42 



The Florists^ Review 



March 10, 1921. 



OBITUARY 



John Lewis Childs. 



John Lewis (Jhilils, the widely known 

 ilorist and nur.serynian of Floral Park 

 and Floworfieldj N. Y., died snddenly 

 Saturday, March f), while on a New 

 York Central train, between Albany and 

 New York, on liis return from a visit 

 to California. His death Mas not dis- 

 covered until the ^lorter of the Pullman 

 car went to arouse him as the train ar 

 rived in New York. 



Mr. Childs was born at J.'iy, Me., May 

 IH, 1856, and received a ]»ublic schoci 

 education in that town. In 1874 he went 

 to Ijong Island, taking a position M 

 Kast Hinsdale, near Hempstead, with a 

 lloi'ist, and rooniiiif; over a store in tlic 

 village. Here a year later ho leased a 

 few acres of land and started the niicleus 

 of what was to become ultimately an 

 enormous seed and plant business. His 

 first seed catalogue containcil eight 

 pages and tlieic were only (iOd copies 

 ])rinte(l. Wubseijucntly he ))ouglit a large 

 tract of lanil adjacent to Kast Hinsdale, 

 at what is now the incorporated village 

 of Floral Park, :ind founded tlie settle- 

 ment which became the village, giving to 

 it its n;iine and making his lieadcpiarters 

 in it. Fifteen years from his starting in 

 business, his name, through his far- 

 reaching Jidx crt isenients, was known 

 throughout the world. He used whole 

 pages in magazines .and periodicals of 

 all sorts ,anil juiblished the Mayflower, a 

 horticultural publication which even- 

 tual!.^ attaiiiecj a circulation of over 

 half a million. This, with his cata 

 logues, was ])rinted in a well eipiipped 

 printing plant which he installeil at his 

 Floral i*;nk establishment .and ojierated 

 until ;ibi)ut ;t year ago, although lie had 

 jireviously disposed of his ui.agazilie. 



When Floral Park became ;\ village, 

 Mr. ("hilds scrxed as its tirst president 

 for three years. He took great interest 

 in village affairs, and through his efforts 

 it has become u ])lace of considerable 

 imj>ortance. Much of the ])ro]ierty, how- 

 ever, eventually went- into re.al estate 

 o|ier;itions, and ])<art of it ]>assed into 

 (ireater New York ;it the time that city 

 wjis exteuiled. He liad ;int iii|iiit('(l this 

 eventuality, and had purchased about 

 800 acres of splendid land at what he 

 named Flowerfield, between Stony Hrook 

 and St. James, in Suffolk county. Long 

 Island, where all field-grown stock is 

 now produced, both h()rt icult ural .and 

 agricultur.al, including \ast jilantings of 

 gladioli, cann.as .-iml d.-ihlias, under the 

 supervision of Isa.ac S. Hendrickson, the 

 wholesale manager. While the stc)<-k was 

 grown at Floral Park, the first commer- 

 cial jdantings of Gladiolus .\in(Mica were 

 made, and this variety disseminated. 



Mr. Child.s took considerable interest 

 in politics and was a 7nember of the New 

 York State Senate in IHiM-r,. He was 

 twice defeated for Congress on the Re 

 publican ticket. In educational circles 

 he was quite joominent, for many ye.ars 

 being ]iresident of the lioard of coutr(d 

 of the Stiite Normal and Tr;:ining 

 School, at .Tnmaicii, \ew York city, and 

 for twenty ye.ars ])resident of the board 

 of education of Floral Park. .\t the time 

 of his death he was a member of the 

 advisory board of the Orjdian .Vsylum 

 Society of Brooklyn. 



He was the owner of a fine ccdiection 

 of natural history specimens, included 



John Lewis Childs. 



.\niencan natural liistory. 



The ileceased leaves a widow ami two 

 sons, neither of the latter associated 

 with the business. Funeral services 

 were htdd prixately ;it the family home 

 Tiies(|;i>-, Maicli H. with inteiinent in 

 ( iicciifielcl cenictcrv. Hciniistcid. 



I«."H>., ..,(,1,11 C', ,,1111 Jill, 



cciifielcl cemetery, llempstcjn 

 Edward C. Dungan. 



.7. H. P. 



' I'OI Ifilit 1111 p.lL'f 4."l.) 



IMward ('. Dungan, treasure)' .and gen 

 (lal manager of Willium Henry .M.aule, 

 inc., diecj ;it the .Medico-( 'hirurgical hos- 

 l)ital, Philadel]iliiii, .March 4. .Mr. Dun 

 gan underwent an ojieration six months 

 .ago wliich was not successful in restor- 

 ing his health. He was .IS years of age. 



Edwifrd C. Dungan entered the seed 

 house of WiJIi.im Henry Maule in 1S7S, 

 when he was a lad of \'). He reiniiined 

 there for forty-three years, with the ex- 

 ce])tion of a few months spent with a 

 seeil house at Newark, N. J. Mr. Dud- 

 g.-in rose from the bottom of the ladder 

 to the top. He assisted Mr. ^Laule in 

 building the large seed house that 

 stands today ;uid, (ui Mr. Maule 's de.-ith, 

 some y(>;irs ago, succeeded him in its 

 direction. In JOlit .Mr. Dungan was 

 elected i>resident of the American SeeiJ 

 Trade Association. 



^Ir. Dungan was a man of the highest 

 integrity and one who couhl be abso 

 lutelv depend(>il upon. He was jiossessed 



of lovable <i'ialities that eiide.ued iiim 

 to a large circle of friend>. who deejdy 

 nuturn his loss. He is sinxived bv his 

 wife. 



Funeral seivices were held at his late 

 residence, ;{.i;!4 .North Fifteenth street, 

 I'hiladelpliia, Tuesdav. M;ircli 8. 



I'hil. 

 C. R. Kimberlin. 



The death of C. R. Kimberlin occurred, 

 .March .1, at his home at San .lose, Cal. 

 For the last fifteen years Mr. Kimberlin 

 had been connected with his brother, 

 L. M. Kimberlin, and their two sons 

 under the firm name of the Kimberlin 

 Seed Co., at San .lose. Mr. Kimberlin 

 w.as c(Tnuected with the trade for some 

 time before that, however, and was with 

 his father, J. M. Kimberlin, in the seed 

 glowing luisiness. The deceased was 

 born at Santa Clara, Cal., and was 56 

 years of age. He leaxi^s his widow and 

 one sfin. 



Mrs. Richard Vincent, Jr. 



The wife of on<' of the most widelv 

 known members of the florists' trade, 

 .Mrs. Richard X'iiiceiit. .Ir.. of White 

 M.arsh, Md., died .at lor home earlj' 

 Tuesd:iy morning, .March s. She had 

 been in jioor health for .-i year and was 

 taken seriously ill .March .'>. With lier 

 jiassing ;i most lovable ,ind .nniable 

 cliar;icter h;is de|i;ii-t eil t'lon, ,■, host of 

 friends. 



^Irs. N'inceiit was 7"i \ears of age 

 and. although becoming a little feeble 

 and uncertain in her step, .ncompanied 

 Mr. Vincent to most of the trade con- 

 ventions, even in recent years. She 

 w;is born in .\nne .\runilel county, 

 -Maryland, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 

 .lohn Merritt. .Miout tliree vears ago. 



