USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1639-1928 > Part 20
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In the acquirement of an education Samuel Pierson attended private schools at Morristown and the Morris Academy, while his professional training was received in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, from which he was gradu- ated with the M. D. degree in 1881. He served for two years as interne in the New York City Hospital and the Chambers Street Hospital of the eastern metropolis and then in 1884 located in Stamford, where he has practiced his profession throughout the intervening period of forty-six years. In his chosen field of endeavor Dr. Pierson has achieved distinctive success, his eminent standing among the medical men of Fairfield county being duly recognized not only in the city long honored by his residence but also throughout this section of the state. In addition to his long and creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting of professions, he has also proven a worthy member of the body politic and as a citizen he has easily ranked with the most influen- tial of his compeers.
On the 14th of October, 1885, in Boonton, New Jersey, Dr. Pierson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie B. Norris, who was born March 18, 1859, and died in Stamford, September 20, 1920. She was a daughter of Charles B. and Mary (Kerr) Norris, of Boonton, New Jersey, both of whom are deceased. Charles B. Norris, who was for many years engaged in general merchandising at Boonton, gave his political support to the repub- lican party and was an earnest member of the Methodist Epis- copal church. Dr. and Mrs. Pierson became the parents of three children. Samuel Norris, the eldest, born in September, 1887, is
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engaged in the real estate business in Stamford. He married Miss Dorothy Fiske, of New Haven, Connecticut, and they have three children : Mary, Samuel and John. Norris E. Pierson, born August 24, 1889, is a member of the law firm of Taylor, Durey & Pierson of Stamford and is mentioned at length below. Rich- ard N., born in 1902, is a practicing physician of New York city. The last named married Miss Frances Dorothy Stewart, of the eastern metropolis, and they have one child, Frances Dorothy.
The republican party receives Dr. Pierson's political support and he has always taken a keen interest in public affairs. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Stamford Presbyterian church, in which he is an elder, and he has made a splendid record as president of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation for twenty-five years. He rendered effective service to the government as medical examiner during and after the World war; is a director and chairman of the surgical staff of the Stam- ford Hospital and maintains professional affiliations with the Stamford Medical Society, the Fairfield County Medical Society, the Connecticut State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the New York Academy of Medicine and the Ameri- can College of Surgeons, being a fellow of the last named. Aside from his professional activity he figures prominently in business circles of his adopted city as vice president of the Stamford Trust Company, as president of the Western Connecticut Title & Mort- gage Company and a director of the Stamford Gas & Electric Company. His appreciation for the social amenities of life is manifest in his membership connection with the Woodway Coun- try Club and the Suburban Club. A learned and able physician, a skilled and successful surgeon and a man of sincere purpose, Dr. Pierson has made a deep impress on the life of this community and has long been regarded as one of its representative citizens.
NORRIS EDWARD PIERSON
As a leading lawyer, successful business man and public- spirited citizen, Norris Edward Pierson, of Stamford, occupies a high place in the estimation of his fellowmen and is regarded as one of his community's most influential members. He was born
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in Stamford on the 24th of August, 1889, and is a son of Dr. Samuel and Carrie Booth (Norris) Pierson. The mother was born March 18, 1859, in Boonton, New Jersey, and died in Stam- ford, Connecticut, September 20, 1920. Samuel Pierson was born in Morristown, New Jersey, March 9, 1858, and has been engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Stamford continuously since 1883, a period of forty-five years. He is a member of the Academy of Medicine of New York city and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is vice president of the Stamford Trust Company, president of the Western Con- necticut Title and Mortgage Company and a director of the Stam- ford Gas & Electric Company. He is a republican in politics and is an elder in the Presbyterian church. Further details of family history will be found in a personal sketch of Dr. Pierson on other pages of this work.
Norris E. Pierson attended the public and high schools of Stamford and the Lawrenceville (N. J.) school. He pursued his classical course in Princeton University and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1911, after which he entered the law school of Harvard University, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1914. He entered upon the prac- tice of his profession in Stamford, to which he devoted his atten- tion until June, 1917, when he enlisted in the United States air service. He went into training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ground school of aeronautics, and in October of that year was sent to Scott field, at Belleville, Illinois, for flying instructions, and there qualified as a reserve military aviator. In December, 1917, he was transferred to the concentration camp at Garden City, Long Island, where he received his commission as a first lieutenant. He sailed for England, January 9, 1918, and thence to France, where he was attached to the Third Avia- tion Instruction Center at Issoudun. In April, 1918, he was sent to Furbara, Italy, for aerial gunnery training and in July he was attached to the Ninetieth Aero Squadron as a pilot in the observation group. In October, 1918, he was made commanding officer of the squadron and in January, 1919, was commissioned a captain. As a pilot, he participated in the St. Mihiel and Meuse- Argonne offensives. He returned to the United States in May, 1919, and was honorably discharged from the service in June,
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1919, at Mitchell field, Long Island. He at once resumed the practice of law in association with John C. Durey, the firm of Durey & Pierson being formed January 1, 1922, and on Janu- ary 1, 1923, Judge Frederick C. Taylor, who died November 27, 1928, entered the firm, which then became Taylor, Durey & Pier- son. Mr. Pierson is engaged in the general practice of law and is regarded as the peer of any of his professional brethren in the qualities that go to make up the successful lawyer. He is a mem- ber of the Stamford Bar Association, the Fairfield County Bar Association, the Connecticut State Bar Association, the Ameri- can Bar Association and belongs to the Association of the Bar of New York City.
On December 8, 1921, in New York city, Mr. Pierson was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Otis Bruggerhof, who was born in that city, September 26, 1893, and is a daughter of Edward Everett and Lucy (Otis) Bruggerhof. Her father was born in New York city, was president of Thorburns, Inc., dealers in seeds, and died in that city. He was a republican in politics and was a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. His wife was born in Yonkers, New York, and now resides in New York city. Mrs. Pierson was educated at the Ingleside School, at New Milford, Connecticut, and is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. She has taken an active interest in the civic and social affairs of Stamford and is a member of the Stamford Woman's Club, the Stamford Junior League, the Junior League Club of New York, and the New York Society of Mayflower Descendants. She is a member of the board of managers of the Stamford Children's Home and a director of the Stamford Hospital Aid Society. Mr. and Mrs. Pierson are the parents of two daughters, Lucy Ann, born March 14, 1923, and Margaret Norris, born December 1, 1925.
In his political affiliation Mr. Pierson has always been a republican and has served as a member of the school committee of Stamford, having also in other ways shown a deep interest in the welfare of his community. His religious connection is with the First Presbyterian church, of which he is treasurer and a trustee. He belongs to the Harvard Club of New York city, the University Club of Bridgeport, the Suburban Club, the Woodway Country Club, the Stamford Yacht Club, and the Chamber of
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Commerce. He is a director of the Stamford Trust Company, is president of the Family Welfare Society, Inc., of Stamford, is a director of the Western Connecticut Title and Mortgage Com- pany, a director of the Morris Plan Bank of Stamford and a trustee of the Young Men's Christian Association. His career has been characterized by duty well performed, by faithfulness to every trust reposed in him and by his consistent advocacy and support of those things which are calculated to benefit society, and thereby, as well as for his genial and kindly manner, he com- mands the uniform respect and confidence of all who know him.
THE NORWALK HOUR
One of the most distinctive newspapers of Fairfield county is the Norwalk Hour, which for fifty-seven years has rendered to this community the highest type of news service, while at the same time it has steadfastly stood for those things which make for the public good and has just as consistently opposed every- thing inimical to the welfare of the community. The Hour was established May 6, 1871, by Brainerd W. Maples, whose advent into the publishing business was the outcome of a peculiar com- bination of incidents. He was living at Westport, from which station he was a daily commuter to New York city. One day he misplaced his commutation ticket and, though he was one of the "regulars" on that particular train, the conductor for some rea- son refused to accept his explanation for having no ticket and put him off the train. He was thoroughly angry and expressed his wrath against the railroad in several articles to Norwalk and Bridgeport papers, though some of his bitterest articles were not printed. This aroused his fighting spirit and he determined to start a paper of his own, in which he could express himself as he saw fit. The outcome was that a modest little room in the rear of Betts' news stand in State street, Westport, was rented, and from this place the first number of The Hour was issued May 6, 1871, with no blast of trumpets and not even a sign over the door. The office equipment consisted of a single desk and a chair or two. There was a long exchange list, a few sample copies and even a limited number of subscribers who had sent in their dollar
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in response to the prospectus which had been issued a few weeks before. For nearly a year The Hour appeared as a bi-weekly, but March 9, 1872, it appeared as a weekly.
Westport remained the home of The Hour until July 19, 1873, when it was moved to Norwalk. In March, 1874, The Hour absorbed the Westport Advertiser, after which it bore the dual name, The Norwalk Hour and Westport Advertiser. On October 16, 1875, The Hour gave unmistakable evidence of its prosperity by buying a printing press and doing commercial printing, and in March, 1877, the office was moved to more commodious quart- ers on the ground floor of the Keena block on Water street. About two years later it was again moved, this time to the Stucco building, where it exhibited the sign, "Steam Print," over the door. Success now was assured and in May, 1882, the paper was enlarged to an eight-column sheet. On July 5, 1884, The Hour moved into more commodious quarters on Wall street, where it remained until November, 1888, when it was moved to its new building at 3 Isaacs street, at which time it had gained recogni- tion as one of the most influential papers of the state.
On July 12, 1895, the Norwalk Printing Company was incor- porated, with B. W. Maples as president; W. K. Maples as treas- urer and J. W. Maples as secretary, and on the 5th of the ensuing August, the Evening Hour made its appearance as a daily. B. W. Maples remained the controlling spirit of the enterprise, and to his indomitable and tireless efforts was the success of the paper due, and it was a cause of sincere regret not only to his immediate community, but to the state as well when, on Decem- ber 12, 1900, he closed his eyes to earthly scenes and passed to higher fields of activity.
In February, 1901, The Hour Publishing Company was formed and took over the newspaper and plant, the officers of the new company being, Arthur C. Wheeler, president; Edward J. Thomas, treasurer, and Victor Selleck, secretary. On July 3, 1905, the company leased the Quintard building at Wall and Knight streets with the privilege of purchase, and on July 5, 1908, took title to the building. The growth of the business dur- ing the ensuing years was steady and at length the old quarters proved inadequate and, on March 24, 1919 the company acquired the Booth block on Knight street, with a large open lot adjoining,
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and in October of that year they also bought a new twenty-four page Hoe press. The Hour plant has been kept strictly up-to-date in all. of its equipment, and today all of its machinery and material are of the most modern type. It stands today in marked contrast to the conditions under which the first issue of The Hour was produced, when the typesetting and printing was done in the office of the South Norwalk Sentinel.
The Hour has always been independent in politics, but has been fearless and honest in its expressions on all phases of life, governmental, civic or social, and has exerted a very definite influence in its community. Its editorial force is capable and efficient, its mechanical department is complete in both personnel and equipment, and its business management has been sound and satisfactory. The Hour has been and still is one of Norwalk's most valuable assets and in its progress and prosperity it has reflected the progress and prosperity of the community which it has so splendidly served. On May 6, 1921, The Hour issued a golden anniversary edition, which was in many respects a very notable issue, containing a well written review of the history of the paper, and individual mention of those to whose efforts its success was due.
On May 21, 1922, President Wheeler retired and was suc- ceeded by Edward J. Thomas as president and treasurer. Of the many notable accomplishments of The Hour was the construction of the new concrete bridge between Norwalk and East Norwalk, and the five cent trolley fare between Norwalk and South Nor- walk, the only such fare in Connecticut.
JOHN JOSEPH WALL
John Joseph Wall, numbered among the rising young attorneys of Fairfield county, has been actively engaged in the practice of his chosen profession in Shelton during the past five years. He was born in Derby, Connecticut, August 10, 1900, a son of John F. and Annie E. (McMullen) Wall, and pursued his preliminary education in the local public schools, completing the high school course by graduation with the class of 1916. Five years later he was graduated from the academic department of
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Yale University and then entered the School of Law of that insti- tution, which in 1923 conferred upon him the LL. B. degree. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar in June, 1923, and there- after spent six months in the office of Judge Morris Saxe on Main street in New Britain. In February, 1924, he opened an office of his own in Shelton, where he has continued in practice to the present time and has already built up a clientage of extensive and gratifying proportions. He is also filling the position of assistant prosecuting attorney and he has attained an enviable place in professional ranks for one of his years. .
Keenly interested in community advancement, Mr. Wall has become a member of the Shelton Board of Trade and is a director of the Shelton Kiwanis Club. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Foresters of America and with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Derby, Connecticut, and his membership in the American Legion indicates his service in the World war.
CHARLES HOUGH
The years of Bridgeport's phenomenal development-the years which made up the last three decades of the nineteenth century and immediately followed the spectacular success of Phineas T. Barnum-were productive of a great number of able men whose united efforts were in a large measure the material out of which that development was wrought. The names of these men are deserving of perpetual honor on the part of the com- munity which they have so benefited and among them may be mentioned Charles Hough, whose death on January 29, 1929, at the age of ninety-four years, ended a long and useful career.
Mr. Hough came of old colonial ancestry and a family that has been identified with the history of Connecticut from an early period. Eliakim Hough, father of Charles, presumably came to Stratford from Woodbury, Connecticut, and became owner of a large tract of land in Stratford. He also owned property in Bridgeport. He at one time owned and operated the old toll bridge over the Pequonnock river and also owned the noted Tide Mill at Southport. Eliakim Hough, who was a pioneer real estate developer in Bridgeport and vicinity and an outstanding figure
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CHARLES HOUGH
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in business circles, accumulated a fortune for that period. His home in later years of life was at the corner of Stratford avenue and Pembroke street and there his death occurred. He married Eliza M., daughter of Freeman Lewis, also a large landowner in what is now the East Bridgeport section.
Charles Hough was born March 5, 1835, on a farm in West Stratford, on what is now Stratford avenue in Bridgeport, near the east end of the Yellow Mill bridge. He was reared as the farmer boy of the period and received his education in a private academy at Bridgeport, conducted by the Rev. Dr. Selleck. He remained on the home farm and after his marriage his parents moved to Pembroke street in Bridgeport, at which time Charles came into possession of the farm, which he operated until 1893, when he removed to Clinton avenue in Bridgeport, where he resided for about twenty years. He then removed to the Crutten- den residence at 515 Stratford avenue, this property being the homestead of his sister, Frances H., widow of Thomas R. Crut- tenden, a prominent Bridgeport banker, and here he resided until his death.
Mr. Hough, as the city grew to his farm property, gradually gave up his agricultural activities and devoted his attention to the development of his property into building lots, and he was one of the most active developers of real estate in that section of the city. He built a number of houses and also, in association with his sister, Mrs. Cruttenden, erected the Hough block, which has since been torn down, near the corner of Main and Bank streets in Bridgeport. For many years previous to his death he lived retired, devoting his attention to his private affairs and retaining his keen mental faculties until the end.
Mr. Hough was one of the type of men that public office has sought but he often declined to accept it. During his residence in Stratford borough he held some minor offices and could always be counted upon to support any movement for the general good. He was one of the organizers of the Bridgeport Board of Trade in 1875. He was not a member of any clubs or secret societies but was a home-loving man, devoted to his family. His home in Strat- ford was widely known a half century ago for its hospitality, and the old fashioned clam bakes that he delighted to give drew large crowds of his friends.
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He married Lydia Crane Banks, of Bethel, Connecticut, daugh- ter of Wm. Henry and Ann (Curtiss) Banks, the former an early business associate of P. T. Barnum. Mrs. Hough died January 12, 1904. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hough: Miss F. Louise Hough, who resides at the Stratford avenue resi- dence; William E. Hough, a resident of Plainfield, New Jersey ; and Josephine Curtiss Hough, who died in infancy.
3/15/4// FRANCIS I. NETTLETON, M. D.
Dr. Francis I. Nettleton, actively and successfully engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery in Shelton for more than three decades, is now also serving as mayor, to which office he has been repeatedly elected. He represented his district in the Connecticut legislature in 1907 and has long figured prominently in public affairs of community and commonwealth. A lifelong resident of Shelton, he was born here October 23, 1874, a son of Charles P. and Frances A. (Hallock) Nettleton. He acquired his early education in the local grade and high schools and his more advanced intellectual training in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, from which he was graduated in 1894. In further preparation for a professional career he then entered the School of Medicine of that institution, which in 1897 conferred upon him the degree of M. D. After spending one year as interne in the Backus Hospital at Norwich, Connecticut, he opened an office in Shelton, where he has remained to the present time and where his practice has steadily grown in volume and importance as he has demonstrated his skill and ability in coping with the complex problems which continually confront the physician in his efforts to restore health and prolong life. His high standing in professional circles is indicated in the fact that he was chosen president of the Fairfield County Medical Society in 1918 and he also has membership in the Connecticut State Medical Society and in the American Medical Association. Aside from his pro- fessional connections he is a director of the Morris Plan Bank.
On the 27th of September, 1899, at Shelton, Connecticut, Dr. Nettleton was united in marriage to Jean Mitchell and they are the parents of a son, Francis I., Jr.
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A stanch republican in politics, Dr. Nettleton has taken an active and helpful interest in public affairs since attaining his majority. He rendered effective service as a member of the board of education from 1899 until 1902, as a member of the board of burgesses from 1900 until 1905 and as warden of the borough in 1905-1906. In 1907, as above noted, he became a member of the state legislature, in which he made a most creditable record, giving earnest and thoughtful consideration to the various vital questions which came up for settlement. When the borough adopted city government in 1917, Dr. Nettleton served as presi- dent of the first board of aldermen in 1917 and 1918, and as mayor of the city from 1919 to 1922, and as a member of the board of ap- portionment in 1923-1924. The following year he was returned to the mayoralty, in which office he has served continuously since, through reelection, his present term ending in 1930. In fraternal circles Dr. Nettleton is also well known, belonging to King Hiram Lodge, No. 12, F. & A. M., of which he is past master; Solomon Chapter, R. A. M .; Union Council, R. & S. M .; Hamilton Com- mandery, K. T .; and Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Congre- gational church, of which he is a trustee. His life has been actuated by high and honorable principles in every relation and Fairfield county is proud to number him among her native sons.
MORRIS MELLITZ
Through the exercise of effort Morris Mellitz has developed his latent powers, which have brought him to the fore in business circles of Bridgeport, and for ten years he has ably controlled the activities of the Standard Motors Corporation. A native of Roumania, he was born April 2, 1888, and when a boy of thirteen came to this country with his parents, Bernard and Edith Mary (Moscowitz) Mellitz, who settled in Bridgeport. The father had previously engaged in the grain business but lived retired in this city until his death. He supported the candidates of the demo- cratic party and was a member of the orthodox Jewish church.
Morris Mellitz completed his studies in the public schools of Bridgeport and earned his first money by working in the shoe
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store of his uncle, the late Jacob Mellitz, thus continuing until he reached the age of eighteen. His experience and ability won for him the position of assistant manager in the establishment of the Travers Shoe Company, with which he was connected for two and a half years. In 1906 he started a tea and coffee store in Bridgeport and dealt in those commodities for two years. From 1908 to 1912 he was connected with the Hayes System and had charge of a women's apparel shop in Derby, Connecticut, and later a shop on Atlantic street in Stamford. In 1914 he bought three automobiles, with which he conducted a jitney business for three months. On the expiration of that period he became a salesman for the Connecticut Automobile Sales Company of Bridgeport and in 1915 acquired an interest in the firm, with which he was connected until 1917. In 1918 he launched a bus- iness of his own, organizing the Standard Motors Corporation, of which he has since been president and general manager, and has made this one of the leading firms of the kind in Bridgeport. His assistants are well trained in the art of salesmanship, and the business reflects his progressive spirit and high commercial standards. Mr. Mellitz formerly handled the Maxwell and Chalmers automobiles and now has the local distributing agency for the Chrysler cars, which are effectively displayed in his attractive sales rooms at No. 357 Fairfield avenue, in the Stand- ard Motors building, which he purchased in 1929.
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