Louis James Filley

Louis James Filley was born on December 24, 1840, a son of Jay Humphrey and Julia (Newberry) Filley of Bloomfield. He enlisted in the 7th Connecticut Regiment Union Army. He was captured at Bermuda Hundred, Virginia, in June 1864, and was a prisoner at Andersonville and Libby prisons. He was discharged on August 14, 1865.

After returning to Connecticut, Filley married Charlotte Alice Barnard on June 5, 1866. Their children were Grace Ely Filley (1867-1952), Wilbur Jay Filley (1868-1961), Louis James Filley Jr. (born and died 1871), Julia Barnard Filley (1875-1890), and Oliver Dwight Filley (1885-1945).

Louis Filley was a farmer before founding the Bruce, Filley & Co. furniture store with J.E. Bruce and his son Wilbur.

Filley died by suicide on June 1, 1906. The Hartford Courant reported that he had been in poor health since his stint at Andersonville, where he experienced starvation and illness. 18 months before he died, he gave up his interests in the furniture store and sought improvement in his health at several unnamed resorts. The newspaper speculated that it was his ill health that drove him to take his own life.

--LOUIS J. FILLEY COMMITS SUICIDE: Hartford Business Man Shoots Himself at His Home in Bloomfield

The Hartford Courant (1887-1922); Hartford, Conn.. 02 June 1906: 13., accessed 6/4/2026