USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 37
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
From 1879 until his death Mr. Hooker was a resident of New Haven. In 1895 he became a director of the First National Bank of New Haven, its vice president in 1902, its president in 1909, and from 1918, when the First National and Yale National Banks were consolidated, until his death, occupied the position of chair- man of the board of directors. He became vice president of the New Haven Trust Company in 1895 and was its president from 1902 until 1909, when by consolidation the present Union & New Haven Trust Company was formed, of which latter company he then became vice president. He became a trustee of the National
502
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
Savings Bank of New Haven in 1907. He had been a director of the New Haven Hospital since 1881, and a member of its pru- dential committee for many years. From 1906 until his death he was president of the New Haven Dispensary. He was a mem- ber of the board of education of the city of New Haven from 1894 to 1904. He was a member of the First Church of Christ (Center Church) of New Haven.
Mr. Hooker was married June 30, 1874, to Sarah Augusta Bowles, daughter of Samuel Bowles, second editor of the Spring- field Republican, and Mary Sanford Dwight (Schermerhorn) Bowles. Mrs. Hooker died in 1909.
Mr. Hooker's only daughter died in 1899. Two sons, Richard Hooker, publisher of the Springfield Republican, and Thomas Hooker, Jr., a lawyer, of New Haven, survived him.
BERNARD H. MATTHIES
Bernard H. Matthies, of Seymour, may without invidious dis- tinction be termed one of the leading citizens of New Haven county. He occupies an outstanding position in business circles as assistant treasurer of The Seymour Manufacturing Company, extensive producers of nickel silver, and as an official in many other important corporate enterprises has long figured promi- nently in public affairs and has rendered most valuable service to the American Legion in Connecticut.
B. H. Matthies is a native of Seymour, Connecticut, his par- ents being George E. and Annie (Wooster) Matthies, who were married November 18, 1890. A separate biography of his father, who passed away April 11, 1922, appears on another page of this work and also in "Men of Mark in Connecticut," Volume IV, page 91, published 1908. William Henry Harrison and Anna Louise (Putnam) Wooster were the grandparents of Bernard H. Matthies in the maternal line, and more extended mention of his grandfather, W. H. H. Wooster, who died December 17, 1919, is made in another part of this publication and also in "Men of Mark in Connecticut", Volume III, page 276, published in 1907. Mrs. Annie (Wooster) Matthies, the widow of George E. Mat- thies, is a lineal descendant of Edward Wooster, who was "in Milford, Connecticut, in 1651 and was one of the first three white
503
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
settlers of Derby, Connecticut, in 1654," and on her mother's side of "John Putnam, who was given a grant of one hundred acres of land in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1640."
In the acquirement of an education B. H. Matthies attended the public schools of Seymour, the Choate School of Wallingford, Connecticut, the Mitchell Military Boys' School of Billerica, Mas- sachusetts, and Irving School at Tarrytown, New York. He was the class poet at the last named institution and was graduated therefrom in 1912. During the succeeeding six years he was variously employed and traveled extensively, sojourning in Ber- muda, California and Canada. In 1915 he made his way to California by way of the Panama Canal in order to visit the Panama-Pacific International Exposition at San Francisco. In June, 1918, he entered the service of the United States Army and was sent to Vancouver barracks in the state of Washington. He was honorably discharged as a corporal from Camp Devens, Mas- sachusetts, in February, 1919.
Soon after B. H. Matthies' return home he became interested in developing a veterans' organization. He went to St. Louis, Missouri, in May, 1919, to the caucus of the American Legion. Those who went to St. Louis from Connecticut were appointed as the first executive committee of the state and immediately started work organizing Legion posts throughout the state. Later B. H. Matthies wrote and published the first history of the American Legion in Connecticut. He attended the first national convention of the American Legion in Minneapolis in the fall of 1919. Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Matthies attended the convention in Cleveland in 1920, the convention in San Antonio, Texas, in 1928, and the convention in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1929.
Mr. Matthies became an associate of his father in business in July, 1919, and on January 15, 1920, was made assistant treas- urer and a director of The Seymour Manufacturing Company, with which he has since been continuously connected in official capacity. In 1920, when his father organized the American Cop- per Products Corporation with a capital of three million dollars, B. H. Matthies was made treasurer and a director, and he still holds these offices in the present company. During 1928 Amer- ican Copper Products was taken over by and now is a division of National Electric Products Corporation. During September, 1930, National Electric Products Corporation was taken over by
504
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
Phelps-Dodge corporation. In August, 1924, he became interested in the Colonial Air Transport, Inc., with Harris Whittemore, Jr., and Donald S. Tuttle, both of Naugatuck, Connecticut, later be- coming secretary of the company, which position he resigned when the mail contract was awarded. Hon. John H. Trumbull asso- ciated himself with the company at the time it received the first mail contract from the United States government to carry mail in New England. The Colonial Air Transport was later merged with the Aviation Corporation of Delaware. Some idea of the scope and breadth of Mr. Matthies' business activities may be gained from the following list of his official positions: Assistant treasurer and director of the Seymour Manufacturing Company of Seymour, Connecticut; treasurer and director of the American Copper Products Company of New York, New York; secretary, assistant treasurer and director of the H. A. Matthews Manufac- turing Company of Seymour, Connecticut; director of the Mar- gay Oil Corporation of Tulsa, Oklahoma; director of the Maumee Oil Refining Company of Seymour, Connecticut; director of the Naugatuck Valley Company of Shelton, Connecticut; secretary and director of The Seymour Corporation of Delaware, Seymour, Connecticut; trustee of the Seymour Trust Company of Seymour, Connecticut; director of the Seymour Water Company of Sey- mour, Connecticut; and director of the Union Estates Corpora- tion of New York, New York.
On the 22d of September, 1920, Mr. Matthies was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Clark, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George T. Clark of Beacon Falls, Connecticut. They are the parents of four children, namely: George C., born July 29, 1922; William Wooster, born July 8, 1924; Roberta, born December 10, 1925; and Richard Lloyd, born October 28, 1927.
Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Matthies both enjoy traveling and recently went to Europe. Mr. Matthies made a second trip to Bermuda. In religion both belong to the Congregational Church.
Mr. Matthies gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has been three times elected representative from Sey- mour in the state legislature, giving thoughtful and earnest con- sideration to the various questions which came up for settlement. He was a member of the banking committee and the state parks and reservations committee in the assembly of 1925, served on the aviation committee, the military affairs committee and the
505
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
joint rules committee in the legislature of 1927, and did effective work on the motor vehicles and aviation committees in the legisla- ture of 1929. Outdoor life affords him pleasurable recreation and for a number of years he has maintained a private camp on the preserve of the Triton Fish & Game Club in the Canadian woods. Photography is his hobby, and among the thousands of pictures he has taken are some fine moonlight time exposures. He is a life member of the American Rose Society, Connecticut Forest and Park Association, National Association of Audubon Societies, National Geographic Society, Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests and Connecticut National Conven- tionaires Association of American Legion. He is a member of the Connecticut State Chamber of Commerce, the Seymour Cham- ber of Commerce, and the American Legion. He has long been accounted one of the most prominent and popular young citizens of Seymour, his native town.
FLOYD W. RUSSELL
Floyd W. Russell, one of the officers of The Darcey Transpor- tation Company of Waterbury and an alert, aggressive young business man, was born in this city on the 18th of January, 1899. He is a son of Harry B. and Edith (Warner) Russell, the former a native of Orange, Connecticut, and the latter of Oakville, this state. As an agent for the Goodyear tires the father was identi- fied with the automobile business for many years but is now retired.
The public schools of Watertown afforded the educational advantages enjoyed by Floyd W. Russell, whose first commercial experience was gained while associated with his father in the sale of automobile tires. Afterward he was a dealer in batteries for a short time and since August 1, 1929, has been treasurer of The Darcey Transportation Company, located at 15 West Clay street. He is capably managing the financial end of the business, which was started ten years ago with one truck, and the company now has twelve in operation. They specialize in long distance hauling, and a well merited reputation for enterprise, efficiency and relia- bility has been a potent factor in the attainment of the enviable measure of success which they now enjoy.
506
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
In 1925 Mr. Russell was married to Miss Grace Alfred, of Oakville, and they have two children, Marion and Eloise. Mr. Russell is a consistent member of the Congregational Church and during his hours of leisure enjoys the entertainment fur- nished by his radio.
FREDERIC ERNST KINGSTON
A modern philosopher has said that "the sources of our power lie within ourselves," and this truth finds verification in the life record of Frederic Ernst Kingston, a man of well balanced ca- pacities and powers who has occupied a central place on the stage of action almost from the time when his initial effort was made in the field of business. His labors have found culmination in the development of an important investment business which he now conducts under the firm name of F. E. Kingston & Company and is thus widely known not only in financial circles in Connecti- cut but throughout the east.
He was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, September 20, 1888, his parents being James and Josina E. (Hersey) Kingston. His educational advantages were those offered in the public and high schools of his native city and in 1910 he became interested in the brokerage business as an employe of the Hayden-Stone Company of New York, with whom he remained until 1914, gain- ing wide knowledge and practical experience of the business dur- ing that period. From 1914 until 1916 he was associated with Kountz Brothers of New York and in 1916 he started in the brok- erage business independently in New Haven, since which time he has met with growing success.
In 1921 he established a branch in Hartford, but the continu- ous and rapid development of the business in that city has since made it the location of the main office of the organization, which now operates branch offices in New Haven, Bridgeport, Water- bury, New London, Danbury, Meriden, Middletown, Norwalk and Willimantic and maintains representatives in New Britain, Bristol, Winsted and Norwich. The New York state headquar- ters office is located in Syracuse and representatives are main- tained in Amsterdam and Utica. The correspondent in Massa- chusetts is The F. E. Kingston Company with offices in Boston,
Photo by Pirve Mac Donald
Podanie E Kingston
509
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
Springfield and Pittsfield and in Canada, F. E. Kingston & Co., Ltd., operates in Montreal.
F. E. Kingston & Company is correspondent for Livingston & Co., New York, members of the New York Stock Exchange and the New York Curb Exchange. The firm occupies its own build- ing in Hartford and its offices on four of the five floors at 66-68 Pearl Street are among the best equipped and the most attractive in the state. All of the offices of the organization are connected by private wire systems and in turn with the principal financial markets.
From the beginning in Connecticut operations have been car- ried on under the name of F. E. Kingston & Company and they handle government and municipal bonds, public utility bonds and stocks, New York and Connecticut bank stocks, insurance stocks and local securities. Their clientele is now extensive, as indi- cated by the establishment and development of their many branches and Mr. Kingston has come to be regarded as an out- standing financier in this section of New England, his broad ex- perience enabling him to speak with authority upon the value of commercial paper. Aside from his interests as head of the organ- ization which bears his name, he is also a director of the New Haven & Shore Line Railway, director of The Powell Corpora- tion, president of The Kingston Realty Corporation and vice president of Grace Hospital in New Haven and an officer in many other organizations.
On the 4th of April, 1918, Mr. Kingston married Ida Frances Leach, of Wilmington, Delaware, and they are now parents of four children : Alice, Patricia, June and John D.
In his political views Mr. Kingston is a republican but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him; yet he is neglectful of no duty nor obligation of citizenship and gives stalwart support to those projects which advance the civic welfare.
He belongs to the Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, the Hartford Chamber of Commerce and he finds needed recreation through his club asso- ciations, having membership in the Wampanoag Golf Club of West Hartford, the Union League Club in New Haven, the Race- brook Country Club of New Haven, the Shelter Harbor Country Club, the Shennecosset Yacht Club, Mason Island Yacht Club,
510
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
Hartford Yacht Club, Branford Yacht Club, Amston Lake Club, Mansfield Fish and Game Club, the Pine Orchard Country Club of Pine Orchard, the Fernleigh Club of Hartford, the New Haven Gun Club and the New Haven Yacht Club, being commodore of the last named.
Mr. Kingston is a member of Widow's Son Lodge No. 66, A. F. & A. M., of Branford, Pulaski Chapter, Crawford Council, New Haven Commandery, Pyramid Temple, Order of the Mystic Shrine and member of the National League of Masonic Clubs.
His entire record has been one of steady progress. Possessing broad, enlightened and liberal-minded views he has been alert to every opportunity that has presented itself and his has been an active career in which he has accomplished important and far- reaching results, contributing in no small degree to the business expansion of districts in which he has operated, and from which he has also derived substantial benefits. He is a born leader and the strength and efficiency of his organization rest on his forceful personality and on the spirit and loyalty of his men. His decision once made after deliberation, he is aggressive and tireless in achieving his objective.
Besides his home at Short Beach, Connecticut, he maintains a winter residence at Belleair, Florida.
CHARLES F. KENWORTHY
For a quarter of a century Charles F. Kenworthy has given his attention to the designing, construction and installation of industrial furnaces, becoming a commanding figure in manufac- turing circles of Waterbury and creating a business of interna- tional scope and importance. He was born in this city on the 1st of October, 1874, and is a son of Abel and Sarah (Titus) Ken- worthy, the former a native of Manchester, England, and the latter of Litchfield, Connecticut.
Charles F. Kenworthy was a pupil in the public schools of Waterbury, afterward receiving instruction from private tutors and next attending the Rhode Island Technical School, founded by Gardner C. Anthony. Later this institution was absorbed by Tufts College, of which Mr. Anthony is now dean. Mr. Kenworthy started as an engineer with the old Benedict & Burnham Com-
511
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
pany, which has since become known as the American Brass Company, and remained with the corporation for twelve years. In 1905 he entered upon his independent career as a designer and make of industrial furnaces and soon established the enterprise upon a substantial basis. His interests are conducted under the style of Charles F. Kenworthy, Incorporated, of which he is the president and treasurer, and with the passing years his trade has constantly broadened until he has become one of the largest oper- ators in his particular field. About eighty per cent of his business consists of the building of electric furnaces, the majority of which are confined to nonferrous metals. Most of the furnaces are made in his own shops and some of the fabricated steel plants for these furnaces are let out on contract to other manufacturers. In the United States he sells direct, maintaining a staff of engineers, who are entrusted with the task of making surveys, as each job presents its own problems. His engineers supervise the erection and installation of the furnaces, thus insuring one hundred per cent performances and satisfied customers, who bring repeat or- ders. He has a profitable business in England, also Berlin, Ger- many, looking after continental Europe, where he has established competent sales branches. He also sends equipment to South America and the orient, but this is shipped through the agents of a trading company in New York city. System and efficiency pre- vail in every department of the business, which receives his close personal attention and reflects his progressive spirit and high commercial standards. Made with care and skill, the finished product of his plant meets every requirement of the trade, and the constantly increasing demand for the Kenworthy industrial furnaces is proof of their durability and superiority.
On the 12th of April, 1910, Mr. Kenworthy was married to Miss Winnifred Chadwick, of Randolph, Vermont, and they have a daughter, Barbara, who is attending St. Margaret's School. Mrs. Kenworthy is active in church and charitable work and also in the affairs of the Woodbury Woman's Club and the Pomperaug Valley Garden Club. She is a lover of nature in its various aspects and takes a keen interest in horticultural pursuits. The country estate of the family is situated on a lake and there Mr. Kenworthy enjoys fishing and other outdoor sports. He has membership in St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Woodbury, where he resides, and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. In Ma-
512
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
sonry he has attained the thirty-second degree and is identified with both the York and Scottish Rite bodies as well as Sphinx Temple of the Mystic Shrine in Hartford, Connecticut. He be- longs to the Waterbury Club, the Engineers Club of New York city, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Society of Arts Manufacturers affiliated with the Commerce of England. Possessing craftsmanship of a high order, he has made valuable contribution to the world's work and is accorded a place of distinction in his chosen vocation.
ERNEST J. MONTAMBAULT
Among the rapidly growing business enterprises of Water- bury is that conducted by Ernest J. Montambault, who started in business here with a limited capital about eight years ago and is now operating on a large scale as a dealer in automobiles and accessories. A native of Canada, he was born in Batiscan, in the province of Quebec, August 22, 1877, a son of John B. and Annesie (Gingras) Montambault, who were also natives of that country. The father engaged in merchandising and is now deceased.
Ernest J. Montambault was reared and educated in the dominion, supplementing his public school training by a college course, and his initial experience in commercial affairs was gained in his father's store. When nineteen years of age he became con- nected with the Waterbury Manufacturing Company, entering upon an apprenticeship to the brass molder's trade, which he mastered in principle and detail. For a quarter of a century he remained with the one corporation and during the last ten years of that period was a foreman in the brass molding department. Afterward he became an employe in the Haywood factory, there continuing until he had acquired a knowledge of vulcanizing, and then ventured in business for himself. He occupied a small frame building, in which he installed a gas pump, and there conducted a gas and oil station, also doing repairing and vulcanizing. As he prospered he gradually added to his business by establishing a battery department and electrical service, also doing painting and general mechanical work. His next progressive step was the securing of the Pontiac-Oakland sales franchise but later he dis-
513
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
continued that line, becoming a dealer in the Graham-Paige auto- mobiles, and is now local agent for the Auburn and Cord driven cars. As the proprietor of Montambault's Tire Surgery at 309 Meriden road, situated in the heart of the thriving community of Mill Plain, he has one of the largest and most complete institu- tions of the kind in this locality and enjoys the best trade. Here he has a three pump gasoline station, and the main store is espe- cially fitted up for automobile repairing road service and storage. In this new building he is kept very busy repairing, overhauling and reconditioning automobiles of every make. Another impor- tant feature of the business is a vulcanizing service station which is the best equipped and the busiest in the entire city. His battery shop is thoroughly modern, containing the very latest in recharg- ing and rebuilding apparatus. He handles the Rusco brake lining and a most complete stock of automobile accessories of all kinds. It has been his constant endeavor to meet the demands and requirements of motorists, and the extent of his patronage is proof of the high quality of service rendered by his organization. With him each year has recorded important achievement, and today his property alone is worth five times its original value, and the equipment and goodwill many times that amount, constituting a most fitting example of thrift, business ability and energy.
Mr. Montambault was married August 29, 1899, to Miss Rose Archambault, whose father is a well known building contractor of Waterbury. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Montambault num- bered five children, of whom Gladys, the firstborn, died in infancy. Edward J., the eldest son, was born October 10, 1903, and pur- sued a course in St. Anne's parochial school. He attended the Wilby high school for a year and is now in charge of the battery department of his father's business. Theodore J., born December 22, 1905, had the same educational advantages and is chief me- chanic of the Montambault tire shop and service station. Florence J., born December 27, 1908, attended the Mill Plain public schools ; afterward took a course in a French school, and since her gradua- tion from the Wilby high school has been connected with her father's business, discharging the duties of secretary and book- keeper. Lawrence, born February 8, 1911, was a pupil in the public schools of Mill Plain and is now a senior in the Wilby high school.
The family are communicants of St. Anne's Roman Catholic
514
HISTORY OF NEW HAVEN COUNTY
Church, and Mr. Montambault is also a member of the Franco- American Club. Unbiased in his political views, he votes accord- ing to the dictates of his judgment, and his influence is ever on the side of measures of reform, progress and improvement. Travel constitutes his chief source of recreation, but he never neglects his business, to which he gives deep, thought and study, and through carefully formulated plans and the exercise of his well developed capacities and powers he has become a potent factor in his particular field.
PAUL POMEROY IVES
Paul Pomeroy Ives, a well known writer and authority on poultry and live stock, is one of the substantial citizens of New Haven county. He was born in Meriden, May 28, 1877, a son of Charles Pomeroy and Phoebe (Taintor) Ives. The father is also a native of Meriden, where for fifteen years after attaining his majority he engaged in law practice but did not find the pro- fession congenial and turned his attention to agricultural inter- ests at Berlin, Connecticut. He also conducted a restaurant on State street in New Haven for a few years and is now engaged in general agricultural pursuits at Branford, Connecticut. During the period of his residence in Berlin he served for some time as a member of the town board. His wife was born in Shelburne, Massachusetts. They became the parents of six children, of whom four are living: Paul Pomeroy ; Hope, the wife of Frank Collins, of Branford; Eugenia, who is Mrs. J. E. Stannard; and Mary, now Mrs. John C. Barnes of Branford. Eli Butler, who was en- gaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Bridgeport, Connecticut, died in 1925.
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.