History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

The Hartwell family came also to Litchfield County from the vicinity of Boston in the early part of the eighteenth century, anil were among its most substan- tial citizens. This branch of the Sherman family and the Hartwell family seem to have been intinuitely connected, as the wife of Roger Sherman was the sister of Jaseph Hartwell. The early years of Mr. Sherman Hartwell were spent on his father's farm in Washington. His edu- cational advantages were only such as were aO'orded by the district schools of his native town. He made such jiroficiency, however, ;is to fit himself acceptably as a teacher, and taught school in Kingston, N. Y., J.JC'.iwAL f -2f. 7^ /^. t^^yZ^^^z^t^cy?-^ P.KIDGKroUT. 145 oiu' 111- uicirc yt'urs, wluii lie \v:is ahout twenty yrars ninm, iif wliirli he availeil liimsell' iiiuie ur le^s c|uiii' of iiL'e. Ileturniiii;- tlieiil'niiii tn ( 'Dniieetieilt, lie to the cln^e cil' his leimtliiiicil Hie. ('Ilterc(l the stole nf Mi. I'.li I'.mM. ill Xew Milloiii, .Air. li.niwell was also all aelive tru-t<-e ot' tlie where he ediitiiuieil several years. I!riil,!:e|iiirt 8a\ iii,i;s IJaiik lor a iiiiiiiher of years. ()u In 1S1:^>, assisted liy Mr. Todil. .Mr. liartx\(ll slarled tlie oi-fianizatioii of the ('it\i Saviiii;s ]!ank, in INoll, a eountry store ill the town of \\'arren, ailjoininir liis he heeaine i(h'iitihe(l with lliat iiistitiKion, ami eoii- liative town. Here he eontiiiiieil Iniviness liy himself tinned a trustee ami \ iee-|iresiileiit to tlie time of and ill siieeessi\c |>artnerslii|>s with a .Mr. Starr and his death, .Tan. 111. 1X7(1. He was very iiiethodieal JJiirton (JiUierf for twenly-li\ c year~. and hy patieni and earefiil ill all his transactions, and retained his toil, frii.i;ality, ami Ihrilt laid the foiimlalion <if his iiileie~l in alfairs to the last. aiiiiile estate. .Mr. Ilartwell luiiteil with the Con.i'regatioual In 1838, Mr. Hartwidl removed to ihid'^'eiiort, rather I 'linreh in Warren, Conn., rhiriiii;' his residence there, as an e-x|ierinient for tli<' lieiielit of tlie health of Airs. Soon after his n'lnoval to l!ridi;e|Hirt, he and his Ilartwell. The eliaiiiie proving; lielielieial, he made family lieeame eonneeted with the First (.'onureLia- liis iierniaiieiit residence here, ami thereafter heeanie tioiial ( 'linrcli and Society, where thev lia\ e ever lieeii thorou.irhly identitied w itli liridiiciiort and its instiln- a pillar of strength. tions. For a short tiim' he .■in;ai;ed in mercliaiidisiie.; The followiii.ii- are the namexif the children of Mr. on AVater Street, in cminectioii with the late Charles and Mrs. Ilartwell, only one of whom survives: JIarv.* l)e Forest. Inl.S4-(we find him on the "eoiiiicil of horn hSlS, married Hon. Siiin-on I!, (.'hittendeii ; safety" Iwitli tweUe others of Ihe ino^t siihsiantial Kachel Toild. horn IXlil', married Timothy P. Chap- men of the city ) to advi-c in all matter^ relali\et an; l';ii iterwin, horn IXl'7, dicl 1,S2!I; Sophia, the city hinids issneil ill aid of Ihe lloiisatonie Uail- limn l.S.'Kl, married .Toliii X. lioncsteid : Sidney,-' mail Conipanv. This siihjeet presented a ]prohh'ni of horn 1X;',2, died 18oM ; (orm-lia. horn I N.'ld, married apiiallin.i; hnaneial interest at that perioil, and in its Uohert Huhhard, JI.I). treatment J[r. Ilartwell rendered \aliiahle aid. It was manfully <.'ra]ipled w ith. and hy a wise and <are- fiil mamii;i-nieiit lime has wmmjlit a romparatividv easy solution. ' ' 1- i'K Via; WAUNHU. M.I.. From 1N40 to 1S4X he was nearly all the time a 1 tr. |. 1 ),• \'er Warner was liorn in Liiiid;aleen, (;he- meinher of the Conimon Council of the city and par- nan,;;:o (_'o., X. V.. March -Ht, Is4(l. He received a tieipated actively in city alfairs, especially in matters coninion-school and academic education, and, having of tinanee. He was a.treiit for the iiiana.neiueiit of the decided ujion the medical profession as a life-work, funded indehtedness of the city and the iiayment of eiitereil the olllee of Dr. C. .M. Kiimnian, a leadin,<; interest on the same from 1.S4X io |S,")S. physician anil suriceon residing al .Mc( ir.iwville, Cort- It was. however, in conneetion with oiir hankinj;- hind Co., X. Y. He |misued his stndii'S with dili- iiitere>ts that Jfr. Ilartwell was hest and most favor- oeiice ami attention, and snUseiiiieutly, when only ahly known. On the reeonstruclion of ihe old nrid.L^u- twenty-one years of a,L;e, .irraduated at the Ceneva port IJaiik alter the disastrous jjcrioil of 1X;!7, he hecanie Medical Collide, and was valedictorian id' his class, an active and eliicieiil directiu, and coiitrilmted largely |1,. commenced the praelice of his profession at in hringiu,;;- it up to the ]iositioii it soon attaineil as \ineveh, ilroome Co.. X. '»■., where he remained about one of the soniidcst and iiio^t ]no-perous institutions t^yo years, when he returned to Midrawville, and in the State. On lln' death of Silvanns Sterliii,;:-. Ksi|., siiecceded to the practice id' his I'mnier |ireeeptor, l)r. in 1S48, Mr. Ilartwell lieeame |iresident. and tilled Kingman. .\ii aelive praelice soon ei.ininced i)r, that ]iositiou ahly and successfully until IXli'.l, when Warner that the masses should lie taught concerning he )iositiv(dy deidined a re-eleelion. His active con- their physical organization, and he at once instituted iieetion with this liaiik thus covered a )ieriod of thirty- a series of popular lectures, w liieli he delivered with one years. During this time there were many seasons niaikcd success ihronghoiil New laighmd and the of financial stringency and einliarrassnieiit, sometimes Aliddlc Stales, lieing a llioroiigli master of hi^ pro- very trying. Mr. Harlwcll so thoroughly enjoyeil the fcssion and a line speaker, he drew large and intelli- frieudshi]! and coniidence of leading hankers in Xew i;ent audiences, and coiitiniie'l in the leeliire-lield York — the late I{. Withers, president of the old Baiik ahoiil ten years. During this time lie hecanie con- of the (State of Xew '^'ork, !■",. (1., and others — :is to vinced Ihat many of the diseases of women were the he of great service in such period-. In the discharge result of illy-eonlrived corsets, and at once set alioiit of his often delicate duties Mr. Ilartwell exhibited to instiliite the much-needed reform, and became the great urbanity and kindness, mingled with linn- inveiilor of the eelcliratcinV'ariier health corset. The ness, and his sujierior iiidgmeiit and ahilily were manufaelurc of this corsel was commeneed at Me- recogni/.ed. On his relinipiishnicnt of his olhcial (Jrawville, N. \'., where it was continued until 1870. relations to till' bank he was tendcreil the free use at — - - - - - - - his pleasure of his idiair and dc-k in Ihe directors' * Deraasi-d. 14t> IIISTOllY OF FAI11FIP:LD county, CONNECTICUT. The corsi't at once boeaiiic iiiinienscly |M>|iiilnr, and, (lesiiinir increased facilities tor nianul'aeturi' and ship- ping. Dr. Warner decided to locate in tliis city, and after selecting a site the erection of their present larpe brick factory was commenced in August, and on the 5th of the following October tlie manufacture of cor- sets was begun. Not content with jiroducing a corset which worked a revolution in the manufacture of this much-needed article, he still gave it his study, and three years ago patented and began the manufacture of the famous flexible-hi|) coi-set, the improvement being that the boues rnn around the body instead of up and down. He has also other patents in embryo. From a snudl shop, wliere .six hands were employed, the business has rapidly increased, until at the present time they employ over one thousand persons, an<l the daily capacity is three hundred and fifty dozen cor- sets. They operate five hundred Wheeler & Wilson sewing-nuiehines. The firm hius a large store in New York, and also one in Chicago, which is the only ex- clusive jobbing corset-house in the West. The junior member of the firm. Dr. L. C. Warner, is at present in Euro])e, and has completed arrangenient-s for the manufacture of the Warner corset by the large firm of Footman, Pretty & Nicholson, of Ipswich, England. The manufacture is also to be introduced into Paris. Thus, within an almost incredibly siiort period, this energetic firm has inaugurated an industrial enter- prise of va.st proportions, of which not only IJridge- port, but New England and the entire country, may justly feel proud. It is the largest establishment of it.s kind in America, and justly merits its success. By a strict attention to business, coupled with an indom- itable will and the manufacture of the best quality of goods. Dr. Warner has succeeded in building up in this city tlie largest corset-manufactory in the world. Sept. 24, 18()2, lie united in marriage with Lueetta M. Oreenman, a native of McOrawvillc, t'ortland Co., N. v., and has three children, — Annie L., De Vcr H., and Hugh F. The last named died Mav 1, 1879. JARUATT .MOUFOKD. A man who entirely by his own efforts has risen to affluence and social position, and through all the changing events of an active business lilc lias pre- served his integrity unimpeached, well deserves the pen of the historian. Such an one is Jarratt Mor- ford, the subject of this sketch. AVithout the advan- tages of inherited aitl he worked the jiroblem of his own fortune, and lives to enjoy the fruition of a successful business career. He was born in Shrewsbury, N. J., March 2!(, 1817, and was one of a family of eight children of George Morford and Maria Wardell.* His boyhood was • Mr. Murford'g aiiCiMtoi-!! wore uiuoiik the plonmra of Slirowsliiir)-, snil tho iircaonl town of Ho<l Bank Is IuioIchI upon a iwitloii of hia ffttlierV original piircliiuic.