USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1639-1928 > Part 42
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
579
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
in Bridgeport, passing away in 1852. His wife, Sarah Webb, a daughter of Zenas Webb, was born in 1794 and died in 1862. Gamaliel French, the father of Wheeler French, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and his name is inscribed on a tablet of the gateway erected by Mary Silliman Chapter of the D. A. R. at the old Stratford burying ground near the corner of North and Brooklawn avenues in Bridgeport. Mr. and Mrs. John Died- ericks Budau had a family of seven children, of whom John was born February 24, 1851, in Bridgeport, and his demise occurred in this city, December 31, 1904. He was an accomplished musi- cian and played in the Wheeler & Wilson band for a number of years. Afterward he engaged in draying and during the latter part of his life was a real estate operator, also writing insurance. He belonged to St. John's Lodge of Masons, of which three gen- erations of the family had been representatives. He married Annie Russell, a native of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and two children were born to them: John H. D. Budau; and Bessie R,. now the wife of Edward T. Buckingham. Mr. and Mrs. Buckingham have become the parents of two sons: Russell B., who was born June 2, 1904, and died February 5, 1920; and Edward T., who was born September 2, 1906, and was graduated from the Yale Scientific School in 1928.
Mr. Buckingham is allied with the democratic party and was first called to public office of 1901, when he became city clerk. In 1903 he was reelected, receiving a majority of twenty-five hundred and thirty-five votes, the largest ever given a candidate for that office, to which he was returned in 1905 and 1907, serving until 1909. He was then nominated and elected mayor of Bridge- port with a majority of three thousand and forty-three, the larg- est received by any mayoralty candidate of the city. Moreover, he was the second youngest mayor of Bridgeport, and few men of his years have occupied a similar position in a city of equal size in the Unted States. Under most trying conditions he discharged his duties with such signal dignity and honor as to win the high- est commendation, and accomplished much good along the line of municipal reform and progress.
In 1910 he was prominently mentioned as a candidate for governor but withdrew his name and seconded the nomination of Judge Simeon Baldwin, who was subsequently elected for two
580
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
terms. On October 1, 1913, Mr. Buckingham was appointed compensation commissioner by Governor Baldwin and was re- appointed by Governor Holcomb and Governor Lake, holding that office until December 31, 1927. He has been active in fraternal affairs and is a past master of St. John's Lodge of Masons. He is past sachem of Wowompon Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men and has been great sachem of the state of Connecticut. His affiliations also extend to the Knights of Pythias, and he is a life member of the Bridgeport Lodge of Elks. He is also a mem- ber of the Young Men's Christian Association, Wepawaug Coun- try Club of Milford, Milford Yacht Club, and Colonial Yacht Club of New York. Mr. Buckingham is chairman of the conven- tion bureau of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the board of recreation, a member of the board of education, a member of the executive council of the Boy Scouts, secretary of the Automo- bile Club of Bridgeport, past president of the Kiwanis Club, presi- dent of The Reciprocity Club, president of the Yale Alumni As- sociation of Fairfield county, and secretary of the Lawncroft Cemetery. He has been actively interested in every important civic movement in Bridgeport.
Mr. Buckingham has displayed rare qualities as a public ser- vant, faithfully and efficiently fulfilling every trust reposed in him and his life has been a constantly expanding force for good citizenship. By nature he is genial, frank and sympathetic, and his personal popularity is attested by a wide circle of loyal friends.
EDWARD EARLE GARLICK
Edward Earle Garlick, judge of the court of common pleas, has been the recipient of other important trusts which have been discharged in a manner that redounds to his credit, and his activi- ties in the field of public service have won for him statewide prom- inence.
A native of Fairfield, Connecticut, he was born September 18, 1884, and is a son of Dr. Samuel Middleton Garlick. The latter was born in Derbyshire, England, and was a child of three years when with his parents, John and Hannah (Beard) Gar- lick, he sailed for America, but the mother died during the voyage
581
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
and the father passed away soon after his arrival in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Garlick was reared in Salem, New Hamp- shire, by his uncle and aunt, James Small and Esther Ann Mid- dleton, and after his graduation from the State Normal School at Westfield, Massachusetts, engaged in teaching, thus paying for his course in the Dartmouth Medical College. Later he was a postgraduate student at the Harvard Medical College and first located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, but soon afterward opened an office in Fairfield, Connecticut. In 1886 he transferred his activities to Bridgeport and soon became recognized as one of its leading surgeons and gynecologists. He died April 14, 1924. While in Fairfield he married Miss Harriet Trubee Knapp, a daughter of Captain Rufus and Caroline Trubee Knapp and a member of a colonial family that was represented in the Revo- lutionary war. She died December 24, 1924. Mrs. Garlick was a prominent member of the Bridgeport Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was a frequent contributor to the National Magazine published by that organization in Wash- ington, D. C., being the author of an article entitled "Trails of the Old King's Highway," which appeared in that magazine, and another interesting article entitled "The Heroic Woman." Her writings were published in other magazines and she was well known in literary and club circles.
Edward Earle Garlick, the fourth in order of birth in a fam- ily of five children, attended the public schools of Bridgeport and completed a course in the University School in 1906. Afterward he enrolled as a student in the law department of Yale Univer- sity and was graduated with the class of 1910. In February, 1911, he was admitted to the bar in Hartford, Connecticut, and in the same year began his professional career in Bridgeport with Chamberlain & Hull, one of the leading law firms of the city. In 1913 he formed a partnership with Richard S. Swain, the firm of Garlick & Swain engaging in general practice. Mr. Gar- lick was thus active when the United States entered the World war. He at once enlisted, in April, 1917, as a private, and was assigned to the first training camp at Plattsburg, New York, where he served for three months in the New England Provi- sional Regiment, receiving the commission of second lieutenant. He was then ordered to the Seventy-sixth Division at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, serving as a staff officer until June, 1918,
582
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
when he went overseas as a first lieutenant. He participated in three major offensives-the Oisne-Aisne, French defensive sec- tor and the Meuse-Argonne. He remained in France and with the Army of Occupation in Germany until June, 1919, when he re- turned home and was mustered out on June 13, 1919. Resum- ing the practice of his profession, he formed a partnership with Howard W. Curtis under the firm name of Garlick & Curtis, but this association was terminated by the death of the junior part- ner some months later. Mr. Garlick then became associated with Ralph T. Beers, forming the firm of Beers and Garlick, and during this partnership relation he served as prosecuting attor- ney of the city court and later as assistant states attorney under Homer S. Cummings and William H. Comley. In June, 1927, Judge Garlick was appointed to the common pleas bench.
On December 6, 1917, he was married to Miss Ruth Jordan, of Monticello, Georgia, daughter of A. Hunter and Hattie Nevin (White) Jordan, her father being a prominent merchant of that state. Mrs. Garlick on both sides descends from old southern families. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Garlick, namely: Harriet Trubee and Edward Earle, Jr.
At one time Judge Garlick was clerk of the North Congrega- tional church and afterward performed a similar service for the United Congregational church. In politics he is a stanch repub- lican and has served as alderman, representative and senator. Formerly he was assistant clerk of the city court, was afterward made clerk and also represented his district in the general assem- bly of Connecticut, supporting all constructive legislation, and in 1921 he was elected by a large majority to serve the twenty- first senatorial district in the state senate.
When President Wilson issued his call for service on the Mexican border in 1916, Judge Garlick's patriotism prompted him to join Battery A of the Tenth Field Artillery of the Con- necticut National Guard as a private, with which he served for five months, but was unable to reach the border, being stationed during that time at an army training camp in Pennsylvania.
He is a member of The University Club, The Cruising Club of America, The Black Rock Yacht Club, The American Legion, The Disabled Veterans of The World War, the Bridgeport, County and State Bar Associations. He is also a Mason, being
583
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
a member of America Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Stratford. Judge Garlick has never used public office as a means of personal ag- grandizement, always following the course dictated by conscience and honor, and his reward is the respect, confidence and good will of his fellowmen.
STEPHEN DOKUS
The record of Stephen Dokus, the capable and popular city clerk of Norwalk, has been characterized by loyal and efficient performance of duty in every position which he has filled, and he has fully merited the respect which is uniformly accorded him by his fellowmen. He was born in Hungary in 1890 and is a son of Gabriel and Bertha (Kvantz) Dokus, both of whom also were born in that country. His parents are now living in South Norwalk, where his father is serving as pastor of the Hungarian Reformed church. Mr. Dokus also has two brothers who are ministers, Gabriel, Jr., pastor of a Presbyterian church in Can- ton, Ohio, and Alexander, who is pastor of the Hungarian Re- formed church in Conneaut, Ohio.
Stephen Dokus was brought to the United States in his in- fancy and received his education in the public schools of South Norwalk. In 1904 he went to work for the Boese-Pappard Lace Mills, with which concern he remained for six years, and then entered Merrill Business College, from which he was graduated in June, 1911. He then became associated with the Connecti- cut Company, under Mr. Costello, who operated a motor express between Bridgeport, New Haven, Derby and Shelton. He had charge of the New Haven office until 1913, when he was ap- pointed assistant city clerk of Norwalk under Joseph J. Linx- weiller, now deceased. Mr. Dokus held that position until 1915, when he visited the Panama-Pacific exposition at San Fran- cisco, and on his return to Norwalk, in October of that year, he was appointed city clerk under Dr. Harstrom, serving as such until September, 1917. In 1916 he entered the military train- ing camp at Plattsburg, New York, and on the entry of the United States into the World war he joined the Seventy-sixth Division of Infantry. He went overseas in. July, 1918, and was stationed at Chateneuf sur Cher, France, where his division was
36-VOL. 3
584
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
broken up. It was divided into training battalions and Mr. Dokus went to a military school at Fort DeLabonelle, close to Langras, where for four months he trained men. Up to Janu- ary, 1919, he was a member of Company F, Three Hundred and Fourth Regiment United State Infantry, a part of the Seventy- sixth Division. Mr. Dokus served as first sergeant during the entire period of his enlistment. On his return to this country he was honorably discharged and in July, 1919, returned to Nor- walk. He then went into business for himself, establishing an insurance and steamship agency in South Norwalk, which he conducted until 1921, when he was appointed city clerk under Mayor Calvin Barton. He served in that capacity until 1923, when he reentered the insurance business, to which he devoted his attention until October, 1925, when he was again appointed city clerk under Mayor Robins, and in October, 1927, was re- appointed during the administration of Mayor Keeler, and is still filling that position. He has a thorough understanding of the duties of the office, which he has filled in a manner that has gained for him high commendation and has proven in every re- spect well qualified for it.
In 1920 Mr. Dokus was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Rose Levay, of Bridgeport. He is a member of Old Well Lodge, No. 108, F. & A. M .; Perfect Craftsman; Butler Chapter, No. 38, R. A. M .; Clinton Commandery, No. 3, K. T .; Pyramid Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. of Bridgeport; Monker Grotto; National So- journers, Hartford Chapter, No. 56; the Frank C. Godfrey Post, No. 12 of the American Legion ; Mulvoy Tarlov, No. 603, Veterans of Foreign Wars; treasurer of the Hungarian Reformed church for the past three years; the Young Men's Christian Association, of which he is director; the South Norwalk Club and the Kiwanis Club. In 1921 Mr. Dokus and others organized the Second Bat- talion Headquarters and Combat Train One Hundred and Nine- ty-two, Field Artillery, Connecticut National Guard. In Octo- ber, 1926, on the resignation of Captain Lockhart, Mr. Dokus was placed in charge of the organization, of which he remained commanding officer until February, 1928, when he resigned and, at his own request, was placed in the reserve. On May 31, 1928, he received from the members of the battalion a handsome, beau- tifully inscribed saber, which he prizes very highly. In his career he has exemplified the highest type of American citizenship and
585
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
throughout the wide circle of his acquaintance he commands re- spect and confidence because of his sterling qualities of character and his cordial and unaffected manner.
JOHN NEWTON SINSABAUGH
John Newton Sinsabaugh, identified with the business inter- ests of Shelton as a banker and automobile dealer, was born at Branford, Connecticut, October 1, 1870, a son of Henry J. and Adeline (Bartlett) Sinsabaugh. He is a direct descendant of Richard and Elizabeth Warren, passengers on the Mayflower that landed at Plymouth in 1620. Richard Warren was the four- teenth signer of the Mayflower compact. Another ancestor was William Leete, first colonial governor of Connecticut, from 1676 until his death in 1683. He was identified with the administra- tion of colonial affairs from the signing of the Guilford covenant in 1639.
The youthful days of John Newton Sinsabaugh were de- voted to the acquirement of a public school education and when his textbooks were put aside he entered the employ of the Howe Manufacturing Company, with which his industry and loyalty won him various promotions until he was advanced to the super- intendency, in which capacity he served for twenty years or un- til 1910, when he resigned to establish the Cadillac and La Salle agency in Shelton. Since that time he has engaged in the sale of motor cars and has built up a business of substantial and grati- fying proportions. Systematic and thorough in all that he under- takes, he is also progressive and has handled his business in a way to make it one of the important auto sales agencies of this part of the county. He is likewise a director of the Shelton Trust Company.
On the 1st of June, 1895, at Shelton, Mr. Sinsabaugh was married to Miss Lilas Chadayne and they have three children : Adeline, John Newton, Jr., and Lorain C.
Fraternally Mr. Sinsabaugh is a Mason, belonging to King Hiram Lodge, No. 12, F. & A. M .; Solomon Chapter, R. A. M .; and Union Council, R. & S. M. He is likewise identified with the Elks lodge of Derby and he is a charter member and one of the directors of the Kiwanis Club. A member of the board of trade,
586
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
he is serving on its directorate and is one of the governors of the American Automobile Association. His political endorsement is given to the republican party and he is an earnest worker in its ranks. Since 1921 he has been deputy judge of the city court and in 1923 he was elected on the republican ticket to the state legis- lature, of which he was a member for a two years' term, serving on the public health and safety committee, also on the roads, riv- ers and buildings committee and other important committees of the house. He closely studied the situation when any question came up for settlement and voted on the side of public progress and improvement. He has made an excellent record as a public official as well as a progressive business man and he deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for he has depended entirely upon his own resources from an early age, building his fortunes upon the substantial foundation of industry, determina- tion and business enterprise.
FRANK P. URSO
Some of the best citizens of Fairfield county are of Italian birth and have entered prominently into the professional, bus- iness and civic life of their respective communities. Numbered among them is Frank P. Urso, of Stamford, who, as a structural engineer and architect, is meeting with a notable measure of suc- cess. He was born in Italy on the 22d of February, 1888, a son of Louis and Teresa (Grecca) Urso. His father was born in Italy in 1841, and there acquired a good education, becoming a civil engineer. After coming to the United States he served as superintendent of road construction, and his death occurred at Port Chester, New York, January 21, 1902. He was a republican in his political alignment and was a member of the Roman Catho- lic church. His wife, who was born in Italy in 1855, died in Port Chester, New York, February 22, 1922.
Frank P. Urso attended the public schools of Port Chester and studied under a private tutor. His first regular position was with D. H. Ponty, architect, with whom he remained for six years, after which, for three years, he was with W. A. Ward, of Port Chester. He then became identified with the construction
587
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
business as estimator for the Whitney-Steen Company, now A. R. Whitney, and after a year in that work, entered the employ of the Austin Company, industrial engineers and builders, with whom he continued for eighteen months during the war period. He was later for two years with W. R. Phillips, industrial engineer and builder, at Bridgeport, Connecticut, and in 1923 he came to Stamford and entered business for himself as a structural engineer and architect. In 1924 he moved to the Spelke building, on Main street, where he has well equipped offices. His ability gained quick recognition and he has commanded his full share of the local business in his line. Among the more prominent buildings designed by him are the following: The Connecticut Title and Guarantee Company building, in Stamford; the Gru- bert-Mernstein building, an office structure of Spanish design at the corner of Prospect and Forest streets, Stamford; The Bedford Apartments on the corner of Bedford and Spring streets; the Holy Ghost Fathers' Seminary, on Weed avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut, a five-story brown stone structure; the Charles D. Vuono residence, an English type home on Strawberry Hill Avenue, Stamford; St. John's Roman Catholic church at Noroton, Connecticut; St. Rocco's Roman Catholic church, at Greenwich; the Italian Social Institute Hall on Guernsey street and the Onyx Tribe Red Men's Hall on the corner of Guernsey and Federal streets. All of his buildings are marked by an originality and harmony of design that stamp him as an artist, while his struct- ural operations are characterized by a thoroughness and a pains- taking attention to detail that have been very satisfying to his patrons.
On January 7, 1917, in Stamford, Mr. Urso was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Viggiano, who was born in this city, August 23, 1899, and is a daughter of Paul and Anna (Viggiano) Viggiano, both of whom were born in Italy and the former is now deceased. Mr. Viggiano was a republican in his political belief and was an earnest member of the Roman Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Urso have a son, Louis Paul, whose birth occurred in Stamford, March 5, 1918. Mrs. Urso attended the public schools of Stamford and took a course in Merrill Business College, and is now acting as stenographer for her husband. She is a member of the several church societies and local women's organizations
588
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
and is a popular member of her social circles. Mr. Urso supports the republican party and is a member of the Chamber of Com- merce, in the work of which he is greatly interested. During the late war he was active in promoting the various Liberty Loan and Red Cross drives and has always shown a good citizen's inter- est in those things which concern the public welfare. Mr. Urso is a member of the Onyx Tribe of Red Men and the Foresters of America. He and his wife are members of St. John's Roman Catholic church, and are generous supporters of all worthy benevolent causes. Mr. Urso is a man of fine social qualities and wherever known is held in high regard. His residence is on the corner of Hubbard avenue and Bridge, a beautiful residence of Spanish architecture.
ORFEO E. PICCIRILLO
Orfeo E. Piccirillo, treasurer, secretary and general manager of the City Industrial Bank of Bridgeport, has won an enviable position among the financiers of his adopted city, his steady advancement resulting from determined purpose, close applica- tion and a laudable ambition. His life story began in the village of Troia, in the province of Foggia, Italy. He was born March 8, 1886, a son of Frank Paul and Lucia (De Biase) Piccirillo. He attended the local schools in his home neighborhood and after- ward became a high school pupil at Lucera. When seventeen years of age he left home. His father, who was a gentleman farmer with a prosperous estate, sent the boy at his request to Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son wishing to carve out his own fortune and test his own powers in the business world. He arrived in this city in 1903 and immediately afterward secured employment as a laborer with the Ashcroft Manufacturing Com- pany. While thus working he learned the English language and subsequently he spent three years with the Village Store Cor- poration as a clerk, in that way acquiring much knowledge which later has proved invaluable to him in carrying on the business interests under his control. In 1909 he became a salesman for the Singer Manufacturing Company, makers of sewing machines, with which he remained until 1920. In the meanwhile, in 1914,
589
HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
he had established a steamship and ticket office and in 1919 he organized the City Loan Corporation, of which he became secre- tary, treasurer and general manager. In September, 1922, he applied for and obtained a charter for an industrial bank, the City Loan Corporation-the first institution of the kind in Con- necticut. In 1927 the name was changed under act of the legis- lature to the City Industrial Bank, with Mr. Piccirillo as treas- urer, secretary and general manager. Thus step by step he has advanced, his orderly progression bringing him to a prominent place in financial circles, his business ability and worth being demonstrated in the success which has attended his labors.
In Bridgeport, on the 19th of June, 1909, Mr. Piccirillo was married to Miss Lucy Scalzi, of Bridgeport, a daughter of Daniel and Saveria Scalzi. They now have three children: Lucille Vic- toria, who was born April 19, 1910, and is now a student in Saint Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, Italy; Robert, born June 4, 1912; and Lillian, born May 6, 1914.
Mr. Piccirillo has membership with the Bridgeport Foresters and was formerly secretary. He also belongs to the Sons of Italy, the Castelfranchese M. B. Society and the Bridgeport lodge of Elks. He has gained a wide acquaintance during the period of his residence in Bridgeport and won many stanch friends who recognize his sterling worth as a business man and as a citizen.
WALTER CLEVELAND ALLEN
One of Fairfield county's most important industrial enter- prises is that of the Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company, of Stamford, a concern which is justly famed for the high quality of its products, which are sold in every state of the Union and all foreign countries. The president of this company, Walter C. Allen, has been identified with this great enterprise from young manhood, beginning in a humble capacity and, through loyal and efficient service, being advanced through various posi- tions to that of president, in which office he has shown outstand- ing ability.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.