USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 38
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(I) Josiah Wilcox, grandfather of Rob- ert Mead Wilcox, was a native of Crom- well, Connecticut, and removed to Riv- ersville, in the town of Greenwich, where he established himself as a manufacturer of carriages, hardware and tinsmith's tools, thus proving himself abundantly possessed of the initiative which he inher- ited, no doubt, from his New England ancestors.
(II) Willis H. Wilcox, son of Josiah Wilcox, was born June 15, 1841, in Riv- ersville, Greenwich, Connecticut. He was educated in the Berlin, (Connecticut) Academy. After working for a time in a store in Berlin, he returned home where he was employed by his father. At the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in Company I, 10th Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and was three years with the army, receiving a wound while in the service. After the war he was asso- ciated in business with his father until the death of Mr. Wilcox, Sr., when Willis H. and his brother George succeeded to the ownership of the concern. Prior to the father's death the business was conducted under the firm name of J. Wilcox & Sons, the style being subsequently changed to J. Wilcox's Sons. Upon the death of George Wilcox, Willis H. Wilcox con- tinued the business for a short time. Mr. Wilcox was a director in the Greenwich National Bank, and president of the Greenwich Savings Bank. He was an adherent of the Republican party, and though never a politician was active as a young man in public affairs, occupying a seat in the Legislature for two terms, his reëlection proving how ably and satisfac- torily he defended and advanced the rights of his constituents. He was a
member of Lombard Post, No. 24, Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Wilcox mar- ried Susan C. Mead, daughter of Edward and Susan (Merritt) Mead, and they be- came the parents of one son: Robert Mead, mentioned below. The death of Mr. Wilcox occurred September 13, 1916. He was a useful and public-spirited citi- zen, domestic in his tastes and admirable in all the relations of life.
(III) Robert Mead Wilcox, only child of Willis H. and Susan C. (Mead) Wil- cox, was born October 9, 1873, in Rivers- ville, Connecticut. He received his edu- cation in the public schools of his native town and at the Greenwich Academy. He then entered the service of the Fourth National Bank, of New York City, be- ginning as a messenger, but not remain- ing long in that humble position, as those who knew him were sure he would not. He was then seventeen years old, and as time went on he advanced steadily step by step, serving practically in every de- partment of the bank until August 3, 1907, when he associated himself with the Greenwich National Bank in the capacity of assistant cashier. The following year he became cashier, and in January, 1917, was made vice-president of the institu- tion, an office which he still retains in conjunction with his former position of cashier. At the time of his election as vice-president he became a member of the board of directors. In the political life of his community, Mr. Wilcox has never taken an active part, but has always man- ifested a helpful interest in whatever he deemed calculated to advance the gen- eral welfare. He belongs to Lombard Camp, Sons of Veterans, and affiliates with the Benevolent and Protective Or- der of Elks. He is a member of the Second Congregational Church, in which he holds the office of treasurer.
Mr. Wilcox married, November 20,
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1901, Tillie A. Mead, daughter of the late Alexander Mead, whose biography fol- lows this.
The career of Robert Mead Wilcox has been that of an honorable financier and an upright citizen. Surely such a record as this is independent of comment.
MEAD, Alexander, Leader in Floriculture.
No resident of Greenwich needs to be told that this was for many years the name of one of her most successful busi- ness men and respected citizens. Mr. Mead was a representative of an ancient and honorable family which traces its descent from John Mead, one of two brothers who came from England about 1642. The escutcheon of the family is as follows :
Arms-Sable, a chevron between three pelicans or, vulned gules.
Alexander Mead was born May 27, 1835, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was educated in public schools and at the Greenwich Academy. All his life he lived on the farm on which he had been reared and which he inherited from his father. He early showed a strong interest in the cultivation of flowers, and established in a small way a florist's business, having one greenhouse. From its inception the venture was successful and the business steadily increased. As time went on Mr. Mead became one of the leading florists of the State, and for many years carried on a wholesale as well as a retail busi- ness. The growth of Greenwich, in more recent years, developed a demand which consumed his entire stock of plants and flowers. About ten years before his death he retired, bequeathing to his son a flour- ishing business, with fifteen greenhouses, one hundred by twenty-three feet in di- mensions.
Mr. Mead married Matilda Grigg, daughter of John Grigg, of Greenwich, and they became the parents of a son and a daughter : Henry Sanford, who has succeeded his father in the business; and Tillie A., who became the wife of Robert Mead Wilcox (see Wilcox III).
The death of Mr. Mead occurred Octo- ber 12, 1918. Thrifty, industrious and fair-minded in all his dealings, he was devoted to his family and to the many and exacting responsibilities of his calling. He has left a record worthy of the stock from which he sprang, and one in which his descendants may well take a worthy and justifiable pride.
BOGARDUS, Frank W.,
Lumber Dealer, Man of Public Spirit.
From the earliest records of the immi- grant settlers who came to this country, leaving behind them all the traditions in which they had been nurtured, the aim and ambition of our forefathers has been to establish in the New World a complete nation in which each citizen should be a king in his own right. This propaganda of individual supremacy in private affairs has in turn become our tradition, and has made us what we are, a nation of men. The development of the typically Amer- ican city of Stamford, Connecticut, has been along these lines, and she stands today among the most progressive com- munities of the State and Nation. This result, so far as Stamford is concerned, has been brought about from year to year, period to period, down to the present, by the diverse yet united efforts of its many sterling citizens. Among these is to be counted Frank W. Bogardus, who for a number of years has been prominently. identified with the life of the city. Mr. Bogardus is a member of a family of Dutch origin, which came to America
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early in the history of the Colony of New Amsterdam, the name being one of the most prominent in the affairs of the youthful settlement.
The surname Bogardus is derived from the Dutch "boomgard," an orchard, sig- nifying one who possessed an orchard of particular account or who kept an orchard.
(I) The family of Bogardus was founded in the New World by Everardus Bogardus, universally known as Dominie Bogardus, a native of Holland, who sailed from that country on the Dutch frigate "Zoutberg" in the year 1633, in company with the newly appointed governor, major-general, director-general, provost marshal, and Burgomaster Wouter Van Twiller, for what was known as Fort Am- sterdam, founded thirteen years before. For many years it was thought that he was the first minister in the Colony until the discovery of Michaelius's letter in 1858, when it was found that the dominie was preceded by the author of that docu- ment. His first church, on the present north side of Pearl street, between Whitehall and Broad, was not at all to his liking. He persuaded Governor Van Twiller to have a new church built within the walls of the fort. Later he obtained a parsonage, on the front door of which he placed a brass knocker he had brought from Holland. It has been said that "the outside of his house was the delight of the passer-by, while inside he dispensed a cordial hospitality." In 1633 he became the proprietor of a tobacco plantation on Manhattan Island. About a year after the arrival of Van Twiller and Bogardus a bitter dissension arose between them. In the early days of the settlement, when there were few educated men there, it was one of the "unwritten laws" that the cler- gyman should join with the council in conference. The leaders in the church
were in accord with the dominie in this matter, but Van Twiller, who was of a disputatious mind, sought to curtail the privilege. Dominie Bogardus, seeing that unprofitable strife would surely develop, in 1647 sought and received permission to visit his native land. He sailed in the brig "Princess," which went down with eighty other passengers.
He married, as is found in an old vol- ume dated 1638, the widow, Anneke Web- ber Jansen, or Anneke Jans, as she was familiarly known. She was the daughter of Tryntje Jans, or Tryn Jonas, a pro- fessional midwife in the employ of the West India Company, for their Colony of New Amsterdam. The trained nurse of that day was an important factor in the community. Her work corresponded to that of the trained nurse of the present day, only it must be remembered that the general level of education and intelligence was not nearly so high as it is now. Even in that early day the widwife had to be examined by a board of physicians before she could receive a license. Her pay was small and her labors arduous. She mar- ried Roeloff Jansen Van Masterlandt. With his wife and child he came in 1630 as farmer to the Patroon Kilaen Van Rensselaer at a salary equivalent to sev- enty-two dollars a year. Five or six years later he was settled among the dignitaries of the colony, having received from Gov- ernor Van Twiller a patent for sixty-two acres of land. It is this farm about which there has been an historic controversy. The farm "extended from a line a little south of the present Warren street, north- westerly about a mile and a half, to what is now Christopher street, forming an irregular triangle having its base on the river, running, however, on Broadway only from Warren to Duane street."
After the death of her second husband, Anneke Jans Bogardus had the grant
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confirmed to herself. Her heirs, upon the subsequent capture of the province by the British, had the grant confirmed to them- selves by the first British Governor, Hon. Richard Nicholes, and sold it in 1671 to Governor Lovelace. One of the heirs failed to sign the conveyance, and this fact caused the controversy, his descend- ants claiming an interest in the property, which finally passed into the possession of Trinity Church.
(II) Cornelis Bogardus, son of Ever- ardus and Anneke (Jans) Bogardus, was born September 9, 1640. As a young man he moved to Albany, New York, and re- mained in that city until his death in 1666. His "boedel," a personal estate, amounted to 2,015 guilders, a large sum for the times. He married Helena Teller, daugh- ter of William Teller, of Albany. Their descendants were those who first laid claim to the Trinity Church property.
(III) Cornelis (2) Bogardus, son of Cornelis (1) and Helena (Teller) Bogar- dus, was born in Beverwyck or Fort Or- ange (Albany), New York, October 13, 1665. Following his mother's second marriage to Jans Hendrickse Van Ball, Cornelis (2) Bogardus went to live with his uncles, Pieter and Jonas Bogardus, children of Dominie Everardus and An- neke (Jans) Bogardus. 'When, several years later, Pieter Bogardus moved to Kingston, New York, Cornelis (2) Bo- gardus accompanied him, and there mar- ried Rachel De Witt in 1691. She was a daughter of Tjerck Classen, son of Nicholas and Taatje De Witt, whose home in the Netherlands was in Groot- holdt, district of Zunderland, in the south- ern part of East Friesland. Tjerck Classen De Witt came to America some time prior to the year 1656, and is the ancestor of the De Witt family in the United States. De Witt is one of the few Dutch-American names illustrious in
the Fatherland. Grand Pensioner Jo- hannes De Witt administered the govern- ment of Holland from 1652 to 1672. He and his brother, Cornelis De Witt, also prominent in civil and military life in the Netherlands, were killed by a mob at The Hague, following years of faithful service to their country. Tjerck Classen De Witt was their kinsman, and a descendant of his, Maria De Witt, married Captain James Clinton, who afterwards became a general in the American Revolution, and their son, De Witt Clinton, was one of the most prominent, energetic and be- loved governors of New York State.
Cornelis (2) Bogardus was the owner of a vessel which he employed in the car- rying trade along the Hudson river from New York to Albany, and possibly to more distant points along the coast. In 1700 he returned to Albany, his birth- place, remaining there for a few years. He was made a "freeman" of that city, and became prominent in its affairs. Later on he accompanied Captain Nicho- las Evertsen on a raid in the Colonial service against a band of French priva- teers off the coast. This occurred in 1704. He died in the spring of 1718, in King- ston; New York. Cornelis (2) and Rachel (De Witt) Bogardus were the parents of eight children.
(IV) Cornelis (3) Bogardus, son of Cornelis (2) and Rachel (De Witt) Bo- gardus, was born in Kingston, New York, January 8, 1699, died February 12, 1758. He married Catharine Tudor (in Dutch, Toeter), daughter of Captain John Tu- dor. Shortly after his marriage he moved down the Hudson and settled in Fishkill, Dutchess county, New York, on land sit- uated in the "Rombout Precinct," or Patent, the vast estate of 85,000 acres belonging to his aunt, "Madame Brett" (Catherine Rombout). He had received an unusually fine education for those
Conn-8-18
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times, which permitted him to assume a position of prominence in the growing colony on the east shore of the Hudson, and also enabled him to be of great serv- ice to Madame Brett, who had become a widow and possessed of a family depend- ent upon her guidance. It is likely that Madame Brett may have urged him to settle in Fishkill, realizing that he was a man who would be influential in wisely conducting her large affairs in the Pre- cinct, and upon whom she could safely depend. The records testify that he was a surveyor in Fishkill, and it is known that he became a man of property, build- ing a house in the town, where his de- scendants have continued to possess the land. Cornelis (3) and Catharine (Tu- dor) Bogardus were the parents of twelve children.
(V) Matthew Bogardus, son of Cor- nelis (3) and Catharine (Tudor) Bogar- dus, was baptized September 10, 1740. He married Abigail Ferguson, and among their children was Abraham, of whom further.
(VI) Abraham Bogardus, son of Mat- thew and Abigail (Ferguson) Bogardus, was born January 28, 1771. He married, and one of his sons was Samuel, of whom further.
(VII) Samuel Bogardus, son of Abra- ham Bogardus, was born January 16, 1806, and made his home at what is now the town of Beacon, New York. He was a man of unusual ability and prospered greatly in his affairs, holding nearly all of the offices in the gift of the township. He engaged in business as a contractor and builder on a very large scale for the time, and in due course became a large and wealthy land owner. Nearly the whole of Spy Hill, famous in Revolution- ary annals, was at one time in his posses- sion. He was also one of the founders of the Reformed Dutch church at Fishkill-
on-the-Hudson, built the old church edi- fice, and held a life pew there. Among the various offices that he filled was that of deputy sheriff, and it was to him, dur- ing his long term of office, that the duty of protecting the New York Central rail- road at the time of the draft riots in the Civil War fell. Among his children was John S., of whom further.
(VIII) John S. Bogardus, son of Sam- uel Bogardus, was born December 27, 1828, and died June 14, 1903. His child- hood was passed at Fishkill-on-the-Hud- son, New York, and it was in the schools of the neighborhood that his education was obtained. Upon completing his stud- ies he was taken by his father into the latter's establishment and there learned the building and contracting business. After serving for a time in various minor capacities, he was appointed superinten- dent and general manager, and for a num- ber of years was in active charge of the large building operations carried on by the concern. He later repaired to New York City to take up the study of archi- tecture, and in course of time became a member of the American Institute of Architects. He then established himself in the city of Newburgh, New York, and there for a number of years practiced his profession and won a wide reputation. From Newburgh he returned to New York City and built up an extensive prac- tice in that place and Yonkers, from which place he went to Stamford, Con- necticut, in the year 1881. From that time until his death, Mr. Bogardus con- tinued his practice of architecture in this city, adding greatly to his reputation, and many of the finest buildings of Stamford were erected from his designs, namely, a number of schools, and many of the handsomest residences here and in the outlying districts, as well as several im- portant business blocks.
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John S. Bogardus married Kate Schutt, of Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, by whom he had a number of children. Three of these grew to maturity, as follows : Frank Wal- cott, of whom further; J. Howard, a sketch of whom follows; Clarence Elmer, a sketch of whom follows.
(IX) Frank Walcott Bogardus, son of John S. and Kate (Schutt) Bogardus, was born September 23, 1867, in Mattea- wan, Dutchess county, New York. He inherited the great practical ability of his father, and has gained a position of promi- nence in the business world of Stamford, Connecticut, to which place he removed with his parents at the age of fourteen. He began his education in the public schools of his native town, but when twelve years of age went to Yonkers and there attended the high school, graduat- ing in 1881. He felt a strong attraction to a business career as a youth, and suc- ceeded in persuading his parents to allow him to forego the higher education they had proposed for him. When his parents came to Stamford he eagerly commenced his business life by securing a position in the employ of St. John, Hoyt & Company, a well known firm of lumber dealers. His employers, recognizing the earnestness of the young man, his intelligence and indus- try, soon advanced him to the position of bookkeeper, and somewhat later he be- came cashier. Mr. Bogardus remained with the firm for fifteen years and there, by constant attention to the details of the enterprise, thoroughly learned gen- eral business methods and developed remarkable executive powers. Of good habits and unquenchable ambition for the future, Mr. Bogardus denied himself many of the luxuries and frivolities which make up so large a part of the life of most young men, and by dint of devoted and indefatigable industry gained a point where he could reach out and perma-
nently better himself. In the year 1888 the interests of Mr. St. John in the busi- ness were purchased by Charles H. Get- man, a prominent figure in the lumber trade in the region of Oswego, New York, from which city he came, at which time the name of the firm was changed to Hoyt, Getman & Judd, the death of Mr. Hoyt removing the last of the original members. The name of the firm was changed to Getman & Judd. Mr. Bogar- dus continued in the employ of the con- cern until April, 1897, when he purchased an interest in the business and became a junior partner, the firm name being changed to Getman, Judd & Company, and on September 15, 1900, the business was incorporated under the name of The Getman & Judd Company, of which com- pany he was elected secretary and treas- urer, holding those offices at the present time. From that time to the present he has taken an ever-increasing share in the man- agement of the enterprise, and has been for a number of years a significant factor in the business life of the community. In addition to his business activities, Mr. Bogardus is prominent in club and social circles of Stamford; is a member of the Board of Governors; was at one time president of the Suburban Club, and is a member of the Stamford Yacht Club of the city. He is also a director of the First-Stamford National Bank, the Morris Plan Bank, the King School, Inc., and of the St. John Wood Working Company. In religious belief he and his family are Episcopalians and attend St. Andrew's Church of that denomination in Stamford. He has taken an active part in the affairs of the parish and holds the office of ves- tryman.
Frank W. Bogardus married, January 5, 1893, Eloise A. Waterbury, a daughter of Samuel C. Waterbury, and a descend- ant of one of the founders of the city.
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They are the parents of two sons: Frank Walcott, Jr., born September 1, 1904, and John Cornelius, born July 28, 1908.
Mr. Bogardus is one of those genial, whole-souled men for whom everyone in- stinctively feels the warmest friendship, a friendship that is confirmed and made permanent by the sterling qualities of loyalty and sincerity which he consis- tently displays. He is a man of public spirit, and is always to be found in the forefront of all movements for public im- provement which make for the true prog- ress and betterment of the community. He has served the city as a member of the Board of Appropriation and Appor- tionment, in which capacity his knowl- edge of practical affairs has been of the greatest service. On September 15, 1900, the Connecticut Lumber Dealers' Asso- ciation was incorporated, of which organ- ization he was at one time president.
BOGARDUS, J. Howard, Financier, Public-Spirited Citizen.
J. Howard Bogardus, banker, was born in Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, April 8. 1874, son of John S. and Kate (Schutt) Bogar- dus (q. v.). The genealogy of the Bo- gardus family appears in the preceding sketch.
The early education of J. Howard Bo- gardus was obtained under his mother's tuition, and after attending the Stamford High School he completed a course in Merrill's Business College. His active business life began as a clerk in the Stam- ford Savings Bank. Ambitious to suc- ceed, and conscientious in the perform- ance of his duty, he made the most of every opportunity to broaden and strengthen his knowledge of banking, not only by close attention to the transactions that came daily within his vision. but by much reading and study. When the posi-
tion of secretary and treasurer of the bank became vacant, Mr. Bogardus was found well equipped to meet the responsibilities of the position, to which he was elected in July, 1911, and which he has ever since filled. He is a member of the board of directors of the bank, a member of the Savings Bank Association of Connecticut, and his ambitions are so well esteemed by his business associates that for several years he has served as a member of the association's executive committee, and for one year as its chairman. Mr. Bogardus is a member of the Henry J. Evans Pro- tective Committee of the Chicago & Fast- ern Illinois Railroad.
Mr. Bogardus is a member of the Sub- urban Club, and was for years a member of the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion, of Stamford. For some years in its early days he was a member of the Stam- ford Yacht Club and one of its nominat- ing committee. In more recent years he has found his greatest pleasure and relax- ation within the family circle. It is sel- dom that bankers take an active part in politics, and Mr. Bogardus is not an ex- ception to this rule, although he neglects no opportunity to fulfill every repsonsi- bility that devolves upon the patriotic and public-spirited citizen. During the World War he served as a member of the Lib- erty Loan Committee on every "drive" in Stamford. He was treasurer for two years of the Stamford Children's Home, and during that time was a member of its board of trustees. Mr. Bogardus is a mem- ber of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, of which he has been a vestryman for many years, was treasurer of the church, and at the present time treasurer of the Sunday school. Mrs. Bogardus is a member of St. John's Episcopal Church.
Mr. Bogardus married, February 15, 1908, Kate Noble, daughter of James and
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Anna Elizabeth (Daniel) Noble. They are the parents of one child, Catherine, born December 14, 191I.
(The Noble Line).
The Noble family of which Mrs. Bo- gardus is a member is the largest of the name in the United States, and it was founded by Thomas Noble, who was born about 1632, probably in England, and died in Westfield, Massachusetts, January 20, 1704. His exact origin and early history are involved in obscurity, but he was in America, without doubt, in 1653. He was admitted an inhabitant of Boston, Janu- ary 5, 1653 (Drake's "History of Boston," page 331), and in the same year moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1664, in connection with several of his townsmen, he was granted liberty to erect a saw mill on the west side of the Connecticut. He was constable of Westfield in 1674, and county surveyor in 1696. The needs of a large family and financial difficulties trou- bled him in his earlier years, but in later life he became prosperous and a well re- garded member of the community. He married, November 1, 1660, Hannah War- riner, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, August 17, 1643, only daughter of Wil- liam and Joanna (Scant) Warriner. Their children were: John, Hannah, Thomas, Matthew, of whom further; Mark, Eliza- beth, Luke, James, Mary, Rebecca.
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