USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 11 > Part 51
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his town who has done more for the youth of the day in an educational way, which, after all, is the foundation of their life's career. Mr. Dayton is held in the highest respect and esteem ; he is among Green- wich's ablest citizens.
The origin of the name of Dayton is from Dal-ton, previously Dale-ton, mean- ing a farm in the dale, which places it among the names derived from location. The ancestor of the family was Ralph Dayton, of whom further.
(I) Ralph Dayton, who was probably born in County York, England, about 1588, and was one of those who formed the company of Governor Theophilus Eaton and Rev. John Davenport, settled in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1638. Later, Ralph Dayton sold out and re- moved to Easthampton, Long Island, where he died in 1657.
(II) Robert Dayton, son of Ralph Day- ton, was born in 1628, in England, and came to New Haven with his father, re- moving with him to Long Island, and there he died, April 16, 1712. He mar- ried Elizabeth Woodruff, a daughter of John Woodruff.
(III) Beriah Dayton, son of Robert and Elizabeth (Woodruff) Dayton, was born in 1668, and died April 30, 1746. The Christian name of his wife was Jane.
(IV) Beriah Dayton, Jr., son of Beriah and Jane Dayton, was born in 1708. Lit- tle is known of this generation except that he had a son.
(V) Jesse Dayton, son of Beriah Day- ton, Jr., was born in 1733, and he mar- ried Hannah They were the parents of David Dayton, of whom fur- ther.
(VI) David Dayton, son of Jesse and Hannah Dayton, was born in Easthamp- ton, Long Island, December 21, 1761, and died in Greenwich, Connecticut, January 23, 1838. He married, January 21, 1789,
Elizabeth Osborne, who was born in Easthampton, November 2, 1766, and died April 10, 1837, in Greenwich.
(VII) David (2) Dayton, son of David (1) and Elizabeth (Osborne) Dayton, was born March 2, 1798, and died January 26, 1872. He married, March 6, 1827, Eliza- beth Brush, daughter of Edward Brush, and member of a family long resident in Greenwich. Elizabeth (Brush) Dayton was born in 1797, and died September 20, 1863. David (2) Dayton learned the trade of weaver, which he followed for many years. He was also an extensive farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Dayton were the parents of seven children, two daughters and five sons, one of them Henry Day- ton, of whom further.
(VIII) Henry Dayton, son of David (2) and Elizabeth (Brush) Dayton, was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, Septem- ber 10, 1834. He was educated in the district schools of his native town, and early in February, 1849, he went to the metropolis to engage in business. His first employment was with a cousin, who was in the grain business in "The Old Greenwich Village," New York City, and after a few years Mr. Dayton drifted into mercantile fields, as a salesman on the road. Over a half century ago, Mr. Day- ton became identified with the insurance business and this has been the occupation which he has since followed, maintaining offices in New York City.
Mr. Dayton has spent his life among children, having been interested and ac- tive in Sunday school work from early boyhood, and also has served for thirty- eight years on different school boards. For ten years he was a trustee of the old public schools of "Greenwich Village," New York City, and when he returned to his native town as a resident in the mid- dle of April, 1885, he was put on the school board there. Mr. Dayton was an
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active man on the board. He had an im- ยท portant part in the work prior to the building of the school presented to Green- wich by Mr. and Mrs. Henry O. Have- meyer, and which bears their name. Mr. Dayton also took an active part in con- nection with the high school. It is un- doubtedly true that Mr. Dayton put a greater impress upon the work of the school board than any other man of his day. He encountered much opposition to many of his ideas, particularly in bringing in many teachers from other towns. In this he was greatly opposed, as there were many who believed that this patronage should be distributed among the daughters of the town, but Mr. Day- ton maintained that teachers from other fields. would bring in many new ideas that would strengthen and broaden the work of the schools. Mr. Dayton was chairman of the School Committee that built the high school building. He is a trustee of the Havemeyer fund left for the upkeep of the school.
Mr. Dayton has ever been in great de- mand as a public speaker. He is a gifted speaker, with a fine command of English and a sense of humor which gives great delight to his audiences. He is familiar with the best of literature and possesses a sound judgment. During the recent World War he gave freely of his services in many instances. His oratory helped the sales of the Liberty Bonds, and his public spirit was an example to his fel- low-citizens.
Mr. Dayton married Elizabeth Davies, daughter of John L. Davies. Mrs. Dayton was born in New York City, her father a native of Wales, her mother, Annie Ro- gan, a native of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Dayton were the parents of two children : 1. Charles H., born August 6, 1881 ; mar- ried, June 10, 1915, Alice Francis Smythe, and they are the parents of a son, John ;
they reside in Riverside, Connecticut. 2. Edith Elizabeth, born January 6, 1883; married Godfrey V. D. Titsworth, of Mil- waukee, and they have four sons : Godfrey V. D., Jr .; Henry Dayton ; John Ran- dolph ; and Eugene Whittemore; and one daughter, Ann Titsworth. The family at- tend the Congregational church, and Mr. Dayton has held many of the offices of this church.
The following is a contribution from Rev. Oliver Huckel, D. D., Mr. Dayton's pastor, on the occasion of Mr. Dayton's eighty-sixth birthday :
Has he drunk from some old fountain Such as Ponce de Leon knew? Or, mayhap, is the old birth-record In the Bible, not quite true?
Here he is, as hale and hearty As a youth of gay eighteen, Straight and slender as a poplar- Have you e'er his equal seen ?
Brain as crisp and keen as ever, Memory a treasure store ; Tongue still eloquent and golden, Wit as sparkling as of yore.
Hair and beard a little snowy, But his eye as bright and gay, Hand and heart as warm as ever- "Hot for business" every day.
What's the secret of this wonder- This perpetual youthfulness ? I have questioned 'til I learned it, Tho' perhaps you'd never guess.
First, he always loved the children- That's the big part of the truth- And he keeps young as he loves them And absorbs their glow of youth.
Second, he always lived religion, That's his second source of wealth --- Loves his church and loves God's precepts, Says a true life makes for health.
Third, he always loved old Greenwich- That's the third and crowning word, All his life he's lived in Greenwich- Even in New York, I've heard.
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So he claims a youth, perpetual, Greenwich special "Grand Old Man," May he live to be a hundred! He will do it, if he can.
TODD, Arthur Stanley, Enterprising Citizen.
Among the hardy pioneers of the early settlements, the members of the Todd family held a prominent place. They con- tributed much to the growth and pros- perity of the colonies. They were honest citizens, industrious toilers, and when necessity demanded, hard fighters. Of such worthy ancestors is Arthur Stanley Todd, one of the leading merchants of the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, a descendant.
Arthur S. Todd was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, July 15, 1881, the son of Wil- liam Sheridan Todd, M. D., and his wife, Mary (Conklin) Todd. He is a grandson of David Todd, who married Clarissa Bradford, a direct descendant of Governor William Bradford, who was one of the most important figures in the early his- tory of New England.
William Sheridan Todd, M. D., father of Arthur S. Todd, was born in Colerain, Massachusetts, January 1, 1840, and died February 19, 1893. His father, David Todd, was a Methodist clergyman, and his son, William S., was brought up in various towns, as Rev. David Todd was assigned to various pastorates. William S. Todd was graduated from Deerfield Academy, and from Wesleyan University, in 1864. From Middletown he went to Ridgefield as an instructor in the clas- sics in the famous Peter Parley School. Subsequently, Mr. Todd became principal of Hill's Academy, in Essex, Connecti- cut. The medical profession had early appealed to him, and the opportunity pre- sented itself in Essex to take up this
study under the able preceptorship of the leading physician of that town. Mr. Todd availed himself of this chance, and pre- pared himself for entrance to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of New York City, and was graduated from this insti- tution in due course of time. He took up the practice of his profession in Ridge- field, continuing until his death. By his uprightness and high ideals he won many friends; he was the true physician, and brought solace to the mind as well as to the body.
Dr. Todd was interested in many activi- ties outside of his profession, particularly those which had to do with the welfare of the community. He served in the Leg- islature, and was on the Committee on Prisons. A great deal of his time was de- voted to educational matters, and he also served on the State Charities Commission. He was a member of the staff of the Bridgeport Hospital, and was frequently called in important consultations. Dr. Todd was a member of the Fairfield Coun- ty and Connecticut Medical societies, and the American Medical Association. It was through the efforts of Dr. Todd that the public library in Ridgefield was founded, and he was also one of the founders of the Ridgefield Press. Fraternally, he was affiliated with the Masonic order of Ridge- field, and was a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows.
Dr. Todd married Mary Conklin, daugh- ter of Gamaliel Conklin, and they were the parents of two children : Walter Brad- ford, and Arthur Stanley Todd, of further mention.
Arthur Stanley Todd received his ele- mentary education in the public schools of Ridgefield and Norwalk, and under the able teachings of his father. On complet- ing his studies he went to New Haven and there entered the employ of the New
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York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company ; in 1902 he located in Green- wich, where for a time he worked at the building trade. In 1908 he became iden- tified with his present business as an em- ployee, and sufficient warrant of his abil- ity is shown by the fact that four years later he became a member of the firm. The business is conducted under the name of the Mead Stationery Company. They have a very fine store, up-to-date in all its appointments. A fine general line of sta- tionery is carried in addition to gift ar- ticles. Besides these lines a very large job printing business and finishing for amateur photographers forms an import- ant part of the work.
Like his father, Mr. Todd is interested in many outside matters. In 1904 he be- came a member of the National Guard of Connecticut, and the same year was made a corporal; in 1905, lieutenant ; first lientenant in 1906. Mr. Todd continued in the Connecticut Guard until 1910. Later he went in again and was commissioned second lieutenant of the Connecticut State Guard, in which he continued two years as a member of Company A, Fifth Sepa- rate Battalion.
and served on the Citizens' Committee and the executive committee.
Mr. Todd married Nellie Louise Hop- kins, daughter of James Allison and Maria Hopkins, of Oxford, New York. Their children who grew to maturity were: Arthur, born June 21, 1911 ; James Hop- kins, born May 24, 1916. The family at- tend Christ Episcopal Church.
ST. JOHN, Darius Ayres, Farmer, Public Official.
The ancestry of the St. John family is an old and honored one. The records of this family are found very early in the annals of Connecticut and particularly in Fairfield county.
(I) The immigrant ancestor of the fam- ily was Matthias St. John or Sension, as the name was originally spelled. He was among the earliest settlers in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1631-32, and was free- man of the town, September 3, 1634. In 1640 he took up his abode in Windsor, Connecticut, and there he was among the earliest planters and acquired land by pur- chase and by grant. Between 1636 and 1655 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 was dated October 19, 1669, and he died in Norwalk, in the latter part of Oc- tober or the first part of November, 1669.
Mr. Todd was the first president of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and held this office for two years. During the World War he was treasurer of the local Liberty Loan Committee, and was a member and treasurer of the Young Men's Christian Association drive, and (II) Matthias (2) St. John, son of the immigrant, Matthias (1) St. John or Sen- sion, was born in England in 1631-32. He died in Norwalk, Connecticut, December, 1728-29. He was a freeman of Norwalk, and served as selectman and fence viewer in 1659. The Christian name of his wife was Elizabeth. the United War Work drive; he was one of the executive committee and treasurer of the Greenwich War Bureau. The Red Cross also came in for a share of his ac- tivities, he serving as a member of its executive committee ; he also was secre- tary of the Greenwich Fuel Commission. Mr. Todd was a representative of the (III) Ebenezer St. John, son of Mat- United States Army Intelligence Service, thias (2) and Elizabeth St. John, was
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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, and granddaughter of the immigrant, William Comstock. They were members of the Norwalk church in 1725.
(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, daugh- ter of Captain Matthew Seymour.
(V) Daniel (2) St. John, son of Dan iel (1) St. John, was born in 1716, and died November 10, 1802. He was a shoe- maker, and lived in New Canaan. Dan- iel (2) St. John married Mary Mills, and she died February 3, 1806.
(VI) Benoni St. John, son of Daniel (2) and Mary (Mills) St. John, was born December 5, 1763, and according to the family Bible, December 11, 1762. He died in Binghamton, New York, October 5, 1814. He married, November 8, 1781, Elizabeth Burchard, born June 13, 1764, died December 9, 1836, daughter of James Burchard. Benoni St. John served as col- lector in 1785 in Wilton, and as surveyor in Norwalk in 1791, 1793, and from 1797 to 1799.
(VII) Darius St. John, son of Benoni and Elizabeth (Burchard) St. John, was born March 20, 1799, and died August 25, 1880. He was a farmer and dealt exten- sively in timber. For some years he served as tax collector. He was one of the organizers of St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Norwalk, and was demitted to the lodge in New Canaan when that was estab- lished. He married, October 16, 1829, Elizabeth Ann Crofoot, born June 12,
1798, died January 24, 1877, daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah W. (Gregory) Cro- foot.
(VIII) Lewis Vincent St. John, son of Darius and Elizabeth Ann (Crofoot) St. John, was born March 12, 1832, and died September 1I, 1902. He learned the tan- ner's trade, which he followed until the death of an elder brother. The latter had been in charge of the home farm, and after his death, Lewis V. St. John as- sumed the responsibility. He specialized in dairying and sold the milk wholesale. He married, September 4, 1858, Hannah Kellogg Comstock, born February 17, 1835, daughter of George Edwin and Mary (Dibble) Comstock, and a descendant of William Comstock, the immigrant. Thus in two different lines the ancestry is traced to the Comstock immigrant, both being through the line of Christopher Comstock, of the second generation. Mr. and Mrs. St. John were the parents of the following children : Lewis W .; Darius A., of further mention; Edson Kellogg, of East Norwalk; Anna Comstock. Mrs. St. John survives her husband, and with her family attends the Congregational church.
(IX) Darius Ayres St. John, son of Lewis Vincent and Hannah Kellogg (Comstock) St. John, was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, November 30, 1862. He was educated in the public schools. He followed in the footsteps of his fa- ther, making a specialty of milk produc- tion, and has been on the home farm all his life. On an average he keeps about twenty head of cattle and wholesales most of the milk. Aside from his farm duties, Mr. St. John has often found time to be of public service and has held the office of justice of the peace for several years, and has also been on the board of assessors for some time. He is a mem- ber of the Congregational Church of New Canaan and has served on the board of
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trustees and served as deacon for many years. He is a charter member of New Canaan Grange, No. 38, of which he is past master, and is a charter member and past master of Pomona Grange, of Fair- field county, being a member of the sev- enth degree.
Mr. St. John married, November 3, 1886, Sarah Estella Selleck, born October 31, 1866, daughter of John Edwin and Mary E. (Crawford) Selleck, of New Can- aan. They are the parents of the follow- ing children: I. Vincent Selleck, born June 17, 1892; during the World War he served in the artillery in France, acting as driver for a colonel; he married Mildred Heath and they are the parents of three children : Ruth, Edwin Heath, and Rich- ard Vincent. 2. Lawrence Darius, born August 21, 1896; he was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technol- ogy ; when this country entered the World War, he was a student in college and at once enlisted in a college corp, but re- mained in college until after his gradua- tion ; he was then stationed in the Officers' Training Camp in Virginia, in the vicin- ity of the city of Washington, and there remained until the armistice was signed, when they were disbanded, and he re- turned to his home in New Canaan, Con- necticut ; he is now engaged in the experi- mental rooms of the Norwalk Tire and Rubber Company.
McCREADY, Robert Halsey, D. D. S., Served in World War.
Dr. McCready's active professional ca- reer began in the military service, and then, after reciving his degree in dentistry in June, 1920, he succeeded Dr. Cunning- ham in practice in New Canaan, Connec- ticut, his present home. Dr. McCready is a grandson of James McCready, who
spent his entire life in his Ireland home, Belfast, and a son of Robert Workman McCready.
Robert Workman McCready was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1860, and was there educated. As a youth of twelve years he began to make his own way in the world and when nineteen years of age came to the United States. After a short period spent in New York City he located at Little Falls, New York, and there fol- lowed the carpenter's trade, which he had learned in the shipyards of Harlem & Wolfe, at Belfast. He remained in Little Falls for a few years, then made his home in Sloatsburg, New York, where he has since resided. His business activities fol- lowed the line of contracting, and for thirty years he has conducted independent operations, principally residential work, being widely known in the district as a contractor and builder. Mr. McCready is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is his wife, and he has been a zealous worker in the denomination, hav- ing served as president of the official board. He holds the thirty-second de- gree in the Masonic order, and is a mem- ber of Newburgh Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons ; Hudson River Command- ery, Knights Templar, of Newburgh, New York; and Mecca Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of New York City. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. McCready served as president of the school board for two years, and is president of the Builders' Union at the present time (1921).
Robert Workman McCready married Mary Finch, daughter of John H. and Catherine (Bowen) Finch, her father a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company C, One Hundred and Twenty- Fourth Regiment, New York Volunteer
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Infantry. John H. Finch was a son of DURYEA, George W.,
Thomas and Abigail Finch, his father a soldier of the War of 1812, and a grand- son of Solomon Finch, who enlisted in the Revolutionary War, but who was dis- charged to return to his occupation of iron worker on the ground that such serv- ice was more essential to the Colonial cause than his work as a soldier.
Robert Halsey McCready, son of Rob- ert Workman and Mary (Finch) Mc- Cready, was born in Sloatsburg, New York, May 10, 1895. After attending the public schools of Sloatsburg, he was a student in preparatory schools in Hack- ettstown and Pennington, New Jersey. After completing his freshman year in the dental school of the University of Penn- sylvania he transferred to the dental de- partment of the University of Louisville. He left college April 6, 1918, and enlisted during the World War in Dental Com- pany No. I, being assigned to duty at Camp Greenleaf, Chickamauga Park, Georgia, where his maternal grandfather, John H. Finch, had fought during the Civil War. Receiving an honorable dis- charge from the United States army, De- cember 20, 1919, he returned to college, was awarded the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery in June, 1920, and estab- lished in practice in New Canaan, pur- chasing Dr. Cunningham's practice. Dr. McCready entered professional work with a thorough and comprehensive training, and his early work has gained him stand- ing and reputation in the community. He is a member of the Supreme Chapter of Delta Sigma Delta fraternity, Philoma- thean fraternity at Pennington, and Alpha Phi fraternity at Hackettstown.
Dr. McCready married Myrtle B. De- laney, of Frankfort, Kentucky, Decem- ber 22, 1917, at Louisville, Kentucky.
Merchant, Public Official.
One of the representative citizens of New Canaan, Connecticut, is George W. Duryea, whose achievements have been accomplished through his own unaided efforts. He was born in New York City, September 16, 1866, son of Stephen Cor- nell and Mary Ann (Evanshearer) Dur- yea.
Stephen Cornell Duryea, father of George W. Duryea, also was born in New York City, September 5, 1814. He at- tended the public schools, and for many years of his life was engaged in the jew- elry business. Later he received an ap- pointment in the searcher's office of the county clerk, where he remained until 1879. In the latter year Mr. Duryea re- moved to Poundridge, New York, and there his death occurred, May 24, 1887. Mr. Duryea married, February 2, 1859, in New York City, Mary Ann Evanshear- er, born in that city, June 1, 1842, died in Jersey City, New Jersey, March 26, 1916.
George W. Duryea attended the schools of New York City, and after his father's removal to Poundridge, helped in the cultivation of the farm until he was twenty-one years old. At that time Mr. Duryea learned the trade of carpenter, which he followed, and subsequently formed a partnership with Samuel Brown, under the firm name of Brown & Duryea, to engage in contracting. Their business was largely in the adjoining town of New Canaan, Connecticut, and for twenty years the firm prospered. Mr. Duryea then en- tered the employ of Weed & Turner, then owners of the business of which he is now one of the proprietors, and in 1913, Mr. Duryea succeeded Mr. Turner as a member of the firm.
Mr. Duryea is a Republican in politics,
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and has been chairman of the Republican "an open view," conspicuous. Family Town Committee for a number of years; records show that about the seventeenth for eight or ten years he was a member of the Board of Relief, and has been a delegate to county and State conven- tions. century John Selyocke "declined knight- hood," and in the deed of Galdon Manor Robert Selleck is spoken of as "a trustie and well beloved friend." John Selioke, father and son, were mayors of St. Albans in 1684-1700. At that time "Selleck-on- the-Wye" is mentioned as a beautiful vil- lage.
Fraternally he is a member of Wooster Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, of which he is past grand, and has also served as district deputy of the Grand Lodge. Mr. Duryea is past chief patri- arch of Wahackma Encampment, and is a member of the Rebekas; he is also a member of Harmony Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons.
Mr. Duryea married Alice E. Bulkley, daughter of Augustus and Emily (Wil- liams) Bulkley. They were the parents of three children : 1. Elsie, married Walter Johnson, and died at the age of twenty- one years. 2. Blanche, wife of Dr. E. G. Cunningham, of New Canaan, Connecti- cut, and the mother of a daughter, Blanche Weed. 3. G. Stanley, a student in the University of Louisville, class of 1924, in dentistry.
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