History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 74

Author: Burpee, Charles W. (Charles Winslow), b. 1859
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1390

USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III > Part 74

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Major De Lamater belongs to the Masonic Fraternity and to the Wethersfield Country Club, finding pleasurable recreation in golf. His name is also on the mem- bership rolls of the Sons of the American Revolution, the United Spanish War Vet- erans, the American Legion, the Military Order of Foreign Wars, the National So- journers and the Military Order of the World War.

DONALD AUSTIN DUNHAM

Donald Austin Dunham, connected with many important corporate interests and widely known as a partner in the firm of F. E. Kingston & Company, handling invest- ment securities, with main office in Hartford, was born in this city March 22, 1881, and is a son of Sylvester Clark Dunham, who was president of the Travelers Insurance Company and thus became an outstanding figure in the business circles of Connecti- cut, and who died October 26, 1915.

The youthful days of Donald A. Dunham were largely devoted to the acquirement of a public school education and after leaving the Hartford high school he entered Yale University, in which he pursued his more specifically literary course, winning his A. B. degree in 1903. In the same year he entered the employ of the Travelers Insurance Company, with which he was continuously associated until 1917. His initial position was that of a clerk, but gradually he won promotion as the result of his developing powers and capacity, combined with his fidelity, until he became assistant secretary of the company. He withdrew from that organization, however, in 1917, and entered the firm of F. E. Kingston & Company as a partner. They conduct an investment business which has now reached very gratifying proportions, leading to the establish- ment of branch houses in New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, New London, Danbury, Meriden, Middletown, Bristol and Willimantic. He is also interested in various other important business concerns, being a director of the Travelers Bank & Trust Company, vice president and director of the Arizona Power Company, a director of the Connecti- cut Utilities Corporation and a director of the New Haven & Shore Line Railroad Com- pany, the Sonman Shaft Coal Company, Sonman Stores Company and Powell Coal Company. Few men have more intimate or accurate knowledge concerning public utili- ties and in all matters of finance his judgment is sound and discriminating.

On the 29th of April, 1908, Mr. Dunham was married to Miss Edna J. Halstead, a

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(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

DONALD A. DUNHAM

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daughter of James W. and Emma Josephine (Coburn) Halstead, of New York city. She died March 7, 1926, leaving two children: Sylvia, born June 23, 1909; and Donald A., Jr., born January 17, 1915. On the 2d of June, 1927, Mr. Dunham was again mar- ried, his second union being with Mrs. Jeannette N. Clark, of Los Angeles, California.

Mr. Dunham is prominently known as a club man, having membership in the Hart- ford, Hartford Golf, University, Wampanoag Golf, Fernleigh, Coventry Game, Yale Alumni and Kiwanis clubs. He is also identified with some of those patriotic organi- zations which indicate the long connection of his family with American history, for he has membership with the Sons of the American Revolution and the Society of May- flower Descendants. His name is on the membership rolls of the Republican Club of Hartford, the New Haven Yacht Club and the Yale Club of New York and he belongs to the Hartford Chamber of Commerce and the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. He is a representative of the various York and Scottish Rite bodies in Masonry and of the Mystic Shrine and is a loyal follower of the teachings and purposes of the craft. Those who know him-and his acquaintance is extremely wide-attest his sterling worth as a man and as a citizen. He is popular and esteemed wherever known and in business circles commands admiration and respect for the methods he has pursued in the accomplishment of his purpose.

JOSEPH A. KLOSKOWSKI

Joseph A. Kloskowski, one of New Britain's enterprising young business men, is well known in local newspaper circles and also figures in political and civic affairs. He was born July 8, 1893, in this city, and is a son of Frank and Mary Kloskowski, natives of Poland. His parents came to the United States in 1890, settling in New Britain, and the father obtained work in a factory. He still resides here, making his home at 340 High street, but the mother died in 1902. .

Parochial and public schools of New Britain afforded Joseph A. Kloskowski his educational advantages and at the age of fourteen he became a wage earner. For three months he worked in the plant of the Corbin Screw Company and then secured a position with the Catholic Leader, which paper was conducted by the Rev. Bojonow- ski, with whom he remained until 1921. Meanwhile he had become connected with the foreign exchange department of the Hartford Courant in 1919 and now fills a responsible office in the coming room of that paper.

Mr. Kloskowski was married June 21, 1916, to Miss Wladyslawa Bedmarczyk, also of Polish lineage and formerly a bookkeeper. They have become the parents of five children: Joseph, Mary, Irene, Barbara and Dorothy. The parents are zealous workers in behalf of St. Mary's church and Mr. Kloskowski was one of the organizers of Holy Cross Society. In the affairs of the Polish Roman Catholic Union he takes a leading part and has been a delegate to five of its conventions. He belongs to the Falcon Club and is president of the Polish-American Republican Club, one of the largest organizations of the kind in this country. From 1922 until 1925 he was a member of the board of assessors of New Britain and during 1926-27 was one of its councilmen.

STANLEY F. ARZYLOWICZ

A native of Poland, Stanley F. Arzylowicz was born in 1896 and is a son of John and Mary Arzylowicz. The father turned his attention to mechanical pursuits, becom- ing an expert tool maker, and remained in Poland until 1901, when he came to the United States. He liked this country so well that he decided to remain and received his naturalization papers in 1905, in which year he was joined by his wife and sons, Stanley F. and Joseph Arzylowicz.

The former was at that time a child of nine and his education was acquired in the Sacred Heart parochial school of New Britain. At an early age he obtained work in a local factory and was thus employed until 1919, when he accepted a position with the Polish Loan & Industrial Corporation. For six years he successfully managed its af- fairs and in 1925 began his independent commercial career, taking over the insurance

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JOSEPH A. KLOSKOWSKI

STANLEY F. ARZYLOWICZ

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department of the corporation. He prospered in the undertaking and also entered the real estate field. His brother Walter assists him in the conduct of the business, which is located at No. 108 Brood street. Mr. Arzylowicz writes all forms of insurance, giv- ing to his clients the services of an expert, and is equally well informed regarding the worth of property in New Britain. He features the insurance department, money order department and steamship agency and in the conduct of the business brings to bear executive force and keen sagacity.

Mr. Arzylowicz supports the republican party and served on the board of com- pensation commissioners for four years, discharging his duties with characteristic thoroughness and fidelity. He belongs to several Polish societies and adheres to the Catholic faith, being a communicant of the Sacred Heart church. That Mr. Arzylowicz is a young man of more than ordinary ability and enterprise is shown by what he has accomplished and his strength of character and many good qualities have won for him a secure place in the esteem of his fellow citizens.

REV. LUCYAN BOJNOWSKI

Rev. Lucyan Bojnowski, pastor of the Sacred Heart church of New Britain and one of the most prominent representatives of the Catholic priesthood in Connecticut, was born in the province of Swierzbutowo, Poland, January 27, 1868, and is a son of Stanislaus and Alexandra Bojnowski. He attended the common schools and the Real gymnasium in the city of Suwalki, Poland, and came to America when a young man, arriving in 1888. After spending one year in South Glastonbury, Connecticut, in prep- aration for the priesthood he entered the Detroit Ecclesiastical St. Mary's Seminary, in which he studied until 1894. He was then ordained to the priesthood January 20, 1895, and after serving as curate in various parishes he came to New Britain in 1896 and took charge of the Polish parish on the 10th of September. The parish was small, containing about one hundred and twenty-five families or seven hundred and twenty people. Today there are more than ten thousand representatives of the faith in his parish. Through the thirty-three years of his connection with the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus he has devoted his attention untiringly to the church and its needs. During this period he has erected a new house of worship and a parochial school and to the latter has built a new addition at a cost of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which serves as a recreational center. His labors have also included the erec- tion of an orphanage housing one hundred and fifty boys and girls, and he founded a religious order of nuns, The Society Children of Mary of Immaculate Conception, who care for the orphanage children. He also built a home to shelter the aged and infirm and he bought two houses for $165,000.00 in New York city as homes for immigrants. He established a day nursery at 48 Orange street and he developed a newspaper and printing plant at 480 North Burritt street, and he likewise became one of the founders of the People's Savings Bank. This in brief indicates something of his activities. He replaced the original little frame church on Orange street with a handsome edifice on Broad street, which was begun in 1902 and dedicated in 1904, having been built at a cost of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. The Gold street school was built at a cost of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars and furnishes accommodations for two thousand students, as it contains from twenty-five to thirty classrooms, to- gether with the parish hall and swimming pools. This, however, did not meet the entire needs of the parish and in 1927 Rev. Bojnowski provided further accommoda- tions for the children by erecting another modern structure on Orange street. He also acquired hundreds of acres of land in the northwestern section of New Britain, which was consecrated as a cemetery, while still other acreage was set apart for farm pur- poses and the erection of the orphanage building on North Burritt street, which was completed in 1923 at a cost of three hundred thousand dollars. In 1925 St. Joseph's Home for Immigrants at 423-425-427 West Forty-fourth street was dedicated, having been bought at a cost of one hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars. In September of the same year the St. Lucyan Home for the Aged on North Burritt street was dedi- cated, the cost of building having reached one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. Under his guidance "The Catholic Leader," a weekly newspaper printed in Polish, was founded in 1907 and today has a circulation of more than twenty thousand.

During the World war period Father Bojnowski organized Polish young men, num-

(Photogranh by Murray Studio)

REV. LUCYAN BOJNOWSKI

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bering two hundred and ninety-six, into several fighting units, which were enrolled under the Polish Army emblem and sailed from Canada for overseas service. Because of his activity in this direction he was decorated by General Haller, the distinguished Polish warrior. He is one of but fifty-two individuals in the whole world who have been named by the Pope a member of the Pontifical Academy at Rome, having been elected a professor and a doctor. He has also received the decoration of knighthood in the "Polonia Restituta" from the Polish government in recognition of his valuable ser- vice in civic matters not only to Poland but to the United States. A merited testi- monial was accorded him in an editorial published in a New Britain paper, which said: "Recently meritorious distinction has been given a quiet, unostentatious clergyman who has labored for many years in the service of mankind and has enjoyed the task of pro- viding for his people as well as the community and others. He is the Rev. Lucyan Bojnowski, who has the distinction of being the only man in Connecticut to possess membership in the Pontifical college on the Tiber in Rome, having been awarded the degrees of professor and doctor, and he has twice been decorated by the Polish gov- ernment at Warsaw, for conspicuous service he has rendered to his native land. Father Bojnowski, unassuming and always solicitous for the welfare of his people, has prob- ably accomplished more for New Britain, in a civic way, than any other individual. Beginning with his first task of erecting a house of worship for the Polish Catholics of the city, he has maintained a steady and uninterrupted record of progress, that has resulted in the construction of a modern home for aged and infirm people, an orphan- age for children, the founding of an immigrant home in New York for girls arriving from abroad, the establishment of a day nursery, the organization of a religious order of nuns, and the building of parochial schools for the children of his parish. There are countless other things he has done in the many years of his priesthood, and they all stand out as accomplishments of an unusual leader, who with vision and acumen, has arranged for the care and education of his people. His has been a difficult task, but with it all, he has achieved and receives the most profound respect for his labors from all peoples. His friends number some of the most influential men of New Brit- ain. They have watched his progress in building up one of the finest and largest par- ishes in the Catholic diocese of Connecticut and for it all, without any benefit for him- self, he has earned the admiration of everyone. It is the community's hope that he continues to succeed in whatever new project he undertakes."

THOMAS D. CLANCY

Thomas D. Clancy, who has recently retired from active connection with the American Writing Paper Company and is now engaged in the real estate and insur- ance business as a member of Crockett-Clancy, Inc., was born in Southington, Connecti- cut, in 1877, his parents being John and Ellen (Percell) Clancy. For the past forty-five years the father has been engaged in business as a general merchant and is today the oldest merchant of Unionville, remaining active in the commercial field, where he has long contributed to the material progress of the city. He has also figured prom- inently in various other connections and has long been a recognized leader in dem- ocratic circles in his community, taking an active part in support of; the principles in which he believes. He was a member of the fire board from the time it was organ- ized until it was taken over by the borough. For two years he was in the state legislature, where he voted for many measures that became effective forces in the progress of the commonwealth. He also served on the board of relief and as a mem- ber of the building committee of Unionville. He belongs to Saint Mary's Catholic church, to the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of Columbus and to the Hibernian Order. His family numbers two sons, and since the father's retirement his son, John J. Clancy, has been manager of the mercantile business.

After attending the public schools of Unionville and graduating from the high school, Thomas D. Clancy took a postgraduate course from H. R. Monteith. While thus engaged he entered upon preparation for the practice of law, studying under the direction of the Southern Extension College, but turned to other fields by becoming a clerk in his father's store, where he continued for several years. Later he was with the Boston Branch Grocery of Hartford for a year, after which he returned to Union- ville and reentered the employ of his father. In February, 1905, he became associated

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with the firm of Platner & Porter as a foreman of the American Writing Paper Com- pany, with which he has since remained until a very recent date. Gradually he worked his way upward until he became assistant superintendent of the finishing and drying department, but recently he resigned to enter business with the firm of Crockett- Clancy, Inc., to handle real estate, insurance and investments. He is now active in the new business and is therein proving his adaptability, resourcefulness and executive power. In addition to his service as treasurer and director of Crockett-Clancy, Inc., he is vice president and one of the directors of the Unionville Bank & Trust Company.

In 1914 Mr. Clancy was married to Miss Ellen M. Chidsey, of Farmington. Both are members of Saint Mary's church and are active in the social life of the com- munity. Mr. Clancy is a member of the Avon Country Club, was one of the organizers of the Chamber of Commerce and is a past president and director. During the World war he served on the committee having in charge the Liberty Loan drives and was chairman of the War Savings Stamps Committee, receiving a five-bar flag for his service in that connection. He has filled various other offices to which he has been called by the vote of the people or through appointment. He has always been very active in the ranks of the democratic party. He was the first warden of the borough of Unionville and filled the office for three terms. He has served on the high school board, as tax collector and as treasurer and director of the West End Library. He belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and his interest centers in all those forces which make for progress and improvement in his community and which feature in the welfare and development of Hartford county.

STANLEY SESSIONS GWILLIM

Stanley Sessions Gwillim, secretary of the Trumbull Electric Manufacturing Cor- poration, his labors having contributed continuously to the success of this business organization since 1902, was born at Bristol, Connecticut, October 16, 1876, and is a son of Thomas I. and Emma A. (Moore) Gwillim. The father, who was a native of New York city, established a jewelry business in Bristol in 1876 and there main- tained his residence until his death in 1918.

The public school system of his native city accorded Stanley S. Gwillim his early educational opportunities. He mastered the work of successive grades and of the high school and then entered Wilbraham Academy and later the Wesleyan University, where he remained a student for one year. On the expiration of that period he turned to the business world and became an employe of the Stewart Wall Paper & Paint Company of Bristol, having charge of the store for two years prior to the time when he became bookkeeper for the D. B. Judd Company, coal and lumber dealers, with which he remained for three years. In 1902 he became associated with the Trumbull Electric Manufacturing Corporation of Plainville, was elected its secretary in 1918 and has since occupied this position, also becoming one of the directors of the company and thus having voice in its management and control. He acquainted himself with every detail of the business with characteristic thoroughness and his close application and business ability have been strong factors in the continued success of the organi- zation.

At Bristol, on the 14th of April, 1903, Mr. Gwillim married Miss Minnie L. Funk, who passed away in September, 1920, and on the 4th of February, 1922, he married Edith P. Taylor. By his first marriage he has a daughter, Doris, who is now the wife of T. E. Rogers, and they have a little daughter, Jane. Mr. Gwillim also has an adopted daughter, Muriel.

Mr. Gwillim has always been interested in the vital political questions and issues of the day and gives his allegiance to the republican party. For fifteen years he served as a grand juror and has also been a member of the board of finance of the town of Plainville. His military record covers service as a second lieutenant of Com- pany I of the Connecticut State Guard for three years. He has never been remiss in the duties of citizenship and during the World war period was the first chairman of the Red Cross in Plainville, was chairman of the Four-Minute speakers, chairman of the War Savings committee for Plainville, as well as chairman of the War Savings committee for the entire district and chairman of the Legal Advisory Board and Council of Defense. He has thus rendered effective service to city, commonwealth and

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(Photograph by The Johnstone Studio)

STANLEY S. GWILLIM

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country in various connections. His business balances up with the principles of truth and honor, and the extent and importance of his interests and activities have made him a strong center of the community in which he moves.

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History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1928. Volume III, Part 74

Author: Burpee, Charles W. (Charles Winslow), b. 1859 Publication date: 1928 Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke Number of Pages: 1390

Author: Burpee, Charles W. (Charles Winslow), b. 1859
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: Chicago : S.J. Clarke
Number of Pages: 1390