USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 8 > Part 60
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daughter of James and Sarah (Knowles) Dotten, and they were the parents of the following children: Stuart Wakeman, of whom further ; Hetty, who married Louis Weidlich, of Stratford, Connecticut; El- sie, who married Claude W. Gillette, M. D., of Schuylkill Haven, Pennsyl- vania; Leonard, a resident of Los An- geles, California; Ethel, a trained nurse of New York City, served in Base Hos- pital No. 7, of the American Expedition- ary Forces in France, during the World War; Frances, who lives in Los Angeles ; Katherine, a resident of New York City.
(IX) Stuart Wakeman Sherwood, son of Henry Edgar and Alice (Dotten) Sher- wood, was born in Chicago, Illinois, Feb- ruary 25, 1874. In his youth he attended grammar school and Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, and for seven years was employed in the bank with which his father was connected, then known as the First National Bank. En- tering the medical school of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, he was graduated M. D. in the class of 1902, completing his training with one year as interne in the Harrisburg General Hospital. Shortly after his return to Westport and the sub- sequent death of his father, Dr. Sherwood became assistant physician at the West- port Sanitarium, remaining on the staff of this institution until 1904. At this time he became mine physician for the mining company owning coal lines near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. and for three years he served in this capacity.
About 1915 Dr. Sherwood founded the Alderbrook Sanitarium in the town of Norwalk, Connecticut, and here he has specialized in the treatment of mental and nervous diseases. The sanitarium has come into high standing among or- ganizations of its kind, and is distinctive in the degree to which its institutional
Mr. Sherwood married Alice Dotten, aspects are minimized and from the em-
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phasis that is placed upon home features and environment. Dr. Sherwood has had the Alderbrook Sanitarium put into prac- tice a number of original ideas and meth- ods in psychiatry, and his success has won favorable professional notice, as well as constituting a prosperous business en- terprise. Dr. Sherwood is a member of the Norwalk Medical Society and of the American Medical Association. He has for many years been vestryman and treas- urer of Christ Episcopal Church, offices that his honored father held before him.
Dr. Sherwood married Lilian Batson, daughter of Benjamin Batson, of Ottawa, Canada, and they are the parents of two children: Benjamin Edgar, and Eliza- beth Batson.
RORECH, John J., Contractor, Builder.
Business responsibilities came to Mr. Rorech at an early age, and the promise of youthful years for a useful, successful career has been amply fulfilled in his ma- ture years.
John J. Rorech was born in Stamford, the son of John and Matilda (Muller) Rorech, and was educated in the public schools and King's Preparatory School, and graduated from Merrill's Business College. He grew up in the contracting business with his father, and when a very young man was given charge of his fa- ther's men. At an unusually early age Mr. Rorech began taking contracts on his own account, and has won recognition among the leading business men of his native city. He has built a large variety of structures in Stamford and vicinity, including residences of high grade, office buildings, and business establishments. Mr. Rorech is vice-president of the Stam- ford Master Builders' Association, and is widely known to the public and through-
out the trade. He rebuilt a great portion of the village of Darien after that place had been destroyed by fire. He is an in- terested participant in matters of public interest, and lends his hearty support to movements promoting the civil welfare. In addition to his contracting and build- ing operations, Mr. Rorech is prominent in Stamford's business circles as the founder and president of the National Chemical Corporation, of Stamford, an organization that has purchased a factory in Stamford and is actively engaged in chemical and medical manufacture. For some years Mr. Rorech was a member of the Seventh Regiment, Connecticut Na- tional Guard. He is a member of the New York Athletic Club.
Mr. Rorech married, September 17, 1913, Lorion Stark Leon, daughter of Albert Ernest and Lorion Hinckley (Nice) Leon. Mrs. Rorech is a descend- ant of General John Stark, of Revolution- ary fame, and was educated at the Bos- ton Latin School and Emerson College of Oratory, in her native city of Boston, and was on the stage for about four years, advancing rapidly until her marriage. At first she was with the famous Castle Square Stock Company, later playing im- portant roles with such well known stars as Walter Hampden, Nance O'Neil, and Katherine Grey. She was prominent in many New York productions, also play- ing one of the principal roles in the orig- inal company of the "Yellow Jacket," in which she appeared two years. She has been frequently urged by motion picture producers to do work for the screen. She is a member of the Women's Club of Stamford, and is active in its work. The father of Mrs. Rorech, Albert E. Leon, was born in Boston. He became political editor of the Boston "Globe," and later was the founder and owner of the pub- lication, "Practical Politics." While he
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was an Independent, he was the manager of the three campaigns for the governor- ship of Massachusetts of Governor Wil- liam Russell, and managed several other political campaigns. Subsequently, he was owner of the railroad between East Aurora and Buffalo. Mr. Leon is a great student and has given considerable time to the invention of Cellugraph, an oilless bearing which has been widely adopted by the largest textile manufacturers of the country. Mr. Leon married Lorion H. Nice, daughter of John and Lucy (Clark) Nice. The father of Mr. Leon was Er- nest Leon, who was born in Paris. He died when his son, Albert Ernest, was but twelve years of age. His wife was Mercy Jane (Jones) Leon, of an old New Hampshire family.
The family home is a most attractive residence at Shippan Point, built by Mr. Rorech in 1919. It was designed entirely by Mrs. Rorech, is constructed of stucco, and in architecture, floor plan, and ap- pointments shows discriminating taste and judgment in homemaking. A view of this beautiful home accompanies this record.
WATERBURY, William Tell, Master Mariner.
The career which Captain William Tell Waterbury chose was one which has ap- pealed to the youth of the land for gener- ations. It was a natural tendency for him to follow, considering the many hours he spent with his father, and his associa- tions. The Waterbury family, which has been identified with Stamford since ear- liest Colonial days, were pioneers in steamboat transportation for Stamford freight and passenger traffic, and contrib- uted more in their time, perhaps, than any other agency to the material up-
building of the city. The family is still prominent in the commercial life of Fair- field county.
(I) John Waterbury, the first of this family to settle in Stamford, was among those who came from Wethersfield, Con- necticut. He received a grant of land in 1650, and died eight years later. His chil- dren remained there and founded the nu- merous families of that name which are still prominent in this section of the coun- try. In an old "History of Stamford" by Rev. Mr. Huntington, the author speaks of this family in the most glowing terms, as follows :
There were the Waterburys, then known as Senior and Junior, the former being a colonel in the Continental service, who had earned some reputation for good judgment and military ability in the field, and the latter soon to earn by his per- sonal fitness for it, the rank of general of brigade.
(II) David Waterbury. the son of John Waterbury, was born in Stamford, Con- necticut, in February, 1722, the twelfth day. He did excellent service in the French and Indian War, and was com- missioned major. He was representative in the General Assembly when the Rev- olutionary War broke out, and served the cause of the colonies with such ardor and fidelity that he was esteemed one of the noblest patriots of Stamford. He en- tered the war a colonel and was promoted to brigadier-general in 1776. After the close of the war, he was selectman and representative, and remained a resident of Stamford until his death, June 29, 1801.
(III) Captain William Waterbury, fourth son of David Waterbury, was born October 10, 1765, and died January 10, 1842. He was much in the public service, and opposed the tax on the Con- gregational Church Society, using his pri- vate means liberally to establish the free- dom of the church in the same spirit that he had given his services to the cause of
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RESIDENCE OF MR. AND MRS. OHN | RORECH SHIPPEN POINT, CONNECTICUT
SHIPPEN POINT, CONNECTICUT RESIDENCE OF MR. AND MRS. JOHN J. RORECH
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political freedom. He married Mrs. Sally Jessup, daughter of Philip Lockwood.
(IV) Captain David (2) Waterbury, eldest son of Captain William and Sally (Lockwood-Jessup) Waterbury, was born April 17, 1819. His education was limited to such as the times and location afforded. When about fifteen years old he shipped as a sailor on a market boat trading week- ly between Stamford and New York. He rose rapidly from one position to another until before his twentieth birthday he was captain and owner of the "Rival," a sloop of about fifty tons. In 1852, in company with Edmund Lockwood and Lewis Wa- terbury, he purchased the steamer, "Wil- liam W. Frazier," a daily passenger and freight boat plying between Stamford and New York, Captain Lockwood command- ing and Captain Waterbury serving as superintendent, agent and so forth, with offices in Stamford. This steamer was the first to run between Stamford and New York regularly, and to be owned in Stamford. In 1859 the company built a new steamer, the "Ella," which was run on this route until it was sold to the United States Government at the time of the Civil War. When Captain Lock- wood retired from active business, Oliver Scofield joined interest with the two re- maining partners and they built the "Stamford," which they placed on the same route in 1863. They sold this steamer the next year and built the "Shippan," placing her on this route in 1865. In May, 1870, she was burned at the Stamford Wharf, also the entire prop- erty of the company, the loss being about $70,000, only half covered by insurance. In 1870 the business was sold to R. Cor- nell White, of New York. The same year, Captain Waterbury started a business in Stamford in coal and wood, which he con- tinued until his death, November 22, 1894. Also he organized the Stamford Trans-
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portation Company, of which he was manager. This was in 1873, after the New York parties had failed with the steamboat business. Captain Waterbury sold the transportation interests to the North & East River Steamboat Company. Captain Waterbury was a Democrat in politics, and disregarded partisan connec- tions for the sake of the better man if that man was an opponent of his party. He was broadly liberal in his religious views, and was for many years a mem- ber of the parish of the Universalist church. .
Captain Waterbury married (first), January 23, 1842, Sarah M. Selleck, daugh- ter of John and Charlotte (Mead) Sel- leck, of Greenwich, Connecticut. Of their children six grew to maturity. They are: Captain William Tell, of whom fur- ther ; John S., Mary E., Sarah M., Charles F., whose sketch follows; Lottie A. Mrs. Waterbury died September 26, 1867. Eight years later Captain Waterbury married (second), her sister, Mrs. Joseph- ine E. Colby.
(V) Captain William Tell Waterbury, son of Captain David (2) and Sarah M. (Selleck) Waterbury, was born March 4, 1843, in Stamford, Connecticut, where he died, February 12, 1912. He attended the public schools of Stamford and the fa- mous Glendenning Academy. We can picture the young lad accompanying his father on every opportunity and finding in the life on the water the fulfillment of his desire. On completing his schooling he obtained work on a small sailing ves- sel, one of the type which was used in transporting commerce between Stam- ford and New York. Having set himself to mastering all the details of the vessel, Captain Waterbury rose rapidly until he was qualified to take charge and was made captain.
Throughout the many years of his ac-
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tive business life he was identified with the business of sea transportation, and enjoyed a large circle of acquaintances. A few years before his death, finding the life of a captain too arduous, he retired to pass his remaining days with his family and among the associations of his child- hood. Captain Waterbury was one of the early members of Union Lodge, An- cient Free and Accepted Masons, of Stamford, and also of Rittenhouse Chap- ter. The only fire company in his day was the one formed of the volunteer cit- izens, of which he was one, and he was also a member of the veteran organiza- tion formed after the new fire company was installed.
Captain Waterbury married Sarah Gu- ley, daughter of Jacob Guley. The latter was a native of England, and came to America about 1844. He was in the woolen business, and resided in various textile centers in the East. His wife and daughter came to this country to join him seven years later. Mr. and Mrs. Water- bury were the parents of three children : Harry Guley, a sketch of whom follows in the work ; S. Maude; Alice Dodge. For many years the family were actively iden- tified with the Presbyterian church, of Stamford.
WATERBURY, Charles F., Merchant.
As a man is broadened by contact with his fellows, so a city is enriched by con- tact with the outside world. Men who control the arteries of commerce are vital factors in the growth and development of a community, and among this number is Charles F. Waterbury, of Stamford.
(V) Charles F. Waterbury, son of Captain David (2) and Sarah M. (Sel- leck) Waterbury (q. v.), was born May 15, 1855. He was educated in the public
and private school of Professor Glenden- ning. He then was employed in his fa- ther's steamboat business for a short time. He then learned the trade of moulder, which he followed until 1875, in which year he again became associated with his father in the coal business. He was soon made manager of the business, and in 1888 was admitted to partnership. In 1892 he purchased his father's interest and has since continued alone. It is the largest coal business in Stamford and a large wholesale trade is conducted. Other business interests of Mr. Waterbury in- clude: Director of the First Stamford National Bank; vice-president of the East Dock Branch Corporation ; president of the Woodland Cemetery Association ; secretary and treasurer of Shippan Wa- ter Realty Company ; director of the Mor- ris Plan Bank. In politics Mr. Water- bury holds independent views, and re- fused to be a candidate for public office.
Mr. Waterbury married Annie Samuel Lockwood, daughter of Charles A. Lock- wood, of Stamford, and they are the par- ents of two children: 1. David, born Oc- tober 12, 1882; now manager of his fa- ther's business; he married Ida Zahn, daughter of Frederick Zahn, of New York City ; he is the father of two sons and one daughter: David C., John Lockwood, Margaret Z. 2. Josephine Waterbury became the wife of Walter Edward Lea- man; one son, Walter Edward, Jr. The mother of this family is an attendant of the Universalist church of Stamford. Mr. Waterbury is a member of the Suburban Club, of Stamford, the Stamford Yacht Club, and the Woodway Country Club.
WATERBURY, Harry Guley, Business Man, Public Official.
In one of his addresses, the late Mar- shall Wilder said: "The genealogy of a
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family is completely barren, unless en- riched by the intermingling of biograph- ical sketches which may stand as land- marks in the history of the race." A fam- ily, therefore, whose members have con- ducted their lives in such a manner as to bring honor and distinction to the name is indeed enriched by the addition of the biographies of those members.
(VI) Harry Guley Waterbury, son of Captain William Tell and Sarah (Guley) Waterbury (q. v.), is a splendid example of the type of capable man of affairs. He was born November 10, 1868, in Stam- ford, Connecticut. He received his edu- cation in the public schools there. He entered the employ of Lyman Hoyt & Son, furniture dealers, where he remained for ten years. For the succeeding two and one-half years, he was assistant post- master, which position he left to enter the employ of the Stamford Gas & Elec- tric Company. At that time he was their only clerk, and some idea of the growth of Stamford can be gleaned from the fact that there are now twenty persons em- ployed in the office.
Mr. Waterbury progressed with the passing of the years, and to-day holds the position of auditor of the company with which he started as clerk. He is well and favorably known among the business men of his native city, takes an active in- terest in the civic and social life there, and has several times served in public of- fice. From 1904 to 1905 he was town treasurer, and since 1917 has been a mem- ber of the Board of Finance. Several other of Stamford's business interests claim his attention, namely, the Stam- ford Savings Bank, of which he is a di- rector ; treasurer of the Woodland Cem- etery Association, and treasurer of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.
Mr. Waterbury, fraternally, is a mem- ber of Union Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and has served as past master of this lodge; is past high priest of Rittenhouse Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons ; is past thrice illustrious master of Washington Council, Royal and Select Masters; member of Clinton Command- ery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk; Laf- ayette Consistory, and Pyramid Temple, of Bridgeport ; member of Past Masters' Association of Fairfield County. He is also a member of the Sons of the Amer- ican Revolution and the Military Order of Foreign Wars.
Mr. Waterbury married Mary L. Clark, daughter of George H. Clark, of Pitts- field, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of a daughter, Beryl, born March 20, 1902. George H. Clark was the son of Selden Yale and Hannah N. (Sears) Clark, a descendant of an old New Eng- land family, one of his ancestors, Jon- athan Clark, having been a signer of the Massachusetts Constitution. George H. Clark was born in Pittsfield, Massachu- setts, April 29, 1848, and died September 7, 1916. He was long connected with the government paper mills at that place, where paper for United States currency is made. Mr. Clark was a leading citizen of Pittsfield, a member of the old volun- teer fire department, and took an active part in Democratic political affairs. He was a devoted member of the Episcopal church. George H. Clark married Mary Baker, born February 16, 1850, died Feb- ruary 6, 1915. Children: George H., Jr., and Mary L., who married Harry G. Wa- terbury. Mrs. Waterbury is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion, eligible through the services of both Clark and Yale ancestors.
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FOSTER, Dean,
Specialist on the Eye, Ear, Nose, Throat.
New York City, and Stamford, Con- necticut, have known Dr. Dean Foster in his specialized work in the medical pro- fession for a period of twenty years, dur- ing which time he has maintained offices in both places for the treatment of dis- eases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. Stamford is his residence, and his pro- fessional, social, and civic connections are mainly with the organizations and in- stitutions of Connecticut, while he has been called into the public service as the representative of his district in the State Senate. Dr. Foster is well known as an able specialist in the branches in which he has directed his life work, and he has come into a position of prominence in his calling and in his community.
The Foster family, of English origin, is of Colonial record in New England, and its branches were early transplanted widely throughout the country. Andrew Foster, grandfather of Dr. Dean Foster, was born at Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, and followed the farmer's calling. He married Rachel McMichael, and Edwards- burg, Michigan, became the family home. This was the birthplace of Thomas Fos- ter, son of Andrew and Rachel (Mc- Michael) Foster, who was born in 1846, and there grew to manhood. Like his father he was an agriculturist, and in 1884 moved to Anthony, Kansas, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was a past master in the Masonic order at Anthony, and was also a member of Harper Commandery, Knights Templar. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. His death occurred in 1899. Thomas Foster married Alice Dean, daughter of William Dean, of Mifflin- burg, Pennsylvania, a member of an old Colonial family, and their children were:
Dean, of whom further; Peggy, married Edward Fulton, of Caldwell, Kansas; Andrew J., of Springdale, Connecticut ; Lloyd, of Freeport, Kansas; Hugh M., an attorney of Globe, Arizona ; and Graham, likewise an attorney of Globe, Arizona.
Dr. Dean Foster, son of Thomas and Alice (Dean) Foster, was born in Ed- wardsburg, Michigan, in 1870, and pre- pared for college at Lewis Academy, Wichita, Kansas. Entering the Univer- sity of Kansas, he was graduated from that institution in the class of 1896, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, having interrupted his course by one year of school teaching. For one year prior to his college entry he had also taught school. His classical studies were fol- lowed by a course in the Medical School of Yale University, and in 1899 he re- ceived the degree of Doctor of Medicine. A portion of the following year was spent as an interne in the New Haven Hospital, and the two following years were occu- pied with an interneship in the Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital, where he studied the treatment of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. In 1901, Dr. Foster be- came a resident and special practitioner of Stamford, and in 1902 he opened an office in New York City, to both of which he has since given his time and attention. He is attending ophthalmic aural and otological surgeon to the Stamford Hos- pital and to the Greenwich Hospital, and is also assistant surgeon at the Manhat- tan Eye and Ear Hospital. He has been honored in the past by his professional colleagues of Stamford with the presi- dency of the Stamford Medical Society. and he is also a member of the County and State Medical societies and the Amer- ican Medical Association.
Dr. Foster was elected to the Common Council of Stamford in 1911, and gave willingly of his time to public affairs. In
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1913 he was called to a larger field of use- ried Sarah A. Mead, daughter of Richard Mead.
fulness in the public business, and was elected to the State Senate, and received the further distinction of reelection to the same important office. In the Senate he was a member of the committee on pub- lic welfare and of the committee on the sale of lands. Dr. Foster is a member of Union Lodge, No. 5, Free and Accepted Masons; Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar, of Norwalk, Connecticut, and is also affiliated with Pyramid Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Bridge- port. His club is the Suburban of Stam- ford.
Dr. Foster married Mabel E. Neale, daughter of Frederick and Kathryn Neale, of Toronto, Canada, and they are the parents of: Alice Dean, Kathryn E., and Mabel N.
BRUSH, Ralph Emerson,
Lawyer, Served in World War.
While a resident of Greenwich, Mr. Brush as the possesor of a lucrative and growing clientele maintains an office not only in his home town but also in New York City. During the recent World War he made an honorable record in the United States Navy, and in the promotion of the best interests of his community he is always actively interested.
The Brush family is of long standing in Greenwich, having been founded there by one of two brothers who went thither from Long Island soon after 1700. Their descendants in the successive genera- tions have been actively instrumental in the upbuilding and development of the town and neighborhood.
Joseph Brush, great-grandfather of Ralph Emerson Brush, was the owner of a large part of the town of Greenwich, from Putnam avenue through Rock Ridge and Edgewood Park. Mr. Brush mar-
Amos M. Brush, son of Joseph and Sarah A. (Mead) Brush, was born Janu- ary 9, 1825, in Greenwich, and as a young man was in business at Coscob, where he was the proprietor of a general store, pur- chasing produce from farmers and run- ning market sloops to New York. He also dealt extensively in cattle, driving them on the hoof to the New York stock- yards. In this enterprise he was asso- ciated with his brother Benjamin, under the firm name of A. and B. Brush. When Amos M. Brush was about forty years old he retired from business and for a few years resided in New York City, eventu- ally returning to Greenwich. He was a Democrat, and for many years held the office of justice of the peace. Active in town affairs, he at one time served as lieutenant-colonel on the staff of the Gov- ernor. He was an active member of the Congregational church. occupying a seat on the board of deacons. Mr. Brush married Sarah P. Mead, daughter of Amos Mead, and his death occurred July 30, 1905.
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