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FAMOUS ENOS

There haven't been many famous Enos, but there are at least two distant cousins, not descended from Allen/Fanny, who have affected modern life in a big way. 

There also are a few Enos of our own line who have "made their mark." 

Brian Eno -- Professor, Rock Musician, Producer, etc.

Photo copyright Aidan O'Rourke

One of the questions many of us get is "Are you related to Brian Eno?"

By far the most famous Eno of all time, Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (1948-) is indeed a distant relative. From what we can find out, he also is descended from the dashing Jacques de Hennot, the Huguenot leader who fled to England in the 1500s.

Brian, born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, has been called one of the most amazing and unique musicians and composers of the age. He has a long line of critically acclaimed recordings, including film scores such as Dune, and has been a mentor, or at least a great influence on, such artists as John Cale, Nico, Robert Fripp, Jane Siberry, David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Luciano Pavarotti and bands such as U2. 

He also has been a technical pioneer, in areas such as tape-looping and other early forms of "sonic manipulation."

Like all good rock musicians, Brian went to art school. Unlike most of the rest of his peers, he continues to work in the visual medium as well as in sound. His video installations have been exhibited at galleries around the world, including the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Venice Biennale; the Pompidou Centre in Paris as well as a permanent exhibition opened October 1995 in Austria's Swarovski Museum. Combining sound and vision, Brian's works have been said to "create an alternative environment for the gallery-goer, just as his ambient albums create a sense of space for the listener."

Today, Brian is visiting professor at the Royal College of Art, London. He lives in California.

One writer said: 

"Variously labeled over his career either as a diletante, pseudo-intellectual meddler in other people's work, or as a visionary artist and superhuman facilitator, Brian Eno eludes capture by remaining steps ahead of the men with the labels. His position in the culture of music and art has constantly evolved to the point where he now occupies a rarified and diffuse status, which he can alter according to the needs of the moment"
                                                                                     - from an article in THE WIRE September 1995.

William Phelps Eno -- Inventor of Traffic Regulations

Returning from the opera in New York City one day in 1872, William Phelps Eno (1858-1945) of Saugatuck, Conn., and, later, Washington, D.C. , was riding in a horse-drawn carriage. Hopelessly stuck in one of those “after the show” traffic jams, it dawned on him that there were no rules regulating street traffic.

Bill, a Yale graduate and a fellow descendant of David Eno I (1726-1789), went home and wrote a long article, Reform in Our Street Traffic Needed. Over the next few years, he invented stop signs, safety islands, rotary traffic, traffic-signal towers and even one-way streets. These became increasingly important as the automobile came along and its use grew. New York and Paris were the first cities to adopt his traffic rules.

He was the author of Street Traffic Regulation, published in 1909 and translated into French in 1912.

In 1921, Bill founded the Eno Foundation for Traffic Safety, which still exists and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Find it on the Web at http://www.enotrans.com/

Ironically, he never had a driver’s license.  

Amos Richards Eno -- Real-Estate Tycoon

Amos Richards Eno was born in 1810, in Simsbury, of course. He went into business with his cousin, John J. Phelps, and their firm soon became one of the Hartford area's leading wholesale houses. From that success, Amos laid the foundation for his considerable fortune. When the partnership was dissolved in the early 1850s, Amos continued his role as a prominent dry-goods merchant. .

Soon, though, his smart investments in New York real estate eclipsed his mercantile interests, and by 1860 he was devoting full time to acquiring and developing property. In 1859, he built the Fifth Avenue Hotel at 198 Fifth Avenue, between Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Streets, which became one of New York ’s most important hotels. Located in the building was the Second National Bank, of which Amos was one of the organizers and principal stockholders.

When he died in 1898, Amos owned some of the most valuable real estate parcels in Manhattan, valued at more than $20 million, an astounding sum at the turn of the century.

As an interesting aside, Hakan Bjornstrom-Steffanson, 1st class survivor of the Titanic disaster of 1912, is buried near Amos in the Eno family mausoleum at the Simsbury Cemetery, Simsbury, Connecticut. Recent information provided by a website visitor says the he was the husband of one of Amos's daughters.

ENOS OF OUR LINE WHO HAVE 'MADE A MARK'

There are members of our own branch of the family who have been relatively big frogs in their respective small ponds.

Rev. Glenn Trask Eno -- Energetic minister

Rev. Glenn Trask Eno (1909-1999) was a son of Rev. Elbert Edward and Leona Final Eno, a grandson of Luther and Emeline Trask Eno and a great-grandson of Allen and Fanny Lewis Eno.

Born in Belchertown, Mass., Glenn had a distinguished, 45-year career as a Baptist minister and was pastor of eight churches in eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Twice retired, Glenn left his last pastorate, the East Killingly Baptist Church, in 1979. Then he retired (again) and went to live in Moosup, Conn., with his wife of 63 years, Evelyn (Depeau) Eno, near his son-in-law and daughter, William and Cynthia Eno Bessette.

Licensed to preach by the Stafford Baptist Church in 1932, Glenn took his first pastorate in 1934, at the Eber Dunham Memorial Church, Mansfield Depot. He was formally ordained to the ministry on Nov. 1, 1938, while serving at the Carolina (R.I.) Baptist Church. He also served at the Ellington Congregational Church and the Preston City Baptist Church. His longest pastorate was at the First Baptist Church of Essex, where he served from 1955 to 1974, when he was 63. He came out of retirement a few months later to take the pastorate in East Killingly.

Glenn described his ministry as "a joy." Retiring from his East Killingly pastorate, he said of his long career: "I wouldn't have done anything else." 

Even after his final retirement, Glenn made himself available as a "supply minister" for local churches, filling in when other ministers were ill or on vacation.

He, his wife and several brothers are buried in the Eno family plot in the cemetery on the campus of the University of Connecticut, Storrs.

Rev. Robert Bryan Eno -- Priest, Author, Professor

In a family descended from militant 16th century Protestants, it's ironic that probably the most famous modern Eno of our line was a Roman Catholic priest.

Rev. Dr. Robert B. Eno, SS, STD (1936-1997) was a son of Earl Bryan and Bernice Landers Eno, a grandson of DeEarlon T. and Charlotte Crowell Deming Eno, a great-grandson of Luther and Emeline Trask Eno and a great-great grandson of Allen and Fanny Lewis Eno.

Once described in a magazine article as "a towering intellectual," Bob was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1963, at St. Joseph Cathedral, Hartford, Conn. He was at once asked to join the exclusive Society of St. Sulpice (an "invitation only" group of priests who teach in universities) and began a long and distinguished career as a professor, author and theologian. 

Holder of two doctoral degrees and fluent in six languages, Bob was in demand throughout the world as a lecturer in his academic specialty, the history of the early Christian Church. He was acknowledged as the greatest Augustinian scholar of his day. For many years he was a member of the Lutheran/Catholic ecumenical dialogue commission.

Bob spent most of his academic life at the Theological College of the Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., where he chaired the Dept. of Church History. He lectured widely and at institutions such as Oxford University, England, and the Sorbonne, Paris. His books include Teaching Authority in the Early Church (1984), St. Augustine and the Saints (1985) and The Rise of the Papacy (1990).

Despite his achievements, Bob was thought of as a down-to-earth man of deep spirituality. Seminary students reportedly traveled great distances for his spiritual advice. Also, he was known for his wit, in the classroom, in lectures and personally.

"Bob had that zany sense of humor that comes only from high intelligence," a colleague said.

In February 1997, Bob died suddenly in his rooms at the university after having returned from class. He is buried with his father in the Eno family plot, St. Mary Cemetery, East Hartford, Conn.

Bonnie Joy Eno Keith -- Corporate Executive

Bonnie Joy Eno Keith (1949-), a daughter of Gerald B. Eno and Kay Noyes Eno Sumption (1927-), has probably reached higher rungs of the corporate ladder than any other member of our line. A former vice president of Pepsico, she recently completed her job at American Standard, where she was vice president for world supply. 

Bonnie, born in Rutland, Vt., is a granddaughter of Rev. Edward Elbert Eno, great-granddaughter of Rev. Elbert Edward and Leona Final Eno, a great-great granddaughter of Luther and Emeline Trask Eno and a great-great great-granddaughter of Allen and Fanny Lewis Eno.

She and husband Walter Keith (himself an executive at General Electric) travel widely and live in Lumberton, N.J., where they and their married daughters, Erika and Erin, host many an extended-family gathering.

Bonnie and Walt are avid musicians, and they have a well equipped music room in their home. It's well used when the cousins and friends get together! Bonnie and Walt met in Vermont when they performed in the same band -- Walt a drummer and Bonnie a singer.

Paul Frederick Eno -- Journalist, Author

Paul F. Eno (1953-), brother of Rev. Robert Eno and a newspaper and magazine reporter and editor for many years, is an award-winning Rhode Island journalist. An editor at the Providence Journal for six years, he and his family now own New River Press, a commercial book publishing company in Woonsocket, R.I.

Born in Hartford, Conn., Paul is a graduate of two seminaries and holds a rare Ph.B degree in philosophy. He ended up a full-time author. He has written hundreds of articles on New England history and on residential-construction issues in the eastern United States. His book, Rhode Island: A Genial History, co-authored with Emmy Award-winning Providence newscaster Glenn Laxton, was released in May 2005. However, he is best known for books and articles about his 37-year avocation: paranormal research and ghosts. A fellow of the American Society for Psychical Research, Paul, who describes himself as "an open-minded skeptic," is the author of The Occult (1977) and The Counseling Handbook (1979). His 1998 book Faces at the Window has sold over 5,000 copies and is in its second printing. His 2002 title Footsteps in the Attic was the "New Age Book of the Month" for December 2002 at Bookreview.com. His latest book: Turning Home: God, Ghosts and Human Destiny hit the bestseller list on Amazon.com in March and again in June 2007.

Paul has researched alleged paranormal phenomena in both America and Britain, and has appeared on the Discovery, History and Travel Channels, and in other national and local television, radio and print media. He lectures widely on the subject (including in Europe) and is considered one of the world's leading authorities on the subject.

Paul also wrote The Best of Times (1992), a Rhode Island newspaper history.

For many years, Paul was involved in civic affairs and municipal government in Cumberland, Rhode Island, and has been a force for historic preservation in that state. In a series of prize-winning articles that celebrated Rhode Island's 350th anniversary in 1986, Paul coined the term "Rhode Island: America's First Resort," which is now the motto of the state's tourism effort. He serves on the board of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council.

A U.S. Coast Guard veteran, Paul is the only Eno listed in Who's Who in the World and is one of three (and the only one of our line) whose biography appears in Who's Who in America.

Paul and his wife of 26 years, Jaclyn A. Blackmon Eno (1953-) live in Woonsocket, R.I., with their sons Jonathan (1983-) and Benjamin (1992-).

Find out more about Paul's paranormal research at www.newenglandghosts.com.

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