USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58
Mr. Parsons married Mary Brookfield Paxson, daughter of James and Kather- ine Virginia (Rogers) Paxson, and grand- daughter of William B. Rogers, of Bristol, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of two children: George Holcombe, born February 10, 1902; Katherine, born July 13, 1903.
89
ยท
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
(The Hull Line).
(I) George Hull was born in 1590, and died in 1659, son of Thomas and Joane (Peson) Hull, of Crewkerne, Somerset- shire, England. When he was about forty years of age he left England, March 30, 1629-30, and landed in Boston, Massa- chusetts, where he spent a short time. He was among the early settlers of Dor- chester, Massachusetts, and member of its first Board of Selectmen. He was a rep- resentative of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, May 14, 1634, and two years later removed to Windsor, Connecticut. He was a surveyor, and also served as magis- trate. He married, August 17, 1614, Thomasine Michell, daughter of Robert Michell, who died previous to 1655.
(II) Lieutenant Cornelius Hull, son of George and Thomasine (Michell) Hull, was born in England, April 9, 1628, and died in September, 1653. He was a sur- veyor and husbandman; deputy to the General Court, 1656-1660-62 and 1667. In 1661 he was appointed lieutenant and received land for services in King Philip's War. He married, November 19, 1653, Rebecca Jones, daughter of Rev. John and Sarah Jones.
(III) Lieutenant Cornelius (2) Hull, son of Lieutenant Cornelius (1) and Re- becca (Jones) Hull, was born in 1654, and died January 7, 1740. About 1684 he married Sarah Sanford, who was born in 1666, and died in 1744, daughter of Eze- kiel Sanford. This member of the family was the founder of Hull's Farms, a quaint hamlet, long the home of his descendants.
(IV) Cornelius (3) Hull, son of Lieu- tenant Cornelius (2) and Sarah (Sanford) Hull, was baptized March 14, 1710, and died December 26, 1788. He married, August 24, 1731, Abigail Rumsey, born in 1716, died in 1776, daughter of Robert and Anna (Bastard) Rumsey.
(V) Jedediah Hull, son of Cornelius
(3) and Abigail (Rumsey) Hull, was born July 24, 1732, and died February 14, 1796. He was a lieutenant in the battle of Lake George, 1756, and held the same rank un- der Colonel Wooster in the army that in- vaded Canada in 1758. He married, April 2, 1760, Mary Chapman, born in 1730, died in 1774, daughter of Rev. Daniel and Gris- sel (Covel) Chapman, of Greens Farms, Connecticut.
(VI) Chapman Hull, son of Jedediah and Mary (Chapman) Hull, was born May 21, 1765, and died in 1821. He was of Redding, Connecticut. He married (first) Elizabeth Bulkeley, and (second) Esther Bulkeley.
(VII) George Hull, son of Chapman Hull, was born in 1805, and died in 1886. He lived in Redding, Connecticut. He married (first) Clara Nichols, born in 1805, died in 1871, daughter of Gould Nichols. They were the parents of Georgianna Hull, born October 16, 1840, who married October 9, 1867, Milo Hol- combe Parsons (see Parsons VII).
ELWOOD, Milton,
Active Business Man.
The origin of the surname of Elwood is especially interesting. It is derived from two old English words, eald and wudu, literally meaning old wood. Hence an early ancestor of this family dwelt near or by a old wood in his native coun- try, and at the time of the general adop- tion of surnames naturally retained the one which identified him. In the course of time with the changes in spelling it became Elwood and in some instances Ellwood. The Elwood family has long been resident in Fairfield county, Connec- ticut.
(I) Eliakim Elwood, grandfather of Milton Elwood, was born October 24, 1786, in Westport, Connecticut. He was
90
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
a member of the Congregational church, and in politics was a Democrat. He mar- ried Lydia Bennett, who was born Sep- tember 22, 1789.
(II) Frederick Elwood, son of Eliakim and Lydia (Bennett) Elwood, was born in Southport, Connecticut, in 1828, and grew to manhood in that section of Fair- field county. At an early age he learned the trade of carpenter and went into busi- ness for himself as a contractor and builder. He continued at this occupation until eleven or twelve years before his death. At that time he went into the piano business with the Loomis Com- pany, of New Haven, who opened a branch store in Bridgeport, of which Mr. Elwood took charge. Early in his life he had shown musical talent and taken a great interest in music. He conducted the old-fashioned singing schools which were not only centers of musical educa- tion, the loss of which is felt in the pres- ent day, but the singing school was also a social center at a time when the com- munity did not have so many diversions as at present. Mr. Elwood also organized and conducted musical festivals which at- tracted people from all the neighboring countryside. He possessed a charming tenor voice, and for many years was a leader in the Methodist church choir. Mr. Elwood married Charlotte Lockwood, daughter of Hezekiah Lockwood, of Greens Farms, and they were the parents of the following children: Samantha, Ar- thur, Carrie, Milton, Frederick S., Al- bert B.
(III) Milton Elwood, son of Frederick and Charlotte (Lockwood) Elwood, was born August 29, 1865, in Westport, Con- necticut. He attended the public schools of Norwalk and Bridgeport. He worked in the grocery store of George Robertson in Bridgeport until he was twenty-five years of age, and then went to work for the Singer Sewing Machine Company in
Danbury. After two years he resigned and entered the shoe business with his brother Arthur, and they opened sample shoe stores in various localities. They remained in this business for about five years, and at the expiration of that time Mr. Elwood located in South Norwalk and entered the employ of Glover & Ol- sen, shoe merchants of that city. After a few years he went to work for the Pope Manufacturing Company, of Hartford, and for four years was South in their in- terests as a bicycle salesman. In 1896 he returned to South Norwalk and en- tered the employ of M. H. Glover, who was still in the shoe business. The fol- lowing year Mr. Glover died and Mr. Elwood formed a partnership with his widow under the firm name of Elwood & Glover. The firm is one of the oldest in Norwalk and is old in the shoe busi- ness. Mr. Elwood holds a prominent place among the leading business men of South Norwalk, and is active in the social and public life of the city. He has always taken a great interest in Masonry and is a member of Old Well Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and Butler Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, both of South Norwalk; Washington Council, Royal and Select Masters ; Clinton Com- mandery, Knights Templar; Lafayette Consistory, Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret; and Pyramid Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport. In 1917 he was appointed grand captain of the Grand Lodge, and at the present time he is the sword bearer. He is also a member of Butler Lodge and Colfax Encampment, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of South Norwalk, and of the South Nor- walk Club.
Mr. Elwood married Nettie A. Rowell, daughter of William E. Rowell, of Orono, Maine, and they attend and support the Methodist Episcopal church.
91
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
BENNETT, Albert Godfrey, Physician, Surgeon.
To trace to its source some simple arti- cle of daily use is often to follow a trail through the remotest countries of the earth, and learn much of the keenest in- terest. To trace in like manner to their origin the individuals whose position in society bears significant relation to the public welfare, often carries the student of men and affairs far beyond the boun- daries of this great nation and through centuries of checkered war and conquest, peace and romance.
Dr. A. G. Bennett, L. R. C., P. and S., of Greenwich, Connecticut, born of a long line of Irish gentry, is giving to the country of his adoption the fruits of his natural talent and thorough training along his chosen line of effort.
In Templemore, County Tipperary, Ireland, on the beautiful estate of Old- town, the Bennett family have lived as "Squires" of the country round since the invasion of Cromwell. Near to the heart of Nature, following the pursuits to which country life is adapted, surrounded by the simple peasantry, in their low-thatched cottages, neatly kept, the traditions of the family have been the protection of the weak, the help of the needy.
(I) John Bennett, great-grandfather of Dr. Albert G. Bennett, was in the direct line of this family.
(II) John (2) Bennett, son of John (1) Bennett, inherited the estate, and was born in the old mansion. He took an ac- tive interest in all the affairs of the estate, and paid particular attention to the breed- ing of fine horses, producing many indi- vidual animals which made excellent records on the track. He also kept up a fine herd of dairy cows, and gave a great deal of time to the personal supervision of the agricultural operations on the es- tate. He married a Miss Woods.
(III) John (3) Bennett, son of John (2) Bennett, was born in 1842, and died at the early age of thirty-seven years. His father, being the active head of the family during all of his lifetime, the younger man could assume little of the responsi- bility which would have devolved upon him in the natural course. So the life of the younger man was that of the "gentle- man" in the English and Irish sense of the term, largely spent, outside of such in- terests of the estate as fell into his hands, in hunting and riding for recreation, and in the social activities incident to his posi- tion. He married Florence Emma Ma- tear, of Belfast, Ireland, and they were the parents of four children : John Arthur, now a resident of Wellington, New Zea- land; Frances Marian, deceased; Albert Godfrey, of whom further; and Huonida Mabel, who became the wife of Goep, of San Francisco, California.
(IV) Albert Godfrey Bennett, son of John (3) and Florence Emma (Matear) Bennett, was born in Estate Knocken- roger, Moneygal, County Tipperary, Ire- land, December 24, 1876. He received his early education in Wolverly Grammar School, Kidderminster, England ; then at- tended Stevens Green, Wesleyan College, Dublin. Following this course he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Dublin, from which he was graduated with the degree of Licentiate Royal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. With this splendid preparation he en- tered the Jervis Street Hospital, Dublin, where he remained for twelve months as senior house surgeon. He then devoted his attention to private practice for a few months. In December, 1909, he came to the United States and located in New York City. He was in Willard Parker Hospital for six months ; in Ward's Island Hospital for the Insane for six months, and in Bellevue Hospital for five months.
92
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
During all this time Dr. Bennett was de- voting considerable time to exhaustive research along special lines, and his next work was that of Bacteriologist for Belle- vue Medical College, where he was made Instructor in Bacteriology. It is rarely indeed that so wide a field is covered in the preparation for the practice of medi- cine and surgery. This, taking into con- sideration Dr. Bennett's educational ad- vantages and his natural capacity for ex- actness and fine discrimination, makes him a man whom the town of Greenwich is fortunate to count among her citizens. He came to Greenwich in February, 1915, as bacteriologist and diagnostician for the Board of Health of the town. He was licensed to practice in the State of Con- necticut in March, 1917, and has since engaged in private practice, although still holding the same office in connection with the work of the Board of Health. His practice is largely in medicine, and he has been successful in laying a foundation for the future that should be a matter of pride to him.
Dr. Bennett married Mary Prendergast, daughter of Richard Prendergast, born in Kinsale, Ireland. They are the parents of five children: Arthur William, Mary Alberta, Richard, John Clifford, and Al- bert Godfrey, Jr.
DREYER, W. Arnold, Manufacturer.
As vice-president and treasurer of the Dreyer Hat Company, Mr. Dreyer is one of the controlling forces of a flourishing and constantly increasing business. As such he is one of the leading representa- tives of the industrial and commercial interests of South Norwalk, and has proved himself most loyal in the promo- tion of all that can conduce to advance- ment.
The name of Dreyer is distinctly Ger- man and not Dutch, as some appear to think. The family, though long promi- nent in New York City, is not of the Knickerbocker or Holland stock, but evi- dently had its origin in the Fatherland. In Brooklyn, New York, long before the consolidation, a branch of the Dreyers was included among the influential resi- dents.
(I) Dreyer, grandfather of W. Arnold Dreyer, was a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church, and enlisted in the Union army as a chaplain from New York City. He was never again heard of and his disappearance remains one of the mysteries of the Civil War.
(II) Charles Wilbur Fisk Dreyer, son of - Dreyer, was born January 29, 1855, in New York City, and was reared by his widowed mother in Newburgh, New York. There he attended the public schools, and at the age of nineteen or twenty set out to seek his fortune, his only capital consisting of good moral training, laudable ambition and a single five-dollar bill. On arriving in New York City, Mr. Dreyer was employed as clerk in a retail hat store, and during the time he spent there saved his earnings and lived with such economy that it was not long before he found himself in circum- stances which justified him in opening a retail hat store of his own in Brooklyn. This he conducted for about ten years, at the end of that time becoming a partner in the John C. Wilson Company, owners of a factory in South Norwalk, Connecti- cut. Mr. Dreyer was placed in charge of their New York office. In 1895 he with- drew from the firm and formed a new partnership under the title of Wallhizer & Dreyer. They began as manufacturers in East Norwalk, but at the end of a year removed to South Norwalk. The enter- prise was very successful, the firm em-
93
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ploying about one hundred operatives. They have always sold directly to the re- tail trade, and the territory covered by their salesmen embraces the entire extent of the Union.
Mr. Dreyer married Blanche L. Jones, daughter of Hiram Jones, of Brooklyn, New York, and they were the parents of two children : W. Arnold, mentioned be- low; and Dorothy S., wife of Ernest C. Marsh, of Sound Beach, Connecticut. This place Mr. Dreyer always made his home after leaving Brooklyn. He and his family were members of the New York Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church of Brooklyn. Until about a year before his death, Mr. Dreyer remained the active head of the business which he had founded. His death occurred November 3, 1917. He was a most excellent man as well as a successful one, his business and his home ever constituting his chief interests.
(III) W. Arnold Dreyer, son of Charles Wilbur Fisk and Blanche L. (Jones) Dreyer, was born March 19, 1888, in Brooklyn, New York. He re- ceived his preparatory education in pub- lic schools, passing thence to the Stevens Institute, Hoboken, New Jersey. He en- tered upon the active work of life in his father's plant, mastering every detail of the manufacture and becoming thor- oughly familiar with the management and conduct of both the mechanical and com- mercial departments of the business. Upon the death of Mr. Dreyer, Sr., the business was incorporated under the name of the Dreyer Hat Company, W. Arnold Dreyer becoming vice-president and treasurer, offices which he has ever since retained. Within the last two years the transactions of the concern have greatly increased in scope and magnitude. This is partly owing to conditions which have prevailed since the termination of the war, and very much to the influence
exerted by the energy and discretion of Mr. Dreyer who has inherited a full meas- ure of the executive talent for which his father was distinguished. Politics have no attraction for Mr. Dreyer except as a means for securing and maintaining good government and enlightened methods of administration in all departments of com- munity life. In the work of educational and charitable institutions and enter- prises, he is earnestly but quietly inter- ested. He holds the office of steward in the New York Avenue Methodist Epis- copal Church of Brooklyn.
Mr. Dreyer married, February 20, 1920, the Rev. Dr. John Langdale officiating, Gladys Mortimer Taylor, widow of Cap- tain Ralph W. Taylor, of Stamford. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Dreyer is in Larch- mont.
The business career of Mr. Dreyer has opened under the most favorable auspices, and it seems certain that as the years go on he will add to the high reputation for administrative and executive ability which has been for a quarter of a century associated with the family name.
McGUANE, James J., Rev., Clergyman.
The appearance of the name of the hon- ored pastor of St. John's Roman Catholic Parish is sure to be greeted with cordial regard and sincere respect by every citi- zen of Noroton. The devotion of Father McGuane to his duties as a clergyman has ever been matched by his public spirit in regard to everything pertaining to the welfare and prosperity of his community.
The name of McGuane is very ancient, its form indicating that it is one of those patronymics of Milesian origin which are the oldest of Irish names and easily dis- tinguished from the Anglo-, Welsh- and Norman-Irish.
94
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Patrick McGuane, father of Rev. James J. McGuane, was born in 1840, in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland, and in boyhood was left an orphan. Coming to the United States with a brother and two sisters, they all settled in Enfield, Massa- chusetts, where Patrick found employ- ment in a woolen mill. He learned that branch of textile manufacture known as dressing, becoming a very expert work- man. Shortly after the Civil War he removed with his wife and two oldest children to Rockville, Connecticut, where during the remainder of his life he fol- lowed his trade in the mills. He was a member of the Volunteer Fire Depart- ment in Rockville, and belonged to the Ancient Order of Hibernians, in which he took a very active interest, serving as president of the local council in Rock- ville and also of the Tolland county or- ganization of the order. He married Mary Breheny, born in 1842, died October 22, 1879, daughter of John Breheny and his wife, Catherine (Feeney) Breheny, of Riverstown, County Sligo, Ireland, and they became the parents of the following children : Mary, married Michael Conrick, of Hartford, Connecticut ; Annie; Cather- ine, deceased ; James J., mentioned below ; John F., of Rockville, Connecticut ; Mar- garet; and Rose. The two last-named reside with their brother, James J. The death of Mr. McGuane, the father, oc- curred January 30, 1903.
Rev. James J. McGuane, son of Patrick and Mary (Breheny) McGuane, was born February 7, 1869, in Rockville, Connecti- cut. On June 17, 1887, he graduated from the Rockville High School. He then en- tered Niagara University, graduating in 1889, with the baccalaureate degree. He pursued his theological studies in St. John's Seminary, Brighton, Massachu- setts, and on December 21, 1894, was or- dained priest. The first appointment
received by Father McGuane was that of assistant at the Church of the Rosary, in South Boston, Massachusetts, and at the end of a year he was transferred to St. John's Church, New Haven, Connecticut, where he remained two years. He was then sent to the Church of the Immacu- late Conception, Waterbury, his pastorate there being of five years' duration. At the end of that time he spent one year in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Hartford, being transferred then to St. Joseph's Church, Willimantic, and there he remained eight years, the longest period of service thus far in his entire career. In all these dif- ferent parishes the position of Father McGuane had been that of assistant, but in July, 1910, he was sent to St. John's Church, Noroton, town of Darien, as pas- tor. During the years which have since elapsed the debt on the church and rec- tory has been paid off, the interior of the church has been remodelled and redeco- rated and new stained glass windows and a new organ have been installed. More- over, the pastor, while devoting himself with enthusiasm to these varied and ardu- ous undertakings, has won the affection of his parishioners, for he has made it clear to them that care for them and for their highest interests has ever been the first consideration with him. He gives much time to pastoral calls, keeping in close touch with the needs of his people, both spiritual and temporal.
A sturdy patriot, Father McGuane has always been active in movements having for their object the enhancement of the well being of his community, State and Nation. In politics he is an independent. He is a forceful and effective speaker, and his services are much in demand on a great variety of public occasions. He is chairman of the executive committee of the Noroton Volunteer Fire Depart- ment, and he belongs to the Knights of
95
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Columbus, of Waterbury, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Nor- wich, the Independent Order of Foresters, and the Knights of Columbus.
The interest of Father McGuane in the cause of Irish freedom has always been most intense, and he has given liberally of his time, abilities and means for the furtherance of those activities which promise to bring to the land of his fore- fathers such blessings of liberty as are enjoyed by the country of his birth, the land to which he has ever been a whole- hearted loyal citizen.
McELROY, Joseph A., Engineer, Contractor.
There is nothing in this world that hap- pens merely as a matter of chance. Life is filled with surprises but back of each one of them is a well-defined cause. As a boy attending the public schools of Bridgeport, Joseph A. McElroy did not expect to see the countries whose history he was then studying, yet each step in his career brought him nearer to them. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, March 20, 1859, son of Charles and Mar- garet (Donnelly) McElroy.
Charles McElroy was born in Armagh, Ireland, and died in December, 1869. He was but a boy when he came to America; he located for a time in New York City before removing to Bridgeport, Connec- ticut. He learned the trade of millwright and followed this occupation until his en- listment in the Civil War. He was a member of the Seventeenth Connecticut Volunteer Regiment, and was wounded at Gettysburg and never fully recovered. He served from the beginning of the war until he was disabled, and was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Post in Bridgeport, being the first veteran to be buried from Elias Howe Post. He
married Margaret Donnelly, a native of Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland, and they were the parents of the following children, all deceased but Joseph A., of this review: I. Rev. Charles J., was edu- cated in St. Charles College, Baltimore, and,pursued his theological studies in Troy Seminary ; he was assigned to the Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut, as a curate, and his first pastorate was in New Milford, thence he was transferred to Derby ; his last pastorate was in St. Au- gustine's Church, Bridgeport, where he was rector for about seven years until called by death. 2. James H., of Bridge- port. 3. John, of Bridgeport. 4. Joseph A., of whom further. 5. Thomas F., of Bridgeport. 6. Mary, married Dr. Ed- ward Fitzgerald. 7. Harry A.
Joseph A. McElroy was educated in the public schools. At an early age he went to work in a factory, and finally he served an apprenticeship to the trade of machin- ist in the shop of Coulter & Mckenzie, and for the following three years worked as a journeyman in Providence and Bos- ton. During these years he had been pre- paring himself for college entrance, and matriculated in Stevens Institute of Tech- nology, Hoboken, New Jersey, from which he was graduated with the degree of M. E. in 1887. His first position was with the United Gas Improvement Com- pany, of Philadelphia, and in their inter- ests he went to Omaha, Nebraska, as assistant superintendent of the gas works. Thence he went to Cuba on a sugar estate, returning to Connecticut in due time and locating in Danbury, where hatter's ma- chinery was made. In 1890 Mr. McElroy became identified with the Field Engi- neering Company, of New York City, and was in charge of their construction work in the western part of New York State. After two years spent with this firm, Mr. McElroy became interested in street rail-
96
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
way construction and was engaged in the construction of the Bridgeport lines and in similar work in New Jersey. It was at this time that Mr. Mr. McElroy formed a partnership with John F. McCartney, under the firm name of McCartney & Mc- Elroy to engage in railroad construction work. Their territory covered contracts in the town of Hamilton, Ontario, High- land Falls, New York, and from Hoosic Falls to Bennington, Vermont.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.