USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 16
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and he also handles a full line of engi- neers' supplies, including greases and oils.
Mr. Mclellan is among the well known business men of Norwalk and he takes his place among the public-spirited citi- zens of that city. Although not a politi- cian in the sense of that word, he is will- ing and anxious to be of assistance in any public matter. He is a member of Trum- bull Lodge, No. 22, Free and Accepted Masons, of New Haven; of the Joseph Andrews Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of West Haven; Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk; and Pyra- mid Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport.
Mr. Mclellan married Malia Moretta Merrill, daughter of Theodore Merrill, of New Canaan, and they are the parents of : I. Violet Merrill, who married Lamar Butler, of Darien. 2. Harold Fulton, married Rebecca London; died Septem- ber 8, 1920; he enlisted in the Sunset Di- vision, the 4Ist, from California, and saw active service in France. He resigned in October, 1919. 3. Royal Hale, at home. The family attend and aid in the support of Grace Episcopal Church of Norwalk.
DUFF, James Francis,
Real Estate, Insurance.
In the daily business of a large progres- sive town there are many branches of effort which to the thoughtless man in pursuit of his own interests bear no mean- ing, yet they fill a very important part in public and home economy. Particularly is this true of the insurance business. Developed in comparatively recent times, first as an idea receiving scant support and much frank ridicule, it has proved itself one of the most potent factors of our economic stability. James Francis Duff, of Greenwich, Connecticut, uniting a thriving real estate business with the
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insurance matters of the town, handles the most vital interests of the home and family, and of the business man, as such, and as an individual.
The Duff family was of Scotch origin, but Mr. Duff's paternal grandfather was a prosperous hotel keeper in Mullacrue, Ireland.
Francis Duff, father of James F. Duff, was born at Mullacrue, County Louth, Ireland, in 1821, and died in 1907. He was a man possessed of a brilliant mind, and received the benefits of an excellent education, but was afflicted with the un- fortunate handicap of defective hearing. Nevertheless, he faced life with the fear- less courage and boundless good nature of the true Irishman. Impatient with routine, and anxious to see something of the world, he ran away from school when he was about eighteen years of age and came to America. He located in New York City, the Mecca of ambitious youth of this and many another country. Prac- tical necessities asserting themselves, he lost no time in acquiring the means of a livelihood, apprenticing himself to a shoe- maker. He started in business for him- self soon after completing his apprentice- ship, locating at Port Richmond, Staten Island. His good taste and skill of hand, together with his good-humored way of meeting his patrons, built up for him a prosperous trade, soon carrying the busi- ness beyond where he could handle it alone, and eventually he gave employ- ment to about a dozen men. After some years he sold out this business and re- turned to New York City, but remained there only about a year. He then located in that part of Greenwich known as Rocky Neck Point; that was about 1871. He followed his trade of shoemaker in Greenwich as long as he lived, and left a host of friends won by his cordial good- will and genial manner. Francis Duff
married Ellen Smith, daughter of Patrick Smith, of Castle Bellingham, County Louth, Ireland. Their children were: Elizabeth, now deceased, who became the wife of John McRedmond, and the mother of two children : Maria, who mar- ried Bernard Donahue, and Frank J., a well known citizen of Stamford; Nellie, now deceased, who married Frank Stube, and had three children : Maria, Frank, and Christopher ; and James Francis, of whom further.
James Francis Duff, a prominent real estate and insurance man of Greenwich, is a remarkable example of the business man who has built his own success on the sure foundation of dilligent industry and well directed ambition. He was born at Port Richmond, Staten Island, January I, 1867, and is the youngest child of Francis and Ellen (Smith) Duff. He re- ceived his education in the public schools of Greenwich, then entered the employ of Amos Avery, the well known grocer. But the idea of working for wages did not appeal to the young man. He was pos- sessed of unusual initiative, and was re- sourceful to a remarkable degree. At the age of sixteen, when a good many boys are not even beginning to think seriously of the business world, young Duff went into the livery business on his own account, and to the surprise of those who railed at the idea, and to the un- bounded gratification of his friends, he made a success of the venture. He con- tinued in that business until he was twenty-two years of age, then turned his interest to the strictly utilitarian side of this line of business and confined his in- terests to trucking. Prompt, dependable, and always alert for the safety of con- signments entrusted to his care, he com- manded a large share of the trucking business of the town. He remained in this line for twelve years, constantly in-
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creasing the scope and importance of his work, until he had about eighteen horses, and employed at different seasons from six to twenty men. In 1900 he sold out to Henry Drinkwater. He then went into the life insurance business, becoming associated with the Metropolitan Insur- ance Company, with whom he remained for ten years. After he had been with the company for eight months he was promoted and sent to Frankford, Pennsyl- vania, where he remained for fourteen months. This work he found quite con- genial, but with his natural independence and his previous experience in the busi- ness world, he was not satisfied to remain permanently in a subordinate position. In 1910 he embarked in the real estate and insurance business on his own account in Greenwich. Since that time he has been a significant factor in real estate and insurance circles in this section. He handles all kinds of insurance-life, fire, accident, and compensation, in fact every branch to which the insurance idea has been applied. Mr. Duff is an influential member of the Loyal Order of Moose.
At the age of twenty-one, Mr. Duff married Nellie Campbell, daughter of William Campbell. Mr. Campbell was a native of Glasgow, but his daughter was born in Coldrain, Ireland. James Francis and Nellie (Campbell) Duff are the par- ents of ten children, and they also have an adopted daughter. The children are as follows: Ralph; Harry, a resident of Bridgeport, who served in Company A, 30Ist Supply Train, Motor Transport Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, who married Lillie Broderick, of Stam- ford, and has two children: Harry, and James Francis; George, who married Mabel Woodworth, and has two children : Catherine, and Mae; Frank J., who en- listed in the navy, serving on the "Lake Blanchester" and later on the "Dupont ;"
James, who enlisted in the navy, but was discharged at the end of twelve months; William, who served two years in the navy, on the "Seattle," making about twenty trips across; Howard, deceased ; May, who died in 1902; Helen ; and Mar- garet. The adopted child, Annie Kiernan, was a native of Brooklyn, New York. She married John Kerner, of Greenwich, where they now reside. They have two children : Evelyn and John.
CLARK, Frederick Burton, Active Business Man.
A life of action is a life of interest. To bear a share in the work of the world makes any life worth while. The prog- ress of industry has created vital need of dependable men in every line of endeavor. The wonderful advance of science has evolved entire new industries, at once adding to the comfort and convenience of the people and placing new means of live- lihood in their hands. Thus the man of skill, the man of cool head and steady hand, is the man of highest importance in the world of industry. Frederick Bur- ton Clark, of Stamford, Connecticut, is one of these men.
George Kelley Clark, father of Freder- ick B. Clark, was born in Higganum, Connecticut. He was an active, high- strung lad, impatient of restraint. He left school early, and at the age of fourteen or fifteen years went to sea. After some years of adventure, during which he vis- ited many interesting points, he gave up the seafaring life, returned to his native State, and became a resident of New Haven, living to the age of sixty-eight years. He married Helen McDonald.
Frederick Burton Clark, son of George Kelley and Helen (McDonald) Clark, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, July 29, 1870. He received his education in
Cono-9-8
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the public schools of New Haven, a prac- tical foundation for success in the line of work which most interested him. From his earliest childhood he was always fas- cinated with any mechanical device. He became an engineer while still a young man, and ran a locomotive on the Shore Line branch at New Haven while it was building. He remained in this connec- tion for about six years, then worked in Massachusetts along the same line. About this time the production of manu- factured ice was becoming quite general, and the need of reliable, experienced, re- sourceful men was keenly felt. Mr. Clark was offered the position of chief engineer by the Diamond Ice Company, of Stam- ford, which he accepted. This was in 1896. He remained in this position for fourteen years, becoming firmly estab- lished in the confidence of the company. He was persuaded to remove to Philadel- phia and accept a similar position with the American Ice Company, of that city, but remained only two years, returning to the Diamond Ice Company, in Stamford, at the end of that period. He has always kept the position of chief engineer. The Stamford Company is one of the most important manufacturers of ice in this section, producing ninety tons a day. Aside from his duties as above outlined, Mr. Clark became interested in the auto- mobile battery business, which he con- ducted for about twelve years on his own account, up to the winter of 1919. He was the first man in Stamford to see the necessity of this business and the oppor- tunity which it opened for a progressive man to meet a definite need. Mr. Clark is a member of Rippowam Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of which order he has been noble grand three times ; is also a member of Wascussee Encampment, of which he is past chief patron ; and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 899.
Mr. Clark married (first) Catherine De- land, who died without issue. He mar- ried (second) Mary Agnes Whitezell, daughter of Thomas Whitezell. She was born in Wheeling, West Virginia.
BURKE, William,
Physician, Valued Citizen.
That Dr. Burke is a physician of high standing his fellow-citizens of Greenwich do not need to be told, having become unalterably convinced of the fact through the medium of nearly twenty-five years of successful practice. It is equally well known that he is a representative of a family distinguished in the Old World and the New, and by public spirit no less than by intellectual ability he has fully maintained his ancestral tradition.
The Burke family is of Norman origin, ranking with the Butlers and Fitzgeralds, among the most distinguished of the Nor- man-Irish. The name, sometimes spelled Bourke, signifies a castle, or burg, and the escutcheon is as follows :
Arms -- Or, a cross gules, in the dexter canton, a lion rampant sable.
William Fitz-Aldelm de Burgo, the ancestor of the Irish Burkes, was a scion of a race related by blood to the family of William the Conqueror, and in 1171 accompanied King Henry the Second to Ireland. In the reign of King John the Burkes obtained large possessions in Con- naught, and branches settled in the coun- ties of Mayo, Limerick, Clare and Tip- perary. For centuries the family has been famous in church and State, also winning laurels in the realm of literature.
In the United States the record of the Burkes has been peculiarly honorable. Thomas Burke, distinguished in the Rev- olutionary War, became governor of North Carolina, and Denis F. Burke made a brilliant record in the Civil War, later rising to the rank of brigadier-general.
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(I) Thomas Burke, grandfather of William Burke, of Greenwich, was born in Tipperary, Ireland. He married Mary Purcell.
(II) William Burke, son of Thomas and Mary (Purcell) Burke, was born in 1820, in Tipperary, Ireland, and when a lad was brought by his parents to the United States. He was all his life a farmer in Perryville, Madison county, New York, and the homestead there is still in possession of the family. During the Civil War he served in the army, en- listing from Perryville. He married Joanna Dwyer, born in Tipperary, Ire- land, daughter of John Dwyer, and their children were: Mary, Malachi, Thomas Joseph, John, Joanna, Lawrence Paul, Margaret, William, mentioned below ; and Edward Charles, who lives on the old homestead. In March, 1915, Mr. Burke passed away at the venerable age of nine- ty-five years.
(III) William (2) Burke, son of Wil- liam (1) and Joanna (Dwyer) Burke, was born May 30, 1870, in Perryville, Madison county, New York. He received his early education in the public schools of his native town, passing thence to Cazenovia Seminary, and then entering Syracuse University. He was fitted for his profes- sion in the Long Island Medical College, New York, graduating in 1896 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Choosing Greenwich as the scene of his professional career, Dr. Burke at once entered upon a course of active practice, advancing step by step as the years went on to the posi- tion of recognized leadership which he has so long occupied. He engages in the general practice of his profession, special- izing in obstetrics. He was a member of the staff of the old Greenwich Hospital, and later held the position of surgeon on the governing staff of the present hos-
pital, resigning in 1918. He is a member and ex-president of the Greenwich Medi- cal Society, also belonging to the County and State Medical societies, the New York Academy of Medicine, and the American Medical Association.
In the promotion of the best interests of his community, Dr. Burke has taken an active part, serving for a number of years as chairman of the School Board. He is a member of the Young Men's Christian Association. With the frater- nal and social life of his home city he is prominently identified, affiliating with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and Orinoco Council, Knights of Colum- bus, serving in the latter organization as examining physician. He belongs to Court General Putnam, Foresters of America, which was organized in his own office twenty-two years ago, and he is a member of the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. He has always been a tennis player and has ever maintained a strong interest in athletics.
Dr. Burke married, November 4, 1897, Anna A. Mongon, daughter of P. T. Mon- gon, and they are the parents of three children : Lawrence Paul, born September 14, 1898, was a member of the naval unit of Syracuse University in the class of 1920; Marian, born May 28, 1900; and Anna, born February 9, 1902.
In 1921, Dr. Burke will round out twenty-five years of a successful and hon- orable professional career. During this time he has ministered to two generations of the people of Greenwich by whom he is regarded both as a trusted medical ad- viser and a valued friend. These will join with his medical associates in celebrating the completion of a quarter of a century of noble service, and the entire com- munity will unite in congratulations on the past and good wishes for the future.
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MOREHOUSE, Harry Sinclair, Hotel Proprietor.
In speaking of the Morehouse family, one historian has said :
The Morehouse family, while the generations come and go, has maintained an honorable posi- tion in the localities in which its members have resided. Its headquarters have long been on Digby Neck, Nova Scotia.
It is from this Nova Scotia family that Harry S. Morehouse is descended. The name literally means "at the Moorhouse," the cottage situated on the moor. a local name common to many places. There is record found of the name in England in the reign of Edward III. (1333), when one Henry de Moorhouse is granted land. From that time on there are frequent mentions of the name in the English records.
Thomas Morehouse is the original an- cestor of all the Morehouses in America ; he was a first settler in Stamford, Con- necticut, in 1637-41, was in Wethersfield in 1640, and in Fairfield in 1653. He mar- ried Isabel Keeler, daughter of Ralph Keeler, of Norwalk, Connecticut.
It is from this Thomas Morehouse, above mentioned, that Harry S. More- house is descended, and although born in Nova Scotia, his ancestors were of early Connecticut Colonial stock, and he is himself now a resident in the city where Thomas Morehouse was a founder, Stam- ford, Connecticut.
Harry Sinclair Morehouse was born in Bear River, Digby county, Nova Scotia, March 31, 1880, son of David Reed and Desire Foster (Liske) Morehouse. David Reed Morehouse was born in Smith Cove, Nova Scotia. It was the custom of most of the inhabitants of that part of Nova Scotia to take to a seafaring life very early and Mr. Morehouse followed this custom. He rose to the rank of captain
and made voyages all over the world. He was in China when the navies of the world opened up that self-isolated coun- try to the foreign trade. Mr. Morehouse had one unique experience in salvaging the "Marie Celeste." This experience is worthy of note. "The Mysterie of the Marie Celeste" will always hold a promi- nent and interesting place in maritime history. The "Marie Celeste" was a full rigged ship, loaded with alcohol, and so forth. Captain Morehouse discovered her about four hundred and eighty miles south of the Azores under full sail and . without a soul aboard. It has been sup- posed that rumblings in the hold, caused perhaps by explosions of gasses from the alcohol and other freight, frightened the crew who took to the small boats without even stopping to lower a sail. It was a valuable find, Captain Morehouse's share of the salvage being $25,000. At that time the vessel under command of Captain Morehouse was named "Dei Gratia," cer- tainly it was very apropos. Captain Morehouse followed the sea until he was about sixty years of age, and then lived retired about six years until his death. About 1886 he became a citizen of Somer- ville, Massachusetts, and continued to re- side there until his death. He was a member of a Masonic lodge in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Captain Morehouse married Desire Fos- ter Liske, daughter of Samuel Liske, of Port Medway, Nova Scotia, and of their seven children, six grew to maturity. They were: Edward Reed; Harriet, who mar- ried Frank Lyman Pearson, of Somer- ville, Massachusetts; William Liske, de- ceased ; Agnes Beatrice, the wife of Roder- ick B. Macleod, of North Tonawanda, New York; Harry Sinclair, of further mention ; Ethel Louise, wife of Harold J. Holman, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Harry Sinclair Morehouse was edu-
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Morhouse.
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cated in the public schools of Somerville, Massachusetts, and then entered the em- ploy of that well known Bostonian, Curtis Guild. That was in 1896, and he was in that position for five years. He then entered the employ of Boston's famous hotel man, J. R. Whipple, as cashier of the Parker House, and later became clerk in the same hostelry. Altogether he was there eight years and the experience gleaned was of great value to him. He was qualified when leaving to accept the position of manager of the New York Athletic Club on Fifty-ninth street, where he remained for four years. He then came to Stamford and organized the Harry S. Morehouse Hotel Company, of which he is treasurer and principal stock- holder. The Hotel Davenport was pur- chased by the company, and there are few cities of the size of Stamford that can boast of such a hotel as the Davenport. It is one of the comparatively few good hotels that was not built in the noisiest location; it is modern in every respect, and the comfort and convenience of the guests is the first consideration of the management.
Mr. Morehouse is active in the social life of Stamford, and is a member of sev- eral fraternal organizations. He is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Washing- ton Council, Royal and Select Masters ; Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk; Lafayette Consistory, of Bridgeport; Pyramid Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport; Kiwanis Club, of Stamford, of which he is president; and the Suburban Club, Stamford, of which he is a member of the board of directors. Mr. Morehouse was commissioned major of the State Guard of Connecticut during the war, and was a member of Company .
B, National Guard, in North Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1899.
Mr. Morehouse married Nella Chand- ler, daughter of Harry G. Chandler, of Somerville, Massachusetts.
COOKE, Henry Bennett,
Business Man.
Henry Bennett Cooke, treasurer and manager of the Ring's End Fuel Com- pany, of Darien, Connecticut, deserves in the best sense of the phrase the title of a self-made man. He has achieved suc- cess by the application of effort and not through accident or fortuitous circum- stances.
Henry B. Cooke was born July 9, 1879, in Goshen, son of Nicholas and Katherine (Bennett) Cooke. Nicholas Cooke was born in Germany, and died in Goshen; the German form of his surname is Koch, which was changed by him to Cooke. Koch is a very old name in Germany and was originally derived through the oc- cupation of one who was a cook. Before coming to America, Nicholas Cooke learned the trade of shoemaker, and after locating in Goshen, started in business for himself as a custom shoemaker. He married Katherine Bennett, who died in 1892, aged fifty-nine years. They were the parents of thirteen children, eleven of whom grew to maturity : John H., of Wil- low City, North Dakota; Katherine, wife of George H. Woodward, of Long Beach, California; William B., deceased; Eliza- beth, wife of Rev. William Taft, residing at Salem, Oregon ; George A., of Goshen ; Amy, wife of Charles Fennell, resides at Long Beach; Edward B., of Alberta, Canada; Andrew N., of Oregon; Mary, deceased ; Henry B., of further mention ; Louise K., resides at Long Beach. Mr. Cooke and his family were regular at- tendants of the Congregational church.
Henry Bennett Cooke was educated in
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the public schools of Goshen, and resided there until he was nineteen years of age. He went to Waterbury and entered the employ of the Waterbury Lumber and Coal Company ; in 1907 he went to Red- ding, Connecticut, and became manager of the Gilbert farm, which is connected with the Connecticut Agricultural Col- lege. After four years at this work, Mr. Cooke located in Darien and for eight years capably managed the farm of Mrs. Anson Phelps Stokes. In 1919 Mr. Cooke became manager and treasurer of the Ring's End Fuel Company, which office he now holds. He is possessed of con- siderable business acumen, and is well known among the business men of Da- rien.
In politics, Mr. Cooke is a Republican and takes an active interest in public matters. Although not seeking to hold office, Mr. Cooke is nevertheless anxious to assist in any of those movements which enhance the general welfare.
Fraternally, Mr. Cooke is affiliated with Ark Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Georgetown ; Speedwell Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Waterbury; and New Canaan Grange. While living in Waterbury, Mr. Cooke was master of Mad River Grange, and while at George- town, served as master of Cannon Grange, of Cannondale ; he has been master of the Grange at Darien, and has been honored as master of Pomona Grange, of Fairfield county. Mr. Cooke is a member of the Kiwanis Club.
Mr. Cooke married Bertha Williams, daughter of Frederick Williams, of Go- shen, and they are the parents of four children : Irene M., Eleanor M., Dorothy L., and Arthur H. The family attend and aid in the support of the Congregational church in Darien, and Mr. Cooke serves as deacon and as a member of the business committee.
WEHRLE, John H.,
Business Man.
Wehrle is an ancient German name, Heintz, a noted authority on nomencla- ture, stating in his work, "Surnames and Their Origin," that it was formed from the word "Wer" and indicated one who would protect himself and others in war or danger. The varied spellings of the name have been as follows : Werle, Wehrle, and Wörle, also Warling, Werling, and Wehr- lein. The first of the family mentioned by Siebmacher, a well known German heraldist, are the brothers, Henry, Lip- pold, and Nickolaus Werle in 1211, Lu- dolf in 1312, and Helmold in 1340. They were large owners of real estate in Halberstadt and also in Brunswick, losing all of their estates in the fifteenth cen- tury.
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