USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1639-1928 > Part 40
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The Gaynors attend St. George's Episcopal church in Bridge- port. In politics Mr. Gaynor is nonpartisan, believing the per- sonal qualifications of the candidate to be the important thing.
For recreation, Mr. Gaynor turns to tennis, swimming and yacht racing. He is commodore of the Black Rock Yacht Club. He also belongs to the Brooklawn Country Club and the Univer- sity Club. He is a member of the Bridgeport Chamber of Com- merce. The Gaynors live on Toilsome Hill in Fairfield.
CHARLES HENRY HART
Charles Henry Hart, well known in public affairs of Fairfield county, is a member of the board of county commissioners and has also filled other offices of importance, manifesting an unselfish devotion to the general good. He was born in Wilton, Connecti- cut, May 10, 1860, a son of John M. and Mary E. (Hulbert) Hart, the former a native of Monroe, this state, and a prosperous manufacturer of hats.
In the acquirement of an education Charles H. Hart attended the public schools of Cannondale, Connecticut, and was next a student at the Wilkes Seminary in Bethel, graduating with the class of 1876. His first commercial experience was gained with Ransom Seeley, a dealer in coal and groceries, and after a year's service he entered a rubber factory in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Soon afterward he located in Danbury, becoming an apprentice in the plant of Cole & Ambler, hat manufacturers, and at the end of three years mastered the trade. For a while he worked in the finishing department and was then transferred to the curling
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room, of which he was foreman for a number of years. He was in the employ of the Durant Company for a short time, after which he filled the position of foreman in the factory of Judd & Company, and subsequently was in the employ of Short & McCarthy, well known hat manufacturers of Danbury. He was made water commissioner in Bethel and was retained in that capacity for thirty-three years. He was also elected town treas- urer and served for three terms, or six years. On April 1, 1919, when he severed his connection with Short & McCarthy, Mr. Hart entered the town clerk's office to take charge of ten volumes of town records and remained there until September, 1919. On the 1st of October, 1919, he became one of the commissioners of Fair- field county and has discharged his duties with characteristic efficiency and conscientiousness.
In 1888 Mr. Hart was united in marriage to Miss Althea Conkling, who was a native of Danbury and passed away in 1922. Mr. Hart gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is identified with the Masonic order, with the Masonic Veterans Association, with the Knights of Pythias, and the Algonquin Club of Bridgeport. He also was chief of the Bethel fire department for about a quarter century. Fidelity to duty is one of his salient traits and the many trusts reposed in him have been discharged in a manner that redounds to his credit. Mr. Hart's residence is in the town of Bethel.
X! IRVING CALLENDER JENNINGS
Irving Callender Jennings figures prominently in industrial circles of Fairfield county as president of the Nash Engineering Company of South Norwalk, with which he has been continuously identified for the past two decades. He was born July 27, 1884, in South Norwalk, Connecticut, and has always resided here. His parents, George A. and Charlotte (Beard) Jennings, are of Eng- lish descent. His early education, acquired as a public school pupil of Norwalk, was supplemented by a course of study in the Chapin Collegiate Institute, a preparatory school of New York city, while subsequently he entered New York University, from which he was graduated in 1906 with the degrees of Bachelor of
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Science and Mechanical Engineer. During the succeeding three years he was employed as assistant mechanical engineer by the firms of Reed & Stern and Warren & Wetmore, architects for the Grand Central station of New York city. It was in January, 1909, that he became associated with the Nash Engineering Com- pany of South Norwalk, of which he is now president. During the World war period Mr. Jennings designed and manufactured pumping equipment, including pumps used in connection with the manufacture of toxic gas, chemicals, explosives and other appli- cations.
On the 17th of February, 1921, Mr. Jennings was united in marriage to Rosamond Huntress, who was born September 27, 1898, her parents being George F. and Cora (Goodwin) Huntress, natives of Somerville, Massachusetts, and Worcester, Massachu- setts, respectively. The Huntress family is of English lineage. Mr. and Mrs. Jennings are the parents of two children: Kath- leen, born June 16, 1923; and Irving Callender, Jr., whose natal day was July 2, 1926.
Mr. Jennings gives his political support to the republican party and has rendered effective public service as commissioner of the second district of Norwalk. He is an attendant at the ser- vices of the Congregational church. He belongs to Zeta Psi fra- ternity and his appreciation for the social amenities of life is - further manifest in his membership connection with the Wood- way Country Club of Springdale, Connecticut, the Shorehaven Golf Club of Norwalk, the Norwalk Yacht Club, the Hyannis Port Country Club of Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, the Engi- neers Club of New York city and the Union League Club of Chicago.
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GEORGE L. WOODWARD
Wisely improving his opportunities, George L. Woodward has risen from a humble position to that of president of the National Bank of Norwalk. He has closely watched the trend of events, becoming thoroughly cognizant of conditions, and the force of his personality and the keenness of his insight have placed him with the foremost financiers of the country.
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Mr. Woodward was born in Norwalk in 1876, a son of Asa B. and Sarah E. (Hanford) Woodward. The mother, who was a member of one of the pioneer families of this locality, passed away in 1882, and the father died in 1921. He was an able lawyer and for the long period of twenty-five years served as judge of the probate court, retiring at the age of seventy. He was also president of the Fairfield County Savings Bank for many years.
George L. Woodward received a public school education and began his financial career as a runner in the National Bank of Norwalk at No. 51 Wall street. His diligence, ability and faith- fulness were rewarded by promotion to the position of bookkeeper. Later he was made teller of the bank and remained with that institution for eight years. On resigning in 1901 he became asso- ciated with the South Norwalk Savings Bank, located at 101 Washington street, and became secretary and treasurer of that institution. Its assets have more than trebled since he became connected with it and it is now one of the strongest banks in this section of the state, the assets now amounting to over seven mil- lion dollars. In 1917 Mr. Woodward was elected a director of the National Bank of Norwalk, of which he became vice presi- dent in 1919, and since 1924 he has been its president. Thor- oughly understanding the complex details of modern finance, he has labored effectively to broaden the scope of the bank, whose methods are founded on a broad policy of cooperation which has made it a vital force in the commercial and industrial upbuilding of this part of the county.
In 1924 Mr. Woodward was chosen president of the Con- necticut. Savings Banks Association, and previous to that time had served as vice president and treasurer for two years. He was also made a member of the executive committee of the sav- ings bank division of the American Bankers Association in 1924 and served as chairman of the committee on investments and state legislation. At Los Angeles, California, in 1926, he was elected vice president of the division, and at the bankers' convention held at Houston, Texas, in 1927, was elected president (1927-28). In 1928 he was elected a member of the council of administration and a member of the executive committee of the National Asso- ciation of Mutual Savings Banks. Mr. Woodward is widely
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recognized as an authority on financial matters and has been prominently identified with the promotion of thrift and the care of savings of depositors in the savings banks and in the savings departments of national banks and trust companies. That he has chosen the vocation for which nature intended him is shown by his notable success as a financier and the high offices which he has been called upon to fill. Strong and purposeful, he has constantly extended his field of usefulness and is admired for his ability and honored for his integrity and depth of character.
During the World war Mr. Woodward acted as chairman of the Norwalk chapter of the American Red Cross and served as treasurer of various Liberty Loan committees. He is director of the Norwalk Hospital Association, the Young Men's Christian Association of Norwalk and the Lockwood Manufacturing Com- pany. He is a member of the Norwalk board of trade, the Wood- way Country Club of Stamford, the Shorehaven Golf Club, the Norwalk Club and the South Norwalk Club, and is vice president of the Norwalk Country Club.
Mr. Woodward was married in 1909 to Miss Marjorie Bishop, a daughter of William F. and Jane (Stearns) Bishop, of Nor- walk. Mr. and Mrs. Woodward have become the parents of four children : George B., a student at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire; Marjorie B., who is attending the Hillside School for Girls; John H., a pupil in the public schools of Nor- walk; and William B., who is attending a private school con- ducted in Norwalk by Miss Thomas.
GERRIT SMITH
In the world of music but few were more prominent over a long period of years than the late Gerrit Smith, who, as organist, composer, conductor and lecturer, stood in the front rank of his profession. Possessing great natural musical talent and marked technical ability, his life was centered in "the art divine" and all who came into contact with him felt the power of his genuine love for and knowledge of music and his ability to correctly inter- pret it. He constantly endeavored to stimulate a healthy interest in the better class of music, in which direction his influence was
GERRIT SMITH
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MRS. GERRIT SMITH
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immeasurable, and he is held in appreciative and grateful remem- brance by thousands who derived pleasure from his playing and benefited through his efforts and activities.
Mr. Smith was born at the FitzHugh homestead, which was near the Maryland state line in Virginia, and was a son of Gerrit H. and Marie Antoinette (FitzHugh) Smith. Gerrit H. Smith, who was a son of Peter Skenendoah Smith, a native of Rockland county, New York, was a prominent business man and capitalist, and died at Hagerstown, Maryland. He was a republican in politics and a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. His wife was born on the Colonel William FitzHugh estate, in Vir- ginia, and her death occurred in Hagerstown.
Gerrit Smith received a thorough musical education at Stutt- gart and Berlin and taught organ, piano, singing, theory and harmony with great success. He was professor of music at the Union Theological Seminary, in New York city, and held the chair of music at the Master School of Music, in Brooklyn, New York. He was organist of the "Old South" Dutch Reformed church, at Thirty-eighth and Madison streets, New York, for thirty years, during which period he gave over five hundred organ recitals. He spent one summer with Professor Edward Greig in Norway, and after his return to this country he gave a number of valuable and interesting lectures on Greig and his composi- tions. He was the organizer and the president of the Manuscript Society of New York city, and was also one of the founders and the president of the American Guild of Organists. He was held in the highest measure of esteem by his fellow musicians, all of whom recognized his ability, his sterling personal qualities and his genuine interest in the advancement of music. His death occurred July 12, 1912, at his late residence, "Cedar Close," Tokeneke, Darien, Connecticut.
In Buffalo, New York, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Butterfield, who was born at Skenendoah, near Oneida, New York, and is a daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Sherwood) Butterfield. Her father, who was a prominent busi- ness man and banker, was born in England and died in Buffalo, New York. He was a republican in his political views and was a member of the Presbyterian church, of which he was a deacon and the treasurer. His wife, who was a daughter of Judge John
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Sherwood, of Oneida Castle, New York, was there born, and died at Tokeneke, Darien, Connecticut, May 1, 1927. Mrs. Smith was educated in the Pinner's School for Girls, in Buffalo, New York, and was gifted with an uncommonly fine soprano voice. At the age of seventeen years she was the soprano soloist in St. Paul's cathedral in Buffalo, and for a number of years did much concert and oratorio work in the eastern, southern and western states, as well as in London and Paris. For the past twenty years Mrs. Smith has been engaged in the real estate, insurance, loan and mortgage business, and for a number of years was in the real estate and decorating business in New York city. For the past five years she has conducted an extensive and successful real estate business in Darien and is still residing at Tokeneke.
To Mr. and Mrs. Smith was born a daughter, Wyntje Living- ston, whose birth took place in the old home of her paternal great- great-great-grandfather, Peter Smith, at Peterboro, New York. She was educated in Miss Beard's School at Orange, New Jersey, finishing her classical studies at the Rose Mary Hall, Greenwich, Connecticut. With the intention of becoming a professional singer, she spent a year in study abroad, but her plans were inter- rupted by her marriage, on November 19, 1912, at the home of her parents at Tokeneke, to George Frederick Pentecost, a land- scape artist of New York city and a son of George F. Pentecost, D. D., a well known evangelist and a veteran of the Civil war. To this union was born a daughter, Wyntje Flower, on August 13, 1918. On November 29, 1928, Mrs. Pentecost became the wife of George H. Weidner, of Bellport, Long Island, New York. Mrs. Weidner, who has been associated with the Swan River Nursery at Patchogue, Long Island, for the past three years as landscape architect, is now residing at Tokeneke, Darien, Connecticut, where she will continue her work.
Mr. Smith was a republican in his political views and took a keen interest in the welfare and progress of his community. For a number of years he was a member of the New York National Guard and was a charter member of the Wee Burn Golf Club, of Noroton, golf being his favorite form of recreation. He enjoyed a wide acquaintance, was cordial and unaffected in manner and had an extremely large circle of loyal and admiring friends, who esteemed him for his high attainments in his art and for his
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genuine worth as a man. Mrs. Smith gives her support to the republican party and during the late war was very active in Red Cross work. She is a member of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal church at Noroton and belongs to the Tokeneke Club and the Cos- mopolitan Club of New York city. She has shown marked ability in the management of her business interests, in which she is meet- ing with well merited success. All movements for the promo- tion of the community welfare enlist her earnest support and all who know her hold her in sincere regard for her gracious and tactful manner and her estimable personal qualities.
WILLIAM H. JONES
The late William H. Jones was born January 27, 1857, in Stamford, Connecticut, and was the son of Augustus and Mary (Zeh) Jones, whose ancestors were among the original settlers of Albany, N. Y. His parents came to Stamford when it was but a village. The father became an expert designer and pattern- maker of stoves for the Stamford Foundry Company. In politics he was a democrat and his religious views were in accord with the tenets of the Episcopal church. He remained in Stamford until his demise and his wife also passed away in this city.
An apt pupil, William H. Jones was graduated from the Stam- ford high school at the age of sixteen and then secured a position in the drug store of S. C. Morrison & Company, a local concern. He advanced rapidly and at the end of three years became Mr. Morrison's partner. Later they bought the building in which their store was located and after the death of his partner Mr. Jones purchased his holdings, changing the name to the William H. Jones drug store, which style is still retained. Mr. Jones en- joyed a large share of the local trade and was classed with Stam- ford's leading druggists. He successfully conducted the business until his death, February 20, 1915. He was president of the Stamford Druggists Association from 1904 to 1906. He was chairman of the police department in 1893-94, and purchased the first uniforms worn by the police in Stamford. He was also a member of the Stamford Yacht Club and the Chamber of Com- merce. His political support was given to the democratic party
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and his life was governed by the teachings of St. John's Episcopal church.
Since the death of her husband Mrs. Jones has successfully continued his drug business with the able assistance of her brother, Fred C. Holmes, who acts as manager. The original building at 421-427 Main street was erected in 1844 and was the second oldest business block in Stamford. The structure was destroyed by fire in 1927, and the same year Mrs. Jones erected a modern four-story building with two stores on the first floor, one of which is reserved for the business, the other is occupied by a dealer in ladies' wearing apparel, and the second, third and fourth floors contain eight offices and the same number of high class apartments.
During the World war Mrs. Jones was head of the Red Cross purchasing committee and she has been identified as an active worker with the Stamford Woman's Club, Inc., for many years. She has also had some connections with the Schubert Club. At the present time she is assistant treasurer and one of the board of managers of the Stamford Day Nursery.
Her right of franchise is exercised in support of the candi- dates of the republican party. She is a member of St. John's Episcopal church and has been an active worker there. A thor- ough believer in the doctrine of work, Mrs. Jones has proven that women are as great a factor as men in the spheres of modern commerce and civic progress. She has a keen sense of life's duties and obligations and has given generously of her services for the public good.
Their son, William Henry Jr., was born June 28, 1908, and attended the King school in Stamford. Later he was graduated from the Hill school at Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and is now a sophomore at Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.
WILLIAM NELSON NORTHROP
Among the men who have left a deep impress for good upon Fairfield county by reason of their loyalty to high standards of citizenship, as well as by sterling worth as manifest in business connections and private life, was William Nelson Northrop, who was born in the Sugar street section of Newtown, Fairfield
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county, July 15, 1829, and whose life record covered the inter- vening period to 1912, when he was called to the home beyond. His ancestral record can be traced back through several genera- tions to John and Lois Northrop. Their son Peter and his wife, Lucy, were the parents of Walter Northrop, Sr., who was born March 8, 1793, and who married Rebecca Johnson, her death occurring November 12, 1821. He afterward married Sally Platt on the 11th of February, 1822. She was the mother of William N. Northrop and her death occurred July 26, 1846. On the 10th of May, 1851, Walter Northrop, Sr., married Volucia Botsford and his fourth wife was Emily L. Hoyt, who died in 1884.
William Nelson Northrop pursued his education in the public schools of Newtown and also under private tutors. He started out in the business world as an employe in a general store in Westport, Connecticut, where he remained until his marriage. He then purchased the farm formerly belonging to the Scudder family and upon it spent his remaining days, devoting his atten- tion to general agricultural pursuits. He carefully tilled the fields and cared for his crops and won a good living from the soil, so that he was able to provide his family with all of the necessities and many of the comforts of life.
On the 15th of May, 1855, at Westport, Connecticut, Mr. Northrop married Julia Burr Lamberton, a daughter of Henry T. and Eveline Lamberton. Mrs. Northrop died March 20, 1900, at the age of seventy years and six months, her loss being deeply deplored by her family and many friends because of the sterling worth of her character. They were the parents of four children : Mary Eliza, who was born December 9, 1856, and died December 9, 1861; Charles Henry, who was born November 21, 1859, and died May 26, 1908; John James, who was born November 9, 1862; and Mary Hattie, who was born February 8, 1865, and died August 30, 1928.
In the public life of his community Mr. Northrop took an active interest and rendered valuable service in many connec- tions. His political allegiance was given to the democratic party and on that ticket he was elected to various offices. For ten years he filled the position of selectman in Newtown and he was also town auditor and town assessor. In 1881 he was elected a mem-
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ber of the state senate from the fifteenth district for a two years' term and he gave thoughtful and earnest consideration to all the vital questions which came up for settlement. His interest in the general welfare was manifest in many tangible ways which brought beneficial results to his community and thus he gained a place among the substantial residents and public-spirited citizens of Fairfield county.
John James Northrop, the only surviving member of his father's family, was born at Newtown, November 9, 1862, and supplemented his public school education by study in Newtown Academy. He early became familiar with the work of the farm as he devoted vacation periods to assisting his father, and after his textbooks were put aside he concentrated his entire time and attention upon the farm work. He came into possession of the property at his father's death and remained thereon until 1918, when he did his bit in the war by active work in the Remington arms plant. In 1919 he sold the farm property and purchased his present residence in Newtown, here devoting his attention to real estate business for indolence and idleness are utterly foreign to his nature.
On the 3d of September, 1908, in Chicago, Illinois, Mr. North- rop married Hazel Banks Pierce and they became the parents of two children, John Arthur and Cora Hazel. Mrs. Northrop died May 19, 1925. On the 8th of June, 1927, at Wickford, Rhode Island, Mr. Northrop wedded Sophia Blakeslee Hammond.
Mr. Northrop has ever been helpfully interested in the prog- ress and upbuilding of his native county. He was a member of the bi-centennial committee and has lent his aid and influence to many measures for the general good. He belongs to Pohtatuck Grange, in which he has filled all of the chairs, serving as secre- tary at the present writing in 1929. He has taken the seventh degree in the order. His religious faith is that of the Congrega- tional church and he is secretary of the Ecclesiastical Society. His record as a public official, extending over many years, is a most creditable and commendable one. He has ever been a stanch supporter of the democratic party and is at present filling the office of town auditor in a very efficient and faithful manner. He has also rendered effective service as a member of the board of education for fifteen years, was town selectman for six years and served as postmaster under President Cleveland for one term.
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Sent to the state legislature in 1905, he most ably represented his district in that governing body and was made a member of the state prison committee as well as the committee on rules. His has been indeed an active, useful and honorable career and he well merits the high regard and esteem which are uniformly accorded him.
ROBERT SIMEON HAWLEY
Robert Simeon Hawley, who was born October 24, 1844, died December 19, 1886. He was a descendant of the pioneer, Joseph Hawley, from whom the line is brought down through Samuel Sr., Benjamin, Benjamin, Jr., Jabez and Robert Nichols Hawley to Robert Simeon Hawley. The last named was married on the 20th of October, 1874, to Ida E. Stoddard. He devoted his atten- tion to farming, continuing an active factor in general agricul- tural pursuits of this locality until his death, which occurred at the comparatively early age of forty-two years.
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