Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

the origin of the surname. At one time
he has known as Jacob Janse Flodder,
under which name he was granted a large
tract, covering a part of the present city
of Hudson, New York, the title to which
continued in litigation until early in the
nineteenth century.
The second son of Samuel and Rachel
(Gardenier) Morrell was Daniel Morrell,
born February n, 1775, in Albany, where
he lived until 1814, when he removed to a
farm some six miles from Canajoharie,
New York. About 1830 he removed to
the village of Canajoharie, and there engaged
in the grocery business, in company
with his son, Daniel. His farmhouse
and his residence in the village are
still in good preservation. In 1834 he
was elected to represent his district in
Montgomery county in the New York
Legislature. He was in the military service
in the War of 1812, in the commis-
sary department, stationed perhaps at
Ticonderoga. He died December 22, 1842,
at Canajoharie. He married Claartje
Groesbeck, born March 12, 1770, in Albany,
died June 17, 1838, descended from
Nicholas Jacobse Groesbeck, a carpenter,
who came from Rotterdam, Holland, in
1662, born about 1626. He purchased a
house lot on the west side of Pearl
street in Albany, the second, north of
Maiden Lane, when about seventy-two
years old. The third child of Nicholas
Groesbeck was William Charles Groes-
beck, born about 1660, who married Ger-
terny Schuyler, and was the father of
David Groesbeck, born 1692, died 1763.
He married, November 8, 1724, Maria
Vander Pool, who died in 1757. Their
fifth son was John D. Groesbeck, born
1741, who married Betty Van Arnum, of
Albany, and they were the parents of
Claartje Groesbeck, wife of Daniel Mor-
rell.
The second son of Daniel Morrell was
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
25
John D. Morrell, born December 14, 1800,
in Albany, and was a dry goods merchant
at No. 80 State street in that city, in 1852,
with residence at No. 13 Park street.
He died September 9, 1872, in his seventysecond
year. He married Mary Burns,
daughter of Peter and Sarah Ann (Mc-
Dougall) Burns, of Montreal, Canada.
Their eldest son was Daniel Morrell,
born July 3, 1836, in Canajoharie, who
exemplified in remarkable degree the
traits and characteristics of his ancestors.
Research has indicated that the name
came originally from France, the family
living for some time in Holland, remov-
ing thence to England. At the time of
Daniel Morrell's birth his father owned
and operated boats on the Erie canal, and
while the son was young, the family removed
to Albany, later to New York
City. His education was supplied by the
public schools, and he prepared for col-
lege, but was prevented from taking the
course by the destruction of his father's
property by a great conflagration, which
swept away nearly all the canal vessels
in the Albany Basin. In 1853 the son
entered the employ of the brokerage firm
of David Groesbeck & Company, on
Broad street, New York City. Subse-
quently he was made a partner in the
firm, and about i860 became a member of
the New York Stock Exchange, contin-
uing in this connection nearly thirty
years. In 1876 he became interested in
the Spencer Repeating Rifle designed by
Christopher M. Spencer, severed his connection
with the firm of Groesbeck &
Company, and removed to Hartford,
where he was interested, with Mr.
Spencer and others, in the organization
of the Hartford Machine Screw Com-
pany. This establishment revolutionized
the processes by which machine screws,
nuts, rivets and nearly all lathed turned
parts are produced. In 1906 Mr. Morrell