USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1639-1928 > Part 24
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In the acquirement of an education Daniel Keogh, Jr., at- tended the public schools of Norwalk and continued his studies in
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Providence, Rhode Island. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1914 and began his professional career in Norwalk. His office is now located at No. 79 Washington street in South Nor- walk and an extensive practice denotes the confidence reposed in his legal acumen. He devotes much time and thought to the pre- paration of his cases and his arguments are marked by clearness, logic and force. He is a member of the Westport Country Club and the Fairfield County and Connecticut State Bar Associations. Mr. Keogh holds to a high standard in the field of professional service and enjoys the esteem of his fellow practitioners and all with whom he has been associated, for his life has been guided by those principles which constitute the basis of all honorable and desirable prosperity.
On the 28th of June, 1912, Mr. Keogh was married to Miss Irene Brown, a daughter of Enoch and Josephine Brown of Nor- walk. Along fraternal lines he is connected with Old Well Lodge, F. & A. M .; Butler Chapter, R. A. M .; Monker Grotto and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.
ELI BEACH BEERS
Eli Beach Beers, who throughout his entire life devoted his attention to the cultivation and further development of the old family homestead farm at Newtown, was born October 29, 1843, and departed this life January 4, 1925, when in the eighty-second year of his age. He was a son of Lemuel and Eliza (Shepard) Beers, who were married on the 13th of March, 1824. The an- cestral line is traced back to Abraham Beers, who was born at Newtown, Connecticut, August 22, 1716, and died in 1780. The family has thus been associated with the state from early colonial days. To Abraham Beers and his wife, Sarah, was born a son, Eli, who married Phedima Peck, a daughter of Jabez and Abby (Sanford) Peck. Lemuel Beers, father of Eli B. Beers, was the son of Eli and Phedima Ann (Peck) Beers. He was a farmer, living on the old family homestead, and it was there that Eli B. Beers was born and reared. After reaching manhood he con- tinued to devote his attention to the cultivation of the fields and the care of the crops and engaged in no other business save that
ELI B. BEERS
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he was financially interested in and a trustee of the Newtown Savings Bank.
Mr. Beers married Mrs. Sophronia Warner, widow of Myron C. Warner and daughter of Harry Burton and Rebecca (Sears) Sherman. By her first marriage she became the mother of one daughter, Myra E. Warner, of Newtown. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Beers, namely: Fannie May, of Newtown; Alice Sherman, who is now the wife of Stephen Ernest Sanford of Bridgeport and has one son, Marvin Beers Sanford; Eli Bur- ton, who is located at Waterbury, Connecticut; and John Cyrus, who operates the home farm. Mrs. Beers died March 31, 1901.
Mr. Beers was a lifelong republican, stanchly supporting the party from the time when he cast his first presidential ballot for Abraham Lincoln in 1864. At one time he was a member of the board of assessors, but he lived a quiet life, preferring to devote his attention to his agricultural interests rather than to public activities. He held membership in the Pohtatuck Grange and he at all times enjoyed the respect, confidence and good will of his fellowmen, for he was a substantial citizen, reliable and trust- worthy in business and honorable in all of his relations with his fellowmen.
ARTHUR STANLEY TODD
As president of The Mead Stationery Company, Arthur Stan- ley Todd is a conspicuous figure in mercantile circles of Green- wich and has been closely identified with the city's business life for nearly a quarter of a century, advancing with its progress. In him are manifested the sterling traits of his colonial ancestors, who were useful and influential citizens, industrious toilers and, when necessity demanded, hard fighters.
Mr. Todd is a native of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and a son of Dr. William Sheridan Todd, who was born in Colerain, Mas- sachusetts, January 1, 1840. On the maternal side he was a direct descendent of William Bradford, the first governor of the Plymouth colony, who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620. Dr. Todd completed a course in Deerfield Academy and in 1864
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was graduated from the Wesleyan University. From Middle- town he went to Ridgefield, Connecticut, as an instructor in the classics in the famous Peter Parley School and later was principal of the Hill Academy in Essex, Connecticut, using educational work as a stepping-stone to the medical profession. He studied for a time under the direction of the leading physician of Essex and thus made preparation for entering the College of Physicians & Surgeons of New York city. After his graduation from that institution of learning he returned to Ridgefield and there prac- ticed successfully until his death on the 19th of February, 1893. He was a member of the staff of the Bridgeport Hospital and was frequently called in important consultations. Dr. Todd was un- selfish, kind-hearted and sympathetic, a fine type of the old-time physician who brought solace to the mind as well as to the body. He was interested in many activities outside of his profession, particularly those which touched the public welfare, and was a strong advocate of the cause of education. It was owing to his efforts that the public library was established in Ridgefield and. he was also the founder of the Ridgefield Press. He was appointed a member of the state charities commission and later while occupying a seat in the lower house of the general assembly of Connecticut, he served on the committee on prisons. Along fra- ternal lines he was connected with the Masons and the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a member of the Fairfield County and Connecticut State Medical Societies and the Amer- ican Medical Association. A physician of pronounced ability, Dr. Todd attained high standing in his profession and his influence for good deepened as he advanced in years. His character un- folded as the petals of a rose, disclosing new beauties day by day, and his memory is enshrined in the hearts of all who knew him. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Jane (Conklin) Todd, who resides with her son.
Arthur S. Todd attended the public schools of Ridgefield and Norwalk and also had the benefit of instruction under his father. On completing his studies the son went to New Haven and there entered the employ of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company. In 1902 he located in Greenwich and en- gaged in construction work under Joseph T. Weir, who built St. Mary's church and many beautiful residences in the town. Mr. Todd remained with Mr. Weir until the latter's death in 1907
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and in the following year became associated with Seaman M. Mead, with whom he formed a partnership in 1912. In 1920 they organized The Mead Stationery Company, of which Mr. Todd has since been president, and in the intervening period the business has rapidly expanded as the result of his carefully formulated plans and wise management. The firm has a fine store at No. 249 Greenwich avenue which is up-to-date in all of its appoint- ments, and in addition to high grade stationery, carries a com- plete line of radios and victrolas as well as gift articles. The serv- ice includes the finishing of pictures for amateur photographers and another important feature of the business is the large job- printing and engraving department. Mr. Todd is also a director of The Putnam Trust Company of Greenwich and The Putnam Cemetery Association.
In 1910 Mr. Todd was married in Oxford, New York, to Miss Nellie Louise Hopkins, a daughter of James Allison and Maria Hopkins. The children of this union are Arthur Stanley, Jr., and James Hopkins Todd, both of whom are attending the Brunswick preparatory school for boys.
The parents are affiliated with Christ church and Mr. Todd is one of its vestrymen. In 1904 he became a member of the Con- necticut National Guard and in the same year was made a cor- poral of his company. In 1905 he was commissioned a second lieutenant and a year later was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. He severed his connection with the organization in 1910 but later rejoined the Home Guard, in which he continued for two years as a member of Company A of the Fifth Separate Battalion. During the World war he was treasurer of the local Liberty Loan committee and the Y. M. C. A. and United War Work drives; treasurer of the Greenwich War Bureau and a member of its executive committee. In addition he served on the executive committee of the local chapter of the American Red Cross Society and was secretary of the Greenwich fuel commis- sion. He was also identified with the intelligence service branch of the United States army as a member of the citizens and execu- tive committees and devoted much of his time to patriotic work. Mr. Todd was the first president of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and held that office for two years and was reelected a few years later. He is president of the Y. M. C. A. of Green- wich; a trustee and member of the executive committee and
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finance committee of the State Y. M. C. A .; a member of the Greenwich Council of the Boy Scouts of America; president of the Fly Fishers Club of Brooklyn, New York; and a member of the Greenwich Country Club, the Rotary Club and the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. He is also a member of the National Station- ers Association, the United Typothetae of America, the New York Employing Printers Association and the Connecticut Valley Sta- tioners Association, in all of which he has held office. His public spirit has been demonstrated by tangible efforts for the general good, and his record reflects credit on an honored family name.
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PHILIP NICHOLS KNAPP
Important and extensive business interests claim the atten- tion, and profit by the ripe experience and keen sagacity of Philip Nichols Knapp, a pioner hat manufacturer of South Norwalk, Connecticut, and nationally known as a member of the Crofut & Knapp Company. He was born in Norwalk, this state, October 16, 1862, a son of James Henry and Mariette (Hoyt) Knapp. The father was born in New York state, May 9, 1832, and the mother in Danbury, Connecticut, February 9, 1836.
Reared in his native city, Philip N. Knapp attended its public schools and a private school conducted by Dr. Fitch, afterward taking a course in the Williston Seminary. From the age of eighteen he has been identified with the hat manufacturing in- dustry of South Norwalk and is a recognized authority on mat- ters pertaining to the business, of which he has made a life study. In the steps of an orderly progression he has risen to the import- ant office of chairman of the board of directors of the Crofut & Knapp Company. The firm specializes in fine felt hats for men and has long occupied a position of leadership in the field which it covers. The Waleswood, one of the latest products of the com- pany, is distinguished by the trim neatness of its lines, the cor- rect coloring's and superb quality.
Mr. Knapp was married February 2, 1886, in Norwalk, Con- necticut, to Miss Mary L. Pattison, who was born September 24, 1862, in Pine Plains, New York. Her father, Eugene Charles Pattison, was born January 25, 1831, and her mother, Mary Esther (Camp) Pattison, was born March 2, 1833, in Norwalk.
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Mr. and Mrs. Knapp have two daughters: Julie Ferry, who be- came the wife of George Webb Shillingsford on the 28th of June, 1913, and lives in Cleveland, Ohio; and Esther, who was married November 23, 1922, to George Peter Nelson and resides in Dar- ien, Connecticut.
Mr. Knapp is a vestryman of Trinity church of South Nor- walk and shapes his conduct by its teachings. He belongs to the Woodway and Shorehaven Golf Clubs and is president of the lat- ter. Business men respect him for his ability, enterprise and integrity, and his record is a matter of pride to the citizens of South Norwalk, with whom his life has been spent.
EDMUND E. CROWE
One of South Norwalk's most popular citizens is Edmund E. Crowe, who is rendering a high type of service as postmaster, in which office he has had many years of experience, as he is now serving his sixth term, a fact which in itself testifies strongly as to his faithful and satisfactory performance of duty.
Mr. Crowe was born in South Norwalk, in the public schools of which city he received his educational training. He learned the printing trade in the office of the old South Norwalk Sentinel, on which he later became a reporter, and when that paper was changed to a daily he was its first city editor. His ability and character gained for him public recognition and he was appointed postmaster of South Norwalk by President Mckinley, and was reappointed by Presidents Roosevelt and Taft, serving four con- secutive terms. On retiring from that office, after sixteen years of splendid service, he became editor of the Evening Sentinel, which post he held for eight years, and was again appointed post- master by President Harding and reappointed by President Cool- idge, so that on the completion of his present term he will have served twenty-four years. He has taken pride in maintaining the office at the highest degree of efficiency, and his record reflects very creditably on his executive ability, his painstaking attention to details and his honesty.
Mr. Crowe is a son of Colonel James C. and Mary A. (Smith) Crowe, both of whom are deceased. The father was a prominent
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contractor and builder. Mr. Crowe is a member of Old Well Lodge, No. 108, F. & A. M .; Lafayette Consistory, S. P. R. S., thirty-second degree, at Bridgeport; Clinton Commandery, Knights Templar; Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S .; Norwalk Lodge, No. 709, B. P. O. E .; the South Norwalk Club, the Norwalk Country Club and the Board of Trade, of which he is a director. He is a director of the People's Trust Company and vice president of the Norwalk Building, Loan and Investment Association. He has always been a stanch republican in his political affiliation and has served as chairman of the republican town committee and a member of the republican state central committee. A man of sterling qualities of character, straightforward and candid in all of his relations and cordial and friendly in manner, his friends are in number as his acquaintances, and throughout the com- munity in which he has spent his life he commands the highest measure of confidence and respect.
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CHARLES PRENTICE WHITE
At an early age Charles Prentice White manifested that spirit of self-reliance and energy which spurs the individual ever on- ward and upward, and his constantly expanding powers have placed him with the leading representatives of the wholesale paper industry of New York city-a business which has consti- tuted his life work. He is a product of Connecticut and main- tains his home in Glenbrook. A native of Stamford, he was born August 29, 1881, his parents being Charles H. and Kate (Fitts) White. His grandfather, Prentice White, was a successful con- tractor and a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, New York. He gave his political support to the republican party and was a Union soldier during the Civil war. Charles H. White was born Septem- ber 13, 1841, in Brooklyn and chose the line of work followed by his father, becoming widely and favorably known as a builder and contractor. In politics he was a stanch republican but never sought office as a reward for party fealty. He was a deacon in the Stamford Baptist church and organized the Union Memorial Sun- day school prior to the establishment of the chapel. He was a citizen of exceptional worth. He passed away at Glenbrook,
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May 19, 1891, when forty-nine years of age. His widow was born May 11, 1846, in Brooklyn and still resides in Glenbrook.
Charles P. White attended the public schools of Stamford un- til 1894, when he began to provide for his own livelihood, and at the age of thirteen entered the service of Coy, Hunt & Company, wholesale paper merchants of New York. For seven years he remained with the firm, mastering the technicalities of the in- dustry, and was advanced to the position of city salesman. In 1905 he became an employe of Charles F. Hubbs & Company, wholesale paper dealers of New York city, and worked his way steadily upward, being now vice president of the corporation, which he has served with fidelity and efficiency for twenty-three years, and his labors have become an integral part of the business, which is one of extensive proportions. In addition he is a director of the Stamford Savings Bank, the Inter-State Cordage & Paper Company, Inc., of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Hubbs & Corning Company of Baltimore, Maryland.
Mr. White was married June 12, 1906, in Glenbrook to Miss Emma Holden Gardiner, who was born October 12, 1880, and received her education in Miss Aiken's School. She traces her lineage to the colonial period in the history of this country and in the paternal line is eligible to membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her great-grandfather, Thomas Gar- diner, Sr., was one of the early contractors of New York city and he and his son, Thomas Gardiner, Jr., were the builders of the original Grand Central station in that city. Thomas Gar- diner, Jr., had a son, George Gardiner, who was the father of Mrs. White. George Gardiner was a lifelong resident of New Canaan, Connecticut, and a well known capitalist. He was an adherent of the republican party and a Congregationalist in reli- gious faith. His wife, Harriet (Rossborough) Gardiner, was born in Stamford and passed away in Glenbrook. Mr. and Mrs. White have three daughters: Phyllis Rossborough, who was born November 10, 1911, and is a member of the freshman class of the Knox School for Girls at Cooperstown, New York; Shirley Gardiner, who was born June 19, 1914, and is attending the Lucy Paxton school in Stamford; and Charlotte Prentice, born April 19,1917.
During the World war Mr. White was one of the Four-Minute speakers, and his wife was active in Red Cross work. She belongs
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to the Garden Club, the Schubert Club and the Woman's Club and is an earnest member of the Union Memorial church of Glen- brook, of which Mr. White has been clerk for twenty-five years, also acting as superintendent of its Sunday school. He is an influential factor in local politics and during 1926 and 1927 served on the republican town committee. He belongs to the Union Lodge of Masons, is a director of the Young Men's Christian Association of Stamford and a member of the Woodway Country Club, the Ox Ridge Hunt Club and the New York Athletic Club. For recreation he turns to golf and other outdoor activities. Throughout life Mr. White has been an earnest, systematic work- er, and his success is the merited reward of concentrated effort and proven ability and worth. Unselfish, broad-minded and public-spirited, he has become a strong force for good in his com- - munity and is esteemed and respected by his fellowmen.
GEORGE F. GREEN
Among the representative business men of Danbury is num- bered George F. Green, who for many years has been identified with the hat industry and is a member of the well known firm of John W. Green & Sons. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1884 and attended the grammar and high schools of Danbury. Later he enrolled as a student at Princeton Preparatory School at Princeton, New Jersey, and was graduated from Princeton University with the class of 1907. He then entered his father's firm and spent two years in the New York offices, learning the selling end of the business. In 1909 he was elected secretary of the firm of John W. Green & Sons, of which he is now treasurer, and for twenty-one years has labored earnestly and effectively to promote the growth of the business, devoting deep thought and study to his work. The firm manufactures soft and stiff fur felt hats for men and also makes bodies for ladies' hats. The Dan- bury factory is located at No. 27 Pahquioque avenue and equipped with every appliance to facilitate the work, which is first class in every particular. The Green hats have a wide sale and are constantly gaining in popularity.
Mr. Green has been a vestryman of St. James' Episcopal
GEORGE F. GREEN
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church of Danbury for fifteen years and is treasurer of St. James' church school. He manifests a deep and helpful interest in move- ments for the city's advancement, particularly along moral and spiritual lines; is a director of St. Andrew's Club for Boys, a church society which meets every Sunday night, is a trustee of the Wooster School for Boys and is a member of the board of directors of Fairfield County Y. M. C. A. His social nature finds expres- sion in his affiliation with the Ridgewood Country Club, the Dan- bury Club and the Princeton University Club of New York city. He is also a member of the Danbury Rotary Club. Mr. Green represents a family whose members have long occupied an en- viable position in Danbury, and his influence upon the life of the city has been of the highest order.
3/18/19 3/ EUGENE P. FAWCETT
Eugene P. Fawcett, manager of the Norwalk Hat Company, is a man of wide experience in the hat-making industry and in his present position is contributing in very definite measure to the success of the well known concern with which he is connected. He was born in New York city in 1876 and is a son of James J. and Lahey Fawcett, the former of whom was a native of Ireland and is deceased. He received his educational training in the pub- lic schools of his native city and, going to Orange, New Jersey, worked for Cummings & Matthews, hatters, with which concern he served an apprenticeship of three years. During the following years he worked for various hatters in different parts of the country and in 1925 came to Norwalk, entering the employ of the Norwalk Hat Company. In February, 1927, he was made manager, in which responsible position he is still serving. Posses- sing an intimate knowledge of every detail of the hat business, as well as marked executive ability, he is rendering a high type of service and has earned the confidence of all with whom he is associated in the business.
Mr. Fawcett was united in marriage in 1898 to Miss Sarah McDonough, and to them were born two children, Ed, who is a student in the Physicians & Surgeons College, in New York city, and Ruth.
Mr. Fawcett is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order
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of Elks, the Royal Arcanum and the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica. He is also a member of the Connecticut Chamber of Com- merce and the United States Chamber of Commerce. A man of forceful character, pleasing personality and agreeable manner, he is not lacking for loyal friends and is highly esteemed by all who know him.
JACOB NEMOITIN, M. D.
One of the ablest and most highly regarded members of the medical profession in Stamford is Dr. Jacob Nemoitin, whose record here, covering a period of more than twenty years, has stamped him as possessing superior ability as a physician and surgeon, while his citizenship has been of a type that has made him a leader in his community.
The Doctor was born in Russia on the 19th of May, 1881, a son of Joshua and Rebecca (Shainin) Nemoitin. His paternal grandfather, Bernard Nemoitin was a native and lifelong res- ident of Russia and was a rabbi of the orthodox Jewish faith. Joshua Nemoitin was born in Russia in April, 1861, and on com- ing to this country located in Stamford, where he was for many years engaged in mercantile pursuits but is now retired and still resides in this city. He is a republican in politics and is a mem- ber of the orthodox Jewish congregation. His wife, who was born in Russia in 1862 and died in Stamford in 1914, was a daughter of Leo and Menucha Shainin, both of whom were natives of Russia. Mr. Shainin was engaged in business for a number of years here, and died in Stamford, being survived by his widow, who still lives here.
Jacob Nemoitin received his elementary education in the pub- lic schools of Russia and New York city. In that city he passed the regents' high school examination and matriculated in the medical school of Columbia University, from which he was grad- uated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1905. He served a two-year interneship in the Beth Israel Hospital in New York and in 1907 located in Stamford, where he has been engaged in the general practice of medicine and surgery to the present time. He has been more than ordinarily successful and commands an extensive practice. He is an associate member of the medical
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