1805-1895 Chauncey Knight Bushnell
Chauncey Bushnell was born in Lisbon, CT, in February 1805. He worked on his father’s farm and attended a small district school four months out of the year. Later, he taught at this school, while still farming, had twenty-one students, and received a monthly pay of six dollars. In March 1828, Chauncey was teaching in a school on Long Island, near Brooklyn. He took sick and returned to teach again in Lisbon. The following year, he entered the Oneida Institute in upstate New York. Following graduation, Chauncey settled in Norwich, where he continued his teaching career. In April 1832, he married Mary Eliza Fuller, and their daughter, Mary Witter, was born in July 1833. Chauncey’s wife passed away in December 1833, leaving him to raise Mary.
He continued to teach in area public and private schools until June 1836, when he joined the Anti-Slavery Society in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the publishing agent for their newspaper, the Philanthropist. He helped rebuild the presses following the proslavery riots. Chauncey traveled to Alton, IL and taught for a short time, but soon returned to Norwich. In March 1840, he married Mary Abby Post, and the couple settled in Norwichtown. In April 1841, Chauncey was teaching at a high school in Norwichtown.
Having lost two little sons in infancy, on the 10th of March, 1846, the couple adopted George Lovice Gardner (Bushnell), born on the 14th of July, 1843, the youngest son of his wife’s sister, who died on the 14th of February.
George L. G. graduated from the Norwich Free Academy on the 19th of July, 1862, taking the Perkins’ Greek medal and two diplomas. After serving as bookkeeper and cashier for four years at Richardson, Boynton & Co. in New York, and as clerk of the South Congregational Church in Brooklyn, he returned home and died of consumption on November 15, 1868.
In 1848, Chauncey practiced surveying and civil engineering, creating deeds, wills, and various legal documents, while also teaching. Following thirty years in the classroom, he retired in 1858.
1806-1879 Charles C. Johnson
Charles Johnson was born in Jewett City, April 1806, the fourth son of nine children of Obadiah and Lucy (Cady) Johnson. When about fourteen years of age, Charles began working in the local cotton mill. After two years, he was taken into the factory-store and office, where he remained until the mill was sold to Samuel and John Slater in 1823. In 1824, Charles was employed as an accountant by the Hopkins & Morse Machine Company of Norwich, then in 1827 as a bookkeeper in the Griswold Woolen Co., by Trumbull, Breed & Co.
At twenty-one, Charles invested his savings in partnership with his father in a prosperous mercantile enterprise under the firm name of John Johnson & Son. This early success was a clear indication of his shrewd business acumen. Later, he managed a store at Norwich Falls under the firm name of Cobb & Johnson.
When the Jewett City Bank was established in 1831, Mr. Johnson was appointed as its cashier at a modest annual salary of $200.
Three years later (1835), Mr. Johnson accepted a cashier’s position at the Norwich Savings Bank at a yearly salary of one thousand dollars. He was appointed a trustee in 1840 and then became a director. In 1847, upon the death of the late Jabez Huntington, Charles Johnson was chosen president of the Norwich Savings Society, a position he held until his death in April 1879. The Norwich Savings Society was the second-oldest and largest savings bank in the state. Under Charles Johnson’s leadership, the deposits swelled from less than $150,000 to nearly $8,000,000. The bank’s clientele grew to about 50,000 customers.
In addition to his regular banking business, Mr. Johnson was called upon to administer several public and private trusts. He was a trustee for the Otis Library from the first meeting of the trustees and for the fund supporting the families of Civil War veterans.
Mr. Johnson was a director of the Norwich & Worcester Railroad from 1848 to 1869. From 1845 to 1851, he was president of the Norwich Fire Insurance Company. For six years before his death, he was involved in reorganizing the Southern Minnesota Railroad. He was the originator of the Norwich City Gas Company and served as a director until his death. In 1864, his income was reported to be $8,417 ($194K today).
Mr. Johnson was an active member of the Second Congregational Church until the formation of Park Congregational Church. Charles Johnson was one of the incorporators of the Norwich Free Academy. Although he lived a very unostentatious life and died without any significant accumulation of wealth, it has been estimated that Charles Johnson distributed nearly $150,000 during his life for religious and benevolent purposes, as well as personal charities. Never one to be swayed by a politician and not always hopeful in his views, he nevertheless took a decided interest in national affairs and was fond of discussing them with his friends. During the anti-slavery movement, he was a strong abolitionist and a proponent of universal human brotherhood.
During his lifetime, Mr. Johnson’s life was robbed three times by the untimely deaths of his conjugal partners and the loss of two children. The only surviving child was Mr. Charles C. Johnson, Jr. of this city.
1806-1880 Lafayette Sabine Foster
Lafayette Foster was born in Franklin, Connecticut, in November 1806. Following his graduation from Brown University, he became a lawyer practicing in Norwich for over 30 years. He was elected mayor of Norwich in 1835 and 1852, and he represented the city in the General Assembly for six terms. He was also elected speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives for three of those terms. Foster later became a United States Senator, serving for eleven years. On March 6, 1865, the 39th Congress elected Lafayette Foster President pro tempore of the US Senate.
Six weeks later, following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, the Vice President, advanced to become the new President, and Lafayette Foster, the President of the Senate and de facto Vice President of the United States (April 15, 1865)—a position he held for almost two years. In 1870, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Connecticut, where he served for six years before retiring due to the mandatory retirement age. He returned to Norwich, where he continued his prestigious and successful law practice.
Lafayette Foster’s home was located on Washington Street off Chelsea Parade. Today, it is commonly known as the Norton Peck Memorial Library, located on the campus of the Norwich Free Academy. The Norwich Board of Trade included Lafayette Foster on their 1865 list of the wealthiest men in Norwich with an annual income of $7,843.
Foster married first, Joanna Boylston Lanman, in October 1837. They had three children, all of whom died in early childhood. Joanna died in 1859.
Foster remarried in 1860 to Martha Prince Lyman. The couple had no children. Lafayette Foster died of malaria in 1880.
1806-1886 Capt. George W. Geer
George Geer was born in Norwich in March 1806. He was one of ten children (seven boys and three girls) of Wheeler Geer, a ship builder and sea captain, and Sally Roath Geer. Five of his brothers became masters of sailing vessels, and later, four became masters of steamships. One sister died young, and the two remaining sisters married ship captains. At age eighteen, George was master of a sailing vessel plying in the coastal trade. Later on, George Geer was either the master or pilot of several boats and supervised the construction of, and was part-owner of, several ships.
In 1844, the steamer “Shetucket” was built under his supervision, and when completed, he took command of it. During the first six months of sea trials, George noticed that the “Ericsson” propeller, commonly used at the time, was inadequate and had it replaced with an “R.F. Loper” propeller. This proved insufficient for the steamship as well. Using his knowledge of marine engineering and natural inventiveness, Capt. Geer developed a screw type propeller based on a new principle. When built and installed on the “Shetucket,” the travel time to New York City was cut by one-third, with a corresponding reduction in fuel consumption. Soon, all steamships in the area and later around the world were being driven by Capt Geer’s invention.
The president and officers of the Ericsson Company, makers of ship propellers, approached Capt. Geer requested permission to begin producing his newly designed ship’s propeller. Capt. Greer graciously gave his consent and would accept no compensation in return. As a result of this business agreement, the Ericsson Company experienced growth and prosperity. Capt. Geer, unfortunately, neglected to apply for a patent on his invention for some time, and when he finally did, another inventor challenged his right to patent. A lengthy investigation was launched to determine who rightfully owned the patent for inventing the screw type propeller. Time passes, and in the middle of the legal process, the attorney in charge of Capt. Geer’s application suddenly died, and all papers related to the case were lost or misplaced. By this time, screw type propellers had come into general use and were considered common property, and George discontinued any further pursuit of his application.
In 1852, Capt. Geer joined with a group of investors in purchasing the steamship line formerly owned by the Norwich & Worcester Railroad Company. During the next twelve years, he would occasionally pilot or command one of their steamships. He supervised the building of the steamship “Charles Osgood” and sold his share in the business to Mr. Osgood sometime later. In 1855, Capt. Geer built the tugboat “George W. Geer,” which worked in the New York Harbor for many years. Around 1861, Capt. Geer was appointed inspector, weigher, and gauger for the Port of Norwich, a position he held for many years.
1807-1884 James L. Smith
James L. Smith, born into slavery in Northern Neck, VA, wrote a vivid and poignant autobiography in 1881. In it, Smith detailed life on the plantation, a debilitating injury he received as a child, the brutality of slavery, and the heartbreak suffered by separated black families. “We were treated like cattle, subject to the slave-holders’ brutal treatment and law.” He recounts how he was sold to a ship’s captain as a cook, a man who beat him so cruelly that “if I ever got away, I would throw myself overboard and put an end to my life.”
James was trained as a shoemaker at the age of 18, a trade in which he excelled and worked for several owners. Eventually, he saved some money from bits he kept back from the sale of shoes in a less supervised shop. He ran away, pursued by his owner as far as Philadelphia. With the help of David Ruggles, a free black and ardent abolitionist active in the Underground Railroad, James Smith made his way to Springfield, MA. Smith attended a school in Wilbraham for several years, working as a shoemaker to earn room and board; simultaneously, he earned a license to preach. He traveled with Dr. Hudson throughout Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts, including Boston, where he spoke at anti-slavery lectures. It was at one such program that he met Emeline Minerva, and they married in 1841.
James Smith relocated his wife to Norwich, where he established a shoemaking business. They lived in a tenement on Franklin Street. In two and a half years, he saved enough money to make a 50% down payment on a house; the mortgage was retired in three years. He and his wife had three daughters and a son. The son carried on the shoemaking trade; two of the daughters graduated from Norwich Free Academy, and the eldest from the “Normal Grammar School.”
His autobiography includes his recollections of the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, his concerns about the Fugitive Slave Law, and insights into race, religion, and politics. He concludes, “With these thoughts I leave, asking you to give your hearts to wisdom, restraining yourself from selfishness and living for the good of others.”