The Newtown bee., 1904-05-27

at Stepney for the Housatonic railroad. and he has continued to fill that po- sition up to the present time with credit to himself and universal satis- faction to the road and it's patrons. On June 3, 1893, during Cleveland's second term, he was again appointed General Bissell, and has since served under presidents Mckinley and Roose- welt. MT French has in him the ele- mentS of thrift and good management shown by the entire family, and by his careful, conservative business methods he has become one of the well-to-do men of his town, where he is highly thought of in business, public and social circles. That his fellow citizens have the utmost confidence in his in- tegrity and good judgement is shown by the fact that he has been called pupon to act as trustee in the settle tinuOuS service for IA years as first and second selectman of Monroe, to which office he was elected and reelected from 1872 to 1886. He has always taken an active and patriotic interest in pub lie matters, especially of a local na- ture, and has rendered many services to his town. During the building of the ZOar bridge across the HOusatOnic river, MT French, as first Selectman of Monroe township, acted as chairman of the building committeesfor the town. In 1858 MT French was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Briscoe, daughter of James and Harriet Clark Brisooe, of Stepney; the mother was from Bedford, N. Y. MT and Mrs French have no children. They are 0f Gt Dofn~Sc Episcopal church, of Monroe, of which MT French has been an official for some time, and he takes a strong in- terest in it's work. He is member of Washington Lodge No 19, F. & A. M., of Monroe, and Jerusalem Chapter No 13, of Bridgeport. He is a member of Jerusalem Council, No 16, B. & s. M., of Bridgeport, and also of Hamilton Commandery No 5, of the same place. THE DONOR OF THE BEAUTIFUL MASON
 10 MEMORIAL.
 George Griffin, the donor of the beautiful Masonic hall, was reared in NewtOwn and there educated. He at tended the Newtown Academy for a time. In 1881, at the age of 21, he be- came associated with his father in the manufacture of buttons, under the III l" udAuO OA Os O 0s 011Mu. uC father some years before his death re- tired from business, and his son, George, and sOn-in-law, Marshall HI. Sears, continued 1t for six yearS; then MT Sears withdrew and the business was carried on for eight years by G. Griffin, who in the meantime made valuable inventions (which he patent ed) that revolutionized the button in- dustry. In 1889 he took Bruce N. Griffin into partnership, and in 1890 bought of the Ousatonic Water Go. a factory, formerly occupied by the Shelton Brass Hardware Co.,, have several times enlarged their plant, and now have business employing from 75 to 100 hands.
 MT Griffin was man of pleasing personality, and retained an affection ate interest in the town of his snativity.
 For generations the Griffin family have lived in Newtown: The remains of David w. Griffin and his wife, Mar gary, rest in the old graveyard in Huntingtown district, not far from the button factory operated for years by their son, the late John Griffin, and his sons, George and Bruce N. Griffin. David w. Griffin died October 30, 1849, aged 65 years, and Margary on May 13, 1864, aged 78 years. She was formerly Margary Nichols, a daughter of Peter Nichols.
 John Griffin, the father of George