USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 30
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WILLARD, Louise Bowers,
Descendant of an Old Family.
(X) Louise Bowers Willard, daughter of Edward Kirk and Elizabeth (Willard)
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Edward A Williamson, MA.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Willard (q. v.), was born September 3, 1868. Miss Willard received the benefits of a broad education, and from an early age has taken a keen interest in matters of public affairs, particularly the woman suffrage movement. For fourteen years she was the leading teacher of dancing in Stamford and Greenwich.
In 1899, Miss Willard rented "The Maples," the former beautiful residence of Commodore E. C. Benedict, on the Post Road, and engaged in the hotel business. The venture was started in a small way, but was a success from the beginning. In 1906 the business was incorporated, with Miss Willard as president, and at the same time the hotel was purchased. It is among the most attractive of the small hotels in Connecticut, accommodating eighty guests. No small amount of credit is due to Miss Willard's executive ability and business judgment. The hotel is al- ways filled to its capacity, and this in itself is a testimony to the general man- agement.
Miss Willard is much interested in the issues of the day, and is a remarkably well-read woman. She is a member of several clubs and organizations, among them being the Colony Club of New York City.
WILLIAMSON, Edward A., Physician.
There are many men of physical stam- ina and mental power who have come to America to grasp from the hand of op- portunity the means of personal success. Here and there is found a man, with no friends or influence to aid him, only the strength of his own personality, who has endured all the hardships and overcome all the obstacles in the path of the un- aided youth to attain the privilege of a life of service to mankind. This is a high
achievement, the more to be applauded for the fact that personal advancement has been held a matter of negligible im- portance in the face of the great respon- sibilities which he has so cheerfully ac- cepted and so capably borne. To the thoughtful observer, a man of this char- acter stands out among his fellows, a figure of the greatest significance. Such a man is Dr. Edward A. Williamson, of North Stamford, Connecticut.
The name of Williamson is derived from one of the most ancient sources, the custom of adding "son" to the name of the father. It was very popular in the early centuries, signifying "beloved hel- met," that is, protector. Its early fame was derived from the first two post-Con- quest rulers. Under the form of Guil- laume it is a common name in France, where members of the family have held positions of great honor, and it appears twice in the Sussex Domesday Book. The Williamson family, of which the doctor is a member, is one of the very oldest in England. There have been many worthy scions in the various walks of life, but particularly in the military and civic life of their country have they be- come famous.
The following is the original coat-of- arms of the Williamson family, granted to Sir Joseph Williamson in the time of Charles II.
Arms-Chevron engrailed between three tre- foils slipped sable.
Crest-Demi-eagle disposed, holding in the beak a trefoil.
Motto-Murus aeneus conscientia sana. (A wall of brass is conscious of strength).
The above Sir Joseph Williamson was one of the noted men of his day. As his biographer has truly said of him: "To give an account of his full life would in- volve an almost exhaustive survey of the
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political and social life of England from 1665 to 1680."
Other prominent men bearing this name were: Sir Adam Williamson, who was governor of Jamaica, in St. Domingo ; and General George Williamson, who commanded the Royal Artillery at the siege and capture of Louisburg, in 1758.
Edward A. Williamson, son of William Alexander Finiston Williamson, who was a prominent man in his day, was born in London. When scarcely more than a boy he entered the British navy. He was a bright, ambitious lad, devoted to the serv- ice. He rose step by step, discharging every duty faithfully. He was paymaster for years, and finally reached the rank of captain. He commanded a number of ships, one of them being H. M. S. "Ex- cellent." During the course of his career he was decorated with three medals for distinguished gallantry in the service. He served with honor in the bitter cam- paign of the Crimea, and was finally re- tired some years before his death. Mr. Williamson married Anne Young, daugh- ter of Richard Young, who was mayor of Londonderry, and a member of an old family there. They were the parents of four children: Dr. Edward A., of whom further; Anne Elizabeth, who became Mrs. Etherington, the wife of a promi- nent London banker; Richard Edward, who died at the age of sixteen; and Wil- liam Alexander Finiston (2), who became lieutenant-colonel in the Royal Army Service Corps, during the World War, and was killed in the battle of the Marne.
Dr. Edward A. Williamson was born in Bedford, England, on September 10, 1864. He struck out for himself early in life, as his father had done, but turned his face westward, coming to New York City, where a cousin already resided; that was when he was fifteen years old. As is often the case with boys of that age, he
entered various employments, working for short periods, but finally determined upon the profession of medicine as the life-work of his choice. Being still quite young, he secured employment in a drug store in order to gain a more thorough knowledge of pharmacy than is given in the usual medical course. He spent about two years there, taking advantage of every opportunity to learn anything that might be useful to him, studying in odd hours, when other young men were at leisure, to improve his general education, and lay a broader foundation for his tech- nical training. He began reading medi- cine under the preceptorship of Dr. F. H. Manley, and in due time matriculated at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, from which he was graduated, in 1886, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Then followed four years of hospital practice, a much longer clinical experience than falls to the lot of the average young physician. During this period he covered a breadth of practice rarely permitted to any physician. First he entered the Gou- verneur Hospital, and after a year there he went to the Harlem Hospital. Here he spent six months each in the positions of ambulance, junior, senior, and house physician. He also spent a year in the hospital on Blackwell's Island. This was a wonderful preparation for general prac- tice, particularly to a man gifted, as Dr. Williamson is, with the capacity for ab- sorbing and retaining information, and turning it to practical use when occasion arises.
In 1894 he began private practice in Westchester, New York, and after several very successful years, came to Stamford, Connecticut. He established himself at High Ridge, where he remained until the spring of 1919, removing then to his pres- ent location in North Stamford. He has established an enviable reputation in this
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section ; has always been widely sought among the outlying districts, and now covers a territory included within a radius of twenty miles. While the automobile has somewhat alleviated the hardships to which the physician is subjected, still the extent and character of the district which Dr. Williamson serves makes very exacting demands on his physical endur- ance. The doctor is a very busy man, yet finds time and opportunity to become well informed on the wonderful advance con- stantly being made along the line of medi- cal science. He has always held positions of dignity and responsibility, having been for many years an associate member of the staff of the Stamford Hospital, and is visiting physician to the town farm. When the United States entered the World War, Dr. Williamson was one of the first Stamford physicians to be called into the service. He went to Fort Og- lethorpe, in Georgia, in December, 1917, and devoted himself most enthusiastically to the work there. He contracted pneu- monia after seven or eight months, and was cared for in the base hospital.
Dr. Williamson is a fellow of the New York State Medical Association ; a mem- ber of the Stamford Medical Society ; the Fairfield County Medical Society; the Connecticut Medical Society; and the American Medical Association. He is a member of Citizens Lodge, No. 628, Free and Accepted Masons, of New York City.
Dr. Williamson married Helen Doty, daughter of John Doty, of Norwalk. Mrs. Williamson's mother was a daughter of Curtis Morgan, of Stamford, and through her paternal grandmother she . is de- scended from the old Rockwell family of Ridgefield, Connecticut. There are two children : Edward A., Jr., who served in our navy during the World War, and is now a resident of Newark, New Jersey ; and one daughter, Dorothy. The family
are members of St. John's Episcopal Church of Stamford, and are foremost in all movements which tend toward public progress.
GORHAM, Edward Everett, Business Man.
The origin of the name of Gorham is very ancient, and is one of those names derived from the location of the home of its first bearer. It was formed from two words: Gore, which signifies a three-cor- nered piece of land, and ham, signifying an enclosure. It is thus clear that some early ancestor dwelt close to a piece of land of this shape, which was enclosed for the protection of his possessions. From the earliest form of John of Gore- hame, or John atte-Gore-ham, the form was gradually changed to the spelling now used, Gorham. The family was es- tablished in England in the time of the Norman Conquest. James Gorham, born in 1550, at Benefield, Northamptonshire, England, married, in 1572, Agnes Bern- ington, and died in 1576. His descent is traced from the De Gorrams of La Tan- niere, near the village of Gorram, in Maine, on the borders of Brittany, as early as the beginning of the twelfth cen- tury. In 1158 Giles de Gorham led an expedition to the Holy Land and returned to La Tanniere in 1162. Several of the family followed William the Conqueror to England. The Gorhambury Manor, in Hertfordshire, was in the possession of the Gorhams from quite early in the twelfth century until 1307, when John and his wife, Isabella, sold the reversion of the estate after their deaths and thus it passed from the family. In 1338, a Wil- liam de Gorham was living at Oundle, a place near Benefield.
(I) Ralph Gorham, the immigrant an- cestor of most of those who bear the name
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in New England, was a son of James Gor- ham, and was born in 1575, at Benefield. He died about 1643. Ralph Gorham came to New England, settling at Plymouth, where record is found of him as early as 1636.
(II) Captain John Gorham, son of Ralph Gorham, was baptized at Benefield, England, January 28, 1620-21, and came to New England in 1635 in the ship "Philip." He married, in 1643, Desire Howland, daughter of John and Eliza- beth (Tilly) Howland (a "Mayflower" passenger), and granddaughter of John Tilly and wife, Vandevelde, who also came in the "Mayflower." On October 4, 1675, John Gorham was appointed cap- tain of the Second Company of Plymouth forces in King Philip's War, and died from exposure in the Great Swamp fight. He was buried February 5, 1675-76, at Swansea. Desire (Howland) Gorham, born in Plymouth, in 1623, was one of the first children born in the colony. She died October 13, 1683, at Barnstable, Massachusetts. In 1646, Captain Gorham removed to Marshfield, where two years later he was chosen constable. He was made a freeman in 1650, and was a mem- ber of the Grand Inquest in 1651 ; in 1652 he removed to Yarmouth. There he was elected to the Plymouth Colony Court the following year. He was surveyor of wards in 1654; selectman of Barnstable in 1673-74. In 1673 he was appointed lieutenant of the Plymouth force in the Dutch War. He was a farmer and tan- ner and also owned a grist mill. In 1669 the Plymouth Court granted him one hun- dred acres at Papasquosh Neck, and in 1677, confirmed the grant to his heirs for- ever for the services he had performed. A similar grant of land in Gorham, Maine, was also participated in by his heirs.
(III) Jabez Gorham, son of Captain John and Desire (Howland) Gorham, was
born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, Au- gust 3, 1656. He married a widow, Mrs. Hannah (Sturges) Grey, daughter of Ed- ward and Alice, or Elizabeth, Sturges. She died March 13, 1739, and he died May 3, 1725, at Bristol, Rhode Island. He also served in King Philip's War and was wounded. In 1680 he was constable at Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and on the Grand Inquest in 1683.
(IV) Joseph Gorham, son of Jabez Gorham, was born in Bristol, Rhode Island. Concerning his marriage, his- torians differ. The Gorham chart in the "Fairfield Family Book" states that he married Abigail Lockwood, of Fairfield, April 7 or April II, 1715. She was born November 28, 1694, and died January 23, 1724-25. Orcutt's "History of Stratford" states that Joseph Gorham married (first) Sarah, and was then of Stratford. The Sturges genealogy gives Sarah Sturges as the name of his wife. There is a dis- pute that he married a Sarah at all unless he was thrice married. He married (sec- ond or third) Deborah Barlow, daughter of John and Abigail (Lockwood) Barlow, on January 13, 1725-26, and she was born May 3, 1705-06, and died January 25, 1778. He removed from Bristol to Strat- ford, Connecticut, as early as 1715, and was a cordwainer by trade.
(V) Jabez (2) Gorham, son of Joseph Gorham, was born March 22, 1718, and died February 26, 1764. He married, No- vember 27, 1752, Mary Couch.
(VI) Jabez (3) Gorham, son of Jabez (2) Gorham, was baptized May 23, 1762. He lived in Redding, and died there, June 25, 1853. He married (first) August 5, 1784, in Redding, Sarah Morgan, by whom he had four children. She died March 9, 1797, and he married (second) in the same year, Hannah Beers. The third child of the second marriage was David Gorham, of whom further.
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(VII) David Gorham, son of Jabez (3) Gorham, was born (according to the fam- ily Bible) in Redding, January 9, 1802, and died August 1, 1882. He owned a farm, and was also what was known in his day as a "tin-peddler," a type of mer- chant rarely seen now, but numerous in that time. These peddlers traveled through the country with a high-boxed body, usually painted red, his stock of merchandise consisting of kitchen fur- nishings, such as pans, and cooking uten- sils, brooms, etc. This merchandise was sold for cash or bartered with farmers for produce, which the peddler later sold to store-keepers and commission merchants. David Gorham traveled through Western Connecticut and the Eastern counties of New York State. David Gorham mar- ried (first) January 29, 1823, Fannie Jen- nings, daughter of Nehemiah Jennings, and she died March 28, 1844. Mr. Gor- ham was active in the work of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, and a member of the official board.
(VIII) Henry Burr Gorham, son of David and Fannie (Jennings) Gorham, was born at Weston, Connecticut, Janu- ary I, 1832, and died at Norwalk, January 29, 1862. He attended the public schools, and learned the trade of shoemaker, which he followed in East Norwalk most of his life. Mr. Gorham married Mary Eliza Jones, daughter of Hiram C. Jones. She was born in Norwalk, and her father was a native of New Hampshire. They were the parents of four children: Frederick W., of Katonah, New York; Charles, de- ceased; Edward E., of further mention ; and Henry Burr.
(IX) Edward Everett Gorham, son of Henry B. and Mary E. (Jones) Gorham, was born in Norwalk, July 12, 1860, and attended the public schools. In 1875 he entered the employ of Colonel Hiram K. Scott, general merchant, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and remained with him for
three years. For several years subse- quent, he traveled on the road as a whole- sale tea salesman. About thirty years ago, Mr. Gorham established himself in business as an interior decorator, han- dling wall paper as well as painting. In 1919 he removed to South Norwalk and opened a store on Washington street ; he is the oldest man in his line of business in his section of the State, and can look backward over a very successful career and forward to further success. An av- erage of between twelve and twenty men are employed to cover the territory com- prising Southwestern Connecticut.
Mr. Gorham is a Republican, and held the office of registrar of voters for nearly a quarter of a century. He was tax col- lector for the East Norwalk school and fire districts for nearly as long. His fra- ternal affiliations include : Member of Old Well Lodge, No. 108, Free and Accepted Masons, of South Norwalk; Butler Chap- ter, No. 38, Royal Arch Masons, of South Norwalk; Clinton Commandery, No. 3, Knights Templar, of Norwalk; Lafayette Consistory ; and Pyramid Temple, Mystic Shrine, both of Bridgeport. Mr. Gorham is past grand of Butler Lodge, No. 97, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of South Norwalk, and past commander of Clinton Commandery, No. 3, of Norwalk.
Mr. Gorham married Annie E. Hoyt, daughter of James M. and Maria L. (Webber) Hoyt. The Hoyt family is an old one in Fairfield county, and Maria L. Webber was a native of Switzerland. Mr. and Mrs. Gorham were the parents of two children : Edward Everett, died at the age of nineteen years; and Leslie Webber, born in 1887, married Laura M. Berns, and has two children: Earl Edward and Ray Elizabeth. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of East Norwalk, and aid in the support of its good works.
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DUGGAN, Rev. Jeremiah James, Clergyman.
There is an old proverb which says: "He profits most who serves best." The truth of this proverb is apparent, particu- larly among those who devote their lives and services to the ministering of the gospel. Their desire to serve emanates direct from their hearts; there is no task too severe, and in countless ways their aid is given.
Rev. Jeremiah James Duggan, one of those worthy men who have made the cause of humanity their work, was born April 4, 1863, in Cappawhite parish, County Tipperary, Ireland, son of James and Elizabeth (Glasheen) Duggan. The Duggan family is an old one in that par- ish, and there the great-grandfather of Father Duggan, Dennis Duggan, was born. His son, Patrick Duggan, was a farmer. He married Ellen Lonergan. Their son, James Duggan, was born in the same parish in 1799, and died in October, 1883. He was the owner of a large farm and made a specialty of dairy farming and horse raising. The oldest brother of Father Duggan now occupies this home- stead. James Duggan married Elizabeth Glasheen, daughter of Michael Glasheen, of the parish of Bansha, County Tip- perary, Ireland. They were the parents of eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity, and three came to America, namely: Michael, a resident of Bridge- port, died December 29, 1918, aged sev- enty-three years; Catherine, married (first) James Donahue, and (second) William O'Brien; Jeremiah James, of further mention.
Rev. Jeremiah James Duggan, the youngest of his family, was educated in the National schools of his native town, and at the age of twelve years went to Rockwell College in the parish of Cashel,
County Tipperary, which was conducted by the Fathers of the Holy Ghost. After three years spent in classical studies there, he entered St. John's Seminary, in the city of Waterford, to prepare for his ordination. He studied rhetoric, philoso- phy, and theology there, and was or- dained June 24, 1888, by the Rt. Rev. Pierce Power. Rev. Father Duggan was adopted by the Diocese of Hartford by Rt. Rev. Lawrence S. McMahon. He started for America, January 24, 1889, on the steamship "Germanic," and arrived in New York City, February 1, 1889. Father Duggan sang his first High Mass in St. Augustin's Church, Bridgeport, Connec- ticut, the following Sunday, and he was assigned to St. John's Church, Middle- town, as temporary assistant to Father Bernard Sheridan. There he remained for three months, and was then transferred to St. Mary's Church, Norwalk, remaining until January, 1896. In the latter year Father Duggan was transferred to New Haven as assistant to Father John Rus- sell at St. Patrick's Church, where he re- mained until September, 1900, in which year he was transferred to the Church of the Sacred Heart, his first pastorate, Wethersfield. During his pastorate there, he was also chaplain to the State's Prison at Wethersfield and said Mass there every Sunday. Father Duggan labored with all his heart in this parish, and succeeded in clearing the debt of the church and in renovating the interior of the church edi- fice. On April 8, 1908, he was transferred to the Church of the Assumption, West-
port, Connecticut. At that time the parish indebtedness was $13,000, and dur- ing the pastorate of Father Duggan this debt was paid off and many improvements made inside and outside the church. A concrete walk was laid all around the property, and the bank of the river oppo- site the church has been filled in and made
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into a park, surrounded by a pretty hedge. All these improvements have been paid for, and the property on the south side of the church purchased to save it from fall- ing into undesirable hands and to provide opportunity for expansion at some future time. The house on that property has been remodelled and rented to two ten- ants. While pastor there, Father Dug- gan was chaplain of the Holy Name Society and also of the Children of Mary and of the Junior Holy Name Society.
It is appropriate here to give a brief sketch of the history of this parish. The property was purchased by Father Keat- ing, and the new church was built by the Rev. James P. Ryle. The latter was there one and one-half years, and during this time he got as far in the construction as the covering in of the building. The mis- sion was built in 1860 by the Rev. Dr. Mullingan and dedicated on August 15th of that year. It was an out-mission from Norwalk until Father Keating was ap- pointed in 1877. He remained there seven years, and was succeeded by the Rev. John H. Carroll, of Wallingford, who re- mained about fourteen years, and was succeeded by the Rev. James Ryle. He was followed by Father Thomas H. Shanly, who completed the church edi- fice, and who died there after eight years of faithful service, in March, 1908, and was succeeded by Rev. Jeremiah J. Dug- gan. In January, 1920, Father Duggan was transferred to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Bridgeport, where he is continuing his good work. The church is a new parish, formerly a part of St. Mary's Church, started in 1917, the site of the church being secured by the ·Bishop, the Rev. John J. Nilau, who pur- chased ground on both sides of Union avenue. The basement floor was laid out and built by Father Terris B. Smith, and was used for church purposes. Since the
coming of Father Duggan notable im- provements have been made. Additional ground has been secured, adjoining that already owned, directly opposite the church, on which later a school and other buildings will be erected. The ground surrounding the church has been graded, cement walks and curbing laid, the lawns beautified with a hedge and shrubs, and other improvements made. The church, when completed, will be one of the finest in that section, its location being excel- lent.
McMAHON, John F., Contractor, Public Official.
With untiring energy and strength of purpose, combined with splendid business qualifications, John F. McMahon, a prom- inent contractor of Norwalk, has achieved remarkable success in his chosen line of work. He is a leading citizen and fore- most among the representative men of that city. Mr. McMahon was born in Norwalk, December 18, 1861, the son of Patrick and Julia (McCabe) McMahon. Patrick McMahon was born in County Clare, Ireland, and died about 1913, aged eighty-four years. Upon leaving his na- tive land, he came direct to Norwalk. At that time double tracks were being laid by the New York, New Haven & Hart- ford Railroad, and there Mr. McMahon obtained employment, working on the East Norwalk section. Soon after, he went to work on a local farm and con- tinued occupied with farming and other agricultural work throughout his life- time. Principally, Mr. McMahon worked as supervisor of some of the fine estates in the vicinity of Norwalk, and he was especially expert in handling trees in a day when trees did not receive the scien- tific attention now given them. He set out many of the most beautiful orchard
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and shade trees in that section. Mr. Mc- Mahon married Julia McCabe, of the town of Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland, and of their children, seven grew up : Mary, who was the wife of John Mc- Ginn; Catherine, the wife of Timothy Bresnan, of South Norwalk; Josephine, of South Norwalk; John F., of further mention; William H., Ellen, and Pat- rick, Jr.
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