Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

married Julia Clarke, and they were the
parents of eight children: Mary, Nellie,
Julia, Delia, John C, James T., died in
1916. Two other children died in infancy.
John C. O'Connor was educated in the
grammar and high schools of Stamford,
and later followed an engineering course
in Columbia University. After complet-
ing his formal education, he went into
business with his father, and soon after in
partnership with his brother, James T.,
and succeeded his father in the business.
One of the first things the brothers did
was to enlarge its scope so as to include
building construction. At first they
adopted the name, O'Connor Brothers,
later changing it to O'Connor Brothers
Concrete Construction Company, under
which name John C. O'Connor is now do-
ing business. Among the contracts of
the firm are : The Martin block on At-
lantic street, comprising three stores and
twelve apartments ; the paper warehouse
now occupied by Shuttleworth & Holly
the Roxbury School of stone ; the Cath-
olic church at Riverside ; concrete bridge
at Roxbury; Springdale and several
smaller buildings ; for Baer Brothers the
firm put up ten buildings which is suf-
ficient warrant of the high class of construction
work. Since the death of James
T., Mr. O'Connor has carried on the business
alone and on the average employs
thirty men. Mr. O'Connor is a very pro-
gressive business man, and holds a prominent
place among the citizens of Stam-
ford; in 1919 he built a garage, the largest
in Stamford, at the corner of Grove
and Main streets, and has the agency for
the Studebaker car. Fraternally he is a
member of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks.
Mr. O'Connor married Eleanor Hue-
well, daughter of Bernard Huewell, of
New York City, and they are the parents
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
365
of seven children : Eleanor, Roger, John,
Don, Richard, and twins, Joseph and
Thomas.
MURPHY, Richard D.,
Sales Manager.
There is no other race in which the
permanent and typical characteristics are
so well developed as they are in the Irish
race ; they are marked in each generation.
Among those who come from other coun-
tries to make America their home, it is
the immigrant from Ireland who makes
the best citizen. This is because the Irish
people have the same ideals of freedom
and liberty born into them, so to speak,
as the Americans, and hence do not need
to be Americanized, for coming here, they
are imbued with the spirit of our institu-
tions.
One of the most ancient of Irish surnames
is Murphy, and the original seat
of the family in Ireland was in the barony
of Ballaghkeen (pleasant roadway)
in the easterly part of the County of Wexford,
at Castle Ellis and Culeartleagh
(grey orchard). The county of the Murphy
family is still called Murrons ; the
name itself is the anglicized form of Mc-
Morough ;
and the family belonged to the
tribe of Hy-Felimy. Murphy, Murrough,
and Morin are anglicized forms of the
name of the original ancestor. MacMur-
catha, written also O'Murchada, also
O'Murchu, are original forms of the name.
In Irish, Murcatha means a sea battle,
and Murchu, a sea warrior. Dermot Mc-
Morough, born in 1090, was King of Leinster
for many years, and another famous
man bearing the name was Art McMurrough,
born in 1357. The latter was par-
ticularly noted for his chivalry and general
good qualities. The records show
many celebrated men of this family, and