TRUMAN HEMINWAY ALDRICH

BIOGRAPHY and GENEALOGY

(1848-1932)

SHELBY, JEFFERSON, DALLAS COUNTY

Truman Heminway Aldrich was a mining engineer in Alabama. He was born at Palmyra, Wayne County, N. Y., October 17, 1848; son of William Farrington Aldrich and Louisa Eugenia (Klapp) Aldrich; grandson of Charles Aldrich and Olive (Farrington) Aldrich of Menden, Mass., later of Palmyra, N. Y and of John Klapp and Maria (Barker) Klapp of La Grange, Dutchess County, N. Y.; greatgrandson of Samuel Augustus Barker, an adjutant-general in the Revolutionary Army, an aide-de-camp to Gen. Lafayette, a graduate of Yale and a member of the State senate of New York.

The Klapps were Dutch people, John, his grandfather being raised by his guardian Stephen Van Rensselaer; was a soldier in the War of 1812, and later a member of the State senate of New York. William F. Aldrich was a lawyer, moving to New York city in 1865, where he was later county solicitor, State bank examiner and founder and first secretary of the Union Trust company of New York.

Aldrich suffered from poor health as a young boy. Truman H. was educated in the public schools of Palmyra and graduated from the West Chester Pennsylvania military institute. Aldrich suffered from poor health as a young boy.

He took his degree of M. E. at the Rensselaer polytechnic institute at Troy in 1869. He began the practice of his profession in New York, but after two years here and in New Jersey, he removed to Selma.

He engaged in the banking business and after two years gave this up to take up coal mining. While in the region, he investigated the existing coal-mining operations at Montevallo and around the Cahaba coalfield. The next year he secured a lease on the Montevallo coal mines and set to work extracting coal that summer. He purchased the mines outright in 1875 and named the surrounding settlement Aldrich, leasing the operation to his younger brother William while he prospected for new seams.

He incorporated the Jefferson Coal Company in the town of Morris, from which he supplied fuel for the first successful coke-fired furnace in the Birmingham District, helping to establish the area as a center of iron and steel production. He operated successfully for many years, the Montevallo, Pratt and several other mines.

“In 1881 Aldrich founded the Cahaba Coal Company in Bibb County. After building a railroad connector, the company laid out a “model community” on the bank of Caffee Creek. After seeing a “ton block” of coal brought from the mine, Aldrich named the town Blocton. Blocton coal earned a reputation as an efficient fuel for steam locomotives and the profitable company embarked on a period of great expansion. Aldrich advertised widely for miners who arrived from all over the United States, as well as Western and Central Europe. By the summer of 1890 over 3,600 people were residents of Blocton and products from the companies’ mines and ovens were being sold to customers throughout the Southeast and parts of Latin America”

In 1892, he became vice-president and general manager of the Tennessee coal, iron and railroad company. He has long been interested in geology and conchology and has generously contributed to the museum of the State geological survey, the collection of shells alone comprising more than four thousand specimens.

His contributions to the literature on scientific subjects have been many and have covered a wide field. He is a Republican and was nominated for the 54th congress from the 9th district by his party, being endorsed by the Populist party. The election was given to Hon. Oscar Underwood but after a contest he was seated two days before the close of the first session of the congress. He served from June 9, 1896, to March 3, 1897. He was appointed postmaster of Birmingham by President Taft and confirmed on December 11, 1911, serving until December, 1915.

He was an Episcopalian. He was married to Anna Morrison, daughter of John Morrison and Elizabeth (Ogden) Morrison, of Newark, N. J.

Their children were :

1. Georgia M. Aldrich, m. J. W. Herron, Jr., 3 children;
2. Truman Herbert Aldrich m. Louisa Bannister. 1 child;
3. Maria A . Aldrich

His last residence was Birmingham, Alabama. Truman H. Aldrich died April 28, 1932 in Birmingham, Alabama and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama.

SOURCES

1. History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume 3 By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen
2. Wikipeda
3. Find A Grave Memorial# 8016343
4. History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume 3 By Thomas McAdory Owen, Marie Bankhead Owen

Some Descendants of George Aldrich (1605-1683)

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George Aldrich was born in Derbyshire, England, about 1605. He was a tailor by trade. He sailed for America, November 6, 1631. He married in England, September 3, 1620, Catherine Seald. He settled first in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and he, with his wife Catherine, was member of the Dorchester Church in 1636. He lived in Braintree from about 1640 to 1663, when he settled in Mendon, one of the first seven settlers. He sold his place at Braintree to Richard Thayer, June 9, 1663. He died at Mendon, March 1, 1682. His wife died there January 11, 1691.

Children of George and Catherine (Seald) Aldrich were:

1.Abel Aldrich (b. Jun 1633- d. 1701)

2.Joseph Aldrich (b.Jun 4, 1635 – d. Apr 24, 1701)

3.Mary Aldrich (b. Jun 16, 1637 – d. 1683)

4.Miriam Aldrich (b. Jun 29, 1639 – d. Jan 27, 1640)

5.Experience Aldrich ( b. Sep 4, 1641 – d. Feb. 2, 1642)

6.John Aldrich (b.Apr 24, 1644 – d. Apr 2, 1685)

7.Sarah Aldrich ( b. Jan 16, 1646 – d. Feb. 17, 1685)

8.Peter Aldrich (b. Apr 14, 1648 – d. May 20, 1692)

9.Mercy Aldrich ( b. Jun 17, 1650 – d. Sep 26, 1702)

10.Miriam Aldrich ( b. Mar 16, 1651)

11.Jacob Aldrich ( b. Feb. 28, 1652 – d. 1695) – Some of his descendants immigrated to Alabama.

12.Martha Aldrich (b. July 10, 1656 – d. Jul 1700)

Some descendant surnames of George Aldrich include: BARNEY, BARTLETT, BENSON, BOWEN, BROWN, BRUCE, CHAMBERLIN, COLE, COOK, CRAGIN, FARRINGTON, FLETCHER, FREEMAN, GALE, GASKILL, GIBBS, GILBERT, HAYWARD, HEMINWAY, HUNT, INMAN, JESSEMAN, JOHNSON, KEITH, KELLEY, KLAPP, KNIGHT, LANE, LEACH, LOVELL, OSBORNE, PARKER, RAY, RICHARDSON, SEALD, SMITH, SPRAGUE, TAYLOR, THAYER, THOMPSON, WEBSTER, WEEKS, WHITE, WHITING, WILKINSON, WORTH