Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

as an exponent of applied art. Some of
the work turned out by this concern for
office fittings is entirely worthy of being
classed among the fine arts. Frederick
H. Crosthwaite is the president of this
company, and the moving spirit of the
establishment.
The suffix "thwaite" occurs chiefly as
the second element in local names, espe-
cially in the lake district of the North of
England ;
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
as Bassenthwaite, Stonethwaite,
and Crossthwaite. Thwaite is equivalent
to a "field," or "felled place," or woodland
clearing. The name of Henry de Cros-
thwaite appears in Writs of Parliament,
and John de Crostwyt appears in Placeto
de Warranto.
Frederick H. Crosthwaite was born in
London, England, March 22, 1851, and is
the son of Daniel and Julia (Shultz)
Crosthwaite. His father was a ship-
builder and lived for some time in South-
shields, near the ship-yards, and his paternal
grandfather was a preacher, and
the son of a preacher. The Crosthwaite
Church in London was named for his
great-grandfather. Frederick H. Crosthwaite
was brought to America when
but six months old, the loss of his father
in infancy being filled by the devotion of
his mother, who brought him to this
country and trained him to an upright
and useful manhood. He was educated
in the public schools, and being a bright
lad, with a genuine thirst for knowledge,
he made the most of such advantages as
offered. When he was twenty-one he
faced the world in earnest. He felt that
the man who stands alone and makes his
own way is the man who will make last-
ing success. So he began in a very small
way, on his own account ; his first pro-
duct was wire designs for florists
—
wreaths, crosses, and the more elaborate
forms which constitute the foundations
70
of floral designs. From that beginning
the business branched out into other lines
and, as was to be expected, the result of
good management, dependable products
and courtesy to all customers, it was only
a matter of time when it assumed con-
siderable proportions. Now the concern
manufactures a general line of wire goods,
including office railings, wire elevator partitions,
etc. They employ about twenty
people and have the most modern mechan-
ical equipment. The business reaches to
a radius of fifty miles of Hartford.
Mr. Crosthwaite is a substantial busi-
ness man, a progressive citizen, interested
in all that makes for the public welfare,
a man of high ideals, which he carries
into his business and social life. In his
long residence here in Hartford he has
won the esteem of all who have had the
opportunity to know him. He is a con-
stant attendant and earnest supporter of
the Christian Science church. Mr. Crosthwaite
is a member of Lafayette Lodge,
No. 100, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons
; was a member of the City Guards
for five years, and is now a member of
the Veterans' organization.
Mr. Crosthwaite married Mrs. Maria
Porter, daughter of William (2) Gray, of
Hebron, Connecticut.
ANDERSON, Oscar,
Public Official.
Oscar Anderson, commissioner of public
work, Bristol, Connecticut, was born
in Oarod, Sweden, December 1, 1864,
and there spent the first seventeen years
of his life. He obtained a good public
school education, and was variously em-
ployed until 1881, when he came to the
United States, locating in Bristol, Con-
necticut, there spending six years in fac-
tory and private employ. He then re-