USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 11
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Curate at Saint Joseph's Church in North Grosvernor Dale, Con- necticut, from 1927 to 1944, he was then appointed pastor of Saint Joseph's Church in Dayville, Connecticut and Church of the Five Wounds, Ballouville, Connecticut. It was on May 14, 1954 that Fath- er Lavallée was named to his present post as pastor of Sacred Heart Church of Groton, and of Stations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Poquonnock Bridge, and Our Lady of Lourdes, Gales Ferry, both in Connecticut.
Sacred Heart Parish in Groton dates from 1912, but prior to this date, Catholics in the area attended religious services at Saint Mary's Church in New London. In 1905, Mass was said in the old Ferry House and then in the Court House, and the parish had a mis- sion status. The parish's first church was dedicated on January 19, 1913, but it retained its mission status until June 15, 1915, when Reverend William A. Fitzgerald became the first pastor. The church was repaired after the hurricane of 1938 with a new altar and a brick veneer on the outside, and under Father Lavallée the church has been completely renovated. The parish has enlarged and now has mission stations in Poquonnock Bridge and another mission in Gales Ferry. Land has been purchased at both stations as sites for new churches, a rectory and convent. Father Lavallée has built a new Sacred Heart School and a Church auditorium on a fourteen acre tract of land in Groton which he purchased in 1955. This was dedi- cated on October 27, 1957.
Father Lavallée has been active in civic and religious affairs throughout Connecticut. He is a member of Saint Jean Baptiste So- ciety, and he is the founder and chaplain, and a Fourth degree mem- ber of the Knights of Columbus in Danielson. He is first chaplain of the service club of New London, and has served continuously since its inception in 1955. He is a member of the Order of the Alhambra
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at Norwich, and an honorary member of Kiwanis International at Groton. It was in 1955 that Governor Ribicoff appointed him a director of the Connecticut State Penitentiary in Wethersfield and as a member of the Connecticut State Parole Board. He was reappointed to these posts by Governor Ribicoff in 1957.
JOSEPH F. DANNEHY
Corporation counsel for the city of Willimantic and assistant prosecuting attorney of the Willimantic Police Court, Mr. Dannehy has served as Town Counsel of Windham, and he has been in the general practice of law in Willimantic since 1943.
He was born in Willimantic, the son of Michael Dannehy and of Bridget (Rawley) Dannehy. He graduated from St. Thomas Sem- inary in Bloomfield, Connecticut, obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Boston College in 1940, and he received the degree of Bachelor of Laws from Cornell University Law School in 1943. He was ad- mitted to the Connecticut Bar that same year. During World War II, Mr. Dannehy served in Army Counter-Intelligence.
President of the Visiting Nurse Association and chairman of the Selective Service Board, Mr. Dannehy is a former assistant clerk of the Connecticut State Senate, and among his other community activities are the posts of trustee of the Windham Community Me- morial Hospital and director of the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion. He is a part-time instructor at the University of Connecticut School of Business and he is a director of the Willimantic Chronicle. He is a corporator of the Willimantic Savings Institute, and he is chairman of the Democratic Party of the Town of Windham. He is a past president of the Lions Club and of the Willimantic Community Chest, and he attends religious services at Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Willimantic.
Mr. Dannehy was married on June 18, 1949, to Margaret Rior- dan, the daughter of Dr. Michael D. Riordan and of Margaret G. (Tobin) Riordan of Willimantic. Mrs. Dannehy obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Wellesley College. Mr. and Mrs. Dannehy have two children : I. Michael, born on May 2, 1953. 2. Mary Ellen, born on February 25, 1955.
J. LEO BODO
Vice president of the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company of Willimantic and Danielson, and a member of the advisory board of
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both banks, Mr. Bodo is a trustee of the Day-Kendall Hospital of Putnam and a director of the Danielson Industrial Foundation, Inc. He was born in Danielson, Connecticut, on January 21, 1903, the son of Joseph Bodo and of Olive (St. Onge) Bodo.
Graduated from Killingly High School in 1921, he then studied at the American Institute of Banking. He entered the banking profes- sion in the Windham County National Bank at Danielson, in 1920, as a clerk, and it was in 1942 that he became president of the bank. He remained as president of the bank until 1953 when it was merged with the Hartford Connecticut Trust Company, subsequently be- coming the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company, and Mr. Bodo assumed the post of vice president of the Danielson office. It was in August, 1955, that he became manager of the Windham office of the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company at Willimantic and he is the chief executive officer of both banks.
Mr. Bodo has been active in community organizations and he is a member of the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and is a di- rector of the Greater Willimantic Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of Elks Lodge No. 1706 of Danielson, he enjoys social con- nections also as a member of the Pomfret Rod and Gun Club and the Knights of Columbus of Danielson, and he enjoys his favorite game of golf as a member of the Willimantic Country Club and of the Quin- nitisset Country Club of Thompson, Connecticut. Mr. Bodo attends religious services in Saint James Roman Catholic Church in Danielson.
He was married in Wauregan, Connecticut, on July 6, 1933, to Pauline Bouliane, the daughter of Pierre Bouliane and of Sara (Pa- radis) Bouliane. Mrs. Bodo graduated from Killingly High School in Danielson.
I. MAYO COHEN
Justice of the peace in Windham, former deputy judge and then judge of the Willimantic City and Police Court, Mr. Cohen has been active in the practice of law since 1940. He is a director of the Wil- limantic Lions Club and of the Willimantic Community Chest.
He was born in Willimantic on September 30, 1913, the son of Jacob Cohen and of Hattie (Freedman) Cohen. Both of his parents were born in Russia and came to the United States in their youth, his father's family settling in New London and his mother's family in Moodus, Connecticut. Mr. Cohen graduated from Windham High School in Willimantic, he obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts
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at Dartmouth College in 1934, and he received the degree of Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1937. He was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar in 1939 and to the Connecticut Bar in 1940. During World War II, he served from 1942 to 1945, as a staff ser- geant, Headquarters Company, Three-hundred-and-fifteenth Infantry of the Seventy-ninth Division. He saw action in six campaigns in the European Theater and received the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster.
Mr. Cohen is active in professional organizations and is a mem- ber of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Associa- tion and the Windham County Bar Association. A member of Doric Masonic Lodge of Thompsonville, Connecticut, and of the American Legion, he enjoys his favorite game of golf as a member of the Wil- limantic Country Club, and he is president of Congregation Israel of Willimantic, where he attends religious worship.
Mr. Cohen was married in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Oc- tober 18, 1947, to Bernice Squires, the daughter of Harry Siegel and of Mollie Siegel of Thompsonville, Connecticut. Mrs. Cohen graduated from Enfield, Connecticut, High School, and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Russell Sage College in 1936. Mr. and Mrs. Cohen have two children, both born in Willimantic: I. Leila F., born cn January 26, 1949. 2. Norman A., born on February 25, 1951.
REVEREND JAMES J. WILSON
Pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church of Middletown, since 1944, and a member of the Catholic priesthood since 1918, Father Wilson also serves Notre Dame Church at Durham and the Mission Church of Saint Colman at Middlefield.
Father Wilson was born in New Britain, Connecticut, on May 21, 1895, the son of Thomas H. Wilson and of Sarah (Bergen) Wilson. His father was a native of Vermont and was a moulder by trade. Father Wilson's mother was born in New Britain. Father Wilson attended Saint Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where he was an outstanding basketball player, and he studied for the priesthood at Saint Bernard's Seminary in Rochester, New York. He was ordained to the priesthood in Saint Joseph's Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut, on December 21, 1918.
Assistant Pastor at Immaculate Conception Church in Hartford from 1918 to 1928, Father Wilson was then assistant pastor at Saint Charles Church in Bridgeport from 1928 to 1931, and at Saint John's
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Church in Stamford from 1931 to 1935. He became pastor of Saint Thomas Church in Goshen in 1935, and it was in 1944 that he became pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Middletown. In addition to his pastoral duties, he is an active member of Bishop McMann Assembly of the Knights of Columbus in Middletown.
CHARLES A. BROOKS
General manager of The Marine Historical Association, Inc., which operates Mystic Seaport, Mr. Brooks has been associated with the Marine Historical Association since 1949 and is a member of the Mystic Rotary Club.
Mr. Brooks was born in Richmond, Virginia, on June 21, 1905, the son of Charles A. Brooks and of Mary Louise (Maynes) Brooks. His family later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and then to High Point, North Carolina. Mr. Brooks graduated from High Point High School, obtained a degree of Bachelor of Arts from High Point College and attended summer sessions at the University of Illinois.
He was assistant to the graduate manager of athletics at Wake Forest College for three months, and then he managed a gift shop and a restaurant in Manhasset, Long Island, New York until 1934. Salesman for a wholesale coffee distributor for a time, he then served with the Corporation Trust Company of New York, and it was in 1942 that he joined the Electric Boat Company of New London, Con- necticut, holding successively the posts of ship superintendent, execu- tive supervisor of the selective service, wages, salaries and hours, and administrator of merit rating system in the Industrial Relations De- partment. He purchased the stock of L. E. Kinney, Inc., a jewelry store, in 1947, which he operated, serving as president until its sale in 1958. It was in 1949 that he accepted the post of business manager of Mystic Seaport.
A member of Covenant Masonic Lodge No. 758 of Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Brooks is also a member of Mason's Island Yacht Club and of Ram Island Yacht Club, and he attends religious worship as a member of the Episcopalian Church.
He was married in 1938 to Dorothy Holton of Great Neck, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks have two daughters.
WALTER A. HYDE
Secretary and treasurer of the Jewett City Savings Bank, and associated with the bank since 1922, Mr. Hyde is also secretary and
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treasurer of the Slater Library in Jewett City. He is as well secretary and treasurer of the Jewett City Cemetery Association.
Mr. Hyde was born in Lisbon, Connecticut, on June 25, 1898. the son of Frank E. Hyde and of Eva E. (Stark) Hyde. His father was born in Lisbon, was a farmer, and was registrar of voters for about forty years in Lisbon. Mr. Hyde's mother was born in Lebanon, Connecticut. Both of his parents are now deceased. Mr. Hyde attended Lisbon District School and then graduated from Norwich Business School in 1915. From 1916 to 1922 he worked on the family farm, specializing in cattle and dairying, and it was in 1922 that he became associated with the Jewett City Savings Bank as a bookkeeper and teller. He was elected assistant secretary and treasurer in 1925, and he became secretary and treasurer in July, 1937. It was also at this time that Mr. Hyde became a director of the bank.
A charter member and past treasurer of the Jewett City Lions Club, Mr. Hyde has been active in professional and civic organizations and has been treasurer of the Jewett City Salvation Army since 1946. He is a member of the Finance Board of the Town of Griswold, Con- necticut, and he has been active in the Grange, being a past master of Pachaug Grange of Griswold. He served as a deputy of the Con- necticut State Grange in 1943 and 1944, and he has been a member of the Auditing Committee of the Connecticut State Grange from 1950 to 1957. A Thirty-second degree Mason of the Scottish Rite, he is a past master and secretary of Mount Vernon Lodge No. 75 of Jewett City, and he is a member of Sphinx Temple of the Shrine in Hartford, Connecticut. Mr. Hyde attends religious worship at Newent Congregational Church in Lisbon, and he is clerk of the church. Mr. Hyde's hobby is railroading and he is a member of the Branford Electric Railway Association.
Mr. Hyde was married in Griswold, Connecticut, on June 16, 1925, to Esther Caroline Frink, the daughter of Wayland Frink and of Grace A. (Eccleston) Frink of Griswold. Mr. and Mrs. Hyde have one son, Dwight A., born in Norwich, Connecticut, on May 12, 1941. He attended Griswold High School and is now a student at Norwich Regional Technical School in Norwich, Connecticut.
REVEREND VINCENT D. MURPHY
Pastor of Saint Mary's Roman Catholic Church of Jewett City since July, 1957, Father Murphy has been a member of the Roman Catholic priesthood since 1932. He is Defender of the Bond in the Norwich Diocesan Matrimonial Court.
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Father Murphy was born in New Haven, on August 3, 1901, the son of Dennis E. Murphy and of Mary (MacMahon) Murphy. He graduated from Hillhouse High School in New Haven and at- tended Saint Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut. He re- ceived the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Catholic University in 1928 and the degree of Master of Arts in 1929, and he studied for the priesthood at the Seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris, France, where he was ordained in 1932. He also studied Advanced Theology at the Catholic Institute in Paris, and received the degree of Auditor of Sacred Theology.
Assistant pastor at Saint Mary's Parish in Willimantic, Con- necticut, from 1932 to 1935, and at Saint Francis Church in Torring- ton from 1935 to 1946, Father Murphy was then assistant pastor at Saint Mary's Church in Bridgeport, and during his stay in this post was Juvenile Court Advisor. He was pastor of Saint John's Church in Montville, Connecticut, from 1948 to 1957, and while pastor he directed the building of a community center and of a new church. He has been pastor of Saint Mary's Church in Jewett City since July, 1957.
Father Murphy is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and during World War II, he was one of the original members of the United Service Organization in Torrington.
CHARLES PHILLIP BUFITHIS
Active in the practice of law in Middletown, and a former pros- ecuting attorney of the City Court of Middletown, Mr. Bufithis has been associated with many civic and community organizations in Mid- dletown. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Con- necticut State Bar Association, the Middlesex County Bar Associa- tion and the Middletown Bar Association.
Mr. Bufithis was born in Lincoln, Rhode Island, on September 18, 1915, the son of Phillip Bufithis and of Kalopi (Liatsos) Bufithis. His parents moved to Danbury, Connecticut, in 1927, and then settled in Norwalk. His mother died in 1954. His father is still living in New York City. Mr. Bufithis attended the Danbury public schools, grad- uated from Norwalk High School in 1932, and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University in 1936. He received the degree of Bachelor of Laws cum laude from Hartford College of Law, Hartford, Connecticut, in 1941, and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar that same year.
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Prior to beginning private practice, Mr. Bufithis served as a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and during World War II, he served from 1943 to 1946 as a staff sergeant in the Army Counter Intelligence Corps, and was stationed in the Pacific Theater of Operations. A member of Saint John's Masonic Lodge No. 2 of Middletown and of the Order of Ahepa, he also holds mem- bership in the Elks and the Exchange Club, and travel and photogra- phy are his favorite hobbies. He attends religious services as a member of the Methodist Church.
Mr. Bufithis was married in Greenwich, New York, on August 30, 1937 to Lois Read, the daughter of Thomas Read and of Mabel (Sears) Read of Middletown, Connecticut. Mrs. Bufithis graduated from Middletown High School. Mr. and Mrs. Bufithis have four children : I. Charlotte, born in December, 1943, and now a student in Middletown High School. 2. Charles, Jr., born on July 6, 1947. 3. and 4. Carol and Robert, twins, born on August 23, 1951. All the children were born in Middletown.
GENERAL NATHAN JOHNSON
With a distinguished record as both a military officer and a public official to his credit, General Nathan Johnson took a significant part in the affairs of New England during the nation's formative period. Born at Southborough, Massachusetts, on August 24, 1779, he was a son of Elisha and Sarah (Perry) Johnson, and a descendant in the sixth generation from William Johnson, English progenitor of the family, who became a freeman of the Massachusetts Colony in 1634.
General Johnson was prepared for college by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Austin of Worcester, Massachusetts, and then entered Yale College. In March of his sophomore year he united with the College Church on profession of his faith, and graduated from Yale in 1802. For two years thereafter he taught in East (now South) Windsor, Connecti- cut, and read theology with the Rev. Dr. David McClure. He then went to Windsor, and resided with Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth's family, instructing his two sons, who graduated from Yale in 1810, and a few other pupils. On February 6, 1805, Nathan Johnson was licensed by the Hartford North Association of Ministers, but after preaching once or twice he was stricken with bleeding at the lungs and had to abandon the idea of following the ministry. He then studied law with Judge Ellsworth, was admitted to the bar in 1806, and in 1807 settled in Hartford, where he practiced law until his death in 1852.
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General Nathan Johnson
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During the War of 1812 he served in the militia as a captain, and was stationed on the Connecticut seaboard at Fort Fenwick. He was a colonel in the Second Regiment of the Light Artillery from 1816 to 1820, and brigadier general of the Artillery of Connecticut from 1820 to 1828. He also served as quartermaster general of Con- necticut. In 1817, three artillery companies under the command of Colonel Johnson were reviewed in Hartford by President James Monroe, and in 1824 when General Lafayette visited Hartford, fifteen hundred militia under the command of General Johnson-the rank he had by that time attained-formed his escort. On this occasion nearly one hundred officers and soldiers of the Revolutionary War were present.
From the time of the writing of the Connecticut Constitution, he was a leader of the Toleration Party, served as a representative in the Connecticut General Assembly from 1820 to 1823 inclusive, and was a clerk of the assembly at each session. He was also a state senator from 1825 to 1829. For sixteen years he was town treasurer of Hartford. General Johnson took a deep interest in the cause of education and was active in promoting the success of the public schools. He was a Fellow of Yale College and an ex officio member of the Yale Corporation from 1826 to 1830. In 1827 he received an honorary master's degree from Harvard College.
On August 17, 1818, General Nathan Johnson married Sarah Butler Merrill. They became the parents of the following children : I. Elizabeth Sadler, who was born in 1819 and died in 1861. She married the Rev. William E. Dixon. 2. Sarah Butler, born in 1821. 3. Harriet N., born in 1822. 4. Emily Merrill, born November 26, 1824. She married James H. Holcombe. 5. Nathan Perry, who was born in 1827 and died in 1858. 6. Laura, born in 1829. 7. Charles William, born October 7, 1831 ; died December 2, 1901. He married Mary Ada Stedman, and they had two children: i. Mabel, who makes her home in Hartford. ii. Eleanor, who married Dr. Herschel Carcy Walker. 8. Catherine, who was born in 1834 and died in 1835.
The death of General Johnson occurred in Hartford on October 12, 1852.
STEPHEN S. SWEET
Active in the practice of law in Middletown, and serving on the town council for Cromwell, Mr. Sweet is vice president of the Crom- well Parent-Teacher Association and a member of the Exchange
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Club of Middletown. He was born in Middletown on May 19, 1925, the son of Dr. Alfred N. Sweet and of Catherine (Tallmadge) Sweet. His parents were born in Middletown, and his father is an orthopedic surgeon there. Dr. Sweet obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Wesleyan University and received his medical degree at the Uni- versity of Maryland School of Medicine. Mr. Sweet's grandfather, Dr. Alfred N. Sweet, also practiced medicine in Middletown, and was associated with his son. On his mother's side, Mr. Sweet's grandfather was Dr. Andrew Tallmadge of New York City.
Mr. Sweet graduated from Wilbraham, Massachusetts, Academy, obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Wesleyan University in 1950, and received the degree of Bachelor of Laws from Syracuse University Law School in 1954. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar that same year. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 as a radioman, second class, and he was assigned first to the USS "Boarfish" and then to the USS "Diab- lo," both vessels being submarines.
Mr. Sweet is active in professional organizations and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut State Bar Asso- ciation, the Middlesex County Bar Association and the Middletown Bar Association. A member of Alpha Delta Phi and of Phi Delta Phi fraternities, boating is a favorite sport, and he attends religious worship at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Middletown.
He was married on June 12, 1950, at Elizabeth, New Jersey, to Ottilie Knauer, the daughter of Dr. George Knauer and of Bertha (Boller) Knauer. Mrs. Sweet graduated from Vail-Dean School for Girls in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science at Beaver College. Mr. and Mrs. Sweet have two children: I. Ottilie, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in November, 1953. 2. Stephanie, born in Middletown, Connecticut, in May, 1955.
JOSEPH PATRICK BRANSFIELD
Joseph Patrick Bransfield has played a useful and active role in the commercial life of Portland, Connecticut. After some years at the head of a coal and oil distributorship, he entered the real estate busi- ness, which has since remained his major occupational interest. He has also served in the Connecticut State Legislature, and has distin- guished himself in public office in his own township.
A native of Portland, he was born on January 4, 1890, son of John and Catherine (Butler) Bransfield. His father for many years
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operated a retail coal and grocery business and was widely respected throughout Middlesex County at the time of his death in 1920. He served in the State Legislature in 1903, and drew up the bill which relieved the towns of his state of railroad indebtedness. He also served in several town offices, including the chairmanship of the school board.
Attending the public schools and graduating from Portland High School in 1909, Joseph Patrick Bransfield entered his father's business in that year, and remained with him until World War I. He then enlisted in the United States Army. After training at Camp Devens, Ayer, Massachusetts, he was assigned to the 30Ist Military Police and sent to France, where he was assigned to duty in the Toul sector. After the armistice he was with the army of occupation in Germany.
Returning home in the fall of 1919 with his honorable discharge, he rejoined his father in business. The following year, John Brans- field died; and the two sons, J. C. and Joseph Patrick, divided the business. J. C. Bransfield concentrated his attention on grocery re- tailing, while Joseph Patrick took charge of the coal sales. When fuel oil became more popular as a source of domestic heating, he began distribution of this product as well. He left the coal and oil business in 1944, when he began his successful operations in the real estate field. In addition to the management of his agency, he is a director of Portland Building and Loan Association, and of Riverside Trust Company.
Mr. Bransfield was elected to the Connecticut State Legislature for the term beginning in 1925, on the Democratic ticket. He was minority leader, and ranking member of the military committee. Re- elected in 1929, he again served on the military committee. For two years he served as town treasurer of Portland, and in 1937 he was approved by Governor Cross for the position of Middlesex County commissioner. In 1945 he became first selectman of his township, and has continued to serve in that office to the present time, having been endorsed by both Democratic and Republican parties in three succes- sive elections. He served as superintendent of the Portland Water- works in 1945; and later assumed duties as superintendent of sewers. Under his administration, the department erected a new disposal plant.
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