USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v.2 > Part 21
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George A. Davenport, son of Nathan and Mary (Smith) Davenport, was born in the town of Wilton, Fairfield county,
Connecticut, January 31, 1808, and be- came one of the most honored of Fair- field's sons. After preparation under Dr. Hawley Olmstead, of the Academy, who began with his education where the public schools had left him, the young man en- tered Yale Law School and was fitted for his profession. For a time he was associ- ated in practice with Judge Butler, but he had little liking for court room work and withdrew from the partnership to conduct an office practice. Until 1844 he confined himself to office business, but in 1844 he was appointed probate judge for the district of Norwalk, serving by ap- pointment until 1850. The office was then made elective and he was continuously returned by large majorities and nearly always as the candidate for both parties. He held the office continuously until 1878, when, reaching the constitutional limit of age, he was retired with the best wishes and highest respect of the entire bar. Said the Norwalk "Gazette," January 8, 1878: "Few if any probate districts in the coun- try have been as highly favored with such exceptional capacity and fidelity to public trust and we are sure that the regrets at Judge Davenport's retirement will be both universal and sincere."
When he retired to the quiet of his Wil- ton home he gave himself to scholarly pursuits and fully satisfied that craving of his nature, for he was by heredity and disposition a student. He was eighty years of age when he began studying Hebrew and until his death he continued his literary pleasures. Judge Davenport married (first) Mary Sturges, daughter of Erastus and Abigail (Sturges) Sturges, her father a farmer. They were the par- ents of three daughters and three sons, all the sons embracing their father's profes- sion : Mary A., born February 26, 1844, married Dr. Charles B. White, deceased ; Julia, born April 16, 1847, died July 28,
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1890; Benjamin, born January 21, 1850, a graduate of the law department of the University of Georgetown, class of "74," located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, mar- ried Mary Goodhue, of Washington, D. C .; Daniel, mentioned below; Timothy, born February 8, 1854, graduate of Yale "75," a practicing lawyer of New York City, married Mary Allen, of Glovers- ville, New York; Sarah, born October 31, 1856.
Daniel Davenport, second son of Judge George A. and Mary (Sturges) Daven- port, was born in Wilton, Connecticut, January 13, 1852. He prepared for college at Wilton Academy, and after graduation in 1869 entered Yale University whence he was graduated A. B. class of "73." He prepared for the profession of law under the preceptorship of Asa B. Woodward and John H. Perry in Norwalk, and Sep- tember 24, 1875, was admitted a member of the Fairfield county bar. He at once began practice in Bridgeport and so con- tinues having in the years intervening won a leading position among the strong men of the Connecticut bar. In 1876-77 Mr. Davenport was prosecuting attorney ; in 1893-94 city attorney of Bridgeport; in 1875 he represented the town of Wilton in the State House of Representatives ; in 1902 he was a delegate from Bridgeport at the Constitutional Convention. He is a member of the various law associations, and is an Independent in politics.
Mr. Davenport married, October 16, 1876, Mary Lockwood, daughter of Wil- liam and Sophia Lockwood, of New York City. One daughter, Beatrice, now Mrs. George L. Emmons, living in Schenec- tady, New York; she has one child, Na- thaniel D. Emmons.
SMITH, Charles Monroe, Business Man, Public Official.
If we were seeking for a test of what inight be called the social health of any
community, we could probably find none more thoroughly conclusive and satisfac- tory than that of whether the best classes are taking an active part in the conduct of public affairs and exercising a real in- fluence in the general local life. If, for instance, we find, as we so often do, that the most cultivated and enlightened men in a community stand aloof from its affairs, either from disgust with the way that matters are going, or from general indifference, we may form our own con- clusions of the place, but we should cer- tainly avoid it in chosing the location for our home. If, on the contrary, we find them busy about the local issues, holding office and generally having a voice in matters, we may be sure that all is well with it. Judged by this criterion, the cities and towns of New England measure up to the standard better than those of any other part of the country excepting possibly the extreme west. If we would have a specific example of this thing, the holding of public office long and faithfully by a man of the highest culture and re- finement, we can not do better than refer to the case of Charles Monroe Smith, the honored treasurer of the town of Wood- mont, Connecticut, for more than a quar- ter of a century.
Charles Monroe Smith was born in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, August 31, 1840, and died at Woodmont, October 28, 1914, in the seventy-fifth year of his age. He was a son of Leonard and Maria (Russell) Smith, his father being a native of New Haven and his mother of Derby, Connecticut. Mr. Smith was educated in his native city, attending the excellent public schools thereof for that purpose and exhibiting as a student the same alert mind and decision of character that was afterwards to mark him in the business and political worlds.
His first work after leaving school was in a shoe store on Chapel street, New
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Haven, and later he became associated with A. O. Coburn & Company, wholesale grocers, and was with this firm about fifteen years as traveling salesman. He then went with Angus & Tuttle, who were engaged in the same line of business, as traveling salesman, both of these firms being in business in New Haven. Later he went with Depew & Son, of New York, same business, and was with this firm about four years. He was on the road as salesman altogether about thirty-five years when his sight failed and he aban- doned that line of work. He formed a partnership with his brother, Lyman Smith, while he was still on the road, and began the manufacture of carriages. The success of this enterprise was very marked and what began as a small busi- ness was gradually developed until it assumed large proportions and the two brothers had won a reputation for clean and honorable business methods as well as for business ability not surpassed by any of their fellow citizens. Unfortu- nately, however, for Mr. Smith's am- bition, which seemed in such a fair way to be realized, his health failed him, his eyesight giving out, and he was obliged to withdraw entirely from active partici- pation in business. It was then that he removed from New Haven to Woodmont, he being one of the earliest settlers in what has since become one of the most charming and fashionable summer resorts along that part of the coast. Since Mr. Smith built his home there the wealth of New York and Boston has found its way thither and the place now numbers many beautiful summer villas of rich and promi- nent men. Mr. Smith was elected clerk of the town of Woodmont, a position which his somewhat returning health al- lowed him to fill effectively. Indeed, so entirely were his services to the liking of his fellow townsmen, that he later was
advanced to the post of treasurer, and this office he continued to hold for twenty- five years or until the time of his death, it being the latter event only that could interrupt him in the invaluable services he was performing for the public. It was thus that an event, seemingly without any compensating elements at the time, the failure of his eyesight, drove Mr. Smith into a line of activity in which, per- haps, the most characteristic work of his life was performed, for it was only after he had retired from business life that he found time and strength to devote to public affairs. After his death on Octo- ber 28, 1914, the work which he was doing was taken up by Mrs. Smith who, from that time down to the present, has filled the office of town treasurer most effici- ently. In this work she has the capable assistance of Dr. C. R. Booth. Dr. Booth has been almost a member of the Smith family for a number of years, having been in constant attendance upon Mr. Smith before the latter's death, taking care of him in his constantly increasing ill health and failing eyesight, and having remained a devoted friend of his widow since his death.
Besides his business and official activ- ities Mr. Smith was a conspicuous figure in the social and fraternal circles of both New Haven and Woodmont and a mem- ber of several important orders and or- ganizations. He belonged to all the Ma- sonic bodies in New Haven and had reached the thirty-second degree in that order, and was also a member of the New Haven Lodge of Red Men. In the matter of religion Mr. Smith was an Episco- palian and attended the church of that denomination in New Haven.
On February 22, 1870, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with Ella Hotchkiss Baldwin, of Derby, Connecticut, a daugh- ter of William and Sarah Maria (Hotch-
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ASTOR, LENUL TILDEN FOUNDA110 IS
Clarence I. Horder Arthur J. Worden
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kiss) Baldwin, of that place. One child was born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who died in infancy.
The character of Mr. Smith was a most admirable one and his personality charm- ing. He made friends and kept them al- ways and was of a strongly affectionate disposition. He was perfectly devoted ic his home and family and found his greatest happiness in that intimate inter- course. His memory will long be cher- ished in a wide circle of associates, not one of whom but felt the influence of his personality and felt it to his good.
WORDEN, Robert Franklin, Man of Enterprise.
That there is nothing incompatible in the gaining of great material success and a position of power and control in the commercial world with the rendering of invaluable service to the community is well proved by the case of Robert Frank- lin Worden, who for a period of twenty- six years has been so distinguished a citi- zen of Waterbury, Connecticut. Pre- eminently a man of business, he has made his enterprises subserve the double end of his ambitions and the welfare of his fellow citizens. Waterbury has been the scene of his phenomenal success, and al- though he was neither born nor spent the early years of his life in that city, yet it is with it that his name is so intimately associated and it is there that he is chiefly held in high respect and honor, not only by those with whom he comes into per- sonal relations of friendship, but by the community at large. Strong common sense and an invincible will, the latter tempered by unusual tact and judgment in all his dealings with his fellows, are the bases of his character and success, a success that he owes to absolutely no outward circumstances, but entirely to his own unaided efforts.
Robert Franklin Worden was born June 26, 1858, at Wappingers Falls, New York State, the son of Robert and Lucy (Hildreth) Worden, of that place. Robert Worden was a native of England, a son of John Worden, coming to this country with his parents at the age of ten years. His home in the new land was the town of Wappingers Falls, New York, and he there at an early age identified himself with the community's life and in course of time became a prominent figure. He engaged in a mercantile business there and also kept a successful livery stable, but the connection in which he was best known in the town of his adoption was that of music, in which line he was some- thing of a genius, and his enthusiasm was such that he communicated it to others so that the concerts that he gave under the name of the "Worden Family" were most popular and achieved a fame that ex- tended beyond the limits of the commu- nity. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, the youngest, Robert Franklin, the subject of this sketch. The father died in October, 1857, when still a young man and before the birth of his son, and when the lad had reached the age of seven months, the mother died leaving him the youngest of seven chil- dren, in charge of his sisters, who cared for him and brought him up.
The educational advantages of Robert Franklin Worden were limited, and he be- gan work when but thirteen years of age, securing a position with a safe deposit concern in New York City. From there he made his way into the State of Con- necticut, where he obtained employment on a farm. He remained on the farm for about five years and from there returned to New York, making his home on this occasion in Brooklyn, where he remained for five years more. He then went to Tor- rington, Connecticut, where he remained for four years, and where he learned
Conn-2-10
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the trade of brass casting, which he fol- lowed for twenty-five years. In the year 1890 he came to Waterbury, Connecticut, which has remained his home and the scene of his active business life ever since. Later he established himself in the milk business, an enterprise that has grown to such an extent that it has become one of the most important in Waterbury and is still rapidly growing, and besides this he added ice cream. The plant in which these operations are carried on is a model of its kind and is considered to be one of the finest in the New England States. In it the rules of New York City ordinance in regards to pasteurization are observed and everything is carried on with the most scrupulous sanitary regard for purity of the milk and the health of his customers. He is particularly careful in the selection of hands to work in the establishment, and may well be proud of the class of employees he has secured. Mr. Worden's sons, Clarence H., Arthur D. and Howard F., are associated with him in the business; Arthur D. is vice- president and secretary of the company which bears the name of R. F. Worden & Sons. Mr. Worden is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the United Work- men of America.
In Brooklyn, New York, on October 4, 1881, Mr. Worden was united in marriage with Isabelle Duncan Wood, a native of New York City, born December 26, 1858. Mrs. Worden's death occurred July 21, 1915, at the age of fifty-seven years. Their son, Clarence H., was born July 15, 1882, married Carrie Phillips, of Springfield, Massachusetts, and is now a popular con- ductor on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad; Arthur D., born De- cember 20, 1884, married Hortense Wild- man, of Waterbury, by whom he has had two sons, twins, born October 17, 1914; Howard F., born February 5, 1888, mar-
ried Ruth Conibal, of Greenneid, Massa- chusetts, by whom he has one child, Doro- thy Emma.
The welfare of his adopted city, where Mr. Worden began his career so humbly and where he has since become so influ- ential a figure, is very dear to him, and he has never been a laggard when it was a question of doing anything for the gen- eral advancement. He is justly regarded as one of the most public-spirited mem- bers of the community and is always ready to give his aid for its advancement. His personality has the effect of making all those who come in contact with him feel instinctively the value of life. In the height of his prosperity and good fortune he never forgets the difficulties of his own youth and is ever ready to hold out a helping hand to such as are less fortunate than himself. Nor is his charity merely perfunctory, such as is so often the case, for he gives, not from his purse alone, but from his heart, so that the recipient is never made to feel the bitterness of his position, but leaves a life-long friend. It is partially thus that he has gained so large a following of friends, devoted to him and his interests, and has become so popular a figure in the city. Various and large as are his business interests, a re- markably large portion of his time and attention is devoted to these more altru- istic purposes, and he never allows, like so many successful men, his commercial pursuits to warp his generous feelings or shake his charity and faith in life and the goodness of his fellows. He himself has started out with high ideals which neither hardships nor prosperity can shake, and he credits others with the same idealism. And what may seem strange is that he is very seldom mistaken, for it has been rightly said that men are apt to show the traits we attribute to them, good or bad. His career has been a busy and useful one,
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and all men, himself as well as others, have benefited by it. Nor are his virtues less apparent in his family life than in his rela- tions with the outside world. His house- hold has been made happier by his pres- ence, and his own chief pleasure is found in the intercourse of his home. He is possessed of a strong religious faith, which it is his purpose to make practical in his everyday life.
BEACH, Carroll C., Physician, Naval Militia Officer.
The life of a physician is no sinecure and the very choice of it is a proof of the sincerity and earnestness of the chooser, either as a student with an overwhelm- ing love of his subject or as an altruist whose first thought is the good of his fellows. Probably a something of both qualities enters into the attitude of Dr. Carroll C. Beach, of Hartford, Connecti- cut, one of the leaders of his profession in that city, and this is borne out by the double fact that he is at once unusually well versed in the theory and technical practice of medicine and that he has won the respect and affection of his patients and the community generally.
There is probably no family name more prominently connected with the history of Connecticut than that of Beach. There are many branches of this family in the country to-day, and from the earliest Colonial period to the present time its members have adorned the learned pro- fessions and won distinction in many fields of endeavor, particularly in the world of business, have held many public offices efficiently and with honor, and have furnished loyal patriots for the cause of their country's freedom. Dr. Carroll C. Beach is a descendant in the ninth gen- eration from one of the earliest settlers in Connecticut, and by his personal achieve-
ment has maintained the prestige of an honored family name. The record of the New Haven colony shows us that in 1639 three immigrants of the name of Beach were among the settlers there. They were Richard, John and Thomas Beach, and there seems to be strong evidence of their having been brothers. Thomas Beach, the progenitor of the branch of the family from which Dr. Beach is sprung, was a resident of New Haven in 1647, there being a record of him that he took the oath of fidelity on the seventh of March in that year. He removed to the town of Milford, however, and there seems to be evidence that he lived in Wallingford for a time. He returned to Milford, however, where he lived until the close of his life on the first day of March in the year 1662. On the first day of March, 1654, he was married to Sarah, a daughter of Richard and Mary Platt. Mrs. Beach died in 1698.
Their son, John Beach, was born in Milford, October 19, 1655, and died there in 1709. In 1673-74 he removed to Wal- lingford with the children of his cousin, also John Beach, of Hartford. Mr. Beach was known as John Beach, Jr., to dis- tinguish him from his cousin. In 1677 he married Mary
Their son, Thomas Beach, was born February 14, 1686, at Milford, and in 171I he married Hannah Atwater.
Their son, Landa (or Landrey) Beach, was born March 5, 1727, and bears the distinction of having served in the Revo- lution, despite his advanced years. In 1749 he was married to Abigail, a daugh- ter of Lieutenant Nathan and Elizabeth (Rogers) Baldwin. For nearly four score years they lived together until on Christ- mas Eve, 1823, she died at the age of ninety-six years. He died the following year on February 25, at the age of ninety- seven. At their death they left behind
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them seven children, seventy-two grand- children, one hundred and two great- grandchildren and seven great-great- grandchildren.
Their son, Thaddeus Beach, also served in the Revolution in 1781, and in 1818 was pensioned for service on the frigate, "Alli- ance."
In 1795 his son, David Beach, was born in Plymouth, and in the month of Sep- tember, 1816, he married Sylvia, the daughter of Gideon and Lois (Barnes) Smith. His death occurred in 1863 and that of his wife eleven years later.
Their son, Charles E. Beach, was born November 2, 1818, and was twice mar- ried. His first wife was Martha Em- meline, a daughter of Timothy and Phila (Tisdale) Lewis, of Southington, Con- necticut, who died September 5, 1852. She was a descendant of William Lewis and William Wadsworth, who were among the first settlers of Hartford. Mr. Beach died on October 24, 1872.
Their son, Dr. Charles Lewis Beach, was the father of the Dr. Beach of this sketch. He was born at Southington, February 13. 1848, and his general educa- tion was acquired in the public schools of his native town. After completing this schooling, he devoted his attention for some time to farming and teaching in the local school, until eventually he deter- mined to make medicine his profession. He then entered the Homeopathic Col- lege of the City of New York, from which he was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1872. He practiced for about eight years in Unionville, Connecticut, and from there removed to Rockville, where he remained about twelve months longer. In 1882 he came to Hartford and there established himself in the practice which has continued to the present time. He met with more than ordinary success, and in 1899 formed a partnership with his son,
Dr. Carroll C. Beach, who is mentioned at length below. Dr. Charles L. Beach is a member of the Connecticut Homeo- pathic Society and has been identified for many years with the Republican party. The demands of his practice, however, are such as to deter him from entering the political arena, or from aspiring to the public office which his talent so eminently fitted him for. He is essentially domestic in his tastes and without doubt an impor- tant factor in his success is the friendly confidence which his frank and generous nature inspires in those whom he is called upon to serve in a professional capacity. On May 14, 1873, Dr. Beach was married, at Southington, to Annie E., a daughter of Horace W. and Esther (Dibbell) Lam- son. Mrs. Beach was born at Mount Washington, Massachusetts, May II, 1850. Dr. and Mrs. Beach have for many years been members of the South Con- gregational Church. They are the par- ents of three children as follows: Carroll Charles, of whom further ; Martha Esther, born June 7, 1878, died October 24, 1879 ; Orin Lamson, born August 7, 1886.
Dr. Carroll Charles Beach was born at Unionville, Connecticut, December 12, 1874. He received the preparatory part of his education in the public schools of Hartford and graduated from the high school there. He then entered Trinity College, Hartford, and graduated from that institution with the class of 1896 and the usual academic degree. It was his desire to follow medicine as a profession, as his father had set him an example, and accordingly he matriculated in the medi- cal school of the Boston University. He graduated in 1899 with the degree of M. D. The practical experience necessary for practice was gained as an interne in the Roxbury Hospital at Boston and at the Homeopathic Insane Asylum at West- borough, Massachusetts. Since that time
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he has remained in active practice in the city of Hartford, where, as has already been mentioned, he was taken into partner- ship by his father. He has already estab- lished for himself an enviable reputation and is regarded as one of the rising physi- cians in the city. He is a member of the Connecticut Homeopathic Society and of the college fraternity of Alpha Chi Rho and the Alpha Sigma, the former at Trin- ity and the latter at Boston University. He and the members of his family are communicants of the South Congrega- tional Church. Dr. Beach served in the naval militia as assistant surgeon for a number of years, and for five years he was the commander of the second division, naval militia.
Dr. Beach married, April 22, 1903, Mary Bishop White, a daughter of Niles G. and Minnie (Bishop) White. A sketch of her father appears elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Beach was born August 16, 1874, at Guilford, Connecticut. Dr. and Mrs. Beach are the parents of three children, as follows: Ruth, born January 14, 1904; Marion, born September II, 1908; and Carroll Charles, Jr., born August 2, 191I.
Dr. Beach is a man of great energy and industry, and one of a wide and cultured outlook on life, so that he devotes much of his efforts to the good of the commu- nity of which he is a member. He is at once the typical scientist and the man of affairs, who pursues his subject theoret- ically with the zeal of a true scholar, and yet has the practical ability to apply it to the situation in hand. This is a combina- tion well calculated to make a successful practitioner in medicine and surgery, and Dr. Beach's career promises to be a good example of the fact, leading as it has to a prominent position in his profession, de- spite his comparative youth. His char- acter as a man is not less worthy than as a physician, and if he stands high in
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