Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

daughter of John and Rebecca Clark,
November 25, 1757. She was descended
from William Gilbert, secretary of the
New Haven Colony. Children, born at
New Haven : Clark, mentioned below ;
David, born August 5, 1760; Amarillis,
January 14, 1764; John, July 7, 1766;
Henry, August 29, 1768; Benjamin, bap-
tized May 10, 1778; Philemon, baptized
May 10, 1778. Henry Tolles was a sol-
dier in the Revolutionary War in Captain
Upham's company. Together with his
three brothers, Clark, David and John, he
was among the first settlers of the town
of Weathersfield, Vermont, in Windsor
county, 1780. He died there in 1810, and
his wife also died in 1801.
(V) Clark Tolles, son of Henry (4)
Tolles, was born in New Haven, August
2 5> I 75§- He was also a soldier in the
Revolution. He married Sally Proctor.
Children, born at Weathersfield, Vermont:
Henry, born April 10, 1782; Sarah,
July 21, 1785, married Ames Nichols;
Clark, September 22 1787; Levi, mentioned
below ; Betsey, June 2, 1795, married
a Mr. Marshall ; Lucy, September
10, 1796, married Henry Truell ; Hannah,
July 12, 1799, married Leonard Roby;
Gershom Hiram, June 7, 1802, married
Cynthia Niles.
(VI) Levi Tolles, son of Clark and
Sally (Proctor) Tolles, was born in
Weathersfield, Vermont, September 23,
1792. He married Mary Mosely, and they
were the parents of the following chil-
dren :
EXCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Julia Ann, Lucian, Charles, George
Franklin, of further mention, Betsey,
Fanny and Henry.
(VII) George Franklin Tolles, son of
Levi and Mary (Mosely) Tolles, was
born February 8, 1834, in Bloomfield,
Vermont. He received a common school
education in his native town, and learned
the trade of machinist in Nashua, New
Hampshire. During the Civil War he
came to Hartford, Connecticut, and was
a contractor engaged in the manufacture
of Sharpe's rifles for the government, and
afterward he sent for his brother, Charles,
and admitted him to partnership in this
business. After the war he had a machine
shop in Hartford, but after a few years
entered the employ of the Colt Patent
Firearms Company, continuing for a per-
iod of forty years, foreman of the rifle
shop during most of the time. In 1909 he
retired. In politics he has always been
a Republican. He represented the Fourth
Ward in the Common Council of Hart-
ford in the eighties. He was one of the
charter members of Lafayette Lodge,
Ancient Free & Accepted Masons ; and
is a member of the Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons ; Council, Royal and Select Mas-
220
Washington Commandery, Knights
ters ;
Templar ; and the Connecticut Consis-
tory. In religion he is a Universalist.
Mr. Tolles married August 2, 1863,
Jeanette Cynthia (Cornish) Pratt, of
Simsbury, Connecticut (see Cornish).
Children : Fanny, married John F. Ahern,
supervisor of music in Springfield, Mas-
sachusetts, public schools ;
mentioned below.
Charles Levi,
(VIII) Charles Levi Tolles, son of
George Franklin and Jeanette Cynthia
(Cornish) Tolles, was born in Hartford
August 20, 1865. He attended the pub-
lic schools there, graduating from the
Hartford High School in 1884. In March
of the same year he started upon his bus-
iness career as an office boy for the Jewell
Belting Company. In the course of time
he was promoted successively to invoice
clerk, bookkeeper, cashier and assistant
secretary. He not only mastered the
details of the office and shop, but went
on the road and sold goods for a number
of years and became well acquainted with
the customers of the company. He was
made secretary of the company in 1908,