228 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



Hon. Robert Jay Walsh, the most 

 prominent and respected citizen of 

 Greenwich died Friday afternoon at 4 

 o'clock at his residence on Dearfield 

 Drive, after an illness which had con- 

 fined him to his home for two weeks. 

 Funeral services were held at his late 

 residence on Monday afternoon at 3:15 

 o'clock. The services were marked by 

 simplicity, typical of the man and were 

 conducted by the Rev. Dr. Joseph H. 

 Selden of Norwich, Conn., formerly 

 pastor of the Second Congregational 

 Church and the Rev. Dr. Oliver P. 

 Huckel, the present pastor, and Rev. 

 M. George Thompson, rector of Christ 

 church. Hon. Homer S. Cummings 

 paid feeling tribute to Judge Walsh's 

 sterling character and to his invaluable 

 service to the community. The honor- 

 ary pallbearers were : 



John Maher, John W. Diehl, John 

 D. Barrett, Nathaniel A. Knapp, James 

 Maher, S. Elbert Mills, Wilbur S. 

 Wright, Fred A. Hubbard, James R. 

 Mead, Homer S. Cummings, E. L. Sco- 

 field, John E. Keeler, Luke Vincent 

 Lockwood, Noah C. Rogers, Julian W. 

 Curtiss, George L. Slawson, Charles A. 

 Moore, Jr., Augustus I. Mead, Herbert 

 McCord, Henry H. Adams. 



The interment was made in the Walsh 

 family mausoleum at Putnam Ceme- 

 tery. 



Men of marked ability, forcible char- 

 acter and culture leave their impress 

 upon the world written in such indel- 

 ible characters that time is powerless 

 to obliterate their memory, or sweep 

 it from the minds of men. Their 

 commendable acts live long after they 

 have passed from the scene of their 

 earthly career. 



In Judge Walsh we find the friend 

 and counsellor of all Greenwich, one 

 of the most distinguished members of 

 the Fairfield County Bar, twice State 

 Senator representing the Twelfth Dis- 

 trict, member of the Commission of 

 1888 to revise the Statutes, Secretary of 

 State of Connecticut in t88q for two 

 terms, Judge of the Criminal Branch 

 of the Court of Common Pleas holding 

 the office until he resigned about seven- 

 teen years ago to give his entire atten- 

 tion to his law practice and business 

 interests in Greenwich. 



Judge Walsh was born August 1, 

 1854, at Lewisboro, N. Y., the son of 

 James F. and Annie E. Walsh, one of 



six children, Mrs. Thomas E. White, 

 Miss Mary M. Walsh, of Ridgefield, 

 Mrs. John Morgan who died last 

 spring, Hon. James F. Walsh of Green- 

 wich, and Mrs. Dennis Buckley of Can- 

 nondale, Conn. 



In 1864 Judge W'alsh's family moved 

 across the boundary line into Connec- 

 ticut, settling in the town of Ridgefield, 

 and he having already advanced in 

 elementary studies continued them in 

 the local public school. At the age of 

 twelve years he left the common school 

 and became a student in the High 

 Ridge Institute at Ridgefield, where he 

 had the advantage of instruction under 

 the accomplished Professor William O. 

 Seymour. After devoting two years to 

 acquiring a knowledge of the higher 

 branches he felt that the time had now 

 come to enter the arena of practical 

 life ; a sturdy lad descended from 

 sturdy ancestry he chose the ancient 

 and honorable trade of a blacksmith. 

 During the years of apprenticeship he 

 made use of his spare hours for the im- 

 provement of his mind by study and 

 useful reading, which proved a large 

 asset in his future sphere of usefulness. 

 Seeking the advice and assistance of 

 Dr. William S. Todd, then a practi- 

 tioner of medicine in Ridgefield, with 

 him he reviewed his studies preparatory 

 to teaching. Through the assistance 

 of Dr. Todd at the age of seventeen he 

 received the appointment of teacher in 

 one of the local schools ; he taught one 

 vear and then in order to perfect him- 

 self in his profession entered the State 

 Normal School at New Britain, but did 

 not complete the full course, because 

 of an advantageous position offered 

 him in Port Chester, N. Y., as teacher 

 in one of their schools. His first school 

 was a success and where he taught he 

 left but one record, a record crystal- 

 ized in the words "The best teacher we 

 ever had." 



Characteristically, while yet teach- 

 ing he began the study of law under 

 the advice and instruction of Col. H. 

 W. R. Hoyt, a prominent lawyer in 

 Greenwich ; in due time Mr. Walsh 

 was admitted to the bar, and was re- 

 ceived into partnership by his accom- 

 plished and experienced preceptor. He 

 was immediately thrown into the field 

 of political effort and won his reputa- 

 tion as a lawyer under the most benign 

 auspices. In 1882 he opened a law of- 



