USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > History of Bridgeport and vicinity > Part 17
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Mr. Prindle was married three times. He first wedded April 19, 1855, Miss Fanny Edwards, and to them a son and daughter were born, but both have now passed away. He was married July 8, 1862, to Miss Julia M. Scovel, of Albany, New York, and they became the parents of a daughter, Mary Louise, now the wife of H. C. McClure, of Monti- cello, Georgia. Following the demise of his second wife Mr. Prindle wedded her sister, Mrs. Harriett N. White, April 19, 1904. She survives him and now resides at No. 795 Myrtle avenue.
Mr. Prindle was a member of the Congregational church and his entire career, upright and honorable in every phase, commanded the confidence and respect of all with whom he was brought in contact. He was a Mason of high rank, becoming connected with the Knight Templar commandery and also with the Mystic Shrine. For one term in the '80s he served as city treasurer but was never a politician in the sense of office seeking, although ever deeply and commendably interested in matters and measures for the public good. He displayed many sterling traits of character and throughout the long period of his connection with the financial interests of his native city bore an untarnished name.
GEORGE H. PECK.
George H. Peck, president and treasurer of the Peck & Lines Company, automobile dealers of Bridgeport, his native city, exemplifies in his present business connections some- thing of the development of methods of travel, for his grandfather was a horseshoer and blacksmith and in the early days, when many oxen were used, he was paid in wood for shoeing oxen. Both the grandfather and the father of George H. Peck were later con- nected with the livery business and then, when the automobile was introduced, the old livery barn was converted into the present modern garage, and thus in the different genera- tions the family have kept abreast with the trend of modern improvement in methods of bighway travel.
George H. Peck was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, July 30, 1858, a son of Edwin and Caroline (Nichols) Peck, who were natives of Connecticut, the former born in Danbury and the latter in Nichols. In the paternal line the ancestry is traced back to Henry Peck, who arrived in Boston in 1639 and soon afterward settled in New Haven. He was of English birth and became the progenitor of the family in the new world. The grandfather was George Peck, who about 1834 came with his family to Bridgeport and purchased land in the heart of the city which has since been in possession of the family. The following year he established a livery stable and was afterward joined by his son Edwin in the business. The latter also learned the carriage maker's trade but devoted much of his life to the livery business. He served also at one time as deputy sheriff.
Reared in his native city, George H. Peck attended its public schools and afterward became his father's associate in business. In 1893 the father sold his interest to George O. Lines and the present partners have since enlarged their facilities by erecting a new building, the structure being now one hundred and thirty-one by eighty-five feet and five stories in height. In 1906 the business was incorporated under the name of the Peck & Lines Company. Later Mr. Lines passed away and was succeeded in the undertaking by his son, George O. Lines, Jr., who is now vice president of the company, with George H. Peck, as president and treasurer, William E. Peck as secretary and Franklin L. Peck as
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a director. The last two are sons of George H. Peck and are the representatives of the fourth generation to carry on business at the same point where their great-grandfather started out more than eight decades ago at a period when Bridgeport had no railroads. The company handles the Haynes and Chevrolet cars and also the Lippard-Stewart and Atlas trucks. They conduct a general garage and accessories business, which has reached extensive proportions, making theirs one of the profitable enterprises of this character in the city.
On the 18th of December, 1883, Mr, Peck was married to Miss Grace Lowe, a daughter of William and Abigail Lowe, who were natives of England but came to Bridgeport in early life. The father was the proprietor of the Bridgeport Boiler Works and an active factor in the industrial circles of the city. To Mr. and Mrs. Peck have been born two children, William E. and Franklin L.
Mr. Peck is prominent in social as well as in business circles of the city. He is a member of the Board of Trade, of the Business Men's Club and of the Automobile Club of America. He belongs also to the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite, the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite and he is likewise a member of the Mystic Shrine. He also has membership with the Sons of the American Revolution and is a communicant of St. Paul's church. He represents one of the old families of the city, the name having been identified with its business developed for more than eight decades.
CHARLES E. STAGG.
Charles E. Stagg, deceased, was one of Stratford's prominent citizens and well known public men. A native of that town, he was born October 21, 1851, a son of Joseph and Helen B. (Curtis) Stagg. He was educated in the public schools of Stratford, where he was reared to manhood. He held the office of bridge commissioner and likewise served the town for several years as constable and in 1894 he was appointed deputy sheriff under High Sheriff Sidney Hawley, filling that office of responsibility with credit to himself and satisfaction to the public. As deputy sheriff be did his full duty as he saw it and his name became a menace to evildoers, for they knew that he would not rest until he had carried out the law. He made all alike respect the law and never permitted gambling nor illegal liquor selling to go unpunished. While deputy sheriff he figured in the horse car riots of Bridgeport and other towns and also in the big strikes at the plant of the American Tube & Stamping Company. He was in almost every raid and every big demonstration held in Fairfield county during his term of office and became a most valuable official by reason of his energy and promptness. In fact his reputation spread throughout the state as that of a fearless sheriff and loyal official. He stood high in the estimation of those who knew him and he had a very wide acquaintance. Among the noted arrests which he made may be mentioned that of Tod Słoan, the notorious jockey, who on July 19, 1904, was speeding from New York to Boston in a forty horse-power Decouville racer, a seven thousand dollar machine, at a mile a minute. The sheriff stopped him at Washington bridge. Another arrest was that of the noted horse thief, Murty Savage, whom he drove out of Straford, and Leonard Davidson, an equally notorious burglar. Mr. Stagg figured in the raid on the Modoc Club and other places of similar character.
He served as a member of the board of relief of Stratford for several years and for two years occupied the position of tax collector. He was popular with all classes and he took a deep interest in his town and its institutions, doing everything in his power to promote their upbuilding and progress. He possessd a very genial manner, was kind and generous to a fault and was greatly devoted to his home and family.
It was on October 26, 1882, that he wedded Miss Emma E. Moore, a lady of refinement
CHARLES F. STAGG
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and culture, who was born in Ottawa, Canada, and was a daughter of James and Margery Moore. They became parents of one child, Pauline Moore, who married Frank H. Weller, of Palm Beach, Florida, and has one son, Charles Stagg Weller, born January 24, 1916, in the home of his grandmother on East Broadway, Stratford. The family are members of the Congregational church.
In the later years of his life Mr. Stagg spent the winter months at Palm Beach, Florida, where he built a home which is still owned by the family. He also erected a fine residence on East Broadway in Stratford, where his widow still resides. Mr. Stagg passed away in Stratford, March 13, 1914, and was laid to rest in Union cemetery. On the day of the funeral all business was suspended in Stratford as a mark of respect. The Bridgeport Post, under the head of "A Town Leader," said editorially, in part :
"The death of former deputy sheriff Charles E. Stagg of Stratford removes from the active every day life of that town a man who has played no unimportant part in its affairs for nearly a quarter of a century. He took to politics from his earliest years and was the working force in marshaling the republican rank and file of the old town to victory election after election.
"Mr. Stagg belonged to a race of political leaders such as our town system has produced for years and although their methods may not always have been of the highest ideals, yet they were strong factors in securing for Connecticut those many advantages she has enjoyed over other states. He at no time sought high office, being content to serve in comparatively humble positions, while at the same time he was the real party leader in his community."
He was a member of the Bridgeport Lodge of Elks and also of the Cupheag Club, which passed the following resolution:
"With profound sorrow and genuine regret the Cupheag Club of Stratford records the death of Charles E. Stagg, for many years a prominent member of this club, and in so doing publicly acknowledges its obligations to the memory of one whose persistent energy, strong personality, sterling character and loyal fidelity made much for the success of this organiza- tion. Mr. Stagg was possessed of those qualities which endeared him to his fellow townsmen, who were quick to recognize and reward. In public life he represented the true type of citizen- ship. He was loyal to every trust imposed, faithful to the interests of those whom he served, devoted to the people whose confidence he enjoyed and firm in discharging his obligations to society, the law and to the old town which from boyhood he had learned to love and proteet. His unusual personality made him a favorite in the life of this club. His very presence created at once that atmosphere of good fellowship through which lasting friendships are formed and firm friends closer united. It is these endearing qualities which add to the burden of sorrow sustained by his death.
"The Cupheag Club therefore resolves that in the death of Mr. Charles. E. Stagg this elnb sustains a genuine loss which the club recognizes with sincere regret and great sorrow, and further
"Resolves that this expression of sympathy be spread upon the records of this club and a copy be sent to the family."
.GEORGE. B. HAWLEY.
George B. Hawley, senior partner in the undertaking firm of Hawley & Wilmot at Bridgeport, was born at Stepney, Connectient. December 7, 1840, a son of Sylvanus Hawley and a grandson of John Somers Hawley. The ancestral line is traced back through various generations in America to England. The mother bore the maiden name of Maria Sher- man.
After acquiring a public school education George B. Hawley became connected with
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industrial activity at Stepney, Connectient, where he took up the work of coach making and was thus engaged until conditions brought about by the Civil war caused the business to be closed ont. In 1862 he removed to Bridgeport and for fifteen years was employed in the coach factory of Wood Brothers in the assembly department, his long connection there proving his capability and fidelity. He afterward spent twelve years with the under- taking firm of Hubbell & Curtis and in 1889 he formed a partnership under the style of Hawley, Wilmot & Reynolds, the second member being the father of his present partner. He has been engaged in this line of business continuously since, and the firm now enjoys a liberal and well merited patronage, for they put forth every possible effort to please their customers and carry not only a good line of undertaking supplies but also display that tact and understanding which are so necessary in the conduct of the delicate duties that devolve upon them.
On the 28th of August, 1862, Mr. Hawley was united in marriage to Miss Anna Eliza- beth Paddock, daughter of William W. and Cynthia (Bartram) Paddock. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hawley: Mrs. Anna M. Church, who is living in Bridgeport : Lucy M., deceased; George Sherman, who is a court stenographer and an attor- ney of Bridgeport; and Jessie C. and Jennie M., who are living with their parents. Mr. Hawley is a devoted member of the Methodist church and is the author of "A History of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut." The scope of the work, however, is even broader, for it begins with a complete story of the settlement of Bridge- port and has many other interesting features.
CHARLES CARTLIDGE GODFREY, M. D.
Dr. Charles Cartlidge Godfrey, actively engaged in the practice of medicine since 1883, was born in Saybrook, Connecticut, at which time his father, Rev. Jonathan Godfrey, was then rector of the Episcopal church at that place. He is a lineal descendant of Christopher Godfrey, who settled at Greens Farms, Connecticut, in 1685. According to family tradition, he was a French Huguenot but may have come from England, as the surname, originally Norman, is quite common in England. He owned land at Greens Farms in 1686, purchasing the property on the 29th of December of that year of Sergeant Richard Hubbell, and in 1695 making further purchase from James Newton. The Godfreys have been residents of Greens Farms and Southport since 1688. The line of descent is traced down from Christopher Godfrey (I) through Christopher (II), Lieutenant Nathan, Jonathan (I), Jonathan (II) and Jonathan (III) to Dr. Charles C. Godfrey, who is of the seventh generation. Lieutenant Nathan Godfrey, a grandson of the American founder of the family, was born in 1719 and took a prominent part in the French and Indian war, participating in the storming of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. He was one of the wealthiest men of Greens Farms and Westport. His home, which was near the summit of Clapboard Hill, was burned by the British soldiers in 1778. Not long after the birth of Dr. Charles Cartlidge Godfrey, ill health necessitated the removal of his father, Rev. Jonathan Godfrey, and he went with his family to Aiken, South Carolina, where he remained until the outbreak of the Civil war. He then returned to the north and resided in Greenfield Hill, Connecticut, and near New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he died in 1865.
While there residing the education of Charles C. Godfrey was begun. After attending private and public schools in Southport and at Greenfield he became a student in a military school in Stamford. Connecticut, and next matriculated in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, where he specialized in chemistry. He won the Ph. B. degree in 1877 and four years later, or in 1881, he entered upon the study of medicine at Bridgeport with the late Dr. Robert Hubbard as his preceptor. He also attended the lectures at the College of
DR. CHARLES C. GODFREY
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Physicians and Surgeons, the medical department of Columbia University of New York, and at Dartmouth College, from which, he was graduated in 1883 with the M. D. degree. On the 1st of January, 1884, he entered into partnership with Dr. Hubbard, an association that was maintained until the latter's death in 1897, when Dr. Godfrey was joined by Dr. Edward M. Smith under the firm name of Godfrey & Smith, with offices at No. 340 State street in Bridgeport. They have an extensive practice and Dr. Godfrey's skill has won him place among the eminent physicians of Connecticut. He is now serving as surgeon in chief on the staff of the Bridgeport Hospital and surgeon to St. Vincent Hospital and he is well skilled in every branch of professional work.
On the 30th of April, 1885, Dr. Godfrey was married to Miss Caroline St. Leon, who was born September 10, 1858, at Great Barrington, Massachusetts, a daughter of Colonel S. B. Sumner, of Bridgeport. They have one child, Carrie Lucile, born March 23, 1886. In politics Dr. Godfrey is a republican and in 1892 and 1893 was alderman of Bridgeport. He has also been called upon to represent his city in the general assembly and while thus serving gave careful consideration to the vital and important questions which came up for settlement. He has also been vice president of the board of education of Bridgeport and is still serving on the board. He was surgeon of the Fourth Regiment of the Connecticut National Guard from 1890 until 1893 and was surgeon general of the state of Connecticut in 1903 and 1904, serving with the rank of colonel on the staff of Governor Abiram Chamberlain. He is a member and was formerly president of the Bridgeport Scientific Society and in Masonic circles he is prominently known. He holds membership with St. John's Lodge, No. 3, F. & A. M .; Jerusalem Chapter, R. A. M .; Jerusalem Council, R. & S. M .; Hamilton Commandery, K. T .; and has taken the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite. He is also a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. In club cireles he is well known as a representative of the Seaside, Brook- lawn, University, and the Seaside Outing Clubs. He is connected with various medical societies, including the Bridgeport Medical Association of which he has been the president, the Fairfield County Medical Society, the Connecticut State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States and the New York Academy of Medicine. Anything which tends to bring to man a better under- standing of the complex mystery which we call life is of deep interest to him and his reading and investigation have been broad and thorough. He has turned from onerous professional duties to fishing and outdoor sports for recreation and he also greatly enjoys travel, having visited many parts of the United States, while three times he has traveled over Europe. He never allows anything to interfere with the faithful performance of his professional and public duties, however, and has recently been appointed a member of the Connecticut branch of the medical committee of the National Defense and as one of its executive committee.
B. I. ASHMUN.
B. I. Ashmun, secretary and treasurer of the Handy Manufacturing Company of Bridge- port, was born in Rutland, Vermont, July 18, 1871. After acquiring a publie school educa- tion he secured a position with a New York firm, Allston Gerry & Company. Later he was employed by the hardware firm, Hammacher, Schlemmer & Company.
He afterward joined his father, Sidney Ashmun, who was engaged in the manufacture of whalebone substitutes in New Jersey. He went on the road as a traveling salesman, introducing the products of the house. During the year 1893 he represented C. F. Goepel & Company at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago after having previously been upon the road as traveling representative for that house.
In January, 1894, he started with the Armstrong Manufacturing Company as travel-
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ing salesman and continued with them until 1903. In that year he organized the Connecti- cut Tool Company, with a factory at Howard avenue and Spruce street, and in 1908 he sold out to the Armstrong Manufacturing Company. After spending some time abroad he established the Handy Manufacturing Company, making tools for plumbers, electricians, water, gas, and steam fitters. Mr. Ashmun was recently elected managing director of the Pratt & Cady Company at Hartford, Connecticut.
In 1896 Mr. Ashmun was married to Miss Lillian L. Armstrong, of Bridgeport, and they have one son, Frederick S., who is now a high school pupil. Fraternally Mr. Ashmun is connected with the Royal Arcanum and he belongs to the Seaside and Brooklawn Clubs. Throughout his entire life he has so directed his efforts that energy and enterprise have overcome obstacles and difficulties and his course has been marked by steady progress.
PAUL STANLEY CHAPMAN.
Paul Stanley Chapman, actively engaged in the practice of law in Bridgeport. was born at Bethel, Connecticut, August 19, 1877, the second son of the Rev. Adelbert P. and Ellen (Harvey) Chapman. The mother died in 1899. The father, an Episcopal minister, has for the past fifteen years been rector of St. Andrew's parish church in Northfield, Connecticut.
Paul S. Chapman has spent his entire life in this state. Liberal educational advan- tages have been accorded him and he completed his preparation for a professional career by graduation from the Yale Law School in 1908. He then opened an office in Bridgeport, where he has since remained in active practice, and the contributing elements of his suc- cess have been a practical point of view as to details and the thoroughness with which he prepares his work.
On the 4th of September, 1909, Mr. Chapman was married, ,and has a son, Stanley H., now six years of age. Mr. Chapman has membership in the Seaside and Algonquin Clubs and his religious faith is that of the Episcopal church. In polities he is a republican, but while he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, he has never been an office seeker, preferring to give his undivided attention to his law practice, which is con- stantly growing in volume and importance.
JOHN J. CULLINAN.
John J. Cullinan, member of the Bridgeport bar, engaged in general practice in a partnership relation that is maintained under the firm style of Cullinan & Cullinan, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, September 17, 1864, his parents being John and Catherine (Keating) Cullinan. Liberal educational opportunities were accorded him and after com- pleting an academic course at Yale with the class of 1887, and after two years spent at newspaper work and teaching, he entered the law school of Columbia University, in which he studied for a year. He afterward continued his reading in the office of Bernard Keat- ing, of Bridgeport, and was admitted to practice at the bar of Fairfield county on the 9th of January, 1891. In the same year he became a member of the law firm of Cullinan & Cullinan and has so continued in practice to the present time. He has never specialized along a single line hut has pursued the general practice of the law and his comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence is manifest in the success with which he has presented his cases to the court.
In 1894 Mr. Cullinan was united in marriage in Naugatuck, Connecticut, to Miss
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Katherine Kennedy, of this state, and they have three children: Mary, Helen and Paul. Mr. Cullinan gives his political allegiance to the democratic party, and while never a seeker for political office, he has served for nine years as a member of the board of education and in community affairs is deeply interested, actuated by an earnest desire to promote those interests and projects which he believes will work for the welfare of the community.
FRANK B. JAYNES.
Frank B. Jaynes, civil engineer of Bridgeport, was born April 27, 1871, in the city where he still resides, and the fact that the family has a French coat of arms leads him to the belief that the Jaynes in America were originally of French ancestry, the name heing De Jean. The line of descent is traced down through William Jaynes, who came to the United States about 1646, through James, Shadrach, Stephen, Nathan and Charles. The last named wedded Margaret Somers, a representative of an old Massachusetts family.
Their son, Frank B. Jaynes, attended the public schools and the Park Avenue Institute of Bridgeport and, starting out in the business world, was first employed by Chaffee Brothers on the east side. He afterward worked for Schofield & Starr, surveyors and engineers, with whom he continued until 1913, when he started in business independently and has won for himself a favorable reputation as a civil engineer. As engineer he was connected with the building of a number of Bridgeport's best enterprises. He was engineer on the original building for the Remington Arms Company, was resident engineer when the Shelton Street Railway, now the property of the Connecticut Company, was built, and in 1892 he was in charge of the work of converting the street railways of Bridgeport from horse lines to trolley lines. He did similar work in Westport in 1897 and in 1911 he went to Cuba to survey and open five thousand acres of land for the Sargent Cigar & Plantation Com- pany at Gnane. He has been connected with various important civil engineering projects and now holds creditable rank in his profession.
In 1898 Mr. Jaynes was married to Miss Geneva B. King, who was a native of Bridge- port and passed away January 20, 1914. She was a descendant of William Jaynes in the eighth generation. her line being through Stephen Jaynes of the fourth generation, his son William, and the latter's danghter, Rebecca Burr Jaynes, the mother of Caroline W. Brotherton, who married George W. King and became the mother of Mrs. Geneva B. (King) Jaynes. Fraternally he is connected with St. John's Lodge, No. 3, F. & A. M., of which he is a past master, and he has also been a member of the grand lodge. His military experience covers three years' service with the State Naval Reserve and he was ensign in the third company of the naval battalion. He is widely and favorably known in Bridgeport, where the greater part of his life has been passed and where he has a circle of friends almost coex- tensive with the circle of his acquaintance.
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