From the Hartford Courant June 30, 1874
DEATH OF HENRY A. PERKINS
It is our painful duty to announce the death of Henry A. Perkins, president of the Hartford National Bank. He passed away quietly and easily yesterday morning at half passed 9 o’clock aged 73. We had almost said at the ripe old age of seventy-three but that would imply his work was done and his days of usefulness about over. This was not the case with Mr. Perkins. Till within a few days he was as vigorous to all appearances as he ever had been: his cares were numerous, his usefulness as great and his faculties as clear as they ever had been. In writing a notice of his life the main idea which comes to mind in contemplating his character, is the utter and entire rectitude of the man. His friends around his coffin today can point to him and say, there lies a man who during seventy three years has lived a life of Christian rectitude. No man can point to one stain on that record of long years, and no man has ever heard so much as a whisper against him. A perfectly pure record of seventy three years is the theme of the biographer of H. A. Perkins.
Henry A. Perkins was born in Hartford, October 21, 1804. He was the sixth child and second son of Enoch Perkins and Anna Pitkin his wife. Enoch Perkins was a lawyer of high standing in his day, and is remembered by many of our older citizens as one of the last best men and of the puritan sort. Mr. Perkins the subject of this notice was educated at the grammar school. After leaving school he preferred not to go to college as his brothers had done, but went to Rochester, then a new place and was the clerk for some time for Joseph Bissell, father of Colonel Bissell of this city. Not liking the west he returned and was for two years clerk for Charles Seymour, Main Street and in the same store now occupied by our much esteemed townsman. After that he took a position at the Phoenix Bank. In the bank he rose rapidly to the position of teller, and from there was promoted to the cashier of the branch of the Phoenix Bank, at Litchfield. At Litchfield he spent about two years, managing the bank with great skill and success. He was then appointed cashier of the Mechanics Bank, New Haven Just at that time the cashiership of the Hartford Bank became vacant; indeed there was a change in the entire administration of the bank. The Hon. Joseph Trumbull was elected president and knowing the talents of the young Perkins, he went to New Haven at once, and before he had entered upon the duties at the Mechanics Bank he prevailed on him to take the cashiership of the Hartford Bank. He was appointed June 11, 1829. This position he held till June 9, 1853, when he was elected president, which office he held at the time of his death, a continued service of almost forty five years in one institution. These forty five years were of continued prosperity to the bank. At the time he was appointed the bank was not in first rate condition, but he soon raised it out of its difficulties, and today it stands in the front of sound banking institutions. Of course he was seconded in his efforts by able boards of directors (and there are directors at the board who have held seats there for nearly forty years) but no one conversant with the facts will deny that Mr. Perkins was the master mind of the bank during the long time of his holding office. He was a man of unusual industry and of great strength of constitution to endure labor. Until within a few years he never took a vacation, but was always at the bank hard at work at his desk, from before the bank hours in the morning till long hours after the bank had closed in the afternoon, and long as there was anything to be done he remained to do it and made his clerks remain with him. He was remarkable instance of industry, method and conscientious exactness and painstaking business. Such devotion to his duties was too much even for his iron constitution, and a year ago or more he began to have premonitions that his system was out of order and that he must give himself more relaxation. But it came hard for him to do so and he only took short trips away from home and those not as frequently as he should have done. Recently he has been subject to fainting turns, but he still kept about his regular duties. His habits of business were so strong and his experience of sickness so small (for it is our impression that he never took a sick day in his life) that he would not regard the wishes of his friends, but went regularly to the bank when he should have been seeking health. About two weeks ago he became worse, a disease of the kidneys developed itself, and from that moment he rapidly declined till yesterday morning he passed away, calmly and without suffering, lamented by all who knew him.
We cannot in the brief space of this column give a full epitome of his character. Mr. Perkins was a man of strong prejudices, but they were always on the right side. He may have appeared rough to some but it was the roughness of honesty. He never sought popularity, and he had no honeyed words for a man to his face and bitter words behind his back. He abominated from his soul a mean, a dishonest transaction, or anything that looked the least like it, and he was fearless in denouncing such things to the person who transgressed. To the honest man who was unfortunate he was kind and as lenient as was possible under the circumstances: but the unfortunate man who was not quite straight had better meet a lion than him. He never forgot or forgave a man who had been untrue to him. Everyone who did business with him must “enter in at the straight gate” and stay there. Mr. Perkins was always a liberal man in his donations, and of late years he had been opened handed beyond what was known to any but those who received the benefit of it. He never said No to a subscription paper if it was for a really good cause , or for a matter of public benefit. He was one of the liberal men of the city who could always be counted on for a large subscription whenever any enterprise or benevolence needed help. But he has passed away and we look around the community and say where is the man who in all things can fill his place.
Mr. Perkins leaves a widow and two sons. His only daughter died about a year ago, and it has been noticed by his friends that since the event he has not been well, and has seemed sad and desponding. This probably affected his health more than he was aware of. In his family he was kind and gentle in the extreme, and no one can know, and it is not our right to speak of, the deep grief of his family and near relatives. They mourn a father and friend, whom there never was one kinder and more tender.
DEATH OF HENRY A. PERKINS
It is our painful duty to announce the death of Henry A. Perkins, president of the Hartford National Bank. He passed away quietly and easily yesterday morning at half passed 9 o’clock aged 73. We had almost said at the ripe old age of seventy-three but that would imply his work was done and his days of usefulness about over. This was not the case with Mr. Perkins. Till within a few days he was as vigorous to all appearances as he ever had been: his cares were numerous, his usefulness as great and his faculties as clear as they ever had been. In writing a notice of his life the main idea which comes to mind in contemplating his character, is the utter and entire rectitude of the man. His friends around his coffin today can point to him and say, there lies a man who during seventy three years has lived a life of Christian rectitude. No man can point to one stain on that record of long years, and no man has ever heard so much as a whisper against him. A perfectly pure record of seventy three years is the theme of the biographer of H. A. Perkins.
Henry A. Perkins was born in Hartford, October 21, 1804. He was the sixth child and second son of Enoch Perkins and Anna Pitkin his wife. Enoch Perkins was a lawyer of high standing in his day, and is remembered by many of our older citizens as one of the last best men and of the puritan sort. Mr. Perkins the subject of this notice was educated at the grammar school. After leaving school he preferred not to go to college as his brothers had done, but went to Rochester, then a new place and was the clerk for some time for Joseph Bissell, father of Colonel Bissell of this city. Not liking the west he returned and was for two years clerk for Charles Seymour, Main Street and in the same store now occupied by our much esteemed townsman. After that he took a position at the Phoenix Bank. In the bank he rose rapidly to the position of teller, and from there was promoted to the cashier of the branch of the Phoenix Bank, at Litchfield. At Litchfield he spent about two years, managing the bank with great skill and success. He was then appointed cashier of the Mechanics Bank, New Haven Just at that time the cashiership of the Hartford Bank became vacant; indeed there was a change in the entire administration of the bank. The Hon. Joseph Trumbull was elected president and knowing the talents of the young Perkins, he went to New Haven at once, and before he had entered upon the duties at the Mechanics Bank he prevailed on him to take the cashiership of the Hartford Bank. He was appointed June 11, 1829. This position he held till June 9, 1853, when he was elected president, which office he held at the time of his death, a continued service of almost forty five years in one institution. These forty five years were of continued prosperity to the bank. At the time he was appointed the bank was not in first rate condition, but he soon raised it out of its difficulties, and today it stands in the front of sound banking institutions. Of course he was seconded in his efforts by able boards of directors (and there are directors at the board who have held seats there for nearly forty years) but no one conversant with the facts will deny that Mr. Perkins was the master mind of the bank during the long time of his holding office. He was a man of unusual industry and of great strength of constitution to endure labor. Until within a few years he never took a vacation, but was always at the bank hard at work at his desk, from before the bank hours in the morning till long hours after the bank had closed in the afternoon, and long as there was anything to be done he remained to do it and made his clerks remain with him. He was remarkable instance of industry, method and conscientious exactness and painstaking business. Such devotion to his duties was too much even for his iron constitution, and a year ago or more he began to have premonitions that his system was out of order and that he must give himself more relaxation. But it came hard for him to do so and he only took short trips away from home and those not as frequently as he should have done. Recently he has been subject to fainting turns, but he still kept about his regular duties. His habits of business were so strong and his experience of sickness so small (for it is our impression that he never took a sick day in his life) that he would not regard the wishes of his friends, but went regularly to the bank when he should have been seeking health. About two weeks ago he became worse, a disease of the kidneys developed itself, and from that moment he rapidly declined till yesterday morning he passed away, calmly and without suffering, lamented by all who knew him.
We cannot in the brief space of this column give a full epitome of his character. Mr. Perkins was a man of strong prejudices, but they were always on the right side. He may have appeared rough to some but it was the roughness of honesty. He never sought popularity, and he had no honeyed words for a man to his face and bitter words behind his back. He abominated from his soul a mean, a dishonest transaction, or anything that looked the least like it, and he was fearless in denouncing such things to the person who transgressed. To the honest man who was unfortunate he was kind and as lenient as was possible under the circumstances: but the unfortunate man who was not quite straight had better meet a lion than him. He never forgot or forgave a man who had been untrue to him. Everyone who did business with him must “enter in at the straight gate” and stay there. Mr. Perkins was always a liberal man in his donations, and of late years he had been opened handed beyond what was known to any but those who received the benefit of it. He never said No to a subscription paper if it was for a really good cause , or for a matter of public benefit. He was one of the liberal men of the city who could always be counted on for a large subscription whenever any enterprise or benevolence needed help. But he has passed away and we look around the community and say where is the man who in all things can fill his place.
Mr. Perkins leaves a widow and two sons. His only daughter died about a year ago, and it has been noticed by his friends that since the event he has not been well, and has seemed sad and desponding. This probably affected his health more than he was aware of. In his family he was kind and gentle in the extreme, and no one can know, and it is not our right to speak of, the deep grief of his family and near relatives. They mourn a father and friend, whom there never was one kinder and more tender.
From the Hartford Courant June 30, 1874
DEATH OF HENRY A. PERKINS
It is our painful duty to announce the death of Henry A. Perkins, president of the Hartford National Bank. He passed away quietly and easily yesterday morning at half passed 9 o’clock aged 73. We had almost said at the ripe old age of seventy-three but that would imply his work was done and his days of usefulness about over. This was not the case with Mr. Perkins. Till within a few days he was as vigorous to all appearances as he ever had been: his cares were numerous, his usefulness as great and his faculties as clear as they ever had been. In writing a notice of his life the main idea which comes to mind in contemplating his character, is the utter and entire rectitude of the man. His friends around his coffin today can point to him and say, there lies a man who during seventy three years has lived a life of Christian rectitude. No man can point to one stain on that record of long years, and no man has ever heard so much as a whisper against him. A perfectly pure record of seventy three years is the theme of the biographer of H. A. Perkins.
Henry A. Perkins was born in Hartford, October 21, 1804. He was the sixth child and second son of Enoch Perkins and Anna Pitkin his wife. Enoch Perkins was a lawyer of high standing in his day, and is remembered by many of our older citizens as one of the last best men and of the puritan sort. Mr. Perkins the subject of this notice was educated at the grammar school. After leaving school he preferred not to go to college as his brothers had done, but went to Rochester, then a new place and was the clerk for some time for Joseph Bissell, father of Colonel Bissell of this city. Not liking the west he returned and was for two years clerk for Charles Seymour, Main Street and in the same store now occupied by our much esteemed townsman. After that he took a position at the Phoenix Bank. In the bank he rose rapidly to the position of teller, and from there was promoted to the cashier of the branch of the Phoenix Bank, at Litchfield. At Litchfield he spent about two years, managing the bank with great skill and success. He was then appointed cashier of the Mechanics Bank, New Haven Just at that time the cashiership of the Hartford Bank became vacant; indeed there was a change in the entire administration of the bank. The Hon. Joseph Trumbull was elected president and knowing the talents of the young Perkins, he went to New Haven at once, and before he had entered upon the duties at the Mechanics Bank he prevailed on him to take the cashiership of the Hartford Bank. He was appointed June 11, 1829. This position he held till June 9, 1853, when he was elected president, which office he held at the time of his death, a continued service of almost forty five years in one institution. These forty five years were of continued prosperity to the bank. At the time he was appointed the bank was not in first rate condition, but he soon raised it out of its difficulties, and today it stands in the front of sound banking institutions. Of course he was seconded in his efforts by able boards of directors (and there are directors at the board who have held seats there for nearly forty years) but no one conversant with the facts will deny that Mr. Perkins was the master mind of the bank during the long time of his holding office. He was a man of unusual industry and of great strength of constitution to endure labor. Until within a few years he never took a vacation, but was always at the bank hard at work at his desk, from before the bank hours in the morning till long hours after the bank had closed in the afternoon, and long as there was anything to be done he remained to do it and made his clerks remain with him. He was remarkable instance of industry, method and conscientious exactness and painstaking business. Such devotion to his duties was too much even for his iron constitution, and a year ago or more he began to have premonitions that his system was out of order and that he must give himself more relaxation. But it came hard for him to do so and he only took short trips away from home and those not as frequently as he should have done. Recently he has been subject to fainting turns, but he still kept about his regular duties. His habits of business were so strong and his experience of sickness so small (for it is our impression that he never took a sick day in his life) that he would not regard the wishes of his friends, but went regularly to the bank when he should have been seeking health. About two weeks ago he became worse, a disease of the kidneys developed itself, and from that moment he rapidly declined till yesterday morning he passed away, calmly and without suffering, lamented by all who knew him.
We cannot in the brief space of this column give a full epitome of his character. Mr. Perkins was a man of strong prejudices, but they were always on the right side. He may have appeared rough to some but it was the roughness of honesty. He never sought popularity, and he had no honeyed words for a man to his face and bitter words behind his back. He abominated from his soul a mean, a dishonest transaction, or anything that looked the least like it, and he was fearless in denouncing such things to the person who transgressed. To the honest man who was unfortunate he was kind and as lenient as was possible under the circumstances: but the unfortunate man who was not quite straight had better meet a lion than him. He never forgot or forgave a man who had been untrue to him. Everyone who did business with him must “enter in at the straight gate” and stay there. Mr. Perkins was always a liberal man in his donations, and of late years he had been opened handed beyond what was known to any but those who received the benefit of it. He never said No to a subscription paper if it was for a really good cause , or for a matter of public benefit. He was one of the liberal men of the city who could always be counted on for a large subscription whenever any enterprise or benevolence needed help. But he has passed away and we look around the community and say where is the man who in all things can fill his place.
Mr. Perkins leaves a widow and two sons. His only daughter died about a year ago, and it has been noticed by his friends that since the event he has not been well, and has seemed sad and desponding. This probably affected his health more than he was aware of. In his family he was kind and gentle in the extreme, and no one can know, and it is not our right to speak of, the deep grief of his family and near relatives. They mourn a father and friend, whom there never was one kinder and more tender.
DEATH OF HENRY A. PERKINS
It is our painful duty to announce the death of Henry A. Perkins, president of the Hartford National Bank. He passed away quietly and easily yesterday morning at half passed 9 o’clock aged 73. We had almost said at the ripe old age of seventy-three but that would imply his work was done and his days of usefulness about over. This was not the case with Mr. Perkins. Till within a few days he was as vigorous to all appearances as he ever had been: his cares were numerous, his usefulness as great and his faculties as clear as they ever had been. In writing a notice of his life the main idea which comes to mind in contemplating his character, is the utter and entire rectitude of the man. His friends around his coffin today can point to him and say, there lies a man who during seventy three years has lived a life of Christian rectitude. No man can point to one stain on that record of long years, and no man has ever heard so much as a whisper against him. A perfectly pure record of seventy three years is the theme of the biographer of H. A. Perkins.
Henry A. Perkins was born in Hartford, October 21, 1804. He was the sixth child and second son of Enoch Perkins and Anna Pitkin his wife. Enoch Perkins was a lawyer of high standing in his day, and is remembered by many of our older citizens as one of the last best men and of the puritan sort. Mr. Perkins the subject of this notice was educated at the grammar school. After leaving school he preferred not to go to college as his brothers had done, but went to Rochester, then a new place and was the clerk for some time for Joseph Bissell, father of Colonel Bissell of this city. Not liking the west he returned and was for two years clerk for Charles Seymour, Main Street and in the same store now occupied by our much esteemed townsman. After that he took a position at the Phoenix Bank. In the bank he rose rapidly to the position of teller, and from there was promoted to the cashier of the branch of the Phoenix Bank, at Litchfield. At Litchfield he spent about two years, managing the bank with great skill and success. He was then appointed cashier of the Mechanics Bank, New Haven Just at that time the cashiership of the Hartford Bank became vacant; indeed there was a change in the entire administration of the bank. The Hon. Joseph Trumbull was elected president and knowing the talents of the young Perkins, he went to New Haven at once, and before he had entered upon the duties at the Mechanics Bank he prevailed on him to take the cashiership of the Hartford Bank. He was appointed June 11, 1829. This position he held till June 9, 1853, when he was elected president, which office he held at the time of his death, a continued service of almost forty five years in one institution. These forty five years were of continued prosperity to the bank. At the time he was appointed the bank was not in first rate condition, but he soon raised it out of its difficulties, and today it stands in the front of sound banking institutions. Of course he was seconded in his efforts by able boards of directors (and there are directors at the board who have held seats there for nearly forty years) but no one conversant with the facts will deny that Mr. Perkins was the master mind of the bank during the long time of his holding office. He was a man of unusual industry and of great strength of constitution to endure labor. Until within a few years he never took a vacation, but was always at the bank hard at work at his desk, from before the bank hours in the morning till long hours after the bank had closed in the afternoon, and long as there was anything to be done he remained to do it and made his clerks remain with him. He was remarkable instance of industry, method and conscientious exactness and painstaking business. Such devotion to his duties was too much even for his iron constitution, and a year ago or more he began to have premonitions that his system was out of order and that he must give himself more relaxation. But it came hard for him to do so and he only took short trips away from home and those not as frequently as he should have done. Recently he has been subject to fainting turns, but he still kept about his regular duties. His habits of business were so strong and his experience of sickness so small (for it is our impression that he never took a sick day in his life) that he would not regard the wishes of his friends, but went regularly to the bank when he should have been seeking health. About two weeks ago he became worse, a disease of the kidneys developed itself, and from that moment he rapidly declined till yesterday morning he passed away, calmly and without suffering, lamented by all who knew him.
We cannot in the brief space of this column give a full epitome of his character. Mr. Perkins was a man of strong prejudices, but they were always on the right side. He may have appeared rough to some but it was the roughness of honesty. He never sought popularity, and he had no honeyed words for a man to his face and bitter words behind his back. He abominated from his soul a mean, a dishonest transaction, or anything that looked the least like it, and he was fearless in denouncing such things to the person who transgressed. To the honest man who was unfortunate he was kind and as lenient as was possible under the circumstances: but the unfortunate man who was not quite straight had better meet a lion than him. He never forgot or forgave a man who had been untrue to him. Everyone who did business with him must “enter in at the straight gate” and stay there. Mr. Perkins was always a liberal man in his donations, and of late years he had been opened handed beyond what was known to any but those who received the benefit of it. He never said No to a subscription paper if it was for a really good cause , or for a matter of public benefit. He was one of the liberal men of the city who could always be counted on for a large subscription whenever any enterprise or benevolence needed help. But he has passed away and we look around the community and say where is the man who in all things can fill his place.
Mr. Perkins leaves a widow and two sons. His only daughter died about a year ago, and it has been noticed by his friends that since the event he has not been well, and has seemed sad and desponding. This probably affected his health more than he was aware of. In his family he was kind and gentle in the extreme, and no one can know, and it is not our right to speak of, the deep grief of his family and near relatives. They mourn a father and friend, whom there never was one kinder and more tender.
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