Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

place. He was a farmer and also the
proprietor of a cement and lime kiln, be-
ing the first manufacturer of cement in
Akron, the forerunner of an industry
which grew to large dimensions in the
county. In politics Mr. Cummings was
a Whig. He married Betsey Bates, and
it is a fact worthy of note that on old
family silver belonging to Mrs. Cummings
the name was spelled without the
"g." Hezekiah Cummings was seventy
years old at the time of his death.
Uriah Cummings, son of Hezekiah and
Betsey (Bates) Cummings, was born
April 30, 1833, at Akron, New York, and
spent the greater part of his active busi-
ness life in the manufacture and sale of
cement. At the time of his death he was
president of the Cummings Cement Company
of Akron, a concern which was es-
tablished in 1854, and continued opera-
tions until about the year 1910.
In matters relating to cement or con-
crete, Mr. Cummings was, undoubtedly,
the highest authority in the United States.
For many years he had charge of the in-
vestigations conducted by the United
States government on this subject, and
wrote the government reports which
were published annually. His lecture on
the chemistry of cement, originally de-
livered at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in Boston, in 1888, created
a profound impression in scientific circles.
He frequently contributed articles on scientific
subjects to technical magazines
and other publications. His work on
"American Cements," published in 1898,
is today the leading authority on that
subject. A second edition was issued in
1905, and the book is found in all well
equipped technical libraries.
In 1901 Mr. Cummings organized the
Chickamauga Cement Company of Ross-
ville, Georgia, which has an extensive
manufacturing plant and property near
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Chattanooga, Tennessee. For several
years he was president of this company,
but resigned the office about three years
before his death. In 1886 he established
a cement plant at Mankato, Minnesota,
and he was at one time connected with
the Artificial Stone Company of San
Francisco, as well as various other enterprises.
He was the inventor of more
than thirty successful mechanical devices,
among the most important of which are
An air compressor, a stone dresser, and
a machine for testing pneumatically the
tensile strain of cement briquettes.
In addition to his technical works Mr.
Cummings wrote many tales dealing
chiefly with the Indians of Western New
York, in whom he was greatly interested.
His study of Indian history, tradition and
language was unusually extensive, re-
sulting in the discovery of much valuable
material, and causing him to be regarded
as an authority on these subjects. Among
the Tonawanda Indians, who occupy the
government reservation near Akron, he
was known as Chief Hah-Tah-E-Nah,
having been made an honorary member
of the tribe. He was recognized as the
true friend of the red man, having de-
voted much time to attempts to secure
for them just and humane treatment at
the hands of the government.
In fraternal circles Mr. Cummings af-
filiated with Hiram Lodge, No. 1, Free
and Accepted Masons, of New Haven,
and Clinton Commandery, No. 3, Knights
Templar, of Norwalk. He was widely
read, and was in constant correspondence
on technical and historical subjects with
distinguished men, both in the United
States and in Europe.
Mr. Cummings married, March 31,
1869, Audie Schuyler Stille, daughter of
Jacob Schuyler Stille and Audelia Lawrence
(Weekes) Stille, of Buffalo. The
Schuyler, Stille and Weekes ancestry is
: