USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 6
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EDGAR T. CLARK
Edgar T. Clark, a well known representative of commercial interests in Milford, where he is engaged in the retail coal trade, was here born December 14, 1859, a son of Nehemiah T. Clark, who was a descendant of George Clark, one of the first settlers of Milford, where he established his home in 1638. For almost three centuries the family has been represented here. Nehemiah T. Clark was married to Miss Abigal P. Baldwin, of Milford, who traced her ancestry back to Nathan Baldwin, who became a Mil- ford resident in pioneer times.
Edgar T. Clark attended the public schools of Woodmont to the age of fifteen years and then remained upon his father's farm to the age of eighteen, his youthful experiences being those of the farm-bred boy. He felt that he would prefer other than an agri- cultural life, however, and leaving home at eighteen years of age, secured employment in a hat factory at Milford, working in the shipping department for eight years. During that period he care-
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fully saved his earnings until his capital was sufficient to enable him to purchase the grocery store of Baldwin & Nettleton, which he conducted for four years. He then sold out and established a retail feed and grain business, which he carried on for eight years, when he disposed of the same and purchased the coal and wood yard of John Birge. This business he still carries on and is en- joying a liberal patronage because of his promptness in delivery, the quality of his products and his thorough dependability in trade transactions.
On the 30th of October, 1895, Mr. Clark was united in mar- . riage to Miss Charlotte C. Clark, of Orange, Connecticut. She is an active member of the Woman's Club and of the Daughters of the American Revolution and takes a helpful interest in social affairs of the city. Both Mr. and Mrs. Clark are members of Christ Congregational Church and of the Wepawaug Country Club. He also belongs to Ansantawae Lodge, No. 89, A. F. & A. M., and for thirty-eight years has been a member of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has held every office, including that of past grand noble. He is a charter member of the Royal Arcanum Lodge, of which he has been treasurer for fifteen years, and he belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. His political endorsement is stanchly given to the republican party and for two terms he served in the state legislature, from 1911 to 1915. For five years he filled the office of assessor of the town of Milford, and he is now a member of the republican town com- mittee. He has exerted a widely felt and beneficial influence in public affairs in his community, his aid being always on the side of progress and improvement, and he is justly accounted one of the substantial and representative residents of this part of the state.
REV. ANTHON TEMPLE GESNER
Rev. Anthon Temple Gesner, widely known clergyman and educator, has been rector of All Souls Episcopal Church of Water- bury since November, 1917, coming to Connecticut after a number of years spent in constructive missionary work in the northwest, where his labors were attended with splendid results. He was born at Le Roy, New York, July 20, 1865, a son of Rev. Abraham
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Herbert and Helen Catlin (Dickinson) Gesner. We quote from "The Gesner Family of New York and Nova Scotia," written by Rev. Anthon T. Gesner in 1912, in commemoration of the two hundred and second anniversary of the settlement of John Henry Gesner in America. "During the past four centuries the name of Gesner has been borne by many men who have attained to positions of conspicuous honor. Originally brought into promi- nence by the indefatigable labors and achievements of the most renowned scientist of his age, Conrad von Gesner, of Zurich (1516-1571), it was further honored in the sixteenth and follow- ing centuries by not a few who held high position in the univer- sities of Germany and Switzerland, and who have left a memorial of their works in the several departments of science, letters, and theology. The names of Solomon Gesner (1559-1605), divinity professor in the University of Wittenberg, and the three brothers -Andrew Samuel (1690-1761), Jean Albert (1694-1760), and John Matthew (1691-1761), philologist and professor at Anspach -were among the most noted scholars of Europe in their day. Solomon Gesner (1730-1788) was both poet and painter, John Gesner (1709-1790) was a physician and naturalist, and John James (1707-1787), brother of the last mentioned, was a noted clergyman and missionary of Zurich. The list if given in fullness would be a long one. Here in America the family found a worthy son of fame in the person of Dr. Abraham Gesner (1797-1864) of Nova Scotia and New York, inventor, scientist, and lecturer in Dalhousie, and Kings College, Canada, whom a generation now passing away remember with respect for his learning and achieve- ments; while others of less note have done, or are doing, the work of clergymen and educators in our land.
"The first of the name of Gesner in this country, and the an- cestor of the Hudson River and Nova Scotia Gesners, was Johan Hendrick Gesner (1681-1745), who, in the twenty-ninth year of his age, accompanied by his wife Annan Elizabeth and infant daughter Margaret, left the Palatinate of the Rhine, with many others who in that oppressed region had suffered through war and misrule, and came to London; from whence he sailed by ship Lyon for America, arriving in New York, June 10-12, 1710." From the American progenitor of the family the line of descent comes down through John Henry Gesner of Tappan, New York (1724-1811), "Colonel" Henry Gesner of Cornwallis, Nova Scotia
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(1756-1850), Dr. Abraham Gesner of Nova Scotia and New York, (1797-1864), and Rev. Abraham Herbert Gesner of New York (1832-1895), to Rev. Anthon Temple Gesner of this review.
Excellent educational advantages were accorded Anthon T. Gesner in his youth. He attended St. Stephen's College of Annan- dale, New York, and continued his studies in Trinity College of Connecticut, from which he was graduated with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1890, while four years later the Master of Arts degree was conferred upon him by the same institution. He became deacon of the Protestant Episcopal Church following his graduation from the Berkeley Divinity School of Middletown, Connecticut, in 1893 and in 1894 was ordained to the priesthood. He entered upon the work of his holy calling as rector of St. Luke's Church at Detroit, Minnesota, where he filled the pulpit from 1893 until 1895, and afterward served as rector at St. Peter's Church of St. Paul from 1895 until 1897, at St. Paul's Church of Grand Forks, North Dakota, from 1897 until 1900 and at St. Luke's Church of Billings, Montana, from 1900 until 1902. Dur- ing the succeeding five years, from 1902 until 1907, he was vice- rector of the Shattuck Military School at Faribault, Minnesota, while for the period of six years between 1904 and 1910 he was professor of ethics and apologetics at the Seabury Divinity School and chaplain of St. Mary's Hall at Faribault. Coming to Con- necticut in 1910, he was for seven years thereafter connected with the staff of the Berkeley Divinity School at Middletown as professor of ethics and evidences of Christianity. Since Novem- ber 1, 1917, he has presided as rector over All Souls Episcopal Church at Waterbury and his consecrated labors have proved a potent force in the moral progress of the community.
On the 14th of June, 1893, Rev. Gesner was united in mar- riage to Blanche Louise Pinniger, a native of Chippenham, Wilt- shire, England. Their children are four in number, namely: Helen Sargent, Dorothy Dickinson, Conrad Herbert and Harriet Davis.
Rev. Gesner is a member of the Litchfield Historical Society, the Mattatuck Historical Society, the Connecticut Historical So- ciety and the Sons of the American Revolution and is a member of the board of assistants of the Mayflower Descendants of Con- necticut. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order. His hobby is the study of American archaeology and antiquity, and
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he has written various pamphlets on this subject as well as on the work of missions. He is the author of "The Gesner Family of New York and Nova Scotia," published in 1912, and "The Dick- inson Family of Milton and Litchfield," published in 1913. He is a cultured gentleman of broad views and scholarly attainments and his activities have touched the general interests of society to their betterment.
CASIMIR M. LUKOSIUS
Seeking the opportunities of the new world when a young man of twenty, Casimir M. Lukosius has become thoroughly American in spirit and interests. His ambition, industry and ability have carried him ever onward and upward until he has attained a place of prominence in legal circles of Waterbury, which has been the scene of his professional activities for a period of eleven years. He was born in Lithuania, September 18, 1884, a son of Michael and Barbara (Kavaliaukas) Lukosius, and spent his early life on his father's farm. He pursued his studies in the Russian cities of Libau, Moscow and Petrograd and attended the University of Moscow.
In 1904 Mr. Lukosius crossed the Atlantic on a ship bound for an American port and following his arrival in Detroit, Michi- gan, he entered SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary, where he studied science, Latin, Greek and French, receiving his diploma at the end of two years. His education was further broadened by a two years' scientific course in Valparaiso University of Indiana while he was acting as an instructor in that institution. After- ward he sold life insurance in New Haven and Waterbury for the Mutual Company of New York for a short time and next turned his attention to the publishing of a Lithuanian magazine, devoting two years to that work. Meanwhile he had decided to enter the legal profession and while studying law served as an interpreter for the city court, also teaching in a night school of Waterbury. Thus he earned the funds necessary for his tuition and on the 21st of January, 1919, passed the state bar examina- tion. He entered upon the active work of his profession in asso- ciation with Ulysses G. Church, a prominent member of the Waterbury bar, and the passing years have recorded a steady
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growth in his practice, which is now of substantial proportions. He is felicitous and clear in argument and has won many ver- dicts favorable to the interests of his clients.
On the 7th of September, 1915, Mr. Lukosius was married to Miss Beatrice Eleanore Broniscoe, and they have three children, Casimir, born in 1916; Richard B., in 1918; and Vanda B., in 1923. Mr. Lukosius obtains needed relaxation and diversion in reading, gardening and fishing. He votes with the republican party but is not active in politics, giving his undivided attention to his profession, and does all in his power to uphold its high standards.
CAPTAIN HENRY BRANDAGEE PECK
The memory of Captain Henry Brandagee Peck will ever be honored as one of the heroic dead who laid down their lives on the altar of their country when civil strife threatened to disrupt the Union. He led his own company at the battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, December 13, 1862, and in that sanguinary conflict suf- fered the exposures which resulted in his untimely death at the end of the following January. A native of New Haven county, he was born in Waterbury, February 14, 1841, his parents being Henry P. and Harriet M. (Cook) Peck. A biography of his sister, Miss Katherine L. Peck, appears on another page of this publication. A contemporary biographer wrote: "He may have inherited his love for military life from his maternal ancestors, for his great-great-grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Jona- than Baldwin, and his great-grandfather, Colonel Phineas Porter, were as high in rank as any who went from Waterbury into the Revolutionary war."
Henry B. Peck was taken by his parents from Connecticut to southern Georgia, but his mother's aversion to slavery led to their removal to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the father engaged in the dry goods business from 1846 until his death eight years later. In 1856 the family returned to the east and settled in New Haven. There Captain Peck entered General Russell's Commercial and Collegiate Institute, where his love for military life was encour- aged, and he rose to the highest military position in the school, that of adjutant. At the outbreak of the Civil war he was desir-
1841-1863 .
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ous to enlist, but was prevented by family reasons. From the commencement of hostilities he was constantly engaged in drilling companies of volunteers, a work for which he showed special talent. He gave his whole time to this service until his enlistment in July, 1862. He raised a company of one hundred men from New Haven county-Company H, Fifteenth Connecticut Volun- teer Infantry, was chosen its captain and left New Haven with his command in August. His army life lasted but six months. The only engagement in which he took part was the battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, the exposures of which resulted in a fatal illness. He died of typhoid pneumonia on the 30th of Jan- uary, 1863, at the Seminary Hospital in Georgetown, D. C., and his remains were interred in Riverside cemetery. Thus he made the supreme sacrifice less than a year after attaining his majority and his young life was laid on the altar of liberty. Who can estimate how great is the debt our country owes her military heroes?
SAMUEL HEMINGWAY
New Haven sustained the loss of a highly valued and respected citizen in the passing of Samuel Hemingway, who for more than a half century was identified with the Second National Bank, which institution he served as president for thirty years, having risen from a clerkship to the most important executive position. He was a lifelong resident of New Haven, born November 2, 1858, his parents being Samuel and Marietta (Smith) Heming- way, both of whom were of English descent. At the usual age he became a grammar school pupil, passing through consecutive grades until his graduation from high school in 1878. The fol- lowing year, at the age of twenty-one, he entered the employ of the Second National Bank as a clerk and steadily advanced to positions of increased responsibility until he succeeded his father in the presidency in 1899, remaining the executive head of the institution to the time of his death, which occurred March 26, 1930. An editorial printed the following day said: "The life of Samuel Hemingway was especially notable for the long, faithful and able service which he gave to a single banking institution. Not only his father before him, but two of his sons after
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him, as well as a brother, have all been prominently identified with banking in this city. Mr. Hemingway served the Second National for more than half a century. His life was an admirable example of steadfast and devoted service." His efforts were also a potent element in the growth of the New Haven Savings Bank, of which he was vice president, and in the field of public utilities he exerted a strong influence as a director of the Connecticut Company, the New Haven Water Company and the West Haven Railroad Company.
Mr. Hemingway was married October 18, 1882, in New Haven, to Minerva Lee Hart, who was born in this city November 9, 1859, a daughter of the Rev. Burdett Hart, D.D., born in New Britain, Connecticut, in 1821, and Rebecca Wheelock (Fiske) Hart, who was born in Shelburne, Massachusetts, in 1823. Mr. and Mrs. Hemingway were the parents of three sons, namely : Professor Samuel Burdett Hemingway, who married Mary Jor- dan Dimock and resides at 42 Lincoln street, New Haven; Louis Lee Hemingway, who married Ruth Alicia Porter and has an attractive home at 151 Everit street, New Haven; and Donald Hart Hemingway, who married Elizabeth Chase and resides at 51 Lincoln street in this city.
Mr. Hemingway voted with the republican party and on its ticket he was elected alderman of his ward, filling that office in 1886 and 1887. He also served on the board of education and was a strong advocate of all that he deemed vital to the welfare of his community. He had membership in the First Church of Christ in New Haven, while his social nature found expression in his connection with the New Haven Country Club, the New Haven Lawn Club and the Quinnipiack Club. Well preserved in mind and body, he remained an active factor in the world's work al- though he had passed the seventy-first milestone on life's journey, and a long, useful and upright career established him high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. His widow, residing at 324 Liv- ingston street, is a member of the New Haven Lawn Club, the New Haven Country Club, the Faculty Club, the Fortnightly Club, the Connecticut Society of Colonial Dames and the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution.
At his death the following resolutions were passed by the Second National Bank of New Haven:
It is with deep sorrow that we, the Directors of The Second
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National Bank of New Haven, record in our minutes the death of our President, Samuel Hemingway, which occurred at his home on Wednesday, March 26, 1930. The story of his service in the Bank, though it covers more than half a century, may be simply told. He entered the Bank, of which his father was then Presi- dent, in August, 1879, was appointed Assistant Teller in January, 1884, Teller in January, 1885, elected a Director in 1894 and on January 10, 1899, elected President, succeeding Mr. Arthur D. Osborne. Beginning before he was twenty-one years of age, he thus worked faithfully and intelligently in these positions suc- cessively until almost the hour of his death. To tell the full story, however, is to recount the details of constant service given each day in the business of the Bank in all those years-the daily asso- ciation with his fellow-workers of every grade in the Bank, in the earlier years the watchful respect for the experience and teach- ing of his seniors and in the later years the close but kindly supervision of the work of others, the hourly contact with custo- mers of the Bank, the advice to those requiring counsel in finan- cial matters, the study of ever-changing business conditions, the scrutiny of investments, the daily exercise of judgment in testing the character and reliability of others. All this was done in so earnest yet kindly a manner that he won the affection and respect of all, was called upon for greater and more important service and gradually gained a masterly knowledge of the principles as well as the practice of banking. He thus continually enriched his own life by new friendships and new honors.
No one who was an officer, director, or employee of the Bank at the time he became its President is now with us. In the selec- tion of each member of this Board of Directors and of each of the present employees and officers of the Bank he has had a part. Every department of the Bank owes its development in large part to his power and judgment.
In whatever work Samuel Hemingway engaged he built his structure with the art of a master workman. The foundation had to be firm and strong; none but the best material was accepted -the structure was meant to last. The principles of his life and conduct never changed or weakened. He brought them from the Christian home of his boyhood into the business world and into his social and domestic life. He knew nothing of the art of de- ception or even of concealment. So it was that we all saw how
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proud he was of the solidity and reputation of the Bank, in the building of which his father before him had done so much, and in the work of which he has recently had the help of his own sons. He was proud too of the other institutions, in the conduct of whose affairs he took part, and of the sound business enterprises of our city. His pride was that of the champion of sound and steady progress. He was seldom if ever seen in retreat, for the reason that he took his stand upon firm ground with the intention of there remaining.
Our thoughts turn back at this time to the former members of this Board who are no longer with us, who were associated as we have been with him in the conduct of the Bank, especially to his brother and inseparable companion, James S. Hemingway. We feel that all of them, who felt, as we have, the serenity of his spirit, the warmth of his friendship, the fairness and kindness of his judgments, the power of his understanding, the strength of his manhood, would speak with us in honoring him as a loyal New Haven citizen and a steadfast friend.
EUGENE M. BEACH
Eugene M. Beach has won well merited success in business as store manager of the F. Hallock Company, extensive hard- ware and paint dealers of Derby, with which concern he has been continuously identified through more than three decades. He also has to his credit a record of thirty years' connection with the Derby volunteer fire department. Mr. Beach was born in Wood- bridge, New Haven county, Connecticut, January 22, 1870, his parents being Anson L. and Jane E. (Ford) Beach, also natives of Woodbridge, who are now deceased. The father was a farmer by occupation. Eleven generations of the family have spent their lives within twenty-five miles of Derby, Connecticut, the youngest generation being represented by the grandson of Eugene W. Beach, named in his honor.
The public schools of Woodbridge afforded Eugene M. Beach his educational training. After putting aside his textbooks he spent four years in the employ of the Ansonia Brass & Copper Company, learning the electric wire drawing trade. Thereafter he worked for about a year in the plant of The Miller Company,
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manufacturers of lighting fixtures at Meriden, then returning to Woodbridge. A few years later, in 1897, he entered the machine shop of the Griggs-Seabury Company at Derby, Connecticut, being employed in making gun shells during the period of the Spanish-American war. It was in 1899 that he became connected in a clerical capacity with the F. Hallock Company, an established hardware and mill supply concern of Derby, with which he has continued to the present time. He has won steady promotion as he has demonstrated his fitness for positions of increased respon- sibility and importance, being made purchasing agent prior to being advanced to the place of store manager, which he has filled most acceptably for many years. His efforts have contributed materially to the continued success and expansion of the business, which has attained extensive and profitable proportions.
On the 25th of December, 1889, Mr. Beach was united in mar- riage to Miss Emma B. Rebstock, of Meriden, and they are the parents of a son, Walter E., who is connected with the Birming- ham Iron Foundry Company of Derby. He married Emily J. McCready and has a son, Eugene W., who was named for his grandfather.
Mr. Beach is widely recognized as a public-spirited, enterpris- ing and progressive citizen but has never sought the honors or emoluments of public office. A record of which he has every reason to be proud covers his service with the Derby volun- teer fire department, of which he was second lieutenant in 1902, 1903 and 1904, first lieutenant in 1905 and 1906 and captain in 1907 and 1908, while during the years 1909 and 1910 he acted as commissioner under Mayor J. B. Atwater. Then came a change in the city administration and for one year Mr. Beach was out as a department officer but in 1912 he resumed his connection there- with, becoming assistant chief, thus serving during 1913. In 1914 he was made chief and was treasurer of his company in 1915 and 1916, while in the following year he became captain of the company. Through the two succeeding years he was its captain and in 1921 and 1922 again served as fire commissioner under Mayor Atwater, after which he was made secretary of the volun- teer fire company, continuing in that capacity from 1923 until 1930 inclusive. Mr. Beach has also filled every office in Derby Lodge, No. 571 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, being exalted ruler in 1920 and 1921. Moreover, he is the presi-
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dent of the Fraternal Aid Union. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the First Congregational Church, which he has served on the executive board for a number of years and also as collector for the church society. Motoring is his favorite form of recreation. His life has been an upright and honorable one in every relation, and New Haven county numbers him among her worthy native sons and highly esteemed citizens.
OSCAR LARSON
Oscar Larson, president and treasurer of Larson Brothers, manufacturers of bowling alley equipment at New Haven, was born in Oland county, Sweden, November 4, 1880, a son of Lars Nelson and Anna Sophia (Larson) Larson, the former a promi- nent contractor. Their son Oscar acquired a public school edu- cation in his native country, pursuing his studies to the age of sixteen years, when he began working for his father and thus acquired an intimate knowledge of the contracting business.
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