GEORGE ELLSWORTH MALTBY

(CFH-HAC-D)

George (7) Ellsworth Maltby, Esquire, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, February ninth, eighteen fifty-two.  He was the fourth child of George (6) Williams and Sarah Bogert Maltby.

Those who knew him in childhood speak of him as “a beautiful child” – not only in looks but in character.  The beautiful character of his childhood developed and strengthened with youth and manhood, and all who ever came in contact with him, either in business or socially, must have been impressed by his upright, honorable life.  When Right was on his side he was absolutely fearless and determined to stand firm, no matter what the consequences or what the powers sued against him.

He had many friends among the poor – for his charity was not the sort accompanied by loud proclamation, but done quietly and out of the sympathy he had for those less fortunate than himself.

His education was obtained at the Public and High schools, and his standing was always high.

His father offered him the opportunity to enter Yale University, but he decided for a business career and he very shortly entered the employ of H. W. Benedict and Company, coal dealers, with whom he remained until he was about seventeen years of age.  About this time Mr. Benedict’s son, Mr. H. H. Benedict, and Mr. Frank W. Pardee formed a partnership to handle coal entirely by wholesale and Mr. Maltby was asked to enter their office.  This firm was very successful and soon became one of the leading wholesale coal establishments in New England.

Mr. Maltby’s advancement was rapid and while still twenty-one years of age he was taken into partnership and the firm name changed to Benedict, Pardee and Company.

His business ability was of the best, and to those who knew him, knew the large things accomplished by him, and his success, any words of the writer would be superfluous.

At the age of twenty Mr. Maltby married Miss Georgia Lord Morehouse, youngest daughter of Louis Peck and Harriett Brown Morehouse, of New Haven, Connecticut.  Miss Morehouse was just eighteen at the time of their marriage.  They were scarcely more than children, but it proved to be one of those fortunate marriages which one sees once in a lifetime.

Mr. Maltby used frequently to tell his children that all that he was he owned to his wife – to her courage, love, devotion and helpfulness.

Mr. and Mrs. Maltby had two children, Maude Townshend, and Dorothy Lord, Maltby.

Mr. Maltby was a strong supporter of the Calvary Baptist Church of New Haven and for years was chairman of the music committee, and during his office this church had the finest choir in the state.  Mr. Maltby contributed liberally toward the maintaining of this choir.  He was intensely fond of music and had a fine natural baritone voice.

Mrs. Maltby’s voice was far above the ordinary singer’s – with remarkable range and sweetness, and showed thorough cultivation and training.

Many of the Maltbys were musical and we know that Mr. Maltby’s great grandfather, Col. Stephen (4) Maltby, had been quite prominent in a musical way.

In appearance Mr. Maltby was a typical Maltby, with dark brown hair, large brown eyes, set well apart and rather deep, heavy eyebrows, a firm mouth, with light brown moustache and a Maltby dimple in his chin.  His height was five feet ten, and he was quite muscular, though taking little exercise.

He had a great love for athletics and was fond of keeping good driving horses.

He was social and genial, and a member of several clubs – the Quinnipiac, the Republican League, and the Ansantawae; and also a member of the Chamber of Commerce.  In politics he was a Republican, and had earnest convictions on such subjects.

Mr. Maltby had a strong feeling of reverence for his ancestors and of kinship for his relations.

In the last year of his life he used frequently to remark, “I should like to meet every one of my relatives and shake each one by the hand.”

Shortly before his death Mr. and Mrs. Maltby spent much time and large sums of money tracing the Maltby Genealogy.  Mrs. Maltby did the compiling and arranging of the material, and together they traveled to old burying grounds, court houses, churches, etc., gathering the invaluable data, part of which is contained in the Maltby-Morehouse Family printed at Mr. Maltby’s expense and which he intended to give away.  Mr. Maltby also was employing an English genealogist to work upon the connection with our English family.  All this great work was cut short by his sudden death.

Deputy Governor George Bartlett, of Connecticut.

Governor William Brenton, of Rhode Island.

Rev. John Davenport, founder of New Haven.

Rev. John Eliot, “Apostle to the Indians.”

Rev. Joseph Eliot, Guilford, Conn.

Hon. Major Nathan Gold.

Hon. John Hall.

Rev. Samuel Hall, Patriot.

Governor Jonathan Law, of Connecticut.

Rev. John Lowthrop. Scituate, Mass.

Rev. Richard Mather.

Rev. Eleazer Mather.

Rev. Abraham Pierson.

Elder John Strong.

Thomas Townshend, Esq.

Rev. John Williams, the Redeemed Captive.

Rev. Stephen Williams, the Redeemed Captive.

Rev. Warham Williams.

On the maternal side Mr. Maltby’s ancestry was entirely Dutch and French Huguenot.  He was eligible to practically all the patriotic societies, and in response to an invitation to join the Colonial Wars his papers had been made out and were to be handed in the day he died.

Mr. Maltby had always been strong and vigorous, but while on a pleasure trip to Annapolis, Maryland, where he had gone accompanied by his family to attend some of the festivities at the Naval Academy, he was taken with a supposedly slight attack of influenza.  After a couple of days in bed he was sufficiently recovered to go on to Washington, D.C., where it was planned to spend a few days before returning to New Haven.  There, after a pleasant evening spent with his family and friends he was stricken with heart failure and died almost instantly.

His death occurred January 28^th, 1895, at the Arlington Hotel, Washington, D.C., when he was but forty-two years of age.

Mr. Maltby was a 32^nd degree Mason, belonging to the New Haven Commandery, No. 2, K.T., New Haven, Conn.; to Pyramid Temple, A. A. A. N. M. S., Bridgeport, Conn., and La Fayette Sov. Consistory, S. P. R. S., Bridgeport, Conn.

The above sketch of a useful and beautiful life is written in loving memory by his daughter, Dorothy Maltby Verrill.