USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 32
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This is, in part, the interesting history
of the early generations of the McLean family. Today we find many representa- tives of this family scattered throughout the country, all of them among the use- ful citizens, many engaged in the pro- fessions, and many others prominent in the business and civic life of their com- munities.
William O. McLean, a scion of this family, was born in St. John, New Bruns- wick, May 27, 1887, son of Neil and the late Elizabeth (George) McLean.
Mr. McLean was educated in the pub- lic schools of Lincoln and Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and for fifteen years sub- sequent to completing these courses, was engaged in newspaper work in that sec- tion with the Pawtucket, Rhode Island, "Evening Times," Woonsocket, Rhode Island, "Evening Reporter," Providence "Journal," Providence "Bulletin," Provi- dence "Tribune," Boston "American," Worcester "Telegram," and Uxbridge "Transcript." He came to Norwalk in I9II, and was with the Norwalk "Hour" for seven years, in charge of the South Norwalk office, part of which time he held the position of county editor of the Bridgeport "Sunday Post."
In 1917, with Albert M. Pohlman he formed the insurance firm of Pohlman & McLean, with offices at No. 74 Washing- ton street, South Norwalk, this concern being absorbed on January 1, 1920, by William O. McLean, Inc., a corporation organized for that purpose.
He occupied the position of chief com- piler of labor statistics, a department op- erated by the United States Housing Corporation, but under the supervision of the Bureau of Labor Statistics; was also assistant chief of the Information Bureau of the Production Division of the Army Ordnance Department during part of the war.
Mr. McLean is a Republican in politics,
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and is a Mason, being a member of Old Well Lodge, No. 108, Free and Accepted Masons ; Butler Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons; Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar ; and Lafayette Consistory, Scot- tish Rite. He is also a member of the South Norwalk Club.
Mr. McLean married, in 1914, Blanche Louise Pohlman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert M. Pohlman of South Nor- walk.
RAYMOND, Augustus Hobby, Contractor, Builder.
A lifetime in honorable and successful business activity in this State and mem- bership in a family resident here for more than two and one-half centuries constitute Augustus Hobby Raymond's identification with Connecticut. In con- tracting and building, lumber and real estate dealing, he has been widely known always as an upright business man and dependable, substantial citizen. He has been joined in active life by his sons, who have in their respective fields of endeavor followed the example of usefulness in well chosen lines that he has constantly given.
The name of Raymond first appears in New England in the year 1622, when we have records referring to four different men who bore it, namely, Richard, Wil- liam, Captain William and John Ray- mond. Although the records are not con- clusive on the point there is strong reason for believing that the two former were brothers and that Captain William and John were also brothers and the sons of the elder William. The knowledge of their English ancestry is lost, but we do know that they came from Essex and set- tled in Salem in the Plymouth Colony prior to 1622. The name Raymond is of very ancient French origin, being derived
from two French words, rai, signifying a beam of light, and monde, meaning world. The Latin word, raimundus, is its exact equivalent.
(I) Richard Raymond, the ancestor of that branch of the family with which we are here concerned, was born about 1602 in England and probably in the County of Essex, whence he came to the New England colonies shortly after their first settlement. He describes himself as a mariner, and was made a freeman of Salem, where his home was situated, May 14, 1634. On January 2, 1636, he was granted by the town a tract of two acres at what was then known as winter har- bor and is now Winter Island in Salem Harbor, and later received other grants. He removed, probably about 1662, to Norwalk, Connecticut, and became the ancestor of the numerous lines bearing the name of Raymond now resident in this State, as well as of the New York State family from which the Mr. Raymond of this sketch is descended. He continued to follow his career as a mariner and was engaged in the coastwise trade which the inhabitants of the south shore of Con- necticut carried on with the English and Dutch settlers on Manhattan Island. In 1664 he removed to Saybrook, Connecti- cut, where his death occurred in the year 1692 at the advanced age of about ninety years. He married Judith , and they had six children as follows: John, mentioned below; Joshua, Samuel, Han- nah, Richard, Daniel.
(II) John Raymond, eldest son of Richard and Judith Raymond, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, and appears to have been a man of consequence in that town, where he made his home during his entire life. He received grants of land from the community and owned consid- erable property. He married, December 10, 1664, Mary Betts, daughter of Tho-
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mas Betts, and they were the parents of two children, as follows: John, born Sep- tember 9, 1665; and Samuel, mentioned below.
(III) Samuel Raymond, second son of John and Mary (Betts) Raymond, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, at an un- known date, and resided there all his life. He married, April 1, 1696, Judith Palmer, a daughter of Ephriam Palmer, of Green- wich, Connecticut, and they were the par- ents of five children as follows: Samuel, born May 7, 1697; John, born February 12, 1699; Ephraim, born September 9, 1701; Joshua, mentioned below; and Mary, born about 1705.
(IV) Joshua Raymond, son of Samuel and Judith (Palmer) Raymond, was born about 1702, in Norwalk, Connecticut. He married, May 17, 1721, Elizabeth Fitch, a daughter of Thomas Fitch, of Norwalk. They were the parents of the following children: Elizabeth, born March 21, 1722; Stephen, born January 1, 1725; Sarah, born July 6, 1727; James, men- tioned below; Susanna, born August 28, 1732; Martha, born January 5, 1734; and Joshua, Jr., born September 12, 1734.
(V) James Raymond, son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Fitch) Raymond, was born October 2, 1729, in Norwalk, Con- necticut. He was the founder of the Raymond family of Westchester county, New York, removing to that district and settling in the town of Bedford sometime prior to the Revolution. We find him a member of the Committee of Safety at Harrison Village in 1776, during the early part of that historic struggle. He mar- ried (first) in Norwalk, Susan St. John, and they were the parents of the follow- ing children : Stephen ; James, mentioned below; Susanna, married a Mr. Newman ; Esther, married a Mr. Hall; Joshua, born March 7, 1760; Elizabeth, married a mem-
ber of the Miller family; Molly, married a Mr. Dann; and Martha, who married a Mr. Mills. James Raymond married (second) in Stratford, Connecticut, the Widow Bottsford, and they were the par- ents of two children as follows: George W., born March 27, 1774, and Clarissa, who married a Mr. Trowbridge.
(VI) James (2) Raymond, son of James (I) and Susan (St. John) Raymond, was born in Bedford, Westchester county, New York. He married Bethia Bottsford, and they were the parents of three chil- dren as follows: Abiel B .; Harry, men- tioned below; and Lucretia.
(VII) Harry Raymond, son of James (2) and Bethia (Bottsford) Raymond, was born in Bedford, Westchester county, New York. He passed his entire life at that place. As a young man he engaged in the grocery business and prospered in that line. A little later he took up deal- ing in salt pork, at first in a small way but he gradually developed this enterprise so that it absorbed his other business and finally grew to such great dimensions that he made a large fortune. He became one of the wealthiest citizens of the region and was well and favorably known in the community. Among his children was James, mentioned below.
(VIII) James (3) Raymond, son of Harry Raymond, of Bedford, was born in that place, probably in the third decade of the nineteenth century, but later removed to Stamford, Connecticut. He inherited a considerable fortune from his father, and was himself engaged successfully in bus- iness in New York City, where he owned two large stores. He was also the pos- sessor of a handsome farm of two hundred acres in Bedford, which he operated suc- cessfully and where he kept many fine horses, of which animals he was very fond. He married Amarintha Hobby, a
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daughter of David Hobby, of Banksville, New York, and they were the parents of Augustus Hobby, mentioned below.
(IX) Augustus Hobby Raymond, son of James (3) and Amarintha (Hobby) Raymond, was born January 3, 1850, in Greenwich, Connecticut, where his par- ents were living at the time, and passed his early childhood there. As a boy he attended the Greenwich public schools and later those of Stamford, to which place the family removed. Upon complet- ing his studies at these institutions, he secured a position in a grocery store in Southport, Connecticut, and worked there in a clerical capacity for some time. The owners of this store were the firm of Jen- nings & Son, who were also engaged in a trading business with New York City and operated a line of freight steamers be- tween that point and Southport. Young Mr. Raymond was also employed on these vessels to take charge of the produce of the local Connecticut farms, which was thus shipped to New York for disposal in the Metropolitan markets. He remained in the employ of Jennings & Son for about two years, and then became apprenticed to a carpenter, learning the trade which he continued to follow as a journeyman for a few years. At the age of twenty- three years he determined to engage in business on his own account, and with this end in view went to Stanwich and opened an establishment as a contracting builder. He also built a mill at that place and engaged in saw milling and grist milling, in season also manufacturing cider. During the warm season he car- ried on building operations with a high degree of success, and in the winter time engaged in lumber dealing, purchasing the standing timber which he cut, and after converting it into marketable shapes and sizes shipped all over the neighbor- ing region. After a time, however, he
was compelled to give up this exceedingly active and arduous life because of failing health, and nine years after removing to Stamford he purchased a farm in New- field. Here he resided for some twelve years, operating it successfully in the meantime and also conducting his con- tracting business at intervals. In the year 1897 he sold this farm and settled in Glenbrook, where for a time he followed contracting and building, but finally turned his business over to his son, Ev- erett, by whom it is conducted up to the present time. During the years of his residence in Glenbrook, Mr. Raymond al- so interested himself to some extent in real estate and at the present time de- votes his entire attention to this line of business.
Augustus Hobby Raymond married, February 27, 1871, Hannah F. Denton, daughter of Samuel Denton, of Green- wich, Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Ray- mond have celebrated the fiftieth anniver- sary of their marriage, their golden wed- ding, when their family and friends gath- ered to congratulate them upon a long union of remarkable happiness and con- geniality. Children: Everett, now the head of the contracting and building bus- iness established by his father; William M .; Augustus H., deceased; Maude P .; Della E .; Arthur S., mentioned below ; Edna May, deceased; Garrett de G. L., mentioned below; Charles F .; Frank, de- ceased.
(X) Arthur S. Raymond, son of Au- gustus Hobby and Hannah F. (Denton) Raymond, was born September 16, 1879, and died July 3, 1919, his death being caused by an accident. He was educated in the public schools of Stamford. He served in the Spanish-American War, the company being recruited in Stamford. Before volunteering for the war, he had learned the trade of plumber, and in 1899,
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after his return, engaged in the plumbing business independently in Stamford. He carried this on successfully by himself for a number of years and then took his brother, Garrett deGroot Lockwood Ray- mond, into partnership with him, forming the firm of Raymond Brothers. In 1910 he sold out his interest in the business to this brother and went West to Joplin, Missouri, and there engaged in zinc min- ing. He became connected there with the Connecticut Zinc Company and was vice-president of that flourishing concern at the time of his death. He was a prom- inent member of Excelsior Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. He married Grace V. Tryon and they were the parents of two children, Edna May and Grace Tryon.
(X) Garrett deGroot Lockwood Ray- mond, son of Augustus Hobby and Han- nah F. (Denton) Raymond, was born September 13, 1882, in Stanwich, Connec- ticut, and as a lad attended the public schools of Stamford. For a time in early youth he intended to follow a professional career and studied law in the office of George P. Rowell, a prominent attorney of Stamford, for two years and eight months. Later, however, his interest turned more in the direction of business and he served an apprenticeship in the plumber's trade, a line that had already been taken up with success by his elder brother, Arthur S. On July 1, 1905, he was taken into partnership by that brother and became the junior member of the firm of Raymond Brothers, then organized. The two young men met with increasing success for a number of. years and the firm was continued until July I, 1910, when the younger Mr. Raymond purchased his brother's interest. Since that time he has managed the growing business alone and its success has con- tinued uninterruptedly under his capable
direction. He is now a plumbing and heating engineer and is widely employed in that capacity, not only in Stamford proper, but in many other communities in the neighborhood. At the present time he employs fourteen mechanics and help- ers and enjoys a reputation for capability and fair dealing second to none in his line. The honesty and liberality of his dealings extend beyond his patrons and business associates to his employees, some of whom have remained in his serv- ice for fourteen years, a most significant fact in this era of industrial unrest. Mr. Raymond has always taken a keen inter- est in the general life of the community of which he is a member, and is promi- nent in social and fraternal circles in Stamford. In 1921 he was elected secre- tary of the Stamford Chamber of Com- merce. He is a member of Puritan Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Stamford, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and attends the Second Christian Science Church which he gen- erously supports.
Garrett deGroot Lockwood Raymond married Lucetta T. Curran, daughter of Philip T. Curran, of Stamford, and they are the parents of two children, Eleanor Viola and Ruth Lois. Mr. Raymond's wife and children are also members of the Christian Science church.
RAYMOND, David W., Funeral Director.
The Raymond family originated in France, the surname being a form of the French Christian name. Because of re- ligious persecution, a member of this family fled to England, and later sailed for America, becoming the immigrant an- cestor of the family in this country.
(III) John (2) Raymond, son of John (1) and Mary (Betts) Raymond (q. v.),
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was born September 9, 1665. He was one of the most important men in his community in his day ; was captain of a train band, land surveyor, and a large owner of real estate. He married, March 7, 1690, Elizabeth St. John, daughter of Samuel St. John, and granddaughter of Mathias St. John, the immigrant.
(IV) Lemuel Raymond, son of John (2) and Elizabeth (St. John) Raymond, was born in Norwalk, and lived for many years in New Canaan. He married Sarah Squire, who was born about 1730, and they were members of the Congregational church in New Canaan, in 1752.
(V) Luke Raymond, son of Lemuel and Sarah (Squire) Raymond, was born in New Canaan ; he married, May 8, 1765, Lydia Betts.
(VI) Squire Raymond, son of Luke and Lydia (Betts) Raymond, was born in 1773, and lived in New Canaan. He married Mary Seeley, and was the father of Elbert Raymond, of whom further.
(VII) Elbert Raymond, son of Squire and Mary (Seeley) Raymond, was born in New Canaan, and died at Norwalk. He married Mary Prior.
(VIII) George Henry Raymond, son of Elbert and Mary (Prior) Raymond, was born in New Canaan, December 15, 1840, and died December 17, 1915. He was but a lad when his parents removed to Norwalk, and there he was educated in the public schools, and learned the trade of carpenter. This was previous to the Civil War, and when the latter broke out, Mr. Raymond ยท enlisted in Company C, Twenty-eighth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. After his return from the war with his father, Mr. Raymond engaged in the furniture and undertaking business. Upon the death of the former, the son succeeded to the business, in which he continued actively engaged until his death and was then succeeded by his son,
Le Grand Raymond. Mr. Raymond was a member of St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons; Our Brothers Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows; and Buchanan Post, Grand Army of the Republic.
Mr. Raymond married Margaret White- head, daughter of David Whitehead. The latter was born in England, in 1800, and came to America in 1816, settling at Dover, New Jersey, where he followed his trade of landscape gardener. The maiden name of his wife was Grant. The children of George H. and Margaret (Whitehead) Raymond were : I. Le Grand, who was born in Norwalk, Octo- ber 8, 1865. He was educated in the pub- lic schools there, and subsequently was variously engaged in business. In 1895 he entered the employ of his father, and thoroughly learned the details of the bus- iness. Upon the death of the latter, Le Grand succeeded to the ownership and has since been engaged in carrying it on. He was a member of Company D, Reg- ular Infantry, which later went into the Coast Artillery, and was discharged as second lieutenant after having served from 1901 to 1913. During the late war, Mr. Raymond was a member of the Home Guard. He is a director of the Norwalk Savings Society, and a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Mr. Raymond married Sally N. Ayres, daughter of James H. Ayres, of New Canaan, and Mrs. Raymond is an attendant of the Congregational church of South Norwalk. 2. Cornelia M., who lives at home. 3. David W., of further mention.
(IX) David W. Raymond, son of George H. and Margaret (Whitehead) Raymond, was born May 26, 1870, in Nor- walk, and his entire life has been spent in the environment of his birth. He re- ceived his schooling in Norwalk's pubic schools, and became associated with his
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father in business at an early age. De- siring to master the business in all of its detail, and also to learn the most up-to- date methods, Mr. Raymond entered the United States College of Embalming in New York City, and took a complete course in embalming. After his return to Norwalk, in 1896, he engaged in busi- ness on his own account as an undertaker and funeral director in South Norwalk. Mr. Raymond has invested in him the power to attract friends, and holds their confidence. His tactfulness and broadness in human sympathies have been factors in his success, and he is highly esteemed in the business life of the Norwalks.
Mr. Raymond is a member of Old Well Lodge, No. 108, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, of South Norwalk; Monker Grotto, No. 56; Our Brothers Lodge, Colfax En- campment, No. 31, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Eureka Lodge, No. 42, Re- bekahs; Benevolent and Protective Or- der of Elks Lodge, No. 79; Sherman Lodge, No. 1342, Royal Arcanum; Lady Jenning's Lodge, No. 7, Order of Shep- herds of Bethlehem; Norwalk Lodge, Loyal Order of Moose. His clubs are : South Norwalk, of which he is also a di- rector ; Norwalk Country, Roxbury, the Ischoda Yacht, and the Norwalk Rifle.
Mr. Raymond married Alice Layton, daughter of Jacob M. Layton, and they are members of Trinity Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Raymond is senior warden.
SIMON, William Burr, Borough Official.
A leading citizen of New Canaan, Con- necticut, and one who has been foremost in every movement which tended to en- hance the general welfare, William Burr Simon is deserving of the respect and es- teem in which he is held. Mr. Simon was born in New Canaan, August 13. 1873.
and now holds the highest public office within the power of the voters of that town to confer on him, that of mayor. He is a son of Robert and Josephine (Schemmel) Simon.
Robert Simon was born in Eisfeld, Ger- many, October 9, 1844, and died Novem- ber 20, 1915. He came to America with his mother and settled in New York City. There he went to school and later learned the trade of tailor which he followed for some years. After several years he re- moved to New Canaan and was engaged in the tailoring business there during his lifetime. He was what is known as a "coat tailor," and his wife was also skilled in this work.
Mr. Simon was a member of the Sons of Herman, and of Wooster Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He was still under age when the Civil War broke out, but so determined was he to go that he persuaded his mother to sign his en- listment papers, and he served in the One Hundred and Third New York Volunteer Infantry. Mr. Simon was a member of Samuel B. Ferris Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of New Canaan, of which he was quartermaster for a quarter of a century. He married Josephine Schem- mel, a native of Waldsee, Germany, and they were the parents of the following children : 1. Robert, married Josephine Bowles, and has two children: Marjorie and Edith; they reside in New Canaan. 2. William Burr, of further mention. 3. Lulu C., married William E. Flandreau, and has three children: Lucille, Robert and William. 4. Frank L., married Gerda Paulson, and has three children: Clara, Augusta, and Hilda. 5. Josephine, mar- ried John G. Whitney. 6. George J., mar- ried, and has two children: Robert and William. 7. Anne, married Charles Smith, and has one child, Gordon.
William Burr Simon was educated in
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the public schools of New Canaan and then went to New York City, where he learned the plumber's trade, which he fol- lowed there until 1889. In the latter year he established a plumbing business in New Canaan with his brother Robert, under the firm name of Simon Brothers. This partnership continued until 1898, in which year Mr. Simon bought his broth- er's interest and continued the business alone until April 1, 1913. On the same day he sold his plumbing business he bought a garage and carried on a taxi service in addition to automobile repair- ing. He was in the garage business until April 1, 1920, and during this time built up a very large business of this kind for a town the size of New Canaan. At times he employed as many as eight men.
Mr. Simon is one of the most public- spirited men in New Canaan and for years has been active in town affairs. He is a Republican in politics, and on several oc- casions has been the choice of his party for political office. In 1908 he was a mem- ber of the Board of Burgesses and served on the committee on sanitation; in 1909 he was chairman of the Highway Com- mission. The same year he was appointed plumbing inspector, the first in the town of New Canaan. In 1910 Mr. Simon was elected mayor, and after serving his term of office resigned from politics until the spring of 1920 when he was elected mayor a second time and now holds this office. He has always discharged his public duties satisfactorily, as well as bringing satisfaction to his constituents. One of his noteworthy activities was the start- ing of a movement to erect a triangular monument of stone, the faces of which are to represent respectively the soldiers of the Revolution, the Civil War and the World War. Mayor Simon is past grand of Wooster Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of the
Wachackma Encampment, the Order of United American Men; is past com- mander of Richard E. Holcomb Camp, Sons of Veterans.
Mr. Simon married Margaret Loch- mann, daughter of Christopher Loch- mann, born in Carlstadt, New Jersey, and they are the parents of one child, Wil- liam Henry Simon, born December 3, 1902. Mayor Simon and his family at- tend St. Mark's Episcopal Church of New Canaan.
BOHANNAN, Dr. John G., Physician, Soldier, Legislator.
This ancient race is of Scottish origin, and its history in the New World em- braces the periods of our Colonial, Rev- olutionary and National annals, in each of which the Bohannans, in the successive generations, have rendered able, devoted and patriotic service.
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