USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 54
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It is the proper application of the lessons so learned that makes for success in the hotel business, and it was a knowledge of this truth which has had much to do with the success of Mr. Rutledge.
Subsequent to leaving the Waldorf- Astoria, Mr. Rutledge went to New Or- leans and there became assistant man- ager of the St. Charles Hotel, remaining for two seasons. Thence he went to the Edgewood Inn, Greenwich, Connecticut, as assistant manager and manager of the Edgewood Club. There he continued very successfully until October 4, 1918, when he became proprietor of the Clif- ford Hotel, South Norwalk. During the time he was in Greenwich, Mr. Rutledge was also manager of the Indian Harbor Yacht Club for a year. The fact that he was able to meet these obligations in the manner he did is sufficient warrant of his ability in this direction. On April 4, 1919, Mr. Rutledge took over the Canfield Ho- tel, Canaan, Connecticut, and in his two ventures he is meeting with splendid suc- cess. Fraternally, he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of South Norwalk.
Mr. Rutledge married Annie Kennedy, daughter of Frank J. Kennedy ; she is a native of Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland. They are the parents of two sons: Leon- ard James, born October 17, 1910; Ken- neth, born June 3, 1918.
ST. JOHN, Charles Le Grand, Contractor, Builder.
Charles Le Grand St. John, a promi- nent contractor and builder of Norwalk, Connecticut, is a direct descendant of one of the first families settled in Fairfield county. Throughout that county we find many worthy representatives of that an- cient family, and they are always found among the enterprising and progressive
men of affairs. Mr. St. John is a splen- did example of the type of capable busi- ness man of which Connecticut has so many.
(I) The ancestry of the family in America is traced from Matthias St. John or Sension, who was among the earliest settlers of Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1631-32, and made freeman of the town, September 3, 1634. In 1640 he took up his abode in Windsor, Connecticut, where he was among the earliest planters and where he acquired land by purchase and by grant. Between 1636 and 1645 he was in Wethersfield. In 1654 he removed with his family to Norwalk, Connecticut, where he was prominent in the affairs of the town government. His will is dated October 19, 1669, and he died in Norwalk, in the latter part of October or the first part of November, 1669.
(II) Matthias (2) St. John, son of Matthias (1) St. John, was born in Eng- land, in 1630, and came with his parents to New England in 1631-32. He died in Norwalk, Connecticut, December, 1728- 1729. He was a freeman of Norwalk, Connecticut, and served as selectman and fence viewer in 1659. The Christian name of his wife was Elizabeth.
(III) Ebenezer St. John, son of Mat- thias (2) and Elizabeth St. John, was born about 1660, and died in 1723-24. He was a cooper by occupation. He married Elizabeth Comstock, born October 7, 1674, daughter of Christopher and Han- nah (Platt) Comstock. They were mem- bers of the Norwalk church.
(IV) Daniel St. John, son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Comstock) St. John, was born in 1693, and died December or Jan- uary 28, 1757. He followed his father's occupation of cooper. He was twice mar- ried ; his first wife was Grace Sherman, and his second, Hannah Seymour.
(V) Daniel (2) St. John, son of Daniel
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(1) St. John, was born in 1716, and died November 10, 1802. He was a shoe- maker, and lived in New Canaan. Daniel St. John married Mary Mills; she died February 3, 1806.
(VI) Abijah St. John, son of Daniel (2) and Mary (Mills) St. John, was born October 4, 1772, and was baptized in New Canaan, Connecticut, in December of the same year. He died at Silver Mine, September 4, 1859. Abijah St. John mar- ried, in New Canaan, in September, 1792, Hannah Hendricks; she was born Octo- ber 7, 1773, and died January 18, 1862.
(VII) David St. John, son of Abijah and Hannah (Hendricks) St. John, was born in April, 1810, and died March 7 or 8, 1857, in Wilton, Connecticut. He mar- ried, August 27, 1842, Amanda Aiken, daughter of Thomas and Anna (Betts) Aiken ; she died September 30, 1893.
(VIII) Giles Henry St. John, son of David and Amanda (Aiken) St. John, was born November 8, 1844, and died June 20, 1918, from an accident. He fell from a roof, and at the time of his death was seventy-three years of age, remark- ably well preserved. As a young man, he learned the trade of carpenter and fol- lowed it as a journeyman for a few years, eventually establishing a business of his own. After a long, active and useful life, Mr. St. John retired from active business cares in 1917. He served in the Civil War as a member of the 12th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry ; he was shot through the temple at Gettysburg, the bullet passing out through his ear. Later Mr. St. John was taken prisoner and sent to Libby Prison, from which he made his escape, and was afterwards captured by guerillas, but was fortunate enough to escape a second time. Mr. St. John was so badly wounded at Gettys- burg that a kind-hearted Confederate soldier gave him his horse, and after re-
turning to his own lines he had a long and slow convalescence. After recover- ing, Mr. St. John worked in a woolen mill for about a year, and then started in bus- iness for himself as a contractor, in which he met with well-deserved success.
Mr. St. John married, March 1, 1866, Georgianna Aiken, daughter of George N. and Mary Esther (Newcomb) Aiken, of Silver Mine, town of Norwalk. They were the parents of four children: I. Charles Le Grand, of further mention. 2. George, who lives in Westport, a mem- ber of the firm of Ralston & St. John, contractors. 3. Frederick, of Norwalk. 4. Edward I., of Norwalk. Mr. St. John was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and with his wife attended the Methodist Episcopal church.
(IX) Charles Le Grand St. John, son of Giles Henry and Georgianna (Aiken) St. John, was born June II, 1867, in Nor- walk. He was educated in the public schools of that city, and then became a member of the contracting firm of St. John & Sons, composed of his father, his three brothers and himself. This ar- rangement continued for about three years, and upon the dissolution of the partnership Mr. St. John became fore- man for another builder. For twelve years he was associated with the latter, and during these years was making a thorough study of his particular branch of contracting work. In 1907 he formed a partnership with F. Howard Keyser, under the firm name of St. John & Key- ser, and they became well and favorably known among the builders of Fairfield county. Their specialty is a standard- ized seven-room bungalow, and this has proved very popular. Wide publicity has been given to this style of house by means of a complete and detailed model, an exact duplicate on a very small scale. This has been exhibited in various east-
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ern cities and has brought to the firm contracts from all over southern New England. About fourteen men are em- ployed on an average. Mr. St. John is the type of public-spirited citizen who is an asset to a community. Upright in his business dealings, he has won the respect and esteem of those with whom he comes in contact.
On June 11, 1892, Mr. St. John married Lillian Bird Wilson, born February 21, 1871, in Newark, New Jersey, daughter of Henry B. and Sarah (Bird) Wilson, of that city. Mr. and Mrs. St. John are the parents of a son, Charles Kenneth, born April 25, 1897. The family attend and aid in support of the Methodist Epis- copal church of South Norwalk.
SCHAVOIR, Arnold Lambert, Rubber Manufacturer.
Mr. Schavoir was born in a city which has long been famous, but which now holds a place of imperishable prominence as one of the great battlefields of the World War for Freedom and Democracy -Aix la Chapelle, France. It was there on August 25, 1871, Mr. Schavoir was born, son of Lambert and Ann (Leus- berg) Schavoir.
Lambert Schavoir, father of Arnold L. Schavoir, was born in Douai, France, and died in Aix la Chapelle, in 1883, aged fifty-three years. For several hundred years the family was settled in Douai. When he was fifteen years of age, Mr. Schavoir went to Aix la Chapelle and it was after that time the "c" was added in the spelling of the family name. Its original derivation was from the occupa- tional class of surnames, meaning shep- herd. In his early life, Mr. Schavoir was a salesman, later engaged in real estate. He became a contractor and builder on a large scale, and had many men in his em-
ploy. He made a specialty of large fac- tory buildings, and was also the owner of a large machine shop where were built steam engines. Subsequently he was the proprietor of a large wall paper plant. Mr. Schavoir was a man of tireless en- ergy, very ambitious and possessed of a fine mentality. Through misfortunes he lost nearly all that he had accumulated through a lifetime of thrift and never flagging industry. He married Ann Leus- berg, daughter of a wealthy citizen of Aix la Chapelle. Her father served un- der Napoleon and after the downfall of the latter became a merchant.
Arnold Lambert Schavoir received his education in the private schools of his home city and at the Cathedral Academy of Aix la Chapelle. He learned the ma- chinist's trade, and came to America at the age of nineteen years. A brother and two sisters had preceded him and located in Stamford, Connecticut, so naturally Mr. Schavoir came directly to that city. There he found employment at his trade in the plant of the Yale & Towne Manu- facturing Company. Later he was em- ployed by the Blickensderfer Manufac- turing Company, where he remained for sixteen years, and at the time of his leav- ing there was serving as foreman. The ambitious traits of his father were im- bibed in Mr. Schavoir's character, and he was desirous of entering into business on his own account. To this end he engaged in business as a repairer of automobile tires. His venture was a success from the outset, and the enterprise developed to considerable dimensions. In time Mr. Schavoir found it necessary to erect a special brick building to furnish adequate facilities for his work. A large part of his work was done under contract for the big tire companies, and this arrangement continued for about seven years. In the meantime he had become the local repre-
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sentative for the builders of the Locomo- bile, and a service station was built on Shippan avenue. He continued to handle the Locomobile from 1911 to 1916. Three years previous Mr. Schavoir began the manufacture of inner tubes. He had gleaned from his experience in repairing that those on the market were far from being perfectly suited to the service they were called upon to render. The line of manufacture of inner tubes is of a highly technical nature, and Mr. Schavoir has devoted himself assiduously to the mas- tery of every theoretical and practical de- tail in this work. He keeps himself al- ways abreast of the latest discoveries and developments in the rubber industry. The result is that the business has had a steady growth, making such demands on his time and attention that all other lines and interests have been dropped. The plant is equipped with the most modern apparatus, machinery entering largely into the manufacture of a product of this kind. Employment is given to about fifty men. The product is sold largely through jobbers, a large proportion of it being exported to Sweden, Norway, the West Indies and South America. The war gave a great impetus to the manu- facture of toys in America, a line of busi- ness that previously had been largely controlled by certain European coun- tries. Alive to the opportunity thus pre- sented, Mr. Schavoir began the manufac- ture of rubber toys in 1917, and this de- partment of the business is showing a very satisfactory growth.
A Republican in politics, Mr. Schavoir has served six years as a member of the Common Council; he was chairman of the Park Committee, under whose direc- tion and supervision Halloween Park was built. As will be seen in his business ca- reer, Mr. Schavoir's bent is in the line of construction and organization, and his
activities in public office are no exception. Whatever will forward the interests of Stamford, and make it a better place in which to live and to be happy appeals to him. It was largely as a result of his ef- forts that Elm street was paved, and the paving of Atlantic street finished. His committee bought the property and had the plans made for the sewage disposal plant, construction of which was post- poned on account of the war, but the contract for building was made in Au- gust, 1919. During Mr. Schavoir's in- cumbency, the pumping station was re- modelled. He is a member of the Ki- wanis Club, of Stamford, and of the Be- nevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Schavoir married Katherine Meigel, daughter of Henry Meigel, of New Can- aan, Connecticut, and they are the par- ents of a son, Frederick, who is asso- ciated with his father in business, and of a daughter, Bertha Schavoir.
ROME, Morris Gerry,
Head of Important Business.
Success is something that cannot be appraised in figures. It involves too much of the elemental force of the individual- the power of taking from life a thought here, an impression there, of gaining from every experience something of use and value and making it serve as a means of attaining definite good. That this good be material makes its attainment no less worthy of commendation. A man who achieves importance in the business world to-day must give as well as take. Life yields him nothing without exacting a price-and that price is-himself. No matter how much the individual wins from the public, he must give of him- self equal value. This is the man of real significance in the world. And generally speaking it is the man who began at the
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beginning, who dug his own cellar, so to in this country before his young wife speak, and built his own foundations. An interesting example of this sort of man is Morris Gerry Rome, one of the most successful business men of Stamford, Connecticut.
Mr. Rome's family is an old one in Moscow, Russia. There the name for many generations has been a prominent one. Mr. Rome's great-grandfather was an eminent physician in that city, being in such high favor with the court that for many years he counted the Czar among his patients. This speaks volumes for the mental calibre of the man. He was also a man of winning personality, as is evinced by the fact that he stood in great favor with the Czar, who gave him a written permit to live in Moscow, from which city all other Jews were rigidly ex- cluded. Dr. Rome's skill in his profes- sion, and his devotion to duty in its prac- tice made his tenure of this position long and secure.
His son, Mr. Rome's grandfather, took little interest in the opportunities of a professional life. He was an active, pro- gressive man, fond of the great out-doors, and possessed of splendid executive abil- ity. He became a large land owner, his holdings being mostly timber lands, and he built up an extensive business along these lines, owning thousands of acres of the finest timber.
Mr. Rome's father, Harris Rome, was born in Russia, and grew to manhood there. According to the universal cus- tom there he was compelled to enter the Russian army. To a member of the race so bitterly and ruthlessly persecuted by the Russian Government, this service was utterly abhorent. At the first opportunity the young man made his escape. After more or less adventure he found his way to New York City. He had been married while in the army, and had not been long
joined him. Very soon after his arrival in New York he started in business, be- ginning in a small way and dealing in second-hand furniture. His location was in a modest block down on the East Side. But he put into his business all the en- ergy of which youth, health and a fine mental heritage are capable, and was suc- cessful from the start. With character- istic thrift he worked early and late, deny- ing himself the pleasures that many young men consider necessities, and giv- ing his personal attention to every detail of the business. Constant growth and development were the inevitable result, and he remained there about ten years. He then removed to Paterson, New Jer- sey, and established himself there as a dealer in furniture fresh from the fac- tory. He was very successful there and continued in this line of business in that city for twenty years. He then sold out and removed to Jersey City, where he opened another furniture store, and has been no less successful there, still carry- ing on the business, holding an enviable position in the trade, and enjoying the fruits of his success. He married Rebec- ca Luckman, daughter of Louis Luck- man. They are the parents of six chil- dren, five of whom are still living ; Morris Gerry, of whom further; Bertha, who married Samuel Kerr, of Salem, Massa- chusetts; David, of West Hoboken, New Jersey; Sadie Bessie, who married Jo- seph Kerr, of Gloucester, Massachusetts ; and George Sidney, of Washington, D. C.
Morris Gerry Rome was born March 4, 1887. He received his education in the public schools of New York City, and the Paterson, New Jersey, High School. Even as a lad he showed great ambition and was impatient to take an active part in the world of business. While attending high school he also took a commercial
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course, and without waiting to graduate he cast aside all restraint, and leaving school and home went to New York City, where he found employment in the furni- ture department of Simpson, Crawford & Company. Having been about his fa- ther's store almost from the time he was able to toddle. he had a knowledge of the business that he had absorbed uncon- sciously and which had become second nature. He soon rose from salesman to assistant buyer, his value to his employ- ers being apparent from the beginning. He remained with this firm until he was nineteen years of age, when he felt the call of the West. Going to Chicago, Illi- nois, he plunged into the business life of the city there, being employed in the same line, and remaining for about two years. He then returned to New York, but wishing to broaden his experience, he took a line for sale on the road, work- ing on commission. He traveled for five or six years, in the course of that time visiting every large city in the United States, thereby gaining not only invalu- able business training but that general knowledge of men and affairs which can be won only from travel.
With this wealth of experience he re- turned to the employ of Simpson, Craw- ford & Company, New York, taking a more responsible position than before, acting as salesman, soon becoming again assistant buyer. When that company failed he went to the A. D. Matthews Company, of Brooklyn. Here he was buyer for the bedding department, also assistant buyer for the furniture depart- ment. After being with this company a year, Mr. Rome was offered a very at- tractive position with A. I. Namm & Son, of Brooklyn, as buyer for both furniture and bedding departments. He remained there for three years, meeting with grat- ifying success and making an impression
there which outlived his stay. Feeling that he wanted to build for himself and create an organization of which he should be the head, Mr. Rome resigned from this company to go into business for himself. The thriving, up-to-the-minute little city of Stamford, Connecticut, was the loca- tion he chose, and on November 15, 1917, with the country involved in the greatest war in all history, he opened the new es- tablishment. Unpropitious as this time may have seemed, Mr. Rome was success- ful from the start. He has made for him- self a place of dignity and honor in the business world of the city, his name being associated in the mind of the public with straightforward dealing and dependable merchandise. In all questions involved in the daily routine of a retail business, he invariably appreciates the customer's viewpoint. He does both a cash and in- stallment business, and carries a well chosen and comprehensive line of furni- ture, bedding and household necessities and comforts. He is an adept in the art of displaying goods attractively, and throughout the store, as well as in the handsome windows, one finds it a pleas- ure to examine the stock. The personal- ity of the man makes the atmosphere of the store warmly congenial, he having a cordial word and smile for every visitor.
Mr. Rome is by no means a one-sided man; he finds time for social relaxation and the popular interests of the day. He is a member of Fortitude Lodge, No. 19, Free and Accepted Masons, of Brooklyn, New York; of the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, No. 22, also of Brooklyn; Excelsior Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Stamford; and the Kiwanis Club, of Stamford. In public life he is a leader in every interest for the public good, and in patriotism second to no man, having taken an active part during the World War in every drive or campaign
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in support of the interests of this country and its Allies.
Mr. Rome married, June 11, 1912, Bertha Michelson, daughter of Mrs. Ella Mich- elson, of Boston; they have one child, Thelma Rose.
LARSEN, Niels,
Business Man.
The summons of opportunity carries its meaning only to the man who hears. The man who is alive to the possibilities of life is quick to respond and eager to follow. The summons comes to every man, but only the few hear. These are the men the world needs, for they build not only paths for personal achievement, but open the way for men of lesser abil- ity to find at least a measure of success. Niels Larsen, of Greenwich, Connecticut, is one of these leaders of men. A worker himself, full of the tireless energy of the man who does things, he has become a significant factor in the business life of the town. Coming from Denmark, the home of sturdy, wholesome manhood, he made his start in America while yet life lay before him.
The origin of the name of Larsen is found in the ancient custom which ante- dates the use of surnames, of calling the son of John, John's son. In common usage this gradually became Johnson. Other surnames were evolved in the same manner and one of them is Larsen. An ancestor of this family lived near a laurel tree, and was referred to as Laurence, be- cause his home was thus located. In the evolution of the name the son of Laur- ence became Laurence's son, and in time, Larsen.
The family home of this branch of the Larsen family was for many generations in Roskilde, Denmark. This city was at one time the Capitol of Denmark, and a
city of great importance. The family was well and favorably known throughout the section, industrious and self-respecting.
Christian Jepson, Mr. Larsen's paternal grandfather, lived on the outskirts of Ros- kilde, and was a farmer by occupation. He was upright and industrious, and highly respected in the community.
His son, Christian Larsen, was an am- bitious youth, full of the spirit of adven- ture, and left home at an early age to fol- low the sea. He became a captain, and in all followed this life for about twenty years. Retiring to the home farm at the end of that period, he became identified with the public life of the city, and for many years held the position which cor- responds with that of charity commis- sioner in American civic life. He mar- ried Ane Marie Anderson, who was also a native of Denmark.
Niels Larsen was born in Roskilde, Denmark, January 18, 1868, and is a son of Christian and Ane Marie (Anderson) Larsen. His educational opportunities were limited, and he was more interested in action and movement than in the tedi- ous confinement and quiet pursuits of the school room. He began his career by going to sea when he was about eleven years of age, and at the age of fourteen was earning his own living on ship- board. Travel is considered the broad- est means of education, and it is certainly no less so, in the most practical sense, when it is at the same time a means of livelihood instead of a pastime. So at the age of eighteen, when Niels Larsen came to make a home in America, he was possessed of such an education as gave him a practical working basis for material success. That was in 1886, and he located in Greenwich, Connecticut, entering the employ of Henry Held, on whose farm he worked for four years. Then he worked for about two years for a coal
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dealer. By this time he had acquired an easy familiarity with the language and felt at home in the new country and anxious to get a start which should open a better future before him than the work- ing for wages. He entered into partner- ship with his brother, Lawrence, whose sketch follows this. Under the name of Larsen Brothers they took contracts in grading and excavating. They were both men of good judgment and their work was done in such an acceptable manner that they went from one job to another, building up an enviable reputation for this class of work. They continued in this line of business for years with in- creasing success. In 1900 the young men sold out their contracting business and went into the livery business. In some ways this was a great change, but they put into the new venture the same spirit and ambition as in the work which they had carried to success, and they were no less successful in this line. In all their work they never forgot the courtesy and consideration for the public which is so large a factor of success in every line of business. Their livery business grew and developed, and when the time came that the automobile began so definitely to take the place of the horse they were in a posi- tion to rise on the wave of progress, where many were inundated by it. They replaced their horses by motor vehicles, beginning the change in 1906, but hold- ing steadfast the same business policy of excellence of service and unfailing courtesy. Success was inevitable, and the brothers went forward, constantly in- creasing their capital and equipment. A few years ago the business was incorpor- ated under the name of the Greenwich Cab Company, Mr. Larsen's brother Law- rence holding the office of president, while Mr. Larsen is vice-president. He
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