USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Bridgeport > History of Bridgeport and vicinity > Part 26
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Dr. Hill was a man of unusually broad and tolerant outlook and of so cheerful a disposition that his mere presence in the siekroom was a curative agent. He was not a man who thought of his own ends before all others, but devoted himself to the interests of the community in general and to those of his patients in particular. He was extremely charitable in all his instincts and an appeal was never made to him in vain either professionally or in any other way. All those that came in contact with him honored and admired him and this sketch cannot be brought more fittingly to a close than with the tribute of his fellow trustees of the Staples Free School of Easton. This was in the form of resolutions passed by them on February 14. 1912, shortly after his death. They follow :
"The remaining trustees of this school, Mr. Frederick E. Silliman and Mr. Samuel C. Shaw, wish at this time, and in this manner, to express their appreciation of the valuable services rendered by their fellow trustee, Dr. Seth Hill, recently deceased, as a member of this board since 1901; and to express their sorrow at his death, and their sympathy for his family in their great loss.
"Dr. Hill became a member of this board at a time when it especially needed the wide judgment and conservative influence which he conld so well exercise. Because of his wide knowledge of the school, its relations with the town of Easton, and its history for many Vol. II-11
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years past, his services as a trustee of the school were especially valuable, and they will be greatly missed by this board.
"We, therefore, take this opportunity to spread upon our minutes these few words of appreciation, sorrow and sympathy."
In the Connecticut Medical Society Book of 1912 is a history of the life of Dr. Hill with tributes of love and praise. Dr. Hill was a little over six feet in height and of unusually fine physique.
JOHN A. CORNELL, JR.
Although one of the younger members of the Bridgeport bar John A. Cornell, Jr., has made a creditable position for himself and his friends have faith in his future because of his strongly pronounced characteristics. He was born in this city January 29, 1889, a son of John A. Cornell, Sr., who was born in Bridgeport, where he still makes his home. The Cornell family is an old one in Fairfield county and John A. Cornell, Sr., is a son of John G. Cornell, a native of Derby, Connecticut, and a veteran of the Civil war, in which he served for two years. John A. Cornell, Sr., wedded Minnie Frances Geary, a native of this city, to which her parents removed from Cromwell, Connecticut, where they were carly settlers. Both Mr. and Mrs. John A. Cornell, Sr., are now living and the father has devoted his life to mechanical pursuits.
In the attainment of his education John A. Cornell, Jr., attended the public schools until graduated from the Bridgeport high school with the class of 1905. When nineteen years of age he was assistant sales manager with the Bridgeport Chain Company, but it was his desire to devote his life to a professional career and he entered the New York University Law School in 1912, there completing three years' work in two years, so that he was graduated with the LL. B. degree in 1914. Since that date he has practiced law in Bridgeport and is now following his profession in association with Spotswood D. Bowers and Charles E. Williamson. He is specializing in the field of corporation law and has studied broadly along that line, gaining a comprehensive knowledge of that branch of the profession.
Mr. Cornell belongs to St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church. In politics he is a demo- crat and has filled the office of justice of the peace. He belongs to Phi Alpha Delta, a law fraternity, and he has the friendship and kindly regard of many of his proessional colleagues and contemporaries in this city.
CHARLES M. CALHOUN.
The late Charles M. Calhoun was one of Bridgeport's valued citizens and a well known figure on the cotton exchange in New York city. He was born in Bridgeport in 1848, a representative of one of the most distinguished and honored families of the country. His father was the Hon. Philo C. Calhoun, former mayor of Bridgeport.
Charles M. Calhoun spent many years in the south, where he acquired expert knowledge of cotton, being familiar with every phase of production, shipment and sale. When he was twenty-five years of age his father presented him with a seat on the cotton exchange of New York city, which he held until the time of his demise, or for a period of forty years. He made daily trips to and from the metropolis and was the oldest commuter on the New Haven Railroad. having traveled between New York and Bridgeport every morning and evening for four decades. In his operations upon the cotton exchange he was connected with.
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R. T. Wilson & Company, and he enjoyed an enviable reputation as an expert on cotton erops.
The death of Mr. Calhoun occurred August 24, 1916, when he had reached the age of sixty-seven years. He was a member of the Brooklawn Country Club and the Contemporary Club and in various other ways participated in the social activities of his native city. He was also connected with the Masonic fraternity and had been a vestryman of St. John's Episcopal church. He stood as a high type of manhood and citizenship.
In 1888 Charles M. Calhoun was united in marriage to Miss Julia B. Sanford, and they became the parents of three children who are residents of Bridgeport: Philo C., John C. and Katherine. The latter is the wife of John Carleton Sterling and the mother of one daughter, Joan.
Philo C. Calhoun was born in Bridgeport in 1889 and passed through the schools of the city, supplementing his early educational training by a course in Williams College, from which he was graduated in 1910, and in the Harvard Law School, in which he completed his course in 1913. The following year he was admitted to practice in the courts of Connecti- ent and has since been with the firm of Marsh, Stoddard & Day, one of the most promi- nent of the law firms of the city.
GEORGE KIPPEN.
George Kippen, whose death occurred at Fort MeDowell, in what was then the terri- tory of Arizona, in 1868, was a native of Bridgeport. horn March 26, 1819, and was a son of George and Betsey (Meeker) Kippen. The father was a well known silversmith of his day and for many years carried on business in Bridgeport where he and his family made their home and where he and his wife at length passed away.
George Kippen, Jr., was educated in the schools of Bridgeport and afterward worked at the silversmith's business with his father. At the time of the discovery of gold in Cali- fornia he with a number of others left Bridgeport, sailing for San Francisco. They were shipwrecked while en route but eventually reached their destination and started out on their hunt for gold. With a company of others Mr. Kippen operated a mine north of Sacra- mento, California, constructing sluices with which to carry the water from the mountain, but after they had expended much time and money they found that the construction work was not successful. The project proved a losing venture and was in consequence abandoned. Mr. Kippen, however, continued in California for a number of years, operating both in the north part of the state and in the south. In 1854 he was one of the original members of the Arizona Copper Mining Company and resided in that territory for the remainder of his life. He was associated for a time with the mercantile firm of George F. Hooper & Com- pany of San Francisco, who had established various branches of their business in different parts of California and in Arizona. Mr. Kippen managed the business at Fort Yuma, Arizona, and later was at Fort McDowell, where he continued as manager of the business up to the time of his death, which occurred February 22, 1868, when he was forty-nine years of age. His remains were interred at Fort McDowell with Masonic honors. At the time of his death the newspapers of that section spoke of Mr. Kippen as "a man noted for his honest, upright conduet and steady attention to business. He won the esteem of his employers and at the time of his death was a partner in the George F. Hooper Company of Fort Me- Dowell. He was a man of generous impulses, of noble sentiments, and leaves many friends in this territory and in California to mourn his death."
It was on the 9th of September, 1845, that Mr. Kippen was united in marriage by the Rev. Lyman H. Atwater to Miss Jane A. Niehols, of Fairfield, a woman of culture and refinement, who was a devoted mother and a sineere Christian in every sense of the term. She held membership in the Congregational church, was active in the Sunday school and
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in all good work. She did much to promote the church and Sunday school interests in Fairfield, where she continued to make her home until called to her final rest on the 20th of April, 1907, her remains being interred in the Fairfield cemetery. By her marriage she became the mother of three children. Charles Nichols, born December 27, 1846, died in New York city in July, 1898. James Hill, born June 4, 1848, died August 19, 1848. Mary Birdsey, horn August 5, 1849, now resides in Fairfield. She is a member of the Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Fairfield, which she joined on its organization, and for six years she served as regent of the chapter. She had three ancestors in the Revolutionary war and she is descended through the Kippen family from Elder William Brewster, who came to America on the Mayflower and is therefore eligible to membership in the Mayflower Society, in the Founders and Patriots' Society and the Society of Colonial Dames. She is quite active in the social and religious life of Fair- field and is a member of the Congregational Church Missionary Society and of the Red Cross Society. She is also a member of the state committee of the Daughters of the American Revolution to prevent the desecration of the flag and also of the national committee for the same purpose. She is likewise a member of the Connecticut Audubon Society, of which she has been the treasurer for seventeen years. She is a most womanly woman and is opposed to women taking part in governmental affairs.
The Nichols family, of which Miss Kippen is a descendant in the maternal line, was also early established in this state. Her great-grandfather, Hezekiah Nichols, lived in Fair- field. He married Anna Penfield and their son, Samuel Allen Nichols was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1787 and was one of nine children. He was educated and grew to manhood there, after which he took up the occupation of farming and also became a merchant. His life was spent in that town, where he passed away February 4, 1864. He was a whig and a republican and he served as town clerk of Fairfield from 1837 until 1863 and for several years was a selectman of the town. He was also a magistrate for many years and was thus actively connected with civic affairs. He held membership in the Congregational church for forty years and was one of its deacons from 1840 until his death. He ranked with the best known and most highly respected citizens of his community, esteemed for the genuine worth of his character. He was married November 20, 1816, to Wilsana Wheeler, a daughter of Captain Wilson Wheeler, who died at sea. Mrs. Nichols was born in Bridgeport, then a part of Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1789, and passed away in Fairfield, in 1857, at the age of sixty-eight years. She, too, was a devoted member of the Congregational church. Their children were Abbie B., Julia B., Anna P., Jane A., John, who died in infancy, John Il, and Henry. All are now deceased.
It was Jane A. Nichols who became the wife of George Kippen, Jr., and their daughter, Mary Birdsey Kippen, has in her possession two books constituting the diary kept by her father during the period of his residence in California and Arizona, in which he chronicled the events of each day and which contain many interesting incidents. The old Niebols home was in possession of the family for more than one hundred and seventy-five years.
JAMES LALLY.
James Lally, mayor of Stratford, who in the administration of his public duties is giving to his city a businesslike and progressive administration, was here born on the 15th of November, 1871, his parents being John and Ann (Lynch) Lally, who emigrated from Ireland and established their home in Connecticut in 1857. They had a family of six sons and a daughter, all of whom are yet living, namely: Mary A., who is a resident of Stratford, Connecticut; William, living in East Providence, Rhode Island; Francis J., of Waterbury;
JAMES LALLY
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and John, Thomas and Charles, all of Stratford, Connecticut; and James, of this review. Both parents have now passed away.
James Lally attended the public schools to the age of sixteen years and then made his initial step in the business world, since which time he has been closely associated with `business and public interests. For the past ten years he has taken contracts for road work and for excavating sand and gravel, generally employing from fifteen to twenty men and using four teams.
His activity in political affairs compasses a period of eight years, beginning in 1909, when he was elected to the position of tree warden for the conservation of trees and the promotion of the natural growth of forests. He acceptably filled that position for three years and in 1912 he was elected selectman and remained on the board of selectmen for three years. He was then elected first selectman or mayor of Stratford in 1915 and at the present time holds this position, which also makes him chairman of the finance com- mittee, chairman of the board of selectmen and chairman of the sewer board. He also has supervision over all public expenditures.
Mr. Lally is a member of St. James Roman Catholic church of Stratford and is also connected with the Improved Order of Red Men. Those who know him, and he has a wide acquaintance, esteem him for his sterling worth and recognize his marked fidelity to duty in public office.
RICHARD S. SWAIN.
Richard S. Swain, junior partner in the law firm of Garlick & Swain, practicing at the Bridgeport bar since 1913, was born in Arcanum, Obio, July 6, 1889, being the eidest son of the Rev. Richard L. Swain, a Congregational minister who was formerly pastor of the South Congregational church of Bridgeport but is now upon the lecture platform.
Richard S. Swain accompanied his parents on their various removals as the father was called from one place to another in his ministerial work. He became a student in the high school of Laconia, New Hampshire, and later spent three years in the Syracuse (New York) University. A review of the broad field of business led him to the determination to make the practice of law his life work, and with that end in view he entered the Yale Law School and was graduated in 1913 with the LL. B. degree. In June of the same year he was admitted to practice at the Connecticut har and since then has actively followed his profession in Bridgeport as a partner of E. E. Garlick, who is assistant prosecuting attorney of the city of Bridgeport and is mentioned elsewhere in this work. Mr. Swain is regarded as one of the rising young lawyers of the city.
He is a member of the United Congregational church and is serving as assistant secre- tary of its Sunday school. He belongs to Phi Alpha Delta, a law fraternity, and he is fond of outdoor sports, including football, hunting, swimming, and motoring. In a word he is a young man of normal development and well balanced character, actuated by a spirit of progressiveness, governed by high principles and stimulated hy lofty ideals.
BENJAMIN BERNSTEIN.
Benjamin Bernstein, a partner in the wholesale grocery business conducted at Bridge- port under the name of Saltman Brothers, was born in Russia, July 6, 1887, a son of Louis M. and Bessie Bernstein, who are now residents of Glen Cove, Long Island. In their family were eight children, the brothers and sisters of Benjamin Bernstein being: Philip M., Joseph G., and Samuel A., all residents of Glen Cove, Long Island; Jennie Golden, who
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makes her home at New Milford, Connecticut; Walter, living at Glen Cove, Long Island; Sadie London, of Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Frederick, who makes his home in Cleveland, Ohio.
At the usual age Benjamin Bernstein entered the public schools, therein pursuing his studies until 1902. On the 17th of November of that year he came to the new world, making his way to Glen Cove, Long Island, where he again entered school. Later he had his initial business experience in connection with the dry goods trade, being thus employed until 1908, when he came to Bridgeport and established two stores on Main street, one being a grocery store and the other a dry goods establishment. These he successfully conducted until August. 1909, when he sold out, but on the 20th of September reentered commercial circles as a partner in the firm of Saltman Brothers, in which connection he has since re- mained contributing much through his indefatigable enterprise, business ability and sound judgment to the success of this wholesale grocery house.
On the 18th of February, 1917, Mr. Bernstein was united in marriage to Miss Dinah Berkowitz, of New York city. He does not seek to figure prominently in public connections outside of his business, preferring to give his undivided time and attention to the wholesale grocery trade. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for his success is the direct result of his own labors. Gradually he has advanced as the result of the wise utiliza- tion of his opportunities and is today occupying a foremost position in commercial circles of the city.
JOHN ALEXANDER HENRY ROBINSON.
John Alexander Henry Robinson, city clerk of Bridgeport, was born in Belfast, Ireland, July 4, 1880, and is a splendid example of the north of Ireland stock which has played so important a part not only in the affairs of that country but of every community in which its representatives have settled throughout the world. His grandfather, Thomas Robinson, was a farmer in the barony of Upper Castlereagh, in County Down, eight miles from Belfast, and there John Henry Robinson was born October 2, 1848. He married Martha J. Moore, a native of Belfast and a daughter of Captain Hugh Moore. Several of her relatives are still living in Belfast and some of them are serving in the English army. John H. Robinson preceded his family to this country, locating in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he was joined after ten months by his wife and children, who crossed the Atlantic in 1883. He bad already become established in the grocery and tea business and he successfully conducted his store for twenty years. He is still active in business at the age of sixty-nine, being now connected with the American Graphophone Company of Bridgeport. Of bis children Hugh Moore, the eldest, holds an important position in the executive department of the Union Typewriter Company of Bridgeport. He married Della Tyrell and they are the parents of one child, Ethel May. Margaret Skillan became the wife of Charles Walshaw, of Birmingham, England, and they are now residing in Bridgeport. Martha Henry is the wife of Clarence Edwin Marsh and the mother of three sons, Elliott, Clarence and John. Edith Mary and John Alexander are the next in order of birth. Fred Thomas married Luella Payne and they are the parents of three children, Sylvia, Moore and Luella. Adeline Wylie is the wife of Charles Gregory and the mother of one child, Suzanne. Maud Eveline is the wife of John C. Ilawley. Mr. and Mrs. Marsh reside in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, and Mr. and Mrs. Fred T. Robinson in New Haven, Connecticut. while the remainder of the children are residents of Bridgeport.
John A. H. Robinson was a child of but three years when brought to the United States by his mother. He attended the public schools of Bridgeport and at the age of thirteen put aside his textbooks and secured a position with a typewriting concern, continuing with
JOHN ALEXANDER HENRY ROBINSON
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the office force for about eight years, after which he was on the road as a traveling salesman for five years. He was, however, destined for another field of activity than that of business. In early life he took a keen interest in public affairs, thoroughly studying the political situation, especially in relation to local issues. He became actively identified with the city organization of the republican party in early manhood and was soon regarded as a leader in his community. In 1913 he was the successful candidate for city clerk and is now serving his second term in that responsible position. Previously he had twice been a candidate for state senator, but was not able to overcome the strong normal democratie majority. For six years he has filled the position of chairman of the republican town committee, having charge of the campaign work.
On the 27th of August, 1903, Mr. Robinson was married in St. Paul's church, in Bridgeport, to Miss Betsey Carolyn Blood, a native of Bridgeport and a daughter of William Henry and Carolyn (Peck) Blood, who were born in Nichols, Connecticut, and are members of old and distinguished families of the state. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Robinson are Episcolpalians, being communicants of St. Paul's church. He is an active member of the United Commercial Travelers Association and in Masonry he has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite. He also belongs to the local lodges of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Royal Arcanum, the Knights of Pythias and a number of similar organiza- tions. He is today writing a new chapter in his life history, having become captain and regimental quartermaster of the Fourth Regiment of the Connecticut Home Guard, which was organized in April, 1917.
JOHN H. CASEY.
John H. Casey, engaged in law practice in Bridgeport, his native city, is a son of Michael J., and Mary (Crotty) Casey, who are residents of Bridgeport. The father was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and is a son of John H. Casey, a native of Ireland, in which country the mother of John H. Casey of this review was born.
Spending his youthful days under the parental roof John H. Casey obtained his early education in Bridgeport, and is a Yale graduate of 1911, in which year he completed his law course and finished his equipment for the bar. In his youth his summers were spent upon a farm and in the outdoor life he laid the foundation for physical and mental development. Following his gradnation he opened an office for active law practice in Bridgeport and in the intervening period of six years has made steady progress in his chosen profession.
Mr. Casey holds membership in the Roman Catholic church and he belongs to the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, of which he was formerly president. In politics he is a democrat and for one term served as alderman of Bridgeport from the sixth ward. He has also been justice of the peace and his decisions have ever been fair and impartial. He belongs to the Yale Club and he finds his chief source of recreation in his reading, which covers a wide range, keeping him in touch with the world's thought and progress.
PHILIP J. ONKEY.
One of the thoroughly organized manufacturing enterprises of Bridgeport is that con- ducted under the name of the Oriental Rouge Company, of which Philip J. Onkey is the president. This business was established in 1902 but since 1891 he has been a representative of business activities in Bridgeport. He was born in Washington, D. C., in January, 1860, a son of Joseph and Ann (Carlin) Onkey, who removed to Albany, New York, during the
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boyhood of their son Philip, who was there reared and educated, attending the publie schools. He came to Bridgeport in 1891 and for thirteen years occupied the responsible position of foreman with Burns & Bassiek. He thus gained broad business experience and in 1902 he organized the Oriental Rouge Company, which on the 1st of December, 1916, became the Oriental Rouge Company, Incorporated. The business was at first located on Railroad avenue but in 1905 a removal was made to 66 and 68 Pine street. Among the products of the factory are metal polish and compositions and the output is sold all over the United States and Canada. The business has now assumed extensive and gratifying proportions, and that Mr. Onkey is well known to the trade is indicated in the fact that he is a member of the American Electroplaters' Association.
On the 15th of February, 1882, Mr. Onkey was married to Miss Annie Gorman, of Boston, and they have beeome parents of seven children, namely: Joseph P., who is associated in business with his father and who is also serving as alderman of the fourth ward; Helen; Edward; Mabel; Theodore; Philip; and John. Mr. Onkey belongs to the Benevolent Pro- teetive Order of Elks and also has membership with the United Commercial Travelers. For more than a quarter of a century he has been connected with the business interests of Bridge- port and throughout the entire period has maintained an unassailable reputation for com- mereial integrity and been regarded as a worthy representative of commercial enterprise.
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