USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 14
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At this time Mr. McCartney went abroad with a view to getting some con- tracts. He was successful in getting a small commission in Glasgow, Scotland, and Mr. McElroy soon joined him in London, England, where they incor- porated a company under the English laws, as McCartney, McElroy & Com- pany, Limited, with London as their headquarters. They received more con- tracts for tramway construction in Glas- gow and in several other cities, among them being: Aberdeen, Scotland ; Brighton, England; the first overhead trolley construction in Manchester, Eng- land; and Rotherham and Stockport; the first overhead construction in Lisbon, Portugal; at Durban and Port Elizabeth, South Africa; at Wellington, New Zea- land; and on the Island of Malta. After ten years spent abroad, Mr. McElroy re- turned to the United States and received paving contracts in Norwalk and South Norwalk, Connecticut. It was just pre- vious to this time that he built his present residence, "Elm Crest," one of the most sightly spots in the city, commanding a fine view, away from the noise and yet in the heart of the city. After the com- pletion of the paving contracts, Mr. Mc- Elroy organized the Empire Construction Company, of Norwalk, for operations in New York City. The tracks for the Lex- ington avenue subway line from Wood- lawn to Thirty-eighth street, Manhattan,
and for the extensions to the Liberty ave- nue and Myrtle avenue lines of the Brooklyn Elevated were built by this company.
The outbreak of the World War had its effect on the business of Mr. McElroy as it had on so many others, and he does not intend to seek other contracts until condi- tions are more settled. For the time be- ing (1921), he has been superintendent of a local manufacturing company, which has just completed a fine plant in Win- nipauk.
Mr. McElroy is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and is one of the trustees of the society ; he is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a member of the fraternity Chi Psi at Stevens Institute.
Mr. McElroy married Alice Dial, daughter of Wilbur F. Dial, and their children are : Wilbur Joseph, born in Lon- don, England; Paul Cleveland, born in Mamaroneck, New York; Alice Eloise, born in Norwalk, Connecticut.
PROVOST, Henry Selleck,
Manufacturer.
The Provost family is an ancient one in France. The name belongs to that class of patronymics designated as "oc- cupational," that is, names derived from the occupation, office or rank of the indi- viduals who assumed them. At the early time in which this surname was adopted it was the title carried by officials whose office corresponded with that held by the judges of our law courts. The name has been spelled in various ways, amounting to a translation into the languages of the countries into which members of the fam- ily immigrated, as Prèvost, the original French spelling; Provoost, the Dutch equivalent, and Provost, the English form used by most of the family in America at the present time.
Conn-9-7
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(I) That Guilluame Prèvost, from whom this lineage is traced, was a man of noble blood, of considerable wealth, and education, we have a right to assume from his coat-of-arms, description of which follows, and its suggestive motto.
Arms-Party, per pale: First, argent, three ar- rows points upwards, each one enfilled through a pierced mullet, sable. Second, azure, a bar, be- tween two chevrons, or.
Crest-An arm embowed in armor, the hand proper, grasping an arrow fessways.
Motto-Pro libertate. (For liberty's sake).
The family were Huguenots, many of whom perished in the massacre of St. Bartholomew. A man of Guilluame Prè- vost's prominence could hardly fail to arouse the animosity of Catharine de Medici's followers, but he was forewarned by a friendly colonel in the army, and fled into Protestant Holland, thus escaping the massacre. There, in 1574, he married a French refugee, to whom he was prob- ably engaged in France. He was born in 1545. His oldest child was Johannes, of further mention.
(II) Johannes Provoost, son of Guil- luame Prèvost, born in 1576, married, in 1601, in Amsterdam, a Dutch lady, named Elizabeth. Their son David is of further mention.
(III) David Provoost, son of Johannes and Elizabeth Provoost, born in Amster- dam, Holland, August 10, 1608, came to New Netherlands in 1624, two years be- fore the Island of Manhattan was pur- chased from the Indians. In 1626 he returned to Holland, where four years later he married Margaretta, daughter of Gillis Ten Waert, a wealthy Dutch mer- chant. Her father gave her a dowry of fourteen thousand guilders (equivalent to seventy thousand dollars), and an annuity of seven hundred and fifty guilders. A Colonial record shows that she was still receiving the yearly payment in 1700.
Four years after their marriage, David Provoost returned to New Amsterdam accompanied by his bride. He had the advantage of an academic and military education, which was received by few men in his day, and it is said was a man of fine address which, with his charming manners, soon won him a place of promi- nence in the colony. The records show that he taught Dutch, French, English and Latin, and also spoke several of the Indian dialects. He also practiced as a lawyer. He was appointed commissary of provisions and tobacco inspector by Governor Kieft. In 1640 he was placed in command of a force of fifty or sixty men who built Fort Good Hope at or near Hartford, Connecticut, as well as several houses, thus establishing a strong mili- tary post. Here he came into frequent conflict with the English. One incident is of considerable historic interest. In Sep- tember, 1646, a female negro slave fled from her English master to Fort Good Hope. Commander Provoost success- fully resisted the attempt of the English to take her by force. Thomas Nelson Page in his "Old South" is authority for the statement that this is the first case of refusal to surrender a fugitive slave. In 1647 he asked to be relieved of the command, and he was the second man to be appointed notary public, then a re- munerative quasi-legal office of some im- portance. On February 2, 1652, he was at the head of the "Nine Men" of New Amsterdam, a sort of prototype of the modern form of government by a com- mission. Says the Provost family gene- alogist, to whom we are indebted for much of the data concerning these early generations :
These nine men were the first to dispute the autocratic powers of the Governor. They insisted that they were the chosen representatives of a free people ; that no tax could be imposed without their
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sanction; that, in fact, they were the legislative body of the Government. A stubborn and lengthy fight ensued. Every man of the nine was found worthy of his trust. The governor was finally forced to yield, and the foundation of freedom was thus firmly erected in this [New Amsterdam] infant colony.
David Provoost served on many im- portant commissions and committees. He was appointed sheriff of Brooklyn and other Dutch towns in April, 1654, and in 1655 secretary and clerk of those towns and their courts, which offices he filled until his death. He also served fre- quently as a member of the Governor's Council or of the Assembly. In 1639 he purchased land and built a house near the corner of Pearl and Fulton streets, where his descendants continued to live for a long time. He also bought other parcels of land and built other houses on Man- hattan and Long Island. He died May 12, 1657.
(IV) Elias Provoost, son of David and Margaretta (Ten Waert) Provoost, was baptized in June, 1646, and died Novem- ber 22, 1692. He married, November 3, 1672, Cornelia Roos, daughter of Gerrit Jans Roos.
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(V) Johannes (2) Provoost, son of Elias and Cornelia (Roos) Provoost, was baptized September 27, 1676. He mar- ried (first) March 25, 1701, Sarah Bailey, daughter of Nathaniel Bailey, of New- town, Long Island.
(VI) Johannes (3) Provost (the Angli- cized spelling of the name began to be adopted about 1700, so from this point on the name will be spelled Provost), son of Johannes (2) and Sarah (Bailey) Pro- voost, was born December 28, 1707. He married Elizabeth Youngs, who was born May 30, 1710, in Stamford, daughter of John Youngs. On January 30, 1690, John Youngs married Ruth Elliott, of Stamford, and resided there until after the birth of the daughter, Elizabeth, when
he removed to Oyster Bay, Long Island. His father, Thomas Youngs, was a prom- inent and wealthy citizen of Oyster Bay.
(VII) Samuel Provost, son of Jo- hannes (3) and Elizabeth (Youngs) Pro- vost, was born about 1740. He served in the Ninth Regular Connecticut Militia in the Revolutionary War, and his dis- charge was dated December 24, 1776. On January 5, 1764, he married Sarah Bishop, and their son Samuel is of further men- tion.
(VIII) Samuel (2) Provost, son of Samuel (1) and Sarah (Bishop) Provost, was born about 1766. He married (sec- ond) Annie Sherwood. He was a pen- sioner in 1832 and 1840.
(IX) John Provost, son of Samuel (2) Provost, was born September 23, 1820, in Stamford, Connecticut, and died in 1916. He received such education as the district schools afforded, and while yet in his teens learned the trade of stone mason. This he followed at intervals all his life. He also owned a farm, to the cultivation of which he gave most of his time. He married Eliza Selleck, who died May 27, 1868.
(X) Henry Selleck Provost, son of John and Eliza (Selleck) Provost, and the pres- ent representative of the family in Stam- ford, was born there, July 11, 1856. He pursued the usual course in the public schools, doing such work when not at his studies as usually falls to the lot of a farmer's boy. Early in life he learned the butcher's trade, and soon after com- pleting the term of his apprenticeship ventured into the meat business on his own account. After two years he gave that up to engage in the livery business, thus bringing into profitable play a knowl- edge of horses gained as a boy and at the same time indulging his love of the ani- mal, which had been strong from child- hood. He continued in this business
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from 1882 to 1896, with the exception of a period from 1890 to 1892 when he was in the employ of the Yale & Towne Man- ufacturing Company. His keen business instinct foresaw that the coming of the automobile would soon spell the doom of the livery business, so he retired from it and formed a partnership with the late Seth G. Fessenden, under the firm name of Fessenden & Provost. They purchased the Diamond Ice Company, which was then a small concern. By close attention to every phase of the business, and by a straightforward business policy, a large trade has been developed in Stam- ford and vicinity. While a relatively small amount of natural ice is harvested, by far their largest sale is in artificial ice which they manufacture in a modern, sanitary plant, The number of men em- ployed varies greatly with the seasons. It requires ten wagons and auto trucks to make their deliveries, and the number of their employees averaged for the entire year probably would be about twenty. Mr. Provost is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- sons, and Stamford Lodge, No. 899, Be- nevolent and Protective Order of Elks, but his two great interests are his home and his business.
On November 7, 1888, Mr. Provost married Hannah Louise Brennan, daugh- ter of Owen W. Brennan, a prominent citizen of New York City, who was for many years commissioner of charities and corrections on Blackwell's Island. Four children have been born from this union : Ruth; Nathalie, who married Harold J. Doris, of Stamford ; Mildred ; Adelaide.
Mr. Provost is recognized as one of Stamford's substantial, progressive and aggressive business men. He has suc- ceeded by the application of those funda- mental principles that are the base of real achievement, industry, ambition, thrift
and rugged honesty. Such careers as the one here recognized are a constant refu- tation of the statement often heard that there is no opportunity for the young man without fortune or influence to make a place for himself in the business world.
PERRY, Mabelle Jeanne, Medical Practitioner, Lecturer.
The assured and honored place held by Dr. Perry in the medical fraternity of Norwalk, Connecticut, renders the in- scription of her name at the head of this article a sufficient introduction to her friends and neighbors and also to the gen- eral public. Dr. Perry is known as a lecturer as well as a general practitioner, and takes an active part in church work and benevolent enterprises.
The name of Perry is of Welsh origin, being derived from Ap-Har-Harry, mean- ing "son of Harry." In the course of time it became Parry and of this form of the name, Perry is simply a narrowed pro- nunciation.
John Perry, the earliest recorded im- migrant ancestor, came to Roxbury, Mas- sachusetts, presumably about 1632. An- other John Perry, born in November, 1604, son of John and Judith Perry, of Foreham, Hampshire, England, came to Watertown, Massachusetts, about 1666, and died there in 1674. His wife was Johanna Holland. The Rhode Island branch of the Perrys was founded by a member of the family who fled thither to escape the persecution to which in Mas- sachusetts the Society of Friends was subjected.
Abel Perry, a grandfather of Dr. Perry, was born in Pawtucket, or Provi- dence, Rhode Island, and married Nancy Smith, a kinswoman of Sophia Smith, known to the world as the founder of Smith College.
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Rufus Smith Perry, a son of Abel and Nancy (Smith) Perry, was born in 1836, in Herkimer, New York, and when only a boy ran away from home and shipped as a sailor. After following the water for a few years he returned home, but then came the Civil War, offering a new form of adventure to his daring spirit. Enlisting in Company G, Tenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer In- fantry, he served the full four years. After the return of peace he learned the machinist's trade in Greenfield, Massa- chusetts, and followed it for a short time in Shelburne Falls. When the firm of Gunn & Rogers established themselves in business in Miller's Falls, Mr. Perry associated himself with them as superin- tendent, retaining the position until 1890. He then became superintendent of the water shops in the Springfield (Massa- chusetts) Armory, and when some new buildings were erected he was placed in them as inspector and machinist, being given the rank of captain. About a year before his death he retired. He affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, in Springfield, and was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, also of Springfield. He married Mary Darling, daughter of Moses Edwin and
(Chapin) Darling, of Shelburne Falls. The name of Darling, or Dearling, is of Saxon origin and has been variously spelled. The word was in remote times applied to "the young nobles of a house, perhaps exclusively to the eldest son, in whom all expectation rests." It is diffi- cult to account for such a designation having become an hereditary surname, but in England it is traced as such as far back as 1200. Some of the members of the family are said to have been cup- bearers to the king. A branch was early transplanted to New England. Some ac- count of the origin of the Chapin family
is appended to this biography. Mr. and Mrs. Perry became the parents of four children, two of whom reached maturity : Elizabeth D., who has been for twenty- two years supervisor of music in the Fitchburg Normal School; and Mabelle Jeanne, mentioned below. The family were members of the Baptist church. The death of Mr. Perry occurred Decem- ber 20, 1896.
Dr. Mabelle Jeanne Perry, daughter of Rufus Smith and Mary (Darling) Perry, was born December 22, 1877, in Miller's Falls, Massachusetts. She was educated primarily in the public schools of her na- tive town, graduating in 1896 from the Springfield High School. She then entered Mount Holyoke Seminary, where in 1900 she received the degree of Bach- elor of Arts. She was fitted for her pro- fession at the Women's Medical College of New York, graduating in 1903 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. The eighteen months next ensuing were spent by Dr. Perry in gaining experience at the Woman's Hospital, and during the six months following she served at the Lying-in-Hospital. After a year's inde- pendent practice in Stamford, Connecti- cut, Dr. Perry, in 1906, settled in Norwalk, same State, where she has ever since been successfully engaged in her work as a general practitioner. She is a member of the staff of the Norwalk Hospital.
The professional organizations in which Dr. Perry is enrolled include the New York Academy of Medicine, the Norwalk Medical Association, the Fairfield County Medical Society, the Connecticut Medical Society, and the American Academy of Medicine. She belongs to the Alpha Delta Theta fraternity and the Women's Club, and is an active member of the Baptist church.
During the recent World War, Dr. Perry rendered patriotic service by de-
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livering lectures to women who were pre- paring to go to the front as Red Cross nurses. That Dr. Perry has made for her- self as a physician a place and a name is richly worthy of record, for it means that, in the exercise of her chosen profession she has aided in the relief of suffering and carried hope and brightness into many darkened lives.
The name of Chapin is said to be one of the oldest and best names in France, dating from the Carlovingian era, going back at least to the tenth century, and perhaps earlier. Tradition says that in some feudal contest of the middle ages one who distinguished himself in the fight had his helmet laid open with a sword- cut. For his exploit he was knighted on the spot, being dubbed Capinatus, from Caput, and meaning "decorated with a hat," and his coat-of-arms was made a hat with a slash in it. Capinatus became in time Capin and Chapin. The family is thought to have been originally Welsh.
The American branch of the race was founded by Deacon Samuel Chapin, who was made a freeman in Boston in 1641, having emigrated from England or Wales. He subsequently removed to Springfield.
ANDERSEN, Jens,
Merchant.
Beyond the immediate satisfaction of worthy effort lies the eventual blessing of success. Every struggle advances its achievement, every hard-won good con- tributes towards its enduring qualities. So, beyond and above individual success stands the prosperity and well being of the public. As with the man, so with the body politic ; continued success is possible only at the cost of countless sacrifices, con- stant, unremitting labor, ceaseless watch- fulness and care. The prosperity of the
community, of the State, of the Nation, is only as great as the devotion of its cit- izens and their willingness to pour into the public welfare their noblest and their best. In the progress of this Nation many men of Danish birth have borne a worthy part, and in the town of Greenwich, Con- necticut, Jens Andersen is an interesting example of sturdy citizenship.
In the town of Dybwad, Denmark, his father, Anders Peter Andersen, was born. This was in 1846. The family had re- sided for many generations in the vicinity of Dybwad, and the lad grew up among the prevailing conditions of that time and place, trained in the traditions of his blood kin. He early learned to bear his share in the maintenance of the family, and became apprenticed to a carpenter. He applied himself faithfully, and con- tinued in that line of work until his re- tirement from active business a few years ago. He is still (1919) living in Dybwad, enjoying the fruits of a long life of in- dustry and thrift. He married Hannah Swensen, and they were the parents of eight children: Anna Marie, who became the wife of John M. Hansen, of Green- wich, a sketch of whose life appears else- where in this work; Sene, now deceased ; Antoine, also deceased ; Steena, who mar- ried Rudolph Carlsen, and is since de- ceased ; Jens, of further mention ; Caro- lina, who became the wife of Jans Chri- tiansen, if Greenwich; Alfred, who with his wife, Otilia, still resides on the old homestead; and Carl, deceased. And in the children who have become respected citizens of their own and their adopted country have lived the qualities which made the father's success.
Jens Andersen, the successful Green- wich merchant, was born in Dybwad, Denmark, October 30, 1877, a son of An- ders Peter and Hannah (Swensen) An- dersen. He was educated in the public
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schools of his native land. Reared in the full knowledge that he would have the making of his own future, and naturally of a practical turn of mind, he allowed no opportunity to escape him of acquiring useful knowledge. He chose the trade of a butter and cheese maker, and this line of work he followed until he came to America. Relatives of the young man having previously located in Greenwich, Connecticut, it was but natural that he should visit this section of the "Land of Opportunity." He found the locality and the people congenial, and remained, enter- ing the employ of John M. Hansen, the Greenwich contractor, who had married his sister, and with whom he remained for several months. During the next twelve years and a half he worked for one em- ployer, first as coachman and later as chauffeur, always attending to his duties with the most faithful and painstaking care. Through all these years he took pains to inform himself on topics of gen- eral interest. Observant and ever prac- tical, he saw at length his opportunity and started in business for himself, in 1916, doing general trucking. In this, as in every branch of endeavor which he had followed, Mr. Andersen found his habits of thoroughness and tireless indus- try invaluable. He rapidly built up a prosperous business.
During this time he also became inter- ested in the retail grocery business, and at the end of two years he sold out his trucking interests and devoted his time to the store, which by this time was well established. His location, at the corner of Church and Williams streets, is an ex- cellent one, and he commands a wide and ever increasing trade. For this very practical and really vital branch of public service Mr. Anderson is peculiarly fitted, and gives to every matter of importance to the health, comfort and convenience of
his patrons the most careful attention. Apart from this business, but at the same location, he has a storage garage. Mr. Andersen is a member of Imperial Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Greenwich; but otherwise, being a busy man, finds little time to devote to social pursuits.
Mr. Andersen married Petrina Back, daughter of Mads Back, of Thyholm, Denmark, and they are the parents of one child, Lillian Back, born December 3, 1918. Mr. and Mrs. Andersen are mem- bers of the Danish Lutheran church, and devoted to the interests of the society.
SCOTT, William R., Real Estate and Insurance.
Like some gigantic mechanism, the parts of which are interdependent, the world of business revolves day by day. Each part has its own individual use and posi- tion, and without its proper adjustment and action all the other parts are affected. The mental force behind this mechanism is the composite brain power of the world's best men, for in this mechanism only highly tempered metal stands the strain.
The importance of the real estate and insurance business to the business world in general is universally conceded, and in Greenwich, Connecticut, the name of Wil- liam R. Scott is an important one.
Joseph Triniman Scott, father of Wil- liam R. Scott, was born in Carse of Gow- rie, Perthshire, Scotland. As a lad he was ambitious to make a start in life, and as soon as he could leave school he learned the trade of carpenter and wheel- wright. He did good work, and always made the interests of his patrons his own. He became very successful and followed the trade for many years, most of the time in business for himself, employing
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a number of men. He married Elizabeth Lawson, who was born in Auchterarder, Scotland. Her father was the landlord of that region, a man of distinguished presence, and great kindness of heart. The weaving mills were built on land purchased of him. Joseph T. and Eliza- beth (Lawson) Scott were the parents of ten children, of whom eight grew to ma- turity : Joseph T., a member of the Kim- berly Light Horse, who was killed in the Boer War; Elizabeth, who married John Lau, and resides in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey ; Jessie, who married James Morrison, and resides in Auchterarder, Scotland ; William R., of further mention ; John, now of Kimberly, South Africa ; David, now a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah; Peter, now residing on the old homestead, who did gallant service in the War with Germany, losing one of his eyes and having his skull fractured; and Charles, now of Philadelphia. The par- ents were members of the Presbyterian church, the father having been an elder in the church for many years.
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