USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 22
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It naturally followed that commercial photography should take an important place in his business. The same careful attention to detail, coupled with his creative advertising ideas, has resulted in work of a high order and rapid extension of the business, resulting in the William T. Manning Company having become recognized leaders in this part of the country in lines in which they specialize.
On August 5, 1907, Mr. Manning married Miss Ida May Close,
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of Mount Vernon, New York. They have two children : Betty aged twenty years, who supplemented her high school education with a special art course at Sarah Lawrence College; and Lester, a young man of nineteen years, who will soon enter his father's business.
In religious faith Mr. Manning is a Roman Catholic and close- ly observes the teachings of his church. He was one of the organi- zers of the Rotary Club of Waterbury, of which he was elected vice president and was active in that capacity for two terms, and filled the office of secretary for a similar period. When the opportunity affords, he plays golf, but is engrossed in business and has left the deep impress of his individuality upon his work. The word "fail" has never had a place in his vocabulary, and through constant striving for perfection he has attained distinction in every line of activity which he has entered.
MODERN HOME UTILITIES, INC.
Modern Home Utilities, Inc., exclusive General Electric refrig- erator distributors in three-quarters of the territory in Connecti- cut, maintain their head office at 115 Grand street, Waterbury, and have two branches, one located at 1102 Chapel street, New Haven, an the other at 331 State street, New London. Organized May 20, 1927, this company succeeded to the business of the Daly Oil Burner Corporation, a subsidiary of M. J. Daly & Sons, Inc., one of the old and well established commercial enterprises of the Naugatuck valley, the original corporation having been granted a charter March 23, 1927.
The company at first handled various appliances, such as oil burners, electric washing machines, electric and gas ranges, elec- tric sewing machines, pyrofax gas, refrigerators, etc., but in a short time found that the demands of modern refrigeration, as ex- emplified in the product of the General Electric Company, were so pressing that other lines had to be abandoned to give way to an exclusive merchandising policy on General Electric refrigeration. That this policy was discreet is evidenced by the rapid public acceptance of General Electric refrigerators, both for domestic and commercial use. In three years nearly six thousand refrig-
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erators have been delivered over the territory, with the ready demand only partially met.
There are now over fifty men and women in the organization, which is governed by the following officers: Edmund J. Daly, president; William B. Corbett, vice president; Joseph E. Neily, treasurer; M. J. Daly, assistant treasurer; and Helen V. Daly, secretary.
EDWARD E. WILSON
Edward E. Wilson is a prominent representative of construc- tion interests in Waterbury as vice president of Tracy Brothers Company, building contractors of the city, with whom he has been continuously associated for more than four decades, having filled his present official position for the past quarter of a century. He was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts, April 9, 1865, his par- ents being Daniel Wilson, of Boston, and Jane (Wright) Wilson, of South Hadley, Massachusetts. His father was one of the lead- ing promoters of orange culture in Florida.
Edward E. Wilson pursued his education in the public schools of New Britain, Connecticut, to the age of nine years, when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Florida. Following his return to this state he was a high school student at New Bri- tain. While in the south he had gained some experience in con- struction work during his spare time and in vacation periods and after putting aside his textbooks he was employed in the building construction business in the vicinity of New York city for a time. It was in July, 1888, that he came to Waterbury and obtained the position of foreman in the woodworking shop of Tracy Brothers Company, in the service of which concern he has remained con- tinuously to the present date. He was advanced to the superin- tendency of the plant in which all interior woodworking mater- ials for construction jobs were turned out, and for the past twenty- five years he has been officially identified with the company in the capacity of vice president, thus contributing in substantial mea- sure to its steady expansion and success.
On the 5th of February, 1890, Mr. Wilson was united in mar- riage to Miss Carrie Ella Bridge and they are the parents of two sons : William Edward, who was educated in the grade and high
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schools; and Ernest Bridge, who supplemented his public and high school training by two years' study in the University of Pennsylvania and who served overseas with the American Expedi- tionary Forces in the World war for a year and a half. His fav- orite forms of recreation are hunting, fishing and motoring.
JAMES FULTON FERGUSON
Throughout life James F. Ferguson has devoted his efforts to, public service, doing important work in the educational field and later as secretary of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, which office he has capably filled for nine years. Born in Xenia, Ohio, September 15, 1882, he is a son of Isaac A. and Lydia M. (Kyle) Ferguson, also natives of that state. The father who was a farmer, passed away in 1911, but the mother survives and has reached the venerable age of ninety years.
Reared on the home farm, James F. Ferguson obtained his rudimentary instruction in the rural schools of that locality and afterward matriculated in Antioch College, which he left at the end of his sophomore year. On completing a two years' course in Monmouth College he became a teacher in Knoxville College, a Tennessee institution, devoted to the education of negroes. In the fall of 1905 he enrolled in the senior class of Yale University, from which he won the A. B. degree in 1906 and that of M. A. in the following year, while in 1912 the institution conferred upon him the degree of Ph. D. During the summer of 1914 he became a student in the University of Berlin and was in Berlin on the day war was declared, witnessing the intense excitement and activity in the city at that time. In 1910 he had joined the faculty of Wil- liams College and in 1911 and 1912 was an instructor in Yale University, while from 1912 until 1918 he was associate professor in Bryn Mawr College. When the United States was drawn into the maelstrom of the World war Mr. Ferguson entered the War Camp Community Service at Worcester, Massachusetts, and was later placed in charge of the work of that organization at Camp Devens. In the fall of 1919 he returned to New Haven as scout executive for the New Haven Council of Boy Scouts of America, a position which he filled for about two years. In March, 1921, he was selected by the board of directors as secretary of the New
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Haven Chamber of Commerce, which he has since represented in that capacity.
Mr. Ferguson was married June 26, 1912, to Miss Bertha M. Street, of New Haven, and they have three children, Elizabeth, James F. Jr., and David S. Mr. Ferguson is a Rotarian and also belongs to the Quinnipiack Club and the Congregational Club. He is a director of the Young Men's Institute, an ex-president of the New England Association of Commercial Executives and a direc- tor of the National Association of Commercial Organization Sec- retaries.
JOSEPH E. NEILY
Since coming to Waterbury, Joseph E. Neily has risen rapidly in business circles, owing to his enterprise and ability, and is doing important work as treasurer of the Modern Home Utilities, Inc., which he has represented in that capacity from the time of its organization. He was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, January 4, 1885, a son of Obadiah Parker Neily, a building contractor, and Louise (Elliott) Neily, also natives of that province.
Reared in the Dominion, Joseph E. Neily attended the public schools and pursued a scientific course in Pictou Academy in Pictou county, Nova Scotia. Following his graduation he came to Waterbury and entered the office of M. J. Daly & Sons, Inc., heating and plumbing engineers, mill supplies, etc. Capable and trustworthy, he was repeatedly promoted, at length becoming purchasing agent, and was next made sales manager. On the 20th of May, 1927, a subsidiary, the Modern Home Utilities, Inc., came into existence and Mr. Neily was elected treasurer, continuing as sales manager of M. J. Daly & Sons. The new organization grew so rapidly that in April, 1928, it was separated from the parent company and Mr. Neily assumed full charge of the enter- prise, retaining the office of treasurer. He has a genius for suc- cessful management and under his direction the company has made notable progress. The Modern Home Utilities, Inc., has the exclusive right to the distribution of General Electric refrig- erators in three-fourths of the territory in Connecticut and oper- ates on a large scale, already occupying a position of leadership in this field.
JOSEPH E. NEILY
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Mr. Neily was married in Montreal, Canada, September 20, 1906, to Miss Suzette Wisener, of Nova Soctia, and they have three children: Olive Beryl, who is a graduate of Connecticut College and secretary to one of the actuaries of the Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford; Reagh E., who attended Am- herst College after his graduation from the Crosby high school of Waterbury and is now connected with the National Electric Supply Company of Washington, D. C., where he is taking a course in business administration in Strayer's College, pursuing his studies at night; and Joseph W., who was graduated from the Crosby high school in June, 1930, and is attending the Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York, in preparation for the career of an electrical engineer.
Mr. Neily is identified with Townsend Lodge of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and is also a Mason, belonging to Liberty Lodge, F. & A. M., and Eureka Chapter, R. A. M. Mrs. Neily is a member of the local chapter of the Eastern Star and also of the Woman's Club of Waterbury. During the period of the World war Mr. Neily joined the Connecticut State Guard, in which he served for two years, and was likewise active in the Liberty Loan and Red Cross drives. In movements for spiritual uplift and moral progress he manifests a deep interest and is a trustee of the First Methodist Episcopal Church and president of its Men's Club. His business associates have learned to rely upon his judgment and foresight and his personal qualities are those which make for esteem, confidence and friendship.
GEORGE EDWARD TRACY
George Edward Tracy, president and treasurer of The Tracy Brothers Company, building contractors of Waterbury, bears a name that has long been associated with building operations throughout the state of Connecticut. He was born in Waterbury, July 30, 1873, a son of George and Sarah (Dady) Tracy. The family is of English lineage, descended from Lieutenant Thomas Tracy, who was born at Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England, in 1610, a grandson of Richard Tracy, of Stanway. Lieutenant Tracy in early manhood became a member of the Salem colony in Massachusetts, there remaining until February, 1637, when he
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removed to Wethersfield, Connecticut. In 1652 he went to Say- brook, where he spent two years, and in 1666 he became one of the proprietors of the town of Norwich, Connecticut, where he estab- lished his family. The same year he was appointed ensign there and he served in the colonial legislature from Norwich and after- ward from Preston. He was a member of the colonial assembly for more than twenty sessions and was a man of prominence whose high character, business ability and progressive citizenship made him a leader of public thought and action. He died in Norwich in 1685. He was married three times and had seven children. Jona- than, son of Lieutenant Thomas and Mary (Mason) Tracy, was born in Saybrook in 1646 and in 1672 wedded Mary Griswold, who passed away. He afterward married Mary Richards and died about 1711, his grave being made at Preston, Connecticut. David Tracy, son of Jonathan and Mary (Griswold) Tracy, was born in 1687 and was married in 1709 to Sarah Parish. Their son David was born in 1721 at Preston and was married in 1744 to Eunice Elliott. Their son, Captain Silas Tracy, was born March 27, 1745, and became a hotel proprietor at New Preston, Connecti- cut. He died about 1825. He was married three times. His son, Francis Tracy, born in New Preston about 1793, there passed away in 1823. He married Clarissa Clemmons, who was born in Litchfield about 1793 and they had five children.
Of these Abel C. Tracy was the grandfather of George Ed- ward Tracy and was born in Washington, Connecticut, January 14, 1820. He followed farming as a life work and removed to Morris, Connecticut. He married Caroline Bownes, who was born in Torrington, Connecticut. She passed away June 2, 1858, and was long survived by her husband. They had six children. They attended the Methodist Church and Abel C. Tracy was a republi- can. He was the first member of his party to be elected a select- man of his town and he also served as assessor of Morris.
George Tracy, son of Abel C. Tracy, became one of the most prominent and influential residents of Waterbury. He was born in Goshen, Connecticut, January 6, 1847, and was reared to farm life in the towns of Washington and Morris, pursuing a district school education until he reached the age of twelve years, when he became a student at the Gunnery, a famous school of Washington, Connecticut. On the completion of his education he entered upon an apprenticeship to the carpenter's and builder's trade at Tor-
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rington and after his term of indenture was over he removed to Waterbury in 1869. For two years he was employed by John Dutton, a carpenter and builder, and then entered into partner- ship with B. H. Eldredge under the firm style of Tracy & El- dredge. They carried on operations as contractors and builders for four years, after which Mr. Tracy remained alone in the busi- ness for a decade. In 1886 he was joined by his brother, Corne- lius Tracy in the organization of the firm of Tracy Brothers, which was incorporated June 18, 1894, as The Tracy Brothers Company. Their patronage became very extensive in building operations. They were chosen to erect the Connecticut building at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and they did much building in Hartford, Norwalk, Danbury and New Bri- tain, Connecticut. They became the owners of an extensive wood- working plant, a mill and lumber-yard and their business became one of the foremost in this line in the state.
George Tracy was married in April, 1869, to Sarah Dady, a native of Ashford, Connecticut, and they became the parents of twelve children. Mr. Tracy gave his political allegiance to the republican party and for one year served as alderman, while for two years he was on the board of councilmen, acting as its president for one year. He attended the services of the First Baptist Church and fraternally was affiliated with the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows at Waterbury. He departed this life April 14, 1928, when eighty-one years of age, having for nearly a decade survived his brother and business associate, Cornelius Tracy, who passed away January 24, 1919.
In the acquirement of an education George E. Tracy attended the grade and high schools of Waterbury and since putting aside his textbooks has been identified with the building operations of The Tracy Brothers Company. In 1907 he was made secretary of the company and upon the death of his uncle, Cornelius Tracy, in 1919, succeeded the latter in the official capacity of treasurer. Since the death of his father in 1928 he has filled the dual position of president and treasurer, his associate officers being: E. E. Wil- son, vice president; Morton C. Tracy, secretary; and George H. Tracy assistant treasurer. Among the more recent structures erected by The Tracy Brothers Company may be mentioned the following: Taft School for Boys at Watertown, Connecticut; Waterbury Young Men's Christian Association; Immaculate Con-
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ception Church (Roman Catholic) of Waterbury ; office and studio buildings for the Bristol Company of Waterbury; the building of the Citizens & Manufacturers National Bank in Waterbury, the architect of which was Henry Bacon, who designed the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, D. C. The Tracy Brothers Company makes a specialty of building alterations of all kinds and has also developed an extensive wholesale lumber trade. Aside from his official connection with this corporation, George E. Tracy is presi- dent and treasurer of the New Haven Investment Company and of George Tracy, Inc., a real estate concern.
In 1894 George E. Tracy was united in marriage to Miss Grace E. Crosley, of Waterbury, and they are the parents of a daughter and three sons. The eldest, George Hobson Tracy, pursued his education in the McTernan School for Boys in Waterbury and in Syracuse University of New York, being a student in the latter institution at the time of his enlistment for service in the World war. As above stated, he is now assistant treasurer of The Tracy Brothers Company. S. Mildred Tracy is a graduate of St. Mar- garet's School of Waterbury. Earl Tracy, who attended the McTernan School for Boys in Waterbury, and the Staunton Mili- tary Academy of Staunton, Virginia, is now foreman of one of his father's construction gangs. Raymond E. Tracy, who was edu- cated in the McTernan School for Boys in Waterbury and the Taft School for Boys at Watertown, Connecticut, and also attended Yale University for three years, is now engaged in the insurance business on his own account in Waterbury.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Tracy has supported the men and measures of the republican party at the polls, believing that its principles are most conducive to good government. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in Trinity Episcopal Church, while fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and with the Masonic order, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree in the York Rite and the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, and has crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine in Hartford. He also has membership in the Waterbury Club and he finds pleasur- able recreation in gardening, being very fond of flowers. Mr. Tracy has always remained in Waterbury, his native city, and that his life has been an upright and honorable one in every rela-
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tion is indicated in the fact that the acquaintances of his boyhood and youth are still numbered among his stanch friends and ad- mirers.
ARTHUR BRYAN CLARK
Arthur Bryan Clark, president and treasurer of the Associ- ated Seed Growers, Inc., of New Haven and nationally known in that connection, was born in Orange, Connecticut, May 25, 1880, the son of Everett Bryan and Charlotte (Woodruff) Clark. His father, founder of The Everett B. Clark Seed Company and one of the pioneers in the seed growing industry of the country, served in the Civil war with the Twenty-seventh Regiment of Connecti- cut Volunteers and was a member of the state legislature, repre- senting the town of Orange. The family is of colonial ancestry, and among its distinguished representatives was Robert Treat, who served as governor of Connecticut from 1683 to 1698.
Arthur B. Clark acquired his education in the public schools of Orange and Milford, Connecticut, Wilbraham Academy at Wil- braham, Massachusetts, Oberlin Academy at Oberlin, Ohio, and was graduated from Yale College in 1902 with the degree of A. B. Upon the completion of his education he became connected with The Everett B. Clark Seed Company as treasurer, becoming presi- dent in 1907 and holding that office until 1928, when he was elected president of the Associated Seed Growers, Inc., which succeeded the former company.
From the time of his first connection with The Everett B. Clark Seed Company, Mr. Clark has given close attention to the development of not only that company and its successor but of the industry as a whole, and his service in this direction was recog- nized in 1924 by his election to the presidency of the American Seed Trade Association. Since that time he has been a member of the executive committee of that organization.
In 1928 The Everett B. Clark Seed Company joined with the John H. Allan Seed Company of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and N. B. Keeney & Son, Inc., of Le Roy, New York, in the organization of the Associated Seed Growers, Inc., now one of the largest growers and the largest distributors of seeds in the country.
The three companies represented in this consolidation had
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developed from the early individual efforts as seed growers of John H. Allan in Ontario, beginning in 1856; Everett B. Clark at Milford, beginning in 1857; and N. B. Keeney in New York state, beginning in 1860. Through the years that have intervened the companies which followed the individuals who founded them have become known practically everywhere throughout the world where seeds are handled. Each of these companies had branches in western states, located advantageously for the production of various species of seed. The new company, having continued most of these branch houses, now has a chain of branches located in the most favorable production areas from coast to coast, the selling being handled entirely from the New Haven office. The similarity of ideals as to quality and service of these three com- panies, together with their extensive interests, made such a com- bination as is achieved by the Associated Seed Growers, Inc., a natural step in the direction of progress and more satisfactory service, and the constantly increasing prestige and business of the new organization justifies the wisdom of the consolidation.
In addition to the other offices enumerated, Mr. Clark was a director of the Canning Machinery and Supplies Association of the United States and Canada from 1924 to 1928, and he has been a director of the Union & New Haven Trust Company of New Haven since 1928. His extensive business interests have not pre- vented him from participating in the affairs of his community. He served as chairman of the commission for the selection of site and erection of the municipal building at Milford from 1915 to 1918, and he was chairman of the State Young Men's Christian Association in 1927 and 1928. During the World war he was chairman of the Red Cross campaign, the Liberty Loan campaign and of the Council for National Defense of Milford. He has been president of the Milford Trust Company of Milford since its or- ganization in 1911.
Mr. Clark was married June 30, 1902, to Glenna Hostetter, daughter of David Hostetter, a varnish manufacturer of Cleve- land, Ohio. They have three children: Arthur Bryan, Jr., Glenna Marie and Gordon Hostetter. The family residence is at 860 Prospect street, New Haven.
Mr. Clark is a member of the Graduate Club, the New Haven Lawn Club, the New Haven Country Club and the Quinnipiack Club. He is a Congregationalist in religious faith, his member-
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ship being in the First Church of Christ (Center Church), in New Haven. His chief recreation is golf, and in politics he is a repub- lican.
JOHN R. CLARK
Although he has practiced as a public accountant for a com- paratively brief period, John R. Clark has back of him comprehen- sive training and broad experience in this field of endeavor and is well equipped for his chosen line of work. He was born in New York city, April 21, 1895, a son of John R. and Katherine (Walsh) Clark, the latter a native of Ireland. The father who was a con- struction engineer, died when his son, John R. Clark, Jr., was an infant.
Reared in his native city, the son pursued his studies in the parochial school of St. Jean Baptiste, and when his textbooks were put aside he entered the employ of the National Surety Company of New York city, with which he remained for seven and a half years, and during that period he worked his way steadily upward, becoming head of the statistical department. His next position was that of traveling auditor for Swift & Company, and for eight years he continued in that capacity, traveling out of their New York office. He then enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned to duty at the quartermaster's headquarters, where he was stationed a year, serving as sergeant of his company. Af- ter the war he came to Waterbury as office manager for the Hotchkiss Hardware Company, with which he remained for five years. In 1925 he became associated with a firm of accountants, soon afterward starting in business for himself, and he was alone until 1928, when he formed his present partnership being a mem- ber of the firm of Clark & Turnblom. Both partners are expert accountants, and the constantly growing demand for their services attests the confidence reposed in their ability by the business men of Waterbury and the surrounding district.
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