USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > New Haven > A modern history of New Haven and eastern New Haven County, Vol. II > Part 25
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John F. Fitzgerald was educated in the public schools of New Haven and started out to earn a living when a youth of sixteen, his first position being that of errand boy with the Charles Manson Company, with which he earned two dollars per week. He afterward became connected with the Edwin Malley Company and later with the Gamble-Desmond Company. He spent three years with the Malley Company in the men's furnishings depart- ment and thus received his initial training in the line of business in which he is now prom- inently engaged. He was with the Gamble-Desmond Company for five years and after- ward with Chase & Company and in 1907 he entered business on his own account at No. 954 Chapel street, where he has since remained. He began in a comparatively small way and from a humble start has developed the leading men's furnishing goods business in the city and county, having a very extensive and gratifying trade which is merited by reason of the large and well selected stock which he carries, his straightforward dealing and the courteous treatment accorded patrons.
On the 10th of June, 1899, Mr. Fitzgerald was married in New Haven to Miss Lilian I. Tierney, a native of New Haven and a daughter of Patrick and Ellen J. (Cunningham) Tierney, who were early settlers of New Haven and of Irish birth. The father is now deceased but the mother survives. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fitz-
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gerald: Alicia Gertrude, who was born in New Haven, March 19, 1906: and John and Re- gina, twins, born June 4, 1911.
In the exereise of his right of franchise Mr. Fitzgerald considers the capability of the candidate rather than party ties. He is a member of St. Brendan's parish and he holds membership with the Union League Club, Knights of Columbus and the Knights of St. Pat- rick. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and has been exalted ruler of his local lodge. He has served as a private in the Governor's Foot Guard and he has membership in the Racebrook Country Club, all of which associations indicate much of the nature of his interests and the rules which govern his conduct. Starting out in life a poor boy, he has been the architect of his own fortunes and has builded wisely and well, while the many creditable phases of his record commend it as an example that others may profitably follow.
JOHN CURRIER GALLAGHER.
John Currier Gallagher, whose life ended so suddenly at his home in New Haven, on March 29, 1912, in the midst of a career already notable and promising still more lofty achievement. was an exception to that rule which claims that death is needed to awaken the appreciation of our fellows and that the prophet is not without honor save in his own country. For Mr. Gallagher's strong but genial personality had won both recognition and affection from the outset of his public life, and there was none of his fellow citizens at the time of his death who held a larger place in public esteem than he. There were but few of the departments of the community's life that Mr. Gallagher did not take part in. and of these such difficult realms as those of politics and public life, yet there was never a time when he was credited with other than honest, altruistic motives, and a capability which more than met the requirements of his office. He was a member of a distinguished Mary- land family, though born himself in the city and state which remained his lifelong home.
His father. the Hon. James Gallagher, was extremely prominent in democratic politics in Connecticut, having moved to New Haven prior to the Civil war, of which city he was an established resident at the time of his son's birth there, August 24, 1857. Upon reaching the proper age, the latter was sent to the Eaton public school in New Haven, and there laid the foundation of the education which distinguished him in after life. He next attended the Hopkins grammar school, where he completed the preparatory portion of his studies, and from there went to the Sheffield Scientifie School of Yale University. from which he was graduated with the class of 1879. Strongly influenced at this time by his father's public career and by the many prominent men with whom he was thrown in contact, a large pro- portion of whom were of the legal profession. the young man had his own attention turned very strongly to that profession, as the best possible entrée to the life that appealed to him. He returned therefore to Yale, this time becoming a student in the Law School, and graduated in 1881 with the degree of LL. B.
Upon admission to the bar in the same year, Mr. Gallagher entered the law office of the Hon. William C. Robinson, who later became dean of the law department of the Roman Cath- olic University, of Washington, D. C. Almost at once, upon putting behind him the things of his boyhood and his student days, and taking his place as an active member of society, the young man turned his attention to polities, for which his father's activities had natur- ally developed in him a very strong taste. In 1882 he was chosen secretary of the demo- cratic state committee, serving in that position until 1885. His ability was of so pro- nounced an order that in the year 1883 he was nominated and duly elected a member of the New Haven common council, serving in that body that year and the next. Ten years later he was elected alderman, and held the office of president of the aldermanic board in 1894. He became associated with the Hon. Livingston W. Cleaveland, under the firm name of Gallagher & Cleaveland, and this connection continued until the appointment of Mr. Cleaveland as judge of probate for the district of New Haven in 1895, when Mr. Gallagher was made elerk of the same court. Two years later he was appointed assistant clerk of the superior court for New Haven county. This latter office he held for ten years, and in June, 1907, became clerk of that court. Mr. Gallagher continued this office until his death and proved one of
JOHN CURRIER GALLAGHER
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the most effective the court had ever enjoyed. performing the complex and difficult duties in a most adequate manner.
Mr. Gallagher was a very conspicuous figure in the social and fraternal life of New Haven. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Royal Arcanum, of the Knights of The Maceabees and the Improved Order of Heptasophs. But it was as a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen that he was best known, his influence in that organization extending without the borders of his home state and making itself felt throughout the country. For many years he had devoted a great deal of his time and energy to the interests of the order and held well nigh all of the offices in its gift. He was grand master workman of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts in the years 1896 and 1897, which at that time had supervision over the interests of the more than fifty thousand members of the order in New England. When the Connectieut Grand Lodge was organized, Mr. Gallagher became advisory counsel to it. He was appointed many years before his death to the board of directors of the Supreme Lodge of the national body, and later became supreme foreman of the body, the next highest office in the order, being second only to that of supreme master workman. He was next in line to the office of supreme master workman and he would have reached this honorable position at the next meeting had he lived. Besides his fraternal associations, Mr. Gallagher was a member of a number of important and influential elubs, among which may be mentioned the Quinnipiac Club of New Haven, the Graduates Club, the New Haven Colony Historical Society, and the New Haven Chamber of Commerce of which he was the secretary for eighteen years.
Mr. Gallagher was twiee married. His first wife was Laura Ives, a daughter of George and Cornelia (Dickerman) Ives, of New Haven. Her marriage to Mr. Gallagher took place on June 28, 1888, and there were three children born to them: Hera S., Katherine I. and John Currier, Jr. The death of the first Mrs. Gallagher occurred February 3, 1900, and on April 8, 1901, Mr. Gallagher was married to Bessie K. Radigan, a daughter of John and Catherine (Ross) Radigan, of New Haven, Connecticut. One child was born to this union, a son, James Roswell.
The death of John Currier Gallagher was the occasion of one of the most impressive tributes ever offered to a citizen of New Haven, in which the distinguished men of the city and state joined in great numbers. From all sides testimonials of regard and affection poured in upon his bereaved family and the United Workmen's lodge, of which he was so highly prized a member. Bench and bar as well as the various branches of the state government united with the press in a chorus of praise of the faithful public servant, the publie-spirited citizen, the devoted friend, the charitable and upright man. The words of many of those who spoke and wrote were eloquent of the strong personal emotion which so large a eirele of associates felt, and a selection from them will form the most fitting elose to this brief review of his life. The various journals of the Ancient Order of United Workmen in all quarters of the country had memorial articles full of enlogy, and among these the Con- neetieut organ, which said in part as follows:
"Brother Gallagher was a man of unusually magnetic and lovable qualities. He was a man of kindly nature, a man of true and unswerving loyalty, qualities which endeared him to all who knew him."
Not less eulogistic was the daily press, an editorial in the New Haven Register running as follows:
"Not wholly without warning, but too soon by all the standards by which men usually measure life's completeness, comes the passing of John Currier Gallagher. New Haven, which has known him from his earliest years, has enjoyed him and been proud of him. He has lived in the heart of things, and lived well. Much of his service has been a public service, and he has never been reluctant to give of his admirable ability for the benefit of all. He had in him the heart of genuine brotherhood, which we sometimes call by the less adequate term democraey. He was a friend to all, and all who realized his feeling were friends to him. Almost without a lull in the rush of his activity he has been swept from this companionship here, which he so heartily enjoyed and which he made others to as fully enjoy, to other companionships of which we cannot know, but which, from our experience of the man, we know will be as sweet and blessed. It is good to have known him, and it will be inspiring to remember him."
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From among the other press notices which space forbids the reproduction of here, it will suffice to give an extract from an editorial in the Times-Leader, of March 29, 1912, as follows: "Another friend has gone. Scores and hundreds repeated those words yesterday when the sad news come announcing the sudden death of John Currier Gallagher. Judges of the highest courts and judges of courts not so high, lawyers who are among the leaders of the bar and lawyers who only the other day received their certificates from his hands, the music of his cordial words still ringing in their ears, said it, sadly, the tears upon their cheeks. Ministers and laymen, young and old, said it with choking voices and moistened eyes, for John Currier Gallagher filled large space in their hearts and they loved him as a brother."
The funeral of Mr. Gallagher was an imposing function, many of the most eminent men in the state were there and among the honorary pall bearers were numbered two ex-gor- ernors of the state, as well as a number of judges in the supreme and superior courts. The exercises at the meeting of the bar association were also impressive, Justices Gager, Cleave- land and Williams pronouncing eulogies in honor of Mr. Gallagher, and the association adopting resolutions, which, after an introduction in the form of a sketch of his life, ran as follows:
"Resolved, This bar has learned with great sorrow and regret of the sudden death of Mr. Gallagher, clerk of the superior court. Since 1897, first as assistant clerk, and later as clerk, he has been in daily contact with the members of the bar. In the performance of the varied and responsible duties of his office his ability has been marked, his courtesy unfailing, his character unquestioned. The judicial department has lost, in the prime of his life, a faithful and efficient officer. The members of the bar have lost a genial, high- minded companion and friend. We extend our respectful sympathy to his widow and children.
"Resolved, That the president of the bar be directed to give these resolutions and the accompanying minute to the court, with the request that they be ordered upon the records of the court, and that the clerk be directed to transmit a copy to his family."
DAVID BERCINSKY, M. D.
Perhaps no one in the state of Connecticut has done more to spread a knowledge of the laws of health and of sanitation among the Jewish people than Dr. David Bereinsky. He has worked along educational lines and the results which he has accomplished are almost marvelous. He was born in Pinsk, Russia, February 25, 1866, a son of Michael and Enta Bereinsky, both of whom were also natives of Russia, where they spent their entire lives. The father was a lawyer and devoted the years of his active manhood to the legal profession. To him and his wife were born twenty-four children, of whom Dr. Bercinsky was the twenty-third in order of birth. In his youthful days he attended the public schools in his native town and also supplemented his knowledge by home study. He afterward took up the study of pharmacy and in the year 1891 he came to America to try his fortune on this side the Atlantic, having heard favorable reports concerning the opportunities offered in the new world. He settled first in New York city, where he engaged in the drug business for five years, passing the state examination before the pharmaceutical board of New York in 1895.
The following year Dr. Bereinsky came to New Haven, where he continued in the drug business, and while thus engaged he became deeply interested in the study of medicine; and with the idea of eventually engaging in practice he entered the Yale Medical School, from which he was graduated in 1902. He then sold out his drug store and has since devoted his time to the practice of his profession. He has a large general practice, especially among the Russians, Jews and Poles, because he speaks their languages. He has always kept in close touch with the trend of professional thought, and of late has been specializing in diseases of the stomach and intestines. He has done post graduate work in the New York Post Graduate School under Professor Chase. He belongs to the New Haven, the New Haven County, the Connecticut State and the American Medical Associations. He has also taken post graduate work in the Massachusetts General Hospital at Boston under
-
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Professor Hughes and there, in 1916, he specialized in the study of stomach diseases. He is well known as a public lecturer among the Jewish people of the city and his word carries the utmost weight among them. He has taught the gospel of the necessity for absolute cleanliness in relation with the prevention of the spread of contagious diseases, and his work has been fruitful of splendid results. His efforts have made his name a household word among the Jewish families in the poorer districts of New Haven and vicinity. He is continually lecturing and also by personal effort is spreading a knowledge of the laws of health that the people may know how to avoid sickness and disease. In all this he is actuated by the highest humanitarian principles and is seeking to make his service of great benefit to his fellowmen.
On the 12th of October, 1896, Dr. Bercinsky was united in marriage to Miss Anna Davidson, of New York city, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Davidson and a sister of Joe Davidson, the prominent and well known sculptor of the metropolis. Dr. Berciusky indeed deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for he has made his way from his boyhood unaided by others. His work has been of the greatest worth to the world and the influence of his labors and his teachings will continue for generations to come.
MERRILL C. JENKINS.
Originality, initiative and enterprise figure in the success of Merrill C. Jenkins, a lead- ing clothier of New Haven, whose business has been incorporated under the name of Shop of Jenkins. His plans are always well formulated and carefully executed and his rules of life have been such as have brought him continuous advancement. He was born in Jonesport, Maine, September 13, 1869, a son of Samuel James and Lois (Sawyer) Jenkins. The father was born in Prince Edward Island and during his active life engaged in carpentering as a builder. He also conducted a livery business and for many years was a resident of Jones- port, Maine, where he passed away in 1891. Ilis wife was born there and was reared, edu- cated and married in her native city, where her death occurred in 1881.
In their family were six children, of whom Merrill C. Jenkins was the eldest. In his youthful days he attended school in Jonesport, and though lie never had opportunity to become a college student, he has through wide reading and study in his leisure hours gained comprehensive knowledge and is today a most efficient business man, practical and purpose- ful. At the age of thirteen years he began work in a sardine canning factory and discharged his tasks with such promptness and efficiency that he was taken by his employer to a factory which was being opened up away from his home town. He continued to work at his trade until 1888, when he went to Amesbury, Massachusetts, and secured a clerkship in a men's furnishing goods store. He found that line of business congenial and he applied himself thoroughly to the mastery of every phase of the business. He had spent two years in con- nection therewith when he was made a buyer. On leaving Amesbury he went to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he continued in the same line of business for two and one-half years. He next went to Watertown, New York, where he was buyer for a men's furnishings house for three years. Coming to New Haven in September, 1900, he here secured a position with the Meigs Clothing Company to open a men's furnishing goods department for them. After demonstrating to the stockholders the value of such a department, which he created and profitably conducted for some time, he resigned his position and formed a partnership under the name of Jenkins & Thompson for the conduct of a store dealing exclusively in men's fur- nishings on Chapel street. They bought out a business which was on the verge of failure and Mr. Jenkins at once undertook the task of developing and enlarging this. Later, how- ever, he withdrew and established what is known as the Shop of Jenkins. This business he has built up to gratifying proportions and it is today one of New Haven's most reliable and successful men's furnishing goods stores. He carries an extensive line of goods, displaying the latest styles combined with thorough workmanship, and his patronage has grown year by year.
On the 30th day of May, 1915, in New Haven, Mr. Jenkins was married to Miss Helen Watts, a daughter of W. W. Watts, of Newburgh, New York. He votes independently but is not remiss in the duties of citizenship and studies those interests which work for general
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betterment. He is a Mason and a member of the Union League. He belongs to the Second Company of the Governor's Foot Guard. He is a director of the Chamber of Commerce and the president of the New Haven Business Men's Association and he is closely studying conditions having to do with questions of public moment in relation to trade. He watches the signs of the times, draws a sane, logical conclusion and adapts his efforts to prevailing conditions. He has formulated certain plans of conduct and of action which have found verbal expression in some terse sentences and carefully pointed paragraphs, including the following: "To my mind personality is a factor that counts big in business life. Do you like other men, take an interest in them, enjoy meeting them? For if you do, without doubt, other men like to mect you. You have got to see men, have an interchange of offers, converse about what you offer them and hear about what they offer you. Though much of our mutual approach can be made by letters, advertising, etc., yet the personality must sooner or later figure largely. Hence you must go among friends frequently because only they are congenial and minister to your better nature. 'Be of the same mind one towards another.' was the Apostle's com- mand. Avoid moods. insist on an evenness of temper. One single surrender to a bad mood may cost years of disadvantage. Just what it is that draws us to one person, what repels ns from another, can never be scientifically stated, but this one thing may be said: 'Cheerful men may not always be prosperous, but they've got a heap better chance than the grouch.' Increase the number of your friends and you increase the value of your assets." That his opinions concerning business and its conditions are regarded as sound is indicated in the feeling which the Kiwanis Club and other organizations entertain for him.
CHARLES FREDERICK TOWNSEND.
Charles Frederick Townsend, a New Haven architect enjoying high professional rank, was born at Southbridge, Massachusetts, February 11. 1873. His father, Charles H. Townsend, is a native of Ohio and a representative of an old New York family tracing its ancestry back to Martin I. Townsend, who came to the new world at an early period in its colonization. Charles H. Townsend took up the study of photography and for many years followed that profession but is now living retired in Florida. He is a Civil war veteran who ran away from home to join the army when but a boy in his teens and for five years lie remained with an Ohio regiment covering the entire period of hostilities with the south. He married Rhoda Sophronia Taft, who was born at Ashford, Connecticut, and was a daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Anne (Parker) Taft. Mrs. Townsend passed away in 1911 at the age of fifty-six years.
Charles Frederick Townsend, who was an only child, was educated in the public schools of Willimantic, Connecticut, and prepared for college under the direction of F. H. Beede, superintendent of schools of New Haven. In 1892 he entered Lehigh University of Pennsyi- vania, from which he was graduated in 1895 with the Bachelor of Science degree. He had there specialized in a four years course in the study of architecture and engineering and immediately after his graduation he entered into professional relations with William H. Allen, architect. He was afterward associated with the firm of Brown & Von Beren and in 1906 he entered into partnership with R. W. Foote, under the firm style of Foote & Townsend. That association was maintained until 1911. since which time Mr. Townsend has practiced independently. His skill as an architect finds visible evidence in many of the fine structures of this city. He devotes his undivided time and attention to his pro- fession and is among the leaders in this line.
On the 1st of June, 1907, Mr. Townsend was married in Manistee, Michigan, to Miss Florence Ellis Snow, a native of Ware, Massachusetts, and a daughter of Renceler C. and Maria (Binford) Snow. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend are now the parents of three children: Margery Rhoda, born July 3, 1910; Frederick Snow, born April 27. 1912; and Dorothy, born August 8, 1914.
Mr. Townsend is a republican but while well informed on the questions and issues of the day has never been an office seeker. He is a member of the Phi Delta Theta a Greek letter college fraternity, and he has attained the Knights Templar degree in the York Rite of Masonry and the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite and his interest in the moral
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progress of the community is manifested in his membership in St. John's Episcopal church, where he is the secretary or elerk of the parish. Mr. Townsend deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for he worked his way through college, and perseverance and deter- mination have constituted the foundation upon which he has builded his prosperity.
WALTER J. WALSH.
Walter J. Walsh, of the firm of Fitzgerald & Walsh, attorneys at law of New Haven, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, July 7. 1875, a son of Martin and Elizabeth (Ahearn) Walsh, who were natives of Ireland. where they were reared and married. On coming to the new world the father entered the employ of the L. Candee Rubber Company, with whom he remained for many years, his death occurring in New Haven in 1912. His wife passed away in 1883, when her son Walter was hut a small child, and in their family were four- teen children.
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