USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 39
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(II) Matthew Noble, son of Thomas and Hannah (Warriner) Noble, was born about 1668, and died about 1744. He put himself under the watch of Westfield Church, August 19, 1694, and with his wife joined same, November 3, 1728, after their removal to Sheffield. He died intestate. He married, December 10, 1690, Hannah Dewey, born February 21, 1672, daughter of Thomas and Constant (Hawes) Dewey. Children: Joseph, of whom further; Hezekiah, Matthew, Solo-
mon, Elisha, Obadiah, Hannah, Hester, Rhoda and Rhoda (2).
(III) Joseph Noble, son of Matthew and Hannah (Dewey) Noble, was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, October 8, 1691, and died in Great Barrington, Mas- sachusetts, February 12, 1758. He moved to that part of Sheffield that is now Great Barrington as early as 1727, and was one of the building committee appointed March 8, 1742, in charge of the construc- tion of the first meeting house in Great Barrington. He joined the Great Bar- rington Congregational Church, March 3, 1745. He died intestate, and administra- tion on his estate was granted to his eld- est son, Joseph, the widow declining the trust, March 24, 1758. Joseph Noble mar- ried Abigail Dewey, born November 17, 1694. Children: Joseph (2), of whom further ; Eli, Preserved, Mary, Margaret, Abigail, and Lydia.
(IV) Joseph (2) Noble, son of Joseph (1) and Abigail (Dewey) Noble, was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, Sep- tember 22, 1718, and died in Sheffield, Massachusetts, March 10, 1771. He re- sided in Sheffield, and died at the home of his son Roger. The monument erected over his remains in the Noble family graveyard in Sheffield bears this inscrip- tion : "In memory of the body of Mr. Joseph Noble who died March the 10, 1771, in the 53d year of his age." He married Thankful Dodd, and their chil- dren were: Rhoda, James, Roger, of whom further; Cornelius, Submit, Si- lence, Ann, Stephen, and Cornelius (2).
(V) Roger Noble, son of Joseph (2) and Thankful (Dodd) Noble, was born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, April 2, 1742, and died in Pownal, Vermont, September 15, 1810. During one of the French and Indian wars, his father having been drafted to march from Sheffield to the
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Canadian line, Roger volunteered to go in his place. The march was attended by great suffering on the part of the troops, and Roger Noble was accustomed to mend the shoes of the soldiers, many of whom walked with bare feet exposed to the frozen ground. Given leave from this expedition to visit friends, he started for home in the company of six white men and two friendly Indians. Early in the journey the Indians stole all of the pro- visions and fled, and Roger Noble and his associates endured great hardship before they reached a habitation. In the Revolu- tion he was in the battle of Bunker Hill, and afterwards used to say that as he heard the bullets whistling over his head he felt some fear, which soon vanished. He served during most of the war, and was known as a man of courage. He marched in Lieutenant J. Hickock's com- pany and Colonel John Ashley's regiment to Kingsbury, and was out twenty-two days. His trade was that of shoemaker, but he left that calling for mercantile dealings, in which he engaged first in Sheffield, Massachusetts, and afterwards in Hudson, New York. He also owned at Great Barrington a store in partnership with Captain Bacon. This was supposed to have been burned by Shay's men, and Rose and Bly, just before their execution, confessed that they had plundered and burned it. Roger Noble moved, about 1791, to Hudson, New York, and thence, 1794, to Pownal, Vermont. He married, about 1772, Olive Hunt, born June 4, 1753, daughter of Daniel Hunt; she died September 9, 1815. Children : Ormon, James, Olive, Erastus, of whom further ; Esther, William, Cynthia, Cynthia (2), Julia, Robert, Polly, and Betsey.
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(VI) Erastus Noble, son of Roger and Olive (Hunt) Noble, was born in Shef- field, Massachusetts, October 6, 1778, and
died in Williamstown, Massachusetts, August 6, 1823. He was a blacksmith by trade, and resided in Pownal, Vermont, until about 1807, when he moved to Wil- liamstown, Massachusetts. He married Ruth Kinney, born in Williamstown, July 14, 1782, daughter of Jethro Kinney. She died in Williamstown, September II, 1870. Children : James, Sarah K., Charles W., Robert, of whom further; Adaline, Harriet, Marietta, Ruth Ann, Elizabeth Jane.
(VII) Robert Noble, son of Erastus and Ruth (Kinney) Noble, was born in Pownal, Vermont, January 28, 1806. He was a blacksmith of Williamstown, Mas- sachusetts. He married, July 28. 1836, Elizabeth Brownell Chamberlain, born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Janu- ary 28, 1816, daughter of Emery and Mary (Brownell) Chamberlain. Children : Charles S., Robert R., James, of whom further; Mary Ellsworth, and Sarah Gray.
(VIII) James Noble, son of Robert and Elizabeth B. (Chamberlain) Noble, was born December 8, 1842. He enlisted, in June, 1864, in the Twenty-third New York Independent Battery, afterwards transferred to the Eighth New York Heavy Artillery, and was present at the taking of Richmond. He married, Octo- ber 30, 1873, Anna Elizabeth Daniel, born in New York, March 4, 1850, daughter of James and Kate (Drumgold) Daniel. Their daughter Kate became the wife of J. Howard Bogardus.
BOGARDUS, Clarence Elmer, Business Man.
Clarence E. Borgardus was born in Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, New York, De- cember 27, 1875, son of John S. and Kate (Schutt) Bogardus (q. v.). He was a
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boy of six years of age when his parents moved to Stamford, Connecticut, and there he was reared, obtaining his educa- tion in the grammar and high schools, and completed a course in Merrill's Busi- ness College. His business experience began in a local bank, and after a short period in this employ he became asso- ciated with the Getman & Judd Company, this relation continuing to the present time. For a number of years Mr. Bogar- dus has been in charge of the accounting department of this firm, and fills an im- portant; responsible place in their per- sonnel and business. He is a member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, where he was for several years a choir boy. He is a man of domestic tastes, entirely ab- sorbed in his home and his business, and bears his full share of civic responsibility, his influence and support extended to every movement of progress and improve- ment in his community.
Mr. Bogardus married, June 6, 1908, Ada Irene Scofield, daughter of Samuel Ferris and Frances Elizabeth (Hoyt) Scofield (q. v.). Mrs. Bogardus is a com- municant of the Congregational church.
HARSTRÖM, Carl Axel, Head of Important School.
On the shores of Long Island Sound, in the city of Norwalk, Connecticut, yet with country surroundings, is situated the Harström School. There, in addition to the general curriculum of preparatory schools, the youth is taught the lesson and importance of life. Dr. Carl A. Har- ström, the founder and principal of this school, is not satisfied to merely increase the young man's store of information, but also seeks to develop his character. He teaches the gospel of action, the signifi- cance of existence, and aids those in his
charge to appreciate the duty and glory of doing their part to help and benefit the generation in which they live.
Dr. Harström was born December 20, 1863, in Westeras, Sweden, son of Carl Gustaf and Emelia (Fosberg) Harström, and grandson of Eric Emanuel Harström. The latter was superintendent of a steel mill, and lived to an advanced age in Gefle, Sweden.
Carl Gustaf Harström, father of Dr. Harström, was born in Gefle, Sweden, and died February 13, 1905. He received the equivalent of our high school educa- tion, and learned the trade of watch- maker. In 1874 he came to America and located in Brooklyn, New York, and thence removed to Peekskill. He was a skilled inventor and patented many in- ventions, among other things a watch case spring and a drilling machine, and altogether had something like fifteen or twenty patents. In 1890 he established himself in business and had a manufac- tory in Peekskill, where he remained dur- ing his lifetime. All of his patents were taken out in America. Fraternally, Mr. Harström was a member of Dunderberg Lodge, Ancient Order of United Work- men, and was master of this lodge. He married Emelia Fosberg, born in Wes- teras, the daughter of a sea captain who was lost at sea, and Dr. Harström was their only child. After coming to Amer- ica the family were members of the Epis- copal church.
Dr. Harström attended the public schools of Sweden until he was about ten years of age, and in this country attended the Peekskill Military Academy and Ho- bart College. He was graduated from the latter institution in 1886 with the degree of B. A., and in 1889 received his M. A. degree from this same college. In 1899 Dr. Harström received the degree of
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Ph. D. from Yale University for post- graduate work in Latin and Greek. The same year the Harström School was established in Norwalk; prior to this time Dr. Harström had conducted a private day school in Norwalk.
The Harström School offers an excep- tional opportunity to those whose college preparations have been delayed, and nearly a thousand boys have received their training here. These boys are from many of the leading families throughout the country. Competent and experienced men compose the faculty, men who are specialists in their departments, and it is a noteworthy fact that four of the six instructors have been associated with the school for seventeen or more years. Ex- perience has shown the faculty of Dr. Harström's school that Arithmetic and English are the two studies which require special attention and emphasis is laid on these two courses of study. There are two prizes offered annually, one for scholarship and the other for general ex- cellence, the former being awarded to the boy having the highest scholarship stand- ing, and the latter to the boy who has made the best general impression as a boy of sterling worth.
The school has received many tributes, but one which conveys the real senti- ment of the school was from one of the prominent patrons, as follows :
You got my boy into Yale without a condition, but the best thing you taught him was self- reliance, and we shall never cease to be grateful.
The present school averages about thirty pupils, and special attention is given to individual instruction.
It would seem that the management of the details connected with his school would leave Dr. Harström no leisure for outside interests, yet he is one of the most public-spirited citizens of his city. In
politics he is a Republican, and has sev- eral times been honored with public office. Under the old city charter he served as a member of the Board of Estimate. In 1915, Dr. Harström was elected mayor of Norwalk and served two years. During his term of office he reconstructed the fi- nancial system, putting it on such a basis that every citizen could know where the taxpayers' money went to. Many miles of hard pavement were laid during Dr. Harström's term of office. Credit is also due to him for the introduction of voting machines in Norwalk. During the World War he was chairman of the local draft board. He is a corporator of the Norwalk Savings Bank and of the Fairfield County Savings Bank.
Fraternally, Dr. Harström is a member of many organizations : St. John's Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is senior warden; Phi Beta Kappa; and Theta Delta Chi. For five consecutive years Dr. Harström was pres- ident of the Grand Lodge of T. D. C., two years longer than any other man ever held the office. His clubs are the Nor- walk Club; Norwalk Country Club; Craftsmen's Club ; and Yale Club of New York. Dr. Harström and his family are members of Grace Episcopal Church, of which he is senior warden. He has been a delegate to many conventions, and ac- tive in church work; he is a member of the American Philological Association.
There is perhaps no other man in Nor- walk who has been in such demand for public and after dinner speaking as Dr. Harström. With an easy flow of beauti- ful English, interspersed with shafts of wit, sharp but never poisonous, Dr. Har- ström is apropos always, a genial, whole- souled man-loving personality.
Dr. Harström married Lee Selden Part- ridge, daughter of Samuel Selden and Frances Augusta (Bellamy) Partridge.
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Dr. and Mrs. Harström are the parents of two children : I. Frances, who was educated in Europe. 2. Carl Eric, who graduated from Yale in 1915 with the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts; he is now engaged in the advertising business in New York City, and resides in Norwalk; he married Emily Ives, of Danbury, Con- necticut.
(The Partridge Line).
Samuel Selden Partridge, father of Lee Selden (Partridge) Harström, was born at Brockport, New York, January 9, 1839, and died at Phelps, New York, December 22, 1913. He was a graduate of the Col- lege of the City of New York, in the class of 1857, taking up the study of law. He engaged in the practice of his profession with his great-uncle, Judge Samuel Lee Selden, in Rochester, New York, and later was in Phelps, New York. In poli- tics he was a Republican, and was several times honored with public office. Mr. Partridge was a soldier in the Civil War, taking part in many battles, among them that of Bull Run. He held the rank of brevet major, and was a member of the Thirteenth New York State Volunteers. During one of the engagements Mr. Part- ridge was wounded in the leg, which caused him to drag one foot for many years; he was also confined in Libby Prison for some time. A Freemason, Mr. Partridge was master of his lodge; he was also an Odd Fellow, and commander of the local Grand Army of the Republic Post at Phelps.
Samuel S. Partridge was married, Oc- tober 19, 1864, at Rochester, New York, to Frances Augusta Bellamy, born at Rochester, April 27, 1847, died at Phelps, March 19, 1914, daughter of Thomas and Maria Mahala (Bayley) Bellamy. Their daughter, Lee Selden Partridge, born
February 15, 1870, married Dr. Har- ström, as above noted.
Thomas Murdoch Partridge, father of Samuel S. Partridge, was born at Nor- wich, Vermont, May 25, 1811, and died in New York City, May 2, 1880. He mar- ried Elizabeth Selden Jack, born on the Island of St. Thomas, in 1814, and died January 9, 1839, in Brockport, New York; she was a daughter of Morison and Ro- zana (Selden) Jack, the former of Bal- merino, Fifeshire, Scotland, and the lat- ter of Lyme, Connecticut.
Elisha Partridge, father of Thomas Murdoch Partridge, was born August 2, 1778, and died March 2, 1845, in Norwich, Vermont. He was a son of Elisha and Margaret (Murdoch) Partridge, who were married November 14, 1765. He died April 1, 1823, and his wife March 15, 1815. Through the collateral lines the ancestry of Mrs. Lee Selden (Partridge) Har- ström traces to several of the early immi- grants in New England, among them be- ing Richard Ely and Thomas Selden.
HARRIS, Channing Page, Enterprising Citizen.
The Harrises are among New Eng- land's most distinguished families and have furnished many excellent citizens to Connecticut. It is rather difficult to trace this family to a common ancestor, as many distinct emigrations of persons bearing the name took place at a very early period in the history of New Eng- land. Channing Page Harris, a leading banker of Westport, Connecticut, is a worthy scion of this family ; he was born at Westport, November 25, 1873, son of Charles and Chloe Esther (Goodsell) Harris. His great-grandparents were Stephen and Charity Harris, and they were the parents of Sylvester Harris, who married Mary Ann Johnson.
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Charles Harris, son of Sylvester and Mary Ann (Johnson) Harris, was born in Southbury, Connecticut, November 23, 1849. He grew to manhood in East Vil- lage, Monroe, and went to school there. He also attended Hinman's private school. His first employment was in the yarn mill at Newtown, and later he clerked in various retail stores until he came to Westport, when he was about twenty years of age. There he entered the employ of D. A. Salmon & Company, dry-goods merchants. Soon after the Civil War he went into business for him- self in partnership with Dwight Fenton, under the firm name of Fenton & Harris. This arrangement lasted for about two years, until the stringent times of 1873 forced them to discontinue business. From that time until his appointment as postmaster of Westport, in 1900, Mr. Harris traveled on the road as a sales- man. He held the office of postmaster for sixteen years, resigning to go into the retail shoe business. He started the Westport Shoe Shop, and still retains a financial interest in the business.
Mr. Harris is a Republican, and one of the most public-spirited citizens of West- port. He is a member of Temple Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is past master, and a member of Aspetuck Lodge, Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Harris married, May 6, 1871, Chloe Esther Goodsell, daughter of John and Betsey Ann (Taylor) Goodsell, born March 11, 1846. John Goodsell was the sixth John Goodsell in direct descent. He was a son of John and Rachel (Meeker) Goodsell, and a grandson of John Good- sell, who was killed by the Hessians at the burning of Fairfield, July 8, 1779. He married, January 28, 1834, Betsey Ann Taylor, daughter of Alfred and Chloe (Gregory) Taylor, born December 9, 1812. Captain Alfred Taylor was born
November 24, 1791, son of Jonathan, Jr., and Nancy (Taylor) Taylor. He was se- lectman in Westport in 1839 and 1849, and first voted for James Monroe, in 1816, and last for Grover Cleveland. His name appears among the incorporators of West- port, and he received his title of captain from commanding a company of State Militia for three years. For fifty-five years he served as vestryman at Christ Church. He married, April 23, 1812, Chloe Gregory, born February 3, 1796, daughter of Moses and Polly (Fillow) Gregory. Moses Gregory was born Feb- ruary 22, 1771, and died May 5, 1881, son of Stephen and Molly (Benedict) Greg- ory. About 1795 he married Polly Fil- low, born February 14, 1779, died June 14, 1859.
Charles Harris and his wife, Chloe Es- ther Goodsell, were members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, of which Mr. Har- ris was a trustee for many years. Their only child was Channing Page Harris, of further mention.
Channing Page Harris was educated in the Westport public schools, and was one of the pupils of the first class gradu- ated from the Staples High School. Then he took a course in Martin's Business College at Bridgeport, and was in the office of the Bryant Electric Company for almost seven years. He then became identified with the banking firm of Marsh, Merwin & Lemmon of Bridgeport, where he spent about the same number of years. In May, 1904, he entered the employ of the First National Bank of Westport. His years of experience were of untold value to him in this work, and in due course of time he was promoted to the office of cashier. In 1913, when the bank was reorganized as the Westport Bank and Trust Company, Mr. Harris became secretary and treasurer, and also a di- rector of the new corporation. Other
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Stephen Z. Radford
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business interests include a directorship with the Colyars Shoe Stores, Inc., and a similar office with the Toquet Carburetor Company. He also is a trustee of the Staples High School. In politics, Mr. Harris is a Republican, and takes an ac- tive interest in all public matters. He has been a member of the Board of Fi- nance since the latter was organized about four years ago.
Mr. Harris married Esther Alsop, daughter of Samuel Alsop, Jr., a resident of near Philadelphia. His father, Samuel Alsop, Sr., had a boarding school where the Hotel Glenwood now stands at the Delaware Water Gap. Mr. and Mrs. Harris are the parents of three children : Rachel Griscom, Esther Kite, and Mar- garet Alsop. The family are members of the Society of Friends in New York City.
RADFORD, Stephen Lockwood, Judge of Probate.
To introduce Judge Radford to his fel- low-citizens of Greenwich, or to the mem- bers of the Fairfield county bar and bench, would be an act of presumption on the part of the biographer. Having loyally made his native city the scene of his professional career, Judge Radford has identified himself quietly but influ- entially with the chief interests of his community.
The name of Radford seems to be of ancient English origin, being found as the designation of various villages and hamlets in the counties of Nottingham, Oxford and Warwick.
(I) Stephen L. Radford, grandfather of Stephen Lockwood Radford, was de- scended from John Radford, of Portland, Maine, the family having been long rep- resented in the "beautiful town that is seated by the sea." Stephen L. Radford
was a sea captain, and in common with so many of his calling found an ocean . grave. Captain Radford married Har- riet Lockwood, a member of an old Eng- lish family, represented in this volume. The following children were born to Cap- tain and Mrs. Radford: Mary, Frances, Clarissa, and Stephen L., of whom fur- ther.
(II) Stephen L. (2) Radford, son of Stephen L. (1) and Harriet (Lockwood) Radford, was born November 17, 1828, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He was reared on a farm to which his parents moved when he was but five years old, and to the close of his life he remained upon the homestead. His education was received in local public schools. Mr. Radford married Julia S. Ritch, daughter of Ralph and Clemence (Mead) Ritch, and grand- daughter of James Ritch and Matthew Mead. Matthew Mead was a son of Cap- tain Matthew Mead, a Revolutionary officer, and a great-grandson of John Mead, who came from England in 1642. The Ritches and Meads were both old families of Greenwich. Mr. and Mrs. Radford were the parents of four chil- dren, two of whom reached maturity : Jesse F., now deceased; and Stephen Lockwood, of whom further. Mr. Rad- ford was a member of Christ Episcopal Church of Greenwich, while Mrs. Rad- ford was a member of the Second Con- gregational Church of that place; the former held the office of vestryman and took an active part in church work. It is worthy of note that both Mr. and Mrs. Radford were the children of seafaring men, Ralph Ritch, who was a native of Greenwich, having "followed the water" nearly all his life.
(III) Stephen Lockwood Radford, son of Stephen L. (2) and Julia S. (Ritch) Radford, was born May 16, 1877, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He received
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his early education in public schools of his native town, passing thence to the Greenwich Academy. He was entered as a law student in the office of the late Michael Kenealy, of Stamford, and at- tended lectures at the Law School of the University of New York. In 1899 he was admitted to the bar. After practising for nearly a year in the office of Mr. Kenealy, Mr. Radford (as he then was) opened an office of his own in Greenwich. The most conclusive evidence of his success in achieving a deservedly high reputation both for legal learning and skill in the application of its principles is furnished by the fact that on January 1, 1915, he was elected judge of probate. His record as a member of the judiciary has more than justified the choice of those whose votes placed him upon the bench. Po- litically Judge Radford is a Republican, and for eight years filled the office of clerk of the Court of the Borough of Greenwich, serving for three years as assistant town clerk, and member of the Republican town committee. He affili- ates with Acacia Lodge, No. 85, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Green- wich; Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Stamford; and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Green- wich. He and his wife are members of the Congregational church.
Judge Radford married, June 11, 1892, Bessie H. Russell, daughter of Charles E. and Lillian (Green) Russell, of Green- wich, and they are the parents of one son : Jesse Russell, born October 24, 1903. The Russells are an old English family, trac- ing descent from Hugh de Rosel, who came over with William the Conqueror and was rewarded with possessions in Dorsetshire. The escutcheon of the Rus- sells is as follows :
Arms-Argent, a lion rampant gules, on a chief sable three escallops of the first.
Crest-A demi-lion rampant gules.
The Green familiy is of Anglo-Saxon origin, the name being derived from the word "gréne," a common prefix to local surnames.
Judge Radford is now in the prime of life and his record, both at the bar and on the bench, indicates that, rich as the past has been in results, the future in all prob- ability holds for him greater honors and more signal achievements.
CRANE, Albert,
Lawyer, Philanthropist.
There is no department of activity in human life more worthy of record than that which aids and assists those worthy objects which tend to upbuild and develop mankind. The life of the late Albert Crane, A. B., LL. B., of Stamford, Con- necticut, was marked by many splendid qualities, but above all by his great gen- erosity and broad charity. Many public institutions and individuals have been the recipients of his generosity. Each has been enabled through this good man's deeds to broaden the extent of its help- fulness. The Stamford Hospital, the Stamford Children's Home, the Stamford Day Nursery, and the free library at Quincy, Massachusetts, are a few of the institutions which will long revere the memory of Albert Crane.
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