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HISTORY

WORCESTER COUNTY

MASSACHUSETTS

SUPERVISING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ELLERY BICKNELL CRANE

Former Librarian of Worcester Society of Antiquity (now the Worcester Historical
Society), Editor of Its Proceedings and Former President, Author “Raw-
son Family Memorial,” “The Crane Family,” “History of the
15th Regiment in the Revolution,” and Other Works

STAFF HISTORIAN

E. MELVIN WILLIAMS

OF NEW YORK CITY

Historical Editor of “ Americana ,” Author of “Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, A
History” 1924 ; “ Municipality of Buffalo, New York, A
History, 1721-1923,” and Earlier Works

VOLUME III

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.,

NEW YORK AND CHICAGO
1924

LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, Inc.,
NEW YORK AND CHICAGO

WORCESTER COUNTY

MASSACHUSETTS

Digitized by the Internet Archive

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BIOGRAPHICAL

comb) Ellis, was born at Bolton, Massachusetts, and died
in Springfield, January 21, 1877, when Albert Nelson
Ellis was only a child.

Albert Nelson Ellis was born at Enfield, Massachu¬
setts, March 29, 1871. The family removing to Athol
when he was a child and not long afterward making a
second change to Springfield, it was in the public schools
of the city of Springfield that his education was re¬
ceived. At the age of seventeen years Mr. Ellis returned
to Athol, and on August 22, 1888, entered the employ
of his grandfather, Nelson Whitcomb, in the coal busi¬
ness. He was active in this connection until the year
1894, when he bought the interest, changing the name
to Albert N. Ellis & Company, but only a few years
later, on July 1, 1897, he sold the business, to accept a
position with the firm of Bates Brothers, one of the
leading manufacturing concerns of Athol, producers of
pocketbooks. Upon the incorporation of this concern
in the year 1898, Mr. Ellis was made secretary of the
company and later became assistant treasurer. In the
year 1914, upon the death of his father-in-law, George
D. Bates, who for many years had been treasurer of
the corporation, Mr. Ellis succeeded to that office, which
he still ably fills at the present time.

Mr. Ellis is affiliated with the financial world of Athol
as a director of the Millers River National Bank, and
is broadly interested in all that pertains to civic and in¬
dustrial advance. He was recently elected delegate to
the State Chamber of Commerce, after having been a
member of the Athol Board of Trade for many years,
and during the past three years, president of that body.
Politically Mr. Ellis was formerly an adherent of the
Democratic party, but now holds independent convic¬
tions and gives his influence to whatever party or candi¬
date he believes best suited to meet the needs of the
people. For twelve years he served as a member of
the school committee, but has otherwise never accepted
political honors. During the World War Mr. Ellis was
active as a member of Company E, 20th Regiment,
Massachusetts State Guard, and was sent to Boston, Sep¬
tember 10, 1919, and was returned on October 11, of the
same year. He was on duty during the intervening
period at Scollay Square, Boston, this unit being active
in the quelling of the strikes and riots of that period.
Mr. Ellis enlisted as a private, was later made corporal
and was mustered out of the service second lieutenant.
Active in all that counts for community advance and pub¬
lic welfare, he has served for some years as president of
the Athol branch of the Massachusetts Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Fraternally Mr.
Ellis is widely prominent, being a member of Star
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he served
as Master in iqoi and in 1913; Union Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons ; Harris Council, Royal and Select Mas¬
ters, all of Athol ; also Athol Commandery, Knights
Templar; and 1914 was District Deputy Grand Master
of the Masonic order. He is further a member of
Lodge No. 1296, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, of Greenfield, Massachusetts; and of Tully Lodge,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His clubs are the
Poquaig, of Athol, of which he is vice-president; and
the Greenfield Country. In religious endeavor Mr. Ellis
has long borne a constructive part, being a member of
Hope Congregational Church of Springfield, and also of

the First Church, Unitarian, Inc., of Athol. Pie was
one of the moving spirits in the agitation which resulted
in the combining of the First and Second Unitarian
churches of Athol into one body, which is now called
the First Church Unitarian, Inc., and has acted as col¬
lector for this parish for twenty years. Mr. Ellis is
one of the foremost men of this community, and
although he has never accepted public responsibility of
any great importance, he is one of the most influential
men in the progress of all forward movements.

Mr. Ellis married, in Athol, Massachusetts, Maude
Emily Bates, who was born at Montague, Massachusetts,
December 24, 1870, the ceremony taking place June 20,
1894. Mrs. Ellis is a daughter of George D. and Har¬
riet Wheat (Warner) Bates. Her father, who died
February 5, 1914, had been a leading manufacturer of
Athol since 1870. He was a native of South Deerfieldj
Massachusetts, and his mother, who was born at Green¬
field, Massachusetts, died at Athol, in the year 1876.
Mr. and Mrs. Ellis have two children : Margaret, who
was born at Athol, July 16, 1904, is a graduate of Athol
High School, class of 1922, and is now a student at the
Boston Conservatory of Music, specializing on the piano
and organ; and Richard Bates, born at Athol, May 27,
1906, now attending Athol High School. The beautiful
Ellis residence, at No. 124 Ridge Avenue, Athol, is the
center of a wide social circle.

PATRICK F. CANNON, a man of sterling char¬
acter, whose natural qualities for leadership have won
for him many honors at the hands of his associates, has
been for nearly twenty years a practicing attorney in
Clinton. Mr. Cannon is of Irish birth and parentage,
having been born in County Galway, Ireland, February
10, 1861. Both his parents were born on Bobbin Island.
The father, Arthur Cannon, who was engaged in farm¬
ing throughout his life, died in 1904. The mother, who
before her marriage was Bridget O’Malley, died in 1886.

Mr. Cannon acquired his early education in the public
schools of his native land, supplemented with studies in
the Clinton schools after the removal of the family to
this country. He next took a commercial course at
Bryant & Stratton’s Business College, after which he
attended the Boston University Law School, and was
admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1904. Immediately
opening his office in Clinton, he began to build up a prac¬
tice, meeting with flattering success, and has continued
to follow his profession throughout the years to the
present time. His office is located in the Bank Block.

In leading social, religious, and political circles, as
well as professional, Mr. Cannon has always played a
conspicuous part in the community life of Clinton,
bringing the weight of his influence to bear upon what¬
ever project was proposed for the improvement of con¬
ditions here. In political life he is high in the councils
of the Democratic party, and for seven years served as
secretary, treasurer and chairman of the Democratic
Town Committee. He also was solicitor for the town
of Clinton for two years. He is a devout communicant
of St. John’s Roman Catholic Church of Clinton, and
very active in various prominent Catholic organizations.
In the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Clinton he has
filled all the offices of the order, including those of the
president and treasurer of the Clinton order, president of

Wor — 6

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

the county order, secretary of the State organization,
and vice-president of the national order. Of the Massa¬
chusetts Catholic Order of Foresters he has been Chief
Ranger and treasurer, as well as Deputy High Chief
Ranger. He is also a prominent member of St. John’s
Temperance Society, and of the Benevolent and Protec¬
tive Order of Elks. For two years he served as presi¬
dent of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, and has
always been one of its most influential members.

The marriage of Mr. Cannon and Mary A. McGrath,
of Clinton, took place in 1906, and they have one child,
Arthur P. Cannon, who was born here March 21, 1908.

DR. GEORGE MOSSMAN — In choosing the med¬
ical profession as the field of his life work Dr. Moss-
man followed in the footsteps of his honored father
and in his success, his choice has been well justified. Dr.
Mossman comes of Scotch and English ancestry, and is
a son of Dr. Alvero E. and Mary A. (Eacott) Moss¬
man, his father of Scotch parentage and his mother a
native of London, England. Dr. Alvero E. Mossman
was born in Sweetland, California, his parents having
crossed the plains to that State from Illinois in a
prairie schooner at the time of the gold rush in 1849.
They returned to the East via the Isthmus of Panama,
thence by boat to New York City and located in Dracut,
in the vicinity of Lowell, Massachusetts. Thirteen
years of age when he became a resident of this State,
Alvero E. Mossman, upon the completion of his elemen¬
tary and preparatory studies, entered Bellevue Hospital
Medical College, in New Yoi'k City, and was graduated
in the class of 1884. Locating in Westminster, Massa¬
chusetts, he followed the practice of medicine until his
death, which occurred December 19, 1913. Prominent
in medical circles in the East, he was a member of the
first medical staff of the Henry Heywood Memorial
Hospital, of Gardner, and had an extensive practice in
the town of Gardner, as well as in Westminster. He
was active in civic affairs in both communities and was
well known fraternally, having been a member of all the
Masonic bodies up to and including the commandery.
The mother survived her husband for nearly two years,
passing away August 6, 1915. They were married in
Lowell, in 1878.

George Mossman, son of these parents, was born at
Westminster, Massachusetts, November 16, 1889. His
education was begun in the local public schools and he
later attended Fitchburg High School, then Cushing
Academy, at Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and was grad¬
uated from that institution in the class of 1909. He then
took one year of pre-medical work at Harvard Uni¬
versity, after which he entered the college of medicine
at Burlington, Vermont, from which institution he re¬
ceived the degree of Doctor of Medicine upon his grad¬
uation with the class of 1914. One year’s internship
followed at the Burbank Hospital at Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, also a year’s internship at the Carney Hos¬
pital, at Boston, Massachusetts, where he had
charge of the special work in orthopedic sur¬
gery. With this excellent and unusually compre¬
hensive preparation Dr. Mossman entered upon the
private practice of medicine in Westminster in 1916, then
in December, 1921, he removed to Gardner, where he now
resides. He still retains his Westminster office and

divides his time between that community and the city of
Gardner, his practice being very extensive in both places.
Dr. Mossman stands high in the profession, is assistant
surgeon and obstetrician at the Henry Heywood Me¬
morial Hospital, of Gardner, and is dispensing physician
for the Society for the Prevention and Control of Tu¬
berculosis, of Gardner. Dr. Mossman is a member of
the American Medical Association, the Massachusetts
State Medical Society, and the Worcester North District
Medical Society, also the Gardner Medical Society. In
October, 1917, Dr. Mossman enlisted in the United
States Medical Corps and was assigned to the ortho¬
pedic section, going to France with Base Hospital Unit
No. 1 14, in May, 1918. He saw much service in France
with this unit at Beau Desert, and was later transferred
to Buffalo Unit Hospital, at Vittel, France, where he
remained until the signing of the armistice. He was
then returned to Base Hospital No. 114, and reaching
the United States on July 1, 1919, received his honorable
discharge from the service on the fourth day of the
same month. He was commissioned first lieutenant on
his enlistment and was promoted to the rank of captain
during his period of service. Dr. Mossman is a mem¬
ber of Burlington, (Vermont) Lodge, No. 100, Free and
Accepted Masons; Burlington Chapter No. 3, Royal
Arch Masons; Rajah Temple, of Reading, Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine ; and Calwell
Consistory, of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Ancient Ac¬
cepted Scottish Rite. He is also a member of Gardner
Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. His chief relaxation is water sports and golf,
and he is a member of the Gardner Boat Club, the
American Legion, and the Oak Hill Country Club, of
Fitchburg.

Dr. Mossman married, on June 25, 1921, Esther Jane
Curtis.

FRANK L. MacNEILL, as president of the New
England Envelope Company of Worcester, Massachu¬
setts, holds a leading position in executive circles in the
industrial life of Worcester, Massachusetts. A native
of Nova Scotia he has been a resident of the United
States since his youth, and during the greater part of
the time has been identified with the business life of
Worcester. He is a son of Joseph L. and Joanna A.
(Israel) MacNeill. His father was a sea captain, and
sailed from Baltimore and Philadelphia to foreign
countries, his vessels carrying grain.

Frank L- MacNeill was born in Freeport, Nova
Scotia, August 15, 1870. Receiving a practical education
in the public schools of his birthplace, he left home at
the age of seventeen years, and coming to Boston, he
secured a position with the Bay State Watch Case
Company, manufacturers of watch cases. There he was
active in office work for about one year, after which he
came to Worcester and secured employment with C. H.
Ellsworth, a leading dry goods merchant, then in the
Burnside Building. Remaining in this connection for
about six months, he later entered the employ of the
W. H. Hill Envelope Company. Forming this connec¬
tion with a view to permanency Mr. MacNeill began in
the packing department, then later served in the ship¬
ping department, eventually going into the office and
continuing with that firm, in all, for about nineteen years.

. ->■

BIOGRAPHICAL

Then, in November, 1906, he began the manufacture of
envelopes independently, under the name of the New
England Envelope Company. Mr. MacNeill acted as
superintendent of the plant, also directing the business
office of the enterprise personally, and went forward until
February 22, 1922, when the concern was reorganized,
Mr. MacNeill becoming president, and Charles I. New¬
ton, treasurer. This concern has attained a very high
position in local business circles and also in the trade
generally, their product being distributed widely in
the East. As the head of the organization, Mr. Mac¬
Neill is doing much to carry the interest constantly for¬
ward, and his practical ability has long since placed it
on a stable and enduring foundation. He is further in¬
terested in the business world of Worcester as president
of the Standard Paper Goods Manufacturing Company,
and is a member of the Worcester Chamber of Com¬
merce. Fraternally, Mr. MacNeill is widely prom¬
inent, being a member of Morning Star Lodge, Free and
Accepted Masons; Worcester Chapter Royal Arch
Masons ; Hiram Council, Royal and Select Mas¬
ters; Worcester Lodge of Perfection; Goddard Coun¬
cil, Princes of Jerusalem; Lawrence Chapter, Rose
Croix ; Massachusetts Consistory, Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite; and Alethia Grotto; also Aleppo Temple,
Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
is a member of the Economic Club of Worcester, and his
political convictions align with the principles of the Re¬
publican party, but he is never an office seeker. He
attends the South Baptist Church.

Mr. MacNeill married, in Worcester, on December 12,
1892, Florence M. Wright, daughter of Horace and Mary
Wright, and they have two children: Stanley W., born
September 22, 1895; and Phyllis M., born September 16,
1899, now the wife of E. E. Eaton, and they have one
son, Albert Conrad Eaton.

CLARENCE G. STEVENS, of Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts, in one of the most necessary and practical lines
of commercial endeavor, is bearing a part in the public
welfare and achieving large success. As one of the
younger executives of the city he fills a responsible
position in one of the oldest enterprises of its kind in
Worcester County, for many years known under the
firm name of the Genery Stevens Company, wholesale
dealers in butter, eggs, cheese, lard, and flour, with the
most complete and modern cold storage facilities.

Genery Stevens, founder of this business, was born
in Athol, Massachusetts, and died in the city of Wor¬
cester, August 1, 1921, aged seventy-five years and one
month. His first business experience in the field in
which he won distinction was gained in the employ of a
dealer named Heslor, whose organization he entered
in 1867. During the two years in which he was con¬
nected with this interest he became thoroughly familiar
with the business, and in 1869 established his own interest
in partnership with a Mr. Chamberlain. This affili¬
ation continued for about five years, the location of the
business being at No. 525 Main Street, Worcester,
Massachusetts. The firm was known as Stevens &
Chamberlain until 1874, when Mr. Stevens purchased
the interest of his partner. Later, when his son, William
A. Stevens, became sixteen years of age, he was re¬
ceived into the organization as an employee, and event¬

ually became the head of the firm. Meanwhile, the
scope of the business was widened, and its growth was
steady, therefore larger quarters were required, so in
1895 Mr. Stevens built the storehouse at No. 64 Bridge
Street, where they are still located. Five stories were
added to the building in 1915. The founder continued
at the head of the organization until his retirement from
all business activity in the year 1918. He was a man of
large prominence in many branches of forward en¬
deavor, having been a member of all the Masonic bodies,
active in benevolent matters, and a deacon in the old
South Congregational Church. On February 22, 1868,
he married Ada S. Blakesley, of Barre, and they cel¬
ebrated their golden wedding in 1915.

William A. Stevens, son of Genery and Ada S.
(Blakesley) Stevens, was born in Worcester, Massachu¬
setts, April 4, 1880. Educated in the local schools, he
has been closely identified with the above organization
since the completion of his studies, and from the early
years of his activity has been an important factor in the
development of the business. Even before his father’s
retirement he held a large measure of responsibility, and
when the concern was incorporated on April 1, 1919,
William A. Stevens became president and treasurer of
the company. Recognized as an able and progressive
executive, he is highly esteemed by his contemporaries in
every field of commercial advance. He spends his
leisure in outdoor interests, and is a member of the
Commonwealth Club of Worcester and the Worcester
Country Club. He married, in August, 1897, Florence
E. Kingston, daughter of George and Georgiana (Kin¬
dred) Kingston, and they are the parents of two chil¬
dren : Clarence G., of whom further ; and Muriel C.,
born September 27, 1905.

Clarence G. Stevens was born December 15, 1901. He
received his education in the public and high schools of
the city of Worcester, and as a young man became inter¬
ested in the affairs of the Genery Stevens Company, of
which his grandfather was then still the head. Taking
a subordinate position in the organization, Mr. Stevens
familiarized himself with every detail of the business.
He is now filling a position of executive responsibility,
and is counted among the broadly alert and promising
young men of the day in the business life of Worcester
County. Mr. Stevens is well known and popular in
social and club circles in Worcester, and is deeply in¬
terested in all lines of progressive effort for the com¬
munity.

Mr. Stevens married, on March 29, 1922, Eleanor C.
Miller, of Worcester, and they reside in the suburbs
of this city.

JOHN EDWARD TALBOT, A. B., LL. B., M. D.

— One of the foremost names in the medical profession
in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, is that of Dr.
John Edward Talbot, whose training was received in
the institutions of his native State, and who has been
in active practice in this city for about ten years. Dr.
Talbot is prominent also fraternally and among club
circles in this city. He is a son of Zephaniah Talbot,
who was active in the United States Navy during the
Civil War, and for two years prior to that struggle was
chief engineer. He later became a prominent manu¬
facturer of Boston, and his lifetime was spent in the

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

production of shoe nails and tacks. The mother, Eliza
Frances (Paul) Talbot, was also a member of a
Massachusetts family.

John Edward Talbot was born at Holliston, Massa¬
chusetts, November i 1879. His education was begun in
the local public schools and he later attended the Boston
Latin School and thereafter Volkman’s Private School,
where his preparatory studies were covered. Entering
Harvard University, he received his Bachelor of Arts
degree from that institution in the class of 1902, after
which he took up the study of law at the same univer¬
sity and received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1905.
Determining thereafter to make the profession of med¬
icine the scene of his life work, he entered Harvard
Medical School and was graduated in the class of 1912,
with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. His hospital
experience was unusually comprehensive, for he was
first active as interne at the Free Hospital for Women,
then was identified with the medical service of the
Massachusetts General Hospital, after which he was
active at the Boston Lying-in Hospital. Coming to
Worcester to take up the practice of his chosen profes¬
sion, Dr. Talbot has been engaged along this line con¬
tinuously since, specializing in obstetrics. He has been
largely successful and is considered an authority along
the lines of his specialty, in which he is widely sought
in this city and vicinity. In political affairs Dr. Talbot
supports the Republican party, but his professional ac¬
tivities have commanded his attention so fully that he
has never as yet found leisure to take a leading part
in public affairs. He is a member of the American
Medical Association and the Massachusetts Medical
Society, and fraternally is a member of Mount Hollis
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is Past
Master ; Mt. Lebanon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ;
Milford Commandery, No. 11, Knights Templar; Aleppo
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine. He is a member of the Boylston Society and
the Aesculapian Society. He belongs to the Worcester
Club and the Tatnuck Country Club, and is also a
member of the Bohemians. His religious affiliation is
with the Unitarian church.

Dr. Talbot married (first), at Framingham, Massa¬
chusetts, June 12, 1907, Florence Sanger, who died
March 12, 1908. He married (second), at Brookline,
Massachusetts, April 8, 1916, Florence L. Moore. John
E. and Florence (Sanger) Talbot were the parents of
one child, Elizabeth, born March 7, 1908, and died
March 24, 1908.

CAPTAIN HERBERT F. HARTWELL, A. B.—

In the industrial world of Gardner, Massachusetts, Cap¬
tain Hartwell holds a broadly responsible position as
export manager for the John A. Dunn Company, manu¬
facturers of chairs, reed furniture of various kinds, and
baby carriages. Educated both in America and in
France, and with extensive experience as a member
of the American Expeditionary Forces during the
World War, Mr. Hartwell is especially fitted for his
present responsibilities, and his work is giving great
impetus to the export business of the concern. Captain
Hartwell comes of a very old family of Massachusetts,
for many years residing in Bridgewater, where they
fettled late in the eighteenth century. Captain Hart¬

well’s grandfather, Isaac Hartwell, was a lieutenant in
the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
Francis Hartwell, Captain Hartwell’s father, was born
and reared in old Plymouth Colony, but is now a resi¬
dent of Brockton, and holds a prominent position in the
shoe industry in that city. He married, in Brockton,
in the seventies, Nellie Mowry, who was also born
and reared in old Plymouth Colony, and is still living.

Captain Herbert F. Hartwell was born at Brockton,
Massachusetts, June 8, 1880. His education was begun
in the public schools of the city, and he is a graduate of
Boston University, from which he received the degree
of Bachelor of Arts, with the class of 1903. He later
went abroad and attended the Sorbonne, at Paris,
France, during 1903-04, then, in the fall of 1904, he re¬
turned to America. He was made an instructor at the
Boston University, filling that position for one year.
He then took up public school work and was made the
head of the modern language department of the Portland
(Maine) High School. He later filled a similar posi¬
tion at the Technical High School, at Springfield,
Massachusetts, and his work in this field covered a
period of about eleven years. It was from such duties
as these that he left civilian life to enter the military
service, and his record, which follows below, is one of
honor and distinction. Upon his return to civilian life in
June, 1919, Captain Hartwell accepted his present re¬
sponsible position with the John A. Dunn Company,
of Gardner, and as their export manager has carried
the interests of the concern into new fields, where they
are meeting with constantly widening success. His
work carries him abroad once or twice each year, and his
marked executive ability, added to his extensive ex¬
perience in foreign countries, gives the Dunn interests
an executive of unusual worth in Captain Hartwell. He
is a member and director of the Gardner Chamber of
Commerce, and is active in all that pertains to the wel¬
fare and advance of the community, serving also as
vice-chairman of the Gardner School Board.

The military record of Captain Herbert F. Hartwell
began some years ago, when he enlisted in the National
Guard of the State of Maine. He was later identified
with the National Guard of the State of Massachusetts
for a period of eight years, was commissioned second
lieutenant in 1913, and two years later was commissioned
captain. On March 25, 1917, on the call of the Presi¬
dent of the United States, Captain Hartwell’s regiment,
the 2d Massachusetts Infantry, was sworn into the
Federal service and became the 104th Infantry, 26th Di¬
vision, American Expeditionary Forces. They sailed
for France on September 26 1917, and this was the first
complete American division to reach French soil prepared
for service in the field. Captain Hartwell was under
this command until June 1, 1918, when he was trans¬
ferred to the Liaison Service American Expeditionary
Forces, and was attached to the headquarters of the
20th French Army Corps. During his service in this
connection he received two decorations from the French
Government, the Croix de Guerre, citation by Marshal
Petain for the capture of a German bombing plane with
officers and crew, and the Legion of Honor on citation
of the commander of the 20th French Corps, also cita¬
tions from General Edwards, commanding the 26th Di¬
vision, his regimental commander, and the chief of the

BIOGRAPHICAL

Liaison Service, American Expeditionary Forces. Cap¬
tain Hartwell was returned to the United States in June,
1919, and he received his honorable discharge from the
service. He is a member of the Cercle Nationale des
Armees de Terre et de Mer of Paris, France, a French
army and navy club. Captain Hartwell is a member of
the Y. D. Club, of Boston, and is deeply interested in
the Boy Scout movement, acting as president of the
Gardner Council of Boy Scouts. Fraternally he is
identified with Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons;
Goddard Council, Princes of Jerusalem; and Worcester
Lodge of Perfection, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.
His clubs are The Gardner Boat and the Chair City, and
he is a member of the association of the Levi Heywood
Memorial Association. His church association is with
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, of which he is vestryman.

Captain Hartwell married, in 1906, Georgia M. Rodick,
of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and they are the
parents of five children: Hope, a junior in Gardner
High School (1923) ; H. Roger, a freshman in Gard¬
ner High School; Constance G. ; Priscilla F. ; and Pa¬
tience R. ; the younger children all in the grammar
schools of Gardner.

ROY M. THOMAS — The city of Leominster, Mas¬
sachusetts, is fortunate in its large number of busi¬
ness men who have by energy and ability worked their
way up from the bottom to responsible and important
business positions, either in the employ of large con¬
cerns or as owners and managers of a business of their
own. Among the latter is Roy M. Thomas, who since
1916 has been the owner and manager of a prosperous
plumbing and heating establishment in Leominster.

Roy M. Thomas was born in Worcester, Massachu¬
setts, December 25, 1892, his parents Farwell N. Thomas,
a meat cutter of Worcester, and Jennie M. (Marshall)
Thomas. He received his earliest education in Worces¬
ter, but in 1904, when he was twelve years of age, moved
with his parents to Leominster, where his education was
completed. He was deeply interested in mechanical
and engineering lines, and even during his school days
he utilized his spare time studying various branches of
the engineering business. When his school training was
completed he apprenticed himself to John B. Farnsworth,
plumber and steam fitter, of Leominster, in whose em¬
ploy he remained from 1908 to 1914. During this period
he was still using much of his spare time in study and
experiment, and was steadily becoming more expert as
a plumber and steam fitter. In 1914 he severed his con¬
nection with Mr. Farnsworth and became identified with
the Thompson & Spear Company, of Boston, plumbers,
by whom he was employed as an estimator. Two years
later he returned to Leominster and purchased the in¬
terests of John B. Farnsworth, his first employer, and
since that time has continued to successfully conduct a
steadily growing business. In December, 1916, the
business was incorporated under the name of the J. B.
Farnsworth Company, Roy M. Thomas, president;
Joseph B. Spear, treasurer, and Frank S. Farnsworth,
director. Mr. Thomas has made for himself a repu¬
tation as a skillful and reliable plumber, and has built
up one of the best known plumbing establishments in
Leominster. The firm has filled many important plumb¬
ing and heating contracts, including the Nashua High

School, of Nashua, New Hampshire; F. A. Whitney
Carriage Company, of Leominster; The Viscoloid Com¬
pany, of Leominster; Forbes Lithographing Company,
of Boston; Plunkett Hospital, of Adams, Massachusetts;
Marine Barracks, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire;
Noland School, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts; Bigelow -
Hartford Carpet Company, of Thompsonville, Connect¬
icut; Young Women’s Christian Association, of Bridge¬
port, Connecticut; Turner Center Creamery, of Provi¬
dence, Rhode Island; and the Rialto Theatre of Leomin¬
ster. In 1918 a Boston branch office of the business was
opened at No. 44 Broomfield Street, and the work of the
firm now extends all over New England and other
points.

Along with his business activities Mr. Thomas has
always been ready to do his part as a public-spirited cit¬
izen, and has always taken an interest in local public
affairs. During the World War he was detailed for
special government work, stationed at Fort Adams,
Newport, Rhode Island, and later at Fort Trumbull, as
one of the United States Coast Guard, at New London,
Connecticut. At the latter place he had charge of the
installations of the plumbing and heating apparatus of
the entire camp. Mr. Thomas is well known in fraternal
circles, being a member of Leominster Lodge, No. 86,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Leominster Lodge,
No. 1237, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Co¬
lumbian Lodge, No. 100, Knights of Pythias; and
Wachusetts Tribe, No. 41, Improved Order of Red
Men. He is also a member of the Sons of Veterans,
and of the United Commercial Travelers’ Association,
and his clubs are the Leominster and the Monoosnock
Country Club. His religious affiliation is with the First
Baptist Church of Leominster.

On May 26, 1915, at Lunenburg, Massachusetts, Roy
M. Thomas married Elsie G. Fish, daughter of Wellman
and Lyra (Heywood) Fish, her father a prominent
farmer and dairyman of Lunenburg. Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas are the parents of three children : Ruth Lyra,
born in West Medford, Massachusetts May 28, 1916;
Roger Wellman, born in Leominster, October 27, 1917;
and Rachel Barbara, born in Leominster, March 1, 1920.

ALVIN WARREN BANCROFT— The ancestor of
this branch of the Bancroft family, Lieutenant Thomas
Bancroft, was born in England in 1622, son of John and
Jane Bancroft. He came to New England, bought land
at now Lynnfield, and built a home near Beaver Dam.
At the time of his second marriage in 1648, he is
spoken of as “of Reading,” where it is known that he
owned land. He married (first) at Dedham, in 1647,
Alice Bacon, daughter of Michael Bacon, of Dedham,
and married (second), in 1648, Elizabeth Metcalfe,
daughter of Michael and Sarah Metcalfe. Children :
Thomas, of whom further; Elizabeth, John, Sarah,
Raham, Sarah (2), Ebenezer, and Mary. Thomas Ban¬
croft died August 19, 1691.

(II.) Deacon Thomas Bancroft, son of Lieutenant
Thomas and Elizabeth (Metcalfe) Bancroft, was born in
1649, and died November 9, 1691. He was an officer
in King Philip’s War, and a Selectman of Reading for
several years. He lived in the Bancroft homestead in
the western part of Reading, and his was the fourth
house built in the West Parish. He married, in 1673,

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Sarah Poole, daughter of Jonathan and Judith Poole.
Children, all born in Reading, Massachusetts: Thomas
(3), Jonathan, Sarah, Mehitable, Jonathan (2), Raham,
of further mention; Judith, Samuel, died young; Sam¬
uel (2), and Elizabeth.

(III.) Deacon Raham Bancroft, son of Deacon
Thomas and Sarah (Poole) Bancroft, was born in 1684
and died in 1758. Rev. Mr. Hobby, in recording his
death, said : “That good man, my friend, Deacon Ban¬
croft.” He married (first), in 1706, Abigail Eaton,
daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Mason) Eaton. She
died in 1728, aged forty. They were the parents of
David, of whom further. He married (second), in 1730,
Ruth Kendall, who died in 1758, daughter of Samuel
and Mary Kendall. Raham Bancroft’s children were :
Joshua, Abigail, James, died young; Ruth, Abigail
(2), Judith, and James (2).

(IV.) David Bancroft, son of Deacon Raham and
Abigail (Eaton) Bancroft, was born at Reading, Massa¬
chusetts, in 1718, and died at Auburn, Massachusetts,
April 16, 1782. He married (first) Eunice, surname un¬
known, who died October 15, 1777, aged fifty-seven. He
married (second) Abigail, surname unknown, who died
January 4, 1779. He married (third) Ruth, surname
unknown, who died August 2, 1809, aged ninety-four.
Children: Eunice, David, Jonas, John, Ebenezer, Jon¬
athan, of further mention; Mary, Ruth, Hannah, Tim¬
othy, and Nathaniel.

(V.) Jonathan Bancroft, son of David and Eunice
Bancroft, came from Auburn to Gardner, Massachusetts,
and followed his trade of shoemaker in connection with
farming. He was a soldier of the Revolution, and was
at the surrender of Burgoyne in 1777. He married
Sarah Case, and they were the parents of seven children :
Jonathan, Smyrna, of further mention; Sarah, Mary,
Betsey, Lucy, and Roxanna. Sarah (Case) Bancroft
died February 17, 1816, and he married a second wife,
Elizabeth, who died December 2, 1822. He died Sep¬
tember 25, 1826.

(VI.) Smyrna Bancroft, son of Jonathan and Sarah
(Case) Bancroft, was born May 15, 1776, died May 5,
1818. He married Sarah Whitney, of Winchendon,
Massachusetts, and they were the parents of six chil¬
dren: Harvey M., Smyrna Winslow, of further men¬
tion; Mary E., Sarah W., Amasa, and Viola.

(VII.) Smyrna Winslow Bancroft, son of Smyrna
and Sarah (Whitney) Bancroft, was born December 13,
1804. He married Lucy Jackson, daughter of Elisha
and Relief (Beard) Jackson, and they were the parents
of seven children : Sarah W., Walter, Mary, Charles, of
further mention ; Elmira, Amasa, and Eugene.

(VIII.) Charles Bancroft, son of Smyrna Winslow
and Lucy (Jackson) Bancroft, was born in Gardner,
Massachusetts, May 5, 1836. He married Lydia Maria
Parish, and they were the parents of Alvin Warren, of
whom further.

(IX.) Alvin Warren Bancroft, son of Charles and
Lydia Maria (Parish) Bancroft, was born in Gardner,
Massachusetts, August 9, 1873, and there completed
public school courses of study with graduation from
high school. He then entered Harvard University,
whence he was graduated Bachelor of Science, class of
1895. After leaving Harvard he entered the office em¬
ploy of the Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company.

He was advanced in position with the years and filled
each place so efficiently that he rapidly rose in rank,
becoming, in February, 1920, general manager of the
Gardner plant. He fills an important place in the busi¬
ness life of the State and fills it most ably. He is also
a director of the Gardner Savings Bank.

Mr. Bancroft is a member of Gardner Lodge, No.
1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of
the Gardner Boat Club. The family are members of St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church. He is a Republican in poli¬
tics, and for several years has been a member of the
School Board. The family home is in Gardner.

Mr. Bancroft married, August 21, 1900, Emily Wash¬
burn, of Gardner, and they are the parents of two sons:
Raymond Washburn, a graduate of Harvard Univer¬
sity, Bachelor of Arts, class of 1922, completing the
course in three years; and Richard, now a freshman
at Harvard.

CHARLES EDWARD THOMPSON, M. D.— A

native of Massachusetts, Dr. Thompson is a son of
Charles Edward and Ellen Louise (Simpson) Thomp¬
son, both natives of York, Maine. The father was en¬
gaged in mercantile pursuits in the city of Portland for
many years, but his business was entirely swept away by
the disastrous and historic Portland fire, and having
advanced in years, he practically retired from activity
following that event. He died in Middleton, Massachu¬
setts, in the year 1890. The mother still survives him,
and is a resident of Malden, Massachusetts.

Dr. Charles Edward Thompson was born at Middle-
ton, Massachusetts, on January 24, 1879. His educa¬
tion was begun in the local public schools, and he is a
graduate of the Holden High School, of the class of
1898. Entering Harvard University Medical School
after special preparation, he was graduated from that
institution in the class of 1902, with the degree of Doc¬
tor of Medicine. Even during his student days, Dr.
Thompson gave especial attention to mental diseases,
and six months prior to his graduation he entered the
Massachusetts State Infirmary as an interne and served
in this capacity for a year and a half. He was then
made a member of the staff of this institution and con¬
tinued in that capacity until coming to Gardner in Oc¬
tober, 1904. At that time he accepted the position of
assistant superintendent of the Gardner State Colony,
and continued in that capacity for two years and a
half. In April, 1907, he was made superintendent and
physician-in-chief of the Gardner State Colony, in which
position he has since continued with the exception of
two and a half years. It was in October, 1911, that he
resigned from the colony to accept the appointment of
executive officer of the State Board of Insanity, the offi¬
cers of this board being in the State House at Boston.
Dr. Thompson ably filled the responsibilities of this
position until February 1914, when he returned to the
Gardner State Colony, and has since been in charge as
before. The institution has nine hundred and twenty-
five patients and two hundred officers. In all these
activities Dr. Thompson has done much constructive
work, looking toward the betterment of conditions, not
only in the care of the mentally afflicted, but toward
the possibility of prevention of serious mental disorders.
He was instrumental in organizing the Massachusetts

BIOGRAPHICAL

Society of Mental Hygiene, of which he has been sec¬
retary since its inception. The chief aim of this organi¬
zation is the study of causes as related to results in
mental diseases and to secure better care for the men¬
tally afflicted, also the endeavor to awaken the people
to the study and prevention of mental troubles, which
are rapidly increasing. Dr. Thompson has given this
subject the most extensive research, has written more
or less regarding it, and is quoted as one of the foremost
authorities of the day on the treatment of mental affec¬
tions. He is a member of the American Psychiatric
Association, the New England Society of Psychiatry,
the Boston Society of Psychiatry and Neurology, and
the Massachusetts Medical Society. Fraternally he is
identified with Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ;
Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Ivanhoe Com-
mandery, Knights Templar; and the Massachusetts Con¬
sistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.

Dr. Thompson married, in May, 1907, Enza Leone
MacGill of Malden, Massachusetts.

ARTHUR NELSON BALL, M. D.— As assistant
superintendent of the Gardner State Colony, Dr. Ball
is bearing a noteworthy part in the care and treatment
of mental diseases in this State, and his success is
counting for the advance of the institutions and the wel¬
fare of its patients. Dr. Ball is a native of Berkshire
County, Massachusetts, and is a son of William and
Mary (Pierce) Ball. His father was born in Oswego,
New York, and was a farmer and lumberman by occu¬
pation, becoming a prominent figure in this industry in
Windsor, Massachusets, where he operated a saw mill
for a number of years, his death occurring while in
that business. The mother, who was born at Peru,
Massachusetts, still survives him, and is now a resi¬
dent of Cummington.

Dr. Ball was born in Peru, Berkshire County, Massa¬
chusetts, March 7, 1884. His early education was ac¬
quired in the public schools of Windsor, and he later
attended Kimball Union Academy, at Meriden, New
Hampshire, from which he was graduated in the class
of 1906. His choice of a profession early made, he en¬
tered the medical school of the University of Pennsyl¬
vania, at Philadelphia, and was graduated from that in¬
stitution in the class of 1911, with the degree of Doctor
of Medicine. One year’s interneship followed at the
General Hospital of Paterson, New Jersey, and there¬
after he became assistant physician at the Northampton
State Hospital, at Northampton, Massachusetts. His
work at that institution was interrupted by his enlist¬
ment in the Medical Corps of the United States Army on
January 15, 1918. He was commissioned first lieuten¬
ant and was later promoted to the rank of captain,
serving for five months at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and
at Camp Hancock, Georgia, for eight months; there¬
after at Fort Logan (Colorado) Army Post, for three
months, and finally at Camp Grant, Illinois, where he
remained until June 30, 1919, when he received his hon¬
orable discharge from the service. Immediately after
his discharge Dr. Ball returned to the Northampton State
Hospital as senior assistant physician of that institution,
and remained until November 2,-1921, when he became
assistant superintendent of the Gardner State Colony, in
which capacity he now serves. During his entire ex¬

perience, including that in the military camps at vari¬
ous points, he has made a special study of neuro¬
psychiatry treatment, and is rapidly gaining a position of
prominence in the treatment and prevention of mental
diseases. Dr. Ball is a member of the American
Psychiatric Association, of the New England Psy¬
chiatric Society, and the American Medical Association,
and the Worcester North Medical Society. Fraternally
he is identified with the Free and Accepted Masons,
but otherwise has few interests which do' not closely align
with his work.

Dr. Ball married, on August 12, 1918, Mae Turner,
of Cummington, Massachusetts.

HARRISON GREENWOOD — As a successful
man, as an enterprising and public-spirited citizen, as
well as in fraternal circles, Harrison Greenwood of the
insurance concern which operates under the name Green¬
wood Brothers, is well known and highly esteemed in
Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts.

Alson J. Greenwood, father of Harrison Greenwood,
was born in Hubbardston, Massachusetts, September 27,
1829, and after receiving a good practical education
in the public schools of his native district, engaged in
farming, which occupation he followed throughout his
active life. In spite of his out-of-door life, however,
he was not a man of rugged health, and when, at the
beginning of the Civil War, he tried to enlist for ser¬
vice he got no further than Greenfield, Massachusetts,
where he was rejected because he could not pass the
physical tests. He married Martha G. Moulton, daugh¬
ter of Sewell and Polly (Hunting) Moulton, and they
were the parents of four sons : Dr. Sewell E., of
Templeton, Massachusetts, now deceased : Arthur D., of
Hubbardston, Massachusetts, now deceased ; Silas A.,
of Winchendon, Massachusetts; and Harrison, of fur¬
ther mention.

Harrison Greenwood was born in LIubbardston,
Massachusetts, August 31, 1863, and received his educa¬
tion in the public schools of Hubbardston. Upon the
completion of his high school course he entered the em¬
ploy of S. Bent & Company, Inc., serving in the capac¬
ity of shipping clerk, and this connection he maintained
for a period of ten years. At the end of that time he
accepted a position in the office of S. K. Pierce & Son
Company, with whom he remained for a period of three
years. He then, in 1895, engaged in the insurance busi¬
ness in association with his brother. Since that time,
under the firm name of Greenwood Brothers, insurance,
the two brothers have built up a large and successful
insurance business. They deal in all kinds of insurance,
and have made for themselves an enviable reputation
as straightforward and honest business men, as well
as being experts in their line. Mr. Greenwood is well
known in fraternal circles in Gardner. He is a member
of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Gard¬
ner, and is Past Master of same; and of Ivanhoe
Commandery, No. 46, Knights Templar; he is also a
member of Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks; and of the Improved Order
of Red Men. He has always taken an active interest
in the public welfare of the city of Gardner, and has
rendered efficient service as a member of the Gardner
Chamber of Commerce, and in addition to his respon-

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

sibilities and activities in the insurance business, he is
also treasurer of the Gardner Cooperative Bank.

Harrison Greenwood married, on July 15, 1885, Alice
M. Priest, of Delaware, daughter of Abraham and Mary
A. (Wilder) Priest. Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood are
the parents of two children: 1. Howard P., who was
born in Gardner, Massachusetts, December 4, 1887, and
died in November, 1918, during the “flu” epidemic. He
married Jessie G. Stevens, and they became the parents
of two children: Willard P., who was born October 16,
1912; and Barbara, who was born November 5, 1916. 2.
Grace G., who was born in Gardner, November 13, 1888;
she married, May 2, 1923, Lester H. Carter.

WILLIAM DAGGETT EARL— When William
Daggett Earl came to Leominster in 1870 he was a
man of forty with a wide business experience gained
in many fields. He signalized his coming by organizing
the firm of W. D. Earl & Company, manufacturers of
horn combs and buttons, a company which he suc¬
cessfully developed and managed more than forty
years before surrendering control to his successor, his
son, William Bruce Earl, who had been associated with
him in business for sixteen years. When William Dag¬
gett Earl retired from the business he founded and had
managed for forty-one years, he had reached the age
of eighty-one. The old veteran survived his retirement
five years, and then at the age of eighty-six passed
quietly and peacefully away, honored and beloved by all
who knew him, and few there were in his community
who did not. He was the son of William Henry and
Maria (Daggett) Earl, and is believed to have been a
descendant of Ralph Earl, who settled in Newport,
Rhode Island, in 1634, and died in Portsmouth, Rhode
Island, in 1678. He was a man of importance in the
colony, and at his death left sons, Ralph and William.
Since then Ralph and William have been persistent
names in the family, finally descending upon William
Henry Earl, who conferred it upon his son, William
Daggett Earl and he upon his son, William Bruce Earl
(q. v.)

On the Daggett side he was a descendant of Thomas
and Hannah (Mayhew) Daggett, of Martha’s Vineyard,
who were also the ancestors of John and David Dag¬
gett, of Attleboro, the latter a graduate of Yale in 1783;
a member of the Connecticut Legislature, 1791-1814;
speaker of the House in 1794; State Senator, 1797-1804;
United States Senator, 1813-1819; Judge of the Connec¬
ticut Supreme Court, 1826-1832; Chief Justice, 1832-
1834, when he reached the age limit and retired, dying
in New Haven, Connecticut, April 12, 1851, at the age
of eightv-seven.

William Daggett Earl was born in Attleboro, Massa¬
chusetts (in that part afterward incorporated as North
Attleboro), August 5, 1830, and died at his home in
Lowell, Massachusetts, June 13, 1916. He obtained his
early education in the public schools of his district and
at North Attleboro Academy, being there a classmate of
Oliver Ames, afterward Governor of Massachusetts. In
1848 he entered Norwich University, at Norwich, Ver¬
mont, and there remained one year, leaving the univer¬
sity at the age of nineteen to enter business life. He
began his business connection with manufacturing, as an
employee of Whitney & Davenport, going from that

company to H. M. Richards, both being engaged in the
manufacture of jewelry in North Attleboro. In 1857
he formed a partnership with his brother, Thomas A.
Earl, and John Ferguson, they forming the firm Earl,
P'erguson & Company, manufacturing jewelers, of North
Attleboro, William D. Earl retiring from the firm in
the fall of 1858. In the fall of that year he was elected
to represent Attleboro in the Massachusetts Legisla¬
ture, and at the close of the session of 1859 Mr. Earl
entered the employ of H. F. Barrows, a large manufac¬
turer of jewelry, located in North Attleboro.

In 1862 Mr. Earl was again elected Representative
from Attleboro. At the expiration of his term he be¬
came an inspector in the United States Armory at
Springfield, continuing in that position two and a half
years. He then removed his residence to Boston, there
finding a position with his old employer, H. M. Rich¬
ards, who had removed his business to Boston. He re¬
mained with Mr. Richards for three years, then formed
a partnership with M. W. Carr, under the firm name
M. W. Carr & Company, and for two years they engaged
in manufacturing jewelry in Boston. In 1869 Mr. Earl
retired from the firm and removed to Leominster,
Massachusetts, where he began business with his brother,
Thomas A. Earl, as partner, they operating as William
D. Earl & Company, manufacturers of horn combs and
kindred articles made from horn. Horn manufacture
is a favorite Leominster activity, but no firm prospered
more abundantly than William D. Earl & Company.
Thomas A. Earl retired from the firm in 1899, William
D. Earl continuing alone until his retirement in 1911.

Mr. Earl’s experience in politics taught him it was the
part of wisdom for a business man to avoid its entice¬
ments until settled and in circumstances to take the
time from his business that a public position demands,
consequently, for the balance of his life he gave him¬
self to the interests of William D. Earl & Company,
and persistently refused all further political honors. He
was a Free Soil Whig until the forming of the Repub¬
lican party, afterward usually supporting the candidates
of that party, but he was not partisan, and never bound
himself to any party so closely that it deprived him
of the privilege of independent thought and action. In
religious faith he was a Universalist and always most
tender hearted and charitable in his judgments of his
fellow-men.

William Daggett Earl married, June 23, 1857, Helen
B. Corliss, daughter of John L. and Lydia (Woodbury)
Corliss, of Lowell, Massachusetts. To Mr. and Mrs
Earl four children were born: Florence, died in infancy;
Josephine, lives in Lowell, Massachusetts; Mary (Earl)
Woods, lives in Lowell; and William Bruce, whose
sketch follows. Mrs. Helen B. (Corliss) Earl died in
June, 1869, at Lowell, Massachusetts.

WILLIAM BRUCE EARL— In the year 1895 Wil¬
liam Bruce Earl came to Leominster, Massachusetts, a
young man of twenty-six years, and there became asso¬
ciated with his father in the firm of William D. Earl &
Company, manufacturers of horn combs, ivory buttons,
and similar products. The years, twenty-eight, which
have since intervened, have brought high business rep¬
utation, and when the founder retired from the manage¬
ment in 1911, at the age of eighty-one, the son assumed

BIOGRAPHICAL

the responsibility, and the firm, now . the corporation,
has steadily pursued a successful course through the
ofttimes troubled business seas. He is the only son of
William Daggett and Helen B. (Corliss) Earl, who, at
the time of the birth of their son, were living in Low¬
ell, Massachusetts.

William Bruce Earl was born in Lowell, Massachu¬
setts, April 25, 1869, and there began his education in the
public schools. After finishing preparatory school
work he entered Dartmouth College, whence he was
graduated Bachelor of Science, class of 1892. After
graduation he spent three years in New York City with
the jewelry house of Aiken, Lambert & Company, of
Maiden Lane, then, in 1895, joined his father and uncle
in the firm of William D. Earl & Company, organized
in 1869. Four years later the uncle, Thomas A. Earl,
retired, father and son continuing in close business as¬
sociation until 1911, when the father retired, leaving the
son in control. In January, 1912, the business was in¬
corporated as W. D. Earl & Company, Incorporated,
William B. Earl, treasurer, an office he yet ably fills.
The company manufactures a line of horn and ivory
goods in large quantities, leading all other Leominster
manufacturers of that class of goods. The company has
now been in business as firm and corporation under the
same name for fifty-four years, 1869-1923, and is still
owned in the Earl name, as it has been from the be¬
ginning.

Mr. Earl is a member of the Unitarian church, serv¬
ing on the official board and as chairman of the parish
committee. In political faith he is a Republican, and
in civic progress a member of the Chamber of Commerce
and ex-president. He is also a member of Leominster
Red Cross, of which he is past president; member of
Wachusetts Camp, Boy Scouts of America, and (1923)
vice-president and counsel. His clubs are the Leomin¬
ster and the Monoosnock Country. His favorite rec¬
reations are traveling and golf.

On October 12, 1904, William B. Earl married Joanna
Thayer, of Milford, Massachusetts, daughter of George
and Agnes (Cook) Thayer. They are the parents of
two children: Agnes Helen, born January 30, 1909; and
William Bruce (2), born April 11, 1911.

GEORGE FREDERICK CURLEY, M. D., a rep¬
resentative physician of Milford, Worcester County,
Massachusetts, has for twenty-five years practiced in
this community and has won a very high place in the
confidence and regard of the people. Dr. Curley is a
native of the State of Massachusetts, where his family
has lived for many years, and he is a son of Walter and
Mary (Sullivan) Curry.

George Frederick Curley was born at Upton, Massa¬
chusetts, June 1, 1872. His early education was acquired
in the local public schools and the high school, and he
was graduated from the Massachusetts College of Agri¬
culture, at Amherst, in the class of 1893. Then choosing
the medical profession for the field of his life work,
he entered Jefferson Medical College, at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, and was graduated from that institution
in the class of 1896, with the degree of Doctor of Med¬
icine. During the year following his graduation, Dr.
Curley acted as interne at the General Hospital of
Elizabeth, New Jersey, then in 1897 returned to his

native State to practice, settling at Milford. He early
gained the good will of the people and his success was
assured from the first. He has now for many years
held a leading position in the profession in this part of
the county of Worcester, and is a member of the Amer¬
ican Medical Association, the Massachusetts Medical
Society, and the Worcester County Medical Society. He
serves on the surgical staff of the Milford Hospital, and
for a number of years has acted as assistant medical
examiner of Worcester County. A Democrat by polit¬
ical affiliation, Dr. Curley lends his support to all branches
of public advance, but has never accepted official re¬
sponsibilities, except along the lines of his professional
work. He was active in many branches of home en¬
deavor during the World War, also served as chair¬
man of the medical advisory board. He is a member
of the local lodge of the Knights of Columbus, and of
St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.

Dr. Curley married, in Milford, Massachusetts, on
June 20, 1900, Cecelia McGann, daughter of John and
Mary McGann, and they are the parents of one daugh¬
ter, Regina.

THE HON. GEORGE J. BRUNELL, one of the

most prominent figures in Webster, Massachusetts, in
manufacturing circles, in civic affairs, in fraternal mat¬
ters, and in all social and benevolent advance, has for
many years been identified with the progress of the
community, and is now enjoying more than local prom¬
inence as a manufacturer of confectionery. Mr. Brunell
is a son of Ambroise and Celina (Huot) Brunell. His
father was a painter and interior decorator and for
many years was employed in the car shops of Springfield,
Massachusetts, in this capacity.

George J. Brunell was born at St. Cesaire, Province
of Quebec, Canada, November 1, 1866. The family re¬
moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, in his childhood,
and he was educated in the public schools of that city,
covering both grammar and high school courses. While
still at school and for a time thereafter he was em¬
ployed at various clerical positions, such as a youth with
only slight experience can handle, then he went to Wor¬
cester, Massachusetts, to become associated with his
brother, A. H. Brunell. This brother was engaged in
the manufacture of confectionery, and there Mr. Brunell
thoroughly familiarized himself with the trade in all its
branches, eventually having charge of the factory and
becoming a partner. Coming to Webster in the year
1899, Mr. Brunell started for himself in a small way,
jobbing confectionery .and during the early years of this
experience was more or less on the road as a salesman.
In time he enlarged his business materially and added
a manufacturing branch and his success has enabled him
to expand the interest very largely. He now has a
thoroughly up-to-date factory, well built and spacious,
fitted up with all the improved machinery and equip¬
ment for the manufacture of a strictly high class prod¬
uct. His product is marketed through jobbers and to
the retail trade, and he employs twenty-five to thirty
people. Mr. Brunell is a man of genial spirit, and
from the Webster school boy who calls at the store with
his penny to the biggest order from Southern Texas or
Western Oklahoma, every customer feels the cordiality
with which he meets the trade. His success has been

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

well earned, and to all who know him he is the type
which represents the best American citizenship. Mr.
Brunell has for many years been active in any progres¬
sive effort or movement which promised to be of benefit
to the community of Webster. Politically he supports
the Republican party, and for fourteen years he has
served as a member of the Board of Selectmen, now
acting as chairman of the board. For five years he
represented this district in the Massachusetts State
Legislature, his work as a legislator reflected credit
not only on himself but on his constituents. During the
World War Mr. Brunell was very active as chairman of
the Advisory Board and Public Safety Committee, also
chairman of “four-minute” men. He is a forceful and
persuasive public speaker and devoted much of his time
to addressing gatherings, both impromptu and on pro¬
grammes prearranged, in the interest of recruiting and
also for the many drives of the time. Mr. Brunell was
a foremost worker for the honor roll tablet, which now
is the pride of Webster, raising a larger portion of the
money required. Fraternally he is identified with the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights
of Columbus, the Improved Order of Red Men, and as¬
sociate member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He
is a member of Club Gagnon, and is a charter member
and one of the founders of the Worcester Commercial
Travelers’ Club. His religious affiliation is with the
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.

Mr. Brunell married, at Webster, Rose A. Authier,
daughter of Hubert and Laura (Benoit) Authier. Mr.
Authier was a veteran of the Civil War, and for many
years a member of the Grand Army of the Republic;
also prominent in town affairs, serving as a member of
the Board of Selectmen, being Mr. Brunell’s predeces¬
sor on the board. He was a grocer by occupation.

EDWIN F. BRAINARD — A prominent executive of
the world-famous chair industry of Gardner, Massachu¬
setts, is Edwin F. Brainard, who for upwards of
twenty-nine years, has been identified with the firm of
S. K. Pierce & Son Company a leading concern in this
field in the Chair City. Mr. Brainard is preeminently
a man of business, and his interests are broad in their
scope.

The Brainard family is one of the very old families
of New York City, and there James F. Brainard Mr.
Brainard’s father, was born. Reared and educated in
the metropolis, James F. Brainard was a youth of eigh¬
teen years when the war broke out between the North
and the South, and fresh from school he enlisted in
defence of the Union. One of the very first volun¬
teers of that stirring time, he joined the Hawkins’
Zouaves, and served with that body until the battle of
Antietam, in which he was wounded. Following his
discharge from the hospital, he was assigned to detached
duty, and sent to New York City, where he served
until the close of the war. Upon his return to the ac¬
tivities of civilian life James F. Brainard associated
himself with the internationally known firm of Belding
Brothers, silk manufacturers, securing a position in their
New York office. There he displayed a marked genius
for the matching of colors, a talent particularly valu¬
able to the concern in their line of industrial endeavor.
He was sent to the Northampton (Massachusetts) fac¬

tories of the company, where, until the close of his
active career he held the position of color expert. He
died in the year 1904, at the age of sixty-three years, a
man of high character and signal usefulness, honored
by his associates and esteemed by all who knew him.
James F. Brainard married, in New York City, Mary H.
Andruss, also a member of one of the early families of
New York City, and she is now deceased.

Edwin F. Brainard, son of these parents, was born
in New York City, June 8, 1868. His education was
begun in the public schools of his native city, and he
was graduated from the New York City Normal School
in the class of 1883. Caring little, however, for a career
in the professions, he interested himself in industrial
advance immediately following the completion of his
education. His first position was in the engineering and
drafting department of the Thomas A. Edison Company
in their New York office. But when the family removed
to Northampton, Massachusetts, not wishing to leave
home, he accompanied them to that city. There he
secured a position in the employ of the Florence Machine
Company, a pioneer concern in the manufacture of sew¬
ing machines and oil stoves. Beginning with this com¬
pany as cost clerk, he remaining with them in the same
capacity until the time when practically all the manufac¬
turers of oil stoves consolidated, then went with the
new concern to Boston, where he was placed in charge
of the interests of the company at that point, as man¬
ager of their Boston office. Active thus until he fall
of 1893, Mr. Brainard was stricken with typhoid fever,
and was compelled to resign his position, as the con¬
valescent stage lingered for more than a year. In the
spring of 1894 he came to Gardner and became associ¬
ated with S. K. Pierce & Son Company in the capac¬
ity of traveling salesman, and represented the concern
on the road for about two years. His executive ability
and thorough familiarity with business conditions were
appreciated by the concern, and he was called into the
office and made general manager of the business. This
position he filled with definite and increasingly success¬
ful results, until the incorporation of the concern, which
occurred on January x, 1920, when he was elected vice-
president. This office he has held since, and also still
fills the responsible position of general manager. This
interest, which was founded by Sylvester K. Pierce in
the year 1830, is one of the important industries
of Gardner. Besides the factory in this city they have
two commodious warehouses, one in Boston, Massachu¬
setts, and one in Brooklyn, New York. They ship their
product to all parts of the world, and hold a very high
position in the trade. During the period of nearly three
decades in which Mr. Brainard has been identified with
this concern his work has contributed largely to their
present eminence and their great success. Mr. Brainard’s
further business affiliations include the presidency of
the Metropolitan Chair Company, of New Haven and
Hartford, Connecticut, and directorships in the Gardner
Trust Company and the Chair Town Cooperative Bank,
of Gardner. His success is his own achievement. In
fraternal circles he is prominent, being a member of
Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Ivanhoe Commandery,
Knights Templar; Massachusetts Consistory, Ancient
Accepted Scottish Rite; also Aleppo Temple, Ancient

BIOGRAPHICAL

Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston.
He further holds membership in Gardner Lodge, No.
1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Hs is
a member of the Gardner Boat Club, which he served
as president in 1919-21 ; the Oak Hill Country Club, of
Fitchburg; the Worcester Country Club; the Ridgely
Country Club, of Gardner; and is also a member of the
Monadnock Sporting Club of Monadnock, New Hamp¬
shire. His religious affiliation is with St. Paul’s Epis¬
copal Church of Gardner, with which his family are also
connected.

Edwin F. Brainard married, in 1890, Abbie Kirtland
Brown, of Northampton, Massachusetts, daughter of
Dr. Rufus D. and Catherine Sherwood (Cone) Brown,
her father a well-known dental surgeon of that com¬
munity. They are the parents of four children: Mabel
K., who died at the age of fourteen years; E. Warren,
who is employed as shipping clerk with S. K. Pierce &
Son Company; Francis N., who has completed his junior
year at Boston University; and Richard B., now a junior
at Gardner High School.

JOSEPH E. CASEY — Professional circles in Clin¬
ton, Massachusetts, number among their most progres¬
sive and promising young members Joseph E. Casey,
who has for the past three years been engaged in the
practice of law in this community. Mr. Casey is a
member of a family who are old residents of Clinton,
and was himself born there, December 27, 1898, his par¬
ents being John E. Casey, a native of Clinton, who> was
in the machinery business here until his retirement, and
Winifred F. Casey, who was born at Heckla, New York.

After completing his studies in the Clinton High
School, Joseph E. Casey entered Boston College, and
then took a course at Boston University, graduating
from that institution of learning with the class of 1920,
and receiving with his diploma the degree of Bachelor
of Laws. The same year he began the practice of his
profession in Clinton, having formed the firm of Casey
& Scanlon, with offices at No. 136 High Street. Mr.
Scanlon later located at Boston, and Mr. Casey is, ac¬
cordingly, conducting the legal practice of the firm
unassisted. He has been very successful in his en¬
deavors, and is serving a constantly growing clientele
in Clinton and the surrounding section.

Outside of his profession Mr. Casey is interested in
social and civic affairs, and was town moderator for one
year, while he also served for a similar period as town
solicitor. He is active in the work of the Knights of
Columbus, and is a communicant of St. John’s Roman
Catholic Church. He is well known as a member of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and be¬
longs to the American Legion. During the World
War Mr. Casey served with the 8th Brigade at Camp
Devens, Massachusetts, in the United States Army, later
being sent to the Officers’ Training Camp at Camp Lee,
Virginia, where he remained until the armistice was
signed, when he was discharged with the rank of private.

MARCUS NEWELL WRIGHT— Among the young
men of Gardner, Massachusetts, who are holding posi¬
tions of large responsibility Mr. Wright is a leading
figure, as cashier of the First National Bank. A native
of Gardner and reared in this community, he faithfully

discharged his duty to the nation during the recent
World War, and has since served in his present capacity,
enjoying the confidence and esteem of all who know him.

The Wright family is a very ancient one in England,
and for many generations has been established in the
United States, Nathaniel Wright, Mr. Wright’s great¬
grandfather, was a resident of Gardner, Massachusetts,
and his son, Marcus Wright, owned a saw mill here,
conducting a very extensive business for his time. He
was succeeded by his son, Lewis A. Wright, who inher¬
ited his property. Lewis A. Wright conducted the saw
mill for several years, then became lumber buyer for the
great concern which holds so important a position in the
industrial affairs of Gardner, the Heywood Brothers &
Wakefield Company, one of the largest manufacturers of
chairs in the world. Lewis A. Wright married Edith G.
Newell, who is also still living.

Marcus Newell Wright was born at Gardner, Massa¬
chusetts, June 26, 1889. His education comprised the
usual course of the elementary, grammar, and high
schools af Gardner, his graduation from high school
having been with the class of 1907, and having been
followed by a special business course. For one year
following the completion of his studies he was employed
in the city of Worcester, then in 1909 he returned to
Gardner to accept a' position as bookkeeper at the First
National Bank. By assiduous application to his work,
Mr. Wright familiarized himself with the principles of
banking and made himself necessary to the institution.
He was appointed assistant cashier in the year 1913, at
the age of twenty-four years. About four years later,
on September 21, 1917, he laid down the interests of
peace to take up the activities of war, and while he was
in the service he was elected cashier of the First Na¬
tional Bank of Gardner, the duties of which office he
assumed upon his return to' civilian life. He commands
the respect and confidence of his associates and business
contemporaries as well as the general public, and is
counted among the leading young men of the city.

The military record of Marcus N. Wright began with
his enlistment in the United States Army on September
21, 1917. He was assigned to the Depot Brigade, then
was transferred to the finance division of the surgeon-
general’s office at Washington, District of Columbia,
with which he was connected for five months, during
which period he was made sergeant of the Medical
Corps. Later appointed chief clerk of the Medical
Supply Depot at Camp Devens, at Ayer, Massachusetts,
he was made sergeant of the first class while at that
point, then was made hospital sergeant. On September 5,
1917, he was commissioned second lieutenant and as¬
signed to duty at the recruiting camp at Syracuse, New
York, where he remained until November 20, 1918, when
he was transferred to the Medical Supply Depot at New
York City, serving there until his discharge, on December
24, 1918, with the rank of second lieutenant. Mr. Wright
is now a member of Gardner Post, No. 129, American
Legion, of which he was the first treasurer, serving for
four years. He is a member of the Gardner Chamber
of Commerce, which he serves on the board of directors,
and politically holds independent convictions.

Fraternally Mr. Wright is affiliated with Hope Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons ; Gardner Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, of which he is Scribe; Ivanhoe Com-

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

mandery, Knights Templar, of which he is treasurer;
and Gardner Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order
of Elks, of which he is also treasurer. He takes a deep
interest in all that contributes to the welfare of the
people, and is treasurer of the Levi Hey wood Memorial
Library of Gardner. His clubs are: The Oak Hill
Country, the Gardner Boat, the Chair City.

Mr. Wright married, on October 4, 1913, Mary L.
Harriman, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and they re¬
side in Gardner, attending the First Unitarian Church
of this city.

JAMES COTTON — A name which has meant much
to Athol, Massachusetts, is that of James Cotton, who
was active in the lumber business until his retirement,
and was an able and broadly noteworthy executive. But
the history of Mr. Cotton’s life is by no means bounded
by the scope of his business interests. His usefulness
to the community was a constant influence in the right
direction and from boyhood until his death he gave of
his best to all forward endeavors. He participated in
the closing year of the Civil War, although he was still
under sixteen years of age upon his enlistment, and this
eagerness to champion any good cause was an exponent
of his lifelong character. Mr. Cotton was a son of
Michael and Katherine (McCarthy) Cotton, of Prince¬
ton, Massachusetts, progressive people of an early day.
The father owned a large farm in Princeton and was a
farmer.

James Cotton was born at Princeton Massachusetts,
November 1, 1848. His education was begun in the
local public schools and following his graduation from
grammar school he came to Athol when only fifteen
years of age and secured employment in the plant of
the Miller’s River Manufacturing Company. The Civil
War was at that time raging and was the topic of daily
conversation in every group throughout the country. In
August, 1864, some three months prior to his sixteenth
birthday, Mr. Cotton enlisted in Company H, 4th Regi¬
ment, Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, and served until
the close of the war. Upon his return to civilian life
he entered the match business in partnership with J. M.
Cheney, of Athol, in which connection he was active until
the year 1878. Mr. Cotton then struck out indepen¬
dently in the lumber business and early developing a
substantial interest, he carried it forward to steadily
increasing importance and was at the head of the enter¬
prise until his retirement from active life, which took
place in the year 1912. For several years thereafter he
continued his activities for community advance, but ill
health at last compelled him to give up all interests, and
he died of diabetes, at his home on School Street, in
Athol, at 8 o’clock on the morning of August 1, 1916.

For many years Mr. Cotton held a leading place in
the civic and welfare advance of Athol. For twenty
years he served as constable of the town, and for eight
years as Selectman. Fraternally he was very promi¬
nent, holding membership in Star Lodge, Free and Ac¬
cepted Masons; Union Chapter, Royal Arch Masons;
Athol Commandery, Knights Templar; and also was
a member of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. He was for many years a leading
member of Parker Post, Grand Army of the Republic;
and his benevolences among the comrades of his early

war experiences were many, although known only to
the beneficiaries. He was long a member of the Poquaig
Club, of Athol, and in many social circles was welcomed
for his genial spirit, as well as for his high standing in
the community. It was through his generosity that the
bell was hung in the Our Lady Immaculate Church, his
donation being in memory of his daughter. It was pur¬
chased in the year 1910, and its mellow tone is the pride
of the parish. Mr. Cotton’s chief leisure interest was
horses, and especially during his latter years he took
great delight in the races. He knew and loved horses
and did much for the encouragement of humane treat¬
ment of these servants of men.

Mr. Cotton married, November 15, 1866, Maria Plun¬
kett, of Athol, Massachusets, who died September 20,
1914. Mr. and Mrs. Cotton were the parents of the fol¬
lowing children: Mrs. Joseph Egger, Frederick, John,
Thomas, James, Mrs. Edward D. Leonard, and Mrs.
L. N. Giddings, of Worcester.

There are few interests either of a public or social
nature in the town of Athol which were not affected by
the death of this worthy and broad-minded citizens. His
lingering illness made the event one not unexpected, but
when the news went abroad that he was gone the entire
community mourned. His interest in every branch of
progress had been so keen and his judgment in all
serious affairs so wise and practical, that his loss was
felt most deeply in every circle. His genial disposition
had made him a friend of every man, and the thought
that he has passed out of human reach brought sadness
to all who had known him. His funeral services were
largely attended and were held at the chapel at Silver
Lake Cemetery, in charge of Athol Commandery,
Knights Templar. He is gone but his memory remains
for all whose privilege it was to know him, at once a
benediction and an inspiration to higher effort.

CHARLES R. ABBOTT, M. D.— A prominent rep¬
resentative of the medical profession in this section
of Worcester County, Massachusetts, is Dr. Charles R.
Abbott, of Clinton, who has been engaged in practice
here since 1913. Dr. Abbott came originally from San-
bornton, New Hampshire, where he was born Septem¬
ber 7, 1883. The family were early settlers in that
State. His paternal grandfather was Dr. James B.
Abbott, who was born at Northfield, New Hampshire,
where he was a practicing physician for twenty-six
years, and a well known and highly respected member
of the profession, having been president of the New
Hampshire Medical Society in i860. His grandmother
was Sarah Gerrish, born at Canterbury, New Hampshire,
and died in 1893. His father, Joseph G. Abbott, was
also a native of Sanbornton, where he was born Novem¬
ber 4, 1845, and was engaged as a travelling salesman
until his death on March 25, 1914. His mother, Sarah
A. (Peck) Abbott, was a native of Jericho, Vermont,
whose birth occurred July 24, 1847, and who passed
away February 25, 1915.

Dr. Abbott received his early education through the
medium of the district schools of his native community
and at Boscawen, New Hampshire, later entering the
Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, of the same State,
from which he graduated with the class of 1902. Fol¬
lowing this he went into business as a druggist at Han-

''cfyTn eXi

S'.

■ ■

BIOGRAPHICAL

over, New Hampshire, continuing in this line for five
years, after which in 1907, he took up the study of
medicine at the Dartmouth Medical College, receiving his
diploma with the class of 1911, and also the degree of
Doctor of Medicine. The two years subsequent to his
graduation he was house surgeon in the Worcester City
Hospital, and at the end of this period, in 1913, he came
to Clinton to establish a practice, and has remained here
ever since, his offices being at No. 70 Walnut Street. He
is also a member of the Clinton Hospital staff, as junior
surgeon and Rontgenologist and surgeon for the Wick-
wire Spencer Steel Corporation.

Dr. Abbott is a man of progressive character and
keeps fully abreast of the times in his profession, main¬
taining membership in many of the leading professional
organizations, including the American Medical Associ¬
ation, Massachusetts Medical Society, Worcester Dis¬
trict Medical Society New England Rontgen Ray So¬
ciety, and the American College of Surgeons. His col¬
lege fraternity is the Alpha Kappa Kappa of Dartmouth,
and he belongs to Trinity Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons, and is a prominent member of the local Cham¬
ber of Commerce. His religious affiliation is with the
Congregational church.

Dr. Abbott married, in 1915, Gladys I. Jeffrey a native
of Clinton. They have two children: Charles R., Jr.,
born February 26, 1917; and Constance, born April

29, 1919-

FRED T. COFFIN — Standing among the foremost
manufacturers of Gardner, Massachusetts, Mr. Coffin
holds a prominent position in the industrial world of
Worcester County, and his activities as the founder
and owner of the Coffin Chair Company place him in the
front line of progress. Mr. Coffin is a son of Tristram
T. and Esther (Gilman) Coffin. The father was born in
Bath, Maine, and was a well-known manufacturer of
currier’s tools of Woburn, Massachusetts. He was a
man of enterprising spirit, and his death at the com¬
paratively early age of forty-one years, in 1874, removed
from the industrial circles of that section a man of
genuine worth and ability. The mother, who was born
at Dover, New Hampshire, survived him for many years,
passing away in 1896, when about sixty-two years of age.

Fred T. Coffin was born at Woburn, Massachusetts,
January 24, 1865, and his education was acquired in
the public schools of Hubbardston and Gardner in this
county. Only nine years of age when the death of his
father occurred, and with no resources whatever, he
was obliged to make his own way from this early age,
and after reaching his seventeenth year he supported his
mother and three sisters. Realizing the lack of oppor¬
tunities of an educational nature which he suffered from
this necessity, the young man then took up regular
courses of reading and study to suplement his limited
advantages. Meanwhile, from his eleventh year, Mr.
Coffin was employed on a farm, then later transferred
his time to work in a saw mill and in this connection
rose to the position of foreman. He was identified with
saw mill activities until 1901, when he came to Gardner
and secured a position with the John A. Dunn Com¬
pany, one of the leading chair manufacturing concerns
of this community. From the first his advance was
rapid. He spent six months in the capacity of cost clerk,

after which he was promoted to shipping clerk, and a
year and half afterward he was made superintendent
of the plant. In this important position he served the
concern until 1910, when he resigned to engage in the
manufacture of chairs for himself. He began operations
at Hubbardston, where he continued for two years, after
which he organized and incorporated the Gardner Chair
Company, of which he was made treasurer and general
manager. In the spring of 1917 Mr. Coffin sold his interest
in this company to Joseph P. Carney and immediately after¬
ward established the present business in Gardner. With a
factory at No. 450 Chestnut Street, he has developed a
large and important interest in the six years which have
intervene between that time and the present. He has
built up the business and quadrupled its capacity. It is
to-day one of the important industrial concerns of Gard¬
ner, taking rank with others of longer activity. Polit¬
ically Mr. Coffin is an independent, endorsing many
principles of the Republican party, but while he is polit¬
ically interested in all public advance, he has never thus
far accepted public honors or responsibilities. Fra¬
ternally he is identified with Gardner Lodge, No. 1426,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He also is a
member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce. He is
a member of the Universalist church.

Mr. Coffin married (first), in 1890, Clara E. Smith,
of Medway, Massachusetts, who died in 1920. He mar¬
ried (second), in 1921 Elsie Hockman, a native of Fin¬
land, who came to the United States in 1912, and they
reside in Gardner.

RAYMOND L. MIDDLEMAS — Numbered among
the successful business men of Leominster, Massachu¬
setts, is Raymond L. Middlemas, treasurer of the Leo¬
minster Savings Bank who after a wide and varied ex¬
perience in other institutions came to Leominster to
accept the position in the institution with which he is
now connected.

Born in Millbury Massachusetts, June 18, 1889, Ray¬
mond L. Middlemas is a son of George Edgar Middle¬
mas, a native of Middletown, Nova Scotia, who during
the greater part of his active life was engaged as a me¬
chanic, and of Alice A. (Williams) Middlemas, who was
bom in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and is now living

(1923).

Raymond L. Middlemas received his early education
in the public schools of Brooklyn, New York, and upon
the completion of his high school course there, became
a student in Worcester Business Institute, of Worcester,
Massachusetts. When his business training was com¬
pleted he found his first employment as clerk in the em¬
ploy of the Harrington & Richardson Arms Company of
Worcester, with whom he remained for a period of three
years. At the end of that time he associated himself
with the Mechanics’ National Bank of Worcester, where
for one year he rendered efficient service and at the
same time gained valuable experience. He then made
a change, severing his connection with the Mechanics’
National Bank in order to accept a position with the
Worcester Mechanics’ Savings Bank, where he remained
for a period of ten years, serving as chief clerk. At the
end of that time, in 1921, he removed to Leominster,
Massachusetts, where he accepted the official position

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

of treasurer of the Leominster Savings Bank. Since
that time he has proved himself to be an able, efficient,
and faithful executive, and a man of integrity and honor.
He has won the confidence and esteem of his associates
in the bank and of the people of Leominster, and in the
short time he has been a resident of Leominster, has
made many friends. He is secretary of the Massachu¬
setts Savings Bank Officers’ Club; secretary of the
Massachusetts Mutual Savings Bank (Group Ten) ; and
is a member of the Leominster Club. He takes an
active interest in the welfare of the city of Leominster,
and is always ready to give his support to those projects
which seem to him well planned for the public good. His
religious connection is with the Pleasant Street Baptist
Church of Worcester.

Raymond L. Middlemas married, on June 2, 1914,
Susie Bowater, who was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania,
daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Gill) Bowater. Mr.
and Mrs. Middlemas are the parents of two children:
Elizabeth, born August 21, 1916; and Raymond L-, born
September 15, 1922.

CHARLES FRANCIS WASHBURN, secretary
and vice-president of the Washburn & Moen Manufac¬
turing Company, was born in Harrison, Maine, August
23, 1827, and died in Worcester, July 20, 1893, a son
of Charles and Zibeah Cary (Blake) Washburn. He at¬
tended the public schools of Worcester and prepared
for college at Leicester Academy, from which he was
graduated. He was prevented by illness from entering
college, as he had planned, but he pursued his studies
and extended his knowledge by private reading, and
after an extended trip abroad, began his business
career in the Washburn rolling mills at Quinsigamond.
From the first he showed special aptitude for the busi¬
ness, and in many ways possessed the qualities that
characterized his uncle as well as his father. He mas¬
tered thoroughly the details of the manufacturing end
of the business, working successively in all the different
departments, acquiring mechanical skill as well as a
knowledge of the counting room. In 1857 he was ad¬
mitted to partnership under the firm name of Charles
Washburn & Son. As new methods came into use and
new steel products came into demand, the business ex¬
panded rapidly. The company kept pace with the ex¬
tension of uses for steel and iron.

After the consolidation of the plants under the
name of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Com¬
pany, he continued active in the business as secretary
and director, later vice-president. The greatest period
of growth followed. Wire for every purpose was man¬
ufactured as the demand was created in invention. Be¬
tween i860 and 1870 great quantities of wire were
used for hoopskirts. Then came the use of wire for
fences, and later, for telephone and telegraph lines, so
new departments were added accordingly. Mr. Wash¬
burn devoted himself with the utmost energy to the
management and development of the wire business, and
to him belongs much of the credit for its growth and
for placing the concern among the foremost wire
mills of the country.

In politics Mr. Washburn was of the Free Soil party,
one of the founders of the Republican party. Though
his interest in municipal affairs and in politics was keen,

the demands of business upon his time and energy were
so great that he had to decline to enter public service.
The only office he held was in the Common Council.
He was a communicant of All Saints’ Protestant Epis¬
copal Church ; active in various charities ; vice-presi¬
dent of the Memorial Hospital; and president of the
Home for Aged Women. He was always a student,
and spent all his leisure hours in his library. In his
death the city lost a strong, able, upright, conscientious
and unselfish citizen.

Mr. Washburn married, October 10, 1855, Mary Eliz¬
abeth Whiton, eldest daughter of James M. Whiton, of
Boston, Massachusetts, and Plymouth, New Hampshire.
They had seven sons and one daughter: Charles Gren-
fill; James M., who died in infancy; Philip, born August
2, 1861, died October 6, 1898; Miriam, born July 12,
1864; Robert Morris; Henry B., born December 2, 1869;
Reginald; and Arthur, born May 27, 1877.

WARREN HASKINS GOODALE, a successful
business man of Leominster, Massachusetts, organizer
and owner of the Goodale Comb Company, has since
1904 been engaged in the manufacture of celluloid hair¬
pins and combs. His factory is at the rear of No. 93
Water Street, and consists of four floors, which pro¬
vide space for the seventy employees required to pro¬
duce the large output which is sent from the plant to all
parts of the country.

Mr. Goodale was born in Sterling, Massachusetts,
September 3, 1877, son of Roland W. Goodale, a native
of Temple, New Hampshire, who was engaged in farm¬
ing until the time of his death in 1915, and of Lucy E.
(Haskins) Goodale, who was born in North Brookfield,
Massachusetts, and died in 1893. He received his early
education in the schools of Sterling, Massachusetts, and
of Leominster, Massachusetts, and then completed his
preparation for active life by taking a commercial course
in the Fitchburg Business College. He had begun work
at the age of fourteen, and after completing his com¬
mercial course he found employment as factory hand in a
comb factory, where he remained until 1900, gaining the
experience which he needed for the successful manage¬
ment of a business of his own. Then, with partners,
he organized the Columbia Comb Company, and the same
year their factory burned to the ground. He then en¬
gaged in the horn manufacturing industry for himself,
specializing in horn hairpins and a line of horn combs,
changing in 1908 to celluloid. The enterprise has been suc¬
cessful from the beginning, and at the present time
(1923) the Goodale Comb Company is ranked among
the foremost manufacturers of high-grade hairpins in
the country. Mr. Goodale is well known as an enter¬
prising business man of sound principles and excellent
judgment, and he is often called upon to express his
opinion concerning mooted questions in business affairs.
In addition to his responsibilities as owner and man¬
ager of the Goodale Comb Company, he is president of
the G. W. Lathe Shoe Company, .with stores in Clinton,
Leominster, Fitchburg, Greenfield, and Northampton,
and is a member of the board of directors of Leominster
National Bank.

Fraternally Mr. Goodale is a member of Leominster
Lodge, No. 1237, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks ; of Leominster Lodge, No. 86, Independent Order

BIOGRAPHICAL

of Odd Fellows; and of Wachusett Tribe, No. 41, Im¬
proved Order of Red Men. He is well known in club
circles, being a member of the Monoosnock Country Club,
the Leominster Country Club, and the Bass Point Club.
He is also a member and a director of the Leominster
Chamber of Commerce; his religious affiliation is with
the Episcopal church of Leominster.

Warren H. Goodale married, on April 25, 1900, Lotta
E. Whipple, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island,
daughter of Weston W. and Mary Ann (Watson)
Whipple. Mr. and Mrs. Goodale are the parents of
two children: Elaine W., now a student in Vassar Col¬
lege; and George W., a junior in Leominster High
School.

HERBERT WILLIAM ELLAM, M. D.— Holding
a foremost position in the medical profession of Wor¬
cester County, Massachusetts, and counted among the
largely successful practitioners in the realm of surgery,
Dr. Ellam, of Gardner, is a noteworthy figure in pro¬
fessional activities in this section. He is a son of John
W. Ellam, who was born in Yorkshire, England, and
came to the United States in infancy, the family locating
in Clinton, Massachusetts, where he was reared and edu¬
cated. For many years he was active in the newspaper
business as proprietor and editor, first in Clinton, and
later in Southbridge, Massachusetts. He is still living,
although retired from active business interests, and
making his home with his son, Dr. Ellam. He married
Anna M. O’Brien, who was born in Harvard, Massa¬
chusetts, and died in Gardner, in 1915.

Dr. Ellam was born in Clinton, Massachusetts, Sep¬
tember 3, 1879. Attending first the Southbridge public
schools, he was graduated from high school in the same
community in 1897, and later, in 1900, he entered Har¬
vard University Medical School, from which he re¬
ceived his degree of Doctor of Medicine as a member
of the class of 1904. Meanwhile, during the summers of
1903-04, he acted as interne in the Boston Floating Hos¬
pital. From 1904-06, he filled a similar position in the
Worcester City Hospital, then, on June 13, 1906, he took
up the practice of his chosen profession, opening an
office in Gardner. Dr. Ellam has been heard to remark
with a smile that his telephone number is thirteen and
that one of his diplomas was dated on the twenty-third
of the month, but it was clear that no superstition at¬
taching to these numbers has influenced him in his
progress, for he has become one of the most successful
practitioners in his field in Worcester County. Highly
esteemed both in the profession and among the people,
he has won his way to an enviable position both in med¬
icine and in surgery, and he has gained great breadth
of experience through his military service in the World
War. Dr. Ellam enlisted in November, 1917, as a mem¬
ber of the United States Medical Corps, was commis¬
sioned first lieutenant, and was sent to Camp Greenleaf,
Georgia, where he remained until about the middle of
June, 1918. He was then sent to the Army Medical
School at Washington, District of Columbia, but two
weeks later was transferred to the Harvard Medical
School for special orthopaedic training. Remaining at
Harvard during July and August, he was sent on the
first of December to the Post Hospital at Fort Meyer,
Virginia, where he remained for about five months, then,

in the latter part of January, 1919, he was transferred
to the Base Hospital at Camp Meade, Maryland. There
he remained until his discharge on July 26, 1919, when
he returned to Gardner to resume his professional career.
Dr. Ellam is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Com¬
merce, of the American Medical Association, the
Massachusetts State Medical Society, the Massachusetts
Medico-Legal Society, the Worcester North District
Medical Society, and the Gardner Medical Society, and
is assistant medical examiner of the Second Worcester
District. He has been a member of the surgical staff
of the Heywood Memorial Hospital of Gardner since
its founding; and also has had charge of the children’s
department of same for a some years. He is well known
fraternally, being a member of Hope Lodge, Free and
Accepted Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Ma¬
sons; Ivanhoe Commandery, No. 46, Knights Templar;
and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine, of Boston; and is also a member of
Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks. His clubs are: The Harvard, of Bos¬
ton; the Worcester Country, the Oak Hill Country, and
the Gardner Boat Club. He is still single.

CHARLES ERNEST GREEN— When a child of
ten years, Charles E. Green came to the city of Leo¬
minster, Massachusetts, and there has established a busi¬
ness which is recognized as the leading pharmacy in
that city. He is also widely associated with fraternal
and social organizations of the community. He is the
grandson of Andrew J. Green, born in Melrose, Massa¬
chusetts, where he was engaged in the shoe industry, and
served his country during the Civil War. He married
Sarah Peterson, of Nova Scotia, and to them was born
a son, Charles A. Green, at Reading, Massachusetts,
August 2, 1862, who is now treasurer and manager of
the Whitney-Reed Corporation. He married Emma
Woolridge, of England, and they are the parents of
Charles Ernest Green, of this review.

Charles Ernest Green, son of Charles A. and Emma
(Woolridge) Green, was born at Wakefield, Massa¬
chusetts, March 16, 1887, and after completing the pub¬
lic school course in Leominster, began an apprentice¬
ship at the drug business with C. F. Nixon, which con¬
tinued for four years. Passing the State board examina¬
tions for registered pharmacists, he was associated with
F. P. Porter in the drug business for nearly three years,
leaving to accept a position with Liggett & Company, in
Brockton, Massachusetts, where he remained only a short
time. Following that, he was manager of a drug store
in Fitchburg, and in 1915 returned to Leominster to en¬
gage in the drug business independently, purchasing
for this purpose the business then operated by Frank I.
Pearson. This store has been under Mr. Green’s man¬
agement ever since, and is known as the Green Drug
Store.

Fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted
Masons, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. He also is a member of the Sons of Veterans,
Leominster Club, Monoosnock Country Club, and the
Chamber of Commerce; also of the Wholesale Drug
Company of Boston, Massachusetts, of which he is a
stockholder; and of the Massachusetts State Pharma¬
ceutical Association. Mr. Green enlisted in the United

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

States Army in March, 1918, and was stationed for four¬
teen months at Base Hospital, Camp Devens, Massachu¬
setts, with the rank of private of the first class, and was
master of the medical and surgical wards there. Mr.
Green is a member of the Unitarian church. He is fond
of golf, touring and fishing, these being his favorite rec¬
reations in his hours “off duty.” In politics he is a Re¬
publican.

Mr. Green married, June 20, 1923, Madge Anna
Emory, daughter of Francis F. and Helen (Ackerman)
Emory, of Fitchburg. Mrs. Green was educated in the
Fitchburg grammar and high schools, and Sargent’s
School for Girls at Boston, then for two years was a
student in nursing at Newton Hospital, Newton, Massa¬
chusetts, receiving a diploma as a registered nurse.
When the United States declared a state of war with
Germany, Miss Emory volunteered her services, was sent
overseas, and for nine months was in France, where she
saw war in all its horrors while doing her work of mercy
and love. Upon returning to the United States, she pur¬
sued a special course of training in public health, then
for three years was in charge of the Industrial Health
and Welfare Work among the factory workers of Ware
Shoals, South Carolina. After resigning that position
she toured Europe and visited the battlefields of the
great World War. She returned to the United States in
the spring of 1923, and was married to Charles E. Green
on June 20, following.

CHARLES BRADLEY SMITH— Among the largely
successful industrial executives of Worcester County,
Massachusetts, Charles B. Smith holds a leading posi¬
tion in the progressive city of Fitchburg, as sole owner
and active manager of the Star Worsted Company of
that place. A leader in various branches of public ad¬
vance, influential in all endeavors for the industrial or
civic welfare, Mr. Smith is a prominent figure in every
civic and social interest. He is a son of Charles Watson
and Abigail W. (Crocker) Smith, his father for many
years identified with the boot and shoe industry, and in
the year 1864 a member of the Home Guard in the city
of Worcester.

Charles Bradley Smith was born at Paxton, Massa¬
chusetts, March 9, 1857. The family removing to
Worcester in his childhood, he attended the public schools
of that city and was graduated from the Worcester
High School in the class of 1874. His early business
experience was in the woolen textile industry at the
Beoli mill of Rockwell & Phillips, of West Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, now owned by the American Woolen
Company. Having become identified with the textile
industry, in the year 1882 he entered the organization
of the Fitchburg Worsted Company, of Fitchburg, and
was active with this concern for twelve years in the ca¬
pacity of a designer of fancy worsted fabrics. This mill
is also now owned by the American Woolen Company.
In the year 1894, in association with the late Mr. C. T.
Crocker, Mr. Smith purchased the Star Worsted Com¬
pany in Fitchburg, and for eighteen years these able and
progressive men carried the business forward, developing
it largely and placing it among the really important in¬
dustries of Fitchburg. In 1912 Mr. Smith became sole
owner of this interest, which he still holds. As an in¬
dependent plant this enterprise is taking a very prom¬

inent place in the industrial life of Fitchburg, and under
Mr. Smith’s efficient management is still going forward
to constantly larger success. Mr. Smith’s affiliation with
other business interests has frequently been sought, and
he is one of the directors of the Safety Fund National
Bank of Fitchburg, having served as clerk of the board
of directors since 1915. He is also president of the
Rockwell Woolen Company, of Leominster, Massachu¬
setts, and of the Belle Vue Mills of Clinton, Massachu¬
setts. Mr. Smith was brought forward in the public
service of the community as a member of the School
Board and served in that capacity for a period of nine
years, from 1891 until 1900. In 1902 he became a mem¬
ber of the Board of Aldermen of the city of Fitchburg,
and three years later he was elected Representative to
the General Court of the State of Massachusetts.
Thenceforward, for about twelve years Mr. Smith was
not active in any leading position in the public service,
although as always he gave his best endeavors to the
promotion of any worthy cause. In November, 1917, he
was made chairman of the Fuel Committee of Fitch¬
burg and served in that capacity until 1919. His clubs
are: The Fay Club, of Fitchburg; the Oak Hill Coun¬
try Club, of Fitchburg; the Tatnuck Country Club, of
Worcester; the Exchange Club, of Boston; and the
Episcopal Club of Boston. His religious affiliation is
with Christ Church, of Fitchburg, of which he was
treasurer for about twenty-six years.

Mr. Smith married, on December 26, 1881, at Wor¬
cester, Massachusetts, Mary Isabel Tilton, daughter of
Emery and Ruth (Ingraham) Tilton. Mr. and Mrs.
Smith are the parents of two children: Florence May,
born October 2, 1882, who married Phillip W. Flint,
and whose children are : Elizabeth, Mary, Rosamond ; and
Katharine, born March 1, 1892, who married Ralph
Heighwav Fales.

CLARENCE CRAVEN COULTER— One of the

most important enterprises in the town of Clinton, Massa¬
chusetts, is that now represented by Clarence C. Coulter
as its executive head, this being The W. J. Coulter Press,
Incorporated, publishers and general printers. Clarence
Craven Coulter was bom in Clinton, Massachusetts,
educated there, and has spent his entire life in the print¬
ing and publishing business which was owned by his
father before him and in which he is now engaged. His
birth occurred June 1, 1868, his parents being William
James and Selina (Craven) Coulter.

His father, William James Coulter, who died in
January, 1922, was a three months’ volunteer at the out¬
break of the Civil War, and was engaged in the first gen¬
eral engagement at Bull Run. At the end of this en¬
listment he again volunteered, his time for three years,
was promoted to first lieutenant, and took part in the
battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, and
Petersburg, where he was captured, serving nine months
in captivity. He then returned to Clinton and bought
the “Courant,” which was conducted under his man¬
agement until 1914. when the business was incorporated
under the name of The W. J. Coulter Press, Incorporated,
William J. Coulter becoming president; Clarence C.
Coulter, treasurer and general manager; and Annie M.
Coulter, clerk. W J. Coulter was a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, the Loyal Legion, and

BIOGRAPHICAL

was a charter member of the Prescott Club. Besides
publishing the “Courant,” which is a weekly paper and
was originally established in 184.6, the Coulter Press
publishes the “Item,” which was started as a daily paper
in 1893, and has ever since been published each evening
except Sundays and holidays, and is Clinton’s only daily
newspaper. In addition to putting out these two pub¬
lications regularly, the W. J. Coulter Press, Incorporated,
handles a large amount of general printing for other
business concerns of Clinton and surrounding territory,
and has a fully-equipped plant, with modern presses and
auxiliary machinery, enabling it to turn out high-grade
printed matter of every kind and description in both
book and job lines.

Clarence C. Coulter is reckoned among the most pro¬
gressive and public-spirited citizens of the community,
and maintains membership in many leading organizations.
Among these are: The Prescott Club, the Chamber of
Commerce, Camp No. 19, of the Sons of Veterans; and
Masonic bodies, including Trinity Lodge, Free and Ac¬
cepted Masons ; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and the Grotto. He is
also a member of the Association of New England Daily
Papers, the Massachusetts Press Association, and is a
non-resident member of the Boston Press Club.

Mr. Coulter married, in 1897, Mabel Houghton Walk¬
er, who was born at Oxford, Massachusetts, and they
have one son, Craven Houghton Coulter, born Novem¬
ber 24, 1900, and now (1923) a student at Dartmouth
College. The family attends the Episcopal church in
Clinton, of which Mr. Coulter is junior warden.

FRED BENNETT COLBY, M. D., a native of the
old Pine Tree State, has given to his professional work
much of the energy and ability7- which the world has
learned to expect of the sons of the State of Maine.
Added to these excellent qualities, his natural talent for
his profession and his keen delight in it have carried
him far and high among the physicians and surgeons of
his day, and in Dr. Fred B. Colby the city of Gardner
claims a leading figure in the medical profession in
Massachusetts. He is a son of William Henry and Anna
Lucinda (Barrett) Colby. His father was born in
Gardiner, Maine, and by trade was a blacksmith and
general mechanic, always considered a genius in the
shoeing of horses and all kinds of iron work. He
died in 1888, at the age of forty-eight years. The
mother was born in Andover, Maine, and is still living, a
resident of Auburn, in that State.

Fred Bennett Colby was born at Andover, Maine,
May 30, 1869. His education was begun at Hebron
Academy, in Hebron, Maine, and he covered his higher
classical courses at Bowdoin College, at Brunswick,
Maine. Having early chosen the medical profession
he then entered Dartmouth Medical School from which
he was graduated in the class of 1895, receiving the de¬
gree of Doctor of Medicine. Serving an interneship at
the State Hospital, at Bridgewater, Maine, for one year,
he then went to the Boston Insane Hospital as a mem¬
ber of the medical staff, remaining there until April,
1905. He had tendered his resignation one year prior
to that date, but was induced to remain until his place
could be filled. During his stay in this institution the

employees presented him with a very handsome office
desk suitably engraved, in appreciation of the esteem in
which he was held among them. Going next to High¬
land Falls, New York, near West Point Military Acad¬
emy, Dr. Colby conducted the private practice of med¬
icine for about two years, when a threatened breakdown
compelled him to seek rest. In the hope of averting the
threatened collapse he went to Rangely Lakes, Maine,
where he remained for eleven years. During that period
he brought to the little lumber town of the north woods
something of the progressive spirit of the outside world,
merging his strong personality with the spirit of the
community and leading the people to higher apprecia¬
tion of their privileges as a community. Through his
influence many people seeking relief from business
worries came and established summer homes near the
lakes, also taking the interest of citizens in the little
settlement of which they became members. Dr. Colby
brought about the utilization of many of the natural
advantages of the section and organized a concern for
the development of electric power. He was made pres¬
ident and general manager of the electric lighting plant of
Rangely. To accomplish the production of electricity
the community required water power, which but for Dr.
Colby’s work could not have been secured. It was
controlled by the Union Water Power Company and the
Berlin Mills, and Dr. Colby went before the Legislature
where he brought about the passing of bills giving the
people of Rangely the right by eminent domain, thereby
permitting them to use such power as they required for
this public utility purpose. When Dr. Colby had brought
the plant into successful operation he resigned from
the offices of president and manager. In 1918 he ac¬
cepted an insistent invitation many times repeated from
a resident of Gardner, to visit this place, with the
result that he returned to Rangely only to pack and
move to Gardner, where he has since resided. He took
up the practice of his profession in Gardner upon his
arrival here as a resident, and has become one of the
foremost professional men of the city, winning his way
to the confidence and esteem of the people. Since 1919
he has been on the medical staff of Heywood Me¬
morial Hospital.

Dr. Colby is a member of the American Medical As¬
sociation, the Massachusetts State Medical Society, and
the Worcester County North District Medical Society.
Politically he supports the Republican party, and has
now served for four years as a member of the Gardner
Board of Health, and is ex-chairman of the same. Fra¬
ternally Dr. Colby is a member of Kemaukeag Lodge,
No. 213, Free and Accepted Masons, of Rangely, Maine,
of which lodge he was the second Master ; of Gardner
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Ivanhoe Commandery,
Knights Templar; Gardner Lodge No. 1426, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks; and is also a member of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights
of Pythias. He is a member of the Gardner Boat Club,
the Oak Hill Country Club, of Fitchburg, and the Wor¬
cester Country Club. His recreation is golf.

Dr. Colby married, in 1905, Mary Elizabeth Judge,
of Summerville, and they have four children: Fred B.,
Jr., and Beatrice A., both students in Gardner High
School ; Kenneth G., attending grammar school in Gard¬
ner; and Marie J.

Wor — 7

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

RUSSELL B. LOWE, a native son of Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, has entered heartily into the business
and social life of his city, which has been his lifetime
home. He is a son of Arthur H. and Annie E. (Park-
hill) Lowe, his father a cotton manufacturer and a prom¬
inent figure in both city and State politics.

Russell B. Lowe was born in Fitchburg, Massachu¬
setts, February 14, 1880. He finished public school study
with graduation from Fitchburg High School in 1898,
then entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
whence he was graduated class of 1902. Immediately
after graduation he entered business life in Fitchburg,
and during the two decades that have since elapsed he
has reached high position as a cotton manufacturer,
being now president of the Parkhill Manufacturing
Company. He is a man of energy, enterprise, and pub¬
lic spirit, a safe and sane executive, and is interested in
all that pertains to the welfare of his city. He is di¬
rector of the Fitchburg Bank and Trust Company, the
Merchants’ National Bank of Boston, Boston Manu¬
facturing Company, Indian Company, Sprague, Grout &
Sons, and with other business enterprises of his section,
and was president of the National Cotton Manufacturers’
Association. In politics Mr. Lowe is a Republican,
and serves the city of Fitchburg as a member of the
Board of Park Commissioners. He holds the rank of
captain in the Massachusetts State Guard, but has no
fraternal affiliations. He is a member of the Fay Club,
Oak Hill Country Club, Worcester Country Club, and
the Union League of New York City. In religious faith
he is a Congregationalist

Mr. Lowe married, in Chicago, Illinois, in 1909, Nath¬
alie Wells, daughter of M. D. and Elizabeth (Corwith)
Wells. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe are the parents of three
children: Nathalie, born in 1911; Margaret, born in 1916,
Russell B., Jr., born in 1922. The family home is at
No. 575 Blossom Street, Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

HENRY GRATON GOULD, comptroller of The
Graton & Knight Manufacturing Company, and name¬
sake of one of its founders, Henry Clay Graton, was
born in Springfield, Massachusetts, June 6, 1879, son of
George H. and Mary A. Gould. He traces his ances¬
try back seven generations, prior to the marriage of
John Prescott, on April 11, 1629, founder of Lancaster,
Massachusetts, thus going back to John Gawkroger, of
Sowerby Parish, Halifax, Yorkshire, England, whose
name occurs there from 1447 to 1505. He received his
early education in the public schools of Springfield
and in Childs’ Business Institute. After leaving school
he entered the employ of Ladd, Weaver & Wright,
which at that time was the largest insurance agency in
Springfield. Here he remained two or three years,
after which he became connected with the eastern
division of the American Bicycle Company, where he
remained for some time, being connected with the
selling and credit end of the business. Just before the
Bicycle Trust was dissolved he resigned from this
company to accept a position as representative in Rhode
Island for a New York stock and bond house. Here he
remained for three years, returning to Springfield to
accept a position with W. H. Gilbert & Company, of
that city, as travelling salesman. He afterwards had
the entire charge of the selling end of their business.

Mr. Gould came to Worcester as manager of the
Royal Typewriter Company, where he shared a part
of the office occupied by the Claflin-Sumner Coal Com¬
pany, No. 9 Pleasant Street. When the Royal Type¬
writer Company decided to consolidate their Worcester
and Boston offices Mr. Gould decided to remain in Wor¬
cester, and accepted a position with the Worcester Mar¬
ket Company in January, 1910. At the request of Mr.
Graton, Mr. Gould entered the employ of The Graton
& Knight Manufacturing Company in June, 1911, in the
cost department, and since then he has served as clerk
and departmental manager in nearly all the departments
of their office. In July, 1916, he was put at the head of
the accounting division of the company, and on July 1,
1917, he was appointed comptroller by the board of
directors. At the annual meeting of the stockholders
in January, 1918, he was elected a director, and reap¬
pointed comptroller by the board.

Mr. Gould is a member of Ridgely Lodge, No. 112,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Quinsigamond
Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; and a life
member of Eureka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Hi¬
ram Council, Royal and Select Masters ; and Worcester
County Commandery, No. 5, Knights Templar. He is
also a life member of Worcester Lodge of Perfection;
Goddard Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Lawrence
Chapter, Rose Croix ; and the Massachusetts Consistory
of Aletheia Grotto, No. 13; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, for North
America. He is a member of the corporation of the
Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank. He is a member
of the Worcester Country Club, Commonwealth Club,
and Worcester Economic Club.

Mr. Gould married, September 18, 1905, Corinne L.
Morin, of Springfield.

FREDERICK W. MORSE— Taking a constructive
and practical part in the advance and development of
the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, Frederick W.
Morse is contributing much to the general welfare, his
activities being along the line of real estate and insur¬
ance brokerage. With offices at Suite No. 825, the
Slater Building, he has won a prominent position in the
business life of the city, although he is still a young
man and has been active in the business world for
scarcely more than a decade. Mr. Morse is a son of
Frederick J. Morse, who was born in England, and
came to the United States as a young man, engaging in
the bakery business in the city of Worcester, in which
he is largely successful. The mother, Henrietta (Hines)
Morse, was born in Nova Scotia, and is also still living.

Frederick W. Morse was born in Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts, August 7, 1893. His education was received
in the local institutions, beginning his studies in the
public schools and finishing at Worcester Academy. His
early business experience was in the real estate and
insurance field, in association with Ernest C. Mulvey.
In 1916 he withdrew from the partnership to enter the
same field independently, and has won large success.
Meanwhile, for about two years, Mr. Morse was active
in the newspaper world on the Worcester “Telegram,”
in a reportorial capacity. He is a member of the
Massachusetts Real Estate Exchange, and is broadly
interested in all that pertains to the civic and general

BIOGRAPHICAL

advance, bearing a part in all forward movements. He
is a member of Morning Star Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons ; of Aletheia Grotto ; the Knights of Pythias, the
Loyal Order of Moose; and his recreations are outdoor
sports. He has been active in athletics since his boy¬
hood, and was a member of the old English High track
team, in which connection he won many medals and
cups.

Frederick W. Morse married, on January 6, 1919,
Mildred E. Hubbard, who was born in Worcester,
daughter of George E. Hubbard, a contractor and
builder of Worcester. Mr. and Mrs. Morse have two
daughters : Virginia Ruth and Barbara Jean.

GEORGE E. O’HEARN, of Gardner, for many
years a prominent figure in the industrial world of Wor¬
cester County, became the head of an independent interest
on January 1, 1923, and has now launched a large and
most promising enterprise in the manufacture of fibre
furniture and kindred products. Mr. O’Hearn is a
man of large executive ability and long practical ex¬
perience, thereby well fitted to assume a position of
leadership in his field, and his success in his own busi¬
ness is beyond a' peradventure.

Patrick O’Hearn, Mr. O’Hearn’s father, was for many
years one of the most interesting figures of Gardner, as
the oldest resident of this community. He was born in
Killa, County Cork, Ireland, and came to the United
States as a young man. After a short stay in Connec¬
ticut, he went to Lake George, New York, and with his
young bride settled in the virgin forest, clearing a
little space and hewing out the timber for his little log
cabin. He developed a prosperous farm, then some
years later removed to Glens Falls, New York, where
he was employed as a longshoreman until the year 1873.
Then coming to Gardner, Massachusetts, he was em¬
ployed variously up to the time of his death, continu¬
ing active and alert to' the affairs of the times until he
passed away, in April, 1922, at the great age of one
hundred and three years. The wife and mother, whom
he wooed in their native County Cork, she also born at
Killa, who as his betrothed came to America on the
same ship in the same party, and whom he married in
Connecticut, their first stopping place, bravely bore her
part in his early struggles to establish a home in the new
country, and died in 1866, when George E. O’Hearn,
their youngest child, was still an infant.

George E. O’Hearn was born at Lake George, New
York, February 22, 1865. His education was acquired
in the public and high schools of Gardner, and his en¬
tering the world of men and affairs in his fourteenth
years, was coincidental with the opening of manufac¬
turing operations in the baby carriage department of the
great plant of Heywood Brothers & Co., now Heywood-
Wakefield Company. The youth secured a position in
this new branch and continued with it for a period of
forty-four years, advancing by his own efforts through
the various steps, constantly carrying greater respon¬
sibilities until in 1890 he was appointed superintendent
of the plant. This position he filled until January 1,
1923, when he resigned to go forward for himself. The
new plant was at that time nearly completed, under
cover, and ready for the final touches and the installa¬
tion of machinery and equipment. It is expected that

the plant will be in full operation by midsummer of the
present year (1923), and this new enterprise will take a
leading place in the field of production for which Gard¬
ner is already famous. The building is of the most ap¬
proved construction and is to be fitted up and equipped
in the most up-to-date manner, with every provision
made for the comfort and well-being of the employees
as well as for the turning out of a product of high
quality. Mr. O’Hearn has few interests outside of his
business activities, but is a director of the First Na¬
tional Bank of Gardner. Fraternally he is affiliated
with the Knights of Columbus; Gardner Lodge, No.
1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is
also a member of Oak Hill Country Club, and Sacred
Heart Roman Catholic Church.

Mr. O’Hearn married, in 1896, Emma J. Rourke, of
Gardner, and they are the parents of six children :
Dorothy C., a graduate of Wheaton College, at Nor¬
ton, Massachusetts, class of 1919; George E., Jr., a
graduate of St. Michael’s College, at Winooski, Ver¬
mont, now identified with his father in the above enter¬
prise; Edward, deceased; Alma, a graduate of Worces¬
ter Business College; Robert, deceased; and Richard,
attending the public schools of Gardner.

GEORGE L. TOBEY, SR., a member of an old
family in Maine, and well known as a medical prac¬
titioner in Clinton, Massachusetts, has contributed largely
to the development of medical societies by his activity
as a member. Mathias Tobey, grandfather of Dr.
Tobey, Sr., served as a captain during the Revolutionary
War, and his body is laid in the cemetery at Machias
Port, Maine. His son, Samuel Tobey, married Nancy
B. Robinson, of St. George, Maine, and they were the
parents of George L. Tobey, Sr. The father followed
the carpenter’s trade until his death in 1873 ; the mother
died in 1894.

George L. Tobey, Sr., was born in Machias Port, Maine,
June 17, 1853, and there began his education in the pub¬
lic schools. Later he attended Washington Academy,
at East Machias, and then Coburn Classical Institute, at
Waterville, Maine, then completed a course in the study
of medicine at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. He
first commenced to practice his profession in 1879, at
Shrewsbury, where he remained for a year and a half,
and moved to Lancaster, Massachusetts, for a period of
fifteen years. After that length of time he decided to
settle in Clinton and has continued to practice here ever
since, being located at No. 205 Church Street.

Dr. Tobey, Sr., became medical examiner for the Fourth
District of Worcester County in 1897, and continues as
such. For ten years he served as a member of the
Board of Health for Lancaster, Massachusetts, and as
a member of the School Board for five years, also
served as a member of the Board of Health in Clinton
for a number of years. Fraternally he is affiliated with
the Free and Accepted Masons. He is a member of the
following clubs : The Prescott, Chamber of Commerce,
American Medical Association, Worcester County Med¬
ical Society, Massachusetts Medical Society, Massachu¬
setts Association of Boards of Health since its organ¬
ization; and the Massachusetts Medical Legal Society.
He has been on the staff of surgeons of Clinton Hospital
for twenty-five years. During the World War he was a

IOO

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

member of the Clinton Riflemen and of Division No. 14,
Draft Board.

Dr. Tobey, Sr., married, in 1880, Abbie A. Grant, a
native of Machias Port, Maine. The children born to
Dr. and Mrs. Tobey are as follows: 1. Dr. George L.
Tobey, Jr., who was commissioned a captain in the
United States Medical Corps and served from 1917 to
the end of the war. 2. Guy D., engaged in the real es¬
tate business in Boston, Massachusetts. 3. Dr. Harold
Grant, who served with the first Harvard Medical Unit
which embarked for France at the outbreak of the World
War and remained there six months before returning
to the United States. Later he went back with the
Massachusetts General Hospital Unit, having charge
of the eye, ear, nose, and throat work at the Bordeaux
Base Hospital.

WILLIAM JOSEPH MOORE, in his professional
activities, is one of the leading figures of Milford, Massa¬
chusetts, but in the other lines of progress in which he
is constantly active his work is equally noteworthy, for
in educational progress, in fraternal organizations, and
as a musician, he is holding a leading place in the com¬
munity. Mr. Moore is a native of this place, and a son
of Luke and Eleanor (Mulcahy) Moore, for many years
esteemed residents of Milford.

William Joseph Moore was born in Milford, Massa¬
chusetts, August 5, 1886. His education was begun in
the public schools, and he also covered the local high
school course, after which for his preparatory work he
entered Dean Academy, at Franklin, Massachusetts, from
which he was graduated in 1907. For his classical
course he entered Notre Dame University, at South
Bend, Indiana, and was graduated the following year.
Taking up his professional studies at the Boston Uni¬
versity Law School, he was graduated from that insti¬
tution in the class of 1911. Mr. Moore was admitted to
the bar of the State of Massachusetts and has since
practiced in Milford. Well grounded in the law and
possessing marked ability as a speaker, Mr. Moore has
won his way to large success and is counted among the
foremost attorneys of Worcester County. In all
branches of civic and community advance Mr. Moore
has always been deeply interested, and for a number of
years he has held the responsible position of principal of
the Milford Evening School. In this connection his
work has done much for the encouragement and advance
of that part of the population which makes up the ranks
of the industrial workers and still looks forward to
higher achievement through the acquisition of wider edu¬
cation. His practical attitude towards commercial and
industrial progress has given his work in this school
special value to the young people for whom it is partic¬
ularly designed, and his leadership is greatly appreciated.
One of the leading figures in fraternal circles in Mil¬
ford, Mr. Moore is Past Grand Knight of the Knights
of Columbus, a member of the Benevolent and Protec¬
tive Order of Elks, and an associate member of the
Grand Army of the Republic. He is a member of the
Worcester County Bar Association and is influential in its
advance. His religious affiliation is with St. Mary’s
Roman Catholic Church, of Milford, and he is musical
director of the choir of this church, also holds member¬
ship in the Holy Name Society of this church.

Mr. Moore married, in Milford, Massachusetts, on Oc¬
tober 18, 1922, Eleanor V. Broughey, daughter of
Stephen and Margaret (Murphy) Broughey.

ROBERT KENDALL SHAW, librarian of the
Free Public Library, was born in Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts, July 18, 1871. He attended the public schools
there, and was salutatorian of the class of 1890 in the
Worcester Classical High School. He graduated from
Harvard College in 1894 with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts, surnma cum laude, taking final honors in clas¬
sics. During the next three years he was a teacher in
the Highland Military Academy under his father. From
1898 to 1901 he was on the staff of the New York State
Library, and from 1901 to 1904 assistant in the Library
of Congress at Washington. In 1904-05 he was li¬
brarian of the public library of Brockton. He returned
to Worcester in 1905 to accept the position of assistant
librarian of the Free Public Library, and when Samuel
Swett Green, the veteran librarian, resigned in Janu¬
ary, 1909, Mr. Shaw was elected to succeed him, con¬
tinuing to the present time.

Mr. Shaw was thoroughly in sympathy with the pro¬
gressive policies in which Mr. Green was a pioneer, and
has extended the service at every opportunity, seeking
to make the books of the greatest possible service, and
the library itself a really popular institution, cooper¬
ating with the teachers and pupils of the public schools
and colleges of the city; assisting writers in searches;
aiding newspaper workers, and answering every ques¬
tion possible. While keeping pace with the great de¬
mand for fiction, Mr. Shaw has given every attention
to presenting to the public the more useful and instruc¬
tive works. The usefulness of the library had grown
constantly. The addition of the branch libraries at
Greendale, Quinsigamond and South Worcester had
aided in extending and broadening the field of useful¬
ness. The public shares in the opinion expressed by
the trustees of the library in their fifteenth annual
report, relating to Mr. Shaw :

During the past year, he has discharged the duties
of his position with a degree of fidelity, ability and
courtesy which has merited and received the com¬
mendation of the patrons of the library, and the ap¬
probation of the board of directors.

Mr. Shaw is a member of the American Library As¬
sociation, the Massachusetts Library Club, the Bay Path
Literary Club, the Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity, of Har¬
vard, the Worcester Economic Club, the Shakespeare
Club and the Harvard Club of Worcester. He was
president of the Massachusetts Library Club in 1910-11.
He delivered an address at the dedication of the
Fobes Memorial Library at Oakham in 1908; at the
dedication of the Merriam Library at Auburn in June,
1909; and at the dedication of the Beaman Memorial
Library at West Boylston in 1912. In 1911 he read a
paper on Elihu Burritt before the Worcester Society
of Antiquity. He was one of the speakers at the dedica¬
tion of the three new branch libraries which are under
his charge, known as the Carnegie branches of the Wor¬
cester Public Library In July, 1918, he was appointed'
a member of the Library War Finance Committee of
the United States.

Mr. Shaw married, September 29, 1902, at Eau Claire,.

BIOGRAPHICAL

IOI

Wisconsin, Bertha Mower Brown, who was born at
Porter’s Mills, Wisconsin, December 27, 1875, a daugh¬
ter of James Harding and Anna Sarah (Taft) Brown.

RENALDO GUILMETTE — In the manufacturing
world of Southern Worcester County, Massachusetts,
Mr. Guilmette is a leading figure as president of the
Central Optical Company, Incorporated. Mr. Guilmette
is a native of Canada, but has been a resident of South-
bridge, Massachusetts, for the past seventeen years, and
during that entire period has been affiliated with this
industry. He is a son of Anthime Guilmette, who was
born at St. Hugues, Canada, and was active in farming,
also was one of the earliest manufacturers of butter
and cheese in that section, continuing actively in that line
until his death, which occurred in 1920. The mother,
Alexina (de Blois) Guilmette, was born at St. Fran¬
cois, Canada, and died in 1921.

Renaldo Guilmette was born in St. Hugues, Canada,
June 28, 1879. His education was begun in the local
public schools and after completing the high school
course he made special preparations for his career at
the Sherbrooke Business College. Thereafter coming to
the United States, Mr. Guilmette located at Central
Falls, Rhode Island. He learned the trade of machin¬
ist in the employ of the Brown & Sharpe Company, of
Providence, the world-famous manufacturers of lathes
and other machine tools. After mastering the trade he
remained with this concern for a time and in all spent
six years in their employ, after which he was connected
with the Fales & Jenks Spinning Machinery Company,
of Pawtucket, for about two years. He was then iden¬
tified with the Taft-Pierce Company, of Woonsocket,
Rhode Island, and was active in that connection for
about three years. In the year 1906 Mr. Guilmette
became associated with the Central Optical Company,
Incorporated, of Southbridge, Massachusetts, in the
capacity of master mechanic and soon acquired an
interest in the business. Fie was made vice-president of
the concern in 1911, and in 1916 was elected president of
the company, which office he still ably serves. This en¬
terprise, which is now rounding out twenty-three years
of existence, was incorporated in the second year of its
history and has developed to be one of the foremost
interests of its kind in this section. The company is
now officered as follows: Renaldo Guilmette, president;
Hector M. Le Clair, vice-president and treasurer; Ed¬
ward E. Le Clair, secretary; and the plant is located
at No. 76 Elm Street, occupying three floors and em¬
ploying one hundred people. This concern has won an
enviable reputation for quality and integrity, and their
product includes spectacles, eyeglasses, and industrial
goggles, this company being a leader in this field in
Southbridge. Mr. Guilmette is a member of the Manu¬
facturers’ Association the Associated Industries of
Massachusetts, and the Optical Manufacturers’ Associ¬
ation. He is vice-president of the Southbridge Co¬
operative Bank, is a director of the People’s National
Bank, and takes a deep interest in all that pertains to
local advance. Fraternally he is affiliated with the
Artisans’ Order of Mutual Protection, of which he is
one of the national directors, and is also a member of
Societe St. Jean Baptiste. His principal club is the

Circle Canadian, and he attends the Roman Catholic
Church of Notre Dame.

HON. BENJAMIN ALBERT COOK— Success in
business marks the career of the Flon. Benjamin Albert
Cook, who has taken a line of commercial advance and
carried it forward until he holds a worthy position in
his field in New England. His endeavors in public life,
and in the affairs which closely concern the welfare of
the municipality and the Commonwealth, have been given
the same energy and forward-looking spirit which have
won him success in the business world. Mr. Cook is
prominent in Worcester County, Massachusetts, being
ex-Mayor of the city of Fitchburg and a former Rep¬
resentative of this city in the Legislature of the State
of Massachusetts. He is well known in fraternal circles,
and is considered one of the representative men of the
day in Fitchburg. A son of Mark Henry and Emily
(Thayer) Cook, Mr. Cook’s ancestry is distinguished in
the State of Vermont, his father having served in the
Civil War as a member of the First Vermont Cavalry
for three years and eight months. Early in life he had
been active in agricultural pursuits, and he died in 1912.

Benjamin Albert Cook was born in Guilford, Ver¬
mont, June 30, 1867. His elementary studies covered,
he entered the Brattleboro High School in his native
State and was graduated from that institution in due
course. Mr. Cook began his business career in the year
1895, as the B. A. Cook & Company, dealers in hardware,
paint, and wall paper, and the importance to which this
firm has grown in this and other States well appraises
the calibre of the man at its head. The substantial
block fronting on Oliver Street he built in 1908, and
the business now practically fills the building. Mr. Cook
is trustee and member of the auditing committee of the
Fitchburg Savings Bank, and director and member of
the investment board of the Fitchburg Cooperative
Bank. He was a candidate for Representative to the
Massachusetts State Legislature and served in that po¬
sition during 1908 and 1909. In 1914 the people of Fitch¬
burg called him to the highest local office of the civic
body, and in 1914 and 1915 he served as Mayor of the
city of Fitchburg. During the World War Mr. Cook
was active as chairman of the Liberty Loan drives, hav¬
ing jurisdiction over twenty-three cities and towns
in the northern part of Worcester County. During
those years, also, 1917-18-19, he served as a member of
the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention. He has
borne an ever self-forgetful part in the fulfillment of
his public duties. Fraternally Mr. Cook is affiliated with
Aurora Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Thomas
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Jerusalem Commandery,
Knights Templar, of which he has served as Com¬
mander; Lady Emma Chapter, Order of the Eastern
Star; he is a Past Noble Grand of Mount Roulstone
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Fitchburg
Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; and
Clark S. Simonds Camp, Sons of Veterans. His clubs
are the Fay and Oak Hill Country, and he attends the
First Parish Unitarian Church.

Benjamin Albert Cook married, in Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, April 5, 1892, Minnie Louise Prouty, daughter

102

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

of Herbert C. and Mary A. (Phillips) Prouty, and they
have one son: Russell Phillips, born March 17, 1900.
The Cook residence is at No. 18 Mount Vernon Street,
Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

VINCENT EATON TOMLINSON, pastor of the
First Universalist Church, of Worcester, Massachusetts,
was bom in Perry, New York, March 20, 1862, the son
of Rev. Dewitt Clinton Tomlinson, who was born at
Gaines, Orleans County, New York, August 24, 1824, and
was for forty years a Universalist minister. He mar¬
ried Emeline C. Eaton, who was born May 20, 1830,
at Perrinton, Monroe County, New York. They had
three children: Carrie, who died in infancy; Irving C.,
born April 22, i860; Mary E., born August 16, 1870,
died April 19, 1907.

Vincent E. Tomlinson prepared for college in the
preparatory school of Buchtel College, at Akron, Ohio,
taking a four-year course, and then entered the college,
from which he graduated in 1880 with the degree of
Bachelor of Science. He entered Tufts Divinity School
the following term and graduated in 1884. In 1903 he
received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity
from Tufts. He was ordained in 1884 and became pas¬
tor of the Universalist church in Valley Falls, Rhode
Island. From 1887, when he resigned his first pas¬
torate, until 1890, he was pastor of the Ballou Univer¬
salist Church in Providence, Rhode Island; from 1890 to
1895 he was pastor of the First Universalist Church in
Hudson, New York; from 1895 to 1900, of St. Paul’s
Universalist Church at Little Falls, New York. He
assumed the pastorate of the First Universalist Church
in Worcester, May 1, 1900, and is the present pastor.
Dr. Tomlinson has been in a certain way a minister for
the churchless people of the city, responding to every
call to attend funerals and minister to the sick and
needy. His popularity has extended far beyond the
limits of his own church, and his ability, kindness, and
charity have won the esteem of the entire community.
He has been called into the public service, being a mem¬
ber of the School Committee from 1904 to 1912, and its
chairman in 1910-12; a member of the Board of Alder-
men, 1916-17, and president in his second year. At the
end of his term the members, as a testimonial to the
fairness and impartiality of Dr. Tomlinson as presid¬
ing officer, gave him a handsome desk set, and in the
speeches delivered at the last meeting, paid him the
highest compliments, in which the Democratic minority
joined. He is now a director of the Free Public Li¬
brary, elected for a term of six years, from January 1,
1918. In politics he has always been a Republican. He
is a member of Montacute Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons ; Eureka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Worces¬
ter Commandery, Knights Templar; of the Worcester
Chamber of Commerce; the Worcester Economic Club,
of which he has been president; the Public Education
society, of which he was president in 1915; the Wor¬
cester Fresh Air Work, of which he has been presi¬
dent since 1909; the Worcester Country Club. He is
one of the advisory board of this work. He is also a
director since 1916 of the Young Men’s Christian Asso¬
ciation.

Rev. Vincent E. Tomlinson married, in Valley Falls,

Rhode Island, September 27, 1887, Clarissa A. Hindley,
who was born in Manchester, England, May 15, 1866,
daughter of John S. and Clarissa (Stott) Hindley. Mrs.
Tomlinson is a member of the Worcester Woman’s
Club. Their only child, Ruth, was born April 18, 1894,
graduate of the Worcester High School, 1910; Smith
College (A. B., 1914) ; Radcliffe College (A. M., 1916) ;
graduate student at Johns Hopkins, 1916-17; now pro¬
fessor of history of Kentucky College for Women,
Danville, Kentucky, (1917-18). Dr. Tomlinson’s home
is at No. 32 Irving Street. He has a summer place at
Wakefield, Rhode Island.

JOHN ALLEN WALLACE — In the world of
finance in Milford, Massachusetts, the name of John
Allen Wallace is a familiar one, and Mr. Wallace is
taking a very definite part in the local advance through
his responsibilities as cashier of the Home National
Bank of Milford. For upwards of eighteen years he
has been identified with this institution entering the
organization in the year 1906, and his rise through the
various grades to his present position has been achieved
solely on the merit of his service. Mr. Wallace is a
son of James and Mary (Winters) Wallace, his father
now deceased.

John Allen Wallace was born in Milford, Massachu¬
setts, June 8, 1882. His education was begun in the
local public schools and he is a graduate of the Milford
High School, class of 1899. Shortly after his gradu¬
ation Mr. Wallace entered the business world of Milford
in the capacity of bookkeeper and was thus identified
with various local business concerns for about seven
years. Then taking up a similar position in the Home
National Bank of Milford, Mr. Wallace acted as book¬
keeper of that institution for twelve years, after which
in the year 1918 he was promoted to he office of cashier.
He still ably fills the duties of this position and is
counted among the progressive and really significant
men of the community. He is also a director of this in¬
stitution and is further identified with the financial world
of Milford as a director of the Milford Cooperative
Bank, and a member of the Corporation of the Milford
Savings Bank. Keeping in touch with all community
and general progress, Mr. Wallace supports the Repub¬
lican party in political affairs, but has never thus far
accepted public responsibility. Fraternally he is a mem¬
ber of Montgomery Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons; Mt. Lebanon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons;
Milford Commandery, Knights Templar; Milford Lodge’
No. 223, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Frater¬
nity Rebecca Lodge, No. 178; Milford Grange, No. 271,
Patrons of Husbandry. He is a member of the Boston
Masonic, and the Cinosam clubs. His religious affili¬
ation is with Pine Street Baptist Church, of Milford.

Mr. Wallace married, on October 5, 1920, at Milford,
Massachusetts, Agnes Mary Gilmore, daughter of
William T. and Sophia Gilmore.

CHARLES A. GROSVENOR — In the manufacture

of felt footwear, Charles A. Grosvenor stands among
the prosperous and widely prominent manufacturers of
Worcester County, with interest centering in the city
of Worcester. With life experience in the shoe
business in one branch or another Mr. Grosvenor is well

BIOGRAPHICAL

103

fitted for his present activities, and from the inception
of the present enterprise has carried it forward to con¬
stantly larger success. It is now an important business
in the industrial world of the city of Worcester.

Charles A. Grosvenor was born in Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts February 9, 1878, and is the son of S. Avery
and Eva L- (Mclntire) Grosvenor. His education was
acquired in the public and high schools of the city, and
as a young man he entered the employ of the Heywood
Boot & Shoe Company of Worcester, in their retail
store. He was later associated with his father in the
retail shoe business for a time, under the firm name of
the S. A. & C. A. Grosvenor Shoe Company, their store
having been advantageously located at the corner of
Main and Front streets. This interest was established
in 1900 and was continued for about seven years, at the
end of which period the store was purchased by the
Ware-Pratt Company, and C. A. Grosvenor continued
with the new firm in charge of their shoe department.
Remaining in this connection for a number of years, Mr.
Grosvenor later struck out for himself as a shoe jobber,
and for about two and one-half years was very success¬
ful in this field. It was here, perhaps, that Mr. Gros¬
venor gained the general familiarity with the market
which has been of such great advantage to him since.
On June 16, 1917, he began the manufacture of felt
footwear in a small way, with plant located on Austin
Street. The business grew rapidly and he was soon
obliged to find larger quarters, which were available at
the present address, No. 70 Central Street. Removing
to this location in November, 1919, he expanded the busi¬
ness materially, also began the manufacture of new lines
and fresh patterns. In November, 1922, Mr. Grosvenor
added to the scope of his activity by purchasing the
slipper shop in Oxford, Massachusetts. The consoli¬
dated interests now form a large and important business,
and the plants have a capacity of more than 12,000 pairs
of shoes and slippers per day. The product is marketed
through jobbers and -large department stores from coast
to coast. Under the firm name of the Charles A. Gros¬
venor Shoe Company, Mr. Grosvenor is sole owner of the
interest and is carrying it forward with the policy of
ever-increasing expansion. The plants are operating to
capacity during the greater part of the time, and Mr.
Grosvenor contemplates further additions in the not
far distant future.

Mr. Grosvenor is a prominent member of Quinsiga-
mond Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, holding mem¬
bership in both the York and Scottish Rite bodies. He
also is a member of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and is identified
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Rotary
Club of Worcester, and the Worcester Golf and Coun¬
try clubs. He is a member of the Worcester Chamber
of Commerce, and takes a deep interest in all civic
progress, lending his influence and support to every
movement which has for its object the betterment of
the people. A Republican by political affiliation, he is
a worker in the ranks of the party, but has never thus
far accepted the responsibilities nor honors of office.
Mr. Grosvenor is gifted with a very fine tenor voice
of really wonderful range and timbre, and for eighteen
years has been a tenor soloist in the Worcester churches,
for nine years at the Piedmont Congregational Church

Charles A. Grosvenor married, on October 31, 1906,
Della B. Savage, daughter of C. B. and Firilla (Cross¬
man) Savage, and the family are members of the Wes¬
ley Methodist Episcopal Church.

EDMUND Q. ABBOT— In insurance circles in the
city of Worcester, Massachusetts, Edmund Q. Abbot is
a mjan of large prominence as the Worcester represen¬
tative of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company
of Newark, New Jersey. With offices at No. 311 Main
Street, he is successfully handling the extensive interests
of this concern in the Worcester district, and is counted
among the really noteworthy men of the day in Wor¬
cester County. Mr. Abbot is a son of William F. Abbot,
who for many years was numbered among the dis¬
tinguished men of this city. Born in Boston, William
F. Abbot was highly educated, and for forty years
served as an instructor in the Classical High School of
Worcester, his scholarly mind, lofty ideals, and benev¬
olent spirit giving his influence over the young people
under his charge great significance for good. His
death, which occurred April 21, 1922, was mourned by
all who knew him. The mother, Caroline W. (Sewall)
Abbot, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and still
survives her husband.

Edmund Q. Abbot was born in the city of Worcester,
Massachusetts, July 26, 1884. Receiving his early edu¬
cation in the local public schools, he was graduated from
the Classical High School in the class of 1902. There¬
after entering Harvard University for his course in the
liberal arts, he was graduated from that institution in
the class of 1906 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
He then took up the study of law at the same university,
but ill health compelled him to abandon his plans for a
professional career, and for two years he travelled in
the hope of regaining his strength. The lure of the
great West held him for a time thereafter, and he was
active in the cattle business until the year 1916, when he
returned to his native city to become associated with
the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, as their
Worcester representative. He was more than success¬
ful, and continuing in this connection permanetly, has
won the highest esteem of his business associates and con¬
temporaries.

The military record of Edmund Q. Abbot begins with
his enlistment in the United States Army in December,
1917, as a private. He was later transferred to the 311th
Infantry Regiment, 78th Division, American Expedi¬
tionary Forces, and was promoted shortly to corporal,
and later to sergeant. With his unit he sailed for
France on May 19, 1918, and was detailed to the Army
Candidates’ School, at Langres-sur-Marne, France. On
July 30, 1918, he was commissioned second lieutenant of
infantry, and on September 25, of the same year, was
assigned to the 316th Machine Gun Battalion of the 81st
Division. From October 6 until the seventeenth of the
same month he was active in the defensive sector of St.
Die, then, on November 7, entered the fearful strain of
the Meuse-Argonne offensive, serving at Haudiomont,
Watronville, and Grimacourt, east of Verdun, until the
signing of the Armistice. In March, 1919, Lieutenant
Abbot was detailed to the Army University at Beaune,
France, as head of the Life Insurance Department of
the College of Business, remaining in this connection

104

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

until sailing for the United States on June 9, 1919- He
received his honorable discharge from the service in
July, 1919, with the rank of second lieutenant.

Mr. Abbot is a member of the Worcester Chamber of
Commerce, and is prominent fraternally, holding mem¬
bership in all the Scottish Rite bodies of the Masonic
order, up to and including the thirty-second degree; also
is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, and the American Region. He is a well-known
member of the Harvard Club of Worcester, and is
affiliated with the First Unitarian Church.

Mr. Abbot married, on May 7, 1918, Melinda W.
Rockwood, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, and
they have two children : Richard Rockwood, born April
22, 1920; and Persis Lovejoy, born October 8, 1921.

RAYMOND A. RICE — Prominent in the industrial
world of Southern Worcester County, Massachusetts,
as treasurer and general manager of the Southbridge
Printing Company, Mr. Rice is a noteworthy figure in
the business progress of Southbridge. With experience
in the same general line of activity in which he is now
engaged, Mr. Rice came to his present position as a
capable executive. He has become a significant member
of the present organization and is affiliated with various
other industrial concerns, also with current lines of
community advance. He is a son of Charles L. Rice,
who was born at Oswego, New York, and is a veteran
insurance broker of that section, still being active in
this field of endeavor in New York City. The mother,
Ellen (Booth) Rice who was a native of New York
State, died in the year 1883, at an early age.

Raymond A. Rice was born at Scranton, Pennsyl¬
vania, December 9, 1879. Receiving his early education
in the public schools of his birthplace, he also covered
the high school course in that city. In the year 1899
Mr. Rice came to Southbridge and entered the employ
of the Southbridge Printing Company, being first active
in the engraving department. He not only familiarized
himself with the mechanics of engraving, but has now
for some years been treasurer and general manager of
that company, and is also treasurer of the Fiskdale Fin¬
ishing Company, located in the outskirts of the town of
Southbridge. The activities of these plants contribute
much to the advance of the textile industry of this sec¬
tion, and Mr. Rice is bearing a significant part in their
progress and prosperity. He is a member of the Manu¬
facturers’ Association of Southbridge, and is broadly in¬
terested also in those avenues of organized advance
which pertain to the civic and social welfare of the com¬
munity. In politics he is a Republican. He served as
a member of the Southbridge Board of Selectmen for
two terms, and during the World War, from the year
1918 to 1919 inclusive, was active as first lieutenant of
the Massachusetts State Guard. Fraternally Mr. Rice is
affiliated with Quinebaug Lodge, Ancient Free and Ac¬
cepted Masons; Doric Chapter, Royal Arch Masons;
and he is a member of the Commonwealth Club of Wor¬
cester, the Putnam Country Club, the Leicester Country,
and the Quinebaug clubs, these club connections revealing
his great pleasure in outdoor interest. He attends the
Episcopal church.

Mr. Rice married, in 1914, Sarah Jupp, who was born

in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they are the parents of two
children: Ellen Booth and Alfred Jupp.

HON. FRANK WESLEY FENNO— A lifelong
resident of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Mr.
Fenno has risen from the position of the struggling
youth without friends or influence to that of president
of one of the foremost financial institutions of this
part of the State, a record of which any man might
well be proud, and which he has achieved by virtue of
tireless endeavor along useful lines of activity, and the
lofty personal integrity which commands the respect of
every man. His usefulness in the public service has
added significance to his record of honorable personal
achievement, and he is counted among the really im¬
portant men of Gardner, where his business interests
center, and Westminster, of which he has been a lifelong
resident.

The Fenno family is a very old one in Westminster,
and Captain Reuben Fenno, Mr. Fenno’s grandfather,
was a farmer and shoemaker of this community early
in the nineteenth century. Frank Bond Fenno, his son
and Mr. Fenno’s father, was born in Westminster, was
a soldier of the Civil War, serving in a Massachusetts
volunteer regiment, in which he enlisted in 1861. He
died in 1875, at the age of forty-two years. He mar¬
ried Mahala Gould Estabrook, also a native of West¬
minster, who died in 1910, at the age of seventy-six
years.

Frank Wesley Fenno was born in Westminster, Oc¬
tober 24, 1861. His education was begun in the local
public schools, and it was only through his own efforts
that the boy, left fatherless in his thirteenth year, se¬
cured any formal training. His education has been
largely self-acquired, his alert and retentive mind gain¬
ing useful and valuable information from every source.
At the age of seventeen years he was working on a
farm in Princeton, Worcester County, Massachusetts,
receiving $12 per month for his services. Thereafter,
securing the means of a short course at the Bryant &
Stratton Business College in Boston, he entered the
offices of Nichols Brothers, chair manufacturers of
Westminster, at the age of twenty years, in the capacity
of bookkeeper. Some four years later, in partnership
with a fellow workman, he began manufacturing chairs
in spare hours, doing all the work themselves and plac¬
ing their goods on sale as they had opportunity. At
the age of twenty-five years Mr. Fenno was offered the
cashiership of the Westminster National Bank, a rare
tribute to the character of a young man of no experi¬
ence whatever in banking. His acceptance of this offer
placed Mr. Fenno in a field of business endeavor for
which he was especially fitted, and in which he has re¬
mained continuously since. The history of the West¬
minster National Bank was merged with that of the
Gardner Trust Company in the year 1916, and upon
the death of John A. Dunn, who had served as president
of both institutions, Frank W. Fenno was elected presi¬
dent of the Gardner Trust Company, which position
he ably filled until January, 1923, when elected chairman
of the board, rounding out thirty-seven years since his
first entrance into the world of finance. Mr. Fenno is
affiliated with several industrial concerns of Worcester

I I 'MM

BIOGRAPHICAL

105

County, being vice-president of the' Nichols & Stone
Company, chair manufacturers of Gardner, a director
of Tom Wye, Incorporated, of Winchenden, and he is
also a director of the Bean & Simonds Company of East
Jaffrey, New Hampshire, match block manufacturers.
He is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce.

In public affairs Mr. Fenno has, for many years, been
a progressive leader. For thirty-five years he has held
the office of treasurer of the town of Westminster, and
has taken a foremost part in all movements for the bet¬
terment of the community and vicinity. In 1902 he was
elected to the Legislature of the State as Represen-
ative from the Third Worcester District. His record
as a legislator was one of which the people were proud,
and he was given large responsibilities in that body, serv¬
ing as chairman of the Committee on Towns and as a
member of the Committees on Mercantile and Military
Affairs. Through his efforts the bill which provided for
the turning over to the State the care of roads about
the State colony which are located in the towns of West¬
minster and Gardner, was brought before the Senate
and became a law. He was returned to the House the
following year, when the bill he introduced to settle the
dispute for damages between Fitchburg and Westmin¬
ster on account of taking property for a water supply
became a law; this called for a cash payment from
Fitchburg to Westminster, and was, perhaps, Mr.
Fenno’s greatest achievement in the House. In 1904
he was a candidate for the State Senate, his defeat at
that time, by one vote, having been credited to the
manoeuvers of the “machine.” Mr. Fenno served for
many years as chairman of the Republican Town Com¬
mittee of Westminster, Massachusetts. He also kept in
touch with the progress of agricultural affairs in this
section, being a member of the Westminster Grange,
and was formerly president of the Westminster Far¬
mers’ and Mechanics’ Association. He is a charter
member and Past Commander of Camp No. 101, Sons of
Veterans, and fraternally is identified with Hope Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons ; Ivanhoe Commandery,
Knights Templar; and Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benev¬
olent and Protective Order of Elks, and is a member of
the Gardner Boat Club.

Mr. Fenno, married, on October 24, 1893, Mary A.
Nichols, of Westminster, daughter of Charles Nichols,
chair manufacturer and banker of Westminster and
Gardner. Mrs. Fenno died March 24, 1912, leaving
six children: 1. Doris Martha, a teacher in the West¬
minster schools. 2. Thaddeus B., postmaster of West¬
minster, who in taking up the duties of this office at the
age of twenty- five years, walked through the same door
which his father entered at the same age to assume the
duties of cashier of the Westminster National Bank.
3. Alice Mahala, a graduate of Simmons’ College, with
the degree of Bachelor of Science, who holds a respon¬
sible position in Lowell. 4. Barbara May, a graduate of
the Sargent School of Physical Education, and at pres¬
ent an instructor in Lasell Seminary, Auburndale,
Massachusetts. 5. Frank Wesley, Jr., a midshipman at
Annapolis Naval Academy. 6. Charles Nichols, in the
United States Marine Service.

FRANCIS H. OLIN, M. D.— Holding a leading
position in the medical profession in Southern Worces¬

ter County Massachusetts, Dr. Francis H. Olin has been
active in practice in Southbridge for the past thirty-
four years, and has won not only a large measure of
success but has become also one of the most beloved and
revered physicians of this part of the State, people of
the community and the surrounding villages looking up
to him as an advisor and friend, as well as in his pro¬
fessional capacity. Dr. Olin is a son of Francis M. Olin,
who was born at Liverpool, Ohio, and was engaged in
foundry work practically until his death, although he
lived to the great age of ninety-four years. He passed
away in 1919 in Falls Village, Connecticut. The mother,
Caroline (Segar) Olin, was born in New Hartford,
Connecticut, and also lived to an advanced age, passing
away in 1913.

Francis H. Olin was born at Falls Village, Connec¬
ticut, February 23, 1855. His early education was ac¬
quired in the public schools of his birthplace and he later
attended Rocky Dell Institute, also Sedgwick Institute,
then after completing his preparatory studies under the
preceptorship of Drs. Hobart and Jordan of Worcester,
he entered the University of Michigan in the medical
department, from which he was graduated in the class
of 1881 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Follow¬
ing one year of hospital work, Dr. Olin returned to his
native State in 1882 and opened his offices for the prac¬
tice of medicine at Woodstock, Connecticut. There
he was active for about seven years, then in the year
1889 he was persuaded to remove to Southbridge and
has since been active in practice here at No. 27 Hamil¬
ton Street. He was successful from the first, and his
ability as a physician has been augmented by his wide
experience. He has seen the children whom he has
brought into the world grow to youth and maturity and
take useful positions in life, and in recent years his
own status in the community is more truly that of the
father and family friend than that of the professional
man and he is most highly esteemed in all circles.
Dr. Olin is a member of the American Medical Associ¬
ation, Massachusetts Medical Society, and the Worcester
County Medical Society, and for a number of years he
has been a member of the Board of Health of South-
bridge. During the World War he was very active as
a member of the medical advisory board at Palmer,
Massachusetts, and gave his best endeavors to all the
home activities of that trying period. Fraternally Dr.
Olin is affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons and all the York Rite bodies of the Masonic
order, also the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mys¬
tic Shrine. He is further a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. His religious affiliation is with
the Episcopal church.

Dr. Olin married, in 1911, Mary N. Simpson, who was
born in Dallas, Texas.

HAROLD G. PRATT, as junior partner of the con¬
cern known as E. O. Pratt & Son, is associated with the
largest hardware establishment in the city of Clinton,
also with one of the oldest and best known enterprises
of its kind in Worcester County.

Eugene O. Pratt, father of Harold G. Pratt, was
bom in Irving, Massachusetts, May 9, 1856, son of Gil¬
bert Pratt, a native of Royalston, Massachusetts, who
was engaged in business as a chairmaker to the time of

io6

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

his death in 1865, and of Julia A. (Delaney) Pratt, a
native of Canada, who died in 1917. He received a
good, practical education in the public schools of Athol,
Massachusetts, and after completing his school training
became associated with the hardware business. He
later, in 1890, purchased the old concern which was
established by H. E. Starbird in i860, and from 1890
to 1920 conducted a prosperous business under the name
of E. O. Pratt. When, in 1920, his son, Harold G., was
taken into partnership the firm name was changed to E.
O. Pratt & Son, and under that style has continued to
the present time. Eugene O. Pratt has been associated
with the hardware business for more than fifty years,
and there are few in his section of the State who are
more familiar with that branch of business activity than
is he. He is a member of the Clinton Chamber of Com¬
merce, and for forty-five years has been a member of
the Masonic order, his lodge being Star Lodge, Free
and Accepted Masons, of Athol. He is also a member
of the Prescott Club and the Clinton Historical Society.
His religious interest is with the Congregational church
of Clinton, of which he is a member. He is a director
of Wachusets National Bank. On January 15, 1880,
Eugene O. Pratt married Stella R. Maynard, who was
born in Orange, Massachusetts, daughter of Charles
and Caroline (Reynolds) Maynard. Mr. and Mrs.
Eugene O. Pratt are the parents of two children: Beulah
M., who was born in Orange, Massachusetts, December
5, 1889; and Harold G., of further mention.

Harold G. Pratt was born in Clinton, Massachusetts,
July 19, 1894, and received his early education in the
public schools of Clinton. He then became a student
in the famous Phillips-Exeter Academy, from which he
was graduated in June, 1914. The following fall he
entered the Massachusetts Technical Institute, where he
continued his studies for two years, when the World
War interfered. Upon the completion of his war ser¬
vice, he associated himself with his father in the hard¬
ware business under the firm name of E. O. Pratt & Son,
and that connection has been maintained to the present
time. The business is a steadily growing one, and as
the largest in Clinton, has made for itself an enviable
record. 4

Shortly after the entrance of the United States into
the World War, Mr. Pratt enlisted, October 6, 1917,
and was assigned to the 76th Division with the rank of
private. In May, 1918, he was commissioned a second
lieutenant in the United States Infantry, and on Septem¬
ber 8, 1918, he was promoted to the rank of first lieu¬
tenant, United States Infantry. He was discharged
March 5, 1919, holding the last-named rank. In addi¬
tion to his business interest Mr. Pratt finds time for
various social and other connections. He is a member
of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce, in the activities
f>f which he takes a keen interest, and he is also a
member of the Prescott Club and of James R. Kirby
Post, American Legion, of Clinton. His religious affili¬
ation is with the Congregational church of Clinton. For
his recreation he indulges in the game of golf.

REV. JAMES WILLIAM DOLAN— Under the
spiritual leadership of Rev. James William Dolan the
people of Saint Martin’s Parish, in Otter River, Massa¬
chusetts, are going forward to ever higher attainments.

Father Dolan has been pastor of this church for the
past seven years, and his work in this parish and in the
community has contributed in no slight degree to the
general advance. Covering, as his pastorate here has,
the recent years of conflict and sorrow, his spirit of
benevolence and loving kindness has meant much to the
people of this section, and he is beloved as well as
esteemed both among the members of his church and
among the people generally.

Father Dolan was bom in Worcester, Massachusetts,
November 3, 1868, and is a son of Lawrence and Ellen
(Mulvey) Dolan, his father active throughout his life¬
time as a teamster. Father Dolan’s education was be¬
gun in the public schools of his birthplace, and he at¬
tended Holy Cross College, of Worcester, for four
months, then entered Saint Michael’s College, at To¬
ronto, Canada, from which he was graduated in due
course, taking his degrees from Toronto University.
Taking up his theological studies at Grand Seminary,
in Montreal Canada, he completed his course in theology
and philosophy at the Catholic University, in Washing¬
ton, District of Columbia. He was ordained to the
priesthood in Springfield, Massachusetts on December
24, 1892, and his first appointment was as assistant
priest in Salem, Massachusetts. He was next sent to
Springfield, Massachusetts, in a similar capacity, then
was appointed to the Church of St. Bernard, at Fitch¬
burg, Massachusetts, where he did excellent service in
encouraging the people in their forward labors and im¬
proving the church property. Successively active there¬
after at Adams and Webster, Massachusetts, Father
Dolan came to Otter River in October, 1916, and has
since been the honored and beloved pastor of Saint
Martin’s Church. He not only gives to his own con¬
gregation the devoted care which leads the people ever
to higher spiritual levels but endorses all community
advance and bears a constructive part in the general
progress of the day. He will be-longest remembered in
Fitchburg for his activities among the young men of
the city. He organized and brought to its very highest
the Young Men’s Catholic Lyceum, which, during all
his years there, was the leader in every branch of clean
sport. This club house was the centre of all sporting
activities of the city and surrounding towns. From it
went many young men to the various colleges, Holy
Cross naturally leading, where they became known
throughout he college world. Father Dolan commands
the esteem and admiration of all the people and of his
contemporaries of the cloth in whatever religious de¬
nomination.

SOLON WILDER, one of the most widely known of
the younger business men of Gardner, Massachusetts,
lived a very busy, useful, successful life that, measured
in figures of time, was all too short. His success as a
business man was the natural result and reward of tire¬
less diligence in the manifold duties laid upon him by
needy causes, sorority institutions, and business, and of
honorable dealing with his fellow men, which forgot
itself in kindly interest for others. A devoted church¬
man and member of several fraternal orders, his circle of
friends extended far beyond the church or lodge and
included college fellows, kindred spirits in appreciation

Eng. by E. G. Williams & Bro.N.YL

Leans Historical Pub. G a.

BIOGRAPHICAL

107

of music, business associates widely scattered, employees,
and various classes of his fellow-men.

He came from an ancient English family recorded
in Berkshire as land owners in 1407, Nicholas Wilder
receiving lands from his king.

The American ancestor in this branch is Thomas (2)
Wilder, son of Thomas and Martha Wilder, a great-
grandson of Nicholas Wilder, and a resident of Ship-
lake, Oxfordshire, England. Two of the sons of
Thomas and Martha Wilder came to. New England,
Thomas settling in Charlestown and Edward settling in
Hingham. After the death of her husband Martha
Wilder joined her sons in New England, coming on the
ship “Confidence,” in 1638, with her daughter Mary,
and settling near her son Edward in Hingham.

Thomas (2) Wilder, son of Thomas and Martha
Wilder, was born in Shiplake, Oxfordshire, England, in
1618, and was a proprietor of Charlestown, Massachu¬
setts, in 1638. He was admitted a freeman June 2, 1641 ;
in 1659 moved to Lancaster; was Selectman in 1660 and
in 1667, and held other offices. His wife, Ann, whom he
married in 1641, died June 10, 1692, surviving her hus¬
band twenty-five years, he dying October 23, 1667. The
line of descent from Thomas and Ann Wilder, the Amer¬
ican ancestors is thus traced: Thomas Wilder and his
wife Ann; Lieutenant Nathaniel Wilder (killed by
Indians) and his wife, Mary Sawyer; Ensign Oliver
Wilder and his wife, Mary Fairbanks ; Moses Wilder
and his wife, Submit Frost; John Wilder and his wife,
Sally Whipple; John Warren Wilder and his wife,
Betsey Wellington; Jonas Brooks Wilder and his wife,
Louisa Davidson; William Henry Wilder and his wife,
Helen Marion Laws ; Solon Wilder and his wife, Edith
Leavens; Richard Wilder, born September 11, 1911.

John Warren Wilder of the sixth generation, moved
from Massachusetts to Belfast, Maine, where his son
Jonas Brooks Wilder, and his grandson, William
Henry Wilder, were born. Jonas Brooks Wilder was a
mechanic and inventor, the design of the hillside plow
being credited to him.

William Henry Wilder, M. C., of the eighth genera¬
tion, was born at Belfast, Maine, May 14, 1855, died in
Washington, District of Columbia, September 11, 1913,
being a member of the Sixty-third Congress of the
United States. In 1866 Massachusetts again became the
family home, he finding employment in Gardner. At the
age of seventeen years he began business under his own
name as a contractor of painting and house decoration,
passing from that business in 1884 to an association with
A. M. Greenwood and Calvin H. Hill, through whose
influence oil stove manufacturing became a Gardner in¬
dustry. Mr. Wilder’s inventive genius was of great
benefit to the business, and for a quarter of a century,
1884-1909, there was not a year that he did not obtain
at least one patent, and they numbered half a hundred.
His partners were more interested in chair manufacture,
and the oil stove business was left to Mr. Wilder, who
developed a large business. He was a prominent factor
in bringing about a consolidation of the various plants
under the corporate name of the Central Oil-Gas Stove
Company, and was its treasurer. Factories were op¬
erated in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Michigan,
with warehouses in Boston, New York, and Chicago In
1895, through no fault of his own, he found himself

involved in business disaster with a quarter of a million
dollars indebtedness. He assumed these obligations and
before his death the entire amount was paid or abun¬
dantly secured. In 1896 he organized the business in
Gardner now conducted under the name Central Oil-
Gas Stove Company. In 1897 he placed on the market
the famed blue-flame oil stove made under his own
patents, and built up a business which restored his
fortunes.

Mr. Wilder was a man of great energy and public
spirit, doing a great deal for his community. He was a
Republican from early life, and at the time of his death
was representating the district in Congress, his second
term. He made five trips to the Pacific, four trips to
Europe, and in 1909 spent a month in Panama. He was
an active member of the First Congregational Church of
Gardner; a member of lodge, chapter, command-
ery, and consistory of the Masonic order; a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine; honorary member of the Grand
Army of the Republic; and greatly interested in his
farm near Gardner.

Mr. Wilder married (first), June 20, 1876, Helen
Marion Laws, born March 7, 1855, in Gardner, died
there November 30, 1909, daughter of Samuel Newell
and Fidelia (Whitney) Laws. He married (second),
March 22, 1912, Irene Paula Uibel, who survived him.
By his first marriage five children were bom, the eldest
a son, Solon.

Solon Wilder, eldest son of William Henry and Helen
Marion (Laws) Wilder, was born in Gardner, Massa¬
chusetts, May 19, 1883, and there died December
5, 1922. He was educated in the public schools
of Florence and Gardner, Massachusetts, finish¬
ing with graduation from Gardner High School
in 1901. He then entered Harvard University,
whence he was graduated Bachelor of Arts, class of
1905. For two years after leaving college he represented
the interests of the Central Oil-Gas Stove Company on
the road, and succeeded his father as president of that
company after the latter’s death in 1913. The business
became one of the largest industries of Gardner. Solon
Wilder inherited the strong business ability of his father,
and under his management the prestige of the Wilder
name grew greater in the business world. Affable,
genial, warm hearted, and generous, he made many
friends and won all hearts.

In the Masonic order Mr. Wilder was affiliated wfith
all bodies of both York and Scottish rites. He was a
Master Mason of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons ; a companion and Past High Priest of Gardner
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons (his father the first High
Priest of that chapter) ; District Deputy of Masonic
District No. 1 1 ; a Sir Knight of Ivanhoe Commandery,
Knights Templar; all of Gardner. In the Scottish Rite
he held the thirty-second degree; was a noble of Aleppo
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine, of Boston; was a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, Sons of Veterans, and Benev¬
olent and Protective Order of Elks. His clubs were
the Gardner Boat, Ridgely, Fay, Oak Hill Country,
Worcester Country, Harvard, and Boston City. In
politics Mr. Wilder was a Republican and in religious
faith a lifelong member of the First Congregational
Church. He was a lover of music and an accomplished

io8

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

performer on piano, pipe organ, and cello. He often
acted as organist at church functions, and aided largely
in maintaining the music of the church. To him is
largely due the high character of the vesper concerts,
which became the special contribution of the First
Church to community life, and every Sunday he lent
the inspiration and influence of his presence at the church
service. Fie gave of his business ability to the church
council, and when his pastor pronounced the eulogy
over his friend he paid an eloquent and heartfelt tribute
to the man who had been a pillar of strength to the
church and to its pastor.

While the Central Oil-Gas Stove Company was the
chief business interest of Mr. Wilder’s life, he had
other connections of importance. He was president of
the Meals Printing Company and a director of the First
National Bank, both of Gardner. One of his marked
characteristics was his deep interest in the public welfare,
and while he never held public office he wielded a strong
influence in community affairs. He served as secretary
of the City Hall Memorial Building Committee, and
was always ready to “lend a hand” to aid either a cause
or an individual. As a mark of public esteem all town
offices, factory offices, and stores throughout his city
were closed during the funeral services. He was laid
at rest in Crystal Lake Cemetery, the funeral services
being conducted in part under the beautiful ritual ser¬
vice of the Knights Templar, of which he was an
honored member. From the “Memory Book,” compiled
from tributes to his character, life and virtues, from'
minister and friends, old and new, of college days, and
social and business association, a few excerpts are here
reproduced.

Mr. Wilder lived a busy, successful, helpful life.
His success as a business man, as an honored citizen
and a widely known and deeply beloved friend was
not the result of chance. It was rather the natural
result and reward of tireless diligence in the manifold
duties laid upon his great shoulders and heart by
needy causes, worthy institutions and business inter¬
ests, of honorable dealing with his fellow-men, and of
a pleasing brotherly personality which forgot itself in
kindly interest for others. Because he chose such
principles to be the foundation of his life, it is as
natural as the harvest which follows the sowing and
the long patient _ cultivation that his life should be
the kind these friends and this community recognizes
and honors. “We reap as we sow,” and to him death
is only a passing, a transition.

Barrie says: “God gave us memory that we may have
roses in December,” and the roses of friendliness and
cordiality that he scattered to brighten the paths of
all who approached him are crystallized by memory
into a monument that is, after all, the only measure
of success.

I am not very apt to exaggerate much in my idea
of my friends — 'but I could and have without anv diffl
culty, pictured him as Governor of his State, or Sen
tt °rv. U .?n.e the biff financial and industrial men
^ ln, him, but those careers or a combinatioi
°i c°uld have added nothing to what we heart

at tbe Gardner station, when a brakeman, or express
man, or whatever he was, said: “Mr. Wilder was nr
fuend, he was the best liked man in Gardner, he wa"
I,e real thing; lots of people in this town put up ;
blu .v.bT. he* .nev,e£ did. He was genuine and wa:
everybody s friend. There are men we can admire
many of them there are men whom we can love, bu
there are few for whom we can blend love and admir
ation as we did for him. Tenderness without soft
ness, strength without harshness, freedom of though
without vulgarity, courage without arrogance. ke*u
understanding of people without sourness, high self
^spect without conceit, artistic and intellectual ap
preciation without snobbishness; these are some o
the reasons why we loved him and believed in him am
expected big things of him, also why we did not thinl
we could spare him, because the world does not perm
us to know many such. ^ 1

Solon Wilder married, June 12, 1907, Edith Leavens,
bom in Brooklyn, New York, November 15, 1883, daugh¬
ter of Thomas C. and Fanny (Birch) Leavens. To
Mr. and Mrs. Wilder three children were born: Ruth,
born February 28, 1910, in Gardner, there died March
31, 1911; Richard, born in Gardner, September 11,
1911; and Robert Dinsmoor, born April 2, 1916. The
family home in Gardner was at No. 34 Woodland Ave¬
nue, the summer home at Friendship, Maine. Mrs.
Wilder survives her husband, a resident of Gardner.

ELMER G. FOSGATE, M. D.— (I) John Fosgate
was born in 1636, and died in 1689. He was a soldier
of King Philip’s War in 1675, and lived at Charlestown,
Massachusetts. His son, Robert, is of further mention.

(II.) Robert Fosgate, son of John Fosgate, was born
in 1672 at Charlestown, Massachusetts. He made ap¬
plication for a soldier’s grant of land at what is now
Ashburnham, Massachusetts.

(III.) Robert Fosgate, son of Robert Fosgate, was
born April 1, 1704. He married Sarah Howe, and
settled at Gates Farm, Berlin, Massachusetts. He was
a soldier of the Revolution and was with the expedition
that marched against Crown Point, although then far
past military age. Robert and Sarah (Howe) Fosgate
were the parents of five sons and eight daughters, one
of whom, Joel, is mentioned below.

(IV.) Joel Fosgate, sixth child of Robert and Sarah
(Howe) Fosgate, was born in 1751, and died in 1824.
He was also a soldier of the Revolution.

(V.) Robert Fosgate, son of Joel Fosgate, was born
August 15, 1779. He married Hannah, daughter of
William Sawyer, and resided at Winchester, New Hamp¬
shire. He died in 1844.

(VI.) Joel Fosgate, son of Robert and Hannah (Saw¬
yer) Fosgate, was born in 1814, and died in 1903. He
was a farmer of Winchester, New Hampshire, which
was the birthplace of both himself and his wife, Mal¬
vina A. Doolittle. They were the parents of Dr. Elmer
G. Fosgate, of this review, who for the last quarter of
a century has been a practicing physician of Ashburn¬
ham, Massachusetts.

(VII.) Elmer G. Fosgate, son of Joel and Malvina
A. (Doolittle) Fosgate, was born at Winchester, New
Hampshire, July 20. 1859. He was educated in the
public schools of Winchester, passing thence to Dart¬
mouth Medical College, and there receiving the degree
of Medical Doctor, class of 1888. During the years
prior to obtaining his degree, Dr. Fosgate was for four
years employed as a drug clerk, and during the same
period taught school. After graduation he conducted
a drug business for a few months, then began medical
practice in Rindge, New Hampshire, there remaining
seven years, until the fall of 1895, when he located in
Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and has there been con¬
tinuously in the practice of his profession.

Dr. Fosgate is a Republican in politics, and for the
past six years, 1917-1924, has been chairman of the
Board of Selectmen, having also been a member of the
board for the six years preceding 1917. For seventeen
years he has been on the School Board, and was chair¬
man of the Republican Town Committee. In 1913 and
1914 he represented the Second Worcester District in
the State Legislature. He is a member of the Massa-

BIOGRAPHICAL

109

chusetts State Medical Society, a member of the Grange,
of which he is Past Master, and of the Worcester County
Medical Society. Pie is a member of the standing com¬
mittee and a deacon of the Congregational church.

Dr. Fosgate married (first), January 1, 1889, at Win¬
chester, New Hampshire, Julia T. Bliss, who died June
12, 1901. He married (second), December 25, 1902, at
Ashburnham Massachusetts, Sadie M. Dane, daughter of
David and Sophia (Morris) Lane. A daughter, Hazel
E. Fosgate, was born in Ashburnham, Massachusetts,
September 22, 1892, to Dr. Elmer H. and Julia T. (Bliss)
Fosgate. She graduated from Mt. Holyoke College
with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts,
and is now a teacher in the American International
College.

VICTOR WELLINGTON COLLIER, in the world
of finance in Worcester County, Massachusetts, is a
foremost figure, and in his present position as president
of the Milford National Bank he wields an influence for
progress in every line of effort. His long experience
and the ability which has carried him to his present
noteworthy position equip men in a very practical way
for his present responsibilities, and he is interested also
in many forms of organized activity, taking a leading
part in fraternal advance and giving constructive aid to
every worthy movement. Mr. Collier comes of an old
Massachusetts family, and is a son of William W.
Collier, who was active in the United States Navy dur¬
ing the Civil War, and whose lifetime was principally
spent in the calling of marine engineer. The mother,
Carrie A. (Coffin) Collier, is also a native of Massa¬
chusetts.

Victor Wellington Collier was born at Chelsea,
Massachusetts, September 18, 1877. His education was
begun in the local schools and he is a graduate of
Williams School of Chelsea, also of the Bellingham
High School, of Chelsea. As a youth he entered the
employ of the National Shawmut Bank, of Boston, and
remained with that concern for many years, rising in the
organization from a subordinate position to one of large
responsibility. In the year 1920 Mr. Collier came to
Milford to become associated with the Milford National
Bank as president, and in this position has since been
active. His previous experience was of the greatest
use to him in coming to this institution, which forms a
center of financial activity in the smaller community.
In the civic, fraternal, and social advance of Milford,
Mr. Collier has taken a leading part since his residence
in this section, his home being in the nearby village of
Hopedale. He is a Republican by political affiliation,
but although always active in party affairs, he has never
accepted official honors. During the Spanish-American
War Mr. Collier served in the United States Navy and
saw active service at Santiago and El Mariel. He is
a member of the Milford Chamber of Commerce, of
the United Spanish War Veterans, and the Military
Order of Serpent. Fraternally Mr. Collier is affiliated
with Converse Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of
Malden ; Mount Lebanon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons,
of Milford ; Milford Council, Royal and Select Masters ;
Milford Commandery, Knights Templar; and Aleppo
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic

Shrine, of Boston. He is further affiliated with the
Royal Arcanum, the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, and the Old Williams School Association. His
clubs are the Boston City and the Cinosam, of Milford.
He has for many years identified himself with religious
advance, and holds membership in the Unitarian church.

Mr. Collier married, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Sep¬
tember 18, 1900, Florence Elizabeth Learned, daughter
of George Grant and Elizabeth (Lent) Learned, and
they have three children : William Wellington, bom
February 1, 1903; Elizabeth Learned, born July 25,
1904; and Hilma, born December 31, 1911.

GEORGE A. MARSHALL, as an efficient business
man and a public-spirited citizen, is well known in Leo¬
minster, Massachusetts, where practically his entire life
has been passed. He has a host of friends, and among
his business associates he is most highly esteemed.

Born in Leominster, Massachusetts, April 5, 1873, son
of Alvin Marshall, a piano case maker, and Mary
(Morse) Marshall. Mr. Marshall is a descendant of
“Mayflower” ancestry, and belongs to one of the oldest
families, which has from the beginning of the history
of this country, contributed valuable service to its
descendants. He received his early and preparatory
education in the grammar and high schools of Leomin¬
ster, and then prepared for a business career by taking
a commercial course in Eastman’s Business College at
Poughkeepsie, New York. When his business training
was completed he entered the employ of the Whitney
Paper Box Company, of Leominster, as bookkeeper, and
was soon given charge of the folding box department,
in addition to his duties as bookkeeper. For eight years
he continued to efficiently discharge the duties of that
position, and then, in 1903, when the Howe Comb Com¬
pany was incorporated, he was made secretary of the
latter concern, Charles A. Howe being president and
treasurer. Ten years later, in 1913, Mr. Howe retired
and Mr. Marshall became president and treasurer, and
Edward Earl, secretary. They made a specialty of cel¬
luloid novelties and horn hairpins, sending their prod¬
ucts to all parts of the country. During the World
War he attended to the production and manufacturing
of buttons, sending out thousands of gross of these
articles but has not further expanded this feature.

In addition to his responsibilities as a manufacturer,
Mr. Marshall is also a member of the board of directors
of the Leominster National Bank. He is a member of
the Leominster Chamber of Commerce, and has always
taken an active interest in the public welfare of his
native city. He is a Republican, politically, and frater¬
nally is associated with Leominster Lodge, No. 1327,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His clubs
are : The Leominster, Monoosnock Country, and the
Leominster Country. His religious affiliation is with
the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Leominster.

On January 18, 1897, at Leominster, Massachusetts,
Mr. Marshall married Marion M. Lawrence, daughter of
S. Henry and Sarah (Moore) Lawrence, and they are
the parents of two children: 1. Lawrence, born January
1, 1899, a graduate of Worcester Academy, and now
(1923) associated with his father in business. During
the World War he served with the United States Naval

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Reserve; he married Doris Caulfield. 2. Barbara, born
March 26, 1905, a student in the Kathrine Gibbs School
in Boston, taking a secretarial course.

HENRY CLAY GRATON, treasurer of the Graton
& Knight Manufacturing Company and one of its
founders, was born in Leicester, Massachusetts, July 10,
1830, son of William and Lucy L. (Adams) Graton.
His given name was Riley, as shown by the vital records
of the town of Leicester, but in early childhood it was
changed to Henry Clay. His father was also a native
of Leicester, born September 1, 1797. For many years
he was engaged in the card clothing business in this city,
and he died here in 1877. His mother was born April
8, 1798, and died in Worcester, September 6, 1867, a
daughter of Daniel Emerson Adams. She was de¬
scended from Revolutionary and Colonial stock. The
first settler, Henry Adams, was ancestor of President
John Adams and President John Quincy Adams. He
came from England and settled before 1639 in Mount
Wollaston, part of Boston, later the town of Braintree,
where he died in June, 1646; to his memory President
Johft Adams erected a monument, commemorating the
“piety, humility, simplicity, prudence, patience, temper¬
ance, frugality, industry, and perseverance of Henry
Adams.” It may be said here that these virtues describe
with remarkable accuracy the characteristics of Henry
Clay Graton, who doubtless inherited much from his
Adams ancestry.

Ensign Henry Adams, son of the immigrant, settled
in Medfield, and became a leading citizen of that town,
an officer of the military company, Selectman, and Dep¬
uty to the General Court. He married Lydia Rockwood,
daughter of Richard and Agnes (Bicknell) Rockwood.
John Adams, of the next generation, married Deborah
Partridge, and followed farming in Medway. His son,
Eleazer, the next of the line, was one of the founders
of West Medway, and was Selectman eight years. He
was one of the pioneers of the Baptist faith, and was
sent to the Boston jail in 1753 for refusing to pay his
parish tax for the support of the Congregational church.
John Adams, son of Eleazer Adams, came to Brook¬
field, and was a soldier in the Revolution. His son,
James Adams, was father of Daniel Emerson Adams,
and grandfather of Mr. Graton. Daniel Emerson
Adams married Tamara Converse, daughter of Luke
Converse. Mr. Graton is descended from many of the
early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and is
old New England stock in every branch of maternal
line.

Ruth L. Graton, sister of Henry Clay Graton, was
born June 4, 1832, married Haskey Wight, and lived at
Lawrence, Kansas; John R. Graton, a brother, born
April 21, 1836, died at Falmouth; his widow afterwards
lived in Lawrence, Kansas.

Henry Clay Graton received his early schooling in his
native town, in the public schools and Leicester Academy.
At the age of fifteen he began his career as a shop hand,
employed in preparing leather for card-setting ma¬
chines, and after completing his apprenticeship he
worked in the card-clothing factory of Earle & Eames
and Timothy K. Earle & Company, in Worcester, for
eight years, being in charge of the business for four
years. The business now conducted under the cor¬

porate name of the Graton & Knight Manufacturing
Company, was established by Mr. Graton and Joseph
A. Knight in February, 1861, when they formed a part¬
nership and purchased the belt department of T. K.
Earle & Company, doing business at first under the firm
name of Graton & Knight. A short time afterward,
the firm moved its business from the card clothing fac¬
tory on Grafton Street to two rooms, each 20x60 feet,
in the Old Harding Block on Front Street. The firm
started in a modest way on a small scale. For several
years most of the labor was performed by the two part¬
ners, who worked early and late; they were their own
salesmen, too, and they often went on foot from mill to
mill to solicit business and dispose of their stock. But
year by year the business grew, and from time to time
additional space was added to the factory. In 1868 the
firm built a small tannery on Bloomingdale Road in
order to manufacture leather specially adapted for
making belts. The resulting improvement in the goods
of the firm led to the construction of an addition to the
tannery in the following year. The business was in¬
corporated in 1872 under its present name, with a cap¬
ital of $100,000, Joseph A. Knight being president, Mr.
Graton treasurer, and Walter M. Spaulding, vice-pres¬
ident and secretary. Mr. Knight continued active in
the business to the time of his death. In 1875 the com¬
pany began to send out traveling salesmen, and in that
year the capital stock was doubled to afford a larger
plant and more working capital. A third building for
tannery purposes was erected on Bloomingdale Road
in 1880. In 1893 the capital stock was increased to
$300,000, and a four-story building was erected on
Bloomingdale Road, they then vacating the Harding
Block, three-quarters of which was used by the belting
business at that time. In the more than twenty-five
years that have passed the plant has been repeatedly en¬
larged to provide greater facilities for the business,
which has grown steadily and rapidly. The company is
known throughout the world and stands at the head of
its line of business. The Graton & Knight Manufactur¬
ing Company now has a paid-up capital of $2,000,000.
Factories have been added at Cleveland and Detroit,
where a complete stock of belting and sundries is car¬
ried. Each branch is equipped to install or repair belts
of all kinds. The Cleveland factory is located at Nos.
1604-08 West Third Street; the Detroit factory at No.
266 Jefferson Avenue, East. The company also main¬
tains branch stores in fifteen large cities, viz. : Nos. 93-95
Forsyth Street, Atlanta, Georgia; No. 33 Lincoln Street,
Boston; Nos. 32-34 South Jefferson Street, Chicago;
No. 177 Bedford Street, Fall River; No. 712 Delaware
Street, Kansas City, Missouri; No. 103 West Water
Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; No. 310 Third Avenue,
North, Minneapolis, Minnesota; No. 46 St. Alexander
Street, Montreal, Canada; No. 72 Warren Street, New
York City; No. 132 North Third Street, Philadelphia;
No. 327 Water Street, Pittsburgh; No. 51 First Street,
Portland, Oregon; No. 247 Mission Street, San Fran¬
cisco, California; No. 320 Occidental Avenue, Seattle,
Washington; Nos. 701-11 North Eighth Street, St. Louis,
Missouri. Their selling agents in Texas, the Graton &
Knight Manufacturing Company of Texas, has head¬
quarters at No. 309 North Austin Street, Dallas.

In 1867 Graton & Knight could tan only a few hun-

BIOGRAPHICAL

dred skins in a year; at the present time more than 200,-
000 are tanned in a year. The company received medals
for their exhibits at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
in 1904; at the Lewis & Clark Exhibition at Portland,
Oregon, in 1905 ; at the Jamestown Tercentennial Ex¬
position, Virginia, in 1907; and at the Alaska-Yukon
Exposition at Seattle, Washington, in 1909, each being
the highest award granted to belt manufacturers at
these expositions. In addition to belting, the company
manufactures lace leather, belt cement, belt dressings,
leather packings, strapping, automobile leather, shoe
counters, innersoles, welting, and box toes, besides a
great variety of other leather articles. The plant is
conceded to be the largest and best equipped in the
world for tanning and currying hides and manufactur¬
ing leather belts. The officers are: Walter M. Spauld¬
ing, president; Mr. Graton, treasurer; George T. Dewey,
vice-president; W. Virgil Spaulding, secretary and as¬
sistant treasurer; Frank H. Willard, assistant general
manager, and Henry G. Gould, comptroller.

Mr. Graton has been treasurer of the company from
the beginning, and few men in the country have had the
satisfaction of seeing such an extensive business develop
during their lifetime. The present plant contrasts viv¬
idly with the two rooms in which the business was
started. The plant covers eight acres, and 1,300 hands
are employed. In the office alone more than sixty are
on the payroll. Seventy traveling salesmen sell an an¬
nual product of more than $10,000,000. The company
has made great advance in caring for the health and
comfort of its employees; a modern heating and ven¬
tilating system keeps the air fresh, free from odors, and
at the proper temperature; in summer a refrigerating
plant is used to keep the workrooms comfortably cool.

As the founder of one of its greatest industries, Mr.
Graton is entitled to one of the foremost places of honor
in the history of the city. After more than sixty years
of active and strenuous business he is still the same
able, clear-sighted, kindly man of earlier years, beloved
by his subordinates and respected in the business circles
of the city. For more than thirty years he lived at
No. 37 Providence Street; his present home is at No.
690 Pleasant Street, opposite Newton Hill.

In religion Mr. Graton is a Methodist, joining the
Coral Street Methodist Church early in life, now a mem¬
ber of the Church of the Covenant, of which he was a
member of the building committee. He has been a
liberal benefactor of many other churches of various
denominations, of the Boys’ Club, the Young Men’s
Christian Association, and many other charitable and
religious organizations of the city. No man of means
is more unostentatious, however, in his giving and none
more anxious to have his wealth devoted to useful pur¬
poses. In politics Mr. Graton has been a lifelong Re¬
publican, though he has studiously avoided public office.

Mr. Graton married, June 7, 1863, Lucretia M. Gould,
born July 30, 1838, and died in this city, December
10, 1910, a daughter of Charles M. and Rebecca (Har¬
ris) Gould. Their only child, Minnie Etta, died at the
age of four years. Mrs. Graton was prominent in the
work of the church, in the Woman’s Christian Tem¬
perance Union, the Worcester Reform Club, and in
various other charitable and social service organizations.

She was a modest, kindly, pious woman of many endear¬
ing qualities, caring nothing for modem society, adher¬
ing closely to the standards of life and faith of her
Puritan ancestry.

Mrs. Graton spent her girlhood days in Massachu¬
setts, with the exception of the first three years, which
were spent at Swan Lake, Maine, her birthplace. Wor¬
cester was her home from 1843 to the time of her death.
We quote from an eulogy, written by Rev. Robert J.
Floody, and published in a book with a collection of
her poems, entitled “Heavenly Jewels’’:

To none could the term minister be more fittingly
applied. She believed in the gospel of the Good Sa¬
maritan and felt the force of the command, “Go and
do thou likewise.” Besides doing her duty to the
charities and philanthropies of the city, she expended
her energies and means in many other directions.
She kindly lent her assistance to many students at
various universities, colleges, academies, schools, who
were struggling to educate themselves and complete
their courses. The conductors, motormen and railroad
men became recipients of her graces, and warmly
responded. The workingman who had struggled with
misfortune found in Mrs. Graton a ministering angel
who lifted his burden and made his heart rejoice.
The poor servant girl without a friend found a friend
in this hand-maiden of the Lord. The inmates of the
Home Farm were cheered by her personal presence
and personal gifts. Those incarcerated within prison
walls were favored by her attentions and personal
services.

Her activities in a very special way extended into
the temperance field. She was one of the early cru¬
saders, being a devoted worker and a leading factor;
also was she an earnest laborer in the Woman’s
Christian Temperance Union and always lent her
prayers, influence and personal work in the no¬
license campaign. The great Peace Movement enlisted
her special interest and she attended some of its great
conferences at Lake Mohonk. Social settlement, Gar¬
den City Work and all other agencies for human bet¬
terment found a ready helper in this remarkable wo¬
man. The little children soon recognized the charm
of her personality and clung to her. She could be a
little child, play games with them, tell stories and
enter completely into their life. A little card or gift
at Christmas revealed to the children she had not for¬
gotten them. Wherever she could bestow a kindness,
show a favor, lend a helping hand, she never failed to
do it.

The following stanza of one of her poems well il¬
lustrates her life:

“There is a God, there is a way,

Where we may find true rest,

It is in the sweet life of love,

And doing just our best.”

Her religious life is not less remarkable in its activ¬
ity and richness than her practical life. She had a
deeply devotional nature that did not stop with the
outward and superficial. No one desired more ear¬
nestly to conscientiously get at the source of truth.
Never would she enter upon any duty without con¬
sulting the Father. She virtually talked with the
Lord. Her Bible was her constant companion. Her
faith was strong and optimistic. Her poems reveal
how much her mind dwelt on the spiritual. She ad¬
hered to the Methodist form of belief and was a loyal
member of Coral Street Church, Worcester, for thirty-
six years.

Her good sense was as remarkable as her devotion.
She had charity for all those who differed with her on
religious things. Her creed was sprinkled with a
great deal of good sense. It is very seldom that there
is found in one individual, deep devotion, good sense
and practical work combined in such a degree as in
Mrs. Graton. Her life was without the show and zeal
of high official positions, but it was rather a dynamic
influence that moulded for God and righteousness.
Her life more accords with the Master, who went
about doing good — “About his Father’s business.” We
will have to search long before we will find one who
tried so conscientiously to be “about her Father’s
business.”

“The life that’s lived for self alone,

Shall weak become and small;

But life we give to one and all,

Shall never, never fall.”

(Poem on Unselfishness by Mrs. Graton.)

1 12

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

WILLIAM WALLACE HOLMES, in commercial
advance in the public service and in fraternal activity,
is a leading figure in Webster, Massachusetts. Active
in his younger days in the grocery business and also
in the shoe industry, he has for the past twenty years
and more been engaged in the distribution of grain, flour,
feed, and so forth, also building and masons’ materials.
Mr. Holmes is a son of Rev. Lucius Holmes, prom¬
inent Universalist minister, who held pastorates in both
Massachusetts and New York State, and preached many
times at Webster. The mother, Sophia (Bates) Holmes,
was the sister of A. J. Bates, the well-known shoe man¬
ufacturer of Webster.

William Wallace Holmes, son of these parents, was
born at North Adams, Massachusetts, June 17, 1874.
The family removed to Orange, Massachusetts, when
he was two years of age, later removing to Charlton and
thereafter to Natick, then back to Orange, as the father
was called from one church to another. During these
years Mr. Holmes received his education in the public
schools, principally at Orange, where he attended high
school and where his business life was begun as an
employee in a grocery store. Coming to Webster on
March 28, 1892, Mr. Holmes entered the employ of the
A. J. Bates Company, shoe manufacturers, of which his
uncle was the head and remained with the concern for
a period of ten years. During that time he became
thoroughly familiar with the business and rose to the
position of foreman and eventually assistant super¬
intendent. In 1902 Mr. Holmes struck out in an inde¬
pendent business, purchasing the hay and grain store
theretofore conducted by his cousin, Oscar Shumway.
The business was established in 1846 by Mr. Holmes’
uncle, William Holmes. Mr. Holmes has largely de¬
veloped and built up this business, extending its scope
and increasing its patronage. He now handles besides
grain, flour and feed, lime, cement, and all kinds of
Masons’ materials, and in his success is counting largely
for the progress of construction activity in this part of
Worcester County. Mr. Holmes is affiliated with the
financial world of Webster as vice-president of the Web¬
ster Five-Cent Savings Bank and director of the Web¬
ster National Bank. He has for many years been an
active worker in the ranks of the Republican party, and
has served on the Board of Registrars. In 1914 he was
elected Town Treasurer of Webster, and in this very
responsible position has served since, the community
realizing much benefit from his practical ability and
still retaining him in this office. For the past twenty
years he has been a trustee of the Webster Public Li¬
brary, and at all times gives his best efforts to the ad¬
vancement of any worthy cause. During the World
War he served on all committees of the various loan
drives and gave largely of his time and means to the
many war activities. During the period of its existence
he was very active in the Webster Chamber of Com¬
merce, and served as its last president. Mr. Holmes
is largely prominent in the Masonic order, in which he
holds the thirty-second degree, being a member of
Webster Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of
which he is Past Master ; the Royal Arch chapters in
both Webster and Southbridge; Massachusetts consistory,
and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine of Boston of which he is a life

member. His religious affiliation is with the First Con¬
gregational Church and he has been on the parish com¬
mittee of the church for many years.

Mr. Holmes married Mary Buell of Woburn, Massa¬
chusetts, daughter of Frederick and Myra Buell. Mr.
and Mrs. Holmes are the parents of four children: Eliz¬
abeth, Barbara Sophia, Patricia, and Mary Buell.

FRANCIS HENRY LALLY, M. D.— The medical
profession is represented in Worcester County by as
broadly progressive a group of men as could readily be
found in any section, and in the town of Milford, Dr.
Lally holds a very prominent position. He is a son of
Michael C. Lally, who was born in County Kings, Ire¬
land, and came to the United States at the age of six
years. He enlisted in the Civil War as a member of
Company J, 57th Regiment, of Milford, Massachusetts,
Volunteer Infantry, and served throughout the period of
the war, at one time being confined in Andersonville
prison. He was wounded severely in more than one
engagement, but survived to return to civilian life and
live to an advanced age, passing away in Milford, Feb¬
ruary 8, 1913. He was one of the charter members of
the Worcester Post, Grand Army of the Republic, in
which he retained his membership until his death. The
mother, Bridget M. (McManus) Lally, is now living.
They were the parents of four children, of whom Dr.
Lally was the eldest, and the other three were triplets,
who died in infancy.

Francis Henry Lally was born at Milford, Massachu¬
setts, March 14, 1875. The family later residing in the
city of Worcester, he attended the Worcester High
School, then later entered Holy Cross College, from
which he was graduated in the class of 1898. Thereafter
taking up his professional studies at Dartmouth College
Medical School, he was graduated from that institu¬
tion in the class of 1902. Before the close of the same
year, Dr. Lally took up his practice in Milford, and in
the twenty years and more which have since elapsed he
has won large success. He now has a very extensive
practice along general lines of medicine and surgery and
both in the profession and among the people generally,
he is considered one of the progressive and leading physi¬
cians of the day. During the World War Dr. Lally
enlisted at Boston, in July, 1918, in the Medical Corps
of the regular army and was transferred to Camp
Oglethorpe, Georgia, where he served until his dis¬
charge on December 27, 1919. With this added ex¬
perience Dr. Lally returned to Milford, then again
took up the practice of his profession there. He now
serves as a member of the Milford Board of Health, and
is affiliated with the American Medical Association, the
Massachusetts State Medical Society, the Worcester
County South Medical Society, the Association of Mili¬
tary Surgeons, and the Thurber Medical Society. He
has been a member of the Board of Health for eighteen
years, United States Bureau physician since his discharge
from the army, and volunteer medical examiner after
his discharge from the army with the rank of captain.
Fraternally Dr. Lally is a life member of the Benev¬
olent and Protective Order of Elks, of Milford, and is
also a member of the Knights of Columbus, and the
Foresters of America. He served as the first executive
officer of the Sergeant John Bowers Post, No. 59,

BIOGRAPHICAL

American Legion, and is still a member. Politically Dr.
Lally is an independent in politics, but except along the
Kne of his profession, he has never thus far accepted
public responsibilities. He is a member of the Roman
Catholic church.

Dr. Lally married, in Milford, Massachusetts, on
August 3, 1906, Beatrice Bourne, daughter of William
H. and Ucelia (Walker) Bourne, and they have one
son, Robert Francis, born February 8, 1909.

GEORGE CROMPTON, SR. — When, in 1851, the
late George Crompton, Sr., with Merrill E. Furbush,
established the original fancy loom works in the city of
Worcester, a most valuable contribution to the economic
life of the city was made, and during the seventy years
which have passed since that time, the industries founded
by him have been of increasing importance in the life
of the city. The service of George Crompton, Sr., ufas
not limited to the city of Worcester, however, for, like
his father, he was an inventor, and his improved loom
quadrupled production and revolutionized the textile
industry.

William Crompton, father of George Crompton, Sr.,
was born in England, where he became thoroughly ac¬
quainted with the textile industry. He came to this
country and settled in Taunton, Massachusetts, where
in 1836 he invented the first fancy power loom. The
power loom invented by Edmund Cartwright in 1785,
was a cam motion loom and could be used for weaving
plain fabrics only, all fabrics of complicated design
were woven on hand looms. The principal improve¬
ment in William Crompton’s loom was the use of harness
motion. In his loom the figure or pattern could be set
up on what is known as a chain or series of bars con¬
nected by links. On the bars were rollers or pins,
placed in such positions that as the chain revolved it
lifted, at predetermined intervals, levers, which in turn
caused the harnesses to be raised in such order as to
produce the required design. The success of this loom
was demonstrated in 1840, when the first piece of fancy
woolen cloth ever woven by power in the world was
woven at the Middlesex Mills on looms equipped with
William Crompton’s device. William Crompton mar¬
ried Sarah Low, and among their children was George,
of further mention.

George Crompton, Sr., son of William and Sarah
(Low) Crompton, was bom at Holcombe, near Bury,
Lancashire, England, March 23, 1829, and died in Wor¬
cester Massachusetts, December 29, 1886. He came to
Taunton, Massachusetts, with his parents in 1839, and
was educated in the public schools of Taunton and
Worcester. He also attended Millbury Academy. On
completion of his schooling he worked in his father’s
office and later was connected with the Colt Pistol Fac¬
tory, in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1851, having by a
personal visit to Washington secured an extension of
his father’s patent for seven years, he formed a partner¬
ship with Merrill E. Furbush, and this new firm began
the manufacture of looms in the Merrifield Building, in
Worcester. The first looms built by this concern were
like the looms made by those who manufactured under
licenses granted by William Crompton. They were
narrow looms and ran at a speed of forty-five picks per
minute, that is, each minute forty-five weft or cross

IT3

threads of the fabric were woven. In 1857 George
Crompton, Sr., constructed and patented an improved
loom nearly double the width of the old loom, and
demonstrated that this new loom could be run at the
then extraordinary speed of eighty-five picks per minute,
thus quadrupling the production, for both the width
and speed of the loom had been doubled. This was a
great improvement. No improvement before or since
has so increased the production. Moreover, this loom
was the first fancy loom made in the general form and
proportions w’hich have since proved, by experience, to
be the most satisfactory. Shown at the great Paris
Exposition of 1867, this machine, in competition with
the products of the best textile machine manufacturers
of England, Germany, France, and Belgium, was
awarded the only medal. Its proportions and princi¬
pal mechanisms were from that time to a considerable
extent adopted by most European manufacturers.

On August 1, 1859, the firm of Furbush & Crompton
was dissolved, with the understanding that the terri¬
tory covered by the patents owned by the firm should
be divided, Mr. Crompton to hold the New England
States with New York, Mr. Furbush to have all the rest
of the territory of the United States. Mr. Crompton
continued manufacturing looms, bought the Red Mill
property, and in i860 erected a new building with room
to expand up to sixty hands. During 1861-65 he added
to his line of manufacture, tools for making gun stocks,
but after the Civil War curtailed the production of
guns he again directed his energies to building weaving
machinery. He took out over one hundred patents for
improvements on looms and for devices outside of his
own business. In 1876 he won a medal by exhibiting
his improved loom at the Centennial Exposition in Phila¬
delphia. In the late seventies he introduced the Keighley
Dobby to the American manufacturer, and in associ¬
ation with Horace Wvman, improved this harness mo¬
tion, simplifying it and changing its position from the
centre of the arch, as on English looms, to the end of
the arch. Also in association with Mr. Wyman he in¬
vented and improved the Crompton gingham loom, now
the standard gingham loom in the country. Few men
have accomplished more important and useful work for
mankind than George Crompton, Sr. At his death, the
Crompton Loom Works employed nearly 1,000 men.

Not only was George Crompton, Sr., deeply concerned
in his own private affairs, but he also reached out and
aided in Worcester’s development. He was the founder
and president of the Crompton Carpet Company, the
predecessor of the Whittall Mills, now one of the largest
carpet mills in this county, and one of Worcester’s fore¬
most industries. He was for many years a director of
the Worcester National Bank, also director of Worces¬
ter General Freight Company, and was one of the
founders and directors of the Hartford Steam Boiler
Insurance Company. In public affairs he always stood
for progress and good government. In 1863 and 1864
he was an Alderman of the city, and in 1871 he was
Republican candidate for the office of Mayor. He was
chairman of the Soldiers’ Monument Committee, and it
was largely through his efforts that Randolph Rogers
was secured as the designer of this monument. At its
dedication, July 15, 1874, he nade the presentation
speech.

Wor— 8

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

1 14

At the time of Mr. Crompton’s death the Worcester
“Spy” said :

George Crompton was one of the foremost of Wor¬
cester manufacturers. He came of a race of mechan¬
ics and inventors, and was as ingenious and success¬
ful as any of them. His sagacity as a man of business
was as remarkable as his mechanical faculty, and his
uprightness and fidelity to his engagements were not
less conspicuous traits of his character. He had not
much time for public affairs, but he was for some
years an active and useful member of the board of
aldermen, and in other ways his influence was dis¬
tinctly felt in the business of the city. But in general,
his life was that of a private citizen, active and
strenuous in business, having not many intimate
friends beyond his home circle, but enjoying domestic
pleasures with a keen zest and having a cultivated
taste for art in all its forms. He will be sadly missed
in the business circles of Worcester, and as to his
family his death is an exceedingly sore blow.

George Crompton, Sr., married, January 9, 1853, Mary
Christina Pratt, daughter of Charles Pratt, of Hart¬
ford, Connecticut. They were the parents of nine chil¬
dren: Isabel M., Cora E., Stella S., Georgietta F., mar¬
ried Albert D. Wood; Mary K., Charles, Mildred M.,
married Harry W. Smith; George, whose sketch fol¬
lows; and Randolph.

GEORGE CROMPTON — The name Crompton has
been identified with the industrial and civic life of the
city of Worcester for nearly three-quarters of a cen¬
tury, and during that time has stood for progress. It
was Mr. Crompton’s father, the late George Crompton,
Sr., a sketch of whom precedes, who in 1851 established
the first fancy loom business in this country with Mer¬
rill E. Furbush, in Worcester, which has since been such
an important element in the development of the city.

George Crompton, son of George, Sr., and Mary
Christina (Pratt) Crompton, was born in Worcester,
June 7, 1872. After attending private schools in Wor¬
cester, he prepared for college at the Worcester Acad¬
emy, from which he graduated in 1891, and then entered
Harvard College in the fall of the same year, gradu¬
ating in 1895. Shortly after his graduation he entered
the employ of the Crompton Loom Works, of which
he had been for several years a director, and in 1896 he
was elected president and treasurer of the Crompton
Associates, a real estate corporation. In 1897, upon
the formation of the Crompton & Knowles Loom Works,
he was elected treasurer and a director of the corpora¬
tion, from which positions he resigned in the fall of
1900, when the Crompton interest in the Crompton &
Knowles Loom Works was sold. In May, 1903, he
entered into a partnership with Edward D. Thayer,
William B. Scofield, and his brother, Randolph Cromp¬
ton, and under the name of the Crompton-Thayer Loom
Company this partnership began the manufacture of
looms. In 1907 the Crompton-Thayer Loom Company
was sold to the Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, and
Mr. Crompton again became a director of the Cromp¬
ton & Knowles Loom Works. In 1912, upon the con¬
solidation of the F. E. Reed Company and Prentice
Brothers’ Company, both manufacturers of machine
tools, into the Reed-Prentice Company, Mr. Crompton
was elected a treasurer and director of the new corpora¬
tion. He resigned from this position on January 1,
1916. Mr. Crompton is a director of the Crompton &
Knowles Loom Works, the Merchants’ National Bank,
the Worcester Gas Light Company, and a trustee and

member of the board of investment of the People’s Sav¬
ings Bank. He is vice-president of the board of trus¬
tees of St. Vincent’s Hospital, a member of the board of
trustees of Worcester Academy; a corporator of the
Clarks School for the Deaf, Northampton, Massachu¬
setts; vice-president of Worcester Welfare Federation;
vice-president of the Associated Charities of Worces¬
ter; a member of the Commission of Public Welfare of
the State of Massachusetts; and trustee of Rural Cem¬
etery. He is well known in club circles, being a mem¬
ber of the Worcester Club; Tatnuck Country Club; the
Worcester Country Club, of Worcester, Massachusetts;
the Union and Harvard clubs, of Boston, Massachusetts ;
the Harvard Club, of New York; and the Pocasset Golf
Club, Pocasset, Massachusetts. Politically he gives his
support to the Republican party, and his religious affili¬
ation is with the Roman Catholic church.

Mr. Crompton married Alice Hastings, daughter of
Dr. and Mrs. William H. H. Hastings, of Boston, April
11, 1896. He has two sons: 1. George, Jr., born May 7,
1897, holds the rank of lieutenant, senior grade, in
the United States Naval forces. He married Nancy
Earle Smith, daughter of the late Frank Bulkeley,
of Worcester, and Nancy (Hacket) Smith, and they are
the parents of a son George (3), born March 14, 1921;
and a daughter, Nancy Earle, who was born July 3,
1922. 2. David Hastings born February 6, 1909.

ROMEO E. ALLEN — Along those lines of endeavor
and general advance which count most definitely and
practically for the general welfare, Romeo E. Allen has
for many years been active, and in his professional
capacity as civil engineer, he has done much work, the
permanence of which will extend his usefulness far into
the future. A native of the town of Shrewsbury, Massa¬
chusetts, Mr. Allen is a son of Henry E. W. and Cyn¬
thia B. (Whitney) Allen, for many years residents of
this community and both members of old and honored
families of New England. Mr. Allen now occupies
the old homestead settled by Elnathan Allen in 1725. The
descent is through his son Elnathan, Jr., who fought in
the Revolution, and his son, Israel Allen, his son, Liberty
Allen, who was born in 1776, just as the Declaration of
Independence was signed, and was therefore named Lib¬
erty. His son, Henry E. W. Allen, was the father of
our subject.

Romeo E. Allen was born in Shrewsbury, Massachu¬
setts, October 17, 1852. His education was begun in the
local public schools, and after the completion of the
high school course, Mr. Allen secured employment under
Charles A. Allen, a noted civil engineer of the city of
Worcester. He served an apprenticeship covering a
period of three years (1872-1875) ; then deciding that
he wished to identify himself permanently with the
progress of his native place, he returned to Shrewsbury,
where he has since been professionally active. In this
period of nearly half a century Mr. Allen has handled
many important commissions not only in this immedi¬
ate section, but in many parts of his native State and
more distant points in New England. He holds a very
eminent position in engineering circles in New England.

A staunch Republican by political affiliation since at¬
taining his majority, Mr. Allen has served the town of
Shrewsbury in various official capacities. He was active

BIOGRAPHICAL

as a Selectman for several years, for ' fourteen years
was Town Auditor, and acted as moderator for a full
quarter of a century. In 1895 he represented the town
of Shrewsbury in the Massachusetts Legislature, and
his usefulness and distinguished service brought about
his return to that body in 1898. His broad familiarity
with business conditions and his excellent judgment on
all current affairs made him one of the useful members
of the legislative body and gave to his service in an
official capacity the usefulness which contributes to the
general welfare and prosperity of the commonwealth,
as well as to the location in which he was individually
interested. In all his services in local town affairs the
welfare of the people is his highest consideration, and he
has done much to promote local progress and prosperity.
Mr. Allen is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, and also of the Patrons of Husbandry. He is
a director of the Grafton Cooperative Bank, and inter¬
ested in all that pertains to the economic progress of the
community. Identified with the Congregational church
since his youth, he has for thirty-three years been clerk
of the parish, and has also for a long period served in
the Sunday school as treasurer.

Mr. Allen married Abbie R. Green, daughter of
Charles O. and Maria (Abbott) Green, at Shrewsbury,
and they are the parents of two children: 1. Charles
Edward, born in 1878, who married Helen E. Harlow,
daughter of Henry Harlow, their two sons being, Charles
E., Jr., born February 11, 1906; and Stuart H., born
December 28, 1910. 2. Lee C., a sketch of whom
follows :

LEE C. ALLEN — In the engineering world of south
Worcester County, Massachusetts, Lee C. Allen is a
largely noteworthy figure, his long association with his
honored father, Romeo E. Allen, of Shrewsbury, form¬
ing one of the really noteworthy partnerships in this
field in this part of the State. Trained with special at¬
tention to his purpose of entering his present profession,
Mr. Allen took up his work with fine personal equip¬
ment, and his success followed in an entirely natural
way.

Lee C. Allen was born at Shrewsbury, Massachusetts,
February 21, 1883, and is a son of Romeo E. and Abbie
R. (Green) Allen (see preceding sketch). Attending
first the local public schools, Mr. Allen covered the high
school course, then secured a position in the employ of
A. W. Woods, a prominent civil engineer of the city
of Worcester, and was active in that connection for a
period of eight years. During that time he gained a
broadly practical familiarity with the profession, mas¬
tering its intricacies and accumulating a large fund of
experience. In 1907 Mr. Allen returned to Shrewsbury
to become associated as a partner with his father, who
had long held a leading position in local engineering
affairs. First as his father’s associate and assistant
and later as a partner of the interest, Lee C. Allen has
steadily risen in the profession until now he holds a
leading position in the engineering world of Worcester
County. He does all the engineering work of the town
of Shrewsbury, and is otherwise active in local affairs,
having been elected within the past few years to respon¬
sible offices. In 1922 he was elected Selectman and
was reelected in 1923. In 1923 he was also a member

115

of the local Board of Health. Mr. Allen is a trustee
of Shrewsbury Cemetery, also a trustee of the Howe
Memorial Library, and is a prominent member of the
Shrewsbury Historical Society. Interested in many
phases of public progress, he is identified with the Pa¬
trons of Husbandry, and keeps in close touch with the
movement of affairs in many fields of advance. His
religious connection is with the Congregational church.

Mr. Allen married, at Worcester, May 1, 1907, Alice
Carlson, daughter of John and Carolina L. (Swenson)
Carlson. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are the parents of three
children: Roger E., born in Shrewsbury; Carolyn B.,
and Howard C., bom December 21, 1919.

HON. CHARLES HENRY HARTSHORN— The

career of the Hon. Charles Henry Hartshorn is one of
remarkable achievement, revealing the tenacity of pur¬
pose which overcomes all obstacles and dominates con¬
ditions, adverse though they may be. It might almost
be said that his private career has been a definite and
comprehensive preparation for his public career. Cer¬
tain it is that in the struggles by which he has achieved
success, Mr. Hartshorn has gained a strength of mind
and spirit which during his public activities has meant
much to the people of Gardner and of the State, Massa¬
chusetts. He is a son of Charles Hartshorn, of an old
Massachusetts family, who was born in Townsend,
Massachusetts, June 6, 1819, and as a young man came
to Gardner, where he resided for over fifty years, dur¬
ing the most of which time he was in the employ of
Heywood Brothers & Company. At about the time of
his coming to Gardner, he married Frances Elizabeth
Walker, June 30, 1842, who was bom in New Ipswich,
New Hampshire, and died in Gardner May 14, 1873, at
the age of fifty-four years. Charles Hartshorn died
January 27, 1895, at the age of seventy-five.

Charles Henry Hartshorn was born in Gardner,
Massachusetts, February 11, 1859, and his education
was obtained in the local public schools. By nature a
student of affairs and conditions, and gifted with an
acquisitive and retentive mind, Mr. Hartshorn has
gained from every experience in life, knowledge which
he has made of value to himself or those with whom
he has come in contact. At the age of nineteen years,
in 1878, Mr. Hartshorn entered the employ of Heywood
Brothers & Company, and continued with this concern
for about thirteen years, later establishing in business
for himself. He began on a very modest scale, but
with good credit and a host of friends. The quality,
fine workmanship, and attractive designs of the product
soon made a demand for Hartshorn furniture, while
the sterling principles upon which the business was
conducted so won the trade that not many years passed
before larger quarters were required. More employees
were added, a variety of new patterns were brought out,
and later reed baby carriages, which proved exceed¬
ingly popular, became a part of the product of the plant.
In 1907 a new four-story building was begun and com¬
pleted in 1908, and at that time the factory force num¬
bered about thirty people. That building proving utter¬
ly inadequate after a few years, additions were made
in 1914, 1916, and 1920, and at the present time (1923)
the factory contains more than 50,000 square feet of
floor space, the product now comprising an extensive

Ii6

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

variety of reed and fibre furniture and children’s baby
carriages. On July I, 1923, the business was incorpor¬
ated as C. H. Hartshorn, Incorporated, with Charles H.
Hartshorn, president; Stanford H. Hartshorn, treas¬
urer and general manager; and Charles Henry Harts¬
horn, Jr., clerk.

It would be difficult to point out so definitely the be¬
ginning of Mr. Hartshorn’s interest in public life, but
his progress in the service of the people is readily
traced. Offices have sought him, for he had no leisure
or inclination to go about seeking them. But when a
practical, energetic man is needed in public life, the
people have come to look for a busy man. From the
time of attaining his majority, Mr. Hartshorn has sup¬
ported the Republican party, and as early as 1888 he
was made chairman of the Republican Town Commit¬
tee, an office to which he has been repeatedly elected.
For six successive years he filled the office of Selectman,
two years of which he was chairman of the board, and
for nine years he served as a member of the Town Ad¬
visory Board, three years of which he was chairman.
Perhaps the most remarkable record in the public ser¬
vice is the fact that for twenty-one consecutive years he
has been chosen moderator of all regular and special
town meetings, every one of the sixty-eight elections to
this office being made without opposition. In 1916, by
the vote of his fellow-townsmen, Mr. Hartshorn took
his seat in the House of Representatives of the State of
Massachusetts, and so praiseworthy has been the record
of his work as a legislator that by reelections he has
been retained in the House until the present year, when
he was advanced to the higher legislative body as Sen¬
ator from the Third Worcester District. During the
seven years of his service in the House, he was for five
years a member of the important Committee on Ways
and Means and also served on the Rules Committee.
For two years he was active on the Committee on Street
Railways, and also was appointed to the Committee on
Public Service, of which he was made chairman. Another
important committee with which he did commendable
work was that on taxation. As a Senator he is show¬
ing the same broadly useful qualities which were so
conspicuous in the House, and his constituents feel that
he is reflecting honor upon them and upon the city of
Gardner.

Mr. Hartshorn has been a member of the Gardner
Chamber of Commerce since its organization, and in
1922 was elected president of that body. He is affili¬
ated with the Gardner Trust Company as a member of
the board of directors, and is also a director of the
American Fibre Corporation of Gardner, and of the
Robert Machine Company, Inc., of Worcester. He is
one of the prominent men of Gardner in fraternal circles,
being affiliated with Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Ivan-
hoe Commandery, Knights Templar, of which he is Past
Commander ; Massachusetts Consistory, Ancient Ac¬
cepted Scottish Rite; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Boston; Gardner
Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective .Order of
Elks; and William Ellison Lodge, No. 185, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a Past Noble
Grand. He has been an Odd Fellow for forty-two
years, and belongs to the encampment and to the

Rebekahs. Mr. Hartshorn also seeks out-of-door in¬
terests, and he holds membership in the Gardner Boat
Club, the Oak Hill Country Club of Fitchburg, and the
Worcester Country Club of Worcester. He is active
in religious and charitable work, and an attendant and
supporter of the First Congregational Church of
Gardner.

Mr. Hartshorn married, on April 25, 1889, Lilian May
Sawyer, of Gardner, daughter of James and Mary Ellen
(Harding) Sawyer. James Sawyer was a successful
chair manufacturer and a direct descendant of Thomas
Sawyer, who came from Lincolnshire, England, to this
country in 1635, at the age of twenty-one years, and
married Mary Prescott. Mary Ellen Harding was a
direct descendant of Stephen and Catharine (Iddenden)
Hosmer, of Hawkhurst, Kent, England, the date of
whose marriage was July 8, 1600. Their son, James
Hosmer, came to America in April, 1635.

Mr. and Mrs. Hartshorn are the parents of four chil¬
dren: 1. Stanford Harding, a sketch of whom follows.
2. Dorothy Frances, a graduate of the Gardner High
School, Lasell Seminary, Auburndale, and Miss Wheel-
ock’s Kindergarten Training School of Boston. She
married Clinton J. Underwood, a prominent business
man of Gardner, and is an important factor in Gard¬
ner’s public life. Mrs. Underwood is a leader of the
Girl Scout movement, and in 1922 was elected a mem¬
ber of the Gardner School Board. 3. Charles Henry,
Jr., now a senior at Dartmouth College, class of 1924.
4. Edward Hosmer, a beautiful little boy of much prom¬
ise, who was killed in an automobile accident on Sep¬
tember 3, 1915, shortly before his fifth birthday.

STANFORD HARDING HARTSHORN, member
of an old and honored family of Massachusetts, is now
counted among the representative young men of Wor¬
cester County. Trained for his career in a leading
Massachusetts educational institution, he has gained
experience of value in the twelve years since his grad¬
uation, and has now for some time been active as gen¬
eral manager of the C. H. Hartshorn plant, in the manu¬
facture of reed furniture and baby carriages.

Stanford Harding Hartshorn was born in Gardner,
Massachusetts, February 21, 1890, and is a son of
Charles Henry, a sketch of whom precedes this, and
Lilian M. (Sawyer) Hartshorn. His education was
begun in the public schools, and he was graduated from
the Gardner High School in the class of 1907. Later,
entering the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in
Boston, he was graduated in the class of 1911, with
the degree of Bachelor of Science in chemical engi¬
neering. For two years following his graduation he was
engaged as chemist with the Great Northern Paper
Company in Millinocket, Maine, the largest independent
paper company in the United States. In 1913 he re¬
turned to Gardner to become associated with his father
in the manufacture of baby carriages and reed furni¬
ture, where he soon became general manager, and owing
to his ability, energy, and faithfulness, the business has
continued to succeed and prosper. On July 1, 1923, the
business was incorporated with Charles H. Hartshorn,
president; Stanford H. Hartshorn, treasurer and gen¬
eral manager; and Charles Henry Hartshorn, Jr., clerk.

Stanford H. Hartshorn is connected with the Gard-

BIOGRAPHICAL

ner Savings Bank as a trustee, is a director of the
Chairtown Cooperative Bank, a member of the Cham¬
ber of Commerce, and is deeply interested in all that
pertains to the progress of the city and to the welfare
of the people. A Republican in politics, he has never
accepted public honors, but lends his support to all
party activities. Fraternally he is affiliated with Hope
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is Past
Master ; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Ivan-
hoe Commandery, Knights Templar, of which he is
Past Commander; and of Massachusetts Consistory,
Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, of Boston ; Aleppo
Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic
Shrine; and Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. His clubs are the Gardner
Boat Club, of which he is president; the Oak Hill Coun¬
try Club of Fitchburg; and the Worcester Country Club
of Worcester. He and his wife are both members of
the First Congregational Church of Gardner.

Stanford H. Hartshorn married, in 1916, Julia Ellen
Elizabeth Krantz, of Washington, District of Colum¬
bia, a graduate of Emerson College of Oratory, and they
are the parents of a daughter, Barbara Ellen.

THOMAS P. LINDSAY — Among the younger men
of Worcester County, Massachusetts, who, after actively
serving throughout the period of the participation of the
United States in the World War, are now devoting their
energies to scientific agriculture and stock raising, is
Thomas P. Lindsay, who is cultivating a 300-acre farm
in Southboro, and is caring for a herd of sixty pure¬
bred Guernsey cattle. Mr. Lindsay’s experience has
been a most adventurous and interesting one, and his
military record is a distinguished one.

Mr. Lindsay was bom in Washington, District of
Columbia, April 12, 1881, son of Rev. John S. and Caro¬
line (Smith) Lindsay. For many years he was rector
of St. Paul’s Church, the present cathedral, and was
chairman of the general convention of the Episcopal
church. After receiving his early education in the local
public schools, he prepared for college in St. Paul’s
Preparatory School at Concord, New Hampshire, from
which he was graduated in 1899. He then became a
student in Harvard College, from which he was grad¬
uated in 1904 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He
then taught in a private schools in Boston for two years,
and for one year was traveling salesman for a wholesale
dry goods house in New York City. He then entered
the Law School of Boston University, where he com¬
pleted his legal studies with graduation in 1910, at which
time he received the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He
at once became associated with the law firm of Choate,
Hall & Stewart, which connection he maintained until
the time of the entrance of the United States into* the
World War. He then, May x, 1917, handed in his resig¬
nation and enlisted for service. He was sent to Plattsburg,
New York, where he graduated from the training school
with the rank of first lieutenant of infantry, National
Army, in August, 1917. He was then assigned to duty
at Camp Devens with the 303d Infantry, but later was
transferred to act as aide to the commanding general
at headquarters. Later, in 1918, he was commissioned
captain, and in June of that year he sailed for France.
Landing in Liverpool, he went to France, and in July of

11 7

the same year was promoted to the rank of major in the
regular army and assigned to assist the chief of staff of
the 76th Division. After a time he was detached from
the 76th Division, and assigned to duty as brigade ad¬
jutant of the 156th Brigade in the 88th Division, Second
Army Corps, which rank he held until the time of the
signing of the armistice, in November, 1918. In Decem¬
ber, 1918, he was detailed to special duty at Rome, in
command of the guard of honor which accompanied
President Wilson during his visit there. In February,
1919, he sailed for home on the “Leviathan,” and arrived
at Camp Dix, Wrightstown, New Jersey, in Februaiy,
1919, from which place he was mustered out of ser¬
vice in March, 1919. Upon his return to civilian life he
at once returned to the firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart,
with whom he remained until 1920. He then resigned
in order to engage in agricultural pursuits. Since that
time he has been continuously and successfully engaged
in cultivating his 300 acres and in taking care of his
splendid herd of pure-bred Guernsey cattle. He plans
to make the breeding of pure-bred live stock a special
feature of his agricultural enterprise, and has care¬
fully prepared for that field of activity. His success
during the more than three years in which he has been
devoting his time to agriculture and stock raising gives
evidence of a successful and prosperous future. Mr.
Lindsay has always been fond of out-of-door life, and
his military experience did not mark the beginning of
his out-of-door adventures or even of his experience with
the German Army. In 1914 he was in Africa collecting
specimens for the Smithsonian Institute at Washington,
and when the World War began he narrowly escaped
capture by the German authorities there. He walked
for more than 1,000 miles in order to escape capture,
and finally succeeded in making his way back to the
United States.

Fraternally, Mr. Lindsay is a member of the Hasty
Pudding Club of Harvard College; of the D. K. E.
college fraternity; Delphic Club of Cambridge; Somer¬
set Club of Boston; Tennis and Racket Club; New
York Harvard Club; Metropolitan Club of Washington;
Southboro Golf Club; Framingham Golf Club; also of
St. Bernard’s Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of
Southboro, Massachusetts ; Houghton Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, of Marlboro; and of Southboro Grange.
He is a member of the Episcopal church of Southboro.

On July 1, 1905, at York Harbor, Maine, Thomas P.
Lindsay married Florence Field, daughter of Henry
Field, of Chicago’s family of Field, and of Florence
(Lathrop) Field, a member of the Alexandria, Vir¬
ginia, family of Lathrop. Mr. and Mrs. Lindsay are
the parents of three children, all born at Southboro :
Minna, who was born May 27, 1908; Florence, born
June 1, 1911; and John, born December 12, 1917.

ELMER A. MacGOWAN — Among the broadly use¬
ful and progressive men of Worcester County, Massa¬
chusetts, Elmer A. MacGowan holds a position of prom¬
inence in the financial world as assistant treasurer of
the Worcester County Institute for Savings which is lo¬
cated in the city of Worcester. A native of this city,
Mr. MacGowan was reared in its traditions and educated
in its institutions, and from the completion of his
studies has been active in banking. He is a son of

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

John and Harriet Augusta (Miller) MacGowan. His
father, who was born in Canada, was for many years
identified with railroad interests as a stationary engi¬
neer, and was thus active until his death, which occurred
in 1922. The mother, who was born at South Ryegate,
Vermont, died in 1916.

Elmer A. MacGowan was born at Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts, March 27, 1881. He covered the elementary
and grammar grades in the local schools, and is a grad¬
uate of the Worcester High School class of 1901. His
first business experience was in the employ of the City
National Bank, but he remained with this institution for
only a short time, in 1903 becoming identified with the
Worcester County Institute for Savings. He was first
employed here in the capacity of clerk, but has risen
throught the various grades to the position which he
now holds, as assistant treasurer, winning his way up¬
ward entirely on his merit. He is counted among the
really substantial men of the day in Worcester County,
and enjoys the esteem and confidence of his associates
and the business men of the city. Mr. MacGowan is
a member of the Exchange Club of Worcester, and is a
member of the Baptist church.

Mr. MacGowan married, on December 5, 1908, Mabel
E. Brissette, who was born in Putnam, Connecticut, and
they are the parents of two children: Elmer Allison,
Jr., and Barbara.

ALBERT FAY LOWELL, A. B., M. D., F. A.

C. S. — A leading physician and surgeon not only of
Gardner, but of Worcester County and the State of
Massachusetts, Dr. Lowell is doing much for the people
of Gardner and vicinity as the senior surgeon of the
Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital of Gardner, with
which he has been connected since its opening in the
year 1907. His private practice is very extensive, and he
is considered one of the most successful surgeons of the
day.

Dr. Lowell comes of an old Vermont family, and is a
son of Albert P. Lowell, who was born at Derby Line,
Vermont, February 10, 1836, and died in Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, August 8, 1911. He was for many years
located in Burlington, Vermont, where he was engaged
as a building contractor. He married, in Wolcott, Ver¬
mont, on May 27, 1867, Alma Whitcher, who was born
in Westfield, Vermont, October 30, 1847, and is still
living, residing with another son, Dr. Alverne P.
Lowell, of Fitchburg.

Albert Fay Lowell was born in Burlington, Vermont,
November 5, 1875. His education was begun in the pub¬
lic schools of Burlington, and he is a graduate of the
Burlington High School, class of 1894. His choice of
a profession early determined, he entered the Univer¬
sity of Vermont for the classical course, and was grad¬
uated from that institution in 1898, with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts. During the latter years of his aca¬
demic studies he also attended medical lectures at the
University of Vermont College of Medicine, from which
institution he eventually received his degree of Doctor
of Medicine in the year 1900. Upon his graduation, Dr.
Lowell did out-patient work in connection with the Bos¬
ton City Hospital, and also the Children’s Hospital of
Boston. In October, 1900, he went to Winchenden,
Massachusetts, where he served as interne at “The

Highlands,” a private sanitorium. He came to Gardner
in December, 1901, and has since been located here,
carrying forward general practice of medicine and sur¬
gery with great success. He was attending surgeon of
the Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital when that in¬
stitution was opened to the public, and has continued
without interruption as a member of the surgical staff,
now being senior attending surgeon, in point of age,
in the hospital. Dr. Lowell is also consulting and op¬
erating surgeon of the State Colony for the Insane, in
Gardner, and consulting surgeon in the Peterboro Hos¬
pital, Peterboro, New Hampshire; he stands very high
in his profession. He is a member of the American
Medical Association; a fellow of the American College
of Surgeons ; a member of the Medico-Legal Society
of Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Medical Society;
and the Worcester County North Medical Society. He
served on the medical examining board during the World
War, and also as a member of the Volunteer Medical
Service. A member of the Gardner Chamber of Com¬
merce. Dr. Lowell served as associate medical exam¬
iner of the Second District of Worcester County, of
which Gardner is the centre, from 1910 until his resig¬
nation, which took effect in 1921. He is a member of
the Greek Letter Academic Society, the Alpha Tau
Omega fraternity, and the Delta Mu fraternity (Med¬
ical). He is a member of Gardner Lodge, No. 1426,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; of the Gard¬
ner Boat Club; and the Gardner Riding and Driving
Club; and also of the Levi Heywood Memorial Library
Association. He is also a member of the Chair City
Lunch Club, and North Worcester County Fish and
Game Club.

Dr. Lowell married, on June 2, 1903, Helen Louise
Cann, daughter of George Wade and Ella V. (Derby)
Cann. George Wade Cann was a prominent attorney
and counsellor-at-law, a member of the New York
and Massachusetts State bars, but in his later years
was identified with the chair manufacturing of P. Derby
& Company, and acted as the New York representative
of this internationally famous concern. Philander
Derby, the founder of this concern was Mrs. Lowell’s
grandfather, and was one of the pioneer chair manufac¬
turers of Gardner. Dr. and Mrs. Lowell are the parents
of three children, of whom two are living: Sidney Cann,
and Alberta, both of whom are students in the Gardner
High School.

Mrs. Lowell is a member of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, through Richard Sanger, the sixth
generation removed on the paternal side, who served
in the Second Provincial Congress from Sherbom,
Middlesex County, Massachusetts. This Congress con¬
vened February 1, 1775, and Richard Sanger was made
a member of the committee. Mrs. Lowell holds her
membership also through Josiah Jackson, a maternal
ancestor, five times removed, who served as a sergeant
under Colonel Bridges in the Worcester County Militia,
at East Hoosick, New York, and as a private in Colonel
John Whitcomb’s company. Mrs. Lowell is very ac¬
tive in many branches of civic, benevolent, and welfare
work. She is a charter member and was the first presi¬
dent of the Gardner Women’s Club; is a trustee of the
Levi Heywood Memorial Library; and for two and a
half years served on the Gardner School Committee.

BIOGRAPHICAL

She is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
During the World War Mrs. Lowell was active on the
executive board of the Gardner Chapter of the Ameri¬
can Red Cross, to which she was elected shortly after
the intervention of the United States in European affairs,
and served until November, 1922. Dr. and Mrs. Lowell
are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

CHARLES HUNT TYLER— A career like that of
Mr. Tyler is an inspiration to every thoughtful man,
for in his breadth of usefulness both as a business man
and a citizen, he gave to his day and generation the
countless daily services which make up the sum of
human happiness. Added to these his honorable
record as a soldier of the Civil War places his name
among those of the heroes of his country and completes
the history of a worthy and honored life. Mr. Tyler
was a man of the people, who rose to a position of suc¬
cess and influence entirely through his own efforts. One
of a family of thirteen children, he was a son of J.
Warren Tyler, who was born at Hinsdale, New Hamp¬
shire, and was a school teacher by occupation. Teaching
in the district schools of Chesterfield and Hinsdale, in
his native State, he was a man of lofty ideals and
forward-looking spirit, although perhaps somewhat lack¬
ing in those practical gifts which are so necessary to
the accumulation of personal wealth. He instilled into
his pupils lessons of honor and right purposes together
with the three “Rs” and a due respect for Webster’s
rules of spelling. J. Warren Tyler married Eleanor
Thomas, of Chesterfield, New Hampshire, and both are
now long since deceased.

Charles Hunt Tyler was born at Hinsdale, New
Hampshire, December 19, 1838, and died in Athol,
Massachusetts. His education was begun in the district
primary schools of his birthplace and completed at the
grammar schools of Athol, when he was assisting his
elder brother in the latter’s grocery store. When still
a child Mr. Tyler became a member of his brother’s
household in Athol. This brother, Pitts Tyler, owned
and managed a grocery store on Main Street, which had
formerly been conducted as a union store many mem¬
bers of the community holding ownership. Pitts Tyler
bought up the various shares as he was able, eventually
becoming sole owner of the interest. Charles H. Tyler
worked for his brother until the outbreak of the Civil
War, when he enlisted in the 53d Massachusetts Volun¬
teer Regiment, and served throughout his enlistment.
During his absence in the army Pitts Tyler sold his
Athol store and going to Royalston, Massachusetts,
opened a similar enterprise there, but the venture proved
less profitable than he had anticipated. Upon receiving
his honorable discharge from the service of his coun¬
try, Charles H. Tyler returned to Massachusetts and
joined his brother in Royalston. Shortly thereafter both
returned to Athol permanently, the elder brother
again purchasing the store which he had formerly
owned. Eventually the younger brother bought the store
from him and Pitts Tyler retired. Charles H. Tyler re¬
mained at the head of the enterprise for a quarter of
a century, when ill health compelled him to retire.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tyler had received his son, E. Warren
Tyler, into partnership, and for a number of years the

119

latter carried forward the interest, which was finally
sold to A. H. Bowker.

During all these years Charles H. Tyler had prac¬
ticed thrift, and with the energy and business ability
which he had given to his activities along mercantile
lines, he became a prosperous man. His great faith in
the future of Athol as a business and residential center
led him to invest heavily in real estate in this community.
Frequently buying and selling, constantly improving the
property which he held, Mr. Tyler did much, not only
for his own profit, but for the upbuilding and advance
of the town, and through his willingness to extend to
them the opportunity, many working people of this sec¬
tion became the owners of homes. His real estate in¬
terests comprised his entire activity after retiring from
his store, but his health failed steadily, and for some
time before his demise he was confined to the house.
Mr. Tyler was also prominent in the public life of the
community, and by political affiliation was a staunch Re¬
publican. Always standing for all that contributes to
the welfare of the community, feeling the interest of the
people to be the paramount consideration in all advance,
Mr. Tyler gave to the community of his best and among
those who remember him, his genial spirit and kindly
face are recalled as a benediction. Fond of social ac¬
tivity, he made countless friends, but never cared to
assume a position of leadership or command in any
circle or in working for any cause. He was one of the
finest examples of the self-made American, capable,
always alert to progressive effort, always sharing in
any good work. He was very prominent in the Masonic
order, being a member of all bodies, and one of the
best loved men in his local lodge and chapter. His
years of ill health necessarily segregated him from ex¬
tensive social or fraternal activities during the latter
par of his life, and then his chief recreations were euchre
and whist, with a few close friends. He was a member
of the Poquaig Club of Athol, and his religious convic¬
tions were those of the Unitarian. He supported this
church generously, as he did all Christian work, but was
not actively affiliated with it.

Mr. Tyler married Sarah A. Cook, who was born at
Royalston, Massachusetts, and resided there until twenty
years of age, Mr. Tyler is a daughter of Caleb A. and
Susan (Herrick) Cook, of Royalston, Massachusetts.
Mr. Cook was a jeweler of Royalston and, deciding to
change his place of business and residence, came to
Athol where he continued in the same line of mercan¬
tile endeavor, only on a much larger scale. He became
one of the most prominent jewelers of this section and,
spending the remainder of his life time in this community,
was a leader in many lines of community advance until
his death, which occurred in Athol, April 13, 1888. His
wife died in Athol, in April, 1882.

E. Warren Tyler, son of Charles Hunt and Sarah A.
(Cook) Tyler, was born at Athol, Massachusetts, Feb¬
ruary 19, 1874. His education was begun in the local
public schools and following his completion of the gram¬
mar course he entered Worcester Business College,
at Worcester, Massachusetts. Only sixteen years of
age when his father died, Mr. Tyler nevertheless took
over the responsibility of his father’s business, which he
conducted for several years. His interests however,
followed other lines of advance, and settling the estate,

120

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

he associated himself with the world of finance in Athol.
He has now for many years been identified with the
Athol National Bank, of which in the year 1919 he was
elected president, still ably serving in this largely re¬
sponsible office. Mr. Tyler is deeply interested in agri¬
cultural advance, and owns a fine farm and apple orchard
in Phillipston, Massachusetts, where his leisure time
is principally spent. He is one of the largely progres¬
sive men of Athol, and a leader in all that makes for the
welfare of the people and the progress of the com¬
munity. He married Bertha Matthews, of Westboro,
Massachusetts, and they have three children : Elinor,
Rachel, and Robert.

WILLIAM GARDINER LORD — Even as a young
man Mr. Lord engaged in duties devolving upon a public
official, because of the illness of his father, and later in
life served his community in various capacities. He is
well known as a real estate broker, financier, and fra¬
ternity member in Athol, Massachusetts, where he re¬
sides. He is a son of Gardiner and Mary (Barker)
Lord. His father was born in Athol, February 26, 1824,
and died there November 1, 1899. For many years he
had been a boot manufacturer, but later devoted his
time to public office as Selectman, Overseer of the Poor,
Deputy Sheriff for thirty years, Highway Commissioner,
and member of the Board of Assessors.

William Gardiner Lord was born at Athol, Massa¬
chusetts, September 7, 1871, and there attended the pub¬
lic schools, being graduated as class president and with
class honors in 1888. It had been his purpose to pursue
a college course however, but this was denied him on
account of his father’s illness, which necessitated the
young man’s attention to public duties. Until the father
died, William G. was not free to follow his own course.
From 1897 to 1900 he was associated with E. V. Wil¬
son, an attorney. In 1900 he took a trip to Europe, and
upon his return to Athol started a real estate brokerage
business, which is still his vocation. He also is presi¬
dent of the Athol Cooperative Bank, and vice-president
of the Athol National Bank.

Mr. Lord has served as Town Moderator for the past
twenty years; Overseer of the Poor for four years, 1907
to 1911; and as member of the Legislature from 1917
to 1919. During the World War he was active on the
Public Safety Committee and in all of the Liberty Loan
drives, serving as a “four-minute” speaker. He was a
member of the Legal Advisory Board, and is prominent
as a Mason, being a member in that order of all bodies
except the council, holding the thirty-second degree,
and is a member of the Shrine. Pie also affiliates with
the local Knights of Pythias and stands second in line
for the high office of Grand Chancellor for the State
of Massachusetts. Pie is a member of the Poquaig
Club, and in religion is a Baptist, having been treasurer
of the Baptist church in Athol for nineteen years.

CHARLES W. GATES — For over a century and a
half that branch of the Gates family to which Charles
W. Gates (present owner of the pleasant homestead
known as “The Elms”) belongs, has been identified with
the community life of Petersham, Massachusetts. The
Gates family is an old one in this country, and in Eng¬
land dates back for nine generations, Stephen Gates,

the immigrant ancestor being in the tenth generation in
the English line from Thomas Gates of Pligheaster and
Thursteubie, Essex County, England, the line being
traced through William; his son, Geoffrey, who mar¬
ried Agnes Baldington, daughter of Sir Thomas
Baldington, of County Oxford, England; their son,
William, who married Mabel Capdow, daughter and
heiress of Thomas Fleming, of Essex, England; their
son, Geoffrey, who married Elizabeth Clapton, daughter
of Sir William Clapton, Knight of Kentwell, Sussex,
England; their son, Geoffrey, of Higheaster, England,
who married - Pascall, of Essex ; their son, Geof¬

frey, who married Joan Wentworth; their son, Peter, of
London, England, who married Mary Josselyn; their son,
Thomas, of Norwich, Norfolk County, who became the
father of the immigrant ancestor. The Gates families
of Semer, Yorkshire, and Essex, England, were entitled
to bear the following arms :

Arms— Per pale, gules and azure, three lions ram¬
pant gardant or.

Crest — A demi-lion rampant gardant or.

These are recorded in the visitations of York in 1584
and 1665, but records of the original grant have not
yet been found.

(I.) Stephen Gates, son of Thomas Gates, of Norwich,
Norfolk County, mentioned above, and immigrant ancestor
of the branches of the Gates family, to which Charles W.
Gates belongs, came from Hingham, England, in the
ship “Diligent,” of Ipswich, in 1638, accompanied by
his wife, Ann (Hill) Gates, and two children. He
settled first at Hingham, Massachusetts, and then re¬
moved to Lancaster, subsequently becoming a resident
of Cambridge, where he died in 1662. His will was
dated June 9, 1662, and proved October 1, 1662, and
bequeathed to his son, Stephen, the home and lot in
Lancaster, and to the wife and son, Simon, the home
in Cambridge, the son Thomas to remain with them at
pleasure. The widow, Ann, later married Richard
Woodward, of Watertown, Massachusetts, but after the
death of the latter, February 16, 1665, she resumed
the name Gates. Children of Stephen and Ann (Hill)
Gates were: Elizabeth, Mary, Stephen, Thomas, Simon,
of further mention; Isaac, and Rebecca.

(II.) Simon Gates, son of Stephen and Ann (Hill)
Gates, was born in 1645, and died April 21, 1695, at
Brockton, Massachusetts. He resided first on the heme
estate at Cambridge, but later removed to Lancaster,
and finally to Muddy River, (now Brookline) Massa¬
chusetts. He married Margaret - , and they were

the parents of eight children : Abigail, born August 14,
1671, died in 1776; Simon, born September 1, 1673, died
January 2, 1675-6; Simon, born January 5, 1675-6, of
further mention; George, born April 6, 1678, died May
23, 1679; Amos, born 1681, married, May 19, 1703, Han¬
nah Oldham; Jonathan, born June 22, 1683, married
Persis Sheppard; Samuel, born August n, 1685; and
Margaret born August 13, 1689, married James How.

(III.) Simon Gates, son of Simon and Margaret Gates,
was born January 5, 1676, and died March 10, 1735.
He married in the year 1710, Sarah Wood, daughter
of John and Lydia Wood, of Marlboro, Massachusetts.
They settled in Marlboro, where she died in 1751. Chil¬
dren: 1. Simon, born December 11, 1710, died April xi,
1777; married Sarah How. 2. Sarah, born October 15.

BIOGRAPHICAL

121

T712, died at Hubbardston; married, February 3, 1736,
Ephraim Church, of Rutland. 3. Susannah, born De¬
cember 19, 1714; married Captain John Phelps, of Rut¬
land. 4. Stephen, born August 20, 1718, died October

5, 1773; married, February 4, 1742-3, Damaris How,
and resided at Rutland. 5. Solomon, born May 14, 1721,
died March 2, 1761, at Worcester; married Mary Clark.

6. Samuel, of further mention. 7. Silas, born February

3, 1727, died August 25, 1793; married, May 9, 1754,
Elizabeth Bragg. 8. John, born January 27, 1729, died
young.

(IV.) Samuel Gates, son of Simon and Sarah (Wood)
Gates, was born February 28, 1722, and died at
Petersham, Massachusetts. He married Caroline How.
Samuel Gates was the first of the family in Petersham
and is said to have bought lands of the Indians and thus
avoided trouble with them. He had his grant also as
proprietor of the town, and part of the original home¬
stead is owned and occupied by Charles W. Gates, a
lineal descendant, having remained in the family from
the first settlement with the exception of two years.
Samuel Gates, of Rutland, Massachusetts, responded to
the Lexington alarm and served six days. In 1777 he
is credited with service as a private in Captain Jon¬
athan Gates’ company. In 1778 Samuel Gates was cor¬
poral in Captain Harrington’s company and in Captain
Munroe’s Company in Rhode Island. Some of this
service may belong to Samuel Gates of Rutland, whose
son, Samuel Gates, Jr., was also in the Revolution.
Children: 1. John, of further mention. 2. Solomon,
born October 4, 1761, died January 21, 1847; married,
June 6, 1789, Esther Whitney, who was born December
10, 1769, and died August 16, 1848. He was a soldier
in the Revolution. 3. Samuel, born in 1766, at Petersham,
died there in 1 822. He married Hannah Dike in 1789.

4. Susannah, married, September 8, 1788, Samuel

McNear, and had one child, Lewis McNear, born in
1792, and died in 1858. 5. Polly, born October 30, 1773,
died March 20, 1848. She married, October 22, 1795,
Samuel Henry, of Rutland. 6. Caroline, born December
25, 1774; died in March, 1854. She married Joel Ballou,
at Petersham. 7. Oliver Cromwell, born 1776, at
Petersham, died there in 1841, married Mary How, No¬
vember 31, 1805, who was born in 1776, and died in 1841.

(V.) John Gates, son of Samuel and Caroline (How)
Gates, was born October 7, 1759, at Petersham, Massa¬
chusetts, and died there November 23, 1824. He mar¬
ried, July 11, 1806, Betsey Gleason, of Barre (intentions
dated June 1). She was born March 5, 1780, daughter
of John and Ruth (White) Gleason, who were married
on April 5, 1771, at Petersham; she died at Petersham
October 8, 1835. He was a soldier of the Revolution,
a private in Captain Jonathan Gates’ Company from
December 15, 1776, to March 1, 1777; sergeant in the
same company, serving at Saratoga at the surrender of
Burgoyne; in 1778 was a corporal in the guard at Rut¬
land, Major Read, commanding, and is credited with
six months’ service. Children, all born at Petersham:
1. Samuel, born May 3, 1807, died there February 17,
1810. 2. Charles, of further mention. 3. Samuel Flint,
born in 1811, died July 23, 1812. 4. Harriet, born Au¬
gust 18, 1813, died January 4, 1894; married (first)
Thomas E. Winchester; married (second), June 17,
1856, Joseph W. Upton. 5. Elizabeth, bom March 3,

1822, died March 8, 1882; married, September 10, 1850,
P. Ames Fobes, of Oakham, Massachusetts. Their son,
Charles Ames Fobes, was born May 12, 1859, at Marion,
Iowa, and died at Kingston, Jamaica, March 11, 1905.
He and his parents are buried in the West Cemetery,
Oakham, Massachusetts. A bequest in his will gave
$4,000 to the town of Petersham, Massachusetts, in
memory of his mother. This money was used toward
building the schoolhouse in the centre in 1906. The
same amount was bequeathed to Oakham, Massachusetts,
in memory of his father, for a public library.

(VI.) Charles Gates, son of John and Betsey (Glea¬
son) Gates, was born at Petersham, Massachusetts,
November 5, 1808, and died April 4, 1872. He was edu¬
cated in the public schools of Petersham, and lived on
the farm inherited from his father. He was also engaged
for many years in the palm leaf business. At first
palm leaf hats were made and wagons sent with the
stock to farm houses in all the surrounding towns, giv¬
ing employment to hundreds of women and children in
their homes. Later he manufactured shaker hoods.
The “webs” and “binds” for the hoods were woven
and knotched braid made by the busy fingers of the
housewives, then taken to the shop at Petersham, where
they were made into shaker hoods. The finished goods
were shipped to Boston and New York. The palm leaf
was bought in crude form and was split and dyed by
Mr. Gates in his shop. He was an expert in the dyeing
of palm leaf and did considerable business in dyeing
for other manufacturers. The colors most in vogue
were black and green, Mr. Gates being one of the first
to color palm leaf green successfully. The business
for a short time was conducted by the firm of Gates &
Tower, but mostly under his own name. It was finan¬
cially successful and was conducted from 1850 until
1866. From 1864 to 18 66 he had a grocery store in
Petersham. In 1867 and 1868 he had a hardware store
in Athol, conducted under the firm name of Charles
Gates & Company. The firm manufactured tinware of
various kinds, and sent the familiar old tin peddler’s
carts about the country selling the goods in exchange
for paper, rags, etc. He removed the tinware business
to Petersham. He continued all the time to live on the
homestead at Petersham, and managed it in addition to
his other business interests.

In politics Mr. Gates was a Whig until that party
went to pieces, when he became a Republican. Although
interested always in town affairs, he preferred not to
hold office himself. He was on the School Committee
in District No. 4 for some years. In religion he was
a Universalist, and an active member of the church.
When visiting clergymen came to Petersham, they were
entertained at his house, and the visits of such emi¬
nent men as Rev. Hosea Ballou and Rev. Sylvanus Cobb
are still remembered by the older citizens. Mr. Gates
was of a genial, pleasant disposition. In business he
was strictly honest and honorable, and was shrewd and
successful in making money, but too generous and trust¬
ful in the honor of others to save his money.

He married (first) Mercy T. White, May 31, 1832,
who died at Petersham, June 25, 1834, aged twenty-five
years. He married (second), March 7, 1836, Mary Ann
Tower, who was born August 11, 1812, and died March
28, 1895, daughter of Jonas, who was bom March 8,

122

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY!

1768, and Fanny (Parmenter) Tower, who were married
February 16, 1792, at Petersham. To the first marriage
one child, Alfred White, was bom, June 5, 1834, died
October 22, 1871, at East Saginaw, Michigan; married

Mary Gleason, of Munson, Massachusetts; had a gen¬
eral store at Belchertown, Massachusetts; later in the
hotel and livery stable business at Enfield, Massachu¬
setts; afterward at East Saginaw, Michigan, where he
conducted a large livery stable and stage business. Chil¬
dren born at East Saginaw : Mildred, born August 28,
1861, married, March 1, 1886, Eugene F. Sanborn, and
resides in Los Angeles, California. Charles Alfred,
born October 6, 1868, married, June 15, 1892, Edith M.
Van Alstine, of West Bay City, Michigan, now living
in Dallas, Texas; vice-president of the Southwestern
Telegraph and Telephone Company. Children of Charles
and Mary Ann (Tower) Gates, all born in Petersham:
1. Marcia Jane, born February 3, 1837, married, July 18,
i860, Edward F. Clark, died February 8, 1923, while on
a visit to Worcester. 2. Mary Josephine, born February
22, 1839, married, December 19, 1865, Sextus P. God¬
dard, of Petersham; she died September 17, 1878, at
Petersham. Children : i. Sextus Elwin Goddard, born
October 11, 1867, died at Petersham, March 9, 1876.
ii. Mary Emily Goddard, born March 3, 1869, died at
Petersham, September 24, 1869. iii. Malcolm Rupert
Goddard, born June 29, 1871, died January 19, 1873, at
Worcester, iv. Mabel Josephine Goddard, born May I,
1873, at Worcester, v. Alice May Goddard, born Janu¬
ary 20, 1875, at Petersham, vi. Willie Goddard, born
July 7, 1877, died August 23, 1877. 3. Ella Frances,
born April 14, 1841, died February 20, 1871. 4. John
Tower, born September 20, 1843, married, September 20,
1864, Henrietta E. Buxton, he died February 21, 1870.
Children : i. Ernest, born April 9, 1866, died at Peters¬
ham, August 13, 1867. ii. Edith M., born October 2,
1867, at Athol, Massachusetts, is now residing at West
Boylston. John Tower Gates was in business with his
father. 5. Elizabeth Louisa, born April 20, 1850, died
December 28, 1873. 6. Charles William, of further
mention.

(VII.) Charles William Gates, son of Charles and
Mary Ann (Tower) Gates, was born in Petersham,
Massachusetts, October 20, 1855, and received his educa¬
tion in the public schools of his native town, with which
his ancestors have been identified for the past four gen¬
erations. He owns and occupies the Gates farm, known
as “The Elms,” in the east part of Petersham, and has
throughout the period of his mature life taken an active
interest in the affairs of that community. The high
standards of citizenship and service which are tradi¬
tional in the Gates family have been most faithfully
maintained by Mr. Gates. He was one of the coop¬
erators in the project which resulted in the building of
the Petersham Library, and though never an active figure,
he has most efficiently and faithfully borne his share of
the burden of public office. For twenty-six years he
has served as Town Tax Collector, his first appointment
being received in 1890, and since 1904 he has held that
office continuously. In 1915 he was appointed Town
Treasurer, which important office he has continued to
hold to the present time. Politically he gives his sup¬
port to the principles and the candidates of the Repub¬
lican party. During the World War he was active

in raising money for the Red Cross and for the success
of the Liberty Loan drives, and there have been few
movements for progress in Petersham during the
last forty years in which Mr. Gates has not been one
of the supporters. He is a member of the Grange of
Petersham, which he has served both as assistant stew¬
ard and as steward, and he is also a member of the
Petersham Historical Society. He is an attendant of the
Orthodox Congregational Church, which organization
he has served for many years as treasurer and collector
and as a member of the board of trustees.

Charles W. Gates married, in Worcester, Massachu¬
setts, December 12, 1901, Sarah E. Buckminster, of
Worcester, Massachusetts, a graduate of the Mt. Sinai
Training School for Nurses, New York City, and
daughter of Miles S. and Emily E. (Buxton) Buck¬
minster, the latter of whom was born in South Royal-
ston, March 12, 1840. Miles S. Buckminster was born
in Roxbury, New Hampshire, July 22, 1817, and was
among those who crossed the continent in 1849 with
the hope of quickly gaining wealth in the gold fields. In
1855 he settled in Keene, New Hampshire, where he
lived during the remainder of his life and where he died
March 24, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Gates have
no children.

CHESTER PAGE PEARSON— With the acces¬
sion of dignity which came to Gardner, Massachusetts,
as a civic center on January 1, 1923, the name of Chester
Pag'e Pearson was honored by the people, Mr. Pearson
having been elected first Mayor of the city of Gardner.
Mr. Pearson has for many years stood among the
foremost men of the day not only in Gardner, but in
other cities of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and
Vermont, where he has important mercantile interests.

The Pearson family has long been established in Ver¬
mont, and Samuel Howe Pearson, Mr. Pearson’s father,
was born in Albany, Vermont, later, with his parents,
going to Coventry, Vermont, where he was a prominent
farmer throughout his lifetime, and a leading figure in
local political affairs, also participating in the legisla¬
tive business of the State as Representative from his
district. He was a man of broad interests and the high¬
est integrity, esteemed by all who knew him. The
mother, Sarah (Gray) Pearson, was born in Coventry,
Vermont, and both are now deceased.

Chester Page Pearson was born at Coventry, Vermont,
July 4, 1873. His education was begun in the district
schools of his birthplace, and was continued at Crafts-
bury Academy. After teaching school for two terms,
he entered Becker’s Business College of Worcester,
Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in the
class of 1894. His early business experience was in the
capacity of clerk, in the employ of the New York, New
Haven & Hartford Railroad, at their Worcester freight
office, but a short time thereafter he became cashier for
the American Telephone & Telegraph Company, at
their Worcester office. Mr. Pearson then became iden¬
tified with the general line of activity in which he has
since won wide renown as well as large success — the
dry goods business. He began as a clerk in the store
of Goodnow Brothers & Company, at East Jaffrey, New
Hampshire, where he filled this subordinate position for
four years. Then on August 2, 1899, Mr. Pearson was

BIOGRAPHICAL

123

received into partnership with Walter L. Goodnow, of
East Jaffrey, New Hampshire, and Windsor H. Goodnow
of Keene, New Hampshire. As a member of this mercan¬
tile organization Mr. Pearson came to Gardner to es¬
tablish a store in this community before the close of
that year. He founded the interest on a small scale,
first employing only one clerk, but under his efficient
and progressive management has developed one of the
largest and most important department stores of any
in a city of similar size in the State of Massachusetts.
The concern now employs here as many as 112 clerks,
and their trade is drawn from many of the surrounding
towns and villages as well as from the city of Gardner
itself. The Goodnow-Pearson organization has widened
and grown, becoming established in several other New
England cities and towns, until now Mr. Pearson is
president of the Goodnow-Pearson Company, of Fitch¬
burg, Massachusetts; president of the Goodnow-Pearson-
Orton Company of Athol, Massachusetts ; vice-president
of the Goodnow-Hunt-Pearson Company of Nashua,
New Hampshire; vice-president of Goodnow-Hunt-
Pearson, Incorporated, of Laconia, New Hampshire;
and is a partner of Goodnow, Pearson & Hunt of
Brattleboro, Vermont; also Goodnow, Jewett & Bishop
of Bellows Falls, Vermont. All the above organizations
are leading department stores of the various communities
in which they are located, and Mr. Pearson’s associates
in these enterprises are men of high calibre, progres¬
sive, forward-looking executives who are bearing a
constructive part in the business advance of the day.
Mr. Pearson’s interests center in Gardner, and his most
recent enterprise is the floating of a project which will
mean much to the city as a business center. This is
the Gardner Hotel Company, of which Mr. Pearson is
president, which has raised $300,000 for the erection of
a modern hotel in this city, which will adequately en¬
tertain the traveling public and add to the importance of
the city as a business and residential center. Mr. Pear¬
son is a member of the board of directors of the First
National Bank of Gardner, and also of the Chairtown
Cooperative Bank.

Holding this broad significance to the business world
of Gardner, it was but natural that Mr. Pearson should
be brought forward into public service, and for some
years he has been a member of the Advisory Board of
the town of Gardner, during 1920-21-22 serving as chair¬
man of the board. On December 5, 1922, Mr. Pearson
had the honor of being chosen as chief executive of
the city of Gardner, and he took up the duties of this
high office on January 1, 1923, when the new form of
government went into effect. In emerging from the
comparative obscurity of the town to the broader re¬
sponsibilities of the municipal form of government, the
people of Gardner took a step which they looked upon
as a civic duty, and in their choice of the executive who
was to lead them out into the untried experience, they
turned to one in whom they felt the utmost confidence.
Few men of Gardner are better known to the people —
few are more closely in touch with the leaders of com¬
mercial and industrial activity, and none hold more fully
the confidence and esteem of all. The new era opened
auspiciously, and with the cordial cooperation of the
people Mr. Pearson is going forward with the best in¬
terests of the municipality at heart, its ever higher stand¬

ing among the cities of New England his unfaltering
purpose. In his more personal interests Mr. Pearson is
broadly in touch with fraternal affairs. He is a mem¬
ber of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Gard¬
ner; of Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Ivan-
hoe Commandery, No. 146, Knights Templar; and
Massachusetts Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite of Boston; also of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Boston. He is
a member of Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks ; and William Ellison Lodge,
No. 185, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Well
known socially, he is a member of the Ridgely Club of
Gardner, is president of the Gardner Boat Club, a mem¬
ber of the Gardner Luncheon Club, and of the Worces¬
ter Country Club and the Oak Hill Country Club of
Fitchburg. In benevolent and charitable activities he
always bears a part, and since its organization has
been chairman of the Home Service Committee of the
Gardner Red Cross.

Mr. Pearson married, on November 1, 1899, Fanny
Holmes Kittredge, of East Jaffrey, New Hampshire,
and they have three children : Alfred Kittredge, gradu¬
ate of Phillips-Andover Academy, now in his soph¬
omore year at Yale University; Norman Holmes, now
in the seventh grade of the Gardner public schools; and
Eleanor, in the fourth grade.

FREDERIC CARLETON NICHOLS— For many
generations the Nichols family has exemplified in New
England that type of energetic, intelligent citizenship
that leads in national growth and progress. This re¬
view considers in particular a son of the eighth gen¬
eration, a banker of Fitchburg, the city of his birth, and
a descendant of William Nichols, one of the several men
of the name who came to New England and New Am¬
sterdam in the first half of the seventeenth century.

(I.) William Nichols, born about 1599, was living in
Salem, Massachusetts, as early as 1637. In 1651 he
bought land in Topsfield, Massachusetts, where he re¬
sided until his passing in 1695. His will dated Febru¬
ary 17, 1693, made provisions for his wife, Mary, and
children.

(II.) John Nichols, only son of William and Mary
Nichols, was born about 1640 and was a resident of
Topsfield until his death in 1700. He married Lydia
- , who bore him nine children.

(III.) Thomas Nichols, son of John and Lydia
Nichols, was born in Topsfield, January 20, 1669. He
married, in Salem, December 13, 1694, Joanna Towne,
born January 22, 1677, in Topsfield, daughter of Joseph
and Phebe (Perkins) Towne.

(IV.) Isaac Nichols, eldest son of Thomas and Joanna
(Towne) Nichols, settled in Sutton, Massachusetts, but
no record of his death is there found. He married, in
Boxford, Massachusetts, February 1, 1726, Sarah Wil¬
kins, born May 27, 1704, in Boxford, who survived him
until April 9, 1779, remaining a widow.

(V.) Henry Nichols, eldest son of Isaac and Sarah
(Wilkins) Nichols, was born at Sutton, Massachusetts,
March 17, 1732, and died in Royalston, Massachusetts,
November 19, 1814. He married (first), September 22,
1757, in Sutton, Elizabeth Towne, born May 13, 1704,

124

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

died September n, 1781, daughter of John and Mercy
(Towne) Towne.

(VI.) Elijah Nichols, fifth son of Henry and Eliz¬
abeth (Towne) Nichols, was born in Royalston, July
25, 1770, and there died May 2, 1856. He married
(first), October 16, 1827, Asenath (Wilder) Fairbanks,
born in 1785, died August 19, 1847, a daughter of
Reuben* and Mary (Pierce) Wilder, and widow of Jon¬
athan Fairbanks.

(VII.) Joseph Towne Nichols, second son of Elijah
and Asenath (Wilder-Fairbanks) Nichols, was born
in Royalston, Massachusetts, February 8, 1832, and there
died May 20, 1915. He spent his boyhood at the home
farm then, at the age of eighteen years, spent four
years in Albany, New York, returning to Royalston,
where, in 1861, he enlisted in Company I, 25th Regiment,
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, for service in the
Union Army. He served three years under this en¬
listment then was transferred to Company H, 55th Reg¬
iment, was commissioned first lieutenant and continued
with that command until the war closed in 1865. He
then returned to Royalston and for three years drove
a stage, carrying mail, express, and passengers between
Royalston Center and South Royalston. He sold that
business and located in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where,
under M. W. Cummings, he learned the undertaker’s
trade and business. For a third of a century he served
Royalston as undertaker, and to his work brought a
tender, heartfelt sympathy and kindly consideration that
earned him the respect and gratitude of his townspeople.

In connection with his undertaking he engaged in
farming and served the town for ten years as Selectman,
holding also in turn about every office in the town. He
was a good business man, an efficient town official, his
judgment and his executive ability earning him public
favor. Joseph T. Nichols married, April 7, 1858,
Martha G. Turner, born May 19, 1836, in Phillipston,
Massachusetts, daughter of Leonard R. and Mary
(Pierce) Turner. Children: Leonard, born April 17,
1869; Mary L., married S. Weston Wheeler; Frederic
Carleton, of whom further; and Agnes A., married Cor¬
nelius Quinlan.

(VIII.) Frederic Carleton Nichols, second son of Jo¬
seph Towne and Martha G. (Turner) Nichols, was born
in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, December 27, 1873, and
there completed his education in the public schools. As a
boy he served as page to the Massachusetts Legislature
in 1891, 1892, and 1893, entering the employ of the Fitch¬
burg National Bank in 1893. He continued with that
bank for three years, but in 1895 transferred his al¬
legiance to the Fitchburg Savings Bank, an institution
with which he has now been connected for twenty-eight
years, 1895-1923. He now holds the office of treasurer,
to which he was elected in 1906, after two years of special
preparation as assistant treasurer. He is the executive
officer of the Savings Bank, director of the Fitchburg
Bank and Trust Company, and member of the execu¬
tive committee of the board, also a director and member
of the executive committee of the Fitchburg Mutual
Fire Insurance Company and of the Grant Yarn Com¬
pany. He is a trustee of the Fitchburg Home for Old
Ladies, and chairman of its finance committee.

For. two years Mr. Nichols was president of the
Massachusetts Savings Bank Treasurers’ Club, for four

years was treasurer of the Massachusetts Bankers’ As¬
sociation, and he is an ex-president of the Fitchburg
Chamber of Commerce. He has been a member of the
city government of Fitchburg, and for three years rep¬
resented Fitchburg in the Massachusetts House of Rep¬
resentatives. He is a member of Charles W. Moore
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Thomas Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons; Jerusalem Commandery, Knights
Templar (now, 1923, serving as Generalissimo) ; Apollo
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Fitchburg
Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (Past
Exalted Ruler) ; former president of the Fitchburg
Family Welfare Association; a member of the Fay Club,
of Fitchburg; and the Algonquin Club, and Boston Ath¬
letic Association, of Boston; the First Parish Unitarian
Church, of Fitchburg, and the Fitchburg Young Men’s
Christian Association.

Frederic Carleton Nichols married, in Plainfield, New
Jersey, October 5, 1899, Ethel Holmes, born at Amelia
Court House, Virginia, daughter of Augustus D. and
Plannah M. (Perry) Holmes. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols
are the parents of two children : Anna Holmes, born
October 24, 1907; and Louise, born March 29, 1913. The
family home is in Fitchburg.

ARTHUR JOHN BERRY — For several years now
Arthur John Berry, president of the Lee Brothers Com¬
pany, has been one of the well-known and successful
business men of Athol, Massachusetts. He has been
identified with the business of manufacturing needles
since the beginning of his active career, and is recog¬
nized as an expert in that line of business activity.

Mr. Berry is of English ancestry, his grandfather
having been a manufacturer of various fancy articles in
England, who made a specialty of fancy snuff boxes.
On one occasion he presented one of his very finest de¬
signs of that article to the Lord Mayor of London.

John Berry, father of Arthur John Berry, was bom
in Manchester, England, and as a boy of ten years ac¬
companied his parents on the long six weeks’ voyage in
a sailing vessel to this country. He became a manu¬
facturer of skates, and was the inventor of the skates
known as the Barney & Berry skates. Later he became
superintendent of the National Needle Company, at
Springfield, Massachusetts. He married Ellen Sullivan,
of Boston, Massachusetts, and later became a resident
of Springfield.

Arthur John Berry was born in Springfield, Massa¬
chusetts, June 15, 1868. He received his education in
the public schools of his native city, where he graduated
from the high school in 1886. He then found his first
employment with the National Needle Company, for
whom his father was serving as superintendent, and
that connection was maintained for a period of eleven
years. At the end of that time he removed to Orange,
Massachusetts, where he organized and equipped a needle
factory for the New Home Sewing Machine Company,
and where he remained as superintendent of the factory
for eighteen years. He then made a change, at the
urgent solicitation of his brother-in-law, W. Starr Lee,
and went to Athol, Massachusetts, to assist in the busi¬
ness of the Lee Brothers Company, manufacturers of
shoes. He soon became president of that concern, Mr.
Lee acting as business manager and treasurer, but

BIOGRAPHICAL

125

shortly after his arrival in Athol Mr. Lee died. Mr.
Berry has continued to be the efficient chief executive
of the concern however, to the present time. He is a
member of the board of directors of the Athol National
Bank, and is well known among the business men of that
city as a conservative and able business man. Mr. Berry
gives his support to the principles of the Republican
party, but generally takes no active part in political
affairs. He did, howrever, serve on the City Board of
Trade for a time. At the time of the Spanish-American
War he enlisted for service and was made first sergeant
of Company K, 2nd Massachusetts Regiment, United
States Volunteers, the first company of Massachusetts
to be mustered in for service in that conflict. During
the World War he served actively in the work of the
Red Cross, and on the Liberty Loan Committee. He
was treasurer of the finance committee of the local
chapter of the Red Cross, and was influential in the
success of several of the campaigns for funds. Fra¬
ternally he is a member of Orange Lodge, Free and Ac¬
cepted Masons, of Orange, Massachusetts; Crescent
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Orange Commandery,
No. 45, Knights Templar; Harris Council, Royal and
Select Masters; and Aleppo Temple, Mystic Shrine.
He has also been a member of the Improved Order
of Red Men, is a member of the Paquaig Club, of Athol,
Massachusetts ; the Past Commanders’ Association, of
Boston, Massachusetts ; and Athena Chapter, Order of
Eastern Star. He has served for a number of years on
the executive board of Camp Chenego Association, and
is a member of the board of trustees of the Athol Pub¬
lic Library. His religious affiliation is with the Uni¬
tarian church.

Arthur John Berry married, on June 26, 1909, at Athol,
Massachusetts, Marion Howe Lee, daughter of Charles
Milton and Minnie (Howe) Lee, the father was a native
of Athol, Massachusetts, and the mother of Post Mills,
Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur John Berry are the
parents of one son, Arthur Lee, who was born May 6,
1910, and is now a student in the public schools of
Athol,

EVERETT W. COATES, M. D., in professional
circles in Northern Worcester County, Massachusetts,
holds a noteworthy position and is broadly represen¬
tative of present day advance in medicine. He is a son
of Wallace Bruce and Alice (Walton) Coates, his father
active in the shoe industry.

Everett W. Coates was born at Lynn, Massachusetts,
in April, 1886. His education was begun in the public
schools of his birthplace and following his course at the
Lynn Classical High School, he entered the employ of
the First National Bank, afterwards the Essex Trust
Company. Here he remained for about three and one-
half years, then worked for a banking house in Boston
for a while, and later was associated with a business con¬
cern in Maine. After this experience he decided to study
medicine, and entered the Boston University of Med¬
icine, from which he was graduated in the class of 1912
with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Plis interneship
was spent in three different institutions, the Massachu-
sets Homeopathic Hospital, of Boston; the Westboro
State Hospital, at Westboro, Massachusetts; and the
Trull Hospital, of Biddeford, Maine. With this widely

comprehensive preparation Dr. Coates entered up his
professional career, taking up the practice of medicine
in Farmington, New Hampshire, where he was active
for four years. Here he established his own private
hospital and conducted it for three years, and there¬
after he was engaged in practice in Concord, New
Hampshire, for one year, when his progress was inter¬
rupted by his military service. He enlisted in the United
States Medical Corps on July 10, 1918, and received his
commission as first lieutenant. Stationed immediately
at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, he was soon assigned to
Base Hospital No. 133, Overseas Unit, later being trans¬
ferred to Camp Sheridan, at Montgomery, Alabama, and
he was thence ordered to proceed to Hoboken for em¬
barkation overseas. Before the date of sailing arrived
the armistice was signed and Dr. Coates remained on
this side with his unit and received his honorable dis¬
charge from the service on December 10, 1918. Coming
to Fitchburg a short time afterward, Dr. Coates opened
his office in this city on January 6, 1919, and has con¬
tinued in general practice here since. He is winning
recognition also in surgery, and is considered one of the
thoroughly successful professional men of the city. He
is a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy,
the Massachusetts Homeopathic Medical Society, the
York and Cumberland (Maine) Medical societies, the
Massachusetts Medical Society, Worcester North Med¬
ical Society, and the Fitchburg Medical Society. Fie
Is also a member of the Alpha Sigma, now the Phi
Chi fraternity. Dr. Coates is affiliated fraternally with
the Aurora Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Fitch¬
burg; Thomas Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Harris
Council, Royal and Select Masters, of Athol, Massachu¬
setts; and Jerusalem Commandery, Knights Templar,
of Fitchburg; also Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. Fie
helped to organize the Kiwanis Club, of Fitchburg, of
which he is a director, and is broadly interested in all
that counts for local advance in the civic life of the
community.

Dr. Coates married, on October 23, 1913, Grace E.
Robbins, of Ashby, Massachusetts, daughter of Fred E.
and Julia E. (Fletcher) Robbins. Mrs. Coates is a
graduate nurse of the Massachusetts Homeopathic Hos¬
pital, of Boston, Massachusetts, and served as assistant
superintendent and later as superintendent of the Buf¬
falo, New York, Homeopathic Hospital.

EDWARD S. STROUT— The State of Maine has
given to the world many men of vigorous spirit and con¬
structive ability whose lives have been full of usefulness,
and one of these men is Edward S. Strout, who for the
past fifteen years has been associated with the Fiske-
Carter Construction Company, of Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts. Reared in the atmosphere of the lumber in¬
dustry, it was perhaps but natural that Mr. Strout
should have chosen the field of construction for the
scene of his life work. Certain it is that his activities
in the Worcester district are contributing in a marked
degree to the general welfare. He is a son of Willis
C. Strout, who was born at Alexander, Maine, and was
active in lumbering and farming enterprises. He now
lives retired at Grafton, Massachusetts. The mother,

126

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Almira (Towers) Strout, was born at Milltown, New
Brunswick, Canada, and is also still living.

Edward S. Strout was born at Alexander, Maine,
at the family homestead, September 7, 1879. After
completing his studies in the public schools of Alex¬
ander, Baring, and Calais, Maine, he became identified
with construction work in Worcester, Massachusetts,
where he has remained permanently. In 1908 Mr. Strout
became identified with his present associates in the or¬
ganization of the Fiske-Carter Construction Company,
the incorporators of this concern being as follows : Bur¬
ton C. Fiske, president; William W. Carter, treasurer;
Edward S. Strout, secretary and assistant treasurer.
With offices at No. 11 Foster Street, this concern handles
general construction work of all kinds. Their work is
not confined to this locality by any means, but extends
throughout the New England States, and with two
branch offices in the South, they go throughout the
Southern States east of the Mississippi River. They
have done much important work of lasting significance
to the people, and to the sections in which they have been
active. The young men of this organization are still in
the prime of life, progressive, forward-looking men of
the day, and this enterprise is understood to be the
most important in its field now centered in Worcester.
The company specializes in building construction, and
among the contracts which they have carried out may
be mentioned the Pacolet Manufacturing Company of
Pacolet, South Carolina, and New Holland, Georgia.
In these two places villages were constructed, including
the erection of houses, installation of sewers, water sys¬
tem, etc. Similar work has been done for the Wood-
side Cotton Mills, of Greenville, South Carolina. Mr.
Strout is a member of the Worcester Chamber of Com¬
merce, and fraternally holds membership in Quinsiga-
mond Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Eureka Chap¬
ter, Royal Arch Masons; and the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. He is a well-known member of the
Worcester Automobile Club.

Mr. Strout married, in 1910, Emily Ashworth, who
was born in Rochdale, Massachusetts.

JOHN LOVELL (J. LOVELL) JOHNSON—

There may be men living who have never heard of the
Iver Johnson firearms, nor the Iver Johnson bicycle,
but where would one go to find them ? At the head of the
great works and company manufacturing and marketing
these products of the inventive genius and mechanical
skill of his father, Iver Johnson, who has passed away
but lives in the memory of the men of the great plant
at Fitchburg, stands John Lovell Johnson, manufac¬
turer, business man, and eminent citizen. He has gained
his entire business experience with the manufacture and
sale of the products of the Iver Johnson’s Arms & Cycle
Works, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, having other interests,
but all subordinate in his life to the great interests
whose destinies he guides as chief executive.

Iver Johnson, the founder, was a son of John John¬
son, a farmer of Nordfjord, Norway, the farm on
which he was born was a family possession for cen¬
turies. Iver Johnson was born at the old homestead in
Norway, February 14, 1841, died at his home in Fitch¬
burg, Massachusetts, August 3, 1895, and was buried
at Worcester. At the age of sixteen, he began an ap¬

prenticeship at gunmaking in Bergen, Norway, serving
five years until 1862, then for a year worked as a
journeyman gunmaker in Christiana, Norway. In 1863
he came to the United States and settled at Worcester,
Massachusetts, where for eight years he was employed in
gunmaking shops. In 1871 he entered into partnership
with Martin Bye, and as Johnson & Bye they started in
a single room in a Church Street building, a gun shop
from which grew the great Iver Johnson’s Arms & Cycle
Works, of Worcester, now of Fitchburg, and The Iver
Johnson Sporting Goods Company, of Boston, Wor¬
cester, and Fitchburg.

Two years after the founding of Johnson & Bye the
business of the firm had outgrown the single room, and
two rooms were rented in the Armsby Building, on Cen¬
tral Street. There fifty hands were employed, and two
years later the firm bought the building, and by 1881
were using its entire floor space for their own purposes.
In 1883 Iver Johnson bought his partner’s interest and
thereafter conducted the business under the firm name,
Iver Johnson & Company. To the finest mechanical skill
as a gunmaker, Iver Johnson added fertile inventive
genius, and he devised patterns for bicycles and small
arms which he fully protected with patents. In his own
plant he used the best and most modern machinery and
was constantly devising new machines and implements.
Within a few years he was shipping goods all over the
United States, and agencies were established in Canada
and Mexico.

In 1885 the Iver Johnson bicycle was placed on the
market, and soon 1,000 bicycles of that pattern were being
made annually, and in five years 1 5,000 was the annual
output. More factory space than he could secure at his
Worcester plant caused Mr. Johnson to purchase the Fitch¬
burg plant of the Walter Hey wood Chair Manufacturing
Company plant, and there with additions and new buildings
he conducted one of the largest industrial plants in the
city of Fitchburg. After moving his factory to Fitch¬
burg, Iver Johnson retained his home at Worcester until
his later years, when he moved to Fitchburg to be near
his factory. He built up a tremendous demand for Iver
Johnson firearms and bicycles, and lived fully up to his
business slogan, “Honest goods at honest prices.” His
sons became associated with him in the business, and
when their honored father passed away they succeeded
him, and an uninterrupted growth and prosperity has
attended them.

Iver Johnson, while a resident in Worcester, was a di¬
rector of the Sovereign’s Cooperative Store, and of
three cooperative banks. For many years he was presi¬
dent of the Equity Cooperative Bank, and vice-president
of the Home Cooperative Bank. He was a trustee of
the Fitchburg Savings Bank, director of the Fitchburg
National Bank, and of the Fidelity Cooperative Bank
of Fitchburg. He toured Europe in 1884, visiting his
native land and many manufacturing centers. He was
a Republican in politics, a member of lodge, chapter,
commandery, and consistory of the Masonic order, hold¬
ing the thirty-second degree; was a noble of the Mystic
Shrine, and most charitable and philanthropic.

Iver Johnson married, April 9, 1868, Mary Elizabeth
Speirs, daughter of John and Janet (Adams) Speirs,
of Norwich, Connecticut. To them were born five chil¬
dren : Janet Bright, who died young; Frederick Iver,

BIOGRAPHICAL

127

John Lovell, of further mention; Walter Olaf, and a
daughter, Mary L. Otto.

John Lovell Johnson, son of Iver and Mary Eliza¬
beth (Speirs) Johnson, was born in Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts, June 26, 1876. He was educated in the public
schools of Worcester and Fitchburg, grammar and high,
and in Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Upon finishing
school he entered the Iver Johnson plant, in 1896, and is
now (1923) president of the Iver Johnson’s Arms &
Cycle Works, of Fitchburg; president of the Iver John¬
son Sporting Goods Company, of Boston, Worcester,
and Fitchburg; and of the Johnsonia Company, Incor¬
porated, of Fitchburg. The Iver Johnson’s Arms &
Cycle Works now comprise five brick buildings and
several wooden ones, with a floor space of about 200,000
feet, equipped with all modem machinery and appli¬
ances. Large wholesale depots are maintained in New
York, San Francisco, and Chicago, and with branches
in England and Australia, practically the whole world
is covered. Expert and skilled mechanics and metallur¬
gists are employed, and laboratories test all materials
chemically and mechanically. Iver Johnson arms and
bicycles have world-wide reputation, and it is claimed
that the output of small firearms and shotguns from the
Iver Johnson Works is greater than of all other small
firearms manufactured in the country. J. Lovell John¬
son has given his entire business life to the business of
which he is the capable head, and is complete master of
its every important detail.

Mr. Johnson’s other business interests are entirely
financial, he being vice-president and director of he
Fitchburg Bank & Trost Company, vice-president and
director of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Com¬
pany, trustee and member of the board of investment of
the Fitchburg Savings Bank, all of Fitchburg; director
of the Merchants’ National Bank, of Boston; Mer¬
chants’ National Bank of Worcester; Clinton Trust
Company of Clinton; Boston Casualty Company of
Boston; and Fitchburg Cooperative Bank.

In politics Mr. Johnson is a Republican, and has long
been active in public life and in party councils. He has
served as chairman of the Republican City Committee
of Fitchburg, and as treasurer of the Republican State
Central Committee of the State of Massachusetts. In
1916 he was a delegate to the National Republican Con¬
vention that nominated Charles E. Hughes for Presi¬
dent, and is one of the influential men of his party. In
1901 he was elected a member of the Fitchburg Board of
Aldermen, serving three years, and as president of the
board during the last two years of his term. In 1907 he
was chosen State Senator for two years, and during
1909-10, he was State Councillor for the Seventh Dis-
rict. In religious faith he is an Episcopalian. In the
Masonic order Mr. Johnson is Past Master of Charles
W. Moore Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; is a: com¬
panion of the Royal Arch ; a Knight Templar, and a
thirty-second degree member of the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite. He is a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, a
Past Exalted Ruler of the Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and a member of the Ancient and Hon¬
orable Artillery Company, His clubs are : The Algon¬
quin, Boston Athletic, and Boston City, of Boston ;
Worcester and Tatassit, of Worcester; Fay, Oak Hill
Country, and Sportsman’s, of Fitchburg.

REV. STANISLAUS JOSEPH CHLAPOWSKI—

The life of Father Chlapowski has been so closely
interwoven with the history of the city of Gardner in
recent years that it is peculiarly fitting to inscribe the
record of his work in the permanent annals of Worcester
County. His broad vision of life and his utter sur¬
render of himself to the service of God and humanity
form a chapter of deep interest to the people. A na¬
tive of Poland, Father Chlapowski is a son of Joseph
and Elizabeth (Rydlewicz) Chlapowski, who came to the
United States in the middle eighties, locating in
Webster, Massachusetts. They are still living in that
community, the father having been active as a farmer
for many years.

Rev. Stanislaus Joseph Chlapowski was born in Poland
August 21, 1883, and was only a little child when he came
with his parents to Webster, Massachusetts. He re¬
ceived his early education in the parochial schools of
Webster, attending evening school as well as day ses¬
sions, then later entered SS. Cyrillious and Methodius
College and Seminary, at Detroit, Michigan, where he
covered a five years, classical course, graduating magnet
cum laude in 1908. Later going to Montreal, Quebec,
Canada, he spent two years in the study of philosophy,
then entered the Grand Seminary, where in three years
and a half he completed his theological studies. On De¬
cember 20, 1913, he was ordained to the holy priest¬
hood at St. James’ Cathedral, in Montreal, by the Rt.
Rev. Archbishop Paul Bruchesi, D. D. Following his
ordination Father Chlapowksi returned to Webster,
Massachusetts, where he assisted in the services of St.
Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church for about three months.
He was then appointed to the Three Rivers (Palmer,
Massachusetts) Church as assistant priest, and served
for about eight months, after which he was appointed
pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, of Gardner. He took up
his duties here on November 22, 1914, and has led his
people forward through the trying years which have
since intervened, winning their sincere affection by his
self-sacrifice and devotion. Father Chlapowski has not
only revealed himself as a highly exemplary spiritual
leader of his flock, but has lived before the world such
a truly Christ-like life that all who know him have
learned to love and revere him. During the ravages of
the influenza epidemic which has gone down in history
as unexampled before or since, he ministered to what¬
ever need he found, no matter what that need might be.
In homely but heartfelt eulogy it was said of him at
that time :

Father Chlapowski rolled up his sleeves and went to
work among those stricken with the disease. He
stayed at the bedside of those who had no one to look
after them, he built fires, buying- coal where there was
no fuel, he bought supplies where there was no food,
and ministered to the afflicted irrespective of religion,
race or creed. His services reached the heroic stage.

It was said by those who were in closest touch with
his work at this fearful time, when the plague claimed
its victims by the hundreds, that for six weeks or more
Father Chlapowski never took any relief, snatching a
few moments of sleep only as he had opportunity. When
he was able to leave one patient he sought others, ques¬
tioning only their need, nothing else. Wherever he could
find a sick and suffering human being there he did all
that could be done, leaving only to seek further oppor-

128

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

tunities of service. No wonder that in Gardner he is
“the priest whom everybody loves.” In all the war¬
time activities he was a leader. He organized a Polish
war chest, and carried his church “over the top” in every
Liberty Loan and Red Cross drive, selling among his
people from $25,000 to $30,000 in every drive inaug¬
urated by the United States Government. Whenever
there was any war organization work to do he took a
leading part in it.

St. Joseph’s Church has grown and prospered much
under Father Chlapowski’s pastorate. The congregation
now numbers more than 1,100 souls, and he is leading
them ever to higher spiritual attainments as well as ma¬
terial prosperity as a church body. He has re-decorated
the church and has otherwise beautified and improved the
church property. He is active also in all branches of civic
endeavor, is a member of the board of directors of the
Gardner Chamber of Commerce, is a member of Gard¬
ner Council, No. 396, Knights of Columbus, and is a
director of the Community Girls’ Club. He takes a sin¬
cere pride in the growth and dignity of the new city ad¬
ministration and is a member of the memorial building
committee, which has in charge the erection of a new
city hall. Father Chlapowski is a broad-gauged man in
the highest sense of the term, and numbers among his
friends and admirers the best people of the community
without regard to theological differences or any barriers
of creed. Still a young man, a life of great and ever-
increasing usefulness unquestionably lies before him.

WARREN B. HARRIS — For many years active
along industrial lines in the town of Millbury, Massa¬
chusetts, Warren B. Harris holds a prominent position
in the business affairs of the community, and his ac¬
tivities are contributing to the progress of the textile
industry through the production of special parts for
textile equipment. Mr. Harris is a native of this com¬
munity, and a member of a very old New England family,
which has been represented in the professions and in¬
dustries for many generations, also bearing a part in
patriotic and public endeavors from time to time. War¬
ren A. Harris, Mr. Flarris’s father, was born in Mill¬
bury, Massachusetts, and was active as a farmer for
many years, also in the wood and ice business until his
death, which occurred in August, 1918. Fie married
Sarah Frances Bryant, of Lynnfield, Massachusetts.

Warren B. Harris was born at Millbury, Massachu¬
setts, March 29, 1884. His education was begun in the
local public schools, and following his course at the
Millbury High School, Air. Harris prepared for college
at Worcester Academy, then entered Brown University,
at Providence, Rhode Island, in the class of 1907. His
first business experience was in the employ of the
Crompton & Thayer Loom Works, where he remained
for one year in the experimental department. He then
purchased the Millbury Alachine Company, formerly
owned by E. J. Humphrey, and has since carried this
business forward, manufacturing window frame ma¬
chinery. In connection with this interest they do a gen¬
eral line of jobbing and repair work, and in 1912 Mr.
Harris bought out the Rice Dobby Chain Company and
has continued the two interests as one until the present
time. This newer concern manufactures dobby chains
for looms, and in this branch of his activity Mr. Harris is

doing a very prosperous and constantly growing business.
When he took over the interest in 1907 only three men
were employed, and the floor space occupied was only
about 4,000 square feet. He has now more than doubled
his space, and employs about twenty-five men. As a
practical business executive of Millbury Mr. Harris has
been sought by other interests and is now affiliated with
the Millbury National Bank as a director, and is a trus¬
tee of the Millbury Savings Bank, and also a director
and treasurer of the Community House of Alillbury.
He was brought forward in the public service several
years ago and was elected Selectman for the town of
Alillbury in 1917, serving for a period of five years, dur¬
ing the latter half of this time acting as chairman of
the Board of Selectmen. Fraternally he is identified
with the Masonic order, being a member of all bodies,
both York and Scottish Rites, and the Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member
of the Rotary Club of Worcester, and attends the Fed¬
erated Church.

Mr. Harris married, April 25, 1912, Rena Gates, who
was born in Worcester, and they are the parents of two
children: Warren Gates, born April 29, 1913; and Dor¬
othy Virginia, born July 2, 1917.

EDWARD ARTHUR DENNY— In the city of
Worcester, Massachusetts, the name of Edward A.
Denny has for nearly thirty years been closely identi¬
fied with that branch of economic advance known as life
insurance, and in this field Air. Denny holds a posi¬
tion of wide prominence as assistant secretary of the
State Mutual Life Insurance ’Company. Air. Denny
comes of distinguished antecedents, long prominent in
the old Bay State, and is a son of Daniel Edward and
Martha Alice (Fisher) Denny. The Hon. Daniel Ed¬
ward Denny was a man of unusual prominence of his
day in the State of Massachusetts. As a young man
he enlisted for service in the Civil War in the 42d Reg¬
iment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and served
with honor and distinction throughout he period of the
W’ar. He was for many years a leading figure in the
political advance of the city of Worcester, and prom¬
inent in the Republican party. He was elected repeatedly
to the Massachusetts House of Representatives and also
to the Senate, and was for a number of years a member
of the Governor’s Council, serving on that body during
the administrations of Governors Eugene N. Foss and
David I. Walsh. He is now retired from all business
and public activity, but he is still keenly alert to the
movements of the time, and his venerable figure is well
known in many circles in this city. He is often sought
in an advisory capacity on matters of both commercial
and public import.

Edward Arthur Denny was born in Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts, December 16, 1872. His education was begun
in the public schools of the city, and he covered the
usual course at the Worcester Classical High School,
from which he was graduated in 1892. Shortly there¬
after, Mr. Denny became identified with the State Afu-
tual Life Insurance Company in a subordinate capacity,
then, within a few years, was given the responsible po¬
sition of cashier. He was later made assistant secre¬
tary, which office he still ably fills. During his connec¬
tion with this concern, which now covers a period of

BIOGRAPHICAL

129

some three decades, Mr. Denny has been closely identi¬
fied with its progress and has been a significant factor
int its growth. In the various interests of the city, civic,
fraternal, and benevolent, Mr. Denny has always borne
a part. He is a member of the Worcester Chamber of
Commerce, which he served as treasurer in 1922, still
filling that office this present year (1923). Politically
he has been a loyal supporter of the principles of the
Republican party ever since attaining his majority, but
has never sought nor accepted public honors. Fra¬
ternally, Mr. Denny is identified with Morning Star
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Worcester, of
which he was Master in 1909 and 1910, and of which he
has been treasurer since 1911. He is a member of Eu¬
reka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; and Worcester
County Commandery, Knights Templar. He attends
the Central Congregational Church of Worcester, and is
active in its social and benevolent organizations.

Mr. Denny married, on September 19, 1900, Bertha
Julia Griswold, daughter of Frank C. and Mary A.
Griswold, of Plainville, Connecticut, and they have
one daughter, Barbara, born July 19, 1912.

JOSEPH A. LOVE, A. B., LL. B.— Successful in
the practice of the law, his chosen field of professional
endeavor, Joseph A. Love has won a high position in
Webster, Massachusetts, where he has practiced for the
past eighteen years or thereabouts. His prominence in
civic affairs and his leadership in patriotic endeavor
place him among the representative men of the day, and
he is also well known in fraternal and club circles. He
is a member of an old family of Worcester County, and
a son of John J. Love, of Webster, Massachusetts, and
for many years active in the granite business as the
head of an important monument works there. John J.
Love was a very prominent citizen, a Democrat by polit¬
ical affiliation, long a Selectman of the town of Webster,
and for two terms Postmaster under President Cleve¬
land; also for a long period a trustee of the public li¬
brary. He died June 20, 1915, and his passing was a
great loss to the community. The mother, Ann
(Hogan) Love, died at an early age, March 23, 1884.

Joseph A. Love was bom at Dudley, Massachusetts,
November 10, 1875. His early education was received
at St. Louis’ Parochial School, and he later attended
the Webster High School, from which he was gradu¬
ated in the class of 1892. Covering his preparatory
work at Phillips-Exeter Academy, he was graduated
from that institution in the class of 1894. He then
served three years as Assistant Postmaster under his
father, and one year in the same capacity under his
father’s successor. In the fall of 1898 he entered Har¬
vard University, from which he received the degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1902, with magna cum laude for
general work and final honors for special work in his¬
tory and government, and received a detur, and the
degree of Bachelor of Laws two years later. Serving a
clerkship in the offices of Raymond & Gordon, of Bos¬
ton, for one year, Mr. Love then returned to Webster
following his admission to the bar of the State, and
took up the practice of law in this community in No¬
vember of the year 1905. He has successfully conducted
a general practice since, and now holds front rank in

the profession in Southern Worcester County. Always
deeply interested in all advance, Mr. Love has for years
served in various public offices. He is a Democrat in
his politics, and he was elected, in 1908, Moderator of
the town meeting, and subsequently served in the same
capacity in 1913, 1914, and 1915. In 1916 he was elected
alternate delegate to the National Democratic Conven¬
tion at St. Louis. In 1917 he was made a delegate to
the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention from the
Sixth Worcester representative district, and served dur¬
ing that year and the following; and in 1917, also, he
was elected a member of the Webster School Commit¬
tee and has been reelected twice as the candidate of
both parties. He is now chairman of that committee.
During the World War he acted as associate member of
the Legal Advisory Board. He was also in charge, for
the United States Government, as agent, of licensing
the use of explosives under the Department of the In¬
terior. He was further identified as a volunteer, with
the work of the United States Secret Service, serving
under United States Attorney George Anderson, and
had charge of that work in Webster, Dudley, South-
bridge, Charlton, Oxford, Douglas, Sutton, and Ux¬
bridge, and also as district inspector of the American
Protective League. He also filled many positions on
local committees in war welfare work. Mr. Love was a
charter member of the Webster Chamber of Commerce,
and has served that body as counsel from its inception,
always taking the deepest interest in its work. Fie is
a member of the Massachusetts State Bar Association,
the Worcester County Bar Association, and the Southern
Worcester Bar Association. His fraternal affiliations
include membership in the Knights of Columbus, Web¬
ster Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
the Phi Beta Kappa fraternity, the Delta Epsilon, the
Thayer Law Club of Harvard University School of
Law, and the Kappa Epsilon Pi of Phillips-Exeter
Academy. He is a member of Putnam Country Club.
His religious faith is that of the Roman Catholic, in
which he was reared, and he is a member of St. Louis’
Church.

Mr. Love married Mary Elizabeth Lafford, of Web¬
ster, Massachusetts, daughter of William C. and Annie
(Sheehan) Lafford, esteemed people of this community.
Mr. and Mrs. Love have two children : Mary Gertrude,
born April 3, 1917; and Louise, born June 8, 1920.

HOWARD M. PARKS — Nine generations of the
Parks family are recorded in New England history,
but in the earlier records the name more often appears
as Parks and Park, while in one line the spelling Peirks
prevailed for several generations. Richard Parks was
the founder of the first of these generations which ter¬
minates in this review with Howard M;. Parks, of Fitch¬
burg, Massachusetts, president of the Parks, Cramer
Company, he being of the ninth generation.

Richard Parks was of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
where he became a proprietor in 1636, owning eleven
acres, on which he built a house that stood until 1800.
He owned other lands, and his will, dated July 12, 1665,
shows him to have been one of the wealthy men of the
colony. He married Sarah Brewster, widow of Love
Brewster, son of Elder William Brewster, and daughter

Wor — 9

130

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

of William and Jane Collier. The line of descent from
Richard and Sarah (Brewster) Parks is through their
son, Thomas Parks (1629-1690) and his wife, Abigail
Dix; their son, John Parks, (1656-1718) and his sec¬
ond wife, Elizabeth Miller; their son, John (2) Parks,
(1696) and his wife, Esther Parks; their son, John (3)
Parks, (1719-1804) and his wife, Hannah Hammond;
their son, Samuel Parks, (1761-1820) and his wife, An¬
nie Muzzy; their son, William Parks, (1805) and his
wife, Dolly S. Mclntire; their son, Gilbert M. Parks,
and his wife, Abbie F. Sampson; their son, Howard M.
Parks.

Gilbert M. Parks was born in Westminster, Massachu¬
setts, August 15, 1842, died December 16, 1914. He was
educated in the public schools and learned the gas and
steam fitter’s trade in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In
1872 he established with John H. Carpenter a business
which they jointly conducted until 1887, when Mr. Parks
bought his partner’s interest and continued alone until
1901. In that year with his sons, Robert S., Frederick
W., and Howard M., he incorporated the business as the
G. M. Parks Company, Gilbert M. Parks, president,
the sons as co-directors. This became one of the largest
and most completely equipped industrial piping plants in
New England, Mr. Parks ranking with the best business
men of his city. He was a director of the Lancaster
Cotton Mills, a member of Mt. Roulstone Lodge, Inde¬
pendent Order of Odd Fellows ; a Republican in politics,
and an attendant of the Unitarian church. He was a
man of rare quality, and his many years were filled with
the labor of one who worked for the joy of working.
Gilbert M. Parks married, October 27, 1870, Abbie F.
Sampson, daughter of Captain Robert Sampson, of
Fitchburg, and to them three sons and two daughters
were born: 1. Robert S., born March 10, 1872, his
father’s business associate. He married Caroline H.
Goodwin. 2. Frederick W., born December 21, 1874,
associated in business with his father and brothers. He
married Ruth W. Chapin. 3. Jennie A., born February
11, 1877, married H. G. Townend. 4. Howard M., of
further mention. 5. Helen A., born August 8, 1884.

Howard M. Parks, third son and fourth child of Gil¬
bert M. and Abbie F. (Sampson) Parks, was born in
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, December 26, 1878. He was
educated in the grade and high schools of the city, and
when school years were over he entered the family busi¬
ness with his father and brothers, learning the details
of the gas and steam fitting business. When the G. M.
Parks Company was incorporated in 1901 he became a
director of that corporation, so continuing until 1917,
when that company was absorbed by the Cramer Com¬
pany, of Charlotte, North Carolina, forming the Parks-
Cramer Company, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Howard
M. Parks, president. The company specializes in indus¬
trial piping and humidifying, their business being large
and reputation high. Mr. Parks has practically spent
his life in the business of which he is now the executive
head, and has intimate knowledge of its every detail
and process. He is a member of the Fitchburg Cham¬
ber of Commerce, the Fay Club, and Oak Hill Country
Club, of Fitchburg. The company is a member of the
Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

Howard M. Parks married, June 20, 1906, Hazel H.
Hopkins, daughter of Chester and Lilia (Woodward)

Hopkins, of Hopkins, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Parks
are the parents of a daughter, Jane, born February 23,
1909, she of the tenth generation of the family founded
in New England by Richard Parks.

HENRY G. PEARSON, one of the foremost busi¬
ness executives of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is directing
large affairs both in his capacity as treasurer of the
Goodnow-Pearson Company of this city, and as presi¬
dent of the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce. Mr.
Pearson has had wide and practical experience in the
business world, although for many years with the same
concern, for he has filled executive responsibilities in the
interests of this organization in the various localities in
which the company is active, and has now for many years
been a member of the concern. Mr. Pearson is inter¬
ested in organized advance and participates in all for¬
ward endeavor.

The Pearson family is one of dignity and distinction
in New England, and Moses Pearson, Mr. Pearson’s
grandfather, was an early resident of Sudbury, Massa¬
chusetts, later removing to Albany, Vermont, and event¬
ually to Coventry, Vermont. There his son, Samuel
Howe Pearson, became one of the leading men of the
community and a largely successful farmer. Samuel
Howe Pearson married Sarah Gray, a granddaughter
of Obadiah Gray, a pioneer settler of Coventry, Ver¬
mont, who later went to Keene, New Hampshire, and
became a leading lumberman of his time. Rev. Asahel
Gray, son of Obadiah Gray, and father of Sarah (Gray)
Pearson, was an early pastor of the Congregational
church and for forty-four consecutive years served as
a minister of that church.

Henry G. Pearson was born in Coventry, Vermont,
September 5, 1871. Receiving his early education in
the public schools of his birthplace, he later covered a
college preparatory course, then attended Lyndon Semi¬
nary, of Lyndon, Vermont. As a young man Mr. Pear¬
son secured a position with W. L. Goodnow in his
mercantile establishment, at East Jaffrey, Cheshire
County, New Hampshire. He remained with this in¬
terest for four years, then went to Keene, New Hamp¬
shire, where he was engaged for a similar period in the
Goodnow store in that city. Next he transferred his
activities to the Bellows Falls store, which was con¬
ducted under the title of Goodnow, Jewelt & Bishop,
there remaining for about three years. Thereafter
going to Brattleboro, Vermont, he was active for a
second period of three years, under the firm name of
Goodnow & Pearson, then came to Fitchburg in the year
1903 as manager of the Goodnow-Pearson interests and
treasurer of the company. The city of Fitchburg takes
pride in this thoroughly modern and efficiently conducted
department store where the people find a shopping
place second to none in New England in its atmosphere
of courtesy and willingness to oblige, also in the thor¬
ough excellence of the stock carried. Mr. Pearson, as
a leading business man of Fitchburg, was elected presi¬
dent of the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce in De¬
cember, 1922. He is a trustee of the Worcester North
Savings Institute and interested in all that pertains to
the public advance. He was a member of the City
Council for three consecutive years some time ago
(1904-5-6) but his busy life has compelled him to decline

BIOGRAPHICAL

the honors and responsibilities of public office. Fra¬
ternally Mr. Pearson is affiliated with the Free and
Accepted Masons, of Brattleboro, Vermont. He is a
member of the Masonic Club of Fitchburg, the Rotary
Club, also of Fitchburg; the Columbia Club, the Oak
Hill Country Club, and the Fay Club of Fitchburg.

Henry G. Pearson married, at Brattleboro, Vermont,
June 15, 1907, Ella Tanner Waite, and they are the
parents of two children: Gray Waite, bom December
20, 1909; and Lucretia, born October 5, 1915, both chil¬
dren being born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

FRANK W. MORRISON — In legal circles in Wor¬
cester, Massachusetts, Frank W. Morrison holds a
prominent position, his long experience and splendid
ability giving him a place among the really noteworthy
professional men of that city. Mr. Morrison is a son
of George W. Morrison, who was born in Rockingham,
Vermont, and was active here as a farmer and live stock
dealer until his death, which occurred in 1898. The
mother, Harriet Barton (Wetherbee) Morrison, was
born at Grafton, Vermont, and still survives her husband.

Frank W. Morrison was born at Rockingham, Ver¬
mont, July 16, 1871. Receiving his early education in the
public schools of his birthplace, he later attended Ver¬
mont Academy. In 1896 he was graduated from Stan¬
ford University, in California', with the degree of Bach¬
elor of Arts. Subsequently he took a post graduate
course in law at this university. In 1901 he entered
practice in San Francisco, specializing in mining law.
Mr. Morrison returned East in 1910, and opened law
offices in Worcester. Since 1918 his offices have been at
No. 340 Main Street, in the State Mutual Building, and
at Whitinsville, Massachusetts. He quickly developed a
large practice, for his habit of making a client’s cause
his own, his thorough preparation of every case, together
with a virile personality which inspires confidence, have
won for him a wide circle of friends. Mr. Morrison
holds an important place in the legal profession in Wor¬
cester, and has appeared as attorney in many important
cases. He prepared, conducted, and argued the famous
case of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. the City
of Methuen. In compliance with the statutes it was
necessary to bring the action in the name of the At¬
torney General. This was a quo warranto proceeding
to set aside that city’s charter, and the question was as
to whether quo warranto was the proper form of action.
Mr. Morrison’s research in the preparation of the case
took him back into English court proceedings as early as
the twelfth century. The history of similar actions
during all the intervening centuries verified his judg¬
ment The argument was heard in a special session of
the Supreme Court, at which all the Justices were pres¬
ent. They listened with rapt attention, frequently in¬
terrupting with questions that would have been discon¬
certing to an advocate less thoroughly prepared. In
1921 the Supreme Court handed down a decision setting
aside the charter of he city of Methuen. This has at¬
tracted wide attention and has become a ruling case.
Mr. Morrison has been a resident of Uxbridge for a
number of years, serving that town as counsel for five
years, and for a similar period served as counsel for
the town of Northbridge. He is attorney for the
Whitinsville National Bank, and several industrial cor¬

131

porations, and serves as a trustee of the Whitinsville
Savings Bank, an office he has held since 1916.

Reared on a farm, he has never lost his love of the
soil, and his chief diversion from the exactions of his
professional vocation is found in conducting a dairy farm
at Saxton’s River, Vermont, under the name, “Green
Mountain Farms.” The farm comprises about six hun¬
dred acres, and includes the two' hundred and twenty-
five-acre homestead of his grandfather and father. One
hundred acres are under cultivation. With ample pas¬
turage, he also raises all his feed and fills three large
silos with winter fodder. The herd of fifty head of
registered Brown Swiss dairy cattle produces not less
than three hundred quarts of milk a day, and at times
the quantity runs much higher.

Mr. Morrison has an aversion to the term “gentleman
farmer,” which often, if not generally, connotes con¬
ducting an agricultural enterprise at a financial loss,
blacked by the practical experience gained in his youth,
he believes that farming can be made as profitable as any
other industry by the application of scientific methods
and the exercise of that care and sound judgment which
are at the basis of success in every business. He is a
lover of trees, and the subject of reforestation has
claimed his interest for some time. It is safe to say
that if a good percentage of people who own suitable
land would follow Mr. Morrison’s example, little con¬
cern need be felt for our future supply of lumber.
Already he has set out 6,000 Norway spruce and some
white pines on his “Green Mountain Farms.” This is
to be followed by other plantings, guided by the experi¬
ence gained in this first experiment.

The production of maple syrup and sugar is one of
the three principal industries upon which the State of
Vermont must depend. Yet Mr. Morrison is probably
the first man to approach the subject of producing maple
sap with a plan to which the term efficient might prop*-
erly be applied. At present the business is carried on
in a very crude manner. No maple orchard has ever
been set out in a systematic manner; the trees grow in
clumps, here and there, and the sap is gathered in the
same slow, laborious, expensive way followed by the
forefathers. Mr. Morrison’s idea is to set out maple
seedlings six feet apart, making about twelve hundred to
the acre. As the trees will be planted on a hillside, a
system of piping can be used that will collect the sap
from the trees and convey it by gravity to the boiler
houses. This method will greatly reduce the expense of
manufacturing, and at the same time increase the quan¬
tity of product. Mr. Morrison plans to tap every
other row of trees in each direction when they are about
fifteen years old. Besides yielding some sap, and thus
getting an early financial return from the orchard, it is
expected that this early tapping will kill the trees, which
it is intended shall be thinned out and used for cord
wood. This will not only give the remaining trees
needed room for development, but it will provide a
system of roadways which will enable sap to be gathered
by teams should anything put the gravity system of
piping out of commission.

When Mr. Morrison first broached this plan to
the State Forestry Department of Vermont it aroused
no enthusiasm ; but he hammered away in persistent law¬
yer fashion until the spring of 1923, when he succeeded

132

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

in closing a contract, by the terms of which the State
of Vermont is to deliver to him 18,000 sugar maple
seedlings, in the spring of 1925, at the cost of growing
them. Maple syrup now sells for $2.50 per gallon, and
it is safe to say the price will never be lower. It is
expected that the orchard here described will yield
10,000 gallons per year when the trees have reached the
sap-producing age. It is believed this is the first project
of its kind in this country, and it is sufficiently unique
and important to have gained special notice from the
great editorial writer, Arthur Brisbane. In his column,
“Tc-dav,” he said recently:

In one bright spot in Vermont, in the State nurser¬
ies, will grow 18,000 sugar maple trees. When three
years old they will be delivered to a Mr. Morrison,
who will plant them twelve hundred to an acre, on the
side of a hill, that the sap, as collected, may run down
by gravity.

Inferior trees will be cut for cord wood, thinning
out the grove. The State will be enriched and the food
supply increased. That's real civilization, better than
war.

Interested broadly in all civic and social advance, Mr.
Morrison showed his patriotism during the World War
by serving as corporal in the Massachusetts National
Guard, and he also served, without compensation (even
paying his own expenses), as government appeal agent
for seven towns under the Selective Draft. This was
an arduous position involving much driving. It has
already been noted that Mr. Morrison possesses the
capacity for taking infinite pains, and his work as appeal
agent was done with such characteristic care and thor¬
oughness, that the board accepted his decisions in every
case. Mr. Morrison is a member of the Worcester
County Bar Association, and his social affiliations in¬
clude Solomon’s Temple Lodge, Ancient Free and Ac¬
cepted Masons; the Composite Club, and the Congre¬
gational Club of Whitinsville. He is also a member of
the Congregational Church Society of that town.

On January 27, 1907, Frank W. Morrison married
Alice Parkis, who was born in Slatersville, Rhode Island,
and they have one child, Frances Parkhurst, who was
born November 2, 1907.

WELLS L. HILL, one of the important figures in
the prosperous town of Athol, Massachusetts, who for
more than half a century has been owner and editor of
the Athol “Transcript,” one of the most progressive
weekly newspapers in Worcester County, Massachusetts,
is a native of Athol, and a son of John C. and Dolly
(Smith) Hill, this family being leaders in the civic and
social life of the community for generations. Mrs. Hill
was a granddaughter of Aaron Smith, one of the first
settlers of the town. John C. Hill was prominent in the
local world of finance and business, and the moving
spirit in the organization of the Athol Savings Bank,
which was incorporated in the year 1867.

Wells L. Hill was born in Athol, Massachusetts, July
25. 1850. Following his elementary studies he was
overtaken by a calamity which in a man of lesser calibre
would have precluded a life of such breadth of useful¬
ness. Recovering from a severe attack of scarlet fever,
he was left totally deaf, at the age of twelve years. His
speech and eyesight were spared to him, however, and
with valiant courage he set to work to make something
of his life, regardless of this handicap. He became a

graduate of Gallaudet College for the Deaf at Wash¬
ington, District of Columbia, and graduated as a member
of the class of 1872. Early in tne following year he pur¬
chased a third interest in the Athol “Transcript” and be¬
came its editor. Under his leadership this paper, which had
previously had a short, but varied, history, was stabilized
and became an influence for good both in the homes of
the community and its surrounding towns and in the
business life of his section.

The Athol “Transcript” was founded in the year 1871
by Lucien Lord, the leading real estate dealer of Athol,
theretofore postmaster of the town, and also the builder
of the Academy of Music. Associated with him in the
“Transcript” business was Edward F. Jones, the most
prominent local printer of that time, and Dr. Vernon
O. Taylor, a highly esteemed physician of Athol, was
made the editor. The first issue of the paper appeared
on January 31, 1871. Not long afterward the first editor
was succeeded by Colonel George H. Hoyt, a veteran of
the Civil War, who shortly before that struggle had
become nationally famous as one of the defenders of
John Brown in his trial following his historic raid at
Harper’s Ferry. Colonel Hoyt was in Kansas there¬
after until the breaking out of the Civil War, where
he won his rank. He returned to Athol after the war,
opened a law office and bought an interest in the “Tran¬
script.” Upon Colonel Hoyt’s election to the State
Legislature he sold his interest to Edgar A. Smith, who
had previously been a resident of Fitchburg, Massachu¬
setts, and at this time Mr. Hill bought his interest in the
paper and became its editor. A few years later Mr. Hill
purchased the interests of his partners, and he has since
been at the head of the business.

Mr. Hill’s policy has always been one of advance. A
job printing department has kept pace with the news¬
paper in growth and usefulness, until now the plant is
one of the most thoroughly up-to-date of any in the
State, with the most modern improved machinery and
equipment. They make a specialty of constantly adding
new type faces and designs, keeping their equipment
always fresh and complete. Two linotypes are now in
use in the office.

The “Transcript” has always supported the principles
and policies of the Republican party in political issues
of local, State or national import, but has been and still
is thoroughly devoted to the many branches of endeavor
which count for local betterment and the integrity and
security of the home. It has undergone many changes,
improvements and enlargements during its life, and is
now the largest weekly newspaper in this section of the
State, printing from twelve to twenty pages, as required
by its extensive advertising patronage. In fact, it is a
broadly representative American newspaper of the better
class, circulating extensively in Worcester County and
north, west and eastern Franklin County. The head
printer is W. Paul Cook, a graduate of Dartmouth Col¬
lege, and an expert craftsman.

Wells L. Hill married, May 11, 1875, Abbie M. Earle,
daughter of Luke and Lucy Abby Earle, of Greenwich,
and their four children are: 1. J. Clarence, a graduate
of the Athol High School; entered the “Transcript”
office immediately following his graduation, and is now
general manager and associate editor of the paper and
stands at the head of the business, a thoroughly pro-

BIOGRAPHICAL

gressive young man of Athol. 2. Louett E., who is a
general assistant in the business. 3. Raymond E., who
served in the World War with the rank of captain, and
is now one of the publicity managers of the world-famous
Winchester Arms Company, of New Haven, Connecticut.
4. Nettie E., who resides with her brother in New
Haven.

FREDERICK H. LEE, of the Lee Hardware Com¬
pany, has spent practically his entire life in Athol,
Massachusetts. He is a descendant of two of the oldest
families in the community, the Fish family, of which his
father is a descendant, being one of the first group
which settled in Athol, and the ancestors of the Lee fam¬
ily coming soon afterward.

Samuel Lee, father of Frederick H. Lee, commenced
a retail business in 1854, and from 1854 to the time of
his death, with the exception of one year, during which
he built the hotel known as the “Summit House,” in
1857-58, was engaged in retail business, founding the
Lee Hardware Company in 1873. He took an active part
in political affairs, and for many years was one of the
active and progressive citizens of Athol. He married
Hattie L. Nourse, of Wallingford, Vermont, and their
children were: Richard H., who died in infancy, and
Frederick H., subject of this review.

Bora in Athol, Massachusetts, March 30, 1867, Fred¬
erick H. Lee received his education in the public schools
of his native city. When school days were over he be¬
came associated with his father in the hardware business,
and he continued to be his father’s faithful and efficient
assistant to the time of the death of the latter, October
3, 1916. On January 1, 1917, he formed a partnership
with A. B. Perkins, and from that time to the present
(1923) the partners have continued to conduct the busi¬
ness under the name of Lee Hardware Company. The
concern sells, besides hardware, seeds and paints, and
has built up a very large and profitable business. Mr.
Lee is one of the corporators of the Athol Savings Bank,
and he is generally known as a conservative business
man, who may be trusted to see all sides of a business
proposition, and also as one who is progressive enough
to undertake a new enterprise. Politically, he gives his
support to the principles and the candidates of the
Democratic party, and he has always been ready to bear
his share of the burden of local public office. For fifteen
years he served as a member of the School Committee,
and at the present time (1923) is a member of the Cem¬
etery Committee. During the World War he aided in
all the ways which citizens at home found to forward
the work of the war, giving freely to the Red Cross
work, and using his influence to insure the successful
accomplishment of the work of the various war com¬
mittees of the community. Mr. Lee stands high in the
Masonic order, being a member of all bodies, both York
and Scottish Rites, as far as and including the consistory,
where he received the thirty-second degree. In 1904 he
was Commander of Athol Commandery, Knights Temp¬
lar, and for the past seventeen years he has been re¬
corder. He takes an active part in the work of the
Unitarian church. He was a member of the Old First
Unitarian Church of Athol until 1922, when through the
efforts of Mr. Lee and Mr. F. E. Wing, the First and
Second Unitarian churches were combined into one con¬

133

gregation, which is known as the First Church, Uni¬
tarian, Inc., of Athol, Massachusetts.

Frederick H. Lee has been twice married. He mar¬
ried (first) Emma J. Tooley, of Athol, who died in
Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1920. He married (sec¬
ond), at Boston, Massachusetts, Susan M. Perkins, the
sister of his partner in business, and daughter of Rob¬
ert Rodger and Mary Jane (Wiggins) Perkins. His
second marriage occurred in June, 1922.

HERBERT E. JENNISON, of Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, holds a prominent position in the industrial af¬
fairs of the city, his position as a leading official of three
important concerns placing him in the front rank of
local industrial progress. Mr. Jennison is a practical
business man, gifted with large executive ability and
the breadth of vision which applies that ability to per¬
manently useful purposes.

As president of the Jennison Company, Mr. Jennison
is taking a widely important part in plumbing, heating,
and sheet metal activities in New England. In associ¬
ation with James H. Mack, Mr. Jennison took over this
enterprise which was founded by A. A. Spear & Com¬
pany, then for a time conducted under the title of the
C. M. Converse Company. As Mack & Jennison, the
business went forward from 1885, at which date only
about fifteen men were employed. The business then
consisted only of local plumbing, heating, and sheet
metal work. Throughout the entire subsequent period
the same general line of advance has been followed,
but the scope of the interest has extended very largely.
They now have for many years taken care of the needs
of mills and other industrial plants, also large buildings
of every description, and their efficient work has brought
them commissions from all parts of New England. This
entire section now comprises their territory and they
employ about two hundred and fifty men. On April 1,
1923, the interest was incorporated under the laws of
the State of Massachusetts for the sum of $250,000,
Herbert E. Jennison becoming president, and Colonel W.
H. Dolan, treasurer. Mr. Jennison is also president and
treasurer of the Blake Pump & Condenser Company,
with plant located at Sawyer Passwav, in Fitchburg,
and is an important enterprise in its field. This con¬
cern produces general pumping machinery, including the
hydraulic apparatus for work of this kind, which was
in great demand during the World War. Mr. Jennison’s
long experience has been of the greatest value in the
progress of this company, which was incorporated in the
year 1907. With F. C. Smith as works manager and
during the busy season a full complement of men em¬
ployed, this concern holds a leading position in its field.

Further active as the owner of another interest known
as the Thomson Company, Mr. Jennison is in this con¬
nection participating in the continuous forward move¬
ment for the benefit of dumb animals. The business con¬
sists of the manufacture of zinc horse collars, and was
founded in 1877 hy Alexander Thomson. During Mr.
Thomson’s activities he conducted the business under
the title of the Thomson Steel Horse Collar Company,
and for more than thirty years, or until his death, carried
the interest forward successfully. It was then taken
over by Mr. Jennison, who conducts its affairs under
the title of the Thomson Company. Mr. Jennison has

134

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

not exploited the affairs of this concern as extensively
as in the case of his other interests, but its growth has
been steady and its field of distribution is principally
furnished by the United States Government and various
city fire departments still using horse-drawn equipment.
Within the past four years important improvements
have been made in the construction of the collar, which
is now pronounced by the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals to be the best device ever invented
for the horse. In these varied activities Herbert E.
Jennison bears a progressive and useful part in present
day affairs and, interested in all progress, he endorses
constructive effort in every line of advance.

MARTIN VAN BUREN HOWE, the venerable
and honored head of the well-known chair manufac¬
turing concern of Howe, Spaulding Company, Incor¬
porated, is still one of the active figures in the business
life of Gardner, Massachusetts. Although he is in
the eighty-seventh year of his age, he is still alert to
the conditions of the moment and as active as many men
a quarter of a century his junior. He is first at his
desk in the morning and one of the last to leave at
night. Loving his work and uneasy when not busy, he
is one of the best informed men of the day regarding
conditions and prospects in the chair manufacturing in¬
dustry. Mr. Howe is a son of Spooner and Phoebe
(Briggs) Howe, his father a native of Jamaica, Ver¬
mont, and his mother of Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
The father was a shoemaker by trade in the early period
when all work of this kind was done by hand, and con¬
ducted a shop in Jamaica, Vermont, until the time of
his death. Both Mr. Howe’s parents died in Jamaica
many years ago.

Martin Van Buren Howe was born at Jamaica, Ver¬
mont, April 7, 1837. His education was received in the
little country school house on the edge of the woods,
about three miles from the village of Jamaica, and he
completed the course available in his sixteen year. Born
on the farm, he bore a part in the activities of the place
even as a child, and when his schooling was completed
took up the work of the farm, taking a man’s place
beside his step-father. His tastes, however, inclined
him more to a business career, and in 1855 he came to
Massachusetts and found employment in a chair factory
in East Templeton. About two years later he went to
Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and entered the employ
of the Winchester Brothers, also chair manufacturers,
with which firm he remained for about ten years. Dur¬
ing his connection with the Winchester interests Mr.
Howe worked for about six years in the machine shop
of the plant, learning the machinist’s trade, as well as
that of pattern maker. In April, 1867, he resigned from
their employ and came to Gardner, Massachusetts,
where he entered the machine shop of the Heywood
Brothers & Company. About a year later he was trans¬
ferred to the chair department of the same concern,
and was for some time active in contract work, having
sixty-five men under him. This work continued for
about four years, then he was placed in charge of the
wood working department of the same concern, in which
connection he served for about fifteen years. In March,
1900, Mr. Howe resigned from this position to engage
in business for himself, founding the present interest

of Howe, Spaulding & Company, his son-in-law, George
W. Spaulding, being his partner in the business. A
period of widespread financial depression came on
shortly after the establishing of this interest and during
that time Mr. Howe managed to keep his head above
water. Thereafter, however, his advancement was
rapid and his success became an assured fact. He went
forward with the courage of a man who has been tried
and has proven his own ability, and he has developed
one of the successful chair manufacturing concerns of
Gardner, incorporated July 1, 1923, as Howe, Spaulding
Company, Incorporated; M. V. B. Howe, president and
treasurer; G. W. Spaulding, vice-president; G. M. Howe,
clerk. He is one of the oldest men still active in the
business life of this city, and both among his associates
and employees is looked up to and revered. Among the
people generally, he is most highly esteemed, and
although he has few interests outside of his business,
he has always lent his influence to any movement which
had for its purpose the progress of the community or
the welfare of the people.

Mr. Howe married, on February 10, i860, Sarah S.
Metcalf, of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, who survived
until recent years passing away on June 28, 1922, after
sixty-two years of happy married life. Mr. and Mrs.
Howe were the parents of four children: Two sons and
two daughters, of whom three are living; Alice M., the
wife of George W. Spaulding, a member of the firm of
Howe, Spaulding Company, Incorporated ; Herbert L.,
active in business in South Gardner; and George M.,
assistant manager for Howe, Spaulding Company In¬
corporated.

ALVAN TRACY SIMONDS — As the present head
of an interest which for upwards of a century has been
carried forward under the administration of members
of his family, Alvan Tracy Simonds holds a position of
wide usefulness, and in carrying this enterprise to its
present importance he has won large success. The
Simonds Saw and Steel Company, of Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, is a leading concern in its field in the United
States, and is one of the foremost industrial organiza¬
tions of Worcester County.

The Simonds family came from England to America
in early Colonial times, and early records give the name
of the pioneer as Samuel Simonds, Gentleman. He
settled at Ipswich, Massachusetts, and was considered a
leader in the little company of Puritans who settled
the Massachusetts Bay Colony, serving as deputy and
assistant under Governor Winthrop, and in the year 1673
becoming Deputy Governor of Massachusetts.

Abel Simonds, the eighth generation in direct descent
from Samuel Simonds, was bom in Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, December 10, 1804, and died in the place of
his birth, April 22, 1874. As a young man twenty-eight
years of age, he became active in business in partnership
with A. T. Farwell, purchasing a mill privilege in West
Fitchburg. There in 1832 he built his first shop, which
formed the nucleus of the present interest, and this
business was conducted under the firm name of J. T.
Farwell & Company. In the year 1851 the partnership
was dissolved and Abel Simonds continued the business
independently until 1864, when he retired, and the enter¬
prise was taken over by his sons and another associate,

BIOGRAPHICAL

135

under the title of Simonds Brothers '& Company. The
personnel of the company was then Alvan A. Simonds,
George F. Simonds, and Benjamin Snow. Prosperity
and steady growth continued the rule, and the necessity
for the expansion of the plant became imperative. Ac¬
cordingly, in 1868, the business was incorporated as the
Simonds Manufacturing Company, among its charter
members being: George F., Alvan A., Thomas T., Daniel,
and Edwin F. Simonds. A new and for the time highly
modern structure was erected at the present location in
the city of Fitchburg. Up to this time the business had
comprised the manufacture of mower knives and planer
knives, and for about a decade no radical change was
made in the product. Tn 1878 they disposed of their
interest in the manufacture of mower knives, at the same
+ime enlarging the other department, also beginning the
manufacture of saws. In this new branch they employed
n entirely new system of tempering and straightening
which turned out a product greatly superior to any
previously made. Two years had been devoted to ten¬
tative developments in this special field, beginning with
circular saws, and after the department was established
they added cross-cut, band, and hand saws. Meanwhile,
for twenty years, from the date of incorporation until
the year 1888, George F. Simonds ably filled the office of
president, and great credit is due to his far-sighted
management and excellent judgment for the breadth of
activity which was eventually attained. George F.
Simonds then resigned to form a new company and enter
a different field of endeavor, and he was succeeded by
Daniel Simonds, who filled the office of president from
1888 until his death, which occurred May 5, 1913. Alvan
A. Simonds left the concern in 1875. Before and during
the presidency of Daniel Simonds a definite policy of
expansion was followed. Branch offices were opened
at intervals in the following cities : Chicago, Illinois,
(1880) ; San Francisco, California, (1886) ; New Or¬
leans, Louisiana, (1888); Portland, Oregon, (1891);
New York City, (1892); Seattle, Washington, (1898);
Montreal, Quebec, (1906) ; St. John, New Brunswick,
(1906) ; and Vancouver, British Columbia, (1911).

During this period an additional factory was erected
in Chicago in 1892, and eight years later a steel mill was
established by the company in the same city. In 1911
the steel mill was removed to Lockport, New York,
where a complete new and modern equipment was in¬
stalled. The Fitchburg plant was rebuilt and enlarged
in 1905-06, and in the latter year the present great fac¬
tory in Montreal, Canada, was placed in operation. In
1906 also the manufacture of hack saw blades and files
was undertaken in a separate factory, and this branch of
the business grew so rapidly that in more recent years
new buildings have been continually added to accom¬
modate the routine operation of the interest. Daniel
Simonds received into association with him in the busi¬
ness his three sons: Alvan T., who since 1913 has been
president of the company, of further mention ; Gifford
K., now general manager, of further mention; and Har¬
lan K., now treasurer, of further mention. These
brothers act as directors also, the board numbering
four other members : Thomas F. Howarth, John E.
Kelley, Charles L. Sands, and Albert E. Culley. In De¬
cember, 1922, shortly after the opening of the branch
office in Detroit, Michigan, the company sold its assets

in the Simonds File Company, in combination with other
interested parties, to a new incorporation known as the
Simonds Saw and Steel Company, the personnel of this
concern comprising the same officers and directors. The
product of this concern is distributed throughout the
world, wherever wood or metal is cut. In the various
factories and branch offices at the present time (1923)
no less than 2,200 people are employed.

Alvan Tracy Simonds, eldest son of Daniel and Ellen
M. Simonds, was born at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, De¬
cember 23, 1876. His education was begun in the local
schools, and he was graduated from the Fitchburg High
School in the class of 1894. Next attending Phillips-
Exeter Academy for one year, he later entered Har¬
vard University, from which he was graduated in the
class of 1899. Specializing at this institution in eco¬
nomics and metallurgy, Mr. Simonds then took up ad¬
vanced research in the latter field at the School of
Metallurgy, at Sheffield, England, his graduation occur¬
ring in the year 1900. Thus completing his preparations
for his work at the steel center of the old world, he
entered upon his career well equipped for responsibility.
First filling the position of laboratory assistant with the
Simonds Saw and Steel Company, he gained invaluable
experience in both the production and distribution de¬
partments of the plant. He next filled the position of
department foreman, then successively order entry clerk,
cost accountant, advertising manager, purchasing agent,
and vice-president, succeeding to the presidency of the
corporation on the death of his honored father. He
is further identified with the industrial advance as a
director of the Hunter Arms Company, Incorporated,
of Fulton, New York, and is a director of the Fitchburg
Bank & Trust Company. Mr. Simonds was elected a
director of the United States Chamber of Commerce in
May, 1922. He is a member of the National Manufac¬
turers’ Association, the American Iron and Steel Insti¬
tute, a director of the American Supply & Machinery
Manufacturers’ Association of New York City, and a
member of the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce. Dur¬
ing the World War he served with the rank of captain,
from May until December, 1917, in charge of the pur¬
chase and production of helmets and body armor for
the United States Army, then at the close of that period
Captain Simonds was relieved from duty at Washington,
where he had served under the immediate direction of
the ordnance department, to manufacture arm/or plate
for this department. In many other phases of progres¬
sive effort Mr. Simonds holds executive responsibility
or bears a constructive part. He was a founder and
guarantor of the Fitchburg Open Forum, and held his
office during the years 1919, 1920, and 1921. He is a
member of the visiting committee of the Harvard School
of Business Administration, of the Harvard Club of
Boston, the Engineers’ Club of New York, the Brookline
Country Club of Boston, and the Fay and Oak Hill
Country clubs of Fitchburg. He attends the Calvanistic
Congregational Church.

Alvan Tracy Simonds married, on April 16, 1901,
at Albany, New York, Susan Gansevoort Lansing, and
they are the parents of two children : Robert McClellan,
born April ix, 1902; and Daniel, born February 28, 1906.

Gifford Kingsbury Simonds, second son of Daniel
and Ellen M. Simonds, was born at Fitchburg Massa-

136

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

chusetts, November 29, 1880. Following his early and
preparatory studies in the city of his birth, he attended
military school at Ossining, New York, then completed
his formal education at Hopkinson School, in Boston.
He then spent five years in the Fitchburg factory of the
concern, working through the different departments,
thereafter devoting a certain period of time to each of
the various office departments, thereby familiarizing him¬
self thoroughly with every branch of the business. He
subsequently became treasurer of the corporation, and
is now also general manager. He is further active as a
director of the First National Bank of Boston, and is a
director of the Safety Fund National Bank of Fitch¬
burg. He is prominent in various local affairs, was at
one time Alderman of Fitchburg, is a member of the
Fay, Oak Hill Country, and Tedesco Country clubs, all
of Fitchburg; of the Corinthian Yacht Club of Marble¬
head, Massachusetts, and the Eastern Yacht Club. He
attends the Calvanistic Congregational Church. Gif¬
ford K. Simonds married, at Fitchburg, Ruth Wood¬
ward, daughter of Frederick F., and Elizabeth (How¬
land) Woodward, and they are the parents of three
children : Priscilla, born in 191 1 ; Kingsbury, born in
1914; and John, born in 1917.

Harlan Kenneth Simonds, youngest son of Daniel and
Ellen M. Simonds, was bom January 5, 1883. His early
education was received in the local institutions, and he
later attended military school at Ossining, New York,
also the Hopkinson School of Boston. As his brothers
had done, he entered the plant of the Simonds Company
and learned all branches of the business through the
eminently practical method of experience. Thus fitting
himself for the executive responsibility which now de¬
volves upon him as treasurer of the concern, he is hold¬
ing high rank in the business world of Fitchburg.

ELMER ALONZO ONTHANK— Those who build
up and safeguard the interests of financial institutions
which encourage thrift and protect the savings of the
public serve the community as well as the organization
with which they are connected, in a substantial way. To
them is committed much, and upon their integrity and
faithfulness depends much of happiness. If they fail in
honor or in watchfulness, misfortune and unhappiness
must come to many. One of the many faithful pro¬
tectors of financial prosperity of others is Elmer Alonzo
Onthank president of the Safety Fund National Bank of
Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Mr. Onthank is a native of New England, a son of
Nahum Ball, a portrait painter, whose work may be seen
in many of the prominent galleries of the country, and
of Caroline Heath (Clancey) Onthank. Born in West
Newton, Massachusetts, April 5, 1870, he completed his
education in the English High School of Boston, Massa¬
chusetts, and then began his long association with the
banking business. His first position was with the old
Blackstone National Bank of Boston, in the employ of
which he held various positions for a period of nine
years, from 1888 to 1897. In the latter year he severed
his connection with the Blackstone National Bank in
order to accept the position of cashier of the Safety
Fund National Bank, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
During the more than a quarter of a century which
has passed since that time, he has continuously main¬

tained his connection with that institution, giving to the
advancement of its interests his constant care and de¬
votion. The value of his service has been fully appre¬
ciated, and in 1907 he was made president of the bank.
His ability and his knowledge of banking affairs have
brought to him responsibilities which affect the interests
of many financial institutions outside of Fitchburg, and
in 1919 he was made president of the Massachusetts
Bankers’ Association, serving until 1920. In that year
his sphere of activities was widened and he became a
member of the executive council National Bank Division
of the American Bankers’ Association for the New Eng¬
land division, which office of trust he still holds (1923).
He is also chairman, stockholder and on the advisory
committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Fraternally Mr. Onthank is a member and Past Mas¬
ter of Aurora Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, in
which order he has taken all the degrees up to and in¬
cluding the thirty-second. He is also a member of the
Sons of the American Revolution. He is well known
in club circles, being affiliated with the Algonquin Club of
Boston, Bankers’ Club of New York City, Corinthian
Yacht Club of Marblehead, Massachusetts; and Fay
Club and Oak Hill Country Club of Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts. He has many friends who esteem him both
for his business ability and for his personal character¬
istics. He religious affiliation is with the First Parish
Unitarian Church of Fitchburg.

Elmer Alonzo Onthank married, on March 10, 1903,
at West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Grace Bandini Pierce,
daughter of Josiah and Mary (Stearns) Pierce. Mr.
and Mrs. Onthank are the parents of three sons : Pierce,
who was born January 18, 1904; Curtis Heath, who was
born May 24, 1905 ; and Elmer Alonzo, J r., who was
born June 4, 1910.

FRED M. JOHNSON — Throughout the entire
period of his business career Fred M. Johnson has been
identified with the lumber industry, and as treasurer of
the W. A. Fuller Lumber Company of Leominster, and
principal owner of the F. M. Johnson Lumber Company
of Fitchburg, he is connected with two of the important
concerns of their kind in the county. He is also identi¬
fied with other lumber interests and is thoroughly fa¬
miliar with all angles of the lumber business.

Born in Newport, Vermont October 8, 1868, Mr.
Johnson is a son of Isaac D. Johnson, a native of Jay,
Vermont, who was engaged in the insurance business to
the time of his death in 1920, and of Elizabeth (Sias)
Johnson, born in Swanton, Vermont, died in 1920. He
attended the public schools of his native district, and
when his school term was completed found his first
employment in a lumber concern, which line of business
he has continued to follow. At the present time he
is treasurer of the W. A. Fuller Lumber Company of
Leominster, which concern is one of the well known
and oldest establishments of the State. Pie is also asso¬
ciated with the Foster-Johnson Company as one of the
partners in a lumber operating company, which has large
holdings in Maine, and is also the principal owner and
treasurer of the F. M. Johnson Lumber Company of
Fitchburg. The latter is the successor of a concern
which had for years been operated as a branch of the
W. A. Fuller Lumber Company of Leominster Massa-

■

BIOGRAPHICAL

137

chusetts. On January 1, 1922, it was incorporated as
the F. M. Johnson Lumber Company. The plant is lo¬
cated on one of the most desirable sites in Fitchburg,
and has a ground area of 40,000 square feet, about half
of which is covered by modern buildings. The opera¬
tions of the concern extend beyond Fitchburg to the
cities — Gardner, Ashby, Westminster, Princeton, and
other parts of that section of the State. Throughout
his long career Mr. Johnson’s close and continuous as¬
sociation with the lumber trade has made him an expert
in that field, and he is widely known as one of the best
authorities on the lumber market and on lumber qualities
in the East. He is well known in Masonic circles, being
a member of all bodies of the York Rite as far as that
of the Knights Templar, and his club is the Leominster
Club. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce,
and is also president of the Mutual Cooperative Bank
of Leominster. His religious affiliation is with the First
Church of Christian Scientists.

Mr. Johnson married, September 14, 1892, Mary G.
Graves, who was born in West Shefford, Canada, daugh¬
ter of Sylvester and Mary (Kent) Graves. Mr. and
Mrs. Johnson are the parents of one son, Stanley G.
Johnson, who was born August 23, 1903, and is now
manager of the F. M. Johnson Lumber Company of
Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

ALFRED FREE, Ph. D. — Of wide social experience
and varied scholastic attainments, Dr. Free has had an
enviable career not only as a minister of the gospel, but
also as an educationalist. He was bom at La Grange,
New York, April 2, 1850, son of John T. and Mary
E. (Doughty) Free. His father, who was a member
of an old New York family that had long been resident
in Dutchess County, was a veteran of the Civil War.
He served during the entire period of the conflict, having
been one of the first to enlist and one of the last that was
mustered out. When the war was over he returned to
his farm and began to rebuild his business, which had
been sadly interrupted by his long period of military
service. The owner of a fine tract of land, he spent the
remainder of his life in the cultivation of the soil. A
great believer in scientific methods in agriculture, he
experimented unceasingly and took an active part in all
public matters relating to the needs of the land and the
efficient transportation and marketing of farm products.

As a boy Dr. Free enjoyed exceptional educational ad¬
vantages, his parents sparing themselves no expense in
an effort to give him an ideal cultural and scientific edu¬
cation. At an early age he was entered as a pupil of
the La Grange public schools. After he was graduated
from high school he proceeded to Colgate College at
Hamilton, New York, graduating therefrom in the year
1872 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In Europe
he became a post-graduate student at Leipsic Univer¬
sity and was graduated from that famous institution of
higher learning with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Returning to his native land Dr. Free was ordained
to the ministry of the Baptist Church. His first charge
was at Norwich, Connecticut, where for three years he
was actively engaged in ministerial work. From Nor¬
wich he was transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
and for the next thirteen years he carried on his work
in that «'ity as pastor of the Falls of Schuylkill Baptist

Church. In 1880 Dr. Free, whose theological ideas had
slowly been undergoing a change decided to resign from
the Baptist ministry in order to enter the Unitarian
Association. As a Unitarian minister his first charge
was at Turner’s Falls, Massachusetts. In 1896 he went
to Florence, Northampton, where he remained until
1909, in charge of the Free Congregational Society. For
the past fourteen years he has had charge of the Church
of the Unity at Winchendon, where by his preaching,
popular lectures, and entertainments he has endeavored
to foster an enlightened interest in religious and edu¬
cational affairs. His first service in connection with the
public schools were given during his pastorate in Phila¬
delphia, where for several years he was a member of
the School Board. He has been a member of the
School Board at Turner’s Falls, and also at Winchen¬
don. Widely known as a scholar and thinker, Dr. Free
has delivered many lectures on popular science. Mining
engineering is one of his favorite subjects of study, and
he is regarded as an authority in matters concerning
mining laws and regulations, as well as a geological
expert of long experience in the practical study of min¬
ing problems. Dr. Free’s intellectual interests have
always been wide, and he has followed up many lines
of thought and conducted many researches to advance
the sum of human knowledge. He has had the ines¬
timable privilege of coming into contact with the best
minds both here and abroad, and is widely known for
his scientific and philosophical attainments.

Dr. Free is a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and belongs to the Grand Lodge of that
organization of Pennsylvania. He also belongs to the
Avon Club of Winchendon.

Dr. Free married (first) May Morton Woodbury of
Willimantic, Connecticut. In 1917 he married (second)
Marion Moore Perkins, daughter of Thomas A. and
Delia A. Perkins. Mrs. Free is a native of Norwich,
Connecticut. Dr. Free has no children.

GEORGE ELI HOV/E — One of the long familiar
and always honored names of New England is that of
Howe, and George Eli Howe, of Lancaster, Massachu¬
setts, is a direct descendant through both paternal and
maternal lines of the immigrant ancestor of this family,
who settled in Massachusetts in the early half of the
seventeenth century. Mr. Howe is a leading citizen of
Lancaster, and in many branches of organized advance
in this part of Worcester County he bears a construc¬
tive and progressive part.

John Howe, the pioneer of this family in America,
settled at Sudbury, Massachusetts, in 1639 and shared
in the division of Sudbury Meadows in that and the fol¬
lowing year. With the progressive spirit of his time
he reached outward to wider possibilities, and became
one of the petitioners for the grant of land which
eventually comprised the town of Marlborough, Massa¬
chusetts. To that locality he removed from Sudbury, in
1657 or 1658, and was one of the earliest, if not the
first white inhabitant of Marlborough. He opened the
first tavern in that town about 1661, and his influence in
the community was great. He had served as Selectman
in Sudbury, and from 1661-64 he was active as Select¬
man of Marlborough.

In direct descent from John Howe through his son,

138

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Josiah Howe, Eli E. Howe, father of the subject of
this review, is the seventh generation from the pioneer.
Eli E. Howe was engaged as a farmer throughout his
active lifetime, but has for a considerable period been
retired, and is now (1924) still living, at the advanced
age of ninety-two years. In direct descent from John
Howe through his son, Samuel Howe, Joseph Toombs
Howe, late of Natick, Massachusetts, was the seventh
generation from the pioneer, and his daughter, Ella J.
Howe, became the adopted daughter of George W.
Howe, late of Lancaster, Massachusetts. Eli E. Howe
married Ella J. Howe, thus uniting the two lines after
the lapse of more than two centuries.

George Eli Howe, son of Eli and Ella J. (Howe)
Howe, was born at Lancaster, Massachusetts, May 19,
1874. Receiving his early education in the public and
high schools of his birthplace, Mr. Howe later attended
Worcester Polytechnic Institute. From that time for¬
ward for twenty years Mr. Howe served as private
secretary to George W. Howe. Meanwhile, various
public duties commanded his attention, and from the
year 1912 he served as member and secretary of the
Board of Health of Lancaster. He was appointed milk
inspector in 1914 and became prominently identified with
the Social Service Association. He has now for a
number of years served as chairman of the Public Health
Committee, and in this capacity he has general charge
of the work of this organization. He has also, since
1899, ably filled the office of Justice of the Peace, and
through both his public and private activities has con¬
tributed in no slight degree to the general progress and
welfare. He is a member of the Massachusetts Asso¬
ciations of Boards of Health, and is one of the trustees
of the Lancaster Charitable Fund. He is a member of
the Unitarian church, and chairman of the standing com¬
mittee of the official board.

George Eli Howe married, on September 4, 1907, at
Lancaster, Massachusetts, Mabel Ward, daughter of
Richard and Fannie A. (Andrews) Ward, both of Lan¬
caster, but formerly of Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Howe
reside in Lancaster and are leading figures in the social
and welfare activities of the community.

REV. ROBERT C. DOUTHIT— In the religious
advance of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Rev.
Robert C. Douthit holds a prominent position as pastor
of the Petersham Unitarian Church, which office he has
now consecutively filled since the year 1912. In all that
pertains to community advance, as well as along the
special line of religious duties, Mr. Douthit keeps in
touch with all progress, and is a supporter of individual
and community effort in the right direction. Entertain¬
ing broadly liberal convictions, his natural benevolence
of spirit and keen interest in humankind fit him in a
peculiarly happy way for the duties of his sacred office,
and he has done much for the local advance and the
spiritual welfare of the people. He is a son of Jasper
L. and Emily (Lovell) Douthit, his father a Unitarian
clergyman since 1867 and now (1923) one of the ven¬
erated figures of the church.

Robert C. Douthit was born at Shelbyville, Illinois,
and following his early studies entered the Meadville,
Pennsylvania, Theological School, from which he was
graduated in due course. He later took up special post¬

graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, and was
ordained to the ministry in 1894. His first charge was
the Unitarian church at Baraboo, Wisconsin, and there¬
after he served successively at Dover, Massachusetts, and
Castine, Maine. In Petersham, Massachusetts, Mr. Douthit
has served two pastorates, having been appointed to the
local Unitarian church in 1898, and serving at that time for
a period of four years, then later returning in 1912.
Since the latter date he has continued active in this
community, his work counting in a large measure for
the public advance as well as for the welfare and spirit¬
ual growth of his congregation. Supporting the Repub¬
lican party as a rule in public affairs, Mr. Douthit nev¬
ertheless endorses all worthy effort of whatever nature,
or under whatever auspices. He served as moderator
of the town meeting for several years, but has other¬
wise never accepted public office. Fraternally Mr.
Douthit is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons,
the Patrons of Husbandry, of which he was master of
the Petersham Grange for two years, and the Knights
of Pythias.

Robert C. Douthit married, at Shelbyville, Illinois,
August 8, 1894, Lillian McGilvra, daughter of Alex¬
ander McGilvra, and they are the parents of two chil¬
dren: Alison M. D. Beardsley, born January 6, 1896;
and Macleod L., born September 26, 1898.

FRANK H. FOSS — Broadly successful in the con¬
struction world of Worcester County, Massachusetts,
and indeed active throughout a wide region in New
England, Frank H. Foss is a noteworthy figure in the
business life of this State, and with interests centering
in the city of Fitchburg is bearing a practical part
in the general advance. Mr. Foss is a son of Orrin F.
and Hannah H. (Fiske) Foss, his father for many
years a successful mason contractor in the State of
Maine, and later active along the same line of endeavor
at Medfield, Massachusetts.

Frank H. Foss was born at Augusta, Maine, Septem¬
ber 20, 1865. His education was begun in the public
schools of Maine, and he later attended Kents Hill, Semi¬
nary, Maine. Meantime, when still in school, Mr. Foss
devoted the summer months to activity with his father,
and under the instructions of the older man served a
regular apprenticeship, thoroughly mastering the trade,
and gaining at the same time a general familiarity with
the business side of contracting activities. In the year 1884,
the family removing to Livermore Falls, Maine, Mr.
Foss became associated with his father in business under
the firm name of O. F. Foss & Son, masons and contrac¬
tors. This enterprise continued successfully for a period
of eight years, then both father and son were induced
to locate in Medfield, Massachusetts, and become fore¬
men for Darling Brothers, leading contractors of Wor¬
cester and Medfield. About one year later Mr. Frank
H. Foss became associated with Walter K. Wiley of
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, under the firm name of Wiley
& Foss, and together they have developed a very exten¬
sive and largely prosperous interest. They are engaged
along various lines of contracting, their activities em¬
bracing construction work of many kinds, masonry,
building, cement, the setting of foundations for boilers,
etc., also stucco work and outside plastering. They
hold a leading position in their field in this State.

BIOGRAPHICAL

139

In various interests of the city,' the State and the
Nation, Mr. Foss keeps in touch with the movement of
the times, and has served in the public administration
of the city of Fitchburg on more than one occasion. As
far back as the year 1906 he was elected to the City
Council, and served for three successive years. In 1909
he was elected to the Board of Aldermen, and was a
member of that body for four successive years. During
1914-15-16 he was active on the Water Board, and in
1916 he was elected to the highest local office in the
gift of the people — that of Mayor. He ably served
in this responsible capacity during a period of four
years, his reelections definitely appraising his efficiency
and usefulness in the public service. Mr. Foss was
elected a member of the Republican State Committee in
the year 1915, and that body elected him as their chair¬
man in 1921, which position he still holds (1924). In
the local world of finance his name is* also influential as
a director of the Fidelity Cooperative Bank, and he
serves on the board of investments of the Fitchburg
Savings Bank. He is widely affiliated fraternally, being
a member of Aurora Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ;
Thomas Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Jerusalem Com-
mandery, Knights Templar; Massachusetts Consistory,
Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which he holds the
thirty-second degree; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; also a
member of the Masonic Club. He is a member of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Boston
Athletic Association, the Fay and Oak Hill Country
clubs of Fitchburg, and is identified with the Universalist
church.

Frank H. Foss married Sibyl S. Alden, daughter of
Dr. Isaiah and Dora (Staples) Alden, of Wyoming City,
Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Foss have three children : I, Ray
Alden, born in May, 1895 ; a graduate of Worcester Tech¬
nical Institute (1918), who enlisted in the aviation
branch of the United States Army in November, 1917,
detailed to Kelly Field, at San Antonio, Texas, where he
was assigned to engineering work, and was discharged
in November, 1918; is now active as chemist for the
American Woolen Company. 2. Ruth Hannah, born in
April, 1900; a graduate of Simmons College, of Boston
(1922), now employed by the Sanborn Manufacturing
Company. 3. Dorothy Sibyl, born in 1901, a graduate of
Siirimons College (1923), now active in the employ of
the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Company.

CHARLES CARUSO— The life of Charles Caruso
exemplifies in a very marked and noteworthy manner,
fineness and beauty of usefulness. In a business way
he has attained large success, but far from devoting his
gains to wholly personal uses, he has rather given con¬
stant thought and effort to the needs and welfare of
others, and his residence town of Milford, Massachusetts,
bears many evidences of his benevolences of spirit. A
native of Italy, Mr. Caruso came to this country as a
young man, settling in Milford nearly forty years ago.
He has since given to the progress of the community
his best efforts, contributing to every advance movement,
leading many public endeavors for worthy purposes, and
personally executing various beneficent deeds. He is
a son of Vincent and Mary Caruso, his father died in
America at the age of seventy-four years, while his

mother lived to the great age of ninety-four years, also
spending the latter part of her life in America, where
she died.

Charles Caruso was bom at Isernia, Italy, June 21,
1864. He had the advantage of an excellent education
in his native land, and at the age of twenty years came
to America and settled in Milford, Massachusetts. This
was in 1884, and he immediately opened business, estab¬
lishing a bank under the title of the Bank of the People.
Two years later he established a steamship agency in
connection with this bank. This shortly became and
has ever since continued one of the leading Italian
banking institutions of Worcester County, holding high
rank among the banks in its field in the State of Massa¬
chusetts. This is not, however, Mr. Caruso’s only in¬
terest. He early became a shareholder in other enter¬
prises, and for years past has owned the Caruso Monu¬
mental Company, a concern which was doing a very ex¬
tensive business and is leading its field in this part of
the State. He has long owned large real estate holdings
and has done more or less development work in this
connection. He built several houses, and the Roman
Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands
as a monument to his devoted efforts and his business
ability applied to a worthy cause. He, with others,
built and financed the entire project of the church, stand¬
ing back of all the costs of its completion and the
beautifying of the grounds. In the public life of the
community Mr. Caruso has long taken the deepest
interest and has served in various capacities, his en¬
deavors counting broadly for the public welfare. For
thirty-two years he has been constable of Milford, and
has long served as a member of the local committee on
public safety and the local Board of Trade. He has
done much detective work, for which he has become
widely famous, his cleverness and alertness giving it
great value to the public. He was an enthusiastic
worker in all the home war activities, and since then
aroused the interest of the people in the building of a
beautiful monument on the public square in memory of
the veterans of the World War, a really fine work of
art, built of native granite, which he personally designed
and had erected. Fraternally Mr. Caruso holds mem¬
bership in Milford Lodge, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks ; the Knights of Columbus ; the Foresters
of America ; the Central Labor Union ; the Italian Mondo
Socorso; and is vice-president of the local Police Asso¬
ciation. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Charles Caruso married, in Franklin, Massachusetts,
on November 26, 1889, Teresa Fiorani, daughter of
Raphael and Santina Fiorani. They are the parents of
one son, Alfred B., born January 12, 1894, in Milford,
who was educated in the local high school and at the
Boston School of Designing, and who now manages his
father’s many business enterprises. He married, in Mil¬
ford, on April 21, 1918, Alma Hammerquist, and they
have one child, Norma M. In these two figures above,
father and son, are represented the finest type of Italian-
American citizenship.

ROBERT SHURTLEFF WALLACE— Standing
at a vital point in the production of cotton textile goods

140

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

in New England, Robert S. Wallace, of Fitchburg, is
prominent in the manufacture of cotton yarns, as treas¬
urer of the Fitchburg Yarn Company. In this enter¬
prise he is associated with some of the leading citizens
of Fitchburg, and his name is an influential one in the
progress of the city. Mr. Wallace is a son of Herbert
I. and Amy Louise (Upton) Wallace, his father for
many years connected with the Fitchburg Paper Com¬
pany but now retired.

.Robert S. Wallace was born in Fitchburg, Massachu¬
setts, September 28, 1888. His education was begun in
the local schools, and he is a graduate of the Middlesex
School, of Concord, Massachusetts, class of 1907, and
Harvard University, from which he was graduated in
1911. Mr. Wallace has been associated with the Fitch¬
burg Yarn Company since the early years of his experi¬
ence in the business world, mastering the various
branches of the enterprise and thoroughly familiarizing
himself with the work of the different departments. His
natural business ability and thorough training have been
factors in his success, and he is counted among the really
significant figures of the day in Fitchburg. The per¬
sonnel of this organization is as follows : President, J.
P. Lyman; vice-president and general manager, George
P. Grant; and treasurer, Robert S. Wallace. H. I.
Wallace was the predecessor of the present treasurer,
who has served since the year 1913. This concern
operates 60,000 spindles and employs about four hundred
people. During the World War Mr. Wallace was com¬
missioned captain of the Quartermaster’s Department of
the United States Army in October, 1917. He was
detailed to Boston in charge of cotton goods production
throughout New England. Mr. Wallace was retained on
this side of the Atlantic throughout the period of the
war, and received his honorable discharge from the
service on June 14, 1919. Mr. Wallace is a director of
the Fitchburg Bank & Trust Company, a director of the
Rodney-Wallace Company, of Fitchburg, and is well
known in club circles, being a director of the Marl¬
boro Country Club and a member of the board of
governors of the Oak Hill Country Club. He is further
a member of the Harvard clubs of Boston and New
York.

Mr. Wallace married, on June 27, 1911, Florence Louise
Lyman, daughter of J. P. and Mary Grace (Chapman)
Lyman, and they have four children: Rosamond, born
December 18, 1912; Rosemary, born January 25, 1914;
Robert S., Jr., born May 5, 1915; and Penelope, bom
September 5, 1918.

ALBERT ALANSON TISDALE— A native son of
Leominster, whose business career has been one of
notable success, Albert A. Tisdale, has served his com¬
munity well, and to his energy and enterprise a great
deal of the success of the corporations with which he
is connected is due. He is president of the Whitney
Reed Corporation, and treasurer of the Horn and Sup¬
ply Company, the latter of which he controls, and has
been connected with both since their organization. He
was one of the organizers of the original Whitney Reed
Chair Company, and as treasurer and general manager
was the principal factor in the successful development
of the concern to its present proportions. He was one

of the organizers of the Horn and Supply Company, and
continues its active head.

Stephen A. Tisdale, father of Albert A. Tisdale, was
also a native of Leominster, born there October 18, 1828,
and was also engaged in the manufacturing business, his
line being horn goods, in which he continued to the time
of his death in 1906. During the Civil War he served
as a musician in the 1st Massachusetts Band, receiving
his honorable discharge at the close of the war and he
was a member of Stevens Post, Grand Army of the Re¬
public, of Leominster. He married Ann E. Whitcomb,
who was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, October 22,
1835, and died February 12, 1916.

Albert A. Tisdale, son of Stephen A. and Ann E.
(Whitcomb) Tisdale, was born in Leominster, Massa¬
chusetts, October 7, 1857, and after receiving a practical
education in the public schools of his native city, pre¬
pared for a business career by taking a thorough course
in Comer’s Commercial College in Boston. When his
business course was completed he became an employee
of the local mills, but he soon engaged in business for
himself under the firm name A. A. Tisdale & Company,
until he became one of the organizers of the Whitney
Reed Chair Company, associating himself with F. A.
Whitney, J. P. Holman, and W. C. Burdette, under the
firm name of the Whitney Reed Chair Company, of
which he was made treasurer and general manager. The
company is engaged in the manufacture of reed chairs
and baby carriages, and from the organization to the
present Mr. Tisdale has devoted his energies to the
advancement of the interests of that business. Under
his vigorous and efficient management the enterprise
grew rapidly, and later was incorporated under the name
of the Whitney Reed Corporation, of which Mr. Tisdale
was made vice-president and later president. That
official executive position he has continued to hold, and
he is still an important factor in the continued growth
and prosperity of the corporation. Mr. Tisdale has a
host of friends in Leominster and vicinity, and is well
known in fraternal and club circles. He is a member
of Wilder Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; and of
Leominster Lodge, No. 86, Independent Order of Odd
Fellows ; his clubs the Leominster and the Camp Fire Club
of America. He is also a member of the Leominster
Chamber of Commerce; and his religious affiliation is
with the Unitarian church of Leominster. In addition
to his business responsibilities already mentioned, Mr.
Tisdale is a member of the board of directors of the
Leominster National Bank.

On January 20, 1891, Albert A. Tisdale married Flor¬
ence E. Tenney, who was born in Keene, New Hamp¬
shire, daughter of William B. and Mary J. (Carter)
Tenney. Mr. and Mrs. Tisdale are the parents of one
daughter, Ruth M., educated in Leominster public
schools, grade and high (valedictorian), finishing at
Dana Hall, Wellesley, Massachusetts; she married How¬
ard H. Chase, president of the Leominster Worsted
Company (q. v.).

GEORGE F. PIERCE, as president and treasurer of
the Pierce Direct Advertising Company of Worcester
is meeting every practical need of the business houses of
the city of Worcester, and his activities are contribut-

BIOGRAPHICAL

ing materially to the general business prosperity. Mr.
Pierce is a son of George Edward Pierce, who was born
at Lunenburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and is
now engaged in the fruit and produce business in the
city of Worcester. The mother, Mary McKenna Pierce,
was bom in Southbridge, Massachusetts, and is also now
living.

George F. Pierce was born in the city of Worcester,
Massachusetts, September 4, 1897. His education was
begun in the public schools of this city, and he is a
graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, of
Washington, Pennsylvania, of the class of 1919. Fol¬
lowing his graduation Mr. Pierce returned to Worcester
and became identified with the Park Mailing Company,
Incorporated, which was founded in this city in the
year 1917. At that time the business was known as the
H. & D. Direct Advertising Company, under which name
it was known until 1919, when it was incorporated under
the name of the Park Mailing Company. Mr. Pierce
became president of the organization and Marie E.
Martocci, secretary and treasurer. In 1923 Mr. Pierce
took over the duties of treasurer in connection with the
presidency, Miss Martocci becoming at that time an
inactive member of the firm. Later, in July, 1923, the
Park Mailing Company discontinued and Mr. Pierce
opened offices at No. 414 Main Street, under the name
of the Pierce Direct Advertising Company. This busi¬
ness consists of designing, illustrating, and writing copy
for booklets, folders, and many kinds of advertising ma¬
terial, also the writing of sales letters, the multigraphing
of letters of any kind, the compiling of mailing lists,
and the mailing of any advertising or other matters
which are prepared for the mails in quantity. They are
the largest house of this kind in Worcester. Mr. Pierce
is a member of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce,
the United Commercial Travelers’ Association, the Credit
Men’s Association, and served at the Officers’ Training
School at Washington, Pennsylvania, during the World
War. He is also a member of the American Legion, and
his clubs are the Kiwanis and the Tatassit. He attends
St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church.

Mr. Pierce married, on September 3, 1918, Florence
Curtis, who was born in Worcester, and they have one
son, George F., Jr., born September 22, 1919.

ARTHUR OSGOOD YOUNG— The city of Wor¬
cester, Massachusetts, may well be proud of its long
list of able business men who are developing enter¬
prises which bring to the city assured prosperity and
continued growth. As president of the Clafln-Sumner
Coal Company, Arthur Osgood Young is at the head of
a concern which has been steadily developing for nearly
a half century, and which is recognized as one of the
well-established business organizations of the city.

Mr. Young received his education in the public schools
of Worcester, and, immediately upon the completion of
his school training, began his connection with the con¬
cern with which he is still identified. He was associated
with Charles L. Claflin, the founder of the business,
who came to Worcester and established a coal yard at
Central Street in the early seventies, and was a partner
in the original firm of C. W. Claflin & Company. In

141

1875 C. L. Clafln was placed at the head of the Wor¬
cester branch of the business, and a wholesale depart¬
ment was established in Boston. For many years the
firm was composed of C. L. Claflin, Mr. Young and
Edward W. Pierce, of Brookline, Mr. Pierce having
charge of the Boston office. During the five decades
which have passed since the establishment of the orig¬
inal business the enterprise has steadily grown and pros¬
pered, changing its name and its form of organization
several times, but always expanding. The old firm of
C. W. Claflin & Company later became known as the
Claflin Coal Company, and on April 1, 1910, the Claflin
Coal Company was merged with the Sumner Coal Com¬
pany under the name of the Claflin-Sumner Coal Com¬
pany, under which corporate name the business has been
continued to the present time (1923). The main office
is now located at No. 9 Pleasant Street, and there are
yards at Nos. 241 and 401 Southbridge Street, No. 301
Shrewsbury Street, and at No. 215 Ludlow Street. As
president of the concern, Mr. Young is devoting his
time and energies to the advancement of its interests, and
his ability and skill have been important factors in the
continued growth and prosperity of the enterprise. In
addition to his responsibility as the chief executive of
the Claflin-Sumner Coal Company, Mr. Young is also a
member of the board of directors of the Worcester
Bank and Trust Company. As a member of the Wor¬
cester Chamber of Commerce, he keeps closely in touch
with the general economic situation in the city and con¬
tributes a valuable share to the advancement of the gen¬
eral prosperity of the city. He is a member of the Com¬
monwealth Club, of the Tatnuck Country Club, and the
Worcester Country Club. Politically he gives his sup¬
port to the principles and the candidates of the Repub¬
lican party. Mr. Young has many friends in the city of
Worcester and vicinity, and he is well known as a pro¬
gressive business man and an energetic and public-
spirited citizen.

Arthur Osgood Young married, on January 16, 1890,
Mary Valentine Claflin, who was born at Hopkinton,
November 3, 1855, daughter of Charles Winslow and
Anna Maria (Valentine) Claflin. Mrs. Young is de¬
scended from Robert Claflin, a Scotch soldier, captured
by Cromwell and sent with other prisoners of war to
New England, about 1650; settled in Wenham; died
September 19, 1690. The name was originally spelled
McClaflin, McLaughlin, etc. Daniel Claflin, son of the
pioneer, was born in Wenham, moved to Hopkinton;
married Sarah Edwards, and from about 1715 to the
present time the Claflins have been one of the leading
families of Hopkinton. Isaac Claflin, of the fifth gen¬
eration, was a soldier in the Revolution. In all her lines
of ancestry, Mrs. Young is descended from the early
English settlers of the Old Bay Colony. Mr. and Mrs.
Young are the parents of three children: 1. Charles
Claflin, born December 5, 1893, member of the Tatnuck
Country Club, the Worcester Country Club, the Com¬
monwealth Club, and the Kiwanis Club; now a director
and assistant treasurer of the Claflin-Sumner Coal Com¬
pany; married Edna T. Smith, of Worcester, and they
reside at No. 221 Burncoat Street. Mrs. Young is a
member of the Worcester Country Club and the Tatnuck
Country Club. 2. Margaret Valentine, bom February 1,

142

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

1897. 3- Arthur Osgood, Jr., born November 5, 1898;
now treasurer of the Framingham Coal Company, of
Framingham, Massachusetts.

ARTHUR EDWARD CASWELL, as president of
Bates Brothers Company, of Athol, Massachusetts, is a
representative figure in the business life of this com¬
munity and is bearing a practical part in its welfare.
He is a son of Otis E. Caswell, who was born at White¬
hall, Washington County, New York, and died at Mon¬
tague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, in the fall of
1888. He was a farmer by occupation, as most men in
the rural communities of Massachusetts at that time
were, and a man of progressive spirit, esteemed by all
who knew him. The mother, Maria G. (Hunt) Caswell,
was born at New Salem, Massachusetts, and died in
Montague, in the year 1885.

Arthur Edward Caswell was born at Montague,
Massachusetts, September 30, 1851. He attended the
public schools of Montague, and as a young man was
variously employed in that vicinity. In the year 1867
he began to learn the manufacture of fancy leather goods
and pocket books, and in this general field he has been
active since. On September 1, 1871, Mr. Caswell came
to Athol and entered the employ of Palmer & Bates,
now Bates Brothers Company, manufacturers of pocket
books. He soon won promotion to the position of fore¬
man, and at the death of Mr. Charles A. Bates, who had
been a member of the concern for many years, Mr. Cas¬
well was made superintendent of the plant, an office
which he still ably fills. He is a director of the Athol
Cooperative Bank, and by political affiliation is a Dem¬
ocrat, taking only the interest of the progressive citizen
however, in public affairs. Mr. Caswell is a member of
the Free and Accepted Masons, the Royal Arch Masons,
and the Knights Templar, of Athol ; also the Poquaig
Club of Athol, Massachusetts. His religious affiliation
is with the First Church, Unitarian, Inc., of Athol.

Mr. Caswell married, at South Deerfield, Massachu¬
setts, August 13, 1861, Elizabeth E. Perkins, who was
born at Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and is
a daughter of John Perkins.

ALBERT W. FARWELL — Broadly active in the
world of mechanics for many years, Albert W. Farwell,
of Worcester County, Massachusetts, is bearing a worthy
and constructive part in present-day advance in his
field, and the industries of this section are feeling the
influence of his work. He has now for more than
thirty-three years been associated with the W. A. Fuller
Lumber Company and a branch company, the F. M. John¬
son Lumber Company, of Fitchburg. His public services
also contribute in a definite way to the general welfare.
Mr. Farwell is descended from distinguished ancestry,
is a grandson of Levi and Lucy (Willard) Farwell,
early settlers of Lancaster, Massachusetts, and in their
day prominent in the business and social circles of the
community. Levi Daniel Farwell, son of these parents
and father of the subject of this review, was born in
Lancaster, Massachusetts, but was for many years a
resident of Clinton, also in this county, and was a
successful carpenter, prominent in the entire section. He
married Christianna Cunningham, daughter of John and

Louisa (Rice) Cunningham, the father a native of Scot¬
land, the mother a direct descendant of the historic
“Mayflower” company of 1620.

Albert W. Farwell was bom at Clinton, Massachu¬
setts, November 5, 1868. His education was begun in
the local public schools, and, following his completion
of the high school course, he covered special work in
mechanical drawing and general drafting at evening
school. Serving an apprenticeship to the trades of ma¬
chinist and steam engineer, Mr. Farwell gained his first
experience in the plant of the Bigelow Carpet Company,
now the Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Company of Clinton,
Following this activity he went to Oil City, Pennsyl¬
vania, where for about one year he was identified with
the Oil Well Supply Company, as machinist and tool-
maker. Thereafter returning to his native place, Mr.
Farwell became associated with the W. A. Fuller Lum¬
ber Company of Clinton and Leominster. This was in
November of the year 1890, and he has since continu¬
ously remained with these interests. Since the organ¬
ization of the F. M. Johnson Lumber Company, Mr.
Farwell has had entire charge of production in both
plants, the main offices of the company being at Leo¬
minster. He acts as consulting engineer as well as
production manager. A resident of the town of Ster¬
ling, Mr. Farwell has been more or less active in the
public service for a considerable period, and in recent
years has filled official responsibility, now acting as
clerk of the Board of Selectmen, on which board he has
served since the year 1920. During the same period he
has been Overseer of the Poor, and he has frequently
served on various committees, including the Republican
Town Committee. He is also a member of the Board
of Library Trustees. Mr. Farwell is further active
for the general good as a mechanical expert in legal
cases arising from accidents of various kinds. Fra¬
ternally he is affiliated with Clinton Lodge, No. 89, In¬
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and he is a member of
the Unitarian church, in the choir of which church he
has sung for many years.

Mr. Farwell married, at Sterling, Massachusetts, De¬
cember 24, 1900, Annie M. Nixon, daughter of Charles
Otis and Maria (Pratt) Nixon.

CHARLES M. PROCTOR, D. M. D. — Bearing a

famous name long of beneficent significance both in old
England and New England, Dr. Charles M. Proctor of
Southboro, Massachusetts, is giving to the progress of
dental science to-day a threefold service; efficiency in
practice, ability in public addresses on the subject of
his profession, and the permanence of original research
in printed form. Locally, Dr. Proctor’s fame is a mat¬
ter of pride to the people, as well as direct benefit
through his service as a dental practitioner, and to all
who are familiar with the Proctor family in New Eng¬
land, his life and career are of interest.

The name of Proctor is derived from the Latin
procurator, signifying one who acts for another, i. e., a
proxy. An ancient family in England, the Proctors
were originally prominent in Yorkshire, but at the be¬
ginning of the sixteenth century the family was estab¬
lished at Shawdon. Robert Proctor, the pioneer in
America, came to New England and was made a free-

BIOGRAPHICAL

143

man at Concord, Massachusetts, in 1643. Ten years
later he was one of the founders of Chelmsford, Massa¬
chusetts, the story of this settlement being one of his¬
toric interest. In association with Richard Hildreth,
his father-in-law, and twenty-seven other pioneers of
the time, Robert Proctor petitioned the General Court
in 1653 for a “grant of land six miles square, to begin
at Merrimack River at a neck of land next to Concord
River and so run up Concord River, south and west
into the country to make up that circumference or
quantity of land as is above expressed.” Mr. Proctor
married, December 31, 1645, Jane Hildreth, the eldest
daughter of Richard Hildreth, of Concord and Chelms¬
ford, the ancestor of the Hildreths of America, who
died at Chelmsford in 1688, and whose younger daughter,
Abigail, became the wife of Moses Parker. Robert
Proctor’s elder children were bom in Chelmsford, but
his younger children, to the number of four or five, were
bom in Concord. Among his descendants many settled
in the neighboring towns, but others pressed into the
wilderness, founding settlements in New Hampshire,
Vermont and New York State, and eventually scatter¬
ing far into the West. Robert Proctor died April 28,
1697, Chelmsford, and twelve children survived him.
The line of descent from Robert Proctor is through
James (I), James (II), James (III), Jonathan, James
(IV), Hiel and Isaac K. Jonathan Proctor was a
drummer of the Second Precinct Company of Woburn
during the Revolutionary War and saw active service
in the battle of Bennington. James (IV) Proctor was
a soldier in Captain Jeremiah Marston’s company of
New Hampshire, this company being a part of Colonel
John Goffe’s regiment, and served in the Colonial forces
at the battle of Crown Point and other actions in the
Revolutionary War. He died on his way home from
Ticonderoga, November 11, 1776.

Isaac K. Proctor, the eighth and direct descendant
from Robert, the immigrant, and father of Dr. Proctor,
was born at Franklin, New Hampshire, and later became
a resident of Chelsea and Malden, Massachusetts. He
married Emma Bucknam, a native of Columbia Falls,
Maine, and a member of a prominent family of that
section.

Charles M. Proctor, son of Isaac K. and Emma
(Bucknam) Proctor, was born in Chelsea, Massachu¬
setts, March 29, 1880. His early education was received
in the public schools of Malden, Massachusetts, and as
a young man he realized an early ambition in entering
Tuft’s College Dental School, where he prepared for
his chosen profession. He was graduated from that
institution in 1901, receiving his degree in dentistry. He
has been active in practice since in Boston, his offices
now being at No. 19 Bay State Road in that city, while
he resides at Oak Hill Road, Southboro, Massachusetts.
Dr. Proctor’s largest prominence has been won through
his institutional activities and his authoritative writings
on topics connected with dental science. In 1912 he
was appointed demonstrator of clinical dentistry at
Tuft’s College Dental School, then three years later he
was elected assistant professor of oral surgery, event¬
ually, in 1918, being elected professor of oral surgery,
which position he has since ably filled.

On October 24, 1904, Mr. Proctor was elected an

active member of the Massachusetts Dental Society, and
has served as its councillor from the metropolitan district
during the years 1910, 1911, and 1912. He was elected
assistant secretary in 1912 and served until 1915, when
he was elected to the presidency. He is an ex-president
of the East Middlesex Dental Society; a member of the
American Medical Association; the American Dental
Association; the American Academy of Dental Science;
the Robert R. Andrews Society of Research of Tuft’s
College; an honorary member of the Maine Dental So¬
ciety; a member of the Psi Omega dental fraternity,
and the Boston and Tufts Dental Alumni Association;
consultant in oral surgery at the Carney Hospital; oral
surgeon to the Roxbury Hospital, Boston Dispensary,
and Marlboro Hospital, Marlboro, Massachusetts. He
was formerly a member of the visiting staff of the For¬
syth Dental Infirmary and Massachusetts General Hos¬
pital. He is a member of the First District Dental So¬
ciety of New York and also a member of the Clinical
and Surgical Association of Massachusetts, Sixth In¬
ternational Dental Congress of London in 1914, and the
Panama-Pacific Dental Congress in 1916. During the
World War he was State director of the Preparedness
League of American Dentists, under the direction of the
Commission of Public Safety. He is a member of the
Boston Medical Library Association.

The published work of Dr. Proctor includes the fol¬
lowing, which have been published in various profes¬
sional journals allied to dentistry: “Infections Through
the Dental Path,” “Oral Sepsis,” “Character as Devel¬
oped by Dentistry,” “Do We Justify Our Existence?”
“Dental Officers on the Hospital Staff,” “Pyorrhoea
Alveolaris,” “Independent Journalism as a Factor in
Elevating Our Professional Position,” “The Need of
the Dental and Oral Surgeon on the Hospital Staff,”
“The Dental Profession and the War,” “A Young Doc¬
tor’s Sign,” “New Facts About Osteogenesis,” “Mouth
Hygiene,” “The Power of the Machine” ; president’s
address to the Massachusetts Dental Society, in June,
1916; address delivered at the fiftieth anniversary of the
Maine State Dental Society, June 30, 1915 ; address de¬
livered at the dedication of the memorial to Dr. Chester
Twitchell Stockwell, Springfield, Massachusetts, Oc¬
tober 14, 1915-

Dr. Proctor is widely affiliated in fraternal circles,
being a member of Converse Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons, of which he is Past Master, and is a member
of the Past Masters’ Association of the Seventh Masonic
District of Massachusetts; is also a member of St. Ber¬
nard’s Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and Omar
Grotto of Southboro, Massachusetts; Tabernacle Chap¬
ter, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is Past High
Priest ; Melrose Council, Royal and Select Masters, of
Malden, Massachusetts ; De Molay Commandery, Knights
Templar, of Boston; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; also the Royal
Arcanum and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
His clubs are : The University Club of Boston, Framing¬
ham Country Club, and he served as a member of the
Southboro School Committee during 1918 to 1921, ana
was chairman of the board the last year. His religious
affiliation is with the Newton Center Methodist Episco¬
pal Church, of which he is a steward.

144

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Dr. Proctor married, April 12, 1903, Clara M. Shute,
of Malden, Massachusetts. Dr. and Mrs. Proctor are
the parents of four children: Robert Raisbeck; Virginia
Kent, Helen Bucknam, and Aurelie Louise.

HERBERT M. ABBOTT was born at Lawrence,
Massachusetts, February 28, 1886, and is a son of
William E. and Eveline R. (Landers) Abbott, his father
a native of Hancock, Maine, and the mother of King-
field, Maine, both now living and the father prominent
in the textile industry in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Educated in the public and high schools of the city of
Lawrence, Mr. Abbott became identified, at the age of
twenty years with the Lawrence National Bank, begin¬
ning in the capacity Of messenger. For five years he
was active with this institution, and when the Merchants’
Trust Company took over the Lawrence National Bank
he remained with the new organization until 1917, when
he enlisted in the United States Army, his record fol¬
lowing below. Subsequent to his discharge from the
service, Mr. Abbott came to Worcester, where he be¬
came associated with the Merchants’ National Bank,
accepting the position of auditor. This he filled until
February, 1921, when he became vice-president and treas¬
urer of the Parker Trust Company, in which capacity
he acted until July 1, 1922. On that date this institu¬
tion was consolidated with the Merchants’ National Bank
and Mr. Abbott became a vice-president of the new
institution, in which capacity he still serves. His broad
experience and native ability well fit him for the re¬
sponsibilities of this position, and while conservative
and cautious, he is still a man of progressive spirit and
broad vision, and his connection with this institution is
a force for its advance.

Mr. Abbott’s military record began with his enlist¬
ment on May 15, 1917. He was sent to the Plattsburg
Training Camp, where he was commissioned second lieu¬
tenant of the Quartermasters’ Corps on August 15, 1917.
On the first day of September he was transferred to
Camp Devens, Massachusetts, where he was made as¬
sistant finance officer and served in this capacity until
July 14, 1918. He then went overseas with the 76th
Division and served as finance officer with this divi¬
sion until October 30, 1919, during this period being pro¬
moted to the rank of captain. He received his discharge
from the service on the last mentioned date and is now cap¬
tain of the Reserve Corps and finance officer of the 94th
Division. Mr. Abbott is identified with Phoenician
Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Lawrence, Massa¬
chusetts; and Lawrence Chapter, Royal Arch Masons;
and also the American Legion. He is a prominent mem¬
ber of the Lions Club of Worcester, of which he is at
this time (1923) president; a member of the Common¬
wealth Club and the Automobile Club. He holds a
seat in the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, and is
a member of Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, in
which he serves on the board of trustees.

Mr. Abbott married, on October 29, 1921, Grace
Sears, who was born in Worcester, and is a member of
a prominent family of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Abbtt
are the parents of a daughter, Shirley Evelyn Abbott,
born June 12, 1923.

CHARLES A. KIDDER— With the exception of
twelve years, the entire period of the active career of
Charles A. Kidder has been identified with the banking
concern of Kidder, Peabody & Company, of Boston, with
which firm he is now associated as manager of the trans¬
fer department.

Mr. Kidder was born in Boston, Massachusetts, July
22, 1858, son of Henry P. and Caroline W. (Archbald)
Kidder, and after receiving a good practical education
in the public schools of Boston, prepared for college
in the Noble Preparatory School, and then became a
student in Harvard College, from which he was gradu¬
ated in 1879 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Im¬
mediately after the completion of his college course, he
secured a position with Kidder, Peabody & Company,
bankers of Boston, beginning his connection with that
firm as a clerk, and finally, in 1886, becoming a member
of the firm. Three years later, in 1889, he resigned,
severing his connection with the firm both as a member
of the firm and as an employee. In 1901 he renewed
his connection with Kidder, Peabody & Company, how¬
ever, and at the present time he is the efficient manager
of the transfer department. Along with his business
responsibilities Mr. Kidder has found time for club as¬
sociation and now holds membership in the Somerset
Club, the Exchange Club, and the Harvard Club, all of
Boston. Mr. Kidder is well known in the Southboro and
Boston section of Worcester County, having many
friends in both places.

Charles A. Kidder married, on October 11, 1888,
Josephine Burnett, daughter of Joseph and Josephine
(Cutter) Burnett, of Southboro, Massachusetts. Mr.
and Mrs. Kidder are the parents of two children: 1.
Francis Fiske, born December 2, 1892, died January
30, 1893. 2. Henry P., of whom further.

Henry P. Kidder was born October 2, 1893. He re¬
ceived his early education in the Fay School, and then
became a student in St. Mark’s School at Southboro,
from which he was graduated with the class of 1914.
He matriculated the following fall in Harvard College,
from which he was graduated in 1918 with the degree
of Bachelor of Arts. Upon the entrance of the United
States into the World War he at once enlisted and was
located at the Recruiting Officers’ Training Camp at
Plattsburg, New York, from April 17 to August 15,
1917. He was commissioned first lieutenant of artil¬
lery, Officers’ Reserve Corps, August 15, 1917, and two
days later was assigned to the 302d Field Artillery and
transferred to Camp Devens, at Ayer, Massachusetts.
He served with that unit until the time of departure
for France, July 14, 1918, at which time he was appointed
regimental information officer, in which capacity he was
in active service at the front in France, serving in the
Meuse-Argonne sector during the St. Hilaire offensive
campaign, and being returned with his regiment May 13,
1919. He received his honorable discharge from ser¬
vice in May, 1919, and is now associated with Kidder,
Peabody & Company, of Boston.

Henry P. Kidder married Julia E. Howell, daughter
of George D. and Grace (Hurd) Howell, of Boston, the
ceremony taking place June 24, 1922. Mr. and Mrs.
Henry P. Kidder reside at Concord, Massachusetts.

BIOGRAPHICAL

145

REV. DENIS P. SULLIVAN— Worcester County,
Massachusetts, has given to every branch of human
endeavor men who have become leaders, teachers, and
disciples of progress, and no less in the church than in
the professions and the industries have the sons of Wor¬
cester County gone forth to high endeavor. Rev. Denis
P. Sullivan, who was born in this country and reared
in its institutions, has done a wonderful work in distant
places, following here and there at the call of duty,
and within the past few years has returned to this part
of his native State as pastor of the Roman Catholic
church of Uxbridge.

Father Sullivan was born at Gilbertville, Massachu¬
setts, November 5, 1875, and is a son of Michael and
Mary (Carroll) Sullivan. His education was begun in
the local schools and continued in the Ware High
School. Dedicated to the priesthood from his youth,
he then entered Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts, and was graduated from that institution in the
class of 1897, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
Later going to Montreal, he entered the Grand Seminary
of that city, from which he was graduated in 1899, then
going abroad to complete his studies, he attended St.
Sulpice Seminary at Paris, France, and was ordained
in Paris August 15, 1901. Returning to this country,
Father Sullivan received his first appointment as curate
at St. Peter’s Cathedral at Marquette, Michigan, where
he served until 1902. He was then appointed to Glad¬
stone, Michigan, as pastor, and serving there for two
years, he later came to Springfield, Massachusetts, as
pastor in 1904, remaining for four years. He was then
sent to South Hadley Falls, Massachusetts, where he
served as pastor until April, 1913, when he was sent to
Shelburne Falls. Active there until December, 1919,
he came to Uxbridge at that time and has since served
the people of this church with devotion and ability. In
all his work in these various parishes, Father Sullivan
has been most active in building up the churches and
leading the people to higher moral responsibility and
spiritual attainment. The organizations connected with
the church through which the people are benefited both
spiritually and materially have felt the inspiration and
impetus of his constant care. Since coming to Ux¬
bridge Father Sullivan has done much for the local
church, taking up his duties with the high courage and
faith of the true apostle. He has increased the member¬
ship of the church and improved and beautified the
church property. He commands the esteem and confi¬
dence of his contemporaries of the cloth, irrespective of
denominational differences, and in all the work of civic
and welfare organizations in the community, lends his
influence for widespread good and constant progress.
During the World War he served on Liberty Bond com¬
mittees, and in every way did all in his power to pro¬
mote the many welfare activities of the period. He is
chaplain of the Knights of Columbus of Uxbridge, and
also the Daughters of Isabella and the Ancient Order
of Hibernians.

SETH H. HOWES, manager of the Marlboro Dairy
Company, Inc., of Marlboro, Massachusetts, is one of
the well-known citizens of Worcester County. He was
born in Chatham, Massachusetts (on the Cape) October

2, 1862, son of Seth C. and Jedidiah (Ryder) Howes.
Throughout his childhood and youth the subject of this
sketch was constantly associated with seacoast activities.
From the time he was old enough to be of use in the care
of a boat he followed the sea, and during the vacations
and other periods when he was not attending school, he
was frequently to be found fishing off the banks of
Newfoundland. He attended the public schools of his
native district, and after the completion of his high
school course became a student in Comer’s Business
College of Boston. When his commercial course was
completed he secured a position with Mahn & Barnes,
of South Natick, Massachusetts, a firm which was
engaged in the manufacture of baseballs. For about a
year he was identified with that concern in the capacity
of clerk. At the end of that time he removed to Med-
field, Massachusetts, where he found employment with
the Medfield Straw Factory in the capacity of general
handy man. That connection he maintained for a short
time and then, in 1883, became associated with the Deer-
foot Farm, and during that period his energy, ability,
and faithfulness were important factors in the rapid
development of that branch of the enterprise. In 1918
he resigned his position as manager of the dairy depart¬
ment of the Deer foot Farm in order to accept a posi¬
tion as treasurer of the Grafton County Dairy Company
of Haverhill, New Hampshire, which official position he
still holds. Although still holding the last-named po¬
sition (1923), Mr. Howes has recently (1922) been en¬
gaged as manager of the New Marlboro Dairy Company,
Inc., of Marlboro, Massachusetts. His long experience
in the management of a modern dairy, combined with
his general ability, enabled him to bring to the new
enterprise just the qualities most needed to place the
business on a firm foundation. Mr. Howes, who is a
descendant of one of the “Mayflower” group, is related
to the author of the well-known Hawes genealogy. He
also traces to Elder William Brewster, John Howland,
Elizabeth Tilley, the Hopkins, and other Colonial fam¬
ilies, also to John Graham an officer in King Philips
War. He is deeply interested in the general subject
of economics, and has devoted much time to the theoret¬
ical as well as to the practical aspects of that subject.
Mr. Howes is a member of Marlboro- Lodge, No. 1239,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Seth H. Howes married, on October 15, 1885, Cath¬
erine Lavelle, daughter of Michael and Ann (O’Toole)
Lavelle, of Southboro, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs.
Howes are the parents of eight children: 1. Robert
Howard, who is now postmaster of Southboro, Massa¬
chusetts ; married Mary Burke, and Ijias two sons : Rob¬
ert and Richard. 2. Addie Lavelle, who married Harry
Wisell, and has one son, Donald. 3. Annie Azubah,
who married Julian W. Pollard ; now resides in Wash¬
ington, District of Columbia. 4. Seth Francis, who mar¬
ried Ruth Bullard, and they have two daughters : Ruth
and Catherine. 5. Ellen Bryan, who married Daniel F.
Buckley, and has one daughter, Catherine. 6. Alfred
Winslow. 7. Richard Odin. 8. Constance Catherine.

PHILIP HENRY DUPREY— Real estate opera¬
tions are the field which Mr. Duprey has made the chief
instrument of his service to his community, and although

Wor — 10

146

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

he has, on occasion, accepted public office, it has not
been necessary for him to leave the duties of every day
to find an effective means for the advancement of the
general welfare. The largest and most successful real
estate operator of Worcester, he has through over a
quarter of a century of consistently resultful effort ably
fostered the progress and, literally and figuratively, the
upbuilding of the community.

Mr. Duprey is a descendant of French-Canadian an¬
cestry, the line founded in Massachusetts by his grand¬
father, Henry Duprey, who came to this State from his
Canadian home. Mr. Duprey’s father was Joseph H.
Duprey, deceased, a farmer of West Boylston; his
mother, Addie Duprey of Parisian French parentage,
now living in Worcester. Joseph H. and Addie Duprey
were the parents of: Philip Henry, of whom further;
Joseph H., head of the Duprey-Faulman Company,
dealers in table necessities at Detroit, Michigan; Celina,
who married Frank J. Bousquet, of Worcester.

Philip Henry Duprey was born in West Boylston, Wor¬
cester County, Massachusetts, September 29, 1877, and was
educated in the public schools of Worcester and St. Ann’s
Parochial School, where he perfected his knowledge of
the French language, which he speaks as fluently as
English. He was fourteen years of age when he began
active life, entering the office of a real estate dealer as
office boy, and gaining, as opportunity presented itself,
a general knowledge of the business. On March 1, 1897,
before he had attained his majority, he established an
independent enterprise with a capital of fifty dollars. He
opened a real estate office in the Walker building on
Main Street, Worcester, his early activity being agent
for property owners in negotiating sales. Possessing
a strong natural aptitude for this line of work and early
adopting the straightforward policies that have dom¬
inated all his dealings, he acquired substantial standing
among local realtors. As his resources increased he
began independent development, and he has now to his
credit the development of more sub-divisions than any
other individual in Worcester. One of the most noted
of these is “Hillcroft,” while others are Indian Lake
Park, within two miles of the business center of Wor¬
cester, adjoining Indian Lake and approached by Grove
Street and Salisbury Park, on Salisbury Street, covering
seventy-five acres, twenty acres of which have been laid
out as a park. That aspect of Mr. Duprey’s work which
has reacted most beneficially upon community life has
been his encouragement of individuals of moderate
means in home owning. Large initial payments have
never attracted him, for he has found his customers
among salaried working men, to whom he has extended
terms and credit to meet their needs, their character, and
records the prime consideration in the transaction. The
houses which Mr. Duprey has built in such large num¬
bers constitute a real artistic, as well as economic, asset
to Worcester, where he has for many years been one of
the heaviest taxpayers. He is widely known as one of
the best informed authorities on realty values in Wor¬
cester and vicinity, and for twenty-two years has been
appraiser of real estate for the Worcester Mechanics’
Savings Bank, although the best of his energies and
time have been given to his real estate business and an
insurance and mortgage business that has naturally ac¬

companied it. Mr. Duprey has discharged executive
responsibilities as president of the Worcester Lunch
Car Manufacturing Company, pioneer builders of lunch
cars, and as president of the People’s Loan Association.

Mr. Duprey is a member of the Benevolent and Pro¬
tective Order of Elks, and his clubs are the Worces¬
ter Automobile, of which he is a director, the Worcester
Country, and the Commonwealth. A Republican in pol¬
itics, he has long taken a public-spirited part in public
matters, and as the representative of Ward One, in the
Worcester City Council, has served on numerous im¬
portant committees, including finance, streets, water,
education, public buildings, and military. He is a man
of pleasing personality, whose touch with community
life has been helpful and constantly conducive toward
progress and improvement.

Mr. Duprey married, January 6, 1904, Clara Frances
Mulvey, daughter of James and Margaret (Claffey) Mul-
vey, and they are the parents of : Dorothea M., who was
born November 21, 1906; Ruth O., who was born June
18, 1909; Barbara J., who was born March 28, 1911, and
Mary E., who was born December 8, 1914. The family
home is a beautiful residence on Kenwood Avenue, and
their summer home is at Bass Rocks, Gloucester, Massa¬
chusetts.

WILLIAM C. KLEBART— Allied with the con¬
struction world in the wholesale and retail distribution
of plumbing supplies, Mr. Klebart is bearing a very
practical part in the community advance of Webster,
Massachusetts. He has had experience in various lines
of business activity, and is a son of Albin and Eliza
(Steinberg) Klebart, his father for many years active
in the hotel business in Webster.

William C. Klebart was born at Putnam, Connecticut,
April 5, 1871. Four months old when the family moved
to Webster, Massachusetts, he acquired his education
in the public schools of this community, and as a young
lad was employed at various clerical jobs such as a boy
can handle, then, after a time, took over his father’s
hotel business. This he continued successfully for a
number of years, after which he bought the Webster
Press, Inc., and was associated with this enterprise with
his cousin, Henry J. Steinberg. This is a weekly paper
enjoying a wide circulation, and connected with it is a
thriving iob printing business. The young men changed
the name of the firm to Klebart & Steinberg, Inc., but
eventually sold the interest, and the name of the paper
has since been changed to the Webster “Times.” Mr.
Klebart’s next venture was in the plumbing supply busi¬
ness, and he opened a store at Webster, under the title
of the Webster & Putnam Plumbing Supply House.
Covering a wide field as jobbers of plumbing and
heating supplies, Mr. Klebart is now associated with
George A. Rawley, of Putnam, in partnership. In addi¬
tion to the general run of small supplies the firm repre¬
sents the Standard Sanitary Company, manufacturers
of enameled iron plumbing fittings, the American Radi¬
ator Company’s products, the United States Radiator
Company’s products, and other important stocks. They
have achieved marked success and are doing an exten¬
sive and constantly growing business, keeping in touch
with the movements of the times and giving the people

- *

. %

■■■> V'.-

BIOGRAPHICAL

147

of Webster and vicinity a comprehensive and up-to-date
service in their field. Mr. Klebart’s other business affili¬
ations include directorship in the Webster National
Bank and the Webster Cooperative Bank. He is a
staunch supporter of the Republican party, and has for
a number of years been prominent in public life, serving
for two years as chairman of the Republican Town Com¬
mittee, and for seven years on the Board of Selectmen.
Following the close of that period of activity Mr.
Klebart was not a member of that board for two years,
but was reelected in 1922 and is now serving. During
the World War he was very active on all committees,
having in charge the various drives of that time. Mr.
Klebart is an associate member of the Grand Army of
the Republic also of the Sons of Veterans. Fraternally
he is a leading member of Webster Lodge, Free and Ac¬
cepted Masons ; Doric Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of
Southbridge; the chapter, Royal and Select Masters, of
Webster; Massachusetts Consistory, and Aletheia Grotto,
of Webster. He also holds membership in the Fraternal
Order of Eagles, the Foresters of America, the Benev¬
olent and Protective Order of Elks, and Siegel Lodge,
D. O. H.

Mr. Klebart married Elizabeth A. Rawley, of Put¬
nam, Connecticut, daughter of Thomas and Lena (Falk)
Rawley, the former was superintendent of a woolen
mill in that section; they reside in Putnam. Mr. and
Mrs. Klebart have one son, William A. R.

FREDERICK H. SPRAGUE was born at North
Dana, Massachusetts, in the year 1866, and is a son of
Elbridge and Ellen (Doane) Sprague, lifelong residents
of the town of North Dana. Mr. Sprague’s father was
for a great many years in the meat business.

Frederick H. Sprague received only a common school
education, and in 1880 became clerk in the country store
of Lindsey & Freeman, in North Dana. In 1882 he
entered the employment of the Orange Clothing Company,
Orange, Massachusetts, as clerk, where he continued
until 1892, when he began the manufacture of men’s
pants in connection with George E. Whitney, of South
Royalston, Massachusetts, under the name of Fred’k H.
Sprague & Company, Orange, Massachusetts, putting
their work out to families to make at home, and were
burned out in the big fire at Orange in 1892. In 1899
the firm was changed to Mann & Sprague, and in 1904
Frank L. Grout bought out the interests of T. S. Mann,
and they continued the business under the name of
Fred’k H. Sprague Company. In 1916 they moved to
Fitchburg, where they continue to manufacture boys’
clothing only. In 1917 Mr. Sprague was made manager
of the Fitchburg Garment Company, of which Russell
B. Lowe is proprietor, where they manufacture girls’
gingham dresses. In 1919, on the death of Frank L.
Grout, the Orange factory was reorganized under the
name of Sprague, Grout & Lowe, Inc., of which Mr.
Sprague is vice-president and general manager, where
they manufacture men’s and boys’ pants. Mrs. Frank
L. Grout retains the interest of Frank L. Grout in the
Fred’k H. Sprague Company. Mr. Sprague, to-day, is
the active manager of these three concerns, which are
known to the trade as “The Sprague Lines.”

He ia past president of the “Old Home Day” at North

Dana, chairman of the Orange Centenary of 1910. He
is a director of the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce,
and fraternally is affiliated with the Orange Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons; Thomas Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, of Fitchburg; Orange Commandery,
Knights Templar; Social Lodge, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of Orange; Fitchburg Lodge, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks; and Orange Lodge, Im¬
proved Order of Red Men. Mr. Sprague takes a deep
interest in many branches of welfare and benevolent
activities, and is president of the Fitchburg Council of
Boy Scouts. His further affiliations include member¬
ship in the Rotary and Fay clubs, of Fitchburg.

Mr. Sprague married, in January, 1890, Lillian P.
Carter, of Athol, Massachusetts, daughter of Alba and
Hannah (Morse) Carter.

EDWIN CHESTER DEXTER— The town of.
Petersham, Massachusetts, has, during the last year,,
been conscious of a vacancy which cannot easily be filled.
Many citizens of high merit and large ability have con¬
tributed to the civic, social, and economic welfare of
the community, but few have occupied so large a place
in the esteem of their associates in that town as the
late Edwin C. Dexter, who though born in Albany, New
York, devoted the latter part of his life to the advance¬
ment of the interests of Petersham.

The Dexter family is an old one in England and New
England, dating back to Thomas Dexter, who came to
America either with the Endicott in 1629, or in the fleet
with Governor Winthrop in 1630. He settled in 1630
on a' farm of eight hundred acres, in the town of Lynn,
Massachusetts, and in 1631 was made a freeman. His
house was on the west bank of the Saugus River, where
the Saugus Iron Works were later built. In 1633 he
built a bridge over the river, stretched a weir across it,
and afterward built a mill there. He was largely in¬
terested in the establishment of the Lynn Iron Works,
interested English capital in the enterprise, and became
general manager but when convinced of the unprofitable¬
ness of the enterprise, withdrew. He was an impulsive
man, often involved in law suits, and at one time tem¬
porarily lost his rights as a freeman. He acquired ex¬
tensive tracts of land, and spent his last days with his
daughter Mary, wife of Captain Oliver, in Boston,
where he died in 1677. He had two sons, Thomas and
William; and two daughters, Mary and Frances. The
line of descent from the immigrant ancestor, Thomas
Dexter, to Edwin C. Dexter, is through the immigrant’s
son, William; his son, John; his son, John (2); his
son David; his son, Charles; his son, Chester, and his
son, Edwin Chester, of further mention.

Edwin Chester Dexter was bom in Albany, New
York, March 21, 1845, and after attending a private
school in Troy, New York, for a short time, became a
student in the public schools of that city. He then went
to Wilbraham Academy, and after completing his aca¬
demic course, finished his preparation for an active life
by taking a business course in the Bryant & Stratton
School. He found his first remunerative employment
with J. M. Warren Company, of Troy, with whom for
two years he was employed as salesman. At the end
of that time he was taken into the business of his uncle,

148

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

R. G. White, as the junior partner, the firm being or¬
ganized under the name of White, Pevey & Dexter
Company, pork packers, of Worcester, Massachusetts.
At the time of the death of Mr. Pevey, Mr. White and
Mr. Dexter sold their interests to the Swift Company
and retired. Mr. Dexter then removed to Petersham,
where he purchased the old Deacon Willard home,
one of the oldest pieces of property in the town, and
there in the midst of the old apple orchard planted by
Deacon Willard nearly one hundred and fifty years ago,
he built his home. His retirement from the active re¬
sponsibilities of business life however, did not mean
for him a period of idleness. During all of the years of
his residence in Petersham he was one of the most ac¬
tive and energetic of its citizens, devoting the greater
part of his time and energies to the advancement of the
welfare of that community. He held at different times
practically every office in the gift of the town, serving
as Selectman for thirteen years, and in addition to his
numerous civic responsibilities, the duties of which he
met with considerable efficiency, he was also exceedingly
active in the affairs of the Unitarian church. He served
as treasurer of the new Unitarian Church Building Fund,
and at the very first meeting raised $20,000, a large sum
to be raised so quickly in so small a town. For sev¬
eral years he served as superintendent of the Bureau
of Highways, in which connection he came in contact
with many business men and with many political offi¬
cials of the county, and few men have been more popular
in the town of Petersham than was Mr. Dexter. The
business ability and the personal characteristics which
won for him a ready success in the business affairs, also
won him, in the town of Petersham, an enviable reputa¬
tion for sound management and progressive principles.
Politically he gave his support to the principles and the
candidates of the Republican party, but he considered the
welfare of the town and of the county, rather than
party success, as the goal toward which a public official
should strive. Wherever he came in contact with other
citizens, whether in business, social or political con¬
nection, he won new friends, who in the course of time
became old friends, and who learned to hold him in the
highest esteem both as a public-spirited citizen and as a
personal friend of sterling qualities of character. He
was a member of the Commonwealth Club of Worcester,
Massachusetts, and his religious affiliation was with the
Unitarian church. His death, June 8, 1922, left a va¬
cancy which the town of Petersham has not been able
to fill, and caused the deepest grief among his many
friends and associates. It is true, however, that though
Mr. Dexter has passed from the scene of his labors of
the latest years of his life, his influence has not passed
with him, but remains, the potent influence for good in
the community which he served so long and so well.

Mr. Dexter married (first) Alice F. White, of Wor¬
cester, Massachusetts, on June 2, 1886, and she died the
same year. He married (second), on December 12,
1898, at Boston, Massachusetts, Mary V. Mackenzie,
who was born in New Brunswick, Canada, February 14,
1870, Rev. George L. Perin performing the ceremony.
Mr. and Mrs. Dexter are the parents of one child, Kath¬
erine Tyler, born February 5, 1901, at Petersham, Massa¬
chusetts, who attended Dana Hall and Miss Capen’s

School, and upon the completion of her education en¬
gaged in private tutoring at home.

WILLIAM H. ROSE, M. D. — Standing among the
foremost surgeons of Southern Worcester County,
Massachusetts, Dr. William H. Rose is one of the most
noteworthy figures in professional circles in the city
of Worcester to-day. With rarely comprehensive train¬
ing and the natural genius for his work, which counts
for success in any field of endeavor, Dr. Rose has
won an enviable position in his chosen field of endeavor.
He is a son of John and Emma (Cooper) Rose, his
father a master mechanic by occupation.

William H. Rose was born at Worcester, Massachu¬
setts, February 20, 1876. His early education was re¬
ceived in the local public schools and he later covered the
high school course in his native city. His choice of a
profession early made, he entered Harvard University
Medical School, from which he was graduated in the
class of 1898, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Shortly thereafter he entered Boston City Hospital as
interne, and was active in the surgical service of that
institution until the year 1900. Then, with the purpose
of specializing, Dr. Rose associated himself with the
Boston Lying-in Hospital, where he was active for a
year or more. Coming to the Worcester City Hospital
in 1902, he was active in that institution as obstetrician
for ten years, meanwhile, also, from 1902, he served
as chief surgeon for the American Steel and Wire Com¬
pany. Since 1912 Dr. Rose has acted as consulting ob¬
stetrician for the Worcester City Hospital, and in 1903
he became assistant surgeon at the Memorial Hospital,
and has been surgeon there for about ten years. He has
also developed an extensive private practice wholly along
surgical lines. He has gained a wide reputation as an
authority along the line of his specialty, and in all sur¬
gical science he is counted among those men who are
pioneers in worthy effort in every branch of professional
advance. He is a member of the American Medical
Association ; is a fellow of the American College of
Surgeons, and a member of the Massachusetts Medical
Society. Politically he supports the Republican party,
but takes only the interest of the progressive citizen in
public affairs, his time being wholly commanded by the
exactions of his profession. Fraternally he is affiliated
with Athelstan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Eu¬
reka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Hiram Council,
Royal and Select Masters ; Worcester County Com-
mandery Knights Templar; Aleppo Temple, Ancient
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston.
His clubs are: The Worcester and the Tatnuck Coun¬
try. His religious affiliation is with the Congregational
church.

Dr. Rose married, at Winchester, Massachusetts, No¬
vember 10, 1908, Grace M Martin, daughter of William
and Susan (Hopkins) Martin.

JOHN F. HAYDEN, one of the foremost figures in
the public life of the town of Athol, Massachusetts,
whose career has been spent in. local public affairs, and
whose business ability is counting in a marked degree
for the welfare and advance of the community, is a
man of energy and initiative, possessed of the good

BIOGRAPHICAL

149

judgment which form an excellent balance for these
characteristics, and his work is of broad significance to
the people.

John F. Hayden was born in Athol, Massachusetts,
July 12, 1879. Receiving his early education in the ele¬
mentary and grammar schools of the community, he was
graduated from Athol High School in the class of 1895.
Thereafter making special preparations for his career
at Prouty’s Business College, he was graduated from
that institution in the class of 1897. He at once became
identified with the public service of the community as
Tax Collector, in which responsible office he served for
a period of twelve years. He has also acted as a mem¬
ber of the Board of Assessors for seven years, and for a
similar period he has been identified with the Athol
Board of Trade as secretary of that body, which office he
still ably fills, having been also one of the founders. In
this connection he serves as secretary of the Town Hall
Building Commission and the Town By-Laws Commis¬
sion, and is one of the promoters and a trustee of the Athol
Fair Association. Mr. Hayden’s ability to grasp every
phase of a situation is counting far for the public ad¬
vance, and his far-sightedness and general efficiency
make him an able and useful public servant. During the
World War he was a member of the Massachusetts Na¬
tional Guard (1917-18), also one of the founders of the
Public Safety Association. He also was a “four-minute”
man, speaking in various sections of the State. Fra¬
ternally Mr. Hayden is very prominent, being a mem¬
ber of the Foresters of America, in which order he held
the office of Grand Chief Ranger of the State of Massa¬
chusetts, being elected in 1922, this placing him at the
head of the order in this State, and is now Supreme
Deputy in the national order for the State. He is also
a member of the local lodges of the Knights of Colum¬
bus, the Improved Order of Red Men, and Order of
Pocahontas, and a member of Gardner Lodge, Benev¬
olent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a mem¬
ber of the High School Alumni Association, of which
he is past president; the High School Athletic Coun¬
cil, one of the founders and vice-president; and the
Poquaig Club. In the benevolences and the charitable
endeavors of the community he takes a deep interest,
and serves as a member and trustee of the Hospital As¬
sociation, also as vice-president of the Athol Chapter
of the American Red Cross. He is a’ member of the
Massachusetts Collectors’ Association, the Massachu¬
setts Assessors’ Association, and other bodies of or¬
ganized endeavor. He is identified with the Church
of Our Lady Immaculate.

GRANBY A. BRIDGES — In the manufacturing ac¬
tivities of Worcester, Massachusetts, Mr. Bridges holds
a noteworthy position as treasurer of the Williams &
Bridges Company, for in the product of this concern
one of the daily needs of various industries of Worcester
is filled. It is in the manufacture of wood and paper
boxes and packing cases that this concern has gained
its present eminence, and they stand among the pro¬
gressive and enterprising industrial organizations of
the day in Worcester County. Mr. Bridges is a son of
Augustus Bridges, who was born in Hopkinton, Massa¬
chusetts, and was active in the shoe industry until his

death, which occurred in the year 1906. The mother,
Sarah A. (Stevens) Bridges, was born in Phillipston,
Massachusetts, and died in 1914.

Granby A. Bridges was born in Hopkinton, Massachu¬
setts, August 18, 1859. His education was received in
the public schools of his native place, and following the
completion of his studies he became active in the ex¬
press business, which he carried forward for about ten
years. His next experience was in the shoe industry,
and he was employed in this field for a similar period.
He then became affiliated with his present associates
as a member of the firm of Williams & Bridges. This
enterprise is one of the long established industrial or¬
ganizations of the city of Worcester, having been
founded in the year 1840 by I. N. Keyes, who continued
at the head of the business for fifty-six years. Then, in
1896, the plant was purchased by George A. and W. K.
Williams, and the business was continued under the name
of Williams Brothers. Only a year later, however, a
further change in the name was occasioned when Mr.
Bridges purchased an interest, and thenceforward until
its incorporation the concern was known as Williams &
Bridges. When the incorporation took place, in 1904,
the title of the concern became Williams & Bridges
Company. At that time Fred H. Claflin was received
into the concern and the officials became as follows : G.
A. Williams, president; F. H. Claflin, vice-president;
and G. A. Bridges, treasurer. Mr. Claflin was made
president in 1910, and since the death of Mr. Williams,
in 1918, the business has been carried forward without
change of name by Messrs. Bridges and Claflin. They
manufacture a general line of wood and paper boxes
and packing cases, and with their main plant located at
Nos. 74-86 Central Street, Worcester, they employ about
eighty people, this being probably the largest concern
in this field in the city of Worcester. In the year 1889
a branch factory was established in Hopkinton, Massa¬
chusetts, and in 1910 this plant was removed to the town
of Framingham, where it is still located, and is one of the
prosperous industries of that place. Mr. Bridges is a
member of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, and
when a resident of Hopkinton served for one term on
the Board of Selectmen; but the demands of his busi¬
ness have latterly prevented his participating in an offi¬
cial capacity in public affairs. He is a prominent mem¬
ber of the Masonic order, belonging to both the York
and Scottish Rite bodies, including the consistory and
Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He
is a member of the Rotary Club, attends the Congrega¬
tional church, and is affiliated with the Congregational
Club.

Mr. Bridges married Edith L. Howard, who was born
in the city of Worcester.

HON. ALBERT E. HUTT— Strength of spirit and
singleness of purpose are leading characteristics of Al¬
bert E. Hutt, whose prominence in southern Worcester
County, Massachusetts, is a matter of many years
standing, and has brought about his present service
as a Representative of the town of Southboro, Massa¬
chusetts, in the Legislature of the State. Mr. Hutt has
been a resident of Southboro for forty years, and has
borne a constructive, although largely unofficial part in

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

150

the growth of the community and its progress as a civic
body. Mr. Hutt comes of sturdy pioneer ancestry of
Nova Scotia, and is a son of Peter Hutt, who was an old
time fisherman from the port of Halifax. Peter Hutt
married Sarah Ann Conrad.

Albert E. Hutt was born in Tangier, Halifax County,
Nova Scotia, near the city of Halifax, April 7, 1865. As
a lad he attended the common schools of his native town.
His father was drowned when he was four years old,
and he worked in the gold mines in Tangier from his
sixteenth to his eighteenth year. Coming to Southboro
at the age of eighteen years he worked for the towns¬
people of this community in various position, such as
gardening, fanning, and teaming, and was employed by
William Collins, and also by a Mrs. Chamberlain, act¬
ing as her gardener for five years. Later he was em¬
ployed by Samuel Long for one year, when he bought
the Simpson farm, where he now lives, and developed
it in to a wonderfully fine and model place along the line
of diversified farming. A tireless worker, and devoted
to any undertaking with which he identifies himself,
Mr. Hutt has won an enviable reputation as a man who
accomplishes things without bluff or bluster, but with
the force of the man of large mental resources. Fur¬
thermore, Mr. Hutt is a man who takes his own way,
and gives to his associates or his opponent equal priv¬
ileges along the pathway of progress, never casting a
slur upon the name of another, no matter how widely
his interests or principles may differ. Mr. Hutt has
served the town on various committees, always keeping
the best interest of the people in mind. He has cared
little for the honors of public life, and except in com¬
mittee work and the local activities that carry neither
official title nor salary, he has not accepted public re¬
sponsibility until recent years. He was elected to the
House of Representatives of the State of Massachusetts,
where he served in 1923 and 1924, and his reelection
returned him to the same body. Mr. Hutt’s record as a
Legislator is one of honor and distinction, and the people
feel that they are well represented in his activities at
the State House. Mr. Hutt’s quiet dignity and careful
attention to every phase of the public business mark
him as a man who deserves the esteem and confidence
of the people, and he is constantly making new friends,
while those who have known him long deeply esteem and
admire him. Fraternally he holds membership in the
Royal Arcanum, in which order he held the office of
Deputy Grand Regent; and of Parkman Council, of
Westboro, Massachusetts. He has been a member of
the Patrons of Husbandry for thirty-eight years, and is
influential in many branches of agricultural advance.
He is a member of the City Club of Boston, and of the
Royal Arcanum Club of Massachusetts, and he attends
the Congregational church.

Albert E. Hutt married, December 24, 1890, Mary
Ann Shellnutt, daughter of Henry Shellnutt, of Pleasant
Harbor, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. Mr. and Mrs.
Hutt are the parents of three children : Pearl, born Oc¬
tober 16, 1892, now the wife of A. W. Ruggles; Walter,
born in 1893, who is now associated with his father in
the work of the farm ; and Grace, bom September 7,
1899. Mr. Hutt takes the greatest pride in his three
grandchildren, who are the children of Mrs. Ruggles:

Cortland, born October 7, 1913; Vida Jane, born Janu¬
ary 25, 1915; and Alberta Pearl, born August 10, 1917.
The Hutt residence is on Middle Road, Southboro.

MILTON L. CUSHING is president and manager
of the J. Cushing Company, one of the largest distrib¬
utors of grain products in New England, in which con¬
cern he has been active for thirty-five years. He is a
son of Milton Marble Cushing, who was a partner in
the firm of J. Cushing Company from 1866 until his
death in 1879, and a descendant in the tenth generation
of Matthew Cushing, who was a son of Peter Cushing,
of Hardingham and Hingham, England, and whose
ancestry has been traced through Peter (XX), Thomas
(XIX), John (XVIII), William (XVII), Thomas
(XVI), William (XV), through fourteen generations
to one Hrolf Nefja Jarl, a Viking, whose deeds are re¬
corded in the “Scandinavia Sagas,” relating to the latter
half of the eighth century.

(I.) Matthew Cushing, immigrant ancestor, was bap¬
tized in Hingham, England, March 2, 1589, died in
Hingham, Massachusetts, September 30, 1660. With his
wife, four sons, and his wife’s sister Frances Beecroft,
widow, he sailed from Ipswich in 1638, on the ship
“Diligent,” John Marton, master. He left England ow¬
ing to religious troubles. He settled in Hingham,
Massachusetts, where he at once became identified with
public affairs. He was a town officer and a deacon of
Rev. Thomas Hobart’s church. He married, August
5, 1613, in England, Nazareth Pitcher, baptized Oc¬
tober 30, 1586, died in Hingham, January 5, 1682, aged
ninety-six, daughter of Henry Pitcher, of the family
of Admiral Pitcher, of England, and they were the
parents of five children: Daniel, of further mention;
Jeremiah, baptized July 21, 1621 ; Matthew, baptized
April s, 1623; Deborah, baptized February 17, 1625,
married Matthias Briggs; and John, bom 1627.

(II.) Daniel Cushing, son of Matthew and Nazareth
(Pitcher) Cushing, was baptized in Hingham, England,
April 20, 1619, died December 3, 1700. He settled in
Hingham, Massachusetts, where he was granted land
in 1665. He was admitted a freeman in 1671, and was
an active magistrate for many years. He was town
clerk of Hingham and left a valuable set of records,
which are of great value to the antiquary. From 1682
for many years he kept a general store. He was Select¬
man in 1665, and many years after; in 1680-82-95, dep¬
uty to the General Court. A book called “Extracts
From the Minutes of Daniel Cushing of Hingham,” with
a photograph of his manuscript, etc., was printed in
1865. His will was dated September 1 1, 1693. He married
(first), January 19, 1645, Lydia Gilman, born in Eng¬
land, died in Hingham, March 12, 1689, daughter of
Edward and Mary (Clark) Gilman. He married (sec¬
ond), March 23, 1691, Elizabeth, widow of Captain
John Thaxter, and daughter of Nicholas and Mary
Jacob. Children bom in Hingham : 1. Peter, born
March 29, 1646. 2. Daniel, born July 23, 1648. 3. Deb¬
orah, bom November 13, 1651, married (first), Septem¬
ber 25, 1679, Henry Tarleton; (second), August 31,
1686, Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge, died January 15, 1710.
4. Jeremiah, born July 3, 1654. 5. Theophilus, of further
mention. 6. Matthew, bom July 15, 1660.

BIOGRAPHICAL

(III.) Captain Theophilus Cushing, son of Daniel
and Lydia (Gilman) Cushing, was born in Hingham,
Massachusetts, June 7, 1657, died January 7, 1717-18.
He was a farmer and Selectman in 1697-1707-15, and a
deputy to the General Court in 1702-03-04-07-13. His
house was on Main Street, Hingham. He married, No¬
vember 28, 1688, Mary Thaxter, born August 19, 1667,
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Jacobs) Thaxter. She
married (second), January xi, 1721-22, Captain Joseph
Herrick, of Beverly. Children born in Hingham : Ne-
hemiah, born July 18, 1689; Mary, born February 9,
1690-91, died August 8, 1699; Adam, born January 1,
1692-93; David, born in December, 1694; Abel, of fur¬
ther mention; Rachel, born August 17, 1698, died Sep¬
tember 9, 1699; Mary, born September 26, 1701, died
August 30, 1716; Theophilus, born June 16, 1703; Seth,
bom December 13, 1705; Deborah, bom September 26,
1707, and Lydia, born February 13, 1709-10, died young.

(IV.) Captain Abel Cushing, son of Theophilus and
Mary (Thaxter) Cushing, was born in Hingham, Oc¬
tober 24, 1696, died May 20, 1750. He was a farmer
and mill owner, and Selectman of Hingham for many
years. His house was on South Pleasant Street. He
married, November 24, 1720, Mary Jacob, born Sep¬
tember 29, 1698, daughter of Peter and Hannah (Allen)
Jacob. Children, born in Hingham: Mary, born Au¬
gust 12, 1722, died October 12, 1726; David, born July
12, 1724, died October 17, 1726; David, of further men¬
tion; Abel, born January 26, 1729-30, married, January

29, 1758, Hannah Crocker; Mary, born January 28, 1731-
32, married, March 25, 1753, Rev. Daniel Shute; Laban,
born February 21, 1733-34, died May 18, 1747; Infant,
born January 21, 1736-37, died same day; Lydia, born
April 23, 1738, married, January 31, 1759, Gideon Hay¬
ward; Abigail, born June 14, 1741, married, October 2,
1761, Thomas Hersey.

(V.) Colonel David Cushing, son of Abel and Mary
(Jacob) Cushing, was born in Hingham, September 7,
1727, died February 15, 1800. He lived on Pleasant
Street, Hingham, and was an energetic and prominent
man in town affairs. He was Selectman in 1768-69-70-
71 -75-76. He served in the Revolution, fourth lieutenant
of Captain Jotham Boring's Company, on the Lexington
alarm, April 19, 1775; sergeant in Captain Pyam Cush¬
ing’s Company, Colonel Solomon Lovell’s Regiment, at
Hull and Dorchester in 1776; lieutenant-colonel of the
same regiment, commissioned February 7, 1776; and
colonel of the 2d Suffolk Regiment, in Brigadier Gen¬
eral Lovell’s Brigade, in 1778. He married (first),
April 9, 1752, Ruth Lincoln, baptized February 25,
1 732-33, died July 6, 1761, daughter of Samuel and
Ruth (Cushing) Lincoln, of Hingham. He married
(second), January 23, 1763, Mabel Gardner, born Janu¬
ary 6, 1738-39, died August 14, 1798, daughter of Hosea
and Mary (Whiting) Gardner. Children bom in Hing¬
ham, by first wife : Ruth, born November 1, 1752, married,
August 30, 1770, Perez Cushing ; David, of further men¬
tion; Molly, born September 26, 1756, married, January

30, 1783, Joshua Mann; Jonathan, born April 13, 1759;

Lydia, born June 2, 1761, married, September 3, 1786,
Asaph Tracy. Children by second wife: Abel, born
October 22, 1763, married, November 14, 1784, Sarah
Wilder; Hosea, born May 29, 1765; Charles

151

Whiting, born November 7, 1766; Russell, born

April 24, 1768, died February 2, 1851; Nancy,

bom March 10, 1770, died unmarried, December

27, 1835; Jane, born April 3, 1772, married, No¬
vember 6, 1796, Lemuel Dwelley; Lucy, born October
I8, 1773, married, May 24, 1798, David Lewis; Chris¬
tiana, born March 14, 1775, died unmarried, July 1,
1822; Elnathan, born April 30, 1777, removed to Scitu-
ate; Jerusha, born February 3, 1779, died unmarried,
September 18, 1862; Josiah, born April 8, 1781; and
Mabel, born March 6, 1783, married, 1810, William
Rouse, of Bath, Maine.

(VI.) Captain David Cushing, son of Colonel David
and Ruth (Lincoln) Cushing, was born in Hingham,
Massachusetts, July 2, 1754, and died May 3, 1827. He
served in the Revolutionary War as fourth lieutenant in
Captain Jotham Loring’s (Hingham) company, in 1775,
and also as sergeant in Captain Pyam Cushing’s com¬
pany, Colonel Solomon Lovell’s regiment, in 1776. He
took an active part in the public affairs of Hingham,
serving as Constable in 1784, and consecutively through
1787, and also from 1790 to 1794 inclusive. He was a
tanner, an innkeeper, and a farmer, and in 1798 he re-
mbved to Ashburnham, Massachusetts. He married,
October 14, 1779, Hannah Cushing, daughter of Joseph
and Sarah (Leavitt) Cushing, who was born in Hing¬
ham, April 26, 1760, and died March 13, 1823. Their
children were: Joseph, Hannah, David, Susannah, La¬
ban, of further mention; Deborah, Moses, and Sarah
Leavitt.

(VII.) Laban Cushing, son of Captain David and
Hannah (Cushing) Cushing, was born in Hingham,
Massachusetts, April 29, 1791, and died in Ashburnham,
Massachusetts, October 17, 1847. He served as a
drummer in the War of 1812, and in 1817 removed to
Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, from which place he returned
to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, in 1830. He married,
April 23, 1811, Nancy Whitney, daughter of Silas Whit¬
ney. She died in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, January
27, 1871. Their children were: Nancy Whitney, Sarah
Whittington, Joseph, of further mention; Laban, Re¬
becca, Susan, Mary Jane, Charles G., Harriet Maria,
George Russell, David M., and Hannah Elizabeth.

(VIII.) Joseph Cushing, son of Laban and Nancy
(Whitney) Cushing, was born in Brooklyn, Pennsyl¬
vania, October 6, 1817, and died July 3, 1894. In 1830
he removed to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, from which
place he later removed to' Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and
resided in the latter place for a period of thirty years.
He married (first), July 22, 1841, Elmira Marble, daugh¬
ter of Stephen Marble. She died in 1845, and he mar¬
ried (second), January 31, 1847, Mary Ann Arnold.
She died August 23, 1866, and he married (third),
March, 1868, Elizabeth Cushing, daughter of Moses
and Gertrude (Polley) Cushing. Elizabeth (Cushing)
Cushing died September 23, 1875. To the first marriage
one son was born, Milton Marble, of further mention.
Children of the second marriage are : Joseph and Susan.

(IX.) Milton Marble Cushing, son of Joseph and El¬
mira (Marble) Cushing, was born in Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, September 4, 1844, and after receiving his edu¬
cation in the schools of Fitchburg and Groton, and at
Eastman Business College, became identified with the

152

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

firm of J. Cushing Company, a concern founded by his
father, Joseph Cushing. In i860 he became a partner
is the business and continued to devote his energies to
the advancement of its interests to the time of his
death, May 9, 1879. He married, June 12, 1867, Ellen
Maria Leland, and they were the parents of seven
children: Ethel (twin), who was born March 11, 1868,
and died May 26, 1876; Joseph (twin), born March 11,
1868, died August 4, 1868; Milton L., of further men¬
tion; Ellen M., who was born January 4, 1873; Joseph,
who was born September 11, 1874, and died Septem¬
ber 18, 1896; Anna W., who was born November 27,
1876; and Matthew, who was born February 21, 1878.

(X.) Milton Eeland Cushing, son of Milton M. and
Ellen Maria (Leland) Cushing, was born at Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, January 13, 1871. Following his early
education in the local public schools he attended Fitch¬
burg High School, then went to Poughkeepsie, New
York, where he took the usual course at Eastman’s Busi¬
ness College. In 1891 Mr. Cushing became identified
with the J. Cushing Company and taking a minor posi¬
tion, familiarized himself with the business by the prac¬
tical method of experience in every department, until
now for the past seven years he has filled the office of
president and manager. Other affiliations being : Di¬
rector of the Safety Fund National Bank, of Fitchburg,
and a trustee of the Worcester North Savings Institu¬
tion, also of Fitchburg; was one of the founders, first
vice-president, and is now treasurer of The Grain
Dealers’ Mutual Insurance Company, of Boston, Massa¬
chusetts ; and is a member of the Fitchburg Chamber of
Commerce; Boston Chamber of Commerce, and of the
Chicago Board of Trade. He was a member of the City
Council in 1905, and in 1906 was elected to the School
Committee of Fitchburg, on which he served for three
years. During the World War he was a member of the
Massachusetts National Guard at Boston, as a member
of Company C, 1st Motor Corps (1917-1918). He is a
member of the Fay Club and the Oak Hill Country Club,
of Fitchburg; and the Exchange Club and City Club, of
Boston. His religious affiliation is with the Unitarian
church, of Fitchburg.

Milton Leland Cushing married, at Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, June 19, 1895, Gertrude Carolyn Brown,
daughter of James and Flora (Wood) Brown, and
they are the parents of four children: 1. Barbara,
born April 23, 1897, was educated in Fitchburg gram¬
mar and high schools, Garland School of Boston, and
Vassar College; married Bigelow Crocker, and has two
children: Rosemary and Bigelow, Jr. 2. Whitney, born
March 16, 1899, attended Andover Preparatory School
and graduated from Yale in 1924 with the degree of
Bachelor of Science. 3. Joseph, born November 7,
1900, educated in Fitchburg schools, in Andover Pre¬
paratory School, and Williams College. 4. Carolyn,
born July 4, 1905, and educated in Fitchburg schools
and Miss Marot’s Private School, at Thompson, Connec¬
ticut.

ELLSWORTH MINOTT BROWN, president of
the widely known firm, Brown Brothers Company, of
Gardner, Massachusetts, is a man who may well be called
a man of action. That his energy and initiative have

counted both for his own advantage and for the pros¬
perity of the community is clearly evidenced by the im¬
portance of the industry of which, for more than
twenty-five years, he has been the head. Mr. Brown is
a son of Franklin O. and Mary A. (Patch) Brown. The
father, who was born in Templeton, Massachusetts, in
1826, went to Winchendon in his youth, and there en¬
tered the lumber business as an employee, later owning
his own business and operating a small saw mill. A
young man of high spirit and great patriotism, he en¬
listed in the Civil War, and served with honor and dis¬
tinction, the hardships of this experience becoming, in a
large measure, responsible for his early death, in Oc¬
tober, 1874. Mary A. (Patch) Brown, born in Brattle-
boro, Vermont, in 1826, removed to South Royalston,
Massachusetts, but after her children had settled in
Gardner, Massachusetts, she wished to be near them
and finally did remove to Gardner, where she passed
away in 1919.

Ellsworth Minott Brown was born in Winchendon,
Massachusetts, April 5, 1864. He attended the public
schools of Templeton and Winchendon until twelve
years of age, but from that time had few school advan¬
tages. From the age of ten years, when he was left
fatherless, he lived out with other families, working
at whatever he could find to do in order to earn his own
living and relieve his mother of the burden of his sup¬
port. When he was able to be of some assistance to
her, he returned home for two years, then, in 1880, he
located in Gardner and secured employment in a chair
factory. About a year later he joined the factory force
of the firm of S. Bent & Brothers, with whom he was
associated for a period of twelve years. There Mr.
Brown gained much practical experience, thoroughly
familiarizing himself with the production end of the
business, and also gaining a broad general idea of the
methods of distribution. In 1892 he resigned his posi¬
tion with the Bent Brothers to become associated with
his brother, Charles F. Brown, in the retail wood busi¬
ness, they also conducting a carpet cleaning department,
which was not only profitable but was greatly appreci¬
ated by the local housekeepers. In 1898, in association
with another brother, Benjamin J. Brown, he founded
the chair manufacturing business which has been for
years a leader in its field in Gardner. The brothers
continued partners until the death of Charles F. Brown,
January 20, IQOI, and in 1902 the business was in¬
corporated, with Ellsworth M. Brown as president.
Nearly a year prior to incorporation, Jesse E. Bodette
had come into the partnership, and on incorporation he
was elected vice-president. He died July 24, 1905. On
January 1, 1904, Mar den H. Turner bought an interest
in the company, and in 1907 was chosen vice-president,
the officers of Brown Brothers Company now being
(1923), Ellsworth M. Brown, president; Marden H.
Turner, vice-president; Benjamin J. Brown, treasurer
and secretary.

LTnder the leadership of Ellsworth M. Brown this en¬
terprise has advanced to a foremost position in the manu¬
facture of chairs, tea room, and breakfast room furni¬
ture and a line of sp jialties of this general character.
For a number of years they have transacted an annual
business of about $400,000, their banner year (in war

7—^-

BIOGRAPHICAL

153

times) having been very near a half million. As presi¬
dent of this important company, Ellsworth M. Brown
holds a prominent position in the business world of
Gardner, and is a member of the Chamber of Com¬
merce. He is affiliated with the Chair Town Cooperative
Bank as a stockholder and director, and for three years
served as a member of the Board of Selectmen of
Gardner. Fraternally he is identified with Hope Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons; and Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member and
Past Commander of Charles Sumner Camp, No. 37,
Sons of Veterans, and Past Division Commander of
the Massachusetts Division of that order. Politically
he supports the Republican party.

Ellsworth M. Brown married, in 1884, Lizzie E. Holt,
of Hubbardston, Massachusetts, daughter of Elias O.
and Lucy (Underwood) Holt. Mr. and Mrs. Brown
are the parents of three children: 1. Estelle, a graduate
of Gardner High School, class of 1904. 2. Franklin O.,
a graduate of Gardner High School, class of 1906, and
an employee of Brown Brothers Company. 3. Harold
F., a graduate of Gardner High School, class of 1910,
and of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, B. S., class
of 1915, now identified with Brown Brothers Company.
He married, October 28, 1916, Jessie I. Lusk, daughter
of Frank and Louisa (Dargie) Lusk.

BENJAMIN J. BROWN — As one of the founders
and for many years treasurer of the Brown Brothers
Company, of Gardner, Massachusetts, Benjamin J.
Brown has been an important factor in the progress of
that company, manufacturers of chairs, breakfast and
tea-room furniture and other specialties of that general
class. He is a son of Franklin O. and Mary A. (Patch)
Brown, the father born in Templeton, Massachusetts, in
1826. Franklin O. Brown went to Winchendon as
a young man and became identified in the lumber busi¬
ness there, eventually engaging in business for himself
and operating a small saw mill. He was a veteran of
the Civil War, and died at a comparatively early age.
in October, 1874, the exposure and hardships of the war
hastening his death. Mary A. (Patch) Brown, born in
Brattleboro, Vermont, in 1826, removed to South Roy-
alston, Massachusetts, but after her children had settled
in Gardner, yearning to be near them, passed her de¬
clining years there, her death occurring in 1919.

Benjamin J. Brown was born at Winchendon, Massa¬
chusetts, March 4, 1870. Only four and one-half years
of age when the death of his father occurred and the
family being left without means of support, he began,
when still a small child, to contribute his mite towards
the maintenance of the family. Thus his education was
very limited and while he attended the schools of South
Royalston, he helped with the work which was brought
home from the factory nearby, the caning of chairs
being placed out in the different homes of the town,
where from childhood to old age, all members of the
family participated in the work. As soon as he was
able to assume larger responsibilities Mr. Brown en¬
tered the employ of the American Woolen Mills, where
he remained for a' time. In the spring of 1882 he came
to Gardner and during that .summer was employed in

the chair factory of S. K. Pierce & Son. Returning to
South Royalston in the fall, he attended school the fol¬
lowing winter, working morning and evening and every
spare hour at the caning of chairs. In 1883 he again
came to Gardner and once more entered the S. K.
Pierce & Son's factory. For seventeen years he con¬
tinued active in the chair industry in Gardner, during
twelve years of that period with the L. B. Ramsdall
Company. There he began in the capacity of assistant
to Thomas E. Cody, who is now president, but at that
time general manager. Mr. Brown worked with Mr.
Cody in the management of the business until 1898,
then resigning to establish himself in business in a
similar line of manufacture. In partnership with his two
brothers, Ellsworth M. and Charles F. Brown, the firm
of Brown Brothers was founded and the present in¬
dustry established. In 1902 the business was incor¬
porated under the name of the Brown Brothers Com¬
pany, Benjamin J. Brown becoming secretary and treas¬
urer, also general manager of the plant, and was jointly
instrumental in building up the business and developing
it to its present importance. They have for some years
done an annual business amounting to fully $400,000, and
their heaviest year, which occurred during the World
War, showed a volume of nearly a half million dollars.
Ellsworth M. Brown has been president of the com¬
pany since its incorporation, but Charles F. Brown, the
other partner, died January 20, 1901, the year prior to
the incorporation. A brother-in-law, Jesse E. Bodette,
purchased the interest of the deceased partner and be¬
came vice-president, and later Marden H. Turner was
made vice-president, an office he still holds.

Benjamin J. Brown is a member of the Gardner
Chamber of Commerce, which he serves as a member
of the board of directors and vice-president; is a direc¬
tor and vice-president of the Gardner Trust Company,
and a trustee of Gardner Savings Bank. A Republican
in political affiliation, he is interested in all civic advance,
and for the past half a dozen years has served as a
member of the Board of Water and Sewer Commis¬
sioners. Fraternally Mr. Brown holds membership in
Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner Chap¬
ter, Royal Arch Masons ; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights
Templar; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles
of the Mystic Shrine ; Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benev¬
olent and Protective Order of Elks ; and is a member of
Charles Sumner Camp, No. 37, Sons of Veterans. His
clubs are: The Gardner Boat, the Oak Hill Country,
and the Monomonack Sporting Club.

Benjamin J. Brown married, January 10, 1889, Maude
A. Gilbert, of Gardner, and they are the parents of
four children : Clayton E., an employe of Brown Broth¬
ers ; Frances Adeline, at home; Guy B., also employed by
the Brown Brothers ; and Clarence E., who died at the
age of four years.

JOHN EDWARD SWIFT, one of the professional
men of Worcester County, Massachusetts, is active in
civic and political affairs, and has been engaged in legal
practice in Milford and in Boston since 1902.

Born in Milford, Massachusetts, December 7, 1879,
Mr. Swift is a son of Thomas J., now retired from
active life, and Mary J. (McDonough) Swift, who died

T54

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

September 8, 1921. He received his early education in
the public schools of Milford, Massachusetts, and after
his graduation from the high school there, in 1896,
became a student in Boston College, from which he was
graduated in 1899. He then began his professional
studies in the law school of Boston University, com¬
pleting his course there in 1902. During the two decades
which have passed since that time he has been steadily
and continuously engaged in legal practice in Milford
and Boston. He has built up a large and important
patronage and has made for himself a reputation which
is a valuable business asset.

He has always taken a deep interest in local civic affairs
and in political affairs in general, has served as Town
Treasurer for eleven years, and has been a member of
the School Board for eighteen years. Politically he
gives his support to the principles and candidates of the
Democratic party, and has been chosen to serve as dele¬
gate to the Democratic National Convention. He was
a candidate in 1922 for the office of Attorney General of
Massachusetts. He is District Deputy of the Knights
of Columbus; a member of Milford Lodge, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks ; of the Catholic Foresters ;
of Division 7, Ancient Order of Hibernians; and pro¬
fessionally is affiliated with the Massachusetts Bar As¬
sociation, the Worcester County Bar Association, and
a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar. He
is also a member of the Boston City Club. His re¬
ligious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic Church
of St. Mary’s, at Milford.

John Edward Swift, married, on April 18, 1917, at
Milford, Massachusetts, Emily L. Lee, daughter of
William and Virginia (Parker) Lee. Mr. and Mrs.
Swift are the parents of three children : John Edward,
Jr., who was born January 20, 1918; Marilyn I., born
May 5, 1920; and Francis Lee, born December 7, 1923.

ARTHUR H. TURNER — The progressive activities
of the town of Harvard, Massachusetts, have commanded
the constructive attention of Arthur H. Turner for many
years, and in both his individual interests and public
service he has done much to forward the welfare of the
community and stabilize economic conditions. He is
numbered among the broadly useful and estimable men
of Worcester County. Mr. Turner is a member of an
old and distinguished family of this State, his great¬
grandfather, Prince Turner, having served in the Rev¬
olutionary War, supporting the cause of the colonies.
Luther Turner, Mr. Turner’s grandfather, was an hon¬
ored figure of his time, and with his wife, Abigail, bore
a leading part in the social progress of the day. Oliver
Turner, son of these parents and Mr. Turner’s father,
was among the early settlers of the community now
known as Harvard, and was by trade a pump maker,
but during his later years was employed by the United
States Government in the tempering of steel. He spent
the decline of life on the farm. Oliver Turner married
Rebecca Harrod, daughter of Major William K. and
Rebecca (Staples) Harrod, her father a blacksmith, of
Harvard, her mother of Maine stock.

Arthur H. Turner was born at Harvard, Massachu¬
setts, September 26, 1858. His education was received
in the public schools of Lancaster and at Lawrence Acad¬

emy, at Groton, Massachusetts, and his natural taste
and ability for mathematics, largely determined his
future. Mr. Turner has devoted considerable time and
attention to farming activities since his youth, but dur¬
ing his entire career has been engaged in bookkeeping
and accounting along with his other interests. For
many years he was a prominent factor in the public ad¬
vance, and for seventeen years served on the local
School Committee. His activities as Overseer of the
Poor did much for the permanent welfare of wards of
the community, and he served acceptably in the exacting
office of Assessor for one year. Elected treasurer of
the town of Harvard in the year 1912, he has ably
filled this office since. These various positions of local
usefulness, however, were only such as contribute to
the immediate progress and steady growth of the civic
body. As long ago as the year 1895 Mr. Turner was
elected Representative of the town of Harvard in the
House of Assembly of the State of Massachusetts, and in
the discharge of his duties in the legislative halls of the
State he not only gained personal distinction, but re¬
flected credit upon the constituency which placed him in
this position of honor. He was again elected Repre¬
sentative in 1920, and added to the usefulness which
marked his previous services to the State, his long ex¬
perience in affiairs and familiarity with conditions
counted constructively in the deliberations of the legis¬
lative body. Mr. Turner is prominent in fraternal
circles as a member of Harvard Lodge, No. 149, Inde¬
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and Harvard Grange,
Patrons of Husbandry. He attends the Unitarian
church, and acts as treasurer of the church society.

Arthur H. Turner married, at Sterling, Massachu¬
setts, in November, 1888, Emily G. Hey wood, daughter
of Moses B. and Maria (Nichols) Heywood, who, for
many years, were well known in the industrial and social
life of Sterling. Mr. and Mrs. Turner are the parents
of two sons: Earl O., of whom further; and Stanley H.,
of whom further.

Earl O. Turner was born at Harvard, Massachusetts,
May 19, 1893. Following the completion of his elemen¬
tary and intermediate studies, he entered the Massa¬
chusetts Institute of Technology, from which he was
graduated in the class of 1914 with the degree of Bach¬
elor of Science. He has been active since as professor
of engineering and hydraulics at the University of New
Brunswick, at Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is
a veteran of the World War, having enlisted in the
United States Army Aviation Signal Corps in Decem¬
ber, 1917. Commissioned second lieutenant in March
of the following year, he was detailed to the North¬
west on engineering activities for the government. He
was active there in the building of railroads and the
getting out of spruce lumber for the construction of
aeroplanes. Mr. Turner taught the use of the gas mask
in Tennessee, but the signing of the armistice intervened
before he was called overseas, and he received his hon¬
orable discharge from the service on December 31, 1918.

Stanley H. Turner was born in Harvard, Massachu¬
setts, November 3, 1900. His early education covered,
he entered Worcester Technical Institute, from which
he was graduated in the class of 1922, with the degree
of Bachelor of Science. Professionally active for one

BIOGRAPHICAL

155

year, he took up post-graduate work in the fall of 1923,
in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School
of Business Administration, where he is now (1924)
a student

HON. RODNEY WALLACE— The Fitchburg
Paper Company with its immense output and far-
reaching economic influences is a worthy memorial to
the energy and ability of its founder, Hon. Rodney
Wallace, who at the age of twelve years, began his ac¬
tive career by hiring himself to a farmer for forty
dollars a year and the privilege of attending school for
eight weeks during the winter term. Ability, tireless
effort, and sound principles brought large rewards, and
fifty years after receiving his forty dollars for the
labor of twelve months Hon. Rodney Wallace, presented
to the city of Fitchburg the Wallace Library and Art
Building, erected by him at a cost of $100,000. Later,
he presented the town of Rindge, New Hampshire, with
a public library building. These gifts, beautiful and
useful as they are, however, do not represent the vital
part of Mr. Wallace’s contribution to the welfare of his
fellow-citizens. He took an active part in local public
affairs, was a generous supporter of all well-planned
projects for the advancement of the public good, and
was chosen to represent his district in the National
Congress.

(I.) John Wallis (as the name was formerly spelled)
and his wife Elizabeth were residents of Stow, Massa¬
chusetts, as early as 1721. He removed to Townsend,
Massachusetts, previous to November 12, 1731, at which
time he purchased land there. He was one of the six¬
teen original members of the church there, and in 1747
served as Selectman of the town. He died May 20,
1763, aged eighty-seven years, survived by his second
wife, Elizabeth, whose death occurred January 25, 1765,
at the age of seventy-two years. His children were:
John, of further mention ; Susannah ; Elizabeth ; Mat¬
thew; Jonathan; Isaac; William, died young; William,
and David.

(II.) John Wallace (or Wallis), son of John Wallis,
was born 1694 (or 1695 according to gravestone) and
died September 30, 1777, aged eighty-three (or eighty-
two) years. He removed with his father from Stow
to Townsend in 1731. He married (first), February
15, 1722, Sarah Wheeler, daughter of Zebediah Wheeler,
of Stow. She died March 25, 1752. He married (sec¬
ond), February 15, 1753, Mary White, of Groton. He
married (third), November 6, 1759, Mrs. Martha

(Stevens) Pudney. Children of John and Sarah
(Wheeler) Wallace (or Wallis) were: William; Sarah;
Benoni, of further mention ; Zebdiah ; and Relief.

(III.) Benoni Wallace (or Wallis), son of John and
Sarah (Wheeler) Wallace (or Wallis), settled in
Lunenburg, and died there. The records show that he
was in Lunenburg two years before his marriage, when
he objected to the manner in which a highway was laid
over his land in Lunenburg, and later the highway was
relaid, apparently to his satisfaction. He is the im¬
mediate ancestor of the Ashby and Ashburnham families
of this surname. He died March 15, 1792. His wife
died August 25, 1790. He married, July 22, 1755, Re¬
becca Brown, of Lynn. Their children, born in Lunen¬

burg, were: Benjamin; Curwin; David, of further men¬
tion ; Molly ; Ebenezer, Frederick, died young ; and
Rebecca.

(IV.) David Wallace (or Wallis), son of Benoni and
Rebecca (Brown) Wallace, was born in' Lunenburg,
Massachusetts, October 16, 1760, and died January 12,
1842. He served three terms of enlistment in the Rev¬
olution, and in 1786 removed to Ashburnham, where he
was a farmer, and enjoyed the rewards of a peaceful,
well-ordered life. He married, April 11, 1797, Susannah
Conn, who died March 24, 1847, daughter of John and
Ruth (Davis) Conn, of Ashburnham. Their children
were: David, of further mention; James Parks; Ruth
Davis; John Wyman; Lucy Spalding; and Frederick.

(V.) David Wallace, son of David and Susannah
(Conn) Wallace, was born July 14, 1797, and died
May 29, 1857. He established the “Wallace” form of the
family name, and his descendants have followed his ex¬
ample. He was in early life a clothier in Fitchburg,
and owned land and a mill near the Cushing Mill, on
Laurel Street. Later he was a farmer in New Ipswich,
and in Rindge, New Hampshire. He was a worthy man
and a good citizen. He died May 29, 1857. He married
Roxanna Gowan, of New Ipswich, who died in Fitch¬
burg, February 27, 1876. Their children were: Harriet;
Rodney, of further mention; David K. ; John A.; Charles
E. ; George F. ; Romanzo A.; and William E.

(VI.) Rodney Wallace, son of David and Roxanna
(Gowan) Wallace, was born in New Ipswich, New
Hampshire, December 21, 1823, and died February 27,
1903. In his youth his parents removed to Rindge, New
Hampshire. At the age of twelve he left his home to work
for a farmer for a year for forty dollars, with the priv¬
ilege of attending school during the term O'f eight weeks.
At the age of sixteen he began to drive freight from,
Bellows Falls, Vermont, and Rindge, New Hampshire,
to Boston, taking lumber and produce and bringing back
merchandise from the city. In 1843, when he was
twenty years old, he entered the employ of Dr. Stephen
Jewett, of Rindge, New Hampshire, the proprietor of
Jewett’s famous patent medicines, and subsequently trav¬
eled as the doctor’s agent, selling the medicines through
five of the New England States. In 1853 he removed to
Fitchburg and actively engaged in business in the whole¬
sale trade in books, stationery, and paper stock, which
was conducted under the firm name of Shepley & Wal¬
lace, and later of R. Wallace & Company, his partner
being Stephen Shepley. In 1865 he organized the Fitch¬
burg Paper Company, and the former partnership with
Mr. Shepley was dissolved July 1, 1865, Mr. Wallace
retaining the cotton waste department, which has since
grown to large proportions and become very profitable.
The Wallace interests now handle several hundred thou¬
sand dollars’ worth of this waste annually. The Fitch¬
burg Paper Company, which was made up of Mr.
Shepley, Mr. Wallace, and Benjamin Snow, bought the
Lyon Paper Mill and Kimball Scythe Shops at West
Fitchburg, and began the manufacture of paper there.
Stephen E. Denton was later admitted to the firm and
took charge of the manufacturing. In July, 1865, when
the business was just getting under way, Mr. Shepley
sold his interests to Mr. Wallace and Mr. Snow. In
June, 1866, Mr. Denton died, and on January 7 1869,

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

156

Mr. Wallace purchased Mr. Snow’s interests. On
January 23, 1869, Mr. Wallace purchased the interests of
the Denton estate, and since then he and, later, his
sons have had the sole ownership of the business of the
Fitchburg Paper Company. Mr. Wallace soon made
improvements in his mill whereby the output was
doubled. In 1876 he built a substantial stone dam and
improved the water power. In 1878 he built a new brick
mill and increased the product to six tons of paper daily.
In 1887 he built another large brick mill near the junc¬
tion of Phillips Brook and the Nashua River, and since
that time numerous improvements have been made. The
Fitchburg Mills manufacture card and lithograph paper
and similar high-class products. Many cottages have
been built by Mr. Wallace and his company for the. ac¬
commodation of employees, and a village built by the
company has grown up about the mills. The mills have
their own freight house and freight yard.

Mr. Wallace by no means confined his energies to the
paper business.' He was interested in many lines of busi¬
ness and all were successful. He became the leading
citizen of the town, a position he unquestionably occu¬
pied for a number of years. He was a man of great
public spirit. He was president and director of the
Fitchburg Gas Light Company from 1864 until his
death in 1903; a director of the Fitchburg National
Bank, 1866-1903; was for many years a trustee of the
Fitchburg Savings Bank; director of the Parkhill Man¬
ufacturing Company, and the Putnam Machine Com¬
pany; director of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance
Company; partner in the Fitchburg Woolen Mill; a di¬
rector in the Fitchburg Railroad Company and Spring-
field Trust Company; a trustee of Smith College, North¬
ampton. He has been entrusted with the settlement of
several large estates. His ambition in the political
world was restrained by the exacting burdens of business
•and the magnitude of the interests claiming his atten¬
tion. He was Selectman of the town of Fitchburg in
1864, 1865, and 1867; in 1873 represented Fitchburg in
the General Court, and was unanimously renominated
the following year, but declined reelection on account of
his health ; was in the Governor’s Council through the
entire administration of Governor Long. In 1884 he
was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
In 1889 and 1890 he represented his district in Congress.

The Wallace Library and Art Building is an enduring
monument to Mr. Wallace’s interest in educational and
literary affairs. In 1881 he purchased a site suitably
located on Main Street for a public library. Here he
erected a substantial building at a cost of nearly $100,000,
and presented it to the city of Fitchburg for a free pub¬
lic library, reading rooms and art galleries. The Wal¬
lace Library and Art Building was dedicated July 1,
1885, the exercises being held in the library, Mayor
Alonzo Davis presiding. In presenting the building Mr.
Wallace said:

The best materials of all kinds were selected, the
best mechanics employed, and more faithful service
could not have been rendered had each man employed

been the sole owner of the building . Our best

thoughts have been given to have the building adapted
to the purposes for which it was intended, and I have
found pleasure in giving it my personal attention. No
pains or expense have been spared to make the build¬
ing first-class in all respects, and it is nearly or quite
fireproof. Cost of building $70,000; cost of furniture
$2,000; cost of land $12,000; total $84,000.

In the hands of the city government and under the
management of the trustees, I have perfect confidence
that the building will be well cared for, and as a home
for the Library, Works of Art and Free Reading
Rooms it will be of increasing value to our people.
With pleasure and the most earnest wish that to many
of our people these rooms may prove to be a place of
rest and profit, and help make the journey of life more
pleasant and useful, I now present to you the deed of
this property and keys of the building.

The dedicatory address of Governor John D. Long
was appropriate, eloquent, and impressive. The manu¬
script is preserved in the Relic Room at the Library. A
poem by Mrs. Caroline Mason was read by Ray Greene
Huling, principal of the high school. The city has an
excellent collection of books and pictures, and the library
is growing constantly better, owing to additions by gift
and purchase. The Fitchburg Public Library, which
was founded in 1859, is one of the finest institutions of
the city since it has had its new home. Among the
trustees who have been interested in having the purposes
of its donor carried out are Herbert Ingalls Wallace,
son of Rodney Wallace, and Ezra S. Stearns, formerly
Secretary of State of New Hampshire, a distinguished
historian and genealogist, and a close personal friend
of Mr. Wallace, who in his “History of Ashburnham”
wrote :

Mr. Wallace is courteous and affable in manner and
loyal in his friendship. In the reserve of his nature
he is restrained from impetuous demonstration, but,
in every social and public duty his friendship, his in¬
fluence and his assistance are put forth with command¬
ing effect. If his activities are circumscribed by rea¬
son and prudence, his conclusions are deliberately
formed and founded upon a comprehensive study of
the attending facts. In him are combined diligence
and sagacity, and above all a lofty standard of honor
and integrity.

He also gave the town of Rindge, New Hampshire, a
public library building in 1894.

Mr. Wallace married (first), December 1, 1853, Sophia
Ingalls, born May 5, 1828, daughter of Thomas and
Sophia (Shurtleff) Ingalls, of Rindge, New Hampshire.
She died June 20, 1871, leaving two sons. He married
(second), December 28, 1876, Sophia F. (Billings)

Bailey, of Woodstock, Vermont, born November 1, 1826,
died November 9, 1895, daughter of Oel and Sophia W.
Billings, of Royalton, Vermont, and widow of Hon.
Goldsmith F. Bailey. The children of Rodney and
Sophia (Ingalls) Wallace were: 1. Herbert Ingalls,
born in Fitchburg, and graduated from Harvard Uni¬
versity in 1877. Upon the completion of his college
course he became associated with his father’s business,
and later was head of the Fitchburg Paper Company
and his father’s successor in various other important
enterprises. As trustee of the Wallace .Library and
Art Building he has gathered an excellent musical li¬
brary for the institution. He married, October 23, 1879,
Amy Louise Upton, daughter of John and Louise
(Willis) Upton, and their children are: Fred; Rodney,
deceased; Sophia I.; Amy L., deceased; and Robert S.
2. George R., born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, June 29,
1859, studied in Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in Boston, and then became associated with the Fitch¬
burg Paper Company, of which he took charge upon the
death of his father. He married, November 10, 1886,
Helen (Nellie) M. Howland, of Fitchburg, and has four
children: Helen S., George R., Jr., (q. v.) ; Elizabeth,
and Rachel.

BIOGRAPHICAL

157

MAJOR GEORGE RODNEY WALLACE, JR.—

A leading executive in the paper industry in New
England is Major George Rodney Wallace, Jr., vice-
president of the Fitchburg Paper Company, whose
energy and efficiency have carried him to a noteworthy
position in the business world. Mr. Wallace comes of
a prominent and highly honored family of Fitchburg,
and is a son of George R. and Helen M. (Howland)
Wallace, his father the president of the Fitchburg Paper
Company and for many years one of the principal forces
in the development and present eminence of the con¬
cern. The maternal line also traces back through a
prominent family of Massachusetts to pioneer origin.

George Rodney Wallace, Jr., was born in Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, October 2, 1889. His early education
was received in the public and high schools of his native
city, and his higher studies were mapped out with di¬
rect relation to his future responsibilities as an exec¬
utive of the Fitchburg Paper Company. He covered a
comprehensive course at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Received into the firm immediately fol¬
lowing his graduation, Mr. Wallace mastered the prac¬
tical application of his technical knowledge and con¬
tinues with the concern in his present official capacity.
He is further affiliated with the business world of Fitch¬
burg as a director of the Fidelity Cooperative Bank and
as a director of the Fitchburg Bank & Trust Company.
He also serves on the board of investments of the Fitch¬
burg Savings Bank. Major Wallace is a veteran of the
World War, having enlisted in the 2d Regiment, Massa¬
chusetts Field Artillery, United States Army, on July
19, 1917. He was promoted to sergeant on September 1
of the same year, then on the 23d of the following No¬
vember was promoted to captain and transferred to the
regular army. Nearly a year later, on November 1,
1918, he was promoted to the rank of major while on
the field in France. He sailed overseas in July, 1918,
and was active in the Meuse-Argonne offensive, receiv¬
ing a citation from General Pershing. Returned to the
United States the following spring, Major Wallace re¬
ceived his honorable discharge from the service on
April 22, 1919, and returned to the interests of civilian
life. He is a Republican by political affiliation, and
chairman of the Republican City Committee, also par¬
ticipating in the activities of the Republican State Com¬
mittee as a member of that body. Fraternally he is
affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks, and his clubs are the Oak Hill Country, and the
Fay. He is identified with the Unitarian church.

Major Wallace married, on May 24, 1923, in Fitch¬
burg, Massachusetts, Alice G. Wellington, daughter of
Arthur J. and Susan (Lloyd) Wellington, of Fitchburg.
His son by a former marriage, George R. Wallace,
third, was born August 29, 1915.

DAVID HALE FANNING— The city of Worcester,
Massachusetts, takes a very proper pride in the great
industries which have developed the municipality, and
which provide for the economic security and well being
of the people as well as for the permanence and dig¬
nity of the civic body. Back of every industry, as the
force which brought it into existence and governs its
progress, stands some man or group of men, whose

breadth of vision and ceaseless energy have made pos¬
sible these monuments to human endeavor. There is
no name of greater significance to this city than that of
David Hale Fanning, and no product more universally
known the world over than the Royal Worcester Corsets,
of which he is the originator. For sixty-two years Mr.
Fanning has stood at the head of this enterprise, from
the time when his force of employees numbered two
women, to the present day when he presides over the
greatest industry of its kind in the world, although he
has nearly reached the ninety-third anniversary of his
birth. The life story of this aged man with the spirit
of youth still animating his being, reads like one of
those industrial romances in which the old and young
take equal delight.

David Hale Fanning was born in Jewett City, Connec¬
ticut, August 4, 1830. Left an orphan at the age of
seven years, he was cared for by older brothers and sis¬
ters, and attended public school until he was fifteen years
of age. He was then placed in a small factory owned by
a brother, who manufactured twine and cotton batting.
But the lad was urged to higher endeavors by some
ambition hidden within himself. Lacking the mature
counsel and unselfish love of father or mother, it re¬
mained for him to strike out blindly when the time came
that he determined upon independent action. A graphic
word picture of the boy was included in the handsome
brochure published by the company on the sixtieth an¬
niversary of the founding of the business :

One bright Sunday morning while he stood at the
well-curb drawing a pail of water, listening to the
church bells ring the hour of 9.30, notifying the people
to get ready for the service an hour later, his vague
dreams suddenly blossomed into a definite resolution
to strike out for freedom. This was on August 9, 1S46,
and was the first important decision in the career of a
man noted for quick and sound decisions.

With only a few dollars in his pocket, the lad walked
the eighteen miles or thereabouts to Danielson, Connec¬
ticut, and spent the night at a country inn. Taking a
train to Worcester the next day, he searched for work
in this city, but found no opening. Could the business
men of that day have pre-visioned the mental power
and constructive energy of the plain, direct-spoken lad
who applied for the means of mere existence, the his¬
tory of the Royal Worcester Corset Company might
never have been written, for his energies would have
been directed into existing channels, rather than, as
transpired, cutting new paths. Shortly after he se¬
cured work in Clinton, operating the picker and lapper
in a cotton mill. Remaining there for two years, he
then decided to learn the trade of machinist, but event¬
ually, upon completing his apprenticeship, he returned
to mill work. By this time the young man was accus¬
tomed to think and act for himself, and one day aston¬
ished his overseer by declaring his intention never to do
another day’s work in a cotton mill. He had accumu¬
lated a little capital and started a grocery store at Groton
Junction, near Ayer, Massachusetts, but his did not sat¬
isfy his ambition, even as a stepping stone to higher
achievement. Horace Greeley’s famous advice to “go
west” reached him, and selling his store, M!r. Fanning
went to Chicago, then a crude municipality of some 80,000
population, situated on low, marshy ground. The hills
of New England called him back, but stopping at

158

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Cleveland, Ohio, en route, he was employed there for
a time as bookkeeper. In 1861 Mr. Fanning returned to
Worcester, and his desire to serve his country in her
time of need proved futile, for upon enlistment he was
refused on account of disability. He formed an un¬
shakable purpose to embark upon his own responsibility
in some productive enterprise. Keenly practical at all
times, he settled upon the popular hoop skirt of the day
as the opportunity of the moment, and began its man¬
ufacture. Procuring the rental of a room fifteen feet
square, Mr. Fanning made his start, employing two
women and doing his own designing, cutting, and so
forth. It is interesting to note in passing that one of
these original employees is still living. Quality of
product was an unvarying policy of this manufacturer
from his earliest venture, and the hoop skirts found a
brisk sale in the dry goods stores of Worcester. Then
Mr. Fanning’s keen vision comprehended the probable
changes of fashion and branched out along a line which,
throughout all the vagaries of the modes, had for cen¬
turies been a staple article of apparel, and would in all
likelihood continue such — corsets. He personally made
the first corset in his plant, shaping and combining five
pieces of cloth, a few steels and eyelets, but daily keep¬
ing in touch with what was being accomplished in his
field, and always seeking a higher degree of perfection
in his own product, Mr. Fanning’s rise was a matter of
his own achievement alone. Co-partnerships he tried,
when he felt the need of more numerous executives, but
they proved fetters to progress, and he at length organ¬
ized a corporation, keeping thenceforward in his own
hands all executive responsibility. During the thirty-five
years which have since elapsed the regular quarterly
dividend to the stockholders has never failed.

Meantime, the growth of the interest, the original
capital for which was practically nothing but business
ability and courage, was steady and great. The plant
outgrew such structures as had been available, and in
1895 land was bought at the corner of Wyman and
Hollis streets, where a factory, very large for that day,
in Worcester, was erected. It has been necessary since,
however, to increase enormously the original space, and
from that time until the present a large addition has been
erected every five years, the last being completed in
the year 1921. Throughout the great plant every de¬
partment is equipped in the most approved manner, and
the product of the factory to-day, comprising the Royal
Worcester and Bon Ton corsets, goes to all parts of the
civilized world. But perhaps the more noteworthy feat¬
ure of this great enterprise is the happy cooperation
that exists between the executive and production forces,
and the paternal benevolence of the revered and ven¬
erable man whose interest is as keen in the welfare of
his employees as in the success of his business. With
the first establishing of the little shop more than sixty
years ago, he looked ahead to a time when he could make
special provision for the comfort and recreation of his
employees, and in the newest building he realized his
dream to the full, although during all his previous his¬
tory this had been a special phase of the progress of the
business. The building completed in 1921 has a great
dance floor and a complete stage and footlights, also a
most charming and attractive rest room with luxurious

wicker furniture upholstered in gay cretonnes, with
writing desks conveniently placed and a large library
close by. The plant occupies an entire city block,
222x158 feet, and the large lawn is always kept in per¬
fect order. In short the Royal Worcester plant is one
of the show places of the city, and the pride, not only
of those connected with it, but of every citizen of Wor¬
cester.

HERBERT PARKER — Prominent among the men
of the legal profession in Worcester County is Herbert
Parker, who has been successfully engaged in legal prac¬
tice in Worcester and in Boston since 1884, principally
as a trial lawyer. Tn addition to caring for his large
private practice he has served as Associate Justice of the
District Court, as District Attorney, and as Attorney
General of the State of Massachusetts. He is also
officially connected with an important business organiza¬
tion, and has been active in organizations not connected
with his profession.

Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, March 2, 1856,
Mr. Parker is a son of George A. and Harriet Newell
(Felton) Parker. After completing his preliminary and
preparatory work he became a student in Harvard Col¬
lege as a member of the class of 1878, and received the
degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1905 he received the
honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Tufts College.
In the meantime, he had been admitted to the Massa¬
chusetts bar in 1883, and immediately thereafter was pri¬
vate secretary at Washington to Senator G. F. Hoar. In
1884 he entered into the practice of his profession. He
was well prepared for his work and possessed ability
and energy, qualities which soon brought the reward of
growing patronage. He took an active interest in local
public affairs, and in 1886 was made Associate Justice
of the Second District Court of Eastern Worcester. In
1887 he was appointed Assistant District Attorney, and
later elected District Attorney of the Middle Massa¬
chusetts District, the latter of which official positions
he held until 1899. In 1901 he was elected to the im¬
portant office of Attorney General of the State of
Massachusetts, the duties of which office he efficiently
discharged until 1905. Mr. Parker was counsel for
Police Commissioner Curtis, his term including the
period of the famous police strike in Boston. He was
also a member of the Massachusetts State Constitutional
Convention during 1917-1919. He was fortunate in
his direct personal association with the late Senator
Hoar of Massachusetts, in whose office he conducted
his studies for admission to the bar. In addition to the
numerous professional activities already mentioned, Mr.
Parker has served as trustee of the State Mutual Life
Insurance Company of Worcester; of the Clinton,
Massachusetts, Hospital Association, of Clark College;
and of Clark University since 1907, He is a member of
the Medico-Legal Society of Massachusetts ; of the
American Ornithologists’ Union ; was vice-president of
the Military Efficiency Association; and vice-president
of the Massachusetts League for Preservation of Amer¬
ican Independence. He is also a member of the Union
Club, and of the Tavern Club of Boston. Politically, he
gives his support to the Republican party, and his re¬
ligious affiliation is with the Unitarian church.

BIOGRAPHICAL

159

Herbert Parker married, September 22, 1886, Mary
Carney Vose, of Lowell, Massachusetts, and Mr. and
Mrs. Parker are the parents of six children: 1. George
A., born October 8, 1887, a graduate of Harvard Uni¬
versity, and of the Harvard Law School. He was in the
Massachusetts State Militia, and went to the Mexican
border with Battery A, 1st Massachusetts Field Artillery,
as lieutenant. After his return from the border he was
made captain of Battery C, 1st Massachusetts Artillery,
which was mustered into Federal service as the 101st
Field Artillery and sent overseas in September, 1917.
He took part in the offensives and was wounded and
gassed in action at Chateau Thiery, in July, 1918. After
his release from the hospital he returned to his regi¬
ment and was in the St. Mihiel drive and continued with
the American advance until the armistice. He was
promoted to the rank of major, and returned with the
I02d Field Artillery in April, 1919. He is now com¬
mander of the Massachusetts State Police Patrol. 2.
Katherine V., educated in private finishing schools. 3.
Edith, educated in private finishing schools, and also a
graduate nurse of the Massachusetts General Hospital.
4. Haven, educated at the Milton Academy, a graduate
of Harvard University, and now a student in the Har¬
vard Law School. 5. Mary Carney, educated at Miss
Walker’s Private School, and now (1923) attending Bryn
Mawr College. 6. Harriet Felton, educated also at Miss
Walker’s School, and now a student at Bryn Mawr
College.

REV. ELLSWORTH WASHINGTON PHIL¬
LIPS, a minister of the Congregational church, began
his pastoral career at Worcester in 1891, and there he
is yet, as executive secretary of the Worcester City
Missionary Society, after a ministerial career covering
more than three decades, although his service has been
with different churches of Worcester and with the First
Church, of Whitman, Massachusetts. He is a son of
Washington and Eliza E. (Day) Phillips, his father a
farmer.

Ellsworth W. Phillips was born August 5, 1861. He
began his education in the village public school. He
prepared in Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, New
Hampshire, finishing with graduation as valedictorian
in the class of 1883. From the academy he passed to
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, there
receiving the Bachelor’s degree, class of 1888. Decid¬
ing upon the holy profession, he entered Hartford
Theological Seminary, at Hartford, Connecticut, and
thence was graduated, class of 1891. At the comple¬
tion of his theological course in 1891, Mr. Phillips was
installed pastor of Hope Congregational Church, of
Worcester, Massachusetts, and there continued until
1906. He then accepted a call from the First Congre¬
gational Church, of Whitman, Massachusetts, and served
that society faithfully and acceptably for five years,
1906-1911. During the years 1912-1914 he was assistant
to the pastor of Union Congregational Church, of Wor¬
cester. In 1915 he was called to the executive secre¬
taryship of the City Missionary Society of the Congre¬
gational Churches. In this capacity he organized, in
1916, the Hadwen Park Congregational Church, over
which he had the pastoral care until 1920, when he

accepted the pastorate of the Memorial Congregational
Church, which was founded and endowed in 1855, as a
mission church, by the late Deacon Ichabod Washburn,
noted as the man who established the first wire business
in America, and gave Worcester her greatest industry,
and has been the city’s greatest benefactor. By this ar¬
rangement the city mission church and the City Mis¬
sionary Society were brought into close cooperation, and
Mr. Phillips continues to hold the dual relationship of
pastor of the church and secretary of the society at the
time of this writing, December, 1923. His work for the
church has been greatly blessed, and he is one of the
strong men of his denomination. Rev. Ellsworth W.
Phillips is a member of many religious bodies and
societies, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and
Worcester Congregational Club.

He married, in Sharon, Vermont, October 7, 1891,
Charlotte May Chamberlin, daughter of Edward Bing¬
ham and Jennie (Moore) Chamberlin. Rev. and Mrs.
Phillips are the parents of four children : Robert Ells¬
worth, born November 2, 1892; Ruth Chamberlin, bom
January 20, 1896; Charlotte Day, bom July 27, 1901;
Margaret Moore, born October 1, 1904.

HON. FRANCIS PRESCOTT— As president of
the Savings Bank of Grafton, and as representative of
his fellow-citizens in both houses of the State Legisla¬
ture, Hon. Francis Prescott has rendered valuable ser¬
vice to the community and the district in which he lives.
Few men of Grafton are better known and none are
more highly esteemed than is Mr. Prescott.

The Prescott family is the oldest in Worcester County,
tracing its descent from John Prescott, the pioneer
settler in that section of the State. Otis B. Prescott,
of Beacon Street, Boston, grandfather of Hon. Francis
Prescott was a native of Lancaster, Massachusetts. Fie
married Ruth W. Brooks, of Cambridge, daughter of
Calvin and Ruth (Wetherbee) Brooks, and they were
the parents of Calvin B., who married Lucy E. Francis,
of Boston, daughter Nathaniel and Mary (Leavitt)
Francis.

Hon. Francis Prescott, son of Calvin B. and Lucy
E. (Francis) Prescott, was born in Newton, Massachu¬
setts, December 28, 1877, and received his early educa¬
tion in the public schools of Newton. After two years’
residence abroad he entered Harvard College, from
which he was graduated in 1901, with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts. In 1906, after several years spent
with banking institutions in Boston, he removed to
Grafton, Massachusetts, and interested himself in farm¬
ing and with the development of what is now known
as the Savings Bank of Grafton. That institution has
been developed and placed on a sound footing, and is
now known among the well-established financial con¬
cerns of Worcester County. In addition to his activ¬
ities and responsibilities in connection with the Grafton
Savings Bank, Mr. Prescott has taken an active part in
public affairs, and in 1915 was elected to represent his
district in the State House of Representatives. He
served with notable efficiency in 1916 and 1918, when
he was elected to the State Senate, where he again rep¬
resented his constituents faithfully and with notable
ability until 1920. He has served locally as chairman of

i6o

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

the Board of Selectmen, and has held various other
town offices. In 1917, at the beginning of the World
War, he was appointed by the President as a member
of the Selective Service, and both in his local official
service and in the wider responsibilities he assumed, he
gave full satisfaction to those whom he represented, and
holds the respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens. He
is well known in club circles, being a member of the
Worcester Club, the Harvard Club of Worcester
and of Boston, and the Exchange Club of Boston.
His religious affiliation and that of his family is with the
Congregational church.

On January 6, 1906, at Newton, Massachusetts, Hon.
Francis Prescott married Louisa Stearns, daughter of
Frank W. and Emily W. (Clark) Stearns, and they are
the parents of four children: Emily and Elizabeth
(twins), born October 6, 1907; Francis Stearns, born
March 4, 1910; and John Clark, born December 16, 1911.

AUSTIN E. LIVINGSTONE, LL. B., counted
among the progressive and forward-looking young men of
Gardner, Massachusetts, has been a successful attorney
since coming of age. He bore a part in the activities
of the World War and has since been brought forward
in the public service of Gardner, where his legal train¬
ing and professional experience is making him useful to
the people. Mr. Livingstone is a son of Edward J.
Livingstone, who was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts,
and became identified with the street railway service of
Framingham, Massachusetts, at the time of its being
opened to the public. He is still active in that connec¬
tion. Edward J. Livingstone married Mary F. McNa¬
mara, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was
brought East by her parents when an infant in arms,
her lifetime having been spent in Framingham and vi¬
cinity.

Austin E. Livingstone was born in Framingham,
Massachusetts, April 5, 1890. He first attended the pub¬
lic schools of Framingham and later of Milford, and
was graduated from the Milford High School in the
class of 1907. He then entered Boston University Law

School, from which he was graduated in the class of

1910 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. At that
time still under twenty-one years of age, he could not
take up the practice of law, and accordingly he spent a
year as clerk in the law office of James Milton Hall, of

Boston, then passed the bar examinations and was ad¬

mitted to the bar in Massachusetts, in August, 1911.
Shortly thereafter coming to Gardner, he opened his
law office here and has been in practice independently
since. Mr. Livingstone has built up an enviable reputa¬
tion through his ability as an advocate and his exhaust¬
ive knowledge of the law, having achieved marked suc¬
cess. His commodious offices are in the Gardner Sav¬
ings Bank Building. Enlisting in the service in the
World War in December, 1917, Mr. Livingstone was
detailed to the Officers’ Training Camp at Columbus,
Ohio, where he was commissioned second lieutenant on
March 9, 1918, following which he was sent to the Wil¬
bur Wright Field, at Dayton, Ohio. There he re¬
mained on duty until his discharge on December 16,
1918.

Politically Mr. Livingstone supports the Republican

party. He was brought forward as a member of the
Town Advisory Board in 1917, serving for two years,
and in 1919 was made a member of the Board of Health,
serving one year, and is now a member of the School
Committee of Gardner. A cordial and earnest worker
in all movements for civic advance and public welfare,
he is esteemed as one of Gardner’s able lawyers and
progressive citizens. Mr. Livingstone is a member of
Gardner Council, No. 396, Knights of Columbus, and
the Bishop Beaven Assembly (fourth degree) Knights
of Columbus. He is a member of Gardner Lodge, No.
426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; the
Ancient Order of Hibernians; and the Gamma Eta
Gamma, a legal fraternity. He is a member of the
American Legion, the Oak Hill Country Club, and the
Chair City Club of Gardner, and is a member of the
Gardner Chamber of Commerce. ,

Mr. Livingstone married, on August 17, 1915, Mary
Sullivan, of Ware, Massachusetts, and they have one
child, Edward Austin, born May 29, 1922.

WALTER NAHUM HOWE— For the last twenty-
four years Walter Nahum Howe has been the effi¬
cient business manager of the Leominster “Enterprise,”
with which concern he has been associated throughout
the entire period of his active career. He is widely
known in Worcester County, and is one of the im¬
portant factors in the success of the publication with
which he is identified.

Walter Nahum Howe was born in Fitzwilliam, New
Hampshire, February 13, 1866, son of Nahum Howe
and Nancy A. (Harris) Howe, the former of whom was
engaged first as a mill operator and later as the pro¬
prietor of a saw mill. Walter Nahum Howe received
his earliest education in the public schools of his native
district, and then became a student in Cushing Academy.
When his academic course was completed he prepared
for his business career by taking a commercial course
in the Bryant & Stratton Business School of Boston.
On August 2, 1886, he became an apprentice in the
employ of the Leominster “Enterprise,” where he learned
the printer’s trade. He was energetic and industrious,
and it was characteristic of the man that he was con¬
tent with nothing less than the best degree of skill in
whatever work he undertook. He was soon made fore¬
man, and after a few years became a member of the
firm, in which organization he held the office of treasurer.
For the last twenty-four years, as has been stated, he
has held the position of business manager, and it is to
his enterprise and energy that a large degree of the
success of the business is due. He has steadily in¬
creased the subscription list, has succeeded in collecting
bills where more than one person has failed, and has held
the organization to a high standard of business honor and
integrity. He is a “hustler” in the best sense of the word,
and the service he renders is invaluable. In addition
to his responsibilities in connection with the “Enterprise”
office, Mr. Howe has for several years served as a
member of the board of trustees of the City Library,
and that position he still holds. He is a member of the
Associated Press, and finds recreation in traveling,
especially in an automobile. Fraternally he is a member
of Monoosnock Council, Royal Arcanum, of T.eomin-

BIOGRAPHICAL

161

ster, which several years ago he served as Regent He
is also a member of Wilder Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons, of Leominster; Thomas Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons, of Fitchburg; Jerusalem Commandery, Knights
Templar, of Fitchburg; and of Leominster Lodge, No.
86, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He holds
membership in the Masonic Club, and his religious con¬
nection is with the Pilgrim Congregational Church of
Leominster, of which he is a member and has been clerk
of same for twenty-three years.

Mr. Howe married, at Leominster, Massachusetts, Oc¬
tober 22, 1890, Hattie M. Wright, daughter of George
O. and Mary (Blood) Wright. Mr. and Mrs. Howe are
the parents of five children : Mildred W., who was born
October 5, 1892 ; Helen M., who was born May 29, 1895,
married William James, of Leominster, and they have
one child, Robert Howe, born September 13, 1921;
Laura E., who was born March 29, 1897; Ruth E., who
was born August 4, 1900; and Evelyn L., who was born
September 19, 1911.

HON. JOEL D. MILLER— A life which meant
much to the people of Leominster, Massachusetts, and
indeed to Worcester County and to the State of Massa¬
chusetts, was that of the Hon. Joel D. Miller, clergy¬
man, editor, public servant, and at all times the pro¬
gressive spirit, the benevolent citizen, the fearless agi¬
tator for right and condemner of wrong, in short, the
Christian gentleman. Senator Miller’s life from youth
down through the years to the hour of his passing was
an example of the highest virtues and an exponent of
worthy effort, and his memory forms one of the cher¬
ished treasures of the people of Leominster.

Joel D. Miller was born at Athol, Massachusetts, Oc¬
tober 10, 1837. His early education was acquired in the
local schools and after a preparatory course at Ber-
nardston Academy, he entered Williams College, at
Williamstown, Massachusetts, from which he was grad¬
uated in the class of 1864, with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts, and entitled to the Phi Beta Kappa pin. Two
years after his graduation he supplied a pulpit at West
Royalston, Massachusetts, and at that time was ordained
a minister of the Baptist church. The opening before him
of other worthy branches of professional effort determined
him upon declining a regular pastorate, and as long as
he lived, although he preached frequently and much good
resulted from his public utterances, he never held a reg¬
ular charge. Although ordained in the Baptist church,
the pulpits of many denominations were the scenes of
his Christian service, and in later years he became a
deacon emeritus of the Pilgrim Congregational Church.
The profession of pedagogy was Mr. Miller’s early field
of endeavor, and after teaching in Jewett (New York)
Academy and the Athol (Massachusetts) High School,
he was made principal of the Field High School of
Leominster, Massachusetts, March 27, 1867, thereby be¬
coming the thirteenth principal of that institution. He
served in that capacity for about a quarter of a century,
giving the influence of a great spirit, and impressing
upon the plastic minds of the youth who came under
his teachings the mark of his own lofty ideals. Many
young men and women of that day graduated from this
school, went out into the world to lives of broad useful¬

ness in the professions and in commercial and industrial
activities and carried with them inspiring memories of
Mr. Miller’s personality and teachings. These memories
bore deep significance to their lives, for they had loved
him and had learned of him the lessons of truth and fidelity
to the principles of right in a way which never could
have been accomplished under a less genial and under¬
standing instructor. His influence remained with them
through the years and followed them into their every
relation in life, giving them courage in trying circum¬
stances and faith at all times in the good and worthy.

In the year 1885 Mr. Miller entered upon a field of
effort, wider, because its scope is unlimited, and because
in this field the utterance of the man finds permanent
form — journalism. At that time he purchased the Leo¬
minster “Enterprise,” a weekly paper founded many
years previous, but in his taking over the management
of the concern and the editing of the sheet, its scope
was widely increased and its significance to the public
became more definite. It has been said of Mr. Miller’s
work as a writer :

His writings were such pure English as to attract
widespread attention. At one time they were given
prominence among the classics at Clark University.
When Mr. Miller cared to be critical his invective was
sharp, but he never struck an unfair blow. He fought
hard for the right and fought fairly, “with malice
toward none and charity for all.” His skill in debate
was proverbial. Never at loss for words, ready with
a pun or apt story in repartee, he was considered a
formidable opponent in any sort of a deliberate
assembly.

The paper became a daily under his management in the
year 1895, and this very naturally brought a great in¬
crease in subscriptions and a consequent widening of the
influence of the paper. The company was incorporated
in the year 1898, under the title of the J. D. Miller
Company, Mr. Miller continuing throughout his lifetime
as president. It was perhaps his significance to the pub¬
lic as a fearless and conscientious journalist that led to
Mr. Miller’s candidacy for State Senator. He was
elected in the year 1894 and served for three years in the
higher body of the State Legislature with distinction
and eminent credit, both to himself and to his constitu¬
ents. In educational affairs in the State Senator Miller
was largely influential and was always given a place of
leadership. He served on the State Board of Education
from 1895 to 1909, and during this period the estab¬
lishment of the State Normal School in the city of
Fitchburg was accomplished largely through his ef¬
forts. His work in this connection was commemorated
by the naming of one of the buildings in his honor, the
Miller Dormitory. In local affairs, as well as those of
wider import, Senator Miller took an eminently con¬
structive part, but although he was frequently sought
as a candidate for one office or another, he generally
declined political honors in the town of his residence.
He served for many years, however, as a trustee of the
Public Library, and both in this connection and in every
advance movement or worthy effort he devoted much of
his time to the general progress. He was widely affili¬
ated fraternally, holding membership in Wilder Lodge,
Free and Accepted Masons, Monoosnock Council, Roy¬
al Arcanum, and was Past Master of the lodge and a
charter member of the council. He was also a member
of Tahanto Lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen.

Wop — 11

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

162

Not only in organized fraternities, but in every human
relation Senator Miller’s brotherly spirit was a part
of his daily life. Toward all who held any claim upon
him, whether friend, beneficiary, or employee, he was
always a wise counsellor and a steadfast friend. The
mourning was deep and universal when he died. The
end was not unexpected. Senator Miller fell at his home
in Washington Street, July 10, 1919, and sustained a
broken hip. At his advanced age this was a very serious
matter, and in spite of the best of medical and surgical
care he succumbed to the complications which ensued.
His death occurred on September 21, 1919, and it evoked
countless expressions of the deepest regret and the most
lasting affection for this man among men. The gen¬
eral sentiment was well expressed in an appreciation
published in the Leominster “Enterprise” :

Those who know and love Mr. Miller best will re¬
member his strong attachment to life in its fullest
sense, his keen appreciation of true mirth and humor,
his sincere and deep enjoyment of friendship in all its
possible meaning, his joyful spirit that rose superior
to all the sorrows and trials of earth and that “shineth
ever more and more unto the perfect day.” That spirit
and that love must transcend the last great change
and find an eternal reunion with all he loved below.

Senator Miller married Maria Sanderson, who sur¬
vived him, and they were the parents of two children :
1. Carrie L., who after graduating from the high school
assisted her father in that institution, and died in 1887,
aged twenty-one years. 2. Florence M., who was grad¬
uated from Leominster High School, and after attending
Radcliffe College for one year became a student in the
Fitchburg Normal School, whence she was graduated
in 1898. From 1900 to 1919 she was continuously en¬
gaged as a teacher in the latter institution, with the ex¬
ception of a two-year leave of absence.

GEORGE R. GODFREY— A life enriched by the
fullness of duties performed and work accomplished;
by the passing on of that legacy of labor created by his
own efforts, George R. Godfrey departed this life hav¬
ing gone beyond the many milestones of threescore years
and ten. His character, by the sheer force of which
he built up an industry that lives on as his best monu¬
ment, was one, too, that made him beloved and honored
in the community where he came a young man, penni¬
less and alone. He reaped riches from his life and
labors, and he gave service that will long make his
memory one to awaken thoughts and emotions of esteem
and honor among the citizens of his adopted city.

George R. Godfrey was born at North Wiltshire,
Prince Edward Island, and came to the United States at
the age of sixteen years, alone and without friends or
influence, to make his own way to success in life. He
settled first in Portland, Maine, where he served an
apprenticeship to a harness maker, and when he had ac¬
complished this he worked as a journeyman in Newport,
New Hampshire, gaining experience in the trade. He
then opened a small shop of his own in Hinsdale, New
Hampshire, but in 1869 it was entirely destroyed by fire,
and not having had it insured he was left utterly penni¬
less by this disaster. On March 31, 1869, he came to
Gardner, and with nothing now but his knowledge as a
master craftsman he opened a business without a dollar,
on the smallest scale, presenting himself as a harness

maker, ready to do any kind of work or repairs in the
leather line. He was located on Chestnut Street, one
of the main thoroughfares, and his industry and zeal,
his honesty and integrity, soon gained for him a repu¬
tation among the important manufacturing concerns as
a young man of fine character, and his good work
brought its own reward in a steadily growing business.
Not content with a local trade, he branched out, and
gradually developed interests that carried his harness
and other leather goods to continually increasing points
of distance, until finally he had created a trade that
covered in area places in all parts of the United States.
He continued the operation of his business alone until
1920, when he had it incorporated as the G. R. Godfrey
Company. In the meantime, however, about six years
earlier, he had taken his son, Henry R. Godfrey, into
his employ, and his activities had materially assisted in
the growth of the establishment, while his other son,
Edgar L. Godfrey, had also been in his employ, and
later developed an active interest in its progress. At
the time of its incorporation Mr. Godfrey felt that he
had reached an age where he wished to give to other
and younger hands the main responsibilities of the busi¬
ness, feeling, too, that he had earned a respite and the
privilege of taking a little more leisure for other occu¬
pations that were of interest to him. His son, Henry R.,
was therefore made the president of the corporation, and
George R. Godfrey kept the responsibilities of the office
of treasurer. Mr. Godfrey, besides his interest in his
own business, was active in civic matters and prominent
in other and various industrial matters. It was through
his enthusiastic labors that the Gardner Board of Trade
was established, and he became one of its first presidents.
He later became also president of the Gardner Business
Men’s Association, and his progressive spirit was ac¬
tive in all matters that tended to the growth and de¬
velopment and betterment of conditions in Gardner.
He was a member of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; the
Gardner Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows;
Knights of Pythias; and Improved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Godfrey died on January 26, 1923, at the age of
seventy-nine years.

He married Addie Randall, of Manchester, New
Hampshire, and they were the parents of two sons,
Henry R. and Edgar L. Mr. Godfrey is survived by
his widow and his sons.

A man of strong personal magnetism, genial and
affable, he won for himself many friends in all walks of
life, and the place he leaves in the commercial, social,
civic, and fraternal life of his city will long remain un¬
filled. The firm he established more than half a century
ago he built upon so solid a foundation of character
that it stands to-day an edifice, honoring his memory
in all its varied activities.

HENRY R. GODFREY, as treasurer of the G. R.
Godfrey Company, manufacturers of harness and leather
goods, holds a leading position in the business world of
Gardner, Massachusetts. This firm, which is nationally
known and is a leader in its field, was founded in 1869
by George R. Godfrey, Mr. Godfrey’s father.

Henry R. Godfrey was bom in Gardner, Massachu-

BIOGRAPHICAL

setts, February 18, 1892, elder son of George R. and
Addie (Randall) Godfrey. His education was begun
in the public schools of Gardner, and he was graduated
from the Gardner High School in the class of 1909.
Subsequently entering Clark University, at Worcester,
Massachusetts, he was graduated from that institution
in the class of 19x2, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
Thereafter for two years Mr. Godfrey was identified
with the New England Telephone and Telegraph Com¬
pany, working out of the Boston office, but in 1914 he
associated himself with his father in the present busi¬
ness. Beginning at the bottom and familiarizing him¬
self with its various departments by the practical method
of active work in each, he fitted himself for the execu¬
tive responsibility which was placed in his hands upon
the incorporation of the firm in 1919, when he was made
president of the company. This office he held until
the death of his father, when the present officers were
elected : Edward E. Godfrey, president; Henry R. God¬
frey, treasurer; and Addie (Randall) Godfrey, clerk;
Henry R. Godfrey taking over the responsible office
that his father had held before him.

Mr. Godfrey now stands among the influential and
successful men of the day in Gardner and is counted
among the most progressive young men of this section.
He is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce,
and fraternally is identified with Hope Lodge, Free and
Accepted Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch
Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; and
Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine. His chief recreations are those of the
outdoor, and he is a member of the Gardner Boat Club.
His religious affiliation is with the Congregational
church, which he serves as a member of the board of
trustees.

Henry R. Godfrey married, in 1915, Blanche Carlton,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Carlton, proprietor of
the Carlton Engraving Company of Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey have two children:
Margery L. and Eleanor C.

Associated with Henry R. Godfrey in the manage¬
ment of the G. R. Godfrey Company is his brother,
Edgar L. Godfrey, younger son of George R. and
Addie (Randall) Godfrey, who was born in Gardner,
Massachusetts, May 27, 1894. He attended the grammar
schools of his native town, and graduated from the
Gardner High School, class of 1912. He then went to
Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, and followed
this by attending the Wharton Schools of the University
of Pennsylvania. At this time, 1917, the World War
was entered by the United States and he enlisted in
the Navy Officers’ Training Camp, at Pelham Bay, New
York. After the war he went with the Goodyear Tire
and Rubber Company, taking charge of their promotional
and advertising work in Brazil, South America, and in
May, 1921, he entered the firm of G. R. Godfrey Com¬
pany, as sales manager. In 1923, after the death of
his father, he was made president of the company, in
which position he is to-day. Mr. Godfrey is affiliated
with the First Congregational Church of Gardner. He
is a member of the Gardner Boat Club; the Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks ; Hope Lodge, Free and

163

Accepted Masons; and is also a member of the Theta
Delta Psi fraternity.

HON. AUGUSTUS E. WRIGHT— A leading fig¬
ure in public affairs in mercantile advance and in fra¬
ternal activity in Southboro, Massachusetts, is Hon.
Augustus E. Wright, whose interests center in Boston,
but who for many years has been identified with the
local affairs of Southboro, the town in which he was
born. Mr. Wright has been interested in various lines
of commercial advance, and is influential in this com¬
munity in every progressive endeavor. He is a son of
Francis and Clara (Stevens) Wright, long esteemed
citizens of this community. His father was for more
than fifty years the owner and proprietor of a general
store in Fayville, and continued in this interest until
1916, when he retired. His death occurred April 20,
1921.

The Wright family has been identified with Worcester
County for several generations. Mr. Wright’s paternal
grandfather operated shoddy and woolen mills at Far-
numville and Barre. His son, Francis Wright, was
born in Famumville.

Augustus E. Wright was born at Fayville, town of
Southboro, Massachusetts, February 25, 1878. Receiv¬
ing his early education in the local public schools, he
prepared for college at the Phillips-Andover Academy,
at Andover, Massachusetts, from which he was gradu¬
ated in the class of 1896. He pursued a course of study
at Harvard University in the class of 1900. Mr.
Wright’s first business experience was in association
with George H. Newton, of Boston, a leading archi¬
tect of that time, but he remained in this connection
for only a comparatively short period. In 1902 he be¬
came associated with his father in the conduct of the
general store at Fayville and remained in this connec¬
tion for a period of fourteen years and more. From
1917 until the early part of 1923 Mr. Wright was in the
employ of the Standard Steel Motor Car Company of
Boston, as manager of their retail department. In
March, 1923, he associated himself with the firm of
Rand & Crane, Inc., jewelers, silversmiths, and watch¬
makers, of Boston, and in this affiliation he is winning
a large success, his long experience in other lines of
commercial advance contributing in a marked degree to
his present prosperity. In the public life of the town
of Southboro, Massachusetts, of which Fayville is a
part, Mr. Wright has for many years been active,
although only at times in an official capacity. For sev¬
eral years he served on the Advisory Committee of the
town, and in 1911 he was made Representative of South¬
boro in the Massachusetts State Legislature. His pub¬
lic activities have been such as to give his name broad
significance to the people and reflect honor upon him¬
self, and his townsmen feel that he has contributed in
a large degree to the local prosperity. Fraternally, Mr.
Wright is affiliated with St. Bernard’s Lodge, Free and
Accepted Masons, and he is a member of the South¬
boro Golf Club, also the Harvard Club of Boston.

Hon. Augustus E. Wright married, on January 28,
1903, at Southboro, Massachusetts, Helen M. Buck,
daughter of Francis H. Buck of this place, and they

164

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

are leading figures in the social life of the community,
the family residence being at Oak Hill Road, Fayville,
Massachusetts.

LINCOLN RUFUS WELCH — It is said that peace
of mind and a sense of security are the necessary con¬
ditions of creative work. If that be true, then those
business organizations which devote their resources to
the economic protection of their patrons render a service
which extends far beyond the values which can be
estimated in dollars and cents, and help to lay the foun¬
dations and protect the growth of all that is best in
human development and achievement. Disaster in the
form of loss by fire has caused much suffering and
crippled or wrecked many plans for business, social
and moral advancement, and to those well-managed or¬
ganizations which for a moderate consideration assume
the risk, and in case of loss indemnify the policy holder,
society is indebted for the success of many enterprises
and projects which are daily adding to the sum of human
happiness and well being. One of the well-known cit¬
izens of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who is devoting his
energy to the protection of the public from losses by fire
is Lincoln Rufus Welch, president and treasurer of
the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Company, who has
been actively associated with the insurance business
since 1883.

Mr. Welch was bom in Lowell, Massachusetts, April
19, 1865, and received his education in the public schools
of that city, graduating from Lowell High School in
June, 1883. In July, 1883, he entered the employ of the
Traders’ and Mechanics’ Insurance Company, and dur¬
ing the four decades which have passed since that time
he has been devoting his time and his energy to the ad¬
vancement of the interests of two insurance enterprises.
He maintained his first connection for fourteen years,
handing in his resignation to the Traders’ and Me¬
chanics’ Insurance Company June 30, 1897, in order to
accept the official position of secretary of the Fitch¬
burg Mutual Fire Insurance Company, to which he was
elected by the directors of the latter concern July 1, 1897.
For thirteen years he discharged the duties of that offi¬
cial position in such a manner as to greatly advance the
interests of the organization, and at the end of that
period of notably effective service, he was elected in
August, 1910, president and treasurer of the company.
For the past thirteen years he has guided the business
policy of the enterprise from one triumph to another
in the line of progress and expansion. The Fitchburg
Mutual Fire Insurance Company is at the present
time (1923) one of the best known and thoroughly es¬
tablished fire concerns of New England, and its field
of operation extends far beyond the limits of that sec¬
tion of the country. As a good citizen, Mr. Welch is
deeply interested in local public affairs, and has been
willing to contribute his share to the active duties of
citizenship. He was elected a member of the City
Council of Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1897, and in 1923
was made a member of the Board of Health, of Fitch¬
burg, the last-named official position being one in
which he is still giving active and able service. Fra¬
ternally, he is a member of all the bodies of the Masonic
fraternity, and is also a member of Fitchburg Lodge,

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is well
known in club circles, being a member of the Fay Club,
and of Oak Hill Country Club, both of Fitchburg,
Massachusetts; of Vesper Country Club of Lowell,
Massachusetts ; and of the City Club of Boston, Massa-
chsetts. His religious affiliation is with the First Uni-
versalist Church of Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

He married (first), at Lowell, Massachusetts, May 15,
1891, Sadie L. Joyce, daughter of James H. and Alletta
F. (Gibbs) Joyce. He married (second), at Lincoln,
Nebraska, May 22, 1915, Mrs. Mary C. Hitchcock.

FREDERICK WHITCOMB PORTER— The suc¬
cessful conduct of any large business enterprise is de¬
pendent upon the ability and faithfulness of many. Each
official incumbent and each departmental executive, as
well as each of the many “men in the ranks,” must meet
the duties of his position faithfully and ably, if the
enterprise is to reach its highest development and render
its maximum of service. One of those who is serving
ably as an official in the insurance field is Frederick
Whitcomb Porter, secretary of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire
Insurance Company, who, like the president and treas¬
urer of that concern, has been identified with the busi¬
ness of protecting the public from fire losses from the
beginning of his active career.

Mr. Porter is a descendant of one of the oldest Massa¬
chusetts families, tracing his descent from Richard
Porter, who was in Weymouth, Massachusetts, as early
as 1635, the line being traced as follows :

(I.) Richard Porter settled in 1635 in Weymouth,
Massachusetts, where he was one of the prominent cit¬
izens of that place, serving in most of the local public
offices and upon numerous committees, and where he died
between December 25, 1688, and March 6, 1689. His
children were: John, of further mention; Ruth, Thomas,
and Mary.

(II.) Sergeant John Porter, son of Richard Porter,
lived in Weymouth, Massachusetts, where he received
many land grants. He also purchased much land in
ancient Bridgewater. He married, February 9, 1660,
Deliverance Byram, daughter of Nicholas and Martha
(Shaw) Byram, and their children were: Mary,
Susanna, John, Samuel, of further mention; Nicholas,
Ruth, Thomas, Ebenezer, and Sarah.

(III.) Samuel Porter, son of Sergeant John and De¬
liverance (Byram) Porter, was a town officer in Wey¬
mouth in 1709, and probably removed to Abington soon
after that date. He married, about 1698, Mary Nash,
daughter of Jacob and Abigail (Dyer) Nash, of Wey¬
mouth, and died August 31, 1725. Children: Samuel,
of further mention; Mary, David, Jacob, Hannah, John,
and Abigail.

(IV.) Samuel (2) Porter, son of Samuel (1) and
Mary (Nash) Porter, was bom May 14, 1699, and lived
in Abington and Bridgewater. He married (first),
July 2, 1722, Sarah Josselyn, daughter of Joseph and
Sarah (Ford) Josselyn; (second), May 31, 1764, Widow
Ruth Reed. His children, all of the first marriage,
were: Sarah, Mary, Samuel, Joseph, of further mention;
Ebenezer, Mary, Adam, Hannah, Batterius, Noah, Jon¬
athan, Deliverance, Abigail, Tabitha, and Sarah.

(V.) Lieutenant Joseph Porter, son of Samuel (2)

BIOGRAPHICAL

and Sarah (Josselyn) Porter, was bom in Abington,
Massachusetts, June io, 1730, and died January 15, 1803.
He removed to Bridgewater about 1765, and in 1777
removed to Stoughton. He was a lieutenant in the
militia during the time of the Revolutionary War. He
married, January 25, 1753, Elizabeth Burrill of Wey¬
mouth, daughter of Samuel and Content (Whitcomb)
Burrill, and their children were: Elizabeth, Joseph,
Hannah, Robert, Isaac, Content, Mehitable, Lebbeus, of
further mention, and Cyrus.

(VI.) Lebbeus Porter, son of Lieutenant Joseph and
Elizabeth (Burrill) Porter, was born in Stoughton,
Massachusetts, April 22, 1771, and died April 17, 1848,
aged seventy-seven years. He lived in Stoughton and
,iri Wrentham, and is recorded as being an “upright
Christian, father, husband, citizen.” He married (first),
December 4, 1794, Polly Brastow, daughter of Thomas
and Susannah (Fisher) Brastow, of Wrentham, Massa¬
chusetts. She died June 2, 1810, and he married (sec¬
ond), April 23, 1812, Nancy Hall. She died February
27, 1815, and he married (third), August 19, 1816,
Nancy King, daughter of Samuel King. She died De¬
cember 31, 1822, and he married (fourth), November 28,
1839, Roxa Day, who died January 8, 1852. Children of
the first marriage were: Polly, Martha, Whitcomb, of
further mention; Joseph, William Glover, Elizabeth
Burrill, Caroline, Thomas Brastow, and Susannah Fisher.
Children of the second marriage : John Hall, Nancy King,
Harriett Everett, and Samuel King.

(VII.) Whitcomb Porter, son of Lebbeus and Polly
(Brastow) Porter, was born in Stoughton, Massachu¬
setts, March 10, 1799. He was a carpenter by trade,
but was also engaged in business as a merchant and an
insurance agent. He went to Weymouth about 1820,
then to Quincy, where he was a highly esteemed citizen.
He married, December 7, 1826, Susan Bowditch Hunt,
daughter of Ebenezer and Betsey (Nash) Hunt, of Wey¬
mouth, and their children were: John Whitcomb, of
further mention; George Edward, born in Weymouth,
November 4, 1828; Henry Thomas, born in Weymouth,
July 13, 1832; Susan Brastow, born July 17, 1836; Ann
Marie Hunt, born October 26, 1838, died January 23,
1842 ; Charles Hunt, born in Quincy, April 3, 1843 ; and
Helen Maria, bom in Quincy, March 15, 1847.

(VIII.) John Whitcomb Porter, son of Whitcomb and
Susan Bowditch (Hunt) Porter, was born in Wey¬
mouth, Massachusetts, August 2, 1827, and died Novem¬
ber 11, 1890. He was engaged in business as an insur¬
ance agent at No. 27 State Street, Boston, and was for
several years a member of the Boston School Commit¬
tee. He married, July 17, 1851, Ellen Howland, who
was bom May 10, 1832, daughter of Jabez and Dorcas
(Jenkins) Howland, of West Parish, Barnstable, Massa¬
chusetts, and a direct descendant of John Howland, who
came over in the “Mayflower.” They were the parents
of: Francis Howland, born June 4, 1854; John Ilsley,
born August 16, 1856; William Wallace, born March 24,
1859; Ellen Wild, bom July 23, 1861; Henry Herbert,
born March 23, 1865, died January 13, 1866; Frederick
Whitcomb, of further mention ; and Arthur Butler, born
November 16, 1873.

(IX.) Frederick Whitcomb Porter, son of John Whit¬
comb and Ellen (Howland) Porter, was bom in the

165

family home at No. 34 Port Norfolk Street, Dorchester
District, Boston, Massachusetts, July 14, 1867. After
receiving his early education in the schools of his native
city and Minot Grammar School, he became a student
in the English High School at Boston, where, after
completing the regular course, he took a post-graduate
business course. When his special business course in
the English High School was completed he at once en¬
gaged in the insurance business, taking an agency for
the Dorchester Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Bos¬
ton, the First National Insurance Company of Worces¬
ter, Massachusetts, and the Glens Falls Fire Insurance
Company of Glens Falls, New York, and locating at No.
27 State Street, Boston. Mr. Porter was able and en¬
ergetic, and deeply interested in his work, and after a
time was made secretary of the Dorchester Mutual Fire
Insurance Company, which position he continued to
maintain until the time he was made secretary of the
Lynn Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In all of these
connections he demonstrated his ability both as a sales¬
man and as an organizer and administrator. His ability
to get new business and to inspire others to more ef¬
fective efforts in the securing of new business was rec¬
ognized and greatly appreciated, and in 1917 he was made
Secretary of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Com¬
pany, which official position he continues to hold at the
present time (1923). His long experience in the insur¬
ance field, as well as his natural ability, has made him
one of the recognized authorities in his line, and also
enables him to contribute a valuable share to the ad¬
vancement of the interests of the concern with which
he is now identified. With all his business responsibil¬
ities and activities he has found time for club affiliation.
He is a member of the executive committee of the Fay
Club, and derives out-of-door recreation as a member
the Oak Hill Country Club. He is a member of the
Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce, Mutual Insurance
Association of New England, and the National Fire
Protective Association. His religious interest is with
the First Unitarian Church of Fitchburg Massachusetts,
of which he is a member. He votes the Republican
ticket. Mr. Porter is well known in the city of Fitch¬
burg and vicinity, and has many friends who esteem
him not only as a successful business man but as a
valued personal friend and a worthy citizen.

On February 11, 1892, at No. 46 Port Norfolk Street,
Dorchester, Massachusetts, Frederick Whitcomb Porter
married A. Louise Bowker, daughter of Henry and A.
Louise (Miers) Bowker. Mr. and Mrs. Porter are the
parents of three children: Marjorie Whitcomb, bom
March 31, 1893; Jeannette Howland, born May 25, 1894;
and John Whitcomb, born September 10, 1898.

CHARLES W. PENDER — In the business life of
Worcester County, Massachusetts, Charles W. Pender is
a well-known figure as a leading real estate dealer in
the city of Worcester. With experience in other lines
of endeavor, and the practical ability which counts for
success in every field, Mr. Pender has won his way to
an enviable position and is counted among the influ¬
ential and significant men of the day in the city of Wor¬
cester. A member of a family identified with the
progress of the industries in the State of Massachusetts

i66

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

for many years, he is a son of James Maxwell Pender,
who was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, but re¬
sided in the western part of the State for many years.
James M. Pender was active in the textile industry until
his death, which occurred in Worcester in 1921. He
married Nancy Ann Croft, who was born in North
Adams, Massachusetts, and died in Worcester in 1920.

Charles W. Pender was born in Pittsfield, Massa¬
chusetts, February 9, 1874. Educated in the public
schools of that city, his early years were spent in the
textile industry there, and he followed this general line
of endeavor for about twenty years, during the greater
part of the time in an executive position. In 1909 Mr.
Pender definitely severed his connection with the in¬
dustrial world to enter the real estate business in the
city of Worcester, and his success has proved the wis¬
dom of the step. He has not only gained a high posi¬
tion in his chosen field of activity, but has contributed
much to the general advance of the city and its environs.
Mr. Pender was one of the organizers of the Fairview
Improvement Society of Worcester, which he served
as president for three years. He built the Community
Hall, which with its land cost $30,000. This is located
in what is called New Worcester, and the fame of this
community undertaking has spread throughout the
country. With offices at No. 1034 the Slater Building,
he handles large interests in real estate, and is also
active in the various branches of insurance which make
up the present day protection available against all forms
of loss and damage. His judgment and ability are so
highly prized in the business world that he is retained
as appraiser for the Merchants’ National Bank of Wor¬
cester, also the Clinton Savings Bank, the Five Cent
Savings Bank, and the Worcester County Institute for
Savings. He is a member of the Worcester Chamber of
Commerce; was one of the organizers and a charter
member of the Worcester Real Estate Exchange; is
president of the Fairview Improvement Society, and is a
leading member of the Exchange Club and the Wor¬
cester Automobile Club. He attends the First Baptist
Church of Worcester.

Mr. Pender married, in 1898, Cora E. Lee, who was
born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, and they are the
parents of the following children: William W., now as¬
sociated with his father in business ; Anna L., also con¬
nected with the business; Cora M., a student at the Wor¬
cester High School ; Robert R., a student at the Worces¬
ter Trade School; Burton B., attending Gates School;
and John J., also in the Gates School. The family home
is at No. 2 Abington Street, Worcester, and is the
center of a delightful social group.

JOHN H. JOHNSON was bom at Dana, Massa¬
chusetts, December 9, 1864, the son of Hon. Nathaniel
L. and Margaretta (Harsha) Johnson. Mr. Johnson is
a member of a very old family of this section, his great¬
grandfather, Stephen Johnson, having come from Marl¬
boro, settled in Dana in 1763, and became the first chair¬
man of Selectmen of the new town of Dana, and was
largely instrumental in founding the town. He was a
Magistrate under the King, a soldier of the Revolution,
and again a Magistrate under the Commonwealth. He
represented the town in the General Court, and his

son, Nathaniel Johnson, was also a member of the Gen¬
eral Court and Trial Justice, as was his grandson, the
Hon. Nathaniel L. Johnson.

John H. Johnson, following his early studies in the
local district schools, attended New Salem Academy, at
New Salem, Massachusetts, then Cushing Academy, at
Ashburnham, Massachusetts, after which he entered
Dartmouth College with the class of 1888, later leaving
that institution to take up the study of law at the Boston
University with the class of 1889, with which he was
graduated. Within the year, Mr. Johnson was ad¬
mitted to the bar of his native State, and entered
upon the practice of law in association with W. A. Gile,
of Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was active for
two years. He then entered upon the general practice
of law independently, in Worcester, following along this
line of activity for about ten years. Thereafter, Mr.
Johnson returned to the homestead farm at Dana, Massa¬
chusetts, where he still resides and is active in practice
at the present time. He has, until recent years, carried
on the manufacturing business of which his father was
for many years the head, producing palm leaf products.
During the World War he was unable to procure the
necessary materials, so simply discontinued the business
and has not resumed it.

Mr. Johnson has for many years been a leading figure
in the public life of Dana, and has served as Selectman
for ten years, during all but the first year of which
period he acted as chairman of the board. He has been an
Assessor for nine years, and for five years was active
as town auditor, and for a similar period served on the
School Committee. This breadth of usefulness in the
public service led to Mr. Johnson’s nomination for dis¬
trict Representative on an independent ticket, in the
year 1922, and his popularity in the community was well
demonstrated by the fact that he carried the town by a
vote of one hundred and eighty-one to thirty-four. The
activities of the World War commanded much of Mr.
Johnson’s time and energy, and he served on the local
Draft Board, and also supported every horfie war ac¬
tivity of that period. Mr. Johnson’s time is now almost
wholly devoted to his public services of a local nature.
He is a member of the Theta Delta Chi of Dartmouth
College, and attends the Universalist church.

Mr. Johnson married, at Sterling, Massachusetts, No¬
vember 19, 1889, Flora P. Barnes, born at Norwich,
Connecticut, a daughter of William and Ellen Jane
(Holyoke) Barnes, of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson
are the parents of four children : Marion E., bom March
6, 1897, in Worcester, Massachusetts, and educated at
Barre High School, Cushing Academy, and Worcester
Business College; Nathaniel L., bom in Worcester, in
1898, died in that city in 1900; twins, Steven Dans and
Stanley Phillips, born in North Dana, Massachusetts,
in 1901 ; Steven Dans died in 1901 ; and Stanley Phillips
in Worcester, in 1918, of the influenza.

FRANK EDWARD WING— As a constructive
business man, a public speaker, a community leader, one
of the foremost Masons in the State, and as one of the
best loved and most widely known men of his town,
the life of Frank Edward Wing presents a scope of
endeavor and diversity of attainments seldom equalled

BIOGRAPHICAL

167

and rarely surpassed. His death, at the very height
of his usefulness and powers, was a distinct loss to his
church, his community, his business and his fraternity.
Scores of newspapers and trade journals published eulo¬
gistic surveys of his exemplary life, that showed only
too clearly how much this leading citizen had meant to
his fellow townsmen, and how greatly he would be
missed. Although comparatively short in years, the life
of Frank Edward Wing was long and full in the num¬
ber and variety of his achievements. An upright man
and Mason, he has gone in search of further light in the
great fraternity he loved so well and served so faith¬
fully.

Frank Edward Wing was bom in Conway, Massachu¬
setts, June 27, 1865, a son of Edward Everett and Helen
Jane (Newman) Wing, and was one of the fifth genera¬
tion of the family of Wing in Conway. He was of the
tenth generation removed from the family progenitor,
Matthew Wing, or Wynge, of Banbury, in Oxford
County, England. The family bore arms as follows :

Arms — Per pale argent and vert, a maunch counter-
changed.

Crest — A maunch per pale argent and vert, between
two wings or.

Motto — Tout pour Dieu et ma patrie.

The line of descent of the American branch is as
follows: John and Deborah (Batchelder) Wing, of
Saugus, now Lynn, Massachusetts ; John and Eliza¬
beth Wing, of Lynn and Yarmouth, Massachusetts;
Ananias and Hannah Wing, of Yarmouth; John and
Mary (Knowles) Wing, of Plymouth, Eastham, and
Brewster, Massachusetts; John and Abigail (Snow)
Wing, of Harwich and Conway; the Rev. Isaiah and
Zelinda (Allis) Wing, of Conway, Massachusetts; Lu¬
cius Bliss and Abigail (Wilson) Wing, of Conway; and
Edward Everett and Helen Jane (Newman) Wing, of
Conway, Massachusetts. Among Mr. Wing’s forebears,
his great-great-great-great-grandfather, Ananias Wing,
served as a soldier in King Phillip’s War (1675); his
great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War in the
famous Colonel Nicholas Dike’s regiment (1776) ; his
great uncle was one of the firing squad when Major
Andre was executed as a spy. The family of Wing
ranks as one of the finest and oldest of the old New
England families.

Frank Edward Wing’s early education was received
in the public schools of Conway, following which he at¬
tended Smith Academy at Hatfield, Massachusetts, from
which he was graduated in the year 1882. He matricu¬
lated at Yale University in the fall of the same year,
and was graduated with the class of 1886 with the de¬
gree of Bachelor of Arts. He was chosen by his class
as fence orator and class historian, two signal honors
won only by ability and popularity. He was also chosen
chairman of the editorial board of the “Yale Courant,”
a college periodical of more than usual excellence. Dur¬
ing his undergraduate days he was further honored by
election to Psi Upsilon, one of the foremost of the
national Greek-letter fraternities. Mr. Wing’s dominant
but winning personality that so endeared him to the
citizens of Athol was just as evident in his collegiate
years, as was evinced by the unusual popularity and
the correlative honors accorded him. He was persona
grata at all college functions and with all college classes,

and this general regard was destined to become amplified
and intensified with the years. Frank E. Wing came to
Athol, Massachusetts, in April, 1887, and entered the
employ of the late Laroy S. Starrett in the capacity of
bookkeeper and clerk, constituting at that time the
entire office force. The sound and gradual growth of
the L. S. Starrett Company was, to a great degree, given
impetus by the skill and ability of Mr. Wing. In 1900,
the business had grown from a small, one-room shop to
a large and commodious plant, and upon its incorpora¬
tion Mr. Wing was chosen clerk and director, both of
which offices he held and ably filled until 1912, when his
duties and responsibilities were greatly increased by
being given still another position, that of treasurer.
These three important offices were held and their
many duties admirably discharged by Mr. Wing up
to the time of his death. In his work he was indefat¬
igable. He constantly kept in touch with all divisions
of the business and watched the pulse of trade intently.
In order to better get in touch with the foreign trade he
became a student of the languages, especially that of Span¬
ish, and personally supervised the compilation of data to
be used in the foreign advertising. His work in bring¬
ing the L. S. Starrett Company up to its present size
and excellent condition can not be over-emphasized. Mr.
Wing’s other business connections and interests were
with the Athol Machine Company, in which concern he
had held the offices of clerk and director since the year
1905. He had also been a trustee of the Athol Savings
Bank since 1900, filling the position with his customary
ability.

In his military service he was sergeant of Company 8,
18th Regiment, Massachusetts State Guard, and during
the World War he served as a “Four Minute Man,” and
was also chairman of the Massachusetts Industrial Com¬
mittee of Athol during that period. For many years he
was chairman of the Athol Library Board, and in his
political affiliations was a member of the Republican
party, of which he was a staunch supporter, serving his
party and his community as a member of the Town
Committee, and as a delegate to the nominating conven¬
tions. Town and community affairs were always of deep
interest to him, many newspapers having since spoken
of the great love he bore for his town and townspeople.
As chairman of the Athol School Committee he gave
valuable service from the year 1900 to 1906. He was
also a library trustee for the years 1903, 1904, and 1905,
and was at one time chairman of the appropriation com¬
mittee. No matter how occupied with his many business
duties, Mr. Wing would always lend his personal and
financial support to any movement designed to further
the advancement of the public welfare or to improve civ¬
ic or community conditions. His fraternal record is
especially worthy of more than cursory mention. He
was a Free Mason and a Knights Templar in the fullest
and finest meanings of the terms. He was a Past Mas¬
ter of Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; Past
High Priest of Union Chapter, Royal Arch Masons;
and Past Commander of Athol Commandery, Knights
Templar. He was a member of the Harris Council,
Select Masters, secretary of the chapter for ten years,
and recorder of the commandery for two years. Of his
work in these last three offices, Mr. E. V. Wilson says :

i68

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

His records are models of their kind for being com¬
prehensive, complete, concise and, added to this, their
print-like legibility and the artistic, hand-illumined
initials and other decorations, place them in a class
by themselves.

In the year 1900 Mr. Wing was appointed District
Deputy Grand High Priest of the district, and served
for the three following years. He was then elected
Excellent Scribe of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter
of the State of Massachusetts, which election made him
a permanent member of that Grand body. From 1906
up to the time of his death he had acted as treasurer of
Athol Commandery, Knights Templar. He presided at
the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of Athol Com-
mandery as Eminent Commander, and at the fiftieth
year anniversary of Star Lodge he delivered the oration,
which “was received with the unstinted applause of the
brethren, who listened with rapt and undivided atten¬
tion.” Mr. Wing’s forensic ability was unusual, and
consequently he was in demand out of all proportion to
his time and strength. During the fiftieth anniversary
of Union Chapter, Free and Accepted Masons, he pre¬
sided as toastmaster. Mr. Wing was also a Past Pa¬
tron of Themis Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star.
While he was Master of Star Lodge he began a corre¬
spondence with his Grace, the Duke of Atholl, Scotland,
with the result that his Grace presented the lodge with
a gavel made from the larchwood trees from the forests
of Atholl.

Frank Edward Wing married, at Athol, Massachusetts,
September 28, 1892, Edith Mary Smith, a daughter of
Henry Alanson and Maria (Smith) Smith, members of
an old Massachusetts family. Mrs. Wing’s paternal
grandfather was Joseph Smith, and her maternal grand¬
father was Lafayette M. Smith. Mrs. Wing’s father,
Henry A. Smith, was a Civil War veteran.

Edith Mary (Smith) Wing was born at Petersham,
Massachusetts, June 27, 1870, her early education being
obtained in the Athol graded schools, and afterwards
the Athol High School, and upon being graduated from
that institution she took a special course at the Boston
Conservatory of Music. Mrs. Wing is a member of
the Themis Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star,
and has been both associate conductress and conductress
of her chapter. She is also a charter member of the
Woman’s Club of Athol, and is past vice-president of it.
Mr. and Mrs. Wing were the parents of one child, Don¬
ald Goddard, who, having been graduated from the
public and high schools of Athol, matriculated at Yale
University, his father’s alma mater, and is now in his
sophomore year.

The death of Frank Edward Wing occurred May 12,
1923, at his home in Athol, after a long illness, during
which, in spite of his failing health, he attended to the
duties of his office. The passing of so prominent, so
widely respected, and so well loved a man and Mason
as Mr. Wing evoked a multitude of eulogies, editorials,
and memoriams in the local, State, and even national
press, excerpts of which are herewith presented : The
editor of the Athol “Transcript” says:

No death in town could be more generally regretted.
for Mr. Wing was a man respected, honored and be¬
loved more than is the common lot of men, and none
will be more fervently missed in the community,
which he has so generously and nobly served, ever
since becoming a citizen.

Judge E. V. Wilson, in an appreciative sketch in the
“Transcript,” says, in closing:

Since 1904 Mr. and Mrs. Wing had lived at their home
in Union Street, which with discriminating taste and
judgment they had continued to beautify and adorn
until it had become one of the most attractive places
in Athol, and where the home life was worthy of all
commendation. Mr. Wing will be sadly missed. He exem¬
plified to a marked degree the Yale spirit of faithfully
serving the community in which he lived and, with
true Yale tenacity, he held himself, in spite of con¬
tinually failing health, to the line of duty until his
physical strength would not permit him to go farther,
and then, in a few short days, he had passed on.

Another leading newspaper of Athol expressed the
following sentiments :

Announcement of the death of Frank E. Wing at
his home last Sunday morning came as a shock to the
entire community. With his passing away Athol loses
her foremost citizen and beyond a doubt the outstand¬
ing intellectual figure of our town. Broad in his view¬
point, with a superbly cultivated mind and blessed
with the ability to express himself in just the right
way on all occasions, he was sought after by his fel¬
low citizens to lend dignity and character at public

gatherings, as well as at semi-public functions .

few men had the ability of Mr. Wing to say so much
in a few words; words that linked up a perfect sen¬
tence. This, together with his sterling character, his
clean-cut business ability in the larger affairs of the
community and his love for the town of his adoption
makes his loss all the more keenly felt. Though a
most kindly man, devoted to his home, family and
friends, he had no weaknesses.

Eulogistic reviews of the life of Mr. Wing were also
published in the “Boston Globe,” the “Worcester Tele¬
gram,” the “Springfield Republican,” and others, besides
many trade journals, including the “American Builder,”
the “American Machinist,” “Canadian Machinery,” the
“Hardware Age,” “Hardware and Metal,” the “Iron
Age,” “Machinery,” the “Manufacturers’ Record,” “Mo¬
tor Age,” the “National Hardware Bulletin,” “N. E.
Hardware News,” “Power,” and the “Pacific Hardware
Journal.”

The “Church Record” says, in part:

By Mr. Wing’s death, Athol loses a citizen univer¬
sally respected, the business world a keen and honor¬
able life, his church a devoted and faithful member,
and the Masonic order one who was a true exponent
of its life.

The “Christian Register,” in closing its memorial
sketch of Frank Edward Wing, says, in part:

One of the most valuable services rendered by Mr.
Wing was his successful effort, with others, to unite
the two Unitarian churches in Athol into one organ¬
ization. This work took considerable of his time
and when he was suffering from an incurable disease.
The gratifying result was the continuation of the old
First Church with the Second Society, which thus
inherits the honor and prestige of the oldest church
society in town, and brings together the two peoples
in a pleasant and harmonious way.

In the death of this man the Athol Unitarian Church
suffers an irreparable loss, in common with the whole
town, and its members feel that this official recogni¬
tion of his personal worth and his noble Christian
character, as displayed in all the duties that he was
called upon to discharge, is eminently proper and
desirable.

MARTHA WILLSON BROOKS— The life of

Martha Willson Brooks is a record of interest to her
many friends in Worcester County, Massachusetts, and
particularly to the people of Petersham, her birthplace.
Miss Brooks has done much for the growth and pros¬
perity of this community, is broadly alert to present-
day advance, and her constructive efforts in many

BIOGRAPHICAL

169

branches of civic and social progress give her name
permanent significance and value to the people of her
native town and State.

The Brooks family traces back to Thomas Brooks,
who was born in England, of a very ancient family,
and came to America in early Colonial days, settling in
Concord, Massachusetts. Descendants of this worthy
pioneer became allied in marriage with various other
distinguished families, and thus Miss Brooks traces
back to John Bigelow and Mary Warren, whose marriage
was the first recorded in the town of Watertown, Massa¬
chusetts. Through her paternal line she is also con¬
nected with the first settler of Lunenburg, Massachu¬
setts, by name Page, and Miss Brooks is a great-grand¬
daughter of President Dunster, the first president of
Harvard University, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Aaron Brooks, Jr., Miss Brooks’ father, a direct
descendant of Thomas Brooks, the pioneer, and a grand¬
son of Colonel Jonathan Trout, who was a member of
the First American Congress under the Federal Consti¬
tution, was born in Petersham, Massachusetts, and be¬
came a famous lawyer of his day. A man of brilliant
mental capacity, he was endowed with an unquenchable
ambition to serve widely and well, this spirit of loyalty
to his ideals costing the world one of its noblest men;
for he drove himself beyond his strength, and died in
the flower of his manhood, leaving, however, a deep and
lasting impression upon his time. His prominence
brought him clients from Greenfield, Worcester, and
many cities and towns, distant then, when the means
of transportation were difficult and hazardous. He won
the trust and confidence of every one with whom he came
in touch, and his influence for the progress of the com¬
munity was a force which counted in many lines of ad¬
vance. He served in the Massachusetts Militia with the
rank of major. Aaron Brooks, Jr., married (first) Abby
Morgan, who had three children: Francis August, who
practiced law for many years in Boston; Frederick and
Sarah, who died in childhood. He married (second)
Martha Amelia Willson, daughter of Rev. Luther and
Sally (Bigelow) Willson, and they were the parents
of four children: James Willson, who followed in his
father’s footsteps in his choice of a profession, devot¬
ing himself untiringly to the welfare of Petersham ; he
was internationally prominent for a number of years
as Vice-Consul from the United States to France,
with John Bigelow, Consul ; Abby Morgan, who became
the wife of Professor John Fiske, the historian; Martha
Willson, of further mention; and John, a graduate of
Harvard University, for many years prominent in the
world of finance with Chicago institutions ; his son,
Arthur Hendricks Brooks, is now a successful lawyer
of Boston. Harvard University is the alma mater of
Aaron Brooks’ sons and his grandson.

Martha Willson Brooks was born at the family home¬
stead in which she still resides, in Petersham, March
27, 1842. Her father’s death occurred when she was
three years of age. Her education was a liberal one,
her early school attendance being at the Leicester Acad¬
emy, at Leicester, Massachusetts. Later attending Lasell
Seminary', at Auburndale, Massachusetts, she thereafter
covered successive courses at Groton Academy, at
Groton, Massachusetts, Miss Lyman's School, at Cam¬

bridge, Massachusetts, and Professor Agassiz’s School,
also at Cambridge. In 1863 Miss Brooks went abroad
and joined her brother, James W. Brooks, who was then
Vice-Consul in Paris, a year later returning home to
Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1890 James W. Brooks
remodeled and improved the Petersham homestead, and
brother and sister have since then made their residence
here. The charm of the old Colonial mansion was
carefully preserved, and its grounds were beautified in
keeping with old Colonial traditions. The Brooks home¬
stead is now one of the loveliest of the many stately
structures of this section, which have sheltered genera¬
tion after generation of the old New England families.
Miss Brooks takes the deepest pride in historic Peter¬
sham, and her endeavors for the civic welfare and social
progress of the community are ceaseless. She was one
of the first members of the Petersham Historical So¬
ciety, which in the beginning of its activities was known
as the Historical Club. She personally copied and in¬
dexed the first town records of Petersham to facilitate
the labors of the many descendants of New England stock
who came to search these records. Making an exact
copy of every page, she had the records bound in proper
sequence, and this work of her hands forms a per¬
manent benefit to the community. Miss Brooks donated
the site upon which the proposed building of the
Petersham Historical Building is to be erected, and in
every way she strives to encourage the preservation of
those records or published volumes, which now repre¬
sent the culture of a day gone by. One of her highly
prized possessions is a volume of Shakespeare, more
than one hundred years old, which was presented to her
father by pupils he had tutored in his youth. She shared
the research labors of her brother, James W. Brooks,
who wrote for the celebration in 1904 the monograph,
“The One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of Peters¬
ham.” Miss Brooks has always been interested in the
march of public events, and in recent years has never failed
to exercise the franchise, supporting, as the family has
always done, the Republican party. She attends the
Unitarian church of Petersham, of which her grand¬
father, Rev. Luther Willson, was the first Unitarian
pastor. Pie had been tried for heresy in Connecticut,
and was invited to the Unitarian church in Petersham.
Dr. Channing, about this time, asked him to visit him in
Boston, and gave him a watch in consideration of his
“sturdy manhood.” His son, Rev. Edmund B. Willson,
born in Petersham, was for thirty-six years pastor of
the North Church in Salem, Massachusetts, beloved by
every one with whom he came in contact.

JOSEPH A. SMITH, M. D., one of the foremost
practitioners in Worcester County, and a prominent
Roentgen expert of Massachusetts, was born at Pe¬
tersham, Massachusetts, June 8, 1875, a son of Henry
A. and Maria (Smith) Smith, the father dying when
Dr. Smith was but one and a half years of age, the
mother still living at Athol, Massachusetts. Dr. Smith
is a brother of Edith Mary (Smith) Wing, widow of
the late Frank Edward Wing (q. v.), and F. U. Smith of
Boston.

Dr. Joseph A. Smith’s early education was obtained
in the Athol public schools, following which he entered

170

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY'

Cushing Academy, a college preparatory school, and
was graduated in the year 1894, being a member of the
first class to be graduated from the new main building,
which was destroyed by fire in October, 1923. He then
matriculated at Boston University, in the Medical De¬
partment, and was graduated in the year 1898 with the
degree of Doctor of Medicine, whereupon he immediately
began to practice medicine in the city of Boston, Massa¬
chusetts, and followed his profession successfully for
two years. In 1900 he removed to Athol, Massachusetts,
and entered upon a general medical practice, to which
he devoted all his time and energy. Of late years Dr.
Smith has been engaged in special practice; as an X
Ray (Roentgen) expert and a specialist in electro thera¬
peutics his work stands second to none in Worcester
County. Dr. Smith’s medical service during the late
World War was a noteworthy achievement. As chief
physician and secretary of the local board of Division
No. 12, State of Massachusetts, he had full supervision
over nine towns and eighteen villages, and personal di¬
rection of all assistants. The work was so exacting and
strenuous that not only did he sacrifice his own medical
practice, but he also suffered a physical breakdown.

Dr. Smith’s political affiliations are with the Repub¬
lican party. He was the first school physician to be
appointed in Athol, which position he still holds. He
was also the first police surgeon to be appointed in Athol,
and is the present incumbent of that office. In 1923
he was elected to the School Board, and is the chairman
of that body. For several years Dr. Smith was a mem¬
ber of the Board of Health. Fraternally, Dr. Smith
is an active and interested member of Star Lodge, Free
and Accepted Masons, of Athol, and is prominent in
the chapter, council, commandery, and Themis Chapter,
Order of Eastern Star, of Athol, and of the Shrine of
Boston. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias,
of Athol, Massachusetts. His medical societies include
the Massachusetts Society of Homeopathy, the Worces¬
ter County Society of Homeopathy, the Hahnemann
Medical Society of Boston University, and the Medical
Veterans’ Association of the World War. He is also
a member of the Massachusetts Association of Selective
Service Officers, a local director of the Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and
a member of the local branch of the American Red
Cross, to which latter institution he has devoted much
of his spare time. Dr. Smith is a golf enthusiast when
the exigencies of his profession allow him to play. He
is a member of the Greenfield Country Club, the Pequaig
Club of Athol, and the Boston Athletic Association.

Dr. Joseph A. Smith married, at Athol, Massachusetts,
December 12, 1906, Grace (Lord) Goddard. Dr. and
Mrs. Smith are affiliated with the First Church Uni¬
tarian of Athol, and are active both in church work and
in the social life of their community.

ORRA LAVILLE STONE, the son of a veteran of
the American Civil War, and a distinguished member
of the Massachusetts State bar, was born at Worcester,
Massachusetts, May 27, 1873, the son of Louis L. and
Josephine A. (Cheney) Stone, both of whom are mem¬
bers of families that have long been domiciled in Massa¬
chusetts. His father, who has retired from active par¬

ticipation in business affairs, enlisted as a private in the
60th Massachusetts Infantry and served throughout the
Civil War with distinction. He is a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic and takes the keenest in¬
terest in all the activities of that patriotic organization.
Mr. Stone’s mother traces her descent to the English
family of Cheney, of which the Massachusetts Cheneys
are a branch. The Coloniel ancestry of the Cheney fam¬
ily is well known and so also is the ancestry of the
Massachusetts family of Stone.

Mr. Stone received his preliminary education in the
public schools of Clinton, Massachusetts. He was grad¬
uated from the Clinton High School with the class of
1890, and, after an interim of several years, during which
time he acquired a fund of practical experience and a
great deal of general knowledge, he proceeded to Boston
University, Boston, Massachusetts, where, in 1898 he
matriculated and was enrolled as a student of the School
of Law. Bringing to the study of the law a judicial
temperament, a power of forensic phrase, and a broad
fundamental knowledge of life and affairs, in addition
to a profound respect for the whole body of ethical
thought represented by the enunciated doctrine of the
law, Mr. Stone greatly distinguished himself as a student,
and at the end of his course was graduated as a mem¬
ber of the class of 1901, with the degree of Bachelor
of Laws, cum laude.

As previously stated, the business career of Mr. Stone
began some years before he became a member of the
legal profession. He entered the field of journalism
immediately after his graduation from the Clinton High
School, joining the staff of the Worcester “Daily Spy”
as a reporter in 1890 and continuing in this capacity
for three years. His daily assignments covered every
field of newspaper reporting and brought him into con¬
tact with all classes of the community. Of a literary
turn of mind, and able even at an early age to express
himself in clear, concise, and direct English, Mr. Stone
made his mark as a reporter, and his ability was very
generally recognized by the veterans of the press who
watched his course with sympathetic interest and ap¬
preciation. In 1893, at the age of twenty years, he be¬
came local editor of the Clinton “Daily Item,” and for
the next five years he filled this position in such a
manner as to contribute greatly to the power and influ¬
ence of the paper, following in all respects the best tra¬
ditions of Massachusetts journalism.

In 1898, well-tempered by wide reading, journalistic
training, and practical experience, Mr. Stone embarked
upon his legal career. After his graduation from the
Boston University School of Law he returned to Clin¬
ton, and, in September, 1901, was admitted to the Massa¬
chusetts State bar. He thereupon became a member of
the law firm of Buttrick & Stone, and the partnership so
established has continued without change ever since. In
1904 Governor Bates appointed Mr. Stone to the office
of clerk of the court of the Second District Court of
Eastern Worcester, and in 1909 Governor Draper re¬
appointed him to the same office. Upon first assuming
the clerkship of this court, in April, 1904, Mr. Stone was
appointed probation officer by the Honorable Justice of
the Court, and served in this capacity for nine years.
In 1913, having resigned as clerk of the court and as

yvu^

BIOGRAPHICAL

probation officer, he became private secretary to the Hon.
Calvin D. Paige, member of the United States House
of Representatives from the Third Massachusetts Dis¬
trict. He was associated with Mr. Paige from Novem¬
ber, 1913, to March, 1917, and his official duties at Wash¬
ington during the trying years that preceded America’s
entry into the World War gave him a vivid insight into
world politics as well as a first-hand acquaintance with
a page of American social and political history in the
making. He resigned his Congressional secretaryship in
March, 1917, to become membership secretary of the
Associated Industries of Massachusetts.. In Decem¬
ber, 1918, he became general manager of this organiza¬
tion, a position he still occupies.

Upon leaving Washington in 1917 in order to enter
the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Mr. Stone
enlisted in the Massachusetts State Guard and served with
the colors of this military organization during the period
1917-1918. A Republican in politics, and widely known
for his unswerving fidelity to Republican candidates and
principles, Mr. Stone was continuously occupied with
political affairs from 1901 until the end of 1921, attend¬
ing various political conferences and taking a leading
part in discussions affecting the welfare of the Repub¬
lican party in Massachusetts. In 1912 he served as a
member of the Republican State Committee of Massa¬
chusetts, Second Worcester Senatorial District. In 1913
he became chairman of the Third Massachusetts Con¬
gressional District Committee, serving in this capacity
until 1917. He was also from 1901 to 1912, secretary of the
Fourth Massachusetts Congressional District Committee,
and rendered valuable assistance to his party in this capac¬
ity. In 1918 he was elected chairman of the School Com¬
mittee of Clinton, and held office in this capacity until
1921. In all of these various positions Mr. Stone has
rendered distinguished service to his party, his talent
for organization nowhere displaying itself to better ad¬
vantage than in the work of welding diverse political
elements within the ranks into a single compact and
powerful whole. As time goes on, Mr. Stone may be
expected to take a larger share in the political life of
the Commonwealth. Few men have politics at their
fingers’ ends more completely than he, and if the ex¬
igencies of his business life should prevent him from
holding public office to any great extent, his analytic
mind, organizing methods, and vigorous pen would still
continue to make his influence felt in the political affairs
of his State and party.

Mr. Stone is a member of various fraternal and social
organizations. He has at various times held the office
of commander of the Lieutenant A. L. Fuller Camp, No.
19, of the Sons of Veterans, at Clinton. From 1902 to 1903,
inclusive, he served as division commander of the
Massachusetts Division of the Sons of Veterans, and
during this period the organization made a net increase
in its membership of more than 1,200 sons of veterans.
A Mason of long standing, Mr. Stone belongs to* Trin¬
ity Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, at Clinton; and
to Clinton Royal Arch Chapter. He also holds member¬
ship in Clinton Lodge, No. 199, of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows ; Clinton Lodge, Knights of Pythias ;
and Clinton Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. During his college days Mr. Stone was elected

171

to the Greek letter fraternities, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
and Phi Delta Phi. He is an eminent archon of the
Sigma Alpha Epsilon, in which he belongs to the Beta
Upsilon Chapter. He is at present holding office as
treasurer and president of the Lamsdec Club, an office
he has held for several years; and also belongs to the
Prescott Club of Clinton.

In religious faith Mr. Stone is a member of the First
Unitarian Church at Clinton. He takes an active part
in the work of this congregation and holds office as clerk
of the church corporation, and has been for many years
superintendent of the Sunday school. He was presi¬
dent of the Worcester County Conference of Unitarian
Churches during the period 1912-1913. Mr. Stone is
unmarried.

GEORGE WILSON OLNEY — A broadly repre¬
sentative figure in the business life of Worcester
County, Massachusetts, was that of George Wilson
Olney, whose life was devoted to the advance of the
textile industry, and whose success contributed in no
small degree to the prosperity of this section and the
welfare of the people. A man of large ability, gifted
with the genius for accomplishing deeds of definite sig¬
nificance, he had no desire to magnify himself in the
public eye, and while a man of few words, he was of con¬
stant activity along lines that meant much to the gen¬
eral advance. Nearly three decades have gone since his
passing, but he is still remembered by the older residents
of southern Worcester County as an able executive and a
man upon whom the community depended in times of
crises or perplexity, a man whose judgment, never pre¬
maturely formed, counted for progress in any field of
endeavor.

The Olney family is one of the very old English lines
in Massachusetts, Thomas Olney having come to this
State from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, in 1635,
settling at Salem. He was excommunicated from the
Salem church for espousing the cause of Roger Wil¬
liams, and in June, 1637, old records state that he was
with Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The
following year Thomas Olney was one of thirteen cor¬
porate members of the town, and became one of the
founders of the first Baptist church organized on Amer¬
ican soil. Descendants of Thomas Olney were closely
identified with the early progress of the community
known as “Providence Plantations,” also doing much
for the early development of the adjacent section of
the Colony of Massachusetts.

(I.) Richard Olney, in direct line from Thomas Olney,
the pioneer, was born at Smithfield, Rhode Island, in
1770. When still a young man he became a prosperous
merchant with interests centering in Providence. He
owned the packet “Huntress,” plying between Provi¬
dence, New York, and Savannah, Georgia, which car¬
ried both passengers and freight, the latter principally
cotton. She was eventually lost at sea. Richard Olney
was a pioneer in the manufacture of cotton in this part
of the country, and about the year 1810 he had become
a noted cotton manufacturer of Providence, still retain¬
ing his mercantile interests, which included an extensive
West Indian trade. Samuel Slater, a contemporaneous
cotton manufacturer of Pawtucket, was one of the prin-

172

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

cipal rivals of the Olney interests in this field, and both
Mr. Olney and Mr. Slater contemplated expansion at the
same time. In November, 1811, Mr. Olney purchased
from Ezekiel Preston a deed of three-quarters of a tract
of land on Mumford River, at East Douglas, Massa¬
chusetts, for the purpose of erecting a mill plant for
spinning, in a locality where weaving could be placed
out in the families of the farming people. Included in
this deed were rights for mills, machine shops, and kin¬
dred structures. Mr. Olney had two associates in this
enterprise, and it was nearly simultaneous with Mr.
Slater’s activities along similar lines at Webster, Massa¬
chusetts. Mr. Olney organized a company, and they
went forward successfully under the firm name of Rich¬
ard Olney & Company. This later became known as
the Douglas Cotton Manufacturing Company, and in
1817 Mr. Olney removed to Douglas, extending his op¬
erations to this community, then in the spring of the
following year, opened further interests in Oxford,
Massachusetts. All these additional activities were by
way of expansion, rather than removal, and the in¬
terests of the company centered at Douglas until 1822,
when Mr. Olney disposed of his share, evidently about
two-thirds, selling five thirty-sevenths of the property
to one Ziba Angell, and twenty thirty-sevenths to Jon¬
athan Adams and Adams Foster, prominent men of
Providence. The subsequent activities of Richard Olney
were principally in connection with the Oxford Woolen
Company, although he made some changes of residence,
and in 1836 he became the principal owner, continuing
thus until his death.

Meanwhile, in April, 1819, Richard Olney purchased
the Campbell Tavern at Oxford Centre, where he was
innkeeper and “trader” for four years ; then, in the spring
of 1823, he removed to the house then standing on the
present site of the Oxford Episcopal Church. In 1826
he purchased a farm west of the river, now known as
the Woodbury place, and there resided until 1833, when
he bought a fine estate in the locality known as the
Plain. There he resided until he sold that place in 1837,
then, for two or three years, resided where now stands
the Methodist church, thereafter removing the Burrill-
ville, his place of residence at the time of his decease.
For several years before his death Mr. Olney was in
precarious health, and in the fall of 1841 he went to
Saratoga in the hope of gaining strength. Receiving
scant benefit from the change, he set out on his return
journey, but stopped at Oxford, near Town’s Pond, to
tarry for a time with an old friend, Alexander C.
Thurston, where he failed rapidly, and passed away Oc¬
tober 22, 1841, at the age of seventy-one years. It was
said of Richard Olney by a biographer that he “had
native force of character, sagacity, and business ability.”

In the public life of his time, and in community, State,
and National interests, he bore a noteworthy part. An
original proprietor of the Oxford Bank, his name was
second on its first board of directors, and he was presi¬
dent of the institution from 1833 until 1836. In 1820
he served as a member of the Constitutional Conven¬
tion; then, for five years (1824 and at various times
until 1836), was town agent; meanwhile, from 1821 to
1828, inclusive, he was Selectman of the town, and from
1826 until 1829, inclusive, represented his town in the

State Legislature. Always interested in religious ad¬
vance, he was in early life an officer of the Restorationist
Church, of which Rev. Seth Chandler was the head, but
later affiliated himself with the Methodist society.

Richard Olney married, April 3, 1795. at Cumberland,
Rhode Island, Abigail Wilson, who died August 16,
1855, aged seventy-nine years. They were the parents
of the following children: 1. Lucina, bom March 31,
1796, at North Providence, Rhode Island, later the wife
of Cromwell Moulton and the mother of nine sons. 2.
Cynthia, born April 12, 1797, at North Providence, mar¬
ried at Douglass, John White, their children being four
sons and five daughters. 3. Hannah, bom April 27,
1799, at Providence, married, in July, 1819, Simon
Wheeler, of Seekonk, and was the mother of six sons
and three daughters. 4. Wilson, of further mention. 5.
Lucinda, born October 22, 1803, later the wife of Charles
J. Stratford. 6. Simon L., born August 3, 1805, who
left home as a young man and was never heard from
afterward. 7. Amy, bom June 29, 1807, at Providence,
was the wife of Samuel C. Butler, son of Peter Butler.
8. Elisha, born August 7, 1809, at Providence, died in
Iowa, having resided in the West many years, married,
and had one daughter. 9. Hannah, who became the wife
of Thomas Hardy, their son, Harry, born about 1876.
10. Moses, born in 1814, drowned at Oxford, Massachu¬
setts, in 1820. 11. Abigail, born November 20, 1817, at

Douglass, married, December 3, 1836, William Knight,
of Leicester, their children being six sons and three
daughters. 12. William B., born July 31, 1819, at Ox¬
ford, married Lavina Morey, resided many years at
Burrillville, later at Upton until his death in 1891, his
three children, born at Burrillville: William M., Sep¬
tember 13, 1842; Amy, March 21, 1844; and Oscar, April
13, 1845-

(II.) Wilson Olney, fourth child and eldest son of
Richard and Abigail (Wilson) Olney, was bom at Prov¬
idence, Rhode Island, January 10, 1802. Endowed with
a brilliant mentality and scholarly tastes, he taught school
at the age of seventeen years, and was also active in
his father’s store from 1819 until 1823, inclusive, in the
village of Oxford, Massachusetts. He was later en¬
gaged in mercantile interests at Providence, Rhode
Island, at Hyde Park, New York, and Little Falls, New
Jersey, until 1829, when he returned to Oxford. At that
time he became identified with the Oxford Woolen
Mill Company, as an accountant, which position he filled
for about two years. He then established a mercantile
interest on the Plain, which he conducted until 1836,
when he removed to Kentucky. There he continued
in the same field of activity until 1842, when he re¬
turned permanently to Worcester County, Massachu¬
setts. As an executor of his father’s estate, he had
the management of the Oxford Woolen Company’s af¬
fairs until 1846, after which he became associated with
George Hodges in the manufacture of flannel for sev¬
eral years, then removed to the Plain in 1853. Always
commanding the respect and confidence of his associ¬
ates and the people generally, these latter years of his life
were marked with many honors, and in 1855 he was
elected cashier of the Oxford Bank. This office he ably
filled until advancing years occasioned his retirement,
and his death occurred shortly thereafter.

BIOGRAPHICAL

i/3'

Wilson Olney married, March 26, 1832, Eliza L.
Butler, daughter of Peter Butler, (See Sigourney-Butler
VI), who died February 24, 1874, she surviving him for
only a few months, and passing away May 2, 1874. They
were the parents of four sons: 1. Richard, born Sep¬
tember 15, 1835, was a graduate of Brown University
(1856), and Harvard University School of Law (1859).
Practiced law in association with Judge Benjamin F.
Thomas, of Boston, he won high rank in his profession,
and became a leader in public affairs, serving as Repre¬
sentative in the State Legislature, also being brought
forward as his party’s candidate for State Senator.
Under President Cleveland he served in the Cabinet as
Attorney-General, and later as Secretary of State, and
during President Wilson’s administration he was offered
the post of Ambassador to England. He married,
March 6, 1861, Agnes P. Thomas, daughter of Judge
Thomas, and their children were: Agnes, born in De¬
cember, 1861 ; and Mary T., born in August, 1865. 2.
George W., of whom further. 3. Peter B., was born
at Oxford, Massachusetts, July 21, 1843. He was a
graduate of Harvard University in both the liberal arts
and the law courses, the latter in the class of 1866. He
also studied law with William M. Evarts, of New York
City, where he began practice in 1868. He was a leader
in public advance, participating in the overthrow of the
“Tweed Ring” in 1871-72; in 1879 was appointed one of
three commissioners to compile and thereafter revise
State legislation bearing upon local metropolitan mat¬
ters. In 1883 he was appointed District Attorney for
the city and county of New York by Governor Cleveland,
serving until his term expired, January 1, 1885. He
married, November 12, 1879, Mary Sigourney Butler,
daughter of Peter Butler, of Boston, (see Sigourney-
Butler VII), and they were the parents of four chil¬
dren : Peter B., born April 9, 1881 ; Richard, born Feb¬
ruary 24, 1883; Wilson, born August 13, 1885; and
Sigourney Butler, born February 22, 1888. All except
Richard were born in New York City, but he was born
at their country home at Cedarhurst, Long Island. 4.
Frederick A. was born at Oxford, Massachusetts, Janu¬
ary 11, 1846. He became a leading hardware merchant
of Kingston, New York, a man of high character, greatly
esteemed in all circles in which he moved. He married,
May 21, 1879, Effie L. Chapin, and they were the parents
of two children : Ruth L., born in April, 1880, at Wor¬
cester, Massachusetts; and Persis C., born at Kingston,
New York. 5. Gertrude G., born at Oxford, Massachu¬
setts, in May, 1850. She became the wife, on Septem¬
ber 6, 1872, of Eben Sutton Stevens, son of Henry H.
Stevens, formerly a prominent citizen of Dudley, and
grandson of Captain Nathaniel Stevens, of North An¬
dover. Eben S. Stevens became a successful woolen
manufacturer of Quinebaug, Connecticut, proprietor of
the mill and estates connected with it, and a broadly
influential citizen, and was elected to the Massachusetts
Senate in 1891. One daughter was born to these
parents, Gertrude O., born November 15, 1873.

(III.) George Wilson Olney, second son of Wilson
and Eliza L. (Butler) Olney, was born at Louisville,
Kentucky, August 27, 1840, and died at Cherry Valley,
Massachusetts, February 28, 1894. As a young lad he
attended the public schools of Oxford, Massachusetts,

to which community the family had returned in his
childhood. He later entered Nichols Academy, at Dud¬
ley, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in due
course. Interested in the industrial activities of this
section, and professional life holding no appeal for him,
he definitely chose the career of the manufacturer. He
learned the manufacture of flannel with George Hodges,
then agent at the Milton Mills of New Hampshire,
where he was active from April, 1868, until the year
1874. Possessing ample means to finance his own ven¬
tures in the realm of his choice, he bought the mills at
Cherry Valley, in the town of Leicester, Massachusetts,
August 1, 1874. This plant contained seven sets, and
under his judicious management the business steadily
throve and grew. He also acquired a controlling interest
in a mill of eight sets at Lisbon, Maine, and kept the
general oversight of that plant, although he resided
in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Mr. Olney was a
man of large ability, a far-sighted business man, fear¬
less in advance, yet cautious, well considering every
move. He was eminently fair in his dealings with all,
associate, customer, employee, and was a genial, whole¬
hearted friend, a loyal and progressive citizen. In the
public life of the community he accepted responsibility
only as it was urged upon him as a duty. A Democrat
by political affiliation, he was elected Selectman of the
town of Leicester, serving for several years, and was
also for some time a member of the School Committee.
In every phase of community advance he bore a con¬
structive part, and was a member of the Episcopal
church, which he served as senior warden.

George Wilson Olney married, at Oxford, Massachu¬
setts, November 18, 1862, Waity Maria Harwood, daugh¬
ter of Elihu and Hannah (Beals) Harwood. They were
the parents of five children: Thomas W., born June 9,
1864, died October 19, 1904; Robert S., bom August 26,
1868, died May 1, 1900; Richard, born January 5, 1871;
George H., born August 8, 1872; and Catharine, born
December 16, 1881.

In such a life as that of George Wilson Olney, the
world of to-day may well find a fruitful subject for re¬
flection, and an example worthy of emulation. Modest
and unassuming, giving to life the high efforts of a man
among men, when with his means he might have spent
his days in a round of pleasures. Mr. Olney was such
a man as the world needs. Nearly thirty years have
passed since he was called on to a higher life, yet the
work he did and the forces he set in motion have lived
through these years in beneficent activity, carried for¬
ward by those who have felt the inspiration of his mem¬
ory and who delight to do him honor. His was a useful
life, not merely for the hour — the day — the time in which
he lived, but for the industrial and civic progress of to¬
day, and in good measure useful to all who shall come
after.

(The Sigourney-Butler Line).

(I.) Andrew Sigourney fled from France after the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and was a leader in
the settlement of Oxford, Massachusetts, in 1687. He
died in Boston, April 16, 1727. He married Charlotte
Pairan, and they were the parents of five children, three
of whom were: Andrew, of further mention; Susan,
Barthelmy.

174

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

(II.) Andrew Sigourney, son of Andrew and Char¬
lotte (Pairan) Sigourney, was bom in France in 1673,
and died in 1748. He resided in Boston, where he was
engaged in business as a distiller. He married Mary
Germaine, who was born in France in 1680, and they
were the parents of children, among whom was Anthony,
of further mention.

(III.) Anthony Sigourney, son of Andrew and Mary
(Germaine) Sigourney, was born August 17, 1713. He
married (first), April 10, 1740, Mary Watus, of Salem;
(second) Elizabeth Breed. To the first marriage was
born Mary, of further mention. Children of the second
marriage were: Anthony, born in 1751; and Andrew,
born in 1752. These three children of Anthony Sigour¬
ney, of Boston, were the first of the Sigourney family
to return to Oxford, Massachusetts, Anthony, Jr., buy¬
ing property there in 1774, and Mr. Butler and his wife,
and Andrew coming toward the close of the Revolu¬
tionary War.

(IV.) Mary Sigourney, daughter of Anthony and
Mary (Watus) Sigourney, was born March 23, 1742.
She married James Butler, (son of James, (5), James
(4), James (3), James (2), Stephen (1), who came
from England about 1640). Their children were: Mary
B., James D., Anthony, Elizabeth, Hannah, John, Peter,
of further mention; Sarah, and Celia.

(V.) Peter Butler, son of James and Mary (Sigour¬
ney) Butler, was born in 1774. He married (first) Me-
hitable Corbin, daughter of Samuel and Lucy (Larned)
Corbin, of Dudley, Massachusetts; (second), in 1841,
Widow Abigail Davis. His children were: James, Sam¬
uel C., Lucy, Mary S., Eliza L-, of further mention;
Sarah M., Hannah H., Peter, of further mention; and
Charlotte.

(VI.) Eliza L. Butler, daughter of Peter and Me-
hitable (Corbin) Butler, was born August 28, 1810. She
married Wilson Olney. (See Olney II).

(VI.) Peter Butler, son of Peter and Mehitable (Cor¬
bin) Butler, was born in 1820, and became a partner in
the hardware business of his father-in-law, in Boston,
later he was head of the firm of Butler Keith &
Company. He was very prominent in Boston, helped
to supplant English goods with American products, and
aided in building up Boston’s foreign and domestic trade.
He lived for thirty years in the Quincy Mansion, at
Quincy, Massachusetts. After losing heavily in the
great fire he retired from business. He had a choice
library and a rare collection of curios. He married,
September, 1843, Lucia Proctor, daughter of Deacon
John C. Proctor, and settled in Boston, but later re¬
moved to Quincy. His children were : Lucia C., Mary
Sigourney, of further mention; Isabel, and Sigourney,
who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1879, and
was the second Comptroller of the Treasury under
President Cleveland.

(VII.) Mary Sigourney, daughter of Peter (2) and
Lucia (Proctor) Butler, was born April 15, 1850. She
married Peter B. Olney. (See Olney II).

GEORGE HOWARD HADLEY— In the indus¬
trial life of Worcester County, Massachusetts, the name
of George Howard Hadley is one of prominence, his
activities as a leading manufacturing executive of Tem¬

pleton, Massachusetts, doing much for the prosperity
and economic welfare of the community. His experi¬
ence in many fields of endeavor has given him a broad
outlook for the work in which he is now engaged, and
as a leading executive for two important manufac¬
turing concerns, Mr. Hadley is taking a very significant
part in present day advance in this part of Worcester
County. He is secretary, treasurer, and director of the
F. W. Lombard Company of South Ashburnham, and a
director, vice-president, and secretary of the firm of
Hendrickson & Company, Incorporated, of East Temple¬
ton, Massachusetts.

Mr. Hadley’s father is Lucien Norman Hadley, who
is now retired at the age of seventy-eight years, after
a long and useful life, and who is a Mason, holding the
thirty-second degree in the Ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite, and one of the honored and venerable figures of
Templeton, who for sixty years has sung in the Uni¬
tarian church choir, and served for twenty-five years as
treasurer of the Unitarian parish. The mother, Jeanette
(Bourn) Hadley, died January 15, 1915, at the age of
sixty-four years, eleven months. She was the oldest
daughter of Isaac Bourn, who was the founder of the
Bourn Hadley Company. She was a woman of strong
character, very charitable, and an active worker in the
Unitarian church, and was for many years treasurer of
the Alliance of that church.

George Howard Hadley was born at Brooks Village,
in the town of Templeton, Massachusetts, August 28,
1879. His education was begun at the Brooks Village
district school, and he later attended the Templeton
Center Grammar School, after which he was a student
at the Templeton High School and was graduated in
the class of 1896. Thereafter entering Becker’s Busi¬
ness College of Worcester, Massachusetts, he was grad¬
uated from that institution in the class of 1897 as book¬
keeper and accountant, and from the same institution the
following year in stenography and typewriting, being
president of this class, 1908. Mr. Hadley’s first busi¬
ness experience was in the employ of the Graton and
Knight Manufacturing Company of Worcester, in the
office of which concern he was active for about two
years and two months. In May, 1900, he entered the
employ of the Eastern Bridge and Structural Company
of Worcester in their offices on Front Street, but later
identified himself with the factory as assistant super¬
intendent. In February, 1903, Mr. Hadley formed a
partnership with Irwin A. Drury formerly of Athol,
Massachusetts, and purchased a market and grocery
store at No. 253 Lincoln Street, Worcester. This en¬
terprise went forward under the title of Drury &
Hadley for about two years, after which Mr. Hadley
sold his interest to his partner and became a stockholder
in the Menthol Products Company. He was made
secretary of this concern and was thus engaged for about
two years, when he severed his connections with the
interest and came to Templeton. Here he purchased an
interest in the Bourn Hadley Company, of which he
became secretary and a director. In October, 1919, he
interested himself in the manufacture of chairs with his
brother, Herbert B. Hadley, and purchased the F. W.
Lombard Company of South Ashburnham, Massachu¬
setts, Mr. Hadley becoming secretary, treasurer, and

BIOGRAPHICAL

175

director, which offices he still ably fills. He has given
considerable personal attention to the development and
growth of this enterprise, but recently added to this
interest further activities in the same general field. On
May S, 1923, in association with Emile Hendrickson,
Walter Hendrickson and William E. Bourn, Mr. Had¬
ley organized Hendrickson & Company, Incorporated,
East Templeton, of which he was chosen a director, also
vice-president and secretary. This organization manu¬
factures reed chairs and tables, and the promise of the
future is very bright, Mr. Hadley’s chief interest, how¬
ever, remaining with the Bourn, Hadley Company, and
especially in that department which is engaged in the
manufacture of post office equipment, bank and store
fixtures ; their market in this line covers chiefly all of New
England and nearby States, but extends, in the port¬
able post office equipment, into every State in the Union.

These varied and broadly useful activities have placed
Mr. Hadley among the really noteworthy citizens of
Templeton, and he has been active in many branches
of civic and welfare advance. He has always stood
for temperance, which is a strong trait in both branches
of the family. He is a trustee of the Templeton Savings
Bank, and the Jehu Richardson Fund and the Masonic
Fund, the income of both the latter being distributed for
charitable purposes, the trustees being chosen by the
town each year. Mr. Hadley has served in this con¬
nection for a number of years. In the spring of 1923
he was elected Tax Collector of the town of Templeton.
In 1918 Mr. Hadley took the civil service examinations
for postmaster of Templeton and was appointed to that
office, but the duties connected with it becoming too
arduous with his other activities, he resigned in 1919.
He is trustee and secretary of the Templeton Village
Improvement Society, which owns the Templeton Inn.
He is affiliated with Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons, of Gardner, and is a member of the First
Parish Unitarian Church of Templeton, and has been
president of the Young People’s Union, which is con¬
nected with this church, since the year 1909. In Janu¬
ary, 1924, he was elected director of the new Gardner-
Templeton Street Railway Company, a corporation
formed, which purchased the street railway of the North¬
ern Massachusetts Street Railway Company to operate
from Riley’s Switch and Baldwinville, through East
Templeton to West Gardner, and South Gardner, thence
to Greenwood Associates.

Mr. Hadley is one of seven children, his brothers
and sisters being: 1. Lizzie Etta, a teacher in Norwood,
Massachusetts. 2. Arthur Lucien, of Fort Wayne,
Indiana, who married Nellie Richey, and they have three
children, Gladys, Norman and Elizabeth. 3. Mary
Ann, also a teacher in Norwood. 4. Lucy Jeanette, at
home with her father. 5. Herbert Bourn, married Edith
Beaman and they have five children, Willard, Violet,
Robert, Adelma, and Herbert B., Jr. 6. Walter Norman,
a Harvard University and Law School graduate, mar¬
ried Ann Harris Crawford. In July, 1923, this brother
became interested in the F. W. Lombard Company with
his other brothers.

George Howard Hadley married, December 19, 1905,
at Worcester, Massachusetts, Lydia Pauline Carr, bom
November 22, 1876, at Ellington, Iowa. Mrs. Hadley

is a daughter of Lewis Philip Carr, born in Meriden,
New Hampshire, in 1847, and died October 7, 1912.
He was master mechanic for the United States Hame
Company, Andover, New Hampshire. He was a man
of singularly lovable disposition, very fond of children,
and deeply interested in educational advance, being a
trustee of Proctor Academy, and a trustee of the Uni¬
tarian church at Andover, New Hampshire. Her
mother, Martha Elizabeth (Howes) Carr, was born in
New York State, in 1847, and died February 24, 1916.
Mrs. Hadley has two brothers, David Eugene and Lewis
Philip, and one sister, Frances Permelia. Mr. and Mrs.
Hadley have one son, Howard Carr, born October 1,
1912, now (1924) in the sixth grade of the Temple¬
ton schools.

LESTER GILES TAFT — Among the younger men
in the newspaper world of Worcester County, Massa¬
chusetts, Lester Giles Taft holds a prominent position
as the publisher of the “Blackstone Valley News” and
manager of the Uxbridge Printing Company, where
the newspaper is published. Mr. Taft has had wide ex¬
perience in some of the leading newspaper plants of New
England, and with his natural ability and deep interest
in his work he is doing much for the local advance
through the columns of his paper.

Mr. Taft comes of a noted family of Worcester
County, for many years residents of Uxbridge, and
his father, William J. Taft, is one of the foremost men
of this section. An attorney and counsellor-at-law by
profession and largely successful in his chosen field,
William J. Taft has been identified with the public
life of the town of Uxbridge for many years, and was
long active as a member of the law firm of Dodge &
Taft, located in the State Mutual Building in Worcester,
Massachusetts. This partnership continued for a period
of thirty years, having been formed in 1890, and in 1920
Mr. Taft removed his office to Uxbridge, where has. has
so long resided, and is now Town Solicitor of Uxbridge.
It is frequently said of William J. Taft that he might
have won greater honors in public life, for he was
elected to the Massachusetts General Assembly in 1901
and 1902, but while his services as a legislator were
above criticism and constructive in a large degree, he
refused the re-nomination which was urged upon him and
practically retired from public life, devoting his at¬
tention subsequently to his private practice. He is a
prominent member of the Free and Accepted Masons,
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Ancient
Order of United Workmen. The mother, Ella W.
(Giles) Taft, is also still living and is a leader in social
circles in Uxbridge.

Lester Giles Taft was bom in Uxbridge, Massa¬
chusetts, May 16, 1892. His education was acquired
in the local public schools, and following the completion
of the grammar school course, and two years in high
school, feeling no interest in a professional life, he ap¬
prenticed himself to the printing trade in the employ
of the old Transcript Company of Uxbridge. After
mastering the trade, Mr. Taft identified himself with
newspaper work, securing a position on the New Lon¬
don “Telegraph.” To gain breadth of experience, Mr.
Taft left his first position and subsequently was active

176

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

on the Worcester “Gazette,” the Worcester “Telegram,”
and the Boston “American.” He was also the editor
and manager of the “Maine Woods,” published by the
J. W. Brackett Company of Phillips, Maine, for sev¬
eral months. To gain further experience in the mechan¬
ical departments of the trade, Mr. Taft then entered the
employ of the Blanchard Press of Worcester, but when
this plant was consolidated with the Commonwealth
Press in 1913, he went to the D. H. Bacon Company of
Derby, Connecticut, as foreman of their printing plant.
Later he was active for a time as editor and manager
of the Thompsonville (Connecticut) “Press.” In 1916
Mr. Taft settled permanently in his native town of
Uxbridge, and with his brother, Carlton W. Taft, who
died of “flu” in December, 1918, organized the Ux¬
bridge Printing Company. In 1919 he purchased the
Transcript Company plant and consolidated it with the
Uxbridge Printing Company. He has since carried
this interest forward with marked success, and the
growth of the business, together with the constant ex¬
tension of the circulation of the paper, well appraise
the ability and energy which he is putting into his work
in this connection.

Mr. Taft’s career has been interrupted only by his
service during the World War. He was called out with
the 6th Company, Coast Artillery Corps, Rhode Island
National Guard, of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, on July
25, 1917, and was later transferred to the 20th Com¬
pany, coast defences of Narragansett Bay, and was sent
overseas to France with replacement troops as first ser¬
geant of Coast Artillery Corps. During the early part
of his stay in France Mr. Taft was attached to the
Heavy Artillery Training Battalion at Angiers, in the
work of transporting replacements, but after the ar¬
mistice was transferred to the Anti-Aircraft Replacement
Battalion, being stationed at Fort De Staine, France.
Upon his return to the United States he received his
honorable discharge at Camp Devens, Massachusetts,
on January 28, 1919, with the rank of first sergeant. Mr.
Taft went into the World War as a trained soldier,
having been a member of the Massachusetts and Rhode
Island National Guard for a period of eight years.

Upon his return to civilian life, Mr. Taft returned
to his publishing activities in Uxbridge, and under his
management the “Blackstone Valley News” has taken
great strides. This paper is the sole successor of the
former papers of the town, the Uxbridge “Compendium,”
the Uxbridge and Whitinsville “Transcript.” The
“Blackstone Valley News” is now the only newspaper
published between Millbury and Woonsocket. The
sheet is distributed in the towns of Uxbridge, North-
bridge, Douglas, Mendon, Grafton, Sutton, Upton, Hope-
dale, Millville, and Blackstone. Independent in its
political utterances, the editorial policy of the paper is
doing much for all advance and commands the respect
and admiration of all the people, irrespective of political
convictions. After the death of his brother, Carlton
Taft, who died while Lester G. Taft was in France, a
younger brother, William J. Taft, Jr., conducted the
business until the return of his brother, who took him
into the business February 1, 1919.

Fraternally, Mr. Taft is a member of Manawa Tribe,
No. 58, Improved Order of Red Men, of Uxbridge,

Massachusetts, of which he was first Chief of Records
and is a Past Sachem; Nipmuc Council, No. 92, Degree
of Pocahontas; Friendship Lodge, and Agawam En¬
campment, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of
Thompsonville, Connecticut ; Lieutenant Harold F. Flynn
Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States,
of Woonsocket, Rhode Island ; Waucantuck Lodge,
Ancient Order of United Workmen.

Mr. Taft married, at New London, Connecticut, Sep¬
tember 9, 1913, Anna C. Cooney, of Whitinsville, Massa¬
chusetts, daughter of John J. and Rachael Cooney. Mr.
and Mrs. Taft are the parents of three children: Theo¬
dore Roy, born October 1, 1914; Lester G., Jr., born
September 2, 1916; Virginia Madeline, born August 1,
1918. Mrs. Taft is a member of Nipmuc Council, No.
92, Degree of Pocahontas, and is the present Pocahontas ;
she is also a member of Waucantuck Lodge, Ancient
Order of United Workmen.

EDWIN FRANCIS LILLEY— Few citizens of Mil¬
ford, Massachusetts, are more actively useful and more
usefully active than Edwin Francis Lilley, whose mer¬
cantile endeavors have contributed to the commercial
advance of the community, while his public service and
fraternal activities place him among the really signifi¬
cant men of this part of Worcester County. An emi¬
nently practical man of marked executive ability, he has
given to his work for the people the same energy and
constructive effort that have placed him in the front
rank of commercial progress. Mr. Lilley is a son of
Thomas and Maria E. (Hanson) Lilley, esteemed resi¬
dents of Milford for many years.

Edwin Francis Lilley was born in Milford, Massachu¬
setts August 29, 1870. He received his education in the
elementary and grammar schools of this community, but
though his privileges in this line were limited, his ability
as a student of men and conditions has supplemented
his formal knowledge, and he was won large success.
He became identified with the jewelry business at the
age of thirteen years, entering the employ of C. W. Wil¬
cox, a prominent Milford jeweler of that day. Finding
this business congenial and feeling that his natural taste
for commercial affairs appraised latent ability, the young
man started in business for himself in the same field in
1893. The intervening period of thirty years has meas¬
ured great advance in Mr. Lilley’s business, and he is
now one of the foremost men in his field in Worcester
County. Far from confining his endeavors and activ¬
ities to his own individual progress, Mr. Lilley has al¬
ways taken the deepest interest in the public welfare. It
was not, however, until the year 1909 that he accepted
public responsibility, although from his majority he had
been a worker in the ranks of the Republican party.
He served on the Board of Selectmen of the town of
Milford for two years (1909-1910), was chairman in
1910, and for years was chairman of the Town Com¬
mittee. His record in the duties which he fulfilled in
the local affairs of a public nature was such that he was
elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives,
taking up the duties involved by this honor in the year
19x2, his reelection retaining him at the Capitol for a
second term. His work as a legislator was construc¬
tive and permanently useful, and included his service on

178

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Wilder’s grandfather, was a prominent farmer of Ster¬
ling in the early days, and Frank L. Wilder, his son,
and Mr. Wilder’s father, was a leading citizen of Sterling
throughout his lifetime, being one of the founders of
the present firm of Wilder, Walker & Davis Company.
Frank L. Wilder married Mary L. Bruce, a daughter of
Mark Bruce, and a member of a family founded in
Sterling at the time of the earliest settlement here.
Frank L. and Mary L. (Bruce) Wilder were the parents
of four children : Anna M., born April 29 i860; Katy,
born September 5, 1862; Arthur S., of further mention;
and Emma A., born November 28, 1865.

Arthur S. Wilder was born in Sterling, Massachu¬
setts, March 6, 1864. His education was begun in the
public schools of his birthplace. Later attending Leo¬
minster High School, he returned to Sterling upon the
completion of his studies and engaged in farming on
the old Wilder homestead. This estate has been in the
possession of the Wilder family since the year 1783, and
is one of the fine old dignified farm homes of Wor¬
cester County. Mr. Wilder has been successful in his
agricultural operations, and in connection with these ac¬
tivities he has for some years also been associated with
the firm of Wilder, Walker & Davis Company, lumber
dealers of Sterling. This concern buys standing timber
and disposes of fire wood and lumber entirely at whole¬
sale. This concern, in the establishing of which Frank
L. Wilder bore a part, was from the beginning officered
also by W. S. Walker and Jonathan A. Davis, these
three progressive men having been associated throughout
their lifetime. Arthur S. Wilder has been identified
with the public service for twenty-seven years, having
been elected to the local school committee in 1896, hav¬
ing served for nine years with that body. He also was
active on the Board of Assessors, having served a sim¬
ilar period on that board. In 1922 he was elected to the
Board of Selectmen, in which connection he is still en¬
gaged. Fraternally Mr. Wilder is affiliated with Trin¬
ity Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Clinton ; and
the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He attends the
Congregational church.

Mr. Wilder married, on August 9, 1898, Ella C.
Abbot, daughter of Harris and Caroline Ann (Greeley)
Abbot, both of Wilton, New Hampshire. Mrs. Wilder
is a granddaughter of Ezra and Rebecca (Hale) Abbot,
her grandmother a native of Coventry, Connecticut, and
a niece of Nathan Hale, the Revolutionary patriot. Mr.
and Mrs. Wilder are the parents of five children: Flor¬
ence C., born August 3, 1899, a graduate of Smith Col¬
lege, class of 1922; Katherine A., born August 12, 1901,
a graduate of Smith College, class of 1923; Frank Har¬
ris, born April 26, 1903, a junior at the Massachusetts
State Agricultural College; Edwin Arthur, born March
13, 1906, a graduate of Leominster High School, now
attending Cushing Academy; and Anna Hale, born
January 14, 1909, now a junior at Sterling High School.

OLIVER MARTIN WING, a leading figure in the
world of finance in Bristol County, Massachusetts, is a
native and practically lifelong resident of Grafton,
Massachusetts, and has for several years been treasurer
of the Grafton Savings Bank, also of the Grafton Co¬
operative Bank. Mr. Wing is a noteworthy figure in

various branches of organized effort, chiefly along fra¬
ternal lines, and is bearing a constructive part in the
economic security and progress of the day. He is a
son of Hon. Henry F. and Mary E. (Tobey) Wing, his
father formerly treasurer of the Grafton Savings Bank,
and Representative to the State Legislature.

Oliver Martin Wing was born at Grafton, Massachu¬
setts, September 3, 1859. Attending the elementary and
grammar schools of his birthplace, he was graduated
from the local high school in the class of 1877. Vari¬
ously employed for a time he became identified with the
J. S. Nelson & Son Shoe Company, of Grafton, in the
year 1881, and for a full quarter of a century was active
with this concern. From that time until 1920, a period
of thirteen years, Mr. Wing was active with the F. E.
Powers Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts, in ca¬
pacity of secretary of the organization. Since 1920
Mr. Wing has been active in his present office as treas¬
urer of two of the leading financial institutions of
Grafton, as mentioned above. His work in this con¬
nection places him in the front rank of financial ad¬
vance in this community, and his long experience in the
business world contributes in no slight degree to the
security and prosperity of these institutions. Frater¬
nally Mr. Wing is a member of Franklin Blue Lodge of
Grafton, and of both the York and Scottish Rites of
the Masonic order, including Eureka Chapter, Royal
Arch Masons, of Millbury, Massachusetts; Hiram
Council, Royal and Select Masters, of Worcester, and
Worcester County Commandery, Knights Templar. He
is a member of the West Congregational Church, of
Grafton.

Oliver Martin Wing married, at Grafton, Massachu¬
setts, September 17, 1885, Amy E. Putnam, daughter of
George E. Putnam, and they are the parents of three
children: Alice Christine, born November 10, 1886, a
graduate of Vassar College, class of 1908, now the
wife of S. Lathrop Davenport, their three children being
Jean Wing, Phylis, and Fayer, all born in Danvers,
Massachusetts; Nelson, born December 12, 1887; and
Philip Henry, born December 26, 1896. Nelson Wing is
a graduate of Worcester Institute of Technology, class
of 1909, and is now active as a civil engineer on the New
York Central Railroad, being detailed to Washington,
District of Columbia. Philip Henry Wing attended
Massachusetts Agricultural College, enlisted in the
United States Navy during the World War, and was
active in convoy duty during that period.

LAURENCE JOHN DALY— Participating in a
very definite and progressive way in the activities of
his day, Laurence John Daly, of Webster, Massachusetts,
is bringing to bear upon the progress of his residence
community strong influence in the right direction. As
editor of the “Webster Evening Times,” his survey of
of passing events reveals the thoughtful and forward-
looking attitude of the man whose energies are conse¬
crated to the well being of the people. Mr. Daly is a
son of John and Hannah (Harney) Daly, his father a
machinist throughout his lifetime, and a man of the
highest integrity.

Laurence John Daly was born in Sturbridge, Massa¬
chusetts, April 20 1885. Receiving his early education

BIOGRAPHICAL

179

in the public schools of his birthplace, he later attended
Hitchcock Academy at Brimfield, Massachusetts. En¬
tering the newspaper world as a young man, Mr. Daly
was first affiliated with the “Worcester Telegram” in
the capacity of reporter, and remained with that sheet
until accepting the editorial chair of the “Webster
Evening Times” in the year 1917. Giving to the ad¬
vance of this newspaper the constructive endeavor of
the natural executive, and bringing to bear upon its im¬
provement the experience gained in his work as a re¬
porter, Mr. Daly has greatly increased the circulation
of the “Times” through his editorial policy, and it is
now considered one of the outstanding dailies of Central
Massachusetts. He gives his editorial sanction to every
local movement which promises to benefit the people,
and is considered one of the thoroughly noteworthy men
of the day in journalistic affairs in this State. Fra¬
ternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus
of Webster, and attends Saint Louis’ Catholic Church.

Laurence John Daly married, in Warren, Massachu¬
setts, October 9, 1903, Josie Sullivan, daughter of Pat¬
rick and Elizabeth (Welch) Sullivan, and they are the
parents of two children : Mary Elizabeth, born March
8, 1905; and Laurence John, Jr., born November 18,
1918. The Daly residence is at No. 14 Whitcomb Street,
Webster.

FREDERICK WILLARD BATEMAN, a distin¬
guished figure in Worcester County, Massachusetts,
whose natural ability was supplemented by a comprehen¬
sive educational preparation for his life work, and whose
part in the engineering world has been one of impor¬
tance, is still broadly active in his chosen profession,
and his record of public usefulness links his name with
some of the most honored positions of the Common¬
wealth. Well known in fraternal and social circles, he
is highly esteemed by all with whom he comes in con¬
tact. Mr. Bateman is a son of William Frederick and
Louisa Harrod (Willard) Bateman, his father active
for many years as railroad station agent, also as Post¬
master of Still River, Massachusetts.

Frederick Willard Bateman was born in Harvard,
Massachusetts, December 17, 1852. His education was
begun in the local common schools ; later he attended
Lancaster Academy, then entered Worcester Polytech¬
nic Institute, from which he was graduated in the class
of 1871. The extensive railway construction activities
at that period in process of development in New Eng¬
land engaged Mr. Bateman’s attention for a considerable
time, and through the succeeding years of his career he
became broadly interested in hydraulic, municipal, and
general engineering practice throughout this general
section. Mr. Bateman’s activities, however, were not
limited even to the New England States, but reached
throughout New York, Ohio, and various Middle States,
many commissions of an exacting and important nature
having been placed in his hands. He has risen to a
position of large prominence in the engineering world of
to-day. He was for several years consulting engineer for
one of the leading railroad corporations of New England,
and is now a partner in the firm of Parker, Bateman &
Chase, civil engineers, with offices at Clinton and Fitch¬
burg, Massachusetts. Mr. Bateman is further affiliated
as a director with the Chaffee Brothers Company of

Oxford, Massachusetts, and these various responsibil¬
ities give his name broad significance.

A Republican by political convictions, and always loyal
to the interests of the party, Mr. Bateman has served
in local public offices of greater or less importance for
many years. First elected public library trustee of the
town of Harvard, his residence community, Mr. Bate¬
man has also served as cemetery trustee, as trustee of the
Warner Lecture Fund, and as a member of the Board
of Health. His eminent usefulness in these connec¬
tions, and his progressive spirit towards all advance,
led to his election as Representative of the town of Har¬
vard in the Massachusetts State Legislature, and in
the deliberations of that body he participated to his own
credit, his work also reflecting honor upon his constit¬
uency. It is all to little to say in appreciation of Mr.
Bateman’s career that he is one of the foremost citizens
of Harvard, and holds a distinguished rank in his native
State. Fraternally he is identified with the Boston
Society of Civil Engineers; American Society for Test¬
ing Materials; New England Water Works Association;
also the Massachusetts Forestry Association ; and his
clubs are the Prescott of Clinton, and the Massachusetts
Republican.

HOWARD H. CHASE, of Leominster, of the ancient
Chase family founded in early Colonial days by Aquilla
and William Chase, is of the New Hampshire branch,
a son of William Howard Chase, born in North Weare,
New Hampshire, March 18, 1857. He was a resident of
Weare until 1882, having been in the insurance business
and an overseer in the weaving department of the Smith-
Converse Woolen Mills. He moved to Leominster in
1882 and became overseer in the E. M:. Rockwell mills,
a position he held for years. He then, in association
with William Rodgers, founded the Leominster Worsted
Company, of which he was treasurer until his death,
January 4, 1918. Mr. Chase was also a director of the
Leominster National Bank and a trustee of Leominster
Savings Bank. He was an able man of affairs, a master
of the manufacturing of worsted and a wise financier.
A Republican in politics, he served Leominster long and
well. He was a member of the Sinking Fund Com¬
mission for sixteen years ; member of the Board of
Water Commissioners twenty-five years, and twenty-
three of those years was chairman. Under his direction
the Fall Brook and Morse reservoirs were built and
other vital improvements made. In 1916 Mr. Chase re¬
signed the place he had held so long. He was a mem¬
ber of the Masonic order; the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows ; the Worcester Continentals ; was an ardent
sportsman, having hunted big game in the Rocky Moun¬
tains ; was a member of the Camp Fire Club of America ;
Home Market Club; the Republican Club; Country
Club and Sportsman’s Association ; and Leominster
Chamber of Commerce. In religious faith he was a
Unitarian, and when the church of that faith was
erected he served as chairman of the building commit¬
tee. He was an ardent champion of the road committee
of the Massachusetts Automobile Association. He was
one of the pioneer automobile owners of the Leomin¬
ster section, and greatly enjoyed his tours. He was
widely known and esteemed both as a business man and
citizen, his genial, kindly nature making him a welcome

i8o

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

addition to any group. He was held in high regard in
the textile industry, and the Leominster Worsted Mills
grew prosperous and greatly expanded during his tenure
of office as treasurer.

William Howard Chase married Ann S. Harwood,
born in Harvard, Massachusetts, died in Leominster in
1903, and they were the parents of Howard H. Chase
of this review.

Howard H. Chase, son of William Howard and Ann
S. (Harwood) Chase, was born in Leominster, Massachu¬
setts, December 18, 1889. He was educated in Leomin¬
ster public schools, passing from high school to Worces¬
ter Technical Institute, whence he was graduated B. S.,
class of 1913. From the schoolroom he went to the
Leominster Worsted Mills, and there was privileged to
have four years business association with his father.
Upon the death of William H. Chase, in 1918, Howard
H. Chase was elected president of the Leominster Wor¬
sted Company, founded by his father, and now for five
years under the executive management of the son. The
mills of the company are the largest woolen mills in
Leominster, and the product is widely distributed.

Howard H. Chase has been and is very much inter¬
ested in the new Leominster Hospital, is on the finance
committee, and active in the work. He is a director of
the Leominster National Bank; director and vice-presi¬
dent of the Leominster Cooperative Bank; a member of
the Leominster Chamber of Commerce; Monoosnock
Country Club, Bass Point Club, and the Masonic Club.
His fraternity is Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and he holds
membership in the Masonic order. He is a Unitarian
in religion, and is a member of the parish committee,
chosen as chairman in 1922. He ' finds recreation in
hunting and fishing.

On September 16, 1916, Howard H. Chase married
Ruth M. Tisdale, born in Leominster, daughter of Albert
A. and Florence E. (Tenny) Tisdale. Mrs. Chase be¬
longs to the Fortnightly Club and the Musicale Club,
being interested in both.

ALFRED NEWTON LITCH, for more than thirty
years has been identified with the Leominster Worsted
Company, of which he is now treasurer. Before com¬
ing to Leominster Mr. Litch had gained valuable ex¬
perience in two lines of activity and is well known in
Worcester County as an able and successful business man
and a public-spirited progressive citizen. While he now re¬
views a career of business achievement most creditable
to him, he reached that position through hard work and
close application to the business he had chosen as his
life work. He began his connection with the Leomin¬
ster Worsted Company on a borrowed capital, and the
success that has come to him has been fully earned. In
the best sense of the term he is a self-made man. His
business career began at the age of nineteen and now,
at sixty-four, he is enjoying the fruits of those early
years of devotion to the responsibilities he had assumed
as a manufacturer and financier.

Mr. Litch inherited a keen business instinct and a natural
inclination for trade through his father, Aaron Kimball
Litch, a successful hardware merchant of Fitchburg,
Massachusetts, the city of his birth. Aaron K. Litch
was one of the original members of the Fitchburg Band,
a well-known musical organization, of which he was for

many years leader and treasurer. He was also a mem¬
ber of Green’s Orchestra, a leading organization of its
kind in that section of the State. He married Abby
Newton, born in Templeton, Massachusetts, who died at
the age of seventy-eight years. Aaron K. Litch died
in Worcester, Massachusetts, October 27, 1892, having
retired from active business several years prior to his
death.

Alfred Newton Litch, son of Aaron Kimball and
Abby (Newton) Litch, was born in Fitchburg, Massa¬
chusetts, December 4, 1858, and after receiving a prac¬
tical education in the public schools of his native city,
found his first employment in the office of Parks & Car¬
penter, steamfitters. He remained with that firm for
three years and subsequently entered the employ of
James Phillips, Jr., in what is now known as the Arden
Mills, which connection he maintained for a period of
ten years. During the period prior to going with Mr.
Phillips, he was employed by J. B. Fransworth, in Leo¬
minster, and spent two years in New York City. In
1883 he removed to Leominster, Worcester County, per¬
manently, and in 1891 became associated with the Leo¬
minster Worsted Company, in the capacity of secretary
and assistant treasurer. During the thirty-two years
which have passed since that time, he has continued his
official connection with that company, being now its
honored treasurer, having been elected to that office in
1918. He is a man of sound business principles and has
been an important factor in the upbuilding and pros¬
perity of the corporation, whose financial destinies he
guides. In addition to his connection with the Leo¬
minster Worsted Company, Mr. Litch is president of the
Merchants’ National Bank of Leominster; president
of the Leominster Cooperative Bank, and a member of
the board of trustees of the Leominster Savings Bank.
He is a member of the Leominster Chamber of Com¬
merce, and is actively interested in the advancement of
the public welfare of Leominster. He was one of the
men of that community that combined in an effort to
raise the necessary funds to build and equip a new Leo¬
minster Hospital and now is serving that institution as
a member of its board of trustees.

Mr. Litch holds fraternal relations with Leominster
Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in
social membership is connected with the Leominster and
the Monoosnock Country clubs of Leominster, and the
Fay Club of Fitchburg. His religious connection is with
the Unitarian society. He enjoys travel, in fact that is
his favorite recreation.

Mr. Litch married (first), on October 27, 1885,
Mary Adams Porter, of Leominster, Massachusetts,
who died September 26, 1893. Mr. Litch married
(second), May 19, 1909, Alice Coles Robbins, who was
born in Boston, Massachusetts, daughter of Calvin and
Julia (Coles) Robbins.

HAMILTON MAYO— With the passing of Ham¬
ilton Mayo, on January 26, 1924, Leominster, Massachu¬
setts, suffered a loss that from the viewpoint of the en¬
tire citizenry of the section was incalculable, inasmuch
as Mr. Mayo bore the title of leading citizen, that in¬
cluded the exemplary civic virtues of right living and of
noble dealing. Standing unequivocally for the highest
ideals in the community, he was a man who weighed

BIOGRAPHICAL

181

matters carefully, judged impartially, and administered
honorably. Half a century ago he was admitted to
practice at the bar, and continued in his profession up
to the time of his last illness. He was widely read in
the law, and his advice was repeatedly sought in intri¬
cate legal matters; he was honored with office in civic
institutions of both State and town, and in his turn
honoring such institutions with his membership and
presence; he was likewise, an official in all organizations
established for the progress and general usefulness of
the town; was a liberal, though unostentatious dispenser
of charity; and at his passing Leominster could truly
say : “A great man among us is fallen to-day.”

Mr. Mayo was born at the family homestead at West¬
minster, Massachusetts, February 26, 1851, son of

William and Mary Mayo, neither of whom survives.
There he attended the public schools and prepared him¬
self for his life work, and was graduated from Meriden
Academy in 1869; from Dartmouth College in 1873;
and from the Albany Law School in 1874. In 1874 he
was admitted to the bar, and in February of 1875,
opened an office in Leominster. In 1883 he was ap¬
pointed trial justice, holding that office four years. Up
to the year 1917 he was president of the Leominster
National Bank, resigning then, and being succeeded by
Fred A. Young. Mr. Mayo continued as a director, and
was also actively interested in the Leominster Savings
Bank, as a member of the corporation and board of in¬
vestment and trustees. He served Leominster in the
State Legislature in 1904-1905, and as Town Auditor
and chairman of the School Board, and had been a
trustee of the public library since 1907, besides filling
minor offices from time to time. He was elected to the
City Council when Leominster became a city, and was
subsequently president of the Council. He was the
first president of the Leominster Home for Old Ladies,
and was prominent in the Leominster Historical Society.
His fraternal affiliations were with Leominster Lodge,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, since 1876; and his
clubs were the Leominster and the Monoosnock Country
Club. He was one of the most active and valued mem¬
bers of the Unitarian church.

He is survived by his wife, Laura S. Mayo, a daugh¬
ter, Esther W., wife of Dr. Willard H. Foss; a son,
Councillor Winthrop M. Mayo; and a sister, Mrs. Emma
F. Creed, of Gardner, Massachusetts.

FRANK E. KINSMAN passed away at his home in
Leominster, Massachusetts, on February 5, 1924, a prom¬
inent townsman of that community retiring from life’s
action; and all who know aught of the wonderful story
of the beginnings and the development of the telephone,
were aware of the fact that a pioneer inventor in that
sphere of world-wide usefulness had died. Few men
living in our day, either in this country or elsewhere,
had been more closely identified with the various tele¬
phone interests, nor more vitally related to the origin
and the simple equipment of the childhood day of the
great invention. An inventor of note, he was chief
among those who worked to introduce the earlier mech¬
anisms and methods that helped to establish the busi¬
ness of the telephone. His life was signalized through¬
out by kindred discoveries, and it is recorded that he

had received some fifty patents for his inventions. Be¬
sides his telephone patents he patented the devices for
automatically controlling the motive power and the
airbrakes of railroad trains ; and later he put them in
operation in the express services of the New York
City subway and the Boston Elevated Railroad. Mr.
Kinsman was a pioneer in these matters; a member of
leading engineering associations; and in his home city
prominent in many lines for his efforts for the public
good and general progress. He was a son of Cyrus and
Helen Dorothy (Allen) Kinsman, both lifelong resi¬
dents of Leominster.

Frank E. Kinsman was born in Leominster, Massa¬
chusetts, August 14, 1852, and received his education in
the public schools of this city. Throughout his life he
gave his complete attention to the discovery and applica¬
tion of inventions that have proven of unbounded sig¬
nificance to the advance of civilization. Besides his
many other activities in the telephone world, he was the
first to design and work out the central office system,
and to build a central office telephone line, this taking
place early in the summer of 1876. In 1877 he estab¬
lished the telephone central office business in Chicago,
and in less than a year after he went there, invented the
multiple telephone switchboard, which has become the
vitally important element in the telephone central office
system of to-day. During the years 1879-1880, he was
the first superintendent of repairs and attachments of
the New York Telephone Company, from which posi¬
tion he resigned to form the firm of Kinsman & Toby,
of which he was president until 1890, during which
time the low tension circuit arc lamp and many other
electrical improvements were introduced under his di¬
rection. From that time onwards he was consulting
engineer for several large electrical and business estab¬
lishments, and in 1907 became president of the Kinsman
Block System Company, which owns his automatic
control patents referred to.

When Leominster was a town, Mr. Kinsman was a
member of the Board of Selectmen; a member of the
Planning Board, and served as Superintendent of Streets.
He had been Councillor from Ward One for several years.
In his fraternal affiliations he was a member of the Free
and Accepted Masons; of the Knights Templar; and he
was a Noble of Mecca Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was a member of the
American Society of Electrical Engineers; the Telephone
Pioneers of America; the American Signal Association;
and of the Merchants’ Association of the city of New
York, in which he served on various important com¬
mittees. He is survived by his wife and three children :
Cyrus Kinsman, of Detroit, Michigan; Annie and Grace
K insman, of Leominster ; and by a brother, Arthur Kins¬
man, of Baltimore, Maryland.

HARRY WILLIAMS GODDARD, president of
the Spencer Wire Company of Worcester, Massachu¬
setts, was bom at Holyoke, September 14, 1863, son
of Dorrance Sibley and Mary Howe (Williams) God¬
dard. He attended the public schools of Worcester.
After two years in the high school he left to work in the
wire mills of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing
Company at Quinsigamond, beginning as a scale boy.

1 82

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

weighing wire. Afier two years, however, he returned
jo school and spent a year in Wilbraham Academy. At
the age of seventeen he started in the wire business
again, literally at the foot of the ladder, in the employ
of the Spencer Wire Company, then located in Spencer,
doing all kinds of work and mastering every detail step
by step, and when he came of age he was made super¬
intendent of the mill, succeeding the president of the
company, Mr. Sugden, who had previously been his own
superintendent. At that time the Spencer Wire Com¬
pany was an old and somewhat conservative concern,
growing from small beginning to a place of importance,
employing seventy-five hands. Mr. Goddard was also
secretary of the corporation. After the death of Mr.
Sugden, in 1895, Hr. Goddard bought of his heirs his
interests in the company, and obtained a controlling
interest, continuing as principal owner to the present
time, and as president and general manager of the com¬
pany. in 1900 a big step forward was made by erecting
a new and model plant in Worcester at the corner of
Webster and Jacques streets. The general offices were
moved to the new location and the business rapidly
extended. The company manufactures all kinds of
uncovered steel and iron wire and employs at present
(1917) about eight hundred hands. Mr. Goddard is
treasurer of the Hobbs Manufacturing Company. For
ten years he was president of the Springfield Drop
Forging Company, and is now president of the Mills
Woven Cartridge Belt Company of Worcester.

In 1903 he was elected president of the Board of
Trade (now the Chamber of Commerce) of Worcester
ar.d reelected the following year. Under his admin¬
istration, the activities of the board were extended in ail
directions, and its usefulness greatly increased. When
President Taft, then Secretary of War, came to Wor¬
cester in 1905 to speak at the annual banquet of the
Board of Trade, Mr. Goddard had the pleasant duty of
entertaining him at his beautiful residence on Salisbury
Street. In politics Mr. Goddard is a Republican, and
he has always taken an active part in public affairs,
serving as delegate to the various nominating conven¬
tions. He is a director of the Mechanics’ National
Bank and trustee of the People’s Savings Bank ; mem¬
ber of the Maine Coast Club, the Quinsigamond Boat
Club, the Commonwealth Club, the Tatnuck Country
Club, and the Worcester Country Club.

In a sense Mr. Goddard is one of the self-made man¬
ufacturers of the city. Beginning as a laborer himself,
he has possessed the proper point of view in considering
the needs and ambitions of those in his employ. He
made a small plant a great industry by his force of char¬
acter, insight, and energy. Inheriting a taste and apti¬
tude for his business, he has made the most of his
opportunities, and by his success has helped materially
in the growth of the city. His place among the leading
manufacturers of the city has been fairly won by force
of ability, character, and tireless energy.

Mr. Goddard married, December 14, 1887, Grace Wat¬
son, daughter of George and Eleanor Watson, of Spen¬
cer. Their children are: Eleanor Grace, bom March
25, i88g; and Marion Williams, born August 29, 1893.

Mr. and Mrs. Goddard made known their intention
to erect a home for the corporation known as the Home
for Aged Men, in Worcester, in memory of Mr. God¬

dard’s father and mother, at the meeting of the trustees,
April s, 1917. The new fireproof structure was to cost
$75,000 or more, and to be a model of its kind, extend¬
ing greatly the usefulness of the institution. It was to
be erected on the old site of the institution, at No. 1199
Main Street, the old building to be taken down. A
building committee, consisting of Mr. Goddard, Francis
H. Dewey, and Franklin B. Durfee, was appointed at
the time.

WALTER REEVES DAME — Immediately after the
incorporation of Clinton, Worcester, Massachusetts,
John Thompson Dame, father of Walter Reeves Dame,
began the practice of law there, being the pioneer law¬
yer of the town. He was a son of Dr. John Dame, an
eminent physician of Lyme, New Hampshire, and a
State Senator. Dr. John Dame married Abigail Thomp¬
son, and their only child was John Thompson Dame.

Walter R. Dame, of this review, was of the eighth
American generation of the family founded in New
England by John Dame, bom in England about 1610,
who came to New England about 1633, settled at
Dover, New Hampshire. John Dame was a deacon of
the first parish church at Dover in 1675, and had his
first grant of land at Dam Point. He and Nicholas
Dame were signers of a petition to the Governor of
New Hampshire in 1689. He married Elizabeth Pom-
fret, daughter of William Pomfret, and they were the
parents of six children. From John and Elizabeth
(Pomfret) Dame the line of descent is traced through
the generations as follows :

(II.) William Dame, born in Dover, New Hampshire,
October 14, 1652; and his wife, Martha Pomfret; six
children.

(III.) William (2) Dame, born in Dover, New
Hampshire, November 14, 1686, and his wife, Sarah
Kimmin ; four children.

(IV.) William (3) Dame, born February 20, 1710.

(V.) Theodore Dame, born about 1740, and his wife,
Martha. Theodore Dame was a soldier of the Revolu¬
tion and settled in Oxford, New Hampshire, and was a
man of prominence. He was a lieutenant under Arnold
in his attack on Quebec.

(VI.) Dr. John Dame, born June 7, 1773, a noted
physician of his day, and his wife, Abigail Thompson.

(VII.) John Thompson Dame, born in Oxford, New
Hampshire, October 21, 1816, and his wife, Eliza Elmira
Reeves.

(VIII.) Walter Reeves Dame, of further mention.

John Thompson Dame, of previous mention, was early
orphaned, and was reared in the home of a cousin, whom
he always remembered with love and gratitude. He
was graduated from Dartmouth College in 1840 with
Phi Beta Kappa honors, and later prepared for the
profession of law under private preceptors and at Har¬
vard Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1843
and began private practice in Marlboro, Massachu¬
setts, going thence in 1844, to Lancaster. He remained
in practice in Lancaster for five years, serving the last
two years as Police Magistrate. On April 1, 1850, he
moved to Clinton, Massachusetts, then newly incorpor¬
ated, and the same year was appointed Police Magis¬
trate. He held that office until 1858, when he ex¬
changed it for the office of Police Justice, an office he

BIOGRAPHICAL

held until 1863. The resolutions adopted by the bar as¬
sociation at the time of his death, are:

As a magistrate and practitioner, he brought to the
discharge of all his duties, an intelligent and compre¬
hensive knowledge of the law, a well-trained, vigor¬
ous mind, habits of untiring industry, and a strong
love of justice which always distinguishes the impar¬
tial judge and the successful, upright lawyer. He had
a keen sense of the obligations of his profession to
the community, and he used his influence and oppor¬
tunities as a counsellor to discourage strife and pro¬
mote a peaceful settlement between contending par¬
ties. While always true to his clients, and faithful
and painstaking in his clients’ cause, he was equally
loyal to the court, and in all hiis transactions as a law¬
yer, he kept both the letter and the spirit of the attor¬
ney’s oath.

Mr. Dame was a Democrat in politics, and under
President Pierce was appointed Postmaster of Clinton,
and reappointed under President Buchanan, serving
from September 7, 1853, until April 6, 1861. He was a
staunch. Union man, and it was on his motion that Clin¬
ton appropriated money for the relief of soldiers’ fam¬
ilies. He was a member of the School Committee for
seventeen years, and chairman all but three of those
years. Although called the “watch dog of the treasury,”
he was most liberal in appropriations for the schools,
and was deeply interested in the Bigelow Free Public
Library, which he served as director. He wrote a his¬
tory of Clinton for the county history of 1879, his useful
life closing in Clinton on July 3, 1894, “a life fraught
with blessings to the town, both in deed and example, a
life of service, both through private and public channels,
a life of high ideals in education, of unswerving integ¬
rity, and of Puritan simplicity.”

John T. Dame married Eliza Elmira Reeves, who died
in 1899, and whose ancestors settled in Wayland (then
Sudbury), Massachusetts, in 1675. She was a daugh¬
ter of Jacob Reeves, who was Town Clerk and Trial
Justice of Wayland for many years. Both John T.
and Eliza E. (Reeves) Dame were members of the Con¬
gregational church. They were the parents of six chil¬
dren : 1. John, who died in infancy. 2. Abby E., a
teacher. 3. Myra, deceased. 4. Agnes R., deceased. 5.
Frances E., of Clinton. 6 Walter Reeves, of further
mention.

Walter Reeves Dame, son of John T. and Eliza E.
(Reeves) Dame, was born, June 22, 1861, and died
January 6, 1924. He completed the courses of Clinton
public schools, including high, and finished college prep¬
aration at Phillips-Exeter Academy. He entered Har¬
vard University for a classical course, and was gradu¬
ated A. B., cum laude, class of 1883. Deciding upon
the profession of law, he spent a year in his father’s
office, then entered the law department of the Boston
University, whence he was graduated LL. B. cum laude,
class of 1886. He was at once admitted to the Suffolk
County bar, and until the death of his honored father
in 1894 they practiced as a firm, he the only partner his
father ever had. From 1894 until 1923, Walter R. Dame
practiced his profession, and all through the years was
largely interested in other activities than the law. He
long maintained a general insurance department, fire,
life, and fidelity; was one of the organizers of the Clin¬
ton Cooperative Bank, and a director; was a member of
the board of directors that completed the Clinton Rail¬
road, and became interested in public utilities in the

183

States of Florida, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The
most important of these, the Public Electric Light Com¬
pany, is founded on the franchises of the Vermont Pow¬
er and Manufacturing Company, which Mr. Dame and
his associates bought in 1916 and developed to a point
where it is supplying the greater part of the power used
in the northern part of the State of Vermont, includ¬
ing the cities of St. Albans, St. Albans Bay, Westford,
Colchester, Cambridge, Jeffersonville, and Burlington.
Mr. Dame, in addition to owning a large interest, was
chairman of the board and managing director and chief
counsel for the corporation up to the time of his passing
away.

In politics Mr. Dame was a Democrat, and long
served his town as Town Committeeman, first chosen in
1884; and as secretary of the Board of Selectmen, first
appointed in 1887. He was also secretary of the Board
of Water Commissioners, but had entirely retired from
politics. Both as a lawyer and as a business man his
standing was very high, and as a citizen he was public
spirited and progressive. He was a trustee of the
Weeks Fund of Clinton, an attendant of the Unitarian
church; a member of Trinity Lodge, Free and Accepted
Masons; Clinton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Trinity
Commandery, Knights Templar; Clinton Lodge, Inde¬
pendent Order of Odd Fellows; a member of the Sons
of the American Revolution; of the National Electric
Light Association; the Harvard Club of Boston; Pres¬
cott Club of Clinton ; and the Owl and the Champlain
Country clubs, of St. Albans, Vermont.

Walter R. Dame married (first), in 1894, Augusta
Vickery, who died in 1895, daughter of Charles A. Vick¬
ery, one of the old established dry goods merchants of
Portland, Maine. He married (second) Jennie E. Stone,
who died in 1917, daughter of Judge Christopher C.
and Ardella Stone. He married (third) Elizabeth
Ayling, daughter of George A. and Julia (Carter)
Ayling. While the family home is in Clinton, Mr.
Dame had his winter home at Daytona, Florida, and
there spent several months each year.

GILBERT MOSES BILLINGS- A force for prog¬
ress in Worcester County, Massachusetts, for more than
one-half a century, the life of Gilbert Moses Billings,
of Milford, stands in direct relation to the welfare of
the people, his forty-two years of experience as editor
and publisher of the “Milford Gazette” having linked
his name with every branch of community and general
advance. Mr. Billings is still active, and his tireless
endeavors over this long period of time form a record
of worthy concentration of energies which has been
crowned with large success. Mr. Billings is a son of
William L. and Eunice E. (Kelly) Billings, his father
for many years active in the trucking and transfer busi¬
ness, also Superintendent of Streets in the town of
Milford.

Gilbert Moses Billings was born in East Blackstone,
Massachusetts, February 18, 1853. Receiving his early
education in the public schools, he later attended the
Milford (Massachusetts) High School, from which he
was graduated in the class of 1869. For thirteen years
thereafter Mr. Billings was engaged as a bookkeeper
with local concerns, then established the “Milford Ga-

i84

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY.

zette,” of which he is editor and publisher. Its editorial
policy is progressive, endorsing every forward move¬
ment and holding to the highest standard of civic and
social advancement. Mr. Billings has for many years
been more or less closely identified personally with local
affairs, and has served several terms as a member of
the School Board. Taking a deep interest in all benev¬
olent and charitable endeavors, he has served for
twenty-two years as a trustee of the Milford Hospital,
and for more than twelve years was a member of the
managing board of that institution. Fraternally he is
affiliated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen,
of which he is a Past Master Workman, and attends the
Universalist parish of Milford, Massachusetts.

Gilbert Moses Billings married, in Milford, Massa¬
chusetts, November 26, 1874, Edith L. Blake, daughter
of George B. and Harriet C. Blake, and they have one
son, George William, born September 18, 1878, who
married Adeline C. Teele, and they are the parents of
one son, Robert Teele, born May 7, 1910.

JOSEPH PALMER HOLMAN, son of Joshua Reed
and Nancy (Palmer) Holman, was born in Harvard,
Massachusetts, January 16, 1850, and there attended the
public school until becoming a wage earner at an early
age. In 1868 he first came to Leominster, Massachu¬
setts, and there has since continuously resided.

He obtained employment with F. A. Whitney, as a
driver of Mr. Whitney’s horses, which were used both
for factory hauling and carriage driving. Through this
introduction to Leominster and its great manufacturing
plant, Mr. Holman began his career, and the years have
brought a wonderful rise in fortune, he being now the
honored president of the F. A. Whitney Carriage Com¬
pany, the same firm with which he began as a driver.
In 1870 he was given a position in the factory, where he
worked in a subordinate capacity for fifteen years, but
made such good use of his opportunities to gain an
intimate knowledge of the business in all its details,
that in 1885 he became a stockholder, and was made
superintendent of the plant. In 1888 he was elected
a member of the board of directors, and advanced to the
rank of general manager. Mr. Holman continued as
director with general supervision of the plant until
1898, when F. A. Whitney resigned as president of the
F. A. Whitney Carriage Company, and on July 19, 1898,
Mr. Holman was elected his successor.

During the period of his active administration of the
duties of the executive office, June, 1898, to June, 1920,
the business was wonderfully expanded, and attained its
greatest development, being now the largest of its kind
in the world. In June, 1920, Mr. Holman retired from
the more active duties of president, but he is still the
executive head of the company he entered in his youth,
and of that business, in the creation of which he has
been such an important factor. Mr. Holman, although
deeply engrossed in his work, always gave liberally of
his time to civic affairs and his achievements were many,
which he fostered, and notably helped to a realization.

He was intensely interested and active in acquiring
the site for a new post office for Leominster, to be
located at the corner of Merriam Avenue and Main
Street, and this site is now government property. He
served as a member of the committee which built the

new city hall, and the lights at the West Street entrance
are a part of his personal contribution. He was trus¬
tee of the Leominster Hospital Association and a mem¬
ber of the building committee. He was a charter mem¬
ber of the Leominster Country Club, and for many
years its president, and he took an active part in organ¬
izing and in the building of the club house of the
Monoosnock Country Club, and was a member of the
club. He is also a member of the Leominster Club,
the Fay Club of Fitchburg, and Boston Athletic Asso¬
ciation. He was one of the promoters and past presi¬
dent of the Leominster Cooperative Bank; was a di¬
rector in the Leominster National Bank, Fitchburg Safe
Deposit and Trust Company, and later the Fitchburg
Bank and Trust Company. During the World War he
was chairman of the finance committee of the Public
Safety Committee. In politics Mr. Holman is a Re¬
publican, but political preferment was not a part of his
scheme of life and he never sought public office. His
fraternity is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Mr. Holman was a great lover of nature and outdoor
life. It was characteristic of him to rarely be without
a button hole bouquet. His hobby was horses, and he
was often seen driving a fleet-stepping steed both on the
highway and race track.

Joseph P. Holman married, November 11, 1873, Emma
Jane Potter, born October 12, 1850, died November 10,
1896, aged forty-six years. Mr. and Mrs. Holman were
the parents of two children: William E., a sketch of
whom follows; and Edith, a graduate of Leominster
High School, and who also attended Smith College.
She married Fred A. Russell, of Leominster, June 25,
1907.

WILLIAM E. HOLMAN, only son of Joseph Pal¬
mer and Emma Jane (Potter) Holman, (q. v.) was
born in Leominster, Massachusetts, May 2, 1875. He
was educated in the public grammar and high schools,
finishing with a course in business college. In 1894, at
the age of nineteen, he entered as a clerk the office of
the F. A. Whitney Carriage Company, manufacturers of
baby carriages in Leominster, the city of his birth.
Nearly three decades have since elapsed, and there has
been no change in business connections, the only change
having been in relationship. During that entire period
he has been a contemporary with his father in the same
corporation. He advanced rapidly, and in 1895 was ad¬
mitted to the corporation and elected clerk. In 1903 he
was made a director, and in June, 1920, upon the retire¬
ment of his father from the active duties of the presi¬
dency, he was made manager by the board of directors.
In 1921 he was elected vice-president, general man¬
ager and acting president.

Mr. Holman has largely confined his energies to the
business of the corporation with which he has spent his
mature life. This does not mean, however, that he has
not been actively interested in the civic and social life
of the city, for he has always given liberally of his
time and means to such affairs. During the World War
he was actively associated with the several drives, and
was also chairman of the volunteer aid and emergency
fund committee of the Committee on Public Safety.
He was a member of the committee which had charge of
the building of the new Leominster Hospital, and is one

■

BIOGRAPHICAL

185

of the trustees of that institution. Mr. Holman is
affiliated with several clubs, being a member and presi¬
dent of the Leominster Country, member of the Leo¬
minster, Monoosnock Country of Leominster, Worcester
Country, Fay and Oak Hill Country clubs of Fitchburg,
and Old Colony Club at Boston. He is also a member
of the Congregational church, Leominster Chamber of
Commerce, and the Leominster Lodge of Elks. He is a
director in the Merchants’ National Bank of Leomin¬
ster, and the Safety Fund National Bank of Fitchburg.
Mr. Holman is exceedingly fond of outdoor life, his
hobby being horseback riding. In politics he is a Re¬
publican.

Mr. Holman married, on October 9, 1899, Alice Rock¬
well, daughter of Edward M. and Martha (Smith)
Rockwell. Mr. and Mrs. Holman are the parents of
two children : Lois R., born October 5, 1900, educated in
Leominster Grammar and High schools, Walnut Hill
Preparatory School, and Vassar College, now residing
at home; and Paul R., born February 22, 1904, now
(1923) preparing for college. The family home is in
Leominster.

(F. A. Whitney Carriage Company).

Leominster has long been the seat of the baby car¬
riage industry, in fact, before the Civil War, the indus¬
try started which was the beginning of the F. A. Whit¬
ney Carriage Company. At that time, over sixty-five
years ago, there were in Leominster two cousins, F. A.
and F. W. Whitney, who were of an inventive and re¬
sourceful turn of mind. It happened that one day while
he was in Greenfield, F. W. Whitney was attracted by
what to him was an unusual sight, a baby carriage of
a' much more pleasing design than that of the prevailing
pattern with which he was then familiar. The old style
of baby carriage was rude in shape and construction.
The one which he saw in Greenfield was so graceful,
and had so many new ideas of construction that it set
him thinking, and by the time he had returned to Leo¬
minster his ideas had so far crystallized that they were
soon to bear fruit in an industry in the town in which
he lived. Feeling confident that the manufacture of
such carriages would be a profitable undertaking, upon
his return to Leominster, he discussed with his cousin,
F. A. Whitney, the probable success of a company en¬
gaged in manufacturing similar carriages in Leomin¬
ster, and also talked over the details necessary to the or¬
ganization of such a company. As a result of this, they
began in 1838, under the firm name of F. W. & F. A.
Whitney, the industry now known as the F. A. Whit¬
ney Carriage Company, which to-day is the largest of
its kind in the world.

They hired the basement of the old Lockey shop, a
building where corn planters and apple parers were
manufactured, on the easterly side of the railroad
crossing on Mechanic Street, and started with half a
dozen employees. Seventy-five carriages, two-wheeled
and with a long tongue and a supporting standard in
front, were made during the first year. The new busi¬
ness met with a severe loss in 1862 when fire destroyed
the building which it occupied. Both stock and equip¬
ment, except for one planer, which was still in use until a
few years ago, were completely swept away. The
cousins had begun with very little capital, and as there

was no insurance, they were only able to reestablish the
business by borrowing from their friends. Their sec¬
ond beginning was in the small building now standing
near the track on the right of Water Street as one
crosses the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail¬
road, on the way to the present plant of the F. A.
Whitney Carriage Company at the foot of the hill.
For several years they occupied this building in connec¬
tion with two other buildings across the street, where
the passenger station now stands, which were used for
upholstering and finishing.

Mr. F. A. Whitney sold his interest to Mr. F. W.
Whitney in February, 1865, to enter the service in the
Christian Commission of the Civil War, but bought
back his interest upon his return the following July.
In November he purchased Mr. F. W. Whitney’s share,
thus becoming in his turn sole owner of the business.
In 1865 he was requested to vacate this location, and
then arose a problem difficult to solve; where should he
next locate, as the industry was growing rapidly. The
water privilege to be obtained upon a tract of land at
the foot of the hill settled the question, and he at once
erected a building situated where the westerly group of
present buildings now stand. From the woods on this
land, known as “Paradise,” and formerly a part of the
old Houghton estate, came Leominster’s first flag pole,
which was placed on the Common soon after the Civil
War, where it stood for many years. Mr. Whitney’s
original two and a half story building measured sixty
by thirty-two feet. Additions and alterations have been
made nearly every year since the time of its erection to
keep pace with the growth of the industry. During the
first two years, carriages ready for shipment were
hauled half a mile in a roundabout way through the
woods, to the freight station, but at Mr. Whitney’s
urgent appeal, the town finally decided, on October 16,
1867, to build a wooden bridge across the stream on
Water Street, although the Selectmen doubted at the
time whether the new industry could ever pay enough
in taxes to give interest on money thus expended. An
iron bridge, which replaced the wooden one in 1890,
was followed by the present steel structure eleven
years ago at the time of the construction of the “Loop
Line,” a part of the Worcester Consolidated Railway
which now passes the plant.

About 1870 Mr. F. W. Whitney, who had decided to
begin a business of his own, bought a strip of land bor¬
dering on Mr. F. A. Whitney’s purchase, from Caldwell
& Miller, tub manufacturers, and erected a building for
the making of baby carriages, two and four-wheeled
wagons, and toy carts. Associated with him were F.

A. Whitney’s younger brother, William, and Sumner
M. Frost, a brother-in-law. This separate manufacture
did not have a long existence, for Mr. F. A. Whitney
induced its promoters to enter his business, and in 1871
incorporated the F. A. Whitney Carriage Company with
F. A. Whitney, president; F. W. Whitney, treasurer;
Sumner M. Frost, secretary and salesman ; and William

B. Whitney, superintendent of the wood and iron de¬
partment. These four men were also the directors of the
organization and owned the entire stock. The new
company continued the manufacture of carts, but,
although this business proved a prosperous one, it came

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

1 86

to an end after seven or eight years, as space was lim¬
ited and the firm had become more interested in the
making of baby carriages.

The purchase of a water right from Caldwell & Miller
m 1876 added a nineteen- foot dam to the original six-
foot one of the F. A. Whitney Carriage Company. For
several years the company sold power to four separate
industries which were connected with its water wheel by
cables. The first hydraulic elevator in the plant and
also the first in Leominster, was installed during the
summer of 1881. Before then it had been necessary to
carry everything up and downstairs. There are now
five elevators in the plant, four hydraulic and one elec¬
tric. It was also in 1881 that Mr. William Look made
the first reed carriage built by the company, from a pat¬
tern designed by Mr. Frank H. Shaw. Sumner Ml
Frost retired in 1885, and William C. Burdett, Joseph
P. Holman, Philip Lothrop, and Frank H. Shaw, em¬
ployees of the company, became stockholders. Mr. Hol¬
man, who had begun work at eighteen as chore boy
for Mr. F. A. Whitney, was also made superintendent
of the entire plant. In 1886 William B. Whitney with¬
drew from the business and George W. Foster, formerly
of Foster Brothers & Kenney, entered the company.
Soon after Mr. F. H. Shaw sold his interest and retired.

In 1888 the organization consisted of F. A. Whitney,
president and treasurer; William C. Burdett, secretary;
George W. Foster, salesman; W. C. Burdett, G. W.
Foster, J. P. Holman, P. Lothrop, F. A. Whitney, and
F. W. Whitney, directors. The output of the plant that
year was 35,000 carriages, a large number then, but
small when compared with the present figures. The
organization remained the same from 1888 to 1891, when
Mr. Foster died. The yearly output of carriages had
increased to nearly 40,000, and the employees numbered
about two hundred. In 1895 W. E. Holman, son of J.
P. Holman, was admitted to the company as secretary,
and W. H. Cropper, of Fitchburg, became treasurer.
Mr. F. J. Shaw was admitted as a stockholder of the
company and elected a director. Mr. F. W. Whitney
had died the previous year, leaving the directors W. H.
Cropper, J. P. Holman, P. Lothrop, F. J. Shaw (super¬
intendent of the reed department), and F. A. Whitney.
These directors remained the same until Mr. Lothrop
retired in 1899, three years before his death. In the
summer of 1898, Mr. F. A. Whitney, who for a num¬
ber of years had been interested in Wachusett Shirt
Company, resigned as president of the F. A. Whitney
Carriage Company, and on July 19, Mr. J. P. Holman
was elected to succeed him. During Mr. J. P. Holman’s
administration the business expanded to an extent be¬
yond all expectation, and achieved its greatest develop¬
ment under his management. He associated with him¬
self in the business men of capabilities in their various
lines, and it was this keen sightedness in organization
which contributed largely to the development of the in¬
dustry, which he managed up to June, 1920, when he
retired from active duties. Mr. W. E. Holman became
a director of the company in 1903. Two years later
Mr. F. A. Whitney severed his connection by selling to
Mr. J. P. Holman the remainder of his holdings, some
of which he had sold the previous year.

At the outbreak of the World War the supply of reeds
which had been imported from Germany, and from

which practically all of the carriages in use at that time
were made, was cut off. It became necessary for the
company to develop the splitting of reeds from rattan
which was imported from China and the British East
Indies. Special machinery had to be built to convert the
rattan into reeds. Up to this time there were but
three concerns in America doing such work, and Mr.
J. P. Holman realized the immediate necessity of de¬
veloping this source of raw materials, which has grown
into a very important department of the business to-day,
and by his prompt action at that time the F. A. Whitney
Carriage Company was able to supply its customers dur¬
ing a period when it would, otherwise, have been prac¬
tically impossible to do so. The weaving of twisted
paper into fiber, a substitute for reed, patented by Mr.
F. J. Shaw in 1904, has become a large part of the
business, the lack of German reeds during the war
bringing this new material into great prominence. Other
manufacturers, upon using it, found it so satisfactory
that its weaving, on looms made at the plant, is now
an industry in itself. Seventy-five per cent of the car¬
riages shipped by the F. A. Whitney Carriage Company
are of fiber, which has replaced the equally large reed
business of five years ago. Other inventions of value
have also been patented. A reversible handle for baby
carriages, devised by William Whitney in 1876, was
used for many years. When the inch-wide leather
straps, which formerly ran from one gear of the car¬
riage to the other as in the old stage coaches, were
changed to steel, William Whitney practically orig¬
inated the steel spring for this purpose, learning how
to temper it successfully. Perhaps most important of
all is the anti-friction wheel fastener, a simple device,
patented in 1898 for fastening wheels on axles without
the use of a nut, thus making it very easy to assemble
the parts after shipment.

The company had about seven hundred employees in
1906, its business for that year amounting to nearly
$1,000,000. The manufacture of doll carriages for the
Christmas season was begun just before this time as a
solution to the problem of retaining employees and keep¬
ing the plant busy through the summer months, when
orders for baby carriages were few. Thirty-five dif¬
ferent styles of doll carriages are now made, resembling
the baby carriages in every detail. The company has
had several losses in property, but has continued bravely
on its course. The first large fire of consequence in
nearly fifty years, since the burning of the Lockey shop,
occurred on April 18, 1909, when the paint shop was
burned. The fire was on a Sunday morning, and the
following Monday was a holiday, but on April 20, this
department of the plant was in full working order in
an unused basement cleared out for the purpose. A
second fire on February 26, 1910, destroyed the mill
room, a wooden building, which was immediately re¬
placed by a brick one. With the exception of a short
period during the war, additions to the plant have been
made each year. The third and last fire was on January
5, 1918, when one of the storehouses burned to the
ground. Over four thousand carraiges ready for ship¬
ment were destroyed, but the filling of orders was not
interrupted by this unfortunate circumstance.

Mr. C. E. Potter became a director in 1908, and from
that year until 1917, when Mr. F. J. Shaw died, the

BIOGRAPHICAL

1 87

officers remained the same, the longest period without
change in the history of the company. Harold F. Shaw,
son of F. J. Shaw, was elected a director and stock¬
holder in 1918, and George B. Ambler, George H.
Roukes, and Bertram H. Hayes became stockholders the
same year. In 1921 W. E. Holman was made vice-
president and general manager. F. L. Butler, now
now treasurer, came to the company in 1922 to fill the
position when Mr. Cropper retired. The present offi¬
cers are: J. P. Holman, president; W. E. Holman, act¬
ing president and vice-president; F. L. Butler, treasurer;
J. P Holman, W. E. Holman, F. E. Butler, C. E. Potter,
and H. F. Shaw, directors. From its single unit which
comprised the plant in 1858, the F. A. Whitney Carriage
Company has grown to an industry which requires for
its production and housing over twelve acres of land
and twenty-nine distinct buildings. So admirably are
these buildings placed and so efficiently are the machines
arranged that the raw material in the shape of wood,
reed, iron, and steel can be said virtually to come into
one part of the plant, go through in the process of
manufacture the buildings which are arranged in a
circle, and come out in the shipping department, the
finished carriage ready for transport. From this plant
baby carriages go to nearly every city and hamlet in
America that is reached by railroad or by mail, and to
the most distant points of the world. One aim has been
constant during its sixty-five years of production, and
that is to improve and make more beautiful its prod¬
ucts, and to-day the vehicles of the F. A. Whitney Car¬
riage Company go into the homes of the most exclusive,
as well as into the homes of the most humble.

FRED LANE BUTLER, treasurer of the F. A.
Whitney Carriage Company of Leominster, Massachu¬
setts, was formerly for many years a resident of Gard¬
ner, where he was associated with the Heywood-Wake-
field Company, formerly Heywood Brothers & Company.
He was born at Pittsfield, New Hampshire, June 13,
1868, son of Charles and Mary J. (Lane) Butler. His
father was employed in a shoe factory at Pittsfield, and
Mr. Butler grew up in that town.

He received his preliminary education in the public
schools of Pittsfield, and after having completed his
grammar school studies proceeded to the Pittsfield
Academy. He completed a' full course of study at the
academy, and having a natural aptitude for business
and commercial subjects, proceeded to Bryant & Strat¬
ton’s Business College at Manchester, New Hampshire,
from which he graduated in April, 1888. After careful
consideration he decided to begin his business career at
Gardner, Massachusetts, where he was offered an ad¬
vantageous opening in the dry goods business. He found
his connections at Gardner agreeable and maintained his
association with the dry goods business for two years,
until 1890. In that year, however, he decided to accept
a position as bookkeeper with the firm of Heywood
Brothers & Company, manufacturers of furniture and
baby carriages. The connection then established was
destined to endure for the next thirty-one years, and
throughout the whole of that long period Mr. Butler’s
relations with the firm were of the most friendly and
agreeable nature. During the early period of his em¬
ployment with this firm Mr. Butler began studying in

the evenings to better his position, and when this was
later discovered by the treasurer, Mr. George H. Hey¬
wood, he suggested that Mr. Butler work in the various
departments to gain a general knowledge of the business
in both the office and the factory, and in 1897 he began
this study of the workings of the organization, acquir¬
ing a practical knowledge through positions and actual
work in the manufacturing and also1 in the business
branches of the concern. Mr. Heywood was always his
good friend; they made satisfactory arrangements for
the continuance of this plan, which was followed by Mr.
Butler until 1912, when his long and faithful services
were rewarded by his election to the office of treasurer
of the company. This position he was eminently fitted
to occupy, and during the next eight years he was the
active manager of the Gardner factory. In March,
1920, the office of general factory manager was created
and he was selected for the position. In July, 1920, he
was transferred to the executive office at Boston, ful¬
filling the duties of this office in addition to his work
as treasurer. In December, 1921, to the great regret of
his associates in business, he resigned and thus the long
connection between the Heywood-Wakefield Company
and himself was brought to an end.

During the next six months Mr. Butler was engaged
in attending to various matters of private business, his
interests in the business world being by no means con¬
fined to his connection with Heywood-Wakefield Com¬
pany. In July, 1922, he accepted the position of treas¬
urer and director of the F. A. Whitney Carriage Com¬
pany (q. v) of Leominster, and this position he still
holds. The Whitney Company is widely known in Wor¬
cester County, and far beyond its confines as one of
the most prominent carriage building companies in the
State. Founded many years ago, it has from the be¬
ginning maintained the highest standards of craftsman¬
ship and has faithfully followed the best traditions of
New England business enterprise. By his long experi¬
ence and thorough knowledge of every phase of office
and factory management, Mr. Butler is well suited to the
position of treasurer of the company, and his position
of treasurer of the company, and his connection there¬
with seems destined to endure for many years to the
mutual advantage of himself and of the company.
Keenly interested in business prosperity and social wel¬
fare and progress of every description, Mr. Butler,
before leaving Gardner had been very active in civic
affairs. He was one of the organizers and the first
president of the Chamber of Commerce of Gardner, and
still retains his membership in that body. He was a
member of the Board of Auditors of the town of Gard¬
ner for five years ; he was also on the Town Advisory
Board from 1912 until 1921, when it became a city.
During the World War he was active in the drives of
the Young Men’s Christian Association, and was also
chairman of the Public Safety Committee throughout
that period. He is a director of the First National
Bank of Gardner, which his removal to Leominster has
not changed, as it has also not changed his many other
business and social connections, although he is taking
an active interest also in his present place of residence,
being a director of the Merchants’ National Bank of
Leominster, and a member of the Leominster Club. He
is also a member of the Gardner Boat Club, the Wor-

i88

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

ccster Country Club, the Boston City Club, and the
Monoosnock Country Club of Leominster, and he is
also a stockholder and member of the Monoosnock
Sporting Club, a large camp at Rindge, New Hampshire.
A Mason of long standing, Mr. Butler belongs to Hope
Lodge, Free and Accepter Masons of Gardner; Gardner
Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; and Ivanhoe Command-
ery, Knights Templar; he is a Past High Priest of the
chapter and Past Commander of the commandery, and
has always been a consistent and vigorous supporter of
Masonic principles and ideals. In religious faith he is
a member of the Congregational church of Gardner.
In politics he has always been a staunch Republican.
Mr. Butler enjoys all out-of-doors sports generally.

Mr. Butler married (first) Alice J. McGowan, who
died September 5, 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Butler had one
daughter, Marguerite Ruth, bom November 15, 1892,
and who is Mr. Butler’s only child. She was educated
in Gardner Grammar School and High School, and
took her preparatory course at Cushing Academy, re¬
ceiving her degree of A. B. in 1916 from Mt. Holyoke
College. She married, August 7, 1920, Windsor W.
Allen, treasurer of the Frank W. Smith Silver Com¬
pany of Gardner, and they have one child, Marguerite
Allen. Mr. Butler married (second) Anna S. Moore,
daughter of William and Ellen E. (Mower) Moore, of
Peterboro, New Hampshire, April 27, 1918.

JOHN PATRICK LESLIE, president of the real
estate firm of W. H. Leslie & Company, which has been
largely instrumental in developing the west side business
and residential sections of Leominster, Massachusetts,
has had an extremely interesting business career. He
was born at North Kingston, Rhode Island, March 27,
1873, son of John and Mary E. (Cronnelly) Leslie. His
parents belonged to families that had long been residents
at North Kingston, and closely identified with its social
and commercial life.

Mr. Leslie received his education in the public schools
of Rhode Island. After leaving school various plans
presented themselves to him, but he was unable to decide
immediately upon a life occupation, and considered that
his time would be best spent if he obtained temporary
employment that would enable him to acquire a trade
and some knowledge of business methods, and, in gen¬
eral, enable him to attain a point of view from which
he could survey his prospects and choose an occupation
that would suit his abilities. Accordingly, he entered
one of the North Kingston cloth mills and began to
work as a weaver. Practical experience in the manu¬
facturing of textiles, obtained in this way, gave him ex¬
pert knowledge of piece goods, and in 1900 he moved
to Leominster, where he capitalized his knowledge by
setting up a cloth and remnant store. This venture was
highly successful and might have attained large develop¬
ment, but the attention of its owner was turned aside to
the business of buying and selling real estate. A study
of the opportunities which Leominster at that time
offered to a man with the vision and capacity to aid in the
city’s development caused Mr. Leslie to enter into part¬
nership with W. H. Leslie and John T. Cummings, and
in connection with these partners he founded the firm
of W. H. Leslie & Company, of which he is now presi¬
dent. The first office occupied by the new firm was at

No. 4 Water Street, but the firm moved to the Mayo
Block as soon as that building was completed, and have
maintained their offices in the same place ever since.

In 1915, owing to the fact that his partners purchased
the Reliance Yarn Company of Norwich, Connecticut, as
well as the Blackstone Stocking Company of Pawtucket,
Rhode Island, practically the entire management of the
real estate business devolved upon Mr. Leslie, and his
responsibilities in this connection became very heavy.
The firm had the misfortune to lose Mr. Cummings, who
died April 14, 1918, and in the reorganization of the
company that afterwards took place, Mr. Leslie became
president, and Mr. W. H. Leslie was appointed to fill
the office of treasurer, the firm continuing to be known
as W. H. Leslie & Company. Mr. W. H. Leslie is now
very actively engaged in the woolen business, and the
management of his extensive interests in the manufac¬
turing field is of such a nature that he is no longer
able to devote much of his time to the real estate busi¬
ness. A natural sense of property values and ability in
the management of real estate have placed Mr. Leslie
in the forefront of the business world of Worcester
County. He is an exponent of modern methods, and
has a very high idea of the duties and responsibilities
of property agents, and believes that they should exert
a strong influence upon public opinion, to the end that
buildings and grounds may be kept in a good state of
repair, and town planning and gardening be given at¬
tention. His own influence, and his ability to transform
a bare subdivision into a neighborhood of real homes,
has been making itself felt at Leominster for the past
twenty-two years, and he still has many plans for im¬
proving the appearance of the city by the addition of
new residences and business structures. In religious
faith Mr. Leslie is a Catholic, being a prominent mem¬
ber of the congregation of St. Leo’s Roman Catholic
Church, where he takes an active part in the various
parochial activities of the church. His recreational va¬
cations he likes to take at the seashore, usually at Nar-
ragansett Pier.

On November 24, 1904, he married Elizabeth A. Ward,
daughter of Matthew and Ann (McLaughlin) Ward.

ALONZO AMASA BEMIS, one of Worcester
County’s prominent men in professional, public, and
private life, is a descendant of an old and honored
English family, emigrants of which came to America
and settled in the New England States, where they and
their numerous offspring exerted an incalculable influ¬
ence upon the growth and advancement of their several
localities. To-day throughout the New England States
are many hundreds who bear this distinguished pa¬
tronym. The numerous Bemis families of Spencer and
of Worcester County, are all descended from Joseph
Bemis, the emigrant ancestor, who was born in England
in 1619, and came to America while a young man,
settling in Watertown, Massachusetts, where he is listed
as a planter as early as 1640. He became a town officer
and one of Watertown’s foremost citizens, his death
occurring at that place in 1684. The lineal descent
goes from Joseph to John (1), to John (2), to John (3),
to Abijah, to John (4), to Samuel, and to Amasa, grand¬
father of Alonzo Amasa Bemis.

Amasa Bemis was bom in Spencer, February 25, 1831,

BIOGRAPHICAL

189

and married Laura Pike, a native of Brookfield, and
they were the parents of Edwin Amasa Bemis, through
whom the line continues. Edwin Amasa Bemis, the
father of Alonzo Amasa Bemis, of whom this biograph¬
ical record, was born on December 25, 1824, at Spencer,
Massachusetts, where he spent his long life as an agri¬
culturist, and where he died on November 27, 1887. He
was married, at Spencer, in 1847, to Julia Draper
Watson, who was born at Leicester on July 15, 1826, a
daughter of Robert Watson, who was a descendant of
an old Scotch family that at an early date emigrated to
America, settling at Leicester, where scions of that
patronym later became of great influence and importance.
Julia Draper (Watson) Bemis survived her husband until
1908. To Edwin Amasa and Julia Draper (Watson)
Bemis were born eleven children, two girls and nine boys.

Alonzo Amasa Bemis, the ninth child of Edwin Amasa
and Julia Draper (Watson) Bemis, and a representa¬
tive of the tenth generation of the Bemis family in
America, was born at Spencer, Worcester County,
Massachusetts, on May 2, 1864. His early education
was obtained in the local public schools, following which
he entered high school. In 1885 he matriculated in the
Dental Department of the University of Maryland,
from which institution he was graduated with the class
of 1887, receiving the degree of D. D. S. After two
years of study with Dr. A. A. Howland, of Worcester,
before graduation, he engaged in the pactice of his pro¬
fession in West Brookfield, where he remained for three
years. He then returned to his native city, where he
opened offices and built up a large clientage, practising
with steadily increasing success in the same suite of
offices for a period of thirty-six years. Recently Dr.
Bemis has removed his office to a new block, built ex¬
pressly by him for his dental practice, and here he con¬
tinues in a profession in which he has no peer in his
native county.

Politically Dr. Bemis gives his hearty support and co¬
operation to the Republican party. He is a trustee of
the Sugden Library, the Sugden Block, and of the Bemis
Memorial Park Association, and a member of the
Massachusetts Dental Society. His religious affiliation
is given to the Congregational church, of which body he
is a sincere member and an earnest worker.

Dr. Bemis married (first), October 4, 1887, Nellie
M. Thayer, daughter of Clarke and Nancy Thayer, of
Natick, Massachusetts. She died December 15, 1907,
and Dr. Bemis married (second), April 8, 1911, Maud
Etta Varney, daughter of Arthur W. and Cora L.
(Baker) Varney, of Hermon, Maine.

Some years ago Dr. Bemis undertook the arduous
task of compiling a complete and comprehensive gene¬
alogy of the Bemis family, which, with the able assist¬
ance of his mother, he brought to a successful comple¬
tion. This genealogy to-day stands as an invaluable
historical record of a family whose members were pro¬
tagonists in the upbuilding and advancement of the early
colonies. Alonzo Amasa Bemis maintains his residence
at No. 12 High Street, Spencer, Worcester County,
Massachusetts.

JOSEPH BURNETT — Every community owes much
to those who have lived and worked and contributed
their share to the general welfare and have then passed

on to the “larger life,” leaving behind them the founda¬
tions upon which others of later generations continue to
build. Among those who, during an active life, founded
business enterprises which are still growing, was the
late Joseph Burnett, who for many years was well known
in Boston and Southboro, Massachusetts, as the founder
and developer of the firm of Joseph Burnett & Company,
later known as the Joseph Burnett Company of Boston.

The Burnett family is one of the oldest in New Eng¬
land, having been established there by Robert Burnett,
who came to Dorchester in 1638. He located at Lynn
Meadows, now known as Reading, in 1701. Benjamin
Burnett, a son of the immigrant, located in Hopkinton,
and their grandson, Charles Ripley Burnett, married
Lavinia Matthews, of Southboro, since which time this
branch of the Burnett family has been identified with
that town. Charles Ripley Burnett’s brother, Dr. Joel
Burnett, was a graduate of Harvard Medical School,
and was the first to announce the theory of the trans¬
mission of disease by means of germs. In his research
along that line he was assisted by his son, Waldo; but
they were so far in advance of their time that the idea,
now almost universally accepted, was then derided.

Joseph Burnett, son of Charles Ripley and Lavinia
(Matthews) Burnett, was bom in Southboro, Massachu¬
setts, November 11, 1820, and died in Southboro, Au¬
gust 11, 1894. He received his early education in the
district schools of his native town, and afterward pur¬
sued the higher English branches and Latin in the Wor¬
cester schools. He grew up on the farm where his
father had settled, and when school days were over
apprenticed himself to a druggist in Worcester, named
Spurr. When he was seventeen years of age, seeking
a wider field for his energies, he went to Boston and
entered the employ of the famous druggist, Theodore
Metcalf. His energy and ability as well as the knowl¬
edge gained in the Worcester pharmacy enabled him to
render valuable service, and he was made a partner in
the business. In 1854 he sold his interest back to Mr.
Metcalf, and began business for himself as a manufac¬
turing chemist, locating on Central Street, in Boston.
That enterprise has become one of the largest extract
manufacturing concerns in the world. At that time
flavoring extracts were made by druggists, and Mr.
Burnett was the first to manufacture extracts on a
commercial scale in the United States. His first place
of business was a small space in a building on Central
Street, Boston. The business grew steadily and more
space was added, until in 1893 larger quarters were
rented on India Street. There Mr. Burnett continued to
develop a steadily growing enterprise as long as he lived.
The present plant, which is the last word in modem
construction and equipment, was built about 1920 by his
son, Harry Burnett (q. v.).

Mr. Burnett’s Southboro home, where his summers
were spent as long as he lived, and his winters until 1875,
when he first occupied his Beacon Street resi¬
dence in Boston, was the Deerfoot mansion, which

he built about 1850. He eventually became the

owner of an estate in Southboro of five hun¬

dred acres, which gave employment to many. When
Joseph Burnett first went to work in Boston, Southboro
had no railroad facilities, and it was necessary for him
to travel from Southboro to Marlboro by stage. At

190

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

the time of his death he was probably the oldest com¬
muter on the line. Outside his business and his family
Joseph Burnett’s chief interest was the town of South-
boro. He was the founder of Deerfoot Farm, and im¬
ported one of the first herds of thoroughbred Jersey
cattle brought to America. That was in 1854. He was
much interested in religious work and education. He
founded St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and after con¬
ferring with Dr. Coit, of St. Paul’s School, of Concord,
New Hampshire, who heartily approved of the idea and
gave the assistance of his advice and experience, Mr.
Burnett founded St. Mark’s School at Southboro, an
institution that has not only accomplished much in
giving splendid preparatory training to boys but has done
much to spread abroad the fair fame of the town of
Southboro. In 1878 and 1879 he was president of the Bos¬
ton Druggists’ Association. In 1865-66 he was president of
the Middlesex South Agricultural Society. He was also
one of the fifty members of the Commercial Club of Bos¬
ton, a body representing, as has been well said, the “old
school of merchants, renowned for their integrity and
conservatism, honored by all men.” Originally a Daniel
Webster Whig, Mr. Burnett in his later years was a
firm friend and supporter of President Grover Cleve¬
land. He never sought office, but was sometimes induced
to accept a position of public trust, the duties of which
he failed not to discharge with ability and faithfulness.
Appointed as Prison Commissioner by Governor Rice,
he was chairman of that body while in charge of the
erection of the Women’s Reformatory at Sherborn. In
Southboro he served for a time on the School Board, as
Road Commissioner, and as chairman of the Building
Committee of the town hall. A zealous churchman, for¬
merly a vestryman of the Church of the Advent in
Boston, St. John’s Church of Framingham, and of St.
Paul’s of Hopkinton, Mr. Burnett at the time of his
departure from this life was senior warden of St.
Mark’s Parish, Southboro, of which he was one of the
founders in i860. The stone church was given by him
to the parish in 1862. The death of Mr. Burnett, which
occurred on August 11, 1894, was caused by an accident
while he was out driving. Sincere sorrow was felt by
all who had known him. Habitually considerate of
others, sweet-tempered, courteous, and kindly, Mr. Bur¬
nett had won the regard of many friends. In South¬
boro his loss was felt as a public calamity. On Wednes¬
day, August 15, at St. Mark’s Church, at 10:30 A. M.,
the impressive funeral rites were conducted by Bishop
Lawrence, assisted by the Rev. G. S. Converse, D. D.,
and the Rev. A. St. John Chambre, archdeacons. Sor¬
rowing kindred and friends filled the church to over¬
flowing, conspicuous among the mourners being some
who had been his employees for thirty years.

Joseph Burnett married, in 1848, Josephine Cutter,
daughter of Edward and Ruth (Torrey) Cutter, of
Boston, Massachusetts, and they were the parents of
twelve children.

Robert Manton Burnett, son of Joseph and Josephine
(Cutter) Burnett, who with his brother, Harry, con¬
ducts the manufacturing business of the Joseph Burnett
Company, and is also the head of Deerfoot Farm.
-Deerfoot Farm comprises about one thousand acres,
and is in every respect a model farm. By example and
precept Mr. Burnett has probably done more to raise

the standard of farming and dairying in Southboro and
vicinity than any other individual. The farm has busi¬
ness connections with one hundred and twenty other
farms, and for thirty-five years Mr. Burnett has been
long helping farmers to get fair prices for their prod¬
ucts. He has for some years taken a prominent part
in State politics and has served as chairman of the
Democratic State Committee. He is treasurer and di¬
rector of the Deerfoot Farm Company, and a member
of the board of directors of the Boston “Herald,” Incor¬
porated, of the Boston and Maine Railroad, and of the
Eastern Advertising Agency. His home is in Southboro,
Massachusetts.

Harry Burnett, son of Joseph and Josephine (Cutter)
Burnett, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, December
1, 1850. His education was begun in the local schools
of his birthplace, and he was graduated from St. Mark’s
Preparatory School, class of 1869. Thereafter entering
Harvard University, he was graduated from that insti¬
tution in the class of 1873, with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts. Upon the completion of his studies, Mr. Bur¬
nett associated himself with his father, who was then
at the head of the firm of Joseph Burnett & Company,
manufacturing chemists of Boston, and has been con¬
nected with this concern ever since. He has now for
many years been treasurer and general manager of the
enterprise, and has been a definite influence in the de¬
velopment and expansion of the business to its present
great proportion. The concern manufactures flavoring
extracts of every kind, coloring pastes, and other articles
in this same general class for culinary purposes. In
various avenues of advance Mr. Burnett is broadly in¬
fluential, especially in those organized efforts which
count for the welfare or security of the people. He is
manager of the Massachusetts Hospital and treasurer
of St. Mark’s School of Southboro, a position which
he has held since the year 1894; and is affiliated unoffi¬
cially with many other organizations, being also treasurer
of St. Paul’s Cathedral. He is a member of the Har¬
vard and Tavern clubs, and of the Somerset Club of
Boston, Massachusetts.

STANLEY H. WHEELOCK— The Wheelock fam¬
ily of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, of which Stanley H.
Wheelock is representative, have, since the time of Jerry
Wheelock, of the sixth generation, been residents of
Uxbridge, and identified with woolen manufacturing.
Jerry Wheelock was a member of the firm of Daniel
Day & Company. Daniel Day the builder, in 1810, of
the first woolen mill in the vicinity of Uxbridge. Jerry
Wheelock retired in 1846, and was succeeded by his
son, Silas Mandeville Wheelock, who for sixty years
was connected with woolen manufacturing companies.
He, in turn, was succeeded by his sons, one of them,
Arthur Wheelock, whose life has likewise been spent
in woolen manufacturing in official position. To the
business followed by his father, grandfather, and great¬
grandfather came Stanley H. Wheelock, from the modem
training of The Lowell Textile School, and in turn
he has taken a leading position in the textile trade as
secretary-treasurer of The Stanley Woolen Company
of Uxbridge.

The family is traced in England back into the cen¬
turies to the founding of the village of Wheelock, to

BIOGRAPHICAL

which village in 1285 Hugh de Wheelock secured from
Robert Manning all claim to the village. To this
estate Thomas de Wheelock later succeeded, and was
made Lord of Wheelock Manor. The Wheelock Coat
of Arms is as follows :

Arms — Argent, a chevron between three catharine-
wheels sable.

In the early days there was a marriage between the
Wheelocks and the Leversages, and the two families
have since been associated in the village of Wheelock.
The Leversage arms are as follows :

Arms — Argent, a chevron between three plough¬
shares sable.

Crest — A leopard’s head, face jessant a fleur-de-lis.

(I.) The American ancestor, Ralph Wheelock, was
bom in Shropshire, England, in 1600, and died in Med¬
ford Massachusetts, in November, 1683. He was a
graduate of Cambridge, A. M., 1631, and was ordained
a clergyman of the Church of England. He, however,
became a non-conformist, and in 1637, with his wife,
Rebecca, and his daughter, came to New England, lo¬
cating first in Watertown, going thence to Dedham, and
there founded, with others, the town and church. He
was admitted a freeman of Dedham on March 13, 1638,
served as Selectman, 1651-1655; and for several years
sat in the General Court as a Deputy from Dedham.
Ralph Wheelock, a man learned, devout, unselfish, and
practical, opened and taught the first public school in
Dedham in 1655. He was also a commissioner to end
causes; a local Magistrate, and had authority “to join
persons in marriage.” He built a house in Dedham in
1652, but became one of the founders of Medfield in
1649, and several years later moved there, building his
home at the comer of North and High streets. He was
one of the signers of the famous “Dedham Covenant,”
was on a committee to solicit funds for Harvard Col¬
lege, and held various positions of honor and trust.
He never resumed preaching after coming to New
England, but taught school all of his active years, except
the two that he served as a member of the General
Court. Descent in this line is through Benjamin
Wheelock, third son of Ralph and Rebecca Wheelock.

(II.) Benjamin Wheelock, son of Ralph and Rebecca
Wheelock, was bom in Dedham, Massachusetts, January
8, 1639-40, but his youth was largely spent in Medfield.
He settled in Mendon in 1685, and there died. He mar¬
ried, in 1688, Elizabeth Bullen, and they were the
parents of Benjamin, second of their sons, of further
mention.

(III.) Benjamin Wheelock, son of Benjamin and
Elizabeth (Bullen) Wheelock, was born in Medfield,
Massachusetts, in 1678, and died in Mendon, Massa¬
chusetts having been a farmer of Mendon all his active
life. He married, December 9, 1700, Huldah Thayer,
and they were the parents of eight children, the seventh
a son, Silas, of further mention.

(IV.) Silas Wheelock, son of Benjamin and Huldah
(Thayer) Wheelock, was born in Mendon, Massachu¬
setts, in March, 1718, and there spent his life. He mar¬
ried, May 20, 1740, Hannah Albee. Their children num¬
bered ten, their first born a son, Simeon, of further
mention.

(V.) Simeon Wheelock, son of Silas and Hannah

191

(Albee) Wheelock, was born in Mendon, Massachusetts,
March 29, 1741. He served as a soldier in the French
War of 1760, being orderly to Colonel Christopher
Harris, of a Rhode Island regiment, stationed at Crown
Point. In 1763 he settled in Uxbridge, Massachusetts;
was on the Uxbridge Committee of Safety and Corre¬
spondence in 1774; and marched with the “minute-men”
of Uxbridge on the “Lexington Alarm,” April 19, 1775,
as first lieutenant of Captain Joseph Chapin’s company
and remained in active service afterwards. He joined
the government in suppressing Shay’s Rebellion, and
was in business in Uxbridge as a blacksmith, his shop
said to have been opposite his house in Uxbridge, about
where the Academy stands. In 1773-1777 he was Town
Clerk. Shortly before his death he sold his house in
the village and moved to a larger house three miles
away. He died in Springfield, Massachusetts, during
Shay’s Rebellion, in September, 1786, his death caused
by a fall while ascending Arsenal Hill. He married,
November 28, 1763, Deborah Thayer, of Mendon, a
descendant of Ferdinando Thayer, one of the pioneers.
Lieutenant Wheelock left a wife and eight children,
descent following through the youngest child, Jerry
Wheelock, the founder of woolen manufacturing in the
family, of further mention.

(VI.) Jerry Wheelock, son of Simeon and Deborah
(Thayer) Wheelock, was born in Uxbridge, Massachu¬
setts, September 19, 1784, and there died, after a long
illness, October 10, 1861. He was but two years of age
when his father died, leaving his family in straitened
circumstances, but with a well educated, capable mother,
who kept her family together and educated them herself
to a large extent. The lad, Jerry Wheelock, learned a
trade now superseded by machinery, later learned wood
turning, made spools and bobbins, and later made chairs.
In 1810 the first woolen mill came to Uxbridge, and in
1811 machinery was installed and set in motion by Daniel
Day, the owner and builder. Jerry Wheelock became
interested in this mill, and being a son-in-law of the
founder, was admitted a partner in the firm of Daniel
Day & Company. Mr. Wheelock was a natural me¬
chanic, preferring to build a machine to operating them,
so after a few years engaged in manufacturing he re¬
tired from the company and engaged as an “erector”
with Arthur Dryden, of Holden, a manufacturer of wool
carding machines. In 1814 the Rivulet Manufacturing
Company was organized at Uxbridge, Jerry Wheelock
a shareholder, mechanical engineer, and mill superinten¬
dent during the first four years of its existence. In 1818
he began to build woolen mill machinery under his own
name and continued a successful maker of machinery
until 1834. He invented many devices and improve¬
ments in woolen mill machines and established the
highest reputation for excellence in workmanship and
material, many mills placing their plants under his care
to be kept in repair so far as machinery was involved.
He became widely known throughout New York and
New England, but after 1834 he retired from manufac¬
turing machinery and entered into partnership with
his sons to make woolens. This continued until 1846,
when he retired and spent the last fifteen years of his
life free from business cares, but was practically an
invalid for several years. He held many positions of
trust that were faithfully executed, and he was one of

192

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

the men who wrought mightily for the upbuilding of
Uxbridge.

Jerry Wheelock married, January 24, 1811, Suky Day,
daughter of Daniel and Sylvia (Wheelock) Day, of
Uxbridge. They were the parents of six children, the
third a son, Silas Mandeville, of further mention.

(VII.) Silas Mandeville Wheelock was born at Ux¬
bridge, Massachusetts, November 11, 1817, and died at
his home in Uxbridge October 18, 1901. His attend¬
ance at the district school winter and summer terms
gave him twenty weeks of schooling each year, and this
was later supplemented by a few terms at private school.
At the age of nine he began at that child’s job, “piecing
rolls for the billy,” earning fourteen cents daily. From
that age until his retirement sixty years later, he was
almost constantly engaged in some form of work con¬
nected with the manufacture of woolens. He learned the
business thoroughly in the old-fashioned way; was
superintendent of some mill departments; was manager;
agent; and at one time managed the wool department
of commission houses in New York and Boston. In
1846, when his father retired, Charles A. and Silas M.
Wheelock formed the firm C. A. & S. M. Wheelock, and
manufactured satinets, plaid linseys, and tweeds. They
prospered, and the business is yet carried on in the
family. In 1870 Silas M. Wheelock bought the plant of
the Harris Woolen Company at Putnam, Connecticut,
of which he became treasurer and manager. This
became a very profitable plant, but owing to his other
interests Mr. Wheelock, in 1887, retired from its man¬
agement.

In 1883 he bought the Central Mill in Uxbridge, and
formed The Calumet Woolen Company to operate that
extensive plant. In 1886 that company bought the
Uxbridge Woolen factory (now the Hecla Mill), which
they operated in connection with the Calumet Mill until
1905. From 1846 until 1891, Mr. Wheelock was owner
of Waucantuck Mills, as the plant of the C. A. & S. M'.
Wheelock Company was called. For over sixty years
Mr. Wheelock was connected with woolen companies and
always proved himself a wise and resourceful manager.
Every debt he contracted he paid, and though conserv¬
ative, he never lacked courage to follow his judgment in
entering into new enterprises or in meeting emergencies.
He held the good will and respect of his men, and was
highly regarded as a business man and a citizen. For
forty-three years, 1858-1901, he was a director of the
Blackstone National Bank.

Mr. Wheelock was originally a Whig in politics, and
voted for William Henry Harrison and for Henry Clay
for President. He joined in the movement that brought
the Republican party into being; served Uxbridge
as Selectman for three years ; and represented
the Second Worcester Senatorial District in the Massa¬
chusetts Legislature, 1888 and 1889. He was a delegate
to the Republican National Convention of 1900, held
at Philadelphia, that nominated William McKinley for
the Presidency. He was a member of the First Congre¬
gational Church and of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, holding all chairs of the local lodge.

Silas M. Wheelock married, May 5, 1841, Irene Taft,
born in Uxbridge, September 19, 1816, died January 26,
1900, a woman of strong religious faith and character.
She was a daughter of Luke Taft, son of James, son of

Moses, son of Captain Joseph, son of Robert Taft, the
ancestor of the family in New England. Silas M. and
Irene (Taft) Wheelock celebrated their golden wedding
day, and nine years later the wife passed away, followed
the next year by her husband, he dying at his home in
Wheelockville, Uxbridge, October 48, 1901, in his eighty-
fourth year. They are buried in Prospect Hill Ceme¬
tery, Uxbridge. They were the parents of five children:

1. Ellen Maria, born September 2, 1842, died in 1871,
wife of Eben B. Haywood. 2. Eugene Augustus, born
February 15, 1846, a manufacturer of woolens; married
Sarah Smith Taft. 3. Alice Augusta, born January 22,
1849, died in September, 1891, wife of Henry R. Smith.
4. Arthur, of further mention. 5. Henry, born January
14, 1857, died November 13, 1881, a woolen manufac¬
turer. He married, November 3, 1880, Jennie G. Taft.

(VIII.) Arthur Wheelock, son of Silas M. and Irene
(Taft) Wheelock, was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts,
March 26, 1851, and there resides (1923). He was edu¬
cated in Uxbridge grammar and high schools and at
Wilbraham Academy. He began business life at the age
of seventeen, with the firm of C. A. & S. M. Wheelock,
continuing as bookkeeper and assistant buyer until 1883,
when he became agent and a director of the Calumet
Woolen Company, and succeeded his father as treasurer
in 1889. In 1905 he liquidated the Calumet Woolen
Company and bought their Calumet Mill, and the same
year he organized the Stanley Woolen Company, and
has been president of same since that time. He is now
president of the Putnam Woolen Company; vice-presi¬
dent and director of the Blackstone National Bank; life
trustee of the Uxbridge Savings Bank, and a trustee of
the Prospect Hill Cemetery Corporation. He was a
promoter and first president of the Uxbridge and North-
bridge Electric Company; and is a life trustee of the
Uxbridge Free Public Library.

In politics Mr. Wheelock is a life-long Republican ;
an ex-director of the Home Market Club of Boston, and
is an ex- Selectman and School Committeeman. His
fraternal order is the Independent Order of Odd Fel¬
lows, he being a Past Grand. His religious faith is
Unitarian, and for half a century he has been a member
of the Uxbridge church.

Arthur Wheelock married (first), October 15, 1873,
Emogene Atchinson, born in Wilbraham, Massachusetts,
died in Uxbridge, April 12, 1898, daughter of Daniel
Atchinson. Mr. Wheelock married (second), June 12,
1900, Harriet E. Fuller, of Springfield, Massachusetts.
To Arthur and Emogene (Atchinson) Wheelock two
children were bom: 1. Stanley H., of further mention.

2. Anne, a graduate of Uxbridge High School, the Burn¬
ham School of Northampton, and Smith College. She
married Donald G. Robbins, of Springfield. She died
October 5, 1918, leaving two children: Donald G., Jr.,
and Arthur W.

(IX.) Stanley H. Wheelock son of Arthur and Emo-
gfene (Atchinson) Wheelock, was born in Uxbridge,
Massachusetts, July 15, 1879, and there resides (1923),
fourth of his name in direct line to bear prominent part
in woolen manufacture in Uxbridge. After public
school study he finished college preparations at Phillips
Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire, graduating in 1898,
and passing thence to Williams College, and there re¬
ceiving his A. B. with the class of 1902. He then pur-

BIOGRAPHICAL

193

sued a technical course at Lowell Textile School, pre¬
paratory to entering the family business, finishing with
graduation in 1905 and completing the three-year course
in two years.

During these educational years he had the advantage
of association with his father in his textile manufac¬
turing concern, which fact made his course through
textile school both easier and more valuable to him. In
1905 the Stanley Woolen Company was organized by
Arthur Wheelock and his son, Stanley H., and with this
corporation both are yet connected, Stanley H. Wheelock,
the present secretary-treasurer and a member of the
directorate. The Stanley Mill has the distinction of
being the first American mill to manufacture domestic
woolens for men’s wear. Mr. Wheelock is also a trus¬
tee of The Uxbridge Savings Bank.

Like his father and grandfather, Stanley H. Wheelock
is a Republican in politics, and has for five or six years
been a member of the State Republican Committee. He
served as a member of the Town Republican Committee
for many years, a large part of the time as secretary;
has been for several years a trustee of the Uxbridge
Free Public Library; and for three years president of
the board and therefore a member ex officio of the Taft
Memorial Park Association. He has been a member of
the Uxbridge School Commission for a number of
years. He is a member of King Solomon’s Lodge, Free
and Accepted Masons ; Uxbridge Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is Past Grand; the
Williams Club of New York, and the Tatnuck Country
Club of Worcester. He is also a member and acting
president of the Worcester County Manufacturers’ Tex¬
tile Association, and one of the directors of the Black-
stone Valley Agricultural Society for many years.

During the World War he served as chairman of the
local Food Conservation Commission and also served
on the Public Safety Commission, and had charge of
several of the war drives for funds, including the Young
Men’s Christian Association, and had charge of the Red
Cross and Salvation Army drives, and served on the
Liberty Loan committees.

Stanley H. Wheelock married, December 18, 1915,
Harriet F. Tobey, born September 13, 1887, daughter
of Walter and Mary (Baber) Tobey, both her parents
born in New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Wheelock are
the parents of three sons: 1. Philip Stanley, born in
Boston, August 31, 1916. 2. Arthur Kingsland, born in
Boston, September 19, 1918. 3. Walter Tobey, born in
Boston, July 4, 1923. The family home is in Uxbridge,
Massachusetts, a town to which the Revolutionary an¬
cestor, Lieutenant Simeon Wheelock led the Wheelocks
in 1763.

C. BERTRAM GAY, M. D., a leading physician and
surgeon of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, eminently suc¬
cessful in his chosen calling and prominent in all en¬
deavors for community and benevolent advance, is a
broadly representative figure in the professional world
of Worcester County. Coming of old New England
stock, he is a son of Henry Gordon Gay, who was born
in Lebanon, Connecticut, and was a widely known
clergyman of the Baptist church. Rev. Mr. Gay was
a graduate of Brown University, of the class of 1865,
and served in the Civil War as a member of the 26th

Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. He was mus¬
tered out of the service with the rank of second lieu¬
tenant. He became one of the widely prominent min¬
isters of the Massachusetts Conference, a man revered
and loved by all that knew him and a force for good
in every field in which he labored. He died in April,
1917, in the eighty-second year of his age. Rev. Mr. Gay
married Hattie A. Marshall, who was bom at Hudson,
New Hampshire, and died in August, 1917, at the age
of seventy-six years.

Dr. Gay was born at Hudson, Massachusetts, Febru¬
ary 5, 1873. His education was begun in the public
schools of Southboro, Massachusetts, and he was grad¬
uated from Peter’s High School in the class of 1890.
Subsequently entering Worcester Academy as a junior
of the class of 1892, he was graduated from that institu¬
tion, then later covered his pre-medical studies in a two
years’ course at Brown University. Finally entering the
medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, at
Philadelphia, he was graduated from that institution in
the class of 1899. Meanwhile, in June, 1898, Dr. Gay
enlisted in the Medical Corps of the United States
Army for service in the Spanish-American War and
was active in this connection until the following October,
when he resumed his medical studies at the University
of Pennsylvania. In the autumn following his gradu¬
ation from medical school, Dr. Gay entered Rhode
Island Hospital, at Providence, as a surgical interne,
and was thus engaged until the summer of 1900. He was
later made assistant physician at the Butler Hospital of
Providence, an institution for the treatment of nervous
and mental diseases. For four years he filled this im¬
portant position, then in 1904 came to Fitchburg and
entered upon the private practice of his profession. Be¬
ginning along general lines of medicine and surgery
Dr. Gay has placed himself very high in the ranks of
the profession, and has won extensive fame as a sur¬
geon. For the past nine years he has been a member of
the surgical staff of the Burbank Hospital of Fitchburg,
and now handles scarcely any except surgical cases.
Dr. Gay is a member of the Fitchburg Medical Society,
of which he was formerly president; a member of the
Worcester North District Medical Society, the Massa¬
chusetts State Medical Society, a life member of the
Rhode Island State Medical Society, and a member of
the American Medical Association. He is further a
member and vice-president of the Clinical and Surgical
Association of Massachusetts. In civic and other pro¬
gressive activities of a local nature Dr. Gay takes a
leading part. He served as President of the Common
Council of Fitchburg during 1915 and 1916, and was
for three years a member of that body. For many
years he has been active in the work of the Young
Men’s Christian Association, and for the past three
years has served that organization as president. He is
a member of Aurora Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons,
of Fitchburg; the Masonic Club; the Fay Club, of which
he was elected president in 1922, and now (1923) is
still serving in that office, and is also a member of the
Oakhill Country Club. He is a member of the First
Baptist Church of Fitchburg.

Dr. Gay married, on July 3, 1917, Mettie Fstella
Holder of Lenoir, North Carolina, and they have two
children: Gwendolyn and Lorene Maude.

Wor — 13

194

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

HON. WILFRID J. LAMOUREUX— In a very
practical line of mercantile endeavor, Wilfrid J.
Lamoureux is winning large success in Southbridge,
Massachusetts, and in his progress is definitely contrib¬
uting to the public welfare. Mr. Lamoureux is a native
of this community, a son of George J. Lamoureux, who
was born at St. Ours, Canada, and was engaged as a
carpenter until his death. He came to Southbridge as
a young man and became one of the prominent citizens
of this community, serving as Overseer of the Poor for
a period of eleven years and bearing a worthy part in
all forward movements until his death, which occurred
in 1908. The mother, Domitilde (Bourdeau) La¬
moureux, was born at Leicester, Massachusetts, and
died in 1906.

Wilfrid J. Lamoureux was born in Southbridge,
Massachusetts, December 13, 1869. His education was
begun in the local public schools, and as a young man
he attended Grand Seminary, at Montreal, and also St.
Joseph’s Academy, at Watertown, New York. Upon
the completion of his education Mr. Lamoureux re¬
turned to Worcester County, Massachusetts, and for
about six years he was employed by the American Op¬
tical Company of Southbridge. Then in the year 1900
he purchased the business formerly owned and conducted
by Charles S. Ayers, who carried on a house furnishing
business. Mr. Lamoureux has been at the head of this
interest continuously since and has developed it exten¬
sively, adding new lines of stock from time to time,
and in every way keeping step with the advance of the
moment in his general field. With headquarters at No.
86 Main Street, he now has one of the foremost enter-
prices of its kind in this section, and especially in the
furniture department is doing a very extensive and
lucrative business. Mr. Lamoureux is a member of the
Southbridge Chamber of Commerce, and is one of the
foremost figures in civic advance in this community.
From his majority a supporter of the Democratic party
and a worker in its ranks, Mr. Lamoureux has served
in many public offices of large responsibility. He was
first made a member of the Democratic Town Com¬
mittee in the year 1908 and has served on that body con¬
tinuously since, acting as chairman of the committee
for four years. Since the year 1911 he has been a
Selectman of the town and its chairman since 1913, and
for nine years he has acted as Sewer Commissioner.
Serving on the Finance Committee for twelve years, he
has acted as chairman for one-half of the time, and
for six years has been a member of the Library Com¬
mittee. These local offices, however, are only a part of
the public service which has given Mr. Lamoureux a
leading position in the community. In the year 1909 he
was elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature and
served through two successive years, 1910-11, inclusive,
and again in 1918-19 served this community as repre¬
sentative to the same body. His work as a legislator
was marked with many constructive phases, and while
the did much for his home community and this general
section, he nevertheless gave his best efforts to those
interests which affected the welfare of the entire Com¬
monwealth. In the year 1920 Mr. Lamoureux was sent
as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
in San Francisco. In all his public service he has dis¬
played the breadth of mental vision and the progressive¬

ness of spirit which count for permanent well-being in
the community and the State. Mr. Lamoureux has done
much for Southbridge in various ways, particularly in
encouraging those institutions which give the people an
opportunity to plan for their future and establish them¬
selves in positions of dignity and responsibility. He was
one of the founders and was the first president of the
Southbridge Cooperative Bank, and was one of the in¬
corporators and is still a director of the People’s
National Bank. He has served as Notary Public for
twenty-seven years. Fraternally Mr. Lamoureux is
affiliated with the Knights of Columbus ; the Catholic
Order of Foresters, of which organization he is at the
present time (1923) State Treasurer ; the Fraternal Order
of Eagles; the Improved Order of Red Men; and the
Societe St. Jean de Baptiste. He is also a member of
the Circle Canadien, and attends the Notre Dame Roman
Catholic Church.

Mr. Lamoureux married, on October 1, 1894, Georgi-
ana Berthiaume, who was born at Southbridge, and they
are the parents of two children : Leo G., who was born
August 22, 1895, served in the United States Army
during the World War as a member of the Military
Police, and married Mabel Nichols, of Brimfield; and
Annette L., born on February 2, 1898, married Wilfrid
C. Granger, D. D. S., of Worcester, and has one son,
Wilfrid Richard, born December 23, 1922.

CHESTER B. KENDALL, in the commercial activ¬
ities of the city of Gardner, Massachusetts, is a figure
of more than usual prominence, standing at the head of
a long established coal and ice business, and although
more than four score years have passed since his birth,
he is still active in he management of this interest and
alert to the progress of the times, and is found at his
desk every day. Mr. Kendall is a son of Cruso and
Minerva (Gates) Kendall, both natives of Hubbardston,
Massachusetts. Cruso Kendall was during his lifetime
engaged in the manufacture of churns in Hubbardston,
but was cut down in the flower of his manhood, when
the subject of this sketch was only an infant. The
mother subsequently married Silas Joslin, but is long
since deceased. Chester B. Kendall was bom at Hub¬
bardston, Massachusetts, October 18, 1842. His educa¬
tion was acquired in the graded schools of that com¬
munity and his stepfather being a man of humble means
the boy was compelled to leave school at an early age
and to provide for his own needs. He worked in Hub¬
bardston for a time at such odd jobs as he could secure,
then, in 1861, at the breaking out of the Civil War, he
came to Gardner and secured a position in the chair
factory of Derby & Knowlton. About a year and a
half later he changed to the plant of Wright & Moore,
with which firm he remained for about four years.
Then with this experience behind him and little more
than his own courage and faith in himself, Mr. Kendall
struck out for himself, buying and operating a stage
and express line between Gardner and Hubbardston.
This interest he operated successfully for about eight
years, its operation meaning much to the communities
along the route, before the present day of easy and
convenient transportation. Meanwhile, in 1872, Mr. Ken¬
dall established his present coal and ice business, be¬
ginning in a small way, with one horse and wagon. He

BIOGRAPHICAL

195

peddled ice three days in the week, handling some
three hundred tons during the frst summer. This in
comparison with his present business gives a clear idea
of its growth, as in the year just passed he sold at retail
some 5,000 tons and wholesaled fully 15,000 tons of
ice. Mr. Kendall recently bought out the coal concern
long known under the firm name of the Osgood & Son
Coal Company. He had for some years handled from
10,000 to 15,000 tons of coal annually, but now his output
is greatly increased. The Osgood interests comprise
one of the oldest coal concerns in Worcester County,
and the merger has placed under Mr. Kendall’s immedi¬
ate direction a very extensive business. Mr. Kendall
is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce, and
in all civic affairs lends his influence to the promotion
of the public good. He served for seven years as a
member of the Board of Selectmen of Gardner, his
period of activity in this connection extending from the
year 1884 to 1891. Fraternally he is identified with
William Ellison Lodge, No. 185, Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of which he is Past Noble Grand; and is
also a member of the Rebekahs.

Mr. Kendall married, on December 28, 1869, Josephine
Morse, of Hubbardston, and they have three children :
1. Florence E., at home. 2. Harry S., who married
Marion Mason, of Baldwinsville, Massachusetts, and
they are the parents of two children : Chester M. and
Donald W. He is a member of the Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons of Gardner; the Benevolent and Pro¬
tective Order of Elks of Gardner; the Gardner Boat
Club, Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Oak Hill Country
Club, and the Ridgley Club. 3. Ernest L., who married
Linnie Searls, of Templeton, Massachusetts, and they
have a son, Richard Searls. He is a member of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Gardner
Boat Club, and the Gardner Chamber of Commerce.
Both sons, Harry S. and Ernest L-, are managing the
business under the firm name of C. B. Kendall Com¬
pany. The family attends the Unitarian church, of
which Mrs. Kendall is a member.

JOHN WHEELDON, general manager of the
Wickwire Spencer Steel Corporation of Worcester,
Massachusetts, was born in Manchester, England, Sep¬
tember 16, 1875, son of Edward and Martha (Cart¬
wright) Wheeldon, the former of whom was a native
of Buxton, Derbyshire, and the latter of whom was
born in Manchester, England. The father became a
skilled steel roller, and was one of the three men sent
to America by Bedson, the machinery manufacturer of
Manchester, to install the first continuous rod mill in
America for the Washburn-Moen Company of Worces¬
ter, Massachusetts. That was in 1876. Mr. Wheeldon
came under a two-year contract to install and start the
operation of the plant, and when the term of his con¬
tract had expired he was prevailed upon to continue
with the firm, and accordingly he sent for his wife and
family to join him. He continued with the Washburn-
Moen Company and their successor, the American
Steel and Wire Company, until his death, in 1904. He
was a member of the Sons of Saint George of Worces¬
ter, the Knights of Pythias, and the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows of Manchester.

John Wheeldon was educated in the grammar and

high schools of Worcester, and at the age of fourteen
years went to work in the rolling mill of the Washburn-
Moen Company, but though his school training ended
at that time, his education has been continued through¬
out his career. Mr. Wheeldon very modestly disclaims
possession of more than a common school education,
but one who has followed his career closely for years
is authority for the statement that he was born a
student, and that since leaving school down to and in¬
cluding the present time there never has been an extended
period when he was not devoting a share of his spare
time to serious study. And this must be true, for he
could not, without a well-trained mind and a store of
knowledge outside the practical and technical details of
his business, meet all the varied requirements of
an executive position of such importance as the one
which he ably fills. Mr. Wheeldon’s career offers inspi¬
ration to any aspiring lad, for he has won his way to
the top by his own unaided efforts, and in doing so has
had to overcome disadvantages and obstacles such as
few of the youth of the present day are called upon to
face. For instance, when he went to work in the mill
his working day was twelve hours and his compensation
five cents an hour. Later, we find him in the roll shop,
turning rolls and working his way up until he became
roll designer at the South Works of the American Steel
and Wire Company. He was made boss roll turner in
1897, and after he had been in that position about a
year he was put in charge of the 34-inch blooming mill
as foreman. This was practically a new mill and he
started it in operation. After about two years he was
made night superintendent and continued in that posi¬
tion for some five years. He was then (1907) sent to
New Haven, Connecticut, to establish the company’s
plant there. A year later he was brought back to
Worcester and made superintendent of the North Works
of the company. After two years he was sent to Cleve¬
land to build up the company’s Cuyahoga plant there,
and continued in charge for five and a half years. He
was then recalled to Worcester and made superintendent
of the company’s South Works plant — the very mill in
which, as a boy, he had begun his career, sweeping
floors and carrying water. After a year in that position
he resigned to accept the general managership of the
Elyria Iron and Steel Company of Cleveland, Ohio. He
was in that position when the United States entered the
World War, and after having spent about one and a
half years at Cleveland, he resigned to take charge of
the transportation of freight for the United States Gov¬
ernment at Yorktown, Virginia. In 1919 he entered
the employ of the Spencer Wire Company on special
work, and on March 1 of that year was appointed gen¬
eral superintendent of the Spencer Wire Company, in
charge of the Webster Street works and of the Wire
Village plant at Spencer. In November, 1919, Mr.
Wheeldon was made superintendent of the Clinton
Wright Company, which was formed by merging the
Spencer Wire Company’s properties, the American
Spring Company’s properties, the National Wire Com¬
pany, the Wright Wire Company, and the Clinton Wire
Cloth Company of Clinton, and he served in that official
capacity until August, 1922, when he was made general
manager of the Wickwire Spencer Steel Corporation,
the Wickwire interests having come into the combination

196

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

about 1920. Wr. Wheeldon has about forty-five hun¬
dred men under his supervision, and he holds their
confidence and their loyalty in a high degree.

The following estimate of Mr. Wheeldon’s personality,
character, and work, made by one who is intimately ac¬
quainted with his career, is enlightening:

“He has a seemingly inexhaustible store of energy,”
says this impartial observer, “a nervous temperament,
is quick in action, both mental and physical, — and
knows human nature. He is a born diplomat, but
knows how and when to be firm and unyielding. Hav¬
ing traveled all the way from floor sweeper to general
manager, he knows by practical experience the view¬
point and the psychology of the men in his employ.
Moreover, they know that he has come from the ranks,
and this fact, together with absolute fairness in his
dealings, holds the respect, confidence, and loyalty of
his men. They do not stand in awe of him. He has
won his way by indefatigable industry, by the natural
endowment of a fine intelligence, and by a fine sense
of honor and loyalty to those whose interests he
serves.”

In addition to his responsibilities in connection with
the Wickwire Spencer Steel Company, Mr. Wheeldon
is also a member of the board of directors and vice-
president of the American Wire Fabrics Corporation.
Fraternally he is affiliated with Montacute Lodge, Free
and Accepted masons, of Worcester, in which order he
has taken all the York and Scottish Rite degrees, and is
a member of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston; and of Aletheia
Grotto of Worcester. He is also a member of Ridgley
Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; Knights of
Pythias ; and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of
Elks. He is well known in club circles, being a mem¬
ber of the Commonwealth Club, Rotary Club, Temple
Club, Worcester Country Club, of Blue Grass Country
Club of Cave City, Kentucky; and of Tatassit Canoe
Club, of Unity Club, and of Claiborne Yacht Club of
Cleveland, Ohio.

Mr. Wheeldon married Anna Frederickton, who was
born in Worcester, Massachusetts, daughter of Gustav
Frederickton. Mrs. Wheeldon is very active in the
work of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. and
Mrs. Wheeldon are the parents of two children: Ed¬
ward Stanley, who was born in 1903, and is a student at
Huntington Preparatory School, in Boston; and Marion
Alberta, who was born in 1907.

ALVAH CROCKER — The name of Crocker has
become a prominent one in Worcester County, Massachu¬
setts, especially in the town of Fitchburg, where for
half a century Alvah Crocker was identified with all the
important interests of the community, chief among them
being the building of the railroad that connected Fitch¬
burg with Boston, and at the same time successfully
carried on the business of paper manufacturing, besides
serving in the State Legislature and later in Congress.
Put to work in a paper factory when but eight years
old, with scant opportunity for education, there was ap¬
parently little in his early environment to prepare him
for a successful career, either in business or in service
to his fellow men. During his entire boyhood and
youth the monotony of twelve hours a day of hard
manual labor, at a daily compensation of twenty-five
cents, was varied only by six weeks each year when he
was permitted to attend school. Truly this would to-day
be considered a poor preparation for a successful life,

and the fact that Alvah Crocker did succeed in spite of
his limitations argues for other influences than environ¬
ment, and these may possibly be found in his environ¬
ment.

(I.) The Crocker family was of great distinctive
antiquity in the annals of Old England. Captain John
Crocker, the great-grandfather of Alvah Crocker, was
bom in England in 1692, and upon coming to New Eng¬
land, settled in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he
was both a skipper and a ship owner. At that time the
town was famous for its shipbuilding, and was one of
the most active ports in the colonies. In 1748 Captain
Crocker obtained permission from the town to erect a
rope walk, the first to be built there. He married, in
1 727, Mary Savage, daughter of Thomas Savage, and
had four sons and four daughters. He died in 1763.

(II.) Benjamin Crocker, the third child of Captain
John and Mary (Savage) Crocker, was born in Boston
in 1732, and was reared and lived in Newburyport. He
was also interested in shipping and was a part owner
with his father of the brig “Ranger” in 1758. He mar¬
ried, September 9, 1761, Sarah Somerby, daughter of
Samuel Somerby, of Hampton, New Hampshire, and
had nine children, the eighth child being Deacon Samuel,
the father of Alvah.

(III.) Deacon Samuel Crocker was born in New¬
buryport March 22, 1774, two years before his father’s
death. He was brought up in Newburyport, attending
school there and afterwards learning the paper-making
trade. In 1796 he moved to Leominster, Massachusetts,
and entered the employment of Nichols & Kendall, who
had just started the first paper mill there. This partner¬
ship was dissolved in 1804, but Samuel Crocker con¬
tinued in the employ of Jonas Kendall, who acquired
the business. The house in which he lived and raised his
family still stands. Religious zeal was Deacon Crocker’s
outstanding characteristic, and he and his wife were
active and influential members of the Baptist church.
It is said that he rarely conversed without introducing
the subject of religion, and that the only books in his
home besides the Bible were “Edwards on Religious
Affection,” “Lives of Watts and Doddridge,” “King
Philip’s Indian Wars,” and “The Westminster Assem¬
blies Lesser Catechism.” He married, in 1798, Com¬
fort Jones, daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Adams)
Jones, of Medway, Massachusetts. She was born Au¬
gust 23, 1777, and was a descendant of the Adams
family of Massachusetts, whose reliance and indepen¬
dence of character she inherited. She made a noble
struggle against adverse circumstances and reared her
large family in habits of honest industry, teaching the
children to exert themselves from choice as well as from
necessity. Iri the summer months, during their child¬
hood, the boys were sent out to work for farmers, and
with this help the insufficient income of the father cov¬
ered their necessities, while early habits of industry and
thrift were inculcated.

(IV.) The Hon Alvah Crocker, their eldest child,
was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, October 14,
1801. From his mother he inherited his most promi¬
nent characteristics. Beginning work when he was but
eight years old, in the mill where his father was em¬
ployed, with but little time allowed for schooling, he
was fortunate in having placed at his disposal the library

BIOGRAPHICAL

197

of his employer, Israel Nichols, which was a good one
for those times, and, browsing among the books, he ac¬
quired a broad and general store of knowledge, greater,
perhaps, than that attained by most boys by attending
school at his age. In this environment, and spurred by
his mother’s early teachings of industry and application,
he conceived a desire and an ambition to have a college
education, and this desire growing by what it fed upon,
he taxed all his strength and energies to earn enough
money to save the necessary funds. By the time he
was sixteen years old he had saved fifty dollars, and
entered Groton Academy, where he pursued his studies
until his funds were gone. He then went to work
again, but so steadily did he devote his evenings to
study that he was enabled to keep pace with his class in
the academy. In 1820 he was employed in a paper mill
in Franklin, New Hampshire, and three years later he
entered the employ of General Leonard Burbank, the
pioneer paper manufacturer of Fitchburg. In 1826 Mr.
Crocker borrowed capital and erected a mill in a birch
swamp situated in that part of North Fitchburg now
known as Crockerville. From that time until 1830 his
life was a continuous struggle to meet financial obliga¬
tions, times were hard, a freshet damaged his mill, and
machinery began to take the place of manual labor; to
compete successfully with other manufacturers he was
compelled to incur increased expense, but courage and
force of will, faith and his known honest character car¬
ried him through. He was hampered by insufficient
working capital, and thereupon made arrangements with
a Boston commission house to procure through them
his raw materials and chemicals in exchange for his
finished product, which he transported himself by team
to Boston. At this time he owed $12,000 on the orig¬
inal purchase of his mill and yet felt impelled to raise
$10,000 more for new machinery. To add to his
troubles the commission house demanded payment of a
balance against him of $4,000 not yet due. In spite of
these hindrances he struggled on, liquidated his debts
and pushed his business to substantial success. In the
course of time he built additional paper mills and also
became interested in railroad construction. The firm
of Crocker, Burbank & Company, which had been or¬
ganized in 1850, later obtained control of seven mills,
producing fifteen tons of paper daily, these mills being
the Snow, or Upper Mill ; the Cascade Mill, the Upton
Mill, the Whitney Mill, the Hanna Mill, the Lyon Mill,
and the Stone Mill, built over a period extending from
1839 to 1854, and being acquired respectively by this
firm in 1862, 1863, 1859, i860, 1868, 1869, and 1871. Mr.
Crocker identified his private interests with the interests
of the town, realizing that what would increase the pop¬
ulation and the industries and resources of the town of his
adoption would benefit each individual citizen. A man
of broad understanding and sympathies, his long and
useful life, helped in the upbuilding of the community.
He was instrumental in the building of the Fitchburg
Railway, now a part of the Boston & Maine Railway.
He also supervised the construction of the Hoosac Tun¬
nel and the Hoosac Tunnel route, achievements in the
engineering world whose successful accomplishment was
obtained under the most adverse conditions. His ser¬
vices to his fellow citizens were not unrecognized, and
in 1835 he was elected Representative to the Massachu¬

setts Legislature. In that body, in 1836, he voted for
the subscription by the State of $1,000,000 to complete
the Western Railroad, and but for his advocacy, it is
probable that the subscription would not have been
made at that time. On his return home, he aroused the
citizens of his town and the surrounding country on the
importance of railroads and direct railroad connections
with Boston, with the result of building such communi¬
cation, and in his being returned to the Legislature
again in 1842. On March 5, 1845, he rode into Fitch¬
burg on the first locomotive that passed over the road,
and he was elected first president of the Fitchburg
Road. He later resigned that office to become the pres¬
ident of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad Com¬
pany. He later became engaged in railroad operation
in various parts of the State, and his work in this con¬
nection was of great benefit to the people. He was in¬
strumental in establishing a complete system of water
works in Fitchburg, and he erected buildings for various
manufactures, thus aiding in the establishment of new
industries in the town. Later Mr. Crocker became in¬
terested in Turner’s Falls and organized, with other
capitalists, the Turner’s Falls Company, in 1866. This
corporation purchased the rights and franchises of the
old organization known as “The Proprietors of the
Upper Locks and Canals on the Connecticut River, in
the county of Hampshire,” and bought lands in Mon¬
tague, on the river front, near the falls. A dam with
a: fall of thirty feet, and a capacity of 30,000 horse
power was constructed, and from 1866 to the end of his
life the daring projector worked indefatigably for the
success and prosperity of the new town, spending his
own money freely and inducing others to do likewise.
He had planned the establishment of a public library
and other institutions at Turner’s Falls, when death
claimed him. Mr. Crocker was instrumental in organ¬
izing the Crocker National Bank, the Crocker Institu¬
tion for Savings in Turner’s Falls, and he was one of
those who founded the Rollstone National Bank of
Fitchburg, in 1840, a member of its board of directors
for the remainder of his life, and was chosen its presi¬
dent in 1870. Mr. Crocker worked incessantly for the
development of the resources of Northwestern Massa¬
chusetts, and his ability and public spirit were recog¬
nized generally, and he was chosen to fill the unexpired
term in Congress of the Hon William B. Washburn,
who was elected Governor of the State. He took his
seat on January 2, 1872, and was reelected to the Forty-
third Congress, receiving 14,919 votes. On December
19, 1874, while attending to his Congressional duties in
Washington, he was seized with what appeared to be a
cold that was epidemic at the time in the national cap¬
ital, and left for his home, and his death followed a
week later, on December 26, 1874.

Mr. Alvah Crocker married, August 14, 1829, Abigail
Fox, who died August 21, 1847, leaving four daughters
and one son. Mr. Crocker married (second), April 9,
1851, Lucy A. Fay, who died January 29, 1872. On No¬
vember 20, 1872, he married (third) Minerva Cushing.
One of his children was Charles Thomas, of whom
further.

(V.) Charles Thomas Crocker was bom March 2,
1833, at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, son of the Hon. Alvah
and Abigail (Fox) Crocker, and died in 1911. He re-

198

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

ceived his education in the public schools of his birth¬
place, following which he immediately entered the em¬
ploy of the Crocker & Burbank Company, of which his
father was the head. Upon the death of his father in
1874, Charles T. Crocker became the senior member of
this firm, and under his leadership it was carried for¬
ward with success until 1900, when Mr. Crocker retired
from active business life. He was a director of the
Crocker National Bank at Turner’s Falls, and a trustee
of the Crocker Institute for Savings, in the same town,
both of which organizations had been established by his
father.

Charles Thomas Crocker married (first), October 14,
1857, Helen E. Tufts, whose death occurred twenty
years later, in 1877. He married (second), June 1, 1881,
Helen T. Bartow. Mr. Crocker had two sons, Alvah, of
whom further; and Charles T.

(VI.) Alvah Crocker, son of Charles Thomas and
Helen E. (Tufts) Crocker, and a member of the sixth
generation of the Crocker family in America, was born
at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, August 21, 1858. His early
education was obtained in the public schools of Fitch¬
burg, following which he entered and was graduated
from the Fitchburg High School. He then matriculated
at Harvard University, taking the liberal arts course.
He was graduated from Harvard with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts in 1879.

Alvah Crocker married, October 14, 1880, Charlotte
Bartow.

HENRY FARNSWORTH SAWTELLE— The rec¬
ords in Somersetshire, England, contain data of the
Sawtelle family earlier than the beginning of the reign
of Queen Elizabeth (1558), and according to those
records, it is evident that Richard Sawtell, the immi¬
grant ancestor, who founded the Sawtelle family in New
England, was born in Aller, Somersetshire, in 1604, and
married Elizabeth Pople, of High Ham, Somersetshire,
in 1628, and came to Massachusetts Bay among the
early settlers.

(I.) Richard Sawtell was one of the proprietors of
Watertown, Massachusetts, and lived there from 1636
until 1661, when he and his family moved to Groton,
Massachusetts, and he had a twenty-acre right. He was
chosen the first Town Clerk, and served for three years,
1662-63-64, the first years that town records were kept.
Butler’s “History of Groton” refers to him as follows:
“Various were the modes of expression, chirographies,
and orthographies used by the several clerks. Richard
Sawtell’s style in each of these particulars was very good,
and very similar to the records in the county offices made
at and about the same period. His records prove him
to have been a scholar.” Green’s “Historical Sketch of
Groton, Massachusetts,” states: “Without doubt, he was
the Richard Sawtell who served in Major Appleton’s
company during Philip’s War.” Richard Sawtell and
his wife, Elizabeth, had ten children, among them Zach-
ariah, of whom later. Richard and his wife subse¬
quently returned to Watertown, where he died August
21, 1694, and his widow, Elizabeth, only survived him
until October 18 of the same year.

(II.) Zachariah Sawtell, son of Richard and Eliz¬
abeth Sawtell, was born at Watertown, Massachusetts,
May 26, 1643. He went to Groton in 1661 and became

one of the original proprietors. He married (first)
Elizabeth Parker, and (second) Mary, family name
unknown. They had five children, one, Zachariah, Jr.,
of whom further. During King Philip’s War Zach¬
ariah Sawtell with his family and other inhabitants of
Groton were obliged to remove elsewhere for safety, and
it was probably during that period (1675-6) that Zach¬
ariah, Jr., was born.

(III.) Zachariah Sawtell, Jr., son of Zachariah and
Elizabeth (Parker) Sawtell, was born about 1675-6, and
died at Groton, October 2, 1737. He was a farmer and
brickmaker, and resided at Groton during all of his ac¬
tive years. His wife was Mary or Marcy, family name
unknown. They had ten children, all born at Groton;
one, Daniel, of whom further.

(IV.) Daniel Sawtell, son of Zachariah, Jr., and Mary
or Marcy Sawtell, was born in Groton, September 21,
1704, and married, at Concord, Massachusetts, February
28, 1727, Esther Heald, of that town, and settled at
Groton, where their seven children were born ; one,
Oliver, of whom later. It is probable that Daniel and
his wife, Esther, moved to Springfield, Vermont, after
three of their sons located there.

(V.) Oliver Sawtell, son of Daniel and Esther
(Heald) Sawtell, was born in Groton, Massachusetts,
June 5, 1743. A party of ten from Groton and vicinity
were among the first settlers in Springfield, Vermont,
after John Nott, who was there in 1752. The “History
of Springfield” states that probably in 1753 a settlement
was made in that town by Daniel, Jacob, and Oliver
Sartwell, on a ridge of land later known as Sartwell’s
Hill. At that time they were about nineteen, sixteen,
and ten years of age, respectively. In the early records
of Springfield, Vermont, the name Sawtell was spelled
Sartwell, but elsewhere the name was spelled Sawtell,
which was the original English form. However, the
more modern form of spelling is Sawtelle. Oliver
Sawtell was a prominent citizen of Springfield, and was
elected a Constable in 1773, a lister in 1781 and 1782, and
a grand juryman for several years. In 1780 he was a
soldier in the Revolution in the Springfield company,
Captain Abner Bisbee, in Colonel Wood’s Regiment. In
1781 he served in the company of Captain Peter Page,
regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Ebenezer Walbridge.
Oliver Sawtell married (first) Mary, family name un¬
known, who died in Springfield, Vermont, August 15,
1774. He married (second) Hannah Taylor, Decem¬
ber 25, 1777. There were three children by the first
marriage, one named Haile, of whom further. Oliver
Sawtell died November 20, 1807, and Hannah, his second
wife, died September 22, 1812, both in Springfield,
Vermont.

(VI.) Haile Sawtell (Sartwell), son of Oliver and
Mary Sawtell (Sartwell), was born in Springfield, Ver¬
mont, February 24, 1767, and married (first) Eleanor
Sartwell, May 19, 1789. By this marriage there were
three children, one, Moses, of whom further. He mar¬
ried (second) Dolly Wood, September 17, 1809, and they
had seven children. In 1810 they moved to Crown Point,
New York, which was then but a small settlement, and
his work was that of a pioneer. He died at Ticonderoga,
New York, January 25, 1842, and his wife, Dolly, died
March 5, 1863.

(VII.) Moses Sawtell, son of Haile and Eleanor

BIOGRAPHICAL

199

(Sartwell) Sawtell, was born in Springfield, Vermont,
February 11, 1793. He was educated in that town, and
came to Massachusetts when a young man, and resided
for a time at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where he mar¬
ried Clarissa Farnsworth, of Groton, Massachusetts,
October 5, 18x7. They had eight children, one, Charles
Farnsworth, of whom further. Moses Sawtell, after
living a few years at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, moved
to Westminster, Massachusetts, where he resided for a
number of years, and later moved to Jaffrey, New
Hampshire, on a farm at the foot of Monadnock
Mountain, where he died February 16, 1857. His widow,
Clarissa (Farnsworth) Sawtell died at Bolton, Massa¬
chusetts, October 30, 1862.

(VIII.) Charles Farnsworth Sawtelle, son of Moses
and Clarissa (Farnsworth) Sawtell, was born in Fitch¬
burg, Massachusetts, November 27, 1819. He was edu¬
cated in the Fitchburg schools, and during his boyhood
days lived on a farm, and later, for about thirty years
operated sawmills, either for himself or others, and
was located during those years at Fitzwilliam, New
Hampshire, Jaffrey, New Hampshire, Rindge, New
Hampshire, Leominster, Massachusetts, and Bolton,
Massachusetts. In 1870 he bought a farm in the south¬
erly part of Leominster, to which he moved with his
family and which he successfully operated until 1895,
when, on account of advancing years, he leased his farm
and bought a residence at No. 128 Central Street, Leo¬
minster, where he lived until he passed away, February
12, 1911, in his ninety-second year, a man remarkably
well preserved for one of his age. He was a member
of the First Baptist Church of Leominster, and in pol¬
itics was a Republican. He was a man of sterling char¬
acter and upright life, vigorous and strong, a perfect type
of the sturdy, prosperous New England farmer. Charles
Farnsworth Sawtelle married (first) Mary Ann Osborne,
of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, September 10, 1844, who
died July 26, 1850. By this marriage there was one
child, Mary Maria Sawtelle, born June 10, 1850, who
died September 7, of the same year. He married (sec¬
ond) Mary Brown Woodbury, March 17, 1853, who
was born June 8, 1827, daughter of Luke Woodbury
and Sally (Conant) Woodbury, of Bolton, Massachu¬
setts. She was a member of the First Baptist Church
of Leominster, and died March 20, 1915, in the eighty-
eighth year of her age. The Woodbury family trace
their ancestry to the immigrant ancestor who came to
this country from England in 1624 and settled on the
northern coast of Massachusetts Bay at that location
which is now the city of Beverly. To Charles Farns¬
worth Sawtelle and Mary Brown (Woodbury) Sawtelle
two sons were born: 1. Charles Woodbury, was born in
Leominster, Massachusetts, January 4, 1854. He was
educated in the public schools of Bolton and Leomin¬
ster and resided at home, assisting his father on the
farm, and was deeply interested in agriculture. He was
a member of the First Baptist Church of Leominster,
Massachusetts, and in politics was a Republican. He
died January 10, 1910. 2. Henry Farnsworth, of whom
further.

(IX.) Henry Farnsworth Sawtelle, younger son of
Charles Farnsworth Sawtelle and Mary Brown (Wood¬
bury) Sawtelle, was born in Bolton, Massachusetts,
November 30, 1863. He was educated in the public

schools of Leominster and at Eastman Business Col¬
lege, Poughkeepsie, New York. For the following five
years he was employed as bookkeeper and clerk in a
hardware store in Leominster. In 1888 Mr. Sawtelle,
in company with Joseph W. Estabrook, established in
Leominster a hardware and paint store, under the firm
name of Sawtelle and Estabrook, that firm continuing
until 1893, when Mr. Sawtelle bought his partner’s
interest and became sole owner. Later he bought the
block he occupied, which is known as Sawtelle Block,
and has so continued business to date (1924). By his
strict integrity and careful attention to the requirements
of his customers he has conducted a prosperous business.
He has been a large real estate owner for many years,
has been interested in real estate developments, and has
extensive real estate holdings in several States. Mr.
Sawtelle is a Republican in politics, is a member of the
Chamber of Commerce, Improved Order of Red Men,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Loyal Order
of Moose and the Leominster Historical Society. From
1910 to 1916 he was a member of the Board of Select¬
men, and was chairman the last five years. In 1915 Leo¬
minster voted to become a city, and city government was
inaugurated in January, 1916. Mr. Sawtelle had the
honor of being elected the first Mayor, and he is now
serving on his fifth consecutive two-year term. At three
elections he had no opposition, and at each of the other
two elections he received an overwhelming majority.
Mayor Sawtelle married, October 12, 1898, Effie Adams,
a direct descendant of President John Adams. She was
born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, February 20, 1866,
the daughter of Hanson Hoyt Adams and Martha Jane
(Paul) Adams.

HON. WILLIAM ANDREW MURRAY— Promi¬
nent in legal circles, and also in the public life of the
State of Massachusetts, William A. Murray is one of
the foremost figures in the professional world of Mil¬
ford, Massachusetts, and with law offices in the city of
Boston, also, he is counted among the largely successful
and widely noted lawyers of this State. He is well
known also in fraternal circles, and in every branch
of civic and social advance lends his influence to all
worthy effort.

William A. Murray was born at Milford, Massachu¬
setts, June 17, 1889, a son of James and Teresa (Taft)
Murray. His education was begun in the local public
schools, and following his graduation from the Milford
High School, he entered Boston University School of
Law, from which he was graduated in 1910. He was
admitted to the Massachusetts bar when twenty-one years
of age. Mr. Murray immediately became associated
with various prominent law firms of Boston, continu¬
ing until November, 1918, when he established his own
offices both in Boston and in Milford. Residing in Mil¬
ford, and a leading citizen of this community, his time
is perhaps more fully commanded by his practice in the
courts of Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester
counties than any lawyer of his age in the community,
and he holds high rank in the profession, his practice in¬
cluding many important legal cases carried to a suc¬
cessful conclusion.

An able speaker, as well as an authority on many
branches of law, Mr. Murray has been brought into the

200

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

public service in various ways. He is a loyal advocate
of the principles and the policies of the Democratic
party, and was elected from a Republican district to the
House of Representatives of the State of Massachu¬
setts for two consecutive terms, he first being elected in
1916, at the age of twenty-seven years. No Democrat
ever since has managed to be elected in this district
since Mr. Murray retired in 1922. He was brought for¬
ward also as a candidate for State Senator, but although
defeated, the narrow margin which his opponent gained
was significant of his popularity, for it was in a Re¬
publican stronghold that he so nearly defeated the
Republican candidate, reducing a Republican plurality
in 1920 of 9,000 to the small number of 244. Mr. Mur¬
ray’s work as a legislator counted not only for the wel¬
fare and progress of his own locality, but for the general
advance of conditions throughout the State, and his
constituents felt that in their representative they and the
community as well were honored. During the World
War Mr. Murray served on the Legal Advisory Board,
and also as local investigator for the War Risk Bureau,
further giving largely of his time and means in the ad¬
vancement of the many home war activities. Fraternally,
Mr. Murray is identified with Milford Lodge, No. 628,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he
is Past Grand Exalter Ruler; also the Knights of Co¬
lumbus, of which he is Past Grand Knight; and the
Fraternal Order of Eagles; and the Ancient Order of
Hibernians. He is a member of the Roman Catholic
Church.

Mr. Murray married, at Milford, September 21, 1914,
Mary E. De Pasquale, a Milford public school teacher.
Mr. and Mrs. Murray are the parents of three children:
William, Jr., Mary Norma, and Joseph.

HELEN GRACE ESTEY — An interesting and use¬
ful career is that of Helen Grace Estey, who for a
number of years has been identified with various impor¬
tant libraries of the State of Massachusetts, and is now
librarian of the Athol Public Library. Highly educated
and always in close touch with all advance relevant to
her work, Miss Estey is doing much for the progress
and benefit of this institution, and is making it broadly
useful to the people. Miss Estey is a native of this
State and county, and a daughter of George Franklin
and Victoria Stewart (Wishart) Estey, her father well
and favorably known in Gardner, Massachusetts, in the
trucking and jobbing business.

Helen Grace Estey was born at Gardner, Massachu¬
setts, October 15, 1885. Following the elementary and
grammar courses, she attended Gardner High School,
from which she was graduated in the class of 1904.
She then entered Drexel Institute Library School, and
was graduated the following year, after which she took
up library work as her vocation. More recently she
has covered an employment management course at
Boston University, also a University Extension Course
in French and Spanish. Miss Estey’s first experience in
her chosen field was at Leominster Public Library, as¬
suming her duties in July, 1905, and in September, 1905,
she was made assistant librarian of that institution. She
was active in this library for a period of about twelve
years, and during that time the library moved into a
fine new building, where its facilities and circulation

were materially increased. In 1917, after taking the
Massachusetts Civil Service examinations, Miss Estey
received appointment to the important position of li¬
brarian of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics.
With the consolidation of the State departments about
two years later, she was appointed librarian of the De¬
partment of Labor and Industries. This position Miss
Estey filled for more than two years, and during her
stay in Boston she participated in the founding of the
Special Libraries’ Association of that city, taking a deep
interest in its meetings and in the development of its
activities. In September, 1922, she accepted her present
position as librarian at the Athol Public Library. This
institution is one of the progressive organizations in its
field in the State of Massachusetts, and comprises a col¬
lection of 12,818 volumes, suitably divided between
adult’s and children’s books, and embracing a very wide
scope of serious and scientific literature as well as fiction.
The circulation for the year 1922 amounted to 60,663
volumes. Miss Estey has won the confidence and esteem
of the patrons of the library and its officials as well,
and her work is contributing definitely to the advance of
education and to the general well-being. Miss Estey is
the compiler of a really important work, the bibliog¬
raphy of the “Cost of Living in the United States.”

In the civic and benevolent advance Miss Estey takes
a part, lending her influence to all progressive effort.
She is a supporter of the Republican party, was secre¬
tary of the Leominster Suffrage Club, and acted as teller
in the Gardner organization. She is a member of Signet
Chapter, No. 22, Order of the Eastern Star, and in ad¬
dition to her connection with the Special Libraries’ Asso¬
ciation of Boston, she holds membership in the American
Library Association, the Massachusetts Library Club,
and was formerly a member of the Leominster Fort¬
nightly Club, and active in its civic department. She is
a member of the American Red Cross, and an earnest
worker in its behalf.

WILLIAM H. HOBBY — Standing back of the con¬
structive activities of the Chair City of Gardner, Massa¬
chusetts, William H. Hobby is counted among the most
important business executives of the business world of
this community, and is the senior partner of the firm of
Hobby Brothers, proprietors of the Gardner Machine
Works. Trained for his present activities in some of
the foremost industrial plants of the State of Massachu¬
setts, Mr. Hobby has built his success on the enduring
foundation of ability and practical experience, and has
not only achieved a high position in his chosen field but
has done much for this and allied fields of industrial
endeavor.

The Hobby family is an old one in the State of
Massachusetts, and William Hobby, Mr. Hobby’s grand¬
father was a pioneer in the chair industry in Boston,
when all the work was done by hand. The name of
William Hobby has been carried down in the family
from the pioneer ancestor of early Colonial times, and
many men of this family have gained renown. The
first doorkeeper of the United States Congress was a
Hobby, and Captain John Hobby was an officer in the
War of the Revolution, in the Continental army. Wil¬
liam M. Hobby, Mr. Hobby’s father, was born in Mel¬
rose, Massachusetts, and by occupation was an expert

(Xsu t/V_

BIOGRAPHICAL

201

machinist, for many years employed in the Boston
Navy Yard. A veteran of the Civil War, he served in
that struggle as a member of Company I, 12th Regi¬
ment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, better known
as Colonel Thatcher’s regiment, which was almost an¬
nihilated during their period of service. William M.
Hobby was a man highly esteemed by all who knew
him, and his death, at the age of forty-seven years, in
1883 was mourned by all. He married Lucy A. Elm,
who was born in Camden, Maine, and survived him for
eleven years, passing away in 1894, at the age of sixty-
seven years.

William H. Hobby, son of these parents, was born in
Charlestown, now a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts,
December 6, 1866. His education was begun in the pub¬
lic schools of Boston, his graduation from high school
occurring in 1883. Thereafter he took a three years’
course in designing and drafting in a technical school
founded by a Boston philanthropist, and had just passed
his examinations preparatory to entering the Massa¬
chusetts Institute of Technology when financial matters
compelled him to forego the completion of his educa¬
tion and assume the responsibility of his mother’s sup¬
port. He secured employment with an uncle, who had
charge of a department in the Walworth Manufacturing
Company’s brass and iron foundry. There he learned
drafting and pattern-making, and following the comple¬
tion of his apprenticeship he came to Gardner. This
was in 1887, and Mr. Hobby at once secured a position
in the plant of L. G. Knight, a manufacturer of chair
machinery. There he soon became a competent all¬
round machinist, continuing with the firm for about
three years. Finding his life mapped out for him along
different lines that he had contemplated, Mr. Hobby
simply made the best of the situation, and determined
upon fitting himself for the highest possible attainment
in the field in which he was engaged. He went to
Boston to perfect himself in another branch of the ma¬
chinist’s trade, namely, gear cutting, and remained there
for about two years. Upon his return to Gardner Mr.
Hobby entered the employ of the Heywood Brothers &
Company, and in this connection mastered the practical
application of his knowledge to the chair industry. Dur¬
ing all the foregoing period Mr. Hobby’s activities had
been broadly constructive, and in 1894, with this splen¬
did preparation and equipment, he established the present
interest in partnership with his brother, Edgar N.
Hobby. In the twenty-seven years which have since
intervened, as the head of this increasingly important
interest, Mr. Hobby has won his way to large prominence
in the industrial life of Gardner. Beginning as manu¬
facturers of chair machinery only, and that principally
for the local demand, the brothers have extended the
scope of the business until they now make machinery
for many different industries, and their product goes to
all parts of the world. Chair machinery has been their
specialty, however, throughout their entire history, and
in this connection William H. Hobby has taken a place
of far more than ordinary significance. Possessed of
large inventive genius, he has solved many problems of
the chair industry, and has designed and built machines
which have revolutionized the chair industry and are in
general use to-day, tripling and quadrupling the output
of the plants where they are installed. Mr. Hobby has

never capitalized his inventive talent, but looking upon
life from the point of view of the philanthropist, prefers
the greatest good for the greatest number, rather than
personal gain. Had he chosen to realize for himself
all that could be wrung from his many inventions, he
would undoubtedly be a very wealthy man.

Mr. Hobby is a member of the Gardner Chamber of
Commerce, and served for some years on the Republi¬
can Town Committee, but otherwise takes only the in¬
terest of the progressive citizen in public life. He is a
member of Charles Sumner Camp, Sons of Veterans; of
Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks ; also of the Improved Order of Red Men.

William H. Hobby married, in 1889, Ada G. Clapp,
of Gardner, and they are the parents of two' daughters :
Nettie L., wife of Ellery Trickell, of Portland, Oregon;
and Alice, wife of Henry Le Blanc, teller of the First
National Bank of Gardner.

JAMES E. YOUNG, a member of the Massachu¬
setts State Legislature, was born at Charlestown, Massa¬
chusetts, November 4, 1885, son of Charles D. and Annie
M. (Griffith) Young. His father, who' was born at
Annapolis Valley, in Nova Scotia, settled in the United
States at an early age. He had an adventurous career
as an Indian fighter on the Western frontier, and was
one of Custer’s scouts. Mr. Young’s mother, who was
born in England, is of Welsh descent and belongs to
a branch of the Griffith family of Carnarvon.

Mr. Young received his preliminary education in the
public schools of Massachusetts. After his graduation
from the Winchendon High School he proceeded to
Lawrence Scientific School and took a course in civil
engineering. He was graduated as a civil engineer from
Lawrence and might have entered at once upon the prac^
tice of his profession, if he had not received an advan¬
tageous offer from the glove manufacturers, Simon,
Hatch & Whittier, to represent them as a traveling sales¬
man. This firm had at a previous time recognized Mr.
Young’s pronounced selling ability, and on that account
wished to enroll him as a permanent member of their
sales force. Mr. Young accepted their offer and for
eight years remained in association with them, selling
gloves of their manufacture to the wholesale and retail
trade in various parts of the country. During these
years of salesmanship he made a great many friends
and acquired invaluable experience of modern business
methods and an accurate knowledge of the conditions
that underlie many of the trade problems of the present
day. The relations between himself and the members of
the firm were always of the most cordial and agree¬
able character, and when he finally decided to give up
his position as one of their traveling representatives, his
departure was a matter of deep regret to his employers
as well as to all his other associates in the business.
Acting in accordance with the terms of a decision he had
arrived at some months before, Mr. Young, upon leaving
Simon, Hatch & Whittier, returned to Winchendon and
established himself in practice as a civil engineer.
Widely known for his public services, he has continued
to make Winchendon his home and business headquar¬
ters ever since.

In political faith Mr. Young is a Republican. He has
been a member of the Republican Town Committee for

202

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

the past fifteen years, and at the present time and for
two years past he has served as chairman of the Win-
chendon Board of Selectmen. For ten years he has
filled the office of Town Engineer, and for nine years
was a member of the Sewer Commission. He served
two years as a member of the Massachusetts State
Legislature. Keenly interested in the political ques¬
tions of the hour and having a bias toward quick,
practical, and efficient solutions in politics, as in all other
human affairs, Mr. Young is regarded as one of the
leaders of thought in Worcester County, and men of
all parties admit the soundness of his views in regard
to politics in general, however much they may disagree
with him in details. With Mr. Young, the old idea of
the greatest good to the greatest number is not enough.
He believes that everybody should have a fair chance,
and that so far as is humanly possible, citizens should be
taught and encouraged and inspired to make the most
of themselves, their lives, and their opportunities. A
hard worker himself and a man of great mental energy
and resourcefulness, Mr. Young exerts a personal in¬
fluence in public affairs which extends beyond the con¬
fines of any creed or party and on this account his views
carry great weight in public discussions. Mr. Young is
a member of the Unitarian faith, and is a Mason of the
thirty-second degree. He holds all the orders up to
and including the Shrine, and belongs to Aleppo Temple
at Boston. He is a member of the Avon Club of Win-
chendon.

Mr. Young married, on June 30, 1910, at Winchendon,
Abby L. Bent, daughter of Elisha M. and Julia R.
(Chaplain) Bent. Mrs. Young’s parents are both natives
of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, where she herself was
born. Mr. and Mrs. Young have one child, Julia R.,
who is named for her mother’s mother, and who was
born at Winchendon September 2, 1916.

PERCY A. ATHERTON, A. B., LL. B., was born
in Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts, June 24,
1877, the son of Charles P. and Sarah (Sawyer) Ather¬
ton. He attended the public schools in Harvard, and
after graduating from the Bromfield School, in Har¬
vard, in June, 1896, entered Harvard College with the
class of 1900. In June, 1900, he was given the degree of
Bachelor of Arts. He then attended the Harvard Law
School from September, 1900, to June, 1903, and in
June, 1903, was given the degree of Bachelor of Laws.
After being admitted to the bar in October, 1903, he was
associated with the firm of Morse & Friedman, in Bos¬
ton, later becoming a member of the firm. He is at
present practicing law in Boston as a member of the
firm of Friedman, Atherton, King & Turner, with offices
at No. 30 State Street.

From 1903 to 1915 Mr. Atherton served in the Massa¬
chusetts Volunteer Militia, resigning in the latter year
with the rank of major. He is a member of the Uni¬
versity Club of Boston, the Harvard clubs of New York
and of Boston the Harvard Musical Association of
Boston, and the Worcester Country Club. He is inter¬
ested in apple growing on the former Luke Whitney
farm, in Harvard, where he spends the summer months
with his family.

Mr. Atherton was married, at Boston, June 4, 1910,
to Louise Newhall Valpey, daughter of Henry R. and

Nancy (Newhall) Valpey of Cambridge. Mr. and Mrs.
Atherton have three children : Henry V alpey, born May
6, 1911 ; Sarah Sawyer, born December 12, 1913; and
Nancy, born September 14, 191 7.

FRANCIS H. LEE— A name which meant much to
his day and generation was that of Francis H. Lee,
whose lifetime was spent principally in philanthropic
work, his health during the greater part of his career
precluding extensive activity in the business world. The
life of Mr. Lee was one which to the world of men
and affairs might have seemed futile, but like a flower
in a place of shadow its beauty was known and loved
by those whose privilege it was to come in touch with
his gracious spirit or share in his benevolence. Mr. Lee
was a son of John C. Lee, who was born at Salem,
Massachusetts, and became a leading figure in the world
of finance in the city of Boston. Educated in his native
city and acquiring some experience in his chosen field
of endeavor, John C. Lee became one of the founders of
the Lee & Higginson Bank of Boston, a private finan¬
cial institution of that early day which made a long and
eminently useful record. He was counted among the
largely progressive men of his day, and his name stands
on the permanent records of the city as one of honor
and distinction, although he has now for many years
been deceased. He married Harriet Paine Rose, who
was born on the island Antigna, West Indies, the daugh¬
ter of Dr. William Paine, of Worcester, Massachusetts,
but whose life was principally spent in Worcester, Massa¬
chusetts.

Francis H. Lee, son of these parents, was born at
Salem, Massachusetts, December 23, 1836, and died
October 7, 1913. His education was begun in the pri¬
mary schools of Salem and following the completion
of the common school course he went to Boston, where
he was affiliated with his brother in an office, in the
capacity of clerk. He was active in that connection for
two years, then continued in business life until the out¬
break of the Civil War. He was one of the earliest of
the Salem young men to respond to the need of his
country when the Union was threatened and he enlisted
in Company F, 23d Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer
Infantry, and went early to the scene of action. When
his first enlistment had expired, he reenlisted and con¬
tinued under his country’s colors throughout the period
of the war, returning to his native city after the close
of hostilities. He made his life one of rare beauty and
benevolence. Having learned sympathy through suf¬
fering, the need of every human being reached him with
deep appeal, and he made his life interest the doing
of good. His contributions to organized charity and
benevolence were always generous, but it was in his
private benefactions that he took the deepest interest,
and whenever he could do so he avoided the possibility
of his name appearing on the public records of any
charitable movement. To the many poor, ill, and needy
who personally knew Mr. Lee his life was a blessing,
and his interest saved numberless people from despond¬
ency or actual suffering for the necessities of life.
He never discussed his work in this field, preferring
always to do good for its own sake. He was deeply in¬
terested in public affairs in the town, the State, and the
Nation, but his modest, retiring disposition made the

BIOGRAPHICAL

203

prominence of public life distasteful to him, and while
he supported the Republican party in political affairs and
did all in his power in an unostentatious way for the
advancement of all good efforts, he never accepted the
honors of public office. He was a member of the Uni¬
tarian church of Salem, Massachusetts, and gave largely
of his means to the advancement of religious progress.
Such a life as that of Francis H. Lee exemplifies the
usefulness of unheralded self-sacrifice. Yet it is the
pleasure of the biographer to attempt in some degree to
convey to the people of the present day and those
who shall come after, something of the gracious sig¬
nificance of such a life to the world. The name of
Francis H. Lee fittingly stands on these permanent
records of worthy effort and human progress.

Francis H. Lee married, in Salem, Massachusetts, on
October 17, 1871, Sophia E. Willson, daughter of Rev.
Edmund B. Willson, who was bom in Petersham, Massa¬
chusetts, August 15, 1820, and died in Salem, Massachu¬
setts, June 13, 1895. A prominent minister in his day
in the Unitarian church, he served for thirty-six years
in this connection and became a distinguished figure in
the progress of his denomination in Salem. He bought
the home in Petersham, Massachusetts, now occupied
by his daughters : Mrs. Lee and Miss Willson, in the
year 1883. He was deeply interested in all that pertained
to the completing of records both of family interest and
of public import, and he was the author of a work pub¬
lished many years ago, entitled “The One Hundredth
Anniversary of Petersham.” He married Martha A.
Buttrick, who was born July 20, 1815, and died Novem¬
ber 7, 1891. Mrs. Willson was a daughter of Major John
Buttrick, on whose farm the battle of Concord took
place in the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Lee survives her
husband and resides at No. 28 Chestnut Street, Salem,
Massachusetts, spending her summers in the beautiful
old Colonial homestead in Petersham.

JOHN WILSON BISHOP, president of the J. W.
Bishop Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was, at
his death, October 22, 1923, probably the oldest building
contractor actively engaged in the business in New
England. In 1924 he would have rounded out a full
half-century of active business life in Worcester, and
he had reason to be proud of his record, for he won a
degree of success and prominence equalled by few in
the same line of business. Many are the factors that
contributed to his achievement; thorough mastery of his
trade, sound judgment in estimating and vision, which
has been defined as “seeing what others do not see;
seeing farther than they see ; and seeing before they see.”
His energy and endurance were remarkable, and his in¬
dustry indefatigable. One characteristic of Mr. Bishop
that could not escape observation, even in a casual con¬
versation, was his high ethical ideal — his strong sense of
right and wrong, and his insistence on fair play. Having
arrived at a decision as to what was a just course to
pursue, he carried out his purpose with irresistible de¬
termination. He mounted each rung of the ladder from
the ranks of the apprentice, and therefore regarded a
problem or situation from the workman’s point of view
with a just appreciation of what was fair and right
to employee as well as employer. Hundreds of his men

had been with him for years, many of them since the
days of their apprenticeship, and few builders of his
time were so free from labor troubles. His bricklayers
had not gone out on strike in twenty-three years. Such
loyalty is an impressive tribute to his personality, char¬
acter, and methods. Mr. Bishop possessed rare insight
in judging the character and abilities of others, and
built an organization of high efficiency and dependability,
including some of the ablest men in the building business.

John Wilson Bishop was born in White Sands, Prince
Edward Island, now a province of Canada, May 29,
1846, son of William and Sarah (Hooper) Bishop. His
father, a ship carpenter by trade, came down from
Plymouth, England, to Canada, in 1818, and was for
many years employed in the shipyards at St. John, New
Brunswick, also following farming at White Sands, in
the southern part of the island. His mother was also a
native of England, a daughter of William Hooper. In
1857 the family removed to Lonsdale, Rhode Island.
There were nine children, and those who lived to ma¬
turity made their homes in Lonsdale, Providence, and
Smithfield.

Following the custom of the times, John W. and the
other boys went to work in the cotton mills when very
young. Their schooling was extremely short. At the
age of fifteen John W. left the cotton mill to learn the
trade of carpenter in the employ of Ezra Bliss, of Paw¬
tucket. Two years later he went to Providence and
worked for a year or more for John & Charles Hull,
builders. Though he had had but a year of school
altogether, he realized the importance of education and
applied himself with characteristic energy to study
during his spare hours. It is safe to say that he kept
pace with other boys who had the advantages of the best
school training.

When he came of age Mr. Bishop left home and came
to Worcester, entering the employ of H. W. Eddy, a
contractor and builder, having a carpenter’s shop on
Norwich Street. Afterward he worked for other build¬
ers in the city, for William Sibley, Thomas G. Learned,
and George S. Clough. He was a skillful craftsman,
and when he engaged in business as a builder, in 1874,
he had had a thorough training in all branches of car¬
penter and shop work. He rented a carpenter shop on
Central Street, and his first contract was for the con¬
struction of the large brick stables of Harrington
Brothers, on Central Street, a work of some magnitude
for a young contractor. Then he built the residence of
Thomas B. Eaton, on Boynton Street, and later the resi¬
dences of C. S. Goddard and W. B. Fay, on Irving
Street, both fine and costly houses. He succeeded and
his business developed. In 1880 he joined hands with
George H. Cutting, another capable builder, and the
partnership continued for thirteen years under the firm
name of Cutting & Bishop. The business of the firm
was extensive from the first, placing the partners among
the foremost builders of the State. When the firm
was dissolved in 1893 Mr. Bishop continued in business
alone under the name of J. W. Bishop & Company, and
the extent and aggregate of his contracts multiplied.
In 1899 he deemed it wise to incorporate the business,
and from that time he was president and principal owner
of the J. W. Bishop Company.

204

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

The monuments to Mr. Bishop’s ability and attain¬
ments, numerous and enduring, may be seen in the
private and public buildings that he erected in all parts
of the country, palaces at Newport and Lennox, great
government buildings, substantial business blocks. The
list of his contracts would fill pages, and the full story
of his life work would require a volume by itself. But
just as enduring as the brick and stone will be the
story of his rise from humble circumstances by his own
efforts, his self-training and his long and successful
career. His life is one of the best as a guide and
example to ambitious youth, an encouragement for the
young men starting on the road he traveled.

The offices and mill of the J. W. Bishop Company
are located at Nos. 107 and 109 Foster Street. The
woodwork for contracts in this section and the orna¬
mental iron work as well are wrought in these shops.
The Boston office is in the Essex Building, No. 683
Atlantic Avenue; the New York office at No. 101 Park
Avenue; other offices are located in New Bedford, Prov¬
idence, and Bridgeport. Mr. Bishop’s son, John Warren
Bishop, Jr., is vice-president and general manager, and
Herbert N. Leach is treasurer of the company. Other
vice-presidents are: Hey wood S. French, Boston; Robert
F. Brown, New York. The aggregate business for
many years has amounted to several millions a year.
Mr. Bishop had little time for other enterprises than
his own, but organized various subsidiary companies to
manufacture material used in his business. He was a
director of the Clason Architectural Metal Works, and
president of the Bishop Securities, Incorporated.

Mr. Bishop was a member of Athelstan Lodge,
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Eureka Chapter,
Royal Arch Masons; Worcester Lodge, Independent
Order of Odd Fellows; the Worcester County Me¬
chanics’ Association; the Worcester Country Club; the
Turks Head Club, Providence, Rhode Island; and the
Worcester Chamber of Commerce. In politics he was
a Republican. He attended, with his family, the Pil¬
grim Congregational Church.

Mr. Bishop married, January 4, 1870, Sarah A. Fos¬
ter, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Jane (Fales) Foster.
Mrs. Bishop, who died October 17, 1923, was descended
from Samuel Foster, the first of the family in this
country, who was born in England in 1619, and settled
in Dedham, early ; and from James Fales, the immigrant,
who came from England to Dedham in 1650. Lemuel
Fales, of the fourth generation, was a soldier in the Rev¬
olution, and Abner Torrey, Jr., another ancestor of Mrs.
Bishop, served in the Revolution. All her lines of
ancestry are traced to the pioneers of New England.
Mr. and Mrs. Bishop had the following children: 1.
Mina, born January 24, 1871, died in infancy. 2.
William Thomas, born February 25, 1872, died in Oc¬
tober, 1 91 1 ; he was associated with his father in busi¬
ness, and was vice-president of the J. W. Bishop Com¬
pany. 3. Frederick Herbert, born November 19, 1874,
died in infancy. 4. Florence Jane, born August 24, 1875.
5. Marion Edith, born August 16, 1877; married March
4, 1897, Thomas H. Coe, of Worcester. 6. John War¬
ren, Jr., a sketch of whom follows. 7. Sarah Adelaide,
born July 6, 1881, died May 12, 1912. 8. Alice Marie,
born July 7, 1884, died in infancy. 9. Nathaniel Smart,
born January 31, 1886, died April 13, 1904.

JOHN WARREN BISHOP, JR. — To hew to a

given line is a task far more exacting than to cut full and
free, and it is a debatable question whether the advantages
of a distinguished ancestry outweigh the psychological
handicap of a goal so lofty and difficult of attainment.
When John Warren Bishop, Jr., entered active business
life he was not confronted with the necessity of placing
his family name in a position of commanding respectful
attention and honor, but of so ordering his own endeav¬
ors that the high standards established by the founders
of the business should be the measure of his own achieve¬
ment. Responsibilities were early thrust upon him, and
the burdens increased as he proved his ability to bear
them. Thus for years he has shown himself able to
maintain the prestige of the family name.

In Plymouth, England, the Bishop family, in this
branch, was identified for many generations with such
endeavors as added to the sum of human happiness and
contributed to the general welfare and prosperity of the
civic body. William Bishop, Mr. Bishop’s grandfather,
a ship carpenter by trade, emigrating from Plymouth
to Canada in 1818, founded the family on this side of the
Atlantic, settling at White Sands, Prince Edward Island.
He later followed his trade for many years at St. John,
New Brunswick, in the great shipyards of that city.
He married Sarah Hooper, and the family removed to
Lonsdale, Rhode I