Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

secretary in 1894, and treasurer in 1905.
The active management of the business is
in his hands and as before stated, it has
grown under his management.
He is connected with St. John's Lodge,
Washington Chapter ; Columbia Counsel
No. 9, Royal and Select Masters ; Cyrene
Commandery, and through the York Rite
he is a member of Sphinx Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
of Hartford. He is also a member of
Westfield Grange No. 50, Patrons of Husbandry,
in which he has filled all the im-
portant positions, and is a director of the
Farmers' and Mechanics' Savings Bank.
He is a member of the Church of the Holy
Trinity, and of the church club of the
diocese. Politically he is a Republican of
independent tendencies, but he has never
desired to fill a public station. In his
community he seeks to serve the best in-
terests and long served on the school
board of the district, of which he was
treasurer.
Mr. Smith married, June, 1894, Lottie
S. Weir, who was born in Westfield,
daughter of James and Ann Weir, the
former a native of Canada and the latter
of England. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the
parents of two daughters, Madeline Irene,
and Marjorie. The elder is a graduate of
the Middletown High School, and the lat-
ter of the Willimantic Normal School.
PENFIELD, George Ruber,
Agricnltnrist.
Among the best known and appreciated
citizens of the town of Portland, Mr. Pen-
field was a descendant of one of the earli-
est families of that town. The founder of
the family in this country was Samuel
Penfield, who was in Lynn in 1650. Possibly
he was the father of Samuel Penfield
who was married in Lynn, Novem-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
203
ber 30, 1675, to Mary Lewis, who was
born in January, 1653, in Charlestown,
Massachusetts, daughter of John and
Mary (Brown) Lewis. They had two
children recorded in Lynn, and before
1680 he removed to Rehoboth where two
children were born. After May, 1683, he
removed to Bristol, Rhode Island, and in
1688 was living in that town with his
wife and five children. Three of the chil-
dren of his first wife were born in that
town, the first in 1685 and the last in 1689.
His second wife, Ann, was the mother of
twin daughters born in Bristol in 1692,
and his third wife, Mary, bore him a son,
Benjamin, in 1696. No record of his death
appears in Bristol. His second son, John
Penfield, born May 31, 1683, in Rehoboth,
was attracted as a young man to the new
settlement at Lebanon, Connecticut, but
did not long remain there, removing soon
after to East Middletown, later Chatham,
now Portland, and settled in the locality
in the latter town still known as Penfield
Hill. He married, April 9, 1714, in
Middletown, Ann Cornwall, daughter of
Thomas and Mary (Clark) Cornwall,
granddaughter of William Cornwall, foun-
der of a large family, mentioned at length
elsewhere in this work. Their second
son. Colonel John Penfield, born May 14,
1721, was a prominent citizen of Portland
in his day and died February 22, 1797.
His wife, Ruth, died July 17, 1794, in her
fifty-eighth year. Their fourth son, John
Penfield, born July 25, 1767, was a farmer
occupying the paternal homestead where
he died December i, 1829. He was an act-
ive man in the church and in town affairs
fulfilling the traditions of his family. He
married, February 27, 1797, Jane Stewart,
born December i, 1769, died July 23, 1827 ;
both were buried in the Center Cemetery.
Their eldest son, Hiram A. Penfield, born
December 25, 1802, on Penfield Hill, was a