social life. She 
 is a member of Susan Carrington 
 Clarke Chapter, D. A. R,., is on the 
 board of managers of the Meriden 
 Hospital and also one of the board of 
 managers of the Young Women's 
 Christian Association. Their home is 
 the Rogers homestead, located on 
 North Colony street, and is one of re- 
 finement and taste. 
 
 Mr. Rogers has reason to be proud 
 •of "both his maternal and paternal an- 
 cestry. On the maternal side he is 
 the ninth generation descended from 
 John Alden and Priscilla Mullins of 
 the Mayflower. On the paternal side 
 he is a lineal descendant of John Rog- 
 ers, who suffered martyrdom in the 
 reign of Queen Mary in the year 
 1555. James Rogers, the first of the 
 family in America, descended from 
 John Rogers, the martyr, who came 
 to this country in 1635, made the 
 voyage in the ship "Increase," from 
 London, and settled in Stratford. 
 Conn., where he married Elizabeth 
 Rowland. In 1637 James Rogers was 
 one of the six men from Saybrook, 
 who, under Captain John Underbill, 
 took part in the Pequot War. He af- 
 terwards removed to New London, 
 Conn., and became prosperous and in- 
 fluential in the church and the colony ; 
 was sent seven times as representa- 
 
 tive to the General Court between 1662 
 and 1673 and at one time be was 
 speaker of the house. Ichabod Rog- 
 ers, of New London, Conn., grand- 
 father of Cephas, was a soldier in the 
 war with England in 1812, and his 
 great-grandfather, Ichabod Rogers, 
 was a soldier in the Revolutionary 
 \A''ar. 
 
 GILBERT ROGERS. 
 
 Gilbert Rogers, for many years a 
 well known manufacturer and a most 
 loyal and patriotic citizen of Meriden. 
 was born in the historic town of Say- 
 brook, in the old Tryon homestead oc- 
 cupied for many generations by his an- 
 cestors, July 4, 1838. He is directly 
 descended from John Rogers, cler- 
 gyman, one of the first martyrs under 
 Queen Mary, born in England in 1505 
 and burned at the stake, February 4, 
 1555, for his denunciation of Roman- 
 ism. James Rogers, his paternal an- 
 cestor from whom he comes in the 
 ninth generation, came to America in 
 1635, and from James first and hi^ 
 wife Elizabeth (Rowland) Rogers, hi> 
 genealogy in synopsis is as follows: 
 James ist, James 2nd, James 3r<l. 
 James 4th. Ichabod ist, Ichabod 2n(1. 
 Ichabod 3rd, Elam Hervey and Gil- 
 bert. 
 
 On the maternal side he comes from 
 the Tryon family of the nobility of 
 England. Among his progenitors art 
 Sir Thos. Tryou, who left a large es- 
 tate ; Baron Peter Tryon of Maiden. 
 England, who also left a large un- 
 claimed estate and General Wm. Try- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 507 
 
 
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 ^^I^^^^^^^^^^^^HBifeiitt 
 
 ^^1 
 
 
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 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^-^^ 
 
 J^^^^^^l 
 
 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Kgi^n^ 
 
 
 I'lK)to by Akors & Pigejii. 
 
 ^JjUvC /fl 
 
5o8 
 
 A CEiNTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 on, LL. D., governor of North Caro- 
 lina in 1765, and of New York in 1771, 
 who owned large estates in London 
 and Flanders, England. He was a 
 Tory and a general in the British 
 Army during the Revolution, and with 
 his soldiers created much havoc in 
 Connecticut ; but on account of having 
 a favorite nephew at Yale College, 
 treated New Haven with extreme len- 
 iency. On the maternal side, Gilbert 
 Rogers is also descended from Dr. 
 Chas. Goodrich, a son of an English 
 nobleman, also from Dr. Chas. Bulk- 
 ley, son of Rev. Gershom and Sarah 
 Chauncey (Bulkley), daughter of 
 Rev. Dr. Chas. Chauncey, who be- 
 came the second president of Harvard 
 College in 1654, which office he held 
 until his death, February 16, 1672. He 
 is also in the ninth generation lineally 
 descended from Peter Bulkley, D. D., 
 who came to America in 1639. 
 
 He is a direct descendant of John 
 Alden and Priscilla Mullins, his wife, 
 who came to this country in the May- 
 flower in 1620, to whom he traces his 
 ancestry back directly through nine 
 generations, as follows : 2nd, Eliza- 
 beth (or Betty) Alden, daughter of 
 John, married Wm. Peabody ; 3rd, 
 Lydia Peabody, daughter of William 
 Peabody, married Daniel Grinnell ; 
 4th, Mary Grinnell, daughter of Dan- 
 iel Grinnell, married Robert Lay, De- 
 cember 12, 1703; 5th, Jeremiah Lay^. 
 son of Robert Lay, married Pru- 
 dence Belden ; 6th, Huldah Lay, 
 daughter of Robert Lay, married Dan- 
 iel Jones ; 7th, Belinday Jones, daugh- 
 ter of Daniel Jones, married Jedediah 
 Try on ; 8th, Elizabeth Try on, daugh- 
 
 ter of Jedediah Tryon, married Her- 
 vey Rogers ; 9th, Gilbert Rogers, son 
 of Hervey Rogers, and the subject of 
 this sketch. 
 
 Gilbert Rogers was the fifth son of 
 Flam Hervey and Elizabeth (Tryon) 
 Rogers. He attended the little brick 
 school house in what is now known as 
 Old Saybrook, but when he was quite 
 young, the family removed to Meri- 
 den, where he attended the private 
 school taught by Henry D. Smith. 
 He began his business career as a boy 
 of fourteen years, when he became 
 employed by Luther Webb, at whose 
 factory pocketbooks were then exten- 
 sively made. After two years he en- 
 tered the factory of Chas. Parker, 
 where he remained for five years, dur- 
 ing which time he learned the trade of 
 finishing flat ware. In 1858 he re- 
 moved to Hartford where he was em- 
 plo}'ed by the Hartford Silver Plating 
 Company, but later by Rogers, Smith 
 & Co. He was afterwards made su- 
 perintendent of one of the departments 
 of the Rogers Bros, silver plating fac- 
 tory at Waterbury ; but after two 
 years, he formed a partnership with 
 Asa H. Rogers and engaged in the 
 manufacture of silver plated spoons 
 and hollow ware, in a factory on Nas- 
 sau street. New York City. Like 
 many other concerns when the Civil 
 war broke out, business operations 
 were suspended, and Mr. Rogers, re- 
 turning to Meriden, received the ap- 
 pointment as U. S. enrolling officer, 
 which duties he fulfilled for the gov- 
 ernment for one year. 
 
 It was in 1866 that with his broth- 
 ers, Cephas B. and Wilbur F. Rogers, 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 509 
 
 the concorn of C. Rogers & Bros. 
 was formed. lUiildini^' a factor}' 011 
 Butler street, now owned 1)\' the In- 
 ternational Silver Co., they first en- 
 gaged in the manufacture of casket 
 hardware, shrouds, etc. Later the 
 finn hegan making plated forks, 
 spoons, knives, etc., and built up as en- 
 viable a reputation as any concern in 
 this country. 
 
 During- the World's fair at the Cen- 
 tennial exposition held in Philadelphia 
 in 1876. Mr. Rogers had charge of the 
 C. Rogers & Bros." exhibit. 
 
 The large business being sold to the 
 United States Silver Corporation in 
 1902, Mr. Rogers retired from busi- 
 ness until 1905, when he again estab- 
 lished himself in the manufacturing 
 world l)y starting a factory at West- 
 field. Mass., for the manufacture of 
 casket hardware and other metal 
 g-Qods, which is now largel}' conducted 
 by his sons. 
 
 Mr. Rogers has for many years 
 been one of the directors of the City 
 Savings Bank and was also one of the 
 organizers of the Walnut Grove Cem- 
 etery Association, of which he is one 
 of the directors. ]\Ir. Rogers has also 
 served the city and town of ]\Ieriden 
 in public cai)acities, having been a 
 member of the city government and 
 the board of selectmen, lie is also a 
 memlter of the town hall building 
 Committee, and the committee of citi- 
 zens ai)p(Mnted for the Centennial Cel- 
 ebration of 1906. 
 
 He is a member of Meridian Lodge, 
 77, .\. F. & A. M. : Keystone Chap- 
 ter, i-j, R. A. M.: Hamilton Council. 
 
 22, R. & S. :\L; Capt. John Couch 
 r>ranch. Sons of the American Revo- 
 lution, and the First AL E. church, of 
 Meriden. in the last named he served 
 for man\- years as superintendent of 
 the Sunday school and secretary of the 
 official board. 
 
 Mr. Rogers has always been a Re- 
 l)ublican in politics and cast his first 
 vote at Waterbury, November, i860, 
 for Abraham Lincoln, and whom he 
 afterwards saw riding in his carriage 
 in Xew York Cit}-, on his way to the 
 inaugural ceremony. 
 
 With his two sons he went abroad 
 in 1900, visiting the world's fair ex- 
 position at Paris, afterwards traveling 
 extensively over Europe, visiting the 
 ])rincipal places of interest of Switz- 
 erland, Italy, Germany, Holland, 
 France, England and Scotland. 
 
 He was married February 6, 1867, 
 to Estelle Victorine Rogers, and to 
 them have been born the following 
 children: .Mal)el I^stelle, born March 
 
 23, 1 87 1, married b'rederick Arthur 
 Wright; Eugene Culver, born January 
 8, 1876, associated with his father in 
 business at ^\'estficld ; Rali)h (Gilbert, 
 b.orn .\])ril 8, 1878, likewise interested 
 in business with his father; and Wil- 
 liam and Emerson, twins, who died 
 in infancv. 
 
 WlLl'.lk I'ISKI-: R( )C.ERS. 
 
 \\'ill)ur I'iske Rogers, a distin- 
 guished member of the Grand .\rmy, 
 and until his recent retirement a lead- 
 \\vz manu.facturer of Meriden, was 
 
5IO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 born in Saybrook, Connecticut. July 
 1 8, 1 84 1. While he was still a boy 
 he moved to Meriden, and, after at- 
 tending school here, secured work 
 at the Chas. Parker factory, be- 
 ing only twelve years of age at that 
 time. He soon became very skillful 
 as a silver-plater, and worked at that 
 trade until 1861. At the outbreak of 
 the Civil War, Mr. Rogers, while 
 working at his trade in New York 
 city, was one of the first to respond 
 to the call of his country. He was 
 one of the party of the loyal mob 
 who compelled every newspaper of- 
 fice in New York to display the Union 
 flag and, on the first day following" 
 President Lincoln's first call for 
 troops he enlisted. On May 2, 1861, 
 he was mustered in as a private in 
 Company F, Fourth N. Y. \'. I., 
 called the First Scott Life Guard, be- 
 ing composed in part of the old organ- 
 ization of New York Volunteers under 
 General Scott in the Mexican War. 
 
 ^Ir. Rogers was in the battle of 
 Big Bethel, the first formal engage- 
 ment of the war, and remained with 
 the regiment luitil the expiration of 
 its two years' service. He was in the 
 engagements at Antietam, Fredericks- 
 burg and Chancellorsville, the regi- 
 ment volunteering to go into the lat- 
 ter fight after its time had expired. 
 For this conduct it received a mag- 
 nificent reception from the City of 
 New York on its arrival home, where 
 it was reviewed by General Scott at 
 the Fifth Avenue Hotel. 
 
 Mr. Rogers was in all the battles 
 participated in by the regiment and 
 
 held the rank of third sergeant and 
 right general guide. 
 
 After being at home three months 
 he re-enlisted in Company G, Thirty- 
 fifth N. J. Zouaves, and was made 
 sergeant and general guide of that 
 regiment. He was with General 
 Sherman when the latter made his fa- 
 mous expedition across the state of 
 Mississippi to Vicksburg, and his 
 more famous march to the sea. 
 
 Mr. Rogers remained with the reg- 
 iment until the close of the war. tak- 
 ing part in every engagement and nev- 
 er being off duty, wounded or sick in 
 hospital — a truly remarkable record. 
 
 In 1865. he returned to ^ileriden 
 where he formed a partnership with 
 his two elder brothers known as C. 
 Rogers & Brothers. 
 
 Mr. Rogers is a Republican in poli- 
 tics, and was an alderman from 1895 
 to 1899, serving on many important 
 committees. He is active in the 
 First [Methodist Church, being a mem- 
 ber of the official board. He is a 
 member of the Army and Xavy 
 Club of Connecticut, the Sons of 
 the American Revolution, the Royal 
 Arcanum. and was a charter 
 member of Pacific Lodge, No. 
 87, L O. O. F. In ^lerriam Post, 
 No. 8, G. A. R., he is especially 
 prominent, having served as com- 
 mander of his post, aide-de-camp to 
 the national commander-in-chief, in- 
 spector of Department of Connecticut, 
 delegate to the national encampment 
 at St. Louis, junior commander, sen- 
 ior vice and department conimandt'- 
 of the G. A. R. of Connecticut. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 5ii 
 
512 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Mr. Rogers is an able writer and 
 speaker, and an upright and highly re- 
 spected citizen, and has traveled ex- 
 tensively. In 1894 both he and Mrs. 
 Rogers made a long trip abroad, vis- 
 iting the principal countries of Europe. 
 
 He was married January i, 1867, 
 to Miss Mary J- Corbin, daughter of 
 Hezekiah H. and Maria B. (Ryder) 
 Corbin, and niece of the proprietors 
 and founders of the great hard- 
 ware manufacturing concern of P. & 
 F. Corbin Manufacturing Co., of New 
 Britain. Mrs. Rogers, who was once 
 for four years a teacher at the 
 Corner school and a graduate of the 
 State Normal school, is a woman of 
 rare personal attainments. She has 
 ever taken a leading part in church 
 work and woman suffrage. She has 
 for some years been president of the 
 local Political Equality club, and the 
 Meriden Humane society. For the 
 past ten years she has been 
 president of the Ladies' Aid so- 
 ciet}'' and by virtue of that ofHce a 
 member of the official board of the 
 First M. E. church ; she is also treas- 
 urer of the Connecticut Woman Suf- 
 frage League ; was the first president 
 of Merriam Woman's Relief Corps of 
 Meriden, and was the first woman to 
 serve on the Meriden school commit- 
 tee before the consolidation of the dis- 
 tricts ; also the first woman in the state 
 to be elected a member of the High 
 school committee, of which she was 
 made chairman. She is also a prom- 
 inent member of Susan Carrington 
 Clarke Chapter, D. A. R. 
 
 Mr. and ]\Irs. Rogers have had three 
 
 children : Zula Elizabeth, born Sep- 
 tember 21, 1874, a graduate of Wes- 
 leyan LTniversity and a talented lin- 
 guist and mathematician ; Burton 
 Cephas, born April 12, 1876, secretary 
 of the Connecticut Telephone & Elec- 
 tric Co., of Meriden ; and Howard 
 Wilson, born December 27, 1879, ^"d 
 died May 30, 1883. 
 
 LEVI BRADLEY. 
 
 Levi Bradley (deceased), while a 
 lifelong resident of Cheshire, was 
 closely identified with the town of 
 Meriden and built the first brick 
 block here, located at the corner of 
 High School avenue and West Main 
 street. He was in many respects 
 a remarkable man and is remembered 
 for his strong personal character and 
 high attainments. He was the son of ' 
 Daniel Bradley, a Vermont farmer, ; 
 who was driven to abandon his farm 
 by the ravages of the British during 
 the Revolutionary war and removing ; 
 first to Hamden, Conn., finally settled 
 in Cheshire. There Levi was born, ! 
 November 11, 1792. As a boy he 
 worked on his father's farm where he | 
 gave his industrious services until at : 
 the age of seventeen he "bought his 
 time" of his father up to the time he 1 
 was twenty-one and with a horse and 
 wagon filled with goods, secured on I 
 the credit of his name, started out to | 
 win success in mercantile life. At 
 the age of twenty-one years he had 
 earned sufficient money by peddling 
 to pay for his time annually and at 
 the age of twenty-three years to 
 
514 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 buy all of his father's farm. 
 His business as a dry goods peddler 
 was carried on by him with remark- 
 able success and he was given a 
 hearty welcome everywhere he drove 
 his team. His routes extended 
 through several of the Southern 
 states and he carried on his business 
 before the advent of the steam rail- 
 road. Many streams had to be ford- 
 ed, too, in order to reach the villages 
 which he supplied with dry goods, as 
 bridges were few and widely scat- 
 tered in that territory in his traveling 
 days. 
 
 His unusual energy and business 
 capacity not only won him the confi- 
 dence of his customers, but so good 
 and shrewd a buyer was he that his 
 fellow peddlers, and they were nu- 
 merous in those times, one by one, 
 gradually delegated him to do their 
 buying. Finally, when at the age of 
 twenty-seven he had married and set- 
 tled down on the Cheshire farm, af- 
 ter he had stopped peddling, he 
 became the New York buyer for the 
 members of his craft, which trust he 
 assumed for some years, his judg- 
 ment being held in high regard by 
 them. 
 
 As a farmer Mr. Bradley was any- 
 thing but a failure ; for his crops were 
 ever large and his land showed the 
 result of care and high cultivation. 
 He took a pride in his property and 
 in the product of his farm ; and he 
 won many prizes at state and town 
 agricultural exhibits. It was Levi 
 Bradley who first undertook the pro- 
 duction of wheat in Cheshire and af- 
 
 ter having procured his seed from 
 New York state, his crops of wheat 
 were much admired by visiting sight- 
 seers. 
 
 He was also the discoverer of the 
 first barytes mine in Cheshire. While 
 driving along the highway where men 
 were plowing on the roadside his at- 
 tention, which was naturally observ- 
 ing, was called to a peculiar looking 
 white stone and upon examining it 
 found it to be of unusual weight for 
 its proportion. Putting the stone in- 
 to his wagon, the following day he 
 submitted it to Prof. Silliman of Yale 
 College. His analysis prompted Mr. 
 Bradley to immediately buy an option 
 where the mineral was, which he did, 
 and he afterwards sold the farm to a 
 New Haven firm at a handsome profit, 
 who in turn mined from the property 
 several million dollars' worth of the 
 mineral, Mr. Bradley being for two 
 years employed as superintendent of 
 the mine. 
 
 Mr. Bradley was recognized as a 
 man whose moral worth was a whole- 
 some and strong virtue in the com- 
 munity where he lived. While 
 thrifty in connection with his farm 
 he kept well abreast of the times and 
 thoroughly informed on the topics of 
 the day. He was also a great read- 
 er, and his knowledge of men and pub- 
 lic affairs won him the admiration of 
 those who knew him. His good 
 qualities were recognized by his fel- 
 low townsmen in a marked degree; 
 and he was called upon to serve 
 Cheshire in the State Legislature. 
 
 He was married September 30, 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 515 
 
 18 ig. to Abij^ail Ann, daughter of 
 Samuel and Patience (Peck) Atwa- 
 ter. of Cheshire. Aliss Atwatcr was 
 a woman of rare personal attractive- 
 ness and was called the belle of her 
 native town. She was also beautiful 
 in character and always did her duly 
 as a wife and mother and enjoyed the 
 distinction of being a true daughter of 
 the American Revolution. She lived 
 to the age of ninety-seven and her por- 
 trait at ninety-two is herewith pre- 
 sented, accompanying that of her es- 
 timable husband. Their children were 
 Emeline Amelia, born December 19, 
 1820, and married Alfred P. Curtis ; 
 Samuel Atwater, born Jan. 18, 1823 ; 
 William Lambert, born May 25, 1826 ; 
 Nathaniel Lyman, born December 27, 
 1829, and Abbie Ann. born Feb. 26, 
 1833. The last named married Wal- 
 ter Hubbard and died in 1855. Two 
 of these sons, William Lambert and 
 Nathaniel Lyman, the former of whom 
 died in Hingham, Mass., December 
 15, 1894, achieved marked prominence 
 in the business world from the lessons 
 in industry, perseverance and manly 
 courage taught through the example 
 of their father. William L. I'radley. 
 for fifteen years a resident of Meriden 
 and who removed to I'oston in 1862, 
 was the founder of the I'.radlc)- 
 Fertilizer Co., of Boston, Mass. ; and 
 Nathaniel L. Bradley, a leading resi- 
 dent of Meriden and treasurer of the 
 Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Company. 
 Another captain of industry who 
 benefited l)y the wise teachings of 
 Levi Bradley, was Charles Parker, 
 of Meriden, who before he made his 
 
 lirst start from which he achieved 
 world-wide fame as a manufacturer, 
 spent three years on Mr. Bradley s 
 farm. 
 
 Levi Bradley died at Meriden 
 March 18, 1877. He was a man of 
 decidedly Christian sympathy and was 
 a liberal supporter to the cause of re- 
 ligion. His life furnished an excel- 
 lent exani])le for those who are to 
 follow him. 
 
 GEORGE GAY. 
 
 A citizen of Meriden, justly remem- 
 bered as an upright man of sterling 
 worth, was George Gay, who, after 
 having been most active as a builder 
 and later as a box manufacturer, died 
 at the age of eighty-one years. He 
 resided in his cnvn residence at the cor- 
 ner of Center and Camp streets, the 
 last eleven years of his life in well 
 earned retirement from business cares, 
 until death claimed him from old age. 
 He was born in Dedliani. Mass., Oc- 
 tober 22, 1816. 
 
 He learned the trade of a carpenter 
 in Roxl)ury, Mass., and at the age of 
 thirty-six years located in ^Meriden, 
 with which he was thereafter promi- 
 uenlly identified, l^ngaging in busi- 
 ness as a contractor and builder just 
 ])revious to a period of rapid growth 
 ,,f Meriden mainifacturing. he made 
 the most of his dpiiortunities and soon 
 l)ecame one .'f ilu leading builders of 
 the town. In the construction of build- 
 ings, he was exceedingly thorough 
 and he enjoyed deservedly the confi- 
 
>I«> 
 
 A CESrnTKIf OF MEKIPEX- 
 
 t»jiF6 litittrTri^. h-pA-. 1^ ■ 
 
 14< 
 
E]OGE_APHlES. 
 
 517 
 
 ■:ib day. 
 Hit first shop was located cm State 
 
 ' ^ ' ' ; 'is sold the land 
 
 ■ .-c.nnia Company' 
 
 juiit a portion of their woriffi on 
 
 ^ ■ ^ ' - -^ -d. 
 
 - 3t 
 
 ■•;• jmer of State and Ctosb streets, 
 ed for a time as a 
 • fotinded the coopex- 
 c^ i.- wooden hox. industij, "vviiich 
 1886, when lie sold 
 'jdd. 
 Dttrin^: IVIr. Ga3'*6 career as a htiild- 
 "^►er of the factories, sev- 
 •_:, . _ _ riidences, business hlocks 
 and two chnrches were iDtult hj 
 hj^: ^^^tOTL'^i the bnil ding's still stand- 
 ;:i^' cLi i. monmnent to his thorough 
 vk ork may be mentioned the following: 
 • Meriden Britannia Com- 
 
 : _-. . - . .nden Silver Plate Congjany, 
 J. Wilcox & Go. (now the Meriden 
 \\" ..'Jen Co.; ; the First Methodist and 
 AiLin Street Baptist chnrches: resi- 
 dence of the late Dennis C Wilcox, 
 by Mrs. Horace C. Wil- 
 
 :. . Street ; residence of the 
 
 -c-', Jedediah Wilcox, now o\\'ned by 
 
 ' '- :• t-r AV. Parker, on Broad street: 
 
 "nt reaidence of tbe late Isaac C. 
 
 Lewis. Main street, in which one of 
 
 -' -ers. !Mrs. Kate A. L. 
 
 .-^ .:.. :,. .> resides. 
 
 At the time of his death, Mr, Gay 
 
 respected, not only as the 
 
 .^.. . „.^der in Meriden. but as a 
 
 "lan who always did his dntv as he 
 
 -^'^ :t in whatever capacity he was 
 
 c^litrl upon t-- t^-^-r. ]\jj._ Qa-^- .^2^5 
 
 first selectman of Meriden for five 
 jk'eaxB consecutively, from 1868- 1872, 
 and immediateh' following that, was a 
 member of the cit\- government as 
 councilman, and in 1872 was a mem- 
 ber of the board of aldermen. As Mr. 
 GaA' built a goodly- portion of old Mer- 
 iden and was justly' esteemed in the 
 commimity for his heartfelt interest 
 in the affairs of the town, his memorv" 
 will still survive him man^- years. 
 
 He left two daughters: Mrs. A. G. 
 Finne}- and ]\Irs. Charles F. Linsle}-, 
 the latter of ]\Ieriden. 
 
 JOSEPH MORSE. 
 
 Joseph Morse, son of Harley and 
 Harriet Morse, was bom November 
 12, iS2y, in YalesAiUe, town of Wal- 
 lingford. Conn. He came to Meri- 
 den in the early forties and engaged 
 in tibe butchering business. Later, 
 he began dealing in real estate and 
 soon gave his entire attention to 
 this business. He bought largel}- 
 and made many improvements : and 
 as the 3^ars passed his business 
 became large and his holdings of prop- 
 erty great, ail of -w-hich he managed 
 wisely and welL He cq>ened up more 
 streets in the town of Meriden than 
 any other man, among them being: 
 Willow, A'eteran, Columbia, Merriam. 
 Walnut. Plumb, Yale avenue, North 
 Hickory. Water. Reservoir avenue. 
 Spring. Springdale avenue. Clark, 
 Hill. Park. IMorse, High, Fraiy ave- 
 nue and Xorth Spring. 
 
 As stated, he was a good manager 
 and possessed an excellent judgment; 
 
5i8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 519 
 
 was energetic and industrious and 
 made money rapidly, becoming one of 
 the largest holders of property in Mer- 
 idcn. 
 
 He owned a portion of the State 
 school property and the section of the 
 town known as Morsetown. In 1896 
 he owned thirty-two dwellings, seven 
 acres of land and five business blocks, 
 being sole or part owner in the latter. 
 It was then estimated that he had 
 about two hundred tenants. 
 
 Mr, Morse was also a large owner 
 of land in Kansas, at Wichita, An- 
 thony, Pratt, Emporia, Junction City, 
 Salina and other small places. 
 
 Mr. Morse was a self-made man, 
 beginning life without a dollar, yet 
 possessed of good health, and started 
 out in life w'ith a determination to suc- 
 ceed. 
 
 He was willing, possessing natural 
 tact and ability, which, together with 
 his energy and close application to 
 business, brought remarkable success. 
 
 In all his business transactions he 
 was regarded as thoroughly honest 
 and most reliable, his integrity and 
 honesty being of the highest order. 
 He possessed ability and was shrewd 
 in matters pertaining to real estate 
 transactions. 
 
 His judgment was considered very 
 superior. Mr. !Morse held the office 
 of town assessor and was also a mem- 
 ber of the common council at one time. 
 He was a vestryman of St. Andrew's 
 church and was the last surviving 
 member of the vestry that directed 
 the parish when the church was on 
 Broad street; was a director in the 
 
 I'irst National bank and a trustee of 
 the City Savings bank. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Morse married Lucy 
 A. Hall, a daughter of Casper A. Hall, 
 son of Crenton Hall, the founder of 
 ^[eriden, the first representative from 
 this town in 1806. The children by 
 the marriage were George N., born 
 October 16, 1853 ; Lilla E., born Au- 
 gust I, 1857; Eva L., born July 4, 
 1855, died September 12, 1861 ; Jo- 
 sephine M., born September 17, 1869; 
 Lucy M., born November 17, 1871. 
 
 Mr. Morse died October 16, 1897. 
 
 GEORGE N. MORSE. 
 
 George W jMorse was born in this 
 city October 16, 1853, at the old 
 Morse homestead, which stood at the 
 corner of East Main and Veteran 
 streets. The building has now been 
 made over into a store and is occu- 
 pied by the Meriden Tea & Coffee 
 Company, 
 
 Mr. Morse is a descendant of John 
 Morse, born 1604, who was one of 
 the seven Puritans of that name wdio 
 emigrated from England to America 
 in 1635, settled at N^ew Haven ; and 
 was one of the founders of W'alling- 
 ford in 1670, and was a deputy and 
 conmiissioner to the General Court for 
 fourteen years, dying in 1707 at the 
 age of 103. On his maternal side Mr. 
 Morse is a descendant of Rev, Sam- 
 uel Hall, of Cheshire, born 1695, 
 died 1776. who married Amie Law, 
 daughter of Gov. Jonathan Law and 
 granddaughter of Ciov. \\'illiani I'rcn- 
 ton of Rhode Island. 
 
520 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ^^T^^y^^^^y^ 
 
 / 
 
 /' 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 521 
 
 After the usual training- in the com- 
 mon schools, ]\lr. Alorse attended, 
 when sixteen years of age, the Con- 
 necticut Literary Institute at Suffield 
 in 1869-70. For several years he was 
 correspondent of the New York Alir- 
 ror and the Turf, Field and Farm. 
 He has been at one time or another 
 in various mercantile pursuits. In 
 1872 he was a member of Charter Oak 
 Hose company in the old volunteer 
 fire department. In 1882 he moved 
 to Kansas City, but returned to Meri- 
 den the following year ; was mar- 
 ried in 1877 to Mary A., daughter of 
 John C. Byxbee, by whom he has had 
 two children : John B., born in 1880, 
 and Ida L., born 1882. He has been 
 a prominent figure in local and state 
 politics. At the state convention held 
 in Hartford in May, 1888, to choose 
 delegates to the Democratic national 
 convention, he was chairman of his 
 town's delegation. He was a dele- 
 gate to the state convention held in 
 September of the same year at New 
 Haven, presenting the name of Hon. 
 Carlos French for governor in the 
 county caucus, and E. B. Manning to 
 the convention for electoral delegate. 
 The latter was nominated and elected. 
 Mr. Morse was nominated for state 
 senator in 1888 and was elected by a 
 plurality of 353. In the presidential 
 campaign of 1888, he organized and 
 was president of the Cleveland Demo- 
 cratic club of Meriden. In the state 
 Senate he was chairman of the manu- 
 factures and woman's suffrage com- 
 mittees ; introduced and advocated the 
 ])assage of the cigarette bill, which 
 
 is now a law. The most notable 
 speeches which he delivered in that 
 body were those on ballot reform, the 
 \\'estport ballot box contest, oleo- 
 margarine, and the Storrs School ap- 
 ])ropriation. He was the author of 
 the famous Parnell resolutions, which 
 were finally passed by the General As- 
 sembly after a bitter contest. He or- 
 ganized and is secretary of the Sen- 
 ate Club of i88(;-()0. He was chair- 
 man of the town delegation to the 
 state convention held in Hartford in 
 September, 1890, and at this conven- 
 tion was a candidate for the office of 
 secretary of state. He is a member 
 of St. Andrew's Episcopal church ; 
 Sons of the American Revolution ; 
 ]\Ieriden \'eteran Firemen's association 
 and town hall building committee. 
 
 In 1902 Air. ]\Iorse was a candidate 
 for congressman from the Second dis- 
 trict, opposing N. D. Sperry, of 
 New Haven, by whom he was defeat- 
 ed. He has never held any town or 
 city office except chairman of the 
 Democratic town committee. 
 
 G. W. I'RAXCIS. 
 
 The suljject of this sketch, for many 
 years a prominent resident and busi- 
 ness man of Meriden, was born in 
 Wethersfield, Conn., a son of Elias 
 and Sarah (Griswold) Francis. He 
 \ms given the name of (ieorge \\'ash- 
 ington Francis, as he was born Feb- 
 ruary 22, 1831, which fact prompted 
 his parents to name him in honor of 
 the father of his country. His birth- 
 
522 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON FRANCIS. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 523 
 
 place was at the old Francis homestead 
 located on what is now known as the 
 corner i)t Hartford avenue and Pris- 
 on street, Wethersfield. He was one 
 of a family of eleven children and w^as 
 a half bmther of the late Mrs. Ben- 
 jamin Twiss, of Meriden. His 
 grandfather was John Francis, third, 
 who served as captain in the Revo- 
 lutionary \\''ar, and married Rhoda 
 Wright. His great-great-grandfath- 
 er, John Francis, second, married Eu- 
 nice Dickinson and his great-grand- 
 father, John Francis, jr., married 
 Mary Hatch. His father, John Fran- 
 cis, married Mary Crittenden. 
 
 George Washington Francis spent 
 his early life in healthy surroundings 
 of culture and inherited those habits 
 of industry which became necessary 
 when the slaves of Connecticut re- 
 ceived their freedom ; two of whom 
 belonging to the family, were cared for 
 during their lives by the father of Mr. 
 Francis. George Francis learned 
 his trade in Meriden, serving his ap- 
 prenticeship under Henry Beadle who 
 conducted the harness business at the 
 corner of East Main and Pratt streets, 
 and upon coming to Meriden first 
 boarded with his sister Elizabeth, who 
 was Mrs. Beadle. In time he became 
 [proprietor of the business and con- 
 uctcd the store in which lie learned 
 is trade, and afterwards built the 
 resent three-story building at the cor- 
 er of East Alain and Pratt streets, 
 n which he conducted the harness 
 Jusiness, later adding trunks and bags 
 o his stock of goods, until his death 
 vhich occurred on July i, 1872 and 
 
 which was caused by smallpox con- 
 tracted from one of his employes who 
 had varioloid in such a mild form that 
 no one knew of his affliction. 
 
 Mr. Francis was a member of ]^Ier- 
 iden Center Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and 
 was affiliated with no other organiza- 
 tion. Although he never united with 
 a church, he held a high regard for 
 the Word of God, as a result of his 
 early religious training and for many 
 years was a regular attendant at the 
 First Baptist church. To this church 
 he contributed generous support, until 
 with his family he became an attend- 
 ant of the Main Street Baptist church 
 at which edifice a service was held in 
 his memory the Sunday following his 
 death, and during which Rev. O. T. 
 Walker, his former pastor, paid him a 
 deserved tribute. Of his life it can 
 be said he acted well the true Chris- 
 tian part. 
 
 He was married December z"], 1855, 
 to Emily Fine, of New^ Brunswick, N. 
 J. Their children are Nellie Gilbert 
 (Mrs. Arthur M. Alderman) and 
 Bessie Francis, of Meriden. Grand- 
 children that survive now are Howard 
 Francis and Walter Arthur Alderman. 
 
 L. P. EDGERTOX. 
 
 L. P. Edgerton, the senior member 
 of the firm of Edgerton & Immich, is 
 a native of Coventry, Tolland county. 
 Conn., and was born January 31. 1833. 
 He is the son of Justin P. and Mary 
 (Barrows) Edgerton. His father 
 and grandfather carried on adjoining 
 farms at Covcntr\-. where the familv 
 
524 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 were tillers of the soil for many gen- 
 erations before. 
 
 Mr. Edgerton obtained his educa- 
 tion by attending the district school 
 during three months of the year and 
 remained upon the farm of his father 
 until the age of twenty-two, when he 
 began his mercantile career by enter- 
 ing a grocery store at Willimantic. 
 He afterwards spent eight years in 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 L. P. EDGERTON. 
 
 New York City with his brother, Da- 
 vid B., in the manufacture of cloaks 
 and wraps and conducted a wholesale 
 business. During the Civil war, in 
 connection with his brother, Mr. Ed- 
 gerton opened a store at Norfolk, Va., 
 which he carried on for six months. 
 Duringthis time his patrons were com- 
 
 prised entirely of northern soldiers, 
 owing to the bitter feeling against the 
 north which prevailed at that time. 
 On account of ill health, Mr. Edger- 
 ton removed from New York City to 
 New Britain, and to get the benefit 
 of out-door life he rented a farm, 
 which he conducted with profit until 
 1870. 
 
 It was in that year that he came to 
 Meriden and bought out the coal bus- 
 iness of Frederick Williams, which he 
 carried on for two years and after- 
 wards sold to Amos Ives. In 1874 he 
 established himself in his present line 
 by buying out the express and for- 
 warding business of Mr. Forsyth. 
 His first stables were on Veteran 
 street. He afterwards removed to 
 stables on Pratt street, later had an 
 ofifice on State street near Main ; and 
 after the railroad freight depot was 
 built in its present location, the firm of 
 Edgerton & Immich bought the land 
 and built the present large stables 
 which have ever since been situated 
 directly opposite. The business of the 
 firm has more than quadrupled in tin 
 past thirty-two years, and its growth 
 has been steady and substantial. 
 
 Mr. Edgerton's extended business 
 career has been an honorable one and 
 his dealings with the public conducted 
 upon lines of fairness and liberality. 
 His even disposition and genial qual- 
 ities have made him a favorite with 
 all who have been associated with him, 
 both in business and private affairs. 
 He has never possessed aspirations for 
 a public career, although he has been 
 given ample opportunity. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 525 
 
 He was married November 29, 1855, 
 to Harriet Eliza Flower and they cel- 
 ebrated their fiftieth wedding anniver- 
 sary in [Nleriden in 1905. Their 
 chiKlren are Frank C, vice-president 
 and treasurer of the Kelsey Press 
 Company of Meriden ; and ^linnie, 
 (Mrs. Edward S. Thompson), also of 
 Meriden. They have also two grand- 
 children and one great-granddaughter. 
 
 mich. From his long connection with 
 the teaming business, Mr. Immich has 
 become thororghly familiar with the 
 wants of the public, his concern is so 
 well able to supply. During the last 
 few years, and owing to the somewhat 
 poor health of Mr. Edgerton, a large 
 amount of the responsibility of the bus- 
 iness has devolved upon him ; and to 
 his energy and grasp of business sit- 
 
 HENRY L. IMMICH. 
 
 Henry L. Immich, junior member of 
 the firm of Edgerton & Immich, was 
 born in New London, April 18, i860. 
 He is of (icnnan descent and his pa- 
 rents were Peter and Elizabeth Im- 
 mich. They came to this country 
 from Germany and located in New 
 London more than twenty )ears be- 
 fore their son was born. He was giv- 
 en a liberal education in the public 
 schools of his native town and was 
 graduated from the Bulkeley High 
 school, after which he took a course 
 at the Eastman Business College, 
 Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 
 
 Coming to IMeriden in 1880 he en- 
 
 reil the store of Ives. L'i)ham (!:v: 
 Rand, which at that time was in the 
 l)resent location of Howard Bros. 
 After being employed in the dry goods uations, has a share of the ])rescnt 
 
 Photo by Akpi-s & Pigeon. 
 
 IIENRV L. IMMICH. 
 
 business for one year, he secured a po- 
 sition in the Meriden freight ofifice of 
 the N. Y., N. H. & H. railroad. Soon 
 ifterward he became associated with 
 L. P. Edgerton as clerk, three years 
 
 prosperity of the firm been brought 
 about. 
 
 He is a member of Pilgrims' llarl)or 
 Council, Royal Arcamnn ; the A. O. U. 
 \\'.. tlie Colonial Club of .Meriden 
 
 later entering into the partnership as and .Meriden lUisiness Men's .\sso- 
 1 member of the firm which has ever ciation, and is a comnnmicant of St. 
 ^ince been that of Edgerton & Im- .\ndrcw's E])isoo])al church. 
 
526 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 He married Adelaide L., daughter 
 of Sarah A. Douglass, to whom two 
 sons and two daughters have been 
 born as follows : Hollis Douglass, who 
 in June, 1906, was graduated from the 
 Sheffield Scientific School of Yale 
 University ; Walter Lewis, Ethel Cor- 
 inne and Faye Madeline. Since his 
 marriage ]\Ir. Imniich has resided at 
 161 Curtis street, where he has en- 
 joyed the respect of his neighbors 
 as well as in the business circles where 
 he is a potent factor. 
 
 J. H. GAMIER. 
 
 John Henry Gamier, deceased, but 
 for many years one of the most popu- 
 lar men in the mercantile life of Mer- 
 iden, was born October 20, 1850, of 
 English parentage and French de- 
 scent, near London, England. After 
 receiving a good education in his na- 
 tive language and growing to man- 
 hood, he came to America and secured 
 a position as shipping clerk in a whole- 
 sale men's furnishing goods house, in 
 Boston, becoming a resident of Mer- 
 iden in 1878 where he remained until 
 his death which occurred November 
 2, 1901. 
 
 He engaged in the clothing business 
 in 1879 in the Lewis block on Main 
 street ; in 1880 forming a partnership 
 with Almon J. Fletcher, and the busi- 
 ness has, to the present time, been 
 continued with growing success un- 
 der the title of The Boston & Mer- 
 iden Glothing Go. ; but since the de- 
 cease of Mr. Gamier, his interest has 
 been retained by his widow. Upon 
 
 the completion of the Wilco ; 
 block, the business was remove j 
 to the present location; but the storj 
 afterwards became enlarged from tim: 
 to time. In 1899 the adjoining storl 
 was taken in and the partition tor 
 down, afterwards fifty feet were add; 
 ed to the depth of the now doubl! 
 store, and in 1901 a portion of th 
 basement was rebuilt and converts ; 
 into a department for the sale 0; 
 
 JOHN H. CAMIER. 
 
 trunks and bags. The store is no\s 
 127 feet deep and 50 feet wide 
 of which an uninterrupted view is tc 
 be obtained from any part of the floor, 
 comprising one of the handsomesi 
 and finest in New England. Mr. 
 Gamier became, therefore, one of the 
 most successful business men of the 
 town and was held in high regard by 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 527 
 
 the numerous patrons of the store and 
 a large circle of friends with whom 
 he became a favorite. 
 
 I'or many years before his death, he 
 was a member aiid one of the trustees 
 of the Main Street Baptist church ; 
 was a member of Center Lodge, 97, 
 A. F. & A. M. ; Keystone Chapter, 27. 
 R. A. M. ; Hamilton Council, 22, R. 
 & S. M. ; St, Elmo Commandery, 9, 
 K. T. ; and Myrtle Lodge, 4, K. of P. 
 He was married in Boston, October 
 14, 1878, to Xellie S. Warner, whose 
 great-grandfather was a Revolution- 
 ary soldier and who is descended in 
 the maternal line from the Ballon 
 family which located at Rehoboth, 
 Mass.. about 1620. Mrs. Camier is 
 a member of the Trinity ]\L E. church 
 and cared for her husband with great 
 devotion through his years of infirm 
 health. 
 
 A. J. FLETCHER. 
 
 Almon John Fletcher, who since the 
 death of his partner, has assumed the 
 rntire management of the business of 
 The Boston & Meriden Clothing Co., 
 j was born at Acworth, N. H., August 
 15, 1842. He is a son of John and 
 Almina (Tandy) Fletcher and was 
 reared on a farm in East Lempster, N. 
 H., and attended the district schools 
 of that vicinity. After obtaining 
 some experience in mercantile life, but 
 l)ofore he attained his majority, he 
 [enlisted for three years as a soldier 
 |in the Civil war, going to the front 
 s a member of Company G, 9th N. H. 
 ols. Infantry, He was present and 
 
 took part at the battles of South 
 }iIountain and Antictam, being 
 wounded by a shell in the latter en- 
 gagement and receiving his honorable 
 discharge from service through his 
 disability. 
 
 After recovering from his injuries 
 at his home, he went to Winchendon, 
 Mass., and became employed in a ma- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 ALMON J. FI-FTniER. 
 
 chine shop. After three years he 
 went to Boston and continued to work 
 as a machinist for a time, and later 
 became a clerk in a store there. He 
 came to Meriden in 1879 and shortly 
 after formed a partnership with 
 John H. Camier, who had established 
 a clothing business in the Lewis block, 
 which afterwards became known 
 
528 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 as The Boston & Meriden Clothing- 
 Co., the active management of which 
 now large concern has for many years 
 devolved npon him, especially since 
 the decease of Mr. Camier, as stated 
 just previous to this article. This 
 clothing company has an enviable 
 record for success and fair dealing, 
 extending over a period of twenty- 
 seven years. Few men of Meriden 
 enjoy the confidence of their fellow 
 townsmen to a greater extent than 
 does Mr. Fletcher or than did his de- 
 ceased partner, Mr. Camier. In 1883 
 they established a branch store at Mid- 
 dletown which was also carried on by 
 the firm, but after the death of Mr. 
 Camier, was sold to others, the large 
 Meriden store being all that Mr. 
 Fletcher could attend to. Mr. 
 Fletcher is known as one of the re- 
 liable and capable merchants of the 
 town, respected for his probity of 
 character and industry. 
 
 While devoted to his business, he 
 finds time for activity in church work 
 and is one of the stewards of the Trin- 
 ity M. E. church, and a teacher in the 
 Sunday school. He is also a member 
 of Pacific Lodge, 87, I. O. O. F., and 
 Merriam Post, 8, G. A. R. 
 
 He was married June 7, 1883, in 
 Meriden, to Tama (Davis) Warner, 
 widow of Edwin T. Warner and 
 mother of Mrs. Camier. She was a 
 valued member of Trinity M. E. 
 church and was known as an exem- 
 plary Christian character and a kind 
 and devoted wife and mother. She 
 was a capable business woman 
 who carefully conserved the estate in- 
 
 herited from her father. She died 
 January i, 1892, and was buried at 
 Walnut Grove cemetery. 
 
 CHARLES H. PINKS. 
 
 Charles Henry Pinks, druggist of 
 this town and active head of the Mer- 
 iden Drug Company, was born in 
 South Meriden, December 4, 1858, 
 
 Photo by H. T. Shaw. 
 
 CHARLES H. PINKS. 
 
 and with the exception of three years 
 has always resided in Meriden. He is 
 a son, and with the exception of Ida K. 
 Pinks, a member of his household, is 
 the only surviving child of Edwin C 
 and Sophia C. Pinks, natives of New- 
 Britain, and he comes from old New 
 England ancestry on both the pater- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 529 
 
 nal and maternal sides. His early 
 education was obtained in X"e\v Brit- 
 ain where his family name has been 
 a familiar one for several generations 
 and where his parents, now deceased, 
 rest from earthly cares. He after- 
 wards went to school in Meriden and 
 Woburn, ]\Iass., finishing his educa- 
 tion at Wilbraham Academy, Wilbra- 
 ham, Mass. He began his business 
 career as a clerk in the Meriden post 
 office, under the late Erwin D. Hall. 
 
 reputation for reliability and accuracy. 
 In 1886 Mr. Pinks was one of the or- 
 ganizers of the present corporation of 
 which he has ever since been the treas- 
 urer and manager ; and under his pro- 
 gressive ideas and close application, 
 the business has grown to large pro- 
 portions, the location being in the 
 heart of Meriden and near the busiest 
 corner of the main thoroughfare. 
 
 Mr. Pinks is a member of the Con- 
 necticut Pharmaceutical Association ; 
 
 I'li.ito l.y R. S. Oodl'rey. 
 
 RICSIIJENCE OF CHARLES H. PJXKS. 
 
 He afterwards entered the drug 
 
 business, with U. G. Harrison as a 
 
 artner, later succeeded E. A. Bur- 
 
 ick, after which was formed the Mer- 
 
 dcn Drug Co., which thus enjoxs the 
 
 istinction of being the oldest drug 
 
 itore in Meriden. The place was 
 
 cnown originally as I. I'>. Klock's 
 
 \pothecaries' Hall and has been for- 
 
 unately controlled by men who. from 
 
 he start, liave maintained an excellent 
 
 34 
 
 vice-president of the Meriden Drug- 
 gists" Association : member of the 
 Meriden Board of Trade ; Meriden 
 Business Men's Association; Colonial 
 C\u]) of .Meriden: Meridian Loilge, 
 jy. A. I'". l\; a. M.: Pilgrims" Harbor 
 Council. 543, Roxal Arcanum, and the 
 First Congregational church. Ui the 
 last named he was, in 1905. chosen one 
 of the deacons, which office he now 
 liolds. He was married in 1887, to 
 
530 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Lillian Beecher. daughter of the late 
 ^^'m. M. Smith, of Meriden. to whom 
 the following children have been 
 born : \'era Lockrow, Stanle}- 
 Beecher and Beula ^^'arren Pinks. 
 
 HORACE C. WILCOX. 
 
 Foremost among the men of ]\Ieri- 
 den during the past century as re- 
 gards the development of the business 
 interests of the locality, was Horace 
 C. Wilcox, a founder of the ^Nleriden 
 Britannia Company, and who during 
 the latter part of his life was not onlv 
 interested in. but one of the founders 
 of many other manufacturing concerns 
 of the town. He was a man of great 
 energy and abilit}- and from a small 
 beginning, became a power in the 
 business world. He was born in that 
 portion of ^Middletown known as 
 ^^'estfield. January 24. 1824. and at- 
 tended district school for a brief per- 
 iod. He acquired, however, by ob- 
 servation and study a remarkable 
 knowledge of men and business, and 
 was possessed of a keenness of per- 
 ception and foresight that was inborn. 
 He was a natural leader, a man of 
 great enterprise and business acumen : 
 and his life was perhaps more useful 
 to Meriden in a business way. than 
 that of any other man. His early life 
 until the age of twenty, was spent up- 
 on his father's farm and he began his 
 business career as a peddler of tin- 
 ware. 
 
 In 1850 he was engaged as travel- 
 ing salesman for James Frary, a man- 
 ufacturer of britannia ware. He af- 
 
 terwards traveled in the same capac- 
 ity for William ^^^ Lyman, John ^lun- 
 son and Isaac C. Lewis. In 1852, 
 with his brother. Dennis C. Wilcox, 
 Isaac C. Lewis, James A. Frary. Lem- 
 uel J. Curtis, W. W. Lyman. John 
 Munson, George R. Curtis, Samuel 
 Simpson and \\'illiam H. Johnson, he 
 organized the Meriden Britannia Com- 
 pany, of which he was the first secre- 
 tary and treasurer. In 1866 he suc- 
 ceeded I. C. Lewis as president of the 
 company, and held that office until his 
 death. August 22. 1890. From the 
 start he became a power in the con- 
 cern and the remarkable growth of the 
 company, to the largest of its kind in 
 this country, was in great measure due 
 to his wise counsel and able leadership. 
 Mr. Wilcox was a great worker, not 
 only for the success of the Meriden 
 Britannia Compan}-. but for the io\\n 
 of ^Meriden. of which he was a most 
 enthusiastic, patriotic and loyal resi- 
 dent. It was his delight to see Meri- 
 den grow and prosper, and to that end 
 he was instrumental in bringing sev- 
 eral important industries ^\^thin its 
 borders, as well as promoting the in- 
 terests of the town in various other 
 directions. Through his influence the 
 \Miite family came to ^leriden from 
 Brattleboro. \'t.. and with his able as- 
 sistance the Wilcox & \Miite Organ 
 Company was organized. Of this 
 company, which bears his name, he 
 was the first president. He was also 
 a director of the ^leriden Silver Plate 
 Company. Manning, Bowman & Co.. 
 Meriden Saddlery & Leather Co.. The 
 Aeolian Orsfan & Music Co.. the Mer- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 531 
 
 iden Street Rail^^■ay Co., Rogers Bros. 
 Company of Waterbun. -, R. Wallace 
 & Sons of W'allingford. W'm. Rogers 
 Mfg. Co. of Hartford. Meriden Fire 
 
 and largest enterprise was tlie organ- 
 ization and construction of the Meri- 
 den. \\'aterbury & Connecticut River 
 Railroad, and in this enterprise he in- 
 
 Insurance Co.. Home Xational Bank. 
 
 •\epublican Publishing Co.. Walnut 
 .rove Cemetery Association, and 
 he Citv SavinjTS Bank. His last 
 
 vested more than one million dollars, 
 with little expectation of any return 
 except the benefits the community he 
 loved so much wonld receive. 
 
532 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Such a man as Mr. Wilcox could 
 not shirk his duty to his fellow citi- 
 zens, when called upon to act in a pub- 
 lic capacity. A Republican of the 
 most loyal type, he was elected a mem- 
 ber of the first board of aldermen of 
 the infant city. He was also the fifth 
 mayor, and served in that capacity for 
 two terms, 1875-6. In 1877 he served 
 a term in the state senate, and al- 
 though repeatedly urged to accept oth- 
 er public honors, this concluded his 
 highly creditable career in public of- 
 fice, wihich was ever distasteful to him. 
 His connection with the First Congre- 
 gational church of JMeriden added 
 strength to that influential society. He 
 was one of the most generous givers 
 to its financial prosperity ; was a mem- 
 ber of the building committee when 
 the present handsome edifice was con- 
 structed, and during his life served on 
 nearly all the important committees 
 of that society. 
 
 He was married, first, to Charlotte, 
 daughter of Jabez Smith of Middle- 
 town, wdio died in 1864, and to whom 
 the following children were born : 
 Ella Augusta, who married the late 
 William P. Morgan and removed to 
 San Francisco ; Georgine, Walter and 
 Allyn, who died in infancy, and 
 George Horace, who after his father's 
 death, became president of The Meri- 
 den Britannia Co., and is now vice- 
 president of The International Silver 
 Co. In 1865 he married Ellen, daugh- 
 ter of Edmund Parker, and to them 
 were born Dwnght P. and Horace, both 
 deceased, and Florence Cornwall, now 
 JMrs. Louis Fisk. 
 
 SYLVESTER J. CURTIS. 
 
 Sylvester Johnson Curtis, a do- 
 ceased financier and one of the most 
 respected figures of W^all street, was 
 a product of Meriden. He was born 
 in this town September 30, 1826. His 
 line of descent on the paternal side, 
 back to 1639, when widow Elizabeth 
 and her two sons, John and William, 
 were among the first settlers of Stam- 
 ford, is as follows: Elizabeth, John, 
 Thomas (one of the original planters 
 of Wallingford in 1670), Nathaniel, 
 Benjamin, Benjamin and Amos. 
 
 Amos, father of Sylvester, was a 
 representative in 1824 and had held 
 many positions of trust, having been a 
 prominent man in Meriden, and who in 
 1 81 8 married Louisa Johnson, daugh- 
 ter of Lieut. Dan Johnson an officer in 
 the Revolutionary War. Lieut. John- 
 son married Rebecca Hitchcock April 
 19, 1 78 1, and was a son of Daniel 
 Johnson, a trial justice under King 
 George II., of England, who married, 
 December 24, 1734, Joanna Preston; 
 she was the great-granddaughter of 
 William Preston, said to have been 
 an English baronet, one of the first 
 settlers of New Haven. 
 
 Among the early maternal ancestors 
 of Sylvester Curtis, was Robert John- 
 son of England, whose son Thomas 
 emigrated from England in 1632, 
 and from whom have descended many 
 men of prominence in the history of 
 the Colonies, and who became prom- 
 inent in the afifairs of the nation. 
 Among them are Dr. Samuel Johnson 
 and William Samuel Johnson, the lat- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 533 
 
534 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ter one of the first men of Connecti- 
 cut chosen to the United States Sen- 
 ate. WilHam Johnson, son of Thom- 
 as, married Sarah Hall in December, 
 1664, and died at New Haven 1741. 
 His son Jacob was a first settler in 
 Wallingford, and was born at New- 
 Haven, September 26, 1674, and mar- 
 ried Abigail Hitchcock. He was the 
 grandfather of Lieut. Dan Johnson. 
 
 Sylvester Curtis was brought up on 
 his father's farm in the eastern part 
 of Meriden, and attended the district 
 school here. 
 
 He began his business career in 
 New York City by entering the em- 
 ploy of Carter, Harrison & Co., iron 
 dealers. At the age of twenty-one 
 years, he in company with his prospec- 
 tive brother-in-law and several friends, 
 bought a ship, fitted it out and sailed 
 for California by way of Cape Horn. 
 He returned by way of the Isthmus of 
 Panama, after less than a year's ab- 
 sence, having been cjuite successful. 
 He then entered the dry goods busi- 
 ness, and continued therein until 1861 
 when he identified himself with Wall 
 street, where he later became known as 
 one of the best judges of railroad and 
 other investment bonds. He joined 
 the New York Stock Exchange in 
 1867, and shortly after established the 
 banking and stock brokerage house of 
 S. J. Curtis & Co. He retired fri.m 
 business in 1878 with a handsome 
 competence honestly earned by his in- 
 dustry and by his mastery of financial 
 problems ; and upon his death he left 
 a fortune of about two and one-half 
 millions. 
 
 Mr. Curtis was a man of strong 
 character and a keen sense of honor 
 and integrity, never Cjuestioned by the 
 moneyed people of New York, with 
 whom he came in business contact ; 
 and he was one who treated all men, 
 whether high or low, rich or poor, 
 with the fullest regard for their rights. 
 
 He married Harriet Augusta, 
 daughter of Thomas E. Hulse, of New 
 York City, April 23, 185 1, and to that 
 union were born the following: 
 Thomas E. H. Curtis, in New York 
 City, February 13, 1852, and Harriet 
 Louisa Curtis, in jMiddletown, N. Y., 
 August 13, 1855. Sylvester Curtis 
 died at his residence, 39 West Twen- 
 tieth street, in New York City, on 
 September 25, 1899. 
 
 THOMAS E. H. CURTIS. 
 
 Thomas E. H. Curtis, son of Syl- 
 vester J. and Harriet Augusta Curtis, 
 and a portion of whose youth was 
 spent in Meriden, was born in New 
 York City, February 13, 1852. His 
 ancestors, as recorded in the sketch of 
 Sylvester J. Curtis, include representa- 
 tives of old and distinguished families 
 of New Haven county, and of them he 
 is a worthy descendant. 
 
 He began his business career after 
 being graduated from the College of 
 the City of New York in 1871, when 
 he became cashier at the New York 
 City office of Brown Bros., of Water- 
 bury, Conn. After remaining there 
 about two and one-half years, early in 
 1874. he became associated with his 
 father who- was then one of the lead- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 535 
 
536 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ing bond and stock brokers of Wall 
 street, and whose partner retiring two 
 months later, he was given one-third 
 interest in the business, which was 
 continued as S. J. Curtis & Co. His 
 father retiring from the firm in 1878, 
 he continued to maintain the good 
 reputation established. 
 
 He made a study of railroads like 
 the Union Pacific and the Chicago, 
 Milwaukee & St. Paul, and an inves- 
 tigation of their securities on which he 
 was considered an authority. In 1879 
 Mr. Curtis examined the property and 
 affairs of and purchased a consider- 
 able interest in the St. Louis & San 
 Francisco railroad. He later aided 
 largely in securing the release of the 
 Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Co., 
 from the hands of its receiver ; thus 
 lie made his first pronounced start in 
 the sea of finance. His extensive op- 
 erations brought him in personal con- 
 tact with many of the great financiers 
 of the country with whom he was 
 closely affiliated and whose confidence 
 he enjoyed to the fullest extent. 
 
 In 1884 he became one of the di- 
 rectors of the Colorado Coal & Iron 
 Co., now the Colorado Fuel & Iron 
 Co., a concern of great magnitude, 
 including among its officers and di- 
 rectors many men of national finan- 
 cial fame. Almost immediately after 
 his election, he was appointed a com- 
 mittee to make an examination of the 
 properties of the company ; and upon 
 his return, was made its first vice- 
 president, which office he retained 
 many years. Mr. Curtis became a 
 member of the New York Stock Ex- 
 
 change in 1900, but sold his seat in 
 1905, having retired from active bus- 
 iness. 
 
 In 1891 he removed to his present 
 residence in Plainfield, where he lives 
 in retirement. Mr. Curtis is a great 
 lover of art, of which he is an ac- 
 knowledged connoisseur, and for the 
 past twenty years has been collecting 
 bronzes, rare books, paintings and oth- 
 er articles. His collection of ancient 
 glass, is admitted by all authorities 
 who have seen it, to be the most rare 
 and valuable in the world and impossi- 
 ble to duplicate. It contains pieces said 
 to date 2,500 to 3,000 years B. C, and 
 includes twenty-eight unbroken pieces 
 of the Murrhina or inlaid ruby glass, 
 of which only about thirty-four are 
 known to exist. This glass was very 
 valuable in Rome in Nero's time. 
 Many of his porcelains and other ar- 
 ticles are of almost priceless value, 
 and includes the famous Chinese, soft 
 paste, Ming period. Ostrich Egg vase, 
 known throughout the art world. 
 His home is a marvel of interest and 
 his collection is a most creditable one 
 to the country, and has been made 
 possible only through his infallible 
 knowledge, correct eye and an inborn 
 taste for things rare and beautiful, 
 which only wealth could develop. Mr. 
 Curtis is a member of several social 
 and art clubs. 
 
 ]Mr. Curtis was married in New 
 York City June 8, 1 881, to Ada Hulse 
 of that city, a lady of rare accomplish- 
 ments, but whose mission in life, to 
 brighten the lives of others, was cut 
 short February 18, 1896. when she 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 537 
 
 was called to the great Jehovah, after 
 presiding over her beautiful home in 
 Plainfield, and becoming the mother 
 of three daughters, as follows: Ada 
 Florence, Harriet Louise and Sylvia 
 Johnson. 
 
 <HARLES LEE ROCKWELL. 
 
 C harles Lee Rockwell, president of 
 the First National Bank and the City 
 Savings Bank, of Meriden, was born 
 at Ridgefield, Conn. He is the son 
 of Francis A. and ]\Iary (Lee) Rock- 
 well arid is a worthy representative of 
 one of the oldest family names in the 
 state. He received his education at 
 Rev. Dr. David H. Short's School in 
 Ridgefield and, at the Fort Edward 
 Institute in New York State ; and dur- 
 ing his entire business career has been 
 identified with the banking business. 
 He became teller of the National Bank 
 of Norwalk, Conn., in 1863, which 
 position he held for seven }ears. com- 
 ing to ^leriden in 1870, to become 
 cashier of the First National Bank of 
 this town, which office he filled most 
 acceptably to the institution and its 
 patrons until 1902, when, after the 
 death of the late John D. Billard, who 
 had for many years been its president, 
 he was chosen as head of the institu- 
 tion which office he has since filled. 
 
 His long connection with the First 
 National Bank has been one in which 
 his ability as a financier and counsel- 
 or has been of benefit to the institu- 
 tion. When it became apparent that 
 {another savings bank was desirable in 
 Nleriden and the City Savings Bank 
 
 was organized, Mr. Rockwell became 
 its first secretary and treasurer. 
 He later accepted the presidency 
 and still continues at its head ; 
 and has from the first given the Sav- 
 ings Bank close attention resulting 
 beneficially to its large number of de- 
 l)Ositors. 
 
 Mr. Rockwell was one of the or- 
 ganizers of the Meriden Trust & 
 Safe Deposit Company and since its 
 organization, the treasurer and gen- 
 eral manager of the company and 
 one of its trustees. This company- 
 was chartered by the legislature 
 of Connecticut, to act as ex- 
 ecutor, administrator, guardian and 
 trustee, executing any business en- 
 trusted to it by persons, corpora- 
 tions, courts of probate or other le- 
 gally constituted authority. ]\Ir. 
 Rockwell's financial ability as treasu- 
 rer and general manager of this insti- 
 tution has enabled hiiu to assist the 
 widow and or])lian and to win not 
 only the confidence but the gratitude 
 of a large numljcr of people, with 
 whom he has come in business con- 
 tact. He was also one of the organ- 
 izers and is a director of the First Na- 
 tional bank, Ridgefield, Conn. He is 
 president of the ]\Iiller Brothers Cut- 
 lery Company ; a director of the Mer- 
 iden ('utler\ ('()m])any ; was one n\ the 
 organizers and directors of the Meri- 
 den Horse Railroad Company and for 
 some years its treasurer; a director of 
 the Meriden hospital ; one of the 
 board of park commissioners and 
 a trustee of Wesleyan I'niversitw 
 Middlet(nvn. Conn. Mr. Rockwell 
 
538 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
r.IOGRAPniES. 
 
 539 
 
 was married in 1889 to ]^Iiss ]Mary L. 
 Everest, daughter of Rev. Dr. Charles 
 Hall Everest. Mr. and Mrs. Rock- 
 well have two children, Mary Lee 
 Rockwell and Charles Everest Rock- 
 well. 
 
 H. WALES LLXES. 
 
 ]\. Wales Lines was born at Xau- 
 gatuck. Conn.. June 3, 1838. He is 
 the son of Henry Willis and Harriet 
 (Iiunni.ll) Lines, and is a brother of 
 Rt. Rev. Edwin Stevens Lines, D. D.. 
 Protestant Episcopal bishop of the dio- 
 cese of Newark, X. J. He is de- 
 scended from Rev. Thomas Hooker. 
 founder of the Connecticut Colony ; 
 from Elder Brewster, one of the lead- 
 ers of the Mayflower party, which 
 landed at Plymouth in 1620: from 
 Ral[)li Lines, who was in Xew Haven 
 in H143 and who was admitted a free 
 burgess there in iC)44, and who took 
 active part in the concealment and 
 care of the Regicides. (Jther ances- 
 tors were: Captain Nathaniel \\'hite, 
 one of tin- fciunders of .Aliddletown ; 
 lohn Coit. one of the founders of Xew 
 I -ondon ; Xathaniel lUumell. one of the 
 founders of Cheshire, and Rev. Tim- 
 othy .Stevens, the first orthodox min- 
 ister of ( ilastonbury. 
 
 Mr. Lines is a great-great-grandson 
 of Lieutenant Samuel X^ewton, a Rev- 
 olutionary soldier, who served in the 
 Tenth Company, Second Regiment. 
 
 He is also a great-grandson of Enos 
 r.unnell. who was a ])rivate in Com- 
 pany Xinc of the Eirst Connecticut 
 Regiment, commanded b\- Col. David 
 
 Wooster ; was present and took jjart 
 in the capture of St. Johns and the 
 siege of Montreal, and after his sec- 
 ond enlistment was an orderly sergeant 
 in .Stephen R. Bradley's company, w^as 
 called out for the defense of X'ew Ha- 
 ven July 4, 1779, and other alarms. 
 
 He is the great-grandson of Elisha 
 Stevens, one of the minute men 
 from Cilastonbur}'. who responded 
 to the Lexington alarm and was a 
 member of Colonel Wolcott's reg- 
 iment during the siege of Boston 
 and afterwards in Colonel Jeduthan 
 Baldwin's regiment. His service as a 
 Revolutionar}- soldier was more than 
 seven years and among other engage- 
 ments at which he was present, he 
 served actively at the battles of Brook- 
 l}n Heights, Brandywine. and Ger- 
 mantown ; went through the terrible 
 privations during the "Winter at \'al- 
 leg Forge," and was also present at 
 the battle of ^lonmouth and the Siege 
 of \'orkt()\\n. 
 
 He is a great-grandson of Weaker 
 liooth, also a Revolutionary soldier, 
 who. having enlisted at the age of fif- 
 teen, served one year as a soldier in the 
 Third Comi)any of the I'ifth Battalion, 
 conuuandrd by Colonel \\ illiani Doug- 
 las; he afterwards served hvc \ears 
 in Colonel Webl)'s Regiment, and was 
 present at the battles of r)rooklyn 
 Heights, Kips l'.a\. White Plains, 
 .Springfield, X'. |.. and oilur engage- 
 ments. 
 
 Mr. Lines attended the common 
 school at X'augatuck and graduated at 
 the Iligh school, being valedictorian 
 of his class. 
 
540 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 He learned the mason's trade in 
 Naugatnck and Xew Haven, and while 
 an apprentice, taught school two win- 
 ters in Prospect and later one winter 
 in Naugatnck. 
 
 He came to Aleriden in August, 
 1862, to fill a two weeks' contract at 
 his trade, and has resided here since 
 that time. He was employed b}' 
 George Bassett until May 23, 1864, 
 when with his uncle, the late Charles 
 Perkins, he formed a partnership under 
 the firm name of Perkins & Lines, and 
 conducted business as general con- 
 tractors for all kinds of mason work, 
 and dealt in building materials. Mr. 
 Perkins retired in 1878 and the firm 
 of H. Wales Lines & Co. was formed, 
 Mr. Lines taking as a partner, H. E. 
 Fairchild. The present large corpo- 
 ration of which Mr. Lines has for 
 many years been the head, was organ- 
 ized as a joint stock company under 
 the style of The H. Wales Lines Com- 
 pany in 1888, and much concerning it 
 is stated elsewhere in this volume. 
 The growth of this business under his 
 management has reflected much credit 
 on Meriden, for many of the most im- 
 posing buildings, not only in this state, 
 but far outside of it, are evidences of 
 its thorough and conscientious work. 
 During forty-two years these compa- 
 nies have not missed a weekly pay-roll 
 and have never been involved in a law 
 suit. 
 
 Mr. Lines is the president and treas- 
 urer of The H. Wales Lines Co. ; di- 
 rector of the C. F. Monroe Co., of 
 Meriden ; director of the Chapin- 
 Stephens Co., Pine Meadow, Conn. ; 
 
 treasurer and a director of the New 
 Haven Investment Co. ; president Pa- 
 cific Real Estate Co. ; president Meri- 
 den Machine Tool Co. ; vice-president 
 Meriden Savings Bank and has been 
 extensively interested in various other 
 large enterprises. 
 
 He served two terms as a member 
 of the Board of Education and two 
 terms in the Common Council, 1868-9. 
 In 1872 he was elected a member of 
 the House of Representatives of the 
 General Assembly of Connecticut and 
 was a member of the committee on 
 railroads. 
 
 Mr. Lines was nominated for mayor 
 in 1876, being the first mayor chosen 
 under strict party alignments, and was 
 elected by a majority of 161 ; second 
 term majority, 318; third term ma- 
 jority, 566. After serving three terms 
 he declined a unanimous renomina- 
 tion for a fourth term. During his 
 first term the common council was a 
 tie politically and during his third 
 term it was unanimously Republican. 
 
 At the commencement of his first 
 term the city offices were in six dif- 
 ferent localities and before the close 
 of his third term all, with the excep- 
 tion of the police department, were lo- 
 cated in the town hall. 
 
 Under his administration the fire 
 alarm system was Introduced. Before 
 his first term only surveys of im- 
 provements on two streets had been 
 recorded. During his administration 
 nearly or quite all the old surveys were 
 placed upon record. 
 
 In his first term the revenues of 
 the water department were not suf- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 541 
 
542 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ficient to pay its running expenses 
 and the interest upon the water bonds. 
 A new water main was laid from j\Ier- 
 imere to the center of the city ; the 
 meter system was introduced and the 
 management of the department was 
 placed in the hands of one responsible 
 commissioner. The water consump- 
 tion was diminished, the revenues in- 
 creased and at the close of his third 
 term from the surplus a sinking fund 
 was established to provide for pay- 
 ment of bonds when they should ma- 
 ture. 
 
 During his first term the legal ex- 
 penses were large, as the city had more 
 than twenty law suits pending. Be- 
 fore the close of his last term these 
 expenses were very light and at its 
 termination every law suit had been 
 settled. 
 
 Two new fire houses were built 
 while he was mayor, the equipment 
 of the department improved and its 
 efficiency greatly increased. 
 
 Economy was introduced in the 
 management of every city department, 
 the efficiency of each was increased 
 and the expense of each was reduced. 
 The first year that the city had been 
 managed within its income and the 
 city debt reduced was the first year of 
 his administration, and his first an- 
 nual report gave to the citizens of 
 Meriden the first debt statement and 
 the first table of appropriations, ex- 
 penditures and unexpended balances. 
 
 The rate of the city tax during his 
 •first term was eight and one-half mills 
 and the city debt was reduced that 
 year $6,519. The second year the city 
 
 tax rate was eight mills and the city 
 debt was reduced $17,537. The third 
 year the city tax rate was seven and 
 one-half mills and the city debt was 
 reduced $24,954. 
 
 Under Mr. Lines" administration a 
 complete revision of the city charter 
 was made, and also a thorough refor- 
 mation in regard to the running of the 
 cit}' by departments ; and the system 
 of keeping accounts introduced by him 
 has been continued ever since by the 
 cit\- officials. 
 
 During his three terms as mayor, 
 comprising the years 1877-8-9, the city 
 made a very creditable showing in 
 public improvements. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Lines was by a major- 
 ity of 491 elected from the Sixth dis- 
 trict to the State Senate and served in 
 that body two sessions. In the senate 
 he was chairman of the Committee on 
 Cities and Boroughs, and Capitol Fur- 
 nishings, Buildings and Grounds and 
 Contested Elections. During the 
 three terms he served in either 
 branch of the General Assembly each 
 Meriden matter in his charge passed 
 without change or amendment. He 
 never lost a committee report nor was 
 one amended except upon his motion. 
 
 It was during his service in the Sen- 
 ate that the late Honorable O. H. 
 Piatt received his first election a> 
 United States senator from Connecti- 
 cut. 
 
 In 1888 ^Ir. Lines was the Repub- : 
 'ican candidate for Congress from the 
 Second district, being defeated by be- 
 tween 700 and 800 votes ; the Demo- 
 cratic candidate f(^r president at the 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 543 
 
 same election carried the district by 
 2,500 majority and the Democratic 
 candidate for governor by 3,203. 
 
 In 1902 Mr. Lines was a delegate to 
 the Constitntional Convention, elected 
 by a majority of rKp, and was twice 
 appointed a member of the two special 
 ■conimittees to secure an agreement on 
 the representation question. 
 
 "Sir. Lines is a member of the com- 
 mission to remodel and improve the 
 state capitol and to report to the Gen- 
 eral Assembly a suitable separate 
 "building- for the State Library and Su- 
 preme Court together with estimates 
 •of the cost of construction of the same : 
 and a member of the Fort Griswold 
 Tract Commission which has the care 
 •of the old Fort Griswold battle 
 grounds on Ciroton Heights. 
 
 He is also chairman of the Senator 
 O. H. Piatt memorial commission. 
 
 As a private citizen, ^Ir.. Lines has 
 always taken an active part in advanc- 
 ing the interests of Meriden, and all 
 plans for the development of the tow n 
 have been favored by him. 
 
 In March, 1879. at a meeting of the 
 citizens of .Meriden, held in the old 
 Town hall, he recommended a plan 
 of action, which being followed, se- 
 cured to the Inisiness of Meriden its 
 first general and considerable reduc- 
 tion of freight rates and im])roved 
 •conditions as to the deli\-er\ of manu- 
 factured goods at their destinatiniis. 
 
 He was one of those who after sev- 
 eral defeats in town meeting, tinall\- 
 succeeded in securing the passage of 
 the resolution establishing in 1881 a 
 liigh school in Meriden and an appro- 
 
 priation for the support of the same. 
 
 He is chairman of Town Hall LUiild- 
 ing Committee, appointed to build the 
 new town hall, in accordance with the 
 report of which he is the author and 
 which was adopted in a town meeting 
 held March 2^. 1904. The first 
 appropriation for the construction of 
 the building was $150,000, and the 
 original contract was made within that 
 limit. .\ second a])pro])riation of 
 $62,000 to make the ])uil(ling more 
 nearly fireproof and improve its exter- 
 ior, was afterwards made and the 
 building is now being comj^leted with- 
 in the appropriation. 
 
 Cpon the recommendation of .Mr. 
 Lines, Congress has been asked to 
 make a more adequate a])i)ropriation 
 than $100,000 for the ])ro])osed new 
 federal building and has furnished to 
 the committee having the matter in 
 charge revised ])lans, estimates and 
 other data used in sujijiort of their 
 claims. 
 
 When in .\iigust, 1S7S. the tornado 
 created such fearful death and destruc- 
 tion at Walling ford, Ma_\or Lines 
 called the first public meeting held in 
 C'onnecticut. was a])i)oiuted chairman 
 of the relief committee and had the 
 satisfaction of transmitting something 
 more than $2,000 to Warden Charles 
 I). N'ale ii'V tile reli^-f of the sufferers 
 in the mother town. 
 
 During the famine in Irelaml .Mr. 
 Lines was one of the s])eakers at the 
 meeting lu'ld in the old Town hall, 
 l'"ebruar\ <). iSSd. and in res]ionse to 
 his appeal a large sum was then and 
 there ])ledged for the relief of the 
 
544 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 needy and helpless people of Ireland. 
 He was two years in succession chair- 
 man of the committee that raised a 
 goodly subscription for the relief of 
 the citizens of Memphis, Tenn.. dur- 
 ing the epidemic of yellow fever. 
 
 He has been a staunch friend of the 
 Union soldier and has always been 
 ready to secure a just recognition of 
 his claims. He keenly appreciates and 
 preserves carefully many votes of 
 thanks received from the local Grand 
 Army Post. 
 
 Mr. Lines, although he has an ex- 
 tensive career as a public man and 
 during the past forty years has been 
 honored with many prominent posi- 
 tions within the gift of the people of 
 the town and city, has never sought 
 any political office, and his public ser- 
 vices have been given unselfishly and 
 in all cases without pecuniary consid- 
 eration. 
 
 His opinion and judgment upon any 
 matter is slowly formed and firmly 
 held. Precise in speech, accurate in 
 method and of a commanding person- 
 ality, his mental strength and his large 
 grasp upon afifairs have always made 
 him a dominating force in any com- 
 pany. He was never known to use 
 illiberal language towards an enemy 
 nor to abandon a friend. 
 
 He is a forceful public speaker of 
 the deliberative type, carefully weigh- 
 ing every word, seeking always to be 
 correct in what he states rather than 
 to be eloquent, and to convince rather 
 than to please. 
 
 In politics he is a Republican, and 
 although he never sought political hon- 
 
 ors he has for more than a (juarter of 
 a century been regarded all over Con- 
 necticut as a wise and sound adviser 
 in matters affecting party policies and 
 candidates. He took an active part 
 in making two notable contributions to 
 the service of good government which 
 have become political history in the 
 state; the first was in 1879 when, as 
 chairman of the organization which 
 conducted the campaign, the late 
 Hon. O. H. Piatt was elected to the 
 United States Senate ; the second was 
 in 1902 when he conceived the idea^ 
 and directed the campaign which 
 brought about the nomination of the 
 Hon. Abiram Chamberlain for gov- 
 ernor of Connecticut, he having had 
 the honor of presenting the name of 
 Air. Chamberlain to the Republican 
 state convention. 
 
 Mr. Lines is a member of the fol- 
 lowing organizations: Young Men's 
 Republican Club, New Haven ; Home 
 and Colonial Clubs, IMeriden ; Con- 
 necticut Historical Society ; New Ha- 
 ven Colony Plistorical Society ; a life 
 member of New London Comity His- 
 torical Society ; one of the board 
 of managers of the Conn. Society,. 
 Sons of American Revolutii)n ; and 
 ])resident of Captain John Couch 
 Branch, Meriden, Conn., Society Sons 
 of American Revolution ; director Mer- 
 iden Board of Trade ; life member Y. 
 M. C. A. of Meriden ; member Mayors' 
 Association of Connecticut. He is a 
 member of the order of Ro\al Arca- 
 num ; Knights of Honor and I. O. 0- 
 F. ; Mecca Temple, Nobles of the 
 Mvstic Shrine, New York Citv : M^er- 
 
CIOGRAPIIIES. 
 
 545 
 
 nhiua Lha])ter. (Jrder of the Eastern 
 Star. Mcriden. 
 
 He is a member of Meridian Lodge, 
 77, A 1-". & A. AI., of wliich he served 
 as worshipful master in 1872. Al- 
 thoujjli knighted at Xew Haven he is 
 one of the cliarter members of St. 
 Ehiio Commandcry, Xo. 9, Knights 
 Templar, of Aieriden. in which he 
 served as eminent commander, in 
 1869, J 870, 1873. 1874, 1875, and 
 1888. and of which he has now l^een 
 treasurer for twenty-seven }"ears. 
 
 Mr. Lines received his thirty-third 
 and last degree, becoming a mem- 
 ber of the Supreme Council at 
 Chicago, 111., the highest governing 
 body of that rite in the northern juris- 
 diction, at its annual session Septem- 
 ber 19. 1893. He is also member of the 
 Royal Order of Scotland ; honorary 
 member Harmony Lodge, 42, F. & A. 
 M., \\'aterl)ury. Conn. ; and is chair- 
 man of the board of visitors of the 
 Ci)nnecticut Masonic Home at W'al- 
 lingford. .\[r. Lines in 1877 and 
 1878 was the grand commander of the 
 Grand Commander}- of Connecticut. 
 He is now (jrand Treasurer of the 
 (jrand Encampment, Knights Tem- 
 plar, of r. S. A. Tlis first election 
 was in 1886 and all his later elections 
 have been 1)\ unanim(jus vote. 
 
 His Masonic biogra])hy sa\s of him : 
 "in all these organizations he has 
 shown the (pialitits that ad(jrn his in- 
 dividuality. Possessed of a well bal- 
 anced mind and of a tjuaciors pur- 
 pose, he has exercised an intluencc 
 ipon his associates, and in many things 
 f cntrrnriso and larger undertaking 
 
 .^5 
 
 he has made good proof of his capa- 
 bilities as a prudent adviser, and a 
 wise and courageous leader. He is a 
 man possessed of strong convictions 
 and of generous and gentle sentiments 
 as \yd\ : large minded and tolerant, his 
 heart responds to the truths and prin- 
 cipals fundamental in Masonic teach- 
 ing and whose life is held to loving 
 service in the ways of righteousness 
 and true benevolence." 
 
 The above sentiments so warmly 
 put are no less true as applied to his 
 forty and more years as a citizen of 
 the town of Meriden, where as a kind 
 and considerate neighbor and staunch 
 friend of the worthy he has endeared 
 himself to his fellow townsmen by 
 his loyalt}- to their best interests. 
 
 Mr. Lines was married June 23, 
 1861, to Sarah (Congdon), daughter 
 of Rev. ^^'ashington and Louisa 
 (Xichols) ]Munger, of W'aterford, 
 Conn., and to them the following chil- 
 dren have been born: Harriet L. (Mrs. 
 Robert L. Peck) Kensington, Conn. ; 
 Henry W., who died in infancy ; Sarah 
 L. (.Mrs. JM-ank L. Hamilton), Meri- 
 den, Conn.: Clara 1!. (Airs. Roger B. 
 de lUissy), Winchester. Mass.; Ellie 
 M. (Mrs. JM-ank .\1. Chapin), Pine 
 .Meadow. Conn., grand worthy mat- 
 ron of the order of the h^astern Star 
 of C( mnecticut. 
 
 CHARLIES THOMPSOX DODD. 
 
 Charles Thomiison Dodd. manufac- 
 turer of Meriden. and son of Samuel 
 and Catherine Dodd, was born in Mer- 
 iden October 2;^, 1859. He is descend- 
 
546 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
lUOC.KAI'lIIKS. 
 
 547 
 
 etl frt)in early colonial ancestry on 
 both the paternal and maternal sides. 
 He received his early education at pri- 
 vate schools and took his preparatory 
 course at the Collegiate and Commer- 
 cial Institute, Xew Haven. He took 
 the scientific or engineering course at 
 Vale and graduated from that college 
 in 1879. He beg'an his business life 
 as an em[)loye of the Hartford En- 
 gineering Company and previous to 
 engaging in manufacturing on his 
 own account acquired further practi- 
 cal experience in the offices of the E. 
 W. Bliss Co.. Brooklyn, the Wilcox 
 .silver IMate and Meriden Gas Light 
 companies. In 1886 he purchased 
 the cooperage and packing case fac- 
 tory of (ieorge Gay, which business 
 he has carried on to the present time 
 with increasing' success, having added 
 largely to the operations of his pre- 
 tlecessor. He employs about twenty- 
 tive hands and the output of the fac- 
 tory not being- confined to Merideu, is 
 shipped to dififerent parts of the state. 
 The packing cases, casks and l^arrels 
 made at the busy plant are of the most 
 
 ^bstaTitial character and ])ut togcth- 
 ■ upon honor. 
 
 Mr. Dodd enjoys a higli rei)ntatiou 
 in the manufacturing world and is a 
 t'aniiliar fig;ure in social life. He is 
 I member of the Ouinui])iac and 
 
 nion League Clubs, of .\'e\\ I laveu : 
 ii member and one of tlu' founders of 
 )micron chapter of Chi Phi of Vale 
 ollepe ; a member of the Vale 
 lul) of Xfw Vork City: Home Club 
 t Meriden. and the .Meriden Hoard 
 t Trade. He is also a leadinu' mem- 
 
 ber of the Meriden (iolf Club and is 
 know'n as one of "the syndicate." 
 
 He was married in 1887 to Miss 
 Etta Cheesborough Smith, daughter 
 of (jershom I!. Smith, of Xew VcM-k. 
 
 \. H. PRESTOX. 
 
 John Henr}- Preston, for thirtv- 
 eight years engaged in the hsh Inisi- 
 ness in the immediate vicinity of his 
 ])resent store, is a native of Cheshire, 
 Init for the most of his life has resid- 
 ed in Meriden. He is a son of Lucius 
 and Elizabeth Preston and his family 
 name is one identified with Cheshire 
 for several generations back. He was 
 eflucated in the public schools of that 
 town and concluded his edu.cation at 
 the Cheshire Academy. 
 
 When the war broke out he enlist- 
 ed in Litchfield I)ut after arriving at 
 X^ew PLiven. with inaii\ of his voung 
 friends, he was sent back to Chesh- 
 ire, the authorities refusing to assign 
 him to active service on account of his 
 youth. In .May. 1862. he again en- 
 listed at Cheshire, this time with bet- 
 ter success and was sent to the front 
 in l''m]:iany A. 2^\h Conn. XOb-., witli 
 which regiment he saw a year and a 
 half active service, afterwards being 
 assigned lo further service in the First 
 t'onn. Ilea\\ Artillery, in which he 
 continued tuuil the close of the war. 
 lie su'ved as a ])ri\ate throughout his 
 lhr(.(.' years" term of enlistment and he 
 was one of the many who were tak- 
 en prisoners at Chancellorsville. 
 
 1 le began his successful mercantile 
 life as a clerk in the fi>li market of 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 549 
 
 ^yU-f^^-^^ 
 
550 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 John Beach, located in the basement 
 of what was then known as Rogers 
 Hotel. Some time later near that lo- 
 cation he opened a fish market with 
 R. K. Pitkin, which partnership con- 
 tinued for a period of two years, when 
 Mr. Pitkin retired from the fish busi- 
 ness and went to Kansas City, and 
 since that time Mr. Preston has con- 
 tinued business each year with grow- 
 ing success. It was in 1901 that he 
 removed to his present market, 39 
 East Main street, which was fitted up 
 by him with all modern conveniences 
 and which comprises one of the most 
 attractive in all New England. He 
 employs a large number of clerks and 
 supplies the first families of the city 
 with all kinds of sea food, in which 
 he deals exclusively. He stands high 
 as a business man and resident of 
 Meriden and has shown a disposition 
 to lend his influence and give of his 
 means to further all commendable and 
 charitable objects. He is also pos- 
 sessed of a large amount of local pride 
 and public spirit. He is a member of 
 the Meriden Business Men's Associa- 
 tion and of the Meriden Conclave, In- 
 dependent Order of Heptasophs. 
 
 He was married April 20, 1867, to 
 Elizabeth Clark, of Wallingford, and 
 resides in his own comfortable home, 
 32 Orange street. 
 
 JA.AIES A. CURTISS. 
 
 James Anson Curtiss, one of the ac- 
 tive men of Meriden of 1906, was born 
 at Cheshire, Conn., February 23. 1846. 
 His parents were John L. and Ellen 
 
 (Mathews) Curtiss. He received a 
 good common school education and 
 at the age of fifteen went to Iowa City, 
 Iowa, where he obtained his first in- 
 sight into business life in his father's 
 store. He, later, at Kankakee City. 
 111., became a clerk in a grocery store 
 where he added to his experience, but 
 at nineteen he was called upon to re- 
 turn to Connecticut to attend to the 
 business interests of his grandmother. 
 At the age of twenty-one he married. 
 November 6, 1867, Hester A. Morgan, 
 of Plainville, securing a clerkship in 
 a grocery store in that near-by town. 
 His industry and courage, ever appar- 
 ent, were especially shown two years 
 later when he became the proprietor 
 of a general store at South Meriden. 
 His success was such that at the end 
 of three years more he was enabled to 
 start the "Old Original Cash Grocery" 
 at 17 Colony street which in later 
 years became owned by C. N. Button 
 & Co., and afterwards by H. C. Bi- 
 beau. This store Mr. Curtiss contin- 
 ued for twelve years, during which he 
 not only built up a large trade but an 
 enviable reputation for honorable bus- 
 iness dealings and low prices ; the lat- 
 ter he was enabled to do with the 
 aid of that most desirable quantity 
 "cash sales," which was his watch- 
 word and which ever proved a bene- 
 fit, both to him and his customers. 
 Through his success as a retail grocer, 
 speculator in horses and operator of 
 local real estate ; and by the aid of var- 
 ious enterprises in which he graduall} 
 became interested, he was enabled to 
 engage in the wholesale grocery trade. 
 
i!I()(;kaimiiks. 
 
 551 
 
 'iH.tos by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 WARI-.TIOUSIi: OF TAMES A. CURTISS. 
 
552 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 ^j^^^^^u ^, ^Sma^ 
 
lilOGRAPHIES. 
 
 555 
 
 his first jobbing house being at I02 
 West Main street. Growth of busi- 
 ness compelled him in 1900 to re- 
 move to the location, 136 State street, 
 where excellent railroad facilities are 
 enjoyed and which Air. Curtiss occu- 
 pies for the purposes of his w'holesale 
 grocery and cofifee roasting business, a 
 large three-story brick building with a 
 frontage of 100 or more feet. 
 
 His wholesale trade has for some 
 years, therefore, been well established ; 
 and by buying his goods as advantag- 
 eously as Xew York and Boston 
 wholesalers, he is enabled to meet the 
 closest competition. 
 
 Mr. Curtiss has had an eye to im- 
 proving local real estate and has grad- 
 ually become one of the larger tax- 
 payers of the tow'U. He has also be- 
 come extensively interested in the 
 printing business. He was president 
 and almost sole owner of the Converse 
 Publishing Co., capitalized at ♦$40,000 ; 
 and, since its organization has been a 
 large stockholder and president of the 
 Curtiss-Way Co. 
 
 He is a member of King Hiram 
 Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of New Haven, 
 and is also a Royal Arch Mason. He 
 is a member of the First ^M. E. church, 
 and for many years has been one of 
 the trustees. His residence on Linsley 
 avenue is one of the comely and com- 
 fortable Meriden domiciles. He has 
 one daughter. Bertha Ellen Curtiss, 
 
 FRANK TREAT SOUTHWTCK. 
 
 Frank Treat Southwick, musician, 
 composer, lecturer and bibliophile, was 
 
 born in Cromwell, Conn., October 17, 
 1858. His father, Daniel Franklin 
 Southwick, came to Meriden with his 
 family in 186 1 and established himself 
 in the shoe business and for many 
 years was one of the more prosperous 
 merchants of Meriden. Frank was 
 given a liberal education by fond and 
 indulgent parents, and early in life 
 showed a musical talent, which w^as 
 duly encouraged. He became an en- 
 thusiastic and promising student of 
 music under such teachers as Theo- 
 dore Thomas, Otto Singer and George 
 E. Whiting, of New York. 
 
 At the age of fifteen he became the 
 organist of the First Baptist church 
 of Meriden, afterwards accepting a 
 similar position at Christ church, 
 Hartford ; later at the Church of the 
 Holy Trinity, Middletown, and finally 
 was ofifered position of organist and 
 musical director at the First Presby- 
 terian church of Englewood, N. J., 
 and ever since accepting that position, 
 he has been connected with churches 
 of New York and vicinity, having pre- 
 sided over the organ at the Church of 
 the Holy Trinity, at St. Andrew's, and 
 at the West End Presb}terian churcli. 
 all of New York City. 
 
 For many years Mr. Southwick has 
 been a teacher of music, and has 
 trained advanced nnisicians, many of 
 them holding professional positions, in 
 both this city where he resides, and in 
 Xew York where he has become a 
 prominent figure in the musical world, 
 and has had a studio for the past twen- 
 ty years. He has won no little fame 
 as a composer of songs and anthems, 
 
554 
 
 A CENTURY OF MKRIDKX. 
 
 and is also a fluent writer on musical 
 subjects, being tboroug'bly conversant 
 with the work of the different com- 
 posers, and having traveled abroad in 
 advancing himself in his profession. 
 His semi-annual musicales are looked 
 forward to with much pleasure by mu- 
 
 DANIEL F. SOUTIIWICK. 
 
 sic lovers. He was one of the found- 
 ers of the American Guild of Organ- 
 ists and one of the organizers of the 
 Manuscript Society, both of New 
 York. He possesses a rare and val- 
 uable collection of antique books, 
 which he prizes highly and which he 
 thoroughly appreciates, being a great 
 lover of good literature, but especially 
 those works which the passing of time 
 has made valuable from their raritv. 
 He was married in New York City 
 to Emma L. Thom])son, in 1895, 
 
 and to them have been born a son, 
 Laurence Francis Conway Camp 
 Southwick. 
 
 Daniel Franklin Southwick, father 
 of our subject, was born in Middle- 
 town, August 9, 1832, and was de- 
 scended from Laurence and Cassan- 
 dra Southwick, English Quakers, who 
 came to this country in . 1658, and 
 took refuge at Shelter Island, from 
 which that locality derived its name. 
 Daniel Southwick went to California 
 in 1850 to search for gold, joining the 
 forty-niners, but after his adventure 
 
 FRANK 
 
 .SOUTHWICK. 
 
 returned to Hartford, and engaged in 
 the shoe business, which he carried on 
 successfully until he came to Meriden 
 as above stated, and opened a store ir 
 the Collins block, which he conducted 
 
Illor.KAI'llIKS. 
 
 oo:> 
 
 for several years with pronounced suc- 
 cess. He was one of the founders of 
 the Ucccher Manufacturing' Compan}-. 
 who carried on the manufacture of 
 drop fcrgings on Center street. Mr. 
 South wick was enterprising, pubHc- 
 spirited and generous. His wife was 
 Sarah j. Cam]:), of Middletown, before 
 her marriage, and both were for thirt\ 
 vears members of the First Congrega- 
 tional churcli, to which and to other 
 worthy oljjects, Mr. Southwick con- 
 tributed hberally. He died ]\larch ii, 
 1898, much beloved and respected by 
 his neighbors on Curtis street, where 
 he resided with his family, and also b\' 
 the citizens of the town. 
 
 1-KXXER BUSH. 
 
 ]'"enner lUish, whose life furnishes 
 an example of a remarkable business 
 career, and who was one of the earl\- 
 manufacturers of Meriden, was born 
 at East Lyme, Conn., June 26, 1791. 
 His father, John Bush, died when he 
 was but six years old. and Fenner 
 lUish. from that age, became self-su])- 
 jxjrting. He learned the trade of a 
 carpenter and joiner at sixteen, and at 
 twenty-one, after returning from ser- 
 vice in the War of 1812, engaged in 
 business, afterwards buying out his 
 f(jrmer employer, and later buying a 
 liouse in Saybrook, having ])reviousl\-. 
 in 1816. married Eunice Kirtland, of 
 that town. 
 
 C(jming to Akriden in 1S24. lie cn- 
 aged in the comb manufactiu'ing bus- 
 ness with Julius I'ratt. Twenty 
 ears later their factorv was destroved 
 
 by fire, and he lost every dollar he had 
 in the world. With characteristic 
 courage he started to rebuild his fac- 
 tory, and with improved machinery, 
 continued with well-earned ])rosperitv. 
 He became one c^f the largest stock- 
 holders in the concern, which not only 
 made a name for him in the business 
 world, but an honorable ])osition in so- 
 ciety. The product of his industry in 
 a few years destroyed foreign compe- 
 
 ls i-:x.\i-.r i;r.sir. 
 
 tition. and in a large measure he was 
 hnalK" responsible in transforming the 
 Cnited States from a countr\ import- 
 ing combs, to one ex])orling them in 
 largt' (|uantities, and the combs made 
 at his factory linally l)ecame u>ed all 
 over the civilized world. 
 
 Mr. I'lush was a man of great inde- 
 ])endence of ihought and action. He 
 
556 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 was whole-souled and generous almost 
 to a fault, giving liberally to worthy 
 objects. At least three of the churches 
 and five schools were partially built 
 from his means, and he contributed 
 generously to the cause of anti-slavery. 
 
 Mr. Bush, although deprived of 
 early schooling, and almost man- 
 grown before he could read or write, 
 finally became a well-read and self-ed- 
 ucated man. He served in the State 
 Senate from Meriden in 1848, and at 
 the time of his death possessed a li- 
 brary at his home of 1,500 volumes. 
 From the time when he first moved to 
 Meriden from Saybrook, until the end 
 of his life, he was an earnest and con- 
 sistent member of the First Congrega- 
 tional church. 
 
 .Mr. Bush was the fond father of 
 two daughters : Temperance Jennette, 
 who became the wife of Randolph 
 Linsley, a sketch of whom appears 
 following ; and Eunice Kirtland, who 
 married Partrick T- Clark. 
 
 RANDOLPH LINSLEY. 
 
 Randolph Linsley, for whom Ran- 
 dolph and Linsley avenues are named, 
 was born in Meriden November 10, 
 1809, and died in the brick residence 
 on West Main street hill, which he 
 had built some years previous, on his 
 property, January 22, 1887. With the 
 exception of short periods away his 
 €ntire life was spent in Meriden. He 
 was one of the sturdy, reliable, God- 
 fearing men of the town, and was pos- 
 sessed of a strong physique and active 
 brain. 
 
 Li 1835 he married Temperance J., 
 daughter of Fenner Bush, one of the 
 pioneer manufacturers of the town, 
 and before the Civil war he engaged in 
 the manufacture of combs with Wal- 
 ter Webb & Co., whose factory was at 
 South Meriden and at one time acted 
 as their agent in England. After the 
 close of that war he engaged in 
 cotton raising in the south but returned 
 
 RAXDOLPII LINSLEY. 
 
 to [Meriden, and on a tract of land 
 comprising about fifteen acres, where 
 he also took up his residence, entered 
 into the florist business. 
 
 He did business on a large scale and 
 his plant eventually comprised four- 
 teen or fifteen greenhouses. His 
 flowers were shipped to New York and 
 sold at wholesale, and he also supplied 
 to the ]^Ieriden markets, large quanti- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 557 
 
 ties of asparagus, lettuce and celery. 
 He owned, too, a number of acres of 
 land farther west in Meriden and 
 through which Hickor}- street now ex- 
 tends, and was one of the first in Con- 
 necticut to engage in peach growing 
 on a large scale. While high spirited 
 and exacting, Mr. Linsley was a man 
 entitled to the respect of his fellow 
 townsmen, and this he held in marked 
 degree. He is remembered by some 
 of the older residents as a man exceed- 
 inglv fond of music. A constant and 
 lo_\al member of the First Congrega- 
 tional church, he always occupied a 
 seat near the choir. 
 
 That Mr. Linsley was thoughtful 
 and prudent seems to be proven by the 
 fact that when the city commenced to 
 grow in his direction, he sold land at 
 a good i)rice, until he had gradually 
 disposed of it all. He erected the 
 brick residence in which he died and 
 which is now the parsonage of Trinity 
 M. K. church. 
 
 Mr. Linsley was the father of eight 
 children, of whom are now living the 
 following: William }*>. Linsley. of Es- 
 canaba, ^Nlich., superintendent of the 
 Chicago & Xorthwestern Railroad ; 
 Thomas Linsle}', a lumber merchant of 
 Michigan : Xellie and Jessie Linslew 
 and Mrs. Sarah L. Allen, of St. Louis, 
 Mo. 
 
 I-:i)\\'ARD C. ALLi:\. 
 
 Kflward Chauncey Alkn. Ixirn in 
 Meriden May 26. 1823. was the third 
 son of Levi and Electa ( Hall 1 Allen. 
 
 grandson of Archelaus and Prudence 
 (Merriam) Allen, and of Aaron and 
 Elizabeth (Cook) Hall of Walling- 
 ford. Conn. 
 
 ?^Ir. Allen was a lineal descendant in 
 the sixth generation of Roger Allen, 
 who in 1639 came from England 
 (Kempston, Bedford county), was the 
 first and only treasurer of the colony 
 of New Haven from May 29, 1661, un- 
 til its union with the colonv of Connec- 
 
 l-.DWAKO c. .\!.i.i:x. 
 
 ticut Ma_\' 14. i'»')5, and tleacnn in the 
 first church in 1669. l-'mni Roger 
 Allen the descent is traced through 
 '"Sargcant" Samuel Allen, Daniel Al- 
 len. Timdlliy Allen, Arclielaus Allen, 
 Levi Allen to Edward Chauncey. 
 
 Archelaus was a soldier of the Rev- 
 olution, enlisting at the time of the 
 Lexington alarm, and serving with the 
 
558 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Connecticut troops in the Boston expe- 
 dition under Cieneral Putnam. 
 
 Aaron Hall, the maternal grand- 
 father, enlisted in 1777 at the age of 
 sixteen, in Capt. Stephen Hall's com- 
 pany of Col. Heman Swift's Seventh 
 Regiment, "Connecticut Line,"" and 
 was honorably discharged at the expir- 
 ation of his term of service in 1780. 
 He served under General Washington 
 in the battles of Germantown, Bran- 
 dywine, ^Monmouth, etc., wintered at 
 Valley Forge, 1777-78, Redding, Conn 
 1778-79, took part in the storming of 
 Stony Point and wintered at Morris- 
 town Heights 1779-80. 
 
 On his return from the war he lived 
 in Wallingford where he occupied an 
 influential position, was a justice of the 
 peace, an arbitrator in controversies 
 and engaged in settling estates until 
 his death in his sevent\-ninth year. 
 
 Levi Allen was born IMarch 30. 
 1777, in that part of Wallingford 
 known as Xorth Farms. He removed 
 to Meriden with his parents in 1793. 
 and purchased a homestead ( still 
 standing) of Giles Collins, where he 
 died August 27, 1861. 
 
 Edward Chauncey received a good 
 public school or academic education 
 and with his first earnings which were 
 obtained by teaching he bought land 
 adjoining his father"s farm and built 
 a home. For man-}- years his farm 
 was regarded as one of the model 
 farms of the state, and as an officer of 
 the State Agricultural Society, he took 
 special pride in everything pertaining 
 to progressive farming. Mr. Allen 
 was also prominent in the advance- 
 
 ment of the musical interests of the 
 church and community with which he 
 was connected, and was one of the 
 directors of the Worcester Festival As- 
 sociation, which gave the first of those 
 now famous New England musical 
 events. 
 
 In July, 1840, he became a member 
 of the First Congregational church in 
 Meriden and in 1857 was chosen a life 
 deacon in that church. He never 
 sought political honors, but was an 
 earnest Republican, doing all in hi^ 
 power to advance the principles thai 
 he believed his party representerl. 
 
 Mr. Allen's first wife was Jeruslia 
 Temperance, a daughter of Joseph 
 Piatt, of Deep River, Conn, and grand- 
 daughter of Captain Daniel Piatt, a 
 soldier of the Revolution in the Fourth 
 Regiment of the "Connecticut Line." 
 by whom he had four children, three 
 now surviving, viz. : Captain George 
 W., Caroline J. (now Mrs. A. B. Jen- 
 nings) and John Piatt Allen. 
 
 His second wife was Sarah Hillanl 
 Linsley, daughter of Randolph Lins- 
 ley. of ]\Ieriden. By this marriage 
 there were two children, Edward Lins- 
 ley and Emma Jennette (now Mr?. 
 Nelson Moody). Mr. Allen died Jul} 
 13. 1887. 
 
 Captain George W. Allen, his oldest 
 son, enlisted in Captain Bassett's Com- 
 pany, Fifteenth Connecticut Regiment, 
 early in the Civil war and after ser- 
 vice in Virginia and the Carolinas was 
 appointed captain in the Twenty-ninth 
 Regiment, Connecticut \'olunteers and 
 served before Petersburg. Richmond 
 and at Brownsville. Texas, 
 
I'.lOGKAl'HIES. 
 
 559 
 
 Cr..\RA LOl'TSE SAXDS. 
 
 Clara Louise Sands, who during- her 
 useful life, collected more g;enealogi- 
 cal inf(>rmation concerning" American 
 families probably than any other in- 
 dividual in this country, was born in 
 New York City, February 17. 1862. 
 She was the daughter of Jesse and 
 Mar\' Melvina (Turner) Sands and 
 
 ( LAkA LOUISE SANDS. 
 
 was descended frdui Jnhn W'akenian. 
 first treasurer of Xew Haven colon \ 
 f<»r twenty years, and one of ibe orig- 
 inal settlers of Xew 1 faven in 1639. 
 and many other early and distinguished 
 ancestors. Her mother died when she 
 was but an infant, and she grew to 
 womanhood mulcr ihe watchful care 
 "of a fond and indul-'ent father, who 
 
 gave her a liberal education. She 
 possessed many admirable and lovable 
 traits which, althoug-h a great physical 
 sufferer, as she became of age, grew 
 more pronounced. Patience, accu- 
 racy and serenity were ever exempli- 
 fied in her character, those admirable 
 qualities necessary to the successful 
 student. 
 
 Her work in the research for fam- 
 il}- genealogy brought her unstinted 
 praise ; and having collected the lead- 
 ing books on the subject to aid her, 
 she was encouraged to make this her 
 life work. ( iraduall}' she became 
 more familiar with the records of 
 towns, cities and their courts and li- 
 braries until her name Ijecame famous 
 as an expert and familiar to the libra- 
 rians and to the public press, to all of 
 which she was a justl}- celebrated cor- 
 respondent. Her success as a search- 
 er for genealogical information and 
 compiler of family records was great- 
 er than has ever l)een known. She 
 took a vast pride in this eomnienda- 
 ])le work and her remarkable ])ersever- 
 ance was a strong factor in her ulti- 
 mate accom])lishment of everx task un- 
 dertaken. Iler work ])rought her 
 wide repute and she had correspond- 
 ence not onl\- in ever\ state in the 
 r.nion. ])Ul in every country in the 
 world where the kngli>]i language is 
 s])oken and jund rated by .\merican 
 families; and wlicre otlirr genealo- 
 gists failed her services, meibo(ls. ])a- 
 tience and ]H'rseverance brought the 
 desired results, .^he was for many 
 years a coiUributor to the genealogical 
 records of the lloston Transcript. Xew 
 
56o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 York Mail and Express, Hartford 
 Times, Newark News, Connecticut 
 Quarterly and many western publica- 
 tions ; and her compilation of geneal- 
 ogical records for individuals brought 
 her the love and esteem of number- 
 less families in this and other coun- 
 tries. She loved this work and took 
 infinite delight in making herself use- 
 ful to others, and her death, which oc- 
 curred June 15, 1902, removed from 
 Meriden one of its most lovable Chris- 
 tian characters. In the genealogical 
 collection included in her estate she 
 left an almost priceless heritage, wdiich 
 in January, 1903, her executors pre- 
 sented to the Curtis Public Library 
 as a memorial to her name. After her 
 death the members of her family re- 
 ceived from all parts of the country 
 glowing testimonials of the value of 
 her collection, which was conceded by 
 the best authorities the most accurate, 
 clear and rarest compilations in exist- 
 ence. The gift was much appreciat- 
 ed b>- the trustees of the library, 
 for without doubt the Curtis Public 
 Library of ]\Ieriden now contains 
 more material for the research of fam- 
 ily records than any other in this coun- 
 try. 
 
 The collection comprises the follow- 
 ing books and pamphlets : 
 
 Vol I. — Signers of the Mayflower 
 compact and their descendants and 
 other earliest emigrants. 
 
 \'ol. 2 — Boston Transcript geneal- 
 ogical records. 
 
 Vol. 3 — Mail and Express geneal- 
 ogical records. 
 
 Vol. 4 — Mail and Express written 
 genealogical records (very rare). 
 
 \ ol. 5 — Transcript and Alail and 
 Express records. 
 
 \'ol. 6 — Family names and where 
 found in genealogies and on records. 
 
 A'ol. 7. — Genealogies and family his- 
 tories. 
 
 \'ol. 8 — Connecticut emigrants to 
 other states. 
 
 V^ol. 9 — Hartford Times, Newark 
 News and other publications' geneal- 
 ogical records. 
 
 Vol. 10 — Connecticut Quarterly 
 ^Magazine records. 
 
 Vol. II — Connecticut Quarterly 
 Magazine records. 
 
 Vol. 12 — Connecticut Quarterly 
 Magazine records. 
 
 Vol. 13 — Old Nor western Quarter- 
 ly genealogical records. 
 
 Vol. 14 — The Owl genealogical rec- 
 ords. 
 
 Vol. 15 — Genealogical records of 
 families, A. 
 
 Vol. 16 — Genealogical records of 
 families, B. 
 
 Vol. 17 — Genealogical records of 
 families, C. 
 
 Vol. 18— Genealogical records of 
 families, D. 
 
 Vol. 19 — Genealogical records of 
 families, E. 
 
 Vol. 20 — Genealogical records ot 
 families, F. 
 
 Vol. 21 — Genealogical records of 
 families, G. 
 
 \'ol. 22 — Genealogical records of 
 families, H. 
 
 Vol. 23— Genealogical records of 
 families, L J, K. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 s6l 
 
 \'ol. 24 — Genealogical records of 
 families, L. 
 
 \"ol. 25 — Genealogical records of 
 families, M. 
 
 \'ol. 26 — Genealogical records of 
 families, X. 
 
 Vol. 2y — Genealogical records of 
 families, O. 
 
 \'ol. 2S — Genealogical records of 
 families, r\ Q. 
 
 Vol. 29 — Genealogical records of 
 families, R. 
 I Vol. 30 — Genealogical records of 
 families, S. 
 
 Vol. 31 — Genealogical records of 
 families, T. 
 
 \'ol. 32 — Genealogical records of 
 families, I', \'. 
 
 Vol. 33 — Genealogical records of 
 families, W. 
 
 \'ol. 34 — Genealogical records of 
 families, X. Y, Z. 
 
 \'ol. 35 — Conn. School Journal gen- 
 ealogical records. 
 
 \'ol. 36 — Meigs genealog}' and al- 
 lied families. 
 
 Vol. 37 — Kent genealogy and al- 
 ied families. 
 
 \'ol. 38 — Buckingham genealogy 
 and allied families. 
 
 \'nl. 39 — Prince genealogy and al- 
 lied families. 
 
 Vol. 40 — Eastman genealogy and 
 allied families. 
 
 \'ol. 41 — Sharon l)irths, deaths and 
 marriages. 
 
 Vol. 42 — Bodge's Indian wars. 
 
 Vol. 43 — Palfrey's New England. 
 
 Vol. 44 — Palfrey's X^ew England. 
 
 \ ol. 45 — History of Fairfield coun- 
 l\. 
 
 36 
 
 \'ol. 46 — History of Xevv Haven 
 county. 
 
 \'ol. 47 — History of Danbury. 
 
 \'ol. 48 — History of Rhode Island. 
 
 Vol. 49 — History of Block Island. 
 
 Vol. 50 — History of Saratoga. 
 
 Vol. 51 — History of New Jersey. 
 
 Vol. 52 — History of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Vol. 53 — X\'w Jersey Historical col- 
 lections. 
 
 Vol. 54 — X^ew York historical col- 
 lections. 
 
 Vol. 55 — Massachusetts historical 
 collections. 
 
 Vol. 56 — Pennsylvania historical 
 collections. 
 
 \'ol. 57 — Genealogical index. 
 
 Vol. 58 — Middlesex county histor- 
 ical sketches. 
 
 A'ol. 59 — Portfolio of manuscripts 
 of genealogies of families. 
 
 The various pamphlets accompany- 
 ing the collection includes : 
 
 Births, deaths and marriages of 
 Hartford, Windsor and Fairfield. 
 
 Life of Josiah IMeigs. 
 
 Lane-Griswold genealogy. 
 
 Marvin-Beckwith genealogy. 
 
 Xames and ages of Connecticut old 
 folks. 
 
 Governor EYihu Vale. 
 
 h'amily of John Savage. 
 
 Descendants of Stephen Pierson. 
 
 Records of Pynchon family. 
 
 Chatfield genealogy. 
 
 Beckwith notes. 
 
 Statistics of Middlesex county. 
 
 Founders of Ohio. 
 
 Earlv history of Brattleboro, Vt. 
 
 I5ristol centennial records. 
 
 Westchester historical records. 
 
562 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Glastonbury Centennial records. 
 
 Baptisms, marriages and deaths. 
 Congregational church. East Hamp- 
 ton. 
 
 Maiden, Alass., historical records. 
 
 Incidents of Revolution in West- 
 chester county. 
 
 Johnson genealogy. 
 
 Potter genealogy. 
 
 Blakesley genealogy. 
 
 Clinton's 200th anniversary records. 
 
 Killingworth historical records. 
 
 Stanwich Congregational church 
 manual. 
 
 History of Piqua, Ohio. 
 
 GEORGE AUSTIN FAY. 
 
 One of the leading lawyers of the 
 New Haven county bar, and a strong- 
 factor in contemporary Meriden life, 
 is the subject of this sketch. Mr. Fay 
 was born in the town of Marlboro, 
 Mass., August 29, 1838, and passed 
 the early years of his life upon the 
 home farm. His education was ob- 
 tained in the common school and at 
 the high school of his native town 
 where he graduated. 
 
 Mr. Fay's parents, George W. and 
 Amanda Ward Fay, were descended 
 from New Englanders whose ances- 
 tors were English people. The first 
 i\merican immigrant on the paternal 
 side was born in England about 1648. 
 
 When he was twenty-one years of 
 age Geo. Fay left Marlboro and came 
 to Meriden where he has resided ever 
 since. The future lawyer first en- 
 tered a position where he combined the 
 duties of clerk in the office of the 
 
 Adams Express Company with that 
 of operator in the Western Union Tel- 
 egraph service. These positions were 
 resigned two years later when the 
 young man followed the bent of his 
 inclination and entered the Law De- 
 partment of Yale University, from 
 which he graduated with the degree of 
 LL. B. in 1862. He entered the office 
 of the late Hon. O. H. Piatt, where he 
 read law as an assistant, remaining a 
 vear ; and in May, 1863, he was ad- 
 mitted to the Connecticut bar as an 
 attorney at law, which profession he 
 has followed ever since. 
 
 Mr. Fay was elected by the Repub- 
 licans to the State Senate from the 
 Sixth Senatorial District in 1871 and 
 served as chairman of the Committee 
 on Corporations and also as chairman 
 of the Committee on Elections which 
 determined whether Hon. James E. 
 English, of New Haven, or Hon. Mar- 
 shall Jewell should be state governor. 
 The contest had been an exciting one 
 and Mr. English was elected; but an 
 investigation was set on foot which 
 resulted in the award of the office t^' 
 Mr. Jewell. 
 
 The heights that intluential men 
 reach were not attained by sudden 
 flight, the poet tells us, and the prom- 
 inence which attaches to Lawyer 
 Fay's name is due to patient perse- 
 verance in a work where will and feel- 
 ing both pull together, thereby concen- 
 trating the attention and strengthen- 
 ing mental efifort. Mr. Fay's emi- 
 nence as a lawyer received gratifyniir 
 acknowdedgement when the appoint- 
 n'ent as counsel for the N. \ ., N- ^ 
 
IK c;;:.\i'iii) 
 
 5^^3 
 
564 
 
 A CENTURY OF AIERIDEN. 
 
 & H. railroad was made, which posi- 
 tion he holds up to present writing. 
 He is also counsel for many large cor- 
 porations including the International 
 Silver Co., First National Bank, Mer- 
 iden Trust & Safe Deposit Co. and 
 several other corporations, and having 
 amassed a comfortable competency 
 now gives but a portion of his time to 
 the practice of his profession. 
 
 About 1896 Mr. Fay formed a part- 
 nership with Judge W. L. Bennett, a 
 resident of New Haven, and ever since 
 the firm has maintained offices in Mer- 
 iden and New Haven. In 1905 Mr. 
 Bennett was appointed judge of the 
 Court of Common Pleas by Governor 
 Roberts. Mr. Fay, who is the oldest 
 member of the bar in Meriden, is a 
 capable advocate of the public weal ; 
 he is careful of his constituents' inter- 
 ests and it may be truthfully said that 
 his fearlessness has guided him safely 
 through legal storms where a less in- 
 trepid lawyer would have compro- 
 mised for policy's or expediency's 
 sake. 
 
 Although Mr. Fay is a member of 
 Meridian Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of 
 Aleriden, he is connected with no oth- 
 er organizations. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Fay was married to 
 Miss Jennie M. Curtis, daughter .of 
 Alfred P. Curtis, a lady of gentle 
 manners and lovable character 
 
 JOHN QUINCY THAYER. 
 
 A man of high standing in the le- 
 gal profession is John Quincy Thayer, 
 chosen judge of the Probate court of 
 
 Meriden in 1893, and who has held 
 that judiciary office to the present 
 writing. He is a son of Augustine 
 and Electa (Fairchild) Thayer, and 
 although he has resided in Meriden 
 for a third of a century, he was born 
 in New Mil ford. Conn., March 24, 
 1843. His father was a man of 
 prominence there and a well-to-do 
 carpenter and builder possessed of a 
 judicial mind which was inherited to 
 the fullest extent by his son. 
 
 On the maternal side Judge Thayer 
 is descended through one of the old- 
 est families in Fairfield county, and 
 Thomas Fairchild, the first of his an- 
 cestors to come to America from 
 England, settled in Stratford where he 
 became one of the leading men at the 
 time of the first settlement of that 
 town, and who died December 14, 
 1670. His son, Thomas, was the first 
 white man born in Stratford, and Jo- 
 siah. son of Thomas, born in Strat- 
 ford in 1644, was a landowner. Ed- 
 ward Fairchild, son of Josiah, 
 was born in Stratford, but in 
 1720 removed to Newtown, where the 
 Fairchild family have ever since been 
 prominent in the affairs of that town. 
 James Fairchild, son of Edward, was 
 a landowner and farmer in Newtown, 
 and his eldest son, Silas Fairchild, was 
 born in Newtown in 1748, and died 
 in that town in 1821. Before his 
 death he became a captain and was 
 commissioned by Governor Trumbull. 
 His son, Joseph Fairchild, born .-Au- 
 gust 12, 1770, died June 2^, 1855, and 
 by his second wife, Amarillas Dibble 
 of Danbury, their daughter. Electa, 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 56: 
 
566 
 
 A CENTURY OF M ]-:KII)KN. 
 
 the mother of Judge Thayer, was 
 born. 
 
 John Ouincy Thayer received his 
 preparatory education in the old 
 Housatonic Institute, but his proposed 
 cohege course was postponed on the 
 breaking out of the Civil war ; for 
 he enlisted in Company I, 8th Conn. 
 A^ols. Infantry, September 21, 1861, 
 remaining with his regiment until af- 
 ter the close of the war, and receiving 
 an honorable discharge after four 
 years and three months' service, dur- 
 ing wdiich he earned an enviable rec- 
 ord and participated in a large num- 
 ber of important engagements. 
 
 After the close of the war he re- 
 sumed the study of his chosen pro- 
 fession and became a student in the 
 law office of William Knapp, at New 
 Milford, under whose tutelage he was 
 admitted to the Litchfield county bar 
 in 1869. He first began practice of 
 law in Meriden in the office of the late 
 Hon. O. H. Piatt, but three years 
 later became the law partner of Hon. 
 Ratcliffe Hicks, of wdiom much is said 
 elsewhere in this volume, under the 
 firm name of Hicks & Thayer, a part- 
 nership which continued several }"ears. 
 For many years Judge Thayer has 
 held public office. After serving sev- 
 eral terms as city attorney, he became 
 associate justice and clerk of the ^lu- 
 nicipal court of Meriden, wdiich of- 
 fices he held for thirteen years, until 
 he was chosen to preside over the Pro- 
 bate court, in 1893, where he has 
 since performed the complicated 
 duties of the office, with a fairness of 
 decision to all, that has won him the 
 
 gratitude of the community, during 
 his long and efficient encumbency of 
 that office. 
 
 Judge Thayer is a member of the 
 Home Club, Colonial Club, Royal Ar- 
 canum and of the Grand Army of the 
 Republic, and has served as judge ad- 
 vocate of the Department of Connec- 
 ticut in the last named organization. 
 He was married January 19, 1873, to 
 Annie S., daughter of S. K. Dever- 
 eux, collector of customs at Castine, 
 Maine, and has had one child, Zerline 
 Devereux, who was born in Meriden 
 May 29, 1880, and died December 
 9, 1884. 
 
 WILBUR FISK DA\TS. 
 
 Judge Wilbur Fisk Davis, who was 
 born July 25, 1848, in Plymouth, Con- 
 necticut, comes of an illustrious an- 
 cestry, the Davis famil\- having been 
 very well known not only in Meri- 
 den, but all over New England. His 
 first American ancestor. Dolor Davis, 
 was one of the original settlers of 
 Ijarnstable, Alass., in 1634. 
 
 His father was Dr. Timoth_\- Fisher 
 Davis. His mother was Miss Moriva 
 Hatch, of Springfield, Mass., and she 
 still survives her husband, making hrr 
 home with her children in Meriden. 
 Judge Davis is a brother of Dr. 
 Charles H. S. Davis, a leading physi- 
 cian and ex-mayor of the city. 
 
 Judge Davis received his education 
 in the public schools and the acadeni\ 
 at Meriden, and then, having chosen 
 the law as his profession, began h< 
 
i!ior.R.\riiii-:s. 
 
 567 
 
 Photo bv Akers & PiRPon. 
 
 7 ^ 
 
 <iJ<^<^^''^/ 
 
568 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEKIDEN. 
 
 study in the office of Judge Smith. 
 In 1869 he entered the Yale Law 
 School, where he remained for one 
 year. At this time occurred the death 
 of. Judge Button, head of the Yale 
 Law School, and Mr. Davis, not wish- 
 ing to remain in New Haven without 
 his tutelage, entered the Harvard Law 
 School, where he graduated in 1870. 
 In September of that same year he 
 was admitted to the New Haven Coun- 
 ty Bar, and at once entered upon the 
 practice of his profession in Meriden. 
 His success was assured from the first ; 
 and he has long been conceded to be 
 one of Meriden's most successful law- 
 yers. His ability soon brought him 
 an official position, that of clerk of 
 the Meriden City Court, which posi- 
 tion he held for several years. In 
 1887 he was appointed corporation 
 counsel and very successfully upheld 
 the civil rights of the city until 1890. 
 He was then elected judge of probate 
 for the district of Meriden and ably 
 filled that office until 1895. He was 
 again appointed corporation counsel 
 in 1897, which office he held for a fur- 
 ther term of two years. 
 
 Judge Davis has acted as adviser 
 to many prominent business men and 
 corporations, and his excellent judg- 
 ment, sound practical sense, and wide 
 experience have enabled him to be of 
 great service in that capacity. He 
 also has been counsel in many impor- 
 tant cases, his connection with which 
 has gained for him throughout the 
 state a high reputation as a lawyer. 
 He has ever had the best interest of 
 town and city at heart, and his pres- 
 
 ence in town meeting is usually made 
 manifest by earnest approval or equal- 
 ly hearty condemnation of the mat- 
 ters brought before that body. Judge 
 Davis is fearless in advocating what 
 he believes to be right, and he does 
 not allow the mere fact that a meas- 
 ure is popular to weigh against his 
 own judgment. 
 
 Besides being a successful lawyer 
 Judge Davis has an enviable position 
 in the life of the city. In December, 
 1905, he was tendered the Republican 
 nomination for corporation counsel by 
 a vote of 19 to i, it being the first time 
 in the history of the city^ a nomination 
 of this character had been given to a 
 political opponent. While the matter 
 was still pending in the common coun- 
 cil Judge Davis declined the nomina- 
 tion, giving his reasons in a letter 
 which occasioned much favorable com- 
 ment at the time. He is promi- 
 nent socially, having been president 
 of the Home Club, the leading social 
 organization of the city, and is active 
 in Masonic circles, being a past com- 
 mander of St. Elmo Commandery, No. 
 9, K. T., of Meriden. In politics Jud,2;e 
 Davis is a Democrat, and his party 
 has on many occasions sought his 
 counsel, which, like his advice in bus- 
 iness matters, has been characterized 
 by a certain hard-headed common 
 sense that has made it valuable. 
 
 Judge Davis was married May 29, 
 1874, to Miss Adelaide Louise Ste- 
 vens, daughter of Joshua and Jane 
 (Morris) Stevens, of Chicopee Falls, 
 Mass. Of five children born to them 
 onlv two are now living, Wilbur F. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 569 
 
 Jr., a graduate of the Meriden High 
 school where he won a "Hicks' Prize" 
 writing upon a "Century of Life in 
 Meriden." now a student at PhilHps 
 \cadeniv in Andover, Mass., and Rob- 
 ert S., a youth in the public schools. 
 
 Judge Davis has a beautiful home 
 on East Main street, and he and Mrs. 
 Davis have proved themselves pos- 
 sessed of genuine hospitality. 
 
 FRANK S. FAY. 
 
 Frank S. Fay, judge of the 
 Meriden Police and City courts, one 
 of the best known members of the 
 legal fraternity in Meriden, was born 
 at Marlboro, Mass., on September 26. 
 1848, His services on the bench have 
 ever been in the direction of justice 
 and impartiality and at the same time 
 he has been ready to help the unfor- 
 tunates whose cases have come before 
 him. 
 
 He received his education in the 
 high school of his native town. After 
 being graduated from that institu- 
 tion he came to Meriden to study law 
 in the office of his brother, Hon. 
 George A. Fay. 
 
 He was admitted to the bar in Sep- 
 tember, 1871. In his profession Mr. 
 Fay has met with deserved success. 
 As a citizen he is held in respect by 
 all. The interests of the city and 
 town have always been very dear to 
 him and by his word and example 
 he has done much for both. 
 
 He has held positions of honor and 
 responsibilitv and has in everv in- 
 
 stance proved himself worthy of the 
 trust imposed upon him. From 1882 
 to 1893 he served as prosecuting 
 agent for Xew Haven county. Later 
 as city attorney he made a record as a 
 vigilant and conscientious public ser- 
 vant. In 1 89 1 he was town site com- 
 missioner in the Territory of Okla- 
 homa, deciding land titles for the city 
 of Oklahoma. 
 
 When Judge James P. Piatt be- 
 came United States district judge, 
 Mr. Fay succeeded him as judge of 
 the City and Police courts of Meri- 
 den, receiving his appointment from 
 Governor McLean in March, 1902. 
 Judge Fay has taken an interest in 
 his duties that has made his services 
 of great value to the community. He 
 has never forgotten that the prison- 
 ers who face him are men and women 
 and oftentimes has felt it incumbent 
 upon him to give them a few words 
 of advice and admonition. 
 
 Judge Fay was chosen one of the 
 members of the committee having in 
 charge the erection of a new building 
 to take the place of the Meriden 
 Town Hall, which was burned in Feb- 
 ruary, 1903. He has devoted much 
 time and thought to the arduous 
 work of the committee and has in 
 this matter worked for what he con- 
 ceived to be the best interests of 
 his fellow townsmen. 
 
 Judge Fay is an enthusiastic fisher- 
 man and yearly pays a visit to the 
 trout streams of Vermont or other 
 states. 
 
 Judge Fay was married on Septem- 
 ber 28. 1 88 1, at Stuyvesant, N. Y., to 
 
570 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
IMOCKAIMI IKS. 
 
 Klizabcth I'.., (lau,yhter of Allen J. 
 and Martha (Cutter) Ham. His 
 home is a most pleasant one and the 
 friends who have been privile^s^ed to 
 rnter it have ever met with a eordial- 
 it\ that was both earnest and sincere. 
 
 WILLIAM CARL MCLrLP:R. 
 
 W'lliam Carl Mueller, a well known 
 member of the X^ew Haven Countv 
 
 t'lintn by Aktrs & Pigeon. 
 
 WILLIAM C. MUllLLKR. 
 
 r.ar. who has l:;een favored 1)\' both 
 election aiul appointment to several 
 jtositions of liinKir an<.l trust, was born 
 in (iermanv. .April 27. i8C)4. When 
 quite younj^ his family remowd to this 
 country, and settled iii .Meridcii in 
 1X74. .\fter receiving a i^innl educa- 
 tion, he pursued lethal studies at the 
 
 ^'ale I aw .Sch.ool, Irom which he 
 .graduated in the class of 1886, and 
 was admitted to the bar at New Ha- 
 ven, June 30 the same year and ever 
 since has been enj^a^'ed in the prac- 
 tice of his profession in Meriden. He 
 was admitted to ]:)ractice in the dis- 
 trict and circuit court of the I'nited 
 States in March, 1903. 
 
 He held the office of city tax col- 
 lector for four years, from 1888- 1893 
 inclr.sive and was collector of town 
 taxes for six years, during' which time 
 he collected over $1,000,000. Jfe has 
 also served as city attorney for the 
 city and police court of Meriden. 
 which duties he hrst assumed July i, 
 1893. He served as superintendent 
 of the water works for four years from 
 Februar}-. 1898. As well as beinj.;" one 
 of the professional men of the town 
 of high standing', he is ])rominently 
 identified with several ( ierman so- 
 cieties : is a member of the n(Mue 
 Club and the \-arious branches of the 
 Masonic fraternity. He is now de- 
 \-otiug his entire time to the ])ractice 
 of law, in which he has been suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 He was married in June, 1895. to 
 Agnes, daughter of .\ugust ^'ost. a 
 ])rominent citizen ol .Meriden. and 
 the\ have one child, Carl Howard 
 Mueller. 
 
 I1I-:XRV T. KIXG. 
 
 ( )iie of the Hoard of Lark Commis- 
 sioners of Meriden. a well known 
 member of the Xew Haven county 
 l)ar, and a citizen of the more progres- 
 
572 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 sive type, is Henry T. King. He was 
 born in Meriden, being the son of P. 
 J. and E. M. King, and received his 
 early education in the pubhc schools 
 of Meriden, and by spending six years 
 afterwards at the electrotyping trade, 
 accumulated sufficient money to pay 
 his own way through Yale Law 
 school. 
 
 HENRY T. KING. 
 
 He began the study of law, how- 
 ever, under the late Judge George W. 
 Smith, but after the death of that well 
 known attorney, entered the office of 
 Judge Wilbur F. Davis, where he con- 
 tinued to receive valuable coaching 
 during his attendance at the law 
 school. He was graduated with the 
 class of 1892, and among his high hon- 
 ors received there was the O. S. Sey- 
 
 mour prize of $60.00, for the greatest 
 improvement in scholarship. 
 
 Admitted to the bar in 1892, he be- 
 gan the practice of his profession in 
 his native city. Mr. King has become 
 successful in his chosen profession, 
 due to his own commendable effort in 
 fitting himself for his life work. 
 
 Some years ago he served as one of 
 the reportorial staff of the Meriden 
 Republican ; was clerk of the Probate 
 court for the district of Meriden for 
 six years, and prepared the index of 
 the probate records ; was for two years 
 clerk of the City and Police court ; has 
 served the first ward as alderman, 
 when he became chairman of the Com- 
 mittees on By-laws, Printing and Po- 
 lice, and was a member and secretary 
 of the first board of public works. 
 During his service in the city govern- 
 ment, he took a firm stand against the 
 establishment of the various commis- 
 sions, and was chairman of the coun- 
 cil committee that appeared before the 
 legislature in opposition to that meas- 
 ure. He later drafted the amendment 
 to the city charter, whereby the legis- 
 lature empowered the city of Meriden 
 to add Hubbard Park to its territory, 
 and presented the act passed by the 
 city government which gave Hubbard 
 Park its name. He was honored by 
 appointment to the Board of Park 
 Commissioners in February, 1906, for 
 a term of four years, the choice of 
 Mayor Thomas L. Reilly meeting with 
 the hearty approval of the public in 
 general. 
 
 Attorney King served five years in 
 the state militia as a member of Com- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 573 
 
 panv I, C. X. G., and later was 
 elected second lieutenant, but on ac- 
 count of pressure of business, declined 
 the honor. 
 
 He was one of the founders and the 
 secretary of the Connecticut Federa- 
 tion of Cyclists ; one of the incorpo- 
 rators of the Meriden Wheel club ; the 
 author of a most comprehensive book- 
 let containing the bicycle laws of Con- 
 necticut, with full explanatory notes ; 
 all of which have made him one of the 
 best known wheelmen of the state. 
 Mr. King is a member of the Home 
 Clul), and well known in social circles. 
 He is a thirty-second degree Mason, 
 being affiliated with Meridian Lodge, 
 TJ, A. F. & A. M., and all the higher 
 branches of the order in Meriden, New 
 Haven and Bridgeport. He is also a 
 member of Pyramid Temple, Mystic 
 Shrine. 
 
 For many years he was actively 
 connected with the State Agricultural 
 Society. He is a member of St. Paul's 
 L'niversalist church, of which society 
 he has been clerk, assistant superinten- 
 dent of the Sunday school, and was the 
 first secretary of the Connecticut Y, 
 P. C. U. During the elaborate prepa- 
 rations made by the committee of cit- 
 izens for the centennial celebration of 
 the town, Mr. King rendered invalua- 
 ble service as secretary of the Commit- 
 tee on Publicity and the success of the 
 historic celebration is due in no small 
 measure to his zealous work for that 
 committee. 
 
 He was married November 28, 1894. 
 to Josephine, daughter of the late Jo- 
 seph Morse. 
 
 GEORGE L. KING. 
 
 George L. King, i)rosecuting agent 
 for New Haven county at Meriden, 
 and a well known attorney and coun- 
 selor-at-law, is a native of this town, 
 being the son of P. J. and E. ]M. King. 
 After receiving an early education in 
 the public schools of Meriden, he spent 
 a number of vears in the business of 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 GEORG1-: L. KI.NG. 
 
 wood engraving, of which lir became a 
 thorough master, antl during that time 
 he made numerous illustrations for 
 leading magazines published in Xew 
 ^'ork and P>oston. He afterwards en- 
 gaged in business in Meriden as a 
 member of the firm of Foster & King. 
 By his skill as an engraver, the jirac- 
 tice of strict economy and persever- 
 
574 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX, 
 
 ance, he accumulated sufficient money 
 to study for his profession and pay 
 his own way through Yale Law 
 School. 
 
 While at that institution he won the 
 unstinted praise of his instructors by 
 his success in his studies, which he 
 carried on after having vanquished 
 more obstacles than would have dis- 
 couraged the young man of ordinary 
 ambition. He was graduated at the 
 law school with the class of 1895, ^^^^ 
 being admitted to the bar the same 
 \ ear, began the practice of his profes- 
 sion in liis native city, where he has 
 since continued. 
 
 In 1898 he was appointed to his 
 present office, prosecuting agent for 
 New Haven county at Meriden, and 
 his fearless conduct of that office has 
 met with success and general approval 
 by the people of the county. 
 
 ]\Ir. King is a Mason, being a mem- 
 ber of JMeridian Lodge, yy. A. F. & A. 
 M., and is also a member of Meriden 
 Lodge, 35, Benevolent and Protective 
 Order of Elks. He is a well known 
 figure in social circles, being a mem- 
 ber of both the Home and Colonial 
 Clubs, and an ex-president of the Mer- 
 iden C}cle Club. He is a member of 
 St. Paul's I'niversalist church. L^n- 
 like his l)rother. Attorney H. T. King, 
 a sketch of whom appears elsewhere, 
 and who is a Democrat, he is activelv 
 connected with Republican politics and 
 a prominent worker in the ranks of 
 that party. He is clerk of the Probate 
 court for the District of Meriden, and 
 has also served as assistant clerk of the 
 Ci1\' a-id F^olice corrt of ATeriden, and 
 
 enjoys the reputation of having dis- 
 patched the duties of the offices to 
 which he has been honored with ef- 
 ficiency and without the display of 
 either fear or favor. 
 
 He w^as married in May, 1896, to 
 Ada F., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Charles H. Wright, of Norwood. 
 Mass. 
 
 P. T. OT.RTEN. 
 
 Patrick T. O'Brien, attorney at law. 
 of Meriden, was born at New Britain, 
 N^ovember 16, 1868. He is of Irish 
 descent and one of nine sons of John 
 M. and Mary (Corbett) O'Brien, who 
 came to this country from Ireland and 
 settled in New Britain in 1855 where 
 the family has ever since resided. 
 Their son received a good education. 
 He first attended the public schools of 
 his native town. In 1885 he entered 
 St. Charles College, Ellicott City. Md., 
 where he took three years of his acad- 
 emic course. He completed his class- 
 ical studies at Holy Cross college, 
 Worcester, Mass., from which he wa.*- 
 graduated in the class of 1891. Af- 
 ter teaching school one year at Taney- 
 town, Md., he accepted a professor- 
 ship in Greek, Latin and English at 
 Epiphany college, Baltimore, where he 
 was one of the faculty for two years. 
 At the end of that time he began to 
 study for the legal profession and af- 
 ter taking a two years' course at the 
 New York Law school. New York 
 City, received the degree of LL. !'■ 
 That he might be still better prepare-! 
 
nioC.KA I'll IKS. 
 
 .1/.1 
 
 \><v practice he entered the law ofiice 
 K>{ J inline Wilhani F. Henney. who in 
 ii>ti5 was mayor of Hartford, where 
 ho read law for one year. Air. 
 ( )'l5rien was admitted to the bar in 
 June. 1898, at which time he came to 
 .\Ieriden. opened an office and has 
 practiced here since. He is faithful 
 to his clients, fair to his opponents. 
 honest to the court. 
 
 I'hijto by ..\kei\s i Pigeon. 
 
 I'ATKKK T. ()'i;kii;.\. 
 
 * UUsidc the court room he has a 
 cheerful disposition which niakis him 
 a favorite with his hroiluT i)racliti(>n- 
 ers. He is a member of the Klks. 
 Catholic Benevolent Legion, T. .\. !!. 
 -ocicty. .Xmaraiitli Club and Division 
 -'. .\ncient ( Jrder of Hibernians, lie 
 lias taken part in the Centennial cel- 
 
 ebration of the Town of Meriden, hav- 
 ing served as a member of the Com- 
 mittee on Licenses and Privileges. 
 He is unmarried. 
 
 A. 
 
 ACI".R1-:V. 
 
 Alfred liailey Aubre_\-, alldrncy at 
 law. is one of the younger men of the 
 town who has won a measure of suc- 
 cess and owes the same to his own ef- 
 forts. He was born in Meriden .\])ril 
 20, 1878. and has always lived here. 
 He attended the local public schools, 
 took a four years' course at the Iligh 
 school in three years and graduated 
 with honors with the class of 1897. 
 During his attendance at the public 
 schools he won a gold watch at the 
 grammar and a Hicks prize at the 
 High school, all of which reilected 
 much credit upon him ; as he lost much 
 time from his studies on account of ill- 
 ness. During his attendance at the 
 I ligh school he was editor of the High 
 School Pennant and. during his last 
 \ear, of the class Annual. 
 
 He began the study of law in the 
 office of Henry Dryhurst. but shortlv 
 after entered the Law school of Wale 
 L'niversity. from which he was grad- 
 uated in June. i()')i. The same month 
 he passed the bar examinations and. 
 being admitted to practice, opened a 
 law office in the Hall & Lewis build- 
 ing. As a practitioner, he has been 
 successful almost from the start and 
 now has a large and ra])idly increas- 
 ing business. 
 
 He has been much honored by elec- 
 tion to public office. In ii;tM he was 
 
576 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 chosen a member of the Common 
 Council from the fourth ward, serv- 
 ing two years ; was, in 1902, elected 
 registrar of voters and now serves his 
 fourth term in that capacity ; has been 
 chairman of the Republican City com- 
 mittee since 1902 ; is assistant clerk of 
 the Meriden City and Police Courts, 
 and is one of the trial justices of the 
 town. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 ALFRED B. AUBREY. 
 
 He is a prominent member of Al- 
 fred H. Hall Council, Royal Arcanum, 
 having filled all the offices within the 
 gift of that council and is now past 
 regent and representative to the Grand 
 Council of Connecticut. He is also a 
 member of Meridian Lodge, yy, A. F. 
 & A. M., and Keystone Chapter, 2y, 
 
 R. A. M., and is a charter member of 
 the Arcanum Club, now the Colonial 
 Club. 
 
 He is also prominent in local mili- 
 tary circles, being commissioned a sec- 
 ond lieutenant of Company L, Second 
 Infantry, C. N. G., of which company 
 he was one of the organizers. He is 
 a member of and the attorney for tlie 
 Meriden Business Men's Association, 
 and stands well as a member of the 
 Xew Haven county bar. He is pop- 
 ular among the citizens of the town, 
 the best interests of which he never 
 tires in promoting. 
 
 JAMES T. KAY. 
 
 James Thomas Kay was born in 
 Princeton, N. J., June 21, 1848, and 
 is of Scotch descent. His father was 
 a prominent sea captain, the owner of 
 several coasting vessels and also ex- 
 tensively engaged in the lumber bus- 
 iness and a builder who removed with 
 his family to Charles City county, near 
 Richmond, Va., in the early '50s. His 
 son accompanied him frequently on 
 his coasting vessels and inherited a 
 love for the water which has clung to 
 him to the present time. 
 
 James T. Kay learned the trade of 
 a plumber in 1866, in New York City 
 where he worked as a journeyman un- 
 til 1 87 1. Coming to Meriden at the 
 latter date, he went to work for Alex- 
 ander Duncan, Meriden's pioneer 
 plumber, but the following year he 
 engaged in business for himself, in a 
 small way, with gradually increasing 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 577 
 
 success. At the present day he is 
 possessed of one of the larger plumb- 
 ing establishments of the state and 
 emplovs a large number of men, and, 
 having been established for thirty- 
 four vears, now does business on a 
 large scale. His store on State street 
 is TOO feet deep and in the rear is a 
 well equipped workshop containing 
 every labor-saving device. 
 
 i'lKiio by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 JAMES T. KAY. 
 
 .Mr. Kay is well and favorabl\' 
 known in business circles and is 
 active in fraternal life. He is also a 
 valued member and treasurer of the 
 Main .Street Baptist church : one of 
 the two remaining charter members 
 r»f Pilgrims' Harbor Council, Royal 
 Arcanum ; was the first named in the 
 
 37 
 
 charter of the original Columbia 
 Council, O. U. A. M., in which he 
 passed through the various chairs ; a 
 member of .Meridian Lodge, ']'], A. F. 
 & A. AL, and the other Masonic 
 bodies of Meriden, including St. Elmo 
 Commandery. K. T. ; he is also a mem- 
 ber of Pacific Lodge, L O. O. F. ; 
 Home Club : the Meriden Busi- 
 ness Men's Association ; served five 
 years in Company I, C. N. G., from 
 which he retired a corporal in 1878 ; 
 a member of the New England Order 
 of Protection and one of the directors 
 of the Meriden Permanent \\. & L. 
 Association. He is also a member of 
 the Middletown Yacht Club, has a 
 summer cottage at P)ranford and sails 
 a comfortable and speedy na])htha 
 launch. 
 
 He was married in 1876 to Mary 
 A. Goodrich, of Southport, Conn., 
 widow of the late (ieorgc \\'. Good- 
 ricli, who served in the Civil war. to 
 which union have been born Eva, who 
 married Phineas T. Ives, of Meriden. 
 and I'rank E., associated with his 
 father in business. ( )ther members of 
 his household have been, George A. 
 (ioodrich, ste])son, wlm died in Eeb- 
 ruar\-. 1^03, and his widow and chil- 
 dren. I\ali)h S. and Helen E. Good- 
 ricli, who continue to reside in the 
 home of Mr. Kav. 
 
 1. P.. HYATT 
 
 \ 
 
 Isaac P.each Hyatt, chief of tlie 
 Meriden l-"ire De|)arlnKnt. wlio has 
 served almost c< int inuousK' in that 
 
578 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 capacity since 1879, is a native of 
 Norwalk. He is a son of Roswell 
 and Elizabeth (Curtis) Hyatt. He 
 comes of good old New England 
 stock through both lines of descent 
 and was born February 2, 1848. He 
 was educated in the public schools 
 of his native town, and enlisted for 
 service in the Civil War, in Co. A, 
 17th Conn. Vols. Infantry, in Jan- 
 
 PUoto by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 I. B. HV.\TT. 
 
 uary, 1864, and after seeing active 
 service, was honorably discharged 
 when peace was declared, July, 1865. 
 He came to Meriden in 1867 and 
 began business life by learning the 
 trade of a britannia worker at the 
 factory of Parker & Casper, now oc- 
 cupied by Manning, Bowman & Co. 
 He became a member of the firm of 
 
 Little, Somers & Hyatt in 1883, 
 which concern became incorporated 
 in January, 1904, and of which he 
 has since been secretary and treas- 
 urer. 
 
 Air. Hyatt's record at the head of 
 the local fire department is niost 
 creditable and his service has been 
 conducive to the best interests of 
 the town. His long experience as 
 a fire fighter has made him well 
 known throughout the state. He 
 also holds an honorable position in 
 the Connecticut State Firemen's 
 Association of which he has served 
 as president two terms. He is also 
 a member of the Connecticut Fire 
 Chiefs' club. His knowledge of the 
 buildings of Meriden, especially 
 those where the greatest danger of 
 fire exists, is most comprehensive. 
 The precautions against fire as urged 
 by him to citizens and the mem- 
 bers of the department, which he 
 has so well organized, have done 
 much to lower Meriden's loss from 
 fire. During the many years that 
 he has been chief, much new ap- 
 paratus has been purchased and the 
 department has been brought to a 
 high standard of efficiency, the pro- 
 tection against fire being as secure 
 in Meriden as in anv other city in 
 the state. 
 
 Socially 'Mr. Hyatt is widely pop- 
 uhcr, especially in the Grand Army 
 where he has been frequently hon- 
 ored with high offices, from com- 
 mander of Merriam Post of Meriden 
 to department commander of the 
 
IT- J 
 
 2f 
 
 'JI4. 
 
 
 ^Tl 
 
 r :.:|A' 
 
 J -«*► «»^ 
 
 eV. <i W, PERKINS. 
 
 f 
 
 ^m 
 
 KUSSEtL GLAOW7N. 
 
 JAMES S. BROOKS. 
 
 ciRoup OF i-(>k.mi:k ki;sii)i:\t.s uv- .mi:rii)i:.\. 
 
58o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 state. As ?. business man and pub- 
 lic-spirited resident he stands high 
 'n the community, a position he has 
 achieved by an honorable business 
 career, interest in local affairs, and 
 good fellowship. He has for many 
 years been a member and has also 
 served as president of the Meriden 
 Business Men's Association. He is 
 affiliated with Meridian Lodge, 'j'j, 
 A. F. & A. M., the Home Club and 
 the Colonial Club. He has bee twice 
 married, first to Annie E. Chalmer, 
 died Nov. 15, 1874, and to that 
 union two children were born, 
 who died in infancy ; second to 
 Jennie AI. Bishop, of Meriden, 
 daughter of Charles E., and Emily 
 Bishop, July 5, 1877, and to that 
 union six children have been born 
 as follows : Blanche May, Roswell 
 Bishop, AA illard Curtis, Helen 
 Elizabeth, Isaac Robert and Allen 
 Rufus. 
 
 WILLIAM H. :\IILLER. 
 
 William H. Miller, postmaster of 
 Meriden from 1886 to 1890, was born 
 at Rumapoy Works, Rockland Co., N. 
 Y., April 29, 1822 and died at Aleri- 
 den, October 16, 1904. He attended 
 private school until he was sixteen 
 years old when he entered the works 
 of the Colt's Patent Firearms Co., 
 Paterson, N. J., to learn the trade of 
 a gunmaker and continued until 1841 
 when he became employed by the 
 Ames Mfg. Co., in the manufacture 
 of the Jencks breech loading car- 
 bine. Two vears later he went to 
 
 Mill Creek, Pa., in Nipps Armory and 
 made muskets for the government, lat- 
 er going to Cincinnati to make tools 
 and start up the rifle tactory of John 
 Griffith who had a contract with the 
 government to make 5,000 rifles ; and 
 in 1845 he went to Chicopee, Mass., to 
 work on pin machinery. The follow- 
 ing fall he entered the Springfield Ar- 
 mory to work on tools for a new car- 
 bine, in the summer of 1846 being en- 
 gaged by Col. Samuel Colt, at 
 Whitneyville, this county, later going 
 with him to Hartford, Conn., as a con- 
 tractor of lock works for pistols. 
 With Joshua Stevens he made an im- 
 provement in revolving pistols which 
 they had patented; and in 1849 they 
 formed the Massachusetts Arms Co.. 
 at Chicopee Falls, Alass., and engaged 
 in the manufacture of these pistols in 
 which Air. Aliller continued until 1862 
 when he was engaged to become su- 
 perintendent of the gun factory in 
 Meriden of Parker, Snow, Brooks & 
 Co. In 1864 and 1865 he made sev- 
 eral inventions and improvements in 
 firearms, including that of the cele- 
 brated Parker shotgun and aftervvads 
 with his brother, George W. Miller, 
 present first selectman of Meriden, in- 
 vented a cartridge extractor after- 
 wards used in the Springfield musket. 
 
 In 1868, in company with his broth- 
 er, he engaged in the manufacture of 
 pocket cutlery which in 1870 became 
 the :\Iiller Bros. Cutlery Co., in which 
 he continued until 1885. 
 
 He w^as married in February. 1850. 
 to Jane A. Havens, of Hartford. 
 Conn., and to that marriage the fol- 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 581 
 
 lowing children were born : Ida Louise 
 and Arthur Howard. 
 
 He is survived by both widow and 
 children, all residents of Meriden. 
 
 1'. D. RAPELYE. 
 
 l-rederick Dewey Rapelye. Aleriden 
 agent of the Adams Express Co., was 
 born in Xew Rritain. May 6. 1858. 
 
 hoto by Akers & Pigeon 
 
 F. D. RAPELYE. 
 
 le is the son of Andrew and /Vntoi- 
 ette Rapelye and his parents are still 
 jving in Xew Britain. He is of 
 rench descent on his father's side, but 
 s mother is of the old Hart family 
 Connecticut. He was educated in 
 e public schools of Xew Rritain and 
 included his .schooling at Prof. 
 Ump's private seminary. 
 
 He entered the employ of the com- 
 pan\-, in which he now holds a most 
 important position, in 1879, after hav- 
 ing worked a short time in a well- 
 known factory of New Britain. By 
 careful attention to his duties as a 
 driver at the company's office in New- 
 Britain, in 1892 he received the ap- 
 pointment as messenger with head- 
 quarters at the company's office at 
 Hartford, afterwards filling various 
 important positions until 1 891, when 
 he was transferred to the Aleriden of- 
 fice to succeed I. E. Beach as way bill 
 clerk. His conscientious work in this 
 capacity won him promotion to the po- 
 sition of cashier in which he succeeded 
 William H. Morgan, who retired from 
 the office on account of ill health. 
 Cpon the death of Charles N. Wins- 
 low, whose decease is recorded else- 
 where in this book, Mr. Rapelye was 
 appointed agent, January 2, 1905. 
 
 Mr. Rapelye is a thorough business 
 man whose long experience in the ex- 
 l)ress service has been of benefit to the 
 numerous patrons of the large corpo- 
 ration whose local interests he super- 
 intends. He is a member of Center 
 Lodge, 97, A. E. &• A. M. : Key- 
 stone Chapter. 27. R. A. M.. and was 
 married November 5. 1891. to Lucy 
 Eellows. of Rhinebeck. N. Y. He at- 
 tends the Main Street Baptist church 
 and is a valued adopted citizen of Mer- 
 iden. 
 
 H. C. BIBEAU. 
 
 Henry C. Bibeau. commissioner of 
 )ul)lic works and one of the more en- 
 
582 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 terprising merchants of Mericlen, has 
 resided in this town nearly all his life. 
 His parents moved here when he was 
 but three }ears of age ; and he was 
 educated in the local public schools, 
 graduating from the Center school 
 in 1881. Mr. Bibeau, like most young 
 men. first tried other callings than 
 that which he was most fitted to carry 
 on before he struck his sphere in life. 
 
 After leaving school he began bus- 
 iness as an apprentice at Parker Bros, 
 gun shop, but his inclination for the 
 activity of mercantile life prompted 
 him, in 1882, to enter the exceedingly 
 well patronized grocery store at 17 
 Colony street, known as the Boston 
 Grocery and then conducted under the 
 name of C. N. Button & Co., but which 
 was first established in 1832. Some 
 years later he accepted the position 
 offered him as traveling salesman by 
 the Chapman Mfg. Co., who conducted 
 a busy factory in the manufacture of 
 saddlery hardware. Mr. Bibeau was 
 a decided success as a traveling man 
 and his services were highly appre- 
 ciated by that concern. 
 
 At the end of three years he bought 
 a half interest in the store where he 
 had formerly worked as a clerk, and 
 in 1902 bought out the remaining in- 
 terests and became the sole proprietor. 
 During the past few years and under 
 his guidance the business of the estab- 
 lishment has largely increased. At 
 first but one-half of the store was 
 opened to customers, the balance be- 
 ing used for storage purposes, but 
 since Mr. Bibeau secured his present 
 storehouse in the rear of the branch 
 
 .store at the corner of Cook avenue , 
 and Hanover street, the entire floor of 1 
 the Colony street store has been util- 
 ized for attending to the wants of cus- 
 tomers. 
 
 (Jther important additions to the 
 business have been that of a baking 
 department and a kitchen for which 
 purposes two stores on Railroad ave- 
 nue were added to the quarters occu- 
 pied. At the present day Mr. Bibeau 
 has a large trade among the leading 
 families of Meriden in groceries. On 
 his attractive counters are also found 
 delectable bakings, cooked meats, pud- 
 dings, etc., while a well ordered lunch 
 counter is also supplied from cooking 
 done on the premises. He also does 
 a large catering business in which he 
 enjoys an enviable reputation. 
 
 In 1902 he established a branch store 
 at the corner of Cook avenue and Han- 
 over street, which he still carries on 
 successfully. Mr. Bibeau has shown a 
 special ability as a business man and 
 stands well in the community, when 
 he is known as an enterprising and 
 public spirited resident. 
 
 He is a member of Pilgrims' Harbor 
 Council, Royal Arcanum ; one of the 
 directors of the Meriden Board of 
 Trade, and a member of the Meriden 
 Business Men's Association, Meriden 
 Butchers & Grocers' Association ami 
 also the Colonial Club. In February, 
 1906. he was appointed by Mayor 
 Thos. L. Reilly, a member of tlu- 
 Board of Public Works for four years, 
 and is one of the commissioners of the 
 city. He has shown not only compe- 
 tencv. but a heartfelt interest in city 
 
r 
 I — 
 
 BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 583 
 
 Photo hy AkPrs & Pigeon 
 
584 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 affairs of which he now assists in the 
 management. 
 
 JULIUS AUGUR. 
 
 JuHns Augur, a reputable mer- 
 chant and one of the fire commis- 
 sioners of Aleriden, was born in 
 Southington. February 26, 1846. He 
 
 Photo by Akers i- Pigeon 
 
 JULIUS AUGUR. 
 
 is a son of Juhus Smith Augur, born 
 in New Haven, February 7, 1813, 
 and Lavinia D., daughter of Xoah 
 and Fannie (Bishop) Merriam, who 
 was born in Meriden November 8, 
 181 5, where she died in 1894. His 
 maternal grandfather was Noah 
 Merriam, a descendant of one of the 
 earliest settlers in this localitv. and 
 
 who lived in what in later yearsj 
 became known as the Goodwill] 
 homestead, which stood on the site] 
 of the present edifice of St. Joseph'sj 
 Church. 
 
 When cjuite young Julius Augur 
 was brought to ^leriden by his par- 
 ents, but his family afterwards re- 
 moved to Durham where he resided 
 for seventeen years. At the age of 
 sixteen, and on August 8, 1862, he 
 enlisted for the Civil War in Com- 
 pany A. 15th Conn. Vols. While 
 guarding commissary stores at Long 
 Bridge, Arlington Heights, he was 
 taken sick and sent to the hospital 
 and after his recovery discharged 
 from service, February, 1863. He re- 
 enlisted in Company C, 7th Regi- 
 ment, Conn. A^ols., then at St. Hel- 
 ena, serving until the close of the 
 war, July 20, 1865, and after his re- 
 turn from that service he served five 
 years in the state militia, as a mem- 
 ber of the Wadsworth Guards of 
 Durham in which he held the ofiice 
 of sergeant. 
 
 He came to IMeriden in 1867 and 
 became a clerk in the meat market 
 of S. C. Paddock, seven years later 
 engaging in the provision business 
 on his own account as a member of 
 the firm of Augur & Gardner, and 
 for many years conducted a success- 
 ful business on ]\Iain street. This 
 partnership was dissolved in 1896 
 when Air. Augur received an ap- 
 pointment as street commissioner, 
 the duties of which he dispatched 
 for two vears thereafter. Tn 180? 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 58: 
 
 lie again engaged in the grocery 
 and provision business at 2}, and z-, 
 Lewis avenue, which well patronized 
 store he has ever since conducted with 
 increasing success. 
 
 Mr. Augur has a somewhat exten- 
 sive public career. He was elected 
 a member of the board of aldermen 
 in 1893. and as such served four 
 vears. In 1896 he was appointed 
 street commissioner for two years. 
 as stated previously, and during the 
 administration of Mayor Seeley. was 
 appointed a member of the board of 
 fire commissioners for four years. 
 as a member of which board he now 
 serves. Mr. Augur has been a 
 member of Merriam Post. 8. G. A. 
 R., since 1871. and in this he has 
 served as junior vice and senior vice 
 commander and also commander. He 
 has also served the post as quarter- 
 master for fifteen years. 
 
 He was married Jan. 22. 1873 ^^ 
 Nettie Eliza Smith, born at Xorth- 
 field. March 31. 1850. and daughter 
 of David Smith and Fidelia A. Par- 
 ker. To that marriage three chil- 
 dren were born as follows : Julius 
 Smith. February 2. 1881. now pre- 
 paring at seminary for Y. M. C. A. 
 work : Agnes Fidelia, born May 2. 
 1882: and Frank Miller Augur, born 
 December 2. 1883. and who is asso- 
 ciated in business with his father. 
 
 F. M. KTP.P.E. 
 
 and responsible citizens of the town 
 was born in Hampden. Mass.. then 
 South Wilbraham. April 28. 1866. 
 He is a direct lineal descendant of 
 John or Edward Kibbe. one of the 
 first English settlers in Connecti- 
 cut, and one or the other was the 
 first white child born in the town 
 of Enfield, and which town after- 
 
 Photc 
 
 by Ak- r- i; F--;. . 
 
 FR.\XK M. KIBBE. 
 
 Frank Marvin Kibbe. druggist of 
 iMeriden. and one of the energetic 
 
 wards became largely i)opulated by 
 the different branches of the Kibbe 
 family. When the subject of this 
 sketch was six years old his father 
 moved to Enfield, where he ob- 
 tained his early education at the 
 Kibbe School, also at Suffield and 
 East Windsor. 
 
 After acquiring a good education 
 
586 
 
 A CENT-URY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Mr. Kibbe entered the drug busi- 
 ness, in May, 1884, at first as an 
 apprentice in the drug store of 
 Wessells & Gates at Litchfield. 
 He later, having finished his appren- 
 ticeship at Shannon's drug store, 
 passed his examination at the 
 capitol, Hartford. December 6, 
 1887, as a registered pharmacist. He 
 began his creditable career as a li- 
 censed druggist as a clerk in the 
 store of A. W. Sawtelle & Co., at 
 Hartford, afterwards becoming as- 
 sociated with the drug store of 
 George A. McCorkle, leaving the 
 latter firm to engage in business 
 for himself in Meriden, which he 
 accomplished by purchasing the 
 drug store of F. VV. Smith Drug Co., 
 at 40 West Main street, and of 
 which business he became the pro- 
 prietor November 7, 1891. There he 
 remained and conducted a steadily 
 increasing business, gaining the 
 justly merited confidence of the 
 public and medical profession, until 
 Ma}' 28, 1898, when he was enabled 
 to remove to the present drug store 
 which he conducts under the name 
 of F. M. Kibbe & Co., at 85 West 
 Main street. The store is one of 
 the finest of its line in Meriden or 
 vicinity, and a large business is 
 there transacted, not only in drugs 
 and medicines but in photographic 
 supplies and souvenir postal cards. 
 Owing to the increase in business, 
 Mr. Kibbe found it necessary in 
 1906 to enlarge the floor space of 
 the store, which had just been 
 
 completed. Mr. Kibbe is known 
 as one of the most trustworthy busi- 
 ness men of the town, and stands 
 high in the business life of Meriden. 
 AMiile he confines himself closely 
 to business he is a member of sev- 
 eral fraternal organizations. In the 
 Masonic fraternity, he is connected 
 with Center Lodge, 97, A. F. & A. 
 M. He is a member of Connecticut 
 Lodge 93, L O. O. F., of Hartford; 
 Columbia Council 5, O. U. A. M.; 
 Meriden Camp jy, Modern Wood- 
 men of America ; and Alpha Lodge, 
 4341, Knights of Honor. 
 
 He married, Oct. 2, 1895, Annie 
 E. Webb of Meriden. 
 
 WILBUR H. SOUIRE. 
 
 The analysis of American character 
 is, of course, more difficult than that 
 of English, although Matthew Arnold 
 finds it hard enough to distinguish be- 
 tween the Saxon and Norman ele- 
 ments in the blood of his countrymen. 
 Once in a while, however, it is possi- 
 ble to discover even in America, dis- 
 tinct traces of Teutonic or Roman or 
 Celtic ancestry. The subject of this 
 sketch, for instance, shows a remarka- 
 ble inheritance from the Norman; 
 which should include, according to Ar- 
 nold, a broadness of intellect and 
 power of organization, mingled with a 
 certain love of the unusual. Such a 
 type serves as a leaven for the great 
 mass of our more slow-blooded, plod- 
 ding, Saxon component. 
 
 Wilbur Henry Squire is the oldest 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 5^7 
 
 son ct the late William L. Squire, for 
 many \ears treasurer of the X. Y., N. 
 H. & H. Railroad Company: he spent 
 his earliest years in Hartft^rd, and 
 graduated from the high school there 
 in the class of 1876. Immediately af- 
 terward he came to ^leriden and en- 
 tered the insurance agency of H. C. 
 Butler & Co. After ^Ir. Butler's 
 death he assumed charge of the busi- 
 
 w. II. -souiRr:. 
 
 ness, which has since been conducted 
 under the names of W. H. Squire & 
 Co. and The \V. H. Scjuire Company. 
 \t present it embraces a money-order, 
 bntkerage and steamshij) agency, in 
 addition to the original fire under- 
 writing. 
 
 Mr. Squire's wide interests and en- 
 ter[)ri.sc will j)erhaps best be shown bv 
 
 a brief enumeration of the organiza- 
 tions of which he is an active, and in 
 many cases a charter, member. He 
 has been treasurer, and is now chair- 
 man of the pew rental committee of 
 the First Congregational church. He 
 is a director of the JNIeriden Business 
 Men's Association, vice-president of 
 the Colonial Club, a charter member of 
 the Home Club, a trustee of the Y. 'Si. 
 C. A., a director of the First Meriden 
 Lluilding and Loan Association, audi- 
 tor of the City Mission, a member of 
 the Meriden Golf club, a charter mem- 
 ber of A. H. Hall Council and the 
 Grand Council, Royal Arcanum, a 
 member of the Maccabees, the Wood- 
 men, and other fraternal orders, and 
 has been water tax collector, and city 
 tax collector for periods of two years. 
 He also has many business and social 
 connections outside the city limits. 
 Among other things he is vice-presi- 
 dent of the Fire Insurance Agents' As- 
 sociation of Connecticut, a veteran 
 member of the L. A. W'., a member 
 of the X'eteran Corps, Co. K, First 
 Regiment, C. N. G. He was among 
 the original backers of the Meriden 
 pu])lic library movement, and of the 
 Xew 1 Ia\en cycle path extension. 
 And hnally. he is one of the three lead- 
 ing citizens of the West Beak "colony"' 
 — a j)osition of im])ortance which none 
 can apjireciate who have not spent a 
 niuht with him there. 
 
 lollX. F. BUTLER. 
 
 A man whose .service to the town 
 was ever exerted in the interest of 
 
588 
 
 A CEXTURV OF MERIDEX. 
 
 good government and citizenship 
 was John F. Butler. He resided in 
 Meriden from early boyhood and at 
 the time of his death, Dec. 29, 1905, 
 was one of the valued residents and 
 best known merchants and property 
 owners. He was born in Kilkenny, 
 Ireland in 1841 and, coming to this 
 country when he was quite young, 
 went to live in the family of the 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon 
 
 JOHN F. BUTLER. 
 
 late W. W. Lyman, his education 
 being secured in the local public 
 schools. On the breaking out of 
 the Civil War he enlisted in the navy 
 and during his long and creditable 
 service, kept a diary which contains 
 an interesting story, well told, of 
 his experience on board battleships 
 
 in action. After the close of the 
 war he engaged with Bela Carter in 
 the painting and decorating busi- 
 Ficss and with him he remained 
 for several years, gaining a thorough 
 knowledge of the business. Later 
 he formed the partnership of Butler 
 & Larkin, their place of business 
 being in the Hicks building on Col- 
 ony street. After Mr. Larkin's death 
 he moved into the Wilcox block 
 where he continued his business and 
 in 1892 organized a joint stock com- 
 pany taking a number of his em- 
 ployes into the corporation, which 
 through his able management has 
 become one of the largest in its line 
 in this section of the state. With 
 a progressive spirit always char- 
 acteristic of him, Mr. Butler in con- 
 nection with the Meriden Furniture 
 Co., in 1894, built the handsome 
 block on Colony street which the 
 John F. Butler Company now oc- 
 cupy. A man of high aims, his suc- 
 cess in business was the result of 
 untiring efforts and honorable busi- 
 ness methods. Besides the large 
 decorating business of which he was 
 the head he became possessed of 
 much real estate. 
 
 When St. Joseph's parish was set 
 apart from St. Rose's Parish he was 
 a prominent member. He took ac- 
 tive interest in the new parish and 
 served upon the building commit- 
 tee. While he never sought public 
 office, his good citizenship prompted 
 him in early life to join the volun- 
 teer fire department and in later 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 589 
 
 years he was honored by being made 
 chief of the Meriden fire depart- 
 ment. 
 
 He was one of the organizers of 
 the Amaranth and CathoHc chibs 
 and also instrumental in forming 
 Washington Council, K. of C, hav- 
 ing been the first G. K. He was pos- 
 sessed of a kind heart, charitable 
 disposition and the faculty of mak- 
 ing and holding a large circle of 
 friends. He was married to Cath- 
 erine M. Xeary of Xaugatuck in 
 1885, who died in 1891. His second 
 wife was ]\Iary F. Conlon of 
 Berlin and their two children, W\\- 
 liam Ormonde, and Faith Marion. 
 survive him. His funeral, held at 
 St. Joseph's Church, Jan. i, 1906, 
 was largely attended by men promi- 
 nent in public and business life and 
 also by many whose lives Mr. Butler 
 had made brighter by acts of kind- 
 ness and wisely distributed charity. 
 
 H. E. BUSHNELL. 
 
 Henry E. Bushnell. a leading nuT- 
 chant engaged in the grocery, bottled 
 goods and baking business in Mcri- 
 den fi)r the past twenty-two years, and 
 who conducts a large double store of 
 two stories at 75 and 79 West Main 
 street, is a native of Westbrook, 
 Conn., where he was born March 28. 
 1855. He is a son of E. L. lUisli- 
 lell and Lydia ( ). I'-usliiU'l! and lie 
 ronies from a well known Connccti- 
 rut family. From boyhood he has 
 leen associated with the grocery Inis- 
 less and his marked success in Mcr- 
 
 iden has come from a small beginning, 
 ])ut wholly deserved. 
 
 It was in 1884 tliat he began busi- 
 ness on his own account, after having 
 served for some years as a clerk, and 
 had established a reputation for in- 
 dustry, economy and personal popu- 
 larity. It was in a small portion of his 
 present large establishment and with 
 
 Fhr.to by Akers & Pigeon 
 
 II. E. BUSHNELL. 
 
 one clerk and one team, his career as 
 a merchant began ; his honest meth- 
 ods and his dis])Osition to give his cus- 
 tomers the best goods at the lowest 
 prices have assured his success from 
 the start. With his increased trade, 
 his (piarters have l)CCome gradually 
 enlarged and greatl\' improved. 
 
 He afterwards hmiglu the block 
 whicli lie UMW occupies largely anrl 
 
590 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 later erected a large storehouse adjoin- 
 ing the N. Y., X. H. & H. R. R. tracks, 
 in which he has conducted a whole- 
 sale business. Mr. Bushnell has nev- 
 er spared money or expense in mak- 
 ing his business establishment attrac- 
 tive, and in 1900 doubled the size of 
 
 deep, by 50 feet in width, and con- 
 tains a large stock of fancy and sta- 
 ple groceries, bottled wines, and liq- 
 uors ; and a large baking business has 
 been done by him for the past decade, 
 the baking being done on the prem- 
 ises. The bottled goods department 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 BUSHNELL BUILDING. 
 
 his Store, by cutting through to the 
 adjoining store. No. 75 West Main 
 Street, and fitting it up as befitted a 
 first-class grocery store, the goods of 
 which are suitable for the highest class 
 of trade. The store is now 100 feet 
 
 has been carried on by Mr. Bushnell 
 for the past three years, since which 
 time he has supplied his trade with 
 the best of goods of the kind. Hi.s 
 store is the largest and most commod- 
 ious in its line within a radius of niaiiv 
 
BIOCIKAPHIES. 
 
 591 
 
 miles, a large order business is done, 
 and numerous delivery teams are kept 
 constantly busy, calling for and de- 
 livering orders among the first fami- 
 lies of the town and adjacent terri- 
 tory. 
 
 Mr. lUishnell has learned the wants 
 
 of a discriminating patronage and his 
 
 goods may always be relied upon as 
 
 the best the market affords. He has 
 
 a natural aptitude and is a careful 
 
 buyer and one who keeps well posted 
 
 [in the interests of a large trade which 
 
 I he controls. He is a man of strong 
 
 Ipersonality and his courteous attention 
 
 to patrons is reflected in marked de- 
 
 [gree by the large niuiiber of clerks he 
 
 employs. Mr. Bushnell is one of the 
 
 [merchants of the town who can al- 
 
 [vvays be counted upon to show a bona 
 
 ide interest in the locality where he 
 
 resides and does business. He is a 
 
 nember of the Meriden Board of 
 
 Vade and Business Men's Associa- 
 
 lion and is enrolled in the membership 
 
 \i the various Masonic bodies of the 
 
 >wn, including St. Elmo Command- 
 
 |ry. K. T. He is also a member of the 
 
 ^oyal Arcanum, Elks, and the Home 
 
 hd Colonial Clubs of Meriden. 
 
 •ie was 2 married in 1880 to 
 
 ./zie Ray. daughter of B. P. and 
 
 larv A. Rav, and thev have one child. 
 
 C. F. FOX. 
 
 1 Christian Frederick Fox. a resi- 
 |nt of good repute and well quali- 
 fd for the conduct of successful 
 |siness, enjoys the distinction of 
 I ijig the first imlividual in the his- 
 
 tory of the town to achieve success 
 in the manufacture of bologna, frank- 
 furt and (icrman sausages. He was 
 born in Koenigsbrunn, German v. 
 December 14. 1861 where his father, 
 Frederick was a manufacturer of 
 luml)er. When he was fourteen 
 years old his parents removed with 
 him to New York Citv where he be- 
 
 I'h;tj by .-^kors A; Pigeon 
 
 C. F. FOX. 
 
 gan to learn the business of sausage 
 making. Eight years later he re- 
 moved to \\ (ircester where he re- 
 mained until 1SS5 an<l then having 
 niarrieil. he reuioxed lo Xorwich. 
 Conn., where he engaged in business 
 in lii> present line as a meniber of 
 the tirni of I'ox & W'eigert. 
 
 In iSSS the firm established a 
 
592 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Store in Meriden, Mr. Fox becoming 
 the resident partner but he afterwards 
 bought out Mr. Weigert's interest 
 here and has since conducted the 
 business alone. In the conduct of 
 this large and prosperous business 
 he has been ably assisted by his 
 wife and son, and he has made a 
 somewhat remarkable business rec- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon 
 
 ANDREW F. FOX. 
 
 ord. By fair dealing and the manu- 
 facture of pure goods in the deli- 
 catessen line to which he has always 
 devoted his efiforts he has built up 
 a trade covering a large territory. 
 In 1905 he erected at the corner of 
 West Main and Butler streets where 
 he now resides, an imposing business 
 block which buildinsf bears his name. 
 
 He is a member of Meridian Lodgt 
 '/J, A. F. & A. M., Keystone Chap 
 ter 2-j, R. A. M., St. Elmo Com 
 mandery, 9, K. T., and Pyramid Teni 
 pie. Mystic Shrine ; also of Cour 
 Schiller, 117, A. O. F. and severa 
 other social and fraternal societies 
 He was married December 24 
 1883 to Emma R. Dason of Worces 
 ter and they have one living son 
 Andrew F. Fox, associated with hi 
 father in business, and who marrie(' 
 Maude Graham of Meriden. 
 
 EDWARD TREDENNICK. 
 
 Edward Tredennick, merchant tail' 
 or and one of the more favorabl; 
 known young business men of Meri 
 den, was born in Cheshire, January 19 
 1870. He is one of a family of twelvf 
 children, nine of wdiom at this writing 
 are living, and a son of Nicholas anc 
 Elizabeth Ann (Hall) Tredennick; 
 His parents, sturdy, industrious, Eng- 
 lish people, came to Connecticut abou 
 1869, from Halifax, Canada, whcr( 
 they had emigrated some years prr 
 vious. 
 
 During his early days, Edward Tre, 
 dennick lived in Cheshire ; but wliei 
 he was fourteen, the family came t( 
 Meriden and have ever since beei 
 identified with this town. He, there 
 fore, concluded his education in Mer 
 iden. After leaving school he learnec 
 the trade of a garment cutter, aiK 
 when he was twenty-one years old, ir, 
 1 89 1, he engaged in business for him 
 self, and has continued successful!} 
 from the start, achieving a biiTi 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 593 
 
 reputation in his business. Durinc;' 
 the past seven years he has occupied 
 quarters in the Byxbee block, Colony 
 street, and his customers include many 
 of the leading citizens of Meriden and 
 vicinitv. 
 
 ilelvitia, daughter of the late Peter 
 and Edith (Coe) Lucchini, and resides 
 at the Coe Castle. 
 
 Photo by Akers 4: Pigeon 
 
 EDWARD TREDEX NIC K. 
 
 Mr. Tredennick is well known in 
 social circles, being a menil)er of ilic 
 Home Club, Meriden Golf Club and 
 .Meriden Wheel Club ; and in fraternal 
 circles is a popular member of the Al- 
 fred H. Hall Council. Royal Arcanum. 
 I hiring the preparations for the Cen- 
 tennial celebration, he has served as a 
 member of the connnittee of citizens as 
 chairman of the sub-C(nnniittec of gulf. 
 i>i which game he is an autliurit\. 
 
 He was married Max ^. 1896, to 
 38 
 
 WILLIAM WALLACE LEE. 
 
 W illiam Wallace Lee was born in 
 llarkhamsted. Connecticut, July 20, 
 1828. He came to Meriden in 1862 
 and was employed as a machinist by 
 l-"(lward Miller & Co. continuously un- 
 til his death on September 14. 1903. 
 
 Mr. Lee was actively identified with 
 
 I'lioto by Akers & Pigeon 
 
 wii.i.i AM w \i.i.\ri: 1.1:1;. 
 
 the ]nil)]ic and fraternal affairs of the 
 city during the tudscore of years that 
 lie wa> a re^'dent of .Meriden. lie 
 JK'ld \ari(Uis ])ul)lic dt'tices : was alder- 
 man frtiin the i'ifth ward for four 
 years and a repre>entative to the t ien- 
 
594 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 eral Assembly in 1885 and il 
 
 Mr. Lee became a member of the 
 Sons of Temperance at the age of 
 eighteen, held nearly every office m 
 the order and was a member of the 
 national organization for ' thirty-five 
 years. He held the office of grand 
 master of Odd Fellows in 1877 ^^^^ 
 1878. Mr. Lee was made a Mason in 
 1852 and was knighted in St. Elmo 
 Commandery in Meriden in 1874 ; was 
 grand master of Connecticut in 1874 
 and 1875 ; was one of the organizers 
 of the Masonic Veteran association of 
 the state and its president for twenty- 
 five years. 
 
 Mr. Lee devoted a vast amount of 
 time to genealogical matters, was one 
 of the principal compilers and editors 
 of the John Lee genealogy published 
 in 1897, and its supplement a few years 
 later ; also organizer and treasurer of 
 the Lee Association. 
 
 Mr. Lee is survived by a widow, 
 ]\lary J. (Carrington) Lee, and a 
 daughter, Mrs. Edwin E. Smith, of 
 this cit\'. 
 
 SIG. BERNSTEIN. 
 
 Sigmund Bernstein, one of the 
 best known citizens of Meriden, and 
 proprietor of a large clothing estab- 
 lishment, was born in the town 
 of Lissa, Prussia, July 31, 1849. ^ 
 son of Jacob and Jennette. 
 
 Having long possessed a desire to 
 see the New \\ orld, he left his fam- 
 ily and friends in 1864, finally locat- 
 ing at Haverstraw, N. Y., where he 
 
 accepted a position in the clothing 
 store of Jacob Baum, and in 1871 
 was taken into partnership. Mr. 
 Baum being engaged in the manu- 
 facture of brick, Mr. Bernstein was 
 left in charge of the store. In Sep- 
 tember, 1877, Mr. Bernstein came to 
 Meriden and purchased the estab- 
 lishment of Morris Levy. Enlarg- 
 ing the business, he now operates 
 one of the largest clothing and 
 custom tailoring houses in New 
 England. ]\Ir. Bernstein is one of 
 the most liberal men in every 
 respect, and believes in conducting 
 his business on broad methods. He 
 has given away thousands of dollars 
 as prizes in guessing contests, and ' 
 other ingenious ways of advertising. 
 One scheme was a "button guess- 
 ing" contest with a valuable prize 
 awarded to the one who guessed the 
 correct number. To give the 
 scheme proper eclat he gave a ban- 
 c|uet at one of the leading hotels to 
 which 125 leading citizens were 
 invited, including Mayor E. J. Doo- 
 little, the common council, all the 
 town and cit}' officials and a nimiber 
 of state dignitaries. Practically all 
 invited responded. The buttons were 
 counted at the banquet by the mayor 
 and the council members. 
 
 Mr. Bernstein was one of the first 
 clothiers to organize mackintosh 
 clubs. The unique method he took 
 to conduct the scheme gave him 
 wide newspaper publication without 
 great expenditure. The first pav- 
 ing stone laid in Meriden was pre- 
 
BIOGKAPlIIliS. 
 
 595 
 
 5ented by him to .Mayor Ives and 
 put down (jn Main Street opposite 
 the Journal office, eng-raved with liis 
 name and date. \\ hen tlie electric 
 road was opened Mr. Uernstein 
 g"ave the first trolley ride between 
 Meriden and Wallinoford to the 
 newsboys and another to the clerks 
 of the stores. 
 
 In iSgj .Mr. r.ernstein purchased 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 sic.Mr.vi) i;i:i<Nsi i.ix. 
 
 a tract of tliirty-fi\e acres, then 
 knovNu as tlie Holconib place. 
 He laid oui the streets and turned 
 the waste tract into a beautiful resi- 
 [dence district. juflye Levi Coe, 
 dio was then mayor, sus^i^ested for 
 it the name of lUrn-^tcin Heii^hts 
 v\ln li wax accepted. Mr. P.ern- 
 
 stein has.o^iven away twentv lots of 
 that property and has constructed 
 sexeral handsome residences these 
 fitted with all modern conxeiiiences. 
 .\ reservoir w^ith a capacity of 1,500- 
 000 "gallons has been built. He with 
 Auo-ust Schmelzer. also purcha.sed a 
 tract of land at Kensington Heights, 
 and they have built several hand- 
 some residences in that locality. 
 
 Mr. IJernstein has traveled widely 
 both in this country and abroad. 
 In 1891 he and Mrs. r.ernstein spent 
 the summer in bjigiand, l-"rance and 
 Germany. He again made a Euro- 
 ])ean trip in iSi^j, bringing his aged 
 motlier to this comUry with him. 
 This incident illustrates one of his 
 characteristics. I Ir was the oldest 
 of six children and when he left 
 home in the fatherland at the age 
 ot sixteen years he i)romised his 
 mother he would make i)laces across 
 the .\tlautir iny jiis brothers and sis- 
 ters and till" liis parents as well. 
 'rhi> ])](-'ilge, like e\er\- mu' he has 
 since made, he ke])t. I-'rom time to 
 time he has found an o])ening for 
 one brother after another and 
 brought them ti) this country with 
 his earnings. In iSijj he was ]irc- 
 ])aring in bring hi> aged ])arents 
 across the sea when he was inform- 
 ed of tlu' (U-ath of his father. In 
 tweKe da\s he was in the ancestral 
 home in (ierman\'. arranging to 
 bring his mother to this country and 
 thus fulfil the pledge of his youth. 
 
 ( )n ( )ctol)er 2y, 187S. in Xew 
 \'ork be was married to Jen- 
 
596 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 nie Baum, who was born in Sey- 
 mour, Conn., a daughter of Jacob 
 Baum, senior member of the firm of 
 Baum & Bernstein, and to that mar- 
 riage these children have been born : 
 Algernon J-, Louisa, Daisy, Mel- 
 ville, Frances and Jacqueline. 
 
 MICHAEL KEATLNG. 
 
 Alichael Keating, grocer, real 
 estate owner and a former alderman 
 of Meriden, and who has been a 
 good citizen of the town since 1875, 
 was born April i, 1849, ^^ New End, 
 Tipperary, Ireland. His parents, 
 Richard and Alice Keating, conduct- 
 ed a farm and their son did chores 
 about the home and obtained his ed- 
 ucation in the district school. 
 
 At seventeen, after immigrating 
 to this country, he went to South 
 AMndham to learn his trade, that of 
 a machinist. He afterwards was 
 employed at the works of the Colt's 
 Repeating Arms Co., and later in 
 Pratt & Whitney's at Hartford, but 
 finally came to Meriden and entered 
 Parker Bros. Gun Shop, where he 
 remained for a period of three years. 
 At the end of that time he began 
 an honorable business career, bv en- 
 gaging in the retail shoe business 
 in a store located in the Meriden 
 House block, and where as a mem- 
 ber of the firm of Keating & Hurley, 
 he conducted a prosperous business 
 in that line.. 
 
 In 1889 he erected a brick busi- 
 ness block at the corner of West 
 
 Main street and Windsor avenue, 
 and upon its completion removed 
 thereto, occupying the upper floor, 
 one-half of the first floor and base- 
 ment for a store and engaging in the 
 grocery business. The building of hi^ 
 present block in what was then a 
 sparsely settled district was consid- 
 ered by many a hazardous under- 
 taking, but in later vears the town 
 
 MICHAEL KEATING. 
 
 grew largely west and it has been 
 proven that ]\Ir. Keating's foresifjlit 
 was keen. 
 
 During his twenty-seven years m 
 the grocery business in his present 
 location, he has built up a profitable 
 business and has ahvays had a hue 
 hold on the confidence of the publie 
 
P.inCRAPIIIKS. 
 
 597 
 
 as a result of honora])k' business 
 dealings. Graduall}- lie has invest- 
 ed in real estate, and lias erected 
 many dwellings in the vicinity of 
 his store, especially on Windsor 
 qvf'nue. all of which ha\e bee" 
 houses possessing' modern conven- 
 iences and add to the appearance of the 
 localit\'. Some of these have been 
 rented by him and others sold. 
 
 He was elected in 1881 a member 
 of the board of aldermen and served 
 for two years in the city govern- 
 in.ent Mr. Keating is a member of 
 Meriden Lodge, 35, Benevolent & 
 I'rtjtective ( )rder of Elks, and ( ienoa 
 (, Kuncil. Knights of Cokmibus. 
 
 He is married to Annie, daughter 
 of Patrick Mallo}' and they have had 
 two daughters, Alice and x\nnie, aged 
 seventeen and thirteen respectively. 
 
 .\nK()X S. WHITE. 
 
 rile oldest family in Xew England 
 i> that of \\'hite. William \\diite was 
 oiif of the Mayflower party and his 
 son the first white child born in Xew 
 England. He was called Peregrine, a 
 name signifying. "A pilgrim in a 
 krange land." William White died 
 in the first winter. His sons. Pere- 
 brine and Resolved, lived to be im])or- 
 lant members of the colony. The cra- 
 e of Peregrine is now in Pilgrim 
 
 Hall. Plymouth. 
 .M>ron S. White, son of Xathanicl 
 
 A'hite and I'^li/.a Peck, both of Xor- 
 
 olk. Conn., was born Aug. \J. iS_'4. 
 
 f lineal descent from Peregrine. 
 
 lie de])ane(] this life at the Porough 
 of Prook]\n. .Xew \'ork City, August 
 3, 1905. .\l the lime of his death he 
 was a memlier of St. John's Methodist 
 Church in Prooklyn. He learned his 
 trade with the Russell & Erwin Eoun- 
 dry CO.. and became foreman for 
 Emory Parker at Meriden. Called to 
 X'ew York, he took charge of the large 
 business of Mackrill & Richardson, 
 with whom he was connected for 
 seven years. He constructed the iron 
 work and ])laced it in position for the 
 lirst subway under Proadway, extend- 
 ing from Astor House to Chambers 
 street, which was an inde.x finger 
 l)ointing to the present .system. As 
 junior member of the iron foundry of 
 Demorest & White, he laid the foun- 
 dations for a successful business ca- 
 reer. L'])on retiring from business 
 connected with iron foundries, he ne.xt 
 became associated as Xew York agent 
 with the cutlery house of Landers. 
 l-"rar_\- (^- Clark, with whom he re- 
 mained Continuously twenty-seven 
 years. Prior to iSoo .Mr. White was 
 favorabK' known ni business circles in 
 .Meriden and yearl}- visits to his old 
 home ke])t him interested in .Meriden 
 affairs. In i85<) he married Caroline 
 Peckley, of Peckley Uuarter, Perlin, 
 the youngest daughter of Solomon 
 Peckley and 1 .ucretia lAans. whi) 
 niiw sur\i\es him. 
 
 .Mr. White possessed a rare execu- 
 tive al)ilit\. which conti'ibuted to his 
 business success. He had a charming 
 |)ersonality. Meriden was ever dear to 
 liim. his early home and where he be- 
 gan his business career. His last re- 
 
598 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 MYRON S. WHITE. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 599 
 
 <|uest was to sleep in Walnut Grove 
 cemetery amid the hills he loved so 
 well. 
 
 WITJJAM WOODLEY. 
 
 William Woodley, a leading florist 
 of this city, was born December 31, 
 1852, in Ecchingswell, Hampshire, 
 England. 
 
 flinio by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 WII.I,I.\M \V()()I)1.I:N'. 
 
 Hi.s boyhood after he was nine years 
 lot age, furnishes a story where hard 
 work was a factor. His father died 
 Iwhen he was four and his education 
 In the i)ublic schools of Hampshire 
 pas limited to a very brief period. At 
 
 time when most children are being 
 lenderly guarded an<l care is nn- 
 Icnown. the little fellow was struggling 
 
 with his small, to him. big. prol)lem 
 of existence. At the age of eleven he 
 was employed in the garden of Squire 
 \\ illiam Kingsmill, whose wife was a 
 daughter of the Archbishoj) of Can- 
 terbury. Four years later he was en- 
 gaged as assistant gardener l)y .^(juire 
 Arbuthnot, a position he retainecl un- 
 til he was seventeen. 
 
 Meantime wonderful accounts of 
 the rise and ])rogress of poor boys in 
 the United States reached his ears. 
 In that far away country where all 
 men are created free and eijual the 
 youth reared a castle in the air for 
 himself, but he had no money for the 
 passage. He did have a friend, how- 
 ever, who was willing to provide the 
 necessary ftmds. 
 
 Landing in Xew' York in 187 1 he 
 soon made his way to ^^leriden. His 
 own struggles had strengthened that 
 moral regard for a financial obliga- 
 tion and within a year he managed to 
 save enough to repay his loan. In 
 iSjj he became Isaac C Lewis" gar- 
 dener and held that ])osilion twenty- 
 one years. In 1^93 he purchased his 
 present property, corner Lroad and 
 .Silver streets, where he has engaged in 
 floriculture ever since. 
 
 .Mr. Woodley married Eliza .\. Da- 
 \ey. a native of Devnushire. ICngland, 
 but at llie time of marriage residing 
 in. Torrington. I'onn. Their two 
 daughters are Emma Louise, assistant 
 lil)rarian in the Curtis Memorial Li- 
 brary, and Harriet L.. who married 
 l-'rwin M. I'.eebe. in the fall of 1905. 
 lie is a member of L'enter Lodge, 
 <)J. A. V. S: A. .M.. a leading member 
 
6oo 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 of Pilgrims' Harl^or Council, 543, 
 Ro}al Arcannni. He is one of the 
 three who organized Court Silver 
 City, 7060. A. C). F., and is a 
 charter member of Court Meriden, 
 42. Air. W'oodley's success in 
 floriculture convinces one of the verity 
 that where a man's inclinations and 
 heart are there will be his best work. 
 The part that he has long played in 
 the life of Meriden has made him a 
 leader in his particular line. 
 
 THE COE FARM. 
 
 With its famous history, hospitality 
 and excellence of garden, orchard and 
 dairy products, the Coe Farm is pre- 
 eminently one of the most celebrated 
 and valuable agricultural properties 
 in Connecticut. The farm is situated 
 just beyond the city limits in the Han- 
 over district and reached by a ten 
 minute ride in the street cars. The 
 farm comprises 300 acres, formerly 
 owned by the late Andrew J. Coe, 
 and 125 acres leased of the Wm. L. 
 Bradley estate adjoining, and the soil 
 has ever been kept in a high state of 
 cultivation. The beauties of land- 
 scape make it a delightful spot to be 
 visited, and its close proximity to the 
 business center provides a most con- 
 venient source of supply to the local 
 markets. 
 
 The farm once owned by the late 
 Ebenezer Peck, a retired sea captain, 
 and later by Captain Cowles, was pur- 
 chased by Calvin Coe in 1821. He 
 married and took up his residence 
 there in the old homestead now occu- 
 
 pied by \'ictor Lucchini, the present 
 manager and part owner of the prop- 
 erty. 
 
 The late Calvin Coe carried on the 
 farm for over forty years and im- 
 proved the land which now shows 
 the good results of his toil. He 
 erected a factory on the land and op- 
 erated for many years an extensive 
 bone grinding business and opened 
 extensive quarries there, in all of ! 
 which he was assisted in later years 
 by his sons. In 1861 he retired from ; 
 agricultural work and continued in | 
 the bone business. That year the 
 farm was taken by his sons, 
 Henry and Winfield R. Coe, and in 
 1863 their brother, Andrew J. Cik. 
 the first judge of the municipal court 
 of Meriden, joined them in its man-, 
 agement. Judge Coe, seeing the: 
 great possibility of the land for fruit 
 growing, planted extensive orchards 
 and vineyards which in their product -^ 
 earned for him an enviable reputatinii. 
 He finally became the sole owner uf 
 the farm, he and his brother Henry 
 buying out the interests of Winfield R-; 
 in 1870, and Andrew J. the remaining 
 interest of Henry in 1873. 
 
 In 1867 the building, of "Coe Cas- 
 tle" was begun by the Coe brothers 
 and after seven years was completfi. 
 The building is constructed wholly i»t 
 stone and wood from the farm land 
 and comprises one of the largest and: 
 most remarkably well built and com- 
 fortable dwellings in this vicinity. 
 During the construction of the "Cas- 
 tle" among the artisans employed by 
 ludge Coe, in the interior decoration 
 
6o2 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 of the structure, was the late Peter 
 Lucchini, who married Edith, sister 
 of Judge Andrew Coe, and to whom 
 were born the following children : 
 John R., Victor E., Marie, Arthur C, 
 now deceased, and Paul. For some 
 years previous to the death of Judge 
 Andrew J. Coe, Mr. Lucchini con- 
 ducted the farm and until a sad acci- 
 dent deprived his family of a husband 
 and father. Upon the decease of 
 Judge Coe his wife. Kate Foote Coe, 
 
 Under his regime the farm ha^ 
 been kept up to the high standard 
 of excellence it has ever held and 
 many improvements have been made 
 in and about the farm. The large and 
 varied product, always received fresh 
 every day, is much appreciated b\ 
 residents of Aleriden and brings a higli 
 price in market owing to the rep- 
 utation the farm has always main- 
 tained for supplying only the best of 
 fruit and vegetables. 
 
 COE CASTLE. 
 
 the well known writer, who by his 
 will was to enjoy the income of the 
 property during her life, assumed the 
 management of the farm but at the 
 expiration of two years she turned 
 the afifairs of the farm over to the 
 Meriden Trust & Safe Deposit Co., 
 until March i, 1901, when she sold 
 her interests in the entire property to 
 the present owners and since then the 
 farm has been under the management 
 of Victor Lucchini. 
 
 JULIUS KUNTZE. 
 
 Julius Kuntze, cigar manufacturer, 
 wholesale and retail tobacconist of 
 Meriden, was born in Wansen, Prus- 
 sian Silesia, February 14, 1858. He is 
 the son of Carl and Theresa (Weiss) 
 Kuntze, both natives of the town 
 where Julius was born. His father was 
 engaged all his life in the manufacture 
 of cigars at Wansen and his children 
 are now all deceased excepting Jnluis 
 
BIOGRAPHIKS. 
 
 603; 
 
604 A CKN'IDKY f>/' .Vli;i<ll)l';,V. 
 
 of Mcri'lf-i) ;iii'l ll<riii;iii wlio carrifs iikiiI ot the lowii aii'l where iie lias 
 
 on business ;ii iIm- oI<I stand of lii-i l)e(<)ni<- l:iiown as a liij^lily esteemed, 
 
 fallier. ;mI</|>I('I ( iti/.eii. lie stands hij^h jp 
 
 After receiving a ^ood edn< ;it ion in the estimation ot his neij^lihors ami 
 
 his native town, jnhns Knnt/.e leained liieiMJ-,, and thi- patrons of his sUjre, 
 
 his trade in his fatli<r's f;iri<,r\ ;nid lo(;iled on |„i-,t .\|;iiii street, have 
 
 aflef his father's de;ith, with his leaiind to l:nou and appreciate his 
 
 hrolher Merman, (ondnete(| ilie hnsi ^ood (piahties. 
 
 iiess for his mother, lie ( anie to this lie i -. ;i memher ol the .\|eri<leii 
 
 <onntry ni iSXi, saihn;.; from ll.nn Saen^erhnnd and the Aleriden 'rum 
 
 hnf^ and lirsl located in Xcvv \'orl< \ erein. lie is also a memher uf the 
 
 where he i-eni;Mned for six vears ;ind A. O. I '. \V. and of Silver ( ilv ( ourt, 
 
 did ;i piolit;dile hn siness as ;i cii^ai' /Xncirnt ' )ide|- of I'oreslers. 
 
 maker. lie afterwards located in 
 
 ,\'ew Haven where he n'lnained lor R. S. (JODI-'R I^Y. 
 
 (ive y-'if^, after vvhieh he retmned to 
 
 his liom<- in ',erm;m\ and spent sev ' 'ne of the active yonnj^' Inisiness 
 
 <-ial months, men of .Meiiden is Raymond S.'infonl 
 
 It vva, in iX<^^th;n he > ;mie to Mer- <iodfrey, portrait and landscape pho- 
 
 iden and < .l.ihiished Ins present hnsi lo^^rapher, who carries on business 
 
 ness which has since ^^Movvn to a I;m'^c in an old established studio in the 
 
 <-nlerprise, his facp.iw hein;^ the lar;^ Mall iK Lewis bnildinj^', where he has 
 
 <'st lo|- the m.Mnilactnre of ci^ai"s in nni with a tj;oodly measiu'e of sue- 
 
 this cit\ or vicmity. .V] r. Kmit/e has cess. Me was born in .Mechauics- 
 
 also bnilt np ;i lar^'e vvboh'side hn i \ille. Iowa, .Xn^iist |, iH7''», (he son 
 
 ness in his line ;ind nppli<s the lo( ;d of Walter anil K'nth I,. (Sims) (io<l- 
 
 <lealers within ;i ladnr, of several fre\. Mis f;itli<i, now deceased, an 
 
 miles of iVIeriden. Mis honorable indi'st lions ( abiiiet maker, residcl 
 
 dealing's ;Mid pr<)j,;ressi ve id<'as .'md m < onn<-<ti(nl dnriiii; his \oiiiit: 
 
 kindb and ac( < minioilat inv, disposition m;mliood, bnt afterw;n'ds reniovcl 
 
 have bmll np his tiad<- to its present West wlieic he died. Mis niotlici 
 
 propoitions. horn at Sonlh Mancbestei', (onii. 
 
 Me was marric'l in iX<)i at X'ew retnrned to t his st at e a ft er I he (leatli 
 
 llaven t<i l'di/;d)etli Schwab, a n;itive of her Inisb.ind ami has for snin<' 
 
 ol I )ai ni ,l.i(|t , lie, sen I );M"mstadt , Ncars icsideil in Merideii. 
 
 <ieini;m\. I lie\ have li;id the follov\ K'a\inond (lodfrev, who h;is he'" 
 
 in;- I hildicn : ( ieoriM' ; l.ndwi'.; ;Mid in Abiideii since iXi^j, bewail lii'~ 
 
 Melcn, both (d whom died vonnj;; An careei^ as .1 pliotov,raplier by seciir- 
 
 ^nst, I'.liza, (arl .-nid llarold. Since in-, employ nient in one of the ccl'' 
 
 <'oniin^ to IVleriden, Mr. I\nnt/e b.is brated K ellnier st ndios in lla/cltnn 
 
 identilied himself with the develop I'a., where be learned the niyslcrii- 
 
ItlOC.KAI'lIIKS. 
 
 635 
 
 of the Imsituss ;iii(l i|c\cl( ipi (| .m in ti;iit work .iinl ilu m.ikin^ of iiiii- 
 Imrn talent {i<y tli<- calliiij;^. lie side and inlet km \ kws in wliirh he 
 afterward^ aceepled a position as excels. W'lien iIk sludio Insi In 
 stall iilioioj^'raplKT oil the X'cw N'ork eanie oe( u|ii< d li\ linn ilu (iih.inre 
 lonrnal whet e lie remained for ;i per- was .il >< l';i t Mam ^Itcel. hiil m 
 
 \'}(\', ihr hmldiiiL; \va^ ictiiodened 
 atid al that time the eiitianee was 
 chan.^id I' I I ' ( oloii\ stfeel , iiiMk 
 
 in^ a ititieh iiioic (dn\cnieiil eii- 
 tfane<\ aiifl hiinj^^itit; the J,^a^et•\ with- 
 in lasier access of the street. Mr. 
 'lorlficy ha*- a< hie\ I'd a w<'II eanicfl 
 te|intalioii ;i^ a |)hotoj^ra|iIief and 
 ahoul j(in of hi'^ pieliu'cs are repro- 
 dii< fil in the paj^es <>f this liool<. 
 
 I le is also deserved I \ po|inl,ii as a 
 resident and hii^iness m,in ;iiid is 
 a nu'inher of the New l'JiL;land I'lio 
 toj^rraphers' Association. Mt. < .od 
 fre\- is an < iii hiisiastic anlomohilist 
 ;iiid enjoys the distinction of heiiij^r 
 the first photo;^Mapher of the town to 
 own a car. 
 
 I III-. WLVTIIRf)!' IK 'I II 
 
 H. >. f.OOl KKY, 
 
 I Ins tatnons hostelry named for 
 
 d of twf> years and {^aitie*) fnrtlnr (,o\(rnor \\'inlln<ip is a sonr( <• of 
 
 Itialile (xjierience. .Mr. '<odfrey ju.st pi id<' to Mendeii. fot it ( om- 
 
 I'pened his present studio October I. pris( om of the linesl in i\e\v \'.n^- 
 
 \^>**l^f, after jiavinj.^ worked in sescral land, I In Imildin^ was erected liy 
 
 luljd^ in .New York and also in Walter llnhhaid to inert tin de- 
 
 '•rideii ;ind thereby makinj^ his mands of the ^rowiii^' <ily for a 
 
 ^ ■ >\ *»tart in Intsiness for himself hotel wlii( li shonhl not only he 
 
 laiul in thin he has been rntirelv sue- elej.,'ant in appearam e bnt also in 
 
 d 'I he studio haviiif,,' been appoinliiMiits and eonvenien« c^. and 
 
 lously closer] bv it^ former (»c it ha'^ «'\(r been a In.xnrions bonic 
 
 ipantH, WHH fitted np anew by Mr, for the traveling' public : wbilr it» cx- 
 
 xlfrcy whose paraphernalia con- c<-IU-nl cniMiie has also been nincb ap- 
 
 iv of -M.rv fa'ililv for both por- pre( iated by the people of M. rideii 
 

 
6o8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 The building situated on Colony St. 
 faces Winthrop Square, within one 
 minute of Meriden's principal rail- 
 road station, and is a brick and 
 brownstone structure, eighty-five feet 
 by 225 in dimensions, and in 
 front five stories high. There are 
 
 it to the present proprietors, Geo e 
 H. and James H. Bowker. Th^ 
 well known bonifaces also condi;t 
 the Hotel Hamilton in Holyoke ;d 
 the Draper at Northampton, M.s. 
 The management of the Winthrop, ce 
 that of other hotels controlled b\- i- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 WINTHROP HOTEL 
 
 TAMES H. BOWKER. 
 
 104 rooms, eighty of which are 
 sleeping chambers. The furnishings 
 are of a luxurious character and 
 were furnished by the Winthrop 
 Hotel Company, composed of a few 
 leading citizens, who secured a long 
 lease of the property, and released 
 
 firm, has been of the highest order ; 
 highly pleasing to the public. Janie i 
 Bowker has been the resident pan- 
 ever since the hotel was opened i* 
 he is counted as one of the valued ■^■' 
 of Meriden. He serves on the d 
 tennial Committee. ; 
 
PART HI 
 
MAXUFACTOKIKS. 
 
 MANUFACTORIES OF MERIDEN 
 
 j:i)\\ARl) MILLER & CO. 
 
 ( )iic (jl Meriden's most im])(irtain 
 industries is that oarrifd on 1)\ VA- 
 ward Miller & Co., famous the world 
 over tor the ".Miller" lamp, and which 
 concern also manufactures lam]) trim- 
 mings of every variety, tinners' hard- 
 ware, brass and bronze j^oods. gas and 
 electric fixtures. I^dward Miller, 
 who founded the business in 1844. 
 interested a luunber of capitalists in 
 ihe concern in 186C). and in July ot 
 that year a joint stock comi)any was 
 formed imder the name of Edward 
 Miller & Company, with a ca])ital of 
 Sjoo.iX")"). Mr. Miller, however, long" 
 before had established the business, 
 which was bei^'un by him before he 
 liad attained his majority. Mr. .Mil- 
 ler's father was at first associated w ilh 
 him rnder the name of Joel Miller »!v 
 Son. The partnership lasted but tun 
 \ears. when the son ])urchased his 
 father's interest. The business from 
 tlie Iieginnintx grew rapidly and larg- 
 er (juarters were found to be neces- 
 sary. A wooden building was erect- 
 <d on the site of the ])resent huge 
 I'lant but the structure, together with 
 its contents, was destroyed by fire in 
 i^^C*. This misfortune was followed 
 |i^ the panic in 1857 but the business 
 
 ;rvived Ijoth calamities. In 1858 
 
 Mr. Miller began tin- manufacture of 
 kerosene burners, being the first in 
 America to make and i)ut upon the 
 market liurners using kerosene oil 
 made from distilled coal ; bronzes, 
 sheet brass and brass utensils of va- 
 rious kimls being later manufactured. 
 The comi)any has found it necessary 
 to enlarge the ])lant several times ow- 
 ing to the growth of ihr ])usiness. 
 
 The Miller Company does an im- 
 mi-nsc export l)usiness and it is prob- 
 able that there is hardly a reginn of 
 the world where its product has not 
 gone. The factory occui)ies several 
 acres and 800 workmen are employed. 
 Xot onl\- have the Miller ])roducts 
 been designed to be substantial, use- 
 ful and honest goods, but nmch time 
 and ihonght have been ex])ended in 
 order that they should be artistic as 
 Will. The result is the uninterrupt- 
 ed success of the com])an\. 
 
 The Miller Company made famons 
 thr ""k" K'liester" lamp, which it be- 
 gan to manufacture in 1884. but 
 when ])ressed by imitators, it was de- 
 termined to produce a still better, 
 more scientifically constructed and ar- 
 tistic light giver. The result was the 
 ".Miller" lamp, which, absolutely sim- 
 ple, is known to the trade as the "per- 
 fect lam])." The latest line i< that of 
 gas and electric fixtures. 
 
.MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 The present officers and directors 
 of the company are as follows : 
 
 President, Edward IMiller; secre- 
 tary and treasurer, Edward Miller 
 Jr. ; assistant treasurer, Benjamin C. 
 Kennard ; superintendent, Arthur E. 
 Miller; directors, Edward Miller, Ar- 
 thur E. ^liller, Hon. A. Chamberlain, 
 Benjamin C. Kennard, Edward Mil- 
 ler. Jr., John L. Billard and Andrew 
 J. Sloper. 
 
 The capital stock of the company is 
 now $500,000. 
 
 Edward ^Miller, founder and pres- 
 ' ident of this most important manufac- 
 turing concern, the history of which 
 is criven above, is an example 
 of the successful American busi- 
 ness man. who by his own efforts has 
 risen to prominence in the commun- 
 ity. Mr. Miller's genealogy is traced 
 to John Miller, who emigrated from 
 Maidstone, County of Kent, Eng- 
 land, to Lynn, Massachusetts, moving 
 to South Hampton, Long Island, 
 about 1649. Mr. Miller's grand- 
 father was Rev. Samuel Miller, who 
 preached in Meriden for twenty-six 
 years, dying in Wallingford, in 1829. 
 Edward Miller was born August 
 10, 1827. in Wallingford, son of 
 Joel and Clarissa (Plum) Miller, and 
 spent the early years of his life on the 
 farm of his father, who gave the boy 
 the usual schooling then provided for 
 farmers* sons, which, in this case, in- 
 cluded a short time at Post Academy. 
 in Meriden. At fifteen he was em- 
 ployed in a factory, making lamj) 
 screws, hoops and candlestick springs. 
 He was thus enij)loyed for several 
 
 years until, while yet a }Outh, he de- 
 termined to become his own master. 
 He set a1x)ut this with characteristic 
 energy, purchased a set of tools, and 
 associated himself with his father un- 
 der the name of Joel Miller & Son. 
 The business at first was a small one, 
 but the young man knew his trade 
 thoroughly, and prosperity attended 
 him. 
 
 When only twenty he purchased his 
 father's interest in the business, and 
 his own legal time up to his majority, 
 giving his notes for $800.00. It is in- 
 teresting to know that these notes 
 were paid before the close of the 
 next year out of the profits of the 
 business. With success crowning his 
 efforts thus early, it is not difficult to 
 understand the growth of the Miller 
 company, which has since become so 
 important a factor in ilic life of the 
 city. 
 
 Mr. Miller in political views is a 
 Republican. His active business life 
 has left no time, however, for him to 
 h(jld public office. He is a liberal 
 suj)porter of the Eirst Baptist church. 
 to whicli in i^Cx) he gave a splendid 
 organ. He also contributed gener- 
 ously toward the erection of the Ger- 
 man Baptist church edifice. The 
 Ldnnecticut Literary fnstittUe, at 
 Suffield. and the MericKn N'. M. C. 
 -A. are among the many other worthy 
 causes which have fnund in him a 
 benefactor. 
 
 Mr. Miller was married nn .\ugust 
 30. 184S, to Caroline M. Xeal. 
 flaughter of Joseph and Matilda 
 ^Uarnes) Xeal. of .'^onthington, Con- 
 
Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 FOUNDRY, EDWARD MILLER & CO. 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 MACHINE ROOM, EDWARD MILLER & CO. 
 
AUTOMATIC LATIILI RuoM. EDWAKI) .MII.I.KR .v C< i 
 
8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 necticut. Of the five children born 
 to them the following three survive: 
 Edward Miller, Jr., a graduate of 
 Brown University, secretary and 
 treasurer of Edward Miller & Com- 
 pany ; Arthur E. Miller, superinten- 
 dent of Edward Miller & Company, 
 and Mrs. Layette A. Kendrick, resid- 
 ing in Meriden. 
 
 Edward Miller, Jr., secretary and 
 treasurer of the Edward Miller & 
 Company corporation, is the elder 
 son of Edward Miller, president of 
 the company which bears his name. 
 He was born February i, 1851, and 
 attended the Meriden public schools 
 until 1868 when he went to the Suf- 
 field Preparatory Academy, later en- 
 tering Brown University and grad- 
 uating with honors with the class of 
 '74. In the fall of that year he en- 
 tered his father's factory where he ap- 
 plied himself to learning the business 
 in a practical way in the different de- 
 partments, becoming each year a 
 more important factor in the business. 
 Since 1882 he has held the offices of 
 both secretary and treasurer and dur- 
 ing recent years has assumed a great- 
 er portion of the responsibilities 
 of the active management. He 
 is known as one of Meriden's 
 ablest manufacturers and the good 
 name the company enjoys has been 
 due in a measure to the important part 
 he has taken in the aft'airs of the 
 company. 
 
 Mr. Miller has served two terms in 
 the Meriden common council and has 
 also been a valued member of the 
 school committee of the town. He is 
 
 one of the trustees of the City Sav- 
 ings Bank and is a member of the 
 Home Club. Mr. Miller is an ardent 
 lover of music and books. Being a 
 great reader he possesses one of the 
 finest private libraries in Meriden. 
 Since 1874 he has had charge of the 
 music at the First Baptist church in 
 which position both his father and 
 grandfather preceded him, the latter 
 in the old edifice. 
 
 He resides at the Edward Miller 
 residence on Broad street and is un- 
 married. 
 
 Benjamin C. Kennard, assistant 
 treasurer and one of the directors of 
 Edward Miller & Company corpora- 
 tion, was born in Cambridge, Mass., 
 in 1849, where he obtained his edu- 
 cation, which included an attendance 
 at the Cambridge High school. At 
 ten years of age Mr. Kennard began 
 to be self-supporting and from that 
 age worked at some business or oth- 
 er during his school life. Previous 
 to coming to Meriden he was chief 
 accountant of a large importing and 
 exporting house in Boston. He be 
 came head bookkeeper of Edward 
 Miller & Company in 1872, since 
 which time he has been connected 
 with the large business, having for 
 some years been a stockholder, as- 
 sistant treasurer and a director in the 
 company. 
 
 Mr. Kennard is a man of sound 
 business judgment and reliability and 
 his long connecHon with the concertt 
 makes him of great value to the large 
 factor?'. He has been prominent in 
 city and town-.^affairs,- being at this 
 
BLXJ. C. KKXNAKI) 
 
 ARTHUR E. Mil. I. IK. 
 
lO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 writing a member of the board of 
 apportionment and taxation. He 
 also served in the Common Council 
 in 1892-3 and again in 1896-7. He 
 was alderman in 1894-5 and was the 
 last clerk of the Prattsville school 
 district before the consolidation. He 
 is a member of the Home Club and 
 assistant treasurer of the First Bap- 
 tist church of Meriden. In 1875 he 
 was married to Justina C, daughter 
 of Ransom Baldwin, and his chil- 
 dren consist of one son, B. Leighton 
 Kennard, employed as bookkeeper 
 for Russell Hall, and one daughter, 
 Helen M. Kennard, who was married 
 October 5, 1905, to William Atkins 
 McKenzie, and whose pleasing con- 
 tralto voice has been much appre- 
 ciated at St. Paul's Universalist 
 church, Meriden ; Calvary Baptist 
 church. New Haven, and Prospect M. 
 E. church, Bristol. 
 
 Arthur Eugene jMiller, who since 
 1 90 1 has been the permanent super- 
 intendent of the Edward Miller & 
 Company factory, is the second son 
 of Edward Miller and was born in 
 Meriden September 12, 1863. He 
 attended private school in ^Meriden, 
 afterwards graduating from the Hart- 
 ford High school in 1883. Direct 
 from that institution he entered 
 Brown University where he remained 
 but one year, owing to the urgent 
 need of his services at the factory, 
 with the work of which he had be- 
 come in his spare time somewhat fa- 
 miliar. He began his manufacturing 
 career at the bench and familiarized 
 himself with the intricate workings of 
 
 the big factory by practical applica 
 tion. 
 
 He was made assistant superinten 
 dent on his own merits and only afte 
 he had proven his worth. Before h 
 was finally made the permanent su 
 perintendent in 1901 he acted in tha 
 capacity on several occasions duriii 
 the change of superintendents. Mi 
 Miller is known as one of the mos 
 practical young men in the factone 
 of Meriden. 
 
 In social life he is a prominent fig 
 ure. He is a member of the Hoin 
 Club and a thirty-second degree men 
 ber of the Masonic fraternity. He is 
 past master of Meridian Lodge, ']'], \ 
 & A. M., and was eminent commaiu' 
 er of St. Elmo Commandery, Knight 
 Templar, of Meriden, in 1902. He i 
 unmarried and resides at the Edwaii 
 iMiller homestead. 
 
 THE WILCOX & \\'HITE CO. 
 
 This concern which is recognizoi 
 as leading the world in its line, am 
 from whose factory emanated the fir.'^s 
 mechanical piano-player, and sevcra 
 years before that the first mechanica; 
 self-playing organ device, was organ 
 ized in 1877 as the Wilcox & Whiti 
 Organ Company, the capital stock 
 which was $30,000. 
 
 The founders of the business weri 
 the late Horace C. Wilcox, then ;: 
 well known silver plate manufacture 
 of Meriden, who furnished a portioi 
 of the capital, and H. K., James H. an( 
 the late E. H. and Howard White- 
 father and three sons, who came hen 
 
12 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 from Brattleboro, \'t., at Mr. Wilcox's 
 suggestion, to establish the business of 
 making parlor organs. 
 
 From the outset the company manu- 
 factured a high grade instrument and 
 before many years had elapsed the 
 name of the Wilcox & White organ 
 became a synonym for the best reed 
 instrument made in this country and 
 the output of the factory found a ready 
 sale, a large number of the organs 
 made being shipped to all parts of 
 the civilized world. 
 
 In 1888 the Symphony or pneumatic 
 self-playing organ, was invented and 
 put upon the market which added to 
 the already great triumphs the com- 
 pany had previously scored in the 
 musical world. 
 
 It was in 1897 when the Angelus, 
 the first device invented to attach to 
 a piano for its mechanical playing, 
 was conceived, that the company took 
 an advance stride in the lead of mus- 
 ical instrument manufacturers, never 
 to be overtaken by their followers. 
 The Angelus was invented after 
 many years of patient experiment by 
 Edward H. White, the superintendent 
 of the factory, and on account of the 
 original and fundamental patents be- 
 ing in the control of the company they 
 are in no possible danger of being 
 copied to any damaging extent by imi- 
 tators. 
 
 To the original patents, the keen in- 
 ventive genius of the Whites of three 
 generations have made additions to the 
 marvelous mechanism of the self-play- 
 ing piano player, until the music of 
 the Anofelus and the Angelus Pianos 
 
 cannot be detected from perfect pla 
 ing upon the keys by human hands. 
 
 Shortly after the Angelus made i 
 startling debut upon the market whe 
 it was most graciously received, tl 
 company increased its capital stot 
 from $75,000 to $150,000 and tl 
 name was changed from the Wile 
 & White Organ Company to the W 
 cox & White Company, Mr. James i 
 White continuing as the head of tl 
 concern. The factory which had bei 
 previously enlarged from time to tin 
 was again added to and a four-sto 
 structure 250 feet in length and J 
 feet wide was erected for the manufa 
 ture of the Angelus. The compa;j 
 have, therefore, more than doubled ti- 
 capacity of their factory within tl; 
 past few years and are turning out 
 the present writing a large number h 
 Angelus pianos and Angelus i 
 tachments a week. The output 
 the large factory which gives regul 
 and excellent employment to from 3( 
 to 400 men, finds not only a ready sa 
 in this country, but foreign countri 
 now make demands upon it for a ft 
 quarter of its production. 
 
 The Angelus attachment, which c 
 be applied to any piano without inte 
 fering in any way with human pla 
 ing, is made to match any piano ca: 
 and the family possessing one of the 
 marvelous mechanical players is inclec 
 fortunate ; for no more lasting ante 
 tainment can be conceived of for 1 
 cost which brings it within the reac 
 of any ordinary mortal. 
 
 The Angelus pianos, which are aiJ 
 made bv the Wilcox & White Con 
 
ACTIOX DKPARTMEXT. THE WILCOX ^ WilllK CO. 
 
 ^ tiDdirfv 
 
 I'OM.SHIXC, I)[:i'.\I<TMi:XT, Till-: \\||.(.,\ ,., ,. 
 
14 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 pany, can be played with or without 
 or in conjunction with the AngeKis 
 which it contains. This twentieth 
 century instrument not onl\' leads the 
 W'orld in beauty of finish, tone, and 
 careful construction, but promises to 
 continue to do so for an indefinite 
 period. It has dozens of imitators but 
 has such an advanced lead and is so 
 securely protected by iron clad patents 
 that it cannot be approached by other 
 manufacturers. 
 
 Every department of the great fac- 
 tory is conducted upon the most mod- 
 ern lines and every instrument ema- 
 nating therefrom is rigidly inspected 
 during the various stages of its con- 
 struction. 
 
 A well known writer in Harper's 
 magazine says of the White family 
 and the Angelus, as follows: 
 
 "Beneficent Nature has placed with- 
 in the soul of every human being the 
 love of music. In every thousand she 
 has picked a few for the richer dower 
 of the ability to produce it. Among 
 primitive people those mortals thus 
 favored have been set apart for spe- 
 cial honor, and even worshipped be- 
 cause of their godlike power of pro- 
 ducing melody that would stir even 
 the soul of a savage. 
 
 "If the power to produce music in 
 person be a great mark of genius, 
 what may be said of those who have 
 conceived and perfected the means by 
 which any one can produce it ! This 
 magnificent faculty. Avhich means so 
 mvich to every man or woman lacking 
 musical genius and. education, has 
 been conferred upon universal man- 
 
 kind by ]\Ir. H. K. White, his sons an 
 grandson, in the conception and pe 
 fection of the Angelus, by which evei 
 one, from the child of three years i 
 the musical artist, can play the piar 
 with perfect technique, and expressic 
 limited only by the power of the pla- 
 er to feel the music being played. 
 
 "The origin of all good inventioi 
 can be traced to the instinct and ten 
 perament of their inventors ; and tl 
 student of history finds in the Whi 
 family ample indications of music 
 genius. Mr. H. K. White, the fathe 
 was born in 1822 ; he taught singii 
 school at eighteen, led the choir, play 
 the violin and flute in church for mai 
 years. In 1849 ^^^ began manufactu 
 ing melodeons at New London, Con 
 His oldest son, ]\Ir. J. H. White, w; 
 from boyhood about his father's fa 
 tory, and at an early age began tl 
 study of constructing instruments ai 
 the tuning of organs and pianos. ¥ 
 sang in the church choir at twelv 
 played the organ in church at sevei 
 teen, and continued to do so for si 
 teen years thereafter. 
 
 "To ^Ir. E. H. Wliite, the secoi 
 son, since deceased, is given the cred 
 for the conception of the idea of pla; 
 ing the piano mechanically by nieai 
 of the music-roll, and the first succes 
 lul device for the work was construe 
 ed under his direction on the inside ( 
 a piano in 1895 ; from which time m 
 til the present the Angelus has bct| 
 ])laced on the inside of pianos. I' 
 1897 he had made under his siipe 
 vision, and patented by him, the uu 
 side or cabinet of a separate piaiH 
 
I'Ih I., l.y K. S. Godfrey. 
 
 CASI-; l<i M ] M , III I , \\ II. (IN .V \V 1 1 ITK C< ». 
 
i6 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 player, which is the present Angekis. 
 
 "A third son, Howard White, also 
 deceased, began tuning and construct- 
 ing organs at the age of sixteen, fol- 
 lowing the profession for about 
 eighteen years, assisting his father 
 and brothers in the development of 
 their instruments, the Symphony and 
 the Angelus. 
 
 "Mr. F. C. White represents the 
 third generation of this musical family. 
 He developed an unusual talent both in 
 music and mechanics at a very early 
 age, entering the employ of the com- 
 pany of which his father was and is 
 the president. The United States Pat- 
 ent office amply testifies to the various 
 inventions of his, which have added 
 the recent remarkable improvements 
 that have developed the Angelus to an 
 instrument of almost human qualities. 
 The piano-player conception was Mr. 
 White's. The first piano-player ever 
 built — the Angelus — was Mr. White's. 
 To-day, the only piano-player, with 
 powers of expression that a commit- 
 tee of musical critics failed to distin- 
 guish from hand playing, is the Ange- 
 lus invented and improved by three 
 generations of musical genius. To- 
 day the Angelus principle, for the fa- 
 cilitation of technique — taking the 
 place of fullest knowledge of notes 
 and keys — promises to become univer- 
 sally combined with the piano. 
 
 "Of course many of these instru- 
 ments are imitations of the Angelus, 
 and, like all imitations, have vital 
 shortcomings. 
 
 "The Angelus holds its position of 
 pre-eminence because it is an original 
 
 invention, whose inventors still live 
 father, son, grandson — all of unques 
 tioned musical genius, still addinj: 
 constantly to its powers, making i 
 more human in its possibilities, mor 
 artistic in its wonderful effects. Th 
 imitator wdio must ferret his wa ! 
 around patent laws, is naturally handi 
 capped, and his machine is merely mci 
 chanical. The Angelus alone give! 
 soul to the music. Dominant, livej 
 energetic, ambitious, capable geniui 
 makes the .Vngelus, to-day as ever, th 
 pre-eminent and incomparable piano 
 player." 
 
 Henry Kirk White, father an 
 grandfather of the family which no\{ 
 leads the world in the genius of in 
 venting and perfecting self-playinj 
 pianos, was born in Bolton, Conn., ii 
 1822. His antecedents came froii, 
 England and were among the occu 
 pants of the "William and ?^Iar\. 
 which ship landed off Nantasket 
 Mass., in 1630, and enabled its pas 
 sengers to escape from the then re 
 ligious persecutions of their nativ 
 country. 
 
 H. K. White spent his boyhood dav 
 on the home farm and obtained siicl 
 education as he could secure at th 
 district school in winter and readinj 
 instructive books at home. H 
 showed a love for music when a ho, 
 of tender years ; this developed as h 
 grew older into an unusual talent; 
 Long before the age of twenty h 
 -became a teacher in the singing schdo 
 and leader of choruses and was a ta 
 miliar figure in musical circle 
 throughout the state. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 17 
 
 In 1841, having learned scientific 
 tuning of pianos and organs he went 
 west and engaged in that calHng, 
 travehng somewhat extensively for 
 some four years. In 1845 ^^ located 
 in Colchester and in the employ of 
 
 factory being at New London, Conn. 
 In 1853 he moved the then modest 
 industry to Washington, N. J., where 
 he continued until the l)reaking out 
 of the Civil War, when like many oth- 
 ers he suspended business to await de- 
 
 MUSIC KUOM, 1III-: WIlAOX 
 
 W HITl-: CO. 
 
 )enis<:)n .Smith first began his career velopnunts. remaining in Philadelphia 
 
 1 the manufacture of musical instru- and vicinity until 1865. when he was 
 
 lents. Two years later through in- called to Brattleboro, \ i.. by the Estey 
 
 [Ustry, perseverance and strict econ- Organ Company to take charge of 
 
 uy he was enabled to engage in the their tuning and action department, 
 
 anufacture of melodeons, his first taking with him his family, and where 
 
 42 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 his sons also obtained positions where 
 they also rose rapidly. 
 
 It was in 1876 that Mr. White and 
 his sons succeeded in interesting Mer- 
 iden capital to such an extent that 
 with the co-operation of the late Hor- 
 ace C. Wilcox in 1877, the Wilcox & 
 Wliite Organ Company was organized. 
 The industry was welcomed by Meri- 
 den people, and has been a success 
 from the start and until recent years, 
 when he has earned a rest from the 
 cares of business, he was actively en- 
 gaged at the factory. 
 
 Not a little of the great success that 
 has been achieved by the company is 
 due to his genius and the encourage- 
 ment of his sons and his grandsons, 
 whose ambition to leave the world a 
 class of musical instruments that has 
 made the name famous, has been fully 
 realized. 
 
 Mr. White has served both the 
 town and city of Meriden in public 
 office. He has been a member of the 
 Board of Aldermen, being chosen to 
 represent the Fifth ward and in the 
 discharge of his duties as a member 
 of the city government he won th.e 
 gratitude of his constituents and the 
 city at large. For many years he was 
 re-elected a member of the school 
 committee and was the first chairman 
 of his district. The interest that Mr. 
 White has taken in the education of 
 the young in Meriden never failed to 
 be shown in his every act as a member 
 of the school board. 
 
 Mr. White has been twice married, 
 first to Lucy Cornwell, daughter of 
 WilHam and Julia (Roberts) Corn- 
 
 well, of Middletown, Conn., and af- 
 ter her death, which occurred Febru- 
 ary 18, 1867, to Mrs. Betsy Herrick, 
 daughter of Benjamin Stickney, of 
 Dummerston, Vt. By his first mar- 
 riage he had four children as follows: 
 James H., president and treasurer of 
 the Wilcox & White Company; Ed- 
 ward H. and Howard (both deceased), 
 and Julia Cornwell, now Mrs. Silas 
 Donovan, of Meriden. 
 
 Mr. White is a member of the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity' being a Knight Tem- 
 plar. 
 
 Not long since an octogenarian, and 
 although he has suffered a paralytic 
 shock, he is still clear of eye and keen 
 of infepllect, and distinguished from the 
 fact that he is probably the oldest liv- 
 ing manufacturer of musical instru- 
 ments in New England. 
 
 James Henry White, president and 
 treasurer of the Wilcox & White 
 Company and eldest son of H. K. 
 White, was born in Westfield, Conn., 
 September 26, 1847. He obtained his 
 education in Somerville, Washington 
 and Phillipsburg, N. J. When the 
 family moved to Philadelphia during 
 the Civil War he entered the famous 
 mercantile establishment of John 
 Wanamaker, where he embraced the 
 opportunity and obtained a thoroughly 
 practical business training. 
 
 When his father removed to Krat- 
 tleboro, Vt., however, and assumed 
 charge of the tuning and action de- 
 partment of the Estey Organ Com- 
 pany, young White rapidly adapted 
 himself to the work of assisting his 
 father in the tuning of the instruments. 
 
20 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 By close application to his work and 
 a studious performance of his duties 
 and with his father's guidance, he 
 advanced rapidly and in a few years 
 obtained a position fully as responsi- 
 ble and important as that held by his 
 father. 
 
 After remaining in Brattleboro for 
 a period of thirteen yeears, his ability 
 together with that of his father and 
 brothers, was recognized by the late 
 H. C. Wilcox to such an extent that 
 he was induced to come to Meriden 
 and in the formation of the present 
 company of which for so many years 
 he has been the practical head, he 
 took the leading part. 
 
 The history of the company is but 
 a creditable reflection upon his able 
 management for in past adversity and 
 later successes he has been the same 
 able financier, kind employer and val- 
 ued citizen. Although a man upon 
 whom his business has made urgent 
 calls, he has never shirked his duty to 
 his fellow citizens in matters where 
 public interest and local pride were 
 concerned. He has represented the 
 Fifth ward in the cit}' council but 
 has never sought nor accepted any 
 other public office. He is on the 
 board of directors of the Home Na- 
 tional Bank, one of the trustees of the 
 First Congregational Church and a 
 prominent member of the Home Club 
 of Meriden. 
 
 He was married December i, 1868, 
 to Kate, daughter of Samuel T. R. and 
 Alartha (Brown) Cheney, of Brattle- 
 boro, Vt., and they have three chil- 
 dren : Frank Cornwell, one of the of- 
 
 ficers of the Wilcox & White Com- 
 pan)', and who has invented many val- 
 uable improvements to the Angelus ; 
 Grace Louise and Florence May (Mrs. 
 Harry Smith). During the prepara- 
 tion for the Centennial celebration by 
 the citizens of Meriden Mr. White 
 has taken a most important part, be- 
 ing a member of the general commit- 
 tee and chairman of the committee on 
 finance. 
 
 The late Edward H. White, from 
 the first inception of the industry 
 to the time of his death, with his fath- 
 er and broth.ers in the Wilcox & White 
 Company, was born in Washington, X. 
 J., on April 5, 1855. His early busi- 
 ness training and his experience in 
 the manufacture of musical instru- 
 ments were at the works of the Estey 
 Organ Company, at Brattleboro, Yt. 
 When the Wilcox & White Company 
 began the manufacture of organs he 
 supervised from the beginning the tun- 
 ing and voicing of the instruments. 
 His name will ever be famous in his- 
 tory from the fact that he conceived 
 the idea of a practical device for play- 
 ing the piano mechanically by means 
 of music rolls \yhich invention was 
 first produced by -the Wilcox & White 
 Company in 1895 and which was the 
 original Angelus but since largely im- 
 proved upon by the compan\' and 
 which leads the world in its class. 
 
 Mr. White's original invention cre- 
 ated a marvelous sensation in the mu- 
 sical world immediately ; and it is now 
 used in every country on the globe 
 and although some time after other 
 inventions for the same purpose were 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 21 
 
 reated by imitators, the patent taken 
 uut by Air. White and the company 
 in which he was interested have pro- 
 tected the Angelus from the damaging 
 infringement of others. 
 
 During the Hfetime of Mr. White 
 he served as secretary and superinten- 
 dent of the Wilcox & White Company 
 from its re-organization. He w'as a 
 man possessed of a very lovable dis- 
 position and was kind and considerate 
 to his fellow men and exceedingly de- 
 voted to his family. 
 
 When very young he was married 
 to Alary Carter, a daughter of the 
 late I'ela Carter, and upon his 
 death left besides his widow. 
 one son. Allan White, a prom- 
 ising young man of somewhat deli- 
 cate health. His widow' resides at the 
 corner of Britannia and Griswoid 
 streets. Meriden. and is much beloved 
 in the community. Her simple life is 
 spent in a great measure carrying oiit 
 the same charitable benevolence that 
 characterized their daily life before 
 the death of her husband. 
 
 Howard White, who until his death 
 on December 9, 1897, was superinten- 
 dent of the Wilcox & White Com- 
 pany, was born in Somerville, X. J.. 
 Sei^teniber 9, 1856. He was the 
 youngest son" of H. K. White and was 
 posses.sed of much mechanical genius 
 and musical talent, both of which he 
 inherited from his father. Like his 
 brotlier. J. H. White, he obtained his 
 first insight in the manufacturing of 
 nnisical instruments at the works of 
 the Estey Organ Company, in lirat- 
 tleboro, \'t.. previously from sixteen 
 
 to eighteen years of age, having as- 
 sisted his father in tuning pianos in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 From the organization of the Wil- 
 cox & White Company up to the time 
 of his regretted decease, he took a 
 most important part in the growth and 
 development of the concern. During 
 his life his fertile brain did its full ])art 
 toward making inventions and im- 
 provements to the Symphony and An- 
 gelus and his watchful eye was ever 
 on the alert in keeping the different 
 departments of the large industry up 
 to the highest standard. He was not 
 only one of the best know^n manufac- 
 turers in Aleriden but a valued citizen 
 whose death caused a great loss to the 
 commimity. He was a social favor- 
 ite and a member of the Home Club 
 of Aleriden and w'as generous to a 
 fault in alleviating the deserving cases 
 of necessity among his fellow' men. 
 He was married in 1880 to Flora A., 
 daughter of Russell J. Ives, of Meri- 
 den. Upon Mr. White's decease he 
 left a widow and two boys, Russell 
 Ives and Stanley \\'hite. who reside in 
 Alcriden. 
 
 Frank C. White, son of J. H. White 
 and grandson of H. K. WHiite. was 
 born on October 28, 1870. obtained 
 a good school education, entered the 
 employ of the Wilcox & White Com- 
 ])an\- in 18S7. and has from early 
 l)c)\hoo(l been of a very inventive and 
 mechanical turn of mind ; his whole 
 time is now devoted to the ex])eri- 
 mental department ; has produced and 
 ]iatented numerous ingenious devices 
 for the still furtluT ini])rovenient of 
 
22 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the instruments manufactured by The 
 Wilcox & White Company, which 
 stand foremost in the musical world. 
 He is also a director of the company. 
 Robert W. Carter, secretary of the 
 Wilcox & White Company, and one 
 
 ROBERT W. CARTER. 
 
 of the Board of Police Commissioners 
 of Meriden, is a son of the late Bela 
 Carter. He was born in Meriden Au- 
 gust 29, 1 87 1, and graduated from 
 the Meriden High school in 1888. Af- 
 ter associating himself with his fath- 
 er's business for a few years, he en- 
 tered the office of the Meriden Bri- 
 tannia Company where he remained 
 for five years in the invoicing depart- 
 ment. He afterwards efficiently filled 
 the position of cashier in the office of 
 W. J. Kingsland in New York City, 
 an extensive manufacturers' export 
 agent. 
 
 In 1900 he succeeded his brother- 
 in-law, the late Edward H. Whits, 
 as secretary of the Wilcox & White 
 
 Company, in which large concern he 
 is also one of the directors. He is a 
 Republican in politics and at the age 
 of twenty-four was elected a member 
 of the Common Council from the Sec- 
 ond ward. In 1905 he was appointed 
 a member of the Board of Police Com- 
 missioners by Mayor Seeley. He is 
 prominent in social life, being a mem- 
 ber of the Home Club, the Meriden 
 Golf Club and the Colonial Club of 
 Meriden. He is also a member of Al- 
 fred H. Hall Council, Royal Arcanum. 
 Fred E. Bemis, who since 1899, ^'^^^ 
 been superintendent of the Wilcox & 
 
 FRED E. BEMIS. 
 
 White Company, was born in Coston 
 February 6, 1863, a son of Orlando 
 and Frances (Cheney) Bemis. His 
 father is engaged in the meat business 
 in Oakland. California. He traces his 
 
MAXUFACTOKIES. 
 
 23 
 
 ancestry on the maternal side back to 
 the Revokitionary War period when 
 his g^reat-grandfather was a soldier in 
 the Continental army. 
 
 Mr. Bemis was educated in Brattle- 
 boro. \'t., and Oakland, Cal., and has 
 been connected with the Wilcox & 
 White Company ever since its organ- 
 ization. He attained the ofifice.of su- 
 perintendent entirely on his own mer- 
 its and his almost vmlimited capacity 
 for work coupled with his great ex- 
 ecutive ability make him a most valua- 
 ble officer of the company. 
 
 He is a member of Meridian Lodge, 
 F. and A, M., Keystone Chapter, and 
 Hamilton Council, R. & S. M., Alfred 
 H. Hall Council, Royal Arcanum. He 
 married Miss Bertha S. Carter, daugh- 
 ter of the late Bela Carter, and they 
 have two sons, Leslie Carter Bemis 
 and Robert Chenev Bemis. 
 
 MERIDEX CUTLERY CO. 
 
 Among the many business enter- 
 prises that unite to give to Meriden a 
 world-wide reputation as a manufac- 
 turing center, one of the oldest and 
 most prosperous is the Meriden Cut- 
 lery Company. Although not one of 
 the largest concerns in the city, this 
 company, through the able and con- 
 servative management of its officers, 
 has been enabled to sustain, during the 
 seventy-three years of its existence, a 
 reputation for offering to the public 
 the very best that can possibly be pro- 
 duced in its line of goods. 
 
 In 1832 David Ropes commenced 
 he manufacture of table cutlcrv at 
 
 Saccarappa, Maine, and was the first 
 to attempt the production of this class 
 of goods in America. As he pur- 
 chased his ivory handles of Julius 
 Pratt & Co., who made ivory combs in 
 Meriden, in 1846, he came to South 
 Meriden to manufacture cutlery, there 
 being an excellent water privilege 
 there which is still the only motive 
 power, and a company was formed 
 called Pratt, Ropes, Webb & Com- 
 pany. In 1855 the company was in- 
 corporated under the name of Meriden 
 Cutlery Company, which name it has 
 ever since borne. Julius Pratt was 
 the first president, and J. B. Beadle, 
 secretary and treasurer ; Mr. Beadle 
 was later made general manager which 
 office he held at the time of his death 
 in 1877; while Randolph Linslcy was 
 traveling salesman. The capital was 
 at first $75,000, which has been in- 
 creased to $400,000. 
 
 In 1878 the offices of the company, 
 which had been situated in New York, 
 were moved to Meriden. In 1879 
 came a change in the list of officers, 
 Aaron L. Collins being chosen presi- 
 dent. Homer A. Curtiss secretary, and 
 George M. Howell, treasurer. 
 
 The early sixties were especially 
 prosperous for the company, a patent 
 on a hard rubber handle giving them 
 a very large trade in that particular 
 liiie of goods. Through wise and 
 conservative management. Mr. Collins 
 kept the concern on a firm basis as 
 long as he lived. At his death, which 
 occurred in 1903 Homer A. Curtiss 
 was chosen president. The present 
 officers are as follows : President and 
 

.MAXL'I-ACIOKIKS. 
 
 25 
 
 Treasurer. Homer A. Curtiss ; Secre- 
 tary, Thomas A. Benham ; Assistant 
 Treasurer, J. P. Grosvenor ; Superin- 
 tendent, R. \V. Hallam ; Directors, 
 Walter Hubbard, John L. Ilillard, C. 
 L. Rockwell. A. Chamberlain, F. 11. 
 Wilcox, j. M. Gildersleeve, R. W. 
 Hallam, B. W. Collins and II. A. 
 ( Airtiss. 
 
 When the company was first start- 
 ed, the production was limited to 
 
 IIDMKK A. CURTISS. 
 
 ivory-handled knives and forks, but 
 the line has gradually increased until 
 It has embraced everythini,'- that would 
 naturally come imder the head of ta- 
 l)Ie cutlery. These include table 
 knives and forks, carvino^ sets, butcher. 
 bread, cook's, kitchen an<l shoe knivis. 
 pntty knives, spatulas, cork .screws. 
 pie knives, orange knives, berrv 
 
 sjioons, orange spoons, cream ladles, 
 sugar shells, oyster forks, pickle forks, 
 cheese scoops, etc.. their specialt\ be- 
 ing the fanicnis Anvil brand carvers. 
 For the handles of these various ar- 
 ticles the ends of the earth have been 
 recjuired to yield their bounty. The 
 dei>ths of the mines give forth their 
 ore for steel and silver; the moun- 
 tain heights their stag horn ; the bot- 
 tom of the Indian Ocean its pearl ; 
 Madagascar its ebony ; the African 
 jungle its ivory ; the South Ameican 
 forest its rubber and cocobola wood. 
 All this material, collected as it is, 
 from every corner of the globe, the 
 Aleriden Cutlery Company gives back 
 to the world a finished product, the 
 ijuality and workmanship of which 
 cannot be surpassed either in this or 
 foreign countries. 
 
 THE C. F. MONROE COM PAX Y. 
 
 A concern which for some years 
 has added much fame to Meriden as 
 a manufacturing center and which 
 within recent years has experienced 
 a most remarkable growth is the C. 
 F. Monroe Company. The business 
 was established by Charles F. 
 
 Monroe in 1886. and has been carried 
 on by him with remarkable success. 
 The history of the business, therefore, 
 for the past twenty years, is a history 
 of its president and treasurer: for by 
 his own indefatigable energy and ex- 
 ercise of talent C()U|)led with an ex- 
 hibition of rare executive ability lias 
 the success ot the now large factorv 
 been attained. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 27 
 
 Mr. Monroe is a native of Provi- 
 ikncf. R. 1.. where he obtained his 
 early education. When the old Flint 
 Glass Company was started in Meriden 
 l)v the late Horace C. Wilcox, 
 Mr. Monroe was engaged as a design- 
 er by that company. After giving the 
 glass company the benefit of his much 
 appreciated services for some years, 
 he went to Europe. Upon his return 
 
 the manufacture of decorated glass 
 ware, his first location being on the 
 second floor of the Carter building 
 which adjoined the works of the Mer- 
 iden Britannia Company, on State 
 street, and where he soon made his 
 name famous in the manufacturing 
 world by putting upon the market a 
 line of decorated goods, most origi- 
 nal and attractive, known as "Wave 
 
 ()FI-"UK, C. F. MOXROF CO.Ml'ANA 
 
 from abroad Mr. Monroe opened an 
 art store, the location of which was 
 in the Guy building. In addition to 
 conducting that commendable business 
 ie was called upon to do designing by 
 nitside parties. The demands made 
 ipon him finally became so great that 
 t the end of three or four years he 
 'Pened a factory of his own and began 
 
 Crest" ware. These goods have ever 
 since been eagerly sought for by buy- 
 ers in all parts of the United States. 
 Upon the advice of H. C. Wilcox, 
 in whom he had a most valued friend, 
 Mr. Monroe erected a building on the 
 present site which comprised a two 
 and a half story wooden structure 30 
 bv 62 feet in dimensions. 
 
28 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 In 1 89 1 a building three stories in 
 height, 62 by 32 feet, was added to the 
 factory ; and the same year the roof 
 of the original building was raised 
 another story, making more than 
 double the original capacity for the 
 busy industry. 
 
 moved to a position nearer Mail 
 street, making a building 125 feel 
 long, the whole of which was raisec 
 to five stories in height on the olc 
 foundations. At this time anothei 
 but entirely new building 125 by 3c 
 feet, of three stories, was erected or 
 
 CHARLES 
 
 MONROE. 
 
 In 1900 Mr. Monroe purchased the 
 land next the factory extending as 
 far as Main street, which he caused 
 to be filled in by his concern at a great 
 expense. Again the factory was still 
 further and more noticeably enlarged. 
 The old buildings were separated and 
 
 an angle with the main building. The^ 
 factory has recently become possessed, 
 of an entirely new power plant, with 
 its imposing and stately chimney, 
 which was completed in July, ip^S-: 
 After the old power house was torn 
 out the plant was equipped with a 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 29 
 
 large enough engine and boiler and 
 also a generator of sufficient voltage 
 capacity to supply the entire factory 
 not only with electric lights but with 
 motor power for all the different de- 
 partments. 
 
 It was but a few years after Mr, 
 Monroe removed to the present loca- 
 tion that glass cutting was added to 
 his output of decorated goods. 
 
 A short time after the addition of 
 the cut glass department came that 
 of metal goods. The latest de- 
 parture of the Monroe Company is the 
 sterling silver department which turns 
 out ware unsurpassed either in design 
 or make in this country or Europe. 
 
 The factory of the C. F. Monroe 
 Company gives, employment to 200 
 hands, many of whom are accomp- 
 lished artists, engravers and design- 
 ers — necessarily a class of workmen 
 who call for a large w^eekly pay-roll 
 on the part of the company. The fac- 
 tory adds more than a little to the 
 prosperity of ]\Ieriden and is not only 
 healthfully located, but has been im- 
 proved to such an extent, both in its 
 artistic interior and attractive grounds, 
 that it is known to the trade as one 
 
 ' the best and neatest kept manu- 
 
 ■rturing plants in all New England. 
 
 > office and show rooms are fitted 
 u|) artistically and the goods dis- 
 played arc of such excellence of 
 [mechanism and beauty of pattern that 
 the place furnishes a most interesting 
 ight for visitors to frequent. Tn fact, 
 ven the people of Meriden and vicin- 
 ty are attracted there frequently and 
 enii t<i take a pardonable pride in 
 
 showing their friends the dainty arti- 
 cles made there which are so suitable 
 for wedding and other gifts. 
 
 Both the show rooms and offices are 
 more than ordinarily attractive and 
 they have been fitted up and arranged 
 by Mr. Monroe's artistic eye. 
 
 Mr. Monroe conducted the business 
 alone until 1892 when, on account of 
 the large increase of business, he found 
 it necessary to form a corporation re- 
 taining a large portion of the stock 
 himself and continuing as the active 
 head and holding the offices of both 
 president and treasurer to the present 
 w'riting. The company is capitalized 
 at $40,000 and the value of the plant 
 represents to-day an investment of 
 over $200,000. 
 
 Mr. Monroe is a member of 
 the Board of Trade and of the 
 general committee of the Meriden 
 Centennial celebration. He is si- 
 lently interested in several other en- 
 terprises besides the concern which 
 bears his name. His eft'orts in the for- 
 mation of the ?Iome Club resulted in 
 securing the present club house ; and 
 in raising the funds for which he as- 
 sumed the burden of a great responsi- 
 bility. Mr. Monroe has been presi- 
 dent of the Home Club, of which he 
 is a most valued member ; and he is 
 prominent in both social and yachting 
 circles. 
 
 He is a member of the Sons of the 
 American Revolution and was one of 
 the founders of the New T.edford 
 Yacht Club, of which he now holds 
 the distinction of being one of the 
 three honorary members. He is also 
 
30 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 a member of the New York Yacht 
 Ck:b and an ex-commodore of the 
 Peqnot Yacht Ckib of New Haven. 
 Until recently Mr. Monroe owned and 
 sailed the "Sylph," one of the finest 
 schooner vachts on the Atlantic coast. 
 
 THE E. A. BLISS COMPANY. 
 
 Meriden. at the close of its first 
 century, is possessed of many manu- 
 factories in which it takes pardonable 
 pride ; and among its many thriving 
 concerns is the E. A. Bliss Company. 
 This company has experienced re- 
 markable growth and its output, com- 
 prising novelties for personal adorn- 
 ment made in nickel, silver, gold and 
 silver plate, combined with enamel, 
 leather and comb-making material, is 
 of a character particularly creditable 
 to Meriden and the progress of hu- 
 man handiwork of the present ad- 
 vanced age. 
 
 The company, known as the "Tif- 
 fany" of the plated novelty trade, has 
 justly and fairly earned that sobri- 
 quet ; for it leads the whole United 
 States in its line — a position which 
 the E. A. Bliss Company has long 
 since been most happily accorded. 
 
 The company began business in 
 North Attleboro in 1875 ^"d after 
 fifteen years of unabated success were 
 obliged to seek larger quarters for 
 the manufacture of their goods ; and, 
 fortunately for Meriden, found a fac- 
 tory here well suited to their needs 
 and which they occupied in July, 1890. 
 To this several enlargements have 
 been made from time to time, the 
 
 most important of which was in 1903 
 when sixty-five feet were added to the 
 three-story brick structure, making the 
 main factory building 200 feet in 
 length. In 1905 the basement was 
 excavated the whole length of the fac- 
 tory, giving still more space. The en- 
 tire building is now being utilized to 
 its fullest extent and the plant is ad- 
 mirably lighted and equipped with 
 every modern improvement ; and the 
 machinery, the latest and most practi- 
 cal, comprises several labor-saving de- 
 vices gotten up and adopted by the 
 concern for their sole use. 
 
 By continuously keeping up the 
 quality of their goods to the highest 
 possible standard, for the company 
 cater only to the highest class of 
 trade, the business has grown rapidly 
 and with such strides that at this 
 writing it has reached large propor- 
 tions, being the largest of its kind in 
 the Union, its fame extending to every 
 state from Maine to California. Em- 
 ployment is furnished to 300 hands, 
 many of whom are required to be not 
 merely skilled, but talented artisans. 
 
 The interior of the large and brsy 
 factory is a model of neatness and the 
 working hours of the employees are 
 occupied amid healthy, clean and 
 cheerful surroundings ; so with fair 
 and even liberal treatment from the 
 concern it is that the best results arc 
 obtained. 
 
 There is no part of the large fac- 
 tory but is blessed with an abundance 
 of daylight; and the plant is lighted 
 when necessary with its own incandes- 
 cent electric lighting plant, the equip- 
 
z^ 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ment having in 1904 been increased 
 by the addition of a generator of no 
 volts capacity. The engine room fur- 
 nishes 80 horse-power steam for the 
 machinerv. 
 
 E. A. BLISS. 
 
 The product of the E. A. Bhss 
 Company is of such variety and ele- 
 gance that it almost beggars descrip- 
 tion. The almost bewildering array 
 of small articles, to which some new 
 creation is being added almost daily, 
 is such as to commend the goods of 
 this concern to the wide awake depart- 
 ment store and jewelry buyer. 
 
 In 1 90 1 the company began the 
 manufacture of shell combs for mod- 
 ish hair dressing, and in this at 
 once sprung into the lead in the trade. 
 
 In the decoration of these shell combs, 
 plated-ware adorned with imitations 
 of all the precious stones of the world, 
 are brought into use, and with most 
 pleasing effects. 
 
 Perhaps the most notable of their 
 latest departures and that which has 
 brought them more fame than any 
 other line of their vast product, is the 
 success they have achieved in the pro- 
 duction of leather novelties. There 
 are the crush leather belts and girdles 
 of mocha and kid, kept in shape, fas- 
 tened and adorned with marvellously 
 
 BLISS. 
 
 elaborate buckles. Among the other 
 specimens of leather novelties made 
 by this concern are chatelaines of dif- 
 ferent kinds of leather and great va- 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 33 
 
 rietv of design, each style comprising 
 all in one cluster, money purse, mir- 
 ror, writing tablet with pencil at- 
 tached, bon bon holder, vinaigrette, 
 h\) salve and powder box. These 
 are also made in nickel silver. 
 
 Then there are vanity cases and oth- 
 er novelties too numerous to mention 
 that are ornamented and beautified in 
 the extreme by hand engravers who 
 
 c. !•:. puLSiiv. 
 
 ire necessarily em])loyed in large nrni- 
 
 'crs and who bring art into their 
 
 'i'k. l-'rom the fact that new 
 
 ■velticsare constantly being added 
 
 ' the product of the factory it may 
 
 said that the catalogues of this 
 
 'inpany show more change every 
 
 ar than those of any other factory 
 
 4.^ 
 
 in Meriilen; and in thus keepin^' in 
 the lead in the trade the E. A. Bliss 
 Company has earned the laurels it 
 gracefully wears. Everything made 
 at the factory calls for the highest 
 skill of experienced hands ; and the en- 
 tire product is from the raw material. 
 The different departments of the fac- 
 tory are perfect in their arrangements ; 
 and the plant is fitted for producing 
 readily any article in the novelty line 
 which the trade demands. Several 
 traveling salesmen represent the E. 
 A. Bliss Co. and call regularl\- upon 
 the trade throughout the country. 
 The show rooms are in the Lincoln 
 Building, Union Square, New York 
 City. The company is capitalized at 
 $50,000, but its factory is valued far 
 in excess of that amount. Its officers 
 are men well known to the trade. E. 
 A. Bliss, originally of New York state 
 and formerly a resident of Meriden, 
 but now of Jersey City, is the presi- 
 dent. He is a typical New England 
 manufacturer and makes trips abroad 
 every year in interest of the busi- 
 ress. He has ever possessed the 
 faculty of foreseeing the advance. 
 wants of the market ; and his taste in 
 the choice of designs and ideas for 
 the trade have been most important 
 factors in the success of the concern 
 of which he is the able head. 
 
 The New York headquarters, from 
 which the output is handled, is in 
 charge of W. E. Bliss, vice-president 
 of the company. 
 
 The secretary and treasurer, C. E. 
 Polsey, is a native of Pawtucket, R. 
 T., and has been associated with the 
 
SECTION OF THE E. A. BLISS FACTORY. 
 
 SECTION OF THE E. A. BLISS FACTORY. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 35 
 
 concern from the Ixt^innini^-. He is a 
 valued resident of ^[criden and. lil.o 
 till' other members of the concern, has 
 shown an active interest in the growth 
 and prosperity of the community. 
 
 'Idle superintendent of the factor}- 
 is M. H. Brown, wdio for seventeen 
 vears has been a resident of Meriden. 
 
 IXTERXATI(3NAL SILVER CO. 
 
 The International Silver Company 
 was organized under the laws of the 
 state of Xew Jersey on November ly, 
 1898. with an authorized capital of 
 Si 1,000.000 common, and $9,000,000 
 ])referred stock, only a part of which 
 was issued. The company imme- 
 diately bought the total capital stock 
 of the following companies from the 
 various stockholders : 
 
 The Barbour Silver Co., Hartford ; 
 Holmes & Edwards Silver Co., Bridge- 
 port ; ^Manhattan Silver Plate Co., 
 Lyons, N. Y. ; ]\Ieriden Britannia Co., 
 Meriden ; Meriden Silver Plate Co., 
 Meriden ; Xorwich Cutlery Co., Nor- 
 wich ; Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co., Hart- 
 ford ; Rogers Cutlery Co., Hartford ; 
 Rogers & Bro., Waterbury ; Rogers 
 &: Hamilton Co., AX'aterbury ; Wilcox 
 Silver Plate Co., Meriden ; Watrous 
 Mfg. Co.. Wallingford, and Standard 
 Silver Co., Ltd., Toronto, Ont. 
 
 During the first six months of 1899 
 the following companies were also 
 |l>urchascd : 
 
 Derby Silver Co., Derby; Simpson, 
 iHall. Miller & Co., Wallingford: 
 Sini])son Xickel Co.. Wallingford. and 
 
 Middletown I 'late Co., Middletown. 
 
 During the same _\ear these differ- 
 ent companies were merged in the 
 International Silver Company and 
 ceased to exist as independent corpo- 
 rations, and the headquarters of the 
 consolidated industry was established 
 in wdiat had been the office of Meri- 
 den., Br.itajinia XLo.,_ on _State street, 
 Meriden, although the building w^as 
 considerably enlarged by the addi- 
 tion of two stories. 
 
 A'arious changes were made in the 
 scheme of manufacturing, all of 
 which were to the advantage of 'Sler- 
 iden. 
 
 The production of goods bearing 
 the trade mark of [Meriden Silver 
 Plate Company was removed to the 
 factory of the Meriden Britannia Co. 
 and the plant of the Barbour Silver 
 Co. was moved from Hartford and 
 installed in the factory made vacant 
 by the previous change. 
 
 In January, 1903, the total capital 
 stock of Ignited States Silver Coipo- 
 ration was acquired which gave the 
 company indirectly the ownership of 
 C. Rogers & Bros., of Meriden, Conn. 
 The business of this latter company 
 was now replaced by that of W m. 
 Rogers Mfg. Co. and Rogers Cut- 
 lerv Comi)any of Hartford, which 
 were removed from Hartford and are 
 now installed in the factory on lUitler 
 street. With the exception of the 
 Hartford factories mentioned and one- 
 in Middletown, one in Lyons, X. V., 
 and the Rogers & Hamilton factory 
 in Waterbury all the various ])lants 
 acfiuircd bv the International Silver 
 
36 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 Co. are in full operation to-day. The 
 officers of the company are: 
 
 Samuel Dodd, president ; George 
 H. Wilcox, first vice-president ; 
 George C. Edwards, second vice-pres- 
 ident ; Charles A. Hamilton, third vice- 
 president ; George M. Curtis, treas- 
 urer; George Rockwell, secretary. 
 
 never actively connected with the com- 
 l)any and resigned the office in July, 
 1900. 
 
 The directors of the company are 
 Samuel Dodd, George H. Wilcox, 
 George C. Edwards, Charles A. Ham- 
 ilton, George M. Curtis, George 
 Rockwell, C. H. Tibbits, Samuel L. 
 
 H. C. Wilcox. I. C. Lewis. Geo. R. Curti.s. D. C. Wilcox. 
 
 John Munsoii. L. J. Curtis. Samuel Simpson. W. W. Lyman. W. H. Johnson. 
 
 FOUNDERS OF THE MERIDEN BRITANNIA CO. 
 From a photo taken about 1852. 
 
 These officers with one exception Barbour, C. E. Breckenridge, C. Har- 
 are the same as were elected at the ry Peets, Fred P. Wilcox, Andrew- 
 organization of the company. The Andrews and Watson J. Miller, 
 late General Samuel Thomas, of New A brief sketch of this line of man- 
 York, was elected treasurer when the ufacture in Meriden previous to the 
 company was organized, but was formation of any of these companies, 
 
 jA 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 ^7 
 
 follows, together with a shoit history 
 of Mericlen Britannia Co., Wilcox Sil- 
 ver Plate Co., jMeriden Silver Plate Co. 
 and C. Rogers & Bros., of INIeriden. 
 
 MANUFACTURE OF BRITANNIA WARE 
 
 PREVIOUS TO THE FORMATION OF 
 
 MERIDEN BRITANNIA CO.. 1852. 
 
 The manufacture of britannia ware 
 is one of the oldest industries in this 
 
 with Mr. Boardman, who settled iri 
 Pladdam, and Charles and Hiram 
 Yale, who located in ^^"allingford. 
 Mr. Griswold built the house, 50 Gris- 
 wold street, now occupied by Mrs. 
 Charles Collins. His shop stood 
 south of the house, separated from it 
 by a garden. As there is no stream at 
 this point, he must have used, at the 
 start, either hand or horse power. 
 
 H. Wilcox, Vice-President. Samuel Dodd, President. Geo. M. Curtis, Treasurer. 
 
 OFFICERS OF THE IXTERNATION AE SII.NFR CO. 
 
 country, records showing that this 
 
 ware was made in Boston during the 
 
 latter half of the seventeenth century. 
 
 phe business was begun in this town 
 
 tibout the year 1808, by Ashabel 
 
 rriswold, or Squire Griswold, as he 
 
 as familiarly known. He had 
 
 arncd the trade of Captain Danforth 
 
 f Rocky Hill, this state, together 
 
 Here for a number of years he made 
 britannia pots and tea and table- 
 spoons. The pots were cast in two 
 parts and then soldered together and 
 the spouts and handles added in the 
 same wa}'. The pots, after soldering, 
 were placed on a lathe and turned and 
 polished, and a very good finish was 
 s^iven to the articles. It was not un- 
 
38 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 til about the time the Meriden Bri- 
 tannia Co. was formed that pots, 
 plates and cups were made by rolling 
 the metal and then pressing it into 
 shape by means of dies or forms. 
 The articles formed by casting were 
 susceptible of a high polish and pre- 
 sented quite an attractive appearance 
 if properly cared for by the purchas- 
 
 oftentimes, when poorly combined, at 
 a low temperature, the effect of a han- 
 dle or spout dropping off when in use 
 at the table may be more easily imag- 
 ined than described. A better com- 
 position was afterwards employed, 
 made of tin, antimony and copper, 
 which was much harder and retained 
 a more pronounced luster. The out- 
 
 v 
 
 MERIDEX BRITANNIA CO.. IN 1 863 
 
 er. Table and tea spoons were cast 
 and then scraped and burnished bv 
 hand if for table use, or sold rough 
 for cooking purposes. The metal 
 first used appears to have been a com- 
 pound of tin and lead, or practically 
 pewter, and would easily dent, and 
 as the solder used was composed of 
 lead and bismuth, which would melt 
 
 put of such a factory as that of Mr. 
 Griswold could not have been large. 
 In 1830 he employed not more than 
 ten or twelve men, and in examining 
 his sales book at that time it is found 
 that the total sales of one month did 
 not exceed $2,500. The power used 
 was furnished by an old blind horse 
 traveling around a beam which com- 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 39 
 
 nnmicated with the floor above. 
 Among the articles disposed of by him 
 were such as cloth of different knids, 
 glass tumblers, stockings,, whips and 
 varus. These goods were undoubt- 
 edlv taken by Mr. Griswold in ex- 
 change for his wares. His merchan- 
 dise was sold mainly by peddlers, who 
 
 and undoubtedly the exchange was a 
 profitable one for the peddler. Bar- 
 ter was the usual method of dealing, 
 and as one of the early manufactur- 
 ers expressed it recently, "Money was 
 a mighty scarce article." As there 
 were no railroads until 1838 if any 
 shipments were made direct to pur- 
 
 FACTOKV A, INTFRXATIOXAL SILVER CO. (MERIDEX SILVER I'LATI- CO.) 
 
 penetrated to all parts of New Eng- 
 lland and frequently journeyed South. 
 \\'e learn of one such itinerant wlnj 
 ireturned with nothing but goose 
 Ifeathers in exchange for the wares 
 lie had taken out ; but feathers were 
 I valuable commodit\- in those davs 
 
 chasers at a distance, it was neces- 
 sarv to cart them to Middletown or 
 Xew flavcn and ship by boat. Tin 
 was brought in the same way, and in 
 the account book in question, mention 
 is made of ])urchases of Spanish and 
 India tin. 'i'he price paid was usually 
 
40 
 
 A CENTURY OF MEPvIDEN. 
 
 about seventeen cents per pound, the 
 price to-day being about twenty-nine 
 cents. The India tin was undoubted- 
 ly the same as that used in Meriden 
 to-day, now called Straits of ^lalacca 
 tin. Where the Spanish tin was 
 mined cannot be learned, as only min- 
 or deposits of that metal occur in 
 Spain and it has never been mined 
 to any extent in that country. In 
 1837 there were also engaged in the 
 same business James A. Frary, who 
 afterwards had as partners a Mr. 
 Couch and a Mr. Benham. Mr. Fra- 
 ry's factory stood about where the 
 Malleable Iron shop is to-day located. 
 I. C. Lewis was located in East Mer- 
 iden, or Bangall, and had as partners, 
 at different times, George Cowles and 
 L. J. Curtis. He used water power, 
 and at last steam power. Edwin E. 
 Curtis was engaged in making spoons, 
 and his factory stood near his house, 
 112 Curtis street, and at one time he 
 had as a partner his brother, L. J. 
 Curtis. Enos Curtis was also in the 
 business and his factory was located 
 in the north part of the town on what 
 is now Britannia street. In 1837 
 Barber's , Historical Collections for 
 Connecticut, mentions, as engaged in 
 the business in Meriden, four manu- 
 facturing britannia ware and three 
 britannia, or block tin, spoons. Most 
 of the manufacturers learned the 
 trade in Wallingford where the Yales 
 were actively engaged in the business. 
 Isaac C. Lewis served his appren- 
 ticeship with the Yales and returned 
 to Meriden soon after 1838 and went 
 to work for Partrick Lewis, his broth- 
 
 er, who had a shop back of Eli C. 
 Piirdsey's former store on the south- 
 cast corner of East Main and Broad 
 streets (which has been taken down) 
 and afterwards built a shop on the 
 southwest corner of East ^^lain and 
 High streets, where Charles Par- 
 ker afterwards lived. About 1833 I- 
 C. Lewis left his brother and with 
 George Cowdes began the making 
 of Britannia ware in Bangall in the 
 east part of Meriden, where he con- 
 tinued, with various partners, until 
 the formation of the Meriden Britan- 
 nia Co. W. W. Lyman began business 
 after an apprenticeship with Mr. Gris- 
 wold in 1844. He had a shop near 
 his house on Britannia street, and af- 
 terwards at the Twiss factory in 
 Prattsville at the east end of Pratt's 
 pond and later in the Frary factory 
 near Colony street, where he continued 
 until the Meriden Britannia Co. was 
 formed. L. J. Curtis learned his 
 trade in Wallingford of the Yales, 
 and afterwards was in partnership 
 with I. .C Lewis, E. E. Curtis and W. 
 W. Lyman. With the latter he re- 
 mained until the formation of the 
 Meriden Britannia Co. wdiich was 
 consummated by the union of the 
 Lewis-Curtis and Lyman-James A. 
 Frary & Co. interests of Meriden and 
 John Munson, of Wallingford, to- 
 gether with H. C. and D. C. Wilcox ; 
 who, under the firm name of H. C. 1 
 Wilcox & Co., had disposed of most 
 of the products of the various com- 
 panies. Besides those already men- 
 tioned, in Perkins' History of Meri- 
 den, published in 1849, occur the 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 41 
 
 names of the following as engaged in 
 the manufacture of britannia ware: 
 L'harles Parker, S. L. Cone with four 
 hands, L. G. Baldwin, five hands. In 
 the same history I. C. Lewis is men- 
 tioned as employing eight hands, but 
 Mr. Lewis, a few weeks before his 
 death, told Geo. M. Curtis that at the 
 time the Meriden Britannia Co. was 
 formed, in 1852, he employed about 
 forty hands. From this one would 
 judge that the figures in Perkins' 
 History were not entirely trust- 
 worthy. j\Ir. Lewis also stated that 
 in the forties twelve hours constituted 
 the ordinary day's work, except in 
 winter when the number of .houfs 
 was somewhat less. The men were 
 not paid regularly, but took orders 
 on stores instead of cash in payment 
 of wages, and the merchants were 
 jpaid in manufactured goods. In 
 the winter when light was needed it 
 was furnished by whale oil lamps. 
 Apprentices were not indentured us- 
 ually. To learn the trade, took gen- 
 erally five years, boys beginning at 
 |from twelve to fifteen years of age, 
 
 nd going to school during the win- 
 
 er months. In 1830 w-ages were 
 'm 75 cents to $1.00 per day ; in the 
 
 nrties $1.00 to $1.50 per day, and in 
 
 \^S- about $2.00 per day was earned 
 
 the most skillful workmen. The 
 
 jrices per pound of various metals 
 
 jompare as follows: 
 
 1830 189s 
 
 •Spelter or zinc $ .05 $ .06 
 
 Antimony 23 .14 
 
 ' '"^'l 05 .046 
 
 ' "Ppcr 17 .18 
 
 ' '" 17 -30 
 
 
 By 1850 the variety of articles man- 
 ufactured had considerably increased. 
 Among the output were found such 
 articles as cuspidors, cups, soup 
 ladles, sugars and cream pitchers, 
 candlesticks, caster frames, Huid 
 lamps, mugs and dippers. 
 
 MEKIDEX mUTANXIA CO. 
 
 The Meriden Britannia Co. was or- 
 ganized under the joint stock laws 
 of the state of Connecticut, on the 
 1 6th day of December, 1852, with a 
 capital stock of $50,000, subscribed by 
 the following gentlemen : I. C. Lew- 
 is, H. C. Wilcox, D. C. Wilcox, 
 James A. Frary, Lemuel J. Curtis, W. 
 W. Lyman, of Meriden, and John 
 Alunson, of Wallingford. The fol- 
 lowing officers were elected: I. C. 
 Lewis, president, and H. C. Wilcox, 
 secretary and treasurer. As already 
 stated, the manufacture of britannia 
 ware was begun in Aleriden about the 
 year 1808, by Ashabel Griswold. 
 Subsequently, others engaged in the 
 business, and by 1850, there were sev- 
 eral firms engaged in the manufacture 
 of this w^are in Meriden, the principal 
 being James A. Frary & Co., I. C. Lew- 
 is & Co. and Curtis & L}"man. There 
 had also been formed a partnership 
 by two brothers, Horace C. and 
 D. C. Wilcox imder the firm name of 
 H. C. Wilcox & Co., and most of the 
 product of the different factories was 
 marketed b_\' this firm. In order to 
 control competition, reduce expenses 
 and bring the management of ailairs 
 under one head, the Meriden Britan- 
 nia Co. was formed. Into this union 
 
42 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 was also incorporated the business of 
 John Munson, who was at this time 
 manufacturing in W'alHngford. 
 
 The business was now confined to 
 the Frary shop in the north part of 
 the- town, the Lewis factory in the 
 east, and the Munson factory in Wal- 
 
 ing was not used, but in 1854 began 
 the rolling of metals and the subse- 
 quent formation by spinning and 
 stamping. Shortly after, plating 
 was adopted, and in 1856 a large plat- 
 ing factory was built on State street, 
 the first of their large collection of 
 
 FACTORY E, INTERNATIONAL SILVER CO. ( MERIDEN BRITANNIA CO.) 
 
 lingford, the offices being at No. 2 
 West Main street in Meriden, in the 
 building now occupied by the Gris- 
 wold, Richmond & Glock Co. At the 
 formation of the company, all articles 
 were cast in moulds and electro-plat- 
 
 shops in this vicinity. The output 
 during these first years consisted of 
 such articles as tea and coffee-pots, 
 bitter tubes, candlesticks, cups, tea 
 and tablespoons, dinner casters, flui'i 
 lamps, cuspidors, sewing birds, etc.. 
 
M A N U F ACTORI ES. 
 
 43 
 
 and, as their utility was duly appre- 
 ciated by the public, as was shown by 
 the rapidly increasing trade of the 
 company, the number and variety of 
 wares were constantly increased. By 
 1855. they had begun the output of 
 nickel silver forks and spoons, heavily 
 plated, and subsequently they se- 
 cured the services of the famous Rog- 
 ers brothers, luider whose supervision 
 these goods were produced. The 
 honesty and skill of manufacture and 
 beauty of design account for the rapid 
 increase of this business, and to-day 
 the reputation of their trade-mark 
 ("1847 Rogers Bros.") on forks, 
 spoons and knives is world-wide, and 
 goods bearing this stamp will invar- 
 iably bring a higher price in the mar- 
 ket than any other brand. The busi- 
 ness of the company had grown so 
 large by 1863 that the factory on the 
 west side of State street, over five 
 hundred feet long, was erected 
 (ground being broken on the first 
 day of the battle of Gettysburg) and 
 the other factories in Meriden and 
 Wallingford were abandoned. Their 
 wares were now being sold all over 
 the United States, and exported to 
 many foreign countries, notably to 
 South America, where a large and 
 profitable trade was built up, so that 
 a few years later it was necessary to 
 jSend a representative to that conti- 
 Tient to look after the various intcr- 
 ■•-ts of the company, whicli con- 
 icction has been since maintained. 
 
 A New York depot or salesroom 
 \as established during the early years 
 'f the business in connection with an- 
 
 other company, but in 1863 they es- 
 tablished their own warerooms at 199 
 Broadway, and shortly afterward tire 
 secretary of the company. D. C. 
 Wilcox, moved to New York to give 
 the business his personal supervision. 
 By 1866 they had also established an 
 agency on the Pacific coast under the 
 care of W. P. Morgan, and a few 
 years later a store was opened in Chi- 
 cago, under the charge of A. L. 
 Sercomb, and an agency was estab- 
 lished in London. By this time, their 
 wares had materially changed in 
 styles and quality. No britannia was 
 now made, the base metal of all prod- 
 ucts being either what is called white 
 metal or nickel silver, which is as dur- 
 able and susceptible of as high a fin- 
 ish as solid silver. Many articles 
 were being produced of a highlv or- 
 namental nature, and artistic in de- 
 sign. In 1 88 1, another large factory 
 was built on the corner of Miller and 
 State streets in Meriden, and the same 
 year a branch factory was established 
 in Hamilton, Ontario, which devel- 
 oped at once into a prosperous busi- 
 ness. A few years later, a new plat- 
 ing shop was built in Meriden, to be 
 used exclusively for plating forks, 
 spoons and knives, and it is to-day 
 the most complete and extensive plat- 
 ing factor}- in the countrx'. During 
 these years, and since, man}' additions 
 and extensions to the factories were 
 built, about which no special mention 
 has been made. The wares to-day are 
 sold in almost every country of the 
 civilized world. 
 
 Tlie number of different articles 
 
44 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 produced is bewildering in its va- 
 riety ; they comprise not only those 
 for table use, but embrace a large 
 number for toilet 'use as well. The 
 fact that an article bears the trade- 
 mark of the Meriden Britannia Co. is 
 considered the country over as a guar- 
 antee of standard quality and honest 
 manufacture. The company in 1895 
 went extensively into the production 
 of sterling silverware, and this de- 
 partment to-day produces a very im- 
 portant part of the output. In 1876, 
 the company made a brilliant display 
 of its productions at the Centennial 
 exhibition in Philadelphia, and repeat- 
 ed it on a still more elaborate scale at 
 the Columbian fair of Chicago, in 
 1893. They exhibited in Paris in 
 1899, and have made displays at nu- 
 merous minor exhibitions and fairs, 
 and they have invariably been given 
 the highest awards in recognition of 
 their achievements. Their salesrooms 
 in New York were removed from 199 
 to 550 Broadway, and subsequently 
 to 46 East Fourteeenth street, on 
 Union Square, and a few years ago 
 were moved to 208 Fifth avenue, on 
 Madison Square, and thence to 218 
 Fifth avenue. The company also ac- 
 quired large interests in other manu- 
 facturing corporations. The capital 
 stock of the Meriden Britannia Com- 
 pany at its organization in 1852, was 
 $50,000; in 1854, was increased to 
 $60,000; again, in 1857, to $100,- 
 000 ; in i860, it was made $200,- 
 000; in 1863. $250,000; in 1866, $550.- 
 000, and in 1879 it was increased 
 to $1,100,000, where it remained. As 
 
 stated already, the officers elected at 
 the organization were L C. Lewis, 
 president, and H. C. Wilcox, secre- 
 tary and treasurer, but a few davs 
 later Mr. Wilcox resigned the office 
 of treasurer, and George R. Cur- 
 tis, who had been the teller in the Mer- 
 iden bank, was elected treasurer in his 
 place, and continued to hold the office 
 until his death in 1893. 
 
 In 1865 H. C. Wilcox resigned 
 the office of secretary and D. C. j 
 Wilcox was elected in his place and j 
 continued in the office until his 
 death in 1886. In 1866 Mr. Lewis re- 
 signed the office of president and Mr. ; 
 H. C. Wilcox was elected in his place I 
 and continued to hold this office until . 
 his death in 1890. At his death I. C. 
 Lewis who had served in that capacity,, 
 was re-elected and held the position | 
 until his death in 1893 when 
 George H. Wilcox was elected. 
 The officers in charge at the 
 time the Meriden Britannia Com- 
 pany was merged into the Interna- 
 tional Silver Company were: George 
 H. Wilcox, president ; F. P. Wilcox, 
 vice-president ; George M. Curtis, 
 treasurer, and George Rockwell, sec- 
 retary. The directors were : D. B. 
 Hamilton, Waterbury ; George H. 
 Wilcox, George Rockwell and George 
 AI. Curtis, of Meriden ; F. P. Wilcox, 
 New York City ; C. Berry Peets, New 
 Haven ; J. M. Harmon, Meriden ; 
 Henry J. Lewis, Stratford, and G. 
 P. Davis, Hartford. 
 
 WILCOX SILVER PLATE CO. 
 
 The great success of the Meriden 
 Britannia Co., when viewed in the 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 45 
 
 light of its humble beginnings in 1852, 
 induced several gentlemen in the year 
 1865 to establish anotber company to 
 engage in manufactm'ing the same 
 general class of goods. The war was 
 over, a period of great expansion and 
 prosperity had developed during 
 those critical years and there seemed 
 no reason to believe that the period 
 
 tannia Co. was organized in Decem- 
 ber, 1865, with a capital of $150,000, 
 and the ofificers elected were Jedediah 
 Wilcox, president ; and C. H. Collins, 
 secretary and treasurer. The board 
 of directors included such additional 
 names as Aaron L. Collins, Charles 
 Parker, Levi E. Coe, George W. 
 Lvon and H. H. Miller. The factorv 
 
 
 -•M-^i 
 
 
 WILCOX SILXKK ri-ATl-: CO. IX 18.')^. 
 
 I of growth was at an end. Most 
 prominently identitied with the new 
 company called the Wilcox Britannia 
 ".. was Jedediah Wilcox who had 
 i:een very successful in the wool- 
 len business and whose resourceful 
 ' iicrgy led him to believe that the 
 |new company would be as profitable 
 jis its older rival. The Wilcox Bri- 
 
 of J. Wilcox & Co.. woolen manufac- 
 turers, had been destroyed by fire 
 (luring the year and the brick build- 
 ing now occupied by the Meriden 
 Woolen Co. on the north side of Pratt 
 street had been recently erected. The 
 Wilcox Britannia Co. immediately af- 
 ter its organization, proceeded to erect 
 a wooden building on the site of the 
 
46 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 burned factory at the corner of Pratt 
 and ^lyrtle streets, and were soon 
 busily engaged in manufacturing sil- 
 ver plated ware. During the year 
 1867 the name of the company was 
 changed to the Wilcox Silver Plate 
 Co., and the capital stock was in- 
 creased to $200,000, and at the same 
 time Mr. Wilcox, finding that his wool- 
 en business gave him little time to at- 
 tend to the alTairs of the new com- 
 pany, resigned its presidency and 
 A. L. Collins was elected as his suc- 
 cessor. The capital was again in- 
 creased, this time to $250,000. In 
 1869 quite a change in the list of di- 
 rectors took place and we find the 
 following board was elected : A. L. 
 Collins, I. C. Lewis, Charles Parker, 
 H. C. Wilcox, E. A. Mitchell, George 
 W. Lyon and George R. Curtis and 
 the capital stock was increased to 
 $370,000. In 1868 a company had 
 been formed called the Parker & Cas- 
 per Co., which built and occupied 
 what is now the larger half of the 
 western part of Manning, Bowman 
 & Co.'s factory. Samuel Dodd, who 
 for more than ten years had been 
 the cashier of the Home National 
 bank, had, when the Parker & Casper 
 Co. was formed, become its financial 
 manager. But its period of existence 
 was short ; for it was absorbed in 1869 
 by the Wilcox Silver Plate Co. and 
 Mr. Dodd was elected secretary and 
 treasurer of the consolidated com- 
 pany and really its manager: for Mr. 
 Collins, while still holding the office 
 of president, gradually withdrew 
 from active management. The com- 
 
 pany soon entered on a period of great 
 prosperity. Its wares became well 
 and favorably known all over this and 
 many foreign countries. The man- 
 agement was conservative and yet en- 
 terprising. The wares made were 
 confined mostly to what is known as 
 plated hollow ware although quite a 
 business was done in cut glass as well. 
 The beauty of design was a marked 
 feature of the goods made by this 
 company. Mr. Dodd had drawn 
 around him a corps of well trained 
 and efficient helpers, notably P. 
 S. Pelton, for many years superinten- 
 dent, succeeded some years later by 
 Lewis Hall ; also Henry B. Beach 
 as a salesman, and C. E. Breck- 
 enridge first as a salesman and 
 then as manager of the New York 
 salesroom. In 1882 the large brick 
 addition to the northeast wing was 
 added to accommodate the rapidly 
 growing business, while during other 
 years there were various other addi- 
 tions of minor importance added. 
 There were scarcely any changes 
 among officers or directors during the 
 last thirty years of the company's ex- 
 istence except as caused by death. At 
 the time the company was absorbed 
 by the International Silver Co., in ; 
 1899, the officers were as follows: A. 
 L. Collins, president ; Samuel Dodd. : 
 secretary and treasurer ; George E. ; 
 Flint, assistant treasurer ; Lewis Hall, , 
 superintendent. The directors were: . 
 A. L. Collins, Charles Parker, George 
 H. Wilcox, Samuel Dodd, George M. ■ 
 Curtis, H. B. Beach, Geo. W. Lyon. 
 Lewis Hall and George E. Flint. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 47 
 
 MERIDEX SIIAER PLATE CO. 
 
 \\ hen the Parker & Casper Co. was 
 bought out by the \\'ilcox Silver 
 Plate Lo. in 1869 Charles Cas- 
 per immediately organized the Aleri- 
 deii Silver Plate Co., under the joint 
 stock laws of the state of Connecti- 
 cut. The organization papers bear 
 the date of January 3, 1879, and Mr. 
 Casper's associates were Isaac H. 
 Cornwall, \\'illiam E. A. Bird and 
 William R. Mackay. The capital 
 stock was $30,000 and the directors 
 were Charles Casper, William R. 
 Mackay and Isaac H. Cornwall, who 
 were elected president, secretary and 
 treasurer, respectively. The com- 
 pany bought the old factory property 
 of" J. H. Canfield & Co. at the cor- 
 ner of Colony and Cross streets, and 
 running through to South George 
 street, on January 24, 1870, and pro- 
 ceeded .'It once to the manufacture of 
 silver plated ware. From the start 
 the company was prosperous and the 
 following year it was found necessary 
 to increase the capital stock to $40,- 
 000. This increase was taken by 
 A, C. Markham, who was elected a di- 
 rector in 1872. Subseciuently H. 
 Wales Lines became connected with 
 the company and was for a short time 
 its secretary and treasurer. In 1873 
 Robert H. Curtis was elected to the 
 position of secretary and treasurer. 
 .\bout the same time the Meridcn 
 |Tlritannia Co. acquired a block of the 
 ■lock and thenceforth there were two 
 :■ three representatives from that 
 
 ■nipany on the board of directors. 
 
 1 the vcar 1880 the brick addition 
 
 containing the office and large addi- 
 tional factory room on Colony street 
 was erected to accommodate the ex- 
 panding business of the company. In 
 1887 Charles Casper disposed of his 
 stock and resigned from the com- 
 pan\- and Cicorge R. Curtis was 
 elected president as his successor in 
 1888. but was not activel}' comiected 
 with the compan}-, and at his death in 
 1893, Robert H. Curtis w^as elect- 
 ed to fill the position, but resigned 
 from the board in 1895. The direct- 
 ors at the time the company was 
 merged with the International Silver 
 Co., were: Benjamin Page, George H. 
 Wilcox, William R. ^lackay, W. W. 
 Mosher, George ]\I. Curtis, F. H. 
 Gushing and the officers: George 'SI. 
 Curtis, president ; F. H. Gushing, sec- 
 retarv and treasurer ; William R. 
 Mackay, superintendent and assistant 
 treasurer. 
 
 C. ROGERS X- ItROS. 
 
 The firm of C. Rogers & Bros, was 
 formed in 1866 and located on But- 
 ler street, south of ^\n\n street, where 
 a factory was built and the manufac- 
 ture of casket hardware, shrouds, etc., 
 was carried on. Some years later the 
 firm began, the making of plated forks, 
 spoons, knives, etc.. and cjuite a flour- 
 ishing business was built u]). In 
 1899 the business was incorporated 
 with the name of C. Rogers & P.ros. 
 of Mcriden, Conn., under the laws of 
 the state of New Jersey and later un- 
 der the laws of Connecticut. In 1902 
 the capital stock was purchased by the 
 United States Silver Corporation and 
 when the International Silver Co. pur- 
 
48 
 
 A CENTURV OF MERIDEN. 
 
 chased this company they, of course, 
 obtained control of C. Rogers & Bros, 
 of Meriden. The old officers were: 
 C. B. Rogers, president ; N. B. Rog- 
 ers, vice-president ; Gilbert Rogers, 
 treasurer ; Wilbur F. Rogers, secre- 
 tary ; Dan Fellows Piatt, assistant 
 treasurer. The directors were: Ar- 
 thur Baldwin, N. B. Rogers, Gilbert 
 
 bits, S. L. liarbour and G. M. Curtis. 
 This board of directors subsequent- 
 ly elected George H. Wilcox, presi- 
 dent, and George M. Curtis, secretary 
 and treasurer. 
 
 The factory was then leased to the 
 International Silver Co., and this com- 
 pany then installed in it the business 
 of Wm. Rogers Mfg. Co., and Rog- 
 
 FACTORY H, Ix\TERNATIOx\ AL SILN'ER CO. (FORAIEKLV C. ROGERS ^^ BROS.) 
 
 Rogers, Dan Fellows Piatt, Cephas B. 
 Rogers, Wilbur F. Rogers and George 
 F. Rogers. 
 
 As soon as the International Silver 
 Co. obtained control these officers and 
 directors all resigned and a new board 
 was elected consisting of Samuel 
 Dodd, George H. W^ilcox, George D. 
 Munson, George Rockwell, C. H. Tib- 
 
 ers Cutlery Co., of Hartford, as has 
 already been stated. 
 
 THE CHARLES PARKER CO. 
 
 The history of this large and diver- 
 sified manufacturing concern up to 
 within a comparatively few years was 
 the history of its founder, Charles 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 49 
 
 Parker, a pioneer hardware manu- 
 facturer of the country, and whose 
 death, as stated elsewhere, c:curred 
 when he had attained the remarkable 
 age of ninety-three. For some years 
 previous to his death, however, the 
 business was conducted by his two 
 sons. Dexter \Y. and Charles E., and 
 by his son-in-law, W. H. Lyon. The 
 business which was established in 1832 
 has added materially to the welfare 
 of the town of Meriden ; for almost 
 entirely within the borders of the town 
 has the industry always been carried 
 on. 
 
 The product has always added fame 
 to ]\Ieriden, for the articles made are 
 used in all the four quarters of the 
 globe ; and the name of Charles Parker 
 has become recognized throughout the 
 world as a synonym for the most pop- 
 ular goods, having- best values not only 
 in one line but applying also to every 
 article produced by the company. 
 
 On a portion of the land between 
 Elm and High streets, where the main 
 .factory buildings and office headquar- 
 ters of the concern are now situated, 
 Charles Parker built a stone shop and 
 in 1832 began the manufacture of cof- 
 fee mills. 
 
 His motive power was a blind horse, 
 who pro])elled a pole sweep, which, 
 hour after hour, and day after day. 
 plodded around in a circle in the rear 
 of the east end of what is now the 
 vise shop ; which was the only power 
 of the factory until 1844, when the 
 -tram ])ower introduced at the fac- 
 tory by Mr. Parker was the tirst used 
 in Meriden. 
 44 
 
 \\ ith the previous experience in the 
 manufacture of cofifee mills as a con- 
 tractor for Lewis & Holt, an<l with a 
 very limited capital which he had 
 saved from his ])revious small earn- 
 ings, Mr. Parker laid the foundation 
 of the industry which now covers over 
 fifteen acres and requires four engines 
 of combined capacity of 500 horse 
 power and twenty boilers aggregating 
 about 2, GOD horse-power ; and in addi- 
 tion to that a liberal sup])ly of water 
 power at the factories at East Meriden 
 and Yalesville. 
 
 At first Mr. Parker not only made 
 but sold his own goods ; and it was his 
 wont to make up stock, then wait up- 
 on the trade in person until he had 
 disposed of it. The practice of first 
 receiving advance orders did not come 
 into vogue until some years later. 
 
 In the early days traveling great dis- 
 tances was a slow proceeding and the 
 stage coach and canal boat were neces- 
 sarily patronized by him. He made 
 extended trips twice a \ear and upon 
 one occasion he received an order 
 which took two }ears for the factory 
 to make up. 
 
 For a few }cars, beginning 1833, 
 his brother, Edmund Parker, and He- 
 man White were associated with him 
 as ])artncrs, and llie firm was known 
 as Parker & White. During this ])art- 
 nershi]) the business had many trials 
 and re\'erses : ])tit none ever atlecled 
 the financial standing of Charles Par- 
 ker, for never during the history of the 
 business was his credit compromised. 
 His l)rother retired in 1843 and Mr. 
 White the vear following. 
 
MANUFx\CTORIES. 
 
 51 
 
 Mr. Parker, a few years after, add- 
 ed to his product that of plated spoons 
 and forks, and was the tirst manufac- 
 turer in Meriden of plated hollow 
 ware, at what is known by Meriden- 
 ites as the Parker "Spoon Shop," 
 which has always been operated 
 by water power supplied from 
 Black pond, which body of water the 
 company still controls. The output 
 of this branch factory now comprises 
 a portion of the company's lamp prod- 
 uct, and steel spoons, forks, knives, 
 etc. The capacity of the factory is 
 very large and the goods are in great 
 demand in the South and West and are 
 also exported to a considerable extent. 
 
 Although the manufacture of the 
 Parker spectacles, which were exten- 
 sively used years ago, has been dis- 
 continued, practically every other ar- 
 ticle which was ever added to the large 
 product is still being made, and the 
 variety and volume of the output is 
 added to every year. 
 
 The Parker coffee mills, made in 
 fully one hundred sizes and styles, 
 have now been on the market for prac- 
 tically three-quarters of a century ; and 
 tlic demand for them is greater than 
 < \cr. These mills have been, and 
 liiubtless always will be in demand by 
 the trade, the only difference being 
 that when they were first made they 
 were sold by the small peddler and 
 low are shipped in carload lots to the 
 arge jobbers of this and foreign coim- 
 ries. 
 
 In the early days, in a factory which 
 Itood on the opposite side of the road, 
 fut some distance farther west than 
 
 that now known as the Parker Clock 
 factory, where a full line of nickel 
 alarm clocks is produced, the making 
 of locks and builders' hardware was 
 pursued. This old factory, which has 
 long since been torn down, once stood 
 on land which was given to the city 
 by the Parker Company and now com- 
 prises eight acres of Hubbard Park. 
 This branch of the industry was dis- 
 continued some years ago. 
 
 The factory where the "Parker" 
 guns are made is situated some distance 
 from the main factory of the Charles 
 Parker Company and employs neces- 
 sarily the highest skilled workmen. 
 The Parker shot gun, which for many 
 years has been recognized all over the 
 world as the best made and most ac- 
 curate on the market, has since the 
 time of the Civil war, been made un- 
 der the name of Parker Bros. 
 
 The first improved gun which 
 has since won unstinted praise 
 from true sportsmen, cost a sum equal 
 to a large fortune ; but Mr. Parker ac- 
 complished what he had determined to 
 do and which Parker Brothers 
 still continue to do, that of making 
 in large quantities the celebrated Par- 
 ker shot gun, which proved to be all 
 that the founder of the company could 
 most fondly desire. 
 
 For more than sixty years the Par- 
 ker vise, originally patented in 1854, 
 has been made at the main factory and 
 the demand for the same has been in- 
 creasing ever since that date. The 
 vise, like many of the other products 
 of this company, is made from the raw 
 material in large quantities. 
 
52 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 53 
 
 The Parker vise oeeupies the high- 
 est place, not only in the minds of the 
 dealers, but is known in all trades as 
 the best tool of its kind ])rocnrable. 
 The line comprises about one hundred 
 and fifty sizes and kinds, which are 
 adapted for the uses of locomotive 
 works, car builders, machinists, guns, 
 sewing" machines, automobile and car- 
 riage manufacturers, jewelers and ar- 
 tisans generally. 
 
 The Charles Parker Company are 
 tlie oldest and largest manufacturers 
 of these vises and also of coffee mills 
 in the country. At the main factor}- are 
 also produced miscellaneous goods 
 including a complete line of brass, 
 bronze and steel wood screws ; also 
 lamps in all varieties and of the 
 highest grade and miost pleasing 
 design ; gas and electric portables and 
 a complete line of lavatory and bath 
 voom fittings. 
 
 There, too, the piano stools and 
 coffee mills are assembled and finished, 
 the wood work of which is carried on 
 at the factor}' at Yalesville. 
 
 It is a fact that The Charles Parker 
 Co. manufacture more piano stools, 
 l)enches, music racks and cabinets than 
 any other one concern in the world. 
 In conjunction with this department 
 the com])any also luanufacture a line 
 of piano scarfs and covers of infinite 
 variety. 
 
 Until 1905 the Charles Parker Com- 
 pany also owned and operated the 
 plant known as the Meriden Curtain 
 I'ixture Company, the largest factory 
 oi its kind in the world and employ- 
 ing 500 hands, the product of which 
 
 comprises window shades, shade roll- 
 ers and fringes. This business is now 
 consolidated with other manufactur- 
 ers of similar goods and is known as 
 the Columbia Shade Cloth Co. 
 
 The Charles Parker Company be- 
 came incorporated in 1876 with a cap- 
 ital stock of $500,000, and like the 
 Parker Clock Company, which it con- 
 trols, is a close corporation. The first 
 officers were Charles Parker, presi- 
 dent ; Dexter W. Parker, secretary 
 and treasurer, and Charles E. Parker, 
 vice president. vSince the death of 
 Charles Parker, his son, Dexter W., 
 has served as president ; Wilbur F. 
 Parker, vice-president, and William 
 H. Lyon, secretary and treasurer. 
 
 The Parker Clock Company, which 
 was incorporated June 12, 1893, has 
 the following officers : William H. 
 Lyon, president and treasurer, and 
 James F. Allen, secretarv. 
 
 The several industries carried on by 
 the Charles Parker Company give 
 steady employment to about fifteen 
 hundred well-paid hands : and its l)us- 
 iness for three-quarters of a century 
 has added greatl}" to the prosperity of 
 the town. 
 
 Many of the men in the employ of 
 the company have grown up in the 
 business and achieved ])roniinence in 
 the communil}-. I'ortunate, indeed, 
 are those in its em])lo}' : for they who 
 have shown a dis])osition to give 
 their best services to the concern have 
 had their efforts recognized and re- 
 warded in every reasonable degree. 
 Especially is this true of the tra\eling 
 salesmen, a])out a score in number, 
 
54 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 who cover every state in the union, 
 calHng upon the large jobbers of 
 the country and remaining away from 
 the factory many weeks at a time on 
 their trips in the interest of the con- 
 cern. The New York salesrooms are 
 at 32 Warren street. 
 
 Since the death of Charles Parker 
 the general management of the bus- 
 iness has devolved upon his son-in- 
 law, William H. Lyon, who has been 
 associated with the concern for many 
 years. He, like the other officers of 
 the company, is a kind and consider- 
 ate employer and a man of rare bus- 
 iness attainments and great energy. 
 
 THE MERIDEN CURTAIN FIX- 
 TURE CO. 
 
 An industry grown from a small be- 
 ginning to one of magnitude is that 
 of The Meriden Curtain Fixture Co., 
 the works of which cover several acres 
 and furnish employment at the pres- 
 ent dav to several hundred hands. 
 The product, window shades and 
 shade cloth of all grades, sold through 
 the Columbia Shade Cloth Company at 
 New York, contrasts strongly with the 
 modest output when the business was 
 first started in a portion of the old 
 Methodist church on Broad street. 
 
 At that time shade rollers only were 
 made, and but a few hands were em- 
 ployed. The business increased and 
 the quarters were enlarged by utiliz- 
 ing the whole of the old church and 
 by the addition of another building. 
 About 1 89 1 it was found necessary to 
 further enlarge the factory, and the 
 
 compau}- did so by occupying a por- 
 tion of the present large plant on 
 Charles street. This enabled the com- 
 pany to engage in the manufacture of 
 fringes for their shades, the cloth for 
 which was bought prepared to be 
 made up. Later the company desir- 
 ing to go into the manufacture of 
 cloths, as well as rollers and fringes, 
 decided to make another addition to 
 the plant, and at that time the present 
 five-story brick structure, 40 x 258 feet 
 in dimensions, was built. Still later 
 another grade was added to the out- 
 put, and a second building, 52 x 182 
 feet, and three stories in height was 
 erected on the company's property. 
 
 The goods made by the company 
 are highly creditable to Meriden and 
 the business always has been conduct- 
 ed largely with Meriden capital. The 
 plant is , equipped with modern ma- 
 chinery ; an artesian well furnishes an 
 abundant water supply for various 
 purposes, and four mammoth steam 
 boilers furnish not only motive power 
 but also sufficient for generating elec- 
 tricity for lighting the factory. 
 
 The company is capitalized at $400,- 
 000. Its officers are Wilbur F. Par- 
 ker, president; W. H. Lyon, vice- 
 president ; S. G. Wilkins, secretary ; 
 W. R. Hees, treasurer ; T. D. McChes- 
 ney, general manager ; and Irving G. 
 Cooley, manager. The president, 
 vice-president and manager are all 
 well known residents of Meriden. 
 Mr. Parker was manager for a period 
 of seven years, prior to associating 
 himself exclusively with the Chas. 
 Parker Co., of which he is now vice- 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 55 
 
 \-i\< 
 
 
 
 r'^^ "^i^^^BP^ 
 
56 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 president. Mr. L}on, the vice-pres- 
 ident is also the treasurer and general 
 manager of the Chas. Parker Co. Mr. 
 Cooler, who became manager January 
 I, 1906, has been engaged with the 
 Curtain Fixture Co. since 1895. 
 
 THE MILLER BROTHERS CUT- 
 LERY CO. 
 
 Conspicuous among the products 
 which have made Meriden famous the 
 world over is cutlery, and for nearly 
 half a century The Miller Brothers 
 Cutlery Company has been recognized 
 as one of the important factors in the 
 manufacturing life of the city. The 
 business was established soon after the 
 close of the Civil war ; and for a few 
 years the factory was located in Yales- 
 ville. It soon became necessary to 
 seek larger and more accessible quar- 
 ters, and the site of the present fac- 
 tory in Meriden was purchased from 
 Pratt, Read & Company, comb manu- 
 facturers. This site has been longer 
 used for manufacturing purposes than 
 any other in the town, dating back to 
 the firm of Howard, Pratt & Co., in 
 1822. 
 
 In 1878, the present Miller Brothers 
 Cutlery Company was organized by 
 Messrs. Lemuel J. Curtis, Isaac C. 
 Lewis, William F. Rockwell, Charles 
 \. Rockwell and George W. Lyon. 
 This new company took over the en- 
 tire business of the old company of the 
 same name. Mr. Curtis was the first 
 president, with William F. Rockwell 
 as treasurer and general manager. 
 On the death of Mr. Curtis, Mr. Lew- 
 
 is became president and served until 
 his own death in 1893, being succeeded 
 by William F". Rockwell as president 
 and treasurer. 
 
 In its early days, the American 
 pocket knife industry had a hard road 
 to travel. Apart from the keen do- 
 mestic competition, it was ground be- 
 tween the flood of the cheap German 
 commodity on the one hand, and the 
 English product with its reputation of 
 centuries on the other. One concern 
 after another was forced to the wall, 
 and hundreds of thousands of dollars 
 were lost in the struggle. The ulti- 
 mate success, not only of his own 
 company, but of the industry itself, 
 was very largely due to the great abil- 
 ity and untiring energy of William F. 
 Rockwell. His absolute knowledge of 
 the business and exceptional mathe- 
 matical ability made it possible for him 
 to demonstrate to the framers of suc- 
 cessive tariff legislation the imperative 
 necessity of protection to the indus- 
 trv ; and it was this protection that 
 made it possible for the American 
 manufacturer to produce to-day a 
 pocket knife that is the equal if not 
 the superior of any other knife made. 
 
 In 1882, the manufacture of 
 Miller Bros, steel pens was begun. 
 The first makers of pens in this coun- 
 try were Harrison & Bradford, their 
 factory being located in Mount \ er- 
 non. New York. The Miller r.roth- 
 ers Cutlery Company bought the nu' 
 chanical equipment of their plant ami 
 engaged Mr. Bradford as superinten- 
 dent of the new department. In the 
 manufacture of these delicate article?. 
 
58 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDKX. 
 
 CHARLES F. ROCKWELL. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 59 
 
 Miller Bros, have been as successful 
 as with their cutler}-, and both lines 
 are large factors in advertising their 
 home city. 
 
 I'rom a small factory with few em- 
 ployees to the large, modern plant giv- 
 ing daily employment to three hundred 
 or more people, is the best indication 
 of the wisdom with which the affairs 
 of the company have been managed. 
 The entire energy of the management 
 is concentrated on the three lines man- 
 ufactured (pocket cutlery, steel ink 
 erasers and steel pens) and every de- 
 tail is given the most careful consider- 
 ation. 
 
 On the death of William F. Rock- 
 well in 1901, Charles L. Rockwell 
 became president, and Charles F. 
 Rockwell treasurer and general man- 
 ager, succeeding his father in the ac- 
 tive administration of the company. 
 Harrv A. Stevens is secretary. 
 
 CONNECTICUT TRAP ROCK 
 QUARRIES, INC. 
 
 Meriden is the center of the crushed 
 stone industry of the state of Connec- 
 ticut and here the business of quar- 
 rying and crushing stone for ship- 
 ment by rail was inaugurated. 
 
 In 1879 Carpenter Bros., of Port 
 Chester, N. Y., secured a contract 
 from the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R., to 
 quarry and crush trap rock for bal- 
 lasting its road bed. This was the 
 first railroad crushing plant in New 
 England and was operated by the 
 Carpenters for several years solely on 
 
 ballast, the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. 
 Co. taking the entire product. 
 
 In 1890 John S Lane, then of Hart- 
 ford, conceived the idea of estab- 
 lishing a crushing plant to supply a 
 small but growing demand for trap 
 rock for macadam and concrete in 
 the cities and towns reached by the 
 N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Carpenter 
 Bros, had completed their contradt 
 and abandoned their quarry and Mr. 
 Lane's attention was naturally drawn 
 to the opportunities offered here for 
 such a business. Early in 1890 he 
 leased from Bartholomew & Coe the 
 land adjoining the Carpenter quarry, 
 opened another quarry and erected 
 suitable machinery for crushing. 
 This was the foundation, and to John 
 S. Lane is the credit due, of the first 
 commercial stone crushing plant in 
 the New England states, although 
 similar plants had been established on 
 the Hudson river some years pre- 
 vious. The business grew rapidly 
 from the start, not only along the 
 lines which Mr. Lane originally had 
 in view, but the four tracking of 
 the New York division of the N. Y., 
 N. H. & H. R. R. about 1893 made 
 a demand for immense quantities of 
 railroad ballast also. This called for 
 frequent additions to the plant and 
 eventually the acquirement of the 
 (juarry Carpenter Bros, had formerly 
 used. 
 
 In 1 89 1 Arthur S. Lane was taken 
 into partnership and the firm of John 
 S. Lane & Son was established. In 
 the course of a few years similar 
 plants, all within a radius of fifteen 
 
PART OF MAIN OUARRY. 
 
 lKL >11KK >lll-.li AMI .sluKAl.E i;].\S. 
 
 MERIDEN I'LANT OF THE CONNECTICUT TRAP ROCK OUARRIES, INC( )Kl'()R.\TEn. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 6 1 
 
 miles or less from Meriden, had been 
 established, notably those of B. D. 
 Pierce. Jr., Co.. at Middlefield; The 
 Cooke Stone & Ice Co.. at Plainville, 
 and The Rocky Hill Stone Co., at 
 Rocky Hill. 
 
 In 1902 a consolidation of these 
 companies was eiTected under the 
 name of The Connecticut Trap Rock 
 ■Quarries, Incorporated ; and this 
 company now operates the crushing 
 plants at the several points named, 
 supplying the trade offered by the 
 cities and towns reached by the N. Y., 
 N. H. & H. system. 
 
 Since Mr. Lane's original venture 
 in 1890 the use of concrete has come 
 into almost universal practice for 
 foundation and similar work. The 
 several states have taken up the ques- 
 tion of improved highways and an- 
 nually build miles of stone roads, and 
 there is scarcely a town or city which 
 has not its system of macadam roads. 
 The value of rock ballast on the rail- 
 roads, too, has been fully demonstrat- 
 ed, and its necessity on roads of im- 
 portance is admitted both for econom- 
 lical maintenance and comfort of the 
 'traveling public. These several in- 
 .fluences have brought about a steady 
 and healthy growth of the business. 
 
 All of the former managers of the 
 ndependent quarries retain their in- 
 ercsts in the Connecticut Tra]) Rock 
 Quarries, Inc.. and form its executive 
 tafif, as follows : 
 
 President — Bradford D. Pierce, Jr. 
 Treasurer — Arthur S. Lane. 
 Secretary — Irvine^ S. Tinker. 
 
 Cieneral Sui)erintendent — James H, 
 Cooke. 
 
 The general office of the company 
 is at loi Meadow street, New Haven, 
 Conn. 
 
 KELSEY PRESS CO. 
 
 This manufacturing concerns adds 
 fame to Aleriden where it has always 
 existed ; for in its works are made, 
 among other printing utilities, the cel- 
 ebrated Excelsior printing presses, 
 which have been on the market for 
 over thirty years and are used all over 
 the world. The company also pos- 
 sesses and operates the only type foun- 
 dry in the Nutmeg state, casting in 
 large quantities the celebrated nickel 
 alloy type. At the factory on South 
 Colony street, where a large number 
 of hands are given constant and re- 
 munerative employment, are also made 
 the Combination cabinet, the Excelsior 
 type case, an improved and patented 
 style which saves a vast amount of la- 
 bor to the compositor ; card and paper 
 cutters, small binding machines, and 
 other articles used by both the expe- 
 rienced and inexperienced printer to 
 great advantage. 
 
 The now extensive business of the 
 Kclsey I'rcss Co. is the outcome of 
 the small start made by William A. 
 Kclsey in 1872 and whose quarters 
 first comprised one room in the Morse 
 & Cook block. The first i)roduct of 
 his industry was one small sized press 
 which, from its ])racticability, soon 
 came into general use for home, of- 
 fice and store printing. These presses. 
 
62 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 known as the Excelsior, are now 
 more than a toy ; for gradually other 
 patterns and styles have been added 
 to keep pace with the growth of the 
 business, until the Excelsior press is 
 now made in all sizes from the small 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 WILLIAM A. KELSEY. 
 
 portable card press to the flat-bed cyl- 
 inder machine suitable for country 
 newspaper work. In 1876 Mr. Kelsey 
 built the present factory which has 
 since been occupied, and the business 
 has continued to grow and prosper, 
 the variety of the product becoming 
 greater every year. 
 
 In September, 1905, the concern be- 
 came incorporated under the state laws 
 of Connecticut and the capital stock 
 of $75,000 has since been held by the 
 following ofificers : William A. Kelsey, 
 
 president ; F. C. Edgerton, vice-pres- 
 ident, secretary' and general manager; 
 F. L. Huntington, treasurer and su- 
 perintendent, all of whom are well 
 known and influential residents of 
 ^leriden. The first named has re- 
 mained the head of the business from 
 the start ; Mr. Edgerton became asso- 
 ciated with the business in 1881, com- 
 ing from the Home National Bank, 
 where he had been previously em- 
 ployed ; and Mr. Huntington, a pres- 
 ent member of the state legislature and 
 Meriden board of aldermen, has been 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 F. C. EDGERTON. 
 
 connected with the establishment con- 
 tinuously from 1885. 
 
 The Kelsey Press Co. has brought 
 distinction to Meriden in no slight de- 
 gree ; for in putting upon the market 
 
 Jk 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 63 
 
 outfits for home and mercantile print- 
 ing, they have clone much toward ed- 
 ucating the general public in the 
 greatest of all arts, the art preserva- 
 tive. While a large mail order bus- 
 iness is done direct with the consum- 
 er, the daily mail of this company, cov- 
 ering a far wider field than that of any 
 other concern in this locality, reach- 
 ing every civilized nation on earth, the 
 business of supplying regular print- 
 
 FRAXK WHEELER & SON. 
 
 Photo by Akers. 
 
 F. L HUNTINGTON. 
 
 ig offices with all supplies know'n to 
 {ills age is not only extensive but 
 |rowing steadily and rapidly. The 
 Iroduct of this concern has now for 
 pany years been recognized b\ the 
 rinting trade as of standard excel- 
 •nce, a result attained by conscicn- 
 'us eflfort in every detail. 
 
 Frank \\'heeler, senior member of 
 the firm of Frank Wheeler & Son, 
 who conduct an extensive manufactur- 
 ing business on Stone street, in their 
 own building, was born September 8. 
 1837, St Cromwell, Conn. A few 
 months after his birth his parents re- 
 moved to Moodus where he spent his 
 boyhood and learned the trade of a 
 machinist, after having been previous- 
 ly employed in a cotton mill in that 
 town. 
 
 Late in the 50s he came to Meriden, 
 where he has been located ever since, 
 and became employed by Parker, 
 Snow, Brooks & Co. and later by N. 
 C. Stiles, who conducted a machine 
 shop in a wooden building on the site 
 of the present Journal building. Mr. 
 Stiles, about that time, began the man- 
 ufacture of power presses ; and Mr. 
 Wheeler worked on the first one pro- 
 duced. About i860 Mr. Wheeler 
 abandoned the machinist trade and 
 engaged in photography, for some 
 years thereafter conducting a studio 
 at the corner of Main and Hanover 
 streets, in which building he also 
 resided. He soon built up a high 
 reputation as an artist in portrait 
 photography, but during the last por- 
 tion of the time he was engaged in 
 conducting a studio, he branched 
 out into commercial photography, in 
 which he became justly celebrated. 
 In 1890 he engaged in the machinist 
 ])usincss. first in a small w'ay, his orig- 
 inal location being on the second floor 
 of the building on South Colony 
 
64 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Street, now owned by the Meriden 
 Grain & Feed Co., and there the nu- 
 cleus for the present large business 
 was established. 
 
 During the intervening years, his 
 son, Alfred Pelton Wheeler, who was 
 born September 24, 1871, in the build- 
 ins: where his father then conducted 
 
 In 1898 the demands upon the shop 
 had increased to such an extent that 
 the industry demanded more room, 
 and the present four-story brick fac- 
 tory, fronting on Stone street, was 
 erected by them. To the original 
 product of the factory, which com- 
 prised power presses of all descrip- 
 
 FACTORY OF FRANK WHEELER & SON. 
 
 the photograph business, was growing 
 to manhood. After receiving an early 
 education in the Meriden public 
 schools and graduating from the Shef- 
 field Scientific school of Yale Univer- 
 sity in June, 1892, the following month 
 he entered his father's shop and in 
 1895 was admitted to partnership. 
 
 tions, for cutting, drawing, stamping 
 sheet metal, was added the business of 
 machinery, dies, tools and special ma- 
 chines for various purposes. In re- 
 cent years has been added the man- 
 ufacture of special hardware, includ- 
 ing an extensive line used in the con- 
 struction of piano players. There are 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 65 
 
 also made at this busy factory the cution of the work, from the 8.000 
 
 hardware parts for some of the varied 
 systems of loose-leaf ledgers, lamp 
 parts, etc. The factory which now 
 
 FRANK WHEFLKR. 
 
 furnishes employment to forty-five 
 hands, many of whom are skilled 
 workmen, is equipped with all mod- 
 
 ALFKED 
 
 WHEELER. 
 
 ern machinery necessary for turning 
 out its varied output and all facilities 
 are at hand for the economical prose- 
 45 
 
 pound crane for handling heavy cast- 
 ings to the most modern appliance 
 for polishing, buffing and plating of 
 the hardware specialties made. 
 
 BRADLEY & HUBBARD MFG. CO. 
 
 An industry which has for many 
 years been one of the largest in its 
 line in the world, and an important 
 factor in the growth and business rep- 
 utation of Meriden, is that of Bradley 
 & Hubbard Mfg. Co., organized Jan- 
 uary I, 1875, succeeding Nathaniel 
 L. Bradley and Walter Hubljard, who 
 founded the business in 1854. Their 
 works consisted of a small two-story 
 frame building located at the corner 
 of Hanover and Butler streets. The 
 company's present buildings cover an 
 area of more than six acres, with sev- 
 eral hundred thousand feet of floor 
 space. When the company was in- 
 corporated the officers were \\'alter 
 Hubbard, president ; Nathaniel L. 
 Bradley, treasurer, and Charles F. 
 Linsley, secretary, who with Clarence 
 P. Bradley, have always composed 
 the board of directors, as well as the 
 stockholders of the company. At the 
 date of its incorporation the company 
 employed about 1 50 jieople ; to-day 
 tlu're are nearly i.ooo, which indicates 
 the growth of a business started in 
 1854 with not more than twenty-five 
 employes. 
 
 The products of the company con- 
 sist of gas and electric light fixtures 
 of all kinds, of the most elaborate 
 and artistic designs, for residences, 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 67 
 
 churches and other pubHc buildings : 
 also the celebrated "B & H" lamps, 
 fire place furniture, and a large varie- 
 ty of miscellaneous goods in metal, in- 
 cluding bronze, brass and iron grille 
 work, bronze doors, railings, stairs, 
 etc.. all of which have attained a rep- 
 utation, not only throughout the 
 I'nited States but all over the world, 
 for beauty of design, mechanical work 
 and finish. The factories are ecjuipped 
 with the most modern machinery and 
 facilities for the manufacture of their 
 products, enabling their employes, 
 many of whom are skilled w'orkmen, to 
 produce the best possible results. 
 
 Salesrooms, where samples of their 
 products can be seen are maintained in 
 Xew York City, Boston and Chicago, 
 also at the factory. 
 
 WALTER HUBBARD. 
 
 Walter Hubbard, president of the 
 Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co., wdiose 
 : gift to the people of Meriden of the 
 \ park bearing his name, has awakened 
 I a desire in many people of the state 
 i and country who have visited Meriden 
 and Hubbard park, to know some- 
 thing more of the city's benefactor be- 
 yond the fact that he is a gentleman 
 of culture and means. For nearly a 
 half century he has been one of its 
 leading citizens. Politics and public 
 -'.iiinii liaye never attracted him. 
 
 lie was born Sept. 2^^. 1828, in 
 Middletown, Comi., is a descendant 
 of George Hubbard, who came from 
 I n^land in 1(^)33. and was one of the 
 
 original settlers of ^Middletown in 
 1650. His ancestors have lived in 
 this region for 250 years and the Hub- 
 bards furnished a remarkable record 
 in the war of the Revolution. Cap- 
 tain Jeremiah Hubbard, grandfather 
 of Walter Hubbard, \yas one of the 
 number. 
 
 Like the majority of the youth of 
 his day, Walter Hubbard was reared 
 on a farm. 
 
 He was educated in the ])ul)lic 
 schools and also attended the Chase 
 preparatory school of Middletown. 
 At the age of eighteen years he se- 
 cured a position as clerk in a Meri- 
 den store, and with aid of self denial, 
 a clear head and energy, he was en- 
 abled to accumulate enough capital to 
 embark in business for himself. This 
 he ciid in 1851, oi)ening a dry-goods 
 and clothing store in ]Meriden and 
 continuing it successfully until i860. 
 In 1852 he was married to Abby Ann, 
 daughter of Levi Bradle_\', of Chesh- 
 ire ; she died a few months after their 
 marriage, and Mr. Hubbartl has neyer 
 again married. 
 
 Li 1854, in company with his broth- 
 er-in-law, N. L. Bradley. ^Nir. Hub- 
 bard founded the business which in 
 1875 became incorporated under the 
 name of the Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. 
 Co. and devoted himself entirely to its 
 interests. Since its incor])oration he 
 has been president of this great indus- 
 tr\'. Mr. llubl)ar(l is actiyely con- 
 nected with many im])orlant concerns 
 of ?ileriden. He is president of the 
 Mcriik'u Gas Light Com])auy, the 
 .Meriden Electric Light Ciim|)any and 
 
 I 
 
68 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
70 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the Meriden Trust & Safe Deposit 
 Company. He is also interested in lo- 
 cal banks and other companies as 
 a stockholder and director. In 1882-3 
 Mr. Hubbard built the Winthrop ho- 
 tel, which is one of the finest in New 
 England. In this he was actuated to 
 confer a benefit upon the city rather 
 than as an investment. His gifts to 
 various charities have been numerous. 
 He has always made liberal donations 
 to public charities and has given free- 
 Iv of his means to the cause of educa- 
 tion. His interest in the Meriden 
 hospital has been of great benefit and 
 in keeping with his gifts to other in- 
 stitutions. In 1883-84, j\Ir. Hubbard 
 went around the world and he has fre- 
 quently visited Europe and the prin- 
 cipal portions of this country. 
 
 Mr. Hubbard is a member of the 
 Union League Club of New York, the 
 New England society, of New York, 
 the American Geographical society, 
 and a number of state and city organ- 
 izations. He makes his home in a 
 mansion on Washington place, a most 
 desirable section of the citv. 
 
 NATHANIEL L. BRADLEY, 
 
 Nathaniel Lyman Bradley, treasur- 
 er of the Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. 
 Company, is a man who bears the high- 
 est reputation for business ability not 
 only in his own city of Meriden, but 
 also in all the business centers. 
 The firm of which he is treasurer and 
 one of the chief stockholders, is first 
 in the world in its line of goods and 
 a proportionate share of its success 
 
 has come through his grasp of busi- 
 ness situations. 
 
 Mr. Bradley was born in Cheshire, 
 Connecticut, December 2^], 1829. 
 His parents were Levi and Abigail 
 Ann (Atwater) Bradley, upright and 
 unassuming farming people who came 
 of the good sturdy New England 
 stock. Daniel Bradley, father of 
 Levi, was a farmer in Vermont and 
 was driven from his home by the mil- 
 itary operations of the British during 
 the Revolution. He moved to Ham- 
 den, Connecticut, and thence to Chesh- 
 ire. His son, Levi, was born in 
 Cheshire November 11, 1792, and died 
 in Meriden March 18, 1877. Levi 
 Bradley was a man of great energy 
 and keen business discernment. He 
 was not content to be merely a farmer, 
 he strove to be the best farmer in his 
 section. His success characterized 
 his whole career and his three sons, 
 Samuel, William L. and Nathaniel L., 
 inherited much of his business ability. 
 The subject of this sketch has also had 
 two sisters : Emeline Amelia Bradley, 
 married the late Alfred P. Curtis, and 
 was the mother of Mrs. George A. 
 Fay ; and Abby Ann Bradley, died in 
 1852, who married Walter Hubbard, 
 president of the Bradley & Hubbard 
 Mfg. Co. 
 
 Nathaniel Bradley received his 
 early schooling in the Cheshire schools 
 and graduated from the old Meriden 
 Academy where so many of his fellow 
 citizens finished their education. He 
 left school, however, at the early age 
 of fifteen and at once went to work as 
 clerk for E. B. M. Hughes, a 
 
 il 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 71 
 
72 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 hardware merchant in New Haven, 
 Connecticut, in the store now occupied 
 by John E. Bassett & Co. After 
 a year his father felt that he 
 must have his aid on the farm, 
 and so he returned home, great- 
 ly to the regret of Air. Hughes, 
 who had already recognized the apti- 
 tude of the lad. He continued to work 
 for his father until he was twenty- 
 one ; but the life of a farmer did not 
 satisfy his growing ambition to be- 
 come of some note in this world and, 
 accordingly, when the opportunity 
 came of embarking in a little business 
 venture in Southington, Conn., he 
 readily accepted the offer to become 
 one of the stockholders. His business 
 was the making of clocks and after six 
 montlijS' experience in the factory he 
 was offered the contract of making 
 three hundred clocks a day and gladly 
 took the responsibility. It was during 
 his connection with this small concern 
 that he was given his first opportunity 
 to show his skill as a salesman. 
 Owing to the overproduction of the 
 factory, Mr, Bradley was sent to New 
 York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and 
 Washington to sell some of the sur- 
 plus stock. The result of his first 
 trip was such that he not only sold 
 all the goods on hand but continued 
 to keep the factory busy with other 
 orders that taxed the factory to its 
 fullest capacity. His success in sell- 
 ing goods was appreciated to such 
 an extent that he was made the 
 head salesman and a director in the 
 company. Here he continued un- 
 til 1854 when, in company with oth- 
 
 ers, he started that great industry 
 with which his name has ever since 
 been associated in Aleriden, the popu- 
 lation of which was then but 2,500. 
 
 Mr. Bradley holds many important 
 positions besides that of treasurer of 
 the above company. He was a stock- 
 holder and one of the directors 
 of the first street railway com- 
 pany in Meriden, He is a director of 
 the First National Bank ; the City 
 Savings Bank ; the Meriden Trust 
 & Safe Deposit Co. ; the Mer- 
 iden Republican Publishing Com- 
 pany, J. D. Bergen Co., and other 
 financial enterprises in Meriden and 
 elsewhere. In politics he is a Re- 
 publican and, although never seeking 
 office, he has been alderman and acting 
 mayor. 
 
 In his religious affiliations Mr. Brad- 
 ley is a Congregationalist, and is 
 a member of the First Congregational 
 church, having been chairman of the 
 society's committee twenty-eight years. 
 He has always contributed very gen- 
 erously to its support, and gave a 
 princely sum toward the construction 
 of the present stone edifice. Oth- 
 er great works have also been greatly 
 benefited by his aid from time to time. 
 He was one of the first to give large- 
 ly to the work of the Y. M. C. A., ami 
 he contributed toward the building 
 owned by that association and also to 
 the proposed new building of the 
 Y. W. C, A. When the Curtis Me- 
 morial Public Library was built, Mr. 
 Bradley gave $1,000 to that institu- 
 tion for books, and a bronze tablet has 
 been placed in one of the alcoves in 
 
:74 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 recognition of his generosity. Since 
 its foundation he has also been 
 a Hberal friend of the Meriden 
 Boys' Ckib. Air. Bradley is a 
 large owner of local real estate and 
 was the first to build tenements fitted 
 with all modern improvements, in 
 which he was followed by other prop- 
 erty owners. He has for many years 
 been a large owner of this class of 
 houses and has deservedly been ac- 
 corded the re])utation of being a fair 
 minded and liberal landlord. For the 
 past fourteen years he has been one 
 of the trustees of the Connecticut 
 School for Boys and in July, 1899, 
 was unanimously elected president of 
 the board. On account of other du- 
 ties making more urgent demands on 
 his time he resigned the honor in fa- 
 vor of Francis W. Parker, of Hart- 
 ford, one of the trustees. During the 
 administration of Superintendent 
 Howe Mr. Bradley made the State 
 School a present of a complete set of 
 brass musical instruments, and as a 
 result of this one instance of his 
 heartfelt interest in the institution 
 there has ever since been a well or- 
 ganized band there. 
 
 Mr. Bradley is also vice president 
 'Of the Meriden Fire Ins. Co. ; a di- 
 rector in the Walnut Grove Ceme- 
 tery Association and president of 
 -the Meriden hospital, which ofiice he 
 has held since its organization, and 
 •contributed liberally toward the 
 ■ cost of the building. He is also pres- 
 ident of the Meriden Trotting Park 
 Association. He is a member of the 
 Connecticut Society of the Sons of the 
 
 American Revolution. His interest 
 in public afifairs has always been 
 widely felt and all improvements in 
 streets, parks, cemeteries, etc., have 
 always met with his hearty support 
 and have been benefited by his wise 
 judgment, while he also gave with 
 Walter Hubbard in 1905, several acres 
 of land to the city for park purposes. 
 
 Mr. Bradley has been quite a trav- 
 eler, not only in his own country but in 
 foreign lands as well. He has crossed 
 the Atlantic several times. 
 
 In October 25, 1859, Mr. Bradley 
 was married to Harriet E., daughter 
 of Selden and Lucy Hooker (Hart'. 
 Peck, of Kensington, Connecticut. 
 Mrs. Bradley is a woman of rare per- 
 sonal charm and presides with grace 
 over her beautiful home, which is al- 
 ways pointed out as one of the most 
 imposing in Meriden. One son, Clar- 
 ence Peck Bradley, one of the direct- 
 ors and stockholders of the Bradley & 
 Hubbard Alfg. Co., resides with his 
 parents and is also private secretary 
 and treasurer for his father. 
 
 CHARLES F. LINSLEY. 
 
 Charles F. Linsley, secretary and 
 one of the directors of Bradley & Hub- 
 bard Mfg. Co., who has for many 
 years been a leading spirit in the af- 
 fairs of that large corporation, was 
 born at Branford, Conn., in the year 
 1843. His father was Frederick 
 Linsley. His mother (who is now 
 living) was Harriet Foote. He is a 
 descendant on the paternal side from 
 John Linsley, who came from Eng- 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 75 
 
 '-S**/ 
 
 
 r'«.^fi»^-&-j/ 
 
76 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 land and settled in Branford in 1646; 
 and on the maternal side from Na- 
 thaniel Foote, who came from Eng- 
 land and settled in Wethersfield, 
 Conn., early in the seventeenth cen- 
 tury ; also from Rev. Samuel Russell, 
 of Branford, Conn., in whose house 
 the ten ministers met and donated 
 forty books for the "founding of a 
 college in this colony," viz : Yale Col- 
 lege. 
 
 In his youth he was taught at home 
 and in the common district school that 
 to work was honorable. At the age of 
 seventeen years he left the farm and 
 came to Meriden to accept a position 
 offered him by the late Charles H. 
 Collins in his grocery store, where he 
 remained about two and one-half 
 years, until August, 1862, when he 
 enlisted for three years as private in 
 Company F, Fifteenth Connecticut 
 Volunteers, He was appointed by 
 Col. Charles L. Upham quartermaster 
 sergeant of the regiment, in which ca- 
 pacity he served until the close of the 
 w^ar. After returning to Meriden he 
 entered the office of the Wilcox Sil- 
 ver Plate Co., where he remained un- 
 til 1869, when he was offered and ac- 
 cepted a position with Bradley & Hub- 
 bard. As Mr. Bradley in those days 
 was away from home much of the 
 time, and Mr. Hubbard in New York 
 nearly all the time, he had an unusual 
 opportunity of developing business 
 ability, which was appreciated to the 
 fullest extent by Mr. Bradley and Mr. 
 Hubbard. He gradually became each 
 year a more important factor in the 
 fast growing business, having been 
 
 given an opportunity of taking an im- 
 portant part in advancing the interests 
 of the firm. The Bradley & Hubbard 
 Mfg. Co.'s works, occupying over six 
 acres, employing about i ,000 people, is 
 one of the largest manufacturers in 
 its lines in the world. Mr. Linsley's 
 connection with the company covers 
 a period of thirty-seven years. Ever 
 since the incorporation he has been 
 one of the three original stockholders 
 and directors, also the secretary of the 
 company. He is a man of broad ideas 
 and excellent business capacity. He is 
 a director in the following Meriden 
 institutions : First National Bank, 
 City Savings Bank, Meriden Trust & 
 Safe Deposit Co., Meriden Gas Liglit 
 Co. and Meriden Electric Light Co. 
 He has never held any public office ex- 
 cept as a member of the Board of Ap- 
 portionment and Taxation. He was 
 married in 187 1 to Georgiana E. Gay, 
 who is a prominent member of Susan 
 Carrington Clarke Chapter, Daughters 
 of the American Revolution. They 
 have one child, a daughter — Mrs. 
 Tames H. Hinsdale. 
 
 CLARENCE P. BRADLEY. 
 
 Clarence Peck Bradley, the young- 
 est of the four directors and stock- 
 holders of the Bradley & Hubbard 
 Mfg. Co., is the only son of Nathan- 
 iel L. Bradley, one of the founders and 
 treasurer of the large corporation 
 which bears his name. He was born 
 in Meriden, and as stated elsewhere in 
 the sketch of his father, he comes from 
 earlv New England ancestry. His 
 
 I 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 77 
 
78 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 early education was obtained in the 
 schools of Meriden, and he finished at 
 the Russell Military School at New 
 Haven, also known as the Collegiate 
 and Commercial Institute, where he 
 prepared to enter Yale College. 
 Having his choice between a college 
 education and extensive foreign travel, 
 he chose the latter, where, by observa- 
 tion and study of people and their cus- 
 toms in the various quarters of the 
 globe, he became possessed of knowl- 
 edge which has been of inestimable 
 value to him since starting upon his 
 business career. Upon his first return 
 from abroad, he was given an oppor- 
 tunity by a fond and indulgent father, 
 of proving his business worth, by be- 
 ing placed in charge of his interests. 
 His success in familiarizing himself 
 with and afterwards managing these 
 affairs, which called for a display of 
 good judgment and business ability, 
 soon secured for him the confidence 
 of his father, to the extent that he was 
 made his secretary and treasurer, and 
 wnthin the past few years, has man- 
 aged practically all of his fathers pri- 
 vate interests. In 1885, he was elect- 
 ed one of the directors of the Bradley 
 & Hubbard Mfg. Co., in which he has 
 been ever since a factor in its affairs. 
 His success in matters of finance has 
 won him the confidence also of other 
 manufacturing concerns where his 
 counsel and judgment are appreciated. 
 He is also one of the directors of the 
 City Savings Bank. 
 
 He is a prominent figure in social 
 life, and in 1905 served as president of 
 the Home Club, one of the manv social 
 
 organizations with which he is affil- 
 iated. Of this club he was one of the 
 prime movers in the construction of 
 the present handsome building on Col- 
 ony street and served the organization 
 as a member of the building commit- 
 tee. He is a member of the Sons of 
 the American Revolution. His inter- 
 est in the Curtis Memorial Library is 
 indicated by a bronze tablet in one of 
 the alcoves. 
 
 Mr. Bradley is a prominent member 
 of the Masonic fraternity and his 
 membership in that order includes all 
 of the several branches in Connecticut. 
 He is a member of Meridian Lodge, 
 yj. i\. F. & A. M. ; Keystone Chapter, 
 z'], R. A. M. ; Hamilton Council, 22, 
 R. & S. M. ; St. Elmo Conimandery, 
 9. K. T. ; also of the Scottish Rite 
 bodies of New Haven, and of Lafa\- 
 ette Consistory of Bridgeport where 
 he received his thirty-second degree. 
 He is also a member of Pyramid Tem- 
 ple, Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport. 
 
 ^Tr. Bradley has spent much time 
 in travel ; he has visited Europe sev- 
 eral times, and studied the life and 
 customs, of nearly every civilized na- 
 tion, as well as having circumnavi- 
 gated the globe. 
 
 A Republican in politics, he never 
 has accepted any public office what- 
 soever. He is, however, like his 
 father, possessed of a vast amount of 
 public spirit and regard for the town 
 of his birth. During the preparations 
 for the Centennial celebration, he has 
 served with efficiency and value as a 
 member of the general committee ot 
 citizens appointed to arrange and 
 
 I 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 79' 
 
 ■arrv out the extensive plans for that 
 listoric occasion. 
 
 THE HAXDEL COM PAX Y. 
 
 This Aleriden manufacturing" con- 
 :ern, incorporated in 1904 with a cap- 
 tal of $50,000, occupies an enviable 
 )Osition in the trade ; for its goods, 
 ;o original in design and artistic in 
 :reation, make it independent of either 
 \.merican or foreign competition. Its 
 )roduct, "Handel Ware," appeals to 
 ill high class and celebrated interior 
 lecorators and jewelers, and the rep- 
 itation the concern has gained is the 
 ■esult of the artistic abilities of the 
 nan whose name it bears, and the 
 listory of the business, therefore, is 
 hat of its president, treasurer and 
 bunder, who is a native of Meriden. 
 
 Philip J. Handel is one of four chil- 
 
 Iren, and his parents were Jacob and 
 
 Jatherine (Wuterich) Handel. His 
 
 grandfather, Philip Adam Handel, 
 
 vas an industrious farmer of Witten- 
 
 )erg, Germany, who emigrated to this 
 
 ountry and settled in East Hartford, 
 
 fter having learned of the advantages 
 
 b be availed of in America through 
 
 ■is daughter, P^redericka, who had 
 
 I 
 
 ijOne before. His maternal grand- 
 
 ather, Frederick Wuterich, was also 
 
 f| native of \\'ittenberg, ( Jermany ; he 
 
 as the proprietor of large machine 
 
 forks there, but died when tiuite a 
 
 amg man. Jacob liaufkl, father of 
 
 lilip J., settled in Meriden many 
 
 tars ago and married here, in the 
 
 irlv sixties, Catherine Wuterich. who 
 
 was also born in Wittenberg. He 
 was a worthy and respected citizen of 
 ]\Ieriden, and died by accident in 1875, 
 after having been employed as a fore- 
 man for many years at the works of 
 the Charles Parker Co. 
 
 His children were George and Fred, 
 now large dealers in cattle and general 
 merchandise at Musselshell, Mont. ;. 
 Emma, who married Dr. Franklin 
 Drake, a leading practicing physician 
 of Webster City, Iowa ; and the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. He married in 
 1890 Caroline Sutterlin, who died in 
 1904, after a lingering illness of two 
 years. 
 
 Like his brothers. I'hilip J. Handel 
 is rugged in physique, and when 
 nine years old, his father having died, 
 he was possessed with that sense of 
 responsibility that he began to take 
 ])art in the maintenance of the house- 
 hold. As a boy he showed a talent 
 for drawing, which was heartily en- 
 couraged 1)\' his fond ])arents, and he 
 studied, with a laudal)le aim and am- 
 bition, books of art. To assist him 
 in attaining his aml)ition he bought a 
 l)rinting outlit, and, in the pla_\' hours 
 of the ordinary boy, did job ])rinting 
 on a small scale. At the age of four- 
 teen he left school and secm\'d em- 
 ])lo\ment at the factory of the Mer- 
 iden I'.ritannia Co.. but a month later 
 he entered the works of the old Mer- 
 iden l-dint ( ilass Com])an\-. In ihc 
 latter factory he was given an o])iior- 
 tunit\- to show his eapal)ility and to 
 (le\-elo]) a talent for designing and 
 decorating, wliieli in late years has 
 l)ro\-e(l invaluable to him. At the age 
 
8o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 Lif nineteen, in 1885, Mr. Handel with 
 Adolpli Eydam as a partner, began his 
 career as a Meriden manufacturer in 
 his present Hne. Afterwards, he con- 
 tinued alone in the present factory un- 
 til 1904 he incorporated the business 
 Lit which he has ever since been the 
 nain stockholder of the close corpora- 
 tion, and leading spirit in the fast 
 ijrowing enterprise, as president and 
 Tcasurer. During the past five years 
 the business has more than trebled. 
 
 mentioned A. AI. Parlow, who has 
 charge of the decorative glass de- 
 partment, and Anton Teich of the 
 metal and art glass department, both 
 of whom are men of established repu- 
 tations in their particular kind of 
 work. 
 
 Owing to the increased demand for 
 the high class product the company 
 recently opened a branch factory in 
 New York where the most skilled ar- 
 tisans could be procured to assist in 
 
 MKKIDEX FACTORY OF THE HANDEL COMPANY. 
 
 md the factory is equipped with every 
 
 facility for the execution of the work 
 
 [here carried on. The power plant 
 
 electric) recently constructed anew, 
 
 fitted with a one-hundred horse 
 
 ower boiler, 85 horse power engine 
 
 nd fifty K. W. generator, making a 
 
 est modern and efficient equipment. 
 
 .Associated with Air. Handel at the 
 
 ctory are many skilled artisans and 
 
 echanics. Among them mav be 
 
 46 
 
 sujiplving the demand for their goods. 
 Mr. Handel is known as one of the 
 public spirited men of the town, which 
 this vear celebrates its centennial, 
 and the ware he has put on tlie market 
 during the past score of years, has 
 well earned him an honored place in 
 its history, although he is ])ut fine of 
 the youngest, yet successful, manufac- 
 turers of the town. He is a member 
 of Center Lodge, 97. A. V. & A. M. ; 
 
82 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the Home Club and the Cosmopohtan 
 Club and several fraternal organiza- 
 tions in which he is deservedly popu- 
 lar. He also serves as a member of 
 the Centennial committee, on the sub- 
 committee of Decorations and Street 
 Fair. 
 
 FOSTER. MERRIAM & CO. 
 
 This time honored concern has add- 
 ed to the prosperity and fame of Mer- 
 iden as a manufacturing center for 
 over seventy years ; and from the start 
 have been associated with it many men 
 who have taken an important part in 
 the history of the town. Foster, Mer- 
 riam & Co. at the present day conduct 
 a large factory fronting on Cross street 
 and extending several hundred feet 
 'along the tracks of the N. Y., N. H. & 
 H. railroad, in the very heart of Meri- 
 den. They are extensive manufactur- 
 ers of casters, drop handles, furniture 
 trimmings, cabinet hardware and bath 
 room fittings. 
 
 The business of the present day con- 
 trasts strongly with the small start 
 made in the western part of Meriden, 
 at what was then known as Crow Hol- 
 low, and the small shop thirty by twen- 
 ty-five feet, first utilized, has long since 
 been destroyed by fire ; but its location 
 is marked by the foundation which 
 still remains. 
 
 The original founders of the busi- 
 ness were Albert Foster, Hiram Fos- 
 ter, Julius Way, Asaph Merriam, Nel- 
 son Merriam, all of Meriden, and a 
 Mr. Belden, of New Britain, who 
 formed the first partnership vmder the 
 
 name of Foster, Belden & Co., for the 
 making of casters only. The capital 
 was then but about $2,500. The firm 
 did not make its own castings ; they 
 were cast at a foundry in the town, and 
 one of the firm used to carry the cast- 
 ings in his buggy to the shop everv 
 day, and bring them back to the depot 
 when finished and packed, in the same 
 vehicle. There were probably less 
 than 200 pounds of castings used dailv 
 by the little shop. The firm simply 
 finished the work and shipped it. 
 Horse power was used in turning the 
 machinery, and the members of the 
 firm were at first the only workmen 
 employed. The firm as organized in 
 1835, "^^'^s short lived, for the follow- 
 ing year, Mr. Belden sold his interest 
 to Asaph and Nelson Merriam. With 
 the withdrawal of Mr. Belden, the 
 name was changed to Foster, Mer- 
 riam & Co. At this time the product 
 of the business did not exceed fifty sets 
 of casters per day. The panic of '37 
 nearly swept the firm out of existence ; 
 as it was, the company was obliged to 
 suspend operations for six months. 
 Although every credit customer on the 
 company's books failed and did not 
 pay over fifty per cent, of their obliga- 
 tions, the little firm of Foster, Merriam 
 & Co. paid every dollar of its indebt- 
 edness. Five years after the organi- 
 zation of the company, in 1840, Julius 
 Way sold out his interest to John Sut- 
 lifi:'. Asaph Alerriam sold out in 1843 
 to the remaining partners. 
 
 The company had been graduall}' 
 growing too large for its diminutive 
 quarters in Crow Hollow, and in 1850, 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 83 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 the land on which the factory now iness. and has i^rown to large propor- 
 stands was pnrchased of Lauren Mer- tions. .Vlso, as demanded hv the 
 riani. Three years later Alanson trade, various kinds of furniture trim- 
 W'atrous hecame interested with the mings have been added, until almost 
 company in the iron foundry business anything- in the hardware line required 
 and a foundry was built on the land of by manufacturers of furniture can be 
 
 found among the product of this firm. 
 bVom its establishment until 1880, 
 none of the members of the firm had 
 died while a member ; but in Febru- 
 ary of that } car. Xelson Merriam, the 
 president, was stricken suddenly of 
 heart disease, and the late John Sut- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 WILLIAM ZERFASS. 
 
 the company. The business in this de- 
 partment was conducted separately un- 
 der the firm name of A. W'atrous & 
 Co. This branch continued until the 
 death of ]\Ir. W'atrous in 1862, wdien 
 his interest was bought out by the sur- 
 viving members. In 1866 the firm 
 was incor])orated as a joint stock com- 
 pany with a capital of $80,000. but has 
 always been conducted under the old 
 firm name. In 1869 the manufacture 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 J. L. RUTHERFORD. 
 
 lift, who had for many years been one 
 of the directors, succeeded him as 
 
 president. 
 
 Mr. Sutliff held that office until his 
 of drop handles was added to the bus- death, June 22, 1897, when James R. 
 
86 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Sutliff, who had, since 1887, been vice- 
 president, and previous to that the su- 
 perintendent of the factory, was elect- 
 ed president and held that office until 
 his death January 18, 1902. 
 
 Nelson C. Merriam, son of Nelson 
 ]\Ierriam, was for many years a prom- 
 inent factor in the concern and upon 
 his death was succeeded as western 
 representative by William Zerfass. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 ROBERT J. MEJfRIAM. 
 
 On March 7, 1902, George C. Mer- 
 riam, who since 1880 had filled the of- 
 fices of secretary and treasurer, was 
 elected president ; also retaining the of- 
 fice of treasurer. On that date J. L. 
 Rutherford was elected secretary, 
 and William Zerfass superintendent. 
 Shortlv after the decease of Mr. INIer- 
 
 riam who died suddenly March 23, 
 1904, William Zerfass was elected 
 president, also retaining the office of 
 superintendent. Robert J. Merriam 
 was then elected to his present office 
 as treasurer. 
 
 The present directors of the com- 
 pany are as follows : William Zer- 
 fass, J. L. Rutherford, Robert J. Mer- 
 riam, George E. Savage and Dr. O. A. 
 Parker. , 
 
 The business of the company has in- 
 creased largely within the past decade 
 and several noticeable enlargements 
 and additions have been made to the 
 plant, which now covers a large area, 
 as is shown in the accompanying en- 
 graving. Over 350 hands are given 
 steady employment and the product of 
 the factory is shipped all over the 
 world. The goods are made from the 
 raw material and every portion of the 
 work of producing their large output 
 is conducted within the several build- 
 ings now occupied. The business adds 
 greatly to the prosperity of Meriden ; 
 and the product of the factory is 
 both creditable to the city and a source 
 of pride to its citizens. 
 
 The trade embraces a large terri- 
 tory, and there is no state in the Union 
 in which cannot be found those who 
 rse some of the articles manufactured 
 by this concern ; and the trade with 
 Canada and other foreign countries is 
 no small item. The company has been 
 burned out three times partially and 
 once wholly ; but the pluck and push 
 that always characterized the corpora- 
 tion was not disheartened by these ca- 
 lamities. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 87 
 
 The company has always been con- 
 servative, and changes in help are rare 
 occurrences. The employes respect 
 their employers ; for they are well 
 treated and do faithful w'ork ; and no 
 company in the city stands higher in 
 the estimation of the public, the em- 
 ployes and the trade than Foster, Mer- 
 riam & Co. 
 
 THE .MERIDEN FIRE ARMS CO. 
 
 The ^leriden Fire Arms Co. bids 
 fair to become Meriden's largest man- 
 ufacturing concern. Its owners, 
 Sears, Roebuck & Co., of Chicago, 
 noted for their splendid achievements, 
 liberal business enterprise and world- 
 wide trade, are bending their energies 
 toward that goal. 
 
 In January of 1905, the nucleus of 
 the present company moved to this 
 city from Hopkinton, Mass., reorgan- 
 izing under the name of The Meriden 
 Fire Arms Co., in the old Malleable 
 Iron Company's plant in the northern 
 part of the city. 
 
 The advent of the new company was 
 
 a happy day for Meriden. The ]\Iallea- 
 
 ble Iron Works had been closed for 
 
 I several years and the buildings were 
 
 I fast falling into decay. Houses w' ere 
 
 [either vacant in the neighborhood of 
 
 the works, or were renting for but a 
 
 poor return on the money invested. 
 
 In the brief space of a year and a half 
 
 ithis has all been changed. The fac- 
 
 ory buildings were overhauled at 
 
 arge expense with a view to house in 
 
 hem hundreds of busv men and a 
 
 thousand fl>ing wheels for the manu- 
 facture of guns and revolvers of div- 
 ers patterns. It is very difficult to get 
 a rent in North Meriden to-day and it 
 is said that tlTe price of real estate 
 and the value of rents have increased 
 tw'enty per cent. 
 
 The formation of the ^Meriden Fire 
 Arms Co. was made possible by the 
 immense business in guns and pistols 
 and the vast capital of Sears, Roe- 
 buck & Co. For years past the con- 
 cern has found it difficult to get the 
 quantity or character of fire arms de- 
 manded by a constantly growing and 
 exacting trade. The location of the 
 works in Meriden is mainly due to its 
 vice-president and general manager, 
 A. J. Aubrey, an old Meriden boy, 
 who, though many years away from 
 Meriden, had neither forgotten the 
 business advantages of nor the love 
 which he had for the old town. 
 
 Mr. Sears, president of the Chica- 
 go firm, and Mr. Aubrey came to Mer- 
 iden to look the ground over. It had 
 been decided that Hopkinton was too 
 far removed from the gun-making 
 centers to be advantageous in building 
 up an extensive gun factory. With 
 large gun concerns in Hartford. New 
 Haven, Springfield and Norwich, any 
 one of a number of towns hereabout 
 would make it easy to get in touch 
 with gun sentiment and gun workers, 
 so essential to the smooth working of 
 a large gun enterprise. It was by no 
 means settled that Meriden was to be 
 selected as the site for the new works. 
 Plants in Middlctown and other places 
 were available. 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 l^LZ 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 89 
 
 The condition of tlie factory build- 
 ings in the old jMalleable Iron works 
 was so bad that an immediate hitch in 
 negotiations for its purchase was oc- 
 casioned. The owners receded some 
 from their original asking, but thirty 
 thousand dollars with the necessary 
 large expenditures for repairs to re- 
 habilitate the old buildings was still 
 considered by Messrs. Sears and Au- 
 brey as far above a taking figure. For 
 a time it seemed unlikely that the new 
 company would locate in Meriden. 
 Good sites had been found in New Ha- 
 ven and Middlctown with a likelihood 
 of their selection far above that of 
 the Meriden location. 
 
 At this juncture ^Ir. .Vubrey, anx- 
 ious to bring the big works to Aleri- 
 den if it were possible, returned to this 
 city, determined to make another try 
 for the North Meriden plant. The 
 owners would not budge from their re- 
 duced asking price. It then became a 
 question if the people of Meriden 
 would ])ermit another city to get a 
 concern that would bring several hun- 
 dred thousand dollars in annual wages 
 to tradespeople and householders and 
 a vast prestige to the city as a manu- 
 facturing center. Several leading- 
 business men of the city were asked 
 by Mr. Aubrey if the town would aid 
 the company to secure the plant. 
 
 A liasty meeting of the local board 
 of trade was called. Mr. Aubrey 
 talked the matter over with it, explain- 
 ing the position of Sears, Roebuck & 
 Co. in the ])remises, their expectations 
 as to output of guns and ultimate ex- 
 tension of the works till thev should 
 
 be the largest and most distinctive in 
 the United States. Mr. Aubrey's 
 earnestness and tact caught the board. 
 His proposition was not to be passed 
 by as was indicated by an immediate 
 subscription of more than half the 
 amount needed to bring the Sears, 
 Roebuck & Co. oft'er up to that de- 
 manded by the owners of the desired 
 property. The remainder of ten 
 thousand dollars asked of the board 
 of trade was subscribed the day after 
 the memorable meeting with the re- 
 sult that the Malleable Iron works 
 were turned over to the new owners 
 to become again the scene of great ac- 
 tivity but in a new business. 
 
 The owners of the concern met in 
 Meriden to rechristen their new works. 
 Naturally the name became the Meri- 
 den Fire Arms Co. The Chicago peo- 
 ple were as well pleased over the turn 
 in afifairs as were the citizens of Mer- 
 iden. With keen outlook they sized 
 up the many advantages of their new 
 location. Big as the plant was, it was 
 but the beginning of a great gun con- 
 cern. Acting on that thought, the 
 abutting vacant property, running 
 nearly two thousand feet along the 
 railroad, was purchased, some day to 
 be covered by tlie company's factory 
 buildings. 
 
 On the loth of January. 1905. the 
 "trek" of the works from Ilopkinton 
 to ^Meriden ])egan. Just twenty days 
 later the old whistle over the power 
 house broke the silence of years with 
 its call to work ; steam and smoke cir- 
 cled again over the buildings and the 
 wheels in the long unused shops be- 
 
90 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 gan to turn for a long career of use- 
 fulness and profit, let us hope. 
 
 It is well to record the foregoing 
 bit of history, parts of which we be- 
 lieve to be prophetic of a futvire of 
 large enterprise. 
 
 The Meriden Fire Arms Co. is op- 
 erated under a charter obtained in the 
 state of Illinois which entitles it to 
 capitalize at one hundred and seventy- 
 five thousand dollars. The stock is 
 held by Sears, Roebuck & Co., the only 
 partners being A. J. Aubrey, the gen- 
 eral manager and F. A. Stephani, the 
 treasurer of the local concern. 
 
 Its way of doing business has led 
 the company to equip the factory with 
 every labor-saving device known to 
 the trade. No machinery has been be- 
 yond the reach of the concern. The 
 factory buildings are filled wath mod- 
 ern machines that, like magic, trans- 
 form the rough drop forgings, made 
 of the best equality of steel, into a part- 
 ly completed product, as smoothly and 
 apparently as easily as the modeler 
 shapes his wax. 
 
 A large element in the cost of run- 
 ning a plant on such lines is that for 
 machinery, good at the time, but later 
 superseded, which goes to the junk 
 man, having outlived the day of its 
 usefulness. 
 
 Mr. Aubrey has been connected with 
 the company, either as a member of 
 the present company or as vice-presi- 
 dent of the Hopkinton concern, a year 
 and a half. In that short period he has 
 been fortunate in securing the Meri- 
 den location with all of its promises 
 for the future, at the same time the 
 
 output of the works has been nearly 
 doubled. In the short space of a year 
 new' guns have been invented by him 
 and are now on the market. 
 
 The A. J. Aubrey single barrel, 
 hammer shot gun is being turned out 
 at the rate of over two hundred guns 
 a day. The A. J. Aubrey double gun 
 is now on the market, superseding the 
 old Fryberg gun made at Hopkinton. 
 This new sporting fire arm is equal to 
 any made in this country or England. 
 It is a handsome specimen of the gun- 
 n.iakers' art. The lines are beautiful 
 in proportion and drop. In that re- 
 gard it is perhaps the highest devel- 
 opment attained in sporting guns. 
 The mechanism of this gun is simple, 
 strong and perfect, insuring an easy 
 working and reliable arm. It is of the 
 popular hammerless kind and is made 
 with or without the automatic shell 
 ejecting device. 
 
 Another gun bearing ]\Ir. Aubrey's 
 name nearly ready for the market is 
 the single hammerless. This gun is 
 said to be without an equal among its 
 kind. Like the double hammerless it 
 is fine in its lines and simple and 
 strong in its construction. It has sev- 
 eral new features that will commend 
 it to that class of sportsman who 
 want a light gun of the single barrel 
 kind which at the same time is high 
 grade. 
 
 In addition to the guns mentioned 
 above as brought out in the year past 
 may be mentioned the small Atlas 
 sporting rifle. This rifle takes its 
 place with a number of similar guns 
 popular with young sportsmen. 
 
 A 
 
MANUFAt TOKIHS. 
 
 91 
 
 z 2 
 
 1x S 
 
92 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 A well equipped pistol factory is 
 connected with the business. Twen- 
 ty varieties of hammer and hammer- 
 less pistols are manufactured with an 
 output in January, 1906, of a hundred 
 pistols a day. 
 
 Everything points to a wide open 
 future for the company. Meriden is 
 to be congratulated that it is here. It 
 is a matter of the largest concern to 
 the city that its full ambitions shall be 
 reached. 
 
 Albert James Aubrey, vice presi- 
 dent and general manager of the j\Ier- 
 iden Fire Arms Co., was born in Hart- 
 ford, Conn., February 23, 1863. His 
 parents, John and JMary Aubrey, re- 
 moved to Meriden when he was three 
 years of age. Flere he grew to man- 
 hood, living in Meriden continuously 
 until he was twenty-one years of age. 
 His early education was obtained in 
 the public schools, the first school-he 
 attended being the East district, locat- 
 ed on the Middletown road, near the 
 Parker spoon factory. When ]\Ir. 
 Aubrey was eight years old his pa- 
 rents purchased the old Yale farm sit- 
 uated on East Alain street. He then 
 attended the Center school on Parker 
 avenue. After graduating from this 
 school he entered the employ of the 
 Parker Gun Co. and has been identi- 
 fied with the gun business up to the 
 present time, being associated wuth 
 several of the largest gun concerns in 
 the United States. 
 
 On July I, 1904. Mr. Aubrey en- 
 gaged as general manager with Sears, 
 Roebuck & Company, in Hopkinton, 
 Mass. 
 
 Mr. Aubrey is a member of the Ma- 
 sonic fraternity. His immediate fam- 
 ily consists of his wife, nee Pilanche 
 E. Boomer, whom he married in Ful- 
 ton, N. Y., November 25, 1891, and 
 a daughter, Clara May Aubrey. 
 Others of his family now residing in 
 Meriden, are a brother, Alfred John 
 Aubrey, formerly a clergyman of the 
 Unversalist denomination, now super- 
 intendent of the pistol department of 
 the ]\Ieriden Fire Arms Co. ; two sis- 
 ters, Mrs. F. W. Stiles and Mrs. A. 
 W. Proudman. His father, John Au- 
 brey, who is over eighty years of age, 
 makes his home with him. He has 
 also a brother, W. H. Aubrey, a steel 
 engraver, residing in Syracuse, N. Y. 
 
 MANNING, BOWMAN & CO. 
 
 The history of the present large 
 manufacturing concern of Manning. 
 Bowman & Co., which has for many 
 years added to the importance of Mer- 
 iden as an industrial center, dates back 
 over forty years to Middletown, Conn., 
 where the company was organized and 
 the first goods bearing its name were 
 made. The company requiring in- 
 creased capital for the successful con- 
 duct of its business, interested such 
 public spirited Meriden citizens as 
 Horace C. Wilcox, Isaac C. Lewis and 
 George R. Curtis, with the result that 
 in 1872 the concern removed to its 
 present location in Meriden. After 
 becoming a ]\Ieriden enterprise the 
 board of directors w^as organized by 
 the election of Messrs. Wilcox. Lew- 
 
 i 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 93 
 
 s, and Curtis, with the addition of 
 OS. H. Parsons, Edward B. Manning, 
 iobert Bowman and Edward Furniss. 
 rhe officers elected were : Edward B. 
 planning, president ; Robert Bowman, 
 ecretary and treasurer. Other large 
 tockholders at that time were W. W. 
 .yman and Lemuel J. Curtis. 
 
 iden, covered but a small portion of 
 the large triangular area, formed by 
 Pratt, Miller and Catlin streets, the 
 whole of which is now occupied by 
 the factory of the company. At first 
 only fifty hands were employed. 
 From this small start has developed 
 the present imposing plant which has 
 
 FACTORY OF MANxXIXG, ]',OWMAN & CO. IX 18/2. 
 
 ' In 1872 a small wooden building, 
 ireviously occupied by the Parker & 
 Hasper Co., who had been making sil- 
 'sr plated ware, but who were at 
 bout that time absorbed by the Wil- 
 <|x Silver Plate Co.. became the home 
 '* Manning, Bowman & Co. The 
 iist quarters of this company in ]\Ier- 
 
 a frontage on three streets of i.ooo 
 feet, an excellent illustration being 
 shown on the following page. 
 
 i'he product of the factory has been 
 noticeably changed within the past 
 decade. A large volume of the orig- 
 inal output was mounted enameled 
 ware, britannia, planished tin and cop- 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 95 
 
 per goods. As far back as the Cen- 
 tennial of 1876, the company had 
 world's fair exhibits of its goods, 
 which included their first enameled tea 
 and coffee pots with white metal 
 mountings. The company secured 
 medals for these goods at the Centen- 
 nial Exposition in Philadelphia and 
 were also awarded prizes at other sim- 
 ilar exhibits. The company's enameled 
 wares with patented metal mountings 
 rapidly gained popularity. 
 
 In 1898 George E. Say#^e, who had 
 for twenty-five years Been.^ associated 
 with the Meriden Britan^a Co., be- 
 came the active head of t-he business 
 as president, treasurer and general 
 manager. In 1900 Albert L. Stetson 
 was elected secretary, which ofiice he 
 still holds. The output of the factory 
 at the present day consists largely of 
 chafing dishes. Meteor coft'ee perco- 
 lators, prize trophies of varied and 
 beautiful design, including those in 
 solid copper with English pewter 
 mountings ; plated table ware and a 
 full line of bath room furnishings. 
 The chafing dishes of this company 
 have become famous, especially 
 those with the patented 'Tvory Enam- 
 eled" food pan, which can be applied 
 to any chafing dish, making a clean, 
 ttractive and desirable article. The 
 roduct of the factory is not excelled 
 n beauty and durability by the output 
 f any similar establishment. Repeated 
 nlargements of the factory have been 
 lade and new machinery has been 
 urchased to keep pace with the con- 
 ' Itantly increasing demand for its 
 oods. An equipment enabling the 
 
 company to generate its own electric- 
 ity for lighting and power purposes 
 has been installed and the large plant 
 has been fitted with an adequate fire 
 sprinkling system. The latest article 
 of manufacture is the celebrated 
 "Eclipse" bread kneader and mixer, 
 which practical and economical house- 
 hold labor-saving device is made in a 
 separate building completely equipped 
 for that purpose w'ith special machin- 
 ery recently installed, the latest and 
 best procurable. 
 
 The present board of directors com- 
 prises: George H. Wilcox, George AI. 
 Curtis, Samuel Dodd, George Rock- 
 well, George E. Savage, Albert L. 
 Stetson and William L. Mirrielees. 
 
 In addition to extensively fitted up 
 show rooms at their factory, the com- 
 pau}' have salesrooms in the Crock- 
 ery Exchange building, at 25 \\'est 
 Broadway, New York, and in the 
 North American building, corner of 
 State and Monroe streets, Chicago, 
 with agencies in San Francisco, Cal., 
 and London, England. 
 
 George Edwin Savage, president of 
 Manning, Bowman & Co., has for 
 many }ears been one of the most fa- 
 miliar figures of local manufacturing 
 circles. He is the son of Edw'in and 
 Frances Sophia (W^ilcox) Savage and 
 was born in Berlin, Conn., February 
 27, 1851. He is a worthy descendant 
 of one of the oldest families in Con- 
 necticut, from 1652, when John Sav- 
 age became one of the original 
 settlers of Middletown, Conn. 
 
 From the New England Historical 
 Record it is found that in 1674 John 
 
96 
 
 A CENTURY OF JSIERIDEN. 
 
 GEORGE E. SAVAGE. 
 
:maxufactories. 
 
 97 
 
 Savage possessed 1,207 acres of land 
 bordering on the Connecticut river 
 and that his name is seventh on the 
 Hst of the members who organized the 
 First Congregational church of that 
 town. The family name has ever 
 since been a common one in this sec- 
 tion of the state. He is a great grand- 
 son of Seth Savage, who was corporal 
 in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 George E, Savage began his busi- 
 ness life at the age of seventeen, for 
 it was upon the advice of his uncle, 
 the late Horace C. Wilcox, that he 
 left his father's farm in Berlin before 
 he had fully completed his education 
 at Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, 
 .Mass., and associated himself with the 
 Meriden Britannia Company. There 
 by close application and keen observa- 
 titon, he obtained a thorough knowl- 
 etlge of the silver ware business and 
 soon after was given the management 
 of the !Meriden salesrooms of that com- 
 pany, which position he occupied for 
 nearly a quarter of a century, until 
 prevailed upon by the officers of the 
 Meriden Britannia Co. to accept the 
 position of general manager of Alan- 
 ning Bowman & Co. With the last 
 named concern, Mr. Savage has been 
 a potent factor in its recent remark- 
 able growth, and previouslv having 
 been one of the directors, in 1898 was 
 elected president and treasurer, both 
 of which offices he has since filled. 
 
 He is also one of the directors of 
 Foster, Merriam & Co., and for some 
 years has been a director in both the 
 Meriden Savings bank and the ]\Ieri- 
 den National bank. He is well known 
 47 
 
 in social life, being a member of the 
 Home Club of Meriden, and of 
 Captain John Couch Branch, Sons of 
 the American Revolution, and is a man 
 of marked executive ability. He is 
 much interested in church matters, be- 
 ing a member and one of the trustees 
 of the First Congregational church. 
 
 He was married in Meriden June 9, 
 1875, to Charlotte P., daughter of Al- 
 bert Foster, one of the founders of 
 Foster, Merriam & Co., and from that 
 marriage there is now living one son, 
 Albert Wilcox Savage, born June 16, 
 1889. Mr. Savage is known as a man 
 of strong personality, sound judgment 
 and a most loval citizen of ]\Ieriden. 
 
 CONN. TEL. & ELEC. COMPANY. 
 
 This fast growing manufacturing 
 concern, wdiose busy plant is located 
 on Britannia street, and the rear of 
 Avhose factory adjoins the tracks of 
 the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R., is the 
 result of the small start UMde by 
 E. C. ^\'ilcox in 1893. In 1894, B. 
 L. Lawton entered into partnership 
 with ^Ir. Wilcox. It was at that com- 
 ])arative]\' recent date that the foun- 
 dation of the present Itusiness was laid 
 in a small portion of the jilant of the 
 ^NFeridcn MaIUa])!e Iron Ci>m]);ui\-. 
 In 1902 the business of the firm had 
 so increased that they were warrant- 
 ed in purchasing the present factory, 
 which had previousl\- l.)een occupied 
 by the I'ond Harness Com])any. and 
 on March 1. U)0J,. were incorporate<l 
 with a capital .stock of $36,000, but 
 which, by another act of the legisla- 
 
98 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 ture, has since been increased to $45.- 
 000. Since the concern became incor- 
 porated, the officers have been as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 E. C. Wilcox, president ; B. L. Law- 
 ton, vice-president and treasurer, and 
 B. C. Rogers, secretary, all of whom 
 are natives of Meriden. 
 
 The high quality of their product, 
 which comprises telephones, telephone 
 switch-boards, and electrical supplies, 
 has placed them in the position of the 
 
 E. C. WILCOX. 
 
 largest manufacturers of their goods 
 in this section of the country. Their 
 plant has been several times enlarged 
 and improved since they removed to 
 the present factory buildings. 
 
 They make everything in their line 
 from the raw material to the finished 
 product. Among their latest triumphs 
 is an inter-communicating telephone 
 for interior use in buildings, which 
 furnishes in itself, by pressing but- 
 tons, complete exchange connections, 
 with all parts of the building, and re- 
 
 leases the same automatically, and 
 comprises the only successful system 
 of its kind of the present age. The 
 
 B. L. LAWTON. 
 
 company are also turning out a new 
 spark coil apparatus, the use of which 
 is exceedingly advantageous when ap- 
 plied to automobiles. Seventy-five 
 
 B. C. ROGERS. 
 
 hands on the average are employed 
 and the business is now on such a firm 
 basis that steady work is the rule. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 99 
 
 J. D. BERGEN CO. 
 
 Prominent among the industries 
 >liich have made Meriden famous in 
 lie state of Connecticut is the cut 
 lass manufacturing estabhshment of 
 lie T. D. Bergen Company, formerly 
 )cated on Miller street. This factory 
 ad been operated to its fullest capac- 
 ;v for many years, and its product 
 old throughout the entire United 
 itates and in many foreign countries. 
 ^lie aim of the J. D. Bergen Co. has 
 •een to produce a line of cut glass 
 rhich shall sell, not only during the 
 oliday seasons, but through the en- 
 ire year. This has been accoui- 
 lished by keeping always in mind the 
 opular price feature, which has be- 
 
 PRESIDEXT TAMES D. BERGEN 
 
 come so infimately associated with 
 the Bergen product that in the e}"es 
 of the trade "Bergen Cut Glass" and 
 "Popular Price'' is to-day synony- 
 mous. 
 
 The present factory is the outgrowth 
 of a venture having its inception in a 
 partnership formed by James D. Ber- 
 gen, the founder and present Presi- 
 dent and Treasurer of the J. D. Ber- 
 gen Co., early in 1880 under the 
 style of Bergen & Niland. The prin- 
 cipal business of the young firm at 
 that time w^as the production of the 
 caster bottles, then so much in vogue. 
 A working arrangement with the 
 jMeriden Britannia Co. helped matters 
 along with the new firm, and the bus- 
 iness was successfully conducted for a 
 period of about five years. J. D. 
 Bergen, at the end of that period, 
 seeing greater opportunities before 
 him, purchased out the interests of 
 his partner, and early in 1892 made 
 a stock company of the business, 
 forming the J. D. Bergen Company, 
 with a capital stock of $40,000, sub- 
 sequently increased to $60,000. It is 
 of interest to note that the first board 
 of directors included such men as 
 Clarence P. P)ra(Iley, C. Berry Peets. V.. 
 J. Doolittle and C. E. Stockder, Jr. 
 To-day, thirteen years later, JNIessrs. 
 Bradley, Doolittle, Peets and Stock- 
 der are still actively interested in the 
 concern, and supplementing their ef- 
 forts is N. L. Bradley, of the Bradley 
 & Hubbard Mfg. Co., who is to-day 
 also in the directorate. 
 
 The J. D. Bergen Co. employs a 
 force of a])proNimately 200 lianils at 
 
loo 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 J. VAL. EERGEN. 
 
 its Meriden plant, 
 maintains offices 
 and show rooms in 
 New York and in 
 Chicago, and resi- 
 dent agents at Bos- 
 ton, Baltimore and 
 all other principal 
 cities of the United 
 States. In addi- 
 tion to the regnlar 
 traveling force, 
 Mr. Bergen's two sons, J. Valentine 
 Bergen and W. Tracy Bergen (who 
 cover the sonth and middle west re- 
 spectively), the Bergen Company 
 maintains traveling representatives in 
 the far West in the United States, and 
 foreign representatives who take in 
 practically all of Asia and Oceanica. 
 There is also a resident agent in the 
 citv of Mexico and in Honolulu. 
 
 The product of the J. D. Bergen 
 Company, while well known for many 
 years, is constantly increasing in fa- 
 vor among discriminating purchasers. 
 This is perhaps due to the fact that 
 its product is the legitimate expres- 
 sion of a manager and subordinates 
 w'ho have practically been bred and 
 born in the cut glass business. With 
 this in mind, it cannot be any sur- 
 prise to the reader to learn that the 
 factory was usually oversold early in 
 the fall, and, as a matter of fact, the 
 Bergen Company has been unable to 
 till all its orders during the last few 
 months of the year for at least half a 
 dozen years past. This fact, and the 
 opportunity offered to purchase the 
 large five-stor\' brick plant at Center 
 
 and Britannia streets, a few month 
 ago, has resulted in the acquiremen 
 by the Bergen Company of the large! 
 plant, an excellent view of whicl 
 appears on the opposite page. Th» 
 new location, where much greatei 
 facilities are enjoyed, was firs; 
 occupied in March, 1906. Th(: 
 plant now occupied is one formeri\l 
 used by one of the local indiisj 
 tries and is admirably situated fm 
 the large business I 
 
 now being there 
 carried on b\' the 
 J. D. Bergen Com- 
 pany, as it possess- 
 es not only more 
 lloor space but ex- 
 cellent railroad ac- 
 commodations, the 
 factory • fronting 
 on the main line of 
 the X. v.. X. H. & 
 H. R. R., a private spur track fmiiiii 
 which extends alongside the factory. 
 
 Each department of the factor} .| 
 while under the personal supervisioiij 
 and management of James D. Bergen.! 
 is under the superintendence of man-|i 
 agers who have satisfactorily demon- 
 strated their entire ability for their re- 
 spective positions. The result is that 
 the product of the Bergen Company, j 
 as ofifered on the market, is all that iti 
 should be. and holds high rank in tbc^ 
 cut glass industry. This art, in which ' 
 the American workman, perhaps by 
 reason of his superior deftness, seems 
 to excel those of all other nations, has 
 nowhere reached the excellence that 
 it has in the United States 
 
 \V. TRACV KERGEX 
 
102 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 THE M. B. SCHENCK CO. 
 
 The inception of the M. B. Schenck 
 Co. was in 1881 when the present 
 president of the company began the 
 manufacture of a line of double wheel 
 
 The fifteen years intervening be- 
 tween the close of the war and the 
 above date were devoted by Mr. 
 Schenck to the hardware trade in Ful- 
 ton, N. Y., his native town. 
 
 This had not only qualified him a- 
 
 
 MANUFACTURING PLANT OF THE M. B. SCHENCK CO. 
 
 casters of his own invention, suitable 
 in their sizes and varieties for furni- 
 ture and trucks. For nearly twenty- 
 five years they have been known the 
 world over as the Yale caster. 
 
 a merchant but had given him a prac- 
 tical knowledge of the requirements 
 of the trade which later on has proven 
 an exceedingly valuable asset. 
 
 While fairlv successful in his bus- 
 
 A 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 103 
 
 iness, it was limited by existing con- 
 ditions, and could not be enlarged to 
 cover the broader field to which his 
 laudable ambition aspired. 
 
 With his invention as a nucleus, he 
 sold out his business and came to New 
 Haven in 1882, to learn the new and 
 untried life of a manufacturer. 
 
 At the end of a five years' struggle, 
 
 1891, in company with his son, \\\ A. 
 Schenck, they bought the Beecher 
 -Mfg. Co. plant which has since been 
 brought to a high state of perfection. 
 
 The i:)lant extends 600 feet along the 
 main line of the X. Y., N. H. & H. 
 R. R., which aft'ords excellent advan- 
 tages for a manufacturing business. 
 
 In 1897, it was incorporated with 
 
 M. B. SCIIENCK. 
 
 with inex]X'riencc, insufficient active 
 
 licapital, ])atent lawsuits and discourage- 
 
 jments almost overwhelming, and just 
 
 s the tide was turning in his favor, a 
 
 lestructive fire swept away a very im- 
 
 'ortant part of his business. 
 
 Inducements, seemingly promising, 
 |)rought him to Aleriden in 1887. In 
 
 M. B. Schenck as jn-csident, W. A. 
 Schenck as sccretar\-, treasurer and 
 general su])crinten(lcnt. 
 
 Five distinct and exceedingly popu- 
 lar lines of casters, all the product of 
 Mr. Schenck's inveniive talent, are 
 now made and the business has grown 
 to large proportions. 
 
I04 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 M. B. SCHENCK. 
 
 Martin B. Schenck was born April 
 29, 1838, in Fulton, New York. He 
 was brought up on his father's farm, 
 educated in the common schools 
 
 the rebellion, and from 1865 to 18S1 
 was engaged in mercantile pursui<s. 
 He came to New Haven, Conn., in 
 1882 but five years later his factory 
 was burned out and he came to Meri- 
 den. 
 
 RESIDENCE OF M. B. SCHENCK, BROAD STREET. 
 
 and in Falley Seminary, Fulton, N. Y. In creed he is a ^lethodist ; in pol- 
 
 In the years following he taught itics a Republican, from the birth of 
 
 school learned the builder's trade, the party. He is a devoted member of 
 
 served from 1862 to 1865 in the 147th ^lerriam Post, No. 8, Grand Army of 
 
 Regiment, N. Y. \'ols., in the war of the Republic, and a manufacturer. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 105 
 
 He was an active "Wide Awake" 
 1 the campaign of i860, cast his first 
 residential vote that year for Lincohi 
 nd again four years later, sending his 
 allot home from the army in an en- 
 elope. 
 
 His experiences the last fifty years 
 ave been exceedingly varied, inter- 
 stmg and instructive. He is a lover 
 f choice literature and has traveled 
 sctensivelv in his own country and 
 )road. 
 
 His pleasant home on Broad street, 
 irrounded by well-kept grounds, 
 
 one of the most desirable locations 
 1 the city. It stands at an elevation 
 t 135 feet above the business portion 
 t" the city, away from the throb and 
 hir of its many great industries and 
 iinmands a view of city, park and 
 ountain range rarely equaled in the 
 any beautiful, busy cities of Connec- 
 i-ut. 
 
 Mr. Schenck is, on his father's side, 
 i pure old New York Knickerbocker 
 utch blood, and belongs to the ninth 
 .-neration in this country. 
 
 His first ancestor of his name in this 
 luntry was Roelof ]\Iartense Schenck 
 ho came from Holland in 1650, and 
 arried, in 1660, Xeeltje Gerretse van 
 nuwenlioven (now called Conover) 
 Ihose grandfather came from Holland 
 
 1630. Thev all settled in New Am- 
 i-rdam, later in Flatlands, now Brook- 
 in. and were prominent among the 
 i^)llanders in New^ York under the old 
 Iplch regime. 
 
 His mother's first American an- 
 :kor, Newman Perkins, came from 
 l!igland with Roger Williams, and 
 
 finally settled with him in Rhode Island. 
 He is of the sixth generation in 
 this countr}- in this line. Descendants 
 from these families inheriting the 
 sturdy equalities of their ancestors, 
 have been prominent in business, social 
 and political circles all along the line 
 from the earliest times. Through all 
 the great wars from the revolution 
 down to the present time, each gener- 
 ation has filled its full quota, always 
 regarding loyalty to high civic princi- 
 ples as the paramount duty of the 
 American citizen. 
 
 ^lERIDEN GAS LIGHT CO. 
 
 Aleriden has been well provided 
 with gas by the above public service 
 corporation since 1863, when the com- 
 pany received its charter from the 
 Connecticut Legislature. The busi- 
 ness has always been conducted by 
 ]Meriden men and local capital, and 
 during its entire history the company 
 has furnished pure coal gas. 
 
 The first plant occupied was that 
 which stood on the site of the pres- 
 ent plant of the Meriden l-'lectric 
 Light Company on South Colony 
 street. The original gas works suf- 
 ficed for the needs of the town for 
 some years. The company began bus- 
 iness with a capital stock of $35,000, 
 but this has been since gradually in- 
 creased to $350,000. 
 
 The first cost of gas to the peoj^le 
 of ]\Ieri(len was $4.65 a thousand feet. 
 As a result of that necessarily high 
 ])rice, gas was then principally used for 
 illuminating purposes and largely by 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 107 
 
 people of means. Happil\- for the 
 housekeeper of the present day the 
 charge per thousand feet made by the 
 company, makes gas an economical as 
 well as labor and time-saving fuel. 
 The passing of time only has made 
 possible a gradual reduction in the 
 lirice of gas ; so that it has finally be- 
 come generally and even liberally used 
 in Meriden. By 1874 the demands 
 were such that the company, after 
 erecting a new and larger plant on 
 Cooper street, abandoned the former 
 location for their new one. From 
 that time to the present, and more es- 
 pecially within the past decade, new 
 i)uil(lings have been erected on the 
 property, which covers several acres ; 
 until the works comprise, in 1906, one 
 of the best ecjuipped in all New Eng- 
 land. Among notable improvements 
 is the acquisition of a giant gas hold- 
 er. Previous to the construction of 
 this gasometer the gas holding capac- 
 ity of the plant was but 200,000 cubic 
 feet. A new building for purifying 
 gas and another for the office and sta- 
 tion meters have also been added with- 
 in recent years. The plant now con- 
 sists of a retort house ; exhauster, con- 
 denser and washer building ; purifying 
 building ; a holder of 200.000 cubic 
 feet capacity ; and a steel gasometer, 
 100 feet in height, capable of holding 
 700,000 cubic feet. There is also a 
 governor house which regulates auto- 
 matically the pressure in the gas 
 mains ; and coal sheds of generous ca- 
 pacity adjoin the tracks of the N. 
 v.. N. H. & H. R. R. The manufac- 
 turing and distributing force is thir- 
 
 ty-five men. The annual output is 
 100,000,000 cubic feet. 
 
 During the past eleven years the 
 company has reduced the price of gas 
 from $1.80 to $1.25 net per thousand 
 feet ; these reductions having been en- 
 tirely voluntary on the part of the 
 company, have been appreciated by the 
 public and resulted in the freer use of 
 gas, there being, in 1906, 4,800 met- 
 ers in use. Large additions to the 
 street mains have recently been made 
 and there are now forty-five miles of 
 pipe laid, covering practically every 
 street and avenue in the city limits, 
 and, to a certain extent, beyond. 
 
 The late James A. Hadley was su- 
 perintendent of the plant from the 
 commencement of business by the 
 company until his death which oc- 
 curred in October, 1895. The present 
 superintendent and manager has 
 served in that dual capacity since Alay, 
 1896. 
 
 The officers of the company are: 
 President, Walter Hubbard ; secretary 
 and treasurer, Samuel Dodd ; mana- 
 ger and superintendent, Charles A. 
 Learned. The above officers with 
 Charles F. Linsley, George 'M. Curtis, 
 E. J. Doolittle and F. C. Sherman, 
 comprise the board of directors. 
 
 MERIDEN ELECTRIC LI( ;i IT CO. 
 
 While electric lighting was in vogue 
 some years previous to 1887. it was 
 in that year that the above company 
 was organized by charter from the 
 state legislature, the capital stock then 
 being $25,000. The station, at that 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 109 
 
 time purchased from the old company, 
 was located on State street and passa- 
 ble service was rendered the public. 
 The equipment consisted of two 100 
 h. p. boilers ; two engines of the same 
 cai)acity and two fifty arc light dyna- 
 mos, thirty-seven of wdiich were de- 
 voted to city street lighting. 
 
 The enterprise of the new compan\' 
 soon began to assert itself ; for by in- 
 creasing the capital stock to $50,000, 
 a new ])ower station was erected on 
 ."^outh Colony street on the land wdiere 
 once had stood the buildings of the gas 
 company. In 1902 the electric light 
 station was thoroughly remodeled and 
 made practically fireproof, the capital 
 being then increased to $200,000. All 
 the old engines were removed and 
 compound condensing engines of i.ioo 
 horse ])ower substituted which are di- 
 rectly connected with the dynamos. 
 Xew steam boilers of 750 horse power 
 have also been installed giving the sta- 
 tion a combined machine capacity of 
 750 K. ^V^ For some years the com- 
 pany has furnished a twenty-four hour 
 service for both light and power, the 
 rate being 12 1-2 cents per K. W. for 
 lighting; and for power from 10 cents 
 to 5 cents per K. W.. according to the 
 quantity used. The company has al- 
 ways supplied the municipality with 
 street light; and in 1906 furnish 200 
 arc lights for that purpose ; 8,000 in- 
 candescent lights of sixteen candle 
 power are also supplied from the sta- 
 tion and considerable power for man- 
 [ufacturing and other purposes. With 
 |its service the company covers the city 
 )roper most cffectivclv and the same 
 
 is rarely complained of but com- 
 pares favorably with that of any pro- 
 gressive New England city. Since 1887 
 the local electric light company has 
 been under a management whose offi- 
 cers and directors have been the same 
 as those of the JMeriden Gas Light 
 Company ; yet a friendly rivalry exists 
 between the two com])anies. for the 
 business is kept entirely separate. 
 
 James A. Hadley, during the latter 
 years of his life, was the superinten- 
 dent ; but since 1896 Charles A. 
 Learned has held the office of general 
 superintendent. The officers and di- 
 rectors are recorded previously in the 
 description of the ]\[eriden Gas Light 
 Company. 
 
 CURTIS S-W AY COM I'AXV 
 
 From its remarkable growth during 
 the past six vears, for since 1899 only 
 has it been under its present manage- 
 ment, the Curtiss-Way Com])any has 
 added more than its full quota to the 
 good name of Meriden as a manufac- 
 turing center. This company, whose 
 now extensive ])lant, covering more 
 than one acre of floor space, located 
 on Pratt street, was materially en- 
 larged in i<;05 and the forma) (i])en- 
 ing after the marked changes had been 
 made, occurred Xovember 20 of that 
 \ear. The accom])anying illustration 
 gives an excellent and truthful repre- 
 sentation of the extensive i)rintery. the 
 ])roduct of which comprises a most 
 varied and extensive line, not only of 
 book, job and mercantile printing, but 
 advertising novelties, calendars, mem- 
 
110 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 oranduni and other books. The com- 
 pany also runs its own electrotyping 
 plant, does its own paper ruling and 
 also its own book and pamphlet bind- 
 ing, being thoroughly equipped to turn 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeou. 
 
 JAS. A. CURTISS. 
 
 out complete the work undertaken by 
 the busy concern. 
 
 The business was first established 
 about 1880 b_\- A. J. Converse, and 
 after having been conducted by him 
 for some years, was acquired by 
 James A. Curtiss, a prominent busi- 
 ness man and wholesale grocer of this 
 •city, who formed a company known as 
 the Converse Publishing Company, 
 which was managed by Mr. Converse 
 until his retirement in 1899. It was 
 in that year that the present company 
 was organized, the principal stock- 
 
 holders being James A. Curtiss and 
 William H. Way, the former who had 
 become extensively concerned finan- 
 cially, and the latter who had been su- 
 perintendent of the plant since 1891, 
 and whose names the corporation has 
 since borne. 
 
 At that time but thirty hands were 
 employed and the plant was a dimin- 
 utive afifair compared to that of the 
 present date, which comprises one of 
 the largest and best of its kind in New 
 England and gives employment to 
 over 100 hands. The assets of the 
 company, including the new plant, are 
 
 W. H. WAV. 
 
 in excess of $100,000 and the capital 
 stock is $50,000. 
 
 The company has its own separate 
 power house, and is equipped with a 
 forty horse-power Twiss engine and a 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 Ill 
 
 ctv horse-power Bigelow steam 
 iler. Tlie power plant is. therefore, 
 
 ample capacity for the machinery 
 (1 heating', and is also sufficient for 
 ncrating electricity for lighting, and 
 i company will soon install machin- 
 k- for the latter purpose. With the 
 \v three story hrick addition to the 
 :tory, the company have buildings 
 
 feet long by 130 feet deep, all of 
 lich have been purchased by them 
 rough the legitimate profits of an 
 norably conducted business during 
 ? past six years. This success has 
 en in a great measure due to the 
 ecutive ability of ^Ir. Way, who by 
 ; indomitable energy and business 
 Limen, has brought the business to 
 
 present happy state. 
 The Curtiss-\\'ay Company employ 
 ;ht to ten traveling men and have a 
 iw room at 335 Broadway, New 
 irk City, and another on East Main 
 eet, \\'aterbury. Conn. The work 
 lanating from this complete printing" 
 mt. is shipped to every state east of 
 .\Iississi])pi river, and its reputa- 
 II for twentieth century work and 
 lity to compete with the largest 
 [icerns in the country are well known 
 jthe trade. Xot only has the Cur- 
 if-\\'ay Company a reputation for 
 ''ng a most successful competitor for 
 if^e contracts in the printing and ad- 
 •stising novelty line but they have the 
 Kne of completing and shipping 
 hjr orders when promised. This re- 
 Phsibility rests largely upon the su- 
 dntendent, ¥. Ad. Gehring, who as- 
 Mjed that position in 1902, having 
 i"riouslv been associated with a larcfe 
 
 printing concern in Holxoke, Mass. 
 Mr. Gehring, like ]\Ir. Way, is a thor- 
 oughly practical printer and under- 
 stands not onl}- the handling of a large 
 force of employees without friction, 
 but has the faculty for making all 
 things count for the good of the con- 
 cern, which invariably reverts to the 
 benefit of the customer. 
 
 The plant is kept scrupulously neat 
 and clean at all times and a higher 
 class of hands are there employed 
 than in the ordinary printing office. 
 There are also recognized heads of all 
 of the several difl:'erent departments 
 and wasted time is an unknown quan- 
 tity at this plant. The cylinder press 
 room contains a large number of au- 
 tomatic feed, perfecting and cylinder 
 and job presses which never cease, 
 only at the blowing of the whistle, and 
 oftentimes diiTerent departments of 
 the plant are obliged to run overtime. 
 The composing room comprises an un- 
 usually large, well ventilated and light- 
 ed department and the number of com- 
 positors alone there em])loyed would 
 make a most respectable payroll for 
 a common printing estaljlishment. In 
 addition to the large number of hand 
 compositors, they have a monotype 
 plant which makes and sets its own 
 tvpe and is used largely in book and 
 catalog contracts. The paper ruling 
 room possesses a number of the 
 Hickox Automatic Strike Ruling Ma- 
 chines, which the Curtiss-Way Com- 
 ])any find especially useful in their or- 
 ders of railroad and express company 
 forms and blanks, of which they are 
 extensive manufacturers. 
 
112 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Included in the product of the com- 
 pany are also a large and varied as- 
 sortment of calendars and calendar 
 pads, and in advertising novelties are, 
 aluminum trays, mirrors, match safes, 
 memorandum books, fancy blotters, 
 paper weights, whiskbroom holders, 
 fans, yard sticks, lead pencils, import- 
 ed calendars, and a great varietv of 
 
 Aleriden, for they are most handsoiiK 
 ly finished in natural color hard woo( 
 and do credit to the good taste of {]■ 
 concern. The high studded ceiling ' 
 supported by steel girders and ther 
 are no posts to obstruct the office fore 
 in their movements. Xew and ham 
 some furniture harmonizing ])erfectl,' 
 with the woodwork "ives a mo.-; 
 
 '%g^- 
 
 PLANT OF THE CURTIS.S-WAY COMPANY, 
 
 Other novelties used extensively by the 
 trade for advertising purposes, of 
 which space forbids only this partial 
 enumeration. 
 
 The large offices of the Curtiss- 
 Way Compan}', which are now con- 
 tained in the new three story brick ad- 
 dition, are a source of local pride to 
 
 pleasing impression to the visitor anc, 
 every modern method for facilitating, 
 business is immediately at hand. \ 
 private telephone system connecti; 
 with every department of the busy 
 plant, thus bringing the office in clos-,; 
 est touch with every portion of its 
 working force. There are private of- 
 
MAXUFACTORI! 
 
 "3 
 
 tices for the manager, stenographer 
 and bookkeeper, and a most attractive 
 show room exhibits the pleasing" and 
 satisfactory work executed. 
 
 W. H. W'av, secretary and manager, 
 is a native of Ashiield, Mass. His pa- 
 rents removed to IMeriden with him 
 when he was four }ears of age and he 
 was educated in the Aleriden pubHc 
 schools. From the age of twentw he 
 las been continuously engaged in the 
 |ob j)rintin-;;" and newspaper business. 
 I'revious to becoming associated with 
 he company of which he is now man- 
 iger, he was engaged in his present 
 ine of business in Massachusetts. Mr. 
 A'ay is a man of rare executive abil- 
 ty. and the growth of the Curtiss- 
 A'ay Company is most substantial evi- 
 lence of that necessary qualification 
 "I success. 
 
 lll-J.MSCHMIED MFG. CO. 
 
 One of the industries of Aleriden, 
 
 le product of which adds fame to 
 
 ie town, is that carried on by the 
 
 lelmschmied Alfg. Co., wdiose fac- 
 
 )ry is located on Reseivoir avenue. 
 
 C. \'. Hehr.schmied, the founder and 
 
 fesident, was born October 30. 1863, 
 
 I Steinschoenua, r>ohemia, where a 
 
 nimon school education was fol- 
 
 A-ed by a course at the Imperial 
 
 chnical school of his native town. 
 
 s marked tendency toward artistic 
 
 {•rk was fostered by his training 
 
 1 was a vital factor in its develop- 
 
 nt and growth, but he felt that the 
 
 hd was too confined for a realiza- 
 
 48 
 
 tion of his struggling ideals. There 
 was an America beyond the seas 
 where ambitions were nouri.'^hed and 
 talent recognized. The price he set 
 on his own ability stimulated him 
 to leave Bohemia and seek the sea- 
 coast where he embarked for the 
 United States. 
 
 Mr. Helmschmied was emploved in 
 several cities before coming to Meri- 
 den. Directly after landing in New 
 York he went to New Bedford, Mass., 
 wdiere he became a designer for Smith 
 Bros., manufacturers of decorated 
 opal ware ; at the end of two years 
 he went to Trenton, X. J., and 
 worked for Jesse Dean at china 
 ]:)ainting ; two more years were spent 
 in Xew Bedford with the Mount 
 \\^ashington Glass Company as de- 
 signer. 
 
 Mr. Helmschmied's talents as a de- 
 signer were recognized when he en- 
 tered the employ of C. F. Monroe in 
 1886. He aimed at the best and con- 
 stantly strove to live up to that aim. 
 When the C. F. Monroe Company 
 became incorporated he became a 
 stockholder and \\as made superin- 
 tendent of the ])lant and he was also 
 the leading designer there for six- 
 teen years. He withdrew from Mon- 
 roe's in January. n;n3, o])cned his 
 own factory and began to manufac- 
 ture for himself. The corporation 
 known as tlu' [lelmschmied Mfg. Co., 
 of which he is ]iresident and treasur- 
 er, was incor])(jrated in the fall of 
 1904. the ca]Mtal stock of which was 
 increased to $10,000 in the sj^ring of 
 i<;o5. C"olonial glass novelties and 
 
114 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 n 
 
 1 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 115 
 
 letal ornaments comprising shades, 
 ises. and other decorated ware from 
 lank glass have since been added to 
 le product. 
 
 The factory on Reservoir avenue 
 
 a busy center where the finest kind 
 
 f decorated ware is turned out. The 
 
 cods are sold direct from the fac- 
 
 )rv and the New York office is at 
 
 CONN. BREWERIES COAIPANV. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 C. y. HELMSCHMIED. 
 
 53 Broadwax'. (~)wing to an in- 
 easing demand for the ware Mr. 
 elmschmeid now contemplates erect- 
 g a new factory, having interested 
 cal investors in the project. 
 
 Mr. Helmchmied is a member of 
 e Colonial club of Meriden and in 
 
 litics is a Republican. 
 
 A manufacturing plant that for 
 many years has added to the volume 
 of local business is that of the Meri- 
 den branch of the Connecticut Brew- 
 eries Company and which was for 
 some years, and until 1890, conducted 
 by the Meriden Brewing Comi)any. 
 It was at that time that the business 
 of the Meriden IJrewing Company 
 was consolidated with that of A. 
 Wintter & Co., who conducted a sim- 
 ilar plant at Bridgeport and the cor- 
 poration was formed, known as the 
 Connecticut Breweries Company. 
 The company was organized with 
 many of its employes as stockholders 
 and with a- paid in ca])ital stock of 
 $700,000 which amount is far less 
 than the present value of its two large 
 plants. 
 
 Since the formation of the jiresent 
 company the officers have changed 
 somewhat owing to deaths which 
 have occurred. The president, Peter 
 \\\ Wren, of Bridgeport, has presid- 
 ed over the deliberations of the board 
 of directors, however, fmm the be- 
 ginning to the present time and un- 
 der his leadership the business has 
 steadily increased yearly. Within re- 
 cent years and owing to the deaths of 
 T. H. McMahon. the former general 
 manager, and A. Wintter. the latter 
 who until his decease, held the office 
 of secretary and treasurer, Mr. Wren 
 has had added to his duties those of 
 treasurer and general manager. The 
 vice-president is John A. Hurley, who 
 
ii6 
 
 A CEXTURV OF MERIDEX. 
 
MANUFACTor<I]:S. 
 
 ii: 
 
 is cspccialK' well known in Aleriden, 
 liavinjj been formerly manager of the 
 Meriden branch. 
 
 |. 11. McMahon, son of the de- 
 ceased general manager, is the sec- 
 retary of the company. The present 
 manager of the ]\Ieriden branch of the 
 C()m])any. Michael F. Sullivan, suc- 
 ceeded Robert J. Veit, the former 
 
 The .Meriden plant is admirably sit- 
 uated for the manufacture and distri- 
 bution of its product, being located on 
 South Colony street, the rear of the 
 brewing buildings adjoining the main 
 line of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R., 
 and from which a side track brings 
 excellent shipping facilities innne- 
 diatelv at hand. 
 
 Photo by R. S Godfrey. 
 
 KETTLE FLOOR, CONNECTICUT BREW 
 
 ES CO. 
 
 nanager, in December, 1903. The 
 i'resent manager of the local plant is 
 ' resident of Xew Haven and previous 
 p coming to Meriden was associated 
 '^ith the Yale Brewing Compan\-. 
 
 he board of directors of the Con- 
 jpcticut Breweries Company are : 
 [eter W. Wren, John H. McMahon. 
 Ij)hn A. Hurley. Robert J. \'eit and 
 
 illiam Hickev. 
 
 The plant is kept scrui)ulously clean 
 and the capacity of the output is 100.- 
 000 barrels a year. The material 
 used in the manufacture of the ]irod- 
 uct is the best obtainable and the 
 goods find a ready sale. There is 
 frequently more than one brew a 
 dav at the ])lant which consists of 
 the following buildings: I'.rewhouse, 
 shipping and storage houses, cold 
 
ii8 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDZX. 
 
 storage plant five stories in height, 
 kept at the exact temperature of 35 
 degrees every day in the year ; ale 
 fermenting house ; artificial ice-mak- 
 ing plant, with a capacity of seventy- 
 five tons of ice a day ; boiler house 
 containing two 100 horse powder 
 
 company to keep it in first class order. 
 In 1894 a new office building was 
 added to the plant which comprises 
 one of the handsomest in the citv. 
 The office building is entirely sepa- 
 rate from the buildings where the 
 manufacturing is carried on and con- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 REFRIGERATING PLANT, CONNECTICUT BREWERIES CO. 
 
 boilers ; cooperage for the repair of 
 barrels and casks ; pitch yard ; large 
 and modern stable building laid with 
 asphalt floorings and fitted with 
 steam heat and every comfort for the 
 large number of horses it accommo- 
 dates and the men employed by the 
 
 tains a large counting room as well as 
 a directors' room and manager's pri- 
 vate office. 
 
 The product of the plant consists 
 of lager beer, ale and porter, and also 
 special brands wdfich have become 
 somewhat celebrated throughout tin- 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 119 
 
 FERMENTING ROOM, CONNECTICUT BREWERIES 
 
 CO. 
 
 Photos liy ii. s. Godfrey 
 
 RACKING ROOM, C0XM:(1T(UT nRKWKRIKS 
 
 CO. 
 
I20 
 
 A CENTUKV OF MERII )i:.\ . 
 
 country, notably "Golden Pale Ale" 
 and "Pale Extra Lager." The com- 
 pany has well established agencies in 
 several leading cities of the country 
 and naturally supplies a large portion 
 of the lager beer and ale consumed 
 within a radius of several miles of 
 each of its plants. The company 
 does a large bottling business and its 
 goods in this department are not only 
 shipped largely to New York, New 
 Jersey and the national capitol but 
 have also become known and popular 
 with the trade in nearly every state 
 in the union. The product of the 
 company also finds its way at regular 
 intervals to foreign climes and a spe- 
 cial brand, rated among the choicest 
 of foreign beverages, is exported to 
 South America, Cuba and the Bahama 
 Islands. 
 
 The company employs about sixty 
 workmen at its Meriden plant and 
 with its large pay roll adds man} 
 thousands to the amount distributed 
 annually to the well paid employes 
 of Meriden manufacturing plants. 
 
 FRITZ BROTHERS. 
 
 Fritz Brothers, composed of E. T. 
 and W. F. Fritz, are the successors 
 to the dog collar manufacturing busi- 
 ness formerly carried on by the Con- 
 necticut Saddlery & Bell Company. 
 of whose factory they occupy a por- 
 tion and whose reputation they have 
 added to in marked degree. They 
 purchased the business in May, 1903, 
 and have every facility for turning out 
 their goods in large quantities. The 
 
 members of the firm, who are both 
 natives of Meriden, were no strangers 
 to the l)usiness when they took pos- 
 session of the factory ; for one of the 
 brothers was the founder of the dog 
 collar dfjiartment of the concern tliev 
 have succeeded and has had fifteen 
 years' experience both as a maker of 
 the goods and a traveling man. His 
 brother, W. F. Fritz, also had a wide 
 
 W. F. FRITZ. 
 
 experience in the same line of manu- 
 facturing, having been previously em- 
 ployed at the Chapman Mfg. Co. 
 They now hold the distinction of be- 
 ing the only exclusive dog collar man- 
 ufacturers in the state. Besides mak- 
 ing over 400 different styles of dog 
 collars, including the Boston bull col- 
 lar which alone has made their name 
 famous, thev are makers of leather 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 I2[ 
 
 muzzles, leads and harness for canines 
 and are dealers in dog collar bells, 
 locks, brushes, combs, whips and 
 blankets. They also manufacture 
 trout basket straps and skate straps 
 
 E. T. FRITZ. 
 
 for the trade and their goods are 
 
 shipped to all parts of the country. 
 
 They have a branch office in Chica- 
 
 !^^o at 1228 George street and employ 
 
 ':hree traveling salesmen. The manu- 
 
 tacture of their goods gives the Fritz 
 
 t brothers an opportunity to display 
 
 jnuch judgment and good taste and 
 
 heir success is attested by the demand 
 
 r their output. While both arc 
 
 ractical manufacturers of dog collars 
 
 id furnishings and are well known 
 
 p the large trade they supply. E. T. 
 
 ritz, as a rule, devotes his time to 
 
 le factorv and W. l-\ Fritz to call- 
 
 ing upon the trade. The industry car- 
 ried on by them furnishes employ- 
 ment to several hands during the busy 
 season and the goods made add no 
 little to the reputation of Meriden as 
 a manufacturing town. 
 
 SIL\ER CITY CUT GLASS CO. 
 
 One of the newest manufacturing 
 concerns of Meriden is the Silver City 
 Cut Glass Company, who since June 
 I, 1905, have conducted a busy plant 
 on Hicks street. Their factory, which 
 is a two-storv wooden structure, is 
 
 PEKCA' 
 
 'ii()i:.\i.\. 
 
 that formerly occupied by the Hicks 
 .\'ovelt\' C"ompan\-. Articles of cut 
 glass of nearly every form rmd de- 
 scription comprise the ])rodi:ct and the 
 concern has already earned a rcputa- 
 
122 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 tion from the high character of the 
 work emanating" from their factory. 
 
 The officers of the company are as 
 follows : President, Percy Phoenix ; 
 vice-president, A. Abecurnos ; secre- 
 tary and treasurer, Joseph Schnick. 
 They are all young men and the en- 
 terprise in which they are engaged is 
 their first start in business for them- 
 selves. 
 
 All the principals and employes are 
 residents of Meriden. The president 
 is an expert cutter and designer, for- 
 merly employed by the Meriden Cut 
 
 A. AUECURNOS. 
 
 glass cutting at the factory of the 
 Meriden Cut Glass Company. 
 
 The factory is equipped with the 
 most modern machinery from their 
 earnings as employes for others. The 
 
 JOSEPH SCHNICK. 
 
 frames are the new adjustable style 
 and the power is electric motor with a 
 capacity for thirty frames. The show 
 room is on the second floor and is well 
 worth a visit by strangers to Meriden 
 during the Centennial week. 
 
 THE IVIERIDEN GRAVURE CO. 
 
 Glass Company and the C. F. Alonroe In the above named company, Mer- 
 
 Company. The vice president, and iden possesses the only plant in the 
 
 secretary and treasurer are likewise state given up to the exclusive produc- 
 
 young men of talent and ability and tion of photo-gelatine prints ; and the 
 
 secured a wide experience in practical business, which was established m 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 123 
 
 1888. has now become one of the larg- 
 est in its exclusive product in the 
 United States. The business has 
 grown steadily from the start and the 
 character of the work has established 
 the standard of the trade. Illustra- 
 tions for catalogues, books, magazine 
 inserts and a general line of reproduc- 
 tions comprise the output which is 
 creditable both to the citv and the state. 
 
 business has grown till now the com- 
 pany supplies a trade extending to 
 nearly every state in the Union. The 
 Gravure Company was the first in its 
 line to produce practical illustrations 
 for commercial purposes, and being 
 the first in the field has held the lead 
 to the present time. The com])any 
 has a plant remarkably well fitted for 
 the extensive and economical prosecu- 
 
 PLANT OF THE MERIDEN GRAXURE CO. 
 
 The business of the company has al- 
 ways been conducted in the same loca- 
 tion ; but in recent years several new 
 buildings have been constructed to 
 meet increasing requirements, the 
 plant now extending through to Bil- 
 lard street, where since 1905, the com- 
 pany's office has been located. Begin- 
 ning with a few local customers the 
 
 tion of the work which they i)roduce. 
 The officers of the company, both 
 of whom are well known residents of 
 Meriden and interested in its growth 
 and prosperitw are: J. 1'. Allen, pres- 
 ident and treasurer, and ( ). W. Bas- 
 sett, secretary. A Xew York office is 
 maintained at the American Tract So- 
 ciety r>ui](ling, 150 Xassau street. 
 
124 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 A. H. JONES. 
 
 Augustus Howard Jones, manufac- 
 turer of Meriden, is the son of Joseph 
 and Martha (Jackson) Jones, both 
 natives of Wales. He was born in 
 New York City, December 21, 1851. 
 His father died when he was nine 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 AUGUSTUS H. JONES. 
 
 years of age and at twelve he began 
 to earn his livelihood, after which he 
 attended the night school until the 
 age of fifteen, when he returned to 
 day school for a year and finished his 
 education. 
 
 In 1866 he began his apprentice- 
 ship in a brass foundry where he 
 
 served four years and a half learning 
 his trade. He became an expert core- 
 maker and a contractor in the manu- 
 facture of locks. In 1867 he came to 
 Meriden where he has since remained. 
 After serving two years as foreman 
 in the brass foundry at the Bradley & 
 Hubbard factory, he started a brass 
 foundry of his own which, however, 
 he gave up in two wrecks and returned 
 as foreman for the B. & H. Mfg. Co.. 
 who had made it an object for him 
 to do so. 
 
 In 1882, he was one of the organ- 
 izers of the Foster Hardware Co., 
 which in 1885 was reorganized under 
 the name of the Meriden Bronze Co.. 
 and of which large concern, Mr. Jones 
 became president in 1891. That con- 
 cern for many years furnished em- 
 ployment to a large number of hands 
 and added materially to the business 
 prosperity of the town. Financial de- 
 pression forced the Bronze Company 
 out of business and Mr. Jones' j)er- 
 sonal loss was $100,000. 
 
 With characteristic courage and 
 grit, in 1901, he organized the com- 
 pany and started the factory since lo- 
 cated o; Miller street, which now 
 bears his name and wdiere he has since, 
 from a small beginning, been engaged 
 in the manufacture of white metal 
 novelties. 
 
 Mr. Jones is a thirty-second degree 
 Mason, has served in the city govern- 
 ment four years as councilman and 
 two years as alderman, is a member 
 of the Home Club and of genial and 
 companionable nature. He was mar- 
 ried in 1870 to Jennie E. Logan, 
 
MANUFACTORIKS. 
 
 125 
 
 dauiihter of Thomas and Margnerite 
 l.ogan. They attend the First Con- 
 !>rei:ational church. 
 
 r.AILEY'S STEA^I LAl'XDRY 
 
 Xumericall}', this was the tenth 
 laun(h\v estabhshed in ^leriden, and 
 was the first to be continued success- 
 fully ; and at this writing;- it is the laro-- 
 
 THEODORE F. BAILEY. 
 
 est and finest equipped establishment 
 of the kind in the city. 
 
 The nucleus of the i)resent busi- 
 ness was formed l)y Theodore F. Bai- 
 ley, an old and respected resident of 
 Meriden. and his first operations were 
 small, [n 1895 'lis daughter, ^^Irs. 
 Hattie L. Aubrey, becahie the head, 
 and since that time the growth of the 
 
 business has been somewhat remark- 
 able. In May, 1896, the present 
 laundry building in* the rear of Mr. 
 Bailey's residence on Crown street, 
 was erected, and the introduction of 
 machinery transformed the industry 
 from a hand to a steam laundry. 
 Since that time machiner\- for steam 
 carpet cleaning has also been put in, 
 and a large business in that line is 
 now carried on. In 1905 a large l)arn 
 was erected and added to the jjlant, 
 the upper portion of which now con- 
 tains the carpet cleaning macliincr}', 
 and thi5 work is, therefore, now car- 
 ried on in a separate building. The 
 power used comes from the laundrx's 
 own boiler horse, which in 1905 was 
 installed with a new $1,000 boiler. 
 Another advantage the laundrx' enjoys 
 is an artesian well, sunk on the prem- 
 ises, which supplies an abundance of 
 water for all purposes outside the en- 
 gine room. Both floors of the main 
 building, which is 60 by 40 feet, are 
 now used for the ])urposes of the laun- 
 dry : the sorting, washing, starching, 
 mangling and delivering being done 
 on the first floor, and the ironing, since 
 1905, on the second floor. 
 
 Among the commendal)le character- 
 istics of this laundry are jircimptness 
 in the deliver}- of work. The fact that 
 a woman's e\-e su])ervises the work 
 also adds to the re])utation of the laun- 
 dr\- for careful work. 
 
 Airs. Aubre\- has ])ro\-en hcrsell a 
 most capal)le manager of the now suc- 
 cessful business, and is assisted by her 
 voungest son, Williani R. Aubrey, and 
 a force of twenty-five emploxes. 
 
126 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 BEA\'ER LAKE ICE CO. 
 
 The Beaver Lake Ice Company, 
 wholesale and retail dealers in ice, of 
 Meriden, came under its present man- 
 agement early in June, 1905, when the 
 corporation was formed with the capi- 
 tal stock of $15,500. 
 
 The origin of the business, under 
 its present name, dates back to 1894, 
 when the late William Garlick, of 
 South Meriden, withdrew from the 
 Meriden Ice Company, after having 
 been for five years its president and 
 having many years previous to that 
 bought out his father's ice business. 
 The company as now organized, was 
 formed through the efforts of Benj. 
 F. Milner, the present secretary and 
 treasurer, a native of Meriden, who 
 attended the local public schools and 
 has ever been a promoter of local in- 
 terests. Through his instrumentality 
 the corporation purchased from his 
 estate the business so successfully car- 
 ried on by Mr. Garlick, including 
 the ice houses, harvesting privileges, 
 horses, wagons, custom and good will. 
 
 Since the business came into the 
 present hands many improvements 
 have been made to the equipment and 
 new office headquarters, stables and 
 central ice depot have been estab- 
 lished, all of which are located at 100 
 State street, where there are excellent 
 railroad facilities and ample accommo- 
 dations for a larger business. 
 
 Beaver Lake, the principal source 
 of supply and from which the company 
 derives its name, is one of the many 
 healthful bodies of water in the vi- 
 
 cinity of Meriden entirely fed with 
 springs and which the company keep 
 well freed from vegetable growth. As 
 a result the ice harvested in their large 
 ice houses, of 10,000 tons capacity, is 
 of the most healthful character. The 
 full ice harvesting capacity of the lake 
 is much greater than that required by 
 the company. 
 
 While the quality and service of 
 the Beaver Lake Ice Company have 
 ever been commended by the people 
 of Meriden, whom they supply, the 
 new company has always strived to 
 excel in this regard the good name es- 
 tablished by Mr. Garlick, and this, 
 with added capital and increased force, 
 they have been enabled to do in no 
 small measure. 
 
 The red teams of the company are 
 familiar sights on the numerous 
 streets and avenues of this vicinity; 
 and courtesy, good weight and honest 
 treatment, those qualifications which 
 have ever characterized the business 
 of the concern through its several 
 changes in management, are ever ap- 
 parent. The management also is not 
 only progressive but liberal and being 
 familiar with the needs of the public 
 from previous connection with the ice 
 business, fully realize the meeting of 
 competition. The officers of the com- 
 pany are Charles E. Curtis, president, 
 and Benjamin F. Milner, secretary 
 and treasurer ; the former being also 
 a well known financier and a vice-pres- 
 ident of the City Bank of New Haven 
 and the latter from his birth a Meriden 
 "boy" but now and for the past six 
 vears also cashier and office manager 
 
MANUFACTORIKS. 
 
 12* 
 
 5ENJAMIN F. Mlf^NER. 
 
128 
 
 A CEXTURY OF MKRIDHX. 
 
 of the New Haven Ice Company. The 
 directors of the company are Charles 
 E. Curtis, Benjamin V. Mihier and 
 Samuel A. York. 
 
 WILLIAM T. LUDY. 
 
 One of the successful young busi- 
 ness men of Meriden is W'illliam J. 
 Lubv. He is the son of the late Maur- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 WILLIAM J. LL'I'.Y. 
 
 ice Luby and Ellen (Ryan) Luby. 
 His father, who died in 1899, con- 
 ducted the monument business for 
 some twenty years in the same loca- 
 tion now occupied by his son, whose 
 works on Hanover street now cover 
 about one acre and a half of ground, 
 and there some of the finest specimens 
 of art are executed. 
 
 His reputation as a designer and' 
 builder of monuments has been earned 
 solely by the high merits of his work. 
 His business establishment gives 
 steady employment to well paid men 
 and the specimens of art as thus ex- 
 emplified by him are highly creditable 
 to the town. 
 
 \\ . J. Luby was l:)orn on Columbia 
 street, Meriden. December 28, 1879. 
 He attended the public schools of this 
 town, and after two years at the High 
 school, took a course at the Pequod 
 Business College. d^Vom early boy- 
 hood he was constantly associated with 
 his father's monument works, and ai 
 an early age he showed a gift for 
 drawing. Vihich talent has been a 
 most necessary and desirable qualifi- 
 cation in his business. 
 
 After his father's death he bought 
 his present business from the estate, 
 and that he has increased the opera- 
 tions of the worls qrite largely is a 
 well known fact. His talent for de- 
 signing beautiful monuments has mad.' 
 his name somewhat famous, and the 
 specimens of art modeled at hi^ 
 works, more frequently are shipped to 
 l)laces far outside of Aleriden. than 
 those which adorn local cemeteries. 
 It was Air. Luby who designed the fa- 
 mous Clara Barton monument that has 
 attracted such favorable attention and 
 also the At water Memorial monument 
 at Terryville. 
 
 Mr. Luby is a member of .Meriden 
 Lodge, 35, B. P. O. Elks, the Meriden 
 Young Men's T. A. B. Society, Div. 2, 
 A. (). H., and Meriden Business Men's 
 Association. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 129 
 
 He stands well as a citizen of the 
 town which this year celebrates its 
 centennial and is deservedly popular 
 among" a large circle of acquaintances. 
 Since starting upon his business career 
 he has done his utmost toward the up- 
 building of the Silver City where he 
 has alwavs lived. 
 
 CHARLES E. SCHUNACK. 
 
 Charles Emil Schunack, a progres- 
 sive manufacturer of paper boxes and 
 silverware cases in Meriden, also a 
 dealer in piano stools, chairs, benches, 
 scarfs and music cabinets in New 
 York City, was born in Spremburg, 
 Germany, November 15, 1859. His 
 father was Gustav Schunack, a native 
 of the same locality and a manufactur- 
 er of w^oolen cloth, who married 
 Louisa Lange, who with their two 
 children, including the subject of this 
 sketch and his sister Emmy, emigrat- 
 ed to this country in 1873, the follow- 
 ing year removing to Meriden where 
 his father died in 1899. 
 
 Charles E. Schunack obtained his 
 education in Germany and upon com- 
 ing to this country, at the age of four- 
 teen, entered the mills at Webster 
 where the family first located before 
 coming to ^Meriden ; but in 1874 he se- 
 cured employment in the bronze de- 
 partment of the ]\Ieriden Malleable 
 Iron Company where he remained five 
 years and devoted himself industrious- 
 ly and conscientiously to the interests 
 :»f his employers. In 1879 he became 
 i contractor in the l)r()nzc dei)artment 
 f the factory of Hart, Bliven & 
 
 49 
 
 Meade at Kensington, but after five 
 years he returned to Meriden and took 
 charge of the lamp department of the 
 Chas. Parker Co., \\ here he continued 
 for many }ears. 
 
 He began business as a box manu- 
 facturer in 1891, locating on Randolph 
 avenue, in a structure that was first in- 
 tended for a large stable but whicli 
 has been remodeled and added to and 
 comprises a paper box factory of mod- 
 ern pattern. From a small beginning 
 Iiis business has increased to goodlv 
 proportions, the output of the factory 
 comprising paper and leather boxes 
 of any desired style or description and 
 fancy cases for silverware. Mr. 
 Schunack's factory is equipped with 
 modern machinery. 
 
 In 1901 he opened a large sales- 
 room at 115 and 117 East 14th street, 
 New York, where he sells piano stools, 
 benches, chairs, scarfs and music cal)- 
 inets manufactured by the Ciias. Par- 
 ker Co., of Meriden, and has since di- 
 vided his time between his New York 
 and Aleridcn offices. 
 
 ?ilr. .Schimack is ably assisted at the 
 factory by his only sister, Emmy Schu- 
 nack, a lady of much business ability 
 and thorough understanding of the 
 work. Success in all his under- 
 takings has brought Mr. Schunack in- 
 to prominence in the manufacturing 
 circles of the town where he is known 
 as a man of modern ideas, energy and 
 \igor. His ability to please the trade 
 lie supplies from his factory has been 
 a great factor in his success in Mer- 
 iden : wliilc his natural aptitude as a 
 salesman and genial good fellowship 
 
I30 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 j^. O •,.,-7CO^^<..<,,fc-t-<9«-^^ 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 131 
 
 lave also made him popular at the 
 netropolis. He is married to Rhoda 
 jaldwin, of Kensington, a lady of 
 ■efinement and they have two chil- 
 Iren. }»lildred and Elsie. Mr. Schu- 
 lack is thoroughly identified with the 
 ife of Aleriden, being a member of 
 \Ieri(lian Lodge, ']'], A. F. & A. j\I., 
 ^ilgrinis' Harbor Council, R. A., and, 
 vith his wife and children, attends the 
 •Irst Congregational Church. 
 
 hands, executed most of the work 
 emanating from the factory, making 
 his own designs. After a short time 
 he received a sufficient number of or- 
 ders to warrant his employing help 
 and the business gradually developed, 
 through the desirable qualities of the 
 product, until it outgrew its quarters ; 
 and it was in 1900 the present factory 
 building, which possesses an excellent 
 railroad frontage, was removed to. 
 
 I:. S. Godfrey. 
 
 FACTORY OF A. T- HALL cV CO. 
 
 A. T. HALL & CO. 
 
 A. J. Hall & Co., manufacturers of 
 ecorated ware, and whose output is 
 jecidedly creditable to this town, con- 
 luct a factory at the corner of Me- 
 lianic and George streets. The in- 
 justry was started in a small way in 
 ^99 by Arthur J. Hall. His first 
 fcation was on Mill street and at 
 |e beginning ^Ir."Hall. with his own 
 
 Before the end of the first year of its 
 business, James D. Bergen, president 
 of the J. D. Bergen Co., of Meriden, 
 purchased a half interest from Mr. 
 Hall, and this he still retains. 
 
 The firm occupy the entire build- 
 ing and at their show rooms and of- 
 fices are exhibited for the benefit of 
 both wholesale and retail customers, 
 specimens of their artistic and sala- 
 ble ()Ut])ut. They maiuifacture gas 
 
132 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN, 
 
 and lamp shades, decorated novelties, 
 including tobacco jars and cracker 
 jars, vases, bric-a-brac, and many oth- 
 er goods which add to their reputa- 
 tion. In keeping with the spirit of 
 the period, they have issued many nov- 
 elties in copyrighted designs as fitting 
 mementos of the old home week in 
 which Meriden celebrates its Centen- 
 nial anniversary. 
 
 which now extends the full length of 
 the building, a distance of 290 feet, 
 and with more recent enlargements 
 the concern now possesses a street 
 frontage of about seventy-five feet. 
 
 The working force has, from neces- 
 sity, been increased in proportion, 
 until they now employ fifty skilled 
 workmen, and are capable of produc- 
 ing anything in cut glass from a five- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 AT J. J. XILAXD & CO. S FACTORY. 
 
 J. J. NIL AND & CO. 
 
 J. J. Niland & Co., now fast com- 
 ing to occupy a position in the front 
 ranks of the successful business con- 
 cerns of this city, was started about 
 1902. The first quarters occupied con- 
 sisted of a room in the Morehouse 
 building on Miller street, which in a 
 short time proved too small for the 
 fast growing business, and they found 
 it necessary to enlarge their plant. 
 
 vase. James J. Xiland is the enter- 
 cent caster bottle, to a thousand dollar 
 prising head of the concern, and to his 
 practical knowledge of the business 
 may be attributed the phenomenal suc- 
 cess achieved by the concern. With 
 every detail of the glass cutting indus- 
 try he has become thoroughly familiar, 
 having worked at the business contin- 
 uously from boyhood. He served six 
 years' apprenticeship at the trade, and 
 came to Meriden after having worked 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 a few }"ears in some of the leading 
 glass factories of England and Scot- 
 land. 
 
 Upon coming to this town he at once 
 associated himself with the Bergen & 
 Niland Company, then on State street, 
 with wliom he continned n.ntil his 
 ambition prompted him to tr_\- his for- 
 tvme as a manufactnrer on his own 
 acconnt. The show rooms of T- T- 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon. 
 
 JAMES J. NILAND. 
 
 S'iland & Co. at the factory on Miller 
 itreet, contain a line of cut glass sel- 
 dom equalled for variety, quality and 
 ■loderate prices, and visitors whether 
 respective buyers or not are invar- 
 ibly delighted with the exhibition 
 lere contained. The ^product of this 
 actory in its entirety is from the 
 rude lilank to the finished ornament 
 
 and the patterns of the company are 
 not only original but radically differ- 
 ent from unscrupulous imitations. 
 Among the customers of this concern 
 are Tiffany & Co., celebrated jewelers 
 of New York City, and mau\- leading 
 glass and crockery dealing concerns, 
 including Higgins & Seitcr, also of 
 Xew York. The product adds no 
 little fame to Aleriden and the indus- 
 try gives employment to well paid 
 hands, thereby adding to the prosper- 
 ity of the town. 
 
 THE JENNINGS & GRIFFIX 
 MFG. CO. 
 
 A manufacturing concern, within a 
 quarter of a century grown to large 
 proportions, and whose product has 
 ever added distinction to this locality, 
 is The Jennings & Griffin Mfg. Co., 
 with factory at Tracy. The plant which 
 now covers a large area in a situation 
 most favorable to the manufacture 
 of its goods, especially within the past 
 vear. has been noticeably enlarged and 
 improved. 
 
 It was in 1880 that Charles E. Jen- 
 nings and Francis B. Griffin, whose 
 names have long since been synonyms 
 for the highest grade of mechanics' 
 tools, in a modest way started to make 
 for themselves a reputation. Their 
 aim was to e.xcel in their line of man- 
 ufacture; and having a full under- 
 standing of the wants of the trade, aufl 
 the way to supply them, they could 
 scarcely fail of success. They filled 
 their orders with honest goods; and 
 liaviuu" always continued to do so, 
 
134 
 
 A CENTURY (JF MERIUEN. 
 
 prosperity has been their fit reward. 
 Gradually the factory has grown 
 and new machinery has replaced the 
 old, until they have become enabled to 
 produce edge tools and boring imple- 
 ments in large quantities, used by me- 
 chanics in every part of the civilized 
 world. The company at the present 
 day owns about twenty acres of land 
 on both sides of the railroad track, 
 includins: where the factorv is situated 
 
 enabling the company to supply a 
 greatly increased demand for edge 
 tools. The first building erected this 
 year is 32x48 feet, and the last addi- 
 tion, comprising a practically fire- 
 proof building, is 46x88 feet in di- 
 mensions. 
 
 The recent additions have also given 
 the company the opportunity to make 
 various other notable improvements to 
 the plant. The forge fires in the new 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 FRONT OF JENNINGS & GRIFFIN MFG. CO. 
 
 and where nine dwelling houses have 
 been erected by them for their em- 
 ployes. While the factory has been 
 gradually enlarged from the begin- 
 ning, the addition of two more build- 
 ings in 1906, when Meriden celebrates 
 its looth anniversary, gives the plant 
 a frontage of 200 feet and a length, 
 east and west, of 400 feet. The new 
 additions were for the purpose of 
 
 building will be fed with fuel oil sup- 
 plied by a pipe from a tank located at 
 the Yalesville station of the X. V.. N- 
 H. & H. Railroad, about 100 yar(l> 
 from the factory. The company also 
 expect to make their own gas for 
 running their auxiliary engine, and 
 have, as well, a second supply of gas 
 from the Wallingford gas works. The 
 old style hammers have been replaced 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 135 
 
 witli the latest pattern power ham- 
 mers, enabling the company to in- 
 crease their output materially. With 
 the aid of the Ouinnipiac river, from 
 which the factory has always been 
 supplied with water power, and the 
 auxiliar\ supply of gas, the factory 
 has now a combined motive power of 
 J15 horse power. A deep w^ell. which 
 the company has possessed at their 
 plant for some years, furnishes pure. 
 
 an arrow head, in the center of which 
 is the letter ( J ) ; this trade mark is in 
 itself a familiar pass])()rt in the trade, 
 and indicates that the articles made 
 upon honor are the genuine C. E. Jen- 
 nings tool. The company also man- 
 ufactures the original L'Hommedieu & 
 Watrous ship augers, those brands 
 well known to the hardware and shi])- 
 building trade all over the world. The 
 L'Hommedieu brand has been on the 
 
 Photo by K. S. Godfrey. 
 
 KE.^R OF JENNINGS & GRIFFIN ,M FG. CO. 
 
 cold water for all other purposes, market since i.SiS. For many years 
 Among other improvements possessed the company has maintained head- 
 by The Jennings & Griffin Alfg. Co., is quarters in Xew ^'<)rk City, and their 
 their own electric lighting plant. salesrooms at the metroiiolis are at 42 
 
 The product consists of high grade Murray street. 
 
 mechanics' tools, including edge tools Both Messrs. Jennings and (iritiin, 
 
 and boring implements of every de- the former of whom is president, and 
 
 scnption. The goods are turned out the latter secretary and treasurer, 
 
 complete from the raw material and in si)end a large i)ortion of their time in 
 
 great variety being trade marked with Xew ^'ork looking after the trade. 
 
^36 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX. 
 
 which has now grown to large propor- 
 tions. For some years the factory has 
 been in charge of A. B. Jennings, the 
 superintendent, a son of the president. 
 who having grown up with the busi- 
 ness, Hke the other officers of the com- 
 
 A. B. JENNINGS. 
 
 pany, is a thoroughly practical man. 
 Many of the factory employes have 
 become prominent in civic life, and 
 the factory from the large amount of 
 business carried on has for many years 
 Ijeen the largest factor in that now 
 important community of Tracy. 
 
 THE GRISWOLD. RICHMOND & 
 CLOCK CO. 
 
 tin roofers, large cornice and sky- 
 light makers, extensive dealers in 
 crockery, glassware, stoves, ranges, 
 furnaces, refrigerators, house fur- 
 nishing goods and bicycles, has for 
 many years been one of the institu- 
 tions of Meriden. They occupy two 
 stories of a building fronting West 
 Main street at the corner of Hanover 
 street, and extending along Hanover 
 street for 165 feet. 
 
 The business has grown to its pres- 
 ent large proportions from the start 
 made by N. F. Griswold in 1854. 
 Since that time there have been sev- 
 
 The Griswold. Richmond & Clock 
 Company, manufacturers, jobbers. 
 
 N. F. GRISWOLD. 
 
 eral changes in the makeup of the 
 concern, but never in its history 
 has the store enjoyed anything 
 but an excellent reputation. After 
 havine later become known as Oris- 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 13; 
 
 wold, Lewis & Clock, it became 
 Ciriswold, Richmond & Clock and in 
 1889 was organized as a stock com- 
 pany with a capital of $50,000, many 
 of its employes being given holdings 
 of the stock as an incentive for hard 
 
 CHARLES C. CLOCK. 
 
 land conscientious work. This it ma\- 
 
 |be said has accrued to the benefit of 
 
 the corporation which, in turn, has 
 
 frown to such an extent that it has 
 
 t)ecome one of the leading trade con- 
 
 brns of the town. Never since its or- 
 
 pnization as a corporation has any of 
 
 p stock been held by any one outside 
 
 pf its foimders and those otherwise 
 
 Imployed in the store, and all of the 
 
 riginal owners and stockholders are 
 
 |ving excepting John L. Richmond. 
 
 le interest of whose widow- was pur- 
 
 pased by the concern in January. 1905. 
 
 The store, within recent years es- 
 pecially, has been conducted on an 
 extensive scale and it is hard indeed 
 for one, either a wholesale or 
 retail customer, to inquire for any- 
 thing which he might naturally ex- 
 pect to be found in the store but what 
 can be instantly produced by the en- 
 ergetic and painstaking clerks. At 
 their work shop, in the rear of the 
 store, facing on Hanover street, about 
 twenty-five hands are employed in the 
 manufacture of tin, sheet iron, zinc 
 and copper ware as well as gal- 
 
 S^ 
 
 CHARLES 
 
 CLOCK. 
 
 vanip^ed iron cornice W(irk and sky- 
 lights, in which they are prepared to 
 make and fill important contracts any- 
 where. The interior of the store con- 
 ducted by this low-priced co-operative 
 company, is one of the most attrac- 
 
138 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIUEN. 
 
 tive of any in Aleriden. The great 
 display of china, crockery and glass- 
 ware which comprises a separate de- 
 partment in itself is much visited by 
 the buying public. 
 
 In reference to the success of this 
 co-operative concern, it may be said 
 that the proverbial fair treatment of 
 all patrons has been a strong factor. 
 
 The individual members are well 
 known citizens of Meriden who have 
 for many years been reckoned among 
 those who have had its interests in 
 view. The president, N. F. Gris- 
 wold, is one of the oldest business 
 men in his line in the state and con- 
 secjuently one of the most favorably 
 known. The personal sketch of his 
 extended business career is contained 
 elsewhere in this book and gives also 
 the different changes in the makeup 
 of the concern from the very first. 
 To the treasurer of the company, 
 Charles C. Clock, upon whom a large 
 portion of the management now rests, 
 is the credit due for the development 
 of the manufacturing strength of 
 the concern and the extension of 
 its business operations to points far 
 outside of Meriden. Some years 
 since he was succeeded as superinten- 
 dent of the factory by his son, Charles 
 W. Clock, a young man of great bus- 
 iness ability and a thorough master 
 of the tinsmith and cornice making 
 trades. He has been secretary of the 
 concern since the death of Mr. Rich- 
 mond. Others holding stock and as- 
 sociated with the concern are : A. H. 
 Evarts, John Kopp, John Dittmer, 
 John Heinrich, Sr., Ernest F. Yenk- 
 
 ner. Fred Minkmeier, Andreas Reiski. 
 John Heinrich, Jr., Ceo. Heinrich, C. 
 S. Clark and Martin Lemke. 
 
 THE H. T. SAHTH EXPRESS CO. 
 
 The business of the H. T. Smith 
 Express Co. has grown to its present 
 proportions from the small start made 
 bv the late Horace T. Smith, who 
 
 HORACE 
 
 SMITH. 
 
 came to Meriden from Plymouth, \ t., 
 in 1854. In 1859 he started business 
 for himself. During the first few 
 years of his residence here, he was 
 employed by the late Deacon R. B- 
 Perkins, who then conducted an ex- 
 press business. 
 
 Mr. Smith started with four horses 
 and his barn was then located near 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 139 
 
 the original shop of the Aleriden Bri- 
 tannia Company, what is now known 
 as "over east." Among his tirst op- 
 erations was the drawing of the un- 
 derpinning of the old town hall. When 
 the ]5ritannia Company was reorgan- 
 ized and moved to its present loca- 
 tion, Mr. Smith moved his business to 
 Stone street, later to Grove street, then 
 to State street, and since 1876 to the 
 present location at the corner of Camp 
 and State streets. Early in August, 
 i8y2, his barn was totally destroyed 
 b\- rtre. A larger barn has since been 
 Ijuilt on the same spot, and comprises 
 one of the largest used for its pur- 
 pose in the state. 
 
 At the time of his death, 1897, Mr. 
 Smith had built up not only an envia- 
 ble reputation for reliability as a team- 
 ster, but was known as one of the 
 most enterprising and industrious cit- 
 izens of the town. Since the death 
 of Mr. Smith the business has been 
 conducted by George P. Smith and C. 
 H. Tredennick, and in November, 
 1 90 1, was incorporated as the H. T. 
 Smith Express Co., George P. Smith 
 being president, and C. H. Treden- 
 nick, secretary and treasurer. 
 
 During the ]Dast few years and es- 
 pecially since the corporation was 
 formed, this old established express 
 and trucking business has been largely 
 increased. The business as conducted 
 by Mr. Smith, required from twenty- 
 eight to thirty-five horses, but at the 
 present time requires about double 
 that ntmiber ; and the company is fully 
 M^'ipped to handle, not only the 
 'tallest express packages, but the 
 
 largest kind of machinery and mer- 
 chandise. 
 
 MOREHOUSE BROTHERS CO. 
 
 The Morehouse IJros. Co., one of 
 the largest manufacturers of building- 
 material in the state, was organized 
 in April, 1898. under the statute laws 
 of the state of Connecticut. They oc- 
 cupy the one-story brick factory build- 
 ing, 20-26 Miller street, which is fully 
 equipped for the economical and con- 
 venient handling of their work. The 
 mill is 100 feet wide and 264 feet long 
 and the work carried on is of a high 
 grade and even artistic character, 
 which necessitates the emploMuent of 
 the highest skilled workmen, about 
 twenty-five of whom find steady em- 
 ploxnient. The product of the mill is 
 not confined to this city alone but is 
 shipped to all sections of the state and 
 the reputation of the concern reflects 
 credit upon Meriden. The president 
 of the company, Henry L. Morehouse, 
 is a well known building contractor. 
 Andrew C. Morehouse, the treasurer 
 and active head of the industry, is a 
 son of Henry L. Morehouse, and was 
 born in New Haven, Conn., Jul\' 31, 
 1874, his parents removing with him 
 to Meriden when he was six years old. 
 Having previously attended for a short 
 time a private school in New Haven he 
 continued his education in the public 
 schools of this city and at the age of 
 fourteen went to work for his father 
 to learn the business which he has fol- 
 lowed continuousl\- ever since with the 
 
I40 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEX, 
 
 exception of six months' attendance 
 at business college. Under his father's 
 guidance and instruction he became 
 familiar with all the different branches 
 of building and mill work and, there- 
 fore, before he became a member of 
 the firm he was thoroughly familiar 
 with every branch of the business. Mr. 
 Morehouse is a member of the various 
 local Masonic bodies including Merid- 
 ian Lodge, yy, A. F. & A. M., and St. 
 Elmo Commandery, 9, Knights Tem- 
 plar. Few young business men of the 
 city apply themselves more closely to 
 business or find more enjoyment in 
 their home life. He was married 
 June 30, 1897, to Charlotte L., daugh- 
 ter of Mrs. Susan E. Smith, of Clin- 
 ton, Conn., and they have five living 
 children as follows : Henry L., W.ilter 
 Franklin, Andrew C. Jr., Edna Geneva 
 and Robert Allison. 
 
 THE DEXTER L. BISHOP CO. 
 
 The Dexter L. Bishop Company, a 
 corporation comprising the largest 
 concern in Meriden engaged in the 
 ice business and also dealing in native 
 lumber, was organized in January, 
 1898. The company of which Dexter 
 L. Bishop has been the secretary, 
 treasurer and general manager from 
 its formation, is the outcome of the 
 business established by the Foster 
 Brothers, for whom Foster Lake is 
 named and also includes that of the 
 Meriden Ice Co. and Dayton & Sher- 
 man. In 1895 Dexter L. Bishop 
 bought an interest in the firm, and one 
 year later bought the interest of the 
 
 remaining partners. Seeing the pos- 
 sibilities for the future, he wisely 
 merged the business into an incori)n- 
 rated company. The original capital 
 stock of $3,000, was increased in 1903 
 to $30,000. 
 
 The company owais extensive ice 
 houses, and controls the ice harvested 
 at Foster Lake, The Bradley & Hub- 
 bard reservoir, and several smaller 
 
 DEXTER L. BISHOP. 
 
 ponds around Meriden with the com- 
 bined harvesting capacity of 70,000 
 tons. The ice houses at Foster Lake 
 have a storage capacity of 8,500 tons, 
 and during the harvesting season six- 
 ty-five men are employed on the lake. 
 The ice supplied to the people of Mer- 
 iden from this source is of rare purity, 
 and this is made possible only by the 
 purity of the Foster Lake water which 
 
manufactorie:. 
 
 141 
 
 is feel largely by natural springs. 
 Great care is taken in harvesting the 
 ice, and from two to three inches are 
 planed oft' the surface before being 
 housed. The analysis of the ice of 
 this company has also been made by 
 a chemist who pronounces it of ex- 
 ceptional purity. 
 
 The wagons of the company are 
 continuously making deliveries in all 
 parts of Meriden, and during the sum- 
 mer season the services of thirtv-five 
 
 the woods where the lumber is se- 
 cured. 
 
 The active head and founder of the 
 comi)any, Dexter L. Bishop, is one 
 of Aleriden's most energetic and re- 
 liable business men. He is a son of 
 the late Walter G. Bishop, and was 
 born at Orange, Conn., August 8. 
 1865. He spent his early boyhood on 
 the home farm, and accjuired a rugged 
 physique which he still retains. When 
 quite young his parents moved to 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey 
 
 ICE HARVESTING PLANT AT FOSTER LAKE. 
 
 men and forty horses are required to 
 meet the demands made upon them for 
 their ice. The delivery depot and of- 
 fice headquarters are at 16 Cen- 
 ter street, where ample accommoda- 
 tions are at hand for the prosecution 
 of a large business. The company 
 deal also in native lumber, and dur- 
 [ing the winter season employ their 
 men in this branch of the business, 
 temporary saw mills being put up in 
 
 Guilford, where his father engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits. 
 
 In 1886, to satisfy a laudable de- 
 sire for mercantile life, he came to 
 jMeriden, and entered the employ of 
 Little. Somers & Hyatt, where he 
 gained the merited confidence both of 
 his employers and the buying public 
 by a most intelligent and faithful per- 
 formance of his duty, and uniform 
 courtesy to all the patrons of the 
 
142 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 store with whom he came in contact. 
 His entry into the ice business, and 
 the subsequent formation of the com- 
 pany which bears his name, was the 
 natural outcome of his enterprise, bus- 
 iness activity and rehabihty, and the 
 success to which he has guided the 
 business reflects upon his judgment 
 and business acumen with full credit. 
 Outside of business ]\Ir. Bishop has 
 been an active spirit in the life of Mer- 
 
 ber of Center Lodge, 97, F. & A. M., 
 Keystone Chapter, No. 27, and St. 
 Elmo Commandery, No. 9, K. T. He 
 is now serving his second term as 
 president of the Meriden Business 
 Men's Association, also secretary of 
 the State Business Men's Association, 
 and is a member of the general com- 
 mittee of the Meriden Centennial cel- 
 el^ration. He stands high in social 
 circles, and is a member of both the 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfiey. 
 
 DISTRIBUTING DEPOT, D. L. BISHOP CO. 
 
 iden. In 1900-1901 he served as a 
 member of the board of aldermen, be- 
 ing elected from the Fifth ward. Dur- 
 ing his connection with the city gov- 
 ernment he proved to be a wise coun- 
 selor to his associates in the transac- 
 tion of city affairs. He was appointed 
 and served on several important spe- 
 cial committees with credit to his con- 
 stituents and the citv. He is a mem- 
 
 Home and Colonial Clubs of ]^Ieriden. 
 In 1891 he was united in marriage 
 with Esther C, daughter of C 
 G. Johnson, who during his life was a 
 leading citizen of Meriden, and a large 
 real estate dealer. His home is 
 blessed with two bright children, Ethel 
 Johnson and Wilfred Merriman. Mr. 
 Bishop is a direct lineal descendant 
 on the maternal side of Gov. William 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 143 
 
 r.eete, first governor of the Connec- 
 ticut Colonies, and on the paternal 
 side, of James Bishop, one of the dep- 
 uty governors of New Haven colony. 
 He is also an active member of the 
 Center Congregational church of 
 Meriden, and one of the trustees of 
 the Meriden Young Women's Chris- 
 tian Association. He is also a mem- 
 ber of the Meriden Board of Trade, 
 of which organization he is one of 
 the directors. 
 
 ELIAS OEFINGER. 
 
 Elias Oefinger. manufacturer of 
 
 tuning pipes, and who conducts the 
 
 only factory devoted exclusively to 
 
 that industry in the United States, 
 
 was born in Germany in the town of 
 
 Trossingen. In that European town 
 
 the larger ]Jortion of the harmonicas 
 
 of the world are made. He was ed- 
 
 jucated in the common schools of his 
 
 native country and earl}' in life 
 
 earned the trade of a harmonica mak- 
 
 ?r, which he followed for many years. 
 
 kVith his brother he came to this city 
 
 \n 1880. In 1900 as a member of the 
 
 jinn of John and Elias Oefinger, he 
 
 liegan the manufacture of the patent 
 
 'Uning pipes bearing his name and 
 
 H'hich have become famous in the 
 
 husical trade. The tuning pipes were 
 
 ITst manufactured in the shop of the 
 
 jjtandard Novelty company ; but in 
 
 bo2 the present factory, corner Me- 
 
 jianic and North George streets, was 
 
 emoved to. where two floors are oc- 
 
 upied. In 1901 Mr. Oefinger's 
 
 "thcr was accidentallv killed bv the 
 
 cars at the Center street crossing and 
 his sad death removed from Meriden 
 one of the most energetic and indus- 
 trious manufacturers within its bor- 
 ders. Since the decease of his broth.- 
 er Mr. ( )efinger has carried on the 
 business alone. Through his inven- 
 tive genius he has made and success- 
 full}- put upon the market several 
 kinds of tuning pipes, among them a 
 pitch pipe, giving the entire chromatic 
 scale. The pipes made by this manu- 
 facturer, 6.000 annually, also comprise 
 those giving the correct pitch for tun- 
 ing the four strings of the violin or 
 mandolin, five of the banjo and six 
 of the guitar. The product of the fac- 
 tory is sold through the music houses 
 of the country. 
 
 Mr. Oefinger, in common with men 
 of his nationality, is a great lover of 
 nnisic and is a talented player of sev- 
 eral instruments. He has for some 
 Acars been a member of the Lyra Sing- 
 ing society of Meriden ; also a mem- 
 ber of the Meriden Turn X'erein and 
 the Workmen's Sick Benefit .Associa- 
 tion. His industry adds to the l)usi- 
 ness welfare of Meriden and his inter- 
 est concerning his adopted city has 
 never been in doubt. 
 
 WILBUR 1'.. HALL 
 
 Wilbur I'.irdsey Hall, niauufac- 
 turer of individual ])e])])ers aud 
 salts, napkin rings and other small 
 articles of electro plate and white 
 metal goods, is of the third genera- 
 tion of a familv whose nauie has tor 
 
144 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 many years been associated with 
 this typical branch of ]\lericlen in- 
 dustry. Both his father and grand- 
 father were prominent in the busi- 
 ness and industrial life of the town. 
 Mr. Hall is a descendant of one of 
 the oldest families in Connecticut 
 and which is traced back to John 
 Hall, who died in Wallingford in 
 1676, and of whom much is stated 
 elsewhere in these pages Lewis 
 
 business on his own account in 188 
 Three years later, or in July 188 
 his success enabled him to build tl 
 factory on Parker Avenue which 1 
 has since conducted and in which 1 
 has won the distinction of makir 
 more of the goods, of which \ 
 makes a specialty and for whic 
 his factory is justly renowned, tha 
 all other factories combined, 
 and started in the manufacturin 
 
 '*! iff ,.- 
 
 'IlBURBHALL 
 
 jm 
 
 
 Z ^-ij 
 
 FACTORY OF WILBUR B. HALL. 
 
 Hall, father of Wilbur B., was for 
 over thirty years superintendent of 
 the Wilcox Silver Plate Co., and as 
 such was connected with that well 
 known concern, now a part of the 
 International Silver Co., until his 
 death in 1900. 
 
 Wilbur B. Hall learned the mys- 
 teries of the silver plated ware in- 
 dustry also in that large factory 
 
 portion of the output of this factor), 
 is that of special goods bearing th(i 
 name of large dealers. The factor>i 
 is well adapted for the work carrieq 
 on and in 1905 became equippedj 
 with its own electric lighting plant; 
 The goods of Mr. Hall's manufac-: 
 ture are sold to the trade direct fronij 
 the factory and are used all over' 
 the world. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 145. 
 
 F. I. WALLACE. 
 
 Frederick J. Wallace, manufactur- 
 er of saddlery hardware and horse- 
 hair plumes for sleighs, saddle chimes 
 and bridles, occupies the old Chap- 
 man Manufacturing Company's plant 
 and employs quite a number of hands. 
 The output of his factory, excepting 
 that of the horsehair plumes, is what 
 is known as an unfinished product. 
 
 ready adaptation to circumstances, he- 
 has established a manufacturing bus- 
 iness of the above line, which has 
 grown rapidly, in a few years, to large 
 proportions. 
 
 ^Ir. W^allace, while a native of Mas- 
 sachusetts, has been a resident and en- 
 gaged in business in Meriden since 
 1876; and for fifteen years previous to 
 engaging in manufacturing, conducted 
 a retail provision store as a member 
 
 
 
 FACTORY OF F. J. WALLACE. 
 
 and his trade is with the large job- 
 bers and harness manufacturers. As 
 Mr. Wallace was formerly a success- 
 ful traveling salesman for the old 
 Chapman Manufacturing Com])any, 
 and Landers, Frary & Clark, when he 
 bought and started up his plant he 
 possessed a wide acquaintance with 
 the trade. Through his knowledge 
 of the wants of his customers and his 
 50 
 
 of the firm of I'attcn i^ Wallace when 
 he served one year as president 
 of the Retail Butchers" Association of 
 Connecticut, and was also honored by 
 being elected treasurer of the Nation- 
 al Butchers' Association of the United 
 States, which office he held four years. 
 His plant, located on Britannia 
 street, has a frontage of 135 feet, is 
 300 feet deep, and also extends along 
 
146 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 the tracks of the N. Y., N. H. & H. 
 R. R. for 300 feet. The trade he sup- 
 phes is of the highest class and his 
 goods are recognized by jobbers and 
 manufacturers in his Une as the best 
 made in New England. 
 
 Mr. Wallace was married in 1880 to 
 Carrie E. Brooks, of Cheshire, and has 
 one daughter. 
 
 THE H. WALES LINES CO. 
 
 A town is what its builders make it. 
 The H. Wales Lines Co. certainly has 
 reason to be proud of the part it has 
 taken in the building of Meriden. 
 Starting" in 1864 as Perkins & Lines, 
 the firm has expanded with the growth 
 of the town and to-day is one of the 
 largest building concerns in New Eng- 
 land. Nearly all of the factories, bus- 
 iness blocks, schools, churches and bet- 
 ter class of private residences have 
 been erected by them and their per- 
 manent character tells of the thorough 
 manner with which this concern does 
 its work. 
 
 In 1878 the withdrawal of Air. Per- 
 kins necessitated a change in the bus- 
 iness name of the firm and the com- 
 pany became H. Wales Lines & Co., 
 consisting of Mr. Lines and Henry E. 
 Fairchild. 
 
 In 1888 the company was incorpo- 
 rated under its present name with H. 
 Wales Lines as president and treas- 
 urer, Henry E. Fairchild, vice-presi- 
 dent, and Lewis A. Miller, secretary. 
 
 The reputation of the firm was 
 widely known and a demand for such 
 a concern existing in other places the 
 
 company found it to their advantage 
 to accept contracts outside of Meriden. 
 This outside work increased and with 
 it their facilities for handling it. Thev 
 now execute contracts in any state and 
 are prepared to do any kind of work 
 at any time and in any place. 
 
 Architects, engineers and prospec- 
 tive builders found it paid them to 
 employ a firm who could handle an\ 
 size contract with promptness and the 
 substantial, well-built public buildings, 
 churches, libraries, college buildings, 
 school houses, mercantile blocks, resi- 
 dences, manufacturing plants, etc., 
 that this company has erected in Con- 
 necticut and other states are an evi- 
 dence of this. 
 
 The compan}' has in its employ an 
 efticient corps of engineers, draftsmen 
 and other persons trained and expe- 
 rienced, capable of meeting the re- 
 quirements in a thoroughly practical 
 way of every detail of the buildins:; 
 business. 
 
 Since its inception the comi)any has 
 dealt at wholesale and retail in build- 
 ing materials and supplies of all kinds. 
 From their organization special at- 
 tention has been given to this branch 
 and they are now among the largest 
 wholesale dealers in their line in the 
 state. 
 
 The growth of the business de- 
 manded larger and more convenient 
 quarters than had been previously oc- 
 cupied, so 400 feet of railroad front- 
 age was purchased on State street and 
 the plant erected which is shown in the 
 illustration. The main storehouse is 
 150 feet long, two stories high, and 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 147 
 
 fortv feet in width. The ofifice is a 
 model of convenience. Extending 
 from the storehouse and connected 
 with it is a brick stable. It is difificult 
 to imagine a more satisfactory place 
 in which to carry on this business. 
 Ample storage room for quickl}' and 
 cheapl}' handling materials is a neces- 
 sary thing to profitably meet the corn- 
 
 Portland cement, lime, granite, mar- 
 ble, blue stone, hair, mortar colors, pat- 
 ent plastering mortars, plaster of Paris, 
 building brick, fire brick, etc. Being 
 New England agents for vitrified 
 Ohio sewer pipe and flue linings they 
 can furnish the best quality direct 
 from the kilns and carry in Meriden 
 a stock of from fifteen to twentv car- 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 OFFICE AND PLANT OF THE H. \V.\LES TWINES CO. 
 
 etition in this line of trade. This loads to fill orders re(|uiriiig inimediatc 
 
 ompany lias unusual facilities for delivery. Every kind of builders' 
 
 ipplying at the manufacturer's price supplies can he furnished pn)m])lly 
 
 eavy articles which enter into the and at low prices, 
 
 instruction (jf a building, such as It is interesting to note that of the 
 
 imber, steel, cast iron, metal lath, ex- prominent buililiugs illustrated in this 
 
 anded metal and all other materials book, there are very few which have 
 
 >r reinforced concrete construction, not been built by the Lines Company. 
 
148 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDKN. 
 
 Some of the most important are : 
 First Congregational church, St. Jo- 
 seph's church, High school, the plant 
 of the Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co., 
 nearly all the buildings of the Aleri- 
 den Britannia Co., Woolen mill, Wil- 
 cox & White Organ Co., Journal 
 Publishing Co., Meriden iMorning 
 
 and the new Town Hall building now 
 in process of erection. Also many of 
 the better class of private residences 
 were built by them. 
 
 A few of the buildings erected by 
 them outside of Meriden, are : Resi- ' 
 deuces of J. H. Whittemore at Nauga-i 
 tuck and Middlebury, Conn. ; factories' 
 
 n niiv 
 I BIl 
 
 COXXECTICUT BUILDTXG, ST. LOUIS EXPOSITION, 1904. 
 
 Record building, Connecticut Brew- 
 eries Co., City Mission block, Win- 
 throp hotel, Wilcox block, Palace 
 block. Swift & Co., Armour & Co., Y. 
 M. C. A. building. State School for 
 Boys, Curtis Home, Meriden National 
 Bank, Meriden Savings Bank, Meri- 
 den Hospital, Curtis Memorial Librarv 
 
 of the United States Rubber Co., Nau- 
 gatuck ; plant of the Excelsior Needle 
 Co., Torrington : chimney stacks and 
 portion of plant of the Coe Brass Co., 
 Torrington ; H. L. Judd Co., Walling- 
 ford ; plant of the Malleable Iron Fit- 
 tings Co., Branford ; National Folding 
 Box & Paper Co., New Haven : part 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 149 
 
 of Vale & Towne Co.'s plant, Stam- 
 ford ; part of the plant of the Union 
 .Metallic Cartridge Co., Bridgeport; 
 Winchester Repeating Arms Co., New- 
 Haven ; silk mill for Joseph Loth & 
 Co., Norwalk ; American Grapho- 
 phone Co., Bridgeport ; Mystic Indus- 
 trial Co., Mystic. 
 
 Salem High school, Xangatuck ; 
 Whig & Clio Halls, Princeton Univer- 
 sity ; residence of C. Oliver Iselin, New 
 Rochelle, N. Y. ; Centenary Colleg- 
 iate Institute, Hackettstown, N. J. ; 
 Montefiore Home, Bedford, N. Y. ; 
 Overton Hall, Moody's School Mt. 
 Hernion, ^lass. ; Turner Library, Tor- 
 rington. Conn. ; Skull & Bones and 
 Book & Snake Society Buildings ; Ives 
 Cheeney Memorial gateway at Yale 
 Cniversity, New Haven ; State Nor- 
 Imal schools, Willimantic and Danbury ; 
 [Connecticut House, St. Louis Expo- 
 |sition, 1904; St. Bernard's church. 
 jRockville, Conn. ; Connecticut Agri- 
 ultural college dormitory, Storrs, 
 onn. ; New London City National 
 jank building. New London, Conn. ; 
 jiffices and car house of the Hartford 
 htreet Railway Co., Hartford, Conn. ; 
 Mants of the Hall Railway Sig- 
 I'.al Co., and the Aeolian-Weber 
 nano Co., at Garwood, N. J. ; Stand- 
 Id Paint Co., at Bound Brook, N. J. ; 
 iichs & Lang Mfg. Co., at Ruther- 
 )rd. N. T. : Weber Piano Co., New 
 ork City ; fourteen power or trans- 
 )rmer stations for the United Gas & 
 mprovement Co.. of Philadelphia: 
 tven power stations for W^estchester 
 Ighting Co., of Mt. Vernon, N. Y. ; 
 Ictorv buildings for the Max Ams 
 
 Machine Co., and the Mauser Mfg. 
 Co., at Mt. Vernon, N. Y. ; factory of 
 the Sanborn Map Co., at Pelham, 
 X. Y. 
 
 HENRY E. FAIRCHILD. 
 
 Henry E. Fairchild, one of the 
 most respected residents of AEeriden 
 
 Photo by H. T. Shaw. 
 
 H. E. FAIRCHILD. 
 
 and who has for forty years 
 been as.sociated with its progress, 
 was born at Woodbridge, Conn. 
 After learning the the trade of a 
 mason in the employ of Smith & 
 Spcrry of New Haven, in 1865, he 
 came to ISFeriden where he con- 
 tinued to work at his trade for the 
 firm of Perkins & Lines. His services 
 
ISO 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 were so valuable that a short time 
 later he was given an interest in the 
 business, and upon the retirement of 
 Mr. Perkins, Mr. Fairchild became 
 Mr. Lines' only partner, the busi- 
 ness continuing under the name of 
 H. Wales Lines & Co. When the 
 business was merged into a corpora- 
 tion, Mr. Fairchild became its vice- 
 president, which office he now holds. 
 Many of the principal buildings ot 
 Meriden have been constructed un- 
 der his personal supervision. Mr. 
 Fairchild is a member of Meridian 
 Lodge, jj. A. F. & A. M., and St. 
 Elmo Commandery, 9, K. T. 
 
 He has been twice married, first 
 to Mary Elizabeth Clark, and to that 
 union two sons were born : George 
 W., and Frederick L., and through 
 his first marriage Mr. Fairchild has 
 also two grandchildren, Ralph H. 
 and Ralph E. Fairchild. On Sep- 
 tember 25. 1891 he was again mar- 
 ried to Mary Elizabeth Bliss of 
 Springfield, Mass. Mr. Fairchild 
 resides in his own comfortable home 
 on Chestnut street, and is justly 
 known as one of the most loyal citi- 
 zens of the town. 
 
 LEWIS ALBERT MILLER. 
 
 Lewis Albert Miller was born in 
 Meriden June 29, 1866, the son of 
 George W. and Lydia M. Miller. 
 
 He received his education in the 
 public schools, studying but a short 
 time in the High school. 
 
 After working about five months 
 
 with the late Amos Ives in his coal 
 office, in May, 1883, he entered the 
 employ of H. Wales Lines & Co. He 
 utilized the opportunities ofifered to 
 learn every detail of the building bus- 
 iness so that in 1889 when The H. 
 Wales Lines Co. was incorporated he 
 became a stockholder and was short- 
 ly after made secretary of the com- 
 pany, a position he now holds. 
 
 Photo by Akers & Pigeon 
 
 L. A. MILLER. 
 
 Mr. Miller has been a participant 
 in the great growth of this contracting 
 firm, whose yearly business now ex- 
 ceeds one million dollars and his en- 
 ergetic efforts have contributed in no 
 small part to its expansion. 
 
 Mr. Miller is a member of St. Elmo 
 Commandery, K. T. ; the Mystic 
 Shrine ; Pilgrims' Harbor Council, 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 Royal Arcanum : also the Home, Col- 
 onial and Wheel Clubs of Meriden. 
 
 When the old high wheel was in 
 vogue Mr. Miller was prominent in 
 the sport and did considerable ama- 
 teur racing. He won several cham- 
 pionships and held for a short period 
 the amateur records of the world for 
 one mile. He was also a member of 
 the National Racing Board for a few 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Miller although always interest- 
 (.'(1 in the politics of the city, has held 
 but one ofifice, serving as councilman 
 from the Second ward during the 
 years of 1893 and 1894. 
 
 In 1892 he married Lena Sevelia 
 Mcrriam. Their home is at 68 Wil- 
 cox avenue. 
 
 HOLT & STEVENS. 
 
 Although the present partnership 
 [existing between Irving L. Holt and 
 Frank A. Stevens, dates back to 
 .March i, 1892 only-, it was in Febru- 
 ary. 1872, that the business of the 
 l-Meriden Fire Insurance Agency was 
 t»egun, the first policv being issued 
 " the late Isaac C. Lewis. This 
 i.vas the beginning of the long and 
 lonorably conducted business of the 
 nrance agency, which has since 
 Town to one of the largest in the 
 tate. In later y-ears real estate was 
 dded and now the firm are exten- 
 ively engaged in the sale, rental 
 nd care of property. 
 
 rving L. Holt, senior member of 
 present firm and of whom a bio- 
 
 graphical sketch appears elsewhere 
 in this volume, first became con- 
 nected with this agency in 1874. 
 Mr. Stevens first came into the 
 office as clerk in 1881. 
 
 The firm, who occupy large of- 
 fices in the Wilcox block, represent 
 the following named insurance com- 
 panies. Agricultural Company of 
 W^atertown, N. Y. ; American Com- 
 pany of Newark, N. J. ; American 
 Company of Boston, Mass.; Ameri- 
 can Company of New York; British- 
 American Assurance Company of 
 Toronto, Can. : Capital Company of 
 Concord. N. H. : Continental Com- 
 panv of New York ; Fire Associa- 
 tion of Philadelphia; Firemen's 
 Company of Newark, N. J. ; Fire- 
 men's Fund Company of San Fran- 
 cisco, Cal. : Franklin Comi)any of 
 Philadelphia ; The German-.Vmeri- 
 can Company of New York : Girard 
 Company of Philadcl])hia : Granite 
 State Company. Portsmouth, N. H. ; 
 Greenwich Company of New^ York; 
 Hamburg-Bremen Comi)any of Ger- 
 manv: Holyoke Mutual Company of 
 Salem, ^lass. : London and Lan- 
 cashire Company of luigland : Liv- 
 erpool and London and (il()l)e 
 Company of England: .Magdenburg 
 Fire Cnm])any of Germany: Man- 
 chester Assurance Com])any of I'Jig- 
 land : Merchants' Company of 
 Newark, N. j.: New London Comity 
 Mutual of Norwich. Conn.; New 
 ^'ork I'nderwriters" Agency of Xcw 
 York ; Niagara Company of Xew 
 York, Northern .\ssurance Com- 
 
152 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 pany of England ; North British 
 Mercantile Company of England ; 
 Norwalk Company of Norwalk, 
 Conn. ; Phoenix Company of Brook- 
 lyn, N. Y. ; Royal Company of 
 Liverpool, Eng. ; Security Company 
 of New Haven, Conn. ; Springfield 
 F. & M. Company of Springfield, 
 Mass. ; Western Assurance Com- 
 pany of Toronto, Can. ; Westchester 
 Company of New^ York, and the 
 Fire Company, County of Philadel- 
 phia. The following companies are 
 also represented by Holt & Stevens. 
 North Western Life of Alilwaukee ; 
 the Aetna Life and Accident Com- 
 panies of Hartford, Conn. ; United 
 States Fidelity and Guarantee Com- 
 pany of Baltimore, and the New 
 York Plate Glass Company of New 
 York. 
 
 The members of this firm are 
 counted among the more progres- 
 sive men of Meriden, Mr. Holt 
 being prominent in public life and 
 possessing a creditable career as tax 
 collector, in which capacity he now 
 serves. Frank A. Stevens, although 
 a younger man has proven his value 
 as a resident of the town in many 
 ways. He is the present secretary 
 of the Meriden Board of Trade, 
 which organization has been treated 
 at length in these pages. Both 
 Messrs. Holt and Stevens have dem- 
 onstrated their local pride also in 
 taking a prominent part in the Cen- 
 tennial celebration, both gentlemen 
 serving on the important Finance 
 Committee. 
 
 A. GREENBACKER & SONS. 
 
 Adolf Greenbacker, of A. Green- 
 backer & Sons, born in Steinmauern 
 Baden, Germany, came to this coun- 
 try and to Meriden in 1879. After 
 being employed one year on a farm, 
 he removed to Stonington, Illinois, 
 where he rented a farm which he car- 
 ried on five years. While there he 
 began married life, and his first 
 two children were born, as fol- 
 lows: Josephine, now Mrs. Fred Hem- 
 stead of New Haven, born March 9, 
 1883, and Joseph, born July 12, 1884. 
 He then took up 240 acres of govern- 
 ment land at Wichita, Kan., which he 
 stocked with all farming implements 
 and machinery and improved the land 
 to a high state of cultivation and was 
 succeeding admirably when he found 
 the climate did not agree with him and 
 he returned east. Making his way 
 back to Meriden with his wife and 
 four children, for his second sor, 
 Charles, was born at Wichita, Kaif., 
 September 3, 1886, and also his son, 
 Robert, November 29, 1889, and re- 
 entered the Meriden Britannia Com- 
 pany in 1890 where he remained ten 
 years. , 
 
 Five years later he selected his per- 
 manent residence location on Old Col- 
 ony road, opposite the Walnut Grove 
 cemetery, and built his house on the 
 lot which then comprised but three 
 acres of land. He afterwards added 
 to the land three acres purchased from 
 Mrs. Cecelia Yale, the adjoining prop- 
 erty of thirteen acres, of Mrs. Peck, 
 including two houses ; and five acres 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 ^53 
 
 of lames Hall, all of which land has 
 since been highl}* cultivated. Still 
 continuing at the Britannia shop, Air. 
 Greenbacker, with his sons, first started 
 a small milk route and, later, after his 
 son. Joseph, who when he became six- 
 teen years of age, went to Bridgeport 
 where he remained two years, learn- 
 ing the florist business, a greenhouse 
 was built and the florist firm of A. 
 Grecnl)acker & Sons was formed. 
 Since then the business has grown 
 steadily and rapidl}' and noticeable en- 
 
 nie, born in Aleriden, October 2"], 1896. 
 Mr. Greenbacker is an active mem- 
 ber of the Meriden Grange and of the 
 official board of Trinity M. E. church, 
 of which church the members of his 
 family are active members. 
 
 CHURCH & MORSE. 
 
 Meriden's leading hardware con- 
 cern, Church & Morse, whose store 
 is located directly opposite Colony 
 street, in the Palace Block, has been 
 
 Photo by R. S. Godfrey. 
 
 GREENHOUSES OF A. GREENP.ACKEK .S: SONS. 
 
 largements have been made. 
 
 The fimi also grow garden truck 
 and supply to the market much in that 
 line. From the fifteen cows now pas- 
 tured Mr. Greenbacker conducts a 
 milk route of no small but limited pro- 
 portions. 
 
 Mr. Greenbacker takes pardonable 
 ;iride in his sons, who are trustwor- 
 thy, conscientious and industrious 
 >oung men, and besides the children 
 above mentioned are the following : 
 Rosic. born March 13, 1893. and An- 
 
 in existence under its present name 
 since 1879. and previous to that, 
 back to 1872, the firm was known as 
 Church & Sprague. The first loca- 
 tion occupied was a small store on East 
 Main street, near the railroad cross- 
 ing, but the business .soon outgrew 
 those quarters, and was removed to 
 the present location, where the busi- 
 ness has continued to grow and 
 prosper. 
 
 This hardware store has always 
 kept abreast of the times and every- 
 
154 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 thing, usually found in a general 
 hardware store, it contains. This 
 reputable hardware store extends 
 ninety feet to the rear and has 
 a frontage of about twenty-five feet, 
 and both the main floor and base- 
 ment are stocked as full with goods 
 as the commodious quarters allow. In 
 addition to this the firm have a two 
 and a half story brick storehouse 
 fifty by eighty-eight feet in dimen- 
 sions which for several years has 
 been necessary to their business. 
 The firm enjoys an enviable reputa- 
 tion for reliability and does a large 
 business in general hardware, tools, 
 cutlery, builders' hardware, agricul- 
 tural implements, skates, bicycles, etc. 
 
 The reputation of the firm has 
 been built up by treating every cus- 
 tomer with the same degree of fair- 
 ness, making the name of Church & 
 Morse synonymous with honest 
 goods and prices. George A. 
 Church, who was a leading spirit of 
 the firm for many years and was 
 alwavs known as one of the most 
 energetic, able and personally pop- 
 ular men of the town, died Septem- 
 ber 13, 1896, and since his death 
 his son, Robert G. Church, a young 
 man who inherits much of his 
 father's business ability has taken 
 his place in the store representing 
 the interests of the estate. 
 
 Charles P. Morse, who about 1879 
 bought a half interest in the firm, 
 one year after Mr. Church had pur- 
 chased the share owned by Mr. 
 Sprague, his first partner, is also 
 known as one of the valued business 
 
 men of the town. Mr. Morse, like 
 his deceased partner, has ever shown 
 a bona fide regard for the welfare 
 of Meriden, and his long experience 
 as a hardware merchant has made 
 him thoroughly familiar with the 
 wants of the community in his line. 
 He is a member of Meriden Center 
 Lodge, I. O. O. F., the Red Men and 
 Royal Arcanum. The store also fur- 
 nishes employment for several men 
 who have become useful residents of 
 the communitv. 
 
 THE LA\\X HOTEL. 
 
 One of the most picturesque sit- 
 uations perhaps of any Connecticut 
 hostelry is taht enjoyed by the 
 Lawn Hotel, with spacious grounds 
 facing Hanover St., adjoining Han- 
 over Park, and possessing a wide 
 water frontage on the lake of that 
 name. The property comprising two 
 acres of land, was originally the 1 
 family residence of the late J. C. 
 Breckenridge, for many years su- 
 perintendent of the Meriden Cut- 
 lery Compan}', and was converted 
 into a hotel in 1889 by the late John 
 Cassidy. At a large expense he 
 rebuilt the house which has since 
 been conducted as a hotel, being 
 largely patronized in the summer 
 months, but open all the year round. 
 After achieving a reputation as a 
 hotel man, Mr. Cassidy died in 1897 
 and since that time the hotel has 
 been conducted by his son, Joseph M 
 Cassidv, a native of Meriden. who 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 155 
 
 I possesses the desirable qualifica- 
 j tions of a successful boniface. The 
 property is leased by him from his 
 I mother. :\Irs. Mary Cassidy, who 
 I became the owner of the land and 
 
 THE BESSE-BOYNTOX CO. 
 
 As Meriden celebrates her first cen- 
 tennial as an incorporated town, its 
 citizens have reason to feel justly 
 
 :m-: lawx hotkl 
 
 Ibuildmg^s at her husband's death, proud of her achievements. While the 
 
 Hie Lawn Hotel is a popular resort product of the busy factories have 
 
 ^or both transient and permanent brought fame to the locality of .some 
 
 Lniests and will be appreciated by of her mercantile establishments Mer- 
 
 |>atrons during the Centennial week, iden has good reason to be proud, per- 
 
156 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 haps especially so, of the store of the 
 Besse-Boyntoii Company, a benefit to 
 the community and an ornament to 
 the town and city since 1902 when it 
 was established. 
 
 The store occupies the whole build- 
 ing at 19 Colony street, in the very 
 heart of the business center, and its 
 attractive show windows vie with the 
 interior in point of attractiveness. 
 The building now occupied by them 
 presents itself in more pleasing con- 
 trast since transformed from the 
 boarding house for which purpose the 
 building was formerly used. It was 
 at no small expense that the companv 
 altered the building which was en- 
 tirely remodeled. A whole new front 
 was put in and like the whole of the 
 ground floor, extends to what was 
 originally the top of the second story. 
 In order to accomplish this one floor 
 was taken out. The store since being 
 under the present regime also has be- 
 come possessed not only of pressed 
 steel walls and ceilings of artistic pat- 
 tern, but elaborate fittings, fixtures and 
 equipments bringing about a most rad- 
 ical change and making the store one 
 of the most attractive in the state and 
 wholly on a par with the other eight- 
 een stores in as many cities now con- 
 trolled by the Besse system, of which 
 the Besse-Boynton Co. is a part. 
 These stores are as follows : Besse- 
 Boynton Co., Meriden, Conn. ; Besse- 
 Mills Co., Holyoke. Mass. ; Besse- 
 Rolfe Co., Lynn, Mass. ; Besse-Eld- 
 ridge Co., Manchester, N. H. ; Besse- 
 Bryant Co., Worcester, Mass. : Besse- 
 Baker Co., Brockton, Mass. ; Besse- 
 
 Boeker Co., Providence, R. I. ; Besse- 
 Richey Co., New Haven, Conn.; 
 Besse-Russell Co., Fall River, Mass.; 
 Besse-Leland Co., New Britain, 
 Conn. ; Besse-Carpenter Co., Spring- 
 field, Mass. ; Besse-Bryant Co., Nash- 
 ua, N. H. ; Besse-Sprague Co., Syra- 
 cuse, N. Y. ; Besse-Fox Co., Bangor, 
 Me. ; Besse-Avery Co., Kansas Cit\ , 
 jMo. ; Bryant-Besse Co., Norwalk, 
 Conn. ; Foster-Avery Co., Portland, 
 Me. ; Foster-Besse Co., Bridgeport, 
 Conn., and A. L. Foster Co., Hart- 
 ford, Conn. This system is also as- 
 sociated with the Foster system, com- 
 prising twenty-three other stores, all 
 of which have sprung from that es- 
 tablished in Bridgeport by Foster- 
 Besse & Co., in 1877, and the mother 
 store has by no means any cause to be 
 ashamed of her healthy offsprings, nor 
 is the Meriden store any exception, 
 for not only is it comely in appearance 
 but the goods and prices are among 
 its drawing qualities. There is a 
 main floor where clothing, hats and 
 men's furnishings are found in large 
 quantities, and infinite variety. In 
 the rear of the store is a balcony 
 reached by an attractive staircase, 
 where the office is located and also a 
 large department containing boys' 
 clothing. The basement is also an 
 important part of this popular trading 
 place for men and boys and there also 
 is a large and most desirable stock of 
 trunks and bags. The store is kept 
 scrupulously neat and clean, and old 
 stales are an unknown quantity there. 
 The large number of clerks kept busy, 
 and the larsre volume of business done 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 .■>/ 
 
 sliuw > that not only is the store attrac- 
 tive to the buying pubHc, but that the 
 goods meet with favor among: the 
 well dressed men and boys of the Sil- 
 ver City and surrounding territory. 
 
 The store as first opened was known 
 as liesse-Boeker Co., but February, 
 1904, was changed to the present style. 
 Mr. Boeker, who had managed the 
 store up to that time, resigned to take 
 charge of another of the Besse sys- 
 tem stores at Providence, R. I. The 
 company as now incorporated, consists 
 of L. W". Besse. president and A. E. 
 IJoynton, secretary and treasurer, the 
 latter being the resident manager. 
 Mr. Boynton came to ^^leriden to take 
 charge of the store which now bears 
 his name, after having been associated 
 with the IJesse system for a number 
 of year^. and having formerly beei"". 
 employed at the Springfield store of 
 the Besse-Carpenter Co. He has at- 
 tained his present position in the com- 
 pany from the bottom round of the 
 business ladder. Since coming to this 
 city he has fully upheld the ideals of 
 his predecessor, and continued to in- 
 crease the trade and popularity of the 
 store, and incidentally to make many 
 staunch friends in both local business 
 and social circles. ]\Ir. Boynton re- 
 '^ides on Linslev avenue. 
 
 AKERS & PIGEON. 
 
 Akers & Pigeon, a firm of good 
 repute, engaged in portrait ])hotog- 
 raphy at 35VS West Main street. 
 consists of a partnership formed in 
 March 1903. between John Akers 
 and Ernest W. Pigeon. The quartern 
 
 are admirable for the extensive busi- 
 ness carried on in the production of 
 high grade portraiture. The entire 
 second floor of the large double 
 building is occupied and this is pro- 
 vided with a convenient entrance. The 
 studio is one of the largest and hand- 
 somest in the state and contains 
 excellent specimens of photography. 
 The establishment is fitted with all 
 the latest and best facilities, includ- 
 ing an artisto electric lighting ma- 
 chine used for both printing and 
 making sittings in the absence of sun- 
 light. 
 
 The nucleus of the present busi- 
 ness was formed in 1894 when Mr. 
 Akers made his debut in the photo- 
 graphic circles of Meriden as a mem- 
 ber of the firm of Haley & Akers. 
 the location being in the Hall <!<: 
 Lewis building at the corner of Col- 
 ony and \'\'est .Main street, with au 
 entrance at 6 East Main street. The 
 work of his first studio gave Mr. 
 Akers a high standing in his chosen 
 calling, which he has since main- 
 tained, and the partnership of Haley 
 & Akers was continued until July, 
 1899 when it was dissolved. Haley 
 & .Akers removed to the i)resent lo- 
 cation in September. 181/'). the pres- 
 ent ])artnership forming as above 
 stated. On November 1. 1903. Mr. 
 Akers purchased the DeLamater 
 studio at Hartford, which he ha>^ 
 since conducted with marked suc- 
 cess, catering in the Capitol City to 
 a trade which comprises a most ex- 
 clusive portion of the population. T<1 
 the Hartford <tu<1io be has ever 
 
158 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 JOHN AKERS. 
 
MANUFACTORIES. 
 
 159 
 
 ERNEST \V. Pir.EON. 
 
i6o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 since devoted the major portion of 
 his time. 
 
 John Akers was born in Philadel- 
 phia, November 29, 1868, and has 
 been a resident of Meriden con- 
 tinuously since he took a place in 
 the ranks of the local business men. 
 The work of the studios bearing his 
 name has been such as to reflect 
 credit upon both ^leriden and Hart- 
 ford, and due to his skill as an oper- 
 ator and his extended experience 
 of several years, during which time 
 he has always been a close student 
 of his business. He is a member of 
 Alfred H. Hall Council, 1423, Royal 
 Arcanum. He was married in 1899 
 to Bessie, a daughter of Winfield 
 R. Coe, a representative of one of 
 the oldest and best known families 
 
 Ernest W. Pigeon was born ii 
 Meriden in 1880 and was educatei 
 in the public schools. After takins 
 a three years" course in the Meri 
 den High school, he entered thcj 
 studio of Haley & Akers in 189^1 
 and has been associated with Mr 
 Akers ever since. He proved him- 
 self an apt scholar, and being pos-i 
 sessed of a natural talent his ad-{ 
 vancement has been rapid. Since 1903! 
 he has been in charge of the studio! 
 of which he is now also a part] 
 owner. He is a member of Meriden! 
 Lodge, 35, Benevolent and Protec- j 
 tive Order of Elks, and like Mr. 
 Akers is known as one of the 
 younger progressive business men 
 of the town. In ^lay, 1906, he made 
 a tour abroad. 
 
 FALLS AT HANOVER LAKE. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 l6l 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 [ Abercrombie, General, 265. 
 I .\bolition Agitation, 156. 
 ! Academy Hall, 363. 
 i .^dam.s, Henry, 212. 
 .Vetna Peat Works, 15. 
 Allen, Archelaus, 270, 278, 
 [ 320; Eciward C, 278, 
 : 320; Etlu.n, 282; John, 
 L'69, 278, 320; Levi, 238; 
 -•S9, 319, 320; Norman, 387; 
 I William, 320; Wm. H., 
 240; Farm, 266; Museum 
 Music Room, Menagerie 
 and "Happy Family," 388. 
 Ailing-, Roger, 320. 
 l.All Saints' Church, 320. 
 ^•nerican Anti-Slavery So- 
 iety, 253. 
 iierican Revolution, 267- 
 
 lusement, Early Places or 
 :'<;7, 388. 
 
 ■ lerson, Asher, 158. 
 ■Irews, Aaron, 236, 237, 
 .•><6; Abner, 277; Alfred, 
 "t; .\lmon, 360; Amos, 284; 
 \iidrew. 284; Burr, 359, 
 Han, 238, 334; Denison, 
 :i"»3, 306; Harvey, 337; Ira, 
 342; Laban, 134, 287, 
 294, 298, 299, 301, 
 Mill, 216, 217, 321, 
 Moses, 134, 216, 303, 
 Nathan, 53, 54; Pitt, 
 299; Samuel. 53, 55, 
 134; 229, 230, 266, _ _ 
 293, 306; Rev. Samuel, 251, 
 297, 298, 302, 303, 305; 
 Stephen, 301; T., 103; 
 Thomas, 96, 102; Timothy, 
 148; Wm., 10, 11, 133, 266, 
 2S9; Andrews & Warren, 
 367. 
 widrias, William, 139. 
 UHlrus, Laban, 264; Raehal, 
 160; Samuel, 139; Thomas, 
 139; Timothy, 160. 
 
 'fithony, John, 284; Lemuel, 
 '). 289. 
 
 • I'endix. 3^:^,. 
 
 her, It A., Place, 64, 91, 
 1-9. 130, 241, 322, 323; 
 Hfirriet A.. 130. 
 
 mold's Treason, 277. 
 
 i-ticles of -Agreement, Gold- 
 en Parlor Mine, 230. 
 
 spinwall, Eleazer, 26, 
 73. 103. 
 
 tkins. Stephen, 360. 
 
 iwater. Abel Ward, 
 Abigailf. 256; Caleb, 
 223, 266. 301 : Christopher, 
 ^♦), 269; Elihu, 264; Fran- 
 
 292, 
 306; 
 322; 
 306; 
 287, 
 133, 
 291, 
 
 27, 
 
 281; 
 
 !15 
 
 I'is, 107, 239, 392; Isaac, 
 278; Jei'emiah, 228; John, 
 70, 72; Jonathan, 107; 
 Joshua, 224; Moses, 301; 
 Reuben, 301; Stephen, 86, 
 107, 128, 133, 276; Titus, 
 284; William, 219; Wm. J., 
 281. 
 
 Austin, Amos, 270, 286; Asa, 
 301, 302; Benjamin, 276, 
 286; David, 220; John, 286; 
 Noah, 273; Samuel, 149, 
 228. 
 
 Author's Conclusion, 393. 
 
 Avered, Abner, Jr., 270. 
 
 Avery, Hannah, 125. 
 
 Bacon, Nathaniel, 229. 
 
 Bailey, Daniel, 270; Stephen. 
 99, 100, 337, 358 
 
 Balding, Dan, 143; Daniel, 
 91. 
 
 Baldwin, Charles, 323; Col- 
 onel, 276, 277; Daniel, 79, 
 105. 110, 111, 236, 242, 330; 
 Daniel Farm, 110, 111, 
 113; Elias, 360; Families, 
 137; James, 136, 137, 214, 
 215, 277, 314; Jehiel, 330; 
 Lois, 110; Mill, 137, 234; 
 262, 314; Moses, 137, 269, 
 313, 348; Mrs. N. S., 137; 
 Mrs. Nathan, 276: Nathan 
 S., 137 313, 314; Pond, 58, 
 77, 78,' 149. 219: R., 347; 
 Ransom. 137. 325: Samuel, 
 308: Samuel, Jr., 238; 
 
 Bangall, Origin of Name, 
 308, 357. 
 
 Barclay, Robt., 44. 45, 48. 
 
 Barker, Edward, 252; Jno., 
 252. 
 
 Barlow, Gardner, 240. 
 
 Barnes, Asa. 320. 321: Capt, 
 277: Eli. 216. 321, 337, 338 
 346; Family, 84; Samuel, 
 269. 
 
 Barns, John, 279: Moses, 
 284. 338, 342, 354. 
 
 Barrett. John, 220. 
 
 Bartholomew, Joseph, 270. 
 
 Bartlett, James, 16. 
 
 Basett, H. D., 365. 
 
 Bassett Block. 346. 
 
 Bates, Dan'l, 264. 
 
 Battles of Brandvwine, 277, 
 282; Bunker Hill, 271, 
 296: Concord, 270; Ger- 
 mnntown, 282: Greenwich, 
 289, 299; Long Island, 
 273. 275, 282, 283; Mon- 
 mouth. 282; Princeton, 
 281; Stillwater, 281; Tren- 
 
 ton. 281; White Plains, 275, 
 281'. 
 
 Baumann, Fred A., 111. 
 
 Beach, Asa, 284; John, 56: 
 John, Sr., 261; Joseph P.. 
 56, 74; Moses, 264; Roswell, 
 284; Samuel, 301; Stephen, 
 281; Thomas, 54. 
 
 Beardsley, Erwin, 58. 
 
 Beaver, Dam, Brook and 
 Pond, 59, 80, 216. 
 
 Beckett Homestead, 342. 
 
 Becklev, Evelyn, 367; Orin, 
 349; R. H., 359. 
 
 Beck with. Reynolds, 151. 
 
 Beech, John, 53: Thos. 160. 
 
 Beetle, Nathaniel, 263. 
 
 Belcher, Andrew, 17, 19, 22, 
 23, 26, 27, 28, 41, 43; An- 
 drew, Capt., 20, 21, 24; An- 
 drew, Jr., 41; Andrew, Sr., 
 20, 30; Farm, 14, 16, 20, 
 28. 29, 42, 72, 73, 93, 99, 
 102, 138, 225, 228, 316, 
 317, 336, 337; Jonathan, 
 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 
 28, 72, 100, 228; Johna- 
 than. Jr., 27; Mines, 233; 
 Sarah (Gilbert), 84; Tav- 
 ern. 225. 
 
 Belden. Aziel, 349; House, 
 342, 344. 
 
 Bell. George, 231. 
 
 Bellamy. Asa, 284; Farm, 
 228: Matthew, 220. 
 
 Benham, Asahel, 224; Da- \ 
 rius. lis, 289: Henry W, 
 118; Jared, 271, 280, 28'^. 
 337, 342; John, 254; Jo- 
 seph, 53, 54, 254, 255, 256; 
 Joseph, Jr., 262, 263; Sam- 
 uel, 270; Winifred and 
 Daughter. 256, 257, 258. 
 
 Bergen Heights, 275. 
 
 Berry, Diamond. 265; Divan, 
 116, 118. 234. 269. 276, 315; 
 Divan, Jr., 116: Ensign Di- 
 van. 301; Ephraim, 117. 
 266; Farm, 116, 117: John, 
 151; Lots, 117; Mary, 315; 
 Thos. Jan., 163. 
 
 Beseck Mountain, 6. 7, 79. 
 
 Beset Mountain, 313, 326, 
 330. 331. 332. 
 
 Birdsev. Alanson, 365; Ed- 
 win," 216. 360: Eli <^., 149, 
 220. 365: Linus, 339, 365; 
 Birdsev & Miles. 365; Bird- 
 sev & Raven, 365. 
 
 Bishop, Elisha. 284; Farm, 
 76. 77, 81, 82: J:imes. 75, 
 76, 78, 91: Samuel, Jr., 220; 
 Sarah, 160; Wyllys, 280; 
 
1 62 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Yale, 151, 226, 279; Sarah 
 (Yale), 161. 
 
 Black Boss (Negro), 27S. 
 
 Black Pond, 58, 79, 215, 216, 
 310. 311, 331. 
 
 Blake, Johnson & Curtis, 
 359. 
 
 Blakeslee, Abraham, 302; 
 Esther, 246; Samuel, 284. 
 
 Boarding- Schools, 224. 
 
 Boar Hills, 44. 
 
 Booth. Capt., Place of, 312; 
 Cyrenus. 101; John. 270; 
 Loval. Pla'ce of, 313; Pond. 
 123; Walter, 95. 96, 354. 
 355; Wm. H., 312. 
 
 Botsford, Isaac, 317. 337. 
 
 Bounty for Service in Revo- 
 lutionary War, 283. 
 
 Bowen. Fred F., 229. 
 
 Bowing Hill, 332. 
 
 "Bovs^l," The. 122. 
 
 Bradley, Battalion, 275, 276 
 Col., 275: Daniel, 126, 284 
 Hiram, 359; John B., 289 
 Wm., Place of, 135; Brad- 
 lev & Hubbard Mfg-. Co., 
 253, 346, 355, 356. 
 
 Bray. Asa. 322. 
 
 Briggs, Samuel, 269. 
 
 Brinton, William, 284. 
 
 Bristol, Beniamin, 284; Gid- 
 eon. 270; Timothy. 265. 
 
 British Invasion of New Ha- 
 ven. 152; Prison on Long 
 Island. 276, 278 
 
 Broad St. Cemetery, 102. 
 153. 163. 288, 310. 
 
 Brocket, Hezekiah, 265; Ja- 
 bez, 261, 262. 263; Samuel 
 262, 263; Ebenezer, 284 
 Elisha, 252; James. 76 
 John, 11. 53; John. Sr.. 54 
 Mary, 295; Mill, 214; Sam- 
 uel. 261; Titus, 214, 247, 294, 
 295. 29 6. 
 
 Brockitt, John. 10. 
 
 Bronson, Titus, 337. 
 
 Brooks, David, 301. 302; 
 Enos. 265; James S., 349, 
 361, 362. 
 
 Brown, Asa. 280; James, 
 284; Samuel, 54. 
 
 Browne, Samuel, 53. 
 
 Bryant, Hillard, 293. 
 
 Bucknum, John, 349. 
 
 Buckwheat Hill. 59. 
 
 Buel. Affrica. 285; Benjamin, 
 353. 
 
 Bull, Caleb. 96; Geo., 355; 
 Isaac, 222, 301; Lyman & 
 Couch, 359. 
 
 Bunnel, Ebenezer, 265; Levi, 
 284; Nathaniel, 281, 282, 
 283. 
 
 Burdick's Hall, 363. 
 
 Burgoyne, General, 278. 
 
 Burns, David. 284. 
 
 Burnt Swamp, 115. 
 
 Burr. Aaron, 28. 
 
 Burroughs, Eden. 102; Ed- 
 ward, 99, 228; Farm, 228; 
 John, 70, 72, 99, 100. 
 
 Bush, Fanner, 154, 253, 355, 
 356. 
 
 Butler, Agnes C. .130; Com- 
 fort, 280; Place of. 314, 
 316; Eli. 99; Eli C, 316; 
 Henry C. 240, 316, 361, 
 363. 367; Hiram. 316; Joel 
 I., 316, 363; John, 269. 289. 
 
 315, 341, 359, 361; Lemuel, 
 289, 316; Samuel, 98. 139, 
 233; Butler & Olds, 338, 361. 
 
 Button Factories, 353, 354; 
 
 Button, Jedediah. 281. 
 
 Bvxbee Bros. Block, Rebuilt. 
 387; Hotel of John C. & 
 Theodore and Railroad 
 Station, 386. 
 
 Cabon, James, 279. 
 
 Cadv. Daniel. 284 
 
 Calkins, Israel. 265. 
 
 Camp, Abiathar. 300: Amos. 
 
 73. 115, 139, 143. 148. 149, 
 
 151; Amos. Jr., 151; Elah. 
 
 2nd, 96. 115. 289; Ichabod. 
 
 293; Job, 330; John. 115. 
 Carrington, James, 224. 
 Carter, John. 220; Maria, 
 
 130; Thad's, 265; Good- 
 rich & Bishop, 356. 
 Castle Craig-. 6. 
 Cathole. 59. 72 .73: Mountain. 
 
 98. 337; Pass. 23, 316. 31S. 
 Catlin, Benjamin, 240: Mrs. 
 
 Benj., Extracts of Diarv. 
 
 of. 387. 
 Cat Swamp, 59, 217. 
 Cedar Tree Boundary, 327. 
 Cemetery Inscriptions, 163. 
 Census of 1860 and 1870. 389 
 Center Congregational Ch'ch 
 
 79, 124, 154. 155, 253. 346; 
 
 District School, Built, 389. 
 Central Tavern, 107, 108, 
 
 149. 239, 240. 339, 353, 367. 
 Chamberlain, Ephraim, 282, 
 
 283. 286. 
 Chambers. Ephraim, 270. 
 Chapin, J. H. 350. 
 Chauncev. Elihu, 264. 
 Cherry Hill, 326. 
 Cheshire, Set Off as a Sepa- 
 rate Town. 333: Parish of. 
 
 234, 237. 301. 
 Ohester, Leonard, 331. 
 riTimnev Hill. 79. 
 rhittenden. Beniamin. 270. 
 Churchill, Asa H.. 241; Benl.. 
 
 70. 
 Church & Morse. 81. 
 City Clerks, 399. 
 City Reservoir and Charter 
 
 Amendment. 389. 
 Clanboard Hill. 90. 
 Clnrk. .4aron, 284; Abel, 284; 
 
 Daniel, 39, 40. 41. 218. 258, 
 
 266; Divan. 284: Ebenezer, 
 
 258. 259: Georare, 342: Jen- 
 
 nett. 314; Joseph. 284 
 
 Lamberton. 277; Lvman 
 
 Factory of. 385; Partrick. 
 
 97, 217. 238. 349: Partrick. 
 
 Jr. 3 49; P. P. 288: Samuel 
 
 349: Place of. 96. 102, 310. 
 Clarke. John, 36. 
 Coan. Wm. D., 360; Wm. L., 
 
 359. 
 Coburn. .Tames, 284; Joseph. 
 
 277, 284. 
 Coe. Andrew. Farm of. 63: 
 
 Andrew J.. 320; Calvin. 
 
 320. 321; Calvin. Place. 
 
 217. 321. 353: Castle. 320. 
 
 321; Farm. 321: John, 233: 
 
 John W.. 86: Russell, 365; 
 
 T^'infleld R., 320. 
 roE^srswell. Robert. 36. 88. 
 Cold Harbor. 44. 45. 46. 47: 
 
 Spring, 6, 12, 13, 16, 17, 24, 
 
 37, 38, 40. 41, 47; Home, 6. 
 
 Cole, Ebenezer, 278; Estate, 
 101; Eunice, 143; Family, 
 128; Farm, 76, 90, 93. 94; 
 Hannah. 90; Henry, 18, 60, 
 66, 69, 70, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 
 94, 98; James, 90, 92; Joel 
 278; John, 98, 142, 267; Jo- 
 seph, 73, 139, 142; Rebeknh, 
 90; Samuel, 90; William, 
 65, 90, 115, 139 
 
 Collins. Benj. W., 109; Dan., 
 98, 109, 151, 277, 279, 333, 
 334; Edward, 98, 151, 267, 
 280, 286, 354; Edward, 
 House of, 98, 99; Farm, 99; 
 Giles, 319; John, 289; John 
 B., 354; Jonathan. 96, 97, 
 102, 148, 149, 214, 229, 318, 
 349; Farm of, 102; Jona- 
 than, Jr , 97; Lament, 
 310; Lemuel, 265; Robert, 
 97. 98. 142, 149, 214, 229, 
 233; Robert. Jr., 98; Sam- 
 uel, 269, 278, 284; Uriah. 
 301; Collins & Merriam, 
 354. 
 
 Congregational Church. 303. 
 353: First Church, 82; 
 Center, 154, 155. 
 
 Conklin Hall, 363; Conk- 
 lin's Hotel. 362. 363. 365. 
 
 Connecticut School for Boys, 
 93, 216. 
 
 Cook, Ambrose, 269; Benja- 
 min, 266; Coe, 281; Isaac, 
 237; David. 218, 249, 250, 
 251, 267; Elihu, 284; Em- 
 ma L., 86; Ephraim. 336; 
 George, 284; Giles, 270; 
 Henry, 265; Isaac, 265, 
 
 - 269, '270, 271. 276. 282; 
 Jared R.. 300. 360: Joel. 44, 
 284, 323: Johnson, 284, 
 Nathaniel, 265; Phinehas, 
 249, 250; Reuben T., lOfi; 
 Samuel, 5 3, 216. 3fiO; 
 Thomas B.. 224; Warren, 
 284; William, 284; Samuel, 
 54. 
 
 Cooley, Asael, 269. 
 
 Cooper. Ebenezer, 98, 117. 
 139. 234; John, 11; Thank- 
 ful. 234: Thomas, 98. 
 
 Corner District School- 
 house, 82, 366. 
 
 Corrigan's Corner, 23, 316, 
 317. 337. 
 
 Couch, James, 161; John, 
 279, 325, 326, 333, 334. 
 149, 150. 269. 270, 271, 276, 
 279. 325. 326, 333, 334. 
 
 Cowles, Ebenezer, 128, 14."). 
 163, 236; Ebenezer. Jr.. 
 128, 163: Elisha A, 81, 102, 
 
 128, 253. 289, 343. 344, 353, 
 354, 356, 361, 362; Mrs. 
 Elisha A., 368; Joseph, 128, 
 
 129, 160, 161. 163. 
 Cowls, Mindwell, 160. 161; 
 
 Moses. 238; Roswell. 102, 
 
 239. 240. 343: Roswell. 
 
 Sabbath Dav House. 311: 
 
 Timothy. 163: Cowles & 
 
 Butler. 361. 
 Towner. John. 10. 
 Crocker. Orsamus. 357, 360; 
 
 Place of. 58. 
 Crow Hollow, 65. 355. 356. 
 Culver. Beni., 265, 266: Chas., 
 
 270; Ebenezer. 263; Joshua, 
 
Index. 
 
 163 
 
 70, 72; Samuel, 269; Sam- 
 uel, 283; Stephen, 265. 
 
 Cumber, Lemon (Negro), 
 285. 
 
 Curtis, Aaron, 160, 162; Abel, 
 107, 122, 123, 247, 264, 278, 
 :;79, 315; Abner, 266; Al- 
 fred P., 122, 126; Alfred P. 
 Homestead, 127; Alfred W., 
 126; Amasa, 221, 340, 361; 
 .\mos, 221, 341, 354; Amos, 
 House of, 221; Asahel, 
 289, 314, 354; Place of, 3l4, 
 315, 342; Asahel, Jr., 314; 
 Benjamin, 118, 122, 123, 
 126, 143, 152, 160, 265, 266, 
 314, 340; house of, 123; 
 Benjamin, Jr., 340; Edwin 
 E., 122, 325, 359; Elisha, 
 280; Enos, 122, 123, 143, 
 144, 234, 354, 359; Farm, 
 12z; George Munson, 5; 
 George R., 122, 314, 368; 
 Mrs. George K., 82; Har- 
 rison W., 359, 365; Home, 
 44, 128, 135, 291, 356; Hom- 
 er, 122, 253, 355, 368; Isaac, 
 58; Isbell Co., 356; Ivah, 
 115, 152, 238; Jesse, 35-3; 
 John, 122; Juliette Y., 126; 
 340; Lemuel J., 122, 359; 
 Levi, 107, 217, 342; Lucy 
 Maria, 221; Memorial Li- 
 brary, 128; Moses, 122, 265; 
 Nathaniel, 72, 122, 248; 
 Samuel, 126, 289; Samuel 
 Ives, 114, 115; Sylvester J. 
 221; Thomas, 53, 54, 55; 
 Thomas, Ensign, 122; Wil- 
 liam A., 221; Wintield S, 
 266; Curtis & Lewis, 338.' 
 
 purtiss, Giles, 270; Morgan 
 
 \ & Co., 356. 
 
 L'utlery Manufacturers, 356. 
 
 ana, James, 124, 146, 151, 
 232, 268, 294, 297, 305, 306. 
 
 pavenport, Deodate, 147; 
 John, 7, 9, 10, 11. 12, 13, 
 31. 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 46, 
 47, 53, 75, 320. 
 
 pavidson, John, 280, 360. 
 
 (Javies, Amos, 270. 
 
 pavis. John ,264; Thomas, 
 
 I 289; Timothy P., 240 
 
 jlJay of Doom, The," M'ichael 
 
 i Wigglesworth, 210. 
 
 feeds and Patents to Lands, 
 
 Jeer Hill, 59, 63, 139. 
 ■•eming Asael. 269; Joseph. 
 249. 
 
 e Mink, Joseph, 249, 251. 
 ennie, John, 9 9. 
 |e Rouville, M., 113. 
 
 Ileshon, Giles H., 287; John, 
 1287. 
 *>tention of Prisoners in 
 W:illingford, 304. 
 
 Wolf, Seth, 96, 226. 
 ' kerman. Rebecca, 151; 
 .lohn. i;38. 
 
 sonifying and Seating 
 First Meeting House, 145, 
 ! :.(>. 
 
 :^iiity Committee, 151. 
 I^e, Israel, 284. 
 
 Misery Swamp, 58, 59, 
 63, 64, 65, 81, 139, 140, 
 
 Domestic Makeshifts, 212. 
 
 Doolittle, Abraham, 53; Dan- 
 iel, 26o; E. J., 94, 96; Giles, 
 265; Insign, 261; Isaac, 269, 
 liSl; John, 262, 263. 281; 
 Joseph, 281; Martha, 252; 
 Mary, 96; Moses, 266; Oli- 
 ver, 2.^1; Samuel, 265; 
 Sergt, 261; Solomon, 280. 
 
 Dorchester Heights, 272. 
 
 Douglas, Nathaniel, 2 78. 
 
 Douglass, John B., 102. 
 
 Dowlittle, Abraham, Sr., 54. 
 
 Dragoons, 2 62. 
 
 Driggs, Joseph, 216. 
 
 Drunkenness, 243. 
 
 Dudley, Thomas, 270. 284. 
 
 Duignan, W. H., 51. 
 
 Dunham, John, 2nd, 349. 
 
 Dutton, Jesse, 263. 
 
 Dwelling Houses Erected in 
 1868-1870, 389. 
 
 Dwight, Samuel, 229. 
 
 Eagle Cottage. 387. 
 
 Earle, Alice M., 227. 
 
 Early Game, 211; Industries, 
 346; Medical Practitioners, 
 233; Roads, 11; Stoves, 
 244. 
 
 Ebnatha, Wm., 261. 
 
 Eaton, Hannah, 75; James, 
 54, 56; Theophilus, 7, 8, 9, 
 11, 31, 32, 34, 36, 38, 75, 
 118, 320. 
 
 Edwards, Capt., 278; Family, 
 102; Jonathan, lol; Joseph, 
 140, 280, 317; House, 101; 
 Nathaniel, 28; Pierpont, 
 220. 
 
 Fives, John, 55, 56; Joseph, 
 5li. 
 
 Elliott, John, 112. 
 
 Elmor, Edward, 20; Samuel, 
 19. 
 
 Emancipation of Slaves, 252. 
 
 Engine House and Police 
 Station Built, 389. 
 
 Episcopal Church, 152; in 
 Wallingford, 134; Clergy- 
 men, 342. 
 
 Evelyn, John, 45, 50. 
 
 Everest, Charles H., 158. 
 
 Everitt, E. B., 343. 
 
 Parmington, Jeremiah, 280. 
 
 Parrington, Jeremiah, 340; 
 Joseph, 342. 
 
 Pay, Prank S., 126; George 
 A., 126, 385; Diary of, 
 386; Mrs. Geo. A., 126. 
 
 Fenn, Benjamin, 264; Ed- 
 ward, 252; Nathan, Mill, 
 216. 
 
 Fernow, Berthold, 309. 
 
 Fires, 1864, 385; 1862, 1863, 
 1870, 386; 1860, 1865, 1869, 
 387. 
 
 First: Burying Ground, 159; 
 Call for Troops, 271; City 
 Government, 389; Congre- 
 gational Society, 137, 140, 
 156; Church, 320; 175th 
 -Anniversary, 145; Original 
 Meeting Mouse. 159: First 
 Contested Will. 19; Cy- 
 clometer. 227; Manufactur- 
 er, 346; Permanent Wliite 
 Resident, 17; Ir*lanters, 
 122; Pleasure Carriage in 
 
 Wallingford, 292; Public 
 Condemnation of Slavery, 
 251; Physician, 98, 233; 
 Railroad Station and 
 Train, 362; Selectmen, 
 397. 398; Settlement. 6; 
 Settlers of Meriden. I60; 
 Society of Meriden. 278; 
 Stove in Meriden, 220, 342; 
 Town Meeting, in Meet- 
 ing House, 336, 337. 
 Field, Edmund, 284. 
 Pitch, Capt., 266; Jonathan, 
 
 226. 
 Flood of 1792. 322. 
 Foot, Isaac, 264. 
 
 Ford, Benjamin, 284; Jo- 
 tham, 284; Sanborn, 279. 
 
 Forts: George, 286; Jeffer- 
 son, 288; Lee, 275, 281; 
 MifHin, 282; Montgomery, 
 277; Ticonderoga, 265; 
 Washington, 275, 276, 277, 
 278, 283;; William Henry, 
 265. 
 
 Foster: Albert, 354, 355; B, 
 103; Bartholomew, 93, 95'. 
 96, 120, 139, 142; Farm of, 
 233; George A., 114; Giles, 
 96, 216, 280; H. M., 364; 
 Henry M., 359, 363; Hiram, 
 88, 355; Joel, 114; Jona- 
 than, 149; Levi, 114, 337; 
 Matthew, 238, 289; Mer- 
 riam & Co., 93, 355, 359; 
 Ozius, 280; Pond, 58, 114; 
 Thomas, 93 103, 229, 280; 
 Timothy, 93, 103, 139, 163, 
 267, 280. 
 
 Francis: Amos, 347; Asa, 265; 
 Jacob, 252,. 264; John, 115, 
 245, 284. 
 
 Franklin Hall, 365. 
 
 Frary, James A., 359. 
 
 Fraze.r, Jas., 287. 
 
 Freeman: Cato (Negro), 
 115, 245; Charles (Negro), 
 247; Chatham (Negro), 
 115. 128, 245, 247, 248, 277, 
 285. 
 
 French and Indian Wars, 
 260-263. 
 
 Fowler, Amos, 270. 
 
 Fox, Ebenezer, 284. 
 
 Fugitive Slaves, 253. 
 
 Puller, Margaret, 156. 
 
 Gage, General, 291; Thomas, 
 291. 
 
 Gale, Francis A., 136, 359. 
 
 Gates, Gen., 275, 276, 281. 
 
 Gay, Henry L., 155. 
 
 Gaylord John 155; Jotham, 
 280; W. L., 158. 
 
 Gilbert, Ebenezer, 39, 41; 
 Hannah, 256: Jonathan, 
 13, 15. 16, 19, 30, 40, 41, 42, 
 48, 67, 68, 226; Jonathan, 
 Jr., 19; Jonathan, Mar- 
 shall, 16; Meriden Farm. 
 13, 17, 19, 40. 44, 67, 69. 
 88: Mary. 18; Nathaniel, 
 19, 39; Samuel. 349; Sarah, 
 43; Tavern, 225. 
 
 Gin Distillery, 216, 217. 
 
 Gold Mining, 228; in Wooded 
 Island at Merimere, 232 
 
 Golden Parlor Mine, 135, 229] 
 230, 236; .\ssociation. 230. 
 232; Company, 130, 232. 
 
164 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEIsr. 
 
 Goffe, Aaron, 90, 94, 96; Sol- 
 omon, 96, 97; Farm, 98. 
 
 Goodale, Richard, 9U. 
 
 Goodrich, Charles A., 332; 
 David, 327; John, Jun., 
 349; Goodrich & Rutty, 359. 
 
 Goodsill, Anthony, 2 84. 
 
 Goodwin, Thomas, 230. 
 
 Goodyear, Stephen, 38. 
 
 Granger, Arthur, 156. 
 
 Grannis, E)nos, 354. 
 
 Grant, Ebenezer, 300; Wil- 
 liam, 284. 
 
 Gravestones, Meeting House 
 Hill, 159, 162; at Broad St. 
 Cemetery, 163-208. 
 
 Great: Awakening, 290; 
 Plague, 54; Road, Boston 
 to New York, 226; Swamp, 
 (Kensington, 266; Swamp 
 Parish, 39, 41; Society of, 
 73. 
 
 Green, S. S., 360. 
 
 Gregson, Thomas, 38. 
 
 Grimes House, 99. 
 
 Griswold, Abner 338; Fred- 
 erick P., 341; Giles O., 289, 
 337, 343; Harry, 360; Jo- 
 siah, 230, 231; Place, 320. 
 
 Guy, Abigail (Branford), 
 310; Esther, 120; George 
 W., 120; Joel H., 120; Or- 
 chard, 120; Orchard, Place 
 of, 120, 121. 
 
 Hackbarth, Charles, 97. 
 
 Hackley, Aaron, 22 3. 
 
 Hale, William, 362. 
 
 Hall: Aaron, 284; Abigail, 
 311; Abraham, 113, 264, 
 265, 266, 311; Alfred H., 
 158; Amos, 73, 231, 252; 
 Asahel, 301; Augustus, 311, 
 312; Avery, 354; Benajah, 
 284; Benj., 287, 301, 308; 
 Benj. A, 311, 312, 352; 
 Brenton, 79, 80, 151, 216, 
 226, 338, 279, 310; Caleb, 
 298; Caspar, 310; Place of, 
 79; Chas., 286; Chester, 270; 
 Clayton F., 312; Collins, 
 310; Place of, 311; Daniel, 
 63, 113, 114, 120, 139, 151, 
 242, 266, 280, 312, 330; 
 Daniel Farm, 114; Daniel 
 Johnson, 284; David, 58, 
 252, 278, 284, 301; Eliah, 
 287; Eliakim, 267, 301; Eli- 
 hu, 248; Elijah, 274; Elisha, 
 284; Enos, 280; 311; Enos, 
 2nd, 337; Farms, 309; Geo., 
 288; Geo. A., 312; Geo. L,., 
 312; Hannah, 163, 213; Ira, 
 238; Isaac, 116, 151, 235, 
 236, 237, 276, 280, 286; 
 Place of, 235; Isaac, 3rd, 
 151; Isaac, Jr., 276; Israel, 
 136, 139, 271, 280, 311, 312. 
 330 337; Israel. Jr , 269; 
 Joash, 278; Joel, 269, 278; 
 John, 53, 54, 113, 114, 124 
 151, 236; John P., 114; 
 Johnathan, 235, 237, 238 
 276, 277; Joseph, 114, 337; 
 Jotham,, 277, 284; Julius. 
 114, 238; Julius, Home- 
 stead of, 63, 242; Lee 
 227; Levi, 215, 337; Love, 
 124; Lyman, 310; Mehit- 
 able, 160, 162; Moses, 
 
 163, 269, 271, 276, 277, 280, 
 284; House of 313; Moses, 
 Jr., 280; Nelson, Home- 
 stead, 312; Phineas, 280, 
 311, 312; Phineas, 2nd, 
 216; Rufus, 277, 284; Sal- 
 mon, 289; Samuel, 53, 54, 
 70, 71, 100, 107, 115, 124, 
 2Z7, 239, 269, 271, 279, 284, 
 330, 341, 342, 344; Samuel, 
 3rd, 270; Capt. Samuel, 
 2o-i; hev. Samuel, 78, 80, 
 124, 247, 310, 330; Capt. 
 Street, 278, 282; Col. 
 Street, 287, 310, 334; Lieut. 
 coi atreet, 281; Thaddeus, 
 2Si; Theophilus, 78, 92, 98, 
 107, liS, 120, 123, 124, 125, 
 126, 128, 131, 141, 142, 143, 
 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 159, 
 160, 162, 163, 213, 227, 238, 
 242, 244, 248, 330, 340, 341; 
 House, 108 (also see Illus- 
 trations; Thomas, 53, 55, 
 58, 70, 71 114, 252, 312, 
 330; Timothy, 280; Titus, 
 264, 270, 284; Walter, 311, 
 315; House of, 106; Walter 
 B., 217, 342; Willard, 123, 
 249; House of, 107; Wil- 
 liam B., 238. 
 
 Ha 11am, Mrs. Robert A., 314. 
 
 Hamilton, Alexander, 290. 
 
 Hanging Hills, 122. 
 
 Hanover, Origin of Name, 
 233. 
 
 Harri'man, John, 53, 54. 
 
 Harris, Daniel, 142; Farm, 
 107, 124. 
 
 Hart: Benjamin, 126, 154, 
 221, 269, 278, 279, 284, 340; 
 Ellen, 36; Hawkins, 70, 71, 
 264, 265; Hawkins, 283; 
 Hezekiah, 328; Ives W., 236; 
 Nathaniel, 301; Nathaniel 
 J., 270; Timothy, 284; Tim- 
 othy, Jr., 270; Titus, 284. 
 
 Hastings, John, 284. 
 
 Hatch, Edward W , 240. 
 
 Hathaway, Keyes S., 96. 
 
 Hawley, Abel, 163. 
 
 Hayden, Hiram C., 157. 
 
 Hazard. James, 218. 
 
 Heart, Capt., 277. 
 
 Heaton, Francis, 53. 
 
 Hecock, John, 142. 
 
 Hendei-son, Walter, 229, 230. 
 
 Hendrie, Benjamin, 284. 
 
 Heydon, Charles. 284 
 
 Higbee: Daniel, 229 ; Edward, 
 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 47, 48, 
 67, 69, 88, 90, 91, 93, 99, 
 229, 230; Farm 88, 90; 
 John, 17. 
 
 Higbey, Aaron, 118; Place of, 
 117; John, 48. 
 
 Higginson, E H., 23, 29, 228; 
 Edward, 99; Farm of, 100. 
 
 Hill, Josiah, 337. 
 
 Hills, Jonathan, 337. 
 
 Hine, Ambrose, 282, 284. 
 
 Hinsdale. Chas. J., 154. 
 
 Hitchcock: Amos, 266; Dan- 
 iel, 281; David, 283; Icha- 
 bod, 284; John, 80, 147, 
 264; Lemuel, 282; Levi, 
 284; Oliver, Jr , 270- 
 Thomas, 263, 284. ' 
 
 Hogge, Daniel, 53. 
 
 Holcolm, Joel,, 265. 
 
 Holt, Daniel, 132, 135; Elea- 
 zer, 53, 56; Elias, 350; 
 House, 352; Hill, 135, 291; 
 Joseph, 58; Samuel, 222, 
 284; Thomas, 263; Thomas 
 R., 359. 
 
 Home National Bank, 82. 
 
 Homespun Clothing, 212. 
 
 Hoofman, Caspar, 233 
 
 Hooker, John, 220', 346; 
 Thomas, 47. 
 
 Hopkins, Edward, 8; Joseph, 
 24. 
 
 Hopp Lots, 59. 
 
 Hopper, Daniel, 55. 
 
 Hopson, Calvin, 270; Linus, 
 283; Rice, 270. 
 
 Hosford, Amos, 265. 
 
 Hotchkiss, Prince (Negro), 
 285: Samuel S. B, 284. 
 
 Hough: Ambrose, 216, 217, 
 337, 338; Place of, 311, 
 342; Avery, 102; Capt's 
 Company, 280; Daniel, 126, 
 130, 147, 160, 212, 213, 226, 
 
 234, 239, 265; Homestead 
 of, 127; Daniel, 161; Place 
 of, 340; Ephraim, 149, 217, 
 218, 235; Ephraim, Jr., 
 218; Ephraim's, Mill, 215, 
 
 218; Farm, 137, 229; Insign, 
 280, 337; Dr. Insign, 126, 
 130, 227, 238, 239, 286, 339, 
 367; Isaac I., 81, 107, 233, 
 
 235, 238, 239, 240, 350, 361; 
 James, 137, 214, 215, 234. 
 262, 279, 301: James A., 
 101; James, Homestead of, 
 136, 137, 214; Joel, 281; 
 John, 252, 276, 280; John 
 (Ensign), 149; John, 
 
 ^ Lieut., 269, 271, 277; Jo- 
 seph, 234; Farm of, 137; 
 Lemuel, 244; Lent. 281; 
 Mary, 143; Mills, 149, 214. 
 217, 314, 346; Mindwell, 
 126; Phineas, 149, 153. 214, 
 227, 238, 269, 278; Dwelling 
 of, 137; Samuel. 137, 148, 
 214, 262, 263; Lieut, 282: 
 Tavern, 39; Thomas. 163; 
 William, 131, 139, 142, 213, 
 231; Wm Jr., 212, 213, 232; 
 Dr. Wm.,' 130, 131, 137, 212. 
 213, 229, 231, 232, 234; 
 Place of, 131; Yale L, 342. 
 
 How, Jerimiah, 53, 55, 261; 
 Nathaniel, 53. 54, 58, 263: 
 Sarah, 256; Zachariah, 53, 
 55. 
 
 Howard, Thomas, 355; Pratt 
 & Co., 355 
 
 Howlt, Daniel, 163. 
 
 Hoyt. Abigail. 112, 173; Da- 
 vid, 113; Deacon David, 
 112; Samuel, 284. 
 
 Hubbard, Ebenezer, 237; 
 John, 147, 148, 151, 152, 
 275; Samuel, 24. 
 
 Hubbell, Richard. 99. 
 
 Hulbert, John, 284. 
 
 Hull, Aaron, 163, 269; -An- 
 drew, 215; Caleb, 270; 
 Charles. 280; Cornelius, 
 84, 131, 152; Ebenezer, 
 281: Job (Negro), 28.''); 
 Miles, 283; Samuel, 265, 270. 
 
 Hummiston, Daniel, 284. 
 
 Hungerford. Edward. 124 
 
 Hutchinson. Gov., 28. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 i6= 
 
 Imprisonment for Debt. 344. 
 Indian: Children, 242; Deeds, 
 31, 75; Depredations. 9; 
 Houses Fortified Against, 
 261; Tliose in Meriden, 
 242; Names. 332; Paths, 
 10; Rum Tom, 243; Trail, 
 8. 242; Troublesome, 23; 
 Wars. 288. 
 Ingham. North. 228. 
 Innoculation Hospital, 325. 
 IiispeL-tion Committee. 29S, 
 
 300, 301. 302. 303. 
 Invincible Swamp, 122. 
 Isbell. Harlow, 253, 356; Is- 
 
 bell & Curtis. 359. 
 Ives. Aaron. 270; Abijah. 2S1, 
 284; Abijah, Jr., 264; Abra- 
 ham, 287; Ambrose. 270, 
 287; Amos, 279, 324; Ben- 
 jamin, 139. 234; Bezaleel, 
 
 115, 116, 149. 153. 163. 227, 
 277, 279; Butler. 287; 
 Charles, 287; David. 116. 
 143 144. 234, 269; Elna- 
 than, 151, 265. 267. 269; 
 Enos. 269; Ezra, 360; 
 Franklin T.. 154; Fred'k 
 W, 340; Gideon. 70, 72, 
 
 116, 151, 276; Gideon. Jr.. 
 151; Hannah, 115, 160 161; 
 Jesse 324, 354; John, 53, 
 116. 126. 139, 143. 144. 151, 
 249, 265, 274, 365; Farm, 
 115; John. Jr.. 216; John, 
 3rd, 270; Joseph. 53; Josh- 
 ua, 216. 265; Julius. 324, 
 354; House. 323; Lazarus, 
 126. 236. 244; Levi, 115, 
 116, 117; Lewis & Co., 357; 
 Moses. 264; N. P. & Co., 
 305; Noel, 219; Othniel, 
 115, 238; Samuel, 115, 120, 
 139. 143. 281; Timothy, 
 151, 280, 314; Titus, 267 
 337; William J.. 357. 360," 
 365. 
 
 James. Daniel, 279; Thomas, 
 284. 
 
 .launcev, James, 226, 291. 
 
 .If'nnings & Griffin Co., 356. 
 
 .It-rome, Chauncev, 107; Es- 
 tate. 110: Farm. 315; 
 Homestead. 342; Samuel. 
 107; Samuel, House, 21, 
 106. 217; Timothy, 102, 
 106. 143. 160: Wm. Trav- 
 ers. 106: Timothy, 103, 139. 
 
 Johnson. Aaron, 150, 151; 
 Amanda. 319; Benjamin, 
 284; Caleb, 302; Dan. 14if, 
 232, 270, 318; David. 280, 
 284: Eliakim. 284: Heze- 
 kiah. 222, 277. 299, 301; 
 Huldah. 319; Israel. 278, 
 285. 318: Jacob, 318; John. 
 285: Jonathan. 281; Luther, 
 285; Miles, 252. 301; Ra- 
 chel, 252: Samuel, 149; 
 160, 163, 269. 279; William, 
 53, 319. 355; T\nillam. 
 Place. 79. 104, 318; Wil- 
 liam S., 291. 
 Johnsons. A. R., 360. 
 
 ■lones. Charles, 285; Dio- 
 date. 2 63; Farm. 78, 82, 
 91. 105. 106, 107, 109, 112; 
 Nicholas. 281; Samuel, 
 2S.. ; Thomas. 285; Wil- 
 
 liam. 75, 76, 77, 78, 113, 
 Jordan Pond, 217. 
 
 Kellogg, Justus, 264. 
 
 Kelsey. James H. 347; Sam- 
 uel, 249. 
 
 Kendrick. Benjamin, 285. 
 
 Kennard, Mrs. Benj., 137.' 
 
 Kerns, Luke. 285. 
 
 Kilbpurn, Samuel, 270. 
 
 Kimberly, Charles, 285; De 
 Witt, 359. 
 
 King, Hezekiah, 285; Phil- 
 ips War, 260, 262, 263; Ru- 
 fus, 290; Winifred, 254. 
 
 Kirtland, Bilious, 237; Is- 
 aac, 306; Jared, 223. 
 
 Knapp, Roger. 36, SS 
 
 Knight, Mrs. Julia. 118. 
 
 Knott. Epaphras, 2 69. 
 
 Lane. Arthur S., 94. 
 Lathrop. Elizabeth. 258. 
 Laurence. Asahel. 360. 
 
 Lawrence, Sherman, 212; 
 
 William, 353. 
 Lawyers, Early of Meriden, 
 392, 393. 
 
 Leavit. Samuel. 163. 
 
 Lee, General Chas., 296, 297; 
 Mrs. Melvin C, l2o. 
 
 Leet, Andrew. 257. 
 
 Leonard, Eugene, 355: Jon- 
 athan, 355, 360; Spicer, 
 353. 
 
 Levit, Benjamin, 139; Sam- 
 uel, 143. 144. 
 
 Levitt, David. 120, 142, 143, 
 144; Farm. 124. 
 
 Lewis, Abel, 285; Benjamin, 
 53, 54, 55, 262; Chauncey. 
 285; Dana. 355: EiJjenezer. 
 285; Isaac, 126. 221. 314, 
 340, 342, 343, 354; Isaac C. 
 126. 221, 314, 350, 357 359, 
 Jesse, 266; John, " 281, 
 285; Partrick, 350, 351, 
 365. 367; Lewis & Curtis. 
 314; Lewis & Holt, 365; 
 Lewis & Hough. 360. 
 
 Lindsay. Daniel. 270. 
 
 Lines. John. 56. 
 
 Linsley. Randolph. 301. 
 
 Livingston, Isaac. 269. 271; 
 John, 143. 
 
 Lockwood, James, 270 
 
 London, Ambrose, 265, 266; 
 Charles. 285. 
 
 Loomis. R. B.. 368. 
 
 Lord, Albert J.. 158. 
 
 Louisburg Expedition. 2 63. 
 
 Lounsburv Place. 325. 
 
 Love. James, 36, 88. 
 
 Lvman, Aaron, 78, 98, 109, 
 111. 149. 150. 153. 163. 226, 
 227, 326; Col's Regiment. 
 265; Ensign. 272; Old 
 Home. 98; Phineas, 269. 
 271. 280; Rebekah, 160, 161; 
 Susannah, 98. 
 
 Lyon. George W.. 85. 
 
 Madison. James, 290. 
 
 Main St. Baptist Church, 77. 
 
 79, 343, 344. 389. 
 Malleable Iron Co., 23. 
 Malorv, Cull. 213. 
 Malthus. Thomas. Robert. 
 
 45; Daniel, 45. 
 
 Manning, Bowman & Co., 
 
 217. 
 Mansfield, Chas J., 241; 
 John, 282,- 283; 'Moses, 257, 
 258. 
 Manufactories in 1845, 359. 
 Manvil, Cyrus. 217. 
 Marriages. Birth.s, Baptisms, 
 and Deaths to 1806, 400- 
 4 34. 
 Martin. John. 303. 
 Matoesse. Sunksqua, 68. 
 Matoon, Joel, 270. 
 Mattabesitt River, 40, 41. 
 Mattabeseck River, 40. 
 Mattabesick River, 39. 
 Matthews, Eliada, 285 
 Matthewson, Rufus W., 238. 
 Mattoon, Ebenezer, 265; 
 
 Samuel, 270. 
 May, Nehemiah. 139. 
 Mayors of Meriden, 398- 
 
 390. 
 McCleave, John. 22 3. 
 McGlynn, Kate, 86. 
 McKenzie, George, 215. 
 x\IcLean, Archable. 287. 
 McMullen, Daniel, 269. 
 Mecar. John, 2 70. 
 Mecorney, John. 343. 
 Meeting House Hill. 59, 63, 
 82, 110, 112, 118, 119, 122. 
 123, 125. 139, 140, 145, 147. 
 234, 248, 315: House Hill 
 Cemeterv. 123, 226. 
 Meg's Well. 44. 45. 
 Meigs. Jonathan, 291. 
 Mekv, Banabas, 14 6. 
 Mekve, Daniel. 280; Wyllys, 
 
 280. 
 Men and Women Separated 
 
 in Church Service. 150. 
 Merchant. Thomas, 163 
 Meriam, Ruth, 161. 342. 
 Meriden. a City, 389: Acad- 
 emy, 353; Anti-Slavery 
 Society, 353; "Meriden As- 
 sociation for the Detec- 
 tion of Thieves and Re- 
 coverv of Stolen Proper- 
 ty." 345; Biink. 358, 368: 
 Britannia Co., 76, 386, 
 Center, 323, 353; Curtain 
 Fixture Co.. 341: Cutlery 
 Co., 65. 257, 322, 356; 
 Electric Light Co.. 86; 
 Electric R. R.. 323: Farm, 
 14, 15, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25. 
 26, 27. 28, 29, 39, 41. 43, 
 44 45. 46. 47. 48. 52, 67, 73, 
 88. 99, 103, 106, 138. 139. 
 149. 226, 316, 336; Fire- 
 arms Co., 23, 98: First 
 Land Owner. 16; First 
 Phvsician. 233: First 
 
 AVhite Resident. 17; Golf 
 Club. 98, 135; High School. 
 106: Hotel, 364; House, 47, 
 S2. 145, 148. 149. 150, 220. 
 238. 354. 361. 367: Hunting 
 Ijy Indians in. 12: Incor- 
 porated as a Town. 335; 
 "Manor." 27; Men in the 
 Revolution, 284; Mines. 
 228. 231: Origin of the 
 Name. 42: Original Settle- 
 ment. H',; Piirish. 73. '133. 
 138. 139. 226. 235. 242, 26T; 
 301. 310. 316: Savings 
 Bank. 349: Silver Plate 
 
A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Co., 94; Waterbury & 
 Conn. River R. R., 38, 98, 
 99; Water Cure Company, 
 241. 
 
 Merimere, Reservoir, 316; 
 Built 390. 
 
 Merriam, Aaron, 337; Abi- 
 gail, 82; Amasa, 280, 354; 
 Arba, 353; Asahel, 337, 
 344; Place, 86; Asaph, 85, 
 226, 276, 285, 355; Benja- 
 min, 47, 279, 337; Bethia, 
 238; Deborah, 160, 161; 
 Dinah, 160; Edward M., 
 85; Edmund, 277, 285; 
 Bllsha, 280, 337; Eliza- 
 beth, 160; Ephraim, 269, 
 278, 285; Eunice, 160; 
 Farm, 133; George C, 350; 
 Howell, 358, 363, 365; 
 Jesse, 279, 280; John, 71, 
 76, 82, 85, 126, 128, 139, 244, 
 269, 279; John, Sr , 216; 
 John, Jr., 86, 103, 14'2, 143; 
 John, Farm, 80, 81; Jo- 
 seph, 139. 143, 148, 161, 265, 
 279; Joseph House, 82, 85, 
 86 Joseph, Jr., 86; Josiah, 
 163, 278; L. T., 359; Lau- 
 ren, 85, 354; Marshall, 
 280; Matthew, 125; Na- 
 thaniel, 82, 84, 105, 125, 
 144; House. 84; Nathaniel, 
 Jr., 54, 103; Place, 354; 
 Nelson, 85, 355, 363; Noah, 
 85, 354; Phebe, 160; Rebec- 
 ca, 82; Ruth, 82, 153, 160, 
 252; Samuel. 270, 280, 287; 
 Saw Mill, 216; Selden, 29, 
 85; Sidney, 29, 85, 226, 353; 
 Susana, 82; Titus, 160, 279, 
 319; William, 82, 85, 102, 
 143, 236. 279, 287, 289, 342; 
 
 Merriman, Caleb, Jr., 146, 
 280, 281; Chas., 285; Enoch. 
 285; George 11; Howell, 
 356; Ira, 289; Joel. 361; 
 John. 71; Josiah. 285; Mary, 
 122; Munson, 301; Nathan- 
 iel. 11, 53, 54, 60, 82, 89, 103, 
 122, 138, 139, 143, 148, 228, 
 261, 262, 263, 280. 343, 354; 
 Nathaniel, Jr., 11, 262, 263. 
 
 "Merry-den," 42; Wench, 50. 
 
 Merwin. Thomas, 264. 
 
 Methodi-st Church, 341, 346; 
 Meeting House, 323. 
 
 Mexican War, 289. 
 
 Michaelis L., 16, 29. 
 
 Mid-Centurv Phvsicians, 241. 
 
 Miles, Almeron. 350, 359; 
 James, 285; John, 53. 55, 
 280; John. Jr., 163; Jo- 
 seph. 265; Samuel. 53; 
 Thomas M.. 158; Thomas. 
 70. 72. 101. 
 
 Miller, Bros. Cutlery Co.. 
 356; Clothier's Shop. 216; 
 Constant. 216; Edward. 
 152; John Christian. 233; 
 Joseph, 216; Stephen, 216. 
 
 Milling. 214, 215, 216, 217. 
 218, 219. 
 
 Mills, Samuel, 270. 
 
 Mines, 228, 229. 232; Golden 
 Parlor. 229; in Meriden. 
 231; Granby. 233; Sims- 
 bury. 233; in Wallingford. 
 230, 321. 
 
 Mining, Copper. 130; Hill. 
 232. 
 
 Ministers Island, 305 
 
 Minutes of the First Town 
 Meeting, 337. 
 
 Misery Bar Road, 58, 63, 113, 
 115, 116, 235; Brook, 61; 
 Highway, 1^2; Swamp, 113. 
 
 Mitcnell, Alfred, 44; Barna- 
 bas, 285; Jotham, 96; Mi- 
 chael, 116, 139, 266; Moses. 
 159, 315. 
 
 Mix, Amos, 270, 285; Daniel, 
 58; Enos, 269, 285; Jarius, 
 342; Joel, 214; John, 55; 
 Theophilus, 139, 160; Thos. 
 Jr., 285. 
 
 Mohawk Indians, 31. 
 
 Momaugin, Indian Sachem, 
 11, 31. 
 
 Monroe, Col., 265. 
 
 Monument, Memorial of 
 First Setlers, 160. 
 
 Moor, Andrew, 285; John, 40. 
 
 Morgan, John, 280. 
 
 Morris, Robert, 290. 
 
 Morse, Mrs Joseph, 310. 
 
 Mosher, W. ' W., 363. 
 
 Moss, Benoni, 285; Ebene- 
 zer. 281; Isiah. 285; Joel, 
 258, 259, 270; John, 70, 71. 
 72; John, Jr., 262, 263; Jos., 
 264; Joseph, 70, 71; Titus, 
 282; Mary, 235; Reuben, 
 285. 
 
 Mosse, John, 53, 54, 76. 
 
 Mott, Samuel, 263. 
 
 Mount, Carmel. 122, 159; 
 Liamentation, Derivation 
 of Name, 6, 313, 331, 332. 
 
 Munson, Almond, 285; Elea- 
 saph, 263; Lent., 218, 285; 
 Levi, 265, 282; Lucy M. 
 (Curtis), 221; Orange, 285; 
 Samuel, 53, 54. 
 
 Murdock. Chas. Z., 110, 117. 
 128. 245; Geo. B.. 114, 115; 
 Zina K., 115, 253. 
 
 Murray. W. H. H.. 157. 
 
 "My Meriden Manor," 22. 
 
 Mymesque Accanent, 68. 
 
 Negro Slaves, 244-253. 
 
 Nelson, William, 100. 
 
 Nestors, Old Political, 339. 
 
 New Haven, Invasion of, by 
 British, 301; Post Boy, 
 297. 
 
 Newell, Samuel, 27. 
 
 Newgate Prison, 228. 
 
 Newspapers and Publishers, 
 390-392. 
 
 Nichols, Silvanus, 216. 
 
 Nicholson, Jonathan, 217. 
 
 Nickerson. N.. 241. 
 
 North. Curtis L.. 356. 361, 
 368; Farmers' Petition, 
 138; Society. 138; Society 
 in Wallingford, 142. 
 
 Norton, Albert, 15, 16, 23. 
 73; Andrew . 336; Gould 
 Gift. 252; J. S. Senior, 
 House of. 386; Jedediah, 
 26, 28. 267. 376; Junius S.. 
 98. 99. 228; Samuel, 336. 
 
 Notch Meadow. 72, 124_ 
 
 Nott. John. 32-i. 
 
 Nova Scotia Campaign, 143. 
 
 Oldest Highway, 8. 
 Old Stone Fort. 225; Stone 
 House, 225; Wooden 
 
 Bridge over Harbor Br'k, 
 
 365. 
 Olds, William, 217, 315, 337. 
 Osborn, John, 282; Samuel, 
 
 305; Stephen, 282. 
 
 Paddock, Homestead, 116; 
 S. C. 120. 
 
 Page, Timothy, 285. 
 Pagon, Chaumischang, 39, 
 41. 
 
 Palace Block, Built, 387. 
 
 Parse, Moses. Jr.. 231. 
 
 Parker, Abram, 285; Amos, 
 285; Benjamin, 285; Box 
 Shop. 218; Charles. 241. 
 350, 355, 356, 359, 360; 
 Clock Co, 80. 353, 354; 
 Daniel. 280; Dexter W., 
 110; Edmund, 241; Elia- 
 kim, 281; Elijah, 285; 
 Goody, 256; Jared P., 390; 
 John, 241, 285; Joseph, 
 256; Joshua, 281; Julius. 
 Foundry, 355; Levi, 281; 
 Timothy, 285; William, 
 256, 285; Snow & Co., 385. 
 
 Parsons. Aaron. 337; Bri- 
 gade. 277; Harvey. 337; 
 J.. 102, 103. 337; Samuel, 
 285. 
 
 Partridge. Governor. 27; 
 Mary. 27; William, 228. 
 Paterson, Samuel, 349 
 
 Patterson, Shubael. 349. 
 
 Pearce. John, 269. 
 
 Pease & Niles, 358. 
 
 Peat Works Pond, 15. 
 
 Peck, Abel, 289; Charles. 
 265, 285; Ebenezer. 321; 
 Eleazer, 53. 54, 107, 261; 
 Eleizer, 139; H., 283; 
 Henry. 354; James, 269, 
 283; Jehiel, 285; Jesse, 
 285; John, 261; Joseph. 55; 
 Peter. 270; Samuel, 24. 28, 
 337; Susannah. 98; Zebu- 
 Ion, 28. 
 
 Penalty for Non-attendance 
 I at Public Worship, 144. 
 
 Penfleld, Elizabeth. 160; 
 Farm. 242; House, 151; 
 Nathaniel. 112. 151. 242: 
 Peter, 151; Samuel. 151. 
 236. 264. 
 
 Perkins. Geo. W.. 154, 156, 
 157. 355; John. 285; Lib- 
 erty, 118; Samuel. 285; 
 Sherlock, 343. Simeon. 
 280. 286. 343; Stephen. 118. 
 151. 236, 279. 337. 
 
 Persons. Jacob, 139. 
 
 Peters, Samuel, 300. 
 
 Phillips. George, 247. 
 
 Pierce, John, 230. 271. 276. 
 
 Pitkin. Joseph. 26. 
 
 Piatt, O. H., 385. 
 
 Plum, Archibald, 342; Farm. 
 135; Seth D., 152, 337. 340, 
 341. 346. 353; William W., 
 136; Mrs. Wm. W , 136. 
 
 Plvmert. John, 238. 
 
 Puit. Adam, 69, 70, 72, ..'. 
 78, 101. 
 
 Police Force Enlarged and 
 Objections to, 390. 
 
 Pomerov. Noah. 308, 311. 
 312. 352. 359; Noah. Pl!i('<* 
 of. 312; Tin Shop, 308. 
 
 Porter, Bdgerton, Killed 
 386; Eldad. 285. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 167 
 
 Potter, Jared, 222, 223, 253, 
 
 283, 299, 300; Medad, 285; 
 
 Samuel, 53, 54; McCleave 
 
 & Whittlesey, 223. 
 Powder House, Wallingford, 
 
 304. 
 Pratt. A. H. M., 390; Jared, 
 
 359: Julius, 253, 355, 357; 
 
 Julius & Co.. 356, 3o7, 359; 
 
 Llewellyn, 158; Nehemiah, 
 
 246; Pond, 356; Philo & 
 
 Co., 356; Ropes & Webb 
 
 Co.', 357. 
 Preston. Benjamin, 280 
 
 Eliasaph, 53, 56, 89, 261 
 
 Ephraim, 265; Ira, 359 
 
 Jehiel, 53, 220, 337. 
 Prince. John, 285. 
 Prindle. Ebenezer, 113, 143, 
 
 151, 226, 265, 330. 
 Pring-le, Ebenezer, 139. 
 Prinn. Joe and Daffy 
 
 (Slaves), 128, 247. 
 Probate Judges, 398. 
 Prout. James. 281, 285; 
 
 William, 285. 
 Public Sign Post, 336. 
 Purchase L/ands. 329. 
 Putnam, Gen., 277. 
 
 Quartz Found, 229. 
 
 Quesaquauch (Indian), 31. 
 
 Quinnipiac, 8, 11, 31, 32, 35, 
 38. 65, 67; Indians, 33, 34, 
 35, 242; River, 7, 8, 10, 56, 
 59. 63, 76, 149, 214, 218, 
 326, 332. 
 
 Railroad, Freight Station 
 Erected, 389; Railroad 
 Opened, 367; "Railroad 
 Refectorv," 364. 
 
 Rand. Philip C., 365. 
 
 Rasmersson. J.ames. 100. 
 
 Recanter, (Capt. Camp), 301. 
 
 Record of Conn. Men in 
 Revolution, 270; of Real 
 Estate Transactions in 
 Wallingford, 333. 
 
 Redfleld & Butler. 360. 
 
 Regicides, The. 47. 
 
 Reid. George, 355. 
 
 Representatives to Legis- 
 lature from Meriden, 395, 
 396. 
 
 Rexford, Arthur, 135, 229, 
 230. 231; Benjamin. 265, 
 266, 277, 285; Benjamin, 
 Jr. 285; Farm, 291. 
 
 Reynolds, Gardiner, 214; 
 Gardner ^V., 137. 
 
 Rice. Abel. 136; Abigail. 
 163; Abner. 252. 278. 280, 
 324; Amasa. 163; Amos, 
 324; Anna C, 133; Asahel, 
 154. 325; Benj., 163, 269; 
 Chester, 325; Place. 322; 
 E. and E. A., 360; Emma 
 L., 325; Ezekiel, 132. 133, 
 149. 150, 160, 162, 163, 216, 
 246, 269, 271. 272. 273, 274. 
 320, 337, 338; Ezekiel, Jr , 
 133; Ezra, 163. 246, 279; 
 Farms. 129. 131, 149. 150. 
 213. 219. 321; Gideon, 269, 
 271, 276; Hezekiah, 240; 
 Isaac. 130, 279; James. 
 222; Jehiel, J., 281; Joel, 
 146. 281, 324; Joseph, 273; 
 Jotham, 279, 285; Justus, 
 
 278, 322; House, 322; Jus- 
 tus, Jr., 322; Lizzie S., 
 325; Mindwell, 160; Moses, 
 324, 325; Nathaniel, 129, 
 132; Oliver, 144, 246, 273; 
 Farm, 132, 133, 135, 162, 
 217. 237, 271, 320; Mrs. 
 Oliver, 133; Reuben, 149; 
 Robert. 130 131, 323, 324, 
 325; Farm, 322; Samuel, 
 130, 133, 136, 149, 150, 269, 
 276, 278 ,280, 320; Silas, 
 117, 154, 228, 229; Farm, 
 116; Solomon 36, 163, 278; 
 Titus, 163; Wait, 163; Wil- 
 liam B , 116. 117, 122, 125, 
 228, 234; William T., 133; 
 Yale & Co., 346. 
 
 Rich, Charles, 156; D, 103; 
 David, 112, 142. 
 
 Richards, Timothy, 343. 354. 
 
 Richardson, Stanton, 270. 
 
 Richmond, Mrs. Hiram, 29. 
 
 Ripley. Erastus, 154. 
 
 Robbins, Joshua, 70. 
 
 Roberds, Elick, 139 
 
 Roberts, David, 277. 
 
 Robeson, Josiah, 139. 
 
 Robinson, Christopher, 160. 
 161; Inn, 95; J., 103, 143; 
 John. 280; Josiah, 94, 95, 
 96, 102, 150, 160, 277; 
 House, 94; Tavern, 220, 
 226, 267; Josiah, Jr., 96, 
 315; L W., 155; Levi, 277, 
 285. 
 
 Rodgers, John C , 355. 
 
 Rogers. Fight of, 266; Her- 
 vey, 361, 363; Joseph, 219. 
 
 Roice. Evan, 264. 
 
 Ropes, David W., 357. 
 
 Rossetter, Byran and John, 
 18. 
 
 Royce, Abel, 135. 142; Abi- 
 gail. 128; Benjamin, 91, 
 143, 147; Ensign, 63; Eze- 
 kiel, 142, 144, 147, 263 
 Farms, 129, 243; Hannah 
 160; Isaac, 58, 129. 243 
 Joseph, 65, 143; Nathaniel 
 55, 58, 93, 124, 129, 142 
 244; Nehemiah, 55. 58 
 129; Notch, 331; Robert 
 91, 92, 129. 141, 142, 147 
 Place of. 130, 241; Sam- 
 uel, 55, 128. 129. 142, 143, 
 146. 160, 263, 266; Timo- 
 thy, 230. 
 
 Rovs, Abell, 139; Allen, 301; 
 Benjamin, 113, 116, 160, 
 162, 229, 231, 246; Farm, 
 112; Ebenezer, 160, 162; 
 Evan, 264; Ezekiel, 139; 
 Isaac, 139, 265; J.ames, 
 264; Joseph, 259; Josiah, 
 139; Nathaniel, 112, 113, 
 116. 139: Oliver. 161; 
 Phebe, 160; Robert, 105, 
 139: Samuel. 120, 129; 
 Timothv, 229, 231, 232. 
 265; Timothy, Jr., 232. 
 
 Roy.se. Benjamin, 230; Jo- 
 seph. 258: Nathaniel. 90. 
 
 Russell. Capt.. 278; Elmer. 
 285: J. W.. 360; Mary. 152. 
 
 Sabbath Dav House, 140, 
 
 145. 149. 153. 220. 
 Sachem. Sowheag (Indian). 
 
 6. 
 
 Sacred Heart Cemetery, 128 
 
 Saltonstall, Lake, 38. 
 
 Sanderson, Job, 285. 
 
 Sandstone Quarry, 321. 
 
 Sanford, Abel, 324, 354; 
 Ebenezer, 244; Elihu. 289; 
 Nathaniel, 154, 356; N. C 
 & Co., 356; Newton & Co.! 
 360. 
 
 School, of Good Manners, 
 The. 210; Houses, 153; 
 Taxes, 150. 
 
 Schovill. James, 139. 
 
 Schuyler, General, 271, 281, 
 283. 
 
 Scofel, Elijah, 151; Elisha, 
 151 
 
 Scofell, J., 103. 
 
 Scovel, Eleazer, 238; Elijah, 
 265; Samuel, 151. 
 
 Scovil, David, 280; Elijah. 
 280; Elisha, 280; Samuel. 
 271, 272. 
 
 Scovill, Elisha, 236; Farm, 
 137; Houses, 137; James, 
 102, 137 
 
 Seele.v. Mr.s. George S., 120. 
 
 Seemer, Jonathan, 139. 
 
 Seymour, Thomas, 251, 327; 
 Thomas, Jr., 250. 
 
 Shailer, Joseph, 24 6, 274, 
 275. 
 
 Shaler, Joseph, 269 
 
 Shaylor, Joseph, lal, 214, 
 242. 277, 283. 286. 288. 
 
 Sheldon's Light Dragoons, 
 278. 
 
 Shelly, Florence W., 86. 
 
 Shelton. Hannah. 294. 
 
 Shepard, Thomas, 282 
 
 Shepherd, Hull, 285. 
 
 Sherman, Daniel, 53, 54, 56. 
 
 Shipman. Potter & Lewis! 
 365. 
 
 Siege of Boston .271. 
 
 Silk Worm Culture in Wal- 
 lingford, 29 7, 300. 
 
 .Simsbury Mines. 233. 
 
 Sizer, Amasa, 359. 
 
 Slade .John, 270 
 
 Slave. Hill of Sale of, 246; 
 Earliest Record of 244; 
 Importing of. 249; I^iw.s 
 Relating to, 247; Remem- 
 bered in Wills of Own- 
 ers, 247 
 
 Slead, Daniel, 270; Jona- 
 than. 270, 283. 
 
 Sled. John, 285. 
 
 Sleeping Giant, 159. 
 
 Smallpox, Old Remedy for. 
 Rendering Person Im- 
 mune, 237, 238. 
 
 Smelting Works. 233. 
 
 Smith, Daniel, 270. 285; E. 
 W and Mrs.. 133: Horace 
 T.. 85; Hotel. 367: Major. 
 276; Seth. 269, 285. 
 
 Snow, Alfred, 86; Oliver & 
 Co.. 360. 
 
 Societv for Propagation of 
 the Gospel, 305. 306: in 
 Foreign Part.s. 290. 293. 
 
 Sodom Brook. 59. 80. 216. 
 
 Southeast District School- 
 house. 116. 122 
 
 Southwick. D. F., 385. 
 
 South Farms, 91, 12S, 129. 
 241. 
 
 Snellman. Samuel, 2S.i. 
 
 Spencer. George. 355; Sam- 
 
i68 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 uel, 285; Thomas, 278, 280. 
 
 Sperry, Miles, 269. 
 
 Spruce, Glen, 13/, 214; Gut- 
 ter, 137 
 
 Stage Coaches, 339. 
 
 Stamp Act, 2t)7, 288. 
 
 Stanley, Abraham, 265, 280; 
 Geo. W., 224, 292, 336, 
 337; John, 286; Capt's 
 Company, 280; Salmon, 
 286. 
 
 Stanly, Nathaniel, 92. 
 
 Stanton, Thomas, 31, 34. 
 
 Stark, ichabod, 144, z65, 266. 
 
 Starkey, Alpheus, 355. 
 
 State, School for Boys, 93, 
 216, 24u; Senators trom 
 Meriden, 396; War De- 
 partment, 283. 
 
 Stedman, Chas.. 359; Selah, 
 285: Stedman <fe Clark, 
 349, 359. 
 
 Steele, Elisha, 264. 
 
 Stevens, John, 90; Stevens 
 & Peck, 360. 
 
 Stevenson. W. H., 51. 
 
 Stickney, Walter, 362. 
 
 Stiles, Ezra, 46, 148, 149, 
 151, 152; Isaac, 125; Kezia, 
 152; Polly, 152; Ruth, 152. 
 
 Stillman & Eastmann, 360; 
 
 St. John. Silas, 246. 
 
 Stocking, Reuben, 98; Weav- 
 ing, 220. 
 
 Stokes, Anson Phelps. 122. 
 
 Stone. David, 285; House, 
 103; House Farm, 103, 
 291; Sidney M., 155; War- 
 ren P., 348. 
 
 Street, Jesse, 270; Samuel, 
 53, 54, 110, 252, 261, 330. 
 
 Streets, Named, 390; Widen- 
 ed and Graded in 1869, 390. 
 
 Sunksqua, Matoesse (In- 
 dian), 68. 
 
 Sutliff. John, 264, 355; Sut- 
 liff & Foster, 355. 
 
 Swamp Fort Fight. 262. 
 
 Sydervelt, John, 233. 
 
 Tait. John, 241. 342. 
 Talcot. Dorothv, 68; John, 
 
 67, 68. 69, 71. 72; Samuel, 
 
 68; Major, 75 
 Taylor. Samuel, 68, 90, 93, 
 
 94, 97. 
 Tanning Industry. 31.". 
 .'axes. Worked Out, 343. 
 Thatcher, Geo., 157. 
 Third Church, 155. 
 Thomas, John, 37; Thomas, 
 
 229, 230. 231. 
 Thorp, Abel, 286; Amasa, 
 
 286; Amos, 286; Joseph, 
 
 265; Samuel, 55. 
 Tibba:ls, Ida C, 239; Samuel, 
 
 342. 343; Samuel. Jr.. 344; 
 Tibbels. James, 286; Peter, 
 
 286; Tin Shop, 353. 
 Tinware Manufacturers, 347, 
 
 348, 349, 350, 352. 
 Todd, Thaddeus. 286. 
 Tomlinson. Isaac, 306. 
 Tory Farm Confiscated. 226. 
 Town Clerks of Meriden, 
 
 397. 
 "Towns and Lands" in State 
 
 Library, 331. 
 Town Rock, 129; Tax Laid, 
 
 337. 
 
 Trashen, George (Negro), 
 246. 
 
 Treat, Robert, 68, 257, 258. 
 
 Trench, Dean ,4». 
 
 Trial tor Reproaching Se- 
 lectmen, 256; for Witch 
 Craft, 257, 258. 
 
 Trowbridge, Thomas, 257. 
 
 'irumbull, Benjamin ,293; 
 Governor, 299, 300. 
 
 Tryon, Gardner, 342; Gen- 
 eral, 2 79; His Invasion of 
 New Haven, 282, 283, 310. 
 
 Tunxis Valley, 242. 
 
 Turnpike (The New), 340, 
 Hartford to New Haven, 
 240; Meriden and Middle- 
 town, 240. 
 
 Tuthill, Charles, 270 
 
 Tuttle, Daniel, 70, 72; Da- 
 vid, 55, 56; Simon, 53, 55. 
 
 Twiss, Benjamin, 356; Hiram, 
 356; Ira, 367; Joseph, 98, 
 213, 214. 
 
 Tvler, Levi, 285; Lothrop, 
 "218; Mills, 218. 223. 224, 
 298; Nathaniel, 285; Roger, 
 262, 263; Samuel, 218, 223. 
 265; Samuel. Jr., 218. 
 
 Tyrrell, Job, 2 86. 
 
 "Underground Railroad ' 
 
 Movement. 253. 
 Upham, Chas. L, 289, 365. 
 Upson, Benjamin, 107; Place, 
 
 10 6. 
 
 Vaccination. Introduction of 
 
 in Meriden, 238. 
 Vallev Forge, 282, 283. 
 Van Nostrand, Geo. 390. 
 Vantie, James, 219. 
 Vigilance Committee, 302, 
 
 345 
 VitalStatistics, 1729 to 1806. 
 
 of First Cong. Church, 400- 
 
 434. 
 Vorse, Jesse. 270. 
 Vose, Jesse, 286. 
 
 "U'addams. Noah. 250. 
 
 Wadswortli, James. 215, 275; 
 Hull, Atwater, 215. 
 
 AVakeman, Samuel, 68 
 
 Wallingford, First Society of, 
 280; Line, 137; Men in the 
 Revolution, 284; Mines, 
 228, 231; North Society, 
 142; Purchase Lands, 13, 
 72, 73, 138; Records of 
 Some Vital Statistics, 263; 
 Shops and Mills, 218; 
 W'est Society, 73, 138. 
 
 Ward, Andrew, 292; Con- 
 tent. 292; David, 270; Ma- 
 cock. 292, 294, 306. 336. 
 
 Warner. Bela, 269; Ebenez- 
 er, 270. 
 
 Warnock. Wm. H., 316. 
 
 "Washington, George, 95; 
 Heights. 47. 
 
 Way, Abigail, 160; Abner, 
 280; Eli, 102; Eli, Farm 
 of, 100, 101. 102. 228; Ely. 
 Place of, 29; John, 111, 
 143, 229, 231; Moses 280. 
 
 Wave. Joseph, 2 64 
 
 Webb, Chas., 281; Gideon, 
 286; John. 153. 226; John. 
 Capt., 126. 128. 153. 227. 
 247. 340; Luther, 368; 
 
 W'alter, 253, 354; Walter 
 & Co., 354, 356, 3o7, 369. 
 
 Weoster, XMoah, 296. , 
 
 Wells. Robt., /O 
 
 Westneld Parish, 313. 
 
 West Peak, 6, 4 7. 
 
 W etmore, Josiah, 229; Seth, 
 
 229. 
 
 Wharton's Brook, 54, 59. 
 
 White, Amos, 336, 337, 338, 
 341, 350, 361; Amos & Co., 
 338. 
 
 W'hitehead, Samuel, 53. 
 
 Whitfield, Henry, 45, 47. 
 
 Whiting, Benjamin, 114, 
 139, 143, 147, 149; Joseph, 
 114; Lucy, 114; Nathan, 
 266; Samuel, 114, 163, 333, 
 334; Sarah, 114. 
 
 Whittlesey, Chauncey, 151; 
 Farm, 114, 115, 323; Kath- 
 arine, 232; Samuel, 26, 63, 
 129, 228, 232. 
 
 Wilcox, Albert H, 137; Ca- 
 leb, 130; Edmund Place, 
 342; Francis, 281; Henry 
 S., 29 88, 137; Henry T., 
 357, 3o9; H. T. & Co., 385; 
 Jarius, 282; S. S., 390; Sil- 
 ver Plate Co. Factory 
 Burned, 387 
 
 Wildman, J. E., 55. 
 
 Willard, House, 342; John, 
 152, 153. 
 
 W'illcox, Benj'm, 349; Lem- 
 uel, 286. 
 
 Williams, Charles H., 158; 
 Ebenezer, 26; Elisha, 26; 
 Henry, 70, 72; Williams & 
 Smith, Store Burned, 387. 
 
 Willmot, Geo. R . Furniture 
 Store Burned, '387; Geo. R. 
 Place of, 239, 343. 
 
 Wilmot, Joel, 286. 
 
 Wilson. Grove H., 241; O. G., 
 390. 
 
 Winthrop, Adam, 26, 228; 
 John. Jr., 37. 
 
 AVolcott. Alexander, 111, 
 112, 234, 242; Joseph, 270; 
 Joseph, Jr., 286; Lydia. 
 112. 
 
 Wolf Swamp, 59, 315. 
 
 Wood, Chas. H., 229; Icha- 
 bod, 131. 238. 354; Norman 
 B.. Place of. 131; Norman 
 S., 131. 229. 
 
 W^oodward, Wyllys, 240. 
 
 AVooster, Gen., 281. 
 
 W'rexham. W'ales, 118. 
 
 Wright, Abraham, 336; Jas.. 
 289; Mrs. Moses, Board- 
 ing House Burned, 387; 
 Samuel. 286; Selden, 343. 
 
 Wvlie, James, 241. 
 
 Wvllvs, Samuel. 336. 
 
 Yale. Aaron. 2 64; A. R., 225; 
 Abel, 119, 120, 149, 151. 
 153; Abel, Place of, 121, 
 159; Amasa. 270 Amerton. 
 280. 343; Ann. 118; Asa. 102. 
 119; Asael. 337; Benj.. 143. 
 144; Burrage. 342; Chas.. 
 265; College, 26, 28, 46, 
 118, 124, 148, 151. 152, 156. 
 293; Daniel. 280. 337; Ed- 
 win R.. 349; Elihu. 56, 
 118, 120, 263, 280; E. H., 
 19; Mrs. E. H., 16, 29; 
 Farms. 10. 137. 159, 234; 
 Mrs. Hiram A, 344; Ira, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 169 
 
 98; Joel, 314, 342; John, 
 28, 70, 71, 100, 101, 139, 
 142. 149. 226, 280, 316; Jon- 
 athan, 112, 120, 146, 220, 
 269, 280; Julius, 120, 159, 
 245, 298; J. Hobart, 90, 
 119, 120, 325; Levi, 120, 
 129, 151; Mary, 136; Mat- 
 thew, House of, 238; 
 Moses. 119, 120; Nash, 226, 
 2S6; Nathaniel. 70. 71, 112, 
 
 119. 266. 269. 276, 280, 337; 
 Noah, 119. 120. 128, 143, 144, 
 151. 153. 163, 227, 245, 277, 
 325; Samuel 102, 214. 337, 
 338. 340. 341. 342, 344, 347, 
 348, 353, 359; Samuel, Jr., 
 341. 346; Sarah, 153, 227; 
 Sharp (Negro), 285; Sol- 
 omon, 264; Theophilus. 
 105. 327; Thomas, 11, 53, 
 55. 70, 71, 77, 117, 118, 119, 
 
 120, 139. 142. 212. 264, 325, 
 Capt. Thomas, 63. 71. 91, 
 92, 105. 113 118; Thomas. 
 Jr.. 119; Waitstill. 266, 286; 
 William. 136. 214. 341, 344, 
 346, 347; William H., Ill, 
 112. 219. 
 
 Yeamans, John. 79, 110 
 Yeomans. Elijah. 280. 
 Yorktown, Siege of. 277, 278. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 .Allen, Levi, House of, 319. 
 \ndrews, Moses, House of, 
 
 134. 
 Andrews. Samuel. Portrait, 
 
 293. 
 
 Bailey, Stephen, House of, 
 
 100. 
 Baldwin. Daniel. House of, 
 
 110. 
 Baldwin. Nathan. House of, 
 
 314. 
 Belcher. Andrew. Autog'raph. 
 
 22; Book Plate. 30. 
 Belcher. Johnathan, 25; Au- 
 tograph. 24. 
 Belcher. Old Farm. Site of, 
 
 225. 
 Berry. Ephraim. House, 117. 
 Bray, Asa, Hou.se of, 322. 
 Butler, Comfort, House of, 
 
 316. 
 
 Cemetery. Old. 208. 
 Central Tavern, Old, 108, 339. 
 Coe, Calvin, House of, 321. 
 Coe, Mrs. Russell, House of, 
 
 352. 
 Collins, Jonathan, House of, 
 
 95; Edward, House of, 99. 
 Corner, Old Schoolhouse, 366. 
 Cowles, Elisha A., Portrait,' 
 
 362. 
 Curtis, Amos, House of, 221. 
 Curtis, Asahel, House of. 315. 
 Curtis, Benjamin, House of, 
 
 123. 
 
 Dog-s' Misery Lots, 62. 
 
 Edwards, Joseph, House of. 
 101. 
 
 Falls Plain, New Hanover 
 
 and So. Meriden in 1690, 
 
 Plan of, 66, 
 Fifth Congregational Church 
 
 Edifice, 158. 
 Fourth Congregational Ch'ch 
 
 Edifice, 157. 
 
 Gilbert, Johnathan, Auto- 
 graph, 16. 
 
 Granite Bowlder & Tablet, 
 Unveiling- of, 141. 
 
 Guy, Orchard, Place of, 121. 
 
 Hall, Benj A., House of, 312. 
 Hall. Brenton, House of, 309. 
 Hall. Collins, House of, 311. 
 Hall, Daniel, House of, 114. 
 Hall, Page of Dr 's Account 
 
 Book, 236. 
 Hall, Isaac, House of, 235. 
 Hall, Moses, House of. 313. 
 Hall Theophilus, Autograph, 
 
 12S. 
 Hemlock Grove. Old Poster, 
 
 380. 
 Holt. Blias, House of, 352. 
 Hough, Daniel, Homestead, 
 
 127. 
 Hough, Isaac I. .House of, 
 
 239. 
 Hough. James, Homestead, 
 
 136. 
 Hough's Mill. 215. 
 Hough. William. House of 
 
 131. 
 
 Indian Marks, 34. 36. 
 
 Ives, Julius, House of. 323. 
 
 Johnson, William, House of, 
 
 ;:i8; Porch. 104. 
 Johnson, William, Porch of 
 
 Old House, 104. 
 
 Lewis, Par trick, or Eli i". 
 
 Birdsey. House of, 351. 
 Lyman. Aaron, House of, 109. 
 
 Meeting House Hill from 
 
 West, 140. 
 Meriden. Bird's Eye View in 
 
 1857; In 1865. 385. 
 Meriden Center in 1834. 353. 
 Meriden Hoted and Railroad 
 
 Station in 1S42. 364 
 Meriden. Map of in I806. 343; 
 
 in 1851. 361; Pierson's of 
 
 1770. 209. 
 Merriam. Joseph. House 
 
 Lots in 1753. 83. 
 Merriam. Nathaniel. House 
 
 of, S4; Josepli. House of. 
 
 85; John, Jr. House of. 86. 
 
 North, Curtis L., Residence, 
 
 366. 
 North, Curtis L, Store, 367. 
 
 Rice, Chester. House of, 324. 
 Rice, Oliver. House of. 132. 
 Rice. Silas. House of. 116. 
 Robinson, Josiah. House of. 
 
 from N. W.. 94; from S. 
 
 W.. 95. 
 Royal Coat of Arms. 295. 
 Royce. Abel, House of, 135. 
 Royce, Robert. House of. 130. 
 
 Slave Girl. Bill of Sale of. 
 246. 
 
 Third Congregational Church 
 
 Edifice. 155. 
 Town Hall. Old. 382. 
 
 Wallingford. Original Plan 
 
 of. 55. 
 West Meriden. Plan of in 
 
 1723. 74. 
 Wolcott. Alexander. House 
 
 of. 111. 
 
 Y'ale. Abel. House of, 121. 
 Yale. John. House of. 317. 
 Yale. Noah. House of. 119. 
 Yale. Thomas. House of. 325. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Abel. Albert, 198. 
 
 .\braham. Meyer. 205. 
 
 Adams. B. M.. 173; Express 
 Co.. 581. 
 
 Alain. A. S.. 184. 
 
 Alderman. Nellie G. (Fran- 
 cis). 523; Walter Arthur. 
 5 23. 
 
 •Mexander, Daniel, 81. 
 
 Allemeyer, Chas., 125. 
 
 Allen. Archelaus. 557; Mrs. 
 E. C. 59; Edward Chaun- 
 <-ey. 557: E. K., 68, 70; 
 Electa (Hall), 557; Ed- 
 ward Linsley, 558; Geo. 
 W.. 588: Jerusha Temper- 
 ance (Piatt). 558; John 
 
 Piatt. 558; Levi. 557: Lew. 
 80. 126. 500; Prudence 
 (Merriam). 557; Roger. 
 557: Mrs. Sarah (Ijinsley), 
 557; Sarah Hillard (Lins- 
 lev). 558; Walter, 132. 
 
 All Saints' Church, 167, 170. 
 
 Amaranth Club. 101-104. 
 
 Anderson. Asher. 137; Bar- 
 bara. 236; Mrs. C. G., 204; 
 Ferdinand, 202; John, 202; 
 Peter. 202. 
 
 Andreen, Alexis, 204; Philip. 
 203. 
 
 Andrews. Almon. 162, 220, 
 330; Dan. 167; David. 160; 
 Denison. 160, 167; H. B., 
 
 75: James F. G.. 329: .Mar- 
 vel. 167: .Moses, 159. 160, 
 167: O. J.. 204. 
 
 Anger. N.. 182. 
 
 .\rcanum Club, 96. 
 
 Arnold. Jared, 281; Joseph. 
 284: Owen B.. 53. 56. 280; 
 Susan (Brainard). 281. 
 
 Ashlev. A. SpraKue. 166. 169. 
 
 Ashworth. J. W.. 149: Kath- 
 arine. 150: Mabele (EdK<'r- 
 
 ton). 150; Robt. A.. 149. 
 
 Aspinwall. E. R.. 193. 
 
 Atkins. James. 231; Luman 
 A.. 178. ^ 
 
 Atwater. David. 426; Dor- 
 ence K. 50. 440; Francis. 
 
170 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 119. 121, 126, 436; Helena J. 
 
 (Sellew), 440; Isaac, 160. 
 Atvveli. Geo. B., 149. 
 Aubrey, Alfred B., 575. 
 Augur, Ag-nes, 139; Agnes F., 
 
 bS5; Fannie A., 142; Frank 
 
 M., 5S5; Julius, 584; Julius 
 
 S., 584; Julius Smith, 584; 
 
 Levinia D. (Merriam), 584; 
 
 Kettie E. (Smith), 585; 
 
 Augur & Gardner, 584. 
 Austin. Mrs. A. E., 59; Ab- 
 
 ner, i.6t); Joseph, 266; Mary 
 
 Gilbert, 267; Ruth B. 
 
 (Coe), 266. 
 
 B Company, Third Regt, 4; 
 9th Kegt, 8. 
 
 Babb, Albert, 170; Mrs. Al- 
 bert, 58, 59. 
 
 Bacon, Francis, 253; Wm. A., 
 68. 
 
 Bailey, Gordon, 76; Jerome, 
 82; Wm. R., 79. 
 
 Baker, William, 179. 
 
 Balch, Geo. O., 66. 
 
 Baldwin, Ashbel, 163; Chas., 
 171; Dan'l, 146; Elias, 171; 
 James, 146; James and 
 Bethia (Goodsell), 396; 
 Jesse G.. 171; Mary (Hall), 
 398; Ransom, Jr., 397, 
 Ransom, Leland, 398; Ran- 
 som, Sr., 396; Sam'l, 146; 
 Sarah (Twiss), 397; Sey- 
 mour, 171; S. W., 113. 
 
 Ballou, M. F., 123. 
 
 Barber, Ethleen and Susan, 
 259; Lewis Wijis 259; Me- 
 lissa (Beckley), 259; Nor- 
 man Buell, 257; Norman 
 Geo. 259; Susan Beach 
 (Wood), 257; Wauneita 
 Ruth, 259; Willis N., 256, 
 257. 
 
 Barker, Alfred, 170. 
 
 Barnes, Geo. M., 80; Mrs. H. 
 H., 237; Monroe, 193. 
 
 Barrelle, Almonde, 149. 
 
 Barrett, Butler and Polly 
 (Converse), 430. 
 
 Barry, John F., 106. 
 
 Bartholomew & Coe, 351. 
 
 Bartlett, A. L., 125. 
 
 Bartrani. Howard H., 74, 75. 
 
 Baum, Jacob, 594; Baum & 
 Bernstein, 596. 
 
 Beach, Burroughs, 284; 
 Charlotte (Leavenworth), 
 286; E. W., 286; George, 
 251; Harriet M. (Weller), 
 284; Harry B., 286; Henry 
 B., 284; I. E., 581; J. C, 
 484; Joseph B., 286; Robert 
 J., 70, 179: Sheldon B., 286; 
 Wm. N., 71. 
 
 Beadle, James, 75. 
 
 Beckett, Joseph and Lenora 
 (Pomeroy), 433; W., 144. 
 
 Beckley, George H., 259; 
 Maria (Lewis), 259. 
 
 Beebe. H. Dwight, 138, 236; 
 Harriet L. (Woodley), 599. 
 
 Beecher. Sara, 236. 
 
 Bemis. Pred'k E. and Bertha 
 C. (Carter), 432. 
 
 Bemont, W. H., 79. 
 
 Benedict, Sarah N., 236. 
 
 Bengtson, C. J., 202. 
 
 Benham, lone, 237; Martha 
 
 (Street, 462; Mary J.. 463; 
 Thos. A., 209; Welcome E., 
 70, 75, 221, 462. 
 Bennett. W. D., 66. 
 Bentz, Henry, 156. 
 Benziger, Wm., 81; Wm., Jr., 
 
 81. 
 Berger, Emil, 15 6. 
 Bernstein. Algernon J., 596; 
 Daisy, 596; Frances, 596; 
 Heights, 595; Jacqueline, 
 596; Jacob and Jennete, 
 594; Jennie (Baum), 595; 
 596; Louisa, 596; Melville, 
 596; Sigmund, 594, 595. 
 Berry, Chas. A., 79; E. S., Mr. 
 and Mrs., 68. 
 
 Bevins, Alvin, 337; Edith L., 
 236, 340; Jane L. (Stiles), 
 340; Le Grand, 337; Mrs. 
 Le Grand, 58; Walter L., 
 50, 70, 339. 
 
 Bibeau, Chas. E., 128, 261; 
 Henry C, 121, 581. 
 
 Bicknell, Charles, 458; Cor- 
 inna, 458; Eleanor D. 
 (Stanley), 458; Geo. E., 97, 
 457; James M., 457; Ros- 
 coe, 458; Sarah (Stevens), 
 457. 
 
 Bigelow, Benson and Char- 
 lotte (Rice), 376; W. H., 
 374-376. 
 
 Billard, Emeline E. (Spen- 
 cer), 324; Fred H., 90, 324; 
 Herbert M., 324; John D., 
 115, lis, 322, 323, 324; John 
 L., 50, 62, 64, 70, 110 111, 
 136 324; Mary E. 324; Wal- 
 ter S., 48, 70, 117, 118, 324. 
 
 Birdsev, Alanson, 147, 471; 
 Catherine (Butler), 303; 
 Clarissa (Wilcox), 471; 
 Edwin. 303; Eli C, Jr., 119, 
 121, 299, 303; Eli C, Sr., 
 121, 146, 299; Julia (Da- 
 vis), 299; L . G., 93; Linus, 
 107, 110, 123, 231, 299; 
 Lucy (Coe), 471; Lucy E., 
 236; Rebecca Cook (Wil- 
 cox), 299; Vincey Ann 
 (Miller), 299; Birdsey & 
 Raven, 302. 
 
 Bishop, Chas. E., 580; D. L., 
 121, 143; Emilv, 580. 
 
 Blackwell, C. M., 80. 
 
 Blake, John, 144; John S., 
 193. 
 
 Blakeslee, Silas and Esther 
 (Buel), 381. 
 
 Blanchard, Chas., 148; Wm. 
 B., 139. 
 
 Blatz, Henry, Jr., 175. 
 
 Bliss, P. S., Jr., 193. 
 
 Bloomfleld, Clara R. (Rich- 
 ards), 418; David, 82, 416; 
 Garry C. 15 3; Nathan and 
 Elizabeth (Butler), 416. 
 
 Bodertha. Carrie F., 236. 
 
 Bolles, Franklin G., 72. 
 
 Boole, Wm. H., 173. 
 
 Boone, Augusta J., 236. 
 
 Booth. A. S.. Mrs., 231; Paul 
 C, 68, 229; Walter, 107, 
 111 121, 229. 231. 
 
 Borst, F. C, 91. 
 
 Boswell, Geo. C, 173. 
 
 Botsford, H.. 75. 
 
 Bottome. Francis, 173. 
 
 Bowen. C. B., 30, 71, 73, 74, 
 
 75; Nettie L., 236. 
 
 Bowker, George H.. 608; J. 
 H., 93, 96, 97, 608. 
 
 Bowman, M. Eudocia, 237. 
 
 Boyce, J. Howe, 207. 
 Bradley, Abigail Ann (Atka- 
 ter), 515; Clarence P., 118; 
 Emeline Amelia (Curtis), 
 515; Florence M. (Coe), 
 422; Mrs. H. E., 57; Hiram, 
 171, 172; Lemuel, 167, 
 Levi; 512; Nathaniel L., 
 59, 62, 66, 117, 118, 136, 516; 
 Peter B. Robert S. and Ab- 
 by A., 419; Samuel A., 515; 
 Silas, 179; Tryphena, 172; 
 Walter L., 50; Wm. L., 418, 
 515; The Wm. L. Estate, 
 421, 422, 600. 
 
 Bradstreet, Alice E. (Pierce, 
 248; Alice P., 248; Amanda 
 (Thomas), 247; Edward 
 Dudley, 248; Edward T., 
 64, 86, 247; Mary (Thom- 
 as), 248; Thomas J., 247. 
 
 Brady, Katherine, 237; Rose- 
 mary, 236. 
 
 Brainard, Belle Perkins, 
 459; J. E., 90, 91; James O., 
 80. 
 
 Brandenberger, Mrs. C. M., 
 66. 
 
 Brasee, Anna (Dickinson), 
 503; John S., 503. 
 
 Breekenridge, Alice H.. 236; 
 Mrs. J. H., 57; James H., 
 68, 70; J. S., 173; R. Moss, 
 75, 83. 
 
 Breese, Mrs. T. F., 59, 64. 
 
 Brewster Chauncey B, 165. 
 
 Briggs, Rhoda A., 236; 
 Sarah, 397. 
 
 Bristol, Geo., 178; W. P., 121. 
 •^Xj; '.^ae^auiao ^aaj^g puoja; 
 
 Brockett. Mrs. Harlow, 57; 
 Zena, 144. 
 
 Brooks James S., Ill, 113. 
 
 Brookside Park, 43, 45. 
 
 Brown, A. J., 457; Egbert, 
 482; Frederick, 173; L. C, 
 81, 83. 
 
 Bruce. Nathaniel, 163. 
 
 Bruycker, F. de 184. 
 
 Bucket Brigade. 76. 
 
 Bull. Carrie E., 236; Norris, 
 76; Wallace, 75, 124. 
 
 Burgdorf, C. A., 198, 232. 
 
 Burk. Anna T. L. ,236. 
 
 Burke, Jas. H., 74, 75. 
 
 Burleigh. F. L., 70. 
 
 Burns, Edward, 52. 
 
 Bush, Eunice K., 555; Fen- 
 ner, 13, 555. 
 
 Bushnell, E. L.. 589; Henry 
 E.. 121, 589; Lizzie (Ray), 
 591; Lydia O., 589. 
 
 Butler. A. B., 83; A. S., 80; 
 Catherine (Neary) 589; 
 Eli, 68, 113; Faith M.. 
 589; H. C 113; Joel I., 
 Ill; John F., 82, 189, 587, 
 588; Mrs. L. P., 58; Mary. 
 58; Mary F. (Conlon), 589; 
 William O., 589: The John 
 F. Co., 588; Butler & Lar- 
 kin, 588; Butler & Lyman 
 Land Co., 346. 
 
 Byrne, Patrick, 186; W E., 
 81. 
 
 Byxbee. Hose House, 77; Ida, 
 
INDF.X. 
 
 171 
 
 59; John C, 59, 62, 64, 66, 
 75, 81, 82, 83, 117, 118, 
 Tneodore, 3, 4, 5. 
 
 Cady, Chas. E. and Clemen- 
 tine (Cheney), 333; Edwin, 
 333, 334, 335; Roselia M. 
 (Lathe), 335. 
 
 Cahill. C. W., 64, 104, 110, 
 117, 119, 348; John W., 
 104, 106; Joseph, 351; 
 George, 351; Margaret, 
 351; Patrick J.. 104; Simon 
 J., 104, 106; Walter, 351; 
 Wm. J., 351. 
 
 Camier, John H., 526; Ndlie 
 S. (Warner), 527. 
 
 Camp, A. E., 75; Alfred E., 
 68; F. A., 170; David N., 
 216, 226 385; Elah 107,386; 
 Sarah Adaline (Howd), 
 3S8: Wm. P., 237. 
 
 Carlin. Michael, 82. 
 
 Carlson. Linus B,, 204. 
 
 Carnegie, Andrew, 176. 
 
 Carpenter, E. C, 175; Orrin, 
 267; Wilson, 76, 237. 
 
 Carroll, M. B., 106. 
 
 Carter, Annie Z., 432; M. B., 
 432; Bela, 75, 430; Elmer 
 B., 430; Mary A., 59; Mary 
 J. (Barrett), 430; Robert 
 W., 73, 90. 138, 432; Silas 
 J. and Ruth (Vining), 430. 
 
 Case, W. C, 80. 
 
 Cashen, Henry, 189; Wm. B., 
 189. 
 
 Casper, Mrs. Chas., 59. 
 
 Cassidy, J. J., 81. 
 
 Castle Craig Tower, 36. 
 
 Castelow, E. D., 75. 
 
 Cateract Engine Co., 75, 76. 
 
 Cathole Pass. 40, 43. 
 
 Catlin, Amelia Deborah 
 (Spencer). 394; Benj. H., 
 107, 393; Benj. and Rhoda 
 Catlin). 393; Benjamin 
 
 Spencer, 394; Helen M. (Bai- 
 ley, 396; Jane (Winslow), 
 397; W. H., 109, 110, 188, 
 394. 
 
 Center Congregational 
 Church. 140. 144. 
 
 Center Ecclesiastical Socie- 
 ty, 142. 
 
 Center School District, 214. 
 
 Center Schools. North and 
 South, 215 
 
 Central Grammar School, 225. 
 
 Chalifoux, Joseph, 182; R. 
 T., 182. 
 
 Chamberlain, Abiram. 52, 59, 
 62. 64, 110, 113, 115, 442; 
 -Albert R.. 444; Charlotte 
 K. (Roberts) 59, 62, 64, 
 444: Harold B., 444; Par- 
 melee. 173; Sophronia 
 (Burt), 444. 
 
 Chapin. Ellie M. (Lines, 545; 
 
 James H., 59, 195, 227, 234; 
 Kate A. L., 57, 58, 356; 
 Chapman, Owen, 240; 
 Charter Oak Hose Co. 76; 
 Ensine Co.. 76. 
 
 Cheney. Horace B., 266; 
 Mary C. O. (Pierson), 266. 
 
 Church. Abner, 465: Annie 
 L.. 408: Elizabeth, 405; 
 Elizabeth A., 408; F. H., 
 
 168; George A., 465; 
 Grace H., 408; Henry J. 
 4U3, 406; Howard W., 467; 
 Jas. and Huldah (Barnes) 
 404; Louis H., 405-408; 
 Lucy, 465; Lucy R. (Good- 
 ell), 467; Maude L. (Mar- 
 shall), 408; Robert G., 467; 
 Streec School, 216; W. T. 
 81; Wm. B., 467; Church & 
 Morse; Church & Sprague, 
 330. 
 
 Churchill, Asa H., 167. 
 
 City, Market, 348; Park, 33, 
 34, 42; Savings Bank, 117, 
 118. 
 
 Clafford. T.. 158. 
 
 Clark, Alden, 6S; Carrie Ca- 
 pen), 487; E. B., 179; Eliz- 
 abeth L. (Wood worth), 
 4 85; Elizabeth Louise, 487; 
 Eunice Kirtland (Bush), 
 556; Geo. M. ,111, 113, 485; 
 Geo.S., 487; James A., 207; 
 Lovisa Maria (Holly), 487; 
 Mariette R., 172; May H., 
 236; M. F., 132; N. D., 93; 
 Peter F., 506; P. J., 109; 
 Robert. 179; Roland B, 
 487; Silas Fuller. 485; 
 Watson W., 58; William, 
 485: Wm. P., 75; W. W., 
 167. 
 
 Clarke, Alida B.. 66. 
 
 Coan, Geo. C, 79. 
 
 Coe, Andrew J., 317, 318, 320, 
 322. 600; Calvin, 193, 317. 
 422, 600; Castle; 600; Eben 
 J., 266; Eli. 463; Farm, 317, 
 600; Harriet (Rice), 317, 
 422; Henry. 600; John W., 
 53. 58, 64, 66. 86. 117, 118, 
 119. 167; Joseph E. 463; 
 Kate Foote, 320, 321, 322, 
 602; Laura L. (Miller), 
 464; Levi E., 53. 59, 86, 
 108. 109, 110, 223, 360; Levi 
 and Sarah (Ward), 360; 
 Orpha R. (Root), 464; Rus- 
 sell. 231; Sophia F. (Hall). 
 57, 58. 362; T. J.. 76; Ward, 
 107; Winfield R., 600; Coe 
 & Austin, 267. 
 
 Cold Spring Home, 385. 
 
 Coleman, John L., 80, 104. 
 
 Collins. Aaron L., 50, 274; 
 B. W.. 115, 276; Betsey, 
 280; Charles L., 276; Dan- 
 iel, 278; Edward J, 276; 
 Elizabeth (Carter), 274; 
 Elizabeth J. (Mahon). 278; 
 Lvman, 170, 274; Sophia 
 Lovell (Northrop), 280; 
 Svlvia (White), 274; Wil- 
 liam. 90. 
 
 Colonial Club, 92-97. 
 
 Columbia Street School. 218. 
 
 Comstock. Cornelia A., 236; 
 D. B., 76; William C, 110. 
 
 Conklin. F. J., 106. 
 
 Conlon. John A., 182. 
 
 Conn. School for Boy.s, 64-68; 
 Trap Rock Quarries, 292. 
 
 Connolly. C. P.. 66. 
 
 Converse. Ada. 59. 
 
 Coogan, John J., 78. 
 
 Cook, Alfred J.. 104; Arthur 
 E., 288: Emma L. (Fay). 
 288; Geo. A., 106; Jas., 286; 
 
 J. R., 62, 71, 118; John H.. 
 104, 106; Porter, 311. 
 
 Cooke, Joseph A.. 253; Susan 
 Josephine (Stanford), 254. 
 
 Cooley, Emily J. (Parmelee), 
 470; George, 470; Irving 
 G., 470; Mira (Snow), 470; 
 Rowe, 470. 
 
 Cooney, John, 181. 
 
 Cope, A. B., 104. 
 
 Corbin, Hezekiah H., 512; 
 Maria B. (Ryder), 512. 
 
 Corcoran, P. F., 78. 
 
 Cordo, C. E., 152; H. A., 149. 
 
 Corner School District, 215, 
 216. 
 
 Corrigan, E. J., 78. 
 
 Couch, Ira, 298. 
 
 Couch & Blakesley, 329. 
 
 Cowing, F. L., 82. 
 
 Cowles, E. B., 86; Ebenezer, 
 46; Elisha A., Ill; Moses, 
 167. 
 
 Crane. E. B., 207; Geo. P., 66. 
 
 Creevey, Geo. C, 173. 
 
 Crocker, O., 14S. 
 
 Crombie, P. C, 142. 
 
 Cronan, Thomas, \SG. 
 
 Crough, Roger. 189. 
 
 Crowley, Hannah, 68. 
 
 Cullen. M. J., 79. 
 
 Cunningham, James W., 186, 
 187. 
 
 (^urrier, Issacher, 68. 
 
 Curtis, Ada F., 537; Ada 
 (Hulse), 536; Alfred P.. 
 107, 515, 564; Mrs. Alfred 
 W., 57; Amos, 532; Ashahel 
 H., 109, 110. 123, 415; Au- 
 gusta (Munson), 49, 50, 52, 
 58. 170, 306; Bedotha P. 
 (Button), 55, 59; Celia, 329; 
 Celia J., 57; Clara H. (Fur- 
 niss). 117; Edwin E.. 53, 
 107, 108, 165, 167; Eliza- 
 beth, 305; Elisha. 167; 
 Enos H., 107, 415; Family. 
 305, 308; Floyd, 115, 117; 
 
 Frederick E., 50; Geo. M., 
 title page. 48. 58, 70, 110. 
 115, 137. 167. 308, 309, 310; 
 Geo. R., 53, 59. 118, 165, 
 167. 305. 306. 307, 308; Har- 
 riet A. (Hulse), 534; Har- 
 riet L., 534. 537; Harrison 
 W.. 117; Home, 53. 59; 
 John. 305; Juliet (Yale), 
 415; Lemuel J., 53. 54. 165, 
 167, 298: Memorial Libra- 
 ry, 46-53; Nathaniel, 305; 
 Robt H, 56. 59, 64; Mrs. 
 R. H. 57. 59: Sophie P. 
 (Mansfield). 310; Sylvester 
 J.. 532; Sylvia Johnson. 
 537; Thomas. 305: Thomas 
 E. H., 534; William. 172, 
 305. 
 
 Curtiss. Bertha E., 553; Ellen 
 (Mathews). 550; Hester A. 
 (Morgan). 550; Homer. 
 110. 402; Homer A., 119. 
 139. 209: James A.. 550; 
 John L.. 550; Julia A. (Up- 
 son). 403. 
 Gushing. John T.. 163. 
 
 Dahl. David. 15S. 
 Da I v. Thomas H.. 237. 
 Danaher. C J.. 189. 190. 209. 
 Daniels, Ella, 236. 
 
1/2 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Dann, Mary (Foster), 236. 
 
 Davidson, John, 178. 
 
 Davis, Adelaide L. (Stev- 
 ens), 138, 568; C. H. S., 57, 
 209, 226, 234; Mrs. C. H. S., 
 48, 57, 58; Lilla F., 68; 
 Robert S., 56«; Moriva 
 (Hatch), 566; T. F., 194; 
 •Timothv Fisher, 566; Wil- 
 Bur F., Jr., 568; Wilbur 
 Fisk, 566; Davis & Green- 
 field, 257. 
 
 Dayton, Edwin, 193. 
 
 De Bussy, Clara B. (Lines), 
 545. 
 
 De Crosby, Norman W., 451; 
 
 Ruth Ann (Norwood), 451. 
 
 Denison, Arline, 236. 
 
 Derby, Alice, 59. 
 
 Deshon, Corinne A., 49; Giles 
 H., 160, 164. 
 
 De Simone, Antonio, 188. 
 
 Dessureau, R., 182. 
 
 Devereux, S. K., 566. 
 
 De Wolf, Seth, 160, 167. 
 
 Dodd, Catherine, 545; Chas. 
 T., 58, 118, 545; Etta C. 
 (Smith), 547; Samuel, 53, 
 58, 113, 115, 119, 167. 
 
 Dolbec, D., 182. 
 
 Dom'inick, Geo. Francis, 2 66; 
 Lucy W. (Pierson), 2 66. 
 
 Dolan. John L., 48. 
 
 Donahue, Robt. J., 78. 
 
 Donohue, John F., 191. 
 
 Donovan, James J., 78; Jolin 
 
 Dooiittle, Dorothy, 294; Ed- 
 gar J., 59, 62, 79, 80, 86, 
 93, 110. 115, 119, 121, 292, 
 293; Martha W. (Couch) 
 294. 
 
 Doran, Joseph B., 74, 75. 
 
 Dorsey, May L. (Lewis), 455; 
 William L., 455. 
 
 Douglass, John B., 160; Levi, 
 167; Sarah A., 526. 
 
 Dow, Nellie W., 236. 
 
 Dowd, R. N., 121. 
 
 Dowling-, Wm. J., 81. 
 
 Downs, H. T., 104. 
 
 Drach, G., 201; W. 201. 
 
 Draper, Luke T. and Eliza- 
 beth (Foster), 405. 
 
 Dryhurst, Eleanor (Lewis), 
 445; Henry, 125, 445; Hen- 
 ry, Jr., 447; Margaret C. 
 (Dutcher), 447; Orville J., 
 447. 
 
 Duis, Herman, 72, 74, 75; 
 Marie L., 66. 
 
 Dumackowski, Ida M. (Sa- 
 leski), 476. 
 
 Duncan, Thomas, 246. 
 
 Dunne, Elizabeth T., 236. 
 
 Durand, Geo. A. and Eunice, 
 343; John E.. 342; Roxana 
 Sophia (Root), 342. 
 
 Dutton, C. N. & Co., 582. 
 
 Eastman, B. C, 207. 
 
 East School District, 212; 
 Side Social Club, 104-106. 
 
 Eaton. Jacob. 13, 207. 
 
 Edgerton, Frank C, 150, 
 525; Harriet Eliza (Flow- 
 er), 525; Justin P., 523; L. 
 P.. 523; Mary (Barrows), 
 523. 
 
 Edlemann, Samuel, 205. 
 
 Eggleston, Arthur J., 246; 
 
 Elizabeth C. (Duncan). 
 
 246; Jeannette L., 246; Jere 
 
 D., 64, 244; Jere Dudley, 
 
 246; Louisa (Carew), 244; 
 
 Ralph B., 246; Robt. D., 
 
 246. 
 Eginton, Fred. 104. 
 Ekdahl, Fritz. 204. 
 Eldridge, Lillie. 237. 
 Bllsbree, Geo. L., 119. 
 Elm Tree Inn, Farmington, 
 
 271. 
 Evans. John, 177, 178. 
 Evening Schools, 228, 229. 
 230. 
 Everest, Chas. H., 538; C. W., 
 
 163; Chas. H., 137; Hall, 
 
 539. 
 Everitt, Abraham and Sarah 
 
 C. (Stone), 351; Edwin B., 
 
 68, lis, 351; Mary A. 
 
 (Thompson), 352. 
 Ever Ready, H. & L. Co., 80. 
 
 Fagan, L. P., 104. 
 
 Fairchild, Henry E., 540. 
 
 Falco de, Antonio, 188. 
 
 Fales, Martha B., 356. 
 
 Falk, Olof, 158. 
 
 Falls Plain School, 220. 
 
 Falvey, Agnes. 236; Jeanette 
 A., 236. 
 
 Farms School District, 220. 
 
 Farnsworth, J. H., 195, 228; 
 James S.. 66. 
 
 Farrow, Mrs. Geo. (Daisy 
 Perkins), 459. 
 
 Fay, Amanda (Ward), 562; 
 Elizabeth B. (Ham), 571; 
 Frank S., 5 69; George A., 
 562; George W., 562; Jen- 
 nie M. (Curtis, 57, 58, 59, 
 564. 
 
 Fenn, Benjamin, 436. 
 
 Pennell, W. G., 149. 
 
 Fern, O. W.. 202. 
 
 Fire Department, 75-83. 
 
 First Baptist Church, 
 
 144-150 Congregational, 
 
 Church, 137-139; Infantrv, 
 Conn. Vols, 30; Methodist 
 Church. 170-174; National 
 Bank, 115-117. 
 
 Fischer. Augusta A., 23C. 
 
 Fisherdick, Florence M., 236. 
 
 Fisk. Florence Cornwall 
 (Wilcox). 532; Louis, 87, 
 88, 115. 
 
 Fiske, C. H., 58, 167. 
 
 Fitzgerald, Anna, 236 Jas., 
 237; Josephine F., 236; M. 
 F., 104. 189. 
 
 Fitzpatrick, John, 81. 
 
 Flanagan, Emmett B., 106. 
 
 Flansburgh. D., 81; David 
 and Carrie F. (Pomeroy), 
 433. 
 
 Fletcher, Almina (Tandv) 
 527; Almon J., 121, 527 
 Charles, 173; John. 527 
 Tama (Davis), Warner, 
 528. 
 
 Floto. Charles L., Frederick, 
 Marie and Marie (Usch- 
 nig), 428. 
 
 Flynn, C. E.. 104. 
 
 Fohlin, Peter. 202. 
 
 Foote. B. P.. 330; Eliza 
 
 (Spencer), 320; Hattie 
 (Pomeroy), 271. 
 
 Forbes, Henry, 402; Mar- 
 shall Lee, 401; Mrs. M. L, 
 57; May O. (Ward, 402; Or- 
 rin and Mary, 401; Susan 
 C. (Hall), 401. 
 
 Forcier, Napoleon P., 209. 
 
 Ford, James, 78; Roger M., 
 71, 72. 
 
 Foskett, Anna P., 236; Mr.s. 
 Chas. C, 57; Emma K., 236. 
 
 Foss, C. N., 178. 
 
 Foster, Charlotte (Preston). 
 471; Francis S, 471; Frank 
 S., 302; Frederick, 194; 
 Harriet F. (Kelsev), 471; 
 Harriet I., 237; Hattie C, 
 236; Hiram, 68; Ira. 471; 
 J. U., 193; Mary J. (Bird- 
 sey), 471; Mathew, 471; 
 Richard H., 3. 
 
 Fox, Andrew F., 592; Chris- 
 tian F., 591; Emma R. 
 (Dason), 592; Frederick, 
 591; Maude (Graham). 592. 
 
 Francis, Bessie, 523; Elias, 
 521; Emily (Fine) and Geo. 
 ^V., 521; Howard, 523; 
 Sarah (Griswold, 521; W. 
 D., 77. 
 
 Franklin St. School, 218. 
 
 Frary, James, 298; James A., 
 107, 113, 495. 
 
 Fredericks, Wm. L., 81. 
 
 Fridlund, David, 204. 
 
 Frisbie, C. B., 66; F. W., 170. 
 
 Frost, Simeon T., 234. 
 
 Fuller, L. T., 97. 
 
 Fulton, M. Mabelle, 236. 
 
 Furbish, Harriet, 66. 
 
 Gaffney, Mary, 237. 
 
 Gagnier, L. Gr., 184. 
 
 Gaines, Annie M., 236; O. W., 
 142. 
 
 Gallager, James, 193. 
 
 Gardner, A. H., 491; Aaron, 
 193; Annie L. (Potter), 
 491; B. R.. 70, 110, 138; 
 Edwin F.. 541; Elliott and 
 Esther, 242; Emily Ho- 
 garth (Covert). 242; Etta 
 P., 242; I. I., 70. 153, 491; 
 Inez B. (Upson), 493; 
 Isaac J., 491; Julia P. 
 (Small), 49'2; Le Roy, 153; 
 Pauline and Alan, 242; 
 Stephen and Warren. 491; 
 Wm. E.. 236, 241. 242. 
 
 Garlick, Arthur S., 476: Ma- 
 bel S., 476: Nellie M. (Stev- 
 ens, 476: William, 475. 476. 
 
 Garton, Florence, 236; J. V., 
 143. 
 
 Gaskell, Mrs. G. E . 346. 
 
 Gav. Emma, 59; George, 75, 
 267, 515, 517. 
 
 Gearv. J. Richard, 106. 
 
 Gehring, John, Jr., 106; Paul, 
 153. 
 
 Gehrman. G., 81. 
 
 Gerard. Joseph, 236, 239. 243: 
 Martha J. (Chapman), 240; 
 Owen S., 240; Ruth W., 
 240; Wm. and Susan (An- 
 thony), 239. 
 
 German American School 
 Asso., 225, 231. 
 
 Gibson. Jennie H., 236. 
 
 Gilbert, W. R., 132. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ^72> 
 
 Gill. Emma A., 491; Emma 
 (Mitton), 490: Flora E., 
 491; Georg-e, 490; James F., 
 490; Margaret M., 491; 
 Mary E. (Hitchcock), 491. 
 
 Giltespie, C. Bancroft, title 
 page. 
 
 <lilmartin. May, 236. 
 
 Ginsberg, Lewis, 206. 
 
 Gladwin, G. A., 153; Jere- 
 miah, 322; S., 144, 193, 194. 
 
 Glantz, Charles M., 153. 
 
 Glaser. S. F.. 197, 232. 
 
 Gleason, M F., 104. 
 
 Olock. Chas C, 110. 
 
 Glynn. Ella G, 236. 
 
 Godfrey, R. S., Walter and 
 Ruth L. (Sims), 604. 
 
 Crtilden, Wm. H., 193. 
 
 <}oldstein, Heiman, 205. 
 
 (Soodale. G. Frank, 237. 
 
 (Joodrich, Geo. A., 577; Geo. 
 \V., 577; Helen E., 577; 
 Milo. 76; N. F., 147, 148; 
 Ralph S.. 577. 
 
 <;oodsell. Dan'l A., 173; Zal- 
 mon. 66. 
 
 (Goodwill, Willia-m, 76. 
 
 tJrady, James F.. 74, 75. 
 
 Graeber, C. A., 197, 22S, 479; 
 Carolina (Reissner), 479; 
 Christina E. (Haeppler), 
 4S0; Crescentia (Wilhelm), 
 480. 
 
 <;raham, Wm. E., 92; Wm. 
 F.. 59. 
 
 Grant. Alfred Hall. 144; H. 
 L, 143 ;John H., 141, 143, 
 337; Margaret K. (Hall), 
 144. 
 
 Oreenwood. C. J., 152. 
 
 <;riffln, D. N., 175; James, 237. 
 
 tJriswold. Ashbel. 107, 111; 
 Caroline P. (Hull), 252; 
 D. S.. 130; Eliza (Wil- 
 liams). 383; F P., 64, 143; 
 Frederick Pratt, 251; 
 Frederick Prescott, 252; G. 
 J., 81; Harold Hull, 252; 
 J. G.. 207; L.. 207; Lewis 
 F.. 381; Martin and Sally 
 (Fowler), 381; Mira 
 
 (Rockwell), 64. 383; N. F., 
 271. 381; Samuel, 251; Sus- 
 an (Pratt, 251; Griswold 
 & Couch, 298; Griswold & 
 Lewis. 271. 
 
 ' Juenther, John. 156. 
 
 iluerieke. G.. 197. 
 
 I'.iiernsev Mrs. Jas. H., 305. 
 
 Guerrieri, Biagio, 75. 
 
 'luinan, L. A.. 182. 
 
 "luion. John M, 163. 
 
 I'.uy. Joel H., 107, 108, 11], 
 115, 124. 
 
 'frtckett, Ella. 236. 
 
 Hagadon. Wm., 71. 
 
 Ilagertv, Eleanor M.. 236: T. 
 J.. 104. 
 
 Ilaggerty. T. L., 81; Tho.':. H., 
 '<1: Wm.. 79, 80. 
 
 Hall. .\aron. 557; Alida 
 (Baker). 381; Anna G, 433: 
 Arthur E.. 70. 138: Alfred 
 H.. 141, 144; Brenton. 433, 
 •'19; Casper A., 519; Daniel. 
 46, 146; Ebenezer. 146: Edna 
 A (Mix). 371; Edward B.. 
 ««; Elizabeth (Cook), 557: 
 
 Esther Asenath (Grover), 
 370; Erwin D.. 123, 124; 
 Eugene A., 110, 121, 370, 
 373: Eugene Mix, 371; Eze- 
 kiel, 207; Fanny, 371; 
 Gertrude B. (Wetmore, 
 435; Grace, 46; Harley and 
 Martha (Cone), 369; Hir- 
 am, 121; Howard Baldwin, 
 43o; Isaac, 144: John, 369, 
 433; Mrs. John B. (Yale), 
 326; John Blakeslee, 381; 
 John P.. 46; Judson Syl- 
 vester, 381; Lois Blakeslee. 
 381; Lon R.. 123; Mary, 
 397; Mary E. (Baldwin), 
 397, 435; Noah, 171; Rufus. 
 369; Russell, 433; Samuel, 
 433, 519; Seth J., 59, 62, 64, 
 111, lis. 379: Silas B., 381; 
 Sylvester and Rosetta 
 (Johnson), 379; Theophi- 
 lus, 140; W. A., 70; W. B., 
 121; Wm. F., 123 
 
 Hallam, Pheobe A., 165. 169; 
 
 . Robt A., 160, 169. 
 
 Ham, Allen J., 571; Martha 
 (Cutter), 571. 
 
 Hannan, F. W., 173. 
 
 Hamilton. Sarah (Lines), 
 5 45. 
 
 Hanks. Ruth M., 68. 
 
 Hanley. Matt F., 106. 
 
 Hanover School, 215. 
 
 Hanson, Hans, 157, 158. 
 
 Harmon .Hazel, 236. 
 
 Harris, Abraham. 205; Anna 
 L. (Meredith). 154; Arthur 
 Emerson, 152, 153; Edna 
 M., 236. 
 
 Hart. Samuel I., 14 6. 
 
 Harvev. A. W., 82: Nathan- 
 iel, 149. 
 
 Hastings, A. Louise, 2 36. 
 
 Hatch, E. W., 70. 
 
 Havens, Mary A., 236; Ter- 
 esa B., 233. 
 
 Hawlev, Harriet Ward 
 (Poote), 321; Joe. ,321. 
 
 Havden. Harry, 111. 
 
 Hazen, F. W., 137, 138. 
 
 Heineman. C. J.. 81; Heine- 
 mann, Chas., 231. 
 
 Helin. Otto E., 202, 204; Pat- 
 rick, 237. 
 
 Henreaux. W. L., 184. 
 
 Hess. Eugenia (De Crosby). 
 451; Frederick, 449; Her- 
 man, 110, 111. 113, 121, 449; 
 Johanna (Yooke), 449; 
 Raymond P., 451; Ruth 
 Imogene. 451. 
 
 Hicks. Charles R., 366; Liz- 
 zie C. 369; Ratcliffe, 118, 
 342, 365. 
 
 Higby, Frederick A., 426; 
 Geo. O.. 77, 83; Joseph, 172; 
 Marv A.. 426. 
 
 Hi Hard, Kenneth, 104; Mar- 
 tha, 471. 
 
 Hills. Simon S., 72, 73, 75. 
 
 Hiney. J. W., 82. 
 
 Hinman. Mrs. F. E.. 139; 
 Hinman"s Private School. 
 230. 
 
 Hinsdale. C. J., 96. 
 
 Hirschfield. H. W., 48; Hen- 
 rv and August, 231; Wm. 
 H., 92. 
 
 Hirst. Harrv and James, s]. 
 
 Hitchcock, .A.. W.. 96; Caro- 
 line J., 236; E. H., 132; 
 Ella L.. 236 F. S., 66; 
 Louisa, 59; Louise A., 236; 
 Lucy E., 491. 
 
 Hoadley, Robt., 194. 
 
 Hobson, John, 80; Samuel, 
 80. 
 
 Holden, Charlotte, Grace 
 (Lucas). J Harry, Kath- 
 ryn and Kenneth \V , 195. 
 
 HoUister, C. A., 179. 
 
 Holly, Lois (Fenton), 487; 
 Perry, 487. 
 
 Holmes, Ludwig, 202. 
 
 Holmgren, -Albert. 204. 
 
 Holt. Elijah. 451; Ella M. 
 (Rice), 453; Harry H., 
 453; Irving L., 66, 87, 115, 
 119, 121, 451, 453; Nancv 
 L. (Harwood), 451 Ralph 
 G., 453. 
 
 Holtz. H., 205. 
 
 Holy Angels, Church of the, 
 185. 
 
 Home, Club, 85, 90; Realty 
 Corp., 87; National Bank, 
 113-115. 
 
 Hopkins, Margaret, 132. 
 
 Horan, Owen, 82. 
 
 Horgan, Dennis, 104; Den- 
 nis J., 81. 
 
 Hotchkiss, Bryant, 167. 
 
 Hough. Ephraim, 144; Yale 
 I., 167. 
 
 Howard, H. N., 66; Leland, 
 149. 
 
 Howe, E. G., 113; Mrs. Geo. 
 E., 5 7. 
 
 Hoyt. Melancthon, 163. 
 
 Hubbard. Abbie Ann ( Brad- 
 lev). 515; Erastus, 68, 139; 
 Walter, 41, 43. 59, 62. 64, 
 71. 110, 115, 118, 234. 605; 
 Park. 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40. 
 41. 43. 
 
 Hubbell, George A., 173. 
 
 Huber, J. C. 156; Sophia, 132. 
 
 Hughes, Arthur J., 82. 
 
 Hull. C. J.. 75; Caroline Par- 
 melee, 252; Mary, 144: P. 
 E.. 81; Wm. S., 252; Wol- 
 cott A.. 115. 
 
 Hungerford, Edw., 141. 
 
 Hupfer. O. C, 142. 
 
 Hurd. William W.. 17.8. 
 
 Hurley. John A., 101. 104. 
 119. 189. 
 
 Husted. E. W.. 152. 
 
 Hutchins. Joseph. 66. 
 
 Hvatt, Allen R., 5Sii: .\nnie 
 E. (Chalmer). 580; Blanche 
 M.. 580; Elizabeth (Curtis*. 
 578; Helen E., 580; Isaac 
 B., 80-82, 577: Isaac R.. 
 580; Jennie M. ( Bishop ». 
 580; Roswell. 578. 580: 
 Roswell B., 580; Willard 
 C, 580. 
 
 Hyde, Joseph, 90. 
 
 Hynes, Marion G.. 236. 
 
 lannetti. Pasqwale. 188. 
 Tmmanuel German Lutheran 
 
 (^hurch. 199. 
 Immich, .Adelaide L. (DnuK- 
 
 lass). 526; Ethel Corinin*. 
 
 5''6; Fave M.. 526: Henry 
 
 L.. 525: Hollis D.. .".26: 
 
 Walter Lewis. 526. 
 
1/4 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Ingersoll, Edw., 163. 
 
 Inglish, John, 81. 
 
 Isbell, Harlow, 402; R. Lee, 
 81. 
 
 Island, Howard, 104. 
 
 Ives, Alfred E. and Harriet 
 P (Stone), 414; Allna 
 (Birdsey), 299, 390; Amasa 
 and Rebecca, 391; Amos, 
 43; Angelina (Pomeroy), 
 271; Anne E., 415; Annie, 
 139; Charles, 144; Charles 
 Jr., 144; Dwight S., 415; 
 Eli, 3, 59; Elizabeth and 
 Carrie, 39 3; EUena Lucy, 
 393; Emma S. (Butler), 
 415; Eva (Kay), 577; Fan- 
 nie R., 236; Frederick W., 
 388; George W., 393; Mrs. 
 I. O., 236; Joel, 144; Joel 
 B.. 415; Joel S., 414; John, 
 113, 123, 299, 388; Mrs. 
 John, 57, 58; L., 144J^; L. 
 H., 93; Leland Howard, 390; 
 Lucy J. (Birdsey), 393; 
 Othniel, 146, 388; Phineas 
 T., 577; Reuben, 160; Ros- 
 etta (Yale). 388; Sarah, 
 144; Sarah (Yale), 388; 
 Titus. 146; Watrous and 
 Pollv Yale). 391; "Wealthy 
 Sage (Merwin), 390; Wil- 
 liam B., 110, 393; William 
 J., 71, 391; Worcester, 
 144; School District, 219. 
 
 Jennings, Caroline J. (Al- 
 len). 558; Russell, 148. 
 
 Jerome, E. M., 152. 
 
 Jewish Synagogue, 205. 
 
 Joel, Ed., 153. 
 
 Johnson, Chauncey G., 125; 
 E. G., 97; Emily H., 139; 
 Gustav H., 204; J. Adolph, 
 204; Martin, 204. 
 
 Johnston, John Wesley, 173. 
 
 Journal Pub. Co., 126-133. 
 
 Judge, William J., 191. 
 
 Kane, John, 237. 
 Kaschubey, Albert, 77. 
 Kates, James, 237. 
 Katt, John W., 198. 
 Kavanaugh, W. E., 104. 
 Kav, Frank E., 153, 577: Jas. 
 
 f., 153, 576; Mary A. 
 
 (Goodrich), 577. 
 Kearney, Richard B., 83. 
 Kearns, Thos., 83. 
 Keating. Alice and Annie, 
 
 596; Annie (MoUoy), 597; 
 
 Michael, 189, 596; Richard 
 
 and Alice, 596; Keating & 
 
 Hurley, 596. 
 Keegan, David T., 106. 
 Keeler, James, 163. 
 Keena, Nellie, 236. 
 Keenan, Arthur, 132. 
 Kellogg, S. W., 113. 
 Kelly, David, 238; Lillian M. 
 
 (Lee), 238; Wm. P., 208, 
 
 209, 237; Wm. P., Jr.. 238. 
 Kelsev, Charles, 173; Fannie 
 
 W., 236; William A., 133, 
 
 135, 136. 
 Kennard. Justina C. 397. 
 Kenworthy. James 81. 
 Keohane, Dennis, 68. 
 Kettelhut. Herman, 198. 
 Kibbe, Annie E. (Webb), 
 
 586; Frank M., 585; F. M. 
 
 & Co., 586; H W., Mr. and 
 
 Mrs., 6b 
 Kiernan, M S., 132. 
 Kilbourne, Mrs. Frederick 
 
 W., 296. 
 Kimball, Charles, 72, 74, 75. 
 King. Ada F. (Wright), 574; 
 
 King, C. W., 90, 346; Chas. 
 
 A., 1 3, 110, 344; E. M., 572; 
 
 Emma M., 237; Francis, 
 
 111; Geo. L., 573; Henry T., 
 
 43, 91, 571; Joseph, 237; 
 
 Josephine (Morse), 573; P. 
 
 J., 572; Selena J., 237; 
 
 Street School, 216, 217; 
 
 Thomas, 209; Walter A., 
 
 346. 
 Kingsiev, C. L., 6S; Horace 
 
 W., 153. 
 Kirtland, W. J., 76. 
 Kiser, Gustave, 81. 
 Kjall, G., 157. 
 Knapp, Lena, 201. 
 Knickerbocker, C A., 195. 
 Knorr, F., 156. 
 Koepchen, William, 197. 
 Kohier, W., 158. 
 Kooreman, Cornelius J., 62. 
 Kopske, John, Jr., 187. 
 Kost, Ignacious, 187. 
 Krafft, A., 197, 232. 
 Kreft, Meta, 200. 
 Kruezberger, B., 66. 
 Kugge, Mrs. Andrew, 204; 
 
 Gustav, 204. 
 Kuntze, August, 604; Carl, 
 
 602, 604; Eliza, 604; Eliz- 
 abeth (Schwab), 604; Geo., 
 
 «04; Harold, 604; Helen, 
 
 604; Herman, 604; Julius, 
 
 602; Ludwig, 604; Theresa 
 
 (Weiss), 602. 
 
 Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society, 
 
 24. 25. 
 Lajoie, F. A., 104; Joseph N,. 
 
 75. 
 Lally, Minnie, 237. 
 Lamb, D. T., 132. 
 Landfear, Miss, School 230; 
 
 Miss A. E., 57. 
 Landrigan, James J., 73, 74, 
 
 75, 104; Margaret, 237. 
 Lane, Arthur S., 110, 138, 
 
 292, 496; B. B., 348; Carrie 
 
 E. (Shove), 139, 497; Dan- 
 iel P.. 290; E. H., 153; E. 
 Le Roy, 292; Gertrude 
 i^^mma, 497; Grace Louise 
 497; Harrv C. and Bessie 
 
 F. (Curtis), 117: Harry C, 
 272; Howard, 153; John S., 
 119, 289, 290; John S. & 
 Son, 91, 496; John S. & 
 Son, Incorp, 290, 292; John, 
 W., 90; Mary B., 236; 
 Quarry Co., 292; Samuel 
 v., 497. 
 
 Lansing, I. J., 173. 
 
 Larson, Anna S. (Mattson), 
 
 159; Chas. Edwin, 159; 
 
 Robert, 158; Rolf Osmund. 
 
 159. 
 Lathe, Levi L. and Francis 
 
 (Marble), 335. 
 Lawlor, Marfin P., 180. 
 Learned. Charles A., 70, 110. 
 Lee. George, 79; Mary J. 
 
 (Carrington), 594; Melvin 
 
 C. and Esther (Guy), 305; 
 William .Wallace, 593, 594; 
 
 Lego, Julius A., 80. 
 
 Leiberman, S., 206. 
 
 Leonard, G. E., 193; R. C, 
 Mr and Mrs., 68. 
 
 Lester, H. H, 153. 
 
 Levi, Nancy, 59. 
 
 Lewis, Ave. School, 217; 
 Catherine T., 455; Chas. D., 
 74, 75; E. R., 153; Frank 
 B., 165; Harriet A., 455; 
 Harriet (Pomeroy), 271; 
 Henry J., 271, 273; Isaac 
 C, 59, 86, 107, 118, 144, 
 192, 193, 194, 234, 271, 
 354; Esther (Beaumont), 
 354; Island, 271; Jared, 71, 
 311; J. P., 193; John 1'., 
 455; Margaret (Flynn), 
 455; Nancy M., 356; Par- 
 trick, 121; Mrs. Partrick, 
 
 172; William, 118, 189, 453. 
 
 Liberty Street School, 218, 
 219. 
 
 Library Whist Club, 49. 
 
 Liddy, M. J., 78. 
 
 Lincoln. Julius, 203. 
 
 Lindh O., 157. 
 
 Lines, Edwin Stevens, 538; 
 
 H. Wales, 57, 59, 64, 110. 
 119, 121, 539, 545; Harriet 
 (Bunnell), 539; Henry W.. 
 539; Sarah C. (Munger), 
 545; The H. Wales Co., 
 540. 
 
 Linsley, Chas. F., 86. IT?' 
 Mrs. C. F., 59, 139. 517; 
 Jessie, 557; Mark M., 75; 
 Noah, 216; Noah A., 124; 
 Nellie, 57; Randolph, 118, 
 175. 556; S. F.. 75; Tem- 
 perance J. (Bush), 556; 
 Thos. and Wm. B., 557. 
 
 Lissee, N., 182. 
 
 Little, Alice L. (Brown), 
 482; Ann (Warren), 481; 
 Burton Elbert, 483; Clay- 
 ton E. :, 482; Clinton E., 
 482; Edna M., 482: Flora 
 L.. 482; Harold S., 482: 
 Harriet N. (Palmer), 481: 
 Hubert, 70, 481; Martha 
 L. (Williams), 482: Sax- 
 ton B., 234; Thomas, 481: 
 Thomas S., 482; Williams 
 B., 481; somers & Hyatt, 
 481, 578. 
 
 Litlejohn, Abram L.. 164. 
 
 Lockwood, Lewis E.^ 141, 
 
 Logan, John W., 137. 
 
 Loomis. Avaline E. (Brown) 
 457; Daniel. 455; Edw. H.. 
 68: Emilv A., 457: Freder- 
 ick B., 457; Frederick P., 
 455; Joseph, 455: Mary A. 
 (Porter). 455: Mary E., 
 457: William C, 455; Wil- 
 liam E., 457. 
 
 Lord. Albert J., 137, 139; 
 Maude E. (Phillips), 139; 
 Phillips H, 139. 
 
 Lounsburv. Cook, 331. 
 
 Loveland. C. D., 75. 
 
 Lubv, John, 78. 
 
 Lucas, Geo. M.. 70. 11». 
 Grace, 195; Wallace R.. "7: 
 Wm. C, 82. ^ .., 
 
 Lucchini, Arthur C, S"- 
 Edith (Coe), John R., Ma- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 '/:> 
 
 rie Paul and Peter. 593, 
 60-1: Victor E., 600, 602. 
 
 huft, John. 156. 
 
 Lundstrum, C. J., 204. 
 
 Lyman, Andrew and Anna 
 (Hall). 298; Fruit Jar, 
 298; Roxanna G. (Frary), 
 298; William W., 296, 297, 
 "98. 
 
 Lynch. Daniel. 104; Jere- 
 miah. 104; John T., 189, 
 192; Mary A., 236. 
 
 Lvon. C. L., Mrs.. 139; Caro 
 '\ 49; D. T, 81; Elizabeth, 
 132; G W.. 76, 322; W. H. 
 86. 117. 118, 119, 136. 317; 
 Mrs. W. H., 59; Lyon & Bil- 
 lard, 322 
 
 V, Edith P., 236. 
 
 ■ urer. Peter, 231. 
 
 .: .^iiire. T. H., Mr. and Mrs., 
 
 (>6. 
 Mahon, Katherine E.. 236; 
 
 Thomas, 278. 
 Main St. Baptist Church, 
 
 150-154. 
 \i(nlev. May. 237. 
 :.riiiiK. E. B., 64. 
 1 sfieUl. Mrs. C. J.. 59. 
 
 ■ ion, John C. 193. 
 kwick. W. F., 175. 
 onde, Albert, 198. 
 
 .>i,iriiuardt, John J.. 79. 
 Marshall. Wm., 80; W. H.. 
 132. 
 i Martin. K. A., 202. 
 Marvin. E Lyman, 256, 258; 
 Susan B. (Barber), 256. 
 iMaschmever. August, 73, 
 
 3.^8: Edward, 358. 
 jMa.son. A. F., 149. 
 Mather. A. B.. 48. 58, 167, 
 ' 209. 227. 233, 263. 
 jMatoon, Jerusha, 144. 
 iMatteson. E. B., 92. 
 iMatthews, Anson, 311. 
 May. Albert A., 83; Hustin 
 and Nufflet (Dupheney), 
 
 L *^'^- 
 
 wavnard, Daniel H., 90; W. 
 
 I H. A.. 89. 90. 
 
 Mr-Alenney. Paul F.. 181, 185. 
 
 74, 
 
 IMcAlllster, Wm.. 173. 
 McCarthy. Jeremiah J 
 I 7.^; Oliver. 81. 
 M.Cauley, Kate, 66. 
 McGivney, J. J., 182. 
 Mi(;overn. John J.. 74, 75. 
 MfGrath, Patrick, 80. 
 He-Grew. G. H.. 173. 
 K<-Gulre, Charles, 189. 
 .!• Hugh. John A.. 209. 
 
 'ntee. Katherine A., 
 
 Kenzie. T. E.. 92. 
 
 '-onphlin. John T., 
 ilHan J.. 236. 
 
 ■lahon, J. J., 189; 
 
 •■•It. 1S2; Thomas. 237. 
 
 Ma.sfers. Wells. 90. 
 
 I'arthind. Frank. 77. 
 
 \\epnev. John, 189, 190 
 
 K_ Society, Hanover Dist. 
 
 "I. Nathaniel, 173. 
 kes. .Amelia C. 68. 
 
 • K«. ^Vrthur D., 88; Flor- 
 j-iire (Austin). 253 266 
 JHarold A.. 64. 66, 252, 266 
 *tklem, John, 81. 
 
 236. 
 189; 
 Lau- 
 
 Meriden; Academical Asso., 
 231; Bank, 110; Club, 85; 
 Daily Journal 126, 133; 
 Fire Arms Co., 121; Fur- 
 niture Co., 58o; Grain & 
 Feed Co.. 280; Grays, 5; 
 Golf Club Course, 421; 
 High School, 225, 226; 
 Hospital. 59-64; Institute, 
 216, 230; Lig-ht Guards, 3; 
 Morning Record, 133-136; 
 National Bank, 110; Opera 
 House. 83, 103; Republican, 
 133; Savings Bank. 107- 
 110; Trust & Safe Deposit 
 Co.. IS; Wheel Club, 90-92. 
 Merimere, Lake, 43. 
 Merriam, Amasa, 167; Asaph, 
 167, 172; C. A.. 79; E. R.. 
 75; Geo. C , 362; Helen R. 
 (Bradley), 57, 58, 59, 364; 
 Joseph, 162, 167; Nelson 
 and Rosetta, 362; Robt. J., 
 70, 365; Mrs. Rufus. 59; 
 Ruth K.. 365. 
 Merriman, Mrs. E. A., 58; Eli 
 I., 68; Howell, 107. 113; 
 Ira and Elizabeth, 330. 
 
 Messner, J., 81. 
 
 Meyers, Henry. 156. 
 
 Miles. Almeron. 121. 459; 
 Caroline (Lawrence), 459; 
 Thos. A., 137; W^allace A., 
 121, 223, 302, 459. 
 
 Miller, A.. 232; Arthur E.. 70; 
 Arthur H.. 581; Bros. Cut- 
 lery Co., 580; C. A., 81; D. 
 Henry, 3, 149; Edw., 110, 
 115, 119, 155; Edw. Jr., 
 118; Geo. W., 50, 383, 580; 
 H. H., 71, 110; Harvey, 
 149, 231, 411; Horace, 90; 
 Horace G.. 385; I. Burton, 
 90; Ida L., 124, 581; Jane 
 A. (Havens), 580; Joel, 
 147; Lewis A.. 90, 110, 385; 
 Lydia M. (Tucker). 385; 
 Max E.. 90. 385; Samuel, 
 148, 149, 411; Sarah R. 
 (Ives). 412; William H., 
 118, 123, 125. 144, 385, 580. 
 
 Mills. R. E.. 153. 
 
 Milner, Chas.. 81. 
 
 Minchin, Wm. H, 125 
 
 Minkwitz. Henrv 132. 
 
 Mitchell Asaph. 144. 
 
 Mix. Ethel H.. 236; Helen S.. 
 236; John W^. 371; Samuel. 
 144; Silas, 110. 
 
 Moelman. Henrv, 155. 
 
 Moffatt, John E., 80. 
 
 Molloy. Richard J. and Nel- 
 lie J. (Pomeroy), 433. 
 
 Monroe. C. F., 86. 87; John 
 A.. 173. 
 
 Montgomery, E. L, 97. 236. 
 
 Moody. Emma Jen'nette (Al- 
 len). 55 8. 
 
 Moonev. E. T.. 104. 
 
 Moore, M. B.. 231 ; R. F., 186. 
 
 Morehouse, Allison F., 268; 
 Andrew C. 268; Cornelia 
 rCanfield). 267; Cvrus A.. 
 267; Henry L., 87, 267; 
 Mattie C. and Franklin 
 L.. 268; Bros. Co.. 268. 
 
 Morgan. Alice A.. 398; Sam- 
 uel B.. 107, 124; Wm. H.. 
 581. 
 
 Moriarty, Mary J., 237. 
 
 Morris, J. Frank, 132. 
 
 Morrisseau. L., 182. 
 
 Morrissey, M. F., 104, 189. 
 
 Morse. Charles P, 467; Eva 
 L., 519; F. A., 92; Geo. N., 
 83, 519; Harley and Har- 
 riet, 57, 517; John, 110; 
 John P., 53; Joseph, 53, 
 517, 573; Josephine M., 
 Lila E., Lucy A. (HallK 
 and Lucy M., 519; Levi, 
 76; Morse & Cook, 128, 
 129. 
 
 Moses, Linus, 82. 
 
 Mosber, Anna M. (Wooster), 
 494; Benjamin Weaver, 
 494; Cyntliia A. (Frary , 
 495; Hugh .494; Katherine 
 Eugenia (Smith), 496; W. 
 R., 496; William W., 53. 
 56, 58, 124, 136, 167, 263, 
 494. 
 
 MOS.S. E. B.. 58, 167. 
 
 Mossman. Mabel G., 236. 
 
 Mueller, Agnes (Yost), 571 J 
 Carl Howard, 571; W'illiam 
 Carl. 571. 
 
 Munger. Louisa (Nichols), 
 545; Washington. 545. 
 
 Munson, Cyrus, 163; Thomas, 
 308. 
 
 Murdock. Alice C. Carter, 
 411; Bennet B.. 411; Chas. 
 Z., 411; Family. 408 F. L.. 
 87, 88, 499; George B.. lid, 
 411; George P.. Harriet E. 
 (Graves). Harriet J. and 
 Mary E.. 411; Z. K. and 
 Harriet M. (Bronson), 409. 
 
 Murray. Charles, 104. 
 
 Nagel, Caroline L., 236; John 
 G.. 110; Miss M., 232; Mar- 
 guerite, 198. 
 
 Nash, Albert, 173. 
 
 Nettleton. Charles H. and 
 Katherine (.Arnold), 284. 
 
 Neuman. H. F.. 92. 
 
 Newell. Flora J.. 236; Susan 
 F.. 236. 
 
 Newton. Samuel, 539. 
 
 Noble. J. G. .152. 
 
 North. Curtis L.. 107, 410; 
 Broad St. School. 214; Cen- 
 ter School. 214; Colony 
 School. 217; East School 
 District. 213; West School 
 District. 213. 
 
 Norton, Anna. 236 Gen. B., 
 484; J. S. Jr.. 113; Maria 
 (Chalker). 484. 
 
 Norwood. .Wirahnm. 228. 
 
 Now;ik. John. 233. 
 
 Oakley. F. H.. 113. 
 O'Brien. Julia. 66; Mary. 
 
 236; Maurice. 110; Patrick 
 
 T. 574; Thos. P., 106: 
 
 Thos. J.. 106. 
 O'Connor. Tho.s. F. 80. 
 Oe'ine-er. E J.. 81; Jacob. SI; 
 
 William, 81. 
 O'Donnell. Nellie T., 236. 
 Ohl. George. 97. 
 Old Road School Dist. 217. 
 Olive Branch Mission. 149. 
 OReillev, Hugh. 179; Phillip. 
 
 179. 
 Otis. Albert L.. 72; F. G., 70. 
 Oughton. Robert, 7.".. SI. 82. 
 
176 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 
 Church, 188. 
 
 Owen, Alice Gary and Eliza- 
 beth J. (Barlow), 261; 
 Evan, 259, 260; F. P., Mr. 
 and Mrs.. 66; Grace Eliza- 
 beth, 261; Llewellyn, 260; 
 Richard A., 128, 131, 132, 
 260; Sarah (.Pryce), 260; 
 Owen & Bibeau, 128. 261. 
 
 Paddock, Blanche J.. 236; 
 Julia B. (Beach), 286. 
 
 Page, Benjamin, 53, 58, 110, 
 113, 167, 223, 294, 295, 296; 
 Charles, 150; Jennie, 48, 
 49; Marg-aret A. (Cook), 
 59, 296; Sarah E. (Mer- 
 riam), 294. 
 
 Pag-nam, Nellie A., 236. 
 
 Palmer, Annie, 57; C. C, 
 66; Charles Scranton, 493; 
 Maude Elizabeth (Hendey), 
 494; Ralph A. and Sarah 
 A 493. 
 
 Pardee, D. E., 237; L C, 121. 
 
 Parish, J. H., 66, 68. 
 
 Park Ave. Mission, 149. 
 
 Parker, Abi Lewis (Eddy), 
 316; Ave. School, 214, 215; 
 Betsey, 172; Charles, o9, 
 68, 107, 118, 144, 171, 172. 
 178, 310, 311. 312, 314, 316; 
 Charles E. ,316; Dexter W., 
 118, 313, 315, 316, 317; Ed- 
 mund, 144, 311; Edwin, 
 171; P. H., 66; George A., 
 262; Geo. W., 316; J. P., 
 75; John, 144, 171, 178, 221, 
 
 226, 231, 316; John H., 262, 
 263; Laura A., 236; Laura 
 Albertina, 264; Laura L. 
 (Conant), 262; Mary E. 
 (Balcom), 264; Rebecca 
 Stone (Ray), 311; Rob- 
 ert Lane, 264; Sallie 
 (Twiss, 311; Wilbur, 316; 
 Wilbur P.. 113; Engine 
 Co , 78; Hose Co., 79. 
 
 Parks, Alton, 204. 
 
 Parmalee, John D., 178. 
 
 Parmelee, Leander, 470. 
 
 Parrv. E. C, 132. 
 
 Patzer, Albert, 231. 
 
 Payne, Laura L., 498. 
 
 Pease, Elizabeth De K., 236; 
 Emma S. ,236: Prank, 237. 
 
 Peck, Ebenezer, 600; Hannah 
 K., 49, 58; Harriet L. 
 (Lines), 545; John L., 173; 
 Leah, 144. 
 
 Pegg, John, Jr., 173. 
 
 Pelton, Phillip S., 193. 
 
 Pender, Adelaide R., 210. 
 
 Renders, John F., 132. 
 
 Penfield. H. B.. 77. 
 
 Pepin, Oswald D., 106. 
 
 Perkins, Charles, 540; Chas. 
 and Eunice (Smith), 413; 
 Charles S., 115, 413.; Ed- 
 gar J., 458: Elisha, 458; 
 Ellie M. (Smith) and How- 
 ard, 459: James M, 458; 
 Laura (Bloodgood), 414; 
 Rusell. 149; Simeon, 160, 
 167; W. S., 192, 195; Per- 
 kins & Line.s. 540. 
 
 Pettee, John T., 172, 173, 
 
 227, 233; Marietta R. 
 (Clark), 57. 
 
 Phelps ,1. Newton, 170. 
 
 Pierce. A. C, 249; Bessie 
 (Hubbard), 250; Eibridge 
 W., 64, 86, 249; Hiram, 218; 
 Sarah (Beers), 248. 
 
 Pierson, Aaron, 264; Antoi- 
 nette R. P., 266; D. L., 
 Guy R. P. and Hannah P. 
 (Latimer), 266; Mary C. 
 (Ogden), 264; Mindwell 
 
 (Hastings) (Glazier), 266; 
 Stephen C. 264. 
 
 Pinks, Beula Warren, 530; 
 Charles H., 139, 528; Ed- 
 win C, 528: Ida K., 528; 
 Lillian B. (Smith), 530; 
 Sophia C, 528; Stanley B. 
 and Vera L., 530. 
 
 Plainville Camp Ground, 179. 
 
 Piatt, Harriet W.. 390; Jas. 
 P., 53, 110, 209; Orville H., 
 3, 50, 76, 81, 234, 440. 
 
 Plumb, Private School, 230; 
 Seth D., 146. 
 
 Pomeroy, Chas., 193, 270, 
 271; Charles L.. 433; Cor- 
 nelia, 271; Delila F., 
 (Guild), 433; Eliphalet, 
 271; Hattie (Hasen), 271; 
 James T., 193, 271. 432; N. 
 "W.. 193: Nancy, 271; Nan- 
 cy (Merriman), 271, 356; 
 Noah, 107, 144, 193, 268, 
 270, 356, 432; Norman, 271: 
 William H, 433. 
 
 Pooley, E. J., 90, 92. 
 
 Porter, John B., 455. 
 
 Post Office, 121-125. 
 
 Potter, Hugh, 491; Potter, 
 Shipman & Lewis, 299. 
 
 Powers, C C, 97. 
 
 Pratt, Geo. S., 70; Henry S., 
 234; Julius, 68, 107, 113; 
 Llewellyn, 137. 
 
 Prattsville School District, 
 214. 
 
 Preston, Elizabeth, 547; 
 Elizabeth (Clark). 550; 
 Emily, 435; Ira, 435; John 
 H., 547; Lucius, 547. 
 
 Prince, M. W., 173. 
 
 Pritchard, Roger, 303. 
 
 Private Schools, 230-233. 
 
 Proutv, Henrv and Parmelia 
 (Roberts), 238; Jennie W., 
 239; ^Willis J., 90, 93, 234, 
 236, 238. 
 
 Pryba, A., 233. 
 
 Puffer, Edwin A. ,74, 75. 
 
 Quested, William M.. Ill, 
 
 498. 
 Quinn, Thomas, 179. 
 
 Raarup, Theresa C 236. 
 Ragon, Ollie E., 237. 
 Rahaley, Henrietta L., 236; 
 
 John, 81; Mary M., 236. 
 Railroad School District, 
 
 217. 
 Rand. Mary I., 68; Phillip, 
 
 C, 378, 390; Mrs. Philip 
 
 C, 50. 
 Randall. A. T., 53, 56, 58, 
 
 165, 167, 168, 169; Mrs. A. 
 
 T., 57. 58: H. C 167; Mary 
 
 L. (Davis), 167. 
 Range, John, 172. 
 Rapelye, Andrew, 581; An- 
 toinette, 581: Frederick 
 
 D., 581; Lucy (Fellows), 
 581. 
 
 Raven, John F., 302. 
 
 Ray, B. P., 591; Ella A. 
 (Griswold), 383; Eugene 
 H., 383; Flora B., 236; 
 Mary A., 591. 
 
 Reama, Hugo, 66. 
 
 Rebstock, Christopher, 81; 
 Emil, 80. 
 
 Redfleld, William, 308. 
 
 Reed, Rose G., 64. 
 
 Rees, Wm. H, 77. 
 
 Reilly, Agnes, 449; Arthur, 
 449; Katherine, 449; Lew- 
 is, 132; Louis, 449; Marie 
 E. (Rowen), 447; Mary, 
 449; Robert, 449; Rose, 
 449; Thomas L., 48, 96, 
 104, 126, 447, 449. 
 
 Republican Pub. Co, 133. 
 
 Rettman, Lena, 236. 
 
 Revnolds, Curtis W;, 170; 
 Edith E., 236; G. W., 170; 
 Grace C., 236; J. Edward, 
 70: John M., 78; M. G., 
 189; T E., 103. 
 
 Rice, Abbie C, 249; Mrs. Al- 
 bert, 436; Anna C, 236; 
 Chas. P., 170; Ezekiel, 46; 
 Oliver, 249; Robt. J., 90. 
 W. B., 142. 
 
 Richmond, Florence M., 237; 
 John L., 271. 
 
 Ridlev, Joseph, 170. 
 
 Riecke, Augusta F., 236. 
 
 Roark, Thos. J, 80. 
 
 Roarke, Edw. 82. 
 
 Roberge, Joseph A.. 93, 96 
 
 Roberts, John D., 77, 81, 83 
 
 Robertson, Harold C, 68. 
 
 Robinson, Florence G., 237 
 W. J., 58, 118, 167; Mrs. W, 
 J., 58. 
 
 Rockwell, Chas. E, 539 
 Charles F., 118, 470 
 Chas. L., 64, 115, 117, 118 
 119, 537, 539; Curtis, 77 
 Francis A., 254, 537; Geo. 
 254: George, Jr., 256 
 Louise (Taylor). 470 
 Mary L. (Everest), 64 
 539; Marv (Lee), 254, 537 
 539; Minnie F. (Battles) 
 256: Samuel, 383; Sher 
 burne. 256; William F 
 467. 
 
 Rodier M. J, 184 
 
 Roeth, Henry A and Wife, 
 2 31; Ida S, 236.- 
 
 Rogers, Block, 72; Burton 
 C. 512: Cephas B., 115, 117, 
 118, 503: Elam H., 503: 
 Elizabeth (Rowland). 506: 
 Elizabeth (Tryon), 503: 
 Estelle Victorine, 509: Eu- 
 gene C, 509; Geo. F., 96. 97 
 Geo. "W., 124; Gilbert. 118- 
 506: Ichabod, 506; Mabel 
 E., 509: Margaret (Clark). 
 506: Marv J. (Corbin). 
 512; .Ralph G., 509; Wil- 
 bur F. 509; Zula Eliza- 
 beth, 512. 
 
 Rohan, Jeremiah and Rich- 
 ard, 104. 
 
 Rohnstrom, A., 157, 158. 
 
 Rollins, Frank. 179. 
 
 Ropes, David N., 107. 
 
 Roselius, Wm., Jr.. 80. 
 
 Rowley. A. J., 153. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ^17 
 
 Kufletli. Herman, 198 
 
 Kussell. Edmund and Jane, 
 4''6- J. W., 144: Nellie P., 
 23fi: VV. H., 104. 
 
 Rust, T. S.. 90. ^ 
 
 Rutherford, J. L-, lO 
 
 Rutty, Ezra, 147. 
 
 Kyan. Caroline A.. 236; Em- 
 ma P.. 236: Helena E.. 237; 
 John T., 80; Katherine E., 
 :36. 
 
 Sacred Heart Cemetery, 181. 
 
 182. 
 Sage. David, 292; Russell, 
 
 2H2: William. 292. 
 Saleski, Anne (Reichardt). 
 
 479: .\nton A.. 476; Au- 
 
 !<ust, 232: August B., 476; 
 
 Charles M.. 476; Charles 
 
 Wilhelm. 476; Eugene, 479; 
 
 Frank, '476; Gustav W.. 
 
 476: Henrietta, 479: Mary 
 
 (Lietz). 476; Paul T., 187. 
 
 476; Philip. 479. 
 Saltonstall. H. W., 107. 
 Sands. Alice L. (Brasee), 
 
 503; Anna B. 503; Clara 
 
 L., ."),t9: Frank E., 86, 87, 
 
 126. .")00; Jesse, 132, 500, 
 
 ".59; Mary M. (Turner), 
 
 ,".00, 559. 
 Sanford, Elias and N. C, 
 
 207. 
 ■ ntaus. John H., 79. 
 
 rilla. Victorio 188. 
 
 vage, A. B., '139; E. C 
 
 n6; Geo. E., 110. 113; H. 
 
 S.. 93. 96; Mary H. 236. 
 Sawyer. C. C, Mr. and Mrs., 
 
 OS. 
 
 ■ienck M .B.. 110, 209. 
 
 ■ileitef, H L., 118, 170. 
 imelzer, August. 62. 64. 
 19. 231, 48S, 595; Edgar 
 
 i:.. 488. 
 Schmidt. G. A.. 197. 
 Schneider, Nicholas F. X., 
 
 187. 
 jSchoenrock. Carl. 198. 
 Schroeder. Karl, 198. 
 ' S' huerer, Herman F., 74, 75. 
 
 •iwah. Andrew 156. 
 >\varz. Edward. 198. 
 iwink, J. J., 237. 
 'field. Frank A.. 173. 
 ■tt, Harold, ll.T 
 'Vil, Eleazer, 329: James, 
 29. 
 
 ir'.e.'s John C 173. 
 
 ■ ley, Anna G. (Lee>. 305; 
 
 Arthur D.. 305; Frank G., 
 
 ■:o5; Geo. S.. 58. 70. 73, 121, 
 
 '67. 303, 304. 305. 
 
 • ry. Christopher. 78: Wm., 
 
 "'?. 
 
 idensticker. Georgia, 236: 
 
 May, 237. 
 
 •i>, H. W., Mrs.. 139 
 n-lka, Chas L, 79. 
 pemrau. Frank A. 106 John 
 ' F. 106. 
 
 " .indaroski. Marv 68. 
 iw. P.ichard. 81.' 
 
 •pherd. Geo. N. .77. 83 
 •;'iOve, Oliver P, 497. 
 pills. Elias T. 497; Wino- 
 
 gene (Pavne). 498. 
 Plmons. Nellie E. 237. 
 fiskind. Abraham'. 205. 
 
 Sjoquist, J Alfred, 202. 
 
 Slater. Alice A., 236. 
 
 Small, Marion, 492. 
 
 Smiley, E E, 193 
 
 Smith, Anna M. (Hanly) 
 485: David, 248, 585; Da- 
 vid P., 249; Edward Wier, 
 64, 248, 249, 250; Edwin 
 E., 135, 136; Mrs.: Edwin 
 
 B. (Lee), 594; Fannie E. 
 (Beach), 484; Fidelia A. 
 (Parker), 585; Fidelia Par- 
 ker, 248; Frank D., 110; 
 121; F. W., Drug Co.. 586; 
 Geo. W., 118; Gershom B., 
 547; H. D., 216, 231; Harry 
 H., llS; Helen B. (Rice). 
 249 Henry G., 239; John 
 
 C, 113: Loyal, 484; Mar- 
 ion R.. 249; N. C. 79: Rog- 
 er. 178; Sereno D., 484; T. 
 M., 81. 496; W. E., 142; 
 ^Vm. M., 530; Mrs. W. R., 
 292. 
 
 Soldiers' Thanksgiving Din- 
 ner, 25. 
 
 South. Broad St. School, 215; 
 Center School, 224; East 
 District School, 220, 224; 
 West School District, 212, 
 213; Meriden M. E. Ch'ch, 
 177. 
 
 Southwick. Daniel F.. 553; 
 Emma L. (Thompson). 
 554; Frank T., 553; Lau- 
 rence F. C. C, 554; Sarah 
 J. (Camp), 555. 
 
 Spanish-American War. 30- 
 3'^ 
 
 Spencer, John. 79; P. A. 153. 
 
 Sciuire. A. B.. 87; Agnes D. 
 (Curtis). 52; W. H.. Mrs.. 
 139: Wilbur H. 90. 91, 97. 
 124, 586; W. H. & Co. and 
 The W. H. Co.. 587; Wil- 
 liam L., 5S7. 
 
 St.. Andrew's Parish. 56, 159; 
 Bridget's Convent. 181, 188, 
 191: Cyr. N. J.. 104; Cyr 
 Z. J.. 184; Jean the Bap- 
 tiste Society, 82; John's 
 Lutheran Church, 195-199; 
 Joseph's Church and Par- 
 ish, 189; Joseph's Paroch- 
 ial School, 191; Laurent's 
 Cemetery, 184; Laurent's 
 Church, 182, 187, 188: Lau- 
 rent's Parochial School, 
 184: Mary's Church, 187; 
 Patrick's Cemeterv, 181; 
 Paul's Church, 192; Rose's 
 Church, 179 182. 
 
 Stanley. Geo.' J.. 210; Lot, 
 471: Lucy. 471; Rhoda 
 (Wads worth). 471. 
 
 Starkev. H. L.. 81. 
 
 State Reform S?hool, 64. 
 
 States. James N.. 66. 
 
 Steam. Mill Lumber Co.. 342; 
 Power First Tntioduced. 
 311. 
 
 Steere, Martin J.. 195. 
 
 Sternber,g, Clias. and Elise 
 F.. 198. 
 
 Stetson. Albert L.. 90; J. 
 W., 237. 
 
 Stevens. A L., 435: Ashahel 
 A., 141. 231; B. F. 193: B. 
 R.. 193; Eunice. 476; 
 Frank A, 62, 90. 110. 121 ; 
 
 Harry A., 90; J. B., 75; 
 
 Jane (Morris), 568; Josh- 
 ua. 568; Julia E. (Beech- 
 
 er), 435; Philander, 476. 
 Stevenson. Mrs. Francis, 59. 
 Stewart, Darling, 171. 
 Stickel. John, 79. 
 Stiies, Truman, 75. 
 Stockburger, Andrew. 154. 
 
 156: Andrew. Jr., 156. 
 Stockdale, F. B., 173; Geo., 
 
 174; Ruth, 174; Sarah A. 
 
 (Machin), 174. 
 Stockder, C. E., 88; C. E.. 
 
 Jr. 209; Mrs. C. H. 64. 
 Stocking. Sabura S., 163. 
 Stokes. Joseph S., 64. 
 Stone, H. R., 66. 
 Storr.s, H. W.. 9 7. 
 Stow, Eugenia (Pomerov), 
 
 271, 
 Stowe Horace W.. 92. 
 Stowell, Clarise, 68. 
 Street, Betsey (Scott), 4 62; 
 
 James, 462. 
 Strickland, H. G., 81. 
 Sullivan, M. F., 104. 
 Sutliff, James A 426; James 
 
 R., 426; Joh'n, 59, 426; 
 
 Mary A. (Dayton). 426; 
 
 Rebecca (Miles). 426. 
 Sutterlin, L. H., 81. 
 Suzio, Leonardo, 188. 
 Swan Oliver, 64. 
 Swedish Lutheran Church. 
 
 201. 
 Swenson, Bernard, 66. 157; 
 
 Gustaf, 202; John E, 157. 
 
 158. 
 Swift & Co., 351. 
 Sword. A. P.. 158. 
 
 Tait. John. 117, 118. 
 
 Tappert. C. R., 199: Ernest 
 T., 201; Gustave 201. 
 
 Taylor J. B., 23'7: Joseph, 
 113; Sabra K.. 237; Ste- 
 phen. 111. 
 
 Teevens, J., 179. 
 
 Thayer, Annie S. (Dever- 
 eux), 139, 566; Augustine, 
 564; Electa (Fairchild). 
 564; John Q. 564; J. V.. 
 193; William D.. 74. 75. 
 
 Theime, F. L.. 153. 
 
 Third Congregational Ch'ch, 
 206. 
 
 Thomas, Anthony S., 423; 
 C. H., 79: Emma J. < Ru.«- 
 sell). 426; J .J. 79; John 
 W. and Mahala, 423. 
 
 Thompson. B. I. ,77; Chas.. 
 E., 262; George H.. 262; 
 John Rhey, 173; Minnie 
 (Edgerton), 5i5; William 
 H. 261. 262. 
 
 Thoren. Bwald. 202. 
 
 'I'hui'sday Morning Ciub, 48. 
 
 Tibbals. Samuel. 167. 
 
 Tickell. A. J., 17u. 
 
 Timms. P. H.. SI. 
 
 Tinker. William R.. 332. 
 
 Tolles. James M.. 75. 
 
 Tongue. Roht. Clark.son, 170. 
 
 Tofithe, James. 170. 
 
 Tourgee, W. E.. 77. 
 
 Tower, Freeman P.. 172. 173. 
 
 Town Deposit Fund. 223. 
 
 Town Hall. 72. 
 
 Tracv, Andrew W., KU. 104. 
 
178 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 228; Dora, 237; John 77, 
 82. 
 
 Tredennick, Chas. H., 121; 
 Edward, 592; Elizabeth A. 
 (Hall), 592; Helvitia (Luc- 
 chini), 593; Nicholas, 592. 
 
 Trinity Methodi.st Church, 
 174. 
 
 True B. O., 149. 
 
 Trumbull Guard, 5. 
 
 Tucker, P. E., 66. 
 
 Tuckey, W D., 175. 
 
 Tufts, Sidney D., 461. 
 
 Twiss, A A. B., Mrs.. 123; 
 Cornelia, 401; Fannie L., 
 57; Ira, 47, 399; Vincie 
 (Andrews), 399; Joseph, 
 146; Joseph and Lois 
 (Austin), 397; Waldo C. 
 104, 155, 399. 
 
 Tyler, Chas. E., 80. 
 
 ZJniversalists, First Meetingr 
 of, 270. 
 
 Upham, Charles L., 73 93, 
 96, 117, 119, 209, 376,' 378, 
 379; Elizabeth 379; Eliz- 
 abeth H. (Hall), 379; 
 Emily, 379; Emily (Clark) 
 379; Francis C, 379; Wm. 
 Dennis and Lucy McKen- 
 zie (Spink), 376; William 
 H., 379. 
 
 "Van Nostrand, George, 71, 
 
 72. 73, 75, 487 488; Sarah 
 
 (Kellam), 488.' 
 Van Oppen, A., 182, 184, 185, 
 
 232. 
 Veteran, Firemen's Asso., 81, 
 
 83, 84; Guard 5. 
 Vibert, Charles tC. and H. P., 
 
 170. 
 Von Tobel, A. E., 64. 
 Vorra, John, 76. 
 
 TV^adhams, Lucy B, 49. 
 
 Wagner, Anna A. (Harper). 
 Bertha A., Edna M., Grace 
 V. and Elmer C. L. 177; 
 John P., 175, 176, 177. 
 
 W'aldron, Frank, 78; T. F., 
 81. 
 
 ^Walker, O. T., 152. 
 
 Wallingford Tornado, 110. 
 
 Walsh, James J., 104, 132; 
 Michael. 81; Thomas, 180. 
 
 Warden, Edna, Henrietta N. 
 (Sweet), Mildred and Ray- 
 mond, 243; S. Watson, 237, 
 242; Watson, 243. 
 
 IVarner, C. H., 75. 80; Chas.. 
 82; Oliver S., 77. 
 
 Warnock Avilla M. (Tink- 
 er). 332; J. C, 332; Kath- 
 erine A., 333; Thos. H., 
 35, 136; William G., 330, 
 331. 332. 333; William G.. 
 Jr., 333. 
 
 "Warren, Alanson and Sarah 
 M. (Hickox), 346; Edward 
 346; Etta, 348; Henryi 
 346; , Josephine G. (Ly- 
 man), 298, 348; Richard. 
 346, 481. 
 
 Warriner, Edw. W., 175. 
 
 Washington Engine Co., 76. 
 
 Waterman Edward C, 264; 
 Marion C. (Parker), 264; 
 Moses, 193, 194; Reuben, 
 207. 
 
 Watrous, Edwin A.. 330. 
 
 Watts, Wm. H., 78. 
 
 Webb, Walter, 207. 
 
 Webber, Fannie E., 236. 
 
 Weed Mrs. J. B. (Cahill), 
 351.' 
 
 Weeks, Mrs. M. F., 59. 
 
 ^V^eimar. Henry, 156. 
 
 Welch. Mrs. G. F., 236. 
 
 Welles, John, 329. 
 
 Wells, Nelson J., 68. 
 
 Welten, H E., 193. 
 
 Wessman John, 202, 204. 
 
 West, E.' E., 81, 33; Main 
 St. School, 219, 226; Peak. 
 33. 35; School District, 
 213. 
 
 Wetmore A. C, 107, 113, 
 118; Mattie S.. 236. 
 
 Whalen. Annie M., 133 
 
 Wheatley, Edward C, 229. 
 
 Wheeler, Everett, 464; Fred- 
 erick J.. 124, 464; Maude 
 
 B. (Barber). 259. 
 
 Wheelock, I. R., 152. 
 
 White Edw. H., 137; Fami- 
 lies, 137; Heman 311 
 Mrs. Henry S.. 57; Howard 
 137; James H., 70, 87, 115 
 118; John H., 165; Mary 
 
 C, 432; Myron S., 596, 598 
 Nathan'l and Eliza (Peck), 
 597; O. H.. 141; Stanley, 
 139. 
 
 Whiting. Samuel, 46. 
 
 Whitman, Walt, 487. 
 
 Whitney, E. B., 132. 
 
 Wicklund. A. F., 202. 
 
 Wickstrand, C. A., 202; M. 
 A., 204. 
 
 WMghtman. J. S., 118. 
 
 Wilbur, Caroline, 236. 
 
 Wilcox, Albert H., 138. 330. 
 Anna E., 236; Charlotte 
 (Smith), 532; Dennis C, 
 68; Elizabeth White (Sco- 
 vil), 329; Ella A., 532; El- 
 len (Parker), 532; Geo. H., 
 59, 64, 86, 111. lis, 119, 
 121, 138, 532; Mrs. Geo. H., 
 59; Georgine, 532; Henry 
 S., 329; Henry T., 329;; 
 Horace C 59, 86, 234, 530; 
 Mrs. Horace C, 57; Hose 
 Co., 79, 80, 81; Jane E. 
 (Merriman), 330; L., 144; 
 Samuel H., 71. 
 
 Wiles, Minnie G., 236. 
 
 WlUard, Daniel H., 207. 
 
 Williams, Alfred, 115; Chas. 
 H., 137; Chas. M.. 65, 66, 
 209; Mrs. C. M., 66; F. H., 
 70; Harry J.. 97; J. H., 81. 
 
 Willow St. School, 216. 
 
 Wilson. Edgar A., 64, 250; 
 Grove H.. 3, 221, 250; Mrs. 
 Grove H., 57; Ida M. 
 (Beach), 251; J. C. 141; 
 Lesley A. 251. 
 
 Winner, Josephine, 237. 
 
 Winslow, Carlton H., 92; 
 Chas. N., 335, 336. 337, 
 581; Henrietta E. (Bald- 
 win), 57, 58, 59, 337. 
 
 "Winthrop Hotel and (Com- 
 pany. 605. 
 
 Withey, Emanuel, 72. 
 
 Wittman, Emil. 199. 
 
 Wolcott, Henry and Mary 
 W., 329. 
 
 Wollschlager. F. M., 80 
 Wood, Chas. H., 62 115, 210; 
 
 Irving, 153; Jennie d' 
 
 236; M. C, 207. 
 Woodley, Emma L., 52 599; 
 
 Eliza A. (Davey) " and 
 
 William, 599, 600, 
 Woodruff, Wyllis, 393. 
 Woodworth, Asa 485. 
 Woolley, J. J., 141, 142. 
 Worcester. A. M., 152. 
 Wright, Charles H.. 574; 
 
 Dexter R., 3, 108, 231, 317; 
 
 Frederick A. 509. 
 Wuth, Edward "A., 237. 
 
 Yale, Allen, 139; Bertrand 
 L., 107, 121, 123, 325, 326, 
 327; Catherine J. (Miller), 
 413; Cecilia I. (Saleski), 
 476; Chloe E. (Holcomb), 
 326; Emma L. (Norton, 
 484; Hiram A., 107, 326, 
 327, 328, 553; Ira N., 121: 
 Johnathan, 146; J. Hobart, 
 142, 143, 483; Julius W.. 
 483; L. B., 142; Laminta 
 (Clark). 328; Levi, 107, 
 121. 123; Levi, Jr., 68; 
 Levi and Anna (Guy), 
 324, 325; Mary Catherine 
 (Wells), 57, 58, 329; Mary 
 yv.. 329; Mary (Cooley), 
 483; Noah, 483;; Mrs. Oli- 
 ver, 292; S. H. W., 109, 
 110; Samuel, 111, 146 147, 
 231; Solomon, 160; Wm., 
 110, 146. 
 
 Yeamans, G. H., 93, 96. 
 
 Yost. August. 571. 
 
 Young, H. C 113; Men's 
 Christian Asso.. 68-70; 
 Men's German-American 
 Club. 101; Men's T. A. B. 
 Society, 97-101. 
 
 ILLUSTR.\TIONS. 
 
 All Saints' Memorial Ch'ch, 
 168. 
 
 Amaranth Club: Parlor, 102; 
 Reading Room, 102; Bil- 
 liard and Card Room. 103. 
 
 Atwater, Francis, Residence 
 of. 439. 
 
 Bigelow. W. H.. Residence 
 of, 375. 
 
 Bradley, Wm. L., Estate, 
 Views of, 421. 
 
 Brookside Park and Cas- 
 cades. 44. 
 
 Bushnell Building, 590. 
 
 Cahill Block. 350. 
 
 Castle Craig Tower, 36. 
 
 (^ateract. Old Engine 34. 
 
 Cathole Pass, 40. 
 
 Center Congregational Ch'ch, 
 141. 
 
 Center School, the Old, 211. 
 
 Central Grammar School, 2Ki. 
 
 Church St. School, 214. 
 
 City Park, 42. 
 
 Coe Castle, 602. 
 
 Colonial Club: Wilcox Block, 
 93: Parlor, 94; Assembly 
 Hall, 94; Card Rooms. 9^: 
 
INDEX. 
 
 1/9 
 
 Billiard Room, 95; Social 
 
 Room. 96. 
 Columbia St. School, 224. 
 Connecticut School for Boys, 
 
 67. 
 Curtis Home, Children's 
 
 Building, 56. 
 Curtis Home. Old Ladies' 
 
 Building. 57. 
 Curtis Memorial Library, 49. 
 Curtiss, James A.. Residence, 
 
 also Warehouse of, 551. 
 
 East District School. 226. 
 
 East Side Social Club House, 
 105. 
 
 Eggleston. Jere D., Resi- 
 dence of, 246. 
 
 Fairview. Tower and Pavil- 
 lion, 37. 
 
 First Baptist Charch, 14", 
 147. 
 
 First Congregational Ch'ch 
 Building 138. 
 
 First Methodist Church, 172. 
 
 First Methodist Church Ed- 
 ifice, 171. 
 
 First National Bank Build- 
 ing, 116. 
 
 Franklin St. School, 220. 
 
 German Baptist Church and 
 Parsonage, 155. 
 
 Hanover School, 22 7. 
 
 Holy Angels' Church and 
 Rectory, 185. 
 
 Home Club: Club House. 85; 
 Parlors. S6; Upper Hall 
 and Billiard Rooms, 87; 
 Hall and Reading Room, 
 88. 
 
 Home National Bank Build- 
 ing 114. 
 
 Hose Houses: Charter Oak, 
 76; Byxbee Hose Co. and 
 Doolittle Hook & Ladder 
 Co.. 77; Parker Engine Co., 
 78; Wilcox Hose Co.. 79; 
 Volunteer Hose Co.. SO. 
 
 Jewish Synagogue, 205. 
 
 •Tournal Publishing Co.: 
 Business Office, 127; Di- 
 rectors' Room, 128; News 
 Composing Room, 129; 
 Book and Job Composing 
 Room, 130; Press Room 
 131; Bindery, 131; Electro- 
 typing Room, 132. 
 
 Katlyn Kottage. 395. 
 King St. School, 219. 
 
 Lane. John S., Residence of, 
 
 291. 
 Lewis Ave. School, 225. 
 Lewis, The Late Isaac C. 
 
 Residence of. 357. 
 Liberty St. School, 218. 
 Lutheran Immanuel Ch'ch, 
 
 200. 
 
 Main St. Baptist Church, 152. 
 
 Main St. Baptist Parsonage, 
 151. 
 
 Meriden Bank. Old Build- 
 ing. 111. 
 
 Meriden Golf Club: Third 
 
 Green, Bradley Ave., near 
 
 Club House; Home Green; 
 
 Club House, 4:;1. 
 Meriden High School, 213. 
 Meriden Hospital, 6u; Sick 
 
 Ward, 61; Operating 
 
 Room, 63. 
 Meriden Institute, the Old 
 
 209. 
 Meriden. Looking North 
 
 from Town Hall, 120. 
 Meriden National Bank 
 
 Building, 112. 
 Meriden 'iown Farm House, 
 
 607. 
 Meriden Town Hall. Old, 72. 
 Meriden, West Main St. from 
 
 Corner of Colony, 122. 
 Meriden Wheel Club: Parlor, 
 
 91; Billiard and Card 
 
 Room, 92. 
 Mirror Lake, 39. 
 Mirror Lake. Cascades and 
 
 Children's Playgrounds, 38. 
 Morse & Cook Block, 601. 
 
 No. Broad St. School, 222. 
 North Colony School, 217. 
 
 Old Corner School, 208. 
 Olive Branch Chapel, 148. 
 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 
 Church, 138. 
 
 Parker Block, 264. 
 
 Parker, Dexter W., Resi- 
 dence of. 315. 
 
 Pearl Knob, 35. 
 
 Pinks Charles H., Residence 
 of, 529. 
 
 Preston. John H., Residence 
 of, 548. 
 
 Republican Publishing Co. 
 Building, 134. 
 
 Saleski. P. T., Building, 478. 
 Second Episcopal Edifice, 
 
 The. 162. 
 So. Broad St. School, 223. 
 So. Center School, the Old 
 
 212. 
 Southeast District School. 
 
 228. 
 South Meriden M. E. Ch'ch, 
 
 178. 
 St. Andrew's Church. 164. 
 St. John's Church. 196. 
 St. Joseph's Church, 190. 
 St. Laurent's Church, 183. 
 St. Laurent's Parochial 
 
 School. 230. 
 St. Mary's Church and Par- 
 sonage. 186. 
 St. Paul's Church. 193. 
 St. Rose's Church. ISO. 
 St. Rose's Parochial School, 
 
 229. 
 Swedish Baptist Church and 
 
 Parsonage 158. 
 Swedish Lutheran Church. 
 
 203. 
 
 Thomas, A. S., Residence of, 
 
 425. 
 Trinity M. E. Church and 
 
 Parsonage. 175. 
 
 Wallingford from West 
 Peak. 33. 
 
 West District School, 216. 
 West District School, the 
 
 Old, 210. 
 West from West Peak, 34. 
 West Peak from East Peak. 
 
 35. 
 Willow St. School, 221. 
 Winthrop Hotel. 608. 
 
 Young Men's Christian Asso. 
 Building, 69. 
 
 Young Aien's T. A. B. So- 
 ciety: Parlor, 98; Library, 
 98; Card Room, 99; Smok- 
 ing Room, 99; I'ool Room. 
 lOu; Card Room, 100. 
 
 150. 
 
 PoKl K.Al IS. 
 
 Abraham. Meyer, 206 
 Alien, Eawaru C, 5.-)7. 
 Alien, E. K., 68. 
 Allen, Lew, 501. 
 Arnold. O. B., 282. 
 -\.shworth, K. A., 145, 
 Atkins. Stephen, 6ij6. 
 Atwater, Francis, 433. 
 Atweil. George. 145. 
 Aubrey. Alfred B., 576 
 Augur, Julius, 584. 
 Austin, A. E., 266. 
 
 Baldwin, Ashbel, 161. 
 Baldwin, Moses, 606. 
 Baldwin, K. Leiand, 399. 
 Baldwin. Ransom, Ji-., 397. 
 Baldwin, Ransom, Sr., 397. 
 Baldwin, S. W., 579. 
 Barber. Willis N., 258. 
 Barrelle. Almond, 145. 
 Beach, Henry B.. 285. 
 Beach. Robt J.. 177. 
 Beebe. H. Dwight. 243. 
 Benham. Welcome E., 462. 
 Bernstein, Sig., 595. 
 Bevins. Le Grand. 338, 606. 
 Bevins, Walter L, 339. 
 Bibeau, Henry C, 583. 
 Bicknell. Geo. E., 457. 
 Bigelow. W. H., 374. 
 Billard. John D., 323. 
 Birdsev. Alanson. 473. 
 Birdsey. Eli C. Jr. 301. 
 Birdsev. Eli C, Sr.. 300. 606. 
 Bloomfield, David. 417. 
 Booth. Walter. 579. 
 Bowen. C. B., 71. 
 Bowker, James H.. 60S. 
 Bradley, Abigail Ann (.\t- 
 
 water). 513. 
 Bradlev, Levi, 513. 
 Bradiev. William L.. 420. 
 Bradstreet. E. T.. 247. 
 Brooks. James S.. 579. 606. 
 Bruce. Nathaniel. 161. 
 Bush. Feniier, 555. 
 Bushnell. H. E.. 589. 
 Butler. Eli. 579. 
 Butler. Henrv C. 579. 
 Butler. Joel I.. 606. 
 Butler. John F.. 588. 
 B.vxbee.John C. 75. 
 Byxbee. Theodore. IS, 29 
 
 Cadv, Edwin 334. 
 Cahill. C. W'.. 349. 
 Camier. John H.. 526. 
 Camp. David N.. 387. 
 Carpenter. E. C 176. 
 Carter. Rela. 431, 606. 
 Castelow. E. D.. 6ii6. 
 
i8o 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Catlin, Benj. H.. 393. 
 
 Catiin, W. H., 109. 
 
 Chamberlain. Abii-am, 443. 
 
 Chapin, J. H., 194. 
 
 Church, Georg-e A., 466. 
 
 Church. Henry J.. 406. 
 
 Church, L.ouis H.. 407. 
 
 Clark, Geo. M.. 486. 
 
 Coe, Andrew J.. 318. 
 
 Coe. Calvin, 606. 
 
 Coe, Joseph E., 463. 
 
 Coe, Kate Poote, 319. 
 
 Coe, Levi E.. 361. 
 
 Collin.s, Aaron L., 2 7.5. 
 
 Collins, Benj. W.. 279. 
 
 Collins, E. J., 277. 
 
 Cook, James, 2o7. 
 Cook. Jared R.. 18. 
 Cooke, J. A., 253. 
 Cooley, George, 470. 
 Cooney. John, 181. 
 Cordo, C .E., 151. 
 Cordo, Henrv, 14.5. 
 Curtis, Asahel H. 415. 
 Curtis", Augusta (Munson), 
 
 51. 
 Curtis, Bedotha P. (Button), 
 
 55. 
 Curtis, Edwin E.. IDS. 
 Curtis, Enos H., 416. 
 Cui'tis, Floyd, 117. 
 Curtis, Geo. R., 307.- 
 Curtis, Geo. M., 309. 
 Curtis. Lemuel J., 54. 
 Curtis, Svlvester J.. 533. 
 Curtis. Thos. E. H.. 535. 
 Curtiss. Homer, 403. 
 Curtiss, James A., 552. 
 Gushing. John T., 161. 
 
 Davis. Wilbur P., 567. 
 Deshon. Giles H.. 161, 166. 
 DeSimone, A., 189. 
 Dodd, Charles T.. 546. 
 Donohue, John P., 191. 
 Doolittle, E. J., 293. 
 Dryhurst. Henrv. 446. 
 Durand. John E., 343. 
 
 Eaton. Jacob, 13. 
 Edgerton. L. P.. 524. 
 Eggleston, Jere D., 245. 
 Ellsbree, Geo. L., 606. 
 Everest, Chas. W., 161. 
 Everitt, E. B.. 333. 
 
 Pay, Frank S., r70. 
 Fay. Geo. A., 563. 
 Pennell. W. G., 145. 
 First Baptist Church Group 
 
 of Pa.stors. 145. 
 Fletcher. Almon J., 527. 
 Ploto, Charles L., 429. 
 Forbes, Henrv, 402. 
 Forbes. Marshall Lee. 401. 
 Ford, Roger M.. 18. 
 Po.ster, Francis S., 472. 
 Fox. Andrew P., 592 
 Po.x. C. P.. 591. 
 Francis, George W.. 522. 
 Fridlund. David. 204. 
 
 Gardner. A. H., 492. 
 Gardner, I. I., 493, 
 Gardner, Wm. E.. 241 
 Garlick, A. S., 475. 
 Garlick, Wm. 474. 
 Garton, J. V., 145. 
 Gay, George, 516. 606. 
 Gerard, Josenh, 240. 
 Gill, James P., 490. 
 
 Gillespie C. Bancroft, Front- 
 ispiece. 
 Gladwin, Russell, 579. 
 Glaser, S. P., 197. 
 Godfrey, R. S., 605. 
 Graeber, Chas. A., 480. 
 Grant, John H., 143. 
 Greenwood. C. J., 151. 
 Griswold, P. P., 251. 
 Griswold, Nat. P., 382. 
 Guion. John M., 161. 
 Guy, Joel H., 108. 
 
 Hall, Eugene A., 373. 
 Hall, Orrin,- 606. 
 Hall, Rufus, 372. 
 Hail. Russell, 434. 
 Hall, Seth J., 3Sii. 
 Ha. lam, Robt. A.. 161. 
 Harris, A. E., 151, 153. 
 Hess, Herman, 450. 
 Hicks, Ratcliffe, 367. 
 Holden, J. Harrv, 194. 
 Holt. Irving L.. 452. 
 Howard. Leland, 145. 
 Hoyt, Melancthon, 161. 
 Hubbard. H. E., 606. 
 Huber, J. C, 156. 
 Husted, E. W.. 151. 
 Hyatt, Isaac B., 578. 
 
 Immich, Henrv L., 5-^5 
 Ingersoll, Edward, 161. 
 Ives. Joel S., 414. 
 Ives, John, 389. 
 Ives, Othniel, 606. 
 Ives. Reuben, 161. 
 Ives. Wm. J., 392 
 
 Jennings, Russell, 145. 
 Jerome. E. M.. 151. 
 Judge, Wm. J.. 192. 
 
 Kay. James T.. 5 7 7. 
 Keating. Michael, 596. 
 Keeler, James, 161 
 Kelly. Wm. p., 237 
 Kelsey, Wm. A., 133. 
 Kibbe, Prank M.. 585. 
 King, Chas. A., 345. 
 King-. George L., 573. 
 King. Henry T., 572. 
 Kinne. C. C, 606. 
 Kuntze, Julius, 603. 
 
 Lane, Arthur S., 497. 
 Lane, John S., 289. 
 Larson. Robert, 159. 
 Lee. Wm. W., 593. 
 Leigh, Ernest A., 606. 
 Lewis, Henry J.. 272. 
 Lewis. Isaac C, 355. 
 Lewis, William, 454. 
 Lines. H. Wales, 541. 
 Linsley, Randolf. 556. 
 Little, Hubert, 4S2. 
 Littlejohn. Abram N.. 161 
 Loomis, P. F\, 456. 
 Lord. Albert J., 139 
 Lyman, W. W. 297. 
 Lynch, John T.. 191. 
 Lyon, Humphrey. 606. 
 
 Main St. Baptist Church 
 
 Group of Pastors, 151. 
 Marvin. E. Lyman, 25 6. 
 Maschmever. August. 359. 
 Mason. A. Prank, 145. 
 Mason, H. G., 151. 
 May, Albert A.. 481. 
 Maynard. W. H. A., 89. 
 
 Meeks. H. A., 252. 
 Merriam, Asahel, 606. 
 Merriam. Geo. C, 363. 
 Miies, Walace A., 460. 
 Miller, D. Heary, 145. 
 Miller, Geo. W., 384, 606. 
 Miller, Harvev, 145, 412. 
 Miller, Joel, 606. 
 MLler, William H., 579. 
 Mosher. B. W.. 495. 
 Mosher, W. R, 495. 
 Mosher, W. W., 495. 
 Mueller, Wm. C, 571. 
 Munson, Cyrus, 161. 
 Murdock, P. L., 499. 
 Murdock, Harriet M., 409 
 Murdock. Zina V., 409. 
 Morse, Geo. N.. 520. 
 Mor.se, Joseph, 518. 
 
 Noble, J. G., 151. 
 Norton, J. S., Jr., 115. 
 
 Owen, Evan, 260. 
 Owen, Richard A., 261. 
 O'Brien, Patrick T., 575. 
 
 Paddock, S. C, 606. 
 Page, Benj., 295. 
 Palmer, Charles S., 494. 
 Parker, Charles, 312. 
 Parker. Dexter W., 313. 
 Parker, Geo. A. and John H.„ 
 
 2 63. 
 Parker, John, 5 79. 
 Perkins, Chas. S., 413. 
 Perkins. Edgar J., 458. 
 Perkins, Geo. W., 579. 
 Perkins, J. M., 459. 
 Phelps, I. Newton, 169. 
 Pierce, E. W., 249. 
 Pierson, S. C, 265. 
 Pinks, Charles H., 528. 
 Piatt, Orville H., 441. 
 Police Force, Group of, 74 
 Pomeroy, James T., 432 
 Porneroy, Noah, 269, 606 
 Pratt, Julius, 579. 
 Pratt, Wm. M., 18. 
 Preston, J. H.. 549. 
 Prouty, Willis J., 238. 
 
 Quested, W'm. M., 498. 
 
 Randall. Arthur T., 161, 166 
 Ranelye, P. D., 581 
 Peilly. Thos. L,, 448 
 Rice. Oliver, 606. 
 Rockwell, Charles L.. 538. 
 Rockwell, George, 255. 
 Rockwell. V.MIliam P., 468. 
 Rogers, Cephas B., 505. 
 Rogers, Gilbert, 507. 
 Rogers, Wilbur P., 511. 
 
 Saleski, Paul T., 477. 
 
 Sands, Clara Louise, 559. 
 
 Sands, Prank E.. 502. 
 
 S-hnieder, N. P. X., i87. 
 
 Schmelzer. August. 489. 
 
 Seeiev. Geo. S.. 304. 
 
 Selectmen, Group of First 
 606. ' 
 
 Sills, Elias T., 497. 
 
 Siskind. Abraham, 206. 
 
 Smith. Edwin E.. 135. 
 
 Smith. E. ^V., 248. 
 
 Smith. Sereno D., 484. 
 
 Southwick. Daniel P., 554. 
 
 Southwick, Frank T., 554 
 
 j^'iuire. W. H., 587. 
 
 St. Andrew's Church Rec- 
 tors. 161. 
 
 m 
 
 i 
 
INDEX. 
 
 I«I 
 
 Stevens, A. L,., 435. 
 Stockdale, F. B., 174. 
 Stocking-, Subura S.. 161. 
 Stow. James P., 579. 
 Sutliff, John, 427. 
 
 Tappert, C. R., 2i)l. 
 Thayer, Jolin Q., 5G5. 
 'Phomas, Anthony S., 424. 
 Thompson, W. H., 262. 
 Tredenniek, Edward, 593. 
 True, B. O., 145. 
 Tufts, Sidney D., 461. 
 'I'wis.s, Ira, 400. 
 Twiss, Waldo C, 400. 
 
 Upham, Charles L., 18, 37 
 Upson, Benj., 606. 
 
 Van Nostrand, George, 487. 
 Van Oppen, A., 184. 
 
 Wagner, J. P., 176. 
 Walker, O. T., 151. 
 Warden, S. Watson, 242. 
 Warnock, Thos. H., 135. 
 Warnock, W. G., 331. 
 Warren, Henry, 347. 
 Wheeler. P. J., 465. 
 Wheelock, I. R., 151. 
 White. Mvron S., 598. 
 Wilcox, Dennis C, 579. 
 
 Wilcox. Horace C, 531. 
 Williams, Charles M, C5. 
 Williams, D. S., 606. 
 Wilson, E. A., 250. 
 Wilson, Grove H., .579. 
 Winslow, C. N., 336. 
 Woodley, William, 599. 
 Woolley, J. J., 142. 
 Worcester, A. M., 151. 
 
 Yale, B. L,.. 325. 
 
 Yale, Hiram A., 327. 
 
 Yale, J. Hobart, 483. 
 
 Yale, John, 579. 
 
 Yale, Levi, 606. 
 
 Yale, Samuel H. W., 109. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 .\becurnos. A., 122. 
 Akers, Bessie (Coe), 160. 
 .\kers, John, 157, 160. 
 Akei-s & Pigeon, 157-160. 
 Allen, J. F., 123; James P., 
 
 53. 
 Andrews, Andrew, 36. 
 Angelus. the Invented, 12. 
 Anvil Brand Carvers, 25. 
 Aubrey, Albert James, 87, 
 
 89, 90, 92; Alfred John, 87, 
 
 90, 92; Blanche E. (Boom- 
 er), 92; Clara May 92; 
 John, 92; Gun, 90; Hattie 
 L., 125; William H., 92; 
 Wm. R., 125. 
 
 Bailey's Steam Laundry, 
 
 125. 
 Bailey, Theodore F.. 124. 
 Baldwin, Arthur, 48; L. G. 
 
 41. 
 Barbour, Silver Co., The, 35; 
 
 S. L., 36, 48. 
 Bartholomew & Coe, 59. 
 Barton, Clara, Monument, 128 
 Bassett, John E. & Co, 72; O. 
 
 W. 123. 
 Beach, Henry B., 46. 
 Beadle, J. B.. 2 3. 
 Beaver Lake, 12 6; Ice Co., 
 
 126. 
 Beecher Mfg. Co., 103. 
 Bemis, Bertha S (Carter) 
 
 23; Frances (Cheney), 22 
 
 Fred E., 22; Leslie C, 23 
 
 Orlando, 22; Robert C. 23. 
 Benham, Thomas A., 25. 
 Bergen, Cut Glass. 99; James 
 
 D., 99. 131; J. D. Co., 99; 
 
 J. Val and W. Tracy 100; 
 
 Bergen & Niland Co.,' 133. 
 Besse-Boeker Co., 157; Besse 
 
 Bovnton, 155, 156; Besse 
 
 L. W., 157. 
 Billard, John L., 5, 25. 
 Bird, William E. A., 47. 
 Bishop, Dexter L., 140; Dex- 
 ter L. Co., The, 140-143; 
 
 Esther C. (Johnson), 142; 
 
 Ethel J. and Wilfred Mer- 
 
 riman, 142; Walter G., 141. 
 Black Pond. 49. 
 Bliss, E. A., 32: E. A. Co., 
 
 The, 30; W. E., 33. 
 Bond Harness Co., 97. 
 
 Bowman. Robt., 93. 
 
 Boynton, A. E., 157. 
 
 Boys' Club, 74. 
 
 Bradley, Abigail Ann (At- 
 water), 70; Clarence P., 
 50, 65, 74, 76, 99; Harriet 
 E. (Peck), 74; Levi, 67, 
 70; Nathaniel L., 50 65, 
 67, 70, 99; Samuel, 70: Wm. 
 L., 70; Bradley & Hubbard, 
 76; Bradley & Hubbard 
 Mfg. Co. ,65, 70, 76, 99. 
 
 B. & H. Lamp, 67. 
 
 Breckenridge, C. E., 36, 46; 
 J. C. 154. 
 
 Britannia Ware, 37. 
 
 Brown, Martin H., 35. 
 
 Canfield, J. H. & Co., 47. 
 Carpenter Bros., 59. 
 Carter, Bela, 20, 21; Robert 
 
 W., 22. 
 Casper, Charles, 47. 
 Cassidv John, 154; Joseph 
 
 M., 154; Mary, 155. 
 Chamberlain, A., 5, 25. 
 Chapman Mfg. Co., 120, 145. 
 Cheney, Martha (Brown), 20; 
 
 Samuel T. R., 20. 
 Church, George A., 154; 
 
 Robt. G., 154; Church & 
 
 Morse, 153. 154; Church & 
 
 Sprague, 153. 
 Clark, C. S., 138. 
 Collins, Aaron L., 23. 45, 46: 
 
 B. W., 25; Charles H., 45, 
 
 76. 
 Columbia Shade Cloth Co., 
 
 53, 54. 
 Coe, Levi E. 45; AVinneld 
 
 R.. 160. 
 Cone, S. L., 41. 
 Conn.. Breweries Co., 115; 
 
 Saddlery & Bell Co., 120; 
 
 Tel. & Elec. Co., 97; Trap 
 
 Rock Quarries, Inc., 59. 
 Conveise, A. J., 110; Pub. 
 
 Co., 110. 
 Cooke James H., 61; Stone 
 
 & Ice Co.. 61. 
 Coolev, Irving G.. 54. 55. 
 Cornwall. I.saac H.. 47; Wm. 
 
 and Julia (Roberts), 18. 
 Cowles. George. 40. 
 Crow Hollow, 82. 
 Curtis, Alfred P., 70; Chas. 
 
 E., 126; E. E.. 40; Enos, 40; 
 Emeline Amelia (Bradley), 
 70; Geo. M., 36, 41, 44, 46, 
 48, 95, 107; Geo. R. 44, 46, 
 47, 92; Lemuel J.,' 36, 40, 
 41, 56, 93; Curtis & Lyman, 
 41; Robert H. 47. 
 
 Curtiss, Homer A., 23, 25; 
 James A., 110; Curtis- Way 
 Co., 109. 
 
 Gushing, F. H.. 47. 
 
 Davis, G. P., 44. 
 Dayton & Sherman, 140. 
 De Lamater Studio, 160. 
 Derbv Silver Co., 35. 
 Dittmer, John, 138. 
 Dodd, Samuel, 36, 46, 48, 95 
 
 107. 
 Donovan, Julia Cornwell 
 
 (White), 18; Silas, 18. 
 Doolittle. E. J., 99, 107. 
 Drake, Emma (Handel), 79. 
 
 Excelsior PiMnting Press. 61, 
 Eclipse Bread Kneader 95. 
 Edgerton, F. C. 62. 
 Edwards. George C, 36. 
 Evarts, A. H., 138. 
 Eydam, Adolph. 81. 
 
 Fairchild, Frederick I.,., 150; 
 Goo. W., 150: Henry 10., 
 HG. 149: Mary Kllzabetli 
 (Bliss). 15(1; Marv Eli/.a- 
 bolh (Clark) 15(1; Ralph 
 E. and Ralph' H.. 150. 
 
 Fav, Mrs. Geo. A.. 70. 
 
 Flint, George E., 46. 
 
 Foster. Albert, S2 : Foster, 
 Belden & Co., S2: Bros.. 
 140; Hardware Co.. 124; 
 Hiram. 82; Lake, llii: Mcr- 
 riam & Co.. 82. 97. 
 
 Frarv, James .A.. 4(i, 41; 
 Frarv & Co.. 41. 
 
 Fritz Bros. E. T. & W- F.. I2it. 
 
 p'rveliurg Gun. 9t». 
 
 Furniss, Edw., 93. 
 
 Garlick. Wm.. 126. 
 Gehuing. F Ad.. 111. 
 Gilder.'ileeve. J. M.. 25. 
 Clock. Charles ('. and ("has. 
 
 W.. 137. 
 Greotibai-ker, Adolf, 152; 
 
1 82 
 
 Annie, 153; A. & Sons, 152; 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERlDEN. 
 
 Annie, io3; A. & Sons, 152; I C Xr nr. at t 
 
 Hffin, Francis B 133 ^- L Hommedieu & Watrous, ' ^^■ 
 
 nsvvold Aslm.,.r.7 ..... ^ -nes, H. Wales, 47, 146 • H ""TBxrnesM P'- ^"'^ ^^^^^^ 
 
 Co.,' Ill^-iil- ^^'^' ""^^ ^'l^"f.-..,J- -^ & Co.,'i 
 
 nsley, Charles P., 65 74 
 
 107: Ti^rprloi-i^T^ T , . „' _ ' ^ „ 
 
 G _ 
 
 Cirisvvold. Ashabel,''3 7,"4'l- N T inf.« w ixr, 
 
 i^-, 136; Griswold, Rich: ^'"f^..^- .^ ^^es, 47, 146; H. 
 mond & Glock, The, Co., 136 
 
 Grosvenor, J. p., 25. 
 
 Hadley, James A., 107 
 
 Haley & Akers, 157 
 
 Hall, A J. & Co. knd Ar- 
 
 w"n •^■' ^^^' I-ewis, 46. 144; 
 
 Wilbur B.. 143; Hall & 
 
 Lewis Bldg., 15 7. 
 Haliam, R. w., 25 , , 
 
 Hai^ilton, Charles A., 36; D. g™G 
 
 James 
 ley, Charles P., 65 74 ''' ^''"' 
 
 iiannf I^TgS) '%.'^- 0^«"^«'- ^Has and John. 143. 
 ri^et (Poote), 74; Randolf, Page, Benjamin 4 7 
 
 Parker, Bros., 61; Charles 
 
 Lub>', Maurice and Ellen 
 
 (Ryan), 128; Wm. J., 12S 
 Lyman, W. W. 40, 41 93 ' 
 ^ "eo. W., 45, 46, '56; 
 
 Handel. Company, The 79- 
 
 K-r^^^^'^-^Q <-^u"erlinj.' 79; mauKay, William R 47 
 
 Georgre ,79; Jacob and 
 Catherine (Wuterich). 79 
 Philip J., 79; Ware, 79. 
 
 Harmon, J. m., 44 
 
 Harrison & Bradford, 5 6. 
 
 Hees, W. R., 54 
 
 Heinrich George, 138; John 
 br. and Jr. 138. 
 
 Wm. H., 49, "53, 54. 
 Mackay, William R.. 47. 
 
 ^"^?}."lf {y"\^^; Mfg. Co. and McMuhon, J. H 
 
 Manning, Bowman & Co. 46 
 
 92, 97; E. B.. 93. 
 Markham, A. C, 47 
 McChesney, T. D., 54. p.,, 
 
 Mclvenzie, Helen M (Kpn. td , 
 
 T. , _ Pntton *• ixr.,n„„_ i a,- 
 
 41, 46 48, 49, 51, 53, 54 
 4 he Charles Co., 129 
 Charles E.. 49; Clock Co. 
 o3; Clock Factory. 51 
 Coffee Mill, 51; Dexter W 
 49, 53; Edmund, 49; Fran- 
 cis W 74; O. A., 86; Shot 
 Gun, 51; Snow, Brooks & 
 Co., 63; Spectacles, 51- 
 SPO?." Shop. 51; Vice. 51 
 Wilbur F., 53, 54; Parker 
 Casper Co., 46, 47 93- 
 Parker & White. 49 ' 
 
 Carl v., 113. 
 
 Hemstead, Mrs. Fred, 152 
 
 Hickey, Wm., 117 
 
 Hicks Novelty Co l")! 
 
 Hinsdale, Mrs. James k.', 76 
 
 Holmes & Edwards Silver 
 LO. , 3o. 
 
 Holt, Irving L., 151; Holt & 
 Stevens, 151. 
 
 Howard. Pratt & Co 56 
 
 Howell, Geo. M., 23 
 
 Hubbard, Abby Ann (Brad- 
 ley), 67; George, 67; Jer- 
 
 e^'S'mi ^'''^^''' '^' ^^• 
 
 Hughes,' E. B. M. 70. 
 Huntington, P. l!, 62 
 Hurley, John A., II5, 117. 
 
 International Silver Co.. 35- 
 
 Ives, Russell J., 21 
 
 Ivory Enameled Food Pan, 
 
 •^^S"'"f^ A. B., 136; Chas. 
 «■• TM, ' Jennings & Grif- 
 hn. The, Mfg. Co., 133. 
 
 Johnson, C. G., 142; W. H. 
 36. ' '' 
 
 Jones, A. H. Co. and A. H 
 1.7. rni®'^"'^ E. (Logan), 
 124, Ihomas and Marguer- 
 ite. 125. 
 
 Kelsey Press Co., 61; Wm. 
 
 A., 61. 
 Kennard, Benjamin C, 5 8- 
 
 /^" ,-^®',^,*^'-°"' l*^: Justina 
 
 C. (Baldwin), 10. 
 Kendrick, Mrs. L, .A.. 8 
 Kopp. John, 138. 
 
 Lane, Arthur S., 59, 61; John 
 b.. 59; John S. & Son, 59. 
 
 Lawn Hotel, The, 154, 155. 
 
 Lawton, B. L., 98. 
 
 Learned, C. A., 107, 109 
 
 Lemke, Martin, 138. 
 
 I-ewis Henry J., 44; Isaac 
 C, 40. 41, 44, 46, 56, 92" 
 
 Tohn P'^tten & Wallace, 145. 
 John Peck. Seldon and Lucy 
 Hooker (Hart), 74. 
 
 Gas Light Co., 105, 107; 
 Grain & Feed Co., 64- 
 Gravure Co. 122; Ice Co' 
 1-6, 140; Malleable Iron 
 Co., 87, 97; Silver Plate 
 Co., 35, 47; Woolen Co., 45. 
 
 Merriam, Asaph, 82; Geo C 
 86; Lauren, 85; Nelson, 82,' 
 85; Nelson C. 86; Robert 
 J-, 86. 
 
 Meteor Coffee Percolator, 95. 
 
 Middletown Plate Co., 35 
 
 Miller, Arthur E., 8, 10; Bros 
 Cutlery Co., 56; Bros. Steel 
 Pens, 56; Caroline M 
 (Neal), 5; Edward, 5; Ed 
 
 Polsey, C. E. 33, 35. 
 
 Pratt, Julius & Co., 23; 
 
 Pratt, Read & Co., 56; 
 
 Pratt, Ropes, Webb & Co., 
 
 Proudman, Mrs. A. W. 92. 
 Reiski, Andreas, 138. ' 
 Richmond, John L., 137. 
 
 Rochester Lamp, 3. 
 
 Rockwell, Charles P., 58, 59; 
 Charles L, 25, 26, 59; Geo., 
 36, 44. 48, 95; Wm. P., 56, 
 
 Rocky Hill, The, Stone Co.. 
 61. 
 
 3; Lamp, 3; Samuel 
 
 Watson J., 36. 
 Milner, Benj. p., 126. 
 Minkmeier, Fred 13s' 
 Mirrielees, Wm. L, 95 
 Mitchell, E. A., 46. 
 Monroe, Charle.s F., 25 113 
 
 122; The C. P. Co.. 25-30,' 
 
 Co, 48. 
 Ropes, David, 23. 
 Rutherford, J. L., 86. 
 
 Savage, Albert W., 97; 
 Charlotte P. (Poster), 97; 
 Edwin and Frances Sophia 
 (Wilcox). 95; George E, 
 86, 95. 
 
 ^^ Wi'r.T'r^-^"T'l''^T.n^-' 129; Sche'nck, M. B.. 103; The M. 
 
 Andrew C, Jr., 140; Bros.' 
 Co., 139; Charlotte L 
 (Smith), 140; Edna Gen- 
 eva. 140; Henry L., 139 
 140; Robt. A., 140; Walter 
 P., 140. 
 
 Morgan, W. P., 43. 
 
 Morse, Chas. P., 154. 
 
 Mosher, W. W., 47 
 
 B. Co., 102; W .A., lOo. 
 
 Schnick, Joseph. 122. 
 
 Schunack, C. E., 129; Elsie, 
 131; Emmy, 129; Gustav 
 and Louisa (Lange), 12i); 
 Mildred, 131; Rhoda (Bald- 
 win) 131. 
 
 Sears, Roebuck & Co., 87, 89. 
 
 Sereomb, A. L.. 43. 
 
 4:, 
 
INDEX, 
 
 183 
 
 Sherman. F. C, 107, 109. 
 Silver City Cut Glass Co.. 
 
 121. 
 Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co, 
 
 3.5: Nickel Co 3.5; Sam- 
 uel, 36, 
 Sloper, Andrew J., 5. 
 Smith, Florence May (White) 
 
 20; Geo. P., 138; Harry, 
 
 20; Horace T., 138: The H. 
 
 T. Express Co., 138. 
 Standard Novelty Co., 143. 
 Stephani, F. A., 90. 
 Stetson, Albert L., 9.5. 
 Stevens, Harry A., 59; Fran 
 
 A., 151, 152. 
 Stiles, Mrs. F. W., 92; N. C, 
 
 r,3. 
 Stockder, C. E., Jr., 99. 
 Sullivan. Michael F., 117. 
 Sutliff, James R., 85, 86; 
 
 John, 82, 85. 
 Svlph, The Schooner Yacht 
 
 30. 
 Symphony, The, 12. 
 
 Teich, Anton, 81. 
 Thomas, Samuel, 36. 
 Tibbits. C. H., 36, 48. 
 
 Tinker. Irving- S., 61. 
 Tredennick, C. H., 139. 
 
 United States Silver Corp., 
 
 35. 
 Upham, C. L,.. 76. 
 
 Veit, Robt. J., 117. 
 
 Wallace. Carrie E. (Brooks), 
 146; F. J., 145. 
 
 Watrous, Alarison, 85; A. & 
 Co., 85; Mfg. Co., 35. 
 
 Wave Crest Ware. 27. 
 kWay. Julius, 82; W. H., 110, 
 113. 
 
 Wheeler, Alfred Pelton, 64; 
 Frank & Son, 63; Power 
 Press, 64. 
 
 Wilcox. Britannia Co., 45; D. 
 C 36. 40. 41, 43, 44; E. C, 
 97. 98: F. B.. 25; F. P., 36, 
 44; Georg-e H., 36, 37 44, 
 46, 47, 48. 95; Horace C, 
 10, 18, 20, 27, 40, 41, 46, 
 92, 97; H. C. & Co., 40; 
 Jedediah 44, 45; Silver 
 Plate Co., 44, 93; Wilcox 
 & White Co., The, 10, 23; 
 
 Wilcox & White Organ Co. 
 10. 12. 
 
 Wilkins, S. G.. 54. 
 
 Winthrop Hotel, 70. 
 
 Wintler, A., 115. 
 
 White, Allan, 21; Betsy 
 (Stickney) (Herrick), 18; 
 Edward H.. 10, 12, 14 20, 
 21; Frank C, 16, 21,' 22; 
 Flora A. (Ives) 21; Grace 
 lionise, 20; Heman. 49; 
 Henry K 10, 14, 16, IS, 21 ; 
 Howard, 10, 21; James H.. 
 10, 12, 14, IS, 20, 21; Kate 
 (Cheney), 20; Lucy f Corn- 
 well). 18: Mary (Carter), 
 21 ; Russell I., 21 ; Stan- 
 lev, 21. 
 
 Wren, Peter W., 115, 117. 
 
 Yale, Caster, 102; Charles 
 and Hiram, 37; College 
 76. 
 
 Yenkner, E. F., 138. 
 
 York. Samuel A.. 128. 
 
 Y. W. C. A., 73. 
 
 Zerfass, William, 86. 
 
 ILLUSTRAIIONS. 
 
 Bergen. J. D. Co., Factory, 101. 
 
 Bishop, The D. L. Co. Distributing Depot, 
 
 142. 
 Bliss. The E. A. Co.: Factory. 31; Section 
 
 of Factory, 34; Section of Factory, 34. 
 I'.radley, N. K. Residence. 73. 
 Bradley & Hubbard Mfg. Co., Factory 
 Buildings, 66. 
 
 Connecticut Breweries Co., Meriden Plant, 
 
 116-119. 
 < 'iinnecticut Building, St. Louis Exposition, 
 
 148. 
 I'onnecticut Trap Rock Quarries, Meriden 
 
 Plant: Part of Main Quarries, Crusher 
 
 Sheds and Storas-e Bins. 60. 
 I'urtiss-AYay Co., The, Plant, 112. 
 
 Foster, Merriam & Co., Factorv Buildings, 
 84. 
 
 I ireenbacker, A. & Sons, Grenhouses, 153. 
 
 llMll, A. J. & Co.. Factorv. 131. 
 
 Hall. Wilbur B.. Factorv, 144. 
 
 ir:indol Co.. The. Meriden Factory of, 81. 
 
 Turnover Lake Falls, 160. 
 
 Uolmschmied Mfg. Co.. Show Room, 114. 
 
 Hubbard, Walter, Residence, 69. 
 
 '. o Harvesting at Foster Lake, 141. 
 
 International Silver Co.: Factorv A. Meri- 
 den Silver Plate Co., 39; Factorv B, Mer- 
 iden Britannia Co., 42; Factory H, C. 
 Rogers & Bro.s., 48. 
 
 Icnnings & Griffin Mfg. Co.: Factory Front, 
 134; Factory Rear, 135. 
 
 l.awn Hotel, 155. 
 
 I'ines, H. Wales Co., Office and Plant. 147. 
 
 M.mning. Bowman & Co.: Factory in 1872, 
 
 9."?: Factorv in 1906, 94. 
 \bTiden Britannia Co. in 1863. 38. 
 icriden Curtain Fixture Co. Factorv, 55. 
 Alcriden Cntlerv Co. Factory. 24. 
 .Meriden Electric Light Co. Plant, IDS. 
 
 Meriden Fire Arms Co. Factorv. 88. 
 Meriden Gas Light Co. Works. 106. 
 Meriden Gravure Co. Plant, 123. 
 MiHer Bros. Cutlery Co. Factory Buildings, 
 
 Miller. Edward & Co.: Factory Buildings. 
 4: Foundry, 6; Machine Room, 6; Perfui - 
 ating Room, 7; Automatic Lathe Ro< • 
 
 Monroe, C. F. Co.: Factory, 26; Office, -7 
 
 Niland, J. J. & Co. Interior Factory, 132. 
 
 Parker Bros. Gun Works. 52. 
 
 Parker, The Charles Co., Main Factory, 50. 
 
 Schenck, M. B., Residence, 104. 
 Schenck, The M. B. Co. Manufacturing 
 Plant, 102. 
 
 NVallace, F. J.. Factory, 145. 
 
 Wheeler. Frank & Son, Factory, 64. 
 
 Wilcox Silver Plate Co. in 1865, 45. 
 
 Wilcox & White: Factory Buildings, 11 
 Action Dept., 13: Polishing Dept., 13 
 Piano Dept., 15; Case Room, 15; Music 
 Room, 17. 
 
 PORTRAITS. 
 
 Abercunos, A., 122. 
 Akers. John, 158. 
 Aubrey, A. J., 91. 
 Bailey, Theodore F., 125. 
 Kemis. Fred E., 22. 
 Bergen. James D.. 99. 
 Bergen, J. Val. 100. 
 Bergen. W. Tracy, 100. 
 Bishop. Dexter L., 140. 
 Bliss. E. A., 32. 
 Bliss. W. E., 32. 
 Bradlev. Clarence P.. 77. 
 Bradley, Nathaniel L.. 71. 
 
 Carter. Robt. W.. 22. 
 Curtis. Geo. M., 37. 
 Curtis, Geo. R., 36. 
 
1 84 
 
 A CENTURY OF MERIDEN. 
 
 Cuttis, Lemuel J., 36. 
 Curtiss, Homer A., 115. 
 Curtiss, James A., 110. 
 
 Dodd, Samuel, 37. 
 
 Edgerton, F. C, 62. 
 
 Fairchlld, H. E., 149. 
 
 Foster, Albert, 83. 
 
 Fostei', Hiram, S3. 
 
 Foster, Merriam & Co. Group, Founders 
 
 and Former Officers, 83. 
 Fritz, E. T., 121. 
 Fritz, W. F., 120. 
 
 Glock, Charle-s C. 137. 
 Olock, Charles W., 137. 
 Griswold, N. F., 136. 
 
 Handel, Philip, SO. 
 Helmschmied, Carl V., ll-">. 
 Hubbard, AValter, 68. 
 Hunting-ton, Frederick L.., 63. 
 
 International Silver Co. Group of officers, 
 
 37. 
 
 Jenning'S, A. B., 136. 
 .Johnson, W. H., 36. 
 Jones, Augustus H., 124. 
 
 Kelsey, "Wm. A.. 62. 
 Kennard, Benj. C, 9. 
 
 Lawton, B. K, 98. 
 Lewis, Isaac C, 36. 
 Linslev. Charles F., 75. 
 Liiby, Wm. J. 12S 
 Lyman, W. W., 36. 
 
 ■ ii'cn Britannia Co., Group, Founders ol. 
 
 .M-riiim. Geo. C, 83. 
 
 Merriam, Nelson, 83. 
 iVlerriam, Nelson C, S3. 
 Merriam, Robt J., 86. 
 Miller, Arthur E., 9. 
 Miller, Edward, Jr., 9. 
 Miller, Edward, Sr., 9. 
 Miller, L. A., 150. 
 Milner, Benj. P., 127. 
 Monroe, Charles F., 28. 
 Munson, John, 36. 
 
 Niland, James J., 133. 
 
 Phoenix, Percy, 121. 
 Pigeon, Ernest W., 159. 
 Polsey, C. E., 33. 
 
 Rockwell, Charles F., 58. 
 Rogers, B. C, 98. 
 Rutherford, J. L., 85. 
 
 Savage. Geo. E., 96. 
 Schenck, M. B., 103. 
 Schnick, Joseph, 122. 
 Schunack, C .B., 130. 
 Simpson, Samuel, 36. 
 Smith, Horace T., 13S. 
 Slephani. F. A., 91. 
 Sutliff, James R., 83. 
 Sutliff, John, 83. 
 
 Wav, Wm. H., 110. 
 
 Wheeler, Alfred P., 65. 
 
 Wlieeler, Frank, 65. 
 
 White Familv, Four Generation.s, 19. 
 
 Wliite. Frank C, 19. 
 
 Wliite, Henrv K., 19. 
 
 White, H. Foster, 19. 
 
 White, James H., 19. 
 
 Wilcox, Dennis C, 36. 
 
 Wilcox. E. C. 98. 
 
 \Vilcox, George H., 37. 
 
 Wilcox, Horace C, 36. 
 
 Zerfass, Wm., 85. 
 
 H^"65 7R 
 
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