USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 10 > Part 7
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AUSTIN, Albert Elmer, M. D., Physician, Legislator.
The American records of the branch of the family of Austin of which Dr. Austin is a member begins with John Austin. The branch has been numerous and in- fluential. Arms have been borne by American members of the line as follows :
Arms-Gules, a chevron between three long crosses or.
Crest-A long cross or between wings sable. Motto-Deus regnat.
(I) John Austin, who died in 1690, lived in Greenwich and New Haven, Connecti- cut. He married (first) in 1667, Mary At- water; (second) in 1684, Elizabeth Brockett. Children of first wife: John, born April 23, 1668, died young; David, of whom further ; Joshua, born September 3, 1673; Mary, died young; John, born October 14, 1677, died young ; Mary, born April 17, 1680, died young; son, born 1683, died young. By second wife : Sarah, born January 23, 1685; Elizabeth.
(II) David Austin, son of John and Mary (Atwater) Austin, was born Feb- ruary 23, 1670. He lived in New Haven, Connecticut. He and his wife, Abigail Austin, were the parents of : Abigail, born April 5, 1699; David, of whom further ;
Stephen, born January 1, 1705; Jonathan, born April 27, 1708; Mercy, born 1710, married (first) Samuel Holt, (second) Caleb Hitchcock; Lydia, married Ebene- zer Darrow.
(III) David (2) Austin, son of David (1) and Abigail Austin, was born October 25, 1703. He lived in New Haven, Con- necticut. He married (first) Rebecca Thompson, (second) Hannah Punderson. Children of first wife: David, born May 6, 1732 ; Samuel, born April 3, 1734 ; John, born September 23, 1736; Sarah, born August 13, 1737; Rebekah, born February 26, 1739. By second wife: Hannah, born August 21, 1741, married Rev. Nicholas Street ; Punderson, born January 18, 1743, died young; Punderson, born February 10, 1744 ; Jonathan, of whom further.
(IV) Jonathan Austin, son of David (2) and Hannah (Punderson) Austin, was born July 31, 1745. He lived in New Haven, Connecticut. He married Sarah Beecher. Children : Thaddeus, John, Sarah, Mercy, Eli Beecher, of whom fur- ther.
(V) Eli Beecher Austin, son of Jona- than and Sarah (Beecher) Austin, was a resident of New Haven, Connecticut. He married Grace Maria Beecher (see Beecher VII).
(VI) Henry Cotton Austin, son of Eli Beecher and Grace Maria (Beecher) Aus- tin, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, April 16, 1837, and died May 16, 1911. He was educated in the public schools, Hop- kins Grammar School, and a private school in Pomfret, Connecticut. I11 health caused him to seek more favorable climate in the West, and upon his return he located in Medway, Massachusetts, where he became a retail grocer. Subse- quently, under the firm name of Colcord & Austin, Mr. Austin was associated with Rufus K. Colcord, who was later governor of Colorado. Upon the dissolution of this
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partnership, Mr. Austin entered the field of public accounting, and during the clos- ing years of his life gave his time entirely to town affairs. For twenty years he was chairman of the Board of Assessors, for about twelve years was town clerk and treasurer, and he was also a member of the Board of Overseers, filling all of these offices at the time of his death. He and his family were members of the Episcopal church, which he served for many years as senior warden. He fraternized with Charles River Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; and Rising Sun Lodge, Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows. He was widely known throughout the district in which he resided, held a high place in the popular esteem, and passed a useful, pro- ductive life. He married Leah Martha Huddlestun, born in Charleston, West Virginia. They were the parents of six children, of whom four attained mature years : Charles Henry, of Medway, Mas- sachusetts ; Frances Beecher, of Milford, Massachusetts; Albert Elmer, of whom further ; and Grace May.
(VII) Dr. Albert Elmer Austin, son of Henry Cotton and Leah Martha (Hud- dlestun) Austin, was born in Medway, Massachusetts, November 15, 1877. In 1895 he was graduated from the Med- way High School, received an A. B. from Amherst College, in 1899, and his Master's degree in 1904. For two years after graduation from college he was a member of the faculty of the Attleboro (Massachusetts) High School, in charge of the Latin department. Entering Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, he was graduated with the .degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1905, when as the result of a competitive exami- nation he received first appointment to Blockley Hospital in Philadelphia, which he declined. His professional practice began in Medway, in association with Dr.
Charles Bemis, and after two years Dr. Austin moved to Sound Beach, Connecti- cut, where he began professional work, September 1, 1907. Here he has contin- ued to the present time (1921), attending to the needs of a general practice, but specializing in the treatment of cardio- vascular diseases. He is a member of the staff of the Greenwich Hospital and of the associated staff of the Stamford Hos- pital, also serving the town and borough of Greenwich as Commissioner of Health. Dr. Austin is a member of the Greenwich Medical Society, Stamford Medical Soci- ety, Connecticut Medical Society, the Medical Society of the Greater City of New York, the American Medical Asso- ciation, and the American Public Health Association.
In addition to his interest in public af- fairs in professional relation, Dr. Austin has served his town as a member of the Connecticut Legislature, elected as a Re- publican in 1916 and again in 1920. Among his work in this body was his activity on the committee of public health and safety, which revolutionized method of Public Health administration in the State. Under appointment of Gov- ernor Holcomb, Dr. Austin served as district surgeon of the Fourth Military District, Connecticut State Guard, with the rank of major, resigning his rank when he enlisted in the United States army, June 1, 1918. On June 3, 1918, he was commissioned captain in the Medical Corps of the United States army, and was assigned to duty at Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Michigan, where he was made regimental surgeon of the 214th Regiment of Engineers, 14th Division, Major-Gen- eral Grote Hutchinson commanding. He was transferred from Camp Custer to the Walter Reed General Hospital in Wash- ington, D. C., as assistant chief of the medical service, and he was honorably
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discharged from the army, April 18, 1919. Prior to his enlistment, Dr. Austin had served under appointment of General Crowder as a member of the Local Board. He is a member of the American Legion.
From his college years, Dr. Austin holds membership in the Phi Delta Theta, Alpha Omega Alpha, and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities. The years of his professional activity have won him high standing among his professional colleagues, and a large practice attests the confidence of the community-at-large. He has, as the foregoing paragraphs indicate, found time for valuable public service, and has util- ized to the full the opportunities that have come to him in this line.
Dr. Albert Elmer Austin married Anne Tyrell Christy, daughter of Frederick W. Christy, of New York City.
(The Beecher Line).
(I) The first American ancestor of this line was John Beecher, who came from County Kent, England, where his family had their ancestral seat in Chancellor House. They bore arms as follows :
Arms-Vaire argent and gules, on a canton or, a buck's head cabossed of the second.
Crest-A demi-lion rampant gules, the body en- circled with a ducal coronet or.
In 1637, Mr. John Beecher, his wife, and son Isaac, came from England to America, arriving in Boston June 26 of that year. John Beecher died in Quinni- piac (New Haven), an outpost, where he had been stationed by Theodore Eaton with seven others, to prepare for the ar- rival of a company of settlers.
(II) Isaac Beecher, son of John Beecher, was born in England in 1623, and died in 1690. He was married three times, having by his wife, Hannah Beecher, the following children : John, of whom further ; Joseph, born 1647; Isaac, born 1650; Samuel, born 1652; Eleazur.
(III) John (2) Beecher, son of Isaac and Hannah Beecher, was born in 1645, and died December 3, 1712. He and his wife Elizabeth were the parents of the following children : John, born 1670, died young ; Mary, born 1672, married Benja- min Wilmot; Elizabeth, married, 1700, John Dunbar; Johanna, born 1677, died 1718, unmarried ; Jemima, born February II, 1682; Joseph, born 1684; Sarah, mar- ried Nathan Benham; Ebenezer, born April 12, 1686, married Hannah Mix; John, of whom further.
(IV) John (3) Beecher, son of John (2) and Elizabeth Beecher, was baptized April 6, 1696. He married, December 7, 1721, Mehitable Tuttle. She was a de- scendant of William Tuttle, who used, in America, the following coat-of-arms :
Arms-Azure, on a bend argent cottised or, a lion passant sable, langued and armed gules.
Crest-On a mount a Cornish chough proper in the beak a branch of olive vert, fructed or.
(V) Captain John (4) Beecher, son of John (3) and Mehitable (Tuttle) Beecher, was born in September, 1722, and died November 22, 1793. He married Mary Wilmot, born September 5, 1726, died February 18, 1803. Children : John, born 1744; Eli, of whom further; Thaddeus, born 1749, died 1823; Mary, born 1751, died 1786, married Benjamin Cutler ; Sarah, born 1755, died 1795; Mehitable, born 1756, married Elisha Mix; Content, born 1761, died 1784; Rhoda, married Joseph Downs; Anna, married William Cutler.
(VI) Eli Beecher, son of Captain John (4) and Mary (Wilmot) Beecher, was born in 1748. He married Susan (or Sarah) Kimberly, born 1746, died 1798. Eli Beecher was drowned in New Haven, May 15, 1789. Children: Benjamin, of whom further ; Mary ; Susanna, born 1777, died 1851; Sarah, born 1781, married
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Thomas Atwater; Thaddeus, born 1788, died 1822, married Maria Woodward.
(VII) Benjamin Beecher, son of Eli and Susan (Kimberly) Beecher, was born July 4, 1774, and died January 7, 1858. He was known as "Captain Ben." He married Wealthy Parmelee, born in 1755, died 1863. Children : Eli, born 1795, mar- ried Caroline Wallace ; William Parmelee, born 1797, died 1859, unmarried ; Henry, born 1799, married Harriet Woodward ; Grace Maria, born March 7, 1801, married Eli B. Austin (See Austin V); John Edward, born 1803, married Jeanette Thompson; Laban Smith, born 1805; married Frances A. Lines; Benjamin, born 1807, married Hulda Foster Yale; Wealthy Ann, born 1808, married Elmer Townsend; Elizabeth Alling, born 1810, married Andrew L. Kidston; Mary, born 1813, married (first) Charles H. Colton, (second) Hon. Frederick Croswell; Ed- ward Collins, born 1815, died young ; Sarah Parmelee, born 1817, married Rev. Isaac Tuttle.
BROWN, John, Head of Important Business.
Ambitions of a practical trend, together with the business ability to establish and ·develop a successful industry-these com- bine to forward civic progress, and con- tribute most substantially to the public good. John Brown, of Stamford, Con- necticut, whose foundry is one of the best known industries of that active little city, has borne an important share in the in- dustrial development of Fairfield county.
His grandfather, Joseph Brown, was a native of Hesse-Darmstadt. As a lad he was intensely interested in machinery, and learned the trade of stationary engi- neer. While still a young man he came with his little family to America, where he entered the employ of B. T. Babbitt,
the well known soap manufacturer. He worked faithfully for some years, and by thrift and economy accumulated a little capital, so that he was able to start in business for himself. He had an oppor- tunity to buy a delicatessen store, so he went into that line of business, in which he was very successful.
Christian Brown, father of John Brown, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, December 31, 1865, and died April 7, 1914. He came to America with his parents when only three years of age, and the family settled in New York City. He had the advan- tage of attendance at the public schools of the city, where he received a good prac- tical foundation for business success. Even as a boy he showed those qualities of thoroughness, energy and thrift which have characterized those of his nationality who have come here and made America their home and their country. He learned the trade of brass founder, and followed it in New York for some time as a journey- man. About 1891, desirous of broadening his experience, he went to Dayton, Ohio, where he entered the employ of the Na- tional Cash Register Company, holding the position of assistant foreman. He remained there for three years, then re- moved to Stamford and entered the em- ploy of Yale & Towne, the manufacturers of the famous Yale locks. Here he be- came closely identified with the interests of the business, and after four or five years at the home plant was sent to Bran- ford as foreman of their plant there. He remained only a few weeks, when the Norwich Manufacturing Company offered him such flattering inducements that he accepted the position of superintendent of their foundry. He had been there about six months when the company went un- der. Prior to this he had passed six months as foreman of the Norwalk Brass Manufacturing Company.
Conn-8-4
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This the young man decided to make the turning point in his life. Since child- hood he had cherished a steadily growing ambition to stand for himself in the world of industry, and toward this end he had been consistently planning, working and saving. He saw that now the realization was only a step, and taking that step he started in business for himself. Stamford appealed to him not only for its business possibilities and desirable geographical location, but as a place that met his ideals as a home town, both for his own family and for the families of the men he should employ.
So, in 1899, in a very modest foundry, manned by himself and his sons, he es- tablished the business which has devel- oped past even his own expectations. The business grew from the start, for it was founded and carried on upon the sure foundation of quality of product and strictest honesty and courtesy. The busi- ness enjoyed a natural, healthy growth, although Mr. Brown was too conservative to be aggressive in the sense in which that term is now commonly used. But upon such a solid and substantial basis he made the name of Brown a valuable asset in connection with brass foundry products.
Mr. Brown married Lena Eckert, daughter of William Eckert. She was a native of Bavaria, and came to New York City at the age of seventeen to join her brothers who had already established homes in the New World. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were the parents of two children : John, who succeeded his father in busi- ness, and of whom extended mention fol- lows; and Joseph, born in 1891, who is now serving his third enlistment in the United States navy, where he has risen from seaman to petty officer. The family have for years been members of St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Stamford.
John Brown, son of Christian and Lena
(Eckert) Brown, and the present head of the Stamford industry founded by his father, was born in New York City, May 2, 1889. He attended the public schools of the city of Dayton, Ohio, for three years, then the family came to Stamford and there his formal education was com- pleted. But Mr. Brown is a man who will never cease to add to his already rich store of information. He is keenly ob- servant of men and affairs, alert to and tenacious of every particle of technical in- formation. He learned his trade under his father, but has been about the brass foundry since he was eight years old, so that even before he had completed his schooling he had acquired considerable practical knowledge of the trade. Chris- tian Brown, during the last three years of life, was subject to severe illnesses, and his son John took charge of the business during his absence from the foundry, then upon his father's death succeeded him as proprietor.
As soon as the entire control of the bus- iness passed to him, John Brown began to plan for expansion. The plant has grown and developed under his aggressive man- agement until it has become one of the important industries of Stamford. It now occupies a two-story building 50x120 feet, and employs on the average of twenty- five to forty men. Mr. Brown has broad- ened the scope of the work done at the foundry, until now it includes a large amount of marine engine work, and bronze castings and aluminum work are handled as well as brass. The brass pol- ishing and plating department is also a new development. He has taken a great pride in equipping his foundry with the most modern appliances, and also in do- ing everything possible for the health and comfort of the employees, in whom he takes the personal interest that keeps alive the spirit of good fellowship be-
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tween the employer and those who work for his interests. He has installed shower baths, modern metal lockers, etc., mak- ing the working conditions as nearly ideal as possible. His office is modern in its equipment and a model of neatness such as can be found in few foundries of this size. The business has enjoyed rapid yet sturdy growth, and the firm is well known in the trade. In all his business dealings, both with the employees and with the buying public, Mr. Brown is sincere, fair and honest, courteous always, never swerving from the policy of the concern as inaugurated by his father, that of high- est quality product and strict upright dealings. It is not difficult to prophesy, nor is it unwarranted, that a brilliant fu- ture lies before the young man at the head of this business. Mr. Brown is a member of the Stamford Manufacturing Association, the Brass Founders' Asso- ciation of Connecticut, Stamford Board of Trade, the State Manufacturers' Associ- ation of Connecticut, Inc., at Hartford, Connecticut, and the American Foundry- men's Association of Chicago, Illinois.
Socially Mr. Brown is more than usu- ally prominent. He takes great interest in the work and teachings of the Masonic fraternity, and is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted Masons ; Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons; Washington Council, Royal and Select Masters, all of Stamford; and is also a member of Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk ; Lafayette Consistory and Pyramid Temple, of Bridgeport; and a member of Stamford Lodge, No. 899, Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks; of the Rippowan Lodge and Wascussee Encampment, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, of Stamford.
Mr. Brown is also identified strongly with the religious life of Stamford, and
is active in St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Stamford. He is treasurer of the church, was president of the Men's Club in 1918, and is now treasurer of the club. He is also treasurer of the church choir, vice-president and treasurer of the Boys' Club, and is one of the alternates of the bishops of the diocese of St. John's parish.
Successful in business, due largely to his own industry and initiative, socially popular, of a character which the youth of the city would do well to emulate, and with the best years of his life yet before him, Mr. Brown can easily be called one of the coming men of Stamford, one who will make more than a passing impression on the history of the city.
BEARSE, George F., Jr.,
Financier.
Prominent among the banking men in the State of Connecticut is George F. Bearse, Jr., of Darien. For many years he trained himself and added to his store of knowledge before incorporating the Home Bank and Trust Company, of Da- rien, and in 1912, the year in which this institution was organized, a new era in banking began for the little town of Darien. There were many who doubted the possibility of the enterprise being successful, but they had not counted on the experience of Mr. Bearse, who became secretary and treasurer, offices which he still holds. Mr. Bearse was born Septem- ber 26, 1881, in Norwalk, son of George F. and Lizzie (Stow) Bearse.
Joshua Y. Bearse, the great-grand- father of George F. Bearse, Jr., was a res- ident of Chatham, Massachusetts, and is undoubtedly a descendant of the imi- grant, Augustin Bearse, who founded the family which is so numerous in Cap Cod and vicinity. Joshua Y. Bearse was a school teacher for many years, and in the
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latter part of his life was engaged in the insurance business. He had a son, Joshua Bearse, of whom further.
Joshua Bearse was born in Chatham, and until he was thirty-five years of age followed the sea. During the latter part of that period he served as captain. After giving up the sea, he removed to Nor- walk, Connecticut, and became foreman in a straw hat factory, continuing in this kind of work until his death, which oc- curred in 1896. He married Lucy Bearse, daughter of Lothrop Bearse, who kept a tavern at Yarmouth, Massachusetts.
George F. Bearse, son of Joshua and Lucy (Bearse) Bearse, and father of George F. Bearse, Jr., was born in Mil- ford, Connecticut, in June, 1858, and died in South Norwalk, in 1909. He completed the public school courses and also took a course at the Yale Business College of New Haven. Subsequently he became teller in the City National Bank of Nor- walk upon the organization of that insti- tution in 1882. Sixteen years later he resigned to become treasurer of the South Norwalk Savings Bank, which position he held until the year of his death.
Mr. Bearse was not a politician in the sense this term is generally used, but he was one of the most public-spirited citi- zens of his day. He was ever ready to assume his share of the public burden, and gave very commendable service as auditor of the city of South Norwalk for many years. He was active fraternally, and was past grand of Our Brother Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows; he also passed through the chairs in the Royal Arcanum.
Mr. Bearse married Lizzie Stow, daughter of David and Henrietta (Isaacs) Stow. David Stow was a resident of Norwalk practically all of his life. His wife, Henrietta, was a daughter of Ben- jamin Isaacs. Mr. and Mrs. Bearse were
members of the Trinity Episcopal Church of South Norwalk. The only child of their marriage was George F. Bearse, Jr., of whom further.
George F. Bearse, Jr., received his ele- mentary education in the public schools of South Norwalk and Merrill's Business College. He later took up a course at Chase's Preparatory School, and his first position in the business world was in the profession in which he has been success- ful. In 1898 he became teller of the South Norwalk Savings Bank, where he re- mained for five years. He then went to Minneapolis, where he served succes- sively as bookkeeper, and then as head of the clearing house department of the Northwestern National Bank of that city. Mr. Bearse remained there two years and then went to Brooklyn, New York, as teller in the Broadway Bank, remaining a year. The ensuing three years were spent in the Mechanics' and Traders' Bank of New York City.
The following year was 1907, which year marked a financial panic, and Mr. Bearse became associated with the Fifth Avenue Bank in New York, remaining one and one-half years ; thence he went to the Bronx National Bank as receiving teller, and was successively paying teller and assistant manager. This brings us down to 1912, when Mr. Bearse organized the Home Bank and Trust Company, of Darien. Soon after this time, Mr. Bearse removed his home to Darien, where he now resides. His broad and varied bank- ing experience was an ideal foundation for building up the business which he organized, and the growth has been a steady and satisfactory one.
Mr. Bearse married Helen A. Water- bury, daughter of Andrew Waterbury, of Darien, and they are the parents of a daughter, Beulah W., born October 26, 1915. Mr. and Mrs. Bearse are active
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members of the Congregational church of Darien, taking an interest in its charities and good works.
CRAW, Frank Conrad, Inventor.
Frank C. Craw was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, May 23, 1854, son of William Thomas and Mary (Selleck) Craw. All the Craws came originally from Scotland, but are of two distinct families. First, a portion of the Clan MacRae or M'Crae adopted the form, M'Craw, and later some of them dropped the prefix Mac and be- came Craw. Second, a family which had been settled in Berwickshire within a few miles of the Scottish border since 1200. Tradition says the founder came with a Danish invasion in 970, but in the earliest records (the Charters of Coldingham Priory) the family is mentioned among the largest landowners of the county. The form of the name was then Aldengrave and later became Aldencraw. This was altered to Anchencraw, and finally to Craw. The Craw coat-of-arms is de- scribed as :
Arms-Parted per chevron, engraved vert and gules, three craws argent.
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