Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

have dealt lightly with him and each day
he is at his desk in the president's room
at the bank or at the offices of the Amer-
ican Mills Company, of which he is also
president, an office held for the past
thirty-two years. He has also been connected
with the Savings Bank of Rockville
since 1863, a bank of which Libbeus
F. Bissell, who died in 1903, aged ninety-
three years, had been secretary-treasurer
for forty-five years. Perhaps there is no
bank president in the harness to-day who
has reached Mr. Talcott's age, and to
properly commemorate his ninetieth birth-
day and to show their appreciation of
the fact that their president is the dean
of living bank presidents, the directors of
the First National Bank presented Mr.
Talcott with a silver loving cup suitably
engraved with the facts concerning his
age and service with the bank.
Mr. Talcott is a descendant of an
ancient Colonial family dating back to
earliest days. His grandfather, Phineas
Talcott, was born in 1758, was a soldier
of the Revolution, and represented the
town of Vernon, Connecticut ; in the State
Legislature, he was one of the delegates
to the State convention which framed the
constitution of 1813 and was one of the
prominent men of his time. He married
Hannah Kellogg.
Their son Phineas (2) Talcott, was
born in Vernon, Connecticut, August 7,
1793, began his career as a school teacher
and at one time was principal of the
Stone Schoolhouse in Hartford, with ten
teachers and six hundred pupils under
him. He was steward of the Connecticut
Insane Retreat for seven and a half years,
then became agent for the Rock Mill from
which Rockville derives its name. After
five years as agent, he bought the Scottaway
Henkley farm, and he farmed his
purchase until 1846, then began the erec-
tion of the American Mills, was the larg-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
298
est stockholder of the corporation owning
them and president until his death, June
6, 1863. He was also owner of a third
interest in the Springville Mill, president
of the Rockville Railroad Company, treas-
urer of the Acqueduct Company, presi-
dent of the Savings Bank of Rockville,
judge of probate ten years, a trial justice,
and held many town offices. He married
Lora McLean, daughter of Francis Mc-
Lean, founder of Rockville.
George Talcott, son of Phineas and
Lora (McLean) Talcott, was born in
Hartford, Connecticut, January 20, 1827,
and there resided until eight years of age,
when his parents moved to Rockville,
which has now been his home for eightytwo
years. Rockville was then but a
hamlet and not one person then residing
there is there to-day ;
it is a new Rockville
and in its upbuilding George Talcott has
borne a prominent part. He was deli-
cate as a boy, in fact, lung trouble has
been the one trouble of his life. After
being obliged to leave school, he was
clerk for a time, but his health was so
poor that he gave it up and tried out-ofdoors
work on the farm, but he seemed
to grow weaker and various health resorts
were tried. In 1852 he went to California,
by way of the Isthmus of Panama, return-
ing by Nicaraugua. He was still in a
precarious condition in October, 1861,
when he started for Buenos Ayres, South
America, remaining there until May,
1862. He fully recovered, although occa-
sional trips have been taken for his health
and he has been constantly "on guard"
during all the years of his life. Now a
picture of good health, at the age of
ninety, with erect form and quick elastic
step, it is hard to imagine that for all his
younger years he was subject to lung
trouble. In 1863 he succeeded his father
in his various enterprises and continues
the active head of the American Mills