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REPRESENIA'IIVE  MEN 

and    OLD   FAMILIES     of 

SOUTHEASTERN 

MASSACHUSETTS 

CONTAINING 

HISTORICAL    SKETCHES     OF     PROMINENT    AND 
REPRESENTAl'IVE     liTIZENS     AND      GENEALOG- 
ICAL RECORDS  OF  MANY  OF  THE  OLD  FAMILIES 

illtjstrateB  ' 

VOLUME   11 

J.     H.     BEERS&CO. 

C  H  J  C  A  G  Ci                                       .       ■ 

1912 

"^mih^-^^' 


~4^^— 


1\H 


Sf 


/ 


INDEX 


Akin    Families 843,    1141 

Akin,  Francis    T 1141 

Akin,  Mrs.    Franklin   S....  1141 

Akin,  Peleg    P 843 

Akin,  Thomas     1143 

Albro    Family 1614 

Alden  Families     1506,  1704 

Alden,  George    N 1507 

Alden,  Lucas    W 1704 

Alger,  Mrs.    Abbie   A 1614 

Alger,  Arthur   M 896 

Alger    Families 

894,  949,  1231,  1613 

Alger,  Frank    S 949 

Alger,  Newton    H 1613 

Alger,  Stillman     1231 

Alger,  Rev.    William   R...     895 

Allen,  Edward    H 356 

Allen,  Ethan    1754 

Allen    Families 

70,  350,   1380,   1678,   1754 

Allen,  George   H.    H 357 

Allen,  Gideon,    Jr 355 

Allen,  Gideon   H 1380 

Allen.  Gilbert    355 

Allen.  Mrs.  Horatio  A 355 

Allen,  James    W 356 

Allen,  Joseph    D 1631 

Allen.  Samuel    1739 

Allen,  Mrs.    Sophia   A 1631 

Allen,  Thomas    F 1678 

Allen,  Walter    S.. 357 

Almy,  Benjamin    R 824 

Almy,  Mrs.  Emily  M 826 

Almy    Families 

670,  691,  824,  1662 

Almy,  Noi-man    L 1663 

Almy,  William    672 

Ames    Family    26 

Ames,  Frederick    L 29 

Ames,  Miss  Mary  S 30 

Ames,  Hon.    Oliver 27 

.Ames,  Hon.   Oliver,  Jr. . . .       28 
Anthony,  Benjamin    H....       48 

Anthony,  Daniel    A 1550 

Anthony,  Edmund    45 

Anthony,  Edmund,    Jr....       46 

Anthony,  Mrs.   Ella   F 1264 

Anthony   Families    ....45,   1550 
Anthony,  Mrs.  Sarah  0...       46 

Archer   Family    108 

Archer,  Dr.   Jason   H 109 

Archer,  John  J 109 


Arnold  Families.480,   1302,  1336 

Arnold,  Franklin    6 1302 

Arnold,  Moses   N 482 

Arnold,  Wallace    E 484 

Arnold,  William    B 483 

Arnold,  Wilson    W 1335 

Ashley,  Mrs.   Bettie  H 1322 

Ashley,  Charles    S 151 

Ashley  Families  150,  1321,  1783 

Ashley,  George    B 1783 

Ashley,  Henry   T 1322 

Ashley,  Jefferson    1114 

Atherton,   LeBaron 923 

Atwood,  Alton  B 611 

Atwood,  Benjamin   S......  216 

Atwood,  Charles  A.,  M.  D.  758 

Atwood,  Charles   H 1564 

Atwood,  Charles   N 609 

Atwood    Families   , 

216,  609,  758,  960,  1333, 

1366,    1543,    1563,    1616,  1788 

Atwood,  George   S 1333 

Atwood,  Gustavus    1616 

Atwood,  Dr.   Joseph 1366 

Atwood,  Josiah  W 1564 

Atwood,  Levi    1788 

Atwood,  Marcus    1543 

Atwood,  William   B 960 

Averell,  Edward    E 1317 

Averill     (Averell)    Family.  1317 
Ayer         (Ayers,        Ayres) 

Family    1517 

Babeock   Family 1521 

Bacon,  Ebenezer    858 

Bacon  Family   878 

Bacon,  Mrs.    Luoretia  M.  .  858 

Bailey   Family 18 

Baker,  Charles   A 1127 

Baker,  Charles    F 295 

Baker,  Charles  L 1127 

Baker   Families 

295,  572,  1087,  1099,  1126, 1319 

Baker,  Capt.  George  0....  1087 

Baker,  Capt.   Joshua  G . . .  572 

Ballou    Family   455 

Ballou,  Walter    455 

Barden   Family 677 

Barden,  Mrs.  Louise  B . . . .  681 

Barden,  Winthrop   F 681 

Barker,  Anson  J 1524 

Barker,  Capt.  Charles  W..  1410 
Barker,  Mrs.  Edith  F..208,  247 


Barker,  Edward    208 

Barker,  Mrs.   Emily  K 1411 

Barker  Families 

207,  331,  1410,  1524,  1655 

Barker,  Orville  A 1526 

Barnett,  George  D 1776 

Barney,  Algernon   H 1015 

Barney  Families 1014,   1063 

Barney,  Morgan    1064 

Barrows    Families 611,1275 

Barrows,  Fletcher  L 1277 

Barrows,  Horatio 1275 

Bartlett  Families.841,  1079,  1255 

Bartlett,  Frederick    D 841 

Bartlett,  Horace  1255 

Bass   Family 517 

Bassett,  Charles  A 319 

Bassett  Families    317,  1413 

Bassett,  I^ester  E 1415 

Bassett,  Rufus    W 319 

Bassett,  Thomas  B 320 

Bates,  Mrs.  Anna  W...524,  536 

Bates,  Mrs.    Elderetta 1491 

Bates,  Eliphalet  R 852 

Bates    Families 

401,  536,  851,  988,  1490 

Bates,  Joshua    536 

Bates,  Orrin    1490 

Bates,  Mrs.   Ruth   T 853 

Battles,  David    W 1769 

Battles    Family   1767 

Battles,  Joseph    1770 

Baxendale,  John   V 1676 

Baxendale,  John  W 1676 

Baxendale,  Thomas  A 320 

Baylies,  Charles  S 526 

Baylies    Family  524 

Baylies,  John  B 525 

Baylies,  Mrs.  Mary  C 525 

Baylies,  William     525 

Beal,  Charles  A 341 

Beal(s)   Families   338,905,  1179 

Beal,  Mrs.   Florence   L 340 

Beal,  George  A 339 

Beal,  George  C 340 

Beal,  Herbert    A 340 

Beals,  Arthur  L.,  M.D....  1179 
Beals    (Beal)    Familiea.... 

338.  905..  il79,  1614' 

Beals,  Isaiah    A . . .  w; lH4i 

Beals,  Joseph  E.  .,..}•  •••■•v-  .  ^"^ 
Beals,  Walter  h...^^:^..,:'J^l. 
Bearce,  Mrs.  JefferWMiS..', 


INDEX 


/live  L, 
JS.....1511, 

/  H.. ...... 

.liam  A. ...... 

^iiy 

lUiam  H 

Families 954, 

.^e,  Frank  A 

iickford    Family  

Bickford,  George   E 

Bickford,  Mrs.   Mary   T. . . 

Bird  Family 

Bishop  Family 

Blackinton,  Amos  S....... 

Blackinton    Family 

Blackmer      (Blackmore) 

Family  

Blackmer,  Herbert  A 

Blackstone,  Alfred  V.,  M.D. 
Blackstons    Family    ...... 

Blackstone,  Hollis  M...... 

Blake    Family   

Blake,  James  Edwin 

Blanding    Family   

Blanding,  AVilliam  W..... 

Bliss,  Charles    E 

Bliss,  Miss  Cordelia  L 

Bliss    Families 808, 

Blossom,  Aloiizo  C 

Blossom    Family    

ii.y  ' 

■  p 

■  ■  iot  L 

:       -   ;  .  Abbie  L 

'■.  '■'  5  Anna  H.  . . .. 
Borden,  Mrs.  Bertha  V... 
Borden.  Mrs.  Bethana  B.. 
Borden,  Miss  Carrie  L. .  . . 

Borden,  Charles  F 

Borden,  Edwin    

Borden,  Mrs.  Ellen  F.. .. . 

Borden    Families  

8,  82,  417,  553,  1228, 
Borden,  Henry    F.,    M.D. . . 

Borden,  Jonathan    

Borden,  Nathaniel    B 

Borden,  Nathaniel   B.,  Jr.. 

Borden,  Philip  D 

Borden,  Philip  H 

Borden,  Col.  Richard 

Borden,  Richard  B 

Borden,  Robert  R 

Borden,  Simeon,  Sr 

Borden,  Simeon,  Jr 

Borden,  Col.  Tliomaa  J 

Bourne,  Edmnnd  W 

Bourne    I'amily    

Bourne,  Standish    

Bowen   F.imily   

Bowen,  .Joseph   A 

Boyden,  Dr.  Albert  G. .  . .  . 
Boyder,  viithur   C. ..... , 

BtrMTen    Family 

.Boyden,  Mrs.  Isabella  W.. 

Boyden,  Wallace   C 

Bradford,  Cornelius    F . . . . 


1524  Bradford    Families    ...... 

1522  915,  1284,  1,305 

1226  Bradford,  Miss  Frances  M.     916 

1226  Bradford,  Lewis    G 915 

213  Bradford,  Miss  Mary  E...    1080 

213  Bradford,  Mrs.  Mary  E...    1307 

214  Bradford,  William 1079 

1746  Braley,  Mrs.    Annie   E 949 

1746  Braley    Families... 304,    948 

1513  Braley,  Capt.  Sierra  L....     948 

635  Brayton.  Mrs.   Caroline  E.      125 

637  Brayton,  David  A 122 

1627  Brayton,  Miss  Elizabeth  H.     123 

956  Br.ayton   Family    .....      120 

753  Brayton,  Miss  Harriet  H..      124 

753  Brayton,  Hezekiah    A 124 

75,5  Brayton,  John  S 123 

422  Brayton,  Miss  Julia   W...      122 

1779  Brayton.  William  B 122 

1474  Brett,  Ellis 239 

1472  Brett  Families 

239,  366,  516,  1764 

1530  Brett,  Henry  A .368 

1531  Brett,  William  F 367 

562  Brett,  Zenas  F 368 

560  Briggs,  Abram  T 999 

561  Brigas    Families 

714  457.  510,  729,  911,   1000, 

714  1246,   1354,   1581,   1596 

1313  Briggs,  Franklin     731 

1315  Briggs,   George   E 1596 

977  Briggs,  George  R... ..   1246 

978  Briggs,  Seth  M 1354 

976  Brightman.  Charles  0.  ....     851 

1476  Brightman,  Charles  P 1649 

1475  Brightman,  Miss  Eva  St.  C.  1648 

1516  Brightman  Families.  .  .850,  1647 

1517  Brightman,  Hathaway    ....  1648 

839  Bronson    Family    397 

340  Bronson,  Dr.  John  R 397 

13  Brown    Families. 008,  1273,  1771 

1359  Brown,  Isaac    A 1772 

419  Brown,  Marcus  A 1273 

13  Erownell,  Alvin   C 1030 

1247  Brownell,  Benjamin  F 1481 

555  Brownell,  Mrs.  Deborah  D.    1481 

14  Brownell.  Mrs.  Evelyn  H..      777 
Brownell   Families 

1248  691.  082,  1030,  1177,  1471, 
1228  1480,  1630 

554  Browiiell,  Fenner    1472 

84  Brownell,  Fenner    C. 1472 

89  Brownell,  Isaac    T 1178 

1250  Brownell.  Joseph   692 

419  Brow-nell.  William    H 1030 

P  Bryant  F.amilies 868,  1699 

13  BrV.int.   Walter   C 867 

1250  Buffington,  Darius    1368 

87  Buffinton    (Buffington)    Fa- 

88  milies 1219,    1367,    1706 

11         Buffinton,  Frank 1707 

1291  Buffinton,  Mrs.   James  N..     277 

1289  Buffinton,  Oliver 1707 

1291  Bullard  Family 1020 

1244  Bullard,  John" T.,   M.D....    1019 

1245  Bullock,  Hon.  William  J..   1296 

J44  Bump   Families 1659,   1673 

,  .„  Bump,  James    S 1674 

\Zn  Bump,  Josiah  B 1660 

\^J:  Burbank  Family 1519 

147  Burrell,  David  T 1668 

147  Burrell   Families 793,   1665 

1305         Burrell.   Jarvis 1666 


Burt  Families .....  789,  1278 

Burt,  Henry   P .......  791 

Burt,  Samuel  P.   ..........  790 

Burt,  T.  Preston..........  1279 

Bushee,  Albert  A.    .......  1791 

Bushee,  Charles  H ....... .  1790 

Bushee   Family 1788 

Byram    Family ...........  517 

Cady    Family    ...........  1050 

Cady,  Frank  L.........    .  1050 

Gaboon,  Mrs.   Annie  J....  559 

Gaboon,  Elleiy  C ........ .  S58 

Gaboon  Family.  ..........  558 

Caldwell,  Benjamin   0.....  1108 

Caldwell  Family. .....,.,.  1108 

Canedy  Family. ..........  1452 

Canedy,  Zebulon  L. ....... .  1452 

Capron,  Everett   S 1583 

Capron  Family 1582 

Capron,  Harford   A.    .....  1583 

Carleton  Family 1750 

Carleton,  George  H 1750 

Carleton,  Mrs.  Mary  W...  1751 

Carpenter,  Mrs.    Eliza   J. .  1583 

Carpenter    Families.  .  .642,  1578 

Carpenter,  Frank  L 642 

Carpenter,  Mrs.  Harriet  D.  1581 

Carpenter,  Henry  L 1580 

Carpenter,  Lyman    1581 

Carpenter,  Shcpard    W....  )580i 

Carr  Family 5534 

Carr,  Simeon  D. 1534 

Gary,  Charles  H 1 564 

Cary  Families 360,  517,  3  564 

Car'y,  Mrs.    Matilda   F....  363 

Gary,  William   H 360 

Case,  Charles   A 1663 

Case,  Charles   E 1745 

Case  F.amilies 1663,  1745 

Case,  Mrs.  Nellie  M 1664 

Caswell,  Mrs.  Eliza  J 1640 

Caswell    F.amily 1639 

Caswell,  William  H 1039 

Chace,  Arthur  F.,  M.D. . .  .  707 

Chace,  Benjamin    S 707 

Chace,  Charles  A 707 

Chace      (Chase)      Families 

132,  237,  518,   S54,  1218, 

1343,  IGlo 

Chace,  Frank    C 1220 

Chace,  Frank  M ^kk 

Chace,  George  A 

Chace,  George    M 

Chace,  Rev.  Obadiah.. 
Chace,  Mrs.  Sarah  A. . 

Chace,  Walter  F ., 

Chace,  Warren  0 708 

Chace,  William  B.  M......  518 

Chamberlain    Fiimily 403 

Chambeilain,  Loyed  E 402 

Chandler,  Cleaveland   A...  70 

Chandler  Families.  .68,  965,  1195 

Chandler,  Henry  W 966 

Chandler,  Joseph   1196 

Chase,  Edward  L 1343 

Chase  (Chace)   Families... 

132,  237,  518,  854,   1218, 

1343,  1015 

Chase,  Simeon  E 133 

Child  Family 1252 

Church  Families... 5.52,  740,  1254 

Church,  Nathaniel    552 


INDEX 


IX 


atliaway,  Sai.uuel  W.    .  . .  G14 

athaway,  WiilUam  J.    ...  1196 

authaway,  C/harles   L.    .  .  289 

Hauthaway,  ijharles  M.    . .  288 

Haulliaway,  'l^iank:  M.    ...  291 

Bav'haway,  (Mrs.    Susan 

Avffusta       290 

Hawes,  Edw  ard  E.,  M.D .  .  600 

Hawes,  Mrs'.  Eliza  P 1394 

Hawes   Families    

227.   'oOO,    1183,   1389,  1392 

Hawes,  Fr^ederick  B 1391 

Hawes,  Ge  orge  H 230 

H:iwes,  Jonathan    C 1391 

Hawes,  l\''-rs.  Mary  W 1391 

Hawes,  Ciliver  K 230 

Eawes,  (Jliver  S 229 

Hawes,  'Svlvanus  T 1392 

Hawes,  William   C 1184 

Hawes,  William  M 229 

Hawes.  William   T 1184 

Hawkins,  Charles   W 997 

Hawkins,  Edward  L 997 

Hawkins,  Edwin  M 997 

Hawldns  Family 996 

Hawkins,  Henry  C 997 

Hay-s,  Mrs.  Helen  L 1636 

Hay  ward,  Ernest    L 885 

Haj  ward  Families  234,  SS4.  1532 

Hay  ward,  John  L 1532 

Hayivard,  Dr.  Joseph  W .  .  884 

Hay.vard,  Walter   B.,  M.D.  885 

Heard  Family   517 

;iied(;e,  Barnabas    1169 

Hedge  Family   1168 

.Hedge,  Mrs.  Priscilla  S.   ..  1170 

Harney  Family    985 

''lersom    Family    1455 

Hersom,  Tliomas   1455 

Hervey,  E.  Williams    912 

.Eervey  Family    911 

Eowett,  Miss  Ellen  E.    .  . .  478 

He\i'ett  Family   477 

Hewett,  Herman     478 

Hewett,  Joseph    477 

Hewett,  Justin    479 

Hewett,  Mrs.    Mary    0 479 

Hey  wood.  Miss  Grace  A...  1543 

Hey  wood,  John  J 1542 

Hicks,  Andrew    771 

Hicks,  Barney 770 

Hicks,  Miss  Charlotte   771 

Hicks   Family    769 

Hicks,  Isaac     771 

Hicks,  .John   Jay    771 

Hicks,  Miss  Maria  R 772 

Hicks,  Mrs.  Sarah  A 772 

Hicks,  William  B 772 

Hill    Family    675 

Hills  Family   1495 

Hills,  George  H 1496 

Hobart,  Hon.  Aaron    7 

Hf  bart,  Edward    S 

Hobart.  Edward  E 1567 

Hobart  Families   ...5.  796.  1567 

Hodge,  Michael  743 

'"^odges    Families    

846,  1051,  1319,  1584 

Frederick  G ' 

'  ''onard   M. 
Ham  B. 
)   Far- 
inu' 


Holbrook,  Mrs.  Susan  J...    1731 

Hollis,  Mi-s.  Esther   967 

Hollis  Family   967 

Hollis,  John  H 967 

Hollywood  Family   1683 

Hollywood,  Joseph  M 1683 

Holman,  David  Emory, 

M.  D 298 

Holman   Family 296 

Holman,  Samuel  F 298 

Holmes,  Albert  W 1424 

Holmes,  Barnabas  H 1518 

Holmes,  Charles   J 280 

Holmes,  Charles  L 281 

Holmes,  Edward     395 

Holmes,  Ezra     1680 

Holmes    Families    

277,  392,  1424,  1518,  IGSO 

Holmes,  Frank  H 395 

Holmes,  Miss  Helen 395 

Holmes,  Miss  Helen  R.   ...    1519 

Holmes,  Josiah,  Jr 1427 

Hoames,  JiUdgei  Lemuel  TieB:    838 
"lolmes,  Mrs.  Mary  A.    . .  .     281 

Holmes,  Paraclete    W 396 

Hood,  Alfred  H 592 

Hood  Family  591 

Hood,  William  P 591 

Hooper   Families    285,     555 

Hooper,  Dr.  Frederick  H..      555 

Hooper,  George  M 286 

Horton,  Adin  B 1237 

Horton,  Charles  M 919 

Horton,  Edwin  J 444 

Horton,  Mrs.   Emily  H.    . .     447 
Horton,  Maj.  Everett  S.   . .     442 

Horton  Families   

441,  731,  917,  1236 

Horton,  Gideon   M 446 

Horton,  James  J 447 

Horton,  Mrs.  Mary  J 1237 

Horton,  Nathaniel  B 1237 

Horton,  Raymond  M 448 

Hosmer   Family    1408 

Hosmer,  Stephen  D 1408 

Hough  Family     453 

Hough,  Garry  deN 454 

Hough,  George   A 454 

Hough,  Dr.  George  T 453 

Hovey  F.imily 1681 

Howard,  Charles     96 

Howard,  Cyrus    1715 

Howard,  Daniel  S.,  Jr 44 

Howard,  Daniel  S.,  Sr 42 

Howard,  Miss  Edith  F 540 

Howard,  Embert     309 

Howard  Families   

40,  96,  309,  r.36,  764.  993,  1162 
1513.    1038,    1668,    1682,    1715 

Howard,  I'rancis  E 536 

Howard,  George    993 

Howard,  Gorham   B 43 

Howard,  Harry  C 995 

Howard,  James  E 1164 

Howard,  .Jeremiah   B 1515 

Howard,  U>avitt  T 1682 

Howard,  Lester  S 1515 

Howard,  Mrs.   Mary  Cobb.       43 

-'■d,  Nathan  C 1514 

Mrs.    Sylvia  M. .  .    1683 

'arren  A 43 

■\v    1110 

vs  H 1110 


Howland,  Abraham  H.    ...  466 

Howland,  Miss  Elizabeth  K.  155 

Howland   Families 

153,  464,  805,  1116,  1323,  1508 

Howland,  Miss  Mary  T...  467 

Howland,  Peleg  C 154 

Howland,  Hon.  Weston  .  . .  467 

Hubbard,  Mrs.   Clara  I 860 

Hudner    Family    1728 

Hudner,  Michael  T.   1729 

Hume,  Miss  E.  Maude   . .  .  556 

Humphrey   Families. .  1625,  1710 

Humphrey,  Galen 1626 

Himiphrey,  George  W 1711 

Hunt,  Dr.  Charles  R 522 

Hunt  Families 334,  521,  1059 

Hunt,  Reuben    1060 

Hussey,  Miss  Emily  Morgan  135 

Hussey,  George 135 

Hussey-Morgan    Family. . .  134 

Ingraham   Family 1784 

Ingraham,  Robert   C......    1785 

Innesa,  Thomas  B. 526 

Ivers,  Miss  Ella  F 265 

Ivers  Family 264 

Ivers,  Samuel 264 

Jackson,  Amos  M.,  M.D...  162 

Jackson,  Elisha   T 1076 

Jackson  Families 160,  1073 

Jackson,  James  F 1076 

Jackson,  John  A 1074 

.Jackson,  John  H.,  M.  D.  . .  161 

Jackson,  Oliver  H.,  M.  D. .  162 

Jackson,  Prescott  H 1075 

Jackson,  Ralph  W.,  M.  D. .  161 

Jean,  Jean  B 1324 

Jenkins  Family 400 

Jenkins,  George  0.- 400 

Jenney   Families    ....1544,  1700 

Jenney,  Mrs.  Mary  A 195 

Jennej',  Mrs.  Mary  E 1545 

Jenney,  Perry    P 1545 

Jennings,  Jlrs.  Annie  B . . .  366 

.Jennings  Family 364 

Jennings,   William  H 365 

Jones,  'Mrs.  Abbie  B 396 

Jones,  Augustus  T 578 

Jones,  Bradford  E 235 

Jones  Families   235,  578 

Jones,  Heni'y  M 397 

Keevey,  Peter   1404 

Keith,  Adelbert  F 18 

Keith,  Allen  P 718 

Keith,  Bela    654 

Keith,  Charles   74 

Keith,  Charles  P 74 

Keith,  Dennis  Gary   23 

Keith,  Edward  A 19 

Keith,  Edward  H 429 

Keith,  Edward  P 1575 

Keith,  Edwin    (Brockton).  778 

Keith,  Edwin   (Taimton)..  183 

Keith,  Eldon  B 23 

Keith,  Elmer    L 1423 

Keith  Families    

14.     71,     184,    267,     426, 
488,  718,  775,  783,  1145, 

1352,    1420,    1465,    1575,  1585 

Keith,  Frank  P 1464 


INDEX 


Kei^.  ,  George  E 20 

■^^•;i'  ,  Harold  C 23 

!Ui."'   ,  Horace  A 267 

.li'"'';-,  Howard   P 1585 

KtiOi,  Martin  L 777 

f;<'!(,li,  Merton  S 1424 

Ktil;:,  Myron  L 25 

K<>)i',  Nahuni    Williams..  1352 

Kftiti  ,  Nathan  1145 

Pvn'ci.,  Preston  B 75 

tftlth,  Roland  M 489 

Keith,  Rufus  P 77 

XjAlh,  Miss  Sarah  E.   .  .  .  185 

■~rM:h,  Capt.  Seth   382 

.     .-'  ,  Simeon  Elliott   ....  430 

;;  ;:    ,  S.  Lorin   400 

y.'.'-  '  ,  Solomon   490 

■■■:.      .,  Wallace  C,  M.  D..  783 

..  ,111,  Warren  R 428 

■>:,■!  .h,  Ziba  C 779 

,  .  Jey,  Charles  S 243 

iV.'jley  Families   241,  1411 

I'.ll.-y,  George  W 888 

i<  (-:'  loy,  Mrs.  Sarah  A 244 

Kf'.ipton,  David  B 937 

KjLi;)ton  Families  ....936,  1026 

Ee.iiDton,  Mrs.  Susan  H...  937 

j'Cem.  John  S 90 

K;it;'irn(Kilbom-ne)  Family  1619 

Killv.irn,  William  J '  1G20 

Kin  uall  Family    130 

King   Family   1165 

Sir;;-,  William  B 1166 

t'^i'^man,  Benjamin  S 1043 

j\  in.^man,  Calvin  D 408 

Jsii.gman  Families 

•109,  913,  974,  1325,  1540,  1643 

Kingman,  Gardner  J 1325 

Kingman,  Herbert  L 913 

Kingman,  Horace   974 

J-'.iiigman,i  Josiah  W 1326 

iZingman,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  . .  410 

Kiiig:man,  Ruins  P 1541 

Kirby  Families 601,  917 

1v,by,  Holder  C,  M.  D..  .  603 

s^iu.wles,  Daniel  M 196 

Jinowles,  Edward  0 196 

Knowles  Family   192 

Knowles,  Henry  M 196 

K,uowle3,  Capt.  John  P.   . .  194 

Knowles,  John  P.,  Jr 195 

is./!.~wles,  Joseph  .  '. 197 

Ki;owles,  Joseph  C 195 

Ki.owles,  Joseph  F 198 

Ivi'owles,  Mrs.  Mary  J.    .  .  195 

ICi/'^wles,  Thomas  H 194 

Knowles,  William   H 196 

Kollock,  Mrs.  Helen  M.    ..  1516 

Kollock,  Lemuel  M 1516 

Lane,  Alonzo  662 

Lane,  Mrs.  Deborah  M.   ...  1404 

Lane,  Maj.  Everett    662 

Lane   Families    060,  1402 

Lane,  George  F 1402 

Lane,  Mrs.  Helen  E 662 

Lane,  Jenkins    661 

Lane,  Richmond  J 661 

Lane,  Zenas  M 662 

Lawrence  Family   1164 

Lawrence,  Miss  Ida  E 1165 


Lawrence,  James  W' 116: 

Lawrence,  Dr.  N.  Louise..  162i 

Lawson  Family 136! 

Lawson,  Frederick  W 1369 

Lawton,  Charles  H 512 

Lawton,  Mrs.  Clara  P.    .  . .  513 

Lawton  Family 511 

Lawton,  Horace  A 512 

Lawton,  Mrs.  Marv  E 512 

Leach  Families.  .  .'380,  382,  1084 

Leach,  Henry  W 1085 

Leach,  James  C 379 

Leach,  Mrs.  Phebc   381 

LeBaron  Families   831,  1035 

Leonard,  Cornelius   II.    ...  1377 

Leonard,  Daniel   B 590 

Leonard  Families   

587,     1217,     1264,     1277,  1378 

Leonard,  Henry  T 589 

Leonard,  Job  M 1265 

Leonard,    Milton   H,,   M.D.  590 

Leonard,  Theodore  W.     .  .  .  1218 

Lewis  Families 211,  1008 

Lewis,  Zcnas  W 1008 

Lincoln,  Edward   346 

Lincoln,  Edward  E 346 

Lincoln  Families.  .  .66,  343,  1010 

Lincoln,  George  A 1012 

Lincoln,  Miss  Helen  B.   . .  .  67 

Lincoln,  Henry   C 346 

Lincoln,  Heniy  E 1012 

Lincoln,  James  M 348 

Lincoln,  Mrs.   Jeauctto  A..  1013 
Lincoln,  Jonathan    T.     (de- 
ceased)      •"44 

Lincoln,  Leoutine     347 

Lincoln,  Lorenzo 348 

Lincoln,  Miss  Mary  E 346 

Lincoln,  Nathaniel  R 348 

Lincoln,  Theodore  G 67 

Lincoln,  Theodore  I; 67 

Lincoln,  Gen.  Tliomas   ....  66 

Lindscy,  Crawford  E 21;i 

Lindsey  Family 214 

Lindsey,  Mrs.  Mary  E 216 

Little  Family 1545 

Lothrop,  Edwin  H 880 

Lothrop    Families 31,  880 

Loud  Family   389 

Loud,  Reuben    '   389 

Lovell,  Dr.  Charles  E 1076 

Lovell   Families 

1076,  1205,  1463,  1624 

Lovell,  George  W 1464 

LovoU,  Samuel  C 1205 

Levering,  Charles  L 63 

Lovering  Family 61 

Lovering,  Henry  j\t 65 

Lovering,  Willard     62 

Lovering,  William  C 64 

Low,  Emery  M 438 

Low  Family  -438 

Luce,  Arthur  G 1687 

Luce  Family    1686 

Luce,  Capt.  Hervey  E 1686 

Luce,  Matthew    1061 

Lund  Family   182 

Lund,  Parkman  M 184 

Luscomb,  Andrew 349 

Lu!'"ii'  ■.  ~'  s.  Mary  M. .  .  .  ' 

Lui.  ..,'1     :■       les   B 

Lu  '  ••     ■      .lilies 683, 


' -■!'  ier,  Joseph  G.  .;. . . 
•  -.■'.ler,  Samuel  M.  I  . . 
-^  „n,  Arthur  V.,  M,.D. 
Lyon  Family   \ . . 

Macomber  Families    .' . 
1144,\l 
Macomber,  Miss  Harriie 
Macomber,  Capt.  John', 
Macomber,  John  C.    .  . ,. 

Macomber,  Joseph  L.  .'....  ili-i\j 

Macy,  Edwin  B 3  . ,  ,  293 

Macy  Family '.  . .  291 

Macy,  Frank  H 294 

Macy,  Frederick    '.. .  29i^ 

Macy,  Frederick  B 29? 

Macy,  George  1 293 

Macy,  James  R 294 

Macy,  Philip  E 294 

Macy,  Tliomas  W 294 

Magiathlin   Family    998 

Maglathlin,  Capt.  Henry  B.  998 

Magri,  Countess    Lavinia..  1674 

Makinson  Family   .'206 

Makinson,  John   F 1206 

Manchester  Family    1005 

Mandell,  Augustus  IT.. M.D.  I'i36 

Mandell   Family    1''35 

Manley,  Albert    1 194 

Manley  Families    ....1191,  1533 

Manley,  Milo  1193 

Mann,  Charles    F 1)74 

Mann   Families    673,  ')4C 

Mann,  Frederick  C 072 

Mann,  Mrs.  Pamelia  L.    .  .  ()74: 

Manning   Family    1611 

Manning,  Lucian    W 1C13 

Marang,  Mrs.  Clara  Swift.  2,57 

Marbel  Family    1557 

Marbel,  Capt.   William   P..  1557 

Marshall   Family    1232 

Marshall,  Howard   T 1234 

Marston,  Arthur  B.,  3d...  1695 

Marston  Family   1693 

Marston,  Harry   L i6Sl^ 

Marston,  Zenas  L ICS  , 

Martin   Family 74  ; 

Marvin  Family   39 

Mavx  in.  Nelson  H 39 

Mii-on   Families    

405,  518,  934,   1048,  104 

Mason,  Francis  A 104- 

Mason,  Frederick    40:- 

Mason,  Herbert  N 105i' 

Maxim,  Charles  M 177' 

Maxim,  Clarence  W 177! 

Maxim   Family    1'^^' 

McCrillis  Family   172' 

McCrillis,  Mrs.  Hetty  T....172J 

McCrillis,  John  S 172/ 

McCullough.  Jolm    508 

McLathlin  Family    1752 

MeWhirr,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  J.  1361 

McWliirr,  Robert  A 1360 

Meaney,  Mrs.    Mary    1462 

Meaney,  Thomas  J 1460 

Mendell,  James   H 1537 

Messingor,   Austin    1376 

H  Family 637 

■  Mshai    125 

Uig  Families   . 


INDEX 


XI 


families   

126,  1004,   1171,  1386,  1419 

aller,  Franklin  H 1172 

Miller,  John   A 1005 

Miller,  Southard  H 1172 

Milliken,  Charles  W.,  M.D.  301 

Milliken  Families    302,  1481 

Milliken,  Mrs.  Helen  K.   . .  197 

Milliken,  Joseph    K 1483 

Mitchell  Families    ....282,  287 

Mitchell,  Herbert    284 

Mitchell,  Isam     283 

Moore,  Charles  E 617 

Morey  Family   541 

Jlorgan,  Charles   W 135 

Morgan    Family 134 

Morse,  Alfred  B 939 

Morse,  Edward  N 939 

Morse  Families   

937,    1433,    1568,  1774 

Morse,  Harrison     1568 

Morse,  John   P 1773 

Morse,  Justin  N 940 

Morse,  Nahum  F 1433 

Morton,  Charles  H 1364 

Morton,  Ephraim  S 1181 

Morton  Families 

,  358,  548,  901,   1182,  1363 

Morton,  Herbert  A 551 

Morton,  James  M.,  LL.  D.  359 

Morton,  James   M.,   3d 360 

Morton,  Hon.   Marcus    .63,  551 

Morton,  Thomas   J 550 

Miinro  (Munroe)  Family.  .  1775 

Munroe,  Miss  Charlotte  B.  1776 

Munroe,  Josiah     1776 

•  ash,  Mrs.  Clara  J 922 

ash  Families    920,  1151 

ash,  Thomas  N 921 

\eill,  Hon.   Joseph   0 739 

■eill,  Mrs.  Marv  J.  Conant  739 

Tclson   Families   458,  1546,  1589 

■elson,  Mrs.  Hannah 

Coomer 460 

elson,  John  H 1589 

i-elson,  Mrs.  Mary  D.  W.  .  1592 

Kelson,  Sidney  Tucker    .  .  .  1549 

Nelson,  William    H 459 

•lewcomb  Families    .  .  .  159,  820 

Miwcomb,  Miss  Harriot  A. 

67,  160 

'  feWcomb,  Nathaniel    159 

^cwoomb,  Mrs.  Sarah  J... 

822,  847 

'fewcomb,  Washington  L.  .  821 

■'■fewton,  Mrs.  James  E .  .  .  .  984 

fickerson.  Capt.  Alfred    . .  173 

.-foyes,  Edward  0 1503 

■■foyes  FamJIv    1503 

Nutter,  Charles   L 255 

Nutter  Faiiiily    253 

Nutter,  Isaac  N 254 

K  utter,  Richard  W 255 

Nye,  Charles  H 412 

Nye,  Charles  H.,  Jr 413 

Nye,  David   D 1261 

Nye  Families. 329,  412,  785 

1103,  1107,  1234,  1356,  1743 

Nye,  James  H 1234 

Nye,  Obed     785 

Nye,  Mrs.  Susan  C 1104 

Nye,  Thomas   1104 


Nye,  Willard   330 

Nye,  Willard,  Jr 331 

Nye,  William  F 1107 

Nye,  William   L 1357 

Oesting,  F.    William    982 

Oesting,  Mrs.  Violetta  C.  982 

Osborn   Family    37 

Osborn,  Mrs.  Hannah  F.  .  .  532 

Osborn,  James  E 40 

Osborn,  James   M 39 

Osborn,  Judge  Joseph   ....  37 

Osborn,  Weaver    38 

Osborn,  William  J 37 

Osborne  Family 750 

Osborne,  William   H.     ..'.  .  752 

Packard,  Mrs.  AUie  V.  ...  1148 

Packard,  Davis  S 78 

Packard,  DeWitt  Clinton .  .  081 

Packard,  Elmer  C 513 

Packard   Families   78,    111,  326, 

513,  520,  604,  681,  1214,  1258 

1374,    1488,    1636,    1702,  1752 

Packard,  Frederick    Ill 

Packard,  Fred  H 604 

Packard,  Fred  L 1216 

Packard,  George  A 1702 

Packard,  Mrs.  Harriet  J...  1753 

Packard,  Josiah   Q 1488 

Packard,  Martin 1636 

Packard,  Moses  A 326 

Packard,  Nathan  F 1752 

Packard,  Nathaniel  R.    .  . .  520 

Packard,  Robert  H 1374 

Packard,  Sidney  E 1215 

Packard,  Stunner  T 80 

Packard,  Warren  B 606 

Page    (Paige)    Family   ....  556 

Paige,  Nomus,  M.  D 556 

Paige,  Dr.  Onias   558 

Paine,  A.  Elliot,  M.  D 905 

Paine   Family    903 

Park  Family   1758 

Park,  Frederick  Waldo   ...  1758 

Parker,  David  L 1017 

Parker  Families 1016,  1271 

Parker,  Capt.  Josiah   1467 

Parker,  Ward  M 1016 

Parker,  William  C 1271 

Parker,  William  N 1466 

Partridge,  Miss  Deborah  A.  1372 

Partridge  Family   1371 

ParUl,  Mrs.  Abbie  F 142 

Paull,  Elbridge  G 1690 

PauU  Families  ..141,  1493,  1689 

Paull,  John    141 

Pearse  Family 1099 

Pearse,  George  G 1102 

Pearse,  William  G 1102 

Pearse,  William      H.,      de- 
ceased      1101 

Pearse.  William  H 1102 

Peck,  Capron   1201 

Peck,  Clarence   A 748 

Peck  Families 746,  1200 

Peck,  Frank    0 749 

Peck,  Herbert  L 748 

Peck,  Jathniel  A 746 

Peck,  Miss  Lvdia  D 1202 

Peck,  Russell  A 748 

Peckham,  Anson  C.,M.  D..  1037 


Peckham  Families   . . .  1038,  1528 

Peckham,  Henry  C 1527 

Peirce,  Mrs.   Amanda   E. . .  34 

Peirce,  Charles  M.,  Jr.   ...  34 

Peirce  Family 810 

Peirce,  Hon.  James  P 810 

Penney  Family   1725 

Penney,  Justin  B 1725 

Percival,  Henrv  M 936 

Perkins  Families 

,■  231,    '312,    --647,      1148, 

1485,    1588,    1600,    1721,  1739 

Perldns,  George  A 1486 

Perkins,  Henry    647 

Perkins,  James    1588 

Perkins,  Merritt  G 233 

Perkins,  Oscar  C 232 

Perkins,  Stillman  S 1721 

Perkins,  Thomas  H 1486 

Perkins,  William    (2)    1601 

Perry,  Alonzo  W 1160 

Perry,  Augustus  -F 1698 

Perry  Families 1160,  1698 

Perry,  Mrs.  Lucy  M 464 

Perry,  Mrs.  Susan  B 1699 

Philbrick,  Mrs.  Annie  E. . .  349 

Phillips  Family 928 

Phillips,  Capt.  Jacob  B.  . . .  800 

Phillips,  Lot    928 

Pickens  Families.  .411,  641,  811 

Pierce,  Alfred    533 

Pierce,  A.  Martin,  M.  D . . .  33 

Pierce,  Andrew  G 35 

Pierce,  Anthony    910 

Pierce,  Mrs.  Caroline  L...  36 

Pierce,  Charles  S 157 

Pierce,  Miss  Clara 911 

Pierce       (Pearce,      Pearse) 

Families  32,  155,  533,  910,  1491 

Pierce,  George  R 157 

Pierce,  James    1491 

Pierce,  Mrs.  Lizzie  J 34 

Pierce,  Mrs.  Mary 1492 

Pierce,  Otis  N 36 

Pitts  Families    718,  1355. 

Pitts,  Joseph  S 1355 

Poisson,  Joseph    1260 

Poole,  Benjamin  F 1058 

Poole   Families.  1057,    1136,  1449 

Poole,  Isaac    B 1449 

Poole,   I.   Chester 1450 

Poole,  Jerome  B 1060 

Pope,  Charles  E 1455 

Pope   Families    922,  1454 

Porter  Family   628 

Porter,  Henry  S 628 

Porter,  John    568 

Potter,  Andrew  H 1285 

Potter,  Capt.  Alden  T.   .  . .  1043 

Potter  Families   1043,  1284 

Potter,  Warren  B 1286 

Potter,  William   F 1287 

Pratt,  Augustus    1338 

Pratt,  Dr.  Charles  A 569 

Pratt,  Charles  H 1372 

Pratt   Families.. 796,  1251, 

1338,    1342,    1350,    1372,  1382 

Pratt,  Henry  K 1251 

Pratt,  Henry  T 1352 

Pratt.  Mrs.  Jennie  E 1251 

Pratt,  Joseph     1381 


Xll 


INDEX 


Pratt,  Mrs.  M.  Adah 1452 

Pratt,  .  Prescott  H 1341 

Presbrey  Family 797 

Presbrey,  Mrs.  Fannie  S. .  .  SOO 

Presbrey,  Silas  D.,  M.  D.. .  708 

Presbrey,  William   L 799 

Proctor  Family  1702 

Puffer  F-amily   575 

Puffer,  Dr.  Loring  W 575 

Quinby  Family   822 

Quinby,  Oliver   B 822 

Randall  Family 1732 

Randall,  George  H 1732 

Rankin  Family   1556 

Rankin,  Mrs.  Kate  J 1557 

Rankin,  William 1556 

Rankin.  William  J 1557 

Read,  Alexander,  M.  D.   . .  92 

Read,  Benjamin  B 1407 

Read,  Mrs.  Cynthia  A 620 

Eead(e)  Families 

91,  540,  619,  1407 

Read,  Joseph  R 619 

Read,  Paddock  R 540 

Read,  William  A 92 

Reade    (Reed)    Families... 

49,  341,  853 

Reed,  Arthur  B 388 

Reed,  Edward  P 387 

Reed  (Reade)  Families  ... 

49,    341,   386,   859,    1151,  1670 

Reed,  Mrs.  Georgiana  S .  . .  388 

Reed,  Henry  G 860 

Reed,  Mrs.  Joseph  S 1789 

Reed,  L.  Alston 342 

Reed,  Lucius    341 

Reed,  Hon.  Warren  A 49 

Remington,  Clinton  V.  S..  175 
Remington,  Mrs.    Elizabeth 

A.   .    174 

Remington  Family   173 

Remington,  Hale 175 

Remington,  Joshua 281 

Remington,  Robert  K 173 

Reynard,  Capt.  Robert  P..  .  1018 

Reynard,  Capt.  William  H.  919 

Reynolds,  Bion  F 658 

Reynolds,  Charles  T 656 

Reynolds,  Edmund  D 1670 

Reynolds,  Mrs.  Ellen  K . .  .  653 

Reynolds,  Mrs.  Emily  J .  . .  1205 

Reynolds,  Miss  Emma  D..  1432 

Reynolds,  Enos  H 1202 

Reynolds   Families  051,  655, 

75(.,     1202,     1398,     1429,  1671 

Reynolds,  Isaac   N 1398 

Reynolds,  Jay  B 657 

Reynolds,  Jonas    651 

Reynolds,  Lowell  M 657 

Reynolds,  Luke  W 659 

Reynolds,  Mrs.   Minnie  I..  738 

Reynolds,  Philip   1428 

Reynolds,  Mrs.  Sarah   S. . .  657 

Rhodes  Family    420 

Rhodes,  George  H 421 

Rhodes,  John  B 422 

Rhodes,  John  C 422 

Rhodes,  Marcus  M 421 

Rice,  Charles  L 1123 

Rice,  Clarence  E 1126 

Rice    Family    1121 


Rice,  John  A 1122 

Richards,  Sirs.  Winifred  C.  1129 

Richardson   Familj'    541 

Richardson,  Heniy  A 542 

Richardson,  Miss  Linda    .  .  542 

Roarty  Family    1 308 

Roarty,  James   A 1308 

Robbins,  Benjamin  W.    ...  1610 

Robbins   Fam'ily    1610 

Robbins,  Mrs.  Frank  B.   . .  .   922 

Robertson,  John  T 739 

Rodman  Family    384 

Rodman,  Miss  Julia  W.   .  .  386 

Rodman,  Thomas  R 384 

Rogers,  Asa 1511 

•'  Rogers  Families 203,  430 

Rogers,  Frank  L 1653 

Rogers,  Henry   Huttleston .  430 

Rogers,  Capt.  John    1652 

Rotch  Family    247 

Rotch,  Morgan    249 

Rotch,  William   J 248 

Rounseville,  Alden,  Jr.    .  .  .  1640 

Rounseville,  Cyrus  C 202 

Rounseville    Families.  .201,  1640 

Rugg,  Cliarles   P 1042 

Rugg  Family  1641 

Rugg,  Mrs.  'iMary  P 1642 

Ruggles  Family  952 

Ruggles,  John  A 052 

Ruggles.  Mrs.  Susan  R.    .  .  953 

Russell  Families.. 743,  885,  1247 

Russell,  George  T 885 

Russell,  Henry  T 887 

Russell,  Mrs.  Ruble  D.   .  . .  888 

Sampson,  Elnathan  T.    .  .  .  1282 

Sampson   Families    

1034,    1282,  1661 

Sampson,  George  R 1034 

Sanford,  Baalis     545 

Sanford,  Dr.    Edward    931 

Sanford,  Rev.  Enoch,  D.  D.  931 

Sanford  Families    

185.  545,   930,  1573 

Sanford,  John  Elliott   187 

Sanford,  Miss  Kate  1 188 

Sanford.  ]\liss  L.  Augusta.  931 

Sanford,  Philip  H 1653 

Sanford,  Samuel  T 1574 

Sanford,  Mrs.  Sarah  A....  1653 

Sanford,  Mrs.  Susan   1575 

Savery  Families 1569,  1625 

Sawin,  Ezekiel   R 1388 

Sawin  Family   1386 

Sayer,  Miss   Caroline   M...  1119 

Sayer  Family    1118 

Sayer,  Frederic  L 1119 

Sayer,  William  L 1119 

Scates  Family   1535 

Scates,  John    1535 

Seabury,  Alexander  H.    .  .  .  81 

Seabury,  Charles  P 571 

Seabury  Families 80,  569 

Seabury,  Miss  Helen  H....  571 

Seabury,  Humphrey  W.    .  .  570 

Seabury,  Miss  Mary  B.  .  . .  571 

Seabury,  Mrs.  Sarah  W.  ..  571 

Sears,  Chaunccy  H 168 

Sears  Families   166,  638 

Sears,  Henry  W 640 

Severance  Family 1 156 

Severance,  Lorenzo  F 1157 


Se.  Mrs.  Slarv  1 

Sh'iw,  .tlett  M.  .'. . 
Shaw,  Benjamin  C.  .  . 
Sliaw,  Capt.  Charles  F. 
Shaw,  Mrs.  Etta  F.   .  . 

Shaw,  Eugene  E 

Shaw  Families 

343,   607,    696,   828,   865, 

972,     1041,    1185,     1505,  1598 

Shaw,  Francis  E 670 

Shaw,  Francis   M 068 

Shaw,  Job  L 1187 

Shaw,  John  J.,  M.  D 865 

Shaw,  Josepli     1505 

Shaw,  Linus  H 669 

Shaw,  William  H 1597 

Sherman,  Albert  S 1555 

Sherman,  Elbridge  G 1358 

Sherman  Families  468,  1170,  1358, 

1519,    1553,    1571,    1720,  1756 

Sherman,  James  L 1572 

Sherman,  Nathaniel  B.   . .  .  1756 

Sherman,  Nelson 407 

Sherman,  Wilson    1553 

Short  Family 888 

Short,  Mace  B.  " 888 

Short,  Mrs.  Nancy  B 890 

Shove,  Charles  M 119 

Shove,  Charles  0 .'.  118 

Shove,  Edward    119 

Shove  Family    117 

Shove,  Mrs.    Sarah   Elmen- 

dorf    120 

Shove.  Walter   Frank    120 

Shurtletr,  Albert  T 710 

Shurtleff  Families  709,  959,  J384 

Shurtleff,  Mrs.  Maria  Y  rm 
Shurtleff,  Nathaniel  F. 
Shurtleff,  Walter  D.,  M 

Simmons  Family 

Sinunons.  John    

Sisson,  Arnold  B 

Sisson,  Mrs.  Hannah  A. 

Sladc,  Abbott  E 

Slade,  Abner    

Slade,  David  F 

Slade  Families 

471,  649,  708,  1085,  I'. 

Sladc,  George  W 

Sladc.  John   L l  Mi- 

Slade,  John  P 'iof' 

Slade,  Jonathan    17? 

Slade,  l\Irs.  Lois  A liSO 

Slade,  Nathan   1'I85 

Slade,  William  L -17^ 

Slade,  William  W 474 

Small  Family 77? 

Small,  Reuben  C 77? 

Smith,  Dr.  Andrew  J 732 

Smith,  Bradford   ['30 

Smith  Families  847,  V!80 

Smith,  Irani     1791 

Smith,  Mrs.  Timothy .U;7 

Snell,  David  A 1633 

Snell   Families    1394.  1032 

Snell,  Varanus     1394 

Snow  Families   ..208,  1345,  1437 

Snow,  George  G 209 

Snow,  George  H 21 1 

Snow,  Herbert  E 210 

Snow,  Levi  M 1345 

Snow,  Loum  1439 

Snow,  Robert   1440 


INDEX 


Xlll 


Soule  Faiiiil.es    

■  40,    842,    1007,   1089 

Soule,  Genri.e   D 1000 

Soule,  Miv-..  Haiinnh 1090 

Soule,  Oalccs  S 1089 

Soule,  Eufus  A 451 

Soule,  Tlioinas  H 453 

Southwoitl.,  Echvavd   1539 

Soutlnvoitl.,  Miss  Ella  F...  1539 
Soutlittortii  Families  1539,  1621 
Soutliwort'i,  jMaicus  C...    1621 

Sparc  Family 373 

Spare.  Pr.  joliii   374 

Spare,  Joiin  V 375 

Sparrow  Family  1068 

Sparrov,  Frank  M 1072 

Sparrov,',  Harry  P 1070 

Sparroiv,  Jacob  A 1070 

Sparrow,  Solomon  E 1071 

SparrcM',  Dr.  William  E...  1071 
Sparro.v,  William  E.,  Jr..    1071 

Spenci,  Mrs.  Anne  F 266 

Spemc,  James  W 267 

Sjienie,  John    266 

Sperioe.  William  H 267 

Sprcat  Family 1418 

Sprcat,  Horace  M 1418 

Sta.y  Family 1172 

Stacy.  William  H 1172 

.St.-ndish  Family 1292 

.Staples.  Mrs.  Alice  M 105 

Stiples  Family 103 

Staples,  Herbert  M 104 

S.aples.  Sylvanus  N 103 

Starrett,  Artlinv  P 1760 

f-tenrns,  Mrs.  Caroline  W..    1093 

Stetirns  Family   1092 

Stearns,  William  L 1092 

Stetson  Families 257,     603 

Stetson,  George  W 260 

Stetson,  John  M 260 

Stiitson,  Nahum  (deceased)     258 

Stetson,  Nnhum    260 

Stetson,  Mrs.  Ruth  B.  .  .  .  200 
Stoddard,  Mrs.  Sarah  M...  1388 

S;robridge  Family    1492 

S;udley.  Ezekiel  'E 903 

Studlev  Families 826,     902 

Studley,  Gideon    S27 

Sturdy,  Albert  W 500 

Sturdy,  Charles  A 500 

Sturdy,  Charles  H 500 

■Sturdy  Family 496 

,'^t,urdy,  Frederic  E 498 

Sturdy,  James  H 499 

Sturdy,  John  F 497 

Sturdy,  William    A 497 

Sturtevant  Family 1742 

Sullivan,  Mrs.  Catherine  E.    1005 

Sullivan,  John  B 1604 

Sumner  Family 260 

Swain,  David   G 1758 

Swain   Family   1758 

Swan  Family 1656 

Swan,  Henry   S..   M.D 1650 

Swan,  Mrs.   Matilda   J....    1659 

Sweet,  Andrew   H 1376 

Sweet   Families 1376,    1789 

Sweet,  Frank   R 1789 

Swift,  Hon.  Charles  Francis  1294 
Swift,  Miss   Elizabeth    P..    1561 

Swift   Families 

114,  199,  256,  1295,  1459,  1559 


Swift,  Franklyn  K 200 

Swift,  Frederick  C 1296 

Swift,  Humphrey  Hatha\vay    115 

Swift,  Moses  C 1561 

Swift,  Noble  P 256 

Swift,  Rodolphus   Nye 200 

Sylvester,  Charles  F   908 

S3'lvester   Families 862,  907 

Sylvester,  Frederick   0 909 

Sylvester,  George    1 909 

Sylvester,  IMrs.   Laura  G . .  909 

Sylvester,  Robert    864 

Sylvia,  Antone   L 1609 

Taber,  Charles    S 786 

Taber,  Edward   S 206 

Taber  Families 

205,  474,  711,  786,  1024 

Taber,  Frederic 476 

Taber,  George  H 712 

Taber,  Capt.   Jacob    463 

Taber,  Jolm   H 712 

Taber,  Mrs.  Laura  H 786 

Taber,  Miss  Mary  Kempton  1026 

Taber,  William  G 1025 

Talbot  Family 665 

Talbot,  George  H 665 

Tannatt  Family 1743 

Tannatt.  James  C 1743 

Tappan,  Charles  H 272 

Tappan,  Ephraim   H 271 

Tai)pan  Family 270 

Tappan,  Mrs.  Fannie  M...     273 

Tappan,  Frank  E 273 

Tappan,  William    C 272 

Taj'lor,  James  B 1388 

Terry  Families.  .1253,  1635,  1699 

Terry,  Isaiah  F 1099 

Terry,  Joseph   C 1253 

Terry,  Capt.  Phineas 1635 

Tew  Family   1006 

'Tliacher   Family f 68 

Thaeher,  John   070 

Thacher,  William  T 971 

Thayer  Families   ..18,  763,     767 

Thomas,  Mrs.  Annie  C 901 

Thomas   Families 899,   1445 

Thompson,  Albert  G 169 

Thompson   Families 

169,' 755,  ,956 
Thompson.  INIrs.  Marcia  A.  172 
Thompson.  William  M.    ...      956 

Tliomas,  William  A 900 

Tliomson    (Tliompson)    Fa- 
mily        1«" 

Thorne,  William   H l/li^ 

Tlioniton   Family    847 

Thornton,  Elisha.  Jr S48 

Thornton,  John  R 848 

Thumb,  Jlrs.  General  Tom    1674 

Thurber  Family 1347 

Tlnirbcr,  Zimri    1347 

Tluirston,  Anthony 1724 

Thurston    Family 1723 

'Oiurston,  Frank   A 1725 

Tilliiighast,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  L.1445 

Tillinghast     Family 1443 

Tillinghast,  John  T 1443 

Tillinghast.  Joseph     1446 

Tillson   Family 1577 

Tillson,  Henry  H 1S78 

Tillson.  Mrs.  LTdia  C 1578 

Tilton.  Charles' W 1096 


Tilton  Family 1696 

Tobey  Families   ..205,  305,  1220 

Tobey,   William  H ....  1221 

Toriey  Family 1053 

Torrey,  George    W 1056 

Torrey,  Josiah  A 1054 

Totman    Family 828 

Totman,  Horace  C 828 

Townsend  Family 1664 

Townsend,  Mrs.   W.   C 296 

TrafTord,  Allison    W 425 

Trafford,  Andrew    R 424 

TrafTord,  Bernard   W......  425 

TrafTord,  Charles   A.......  424 

Trafford  Family 422 

TralTord,  Henry  L 425 

Trafiord,  Orrin  F 425 

TrafTord,  Perry    D 425 

Trafford,  William  C 424 

Tribou,  Charles   E 1033 

Tribou  Family 1032 

Tribou,  John  A 1033 

Tripp,  Arnold  G 1521 

Tripp,  Azariah   S 275 

Tripp,  David    K 916 

Tripp  Families 274,  916,  1520 

Tripp,  Miss  Katharine  M..  917 

Tripp,  Philip  E 277 

Tripp,  Hon.  Philip  J 275 

Tripp,  Thomas  A 1521 

Trow  Family 1708 

Trow,  Frederick  L 1708 

Trow,  Mrs.  Olive  H.  M. . . .  1710 

Tucker,  Abram  R 1093 

Tucker,  Almon  H ..  1137 

Tucker,  Charles 1222 

Tucker,  Edward  T.,  il.D..  694 

Tucker,  Ervin   A.,   M.D 1138 

Tucker  Families 

510,     092,     1002,      109,3, 

1137,  1222 

Tupper,  Mrs.  Mary  Akin..  844 

Turner   Family 864 

Turner,  l\Irs.  Fannie  H.  .  . .  795 

Turner,  Joseph  S 794 

Tuttle,  Elias   A 1159 

Tj'ler  Family 1744 

Vigueron  Family 375 

Wade,  Hon.  Albert  R. .  .  . .     702 

Wade  Family 702 

Wade,  Mrs.   Susan   H 704 

Wadsworth  Family 1433 

Waitc,  Benjamin   H 1335 

Waite   Family 1334 

Waite,  Miss  Florence  L 1335 

Walker  Family 749 

^Valker,  George  H 714 

Walker,  William  E 750 

^\'arner  Family 574 

Warner,  Richard  E 575 

Warren  Families 615,  1676 

Washburn,  Col.    Abr.am...     881 
Washburn,  Mrs.  Annie  R.731,  733 

Washburn,  Azel    1754 

Washburn,  Charles  G 596 

Washburn,  Clinton  .......     699 

Washburn,  Elliott,  M.  D..     596 

Washburn  Families 

188,    522,    593,   608,    698, 

7.32.   872,  882,   1754,  1781 
Washburn,  Francis  B    1782 


XIV 


Washburn,  Fiederie  A 872 

Washburn,  George  A 595 

Washburn,  George  R 1783 

Washburn,     Miss      Harriet 

M.  S 1754 

Washburn,  Herbert  T 732 

Washburn,  Mrs.  Mary  B .  .  723 

Washburn,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  . .  874 

Washburn,  Dr.     Nahuin ...  698 

Washburn,  Nathan 190 

Washburn,  Thomas   J 597 

Waterman  Family 1223 

Waterman,  Fred    E 1224 

Watkins,  Miss  Emma  E .  .  .  285 

Watkins  Family 284 

Watkins,  William 284 

Watson,  Benjamin   M 926 

Watson  Family 927 

Watson,  Tliomas    R 928 

Weeks,  Mrs.  Andrew  G  .  .  . .  207 

Weeks  Family 1G79 

Weeks,  Capt.  William 1679 

Weeks,  William  ,f.,  M.  D.  .  1680 

'. .  ellington  Family 856 

■  ellington.  Dr.  James  L..  856 

'eston  Families 460,  946 

'eston,  Lon    946 

.'etherell  Family 1269 

Wethcrell,  Orin  "B 1270 

We.xel,  Mrs.  Helen  A 1048 

Wexel,  Henry    1047 

Wheeler,  Mrs.   Ada  W 1085 

Wheelock  Family 399 

Whipple    Families 249,  1338 

Whipple,  Col.  John  J 249 

White,  Andrew  M.  W.,M.D.  982 

White,  Charles  P 372 

White,  Dr.  Charles  W 961 

White,  Mrs.  Eliza  C 963 

White  Families  . . : 

100,  370,  390,  '  961 

White,  Francis  E 890 

White,  Hon.  Jonathan 100 

White,  Mrs.  Margaret  T .  . .  372 

Whiting,  Edward  B 944 

Whiting  Family 943 

Whiting,  Miss  Susan  A.  . .  944 


Whitman   Family 220 

Whitman,  William  E 222 

Whitman,  William  P 220 

Whitmarsh,  Ezra  S 1134 

Whitmarsh  Families 

1134,  1188,  1537 

Whitmarsh,  Frederic    P....  1188 

Whitmarsh,  Irving  F 1537 

Whitney,  Amasa  378 

Whitney,  Miss  Emma  M.  .  .  378 

Whitney  Family 376 

Wilbar,  Charle.s  A 1090 

Wilbar     (Wilbor,    Wilbur) 

Families 1090,  1272,  1400 

Wilbor,  Alfred  G 1400 

Wilbor    (Wilbur)     Families 

744,  1272,  1400 

Wilbor,  Mrs.  Louise  A....  1402 

Wilbur,  Daniel    1273 

Wilbur     ( Wilbor,    Wilbar ) 

Families 1090,   1272,  1400 

Wilbur,  George    E 744 

Wilcox,  Benjamin 1082 

Wilcox   Families 479,  1080 

AVileo.x,  Miss   Susan  A....  1440 

Wilco.x,  Thomas  480 

Wilcox,  Tliomas  B 1080 

Wilkinson    Family 262 

Wilkinson,  Samuel  W 1259 

Williams,  Mrs.  Adelaide  N. 

104,  585 

Williams   Families 582,  1592 

Williams,  George  B 586 

Williams,  Joseph    1592 

Williams,  Mrs.  Josephine  T.  1445 

Williams,  Lewis    585 

Williams,  Mrs.   Mary  Hor- 

ton   919 

Williams,  Miss   Sarah   B..  587 

Willis,  Arthur  H 964 

Willis.  Charles  E 1737 

Willis,  Edward   M 1736 

Willis  Families.  .963.  1139,  1735 

Willis,  Capt.  James  M 1139 

Willis,  Nathan  E 964 

Willis,  William  H 1735 

Williston,  Charles   H 1714 


Williston   Family 1713 

Wilmarth  Family 1129 

Wilmarth,  Williair  D 1130 

Wing,  Charles  F 1239 

Wing  Families 1095,  1238 

Winslow,  Capt.  Albert 1288 

Winslow,  Miss  Betsey  3...  1112 

Winslow  Families 

364,  1111,  1288 

Winslow,  Miss  Hope 1289 

Winslow,  Hudson   1113 

Winslow,  William  B 1111 

Winsor,  Miss  Ellen  A 500 

Winsor  Family 542 

Winsor,  Walter  P 544 

Winstanley,  Emanuel 1632 

Winstanley  Family 1632 

Winstanley,  James  H 1632 

Winstanley,  Miss  Lizzie  B.  1632 

Winter,  Everett  H 599 

Winter  Family 597 

Winter,  Sanford    597 

Wood  Families 845,  1157 

Wood,  George  S 845 

Wood,  Nathan  M 1157 

Woodard,  Horace  F 623 

Wordell,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  D.  St92 

Wordell  Families 

1152,  1468,  1653 
Wordell,  Marcus  M 
Wordell,  Rodney  D 
Wordell,  Rufus  E .  . 
Wright,  Augustus  I 
Wright,  Barzillai  E 
Wright,  Edmund  . 
Wright,  Ellery  C.  . 
Wright,  El  win  T.  .  . 
Wright  Families.  .  .. 
Wright,  Rev.  Horac 
Wright,  Mrs.  Jane 

Wright,  Mrs.  Pamelia  sx.  .  y& 

Wright,  Theodore  F 94 

Young,  John  M 1593 

Zuill   Family 1608 

Zuill,  Robert  W 1608 


Genealogy — Biography 


AALIS  SANFORD.  Various 
members  of  the  Sanford  family 
in  Massachusetts  have  been 
prominent  in  their  day  as  cler- 
gymen, educators  and  mer- 
chants, but  none  lived  a  nobler 
life  or  held  a  warmer  place  in 
the  hearts  of  his  fellow  men  than 
Baalis  Sanford,  of  Brockton,  of  whom  this 
artic'e  is  especially  to  treat.  Not  only  was 
he  the  oldest  active  business  man  of  the  city 
\rith  regard  to  age,  but  as  well  in  point  of  serv- 
ice, and  during  his  long  and  continued  career 
as  a  business  man  he  was  the  embodiment  of  all 
that  is  straightforward,  upright  and  honorable, 
and  he  could  feel  an  especial  pride  in  the  fact, 
in  the  evening  of  his  well  spent  life,  that  he  had 
been  an  honor  to  the  name  he  bore.  This 
"grand  old  man,"  for  such  he  was  acknowledged 
to  be  by  hosts  of  his  admirers,  was  faithful  in 
small  things,  and  therefore  great  in  large  things. 
Baalis  Sanford  was  born  Oct.  4,  183.3,  in  East 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  son  of  the  late  Rev.  Baalis 
and  Abby  (Burt)  Sanford,  a  member  of  a  time- 
honored  family,  a  history  of  which,  together 
with  the  record  of  the  life  achievements  of  this 
highly  respected  citizen  of  Brocldon,  follows, 
the  generations  being  given  in  chronological 
order. 

(I)  John  Sanford,  the  first  settler  by  that 
name  in  New  England,  reached  Boston  in  1631, 
and  his  name  stands  one  hundred  and  eighth  on 
the  list  of  church  membership.  He  was  sworn 
a  freeman  April  3,  1633,  and  the  same  year 
made  cannoneer  of  the  fort.  Gov.  Thomas 
Hutchinson  mentioned  him  among  the  distin- 
guished citizens  [Hirt.,  Vol.  I,  p.  73].  There 
is  a  record  of  his  baptism  at  Alford,  in  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  Jan.  15,  1618.  He  had  an  an- 
cestor in  the  battle  of  Hastings,  A.  D.  1066, 
when  William  of  Normandy  conquered  England, 

35 


and  distributed  the  land  among  his  faithful 
officers.  This  ancestor  must  have  been  an 
officer,  as  his  name  appears  on  the  battle  roll, 
and  as  a  reward  for  his  services  he  received  the 
lordship  of  Sanford.  This  was  his  title,  and  he 
relinquished  his  own  name  and  received  that  of 
Sanford.  In  the  year  1637  John  Sanford,  at 
Boston,  was  disarmed,  that  is,  deprived  of  his 
civil  privileges,  because  of  his  support  of  John 
Wheelwright  and  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson  in 
their  controversy  with  the  Colonial  authorities. 
In  December  he  left  Boston  for  Aquidneck, 
now  the  island  of  Rhode  Island,  with  William 
Coddington,  Edward  Hutchinson  and  sixteen 
others,  having  made,  as  the  records  show,  an 
honest  purchase  of  the  island.  He  was  chosen 
constable  for  the  year  1640,  and  lieutenant 
Jan.  13,  1644.  The  three  settlements  were 
united  by  a  common  charter  in  1647,  and  on 
May  21st  he  was  chosen  assistant  governor,  and 
acted  as  coroner.  He  was  reelected  general 
assistant  May  23,  1649 ;  chosen  general  treas- 
urer of  the  Colony  May  23,  1655;  general  re- 
corder and  treasurer.  May  20,  1656;  and 
"clarke"  of  the  General  Assembly,  Roger  Wil- 
liams at  the  same  time  having  been  chosen 
moderator.  He  was  reelected  "clarke"  in  1657- 
58.  He  was  later  deputy  for  Portsmouth  in 
the  General  Assembly  at  Newport;  and  Oct. 

31,  1677,  one  of  the  committee  to  lay  out  East 
Greenwich.  He  was  married  (first)  about  the 
time  he  went  to  Boston  to  Elizabeth  Webb,  sis- 
ter of  Henry  Webb.  Their  children  were :  John, 
baptized  June  34,  1632 ;  Samuel,  baptized  June 

32,  1634;  and  Eliphalet,  baptized  in  December, 
1637.  He  married  (second)  Bridget,  daughter 
of  the  celebrated  Anne  Hutchinson. 

(II)  John  Sanford,  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Webb),  was  baptized  June  24,  1633.  He 
was  admitted  a  freeman  at  the  General  Assem- 
bly held  at  Newport  May  17,  1653,  at  the  age 


64  a 


of  twenty-one.  He  was  a  man  of  learning  and 
filled  high  office  in  the  Colony.  He  married, 
April  8,  1654,  Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter  of 
Henry  Sparhurst,  of  Bermuda.  She  died  Dec. 
6,  1660.  This  marriage  was  blessed  with  chil- 
dren as  follows :  Elizabeth,  born  July  11,  1655 ; 
Mary,  Aug.  18,  1656;  Susanna,  July  31,  1658; 
and  Rebecca,  June  23,  1660.  John  Sanford 
married  (second)  April  11,  1663,  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Rev.  Samuel  Gorton,  of  Warwick,  and 
widow  of  Peter  Green.  To  this  union  were 
born:  Mary,  March  3,  1664;  Eliphalet,  Feb. 
20,  1666;  John,  June  18,  1672;  and  Samuel, 
Oct  5,  1677. 

(III)  John  Sanford,  son  of  John  and  third 
of  the  name,  was  born  June  18,  1672.  He  lo- 
cated in  Taunton,  tliat  is  Berkley,  about  1713, 
on  July  1st  of  which  year  he  married  Abigail 
Pitts,  born  1689,  daughter  of  Samuel  Pitts,  of 
Taunton,  granddaughter  of  Peter  Pitts,  great- 
granddaughter  of  Peter  Pitts  and  Edward  Bab- 
bitt, of  Taunton,  and  great-granddaughter  of 
Miles  Tarne,  of  Boston.  She  received  from  her 
father  a  tract  of  land  described  in  Liber  4, 
page  150.  Her  brothers  were:  Peter,  Eben- 
ezer  and  Samuel.  Jolm  Sanford  was  a  large 
landowner  and  is  described  in  one  of  the  records 
as  a  mason  by  trade.  To  him  and  his  wife 
Abigail  was  born,  among  others,  a  son  George. 

(IV)  Lieut.  George  Sanford,  son  of  John 
and  Abigail  (Pitts),  born  in  1724,  lived  to  the 
good  old  age  of  ninety-six  years.  He  was  an 
officer  in  the  French  war,  serving  under  Gen- 
eral Wolfe  at  the  capture  of  Quebec.  He  mar- 
ried Mary    (or  Mercy)    Phillips    (1727-1793). 

(V)  Capt.  Joseph  Sanford,  of  Berkley, 
Mass.,  son  of  Lieut.  George,  was  a  patriot  of  the 
Revolution,  serving  in  1776  and  1777  in  dif- 
ferent organizations  and  enlisting  in  1778  in 
the  Continental  army  for  a  period  of  nine 
months  "from  the  time  of  their  arrival  in  Fish- 
kill,"  in  Capt.  Ebenezer  Paul's  (2d)  company. 
Col.  Edward  Pope's  (2d  Bristol  County)  regi- 
ment ;  age  seventeen  years ;  stature,  five  feet,  ten 
inches ;  complexion,  dark ;  hair,  black ;  residence 
Berkley.  He  died  in  1634.  He  was  a  mason  by 
trade  and  also  engaged  in  farming,  and  now 
within  the  precincts  of  Fort  Warren,  in  Boston 
harbor  (where  he  was  stationed  for  a  time  dur- 
ing the  war)  are  a  well  and  a  chimney  which 
show  the  quality  of  the  work  he  turned  out. 
in  1785  he  married  Eleanor  Macomber,  1763- 
1845,  of  the  seventh  generation  from  Thomas 
■Rogers,  of  the  "Mayflower."  Four  of  their 
sons  were  graduated  from  Brown  University, 
all  of  whom  became  Congregational  clergymen. 
These  were:  James,  John,  Enoch  and  Baalis. 
The  third  son,  Alpheus,  died  in  Taunton,  June 


1,  1872,  aged  seventy-eight  years,  i,c''fii  months, 
twelve  days. 

(VI)  Rev.  Baalis  Sanford,  son  cf  Capt.  Jos- 
eph, was  born  July  6,  1801,  in  BiTkley,  .Mass., 
and  after  acquiring  his  early  ed;iiation  in  the 
district  schools  entered  Brown  Liiivcrsity,  at 
Providence,  R.  I.,  from  which  ht;  :Taduated  in 
1823.  On  Oct.  4,  1827,  he  was  <:-:a  ■ined  pastor 
of  the  Union  Trinitarian  Society  ;Yi  llast  Bridge- 
water,  continuing  there  until  li!4;i,  when  he 
was  installed  pastor  of  the  Triiiiln-iaii  Con- 
gregational Society 'of  East  Bridg':,' ^m.  i',  hav- 
ing been  at  the  close  of  the  latte  p  -  •"-ite  in 
the  ministry  in  that  town  for  a  pe'  ("  '.t  thirty- 
three  years.  He  had  lived  in  t'  ■  -<■ .-  i  for 
fifty-three  years,  and  died  there  J  :'  1880 

He  was  a  man  of  great  decision  ..    (cter 

and  true  to  his  convictions.  On  th  'J  'iioral 
questions  of  the  day  he  was  in  ad  ■■  -:  ;■;'  the 
times,  and  on  the  temperance  que-iivn)  i.'ik  a 
strong  position,  while  on  the  subjc  1  "f  -.i  i?ery 
he  gave  utterance  to  ideas  that  W'  "jM.'ste- 
ful  at  the  time,  but  which  were  ev  mI,''!  ■  re- 
spected. His  discourses,  thougl  ■:  illy 
thought  out  and  of  great  worth,  wer  i^  ■■••,  t.nd 
practical,  and  in  them  he  endeavc  '  set 
forth  the  gospel  of  divine  love  an  >■•  '.'tn. 
He  was  naturally  kind-hearted  and  j  . ■  :  !,  i.ut 
to  the  evil-doer  or  to  the  careless  id, 

indeed,  be  stern.    He  was  a  member  of  •■•A 

committee  for  a  longer  period  than  ,'  jiie 
else  in  the  town,  and  held  the  office  w.  '  h- 
man  of  that  board  longer  than  any  otl  r,-  m-u- 
ber,  having  been  identified  with  thiv  .lo.rd 
almost  continuously  from  1829  to  1877,  \i: '  h? 
reports  which  emanated  from  his  pen  v-.-  -9 
plete  with  good  sense  and  useful  sugj.  ;.  ■■ 
His   memory   will   long   be   cherished  i. 

sterling  qualities.     On   March   31,   183 
Mr.  Sanford  was  married  to  Abby  Burt,   ■;::-.>l. 
ter  of  Dean  and  Polly  (Crane)  Burt,  of  ■;•;■■ 
ley,  Mass.     Mrs.   Sanford,  who  was  a  d       ^^d 
wife  and  mother,  survived  her  husband,    >  ■,     , ; 
in  East  Bridgewater  in  1885.     Nine  ch:-'  ■•'-!' 
were  born  to  Rev.   Mr.   Sanford  and  wi:";     i; 
follows:      Irene    Abby,   who    died   unmai    ' '^' : 
Baalis,  mentioned  below;  William  A] den,  «.• 
was  formerly  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  husij..;:.  ^ 
in   Brockton,   but  is  now  living  in   Westb. '.•  . 
Mass. ;   Henry   Dean,  a  bookkeeper,  who  db.:' 
in  Brockton ;  Austin,  a  graduate  of  DartmouL- 
College,  and  for  a  number  of  years  profeivr^r 
of  English  in  the  Albany  (N.  Y.)  high  sch'-'il, 
where    he    died    unmarried    Dec.    28,    19i'  ■; 
Eudora,  who  was  engaged  in  teaching  foi   a 
number  of  years,  and  died  in  Boston,  unmi  ■ 
ried,   April    25,    1908;    Eugene,    a   bookkeep 
in  Dorchester;  Charles  Homer,  who  conducti 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


547 


the  home  farm  in  East  Bridgewater,  and  died 
unmarried ;  and  Abbott,  a  graduate  of  Amherst 
College  and  a  physician  by  profession,  who  died 
in  Everett,  Massachusetts. 

(VII)  Baalis  Sanford,  eldest  son  of  the  Rev. 
Baalis  and  Abby  (Burt)  Sanford,  received  his 
primary  education  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  then  attended  the  Bridge- 
water  and  East  Bridgewater  Academies.  After 
leaving  school  he  remained  at  home  until  April, 
1851,  when  he  located  in  North  Bridgewater, 
becoming  bookkeeper  and  cashier  in  the  dry 
goods  house  of  Robinson  &  Barry.  He  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  until  Feb.  1,  1858,  when 
he  was  admitted  to  the  firm  of  H.  W.  Robin- 
son &  Co.,  successors  of  Robinson  &  Barry,  and 
of  this  well-known  house  he  was  a  member  until 
his  death,  and  for  many  years  the  senior  mem- 
ber. In  1903  the  business  was  incorporated  as 
the  H.  W.  Robinson  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Sanford  was  made  president,  in  which  capacity 
he  afterward  remained,  taking  an  active  part 
in  the  management.  Although  this  establish- 
ment has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest 
established  dry  goods  and  department  store  in 
Brockton,  dating  back  to  1844,  at  the  same 
time  it  stands  among  the  foremost  and  most 
modern  equipped  of  its  kind  in  southeastern 
Massachusetts.  The  store  covers  a  floor  space 
of  22,000  square  feet,  and  is  stocked  to  repletion 
with  dry  goods  and  fancy  goods  of  every 
description,  in  fact,  with  all  that  goes  to  make 
a  great  metropolitan  department  store. 
Systematic  and  moderate  prices  prevail,  and 
although  so  near  the  city  of  Boston  all  com- 
petition is  met  in  every  particular,  and  this  has 
gained  for  the  company  a  large  and  increasing 
trade. 

After  locating  in  North  Bridgewater,  now 
Brockton,  Mr.  Sanford  was  always  prominently 
identified  with  its  various  social,  fraternal  and 
financial  interests.  In  political  faith  he  was  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  and  was  active  and  influential  in 
the  councils  of  the  same,  as  well  as  in  the  public 
affairs  of  the  city.  In  1877  he  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Court  of  the  Commonwealth, 
serving  on  the  committee  on  Mercantile  Affairs. 
He  was  a  valuable  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee of  Brockton  for  a  period  of  ten  years, 
from  1875  to  1885,  inclusive,  serving  as  secre- 
tary the  entire  period,  his  early  associations  and 
educational  training  well  qualifying  him  to  fill 
this  position.  In  January,  1882,  he  was  elected 
city  auditor,  being  the  first  auditor  under  the 
new  charter  when  Brockton  became  a  city,  and 
he  continued  in  this  capacity  for  a  period  of 
fourteen  years,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of 


his  many  other  business  affairs.  On  Dec.  27, 
1881,  he  received  his  first  commission  as  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  from  Gov.  John  D.  Long,  and 
had  served  in  that  capacity  continuously  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  A  petition  was  circulated 
in  1895  by  prominent  business  men,  ex-mayors 
and  others,  asking  him  to  become  a  candidate 
for  mayor.  The  signatures  showed  men  of 
every  political  party,  and  after  deep  considera- 
tion Mr.  Sanford  accepted.  The  campaign  was 
contested  with  great  vigor,  and  he  was  defeated. 
As  a  member  of  the  sinking  fund  commissioners 
he  was  selected  because  of  his  financial  ability 
as  well  as  of  his  interest  in  Brockton. 

Upon  the  chartering  of  the  Security  Co- 
operative Bank,  in  1877,  Mr.  Sanford  was 
elected  the  first  president  of  same,  and  he  served 
in  that  office  two  years,  after  which  time  he 
was  one  of  the  auditors.  He  was  treasurer  of 
the  Brockton  Gas  Light  Company  from  1886 
to  1888,  resigning  this  position  when  the  com- 
pany became  a  corporation.  In  April,  1892, 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  Brockton  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  was  also  chairman  of  the  board 
of  investment  of  the  bank,  holding  both  positions 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  actively 
identified  with  the  Brockton  Agricultural  So- 
ciety from  its  incorporation  in.  1874,  and  in 
1886  became  its  secretary,  filling  that  position 
with  efficiency  until  his  death,  and  for  thirteen 
years  was  superintendent  of  the  exhibition  hall 
at  the  fair  grounds.  He  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  Commercial  Club  of  Brockton,  organized 
in  January,  1883,  and  composed  of  the  leading 
citizens;  was  its  first  secretary,  filling  that 
office  a  number  of  years,  and  for  five  years  was 
the  treasurer.  For  several  years  Mr.  Sanford 
was  treasurer  of  the  Lugonia  Fruit  Growing 
and  Packing  Company,  of  Redlands,  Cali- 
fornia. 

In  Masonic  circles  Mr.  Sanford  had  been 
prominent  from  1864,  having  reached  the 
thirty-third  degree.  He  became  a  master 
Mason  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  H., 
of  which  he  was  worshipful  master  in  1868 
and  1869 ;  he  became  district  deputy  grand 
master  of  the  19th  Masonic  district  and  later 
of  the  24th  Masonic  district,  in  1882-83-84; 
senior  grand  warden  of  the  grand  lodge  of 
Massachusetts,  in  1887,  and  was  grand  master 
in  1903-04-05.  In  1865  he  was  made  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason  in  the  chapter  at  Abington,  and 
in  1869  a  charter  member  of  Satucket  Chap- 
ter, R.  A.  M.,  of  Brockton,  of  which  latter  he 
was  the  first  high  priest,  serving  three  years; 
was  grand  scribe  of  the  grand  chapter  in  1878, 
elected  grand  high  priest  in  December,  1907, 
and  reelected  in  1908.     He  was  a  member  of 


548 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Brockton  Council,  E.  &  S.  M.,  of  which  he  was 
thrice  illustrious  master  in  1895  and  1896,  and 
recorder  for  several  years ;  was  grand  conductor 
of  the  grand  council  of  Royal  and  Select 
Masters  of  Massachusetts  in  1898,  and  illus- 
trious grand  master  of  the  council  in  1900, 
1901  and  1902.  He  was  a  charter  member  of 
Bay  State  Commandery,  K.  T.,  was  the  second 
eminent  commander,  and  in  1883  was  grand 
captain  of  the  host  in  the  grand  commandery 
of  Massachusetts  (of  which  he  was  a  permanent 
member),  and  for  fifteen  years  was  recorder 
of  the  commandery.  He  was  a  life  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  Consistory,  thirty-second 
degree,  and  on  Sept.  15,  1893,  was  elevated  to 
the  thirty-third  degree. 

In  his  life  the  church  held  a  high  place, 
and  while  not  a  member  he  was  faithful  in  his 
attendance  at  the  Porter  Congregational 
Church,  of  Brockton,  which  he  served  as  treas- 
urer for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  the  work 
of  which  he  was  active  and  prominent. 

On  Aug.  19,  1856,  Mr.  Sanford  was  mar- 
ried to  Lucy  Cotton  Hapgood,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Benjamin  and  Anne  (Whitman)  Hap- 
good, of  Stow,  Mass.,  the  former  a  captain  in 
the  war  of  1812.  Mrs.  Sanford  died  in  Boston 
Nov.  25,  1907,  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sanford  were  born  three 
daughters,  namely:  Irene  Gertrude,  unmar- 
ried;'Anne  Cora,  who  died  in  1860,  in  infancy; 
and  Mabel  Louise,  who  died  in  1869,  in  the 
third  year  of  her  age. 

Personally  Mr.  Sanford  was  a  man  of  cul- 
tivated tastes  whose  quiet,  yet  cordial  and 
democratic,  manner  was  a  strong  characteristic. 
His  politeness  was  inborn,  and  being  void  seem- 
ingly of  any  consciousness  of  his  own  superiority 
he  was  ever  a  simple-mannered,  courteous 
gentleman.  His  friends  were  among  the  young 
as  well  as  the  old.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
"Mayflower  Descendants,"  as  is  his  daughter, 
who  is  also  a  member  of  Paul  Revere  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.,  of  Boston.  For  a  number  of  years 
Mr.  Sanford  and  his  family  resided  at  the 
"Brunswick  Hotel"  in  Boston,  and  after  the 
death  of  his  wife  he  found  his  happiness  in 
the  companionship  of  his  devoted  daughter. 
He  died  Nov.  16,  1909,  in  Boston,  after  an  ill- 
ness of  scarcely  fifteen  minutes,  and  his  re- 
mains were  brought  to  Brockton,  the  funeral 
being  held  in  the  Porter  Congregational 
Church.  Interment  was  made  in  Union 
cemetery.  The  services  were  conducted  by  Rev. 
Dr.  F.A.  Warfield,  of  Milford,  and  Rev.  Dr. 
A.  M.  Hyde,  of  Porter  Church.  Then  followed 
the  simple  blue  lodge  services  conducted  by 
Merton  S.  Gurney,  worshipful  master  of  Paul 


Revere  Lodge.  Masons  to  the  number  of  three 
hundred  from  all  over  the  State,  representatives 
from  every  concern  with  which  the  deceased 
had  been  connected,  city  and  State  officials 
and  friends — all  were  there  to  pay  a  last  tribute 
of  respect  to  a  man  whom  they  knew  to  honor 
and  to  revere.  In  the  course  of  his  eulogy 
Rev.  Dr.  Warfield  said:  "He  [Mr.  Sanford] 
always  stood  for  that  which  is  highest  and  best 
in  civic  life,  and  to  the  realization  of  these 
things  he  devoted  his  best  endeavors.  He  was 
never  a  partisan,  but  always  a  Puritan  in  his 
aims  and  spirit.  He  recognized  the  other 
man's  point  of  view,  but  he  saw  with  clearer 
vision  that  which  made  for  righteousness  and 
strength  and  to  do  this  he  gave  himself.  He 
cared  little  for  popularity,  but  set  a  high  value 

upon  that  which  was  true He  "was 

trustworthy   in   business.     He   knew   only   the 

law  of  right Those  who  have  been 

•associated  with  him  know  full  well  his  integrity. 
As  gentle  as  a  woman  but  as  firm  as  the  most 
stalwart  man,  he  could  bend  to  anything  that 
was  right.  He  could  make  any  concession  to 
honor  but  to  nothing  else." 

It  seems  only  just  that  this  article  should 
contain  a  few  of  the  expressions  of  the  men 
associated  with  him  in  many  ways  when  the 
news  of  his  death  reached  the  public. 

Mayor  John  S.  Kent:  "No  finer  example 
of  a  true  gentleman  and  noble  citizen  can  be 
presented  for  the  emulation  of  the  man  upon 
whose  shoulders  rests  the  burdens  of  progres- 
sive development  in  our  city.  He  possessed 
the  virtues  of  lionesty,  courage,  simplicity  and 
sympathy,  which  together  with  his  ability, 
energy  and  devotion  to  principle  made  him  a 
man  among  men." 

Fred  Hanson  in  the  Enterprise:  "In  my 
feeble  way  I  want  to  pay  my  respects  to  the 
memory  of  Baalis  Sanford,  a  man  of  un- 
blemished character,  of  the  strictest  honesty  and 
integrity,  a  man  without  a  blemish." 

President  Charles  Howard  of  the  Brockton 
Agricultural  Society :  "He  was  always  a  friend 
who  could  be  relied  upon  though  thick  and 
thin." 

Ex-Gov.  William  L.  Douglas:  "The  sudden 
death  of  Baalis  Sanford  comes  as  a  shock  and 
surprise  to  me.  He  was  a  man  who  was  be- 
loved  by   everybody always   congenial, 

a  man  of  excellent  character  and  strict  integrity. 
His  life  has  been  a  worthy  example  for  the 
rising  generation  to  follow." 

•  MORTON.  The  Mortons  of  East  Freetown, 
Bristol  Co.,  Mass.,  formerly  quite  numerous 
in  that  vicinity,  but  not  now  represented  by 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


549 


many  of  the  name,  are  the  posterity  of  Maj. 
Nathaniel  Morton  and  descendants  of  the 
eminent  George  Morton. 

(I)  George  Morton,  born  about  1585,  at 
Austerfield,  Yorkshire,  England,  came  to  New 
England  in  the  ship  "Ann"  in  1623.  He  had 
married  in  Leyden,  in  1612,  Juliana  Carpenter, 
daughter  of  Alexander  Carpenter,  of  Wrentham, 
England.  He  is  said  to  have  served  the  Pil- 
grims in  important  relations  before  coming 
to  this  country,  and  published  in  England  in 
1621  the  first  history  of  the  Colony,  which  was 
entitled  "A  Relation  or  Journal  of  the  Begin- 
ning and  Proceedings  of  the  English  Plantation 
settled  at  Plymouth  in  New  England."  It  is 
commonly  known  as  "Mourt's  Relation."  He 
died  in  1624.  The  children  of  George  and 
Juliana  (Carpenter)  Morton  were:  Nathaniel, 
who  married  (first)  Lydia  Cooper  and  (sec- 
ond) Mrs.  Hannah  Pemplar;  Patience,  who 
married  John  Faunce;  John;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried George  Bonum;  and  Ephraim.  Of  these, 
Nathaniel  was  secretary  of  Plymouth  Colony 
from  1647  to  1685,  and  author  of  that  very 
valuable  work  known  as  the  "Old  Colony 
Memorial,"  compiled  from  the  observations  and 
writings  of  himself  and  Gov.  William  Brad- 
ford, second  governor  of  Plymouth  Colony.  As 
early  as  1668  Nathaniel  Morton  was  elected  a 
selectman  of  Plymouth  and  held  that  office 
twenty-one  years.  He  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  town  of  Pljinouth  in  the  Colonial  Court 
as  early  as  1659  and  served  in  that  capacity 
twenty-seven  years.  After  the  Old  Colony  was 
united  with  that  of  Massachusetts  Bay  he  was 
elected  to  represent  the  town  of  Plymouth  in 
the  Provincial  Court  at  Boston. 

(II)  Lieut.  Ephraim  Morton,  born  in  1623 
on  the  ship  "Ann,"  married  (first)  Nov.  18, 
1644,  Ann  Cooper,  who  died  Sept.  1,  1691.  He 
married  (second)  in  1692  Mary,  widow  of 
William  Harlow,  and  daughter  of  Robert 
Shelly,  of  Scituate.  Mr.  Morton  became  a  free- 
man in  1648,  and  in  that  year  was  constable 
of  Plymouth.  He  was  chosen  a  representative 
to  the  General  Court  at  Plymouth  in  1657,  and 
was  a  member  of  that  body  for  twenty-eight 
years.  He  was  chosen  the  first  representative 
to  the  Massachusetts  General  Court  under  the 
charter  of  1691-92.  He  was  for  nearly  twenty- 
five  years  at  the  head  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
of  Plymouth.  He  was  chosen  a  magistrate  of 
the  Colony  in  1683,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  a  justice  of  the  court  of  Common 
Pleas.  He  also  served  in  other  important  re- 
lations. He  died  Sept.  7,  1693.  His  children 
were:  George,  born  in  1645;  Ephraim,  born 
in  1648 ;  Rebecca,  bom  in  1651 ;  Josiah,  born 


in   1653;   Nathaniel;   Eleazer,   born   in   1659; 
Thomas,  born  in  1667;  and  Patience. 

(III)  Eleazer  Morton,  son  of  Ephraim,  mar- 
ried in  1693  Rebecca  Dawes,  daughter  of  Am- 
brose, and  their  children  were :  Eleazer,  born 
in  1693;  Ann,  born  in  1694  (married  Robert 
Finney);  Nathaniel,  born  in  1695;  and  Re- 
becca, born  in  1703. 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Morton,  born  in  1695,  was 
lost  at  sea  before  1730.  He  married  in  1720 
Rebecca  Ellis,  widow  of  Mordecai  Ellis,  and 
daughter  of  Thomas  Clark,  and  their  children 
were:  Elizabeth,  born  in  1720;  Nathaniel, 
born  in  1723;  Eleazer,  born  in  1724;  and 
Ichabod,  born  in  1726. 

(V)  Maj.  Nathaniel  Morton  (2),  of  Free- 
town, born  Feb.  1,  1722-23,  married  in  1749 
Martha  Tupper,  of  Sandwich,  daughter  of 
Eldad  Tupper  and  granddaughter  of  Thomas 
Tupper,  and  their  children  were :  Nathaniel, 
born  in  1753;  Martha;  Elizabeth,  and  Job. 
Nathaniel  Morton,  the  father,  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Revolutionary  war,  being  at  first  second 
lieutenant  in  Capt.  Levi  Rounseville's  company 
of  minute  men,  subsequently  commander  of  a 
company,  and  then  promoted  to  major.  There 
were  many  members  of  the  Morton  family  named 
Nathaniel,  and  on  Dec.  8,  1776,  there  were 
among  the  officers  and  private  soldiers  of  the 
local  militia  of  East  Freetown  who  responded 
to  what  was  known  as  the  "Rhode  Island  alarm" 
no  less  than  four  Nathaniel  Mortons :  the  com- 
pany commander  (later  major) ;  his  son 
Nathaniel  (then  called  Nathaniel,  Jr.,  but  in 
subsequent  life  widely  known  as  Hon.  Nathaniel 
Morton),  who  was  one  of  the  four  sergeants 
of  the  company;  Nathaniel  Morton,  Sr.,  and 
Nathaniel  Morton,  4th. 

(VI)  Job  Morton,  son  of  Maj.  Nathaniel 
Morton,  was  born  at  East  Freetown  June  14, 
1770,  and  received  fine  educational  advantages. 
After  attending  the  common  schools  he  took  a 
collegiate  course,  and  was  graduated  at  Brown 
University  in  1797.  He  studied  medicine,  but 
never  practiced.  Like  his  forefathers  he  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town. 
On  April  1,  1805,  he  was  elected  a  selectman 
of  Freetown,  and  served  twenty-four  years  as 
such ;  on  the  same  date  he  was  chosen  assessor 
of  Freetown,  in  which  office  he  served  twenty- 
eight  years.  On  May  14,  1814,  he  was  chosen 
representative  of  FreetoNvn  in  the  General 
Court,  and  served  acceptably  for  eleven  years. 
On  Feb.  9,  1811,  he  was  commissioned  a  justice 
of  the  peace  for  the  county  of  Bristol.  In  1812 
he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  county  courts, 
but  it  is  not  known  that  he  accepted  this  posi- 
tion; if  he  did,  he  held  it  only  a  short  time. 


550 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


He  was  also  chairman  of  the  board  of  com- 
missioners of  highways,  which  soon  came  to  be 
known  as  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 

In  1808  Job  Morton  married  Patience  Pur- 
rington  (or  Purington),  of  Middleboro,  and 
they  lived  in  an  old-fashioned  unpretentious 
looking  house  still  standing  in  East  Freetown, 
about  a  third  of  a  mile  from  the  line  that 
divides  Freetown  from  Lakeville,  in  which  all 
their  children  were  born.  Mr.  Morton  died  in 
March,  1843,  in  the  house  mentioned  near  the 
one  in  which  he  was  born.  His  wife  died  Feb. 
15,1841.  They  had  children  as  follows :  (1) 
James  Madison,  born  April  28,  1803,  is  men- 
tioned at  length  elsewhere  in  this  work.  (2) 
Albert  Gallatin,  born  Aug.  8,  1804,  lived  and 
died  in  Freetown.  He  was  a  clergyman  of  the 
Christian  denominatioil.  (3)  Charles  Austin, 
born  May  14,  1806,  died  in  a  house  standing 
only  a  few  rods  from  the  one  in  which  he  was 
born.  For  a  time  he  held  a  position  in  the 
Boston  custom  house;  was  selectman  of  Free- 
town nine  years;  assessor  eight  years;  member 
of  the  school  committee  nine  years;  representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court,  one  year;  and  was 
a  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  county  of  Bristol 
from  April  11,  1839.  No  man  in  East  Free- 
town or  anywhere  was  better  posted  regarding 
the  local  affairs  of  that  place  and  the  immediate 
vicinity,  he  and  his  neighbor.  Dr.  Bradford 
Braley,  being  "lively  oracles"  to  and  "walking 
histories"  of  East  Freetown,  and  the  adjacent 
parts  of  Lakeville  and  Rochester.  (4)  Elbridge 
Gerry,  born  March  8,  1808,  moved  to  Fair- 
haven,  where  he  lived  for  many  years.  He  was 
a  leader  in  the  public  life  of  that  place,  serving 
five  years  as  selectman ;  sixteen  years  as 
moderator  of  the  annual  town  meeting;  three 
years  as  representative  to  the  General  Court 
in  Boston ;  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  con- 
vention of  1853 ;  and  was  elected  in  1853  a 
member  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of 
Bristol  county  (which  consisted  of  three  com- 
missioners and  two  special  commissioners),  of 
which  board  he  was  immediately  chosen  chair- 
man. Toward  the  close  of  his  life  he  was  post- 
master at  Fairhaven.  (5)  William  G.,  born 
April  10,  1810,  died  March  8,  1811.  (6) 
Hannah  P.,  born  in  the  year  1811,  married 
Harrison  Staples,  of  Lakeville,  Mass.,  where 
she  died.  (7)  Andrew  Jackson  is  mentioned 
below.  (8)  William  A.,  born  March  20,  1817, 
at  the  old  place,  was  reared  there,  and  died 
in  1886,  in  the  house  in  which  he  was  bom. 
The  sons  of  this  family  were  all  "six  footers" 
and  were  of  marked  personality. 

(VII)  Andrew  Jackson  Morton,  son  of  Job, 
was   born   July   5,    1812,   in   Freetown,   Mass., 


and  was  a  farmer  all  his  life,  dying  March  10, 
1893.  He  lived  in  East  Freetown,  near  the 
old  homestead,  his  farm  comprising  what  is 
now  Lake  Side  park.  In  politics  he  was  a  Re- 
publican, but  he  was  not  active  in  party  affairs 
or  public  matters  of  any  kind.  He  married 
Abbie  Lawrence,  who  was  born  Sept.  18,  1817, 
daughter  of  Alden  and  Chloe  (Sherman) 
Lawrence,  of  Freetown,  and  died  March  25, 
1906.  They  were  the  parents  of  a  large  family, 
namely:  William  Grey,  born  Feb.  6,  1838, 
died  at  sea  Jan.  18,  1878 ;  George  Washington, 
born  Oct.  22,  1840,  died  June  2,  1842 ;  Patience 
Purrington  was  born  Nov.  24,  1842;  Martha 
Washington,  born  April  1,  1845,  married 
Charles  F.  Vauglm,  of  Middleboro,  and  lives 
at  Weymouth;  George  Andrew,  born  Jan.  31, 
1848,  died  Aug.  2,  1850  ;  Myron  Lawrence,  bom 
June  25,  1850,  is  living  in  Boston;  Frank 
Pierce,  born  Jan.  4,  1853,  lives  in  New  Bed- 
ford; Thomas  J.  is  mentioned  below;  Herbert 
Andrew  is  mentioned  below;  Anna  Cora,  born 
Feb.  28,  1862,  died  Nov.  14,  1888. 

(VIII)  Thomas  J.  Morton,  son  of  Andrew 
J.,  was  born  in  East  Freetown  March  2,  1856. 
He  received  all  his  education  in  the  public 
school  of  East  Freetown,  leaving  school  at  the 
age  of  twelve  years.  From  that  time  until 
he  was  seventeen  he  was  engaged  in  the  usual 
work  on  the  farm,  and  then  went  to  learn  the 
trade  of  machinist  at  the  Taunton  Locoifiotive 
Works,  in  Taunton.  He  worked  in  the  machine 
shops  of  the  Old  Colony  and  Boston  &  Albany 
railroads,  and  for  a  time  acted  as  foreman  on 
the  Boston  &  Albany  road,  following  this  work 
until  the  fall  of  1882 ;  at  that  time  he  engaged 
in  ijhe  laundry  business  with  his  brother,  buy- 
ing out  a  small  laundry,  on  Summer  street, 
and  installing  new  machinery  throughout.  At 
this  time  they  gave  employment  to  six  hands. 
Remaining  there  until  1386,  they  removed  from 
the  original  location  iato  their  present  fine 
laundry  building,  which  they  erected,  though 
it  was  not  then  as  large  as  now,  three  additions 
having  been  since  built.  Their  laundry  plant 
is  now  one  of  the  finest  in  southeastern  Massa- 
chusetts, and  they  give  employment  to  sixty 
people.  Their  business  is  gathered  from  twenty 
or  more  places,  ranging  from  Manchester  to 
Boston.  Mr.  Morton  has  been  a  successful  man 
and  his  prosperity  is  of  his  own  making.  He 
has  other  interests  in  addition  to  his  laundry 
business,  having  been  a  corporator  of  the 
Bristol  County  Savings  and  Taunton  Savings. 
Banks,  and  he  is  a  trustee  of  the  former.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  socially  he  unites 
with  the  Masons,  holding  membership  in  Ionic 
Lodge,  A.   P.  &  A.   M.,   St.   Mark's  Chapter, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


551 


R.  A.  M.,  of  Taunton,  and  Bristol  Commandery, 
No.  29,  K.  T.,  of  Attleboro.  In  January,  1890, 
Mr.  Morton  was  elected  second  lieutenant  of 
Company  F,  1st  Regiment  Infantry,  1st 
Brigade,  M.  V.  M.,  and  served  two  years,  resign- 
ing at  the  end  of  that  period. 

On  Oct.  30,  1897,  Mr.  Morton  married  Helen 
L.  Watts,  daughter  of  William  Watts,  formerly 
of  England.    They  have  no  children. 

(VIII)  Herbert  Andrew  Morton  was 
born  in  Lakeville,  Mass.,  near  the  old  home- 
stead in  East  Freetown,  March  16,  1858.  His 
early  training  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools  in  East  Freetown  and  was  limited,  but 
he  later  had  two  terms  in  a  graded  school  in 
Middleboro,  when  about  eighteen  or  nineteen 
years  of  age.  When  only  nine  years  of  age  he 
went  away  from  home  to  live  in  another  family, 
so  it  may  readily  be  seen  that  whatever  he  has 
has  been  acquired  through  his  own  efforts.  In 
1878  he  spent  part  of  his  time  in  Taunton, 
where  in  November,  1882,  he  went  into  the 
laundry  business  with  his  brother.  He  had, 
however,  been  working  a  few  years  for  William 
Webster,  and  liis  brother  Myron  Morton,  who 
was  then  in  the  clothing  business  in  Taunton. 
The  success  of  the  Morton  Brothers  and  the 
remarkable  growth  of  their  laundry  establish- 
ment is  due  to  the  fact  that  both  are  men  of 
energy  and  executive  ability,  and  by  harmonious 
cooperation  they  have  placed  their  business  on 
a  profitable  basis.  Everything  is  carried  on  in 
the  most  modern  fashion  and  the  plant  is  a 
credit  to  the  community.  Herbert  A.  Morton 
is  well  known  socially,  being  a  member  of  Ionic 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  (of  which  he  is  a  past 
master),  St.  Mark's  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  Bristol 
Commandery,  K.  T.  (of  Attleboro),  the  Eastern 
Star,  and  Sabbatia  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

On  June  29,  1909,  Mr.  Morton  married  Alice 
Shaw,  daughter  of  William  and  Fannie  (Coffin) 
Shaw,  the  former  of  Nantucket.  They  have 
no  children. 


(VI)  Hon.  Nathaniel  Morton  (3),  of  Free- 
town, first  son  and  second  child  of  Nathaniel 
(2),  born  June  1,  1753,  married  in  1782  Mary 
(Polly),  daughter  of  Eleazer  Carey,  of  Bridge- 
water,  and  their  children  were :  Marcus,  born 
Feb.  19,  1784;  Mary,  born  Sept.  28,  1786,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Rev.  Elijah  Doxtcr  (they 
were  the  parents  of  Rev.  Henry  M.  Dexter) ; 
and  maybe  others. 

Mr.  Morton  was  a  farmer  in  moderate  cir- 
cumstances, self-educated,  self-reliant  and  with 
strong  practical  common  sense.  He  was  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Court,  a  member  of 


the  Senate  from  Bristol  county,  justice  of  the 
court  of  Sessions,  and  at  one  time  collector 
of  the  port  at  New  Bedford.  He  served  as 
selectman  of  Freetown  twenty-four  years;  as- 
sessor twenty-six  years;  moderator  of  annual 
town  meeting  fourteen  years;  and  was  eight 
times  chosen  to  represent  the  town  in  the 
General  Court.  On  May  14,  1804,  he  was 
elected  to  a  seat  in  the  Senate  board  and  held 
that  position  for  five  consecutive  years,  and 
was  a  delegate  from  Freetown  to  the  State 
convention  of  1820.  Near  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century  he  was  appointed  a  justice 
of  the  peace  for  the  county  of  Bristol  and  at  a 
considerably  later  date  was  commissioned  to 
administer  the  oaths  of  qualification  to  civil 
officers  "dedimus  potestatum,"  and  was  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 
He  passed  a  few  of  the  last  years  of  his  life 
at  Taunton,  where  he  died  at  the  residence  of 
his  son,  Gov.  Marcus  Morton. 

(VII)  Hon.  Marcus  Morton,  LL.  D., 
lawyer,  member  of  Congress,  justice  of  the 
Supreme  court  of  Massachusetts,  governor,  was 
born  Feb.  19,  1784,  in  East  Freetown,  Mass., 
the  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Carey)  Morton. 
He  was  graduated  with  high  honors  from  Brown 
University  in  1804,  when  twenty  years  of  age. 
He  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Hon.  Seth  Padelford,  then  judge  of  Probate 
for  Bristol  county,  and  completed  his  legal 
education  in  the  then  famous  law  school  in 
Litchfield,  Conn.,  at  which  school  studied  also 
his  contemporary,  John  C.  Calhoun.  He  began 
the  practice  of  law  in  1807  in  Taunton.  He 
rose  high  in  the  legal  profession. 

Mr.  Morton  was  a  Democrat,  and  as  such 
met  with  opposition  in  the  Federalist  town 
of  Taunton,  but  in  the  course  of  his  life  he 
held  nearly  every  office  it  was  in  the  power  of 
the  people  to  bestow  upon  him.  In  1811  and 
1812  he  was  clerk  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate. 
He  was  also  county  attorney  for  Bristol  county. 
He  was  a  member  of  Congress  from  1817  for 
several  years,  and  took  part  in  the  discussions 
on  the  Missouri  Compromise.  In  1823  he  was 
a  member  of  the  executive  council.  He  was 
chosen  lieutenant  governor  in  1824  with 
Eustice  at  the  head  of  the  ticket,  and  after 
Governor  Eustice's  death,  Feb.  6,  1825,  to  the 
end  of  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected  he 
was  the  acting  governor.  He  was  brought  in 
intimate  relations  during  this  time  with 
LaFayette,  who  was  then  visiting  this  country. 
He  was  again  chosen  lieutenant  governor,  and 
in  that  same  year  was  appointed  to  the  Supreme 
bench  of  the  State  and  took  his  seat  July  5, 
1825.     He  was  chosen  governor  of  Massachu- 


552 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


setts  in  1839  by  the  people  and  again  in  1843 
by  the  Legislature.  On  May  1,  1845,  he  was 
made  collector  of  the  port  of  Boston,  a  re- 
lation to  the  service  he  sustained  some  four 
years.  He  was  in  sympathy  with  the  Free-soil 
movement  in  1848,  in  1853  he  was  delegate  to 
the  Constitutional  Convention,  and  in  1858  was 
again  in  the  Legislature.  His  period  of  service 
on  the  bench  covered  fifteen  years,  and  his 
Congressional  service  four  years.  For  several 
years  he  was  one  of  the  overseers  of  Harvard 
University. 

Governor  Morton  had  a  tall,  commanding 
figure,  was  fine-looking,  quiet  and  self-possessed 
in  manner ;  and  his  wife  was  an  elegant  woman, 
a  person  of  beauty  and  grace. 

On  Dec.  23,  1807,  Governor  Morton  was 
married  to  Charlotte,  born  Dec.  33,  1787, 
daughter  of  James  Hodges,  of  Taunton,  and  a 
direct  descendant  of  William  Hodges,  of  Taun- 
ton as  early  as  1643.  The  children  born  to 
Governor  Morton  and  his  wife  Charlotte 
(Hodges)  were:  (1)  Joanna  Maria  married 
William  T.  Hawes,  of  New  Bedford,  a  graduate 
of  Brown  University.  (2)  Lydia  Mason  mar- 
ried Henry  W.  Lee,  D.D.,  of  Springfield,  Mass., 
and  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  afterward  bishop  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  in  Iowa.  (3) 
Charlotte  married  Samuel  Watson,  of  Nash- 
ville, Tenn.  (4)  Sarah  Carey  married  Hon. 
Willard  Lovering,  a  manufacturer  of  Taunton. 
(5)  Marcus  married  Abby,  daughter  of  Henry 
Hopping,  Esq.,  of  Providence.  (6)  Nathaniel 
married  Harriet,  only  child  of  Hon.  Francis 
Baylies.  (7)  James  married  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  George  Ashmun,  of  Springfield. 
(8)  Susan  Tillinghast  married  M.  Day  Kim- 
ball, of  the  firm  of  Faulkner,  Page  &  Kimball, 
Boston.  (9)  Frances  Wood  married  George 
Henry  French,  of  Andover.  (10)  Emily 
Matilda  married  Daniel  C,  son  of  Dr.  Dawes, 
of  Taunton,  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  Of 
these,  the  three  sons  were  graduated  from 
Brown  University,  Marcus  in  1838,  Nathaniel 
in  1840,  and  James  in  1843;  all  were  dis- 
tinguished in  college  and  became  eminent 
lawyers,  the  eldest  becoming  chief  justice  of  the 
Supreme  court  of  Massachusetts. 

Governor  Morton  died  at  his  home  on  Wash- 
ington street,  near  Broadway,  Taunton,  Mass., 
Feb.  6,  1864.  His  wife  Charlotte  (Hodges) 
Morton  died  Dec.  25,  1873 ;  both  are  buried  in 
Mount  Pleasant  cemetery,  Taunton. 

NATHANIEL  CHURCH  (deceased)  was 
during  his  life  a  well-known  business  man  and 
prominent  citizen  of  Fairhaven,  where  he  was 
born   Nov.   16,   1798.     The   Church  family  of 


which  he  was  a  representative  is  among  the 
oldest  and  most  prominent  in  New  England, 
the  name  being  identified  with  the  an- 
nals of  southern  Rhode  Island  and  southeast- 
ern Massachusetts  from  almost  the  very  dawn 
of  civilization  there. 

Richard  Church,  the  immigrant  settler  and 
progenitor  of  the  Churches  of  the  region  named, 
was  born  in  1608.  He  came  to  New  England 
in  1630  in  the  fleet  with  Governor  Winthrop. 
He  removed  from  Weymouth  to  Plymouth, 
where  he  was  made  a  freeman  in  1632,  and 
where  he  married,  in  1636,  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Richard  Warren,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620. 
He  lived  at  a  number  of  different  points,  died 
in  1668  in  Dedham,  and  was  buried  at  Hing- 
ham.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and 
helped  to  build  the  first  meetinghouse  and  the 
first  gun  carriage  in  Plymouth.  He  served  in 
the  Pequot  war.  Locating  at  Eastham  in  1653, 
he  was  then  at  Charlestown  and  in  1657  was 
at  Hingham.  He  was  the  father  of  thirteen 
children,  among  them  Col.  Benjamin  Church, 
who  settled  in  Little  Compton,  R.  L,  from 
whom  Nathaniel  Church  descended. 

Col.  Benjamin  Church  is  credited  with  hav- 
ing been  the  first  white  settler  in  the  town  of 
Little  Compton  (1674),  which  was  then  in 
Massachusetts,  but  is  now  in  Rhode  Island,  and 
with  building  the  first  house  there.  The  name, 
fame  and  usefulness  of  Col.  Benjamin  Church 
were  as  broad  as  New  England,  and  in  the 
general  histories  of  the  New  World  his  deeds 
are  always  recognized.  It  was  he  who  beat 
back  the  red  man  and  opened  the  way  for  the 
habitation  of  the  white  settler  that  followed — 
hunting  Philip  to  his  death,  Aug.  13,  1676. 
He  thoroughly  understood  the  character  of  the 
Indians  and  their  modes  of  warfare,  which 
latter  he  adopted  with  great  success.  Colonel 
Church  was  to  southern  New  England  what 
Miles  Standish  had  been  to  the  first  genera- 
tion of  the  Plymouth  Colonists — a  buckler  and 
shield  in  the  hour  of  danger;  but  he  had  far 
more  experience  in  military  affairs  than  fell 
to  the  lot  of  the  Pilgrim  captain.  It  was 
destined  for  him  to  strike  the  first  and  last 
decisive  blows  in  Philip's  war,  by  which  he  is 
now  best  known  to  fame.  So  great  was  the 
reputation  he  gained  that  he  was  afterward  con- 
stantly called  to  the  field  to  repel  the  French 
and  Indians  at  the  North  and  East.  Colonel 
Church  married  Alice  Southworth.  A  brother 
of  Colonel  Church,  J^iweph  Church,  also  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Little  Compton.  He 
married  Mary  Tucker  and  became  a  promi- 
nent public  man  of  the  town. 

The  descendants  of  Richard  Church  became 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


553 


numerous  and,  as  stated,  distinguished  in  that 
part  of  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts  al- 
luded to.  Among  these  the  late  Nathaniel 
Church  was  prominent. 

Joseph  Church,  father  of  Nathaniel,  made 
his  home  in  Fairhaven,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  business  and  where  he  lived  all  his  life.  He 
died  in  Fairhaven  in  1839.  He  married  Deb- 
orah Perry,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
six  children. 

Nathaniel  Church,  son  of  Joseph  and  Deb- 
orah (Perry)  Church,  was  born  in  Fairhaven 
Nov.  16,  1798.  He  attended  the  local  schools 
and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  home,  where 
he  received  a  thorough  business  training.  He 
formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  Eben- 
ezer  P.  Church,  and  they  entered  into  the 
general  mercantile  business  at  Adamsville,  in 
the  town  of  Little  Compton,  under  tlie  firm 
name  of  E.  P.  Church  &  Co.  This  business 
continued  until  1831,  when  he  withdrew  from 
the  partnership  and  again  located  at  Fairhaven, 
becoming  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
for  himself,  which  he  followed  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  next  became  interested  in  the  brass 
foundry  business,  also  the  whaling  industry, 
and  being  a  man  of  progressive  ideas  and  en- 
terprise made  a  success  of  whatever  he  under- 
took. He  took  a  deep  interest  in  his  native 
town  and  its  people,  and  was  known  for  his 
strict  honesty  and  high  moral  character.  He 
served  as  town  clerk  of  Fairhaven  for  many 
years,  and  also  filled  the  office  of  selectman  and 
overseer  of  the  poor  of  his  native  town;  served 
as  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature;  and  was 
often  called  upon  to  settle  estates,  etc.  He 
was  a  public-spirited  man,  generous,  and  al- 
ways ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  Politically 
he  was  an  old-line  Whig,  later  a  Republican 
and  a  stanch  supporter  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
strongly  opposed  to  slavery.  His  death  oc- 
curred March  17,  1865,  in  his  sixty-seventh 
year,  and  he  was  buried  in  Riverside  cemetery, 
Fairhaven. 

Mr.  Church  married  May  23,  1829,  Lydia 
Hicks,  bom  Dec.  15,  1800,  in  Westport,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Barney  Hicks,  a  sketch  of  whom 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  publication. 
Mrs.  Church  was  a  devout  Christian  woman 
and  took  much  pleasure  in  her  home  and  fam- 
ily. Her  death  occurred  at  her  home  in  Fair- 
haven April  12,  1885,  and  she  was  buried  be- 
side her  husband.  She  was  an  attendant  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Church 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Sarah  C,  who  resides  in  Fairhaven ;  Nancy  F., 
deceased ;  Mary  L.,  who  married  Ansel  G.  Jen- 
ney,  now  a  widow  residing  in  Cincinnati  (Mr. 


Jenney  was  a  native  of  Fairhaven  and  was  a 
well  known  banker  of  Cincinnati,  where  he 
died  July,  1895,  leaving  four  children,  Lyman, 
Bessie,  who  married  William  B.  Mundie,  of 
Chicago,  William  and  Elise,  wife  of  Aden 
Finch,  of  Cincinnati)  ;  and  Lydia  M.,  who 
died  at  her  home  in  Fairhaven  Aug.  15,  1910. 

BORDEN  (Westport  family).  The  Borden 
family  of  the  town  of  Westport  here  briefly 
treated  is  a  branch  of  the  early  Rhode  Island 
family  of  the  name,  a  family  that  dates  back 
to  the  early  history  of  Rhode  Island  and  Massa- 
chusetts, and  one  that  has  played  a  most  impor- 
tant part  in  the  great  industrial  life  of  Fall 
River.  The  particular  branch  of  the  Borden 
family  here  alluded  to  is  that  of  which  the  head 
was  the  late  Christopher  Borden  of  Westport, 
who  was  long  closely  identified  with  the  history 
of  his  town,  and  some  of  whose  sons  now  repre- 
sent the  name  in  Westport,  where  they  are 
substantial  men  and  useful  citizens. 

The  history  of  the  Westport  Borden  family 
in  question  follows  in  chronological  order  from 
the  immigrant  settler. 

(I)  Richard  Borden,  born  in  1601,  died  May 
25,  1671.  The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was 
Joan.  She  was  born  in  1604  and  died  July 
15,  1688.  Mr.  Borden  was  admitted  an  inhabi- 
tant of  the  island  of  Aquidneck  in  1638,  being 
then  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.  On  May  20th  of  that 
same  year  he  was  allotted  five  acres  of  land. 
He  took  an  important  and  active  part  in  the 
early  affairs  of  Portsmouth.  He  was  assistant 
in  1653-54;  general  treasurer  in  1654-55;  com- 
missioner in  1654-56-57;  and  deputy  in  1667- 
70.  The  children  of  Richard  and  Joan  Borden 
were :  Thomas,  Francis,  Mary,  Matthew,  John, 
Joseph,  Sarah,  Samuel,  Benjamin  and  Amey. 

(II)  John  Borden,  born  in  September,  1640, 
married  Dec.  25,  1670,  Mary,  born  in  1655, 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Walker)  Earle, 
and  was  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  and,  like  his 
father,  was  prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of 
the  town.  He  was  deputy  in  1673,  1680,  1700, 
1704,  1705  and  1708.  He  died  June  4,  1716, 
and  his  wife  in  June,  1734.  Their  children 
were :  Richard,  John,  Amey,  Joseph,  Thomas, 
Hope,  Mary,  William  and  Benjamin. 

(III)  Richard  Borden,  born  Oct.  25,  1671, 
married  about  1692  Innocent  Wardell.  He 
lived  on  the  main  road  about  a  mile  from  the 
east  shore  of  Mount  Hope  bay  and  two  and  a 
half  miles  south  of  the  city  hall  in  Fall  River, 
his  homestead  comprising  about  200  acres  of 
land.  He  became  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
in  the  town,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  one  of  the  largest  landholders  in  the  town. 


554 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


He  lived  until  about  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
His  children  were :  Sarah,  John,  Thomas,  Mary, 
Joseph,  Samuel  and  Eebecca. 

(IV)  Thomas  Borden,  bom  Dec.  8,  1697, 
married  Aug.  14,  1721,  Mary,  born  Oct.  6, 
1695,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Meribah 
Gifiord.  Mr.  Borden  died  in  April,  1740,  in 
Tiverton,  R.  I.  Their  children  were :  Richard, 
born  in  1722;  Christopher,  born  Oct.  10,  1726; 
Deborah;  Mary,  and  Eebecca. 

(V)  Christopher  Borden,  son  of  Thomas, 
born  Oct.  10,  1726,  married  Dec.  24,  1748, 
Hannah  Borden,  daughter  of  Stephen.  Chris- 
topher Borden  inherited  from  his  father  what 
was  known  as  the  Cranberry  Neck  property  with 
other  lands,  and  became  a  farmer  there,  and 
probably  built  the  first  sawmill  on  the  site, 
where  stood  some  years  ago  the  mill  of  younger 
generations  of  the  family.  He  was  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  his  commimity.  He  died 
in  1800. 

(VI)  Jonathan  Borden,  son  of  Christopher, 
born  May  5,  1761,  married  Elizabeth  Bowen. 
Mr.  Borden  was  a  farmer  and  mill  owner,  a 
very  active  business  man,  was  successful  in  his 
undertakings,  and  was  honest  and  straight- 
forward. He  was  a  man  of  a  social  and  genial 
nature.  His  death  occurred  May  19,  1848. 
His  children  were :  Abraham,  Phebe,  Thomas, 
Rhoda,  Isaac  and  Elizabeth. 

(VII)  Abraham  Borden,  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Elizabeth  (Bowen),  was  bom  July  20, 
1793,  on  the  farm  occupied  after  him  by  his 
son  Christopher,  in  the  town  of  Westport,  Mass., 
and  in  the  house  in  which  he  went  to  housekeep- 
ing and  continued  to  live  through  life.  He  inher- 
ited a  farm  from  his  father  which,  with  some 
land  he  himself  purchased,  made  him  an  estate 
of  some  270  acres.  In  addition  to  farming  he 
was  occupied  in  lumbering.  He  was  a  man  of 
quiet  disposition  and  rather  reserved  in  man- 
ner, going  through  life  in  the  even  tenor  of  his 
way,  caring  nothing  for  political  preferment 
or  the  excitement  that  goes  with  politics, 
although  he  had  opinions  of  his  own,  and  was 
fixed  in  them.  He  married  Phebe,  daughter 
of  Lemuel  and  Maria  (Tripp)  Barker,  of  Dart- 
mouth. Three  children  blessed  the  marriage, 
namely:  Christopher;  Rhoda,  who  married 
Abiel  Davis;  and  Maria  R.,  who  married  Capt. 
Weston  Jenney.  The  mother  was  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  her  husband, 
while  not  a  member,  attended  the  Friends' 
meetings.     He  died  Oct.  28,  1864. 

(VIII)  Christopher  Borden,  son  of  Abraham 
and  Phebe  (Barker)  Borden,  was  bom  Oct.  20, 
1815,  in  that  part  of  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  that  later 
became  the  town  of  Westport,  Mass.,  and  on 


land  that  had  been  for  generations  before  him 
occupied  by  his  ancestors.  He  was  reared  amid 
agricultural  pursuits  and  attended  the  schools 
of  his  neighborhood,  furthering  his  studies  ia 
the  Friends'  School  in  Providence,  R.  I.  After 
his  school  days  were  over  he  returned  to  the 
farm,  becoming  associated .  with  his  father  in 
the  conduct  of  the  farm  and  in  the  lumbering 
business.  In  these  operations  he  in  time  suc- 
ceeded his  father.  Mr.  Borden,  though  occupy- 
ing the  same  farm,  by  the  changing  of 
boundary  lines  lived  in  two  States  and  three 
towns,  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  and  Fall  River  and 
Westport,  Mass.  He  was  much  in  the  public 
service  of  his  tovra;  was  a  member  of  the  town 
council  of  Tiverton,  frequently  served  as  select- 
man of  Westport ;  was  a  member  of  the  auditing 
committee  for  years,  and  held  other  minor 
ofiices.  A  man  possessing  the  confidence  of  his 
fellow  citizens,  and  one  having  managed  his 
own  affairs  successfully,  he  was  frequently 
called  upon  to  settle  estates.  He  was  a  man  of 
a  sunny,  cheerful  and  genial  disposition,  and 
won  and  held  friends.  His  political  aiEliations 
were  first  with  the  Whig  party,  then  with  the 
Republican.  He  was  a  stockholder  in  the 
Metacomet,  Pocasset  and  Union  Banks  of  Fall 
River,  and  of  the  Commercial  Bank  at  New 
Bedford.  He  also  held  stock  in  the  Flint,  Bar- 
nard and  Weetamoe  Mills  in  Fall  River,  and 
was  interested  in  and  a  director  of  the  Fall 
River  Manufacturing  Company. 

On  Feb.  11,  1839,  Mr.  Borden  married  Lucy 
H.,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Sarah  S.  (Howland) 
Davis,  who  was  born  Feb.  11,  1818,  in  West- 
port,  Mass.  She  died  March  10,  1897.  Six 
children  blessed  the  marriage,  namely:  Jona- 
than ;  Alice  A.,  who  married  George  H.  Hicks, 
of  Fall  River,  and  had  children,  Christopher 
B.,  Lester,  Edgar  A.,  Alice  and  George  H. ; 
Mary  E.,  who  married  Isaac  W.  Howland,  of 
Little  Compton,  R.  I.,  and  died  leaving  a  son 
William  W. ;  Othniel  T.,  who  was  accidentally 
killed  while  hunting,  at  the  age  of  nineteen; 
Edwin;  and  Phebe  S.,  v;ho  married  Arthur  D. 
Cornell,  and  died  leaving  two  daughters,  Lucy 
Sarah  and  Mary  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Borden  died 
at  his  home  in  Westport,  Mass.,  Dec.  12,  1894. 

(IX)  Jonathan  Bokden,  son  of  Christopher 
and  Lucy  H.  (Davis)  Borden,  was  born  May 
15,  1841,  in  that  part  of  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  that 
became  Westport,  Mass.,  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  six  children.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town,  remaining  at  home  until 
fourteen  years  of  age.  He  then  went  to  work 
for  his  grandfather  Borden,  later  marrying  and 
locating  in  the  town  and  upon  lands  held  by 
successive  generations  of  his  ancestors,  and  con- 


<^^s#^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


555 


tinuing  to  be  occupied  in  agricultural  pursuits. 
He  has  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father, 
and  has  long  been  one  of  Westport's  leading 
farmers  and  substantial  men.  For  three  years 
he  served  as  selectman  of  the  town.  He  is  of 
a  quiet,  unassuming  nature,  and  has  so  lived 
as  to  have  the  respect  and  esteem  of  his  com- 
munity. 

On  Nov.  7,  1861,  Mr.  Borden  married  Mary 
M.,  born  April  24,  1846,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Snell)  Estes,  he  a  direct  descendant 
of  Richard  Estes,  who  came  from  Dover,  Eng- 
land, to  this  country  in  1684  (stopping  a  few 
days  in  Boston,  thence  proceeding  to  what  is 
now  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  there  joining  his  brother 
Matthew  who  had  preceded  him),  from  whom 
his  descent  is  through  Robert  Estes,  Thomas 
Estes  and  Peter  Estes.  Seven  children  have 
blessed  the  marriage  of  Jonathan  Borden  to 
Mary  M.  Estes,  namely :  Mercy  D.  married 
Walter  F.  Grinnell,  of  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  and  has 
three  children,  Annie  May,  Wilfred  and  Doro- 
thy; Thomas  E.,  born  Aug.  9,  1866,  married 
Macie  Grinnell,  lives  in  Westport,  and  has  six 
children,  Myra  T.,  Clarence,  Louise,  Raymond, 
Philip  and  Katherine;  Othniel  T.,  born  Dec. 
18,  1868,  married  Sarah  P.  Upham,  resides  at 
Westport,  and  has  children,  Othniel,  Esther 
and  Osmund;  Christopher,  born  Nov.  27,  1871, 
married  Alice  F.  Greene,  lives  at  Westport, 
and  has  children,  Mildred,  Gertrude,  Chris- 
topher, Vivian  and  Jonathan;  Mary  R.,  born 
June  20,  1874,  married  James  H.  Kay,  of  Fall 
River,  and  has  children,  Harold,  Henry,  Bere- 
nice and  Dorothy;  Jennie  M.,  born  Jan.  1, 
1878,  married  Arthur  M.  Read;  Jonathan  L.  is 
deceased.  The  mother  of  these  died  Sept.  10, 
1896. 

(IX)  Edwin  Boeden,  son  of  Christopher 
and  Lucy  H.  (Davis)  Borden,  was  born  June 
26,  1850,  in  that  part  of  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  now 
Westport,  Mass.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  the  Friends'  School  in 
Providence,  R.  I.  Mr.  Borden  continued  at 
home  assisting  his  father  in  his  farming  and 
business  operations  until  his  marriage,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  business  for 
himself. 

Unlike  his  father  before  him  Mr.  Borden  has 
given  little  or  no  time  to  politics  in  the  way  of 
office  seeking  or  holding,  having  no  taste  in  that 
direction.  He  has,  however,  ever  taken  that 
interest  in  public  affairs  that  becomes  any  good 
citizen,  and  is  a  Republican  in  principle.  He 
has  many  acquaintances  and  friends  who  hold 
him  in  the  highest  esteem  for  his  many  good 
qualities.  He  is  a  member  of  Mount  Vernon 
Lodge,  No.  157,  K.  of  P.,  Fall  River. 


On  March  2,  1871,  Mr.  Borden  married  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  (Pierce) 
Young,  and  their  children  are:  Minnie  E., 
born  Sept.  16,  1872,  married  George  S.  Law- 
ton,  and  has  two  children,  Ina  A.  and  Alice  E. ; 
Ida  H.,  born  Sept.  19,  1874,  married  Henry  J. 
Sampson;  William  C,  born  Aug.  17,  1878, 
married  Cora  Macomber,  lives  at  Westport,  and 
has  three  children.  Hazel  L.,  Elton  M.  and 
Eleanor  M. ;  Beriah  E.,  born  May  16,  1880, 
resides  at  Westport,  where  he  is  prominent  in 
Masonry,  being  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  Shrin- 
er;  and  Minerva  A.,  born  Dec.  26,  1882,  mar- 
ried Walter  F.  Sanford,  of  Dorchester,  Mass. 
(no  issue). 

DR.  FREDERICK  HUBBARD  HOOPER. 
In  the  death  of  Dr.  Frederick  Hubbard  Hooper 
the  city  of  New  Bedford  lost  one  of  its  eminent 
medical  practitioners  and  a  citizen  who  in  fifty 
years  of  residence  there  had  proved  himself 
worthy  of  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his 
fellow  men.  He  was  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  Hampshire,  born  at  Walpole  June  12, 
1829. 

John  Hooper  was  the  first  of  the  name  in 
Bridgewater.  He  married  Sarah,  perhaps  the 
daughter  of  .John  Harden,  and  they  had  chil- 
dren born  in  the  very  beginning  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  and  before  their  location  in 
Bridgewater. 

Levi  Hooper  was  bom  in  Bridgewater  in 
1742,  and  in  1767  married  Susanna  Leach. 
When  a  young  man  he  went  on  a  whaling  voy- 
age to  Hudson  bay,  and  on  his  return  enlisted 
as  a  soldier  in  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
which  closed  in  1763.  On  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  enlistment — nine  months — he  was 
unable  to  get  his  pay  unless  he  would  remain 
in  the  service  three  months  longer;  this  he 
did,  but  at  the  close  of  the  time  he  was  no 
better  off,  and  so  with  three  other  soldiers  he 
took  "French  leave"  and  made  for  home.  On 
reaching  Walpole,  N.  H.,  the  soil  and  heavy 
growth  of  timber  pleased  Mr.  Hooper  so  much 
that  he  was  induced  to  return,  after  visiting 
his  home  and  friends,  and  locate  there.  He 
returned  to  Walpole  in  1771,  and  soon  after 
buried  his  wife  Susanna.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) in  1771  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Hall, 
by  whom  he  had  six  children.  He  bought  in 
1775  the  Samuel  Chase  farm  and  located  on 
the  southern  part  of  it.  In  1781  he  built  and 
moved  into  the  so-called  mansion,  later  the 
residence  of  George  D.  Hooper,  of  Walpole; 
there  he  lived  and  died.  In  the  Revolution  he 
served  as  second  lieutenant  of  a  company  in 
General  Bellows's  regiment,  and  later  as  cap- 


556 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


tain.  Captain  Hooper  was  a  man  of  resolute 
character,  held  many  town  offices  and  accumu- 
lated a  competence. 

Salmon  Hooper,  son  of  Levi,  bora  Aug.  7, 
1774,  married  Nov.  8,  1795,  Kebecca  Foster. 

Levi  Hooper  (2),  son  of  Salmon  and  Re- 
becca, was  born  April  7,  1801,  and  married 
Jan.  19,  1826,  Harriet,  daughter  of  John 
Graves.    Nine  children  were  bom  to  this  union. 

Dr.  Frederick  Hubbard  Hooper,  son  of  Levi 
and  Harriet  (Graves)  Hooper,  was  born  June 
12,  1829,  in  Walpole,  N.  H.,  where  he  was 
schooled  and  prepared  in  part  for  the  medical 
profession,  completing  his  studies  in  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York 
City,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
with  honors,  taking  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He 
practiced  his  profession  for  a  time  in  his  na- 
tive town,  then  for  a  short  time  in  Fall  River, 
Mass.,  where  an  uncle.  Dr.  J.  Foster  Hooper, 
was  located,  and  in  1857  came  to  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  where  for  nearly  fifty  years  he  con- 
tinued in  the  active  practice  of  medicine,  be- 
coming one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the 
city  and  one  of  its  best  known  citizens. 

In  his  early  professional  career  in  New  Bed- 
ford Dr.  Hooper  for  a  period  was  located  in 
the  "Parker  Hovise."  Later  he  established  him- 
self upon  his  own  property,  his  residence  on 
the  comer  of  William  and  County  streets, 
where  he  continued  during  the  remaining  years 
of  his  active  practice — some  thirty-seven  years. 

During  the  Civil  war  Dr.  Hooper  was  the 
examining  surgeon  for  the  government  in  what 
was  styled  the  Cape  Cod  district.  Of  a  retir- 
ing disposition,  he  never  sought  or  held  politi- 
cal office  other  than  that  alluded  to  above.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society,  and  at  one  time  served  as  its 
secretary.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  New  Bed- 
ford Five  Cents  Savings  Bank,  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Wamsutta  and  Country  Clubs.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Society,  attend- 
ing that  church  for  many  years. 

Dr.  Hooper  never  married.  He  left  sur- 
viving him  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Weymouth, 
of  Walpole,  N.  H.,  and  a  brother,  George  L. 
Hooper,  of  Lowell,  Massachusetts.  Dr.  Hooper 
died  Aug.  31,  1908,  at  his  home,  aged  seventy- 
nine  years,  two  months,  nineteen  days,  and  was 
buried  at  Walpole,  New  Hampshire. 

The  excellent  likeness  of  Dr.  Hooper,  ap- 
pearing in  this  publication  is  presented  solely 
by  Miss  E.  Maud  Hume,  who  for  nearly,  twenty 
years  was  the  faithful  housekeeper  for  Dr. 
Hooper.  Miss  Hume  is  a  native  of  Dartmouth, 
Nova  Scotia,  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  Isaac 
Hume,  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  denomination 


afid  well  known  in  Lunenburg   county.  Nova 
Scotia. 

NOMUS  PAIGE,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  best 
known  physicians  as  well  as  one  of  the  oldest  in 
point  of  service  in  Taunton,  and  one  of  that 
town's  most  active,  progressive  and  public- 
spirited  citizens,  is  a  member  of  an  ancient 
Massachusetts  family,  and  was  born  in  Went- 
worth,  N.  H.,  March  26,  1840,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Pamelia   (Ellsworth)    Paige. 

(I)  John  Page  was  of  Hingham  and  Haver- 
hill, Mass.,  removing  to  the  latter  town  about 
1652.  He  died  Nov.  23,  1687,  and  his  widow, 
Mary  (Marsh),  died  in  1697.  Their  children 
were:  John,  baptized  July  11,  1641;  Onesiph- 
orus,  baptized  Nov.  20,  1642;  Benjamin,  bap- 
tized July  14,  1644;  Mary,  baptized  May  3, 
1646;  Joseph,  baptized  March  5,  1647-48;  Cor- 
nelius, baptized  July  15,  1649;  Sarah,  baptized 
July  18,  1651;  Elizabeth,  born  June  15,  1653; 
Mercy,  born  April  1,  1655;  Ephraim,  born  Feb. 
27,  1658-59. 

(II)  Onesiphorus  Page,  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Marsh)  Page,  was  born  about  1642,  and 
was  a  weaver  at  Salisbury,  where  he  took  the 
oath  of  fidelity  and  allegiance,  and  where  he 
was  a  householder  in  1677.  He  married  (first) 
Nov.  22,  1664,  Mary  Hauxworth,  and  (second) 
July  31,  1695,  Sarah  (Morrill),  widow  of 
Philip  Eowell.  He  died  June  28,  1687.  His 
children  were:  Mary,  who  died  Oct.  5,  1666; 
Mary  (2),  born  Oct.  29,  1666;  Joseph,  born 
April  6,  1670;  Abigail,  born  June  23,  1672; 
Mary,  born  Nov.  18,  1674:  Sarah,  bom  July 
6,  1677;  Onesiphorus,  born  Feb.  10,  1679;  Cor- 
nelius, who  died  in  1683;  Mary,  born  Sept.  29, 
1686;  and  John,  born  Feb.  21,  1696-97. 

(III)  Joseph  Page,  son  of  Onesiphorus  and 
Mary  (Hauxworth),  born  April  6,  1670,  mar- 
ried (first)  March  12,  1690-91,  Sarah  Smith, 
who  died  in  1693.  The  name  of  his  second  wife 
was  Elizabeth.  His  children  were :  Sarah, 
born  Oct.  13,  1691;  Judith,  Oct.  22,  1693; 
John,  June  17,  1696  (married  Mary  Winsley) ; 
Joseph,  Sept.  3,  1698;  Joshua,  Nov.  15,  1700; 
Benjamin,  May  14,  1703;  Mary,  May  26,  1706; 
and  Onesiphorus,  Sept.  18,  1708. 

(IV)  John  Page,  son  of  Joseph  and  Eliza- 
beth, was  born  June  17,  1696.  In  1720  he 
married  Mary  Winsley,  and  they  lived  in  South 
Hampton  and  in  Salisbury.  They  became  the 
parents  of  children  as  follows:  Ebenezer,  born 
July  19,  1720 ;  Samuel ;  Betsey,  born  Aug.  12, 
1724;  Moses,  Sept.  3,  1726;  John.  Nov.  11, 
1728:  Ephraim,  March  16,  1731;  Mary,  April 
5,  1733;  Benjamin,  Aug.  17,  1735;  Benjamin 
(3),  Aug.  6,  1737;  and  Enoch,  Sept.  29,  1741. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


557 


John  Page  and  his  five  sons — Samuel,  John, 
Ephraim,  Moses  and  Enoch — were  original  pro- 
prietors of  Wentworth.  Two  of  the  sons, 
Ephraim  and  Enoch  (called  Major),  moved 
from  Salisbury  to  Wentworth  at  its  earliest  set- 
tlement, and  appear  to  have  been  the  only  orig- 
inal proprietors  who  permanently  settled  in  the 
town  (Dr.  Hoyt's  History  of  Wentworth).  Maj. 
Enoch  Page  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  Inferior  court  for  the  county  of  Grafton. 

(V)  Ephraim  Page,  son  of  John  and  Mary, 
was  born  March  16,  1731,  and  died  Nov.  4, 
1802.  He  married  Hannah  Currier,  'frho  was 
baptized  May  2-1,  1738,  and  died  July  9,  1813, 
As  above  stated,  Ephraim  Page  was  of  Salis- 
bury, Mass.,  and  Wentworth,  N.  H.  He  had 
three  sons:  John,  born  1769;  Samuel,  1773; 
and  Currier,  1781. 

(VI)  John  Page,  son  of  Ephraim,  born  May 
24,  1769,  died  Sept.  5,  1840.  He  was  a  lad  of 
only  four  or  five  years  when  his  father  moved 
to  Wentworth.  Of  schooling  he  had  very  little, 
but  he  was  a  man  of  good  mind  and  excellent 
memory,  early  showed  marked  capacity  for  busi- 
ness, and  was  successful  in  whatever  he  under- 
took. At  his  father's  death  he  inherited  the 
homestead  (afterward  the  town  farm),  where 
for  many  years  he  resided.  He  was  one  of  the 
largest  farmers  and  landliolders  in  town,  own- 
ing a  large  quantity  of  land  in  various  parts 
of  the  town,  especially  Ellsworth  Hill.  About 
1824  he  moved  to  the  village,  and  for  a  short 
time  kept  tavern  at  the  old  stand,  which  he  then 
owned.  The  business,  however,  not  being  con- 
genial to  his  tastes,  he  moved  to  the  three-story 
house  adjoining,  where  he  made  his  home  until 
his  death.  He  married  Hannah  Elimball,  born 
April  5,  1772,  died  Feb.  17,  1837,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Kimball,  one  of  the  early  settlers.  She 
was  a  woman  greatly  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
her.  To  John  and  Hannah  Page  were  born 
children  as  follows :  James,  born  July  26, 
1794;  Ephraim,  May  22,  1796 ;  John,  Jr.,  April 
27,  1798  ;  Elinor,  Feb.  19,  1800 ;  Samuel,  March 
17,  1803;  Joseph,  July  19,  1805;  Hannah, 
April  17,  1807;  Simon,  April  20,  1809 ;  Louisa, 
April  18,  1811 :  Sally,  May  30,  1814;  and  Han- 
nah, April  13,  1816. 

(VII)  Joseph  Page,  son  of  John  and  Han- 
nah, bom  July  19,  1805,  died  July  19,  1851. 
On  April  13,  1832.  he  married  Nancy  Peck, 
(second)  Feb.  18,  1836,  Betsey  Webster,  and 
(third)  Sept.  22,  1839,  Pamelia  Ellsworth 
(born  June  17,  1807,  died  July  19,  1872).  To 
the  first  marriage  was  born  a  daughter  Sarah 
(born  1832),  who  married  R.  W.  Shelbourne 
in  1855.  No  children  were  born  of  the  second 
marriage,  but  to  the  third  came:    Nomus  and 


Onias,  born  March  26,  1840,  of  whom  Onias 
died  March  26,  1840;  Onias  (2),  born  Oct.  9, 
1841,  who  married  June  30,  1868,  Mary  Louisa 
Park;  Octavia  Catharine,  born  Feb.  11,  1843; 
Helen  M.  and  Ellen  M.,  born  Oct.  31,  1844; 
Joseph,  Jr.,  born  July  12,  1846 ;  and  Ellen  E., 
born  July  12,  1848. 

(VIII)  Dr.  Nomus  Paige,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Pamelia  (Ellsworth),  was  born  in  Wentworth, 
N.  H.,  March  26,  1840.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Wentworth, 
and  took  a  preparatory  course  of  three  years  at 
Kimball  Union  Academy,  Meriden,  N.  H.  From 
there  he  entered  the  medical  department  of 
Dartmouth  College  at  Hanover  in  1859,  and 
graduated  in  April,  1861.  While  there  he  re- 
ceived instruction  from  the  famous  surgeon, 
Prof.  Dixi  Crosby,  the  professor  of  surgery  at 
Dartmouth.  Before  his  graduation  Dr.  Paige 
became  interne  in  the  hospital  on  Deer  island, 
Boston  Harbor,  for  six  months,  and  at  the  same 
time  attended  medical  lectures  at  the  Boston 
Medical  School.  In  June,  1861,  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  physician  at  the  State  Lunatic 
Asylum  at  Taunton,  where  he  remained  a  little 
over  two  years.  In  the  latter  part  of  1863  he 
established  himself  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  Taunton,  where  he  has  continued  for 
nearly  fifty  years.  While  not  having  made  a 
specialty  of  surgery,  he  has  had  a  wide  experi- 
ence in  it.  Dr.  Paige's  practice  at  one  time  was 
larger  perhaps  than  that  of  any  other  physi- 
cian in  southern  New  England.  For  twenty- 
seven  years  he  was  physician  to  the  Bristol 
county  jail. 

Although  so  deeply  engrossed  in  his  pro- 
fession, Dr.  Paige  has  nevertheless  been  inter- 
ested in  the  material  development  of  the  city 
and  was  one  of  the  builders  and  a  director  of 
the  Nemasket  Mill  (now  a  part  of  the  New 
England  Cotton  Yarn  Company).  In  1882  he 
organized  the  Taunton  Electric  Light  Com- 
pany, it  being  the  third  company  of  the  kind 
in  the  State.  Of  this  he  became  a  director, 
and  in  1887  its  treasurer,  and  he  continued  as 
manager  in  control  of  the  company  until  1897, 
when  it  was  sold  to  the  city.  Under  municipal 
ownership  he  was  appointed  manager  of  the 
plant,  and  so  continued  until  1901.  This  plant 
is  to-day  krgely  the  product  of  the  Doctor's 
industry,  energy  and  foresight.  He  is  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Taunton  Savings  Bank.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  the  early 
days  of  the  city  he  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
mon council,  and  also  city  physician.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society  since  1863,  and  has  held  all  the  offices 
in  that  society;  he  is  a  trustee  and  a  member 


558 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  the  consulting  staff  of  Morton  hospital.  Dr. 
Paige  is  a  communicant  of  St.  Thomas'  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  Taunton,  and  one  of  its 
vestrymen. 

On  Nov.  22,  1866,  Dr.  Paige  married  Maria 
Josephine  Hewins,  of  Hyde  Park,  Mass.,  who 
died  in  1876.  He  married  (second)  June  30, 
1881,  Mrs.  Nora  (Colby)  Baylies,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Colby,  of  Taunton.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Paige  had  two  children,  namely :  Eussell  Colby, 
born  Aug.  11,  1882,  married  Ethel  G.  Baker, 
daughter  of  Charles  F.  Baker,  of  Taunton,  and 
has  a  son,  Samuel  Colby,  born  Oct.  5,  1909 ; 
Katharine  Crossman,  born  in  February,  1884, 
married  Eugene  W.  Leach,  of  Concord,  N.  H., 
and*  they  have  a  daughter,  Barbara,  born  Oct. 
17,  1909.  Mrs.  Nora  Paige  died  Aug.  13,  1903. 
(VIII)  De.  Onias  Paige,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Pamelia  (Ellsworth)  Paige,  was  born  in  the  old 
town  of  Wentworth,  N.  H.,  Oct.  9,  1841,  and 
came  to  Taunton  in  1862,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  to  study  dentistry  with  Dr.  John  T.  Cod- 
man,  whose  office  was  on  Main  street.  Dr.  Cod- 
man,  in  his  youth,  was  a  member  of  the  famous 
Brook  Farm  community,  and  a  delightful  por- 
trayer  of  the  people  and  scenes  of  that  experi- 
ment of  associated  labor.  In  March,  1865,  Dr. 
Paige  opened  his  office  in  the  City  Hotel  build- 
ing, and  this  became  his  work  home  for  the  rest 
of  his  busy  life.  Interested  in  good  government, 
he  gave  his  ward  and  the  city  his  best  service 
as  councilman  and  alderman  (representing  the 
Third  ward),  and  finally  as  mayor  for  three 
terms,  in  the  years  1877,  1878  and  1879.  His 
administration  was  characterized  by  clean-cut, 
efficient  business  methods,  and  he  himself  was 
honestly  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  people. 
When  his  work  for  the  public  was  over  he  gave 
close  attention  to  his  business,  which  had  been 
all  the  time  large  and  lucrative. 

Dr.  Paige  was  for  many  years  a  member  of 
the  Parish  committee  of  the  Unitarian  Church, 
and  no  one  in  the  city  had  a  larger  acquaint- 
ance with  the  clergy  and  laity  of  that  denomi- 
nation. He  was  a  man  who  did  his  duty  quietly 
and  unobtrusively,  but  none  the  less  effectively. 
He  remained  true  to  his  ideals,  and  was  known 
as  a  man  of  unimpeachable  integrity.  His  life 
extended  over  more  than  threescore  years — 
busy,  well-spent  years. 

Dr.  Paige  married,  June  30,  1868,  Mary  L. 
Park,  of  Taunton,  and  they  had  one  daughter, 
Abby  Louise.     Dr^  Paige  died  Sept.  2,  1905. 

ELLERY  C.  CAHOON.  The  standard  writ- 
ers, such  as  Farmer,  Savage  and  Pope,  of  the 
pioneers  of  New  England  give  nothing  of  the 
Cahoons,  but  Baylies  refers  to  William  Gaboon 


as  an  inhabitant  of  Rehoboth  in  1665,  where 
nothing  of  vital  record  seems  to  appear. 
Fragmentary  accounts  of  the  Gaboon  family, 
however,  appear  in  Cape  Cod  towns.  James 
Gaboon  is  referred  to  as  born  Oct.  25,  1696, 
son  of  Widow  Mary  Davis;  wliile  William  and 
Sarah  Gaboon  are  given  as  among  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Chatham.  The  latter  was  originally  the 
district  of  Manamoit  or  Monomoy,  and  became 
incorporated  as  a  town,  in  1712.  Another  tract 
of  land  called  Satuckett  became  the  town  of 
Harwich  in  1694.  Id  this  latter  town  have 
'lived  the  branch  of  xhe  Gaboon  family  here 
considered — the  descendants  of  a  James 
Gaboon,  as  will  be  observed  farther  on. 

A  James  Gaboon  figured  in  the  early' pro- 
ceedings of  the  town  of  Wellfleet,  which  be- 
fore it  was  incorporated  in  a  town  was  the 
North  precinct  of  Eastham.  At  the  meeting 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  North  precinct,  held 
Jan.  29,  1738-39,  James  Gaboon  was  appointed 
one  of  a  committee  "to  take  an  account  of  ye 
agents  for  building  ye  meeting  house."  Mr. 
Gaboon  was  chosen  one  of  the  assessors  in  1742- 
43,  and  again  in  1743-44.  The  family  of  Wil- 
liam and  Sarah  Gaboon  as  of  early  Chatham 
record  as  above  alluded  to  were :  Marcy,  bom 
May  7,  1717;  Sarah,  born  March  4,  1719-20; 
and  James,  born  May  8,  1721. 

James  Gaboon  of  the  early  family  of  this 
surname  on  Gape  Cod  lived  in  Harwich. 

Seth  Gaboon,  son  of  James,  of  Harwich, 
married  Mariba  (or  according  to  another 
Sally),  and  their  six  children  were:  Ezekiel, 
Seth,  Ziba,  Hannah,  Rebecca  and  Mariba.  Of 
these,  Kzekiel  is  mentioned  farther  on;  Seth 
married  Mehitable  Godfrey  and  had  children, 
Seth,  Benjamin  and  Mehitable;  Ziba  married 
Ruth  Bassett  and  their  children  were  Ziba, 
Nathaniel,  Louisa,  Ann,  Sarah,  Amanda;  Re- 
becca was  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Almena  Rob- 
bins,  of  East  Harwich. 

Ezekiel  Gaboon,  son  of  Seth,  was  bom  in 
1799  in  East  Harwich,  Mass.,  where  his  life 
was  spent  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  where 
he  died  Sept.  22,  1877,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 
He  married  about  1826  Polly  Baker,  of  East 
Harwich,  daughter  of  Anthony  Baker,  who  died 
April  24,  1853,  aged  eighty-seven  years,  five 
months ;  he  was  married  three  times,  Mrs. 
Gaboon's  mother  being  his  first  wife.  Mrs. 
Gaboon  was  born  in  1803,  and  died  in  East 
Harwich  Sept.  26,  1877,  aged  seventy-four 
years,  only  a  few  day?  after  the  death  of  her 
husband.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren (the  eldest  born  in  1827),  namely:  Eze- 
kiel (whose  wife's  name  was  Catherine),  Ellery 
E.,    Alonzo,    Benjamin,    Trxunan,    Marrietta, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


559 


Polly,  Emma  and  Catherine.  Of  these,  Alonzo 
married  a  Snow  (first  name  possibly  Cather- 
ine), and  Capt.  Frank  Cahoon,  of  South  Chat- 
ham, is  his  son. 

Ellery  Eldridge  Cahoon,  son  of  Ezekiel,  was 
born  in  1830  in  East  Harwich,  Mass.,  and  died 
in  East  Brewster,  Mass.,  in  1863.  In  early 
life  he  was  a  shoemaker,  receiving  the  stock  for 
the  shoes  from  the  Melrose  factories  and  making 
the  same  at  his  home,  as  was  the  custom  in 
those  days.  Later  he  had  a  store  in  Brewster, 
and  also  ran  a  team  on  the  Cape,  selling  Yan- 
kee notions,  hardware,  etc.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Whig  and  latet  a  Eepublican.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  Church.  He  married  Sarah 
Freeman,  of  Brewster,  Jlass.,  daughter  of  An- 
thony Freeman;  she  survived  her  husband,  and 
passed  away  in  Brockton,  Mass.,  the  mother  of 
the  following  children:  Elnora  F.,  who  mar- 
ried Alvin  W.  Sears,  died  in  Brewster  from 
injuries  received  in  being  thrown  from  a  car- 
riage; Ellery  Carroll  is  mentioned  below;  An- 
thony B.,  born  in  1858,  died  in  1859 ;  Louisa, 
who  married  Charles  Parker,  died  in  Brockton ; 
and  Nellie  Frances  married  William  Wixon,  of 
West  Brewster,  where  they  reside. 

Ellery  Carroll  Cahoon,  president  of  the 
Brockton  Board  of  Trade,  one  of  the  trustees 
of  the  People's  Savins  Bank,  director  of  the 
Security  Cooperative  Bank,  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Cahoon,  Kingman  &  Swift,  public- 
spirited,  forceful  and  useful  citizen,  entered 
into  rest  Aug.  3,  1907,  at  Norwood,  Mass.  Mr. 
Cahoon  was  bom  Aug.  22,  1853,  at  East  Brew- 
ster, Mass.,  and  the  public  schools  of  that  town 
afforded  him  his  means  of  education.  His  first 
work  after  leaving  school  was  the  driving  of  the 
stage-coach  through  the  town  of  Dennis,  and  he 
became  very  well  known  to  the  people  of  that 
section.  About  1871  he  came  to  North  Bridge- 
water  (now  Brockton),  and  entered  the  employ 
of  L.  F.  Severance,  at  that  time  a  leading  mar- 
ket man,  and  remained  there  some  years.  He 
then  went  to  Luce  &  Poole,  a  firm  engaged  in 
the  same  line  of  business,  and  continued  with 
them  until  he  went  into  the  wholesale  beef 
business,  forming  the  firm  of  Cahoon,  King- 
man &  Swift,  a  branch  of  Swift  &  Co.,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  this  business  grew  rapidly,  expanding 
with  the  broadening  of  the  interests  of  the  town, 
and  playing  an  important  part  therein. 

While  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  business, 
Mr.  Cahoon  was  a  many-sided  man,  and  with- 
out neglecting  any  one  thing  was  able  to  be 
interested  in  many  lines  of  activity.  From  the 
inception  of  the  Brockton  Board  of  Trade  he 
was  one  of  its  active  workers,  inspiring  others 
to  greater  effort  by  his  enthusiasm,  and  shortly 


before  his  death  had  been  elected  its  president. 
He  was  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  People's  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  an  officer  of  the  Security  Co- 
operative Bank.  In  the  Commercial  Club  he 
was  an  ever-welcome  adviser  and  tireless  worker. 
He  had  been  active  in  a  garbage  disposal  scheme 
for  the  city,  and  at  his  request  an  agent  of  the 
Wiselogel  Sewerage  Disposal  Company,  of  St. 
Louis,  visited  Brockton  and  explained  to  the 
city  officials  the  system  he  represented.  This 
question  had  engrossed  Mr.  Gaboon's  attention 
for  some  time,  and  he  was  on  the  alert  to  find 
the  best  practical  method  for  his  city*. 

Mr.  Cahoon  was  a  member  of  the  Porter  Con- 
gregational Church,  and  was  the  senior  melh- 
ber  of  the  parish  committee  and  collector  of  the 
church.  He  was  a  member  and  at  one  time  a 
director  of  the  Brockton  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  in 
the  Brockton  No-License  League  he  was  vigi- 
lant and  energetic,  at  all  times  taking  a  firm 
stand  on  the  side  of  morality  in  commercial, 
social  and  municipal  life.  He  was  a  friend  of 
humanity — the  love  of  his  friends  was  a  marked 
characteristic,  and  his  hearty  greeting  cheered 
many  a  wavering,  despondent  being.  His  pres- 
ence vibrated  sincerity  and  loyalty,  and  became 
a  tonic  to  those  associated  with  him.  He  kept 
himself  pure  and  sweet  amid  all  the  temptations 
of  life,  and  no  taint  of  corruption  rested  upon 
him.  Large  responsibilities  and  trusts  were 
confided  to  him,  and  his  reliability  was  never 
questioned.  His  square  dealing  was  known  to 
all  his  business  acquaintances,  and  the  confi- 
dence given  him'  in  return  was  implicit. 

To  Mr.  Cahoon  life  brought  its  duties,  and 
he  felt  that  the  day  of  no  man  was  his  own. 
Each  day,  each  hour,  had  its  task,  and  there 
were  no  idle  moments.  He  loved  life  and  its 
activity,  and  he  faced  each  day  with  the  cour- 
age and  confidence  that  bespoke  his  faith — a 
faith  that  questioned  not  the  duties  thrust  upon 
him,  but  lent  strength  to  their  accomplishment. 
Mr.  Cahoon  was  prominent  in  fraternal  cir- 
cles, being  a  member  in  and  collector  of  Brock- 
ton Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor ;  a  member  of  the 
N.  E.  0.  P. ;  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Brockton  Council, 
R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Bay  State  Commandery,  K. 
T.,  Brockton. 

On  June  16,  1875,.  Mr.  Cahoon  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Annie  C.  Johnson,  of  East 
Boston,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Ellen 
(Murray)  Johnson,  both  natives  of  Boston.  Two 
children  were  born  to  them :  Edith  Louise, 
who  died  aged  nine  years;  and  Ellery  Carroll, 
Jr.,  who  died  aged  nine  months.  Mrs.  Cahoon 
and  Mr.  Cahoon's  sister,  Mrs.  William  Wixon, 
of  Brewster,  survive  to  mourn  his  death. 


560 


SOTJTHEASTEKX  MASSACHUSETTS 


The  funeral  services  were  held  at  the  home, 
No.  695  Belmont  street,  Brockton,  and  were 
simple  but  impressive.  Associates  in  business 
and  fraternal  life,  friends,  all  were  there,  Rev. 
Dr.  Albert  Marion  Hyde  conducted  the  services, 
and  the  Gerrish  quartette  sang  several  selec- 
tions.    Dr.  Hyde  said  in  part: 

"Every  interest  in  our  community  has  suf- 
fered grievous  loss  in  the  death  of  Ellery  C. 
Cahoon.  The  business  world  in  which  he  has 
long  stood  in  such  honor,  the  social  circles  to 
which  he  always  brought  much  bounding  good 
cheer,  the  church  interests  to  which  he  was  al- 
ways such  a  faithful  ally,  the  charitable  insti- 
tiftions  to  which  he  was  such  a  liberal  giver, 
are  all  poorer  because  he  has  gone  out  from  us. 
Active  and  energetic,  always  abounding  in  vi- 
tality and  good  cheer,  he  has  been  among  our 
first  and  our  best  in  all  that  counts  for  the  com- 
munity and  the  individual.  I  do  not  need  to 
speak  his  eulogy.  The  eulogy  of  such  a  char- 
acter is  never  spoken.  Not  the  words  but  the 
works  which  follow  him  will  be  his  memorial 
monument.  Through  all  the  record  of  our 
brother's  life  four  great  words  are  shining,  in- 
tegrity, industry,  friendship,  faith _• . 

We  can  say  of  him  as  Whittier  said  of  Agassiz : 

"As  thiu  mists  are  glorified, 
By  the  light  they  cannot  hide. 
All  who  gazed  upon  him  saw, 
Through  its  veil  of  tender  awe, 
How  his  face  was  still  uplit 
By  the  old  sweet  look  of  it; 
Hopeful,  trustful,  full  «f  cheer, 
And  the  love  that  casts  out  fear." 

The  directors  of  the  Security  Cooperative 
Bank,  at  their  meeting  held  in  Brockton  Sept. 
19,  1907,  adopted  resolutions  as  follows : 

Whebeas,  the  dark  Angel,  whose  wings  ever  spread 
in  flight  summoning  our  friends  and  loved  ones 
to  the  eternal  and  invisible  beyond,  has  paused  to 
deliver  his  dread  message  to  Ellery  Carroll  Ca- 
hoon, our  friend,  companion  and  co-worker,  and 

Whereas,  in  the  sudden  answer  to  the  summons  we 
are  brought  to  realize  how  strong  a  character  and 
how  noble  a  man  has  been  removed  from  among 
us,  leaving  a  place  vacant  and  calling  for  some 
one  to  step  from  the  ranks  of  thoughtless  toil 
and,  in  his  stead,  administer  relief  to  the 
distressed  and  comfort  to  the  afflicted; 

Be  It  Resolved,  that  in  his  death  the  Security  Co- 
operative Bank  and  the  community  at  large  have 
suffered  a  loss  that  is  severely  felt ;  that  in  the 
twenty-four  years  that  he  has  been  a  member  of 
this  institution,  thirteen  years  as  a  director  and 
four  years  as  a  vice  president,  he  has  performed 
service  to  the  bank  and  to  the  community  that 
will  be  of  lasting  benefit;  that  the  kindly  smile, 
hearty  handshake,  and  cheery  word  of  Ellery 
Carroll  Cahoon  have  been  blessings  to  us  all,  and 
we  are  called  upon  to  turn  from  the  considera^ 


-tion  of  our  own  condition  and  affairs  to  offer  our 
deepest  sympathy  to  his  bereaved  family  in  the 
loss  sustained. 

(Signed) 

Grant  D.  Anthony, 
Samtiei.  Goodwin, 

B.  B.  WiNSLOW, 

Committee. 

BLACKSTONE  (Bridgewater  family).  The 
name  Blackstone  (early  written  Blaxton)  is  a 
very  ancient  one  in  Massachusetts  and  the  fam- 
ily later  a  most  respectable  and  honored  one 
in  the  ancient  towns  of  Branford  and  Nor- 
wich, in  Connecticut,  descendants  of  that  New 
England  pioneer  and  Boston-Eehoboth  settler, 
William  Blackstone.  And  at  Bridgewater,  this 
Commonwealth,  in  that  ancient  Plymouth  Col- 
ony town,  the  name  and  family  have  stood  not 
less  conspicuously,  reference  being  made  to 
Hollis  M.  Blackstone,  the  head  of  the  Bridge- 
water  family,  who  for  upward  of  twenty-five 
years,  as  superintendent,  has  had  the  manage- 
ment of  the  State  farm  at  that  place. 

William  Blackstone,  the  pioneer,  is  supposed 
to  have  been  a  graduate  of  Emanuel  College, 
Cambridge,  in  1617,  and  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England.  He  left  there  because 
of  a  dislike  of  the  Lords  Bishops.  He  was 
probably  of  Robert  George's  party,  who  made 
settlement  in  1623  at  Weymouth.  About  1623 
he  moved  from  Plymouth  to  the  peninsula  of 
Shawmut,  where  Boston  was  afterward  built, 
and  was  living  there  alone  when  Governor  Win- 
throp  arrived  at  Charlestown  in  1630.  Black- 
stone went  to  Winthrop,  told  him  of  an  ex- 
cellent spring  at  Shawmut,  and  invited  him 
thither.  The  Governor  and  the  greater  part 
of  the  church  accepted  this  invitation.  The 
land,  although  Blackstone  had  occupied  it  first, 
belonged  to  the  Governor  and  company,  and  on 
April  1,  1633,  they  gave  him  fifty  acres,  near 
his  house,  "to  enjoy  forever."  He  sold  his  es- 
tate in  1634,  purchased  cattle  with  the  pro- 
ceeds of  his  sale  and  m  that  or  the  subsequent 
year  removed  to  Rehoboth,  and  was  the  firs' 
permanent  white  settler  there.  His  locatic 
there  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Blackstone  (nr 
in  the  town  of  Cumberland,  R.  I.)  and  vr.> 
called  by  him  "Sturdy  Hill."  It  is  said  t 
he  .planted  the  first  orchard  in  Massachus'  .-r?, 
and  also  the  first  in  Rhode  Island. 

On  July  4,  1659,  Mr.  Blackstone  marr;?'^! 
Sarah  Stephenson,  widow  of  John.  He  l^od 
May  26,  1675,  and  she  in  June,  1673.  '"i? 
family  name  has  been  perpetuated  throv  vh  hin 
only  son,  John  Blackstone,  a  resident  o:^  }  ■  ' 
both,  Mass.,  Providence,  R.  I.,  Attleborc  "■  n  ■ 
and   Branford,   Conn.     John   Blacksto  >•     ■ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


561 


ried  a  woman  whose  Christian  name  was  Cath- 
erine. Soon  after  going  to  Branford,  it  is 
thought,  Mr.  Blackstone  went  to  sea  and  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  a  seafaring  man  for 
a  number  of  years,  becoming  master  and  owner 
of  a  vessel,  and  carried  on  trade  with  the 
West  Indies.  Subsequently  he  became  a  farmer 
in  Branford  and  the  proprietor  of  a  large 
landed  estate  which  for  generations  has  been 
handed  down  from  father  to  son.  Through  the 
second  John  and  only  child,  so  far  as  ascer- 
tained, have  descended  the  distinguished  Bran- 
ford and  Branford- Norwich  (Conn.)  lines  of 
Blackstones,  the  especial  worthies  being  Capt. 
James  Blackstone  and  his  sons  Hon.  Lorenzo 
and  Timothy  B.  Blackstone.  Capt.  James 
Blackstone,  a  farmer  of  Branford,  for  a  time 
during  the  war  of  1813,  in  command  of  a 
company,  did  coast  guard  duty.  He  served  his 
town  as  assessor  and  selectman,  was  its  repre- 
sentative in  the  State  Assembly,  and  his  dis- 
trict in  the  Senate;  Lorenzo  Blackstone  was 
for  nearly  a  third  of  a  century  prominently 
identified  with  the  manufacturing  interests  of 
Connecticut,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
Norwich,  for  some  thirty  years  president  of  one 
of  the  banks  there,  for  years  the  city's  honored 
mayor  and  its  representative  in  both  the  lower 
house  and  Senate  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
Connecticut;  while  the  late  Timothy  B.  Black- 
stone, who  had  left  the  East  nearly  fifty  years 
before  his  death,  and  at  the  latter  time  was  a 
resident  of  Chicago,  for  some  thirty  years 
managed  with  consvmomate  skill  the  affairs  of 
the  most  successful  of  all  the  great  railways  of 
the  West,  and  was  best  known  as  president  of 
the  Chicago  &  Alton  Eailway  Company.  Tim- 
othy B.  Blackstone  was  the  donor  of  the  hand- 
some and  costly  library  at  Branford,  Conn., 
which  is  styled  "The  James  Blackstone  Memo- 
rial Library."  This  building  he  had  erected, 
and  provided  an  endowment  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  library,  in  memory  of  his  father. 
It  is  thought  that  the  Maine  branch  of  the 
Blackstone  family,  from  which  descends  Hollis 
M.  Blackstone,  superintendent  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts State  farm  in  Bridgewater,  springs 
from  William  Blackstone,  the  pioneer  and  Bos- 
ton settler.  One  Benjamin  Blackstone  was 
among  those  whose  right  in  the  common  lands 
of  the  town  of  Falmouth,  Maine,  under  pro- 
vision of  Governor  Danforth,  was  acknowledged 
in  May,  1730,  his  name  being  of  record  there 
in  this  connection,  in  the  month  and  year 
named.  Varney  Blackstone,  M.  D.,  father  of 
Hollis  M.,  was  a  practicing  physician  of  Free- 
dom, Maine,  where  his  death  occurred  when  he 
was  aged  forty-one  years.     His  wife,  formerly 

36 


Julia  Lamson,  like  himself  a  native  of  Maine, 
was  a  daughter  of  James  Lamson,  who  was  a 
pensioner  of  the  war  of  1812,  and  for  many 
years  a  deacon  of  the  Baptist  Church.  She  is 
still  living,  now  (1910)  in  her  ninetieth  year, 
and  makes  her  home  with  her  son,  Hollis  M. 
Five  children  were  born  to  Dr.  Blackstone  and 
his  wife,  namely:  Francis  Lamson,  who  died 
young;  William,  who  died  aged  nineteen  years; 
HoUis  M. ;  John  Milton,  who  died  young ;  and 
Euphemia,  who  married  Ellis  H.  Walker,  who 
is  engaged  in  farming  in  Rehoboth,  Massachu- 
setts. 

Hollis  M.  Blackstone,  left  fatherless  at 
the  age  of  six,  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own 
resources,  practically  so  when  twelve  years  of 
age.  Through  persistent  efforts  he  acquired  an 
academic  education,  and  after  completing  his 
education  taught  school  for  some  time.  He 
lived  in  his  native  State  until  reaching  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  and,  subsequently  taking  up  his 
residence  in  Boston,  he  in  1873  was  appointed 
to  a  clerkship  at' the  city  institution  on  Deer 
island.  He  continued  in  that  position  until 
1877,  when  he  was  chosen  superintendent  of 
the  Marcella  Street  Home,  conducted  by  the 
city  of  Boston,  and  located  at  the  Highlands. 
In  1883  he  was  the  choice  of  the  board  of 
trustees  for  the  superintendency  of  the  State 
farm  in  Bridgewater,  and  that  he  has  fully 
displayed  the  competency  and  fidelity  expected 
of  him  is  amply  attested  by  his  long  tenure  of 
office.  This  institution  has  three  separate  de- 
partments :  the  workhouse,  to  which  are  sen- 
tenced habitual  inebriates,  tramps,  vagrants, 
and  ic"o  and  disorderly  persons;  the  State  alms- 
house, which  is  a  retreat  for  the  sick  and  in- 
firm poor  of  southeastern  Massachusetts;  and 
the  asylum  for  insane  criminals.  The  State 
farm  of  1,200  acres  is  beautifully  and  health- 
fully located,  and  its  present  handsome  struc- 
tures of  brick,  stone  and  concrete,  which  re- 
placed the  former  wooden  buildings  destroyed 
by  fire  on  July  2,  1883,  are  models  as  to  thor- 
oughness of  construction  and  completeness  in 
every  detail.  The  conflagration,  which  de- 
stroyed the  old  buildings,  occurred  the  day 
after  Mr.  Blackstone  took  charge  of  the  insti- 
tution; and  the  architectural  plans  and  speci- 
fications for  the  present  buildings  were  all 
planned  in  detail  by  him ;  this  was  the  pioneer 
venture  in  this  State  in  the  use  of  reinforced 
concrete  in  the  construction  of  buildings.  The 
present  management  is  accomplishing  the  work 
for  which  it  is  intended  in  a  most  satisfactory 
manner,  and  the  superintendent  is  exceedingly 
popular  with  all  parties  interested  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  institution.     The  excellent  results 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


obtained  at  the  farm  are  due  mainly  to  his 
executive  ability  and  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  work,  and  in  all  probability  his  continuance 
in  office  is  optional  with  himself.  When  he 
took  charge  of  the  State  farm  but  157  persons 
were  inmates  of  the  same,  while  now  this  in- 
stitution takes  care  of  an  average  of  2,400  the 
year  round.  Included  in  his  duties  at  the 
State  farm  are  those  of  postmaster. 

In  his  political  affiliations  Mr.  Blackstone 
is  a  Republican.  He  was  for  years  a  member 
of  the  Bridgewater  school  board  and  for  seven- 
teen years  its  president.  He  belongs  to  Fellow- 
ship Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Bridgewater, 
and  to  the  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  of  Bridgewater, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church,  at 
Bridgewater. 

On  Feb.  8,  1877,  Mr.  Blackstone  married 
Sarah  F.  Roberts,  of  Brooks,  Maine,  daughter 
of  Alfred  Roberts,  and  the  union  has  been 
blessed  with  these  children :  Alfred  Varney ; 
Helen  Monroe,  who  was  educated  in  the  local 
schools  and  Bradford  Academy,  and  is  now  the 
wife  of  Frank  H.  Carlisle,  M.  D.,  of  the  Fox- 
boro  (Mass.)  State  Hospital;  and  Nellie,  who 
died  young. 

Alfeed  Varney  Blackstone,  M.  D.,  only 
son  of  Hollis  M.,  was  educated  in  the  public 
and  high  schools  of  Bridgewater,  after  which, 
in  1899,  he  entered  Brown  University,  gradua- 
ting therefrom  in  1903,  and  later  taking  a  course 
at  Harvard  Medical  College,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  the  class  of  1907,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  He  then  went  to  Europe,  and 
took  a  post-graduate  course  at  Dublin  Hospital, 
Dublin,  Ireland,  after  which  he  became  ship 
surgeon  on  the  Nelson  Line,  sailing  to  South 
America.  He  is  now  located  at  Absarokee, 
Mont.,  where  he  is  practicing  his  profession. 
He  is  unmarried. 

DAVIS  (Plymouth  family).  If  is  the  pur- 
pose of  this  article  to  set  forth  in  chronological 
order  and  briefly  from  the  earliest  known 
American  ancestor  a  line  of  the  Davis  family 
that  has  been  conspicuous  in  the  annals  of  Ply- 
mouth and,  beyond*  the  town,  in  those  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  Reference  is 
made  especially  to  Thomas  Davis,  the  first  of 
the  family  at  Plymouth,  who  was  one  of  the 
leading  ship  owners  and  prominent  business 
men  of  his  time  in  the  town ;  to  his  sons  Hon. 
Thomas  Davis,  long  one  of  the  leading  public 
men  of  Plymouth  and  of  the  Commonwealth, 
serving  in  high  public  station  in  each;  Hon. 
John  Davis,  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  lawyer  and 
judge^  member  of  the  Constitutional  conven- 
tion, etc.;  Isaac  P.  Davis,  Esq.,  for  years  one 


of  the  most  extensive  manufacturers  of  Boston; 
Hon.  Wendell  Davis,  a  graduate  of  Harvard, 
lawyer,  high  sheriff  of  Barnstable  county,  etc.; 
and  William  Davis,  Esq.,  who  succeeded  his 
father  in  navigation  and  the  merchant  service; 
and  in  succeeding  generations  to  the  late  Hon. 
Charles  Gideon  Davis,  a  graduate  of  Harvard, 
lawyer  and  judge  and  man  of  affairs;  to  the 
latter's  brother,  the  late  Hon.  William  Thomas 
Davis,  also  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  lawyer,  his- 
torian, and  prominent  public  official;  and  to 
their  sons,  respectively,  Charles  S.,  lawyer,  now 
active  and  prominent  in  the  professional  life 
of  his  section,  president  of  one  and  director 
of  two  Plymouth  banks;  and  Howland  Davis, 
member  of  the  firm  of  Blake  Brothers,  New 
York  and  Boston,  and  who  has  his  summer 
home   at  Long   Pond,   Plymouth. 

And  it  will  be  noted  further  along  that  this 
line  of  the  Plymouth  Davis  family  have  an 
allied  connection  in  the  beginning  with  a  de- 
scendant of  Evert  Jansen  Wendel,  a  native  of 
the  city  of  Embden,  East  Friesland  (now  Han- 
over); on  the  confines  of  the  United  Provinces 
of  Holland,  who  came  thence  in  1640  to  New 
Netherlands  in  America  under  the  Dutch  West 
India  Company  and  became  a  resident  of  New 
Amsterdam  on  the  island  of  Manhattan,  the 
present  site  of  the  city  of  New  York ;  and  from 
whom  have  descended  the  Massachusetts  family 
of  the  name,  including  the  late  eminent  Wendell 
Phillips  and  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

(I)  Thomas  Davis  came  from  England  and 
was  at  Albany.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  a 
descendant  of  Robert  Davis  of  Plymouth.  He 
married  Catherine  Wendell,  and  removed  to  the 
State  of  North  Carolina  about  1730.  Their 
children  were:  Robert,  born  in  1708;  John; 
Catherine,  born  in  1714,  who  married  John 
Creecy,  of  North  Carolina;  Thomas,  born  in 
1738;  David,  born  in  1724;  Benjamin,  and 
Miles. 

The  Wendell  family  is  of  Germanic  origin 
and  of  great  respectability.  The  coat  of  arms, 
which  has  the  device  of  a  ship  under  full  sail 
and  two  anchors,  and  which  was  stained  on  nine 
panes  of  glass  in  the  east  window  of  the  old 
Dutch  church  at  Albany,  demolished  in  1805, 
and  the  matrimonial  alliances  which  they 
formed  among  tlie  Van  Rensselaer,  De  Key  and 
Steats  families  indicate  their  high  social  stand- 
ing (Rev.  Elias  Nason  in  New  England  Histori- 
cal and  Genealogical  Register,  Vol.  XXII,  page 
420). 

(II)  Thomas  Davis  (2),  son  of  Thomas  and 
Catherine  (Wendell)  Davis,  born  in  1722,  came 
to  Plymouth  in  1737  for  the  purpose  of  being 
educated  under  the  care  of   Elkanah   Morton. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


563 


He  married  in  1753  Mercy,  born  in  1734, 
daughter  of  Barnabas  Hedge  and  his  wife 
Mercy  (Barnes-Cole),  he  a  direct  descendant 
of  William  Hedge  of  Lynn,  1634,  and  afterward 
of  Sandwich  and  Yarmouth,  through  Elisha 
Hedge  and  his  wife  Mary,  and  John  Hedge  and 
his  wife  Thankful  (Lothrop),  of  Barnstable. 
Mr.  Davis  was  a  soldier  in  the  expedition 
against  Louisburg.  After  his  return  he  engaged 
in  navigation,  conducting  a  large  trade  with 
the  West  Indies,  Spain,  France  and  along  the 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean  sea,  being  one  of 
the  leading  ship  owners  and  prominent  busi- 
ness men  of  the  then  busy  town  of  Plymouth. 
In  1782  one  of  the  vessels,  the  schooner  "Har- 
mony," commanded  by  Nathaniel  Carver,  was 
overhauled  and  captured  by  Horatio  Nelson, 
afterward  Lord  Nelson,  the  noted  English  ad- 
miral, and  the  captain  was  held  as  prisoner, 
being  compelled  to  pilot  the  English  ship 
through  comparatively  unknown  and  intricate 
passages  out  of  the  way  of  the  French  fleet 
which  put  out  from  Boston  for  its  capture. 
Once  safe  from  the  French  Nelson  put  the  cap- 
tain ashore.  In  the  possession  of  the  Davis 
family  is  Nelson's  certificate  of  capture  and  re- 
lease of  the  ship  and  his  signature  to  it  is  the 
only  known  autograph  of  Nelson  in  this  coun- 
try. The  children  of  Thomas  and  Mercy 
(Hedge)  Davis  were:  Sarah,  born  in  1754, 
who  married  LeBaron  Bradford,  of  Bristol,  E. 
I.,  son  of  William  Bradford,  the  latter  at  one 
time  United  States  senator  from  Ehode  Island ; 
Thomas,  born  in  1756;  William,  born  in  1758; 
John,  born  in  1761;  Samuel,  born  in  1765; 
Isaac  P.,  born  in  1771;  and  Wendell,  born  in 
1776.     Of  these  sons, 

(III)  Thomas  Davis  was  a  representative 
from  Plymouth,  senator  from  Plymouth  county, 
senator  from  Suffolk  county,  treasurer  and  re- 
ceiver general  of  the  Commonwealth  from  1792 
to  1797,  and  president  of  the  Boston  Marine 
Insurance  Company  from  1799  until  his  death, 
Jan.  21,  1805. 

(Ill)  John  Davis  was  graduated  from  Har- 
vard in  1781,  and  entered  the  legal  profession. 
He  was  the  youngest  member  of  the  convention 
on  the  adoption  of  the  State  constitution,  and 
in  1796  was  appointed  by  Washington  comp- 
troller of  the  United  States  treasury.  In  1801 
he  was  appointed,  by  John  Adams,  judge  of  the 
United  States  court  for  the  district  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  continued  on  the  bench  forty 
years.  He  was  treasurer  of  Harvard  College 
from  1810  to  1827.  fellow  of  Harvard  from 
1803  to  1810,  and  president  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Historical  Society  from  1818  to  1843.  He 
died  in  Boston  Jan.  14,  1847. 


(Ill)  Samuel  Davis  was  a  well-known  anti- 
quarian, a  learned  linguist,  and  a  recognized 
authority  on  questions  relating  to  Indian  dia- 
lects. He  was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society,  recipient  of  an  honorary  de- 
gree from  Harvard  in  1819,  and  died  in  Ply- 
mouth July  10,  1829. 

(Ill)  Isaac  P.  Davis  was  for  many  years  an 
extensive  manufacturer  in  Boston,  owning  a 
rope  walk  on  the  mill  dam,  now  Beacon  street, 
and  perhaps  was  more  widely  known  in  Boston, 
than  any  other  man  of  his  time.  He  was  a 
friend  of  artists  and  a  patron  of  art,  whose 
judgment  and  taste  were  freely  consulted  by 
purchasers.  Stuart,  the  portrait  painter,  was 
his  intimate  friend,  as  was  Webster,  who  dedi- 
cated a  volume  of  his  speeches  to  him. 

(Ill)  Wendell  Davis  was  graduated  from 
Harvard  in  1796,  was  clerk  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Senate  from  1802  to  1805.  He  studied 
the  law  with  his  brother  John,  and  settled  in 
Sandwich.  He  served  by  appointment  of  the  gov- 
ernor as  sheriff  of  Barnstable  county.  He  was 
the  father  of  Hon.  George  T.  Davis,  of  Green- 
field, whom  Thackeray  declared  the  most  bril- 
liant conversationalist  he  had  ever  met. 

(Ill)  William  Davis,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mercy  (Hedge)  Davis,  born  July  15,  1758, 
married  in  1781  Eebecca,  born  in  1762,  daugh- 
ter of  Nathaniel  and  Eebecca  (Jackson)  Mor- 
ton, and  a  direct  descendant  of  George  Morton, 
of  Yorkshire,  England,  who  early  joined  the 
Pilgrims  in  Leyden,  Holland,  and  sailed  with 
his  wife  and  five  children  in  the  "Ann,"  the 
third  and  last  ship  to  carry  what  are  distinc- 
tively known  as  the  Forefathers,  and  reached 
Plymouth  early  in  June,  1623,  from  whom  her 
descent  is  through  Ephraim  and  Ann  (Cooper), 
Nathaniel  and  Mary  (Faunce),  Nathaniel  (2) 
and  Meriah  (Clark)  and  Nathaniel  (3)  and 
Eebecca  (Jackson).  Mr.  Davis  was  trained  in 
the  business  of  his  father,  who  was  largely  en- 
gaged in  navigation  and  foreign  trade,  and, 
after  the  death  of  his  father,  March  7,  1785,  he 
continued  the  business  of  the  firm  of  Thomas 
&  William  Davis  with  marked  success  until  his 
death.  He  was  a  representative  to  the  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts,  a  member  of  the  execu- 
tive council,  and  for  twenty-five  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  selectmen  of  Plymouth.  It 
is  worthy  in  this  connection  to  note  that  in 
this  line  the  services  of  four  generations  of 
the  Davis  family  as  selectmen  cover  a  period 
of  fifty-two  years.  Mr.  Davis  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Plymouth  Bank,  and  its  presi- 
flent  until  his  death,  and  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Pilgrim  Society  and  its  first  vice  presi- 
dent.   After  his  death,  Jan.  5,  1826,  his  widow 


564 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


continued  to  occupy  the  family  mansion  until 
1830,  when  she  removed  to  Boston,  where  she 
died  April  1,  1847.  The  cliildren  of  William 
and  Eebecca  (Morton)  Davis  were:  William, 
born  in  1783;  Nathaniel,  born  in  1785; 
Thomas,  born  in  1791;  and  Elizabeth,  born  in 
1803  (married  Alexander  Bliss  and  George 
Bancroft,  Mr.  Bliss  being  the  law  partner  of 
Daniel  Webster  and  Bancroft  the  eminent  his- 
torian). 

(IV)  William  Davis  (2),  son  of  William  and 
Eebecca  (Morton)  Davis,  born  in  1783,  married 
in  1807  Joanna,  daughter  of  Capt.  Gideon 
White,  of  Shelburne,  Nova  Scotia,  an  officer  in 
the  English  army,  and  a  direct  descendant  of 
William  White  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620.  Mr. 
Davis  was  for  a  period  associated  in  business 
with  his  father.  He  died  at  the  comparatively 
early  age  of  forty-one  years,  March  22,  1824. 
The  children  of  William  and  Joanna  (White) 
Davis  were :  William  Whitworth,  born  in  1808 ; 
Eebecca,  born  in  1810,  who  married  Ebenezer 
Grosvenor  Parker  and  George  S.  Tolman ;  Han- 
nah White,  born  in  1812,  who  married  Andrew 
L.  Eussell;  Sarah  Bradford,  born  in  1814; 
Charles  Gideon,  born  in  1820 ;  William  Thomas, 
born  in  1822;  and  Sarah  Elizabeth,  born  in 
1824. 

(V)  Charles  Gideon  Davis,  son  of  William 
and  Joanna  (White)  Davis,  was  born  May  30, 
1820,  in  the  house  now  known  as  Plymouth 
Eock  House  on  Cole's  Hill,  in  Plymouth,  Mass., 
and  died  July  2,  1903.  He  acquired  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  the  home  schools  and  in 
a  private  school  at  Hingham,  Mass.;  furthered 
his  studies  in  the  Plymouth  high  school,  and 
was  prepared  for  college  under  the  direction  of 
Hon.  John  A.  Shaw  of  Bridgewater.  Entering 
Harvard  College  he  was  graduated  therefrom 
with  the  class  of  1840.  He  was  prepared  for 
the  law  under  the  direction  of  Hon.  Jacob  H. 
Loud,  of  Plymouth,  Messrs.  Hubbard  &  Watt, 
of  Boston,  and  at  the  Harvard  Law  School.  He 
was  admitted  at  the  August  term  of  the  Com- 
mon Pleas  court,  Plymouth,  1843,  and  located 
in  Boston  for  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
where  for  a  decade  he  was  engaged  in  an  active 
and  increasing  practice,  in  partnership  at  vari- 
ous times  with  William  H.  Whitman,  George  P. 
Sanger,  who  was  a  member  of  his  class  at  Har- 
vard, and  Seth  Webb,  also  of  Harvard,  of  the 
class  of  1843.  In  the  early  fifties,  owing  to 
bronchial  trouble,  he  deemed  it  was  best  to  leave 
Boston,  so  relinquished  his  practice  there  and 
retired  to  his  native  town,  where  he  ever  after- 
ward resided,  adding  to  his  professional  pur- 
suits the  vocation  of  operating  in  real  estate, 
in  which  he  exhibited  a  degree  of  public  spirit 


and  enterprise  by  which  the  town  was  largely 
benefited.  On  his  return  from  Boston  to  Ply- 
mouth he  purchased  a  farm  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  town  and  built  thereon  the  house  in  which 
he  continued  to  make  his  home  the  remainder 
of  his  years.  In  1854  he  built  the  Davis  build- 
ing, the  brick  block  at  the  corner  of  Eailroad 
avenue  in  1870,  and  for  many  years  was  the 
largest  individual  holder  of  real  estate  in  the 
town. 

While  a  resident  of  Boston  and  scarcely  be- 
yond his  majority  young  Davis  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  slave  and  became  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Free-soil  party,  in  1848.  He  was 
one  of  the  numerous  persons  arrested  and  tried 
in  1851  for  participation  in  the  rescue  of  Shad- 
rach,  the  fugitive  slave.  The  charge  was  that 
he  was  entering  the  court  room,  Shadrach  was 
going  out,  and  that  he  held  the  door  in  such 
a  way  as  to  make  the  escape  effectual.  On  this 
point  said  his  brother,  the  late  William  T. 
Davis,  "though  he  was  acquitted,  I  never  knew 
how  much  or  how  little,  if  at  all,  he  aided  the 
negro  in  his  flight."  He  with  others,  among 
them  the  afterward  war  governor  of  Massachu- 
setts, John  A.  Andrew,  and  F.  W.  Bird,  op- 
posed the  reelection  to  Congress  of  Eobert  C. 
Winthrop,  and  offered  in  Faneuil  Hall  the  reso- 
lution which  first  nominated  Charles  Sumner 
for  that  honor.  In  1863,  the  year  in  which  he 
changed  his  residence  to  Plymouth,  he  was  a 
delegate  from  Plymouth  to  the  Constitutional 
convention.  In  1856  he  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  board  of  agriculture  (sustain- 
ing that  relation  until  1877)  and  in  the  same 
year  chosen  president  of  the  Plymouth  County 
Agricultural  Society,  retaining  the  latter  ofiBce 
until  resigning  in  the  year  1876.  In  1856  he 
was  one  of  three  delegates  from  Massachusetts 
to  the  convention  at  Pittsburg  at  which  the  Ee- 
publican  party  was  organized ;  was  a  delegate 
from  the  First  Massachusetts  district  to  the 
convention  at  Philadelphia  in  1856,  which  put 
John  C.  Fremont  in  nomination  for  president, 
and  to  the  convention  at  Cincinnati,  in  1872, 
which  nominated  Horace  Greeley  for  the  same 
office.  In  1859  he  was  chosen  an  overseer  of 
Harvard  University  for  five  years.  In  1861 
he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Andrew  on  a 
commission  to  propose  a  plan  for  a  State  agri- 
cultural college,  and  after  the  establishment  of 
that  institution  served  as  one  of  its  trustees 
many  years.  In  1862  he  represented  Plymouth 
in  the  General  Court  and  in  that  same  year  was 
appointed  under  the  United  States  revenue  law 
assessor  for  the  First  district,  holding  that  office 
until  1869.  In  1874  he  was  appointed  Judge  of 
the  Third  District  court,  and  remained  on  the 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


565 


bench  until  his  death.  And  during  these  vari- 
ous official  rela'^ns  and  vocations  Mr.  Davis 
steadily  followed  his  profession  and  in  a  num- 
ber of  civil  and  criminal  cases  of  importance 
he  acquitted  liimself  with  acknowledged  ability 
and  substantial  success. 

On  Nov.  19, 1845,  Judge  Davis  married  Han- 
nah Stevenson,  who  was  born  Feb.  25,  1821, 
daughter  of  Col.  John  B.  and  Mary  (LeBaron) 
Thomas,  the  former  at  the  time  clerk  of  the 
courts  of  Plymouth  county.  Mrs.  Davis  died 
Nov.  7,  1900.  Four  children  were  born  to  this 
marriage,  namely:  Charles  Howland,  born  in 
1853,  who  died  soon;  Joanna,  born  in  1856, 
who  married  Eichard  H.  Morgan;  Charles 
Stevenson,  born  in  1858;  and  Edward,  born  in 
1860,  now  deceased. 

(VI)  Charles  Stevenson  Davis,  son  of  the 
late  Judge  Charles  Gideon  Davis,  was  born  in 
Plymouth  Jan.  1,  1858.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  there  and  at 
Adams  Academy,  Quincy,  Mass.,  after  which  he 
entered  Harvard,  from  which  university  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1880.  He  then  took 
up  the  study  of  law  in  the  ofBce  of  Bacon,  Hop- 
kins &  Bacon,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  this  State  in  1882.  That 
year  he  entered  upon  another  experience  which 
has  proved  valuable  to  him,  becoming  private 
secretary  to  Justice  John  M.  Harlan,  of  the 
United  States  Supreme  court,  at  Washington, 
D.  C.  He  then  began  legal  practice  in  his  na- 
tive place,  soon  afterward,  however,  opening  an 
office  in  Boston,  where  he  has  been  practicing, 
most  successfully,  for  many  years.  Meantime, 
however,  he  has  continued  to  make  his  home  at 
Plymouth,  and  though  his  legal  interests  have 
centered  in  Boston  he  has  always  continued  to 
be  thoroughly  identified  with  his  home  city,  as 
his  numerous  relations  with  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity testify.  He  is  associate  justice  of  the 
Third  District  court  of  Plymouth  county; 
counsel  for  the  town  of  Plymouth  and  other 
towns;  president  of  the  Plymouth  Savings 
Bank;  director  of  the  Old  Colony  National 
Bank;  president  of  the  Jordan  hospital  board; 
a  trustee  of  the  Pilgrim  Society  of  Plymouth, 
and  a  director  of  numerous  manufacturing  and 
railway  corporations.  He  has  filled  a  number 
of  municipal  offices,  among  others  that  of  select- 
man, and  he  was  chairman  of  the  board.  He 
is  a  stanch  Democrat  in  political  opinion. 

On  June  30,  1886,  Mr.  Davis  married  Lydia 
Eussell,  daughter  of  the  late  John  J.  and  Mary 
(Danforth)  Russell,  the  latter  still  surviving. 
Mrs.  Davis  died  in  1910,  the  mother  of  three 
children,  Charles  Stevenson,  Jr.,  Eussell,  and 
Helen,  the  daughter  dying  in  infancy. 


(V)  William  T.  Davis,  son  of  William  and 
Joanna    (White)    Davis,    was    born    March    3, 
1823,  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  and  in  the  town  of 
his  nativity  and  illustrious  ancestors  was  passed 
in  main  his  long  and  useful  life;  and  with  its 
affairs,  with  its  people  and  its'  institutions,  with 
the  history  from  the  time  of  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers,  none  other  was  so  familiar. 
He  was  fitted  for  college  at  the  Plymouth  high 
school,  entered  Harvard  University,  and  was 
graduated  therefrom  with  the  class  of   1842. 
Descending  from  forefathers  of  achievement, 
from  a  liberally  educated  family,  it  was  but  nat- 
ural that  he  determined  on  entering  one  of  the 
learned   professions,   hence    he   chose   that   of 
medicine,  and  for  a  time  prosecuted  his  studies 
in  that  direction  in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, then  continued  his  studies  for  a  year  in 
Europe.    A  change  came  upon  him,  and  on  his 
return  from  abroad  he  switched  ofE  onto  the 
law,  studying  first  for  a  time  under  the  direc- 
tion of  lus  brother  Charles  G.   (whom  it  will 
be  noticed  became  a  lawyer  of  eminence  and  a 
man  of  distinction,  at  that  time  in  Boston), 
after  which  he  furthered  his  preparation  at  the 
Harvard  Law  School.    Mr.  Davis  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Suffolk  county  Nov.  9,  1849,  and 
in  the  city  of  Boston  began  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession.    There  he  continued  to  suc- 
cessfully prosecute  the  practice  of  law  with  zeal 
for  several  years,  but  conditions  brought  about 
another  change  in  the  course  of  his  life,  and 
in  1853  he  returned  to  his  native  town,  where 
he  engaged  in  business,  and  soon  became  one 
of  the  substantial  men  and  valuable  citizens  of 
Plymouth. 

Of  scholarly  attainments  and  of  literary 
tastes,  Mr.  Davis  in  time  drifted  into  literary 
work,  and  became  the  recognized  historian  of 
his  section,  an  acknowledged  authority  on  the 
history  and  genealogy  of  Ancient  Plymouth, 
which  meant  practically  southeastern  Massa- 
chusetts. Among  his  writings  and  publications 
are  'TSistory  of  Plymouth,"  "Ancient  Land- 
marks of  Plymouth,"  "History  of  Newburyport, 
Massachusetts,"  "Historical  Sketches  of  Some 
Massachusetts  Towns,"  and  "History  of  the 
Bench  and  Bar  of  Massachusetts."  He  also 
edited  the  "Plymouth  Town  Eecords"  (two  vol- 
umes) and  the  "History  of  the  New  England 
States"  (three  volumes).  And  this  sort  of 
work,  for  which  he  was  so  admirably  fitted, 
brought  him  in  demand  for  addresses  and  lec- 
tures along  these  lines  and  those  akin  to  them, 
and  on  various  public  occasions  not  historical 
he  also  delivered  many  addresses. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  Mr.  Davis  was 
prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  com- 


566 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


munity,  the  welfare  of  which  he  had  always  at 
heart.  He  was  an  efficient  member  of  the  board 
of  selectmen  of  Plymouth  for  a  great  mapy 
years,  serving  many  times  as  its  chairman.  He 
was  first  chosen  selectman  in  1855,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  board  in  1856,  so  continuing 
until  the  spring  of  1866,  when  he  declined  fur- 
ther service.  In  1870  and  1881  he  was  again 
chosen,  but  declined;  he  was  again  chosen  in 
1888,  1889  and  1890,  serving  the  last  year  as 
chairman.  He  also  acted  as  moderator  of  the 
town  for  seventy-nine  times.  He  served  as 
a  member  of  the  school  committee  for  a  num- 
ber of  years;  in  1858  and  1859  he  was  State  sen- 
ator from  the  Plymouth  district.  As  a  Eepub- 
lican  he  was  a  Presidential  elector  from 
Massachusetts  in  1872;  he  was  a  delegate  from 
his  State  to  the  Republican  National  convention 
held  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1876,  at  which 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes  received  the  nomination 
for  the  presidency  of  the  United  States.  In 
1895  he  was  made  chairman  of  the  Old  Colony 
Commission ;  and  was  chairman  for  fifteen  years 
or  more  of  the  First  Parish  Unitarian  com- 
mittee. He  was  for  years  president  of  the  Pil- 
grim Society,  and  a  trustee  of  that  organization. 
And  in  commercial  lines  he  was  for  twenty  years 
or  more  president  of  the  Plymouth  National 
Bank,  and  for  a  time  president  of  the  Plymouth 
Gas  Company.  Mr.  Davis  also  performed  valu- 
able service  to  his  State  and  country  during  the 
Civil  war.  On  behalf  of  the  Plymouth  Bank,  of 
which  he  was  president,  he  offered  Gov.  John 
A.  Andrew  the  use  of  $20,000  as  a  contribution 
to  an  emergency  fund  to  meet  expenditures 
which  must  at  once  be  made.  He  also  did  much 
toward  relieving  suffering  among  the  families 
of  soldiers.  He  was  also  chosen  by  Governor 
Andrew  to  visit  the  Massachusetts  troops  in  the 
field  upon  several  occasions,  and  to  report  to 
him  their  condition,  sanitary  and  otherwise, 
with  the  view  of  allaying  the  anxieties  of  sol- 
diers' families,  looking  to  the  comfort  of  the 
wounded  soldiers  in  the  hospitals,  etc.  His 
work  in  this  line  resulted  in  preventing  much 
suffering  and  sickness  among  the  Massachusetts 
troops,  and  although  he  experienced  many  hard- 
ships his  first  thought  was  the  comfort  of  the 
soldiers  in  the  field,  as  well  as  the  assistance 
which  he  rendered  to  soldiers'  families  at  home. 
In  1849  Mr.  Davis  married  Abby  Burr,  who 
was  born  in  1826,  daughter  of  Thomas  Hedge 
and  his  wife  Lydia  (Coffin),  the  former  a  direct 
descendant  of  William  Hedge,  of  Lynn,  Mass., 
in  1634,  and  later  of  Sandwich  and  Yarmouth, 
through  Elisha,  of  Yarmouth;  John,  of  that 
same  town;  Barnabas;  Barnabas  (2) ;  and  Bar- 
nabas Hedge  (3). 


To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  T.  Davis  w'ere  born 
the  following  children :  AbH^  Warren,  born 
March  24,  1854,  who  married  Alexander  Jack- 
son, of  Boston;  Howland,  born  July  28,  1855, 
mentioned  below;  Katherine  Wendell,  born 
March  2,  1859  ;  and  Alice  Whitworth,  born  Dec. 
13,  1864,  who  married  Dr.  Henry  R.  Hitch- 
cock, now  of  Plymouth.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  in  Plymouth  in  August,  1895, 
and  the  father  passed  away  Dec.  2,  1907,  both 
being  laid  to  rest  in  Oak  Grove  cemetery. 

(VI)  Howland  Davis,  only  son  of  the  late 
William  T.  and  Abby  Burr  (Hedge)  Davis, 
was  born  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  July  28,  1855, 
and  began  his  education  in  the  local  district 
schools.  He  later  attended  the  high  school,  and 
also  a  business  college  in  Boston,  after  which 
he  became  a  clerk  with  the  banking  and  broker- 
age firm  of  Blake  Brothers  &  Co.,  of  New  York 
and  Boston,  with  which  firm  he  has  since  been 
associated.  After  ten  years  of  faithful  service 
he  acquired  an  interest  in  the  business,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  the  firm  for  a  number  of 
years.  His  office  is  in  Exchange  Place,  New 
York.  Mr.  Davis  has,  however,  maintained  his 
interest  in  his  old  home  town,  and  he  and  his 
family  spend  the  summer  seasons  at  Long  Pond, 
in  Plymouth,  where  he  has  a  beautiful  home. 
Mr.  Davis  is  a  prominent  member  and  a  trustee 
of  the  Pilgrim  Society  of  Plymouth.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  General  Society  of  Mayflower 
Descendants,  of  which  he  was  elected  governor 
general  in  1909 ;  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
New  England  Society  in  the  City  of  New  York, 
which  was  founded  in  1805,  and  of  which  he 
was  elected  president  in  1910.  His  achieve- 
ments have  been  worthy  of  the  family  to  which 
he  belongs,  and  although  he  has  devoted  prac- 
tically all  of  his  time  to  his  business  interests, 
departing  somewhat  from  the  traditions  of  his 
forefathers,  his  success  has  been  so  noteworthy 
as  to  reflect  honor  on  the  name. 

On  June  3,  1885,  Mr.  Davis  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Anna  Shippen,  daughter  of  the 
late  William  W.  Shippen,  of  New  Jersey,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  the  following 
children :  Howland  S. ;  Hester  L. ;  Ruth  G. ; 
Anna,  who  died  young ;  William  Shippen ;  Sybil 
W. ;  Wendell,  and  Katherine. 

DENISON  (New  Bedford  family).  The 
Denisons  of  New  Bedford — the  families  of  the 
two  brothers,  Henry  C.  and  the  late  John  H. 
Denison,  long  engaged  together  in  business  here 
under  the  firm  style  of  Denison  Brothers  and 
the  Denison  Brothers  Company,  among  the 
leading  business  men  and  substantial  citizens 
of  the  city — represent  ancient  and  most  re- 
spectable New  England  stock. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


567 


The  birthplace  and  home  of  these  Denison 
brothers  and  of  their  father,  Daniel  Denison, 
was  in  the  to^vn  of  Hartland,  Vt. ;  their  mother, 
Pamelia  Lathrop  •  Head,  was  a  native  of  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire,  born  at  Franconia. 
Hartland  is  one  of  the  Vermont  towns  which 
has  a  frontage  on  the  Connecticut  river,  and 
was  first  settled  in  May,  1763,  the  date  fixed 
as  that  of  the  removal  thither  of  Timothy  Lull 
and  family.  Later  on  is  found  the  family  there 
of  George  Denison,'  comprising,  according  to 
the  first  United  States  census,  1790,  six  in  allj 
including  its  head,  who  in  1789  is  credited  with 
being  the  representative  from  Hartland  in  the 
State  Assembly;  and  still  later,  in  the  years 
1842  and  1843,  Daniel  Denison  represented  the 
town  in  the  same  body.  These  men  were  kins- 
men, father  and  son.  They  were  a  branch  of 
the  old  Denison  family  of  Stonington,  Conn. 
And  other  branches  of  the  same  stock  and  from 
Stonington  were  then  living  at  different  points 
in  Vermont.  David  Denison,  from  Stonington, 
Conn.,  a  patriot  and  officer  of  the  Eevolution, 
who  removed  to  New  London,  Conn.,  then  in 
1785  to  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  finally 
settled  in  Guilford,  Vt.,  where  he  was  a  resident 
at  the  time  of  the  taking  of  the  first  United 
States  census  in  1790.  His  wife  was  formerly 
Keziah  Smith,  of  Groton,  Conn.  William  Deni- 
son, from  Stonington,  also  removed  to  Vermont, 
as  did  a  number  of  other  families  from  that 
town. 

This  New  England  Denison  family  was  origi- 
nally from  Bishop  Stortford,  Hertfordshire, 
England,  the  name  there  being  variously 
spelled  as  Denyson,  Dennyson,  etc. 

Capt.  George  Denison,  the  Stonington  settler 
and  ancestor  of  the  George  Denison  who  re- 
moved to  Hartland,  Vt.,  was  baptized  Dec.  10, 
1620,  at  Stratford,  England,  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Chandler,  Monck)  Denison,  and 
grandson  of  John  Denyson  and  his  wife  Agnes 
of  Stratford  (Stortford).  He  .came  to  New 
England  with  his  father  and  family  in  1631, 
the  family  settling  in  Roxbury,  where  the  par- 
ents lived  and  died.  The  son,  George,  who 
had  been  bred  at  Cambridge,  England,  married 
about  1640  Bridget  Thompson,  daughter  of 
John  Thompson,  gentleman,  and  his  wife  Alice, 
of  Northamptonshire,  England.  She  died  in 
1643,  leaving  children  Sarah  and  Hannah.  Cap- 
tain Denison  then  returned  to  England  and 
married  Ann  Borodell,  and  again  came  to  New 
England  in  1645,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Eox- 
bury.  There  he  lived  until  1651,  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  Connecticut,  locating 
at  New  London,  thence  removing  in  1654  to 
Stonington,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until 


his  death,  though  it  occurred  at  Hartland  in 
1694.  He  won  distinction  in  both  civil  and 
military  life. 

Prom  this  Capt.  George  Denison  the  lineage 
of  George  Denison,  the  Hartland  (Vt.)  settler, 
is  through  Capt.  William  Denison  (1655-1715) 
and  his  wife  Sarah  Stanton  Prentice  (1655- 
1713)  ;  William  Denison  (1687-1724)  and  his 
wife  Mercy  Gallup  (1690-1724) ;  and  Benadam 
Denison,  of  Stonington,  Connecticut. 

George  Denison,  son  of  Benadam,  was  born 
Oct.  8,  1751,  in  Stonington,  Conn.  He  removed 
to  Hartland,  Vt.,  where  he  became  a  prominent 
man  and  was  called  Col.  George  Denison.  He 
married  there  Jan.  9,  1772,  Theody  Brown, 
born  May  9,  1752,  daughter  of  Nathan  and 
Lydia  (Dewey)  Brown,  and  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Brown,  of  Lynn,  Mass.  He 
married  (second)  in  Northfield,  Mass.,  Feb.  12, 
1804,  Submit  Lyman,  born  July  11,  1767.  To 
the  first  marriage  were  born:  Benadam,  born 
at  Stonington,  Conn.,  July  11,  1773;  Jonathan, 
born  at  Stonington  April  26,  1775;  Sarah,  born 
at  Stonington  May  3,  1777;  George  Washing- 
ton, born  at  Hartland,  Vt.,  Oct.  16,  1779; 
Amos,  born  at  Hartland  April  27,  1782; 
Theody,  born  at  Hartland  June  27, 1784 ;  Anne, 
born  at  Hartland  Dec.  2,  1785;  Mason,  bom  at 
Hartland  March  18,  1788;  Lucy,  born  June  15, 
1790;  and  Daniel,  born  at  Hartland  May  15, 
■1794  (died  Jan.  21,  1861).  To  the  second 
marriage  was  born  one  son,  Charles. 

Daniel  Denison,  son  of  Col.  George,  born 
May  15,  1794,  died  Jan.  21,  1861.  On  April 
8,  1827,  at  Hartland,  Vt.,  he  married  Pamelia 
Lathrop  Head,  born  Jan. ^22,  1801.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Daniel  Borodell,  bom  Jan.  1,  1828; 
Pamelia  Submit,  born  March  19,  1830;  George, 
born  Nov.  24,  1831 ;  John  Head,  born  Aug.  29, 
1833;  Mary  Ann,  born  April  30,  1835;  Helen 
Jane,  born  April  18,  1837;  and  Henry  Clay, 
born  May  18,  184i,  who  married  April  9,  1878, 
Emma  Frances  Dewey,  of  Quechee,  Vt.  (no 
children). 

John  Head  Denison,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Pamelia  Lathrop  (Head)  Denison,  was  born  at 
Hartland,  Vt.,  and  when  a  young  man  came  in 
1852  to  New  Bedford,  entering  the  employ  of 
Shaw  &  Whitridge,  in  the  grain  business.  In 
1858,  with  Joseph  B.  Warner,  he  established  a 
flouring  mill  at  the  corner  of  South  Water  and 
School  streets,  and  conducted  this  with  success. 
In  1864  Henry  C.  Denison  and  Burrage  Y. 
Warner  were  admitted  to  the  firm.  From  that 
time  down  to  within  a  few  years  of  his  death 
the  business  was  conducted  by  the  Denisona, 
'though  with  some  changes  in  the  firm  name  and 
style.    From  1871  the  firm  comprised  only  the 


568 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Messrs.  Denison,  until  in  1896  they  sold  out  to 
H.  M.  Plmnmer,  and  the  Denison-Plummer 
Company  was  organized.  The  firm  did  an  ex- 
tensive flouring  business  until  Western  compe- 
tition forced  tlie  Eastern  manufacturers  out  of 
the  field.  During  a  large  part  of  the  time  the 
firm  also  managed  the  large  mill  at  the  foot  of 
Hillman  street,  and  the  two  plants  were  con- 
sidered of  the  largest  in  this  section  of  the 
country.  Mr.  Denison  also  became  a  member 
of  and  heavy  stockliolder  in  the  Denison  Broth- 
ers Company  when  it  was  organized  for  the  coal 
trade,  though  he  did  not  enter  actively  into  the 
corporation  management.  At  one  time  he  was 
prominent  in  public  affairs.  He  was  a  Eepub- 
lican  in  politics.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pro- 
tecting Society  in  1884  and  1885,  and  served 
as  councilman  in  1869  and  1870.  In  early  life 
he  was  deeply  interested  in  musical  affairs,  and 
for  some  years  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
Church  choir.  He  died  at  his  home  in  New 
Bedford  April  25,  1899,  aged  sixty-five  years, 
eight  months. 

On  May  27,  1862,  Mr.  Denison  married 
Louise  A.,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  and  Jane 
Frances  (Foster)  Porter,  of  Hartford,  Vt.  To 
this  union  were  born  children  as  follows :  Jane 
Frances,  born  June  6,  1865,  married  Arthur  L. 
Tucker,  and  has  children,  Charles,  Henry  D., 
and  Frederick;  John  Porter,  born  Oct.  19, 1868, 
married  Emma  Retching  Wilkinson,  and  re- 
sides in  Chicago;  May  Louise,  born  Nov.  25, 
1872,  married  Dr.  Charles  A.  Pratt;  Helen 
Pamelia,  born  March  7,  1875,  married  Eev. 
Smith  0.  Dexter,  of  Concord,  Mass.,  and  they 
have  children,  Helen^  Smith  0.,  Jr.,  and  Lewis. 

John  Poetee,  father  of  Mrs.  Louise  A. 
(Porter)  Denison,  was  a  native  of  Hartford, 
Vt.,  and  lived  a  long,  prominent  and  useful  life 
there.  He  was  born  April  8,  1798,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  (Hodges)  Porter,  and  a  direct 
descendant  of  John  Porter,  who  was  bom  at 
Wruxall  Abbey,  near  Kenilworth,  County  of 
Warwick,  England,  and  sailed  from  London 
for  America  in  the  "Ann,"  accompanied  by  Eose 
Porter,  his  wife,  and  their  children,  arriving  at 
Dorchester  May  30,  1627,  thence  in  1635  going 
to  Windsor,  Conn.  According  to  Henry  D. 
White,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  Mr.  Porter  came 
with  his  wife  and  nine  children  from  Felsted, 
County  of  Essex,  England,  probably  in  the  ship 
"Susan  and  Ellen,"  in  1638,  with  wife  Anna 
White,  of  Messing,  born  July  13,  1600,  daugh- 
ter of  Eobert  White,  of  Messing,  and  his  wife 
Bridget  Allegar,  of  Stratford,  County  of 
Essex,  England.  Mr.  Porter  had  a  grant  of 
land  at  Windsor,  where  he  was  a  man  of  prom- 


inence, holding  a  number  of  public  offices, 
among  them  that  of  deputy,  serving- as  such  in 
1646  and  1647.  Through  his  son  Samuel 
Porter  and  his  wife  Hannah  Stanley,  she  of 
Hartford,  Conn.,  and  their  son  John  (born  in 
1666),  who  married  and  settled  in  Lebanon, 
Conn.,  came  the  Lebanon  and  Hebron  branch 
of  the  family. 

William  Porter,  father  of  Hon.  John  Porter, 
of  Hartford,  Vt.,  was  a  native  of  Lebanon, 
Conn.,  born  Sept.  4,  1749.  He  removed  to 
Hartford,  Vt.,  in  1780,  and  afterward  married 
Mary  Hodges,  and  nine  children  blessed  the 
marriage.  Tlieir  son  Jolm  received  the  best 
common  school  education  the  time  and  place  af- 
forded, and  also  mastered  the  elementary 
branches  of  the  sciences.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  taught  school  himself  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
home  town;  then  at  Eodman,  in  Jefferson 
county,  N.  Y.,  and  on  two  or  three  occasions 
made  the  entire  journey  tliere  and  back  from 
his  home,  a  distance  of  some  three  hundred 
miles,  on  foot.  Energy  and  persistence  were 
marked  traits  in  both  his  private  and  public 
life.  He  represented  his  town,  Hartford,  in 
the  Lower  House  of  the  Assembly  in  1840,  1841 
and  1842;  and  was  a  senator  from  Windsor 
county  in  1843  and  1844;  then  was  again  in 
the  House  in  1845,  1848  and  1849.  In  1851 
he  was  elected  a  director  of  the  Vermont  State 
prison,  and  again  in  1852.  In  1850  he  was 
elected  judge  of  Probate  of  Windsor  county, 
and  held  the  office  by  successive  reflections 
until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Judge  Porter  was  a  zealous  Whig,  and  for 
years  a  member  of  the  Whig  State  committee. 
In  1856,  on  the  organization  of  the  Eepub- 
lican  party,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  presi- 
dential electors  for  Vermont.  In  1858  he  was 
appointed  a  commissioner,  with  George  P. 
Marsh  and  Norman  Williams,  to  prepare  plans 
for  the  erection  of  the  present  State  capitol  of 
Vermont,  and  also  to  superintend  its  con- 
struction. On  the  organization  of  the  Wood- 
stock Bank  he  was  elected  a  director,  serving 
until  the  bank  was  reorganized,  when  he  was 
chosen  a  director  of  the  Woodstock  National 
Bank,  a  relation  he  sustained  until  the  time 
of  his  death. 

On  May  30,  1831,  Judge  Porter  was  married 
to  Jane  Frances,  daughter  of  Dr.  Fordyce 
Foster,  of  Hartford,  Vt.,  and  six  children 
blessed  this  union,  the  following  of  whom  sur- 
vived the  father:  Jane  F.  married  Charles  T. 
Smith,  of  Colchester,  Conn.,  and  resided  at 
Brookline,  Mass.,  where  both  died;  Louise  A. 
is  the  widow  of  John  H.  Denison,  of  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.;  Hon.  Charles  W.,  who  resided  at 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


569 


Montpelier,  Vt.  (was  former  secretary  of 
State),  where  he  died  in  1891,  married  Florence 
Bailey. 


Dr.  Charles  A.  Pratt  was  bom  in  Eayn- 
ham,  Mass.,  Oct.  23,  1863,  son  of  Hiram  A. 
and  Louise  Caroline  (Dean)  Pratt,  and  grand- 
son of  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  (White)  Pratt 
(the  latter  born  in  Taunton  and  a  descendant 
of  Nicholas  White)  and  of  Charles  (born  in 
eastern  Massachusetts)  and  Lydia  (Wilbur) 
Dean  (the  latter  born  in  Taunton).  Louise 
Caroline  Dean  married  (first)  Alonzo  Dean  and 
(second)  his  brother  Charles  Dean,  sons  of 
Elisha  Dean,  Jr.,  and  grandsons  of  Elisha 
Dean,  Sr.  Dr.  Pratt  received  his  primary 
schooling  in  Eaynham  and  in  the  Somerville, 
Mass.,  public  schools,  to  which  place  his  family 
removed  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
He  graduated  from  Harvard  University  in 
1886,  and  from  the  medical  department  of  the 
same  institution  in  1890.  He  was  for  one  and 
a  half  years  house  officer  in  a  hospital  in 
Boston,  and  in  1893  began  practice  in  New 
Bedford.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society  and  Boston  Medical  Library  Association. 

Dr.  Pratt  married  May  Louise,  daughter  of 
John  H.  and  Louise  A.  (Porter)  Denison,  and 
they  have  had  children  as  follows :  John  Den- 
ison, Louise,  Charles  A.,  Jr.,  and  William 
Porter. 

SEABUEY.  The  American  ancestor  of  the 
Seaburys  of  New  Bedford  was  (I)  John  Sea- 
bury,  of  Boston,  who  died  before  1662.  The 
name  was  variously  spelled  Sebury,  Saberry,  Sa- 
berrey  and  Sabury.  John  Seabury  married 
Grace,  and  had  two  sons — John,  who  went  to 
Barbadoes;  and  Samuel,  born  Dec.  10,  1640 — 
and  several  daughters. 

(II)  Samuel  Seabury,  son  of  John,  born 
Dec.  10,  1640,  married  at  Weymouth,  Nov.  9, 
1660,  Patience  Kemp,  who  died  Oct.  29,  1676. 
He  married  (second)  April  4,  1677,  Martha 
Pabodie  (or  Peabody),  daughter  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  (Alden)  Pabodie,  and  grand- 
daughter of  John  and  Priscilla  (Mullins) 
Alden.  He  died  Aug.  5,  1681.  His  children 
were:  Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  16,  1661,  who 
probably  removed  from  the  town,  as  in  her 
mother's  will  she  was  given  a  negro  girl  Jane 
and  a  cow  "if  she  returns";  Sarah,  born  Aug. 
18,  1663;  Samuel,  bom  April  20,  1666;  Han- 
nah, bom  July  7,  1668;  John,  bom  Nov.  7, 
1670;  and  Grace  and  Patience,  twins,  born 
March  1,  1673  (all  born  to  the  first  marriage) ; 


Joseph,  born  June  8,  1678 ;  Martha,  born  Sept. 
23,  1679;  and  John,  who  married  Elizabeth 
Alden,  Dec.  9,  1697  (to  the  second  marriage). 
Samuel  Seabury,  the  father,  was  a  physician 
and  removed  to  Duxbury,  Mass.  His  will  gives 
to  his  son  Samuel  his  landed  property  in  Dux- 
bury;  to  son  Joseph  "those  great  silver  buttons 
which  I  usually  wear";  to  son  John  "my  bird- 
ing  piece  and  musket.  I  will  that  my  negro 
servant  Nimrod  (valued  at  twenty-seven 
pounds)  be  disposed  of  either  by  hire  or  sale 
in  order  to  bring  up  my  children,  especially 
the  three  youngest  now  bom." 
•  (III)  Joseph  Seabury,  son  of  Samuel  (un- 
doubtedly), removed  to  what  is  now  Little 
Compton,  E.  I.,  and  there  married  Sept.  25, 
1701,  Phebe  Smith.  He  died  Aug.  22,  1755, 
and  she  April  21,  1715.  Their  children  were: 
Samuel,  born  June  5,  1702;  Martha,  Feb.  7, 
1704;  Joseph,  Dec.  2,  1705;  Benjamin,  Jan. 
20,  1708;  Sion,  March  17,  1713;  Mary,  April 

17,  1715. 

(IV)  Benjamin    Seabury,    born    Jan.    20, 
1708,  son  of  Joseph  and  Phebe  (Smith)   Sea- 
bury,  married   in   1733   Eebecca    Southworth, 
born  Dec.  22,  1708,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Mary.    He  died  in  1773.    Their  children  were 
Mercy,  bom  Aug.   13,  1734;  Mary,  Jan.   25 
1736;  Eebecca  (twin  to  Mary),  Jan.  25,  1736 
Euth,  Nov.  26,  1739;  Benjamin,  Jan.  24,  1743 
Fobes,  March  29,  1745   (died  June  4,  1746) 
Gideon,  March  1,  1747  (died  Oct.  29,  1827) 
Constant,  June  19,  1749;  and  Isaac,  Nov.  3, 
1751. 

(V)  Constant  Seabury,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Eebecca,  bom  June  19,  1749,  married  in  1775 
Susanna  Gray.  He  died  in  January,  1807. 
To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  children  as 
follows:  Isaac,  bom  March  19,  1776  (died  Oct. 
20,  1850)  ;  Phebe,  May  13  (or  23),  1778;  Wil- 
liam, May  23,  1780;  Hannah,  July  29  (or  24), 
1782;  Bridget,  Sept.  14,  1784;  Ichabod,  Nov. 

18,  1786:  Eobert,  July  10,  1789;  and  Eliza- 
■  beth,  Nov.  16,  1792. 

(VI)  William  Seabury,  son  of  Constant,  was 
born  May  23,  1780,  and  died  July  30,  1852, 
in  New  Bedford.  He  was  a  master  mariner  in 
the  merchant  service,  residing  first  in  Tiver- 
ton, E.  I.,  later  in  Little  Compton,  and  after 
1833  in  New  Bedford.  On  April  12,  1807,  he 
was  married  to  Ehoda  Woodman,  bom  Dec.  11, 
1786,  who  died  Jan.  2,  1833.  On  Feb.  16, 
1834,  he  was  married  (second)  to  Sally  Wood- 
man, sister  of  his  first  wife.  They  were  daugh- 
ters of  Edward  and  Priscilla  (Negus)  Wood- 
man, granddaughters  of  John  and  Patience 
(Grirmell)  Woodman,  great-granddaughters  of 
Eobert  and  Deborah  (Paddock)  Woodman  and 


570 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


great-great-granddaughters  of  John  and  Han- 
nah (Timberlake)  Woodman,  John  Woodman  be- 
ing the  ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the  family. 
The  children  of  William  Seabury,  all  born  to 
his  first  marriage,  were  as  follows:  Otis,  born 
Sept.  1,  1808,  died  June  2,  1880;  Edward  W., 
born  Jan.  3,  1810,  died  Feb.  1,  1884;  Louisa, 
born  Nov.  11,  1811,  died  Jan.  3,  1895  (she 
married  Benjamin  Cushman)  ;  William  H., 
bom  Nov.  15,  1813,  died  Jan.  27,  1897;  Julia 
Ann,  born  May  19,  1815,  died  Jan.  12,  1892. 
unmarried;  Humphrey  W.  was  born  June  28, 
1817;  Charles  P.  was  born  Aug.  16,  1820; 
Jason,  born  Nov.  2,  1832,  was  lost  in  the  Arctic 
ocean  in  1853;  Andrew  Jackson,  born  May  19, 
1836,  died  Sept.  22,  1836. 

(VII)  Hdmpheey  W.  Seabury,  son  of  Capt. 
William  and  Ehoda  (Woodman)  Seabury,  was 
born  June  28,  1817,  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  spent 
the  greater  part  of  his  boyhood  in  Little  Comp- 
ton,  whither  his  family  had  removed,  and  in 
his  sixteenth  year  came  with  them  to  their 
permanent  home.  New  Bedford.  Here,  at  this 
period,  the  enterprise  of  the  place  was  repre- 
sented around  the  busy  wharves  and  seafaring 
was  the  promising  business,  so  there  sprang  up 
in  his  mind  a  determination  to  make  that  his 
calling  and  to  become  the  commander  of  a 
ship,  an  ambition  later  attained  with  credit  to 
himself  and  profit  to  the  owners.  After  a  short 
experience  on  a  coasting  vessel  to  New  York, 
he  first  visited  a  foreign  land  when  he  went 
to  Holland  on  the  bark  with  the  good-omened 
named  "Hope,"  of  which  his  father  was  cap- 
tain. This  proved  an  auspicious  opening  to 
his  career  on  the  ocean,  though  he  began  at 
the  bottom  of  the  ladder  as  foremast  hand  and 
accepted  no  unusual  favors.  His  first  whaling 
voyage  was  commenced  in  his  nineteenth  year 
on  the  "Corinthian,"  commanded  by  Capt. 
Leonard  Crowell.  The  ship  sailed  from  New 
Bedford  Dec.  8,  1835,  and  arrived  home  Feb. 
19,  1839.  On  this  voyage  young  Seabury  ad- 
vanced upward  toward  his  cherished  goal  and 
was  promoted  from  the  position  of  boat  steerer 
to  that  of  third  mate.  His  second  voyage  was 
as  first  ofiicer  of  the  "Coral,"  Capt.  James  H. 
Sherman.  The  ship  sailed  June  16,  1839,  and 
arrived  home  June  11,  1843.  The  "Coral" 
cruised  on  the  coast  of  Peru  and  off  the 
Galapagos  islands.  Whales  were  sighted  eighty- 
nine  times  during  the  voyage  and  one  or  more 
captured  in  fifty-eight  instances.  The  whole 
number  taken  was  102.  It  was  a  most  remark- 
able catch,  surpassed  in  but  few  cases  in  the 
history  of  whale  fishery.  A  thrilling  incident 
occurred  during  this  voyage  that  well  illustrates 
the  dangers  to  which  whalemen  are  exposed. 


On  June  15,  1841,  the  "Coral's"  boats  were 
out  after  a  one-hundred-barrel  sperm  whale 
just  south  of  the  Galapagos  islands.  He  proved 
to  be  what  the  sailors  term  a  "bad"  whale — 
one  that  fights  with  his  jaws.  He  turned  upon 
the  boats  and  literally  chewed  two  of  them  in 
pieces.  One  of  the  sailors  was  drowned,  and 
another,  named  Jethro  S.  Studley,  was  saved 
from  a  similar  fate  by  the  plucky  action  of  Mr. 
Seabury,  who,  diving  for  him  as  he  sank  in 
the  depths,  brought  him  to  the  surface  by  the 
hair.  Mr.  Seabury  said  this  was  the  only  "jaw 
fighter"  he  encountered  in  his  experience,  which 
included  the  taking  of  12,000  barrels  of  sperm 
oil.  On  the  third  voyage,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
five,  Mr.  Seabury  attained  the  position  which 
he  had  aimed  to  get  since  his  youth,  and  on 
Nov.  16,  1842,  sailed  as  captain  of  the  "Coral." 
Thirty-nine  sperm  and  ten  right  whales  were 
captured  on  tliis  voyage,  and  he  rfeturned  home 
March  9,  1846.  On  Nov.  17,  1846,  he  sailed 
for  the  Pacific  ocean  in  the  "Coral,"  captured 
one  hundred  whales,  and  returned  home  June 
11,  1850,  with  a  cargo  of  3,350  barrels  of  sperm 
oil.  The  price  current  on  arrival  was  $1.19 
per  gallon,  and  the  value  of  the  entire  catch 
was  more  than  $136,000.  This  was  one  of  the 
notable  voyages  in  the  history  of  the  whaling 
industry  from  New  Bedford.  From  1850  to 
1872  Captain  Seabury  was  acting  outside  agent 
with  his  older  brother,  Otis,  during  this  time 
making  a  trip  in  1853  as  commander  of  the 
ship  "Mechanics  Own"  to  the  Sandwich  Islands 
taking  supplies  to  whaling  vessels  and  bring- 
ing back  a  cargo  of  oil  and  bone.  He  subse- 
quently made  a  merchant  voyage  to  Pernam- 
buco  and  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  1856  in  the  "Com- 
merce," visited  Paris  in  1858,  Havana  in  1870 
and  Chili  in  1871.  His  last  whaling  voyage 
was  a  short  one  entered  upon  in  May,  1860, 
when  he  took  command  of  the  "Scotland," 
which  had  come  in  before  time,  and  went  to 
the  North  Atlantic  and  returned  Dec.  1,  1860, 
with  one  hundred  barrels  of  sperm  oil. 

Captain  Seabury  retired  from  sea  service  at 
the  period  when  the  whale  fishery  had  attained 
its  most  profitable  and  successful  prosecution, 
the  middle  of  the  last  century,  and  in  1872  he 
retired  permanently  from  active  participation 
in  business,  though  to  the  date  of  his  death  he 
found  agreeable  employment  in  the  affairs  of 
the  city  and  its  institutions.  He  served  the 
city  as  alderman  from  the  Fifth  ward  in  1870, 
and  also  served  as  councilman  and  member  of 
the  school  committee.  In  all  these  positions 
he  rendered  service  with  honor  to  himself  and 
with  substantial  benefit  to  the  city.  The  New 
Bedford  Mercury  in  an  editorial  notice  of  his 


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SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


571 


decease  said :  "He  was  a  faithful  and  conscien- 
tious public  servant,  positive  in  his  opinions, 
and  plain  in  his  expressions  of  them.  His 
honesty  was  of  the  rugged  and  uncompromis- 
ing type,  as  sterling  in  matters  of  principle  as 
in  those  which  involved  money.  He  was  an 
ardent  and  active  Eepublican,  holding  to  the 
extreme  temperance  wing  of  that  party,  and 
as  such  for  many  years  conspicuous  in  the  pri- 
mary meetings,  where  he  led  many  a  fight  with 
the  so-called  liberal  faction.  He  was  a  good 
citizen,  whose  influence  and  example  were  al- 
ways exerted  fearlessly  in  the  way  he  believed 
to  be  right." 

Captain  Seabury  was  interested  in  many  of 
the  business  enterprises  that  have  substantial- 
ly added  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the 
city.  He  was  a  director  in  the  First  National 
Bank,  and  at  his  death  its  officers  passed  resolu- 
tions that  extolled  his  integrity  and  his  faith- 
fulness to  duty.  He  was  a  member  of  the  In- 
dian Association  from  the  beginning  of  its  or- 
ganization, and  it  also  honored  his  memory 
with  a  testimonial  showing  appreciation  of  his 
services. 

Captain  Seabury  was  associated  with  the 
Friends'  Society,  a  constant  attendant  upon  its 
meetings,  and  a  generous  supporter  of  its  in- 
terests ;  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers  of 
the  Port  Society,  and  associate  member  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  In  all  the  stations  of  life  he 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  sincere  respect  of 
all.  His  charities  were  of  a  quiet  nature,  yet 
few  men  more  thoroughly  considered  the  needs 
of  the  poor,  or  more  constantly  studied  the  wel- 
fare and  convenience  of  his  fellow  man. 

On  Oct.  14,  1850,  Captain  Seabury  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  B.  Wilcox,  who  died  March  10, 
1852,  the  mother  of  one  son,  Charles  Albert, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Captain 
Seabury  married  (second)  Aug.  12,  1855, 
Susan  M.  GifCord,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Mercy  (Macomber)  Gifford.  Two  daughters, 
Mary  B.  and  Helen  H.,  were  born  to  this 
union,  and  reside  in  New  Bedford. 

Captain  Seabury  passed  away  on  his  birth- 
day, June  28,  1891,  and  Mrs.  Seabury  sur- 
vived him  until  March  6,  1899. 

(VII)  Capt.  Charles  P.  Seabdet,  son  of 
Capt.  William  and  Ehoda  (Woodman)  Sea- 
bury, was  born  Aug.  16,  1820,  in  Tiverton,  and 
received  his  education  in  the  district  school  in 
the  town  of  Little  Compton.  He  lived  on  the 
farm  until  thirteen  years  old,  when  he  came 
to  New  Bedford,  and  was  employed  in  the  store 
for  0.  &  E.  W.  Seabury,  remaining  two  years. 
Having  a  strong  desire  for  the  sea  he  shipped 
in  1835,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  as  a  cabin  boy  on 


the   whaling  ship   "Nile,"   Captain   Townsend, 
and   continued  in  the  whaling  business  for  a 
period   of  fourteen   years.      In   1849   he   com- 
manded the  ship  "America,"  which  sailed  for 
California  during  the  gold  fever  with  a  large 
number    of    passengers.      Eeturning    from    his 
trip  to  California  in  1853,  the  ship  was  fitted 
out  for  a  whaling  voyage,  Captain  Seabury  in 
command.      They  sailed  to  the  Arctic  ocean, 
and  the  following  year  the  ship  was  staved  by 
ice  near  the  Behring  straits,  and  the  captain 
and  crew  were  obliged  to  abandon  her  with  a 
loss  of  several  hundred  barrels  of  oil.     They 
were   taken   on   board   the   "Minerva    Smyth," 
Captain  Childs,  of  New  Bedford,  who  landed 
them  at  San  Francisco.    Captain  Seabury  then 
Joined  a  steamer  as  first  officer,  and  continued 
to  serve  in  that  capacity  on  different  steamers 
for  some  time.     He  then  took  command  of  a 
steamship  running  between  San  Francisco  and 
the   Isthmus,  continuing  thus  for  some  time. 
Returning    home,    he    became    commander    on 
one  of  the  Vanderbilt  line  of  steamers,  plying 
between    New  York  and   Aspinwall.     During 
the  Civil  war  he  had  command  of  several  steam 
transports.     Later  he   took   command   of   the 
steamer  "Arizona,"  plying  between  New  York, 
China  and  California,  taking  her  through  the 
Suez  canal,  in  December,  1870,  it  being  the 
first  American  steamship  to  pass  through  the 
canal.       Subsequently     he     commanded     the 
steamer  "Granada"  from   New  York  to   San 
Francisco  and  China,  taking  her  through  the 
straits  of  Magellan.      After    completing    this 
last  voyage  he  gave  up  the  sea,  and  was  for  a 
time  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment in  the   custom  house   department   at 
New  Bedford,  serving  as  boarding  officer,  to 
fill   the   unexpired   term    of   Capt.    James   V. 
Cox.     On  account  of  his  health  he  resigned  the 
office  and  made  his  home  on  Fifth  street.  New 
Bedford,  where  he  died  Dec.  21,  1890.    He  was 
one  of  the  best  known  and  most  skilled  naviga- 
tors in  his  section  of  New  England,  and  was 
popular  with  all  who  knew  him.    Politically  he 
was  a  stanch  Republican.    His  remains  rest  in 
Rural  cemetery,  New  Bedford. 

Captain  Seabury  was  married  in  New  Bed- 
ford, April  15,  1847,  to  Sarah  Wilcox,  who  was 
born  at  Westport,  Mass.,  March  26,  1825, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Patty  (Brownell) 
Wilcox.  Mrs.  Seabury,  with  her  daughter  and 
son-in-law,  resides  on  Fifth  street.  New  Bed- 
ford. Captain  and  Mrs.  Seabury  had  children : 
Jason,  bom  March  2,  1855,  died  May  29,  1860; 
Charles  P.,  Jr.,  born  May  21,  1856,  died  June 

I,  1856;  Charles  P.,  Jr.   (2),  was  born  June 

II,  1857;  Annie,  born  Dec.  26,  1858,  married 


572 


SOUTHEASTEEN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


Dec.  31,  1900,  Frank  Wood,  a  well  known  cot- 
ton broker  of  New  Bedford;  and  Harry  Wil- 
lard,  born  April  28,  1863,  died  March  28, 
1868. 

(VIII)  Charles  P.  Seabury,  Jr.,  was  born 
in  New  Bedford  June  11,  1857,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  there.  He  was  a  traveling 
salesman  for  the  Meriden  Britannia  Company, 
of  Meriden,  Conn.,  and  died  at  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
while  on  a  trip,  Feb.  22,  1896.  He  married 
Nov.  18,  1880,  Avis  J.  Dwelley,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Jerome  Dwelley,  of  Fall  Eiver.  They  had 
one  child,  Eichard,  born  Oct.  9,  1888,  who 
died  Dec.  5,  1890. 

CAPT.  JOSHUA  GAGE  BAKEE,  a  retired 
whaling  master,  who  died  Nov.  1,  1910,  at 
Padanaram,  in  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  Bristol 
Co.,  Mass.,  was  a  member  of  the  Baker  family 
which  has  been  identified  with  that  section  for 
the  past  hundred  years.  He  was  born  there, 
in  the  village  of  Bakersville,  South  Dartmouth, 
Oct.  31,  1845,  and  after  tliirty-two  years  on 
the  water  retired  to  the  neighborhood  where  he 
had  spent  his  early  life  to  enjoy  the  years  of 
his  retirement.  However,  retirement  did  not 
mean  inactivity,  for  he  devoted  much  of 
hie  time  to  the  public  service,  making  himself 
useful  to  the  town  in  many  capacities  and  giving 
the  benefit  of  his  time  and  efforts  to  his  fellow 
citizens.  His  work  was  highly  appreciated,  and 
no  man  in  the  community  had  a  better  record 
for  intelligent  citizenship  and  disinterested 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  town. 

The  Bakers  of  South  Dartmouth  trace  their 
lineage  back  to  Francis  Baker,  the  first  of  the 
line  in  New  England,  from  whom  we  give  the 
genealogical  record  in  chronological  ordor. 

(I)  Francis  Baker  was  born  in  England  in 
1611.  His  last  residence  in  his  native  land  was 
at  Great  St.  Albans,  Hertfordshire,  and  in 
1635  he  came  over  in  the  ship  "Planter,"  locat- 
ing at  Yarmouth,  Mass.  He  married  Isabel 
Tarning,  of  Yarmouth,  and  died  in  1696,  the 
last  of  the  first  comers.  His  children  were : 
Nathaniel,  John,  Samuel,  Daniel,  William, 
Thomas,  Elizabeth  (married  John  Chase)  and 
Hannah. 

(II)  Daniel  Baker,  son  of  Francis,  married 
May  27,  1674,  Elizabeth  Chase,  daughter  of 
William  Chase  (2),  the  latter  born  in  Yar- 
mouth, Mass.,  in  1622.  To  this  union  were 
born  the  following  children :  Daniel,  born  in 
1675;  Samuel,  .1676;  Elizabeth,  1678  (married 
in  1705  Nathan  Baker)  ;  Hannah  (married  in 
1714  Joseph  Nixon)  ;  Thankful ;  and  Tabitha. 

(III)  Samuel  Baker,  son  of  Daniel,  born  in 
1676,    married    Patience,    and    their    children 


were:  Shubal,  born  March  24,  1710;  Susannah, 
June  22,  1711;  Hezekiah,  Aug.  4,  1715; 
Tabitha,  March  8,  1718;  Desire,  Feb.  5,  1720; 
Elizabeth,  Sept.  9,  1725;  and  Samuel,  June  4, 
1732. 

(IV)  Shubal  Baker,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
March  24,  1710,  married  in  1733,Lydia  Stuart. 
Their  children  were:  Sylvanus,  born  March 
10,  1734;  Azubah,  May  17,  1737;  Temperance, 
June  24,  1739;  Shubal,  Nov.  11,  1741;  Eliza- 
beth, Jan.  2,  1744;  Lydia,  Oct.  13,  1746;  Euth, 
June  25,  1749 ;  and  Patience,  July  19,  1752. 

(V)  Shubal  Baker  (2),  son  of  Shubal,  born 
Nov.  11,  1741,  married  Nov.  15,  1764,  Eebecca 
Chase,  bom  Aug.  24, 1747,  daughter  of  Eichard 
and  Thankful  Chase.  To  this  union  were  born : 
Hepsabcth  (or  Hepsibah),  born  Oct.  15,  1765, 
married  March  23,  1786,  Zenos  Chase; 
Archelus,  born  Nov.  26,  1767,  married  in  1789 
Mehitable  Chase;  Eebecca,  born  Dec.  19,  1770, 
married  Dec.  11,  1788,  David  Howes;  Shubal, 
born  July  10,  1772,  married  Jan.  10,  1793, 
Mercy  Smalley;  Ezra,  born  Sept.  5,  1775,  is 
mentioned  below;  Michael,  born  Nov.  6,  1776, 
died  April  7,  1796;  Ensign,  born  July  3,  1779, 
married  Dec.  27,  1800,  Sally  Nickerson; 
Temperance,  born  Oct.  15,  1781,  married  Dec. 
4,  1800,  Henry  Kelly;  Abigail,  born  Nov.  22, 
1783,  married  April  20,  1807,  Edward  Sears; 
Sylvanus,  born  Aug.  24,  1786,  married  March 
1,  1800,  Bethiah  Crowell;  and  Halsey,  bom 
Feb.  27,  1789,  married  Nov.  28,  1811,  Mercy 
Allen. 

(VI)  Ezra  Baker,  son  of  Shubal  (2),  born 
Sept.  5,  1775,  in  tlie  town  of  Harwich,  Barn- 
stable Co.,  Mass.,  was  one  of  the  six  Baker 
brothers  who  in  1806  came  to  Bristol  county 
and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  which  he  cul- 
tivated during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He 
died  there  March  25,  1842,  in  his  sixty-seventh 
year.  He  is  buried  in  South  Dartmouth.  Mr. 
Baker  was  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and 
respected  as  a  good  Christian  man.  On  March 
13,  1795,  he  married  Susan  Gage,  who  was 
born  July  8,  1779,  at  Harwich,  Mass.,  and 
died  July  7,  1866,  at  her  home  in  Bakersville, 
South  Dartmouth.  She  was  laid  to  rest  beside 
her  husband  in  the  cemetery  in  South  Dart- 
mouth. Their  children  were  as  follows:  David 
Gage,  born  Nov.  12,  1795,  died  Sept.  25,  1820, 
of  yellow  fever,  while  on  a  voyage  from  Ha- 
vana, Cuba;  Michael  was  born  Jan.  1,  1797; 
Susanna,  born  June  28,  1800,  married  (first) 
Eussell  Crapo  and  (second)  Wanton  Westgate, 
and  died  July  3,  1873 ;  Ezra,  born  Jan.  7,  1802, 
died  Sept.  22,  1820,  of  yellow  fever,  while  on 
the  passage  from  Havana,  Cuba;  Joshua  Gage, 
born  Jan.  1,  1804,  died  Sept.  16,  1804;  Lovey, 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


573 


born  Sept.  17,  1806,  married  Holder  W. 
Brownell;  Eliza,  born  June  16,  1809,  married 
Thomas  Lapham,  and  died  Jan.  6,  1903; 
Hepsibeth  Gage,  born  March  25,  1813,  married 
William  E.  Borden,  and  died  Oct.  16,  1876; 
Joshua  Gage  was  born  Oct.  5,  1814;  Sylvia 
Davoll,  born  April  20,  1817,  married  Christ- 
opher Booth ;  Jane  Crocker,  born  July  22, 1830, 
married  Ephraim  C.  Ellis,  of  Harwich,  Mass., 
and  died  May  4,  1896  (Mr.  ElUs  died  in  1910). 

(VII)  Joshua  Gage  Baker,  son  of  Ezra,  was 
born  Oct.  5,  1814,  at  Bakersville,  South  Dart- 
mouth, and  grew  up  to  farm  life,  working  on 
the  homestead  from  boyhood.  He  learned  the 
butcher's  trade,  at  which  he  was  engaged  for 
some  time,  also  continuing  to  carry  on  the 
farm,  and  in  1849,  at  the  height  of  the  gold 
excitement,  he  went  overland  to  California, 
where  he  spent  two  years  prospecting  and  min- 
ing. After  his  return  to  the  East  he  followed 
a  seafaring  life  for  about  twenty  years,  engag- 
ing in  the  coast  trade  between  New  Bedford 
and  nearby  ports,  going  to  Philadelphia  for 
coal,  and  in  the  winter  months  running  to  the 
West  Indies.  He  was  master  of  the  schooner 
"Adelaide"  and  of  the  "Henrietta,"  and  of  the 
brig  "Ormers,"  of  which  he  was  part  owner. 
Eetiring  in  1870,  Mr.  Baker  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  days  at  the  homestead  in  Bakers- 
ville, where  he  died  Oct.  6,  1883,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-nine  years.  Mr.  Baker  was  a  Eepub- 
lican  in  political  sentiment. 

On  April  14,  1834,  Joshua  Gage  Baker  mar- 
ried Mary  Briggs,  who  was  born  May  29,  1816, 
daughter  of  Elihu  and  Polly  (Kelley)  Briggs, 
and  died  in  1841.  To  this  union  were  born 
three  childreq:  A  daughter  that  died  in  in- 
fancy; Ethelenda  Gage,  born  in  February, 
1836,  widow  of  John  Castino,  residing  in  New 
Bedford;  and  Hepsebath,  who  died  young. 
On  Jan.  15,  1842,  Mr.  Baker  married  (second) 
Susan  Kelley  Briggs,  who  was  born  Sept.  26, 
1826,  and  was  a  sister  of  his  first  wife ;  she 
died  Jan.  9,  1860,  and  is  buried  in  South  Dart- 
mouth. There  were  five  children  by  the  sec- 
ond marriage,  namely:  Mary,  born  March  12, 
1843,  who  married  Edward  F.  Potter,  and  died 
Jan.  31,  1882;  Joshua  Gage,  born  Oct.  31, 
1845;  Adelaide,  born  April  11,  1848,  who  mar- 
ried (first)  Giles  Bennett,  of  Bakersville,  and 
(second)  Charles  Sanford,  of  New  Bedford 
(both  are  now  deceased,  and  she  resides  in  New 
Bedford) ;  Amy,  born  Aug.  13,  1853,  who  died 
in  1861 ;  and  Eva  Gage,  born  March  15,  1855, 
who  married  Stephen  S.  Davis,  chief  engineer 
in  the  United  States  lighthouse  service,  and  re- 
sides at  Fairhaven. 

(VIII)  Joshua    Gage    Baker    (2),    son    of 


Joshua  Gage,  received  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  in  his  native  village  and  worked 
at  home  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He 
then  made  choice  of  a  seafaring  life,  shipping 
on  the  whaler  "Sea  Breeze,"  as  a  common 
sailor,  under  Capt.  William  Weeks.  His  first 
voyage  was  on  the  Atlantic;  Ins  second  as  boat 
steerer;  third  as  second  mate  on  the  whaling 
bark  "Matilda  Sears,"  of  Dartmouth,  owned  by 
William  Potter  and  commanded  by  William 
Gifford;  his  fourth  in  the  same  ship  as  first 
officer  under  Capt.  Gilbert  Borden.  Upon 
completing  that  voyage  he  was  made  master  of 
the  ship  "Reindeer,"  built  by  W.  C.  N.  Swift, 
of  New  Bedford,  which  he  took  out  June  12, 
1877,  continuing  in  command  of  her  for  fifteen 
years.  He  sailed  her  in  the  southern  Pacific 
waters  and  part  of  the  time  from  the  port  of 
San  Francisco  to  the  Arctic  ocean.  The  owners 
sold  this  vessel  in  1892  and  Captain  Baker  be- 
came master  of  the  whaling  steamer  "Beluga," 
owned  by  the  Pacific  Whaling  Steamship  Com- 
pany, in  which  he  made  one  voyage,  during 
which  eighteen  whales  were  captured.  Eeturn- 
ing  to  San  Francisco — from  which  port  he  had 
sailed  for  ten  years — at  the  close  of  that  trip, 
he  gave  up  the  water  and  came  back  to  his 
native  place,  locating  in  Padanaram,  where  he 
made  his  home  during  the  remainder  of  his 
life. 

Upon  his  return  to  his  early  home  Captain 
Baker  at  once  interested  himself  in  local  affairs, 
in  which  he  took  a  most  active  part,  filling  the 
offices  of  selectman,  overseer  of  the  poor,  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  health,  constable  and  truant 
officer,  holding  the  latter  position  three  years. 
He  was  a  stanch  Eepublican  in  political  mat- 
ters. Captain  Baker  proved  his  high  char- 
acter in  everything  he  undertook,  and  was 
ever  faithful  and  honorable  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  assigned  him.  He  was  a  member 
of  Star  in  the  East  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
of  the  Dartmouth  Historical  Society,  of  which 
Mrs.  Baker  is  a  member. 

On  June  30,  1873,  Captain  Baker  married 
Susan  M.  Davis,  daughter  of  Charles  A.  and 
Susan  M.  (Maxfield)  Davis.  They  had  three 
children :  Edward  Davis,  who  is  in  the  employ 
of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Cummings  &  Cum- 
mings,  of  New  Bedford,  married  Sarah  E. 
Shaw,  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and  has  had  three 
children,  Edward  D.  (died  in  infancy),  a  son 
that  died  in  infancy  and  Marion  Shaw; 
Charles  A.  died  unmarried  June  18,  1910; 
Joshua  Gage,  Jr.,  who  is  engaged  as  a  book- 
keeper at  New  Bedford,  married  Elsie  Florence 
Luce  and  has  two  children,  Ellsworth  D.  and 
Gladys  A. 


574 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


WARNER  (Taunton  family).  Through 
much  of  the  century  but  recently  closed  and  on 
into  this  one,  New  Bedford  and  Taunton,  re- 
spectively, have  been  the  home  of  a  branch  of 
the  New  England  Warners.  Reference  is  made 
to  the  families  of  the  late  Joseph  B.  and  the 
present  Hon.  Richard  Everett  Warner,  of  Taun- 
ton, the  latter  of  whom  has  for  some  twenty- 
five  years  been  identified  with  the  business  af- 
fairs and  actively  interested  in  the  growth  of 
his  adopted  city,  useful  in  its  citizenship,  and 
prominent  in  public  life;  while  the  former  was 
long  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  New 
Bedford. 

The  Warner  family  is  an  ancient  one  in  New 
England,  and  now  numerous  the  country  over. 
The  Warners  of  New  England  descend  largely 
from  Andrew,  William  and  John  Warner, 
"never  as  yet  connected  on  this  side  of  the  water, 
though  very  likely  all  of  one  family  in  England, 
in  times  remote,"  according  to  Wilbur  F.  War- 
ner, Esq.,  in  Stiles's  "Ancient  Wethersfield," 
but  recently  published.  Of  the  three  Andrew  was 
of  Cambridge  as  early  as  1632,  and  later  re- 
moved to  Hadley.  The  name  of  his  first  wife,  the 
.  mother  of  his  children,  is  unknown.  His  chil- 
dren settled  at  Hadley,  Mass.,  and  Middletown, 
Conn.  William  Warner  was  at  Ipswich  as  early 
as  1637.  And  John  Warner,  the  third  progenitor 
alluded  to  above,  settled  in  Farmington,  and  is 
the  ancestor  of  a  long  line  of  Warners,  who 
settled  in  Woodbury,  Waterbury  and  other 
neighboring  Connecticut  towns.  From  William 
Warner,  the  immigrant  and  the  Ipswich  settler, 
through  his  son  Daniel  Warner,  of  that  town, 
and  the  latter's  son,  Lieut,  and  Deacon  William 
Warner,  who  removed  to  Wethersfield  between 
1660  and  1665,  have  descended  about  all  of  the 
Warners  of  that  town.  Then  there  was  John 
Warner,  who  came  to  New  England  in  the  ship 
"Increase,"  in  1635,  embarking  at  London,  who 
is  of  record  at  Providence  as  early  as  1637,  and 
who  subsequently  was  of  Warwick.  His  name 
has  been  perpetuated  through  his  son  John  of 
Warwick,  and  the  latter's  sons,  John  and 
Ezekiel,  all  of  whom  were  prominent  men  in 
their  several  towns,  some  serving  often  as 
deputy.  Again,  many  of  the  prominent  South- 
ern Warners  are  of  the  blood  of  Col.  Augustus 
Warner,  who  settled  in  Virginia,  and  whose 
daughter  Mildred  became  the  wife  of  Lawrence 
Washington,  and  the  grandmother  of  President 
and  General  George  Washington. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  note  that 
from  the  New  England  Warners  came  the  dis- 
tinguished lawyer  and  jurist  of  Georgia — Hon. 
Hiram  Warner,  member  of  the  United  Stated 
Congress   and   Chief  Justice   of  the   Supreme 


Court  of  Georgia ;  a  man  of  Massachusetts  birth 
as  was  also  the  late  Charles  Dudley  Warner, 
the  author.  From  the  Farmington  settler,  John 
Warner,  sprang  that  gallant  soldier  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame,  Col.  Seth  Warner,  who  as  sec- 
ond in  command  assisted  in  the  capture  of 
Ticonderoga,  and  on  the  following  day  took 
the  important  post  of  Crown  Point  with  its 
garrison  and  113  cannon.  For  this  he  was 
given  by  Congress  in  July,  1775,  a  colonel's 
commission,  and  afterward  he  was  a  conspicuous 
figure  throughout  the  war,  remaining  with  the 
army  until  1782  when  his  health  gave  way  and 
he  returned  with  his  family  to  the  town  of 
Roxbury. 

As  indicated  New  Bedford,  this  Common- 
wealth, was  the  home  of  the  immediate  fore- 
fathers of  the  present  head  of  the  Taunton 
Warner  family — Hon.  Richard  Everett  Warner, 
member  of  the  former  firm  of  White,  Warner 
&  Co.,  and  now  treasurer  of  its  successor,  the 
White- Warner  Company,  one  of  the  extensive 
manufacturing  concerns  of  Taunton. 

Joseph  B.  Warner,  father  of  Richard  Everett 
Warner,  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Nabby  (But- 
terick)  Warner,  of  Acton.  He  and  his  associate 
John  H.  Denison  were  the  founders  in  1858 
of  the  flouring  and  feed  mills  at  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  of  the  Denison,  Plummer  Com- 
pany, and  for  years  Mr.  Warner  was  identified 
with  them  through  their  several  changes  in 
ownership  and  style  of  firm ;  and  as  well  was 
one  of  New  Bedford's  enterprising  and  pro- 
gressive citizens,  alive  to  its  advancement  and 
the  welfare  of  its  people.  After  a  residence  of 
a  number  of  years  in  New  Bedford  Mr.  Warner 
on  April  26,  1863,  moved  to  North  Dighton, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  and  where  many  years 
of  an  active  life  were  spent.  During  the  earlier 
years  of  the  Civil  war.  and  while  a  resident  of 
New  Bedford,  not  being  able  to  enli«t  on  ac- 
coiint  of  a  bad  knee,  he  gave  expression  to  his 
patriotism  by  furnishing  to  the  government  six 
recruits  all  fully  equipped  for  service.  Mr. 
Joseph  B.  Warner  after  locating  in  North 
Dighton  became  active  in  public  affairs  of  the 
town,  being  treasurer  and  selectman  for  some 
years.  In  his  earlier  political  life  he  was  a 
Republican,  but  on  the  election  of  President 
Cleveland  he  became  a  Cleveland  Democrat,  as 
he  was  opposed  in  every  way  to  the  principles 
and  policies  of  James  G.  Blaine.  He  was  treas- 
urer of  the  Dighton  Stove  Lining  Company  of 
Dighton.  Mr.  Warner  married  Lucy  E.  Pierce, 
daughter  of  Simeon  and  Lucy  (Haskins) 
Pierce,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  early 
comers  to  New  England.  They  had  two  chil- 
dren :     Lucy  Butterick ;  and  Richard  Everett, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


575 


born  Oct.  6,  1861.  Joseph  B.  Warner  died  at 
his  home  in  Taunton  in  1892.  ' 

Richard  Everett  Warner  was  born  Oct.  6, 
1861,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  acquired  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Dighton  and 
in  the  Bristol  Academy,  located  in  that  same 
city.  It  having  been  determined  that  he  learn 
a  trade,  young  Warner  in  1876  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Dighton  Stove  Lining  Company, 
for  the  purpose  of  learning  the  business  of  the 
concern.  With  these  men  he  continued  until 
1881,  when  for  approximately  a  year  he  was 
employed  in  the  capacity  of  general  manager 
of  the  sales  department  of  the  Somerset  Pottery 
Company's  Providence  branch,  where  he  was 
located  for  a  time.  Leaving  this  establishment 
in  July,  1883,  he  seemingly  struck  the  position 
that  led  to  his  rise  and  success  in  the  business 
world,  entering  as  he  did  this,  the  concern 
with  which  he  has  ever  since  been  identified — 
long  as  a  partner,  stockholder  and  officer.  His 
personal  equipment,  as  he  said,  for  this  under- 
taking, consisted  of  a  good  wife,  good  supply  of 
wearing  apparel  and  $2,700.  On  his  entering 
the  business  it  was  that  of  White,  Walker  &  Co., 
which  in  1886  became  White,  Warner  &  Co., 
he  at  that  time  acquiring  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Walker.  The  business  continued  under  that 
firm  style  until  it  was  incorporated  in  February, 
1897,  as  The  White- Warner  Company,  its  pres- 
ent style,  and  of  which  Mr.  Warner  has  been 
treasurer  since  the  incorporation.  The  business 
of  the  company  is  the  manufacture  of  stoves, 
ranges  and  furnaces.  Mr.  White  died  in  1903, 
and  Mr.  Howard  A.  Tinkham  became  president 
and  Mr.  Henry  E.  Wilbur  secretary.  Mr. 
Warner  has  been  closely  identified  with  this 
company  since  1882,  from  that  time  up  to  1886 
doing  any  and  all  kinds  of  work  necessary  to 
the  success  of  a  small  struggling  manufacturing 
concern;  he  then  for  seventeen  years  from  that 
time  on  acted  as  its  salesman  on  the  road,  and 
also  assumed  the  responsibility  of  disposing  of 
the  entire  product,  while  later  as  its  treasurer 
and  during  the  illness  and  after  the  death  of 
his  partner,  Mr.  White,  he  had  the  entire  re- 
sponsibility of  the  conduct  of  the  business.  It 
can  truly  be  said  of  him  that  he  created  the 
major  part  of  that  now  large  and  important 
industry.  He  has  been  instrumental  in  its 
development  from  a  small  plant  employing 
twelve  men  to  one  now  employing  between  360 
and  370 ;  from  a  plant  established  upon  a  basis 
of  $280,000  per  annum  before  the  fire  to  one 
of  over  $700,000  with  its  increased  equipment. 

Mr.  Warner  has  ever  taken  an  intelligent  and 
active  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  Taunton,  devoting  not  a  little  of 


his  time  to  the  public  affairs  of  the  city.  He 
had  so  successfully  managed  his  own  business 
affairs  that  his  fellow-citizens  became  impressed 
with  his  fitness  for  public  office,  and  they  elected 
him  to  the  board  of  aldermen,  of  which  he  was 
a  good  working  member  in  1893  and  1894, 
serving  as  chairman  of  the  board  in  the  year 
last  named.  In  1894  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Russell  a  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Arbitration  and  Conciliation  (now  Con- 
ciliation and  Arbitration),  a  position  he  held 
for  one  and  a  half  years  when  he  resigned  on 
account  of  the  press  of  his  own  business.  In 
1895  he  served  as  one  of  the  License  commis- 
sioners. He  was  mayor  of  the  city  in  1902, 
1903  and  1904,  giving  to  the  citizens  of  Taun- 
ton an  administration  characterized  by  strong 
business  methods,  and  a  consequent  material 
reduction  in  their  tax  rate.  In  1908  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners of  Bristol  county,  and  he  was 
reelected  in  1911. 

Mr.  Warner  is  a  member  of  King  David 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  St.  Mark's  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.;  Sutton  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of  New 
Bedford;  Good  Samaritan  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F. ; 
and  Taunton  Lodge,  KJnights  of  Pythias. 

In  April,  1881,  Mr.  Warner  was  married  to 
Ida  E.,  daughter  of  Horatio  L.  and  Mary  E. 
(Mason)  Briggs,  of  Dighton.  Three  children 
have  blessed  this  marriage :  Joseph  E.,  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  Law  School  and  now  an 
attorney  at  Taunton;  Ella  E.,  who  married 
Eugene  H.  Brownell  and  resides  in  Taunton 
(she  has  two  children,  Evelyn  and  Eugenia), 
and  Grace  M.  Mrs.  Warner  died  in  February, 
1893,  and  Mr.  Warner  married  (second)  in 
October,  1895,  Mrs.  Nettie  M.  (Lewis)  Peirce, 
of  New  Bedford,  daughter  of  Elijah  R.  and 
Mary  A.  (Simmons)  Lewis,  and  widow  of 
Frank  E.  Peirce. 

LORING  W.  PUFFER.  While  the  family 
of  Puffer  is  not  a  Bridgewater  one  in  point  of 
antiquity,  it  is  one  here  in  what  was  long  the 
North  parish  (North  Bridgewater,  and  now 
Brockton)  of  some  fifty  and  more  years'  stand- 
ing, a  period  covering  the  birth  and  growth  of 
the  great  industrial  center  and  city  it  has  be- 
come, and  in  the  life  of  which  its  now  repre- 
sentative head — the  venerable  Dr.  Loring  Wil- 
liam Puffer,  surgeon  dentist,  underwriter,  edi- 
tor and  writer — has  been  most  active  and  use- 
ful, ever  alert  in  intelligent  effort  in  the  varied 
lines  that  have  brought  about  the  wonderful 
growth  of  the  shoe  city. 

Dr.  Puffer,  the  head  of  this  Brockton  fam- 
ily, and  the  recognized  local  historian  of  the 


576 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


town  and  city,  is,  however,  representative  of 
Bridgewater  stock,  descending  in  maternal  line 
from  one  of  the  original  proprietors  and  num- 
bering among  his  forbears  and  family  connec- 
tions some  of  the  ancient  and  honored  names  in 
the  Commonwealth's  history.  In  the  paternal 
line  he  is  remotely  connected  with  that  illustrious 
son  of  Massachusetts,  Charles  Sumner.  Through 
the  Southworths  he  is  of  royal  descent.  He 
numbers  among  his  ancestors  Eev.  Thomas  Car- 
ter, who  was  bred  in  St.  John's  College,  Cam- 
bridge, England,  taking  his  degrees  in  1629 
and  1633;  came  to  New  England  in  1635  in 
the  "Planter,"  was  for  a  time  at  Watertown 
and  Dedham,  and  was  ordained  in  1643  the 
first  minister  at  Woburn.  Another  of  his  for- 
bears was  Maj.  General  Humphrey  Atherton, 
of  Dorchester,  1636,  who  perhaps  was  from 
Preston  in  Lancashire,  and  here  became  cap- 
tain of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery 
Company,  served  many  years  in  civic  oflScial 
life  and  succeeded  Sedgwick  as  major  general 
of  the  Colonial  forces.  Still  other  of  his  early 
forbears  were  Eev.  James  Keith,  the  Scotch 
divine  who  was  educated  at  Aberdeen  and  on 
coming  to  New  England,  in  1662,  was  two 
years  later  ordained  the  first  minister  of  Bridge- 
water;  and  Judge  Joseph  Wilder,  long  chief 
justice  of  the  court  of  Common  Pleas,  a  man  of 
great  gifts. 

On  Feb.  24,  1640,  the  town  of  Boston 
granted  to  George  Poffer  land  for  five  heads, 
that  is  twenty  acres  at  Mount  Wollaston,  after- 
ward Braintree,  and  still  later  Quincy.  Of 
him  nothing  more  is  known,  but  the  family  was 
continued  under  tlie  name  of  Puffer  by  two 
persons,  who  may  confidently  be  called  his  sons ; 
and  the  Widow  Puffer,  who  died  at  Braintree, 
Feb.  13,  1677,  was  undoubtedly  his  relict. 
Mary  Puffer,  "an  aged  woman,"  who  died  at 
the  same  place  July  23,  1700,  is  perhaps,  more 
likely  to  have  been  his  daughter  than  the 
widow  of  his  eldest  spn.  Of  the  two  probable 
sons  of  George  Poffer,  James,  born  about  1684, 
married  at  Braintree  Feb.  14,  1656,  Mary  Lud- 
den,  remained. on  the  paternal  homestead,  and 
had  children :  Ejchard,  Martha,  Mary,  James, 
Euth,  Eachel  and  Jabez.  Mr.  Poffer  lived  at 
Braintree  and  there  died  July  25,  1692.  The 
other  son  of  George,  Mathias  Puffer,  married 
at  Braintree  May  12,  1662,  Enchcl  Farnsworth, 
and  their  children  were :  Joseph,  John,  James, 
Jonathan  and  Esther  (who  married  William 
Sumner,  of  Milton).  After  the  death  of  the 
mother,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  her 
blood  being  the  first  shed  in  the  Colony,  the 
father  married  (second)  Feb.  11,  1677,  Abigail, 
daughter  of  Eichard  Everett,  of  Dedham,  and 


had  children,  Benjamin,  Eleazer  and  Abigail. 
After  the  death  of  his  second  wife  Mr.  Puffer 
married  (third)  May  14,  1697,  Mary  Crehore, 
probably  Widow  Teague,  of  Milton.  Mr.  Puffer 
was  for  a  time  at  Mendon,  going  there  as  one 
of  the  first  promoters  and  settlers.  His  wife 
and  one  son,  however,  being  slain  in  the  attack 
on  the  town  by  the  Indians,  July  14,  1675,  he 
withdrew  to  his  native  place,  but  finally  re- 
moved to  Dorchester,  and  likely  to  that  part 
which  later  became  Stoughton.  He  held  sev- 
eral offices  in  Dorchester,  lived  to  advanced  age 
and  distributed  among  his  children  lands  in 
Dorchester,  Milton  and  Dedham,  near  Wren- 
tham.  It  was  through  Mathias  that  descended 
such  distinguished  men  as  Charles  Sumner, 
William  S.  Appleton  and  Charles  Endicott. 

From  the  foregoing  source  came  the  Puffers 
of  Stoughton,  which  town  was  the  birthplace 
of  Dr.  Loring  W.  Puffer,  of  Brockton,  he  being 
the  son  of  Loring  Puffer  and  grandson  of 
Nathan  Puffer,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  sol- 
dier under  General  Scott,  serving  with  him  in 
all  of  the  battles  of  the  frontier,  1812-15.  Dr. 
Puffers  lineage  from  George  Poffer  is  through 
(II)  James  and  Mary  (Ludden)  Puffer;  (III) 
Jabez  and  Mary  (Glazier)  Puffer;  (IV)  Sam- 
uel and  Dorothy  (Haynes)  Puffer;  (V)  Nathan 
and  Katy  (Clapp)  Puffer;  (VI)  Nathan  and 
Abigail  (Joslyn)  Puffer;  and  (VII)  Loring 
and  Lucy  II.    (Southworth)   Puffer. 

In  the  maternal  line  Dr.  Puffer's  immediate 
ancestors  were  of  Stoughton  residence,  and  his 
great-grandfather,  Capt.  Jedidiah  Southworth, 
an  officer  who  saw  much  active  service  in  the 
Eevolution,  being  captain  at  South  Boston 
Point  Fort,  was  in  direct  line  from  Constant 
Southworth  (who  was  the  brother  of  Thomas, 
and  son  of  Sir  Edward  Southworth,  of  Eng- 
land, who  died  at  Leyden),  who  was  born  in 
1615,  in  England,  and  came  to  New  England 
in  1628;  was  an  early  settler  in  Duxbury,  where 
he  died  in  1679.  He  served  in  the  Pequot  war 
in  1637,  was  later  ensign  and  lieutenant  in  the 
Duxbury  company;  was  for  twenty-two  years 
from  1647  deputy  to  the  General  Court  at 
Plymouth;  was  treasurer  of  Plymouth  Colony 
for  sixteen  years;  was  member  of  the  council 
of  war,  1658 ;  was  commissioner  for  the  United 
Colonies,  1668;  commissary  general  during 
King  Philip's  war,  etc. 

As  the  history  of  this  Plymouth  Southworth 
family  goes,  Edward  Southworth,  of  Duke 
Place,  London,  1595,  was  early  at  Leyden,  Hol- 
land, where  lie  died.  He  had  married  in  1613 
Alice,  daughter  of  Alexander  Carpenter,  of 
Wrington  (?),  Somersetshire.  Edward  died  in 
1620,  leaving  sons  Constant  and  Thomas.   The 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


577 


Avidow  Alice  came  to  Plymouth  in  the  "Ann" 
in  July,  1683,  and  on  Aug.  14th  of  that  year 
married  Gov.  William  Bradford,  of  Plymouth. 
The  sons,  Constant  and  Thomas  Southworth, 
came  to  New  England  in  1628  at  Governor 
Bradford's  request.  SufBce  it  to  say  that  the 
lineage  of  Edward  Southworth  has  been  traced 
back  to  the  Saxon  kings  of  England  and  their 
ancestors,  Cerdic  and  Odin. 

Constant  Southworth  was  one  of  the  original 
proprietors  of  Bridgewater,  the  first  interior 
settlement  of  the  Old  Colony,  he  being  one  of 
the  three  who  purchased  the  land  from  the  In- 
dians. He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Collier,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Duxbury, 
and  it  is  said  at  that  time  the  richest  man  in 
Plymouth  Colony.  From  one  of  their  descend- 
ants, Edward  Southworth,  who  married  in  1711 
Bridget  Bosworth,  Dr.  Puffer's  descent  is 
through  Constant  Southworth  (2)  and  his  wife 
Martha  (Keith) ;  Capt.  Jedidiah  Southworth 
and  his  wife  Mary  (Atherton),  of  Stoughton; 
Jedidiah  Southworth  (2)  and  his  wife  Sally 
(Hewett) ;  and  Lucy  Hewett  (Southworth) 
Puffer,  wife  of  Loring  Puffer,  of  Dorchester. 

Loring  William  Puffer,  D.  D.  S.,  son  of  Lor- 
ing and  Lucy  Hewett  (Southworth)  Puffer, 
was  bom  Sept.  17,  1828,  in  Stoughton,  Mass. 
His  general  education  was  acquired  in  com- 
mon and  private  schools,  which  he  attended  un- 
til he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  and 
he  graduated  from  the  Boston  Dental  College 
March  17,  1870.  From  eighteen  to  twenty- 
five  years  of  age  he  was  engaged  in  mechani- 
cal work  and  the  manufacturing  of  pegging 
awls,  which  failing  health  obliged  him  to  re- 
linquish. The  three  years  following  were  de- 
voted to  the  study  of  medicine  and  dentistry. 
He  began  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  1854, 
and  for  nearly  fifty-five  years  followed  the  pro- 
fession, actively,  from  1856  established  in 
North  Bridgewater,  which  afterward  became 
Brockton.  A  few  years  after  his  removal  to 
North  Bridgewater  he  became  connected  with 
fire  insurance  business  (1858),  since  which 
time  he  has  represented  a  number  of  the  old- 
line  companies  of  England  and  America.  This 
business  in  connection  with  real  estate  in  time 
almost  entirely  displaced  his  profession.  Dr. 
Puffer  is  a  great  reader,  and  for  over  sixty 
years  has  devoted  an  average  of  five  hours  in 
each  twenty-four  to  reading. 

Quite  early  in  life  Dr.  Puffer  became  a 
copious  correspondent  for  various  newspapers, 
and  later  had  experience  in  the  editorial  chair, 
being  editor  of  the  Brockton  Advance  for  one 
year,  and  editor  of  the  Brockton  Eagle  during 

37 


the  years  1884  and  1885.  He  has  done  other 
literary  work,  especially  in  historical  and  bio- 
graphical lines,  which  has  widened  his  reputa- 
tion. In  1871-72  he  was  adjunct  professor  of 
operative  and  clinical  dentistry  in  the  Boston 
Dental  College,  and  professor  in  the  institute 
of  dentistry  and  dental  therapeutics  in  1872- 
73.  Previous  to  1880  he  had  been  secretary, 
treasurer  and  president  of  the  Old  Colony  Den- 
tal Association  and  was  a  frequent  essayist  at 
its  meetings.  He  has  at  two  periods  during  his 
residence  in  North  Bridgewater,  or  Bfockton, 
been  a  member  of  the  school  committee  (1875- 
1885)  ;  and  for  over  a  third  of  a  century  he  has 
been  one  ef  the  trustees  of  the  public  library 
(of  which  he  is  known  as  the  father),  having 
served  as  president  of  the  board;  was  one  of  a 
number  of  citizens  who  originally  purchased  the 
library,  and  some  years  later  gave  it  to  the  town. 
He  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  1855, 
and  is  now  holding  a  commission;  in  1883  he 
was  appointed  a  notary  public,  and  also  holds 
a  commission  to  perform  marriages  in  Brock- 
ton. For  several  years  he  has  been  a  trustee  of 
the  Brockton  Savings  Bank. 

Soon  after  attaining  his  majority  Dr.  Puffer 
became  interested  in  politics,  and  his  interest 
has  never  flagged.  Originally  an  Antislavery 
man,  he  was  among  the  first  to  help  form  and 
sustain  the  Eepublican  party,  and  has  been 
steadfastly  devoted  to  its  cause.  Outspoken  and 
frank  with  tongue  and  pen,  he  is  counted  one 
of  the  most  efficient,  honorable  and  successful 
political  workers  in  Massachusetts.  He  has 
been  on  the  Republican  city  committee  of 
Brockton  for  many  years,  and  has  also  served 
as  chairman  of  the  same.  In  1856  he  became 
an  active  member  of  the  Plymouth  County 
Agricultural  Society;  was  a  trustee  for  many 
years,  and  has  been  vice  president.  In  1860 
Dr.  Puffer  built  the  first  greenhouse  ever  con- 
structed in  North  Bridgewater;  and  from  that 
date  to  the  present  he  has  been  an  ardent  hor- 
ticulturist, florist  and  frequent,  contributor  to 
agricultural,  horticultural  and  floricultural 
publications.  Dr.  Puffer  was  one  of  the  most 
active  originators  of  the  Brockton  Agricultural 
Society  founded  in  1874,  which  was  a  success 
from  the  start.  Its  opening  exhibition,  held  in 
a  tent  for  ten  days,  received  an  income  of 
$7,400;  and  to-day  (1910)  its  annual  income 
has  exceeded  $100,000.  The  Doctor  is  also  a 
member  of  the  New  England  Historic  Genea- 
logical Society;  of  the  Natural  History  Society 
of  Boston ;  of  the  Old  Bridgewater  Historical 
Society,  of  which  he  has  served  as  president; 
of  the  Stoughton  Historical  Society,  of  which 
he  is  a  trustee;  of  the  Old  Colony  Historical 


578 


SOUTHBASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Society  (honorary  member),  of  Taunton;  and 
of  the  Massachusetts  and  Suburban  Press  Asso- 
ciation. He  is  a  charter  member  of  Paul 
Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  Satucket 
Chapter,  E.  A.  M.,  of  Brockton. 

On  Sept.  18,  1856,  Dr.  Puffer  was  married 
to  Martha  Mary  Crane  Worcester,  niece  and 
adopted  daughter  of  Hon.  Samuel  Thomas  and 
Mary  Fenno  Crane  (Wales)  Worcester,  of  Nor- 
walk,  Ohio.  They  have  had  four  children,  all 
born  in  North  Bridgewater,  as  follows:  Loring 
Worce^er,  born  Feb.  7,  1857,  died  July  29, 
1858;  Mary  Crane,  born  April  11,  1859,  is  at 
home,  unmarried;  William  Loring,  born  May 
27,  1863,  married  Dec.  5,  1888,  Eliza  Cook 
Leonard,  of  Brockton,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and 
Mary  (Isaacs)  Leonard,  and  has  two  daugh- 
ters, Alice  Louise  and  Catherine;  and  Clarence 
Carter,  born  June  29,  1870,  married  June  19, 
1901,  Minnie  Jean  Rollins,  of  Jay,  Maine, 
daughter  of  William  and  Elmira  J.  (Mace) 
Eollina. 

AUGUSTUS  TURNER  JONES  (deceased) 
was  born  in  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brock- 
ton) May  21,  1832,  and  there — except  for  the 
time  spent  elsewhere  in  study  or  travel — passed 
his  entire  life.  As  editor  for  many  years  of  a 
paper  which  under  his  management  became  one 
of  the  most  influential  in  this  section,  and  as 
a  man  of  public  spirit  whose  interest  in  the 
community  led  him  into  active  participation 
in  its  administration,  he  was  influential  in 
shaping  the  policies  which  characterize  the  best 
features  of  the  government  of  Brockton.  He 
bore  an  honored  name,  and  his  ancestors  have 
been  noted  for  high  ideals  of  citizenship  in 
every  generation.  As  a  son  of  Capt.  Augustus 
Jones  and  grandson  of  Capt.  A^a  Jones  he 
counted  among  his  immediate  forefathers  men 
who  were  both  useful  and  active  in  local  affairs. 
Both  received  their  titles  for  service  in  the 
militia.  Capt.  Augustus  Jones  was  one  of  the 
honored  guests  at  the  inauguration  of  the  first 
municipal  government  of  Brockton,  at  which 
time  he  was  a  venerable  man.  A  glance  at  the 
records  of  the  old  North  parish  of  Bridgewater 
and  of  the  later  town  of  North  Bridgewater 
evidence  the  active  part  the  earlier  Joneses  took 
in  its  civil  and  political  life. 

On  the  maternal  side  Mr.  Jones  was 
descended  from  several  of  the  early  settlers  of 
this  section,  including  the  Pilgrim  John  Alden 
and  Priscilla  Mullins.  From  Lieut.  James 
Torrey  and  Thomas  Snell  the  lines  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

(I)  Lieut.  James  Torrey,  of  Seituate,  Massa- 
chusetts. 


(II)  Jonathan  Torrey,  of  Weymouth. 

(III)  Jonathan  Torrey  (2),  of  Weymouth. 

(IV)  David  Torrey,  of  Weymouth. 

(V)  Deacon  David  Torrey,  of  Abington. 
(VI')   Turner  Torrey  married   Sarah   Snell. 
(VII)  Almeda    Torrey    married    Augustus 

Jones. 


(I)  Thomas  Snell  settled  in  what  became 
West  Bridgewater  about  1665. 

(II)  Josiah  Snell  married  Dec.  21,  1699, 
Anna  Alden,  of  Duxbury,  daughter  of 
Zachariah  Alden. 

(III)  Zachariah  Snell  married  Abigail  Hay- 
ward. 

(IV)  Ischar  Snell,  the  next  in  line,  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Hayward. 

(V)  Sarah  Snell  married  in  1803  Turner 
Torrey. 


Returning  to  the  Joneses  of  Brockton,  this 
family  should  more  properly  be  designated  the 
Raynham-Brockton  family.  It  is  an  ancient 
one  in  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  the 
late  Augustus  Turner  Jones  being  a  descend- 
ant in  the  eighth  generation  from  Thomas 
Jones,  of  Hingham,  England,  who  came  to 
America  in  the  ship  "Confidence"  in  1638,  and 
settled  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  his  line  of  descent 
being  through  Joseph  (II)  ;  Nathan  (III)  ; 
Nehemiah  (IV);  Nathan  (V);  Capt.  Asa 
(VI);  and  Capt.  Augustus   (VII). 

The  original  Taunton  included  Raynham  and 
what  became  five  other  towns,  and  was  settled 
in  1638  or  1639  by  emigrants  principally  from 
Taunton  in  England.  Settlements  were  made 
in  Raynham  in  1652  by  James  Leonard,  Henry 
Leonard  and  Ralph  Russell,  who  came  from 
Wales  and  first  settled  in  Braintree.  The  act 
setting  off  Raynham  from  Taunton  as  a  distinct 
subdivision  or  town  bears  date  of  April,  1731. 
At  the  time  it  embraced  thirty  families.  The 
first  name  on  the  petition  for  such  act  was  that 
of  Abraham  Jones,  who  was  the  principal  agent 
in  bringing  the  separation  about. 

From  the  late  Samuel  Jones  of  Raynham, 
who  either  himself  or  the  immediate  family 
traced  out  his  line  from  Joseph  Jones,  we  have 
it  that  the  latter  settled  in  that  part  of  Taun- 
ton which  later  became  the  town  of  Raynliam; 
that  he  died  in  1726,  aged  sixty-seven  years; 
that  he  was  a  son  of  Thomas  Jones  of  Hingham, 
England,  who  came  to  New  England  in  1638 
in  the  ship  "Confidence,"  etc.  The  children 
of  Joseph  Jones  of  Raynham,  according  to  the 
Probate  records  as  stated  by  the  late  Samuel 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


579 


Jones  cited  above,  were:  Abraham,  Benjamin, 
Nathan,  Elnathan,  Submit  (married  a  Part- 
ridge), Sarah,  Lydia  (married  a  Bosworth), 
Rebecca  (married  a  Dyer)  and  Mary.  Of  these 
it  was  Abraham  Jones  who  was  the  principal 
agent  in  bringing  about  the  separation  of  the 
Raynham  settlement  from  the  parent  town.  He 
was  one  of  the  thirty-two  persons  dismissed  from 
the  parent  church  in  Taunton  to  organize  the 
First  Church  in  the  new  town — Raynham. 
Abraham,  Joseph  and  Mary  Jones  were  all  in 
full  communion  with  this  church  when  formed. 
Joseph  Jones  was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the 
new  town  in  1733,  and  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  Several  of  the  daughters  of  Squire 
Jones  married  men  of  talent  who  became  dis- 
tinguished in  the  learned  professions,  namely: 
Mary  Jones  married  Rev.  John  Wilder,  of 
Charlestown;  Louisa  Jones  married  Rev.  Linus 
Shaw,  of  Sudbury,  and  a  third  daughter  be- 
came the  wife  of  Dr.  Alden  Hathaway. 

From  this  Raynham  stock  has  descended  the 
Brockton  family  which  for  a  hundred  years  and 
more  has  been  one  substantial  and  influential 
there,  and  which  had  in  the  late  Augustus 
Turner  Jones  a  worthy  and  highly  honored  rep- 
resentative, a  man  who  had  been  long  and 
prominently  identified  with  the  business  and 
financial  interests  of  the  community.  Mr.  Jones 
was  descended  from  the  North  Bridgewater  set- 
tler, Capt.  Asa  Jones,  who  was  a  son  of  Nathan 
Jones,  of  Raynham.  Nathan  Jones,  the  eldest 
son  of  Capt.  Asa,  was  a  corporal  in  Capt.Nehe- 
miah  Lincoln's  company,  called  out  during  the 
war  of  1812  to  guard  the  forts  along  the  coast. 
He  was  a  captain  in  1827,  major  in  1828  and 
lieutenant  colonel  in  1829.  He  was  selectman 
of  the  town  of  North  Bridgewater  in  184o  and 
1844.  He  was  moderator  of  town  meetings  in 
1836,  1837  and  from  1839  to  1842. 

Capt.  Asa  Jones  came  from  Raynham  to  the 
North  parish  of  Bridgewater  some  years  after 
the  American  Revolution  and  here  married, 
Dec.  4,  1792,  Rachel,  daughter  of  Capt.  Jere- 
miah Beals.  After  her  death  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Nov.  27,  1806,  Charity,  daughter  of  Mark 
PerkinB.  They  died,  Mr.  Jones  Dec.  6,  1840, 
and  Mrs.  Jones,  March  20,  1849.  The  chil- 
dren of  Captain  Jones,  all  born  to  the  first  mar- 
riage, were :  Nathan,  born  Aug.  19,  1794 ;  Ros- 
seter,  born  Sept.  16,  1797  (father  of  Bradford 
Elliot  Jones,  of  Brockton) ;  Sally,  born  Aug. 
12,  1799,  who  married  Nov.  18,  1819,  John 
Thompson;  Augustus,  bom  Oct.  12,  1801;  and 
Asa  Beals,  born  Sept.  21,  1803. 

Capt.  Augustus  Jones,  father  of  Augustus 
Turner  Jones,  was  bom  Oct.  12,  1801,  in  North 
Bridgewater.     He  learned  the  trade  of  carpen- 


ter, which  he  followed  for  a  number  of  years 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  Rosseter,  doing 
considerable  work  in  Sharon,  Milton  and  Ran- 
dolph, as  well  as  in  their  native  town.  Some 
years  prior  to  his  death  he  retired  from  carpen- 
ter work,  his  remaining  days  being  devoted  to 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  for  a  number 
of  years  connected  with  the  State  militia,  being 
an  ensign  in  1803,  1809  and  1818;  he  held  the 
commission  of  captain  in  the  same  in  1809,  and 
in  that  same  year  served  on  the  committee  of 
North  parish.  Though  a  man  of  quiet,  unpre- 
tentious nature,  devoted  to  his  home  and  fam- 
ily, he  was  an  active  man  in  local  affairs  and  in 
the  religious  life  of  the  community.  In  early 
life  he  was  active  in  the  work  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church,  being  one  of  the  committee 
in  1824,  and  one  of  the  advising  committee 
when  the  meeting-house  was  erected,  in  1827; 
and  he  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
Porter  Congregational  Church  when  it  was  or- 
ganized in  1850,  and  thereafter  until  his  death 
was  active  in  the  latter  as  well  as  very  liberal 
in  his  support. 

On  Nov.  27,  1828,  Captain  Jones  was  married 
to  Almeda  Torrey,  eldest  daughter  of  Turner 
Torrey,  who  came  from  Weymouth,  and  they 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  Nov.  27,  1878. 
To  this  union  there  were  bom  the  following 
children:  Augustus  Turner,  mentioned  below, 
and  Sarah  Fidelia,  born  Jan.  1,  1834.  The 
daughter  married  Oct.  18,  1857,  Charles  R. 
Ford  (now  deceased),  who  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ing shoe  manufacturers  of  Brockton  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Mrs.  Ford  now  lives  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Wallace  C.  Keith,  of  North 
Main  street,  Brockton;  and  is  also  the  mother 
of  Miss  Jennie  H.  Ford  of  Brockton  and  Rev. 
Edward  T.  Ford,  a  Congregational  minister  of 
Tacoma,  Washington. 

Augustus  Turner  Jones  began  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  then  spent  part  of  two 
years  as  a  pupil  at  the  Adelphian  Academy 
(then  conducted  by  the  Lopmis  Brothers)  in  his 
home  town,  which  at  that  time  was  known  as 
North  Bridgewater.  Then  he  entered  Phillips 
Andover  Academy,  of  which  Dr.  Samuel  H. 
Taylor  was  principal  at  the  time,  and  in  1854 
completed  the  regular  classical  course  to  fit  him- 
self for  college.  The  same  year  he  entered  Am- 
herst, but  in  1856  changed  to  Yale,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  high  rank  in  1858.  For  a 
few  years  following  his  graduation  he  engaged 
in  teaching.  Immediately  upon  leaving  col- 
lege he  was  given  a  position  as  classical  instruc- 
tor in  a  large  training  school  at  Stamford, 
Conn.,  President  Woolsey  of  Yale  recommend- 
ing him  for  this  work,  in  which  he  continued 


580 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


one  year.  Then  he  was  ofEered  the  principal- 
ship  of  a  new  institution  which  had  been  re- 
cently opened  in  Haydenville,  Mass.,  and  which 
he  helped  to  place  upon  a  practical  and  sub- 
stantial footing,  resigning  after  two  years  to 
return  home  and  enter  the  field  of  journalism. 
In  this  line  Mr.  Jones  made  a  name  and  place 
for  himself  in  the  history  of  North  Bridge- 
water  and  Brockton  which  can  never  be  forgot- 
ten. He  became  proprietor  and  editorial  man- 
ager of  the  North  Brid^ewater  Gazette  in  1863, 
and  for  twenty  years  devoted  his  best  efforts  to 
the  welfare  of  that  paper,  which  during  that 
period  attained  an  amazing  influence  and  popu- 
larity. When  he  took  charge  it  was  a  weekly 
journal,  of  limited-  circulation  but  great  possi- 
bilities, which  Mr.  Jones  developed  to  the  ut- 
most. He  was  sincere  and  enthusiastic,  and  he 
had  ideals  of  what  a  newspaper  should  be  in 
its  effect  upon  the  morals  and  welfare  of  the 
community.  With  perception,  intelligence  and 
education  beyond  the  ordinary,  he  had  the 
vision  to  see  the  needs  of  the  growing  town  and 
the  demands  which  would  be  made  upon  his 
journal,  and  he  led  progressive  thought  and 
movements  for  many  years,  with  an  independ- 
ence of  spirit  and  a  conscientious  regard  for  the 
right  which  won  him  the  respect  and  support 
of  the  best  elements  in  all  classes.  When  Mr. 
Jones  sold  out  and  severed  his  connection  with 
the  newspaper  business,  Sept.  1,  1884,  he  left 
the  Gazette  firmly  established  both  in  a  finan- 
cial sense  and  in  its  position  in  the  community, 
for  no  paper  in  the  State  bore  a  higher  reputa- 
tion for  honesty  of  purpose  and  unquestioned 
standards.  From  1881  it  had  been  published 
daily  as  the  Evening  Gazette,  the  North  Bridge- 
water  Weekly  Gazette  being  continued  mean- 
while. Both  were  sold  to  A.  M.  Bridgman. 
The  building  in  which  the  weekly  and  daily 
issues  were  published  stood  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  Main  and  Ward  streets,  and  in  1910 
was  replaced  by  the  present  Marston  block. 

During  this  time  Mr.  Jones  had  personally 
entered  heartily  into  various  enterprises  des- 
tined to  keep  the  town  and  city  abreast  of  the 
times.  In  1864,  the  year  after  he  returned  to 
North  Bridgewater,  he  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  school  committee,  upon  which  he  served 
twelve  years  between  that  time  and  1880,  with 
a  devotion  only  too  rarely  found  in  public  offi- 
cials. In  March,  1864,  he  was  a  member  of  a 
committee  appointed  to  consider  the  advisability 
of  establishing  a  high  school  in  the  town.  In 
1872  he  was  appointed  postmaster  by  President 
Grant,  and  had  the  appointment  renewed  in 
1873,  serving  until  1876,  when  he  resigned  this 
office.     In  1874  he  was  elected  first  town  mod- 


erator and  frequently  thereafter,  and  his  ability 
as  a  presiding  officer  over  public  assemblies  was 
so  generally  recognized  that  he  was  often  called 
upon  to  act  as  such,  and  he  was  often  chairman 
at  political  conventions  and  various  public 
gatherings.  In  1878,  when  it  was  decided  to 
establish  the  public  water  works  in  Brockton, 
he  was  selected  a  member  of  the  committee  to 
decide  upon  the  best  source  of  supply  and  the 
best  system  to  adopt,  and  he  took  an  active  part 
in  establishing  what  was  for  many  years  the 
city's  source  of  supply — the  Avon  reservoir.  He 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  committee  cho- 
sen by  the  town  to  frame  a  city  charter  for 
Brockton  and  represented  his  ward  in  1882  in 
the  first  city  council,  of  which  he  was  unani- 
mously chosen  president.  In  1886,  1887  and 
1891  he  was  elected  tax  collector,  and  in  1887 
became  city  treasurer,  which  office  he  held  for 
seven  years.  That  he  retained  the  public  con- 
fidence and  the  good  will  of  the  community 
throughout  his  municipal  service  betokens  the 
liigh  regard  he  showed  for  the  interests  of  his 
fellow  citizens  in  all  these  positions  of  trust. 

Mr.  Jones  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote 
for  John  C.  Fremont,  and  he  was  a  lifelong 
Eepublican  in  political  faith.  He  was  always 
a  faithful  party  worker,  and  served  several 
years  as  chairman  of  the  Eepublican  town  com- 
mittee before  Brockton  became  a  city;  he  was 
often  called  upon  to  preside  at  conventions  in 
his  district.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of 
various  clubs  and  social  organizations,  belong- 
ing to  the  Commercial  Club,  the  Old  Colony 
Congregational  Club,  the  Old  Bridgewater  His- 
torical Society,  and  to  various  Masonic  bodies. 
In  1864  he  joined  Paul  Eevere  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  he  joined  the  higher  bodies  up 
to  and  including  Bay  State  Commandery,  K. 
T. ;  he  held  the  office  of  generalissimo  in  the 
commandery,  the  next  to  the  highest  office,  but 
declined  to  serve  as  eminent  commander  be- 
cause of  the  pressure  of  business  interests.  He 
was  among  the  original  promoters  and  members 
of  the  Old  Colony  Congregational  Club,  served 
five  years  as  its  secretary  and  was  president  for 
two  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Plymouth  County  Safe  Deposit 
&  Trust  Company  and  its  successor.  The  Plym- 
outh County  Trust  Company,  from  the  time  of 
its  organization.  He  was  practically  the  founder 
of  the  People's  Savings  Bank,  which  opened 
for  business  Aug.  1,  1895,  and  served  as  treas- 
urer from  that  time  until  his  death.  In  fact, 
he  was  always  the  leading  spirit  in  this  institu- 
tion, which  proved  to  be  such  a  valuable  factor 
in  the  prosperity  of  Brockton,  and  into  whose 
success  he  put  so  much  of  his  own  personality. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


581 


Mr.  Jones  lived  to  see  this  bank  grow  to  be 
one  of  the  city's  leading  financial  institutions, 
passing  away  a  few  months  after  its  removal 
to  its  present  commodious  and  substantial  bank- 
ing house,  erected  for  that  purpose. 

As' intimated,  Mr.  Jones's  church  connection 
was  with  the  Congregationalists.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  efScient  workers  and  members  of 
the  Porter  Congregational  Church,  to  which  he 
belonged  nearly  fifty-four  years,  served  as  dea- 
con several  years,  as  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school,  Sunday  school  teacher  fifty  years, 
chairman  of  the  board  of  finance,  member  of 
the  parish  committee  (nineteen  years),  repre- 
sented the  church  in  various  ecclesiastical  gath- 
erings, and  acted  in  other  important  official 
connections,  besides  contributing  liberally  to  all 
the  church  enterprises. 

Mr.  Jones's  death,  which  occurred  suddenly 
March  8,  1909,  near  the  close  of  liis  seventy- 
seventh  year,  was  felt  in  so  many  circles  in 
Brockton  that  it  might  be  said  there  was  hardly 
a  phase  of  the  life  of  the  city  unaffected  by 
the  event.  The  flag  over  the  city  hall  floated 
at  half  mast  during  the  funeral  services,  the 
city  hall  was  closed  for  an  hour  and  business 
was  suspended  in  all  the  municipal  offices,  while 
many  representatives  of  the  city  government, 
including  the  mayor,  attended  the  funeral,  offi- 
cially or  unofficially ;  the  People's  Savings  Bank 
closed  at  noon,  and  the  Plymouth  County  Trust 
Company  observed  the  hour  of  the  services. 
Both  banks  sent  resolutions  of  sympathy  to  the 
family,  and  in  every  way  showed  the  losa  they 
suffered  in  Mr.  Jones's  decease.  The  twenty- 
four  trustees  of  the  People's  Savings  Bank 
were  present,  as  well  as  officers  and  prominent 
men  from  his  church,  employes,  fellow  workers, 
officers  and  members  of  Paul  Eevere  Lodge,  and 
representatives  from  the  other  Masonic  bodies 
with  which  he  was  affiliated.  The  services  were 
conducted  by  Rev.  A.  M.  Hyde,  pastoT  of  Por- 
ter Church,  from  whose  sermon  we  make  the 
following  quotation : 

"He  was  a  farseeing  builder,  a  master  build- 
er, a  builder  of  institutions,  a  builder  ■  whose 
beautiful   temples   are   about   him   everywhere. 

Living  all  his  life  here,  building  here 

for  seventy-seven  years,  he  has  built  himself  into 
almost  everything  that  is  worthy  and  beautiful. 
We  may  say  of  him  as  they  said  of  Sir  Chris- 
topher Wren,  in  the  great  cathedral,  'If  you 
would  see  his  monument  look  about  you.'  The 
editor  who  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
molded  the  sentiment  of  the  city  to  noble  and 
lofty  ideals,  the  moderator  of  town  meetings, 
the  leader  of  the  meeting  that  gave  the  city  its 
name,  a  member  of  the  committee  that  framed 


the  city  charter  and  gave  the  city  its  form  of 
government,  the  first  president  of  the  council, 
a  member  of  the  committee  that  established  the 
high  school,  a  member  of  the  committee  that 
gave  us  our  water  supply,  postmaster,  treasurer, 
school  committeeman,  business  man,  church 
man — where  is  there  another  who  has  done  what 
he  has  done?  Through  all  these  has  been  an 
accuracy  of  mind  that  is  as  great  a  marvel  as 
a  matter  of  genius  as  his  honesty  of  heart  is 
a  marvel  as  a  matter  of  experience.  His  clear- 
ness of  mind,  his  voluminous  reading,  his 
knowledge  of  men,  all  fitted  him  to  hold  the 
highest  positions.  To  him  promotion  always 
called.  But  he  shrank  from  it.  He  declined  it 
again  and  again.  He  was  ambitious  only  to 
do  the  duty  next  to  him  which  seemed  to  be 
given  him  of  God  to  do.  •  He  cared  to  make  our 
city  truly  great ;  and  caring  not  for  greatness 
for  himself  he  found  greatness  in  being  great 
to  others 

"He  was  a  philanthropist  from  the  very  be- 
ginning. Making  his  way  with  marked  honor 
through  Phillips  Academy  and  Amherst  and 
Yale  Colleges,  receiving  his  diploma  when  he 
was  twenty-six  years  of  age,  he  entered  the 
school  room.  He  was  a  born  teacher.  There 
are  men  and  women  in  middle  life  who  date 
their  first  tuition  and  abiding  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge to  the  guidance  and  the  inspiration  of  this 
faithful  and  skillful  teacher.  A  lover  of  books, 
gathering  from  the  libraries  written  on  the 
scrolls  of  nature,  abiding  much  in  the  school 
room  of  the  fields,  from  these  silent  companion- 
ships there  passed  through  him  to  the  circles 
of  his  human  intercourse  wonderful  parables 
of  life,  revealing  thoughts  as  rich  and  beautiful 
as  the  petals,  the  clusters,  the  ruby  and  golden 
spheres  he  knew  so  well. 

"A  philanthropist  from  the  first,  he  was  ^ 
philanthropist  always.  Each  new  day  was  a 
new  door  to  new  philanthropies.  He  was  al- 
ways giving.  He  gave  his  money;  he  gave  his 
time;  he  gave  his  sympathy;  he  gave  himself. 
And  he  gave  always  with  the  clear-sightedness 
of  a  systematic  business  man  who  could  be 
trusted  with  the  finances  of  a  city  or  a  bank. 
He  gave  with  a  view  of  investing  his  money  and 
himself  where  they  would  do  the  most  for  hu- 
manity. His  life  itself  was  a  gift.  His  very 
business  life  was  lived  in  love.  He  was  in 
charge  of  other  people's  finances.  Millions  of 
dollars  have  passed  through  his  hands.  Yet 
not  a  penny  was  ever  charged  for  any  selfish 
interests  of  his  own.  Opportunity  came  again 
and  again  when  he  might  have  used  his  place 
for  enriching  himself.  He  never  did  it.  He 
used  it  all  to  serve.    His  bank  was  like  a  draw- 


582 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ing  room  in  its  courtesies  to  the  most  humble 
aud  the  most  poor." 

The  following  editorial  appeared  in  the 
Brockton  Enterprise:  "Death's  summons  came 
with  startling  suddenness  last  evening  to  a  citi- 
zen who  has  had  very  much  to  do  with  the  up- 
building of  Brockton  from  an  ambitious  town 
into  the  'no  mean  city'  of  to-day.  A  life  is 
ended  that  spanned  over  threescore  and  ten 
years,  and  they  were  years  of  unbroken  activity 
along  lines  of  endeavor  that  contributed  to 
everything  good  in  the  life  of  this  community. 

"Augustus  T.  Jones  was  a  man  of  high 
ideals,  of  strict  probity,  of  unvarying  courtesy 
in  his  intercourse  with  his  fellows.  As  an  editor 
he  made  the  Gazette  a  newspaper  of  dignity  and 
influence.  As  moderator  of  town  meetings,  as 
postmaster,  as  school  committeeman,  as  com- 
mon councilman,  as  city  treasurer,  he  served 
the  people  faithfully  and  capably.  In  his 
church  he  was  loyal  and  steadfast;  a  kindly 
neighbor,  a  helpful  friend,  a  home  lover  de- 
voted to  his  family.  The  People's  Savings 
Bank,  of  which  he  \^as  the  founder,  was  a 
dream  he  saw  fulfilled  in  his  later  years.  He 
gloried  in  its  development,  gave  to  it  the  best 
of  his  hands  and  brains  and  heart,  and  when 
it  was  moved  to  its  fine  new  home  but  a  few 
weeks  ago  he  was  proud  and  happy  in  the  ful- 
fillment of  his  hopes. 

"When  the  Enterprise  was  launched  as  a 
competitor  of  the  Gazette  back  in  1879,  with 
little  capital  beyond  ambition  and  determina- 
tion, it  found  Mr.  Jones  a  fair  and  friendly 
contemporary.  In  fact  for  a  time,  until  the 
struggling  venture  was  able  to  walk  alone,  the 
Enterprise  was  printed  on  his  press.  The  two 
papers,  and  the  men  who  made  them,  were 
always  on  good  terms. 

"It  seems  to  us  that  the  end  came  to  this 
useful,  busy,  honorable  career  just  as  he  might 
have  wished  it.  To  the  very  last  he  was  'in  the 
harness,'  and  it  was  a  harness  he  wore  because 
he  loved  to  be  honorably  occupied.  He  had 
attained  much  that  made  life  sweet  and  satisfy- 
ing. He  had  earned  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  his  fellow  citizens,  had  held  the  deeper  love 
of  those  who  knew  him  best. 

"What  higher  rewards  can  this  life  offer?" 

Mr.  Jones  was  laid  to  rest  in  Union  ceme- 
tery, his  son  and  his  three  sons-in-law  offici- 
a:ting  as  pallbearers. 

On  Dec.  2,  1860,  Mr.  Jones  was  married  to 
Helen  Eveleth,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Betsey 
(Preble)  Eveleth,  of  New  Gloucester,  Maine, 
and  a  graduate  of  Mount  Holyoke  College, 
class  of  1856.  There  were  two  children  by  this 
union:      (1)    Bertha    Eveleth,    born    Sept.    7, 


1866,  was  graduated  from  the  art  department 
at  Wellesley  College  in  1889  and  was  married 
in  1894  to  Edward  Dwight  Blodgett,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Amherst,  1887,  who  is  now  editor  of 
the  Daily  Standard,  at  Cortland,  N.  Y.,  where 
they  reside.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, Eleanor  Dickinson  and  Edward  Eveleth 
Blodgett.  (2)  Lizzie  Lee,  born  Sept.  25,  1868, 
who  graduated  from  Wellesley  College  in  1891, 
was  a  teacher  for  several  years,  and  is  now  the 
wife  of  J.  Howard  Field,  vice  president  of  the 
C.  A.  Eaton  Shoe  Company,  of  Brockton, 
where  they  reside.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  Helen  Eleveth,  John  Howard, 
Jr.,  and  Elizabeth  Field.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  in  1875,  and  Mr.  Jones  married 
(second)  March  20,  1876,  Mrs.  Harriet 
(Drake)  Pettee,  daughter  of  Deacon  Ebenezer 
and  Lucy  (Reed)  Drake,  and  widow  of  S. 
Cardner  Pettee,  of  Stoughton,  Mass.,  by  whom 
she  had  one  daughter,  Alice  Gardner  Pettee, 
born  Nov.  20,  1864,  in  Stoughton,  who  gradu- 
ated from  Wellesley  College,  and  is  now  the  wife 
of  Eev.  George  P.  Eastman,  of  Framingham, 
Mass.,  now  located  at  Orange,  N.  J.,  where  he 
is  pastor  of  the  Orange  Valley  Congregational 
Church.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children, 
Gardner  Pettee,  Roger,  Philip  Yale  and  Har- 
riet Drake  Eastman.  Mr.  Jones  and  his  sec- 
•nd  wife  had  one  son,  Everett  Augustus,  born 
Aug.  16,  1878,  who  was  graduated  from  the 
Brockton  high  school  in  1896,  and  from  Am- 
herst College  in  1900;  he  is  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  shoe  dressings  and  shoe  manu- 
facturers' supplies  under  the  firm  name  of,  E. 
A.  Jones  &  Co..  at  Brockton,  where  he  resides, 
unmarried,  making  his  home  with  his  widowed 
mother.  The  family  residence  is  at  No.  182 
North  Main  street. 

WILLIAMS  (Taunton  family) .  In  the  an- 
cient town  of  Taunton  there  are  still  represen- 
tatives of  the  famous  Cromwell-Williams  line 
of  the  family  bearing  the  latter  name.  Refer- 
ence is  made  to  some  of  the  posterity  of  Rich- 
ard Williams,  who  with  Oliver  Cromwell,  the 
"Lord  Protector,"  sprang  from  the  same  an- 
cestor, William  Cromwell,  a  son  of  Robert  Crom- 
well, of  Carleton  upon  Trent,  a  Lancastrian 
who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Towton,  in  1461. 

Many  years  ago  the  statement  was  made, 
and  afterward  vehemently  doubted,  that  the 
family  of  Richard  Williams  of  Taunton  was 
connected  by  ties  of  blood  with  that  of  Oliver 
Cromwell.  This  fact  was  established  by  the 
wonderful  patience  and  perseverance,  and  at 
considerable  expense,  of  the  late  Hon.  Joseph 
Hartwell  Williams,  of  Augusta,  Maine,  a  former 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


583 


governor  of  Maine,  a  direct  descendant  of  Rich- 
ard Williams  of  Taunton.  The  following  is  an 
account  of  this  connection  taken  from  the  New 
England  Historical  and  Genealogical  Register 
of  April,  1897,  abridged  by  the  late  Josiah  H. 
Drummond,  LL.  D.,  of  Portland,  Maine. 

Cromwell.  The  Cromwell  line  dates 
from  Alden  de  Cromwell,  who  lived  in  the  time 
of  William  the  Conqueror.  His  son  was  Hugh 
de  Cromwell,  and  from  him  descended  ten 
Ralph  de  Cromwells  in  as  many  successive  gen- 
erations; but  the  tenth  Ralph  died  without 
issue. 

The  seventh  Ralph  de  Cromwell  married,  in 
1351,  Amicia,  daughter  of  Robert  Berer,  M.  P. 
for  Notts;  besides  the  eighth  Ralph,  they  had 
several  other  sons,  among  whom  was  Ulker 
Cromwell,  of  Hucknall  Torkard,  Notts.  Ulker 
had  Richard ;  and  he,  John  of  Cromwell  House, 
Carleton  upon  Trent,  Notts;  and  he,  Robert; 
the  names  of  the  wives  are  not  given. 

(I)  Robert  Cromwell,  of  Carleton  upon 
Trent,  was  a  Lancastrian.  He  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Towton,  in  1461.  His  lease  of  Crom- 
well House  was  seized  by  Sir  Humphrey 
Bourchier,  Yorkist,  who  was  the  husband  of 
Joan  Stanhope,  the  granddaughter  of  the  ninth 
Ralph,  through  his  daughter  Matilda,  wife  of 
Sir  Richard  Stanhope. 

Robert  left  a  son  William,  the  ancestor  of 
Robert  Cromwell,  and  a  daughter  Margaret, 
the  ancestor  of  both  Oliver  Cromwell  and  Rich- 
ard Williams  of  Taunton. 

(II)  William  Cromwell,  of  the  prebend  of 
Palace  Hall,  Norwalk,  Notts,  settled  in  Put- 
ney, Surrey,  1453.  He  married  Margaret 
Smyth,  daughter  of  John  Smyth,  of  Norwalk. 
Notts,  and  had  John. 

Margaret  Cromwell  married  William  Smyth 
(son  of  John).  They  had  son  Richard  Smyth 
and  daughter  Joan  Smyth. 

(III)  John  Cromwell,  son  of  William,  mar- 
ried his  cousin,  Joan  Smyth.  He  was  a  Lan- 
castrian, and  his  lands  at  Putney  were  seized 
by  Archbishop  Bourchier,  Lord  of  the  Manor  of 
Wimbledon,  and  his  lease  of  Palace  Hall,  Nor- 
walk, Notts,  remised  by  Lord  Chancellor 
Bourchier.  They  had,  among  other  children, 
Walter  Cromwell. 

Richard  Smyth,  of  Rockhampton,  Putney,  by 
wife,  Isabella,  had  daughter  Margaret  Smyth, 
who  married  John  Williams,  fourth  in  descent 
from  Howell  Williams,  the  head  of  the  Wil- 
liams line. 

(IV)  Walter  Cromwell  married  in  1474  the 
daughter  of  Glossop  of  Wirksworth,  Derby- 
shire; in  1472  he'claimed  and  was  admitted  to 
two  virgates  (thirty  acres)  of  land  at  Putney; 


in  1499  Archbishop  Morton,  Lord  of  Wimble- 
don Manor,  gave  him  six  virgates  (ninety  acres) 
of  land  in  Putney  as  a  solatium  for  the  prop- 
erty taken  from  his  father  by  the  Bourchier 
Yorkists.  He  died  in  1516,  leaving  among 
other  children  Katherine  Cromwell. 

(V)  Katherine  Cromwell  married  Morgan 
Williams,  fifth  in  descent  from  Howell  Wil- 
liams, and  had  a  son  Richard  Williams,  born 
about  1495. 

(VI)  Sir  Richard  Williams,  alias  Cromwell, 
married  in  1518  Frances  Murfyn.  He  died  at 
Stepney  in  1547  and  was  buried  in  6t.  St. 
Helen's  Church,  London.  He  left  son  Henry 
Cromwell,  alias  Williams. 

(VII)  Sir  Henry  Cromwell,  alias  Williams 
(called  "The  Golden  Knight"),  of  Hinchen- 
brook,  Huntingdop,  married  Joan,  daughter  of 
Sir  Ralph  Warren,  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  and 
they  had :  Sir  Oliver,  Robert,  Henry,  Richard, 
Philip,  Joan,  Elizabeth  and  Prances. 

(VIII)  Robert  Cromwell,  of  Huntingdon, 
brewer,  married  Elizabeth  Stewart,  widow  of 
William  Lynn,  of  Bassingbourn,  and  their  fifth 
child  was  Oliver  Cromwell,  the  "Lord  Protec- 
tor." 

Robert's  sister,  Elizabeth  Cromwell,  married 
William  Hampden,  of  Great  Hampden,  Bucks, 
and  among  their  children  were  John  Hampden, 
"The  Patriot,"  and  Richard  Hampden. 

Williams.  Governor  Williams,  through  his 
assistants,  traced  the  Williams  line  back  to 
Howell  Williams,  Lord  of  Ribour. 

(I)  Howell  Williams,  Lord  of  Ribour,  mar- 
ried Wenlion,  daughteT»and  heiress  of  Llyne  ap 
Jevan,  of  Rady,  and  had  son  Morgan  Williams. 

(II)  Morgan  Williams,  of  Lanishen,  Gla- 
morgan, married  Joan  Batton,  daughter  of 
Thomas,  of  Glamorgan,  and  they  had  Thomas 
and  Jevan. 

Jevan  Williams  married  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Jenkin  Kemeys,  of  Bagwye  Man.  They  had 
son  William  Williams  of  Lanishen,  bailiff  for 
Henry  VIII.,  who  (wife  not  knovra)  was  the 
father  of  Morgan  Williams,  of  Lanishen,  Gla- 
morgan, and  later  of  Putney,  Surrey,  ale  brewer 
at  Putney,  Wansworth,  and  Greenwich,  for 
Henry  VII.  and  Henry  VIII.,  and  the  husband 
in  1494  of  Katherine  Cromwell — see  ante 
Cromwell,  No.   5,  et  seq. 

(III)  Thomas  Williams,  of  Lanishen,  Gla- 
morgan, died  at  St.  Helen's,  Bishopsgate,  Lon- 
don ;  was  buried  in  the  church  there,  "with  his 
brass  on  stone." 

(IV)  John  Williams,  steward  of  Wimbledon 
Manor,  Surrey,  married  Margaret  Smyth, 
daughter  of  Richard  Smyth,  and  granddaughter 
of    Margaret    Cromwell    (see    ante    Cromwell, 


584 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Nos.  1,  2).  He  died  at  Mortlake  in  1502,  and 
she  in  1501.  They  had  two  sons,  John  and 
Richard. 

John  Williams,  born  in  1485,  married  Joan 
Wykys,  daughter  of  Henry  Wykys,  of  Bolleys 
Park  Chertney,  and  sister  of  Elizabeth  Wykys, 
who  married  Thomas  Cromwell  (brother  of 
Katharine),  secretary  to  Henry  VIII.,  Lord 
Cromwell  of  Oakham,  Earl  of  Essex. 

(V)  Richard  Williams  was  born  in  Rock- 
ampton  in  1487.  He  settled  at  Monmouth  and 
Dixton,  Mon.,  where  he  died  in  1559.  He  was 
twice  married.  The  name  of  his  first  wife  is 
not  known.  She  is  credited  with  one  daughter, 
Joan.  His  second  wife.  Christian,  had  two 
daughters,  Reece  and  Ruth,  and  one  son,  John. 

(VI)  John  Williams,  of  Huntingdon,  near 
Wotton  under  Edge,  Gloucester,  died  in  1579, 
leaving  son  William.  No  other  particulars  of 
this  family  are  given. 

(VII)  William  Williams,  of  Huntingdon, 
married  Nov.  15,  1585,  Jane  Shepherd.  She 
died  about  1600,  a  child  of  hers  having  been 
baptized  Dec.  2,  1599.  He  married  Dec.  4, 
1603,  Jane  Woodward.  She  died  Feb.  2,  1614, 
and  he  in  1618.  The  first  child  by  his  second 
marriage,  bom  in  January,  1606,  was  Richard 
Williams,  of  Taunton. 

Of  the  change  of  his  name  by  Sir  Richard 
Williams,  Governor  Williams  said:  "Oliver 
Cromwell  in  the  male  line  of  Morgan  Williams 
of  Glamorganshire.  His  great-grandfather.  Sir 
Richard  Williams,  assumed  the  name  of  'Crom- 
well,' it  is  true,  but  not  until  in  mature  years 
he  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  public  ser- 
vice (temp.  Henry  VIII.),  under  the  patronage 
of  his  uncle,  Thomas  Cromwell  (Vicar  General, 
1535),  whom  he  proposed  to  honor  by  the  adop- 
tion of  his  name.  In  fact,  ever  afterwards.  Sir 
Richard  used  to  sign  himself,  'Richard  Crom- 
well, alias  Williams' ;  and  his  sons  and  grand- 
sons, and  Oliver  Cromwell  himself,  in  his  youth 
(*1620),  used  to  sign  in  the  same  manner.  In 
important  grants  from  the  crown  to  Sir  Rich- 
ard (29  and  31,  Henry  VIII.)  the  grantee's 
name  appears  in  both  forms,  'Cromwell  alias 
Williams'  and  'Williams  alias  Cromwell.' " 

It  is  not  believed  that,  in  the  light  of  Gov- 
ernor Williams's  researches,  the  relationship  of 
Richard  Williams  of  Taunton  and  the  Crom- 
well family  will  again  be  questioned. 

(VIII)  Richard  Williams,  son  of  William 
Williams,  of  Huntingdon,  and  his  wife  Jane 
(Woodward),  born  in  January,  1606,  married 
in  Gloucester,  England,  Feb.  11,  1633,  Frances 
Dighton,  daughter  of  Dr.  Jolm  Dighton,  and 
for  whom  the  town  of  Dighton,  Mass.,  was 
named.     Richard   Williams   came   to   America 


and  was  among  the  first  purchasers  of  Taun- 
ton. He  was  a  man  of  good  abilities;  was 
deputy  to  the  General  Court  of  Plymouth  Col- 
ony from  1645  to  1665;  selectman  in  1666  and 
1667.  He  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
"New  Purchase,"  now  Dighton.  He  was  a 
member  and  deacon  of  the  First  Church.  He 
died  in  the  year  1693,  aged  eighty-seven. 

The  children  born  to  Richard  and  his  wife 
Prances  (Dighton) — the  eldest  two  being  born 
while  the  parents  were  living  in  Gloucester,  in 
the  parish  of  Whitcombe  Magna,  and  both  of 
whom  died  when  young — were:  (1)  John  was 
baptized  March  27,  1634.  (3)  Elizabeth  was 
baptized  Feb.  7,  1635-36.  (3)  Samuel  married 
Jane  Gilbert,  and  is  mentioned  farther  on.  (4) 
Joseph  married  (first)  Nov.  28,  1667,  Elizabeth 
Watson,  and  (second)  Abigail  Newland,  and 
is  mentioned  later.  (5)  Nathaniel  married  in 
1668  Elizabeth  Rogers,  of  Duxbury,  and  their 
children  were:  John  (bom  Aug.  37,  1675), 
Nathaniel  (born  April  9,  1679)  and  Elizabeth 
(born  April  18,  1686).  (6)  Thomas  and  his 
wife  Mary  had  children:  Mary  (born  1680), 
Jonathan  (born  1683,  married  Elizabeth  Leon- 
ard), Sarah  (born  1685,  married  James  Hall), 
Macy  (born  1687),  Hannah  (born  1689), 
Bethia  (bom  1692),  Mehetabel  (born  1695) 
and  Damaris  (born  1698).  (7)  Benjamin  mar- 
ried March  18,  1689-90,  Rebecca  Macy,  and 
their  children  were :  Rebecca  (bom  Nov.  27, 
1690),  Josiah  (bora  Nov.  7,  1692),  Benjamin 
(born  July  31,  1695)  and  John  (born  March 
27,  1699).  (8)  Elizabeth,  bom  about  1647, 
married  John  Bird,  of  Dorchester.  (9)  Han- 
nah married  John  Parmenter,  of  Boston. 

(IX)  Samuel  Williams,  second  son  of  Rich- 
ard and  Frances,  first  of  Taunton,  married 
Jane  Gilbert.  Their  children  were:  Seth  (bom 
1675,  died  1761),  Samuel,  Daniel,  Mary,  Sarah 
and  Hannah. 

(X)  Seth  Williams,  son  of  Samuel  and  Jane, 
born  1675,  was  chief  justice  of  the  county  court 
of  Common  Pleas  from  1754  till  1761,  the  time 
of  his  death.  His  children  were:  James; 
David;  Abiel;  Benjamin,  bom  Feb.  25,  1721, 
who  died  March  18,  1784;  Mary;  Elizabeth; 
Susanna;  Rachel,  and  Jemima. 

(XI)  James  Williams,  son  of  Seth  Wil- 
liams, above,  died  in  1765.  Ete  was  a  judge  of 
the  court  of  Common  Pleas  after  the  death  of 
his  father;  and  was  also  appointed  register  of 
deeds  in  1746  (when  the  records  were  removed 
from  Bristol,  then  set  off  from  Massacliusetts 
to  Rhode  Island),  serving  till  his  death. 

(XI)  Benjamin  Williams,  son  of  Seth,  born 
Feb.  25,  1721,  was  appointed  judge  of  Probate 
for  the  .county  in  1778,  and  held  the  office  till 


^^wk] 


€rt^  fy  rs.  u-'/Aofi,  3  ^^„  fior 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


585 


'lis  death,  March  18,  1784.  His  children  were: 
Lemuel,  who  became  a  member  of  Congress; 
Benjamin,  born  July  17,  1757;  Joshua;  Elisha; 
Ann,  who  married  a  Tubs ;  and  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Rev.  Mr.  Spaulding. 

(XII)  Benjamin  Williams,  son  of  Benjamin, 
was  bom  July  17,  1757,  and  died  Jan.  29, 
1830.  On  Nov.  28,  1793,;  he  married  Lydia 
Williams,  who  was  born  Jan.  24,  1774,  and  died 
Sept.  11,  1845,  youngest  daughter  of  James 
Williams  and  sister  of  Judge  John  M.  Williams. 
The  children  of  this  marriage  were:  Ann,  born 
Feb.  8,  1795,  who  died  in  July,  1797;  Myra, 
born  Aug.  11,  1796,  who  married  Rev.  Samuel 
Presbrey;  Benjamin  F.,  born  July  5,  1798; 
George  W.,  born  July  13,  1800;  Sydney,  born 
Feb.  13,  1803;  Henry,  born  Nov.  30,  1805; 
Edgar,  born  1807,  who  died  April  6,  1808; 
Lydia,  born  Jan.  27,  1809,  who  died  Sept.  7, 
1830;  and  Anna  Augusta,  born  Aug.  24,  1811, 
who  died  Dec.  2,  1838. 

(XIII)  George  W.  Williams,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Lydia,  was  born  July  13,  1800.  He 
married  Emma  Willis,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  children  born  as  follows:  Emma 
Augusta,  March  11,  1827;  George  Edgar,  Aug. 
16,  1829;  Julius,  Jan.  11,  1834;  Andrew, 
Aug.  28,  1837;  Lewis,  April  25,  1840;  Felix, 
Oct.  17,  1843 ;  Arthur  Herbert,  Feb.  23,  1846. 

(XIV)  Lewis  Williams,  son  of  George  W. 
and  Emma  (Willis),  was  born  in  Taunton 
April  25,  1840,  and  died  there  Dec.  23,  1902. 
He  was  brought  up  in  Weir  village,  and  at- 
tended Bristol  Academy.  After  his  school  days 
he  promptly  entered  upon  business  life  and  in 
the  early  seventies  was  busy  in  the  old  firm  of 
Staples  &  Phillips,  who  were  the  leading  ship- 
pers, vessel  owners,  and  coal  movers  and  sellers 
in  southeastern  New  England  for  a  long  term 
of  years.  On  the  dissolution  of  that  firm  he 
joined  his  fortunes  with  those  of  the  Staples 
Coal  Company,  and  vigorously  assisted  in  de- 
veloping the  business  of  that  corporation  until 
it  became  one  of  the  leaders  in  New  England  in 
moving  and  selling  coal,  owning  shipping  (both 
barges  and  tugs)  and  constantly  enlarging  its 
sphere  of  operations  until  they  covered  a  great 
portion  of  this  territory,  both  coast  and  interior. 

A  public-spirited  and  open-handed  citizen, 
Mr.  Williams  was  among  the  foremost  in  vari- 
ous enterprises  to  increase  the  commercial 
facilities  of  the  city,  add  to  its  manufactories, 
and  give  employment  to  workers.  His  advice 
was  always  sound  and  his  foresight  good.  He 
was  interested  as  a  part  owner  in  the  West  Sil- 
ver Works,  the  Dighton  Furnace,  the  Taunton 
Crucible  Works,- and  he  owned  stock  in  the  Carr 
and  Winthrop  Mills,  of  Taunton,  and  was  also 


interested  as  a  heavy  stockholder  in  a  number 
of  Fall  River  mills.  He  never  shirked  his  ob- 
ligation to  do  his  part  in  charitable  work,  and 
no  one  who  was  really  needy,  no  deserving  pub- 
lic benefaction,  ever  called  upon  him  in  vain. 
He  was  brought  up  in  the  old  First  Church, 
believed  in  it  and  stood  by  it  always,  both  by 
his  presence  at  its  services  and  in  every  other 
way  to  strengthen  its  growth  and  its  power  as 
an  element  of  good  in  the  city  and  the  denomi- 
nation. 

On  Sept.  22,  1870,  Mr.  Williams  married 
Adelaide  N.  Staples,  daughter  of  Sylvanus  N. 
and  D.  Adaline  (Bood)  Staples,  and  one 
daughter  blessed  this  union,  Hattie  Staples, 
who  married  Frederick  Ludlam.  Mr.  Wil- 
liai^s's  wide  family  and  personal  connections 
made  the  termination  of  his  useful  and  busy 
life  and  the  loss  of  his  kindly  and  courteous 
personality  far-reaching,  his  high  citizenship 
touched  and  influenced  so  many  sides  of  the 
community's  social,  religious  and  business  life. 

(IX)  Joseph  Williams,  son  of  Richard  and 
Frances  (Dighton),  married  (first)  Elizabeth 
Watson  and  (second)  Abigail  Newland.  His 
children  were:  Elizabeth,  Richard,  Mehetabel, 
Joseph,  Benjamin,  Ebenezer,  Phebe  and  Rich- 
ard  (2). 

(X)  Richard  Williams,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Watson),  born  March  26,  1689,  died 
in  1727.  He  married  (first)  Anna  Wilbore 
and  (second)  Jan.  1,  1740,  Elizabeth  Merick. 
His  children  were:  George,  born  in  Taunton 
in  1717;  Richard,  and  Ebenezer. 

(XI)  Col.  George  Williams,  of  Taunton,  son 
of  Richard  and  Anna  (Wilbore),  bom  in  Taun- 
ton in  1717,  married  Jan.  6,  1736-37,  Sarah 
Hodges,  born  in  1715  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Leonard)  Hodges,  of 
Taunton.  The  second  marriage  of  Col.  George 
Williams  was  to  Mrs.  Nancy  Dean.  He  died 
in  1803,  and  his  wife  in  1797.  His  nine  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Taunton,  were:  (1)  Phebe, 
born  in  1737,  died  in  1813,  in  Taunton.  She 
married  (first)  John  Hart,  of  Taunton,  son 
of  Lawrence  and  Elizabeth  Hart,  (second)  Feb. 
15,  1759,  Simeon  Tisdale,  of  Taunton,  son  of 
Joseph  and  Ruth  (Reed)  Tisdale,  and  (third) 
April  27.  1763,  Eliphaz  Harlow,  of  Taunton, 
son  of  Eleazer^nd  Hannah  (Delano)  Harlow. 
(2)  Sarah,  bom  in  1739,  died  in  1830.  On 
April  14,  1757,  she  married  Richard  Godfrey, 
of  Taunton,  son  of  Richard  and  Theodora 
(Dean)  Godfrey.  (3)  A  child,  born  in  1741, 
died  May  5,  1750,  in  Taunton.  (4)  George, 
born  Aug.  18,  1745,  died  Feb.  23,  1814,  at 
Raynham,   Mass.     He  married   Oct.   2,   1766, 


586 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Bathsheba  King,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Abi- 
gail (Williams)  King,  of  Raynham.  (5)  Anna, 
bom  in  1747,  died  Nov.  2,  1833,  at  Taunton. 
She  married  (first)  Sept.  16,  1763.  Elisha 
Codding,  and  (second)  July  19,  1788,  Jona- 
than French,  of  Berkley,  Mass.^  son  of  Ebenezer 
and  Keziah  French,  of  Berkley.  (6)  Ebenezer, 
born  in  1751,  died  April  30,  1814.  He  married 
March  7,  1769,  at  Raynham,  Sarah  Ellis,  of 
Raynham,  daughter  of  Philip  Ellis.  (7)  Lydia, 
born  in  1753,  died  March  5,  1773.  She  mar- 
ried Aug.  6,  1772,  Isaac  Tobey,  of  Berkley,  son 
of  Rev.  Samuel  and  Batljsheba  (Crocker) 
Tobey,  of  Berkley.  (8)  Richard,  born  in  1755 
or  1757,  died  in  Taunton  in  1814.  He  mar- 
ried Hannah  Padelford,  of  Taunton,  daughter 
of  Edward  and  Sarah  (Briggs)  Padelford.  ,(9) 
Abiather,  born  June  4,  1759,  died  Oct.  4,  1760, 
at  Taunton. 

Col.  George  Williams  lived  in  Taunton,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Taunton  river,  on  what  is 
now  Williams  street.  He  was  a  man  of  prop- 
erty, owning  a  large  landed  estate.  From  the 
soldierly  qualities  which  he  evidently  possessed 
it  seems  that  he  served  in  the  war  with  the 
French  in  1744-45;  and  perhaps  in  the  first 
year  of  the  French  and  Indian  war.  But  the 
record  thus  far  found  of  his  military  service 
begins  in  1757.  He  was  then  ensign  of  a  com- 
pany stationed  'at  Fort  William  Henry,  when 
the  French  and  Indians  under  Montcalm  in- 
vested the  place  Aug.  3,  1757.  He  was  sent 
out  at  the  beginning  of  the  siege  under  Captain 
Saltonstall,  but  his  party  was  driven  back,  and 
he  himself  taken  prisoner.  He  was  released  not 
long  after,  and  returned  to  Taunton.  He  rose 
to  the  rank  of  captain  of  the  3d  Taunton  Com- 
pany, and  in  1772  was  major  of  the  3d  Bristol 
County  regiment.  On  Feb.  8,  1776.  he  was 
elected  colonel  of  this  regiment  by  the  Legis- 
lature, and  commissioned  Feb.  7th,  and  did 
good  service  during  the  Revolution.  His  prin- 
cipal military  operations  were  in  Rhode  Island, 
which  State  was  constantly  harried  and  threat- 
ened by  the  British  navy.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Taunton  committee  of  Corre- 
spondence, Inspection  and  Safety  for  several 
years,  beginning  in  1775,  and  was  selectman  of 
"Taunton  in  1780.  His  son,  Richard  Williams, 
was  one  of  the  minute-men  of  the  company  of 
Capt.  James  Williams,  Jr.,  wbo  marched  to 
Roxbury  at  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington. 
During  the  lasl  six  months  of  1776  he  was 
serving  at  the  defense  of  Boston,  being  sergeant 
under  Capt.  Joshua  Wilbore.  He  very  likely 
served  at  other  times,  but  the  Revolutionary 
rolls  are  not  sufficiently  explicit  for  his  iden- 
tification among  the  many  soldiers  of  this  name. 


(XII)  George  Williams,  son  of  Col.  George 
and  Sarah  (Hodges),  was  born  in  Taunton 
Aug.  18,  1745,  and  died  in  Raynham  Feb.  23, 
1814.  He  married,  Oct.  2,  1766,  Bathsheba 
King,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Abigail  King. 
She  was  born  in  Raynham  March  31,  1744, 
and  died  in  Taunton  May  26,  1839.  Their 
children,  all  born  in  Raynham,  were:  Sarah, 
born  July  27,  1767;  George,  Feb.  26,  1769;  a 
son.  May  6,  1771;  Abiathar,  Jan.  8,  1773; 
Bathsheba,  Jan.  25,  1775;  Melancy,  Feb.  28, 
1777;  Francis,  Oct.  13,  1779;  Narcissus,  Sept. 
13,  1781;  Enoch,  Dec.  29,  1783;  and  Samuel 
K.,  Nov.  17,  1785.  George  Williams  was  a  man 
of  fine  personal  appearance,  according  to  the 
accounts  handed  down  in  the  family.  He  was 
a  farmer,  and  owned  a  fine  property.  While 
it  is  certain  he  served  in  the  Revolution,  it  is 
difBcult  to  pick  out  his  record  from  the  many 
of  the  same  name.  Possibly  he  served  in  New 
York  State  from  about  the  beginning  of  1776 
until  December,  being  or  becoming  a  sergeant 
in  Capt.  James  Allen's  company.  Col.  Simeon 
Carey's  regiment.  He  certainly  was  quarter- 
master of  his  father's  regii^ent  in  Rhode  Island, 
December,  1776,  and  January,  1777. 

(XIII)  Abiathar  Williams,  son  of  George 
and  Bathsheba,  was  bom  in  Raynham  Jan.  8, 
1773.  He  married  Anna  Dean,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Anna  (Strowbridge)  Dean,  and 
they  had  eleven  children,  as  follows:  Anna, 
born  Jan.  19,  1803;  Maria,  Nov.  1,  1804;  Eliza- 
beth Jane,  Sept.  1,  1806 ;  Bathsheba,  Sept.  11, 
1808;  Harriet  Dean,  Nov.  17,  1810;  Frances 
Amelia,  Jan.  30,  1813;  Abiathar  K.,  March 
11.  1815  ;  Helen  Melancy,  July  6,  1817 ;  George 
Bradford,  Nov.  7,  1819  ;  Keziah,  Nov.  28,  1821; 
and  George  Bradford  (2),  Nov.  12,  1824. 
Abiathar  Williams  was  known  as  "Capt."  Wil- 
liams. He  ran  a  sloop  from  Taunton  to  New 
York  from  the  time  he  was  fifteen  years  of 
age  till  he  was  fifty-five.  He  made  his  sons 
Abiathar  K.  and  George  B.  his  partners.  A 
successful  and  influential  citizen,  he  represented 
his  town  in  the  General  Court,  and  held  vari- 
ous local  offices.  He  died  in  June,  1856,  and 
his  wife  in  1858. 

(XIV)  Geohge  B.  Williams,  son  of  Abia- 
thar and  Anna,  was  born  Nov.  12,  1824.  He 
was  educated  in  tlie  Taunton  public  schools  and 
always  prided  himself  on  being  an  old  academy 
boy.  He  became  one  of  the  stanch  monied 
men  of  Taunton.  Starting  early  in  life  with 
a  goodly  inheritance,  he  constantly  added  to  it 
by  thrift  and  good  management  until  gradu- 
ally he  became  the  largest  real  estate  owner  in 
Taunton.  Like  his  father,  he  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business.     In  the  early  days  lum- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


587 


ber  was  discharged  far  down  the  river,  and 
rafted  up,  and  Mr.  Williams  was  a  prominent 
figure  on  all  of  those  rafts  after  he  became 
old  enough  to  go  into  business.  He  became  his 
father's  partner,  and  his  name  appeared  in  the 
firm  through  all  its  changes  until  his  retire- 
ment in  1887.  He  was  a  sturdy  specimen  of 
old  New  England  stock.  He  was  quiet  and 
unpretentious  in  manner,  keen  in  business  af- 
fairs, and  strictly  honest  in  all  his  dealings. 
It  would  seem  that  no  man  could  leave  a  bet- 
ter heritage  to  his  family.  Like  his  ancestors 
he  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Society  of  Taunton. 

Mr.  Williams  married  Sarah  Carver  Barstow, 
daughter  of  Charles  Carver  Barstow  and  sister 
of  the  late  Charles  M.  C.  Barstow.  They 
reared  a  large  family,  born  as  follows:  George 
B.,  July  29,  1849;  Charles  K.,  Feb.  9,  1851; 
Sarah  B.,  Sept.  4,  1852;  Frederick  B.,  Aug. 
4,  1854;  Abiathar  G.,  Feb.  4,  1856;  Enos  D., 
Oct.  30,  1857;  Charlotte  A.,  Oct.  20,  1858; 
Alice  M.,  Sept.  18,  1860 ;  Franklin  D.,  Nov.  21, 
,1861;  Enos  D.  (2),  Aug.  9,  1863;  Alfred  B., 
July  8,  1865;  Ida  L.,  Oct.  11,  1868. 


Simeon  Williams,  of  Taunton,  son  of  John 
and  Hannah   (Robinson)   Williams,  born  Feb. 

21,  1716-1717,  in  Taunton,  died  Sept.  10,  1799. 
He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Zipporah 
Crane,  of  Raynham,  whom  he  married  Aug.  86, 
1742,  died  in  Taunton  May  21,  1748.  In  1750 
he  married  (second)  Waitstill  Hodges,  born 
Dec.  21,  1723,  died  Nov.  21,  1820,  at  Taunton. 
Their  children  were:  Zipporah,  bom  Feb.  5, 
1750-51,  who  died  Oct.  28,  1812;  Lurana,  born 
Dec.  30,  1752;  Nathaniel,  born  March  29, 
1755;  Waitstill,  bom  Aug.  10,  1758,  who  died 
Sept.  16,  1776,  at  Taunton;  Hannah,  born  Jan. 

22,  1761,  who  died  Feb.  24,  1846;  Levi,  born 
Aug.  25,  1763,  who  died  Aug.  5,  l')k64;  Jemima, 
born  June  30,  1765,  who  died  Dec.  18,  1793,  at 
Raynham;  and  Cynthia,  bom  Sept.  9,  1767, 
who  died  Dec.  6,  1854. 

Deacon  Simeon  Williams  was  one  of  the 
many  members  of  the  First  Church  of  Taunton 
who  withdrew  from  the  Society  in  1792,  and 
founded  the  Westville  Congregational  Church. 
The  cause  of  the  withdrawal  was  dissatisfaction 
with  the  new  minister  selected  for  the  original 
church — dissatisfaction  which  seems  to  have 
been  well  grounded.  Deacon  Simeon  was  a 
man  of  ability,  strength  of  character  and  in- 
fluence. He  doubtless  served  in  the  French 
and  Indian  war,  for,  being  corporal  of  the  2d 
Company  (Taunton).  April  6,  1757,  according 
to  the  roster  of  that  date,  he  rose  to  be  lieuten- 
ant and  captain  of  the  company.    As  he  was  on 


the  alarm  (or  reserve)  list  Dec.  6,  1776,  he 
probably  saw  no  active  service  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. But  in  1775,  1776,  1777  and  1778,  pos- 
sibly also  other  years,  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Taunton  committee  of  Correspond- 
ence, Inspection  and  Safety,  whose  multifarious 
duties  included  the  discipline  and  reformation 
of  Tories,  the  care  of  confiscated  property,  the 
regulation  of  prices,  the  obtaining  of  supplies 
for  the  American  troops,  etc.  He  was  select- 
man of  Taunton  from  1760  to  1766,  in  1770 
and  in  1777. 

Nathaniel  Williams,  of  Taunton,  son  of  Dea- 
con Simeon  and  Waitstill  (Hodges),  born 
March  29,  1755,  at  Taunton,  died  there  June 
30,  1829.  He  married  April  20,  1780,  Norton 
Lucilda  Hodges,  born  May  27,  1760,  at  Norton, 
Mass.,  died  May  7,  1847,  at  Taunton.  Their 
children  were :  Lucilda,  born  May  16,  *1781, 
died  Feb.  8,  1869;  Pollv,  bom  May  2,  1783, 
died  May  30,  1860;  John,  born  Sept.  2,  1785, 
died  March  21,  1850;  Charlotte,  born  April 
26,  1789,  died  Oct.  24,  1873;  Susannah,  bom 
April  24,  1791,  died  May  13,  1884;  Philander, 
bom  Oct.  18,  1793,  died  Nov.  16,  1796; 
Amelia,  born  May  7,  1796,  died  May  17,  1838; 
Nathaniel  Hodges,  born  Nov.  11,  1798,  died 
Dec.  25,  1879;  Simeon,  bom  May  31,  1801, 
died  Aug.  10,  1847;  and  Cassander,  bom  Dec. 
9,  1804,  died  Jan.  8,  1873.  Nathaniel  Wil- 
liams was  one  of  the  minute-men  who,  at  the 
news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  marched  to- 
ward Boston  under  Capt.  Robert  Grossman. 
In  December,  1776,  and  January,  1777,  he 
served  as  corporal  under  Capt.  Samuel  Fales 
in  Rhode  Island.  In  1778  he  served  two  terms, 
aggregating  four  and  a  half  months,  as  ser- 
geant in  Rhode  Island  of  the  companies  of 
Capt.  Samuel  Fales  and  of  Capt.  Josiah  Crock- 
er. He  may  have  served  other  terms,  for  the 
name  occurs  repeatedly  in  the  records,  but  as 
in  other  cases  the  rolls  are  not  explicit  enough 
to  identify  the  different  individuals  of  the  same 
name. 

LEONARD.  The  Leonard  family  has  been 
of  note  in  this  country  since  the  coming  of  the 
two  or  three  brothers  to  the  American  colonies 
in  the  early  settlement  of  New  England,  and 
beyond  the  ocean  it  is  one  ancient  and  dis- 
tinguished. In  several  of  the  towns  of  Bristol 
county,  this  Commonwealth,  with  the  Leonards 
of  which  region  of  country  this  article  is  to  deal, 
they  as  a  faniily  with  their  allied  connections 
through  marriage  have  been  of  especial  note, 
one  historic  and  distinguished.  From  the  com- 
ing to  Taunton  of  James  and  Henry  Leon- 
ard  to   the   present   dny,   possessed   of   great 


588 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


wealth  they  have  been  one  of  the  first  families 
of  the  Commonwealth,  influential  and  pow- 
erful. 

Henry  Leonard,  who  with  his  brother  James 
established  the  forge  at  Taunton  (now  Eayn- 
ham),  was  at  Lynn  in  1655  and  1668,  and  after- 
ward carried  on  the  works  at  Eowley  village, 
which  place  he  left  early  in  1674;  and  at  that 
time,  or  soon  after,  went  to  New  Jersey, 
establishing  the  manufacture  of  iron  in  that 
State.  The  brothers,  James  and  Henry  Leon- 
ard, are  stated  by  Eev.  Doctor  Fobes,  LL.  D., 
who  more  than  a  century  ago  furnished  for  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Collections  an  account 
of  the  Leonard  family,  to  have  been  from 
Pontypool,  County  of  Monmouth,  Wales,  which 
place  was  celebrated  for  its  working  of  iron 
at  an  early  date.  These  brothers  were  sons 
of  Tliomas  Leonard  of  Pontypool,  who  him- 
self did  not  come  to  this  country  with  his 
sons.  The  Leonards  are  believed  to  have  had 
some  claim  to  the  ownership  of  iron  works 
at  Bilston,  County  of  Stafford,  England.  At 
the  time  they  came  to  New  England  there  was 
probably  but  one  furnace  in  the  place.  At  Lynn 
and  Braintree  forges  were  established  at  an 
earlier  date  than  here  at  Eaynham,  and  James 
and  Henry  Leonard  were  connected  with  them, 
but  finally  settled  at  the  point  last  named, 
where  they  built  the  first  iron  works  in  the 
Old  Colony.  At  that  time  the  proprietors  of 
the  iron  works  at  Lynn  and  Braintree  had  a 
monopoly  by  grant  of  this  business  for  the 
Massachusetts  Colony.  Their  neighbors  were 
also  desirous  to  establish  works  of  the  kind. 
Henry  Leonard's  sons  Samuel,  Nathaniel  and 
Thomas  contracted  to  carry  on  the  works  at 
Eowley  village  after  their  father  had  left,  but 
undoubtedly  soon  followed  him  to  New  Jersey, 
where  numerous  and  highly  respected  descend- 
ants have  lived  to  within  recent  years,  and 
where  generation  after  generation  of  this  branch 
of  the  family  it  is  believed  to  at  least  within 
recent  years  have  been  more  or  less  interested 
in  their  favorite  pursuit — the  manufacture  of 
iron.  The  Leonards  were  probably  in  most 
if  not  all  of  the  iron  works  established  in  this 
country  within  the  first  century  after  its  set- 
tlement, and  it  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the 
business  of  iron  manufacturing  has  continued 
successively,  and  generally  very  successfully,  in 
the  hands  of  the  Leonards,  or  their  descendants, 
down  to  within  comparatively  recent  years. 
Their  old  forge  at  Eaynham,  though  it  had  been 
several  times  remodeled,  had  been  in  constant 
use  for  upward  of  two  hundred  years ;  and 
some  fifty  years  ago  was  in  the  hands  of  Theo- 
dore Dean,  Esq.,  who  was  descended  from  the 


Leonards  through  his  father,  Eliab  B.  Dean, 
Esq.,  and  his  grandfather,  Hon.  Josiah  Dean,  a 
member  of  Congress,  1807-1809,  who  was  a  son 
of  Josiah  Dean  and  he  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Kingsley)  Dean,  whose  mother  was  Abigail 
Leonard. 

The  very  extensive  iron  works  at  Squabetty, 
on  Taunton  river,  which  at  one  time  belonged 
to  H.  Leonard  &  Co.,  and  were  later  incorpo- 
rated as  the  Old  Colony  Iron  Company,  were 
fifty  years  ago  carried  on  by  Messrs.  William 
A.,  Samuel  L.  and  George  A.  Crocker,  Esqs., 
who  were  descendants  of  James  Leonard 
through  their  father,  William  Crocker,  Esq., 
by  the  marriage  of  their  grandfather,  Josiah 
Crocker,  son  of  Eev.  Josiah  Crocker,  to  Abi- 
gail, daughter  of  Zephaniah  Leonard,  Esq.,  who 
was  a  son  of  Stephen. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Leonards  are  of 
the  family  of  Lennard,  Lord  Dacre;  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  families  of  the  nobility 
in  the  United  Kingdom,  and  descended  in  two 
lines  from  Edward  III.,  through  two  of  his 
sons,  John  of  Gaunt,  Duke  of  Lancaster,  and 
Thomas  Plantagenet,  Duke  of  Gloucester;  and 
this  statement,  says  William  Eeed  Deane,  who 
prepared  the  memoir  of  the  Leonard  family 
(in  1851)  from  which  much  of  this  is  taken, 
has  some  plausibility,  he  setting  forth  facts 
upon  which  he  bases  his  conclusions. 

James  Leonard,  son  of  Thomas  of  Pontypool, 
Wales,  was  the  progenitor  of  the  Leonards  of 
Taunton,  Eaynham  and  Norton,  towns  in  Bris- 
tol county,  this  Commonwealth.  He  and  his 
sons  often  traded  with  the  Indians,  and  were 
on  such  terms  of  friendship  with  them  that 
when  the  war  broke  out  King  Philip  gave 
strict  orders  to  his  men  never  to  hurt  the 
Leonards.  Philip  resided  in  winter  at  Mount 
Hope;  but  his  summer  residence  was  at  Eayn- 
ham, about  one  mile  from  the  forge. 

The  old  Leonard  house,  which  stood  but  a 
few  rods  from  the  forge,  was  pulled  down  some 
fifty  and  more  years  ago.  A  part  of  this 
house  was  built  probably  as  early  as  1670, 
although  the  vane  upon  it  had  stenciled  or  cut 
into  it  the  year  1700.  It  had  been  occupied 
by  the  family  down  to  the  seventh  generation. 
At  the  time  the  old  house  was  demolished  it 
was  probably  the  oldest  mansion  in  New  Eng- 
land, if  not  in  the  country.  It  was  apparently 
modeled  after  an  English  fashion  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  with  some  modifications 
proper  for  defense  against  the  Indians.  This 
house  in  its  first  rude  form  was  with  another 
kept  constantly  garrisoned  during  Philip's  war. 
"In  the  cellar  under  this  house  was  deposited 
for  a  considerable  time  the  head  of  King  Philip, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


589 


for  it  seems  that  even  King  Philip  himself 
shared  the  fate  of  kings;  he  was  decapitated 
and  his  head  carried  about  and  shown  as  a 
curiosity  by  one  Alderman,  the  Indian  who 
shot  him."  From  this  estate,  it  is  stated  in 
the  biography  of  Mrs.  Peddy  (Leonard)  Bow- 
en,  was  taken  the  timber  that  went  into  the 
keel  of  the  "Constitution." 

(I)  James  Leonard,  the  immigrant  settler  at 
Taunton,  was  dead  in  1691;  his  wife  Margaret, 
who  survived  him,  was  mother-in-law  to  all 
his  children.  She  died  about  1701.  His  chil- 
dren were :  Thomas,  born  Aug.  3, 1641 ;  James, 
born  about  1643;  Abigail;  Rebecca;  Joseph, 
born  about  1655;  Benjamin;  Hannah;  and 
Uriah. 

(II)  Benjamin  Leonard,  son  of  James,  mar- 
ried Jan.  15,  1678-79,  Sarah  Thresher,  and 
their  children  were:  Sarah,  born  May  21,  1680; 
Benjamin,  born  Jan.  25,  1682;  Hannah,  born 
Nov.  8,  1685;  Jerusha,  born  June  25,  1689; 
Hannah  (2),  born  Dec.  8,  1691;  Joseph,  born 
Jan.  22,  1692-93;  and  Henry,  born  Nov.  8, 
1695. 

(III)  Joseph  Leonard,  son  of  Benjamin, 
born  Jan.  22,  1692-93,  had  children:  George, 
who  lived  in  Middleboro,  Mass.;  Chloe; 
Ephraim,  and  Philip.  Of  these,  Chloe  married 
Eliphalet  Elmes,  of  Middleboro,  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution  who  died  in  1830,  aged  seventy- 
seven  years;  she  died  in  1843,  aged  eighty- 
three.  Ephraim  married  Mary  Pratt,  and  lived 
in  Middleboro ;  his  children  were  :  James  (of 
Middleboro),  Jane  (wife  of  L.  0.  Perkins,  of 
Boston),  Sarah  (wife  of  Orlando  Thompson, 
of  New  Bedford)  and  Betsey  (wife  of  J.  Drake, 
of  Boston). 

(IV)  Capt.  Philip  Leonard,  son  of  Joseph, 
married  Jan.  6,  1737,  Mary  Richmond, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Richmond.  Captain  Leon- 
ard had  his  forge  at  what  is  now  called  the 
tack  factory  on  the  railroad  between  Middle- 
boro and   Taunton. 

(V)  George  Leonard,  son  of  Capt.  Philip, 
born  in  Middleboro,  always  lived  in  his  native 
town.  He  had  his  bloomery  on  the  Nemasket 
river  at  Pour  Corners.  He  married  Mary  Al- 
len, born  Sept.  21,  1760,  and  their  children 
were :  George ;  Samuel ;  Nehemiah ;  Lois,  mar- 
ried to  Rev.  Lewis  Leonard,  of  Cazenovia,  N. 
Y. ;  and  Emeline,  married  to  Thomas  Daggett, 
Esq.,  of  Middleboro.  Nehemiah  had  been  in 
business  at  Middleboro,  and  then  he  bought  the 
forge  at  Randy's  Mills  in  Rochester,  and  he 
and  his  brother  George  carried  it  on  in  partner- 
ship some  four  or  five  years,  when  George 
bought  his  interest  and  continued  the  'business 
alone  the  rest  of  his  life.     Nehemiah  located 


in  New  Bedford  in  1822,  beginning  business 
on  Orange  street.  He  prospered  and  in  five  or 
six  years  was  a  director  in  the  Merchants'  Bank, 
and  agent  for  several  whale  ships.  He  drifted 
into  the  manufacture  of  oil,  and  in  1836  built 
candle  works  on  Rotch's  South  (familiarly 
known  as  Leonard's)  Wharf,  carrying  on  this 
business  for  thirty  years.  He  died  Oct.  25, 
1869. 

(VI)  Samuel  Leonard,  son  of  George,  was 
born  in  Middleboro.  In  1814  he  married  Han- 
nah Taber,  born  in  New  Bedford,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Taber,  and  their  children  were: 
Henry  Taber;  Bathsheba,  who  married  Na- 
thaniel Gilbert,  of  Bridgewater;  Samuel,  Jr., 
who  married  Sarah  Tobey,  daughter  of  George 
and  Keziah  (Sherman)  Tobey;  Capt.  John  W., 
who  married  Sylvia  Tucker;  George,  who  mar- 
ried Cynthia  Washburn;  Thomas  W.,  who 
married  Sarah  Schenck;  and  Mary  A.,  who 
married  Peleg  Akin,  a  bank  president  of  South 
Yarmouth.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  Sam- 
uel Leonard  and  his  father-in-law  contracted 
to  build  a  mill  building  at  the  Head-of-the- 
River.  Through  thii  came  acquaintance  with 
William  Rotch,  Jr.-  For  a  short  time  Mr. 
Leonard  was  at  Yai  louth  erecting  salt  works, 
and  starting  the  business,  and  after  his  return 
to  New  Bedford  he  built  extensive  salt  works 
at  the  Cove  for  Messrs.  Rotch,  Arnold  and 
Russell,  these  works  eventually  covering  many 
acres,  and  he  operated  the  works  as  long  as 
they  were  profitable.  He  erected  the  house 
now  occupied  by  the  Orphans'  Home,  at  the 
corner  of  Brock  avenue  and  Cove  street. 
Through  purchasing  the  lumber  for  his  ex- 
tensive building  operations  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  lumber  business,  and  Mr.  Rotch 
built  what  is  known  as  Leonard's  wharf  for  the 
business  which  so  rapidly  grew.  Mr.  Leonard 
added  a  planing-mill  and  other  works.  He  then 
began  the  manufacture  of  sperm  candles,  and 
after  a  fire  had  destroyed  all  his  and  his 
brother's  works,  built  the  candle  works  of  Wil- 
liam Russell  (now  the  carriage  factory  of  the 
George  L.  Brovraell  estate).  He  was  the  largest 
oil  refiner  in  the  world,  and  was  the  first  to 
make  the  colored  wax  candles  used  all  over 
the  world.  He  was  a  very  important  factor 
in  the  commercial  life  of  New  Bedford.  At 
the  time  of  the  building  of  the  New  Bedford 
and  Taunton  railroad,  it  was  said  that  his 
freighting  was  one  and  one-half  times  greater 
than  all  other  freights  from  New  Bedford  com- 
bined. He  died  Oct.  25,  1868,  and  his  widow 
Oct.  14,  1875. 

(VII)  Hemut  Taber  Leonard  (son  of 
Samnel),  for  seventeen  years,  fifteen  days  the 


590 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


faithful  and  efficient  clerk  of  the  city  of  New 
Bedford,  was  born  Aug.  17,  1818,  in  South  Yar- 
mouth. In  the  public  schools  of  his  dative  town 
and  in  the  Friends'  Boarding  School  at  Provi- 
dence his  education  was  acquired.  He  became 
a  clerk  in  Seth  Akin's  store,  first,  but  subse- 
quently was  associated  with  his  father.  Later 
he  went  to  New  York,  and  became  a  partner 
in  the  firm  of  Wetherell,  Sprague  &  Co.,  oil 
and  iron  merchants  who  were  connected  with 
Samuel.  Leonard  and  Lazell,  Perkins  &  Co.,  of 
New  Bedford.  Mr.  Leonard  finally  withdrew 
from  this  concern,  and  returning  to  New  Bed- 
ford engaged  in  the  lumber  business  with 
Augustus  A.  Greene,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Leonard  &  Greene.  He  made  a  number  of 
business  changes,  being  several  times  in  the 
oil  business  with  his  father  and  brother  Samuel, 
either  as  partner  or  bookkeeper,  engaging  in 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  with  his  father  at 
Suncook,  N.  H.  He  joined  the  fortune  hunt- 
ers in  the  rush  to  California  in  1849,  and  on  his 
return  east  conducted  a  lumber  yard  in  Charles- 
town,  Mass.,  afterward  reengaging  in  the  oil 
business  at  New  Bedforc^,  as  the  head  of  the 
firm  of  Leonard,  Sturtey'nt  &  Co.  Upon  the 
dissolution  of  this  partn\.'-ship  he  returned  to 
the  oflice  of  his  father.  On  the  death  of  Sau- 
ford  S.  Horton,  in  1862,  he  was  elected  clerk 
for  the  city  of  New  Bedford,  which  office  he 
filled  until  his  death,  July  18,  1879.  His  in- 
telligence, unblemished  character,  faithfulness 
to  duty,  geniality  and  quiet  manliness  secured 
for  him  universal  esteem  and  continued  re- 
election as  city  clerk  during  violent  political 
changes,  he  never  having  any  opposition.  He 
also  served  one  year  as  a  member  of  the  school 
committee. 

Mr.  Leonard  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  a  man  of  unswerving  religious  con- 
viction and  strict  conscientiousness,  and  was 
without  an  enemy.  In  1841  he  married  De- 
borah Allen  Butler,  daughter  of  Daniel  But- 
ler, of  New  Bedford.  She  died  Dec.  16,  1901. 
Their  children  were:  Robert  Taber,  Daniel 
Butler,  Gertrude  Hoyer,  Henry  Allen,  Mary 
L.,  Roland  Allen,  Milton  H.  and  Mary  Butler- 

(VIII)  Daniel  Butler  Leonard,  son  of 
Henry  T.,  born  in  New  Bedford  April  6,  1844, 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  and  in  the  private  school  conducted 
by  Prof.  John  Boadle,  an  Englishman.  Under 
the  latter  gentleman  he  also  received  private 
instruction  in  contemplation  of  a  college  course, 
but  instead  of  entering  college  went  in  1860 
to  New  York  City  as  bookkeeper  for  his  uncle, 
Thomas  W.  Leonard.  After  a  short  time  he 
was  made  a  partner  in  the  business,  which  asso- 


ciation continued  for  about  four  years.  He 
then  returned  to  New  Bedford  and  became  an 
employee  in  the  city  treasurer's  office  for  a 
year.  He  then  received  a  commission  as  assist- 
ant assessor  of  internal  revenue  under  Charles 
G.  Davis,  assessor-at-large  for  the  district,  for 
a  term  of  three  years.  Upon  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  district  he  retired  from  the  posi- 
tion. He  was  next  commissioned  by  the  county 
commissioners  to  copy  the  old  town  proprietary 
records,  which  he  finished,  and  they  are  now  on 
file  in  the  office  of  the  register  of  deeds  for 
the  New  Bedford  district.  For  the  next  nine 
or  ten  years  he  was  employed  by  the  A.  &  W. 
Sprague  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  continuing  with  the  trustee,  Zach- 
ariah  Chaffee,  after  the  Sprague  failure.  He  be- 
gan with  the  Spragues  as  clerk  and  finally  be- 
came buying  agent  for  the  company.  Upon  the 
expiration  of  this  service  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Silver  Spring  Bleaching  and  Dyeing 
Company  of  Providence,  ex-Gov.  Henry  Lippett 
being  treasurer,  and  remained  there  until  the 
year  of  his  father's  death,  when  he  returned  to 
New  Bedford.  He  was  first  appointed  city 
clerk  under  the  administration  of  Mayor  Wil- 
liam T.  Soule  May  8,  1879,  and  elected  the 
following  October.  He  was  reelected  annually 
from  April,  1880,  to  April,  1902,  when  he  was 
elected  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1905  and  1908,  making  a  term  of 
thirty-one  years,  or  forty-eight  years  that  this 
office  was  filled  by  father  and  son.  Mr.  Leon- 
ard was  the  best  known  of  any  of  the  city 
officials,  because  of  his  long  contimious  service, 
and  he  was  one  of  the  best  informed  men  in 
the  State  on  municipal  laws,  his  opinion  be- 
ing frequently  sought  in  complicated  matters 
of  a  legal  nature.  Hi§  death  occurred  March 
13,  1911,  in  his  sixty-seventh  year.  Mr.  Leon- 
ard never  took  an  active  part  in  public  rnat- 
ters.  He  was  a  Republican  in  political  be- 
lief. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Leonard  belonged  to  R.  A. 
Pierce  Post,  No.  190,  G.  A.  R.,  of  New  Bed- 
ford, having  enlisted  during  the  Civil  war  in 
Company  E,  3d  Massachusetts  Regiment;  he 
was  at  once  transferred  to  the  commissary  de- 
partment of  the  State.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias;  of  Acushnet  Lodge, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  New  Bedford,  in  which  he  was 
the  fourth  oldest  member ;  of  Star  in  the  East 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  of  Adoniram  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M. ;  of  New  Bedford  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ; 
and  of  Sutton  Commandery,  No.  16,  K.  T. 

Mr.  Leonard  married  July  28,  1869,  Char- 
lotte E;  Howard.    They  had  no  children. 

(VIII)  Dr.  Milton  Hall  Leonard,  son  of 


^*i 


%*^ 


iff'-TA^^ 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


591 


Henry  T.,  born  in  New  Bedford  April  17,  1857, 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  town 
and  was  prepared  for  college  under  Betsy  B. 
Winslow.  He  entered  the  medical  department 
of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York 
in  1876,  and  graduated  therefrom  in  1879.  He 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  Bed- 
ford in  March,  1879,  and  has  been  thus  en- 
gaged for  more  than  thirty  years.  His  practice 
extends  to  the  neighboring  cities  of  Providence, 
R.  I.,  Fall  River,  etc.  He  has  made  a  specialty 
of  obstetrics.  For  three  or  four  years  he  was 
physician  to  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  and  for 
sixteen  years  was  county  physician.  Profes- 
sionally he  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association;  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety; Boston  Medical  Library  Association; 
New  Bedford  Medical  Society,  and  the  Bristol 
South  District  Medical  Society  (a  branch  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society),  of  which 
he  has  been  president.  He  belongs  to  the 
I.  0.  0.  F.  In  his  political  faith  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 

On  Sept.  13,  1882,  Dr.  Leonard  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  Parthenia  GafEord,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Sarah  Jane  (Longley)  Gafford,  of 
Virginia.  On  her  father's  side  she  is  related 
to  the  Lees  of  Virginia.  She  is  a  great-grtod- 
daughter  of  Parthenia  Webster,  sister  to  Pele- 
tiah  Webster,  one  of  Washington's  financial 
advisers  and  a  Congressman  from  Pennsylvania. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Leonard  have  no  children. 

WILLIAM  PERRY  HOOD,  for  more  than 
half  a  century  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
representative  men  of  Somerset,  was  born  in 
Providence,  R.  I.,  June  16,  1825,  son  of  David 
B.  and  Mary  Ann  (Brown.)  Hood,  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Sally  Brown. 

Noble  Hood,  great-grandfather  of  William 
Perry,  was  born  Aug.  16,  1748.  He  married 
Hannah  Perry.  He  served  as  private  in  the 
Revolutionary  army  in  Colonel  Carpenter's 
regiment.  He  was  the  father  of  five  cliildren, 
viz. :  Lydia,  born  April  7,  1773,  died  March  26, 
1846;  John,  bom  March  23,  1775.  died  Oct.  12, 
1859;  William,  born  Sept.  17,  1776,  died  Dec. 
31,  1863;  Martha,  born  in  1780,  died  in  1846; 
Noble,  Jr.,  was  born  April  1,.  1781. 

John  Hood,  son  of  Noble,  was  born  March  23, 
1775,  and  died  Oct.  12,  1859.  He  married 
Mary  Ann  Bowers,  who  died  March  28,  1847. 
They  had  twelve  children:  John,  bom  in 
1796,  who  died  in  1836;  William;  George  B., 
born  Nov.  10,  1799,  who  died  Jan.  22,  1871; 
David  B.,  born  Jan.  12,  1802,  who  died  June  6, 
1871;  Mary,  bom  Oct.  22,  1803,  who  died 
Feb.  5,  1843;  Nancy,  born  in  1805,  who  died 


in  1880;  Barton  Quincy,  born  Oct.  23,  1807; 
Rachel,  born  Jan.  17,  1812,  who  died  March  7, 
1887;  Rebecca  F.,  born  Feb.  10,  1813,  who 
died  Feb.  15,  1897  (she  married  William  G. 
Gardiner)  ;  James  Madison,  born  in  1815,  who 
died  May  20,  1871;  Sophia,  born  April  2,  1817, 
who  died  MaT^15,  1891 ;  and  Elouisa  M.,  born 
Jan.  11,  182™who  died  March  16,  1909. 

David  B.  Hood,  son  of  John  Hood,  was  born 
Jan.  12,  1802.  He  married  Mary  Ann  Brown, 
daughter  of  John  and  Sally  Brown.  He  was 
a  merchant  by  trade.  He  had  four  children, 
viz. :  William'  P. ;  David  B.,  who  died  in  1832, 
when  about  three  years  of  age ;  Alfred  H.,  now 
living  in  California;  and  David  B.  (2),  now 
living  in  Somerset. 

His  father  being  a  merchant  and  business 
taking  him  on  frequent  trips  to  the  Southern 
States,  young  William  P.  Hood  would  be  left 
in  charge  of  the  business  with  responsibilities 
unusual  for  one  so  young  in  years.  A  man's 
mature  Judgment  and  thoughtfulness  seem  to 
have  possessed  the  boy  of  fourteen  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  business  went  right  along  under 
his  management.  The  one  absorbing  principle 
of  liis  life,  self-reliance,  was  early  implanted. 
Thus  actuated  he  left  home  at  the  early  age  of 
fifteen  to  try  the  world  for  himself.  He  worked 
first  at  any  kind  of  employment  he  could  get 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  at  last  he  took  up 
fire,  marine  and  life  insurance.  In  this  he  was 
eminently  successful,  so  much  so  that  he  con- 
tinued it  as  a  side  line  to  every  other  under- 
taking that  he  entered  into. 

Coming  to  Somerset  in  early  boyhood  Mr. 
Hood  showed  special  business  capacity.  He 
became  a  clerk,  then  the  cpnfidential  clerk  and 
business  manager  for  the  late  James  M.  Hood, 
who  was  a  successful  shipbuilder  from  1850  to 
1854.  To  follow  him  through  the  many  and 
diversified  undertakings  he  carried  through 
successfully,  without  a  single  failure,  would 
take  a  long  time.  For  twenty-five  years  he 
was  a  commercial  traveler  for  the  Seavey  Com- 
pany, of  Boston,  selling  all  over  New  England, 
never  stopping  for  hard  times,  but  meeting 
circumstances  of  that  nature  with  renewed 
energy  and  determination.  In  1854  with  others 
he  organized  and  incorporated  the  Boston  Stove 
Foundry  Company,  at  Somerset,  and  for  some 
years  was  its  treasurer. 

But  it  must  not  be  taken  for  granted  that 
the  life  of  a  commercial  traveler  or  successful 
stove  manufacturer  filled  up  the  scope  of  Mr. 
Hood's  operations.  On  the  contrary  he  early 
invested  in  shipping,  carried  shares  in  a  number 
of  vessels,  and  was  interested  in  eighteen  vessels 
which  have  gone  down  at  various  times.     He 


592 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


was  interested  in  the  merchant  marine,  and 
owned  a  large  interest  in  the  five-masted 
schooner  "Gov.  Ames."  For  many  years  he 
was  one  of  the  principal  owners  of  the  Somer- 
set shipyards,  making  his  first  venture  in  real 
estate  in  1844  with  a  beginning  of  only  $40 
becoming  the  largest  individual  property  owner 
in  the  village  of  Somerset.  He  owned  one  of 
the  best  farms  in  the  county,  and  in  it  took 
special  pride. 

About  the  year  1892  Mr.  Hood  purchased 
the  property  of  the  Cooperative  Foundry  Com- 
pany, and  with  John  D.  Flint,  Frank  S.  Stevens 
and  others  formed  the  Somerset  Stove  Foundry 
'Company,  of  which  he  was  chosen  the  treas- 
urer and  general  manager,  in  which  capacity 
he  acted  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hood  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  for  many  years  he  was  chairman  of 
the  Republican  town  committee.  For  many 
years  he  was  chairman  of  the  board  of  select- 
men and  assessors  of  the  town,  having  as  as- 
sociates most  of  the  time  William  Lawton  Slade 
and  the  venerable  Capt.  Alfred  Pratt.  In  1861 
he  represented  his  district  in  the  General  Court. 
Though  not  a  church  member,  Mr.  Hood  was 
alwavs  closely  identified  with  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  and  contributed  liberally  to  its  main- 
tenance. He  was  a  social  man,  and  one  of  the 
most  genial  to  meet  in  business,  in  his  home, 
or  in  social  circles.  Though  often  engaged 
in  the  heated  contests  of  town  matters  he  never 
bore  any  ill  will  toward  anyone,  and  the  man 
who  had  opposed  him  one  day  in  a  sharp  con- 
test for  town  honors,  or  in  the  advocacy  of 
tovra  matters,  found  in  him  the  following  day 
a  genial  friend  and  well  wisher.  This  trait  of 
character  means  more  in  a  small  country  town, 
where  matters  are  drawn  on  sharp  lines  and 
political  grudges  not  always  forgotten,  than  it 
does  in  a  city.  In  his  home  he  was  pleasant, 
social  and  hospitable.  His  life  was  upright  and 
moral  in  every  respect,  temperate,  just  and 
honest.  Cordial  in  all  his  dealings,  he  was  the 
adviser  and  well  wisher  of  all  who  sought  his 
advice  on  any  matters.  When  the  dark  cloud 
of  adversity  years  ago  began  hovering  over  the 
town  of  Somerset,  he  of  all  others  tried  to  stay 
its  progress,  and  freely  and  willingly  invested 
his  money  in  local  enterprises  and  real  estate, 
even  though  his  better  judgment  assured  him 
it  might  not  be  wise  from  a  financial  stand- 
point. Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason,  being  a 
charter  member  of  Tioneer  Lodge  of  Somer- 
set, and  he  also  belonged  to  a  Royal  Arch  Chap- 
ter of  Fall  River. 

In  1843  Mr.  Hood  married  Sarah  A.  Davis, 
daughter    of    Deacon    Nathan    and    Clarissa 


(Bowen)  Davis.    They  had  ten  children,  as  fol- 
lows: 

(1)  Mary  E.,  born  July  20,  1844,  married 
William  H.  Tallman,  and  died  June  17,  1907, 
the  mother  of  five  children,  Marianna  (mar- 
ried William  A.  Padelford),  Sadie  E.  (mar- 
ried F.  N.  Reed,  of  North  Dighton),  Helen  R., 
Alfred  W.  and  Annie  A. 

(2)  William  P.,  Jr.,  born  Jan.  15,  1846, 
married  Julia  A.  Gardner,  and  had  two  chil- 
dren, Lillie  A.  (married  Frank  B.  Hood)  and 
Bernice  (married  A.  H.  Plant,  of  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.).     He  died  Jan.  20,  1906. 

(3)  Clarence  T.,  born  May  25,  1848,  died 
in  infancy. 

(4)  Sarah  F.,  born  July  26,  1849,  died 
Feb.  17,  1851. 

(5)  Sarah  F.  (2),  born  May  3,  1851,  mar- 
ried William  0.  Sweet,  of  Attleboro,  Mass., 
Oct.  3,  1869.  They  had  four  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Florence  Eliza,  born  Aug.  3,  1870,  died 
Feb.  20,  1879;  Frank  Royden,  born  Oct.  3, 
1880,  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  successful  manu- 
facturers in  Attleboro  (he  married  Harriet 
Pitman,  of  Mansfield) ;  William  Raymond,  born 
Feb.  5,  1886,  is  a  machinist  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing tools  for  making  jewelry;  Howard 
Leslie,  born  Jan.  27,  1892,  works  in  Attleboro 
in  the  factory  of  his  brother  Frank. 

(6)  Annie  A.,  born  March  8,  1853,  died 
Aug.  11,  1898.  She  was  married  to  Henry  B. 
Leonard,  treasurer  of  the  Mount  Hope  Iron 
Company,  March  9,  1875,  and  died  Feb.  26, 
1904.  They  had  five  children,  as  follows: 
Ralph  Emerson,  born  Dec.  9,  1875,  died  Aug. 
8,  1894;  Ethel  Bernice,  born  Dec.  10,  1877, 
married  June  15,  1898,  Raymond  S.  Case; 
Gertrude  Field  was  born  July  12,  1880;  May 
Adelaide,  born  May  1,  1883,  married  George 
Chapman,  of  Boston ;  Russell  Henry,  born  Oct. 
4,  1888,  now  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States 
Government  with  reference  to  tariff  matters, 
married  Sept.  19,  1911,  Helen  Case,  of  Spring- 
field, Massachusetts. 

(7)  Alfred  H.  was  born  in  Somerset,  Mass., 
April  19,  1855.  During  the  winters  of  1870-71 
and  1873  he  attended  commercial  college  in  Fall 
River,  and  from  the  fall  of  1874  to  December, 
1875,  the  Peirce  Academy  in  Middleboro.  In 
1877  he  graduated  from  Worcester  Academy, 
and  in  1881  from  Brown  University,  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  He  was  a  classmate  of  Justice 
Charles  E.  Hughes,  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  court,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Delta 
Upsilon  fraternity.  In  early  manhood  he  be- 
came associarted  with  his  father  in  the  insur- 
ance business  as  William  P.  Hood  &  Son,  and 
while  in  academy  and  college  had  full  charge 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  593 

of  that  business  and  of  the  farm.     Selecting  native  town.    Like  her  father  and  her  mother, 

the  law  as  his  profession  he  attended  Boston  her  face  was  implacably  set  against  every  form 

University   Law    School    graduating    in    1883,  of    intemperance,    and    she    did    whatever    she 

and  since  that  time  has  practiced  in  Fall  Eiver.  could  toward   raising  the   social   standards   of 

On  Jan.  1,  1887,  he  became  a  member  of  the  the  town.     Perhaps  no  house  in  the  town  was 

law  firm  of  Lincoln  &  Hood.  more  open  to  hospitaility  and  good  cheer  than 

Mr.  Hood  is  president  of  the  Somerset  Stove  hers,  and   at   the  farm   which   was   her  home 

Foundry  Company,  and  director  and  attorney  for  more  than  fifty  years  probably  more  husking 

for  the  Fall  River  Cooperative  Bank.  bees  and  other  forms  of  sociability  on  a  large 

In  politics  Mr.  Hood  is  a  Republican.     His  scale  took  place  than  elsewhere  in  the  county, 

fraternal  connection  is  with  Pioneer  Lodge  of  No   one  seeking  aid   in  a  good  cause,  or  for 

Somerset    and    Royal    Arch    Masons    of    Fall  charity's  sake,  was  ever  turned  away  from  her 

River.     He  is  interested  in  the  moral  welfare  home  empty-handed.     Mrs.  Hood  provided  in 

of  the  town,  and  has  been  an  active  worker  in  her  will  that  a  public  library  to  be  known  as 

the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  Fall  River.     Spring  Hill  the  Hood  Library,  in  memory  of  her  husband, 

Farm  in  Somerset,  where  Mr.  Hood  now  re-  William  P.  Hood,  should  be  erected  in  Somer- 

sides,  which  was  the  homestead  of  his  parents,  set,  and  this  library  was  dedicated  Oct.  1,  1910. 
is  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Bristol  county. 

On  April  14,  1885,  at  Somerset,  Mass.,  Mr.  WASHBURN  (Taunton  family).    For,  per- 

Hood  married  Carrie  W.  Ridlon,  daughter  of  haps,  nearly  a  century  there  have  lived  several 

Almond  S.  and  Carrie  C.    (Gardner)    Ridlon.  generations  of  the  Washburn  family  at  Taun- 

They  have  had  four  children,  viz. :  Ruth,  born  ton,  descendants  of  a  progenitor  many  of  whose 

July  4,  1888,  who  died  July  7,  1888;  Preston  posterity  have  filled   high   and   honorable   po- 

Hart,  born  Aug.  9,  1889,  who  is  a  student  at  sitions  in  society,  in  civil  and  military  affairs, 

Brown  University;  Mildred  Davis,  born  Oct.  in  New  England  and  elsewhere;  not  excepting 

29,  1891;  and  Harold  Gardiner,  born  June  5,  the  Taunton  branch,  a  member  of  that  family 

1897.  having  since  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  been 

(8)  Lydia  F.,  bom  May  24,  1856,  was  mar-  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  community, 
ried  Nov.  24,  1881,  to  Edward  J.  Holland,  and  rising  to  commendable  rank  in  the  service  of 
had  one  child,  Clifford  Milburn,  born  March  his  country  and  to  high  position  in  civil  affairs, 
13,  1883.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Col-  in  which  a  continued  public  service  in  one  de- 
lege  and  now  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  partment  of  approximately  thirty  years  estab- 
Railroad  Company  as  civil  engineer  in  bridge  lished  for  him  a  record  and  reputation  which 
and  tunnel  work,  in  New  York  City.  made  his  election  as  president  of  one  of  the 

(9)  Nellie  R.,  born  Aug.  21,  1860,  died  Taunton  banking  institutions  desirable.  Refer- 
March  18,  1879.  ence  is  made  to  Capt.  George  Albert  Washburn, 

(10)  Thomas  H.,  born  Oct.  18,  1866,  died  who  for  a  decade  was  the  chief  executive  officer 
March  11,  1883.  of  the  Taunton   National   Bank;   and  two  of 

Mr.  William  P.  Hood  died  in  Somerset  Nov.  whose  sons  are  now  well  established  in  pro- 

4,  1899.    In  his  will  he  gave  $500  to  the  town  fessional  life  in  their  native  city — Dr.  Elliott 

of  Somerset,   and  this   with  other  funds   fur-  Washburn    and    Charles    Godfrey    Washburn, 

nished  by  his  widow  erected  the  public  drink-  members  respectively  of  the  medical  and  legal 

ing  fountain  in  Somerset.    He  also  gave  $1,000  professions:    and    to    Eli    King    Washburn,    a 

to  the  First  Baptist  Church.  sturdy  Abolitionist  and  temperance  worker,  and 

Mrs.  Sarah  A.   (Davis)   Hood,  wife  of  Wil-  his  son,  Thomas  J.  Washburn,  who  as  a  "forty- 

liam  P.  Hood,  was  born  in  Somerset,  Mass.,  niner"  sought  his  fortune  for  some  years  in  Cal- 

Dec.  7,  1826,  and  died  at  her  home  there  Nov.  ifornia. 

3,  1905.    She  was  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Nathan        This    Taunton    Washburn    family    descends 

Davis  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  from    (1)    John  Washburn,  who  according  to 

best  known  families  of  the  town.     Like  her  tradition  was  the  secretary  of  the  Massachusetts 

husband  she  was  interested  in  everything  that  Company,  or,  as  it  is  put  by  another,  the  first 

affected  the  community.     She  was  a  member  secretary  of  the  council  of  Plymouth  in  Eng- 

of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  of  which  her  fa-  land,  in  which  position  he  was  succeeded  by 

ther,   Nathan   Davis,   was   for  many  years   a  William  Burgess  in  1628.     Mr._  Washburn  is 

deacon  and  prominent  supporter.     From  early  of  record  at  Duxbury  in  1632,  in  which  year 

childhood  up   to  within   a  few   years  of  her  he  was  taxed.     He  bought  property  there  in 

death,  Mrs.  Hood  had  been  actively  interested  1634-35.     He  was  made  a  freeman  June  2, 

in  all  the  various  phases  of  social'  life  in  her  1646.    He  is  said  to  have  been  in  the  military 

38 


594 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


company  commanded  by  Capt.  Myles  Standish. 
In  about  1665  he  removed  to  Bridgewater,  of 
which  town  he  and  his  son  John  were  orig- 
inal proprietors,  and  they  and  Philip  became 
residents  and  settlers  in  South  Bridgewater. 
His  wife  Margery,  aged  forty-nine  years,  with 
sons  John,  aged  fourteen  years,  Philip,  aged 
eleven  years,  came  to  New  England  in  1635  in 
the  "Elizabeth  and  Ann,"  being  certified  from 
Eversham,  Worcestershire,  England.  The  chil- 
dren of  John  and  Margery  Washburn  were : 
John  (2),  born  in  Eversham,  England,  about 
1621 ;  and  Philip,  bom  in  Eversham,  about 
162-1,  who  died  unmarried. 

This  John  Washburn  (2)  is  the  "ancestor 
of  most  if  not  all  of  the  name  in  the  United 
States."  From  John,  through  his  son  Samuel, 
came  Israel,  late  governor  of  Maine;  Cadwala- 
der  C,  who  in  the  early  seventies  was  gov- 
ernor of  Wisconsin;  Elihu  B.,  at  one  time 
minister  to  France;  and  Charles  A.,  a  former 
minister  to  Paraguay — all  brothers  and  sLxth 
in  descent  from  John  Washburn.  And  from 
John  through  his  son  Joseph  came  Emory 
Washburn,  former  governor  of  Massachusetts, 
fifth  in  descent  from  John;  William  B.  Wash- 
burn, also  former  governor  of  Massachusetts, 
sixth  in  descent  from  John,  and  the  late 
Peter  Thacher  Washburn,  former  governor 
of  Vermont,  sixth  in  descent  from  John. 
The  latter,  Hon.  Peter  Thacher  Washburn, 
says  his  biographer,  "became  one  of  the  most 
marked  characters  that  have  figured  in  the 
politics  of  Vermont."  Liberally  educated,  a 
graduate  of  Dartmouth  with  the  class  of  1835, 
he  became  a  lawyer  of  ability;  was  from  1844 
to  1855  reporter  of  decisions  of  the  Supreme 
court  of  Vermont;  served  as  lieutenant  colonel 
on  the  1st  Vermont  Volunteers  in  the  early 
part  of  the  Civil  war,  and  was  elected  governor 
of  Vermont  in  September,  1871. 

Israel  Washburn,  of  Raynham,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  convention  which  framed  the  con- 
stitution of  Massachusetts  in  1780.  [See  be- 
low.] 

(II)  John  Washburn  (2),  son  of  John  and 
Margery,  was  born  in  Eversham,  England, 
about  1621.  He  came  to  Duxbury  with  his 
mother  and  brother  Philip  (aged  eleven)  in 
1635.  He  is  mentioned  in  the  Plymouth  rec- 
ords in  December,  1638.  He  served  as  agent 
for  the  Narragansett  Indians  in  1645.  On  Dec. 
6,  1645,  in  Duxbury,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Mitchell,  daughter  of  Experience  Mitchell,  one 
of  the  forefathers  of  the  Colony,  who  was  with 
the  Pilgrims  at  Leyden,  and  who  came  to  Ply- 
mouth on  the  third  ship,  the  "Anne,"  in  1623. 
Experience    Mitchell     married     Jane     Cooke, 


daughter  of  Francis  Cooke,  the  "Mayflower" 
Pilgrim.  To  John  and  Elizabeth  Washburn 
were  born  children  as  follows :  John  mar- 
ried Rebeckah  Lapham;  Thomas  married 
(first)  Abigail  Leonard  and  (second)  Deliver- 
ance Packard;  Joseph  married  Hannah  La- 
tham; Samuel,  born  in  1651,  married  Deborah 
Packard;  Jonathan  married  Mary  Vaughn,  of 
Middleboro,  Mass. ;  Benjamin  died  in  Phipps's 
expedition  against  Canada ;  Mary  married  Sam- 
uel Kinsley  in  1694;  Elizabeth  married  (first) 
James  Howard  and  (second)  Edward  Sealey; 
Jane  married  William  Orcutt,  Jr. ;  James  mar- 
ried Mary  Bowden  in  1693 ;  and  Sarah  married 
John  Ames  in  1697.  John  Washburn  (2),  the 
father,  died  at  Bridgewater  before  1690. 

(III)  Jonathan  Wa.shburn,  son  of  John  (2) 
and  Elizabeth  (Mitchell),  married  about  1683 
Mary,  daughter  of  George  Vaughn,  of  Middle- 
boro, and  their  children  were :  Elizabeth,  born 
1684,  who  marfied  John  Benson  in  1710; 
Josiah,  born  1686 ;  Benjamin,  bom  1688 ;  Eb- 
enezer,  born  1690;  Martha,  born  1692;  Joanna, 
born  1693;  Nathan,  born  1699;  Jonathan,  born 
1700;  and  Cornelius,  born  1702. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Washburn,  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Mary,  born  in  1688,  married  in  1714  Be- 
thiah,  daughter  of  Henry  Kingman.  He  set- 
tled his  father  Jonathan's  estate  in  1725,  and 
his  brother  Ebenezer's  in  1728.  His  children 
were:  Isaac,  Jonathan,  Henry,  Benjamin 
(married  in  1742  Susanna  Battles),  Ezra,  and 
perhaps  others.  Isaac  Washburn  went  to  Dart- 
mouth, where  he  was  a  tanner.  He  enlisted  in 
the  French  war  under  General  Winslow  in 
1755.  Bethiah  Washburn  married  Nehemiah 
Bryant  in   1741. 

(V)  Jonathan  Washburn,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Bethiah  (Kingman),  married  Judith, 
daughter  of  Elnathan  Wood,  of  Middleboro, 
Mass.  Their  children  were :  Jonathan,  Ben- 
jamin, Isaac,  Salmon,  and  perhaps  others. 

(VI)  Isaac  Washburn,  son  of  Jonathan  and 
Judith  (Wood),  came  from  Middleboro  to 
Taunton  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  century  but 
recently  closed,  and  through  life  was  one  of 
the  highly  esteemed  and  respected  citizens  of 
his  adopted  town.  He  had  been  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution — one  of  the  "minute-men"  of  1776. 
He  founded  at  Taunton  the  business — that  of 
furniture,  hardware  and  house-furnishings  in 
general — now  conducted  by  his  grandsons,  and 
with  which  he  and  his  sons,  John  Nicholas  and 
Salmon  Washburn,  in  turn,  for  years  were 
identified.  Isaac  Washburn  died  in  1832.  He 
had  been  three  times  married,  and  was  the 
father  of  eighteen  children.  He  married  (first) 
Mary  Phillips,  (second)  Eunice  Carey,  of  Mid- 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


595 


dleboro,  Mass.,  and  (third)  Elizabeth,  born  Feb. 
16,  1770,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  Eichmond, 
of  Providence,  E.  I.,  and  his  wife  Lois  (Gray) 
Eichmond,  he  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Eich- 
mond, an  early  settler  of  Taunton,  from  whom 
his  lineage  was  through  Edward,  Silvester,  Wil- 
liam and  Barzillai  Eichmond.  We  have  the 
names  of  seventeen  of  his  children:  Nancy; 
William;  Henry;  Mary  (all  born  to  the  first 
wife);  Eunice  Carey;  Mary  (3);  Isaac;  Eli- 
phalet  (all  born  to  the  second  wife) ;  George, 
bom  April  6,  1799;  Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  17, 
1800;  Louisa,  born  Oct.  5,  1802;  Albert  Gray, 
born  April  14,  1804;  Fanny,  born  Dec.  16, 
1805;  Charles  Eichmond,  born  Nov.  21,  1807; 
John  Nicholas,  born  Oct.  3,  1809 ;  Salmon, 
born  April  7,  1812;  and  Elizabeth  N.,  bom 
Dec.  14,  1814. 

(VII)  George  Washburn,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Elizabeth  (Eichmond),  born  April  6,  1799, 
married  June  5,  1835,  Diana  Northam  Mason, 
of  Swansea,  Mass.,  a  direct  descendant  of  Samp- 
son Mason,  who  was  a  soldier  in  Cromwell's 
army  and  who  on  the  ascent  of  Charles  II.  to 
the  throne  of  England  came  to  America,  and  as 
early  as  1649  is  of  record  in  New  England.  He 
settled  in  Eehoboth,  Mass.,  not  far  from  1657, 
and  became  the  progenitor  of  a  numerous  pos- 
terity. He  married  Mary  Butterworth,  prob- 
ably daughter  of  John  Butterworth,  of  Wey- 
mouth, and  sister  of  John  Butterworth,  of 
Swansea,  Mass.  For  upward  of  one  hundred 
years  the  descendants  of  Mr.  Mason  were  known 
as  Mason  elders,  during,  which  period  they 
served  continually  in  the  pastorate  of  the  first 
Baptist  Church  in  Massachusetts.  The  only 
child  of  George  and  Diana  Northam  (Mason) 
Washburn  was  George  Albert,  born  Feb.  5, 
1836. 

(VIII)  George  Albert  Washburn,  son  of 
George  and  Diana  Northam  (Mason),  was  born 
Feb.  5,  1836,  in  Swansea,  Mass.  He  came 
with  his  parents  to  Taunton,  where  he  resided 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  where  he  ac- 
quired a  good  public  and  private  school  educa- 
tion. At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  be  became  a 
clerk  in  the  hardware,  iron  and  steel  store  of 
Mr.  Albert  G.  Washburn,  afterward  entering 
the  employ  of  Wood  &  Washburn,  who  were  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business.  In  1857  he  was  ad- 
mitted as  a  partner  in  the  firm,  which  was 
known  as  Hunt,  Harris  &  Co.  He  gained  a 
valuable  experience  in  these  capacities,  and  laid 
the  foundation  for  a  successful  and  substantial 
career.  His  mercantile  life,  however,  ended 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war,  which  at 
once  aroused  his  patriotism  and  caused  him 
promptly  to  offer  his  services  to  the  Union. 


On  April  16,  1861,  young  Washbum  left 
his  business  and  responded  to  the  first  call  for 
troops,  enlisting  in  Company  C,  4th  Mass.  V. 
I.,  which  arrived  at  Fortress  Monroe  April 
20th.  This  was  the  first  company  to  leave 
Taunton,  and  also  the  first  company  of  the  first 
regiment  to  leave  Massachusetts  for  the  front. 
By  a  singular  coincidence  his  grandfather,  Isaac 
Washbum,  a  "minute-man,"  was  in  the  first 
company  to  leave  Taunton  in  the  Eevolutionary 
war,  departing  April  20,  1775,  just  eighty-six 
years  before.  Mr.  Washburn  went  out  as  a  ser- 
geant, served  three  months,  or  until  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  enlistment,  and  immediately 
reentered  the  service  as  a  first  lieutenant  in  the 
22d  Mass.  V.  I.,  for  three  years.  Col.  Henry 
Wilson  commanding,  attached  to  the  1st  Di- 
vision, 1st  Brigade,  5th  Army  Corps,  Army  oi 
the  Potomac.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Gaines'  Mill,  Va.,  June  27,  1862,  and  taken 
prisoner,  and  for  some  time  suffered  the  terrible 
confinement  of  Libby  prison.  He  was  promoted 
to  captain  to  date  from  July  11,  1862,  and  was 
mustered  out  of  service  to  date  from  Jan.  5, 
1863. 

Captain  Washburn  received  official  notice  of 
honorable  discharge  March  8, 1863,  and  the  next 
day  was  elected  treasurer  and  collector  of  taxes 
of  Taunton,  which  office  he  filled  with  great 
credit  and  satisfaction  for  twenty-nine  consecu- 
tive years,  resigning  Dec.  24,  1891,  at  which 
time  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Taunton 
National  Bank.  He  was  also  clerk  of  the  over- 
seers of  the  poor  from  1865  to  1882,  inclusive, 
a  member  of  that  body  from  1883  to  March, 

1891,  clerk  of  the  board  of  assessors  from  1869 
to   1875,  and  member  of  the   city  council    in 

1892,  1893,  1894,  1895,  1896,  1897,  1898,  1899 
and  1900.  He  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  board  of  Sinking  Fund  Commissioners  of 
Taunton  from  1878  to  1892,  and  secretary  from 
1892  to  1898,  and  in  January,  1898,  was  elected 
its  chairman.  He  was  also  a  trustee  of  the  Mor- 
ton hospital  and  of  the  Taunton  Savings  Bank, 
a  member  of  the  investment  committee  of  the 
last  named  institution,  and  a  director  of  the 
Taimton  Street  Eailway  Company.  Mr.  Wash- 
burn was  an  able  business  man,  a  public-spirited, 
progressive  citizen,  and  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  one  of  Taunton's  oldest  and  most  re- 
spected families.  His  long  and  valuable  serv- 
ice as  treasurer  and  tax  collector  established 
his  reputation  for  industry,  honesty  and  faith- 
fulness, and  won  for  htm  a  large  circle  of 
friends.  In  every  capacity  he  efficiently  and 
satisfactorily  discharged  his  duties,  and  en- 
joyed the  confidence  of  the  entire  community. 

Mr.    Washburn    married    (first)     Elizabeth 


596 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Gordon  Pratt,  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Lydia 
Pratt,  and  (second)  Ellen  Button  Keed, 
daughter  of  Edgar  Hodges  and  Ellen  Augusta 
Reed,  all  of  Taunton,  Mass.  His  four  children 
— one  born  to  the  first  marriage  and  three  to 
the  second — are:  Harriet  Mason,  wife  of 
Charles  A.  Austin,  of  Brockton;  Edgar  Reed; 
Elliott;  and  Charles  Godfrey. 

(IX)  Elliott  Washburn,  M.  D.,  son  of 
George  Albert  and  Ellen  D.  (Reed),  was  born 
Feb.  9,  1870,  in  Taunton,  Mass.,,  and  acquired 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  city,  graduating  in  1887.  Entering  Har- 
vard Medical  School  the  same  year,  he  was 
graduated  therefrom  in  1892,  the  last  two  years 
of  that  period  being  given  to  study  and  practice 
in  the  Boston  City  hospital.  Since  then  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of 
medicine  at  Taunton.  In  July,  1896,  Dr. 
Washburn  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Taun- 
ton board  of  health,  and  was  continued  in  that 
position  until  1907,  when  he  resigned.  Dr. 
Washburn,  in  July,  1907,  was  appointed  State 
inspector  of  health  for  the  Fourth  district  of 
Massachusetts  for  a  term  of  five  years.  He  has 
been  president  of  the  Bristol  North  District 
Medical  Society,  a  branch  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  Medical  Society.  He  has  also  been  a 
member  of  the  staff  of  Morton  hospital  since 
1892.  He  has  been  a  success  in  his  profes- 
sional work,  and  ranks  among  the  best  of  the 
younger  physicians  in  Taunton.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Ionic  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  religious 
belief  he  is  a  Unitarian. 

On  Nov.  18,  1896,  Dr.  Washburn  married 
Mary  Louise  Hayden,  of  Holbrook,  Mass.  They 
have  no  children. 

(IX)  Chaeles  Godfrey  Washburn,  son  of 
George  Albert  and  Ellen  D.  (Reed)  Washburn, 
was  born  Sept.  15,  1871,  in  Taunton,  Mass.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city.  Having  decided  to 
follow  the  legal  profession  for  a  life  work  he 
was  prepared  for  it  under  the  direction  of  Hon. 
E.  H.  Bennett  and  Frederick  S.  Hall,  and  at  the 
Boston  University  Law  School,  being  gradu- 
ated therefrom  in  1896.  After  his  admission 
to  the  bar  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law 
in  his  native  city.  He  married  Helen  Clark 
Shalling,  daughter  of  Frederick  Girard  and 
Lilla  A.  (Clark)  Shalling,  of  Taunton.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Carolyn,  born  Dec.  28, 
1906. 


(Ill)  Samuel  Washburn,  son  of  John  (3) 
and  Elizabeth  (Mitchell),  was  called  Sergeant 
Washburn.    He  was  born  at  Duxbury,  Mass.,  in 


1651.  He  married  Deborah  Packard.  Her 
father,  Samuel  Packard,  came  from  Windham, 
near  Hingham,  England,  on  the  ship  "Delight" 
of  Ipswich,  and  settled  at  Hingham,  Mass.,  in 
1638,  and  later  he  lived  at  Bridgewater.  The 
children  of  Samuel  and  Deborah  Washburn 
were:  Samuel,  born  1678,  married  Abigail; 
Noah,  born  1682,  married  in  1710  Elizabeth 
Shaw;  Israel,  bom  1684,  married  in  1708 
Waitstill  Sumner;  Nehemiah,  born  1686,  mar- 
ried in  1713  Jane  Howard;  Benjamin  married 
Joanna  (or  Susanna)  Orcutt;  and  Hannah 
married  in  1711  John  Keith.  Samuel  Wash- 
burn died  at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  in  1720.  He 
was  the  ancestor  of  the  Maine  family  of  Wash- 
burns. 

(IV)  Israel  Washburn,  son  of  Sergt.  Samuel 
and  Deborah  (Packard),  was  born  at  Bridge- 
water,  M^ss.,  in  1684.  In  1708  he  married 
Waitstill  Sumner,  and  their  children,  all  born 
in  Bridgewater,  were:  Sarah,  born  1709,  who 
married  in  1732  Ephraim  Keith;  Deborah,  born 
1712,  who  married  (first)  John  Ripley  and 
(second)  Nathaniel  Bottom  (or  Bolton)  ;  Seth, 
bom  in  1714;  and  Israel,  bom  Aug.  11,  1718. 
Israel  Washburn  died  at  Bridgewater  in  1719. 
He  was  the  last  of  this  line  of  Washburns  who 
lived  at  that  place.  His  son  Israel  settled  in 
Raynham,  and  his  descendants  continue  to  live 
there.  The  widow  of  Israel  Washburn  married 
Ebenezer  Pratt  in  1720. 

(V)  Israel  Washburn,  son  of  Israel  and 
Waitstill  (Sumner),  was  born  at  Bridgewater 
Aug.  11,  1718.  In  1740  he  married  Leah 
Fobes,  who  was  born  at  Bridgewater  March 
27,  1720,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Abigail 
(Dunbar)  Fobes.  Israel  Washburn  settled  in 
Raynham,  Mass.,  shortly  after  his  marriage,  and 
all  his  children  were  born  there.  He  died  at 
Raynham  Jan.  21,  1796.  His  wife  Leah  died 
there  Dec.  9,  1789,  and  he  married  (second) 
Hannah  Keith,  of  Bridgewater,  who  died  in 
the  same  year  as  himself.  Of  his  children  the 
first  three  died  young;  Leah  married  in  1770 
Jason  Fobes;  Israel,  born  1755,  married  in  1783 
Abiah  King,  of  Raynham ;  Nehemiah  married 
Polly  Preshno,  had  ten  children  and  lived  and 
died  in  Raynham;  Seth  was  a  physician  at 
Raynham ;  Oliver  married  Sally  Lascom,  had 
five  children  and  lived  and  died  in  Raynham; 
Olive  married  Reuben  Andrews,  of  Raynham ; 
and  Prudence  married  a  Mr.  Keith.  Israel 
Washburn  was  elected  March  4,  1776,  a  member 
of  the  committee  of  correspondence,  inspection 
and  safety  for  the  town  of  Raynham.  He  was 
also  captain  of  the  military  company — the 
trained  band — of  Raynham,  Nov.  9,  1774,  the 
company  being  one   of  the  companies  of   the 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


597 


Sd  Regiment  of  Bristol  county.    He  also  served 
a  short  time  in  the  Revolutionary  army. 

(VI)  Israel  Washburn,  son  of  Israel  and 
Leah  (Fobes),  was  born  in  Raynham,  Mass., 
Jan.  30,  1755.  He  died  at  Raynham  Jan.  8, 
1841,  aged  a  few  days  less  than  eighty-six  years. 
He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
and  the  following  is  an  official  abstract  of  a 
part  of  his  service :  "Commonwealth  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Office  of  the  Secretary:  Revolution- 
ary War  Service  of  Israel  Washburn,  Jr. : 
Israel  Washburn,  Jr.,  appears  with  rank  of 
private  on  Lexington  Alarm  roll  of  James  Wil- 
liams, Jr.'s  Company,  which  marched  on  the 
alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  from  Taunton  to 
Roxbury."  Israel  Washburn  was  a  tall,  large- 
framed  man,  and  when  in  the  prime  of  life 
was  very  straight  and  strong,  but  much  bowed 
in  old  age.  He  served  in  the  General  Court 
of  Massachusetts  several  years,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  convention  that  adopted  the  first 
constitution  of  the  Commonwealth.  He  talked 
but  little  and  it  is  said  that  in  all  his  legis- 
lative experience  he  made  but  one  speech.  On 
one  occasion,  a  member  having  made  a  speech 
that  greatly  pleased  him,  he  arose  and  said : 
"I  like  what  that  man  said,  because — I  do  like 
it."  Israel  Washburn  married  in  1783  Abiah 
King,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Deliverance 
(Eddy)  King.  She  was  born  in  Raynham 
June  29,  1762,  and  died  May  25,  1842.  Their 
children,  all  born  in  Raynham,  were:  Israel, 
bom  Nov.  18,  1784;  Molly,  Nov.  14,  1786; 
Sidney,  Nov.  14,  1788;  Benjamin,  Feb.  10, 
1791;  Reuel,  May  21,  1793;  Elihu,  July  22, 
1795;  Philander,  June  28,  1799;  Eli  King, 
July  22,  1802;  Lydia  King,  Feb.  24,  1805;  and 
Cornelia,  Jan.  7,  1807. 

(VII)  Eli  King  Washburn,  son  of  Israel  and 
Abiah  (King),  was  born  at  Raynham  July  32, 
1802.  He  spent  his  life  on  the  old  Washburn 
homestead  at  Raynham.  He  represented  bis 
town  in  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  and 
weHS  an  ardent  temperance  man  and  Abolition- 
ist. He  married  Dec.  25,  1825,  Nancy  Dean 
Norton,  who  was  born  at  Mansfield,  Mass.,  Aug. 
28,  1806.  He  died  at  Raynham  July  28,  1852, 
and  she  died  at  Taunton  May  26,  1873.  Their 
children  were:  Thomas  J.,  born  Jan.  6,  1827, 
died  July  8,  1870 ;  Emily,  born  April  28,  1828, 
died  Aug.  11,  1896;  Nathan,  born  Dec.  29, 
1829,  died  Dec.  4.  1904;  Mary,  born  Oct.  37, 
1832,  died  Nov.  4,  1855;  Lucy,  born  Oct.  8, 
1834,  died  Nov.  5,  1855 ;  Laura,  born  Aug.  28, 
1836,  died  May  21,  1887;  Camilla,  born  :March 
17,  1838,  died  Nov.  2,  1855 ;  Arthur,  born  April 
36,  1840,  died  Aug.  24,  1892;  Miriam,  born 
Feb.  5,  1842,  died  Dec.  30,  1855;  Jane,  born 


March  23,  1844,  died  Oct.  30,  1855;  Juliet, 
born  April  5,  1846;  and  Martha,  born  Sept. 
13,  1851,  died  Sept.  14,  1854. 

(VIII)  Thomas  J.  Washburn,  son  of  Eli 
King  and  Nancy  Dean  (Norton),  was  bom 
Jan.  6,  1837,  and  died  in  the  old  Washburn 
home  at  Raynham  July  8,  1870.  In  1849  he 
went  to  California  and  remained  there  until 
1863,  during  which  time  he  made  one  trip  back 
home.  On  Nov.  25,  1866,  at  Taunton,  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Bowers  Hall,  born  Jan.  13,  1834, 
daughter  of  Andrew  H.  and  Hannah  W. 
(Crane)  Hall.  To  this  union  was  born  one 
son,  Harry  Thomas,  Nov.  34,  1868.  Mrs.  Wash- 
burn and  lier  son  reside  in  a  modem  home 
recently  erected  on  the  old  Hall  property  on 
Dean  street,  Taunton. 

SANFORD  WINTER,  for  fifty  years  a  resi- 
dent of  North  Bridgewater  and  Brockton,  ac- 
tive in  business,  proprietor  of  the  "Hotel  Bel- 
mont," president  of  the  Brockton  Savings  Bank, 
and  former  selectman  and  councilman,  died  at 
his  home.  No.  31  Belmont  street,  Nov.  9,  1909, 
in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
a  native  of  Maine,  born  in  Carthage,  Franklin 
county,  Nov.  16,  1836,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Phebe  (Gray)  Winter. 

The  name  Winter  is  an  early  one  in  New 
England,  Christopher  Winter  appearing  in 
Plymouth  in  1639,  "where  he  was  fined  ten 
shillings  for  publishing  himself  in  marriage  to 
Jane  Cooper,  contrary  to  order  and  custom  of 
this  government" ;  whether  Jane  ever  became 
Mrs.  Winter  does  not  seem  to  be  recorded.  Win- 
ter succeeded  John  Bradford  in  the  occupancy 
of  Governor's  island  in  1660.  At  a  still  earlier 
period,  in  1636,  John  Winter  was  a  proprietor 
in  Watertown,  and  died  there  in  1662;  in  his 
will  dated  March  4,  1661,  and  proved  in  June, 
1662,  he  mentions  sons  Richard  and  Thomas, 
late  of  London,  daughter  Alice  Lockman,  of 
London,  and  son  John  of  Watertown,  to  whom 
he  gave  his  landed  property.  In  1683  the  son 
liad  land  assigned  him  in  Cambridge  Farms, 
whither  he  went,  and  there  died  in  1690 ;  in  his 
will  of  1689  he  speaks  of  his  children,  John, 
Thomas,  Samuel,  Sarah,  Hannah  and  Mary. 
Cambridge  Farms,  it  should  be  understood,  be- 
came Lexington.  Of  these  two  early  Massa- 
chusetts Winters,  Christopher  and  John,  the 
former,  so  far  as  we  have  ascertained,  left  no 
male  issue.  The  Winter  family  with  which  this 
article  especially  deals  have  it  that  their  earliest 
forbear  of  whom  there  is  definite  knowledge, 
.Joseph  Winter,  was  a  native  of  Truro,  in  Barn- 
stable county,  this  Commonwealth.  But  the  vital 
records  of  the  town  do  not  record  his  birth  or 


598 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


family,  uor  does  it  appear  that  the  family  was 
early  there  or  that  it  has  been  continuous.  In 
the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  one 
Samuel  Winter  was  the  schoolmaster  in  Truro 
for  several  years,  he  being  first  employed  at  a 
meeting  of  the  town  held  in  October,  1719.  The 
records  of  the  town  at  that  early  period  are  only 
fragmentary  and  from  them  little  is  to  be 
gleaned.  This  Joseph  Winter  referred  to  is 
credited,  too,  as  being  a  fifer  in  the  war  of 
the  Revolution,  and  as  a  young  man  with  going 
to  the  State  of  Maine.  "Massachusetts  Soldiers 
and  Sailors  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution"  gives 
an  account  of  the  services  of  a  Joseph  Winter, 
as  follows:  "Return  dated  Newbury,  Sept.  20, 
1781,  signed  by  the  selectmen  of  bounties  paid 
said  Winter  and  others  to  serve  in  the  Conti- 
nental Army  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war, 
agreeable  to  resolve  of  Dec.  2,  1780;  said  Win- 
ter reported  as  having  been  engaged  for  the 
war ;  also  return  of  men  raised  in  Essex  County 
for  Continental  service,  agreeable  to  resolve  of 
Dec.  2,  1780 ;  engaged  for  the  town  of  New- 
bury; engaged  July  2,  1781,  term  three  years; 
also  fifer.  Col.  Benjamin  Tupper's  (10th)  regi- 
ment; service  from  July  15,  1781,  17  months, 
17  days;  reported  promoted  from  private  Dec. 
1,  1781." 

Joseph  Winter,  grandfather  of  the  late  San- 
ford  Winter,  was  born  in  Truro,  Barnstable 
county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming.  He 
was  a  "fifer  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  As  a 
young  man  he  settled  in  Maine,  and  in  about 
1814  removed  to  Carthage,  that  State,  where 
he  continued  at  farming  until  his  death,  in 
about  1833-33.  He  married  Betsey  Carver,  of 
early  Plymouth  and  "Mayflower"  stock,  who 
died  in  Carthage.  Their  children  were:  Bet- 
sey, who  married  a  Mr.  Robinson;  Mary  (or 
Polly),  who  married  Jeremiah  Whitney;  Ben- 
jamin, who  married  Olive  Gray;  Samuel  Still- 
man,  who  settled  in  Ohio;  Joseph,  mentioned 
below;  Olive,  who  married  Joseph  Whittier; 
William,  who  married  Anne  Hutchinson ;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  William  Hall ;  and  Han- 
nah, who  married  Nathan  Adams. 

Joseph  Winter  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  was  born 
at  Jay,  Maine,  and  later  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Carthage,  and  there  the  remainder 
of  his  life  was  spent  in  farming.  He  died 
there  of  consumption  June  5,  1845,  aged  fifty- 
one  years,  ten  days,  and  his  remains  were  later 
brought  to  Brockton,  Mass.,  and  interred  in 
Union  cemetery.  He  married  Phebe  Gray,  of 
Carthage,  who  survived  him,  and  married  for 
her  second  husband  Jacob  Williams,  of  South 
Easton,  Mass.,  where  she  died  Oct.  25,  1853, 
aged  fifty-four  years.    To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winter 


were  born  children  as  follows:  Eveline,  who 
married  James  Smith,  and  died  in  Brockton 
at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Ethan  Allen ; 
Elbridge  Gerry,  who  married  Hannah  Adams, 
and  died  in  Carthage  May  6,  1844;  Mary 
Coolidge,  who  married  Abijah  Pratt,  and  both 
died  in  Roseville,  111.;  Sanford,  mentioned  be- 
low; Sophronia,  who  died  aged  three  years; 
Julia  Ann,  who  died  in  infancy;  Lorenzo  Dow, 
who  died  in  Livermore,  Maine,  aged  sixteen 
years;  Marilla  Leach,  who  married  George  L. 
Whitman,  of  Attleboro,  Mass. ;  and  Henry  Lee, 
who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness 
in  the  Civil  war  at  the  age  of  twenty -one  (un- 
married). 

Sanford  Winter  was  born  Nov.  16,  1826,  and 
after  the  usual  course  of  common  school  edu- 
cation (his  father  dying  when  he  was  a  young 
man),  the  duties  of  the  farm  devolved  upon 
him.  He  conducted  the  home  place  for  about 
a  year,  when  he  sold  it  and  removed  to  Jay, 
Maine,  working  on  a  farm  for  two  years,  during 
which  time  he  attended  school  during  the  winter 
months.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1850, 
he  went  to  North  Easton,  Mass.,  and  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  Abijah 
Pratt,  of  that  town,  in  the  buying  and  slaughter- 
ing of  cattle  for  the  retail  trade,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Pratt  &  Winter,  the  business  at  that 
time  requiring  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
cattle  per  year,  besides  the  smaller  animals. 
In  1855  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr. 
Winter  continued  in  business  alone,  running 
two  retail  wagons.  During  the  stringent  times 
of  1857-58  he  had  pretty  hard  work,  but  ^we/it 
through  the  panic  safely,  and  in  1859  com- 
menced the  wholesale  business  in  North  Bridge- 
water  (now  Brockton),  in  connection  with  the 
retail  business;  in  1859  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  Manley  Packard  on  Pearl  street,  Brockton 
Heights,  removing  to  that  locality  in  1860.  The 
business  continued  to  increase  steadily  until 
1865,  when  a  fire  destroyed  all  his  buildings 
excepting  his  dwelling  house,  causing  a  severe 
loss  and  throwing  him  out  of  business  for  about 
a  year.  But  phoenix-like,  from  the  ashes  of 
the  old  buildings  rose  new  and  improved  build- 
ings, and  many  improvements  were  introduced. 
The  varied  kinds  ol^  business  in  connection  with 
the  work  were  successfully  conducted,  giving 
emplojrment  to  a  number  of  hands. 

To  the  original  business  of  buying  and 
slaughtering  for  the  retail  and  wholesale  trade, 
new  departments,  including  rendering  and 
fertilizer  plants  and  icehouses,  had  been  added 
from  time  to  time,  while  the  dealing  in  hides 
and  calfskins  alone  brought  in  thousands  of 
dollars  annually.   Several  years  ago  Mr.  Winter 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


599 


■conducted  what  was  known  as  the  Centre  street 
market,  later  a  market  in  Whitman  street,  the 
Franklin  market,  and  various  other  markets, 
besides  the  Boston  Cash  store.  He  personally 
superintended  all  divisions  of  his  business  up  to 
within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death,  daily  visiting 
the  various  ofBces,  and  keeping  in  touch  with 
the  d€tails  of  each.  This  was  a  task  that  would 
have  appalled  most  men  of  half  his  years,  for 
at  the  last  his  business  included  the  wholesale 
establishment  with  traffic  in  hides  and  horns, 
besides  the  actual  sale  of  meats  and  provisions, 
a  retail  market,  grocery  store  and  fish  market, 
and  the  "Hotel  Belmont."  But  a  year  before 
his  death  he  had  sold  the  interest  he  held  in 
the  drug  store  at  the  comer  of  Main  and  Bel- 
mont streets.  His  life  had  always  been  an 
active  one.  In  the  early  days  he  worked  from 
■early  dawn  far  into  the  night,  and  he  belonged 
to  that  old  schdol  of  business  men  who.  by  close 
attention  to  every  detail  felt  and  made  them- 
selves personally  responsible  for  every  act  of 
business  undertaken  in  their  names. 

Besides  the  above  named  Mr.  Winter  erected 
the  large  brick  block  in  1881,  at  the  corner 
of  Main  and  Belmont  streets,  where  the  "Old 
Green  Store"  formerly  stood.  His  corner  lot 
was  75x130  feet,  and  the  building  four  stories 
in  height,  the  lower  floor  being  used  for  stores. 
The  whole  upper  portion  is  the  "Hotel  Bel- 
mont," and  contains  sixty-two  rooms,  besides 
a  splendid  dining  room,  reading  room  and 
billiard  room.  It  is  equipped  with  gas  and 
electricity,  heated  by  steam,  and  altogether  is 
•one  of  the  finest  hotel  structures  in  the  county. 
As  its  proprietor  Mr.  Winter  was  host  to  many 
persons  of  national  fame — statesmen,  literary 
men,  clergymen,  actors  and  business  men,  and 
contact  with  men  of  widely  different  interests, 
and  a  natural  leaning  toward  the  higher  things 
of  life,  gave  him  deeper  knowledge  and  broader 
charity. 

Very  few  men  possess  the  ability  to  conduct 
successfully  as  many  and  as  varied  enterprises 
as  were  \mder  the  control  of  Mr.  Sanford 
Winter.  Starting  in  life  with  few  advantages 
he  became  a  prominent,  influential  and  well 
known  citizen,  and  among  Brockton's  most 
active  business  men,  one  who  did  much  toward 
forwarding  the  interests  of  the  town  and  open- 
ing up  new  fields  for  the  employment  of  labor, 
aiding  in  the  development  of  the  city.  Though 
at  the  age  beyond  that  usually  allotted  to  man — 
over  fourscore  years — he  handled  every  depart- 
ment of  his  extensive  business  with  remark- 
able skill,  method  and  success.  His  physical 
and  mental  strength  were  extraordinary,  and 
endured  to  his  latest  days.     In  spite  of  his 


personal  interests  he  was  ever  ready  to  take 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  work  for  the  moral 
and  material  welfare  of  the  town.  He  was 
honored  by  the  town  (then  North  Bridgewater) 
in  1877  by  being  elected  one  of  the  board  of 
selectmen,  and  when  the  first  council  of  the  first 
year  of  the  city  government  of  Brockton  was 
organized  he  was  one  of  its  members.  It  is 
said  of  him  that  no  man  in  the  council  "entered 
into  the  solution  of  city  problems  with  greater 
zeal,  and  few  men  could  take  a  more  determined 
stand  when  he  believed  himself  to  be  right. 

He   was    always    recognized    as    a   man 

whose  judgment  in  business  matters  merited  the 
highest  consideration."  He  was  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican in  political  faith,  but  never  a  politician. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  and 
served  as  president  of  the  Brockton  Savings 
Bank  two  years,  and  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Commercial  Club. 

In  his  religious  views  Mr.  Winter  was  at 
one  time  a  Methodist,  and  an  active  and  in- 
fluential member  of  Central  Methodist  Church, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  its 
board  of  trustees.  Later  he  united  with  the 
First  Congregational  Church,  where  he  was 
once  a  pewholder,  but  not  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 

On  Oct.  31.  1852,  Mr.  Winter  married  Elvira 
Ann,  daughter  of  Enoch  and  Mehitabel  Noyes, 
of  Jay,  Maine,  and  to  this  iinion  were  born 
the  following  children:  Francis  Eugene,  born 
May  6, 1856,  died  May  19,  1876 ;  Hattie  Louise, 
born  May  21,  1858,  died  April  17,  1883; 
Everett  Henry,  born  Aug.  9,  1862,  who  con- 
ducted the  "Hotel  Belmont"  until  it  was  sold  in 
1910,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  beef  and 
fertilizer  business  at  Brockton  Heights,  married 
Oct.  13,  1892,  Florence  M.,  daughter  of  El- 
bridge  and  Jane  Benson,  of  Abingdon,  Mass. 
(no  issue)  ;  and  John  Sanford,  born  Aug.  13, 
1864,  died  July  8,  1875.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  Aug.  23,  1865,  and  Mr.  Winter 
married  (second)  Nov.  22,  1868,  Sophia  Tilton 
Vincent,  daughter  of  the  late  Matthew  and 
Sophia  Vincent,  of  Edgartown,  Mass.  No  chil- 
dren were  bom  to  this  union.  Mrs.  Winter 
died  in  January,  1904.  Mr.  Winter's  death 
came  after  an  illness  covering  several  weeks, 
and  the  close  of  his  active,  useful  life  was 
peaceful.  He  will  long  be  missed  from  the 
business  life  of  Brockton,  and  from  among  the 
many  to  whom  he  had  been  a  rock  of  safety  in 
threatened  storm.  For  the  city  of  Brockton 
he  had  been  one  who  had  laid  the  foundations 
of  her  prosperity  strong  and  deep,  and  he  was 
permitted  to  live  to  see  the  beauty  and  strength 
that  crowned  his  endeavors. 


600 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


EDWAED  EVEEETT  HAWES,  M.  D.,  a 
well-known  physician  of  Barnstable  county, 
with  home  and  office  at  Hyannis,  is  a  native 
of  the  State  of  Maine,  born  at  Troy  March  5, 
1862,  son  of  Eobert  and  Emily  Wentworth 
Hawes. 

The  Hawes  family  from  which  the  Doctor 
descends  is  an  old  and  prominent  one  of  New 
England.  Four  or  more  immigrants  bearing 
the  name  of  Hawes  came  to  New  England  be- 
fore 1650 — Edmund  Hawes,  of  Plymouth,  Dux- 
bury  and  Yarmouth;  Edward,  of  Dedham; 
Eobert,  of  Eoxbury;  and  Eichard,  of  Dor- 
chester. It  is  with  the  last  named  that  this 
article  has  to  deal. 

(I)  Eichard  Hawes,  aged  twenty-nine,  with 
wife  Ann,  aged  twenty-six,  and  children  Ann 
(or  Anna),  aged  two  and  a  half,  and  Obadiah, 
aged  six  months,  came  from  England  in  the 
"Trulove"  in  1635,  and  settled  in  Dorchester. 
He  was  a  freeman  May  2,  1638.  He  had  at 
Dorchester:  Bethiah,  born  July  27,  1637; 
Deliverance,  born  June  11,  1640;  Constance, 
born  July  17,  1642;  and  Eleazur,  who  married 
Euth,  daughter  of  Edmund  Haynes,  of  Spring- 
field, and  was  killed  in  King  Philip's  war  April 
81,  1676.  Eichard  Hawes  died  in  January, 
1657,  for  his  inventory  was  taken  the  27th 
of  that  month,  and  his  widow,  says  Savage, 
perhaps,  died  at  Eoxbury  in  1663. 

(II)  Obadiah  Hawes,  son  of  Eichard,  born 
in  England,  at  the  age  of  six  months  as  stated 
came  in  the  "Trulove"  in  1635  to  New  Eng- 
land with  his  father  and  family,  who  located 
in  Dorchester.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
Elder  James  Humphrey,  who  died  April  21, 
1676.  Mr.  Hawes  was  a  freeman  in  1666,  and 
died  Oct.  5,  1690.  His  children  were:  Obadiah, 
born  Aug.  20,  1663 ;  James,  born  Dec.  18, 
1664;  Mary,  bom  Oct.  3,  1666  (died  young)  ; 
Ebenezer,  born  Dec.  15,  1668  (died  in  ten 
days);  Desire,  born  Aug.  30,  1670;  Eichard, 
born  Dec.  19,  1672;  and  Sarah,  born  Oct.  29, 
1674. 

(III)  Obadiah  Hawes  (2),  son  of  Obadiah, 
born  Aug.  20,  1663,  married  Dec.  19,  1693, 
Eebecca,  daughter  of  John  Cowen,  of  Scituate. 

(IV)  Obadiah  Hawes  (3),  son  of  Obadiah 
(2),  married  Mary  Cobb. 

(V)  Obadiah  Hawes  (4),  son  of  Obadiah 
(3),  born  in  that  part  of  Stoughton,  Mass., 
that  later  became  the  town  of  Sharon,  married 
Tabitha  Eichardson,  daughter  of  John  Eichard- 
son,  of  Woburn,  Mass.  They  early  removed  to 
New  Hampshire,  and  lived  at  various  points  in 
that  State.  They  had  three  sons  and  as  many 
daughters. 

(VI)  Nathan   Hawes,  son   of   Obadiah    (4) 


and  Tabitha  (Eichardson),  married  Phebe 
Stevens.  Mr.  Hawes  moved  from  Goffstown, 
N.  H.,  to  Farmington,  Maine,  where  his  death 
occurred  about  Nov.  1,  1845.  When  but  six- 
teen years  of  age  he  saw  service  in  the  war  of 
the  Eevolution ;  was  a  pa^-ticipant  in  the  battle 
of  Bennington.  His  children  were :  Abigail, 
Stephen  J.,  Hannah,  Nathan,  Joseph,  John, 
David.  Mary,  Sally,  Belinda  and  Betsey. 

(VII)  Stephen  Johnson  Hawes,  son  of 
Nathan  and  Phebe  (Stevens),  born  Dec.  6, 
1784,  in  GofEstown,  N.  H.,  married  (first) 
Betsey  Stearns,  (second)  Betsey  Dal  ton,  who 
died  in  Weld,  Maine,  June  4,  1829,  and  (third) 
Sept.  4,  1831,  Maria  Masterman,  who  died 
Feb.  10,  1884,  in  Weld,  Maine.  Mr.  Hawes 
died  Jan.  26,  1865.  His  children  were :  Gil- 
man,  Leonard,  John  L.,  Nelson  (died  when 
young),  Eobert  W.  (all  born  to  the  first  mar- 
riage), Benjamin,  Nelson,  'Betsey,  David, 
Stephen,  LaFayette,  Melvina  L.  (all  born  to 
the  second  marriage)-,  Phebe  M.,  George  F., 
Alpheus  P.,  Isabella  E.,  John  M.,  WiUiam  A., 
Charles  E.  and  Leander  E. 

(VIII)  Eobert  Wallace  Hawes,  son  of 
Stephen  Johnson  and  Betsey  (Stearns),  born 
Jan.  3,  1816,  at  Goffstown,  in  the  State  of 
New  Hampshire,  lived  for  a  time  in  Albion, 
Maine,  and  then  moved  to  Troy  in  that  same 
State,  where  he  died  Oct.  1,  1897.  He  married 
March  30,  1843,  Emily  Wentworth,  who  was 
born  April  13,  1882,  in  Albion,  Maine,  daugh- 
ter of  Timothy  and  Abigail  (Black)  Went- 
worth, the  latter  a  daughter  of  Joab  Black, 
a  native  of  York,  Maine,  who  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution  and  was  at  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill.  Mrs.  Hawes  also  descended  from  .John 
Wentworth,  of  England,  1626,  who  belonged 
to  the  Wenthworths  of  Wentworth  Castle,  an 
ancient  family,  who  came  to  England  with 
William  the  Conqueror.  The  Colonial  gover- 
nors of  New  Hampshire  and  "Long  John" 
Wentworth,  one  time  mayor  of  the  city  of 
Chicago,  were  of  this  family.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eobert  W.  Hawes,  all  but  the  two 
youngest  born  in  Albion,  were:  Timothy  W., 
born  Jan.  31,  1844;  Charles  W.,  born  Dec.  7, 
1846;  Lizzie  E.,  born  Aug.  17,  1849;  George 
E.,  born  Aug.  8,  1851 ;  Walter  E.,  born  Mav  3, 
1853;  Abbie  M.,  born  Oct.  1,  1855;  Frederick 
M.,  born  Sept.  8,  1859;  and  Edward  E.,  born 
March  5,  1868.  All  are  living  except  Abigail, 
who  died  in  young  womanhood. 

(IX)  Edward  Everett  Hawes  received  a 
liberal  education,  attending  the  Maine  Central 
Institute,  also  Bowdoin  College,  and  the 
medical  school  of  the  University  of  New  York, 
as  well  as  the  medical  school  of  the  Universitv 


2   Z.  ^^^^i^^^^yrJ^^D 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


601 


of  Vermont,  from  which  latter  he  graduated  in 
1886  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  Meantime,  be- 
fore his  graduation,  he  taught  school  several 
years,  first  at  Detroit,  Maine,  in  1877,  when  but 
sixteen  years  old,  later  at  Harwich,  in  1882, 
and  at  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  where  he  continued 
until  1888.  In  1886  he  had  be^n  medical  prac- 
tice at  Harwich,  Mass.,  and  two  years  later 
moved  to  Hyannis,  where  he  was  located  for 
eight  or  nine  years.  After  that,  seeing  a  wider 
field  in  Boston,  he  settled  in  that  city,  where  he 
continued  to  follow  his  profession  until  April, 
1909,  at  that  time  returning  to  Hyannis,  where 
he  is  still  in  active  practice.  He  still  lectures 
at  Boston,  however,  on  surgical  subjects,  giving 
special  instruction  on  fractures  and  dislocations 
at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons. 
His  profession  has  brought  him  honor  and 
success,  and  his  standing  among  his  fellow 
practitioners  is  as  high  as  among  his  patrons. 

Dr.  Hawes  married  Emily  Crowell,  of  West 
Yarmouth,  daughter  of  Capt.  Elkanah  and 
Susan  (Crowell)  Crowell  (of  the  same  stock 
but  very  distantly  related).  Her  father,  now 
a  retired  sea  captain,  is  a  son  of  Elkanah 
and  Eliza  (Bacon)  Crowell,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  Elkanah  Crowell,  son  of  Yelverton 
Crowell,  the  Pilgrim;  two  Crowell  brothers 
came  from  Plymouth  to  Barnstable,  Elkanah 
going;  to  Yarmouth. '  Mrs.  Hawes  was  born  at 
Yarmouth  and  educated  there  and  at  Brock- 
ton, attending  high  school  at  the  latter  place. 
While  still  young  she  sailed  in  her  father's 
vessel,  and  rounded  Cape  Horn  twice.  She 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  botany,  and  has  given 
much  time  to  the  study  of  many  varieties  of 
wildflowers,  in  which  her  husband  is  also  in- 
terested. 

The  Doctor  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Frater- 
nal Lodge,  A.  E.  &  A.  M.,  and  Orient  Chapter, 
E.  A.  M.,  both  of  Hyannis,  and  to  Palestine 
Commandery,  K.  T.,  of  Chelsea,  Mass. ;  he  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Scottish  Rite.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  Massachusetts  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution ;  is  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  and  of  the 
American  Medical  Association.  He  attends  the 
Universalist  Church.  Politically  he  is  an  inde- 
pendent Republican. 

KIRBY.  The  name  Kirby  so  far  as  relates 
to  the  old  family  has  been  a  continuous  one 
and  the  family  a  numerous  one  in  New  Eng- 
land for  now  some  two  hundred  .and  seventy 
years  and  more  —  since  approximately  1636, 
only  a  decade  and  a  half  later  than  the  coming 
hither  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers;  and  here,  in 
what  was  Ancient  or  Old   Dartmouth,  it  has 


been  established  since  not  far  from  1660-70, 
and  given  a  good  account  of  itself  in  the  march 
of  progress  that  has  steadily  intervened,  and 
developed  a  great  section.  Richard  Kirby,  the 
immigrant  and  progenitor  of  the  race  in  ques- 
tion, was  one  of  the  founders  of  Sandwich, 
as  he  was  later  of  Dartmouth,  and  here  many 
of  his  posterity  have  made  an  honorable  place 
for  themselves  in  local  history.  This  article, 
however,  has  only  to  do  with  one  branch  of  the 
Kirbys  —  some  of  the  descendants  of  the 
brothers  Justus  and  Wesson  Kirby,  men  of  the 
fifth  generation  from  this  settler,  and  whose 
farms  joined  each  other  in  that  part  of  Dart- 
mouth which  later  became  the  town  of  West- 
port,  where  and  at  New  Bedford  later  genera- 
tions of  their  posterity  have  been  prominent 
and  influential  citizens,  some  occupying  high 
and  honorable  positions  in  the  public  service 
of  their  communities  and  for  unusually  long 
periods  of  time.  Among  the  earlier  generations 
may  be  mentioned  Luther,  Benjamin,  Wesson 
and  Abraham ;  and  of  the  succeeding  genera- 
tion Avary,  Stephen  P.,  Wesson,  Jr.  and  Hon. 
George,  all  substantial  men  and  useful  citizens, 
and  the  latter  of  whom  had  the  privilege  of 
representing  his  town — Dartmouth — for  ten 
years  in  the  State  Assembly,  of  serving  his 
community  upward  of  twenty  years  as  select- 
man and  overseer  of  the  poor,  for  about  that 
same  length  of  time  as  collector  and  treasurer, 
and  for  over  sixty  years  as  surveyor  of  wood 
and  lumber ;  while  in  the  succeeding  generation 
among  the  worthies  have  been  the  present  Wil- 
liam Avery  Kirby,  now  venerable  in  years  and 
retired,  long  an  honorable  and  substantial 
citizen  and  a  representative  on  the  board  of 
directors  of  several  of  the  financial  institutions 
of  New  Bedford ;  the  late  Humphrey  S.  Kirby, 
long  one  of  the  successful  business  men  of  New 
Bedford  and  for  seventeen  years  a  member  of 
the  school  committee ;  and  the  present  Hon. 
Albert  C.  Kirby,  who  has  several  times  repre- 
sented the  towns  of  Westport  and  Dartmouth 
in  the  State  Assembly,  and  for  thirty-one  years 
served  Bristol  county  as  a  deputy  sheriff,  and 
the  latter's  son.  Dr.  Holder  C.  Kirby,  who  has 
attained  high  place  in  the  medical  profession ; 
and  several  other  sons  of  these  men  who  are 
worthily  wearing  the  family  name. 

There  follows  in  chronological  order  some 
family  history  and  genealogy  of  the  branch  of 
Kirbys  already  indicated. 

(I)  Richard  Kirby  appears  first  of  record  in 
New  England  in  1636,  as  an  inhabitant  of 
Lynn,  Mass.  He  with  others  in  1637  removed  to 
Cape  Cod  and  began  the  settlement  of  Sand- 
wich.    He  shared  in  the  division  of  land   in 


«02 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


1641,  and  in  1643  his  name  appears  on  the  list 
of  those  able  to  bear  arms.  He  was  one  of  the 
eleven  male  members  whose  names  are  found  on 
the  first  recorded  list  of  members  of  the  Puritan 
Church  of  Sandwich.  It  was  here,  in  Sand- 
wich, so  far  as  known,  that  the  first  persons  in 
this  country  embraced  the  principles  of  the 
Friends.  Among  these  was  Kichard  Kirby,  yet 
it  is  not  certain  that  he  ever  became  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  It  is  known  that  in 
1684  he  took  the  oath  of  fidelity,  and  neither 
his  name  nor  that  of  his  son  Richard  appears 
AS  a  member  in  the  church  records  of  the 
Friends.  He  removed  to  Dartmouth  some  time 
after  1660.  He  purchased  a  half  share  of  land 
there  in  1670,  and  in  1683  he  bought  land  on 
the  west  side  of  Cocksett  river.  He  died  in 
Dartmouth  in  June  or  July,  1688.  The  sur- 
name of  his  wife  is  unknown,  but  her  Christian 
name  appears  to  have  been  Jane.  His  children 
appear  to  have  been  Jane,  Sarah  (born  in 
1638),  Ruhamah,  Richard  and  Recompence. 

(II)  Richard  Kirby  (2),  probably  born  be- 
fore 1638,  married  Oct.  9,  1665,  Patience, 
daughter  of  William  Gifford,  of  Sandwich, 
Mass.  The  name  of  Mr.  Kirby  is  found  among 
the  twenty-four  inhabitants  of  Sandwich  who 
in  October,  1660,  were  each  fined  ten  shillings 
for  attending  Quaker  meetings.  Together  with 
his  father  he  suffered  the  distraint  of  fifteen 
cows  to  satisfy  fines  imposed.  Some  time  after 
his  marriage  he  removed  to  Dartmouth.  His 
wife  died  after  May  30,  1674,  and  he  married 
(second)  Dec.  8,  1678,  Abigail,  widow  of  Zoeth 
Howland.  His  children,  all  born  to  the  first 
marriage,  were:  Sarah,  born  May  1,  1667; 
Experience,  May  5,  1670 ;  Temperance,  May  5, 
1670 ;  John,  March  2,  1672 ;  and  Robert,  May 
10,  1674. 

(III)  Robert  Kirby,  born  May  10,  1674, 
married  Rebecca,  born  in  1673,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Potter,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.  Mr. 
Kirby  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
and  lived  in  that  part  of  Dartmouth  which  in 
1787  became  the  town  of  Westport,  and  near 
the  Coaxit  river;  on  either  side  of  which  stream, 
according  to  the  proprietary  records  of  Dart- 
mouth, there  were  laid  out  in  1712  for  Mr. 
Kirby's  homestead  212  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
Kirby  died  in  1757.  His  widow  Rebecca  died 
in  1772.  Their  children  were:  Patience, 
Nathaniel,  Ichabod,  Recompence,  Silas,  Robert 
and  Barsheba.  Mr.  Kirby  bought  in  1728  from 
Benjamin  Waite  tlie  farm  and  house,  the  latter 
of  which  in  1904  was  the  oldest  standing  in 
Old  Dartmouth.  The  center  part  of  it  was 
built  by  Thomas  Waite  in  Central  Village, 
Westport,  about  1677,  on  land  that  remained 


in  the  Waite  family  until  1728,  when,  as  stated, 
it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Kirby ;  and  in 
1904  it  was  the  oldest  Kirby  house  then  stand- 
ing. 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Kirby  married  March  25, 
1731,  Abigail,  born  June  25,  1712,  daughter 
of  James  and  Rebecca  (Howland)  Russel,  of 
Dartmouth.  Mr.  Kirby  was  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  He  died  probably  early  in 
the  year  1748,  as  in  his  will  of  Nov.  5,  1747, 
and  approved  in  August,  1748,  he  speaks  of 
himself  as  "being  very  sick  and  weak  in  body." 
His  children  were:  Wesson,  born  Oct.  14, 
1731;  Rebecca,  June  26,  1733;  Lydia,  Nov.  20, 
1738;  Mary,  March  15,  1743;  and  Justus, 
April  28,  1746.  The  mother  of  these  was  a 
direct  descendant  of  Ralph  Russel,  who  came 
from  Pontypool,  Monmouthshire,  England,  to 
New  England,  and  for  a  time,  according  to 
Savage,  was  likely  engaged  in  the  iron  works 
in  Taunton  with  the  Leonards,  then  located 
in  Dartmouth,  from  whom  her  descent  is 
through  John  Russell,  who  bought  in  1664  one 
share  (800  acres)  of  Dartmouth  lands,  and 
set  up  an  iron  forge  at  what  was  later  called 
Rus-sell's  Mills,  was  much  employed  in  public 
affairs,  a  number  of  times  representative  in  the 
General  Court,  etc. ;  Jonathan  Russel  and  his 
wife  Hassadyah  (Smith),  and  James  Russell 
and  his  wife  Rebecca  (Howland). 

(V)  Justus  Kirby,  born  April  28,  1746  (ac- 
cording to  Dartmouth  record),  or  A])ril  18, 
1747  (according  to  the  family  Bible),  married 
Dec.  27,  1768,  Catherine,  born  April.  14,  1751, 
daughter  of  Peleg  and  Mary  (Russell)  Cornell. 
They  lived  in  that  part  of  Dartmouth  which 
became  the  town  of  Westport,  where  he  died 
Jan.  5,  1831,  and  she,  Aug.  27,  1833.  His 
farm  joined  that  of  his  brother  Wesson.  His 
home  was  located  a  little  north  of  the  site 
of  the  present  town  almshouse.  Their  children 
were:  Lydia,  May  6,  1770;  Luthan,  born  Feb. 
23,  1774":  Abner,  July  10,  1771 ;  and  Elizabeth, 
Oct.  1,  1781.  The  mother  was  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Cornell,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I., 
who  came  from  the  County  of  Essex,  England, 
to  Boston,  about  1638,  and  removed  to  Ports- 
mouth, R.  I.,  in  1640,  from  whom  her  descent 
is  tlirough  Samuel,  of  Dartmouth,  Thomas 
Cornell  and  his  wife  Catherine  (Potter),  and 
Peleg  Cornell  and  his  wife  Mary  (Russell). 

(V)  Wesson  Kirby,  born  Oct.  14,  1731,  in 
Dartmouth,  married  there  Feb.  23,  1750, 
Hannah,  born  in  1731,  daughter  of  William 
White,  of  Dartmouth.  They  resided  in  that 
part  of  the  latter  town  which  in  1787  became 
the  town  of  Westport,  and  near  the  small  fork 
of  the  river  above  the  bridge.     Mr.  Kirby  was 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


603 


surveyor  of  the  highways  in  1771,  1775,  1776, 
1780  and  1781 ;  was  also  selectman  and  assessor, 
in  1779.  He  died  in  Westport  Oct.  9,  1798, 
aged  sixty-seven  years.  His  widow  Hannah 
passed  away  in  1819  at  Westport,  Mass.  Their 
children  were:  Nathan,  born  July  4,  1751; 
William,  March  21,  1753;  Sarah,  April  11, 
1755;  George,  March  9,  1757;  Wesson,  April 
15,  1759;  Elihu,  June  13,  1761;  Benjamin, 
June  18,  1763 ;  Jonathan,  July  14,  1765  ;  Mary, 
in  1767;  Hannah,  July  19,  1769;  Ruth,  Oct. 
19,  1771;  Paul,  Oct.  20,  1773;  Abraham,  Dec. 
11.  1775;  and  Elizabeth.  The  mother  of  these 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  Francis  Cooke,  of 
the  "Mayflower,"  1620,  from  whom  her  descent 
is  through  Elder  John  Cooke,  of  Plymouth  and 
Dartmouth,  and  his  wife  Sarah  (Warren),  she 
a  daughter  of  Richard  Warren,  also  of  the 
"Mayflower";  Arthur  Hathaway  and  his  wife 
Sarah  (Cooke),  of  Marshfield  and  Dartmouth; 
George  Cadman  and  his  wife  Hannah  (Hatha- 
way) ;  and  William  White  and  his  wife  Eliza- 
beth (Cadman). 

(VI)  Abraham  Kirby,  son  of  Wesson,  born 
Dec.  11,  1775,  in  that  part  of  Dartmouth  which 
became  the  town  of  Westport,  married  Feb.  -3, 
1803,  Eunice,  daughter  of  Obed  and  Sarah 
(Peckham)  White,  he  a  son  of  George  and 
Deborah  (Shaw)  White  and  grandson  of  Wil- 
liam White,  of  Dartmouth,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  believed  by  some  (and  while  there  are  no 
positive  records  yet  found  of  the  connection 
there  are  evidences  pointing  to  it)  to  be  a  son 
of  Samuel  White,  of  Rochester,  who  was  the 
son  of  Resolved  White  and  grandson  of  William 
White,  of  the  "Mavflower,"  1620  (see  pp.  347- 
348.  "The  Kirbys'of  New  England").  This 
William  White,  of  Dartmouth,  moreover,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Cadman,  a  direct  descendant  of 
Francis  Cooke,  of  the  "Mayflower."  The  chil- 
dren of  Abraham  and  Eunice  (White)  Kirby, 
all  born  in  the  town  of  Westport,  Mass.,  were: 
Amy,  bom  Jan.  20,  1804;  Abner,  May  4,  1806  ; 
Harvey,  in  1810;  Deborah,  Dec.  24,  1812; 
Stephen  P.,  April  9,  1815;  and  Harvey  W., 
Sept.  8,  1819. 

(VII)  Stephen  P.  Kirby,  son  of  Abraham, 
born  April  9,  1815,  married  (first)  June  30, 
1839,  Harriet  N.,  born  May  18,  1820,  daugh- 
ter of  Nathan  Crary  Brownell,  of  Westport, 
Mass.  She  died  May  21,  1857,  and  he  married 
(second)  Jan.  1,  1871,  Diana,  born  in  1842, 
daughter  of  Charles  M.  and  Desire  Macomber, 
of  Tiverton.  R.  I.  Mr.  Kirby  lived  at  West- 
port,  Mass.,  where  for  many  years  be  was  a 
<lrover  and  large  cattle  merchant,  buying  cattle 
at  Brighton,  and  distributing  them  through 
southern    Massachusetts.    His   children   were: 


Albert  C,  born  March  17,  1841 ;  Wilfred  Smith, 
July  31,  1843  (died  Jan.  3,  1878)  ;  Edward 
B.,  Sept.  21,  1847  (died  at  sea  in  1862)  ;  Frank 
R.,  May  28,  1850  (married  Oct.  11,  1877,  Cora 
L.  Eddy,  and  is  in  business  in  New  Bedford)  ; 
Henry  P.,  Aug.  15,  1856  (died  March  1,  1862). 

(VIII)  Albert  C.  Kirby,  son  of  Stephen 
P.,  born  March  17,  1841,  married  Jan.  21, 1869, 
Cynthia  White  Brownell,  born  Aug.  15,  1843, 
daughter  of  Holder  and  Love  (Baker)  Brovmell, 
the  former  a  great-grandson  of  Abner  Brownell, 
the  first  town  clerk  of  Westport,  and  the  latter 
a  daughter  of  Ezra  and  Susan  Baker.  Mr. 
Kirby  has  long  been  one  of  the  substantial  and 
influential  men  of  Bristol  county.  He  was 
elected  collector  of  taxes  in  Westport  in  1863, 
and  held  office  for  four  years.  In  1863  he 
was  elected  town  clerk,  and  held  that  office 
six  years.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  and 
auctioneer  for  about  thirty-four  years.  He 
was  made  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1879, 
and  true  to  the  example  set  by  earlier  genera- 
tions of  the  Dartmouth-Westport-New  Bedford 
Kirbys  proved  an  efficient  and  faithful  public 
servant,  and  like  them  a  "stayer,"  for  he  sus- 
tained such  relation  to  Bristol  county  for  thirty 
years.  In  1894  he  was  made  special  deputy 
sheriff.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stanch 
Republican.  More  recently  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  business  in  New  Bedford,  being  now 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Kirby  &  Hicks,  livery- 
men. In  1890  and  1891  Mr.  Kirby  represented 
the  towns  of  Westport  and  Dartmouth  in  the 
Massachusetts  Assembly. 

The  children  of  Albert  C.  and  Cynthia 
Wiite  (Brownell)  Kirby  were:  Holder  Crary, 
born  Aug.  8,  1874 ;  and  Wilfred  Stephen,  born 
Feb.  3,  1883,  who  is  in  business  with  his  father. 

(IX)  Holder  C.  Kirby,  M.  D.,  son  of  Al- 
bert C.  and  Cynthia  White  (Brownell),  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Dartmouth  Aug.  8,  1874. 
His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  public 
schools'  of  New  Bedford,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1893.  He  then 
entered  Brown  University,  taking  the  regular 
course  for  three  years  and  doing  special  work 
in  biology.  He  graduated  from  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 
1900,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  During  his 
course  he  gave  special  attention  to  the  study 
of  pathology.  After  receiving  his  degree  he 
went  to  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  as  resident  physician 
at  Mercy  hospital,  after  which  he  spent  three 
months  in  the  Children's  hospital  at  Phila- 
dephia,  and  five  months  in  the  Municipal  hos- 
pital. He  was  at  the  latter  place  during  the 
great  smallpox  epidemic  in  the  fall  of  1901, 
when  about  three  thousand  cases,  were  treated 


604 


SOUTHEASTEEX  MASSACHUSETTS 


in  the  hospital,  about  a  third  proving  fatal. 
In  1902  he  opened  an  office  in  Pittsburg,  Pa., 
and  remained  there  until  Dec.  1st,  when  he 
located  in  New  Bedford,  opening  an  office, 
where  he  has  continued  most  successfully  in  his 
practice.  In  January,  1903,  he  was  appointed 
city  physician,  and  this  office  he  has  continued 
to  fill.  In  October,  1904,  he  was  made  assistant 
surgeon,  at  St.  Luke's  hospital,  and  in  March, 
1906,  he  was  elected  surgeon.  He  is  a  member 
and  former  counselor  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society;  member  of  the  South  Bristol 
District  and  New  Bedford  Medical  Societies, 
and  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Boston  Medical  Library. 

While  a  student  at  Brown  University  Dr. 
Kirby  was  a  member  of  the  Chi  Phi  Greek 
letter  society,  and  at  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania he  belonged  to  the  Theta  Nu  Epsilon 
and  Alpha  Mu  Pi  Omega  of  the  medical  de- 
partment. He  also  belonged  to  the  Pepper 
Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Kirby  married  Mary  Eleanor,  daughter 
of  Thomas  F.  and  Ellen  L.  Wood,  of  New  Bed- 
ford.   They  have  no  children. 

FEED  HERBERT  PACKARD,  of  Brock- 
ton, one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful 
business  men  of  that  city,  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  manufacturing  interests,  being  pro- 
prietor of  the  well  known  shoe  tool  concern 
of  Snell  &  Atherton,  Incorporated,  one  of  the 
pioneer  industries  of  old  North  Bridgewater 
(now  Brockton),  the  business  having  been 
established  by  his  father-in-law,  Varanus  Snell. 
Its  products  are  known  the  world  over.  Mr. 
Packard  is  a  worthy  descendant  of  one  of 
New  England's  earliest  settled  families.  He 
was  born  Feb.  3,  1854,  in  West  Bridgewater, 
son  of  the  late  Japhet  Beals  and  Lucretia 
Parker  (Dunbar)  Packard.  The  history  of 
this  branch  of  the  Packard  family  follows : 

(I)  Samuel  Packard,  with  his  wife  and 
child,  came  from  Windham,  England,  in  1638, 
in  the  ship  "Diligence,"  and  settled  in 
Hingham,  Mass.,  where  in  that  same  year  he 
had  a  grant  of  land.  He  removed  from  Hing- 
ham and  became  a  resident  of  what  is  now 
West  Bridgewater,  Mass.  He  was  constable 
in  1664,  and  in  1670  was  licensed  to  keep  a 
tavern.  His  will  was  dated  in  1684,  which 
was  about  the  time  of  his  death.  His  children 
baptized  in  Hingham  were:  Zaccheus,  April 
20,  1651 ;  Jane,  April  20,  1651 ;  Abigail,  April 
20,  1651;  and  Deliverance,  July  11,  1652.  He 
had  other  children  :  Elizabeth,  Samuel,  Thomas, 
John,  Nathaniel,  Mary,  Hannah,  Israel,  Jael 
and  Deborah. 


(II)  Nathaniel  Packard,  son  of  Samuel, 
married  a  daughter  of  John  Kangman,  and 
their  children  were:  Samuel,  Zachariah, 
George,  Fearnot,  Margaret,  Sarah,  Lydia, 
Faithful,  Hannah,  Deliverance,  Elizabeth, 
Mary  and  Deborah.  The  father's  \vill  bears 
date  of  1720. 

(III)  Zachariah  Packard,  son  of  Nathaniel, 
married  in  1724  Abigail,  daughter  of  Richard 
Davenport,  and  their  children  were :  Elijah, 
born  in  1726  ;  Abigail,  born  in  1728;  Nathaniel, 
born  in  1730;  and  Nathan,  born  in  1733.  The 
father's  will  was  dated  in  1771. 

(IV)  Capt.  Nathan  Packard,  born  in  1733, 
married  in  1758  Lydia,  daughter  of  Ephraim 
Jackson,  and  their  children  were :  Oliver, 
Elijah,  Nathan,  Ransom,  Perez,  Sullivan, 
Jonas,  Sarali,  Abigail,  Lydia,  Olive,  Roxana. 
The  father  died  on  Feb.  17,  1798,  aged  sixty- 
five  years,  and  the  mother  died  April  1,  1812. 
Capt.  Nathan  Packard  was  active  in  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  He  was  first  lieutenant  in 
Capt.  Josiah  Hayden's  company.  Col.  Bailey's 
regiment,  which  served  as  minute-men,  march- 
ing on  April  19,  1775,  on  the  Lexington  alarm. 
He  was  captain  of  a  company  in  Col.  Thomas 
Carpenter's  regiment  of  State  militia,  from 
July  25,  to  Sept.  9,  1778,  in  service  in  Rhode 
Island,  and  was  also  captain  of  a  company  in 
Maj.  Eiiplialet  Cary's  regiment  that  nvirched 
on  the  Rhode  Island  alarm,  July  22,  1780,  by 
order  of  council  from  North  Bridgewater. 

(V)  Elijah  Packard,  son  of  Capt.  Nathan, 
married  in  1789  Susanna,  daughter  of  Japhet 
Beal.  Their  children  were:  Lewis,  born  in 
1789;  Libbeus,  born  in  1791;  Lydia,  born  in 
1793;  Isaac,  born  in  1795;  Elijah,  born  in 
1797;  Clara,  born  in  1799;  Patience,  born  in 
1801 ;  Susanna,  born  in  1803 ;  Nathan,  born 
in  1806 ;  Sophronia,  born  in  1808 ;  and  Den- 
nison,  born  in  1811.  The  father  died  in  1832, 
aged  sixty-six  years,  and  his  widow  died  in 
1849,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 

(VI)  Isaac  Packard  was  born  May  2,  1795. 
in  West  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  about  thirty-three  years.  He  was 
a  farmer  and  shoemaker.  He  married  in  1816 
Mary  Jones  Foster,  of  Whitman,  Mass.,  and 
after  his  death  she  married  (second)  Ezekiel 
Ripley,  of  Plympton,  Mass.,  where  she  died. 
She  was  the  mother  of  the  following  children : 
Orlando  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years;  Japhet  B.,  mentioned  below;  and  Perez 
(a /Shoemaker),  who  married  Mercy  Sherman, 
of  Plympton,  and  died  in  Rockland,  Massachu- 
setts. 

(VII)  Japhet  Beals  Packard,  son  of  Isaac 
and  Mary  J.  (Foster)  Packard,  was  born  Sept. 


^ 


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SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


605 


7,  1819,  in  Easton,  Mass.  He  died  June  2, 
1909,  at  his  home  on  North  Ehn  street  in  West 
Bridgewater,  in  which  town  lie  had  resided  for 
over  eighty  years.  While  he  was  still  very 
young  his  parents  removed  to  that  part  of 
West  Bridgewater  known  as  Jerusalem,  and  he 
was  seven  years  old  when  they  settled  in  the 
more  central  part  of  the  town,  where  he  lived 
upon  a  farm  near  the  site  of  his  late  home. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools, 
and  among  his  classmates  were  Benjamin  B. 
Howard  (founder  of  Howard  Seminary), 
Charles  Howard,  Horatio  Howard,  John  Dun- 
bar and  Elihu  Leonard,  all  of  whom  long  pre- 
ceded him  in  death.  When  sixteen  years  old  he 
went  to  Plympton,  whence  after  a  residence  of 
five  j'ears  he  returned  to  West  Bridgewater, 
where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  during 
the  remainder  of  his  long  life.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  shoemaker  with  his  stepfather,  Ezekiel 
Ripley,  at  Plympton,  remaining  with  him  five 
or  six  years ;  and  for  fifty  years  in  all  followed 
that  calling.  He  began  it  in  the  primitive  days 
when  shoes  were  made  in  small  shops  near  the 
home  of  the  tradesman,  and  Mr.  Packard  em- 
ployed several  hands  in  his  .shop.  None  of 
the  work  was  done  by  machine  at  that  time. 
When  the  various  manufacturers  began  to  do 
business  upon  a  larger  scale  and  the  smaller 
business  men  were  crowded  out  he  became  em- 
ployed at  the  P.  &  N.  Copeland  factory,  in 
Campello,  where  he  acted  as  superintendent. 
About  twenty  years  prior  to  his  death  he  gave 
up  shoemaking  in  order  to  spend  more  time 
in  the  open  air,  working  considerably  upon  his 
farm  and  carrying  on  a  large  garden.  For 
several  years  he  also  had  charge  of  Pine  Hill 
cemetery,  in  West  Bridgewater.  In  fact,  he 
continued  to  be  active  up  to  within  a  short 
time  before  his  decease,  always  finding  some- 
thing to  do  about  the  farm  and  home. 

Mr.  Packard's  devotion  to  outdoor  sports 
continued  to  be  one  of  his  chief  sources  of  en- 
joyment until  a  few  weeks  before  he  died.  He 
was  considered  the  best  marksman  with  a  rifle 
in  all  the  region,  and  except  for  the  last  five 
years  of  his  life  never  missed  the  annual  fall 
outing  at  Brant  Rock,  where  with  his  gun  and 
his  dog  he  went  for  several  days'  shooting 
along  the  seashore.  In  1895,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six,  he  purchased  a  bicycle,  which  he 
rode  for  nearly  ten  years.  He  was  always  a 
special  favorite  with  children,  and  was  in- 
terested in  watching  young  folks  at  their  sports, 
when  they  gathered  at  play  near  his  home.  He 
was  well  known  to  old  and  young,  and  among 
all  classes,  and  had  scores  of  friends  and  well 
wishers  wherever  he  went.    He  never  took  any 


special  part  in  public  affairs  and  would  never 
accept  office,  though  he  was  public-spirited  and 
attended  town  meetings  regularly.  His  word 
and  opinion  carried  great  weight,  and  he  gave 
his  support  to  all  enterprises  intended  for  the 
benefit  of  the  public,  and  he  was  a  regular 
voter  at  local  and  national  elections. 

On  Sept.  25,  1843,  Mr.  Packard  married 
Lucretia  Parker  Dunbar,  daughter  of  Perez 
and  Nancy  (Willis)  Dunbar.  She  was  born 
in  North  Bridgewater,  but  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  was  living  in  West  Bridgewater, 
where  the  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Cogswell.  In  1844  they  moved  into  the  home 
on  North  Elm  street  where  they  ever  after- 
ward resided,  and  there  they  celebrated  the 
silver  and  golden  anniversaries  of  their  wed- 
ding. Their  wedded  life  covered  over  sixty- 
five  years,  Mrs.  Packard  passing  away  Feb.  32, 
1910,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  her  age.  Six 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Packard: 
Hattie  married  Edward  C.  Hall,  of  Freeport, 
Maine,  and  is  now  a  widow,  residing  in  Whit- 
man, Mass. ;  Lucius  Sumner,  who  resides  in 
Walpole,  Mass.,  married  Helen  E.  Ripley; 
Fred  Herbert  is  mentioned  below;  Charles 
Everett  married  Eugenia  Young  and  resides 
in  West  Bridgewater;  Ernest  Lincoln  died  at 
the  age  of  thirty-two  years ;  Jennie  Beals  died 
aged  eighteen  years. 

(VIII)  Fred  Herbert  Packard,  son  of 
Japhet  Beals  and  Lucretia  Parker  (Dunbar) 
Packard,  was  born  Feb.  2,  1854,  in  West 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  acquired  his  early 
schooling  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
town.  Leaving  school  when  about  sixteen  years 
of  age,  he  took  up  shoemaking  with  his  father, 
continuing  at  home  until  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  twenty.  He  then  came  to  Campello, 
where  he  worked  at  shoemaking  for  Elmer  L. 
Keith,  George  E.  Keith  and  C.  W.  Copeland 
&  Co.,  respectively,  until  Feb.  18,  1880,  when 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Snell  &  Atherton,  as 
a  machinist  on  the  making  of  machine  tools, 
in  which  capacity  he  remained  for  about  six 
years.  Later  he  was  made  bookkeeper  and 
salesman,  as  well  as  shipper,  for  the  concern, 
acting  as  such  until  about  1898,  at  which  time 
he  became  a  partner  in  the  business.  On  Jan. 
1,  1903,  he  became  sole  ovraer  of  the  business, 
the  founder,  Mr.  Snell,  retiring.  In  January, 
1907,  the  business  was  chartered  as  an  in- 
corporation under  the  Massachusetts  laws  as 
Snell  &  Atherton,  Incorporated,  with  Fred  H. 
Packard  as  president  and  treasurer,  and  War- 
ren B.  Packard  (his  son)  as  clerk  of  the 
corporation.  This  well  known  concern  is  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  hand  tools  of  all 


606 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


kinds  for  shoe  workers,  and  duplicate  parts 
for  shoe  machinery  of  various  kinds,  their 
products  having  a  world-wide  reputation  for 
perfection  and  uniform  quality.  They  are 
used  in  every  country  where  shoes  are  made. 
The  firm  gives  employment  to  about  twenty 
expert  and  skilled  mechanics,  several  of  whom 
have  been  connected  with  this  concern  con- 
tinuously for  nearly  fifty  years. 

Mr.  Packard  has  also  been  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business  to  some  ex- 
tent. In  1888-89  he  opened  up  two  tracts  of 
land  on  Herrod  and  Martland  streets,  and  sev- 
enty lots  were  disposed  of.  He  also  owns 
various  other  plots  in  different  parts  of  the 
city. 

Mr.  Packard  is  of  a  musical  turn  of  mind, 
and  for  about  twelve  years  was  a  member  of 
Martland's  Band,  in  which  he  played  first 
clarinet;  during  four  years  of  that  time  he 
was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  that  well-known 
musical  organization.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
supported  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  he  has  always  manifested  a  keen 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted  city.  In 
1892  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  common 
council,  and  in  1896  and  1897  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  aldermen,  from  Ward  Seveji, 
being  president  of  the  board  the  last  year. 
During  the  first  year  he  was  a  member  of  the 
latter  board  he  was  a  member  of  the  committees 
on  Finance,  Accounts,  Highways  and  Health, 
and  the  last  year  was  chairman  of  the  above 
committees,  and  also  a  member  of  the  police 
committee. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Packard  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  various  financial 
institutions  of  Brockton,  having  served  for 
eleven  years  as  a  trustee  of  the  People's  Sav- 
ings Bank,  since  which  time  he  has  been  a 
trustee  of  the  Brockton  Savings  Bank,  which 
he  has  served  several  years  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  investment,  and  in  April,  1910,  was 
elected  second  vice  president.  He  has  also  been 
a  director  for  a  number  of  years  of  the  Se- 
curity Cooperative  Bank  of  Brockton. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Packard  is  an  active  and 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  organization 
of  many  years'  standing,  holding  membership 
in  St.  George  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Cam- 
pello,  of  which  he  became  a  member  in  1877; 
Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.  (of  which  he  has 
been  a  member  over  twenty  years) ;  Brockton 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Bay  State  Com- 
mandery.  Knights  Templar,  of  Brockton;  he 
also  belongs  to  Aleppo  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine, 
of  Boston,  which  he  joined  in  1889,  and  is  a 
life  member  of  the  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 


mandery.  In  1874  he  joined  Massasoit  Lodge,. 
No.  69,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  he  has  been  a  member 
for  many  years  of  the  Commercial  Club  of 
Brockton,  which  is  composed  of  the  city's  lead- 
ing business  and  professional  men. 

On  June  29,  1882,  Mr.  Packard  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Idella  Abbiette  Snell,  daughter 
of  Varanus  Snell,  the  founder  of  the  Snell  & 
Atherton  concern,  and  his  wife,  Emily  Hewins 
Gill,  of  Brockton,  and  this  union  has  been 
blessed  with  one  son,  Warren  Belcher,  bom 
July  14,  1887.  He  graduated  from  the  Brock- 
ton high  school  in  1906,  after  which  he  at- 
tended Phillips  Exeter  Academy.  He  then  took 
a  business  course  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Busi- 
ness College,  Boston,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
Snell  &  Atherton,  Incorporated,  to  which  he 
was  admitted  as  a  partner  early  in  1909,  hav- 
ing started  at  the  bench  and  forge  in  the  tool 
shop  in  1908.  He  is  also  a  member  of  St. 
George  Lorge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Campello; 
Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Brockton  Council, 
E.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Bay  State  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  of  Brockton;  holding  a  life 
membership  in  the  latter  three  bodies.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Brockton  Country  Club 
and  the  Commercial  Club.  He  is  unmarried, 
and  resides  at  home  with  his  parents. 

WALTER  HAMLET  FAUNCE,  chairman 
of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Ply- 
mouth county,  Mass.,  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
John  Faunce,  who  was  the  progenitor  of  a  large 
and  well  established  family  in  New  England, 
members  of  which  have  for  generations  made 
their  home  in  Kingston,  Plymouth  county. 

(I)  John  Faunce  came  to  Plymouth  in  the 
"Ann"  in  August,  1633.  He  was,  perhaps, 
then  a  youth,  as  no  wife  or  child  is  mentioned 
for  a  decade.  He  was  a  freeman  in  1633,  in 
which  year  he  married  Patience,  daughter  of 
George  Morton,  and  had :  Priscilla,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph,  son  of  Richard  Warren,  of  the 
"Mayflower"  ;  Mary,  who  married  July  15,  1658, 
William  Harlow ;  Patience,  who  married  Nov. 
20,  1661,  John  Holmes;  Sarah,  who  married 
Feb.  26,  1663,  Edward  Doty,  son  of  Edward 
of  the  "Mayflower,"  and  (second)  John  Buck; 
Thomas,  born  about  1647;  Elizabeth,  bom 
March  23,  1648;  Mercy,  born  April  10,  1651, 
who  married  in  December,  1667,  Nathaniel 
Holmes;  Joseph,  born  May  14, 1653;  and  John, 
born  Nov.  29,  1654  (probably  died  young). 

(II)  Joseph  Faunce,  son  of  John,  bom  May 
14,  1653,  married  Jan.  3,  1677,  Judith  Rickard, 
daughter  of  John  and  Judith  Rickard.  Their 
children  were:  Hannah,  born  1679;  Mary, 
born  1681  (married  Nathaniel  Morton)  ;  John, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


60r 


born  1683;  Mary,  born  1686;  Mehitabel,  born 
1689  (married  Judah  Hill)  ;  Joseph,  born 
1693;  Eleazer,  born  1696;  Thomas,  born  1698 
(married  Hannah  Damon)  ;  and  Benjamin, 
born  1703. 

(III)  John  Faunce,  son  of  Joseph,  born 
1683,  married  in  1710  Lydia,  born  in  1685, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Cooke,  granddaughter  of 
Jacob  and  Damaris  (Hopkins)  Cooke  (the  lat- 
ter a  daughter  of  Stephen  Hopkins,  of  the 
"Mayflower,"  1680),  and  great-granddaughter 
of  Francis  Cooke,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620. 
The  children  of  John  and  Lydia  (Cooke) 
Faunce  were:  Judith,  bom  in  1711,  who 
married  Jabez  Washburn;  Lydia,  born  in 
1714,  who  married  Ebenezer  Washburn;  John, 
bom  in  1716;  Hannah,  born  in  1718,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  Cook;  Mary,  born  in  1720; 
Mehetabel,  born  in  1722,  who  married  Thomas 
Cushman;  and  Rebecca,  born  in  1724,  who  mar- 
ried Tillson  Ripley,  of  Plympton.  The  father 
married  (second)  in  1733  Ruth  Sampson,  and 
their  only  child  was  Mary,  bom  in  1734,  who 
married  Amos  Curtis,  of  Scituate.  He  mar- 
ried (third)  Lydia  (Tilden)  Cook,  widow  of 
Simeon  Cook,  and  by  this  union  had  a  son 
Benjamin,  born  in  1742. 

(IV)  John  Faunce,  son  of  John,  was  bom 
in  1716,  and  was  of  Kingston.  He  married 
Hannah,  widow  of  Robert  Cook,  and  daughter 
of  Elijah  Bisbee.  Their  children  were :  Lydia, 
bom  in  1746,  who  married  Josiah  Cook ;  John, 
born  in  1747;  Hannah,  bom  in  1749;  Eleazer, 
born  in  1751;  Eleanor,  born  in  1753;  Molly, 
born  in  1755,  who  married  John  Cook;  Joanna, 
born  in  1757,  who  married  Zenas  Cook ;  Elijah, 
bom  in  1759;  Sarah,  born  in  1760;  and  Sarah 
(2),  bom  in  1764. 

(V)  Elijah  Faunce,  of  Kingston,  son  of 
John  and  Hannah,  born  in  March,  1759,  mar- 
ried in  1785  Lydia,  daughter  of  Ichabod  Water- 
man, and  their  children  were :  Elijah,  bom 
in  1787,  who  died  aged  fifteen  years;  Kilborn, 
bom  in  1789;  Nathaniel,  born  in  1791;  Lydia, 
born  in  1793,  who  married  Spencer  Bradford ; 
Sally  (twin),  born  in  1793;  and  Charles  Cook, 
born  May  21,  1801. 

(VI)  Charles  Cook  Faunce,  son  of  Elijah 
and  Lydia  (Waterman),  was  born  in  Kingston, 
Mass.,  May  21,  1801.  He  was  educated  in  the 
local  schools,  and  then  learned  the  mason's 
trade,  which  he  followed  nearly  all  his  life, 
being  engaged  as  a  builder  in  stone  and  brick. 
His  home  was  always  in  his  native  town,  and 
be  became  greatly  interested  in  public  affairs. 
For  fifteen  years  he  held  the  office  of  town 
clerk,  and  also  filled  several  minor  positions. 
He   died    Oct.   26,   1878,   and   was  buried   in 


Kingston.  He  married  Amelia  Washburn,  who 
was  born  in  Kingston  Jan.  7,  1807,  daughter 
of  Seth  and  Sarah  (Adams)  Washburn,  and 
died  Oct.  8,  1881 ;  she  was  buried  beside  her 
husband.  Their  children  were:  Walter  Ham- 
let, born  Nov.  16,  1832;  Amelia  Washburn, 
born  March  1,  1834,  who  married  George 
McLaughlin  (both  are  deceased) ;  Charles 
Thomas,  born  April  19,  1835,  who  lives  at 
Kingston;  and  Sewall  Allen,  born  Feb.  9,  1841, 
who  resides  in  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

(VII)  Walter  Hamlet  Faunce,  son  of  Charles 
Cook  and  Amelia  (Washburn),  was  born  in 
Kingston,  Mass.,  Nov.  16,  1832.  He  received' 
a  good  education,  first  attending  the  public 
schools  in  his  home  town,  and  then  going  to  the 
East  Greenwich  Academy,  East  Greenwich, 
R.  I.  Returning  to  Kingston  he  began  teach- 
ing, and  for  fifteen  years  was  thus  engaged  ini 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.  He  then 
began  surveying  and  civil  engineering,  in  which 
he  has  since  been  more  or  less  engaged  in  Kings- 
ton and  adjoining  towns,  but  the  best  part  of 
his  life  has  been  given  to  public  affairs.  He 
has  served  as  selectman,  overseer  of  the  poor 
and  assessor  for  a  number  of  years,  during  eight 
years  being  chairman  of  the  board  of  select- 
men. In  1882  Mr.  Faunce  was  elected  county 
commissioner  of  Plymouth  county,  and  with 
tlie  exception  of  five  years,  from  1885  to  1890, 
he  has  since  served  continuously  in  that  office, 
and  for  eight  years  has  been  chairman  of  the 
board.  During  his  long  service  many  public 
improvements  have  been  effected — new  build- 
ings and  bridges,  including  the  fine  courthouse 
at  Brockton,  and  the  registry  building  at  Ply- 
mouth, both  from  an  architectural  standpoint 
among  the  best  in  the  State;  the  bridges  at 
Buzzard's  Bay  and  over  the  North  river  in 
the  town  of  Hanson.  At  the  present  time  there 
is  in  coiirse  of  construction  the  new  prison  at 
Plymouth,  built  of  concrete,  which  contains 
one  h^indred  and  fifty-nine  cells.  Mr.  Faunce 
is  conscientious  in  his  work,  and  having,  from 
long  experience,  a  general  knowledge  of  all 
matters  pertaining  to  town  or  county  affairs, 
is  able  to  see  that  the  contracts  are  honestly 
carried  out.  In  1880  he  was  elected  to  the 
State  Legislature,  where  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  Insurance.  He  has 
been  active  in  work  for  the  public  schools,  and 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  has  been  a  member 
of  the  school  board,  and  many  years  its 
chairman.  In  1867  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Ames  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  has 
held  that  commission  ever  since,  probably  being 
the  oldest  justice  in  point  of  service  in  the 
State.     He  is  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of 


608 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


Agriculture,  and  is  vice  president  of  the  Marsh- 
field  Agricultural  Society,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  vice  president  of  the  Plymouth 
County  Agricultural  Society.  Fraternally  he 
belongs  to  Corner  Stone  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Duxbury;  and  Adams  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of 
Kingston.     He  attends  the  Unitarian  Church. 

In  December,  1863,  Mr.  Faunce  was  married 
to  Arabella  Ryder,  daughter  of  Merrick  and 
Lucy  Ryder,  of  Plymouth.  She  died  in  Kings- 
ton in  May,  1870,  and  was  buried  in  the  New 
cemetery.  They  had  two  children:  Lucy  D., 
born  July  28,  1865,  who  resides  at  home,  un- 
married ;  and  Charles  M.,  mentioned  below.  Mr. 
Faunce  -married  (second)  in  1874  in  Smith- 
field,  R.  I.,  Elizabeth  Brown,  daughter  of 
Waterman  Brown,  of  that  town.  No  children 
have  been  born  of  this  marriage. 

(VIII)  Charles  Merrick  Faunce,  son  of 
Walter  Hamlet  and  Arabella  (Ryder),  was  born 
in  Kingston,  Aug.  2,  1868.  He  graduated  from 
the  high  school  there,  after  which  he  entered 
Exeter  Academy,  at  Exeter,  where  he  prepared 
for  college.  He  graduated  from  Harvard  Uni- 
versity in  1892,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and 
then  became  an  instructor  in  the  Massachusetts 
Institute  of  Technology,  Boston,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  Failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  give  up  his  profession,  and  he 
went  West,  but  all  in  vain.  He  returned  home, 
and  died  July  16,  1899.  He  was  unmarried. 
He  was  a  young  man  of  unusual  ability  and 
promise,  and  his  pleasant  manners  and  sterling 
character  won  him  many  friends  who  sincerely 
mourned  his  taking  away  when  seemingly  on 
the  very  threshold  of  a  life  of  true  usefulness. 


Washbdkn.  (I)  John  Washburn,  of  Kings- 
ton, married  Lydia  Billington,  and  their 
children  were :  John,  born  in  1699 ;  Ichabod, 
born  in  1701;  Mercy,  born  in  1702;  Elisha, 
born  in  U03;  Ephraim,  born  in  1705;  Barna- 
bas, born  in  1707;  Jabez,  born  in  1708; 
Ebenezer,  born  iji  1709;  and  Thankful,  born  in 
1715.  There  was  an  earlier  John  Washburn, 
of  Duxbury,  1632,  who,  with  his  two  sons,  John 
and  Philip,  was  included  with  those  able  to 
bear  arms  in  the  Colony  in  1643,  and  his  name 
is  also  among  the  first  freemen  of  Duxbury. 
He  and  his  son  John  were  original  proprietors 
of  Bridgewater,  and  they  and  Philip  became 
residents  and  settlers  there  in  South  Bridge- 
water  as  early  as  1665.  The  name  was  per- 
petuated through  the  son  John.  Mitchell  sup- 
posed that  all  of  the  name  in  the  Bridgewater 
part  of  the  country  descended  from  John  of 
Duxbury.  Davis  gives  no  evidence  of  any  con- 
nection between  the  John  of  Duxbury  and  John 


of  Kingston.     Savage  and  Pope  make  no  men- 
tion of  John  Washburn  of  Kingston. 

(II)  John  Washburn  (2),  of  Kingston,  son 
of  John,  of  Kingston,  married  Abigail  Johnson, 
and  their  children  were:  John,  born  in  1730; 
Abigail,  born  in  1732,  who  married  Abner 
Sylvester;  Mary,  born  in  1734;  Mercy,  born 
in  1736;  Seth,  born  in  1738;  Philip,  bom  in 
1739  ;  and  Thankful,  born  in  1742. 

(III)  Seth  Washburn,  son  of  John  (2),  born 
in  1738,  in  Kingston,  married  in  1765  Fear 
Howard,  and  their  children  were:  Fear,  who 
married  John  Foster ;  Persis,  who  married  John 
Turner;  Abigail,  who  married  Zenas  Churchill; 
Seth;  and  Ichabod,  who  married  Ann  Fuller, 
of  Plymouth. 

(IV)  Seth  Washburn,  son  of  Seth  and  Fear 
(Howard),  born  in  1769,  married  in  1792  Sarah 
Adams,  and  had  children;  Marcia,  born  in 
1793,  who  married  Nathaniel  Faunce ;  Sally, 
born  in  1796,  who  married  Solomon  Davie; 
Christiana  Drew,  born  in  1799,  who  married 
Nahum  Bailey;  Hannah,  who  married  Sewall 
Rice,  of  Worcester,  Mass. ;  Judith,  who  married 
Francis  Johnson ;  and  Amelia. 

(V)  Amelia  Washburn,  daughter  of  Seth  and 
Sarah  (Adams),  born  Jan.  7,  1807,  married 
Charles  Cook  Faunce,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  Walter  Hamlet  Faunce. 


Brown.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Brown)  Faunce  be- 
longs to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent 
families  in  Rhode  Island  history.  The  Browns 
have  been  closely  and  conspicuously  identified 
with  the  history  of  Providence  since  the  coming 
of  Chad  Brown  in  1638,  a  leader  in  the  Colony, 
one  of  the  committee  to  formulate  the  first 
written  form  of  government  for  the  town,  and 
the  first  settled  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
James  and  Obadiah  Brown,  of  the  fourth  gen- 
eration, were  the  founders  of  the  extensive  com- 
mercial house  of  the  Browns,  which  in  the  suc- 
ceeding generations  was  conducted  by  the  four 
Brown  Brothers — Nicholas,  Moses,  John  and 
Joseph  of  commercial  note  and  wealth.  In  the 
succeeding  generation  came  Nicholas  Brown 
(2),  an  eminent  merchant  and  philanthropist, 
whose  munificent  gifts  made  possible  the  great 
Brown  University  of  to-day,  as  well  as  some  of 
the  great  public  institutions  of  Providence,  and 
from  whom  the  imiversity  derived  its  name. 

(I)  Chad  Brown,  accompanied  by  his  wife 
Elizabeth,  son  John,  then  eight  years  of  age, 
and  perhaps  his  younger  sons,  emigrated  from 
England  in  the  ship  "Martin,"  which  arrived 
at  Boston,  Mass.,  in  July,  1638.  He  soon  re- 
moved to  Providence,  where  he  became  at  once 
a  leader  in  the  Colony  and  one  of  the  most 


t* 


\^¥^ 


^o/a-t^  y)." O li-i.^^^j^L 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


609 


valued  citizens.  In  1640  he  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee who  reported  to  Providence  Colony  the 
first  written  form  of  government,  which  was 
adopted  and  continued  in  force  until  1644, 
when  Eoger  Williams  returned  from  England 
with  the  first  charter.  In  1642  Chad  Brown 
was  ordained  as  the  first  settled  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth,  and 
their  children  were:  John,  James,  Jeremiah, 
Judah  and  Daniel. 

(II)  John  Brown,  born  in  1630,  died  about 
1706.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Obadiah  and  Catherine  Holmes,  of  Newport, 
R.  I.,  and  resided  in  Providence,  at  the  north 
end,  in  a  house  near  the  one  afterward  occupied 
by  his  son.  Elder  James,  near  the  junction  of 
North  Main  and  Randall  streets.  Like  his 
father  he  was  a  surveyor  as  well  as  a  Baptist 
elder.  He  served  in  various  important  capac- 
ities, was  moderator,  member  of  the  town 
council,  deputy  in  the  Legislature,  etc.  His 
children  were:  Sarah,  James,  John,  Obadiah, 
Martha,  Mary  and  Deborah. 

(III)  James  Brown,  born  in  1666,  died  Oct. 
28,  1732.  He  married  Dec.  17,  1691,  Mary, 
born  Dec.  17,  1671,  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Mary  (Tew)  Harris.  She  died  Aug.  18,  1736. 
Mr.  Brown  served  almost  continuously  as  a 
member  of  the  town  council  from  1705  to  1725, 
and  was  town  treasurer  from  1714  to  1718.  He 
was  pastor  or  elder  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
succeeding  Rev.  Ebenezer  Jenckes,  and  he  re- 
mained pastor  until  his  death,  in  1732.  His 
children  were:  John,  James,  Joseph,  Martha, 
Andrew  (born  Sept.  20,  1706),  Mary,  Anna, 
Obadiah,  Jeremiah  and  Elisha. 

(IV)  Joseph  Brown,  son  of  James,  born 
May  5,  1701,  died  May  8,  1778.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  resided  in  North 
Providence.  He  married  (first)  Martha  Field, 
daughter  of  William,  of  Field's  Point ;  she  died 
April  19,  1736,  aged  twenty-six  years,  leaving 
one  son,  Gideon,  born  in  1726,  who  married 
Ruth  Rutenberg,  daughter  of  David  and 
Hannah  (Jenks)  Rutenberg.  Joseph  Brown 
married  (second)  Abigail  Brown,  who  died 
May  23,  1784,  in  her  seventy-third  year.  Their 
children  were:    Elisha,  Andrew  and  Joseph. 

(V)  Elisha  Brown,  son  of  Joseph,  of  North 
Providence,  married  Waite  Waterman,  of  Crans- 
ton,  R.    L,    daughter   of   Thomas   Waterman. 

"Their  children  were:  Welcome,  ))orn  May  12, 
1777;  Waterman,  Jan.  7,  1779;  Elizabeth,  Aug. 
23,  1780;  Lydia,  March  5,  1782;  Philena,  Sept. 
19,  1784;  Susanna,  Nov.  3;  1787;  Waite,  March 
13,  1789;  and  Catherine,  Oct.  3,  1791. 

(VI)  Waterman  Brown,  son  of  Elisha,  born 
Jan.   7,  1779,  married  Hannah  Congdon,  and 


they  had  children,  Salmon,  Waterman,  Welcome 
and  Elisha. 

(VII)  Waterman  Brown  (2),  son  of  Water- 
man, married  Eliza  A.  Highland,  and  their 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  born  in  Smithfield,  R.  I., 
was  engaged  as  a  school  teacher.  In  1874  she 
married  Walter  Hamlet  Faunce,  of  Kingston, 
Massachusetts. 

CHARLES  NELSON  ATWOOD,  the  well 
known  box  and  lumber  manufacturer  of  Rock, 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  wa,s  born  June  22,  1844, 
son  of  Ichabod  F.  and  Abigail  T.  (Thomas) 
Atwood. 

The  Atwood  family  was  one  of  some  conse- 
quence in  Great  Britain,  no  less  than  sixteen 
families  of  the  name  having  their  arms  entered 
in  the  Herald's  College.  On  each  side  of  the 
Atlantic  it  has  been  a  prolific  family.  One 
Mr.  John  Atwood,  "gent.,"  from  London,  came 
to  Plymouth  and  was  a  freeman  of  1636;  was 
assistant  in  1638.  He  died  in  1644,  leaving, 
says  Davis,  no  issue ;  and  who  further  says  that 
the  various  branches  of  the  Atwood  family  are 
descended  from  (I)  John  Wood,  of  Plymouth, 
1643.  He  was  called  Wood,  alias  Atwood.  He 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Richard  Masterson, 
and  their  children  were:  John,  born  in  1649; 
Nathaniel,  born  in  1651;  Isaac,  born  in  1653; 
Mary,  who  married  (first)  Rev.  John  Holmes, 
of  Duxbury,  and  (second)  Maj.  William  Brad- 
ford; Sarah,  who  married  John  Fallowell; 
Abigail,  who  married  Samuel  Leonard;  Mercy; 
Elizabeth;  and  Hannah,  who  married  Richard 
Cooper. 

(II)  Deacon  Nathaniel  Atwood,  son  of 
John,  bom  Feb.  25,  1651-52,  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Morey,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  John,  born  May  1,  1684;  Eliz- 
abeth, born  April  24,  1687;  Joanna,  born  Feb. 
27,  1689 ;  Mary,  born  April  26,  1691 ;  Nathan- 
iel, born  Oct.  3,  1693;  Isaac,  born  Dec.  29, 
1695;  Barnabas,  born  Jan.  1,  1697-98;  and 
Joanna  (2),  born  June  8,  1700.  The  father 
was  a  deacon  of  the  church.  He  died  Dec.  17, 
1724,  in  Plympton,  in  his  seventy-fourth  year. 

(III)  Lieut.  Nathaniel  Atwood  (3),  son  of 
Nathaniel,  born  Oct.  3,  1693,  married  (first) 
Mary,  daughter  of  Francis  Adams,  and  (sec- 
ond) Oct.  7,  1747,  Mrs.  Abigail  Lucas.  Mr. 
Atwood  served  as  lieutenant  in  the  military 
company  of  the  town.  He  lived  in  that  part 
of  Plymouth  which  became  Plympton.  His 
children  were :  Mary,  born  in  1723,  who  mar- 
ried Benjamin  Shaw;  Natha'niel,  born  in  1725; 
Francis,  born  in  1728  (bom  to  the  first  mar- 
riage) ;  Sarah,  who  married  Joseph  Barrows; 
Mercy,  who  married  Joseph  Warren;  Ebenezer, 


39 


610 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


born  in  1735;  Kezjah,  bom  in  1737;  William, 
born  in  1740;  Joseph,  born  in  1741;  and 
Ichabod,  born  in  1744  (by  the  second  mar- 
riage). 

(IV)  Ichabod  Atwood,  son  of  Lieut.  Na- 
thaniel, born  in  1744,  in  that  part  of  Plympton 
which  became  Carver,  Mass.,  married  Hannah, 
born  in  1751,  daughter  of  Capt.  Nathaniel  and 
Hannah  (Perkins)  Shaw,  of  Plympton.  Twelve 
children  were  born  to  them,  all  of  whom  lived 
to  attain  middle  life,  among  them  being  a  son 
Nathaniel,  born  April  28,  1782.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  and  also  a  dealer  in  lumber,  wood 
and  charcoal.  The  mother's  father,  Capt. 
Nathaniel  Shaw,  was  a  Patriot  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, commanding  a  company  in  that  mem- 
orable conflict. 

(V)  Nathaniel  Atwood  (3),  son  of  Ichabod, 
born  April  28,  1782,  in  Middleboro,  Mass., 
married  Zilpha,  born  in  1782,  daughter  of 
Francis  and  Mary  (Shaw)  ShurtlefE,  of 
Plympton  and  Carver,  Mass.,  and  of  their  chil- 
dren the  following  reached  mature  years: 
'Flora,  who  married  Elijah  Hackett;  Ichabod 
F.,  of  Middleboro,  Mass.;  and  Eeuel,  Gardiner 
and  Polly  died  young.  Natlianiel  Atwood  in- 
herited the  homestead,  and  like  his  father 
before  him  was  occupied  in  farming  and  dealt 
in  lumber,  wood  and  charcoal. 

(VI)  Ichabod  F.  Atwood,  son  of  Nathaniel 
(3),  was  born  in  Fall  Brook,  Middleboro, 
March  13,  1820.  He  attended  the  district 
school  and  Peirce  Academy,  and  at  about  the 
age  of  fifteen  began  to  teach.  For  some  thirty 
years  he  followed  this  profession,  and  with  the 
exception  of  a  single  year  confined  his  efforts 
to  Plymouth  county.  For  several  years  he  was 
connected  with  the  mills  at  Fall  Brook  and 
Eock,  making  his  home  in  the  latter  town  after 
1866.  In  politics  he  was  a  Eepublican,  and 
filled  many  important  local  offices,  being  justice 
of  the  peace  over  forty-five  years,  surveyor 
forty  years,  selectman  and  overseer  of  the  poor 
three  years,  member  of  the  school  committee 
several  years,  and  auditor  and  assessor.  He 
was  often  called  upon  to  administer  estates. 
In  his  religious  belief  he  was  a  Methodist.  In 
1841  he  married  Abigail  T.  Thomas,  daughter 
of  Harvey  C.  and  Hannah  C.  (Atwood) 
Thomas,  and  they  had  four  children:  Emery 
F.,  Charles  Nelson,  Harvey  N.  and  Hannah 
Z.  Mr.  Atwood  died  at. his  home  in  Rock  in 
1901,  aged  eighty-one  years,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Atwood  lot_in  the  Fall  Brook  cemetery, 
on  the  same  farni  where  he  was  born.  His 
wife  died  in  1906,  aged  eighty-four  years,  and 
was  buried  in  the  same  cemetery. 

(VII)  Charles  Nelson  Atwood,  son  of  Ich- 


abod F.,  born  June  22,  1844,  grew  to  manhood 
on  the  farm,  and  what  education  he  obtained 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Middle- 
boro. He  worked  on  the  home  place  and  in 
the  mill  until  1879,  when  he  took  charge  of 
the  mill  and  box  manufacturing  plant,  where 
he  has  continued  for  the  past  thirty-two  years 
with  great  success.  He  has  made  extensive 
improvements  in  the  plant,  and  in  1904  he 
admitted  his  son  Levi  0.  into  partnership  with 
him,  the  firm  name  being  changed  to  C.  N. 
Atwood  &  Son.  Close  attention  to  business, 
untiring  energy  and  upright  principles  have 
marked  Mr.  Atwood's  business  career,  and  he 
is  reaping  his  reward  not  alone  in  worldly 
goods  but  in  the  respect  of  his  associates.  He 
built  a  modern  home  at  Eock,  and  there  he 
has  since  lived  in  comfort. 

Mr.  Atwood  is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas 
and  public  spirit.  He  has  taken  a  leading, 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  is  at  present  filling 
the  office  of  selectman,  to  which  he  was  elected 
in  1908.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Eepublican, 
and  in  religious  faith  a  Congregationalist,  be- 
ing at  the  present  time  treasurer  of  the  Con- 
gregational Society  of  Eock,  which  office  he  has 
held  for  a  number  of  years.  For  several  years 
he  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association.  He  is  also  a  trustee  of 
the  Middleboro  Savings  Bank,  and  of  the  Co- 
operative Bank,  of  Middleboro.  He  is  a  lover 
of  outdoor  life,  and  finds  great  enjoyment  in 
automobiling.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atwood  have 
traveled  extensively  in  this  country  as  well  as 
in  Europe;  they  have  made  several  trips  to 
California  and  Mexico. 

On  Oct.  23,  1866,  Mr.  Atwood  married 
(first)  Eozilla  A.  Barrows,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Orville  and  Amanda  N.  (Wood)  Barrows. 
She  died  Nov.  22,  1874,  in  the  twenty-ninth 
year  of  her  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  ceme- 
tery at  Eock.  To  this  union  were  born:  (1) 
Alton  Barrows,  born  Sept.  20,  1868,  is  men- 
tioned below.  (2)  Levi  Orville,  born  May  4, 
1870,  is  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  C. 
N.  Atwood  &  Son.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
the  Middleboro  National  Bank,  and  a  trustee 
of  the  Cooperative  Bank;  and  president  of  the 
Business  Men's  Club  and  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  of  Middleboro.  On  Sept. 
27,  1892,  he  married  (first)  Eva  G.  Tinkham, 
and  his  second  marriage  was  to  Gertrude  Col- 
lier. He  has  three  children,  two  by  the  first 
marriage,  Eose  Anita,  bom  Oct.  24,  1897,  and 
Marian  Nelson,  born  May  18,  1899;  and  one 
by  the  second,  Grace  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  27, 
1908. 

Mr.   Charles  N.  Atwood  married    (second) 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


611 


Oct.  17,  1876,  Sarah  A.  Gibbs,  daughter  of 
Francis  Bradford  and  Tirzah  Swift  (Morse) 
Gibbs,  of  Middleboro,  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  oldest  families  of  Barnstable  county,  and 
as  well  a  descendant  of  Revolutionary  stock 
through  the  Morse  family.  By  this  union 
there  is  one  son,  Ichabod  F.,  born  Feb.  28, 
1883,  who  graduated  from  the  Massachusetts 
School  of  Technology  in  1903,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  box  manufacturing  in  Chelsea  with 
his  brother;  he  is  unmarried. 

(VIII)  Alton  Baeeows  Atwood,  eldest 
son  of  Charles  N.  and  Rozilla  (Barrows) 
Atwood,  was  born  at  Rock,  town  of  Middleboro, 
Sept.  20,  1868.  He  attended  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  Middleboro,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  1885.  He  then  began  to  learn 
the  boxmaking  business  in  his  father's  factory 
at  Rock,  where  he  continued  until  1893,  be- 
coming familiar  with  all  branches  of  the  bus- 
iness. In  the  latter  year  he  went  to  Chelsea, 
Mass.,  and  there  formed  a  partnership  with  H. 
P.  McManus,  under  the  firm  name  of  Atwood 
&  McManus,  the  father,  Charles  N.  Atwood, 
owning  a  third  interest  in  the  business.  Here 
a  large  plant  was  built,  and  the  manufacture 
of  wooden  boxes  and  packing  cases  was  begun 
on  June  1,  1893,  since  which  time  they  have 
been  kept  busy  with  the  increasing  demand  for 
the  product,  now  having  one  of  the  largest 
factories  of  the  kind  in  New  England.  On 
Sept.  21,  1908,  the  plant  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  after  having  escaped  the  great  Chelsea  fire 
of  but  a  few  months  before,  and  they  met  with 
a  heavy  loss.  However,  they  were  not  .dismayed, 
and  in  place  of  the  first  structure  they  erected 
fine  brick  buildings,  fully  equipped  with  up-to- 
date  machinery,  which  was  put  into  operation 
June  1,  1909.  The  firm  owns  timber  tracts  in 
many  parts  of  New  England,  from  which  the 
supply  of  lumber  is  obtained,  and  also  has 
several  sawmills  in  operation.  Mr.  Atwood  is 
a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  and  is  farsighted 
in  his  investments.  He  gives  his  entire  time 
and  attention  to  the  business  he  knows  so  thor- 
oughly, and  his  genial  personality  has  made 
him  friends  with  the  trade  and  with  his  em- 
ployees as  well.  In  politics  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  but  he  takes  no  active  part  in 
party  work.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Robert  Lash  Lodge,  A.  P.  &  A.  M.,  of  Chel- 
sea. He  is  also  identified  with  the  financial 
institutions  of  Chelsea,  being  vice  president  of 
the  Chelsea  Trust  Company,  and  a  trustee  of 
the  County  Savings  Bank.  Mr.  Atwood  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of 
Chelsea,  and  has  served  as  treasurer  of  the 
church   and   as   a   member   of   the   prudential 


committee;  he  was  also  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee  which  had  charge  of  the  erection 
of  the  present  church  edifice,  which  was  built 
in  1905-06. 

In  January,  1895,  Mr.  Atwood  married 
Maud  L.  Webster,  of  Chelsea,  who  died  Sept. 
7,  1900.  On  April  17,  1907,  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Mabel  E.  Coan,  of  Everett,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Charles  Nelson,  2d,  bom  May 
1,  1909. 


Barrows.  The  Barrows  family,  to  which 
the  late  Mrs.  Charles  N.  Atwood  belonged,  was 
early  settled  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony. 
John  Barrus  (or  Barrows,  etc.),  born  in  1609, 
in  England,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  left 
Yarmouth,  England,  his  wife  Anne  accompany- 
ing him,  and  came  to  America,  settling  at 
Salem,  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony.  He 
and  his  wife  received  grants  of  land  in  Salem 
in  1637,  and  were  inhabitants  of  that  town  for 
twenty-eight  years,  and  all  their  children  were 
born  there.  They  removed  to  Plymouth  before 
1665,  and  John,  the  immigrant,  died  there  in 
1692.  His  will  shows  that  he  left  a  second 
wife,  younger  than  himself,  and  four  sons: 
Robert;  John;  Benajah,  who  lived  in  Attle- 
boro;  and  Ebenezer,  who  lived  in  Cumberland, 
R.  I.;  and  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Deborah. 

Robert  Barrows,  born  in  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts Bay  Colony,  removed  with  his  father  to 
Plymouth.  He  had  by  his  first  wife,  Ruth 
(Bonum),  four  children:  John,  born  in  1667, 
who  died  in  Plymouth  in  1720;  George,  born 
in  1670;  Samuel,  who  died  in  Middleboro  in 
1755;  and  Mehetabel,  who  married  Adam 
Wright.  He  married  (second)  Lydia  Dunham 
and  had  children :  Robert,  born  in  1689,  who 
died  in  Mansfield,  Conn.,  in  1779;  Thankful, 
born  in  1692,  who  married  Isaac  King;  Elisha, 
who  died  in  1767  in  Rochester,  Mass. ;  Thomas, 
who  died  in  Mansfield  in  1779;  Lydia,  who 
married  Thomas  Branch;  and  Capt.  George. 

Samuel  Barrows,  son  of  Robert,  was  bom  in 
1672.  He  settled  in  Middleboro,  and  in  about 
1700  built  a  garrison  house  which  is  still 
standing  and  known  as  the  old  Barrows  house. 
He  was  elected  deacon  of  the  First  Church 
in  1725.  He  married  (first)  Mercy  Coombs, 
who  died  in  1718,  and  (second)  Joanna  Smith. 
He  died  Dec.  30,  1755,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

There,  too,  was  a  Samuel  Barrows,  who  is 
judged  by  Weston,  in  his  work  on  Middleboro, 
Mass.,  to  be  a  son  of  the  immigrant  settler 
John  Barrows,  who  was  an  early  settler  of 
Middleboro,  and  before  the  breaking  out  of 
King   Philip's   war,    1675,   had   built   a   dam 


613 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


across  the  Nemasket  river,  some  fifty  rods  above 
the  present  Star  Mills,  and  erected  a  gristmill, 
in  which  he  worked.  On  the  morning  of  the 
attack  upon  the  town,  after  the  Indians  had 
been  shot,  he  saw  a  band  approacliing  the  mill, 
and  fled  to  the  fort  uninjured.  The  records  of 
the  First  Church  of  Middleboro  show  that  he 
had  acquired  a  share  in  the  Twenty-six  Men's 
Purchase  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  war. 
This  much  concerning  the  early  history  of  the 
Middleboro  Barrows  family,  but  in  the  absence 
of  earlier  vital  records  of  the  especial  branch 
of  the  Barrows  family  treated  below  the  con- 
nection between  the  earlier  and  later  family 
is  rendered  impracticable  to  make. 

Benjamin  Barrows  lived  in  Middleboro  and 
was  the  father  of  Nathaniel  Barrows,  who 
married  Hannah  Jones. 

Nathaniel  Barrows,  son  of  Benjamin,  was 
bom  in  Middleboro.  To  him  and  his  wife 
Hannah  Jones  were  born  children  as  follows: 
Lois,  born  May  28,  1767;  Eunice,  Oct.  13, 
1769  (died  Aug.  22,  1791);  Abisha,  Jan.  3, 
1772;  Nathaniel,  March  24,  1774;  Abigail, 
July  31,  1776;  Josiah,  July  25,  1778;  Asa, 
Feb.  25,  1781 ;  Freeman,  March  22,  1783 ;  Nel- 
son, Sept.  23,  1786;  and  Stillman,  Sept.  3, 
1789.  The  father  of  these  children  died  Nov. 
15,  1803,  in  Middleboro,  aged  sixty-two  years. 

Asa  Barrows,  son  of  Nathaniel,  was  born  in 
Middleboro  Feb.  25,  1781.  He  married  Sarah 
Cobb,  and  they  had  a  son,  William  Orville. 

William  Orville  Barrows,  son  of  Asa,  mar- 
ried in  Middleboro,  Feb.  18,  1826,  Amanda  N. 
Wood,  daughter  of  Noah  and  Nancy  (Norton) 
Wood,  and  their  children  were :  Levi  Marshall, 
born  May  13,  1828,  died  Oct.  19,  1828 ;  Nancy 
N.,  born  Dec.  26,  1829,  died  Dec.  4,  1866; 
Deborah  Shaw,  born  Feb.  26,  1832,  married 
June  1,  1850,  Josiah  B.  Thomas,  and  resides 
at  Peabody,  Mass. ;  Rozilla  Amanda,  born  June 
23,  1846,  married  Oct.  23,  1866,  Charles  N. 
Atwood,  and  died  Nov.  22,  1874. 

HATHAWAY.  (I)  Nicholas  Hathaway 
was  one  among  a  company  of  men  migrating 
from  some  of  the  older  towns  who  went  to  re- 
side within  the  borders  of  Taunton,  and  were 
designated  as  "first  settlers,"  a  term  which  has 
adhered  and  served  to  distinguish  them  from 
the  first  purchasers.  Mr.  Hathaway  had  so- 
journed for  a  time  at  Boston  and  purchased 
lands  in  that  vicinity  before  going  to  Taunton; 
land  was  granted  to  him  at  Mount  Woollystone 
in  February,  1639,  he  being  then  designated  of 
Monaticott.  It  seems  that  in  that  year,  or 
1640,  he  went  to  Taunton,  where  he  became  an 
extensive  land  owner.    He  had  a  son  John,  and 


probably  Joseph  and  Jacob  Hathaway,  of  Taun- 
ton, were  also  his  sons. 

(II)  John  Hathaway,  born  in  1629,  was  at 
Taunton  with  his  father  and  the  time  of  their 
going  there  is  determined  by  a  deposition  in 
which  John  makes  the  declaration  that  his 
knowledge  of  the  boundaries  and  occupation  of 
certain  portions  of  the  town  extended  as  far 
back  as  1639  and  1640.  His  name  appears  with 
those  who  in  1657  had  taken  the  oath  of  fidelity. 
In  1658  he  purchased  with  two  associates  four 
hundred  acres  of  "meadow  and  upland"  in  that 
part  of  Taunton  which  afterward  became  in- 
corporated as  the  town  of  Berkley.  In  1659, 
when  a  division  of  land  was  made,  John  Hath- 
away was  recorded  as  having  seven  heads  in 
his  family  and  received  a  share  in  proportion 
to  that  number.  He  was  made  a  freeman  in 
1670.  In  1671  he  purchased  the  eighteenth 
lot  of  the  Freetown  lands  and  thereupon  estab- 
lished his  eldest  son,  John  Hathaway,  Jr.  In 
1676  he  was  chosen  constable,  then  an  office 
of  great  responsibility  and  power.  He  was 
elected  deputy  in  1680  and  served  five  successive 
years;  and  in  1681  he  was  chosen  one  of  the 
selectmen  of  the  town.  He  was  again  constable 
in  1690,  when  engaged  in  reorganizing  the 
military  companies,  in  one  of  which  he  served 
as  ensign.  He  was  again  elected  deputy  to  the 
General  Court  at  Plymouth  in  1691.  In  1695 
a  company  of  well-known  citizens,  with  John 
Hathaway,  Sr.,  of  the  number,  set  up  a  bloom- 
ery  or  forge  on  Stony  brook,  which  was  after- 
ward known  as  the  Leonard  Iron  Works  of 
Norton.  He  was  a  representative  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts General  Court  in  1696  and  1697.  Mr. 
Hathaway  was  twice  married ;  the  Christian 
name  of  his  first  wife,  the  mother  of  his  chil- 
dren, was  Martha,  and  that  of  the  second  Ruth. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  Ruth  died  in  1705,  she 
in  September  of  that  year.  His  home  was  in 
that  part  of  Berkley  known  as  "The  Farms." 
Mr.  Hathaways  children  were :  John,  born  in 
1650;  Abraham,  born  in  1652;  Isaac,  born  in 
1655;  Ephraim,  born  in  1661;  Abigail,  and 
Rebecca.  Of  these,  Abraham  married  Rebecca 
Wilbore  and  settled  in  Berkley,  and  died  in 
1725.  Isaac  married  Mary  Pitts,  settled  in 
Berkley,  and  died  in  1722.  Ephraim  married 
and  settled  in  Dighton,  and  died  in  1718. 
Rebecca  married  Jared  Talbot,  theirs  being  the 
first  marriage  recorded  in  the  town  of  Dighton. 

(III)  John  Hathaway  (2),  born  in' 1650, 
married  Hannah,  daughter  of  James  Burt,  and 
settled  in  Freetown,  where  he  died  in  1730.  As 
stated,  his  father  had  installed  him  upon  the 
lot  of  the  Freetown  lands  he  purchased  in  1671. 
He  became  one  of  the  leading  citizens  there. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


613 


(IV)  Isaac  Hathaway,  son  of  John  (2),  set- 
tled in  Berkley,  Mass.,  where  he  died.  He  is 
said  to  have  inherited  a  part  of  the  homestead 
of  his  father,  and  also  the  iron  forge  which 
was  established  by  his  father,  the  first  forge 
in  the  town ;  he  also  owned  a  mill,  and,  as  may 
be  judged,  was  a  man  of  snap  and  enterprise. 
On  Feb.  22,  1711,  he  married  Sarah  Makepeace, 
and  they  had  children  born  as  follows:  Sarah, 
Nov.  14,  1712;  Anna,  Dec.  7,  1714;  Eebecea, 
March  1,  1716;  Abijah,  March  21,  1719; 
Thomas,  March  23,  1721;  Nicholas,  April  1, 
1723;  and  Peleg.  Of  these,  Nicholas  inherited 
a  part  of  the  original  purchase — the  eighteenth 
lot  of  the  Freetown  lands — made  by  his  great- 
grandfather John  Hathaway.  On  Sept.  8,  1744, 
he  married  Rebecca  Merrick,  and  his  children 
were :  Stephen,  Elkanah,  Isaac,  Sarah,  Dighton 
and  Rebecca. 

(V)  Thomas  Hathaway,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Sarah  (Makepeace)  Hathaway,  bom  in  Free- 
town March  23,  1721,  married  (first)  Jerusha 
Hathaway.  Children:  Samuel  and  Thomas 
(baptized  Oct.  16,  1759).  By  his  second  wife, 
Abigail  Babbitt,  he  also  had  two  children, 
Abner  and  Abbey,  twins. 

(VI)  Samuel  Hathaway,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Jerusha  (Hathaway)  Hathaway^  baptized  Oct. 
16,  1759,  married  Mary  Evans,  of  Freetown. 
Children:  Samuel,  born  Aug.  31,  1781,  who 
married  Hannah  Cook;  Evans,  born  March  7, 
1783;  Hannah,  born  April  26,  1785;  Jerusha, 
born  March  17,  1787;  Thomas,  born  Jan.  18, 
1789;  Peleg,  born  Aug.  2,  1791;  Isaac,  born 
Aug.  21,  1794;  Rosamond,  born  Aug.  15,  1796 
(died  unmarried)  ;  Lucy,  who  married  Eben 
Delano,  of  Fairhaven;  Polly;  and  Sally,  who 
died  unmarried. 

(VII)  Samuel  Hathaway  (2),  son  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  (Evans)  Hathaway,  born 
Aug.  31,  1781,  married  Hannah  Cook,  who  was 
born  March  6,  1773,  and  they  had  children  as 
follows:  Samuel,  born  Oct.  31,  1807;  Evans, 
who  died  at  sea  June  10,  1842,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years;  Hannah,  who  married  Alan- 
son  Sweet  and  lived  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.;  and 
Mary,  who  died  unmarried  Feb.  5,  1842,  aged 
thirty-two. 

(VIII)  Samuel  Hathaway  (3),  son  of 
Samuel  (2)  and  Hannah  (Cook)  Hathaway, 
was  born  Oct.  31,  1807,  in  Freetown,  Mass. 
His  father  dying,  the  mother  and  her  four 
children  removed  to  Fall  River  in  1817,  when 
Samuel  was  ten  years  of  age.  He  being  the 
eldest  child  circumstances  made  it  necessary 
for  him  to  assist  in  the  support  of  the  family, 
and  he  had  but  meager  school  advantages.  He 
began  employment  in  1824  at  Robeson's  Print 


Works  and  in  time  learned  the  art  of  color 
mixing  and  became  overseer  of  the  color  mixing 
department  of  the  works.  He  retained  this 
position  for  a  number  of  years,  until  he  became 
manager,  which  position  he  retained  until  the 
concern  changed  hands,  in  1848,  Andrew  Robe- 
son, the  principal  proprietor,  then  retiring 
from  business.  This  change  in  ownership  of 
the  business  made  one  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Hatha- 
way, who  then  engaged  in  farming  near  the 
then  village,  as  it  were,  of  Fall  River,  an  occu- 
pation he  practically  continued  in  through  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Hathaway  developed  into  one  of  the 
foremost  citizens  of  his  day  in  Fall  River. 
Possessing  a  rugged,  independent  character,  he 
was  always  bold  in  his  denunciation  of  what 
he  considered  shams  and  frauds  and  earnest 
in  the  defense  of  what  he  thought  was  just  and 
true.  He  was  largely  interested  in  the  manu- 
facturing interests  of  Fall  River,  having  been 
a  prime  mover  in  organizing  the  Robeson  Mills, 
and  an  active  participant  in  the  founding  of 
the  Stafford  and  Davol  Mills.  He  was  a  director 
of  them  all  and  also  of  the  Watuppa  and  Granite 
Mills  from  their  organization  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  and  was  president  of  the  Robeson 
Mills.  He  was  also  a  director  of  the  Manufac- 
turers' Gas  Company.  He  was  active  in  the 
organization  of  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank  of 
Fall  River  in  1851,  and  from  the  start  until 
his  death  was  a  member  of  the  bank's  board 
of  investment.  He  assisted  in  organizing,  ill 
1854,  the  Pocasset  Bank,  of  which  from  the 
start  on  through  his  life  he  was  a  director,  and 
its  president  during  the  last  decade  or  more  of 
his  life.  As  a  banker  he  was  noted  for  his 
sound  judgment,  strict  integrity  and  faithful 
performance  of  all  the  trusts  reposed  in  him. 
Mr.  Hathaway  had  little  or  no  taste  for 
politics  and  political  preferment,  yet  he  ever 
had  a  great  interest  in  the  public  welfare  and 
performed  his  duty  in  citizenship  in  the  way  of 
earnest  support  of  correct  principles  and  the 
putting  of  the  most  suitable  men  into  oflSce. 
He  was  for  one  year  a  member  of  the  board 
of  aldermen,  but  declined  a  reelection  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  office.  He  was  asked 
a  number  of  times  to  become  a  candidate  for 
the  office  of  mayor,  but  as  often  declined.  Per- 
haps no  one  in  Fall  River  of  his  day  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  the  people  of  the  city  to  a 
greater  extent  than  Mr.  Hathaway.  His  judg- 
ment was  valued  by  his  associates  in  the  many 
official  relations  he  sustained.  He  was  an 
earnest  friend  of  temperance  and  active  in 
every  effort  for  the  moral  welfare  of  the  city. 
He  was  a  friend  to  the  widow  and  the  orphan. 


614 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


His  life  was  well  lived  and  the  memory  of  its 
uprightness  and  of  his  good  deeds  has  lived 
after  him. 

On  March  3,  1832,  Mr.  Hathaway  was  mar- 
ried to  Abby,  born  Aug.  10,  1811,  in  Fall  Eiver, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Rhoda  (Borden)  War- 
ren. Ten  children  blessed  the  marriage,  those 
who  survived  the  father  being:  Abbie  (born 
Oct.  7,  1833,  died  Oct.  20,  1895),  wife  of 
Eleazer  Waldron,  of  Fall  Eiver;  Edward  E. 
(born  Oct.  14,  1836),  who  died  May  9,  1911; 
Marion  A.  (born  May  31,  1841),  wife  of  Henry 
Frye,  of  Providence,  E.  I.;  Samuel  W.  (born 
Aug.  3,  1843) ;  and  Clarence  M.  (born  April 
38,  1855). 

Mr.  Hathaway  died  at  his  home  in  Fall 
Biver,  Mass.,  April  4,  1873,  when  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age;  Mrs.  Hathaway  died 
Feb.  10,  1869. 

(IX)  Edwakd  E.  Hathaway,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Abby  (Warren)  Hathaway,  was  born  in 
Fall  Eiver  Oct.  14,  1836,  and  after  attending 
the  public  schools  there  went  to  Middleboro 
Academy  to  finish  his  education.  His  father 
had  been  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Citizens' 
Savings  Bank  when  it  was  organized  in  1851 
as  the  Savings  Bank  in  Tiverton,  and  on  June 
12,  1854,  Edward  E.  Hathaway  was  elected 
assistant  treasurer  of  the  institution.  The 
Pocasset  Bank  of  Tiverton  (later  the  Pocasset 
National  Bank  of  Fall  Eiver)  began  operations 
the  following  month,  in  the  same  office,  and 
he  also  became  a  clerk  of  that.  He  continued 
in  the  banking  business  throughout  his  life. 
In  1862  William  H.  Brackett,  the  first  treasurer 
of  the  Savings  Bank  and  the  first  cashier  of 
the  Pocasset  Bank,  resigned  to  become  cashier 
of  the  Washington  Bank  of  Boston,  and  Mr. 
Hathaway  succeeded  him  in  both  positions,  to 
which  he  was  elected  Dec.  9th  of  that  year.  He 
continued  as  cashier  of  the  Pocasset  Bank  until 
1903,  when  it  united  with  the  Massasoit  Na- 
tional and  the  National  Union  Banks  to  form 
the  present  Massasoit  Pocasset  National  Bank, 
of  which  he  became  vice  president  and  director. 
He  was  one  of  the  committee  which  had 
cliarge  of  the  erection  of  its  new  building.  He 
continued  as  treasurer  of  the  Savings  Bank 
until  his  death,  having  held  that  position  al- 
most forty  years.  On  April  15,  1873,  he  suc- 
ceeded his  father  as  director  of  the  Pocasset 
National  Bank,  and  became  a  trustee  of  the 
Savings  Bank  in  1900. 

.  When  Mr.  Hathaway  first  became  associated 
with  the  Savings  Bank  it  was  but  a  small  insti- 
tution, located  in  the  brick  building  still  stand- 
ing on  the  northeast  corner  of  South  Main  and 
Eodman  streets,  then  in  Ehode  Island,  the  Fall 


Eiver  Union  Bank  building.  The  change  in 
the  boundary  line  between  Massachusetts  and 
Ehode  Island,  in  March,  1862,  brought  the  bank 
within  Massachusetts  territory,  and  it  assumed 
its  present  title  of  Citizens'  Savings  Bank  and 
removed  to  an  office  on  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  first  floor  of  the  City  Hall,  where  it  re- 
mained until  1873,  when,  with  the  Pocasset 
Bank,  with  which  it  had  been  associated  from 
the  time  the  latter  was  formed,  it  occupied  the 
present  quarters  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Bedford  streets,  the  Savings  Bank  purchasing 
same  from  the  Pocasset  when  the  latter  went 
out  of  business.  Under  Mr.  Hathaway's 
direction  the  Citizens'  Bank  grew  until  it  now 
has  over  eight  thousand  depositors,  and  deposits 
of  more  than  five  million  dollars. 

In  addition  to  his  long  connection  with  local 
banking  interests  Mr.  Hathaway  was  for  many 
years  identified  with  the  cotton  manufacturing 
industry  in  Fall  Eiver,  was  one  of  the  first  board  • 
of  directors  of  the  Osborn  Mills,  of  which  he 
continued  to  be  a  director  up  to  the  time  of 
his  death,  and  was  president  of  three  corpora- 
tions, the  Chace  Mills  (from  1886),  the  Granite 
Mills  (from  1904)  and  the  Stafford  Mills  (for 
a  shorter  period). 

In  all  his  relations  Mr.  Hathaway  displayed 
marked  faithfulness  to  duty  and  devotion  to 
the  interests  in  his  charge.  His  only  public 
office  was  that  of  sinking  fund  commissioner, 
which  he  held  continuously  from  1879  until  his 
death.  Though  in  poor  health  for  some  years, 
and  perceptibly  worse  during  his  last  few 
months,  he  attended  to  his  business  affairs  to 
the  very  end,  dying  May  9,  1911,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-four  years.  "He  was  of  a  reserved  and 
retiring  nature,  though  always  courteous  with 
all  who  came  in  contact  with  him,  always  well 
liked  by  all  who  were  privileged  to  know  him 
at  all  well.  His  associates  in  business  held  him 
in  very  high  regard,  and  so  did  all  who  worked 
under  him.  In  his  position  as  one  of  its  lead- 
ing bankers  he  had  much  to  do  with  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  city." 

On  March  16,  1869,  Mr.  Hathaway  married 
Ella  B.  Coggeshall,  daughter  of  Capt.  Frederick 
B.  Coggeshall,  and  they  had  one  child,  Mary, 
born  in  1872,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  Mrs.  Hathaway  died  Jan.  2,  1903.  Mr. 
Hathaway  was  a  member  of  no  church  or  so- 
ciety, but  attended  the  Central  Congregational 
Church. 

(IX)  Samuel  West  Hathaway,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Abby  (Warren)  Hathaway,  was 
born  in  Fall  Eiver,  Mass.,  Aug.  3,  1843.  He 
received  his  educational  training  in  the  public 
schools  of  Fall  Eiver,  and  for  three  years  in 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


615 


early  life  followed  the  trade  of  machinist. 
Working  first  at  the  Watuppa  Mill  as  a 
mechanic,  he  finally  became  superintendent,  and 
in  1871  became  the  superintendent  of  the 
Stafford  Mill,  which  position  he  held  for  thirty- 
two  years,  retiring  in  1903.  He  is  the  oldest 
director  of  the  Stafford  Mill  and  is  a  member 
of  the  board  of  investment  of  the  Citizens'  Sav- 
ings Bank  of  Fall  Eiver.  Mr.  Hathaway  mar- 
ried Sept.  1,  1864,  Sarah  D.  Eddy,  daughter 
of  Jervis  W.  Eddy,  of  Somerset,  and  to  them 
were  born  four  children,  viz. :  Samuel  E., 
Nov.  3, 1865,  is  mentioned  below ;  Abby  Warren, 
March  11,  1873,  married  David  T.  Wilcox  and 
had  a  son,  Samuel  Edward  H. ;  Danforth  Hor- 
ton,  March  17,  1881,  married  Anna  Osborn 
Swift,  and  has  Samuel  W.  and  Orson  (he  is 
treasurer  of  the  Pilgrim  Mill  of  Fall  River, 
and  of  the  Barrowsville  Bleachery) ;  and  Joseph 
H.,  July  2,  1884,  treasurer  of  Wilcox  &  Hatha- 
way, cloth  brokers  in  Fall  Eiver. 

(X)  Samdel  E.  Hathaway,  late  superin- 
tendent of  the  Fall  Biver  Iron  Works  Company, 
was  born  Nov.  3, 1865,  son  of  Samuel  W.  Hath- 
away. He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Fall  Eiver,  and  then  started  out  at 
the  age  of  nineteen,  to  learn  practical  manu- 
facturing at  the  Stafford  Mill,  where  he  finally 
became  an  overseer  in  the  card  room.  In  July, 
1889,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  he  was 
selected  bv  M.  C.  D.  Borden  for  superintendent 
of  the  Iron  Works  Mills,  and  he  superin- 
tended the  construction  of  No.  1  Mill  and  all 
of  those  following,  at  the  same  time  buying 
all  the  cotton  and  supplies  for  the  entire  plant 
and  acting  as  the  superintendent  of  the  several 
mills.  As  a  manufacturer  he  was  very  success- 
ful, his  energy  and  untiring  labor  contributing 
largely  to  the  success  of  the  Iron  Works  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Hathaway  was  a  thirty-second-de- 
gree Mason,  a  past  master  of  King  Philip 
Lodge,  and  a  past  commander  of  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  Commandery.  A  fine  musician,  he 
weekly  entertained  a  gathering  of  some  of  his 
musical  friends  at  his  home,  and  took  great  en- 
joyment in  it. 

On  Feb.  15,  1887,  Mr.  Hathaway  married 
Maud  Clifton,  daughter  of  Theodore  W. 
Borden,  and  granddaughter  of  Cook  Borden. 
Their  children  were :  Alice  Borden,  born  Sept. 
5,  1893,  who  graduated  from  the  Fall  River 
High  School  in  1910  and  then  attended  Lasell 
Seminary;  and  Theodore  Borden,  born  Aug. 
22,  1896. 

Mr.  Hathaway  had  not  been  in  good  health 
for  a  number  of  years  before  his  death,  and 
had  taken  several  trips  abroad  in  the  hope  of 
regaining  his  strength,  but  in  spite  of  all  that 


medical  skill  could  do  for  him  he  closed  his  life 
work  on  the  afternoon  of  Nov.  16,  1910.  On 
the  day  of  the  funeral  the  entire  plant  of  the 
Iron  Works  Company  was  closed  as  a  tribute 
of  respect. 

(IX)  Clarence  M.  Hathaway,  son  of 
Samuel,  born  April  28,  1855,  in  Tiverton  (now 
a  part  of  Fall  Eiver),  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Fall  River,  graduating  from 
the  high  school  in  1875.  His  first  business 
employment  was  as  a  clerk  in  the  cotton  mill 
now  known  as  the  Fall  River  Print  Works. 
From  there  he  changed  to  the  Robeson  Mills, 
as  bookkeeper  under  Linden  Cook,  the  treasurer 
of  the  works  at  that  time,  and  so  well  ,did  he 
apply  and  adapt  himself  to  the  business  that 
upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Cook  he  succeeded  him 
in  the  treasurership.  He  was  retained  in  that 
position  until  the  reorganization  of  the  Eobeson 
Mills,  in  1897,  when,  upon  the  organization  of 
the  selling  committee  for  the  mills,  he  became 
bookkeeper.  When  that  arrangement  was  aban- 
doned, in  1901,  Mr.  Hathaway  became  the  sec- 
retary of  the  Cotton  Manufacturers'  Association, 
a  position  he  still  fills.  He  has  given  all  his 
time  and  energy  to  business,  taking  no  part  at 
any  time  in  public  matters.  His  standing 
among  his  business  associates,  for  both  ability 
and  unquestionable  uprightness  of  character,  is 
of  the  highest. 

On  Nov.  12,  1889,  Mr.  Hathaway  married 
Alice  R.  Taber,  daughter  of  Capt.  Jacob  and 
Hannah  (Blackmer)  Taber,  of  New  Bedford. 
They  have  no  children.  Mr.  Hathaway  is  a 
member  of  the  Unitarian  Church  at  Fall  River. 

Mr.  Hathaways  maternal  lineage,  in  the 
Warren  line,  is  traced  back  in  America  to 
bichard  Warren,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620, 
from  whom  he  is  a  descendant  in  the  ninth 
generation.  In  the  Old  World,  however,  the 
line  is  traced  back  to  the  ninth  century.  We 
have  the  following  account  of  this  family: 

In  the  ninth  or  tenth  century  a  Danish 
knight  and  wife  had  children:  Gunnora,  who 
married  Richard  (I),  Duke  of  Normandy; 
Herfastes,  who  married  Walter  de  H.  Martine ; 
and  four  other  daughters.  About  the  year  900 
King  Charles  of  France,  called  the  "Simple," 
conferred  on  Rollo  (or  Rolf)  the  Duchy  after- 
ward called  Normandy.  Rollo  (or  Rolf)  was 
a  Dane  and  was  one  of  the  celebrated  Normans 
(a  Northman)  in  the  invasion  of  that  country 
by  the  Danish  so-called  "sea  robbers,"  or  sea 
kings.  Rollo  (or  Rolf)  while  living  in  and 
holding  that  country  married  Poppa,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Bevangarius,  Count  of  Bayeaux.  Rollo 
(or  Rolf)  died  in  931.  Rollo  (first  Duke  of 
Normandy)  and  Poppa  had  children :  William, 


616 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


second  Duke  of  Normandy,  called  Longsword; 
and  Robert,  fifth  Count  of  Corbiel. 

William,  second  Duke  of  Normandy,  married 
Adela,  daughter  of  Hubert,  Count  of  Senlis. 
William  was  slain  in  948.  His  wife  Adela  died 
in  960.  They  had  children:  Richard  (I), 
called  the  "Fearless,"  and  Walter  de  H.  Martine. 
Richard  the  Fearless  married  Gunnora,  daugh- 
ter of  a  Danish  knight,  as  previously  recorded, 
and  had  children:  Richard  (II),  surnamed 
the  "Good,"  and  Emma,  who  married  Ethelred 
(II),  of  England.  Richard  (II)  was  father 
of  Richard  (III)  and  Robert  the  "Magnificent." 
Robert  was  the  father  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
who  was  born  out  of  wedlock,  his  mother  being 
Aletta  (or  Herlava),  the  daughter  of  a  tanner. 

Walter  de  H.  Martine,  second  son  of  Wil- 
liam (second  Duke  of  Normandy),  married 
Herfastes,  daughter  of  a  Danish  knight,  and 
their  son  was  William  de  Warrenne,  first  Earl 
of  Warrenne  in  Normandy.  The  latter  married 
a  daughter  of  Ralph  de  Forta,  and  their  son, 
William  de  Warrenne,  was  by  inheritance  sec- 
ond Earl  of  Warrenne  in  Normandy,  but  by 
act  of  William  the  Conqueror  (whose  daughter 
Gundreda  he  married)  was  created  first  Earl 
of  Warren  and  Surrey  in  England.  The  first 
Warren  known  on  English  soil  was  William, 
first  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey,  son  of  Wil- 
liam de  Warrenne,  first  Earl  of  Warrenne  in 
Normandy.  He  accompanied  William  the 
Conqueror  to  England,  took  an  important  part 
in  the  battle  of  Hastings,  fought  Oct.  14,  1066, 
and  was  so  highly  esteemed  by  the  Conqueror 
that  the  latter  gave  him  lands  in  almost  every 
county  in  England  and  also  conferred  on  him 
the  Earldom  of  Surrey.  Settling  in  England, 
he  selected  for  his  residence  the  village  of 
Lewes,  in  the  County  of  Sussex.  (He  is  No.  13 
in  the  genealogy.) 

He  married  Gundreda,  daughter  of  William 
the  Conqueror,  and  their  children  were  William 
(second  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey)  and  four 
more  children. 

William,  second  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey, 
was  amono  those  who  took  part  with  Robert, 
Duke  of  Normand^',  and  when  the  latter  landed 
at  Portsmouth  in  the  autumn  of  1101  William 
■joined  his  standard.  This  William  married 
Isabel,  third  daughter  of  Hugh  the  Great,  who 
was  Earl  of  Vernandoise. 

William,  third  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey, 
was  slain  in  the  second  crusade. 

Reginald  de  Warren  was  heir  to  William, 
third  Earl  of  Warren  and  Surrey.  He  married 
Adela,  daughter  of  Sir  Roger  de  Mowbray, 
Knight,  the  renowned  leader  in  the  second 
crusade.     Reginald  de  Warren  and  Adela,  his 


wife,  had  a  son  William  de  Warren,  who  mar- 
ried Isabel,  daughter  of  Sir  William  de  Hayden, 
Knight.  Their  son.  Sir  John  Warren,  married 
Alice,  daughter  of  Roger  de  Townsend,  Esq. 
Sir  John  Warren  and  wife  Alice  had  a  son  John. 
This  Sir  John  Warren  married  Joan,  daughter 
of  Sir  Hugh  de  Port,  Knight.  Sir  John  War- 
ren and  wife  Joan  had  a  son  Edward.^  Sir 
Edward  Warren  married  Maud,  a  daughter  of 
Richard  de  Skeyton,  and  their  son.  Sir  Edward 
Warren,  married  Cicely,  daughter  of  Nicholas 
de  Eaton,  Knight.  Sir  Edward  Warren  and 
his  wife  Cicely  had  a  son  John.  Sir  John 
Warren  married  Agnes,  daughter  of  Sir  Richard 
de  Wymington,  Knight,  and  their  son.  Sir 
Lawrence  Warren,  Knight,  married  Margery, 
a  daughter  of  Hugh  Bulkley,  Esq.,  of  Ware 
in  Shropsliire.  Sir  Lawrence  Warren  and 
Margery,  his  wife,  had  a  son  John,  who  married 
Isabel,  daughter  of  Sir  John  Stanley,  Knight. 
John  Warren  and  Isabel,  his  wife,  had  Sir 
Lawrence  Warren,  who  married  Isabel,  daugh- 
ter of  Sir  Robert  Leigh,  Knight.  Sir  Lawrence 
Warren  and  Isabel,  his  wife,  had  a  son  William, 
seated  at  Countan,  in  Nottinghamshire,  he 
married  Anne;  died  May  1,  1496.  William 
Warren  and  wife  Anne  had  John,  who  married 
Elizabeth;  he  died  in  1525.  John  Warren 
and  his  wife  Elizabeth  had  John  of  Headbury, 
in  the  parish  of  Ashburton,  in  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land. John  of  Headbury  and  his  wife  had 
Christopher,  who  married  and  had  a  son  Wil- 
liam, who  married  Anne,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Mable,  of  Calstock,  in  Cornwall.  William 
Warren  and  Anne,  his  wife,  had  a  son  Christo- 
pher, who  married  Alice,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Webb,  of  Sidnam  in  Devonshire.  Christopher 
Warren  and  Alice,  his  wife,  had  Rev.  Robert, 
known  as  the  "parson  of  Rome,"  John,  Thomas 
(no  information  in  relation  to  him),  Richard, 
Christopher  (who  married  Sarah  Opie,  in  Ply- 
mouth, England)  and  William  (merchant  in 
London,  England,  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
William  Culling  or  Cutting).  Of  these,  John 
(according  to  Thomas  C.  Armory,  one  of  his 
descendants)  was  born  about  1581,  died  1667; 
he  came  with  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall  in  Win- 
throp's  fleet  in  1630.  He  settled  at  Watertown, 
Mass.,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  General  Warren, 
and  also  ancestor  of  the  late  Dr.  John  C.  War- 
ren, of  Boston,  who  spent  considerable  time 
and  a  large  amount  of  money. in  England  and 
France  getting  the  records  and  tracing  the 
lineage  of  the  Warren  family  from  the  eighth 
and  ninth  centuries  to  the  present. 

The  American  line  which  we  are  tracing  is 
given  in  detail  as  follows : 

(I)   Richard  Warren,  noted  above  as  son  of 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


617 


Christopher  and  Alice,  was  a  merchant,  of 
Greenwich,  in  the  County  of  Kent,  England, 
and  was  one  of  the  Pilgrims  who  came  in  the 
"Mayiiower,"  1620.  His  wife  and  children 
came  subsequently,  he  having  left  tliem  in  Eng- 
land. He  was  the  ancestor  of  Gen.  Joseph 
Warren,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  was  also  the  ancestor  of  the  branch 
of  the  Hathaway  family  outlined  in  the  preced- 
ing, through  Salome  Cushman.  Richard 
Warren  married  Elizabeth  (Juatt)  Marsh, 
widow,  and  she  came  to  Plymouth  with  her 
children  on  the  "Little  James"  or  "Ann"  in 
1623.  She  died  in  Plymouth  in  1673,  aged 
ninety  years;  he  died  in  Plymouth  in  1628. 
They  had  children:  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Sergt.  Richard  Church;  Mary;  Ann;  Sarah, 
and  Abigail — all  born  in  England;  and  two 
sons  born  in  America,  Nathaniel  ^nd  Joseph. 

Sergt.  Richard  Church,  husband  of  Elizabeth 
Warren,  was  a  volunteer  soldier  in  the  Ply- 
mouth Colony  forces  sent  to  fight  the  Pequot 
Indians  in  1637  and  held  the  office  of  sergeant. 
He  was  by  trade  a  carpenter.  Their  son,  Ben- 
jamin Church,  born  in  1639,  was  the  celebrated 
warrior  and  Indian  fighter  who  destroyed  King 
Philip  and  captured  his  successor,  the  chief 
Annawann.  A  great-grandson  of  Sergt.  Richard 
Church  was  born  at  Little  Compton  and 
christened  Thomas.  This  Thomas  Church  was 
appointed  colonel  of  one  of  the  Patriot  reg- 
iments of  Rhode  Island  in  1775  and  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate. 

(II)  Nathaniel  Warren,  son  of  Richard,  had 
twelve  children,  born  as  follows :  Richard, 
1646;  Jabez,  1647;  Sarah,  1649;  Hope,  1651; 
Jane,  1652;  Elizabeth,  1654;  Alice,  1656; 
Mercy,  1658;  Mary,  1660;  Nathaniel,  1661; 
John,  1663;  James,  1665. 

(III)  Richard  Warren  (2),  son  of  Nathaniel, 
went  to  Middleboro  and  married  Sarah.  He 
died  in  1698,  aged  about  forty-eight  years. 

(IV)  Samuel  Warren,  son  of  Richard  (2), 
was  born  March  7,  1683.  He  was  by  trade  a 
tanner.  He  married  Elizabeth  Bellington  Jan. 
26,  1703,  and  they  had  eleven  children,  born  as 
follows:  Priscilla,  1704;  Jabes,  1705;  Samuel, 
1707;  Cornelius,  1709;  James,  1710;  Nathan, 
1712;  Joseph,  1714;  Joanna,  1717;  Benjamin, 
1720 ;  Sarah,  1721 ;  and  Josiah,  1724. 

(V)  James  Warren  was  a  shoemaker.  He 
died  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  in  what  is  now  Fall 
River,  Mass.,  about  1790,  in  his  eightieth  year. 
On  Sept.  4,  1735,  he  married  Mary  Perry,  of 
Freetown,  and  their  children  were:  Samuel, 
born  in  1737;  Mary,  1739;  Cornelius,  1741; 
Gamaliel,  1744;  James,  1745. 

(VI)  Gamaliel  Warren,  son  of  James,  mar- 


ried Ruth  Jenckes  about  1765,  and  died  March 
10,  1807,  aged  sixty-three  years;  she  died  Aug. 
26,  1835,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  They  had 
children  as  follows :  Perry,  1767 ;  Henry,  1769  ; 
Abraham,  1772;  Benjamin,  1775;  Josepli, 
1776;  Elnathan,  1778;  Samuel,  1781;  Russell, 
1783 ;  Ruth,  1785 ;  Gamaliel,  1787 ;  and  Abigail, 
1791.  Gamaliel  changed  his  name  to  Minton. 
(VII)  Joseph  Warren,  son  of  Gamaliel,  was 
a  remarkable  carver  of  wood.  He  married 
Rhoda  Borden,  and  they  had  six  children: 
Marshall,  born  April  8,  1800;  Almira,  born 
Jan.  1,  1805 ;  Minerva,  who  married  Joseph  S. 
Cook;  Admiral,  born  Aug.  24,  1813;  Hiram; 
and  Abby,  born  Aug.  10,  1811,  who  married 
Samuel  Hathaway. 

CHARLES  EVERETT  MOORE,  general 
superintendent  of  the  George  E.  Keith  Com- 
pany's extensive  shoe  manufacturing  plants,  is 
one  of  Brockton's  best  known  makers  of  shoes, 
one  who  has  grown  up  with  the  business  and 
whose  force  and  energy,  combined  with  natural 
executive  ability,  have  forced  him  to  the  front 
rank  in  the  shoe  indiistry.  He  went  to  work 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  sweeping  floors  in 
a  shoe  factory,  and  has  risen  step  by  step  until 
to-day  (1911),  at  the  age  of  but  forty-five 
years,  he  is  in  charge  of  one  of  the  most  exten- 
sive shoe  manufacturing  concerns  in  the  world. 
Mr.  Moore  was  born  Nov.  10,  1866,  in  Milford, 
Mass.,  son  of  John  Moore,  Jr.,  and  Sarah 
Prince    (Dudley)    Moore. 

John  Moore,  Sr.,  his  grandfather,  was  a  na- 
tive of  England.  A  musician  by  profession, 
after  coming  to  America  he  was  for  a  number 
of  years  engaged  in  teaching  music.  Although 
his  favorite  instrument  was  the  clarinet,  Mr. 
Moore  was  proficient  in  the  playing  of  many 
instruments.  He  finally  settled  in  Sutton, 
Mass.,  and  was  leader  and  instructor  of  the 
Sutton  band  for  a  number  of  years,  and  under 
his  guidance  many  of  the  members  of  the  band 
became  adepts.  Mr.  Moore  died  Jan.  31,  1876, 
in  Sutton,  Mass.,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  He 
married  Anna  Smith,  who  died  in  Milford, 
Mass.,  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Sarah,  who  died  unmarried;  John,  Jr.,  men- 
tioned below;  William,  a  shoemaker  by  trade; 
Katherine,  who  married  Edward  Schofield,  and 
died  in  Boston;  Nellie,  who  died  aged  nineteen 
years;  and  Jennie  H.,  who  married  George  H. 
Harris  (they  reside  in  Boston). 

John  Moore,  Jr.,  father  of  Charles  Everett, 
was  bom  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  21,  1831.  He 
early  in  life  took  up  his  residence  in  Milford, 
Mass.,  and  for  a  number  of  years  followed  the 
trade  of  shoemaking,  and  later  was  engaged  as 


618 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


a  traveling  salesman  in  the  interests  of  the 
Whittemore  pegging  machine,  which  in  those 
days  was  extensively  used  in  the  making  of 
shoes.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war 
in  1861  Mr.  Moore  enlisted  in  Company  F,  36th 
Mass.  V.  I.,  and  served  his  country  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  taking  part  in  many  of  the 
battles  of  that  memorable  conflict.  Returning 
from  the  war  Mr.  Moore  continued  his  resi- 
dence at  Milford  until  about  1868,  when  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Holbrook,  Mass., 
where  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent, 
and  where  he  passed  away  Feb.  13,  1905.  Mr. 
Moore  was  a  kind  and  devoted  husband  and 
father,  and  although  in  ill  health  for  several 
years  prior  to  liis  death  retained  his  cheerful 
and  kindly  manner.  He  was  a  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Holbrook, 
and  was  an  active  member  of  Capt.  Horace 
Niles  Post,  No.  110,  G.  A.  E.,  of  Randolph, 
Mass.,  in  which  he  held  various  offices.  On 
Jan.  15,  1852,  Mr.  Moore  married  Sarah  Prince 
Dudley,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Juliette  (Eob- 
inson)  Dudley,  of  Sutton,  Mass.,  who  survives 
her  husband,  and  makes  her  home  with  her  son, 
Charles  E.  Moore.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore 
were  born  thirteen  children,  of  whom  four  did 
not  outlive  infancy.  The  others  were :  Edward 
L.,  a  shoe  salesman,  married  Alice  Lee,  of  Bur- 
lington, Vt.,  where  they  reside;  Frederick  H., 
a  shoe  worker  and  the  inventor  and  patentee 
among  other  articles  of  Moore's  Patent  Blind 
Opener  and  Shutter,  died  in  Holbrook  in 
March,  1886,  aged  thirty-three  years,  unmar- 
ried; Mary  Lillian  is  the  wife  of  Deacon  Brad- 
ford H.  Nash,  and  they  reside  in  Brockton; 
William  H.,  a  shoe  worker,  died  in  Holbrook 
in  November,  1885  (he  married  Hattie  Flan- 
ders, of  Lawrence,  Mass.) ;  George  E.  died  in 
infancy;  Frank  A.  died  in  infancy,  as  did  also 
George  (2) ;  Charles  Everett  is  mentioned  be- 
low; Nettie  Frances  is  unmarried  and  lives 
with  her  brother  Charles  E. 

Charles  Everett  Moore  was  born  in  the  old 
shoe  town  of  Milford,  Mass.,  Nov.  10,  1866. 
^Vhen  he  was  but  two  years  of  age  his  parents 
moved  to  Holbrook,  and  in  the  latter  town  he 
received  his  schooling,  attending  first  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  then  the  high  school,  leaving 
the  latter  when  about  thirteen  years  of  age.  At 
the  age  of  barely  fourteen  years  he  entered 
Thomas  White  &  Co.'s  shoe  factory  under 
Eugene  Snell,  who  was  boss  of  the  stitching- 
room,  his  first  duty  being  the  sweeping  of  the 
floors.  He  did  not  sweep  floors  very  long,  how- 
ever, being  soon  put  to  rimning  a  Merrick  pow- 
er eyeleting  machine.  From  that  he  entered  the 
stitching-room,  where  for  a  time  he  was  em- 


ployed stitching  straps  on  the  old  Don  Pedro 
shoes,  after  which  he  took  up  the  various 
branches  of  the  work  in  the  stitching-room. 
Some  time  later,  when  Mr.  Snell  gave  up  his 
place,  Mr.  Moore  was  made  foreman  of  this  de- 
partment, retaining  that  position  until  the  firm 
went  out  of  business  on  the  death  of  Mr.  White. 
During  his  thirteen  years'  experience  with  this 
concern  Mr.  Moore  had  applied  himself  to  every 
detail  of  the  work  of  his  department,  and  had 
acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business. 
He  next  became  foreman  of  the  stitching-room 
of  the  S.  H.  Howe  Shoe  Company,  at  Marlboro, 
Mass.,  in  which  capacity  he  remained  for  about 
a  year,  when  on  May  26,  1897,  he  accepted  the 
foremanship  of  the  stitching-room  of  the 
George  E.  Keith  Company's  factory  at  Cam- 
pello,  which  at  that  time  consisted  of  No.  1 
factory,  he  having  charge  of  about  160  hands. 
He  remained  in  that  capacity  for  about  seven 
years,  when  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the 
plant,  where  for  the  next  two  years  he  had 
under  his  supervision  250  hands.  During  his 
service  with  the  Keith  Company  Mr.  Moore  has 
seen  the  business  grow  from  a  one-factory  plant 
to  a  large  industry  with  seven  factories  at  Cam- 
pello,  one  at  Middleboro,  one  at  North  Adams 
and  one  in  East  Weymouth,  the  latter  being 
used  for  the  manufacture  of  ladies'  shoes.  On 
Jan.  1,  1906,  Mr.  Moore  was  made  general 
superintendent  of  the  whole  system,  now  having 
supervision  of  over  4,80D  hands,  in  which  he 
is  assisted  by  seven  superintendents  and  sixty- 
three  foremen. 

Although  exacting  and  insistent  in  matters  of 
detail,  Mr.  Moore  is  popular  with  his  subordi- 
nates. He  is  an  active  and  prominent  member 
of  the  Brockton  Association  of  Superintendents 
and  Foremen,  which  organization  he  served  as 
president  for  a  period  of  three  years.  He  was 
one  of  fifteen  judges  at  the  World's  Fair,  St. 
Louis,  1904,  serving  in  the  shoe  department, 
and  there  received  a  medal  and  diploma,  the 
latter  being  in  recognition  of  his  membership 
on  the  international  board  of  experts.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  Norfolk  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  ■  M.,  of  Eandolph ;  Satucket  Chapter,  E. 
A.  M. ;  Brockton  Council,  E.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Bay 
State  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of  Brockton.  He 
is  also  past  chancellor  commander  of  Norfolk 
Lodge,  No.  119,  K.  of  P.,  of  Holbrook.  He 
belongs  to  the  Commercial  and  Country  Clubs 
of  Brockton,  and  to  the  New  England  Order 
of  Protection. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Moore  is  a  stalwart 
advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Eepublican 
party,  and  while  a  resident  of  Holbrook  he  was 
active  in  the  municipal  life  of  the  town,  serving 


,'   1-  O  B  1_  JC- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


619 


as  a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen  for  a 
period  of  three  years,  the  last  year  of  which 
he  was  chairman  of  the  board.  He  was  also  a 
director  of  the  Holbrook  Cooperative  Bank  for 
several  years.  He  has  always  had  a  high  re- 
gard for  the  town  of  Holbrook,  where  he  spent 
his  boyhood  days,  and  the  town  has  the  use 
of  a  tract  of  land  he  owns,  as  a  park.  Since 
coming  to  Brockton  he  has  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  giving  freely  of  his 
time  and  money  to  advance  its  interests.  He 
and  his  family  belong  to  the  South  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Campello. 

On  Nov.  14,  1888,  Mr.  Moore  married  Eva 
Florence  Peckham,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Ellen  Frances  (Thurston)  Peckham,  of  Hol- 
brook, Mass.,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Ha- 
zel Gertrude,  born  in  Holbrook  Nov.  24,  1893. 
Mr.  Moore's  success  in  life  has  been  due  to 
his  own  energy,  perseverance  and  ability,  and 
his  rise  has  shown  what  a  boy  can  do  if  he  has 
the  determination  to  win.  Recently  in  an  ad- 
dress before  the  Boston  Association  of  Superin- 
tendents and  Foremen  he  made  the  claim  that 
there  is  no  reason  to-day  why  a  boy  cannot  get 
ahead  in  a  shoe  factory  as  well  as  the  boys  of 
years  ago. 

READ  (New  Bedford  family).  The  Read 
family  of  New  Bedford,  whose  head  was  the 
late  Joseph  R.  Read,  who  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  business  here  and  one  of  the  city's 
substantial  men,  successful  in  business  and  use- 
ful in  citizenship,  comes  of  an  early  family  of 
Ancient  Rehoboth,  this  Commonwealth,  and  Mr. 
Read  himself  married  into  one  of  the  ancient 
and  prominent  families  of  Portsmouth,  Rhode 
Island. 

There  follow  in  chronological  order  and 
somewhat  in  detail  the  successive  generations 
of  this  New  Bedford  branch  of  Reads. 

(I)  John  Read,  supposed  son  of  William  and 
Lucy  (Henage)  Read,  was  bom  in  1598,  and 
it  is  said  came  to  America  with  the  great  fleet 
in  1630.  He  is  of  record  in  1637  in  Wey- 
mouth, was  in  Dorchester  the  next  year,  and 
went  from  there  to  that  part  of  Braintree  now 
Quincy.  In  1643  or  1644  he  accompanied  Rev. 
Mr.  Newman  and  his  church  society  to  Reho- 
both, where  his  name  appears  the  third  on  the 
list  of  purchasers  of  the  town.  He  was  a  man 
of  large  property  for  those  times,  and  held  the 
ofBce  of  constable,  which  was  the  chief  execu- 
tive office  in  town.  He  lived  in  that  part  of 
Rehoboth  now  Seekonk,  and  was  a  prominent 
and  leading  man;  he  kept  a  public  house.  He 
died  Sept.  7,  1685,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  The 
Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah,  and  their 


children  were :  Samuel,  William,  Abigail,  John, 
Thomas,  Ezekiel  and  Zachariah  (twins),  Moses, 
Mary,  Elizabeth,  Daniel,  Israel  and  Mehetabel. 

(II)  John  Read  (2),  bom  Aug.  29,  1640, 
in  Braintree,  married  Rachel.  Mr.  Read  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  in  the  fight  March  21, 
1676,  sometimes  styled  "Pierce's  Fight."  He 
was  a  prominent  man  and  was  distinguished  by 
the  appellation  of  "Mr."  His  children  were: 
Sarah,  born  Dee.  14,  1664;  Mehetabel,  bom 
April  13,  1667;  John,  born  Dec.  8,  1669;  and 
Thomas,  born  July  23,  1672. 

(III)  Thomas  Read,  born  July  23,  1672, 
in  Rehoboth,  married  (first)  June  21,  1699, 
Sarah  Butterworth,  and  (second)  Martha.  Mr. 
Read  died  Nov.  25,  1748.  His  children,  all 
excepting  the  eldest  born  to  the  second  wife, 
were:  Patience,  born  April  16,  1708;  Thomas, 
March  10,  1712;  Martha,  Nov.  4,  1715;  Noah, 
Dec.  26,  1717;  Hannah,  June  18,  1720;  Sarah, 
Dec.  12,  1722;  and  Peter,  Dec.  26,  1724. 

(IV)  Noah  Read,  born  Dec.  26,  1717,  in 
Rehoboth,  married  Anna  Hunt.  He  died  Oct. 
14,  1773.  Their  children  were:  Peter,  bom 
Nov.  20,  1742;  Martha,  May  2,  1744;  Noah, 
Feb.  19,  1746;  Perez,  Aug.  4,  1748;  Cyrel, 
Sept.  20,  1750;  Thomas,  Dec.  25,  1752;  Anna, 
May  29,  1755;  Judith,  July  20,  1758;  William, 
Oct.  12,  1760;  and  Lois,  Dec.  23,  1763. 

(V)  Thomas  Read,  born  Dec.  25,  1752,  in 
Rehoboth,  married  Hannah  Bourne,  bom  Dec. 

24,  1761,  died  Jan.  10,  1817,  and  lived  at  Re- 
hoboth, Mass.,  where  their  children  were  bom 
and  where  Mr.  Read  died  Sept.  2,  1816.  The 
children  were :  William,  born  in  October,  1785 ; 
Francis,  Aug.'  3,  1787  (died  in  1814) ;  Betsy, 
October,  1789  (died  in  1847) ;  Thomas,  April 
28,  1791;  Samuel,  April  3,  1794;  Noah,  July 

25,  1796;  and  John  B.,  May,  1799  (died  in 
1848). 

(VI)  William  Read,  born  Oct.  19,  1785,  in 
Rehoboth,  Mass.,  married  March  6,  1808,  Sarah 
Rogers,  and  lived  in  Somerset,  Mass.,  where 
some  of  his  children  were  born;  he  also  lived 
later  at  Fall  River,  where  he  died  Nov.  2,  1863. 
His  children  were :  Hannah  Bourne,  born  Oct. 
9,  1808,  died  June  16,  1838 ;  Peter,  born  Jan. 
22,  1810,  died  Jan.  22,  1811;  William  was 
born  Feb.  13,  1811;  Thomas,  born  April  30, 
1814,  died  Oct.  5,  1822;  Francis  Bourne  was 
born  March  15,  1816;  Joseph  R.  was  bom  July 
5,  1818;  Julia  Ann,  born  Dec.  21,  1821,  died 
unmarried  in  1904. 

(VII)  Joseph  R.  Read,  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Rogers)  Read,  was  born  July  5,  1818, 
in  Somerset,  Mass.,  and  early  in  life  learned 
the  tailor's  trade  in  Fall  River,  Mass.  Remov- 
ing to  New  Bedford  he  was  employed  as  a  cut- 


620 


SOUTHEASTEBN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ter  in  the  outfitting  firm  of  0.  &  E.  W.  Sea- 
bury  until  1850.  In  the  year  last  named,  asso- 
ciated with  Edward  T.  Taber,  who  had  been  in 
the  employ  of  the  same  firm,  he  purchased  the 
business  of  the  firm,  and  continued  it  with  suc- 
cess. Subsequently  Nathan  S.  Ellis  was  admitted 
to  a  partnership  in  the  concern  and  later, 
on  the  death  of  Mr.  Ellis,  he  was  succeeded 
by  Darius  P.  Gardner,  and  the  business  was 
so  carried  on  and  with  great  success  until  the 
time  of  Mr.  Read's  death. 

A  man  of-  quiet  manner,  unostentatious  and 
devoted  to  business,  Mr.  Read  had  little  or  no 
taste  and  less  ambition  for  public  position; 
however,  he  was  a  member,  and  an  efficient  and 
valued  one,  in  1874,  of  the  board  of  aldermen 
of  the  city.  He  was  a  man  of  decided  and  clear 
convictions,  and  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  fond  of 
the  best  literature  and  especially  of  history, 
possessed  an  unusual  mind  and  had  fine  con- 
versational powers.  His  social  qualities  en- 
deared him  to  a  large  circle  of  friends,  and 
these  same  qualities  made  his  home  ever  bright 
and  cheerful.  This  home,  too,  was  most  dear 
to  him.    He  died  Sept.  12,  1879. 

On  JSTov.  17,  1844,  Mr.  Read  was  married 
to  Cynthia  A.,  born  Sept.  30,  1823,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  and  Cynthia  (Howard)  Potter,  he 
a  direct  descendant  of  Nathaniel  Potter,  an 
Englishman  who  came  to  New  England  as 
early  as  1638  and  settled  in  Portsmouth,  R. 
I.;  was  admitted  an  inhabitant  of  the  island 
of  Aquidneck  in  that  year  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  was  one  of  the  twenty-nine  signers 
of  the  Compact  binding  them  "into  a  civil  body 
politicke,"  from  whom  his  descent  is  through 
Ichabod  Potter  and  wife  Eleanor,  Jonathan 
Potter  and  his  wife  Rebecca  (Southward)  and 
Wesson  Potter,  of  Westport,  and  his  wife  Mary 
(Kirby). 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Read  had  children  as  follows: 
Clara  A.,  bom  Sept.  28,  1845;  William  Fran- 
cis, born  Oct.  14,  1849,  who  married  Oct.  22, 
1879,  Eleanor  Masters,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  and 
has  three  children — Warren  Kempton  (born 
Aug.  18,  1883,  married,  Oct.  27,  1907,  Jessie 
Sawyer,  of  Sharon,  Mass.,  and  has  one  child, 
Warren  Kempton.  Jr.,  born  Aug.  15,  1908), 
Joseph  Masters  (born  June  6,  1885,  married 
Jan.  12,  1909,  Amelia  Hazleton,  of  Rome,  N. 
Y.,  and  has  two  children,  Eleanor,  born  Sept. 
27,  1909,  and  Elizabeth,  born  Feb.  26,  1911), 
and  Everett  Preston  (born  April  25,  1887) ; 
Ella  Howard,  born- Dec.  13,  1850;  and  Charles 
Warren,  born  Jan.  19,  1853,  who  married  Jan. 
21,  1908,  Elizabeth  Williams,  of  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  daughter  of  Theodore  F.  Williams. 


ARTHUR  VINAL  LYON,  M.  D.,  one  of  the 

leading  representatives  of  his  profession  in  Ply- 
mouth county,  Mass.,  is  a  descendant  of  several 
of  New  England's  earliest  settled  families.  The 
Lyon  family  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  history  of  this  country  for  over  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  as  have  many  of  the 
families  allied  with  it  by  marriage,  many  of 
whom  have  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 
annals  of  American  history.  This  article,  how- 
ever, is  to  treat  of  the  Lyon  family  of  which 
Dr.  Arthur  Vinal  Lyon,  of  Brockton,  is  a  lineal 
descendant  in  the  eighth  generation,  tracing 
line  back  through  Ellis  V.  (VII) ;  Vinal  (2) 
(VI);  Vinal  (V);  Jedediah  (IV);  Samuel 
(III)  ;  and  William,  Jr.  (II),  to  William  (I), 
of  Roxbury,  who  was  the  American  progenitor 
of  the  family.  The  genealogy  of  the  family 
follows  in  chronological  order. 

(I)  William  Lyon,  aged  "fourteen  years,"  is 
found  among  the  passengers  that  embarked  for 
America  in  the  ship  "Hopewell,"  Sept.  11,  1635, 
at  London,  England.  It  is  the  supposition  that 
he  was  an  orphan,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
placed  in  the  care  of  Isaac  Heath,  at  Roxbury. 
There  appears  to  be  no  reason  to  question  the 
conclusion  reached  by  Albert  Welles  in  his 
American  Family  Antiquity  that  this  was  the 
William  Lyon  who  was  baptized  at  Heston,  now 
a  part  of  the  city  of  London,  Dec.  23,  1620, 
youngest  son  of  William  and  Anne  (Carter) 
Lyon,  of  Heston.  According  to  Welles,  Henry 
Lyon,  fourth  in  descent  from  Baron  John  de 
Lyon,  left  Norfolk,  which  had  been  for  more 
than  two  hundred  years  the  ancestral  home,  and 
settled  in  Ryslippe,  County  of  Middlesex.  The 
family  remained  in  Ryslippe  through  four  gen- 
erations. John  Lyon,  born  in  Ryslippe  about 
1470,  married  Emma  Hedde,  of  Ryslippe,  and 
had  four  sons,  Henry,  Thomas,  Richard  and 
John.  The  latter  settled  in  Little  Stanmore, 
County  of  Middlesex ;  his  wife's  name  was  Joan, 
and  their  oldest  son,  born  in  1540,  was  William, 
who  married  Isabel  Wightman.  William  lived 
for  a  time  (1596)  in  London,  but  was  buried 
Sept.  7,  1624,  at  Little  Stanmore.  He  had  a 
brother  Thomas,  whose  son  William  was  called 
the  Marquis  of  Southwold,  and  was  the  owner 
of  the  ship  "Lyon"  which  brought  to  America 
so  many  emigrants.  William  and  Isabel  Wight- 
man  had  a  son  William  born  about  1580.  He 
married  July  17,  1615,  at  Harrow-on-the-Hill, 
Anne  Carter,  and  made  his  home  in  Heston. 
His  children  were :  Katharine,  baptized  Oct. 
25,  1616;  John,  baptized  Nov.  30,  1617,  who 
died  in  infancy;  John,  baptized  June  1,  1619; 
and  William,  baptized  Dec.  23,  1620. 

In  Roxbury  land  records  the  name  of  Wil- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


621 


Ham  Lyon  appears  as  Lion,  Lyon  and  Lyons, 
and  he  seems  to  have  written  it  himself  some- 
times Lion,  sometimes  Lyon  or  Ljon.  He  mar- 
ried June  17,  1646,  Sarah  Ruggles,  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  (Curtis)  Euggles,  of  Nasing, 
England.  She  was  born  April  19,  1629,  and 
came  to  America  with  her  parents  while  yet 
an  infant.  Her  death  is  not  found  recorded 
in  Roxbury,  but  probably  occurred  in  Rowley, 
for  in  1677  William  Lyon,  "of  Rowley,"'  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Martha  (Pliilbrick)  Casse, 
widow  of  John  Casse.  In  1645  William  Lyon 
was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company  of  Roxbury.  He  received 
in  1648  a  grant  of  land  in  Roxbury,  where  his 
name  also  appears  as  grantee  of  deeds  of  lands. 
When  the  new  settlement  at  New  Roxbury  (now 
Woodstock),  Conn.,  was  determined  upon,  in 
1686,  he  was  one  of  the  "goers"  and  he  was 
assigned  a  lot  there,  although  he  did  not 
actually  occupy  it.  Several  of  his  grandsons, 
William,  Thomas,  John  and  Jacob,  were  prom- 
inent members,  however,  of  the  new  Colony. 
The  Lyon  homestead  in  Roxbury  was  on  what 
ia  now  Bellevue  avenue,  formerly  called  Lyon 
street.  William  Lyon  was  admitted  to  full  com- 
munion in  John  Eliot's  Church  in  1655,  and 
became  a  freeman  in  1666.  He  lived  to  the  age 
of  seventy-two,  and  was  buried  May  21,  1692, 
probably  in  the  West  Roxbury  cemetery,  al- 
though there  is  no  stone  there  to  mark  his 
grave.  His  widow  died  about  1694.  His  will 
was  dated  in  the  year  1692,  and  was  probated 
Oct.  27,  1692,  the  inventory  amounting  to  £213. 
The  children  born  to  William  and  Sarah 
(Ruggles)  Lyon,  at  Roxbury,  were^  John, 
Thomas,  Samuel,  William,  Joseph,'  Sarah, 
Jonathan  and  Jonathan  (2),  the  latter  two 
dying  in  infancy. 

(II)  William  Lyon,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Rox- 
bury, Mass.,  where  he  was  baptized  July  18, 
1652,  and  died  there  Aug.  10,  1714.  His 
tombstone,  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  still 
stands  in  the  West  Roxbury  cemetery.  On  Sept. 
1,  1675,  in  Roxbury,  he  married  Sarah  Dunkin, 
presumably  the  daughter  of  Samuel  Dunkin. 
She  died  Feb.  9,  1689,  and  he  married  (second) 
Nov.  18,  1690,  Deborah,  who  survived  him,  dy- 
ing March  12,  1717.  He  was  one  of  the  goers 
at  the  time  of  the  New  Roxbury  settlement 
(afterward  Woodstock,  Conn.),  but  although 
he  received  a  grant  of  land  there  in  1686  he 
did  not  go  there  to  live.  The  children  of  Wil- 
liam and  Sarah  (Dunkin)  Lyon,  born  in  Rox- 
bury, were:  William,  Samuel,  Hannah,  Ben- 
jamin and  Mehitable ;  and  of  William  and  Deb- 
orah Lyon  were :  Deborah,  David,  Martha  and 
Jacob. 


(III)  Samuel  Lyon  was  born  in  Roxbury 
Sept.  20,  1679,  and  died  in  Middleboro,  Mass., 
Feb.  22,  1756,  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his 
age.  He  married  (first)  Maria  Kenrick  (born 
1675,  died  April  25,  1704),  and  married  (sec- 
ond) Dec.  20,  1704,  Joanna  Weld,  daughter 
of  John  and  Hannah  (Prentice)  Weld.  She 
was  born  Sept.  15,  1685.  Samuel  Lyon  is 
spoken  of  as  "of  Newtown"  in  1714,  but  seems 
to  have  been  then  residing  in  Roxbury.  He  is 
also  called  "lieutenant."  He  moved  with  his 
family  to  Middleboro,  and  united  with  the 
church  there  Jan.  23,  1732.  The  only  child 
born  to  Samuel  and  Maria  Lyon  was  John.  To 
Samuel  and  Joanna  Lyon  were  born:  Eleazer, 
Jonathan,  Edward,  Sarah,  Hannah,  William, 
Jedediah  and  Phebe. 

(IV)  Jedediah  Lyon  was  born  in  Roxbury, 
Mass.,  Sept.  7,  1721,  and  died  in  Middleboro, 
Mass.,  Feb.  9, 1807.  He  married  Nov.  24, 1743, 
at  Middleboro,  Mary  Cushman,  born  Dec.  22, 
1723,  daughter  of  Ichabod  and  Patience 
(Holmes)  Cushman,  of  Plympton,  Mass.  At  the 
Lexington  alarm  Jedediah  Lyon  was  corporal 
in  Capt.  Abiel  Pierce's  company  of  militia,  and 
he  served  three  months,  1776-77,  as  private 
in  Capt.  Nehemiah  Allen's  company,  being  then 
fifty-five  years  old.  The  children  of  Jedediah 
and  Mary  (Cushman)  Lyon,  born  in  Middle- 
boro, were :  Samuel,  Joanna,  Fear,  Joanna  (2), 
Mary,  Isaac,  Rebecca,  Phebe,  Lemuel,  Lucy 
and  Vinal. 

(V)  Vinal  Lyon  was  born  presumably  in 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  although  no  town  record  is 
found,  date  probably  between  1762  and  1766. 
He  died  in  Middleboro  Nov.  28,  1819.  On 
Sept.  8,  1796,  he  married  Chloe  Richmond. 
Accdrding  to  the  Plymouth  county  Probate 
records  his  widow  was  appointed  guardian  May 
1,  1820,  of  four  minor  children,  Jane  Wash- 
burn, Chloe  Richmond,  Phebe  and  Vinal,  all 
under  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  children  of 
Vinal  and  Chloe  (Richmond)  Lyon,  all  born 
in  Middleboro,  v<'ere :  Mary  C.,  born  June  21, 
1797,  died  Jan.  1,  1820 ;  Lemuel,  born  April  19, 
1799,  died  May  21,  1848 ;  Jane  Washburn,  born 
May  19,  1801,  married  Jan.  24,  1822,  Jason 
Wilbur;  Chloe  Richmond,  born  Oct.  4,  1803, 
married  Philip  Wood;  Fear  T.,  born  in  1809, 
died  Jan.  22,  1820;  Eunice,  born  in  1813,  died 
Dec.  15,  1819;  Phebe  married  Hosea  Kingman, 
and  died  without  issue  ;  Vinal  was  born  Nov.  30, 
1811. 

(VI)  Vinal  Lyon  (2)  was  born  in  Middle- 
boro, Mass.,  Nov.  30,  1811.  He  was  a  builder 
and  carpenter,  employing  many  men,  and  con- 
tinued at  this  occupation  during  the  actjve  years 
of- his  life,  a  thrifty,  enterprising  man,  success- 


622 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ful  in  his  business  enterprises.  He  became  a 
sutler  in  the  Civil  war,  and  returned  home 
broken  in  health.  He  was  a  Whig  and  later  a 
Republican  in  political  faith,  and  served  the 
town  of  North  Bridgewater  as  a  selectman  for 
several  years.  He  built  the  large  house  in 
Campello,  corner  of  Main  street  and  Lyon 
avenue,  where  he  resided,  and  which  is  still 
owned  in  the  family.  He  died  Nov.  16,  1866. 
On  Oct.  25,  1840,  he  married  Deiparis  Williams 
Keith,  who  was  bom  Oct.  8,  1818,  and  died 
April  9,  1892,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mehit- 
able  (Perkins)  Keith,  and  a  direct  descendant 
of  Rev.  James  Keith,  the  first  minister  at 
Bridgewater.  The  children  born  of  this  union 
were:  Ellis  Vinal,  born  Aug.  30,  1841,  is 
mentioned  below;  Martha  Ann,  born  Nov.  10, 
1843,  married  April  8,  1866,  Edmund  B.  Fan- 
ning, of  Brockton ;  Chloe  Richmond,  born  April 
5,  1845,  married  June  3,  1866,  Lysander  F. 
Gurney,  of  Brockton,  who  is  mentioned  else- 
where ;  Granville  Ward,  born  Oct.  7,  1846,  mar- 
ried Dec.  3,  1873,  Sallie  J.  Hart,  and  they  are 
living  at  Enterprise,  Ky.,  where  he  is  stationed 
as  a  Methodist  minister;  Mary  Williams,  born 
Sept.  16,  1849,  married  April  17,  1872,  Rufus 
E.  Packard,  late  of  Brockton ;  Abbie  Jane,  born 
Sept.  7,  1851,  married  Sylvester  0.  Snyder 
Aug.  20,  1872,  and  died  in  Louisville,  Ky.,  in 
1905 ;  and  Maggie  Keith,  born  March  24,  1859, 
died  in  July,  1859. 

(VII)  Ellis  Vinal  Lyon  was  born  in  North 
Bridgewater  Aug.  30,  1841.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  the  State  normal  school  at  Bridgewater,  and 
for  several  years  was  successfully  engaged  in 
teaching  in  Braintree  and  North  Weymouth.  In 
1861  he  enlisted  in  the  4th  Massachusetts 
Cavalry,  Captain  Richmond,,  and  died  in  Peters- 
burg, Va.,  Sept.  24,  1864.  His  term  of  service 
had  expired,  and  his  family  and  friends  were 
expecting  him  home,  on  the  day  that  news  came 
of  his  death,  which  was  caused  by  peritonitis. 
His  body  was  embalmed  and  sent  home,  and  he 
was  buried  (vith  military  honors  on  Sunday, 
Oct.  3,  1864,  a  detachment  of  cavalry  attending. 
His  remains  are  interred  at  Weymouth.  Mr. 
Lyon  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  and  in  political  faith  was  a 
Republican.  On  Dec.  1,  1861,  he  married 
Hattie  F.  Kingman,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and 
Eveline  (Bates)  Kingman,  of  Weymouth,  who 
survives  and  resides  in  Brockton.  They  had  one 
son,  Arthur  Vinal. 

(VIII)  Arthur  Vinal  Lyon,  M.  D.,  was  born 
Jan.  12,  1863,  in  Braintree,  Mass.,  and  began 
his  educational  training  in  the  public  schools 
of  Weymouth,  graduating  from  the  Weymouth 
high  school  in  the  class  of   1879.     He  then 


entered  Thayer  Academy,  at  Braintree,  graduat- 
ing therefrom  in  the  class  of  1880.  Entering 
Amherst  in  the  latter  year,  he  was  a  student  at 
that  college  for  four  years,  receiving  the  degree 
of  A.  B.  in  the  class  of  1884,  and  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  was  conferred  upon  liim  in  1903  by  the 
same  institution.  He  took  a  medical  course 
at  Harvard  Medical  School,  graduating  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  in  1887.  After  receiving  his 
diploma  from  Harvard  he  immediately  took 
up  the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession  in 
Brockton,  in  which  practice  he  has  continued 
with  marked  success.  Both  as  a  physician  and 
citizen  Dr.  Lyon  has  been  called  upon  to  hold 
many  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  and 
has  never  failed  to  respond  promptly  to  every 
call  made  upon  him.  He  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  Brockton  for  over 
twenty  years,  and  was  chairman  for  a  period 
of  five  years,  and  now  (1911)  is  serving  his 
seventh  term  as  a  member  of  that  board,  a 
term  constituting  three  years'  service.  He  has 
served  as  a  visiting  physician  of  the  Brockton 
hospital  since  its  organization.  Dr.  Lyon  is  a 
member'  of  the  Porter  Congregational  Church, 
and  has  served  several  years  as  a  member  of 
the  standing  committee  of  the  church.  In 
political  faith  he  is  a  believer  in  the  pj-inciples 
of  the  Republican  party. 

On  June  30,  1887,  Dr.  Lyon  was  married  to 
Mary  Adelaide  Bates,  daughter  of  Alpheus  and 
Hannah  M.  (Smith)  Bates,  of  East  Weymouth, 
and  this  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  sons, 
as  follows:  Ellis  Vinal,  born  May  21,  1889, 
died  Nov.  28,  1889;  Arthur  Bates,  born  July 
18,  1890,  graduated  from  the  Brockton  high 
school  in  the  class  of  1908,  and  is  now  a  student 
at  Amherst  College,  class  of  1912;  and  Harold 
Alpheus,  born  Aug.  3,  1893,  graduated  from 
the  Brockton  high  school  in  the  class  of  1911, 
and  is  now  a  student  at  Amherst  College,  class 
of  1915. 

Dr.  Lyon  is  a  man  whose  active  mind  is  not 
satisfied  with  present  conditions.  In  his  pro- 
fession he  is  constantly  studying,  keeping  him- 
self well  in  touch  with  the  discoveries  and 
theories  of  the  day.  He  holds  membership  in 
the  Brockton  City  Medical  Society  and  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  before  which 
bodies  he  is  a  frequent  debater.  His  practice 
is  a  large  one,  and  he  has  been  successful  in 
many  serious  cases,  and  is  frequently  called  into 
consultation,  the  members  of  his  profession 
recognizing  his  knowledge  of  the  various 
branches  of  the  profession. 

On  the  paternal  side  Dr.  Lyon  is  descended 
from  sixteen  of  the  "Mayflower"  passengers,  as 
follows :    Isaac  Allerton  and  wife,  Mary  Norris, 


i^^^<^ 


SOUTflEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


623 


through  their  daughter  Mary,  who  married 
Elder  Thomas  Cushman;  John  Alden  and  his 
wife,  Priscilla  MuUins,  through  their  son  Jos- 
eph; William  Mullins  and  his  wife  Priscilla; 
Elder  William  Brewster  and  wife;  Francis 
Cooke;  John  Howland;  John  Tilley  and  wife 
Bridget  and  their  daughter  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried John  Howland;  Richard  Warren;  and 
Thomas  Rogers.  He  is  also  a  descendant  of 
four  of  the  "Fortune"  passengers,  and  thirteen 
of  the  passengers  of  the  "Ann"  and  "Little 
James."  He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  nine  Revo- 
lutionary soldiers,  as  follows:  Col.  Simeon 
Gary;  Corporal  Jedediah  Lyon;  Levi  Keith; 
Benjamin  Keith;  Jonas  Reynolds;  Josiah  Per- 
kins, Sr. ;  Josiah  Perkins,  Jr.;  Ensign  Luke 
Perkins,  and  Job  Richmond.  He  is  also  a  lineal 
descendant  of  sixteen  of  the  original  proprietors 
of  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  of  seven  of  the 
original  proprietors  of  Taunton,  Massachusetts. 

HORACE  F.  WOODARD,  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Woodard  &  Wright,  last  manufac- 
turers of  Brockton,  is  one  of  the  substantial 
and  successful  business  men  of  that  thriving 
city,  and  as  well  one  of  the  honored  and  highly 
respected  citizens  of  the .  community  in  which 
he  is  so  well  and  favorably  known.  Mr.  Wood- 
ard is  a  native  of  Vermont,  bom  at  Tunbridge, 
Orange  county,  Sept.  25,  1835. 

Theodore  Woodard,  his  grandfather,  was  one 
of  the  original  sixty-one  grantees  of  the  town 
of  Vershire,  Orange  Co.,  Vt.,  in  1781,  but  of 
his  antecedents  and  whence  he  came  we  have 
failed  to  learn,  the  town  records  of  Vershire 
prior  to  1793  having  been  destroyed  by  fire 
about  that  time.  Theodore  Woodard  married 
Sally  Ferguson,  and  they  had  a  large  family, 
among  their  children  being:  John,  Cyrill, 
Jehial,  Harriet  and  Hannah. 

Jehial  Woodard,  son  of  Theodore,  and  father 
of  Horace  F.,  was  born  in  January,  1792, 
in  Vershire,  Vt.  He  was  engaged  extensively 
in  farming  and  also-  lan  a  grist  and  saw  mill. 
He  was  a  quiet,,  unpretentious  man,  generous 
and  kind  in  his  impulses,  hard-working,  in- 
dustrious, and  a  good  provider  for  his  family. 
In  early  life  he  allied  himself  with  the  Whig 
party,  later  becoming  a  Detfi'ocrat  of  the  old 
school,  but  he  was  not  inclined  to  office  seek- 
ing, preferring  to  give  his  time  to  his  business 
and  to  his  family,  to  whom  he  was  much  de- 
voted. His  unassuming  disposition  won  him 
many  friends,  and  he  enjoyed  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  the  commimity.  He  died  Jan.  27, 
1875,  in  South  Royalton,  Vt.,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-three  years. 

In  1817  Jehial  Woodard  married  Polly  Pea- 


body,  who  was  born  April  28,  1796,  in  Tun- 
bridge, Vt.,  daughter  of  John  Peabody,  of 
Tunbridge.  She  died  April  26,  1880,  at  South 
Royalton,  aged  eighty-four  years.  Thirteen 
children  were  born  to  this  worthy  couple,  of 
whom  we  have  the  following  record:  (1) 
Harvey  H.,  born  Aug.  25,  1818,  was  engaged 
in  the  hotel  business  in  South  Royalton,  Vt., 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  died  May  6,  1878. 
He  married  Adeline  E.  Davis.  (2)  Charles  W., 
born  Oct.  9,  1819,  died  in  May,  1826.  (3) 
Ira  K.,  bom  March  25,  1821,  died  Aug.  23, 
1822.  (4)  Mary,  born  Jan.  15,  1823,  married 
Enoch  Ordway,  and  died  May  19,  1855.  (5) 
John  Chandler,  born  Sept.  21,  1824,  was  a 
painter  by  trade,  and  died  July  22,  1907.  He 
married  Elizabeth  P.  Bennett.  (6)  Huldah 
P.,  born  Jan.  4,  1826,  married  Dr.  B.  H.  Phil- 
lips, and  died  Sept.  20,  1887.  (7)  Edith, 
born  Feb.  9,  1828,  died  July  25,  1830.  (8) 
Henry  M.,  born  May  4,  1830,  married  Sarah 
Sargent,  and  died  June  4,  1862.  (9)  Ellen  S., 
born  April  7,  1832,  is  the  wife  of  John  S. 
Hinkley,  to  whom  she  has  been  married  over 
fifty  years.  They  reside  at  Chicopee  Falls, 
Mass.  (10)  Emily,  bora  Dec.  17,  1833,  died 
Oct.  24,  1889,  unmarried.  (11)  Horace  F., 
born  Sept.  25,  1835,  is  mentioned  below.  (12) 
Albert  P.,  bom  July  22,  1837,  lives  in  Tun- 
bridge, Vt.,  where  he  carries  on  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  married  Jane  P.  Cushman.  (13) 
Lucinda  A.,  born  March  17,  1839,  died  in 
December,  1839. 

Horace  F.  Woodard  was  born  in  Tunbridge, 
Vt.,  and  obtained  his  early  educational  train- 
ing in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town, 
his  time  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age 
being  divided  between  his  schooling  and  such 
assistance  as  his  strength  and  time  would  per- 
mit him  to  give  in  work  on  the  farm  and  in  his 
father's  mill.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  year,s  he 
left  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
Going  to  Haverhill,  Mass.,  he  became  appren- 
ticed to  the  lastmaking  trade  with  Levi  C. 
Wadleigh,  in  whose  employ  he  remained  for  a 
period  of  about  twelve  years,  during  which  time 
he  had  so  closely  applied  himself  to  the  business, 
and  shown  his  worth  to  such  an  extent,  that 
he  was  made  foreman  of  the  plant,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  for  several  years.  Not  con- 
tent with  merely  a  meager  knowledge  of  the 
business  he  had  by  this  time  determined  should 
be  his  life  work,  he  then  went  to  Boston,  where 
for  about  a  year  he  was  employed  in  the  last 
factory  of  Gilson  &  Walker,  and  from  there 
changed  to  the  factory  of  the  Frohock  Last 
Company,  where  for  a  period  of  four  years  he 
was  foreman  of  the  plant.     Mr.  Woodard  then 


624 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


went  to  Stoughton,  Mass.,  where  for  a  term 
of  about  ten  years  he  was  foreman  in  the  last 
factory  of  Walker  &  Phinney,  and  their  suc- 
cessor, George  F.  Walker,  and  for  about  a  year 
was  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Woodard 
&  Sherman,  last  manufacturers,  of  South 
Weymouth,  Mass.,  at  the  end  of  that  time  sell- 
ing his  interests  to  his  partner.  During  these 
years  he  had  been  prudent,  and,  having  ac- 
quired a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  various 
details  connected  with  the  manufacturing  of 
lasts  of  all  kinds,  with  his  savings  he  came  to 
Brockton,  in  April,  1886,  and  purchased  an 
interest  in  the  firm  of  Lee  &  Wright,  last 
manufacturers,  taking  over  the  interests  of  the 
senior  partner,  the  firm  then  becoming  Wood- 
ard &  Wright.  Since  Mr.  Woodard's  connec- 
tion with  this  concern  the  business  has  been 
enlarged  and  expanded  until  to-day  the  firm  is 
one  of  the  best  known  in  that  line  of  business. 
All  kinds  of  lasts  for  the  shoe  trade  are  manu- 
factured, giving  employment  to  from  seventy- 
five  to  one  hundred  hands,  and  the  capacity  of 
the  establishment  is  about  35,000  pairs  of  lasts 
per  month,  the  product  being  used  by  the  best 
known  shoe  manufacturers  throughout  the 
country. 

While  a  resident  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  Mr. 
Woodard  was  made  a  Mason,  joining  Merrimac 
Lodge,  A.  r.  &  A.  M.,  which  he  served  as  secre- 
tary for  one  year;  since  coming  to  Brockton  he 
has  identified  himself  with  St.  George  Lodge, 
of  Campello.  Although  not  a  member  of  any 
religious  denomination  Mr.  Woodard  attends 
church,  and  is  liberal  in  all  his  donations  to 
good  and  deserving  causes.  In  political  faith 
he  is  a  Republican,  with  independent  tend- 
encies. 

On  March  15,  1856,  Mr.  Woodard  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Sarah  Elizabeth  Carleton, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Carleton,  of  Plaistow, 
N.  H.,  and  this  happy  union  has  been  blessed 
with  children  as  follows:  Arthur  Milton  died 
in  infancy;  Edward  C,  who  is  connected  with 
the  last  factory  of  his  father,  married  Inez 
Maria  Curtis,  of  Stoughton,  Mass.,  and  they 
have  children,  Charles  F.,  Bessie  M.,  Arthur  C. 
and  Horace  C. ;  Ernest  died  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-one years,  unmarried;  William  M.,  who  is 
associated  with  his  father  in  the  last  factory, 
married  Alice  King,  of  Brockton,  and  has  had 
twin  sons,  Carleton  K.  and  one  that  died  in 
infancy;  Myrtie  G.  is  the  wife  of  Arthur  M. 
Keith,  of  Brockton,  who  is  also  associated  with 
Mr.  Woodard  in  the  last  factory;  and  Bert 
LeRoy,  who  died  in  August,  1904,  married  Alice 
Drake,  and  had  one  daughter,  Mildred,  who 
has  since  been  adopted  by  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Keith. 


Mr.  Woodard  is  possessed  of  a  quiet,  unpre- 
tentious manner,  which  combined  with  a  kind- 
ly and  genial  make-up  has  won  for  him  many 
warm  friendships;  those  who  know  him  best 
are  warmest  in  their  friendship  for  him.  He 
is  very  generous  in  his  impulses,  and  no  needy 
ones  are  ever  turned  away  from  his  door  with- 
out receiving  his  attention.  He  is  not  prone 
to  pomp  or  ostentation,  but  rather  the  reverse, 
being  content  to  spend  his  leisure  moments  in 
the  companionship  of  his  family  and  home,  to 
both  of  which  he  is  very  devoted  and  indulgent. 
He  holds  a  warm  place  in  the  esteem  of  a  few 
intimate  friends,  and  for  their  comfort  and 
amusement  he  has  had  fitted  up  a  "club  room" 
in  his  barn,  where  almost  every  night  for  a  few 
hours  his  friends  congregate  to  enjoy  a  quiet 
and  friendly  game  of  cards;  this  coterie  is 
known  as  the  "Old  Men's  Club."  Mr.  Woodard 
is  also  fond  of  fishing  and  hunting  and  each 
year  spends  several  weeks  in  the  woods  or  by 
the  streams. 

CAPT.  HENRY  CLAY  HATHAWAY,   of 

New  Bedford,  United  States  shipping  commis- 
sioner and  auctioneer,  earlier  a  whaleman  and 
long  master  mariner,  was  born  Jan.  9,  1842, 
in  New  Bedford.  Probably  no  man  now  living, 
or  that  has  been  alive  for  a  score  of  years,  of 
the  master  mariners  who  have  been  identified 
with  the  whaling  interests  of  New  Bedford,  is 
more  widely  known,  either  personally  or  by 
reputation,  than  he  whose  name  introduces  this 
article.  Although  not  himself  attaining  first 
rank  in  this  service,  his  experience  has  been 
much  more  varied  than  that  of  many  who  fol- 
lowed the  pursuit  longer  than  he  did,  and  he 
has  often  played  a  part  in  events  of  importance 
which  have  marked  the  incidental  history  of 
whaling  voyages  with  thrilling  interest.  The 
"Gazelle"  and  the  "Catalpa"  furnish  to  lovers 
of  splendid  acts  a  store  of  romance,  and  neither 
of  these  can  be  mentioned  without  recalling  at 
the  same  time  tlie  services  of  humanity  which 
were  rendered  by  Captain  Hathaway  in  connec- 
tion with  each. 

Captain  Hathaway  springs  from  ancestry 
early  and  prominent  in  the  Taunton  region  of 
the  Commonwealth,  among  his  forebears  being 
John  Hathaway  and  John  Richmond.  John 
Hathaway,  born  in  England,  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  ten  years  with  his  father  Nicholas, 
in  1639.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Plymouth 
Military  Company  in  1643.  He  was  living  in 
Taunton  in  1649;  was  admitted  a  freeman  in 
1670,  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Freetown, 
lot  No.  18,  in  1671.  He  was  constable  in  1676 
and  1690  at  Taunton;  was  often  on  the  grand 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


625 


jury;  was  selectman  1680  and  1684,  and  deputy 
to  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  in 
1696-97.  His  home  was  in  what  is  now  Berk- 
ley, known  as  the  Farms.  The  site  of  the  house 
was  marked  by  an  iron  tablet  in  1889,  by  the 
Old  Colony  Historical  Society.  The  Christian 
name  of  his  first  wife  was  Martha.  In  1693 
he  married  (second)  Euth  Dyer,  a  widow  of 
Braintree,  who  died  in  1705. 

John  Hathaway  (2),  son  of  John,  born  in 
1650,  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  James  Burt, 
and  settled  in  Freetown,  where  he  died  in  1730. 
James  Burt  was  born  in  1622  in  England  and 
in  1635  sailed  in  the  "Falcon"  for  Barbadoes, 
where  his  older  brother  Richard  was  settled. 
A  few  years  later  he  came  to  New  England; 
was  in  Newport  in  1639,  but  his  home  seems 
to  have  been  with  his  brother's  family  in  Taun- 
ton, his  brother  having  soon  died. 

From  this  source  came  the  Hathaways  of 
Freetown,  where  were  born  John  and  Amey 
(Read)  Hathaway,  whose  children  were: 
Braddock  D. ;  John  B. ;  Joseph  R.,  who  located 
in  St.  Paul,  Minn. ;  and  William,  who  settled 
in  East  Bridgewater. 

Braddock  D.  Hathaway  was  bom  May  3, 
1806,  in  the  town  of  Rochester,  Mass.  He 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  and  became  an 
edge  tool  maker  of  considerable  skill ;  he  gained 
a  wide  acquaintance  through  the  fine  quality 
of  his  workmanship,  being  a  genius  in  his  line, 
and  had  a  reputation  for  honesty  that  gave  him 
high  standing  in  the  community  in  which  he 
lived.  Mr.  Hathaway  made  his  home  in  New 
Bedford,  where  he  died  April  13,  1879. 

On  Oct.  24,  1829,  Mr.  Hathaway  married, 
then  being  a  resident  of  Raynham,  Mass., 
Harriet  Richmond,  who  was  born  Nov.  27, 1805, 
in  Dighton,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Abigail  (Swain)  Richmond,  he  a  shipwright  of 
Dighton  and  she  of  Nantucket.  Mrs.  Hatha- 
way was  a  direct  descendant  of  one  of  the  early 
and  prominent  families  of  this  section  of  Massa- 
chusetts, tracing  her  line  from  John  Richmond, 
the  immigrant,  who  came  to  America  from 
Ashton  Keynes,  Wiltshire,  England,  and  settled 
in  Taunton,  Mass.,  being  one  of  the  purchasers 
there  in  1637;  through  John  Richmond  (2)  of 
Taunton  and  his  wife  Abigail  Rogers,  formerly 
of  Duxbury ;  Lieut.  Joseph  Richmond  of  Taun- 
ton and  his  wife  Mary  (Andrews)  ;  Josiah  Rich- 
mond and  his  wife  Joanna  (Briggs) ;  Josiah 
Richmond  (2)  of  Dighton  and  his  wife  Lydia 
(Babbitt),  she  formerly  of  Berkley;  and  Joseph 
Richmond  of  Dighton  and  his  wife  Abigail 
(Swain). 

After  their  marriage  Braddock  D.  Hatha- 
way and  his  wife  lived  in  New  Bedford,  and 

40 


their  children  were:  Braddock  Richmond, 
born  June  28,  1830,  married  Harriet  A. 
Henderson;  Joseph  Richmond,  born  Aug.  11, 
1831,  married  Sarah  A.  Wilbur;  Freeman,  born 
April  23,  1833,  married  Martha  Damon;  Ben- 
jamin F.,  bom  Oct.  7,  1834,  died  March  18, 
1836;  Benjamin  F.  (2),  born  July  10,  1836, 
died  young;  John  Francis,  born  Feb.  21,  1839, 
a  Civil  war  soldier,  died  from  wounds  received 
at  Gettysburg;  Harriet,  born  May  28,  1840, 
married  Frederick  S.  Damon  (both  are  de- 
ceased) ;  Henry  Clay,  born  Jan.  9,  1842,  is 
mentioned  below ;  Charles  M.  was  born  Dec.  14, 
1843 ;  Abby  Swain,  born  May  26,  1845,  is  now 
deceased;  Allen,  born  June  22,  1847,  died  April  • 
27,  1848;  Richmond  was  born  Jan.  8,  1849; 
Amey  Read,  born  Feb.  5,  1852,  married  Thomas 
Mandell  Denham,  of  New  Bedford. 

Capt.  Henry  Clay  Hathaway,  son  of  Brad- 
dock D.  and  Harriet  (Richmond)  Hathaway, 
was  born  Jan.  9,  1842,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass. 
While  yet  in  his  fifteenth  year  young  Hathaway 
commenced  his  life  as  a  whaleman,  shipping 
Aug.  4,  1856,  in  the  "Lancer"  of  New  Bedford, 
a  395-ton  vessel  of  which  Capt.  Aaron  C.  Cush- 
man  was  master  and  Richmond  &  Wood  agents. 
His  very  first  trip  was  an  eventful  one.  Captain 
Cushman  was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  who  had 
long  been  sick  with  consumption,  and  who  as 
a  last  resort  had  undertaken  a  voyage  to  the 
South  Pacific  in  the  hope  of  regaining  her 
health.  So  little  hope  was  there  for  her  re- 
covery that  her  husband  had  made  preparations 
in  fitting  out  the  "Lancer"  to  care  for  her  body 
in  case  of  death.  He  himself  answered  the  last 
summons  before  Jiis  wife.  Coming  up  from  the 
cabin,  Captain  Cushman  fell  dead  upon  the 
deck  while  speaking  to  one  of  the  crew,  and 
within  a  few  feet  of  where  Hathaway  was 
serving  a  turn  at  the  wheel.  This  was  Nov.  23, 
1856,  and  the  preparations  he  had  made  for 
the  death  of  another  served  for  himself.  His 
body  was  sent  home  from  Pernambuco,  and 
later  his  wife  was  transferred  to  a  ship  home- 
ward bound.  She  died  almost  in  sight  of  land, 
while  coming  up  Massachusetts  bay.  Hathaway 
did  not  finish  the  trip  on  the  '"Lancer,"  but 
after  two  years'  service  left  her,  for  no  par- 
ticular reason,  at  Payta,  in  Peru,  made  his  way 
to  Callao,  and  returned  home  in  a  merchant 
vessel,  the  "Enterprise,"  of  New  York. 

On  Aug.  25,  1858,  Captain  Hathaway  sailed 
in  the  bark  "Callao,"  of  New  Bedford,  a  vessel 
of  324  tons,  Andrew  J.  Fuller  being  master  of 
the  vessel  and  Henry  Taber  &  Co.  agents.  The 
"Callao"  went-  as  far  north  as  the  Okhotsk  sea, 
and  was  out  four  years.  She  returned  July  20, 
1862,  with  a  total  of  214  barrels  of  sperm,  1,543 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  whale  and  10,063  pounds  of  bone.  On  Sept. 
2,  1862,  Hathaway  again  left  New  Bedford,  this 
time  in  the  bark  "Hercules,"  a  vessel  of  335 
tons,  and  went  again  to  the  Okhotsk  sea.  John 
G.  Dexter  was  master,  Swift  &  Perry  agents. 
The  "Hercules"  arrived  home  May  5,  1866, 
and  returned  to  her  owners  348  barrels  of  sperm, 
2,678  of  whale,  and  25,600  pounds  of  bone. 
On  Aug.  15,  1866,  he  went  as  third  officer  of 
the  ship  "Gazelle"  to  the  Indian  ocean,  of  which 
vessel  Capt.  David  R.  GiSord  was  master,  and 
E.  C.  Jones  agent.  The  "Gazelle"  returned 
home  April  20,  1870,  with  a  total  of  1,600 
barrels  of  sperm  and  three  of  whale.  It  was 
during  this  trip  that  the  "Gazelle"  was  made 
famous  in  England  and  America  by  the  rescue 
of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  to  which  reference  will 
be  made  further  on.  On  Oct.  26,  1870,  Captain 
Hathaway  shipped  as  first  mate  of  the  "Ga- 
zelle," but  went  only  as  far  as  the  Cape  Verde 
islands,  where,  having  taken  sick,  he  left  the 
ship  and  returned  home.  Captain  Gilford  died 
aboard  ship  on  this  trip,  Aug.  26,  1873. 

On  April  25,  1871,  Captain  Hathaway 
shipped  as  first  mate  in  the  bark  "Milwood," 
and  went  to  Cumberland  Inlet  on  the  coast  of 
Greenland.  Sanford  S.  Milner  was  master,  and 
Gideon  Allen  &  Sons  agents.  The  "Milwood" 
had  good  fortune  for  some  six  months,  but  was 
caught  in  the  drift  and  driven  ashore  Nov.  13, 

1871,  on  Black  Lead  island,  about  fifty  miles 
from  the  coast  of  Greenland,  and  went  to  pieces. 
The  crew  stripped  the  vessel  and  established 
themselves  on  the  island  for  the  winter.  Here 
was  a  settlement  of  some  three  hundred 
Eskimos,  and  what  with  provisions  saved  from 
the  wreck,  and  the  rewards  of  gunning  and 
fishing.  Captain  Hathaway  and  his  comrades 
had  as  pleasant  time  as  civilized  people  could 
expect  in  such  locality.  Their  stay  on  Black 
Lead  island  came  to  an  end  in  September  of 
the  next  year,  when  the  steam  whaler  "Tigris," 
of  St.  John,  N.  B.,  entered  the  inlet.  The 
"Tigris"  was  under  charter  for  a  summer  cruise 
by  Captain  Spicer  of  New  London,  and  the 
whole  party  embarked  on  her.  Accidents  did  not 
end  here,  for  the  "Tigris"  broke  her  shaft  com- 
ing out  and  had  to  make  her  way  home  under 
sail.  Some  of  the  crew  of  the  "Milwood"  left  the 
"Tigris"  at  St.  John,  and  the  others,  including 
Captain  Milner  and  Captain  Hathaway,  went 
in  her  to  New  London,  arriving  there  Oct.  19, 

1872.  The  "Tigris"  brought  back  140  barrels 
of  whale  and  twenty-two  bundles  of  bone  saved 
from  the  wrecked  vessel,  and  previously  twenty 
barrels  of  sperm  had  been  sent  home.  The 
"Milwood"  had  had  a  long  life.  She  was  built 
in  1806,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  she  hailed 
from  New  Bedford  until  thirty  years  later. 


With  this  trip  closed  the  service  of  Captain 
Hathaway  as  a  whaler.  He  served  for  four 
years  in  the  police  department  of  New  Bedford, 
becoming  assistant  marshal  of  police  in  1874, 
in  1875  being  appointed  captain  of  the  night 
force,  and  in  1876  appointed  chief  of  police 
under  Mayor  Abraham  H.  Howland,  Jr.,  wliich 
office  he  filled  with  credit  and  ability  for  two 
years.  He  organized  the  present  police  system, 
being  the  first  man  to  wear  a  uniform.  Re- 
signing from  the  police  force  he  went  to  sea 
again,  and  during  the  four  years  from  1878 
to  1882  made  fourteen  voyages  as  master  of  the 
packet  "Veronica"  for  Loum  Snow  &  Sons,  to 
the  Azores,  Madeiras  and  Canaries.  Since  then 
Captain  Hathaway  has  been  ashore,  engaged  as 
an  auctioneer  and  in  the  real  estate  business, 
with  office  on  Acushnet  avenue.  New  Bedford. 
In  1884  and  1885  he  served  the  city  as  overseer 
of  the  poor.  In  1884  President  Arthur  ap- 
pointed him  a  United  States  shipping  commis- 
sioner for  the  Thirteenth  Congressional  dis- 
trict, and  he  is  still  such  officer,  having  served 
for  over  twenty-seven  years,  being  one  of  the 
oldest  government  officials  in  New  England  in 
point  of  service. 

The  rescue  of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly  hag  been 
alluded  to  above.  Convicted  before  a  military 
commission  in  Ireland  in  1866,  O'Reilly  had 
been  sentenced  to  death  on  five  capital  charges. 
Then  his  sentence  was  commuted  to  imprison- 
ment for  life,  and  then  to  twenty  years'  penal 
service.  In  1867  he  was  transported  with  sixty 
other  political  prisoners  to  the  convict  settle- 
ment of  western  Australia.  Through  the  assist- 
ance of  a  Catholic  priest  O'Reilly  escaped  from 
a  convict  gang  at  work  on  the  Banbury  road, 
and  several  days  later  was  picked  up  from  an 
open  boat  some  eighty  miles  off  shore  by  Cap- 
tain Gilford,  whose  sympathies  in  his  behalf 
had  been  enlisted  through  the  efforts  of  Father 
Patrick  McCabe,  the  priest  referred  to.  The 
escaped  prisoner  was  a  guest  on  the  "Gazelle" 
until  put  aboard  the  ship  "Sapphire,"  of  Bos- 
ton, bound  for  Liverpool.  From  that  port 
O'Reilly  made  his  way  to  America.  Between 
Hathaway  and  O'Reilly  a  strong  friendship 
began  at  sea  and  it  lasted  until  the  day  of  the 
latter's  death.  Both  men  were  of  about  the 
same  age  and  the  attraction  was  mutual.  What 
the  one  owed  to  the  other  may  be  best  inferred 
from  what  follows,  written  shortly  after 
O'Reilly's  death : 

Among  the  thousands  who  loved  the  brave 
and  tender  heart  just  silenced  by  death  was  one 
to  whom  he  was  bound  by  ties  of  affection  and 
gratitude.  O'Reilly  owed  his  escape  largely,  his 
immunity  from  recapture  wholly,  and  his  life 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


627 


itself  ultimately,  to  a  noble  American  sailor, 
Capt.  Henry  C.  Hathaway  of  New  Bedford. 
Captain  Hathaway  was  third  officer  of  the 
"Gazelle"  when  that  vessel  picked  up  the  escap- 
ing prisoner  off  the  coast  of  Australia.  With 
O'Reilly  was  an  uninvited  companion,  a  ticket- 
of-leave  man  and  a  wretched  criminal,  one 
Martin  Bowman,  who  had  discovered  O'Reilly's 
plan  and  threatened  to  divulge  it  if  he  were 
not  also  taken  on  the  "Gazelle."  Reluctantly 
enough  he  was  included  in  the  party.  After  a 
six  months'  whaling  voyage  the  "Gazelle" 
touched  at  Rodriguez,  an  English  plant  in  the 
Indian  ocean,  where  the  governor  came  aboard, 
and,  to  the  dismay  of  O'Reilly's  friends,  de- 
manded the  convict  they  were  harboring.  The 
mate,  to  gain  time,  gave  up  Bowman,  who, 
directly  he  was  landed,  obtained  his  own  release 
by  informing  against  O'Reilly.  This  had  been 
foreseen  and  provided  for  by  Hathaway.  Dur- 
ing the  night,  the  ship's  grindstone  and 
O'Reilly's  hat  were  thrown  overboard  together. 
The  cry  of  "man  overboard"  was  raised,  boats 
were  lowered,  and  so  cleverly  was  everything 
managed  that  one  of  the  English  ex-convicts 
aboard  declared,  when  questioned  by  the  police, 
that  he  saw  O'Reilly  sink.  The  Rodriguez  au- 
thorities were  deceived  by  the  ruse,  and  the 
ship  went  to  sea  with  O'Reilly  secreted  under 
the  steps  of  the  companionway.  How  Hathaway 
before  this  saved  the  life  of  his  strangely  found 
friend,  he  tells  best  himself  in  a  letter  which 
follows : 

New  Bedford,  Mass.,  1877. 
My  Dear  Friend: 

According  to  your  wish  I  will  now  endeavor  to  give 
a  brief  account  of  what  happened  on  the  day  when 
Mr.  O'Reilly  was  with  me  in  pursuit  of  a  "bad" 
whale  on  the  northwest  coast  of  Australia.  I  don't 
exactly  remember  the  date,  but  think  it  was  in  May, 
1869.  We  lowered  away  our  boats  for  whales,  and 
O'Reilly  was  very  anxious  to  go  in  my  boat;  I  told 
him  that  he  had  better  stay  by  the  ship,  but  he  in- 
sisted on  going.  I  finally  consented,  and  he  went. 
Mr.  Hussey,  in  another  boat,  struck  the  whale  first. 
I  noticed  the  whale,  as  soon  as  he  struck  him,  make 
for  Hussey's  boat,  but  didn't  think  at  the  time  he 
was  a  bad  one. 

We  then  started  for  him,  and  just  before  we 
reached  him  he  "settled,"  and  the  next  thing  I  saw 
was  his  back  close  to  our  boat.  I  told  Lambert,  the 
boat-steerer,  to  "give  it  to  him."  As  soon  as  he 
struck  him  the  whale  raised  his  flukes  and  struck 
our  boat  four  times,  knocking  her  to  atoms.  The 
first  time  he  struck  her  he  stove  her  badly,  and  she 
began  to  fill.  I  noticed  O'Reilly's  head  droop  as 
though  he  was  hurt.  The  rest  of  the  crew  jumped 
into  the  sea  away  from  the  boat  and  clung  to  their 
oars;  I  clung  to  the  stem  part  of  the  boat,  that  be- 
ing the  only  piece  left  large  enough  to  hold  a  man 
up;  this,  I  think,  was  about  ten  feet  long.  I  missed 
O'Reilly,  and  thought  he  must  have  drowned,  as  I 
knew  he  was  hurt.  When  the  whale  left  us  the  men 
swam  back  to  the  shattered  boat. 


I  remember  saying,  "0  my  God!  where  is  O'Reilly?" 
and  Bolter,  who  was  close  by  my  side,  said :  "There 
he  is  on  the  other  side  under  water."  I  looked,  and 
sure  enough  there  he  was  about  two  feet  from  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  bobbing  up  and  down  like  a  cork. 
I  threw  myself  over,  and  by  clinging  to  the  broken 
keel  with  my  left  hand,  reached  him  by  the  hair  of 
the  head  with  my  right  hand  and  hauled  him  on  the 
stovcn  boat.  I  thought  then  that  he  was  dead,  as 
the  froth  was  running  from  his  nostrils  and  mouth; 
but  a  thought  struck  me  if  he  was  dead  he  would 
have  sunk;  so  I  raised  him  up  on  my  shoulder.  As  I 
lay  on  the  side  of  the  boat,  with  his  stomach  across 
my  shoulder,'  I  kept  punching  him  as  much  as  possi- 
ble to  get  the  salt  water  out  of  him. 

It  was  several  hours  before  he  realized  anything, 
as  the  ship  was  about  twelve  miles  from  us  to  the 
windward,  and  we  lay  on  the  stoven  boat  a  long  time 
before  we  were  picked  up  by  Mr.  Bryant,  the  fourth 
mate.  The  next  day  after  this  happened,  as  O'Reilly 
was  lying  in  his  bunk,  suffering  from  the  blow  of  the 
whale's  flukes,  he  said,  "Oh,  Hathaway,  why  didn't 
you  let  me  go?"  I  told  him  to  keep  quiet — that  he 
would  live  to  see  better  days ;  but  he  couldn't  see 
it.     We  don't  see  far  ahead,  after  all,  do  we? 

The  next  time  we  saw  whales  he  came  to  me  and 
said  he  would  like  to  go  with  me  again.  I  told  him 
"No,"  he  had  got  out  of  one  scrape,  and  had  better 
rest  contented.  But  he  insisted  on  going  and  I  con- 
sented, as  he  said  he  wanted  revenge.  We  were 
lucky  enough  that  day  to  get  a  good  big  fellow,  and 
I  think  he  had  his  revenge,  as  we  minced  him  up 
pretty  well.  I  think  it  was  the  death  of  that  whale 
that  suggested  his  poem  of  "The  Amber  Whale." 

I  wanted  to  say  how  it  was  that  Mr.  O'Reilly  was 
kept  on  board  the  "Gazelle"  as  long  as  he  was,  and 
who  influenced  Captain  GiS'ord  to  put  him  on  board 
the  "Sapphire,"  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope ;  but  as  I  do 
not  wish  to  say  anything  disrespectful  of  the  dead, 
I  will  let  it  drop.  But  I  will  say  that  if  I  hadn't 
"drowned"  him  at  the  Island  of  Rodriguez  two  months 
afterward,  when  the  English  governor  searched  the 
ship  for  him,  he  never  would  have  left  there  in  the 
"Gazelle,"  as  the  old  man  got  frightened. 
Yours  sincerely, 

Henry  C.  Hathaway. 

Captain  Hathaway  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  filled  the  office  of  alderman  for  Ward 
Three,  serving  under  three  mayors,  Brownell, 
Parker  and  Ashley,  respectively.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Star  in  the 
East  Lodge,  Council  and  Chapter,  and  Sutton 
Commandery,  of  the  Knights  Templars. 

Captain  Hathaway  married  July  19,  1870,  in 
New  Bedford,  Catharine  Perry,  born  in  New 
Bedford,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Ruth 
(Sampson)  Perry.  Their  children  were:  Ger- 
trude, born  in  September,  1875,  now  deceased; 
Henry  Clay,  Jr.,  Sept.  5,  1879,  who  married 
Maria  Moran;  Braddock  B.,  Aug.  31,  1882, 
who  is  associated  with  his  father  in  business. 


John  B.  Hathaway,  son  of  John  and  Amey 
(Read)  Hathaway,  was  born  July  7,  1808,  "in 
Rochester,  Mass.  At  the  age  of  six  years  he 
accompanied  his  family  on  their  removal  to 


628 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  village  of  Assonet,  and  from  that  time  on 
through  a  long  busy  life  he  was  identified  with 
the  affairs  of  Bristol  county.  When  eleven 
years  old  he  was  indentured  to  a  farmer  in 
Berkley  for  five  years.  He  later  learned  the 
shoemaker's  trade  and  followed  it  for  a  couple 
of  years  in  Assonet.  He  then  went  to  the  grow- 
ing village  of  Fall  Elver,  and  there  worked 
for  Mr.  Gardner  D.  Cook,  receiving  for  his 
services  $12  per  month  and  his  board.  From 
1828  to  1831  he  was  employed  at  calico  print- 
ing, but  owing  to  ill  health  he  was  obliged  to 
discontinue  the  business.  His  next  move  was 
to  open  a  shoe  store  to  which  in  the  year  1834 
he  added  groceries  and  took  his  brother  Joseph 
into  partnership  with  him.  His  health  con- 
tinuing poor  he  disposed  of  his  business  in 
1841.  One  year  later  he  began  again  in  the 
grocery  business,  this  time  engaging  in  the 
wholesale  trade.  He  was  burned  out  in  the  big 
fire  that  swept  his  portion  of  Fall  Eiver  in 
1843,  and  not  being  insured,  lost  every  dollar 
he  had  in  the  business.  He  erected  the  first 
building  constructed  after  the  fire,  this  on  the 
site  of  the  Wilcox  crockery  store  on  Bedford 
street,  where  he  continued  the  wholesale  grocery 
business  till  1854.  He  then  erected  a  block 
of  buildings  on  a  part  of  the  present  site  of  the 
Massasoit  National  Bank  building.  During  the 
succeeding  ten  years  he  made  a  competence,  and 
sold  at  the  end  of  that  period  the  business  to 
Messrs.  Petty,  Lawton  &  Co.,  and  retired.  He 
thereafter  led  a  quiet  life  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the  fruits  of  his  labors.  He  passed  his  winters 
in  Florida  to  within  a  few  years  of  the  time 
of  his  death  and  his  summers  at  the  homestead 
of  his  wife  in  Westport. 

Mr.  Hathaway,  while  never  active  in  muni- 
cipal politics,  served  in  the  lower  branch  of 
the  State  Legislature  in  1866-67,  and  in  the 
Senate  in  1869-70.  He  died  Jan.  17,  1895,  at 
his  home  in  Fall  Eiver,  Mass.,  aged  eighty-six 
years,  six  months,  ten  days.  His  wife,  formerly 
Betsey  Phillips,  survived  him  and  died  March 
26,  1900.     They  had  one  son,  John  Francis. 

I 

HENEY  SWAN  POETEE,  now  high 
sheriff  of  Plymouth  county,  a  position  he  has 
most  efficiently  filled  for  several  years,  belongs 
to  what  in  way  of  designation  might  more 
properly  be  termed  the  Brockton-Plymouth  Por- 
ter family,  that  of  which  the  head  was  his 
father,  the  late  Ahira  Swan  Porter,  who  for 
years  was  one  of  the  substantial  men  and  citi- 
zens of  Brockton,  engaged  there  extensively 
as  a  dealer  in  horses  and  carriages ;  it  is  a 
branch  of  the  earlier  Stoughton  family  and  it 
of  the  early  Porter  family  of  Weymouth. 


From  Eichard  Porter,  of  Weymouth,  tlie  first 
American  ancestor  of  the  Brockton-Plymouth 
family  alluded  to  and  here  considered,  the  line- 
age of  Sheriff  Porter  of  Plymouth  county  is 
through  Sergt.  John  Porter,  Samuel  Porter, 
Samuel  Porter  (2),  Lieut.  Joseph  Porter,  Col. 
Cyrus  Porter,  Ahira  Porter  and  Ahira  Swan 
Porter.  These  generations  follow  in  the  order 
named  and  in  detail. 

(I)  Eichard  Porter,  coming  from  Weymouth, 
England,  in  1635,  settled  in  Weymouth,  Mass., 
where  he  received  grants  of  land  in  1648,  1661, 
1663  and  1668.  For  many  years  he  was  con- 
tinuously in  ofBce  as  selectman,  constable  and 
upon  committees.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
original  church  there  and  his  name  often  occurs 
on  the  old  records.  His  will  was  made  Dec. 
25,  1688,  and  the  inventory  of  his  estate  was 
made  March  6,  1689.  The  Christian  name  of 
his  wife  was  presumably  Euth,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  John,  Euth  (born  Oct.  3,  1639), 
Thomas  and  Mary. 

(II)  Sergt.  John  Porter,  son  of  Eichard, 
was  a  resident  of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  and  is  said 
to  have  been  one  of  the  most  enterprising  men 
of  his  time.  He  had  many  land  grants  in 
Weymouth,  and  was  a  large  purchaser  of  lands 
in  ancient  Bridgewater  from  1686  to  1699.  He 
built  in  1693  the  first  sawmill  at  Little  Comfort, 
in  what  became  South  Abington.  He  and  his 
wife  sold  Grape  island  in  Weymouth  in  1705. 
Sergeant  Porter  was  a  useful,  honored  citizen, 
holding  all  the  various  offices  at  different  times. 
He  married,  Feb.  9,  1660,  Deliverance,  daugh- 
ter of  Nicholas  and  Martha  (Shaw)  Byram, 
and  they  died,  he  Aug.  7,  1717,  and  she  Sept. 
30,  1720.  Their  children,  all  born  in  Wey- 
mouth, were :  Mary,  born  Oct.  12,  1663 ;  Su- 
sanna, born  June  2,  1665;  John,  born  July  2, 
1667;  Samuel;  Nicholas;  Euth,  born  Sept.  18, 
1676;  Thomas;  Ebenezer,  and   Sarah. 

(III)  Samuel  Porter,  son  of  Sergt.  John, 
married  about  1698  Mary,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Abigail  (Dyer)  Nash,  of  Weymouth.  He 
was  town  officer  of  Weymouth  in  1707,  and 
about  that. iime  removed  to  Abington;  was  a 

, .shoemaker  and  schoolmaster.  He  bought  the 
Daniel  Axtel  farm  in  Abington  in  1712;  was 
assessor  of  the  town  in  1716 ;  selectman  in  1714 
and  for  three  years  thereafter.  In  1724  he  was 
employed  by  the  selectmen  to  teach  school.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  church 
in  Abington,  where  he  died,  Aug.  31,  1725. 
His  children  were:  Samuel,  born  May  14, 
1699;  Mary,  Oct.  5,  1701:  David,  1702;  Jacob, 
Aug.  10,  1704  (all  in  Weymouth) ;  Hannah, 
Dec.  16, 1712 ;  John,  Feb.  2,  1716 ;  and  Abigail, 
June  23,  1719   (all  in  Abington). 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


629 


(IV)  Samuel  PorteT  (2),  born  May  14, 
1699,  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  married  (first) 
July  2,  1722,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Sarah  (Ford)  Josselyn,  of  Abington,  and  (sec- 
ond) May  31,  1764,  in  Bridgewater,  Ruth  Reed. 
Mr.  Porter  probably  moved  to  Bridgewater 
soon  after  Dec.  1,  1742,  at  which  time  he  and 
his  wife  deeded  house  and  land  to  his  brother 
Jacob.  His  children  were :  Sarah,  born  Aug. 
26,  1723;  Mary,  Feb.  9,  1725;  Samuel,  Oct. 
12,  1727;  Joseph,  Feb.  27,  1730;  Ebenezer, 
Sept.  15, 1731 ;  Mary,  Aug.  3, 1733 ;  Adam,  Feb. 
24,  1735;  Hannah,  Feb.  18,  1736;  Betterus, 
Sept.  23,  1737;  Noah,  May  13, 1740;  Jonathan, 
Aug.  27,  1741 ;  Deliverance,  July  9,  1742 ;  Abi- 
gail, July  7, 1743 ;  Tabitha,  in  1744 ;  and  Sarah. 

(V)  Lieut.  Joseph  Porter,  born  Feb.  27, 
1730,  in  Abington,  Mass.,  married  Jan.  25, 
1753,  Elizabeth,  bom  July  4,  1733,  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Content  (Whitcomb)  Burrell, 
of  Weymouth.  She  went  to  Abington  to  teach 
school,  and  was  there  married.  She  was  a 
woman  of  remarkable  personal  beauty,  as  were 
all  her  daughters.  Mr.  Porter  was  a  resident 
of  Bridgewater  and  Stoughton,  Mass.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  were  admitted  to  the  Bridgewater 
Church  in  1780.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
militia  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  He  died 
Jan.  15,  1803,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his 
age.  His 'widow  died  March  26,  1822,  aged 
eighty-nine  years.  His  children,  of  whom  the 
first  seven  were  recorded  in  Bridgewater,  were : 
Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  8,  1753;  Joseph,  June 
10,  1754;  Hannah,  July  21,  1758;  Robert, 
March  30,  1762;  Isaac,  Feb.  23,  1765;  Content, 
Feb.  5,  1767;  Mehetabel,  April  15,  1769;  Lib- 
beus,  April  22,  1771;  and  Cyrus,  1774. 

(VI)  Col.  Cyrus  Porter,  son  of  Lieut.  Jos- 
eph, born  in  1774,  married  (first)  in  1800  Re- 
'becca,   daughter   of   Capt.   William   and   Mary 

(Perkins)  French,  and  (second)  Sept.  8,  1835, 
Mrs.  Martha,  widow  of  Calvin  Alden  and 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  Hayden,  of  Stoughton. 
Mr.  Porter  was  a  resident  of  the  town  of 
Stoughton,  Mass.,  a  farmer,  occupied  much  in 
public  affairs  and  of  high  respectability.  He 
lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years,  and 
died  May  29,  1855.  His  children,  all  born  to 
the  first  marriage,  were:  Olive,  bom  Oct.  16, 
1800,  married  Caleb  Copeland;  Ahira  was  bom 
Nov.  9,  1801;  Rebecca,  bom  Nov.  11,  1803, 
died  May  25,  1804;  Rebecca  (2),  bom  in 
1805,  married  Marcus  Copeland;  Cyrus,  bom 
June  12,-  1807,  married  Eliza  J.  Dunbar;  Me- 
hetabel, bora  Dec.  3,  1808,  married  Ezra 
Churchill,  of  Stoughton ;  Luther,  bom  Dec.  18, 
1814,  married  Lucy  Talbot;  William  French, 
born  Jan.   23,   1823,  married  Harriet   Sears; 


Eliza  Ann,  born  April  5,  1829,  married  Wil- 
liam Hall,  of  North  Bridgewater. 

(VII)  Ahira  Porter,  son  of  Col.  Cyrus,  born 
Nov.  9,  1801,  in  Stoughton,  Mass.,  was  a  shoe- 
treer  by  trade,  which  vocation  he  followed 
during  the  active  years  of  his  life.  He  lived 
in  East  Stoughton,  Mass.,  where  he  died  Dec. 
6,  1863.  In  1826  he  married  Rachel  D.  Swan, 
who  died  Nov.  19,  1861.  Their  children  were: 
Ahira  Swan,  born  Jan.  20,  1827,  is  mentioned 
below;  Rachel  D.,  born  Dec.  27,  1828,  married 
and  resided  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  where  she  died; 
William,  born  Aug.  30,  1831,  died  in  Randolph, 
Mass.;  Samuel,  bom  June  27,  1833,  died  in 
Worcester,  Mass. ;  James,  born  Oct.  4,  1835, 
resides  at  Brant  Rock,  Mass.;  and  George  W., 
born  Jan.  30,  1843,  resides  in  Avon,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

(VIII)  Ahira  Swan  Porter,  son  of  Ahira, 
was  bom  Jan.  20,  1827,  in  Stoughton,  Mass., 
and  married  April  22,  1849,  Louisa  Packard, 
bora  Nov.  29,  1829,  daughter  of  Josiah  and 
Betsey  D.  (Bolton)  Packard,  of  North  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.,  and  a  direct  descendant  of  Samuel 
Packard,  who  with  his  wife  and  child  came  from 
Windham,  near  Hingham,  England,  in  the  ship 
"Diligence,"  of  Ipswich,  in  1638,  and  settled 
first  in  Hingham,  thence  removing  to  West 
Bridgewater,  where  he  was  a  tavern-keeper  and 
served  as  constable;  from  whom  her  descent  is 
through  Zaccheus  and  Sarah  (Howard)  Pack- 
ard; Israel  and  Hannah  Packard;  Seth  and 
Mercy  (Bryant)  Packard;  Jonathan  and  Su- 
sanna (Alger)  Packard;  Israel  and  Susanna 
(Edson)  Packard,  and  Josiah  and  Betsey  D. 
(Bolton)  Packard.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porter 
were  born  two  sons,  as  follows:  Henry  Swan, 
born  May  27,  1852,  and  Frank  Forest,  bom 
Dec.  14,  1856.  The  latter  married  Rachel  A. 
Porter,  daughter  of  Lewis  Porter,  of  North 
Bridgewater,  and  they  had  one  son,  Ahira  L. 
Porter,  who  resides  in  Brockton,  where  he  is 
superintendent  of  the  Packard  &  Field  shoe 
factory. 

Ahira  Swan  Porter  passed  his  boyhood  in  his 
native  town,  and  in  early  life  followed  the  trade 
of  shoemaking  as  a  shoe-treer  there  until  about 
the  year  1853,  when  he  removed  to  the  town 
of  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton).  There 
he  embarked  in  the  hay  and  grain  business, 
opening  a  store  in  that  part  of  the  town  known 
as  "Factory  Village,"  which  he  conducted  for 
about  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
disposed  of  the  same  and  entered  the  business 
in  which  he  continued  successfully  until  his 
death.  On  May  13,  1857,  he  commenced  to  run 
a  stage  line  to  Boston,  making  three  trips  a 
week,  and  in  the  following  month,  because  of 


630 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


increasing  patronage,  began  to  make  daily  trips. 
He  continued  to  run  the  line  for  several  years, 
until  the  advent  of  the  railroad.  This  was 
actually  the  nucleus  of  his  livery  and  carriage 
business,  for  during  this  time  he  established  the 
livery  and  sale  stable  at  the  head  of  which  he 
continued  as  senior  member  of  the  firm — A.  S. 
Porter  &  Sons — organized  in  the  course  of 
time  until  his  death.  This  business  grew 
under  his  direction  to  one  of  the  largest 
of  its  kind  in  southeastern  Massachusetts,  and 
the  firm  was  one  of  the  most  widely  known  in 
its  line  of  trade  in  the  State.  As  his  sons 
grew  to  manhood  Mr.  Porter  took  them  into 
partnership,  the  firm  thereafter  being  known  as 
A.  S.  Porter  &  Sons,  continuing  as  such  until 
the  death  of  the  father.  This  enterprising 
firm  acted  as  agent  for  several  of  the  leading 
carriage  manufacturers,  and  its  repository  in 
Brockton  was  one  of  the  largest  in  the  State. 

Mr.  Porter  was  intensely  interested  in  mu- 
sical affairs,  and  had  one  of  the  first  orchestras 
in  the  town,  which  was  established  in  1848, 
and  for  fully  twenty  years  was  leader  of  a 
local  orchestra  bearing  his  name,  and  which 
was  known  far  and  near,  he  being  exceedingly 
popular  as  a  prompter.  On  various  occasions 
his  orchestra  was  called  upon  to  substitute  for 
the  well-known  Germania  Orchestra  of  Bos- 
ton. For  a  number  of  years  he  was  agent  for 
Martland's  Band,  one  of  the  best  known  musical 
organizations  in  southeastern  Massachusetts. 

In  October,  1876,  Mr.  Porter  was  appointed 
deputy  sheriff  by  the  sheriff,  Major  Bates,  and 
continued  to  serve  in  that  capacity  until  his 
death,  during  which  time  he  did  the  greater 
part  of  the  criminal  work,  and  was  perhaps 
the  best  known  deputy  sheriff  in  tlie  county. 
At  one  time  he  was  coroner  for  this  section. 
In  early  life  he  was  an  old-line  Whig,  and  upon 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party,  in 
1856,  he  allied  himself  with  the  latter  party, 
and  continued  loyal  to  the  principles  of  that 
party  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Porter  was  a  member  of  Paul  Revere 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Brockton,  a  member 
of  the  Stoughton  Grenadiers,  and  a  fine  member 
of  the  Cunningham  Rifles. 

Mr.  Porter  died  in  Brock-ton  Nov.  12,  1886, 
in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age,  and  at  his 
funeral,  held  at  the  New  Jerusalem  Church, 
Nov.  17th,  there  were  many  evidences  of  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  in  the 
community  where  he  had  resided  for  so  many 
years;  it  was  largely  attended  by  the  citizens 
in  general,  and  there  were  delegations  from  the 
various  organizations  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected, the  following  being  represented:    Paul 


Revere  Lodge ;  Company  I,  Cunningham  Rifles ; 
M.  V.  M.;  Stoughton  Grenadier  Association; 
Martland's  Band;  city  board  of  engineers;  and 
deputy  sheriffs -of  the  county. 

(IX)  Henry  Swan  Porter,  son  of  the  late 
Ahira  S.  and  Louisa  (Packard)  Porter,  was 
born  May  27,  1852,  in  North  Bridgewater  (now 
Brockton),  Mass.,  and  in  the  common  schools 
and  the  high  school  of  his  native  town  acquired 
his  early  educational  training.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  entered  the  employ  of  Brett 
Brothers,  well-known  merchants  of  North 
Bridgewater,  as  a  clerk,  and  for  a  period  of  six 
years  continued  in  their  service  and  with  their 
successors,  during  the  hours  not  spent  in  the 
schoolroom.  After  leaving  school,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  years,  he  entered  the  employ  of 
his  father,  and  in  1883  was  made  a  partner  in 
the  business,  the  firm  then  becoming  A.  S.  Por- 
ter &  Sons.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Porter 
had  charge  of  the  selling  end  of  the  business, 
and  traveled  extensively  over  various  sections 
of  the  State,  selling  carriages.  After  the  death 
of  his  father  Mr.  Porter  and  his  brother  con- 
tinued the  business  until  1894,  when  Mr.  Por- 
ter disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  business  to 
his  brother,  Frank  F.  Porter. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Porter  is  a  stalwart 
adherent  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has  been  active 
in  the  political  affairs  of  Plymouth  county.  He 
has  acted  in  the  public  service  of  the  county 
since  1875,  on  March  9th  of  which  year  he  was 
appointed  constable  and  police  officer  by  the  se- 
lectmen of  his  native  town,  continuing  in  that 
capacity  until  1882,  when  the  town  became 
the  city  of  Brockton.  On  Aug.  16,  1879,  he  was 
appointed  deputy  sheriff  of  Plymouth  county 
under  Sheriff  A.  B.  Harmon,  and  continued 
to  hold  that  commission  until  he  was  elected 
high  sheriff  of  Plymouth  county.  In  1883  he 
was  appointed  court  officer  of  the  county,  which 
office  he  still  retains.  In  1883,  1884  and  1885 
he  represented  Ward  Two  as  a  member  of  the 
common  council,  and  in  1886  was  a  member  of 
the  board  of  aldermen  of  his  native  city;  notice 
of  Alderman  H.  S.  Porter's  refusal  to  continue 
in  public  office  appeared  in  the  Enterprise  of 
Nov.  20,  1886.  In  1901  Mr.  Porter  was  elected 
high  sheriff  of  Plymouth  county,  receiving  a 
very  large  majority  vote,  carrying  every  ward 
in  his  native  town,  and  twenty-three  of  the 
twenty-seven  towns  in  the  county,  and  at  each 
subsequent  election  has  been  elected  to  the  same 
office  by  large  majorities,  having  filled  the 
office  with  honor  to  himself  and  to  the  satis- 
faction of  his  constituents. 

Fraternally   Sheriff   Porter   is   a   prominent 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


631 


member  of  the  Masonic  organization,  holding 
membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Bay  State 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Brockton, 
being  a  life  member  of  the  two  former  bodies. 
He  was  also  a  charter  member  of  Banner  Lodge, 
No.  81,  New  England  Order  of  Protection,  of 
Brockton,  and  is  a  member  of  Brockton  Lodge, 
No.  218,  Knights  of  Honor,  of  Brockton.  While 
a  resident  of  his  native  city  he  was  also  an 
active  member  of  the  Commercial  Club,  which 
numbers  among  its  membership  the  leading 
business  and  professional  men  of  the  communi- 
ty. Upon  becoming  high  sheriS  of  the  county 
Mr.  Porter  took  up  his  residence  at  Plymouth, 
where  he  and  Mrs.  Porter  are  prominent  in 
tlie  social  affairs  of  the  town  as  they  were  in 
Brockton,  being  well  and  favorably  known  in 
both  places. 

On  Nov.  19,  1873,  Sheriff  Porter  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Laura  Jane  Hall,  daughter  of 
David  S.  and  Mary  (Partridge)  Hall,  of  Dux- 
bury,  who  is  also  a  descendant  of  early  New 
England  ancestry,  being  a  direct  descendant 
in  the  seventh  generation  from  Miles  Standish. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  daughter, 
Laura  Louise,  who  is  the  wife  of  Earl  P.  Blake, 
of  Brockton,  one  of  the  deputy  sheriffs  of  Ply- 
mouth county. 

COPELAND.  The  family  bearing  this 
name  is  a  time-honored  one  in  this  Common- 
wealth, and  has  had  numbered  among  its  mem- 
bers worthy  representatives  in  the  business 
world  as  well  as  in  good  citizenship.  This  arti- 
cle is  to  particularly  treat  of  that  branch  of  the 
family  through  which  descended  the  late  Fran- 
cis Copeland,  and  his  sons,  Ira  Copeland,  Davis 
Copeland  and  the  late  Heman  Copeland,  all  of 
whom  have  been  honored  and  respected  citizens 
of  the  communities  in  which  their  lives  and  en- 
ergies have  been  spent.  The  history  of  this 
branch  of  the  Copeland  family,  given  in  chron- 
ological order,  beginning  with  the  first  Ameri- 
can ancestor,  follows. 

(I)  Lawrence  Copeland  came  to  America 
and  settled  at  Braintree,  Mass.  It  is  supposed 
that  he  was  a  sailor.  He  married  12th  day, 
10th  month,  1651,  Lydia  Townsend,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Hibbins,  of  Boston,  performing  the  cere- 
mony. To  this  union  were  born  children  as 
follows:  Thomas,  bom  in  1652  (who  died  in 
infancy);  Thomas  (2),  1654;  William,  1656; 
John,  1658;  Lydia,  1661;  Ephraim,  1665; 
Hannah,  1668 ;  Richard,  1672  (died  same  day) ; 
and  Abigail,  1674. 

(II)  William  Copeland,  son  of  Lawrence, 
was  born  15th  day,  9th  month,  1656,  in  Brain- 
tree,  Mass.,  and  there  died  Oct.  30,  1716.    In 


his  wdll  he  called  himself  "husbandman."  On 
April  13,  1694,  he  married  Mary  Bass,  widow 
of  Christopher  Webb,  Jr.,  and  daughter  of 
John  and  Ruth  (Alden)  Bass.  Their  children 
were:  William,  born  March  7,  1695;  Ephraim, 
Feb.  1,  1697;  Ebenezer,  Feb.  16,  1698;  Jona- 
than, Aug.  31,  1701;  David,  April  15,  1704; 
Joseph,  May  18,  1706;  Benjamin,  Oct.  5,  1708; 
Moses,  May  28,  1710;  and  Mary,  May  28,  1713. 

(III)  Jonathan  Copeland,  son  of  William, 
was  born  Aug.  31,  1701,  in  Braintree,  Mass., 
and  settled  in  Bridgewater,  where  he  died  Sept. 
11,  1790.  He  was  a  farmer  and  tanner  and 
currier,  and  tradition  says  his  tannery  was  in 
West  Bridgewater.  On  Jan.  14,  1723,  he  mar- 
ried Betty  Snell,  daughter  of  Thomas  Snell,  Jr., 
of  Bridgewater,  and  their  children  were:  Abi- 
gail, born  Dec.  9,  1724;  Betty,  April  17,  1726 
(died  June  14,  1750) ;  Jonathan,  Jr.,  Aug.  9, 
1728;  Mary,  March  26,  1731;  Joseph,  April 
28,  1734;  Hannah,  May  13,  1737;  Elijah,  June 
3,  1739 ;  Daniel,  Sept.  13,  1741 ;  Sarah,  Feb.  13, 
1744-45;  Ebenezer,  July  27,  1746;  and  Betty 
(2),  Sept.  23,  1750. 

(IV)  Jonathan  Copeland,  Jr.,  son  of  Jona- 
than, was  bom  Aug.  9,  1728,  in  Bridgewater, 
and  died  Nov.  16,  1820,  in  the  ninety-third 
year  of  his  age,  in  West  Bridgewater.  He  was 
a  farmer,  and  also  a  tanner  and  currier,  con- 
tinuing the  latter  business  as  founded  by  his 
father.  On  May  22,  1754,  he  married  Mehit- 
able  Dunbar,  daughter  of  Samuel  and-Melatiah 
(Hayward)  Dunbar,  of  Bridgewater.  She  died 
Oct.  4,  1827,  in  the  ninety-second  year  of  her 
age.  To  this  union  were  born  children  as 
follows:  Jonathan,  born  April  30,  1755;  Me- 
hitable,  Aug.  19,  1757;  Sarah.  Dec.  18,  1759; 
Asa,  Aug.  4,  1762;  Caleb,  Aug.  6,  1764;  Eph- 
raim, June  8,  1767 ;  Betty,  Feb.  27,  1770  (died 
in  infancy) ;  and  Mary  (or  Polly)  and  Martha, 
twins,  Aug.  7,  1772,  the  former  dying  in  in- 
fancy, and  Martha  dying  Oct.  8,  1853. 

(V)  Asa  Copeland,  son  of  Jonathan,  Jr., 
was  born  Aug.  4,  1762,  in  West  Bridgewater, 
where  he  died  March  26,  1852,  in  the  ninetieth 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  engaged  in  farming 
during  his  active  life,  and  kept  house  over  sixty 
years  in  the  same  house  where  now  lives  his 
grandson,  Davis  Copeland.  On  Feb.  8,  1792, 
he  married  Persia  Howard,  who  was  born  Feb. 
9,  1772,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
Howard,  and  died  Jan.  21,  1851.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Albert,  bom  Jan.  28,  1793,  a  farm- 
er and  wheelwright,  died  in  West  Bridgewater ; 
Azel  Howard,  born  Oct.  30,  1795,  a  farmer  and 
carpenter,  died  in  West  Bridgewater;  Asa,  Jr., 
born  May  20,  1799,  a  farmer  and  blacksmith, 
died  in  Bridgewater;  Francis  was  born  Dec. 
31,  1803, 


632 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(VI)  Francis  Copeland,  youngest  son  of  Asa 
and  Persia  (Howard),  born  Dec.  31,  1803,  in 
West  Bridgewater,  in  the  same  house  where 
now  lives  his  sou,  Davis,  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  his  ancestors,  and  during  his  life  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  an 
industrious  man,  and  as  a  citizen  commanded 
the  respect  of  the  community  in  which  his  long 
life  was  spent.  In  his  political  faith  he  was 
a  Democrat  of  the  old  school,  and  took  an  ac- 
tive interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  native  town, 
holding  some  minor  offices.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  were  active  members  of  the  Church  of 
the  New  Jerusalem  at  Brockton,  he  having 
been  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  same 
society  in  West  Bridgewater.  Mr.  Copeland 
died  Dec.  17,  1882,  aged  nearly  seventy-nine 
years,  in  West  Bridgewater,  where  he  is  buried 
in  the  Pine  Hill  cemetery.  On  Nov.  8,  1830, 
he  married  Judith  Washburn  Kingman,  born 
Nov.  15,  1809,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Judith 
(Washburn)  Kingman,  of  North  Bridgewater, 
and  a  direct  descendant  of  Henry  Kingman, 
who  came  from  Wales  in  1632  to  this  country, 
settling  at  Weymouth,  Mass.,  where  he  became 
an  early  and  prominent  resident  of  that  town, 
her  line  of  descent  being  through  (II)  John 
and  Elizabeth  Kingman;  (III)  Henry  and 
Bethiah  (Howard)  Kingman;  (IV)  Henry  and 
Mary  (Allen)  Kingman;  and  (V)  Seth  and 
Judith  (Washburn)  Kingman.  Seth  Kingman, 
her  father,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Kevolutionary 
war,  being  a  member  of  Capt.  Nathan  Pack- 
ard's company.  Col.  Eliphalet  Cary's  regiment, 
which  marched  on  account  of  the  alarm  of 
Rhode  Island  July  22,  1780,  by  order  of  the 
council  of  North  Bridgewater;  he  married  Ju- 
dith Washburn,  born  in  1771,  daughter  of 
Jabez  Washburn.  Mrs.  Copeland  died  in  West 
Bridgewater  Feb.  1,  1876,  in  the  sixty-seventh 
year  of  her  age,  and  is  buried  at  the  side  of 
her  husband  in  Pine  Hill  cemetery.  To  Fran- 
cis and  Judith  Washburn  (Kingman)  Cope- 
land were  born  the  following  children:  Ira, 
born  Nov.  14,  i83J,  married  Caroline  F.  Eeed, 
of  Abington,  Mass.;  Davis,  born  March  16, 
1835,  married  Sarah  S.  Wade;  Lucy,  bom 
April  27,  1839,  died  unmarried  in  1899;  and 
Heman,  born  Dec.  30,  1843,  who  died  July 
26,  1909,  in  Chula  Vista,  Cal.,  married  Caro- 
line A.  Parker,  of  Mattapoisett,  Massachusetts. 

(VII)  Ira  Copeland,  inventor  and  real  es- 
tate dealer,  formerly  of  Brockton,  Plymouth 
county,  now  residing  at  Newton  Highlands, 
Mass.,  was  born  Nov.  14,  1831,  in  West  Bridge- 
water  (now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Brockton), 
eldest  son   of   Francis   and  Judith  Washburn 


(Kingman)  Copeland.  Mr.  Copeland  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  his  native  town  and  in 
the  State  normal  school  at  Bridgewater,  which 
in  his  day  was  under  the  principalship  of 
Nicholas  Tillinghast;  he  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  the  year  1850.  For  several  years 
following  Mr.  Copeland  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing, principally  at  East  Bridgewater,  West 
Bridgewater,  Foxboro,  Abington  and  Fall 
River,  teaching  the  grammar  school  at  the  lat- 
ter place,  eventually  retiring  from  that  profes- 
sion on  account  of  ill  health.  Returning  to  the 
homestead  in  West  Bridgewater,  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  a  time,  in  1857  engaging  in  the 
grocery  business  in  the  town  of  North  Bridge- 
water  (now  the  city  of  Brockton),  which  then 
boasted  a  population  of  but  3,000,  his  place 
of  business  being  located  on  the  East  side  of 
the  town.  He  was  in  business  there  for  a  per- 
iod of  forty  years,  with  continuous  success, 
during  which  time  he  saw  the  little  town  ex- 
pand and  develop  until  its  population  exceeded 
50,000.  Meantime  he_also  engaged  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  in  the  cultivation  of  fruit,  in 
which  he  found  both  pleasure  and  profit.  By 
strict  attention  to  the  demands  of  his  trade 
he  prospered,  and  as  he  accumulated  means 
acquired  real  estate  interests  in  the  city,  which 
he  still  holds.  Closing  out  his  grocery  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Copeland  in  1897  moved  his  family 
to  Newton  Highlands,  Middlesex  Co.,  Mass., 
where  he  resides  in  a  beautiful  home  on  an 
elevation  which  commands  a  fine  view  of  the 
surrounding  country. 

Though  an  adtive  business  man  for  so  many 
years  Mr.  Copeland  found  time  to  follow  his 
inventive  inclinations  and  develop  his  faculties 
along  that  line,  with  gratifying  results.  In 
about  1866  he  perfected  a  system  of  cipher  cor- 
respondence which  is  still  a  secret,  and  which 
though  simple  was  one  impossible  to  translate 
without  the  key  by  which  it  was  produced.  On 
Jan.  14,  1868,  he  invented  and  had  patented 
a  fruit  box  and  packer,  and  in  1870  he  invented 
a  horse  hoe  which  he  also  patented.  In  1878 
he  invented  and  patented  a  wringer,  upon 
which  he  made  an  improvement  the  following 
year.  In  1887  he  patented  the  improved  wire 
nail.  In  1903  he  devised  a  method  of  fasten- 
ing rails,  and  in  1904  invented  a  railroad 
spike,  which  he  had  patented,  also  receiving  a 
patent  known  as  a  method  of  spiking.  In 
1887  he  patented  a  cement  coated  vrire  nail, 
which  he  had  patented  and  which  proved  the 
most  successful  of  all  his  inventions  and  of 
which  millions  of  dollars'  worth  are  now  sold 
annually;  in  1900  he  invented  an  apparatus 
for  cement  coating  and  packing  nails,  which  he 


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ayj^ci 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


633 


also  patented.-  A  number  of  other  useful  arti- 
cles are  included  in  the  list  of  the  contrivances 
he  has  produced,  several  of  which  have  proved 
particularly  beneficial  to  those  who  employ 
them. 

Wliile  a  resident  of  Brockton  Mr.  Copeland 
was  quite  active  in  the  administration  of  mu- 
nicipal affairs.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  inde- 
pendent in  action  and  a  firm  supporter  of  the 
doctrines  of  Henry  George,  believing  ardently 
in  the  single  tax  tenets.  Particularly  inter- 
ested in  the  cause  of  public  education  in  his 
home  community,  he  served  six  years  on  the 
school  board.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  assessors  of  Brockton  in  1881  and  1882. 
He  takes  great  pride  in  the  present  city  of 
Brockton,  now  numbering  nearly  sixty  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  and  it  was  he  who  suggested 
the  name  Brockton  when  the  renaming  of 
North  Bridgewater  was  being  discussed,  after 
the  town  of  Brockton,  in  Ontario.  The  name 
was  adopted  after  due  consideration  by  the 
Board  of  Trade,  of  which  he  was  secretary  at 
that  time.  Mr.  Copeland  was  also  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  old  Board  of  Trade  of  the 
town  of  North  Bridgewater  and  served  as  its 
secretary  during  its  existence.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  North  Bridgewater  Agricultural  So- 
ciety and  served  as  its  first  secretary,  contin- 
uing in  that  capacity  for  a  period  of  twenty- 
five  years,  until  he  removed  to  Newton  High- 
lands, and  being  succeeded  in  that  position  by 
the  late  Baalis  Sanford.  In  1886  he  was  the 
prime  mover  in  obtaining  a  franchise  for  the 
East  Side  Electric  Railway  of  Brockton,  which 
had  a  trackage  of  about  four  and  a  half  miles. 
Of  this  corporation  he  was  vice  president,  and 
acting  president,  until  capitalistic  influences 
obtained  a  controlling  interest  in  its  capital 
stock.  This  was  the  first  electric  railway  fran- 
chise granted  in  Massachusetts  and,  he  believes, 
in  New  England.  It  was  the  initial  step  in 
making  Brockton  a  great  electric  railway  cen- 
ter. Although  it  is  not  generally  known,  Mr. 
Copeland  was  also  the  prime  mover  in  causing 
the  Old  Colony  Railroad  Corporation  to  elim- 
inate its  grade  crossings  throughout  the  city, 
which  was  done  at  an  estimated  cost  of 
$1,800,000. 

On  Dec.  1,  1853,  Mr.  Copeland  was  married, 
in  Abington,  Mass.,  to  Caroline  F.  Reed,  a  na- 
tive of  Abington,  daughter  of  Noah  and  Mary 
Reed,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  and 
bast  known  families  of  that  section  of  the  State 
of  Massachusetts.  Three  children  were  born 
to  them :  Mary  C. ;  Helen  L.,  who  died  in  her 
twenty-second  year;  and  Marion  K.,  the  sur- 
viving daughters   residing   with   their   parents 


in  the  comfortable  family  home  at  Newton 
Highlands.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Copeland  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem  at 
Abington,  Massachusetts. 

(VII)  Davis  Copelanb,  one  of  the  success- 
ful agriculturists  of  the  community  in  which 
his  long  and  industrious  life  has  been  spent, 
was  born  March  16,  1835,  in  West  Bridge- 
water,  in  that  part  of  the  town  which  has  since 
been  annexed  to  the  city  of  Brockton,  and  in 
the  same  house  on  Copeland  street,  which  was 
named  for  his  family,  in  which  he  has 
resided  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  is  the 
second  son  of  Francis  and  Judith  Washburn 
(Kingman)  Copeland.  Until  eighteen  years  of 
age  his  winters  were  spent  in  acquiring  his 
education  in  the  district  school,  while  his  sum- 
mers were  devoted  to  work  on  the  homestead 
farm.  After  leaving  school  he  continued  farm- 
ing, and  since  his  father's  death  has  success- 
fully conducted  the  homestead  of  100  acres. 
Being  of  an  industrious  and  .painstaking  nature 
he  keeps  his  place  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
For  the  past  twenty-five  or  more  years  he  has 
been  extensively  engaged  in  market  gardening, 
supplying  his  patrons  in  Brockton  with  pro- 
duce. 

Mr.  Copeland  and  his  family  are  active  and 
consistent  members  of  the  Church  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,  at  Brockton,  Mr.  Copeland  having 
served  as  a  member  of  the  standing  committee 
and  on  the  church  council.  Fraternally  he 
was  a  charter  member  of  Howard  Lodge,  No. 
116,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  West  Bridgewater, 
and  also  a  charter  member  of  the  West  Bridge- 
water  Grange,  No.  156,  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Brockton  Agricultural  Society,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Bridgewater  Historical  Society. 
In  his  political  faith  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  before  becoming  a  resident 
of  Brockton  took  an  active  interest  in  the  af- 
fairs of  his  native  town,  having  served  for  five 
years  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  road  com- 
missioners, for  nine  years  as  a  member  of 
the  school  committee  and  for  a  term  of  four 
years  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
of  West  Bridgewater. 

On  Dec.  8,  1863,  Mr.  Copeland  married 
Sarah  Samantha  Wade,  daughter  of  Charles 
Thomas  and  Samantha  (White)  Wade,  of 
Easton,  Mass.  Mrs.  Copeland  is  also  a  de- 
scendant of  historic  New  England  ancestry,  as 
well  as  of  Revolutionary  stock.  Her  grand- 
father, Thomas  Wade,  married  Silence  Phil- 
lips, daughter  of  Oliver  Phillips,  the  latter  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Copeland  were  born  children  as  follows:   (1) 


634 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Lida  Wade,  born  May  7,  18G6,  is  unmarried 
and  living  at  home.  (2)  Arthur  Davis,  born 
April  4,  1869,  was  educated  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  West  Bridgewater,  after  which 
he  entered  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Amherst,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1889.  He  was  for  several  years  engaged  in 
the  florist  business,  and  later  in  the  hay,  grain 
and  feed  business  in  Brockton,  and  died  in 
Forest  Hills,  Mass.,  at  Dr.  Emerson's  private 
hospital,  Sept.  3,  1907.  For  several  years  prior 
to  his  death  he  was  a  trustee  and  treasurer  of 
Howard  Seminary,  of  West  Bridgewater.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  various  Masonic  bodies, 
holding  membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.;  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.;  and 
Bay  State  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of 
Brockton.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  held  mem- 
bership in  the  Commercial  Club,  of  Brockton, 
and  in  the  West  Bridgewater  Grange,  No.  156, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry.  He  married  July  6, 
1898,  Jessie  Janet  Lothrop,  daughter  of  Edwin 
H.  Lothrop,  of  West  Bridgewater,  and  they 
had  a  son,  Dwight  Lothrop  Copeland,  born 
Aug.  16,  1899. 

(VII)  Heman  Copeland,  the  youngest  son 
of  the  late  Francis  and  Judith  Washburn 
(Kingman)  Copeland,  was  bom  Dec.  30,  1843, 
in  that  part  of  West  Bridgewater  which  has 
since  become  a  part  of  the  city  of  Brockton, 
Mass.,  in  the  house  which  adjoins  the  old 
Copeland  homestead,  the  latter  now  occupied 
by  his  brother,  Davis  Copeland.  He  acquired 
his  educational  training  in  the  district  schools, 
later  attending  Hunt's  Academy  at  North 
Bridgewater  and  also  the  State  normal  school 
at  Bridgewater.  After  completing  the  course 
at  the  State  normal  he  engaged  in  teaching 
school  for  several  terms,  both  in  Duxbury  and 
in  his  native  town.  Having  been  reared  on 
the  farm  he  naturally  drifted  toward  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  after  teaching  school  for 
several  terms  he  in  1868  purchased  the  Nahum 
Snell  farm,  of  about  fifty-five  acres,  better 
known  as  the  Brooks  farm,  near  his  old  home- 
stead, later  purchasing  the  Molbry  Ripley 
farm,  of  about  twenty-six  acres,  near  by.  Upon 
this  land  Mr.  Copeland  engaged  extensively  in 
market  gardening,  greatly  improving  the  same, 
which  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
iip-to-date  market  gardens  in  this  section  of 
the  State.  His  health  failing,  Mr.  Copeland 
eventually  sold  this  property,  and  shortly 
thereafter,  in  July,  1886,  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia, remaining  in  Riverside  a  few  months 
and  going  to  San  Diego  in  November,  1886. 
Soon   after   settling  in   California  his  health 


showed  improvement.  Mr.  Copeland  then  en- 
gaged in  fruit  growing,  at  his  death  having 
about  seventy  acres  of  land,  devoted  to  the 
growing  of  lemons,  at  Chula  Vista.  Being 
naturally  adapted  to  this  industry  through  his 
many  years'  experience  in  market  gardening 
in  the  East,  he  had  fruit  growing  developed  to 
a  science.  He  raised  oranges,  citrons,  grape 
fruit  and  lemons,  but  devoted  the  greater  part 
of  his  endeavors  to  the  lemon  industry,  his 
lemon  orchards  being  recognized  as  the  finest 
and  most  productive  in  that  section  of  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  Copeland  continued  thus  engaged 
until  July,  1894,  when  he  became  horticul- 
tural superintendent  for  the  San  Diego  Land 
and  Town  Company,  a  corporation  which 
owns  and  operates  thousands  of  acres  of  land. 
In  this  capacity  he  had  charge  of  the  orchards 
of  this  concern,  covering  an  area  of  over 
twelve  hundred  acres  and  having  under  his 
supervision  about  one  hundred  men.  After 
filling  this  position  with  pronounced  efficiency 
for  a  period  covering  nearly  thirteen  years  his 
health  again  became  impaired,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  relinquish  the  active  management 
of  this  corporation's  affairs,  at  which  time  he 
was  made  advisory  superintendent  of  this  same 
corporation,  a  position  he  occupied  until  about 
a  year  prior  to  his  death,  when  he  retired  from 
active  business  cares. 

Mr.  Copeland's  thorough  knowledge  of  fruit 
culture  caused  him  to  be  recognized  as  a  lead- 
ing authority  on  that  subject  and  he  was  con- 
sulted on  all  matters  of  citrus  fruit  culture 
by  growers  in  all  parts  of  southern  California, 
and  as  advisory  member  of  the  State  Board 
of  Horticultural  Commissioners  did  valuable 
work  for  the  citrus  fruit  industry.  Among 
his  friends  and  admirers  were  practically  all 
the  prominent  San  Diegans  of  long  residence, 
and  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  San  Diego  county  said  of  him 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  "In  the  death  of 
Heman  Copeland  San  Diego  has  sustained  a 
great  loss.  Besides  being  recognized  as  one 
of  the  greatest  authorities  on  lemon  culture, 
Mr.  Copeland  was  also  a  great  optimist,  and 
preached  San  Diego  county  and  its  future 
wherever  he  went.  He  had  especial  faith  in 
the  lemon  industry  and  inspired  many  others 
with  it.  Mr.  Copeland  was  in  every  respect 
a  model  citizen  and  was  abreast  of  the  times 
in  everything  pertaining  to  the  public  wel- 
fare, being  a  leader  in  business,  political  apd 
public  afilairs  of  the  county.  He  was  one  of 
thife  most  genuinely  kind-hearted  and  charitable 
men  I  ever  met." 

Fraternally  Mr.  Copeland  was  a  prominent 


90  b: 


c^L^-C-Oi^-XA---^^^ 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


635 


Mason,  of  high  rank.  He  first  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  organization  in  Brockton,  where  he 
joined  Paul  Revere  Lodge  in  1868,  and  after 
removing  to  California  transferred  his  mem- 
bership to  South  West  Lodge,  No.  383,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  National  City.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  San  Diego  Commandery,  No.  25, 
Knights  Templar,  of  San  Diego,  and  of  Con- 
stans  Lodge  of  Perfection,  No.  8,  and  the 
other  bodies  of  the  order  in  San  Diego,  attain- 
ing the  thirty-second  degree.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  Al  Malaikah  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N. 
M.  S.,  of  Los  Angeles,  being  an  active  and 
prominent  member  of  all  these  organizations. 

Mr.  Copeland  was  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Christian  Science  Church,  of  San  Diego, 
of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member,  and  to 
which  they  have  given  a  liberal  support.  In 
politics  he  was  an  advocate  of  Democratic 
principles,  but  during  the  silver  agitation,  in 
1896,  he  did  not  favor  the  free  coinage  of  sil- 
ver, and  thereafter  became  independent  in  his 
political  views,  and  although  he  was  always 
deeply  interested  in  public  affairs  he  never 
aspired  to  public  office,  preferring  to  give  his 
undivided  attention  to  his  business  affairs. 

On  April  12,  1866,  Mr.  Copeland  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Caroline  A.  Parker, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  D.  and  Mary  Ann  (Dex- 
ter) Parker,  of  Mattapoisett,  Mass.,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  historic  old  New  England  ances- 
try. Mrs.  Copeland  survives  her  husband,' 
making  her  home  in  Chula  Vista,  Cal.  They 
had  no  cliildren. 

Mr.  Copeland  passed  away  at  his  home  in 
Chula  Vista,  Cal.,  July  26,  1909,  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  various  organizations  with  which  he  had 
been  prominently  identified  adopted  resolutions 
of  respect  on  his  demise,  among  which  were 
the  following: 

Whereas,  it  has  pleased  our  Heavenly  Father  to 
take  to  Himself  the  soul  of  our  respected  friend, 
Heman  Copeland,  chairman  of  the  board  of  horticul- 
tural commissioners,  who  for  so  many  years  success- 
fully devoted  his  energies  and  ability  to  horticulture 
in  this  county,  and  during  our  darkest  days  never 
lost  faith  in  the  great  future  awaiting  persistent 
ranchers  here,  and  who,  as  advisory  horticultural 
commissioner  so  faithfully  performed  his  duties,  and 

WiTEREAS,  we  look  upon  his  loss  as  one  of  the 
greatest  that  ever  befell  our  county,  therefore  be  it* 

Resolved,  that  we,  the  supervisors  of  San  Diego 
county,  extend  to  the  widow  and  relatives  of  the 
deceased  our  heartfelt  sympathy  with  them,  in  this, 
their  bereavement,  and  furthermore  be  it 

Resolved,  that  a  copy  of  this  preamble  and  resolu- 
tion be  sent  to  the  widow  and  spread  upon  the  minutes 
of  this  meeting. 


The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  San  Diego  County. 
San  Diego,  Cal.,  August  12,  1909. 
Mrs.  Caroline  Copeland, 
Chula  Vista,  California. 

Dear  Madam:  I  am  instructed  by  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  San  Diego 
County  to  convey  to  you  their  sincere  regret  over  the 
loss  of  your  husband. 

Mr.  Copeland  was  recognized  by  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  as  one  of  the  representative  men  of  South- 
ern California.  His  faith  in  the  ultimate  greatness 
of  this  section  never  wavered,  and  while  he  did  not 
survive  to  see  the  fruition  of  his  hopes  yet  his  life 
was  spared  to  witness  the  beginning  of  the  great 
things  he  saw  and  prophesied  for  the  future. 

Southern  California  and  San  Diego  County  in 
particular  has  sustained  a  great  loss  in  the  death 
of  your  husband.  He  is  missed  from  our  councils  and 
is  mourned  by  us,  for  we  have  lost  not  only  a  trust- 
worthy adviser,  but  a  firm  and  steadfast  friend. 

With  renewed  assurance  of  our  sympathy,  I  beg 
to  remain, 

Sincerely  yours, 
[Signed]     John  S.  Mms, 

Secretary. 

Asylum  of 
,  San  Diego  Commandery,  No.  25, 

Knights  Templar. 

San  Diego,  Cal.,  August  6th,  1909. 

At  stated  Assembly  of  San  Diego  Commandery, 
No.  25,  Knights  Templar,  held  at  its  Asylum  on  Au- 
gust 3d,  1909,  the  death  of  Sir  Heman  Copeland,  on 
July  26th,  1909,  was  announced; 

Whereupon  a  committee  of  three  was  appointed 
to  voice  the  sentiments  of  the  Commandery  on  this 
sad  event,  who  reported  the  follo^ving  resolutions: — 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Sir  Heman  Cope- 
land this  Commandery  has  lost  a  faithful,  worthy  and 
respected  member,  whose  absence  will  be  regretted 
as  the  years  go  by; 

That  to  his  widow,  C.  A.  Copeland,  and  family  is 
extended  our  sincere  sympathy  and  regret  and  wth 
her  and  them  we  will  join  in  proper  service  which 
may  be  rendered  to  better  bear  this  bereavement,  ever 
trusting  in  the  great  love  of  the  Nazarene,  our  Guide 
and  Leader  in  the  true  path  to  go  and  do ; 

Further,  that  a  copy  hereof  be  spread  upon  the 
records  and  an  attested  copy  be  forwarded  to  his 
widow. 

George  Bubnham, 
William  Kettneb, 
George  Mifflin  Dannals, 

Committee. 
In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  attached  the 
seal  and  my  signature,  the  day  and  date  above  writ- 
ten. 

[Signed]     Jno.  P.  Bubt, 
[SE-^]  Recorder. 

BENT  (Taunton  family).  For  some  fifty 
years  there  has  resided  at  Taunton  a  branch  of 
the  ancient  Sudbury-Milton  (Massachusetts) 
Bent  family,  one  established  there  approxi- 
mately two  hundred  and  seventy-one  years  ago. 
Reference  is  made  to  the  family  of  the  present 
William  H.  Bent,  Esq.,  of  that  city,  who  for 
quite  half  a  century  has  been  continuously  iden- 
tified with  what  is  now  the  Mason  Machine 


636 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Works  and  much  of  the  time  officially,  and  as 
well  is,  as  he  has  long  been,  one  of  the  substan- 
tial men  and  useful  citizens  of  Taunton,  serving 
his  community  in  a  number  of  public  official 
capacities.  His  son,  Arthur  Cleveland  Bent,  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  and  now  general  manager 
of  the  Mason  Machine  Works,  has  served  his 
city  as  alderman;  another  son,  Frederick  Hen- 
dee  Bent,  after  his  graduation  from  Harvard, 
in  1889,  entered  the  Mason  Macliine  Works, 
and  died  in  1897. 

(I)  John  Bent,  a  native  of  England,  born 
in  the  parish  of  Penton-Grafton,  in  the  County 
of  Hants,  some  seventy  miles  southwest  of  Lon- 
don, sailed  from  Southampton,  England,  in 
1638,  and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Sudbury,  Mass.  Mr.  Bent  was  baptized  Nov. 
20,  1596,  in  the  parish  of  Waybill.  He  was 
the  son  of  Eobert  Bent  and  grandson  of  John 
Bent.  The  Christian  name  of  the  wife  of  Mr. 
Bent  was  Martha,  and  five  of  their  seven  chil- 
dren were  bom  in  England,  the  other  two 
in  Sudbury.  Their  children  were:  Eobert, 
baptized  Jan.  10,  1624-25;  William,  baptized 
Oct.  24,  1626;  Peter,  baptized  April  14,  1629; 
Agnes,  born  about'  1630;  John,  born  about 
1635;  Joseph,  born  May  16,  1641;  and  Martha, 
born  about  1643. 

The  house  lot  of  Mr.  Bent,  which  comprised 
some  six  acres,  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  Wayland  Center,  and  upon  it  he  lived, 
a  farmer,  until  his  death,  Sept.  27,  1672,  when 
aged  nearly  seventy-six  years. 

(II)  Joseph  Bent,  born  May  16,  1641,  in 
Sudbury,  Mass.,  married  June  30,  1666,  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  John  Bourne,  of  Marshfield, 
and  moved  thither,  but  returned  to  Sudbury  be- 
fore 1671,  and  was  killed  accidentally  in  the 
summer  of  1675  by  a  pistol  shot  fired  by  his 
brother  Peter.  While  at  Marshfield  he  was  con- 
stable in  1669.  Five  of  his  six  children  were  liv- 
ing in  1686,  though  the  names  of  his  two 
daughters  are  unknown.  The  children  of  Jos- 
eph and  Elizabeth  whose  names  are  known,  the 
youngest  two  being  born  in  Sudbury,  were : 
Joseph,  born  Oct.  11,  1667;  Experience;  Eliza- 
beth, born  in  1673 ;  and  Joseph  (2),  bom  March 
5,  1675. 

(III)  Joseph  Bent  (2),  bom  March  5,  1675, 
married  Oct.  27,  1698,  Eachel,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Fuller,  of  Dedham:  Mr.  Bent  was 
brought  up  in  Marshfield  by  his  grandfather, 
John  Bourne.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  after 
his  marriage  lived  in  Milton,  Mass.,  where  he 
died  March  31,  1728,  aged  fifty-three  years. 
His  wife  died  July  5,  1725,  aged  fifty-one. 
Their  children  were:  Mary,  bom  Jan.  21, 
1700;  Joseph,  born  Sept.  26,  1701;  John,  born 


Oct.  15,  1703;  Eachel,  born  Aug.  21,  1705; 
Elizabeth,  born  Jan.  13,  1708;  Sarah,  born 
April  13,  1710;  Ebenezer,  born  April  23,  1712; 
Experience,  born  Oct.  12,  1714;  and  Thankful, 
born  July  5,  1716. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Bent,  born  April  23,  1712, 
married  Jan.  9,  1735,  Deborah,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Fairbanks,  of  Dedham,  Mass.  Mr. 
Bent  was  a  yeoman  of  Milton,  Mass.,  where  he 
died  Feb.  15,  1786,  aged  seventy-three.  His 
widow  died  Aug.  17,  1798,  at  Quincy,  Mass., 
aged  eighty-four.  Their  children,  all  born  in 
Milton,  Mass.,  were:  Eleanor,  born  Sept.  28, 
1735;  Ebenezer,  Aug.  22,  1737;  Samuel,  March 
1,  1739;  Nedabiah,  Jan.  21,  1742;  Mary,  Feb. 
1,  1744;  Jolin,  July  10,  1746;  Deborah,  July 
8,  1748;  Sarah,  March  24,  1751;  Elizabeth, 
April  13,  1754. 

(V)  Jolin  Bent,  born  July  10,  1746,  married 
Dec.  11,  1769,  Hannah  Collar  of  Dedham, 
Mass.,  and  lived  in  Milton.  Among  their  chil- 
dren was  a  son  Josiah. 

(VI)  Josiah  Bent,  son  of  John,  married 
Susannah  Tucker.  They  lived  in  Milton,  where 
Mr.  Bent  probably  built  what  is  characterized 
as  the  old  Bent  house.  It  was  in  this  house 
that  he  began  on  a  small  scale,  with  one  oven 
only  at  first,  the  baking  business  which  through 
the  century  has  been  popularly  known  as  Bent's 
cracker  bakery.  It  is  said  that  he  made  the 
first  water  crackers  in  this  country,  and  these 
long  after  his  day  were  continued  to  be  made 
by  hand  and  the  excellent  reputation  he  made 
from  them  maintained.  He  continued  the  busi- 
ness until  1830.  Among  his  children  were 
Josiah  and  Nathaniel  Tucker,  both  of  whom 
became  liberally  educated  and  were  successful 
in  the  learned  professions. 

(VII)  Eev.  Josiah  Bent  (2)  was  born  at 
Milton,  Mass.,  and  in  due  time  prepared  for 
college.  He  was  graduated  from  Harvard  with 
the  class  of  1822.  He  then  studied  theology 
at  Princeton  and  devoted  his  life  to  the  Chris- 
tian ministry.  He  settled  at  Weymouth,  Mass., 
where  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  First 
Church.  In  1834  he  became  pastor  of  the 
church  at  Falmouth,  Mass.  From  the  Fal- 
mouth charge  he  was  dismissed  in  1837  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  church  at  Amherst,  where 
his  death  occurred  Nov.  19,  1839.  Eev.  Mr. 
Bent  married  Pauline  Eich. 

.  (VII)  Eev.  Nathaniel  Tucker  Bent,  son  of 
Josiah  and  Susannah  (Tucker)  Bent,  and 
brother  of  Eev.  Josiah,  was  bom  July  31,  1810, 
in  Milton,  Mass.  He  began  his  preparatory 
studies  for  admission  to  college  under  the  in- 
struction of  his  brother  Rev.  Josiah  Bent,  of 
Weymouth,  Mass.,  who  had  graduated  at  Har- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


637 


vard  College  in  1832,  and  completed  them  at 
Phillips  Academy  in  Andover.  He  entered 
Harvard  and  held  a  distinguished  rank  in  col- 
lege, and  was  graduated  with  high  honors  with 
the  class  of  1831.  After  leaving  college  young 
Bent  began  the  study  of  divinity  at  the  Episco- 
pal Theological  Seminary  in  New  York  and 
finished  his  studies  under  the  instruction  of 
Bishop  Alexander  Viets  Griswold,  at  Salem. 
He  was  ordained  at  Salem,  and  was  afterward 
instituted  as  rector  over  the  following  churches : 
Grace  Church,  in  New  Bedford,  where  he  re- 
mained five  years:  St.  John's,  in  Charlestown, 
two  years ;  St.  Thomas's,  in  Taunton,  five  j'ears ; 
St.  John's,  in  Bangor,  Maine,  two  and  a  half 
years ;  All  Saints',  in  Worcester,  two  and  a  half 
years;  and  Grace  Church,  again,  in  New  Bed- 
ford, a  few  months.  He  retired  from  the  min- 
istry in  1853,  and  removed  to  Worcester,  Mass., 
where  he  taught  a  private  school  for  yoimg 
ladies,  which  he  continued  until  his  death. 

On  June  18,  1834,  Rev.  Mr.  Bent  was  mar- 
ried to  Catherine  E.  D.  Metcalf,  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  Eliab  W.  Metcalf,  of  Cambridge, 
and  had  four  children  by  birth  and  one  by 
adoption ;  three  of  whom,  including  the  adopted 
one,  survived  the  father. 

"Mr.  Bent  was  a  man  of  rare  abilities,  and, 
when  engaged  in  the  active  duties  of  the  min- 
istry, was  very  popular  and  efficient  as  rector. 
Much  might  be  said  truly  in  praise  of  his 
fidelity  to  all  the  details  of  parochial  duty,  the 
interest  he  took  in  promoting  musical  taste 
in  its  sacred  department,  his  zeal  in  missionary 
enterprises,  and  the  genial  flow  which  he  mani- 
fested in  social  life.  Not  a  few  of  his  former 
parishioners  and  friends  will  long  cherish  a 
most  kindly  remembrance  of  him  as  a  beloved 
and  respected  pastor."  He  died  Nov.  4,  1856, 
at  his  home  in  Worcester,  Mass.,  aged  forty- 
six  years. 

(VIII)  William  H.  Bent,  son  of  Rev.  Na- 
thaniel T.  and  Catherine  E.  D.  (Metcalf)  Bent, 
was  born  Jan.  2,  1839,  in  Cambridge,  Mass. 
He  was  educated  in  private  and  public  schools 
and  fitted  for  civil  engineering.  When  he  was 
seventeen  years  old  (in  1856)  he  entered  the 
extensive  machinery  works  of  William  Mason, 
Taunton,  and  he  has  been  connected  with  them 
ever  since  except  for  a  short  time  after  the 
panic  of  1857,  when  that  business  was  tempo- 
rarily suspended.  Returning  in  1859,  he  grad- 
ually worked  up  to  the  position  of  chief  ex- 
ecutive officer  of  the  works,  assuming  such  po- 
sition at  the  death  of  Mr.  Mason,  in  May,  1883. 
In  1873,  when  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  the  Mason  Machine  Works, 
he  became  treasurer  of  the  corporation,  which 


office  he  has  held  uninterruptedly  until  the 
present  time.  The  corporation  employs  in  good 
times  about  one  thousand  men,  chiefly  in  build- 
ing cotton  machinery.  Mr.  Bent  has  been  and 
still  is  connected  with  numerous  other  large 
interests.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Corliss 
Steam  Engine  Company,  of  Providence,  R.  I.; 
director  of  the  Nemasket  Mills,  Taunton;  has 
been  for  many  years  and  now  is  director  of  the 
Boston  Manufacturers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company;  director  of  the  Corr  Manufacturing 
Company,  of  Taunton;  director  of  the  Ma- 
chinists' iSTational  Bank  of  Taunton;  president 
of  the  Liberty  Square  Warehouse  Company  of 
Boston.  He  has  served  as  an  alderman  of 
Taunton  for  two  terms  (1877  and  1878)  and 
was  chairman  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of 
the  Sinking  Fund  of  the  city  for  twenty  years. 
Although  repeatedly  sought  he  has  declined 
political  offices  and  appointments  other  than 
municipal,  among  them  that  of  member  of 
the  special  commission  on  the  unemployed,  cre- 
ated by  the  Legislature  of  1894,  to  which  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Greenhalge.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Republican  National  Convention  of  1888, 
and  is  a  defender  of  protection,  a  frequent 
contributor  to  the  press  in  its  interests,  was 
president  of  the  Home  Market  Club  of  Boston 
for  three  years,  and  president  of  the  Arkwright 
Club,  of  Boston,  for  three  years.  In  religious 
faith  he  is  an  Episcopalian,  and  is  a  prominent 
lay  member  of  the  church  organization.  He  is- 
a  delegate  to  the  diocesan  convention  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  of  Massachusetts,  was,a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  of  fifteen  appointed  by 
Bishop  Laurence  in  1894  to  report  a  plan  for 
the  division  of  the  diocese,  a  member  of  the 
Episcopalian  Club  of  Massachusetts,  and  senior 
warden  of  St.  Thomas's  Episcopal  Church, 
Taunton,  for  many  years.  He  belongs  to  the 
Union  Club  of  Boston. 

On  June  14,  1865,  Mr.  Bent  was  married 
to  Harriet  F.  Hendee,  daughter  of  Charles 
J.  Hendee,  of  Boston.  They  had  three  sons, 
Arthur  Cleveland,  Frederick  Hendee  and 
Charles  (died  in  infancy).  The  two  sons  who 
lived  to  maturity  were  both  graduated  from 
Harvard  University  in  1889.  Mrs.  Bent  died 
in  1873,  and  Mr.  Bent  married  (second)  Jan. 
29,  1885,  Sarah  E.  Chesbrough,  daughter  of 
Lewis  R.  Chesbrough,  of  New  York. 


Metcalf.  The  Metcalf  family  to  which  Mr. 
Bent  belongs  through  the  maternal  line  is 
descended  from  Michael  Metcalf,  who  was  born 
in  Tatterford,  County  of  Norfolk,  England,  in 
1586.     He  followed  the  occupation  of  weaver 


638 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


in  the  city  of  Norwich,  that  county.  His  wife 
Sarah  was  born  June  17,  1593,  in  the  adjoin- 
ing town  of  Waynham,  where  they  were  mar- 
ried Oct.  13,  1616.  To  escape  religious  perse- 
cution he  took  passage  from  Yarmouth  to  New 
England  April  15,  1637.  He  arrived  "three 
days  before  midsummer,"  and  was  admitted 
a  townsman  at  Dedham  July  14,  1637. 

Michael  Metcalf,  third  child  of  Michael  and 
Sarah,  was  born  Aug.  29,  1620.  He  married 
April  2,  1644,  Mary  Fairbanks,  and  died  Dec. 
24,  1654. 

Eleazer  Metcalf,  fifth  child  of  Michael  and 
Mary,  was  born  March  20,  1653.  He  married 
April  9,  1684,  Melatia  Fisher. 

Michael  Metcalf,  second  child  of  Eleazer  and 
Melatia,  was  born  May  21,  1687,  and  married 
Abiel  Colburn. 

Pelatiah  Metcalf,  first  child  of  Michael  and 
Abiel,  married  Hepzibah  Mann.  He  died  April 
1,  1770,  and  she  died  Oct.  11,  1773. 

Thomas  Metcalf,  eighth  child  of  Pelatiah 
and  Hepzibah,  born  Aug.  13,  1749,  married 
Jan.  25,  1776,  Jemima  Ray,  who  was  born  Jan. 
8,  1756.  Thomas  Metcalf,  with  his  older 
brother,  Silas,  built  the  hip-roofed  house  which 
formerly  stood  on  the  farm  in  West  Wrentham 
in  the  year  1797.  They  occupied  the  house, 
and  carried  on  the  farm  in  partnership  for 
several  years,  until  Silas's  son  Lewis  took  his 
father's  share,  when  the  farm  was  divided. 
When  a  young  man  he  got  "the  old  elm,"  which 
now  stands  by  the  roadside,  in  a  swamp,  brought 
it  on  his  back  and  set  it  out.  He  died  Oct. 
30,  1832,  and  his  wife  in  May,  1830. 

Eliab  Wight  Metcalf,  third  child  of  Thomas 
and  Jemima,  born  Jan.  20,  1781,  married  May 
7,  1809,  Lydia  Stedman,  who  was  bom  Jan. 
24,  1787.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade  of 
Nathaniel  Heaton  in  Wrentham,  and  about 
1800  went  to  Boston,  and  soon  after  to  work 
at  Cambridge  for  Deacon  William  Hilliard.  He 
was  taken  in  as  a  partner  after  a  short  time, 
finally  became  proprietor,  and  extended  and 
established  the  business  which  now  forms  so 
important  a  part  of  the  industry  of  Cambridge. 
He  sold  out  his  interest  in  printing,  and  be- 
came a  partner  with  Eussell  &  Odiorne  in 
book  publishing  in  Boston.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  in  1835 ;  was  also  a  promi- 
nent Freemason  and  militiaman.  He  died  Nov. 
27,  1835.  His  wife  died  Dec.  5,  1866.  Their 
children  were:  John  Porter,  born  Feb.  3,  1810, 
died  June  13,  1818;  Catherine  E.  D.,  born  Dec. 
7,  1811,  married  June  18,  1834,  Nathaniel 
Tucker  Bent,  an  Episcopal  clergyman  (born  at 
Milton,  Mass.,  July  31,  1810,  died  Nov.  4,  1856, 
at  Worcester),   and  she  died   Feb.   28,   1892; 


Eliab  Wight,  born  June  10,  1814,  died  Sept. 
13,  1817;  David  Ray,  born  Aug.  28,  1816, 
died  Sept.  19,  1817;  John  Porter,  bom  Sept. 
13,  1818,  died  Sept.  10,  1853;  Lydia  Stedman, 
bom  Aug.  28,  1820,  died  Jan.  14,  1859 ;  Susan 
Harrod  was  born  Sept.  21,  1822;  Eliab  Wight 
(2),  born  Dec.  4,  1824,  died  Aug.,  19,  1835; 
Harriet  Augusta,  born  June  39,  1826,  married 
June  18,  1844,  William  Mason  (born  at  Mystic, 
Conn.,  Sept.  3,  1808,  died  May  31,  1883),  and 
they  resided  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
proprietor  of  a  large  manufactory  of  locomo- 
tives and  cotton  machinery  (she  died  Dec.  31, 
1880);  Ellen  Maria  was  bom  May  20,  1828; 
a  daughter,  bom  in  November,  1830,  died 
young. 

SEARS  (Middleboro  family).  The  names  of 
Sarres  and  Series  have  been  represented  in 
Guernsey  for  several  centuries,  and  are  found 
there  to-day.  Marblehead,  Mass.,  where  the 
American  ancestor  of  the  Sears  family  resided 
in  1638,  was  largely  settled  by  people  from  the 
islands- of  Guernsey  and  Jersey.  "There  is  a 
popular  belief  that  the  family  of  Sears  is  of 
Norman  origin,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  in 
the  eastern  parishes  of  London,  and  adjacent 
villages,  which  contained  many  Huguenot, 
Flemish  and  Walloon  emigrants,  the  name  of 
Sears  or  Sares  is  common  about  1600." 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  article  to  treat  of 
what  may  properly  be  styled  the  South  Yar- 
mouth-Middleboro  branch  of  the  old  Yarmouth 
Sears  family.  The  head  of  the  Middleboro 
family  was  the  late  Barnabas  Sears,  a  carpen- 
ter and  builder  by  trade  and  early  occupation, 
and  later  at  Middleboro  a  dealer  in  lumber  and 
builders'  supplies,  succeeded  by  his  son,  the 
present  Henry  W.  Sears,  Esq.;  who  has  long 
been  one  of  the  successful  business  men  and 
prominent  citizens  of  his  adopted  town.  The 
latter  gentleman  descends  in  the  ninth  genera- 
tion from  Richard  Sares  (Sears),  one  of  the 
early  comers  to  Plymouth,  from  whom  his  de- 
scent is  through  Lieut.  Silas  Sears,  Capt. 
Joseph  Sears,  Barnabas  Sears,  Stephen  Sears, 
Stephen  Sears  (3),  Barnabas  (3)  and  Barnabas 
Sears  (3).  These  generations  in  the  order 
named  and  in  detail  follow. 

(I)  Richard  Sears  (name  variously  spelled, 
in  time  taking  the  form  of  Sears)  is  of  record 
at  Plymouth  as  early  as  March,  1632-33,  when 
taxed.  He  soon  crossed  over  to  Marblehead 
and  was  there  taxed  in  1637.  He  removed  to 
Yarmouth,  where  he  was  a  proprietor  in  1638. 
His  name  was  on  the  list  of  those  able  to  bear 
arms  in  1643.  He  became  a  freeman  June  7, 
1653.     Commissioners  on  Indian  affairs  were 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS                                       639 

appointed  Oct.  26,  1647,  to  meet  at  his  house,  of  certain  iron-works  Jan.  5,  1740,  and  died 

He  died  in  Yarmouth,  and  was  burred  there  soon,  1740-41.     His  children  were:     Stephen; 

Aug.  26,  1676.    His  widow  Dorothy  was  buried  Hannah;  and  Mary,  born  April  27,  1738,  in 

there  March  19,  1678-79.    It  is  not  certain  that  Hardwick,  Massachusetts. 

she  was  his  only  wife,  or  the  mother  of  all,  (V)   Stephen  Sears,  born  about  1736,  mar- 

if  any,  of  his  children.     His  children  were:  ried  in  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  Nov.  24,  1757,  Lydia 

Paul,  born  in  1637^38;  Silas,  possibly  a  twin  Sears,  who  died  March  8,  1792,  in  her  fifty- 

to  Paul,  as  his  age  as  given  at  his  death  by  seventh   year.     He  then   married    (intentions 

Otis  would  indicate ;  and  Deborah,  born  in  Sep-  published    Nov.    30,    1794)    Martha   Hale,   of 

tember,  1639.  Sandwich,  Mass.,  who  died  Jan.  25,  1838,  aged 

(II)  Lieut.  Silas  Sears,  born  as  indicated  seventy-nine  years.  He  served  in  the  Revolu^ 
by  age  at  time  of  his  death  in  1637-38,  mar-  tion  as  a  private  in  Capt.  Benjamin.  Berry's 
ried  Anna  Bursley,  daughter  of  James  Burs-  (Harwich)  company,  Maj.  Zenas  Winslow's 
ley,  of  Yarmouth.  Both  died  at  Yarmouth,  regiment,  service  five  days,  on  an  alarm  at  Bed- 
Mr.  Sears  Jan.  13,  1697-98,  and  Mrs.  Sears  ford  and  Falmouth,  Sept.  7,  1718.  He  and 
March  4,  1725-26.  Lieutenant  Sears  lived  in  his  wife  Lydia  were  admitted  to  full  com- 
the  East  precinct  of  Yarmouth,  which  later  be-  munion  in  the  Second  Church,  Yarmouth, 
came  Dennis.  He  was  commissioned  ensign  March  20,  1774,  and  he  was  chosen  deacon, 
Oct.  28,  1681,  and  lieutenant  July  7,  1682.  He  March  9,  1789.  His  children,  all  save  the 
was  chosen  representative  to  the  General  Court  youngest  born  to  the  first  wife,  were:  Barna- 
at  Plymouth,  1685-91,  selectman,  1680-94,  and  has,  born  Oct.  7,  1758;  Thankful,  borii  Oct. 
juryman,  1680-82.  The  children  of  Silas  Sears  15,  1760;  Kezia,  born  Aug.  14,  1763;  Stephen, 
were:  Silas,  born  in  1661;  Richard  (both  born  Oct.  2,  1765;  Priscilla,  born  Aug.  13, 
born  in  Yarmouth) ;  Hannah,  born  in  Decern-  1768;  Lydia,  born  July  24,  1771;  and  Sophro- 
ber,  1672,  in  Eastham;  Joseph  and  Josiah,  born  nia,  born  in  1797 — all  in  Yarmouth,  Massa- 
about  1675  in  Yarmouth;  and  Elizabeth  and  chusetts. 

Dorothy,  both  born  in  Yarmouth.  (VI)  Stephen  Sears  (2),  born  Oct.  2,  1765, 

(III)  Capt.  Joseph  Sears,  born  about  1675  in  Yarmouth,  married  Nov.  10,  1785,  Sarah, 
in  Yarmouth,  married  there  Sept.  19,  1700,  daughter  of  David  G.  Gorham.  She  was  ad- 
Hannah  Hall,  of  Yarmouth,  and  is  designated  mitted  to  the  church  in  East  Yarmouth,  Jan. 
as  a  yeoman  of  that  town.  He  lived  in  the  28,  1787,  and  died  in  April,  1811.  He  then 
East  precinct,  now  Dennis,  and  was  styled  cap-  remarried,  his  second  wife  dying  in  January, 
tain.  He  died  May  7,  1750,  in  the  seventy-fifth  1825.  He  died  in  East  Dennis,  Mass.,  May  24, 
year  of  his  age,  as  per  gravestone.  His  wife  1851,  aged  eighty-five  years.  His  children,  all 
Hannah  died  July  28,  1753,  in  her  seventy-  born  to  the  first  wife,  were:  Elizabeth,  born 
third  year,  according  to  her  gravestone.  She  Aug.  20;  1786;  Priscilla,  June  25,  1788;  Bar- 
was  admitted  to  the  church  at  Harwich  March  nabas,  July  30,  1790;  Lydia,  Sept.  3,  1792; 

21,  1708,  and  to  the  Second  Church  at  Yar-  David  Gorham,  Nov.  16,  1794;  Almond,  or 
mouth  Aug.  6,  1727.  Their  chiliren,  all  born  Alfred,  May  1,  1798;  Stephen,  March  16,  1800; 
in  Yarmouth,  were:     Priscilla,   born   July   1,  and  Stephen  (2),  July  5,  1804. 

1701;  Hannah,  Dec.  10,  1703;  Zachariah,  April  (VII)   Barnabas  Sears,  born  July  30,  1790, 

22,  1706;  Joseph,  March  27,  1708;  Stephen,  in  Dennis,  Mass.,  married  in  Yarmouth,  Mass., 
July  22,  1710;  Roland,  May  17,  1711;  Barna-  Dec.  12,  1815,  Hannah,  born  there  Nov.  13, 
bas,  April  5,  1714;  Peter,  May  20,  1716;  1792,  daughter  of  Isaiah  Crocker.  Mr.  Sears 
Bethia,  March  20,  1718;  Silas,  Feb.  11,  1719-  died  in  South  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  July  17,  1875, 
20;  and  Thankful,  April  11,  1723.  aged  eighty-five,  and  was  buried  in  the  Quaker 

(IV)  Barnabas  Sears,  born  April  5,  1714,  cemetery.  His  wife  died  Jan.  7,  1879,  aged 
in  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  married  in  Rochester,  eighty-six  years,  two  months.  Their  children, 
Mass.,  Sept.  25,  1732,  Thankful,  born  in  Har-  all  born  in  South  Yarmouth,  were:  John 
wich,  Mass.,  Oct.  6,  1714,  daughter  of  John  Kelly,  born  Sept.  11,  1816,  who  married  at 
and  Mercy  (Watson)  Freeman,  of  Rochester.  Nantucket,  Mass.,  Sarah  Burdett;  Barnabas, 
Mr.  Sears  was  a  bloomer,  or  iron  forger,  and  born  Sept.  14,  1818;'  Stephen,  born  July  15, 
probably  an  associate  in  business  with  his  1822;  Seth,  born  Sept.  27,  1825,  who  died  July 
brother  Roland.  He  removed  from  Rddrtster  17,  1847;  Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  18,  1828,  who 
to  Hardwick  before  the  birth  of  his  daughter  married  Nov.  30,  1851,  Dr.  John  Stetson,  of 
Mary  in  1738,  as  his  daughter  Hannah  was  Abington,  Mass. ;  and  David,  born  July  6, 
born  there.  From  Hardwick  he  removed  to  1832,  the  only  survivor  of  this  family,  and 
Brookfield,  where  he  purchased  an  eighth  part  now  living  at  South  Yarmouth. 


640 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(VIII)  Barnabas  Sears  (2),  born  Sept.  14, 
1818,  in  South  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  married  in 
Yarmouth,  Nov.  36,  1840,  Ruth  H.,  born  Jan. 
28,  1806,  daughter  of  Rev.  Simeon  and  Char- 
lotte Crowell.  She  died  Oct.  31,  1851,  in 
South  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  and  he  married  (sec- 
ond) in  Brewster,  Mass.,  Oct.  18,  1852,  Deb- 
orah Manter  Clark,  born  Oct.  9,  1832, 
daughter  of  Capt.  William  and  Lydia  Clark, 
of  Brewster,  Mass.  She  died  April  38,  1885, 
in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  and  he  married  (third) 
May  2,  1886,  Mrs.  Susan  H.  Doane,  of  Sonier- 
ville,  Mass.,  now  deceased. 

Barnabas  Sears  was  a  carpenter  and  builder 
of  the  town  of  South  Yarmouth,  being  so  occu- 
pied and  residing  there  until  1874,  when  he 
removed  to  Middleboro,  where,  associated  with 
his  brother,  John  K.  Sears,  under  the  firm 
name  of  J.  K.  &  B.  Sears,  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  and  hardware  business,  and  they  so 
managed  their  business  affairs  as  to  be  highly 
successful.  The  firm  of  J.  K.  &  B.  Sears  was 
first  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  South 
Yarmouth,  where  they  became  established  in 
1849,  carrying  it  on  until  1869,  when  the  busi- 
ness was  removed  to  Hyannis,  Mass.,  where  it 
is  still  being  conducted  under  the  same  firm 
name,  together  with  the  business  at  Middle- 
boro. Mr.  Sears,  besides  his  residence  at  Mid- 
dleboro, maintained  a  summer  home  in  South 
Yarmouth,  the  old  Crowell  homestead.  He 
retired  from  active  business  in  1888,  and  there- 
after resided  at  his  home  in  South  Yarmouth, 
where  he  died  Aug.  30,  1894,  in  his  seventy- 
sixth  year,  an  esteemed  and  respected  citizen 
and  a  prosperous  and  successful  business  man. 
He  was  buried  at  South  Yarmouth.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Central  Congregational 
Church,  of  Middleboro,  and  politically  was  a 
Republican.  His  children  born  to  his  wife 
Ruth  were:  Henry,  born  June  24,  1842,  died 
Feb.  8,  1843;.  John,  born  May  29,  1845,  died 
Sept.  12th,  of  that  same  year;  John  K.,  born 
Sept.  16,  1846,  died  July  29,  1847;  Simeon 
Crowell,  bom  Oct.  16,  1847,  died  March  29, 
1864,  of  injuries,  having  fallen  from  aloft,  off 
the  west  coast  of  South  America,  March  17th, 
while  on  passage  from  Rio  Janeiro  to  San 
Francisco,  in  the  ship  "Fleetwing."  The  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  Sears  by  his  wife  Deborah 
were:  Isaiah  Clark,  born  Sept.  11,  1853,  re- 
sides at  Hyannis,  being  in  the  lumber  business 
in  partnership  with  his  brother  Henry  W. 
Sears;  Henry  William  was  born  April  24, 
1859;  Etta  Frances,  born  Feb.  26,  1866,  mar- 
ried Walter  H.  Doane,  and  they  reside  in  Port- 
land, Oregon. 

(IX)  Heney  W.   Sears,   son  of  Barnabas 


and  Deborah,  was  born  April  24,  1859,  in 
South  Yarmouth,  Mass.  He  acquired  his  edu- 
cation in  main  in  the  comm,on  schools  of  his 
native  town,  furthering  his  preparation  for 
business  with  a  three  months'  course  of  study 
at  Comer's  commercial  college  in  Boston.  He 
began  his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  gro- 
cery store  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  remaining  so 
occupied  for  some  six  months.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen,  in  1875,  he  entered  the  establish- 
ment of  his  father  and  uncle,  at  Middleboro, 
J.  K.  &  B.  Sears,  and  some  half  dozen  years 
later,  Jan.  1,  1882,  was  taken  into  the  firm, 
the  style  of  which  was  then  changed  to  the  one 
it  has  ever  since  borne,  that  of  J.  K.  &  B.  Sears 
&  Co.  As  the  father  advanced  in  years  the 
management  fell  to  the  son,  the  father  practi- 
cally retiring,  and  on  the  father's  death  the 
son  assumed  control  and  has  since  conducted 
it  with  that  perseverance,  energy  and  good 
management  that  had  been  shown  by  the  father. 
The  business  has  steadily  grown  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  son  until  it  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive in  its  line  of  any  in  the  Middleboro 
section  of  Massachusetts.  At  the  establishment 
is  kept  a  full  line  of  lumber,  doors,  sashes, 
blinds,  hardware,  paints  and  builders'  supplies 
of  all  kinds. 

The  political  aSiliations  of  Mr.  Sears  are 
with  the  Republican  party,  in  whose  councils 
he  has  been  active,  zealous  and  prominent.  He 
lias  been  a  member  of  the  town  committee  of 
his  party.  He  has  proved  himself  a  valuable 
citizen,  a  man  of  worth  to  the  community.  He 
has  long  been  a  stanch  advocate  of  total  absti- 
nence, and  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Temper- 
ance. His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the  Con- 
gregational denomination,  and  he  has  long  been 
an  active  and  zealous  member  of  the  church  of 
that  denomination  at  Middleboro,  serving  it  as 
clerk  and  deacon.  He  has  also  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society  and 
has  taken  an  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Sun- 
day school  of  the  church;  has  been  active 
in  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  was  president  of  same 
for  several  years. 

On  Dec.  5,  1883,  Mr.  Sears  was  married 
to  Martha  S.,  daughter  of  James  M.  Pickens,  of 
Middleboro,  Mass.  Two  children  have  blessed 
the  marriage:  (1)  Henry  W.,  born  Jan.  11, 
1888,  in  Middleboro,  was  educated  in  district 
and  high  schools  in  Middleboro,  and  in  the 
School  of  Technology  in  Worcester,  remaining 
in  the  latter  two  years.  He  is  now  engaged 
in  business  with  his  father.  (2)  Mabel  B., 
born  April  20,  1892,  was  graduated  from  the 
Middleboro  high  school  in  1909.  Mrs.  Sears 
is  a  member  of  the  Cabot  Club,  of  Middleboro. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


641 


She  is  a  descendant  of  Tliomas  Pickens,  the  first 
of  that  name  in  New  England,  her  lineage  be- 
ing as  follows: 

(I)  Thomas  Pickens,  according  to  a  letter  of 
his  grandson,  John  Pickens,  of  New  Bedford, 
bearing  date  of  Jan.  6,  1807,  with  his  wife 
Margaret  (Steel)  and  their  children,  Jane, 
Andrew  and  James,  the  latter  two  twins  and 
about  two  years  of  age,  came  to  America  about 
1717,  landing,  after  a  rough  and  tedious  voy- 
age of  eleven  weeks,  at  Boston.  The  family 
was  for  a  time  at  Milton,  thence  went  to  Free- 
town, and  later  settled  in  the  southwest  part 
of  Middleboro,  on  land  which  for  generations 
was  occupied  by  their  descendants.  Two  sons 
and  two  daughters  were  born  to  them  after 
their  arrival  in  New  England,  namely :  Martha, 
John,  Margaret  and  Thomas.  The  Milton 
Church  records  show  that  "Thomas  and  Martha, 
twins,  children  of  Neighbour  Thomas  Pickens, 
were  baptized  June  11,  1721."  The  family 
came  from  BallyguUy,  near  Coleraine,  in  the 
northern  part  of  Ireland.  Thomas  Pickens  first 
acquired  land  in  the  Middleboros  by  deed  Dec. 

26,  1732,  from  Barnabas  Eaton.  His  name 
appears  as  one  of  the  original  members  of  the 
Lakeville  Congregational  Church  formed  Oct. 
12,  1725. 

(II)  Andrew  Pickens,  born  about  1715,  in 
Coleraine,  Ireland,  came  to  New  England  with 
the  family.  On  Nov.  19,  1741,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Eeed,  of  Freetown.  Mr.  Pickens  was 
a  farmer,  and  lived  on  the  land  owned  by  and 
in  the  house  built  by  his  father.  He  died  in 
Middleboro  March  29,  1795,  in  the  seventy- 
ninth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  died  in  Mid- 
dleboro April  4,  1795,  in  her  eighty-second 
year.     Their  children  were:     John,  born  Feb. 

27,  1743;  Andrew,  Jr.,  July  3,  1744;  Phebe, 
Nov.  4,  1745;  James,  March  17,  1747;  Sarah, 
Nov.  18,  1748;  Thomas,  Nov.  3,  1750;  Samuel, 
May  4,  1752;  Eleazer,  May  27,  1754;  Martha, 
Feb.  6,  1756;  Elizabeth,  March  21,  1757;  Ben- 
jamin, May  10,  1760. 

(III)  Samuel  Pickens,  bom  May  4,  1752, 
married  Matilda,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Briggs, 
who  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  a 
member  of  Capt.  Amos  Washburn's  company, 
which  marched  on  two  alarms  at  Dartmouth  in 
1778;  also  a  member  of  Capt.  Jonah  Wash- 
burn's company,  which  marched  to  Rhode 
Island  on  an  alarm  in  1780.  The' children  born 
to  Samuel  and  Matilda  were :  Stephen  Briggs, 
born  Oct.  5,  1782;  James,  Oct.  17,  1784;  and 
Ebenezer,  Oct.  6,  1787. 

Samuel  Pickens,  the  father  of  this  family, 
was  also  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  having  been 
a  private  and  corporal  in  Capt.  Job  Peirce's 

41 


company  which,  was  on  duty  in  Rhode  Island 
in  1777,  during  the  Revolution;  and  also  was 
a  private  in  Capt.  Amos  Washburn's  company, 
raised  in  Middleboro  in  1778.  He  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  convention,  Nov. 
15,  1820. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Pickens,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
Oct.  6,  1787,  in  that  part  of  Middleboro  which 
became  Lakeville,  married  Oct.  5,  1813,  Mary 
Bourne  Thompson,  born  Nov.  4,  1792,  a  direct 
descendant  of  John  Tomson,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Plymouth  and  Middleboro,  and  his 
wife  Mary  (Cooke),  daughter  of  Francis 
Cooke,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620,  from  which 
her  descent  is  through  Jacob  Thompson,  Jacob 
Thompson  (2),  Jacob  Thompson  (3), 'Benja- 
min Thompson  and  his  wife  Mary  (Bourne), 
Benjamin,  last  named,  being  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolution. 

Ebenezer  Pickens  was  one  of  the  well  and 
favorably  known  men  who  lived  at  the  Four 
Corners  in  Middleboro.  He  lived  near  his 
birthplace  until  the  year  1832,  when  he  re- 
moved his  house  to  its  present  site  near  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Courtland  streets.  He  re- 
sided there  for  twenty  years,  and  in  1852  pur- 
chased land  on  the  southerly  side  of  Main 
street  and  built  a  commodious  house.  In  1822 
Mr.  Pickens  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  in  1850  a  trial  justice,  which  office 
he  held  until  the  time  of  his  death.  In  con- 
structing his  house  just  alluded  to  Mr.  Pickens 
provided  a  room  on  the  east  side  for  an  office 
and  courtroom.  In  1847  he  was  elected  county 
commissioner  and  served  nine  years.  While  a 
resident  of  Lakeville,  and  later,  he  with  his 
family  attended  church  at  the  Green,  and  they 
were  seldom  absent  from  services  through  sum- 
mer's heat  and  winter's  cold.  On  the  formation 
of  the  Central  Congregational  Church  Mr. 
Pickens  was  chosen  one  of  the  deacons,  a. rela- 
tion he  sustained  to  the  church  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  which  occurred  May  8,  1868,  when 
he  was  aged  eighty  years.  The  children  born 
to  Mr.  Pickens  and  his  wife  were:  Caroline 
Matilda  (born  Dec.  26,  1814)  and  Andrew 
Jackson  and  James  Madison,  twins  (born  June 
5,  1818). 

(V)  James  Madison  Pickens  was  born  in 
that  part  of  Middleboro  which  is  now  Lake- 
ville, Mass.,  June  5,  1818,  and  there  grew  to 
manhood.  As  a  young  man  he  was  engaged 
in  business  in  New  Bedford,  but  later  he 
started  in  business  for  himself,  manufacturing 
straw  goods.  He  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  twin  brother,  Andrew  J.,  and  William  A. 
King,  purchasing  the  business  of  Ebenezer 
Briggs,  and  they  were  the  pioneer  manufac- 


642 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


turers  of  straw  goods  in  this  section.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  business  until  1858,  when  he  sold 
out  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for 
several  years.  He  next  became  interested  in 
the  real  estate  business,  at  which  he  continued 
during  the  remainder  of  his  active  life.  He 
was  a  man  of  upright  character  and  honorable 
dealings.  He  was  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Central  Congregational  Church,  and  was  active 
in  building  it  up  in  a  successful  way ;  he  was 
connected  with  the  building  of  the  church  edi- 
fice, contributing  over  $1,000  in  money,  as  well 
as  giving  much  of  his  time.  He  was  for  up- 
ward of  a  quarter  of  a  century  deacon  of  the 
church.  A  good  Christian  man  in  every  sense 
of  the  word,  he  left  a  name  of  which  his  chil- 
dren are  justly  proud.  He  had  a  beautiful 
tenor  voice,  and  conducted  singing  schools  in 
different  sections  of  the  State  for  nearly  half 
a  century.  He  died  at  his  home  on  South 
Main  street,  Middleboro,  Feb.  16,  1899,  after 
a  long  and  painful  illness,  and  was  buried  in 
Central  cemetery. 

Mr.  Pickens  married,  June  5,  1851,  Lucy 
H.  Potter,  of  North  Brookfield,  Mass.,  whose 
grandfather,  Capt.  John  Potter,  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  and  four  children  were  born  to 
them:  (1)  Lucy  maTried  Richard  Cobb,  and 
resides  at  West  Newton,  Mass.  (2)  Laura  mar- 
ried E.  F.  Kingman,  of  Brockton,  and  she  is 
now  a  widow,  residing  in  Riverside,  Cal.,  of 
which  city  Mr.  Kingman  was  mayor  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  (3)  Mary  B.  married  Amasa 
R.  Glidden,  of  Middleboro,  where  they  reside. 
(4)  Martha  S.  married  Henry  W.  Sears,  of 
Middleboro. 

FRANK  L.  CARPENTER,  treasurer  of  the 
Davis  Mills  at  Fall  River,  is. a  member  of  one 
of  the  oldest  families  in  New  England,  being 
a  descendant  in  the  ninth  generation  from  Wil- 
liam Carpenter,  from  whom  we  give  the  line 
down  to  the  present. 

(I)  William  Carpenter,  son  of  William  Car- 
penter, of  London,  was  born  in  1605,  in  Eng- 
land, and  there  married  Abigail.  On  coming 
to  America,  he  first  settled  in  Wej'mouth,  where 
he  became  a  freeman  in  1640.  He  was  a  repre- 
sentative from  Weymouth  in  1641  and  1643, 
and  from  Rehoboth  in  1645,  having  been  ad- 
mitted an  inhabitant  of  the  latter  town  in  1645. 
He  was  also  made  a  freeman  in  that  same  year. 
From  1643  to  1649  he  served  as  proprietors' 
and  town  clerk.  He  died  Feb.  7,  1659,  in  Reho- 
both, Mass.,  his  widow,  Abigail,  dying  Feb.  22, 
1687.  Three  of  their  seven  children  were  born 
in  England,  the  next  three  in  Weymouth,  and 
the  youngest  in  Rehoboth ;  they  were :     John, 


born  about  1628;  William,  about  1631;  Joseph,, 
about  1633;  Hannah,  April  3,  1640;  Abiah  and 
Abigail  (twins),  April  9,  1643,  and  Samuel, 
about  1644. 

(II)  Samuel  Carpenter,  born  about  1644,. 
married  May  25,  1660,  Sarah  Readaway,  of 
Rehoboth.  He  was  one  who  bought  land  in  the 
North  Purchase,  and  also  had  land  allotted  ta 
him  in  the  division  in  1671.  He  died  Feb.  20,. 
1682  or  1683,  and  his  widow  Sarah  remarried. 
He  and  Sarah  had  a  family  of  ten  children,  all 
born  in  Rehoboth,  viz. :  Samuel,  Sept.  15, 
1661;  Sarah,  Jan.  11,  1663-64;  Abiah,  Feb.  10, 
1665-66;  James,  April  12,  1668;  Jacob,  Sept. 
5,  1670;  Jonathan,  Dec.  11,  1672;  Solomon, 
Dec.  23,  1677;  David,  April  17,  1675;  Zach- 
ariah,  July  1,  1680;  and  Abraham,  Sept.  20, 
1682. 

(III)  Abiah  Carpenter,  son  of  Samuel,  was 
born  Feb.  10,  1665-66,  married  (first)  May 
30,  1690,  Mehitable  Read,  who  was  born 
in  August,  1660,  and  died  March  19,  1701-02. 
He  married  (second)  June  7,  1702,  Sarah 
Read,  who  died  July  17,  1724.  He  married 
(third)  Mary  Ormsby  on  July  16,  1726.  Abiah 
Carpenter  was  a  farmer  and  wheelwright  and 
served  as  ensign  in  the  militia.  He  died  in 
April,  1732.  His  children,  all  born  in  Reho- 
both, were:  Abiah,  April  21,  1691;  Thomas,. 
Nov.  8,  1692;  Mehitable,  Nov.  15,  1694;  Sam- 
uel ;  Sarah,  1696  ;  Rachel,  May  19,  1699  ;  Peter, 
April  22,  1701;  Mary,  March  4,  1704;  and 
Cornelius,  Aug.  20,  1707. 

(IV)  Thomas  Carpenter,  son  of  Abiah,  born 
Nov.  8.  1692,  married  Jan.  17,  1720  or  1721, 
Mary  Barstow.  He  lived  in  Rehoboth,  Mass., 
was  a  farmer  and  a  deacon  in  the  church.  He 
died  May  3,  1779,  in  Rehoboth.  She  died  April 
28,  1783,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  Their  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Rehoboth,  were :  Mary,  born 
Sept.  22,  1723;  Peter,  Sept.  22,  1723  (married 
Rachel  Bullock  and  second  Amy  French^ 
widow)  ;  Rachel,  April  14,  1731  (married  John 
Hunt);  Thomas,  Oct.  24,^733;  Caleb,  Sept. 
21,  1736  (married  Elizabeth  Bullock). 

(V)  Capt.  Thomas  Carpenter  (2),  son  of 
Thomas,  born  Oct.  24,  1733,  married  Dec.  26, 
1754,  Elizabeth  Moulton.  He  was  a  farmer  in- 
Rehoboth,  Mass.  He  was  elected  deputy  to 
the  General  Court  in  1775 ;  was  commissioned 
colonel  of  Bristol  (Mass.)  militia  Feb.  10,  1776. 
He  marched  to  New  York  under  the  command 
of  General  Lincoln — dated  Boston  Nov.  28, 
1776;  he  appears  on  a  petition  asking  for  a 
new  choice  of  officers — dated  Rehoboth,  June 
26,  1778;  autograph  signatures.  He  served  on 
the  Rhode  Island  expedition,  July  24,  1778, 
.served  one  month  and  nineteen  days.    Thomas' 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


643 


Carpenter,  colonel,  1st  Bristol  regiment  (dated 
July  5,  1779),  Brigadier  General  Godfrey's 
brigade;  served  at  Tiverton,  July  26,  1780,  for 
seven  days;  served  the  second  time  at  Tiverton, 
Aug.  1,  1780,  for  nine  days.  Col.  Thomas  Car- 
penter had  130  men  fit  for  duty  as  by  returns 
of  Gen.  H.  Parsons,  of  the  Provincial  army, 
Nov.  3,  1776.  He  was  promoted  from  a  private 
to  colonel,  and  served  in  the  Eevolutionary  war. 
He  was  made  captain  in  a  military  company 
in  Bristol  county,  Oct.  7,  1774.  On  Feb.  1, 
1775,  he  was  sent  from  Rehoboth,  chosen  on  a 
committee  to  take  into  consideration  the  vote 
of  supplying  several  individuals  of  Boston  and 
other  towns  with  lumber,  etc.,  and  every  other 
field  equipage  necessary  to  qualify  them  to  take 
the  field  in  the  spring.  He  was  chosen  County 
committee  April  12,  1775.  On  Jan.  2,  1775, 
the  town  of  Eehoboth  chose  Maj.  Timothy 
Walker  and  Capt.  Thomas  Carpenter  delegates 
to  attend  the  Provincial  Congress  to  be  held 
at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  on  Feb.  1,  1776.  Captain 
Carpenter  was  also  chosen  a  delegate  from 
Eehoboth  to  attend  the  Provincial  Congress  held 
at  Watertown,  Mass.,  May  31,  1775.  He  with 
others  was  ordered  by  the  Provincial  committee 
in  bringing  up  the  Indians,  June  23,  1775.  On 
June  28,  1775,  he  was  one  of  the  committee  to 
fix  the  pay  of  the  soldiers  and  officers.  On  July 
5,  1775,  he  was  one  of  the  committee  to  con- 
sider some  method  to  prevent  conveyance  of 
intelligence  to  the  enemy,  and  also  to  stop 
supplies. 

In  September,  1776,  a  regiment  was  raised 
in  the  town  of  Rehoboth  and  some  of  the  ad- 
joining towns,  and  marched  under  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  Thomas  Carpenter,  of  Eehoboth, 
to  join  the  army  of  Washington  at  White  Plains, 
N.  Y.  They  arrived  there  some  time  before  the 
battle,  but  were  not  in  the  action,  being  drawn 
up  under  arms  about  four  miles  distant  in 
momentary  expectation  of  orders  to  march  to 
the  scene  of  battle.  Previous  to  this  battle 
Colonel  Carpenter's  regiment  had  a  slight  skir- 
mish with  a  small  detachment  of  the  British, 
and  three  of  his  men  were  wounded.  On  Aug. 
18,  1788,  Col.  Thomas  Carpenter  was  ordered 
with  his  regiment  to  march  immediately  to 
Ehode  Island,  and  there  to  do  duty  during  the 
campaign. 

Col.  Thomas  Carpenter  was  in  action  on  Long 
Island  Aug.  29,  1778,  and  was  distinguished 
for  his  activity  and  bravery.  Several  of  the 
soldiers  belonging  to  Colonel  Carpenter's  regi- 
ment, residents  of  Eehoboth,  were  killed. 

Col.  Thomas  Carpenter  was  a  large,  portly 
man.  One  of  his  granddaughters  is  the  au- 
thority that  she  made  a  whole  suit  of  clothes 


for  one  of  hfer  children  out  of  one  of  the 
Colonel's  vests.  He  died  April  26,  1807,  at 
Eehoboth.  His  wife  died  May  17,  1804.  Their 
children,  all  born  in  Eehoboth,  were :  Eliza- 
beth, born  Dec.  22,  1755,  who  married  Pre- 
served Abell ;  Thomas,  born  March  6,  1758,  who 
married  Cynthia  Wheaton ;  one  not  named,  bom 
Oct.  8,  1759;  Sarah,  born  Oct.  10,  1760;  Wil- 
liam, born  April  15,  1763;  James,  born  Sept. 
15,  1764;  Stephen,  born  Nov.  5,  1765;  James 
(2),  born  Sept.  15,  1767,  who  married  Lucy 
Bliss;  Eebecca,  born  Sept.  14,  1769,  who  mar- 
ried (first)  Samuel  Bliss  and  (second)  Thomas 
Carpenter;  Nathan,  born  June  17,  1772;  Peter, 
born  Oct.  5,  1773,  who  married  Nancy  Bishop; 
and  Nathan   (2),  born  Aug.  27,  1776. 

(VI)  Stephen  Carpenter,  son  of  Capt., 
Thomas,  born  Nov.  5,  1765,  married  in  Janu- 
ary, 1790,  Hannah  Wilmarth,  and  they  were 
farming  people.  Their  children  were :  Han- 
nah, born  Oct.  22,  1791,  who  married  Sylvester 
Allen:  Stephen,  born  Sept.  19,  1793;  Maria, 
born  Sept.  2,  1796;  William  M.,  born  April  5, 
1798;  Joseph  Wilmarth,  born  Nov.  24,  1801, 
who  married  Louisa  Lewis,  widow;  Samuel 
Bliss,  born  June  15,  1804,  who  married  Sera- 
phina  A.  Hix ;  Ira  Winsor,  born  May  19,  1807, 
who  married  Mercy  Ann  Hall ;  Abigail  Whipple, 
born  July  28,  1810,  who  married  James  B. 
Moulton ;  and  Francis  Henry,  born  April  24, 
1813.  who  married  Betsey  Perry. 

(VII)  Stephen  Carpenter  (2),  born  Sept. 
19,  1793,  grandfather  of  Frank  L.,  resided  in 
that  part  of  Tiverton  now  included  in  the  city 
limits  of  Fall  Eiver  and  was  engaged  as  a 
tavernkeeper.  He  died  Sept.  28,  1841.  On. 
Feb.  15,  1825,  he  married  Mary  P.  Lawton, 
and  they  had  four  children,  as  follows:  (1) 
William  Moulton,  born  May  30,  1827,  married 
Eunice  Walker  Bishop,  on  May  20,  1851.  She 
was  born  Dec.  23,  1821,  and  died  Nov.  3,  1889. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  and 
died  April  4.  1868.  (2)  Joseph  Wilmarth  was 
born  June  28,  1828.  (3)  Stephen  Henry,  bom 
Jan.  30,  1826,  died  June  28,  1827.  (4)  George 
Washington,  born  Nov.  25,  1830,  died  Dec.  21, 
1832. 

(VIII)  Joseph  Wilmarth  Carpenter  was  bom 
June  28.  1828,  in  Tiverton  (now  Fall  Eiver), 
and  when  a  young  man  learned  the  trade  of 
machine  engraver  of  the  cloth  printing  indus- 
try. After  a  time  he  engaged  in  the  dry  goods 
business  in  company  with  his  brother  William, 
in  Providence.  They  continued  there  until  fire 
destroyed  their  establishment,  when  Joseph  W. 
returned  to  Fall  Eiver  and  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery business,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Rod- 
man streets.     Subsequently  he  was  elected  city 


644 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


messenger,  part  of  the  duties  of  which  position 
at  that  time  was  the  renting  of  the  city  hall 
for  amusement  purposes  and  also  looking  after 
the  markets  in  the  basement.  In  1873  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Berkley  and  resided  there 
for  seven  years.  Returning  to  Fall  River,  he 
was  made  sealer  of  weights  and  measures,  hold- 
ing that  position  for  a  succession  of  years,  later 
having  charge  of  the  care  of  the  city  hall.  He 
then  engaged  in  the  roll  covering  business, 
which  he  followed  until  the  infirmities  of  age 
incapacitated  him  from  further  activities,  and 
he  died  Feb.  24,  1894.  He  was  buried  in  Oak 
Grove  cemetery.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  a  member 
of  the  old  Cascade  hand  fire  company,  serving 
as  clerk  of  the  organization  for  many  years. 

On  Nov.  10,  1853,  Mr.  C^arpenter  married 
Phebe  Kershaw,  who  was  born  Feb.  13,  1831, 
in  Cheadle,  England,  daughter  of  James  W. 
and  Mary  R.  (Barnes)  Kershaw.  Mrs.  Carpen- 
ter died  April  20,  1895.  They  had  children  as 
follows:  (1)  Joseph  Wilmarth,  born  Sept.  4, 
1855,  married  Anna  Barney,  and  died  in  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  Oct.  30,  1899.  He  was  a  travel- 
ing salesman.  (2)  Annie  E.,  born  Feb.  22, 
1858,  was  for  several  years  a  teacher  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Fall  River.  She  is  now  the  wife 
of  Moses  F.  Brierly  and  resides  in  Worcester, 
Mass.  (3)  Mary  A.,  born  July  17,  1860,  is  a 
teacher  in  the  Robeson  school,  at  Fall  River. 
(4)  Edward  M.,  born  May  23,  1863,  married 
Alice  Hayhurst  and  resides  in  Fall  River.  (5) 
Frank  L.  was  born  Jan.  3,  1868. 

(IX)  Frank  L.  Carpenter  was  born  in  Fall 
Eiver  Jan.  3,  1868,  and  graduated  from  the 
high  school  there  in  1887.  He  then  began  to 
learn  the  profession  of  architect,  in  the  office  of 
Ichabod  B.  Burt,  where  he  remained  one  year, 
leaving  there  to  become  a  clerk  in  the  Durfee 
Mills,  and  one  year  later  he  went  to  the  Saga- 
more Manufacturing  Company  as  assistant 
bookkeeper.  He  was  there  until  1892,  when 
he  became  bookkeeper  for  the  Fall  River  Iron 
Works  Company,  remaining  with  that  concern 
until  Sept.  14,  1909,  when  he  was  chosen  treas- 
urer of  the  Davis  Mills,  succeeding  the  late 
Arthur  H.  Mason.  Mr.  Carpenter's  business 
ability  has  been  proved  in  his  long  connection 
with  the  mills  of  this  region,  and  he  has  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  his  business  asso- 
ciates. He.  is  a  member  of  the  corporation  of 
both  the  Fall  River  Savings  Bank  and  the 
Union  Savings  Bank. 

Mr.  Carpenter  is  a  member  of  the  Arkwright 
Club  of  Boston,  the  Fall  River  Cotton  Manu- 
facturing Association,  the  National  Cotton 
Manufacturers'  Association  (with  headquarters 
in  New  York),  and  socially  of  the  Quequechan 


Club.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  King 
Philip  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is 
past  master,  and  which  he  served  two  years  as 
treasurer;  of  Fall  River  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.; 
Fall  River  Council,  R.  &  S.  M,,  of  which  he  is 
past  thrice  illustrious  master;  of  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  Conimandery,  Knights  Templar,  of 
which  he  is  past  eminent  commander;  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  and  Rhode 
Island  Association  of  Knights  Templars  Com- 
manders. He  is  a  charter  member  of  Puritan 
Lodge,  No.  88,  K.  of  P.,  and  was  master  of 
finance  for  several  years.  In  politics -he  is  a 
Republican. 

Mr.  Carpenter  was  married  in  Fall  River 
Sept.  20,  1893,  to  Annie  P.  Brightman,  a  native 
of  that  place,  daughter  of  Pardon  M.  and  Rachel 
D.  (Pickering)  Brightman,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Isabel,  born  July  22,  1899. 

CRANE  (Bridge water  family).  Through 
the  greater  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  there 
resided  at  Bridgewater  a  branch  of  the  early 
New  England  Crane  family,  its  representative 
head  being  the  late  Hon.  Joshua  Eddy  Crane, 
himself  one  of  the  most  active  and  useful  citi- 
zens of  Bridgewater  of  his  generation,  promi- 
nent in  public  life,  etc.,  who  reared  several  sons 
who  followed  in  his  footsteps,  and  of  an  ancient 
and  honorable  ancestry  which,  with  his  own 
marriage,  has  given  his  posterity  a  New  Eng- 
land inheritance  which  they  may  contemplate 
with  just  pride. 

From  the  best  information  at  hand  it  appears 
that  between  the  years  1635  and  1640  John, 
Samuel  and  Jaspar  Crane  came  to  Massachu- 
setts, John  making  a  home  in  that  part  of  Bos- 
ton now  Brookline,  Samuel  in  Dorchester,  and 
Jaspar  removing  about  1639  to  New  Haven, 
Conn. ;  whether  they  are  brothers  or  not  is  yet 
an  open  question.  John  was  in  Boston  as  early 
as  Jan.  8,  1637,  but  must  have  died  or  returned 
to  England  within  a  few  years.  The  latter  was 
succeeded  by  Henry  Crane,  who  was  born  about 
1621,  probably  in  England,  and  married 
Tabitha,  daughter  of  Stephen  Kinsley;  settled 
in  Braintree,  and  left  a  large  line  of  descendants. 
Without  evidence  to  the  contrary  it  may  be 
reasonably  supposed  that  Samuel  was  the  father 
of  this  Henry.  Samuel  Crane  is  mentioned  in 
the  Braintree  records,  1640,  as  one  of  several 
elected  to  administer  town  affairs,  among  them 
Stephen  Kinsley,  this  the  first  association  in 
these  records  of  the  names  Kinsley  and  Crane. 
In  1654  Stephen  Kinsley  (who  was  at  Mount 
Wollaston.  Mass.,  in  1639)  and  his  sons-in-law 
Anthony  Gulliver  and  Henry  Crane  were  set- 
tled on  adjacent  farms  in  that  part  of  Dorches- 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


645 


ter  which  later  was  incorporated  as  Milton. 
Henry  Crane  was  in  main  a  husbandman.  He 
was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  Milton  in  1679, 
1680  and  1681,  and  was  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  first  meetinghouse  built  in  the  town.  His 
wife  Tabitha  died  shortly  after  1681,  and  he 
married  (second)  about  1683  Elizabeth,  who 
survived  him.  His  children  were:  Benjamin, 
bom  about  1656 ;  Stephen,  who  married  (first) 
Mary  Denison  and  (second)  Comfort,  widow  of 
Samuel  Belcher,  of  Braintree;  Henry;  John, 
born  in  1658,  in  Dorchester;  Elizabeth,  born  in 
1663,  who  married  (first)  Eleazer  Gilbert,  of 
Taunton,  and  (second)  George  Townsend,  of 
that  same  town;  Ebenezer,  born  in  1665,  who 
married  Mary  Tolman ;  Mary,  born  in  1666, 
who  married  Samuel  Hackett,  of  Taunton; 
Mercy,  born  in  1668;  Samuel,  born  in  1669; 
and  Anna  C,  born  in  1687,  who  removed  to 
Taunton.  Henry  Crane  died  in  Milton  March 
21,  1709. 

It  should  have  been  stated  ere  this  that, 
according  to  Mr.  Ellery  Bicknell  Crane,  the 
Cranes  in  England  are  classed  among  the  fami- 
lies belonging  to  the  County  of  Suffolk.  Though 
numerous  families  bearing  the  name  have  been 
found  residents  of  other  counties  in  Great  Brit- 
ain, it  is  among  the  records  of  Suffolk  County 
that  we  find  delineated  the  long  roll  of  aristo- 
cratic land  holders  in  a  line  of  succession  from 
father  to  son  covering  a  period  of  time  marked 
by  hundreds  of  years.  Here  their  estates  are 
to  be  found  recorded  which  have  been  retained 
in  the  family  for  nearly  three  hundred  years. 

It  will  be  observed  that  some  of  the  imme- 
diate posterity  of  Henry  Crane  located  in  Taun- 
ton, and  the  towns  of  Dighton,  Berkley  and 
Norton  also  became  the  places  of  residence  of 
their  descendants. 

John  Crane,  bom  in  Dorchester,  30  :  11, 1658. 
married  Dec.  13,  1686,  Hannah,  daughter  of 
James  and  Hannah  Leonard,  of  Taunton,  and 
there  became  a  settler,  but  in  1698  had  sold 
his  place  in  Taunton  and  with  his  brother  Ben- 
jamin in  that  year  bought  of  the  heirs  of  Jona- 
than Briggs  a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  in 
the  South  Purchase  of  Taunton,  now  Berkley, 
which  in  a  few  years  was  divided  in  two  portions 
by  the  two  brothers. 

Benjamin  Crane,  the  brother,  was  a  member 
of  Captain  Johnson's  company  in  King  Philip's 
war  and  was  severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Narragansett  Swamp,  Dec.  19,  1675.  His  death 
occurred  Oct.  13,  1721.  Many  of  the  Crane 
family  of  Berkley  were  his  descendants. 

John  Crane  died  Aug.  5,  1716,  and  Hannah, 
his  wife,  died  Oct.  24,  1760.  Tlieir  children : 
Henry,  Gershom,  Zipporah,  Tabitha  and  John. 


Gershom  Crane,  born  Sept.  3,  1692,  married 
Feb.  27,  1716,  Susanna  Whitmarsh,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Whitmarsh,  then  of  Dighton.  It 
was  at  his  house  that  the  first  meeting  of  the 
town  of  Berkley  was  held  and  of  which  he  was 
the  moderator  in  1735.  He  died  June  23,  1787. 
His  ^vife,  Susanna,  died  Sept.  11,  1770.  Their 
children  were:  Abiah,  1716;  Abel,  1718; 
Ebenezer,  1720;  Hannah,  1722;  Elisha,  1724; 
Gershom,  1728  (died  1732) ;  John,  1731;  Ger- 
shom, 1735;  Jonathan,  1737. 

John  Crane  married  Eachel  Terry  and  was 
a  resident  of  Norton,  and  his  son,  Eev.  John 
Crane,  D.  D.,  born  1756,  was  the  minister  of 
Northbridge  and   died   in   1836. 

Jonathan  Crane,  another  son  of  Gershom,  was 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1762,  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Col.  Josiah  Edson,  1770,  and 
practiced  his  profession  of  medicine  in  Bridge- 
water.  His  son,  Daniel  Crane,  was  graduated 
at  Brown  University  in  1796. 

Elisha  Crane,  son  of  Gershom,  born  Dec.  25, 
1724,  married  Thankful  Axtell,  daughter  of 
Daniel -Axtell,  of  Berkley,  Jan.  15,  1774,  and 
lived  at  the  home  of  Daniel  Axtell,  which  was 
established  in  1710  in  the  town  of  Dighton,  now 
Berkley.  Their  children  were:  Betsey,  born 
1775,  married  Benjamin  Hathaway,  1801 ; 
Susannah,  born  1776,  married  Christopher 
Paull,  1802:  Daniel,  born  1777,  died  1805; 
Polly,  born  1779,  married  Dean  Burt,  1806; 
Barzillai  was  born  in  1783.  Elisha  Crane 
died  Nov.  20,  1807.  Thankful  (Axtell)  Crane 
died  Jan.  22,  1832. 

Barzillai  Crane,  born  Feb.  24,  1783,  married 
Jan.  22,  1810,  Lydia  Eddy,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Joshua  Eddy  and  his  wife,  Lydia  (Paddock) 
of  Middleboro,  and  lived  in  Berkley.  Their 
children  were:  Charlotte  Maria,  1811  (died 
1818)  ;  Nancy  A.,  1812  (died  1818)  ;  Susanna 
W.,  1815  (married  Samuel  Breck)  ;  Elisha, 
1817  (died  1843,  a  physician,  unmarried)  ; 
Charlotte  M.,  1820  (died"l841)  ;  Joshua  Eddy, 
1823;  Irene  Lazell.  1826  (married  Dr.  Thomas 
Nichols)  :  Lydia,  1829  (died  1833)  ;  Morton 
Eddv.  1831  "(died  1857,  unmarried).  Lydia 
(Eddy)  Crane  died  Feb.  10,  1842.  Barzillai 
Crane  married  (second)  in  1844  Eliza  Tobey, 
daughter  of  Apollos  and  Hannah  (Crane) 
Tobey,  of  Berkley.  He  died  June  15,  1851. 
Eliza  (Tobey)  Crane,  born  Oct.  29,  1801,  died 
Dec.  9,  1882. 

Mrs.  Lydia  (Eddy)  Crane,  wife  of  Bar- 
zillai, was  born  Dec.  23,  1787,  the  daughter 
of  .Toshua  and  Lydia  (Paddock)  Eddy,  Joshua 
Eddy  being  a  direct  descendant  of  Samuel  Eddy, 
who  was  the  son  of  William  Eddy,  A.  M.,  vicar 
of  St.  Dunstan's  Church,  Cranbrook,  County  of 


646 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Kent,  England,  and  liis  wife  Mary  (Fosten). 
Samuel  Eddy  came  from  Boxted,  County  of 
Suffolk,  England,  to  America  in  the  ship 
"Handmaid"  in  1630,  settling  in  Plymouth, 
where  he  purchased  property  in  1631.  From 
this  Samuel  Eddy  and  his  ^nfe  Elizabeth  the 
descent  of  Lydia  Eddy  is  through  Obadiah  and 
his  wife  Bennet,  Samuel  (2)  and  his  wife  Mela- 
tiah  (Pratt),  Zechariah  iand  his  wife  Mercy 
(Morton),  and  Capt.  Joshua  Eddy  and  his  wife 
Lydia  (Paddock). 

Capt.  Joshua  Eddy  saw  much  hard  service 
in  the  Revolution.  He  entered  the  service,  en- 
listing in  1775,  in  Captain  Benson's  company, 
Colonel  Cotton's  regiment;  was  at  Roxbury, 
Mass.,  during  the  siege  of  Boston,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Breed's  (Bunker)  Hill.  In  1776  he 
was  lieutenant  in  Colonel  Marshall's  regiment 
and  went  to  Castle  island.  He  was  in  the  re- 
treat from  Ticonderoga  and  was  at  Saratoga 
at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne.  He  then  went 
to  New  Jersey,  was  in  winter  quarters  with 
General  Washington,  and  was  at  the  battle  of 
Monmouth.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
extensively  engaged  in  various  kinds  of  business. 
He  was  a  man  of  unusual  energy.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  deacon  in  the  church  of  his 
community.     He  died  in  1833. 

Joshua  Eddy  Crane,  son  of  Barzillai  and 
Lydia  (Eddy)  Crane,  was  born  July  9,  1823, 
in  the  town  of  Berkley,  Mass.,  and  in  both  the 
public  and  private  schools  of  his  native  town 
acquired  his  education.  Desiring  to  enter  busi- 
ness he  at  sixteen  years  of  age  began  preparation 
for  it  in  the  office  of  a  commission  merchant  in 
New  York  City.  Later,  in  1844,  he  was  at 
Bridgewater  %vith  his  uncle,  Morton  Eddy,  who 
retired  from  the  firm  in  1848.  Thereafter 
while  in  active  business  the  concern  was  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Crane.  A  man  of  ability,  good 
judgment,  one  successful  in  the  management 
of  his  own  business  affairs,  Mr.  Crane  was  soon 
found  by  his  fellow  citizens  to  possess  the  quali- 
ties required  in  the  same,  and  as  a  conservative 
public  man  was  often  sought  and  long  continued 
in  public  official  service.  He  cast  his  first  vote 
in  1844  for  the  candidates  of  the  Liberty  party, 
having  been  present  at  the  organization  of  that 
party  at  Boston.  He  soon  became  active  polit- 
ically in  local  affairs.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Worcester  convention,  at  which  Judge 
Charles  Allen  presided,  and  at  which  was  or- 
ganized the  Republican  party  in  Massachusetts. 
For  many  years  he  was  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican town  committee  of  Bridgewater  and  also 
a  member  of  the  State  Republican  committee. 
In  1857  he  was  a  representative  for  the  town  in 
the   General   Court.      On  the  breaking  out   of 


the  Civil  war,  in  1861,  when  party  lines  were 
almost  obliterated,  he  was  chosen  senator  from 
the  South  Plymouth  district,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  was  almost  unanimously  again  elected 
to  that  body,  the  Democrats  making  no  nomi- 
nation against  him.  While  in  the  Senate  he 
had  the  honor  of  taking  part  in  the  election  of 
Ion.  Charles  Siimner  to  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate from  Massachusetts.  In  the  Senate  he 
served  on  the  committees  on  Claims  and  on 
Mercantile  Affairs  and  Insurance.  He  was 
town  clerk  of  Bridgewater  for  several  years, 
from  1855  to  1858  inclusive,  and  in  1873  and 
1874.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he  was  in 
various  capacities  connected  with  the  Plymouth 
County  Agricultural  Society,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  was  treasurer  and  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  that  society.  On  the  occasion  of 
the  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
the  society,  Sept.  30,  1869,  he  delivered  the 
historical  address.  For  a  dozen  and  more  years 
he  served  as  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  State  Workhouse  at  Bridgewater  and  for 
twenty  and  more  years  was  a  trustee  of  the 
Bridgewater  Academy,  and  was  active  in  the 
erection  of  the  present  school  building. 

For  upward  of  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Crane 
was  a  correspondent  for  the  newspapers  of 
Bridgewater  and  vicinity,  writing  many  sketches 
of  interest  to  those  of  antiquarian  tastes.  He 
prepared  the  sketch  of  the  town  of  Bridgewater 
contained  in  the  History  of  Plymouth  county 
published  in  1884.  His  religious  faith  was  that 
of  the  Central  Square  Congregational  Church 
in  Bridgewater,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and 
he  was  chairman  of  the  building  committee  at 
the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  present  churcli 
edifice. 

On  Jan.  9,  1849,  Mr.  Crane  was  married  to 
r>ucy  Ann  Reed,  bom  Sept.  25,  1825,  daughter 
of  the  late  Quincy  and  Lucy  (Loud)  Reed,  of 
Weymouth,  Mass.,  and  their  children  were: 
Joshua  Eddy,  1850 ;  Cliarles  Reed,  1852  (mar- 
ried Jane  E.  Keith)  ;  Lucy  Reed,  1854  (died 
1856)  ;  Morton  Eddy,  1857  (of  Washington, 
D.  C.) ;  Henry  Lovell,  1860;  Anna  Howe,  1862 
(married  Charles  A.  Drew,  M.  D.)  ;  Edward 
Appleton,  1865  (died  1887).  Joshua  E.  Crane 
died  in  Bridgewater  Aug.  5,  1888 ;  Lucy  Ann 
(Reed)    Crane  died   Sept.   24,  1898. 

Quincy  Reed,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Crane,  de'- 
scended  from  William  Reade,  who  settled  in 
WejTuouth  in  1635,  from  whom  his  descent  is 
through  Thomas  Reed  and  his  wife  Sarah 
(Bicknell)  ;  John  Reed  and  his  wife  Sarah 
(Whitmarsh"!  :  John  Reed  (2)  and  his  wife 
Marv  (Bate)  and  Ezra  Reed  and  his  wife  Mary 
(Lovell). 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


647 


Joshua  Eddy  Cbane  (2),  son  of  Joshua 
Eddy  and  Lucy  Ann  (Eeed)  Crane,  was  born 
•Oct.  1,  1850,  in  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  there 
■educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  place  and 
at  the  Bridgewater  Academy,  then  under  tlie 
instruction  of  Mr.  Horace  M.  Willard.  He 
furthered  his  studies  at  Brown  University,  from 
■which  he  was  graduated  in  1872.  Mr.  Crane 
was  preceptor  of  Bridgewater  Academy,  1873- 
75;  principal  of  the  English  preparatory  de- 
partment of  the  Syrian  Protestant  College, 
Beirut,  Syria,  1876-79 ;  subsequently  was  em- 
ployed as  a  private  tutor;  and  was  in  charge 
•of  the  Latin  classes  of  Albany  Academy,  Al- 
hany,  N.  Y.,  until  1884,  when  he  became 
librarian  of  the  Young  Men's  Association  of 
Albany.  In  1887  he  accepted  the  position  of 
•associate  principal  of  the  Portland  Latin  School 
at  Portland,  Maine,  but  in  1890  resumed  his 
former  position  at  the  library,  from  which  he 
withdrew  in  1892.  He  is  at  this  time  librarian 
■of  the  Public  Library  of  Taunton.  He  is  an 
officer  of  the  Old  Colony  Historical  Society 
and  of  the  Old  Bridgewater  Historical  Society. 
Mr.  Crane  married  Jan.  1,  1884,  Katharine 
Perkins,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Amelia  (Sher- 
man) Perkins,  of  Bridgewater. 

Henry  Lovell  Crane,  son  of  the  late  Joshua 
Eddy  Crane  and  his  wife  Lucy  A.  (Reed),  was 
"born  Jan.  31,  1860,  in  Bridgewater,  Mass.  Here 
in  the  public  schools  and  Bridgewater  Academy 
he  acquired  his  education.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  entered  the  mercantile  store  of  his 
father  at  Bridgewater  and  by  close  application, 
and  industry,  under  the  father's  oversight  he  be- 
•came  thoroughly  versed  in  all  that  pertained  to 
•careful,  painstaking,  judicious  business  meth- 
■ods.  On  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1888,  young 
Crane  associated  with  him  in  the  continuance 
•of  the  business  Henry  T.  Burrill,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Crane  &  Burrill,  a  business  partner- 
ship that  lasted  through  the  remaining  years 
of  the  life  of  the  junior  member  of  the  firm ; 
and  as  a  business  house  its  standing  was  second 
to  none  in  Bridgewater. 

■  As  had  been  his  father  before  him,  Mr.  Crane 
■was  greatly  interested  in  the  public  affairs  of 
his  native  town,  and  as  a  good  citizen  when 
called  to  public  duty  performed  it  to  the  best 
of  his  ability  and  judgment,  which  always 
meant  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  fellow  citizens 
and  to-wnsmen.  Elected  town  clerk  in  1886  and 
■treasurer  in  1887,  he  was  each  year  successively 
reelected  to  these  offices  up  to  the  time  of  his 
■decease.  Endowed  with  much  natural  ability, 
sharpened  by  business  experience  and  reading, 
possessing  pleasing  and  accommodating  social 
qualities,  he  won  and  held  the  esteem  and  re- 


spect of  his  community.  He  was  well  fitted  for 
that  social  and  useful  citizenship  he  filled.  He 
was  an  active  and  intelligent  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity;  was  past  master  of  Fellow- 
ship Lodge,  of  Bridgewater,  past  high  priest  oi 
Harmony  Chapter,  and  a  member  of  Bay  State 
Commandery,  at  Brockton,  Mass.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  Pioneer  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of 
Bridgewater,  and  held  the  rank  in  it  of  noble 
grand. 

In  1884_Mr.  Crane  was  married  to  Lizzie  A. 
Cole,  daughter  of  Mr.  Charles  H.  Cole,  of 
Brockton,  Mass.  His  death  occurred  March 
16,  1905. 

HENRY  PERKINS  was  a  well-known  iron 
manufacturer  and  biisiness  man  of  Bridgewater. 
His  ancestral  line  is  traced  from  Abraham  Per- 
kins, one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Hampton,  N. 
H.,  who  was  nlade  a  freeman  May  13,  1640. 
He  was  a  man  of  good  education  and  was  much 
employed  in  the  service  of  the  town.  He  died 
Aug.  31,  1683,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  His 
widow,  Mary,  died  May  29,  1706,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-eight.  The  will  of  Abraham  Perkins, 
dated  Aug.  22,  1683,  and  probated  Sept.  18, 
1683,  contains  the  names  of  his  wife  and  sons 
Jonathan,  Humphrey,  James,  Luke  and  David. 
To  the  last  two  were  given  five  shillings  each,  as 
they  had  already  received  their  share.  The 
names  of  the  children  of  Abraham  Perkins 
were:  Mary,  Abraham,  Luke,  Humphrey, 
James,  Timothy,  James  (2),  Jonathan,  David, 
Abigail,  Timothy  (2),  Sarah  and  Humphrey 
(2). 

David  Perkins,  son  of  Abraham,  of  Hamp- 
ton. N.  H.,  was  born  Feb.  28,  1653,  settled  in 
Beverly  about  1673,  married  Elizabeth  Brown, 
daughter  of  Francis  Brown,  of  Beverly,  1675- 
76,  and  in  1688  became  a  resident  of  Bridge- 
water,  in  that  part  of  the  town  whicli  became 
ilie  South  Precinct.  In  1694  he  built  the  first 
mill  at  the  site  of  the  iron  works  of  Messrs. 
Lazell,  Perkins  &  Co.,  known  afterwards  as  the 
Bridgewater  Iron  Company,  and  was  engaged 
in  the  occupation  of  blacksmith.  He  was  the 
first  representative  of  the  town  in  the  General 
Court  at  Boston  after  the  union  of  the  Col- 
onies of  Plymouth  and  Massachusetts,  in  1692, 
and  served  also  in  this  capacity  in  1694,  and 
from  1704  to  1707,  inclusive.  His  death  oc- 
curred Oct.  1,  1736.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
Oct.  17,  1654,  died  July  14,  1735.  In  his  will 
of  June  17,  1736,  he  names  his  sons:  David, 
Abraham,  Thomas,  sole  executor,  and  Nathan, 
deceased,  and  grandchildren:  David  and  Jona- 
than, children  of  his  son  David,  and  Nathan, 
Timothy,  James,  Solomon,  Martha  and  Silence, 


648 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


children  of  Nathan.  His  children  were :  Mary, 
David,  Nathan  and  Thomas,  who  resided  in 
Bridgewater;  and  Abraham,  who  became  a  set- 
tler in  Kingston,  R.  I.,  and  died  in  1746. 

Thomas  Perkins,  son  of  David  and  Elizabeth 
Perkins,  was  born  in  Bridgewater  May  8,  1688. 
He  married  Feb.  20,  1717,  Mary  Washburn, 
supposed  to  be  the  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
(Bowden)  Washburn,  of  Bridgewater,  and  lived 
near  the  site  of  the  present  iron  works.  Their 
children  were:  Mary,  born  1718,  married  Jo- 
siah  Hayward,  1742;  Hepzibah,  born  1720,  mar- 
ried Elezer  Carver,  1746;,  Thomas,  born  1722, 
married  Mary  Pratt,  1748;  Charles,  born  1724, 
died  1726;  Ebenezer,  born  1727,  is  mentioned 
below;  Francis,  born  1729,  married  Susanna 
Waterman,  1762,  and  Phillibert  Keith,  1775. 
The  wife  of  Thomas  Perkins,  Mary  (Wash- 
burn) Perkins,  died  April  23,  1750,  and  he 
died  June  5,  1761. 

Ebenezer  Perkins,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
(Washburn)  Perkins,  born  April  20,  1727,  mar- 
ried Feb.  28,  1751,  Experience  Holmes.  Their 
children  were:  Ebenezer,  born  1752;  Mary, 
born  1753;  Holmes,  born  1757;  Hepzibah,  born 
1759;  Susanna,  born  1764;  Nancy,  born  1769 
(who  married  Rufus  Leach).  Ebenezer  Per- 
kins, the  father,  died  May  31,  1770. 

Ebenezer  Perkins,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Ex- 
perience (Holmes)  Perkins,  born  in  1752,  mar- 
ried Mary  Pratt,  daughter  of  Solomon  and 
Mary  (Keith)  Pratt,  in  1782.  Their  children 
were:  Ebenezer,  born  1783  (died  1784) ;  Mary 
K.,  1784  (died  1786)  ;  Daniel,  1786;  Thomas, 
1788;  Solomon,  1790;  Aaron,  1792;  Oman, 
1794;  Minerva,  1796;  Ebenezer,  1798;  Simeon, 
1801;  Mary  K.,  1802;  Ozias,  1804.  Ebenezer 
Perkins,  the  father,  died  in  1833..^  Mary 
(Pratt)  Perkins,  the  mother,  died  in  1849. 

Ebenezer  Perkins,  the  father,  was  an  active 
patriot  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The  rec- 
ords of  Massachusetts  give  the  following: 
"Ebenezer  Perkins,  of  Bridgewater,  private, 
Capt.  James  Allen's  company.  Col.  Simeon 
Cary's  regiment,  pay  abstract  for  mileage  dated, 
'Camp  near  New  York,  Aug.  9,  1776,'  mileage 
for  251  miles  allowed  the  said  Perkins,  private; 
also  Capt.  Nathaniel  Packard's  company.  Col. 
Thomas  Carpenter's  regiment,  entered  service 
July  25,  1778,  discharged  Sept.  9,  1778— ser- 
vice one  month  and  sixteen  days,  at  Rhode 
Island.  Roll  sworn  to  at  Plymt)uth.  Was  also 
among  the  descriptive  list  of  men  raised  in 
Plymouth  county  in  1779  to  serve  in  the  Con- 
tinental army,  aged  twenty-seven  years,  stature 
six  feet,  complexion  dark.  Engaged  for  town 
of  Bridgewater;  reported  delivered  to  Capt.  L. 
Bailey.     Was   also  private,   Capt.  L.   Bailey's 


company,  Colonel  Bailey's  (2)  regiment;  en- 
tered service  July  25,  1779,  discharged  April 
25,  1780,  term  nine  months.  Was  also  among 
a  descriptive  list  of  men  raised  to  reinforce  the 
Continental  army  for  the  term  of  six  months, 
agreeable  to  resolve  of  June  5,  1780;  returned 
as  received  of  Justin  Ely,  commissioner,  by 
Brig.  Gen.  John  Glover,  at  Springfield  Aug.  2, 
1780,  aged  twenty-eight  years,  stature  six  feet, 
complexion  dark,  engaged  for  town  of  Bridge- 
water,  arrived  at  Springfield  July  31,  1780, 
marched  to  camp  Aug.  2,  1780,  under  command 
of  Lieut.  Benjamin  Pike.  Was  also  among  the 
list  of  men  raised  for  the  six  months'  service 
and  returned  by  Brigadier  General  Paterson 
as  having  passed  muster  in  a  return  dated  Oct. 
25,  1780 ;  was  commissioned  corporal.  Pay  roll 
for  six  months'  men  raised  by  the  town  of 
Bridgewater  for  service  in  the  Continental  army 
at  West  Point  during  1780,  marched  July  12, 
1780,  discharged  Jan.  13,  1781,  service  six 
months  and  thirteen  days,  including  travel 
(240  miles)  home." 

Solomon  Perkins,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary 
(Pratt)  Perkins,  was  a  native  of  Bridgewater, 
born  May  16,  1790,  and  there  Feb.  14,  1813, 
married  Clarissa  Robinson,  daughter  of  Dyer 
Robinson  and  his  wife  Abigail  (Stetson).  To 
this  union  were  born:  Henry,  1814;  Charles 
Robinson,  1816;  William  Franklin,  1818; 
George  Sproat,  1820 ;  Ebenezer,  1826 ;  Mary  K. 
and  Martha  H.,  twins,  1828;  Alfred  Holmes, 
1830.  He  was  long  engaged  as  a  foundryman 
in  the  works  of  Messrs.  Lazell,  Perkins  &  Co. 
He  died  Feb.  26,  1880,  and  his  wife  died  Oct. 
13,  1859. 

Henry  Perkins,  a  son  of  Solomon  and  Clarissa 
(Robinson)  Perkins,  was  born  in  Bridgewater 
April  25,  1814.  In  the  maternal  line  of  de- 
scent he  was  a  grandson  of  Dyer  Robinson  of 
Bridgewater,  a  forgeman  in  the  iron  works  of 
Messrs.  Lazell,  Perkins  &  Co.,  and  was  a  nephew 
of  Increase,  Dyer,  Gad  and  Jacob  Robinson, 
long  associated  with  the  iron  works  in  Bridge- 
water,  and  of  Charles  and  Enoch  Robinson,  of 
the  Old  Colony  Iron  Works  of  Taunton.  Mr. 
Perkins  received  his  early  training  in  the  pub- 
lie  schools  of  his  native  place  and  at  Bridge- 
water  Academy,  and  at  an  early  age  entered  upon 
the  occupation  of  an  iron  worker  and  foundry- 
man  with  employment  at  Bridgewater,  Swanzey 
and  in  the  Hudson  Valley.  In  1847,  about 
the  time  of  his  marriage,  Mr.  Perkins  estab- 
lished an  iron  foundry  in  Bridgewater  near 
the  site  of  the  cotton  gin  factory  of  Messrs. 
Bates,  Hyde  &  Co.,  now  the  Continental  Gin 
Company  factory,  and  soon  after  the  period  of 
the  Civil  war  erected  a  spacious  foundry-  and 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


649 


machine  shop  on  the  line  of  the  Old  Colony 
railroad,  now  the  New  York,  New  Haven  & 
Hartford  railroad,  which  has  ever  held  an  im- 
portant place  in  the  maniifacturing  establish- 
ments of  the  town.  Mr.  Perkins  possessed  a 
profound  knowledge  of  the  history  and  devel- 
opment of  the  iron  industry  and  with  the  eye 
of  an  expert  gave  attention  to  every  requirement 
of  his  office  and  to  the  operations  and  products 
of  his  foundry.  For  many  years  the  large  an- 
nual production  of  pianoforte  frames,  the  in- 
ventions of  the  Chickerings  and  other  manufac- 
turers, included  much  of  the  workmanship  of 
this  foundry  and  established  its  reputation  for 
the  production  of  work  of  the  best  quality  of 
American  iron  and  illustrative  of  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  art  of  casting.  For  many  years  also 
Mr.  Perkins  was  interested  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  Eagle  Cotton  Gin  Company  of  Bridge- 
water,  which  gave  emplojrment  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  men,  and  for  a  long  period  held  the  posi- 
tion of  president  of  the  company.  Interested 
in  public  affairs,  he  did  not  seek  or  hold  political 
office,  but  devoted  himself  to  the  demands  of 
his  occupation,  and  remained  in  active  business 
life-  for  more  than  sixty  years. 

As  a  man  of  untiring  energy  and  honorable 
business  methods  he  was  enabled  to  achieve  suc- 
cess in  his  undertakings  and  was  respected  and 
esteemed  by  those  who  were  in  his  employ,  and 
by  the  members  of  the  community  of  which  he 
was  a  benefactor.  He  will  long  be  remembered 
for  his  spirit  of  benevolence  and  for  the  quali- 
ties of  heart  which  endeared  him  to  his  family 
and  associates.  His  death  occurred  March  24, 
1901. 

Mr.  Perkins  married  July  16,  1848.  Amelia 
Bartlett  Sherman,  daughter  of  Aaron  Simmons 
aid  Lydia  (Whitney)  Sherman,  of  Bridgewater. 
Their  children  were:  Ralph,  born  March  26, 
1849 ;  Katharine,  Oct.  6,  1851 ;  Henry,  Nov.  24, 
1853  (died  Dec.  12,  1854)  ;  Annie,  Jan.  24, 
1855  (died  July  2,  1858)  ;  Clara,  May  11,  1856 
(died  May  24,  1888)  ;  Ebenezer,  March  27, 
1859;  Charles,  March  24,  1862;  Amelia,  June 
16,  1864 ;  Enoch,  Oct.  24,  1866 ;  Harry  K.,  Aug. 
11,  1868;  Saba,  Sept.  7,  1869. 

SLADE.  (I)  William  Slade,  the  first  of 
the  line  in  this  country,  is  said  to  have  been 
bom  in  Wales,  Great  Britain,  the  son  of  Ed- 
ward, of  whom  nothing  seems  to  be  known 
more  than  that  he  died.  This  family  is  said 
to  have  come  from  Somersetshire,  England, 
probably  being  of  Wales  only  a  short  time. 
William  appears  of  record  at  Newport,  R.  I., 
in  1659.  when  admitted  a  freeman  of  the  Col- 
ony.    He  became  an  early  settler  in  the  Shaw- 


omet  Purchase  or  Shawomet  Lands,  which  in- 
cluded that  part  of  Swansea  which  later  be- 
came the  town  of  Somerset.  Mr.  Slade  located 
in  Swansea  as  early  as  1680,  the  year  of  the 
beginning  of  the  first  record  book,  and  the 
meetings  of  the  proprietors  were  held  at  his 
house  after  their  discontinuance  at  Plymouth, 
in  1677.  Mr.  Slade  was  a  large  landholder, 
his  possessions  including  the  ferry  across 
Taunton  river  which  took  his  name,  Slade's 
ferry,  and  which  remained  in  the  family  until 
the  river  was  bridged  in  1876,  and  it  was  last 
operated  by  William  L.  and  Jonathan  Slade. 
Mr.  Slade  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev. 
Obadiah  Holmes,  of  Rehoboth.  He  died  March 
30,  1729,  aged  sixty-seven  years;  Sarah,  his 
widow,  died  Sept.  10,  1761,  aged  ninety-seven, 
and  her  descendants  numbered  435  at  that 
time.  Of  their  ten  children  three  were  sons: 
Mary,  born  in  May,  1689;  William,  born  in 
1692;  Edward,  born  June  14,  1694;  Eliza- 
beth, bom  Dec.  3,  1695;  Hannah,  born  July 
15,  1697;  Sarah;  Martha,  bora  Feb.  27,  1699; 
Phebe,  born  Sept.  25,  1701;  Jonathan,  born 
Aug.  3,  1703  (died  aged  about  eighteen) ; 
Lydia,  born  Oct.  8,  1706. 

(II)  Edward  Slade,  son  of  William,  born 
June  14,  1694,  married  (first)  in  1717  Eliza- 
beth Anthony,  (second)  Dec.  6,  1720,  Phebe, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Sherman) 
Chase,  and  (third)  Deborah  Buffum.  They 
were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  His 
children  were  born  as  follows:  By  the  first 
marriage — William,  Sept.  25,  1718;  by  the 
second  marriage — Samuel,  Sept.  26,  1721 ; 
Elizabeth,  April  29,  1723;  Joseph,  Nov.  16, 
1724;  Sarah,  in  February,  1726;  by  the  third 
marriage — Edward,  Jr.,  Nov.  11,  1728;  Philip, 
April  19,  1730;  Phebe,  July  4,  1737:  Mercy, 
in  1744. 

(III)  Edward  Slade,  Jr.,  son  of  Edward 
and  Deborah  (Buffum)  Slade,  bom  Nov.  11, 
1728,  married  June  4,  1756,  Lydia  Baker,  his 
cousin,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Lydia 
(Slade)  Baker.  Children:  Baker,  bom  Sept. 
20,  1759;  John;  Edward;  Sarah;  Phebe. 

(IV)  Baker  Slade,  son  of  Edward,  Jr.,  born 
Sept.  20,  1759,  married  March  18,  1784,  Han- 
nah, daughter  of  Capt.  Mial  Pierce  and  his 
wife  Hepsibeth  (Mason),  of  Swansea  and 
Somerset,  Mass.  They  were  farming  people 
of  Somerset.  Their  ten  children  were  born 
as  follows:  Lydia,  April  1,  1785;  Edward,  Jan. 
8,  1787;  JohiQ,  Sept.  17,  1789;  Jonathan,  Oct. 
27,  1791;  Mial,  April  13,  1793;  Elizabeth, 
March  8,  1795:  Philip,  March  17,  1797;  Han- 
nah, Feb.  15,  1799;  Sarah,  April,  1801;  Levi, 
Aug.  29,  1804. 


«50 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(V)  John  Slade  married  Phebe  Pierce,  of 
Somerset,  and  they  were  farming  people  of 
Swansea  and  Somerset,  Mass.  Among  their 
■children  were  sons:  Pierce,  John  and  Edmund. 
The  father  of  these  died  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-seven  and  the  widow  married  (second) 
Wing  Eddy  and  several  children  were  born  to 
"them.     Mrs.  Eddy  lived  to  advanced  years. 

(VI)  Jolin  Slade  (2)  married  his  cousin, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Edward  Slade  (above). 
They  were  farming  people  and  both  died  com- 
paratively young,  Mr.  Slade  when  twenty-seven 
;and  Mrs.  Slade  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years. 
Their  children  were :  Winslow,  wlio  was  lost 
at  sea;  John  Palmer;  Edward  and  Mary,  the 
two  latter  being  twins  who  died  in  infancy. 

(VII)  John  Palmer  Slade,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  (Slade)  Slade,  was  born  Nov.  13, 
1824,  in  Somerset,  Mass.  His  father  dying 
•when  he  was  but  three  years  of  age,  and  his 
mother  when  he  was  fourteen,  he  made  his 
home  with  the  family  of  Capt.  Eobert  Gibbs, 
■a  farmer  of  Somerset.  He  was  given  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  for  a  period  at- 
tended Myers  Academy  at  Warren,  R.  I.  The 
•conditions  about  his  early  years  prompted  that 
spirit  of  self-reliance  and  independence  that 
no  doubt  led  to  the  great  success  he  attained 
in  life.  Early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources, 
by  his  energy  and  perseverance  he  soon  ac- 
quired a  reputation  among  his  associates  for 
■enterprise  and  correct  business  methods.  In 
1841  he  entered  upon  what  proved  to  be  a 
prosperous  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  and 
■drug  store  in  Fall  River.  Remaining  so  oc- 
cupied for  some  eight  months,  he  then  went 
to  the  South  in  the  capacity  of  a  clerk  in 
the  establishment  of  his  cousin  Mr.  F.  P. 
Cummings,  becoming  a  few  months  later  a 
partner  in  the  business — that  of  general  mer- 
chandise and  cotton.  Two  years  later  Mr. 
Slade  purchased  his  partner's  interest,  settled 
up  the  business  and  returned  to  Fall  River, 
where  he  ever  afterward  resided  and  prospered. 
This  was  in  the  late  forties  and  for  the  suc- 
ceeding seven  years  he  was  clerk  and  con- 
ductor for  the  Fall  River  Railroad  Company, 
it  later  becoming  the  Old  Colony  Company. 
From  1855  to  1858  he  was  clerk  and  salesman 
for  Mr.  Hale  Remington,  who  was  a  general 
commission  merchant.  In  1858  he  himself 
became  engaged  in  this  line  of  effort,  estab- 
lishing a  wholesale  commission  and  insurance 
business  in  which  he  continued,  and  with  suc- 
cess, the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  son  Leon- 
ard N.  Slade  became  associated  with  him  as 
partner  in  the  business  in  1879,  the  firm  name 
becoming  John  P.  Slade  &  Son. 


As  the  cotton  manufacturing  industry  be- 
gan to  develop  in  New  England,  Mr.  Slade, 
with  other  progressive  citizens,  recognizing  the 
admirable  facilities  afforded  by  the  water  power 
of  Fall  River,  gave  an  encouraging  support  to 
all  new  enterprises  for  the  manufacture  of  cot- 
ton goods.  In  1863  he  was  one  of  the  original 
subscribers  to  the  Granite  Mills  corporation, 
which  was  organized  in  his  oflBce  and  in  which 
he  served  as  director.  When  the  Davol  Mills 
were  organized  in  1867  he  became  one  of  the 
directors;  he  assisted  in  establishing  the  Shove 
Mills  in  1872  and  was  made  a  director  and  the 
first  treasurer;  he  also  served  as  president  of 
this  corporation  from  1875  to  1880.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  was  a  director  of  the  Weetamoe 
Mills  and  from  1881  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  president  of  the  Laurel  Lake 
Mills.  In  all  of  these  great  enterprises  Mr. 
Slade  displayed  marked  executive  and  admin- 
istrative ability.  For  upward  of  forty  years 
Mr.  Slade  was  secretary  of  the  Five  Cents  Sav- 
ings Bank  (of  which  he  was  vice-president  to 
the  time  of  his  death),  an  institution  that  has 
been  of  the  greatest  usefulness  to  the  city  and 
now  carries  deposits  to  the  amount  of  approxi- 
mately $5,000,000.  From  1865  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death  Mr.  Slade  was  a  director  of  the 
Fall  River  National  Bank,  the  oldest  financial 
institution  in  Fall  River.  In  all  of  these  many 
and  varied  positions  he  filled  and  in  the  many 
corporations  with  which  he  was  identified  he 
displayed  rare  good  judgment,  energy  and  en- 
terprise. In  1856-57  Mr.  Slade  served  as  a 
Republican  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen, 
having  in  the  previous  year,  1855,  when  the 
city  was  one  year  old,  been  a  member  of  the 
common  council.  He  was  again  an  alderman 
in  1860  and  a  common  councilman  in  the  years 
1866,  1867,  1877  and  1878.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  King  Philip  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
a  member  of  Fall  River  Chapter,  R.  A.  M., 
Fall  River  Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  and  a  charter 
member  of  Godfrey  de  Bouillon  Commandery, 
K.  T.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  First 
Congregational  parish.  Mr.  Slade  died  June 
12,  1902,  aged  seventy-seven  years,  seven 
months. 

Mr.  Slade  married  (first)  Sarah  L.,  daugh- 
ter of  Martin  and  Mary  Lewin,  of  Somerset, 
Mass..  who  died  soon  thereafter.  He  subse- 
quently married  (second)  Ruth  Ann  Gardner, 
daughter  of  Preserved  S.  and  Ann  Maria 
Ganiner,  of  Swansea,  Mass.,  and  after  her 
death  he  married  (third),  Jan.  28,  1858,  Lois 
A.,  daughter  of  Moses  and  Ruth  B.  (Slade) 
Buffinton,  of  Swansea.  Two  sons,  Leonard  N". 
and  Abbott  E.,  were  born  to  the  second  mar- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


651 


riage ;  and  by  the  third  he  had :  Mary  E.,  born 
Sept.  26,  1859;  Benjamin,  born  Dec.  10,  1860, 
who  died  Oct.  7,  1861;  John  Milton,  born 
June  12,  1864,  who  died  March  23,  1868;  and 
Louis  Palmer,  born  March  14,  1873. 

(VIII)  Leonard  N.  Slade,  born  Feb.  11, 
1852,  son  of  John  Palmer  and  Ruth  Ann 
(Gardner)  Slade,  married  Emma  F.  Peckham, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Peckham,  of  Newport. 
Their  children  were:  Everett  N.,  who  married 
Asenath  Borden,  daughter  of  Jerome  Borden; 
Zetta  Lois,  who  married  Charles  E.  Chace; 
John  P.,  who  died  young;  and  Francis  C.  Mr. 
Slade  is  connected  with  the  John  P.  Slade  & 
Sons  Company. 

(VIII)  Abbott  E.  Slade,  son  of  John 
Palmer  and  Ruth  Ann  (Gardner)  Slade,  was 
born  on  Bank  street,  Fall  River,  Dec.  14,  1853. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Fall 
Eiver,  where  he  prepared  for  entrance  to  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  at  Bos- 
ton, he  matriculating  at  that  institution  in 
the  fall  of  1871.  Here  he  continued  the  regu- 
lar course  of  study  of  the  institute  for  three 
and  a  half  years,  and  to  within  one-half  year 
of  graduation,  when  a  severe  attack  of  typhoid 
fever  made  it  seem  inadvisable  to  continue  his 
studies.  He  then  engaged  in  work  as  a  civil 
engineer,  being  for  about  one  year  with  two 
or  three  engineers  of  the  city,  and  for  a  few 
months  in  the  city  engineers  office.  From  this 
employment  he  went  into  the  engineering  de- 
partment of  the  Fall  River  waterworks,  being 
there  part  of  the  time  employed  as  general 
service  man.  He  then  became  clerk  to  the  city 
treasurer,  and  continued  thus  until  the  fall  of 
1881,  when  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  Lau- 
rel Lake  Mills,  his  father  at  that  time  being 
president  of  the  company.  With  the  exception 
of  two  years,  1899  and  1900,  he  has  continued 
in  that  position  to  the  present  time.  During 
the  two  years  1899-1900  he  was  engaged  in 
the  cotton  brokerage  business.  Mr.  Slade  is 
a  director  of  the  Laurel  Lake  Mills.  He  has 
been  a  Republican  in  politics  but  not  active  in 
such  matters.  He  is  a  member  of  King  Philip 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Fall  River,  of  which 
he  was  secretary  for  a  number  of  years ;  of 
Fall  River  Royal  Arch  Chapter;  of  Fall  River 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  and  of  Godfrey  de  Bouil- 
lon Commandery,  Fall  River,  of  which  he  is  a 
past  commander.  He  belongs  to  the  First 
Congregational  Church  Society  of  Fall  River. 

Mr.  Slade  married  Cora  Lynn  Chase,  daugh- 
ter of  George  D.  and  Sarah  M.  Chase,  of 
Providence,  and  they  have  one  son,  Harold 
Chapin,  born  in  Fall  River  April  26,  1885. 

(VIII)  Mary  E.  Slade,  born  Sept.  26,  1859, 


daughter  of  John  Palmer  and  Lois  A.  (Buf- 
finton)  Slade,  married  June  14,  1882,  Horace 
W.  Tinkham,  son  of  Andrew  L.  and  Dorothy 
(King)  Tinkham.  They  make  their  home  on 
their  large  farm  on  Touisset  Neck,  Warren, 
R.  I.  Their  children  are:  Henry  Buffinton, 
born  June  14,  1883,  who  married  Helen, 
daughter  of  George  and  Lavinia  Marvel,  bom 
Aug.  13,  1884,  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Dor- 
othy Lavinia,  born  July  1,  1909;  George  King, 
born  Aug.  13,  1885;  Marion  Lois,  born  Jan. 
19.  1888;  and  Corrella  Whitridge,  born  Feb. 
3,   1889. 

(VIII)  Louis  Palmer  Slade,  born  March 
14,  1873,  son  of  John  Palmer  and  Lois  A. 
(Buffinton)  Slade,  married  April  2,  1901, 
Charlotte  Keach  Boone.  Their  children  are: 
Virginia,  born  Feb.  13,  1903 ;  Benjamin,  born 
April  11,  1905;  John  Milton,  born  May  17, 
1907.  Mr.  Slade  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Fall  River,  graduated  from  the  high 
school,  from  Williams  College  with  the  class 
of  1893,  and  pursued  post  graduate  work  at 
Harvard.  He  spent  a  year  in  European  travel 
and  was  in  attendance  at  the  University  of 
Berlin  during  the  winter  semester  of  1895-96. 
In  1898  he  became  instructor  in  history  in  the 
Fall  River  high  school.  In  1905  he  became 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  Chicopee,  Mass., 
and  has  since  been  instrumental  in  establishing 
an  industrial  department  in  that  school.  While 
at  Williams  College  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Delta  Upsilon  fraternity,  and  was  elected  to 
the  Phi  Beta  Kappa. 

JONAS  REYNOLDS,  one  of  the  well-kno\\'n 
shoe  manufacturers  of  Brockton,  is  one  of  the 
city's  substantial  and  respected  citizens — one 
whose  whole  life  has  been  spent  in  the  com- 
munity where  his  honored  ancestors  for  several 
generations  before  him  were  numbered  among 
the  industrious  residents  of  the  locality.  Mr. 
Reynolds  was  born  at  Marshall's  Corner,  North 
Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),  Mass.,  in  the 
same  house  where  he  now  resides,  which  house 
was  built  by  his  father.  The  history  of  this  use- 
ful citizen  and  that  of  his  family  follows,  the 
generations  being  given  in  chronological  order. 

(I)  Robert  Reynolds  appears  in  Boston  as 
early  as  1632  and  is  believed  to  have  been  bom 
in  England.  He  joined  the  church  in  Boston 
Aug.  10,  1634.  He  is  mentioned  Sept.  3,  1634, 
as  a  shoemaker  and  freeman.  Soon  thereafter 
he  removed  to  Watertown,  and  finally  went  with 
his  brother  John  to  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  being 
dismissed  March  29,  1636,  by  the  church  to 
form  a  church  in  Wethersfield.  However,  he 
soon  returned  to  Boston,  and  there  passed  the 


652 


SOUTHBASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


rest  of  his  life,  dying  April  27,  1659.  The 
Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary.  She  died 
Jan.  18,  1663.  Their  children,  all  believed  to 
have  been  born  in  England,  were:  Nathaniel; 
Euth,  who  married  John  Whitney;  Tabitha, 
who  married  Matthew  Abdy;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried Eobert  Mason ;  and  Mary,  who  married 
Eichard  Sanger. 

(II)  Capt.  Nathaniel  Eeynolds,  son  of  Eob- 
ert, born  about  1627,  in  England,  came  when  a 
child  to  New  England  with  his  parents.  He 
became  a  freeman  in  1665 ;  was  a  shoemaker. 
In  a  record  dated  Chelmsford,  Feb.  25,  1676, 
he  was  called  captain,  probably  for  service  in 
King  Philip's  war.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  an 
artillery  company.  [Professor  Munro,  of  Brown 
University,  says  in  his  History  of  Bristol  (1880) 
that  Nathaniel  Eeynolds  was  a  member  of  the 
Artillery  Company,  and  did  good  service  in 
the  Indian  war  as  captain  of  a  company  under 
Colonel  Church.]  He  removed  to  Bristol  (now 
Ehode  Island)  in  1680  and  was  recognized  in 
the  first  town  ftieeting  there.  He  became  one 
of  the  principal  men  of  the  town.  He  married 
(first)  Nov.  30,  1657  (the  ceremony  being 
performed  by  Gov.  John  Endicott),  Sarah, 
daughter  of  John  Dwight,  of  Dedham.  She 
died  July  8,  1663,  and  he  married  (second) 
Priscilla,  daughter  of  Peter  Brackett,  a  well-to- 
do  tradesman  of  Boston.  He  had  three  children 
by  his  first  wife  and  eight  by  his  second.  He 
died  at  Bristol  July  10,  1708.  His  children 
were :  Sarah,  born  July  26, 1659,  married  John 
Fosdick;  Mary,  born  Nov.  20,  1660,  died 
young;  Nathaniel  was  born  March  3,  1662-63; 
John,  Aug.  4,  1668;  Peter,  Jan.  26,  1670; 
Philip,  Sept.  15,  1674;  Joseph,  Dec.  29,  1676; 
Hannah,  Jan.  15,  1682  (married  Samuel 
Eoyall)  ;  Mary,  in  1684  (married  Nathaniel 
Woodbury);  Benjamin,  May  10,  1686;  Ruth, 
Dec.  9,  1688  (married  Josiah  Cary). 

(III)  Nathaniel  Reynolds  (2),  son  of  Capt. 
Nathaniel,  born  March  3,  1662-63,  lived  in 
Boston,  and  there  died  prior  to  1717.  The 
Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Ruth,  and  he 
was  the  father  of  nine  children,  among  them 
Nathaniel,  born  Jan.  14,  1693 ;  John,  born 
March  29, 1696;  and  Philip,  born  May  12,  1701. 
(See  full  record  elsewhere  in  this  work.) 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Eeynolds  (3),  son  of  Natha- 
niel (2),  born  Jan.  14,  1694,  in  Boston,  was 
a  shoemaker,  like  his  father  and  grandfather. 
He  married  Jan.  27,  1717,  Mary  Snell,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Snell,  of  Bridgewater,  and  they 
had  sons  Nathaniel,  born  March  19,  1718,  and 
Thomas,  born  Feb.  25,  1719.  The  father  died 
in  Boston  Oct.  29,  1719,  and  his  widow  moved 
to  her  native  town  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  tak- 
ing her  two  sons  with  her. 


(V)  Nathaniel  Eeynolds  (4),  son  of  Nathan- 
iel (3),  was  born  March  19,  1718,  in  Boston, 
on  Milk  street,  in  the  same  house  in  which  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  was  born  in  1706.  He  mar- 
ried jn  1739  Hannah,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Hartwell,  and  their  children  were :  Philip,  born 
in  1740;  and  Jonas,  born  in  1742.  His  first 
wife  died  Aug.  12,  1742,  and  he  married  (sec- 
ond) June  14,  1744,  Mary  Tolman,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Tolman,  of  Stoughton,  Mass.,  and 
their  children  were:  Timothy,  born  in  1746; 
Hannah,  in  1750;  Mary,  in  1754;  Nathaniel, 
in  1757;  David,  in  1759;  Silence,  in  1760; 
Jonathan,  in  1764;  and  Cynthia,  in  1769. 

(VI)  Jonas  Reynolds,  son  of  Nathaniel  (4), 
was  born  Jan.  28,  1742.  In  1768  he  married 
Anna  Perkins,  daughter  of  Luke  Perkins,  and 
their  children  were:  Anna,  born  in  1769; 
Jonas,  in  1772;  Isaac,  in  1774;  John  Perkins, 
in  1781;  David  Perkins;  Jonathan;  and  Polly. 
The  father  died  Aug.  5,  1795,  and  his  widow 
married  for  her  second  husband,  in  1798,  Dea- 
con Eli  jail  Snell. 

(VII)  Jonas  Reynolds  (2),  son  of  Jonas, 
born  Sept.  28,  1772,  was  a  farmer  and  wheel- 
wright, and  for  a  number  of  years  was  engaged 
in  making  spinning  wheels.  He  was  indus- 
trious, and  was  recognized  as  a  fine  workman, 
many  of  his  spinning  wheels  still  being  in  exist- 
ence— now  prized  for  their  antiquity.  He  died 
in  North  Bridgewater  June  22,  1842.  In  1798 
he  married  Rebecca  Hayward,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Hayward,  and  their  children  were:  Mar- 
tin Luther  is  mentioned  below ;  Orren,  born 
Feb.  17,  1801,  died  unmarried  Sept.  26,  1822; 
Anna,  born  April  16,  1803,  married  in  1824 
Simeon  Carr,  and  she  died  in  Brockton ;  Mary, 
born  June  26,  1805,  married  John  Tilden,  Jr., 
in  1823,  and  she  died  in  Brockton ;  Joseph  Hay- 
ward, born  Sept.  17,  1808,  a  farmer  and  car- 
penter, who  died  at  Brockton  Heights,  mar- 
ried in  1834  Zibia  Sumner;  Rebecca,  born 
Sept.  28,  1814,  married  in  1834  Howard  Til- 
den, and  she  died  in  Philadelphia;  and  Eliza- 
beth S.,  who  was  born  Dec.  16,  1824,  died  July 
25,  1826. 

(VIII)  Martin  Luther  Eeynolds,  son  of  Jo- 
nas (2),  was  born  March  2,  1799,  in  North 
Bridgewater,  in  that  part  known  as  Brockton 
Heights.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  which  he  followed  for  a  number  of 
years,  during  which  time  he  located  in  that  part 
of  the  town  known  as  Marshall's  Corner,  and 
there  he  built  his  home,  which  is  now  the  resi- 
dence of  his  son,  Jonas  Eeynolds.  He  finally 
engaged  in  farming,  and  also  conducted  a  grist 
mill  near  his  home,  continuing  thus  engaged 
until  his  death  April  27.  1880.  He  was  an  in- 
dustrious man,  and  acquired  a  comfortable  com- 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


653 


petency.  He  was  possessed  of  a  quiet  though 
genial  manner,  and  was  a  kind  and  considerate 
friend  and  neighbor.  In  his  political  views  he 
early  allied  himself  with  the  old-line  Whigs,  and 
upon  the  organization  of  the  Kepublican  party 
identified  himself  with  the  latter.  On  Nov.  30, 
1826,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  married  to  Abigail 
Tilden,  daughter  of  John  and  Polly  (Howard) 
Tilden,  of  North  Bridgewater.  She  died  in 
Brockton  Oct.  29,  1885,  aged  seventy-eight 
years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eeynolds  were  born 
three  children,  as  follows:  Martin  Bradford, 
born  Oct.  11,  1827,  died  unmarried  Oct.  4, 
1850;  Orren  Bgnton,  born  April  10,  1832,  died 
in  infancy ;  Jonas  was  born  Feb.  2,  1837. 

(IX)  Jonas  Reynolds,  son  of  Martin  Luther 
and  Abigail  (Tilden)  Reynolds,  was  born  Feb. 
2,  1837,  in  North  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  town  began  his 
educational  training.  He  then  attended  the 
East  Greenwich  (R.  I.)  Academy  for  four 
years,  after  which  he  was  a  student  in  the 
Bridgewater  normal  school,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  graduated.  He  left  school  when  about 
twenty-three  years  old,  and  then  began  teaching 
school  in  Campello,  continuing  there  several 
years,  three  years  of  the  time  being  principal  of 
the  Campello  schools.  Resigning  his  position 
as  teacher  he  then  engaged  in  the  shoe  manu- 
facturing business  in  .partnership  with  Palmer 
Newton.  This  partnership  continued  for  only 
a  short  time,  however,  when  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  George  G.  Whitten,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Whitten  &  RejTiolds,  shoe  manufactur- 
ers, locating  in  a  small  shop  at  Marshall's  Cor- 
ner. After  several  years  this  firm  was  dis- 
solved, Mr.  Reynolds  purchasing  his  partner's 
interests,  and  he  continued  alone  in  the  busi- 
ness until  in  1876,  when  he  took  into  partner- 
ship Charles  E.  Drake,  the  firm  becoming  J. 
Reynolds  &  Co.  The  firm  so  continued  until 
it  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Reynolds, 
Drake  &  Gabell,  William  F.  Gabell,  one  of  the 
firm's  salesmen,  being  made  a  member.  They 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  the  medium- 
grade  shoe,  which  retails  for  from  $3.50  to  $5.00, 
giving  employment  to  from  100  to  125  hands, 
with  an  output  of  about  five  hundred  pairs  per 
day.  On  the  night  of  Jan.  24,  1909,  the  plant 
was  completely  destroyed  by  fire.  This  factory 
was  a  frame  building  40x185  feet,  three  stories 
high,  and  was  built  by  Mr.  Reynolds  in  1870. 
He  was  spending  the  winter  in  California  with 
his  wife  when  the  fire  occurred,  and  upon  his 
return,  in  the  spring  of  1909,  the  firm  was  re- 
organized under  the  name  of  the  Reynolds- 
Stetson  Shoe  Company,  A.  W.  Stetson,  a  prac- 
tical shoemaker,  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm. 


A  factory  was  obtained  in  North  Easton,  Mass., 
to  which  place  the  business  was  removed,  and 
where  it  is  now  being  successfully  carried  on. 
Mr.  Stetson  withdrawing  from  the  firm  in  Janu- 
ary, 1910,  it  became  the  Reynolds,  Drake  & 
Gabell  Company. 

Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  director  of  the  Cowesset 
Cemetery  Company  of  Brockton.  In  political 
faith  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  the 
city  as  a  member  of  the  common  council.  He 
attends  the  Pearl  Street  Methodist  Church, 
while  Mrs.  Reynolds  attended  the  Olivet  Mem- 
orial Church  (undenominational)  at  Brockton. 
She  formerly  attended  the  Pearl  Street  Metho- 
dist Church.  She  attended  the  meetings  of 
the  Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance  at  Old 
Orchard,  Maine,  where  the  family  has  had  a 
summer  home  for  many  years.  She  was  much 
interested  in  missionary  work  and  of  a  very 
faithful  and  devout  nature.  Of  strong  per- 
sonality and  charming  temperament,  she  made 
friends  with  all  with  whom  she  became  asso- 
ciated. Her  life  was  characterized  by  its 
marked  simplicity,  and  there  was  nothing  osten- 
tatious in  her  nature. 

Mr.  Reynolds  is  of  a  quiet  and  retiring  na- 
ture, but  possesses  a  genial  manner  which  has 
made  him  many  friends.  He  is  keen,  intellec- 
tual and  farsighted.  When  the  business  cares 
of  the  day  are  ended  he  is  found  in  his  home, 
where  his  friends  are  always  welcome.  He  has 
spent  several  winters  in  Florida. 

On  Nov.  29,  1866,  Mr.  Reynolds  married 
Ellen  Sherman  Keith,  who  was  bom  in  North 
Bridgewater,  in  the  section  then  known  as  "The 
Plain"  (now  Campello),  Sept.  13,  1836,  daugh- 
ter of  Bela  and  Mary  (Kingman)  Keith,  of 
Campello,  where  she  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  To  this  union  were  born  children 
as  follows :  Abbie  Keith,  born  June  30,  1868, 
married  Rev.  George  W.  Higgins,  of  Durham, 
Maine,  and  has  three  children,  Caleb,  Austin 
Perry,  and  Miriam  Reynolds;  Mary  Louise, 
born"  Oct.  20,  1872,  married  Carl  J.  Carlson, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business  in  Brockton,  and  has  a  son,  Bela  Keith 
Carlson;  Martin  Elbert,  bom  Jan.  23,  1876, 
who  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  shoe 
manufacturing  business,  being  president  of  the 
RejTiolds,  Drake  &  Gabell  Company,  married 
Lula  M.  Sladen,  of  North  Easton,  Mass.,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Alfred  Sladen  and 
Ellene  Marie.  Mrs.  Reynolds  passed  away  at 
the  summer  home  of  the  family  at  Old  Orchard, 
Maine,  July  25,  1910,  in  the  seventy-fourth 
year  of  her  age. 

Mrs.  Jonas  Reynolds  was  a  descendant  of 
early  New  England  families,  in  both  paternal 


654 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  maternal  lines.  Among  her  ancestors  may 
be  mentioned  Rev.  James  Keith,  the  first  min- 
ister of  the  ancient  town  of  Bridgewater;  John 
Gary,  the  first  town  clerk  of  Bridgewater ;  Dea- 
con Samuel  Edson,  who  erected  the  first  mill 
in  the  town  of  Bridgewater;  Henry  Kingman, 
of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  the  first  of  his  name  in 
this  country;  and  William  Sherman,  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Plymouth,  who  later  removed 
to  Marshfield,  Massachusetts. 

Bela  Keith,  father  of  Mrs.  Reynolds,  was 
a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Martha  (Gary)  Keith, 
and  a  direct  descendant  in  the  sixth  generation 
from  Rev.  James  Keith  (I),  the  first  ordained 
minister  in  Bridgewater,  where  he  continued 
in  the  ministry  for  fifty-six  years,  through 
Timothy  and  Hannah  (Fobes)  Keith  (II)  ; 
Timothy  and  Bethiah  (Ames)  Keith  (III)  ; 
Levi  and  Jemima  (Perkins)  Keith  (IV) ;  and 
Benjamin  and  Martha  (Gary)  Keith  (V).  Bela 
Keith  was  born  Feb.  2,  1793,  in  the  village  of 
Gampello,  in  what  was  then  the  town  of 
Bridgewater,  later  North  Bridgewater,  and  now 
a  part  of  Brockton.  After  acquiring  his  early 
educational  training  in  the  district  schools  of 
his  neighborhood,  he  became  apprenticed  to  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  after  familiarizing  him- 
self with  the  details  of  the  business  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  contracting  and  building 
business,  in  which  he  was  successfully  engaged 
until  his  death.  From  early  manhood  till  his 
death,  Mr.  Keith  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  interests  of  the  town,  and  was  an  ac- 
tive worker  in  all  measures  which  had  for  their 
object  the  advancement  of  the  social,,  material 
and  religious  welfare  of  the  community.  As 
a  contractor  and  builder  he  carried  on  a  large 
business  in  the  erection  of  residences,  factories, 
churches,  etc.  He  built  the. second  church  edi- 
fice belonging  to  the  First  Gongregational 
Ghurch  of  Brocldon,  and  also  erected  the  first 
house  of  worship  of  the  South  Gongregational 
Church  at  Gampello,  which  cost  $4,307.37,  of 
which  only  $3,000  was  subscribed,  and  he,  as 
master  builder  of  the  edifice,  paid  the  balance 
of  $1,307.37  himself.  This  edifice  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  May,  1853,  and  Mr.  Keith  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  which  erected  the 
present  church  edifice.  Mr.  Keith  also  owned 
a  large  farm  at  Gampello,  upon  which  a  portion 
of  the  village  is  now  located.  He  was  a  safe 
and  prudent  man  to  trust  in  the  management 
of  town  affairs,  and  as  early  as  1837  was  com- 
missioned a  justice  of  the  peace,  a  capacity  in 
which  he  served  as  long  as  he  lived.  He  was 
selectman  of  the  town  in  1845-46-47-48-51-52- 
53-54,  and  was  also  assessor  and  overseer  of  the 
poor  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  all  these 


official  positions  he  discharged  the  duties  with, 
an  eye  single  to  the  public  good,  and  he  died 
honored  by  his  fellow  citizens,  and  esteemed 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  relatives.     He 
was  a  consistent  Christian,  and  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal   founders    of    the    South    Gongregational 
Ghurch  Society  in  1837,  remaining  an  active- 
member  of  the   church  until  his  death   Sept. 
6,   1867,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 
At  the  time  of  his  death,  one  who  knew  himi 
and  his  family  well  wrote  the  following  notice : 
"The  last  of  four  brothers  whose  lives  were- 
spent  in  the  vicinity  of  their  early  home  at  Gam- 
pello, has  been  called  from  the  scenes  of  his 
early  labors,  cares  and  benefactions.     Respected 
and  honored  in  life  wherever  he  was  known, 
he  is  in  death  universally  lamented  by  neighbors 
and  fellow  citizens.     Seldom  has  so  large  an 
assembly  of  sincere  mourners  gathered  to  pay 
the'  last  token  of  respect  to  a  departed  friend,, 
as  congregated  at  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Keith  in 
the   church   at   Gampello.     It   wanted   no   elo- 
quent language  to  awaken  the  sympathy  of  the 
audience,  and  well  did  the  pastor  remark  that 
the  'deceased  needed  no  eulogium  from  him.' 
His   life  was   a  transparent   one — well   known 
and  well  read  by  his  acquaintances  and  friends. 
Of  a  well  balanced  mind,  an  unpretending  and 
unambitious  spirit,  his  fellow  citizens  had  often 
called  him  to  positions  of  trust  and  honor.     In 
every  public  enterprise  he  had  been  liberal,  in 
every  philanthropic  object  at  home  and  abroad 
he  had  taken  a  generous  interest ;  in  supporting 
the  institutions  of  religion,  in  erecting  temples 
of  worship,  in  maintaining  the  preached  word, 
he  had  borne  no  humble  part,  but  had  willingly 
stood  up  under  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day. 
Many  have  been  the  young  men  who  received 
their  first  lessons  in  business  under  his  direc- 
tion, and  there  is  not  one  who  does  not  gladly 
attest  to  his  unfailing  integrity  and  scrupulous 
uprightness   even   in   matters    of    the   smallest 
consequence,   and   they  will    always   remember 
his  almost  paternal  solicitude  for  their  welfare, 
and  the  constant  courtesy  and  kindness  which 
characterized  his  demeanor  toward  them.  Such 
a  family  of  brothers — Charles,  Ziba,  Arza  and 
Bela  Keith — cannot    soon    be    forgotten.     The 
blessed  fragrance  of  their  lives  and  examples 
will  remain  to  exert  an  abiding  influence  on  the 
surviving    cotemporaries.     They    were    worthy 
to  bear  the  name  of  the  first  minister  of  Bridge- 
water,  whose  descendants  they  were,  and  may 
their  mantles  fall  on  others  who  shall  live  and 
act  like  them." 

On  Jan.  1,  1821,  Bela  Keith  married  Mary 
Kingman,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Judith  (Wash- 
burn)   Kingman,   of   North    Bridgewater,   and 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


655 


their  children  were:  Lewis,  born  Nov.  12,  1821, 
married  (first)  Charlotte  Louise  White,  of  Nor- 
ton, Mass.,  and  (second)  her  sister,  Mariette 
White;  he  died  in  North  Bridgewater  June  11, 
1859.  Seth  Kingman,  born  Sept.  23,  1823, 
died  Aug.  12,  1825.  Henry  Kingman,  born 
Dec.  17,  1826,  married  Vesta  Snell  Cary,  and 
died  in  Kingston,  Mass.,  Aug.  8,  1909.  Mary 
Kingman,  born  Oct.  12,  1828,  died  in  North 
Bridgewater,  unmarried.  Louise,  born  Sept. 
20,  1830,  married  Jan.  25,  1855,  Simeon 
Franklin  Packard,  of  North  Bridgewater,  where 
she  died  Sept.  20,  1892.  Ellen  Sherman,  born 
Sept.  16,  1836,  married  Nov.  29,  1866,  Jonas 
Reynolds,  of  North  Bridgewater.  The  mother, 
although  in  feeble  health  for  some  years,  was 
always  youthful  in  her  interests  and  feelings, 
a  kindly  neighbor  and  an  affectionate  mother; 
she  died  Oct.  30,  1868. 

REYNOLDS.  The  name  introducing  this 
sketch  is  one  synonymous  with  Brockton  and 
the  development  of  the  shoe  industry  in  that 
community,  where  for  several  generations  the 
family  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  evolution  of  the  industry  which  has  made 
Brockton  famous  the  world  over  as  "the  shoe 
city."  This  article  is  to  treat  particularly  of 
the  branch  of  this  family  to  which  belong  the 
late  Charles  Turner  Reynolds  and  his  sons,  the 
latter  of  whom  especially  have  made  a  name  and 
reputation  for  themselves  in  the  shoe  manu- 
facturing world.  They  are  descendants  in  the 
ninth  generation  of  Robert  Reynolds,  shoemaker 
of  Boston,  and  the  early  history  of  this  family 
is  here  given,  the  generation  follomng  in 
chronological  order. 

(I)  Robert  RejTiolds,  believed  to  have  been 
born  in  England,  was  apparently  in  Boston  as 
early  as  1630,  joining  the  church  at  Boston 
Aug.  10,  1634.  and  is  mentioned  Sept.  3,  1634, 
as  a  shoemaker  and  freeman.  Soon  thereafter 
he  removed  to  Watertown,  and  finally  went  with 
his  brother  John  to  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  being 
dismissed  March  29,  1636,  by  the  church  to 
form  a  church  in  Wethersfield.  He,  however, 
soon  returned  to  Boston,  and  there  passed  the 
rest  of  his  life,  dying  April  27,  1659.  The 
Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary.  She  died 
Jan.  18,  1663.  Their  children,  all  believed  to 
have  been  born  in  England,  were :  Nathaniel 
is  mentioned  below :  Ruth  married  John  Whit- 
ney; Tabitha  married  Matthew  Abdy;  Sarah 
married  Robert  Mason;  Mary  married  Richard 
Sanger. 

(II)  Capt.  Nathaniel  Reynolds,  son  of  Rob- 
ert, bom  about  1627,  in  England,  came  when 
a  child  to  New  England  with  his  parents.     He 


became  a  freeman  in  1665;  was  a  shoemaker. 
In  a  record  dated  Chelmsford.  Feb.  25,  1676, 
he  was  called  captain,  probably  for  service  in. 
King  Philip's  war.  He  was  a  lieiitenant  in 
an  artillery  company.  [Professor  Munro,  of 
Brown  University,  says  in  his  History  of  Bris- 
tol (1880)  that  Nathaniel  Reynolds  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Artillery  Company,  and  did  good 
service  in  the  Indian  war  as  captain  of  a  com- 
pany under  Colonel  Church.]  He  removed  to 
Bristol  (now  Rhode  Island)  in  1680  and  was 
recognized  in  the  first  town  meeting  there.  He 
became  one  of  the  principal  men  of  the  town. 
He  married  (first)  Nov.  30,  1657,  the  cere- 
mony being  performed  by  Gov.  John  Endicott, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Dwight,  of  Dedham. 
She  died  July  8',  1663,  and  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Priscilla,  daughter  of  Peter  Brackett,  a 
well-to-do  tradesman  of  Boston.  He  had  thre'-' 
children  by  his  first  wife  and  eight  by  his  sec- 
ond. He  died  at  Bristol,  July  10,  1708.  His 
children  were:  Sarah,  born  July  26,  1659, 
married  John  Fosdick;  Mary,  born  Nov.  20,. 
1660,  died  young;  Nathaniel,  born  March  3, 
1662-63,  is  mentioned  below;  John  was  born 
Aug.  4,  1668;  Peter,  Jan.  26,  1670;  Philip, 
Sept.  15,  1674;  Joseph,  Dec.  29,  1676;  Hannah, 
Jan.  15,  1682  (married  Samuel  Royall) ;  Mary, 
1684  (married  Nathaniel  Woodbury) ;  Benja- 
min, May  10,  1686;  Ruth,  Dec.  9,  1688  (mar- 
ried Josiah  Cary). 

(III)  Nathaniel  Reynolds  (2),  son  of  Capt. 
Nathaniel,  born  March  3,  1662-63,  lived  in  Bos- 
ton, and  there  died  prior  to  1717.  The  Chris- 
tian name  of  his  wife  was  Ruth,  and  she  died 
Sept.  19,  1716.  They  had  nine  children, 
namely:  Sarah,  born  Oct.  25,  1687,  married 
Robert  Young;  Ruth,  born  Sept.  11,  1689,  died 
March  16,  1693;  Mary,  born  Aug.  21,  1691, 
married  Edward  Marion;  Nathaniel,  bom  Jan. 
14,  1694,  married  Mary  Snell;  John,  bom 
March  29,  1696,  married  Anna  Blanch;  Eben- 
ezer,  born  in  Jime,  1699,  died  July  29,  1701; 
Philip,  born  May  12,  1701,  died  Dec.  27,  1727; 
Ruth  (2),  born  Sept.  1,  1704,  died  June  22, 
1721;  Naomi,  born  Oct.  27,  1706,  married 
Samuel  Ridgeway. 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Reynolds  (3),  son  of  Na- 
thaniel (2),  born  Jan.  14,  1694,  in  Boston, 
was  a  shoemaker,  as  were  his  father  and  grand- 
father. On  Jan.  27,  1717,  he  married  Mary 
Snell,  daughter  of  Thomas  Snell,  of  Bridge- 
water,  and  they  had  sons  Nathaniel,  bom  March 
19,  1718,  and  Thomas,  born  Feb.  25,  1719.  The 
father  died  in  Boston  Oct.  29,  1719,  and  his 
widow  moved  to  her  native  town  of  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.,  taking  her  two  sons  with  her. 

(V)  Thomas  Reynolds,  son  of  Nathaniel  (3), 


656  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

was  born  Feb.  25,  1719,  in  Boston,  on  Milk  20,  1898.  (10)  Martha,  born  June  26,  1820, 
street,  in  the  same  house  in  which  Benjamin  married  Isaac  A.  Reynolds,  of  North  Bridge- 
Franklin  was  born  in  1706.  He  married  Nov.  water,  where  she  died.  (11)  Mary  Ann,  bom 
3,  1748,  Elizabeth  Turner,  and  their  children  July  28,  1822,  married  Samuel  A.  Clark,  of 
were :  Amy,  born  Oct.  29,  1749,  who  died  Deering,  N.  H.,  and  died  in  Abington,  Mass. 
May  9,  1752;  Joseph,  born  June  21,  1751 ;  Amy  (12)  Joseph,  born  Sept.  30, 1824,  married  Eliz- 
(2),  born  Feb.  25,  1753,  who  married  Silas  abeth  M.  Stoddard,  of  Canton,  Mass.,  and  both 
Dunbar;  Elizabeth,  born  June  22,  1755;  Su-  are  now  deceased.  (13)  Elizabeth  Whitcomb, 
sanna,  born  April  24,  1757,  who  married  Oliver  born  April  8,  1827,  married  George  H.  How- 
Howard;  Martha,  born  March  23,  1759,  who  ard,  of  Easton;  they  reside  in  Brockton.  (14) 
married  Capt.  Parmenas  Packard;  Thomas,  Harriet,  born  April  10,  1829,  married  Lewis 
born  Jan.  27,  1762;  and  Josiah.  Randall,  of  Easton,  Mass.,  and  both  are  de- 

(VI)  Joseph  Reynolds,  son  of  Thomas,  born  ceased.  (15)  Olive  died  March  12,  1836,  in 
June  21, 1751,  married  Sept.  17,  1772,  Jemima,  infancy. 

daughter  of  Luke  Perkins,  and  their  children  (VIII)  Chables  Turner  Reynolds,  eldest 

were:     Ichabod,   born   March   27,   1773,   who  son   of   Joseph    (2)    and    Phebe    (Whitcomb) 

married  Polly  Brett;  Joseph-,  born  April   18,  Reynolds,  was   born   May   6,   1818,  in  North 

1775;    Daniel;    Simeon,    who    married    Mary  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),    where   he    died 

Snell;    Azel,    who    married    Susanna    Nash;  May  20,   1898,  aged  eighty  years.     After  ac- 

Thomas,    born   Jan.    19,    1776,   who  taarried  quiring  his  early  training  in  the  district  schools 

Nancy  Pike;  Jemima;  Olive,  who  married  Jo-  of  his  native  town,  he  as  a  boy  took  up  shoe- 

seph  Macomber ;  Amy,  who  married   Ziphion  making,  and  when  he  had  become  familiar  with 

Howard ;   Susanna,   who   married   Capt.    Silas  the  making  of  boots  and  shoes  he  was  employed 

Dunbar;  and  Vesta,  who  married  Isaac  Clapp.  for  several  years  after  the  fashion  of  shoemak- 

(VII)  Joseph  Reynolds  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  ers  of  that  day,  taking  stock  from  the  factories 
born  April  18,  1775,  married  (first)  April  19,  and  making  up  the  boots  and  shoes  at  his  home, 
1798,  Martha  (Patty),  daughter  of  Silas  Dun-  returning  to  the  factories  with  the  finished  pro- 
bar  and  Amy  (Reynolds)  Dunbar,  and  after  duct.  Later  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
her  death  (second)  Phebe,  daughter  of  Noah  shoes  on  his  own  account,  having  his  factory  in 
Whitcomb.  Mr.  Reynolds  was  a  resident  of  a  part  of  his  house  on  Pleasant  street,  where 
North  Bridgewater,  where  he  was  occupied  as  he  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  subse- 
a  farmer  and  shoemaker.  He  also  made  nails,  quently  removing  the  business  to  larger  quar- 
which  he  marketed  in  Boston.  He  served  as  ters,  where  he  was  located  during  the  remainder 
major  in  the  State  militia.  He  stood  over  six  of  his  active  business  career.  Mr.  Reynolds  was 
feet  in  height,  was  a  powerful  man,  possessed  possessed  of  an  amiable,  genial  disposition,  and 
a  hardy  constitution  and  lived  to  be  upward  of  enjoyed  the  friendship  as  well  as  the  respect 
ninety-three  years  of  age,  dying  in  August,  and  esteem  of  the  community  in  which  his  long 
1868,  in  North  Bridgewater,  Mass.  His  chil-  and  useful  life  was  spent.  He  was  an  active 
dren  were:  (1)  Olive,  born  April  26,  1799,  member  of  the  Pearl  Street  Methodist  Episcopal 
died  in  February,  1800.  (2)  Pamela,  born  Church,  and  for  several  years  played  the  violin 
Aug.  1,  1800,  married  Azel  Packard,  and  died  in  that  church.  In  early  life  he  was  a  member 
in  North  Bridgewater.  (3)  Sophia,  born  April  of  the  North  Bridgewater  Dragoons,  and  pos- 
29,  1802,  married  Azel  Macomber,  of  Jay,  sessing  a  military  bearing  made  a  fine  appear- 
Maine,  where  she  died.     (4)  Oliver,  born  Jan.  ance  on  horseback. 

20,  1804,  married  Olive  K.  Gay,  of  Stoughton,  On   Oct.    15,    1843,   Mr.   Reynolds   married 

and  they  both  died  in  Brockton.     (5)  Nancy,  Sarah  Stephens  Knowles,  daughter  of  John  and 

born  March  30,  1808,  married  Joseph  Macom-  Susannah  (Cram)  Knowles,  of  Wilmot,  N.  H., 

her,  of  Jay,  Maine,  where  she  died.    (6)  Daniel,  and  granddaughter  of  David  and  Sarah  (Ste- 

born  May  11,  1810,  married  Hannah  Tribou,  phens)  Knowles.    This  union  was  blessed  with 

and  he  died  in  North  Bridgewater.     (7)   Su-  children  as  follows:     (1)  Charles  Wesley,  bom 

sanna,  born  June  26,  1812,  married   Samuel  July  17,  1844,  was  a  member  of  Company  D, 

Peabody,  of  Canton,  Maine,  where  she  died.  58th   Massachusetts    Volunteer   Infantry,   and 

(8)   Luke,  born  April  10,  1815,  was  a  shoe-  was  killed  on  April  2,  1865,  at  the  last  battle 

maker  and  mason,  and  is  now  living  retired,  in  front  of  Petersburg  before  Lee's  surrender. 

He  married  Emeline  Harding,  of  Abington.  All  during  the  Civil  war;  he  was  unmarried.     (2) 

these  children  were  born  to  the  first  marriage.  Sarah  Almena,  bom   Feb.   21,   1847,  married 

The  following  were  by  the  second  union:     (9)  Aaron  S.  Harlow,  of  Brockton,  who  is  foreman 

Charles  Turner,  born  May  6,  1818,  died  May  in  the  cutting  room  of  Bion  F.  Reynolds'  shoe 


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SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


657 


factory.  They  have  one  son,  Herbert  Wesley, 
born  Nov.  15,  1872  (now  bookkeeper  for  Bion 
F.  Reynolds),  who  married  Abby  Frances 
Smith,  of  Barnstable,  Mass.,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Wesley  Spear  Harlow.  (3)  Lowell  Mason, 
born  Feb.  4,  1849,  is  mentioned  below.  (4) 
Susan  Eldora,  born  Sept.  3,  1851,  married  Jus- 
tin Hewett,  of  Brockton,  where  they  reside.  He 
is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  these  volumes.  (5) 
Jay  Bird,  born  May  2,  1854,  is  mentioned 
below.  (6)  Bion  Fourth,  born  March  4,  1856, 
is  mentioned  loelow.  (7)  Luke  Webster,  born 
Feb.  3,  1859,  is  mentioned  below.  (8)  Zira, 
bom  March  22,  1862,  is  the  widow  of  William 
L.  Grout,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.,  whom  she  mar- 
ried Sept.  1,  1894,  and  who  was  prominently 
identified  with  the  growth  and  development 
of  the  New  Home  Sewing  Machine  Company, 
of  Orange,  Mass.,  and  who  at  the  time  of  his. 
death,  which  occurred  April  15,  1898,  was  one 
■of  the  wealthiest  and  most  influential  business 
men  in  his  section  of  the  vState ;  Mrs.  Grout 
still  makes  her  home  in  Greenfield,  Massachu- 
setts. 

Mrs.  Sahah  Stephens  (Knowles)  Rey- 
nolds, wife  of  Charles  T.  Re^Tiolds  and  mother 
of  the  above  cliildren,  survived  her  husband, 
passing  away  in  the  house  where  she  had  lived 
nearly  sixty-four  years,  and  in  which  all  her 
xaarried  life  had  been  spent,  and  where  her 
children  were  all  born,  on  June  14,  1909,  in 
the  eighty-fourth  year  of  her  age.  Mrs.  Rey- 
nolds was  born  June  25,  1825,  in  New  Chester, 
N.  H.,  and  after  her  marriage  came  to  North 
Bridgewater  and  went  to  housekeeping  in  the 
house  on  Pleasant  street  which  was  built  in 
1844,  and  which  was  ever  afterward  her  home. 
■She  was  of  a  home-loving  nature,  a  devoted  and 
affectionate  wife  and  mother,  her  interests  cen- 
tering around  her  family  and  household,  and 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  her  for  her  noble  traits 
of  character.  She  was  a  devout  member  of  the 
Pearl  Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  which 
she  joined  by  letter  upon  coming  to  North 
Bridgewater. 

(IX)  Lowell  Mason  Reynolds,  eldest  liv- 
ing son  of  the  late  Charles  T.  and  Sarah  Ste- 
phens (Knowles)  Reynolds,  was  .born  in  North 
Bridgewater,  Feb.  4,  1849,  and  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town  received  his  early 
training.  At  the  age  of  five  years  he  was  assist- 
ing his  father  in  making  shoes,  and  at  the  age 
of  seven  could  cut  out  and  make  a  shoe  com- 
plete, trading  the  first  pair  he  made  for  a  jack- 
knife.  He  remained  with  his  father  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  became  a 
cutt#  in  the  shoe  factorv  of  the  late  Peleg  S. 
Leach,  who  was  one  of  the  leading  shoe  man- 

42 


ufacturers  of  his  day.  Continuing  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  Leach  for  about  four  years,  he  next 
entered  the  factory  of  the  late  George  H.  Gur- 
ney.  When  Mr.  Gurney  died,  about  one  and  a 
half  years  later,  Mr.  Reynolds  continued  the 
business  for  the  firm  of  B.  F.  Campbell  &  Co., 
of  Boston,  as  general  manager  for  about  five 
years,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  in  1880,  pur- 
chasing the  latter  business,  and  the  following 
year  taking  into  partnership  with  him  his  bro- 
thers Bion  F.  and  Luke  W.  Reynolds,  the  firm 
becoming  L.  M.  Reynolds  &  Co.  Their  estab- 
lishment was  located  in  a  part  of  what  is  known 
as  the  Charles  Howard  needle  factory,  and  they 
were  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  of 
the  medium  grade.  They  occupied  these  quar- 
ters until  1883,  when  they  built  a  factory  of 
their  own,  30  by  80  feet,  three  stories  high,  with 
an  L,  which  contained  the  engine  and  boiler. 
Two  years  later  an  addition  of  70  feet,  and  sub- 
sequently another  addition,  of  40  feet,  \vith  an 
additional  office  building,  were  erected,  making 
in  all  a  building  230  by  30  feet,  three  stories 
high,  with  an  L  30  by  40  feet,  which  was  used 
for  the  office.  The  company  employed  from 
150  to  250  hands,  and  manufactured  daily  from 
ten  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  pairs  of  shoes 
which  retailed  at  from  $2  to  $5  per  pair.  On 
April  18,  1904,  this  factory  was  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  Mr.  Reynolds  has  since  been  retired 
from  active  business. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  member  of  the 
difl'erent  Masonic  bodies,  holding  membership 
in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Satucket 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  Brockton  Council,  R.  &  S. 
^[.,  and  Bay  State  Commandery,  Knights  Tem- 
jilar,  of  Brockton.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Por- 
ter Congregational  Church,  and  sang  in  the 
choir  of  the  church  for  a  number  of  years;  he 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Paul  Revere  Quar- 
tette for  about  ten  years.  In  his  political  views 
ilr.  Reynolds  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  has 
never  cared  for  nor  sought  office. 

On  Dec.  5,  1877,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  united  in 
manriage  with  Clara  B.  Cobb,  daughter  of  the 
late  Lyman  E.  and  Maria  (Collamore)  Cobb, 
of  Brockton.    They  have  no  children. 

(IX)  Jay'  Bird  Reynolds,  fifth  child  of  the 
late  Charles  T.  and  Sarah  Stephens  (Knowles) 
Reynolds,  was  born  May  2,  1854,  in  North 
Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),  Mass.,  in  the  old 
liomestead  on  Pleasant  street.  Like  liis  elder 
hrotlier,  he  was  but  five  years  of  age  when  he 
commenced  to  assist  his  father  in  the  making  of 
shoes,  and  during  the  time  he  was  not  attending 
the  district  schools  of  his  neighborhood  he  was 
industriously  employed  in  his  father's  shoe 
shop.     Leaving  the  schoolroom   at  the  age  of 


658 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


fourteen  years,  he  continued  with  his  father 
until  he  was  between  seventeen  and  eighteen 
years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  entered  the  shoe 
factory  of  the  late  Peleg  S.  Leach,  as  a  shoe 
cutter.  After  remaining  in  this  factory  and 
other  shoe  factories  of  his  native  town  for  a 
period  of  about  two  and  a  half  years,  and  be- 
fore he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  he 
bought  his  first  leather  and,  in  1874,  estab- 
lished himself  in  business  as  a  shoe  manufac- 
turer in  the  house  adjoining  his  home  on 
Pleasant  street.  His  first  purchase  of  leather 
amounted  to  enough  to  make  five  cases  of  thirty 
pairs  each,  and  he  himself  performed  all  the 
labor  in  connection  with  the  making  of  the 
shoes  with  the  exception  of  the  finishing  of  the 
bottoms.  From  this  small  beginning  his  busi- 
ness steadily  grew,  so  much  so  that  he  shortly 
removed  to  Wheeler's  factory  on  Pleasant  street, 
where  he  continued  for  a  time,  until  the  in- 
creasing demands  of  his  trade  again  made 
larger  quarters  necessary,  and  he  then  located 
on  Railroad  street,  in  Daniel  W.  Hayward's 
factory  building,  where  he  continued  for  several 
years.  In  1880  his  business  had  grown  to  such 
proportions  that  Mr.  Reynolds  was  justified  in 
purchasing  the  shoe  factory  of  Porter  &  South- 
worth,  on  Montello  street,  to  which  he  removed 
his  business,  taking  into  partnership  with  him 
Henry  H.«  Tucker,  of  Avon,  Mass.  This  part- 
nership continued  for  about  one  and  a  half 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Reynolds 
purcliased  the  interest  of  his  partner,  and  there- 
after carried  on  the  business  alone  at  the  same 
location,  with  marked  success,  until  1885,  in 
which  year  many  of  the  Brockton  shoe  .manufac- 
turers were  confronted  with  labor  troubles.  Mr. 
Reynolds  determined  to  leave  tlie  city  rather 
than  submit  to  the  terms  of  the  labor  unions. 
The  citizens  of  Orange,  Mass.,  learning  of  his 
determination  to  remove  his  shoe  factory  from 
Brockton,  offered  him  extraordinary  induce- 
ments to  locate  his  business  in  that  town,  agree- 
ing to  build  him  a  factory,  give  him  the  rent 
of  the  same  free  for  a  term  of  five  years,  and 
exempt  same  from  taxation  for  a  period  of  ten 
years,  in  order  to  have  him  locate  his  plant  in 
Orange.  This  factory  was  200x30  feet  in 
dimensions,  three  stories  high,  with  an  office 
extension  on  one  side  and  boiler  and  engine 
house  on  the  otiier.  Mr.  Reynolds  began  the 
manufacture  of  shoes  in  this  factory  at  Orange 
about  May  1,  1887,  and  the  years  that  followed 
proved  so  successful  for  his  business  that  in 
the  fall  of  1890,  finding  he  needed  more  com- 
modious quarters,  he  purchased  the  building, 
and  during  the  winter  erected  an  addition  there- 
to 108  feet  long,  40  feet  wide,  and  three  stories 


high,  corresponding  in  architecture  with  the 
main  building.  The  additions  made  to  this  fac- 
tory gave  Mr.  Reynolds  a  working  floor  space 
of  34,000  square  feet,  and  he  gave  employment 
to  over  three  hundred  skilled  hands,  with  a 
capacity  of  one  hundred  cases  of  shoes,of  twenty- 
four  pairs  each,  per  day,  his  product  being 
known  as  the  medium-grade  shoes  for  men,  boys 
and  youths.  In  1897  the  business  was  incor- 
porated, under  the  laws  of  Massachusetts,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  as  the  Jay  B.  Rey- 
nolds Shoe  Company,  of  wliich  corporation  Mr. 
Reynolds  became  president  and  treasurer,  re- 
taining ninety-seven  per  cent  of  the  stock.  Mr. 
Reynolds  continued  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes 
with  marked  success  until  Jan.  1,  1908,  when 
he  retired  from  active  business,  due  to  the  fact 
that  he  had  entirely  lost  his  sense  of  hearing, 
which  had  been  failing  him  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  he  was  finding  it  very  difficult  to 
transact  business  with  such  an  unpleasant  hand- 
icap, having  been  obliged  to  resort  to  the  use 
of  a  speaking  tube  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mr.  Reynolds  has  always  had  a  fondness  for 
good  horses,  and  for  several  years  lived  on  and 
conducted  a  large  farm  at  Orange,  which  was 
well  stocked  with  fine  bred  cattle  and  horses, 
until  1896,  when  he  removed  his  residence  to 
the  adjoining  town  of  Athol,  Mass.  There  he 
still  resides,  although  he  retains  his  business 
office  in  Orange,  his  time  now  being  devoted  to 
looking  after  his  various  invested  interests.  In 
1892  Mr.  Reynolds  built  the  Masonic  block  at 
Orange,  wliich  is  recognized  as  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  modern  business  structure  in  the 
town,  at  a  cost  of  over  $50,000. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  member  of 
various  Masonic  bodies,  holding  membership  in 
Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Satucket 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  Bay  State  Command- 
ery.  Knights  Templar,  all  of  Brockton ;  he  is 
also  a  member  of  Aleppo  Temple,  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Boston.  While  a  resident 
of  Brockton  he  was  a  member  of  the  Commer- 
cial Club,  and  now  holds  membership  in  the 
Pequot  Club,  of  Athol,  which  numbers  among 
its  membership  tlie  leading  business  and  pro- 
fessional men  of  that  community.  In  his  polit- 
ical views  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  stalwart  Republi- 
can, and  a  strong  advocate  of  no-license. 

On  Nov.  6,  1878,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Ellen  M.  (Phillips) 
Drake,  daughter  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Clara  Jane 
(Smith)  Phillips,  of  Stoughton,  Mass.,  and 
widow  of  the  late  Melvin  Drake.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Reynolds  have  no  children. 

(IX)  BioN  Fourth  Reynolds,  the  sixth 
child   of   the   late   Charles   Turner   and   Sarah 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


659 


Stephens  (Knowles)  Reynolds,  was  born  March 
4,  1856,  in  North  Bridgewater,  now  the  city 
of  Brockton,  Mass.,  at  the  old  homestead  on 
Pleasant  street,  and  acquired  his  early  educa- 
tional training  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
neighborhood,  attending  the  same  until  he  was 
about  fifteen  years  of  age.  During  the  time  not 
spent  in  the  schoolroom,  and  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  he  was  kept  busy  at  shoemak- 
ing  with  his  father,  under  whose  training  he 
learned  the  details  of  the  making  of  shoes  from 
the  cutting  of  the  stock  to  the  finishing  of  the 
same  ready  for  the  market.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  he  left  his  father's  employ  and  en- 
tered the  shoe  factory  of  his  elder  brother, 
Lowell  Mason  Reynolds,  as  foreman  of  the 
stitching  room,  remaining  in  this  capacity  until 
1881,  at  which  time  he  and  his  younger  bro- 
ther, Luke  Webster  Reynolds,  became  partners 
in  the  business,  which  was  then  conducted  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  L.  M.  Reynolds  &  Co.,  he 
continuing  an  active  member  of  this  firm  for 
a  period  of  nine  years.  Deciding  to  enter  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  in  1890,  Mr.  Rey- 
nolds withdrew  from  the  firm  of  L.  M.  Reynolds 
&  Co.  and  established  himself  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  shoes,  locating  in  a  part  of  the  A.  C. 
Thompson  brick  factory  on  Railroad  avenue, 
where  he  remained  in  business  for  about  four 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time,  his  busi- 
ness having  outgrown  his  limited  quarters,  he 
removed  to  the  C.  S.  Pierce  building  on  Mon- 
tello  street,  where  he  continued  for  about  ten 
yeass.  Having  prospered  in  his  venture,  and 
his  business  again  having  reached  that  point 
where  it  required  more  commodious  quarters, 
he  in  May,  1906,  purchased  the  Nahum  John- 
son shoe  factory  building,  at  the  corner  of  War- 
ren avenue  and  Dover  street,  which  had  pre- 
viously been  occupied  as  the  Crawford  shoe 
factory,  and  here  Mr.  Reynolds  has  since  con- 
tinued in  the  manufacture  of  shoes,  having  met 
with  a  marked  success,  as  a  result  of  his  untir- 
ing energy,  perseverance  and  natural  business 
acumen.  He  gives  employment  to  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  hands,  his  factory  having  a 
daily  capacity  of  about  six  hundred  pairs  of 
shoes  of  the  medium-fine  grade  which  retails 
for  $4  or  $5  per  pair,  known  as  the  "Bion" 
shoe ;  this  shoe  enjoys  a  well  merited  reputation 
for  style  and  quality.  The  trade  extends  to 
various  parts  of  this  country  as  well  as  to  Cuba 
and  other  foreign  countries. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  organization,  holding 
membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M. :  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Brockton 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Bay  State  Command- 


ery,  Knights  Templar — of  Brockton;  and  he 
is  also  a  member  of  Aleppo  Temple,  A.  A.  0. 
N.  M.  S.,  of  Boston.  Socially  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Commercial  Club,  of  Brockton,  which 
numbers  among  its  members  representatives  of 
the  leading  business  and  professional  circles  of 
the  city.  Although  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  an  ad- 
vocate of  protection  to  American  industries, 
Mr.  Reynolds,  like  his  father  and  brothers,  has 
never  cared  for  nor  sought  public  office,  pre- 
ferring to  give  his  undividecl  attention  to  his 
business.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Plymouth 
County  Trust  Company,  one  of  Brockton's 
thriving  financial  institutions,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Brockton  Shoe  Manufacturers' 
Association.  Mr.  Reynolds  possesses  an  ener- 
getic nature,  and  is  progressive  in  the  manage- 
ment of  his  affairs.  Affable  and  courteous  in 
manner,  he  enjoys  a  large  acquaintance  in  both 
business  and  social  circles. 

On  May  2,  1877,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Ida  Louise  Phillips,  daughter 
of  Frank  and  Susan  (Sprague)  Phillips,  of 
North  Easton,  Mass.,  and  this  union  has  been 
blessed  with  one  daughter,  Marion  Susan  Rey- 
nolds, who  was  graduated  from  Smith  College 
with  the  class  of  1906,  and  resides  at  home 
with  her  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reynolds  affiliate  with  the  Por- 
ter Congregational  Church,  of  Brockton,  and 
are  liberal  in  their  donations  for  the  support 
of  the  church  as  well  as  for  charitable  and 
benevolent  objects. 

(IX)  Luke  Webster  Reynolds,  the  young- 
est son  of  the  late  Charles  Turner  and  Sarah 
Stephens  (Knowles)  Reynolds,  was  born  Feb. 
3,  1859,  in  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton), 
Mass.,  at  the  old  homestead  on  Pleasant  street, 
and  received  his  early  educational  training  in 
the  district  No.  10  school  of  his  neighborhood, 
which  he  attended  iintil  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age.  While  not  at  school,  like  his  elder  broth- 
ers, his  time  was  occupied  in  his  father's  shoe 
factory,  where  he  familiarized  himself  with  the 
details  of  shoemaking,  and  after  leaving  school 
he  continued  employed  in  the  factory  of  his 
father  until  the  latter  discontinued  business. 
Mr.  Reynolds  then  entered  the  employ  of  hie 
brother,  Lowell  M.  Reynolds,  who  was  engaged 
in  the  manufacturing  of  shoes,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  he  had  reached  his  majority.  He 
then  accepted  a  position  in  the  shoe  factory  of 
his  brother.  Jay  B.  Reynolds,  and  became  super- 
intendent of  the  latter's  shoe  manufacturing 
plant,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  for  some 
time,  until  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
L.  M.  Reynolds  &  Co.,  shoe  manufacturers.    At 


660 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  end  of  six  months,  however,  he  returned  to 
his  former  position  with  Jay  B.  Reynolds.  Upon 
retiring  from  the  latter  position,  in  1886,  he 
then  engaged  in  the  leather  business  on  Elm 
street,  in  partnership  with  John  W.  Snow,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Snow  &  Reynolds,  this 
partnership  continuing  until  1891,  when  Mr. 
Reynolds  sold  out  his  interest  to  his  partner 
and  engaged  in  the  leather  business  on  his  own 
account,  continuing  in  that  line  for  about  two 
years.  In  1893  he  again  went  to  work  for  L. 
M.  Reynolds  &  Co.,  as  an  upper  leather  cutter, 
continuing  in  that  position  until  1898,  in 
which  year  he  formed  the  Bicycle  Shoe  Com- 
pany, of  Marlboro,  Mass.,  with  liis  brother,  L. 
M.  Reynolds,  as  partner,  and  removed  the  busi- 
ness to  Brockton,  where  in  the  zenith  of  this 
firm's  career  from  100,000  to  125,000  pairs  of 
bicycle  shoes  were  manufactured  annually.  Mr. 
Reynolds  was  a  partner  in  this  business,  of 
which  he  was  general  manager  during  its  ex- 
istence. As  the  pleasure  of  bicycle  riding  be- 
gan 'to  wane  the  demand  for  their  product  de- 
creased, and  Mr.  Reynolds  eventually,  in  1902, 
purchased  the  interests  of  his  brother,  L.  M. 
Reynolds.  He  has  since  .continued  to  conduct 
the  business  successfully,  under  the  name  of 
Luke  W.  Reynolds.  For  several  years  Mr.  Rey- 
nolds' business  was  located  in  a  portion  of  the 
large  brick  manufacturing  building  of  the 
Brockton  Last  Company,  on  Court  street,  until, 
in  July,  1909,  after  the  death  of  Nathaniel  R. 
Packard,  he  leased  the  latter's  shoe  factory  on 
Centre  street,  to  which  building  he  has  removed 
his  business.  Mr.  Reynolds  employs  about  one 
hundred  hands,  and  manufactures  about  six 
hundred  pairs  of  shoes  per  day.  Since  remov- 
ing his  business  to  the  N.  R.  Packard  factory, 
he  has  added  the  making  of  welt  shoes  to  retail 
at  $2.50  per  pair,  in  connection  with  the  man- 
ufacturing of  the  McKay  sewed  shoes  retailing 
at  $2  per  pair,  which  has  been  his  specialty 
since  engaging  in  business  on  his  own  account. 

Like  his  brothers,  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding  membership 
in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Satucket 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  Brockton  Council,  R.  & 
S.  M.,  and  Bay  State  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar,  all  of  Brockton,  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Aleppo  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Boston.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Harmony  Lodge,  No.  27,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
of  Brockton,  and  for  several  years  held  member- 
fihip  in  the  Uniform  Rank  of  the  same  lodge, 
having  been  captain  of  the  latter  body. 

Socially  Mr.  Reynolds  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Commercial  Club  and  the  Merchants' 
and  Manufacturers'  Club,  of  Brockton.     When 


but  eighteen  years  of  age  he  joined  the  Han- 
cock Engine  Company,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  an  active  member  of  that  organiza- 
tion, now  being  a  member  of  the  Veteran  Fire- 
men's Association,  of  Brockton.  In  political 
faith  he  is  a  stanch  adherent  to  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  affiliates  with 
the  First  Congregational  Church  of  his  native 
city,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  member. 

On  Oct.  21,  1891,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  W.  Adams,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  and  Deborah  (Ellis)  Adams,  of 
Pocasset,  Mass.,  and  by  this  union  there  is  one 
daughter,  Marie  Adams  Reynolds,  who  was  born 
April  27,  1894. 

Of  a  genial,  whole-souled  nature,  Mr.  Rey- 
nolds enjoys  the  acquaintance  of  a  large  circle 
of  business  and  social  friends  with  whom  he  is 
deservedly  popular. 

LANE  (Rockland  family).  The  Rockland 
Lane  family,  the  head  of  which  was  the  late 
Hon.  Jenkins  Lane,  the  founder  of  the  exten- 
sive shoe  manufacturing  establishment  in  that 
town  bearing  the  family  name,  a  representative 
in  the  Massachusetts  General  Court,  etc.,  sev- 
eral of  whose  sons  grew  up  in  the  business  and 
followed  in  the  father's  footsteps  as  honorable 
and  successful  business  men  and  representative 
citizens  of  their  community,  among  whom  were 
the  late  Richmond  Jenkins  Lane,  the  present 
Zenas  M.  Lane,  the  late  Alonzo  Lane  and  the 
present  Maj.  Everett  Lane  (a  gallant  officer 
of  the  Civil  war),  is  one  of  long  and  honorable 
standing  in  the  Commonwealth,  early  at  Dor- 
chester, then  in  Hingham  and  still  later  in 
Abington  and  Rockland.  The  especial  family 
alluded  to  in  the  foregoing  is  reviewed  in  what 
follows  from  the  ^immigrant  Dorchester  set- 
tler to  the  present. 

(I)  William  Lane,  of  the  County  of  Norfolk, 
England,  was  early  at  Dorchester,  placed  there 
by  one  writer  as  early  as  1635.  He  was  a  pro- 
prietor in  1637.  In  his  will,  proved  July  6, 
165-1,  he  mentions  two  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters :  Elizabeth  married  Thomas  River ;  Mary 
married  (first)  Joseph  Long  and  (second)  Jo- 
seph Farnsworth ;  Avis  (or  Avith)  married 
Thomas  Lincoln,  "the  cooper" ;  George ;  Sarah 
married  Nathaniel  Baker ;  and  Andrew. 

(II)  Andrew  Lane  had  a  house  lot  of  five 
acres  on  what  became  North  street  in  Hingham. 
He  had  other  grants  and  bought  in  1648  a 
house  lot  of  five  acres  with  a  dwelling  and  build- 
ings thereon.  He  also  purchased  other  prop- 
erty. The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was 
Tryphena,  and  they  resided  on  North  street, 
next  west  of  the  way  leading  to  Squirrel  Hill. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


661 


He  died  May  1,  1675.     She  died  Jan.  2,  1706- 

07,  aged  about  ninety-five  years.  Their  chil- 
dren, all  baptized  in  Hingham,  were:  Andrew, 
Aug.  16,  1646;  Mary,  Aug.  16,  1646  (married 
William  Orcott) ;  Abigail,  Aug.  16,  1646  (mar- 
ried Daniel  Stodder)  ;  John,  Jan.  30,  1647-48; 
Ephraim,  in  February,  1649-50 ;  Deborah,  June 
20,  1652  (married  William  Sprague) ;  Joshua, 
Aug.  20,  1654;  Caleb,  July  17,  1657;  Hannah, 
Sept.  30,  1658  (married  Jeremiah  Beal  (2)). 

(III)  Andrew  Lane  (2),  baptized  Aug.  16, 
1646,  in  Hingham,  married  Dec.  5,  1672,  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Mark  Eames.  He  was  a 
wheelwright  and  resided  on  what  became  Main, 
nearly  opposite  Water  street.  He  died  Dec.  4, 
1717,  in  his  seventy-fifth  year,  and  she  Nov. 

•21,  1727,  aged  eighty-three  years.  Their  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Hingham,  were:  John,  born 
Oct.  13,  1673;  Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  20,  1675, 
who  married  Samuel  Low;  Andrew,  born  Feb. 

8,  1677-78;  Bethia,  born  Aug.  20,  1680,  who 
married  Simon  Stodder;  Isaac,  bom  April  8, 
1683;  Jonathan,  born  Dec.  27,  1685;  and  Solo- 
mon, born  Jan  12,  1693-94. 

(IV)  Jonathan  Lane,  born  Dec.  27,  1685,  in 
Hingham,  Mass.,  married  Oct.  30,  1718,  Abi- 
gail, born  March  3,  1693-94,  in  Hingham, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Abigail  (Lincoln) 
Andrews.  He  was  a  farmer  and  resided  on  the 
paternal  homestead  on  Main,  nearly  opposite 
Water  street,  Hingham,  Mass.  He  died  Oct. 
15,  1777,  in  his  ninety-second  year.  She  died 
May  26,  1763,  aged  sixty-nine  years.  Their 
children,  all  born  in  Hingham,  were :  Jonathan, 
Aug.  18,  1719;  David,  Oct.  19,  1722;  Daniel, 
May  28,  1724;  Moses,  Dec.  31,  1726;  Abigail, 
May  7,  1730;  Euth,  April  10,  1734  (married 
Nathaniel  Bangs)  ;  and  Caleb,  Nov.  22,  1739. 

(V)  Daniel  Lane,  born  May  28,  1724,  in 
Hingham,  Mass.,  married  (first)  May  19, 
1745-46,  Lydia,  baptized  Oct.  8,  1727,  in  Hing- 
ham, daughter  of  Samuel  and  Lydia  (Whiting) 
Tower.  He  married  (second)  Aug.  14,  1773, 
Bethia  Cushing.  He  was  a  cooper  by  occupa- 
tion. About  1748  the  family  removed  to  the 
town  of  Abington,  Mass.,  where  Mr.  Lane  died 
March  13,  1816,  in  his  ninety-second  year.  His 
children  by  wife  Lydia  were :  Lydia,  born  July 
11,  1746,  who  married  Jacob  Smith,  of  Abing- 
ton; Susanna,  born  in  Abington  Aug.  1,  1748, 
who  married  Philip  Shaw,  of  Abington ;  Daniel, 
born  Feb.  25,  1750-51;  Olive,  born  April  8, 

.1754;  Euth,  born  June  27,  1756;  Christiana, 
bom  Nov.  29,  1760;  Caleb,  born  Nov.  4,  1763; 
Charles,  born  April  19,  1765,  and  Nabby,  born 
Dec.  11,  1768,  who  married  Oliver  Stetson. 

(VI)  Charles  Lane,  born  April  19,  1765, 
married   May   25,   1788,   Eachel,  daughter  of 


David  Jenkins,  and  settled  on  what  became 
Union  and  Market  streets,  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  town.  She  died  April  14,  1840,  and  lie 
in  September,  1849.  Their  children  were: 
David,  born  July  12,  1791,  married  Euth  Lin- 
coln; Charles,  born  Jan.  27,  1793,  married 
Sarah  I.'eed;  Eachel,  born  Sept.  14,  1797,  died 
Oct.  23,  1805;  Eichmond,  born  Oct.  U,  1799, 
died  in  infancy;  Jenkins,  born  July  24,  1801, 
is  mentioned  below;  Lydia,  born  Nov.  1,  1803, 
married  Harvey  Torrey. 

(VII)  Jenkins  Lane,  son  of  Charles  and 
Eachel  (Jenkins)  Lane,  was  born  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Abington,  Mass.,  July  24,  1801.  He 
acquired  a  common  school  education  and  then 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  working  for  a 
number  of  years  at  the  bench.  He  worked  for 
years  for  others  before  beginning  business  for 
himself  in  a  small  way.  He  persevered,  was 
industrious,  managed  his  affairs  well  and  pros- 
pered, his  business  gradually  increasing  as  the 
years  came  and  went  until  he  had  developed  a 
great  and  profitable  trade.  In  time  he  took 
his  sons  into  partnership  with  him,  and  the 
concern  did  work  to  the  extent  of  several  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  a  year;  and  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm  lived  to  see  the  sales 
reach  a  million  dollars  a  year.  During  the 
latter  part  of  his  life  Mr.  Lane  turned  the 
business  over  to  his  sons  and  devoted  his  time 
to  inventions  and  the  improvement  of  machin- 
ery, an  occupation  that  was  much  to  his  liking. 

Mr.  Lane  was  for  many  years  not  only  a  sub- 
stantial man  and  citizen,  prominent  in  business, 
but  a  useful  member  of  his  community.  He 
represented  Abington  in  the  Massachusetts  Gen- 
eral Court  in  1846,  served  for  years  as  a.  direc- 
tor of  the  Abington  National  Bank  and  was  the 
first  president  of  the  Abington  Savings  Bank. 
He  was  also  for  a  time  treasurer  of  the  Hanover 
Branch  Eailroad  Company. 

On  Dec.  22,  1825,  Mr.  Lane  married  Meheta- 
bel  Pratt  Jenkins,  daughter  of  Zenas  Jenkins, 
.and  there  came  to  them  children  born  as  fol- 
lows: Eichmond  Jenkins,  Oct.  6,  1826;  Zenas 
M.,  Oct.  22,  1828;  Mehetabel  Pratt,  May  9, 
1831  (married  Dec.  29,  1852,  Eev.  John  W. 
Harding,  of  Longmeadow,  Mass.,  where  she 
now  resides,  a  widow)  ;  Elvira,  April  23,  1833 
(married  Oct.  8,  1852,  Jefferson  Shaw) ; 
Alonzo,  April  12,  1835;  Everett,  June  27, 
1836;  and  Maria  Jane,  Sept.  28,  1839  (died 
Oct.  6,  1840). 

(VIII)  Eichmond  Jenkins  Lane,  son  of 
the  late  Hon.  Jenkins  and  Mehetabel  Pratt 
(Jenkins)  Lane,  was  bom  Oct.  6,  1826,  in 
Abington,  Mass.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  town,  and  after  com- 


663 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


pleting  his  course  tliere  took  another  at  the 
high  school  at  Quincy.  He  entered  the  otfice 
of  his  father's  shoe  factory  at  an  early  age  and 
worked  there  for  many  years.  He  was  subse- 
quently promoted  to  a  partnership  and  finally 
became  the  head  of  tiie  firm  of  Jenkins  Lane  & 
Sons,  which  for  many  years  was  one  of  the 
largest  shoe  companies  in  this  section. 

Mr.  Lane  during  his  early  life  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  town  affairs  and  served  in  various 
town  offices.  He  was  one  of  those  who  were  in- 
strumental in  building  tiic  Hanover  Branch 
railroad  and  served  for  many  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors.  He  was  also  in- 
terested for  a  number  of  years  in  the  coal  and 
grain  business  now  carried  on  under  the  name 
of  the  Albert  Culver  Company.  For  many 
years  he  was  president  of  the  Abington  Nation- 
al Bank  and  of  the  Rockland  Savings  Bank. 
He  was  for  forty-three  years  a  member  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  his  town  and 
for  thirty  years  was  parish  treasurer  of  the  so- 
ciety. He  was  a  deacon  for  twenty-one  years 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  for 
about  the  same  length  of  time. 

Mr.  Lane  died  at  Hanson,  Mass.,  Jan.  9, 
1905,  aged  seventy-eight  years.  The  funeral 
services  took  place  the  following  Thursday  af- 
ternoon at  the  residence  of  his  brother,  Alonzo 
Lane,  on  South  Union  street,  Rockland,  Mass. 
The  services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Edgar  C. 
Wheeler,  and  the  body  was  taken  to  Abington 
for  interment  in  Mount  Vernon  cemetery. 
There  were  many  handsome  floral  tributes. 

On  Dec.  22,  1845,  Mr.  Lane  married  Sarah 
Ann  Poole,  who  was  born  in  Rockland,  daugh- 
ter of  Micah  H.  and  Sally  (Hunt)  Poole,  and 
died  Jan.  7,  1897,  at  Longmeadow,  Massachu- 
setts. 

(VIII)  Zenas  M.  Lan?;,  son  of  Jenkins  and 
Mehetabel  Pratt  (Jenkins)  Lane,  was  born  in 
East  Abington  (now  Rockland)  Oct.  23,  1828. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
town  and  at  Andover  Academy,  and  from  an 
early  age  was  interested  in  the  shoe  manufac- 
turing business  with  his  father  and  brothers, 
in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Rockland,  where 
the  firm  of  Jenkins  Lane  &  Sons  were  the  lead- 
ing manufacturers.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  he  was  similarly  engaged  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Richmond  Jenkins  Lane,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  R.  J.  &  Z.  M.  Lane,  but 
this  continued  for  only  a  short  time.  Then  he 
became  a  partner  with  his  brother  Maj.  Everett 
Lane.  In  1889  he  withdrew  from  business  and 
has  since  led  a  retired  life.  Unassuming  and 
quiet,  but  genial  and  companionable,  Mr.  Lane 
has  made  many  friends  of  whose  good  will  he  is 


keenly  appreciative.  PHs  modest  disposition, 
however,  has  not  prevented  him  from  being  a 
good  citizen  or  from  helping  his  fellowmen 
upon  occasion,  but  he  has  never  gone  into  any- 
thing of  a  public  nature.  He  is  a  Republican 
in  politics. 

On  Jan.  15,  1851,  Mr.  Lane  married  Emeline 
Morse,  daughter  of  Moses  Morse,  of  Pawtucket, 
R.  I.  Mrs.  Lane  died  in  Rockland  Jan.  13, 
1904. 

(VIII)  Aloxzo  Lane,  son  of  Hon.  Jenkins 
and  Mehetabel  Pratt  (Jenkins)  Lane,  was  born 
April  12,  1835,  in  Abington,  Mass.,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  town. 
When  a  young  man  he  went  into  the  shoe  busi- 
ness with  his  father  and  brothers  under  the 
firm  name  of  Jenkins  Lane  &  Sons.  He  was 
also  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  leather  busi- 
ness in  Boston  as  a  member  of  the  firms  of 
Lane,  Pierce  &  Co.,  and  A.  &  E.  Lane,  but  re- 
tired from  that  end  of  the  shoe  business  many 
years  ago,  and  with' his  brother,  Everett  Lane, 
engaged  in  the  tannery  business  at  Sand  Bank, 
Altmar,  N.  Y.  The  tanneries  w-ere  destroyed 
by  fire  a  number  of  years  ago  and  after  that 
time  Mr.  Lane  withdrew  to  retired  life.  He 
always  took  a  deep  interest  in  his  native  town, 
and,  while  he  never  held  office,  he  was  always 
ready  with  a  pleasant  word  of  encouragement 
and  always  ready  to  help  the  town  in  any  way 
in  liis  power.  He  erected  the  large  residence 
on  South  Union  street  which  he  occupied  for 
many  years.  It  was  for  years  one  of  the  best 
in  Rockland. 

Mr.  Lane  married  (first)  Sept.  19,  1856, 
Maria,  daughter  of  Judson  Smith,  and  they  had 
one  child,  Myra,  who  makes  her  home  with  her 
step-mother  and  uncles,  in  Rockland,  Mass. 
Mr.  Lane's  second  marriage  was  to  Helen  E. 
Stetson,  daughter  of  the  late  Martin  S.  Stet- 
son, of  Whitman,  and  they  had  one  son,  Jen- 
kins Lane,  now  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.  Mr. 
Lane  died  suddenly  Sept.  18,  1907,  at  Long- 
meadow,  Mass.  The  body  was  returned  to 
Rockland  for  interment  in  Mount  Vernon  ceme- 
tery, and  the  funeral  services  held  from  the 
home  of  his  brother,  Zenas  M.  Lane,  on  Union 
street,  the  Sunday  afternoon  following  his 
death,  the  officiating  minister  being  Rev.  Fred 
Hovey  Allen,  of  New  York  City,  former  pastor 
of  the  First  Congregational  Church  at  Rock- 
land. 

(VIII)  Ma.t.  Eveuett  Lane,  son  of  the  late 
Hon.  Jenkins  and  Mehetabel  Pratt  (Jenkins) 
Lane,  was  born  June  27,  1836,  in  East  Abing- 
ton, now  Rockland,  Mass.  After  being  duly 
educated  he  entered  the  boot  and  shoe  manufac- 
turing establishment  of   his  father,   and  early 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


663 


in  the  Civil  war  from  the  counting  room  went 
to  the  defense  of  his  country,  enlisting  Aug. 
28,  1868,  in  Company  G,  43d  Regiment,  Mas- 
sachusetts Volunteer  Infantry.  He  entered  the 
service  as  private,  was  chosen  captain  of  the 
company,  and  Oct.  20tli  following  promoted 
to  major  of  the  regiment.  Although  direct 
from  the  office  on  entering  the  service  he  soon 
became  proficient  in  military  tactics  and  often 
was  selected  to  command  the  battalion  on  drill 
while  at  Kewbern,  N.  C.  He  took  part  with 
the  regiment  in  the  battles  of  Kinston,  White- 
hall, Goldsboro  and  Blount's  Creek,  in  North 
Carolina,  and  while  in  command  of  a  portion 
of  the  regiment  at  Springbank,  near  Golds- 
boro, became  the  target  for  three  successive 
shots  from  a  Rebel  sharpshooter  posted  in  a  dis- 
tant tree.  A  corporal  and  a  private  of  Com- 
pany E  were  shot  at  this  place,  and  the  body 
of  the  corporal  could  not  be  recovered.  In 
July,  1863,  Major  Lane  was  provost  marshal 
of  Harper's  Ferry  and  vicinity,  with  head- 
quarters at  Sandy  Hook,  Md.,  but  by  reason  of 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service  returned  home 
with  his  regiment  and  was  mustered  out  at 
Readville,  Mass.,  July  30,  1863.  While  the 
regiment  was  on  the  way  home  to  be  mustered 
out,  and  while  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  Major  Lane 
with  a  portion  of  his  regiment  volunteered  dur- 
ing the  Gettysburg  campaign,  to  go  to  the  front, 
and  were  attached  to  the  6th  Corps,  Army  of 
the  Potomac.  Major  Lane  is  a  member  of 
Hartsuff  Post,  No.' 74,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Rockland, 
which  he  joined  in  1890,  and  of  the  Military 
Order  of  the  Loval  Legion  of  the  United 
States. 

After  the  war  Major  Lane  went  to  New  Or- 
leans in  the  interest  of  the  firm  of  Jenkins 
Lane  &  Sons,  being  thus  engaged  for  twelve 
years.  In  1877  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  brother  Zenas  M.,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Z.  M.  &  E.  Lane,  shoe  manufacturers,  and  they 
did  business  together  until  1882,  when  he  be- 
came interested  with  his  brother  Alonzo  in  the 
leather  business.  He  remained  in  this  line  for 
twelve  years,  having  a  tannery  at  Sand  Bank, 
N.  Y.,  and  during  ten  years  of  this  time  they 
"had  a  wholesale  place  in  Boston.  He  is  now 
living  retired,  making  his  home  in  Rockland. 

On  June  84,  1857,  Major  Lane  married 
Sarah  S.  Warne,  daughter  of  William  M. 
Warne,  of  Washington,  New  Jersey. 

STETSON.  (I)  Robert  Stetson,  commonly 
called  Cornet  Robert,  because  he  was  cornet  of 
the  first  Horse  Company  raised  in  Plymouth 
Colony  in  1658  or  1659,  tradition  says  came 
from  the  County  of  Kent,  England.     He  set- 


tled in  Scituate,  Mass.,  in  1634,  in  which  year 
he  received  from  the  Colony  court  quite  a  large 
^rant  of  land,  lying  on  the  North  river.  His 
liouse  stood  ui>on  a  sloping  plain,  near  the 
bank  of  the  river,  and  an  unfailing  and  valuable 
spring,  which  supplied  him  and  his  descend- 
ants with  water  for  two  hundred  and  more 
years,  still  marks  the  spot.  Pope  in  his  "Pio- 
neers of  Massachusetts"  calls  him  a  carpenter, 
of  Duxbury,  and  has  him  constable  March  7, 
1648-43,  and  a  freeman  of  1653.  He  was  a 
very  enterprising  man  from  the  time  of  his 
first  settlement  in  the  Colony,  and  was  held 
in  high  esteem  by  his  townsmen  and  by  the 
Colony  in  general.  In  1656  he  built  a  sawmill 
on  what  was  then  called  "third  Herring  brook," 
which  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  1676.  He 
was  a  deputy  to  the  General  Court  seventeen 
years  between  1654  and  1678.  He  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  Council  of  War  in  1661,  and 
in  1681  he  was  holding  that  office.  In  the  war 
with  Philip  and  other  Indians  of  different 
tribes  he  was  an  active  officer  and  rendered 
valuable  assistance.  He  made  his  will  Sept. 
4,  1708,  being  aged,  which  will  was  probated 
March  5,  1702-03,  in  which  he  bequeathed  to 
wife  Mary,  sons  Joseph,  Benjamin,  Samuel  and 
Robert.  His  children  baptized  at  the  Second 
Church  of  Scituate  were :  Joseph,  born  in  June, 
1639;  Benjamin,  born  August,  1641;  Thomas, 
born  Dec.  11,  1643;  Samuel,  born  in  June, 
1646;  John,  born  in  April,  1648;  Eunice,  born 
April  28,  1650;  Lois,  born  February,  1652; 
and  Robert,  born  Jan.  8!),  1653. 

(II)  Robert  Stetson  (8),  son  of  Robert,  born 
Jan.  89,  1653,  married  in  1676,  Joanna  Brooks, 
and  his  house  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in 
that  same  year.  He  seems  to  have  lived  in 
what  became  the  town  of  Pembroke ;  the  latter 
became  a  separate  town  in  1712,  when  Robert 
Stetson  and  his  son  Isaac  were  heads  of  fami- 
lies there.  Almost  all  the  descendants  of  these 
two  heads  of  families  continued  to  live  in  Pem- 
broke and  vicinity;  and  the  familv  has  been  a 
noted  one,  from  the  fact  that  its  members  have 
been  very  extensively  engaged  in' the  iron  busi- 
ness, and  yet  rank  among  the  foremost  of  those 
engaged  in  this  business  in  Plymouth  county, 
or  even  in  Massachusetts.  Robert's  children 
were:  Isaac,  Timothy,  Resolved,  Sarah,  who 
married  Ebenezer  Bennett,  of  Middleboro,  and 
Nathaniel. 

(III)  Isaac  Stetson,  son  of  Robert  (2),  mar- 
ried and  had  children:  Abisha,  born  about 
1706;  Nathaniel,  born  about  1708;  John,  born 
about  1710;  Janet,  baptized  March  23,  1729, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  (married  Benjamin 
Thomas);  Peleg,  born  in  1714;  Jerusha,  born 


664 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


about  1718  (married  Elisha  Palmer) ;  Agatha, 
born  about  1720  (married  William  Page)  ; 
Mary,  born  about  1722  (married  Peleg  West, 
of  Kingston). 

(IV)  Peleg  Stetson,  son  of  Isaac,  born  in 
1714,  married  March  9,  1738,  Mercy  Ramsdell, 
and  lived  in  Abington,  where  he  died  in  1806, 
aged  over  ninety  years.  His  children  were : 
Isaac,  born  Aug.  23,  1738;  Ephraim,  born  in 
July,  1740,  who  died  in  April,  1743;  Ephraim 
(2),  born  March  28,  1743;  Oliver,  born  in 
1745;  Levi,  born  in  June,  1747;  Betty,  born  in 
April,  1749,  who  died  young;  Peleg,  born  in 
April,  1751;  Laban,  born  in  August,  1753; 
Betty  (2),  baptized  Oct.  19,  1755;  Hannah; 
and  Mercy. 

(V)  Ephraim  Stetson,  son  of  I'eleg,  born 
March  28,  1743,  married  Ruth  Ford,  and  their 
children  were :  Ephraim,  Barnabas,  Lydia 
(married  Daniel  Barstow),  Ruth  (married 
Ward  Bates),  and  Mary  (married  Amos  Ford). 

(VI)  Barnabas  Stetson,  son  of  Ephraim, 
born  April  27,  1775,  married  Oct.  10,  1802, 
Lucy,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Betsej  (Tilden) 
Barstow,  and  lived  in  the  town  of  Hanover, 
Mass.  Their  children  were:  Amos,  Lucy  B., 
Martin  S.,  Lydia,  Julia  Ann  (married  Samuel 
Blake)  and  Barnabas.  The  father  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  B.  &  E.  Stetson,  his  partner 
being  his  brother,  which  firm  carried  on  a  large 
mercantile  business,  operating  stores  at  what  is 
now  Rockland  and  Hanover  Four  Corners.  He 
was  also  extensively  interested  in  other  branches 
of  business — farming,  brick  manufacturing, 
etc.     He  was  an  active,  energetic  business  man. 

(VII)  Martin  S.  Stetson,  son  of  Barnabas, 
was  born  June  1,  1809,  in  East  Abington,  Mass. 
He  acquired  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  the  Bolton 
(Mass.)  Academy.  At  the  age  of  twelve 
years  he  began  employment  in  the  store  of  an 
uncle  in  Hanover,  Mass.,  with  whom  he  con- 
tinued several  years  until  the  death  of  a 
brother  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  return 
home  to  assist  his  father.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  reached  his  majority,  in  the 
meantime  teaching  winter  school  several  terms 
in  East  Abington  and  Hanover.  In  1835,  as- 
sociated with  Samuel  Blake,  Jr.,  he  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes,  the  firm 
style  being  Stetson  &  Blake ;  this  was  one  of  the 
earliest  firms  so  engaged  in  that  vicinity.  In 
a  few  years  this  partnership  was  dissolved, 
when  Mr.  Stetson  carried  on  the  business  alone. 
In  1840  he  opened  a  store  in  Mobile,  Ala.,  for 
the  sale  of  his  product,  this  establishment  being 
in  the  charge  of  his  brother,  and  through  the 
efforts  of  himself  and  brother,  he  going  South 


occasionally,  an  extensive  business  was  devel- 
oped in  that  section.  From  that  time  on  until 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Stetson  went 
South  in  the  interest  of  the  business  there- 
yearly,  where  he  passed  the  greater  part  of  each 
year.  He  maintained  a  pleasant  home  at  East 
Abington,  to  which  he  returned  each  summer 
during  his  long  stay  in  the  South,  later  re- 
moving to  South  Abington,  now  Whitman,  just 
prior  to  the  Civil  war.  As  early  as  1850  he 
had  associated  with  him  in  business  James  B. 
Studley,  of  Hanover,  to  whom  latterly  the  ac- 
tive management  of  the  business  was  entrusted. 
Suffice  it  to  say  of  the  Southern  end  of  the 
business  that  the  losses  to  the  house  incurred 
by  the  war  were  into  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars. 

Mr.  Stetson  was  extensively  known  in  and 
about  Mobile,  where  his  reputation  as  a  busi- 
ness man  and  citizen  was  high.  After  the  close- 
of  the  war  he  returned  to  Mobile,  where  he  was 
well  received  and  again  established  himself  in 
business  and  again  enjoyed  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  Southern  friends,  and  as  well 
again  built  up  an  extensive  business.  This  he- 
turned  the  management  of  over  to  a  son  in 
1869  and  he  himself  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness. From  1861  to  1865  Mr.  Stetson  had  a 
branch  store  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota.   - 

Mr.  Stetson  traveled  quite  extensively  in  his 
own  country.  In  1870,  on  the  completion  of 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  he  joined  the  first 
organized  excursion — that  of  the  Boston  Board 
of  Trade — over  it  to  California,  Yosemite  Val- 
ley, etc.  At  Mobile  he  was  a  member  of  the- 
Presbjrterian  Church  of  the  city.  He  was  a 
director  of  the  Abington  National  Bank.  He- 
was  a  strong  temperance  man;  was  president 
of  the  first  young  men's  temperance  society  or- 
ganized in  Plymouth  county. 

Aside    from    being    an    able    and    successful 
business  man,  for  which  he  was  admired,  he- 
had  a  kindly,  generous  nature  which  appealed 
to   all   who   knew    him   and   his   friends   were- 
legion.     Ever  straightforward  and  honorable  in 
all  of  his  business  and  social  relations  of  life,, 
he  had  the  copfidence  of  all  who  came  in  contact 
with  him  and  who  esteemed  and  respected  him 
for    these    virtues.     He    had    an    erect,    manly' 
bearing,  and  was  dignified  and  commanding  in 
person. 

On  Nov.  14,  1836,  Mr.  Stetson  was  married 
to  Eliza  A.,  daughter  of  John  Thomas,  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  where  her  father  held  the  office  of 
chamberlain.  Their  children  were :  John  T., 
deceased;  Amos  Sumner,  deceased;  Helen  E., 
widow  of  Alonzo  Lane;  Julia  B.,  deceased;, 
and  Virginia  A.,  deceased. 


^2!l.=^y£^^>^:^^'-^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


665 


GEORGE  HOWARD  TALBOT,  founder  of 
the  Norton  Mills  Company,  now  the  Talbot 
Wool  Combing  Company,  Inc.,  and  a  well- 
known  and  prominent  citizen  of  Norton,  is  a 
descendant  of  an  old  established  family  of  Bris- 
tol county,  ancient  and  honored  in  England  as 
well  as  America. 

In  1035  A.  D.  Hugh  Talebot  granted  a 
charter  to  Trinite  du  Mont,  Rouen,  Normandy, 
and  1066  A.  D.  le  Sire  Talebot,  a  Norman 
Rnight,  went  into  England  with  William  the 
Conqueror  and  fought  under  him  at  Hastings ; 
his  name  is  on  the  roll  of  Battle  Abbey.  There 
were  peers  among  the  English  Talbots,  and  no- 
bles, gentlemen,  scholars,  and  men  famed  in 
the  wars.  In  1442  John  Talbot  was  created 
first  Earl  of  Shrewsbury.  Among  some  of  the 
more  distinguished  American  Talbots  may  be 
mentioned  Governor  Talbot  of  Massachusetts, 
and  Bishop  Ethelbert  Talbot,  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal   Church,   Pennsylvania. 

Here  in  New  England,  in  the  now  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  appears  at  Taunton 
one  Jared  or  Garratt  Talbot,  who  was  there 
married  April  1,  1664,  to  Sarah  Andrews, 
probably  daughter  of  Henry  Andrews,  of  that 
town,  and  their  children  were:  Jared,  born 
March  20,  1667;  Mary,  born  Dec.  14,  1671; 
Samuel,  born  Feb.  29,  1676;  Josiah,  born  Oct. 
12.  1678;  and  Nathaniel,  born  Feb.  21,  1681.. 

Jared  Talbot  (2),  son  of  Jared  and  Sarah 
(Andrews)  Talbot,  born  March  20,  1667,  in 
Taunton,  married  May  4,  1687,  Rebecca  Hatha- 
way. Mr.  Talbot  seemingly  from  the  records 
bore  the  title  of  captain.  He  was  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  South  Purchase,  territory 
bought  from  the  Indians  in  1672.  This  addi- 
tion to  Taunton  began  to  be  permanently  set- 
tled just  after  King  Philip's  war,  1675-76, 
and  Capt.  Jared  Talbot  was  one  of  the  very 
earliest  settlers  in  it,  and  contemporaneous 
with  him  were  Ephraim  Hathaway,  Edward 
Babbitt  and  Nicholas  Stephens,  of  whom  the 
first  named  had  eleven  children,  the  other  two 
nine  each.  Captain  Talbot  and  hi?  wife  lost 
their  first  child,  a  son  born  March  26,  1688, 
who  died  within  a  few  weeks.  They  then  had 
children:  Nathan  (born  April  4,  1690),  Jo- 
siah, Jacob,  John,  Elizabeth,  Seth,  Rebecca, 
Ebenezer,  and  others  to  the  number  of  four- 
teen in  all,  several  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

Out  of  the  territory  just  alluded  to — the 
South  Purchase — came  the  town  of  Dighton, 
which  was  incorporated  in  1712.  In  the  pre- 
liminary work  bringing  the  new  town  into  ex- 
istence and  in  its  early  history  the  name  of 
Capt.  Jared  Talbot  appears  frequently,  evi- 
dencing his   activity   and   prominence   in   the 


community.  He  was  the  second  town  clerk 
of  Dighton,  the  first  having  been  Joseph  Deane. 
Captain  Talbot  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
the  settlement  and  one  of  the  fifteen  signers 
of  an  agreement  made  in  1708  with  the  east 
side  of  the  river  to  build  a  separate  meeting- 
house and  support  their  own  minister.  At  that 
time  Assonet  Neck  was  a  part  of  Taunton, 
having  been  annexed  in  1677,  and  constituted 
a  part  of  the  lands  forfeited  by  King  Philip. 
It  was  purchased  from  the  governmemt  and  was 
annexed  to  Taunton  in  1682,  and  in  1799  was 
set  off  as  Berkley.  It  became  a  part  of  Digh- 
ton on  the  latter's  incorporation.  May  30,  1712. 

From  the  early  period  alluded  to — from  the 
very  dawn  of  civilization  in  Dighton  to  the 
present — the  Talbots  have  been  identified  with 
the  history  of  the  town.  From  Dighton  came 
the  Norton  branch  of  the  Talbot  family. 

Joseph  Talbot  married  Nov.  11,  1742,  Ruth 
Reed,  born  Nov.  3,  1727,  daughter  of  George 
and  Sarah  Reed.  Their  children  were:  Seth, 
born  Nov.  20,  1743;  John,  born  July  17,  1745; 
Hannah,  born  March  9,  1747;  David,  bom 
Nov.  19,  1748;  Marian,  born  May  25,  1750; 
and  Joseph,  born  in  1752. 

Joseph  Talbot  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  married 
in  1773  Sarah  Luther,  and  they  lived  in  Digh- 
ton, Mass.  Their  children  were :  Joseph,  born 
Dec.  11,  1773,  who  died  young;  Rebecca,  born 
April  30,  1775;  Susannah,  born  April  1,  1777, 
who  married  Jonathan  Hathaway,  and  died 
Sept.  20,  1822;  John,  born  May  10,  1779;  Si- 
mon, born  April  15,  1781 ;  Mary,  born  March 
15,  1784;  Luther,  born  Dec.  28,  1786;  and 
William,  born  Jan.  22,  1789.  Joseph  Talbot 
married  for  his  second  wife  Annie  Hathaway 
(intentions  of  marriage  published  March  18, 
1802),  and  their  children  were  born  as  follows: 
Sally,  May  13,  1803 ;  Joseph,  Oct.  5,  1809.  The 
father  died  April  25,  1821. 

Joseph  Talbot  (3),  son  of  Joseph  (2)  and 
Annie  (Hathaway),  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Dighton  Oct.  5,  1809.  Here  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  engaged  in  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing in  the  Broad  Cove  district  of  Dighton.  He 
spent  his  life  there .  and  died  in  1859,  being 
buried  in  the  Dighton  cemetery.  He  married 
in  Dighton,  Dec.  20,  1835,  Mary  Luther  Pratt, 
born  Oct.  21,  1811,  daughter  of  Lemuel  and 
Alma  Pratt,  and  their  children  were:  William 
B.,  who  followed  the  trade  of  mason,  now  re- 
tired and  residing  in  New  Bedford ;  James  A., 
who  resides  on  the  homestead  in  Dighton; 
Charles,  who  resides  in  Dighton;  George  How- 
ard, who  is  mentioned  below;  Lemuel  Pratt; 
and  Mary  Ann,  who  married  Benjamin  Sim- 
mons, and  (second)  a  Mr.  Knight,  and  resides 


666 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


in  Pawtucket,  R.  I.  The  mother  died  on  the 
homestead  in  1863,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Dighton  cemetery. 

George  Howard  Talbot,  son  of  Joseph  (3) 
and  Mary  L.  (Pratt),  was  born  March  17, 
1846,  in  Dighton,  Mass.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  town  and  supple- 
mented this  with  a  few  sessions  at  a  private 
school  in  the  nearby  town  of  Somerset,  taught 
by  Henry  T.  Buffington,  a  well-known  teacher 
of  that  section.  His  fatlier  dying  when  he  was 
but  twelve  and  his  mother  some  four  years 
later,  he  was  early  in  a  manner  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources,  thus  becoming  self-reliant. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  found  employment  in 
the  Dighton  Tack  Works,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed a  few  months.  He  then  turned  his  at- 
tention to  the  farm,  hiring  to  Capt.  Frank 
Hathaway,  who  owned  a  farm  in  that  section. 
After  a  year  in  agricultural  work  he  again 
turned  his  attention  to  the  factory,  this  time 
engaging  with  the  Dighton  Woolen  Company, 
operated  by  Timothy  Dunlap,  and  learned  the 
busmess  of  sorting  wool.  With  this  company, 
saving  an  interval  of  several  months,  he  con- 
tinued until  the  destruction  of  the  plant  by 
fire  some  three  years  later.  During  the  four 
months'  interval  alluded  to  above  he  was  in 
charge  of  a  wool  sorting  establishment  at  Bux- 
ton, Maine.  Following  the  destruction  of  the 
Dighton  Woolen  Mill  he  continued  in  the  same 
line  of  employment  in  Stillwater,  R.  I.,  and 
also  at  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 

In  the  autumn  of  1867  Mr.  Talbot  came  to 
the  town  of  Norton,  where  he  assumed  charge 
of  wool  sorting  for  the  concern  of  Williams  & 
Co.,  who  were  doing  a  small  business  in  that 
line  at  the  Willis  mills,  on  the  Rumford  river. 
A  year  later  the  fii'm  leased  the  property, 
which  stood  on  the  sife^  of  the  present  mill  of 
Mr.  Talbot  and  was  then  known  ,as  the  Cen- 
tre mills.  In  1869  Daniel  S.  Pratt  &  Co.  of 
Boston  came  into  possession  of  the  business  of 
Williams  &  Co.,  and  at  this  time  Mr.  Talbot 
first  became  an  interested  party  in  the  con- 
cern; this  was  a  one-ninth  share.  He  had  had, 
however,  since  June,  1868,  entire  charge  of 
the  mills.  The  firm  of  Pratt  &  Co.  was  dis- 
solved in  January,  1870,  and  the  business  was 
continued  by  Mr.  F.  Q.  Story,  former  partner 
of  Mr.  Pratt  and  Mr.  Talbot,  the  former  own- 
ing two  thirds  and  Mr.  Talbot  one  third  of 
the  business. 

In  February,  1872,  Messrs.  Story  and  Talbot 
purchased  the  ground  on  which  the  mills  are 
now  located,  including  all  of  the  improvements 
thereon.  The  business  kept  increasing  as  time 
passed  and  it  was  not  long  ere  it  had  outgrown 


the  accommodations,  and  in  the  year  1874  they 
built  a  large  addition  to  the  plant  and  greatly 
increased  the  equipment  and  working  facilities. 
In  1878,  owing  to  failing  health,  Mr.  Story 
sold  his  interests  to  Mr.  Talbot  and  from  that 
time  on  the  latter  has  continued  to  be  identi- 
fied with  the  business,  carrying  it  on  alone  un- 
til he  associated  his  sons  with  him.  The  busi- 
ness was  incorporated  as  the  Norton  Mills 
Company,  with  George  H.  Talbot  as  treasurer, 
and  his  son  Walter  H.  as  president  and  son 
Francis  S.  as  secretary. 

In  1880  Mr.  Talbot  saw  it  was  expedient  to 
the  growing  business  to  still  further  enlarge 
the  plant  and  he  added  thereto  another  three- 
story  building,  and  put  in  new  and  more  mod- 
ern machinery,  by  which  was  increased  the 
capacity  for  more  rapid  and  effective  work. 
The  power  is  furnished  by  a  waterfall,  with 
an  au.xiliary  steam  and  electric  power  plant  for 
use  in  dry  weather.  The  bxisiness  is  exclusively 
wool  washing  and  job  work.  Mr.  Talbot  was 
one  of  the  first  engaged  in  the  business  and 
when  he  commenced  in  this  line  here  he  was 
alile,  by  hard  work,  to  scour  five  bags  of  wool 
a  day,  his  work  being  done  for  the  wool  mer- 
chants of  Boston  and  Providence.  At  that 
time  his  plant  was  one  of  the  only  two  of  the 
kind  in  the  country.  In  1890  the  establish-- 
ment  was  almost  wiped  out  by  fire,  but  two 
years  later  he  rebuilt,  with  a  capacity  of 
7,000,000  pounds- yearly. 

'J'he  Norton  Mills  Company  added  another 
byanch  to  the  business,  known  as  the  making 
of  wool  tops,  and  carding  and  combing.  In 
1909  the  entire  business  was  incorporated  as 
the  Talbot  Wool  Combing  Company,  Inc.,  of 
which  Walter  H.  Talbot  is  president  and 
Francis  S.  Talbot  secretary  and  treasurer.  The 
mills  now  cover  five  acres,  and  the  work  is 
so  well  known  that  wool  from  all  over  the 
world  is  sent  there  to  be  cleaned,  84,000  pounds 
a  day  being  the  average  output,  representing, 
approximately,  wool  from  14,000  sheep.  The 
work  is  chiefly  for  the  Boston  and  New  York 
markets.  Employment  is  given  to  upward  of 
two  hundred  persons. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  Mr.  Talbot  has 
made  a  success  of  the  business  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  practically  from  boyhood  and  with 
which  he  is  most  familiar.  He  started  life 
a  poor  boy,  worked  hard,  and  is  entirely  self- 
made.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  not  a 
politician,  public-spirited  and  enterprising, 
and  in  all  a  substantial  and  valuable  citizen. 

On  Nov.  18,  1873,  Mr.  Talbot  married  Delia 
M.  Storer,  who  was  born  May  28,  1849,  daugh- 
ter  of    George   and    Delia    Storer,    of   Norton. 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


667 


They  have  had  children  as  follows:  Walter 
Howard,  born  Aug.  15,  1874;  Francis  Story, 
born  March  2,  1878;  Alfred  Pratt,  born  Oct. 
15,  1882,  who  died  young;  and  Gladys  Irma, 
born  April  14,  1894,  who  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Norton,  Quincy  Mansion 
School,  at  Wollaston,  Mass.,  and  Miss  Brown's 
Select   School   of  Boston. 

Walter  Howard  Talbot,  son  of  George  H., 
was  born  in  Norton  Aug.  15,  1874,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  Bristol 
Academy  at  Taunton.  He  went  into  the  mill 
with  his  father  and  later  became  interested  in 
the  enterprise,  to  such  an  extent  that  when  the 
business  was  incorporated  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent, which  office  he  held  until  the  Talbot 
Wool  Combing  Company,  Inc.,  was  formed  and 
he  became  president  of  the  latter.  He  married 
Jessie  Mattox,  and  they  have  one  child,  George 
Howard. 

Francis  Story  Talbot,  born  in  Norton  March 
2,  1878,  was  educated  in  the  local  public 
school  and  in  the  Bryant  &  Straiton  business 
college  at  Providence,  R.  I.  He  entered  his 
father's  business,  becoming  secretary,  and  upon 
the  formation  of  the  new  corporation  he  be- 
came secretary  and  treasurer.  He  married 
Adelayde  Bemis,  of  Foxboro,  Mass.,  and  they 
have  three  children.  Marguerite,  Gertrude  and 
Herbert  Hersey. 

SHAW.  (I)  Abraham  and  Bridget  (Best) 
Shaw  came  from  the  village  of  Northowram, 
parish  of  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England,  and 
settled  in  Watertown,  Mass.,  where  he  .was 
made  freeman  March  9,  1636.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  to  subscribe  to  the  Covenant.  His 
house  was  burned  in  October,  1636,  and  he  soon 
after  sold  his  town  lot  and  farm  of  eight  and  a 
half  acres  and  removed  to  Dedham,  Mass.,  for 
the  incorporation  of  which  he,  with  his  eldest 
son  Joseph  and  twenty  others,  had  signed  a 
petition  on  "the  6th  of  the  7th  month  ( Sept. ) 
1636."  With  his  associates  he  built  the  old 
dam  across  the  Charles  for  a  gristmill,  about 
-three  quarters  of  a  mile  southwest  of  the  new 
bridge.  He'was  made  freeman  March  9,  1637, 
and  the  same  year  was  granted  a  monopoly  of 
one  half  of  the  coal  and  iron  to  be  found  in  the 
Common  Lands,  but  died  next  year,  1638.  His 
•will  bears  no  date,  but  mentions  his  town  lot 
in  Dedham,  also  his  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters, Joseph,  Mary,  John  and  Martha,  the  two 
latter  being  infants,  Joseph  and  John  to  have 
his  estate  in  Dedham. 

From  this  Abraham  Shaw  have  sprung  some 
strong,  forceful  men  and  women,  men  who  were 
college-bred    and   entered    the    learned    profes- 


sions and  formed  alliances  with  the  first  fami- 
lies of  their  section  and  day.  Some  family  his- 
tory and  genealogy  of  the  Shaws  follows  in 
chronological  order. 

(II)  John  Shaw,  of  Weymouth,  son  of  Abra- 
ham, born  in  England,  was  baptized  in  Eng- 
land, May  21,  1630.  He  died  at  Weymouth, 
Sept.  16,  1704.  He  married  Alice  Phillips, 
daughter  of  Deacon  Nicholas  Phillips,  of  Ded- 
ham and  Weymouth,  and  they  had  children: 
John,  born  about  1655 ;  Elizabeth,  born  in 
1656;  Abraham,  born  in  1657;  Mary,  born  in 
1660;  Nicholas,  born  in  1662;  Joseph,  born  in 
1664;  Alice,  born  in  1666;  Hannah,  born  in 
1668;  Benjamin,  born  in  1670;  Abigail,  born 
in  1672;  and  Ebenezer,  born  in  1674. 

(III)  Benjamin  Shaw,  born  June  16,  1670, 
at  Weymouth,  married  Hannah  Rogers,  and 
lived  and  died  in  Taunton,  dying  June  16, 
1723.  His  wife  Hannah  died  at  Taunton,  May 
26,  1723,  aged  forty-nine  years. 

(IV)  Samuel  Shaw,  born  at  Weymouth, 
Mass.,  in  1698,  married  Elizabeth  Hodges, 
daughter  of  Henry  Hodges.  Samuel  Shaw 
died  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  in  1730,  aged  thirty- 
three  years.  His  widow  married  (second) 
Isaac  Sampson  and  (third)  Deacon  Edward 
Richmond. 

(V)  Joseph  Shaw,  born  at  Taunton,  Mass., 
Sept.  2,  1725,  wa^  the  first  of  the  name  in  the 
town  of  Raynham,  which  was  set  ofl'  from 
Taunton  in  1731,  and  here  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  married  Oct.  18,  1748,  his  cousin, 
Mary  Shaw,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Mercy 
(Mason)  Shaw.  Joseph  Shaw  died  at  Rayn- 
han,  Mass.,  April  20,  1808,  aged  eighty-three 
years;  Mary  Shaw,  born  Oct.  19,  1729,  died  at 
Raynham  Oct.  15,  1816.  Of  their  children, 
the  following  are  found  in  the  Vital  Records: 
Joseph,  born  April  1,  1750  (died  April  2, 
1750);  Joseph  (2),  born  Nov.  6,  1751;  and 
Silas,  born  July  26,  1754.  However,  another 
account  says  they  had  :  Joseph,  Samuel,  Silas 
and  Polly.  Joseph  Shaw  of  Raynham  was  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  He  was  a  private  in 
Capt.  John  King's  company.  Col.  Timothy 
Walker's  regiment;  enlisted  May  3,  1775,  and 
served  three  months  and  five  days.  His  name 
also  appears  on  company  return  dated  Oct.  6, 
1775.  In  bis  last  years  he  received  a  pension 
from  the  government. 

(VI)  Samuel  Shaw,  son  of  Joseph,  born  at 
Raynham,  Mass.,  April  19,  1772,  was  a  farmer 
and  also  a  house  carpenter  there.  He  had  ex- 
ceptional talent  for  music,  taught  singing 
school  winter  evenings,  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  also  composed  music  and  set  words  to 
music.     He   married   April   21,   1793,   Abigail 


668 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Hall,  born  at  Raynham  Sept.  21,  1771,  daugh- 
ter of  Seth  Hall.  He  died  at  Raynham  April 
20,  1840,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  She  died 
there  aged  eighty-seven  years.  Their  children 
were  as  follows:  Mary,  born  Sept.  13,  1794, 
married  Josephus  Bumpus,  of  Middleboro; 
Samuel,  born  Sept.  24,  1795,  is  mentioned  be- 
low; Diadamia,  born  July  29,  1797  (died  in 
March,  1882,  aged  eighty-five),  married  (first) 
Abiather  Dean,  of  Taunton,  and  (second) 
William  Ramsdell,  of  Middleboro;  Isaac  H., 
born  Feb.  4,  1800,  died  at  sea  in  June,  1844; 
Susannah  H.,  born  June  4,  1802,  married 
Henry  Hall,  of  Westmoreland,  N.  H. ;  Linus 
H.,  born  Nov.  29,  1804,  married  Louisa  Alden, 
and  died  in  1866;  Alanson,  born  May  6,  1807, 
died  March  15,  1809;  Abigail,  born  Jan.  10, 
1810,  married  a  Mr.  Briggs,  of  West  Bridge- 
water,  and  (second)  Joshua  Hall,  of  East 
Westmoreland,  N.  H. ;  Lucinda,  born  in  1814, 
died  in  that  same  year. 

(VII)  Samuel  Shaw,  Jr.,  born  Sept.  24, 
1795,  at  the  family  homestead  in  Raynham 
(the  house  which  is  over  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  old,  is  still  standing,  and  is  occupied  by 
Samuel,  Jr.'s  son,  James  H.  Shaw),  resided 
there  to  the  end  of  his  days,  dying  March  4, 
1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  In  his  old  age 
he  drew  a  pension  for  his  services  in  the  war  of 
1812.  He  was  twice  married,  first  on  Aug.  25, 
1817,  to  his  cousin,  Mrs.  Rachel  (Shaw)  Bar- 
den,  of  Raynham,  daughter  of  Silas  and  Eliza- 
beth (Staples)  Shaw.  She  died  at  Raynham 
March  9,  1840,  aged  forty-eight  years,  and  sub- 
sequently he  married  Mrs.  Farnham.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  the  first  union :  Caroline 
E.  married  Dr.  Daniel  Briggs,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  died  in  Brockton;  Francis  Marion  is  men- 
tioned below ;  James  Harmon  resided  at  the 
old  homestead  in  Raynham ;  Alanson  died  in 
1854;  William  Wallace  died  aged  fifty  yea-rs; 
Oliver  Perry  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five ;  An- 
drew Jackson  died  when  eighteen  years  old. 

(VIII)  Francis  Marion  Shaw,  son  of 
Samuel,  Jr.,  was  for  years  a  well-known  busi- 
ness man  of  Brockton,  a  gentleman  of  wide  and 
varied  experience  in  life.  He  served  his  coun- 
try in  time  of  war  in  both  the  army  and  the 
navy;  traveled  far  and  journeyed  in  distant 
lands;  and  held  numerous  positions  of  trust 
and  responsibility,  serving  the  interests  of  im- 
portant industrial  enterprises,  and  lending  a 
hand  sagaciously  to  the  conduct  of  public  af- 
fairs. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  born  Nov.  3,  1825,  at  Rayn- 
ham, Mass.,  being  a  representative  of  the  fourth 
generation  of  Shaws  in  that  ancient  town  of 
Bristol  county.     He  was  one  of  several  boys  in 


this  patriotic  family  who  bore  the  names  of 
martial  heroes.  In  his  early  years  attending 
the  district  school,  a  mile  from  his  home,  he 
acquired  a  good  knowledge  of  the  common 
English  branches.  The  schoolroom  was  heated 
from  a  fireplace,  on  whose  ample  hearth,  in. 
winter  days,  blazed  a  fire  of  huge  logs  and 
brushwood.  The  furniture  and  all  the  appli- 
ances were  of  primitive  fashion.  But  text- 
books were  well  conned,  hard  sums  were  tri- 
umphantly ciphered  out,  minds  grew  attentive 
and  ale"rt;  and  not  the  least  valuable  lessons 
learned  were  of  resolute  self-reliance  and  vig- 
orous endeavor. 

At  the  youthful  age  of  fourteen  Francis  M. 
Shaw  joined  the  army  of  wage  earners  by  go- 
ing to  work  in  a  nail  factory  at  Titicut.  He 
was  next,  for  about  a  year,  employed  in  the 
East  Taunton  Iron  Works;  and  from  there  he 
went  to  a  manufacturing  place  on  the  Schuyl- 
kill river  in  Pennsylvania,  still  later  finding  a 
situation  in  the  Duncannon  Iron  Works — all 
this  before  he  was  eighteen.  At  that  age  he 
took  a  new  departure,  embarking  on  the  "Wil- 
liam and  Eliza,"  a  four-boat  whale-ship,  for  a 
four  years'"  cruise,  sailing  around  Cape  Horn, 
stopping  at  Valparaiso  and  the  Sandwich  Is- 
lands, both  on  the  outward  trip  and  the  return 
voyage,  spending  at  one  time  six  months  at 
Honolulu.  In  1846  they  were  taking  in  oil  at 
Japan;  while  in  the  China  sea  they  were  in  a 
typhoon,  and  had  a  narrow  escape  from  de- 
struction. At  the  Cannibal  Islands  they  en- 
gaged in  traffic  with  the  natives,  bartering  beads 
for  hogs ;  and  young  Shaw  there  sold  the  king's 
son  one  of  two  violins  that  he  had  made  him- 
self, the  other  still  being  in  the  possession  of  his 
son,  Linus  H.  Shaw.  Among  other  places  that 
he  visited  were  the  Samoan  islands  and  New 
Zealand. 

Reaching  home  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1848, 
a  man  of  twenty-two,  with  mind  broadened  and 
matured,  he  shortly  after  went  into  the  shoe 
business,  some  branch  of  which  he  followed  for 
five  or  six  years.  Then  he  bought  a  thirty- 
acre  farm,  and  built  a  small  shoe  factory  there- 
on. In  this  he  set  up  the  firs!  pegging  ma- 
chine that  was  brought  into  Raynham.  In 
1860  his  factory  was  burned  down,  and  in 
1862  he  removed  to  Abington  Center.  In  the 
following  summer  he  enlisted  in  the  9th  Mas- 
sachusetts Battery,  and,  being  sent  into  the 
field,  reached  Gettysburg  just  after  the  battle 
was  over.  Orders  coming  for  the  discharge  of 
all  sailors  from  the  ranks,  Private  Shaw  en- 
listed on  the  United  States  steamship  "San 
Jacinto,"  and  was  appointed  paymaster's  stew- 
ard.    At  Key  West,  where  the  steamer  touched. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


669 


the  yellow  fever  was  raging.  They  there  took 
on  Admiral  Bell,  and  returned  to  New  York, 
whence  they  were  ordered  to  St.  John,  N.  B., 
after  the  pirate  Sims.  Losing  two  boats  in  a 
^ale  off  Cape  Hatteras,  they  put  into  Kittery 
navy-yard,  and  from  there  went  to  Fortress 
Monroe.  While  cruising  among  the  Bahama 
islands  on  the  watch  for  Rebel  vessels,  the  "San 
Jacinto"  was  wrecked  on  "No  Name  Key,"  and 
went  to  pieces.  The  crew  remained  on  the  is- 
land eighteen  days,  subsisting  on  what  could  be 
eaved  from  the  wreck;  and  for  water  brought 
to  them  in  boats  by  the  natives  the  captain  paid 
three  hundred  dollars  in  gold.  The  men  were 
rescued  by  the  United  States  steamship  "Talla- 
poosa," which  took  them  to  Boston.  They  had 
saved  ten  thousand  dollars  from  the  sunken 
ship. 

On  receiving  his  discharge  in  July,  1865, 
Mr.  Shaw  went  back  to  Abington,  but  soon  re- 
moved to  North  Bridgewater.  For  some  time 
he  traveled  for  David  Whittemore  &  Co.,  manu- 
facturers of  shoe  machines,  putting  up  ma- 
chines in  Boston  and  vicinity.  In  1871  he 
went  abroad  in  the  interests  of  Mr.  Whitte- 
more, and  sold  machines  in  London  and  Glas- 
gow, visiting  also  Dublin,  Paris  and  other 
places  during  his  absence  of  eight  months.  Re- 
ceiving word  while  at  Hamburg  that  the 
Whittemore  manufactory  had  been  burned,  he 
returned  to  Massachusetts.  In  the  year  1873 
he  had  charge  of  the  Boston  Shoe  Machinery 
Company's  exhibit  at  the  Vienna  E.xposition. 
Among  other  illustrious  visitors  who  came  to 
view  the  American  machinery  were  the  Em- 
peror Francis  Joseph  and  his  wife,  the  Em- 
press. Mr.  Shaw  availed  himself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity afforded  by  his  six  months'  sqjourn  in 
Europe  to  visit  the  Alps  and  other  points  of 
interest. 

Returning  to  Massachusetts,  he  bought  out 
a  factory  on  High  street,  Boston,  and  for  three 
years  carried  on  the  business  of  manufacturing 
pasted  insoles  and  heel  stock.  His  next  en- 
terprise was  undertaken  in  Brockton,  where  he 
established  the  leather  and  remnant  business 
on  Railroad  avenue,  and  the  Naplitha  Extract- 
ing Works  on  Center  street,  now  carried  on  un- 
der the  name  of  F.  M.  Shaw  &  Son,  from  wliich 
he  retired  on  account  of  failing  health,  since 
which  time  the  business  has  been  carried  on  by 
his  son,  Francis  E.,  under  the  same  firm  name. 
Previous  to  this  last  venture  Mr.  Shaw  had 
bought  an  interest  in  the  Boston  Rivet  Com- 
pany, and,  as  a  representative  of  the  company, 
had  made,  in  1875,  another  visit  to  Europe. 
He  crossed  and  recrossed  the  Atlantic  twice 
after  that  time — namely,  in  1883  and  1885 — 


and  also  traveled  in  California  and  other  parts 
of  the  great  West. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  a  member  of  the  Know-Noth- 
ing party  during  the  short  existence  of  that 
political  combination  in  the  fifties.  He  was  a 
stanch  Republican  from  the  organization  of  the 
party;  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention 
at  Worcester  that  nominated  for  the  chief  mag- 
istracy of  the  State  John  A.  Andrew,  since  re- 
nowned as  this  Commonwealth's  war  governor. 
Mr.  Shaw  served  as  a  member  of  the  council  of 
Brockton  for  two  years.  He  belonged  to 
Fletcher  Webster  Post,  No.  13,  Grand  Array  of 
the  Republic,  of  which  he  was  chaplain  for 
several  years;  and  served  as  a  delegate  to  four 
Grand  Army  conventions,  including  that  held 
in  Denver.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  Shaw  was  a 
follower  of  Swedenborg,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem  at  Abington, 
Mass.  He  died  at  Brockton,  Aug.  22,  1900,  in 
his  seventy-fifth  year. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife, 
Mary  L.  Eaton,  of  Raynham,  Mass.,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Emeline  (Leonard)  Eaton,  died 
leaving  six  children,  as  follows :  Emma  E.  mar- 
ried Edward  Bryant,  of  Brockton;  Linus  H.  is 
"mentioned  below;  Alice  L.  married  David  T. 
Burrell,  of  Brockton;  Francis  E.  is  mentioned 
below;  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  Sidney  Perkins, 
and  resides  at  Savin  Hill,  Boston ;  Samuel  mar- 
ried Sarah  Ryder,  of  Middleboro,  in  which  town 
he  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  as 
junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Leonard  &  Shaw. 
On  Nov.  25,  1861.  Francis  M.  Shaw  married 
(second)  Harriet  B.  Bates,  daughter  of  Rufus 
B.  Bates,  of  Abington,  who  survived  him,  and 
resides  in  Brockton.  To  this  union  was  born 
one  son,  Norman  B.,  who  married  Lila  S. 
Copeland,  of  Raynham,  and  they  reside  in 
Brockton,  where  he  is  a  member  of  the  Opera 
House  orchestra ;  they  have  one  son,  Lawrence, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  the  School  of  Technology 
at  Boston. 

(IX)  Linus  Hall  Shaw,  eldest  son  of  the 
late  Francis  M.  and  Mary  L.  (Eaton)  Shaw, 
was  born  Aug.  23,  1851,  in  Raynham,  Mass., 
and  acquired  his  early  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town,  of  Abington  and  of  North 
Bridgewater,  his  parents  removing  to  the  latter 
place  when  he  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age. 
After  finishing  his  schooling,  he  early  acquired 
a  knowledge  of  shoemaking  through  employ- 
ment in  various  factories  of  the  town,  eventu- 
ally engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  on 
his  own  account.  For  a  period  of  about  twenty 
years  Mr.  Shaw  was  thus  engaged,  for  a  time 
as  a  partner  with  James  Sidney  Allen  and  in 
company  with  James  C.  Tannatt.     In  1906  Mr. 


670 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Shaw  established  himself  in  the  manufacture 
of  men's  fine  shoe  heels,  organizing  the  Acme 
Heel  company.  This  concern's  product  is  used 
by  the  high-grade  shoe  manufacturers  in  the 
making  of  shoes  ranging  in  price  from  $5  to 
$8,  at  retail.  The  very  best  quality  of  heels 
is  manufactured  by  the  Acme  Heel  Company, 
used  in  the  construction  of  the  finest  men's 
shoes  made,  in  various  parts  of  the  world,  large 
shipments  being  made  to  leading  shoe  manufac- 
turing concerns  throughout  the  country.  This 
concern  gives  employment  to  about  seventy- 
five  hands,  and  since  its  first  inception  the  vol- 
ume of  business  has  steadily  increased.  A  nat- 
ural-born mechanic,  Mr.  Shaw  has  invented  and 
has  patented  various  machines  and  appliances 
used  in  tlie  7nanufacture  of  shoes,  upon  which 
he  is  still  receiving  royalties. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  member  of  Paul 
Eevere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Brockton. 
In  political  faith  he  is  a  Republican,  but  has 
never  cared  for  nor  sought  public  preferment. 
In  religion  he  is  a  Unitarian,  holding  member- 
ship in  the  Unity  Church,  of  Brockton. 

On  Jan.  1,  1873,  Mr.  Shaw  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Abbie  Pierce  Dunham,  daughter 
of  Lysander  and  Sarah  (Simmons)  Dunham, 
of  Plymouth,  Mass.,  and  this  union  has  been 
blessed  with  children  as  fallows :  Mary  Frances 
is  the  wife  of  Fred  B.  Leonard,  of  Brockton, 
where  he  is  teller  of  the  Plymouth  County  Trust 
Company,  and  they  have  two  children,  Ruth 
and  Warren ;  Chester  Earl  married  Lena  Bald- 
win, of  Middleboro,  where  he  is  connected  with 
Leonard  &  Shaw,  shoe  manufacturers ;  Frank 
E.,  superintendent  of  the  Acme  Heel  Company, 
married  May  E.  Brown,  of  Brockton. 

(IX)  Francis  E.  Shaw,  son  of  the  late 
Francis  M.  and  Mary  L.  (Eaton)  Shaw,  was 
born  Feb.  (5,  1856,  in  Raynham,  Mass.  His 
schooling  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools 
and  the  high  school  of  North  Bridgewater,  to 
which  town  his  parents  removed  when  he  was 
only  about  nine  years  old.  After  leaving  school 
Mr.  Shaw  entered  the  employ  of  bis  father,  in 
the  manufacture  of  heels  and  shoe  findings, 
continuing  in  his  employ  until  he  purchased 
the  business,  in  1890,  and  he  continued  to  con- 
duct it  under  the  firm  name  of  F.  M.  Shaw  & 
Son  until  1903,  in  which  year  it  was  incorpo- 
rated under  tlie  laws  of  Massachusetts  as  the  F. 
M.  Shaw  &  Son  Company,  capital  stock  $100,- 
000,  with  the  following  officers :  Francis  E. 
Shaw,  president;  Ernest  L.  Shaw,  treasurer; 
and  Herbert  F.  Bryant,  secretary.  This  con- 
cern is  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  shoe  heels  and  findings,  and  also  deals  in 
leather  remnants  of  all  kinds,  and  is  well  known 
to  the  shoe  trade  generally. 


Fraternally  Mr.  Shaw  is  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  Masonic  organization,  holding; 
membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  which  he  is  past  worshipful  master; 
Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Brockton  Council, 
R.  &  S.  M.;  and  Bay  State  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  of  which  he  is  past  eminent 
commander.  In  political  faith  he  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  has  served  the  city  as  a  member  of 
the  common  council  for  two  years;  for  several 
years  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Public  Library. 
Mr.  Shaw  is  an  active  member  of  the  Unity 
Church,  of  Brockton,  and  for  several  years  has 
served  as  chairman  of  the  standing  committee 
of  the  church. 

By  his  first  wife,  Jennie  Perkins,  Mr.  Shaw 
had  one  daughter,  Lena  F.  His  second  wife, 
who  was  Hattie  E.  Wilde,  daughter  of  Brad- 
ford Wilde,  of  Brockton,  passed  away  in  Brock- 
ton June  21,  1904.  Mr.  Shaw  has  since  mar- 
ried (third)  Mrs.  Isabelle  Prior,  of  Boston. 

ALMY  (Dartmouth-Boston  family).  The 
origin  of  the  Almy  family  of  Rhode  Island  and 
Massachusetts,  which  for  the  past  two  hundred 
and  fifty  aiul  more  -years  has  been  well  and 
prominently  represented  in  many  of  the  towns 
of  both  Commonwealths,  is  traced  back  to  Wil- 
liam Almy,  who  was  born  in  England  in  the 
year  1601. 

It  is  here,  however,  the  purpose  to  review, 
and  that  briefly,  but  one  branch  of  the  Almy 
family — that  which  later  on  located  in  the  an- 
cient town  of  Dartmouth,  thence  went  to  Bos- 
ton, where  several  of  the  sons  of  the  late  Thomas 
Almy  became  most  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive merchants,  and  have  been  followed  by  their 
sons  and  jierhaps  grandsons.  Reference  is 
made  to  the  brothers,  the  late  William  and  Fred- 
erick Almy  of  the  extensive  dry  goods  establish- 
ment of  Messrs.  Almy,  Patterson  &  Co.,  and 
their  successors.  There  follows  the  Almy 
lineage  and  family  history  of  the  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  Dartmouth-Boston  Almy  family 
from  the  immigrant  settler,  chronologically  ar- 
ranged. 

(I)  William  Almy,  who  was  born  in  England 
in  1601,  died  in  1676.  He  came  to  this  country 
prior  to  1630,  but  returned  almost  immediately 
to  England,  coming  here  again  in  1635  in  the 
ship  "Abigail,"  and  bringing  with  him  his  wife 
Audrey  and  two  children,  Ann  and  Christopher. 
He  first  located  in  Lynn,  Mass.,  later,  in  1637,. 
was  at  Sandwich,  and  on  Nov.  14,  1644,  had 
land  granted  him  at  Wading  River,  Portsmouth, 
R.  I.  Here  the  balance  of  his  life  was  spent. 
In  1655  he  was  made  a  freeman,  juryman  in 
1656,    and    commissioner    in    1656,    1657    and 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


671 


1663.  His  will  was  proved  April  23,  1677. 
His  daughter  Ann  was  born  in  1687,  and  his 
son  Christopher  in  1632. 

(II)  Christopher  Almv,  son  of  William,  born 
in  1632,  died  Jan.  30,  1712.  He  was  made  a 
freeman  in  l6o8.  In  1667  he  and  others 
bought  lands  of  the  Indians  in  Monmouth,  N. 
J.,  and  he  lived  there  some  years,  returning  to 
Rhode  Island  before  the  year  1680.  On  March 
5,  1680,  he  and  several  others  bought  Pocasset 
(now  Tiverton)  lands  for  £1,100,  he  having 
three  and  three  fourths  shares  out  of  thirty 
shares  in  the  whole.  He  was  made  a  deputy 
in  1690,  and  also  assistant.  On  Feb.  27,  1690, 
he  was  elected  governor,  but  refused  to  serve 
for  reasons  satisfactory  to  the  Assembly.  This 
was  the  first  election  of  governor  after  the 
deposition  of  Andros.  In  1693  he  was  sent  to 
England  as  a  messenger  from  Rhode  Island, 
and  on  Aug.  2-ith  of  that  year  he  delivered  an 
address  and  his  own  petition  to  Queen  Mary, 
stating  the  grievances  of  the  Colony  and  pray- 
ing that  she  may  grant  such  encouragement 
therein  as  she  see  fit.  The  Assembly  allowed 
him  £135,  10s.,  8d.  for  his  charge  and  expense 
in  England  for  the  Colony's  use.  On  July  9, 
1661,  Christopher  Almy  married  Elizabeth 
Cornell,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Rebecca  Cor- 
nell, and  they  had  children :  Sarah,  born  April 
17,  1662;  Elizabeth,  Sept.  29,  1663;  William, 
Oct.  27,  1665;  Ann,  Nov.  29,  1667;  Christo- 
pher, Dec.  26,  1669;  Rebecca,  Jan.  26,  1671; 
John,  April,  1673  (died  in  1673)  ;  John  (2)  ; 
Job,  and  Catherine. 

(III)  William  Almy,  son  of  Christopher, 
born  Oct.  27,  1665,  married  (first)  Deborah 
Cook,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Borden) 
Cook,  and  (second)  Hope  Borden,  born  March 
3,  1685,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Borden. 
Mr.  Almv  resided  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.  He  died 
July  6,  1747,  and  his  wife  Hope  died  in  1762. 
His  children,  all  born  to  the  first  marriage, 
were:  Mary,  born  Aug.  7,  1689;  John,  Oct.  10, 
1692;  Job,  April  28,  1696;  Elizabeth,  Nov.  14, 
1697;  Samuel,  April  15,  1701;  Deborah,  July 
27,  1703;  Rebecca,  Oct.  14,  1705;  William  and 
Joseph,  Oct.  3,  1707. 

(IV)  Job  Almy,  son  of  William  and  Deborah 
(Cook),  born  April  38,  1696,  married  Lydia, 
born  July  8,  1700.  Their  children  were:  Deb- 
orah, born  Dec.  5,  1719,  married  in  1738  John 
Slocum;  Freelove,  born  April  18,  1723,  married 
in  1742  Edward  Springer;  Samuel,  born  Sept. 
20,  1725,  married  in  1746  Sarah  Wood;  Joseph, 
born  Nov.  21,  1727,  married  in  1750  Abigail 
Sisson ;  Job,  born  Oct.  10,  1730,  married  in 
1750  Ann  Slocum;  Lydia,  born  Feb.  19,  1732- 
33,  married  Benjamin  Akin,  and  maybe  in  1750 


John  Wing;  Thomas,  born  Nov.  5,  1735,  died 
April  9,  1737;  Christopher,  born  May  29,  1738, 
married  in  1762  Elizabeth  Sanford;  and  Hope, 
born  April  14,  1746,  married  in  1763  William 
Howland. 

(V)  Christopher  Almy  (2),  son  of  Job  and 
Lydia,  born  May  29,  1738,  married  in  1762 
Elizabeth  Sanford.  Their  children  were : 
Peleg,  born  Sept.  2, 1764,  married  in  1787  Deb- 
orah Almy;  Giles,  born  April  29,  1766,  mar- 
ried in  1787  Mary  Macomber;  Benjamin  was 
born  March  21,  1768;  Freelove,  born  March 
16,  1770,  married  in  1789  William  Cory;  Rich- 
ard, born  June  22,  1773,  married  in  1799  Pa- 
tience Wilcox;  Thomas  was  born  April  22, 
1775.  What  is  known  as  the  mansion  house  on 
the  old  Job  Almy  place  in  Westport  stands  near 
the  road,  faces  south  and  commands  a  magnifi- 
cent view  of  the  Atlantic  ocean  south  and  west 
of  the  Elizabeth  islands.  It  is  the  only  two- 
story  gambrel-roofed  house  in  old  Dartmouth, 
and  belongs  to  the  latest  variety  of  that  type. 

Job  Almy  owned  the  farm,  and  in  his  will  of 
1771  he  devises  his  estate  to  his'four  sons;  and 
in  the  division  in  1778  Joseph  and  Christopher 
took  the  part  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  and 
that  on  the  west  side  was  taken  by  Job  and 
Samuel.  To  his  wife  he  gives  "the  Eastern 
most  great  room,  bed  room  adjoining,  cellar 
under  and  chamber,  and  attic  over  the  same." 
This  can  only  apply  to  the  large  house  which  in 
another  part  of  the  will  he  describes  as  "my 
new  dwelling  house,"  which  he  specially  devised 
to  his  son  Joseph.  It  is  safe  to  conclude  that 
this  house  was  built  between  1765  and  1770. 

This  land  originally  belonged  to  Hugh 
Mosher,  who  sold  it  to  William  Almy,  who  was 
the  owner  in  1710,  and  this  large  farm  has  re- 
mained in  the  Almy  family  ever  since.  The 
original  house  has  probably  been  removed  or 
destroyed.  The  small  one-story  gambrel  was 
erected  about  1730,  some  distance  east  of  the 
road,  but  within  recent  years  was  moved  to  its 
present  location  and  has  been  since  used  as  the 
home  of  the  manager  of  the  farm.  It  belongs 
to  the  variety  that  was  common  in  this  section 
between  1725  and  1740. 

(VI)  Thomas  Almy,  son  of  Christopher  and 
Elizabeth  (Sanford),  born  April  22,  1775,  mar- 
ried in  1798  Sally  Gifford,  born  June  10,  1779, 
daughter  of  William  and  Patience  GifEord.  Mr. 
Almy,  who  was  somewhat  noted  for  his  great 
strength,  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  became 
a  merchant  at  Smith  Mills,  then  a  farmer.  He 
was  a  man  of  good  judgment,  and  was  active  in 
the  public  affairs  of  the  town ;  liked  the  old 
muster  days  of  the  State  militia.  He  loved  a 
good  horse  and  his  favorite  means  of  travel  was 


672 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


by  horseback.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Friends.  He  died  Nov.  23,  1868.  His  wife 
died  June  13,  1848.  Their  children  were :  Wil- 
liam, Silence,  Frederick  and  Henry. 

(VII)  William  Almy  (3),  son  of  Thomas 
and  Sally  (Gifford),  was  born  Oct.  10,  1798, 
on  the  old  Almy  homestead  in  Dartmouth, 
Mass.  He  passed  his  childhood  and  youth  on 
his  father's  farm,  receiving  in  the  way  of  an 
education  what  the  neighborhood  district  school 
afforded.  Early  in  life  he  concluded  to  become 
a  merchant,  and  with  this  end  in  view  when 
thirteen  years  of  age  walked  from  his  home  near 
Horse  Neck,  carrying  his  shoes  in  his  hand  as 
a  matter  of  economy,  to  Russell's  Mills,  where 
he  began  his  business  career  in  the  store  of  the 
late  Abraham  Barker.  In  a  few  years  he  re- 
moved to  New  Bedford,  and  was  employed  as 
bookkeeper  in  the  store  of  William  H.  Allen 
and  the  late  Gideon  Allen,  and  also  in  the 
counting  room  of  the  late  John  Avery  Parker. 
Subsequently  he  went  to  Boston,  and  found  em- 
ployment in  the  best  school  possible  for  a  mer- 
chant— the  counting  room  of  the  late  A.  &  A. 
Lawrence.  Soon  after  attaining  his  majority, 
and  doubtless  under  the  kind  auspices  of  his 
employers,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  a  fel- 
low clerk  named  Dexter,  establishing  the  busi- 
ness which  under  the  firm  name  of  Dexter  & 
Almy,  Almy,  Blake  &  Co.,  Almy,  Patterson  & 
Co.,  Almy,  Hobart  &  Co.,  and  Almy  &  Co.,  he 
successfully  pursued  for  nearly  fifty  years ;  this 
was  the  importing  and  jobbing  of  white  goods. 
Cool,  clear-headed  and  sagacious,  no  man  stood 
higher  in  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fel- 
lows than  William  Almy.  He  achieved  a  hand- 
some fortune  for  his  time,  but  secured  some- 
thing far  better,  a  reputation  for  spotless  integ- 
rity, and  unblemished  honor. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Almy  was  a  director  in 
the  Eagle  Bank,  Boston,  and  for  a  number  of 
3'ears  his  firm  was  selling  agent  for  various 
cotton  and  woolen  mills,  among  these  being 
the  celebrated  Wamsutta  Mills  of  New  Bedford. 
Politically  he  was  a  Whig  and  Republican. 

In  November,  1828,  Mr.  Almy  married  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Robert  and  Deborah  Brayton, 
of  Nantucket.  She  was  born  June  19,  1803, 
and  died  May  11,  1879. 

About  1830  Mr.  Almy  bought  a  portion  of 
the  old  Almy  farm,  near  Horse  Neck,  in  Dart- 
mouth, which  he  greatly  improved  and  beauti- 
fied, making  of  it  a  most  delightful  summer 
residence.  He  became  totally  blind  in  1858, 
and  in  1868  retired  from  business.  He  died 
Dec.  25,  1881,  in  Boston,  having  lived  to  a  ripe 
old  age  and  leaving  an  honored  name  and  the 
memory  of  an  active  and  useful  life. 


The  cluldren  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Almy 
were:  (1)  Sarah  died  in  infancy.  (2)  Robert 
B.,  born  Sept.  12,  1830,  died  Jan.  4,  1896. 
(3)  Sarah  H.,  born  Dec;  16,  1832,  died  Feb. 
28,  1869.  (4)  Matilda  H.  died  in  infancy. 
(5)  Henry,  born  Aug.  22,  1836,  was  a  business 
associate  of  his  father,  and  died  April  6,  1879. 
He  married  Jan.  17,  1862,  Elizabeth  Barker, 
and  their  children,  all  now  living  (1910)  were: 
Mabel,  born  Sept.  5,  1864;  Sarah  Helen,  Dec. 
19,  1870;  Henry,  June  24,  1875.  (6)  Cath- 
erine G.  died  young.  (7)  John  P.  and  (8) 
William  F.  were  twins,  born  Jan.  17,  1841. 
John  P.  never  married,  and  died  Aug.  7,  1905. 
William  F.  is  mentioned  below.  (9)  Alice  B., 
born  April  14,  1843,  died  Jan.  5,  1871,  married 
Frederick  Grinnell,  of  New  Bedford,  and  had 
a  daughter,  Alice  A.  (10)  Thomas  R.  resides 
at  New  Bedford. 

(VIII)  William  F.  Almy,  son  of  William  (3) 
and  Elizabeth,  was  born  Jan.  17,  1841.  He 
married  Alice  Gray,  of  Boston.  Soon  after  his 
marriage  he  became  associated  in  business  with 
Thomas  Gray  &  Co.,  cotton  merchants,  and  after 
Mr.  Gray's  death  he  continued  the  business  un- 
der the  name  of  Almy  &  Co.  until  he  died, 
June  14,  1898.  He  had  two  children,  William 
and  Eleanor  Brooks,  who  with  the  wife  and 
mother  survive. 

(IX)  William  Almy,  son  of  WilUam  F., 
was  born  April  9,  1874.  He  succeeded  his 
father,  William  F.  Almy,  in  the  cotton  business, 
and  after  a  few  years  formed  a  new  firm,  Almy, 
Rogerson  &  Bremer,  afterward  Almy,  Bremer 
&  Co.,  and  now  William  Almy  &  Co.  He  has 
been  successful  in  business,  being  one  of  the 
largest  cotton  mercliants  in  Boston. 

On  April  8,  1899,  Mr.  Almy  married  Elsie 
H.  Pierce,  of  New  Bedford,  daughter  of  An- 
drew G.  Pierce.  They  have  had  five  children, 
all  living  (1910)  :  William,  Jr.,  born  Nov.  30, 
1900;  Caroline  Pierce,  Oct.  9,  1901;  Robert 
•Brayton,  Dec.  1,  1902 ;  Mary  Louise,  March 
21,  1906;  Richard,  Feb.  5,  1909. 

(IX)  •  Eleanor  Brooks  Almy,  daughter  of 
William  F.  Almy,  married  April  22,  18^96,  The- 
odore G.  Bremer,  and  they  have  three  children : 
Alice,  born  May  24,  1897;  Eleanor,  Oct.  10, 
1899 ;  and  Theodore  Glover,  Jr.,  Dec.  8,  1903, 
all  living. 

FREDERICK  CHANDLER  MANN,  for  so 
many  years  connected  with  the  Carver  Cotton 
Gin  Company,  and  so  well  known  through  the 
entire  Southland  where  he  had  traveled  in  the 
interest  of  that  company,  was  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  Jan.  24,  1839,  and  died  in  East  Bridge- 
water,  Feb.  8,   1907.     The  surname  Mann  in 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


673 


England  is  found  in  "Domesday  Book,"  A.  D. 
1086,  and  here  in  New  England  history  it  has 
been  kno^vn  from  the  earliest  period  of  the 
Colonies. 

(I)  Richard  Man,  of  Scituate,  Mass.,  came 
to  New  England  previous  to  the  year  1644, 
where  in  January  of  that  year  he  took  the  oath 
of  fidelity.'  Dean,  in  his  history  of  Scituate 
^1831),  says  "Richard  Man  (planter)  was  a 
youth  in  Elder  Brewster's  family,  and  came  to 
Plymouth  in  the  'Mayflower,'  1620.  He  was 
one  of  the  Connihassett  partners  in  Scituate, 
1646.  His  farm  was  at  Man  Hill  (a  well 
known  place  to  this  day),  south  of  the  great 
Musquaslicut  pond,  and  north  of  John  Hoar's 
farm.  There  is  no  record  of  his  marriage 
here."  Mr.  Man  was  a  farmer  and  one  of  the 
original  proprietors  of  Scituate.  On  the  east 
of  liis  lands  was  the  sea.  on  the  north  Musquash- 
cut  pond,  and  still  farther  north,  bordering  on 
the  pond,  were  the  "Famies"  so  called.  In  an 
attempt  to  cross  this  pond  on  the  ice  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1655,  Richard  Man  was  drowned.  The 
records  indicate  that  he  was  a  man  of  consid- 
erable prominence  in  the  colony.  After  his 
death  his  widow  Rebecca  married  John  Cowen,  • 
and  lived  in  the  house  of  her  former  husband 
until  1670.  Richard  Man  and  his  wife  Rebecca 
had  children,  born  in  Scituate :  Nathaniel,  born 
Sept.  23,  1646,  died  July  20,  1688;  Thomas, 
born  Aug.  15,  1650 ;  Richard,  born  Feb.  5,  1652, 
married  Elizabeth  Sutton;  Josiah,  born  Dec. 
10,  1654. 

(II)  Thomas  Man,  son  of  Richard  and  Re- 
becca, was  born  Aug.  15,  1650,  in  Scituate, 
Mass.  The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah. 
The  records  indicate  that  Mr.  Man  was  a  large 
landholder,  and  more  than  twenty  transfers  to 
and  from  him  are  found  in  the  record .  of  con- 
veyances. In  one  or  two  deeds  he  is  called  a 
wheelwright,  but  his  chief  occupation  was  farm- 
ing. In  1703  he  bought  lands  of  his  brother 
Richard,  and  ten  years  later  deeded  them  to  his 
own  son  Thomas.  He  was  a  coroner's  juror  in 
1677,  and  in  1680  his  name  was  propounded 
as  a  freeman  for  the  next  year  if  the  town  ap- 
proved. His  children  were :  Josiah,  born 
March  11,  1679,  died  in  1708,  unmarried; 
Thomas,  horn  April  5,  1681 ;  Sarah,  born  Nov. 
15,  1684,  married  a  Gibbs;  Mary,  born  March 
15,  1688;  Elizabeth,  born  March  10,  1692;  Jo- 
seph, born  Dec.  27,  1694;  Benjamin,  born  Feb. 
19,  1697,  married  Martha  Curtis;  and  Ensign, 
"born  about  1699,  married  widow  Tabitha  Vinal, 
of  Scituate. 

(Ill)* Thomas  Man  (2),  son  of  Thomas,  bom 
April  5, 1681,  in  Scituate,  married  Dec.  8,  1714, 
Deborah  Joy.     In  some  accounts  he  is  men- 

43 


tioned  as  a  cordwainer,  but  his  principal  occu- 
pation was  farming  on  lands  deeded  to  him  by 
his  father  in  1713.  He  died  Dec.  8,  1714.  His 
children  were:  Josiah,  born  Dec.  7,  1715, 
married  Jan.  2,  1741,  Mary  Chubbuck,  who  died 
in  1800;  Capt.  Thomas,  born  Nov.  26,  1717, 
married  (first)  Ruth  Damon,  and  (second) 
Deborah  Briggs;  David,  born  Nov.  9,  1719, 
married  Alice  Healey;  Deborah,  born  Feb.  20, 
1721,  married  in  1749,  Abner  Curtis  of  Han- 
over; Sarah,  born  Feb.  20,  1721,  married  Jesse 
Curtis  of  Hanover;  and  Ebenezer,  born  Dec. 

28,  1725. 

•  (IV)  Ebenezer  Man,  son  of  Thomas  (2), 
born  Dec.  28,  1725,  in  Scituate,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried (first)  Aug.  22,  1751,  Rebecca  Magouq, 
who  was  the  mother  of  all  his  children.  •  He 
married  (second)  Oct.  1,  1772,  Ursula  Ran- 
dall. His  life  was  spent  chiefly  in  Pembroke, 
Mass.,  where  he  is  mentioned  as  a  shipwright, 
having  early  purchased  lands  at  what  was 
known  as  the  brick  kilns,  a  famous  shipbuild- 
ing locality  in  the  early  history  of  the  town. 
He  also  had  lands  near  the  North  river  bridge 
and  later  purchased  an  estate  where  Thomas 
Man  afterward  lived.  He  died  about  1805,  in 
Pembroke,  Mass.  His  children  were :  David, 
l)orn  Oct.  19,  1752  (0.  S.) ;  Rebecca,  born  Jan. 
12,  1755,  married  Joshua  Turner;  Ebenezer, 
l)orn  Aug.  6,  1757,  married  Sarah  Buffington; 
Betsey,  born  Oct.  14,  1759,  married  Thomas 
Nash. 

(V)  David  Mann,  son  of  Ebenezer,  born  Oct. 
19,  1752  (0.  S.),  in  Pembroke,  Mass.,  married 
Dec.  24,  1778,  Betsey  Bates,  of  Duxbury,  Mass. 
In  deeds  Mr.  Mann  is  called  a  shipwright.  It 
is  said,  also,  that  he  was  a  farmer,  and  a  dea- 
con in  the  "First  Church"  in  Pembroke,  Mass. 
He  died  there  Nov.  22,  1838,  leaving  a  will. 
His  wife  died  at  Pembroke,  in  1828,  aged  sixty- 
eight  years.  Children,  all  born  in  Pembroke, 
were:  Huldah,  born  Aug.  7,  1780  (married 
Jabez  Josselyn)  ;  David,  born  Nov.  29,  1782; 
Comfort,  born  July  11,  1785;  Ebenezer,  born 
Oct.  12,  1788  (married  Alma  Josselyn)  ;  Isaiah, 
born  May  22,  1791;  Daniel,  born  Nov.  8,  1793; 
Thomas,  born  June  10,  1796;  Betsey,  born 
April  18,  1799  (married  John  Turner  of  Pem- 
broke) ;  Josiah,  born  Oct.  16,  1801;  and  Me- 
linda,  born  June  4,  1807. 

(VI)  David  Mann,  son  of  David,  born  Nov. 

29,  1782,  in  Pembroke,  Mass.,  married  there 
Jan.  24,  1805,  Rebecca  Oldham,  daughter  of 
David  and  Rebecca  (Chandler)  Oldham,  of 
Pembroke,  born  Sept.  18,  1785,  and  died  Jan. 
7,  1855.  Both  are  buried  in  Central  cemetery. 
Mr.  Mann  was  a  resident  of  Pembroke,  Mass., 
by  trade  a  ship  joiner,  a  very  skillful  and  in- 


674 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


dustrious  workman.'  He  took  large  contracts 
in  Medford  and  elsewhere,  and  employed  many 
men  in  his  day.  He  died  in  Pembroke,  Oct. 
11,  1858.  His  children  were:  John  C,  born 
April  6, 1806,  married  Sylvia  L.  Hedge  ;  David 
0.,  born  Dec.  13,  1808,  married  Nancy  Austin; 
Jonathan  0.,  born  Dee.  13,  1808,  married  Eliza 
A.  Sears;  Almira,  born  April  1,  1811,  married 
George  Taber;  Adeline,  born  Feb.  13,  1813, 
married  George  Oldham;  Elizabeth,  born  Dec. 
26,  1815,  married  Robert  Ramsdell ;  Mary  T., 
born  July  15,  1820,  married  Seth  Whitman, 
Jr. ;- and  Lucy  P.,  born  Sept.  3,  1822,  married 
Horace  J.  Foster. 

(VII)  John  Chandler  Mann,  son  of  David 
and  Rebecca,  was  born  in  Pembroke,  April  6, 
1806,  and  died  April  23,  1867.  He  attended  the 
common  schools,  and  then  learned  the  mold- 
er's  trade  in  the  iron  foundries,  aft#r  wliich 
he  went  to  Boston  and  worked  at  Alger's  foun- 
dry as  master  workman,  later  becoming  super- 
intendent. He  was  also  employed  at  different 
times  in  Canton,  and  in  Bridgewater,  Mass. 
On  March  1,  1827,  he  married  Silvia  Lovell 
Hedge,  born  in  Nantucket,  Nov.  25,  1806, 
daughter  of  John  and  Clarissa  (Crowell) 
Hedge,  of  Pembroke.  She  died  in  Pembroke, 
June  23,  1875,  and  was  buried  beside  her  hus- 
band in  Central  cemetery.  Their  children,  born 
in  Pembroke  and  Boston,  were:  (1)  Maria, 
born  Feb.  26,  1828,  married  Sept.  27,  1847, 
James  R.  Josselyn  (who  died  in  1882),  and 
had  three  children,  Ella  F.  (married  E.  M. 
Jones),  Oilman  and  James  E.  (2)  Priscilla 
Josselyn,  born  April  9,  1830,  married  April  29, 
1849,  Dr.  Francis  Collamore,  of  Pembroke,  and 
had  two  children,  Fiorina  M.  (born  June  28, 
1862)  and  Francis,  Jr.  (born  Oct.  23,  1855, 
and  residing  in  East  Bridgewater).  (3) 
Charles  E.,  born  April,  1833,  died  in  August, 
1833.  (4)  Clara  Hedge,  born  April  6,  1834, 
married  Sept.  12,  1858,  Josiah  Dean  Bonney, 
and  had  a  son,  Charles  Dean  (born  July,  1867, 
married  to  Etta  Stetson).  (5)  John  Hedge, 
born  September,  1836,  died  August,  1842.  (6) 
Frederick  Chandler  is  mentioned  below.  (7) 
Louise  Frances,;. born  Aug.  1,  1841,  married 
Jan.  29,  1865,fHenry  B.  White,  and  they  made 
their  home  in  Boston,  where  both  died,  and  they 
are  buried  at  Forest  Hills  cemetery  tliere.  Tliey 
had  two  sons,  Harry  Howard  and  Frederick 
Leonard.  (8)  Florena  Ella,  born  July  8,  1843, 
died  Nov.  26,  1860.  (9)  Edwin  Forrest,  born  in 
September,  1845,  died  Nov.  19,  1860.  (10) 
Julia  Augusta,  born  Aug.  7,  1848,  married  Wil- 
liam P.  Bates,  of  Boston,  and  their  son,  William 
Franklin,  born  in  June,  1876,  resides  at  Ever- 
ett, Massachusetts. 


(VIII)  Frederick  Chandler  Mann,  son  of 
John  Chandler,  was  born  in  Boston,  Jan.  24,. 
1839,  but  was  still  quite  young  when  his  father 
took  his  family  back  to  the  old  homestead  in 
Pembroke.  There,  in  the  public  schools  he  ac- 
quired his  preliminary  education,  and  his  stud- 
ies were  completed  in  Hanover  Academy.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  came  to  East  Bridgewater, 
where  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  serving 
his  apprenticeship  with  William  Hudson.  He 
then  went  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  for  a  Mr.  Gale  for  about  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to 
East  Bridgewater,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the- 
Carver  Cotton  Gin  Company  in  the  wood  work- 
ing department,  setting  up  the  wooden  parts  of 
the  cotton  gin.  Later  he  went  into  the  machin- 
ery department,  and  while  there  perfected  a 
number  of  inventions,  which  were  made  use 
of  in  cotton  seed  oil  machinery.  On  several  of 
these  he  was  granted  Letters  Patent,  under 
which  he  licensed  the  above  named  company 
to  manufacture.  He  was  also  for  many  years 
directly  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  a 
cotton  seed  huller,  another  patented  invention 
of  his. 

When  Mr.  Mann  started  on  the  road  as  a 
traveling  salesman,  it  was  to  sell  machinery 
to  box  board  mills  through  New  York,  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire,  Maine  and  Canada.  He- 
proved  his  worth,  and  the  Carver  Company  sent 
him  South  through  North  Carolina,  South  Car- 
olina, Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  Mississippi, 
Louisiana  and  Te.xas.  His  trips  consumed 
about  nine  months  of  each  year.  He  made  his 
first  trip  in  1869,  and  his  last  in  1903.  After 
retirement  from  the  road  he  remained  in  the 
employ  of  the  same  company  until  some  months 
before  his  death.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  East 
Bridgewater  Savings  Bank. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Mann  was  a  Mason,  taking 
the  first  three  degrees  in  Fellowship  Lodge,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Bridgewater,  and  later  became- 
a  member  of  Satucket  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
East  Bridgewater,  and  was  a  life  member  of' 
the  Satucket  Royal  Arch  Chapter  at  Brockton. 
In  his  younger  days  he  belonged  to  the  Good' 
Templars,  and  was  always  a  believer  in  tem- 
perance. In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  First  Parish  (Unitarian) 
of  East  Bridgewater.  His  remains  rest  in  Cen- 
tral cemetery.  East  Bridgewater. 

On  Nov.  23,  1864,  Mr.  Mann  married  Pa- 
melia  Leonard  Hill,  daughter  of  Leonard  and' 
Pamela  (Cushing)  Hill,  of  East  Bridgewater. 
To  bless  this  union  came  children  as  follows: 
(1)  Charles  Frederick,  born  April  12,  1869,  in 
East   Bridgewater,   is   unmarried,   and   resides 


C^>^^Y^^    C3  ^^'^y^^Kf^^^ 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


675 


with  his  mother  at  the  old  home.  He  graduated 
from  the  East  Bridgewater  high  school  in  1885, 
and  from  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Commercial 
School  in  Boston  in  June,  1886.  The  following 
August  he  became  time  keeper,  paymaster  and 
assistant  bookkeeper  in  the  Carver  Cotton  Gin 
Company,  where  he  remained  until  April  30, 
1893,  when  he  resigned.  On  May  1,  1893,  he 
became  treasurer  of  the  East  Bridgewater  Sav- 
ings Bank,  and  still  holds  that  position.  He 
has  been  active  in  public  affairs,  and  served 
as  town  treasurer  from  1902  until  1911,  when 
he  resigned.  In  1902  and  1903  he  was  town 
clerk.  For  several  years  he  was  treasurer  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  East  Bridgewater,  and  of 
the  Savings  Bank  Treasurers  Club  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial 
Club  of  Brockton.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason, 
belonging  to  Satucket  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  East  Bridgewater,  in  which  he  is  past  mas- 
ter; Harmony  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Bridge- 
water,  in  which  he  is  past  high  priest ;  Brocktcfti 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  of  Brockton;  Old  Colony 
Commandery,  No.  15,  K.  T.,  of  Abington,  in 
which  he  is  generalissimo;  and  in  1900  and 
1901  was  District  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the 
24th  Masonic  District.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
First  Parish  (Unitarian)  of  East  Bridgewater, 
and  for  several  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  parish  committee.  (2)  Mary  Isabel,  born 
March  12,  1876,  attended  the  public  schools  of 
East  Bridgewater,  and  the  Bryant  &  Stratton 
Commercial  School  in  Boston,  after  which  she 
was  bookkeeper  in  the  East  Bridgewater  Sav- 
ings Bank  for  eight  years,  resigning  then  on 
account  of  ill  health;  she  married  Nov.  17, 
1910,  Leon  E.  Keith,  of  Campello,  Mass.,  where 
they  reside.  (3)  Grace  Leonard,  born  April 
19,  1882,  attended  the  public  schools,  and  was 
graduated  from  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Bridgewater,  in  1903.  She  taught  school  in 
Raynham  Center  for  a  time ;  she  married  Dec. 
27,  1910,  Andrew  Richmond  Parker,  of  East 
Bridgewater,  where  they  reside. 

In  1900  Mrs.  Mann  purchased  the  old  Hobart 
house  on  Central  street,  and  has  since  made  it 
her  home.  This  house  was  built  in  1799,  by 
Gen.  Sylvanus  Lazell,  and  is  a  fine  specimen  of 
the  New  England  architecture  of  that  period. 


Hill.  The  Hill  family,  to  which  Mrs.  Mann 
belongs,  is  descended  from  (I)  John  Hill,  immi- 
grant, who  was  at  Dorchester,  Mass.,  in  1633. 
His  wife  Frances  was  admitted  to  the  church 
before  1639.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Boston 
Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company.  He 
died  May  31,  1664.  His  will  was  proved  June 
30,  1664.    He  bequeathed  to  his  wife  Frances, 


sons  John  and  Samuel,  and  daughter  Mary. 
His  widow  married  (second)  Jonas  Austin,  and 
removed  to  Taunton,  being  dismissed  from  the 
Dorchester  Church,  June  28,  1674;  he  died  at 
Dorchester,  Nov.  18,  1676.  To  John  and  Fran- 
ces Hill  were  born  children:  John  settled  at 
the  "Farms,"  on  Charles  river,  was  twice  mar- 
ried and  died  before  March  20,  1718;  Frances; 
Jonathan,  baptized  Aug.  12,  1640;  Mary  mar- 
ried April  12,  1656,  Thomas  Breck,  of  Sher- 
born ;  Samuel,  baptized  in  1638,  died  young; 
Samuel  (2),  in  1640;  Hannah,  born  in  1641, 
removed  to  Taunton;  Mercy,  born  Jan.  8,  1642- 
43;  Ebenezer  sold  land  in  Dorchester,  1675; 
Martha,  baptized  Aug.  20,  1648;  Mehetabel, 
baptized  Feb.  18,  1650-51 ;  Ruth  married  Roger 
Willis ;  and  Rebecca  was  admitted  to  the  church 
Sept.  11,  1664. 

(II)  Jonathan  Hill,  son  of  John,  baptized 

Aug.  12,  1640,  married  Mary ,  and  early 

removed  to  Bridgewater,  Mass.  Their  children 
were:  Nathaniel  married  in  1710,  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Conant;  Ebenezer;  Jon- 
athan perhaps  went  to  Middleboro;  Mary  mar- 
ried in  1702,  Elnathan  Bassett;  and  Bethiah 
was  a  member  of  the  church  in  1724. 

(III)  Ebenezer  Hill,  son  of  Jonathan,  mar- 
ried in  1714,  Susanna,  daughter  of  Jacob  Leon- 
ard. They  died,  he,  in  1760,  and  she,  in  1764. 
Their  children  were:  Ebenezer,  born  in  1715; 
Jacob,  born  in  1717;  Israel,  born  in  1719;  and 
Eleazer,  born  in  1730. 

(IV)  Jacob  Hill,  son  of  Ebenezer,  married 
in  1754,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Bonney, 
of  Pembroke.  Their  children  were :  Hezekiah, 
born  in  1754;  Jacob,  born  in  1756;  Susanna, 
born  in  1759;  Abigail,  born  in  1761;  Eleazer, 
born  in  1764.  Of  these  Hezekiah  and  Eleazer 
went  to  Maine.  The  parents  died,  he,  in  1804, 
aged  eighty-seven,  and  she,  in  1781,  aged  fifty- 
one. 

(V)  Jacob  Hill  (2),  son  of  Jacob,  born  in 
1756,  married  in  1780,  Anne,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Tribou,  a  Frenchman  who  settled  in 
Bridgewater,  as  early  as  1745,  and  his  wife 
Margery  Pratt.  Their  children  were:  Mel- 
zar,  horn  in  1783;  Jacob,  born  in  1784;  Nanny, 
born  in  1786,  married  in  1809  Ephraim  Carey, 
and  went  to  Minot;  Leonard,  born  in  1788,  is 
mentioned  below.  Of  these,  Melzar  married 
Mary  Howland  and  went  to  Minot,  now  Au- 
Imrn,  Maine ;  Jacob  was  graduated  from  Brown 
University  in  1807,  settled  as  a  lawyer  at  Minot 
and  married  Marcia  Lobdell.  The  parents  died, 
he,  in  1827,  aged  seventy,  and  she,  in  1823, 
aged  sixty-five. 

(VI)  Leonard  Hill,  son  of  Jacob  (2),  born 
in  East  Bridgewater,  March  28,  1788,  married 


676 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(first)  in  1817,  Polly,  daughter  of  Jonah  Willis, 
of  Bridgewater.  To  this  union  was  born  a  son, 
Charles  Henry,  who  died  in  Boston  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three  years.  Mr.  Hill  married  (sec- 
ond) Pamela  Cushing,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Zerviah  (Chamberlain)  Cushing,  of  East 
Bridgewater.  All  are  buried  in  the  Central 
cemetery  at  East  Bridgewater.  The  children 
born  of  the  second  marriage  were :  Pamelia 
Leonard,  now  Mrs.  Mann;  and  Mary  Caroline, 
born  Aug.  20,  1843,  who  married  America 
Emerson  Stetson,  of  Whitman,  and  they  had 
one  son,  Frank  Cushing  Stetson,  who  married 
Lizzie  Gertrude  Soule,  of  Whitman;  they  have 
been  the  parents  of  four  children,  Dorothy  Eliz- 
abeth (who  died  in  infancy),  Dana  Emerson, 
Robert  Jackson  and  Theodore. 

DARLING.  (I)  John  and  Dennis  Darling 
appeared  at  Braintree,  Mass.,  appro.ximately  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  To  the  latter  is 
traced  the  lineage  of  Joseph  Monroe  Darling,  so 
long  well  knowii  in  Fall  River.  Jojm  Darling 
was  at  Braintree,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1660.  He 
married  in  1664  Elizabeth  Dowman  (?),  and 
Dennis  married  in  1662  Hannah  Francis,  both 
families  having  children. 

(II)  Capt.  John  Darling,  son  of  Dennis,  bom 
Sept.  2,  1664,  in  Braintree,  married  there  (first) 
Elizabeth  Tliompson.  She  died  in  1687,  and  he 
married  (second)  in  1690  Anne,  and  (third) 
Elizabeth  Morse.  Captain  Darling  settled  in 
Bellingham,  Mass.  He  is  reputed  to  have  been 
a  great  business  man,  and  owner  of  considerable 
land.  He  is  said  to  have  headed  the  petition  for 
the  setting  off  of  the  town  of  Bellingham,  whicli 
was  incorporated  in  1719.  He  died  in  1753-54, 
in  Bellingham,  aged  eighty-nine  years.  His 
children  born  to  the  third  marriage  were: 
Elizabeth,  Samuel,  Ruth,  Hannah,  Margaret, 
Ebenezer,  Mary,  Martha,  Abigail  and  Deborah. 

(III)  Capt.  Samuel  Darling,  son  of  Capt. 
John,  born  March  18,  1693-94,  died  Feb.  17, 
1774.  He  married  (first)  Dec.  15,  1716,  Mar}' 
Thompson,  of  Mendon,  Mass.,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  Samuel,  Michael,  Elizabeth,  Ruth, 
Abigail,  John,  Rachel,  Penelope  and  Joshua. 

(IV)  John  Darling,  son  of  Capt.  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Thompson)  Darling,  had  children: 
John,  Nathaniel,  Seth,  Penelope,  Sarah  and 
Hannah.  The  will  of  John  Darling  was  pro- 
bated April  1,  1800,  at  Dedham,  Mass..  giving 
to  his  son  Seth  his  estate  as  provided  therein. 

(V)  Seth  Darling,  son  of  John,  was  bom 
April  28,  1777.  in  Bellingham,  ilass.  (prob- 
ably), and  died  Feb.  12,  1861.  He  married 
(first)  Susannah  Cook,  bom  Feb.  10,  1776,  who 
died  Oct.  12,  1812.    He  married  for  his  second 


wife  Susannali  Clark,  born  in  1784,  in  Gloces- 
ter,  R.  I.  There  were  four  children  by  the 
first  marriage:  Anna,  born  May  17,  1800; 
Horatio  N.,  born  Aug.  16,  1802  (died  in 
1871)  ;  Almira,  born  July  12,  1804  (died  July, 
1828)  ;  and  Silas  J.,  born  May  11,  1807.  By 
the  second  marriage  there  were:  Isaac  C,  bom 
July  31,  1814;  Susannah  Mercy,  born  March 
19,  1818;  Barton  M.,  born  July  18,  1821;  and 
William  J.,  born  xVpril  19,  1823 — all  born  in 
Glocester,  Rhode  Island. 

(VI)  Horatio  N.  Darling,  son  of  Seth  and 
Susannah  (Cook)  Darling,  born  in  Glocester, 
R.  I.,  Aug.  16,  1802,  died  in  1871.  He  married 
Wait  Taylor,  daughter  of  John  Taylor  (she 
was  a  cousin  of  President  Zachary  Taylor), 
and  their  children,  all  bom  in  West  Glocester, 
R.  I.,  were :  Amasa  Ross,  bom  Nov.  15,  1825, 
died  in  April,  1845;  Horatio  N.,  Jr.,  born  Nov. 
14,  1828,  married  Emetine  M.  Rich;  William 
S.,  bom  June  27,  1831,  died  in  1834;  John 
Allen,  born  Feb.  12,  1833,  married  Marietta 
J.  Rich ;  Joseph  M.,  bom  July  18,  1835,  is  men- 
tioned below;  Henry  C,  born  Aug.  5,  1837, 
married  Ruth  S.  Slade,  of  Fall  River,  and  died 
March  31,  1907;  Benjamin  L.,  born  in  1841, 
married  Rhoda  Earns,  of  Fall  River. 

(VII)  Joseph  Monroe  Darling,  son  of 
Horatio  N.  and  Wait  (Taylor)  Darling,  was 
born  July  18,  1835,  in  West  Glocester,  R.  I. 
His  parents  removing  to  Fall  River  when  he 
was  a  child  of  five  years,  he  there  passed  his 
boyhood  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools.  His  school  days  over,  he  began 
employment  in  Eddy's  Woolen  Mill  there,  in 
which  he  continued  for  three  years.  He  then 
learned  and  followed  for  a  time  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  in  time  led  to  the  business  of 
contracting  and  building,  wdiich  he  followed 
quite  e.xtensively  and  successfully  for  some  fif- 
teen years,  during  which  period  he  constructed 
in  and  about  Fall  River  many  large  business 
buildings  and  dwelling-houses  and  a  number  of 
public  buildings,  including  several  schoolhouses. 
In  the  meantime  he  gradually  drifted  into  the 
special  branch  of  business  akin  to  it — that  of 
an  architect — which  superseded  the  other  and 
in  which  he  has  now  been  engaged  for  approxi- 
mately forty  years.  And  it  is  needless  to  say 
that  during  that  long  period  he  has  designed 
not  a  few  of  the  best  class  of  houses  in  and 
about  Fall  River  and  established  an  extensive 
business.  An  illustration  of  his  taste  and  pro- 
ficiency in  his  profession  is  seen  in  the  magni- 
ficent edifice  of  the  Boys'  Club,  including  the 
older  building  and  the  new  part  erected  in 
1906,  a  gift  to  the  citv  of  Fall  River  from 
Matthew  B.  C.  Borden,  of  New  York  Citv.  . 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


677 


In  time  Mr.  Darling  took  into  business  with 
him  his  sons,  who,  having  grown  up  as  it  were 
in  this  line  of  work,  became  proficient,  and  all 
in  a  manner  have  special  features  to  which  they 
have  given  their  attention.  The  sons  Joseph 
ajid  Frederick  Darling  give  special  attention  to 
contracting,  while  George  Darling  is  a  full- 
fledged  architect  and  with  his  father  deals  with 
that  feature  of  the  work.  Mr.  Darling  is  also 
in  business  in  Newport,  having  a  partnership 
with  Aldora  Slade  on  work  in  Rhode  Island. 
They  built  the  toi-jiedo  factoiy  for  the  govern- 
ment. 

The  senior  Mr.  Darling  was  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  the  common  council  of  Fall 
River,  and  during  that  time  served  on  the 
committee  that  had  charge  of  the  introduction 
of  the  water  supply  for  the  city.  Socially  he 
is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Mason,  in  the  latter 
connection  belonging  to  Narragansett  Lodge, 
Fall  River  Royal  Arch  Chapter  and  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  Commandery. 

Mr.  Darling  has  taken  a  good  citizen's  part 
in  the  upbuilding  of  Fall  River  in  more  than 
one  respect.  He  did  his  duty  while  in  the  pub- 
lic service,  and  in  the  particular  business  to 
which  his  active  years  have  been  devoted  has 
found  opportunity  to  promote  the  material 
growth  of  the  city  and  influence  general  opinion 
in  the  right  direction  by  showing  in  his  work 
the  wisdom  of  combining  substantial  construc- 
tion with  pleasing  effects,  sacrificing  neither 
one  to  the  other. 

On  Sept.  30,  1857,  Mr.  Darling  married 
Hettie  A.,  daughter  of  George  and  Mehetabel 
Reynolds,  of  Fall  River,  but  formerly  of  Rhode 
Island.  Mrs.  Darling  died  Jan.  1,  1901.  Seven 
children  blessed  this  union:  (1)  Joseph  M. 
married  Annie  S.  Eddy,  of  Fall  River,  and  they 
had  two  children,  Joseph  M.  2d,  who  married 
Louise  Pollock,  and  Bessie,  now  deceased,  who 
married  Joseph  Palmer  and  had  four  children, 
Ethel,  Eddie,  Hettie  and  Janice.  (2)  George 
married  Frances  L.  Davis  and  had  three  chil- 
dren, Edward  W.,  Maud  F.  (wife  of  Raymond 
W.  Parlin)  and  George.  (3)  Frederick  E.  mar- 
ried Mary  Simmons  and  has  children,  Marion 
and  Wylder.  (4)  Edith  M.,  wife  of  Clinton 
G.  Albert,  city  collector,  has  children,  Dorothy 
and  Barton.  (5)  Annie  W.  is  the  wife  of  Wil- 
liam Bennett.  (6)  Edward  B.,  in  Florida,  has 
heen  twice  married ;  his  first  wife  was  Nellie 
Brightman.     (7)   Minnie  H. 

BARDEN.  The  surnames  Barden,  Bardeen, 
Burden,  and  Bourden  were  originally  Borden, 
in  the  spelling  of  which  there  are  over  thirty 
variations.      The    Bardens    of    Attleboro    and 


North  Attleboro  are  descendants  of  Richard 
Borden,  who  was  one  of  the  original  settlers  in 
Portsmouth,  Rhode  Island. 

(I)  Richard  Borden,  of  the  County  of  Kent, 
England,  born  in  1601,  came  to  New  England 
in  the  ship  "Elizabeth  and  Ann,"  in  1635, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  Joan  and  two  children. 
In  1638  he  went  from  Boston  to  Portsmouth, 
R.  L,  as  one  of  the  founders  of  that  town,  was 
admitted  a  freeman  there  in  1641,  and  subse- 
quently held  various  public  offices,  including 
that  of  deputy  to  the  General  Court.  He  wor- 
shiped with  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  in  all 
his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men  he  exemplified 
to  a  high  degree  the  principles  of  that  faith.  He 
died  in  Portsmouth  in  1671,  and  his  wife  died 
there  July  16,  1688.  Their  children  were: 
Thomas,  born  in  England ;  Francis,  also  born 
there;  Mathew,  born  in  Portsmouth  in  May, 
1638,  the  first  native  white  child  of  the  island 
of  Rhode  Island ;  John,  referred  to  below ; 
Joseph,  liorn  in  1643;  Sarah,  born  in  1644; 
Samuel,  born  in  1645;  Benjamin,  born  in 
1649  ;  Amie,  born  in  1654. 

(II)  John  Borden,  son  of  Richard,  was  bom 
in  Portsmouth,  in  September,  1640,  and  died 
there  June  4,  1716.  He  married  Dec.  25,  1670, 
Mary  Earl,  born  in  Portsmouth  in  1655,  died 
there  in  1734.  Children:  Richard,  born  Oct. 
24,  1671,  died  July  12,  1732;  John,  bom  in 
1675,  married  Sarah  Earl,  of  Portsmouth; 
Annie,  born  May  30,  1678,  married  Benjamin 
Chase,  of  Tiverton,  R.  I. ;  Joseph,  bom  Dec. 
3,  1680,  married  Sarah  Brownell,  of  Ports- 
mouth ;  Thomas  is  referred  to  below ;  Hope, 
born  March  3,  1684,  married  William  Olney, 
Jr.,  of  Tiverton;  William,  bora  Aug.  15,  1689, 
married  Alice  Hall,  of  Jamestown,  R.  I.;  Ben- 
jamin settled  in  Virginia;  Mary. 

(III)  Thomas  Borden,  son  of  John,  was  bom 
in  Portsmoutli,  R.  I.,  Dec.  13,  1682,  and  was 
residing  there  in  and  subsequent  to  1721.  He 
married  April  18,  1717,  Catherine  Hull,  born 
Feb.  23,  1689,  daughter  of  John  and  Alice 
(Teddeman)  Hull,  of  Jamestown.  He  married 
(second)  Oct.  4,  1727,  Mary  Briggs,  of  Ports- 
mouth, a  descendant  of  John  Briggs,  one  of 
the  founders  of  that  tovm.  His  three  sons, 
Thomas,  Isaac  and  Samuel  Borden  (or  Barden), 
settled  in  Attleboro.  Of  these  sons  Isaac,  who 
was  residing  in  Attleboro  in  1759,  married  Ex- 
perience Miller  and  reared  a  family;  and  Sam- 
uel, who  was  living  in  Attleboro  in  1766,  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Fuller  and  also  reared  a  family. 

(IV)  Thomas  Barden  (2),  son  of  Thomas, 
was  born  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.  He  moved  to 
Attleboro,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1756.  Prior  to 
that  he  was  concerned  with  his  brothers,  Isaac 


678 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  Samuel  Borden,  in  real  estate  transactions 
in  Tiverton  and  Portsmouth.  In  the  recorded 
deed  of  this  period  he  is  designated  as  a  weaver, 
and  he  followed  that  occupation  in  connection 
with  farming.  He  married  Susanna,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  Riggs,  and  the  latters  homestead 
was  in  1786  conveyed  to  Thomas  Harden  by  Asa 
Hopkins  for  the  sum  of  eighteen  pounds,  being- 
referred  to  in  the  deed  as  "the  real  estate  of  our 
honored  father,  Jonathan  Riggs,  late  of  Attle- 
boro."  It  was  located  on  North  Main  street, 
and  they  occupied  it  as  homestead  until  May 
14,  1793,  when  with  their  other  property  and 
real  estate,  amounting  in  all  to  about  thirty-five 
acres,  it  was  conveyed  to  Ebenezer  Roltinson,  of 
Attleboro,  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  pounds. 
In  later  years  the  Barden  homestead  on  Main 
street  came  into  the  possession  of  C'harles  Car- 
penter. Thomas  Barden  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier,  and  is  credited  with  the  following  ser- 
vice :  On  alarm  from  Rhode  Island,  he  enlisted 
from  Attleboro,  Sept.  1,  1779,  as  private  in 
Capt.  Joseph  Franklin's  company.  Col.  Nathan 
Tylor's  regiment,  served  four  montlis  and  was 
discharged  Dec.  31,  1779.  He  reenlisted  July 
28,  1780,  in  Capt.  Caleb  Richardson's  company. 
Col.  Abiel  Mitchell's  regiment,  which  was 
raised  to  reinforce  the  Continental  army,  and 
was  discharged  Oct.  31,  1780.  Children  of 
Thomas  and  Susanna  (Riggs)  Barden:  Su- 
sanna, born  Sept.  3,  1763;  Thomas,  referred  to 
below;  George,  March  15,  1767  (died  Sept.  24, 
1772);  Otis,  Dec.  6,  1769;  Eleanor,  May  26, 
1772;  James,  March  21,  1774;  Silvanus,"Nov. 
22,  1779  ;  Mollv,  July  22,  1782;  Eunice,  March 
18,  1784. 

(V)  Thomas  Barden  (3),  son  of  Thomas  (2), 
born  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  Feb.  24,  1765,  mar- 
ried Nancy  Alexander. 

(VI)  Thomas  Barden  (4),  only  child  of 
Thomas  (3),  was  born  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  May 
3,  1788.  In  early  boyhood  he  was  placed  by  his 
mother  in  the  care  of  Luther  Fisher,  of  ^Y rent- 
ham,  with  whom  he  lived  during  the  remainder 
of  his  minority,  and  attended  the  district  school. 
When  a  young  man  he  was  employed  at  heading 
nails  by  J.  T.  Wolcott  and  others  and  he  later 
worked  for  Joseph  Grant,  in  Cumberland,  R. 
I.,  remaining  there  for  several  years.  Return- 
ing to  Wrentham  he  purchased  a  farm  located 
on  Blake's  Hill,  which  from  a  rough  and  unim- 
proved condition  he  brought  to  a  high  state  of 
fertility,  and  by  his  energy  and  perseverance 
made  it  one  of  the  most  productive  pieces  of 
agricultural  property  in  that  section  of  the 
Stat«.  He  also  erected  new  buildings,  which 
were  thenceforth  kept  in  good  repair,  and  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life  the  general  appear- 


ance of  his  homestead  denoted  the  thrift,  pros- 
perity and  neatness  of  its  owner.  In  connection 
with  farming  lie  engaged  quite  extensively  in 
the  wood  and  lumber  business,  purchasing  sev- 
eral tracts  of  woodland,  the  products  of  which 
he  sold  in  the  villages  of  Attleboro  and  Paw- 
tucket,  also  Central  Falls,  and  he  also  carried 
on  a  profitable  business  in  the  manufacture  of 
hoops  for  the  West  Indian  trade.  From  the  very 
moment  in  which  he  started  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem of  life  he  never  neglected  an  opportunity 
which  promised  advancement,  and  as  a  result 
his  prosperity  continued  unabated  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  wiiich  terminated  Oct.  13, 
1845.  In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat, 
supporting  the  principle  of  equal  rights,  and 
strongly  opposing  monopolies. 

Thomas  Barden  married,  Sept.  13,  1812,  Ra- 
chael  Smith,  born  in  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  March 
1,  1789,  died  in  North  Attleboro,  Jan.  29, 
1880,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Ful- 
ler) Smith,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
Fuller.  Thomas  and  Rachael  Barden  were  in 
every  respect  exemplary  people.  They  not  only 
taught  their  children  habits  of  honesty,  frugality 
and  thrift,  but  through  their  own  example  in- 
culcated in  them  the  highest  principles  of 
Christian  morality,  and  they  made  their  home 
a  sacred  repository  of  all  that  is  noble,  righteous 
and  elevating.  The  family  attended  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  It  was  said  of  Rachael  that  she 
was  her  husband's  guardian  angel,  and  it  may 
be  truthfully  added  that  she  was  similarly  re- 
garded by  the  entire  family.  The  best  of  lielp- 
mates,  the  noblest  and  most  sacrificing  of 
mothers,  she  did  for  them  all  she  could  and  did 
it  well.  She  survived  her  husband  many  years, 
spending  her  last  days  with  her  daughter  Ann 
and  her  son  Halsey,  and  died  a  nonogenarian. 
She  reared  a  familv  of  seven  children,  namely: 

(1)  John  SmithBarden.  born  Nov.  19,  1813, 
died  Feb.  8,  1905.  He  was  an  ingenious  and 
skilled  mechanic,  inventing  and  manufacturing 
many  useful  devices,  particularly  pumps,  meters 
and  waterwheels.  He  married  Oct.  2,  1840, 
Rosetta  Ives,  who  was  born  May  15,  1820,  and 
died  Oct.  5,  1893.  Children:  Jesse,  born  in 
1847,  died  Jan.  4,  1848 ;  Lorinda,  born  in 
1842,  died  June  20,  1881. 

(2)  Ann  Elizabeth  Barden,  bom  Sept.  3, 
1816,  died  July  16,  1876.  She  taught  school 
in  Attleboro  and  Wrentham,  and  was  married 
Sept.  3,  1838,  to  Joseph  Blake.  Children: 
Edmund  M.,  born  Sept.  9,  1839,  died  Feb.  10, 
1910,  married  Ellen  Cheever,  and  had  one 
daughter,  Ethelyn  ;  Halsev  T.  was  bom  Nov.  26, 
1845;  Bradford  S.,  born  Aug.  26,  1848,  died 
Oct.  24,  1849 ;  George  Henry,  bora  Aug.  9,  1851, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


679 


married  Elmira  Blackington  and  had  one  son, 
Elmer. 

(3)  Thomas  Alexander  Barden,  born  May  30, 
1819,  died  Feb.  7,  1905.  He  was  a  merchant 
and  manufacturer  and  later  a  farmer,  was  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  served  the  town  of  North 
Attleboro  as  selectman.  On  Oct.  12,  1813,  he 
married  Susan  Emily  White,  who  was  bom 
Aug.  23,  1819,  and  died  Feb.  12,  1890.  Chil- 
dren: Emily  Frances,  born  June  1,  1845,  died 
Dec.  27, 1845 ;  Francis  Irving,  born  Dec.  4,  184(3, 
jnarried  Sept.  25,  1867,  Harriett  B.  Warren,  and 
had  one  daughter,  Mabel  Warren,  bom  June 
17,  1868,  who  married  June  11,  1890,  William 
F.  Swift,  and  died  Jan.  20,  1910;  Ella  Irene, 
bom  Oct.  6,  1851,  married  Dec.  25,  1878, 
Oeorge  Eugene  Fisher,  and  has  had  children, 
Charles  Ellis  (bom  Jan.  24,  1880),  Eugene 
(bom  1882,  died  in  infancy),  Elliott  B.  (born 
Aug.  1,  1894,  died  1903)  ;  Walter  Elliott,  bom 
Dec.  10,  1853,  married  June  6,  1877,  Lucy  S. 
Bugbee,  who  was  born  Sept.  2,  1851,  and  died 
June  11,  1901.  the  mother  of  six  children, 
Harry  E.  (born  June  26,  1878),  Elvena  B. 
(born  Nov.  29.  1879,  married  April  4,  1906, 
Chester  F.  Melendy),  Louise  Annie  (bom  April 
•3,  1882),  Helen  S.  (bom  June  16,  1887), 
Thomas  Russell  (born  Jan.  22,  1890),  and 
Estelle  (bom  July  18,  1894);  Evelyn  Rhoda, 
bom  Oct.  20,  1858,  died  March  3,  1859;  Elvena 
Rachael,  twin  of  Evelyn  Rhoda,  died  April  10, 
1867;  Emily  Louise  was  bom  July  3,  1861. 

(4)  Laurinda  White  Barden,  born  June  6, 
1821,  died  Oct.  6,  1838. 

(5)  Joseph  Grant  Barden  is  referred  to  below. 

(6)  Stephen  Halsey  Barden,  born  Aug.  30, 
1826,  died  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  June  19,  1881. 
He  was  with  his  brother  Joseph  in  the  grocery 
business  in  North  Attleboro,  and  later  with 
Frederick  E.  Keep,  as  Barden  &  Keep,  in  the 
wholesale  flour  and  butter  business  in  Provi- 
xience,  R.  I.  He  married  April  27,  1856,  Sarah 
Ann  Crossley.  Children  :  Charles  Albert,  bom 
Feb.  26,  1858,  married  Dec.  19,  1887,  Clara 
■Cornelia  Wilbur;  Frederick  William,  bom  Jan. 
5,  1860,  married  (first)  in  November,  1885, 
Emily  Carter,  who  died  July  3,  1900,  and  mar- 
Tied  (second)  Sept.  6,  1906,  Mrs.  Marion  Hale 
Hilzer;  Wallace  Lincoln,  born  Sept.  23,  1862, 
married  Sept.  23,  1885,  Jennie  E.  R.  Cranston, 
-who  died  Sept.  5,  1901,  the  mother  of  one 
•daughter,  Madeline  (bom  Sept.  7,  1887),  and 
be  married  (second)  March  31,  1910,  Gertmde 
May  Speakman;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  5, 
1864,  died  Sept.  5,  1866 ;  Edward  Everett,  bom 
Sept.  19,  1867.  married  Sept.  24,  1891,  Mary  E. 
Wood,  of  South  Pasadena,  Cal.,  and  has  chil- 
dren, Harold  (bom  Sept.  5,  1892)  and  Stephen 


Halsey  (bom  Dec.  27, 1900) ;  Estelle  Jane,  born 
Dec.  6,  1874,  married  in  August,  1902,  Floyd 
Rowe  Watson,  and  has  one  child,  Norman  Allen, 
bom  May  11,  1909. 

(7)  Clarissa  A.  Barden,  born  Sept.  13,  1829, 
died  Sept.  28,  1875.  She  taught  school  for 
many  years;  married  Oct.  12,  1856,  George  E. 
Bicknell,  who  was  born  March  10,  1829,  died 
March  5,  1900.  Children :  George  Atherton, 
born  June  25,  1858,  married  Olive  Simonson; 
Annie  Louise,  born  July  31,  1864,  married 
Nov.  13,  1888,  Henry  P.  Palin,  and  has  had 
children,  Chester  A.  (born  July  27,  1889),  Ho- 
mer Alden  (born  July  13,  1892),  and  Lester 
(born  July  29,  1890,  died  Nov.  10,  1890). 

(VII)  Joseph  Grant  Barden,  son  of  Thomas 
(4)  and  Rachael  (Smith),  was  bom  in  Wrent- 
ham  Sept.  2,  1824,  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  seven 
children.  He  was  educated  in  his  home  district, 
called  Blake's  Hill.  In  the  years  of  his  child- 
hood and  early  manhood,  Wrentham  being 
largely  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  straw 
bonnets,  nearly  every  well-to-do  farmer  re- 
served a  plat  of  land  whereon  he  raised  straw, 
cradled,  cured  and  bunched  in  June,  afterward 
cut  out,  whitened,  split  and  made  ready  for 
braiding.  This  was  much  in  demand  by  those 
who  manufactured  bonnets.  During  the  long 
winter  evenings  the  children,  both  boys  and 
girls,  were  seated  around  the  tallow  candle, 
each  having  their  number  of  yards  to  braid. 
Those  energetic  enough  to  complete  their  task 
early  could  have  for  their  own  use  all  they 
earned  afterward.  Here  was  a  chance  for  our 
protege  to  own  what,  above  all  things,  he  de- 
sired— a  violin.  With  the  aid  of  a  master  he 
soon  became  proficient,  and  his  presence,  with 
V)ow,  was  one  thing  needful  at  parties  and  sing- 
ing schools.  Later  he  sold  his  first  purchase 
and  secured  one  of  the  finest  violins  then  made ; 
this  was  a  lifelong  companion.  It  was  menial 
service  in  those  days,  even  for  a  promising 
youth,  to  walk  beside  a  yoke  of  oxen,  with  cords 
of  wood,  to  be  delivered  in  Providence  some 
fourteen  miles  away,  and  bring  back  whatever 
was  ordered  by  grocers  or  contractors  of  build- 
ings in  the  villages  he  passed.  Much  of  the 
route  on  his  way  was  at  that  time  thinly  peo- 
pled, so  he  was  acquainted  with  the  heads  of 
each  household,  and  in  the  decline  of  his  life 
enjoyed  greatly  the  narration  of  those  jour- 
neys, which  he  punctuated  with  many  funny  in- 
citlents.  Soon  after  his  twenty-first  birthday, 
his  father's  death  placed  him  as  the  head  man- 
ager of  the  homestead  farm.  In  1847,  two  years 
later,  his  younger  brother  Halsey  and  he  be- 
came partners  in  this  and  other  lines  of  busi- 
ness.    They  started  a  small  grocery  trade,  also 


680 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


manufactured  hoop  poles,  which  found  a  ready 
sale  in  Providence.  They  quarried  from  a  ledge 
on  the  farm  large  quantities  of  stone,  not  de- 
livered, however,  by  the  oxen  his  father  had 
owned,  but  by  two  pairs  of  fine  spirited  horses 
of  his  own  purchase.  The  success  which  fol- 
lowed proved  his  ability  in  planning  work  and 
acting  as  leader  in  responsible  places.  In  1850 
they  built  the  house  on  the  corner  of  Park  and 
Whiting  streets,  the  ground  floor  being  used  as 
a  grocery  and  dry  goods  store  by  their  older 
brother,  Thomas  A.  In  1853  Thomas  A.  sold 
the  business  to  them.  Two  years  later,  1855, 
Joseph  Grant  and  Stephen  Halsey  Barden 
erected  a  fine  structure  at  the  junction  of  Park 
and  Washington  streets,  locating  their  business, 
"Flour,  Grain  and  Groceries,"  on  the  east  side 
of  the  building,  and  renting  to  Thomas  A.  the 
west  side  for  dry  goods.  The  second  story  was 
fitted  and  furnished  for  a  hall.  It  was  dedi- 
cated on  Thanksgiving  Eve,  1855,  and  is  re- 
membered as  the  first  building  (aside  from  the 
shops)  in  North  Attleboro  where  gas  had  been 
installed.  It  was  known  as  "Barden's  Store." 
Residents  in  town  and  the  towns  adjoining 
made  this  the  "mecca  of  trade'" ;  their  rule  was 
"large  sales  with  small  profits."  In  1857  Mr. 
Barden  changed  his  residence  to  North  Attle- 
boro, but  managed  the  homestead  farm  until 
1861.  The  year  1864  found  the  brothers  in 
partnership  with  Charles  B.  Thompson,  who 
had  been  in  their  employ  as  clerk.  Joseph  G. 
(always  the  buyer)  now  made  several  trips 
West,  purchasing  cargoes  of  com,  and  flour  from 
mills,  visiting  the  dairj'  farms  of  Vermont  and 
New  Hampshire,  purchasing  at  first  cost. 
Shortly  afterward  he  also  established  a  grain 
business  in  Providence  with  Otis  Cook,  and  con- 
ducted it  successfully  till  1868,  when  it  was 
dissolved.  In  1869  the  brothers  (partners  for 
twenty-two  years)  sold  the  North  Attleboro 
store  and  business  to  Charles  B.  Thompson.  In- 
dustrious and  persevering  by  nature,  Joseph  G. 
decided  in  1878  to  give  the  coal  trade  a  trial. 
This  he  followed  for  seven  years  with  good  re- 
sults. Later  he  was  the  senior  member  of  a 
jewelry  firm  known  as  Barden,  Blake  &  Com- 
pany of  Plainville,  and  in  1897  he  retired  from 
active  service  and  the  jewelrj'  plant  passed  into 
the  hands  of  one  of  liis  sons.  His  judgment 
regarding  the  value  of  property  was  considered 
excellent  and  his  conscientious  scruples  (never 
swerving  from  right  for  either  party)  made  him 
even  in  early  manJiood  much  in  demand  as  a 
referee  in  the  appraisal  of  estates.  He  filled 
various  offices  of  trust  in  town,  those  of  select- 
man, school  committeeman,  surveyor  of  streets, 
assessor,  overseer  of  the  poor,  member  of  the 


building  conunittee  for  the  high  school,  alms- 
house, etc.  He  with  Henry  F.  Barrows  obtained 
from  the  Legislature  the  charter  for  the  North 
Attleboro  waterworks;  this  charter  was  later 
transferred  to  the  town.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Attleboro  Agricultural  Association 
during  the  years  of  its  existence,  filling  many 
of  its  offices  without  stint  of  time,  labor  or 
purse ;  was  vice  president  of  same  for  two  years. 
The  Attleboro  Savings  Bank  he  served  for  fifteen 
years  as  member  of  tlie  investigating  committee 
and  more  than  twenty  years  as  trustee.  Of  the 
Plainville  Savings  and  Loan  Association  he  was 
trustee  and  director  for  twentv-three  years;  in 
the  records  of  the  association  lor  190.3  his  long 
connection  with  the  association  is  pointed  to 
with  great  pride  by  the  board  of  directors  and 
they  regretted  to  be  obliged  to  accept  his  resig- 
nation, the  secretary  being  requested  to  pre- 
pare a  set  of  resolutions  on  the  long  and  able 
service  of  Mr.  Barden,  the  retiring  trustee.  He 
was  from  early  life  greatly  interested  in  all 
things  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  town 
and  its  suburbs.  Though  his  zeal  even  at  this 
date  was  in  no  way  abated,  his  declining  health 
caused  him  to  relinquish  one  by  one  his  accus- 
tomed public  places,  the  last  one  as  director  of 
the  North  Attle))oro  Gaslight  Compan^y,  to 
which  office  he  was  chosen  in  1862,  remaining 
on  the  board  until  his  death,  a  period  of  forty- 
six  years.  He  was  often  a  member  of  some 
committee  to '  attend  to  its  most  important 
affairs ;  also  an  auditor  of  the  company  for  many 
years,  which  made  him  familiar  with  all  the 
details  of  the  business.  The  following  is  quoted 
from  the  writings  of  one  among  them:  "Mr. 
Barden  was  a  very  valuable  member  of  the 
board,  and  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by 
other  members  whose  financial  interests  were 
larger  than  his  own.  He  had  the  entire  con- 
fidence of  those  associated  witli  him."  A  man 
of  temperance  and  integrity,  of  few  words, 
when  he  expressed  liis  opinion  they  carried 
weight.  Gifted  like  his  mother  with  a  remark- 
able memory,  he  was  a  great  reader  and  kept 
in  touch  with  all  events  of  the  day.  He  never 
aspired  to  oflice,  yet  during  Cleveland's  admin- 
istration was  urged  by  the  Democratic  party 
to  allow  his  name  to  be  \ised  and  was  nominated 
as  representative.  Though  the  Republican  party 
won,  this  is  worthy  of  note — he  ran  far  beyond 
his  ticket.  He  had  a  wide  acquaintance  among 
business  men,  and  held  the  respect  of  those  with 
whom  he  had  associated  during  his  long  life 
of  eighty-four  years. 

Joseph  Grant  Barden  married  Dec.  9,  1857, 
Arm  Frances,  born  in  Attleboro,  daughter  of 
Stephen  and  Chloe  ilartin  (Pierce)  Clark,  the 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


681 


former  a  blacksmith  of  Wrentham.  Children: 
(1)  Cora  Florence,  born  Aug.  31,  1859,  has 
been  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  North 
Attleboro  for  nearly  thirty  years.  (2)  Arthur 
Stephen,  born  Oct.  9,  1861,  died  July  18, 
1864.  (3)  Edgar  Joseph,  born  March  26,  1865, 
is  an  engraver.  (1)  Winthrop  Francis  is  men- 
taoned  below.  (5)  Adelbert  Mason,  born  June 
18,  1872,  is  connected  with  the  J.  C.  Hall  Com- 
pany, of  Providence,  R.  I.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  foreman  of  their  lithographing 
department,  and  is  now  the  traveling  salesman. 
He  is  a  member  of  Aurora  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
of  North  Attleboro,  and  the  Masonic  bodies. 
He  married  Dec.  5,  1899,  Mattie  Louise  Dean, 
of  North  Attleboro.  (6)  Henry  Clark,  bom 
May  12,  1875,  is  an  electrical  engineer.  He 
graduated  from  Tufts  College  in  1897,  was  for 
seven  years  chief  electrician  at  the  Massachu- 
setts statehouse,  and  he  is  now  doing  business 
in  Attleboro  as  an  electrical  contractor  and 
dealer  in  electrical  goods. 

(VIII)  WixTHROP  Francis  Baeden,  third 
son  and  fourth  child  of  Joseph  Grant  and  Ann 
Frances  (Clark)  Barden,  was  born  in  North 
Attleboro,  Mass.,  Dec.  3,  1868.  His  education 
was  acquired  at  the  public  and  high  schools, 
supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  Bryant  & 
Stratton  commercial  college  in  Providence,  R. 
I.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1888.  He 
then  became  bookkeeper  for  Wade,  Davis  & 
Company,  of  Wrentham  (now  Plainville), 
Mass.,  remaining  with  them  till  1893,  when  he 
was  made  manager  of  the  jewelry  manufac- 
turing concern  of  Barden,  Blake  &  Company. 
In  1897  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Martin 
I.  Chapman,  the  firm  name  being  Chapman  & 
Barden,  manufacturers  of  jewelry.  In  1904 
they  removed  their  business  to  more  commo- 
dious quarters  at  No.  37  County  street,  Attle- 
boro. Two  years  later  Mr.  Chapman  disposed 
of  his  interest  to  Harry  E.  Hull,  the  new  firm 
being  Barden  &  Hull,  manufacturers  of  solid 
gold  jewelry.  Mr.  Barden  was  for  a  number  of 
years  a  director  of  the  Plainville  Savings  and 
Loan  Association.  He  was  the  leading  spirit 
in  the  organization,  under  the  Massachusetts 
laws,  of  the  Bronson  Building  Company,  an 
a.ssociation  which  bought  the  late  Dr.  John  R. 
Bronson  homestead  property  and  built  a  mod- 
em block  called  the  Bronson  building,  which 
in  addition  to  stores  and  offices  contains  the 
very  attractive  and  convenient  Masonic  halls 
and  parlors.  Later  the  Bronson  apartments 
and  court  building  were  erected,  these  being 
among  the  substantial  structures  of  Attleboro. 
Dr.  Charles  S.  Holden  is  president  of  this  com- 
pany, Maj.  E.   S.  Horton  was  vice  president, 


and  Mr.  Barden  is  director  and  general  manager 
of  the  properties.  Mr.  Barden  has  also  erected 
a  residence  on  Soiith  Main  street,  where  he  now 
resides.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pilgrim  (Uni- 
tarian) Church  of  Attleboro,  one  of  the  stand- 
ing committee  and  served  on  the  committee  in 
charge  of  the  erection  of  the  church  recently 
built.  He  is  a  member  of  the  following  organ- 
izations: Bristol  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons;  King  Hiram  Chapter,  Royal 
Arch  Masons;  Attleboro  Council,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters;  Bristol  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar  (now  holding  the  office  of  com- 
mander) . 

Mr.  Barden  married,  at  Attleboro,  April  12, 
1899,  Louise,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  R.  and 
Catherine  F.  (Wheelock)  Bronson.  Dr.  Bronson 
was  distinguished  as  a  physician  and  surgeon, 
in  general  practice  in  Attleboro.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  served  as  surgeon  and  at  one  time 
was  in  charge  of  the  military  hospital  at 
Fortress  Monroe.  [See  Bronson  and  Pierce 
genealogies.] 

DeWITT  CLINTON  PACKARD,  of  Brock- 
ton, is  perhaps  best  known  as  the  oldest  town 
clerk  of  Plymouth  county  in  regard  to  length 
of  service.  He  has  been  city  clerk  of  Brockton 
throughout  the  period  of  its  existence  as  a  city, 
and  was  serving  as  town  clerk  when  the  change 
from  town  to  city  government  took  place.  He 
has  held  the  office  continuously  since  first 
elected  to  it,  at  present  (1911)  rounding  out 
his  thirtieth  year  in  that  incumbency. 

Mr.  Packard  was  born  Sept.  22,  1834,  in 
the  town  of  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brock- 
ton), Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.,  and  is  a  descend- 
ant in  the  eighth  generation  from  Samuel 
Packard,  the  emigrant  ancestor  of  a  numerous 
and  respected  family  of  this  section.  We  give 
an  outline  of  the  earlier  generations  herewith. 

(I)  Samuel  Packard  (name  in  early  records, 
both  at  Hingham  and  Bridgewater,  Packer) 
came  from  Windham,  near  Hingham,  in  Eng- 
land, with  wife  and  child  in  the  ship  "Dili- 
gence," of  Ipswich,  in  1638,  and  settled  at 
Hingham.  He  was  a  proprietor  in  1638.  He 
removed  to  West  Bridgewater,  where  the  first 
settlements  in  the  town  were  made.  He  was 
constable  in  1664,  and  licensed  to  keep  an 
ordinary,  or  tavern,  1670.  From  his  will,  pro- 
bated March  3,  1684-85,  it  appears  that  the 
Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Elizabeth.  His 
children  were:  Elizabeth,  Samuel,  Zaccheus, 
Thomas,  John,  Nathaniel,  Mary,  Hannah,  Is- 
rael, Jael,  Deborah  and  Deliverance.  Of  the 
daughters,  Elizabeth  married  Thomas  Alger, 
of  Easton;  Mary  married  Richard  Phillips,  of 


682 


SOUTHEASTEEN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


Weymouth  ;  Hannah  married  Thomas  Randall ; 
Jael  married  John  Smith;  Deborah  married 
Samuel  Washburn;  Deliverance  married 
Thomas   Washburn. 

(II)  Zaccheus  Packard  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  John  Howard,  and  their  children 
were:  Israel,  born  in  1680;  Sarah,  born  in 
1682;  Jonathan,  born  in  1684;  David,  born 
in  1687;  Solomon,  born  in  1689;  James,  born 
in  1691;  Zaccheus,  born  in  1693;  John,  born 
in  1695;  and  Abiel,  born  in  1699.  The  father 
died  in  1723.  The  daughter  Sarah  married 
in   1704  Capt.  Josiah  Edson. 

(III)  David  Packard,  son  of  Zaccheus,  bprn 
in  1687,  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  John 
Ames.  He  was  among  the  first  settlers  in  the 
North  parish,  which  later  became  North 
Bridgewater,  and  subsequently  changed  to 
Brockton.  He  lived  on  what  in  the  early  years 
of  the  nineteenth  century  was  the  Capt.  Robert 
Packard  place.  His  children  were :  David', 
born  in  1713;  William,  born  in  1715;  Han- 
nah, born  in  1718;  Isaac,  born  in  1720;  Mary, 
born  in  1722;  Ebenezer,  born  in  1724;  Abiah, 
born  in  1727;  Mehetabel,  born  in  1730;  and 
Jane,  born  in  1734.  The  father  died  in  1755, 
and  the  mother  passed  away  in  1767.  Of  the 
daughters,  Hannah  married  in  1737  Samuel 
Brett;  Mary  married  in  1740  Daniel  Richards; 
Mehetabel  married  in  1748  Simeon  Brett;  and 
Jane  married  in  1755  Matthew  Kingman. 

(IV)  William  Packard,  son  of  David,  born 
in  1715,  married  in  1740  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Richards.  Mr.  Packard  lived  to  be 
ninety  years  of  age,  dying  in  1805.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Amy,  born  in  1741;  Hannah,  born 
in  1743;  William,  born  in  1745;  Lemuel,  born 
in  1747;  Sarah,  born  in  1750;  Silvanus,  born 
in  1752;  Keziah,  born  in  1754;  and  Matilda. 
Of  the  daughters,  Amy  married  in  1764  Levi 
French;  Hannah  married  in  1765  Philip  Rey- 
nolds, and  afterward  in  1782  Enos  Thayer; 
Sarah  married  in  1769  Samuel  Sturtevant ; 
Keziah  married  a  Pierce ;  and  Matilda  married 
in  1783  Capt.  Zachariah  Gurney. 

(V)  William  Packard  (2),  son  of  William, 
born  in  1745,  man-ied  in  1769  Hannah,  daugh- 
ter of  Nathaniel  Reynolds,  and  their  children 
were:  Sihon,  born  in  1770;  Nancy,  born  in 
1772;  Eliphaz,  and  William.  The  mother  of 
these  died,  and  the  father  married  (second) 
in  1784  Mary  Wales,  by  whom  he  had  chil- 
dren :  Ambrose,  Cyrus,  Charles,  Hannah,  Polly, 
Matilda  and  Sarah.  Of  these  Eliphaz  removed 
to  Milton,  and  William  went  to  Stoughton. 

(VI)  Sihon  Packard,  son  of  William  (2), 
born  in  1770,  married  in  1794  Abigail  Scott, 
of  Dedham.    Their  children  were :  Betsey,  who 


died  unmarried;  Joseph  S. ;  Oren;  Sihon; 
Isaac ;  Washburn  ;  John ;  Nathaniel  R. ;  David ; 
and  Mary,  who  died  young.  Of  these  Oren 
married  in  1821  Sally  Skinner,  of  Mansfield; 
Isaac  married  Laura,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Bryant,  of  East  Bridgewater;  and  David  lived 
in  Boston. 

(VII)  Washburn  Packard,  son  of  Sihon, 
was  born  Dec.  26,  1805,  and  married  Jan.  15, 
1832,  Hannah  Packard,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Packard.  They  had  two  children,  namely : 
DeWitt  Clinton,  born  Sept.  22,  1834;  and 
Julia  Frances,  who  died  Oct.  8,  1844.  The 
mother  died  Oct.  9,  1850,  and  on  Jan.  3,  1852, 
Mr.  Packard  married  (second)  Phebe  Thomas 
Sherman,  daughter  of  Otis  Sherman,  of  Roch- 
ester, Mass.  Mr.  Packard  was  a  shoe  manu- 
facturer and  his  factory  was  situated  on  Pond 
street.  He  was  well  known  and  highly  re- 
spected in  Brockton,  where  he  died  Feb.  14, 
1881.     His  widow  died  Dec.  21,  1892. 

(VIII)  DeWitt  Clinton  Packard  received 
his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
local  academies,  and  studied  out  of  school, 
reading  somewhat  of  the  classics,  Greek  and 
Roman,  and  taking  French  and  German  under 
native  teachers.  For  some  time  after  leaving 
school  he  worked  with  and  assisted  his  father 
in  the  latter's  business  of  shoe  manufacturing, 
and  then  became  a  school  teacher.  About  the 
year  1859  he  was  chosen  principal  of  the  acad- 
emy at  Plympton,  Mass.,  and  served  there  two 
years,  resigning  in  1861.  He  also  taught  in 
common  schools.  In  1862  he  reentered  the 
shoe  business,  in  which  he  continued  success- 
fully for  a  number  of  years.  In  1865,  form- 
ing a  copartnership  with  Oliver  F.  Leach, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Leach  &  Packard,  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  for  the 
Southern  and  Western  trade.  This  partner- 
ship held  until  1871,  when  it  was  dissolved, 
and  Mr.  Packard  continued  alone,  manufactur- 
ing niainly  for.  the  New  England  trade,  until 
1879.  Then  this  business  was  gradually  aban- 
doned for  the  mortgage,  brokerage  and  real 
estate  line,  in  which  he  was  engaged  until  his 
election  as  city  clerk. 

Mr.  Packard  has  been  'prominent  in  town 
and  city  afPairs  for  many  years,  and  has  held 
numerous  local  positions.  From  1877  to  1888 
he  was  a  trustee  and  a  member  of  the  board 
for  the  management  of  the  public  library. 
From  1879  to  1883  he  was  a  member  of  the 
school  committee.  In  1880  he  was  a  member 
of  the  committee  of  citizens  chosen  to  prepare 
and  obtain  a  city  charter,  in  1881  was  chosen 
town  clerk,  and  in  1882  elected  city  clerk, 
which    position    he    has    held    continuously   to 


%^01l 


ejuv.(A^_^J 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


683 


the  present  time;  since  1875  he  has  held  a 
commission  as  justice  of  the  peace ;  in  1880 
he  was  a  United  States  census  enumerator;  in 
1884  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor  a  com- 
missioner to  qualify  civil  officers,  and  he  has 
been  an  examiner  under  the  Massachusetts 
civil  service  rules  since  their  adoption. 

Mr.  Packard  has  for  many  years  given  prac- 
tically all  his  time  to  lus  duties  as  city  clerk 
of  Brockton,  where  he  has  the  confidence  of  all 
classes,  regardless  of  political  color.  With  all 
the  work  involved  in  the  faithful  discharge  of 
his  responsibilities,  he  nevertheless  finds  time 
to  be  genial,  kindly  and  obliging,  and  he  never 
fails  to  give  his  services  willingly  wherever  he 
can  be  of  any  assistance,  particularly  in  any 
work  connected  with  his  branch  of  the  muni- 
cipal administration.  All  the  records  and 
statistics  of  the  city,  the  minutes  of  the  board 
of  aldermen,  and  numerous  other  important 
matters,  are  recorded  and  taken  care  of  in  his 
office,  and  the  fact  that  the  records  are  in 
most  excellent  shape  shows  that  Mr.  Packard 
has  kept  pace  with  the  increasing  demands  of 
his  work,  which  has  not  only  grown  in  a  ma- 
terial way  since  he  first  took  office,  but  which 
has  also  widened  in  scope  and  importance  to 
an  extent  unlooked-for  at  that  day.  The  sup- 
port his  fellow  citizens  gave  him  when  they 
held  him  over  from  the  town  to  the  city  govern- 
ment has  been  Justified  by  the  high  value  of 
his  services.  He  has  never  allowed  his  work 
to  become  a  mere  mechanical  performance  of 
duty,  but  has  shown  himself  progressive  and 
enterprising  in  his  conception  of  its  possibili- 
ties and  responsibilities,  and  his  work  has  been 
highly  appreciated.  To  his  "tireless  energies 
and  safe  and  wise  counsel,"  according  to  one 
executive,  the  city  owes  much  of  her  prog- 
ress and  integrity,  a  criticism  which  indicates 
the  personal  interest  Mr.  Packard  has  taken 
in  the  intelligent  administration  of  his  office, 
which  has  been  marked  by  courtesy,  faithful- 
ness and  efficiency  in  every  detail. 

Mr.  Packard  has  not  been  able  to  limit  his 
usefulness  and  knowledge  of  municipal  affairs 
strictly  to  his.  own  work,  as  during  his  many 
years  of  service  as  city  clerk  he  lias  acquired 
a  fund  of  information  regarding  allied  mat- 
ters which  makes  him  an  authority  consulted 
by  many  who  have  become  familiar  with  the 
extent  and  variety  of  his  knowledge.  More- 
over, his  reputation  has  extended  to  other  cities 
of  the  Commonwealth.  The  clerks  of  the  dif- 
ferent cities  meet  for  discussion  of  matters 
pertaining  to  tlicir  duties,  and  his  word  and 
suggestions  are  treated  with  the  most  respect- 
ful  consideration    in    such   gatherings.      Many 


citizens  and  even  lawyers  in  Brockton  ha.Ne 
consulted  him  on  important  questions  regard- 
ing municipal  affairs  and  certain  legal  prob- 
lems, and  the  highest  compliment  that  could 
be  paid  to  his  acquisitions  in  this  respect  is 
the  standing  of  those  who  regard  him  as  a 
reliable  authority.  He  has  a  record  almost 
unique. 

While  a  young  man,  or  rather  in  youth,  Mr. 
Packard  had  some  connection  with  the  news- 
paper press,  serving  as  a  reporter  on  the  North 
Bridgewater  Gazette,  and  also  occasionally  con- 
tributing to  the  Boston  Post,  Traveller,  Satur- 
day Evening  Gazette,  New  England  Farmer, 
and,  later,  the  Rural  New  Yorker. 

On  Jan.  5,  1865,  Mr.  Packard  was  married 
to  Clarissa  J.  Leach,  daughter  of  Oliver  and 
Susannah  (Howland)  Leach.  Mrs.  Packard 
is  a  woman  of  intelligence  and  executive  abil- 
ity, and  is  her  husband's  able  assistant  in  the 
city  clerk's  office.  They  have  had  two  chil- 
dren, Clinton  Francis  and  Clara  Washburn. 

(IX)    Clinton   Francis   Packard,  born   Sept. 

11,  1867,  in  Brockton,  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  place,  and  finished  his  schooling  at 
Wilbraham  Academy.  He  is  serving  as  as- 
sistant city  clerk  under  his  father.  On  Dec. 
25,  1887,  he  married  Annie  J.  Stewart,  and 
they  have  had  one  child,  Blanche  L.,  born  Sept. 
10,"  1890. 

(IX)  Clara  Washburn  Packard,  born  March 

12,  1872,  was  married  to  Frank  N.  Sherman, 
who  died  March  7,  1897.  She  died  May  33, 
1903.  They  had  three  children,  Marian  Nel- 
son, Mary  Wilbur  and  Carlton  Packard. 

LUTHER  (Fall  River  family).  For  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  and  more  there  has  lived 
in  and  been  prominent  in  the  commercial  life 
of  Fall  River  the  family  of  the  late  Samuel 
Martin  Luther,  where  father  and  .son,  respec- 
tively, have  figured  as  contractor  and  builder 
and  manufacturer;  the  son  being  the  present 
Charles  Bateman  Luther,  treasurer  of  the 
Luther  Manufacturing   Company. 

This  Warren  (R.  I.) -Fall  River  Luther  fam- 
ily is  a  branch  of  the  earlier  Swansea  family, 
whose  progenitor,  Capt.  John  Luther,  came  to 
the  shores  of  New  England  some  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  years  ago. 

(I)  The  name  of  John  Luther  appears  the 
twenty-seventh  on  the  list  of  the  forty-six 
ancient  or  original  purchasers  of  Taunton, 
1638.  Nothing  definite  seems  to  have  been  set 
forth  by  the  writers  of  the  early  comers  to 
New  England  of  Mr.  Luther.  A  captain  of  a 
vessel   trading  to   Delaware,  from   Boston,   of 


684                                      SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

this  name  in  1644  was  killed  by  the  Indians  first  pastor  as  well  as  in  his  broadly  catholic 
in  that  river  [see  Winthrop  II,  203,  237].  spirit.  "The  Congregational  element  found 
The  General  Court  decreed  22d  of  May,  1646,  the  ne\Y  minister  less  ready  to  grant  the  same 
that  the  widow  Luther  should  have  the  balance  liberal  privileges  as  to  church  fellowship,  in- 
of  her  husband's  wages  according  to  sea  cus-  fant  baptism,  etc.  The  new  version  of  Bap- 
tom,  after  allowing  to  the  merchants  what  tism  and  Christian  Communion,  as  given  by 
they  had  paid  for  the  redemption  of  her  son.  Elder  Ijuther,  was  not  acceptable  to  the  Pedo- 
On  Oct.  19,  1672,  Samuel  Luther,  son  of  John,  baptists  of  the  town,  and,  whether  intended  or 
made  a  demand  for  his  father's  purchase  rights  not,  helped  to  established  the  dividing  line  of 
of  the  to\vn.  In  November  following  James  denominationalism  between  the  hitherto  united 
Walker  made  reply  to  this  demand  in  sub-  parties."  These  changes  in  the  church 
stance  that  he  or  his  predecessors  had  enjoyed  covenant  with  reference  to  baptism  and  com- 
the  rights  for  thirty  years,  had  paid  all  charges,  munion  instituted  by  Elder  Luther  which  de- 
etc,  and  that  Samuel  Luther  had  no  claim  to  stroyed  the  fellowship  between  Anabaptists  and 
it.  From  a  branch  of  the  Warren  Peck-Luther  Pedobaptists  enjoyed  by  Mr.  Myles  and  his 
family  comes  the  information  that  Capt.  John  associates,  and  made  the  church  distinctly 
Luther  came  to  Boston  in  one  of  two  Dutch  Baptist,  this  change  so  distasteful  to  the  Con- 
vessels  that  arrived  there  in  1635  bringing  a  gregationalists,  opened  a  religious  controversy 
number  of  Flemish  mares,  cattle  and  some  which  twenty-five  years  later  split  Swansea,  on 
passengers;  that  Mr.  Luther  was  a  native  of  sectarian  lines,  into  two  townships. 
Germany  and  a  direct  descendant  of  the  The  children  of  Elder  Samuel  Luther  and 
mother  of  the  great  Martin  Luther  (she  was  his  wife  Mary  were:  Samuel,  born  Oct.  25, 
formerly  Margaret  Lindeman,  and  married  1663;  Theophilus,  born  Oct.  9,  1665;  Mary, 
John  Luther,  and  the  birthplace  of  Martin  born  July  80,  1668;  Joshua,  born  Nov..  25, 
Luther  was  Eisleben,  Saxony,  1483);  that  in  1670;  Elizabeth,  born  Feb.  2,  1672;  Experi- 
1637  he  became  associated  with  Elizabeth's  ence,  born  March  3,  1674;  Mehetabel,  bom 
company  in  the  purchase  of  Taunton;  that  in  Aug.  26,  1676;  Ebenezer,  born  Dec.  27,  1678; 
1644  a  charter  was  granted  to  certain  mer-  Martha,  born  Dee.  9,  1681;  Susanna;  Joanna, 
chants  of  Boston  authorizing  them  to  trade  (III)  Samuel  Luther  (2),  son  of  Elder 
with  a  colony  of  Dutch  and  Swedes  on  Dela-  Samuel,  born  Oct.  25,  1663,  married  Sarah 
ware  bay;  that  John  Luther  was  sent  as  super-  Chaffee.  Mr.  Luther  went  on  the  expedition 
intendent  of  the  ship  and  interpreter,  while  in  1690  against  Quebec,  under  Phipps.  The 
William  Aspinwall  went  to  prosecute  the  trade ;  children  of  Samuel  and  Sarah,  all  born  in 
that  a  few  years  after,  1658,  he  joined  with  Swansea,  were:  Samuel,  born  Nov.  20,  1689; 
Thomas  Willett  and  otliers  in  the  purchase  of  Caleb,  born  in  1692 ;  James,  born  March  8, 
Attleboro,  but  he  soon  sold  his  interest  to  Bos-  1693  ;  Benjamin  ;  Consider  ;  Elizabeth,  born 
ton  parties,  and  in  1667  joined  with  Willett  June  22,  1702;  Eleflzer,  born  Feb.  28,  1704; 
and  others  in  the  purchase  of  Swansea,  where  Jabez ;  and  Sarah,  born  Dec.  25,  1707. 
he   took   up   his   permanent   residencje.  (IV)    Caleb    Luther,    son    of    Samuel    (2), 

Mr.   Luther   is  made  the  father  of   Samuel  born  in   1692,   married   Mary  Cole,  of   Swan- 

and  Hezekiah  Luther,  of  Swansea,  Mass.,  who  sea,   and  their   children   were:    Freelove,   born 

according  to  the  source  mentioned  above  were  Jan.  15,  1715;  Susanna,  born  Aug.  20,  1717; 

born,  Samuel   (in  Yocumtown),  in  1638,  and  Hannah,  born   Sept.    22,    1720;    Caleb,    t)Orn 

Hezekiah,  in  1640.  April  22,  1723;  Jabez,  born    July    8,    15;25; 

(II)    (Elder)    Samuel  Luther,  son  of  Capt.  Samuel,   born    in    1727;    and    Frederick,   born 

John,   bom   in   1638   in   Yocumtown,  married  Feb.  15,  1730. 

Mary.  Captain  Luther,  as  he  was  at  one  time  (V)  Frederick  Luther,  son  of  Caleb,  bom 
styled,  was  one  of  the  most  influential  towns-  Feb.  15,  1730,  married  Feb.  16,  175J,  in 
men  of  Swansea.  He  was  deputy  from  Swan-  Swansea,  Joanna  Luther,  and  their  children, 
sea  to  the  General  Court  of  Plymouth  Colony  the  first  five  born  in  Swahsea,  Mass.,  and  the 
in  1677,  1678  and  1679,  and  his  brother  others  in  Warren,  R.  1.,  were:  Freelove,  born 
Hezekiah  was  representative  from  Swansea  to  Sept.  26,  1752 ;  Lydia,  born  July  31,  1754 ; 
the  Great  and  General  Court  of  Massachu-  Hannah,  born  Dec.  10,  1756;  Saraji,  born  Dec. 
setts  Bay  Colony  in  1706.  Rev.  John  Myles,  7,  1758;  Martin,  born  April  19,  1761;  Fred- 
pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Swansea,  died  erick,  born  June  8,  1763 ;  Rejiecca,  born  April 
in  February,  1683,  and  Elder  Samuel  Luther  17,  1765;  and  Samuel,  bom  April  11,  1768. 
became  his  successor  in  1685.  Luther,  it  is  The  father  was  a  farmfer  and  )ived  and  died 
said,  was  wanting   in  the  scholarship  of  the  in  Warren,  R.  I.,  reaching  advanced  age. 


'/,J£.^^ 


Uniji  In,  BUmai  i  Sm^.VeuTTT-h 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


685 


(VI)  Samuel  Luther  (3),  son  of  Frederick, 
born  April  H,  1768,  in  Warren,  R.  I.,  mar- 
ried Abigail  Beers,  and  located  in  the  towTi  of 
Swansea,  Mass.,  where  he  was  occupied  in 
farming  and  as  a  carpenter.  He  died  in  Fall 
River,  Mass.,  in  1843,  and  his  widow  Abigail 
passed  away  in  1858  or  1859.  Their  children 
were :  Rebecca  married  James  Bowen ;  Polly 
married  Willard  Barney;  Abbey  married  James 
Richards;  Daniel  B-  was  a  seafaring  man; 
Priscjlla  married  John  Bushee;  Samuel  M.; 
and  Nancy  married  John  Baker. 

(VII)  Samuel  Jfartin  Luther,  son  of  Sam- 
uel and  Abigail  (Beers)  Luther,  was  bom 
Nov.  15,  1806,  in  Swansea,  Mass.  He  was 
reared  on  his  father's  farm,  having  such  school 
privileges  as  it  was  in  those  days  the  custom 
to  give  farmers'  sons — attendance  at  the  neigh- 
borhood school  in  the  winters — and  working  in 
season  on  the  farm.  Quitting  the  farm  before 
he  was  of  age,  he  went  to  Providence,  R.  I., 
where  he  commenced  to  3earn  the  mason's 
trade.  But  he  was  dissatisfied,  and  in  1836 
went  to  Fall  River,  where  he  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  three  years  at  the  mason's 
trade  under  Mr.  John  Phinney,  one  of  the 
contractors  ^nd  builders  of  that  day  in  the 
town.  He  continued  to  work  for  this  employer 
after  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  his  ap- 
prenticeship as  a  journeyman  workman  until 
the  year  1831.  In  the  last  named  year  he  be- 
gan the  business  of  contracting  and  building 
on  his  own  account,  an  occupation  he  con- 
tinued in,  and  most  successfully,  throughout 
the  rest  of  his  active  business  life.  After  be- 
ginning for  himself  the  first  work  of  any  con- 
siderable size  that  he  did  was  the  building  of 
the  substantial  edifice  of  the  Congregational 
Church  still  standing  on  North  Main  street. 
Fall  River.  And  many  are  the  substantial 
buildings  in  and  about  Fall  River  of  to-day 
that  stand  as  monuments  to  his  skill  and 
workmanship.  A  practical  mechanic  himself, 
he  knew  how  a  building  should  go  up  and 
saw  to  it  that  it  was  constructed  well. 

Beginning  life  a  poor  boy,  Mr.  Luther 
through  his  own  efforts  and  force  of  character 
rose  to  position  and  wealth.  Besides  looking 
after  the  business  in  which  he  made  his  prin- 
cipal reputation,  he  became  interested  in  and 
a  director  of  a  number  of  Fall  River  enter- 
prises, among  them  the  Rotieson  Mills. 

Mr.  Luther  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife, 
Abby  M.  BoswQrth,  of  liy^^ren,  R.  I.,  born 
Feb.  21,  1809,  4yiDg  May  11,  1854.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Nov.  18,  1857,  Harriet,  born 
July  8,  1817,  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  daughter  of 
William    and    Susanna     (Spencer)     Bateman. 


Three  of  his  four  children  were  born  to  the 
first  marriage  and  died  when  young;  the 
fourth,  born  to  the  second  marriage,  is  the 
present  Charles  Bateman  Luther,  of  Fall  River. 
Samuel  Martin  Luther  died  May  14,  1887. 
Mrs.  Luther  died  Feb.  21,  1892. 

(VIII)  Charles  Bateman  Lutheh,  born 
in  Fall  River  Nov.  15,  1860,  received  his  early 
education  there  in  the  public  schools.  Gradu- 
ating from  the  high  school  in  1879,  he  entered 
Brown  University,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  1883,  with  the  degree  of 
Ph.  B.  He  was  a  member  of  the  D.  K.  E. 
fraternity.  Following  his  school  life  Mr. 
Luther  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Edison  Elec- 
tric Illuminating  Company  at  Fall  River  un- 
til September,  1887,  after  which  he  was  out  of 
business  for  a  number  of  years.  He  became 
president  of  the  Robeson  Mills  upon  the  death 
of  Lloyd  S.  Earle  in  August,  1895,  and  con- 
tinued as  such  nntil  1903;  he  was  treasurer 
pro  tem  from  March,  1898,  to  January,  1899. 
In  1903  he  started  the  Luther  Manufacturing 
Company,  named  for  his  father,  and  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  the  property  of 
the  Robeson  Mills  and  enlarging  and  develop- 
ing same  by  the  addition  of  new  buildings  and 
machinery  for  the  manufacture  of  a  higher 
grade  of  cloth.  Mr.  Luther  organized  this  com- 
pany and  became  treasurer  thereof,  which  posi- 
tion he  has  since  held;  Mr.  Leontine  Lincoln 
is  president  of  the  company  and  Mr.  John  H. 
Estes  vice  president.  Under  the  financial  guid- 
ance of  Mr.  Luther  the  plant  has  been  most 
successful  and  its  product  has  attained  a  high 
reputation.  In  addition  to  his  connection  with 
this  concern  he  is  interested  in  the  Stafford 
and  Flint  Mills,  being  president  and  a  direc- 
tor of  the  first  named  and  a  director  of  the 
latter.  He  is  vice  president  and  director  of 
the  new  Charlton  Mills.  He  is  a  man  of 
broad  capabilities,  as  he  has  proved  in  the 
management  and  wisely  planned  development 
of  his  properties,  and  ranks  well  among  mill 
interests  for  the  skill  he  has  displayed  in  their 
promotion  and  evolution. 

Mr.  Luther  married  Lottie  H.  Robinson, 
daughter  of  John  H.  and  Charlotte  (Brownell) 
Robinson,  of  Fall  River.  They  have  no  chil- 
dren. Mr.  Luther  is  a  member  of  the  Que- 
quechan  Club  of  Fall  River,  Squantum  Club  of 
Providence,  Fall  River  Cotton  Manufacturers' 
Association  and  the  Rhode  Island  Country 
Club. 

ELWIN  T.  WRIGHT,  one  of  Rockland's 
leading  business  men  and  well-known  shoe 
manufacturers,   is   the   treasurer   of   the   shoe 


686 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


manufacturing  corporation  of  E.  T.  Wright  & 
Co.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Plympton, 
Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.,  Nov.  6,  1852,  and  is  a 
descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the 
old    Plymouth   Colony. 

(I)  William  Wright,  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America,  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  William 
who  was  baptized  at  Austerfield,  England,  in 
1588,  and  came  in  the  ship  "Fortune,"  in  1621, 
with  his  wife  Priscilla,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  Alexander  Carpenter,  and  son  Richard. 

(II)  Richard  Wright,  son  of  William,  born 
about  1607,  died  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  June  9, 
1691.  In  1644  he  married  Hester  Cook,  and 
they  had  children,  Adam,  Esther,  Mary,  Jolm 
and  Isaac. 

(III)  Adam  Wright,  son  of  Richard,  born 
about  1644,  died  Sept.  20,  1724.  He  was  twice 
married,  marrying  (first)  Sarali  Soule,  daugh- 
ter of  Jolm  Soule,  of  Duxbury,  and  grand- 
daughter of  George  Soule,  of  the  "Mayflower."' 
They  had  two  children,  John  and  Isaac.  He 
married  (second)  Mehitable  Barrows,  and  they 
had  children :  Samuel ;  Moses ;  James ; 
Nathan;  Esther,  who  married  Daniel  Pratt; 
Sarah,  who  married  Seth  Fuller;  Mary,  who 
married  Jeremiah  Giflford ;  and  Rachel,  who 
married  Ebenezer  Barlow.  Adam  Wright  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town  of  Plympton, 
Massachusetts. 

(IV)  Moses  Wright,  son  of  Adam  and  Me- 
hitable (Barrows)  Wright,  was  born  in 
Plympton,  Mass.  He  married  Thankful  Bowles, 
of  that  town. 

(V)  Ebenezer  Wright,  son  of  Moses,  born  in 
the  town  of  Plympton,  where  he  made  his 
home,  was  married  to  Deliverance  Churchill, 
of  Plympton,  where  his  death  occurred. 

(VI)  Zebedee  Wright,  grandfather  of  Elvin 
T.  and  son  of  Ebenezer,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Plympton  in  1785.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  made  his  home  in  Plympton 
during  his  active  life.  The  last  years  of  his 
life  were  passed  with  his  son  Lorenzo,  in  East 
Abington  (now  the  town  of  Rockland),  with 
whom  he  died  Dec.  7,  1865.  Zebedee  Wright 
was  married  to  Rhoda  Ganmions,  a  native  of 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  who  died  in  Aiigust,  1850, 
in  Plympton,  and  they  were  both  buried  in 
Plympton.  The  children  born  to  this  union 
were:  Annie,  who  married  Elisha  Vaughn,  and 
became  the  grandmother  of  ex-Gox.  William 
L.  Douglas,  of  Brockton;  Isaiah,  who  married 
Elizabeth  Brigdon,  of  Middleboro;  Rufus,  who 
married  Zerviah  Ripley,  of  Plympton ;  Rich- 
ard, who  married  Azubah  Tillson,  of  Middle- 
boro; Peris,  who  died  at  sea;  Adeline  Crocker, 
who  married   (first)   Levi  Churchill  and   (sec- 


ond) Rufus  Curtis;  Rhoda,  who  married  Chip- 
man  Ripley,  and  resided  in  Whitman,  Mass. ;. 
Ebenezer,  who  married  Fannie  Vickery ;  Cyrus, 
who  married  Sarah  Cody;  John  Gammons,  who 
marrie'd  Hulda  Vickery,  of  Plympton;  Row- 
land Allen,  who  married  Sarah  P.  Wright;  Lo- 
renzo, mentioned  below;  Rebecca  Ganunons, 
who  married  Nathaniel  Billings,  of  Plympton; 
Mary  Jane,  who  died  aged  five  years;  and 
Julia  Keith,  who  died  aged  two  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wright  were  members  of  the  Con- 
,iegational  Church. 

(VII)  Lorenzo  Wright,  son  of  Zebedee 
Wright,  was  born  July  27,  1825,  on  the  home- 
stead in  the  to\^^l  of  Plympton,  and  there  at- 
tended the  district  school.  At  an  early  age  he 
started  to  learn  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  and 
while  still  in  his  teens  went  to  Chelsea,  Mass., 
where  he  found  employment  at  his  trade.  Here 
he  continued  for  some  time,  where  his  mar- 
riage occurred,  and  a  year  or  so  later  returned 
to  his  native  town  of  Plympton  and  worked  at 
his  trade  for  a  short  period.  Later  he  moved 
to  South  Braintree,  Mass.,  and  from  there  to 
East  Abingtim,  now  the  town  of  Rockland, 
where  he  engaged  at  the  shoemaking  trade 
also.  He  was  for  a  time  engaged  with  his  son 
Elwin  T.,  in  the  manufacturing  of  shoes,  and 
later  worked  for  his  son  in  the  sole  leather 
department  of  his  factory.  In  1900  he  retired 
from  active  business  and  is  now  making  his 
home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  John  G.  Owens,, 
in  Rockland,  still  active  and  in  good  physical 
health.  He  is  a  stanch  Democrat  of  the  old 
school,  a  member  of  the  Union  Glee  Club  of 
Rockland,  and  is  identified  with  the  Unitarian 
Church. 

Lorenzo  Wright  was  married  in  Chelsea,, 
Mass.,  to  Catharine  O'Connell,  who  died  in 
Rockland  April  18,  1888,  and  is  buried  in 
Mount  Pleasant  cemetery.  Their  children  were : 
Loring  L.,  who  resides  in  Rockland ;  Leman, 
who  died  in  infancy ;  Elvrin  T.,  mentioned  be- 
low; Emma  W.,  who  married  Jeremiah  Rior- 
don,  and  has  one  child,  Helen  K. ;  Esther  Ann, 
born  Sept.  9,  1859,  who  died  Oct.  1,  1859; 
Juanita,  who  married  George  Harrington; 
Julia  Anna,  born  March  21,  1864,  who  mar- 
ried John  G.  Owens,  and  resides  in  Rockland ; 
and  William  Preston,  bom  Sept.  23,  1866,  who- 
resides  in  North  Abington,  Massachusetts. 

(VIII)  Elwin  T.  Wright  was  educated  in 
East  Abington,  now  the  to\vn  of  Rockland.  In 
early  boyhood  he  learned  the  trade  of  his  father, 
and  in  1876  he  started  in  the  shoe  business 
for  himself.  His  first  factory  was  a  bam 
where  he  and  his  father  with  the  assistance- 
of  his  wife  began  the  manufacturing  of  shoes,. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Gsr 


and  this  was  the  foundation  of  tlie  wen-kno\vn 
firm  of  E.  T.  Wright  &  Co.  of  to-day.  Mr. 
Wright  and  his  father  continued  in  business 
for  a  short  time,  and  in  1879  Mr.  Wright  took 
into  partnership  liis  father-in-law,  Charles 
Grose,  of  Scituate,  they  beginning  the  manu- 
facture of  shoes  on  the  site  of  the  present  plant, 
the  firm  being  known  as  E.  T.  Wright  &  Co. 
This  partnersiiip  continued  until  1885,  when 
it  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Wright  took  in  as 
partner  Charles  Richards,  the  firm' then  bec:om- 
ing  Wright  &  Richards,  and  this  partnership 
continued  for  eight  years.  In  the  year  1893 
this  partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Wright  con- 
ducting it  alone  until  1896,  when  Alfred  W. 
Donovan  was  taken  in  as  partner  and  the  busi- 
ness was  carried  on  under  the  old  firm  name  of 
E.  T.  Wright  &  Co.  In  1906  it  was  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts with  Alfred  W.  Donovan  as  president 
and  Elwin  T.  Wright  as  treasurer  under  the 
name  of  E.  T.  Wright  &  Co.,  Inc.  Many  addi- 
tions have  been  made  to  the  factory  from  time 
to  time  and  it  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  fac- 
tory establishments  in  the  Bay  State,  employing 
about  650  hands,  and  manufacturing  about 
three  thousand  pairs  of  shoes  per  day,  doing  a 
business  of  upward  of  two  millions  of  dollars 
per  year.  The  product,  knowTi  as  the  "Just 
Wright"  shoe,  is  shipped  to  all  parts  of  the 
United  States,  Hawaiian  Islands,  Canada,  and 
other  parts  of  the  world.  The  concern  has 
offices  at  Boston,  New  York,  Pittsburg,  Phila- 
delphia, San  Francisco,  Lynchburg  (Va.)  and 
also  in  London,  England. 

Mr.  Wright  is  a  man  of  enterprise  and  pro- 
gressive ideas.  He  is  kind  and  generous  and 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  people  who  -are  in 
his  employ.  A  thorough  business  man,  thrifty 
and  mdustrious,  he  is  an  excellent  citizen,  and, 
though  not  an  office-seeker,  is  much  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  his  community.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Commercial  Club,  of  Rockland,  hav- 
ing been  at  one  time  its  president;  a  member 
of  the  New  England  Shoe  &  Leather  Associa- 
tion ;  the  Trade  Club  of  Boston ;  member  of 
Standish  Lo<lge,  I.  0.  0.  F. ;  past  grand  master 
of  the  Lodge  and  member  of  Grand  Lodge  of 
the  State ;  member  of  Abadour  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Boston ;  Pilgrim  Royal  Arch  Chapter, 
and  Old  Colony  Commandery;  Knights  Tem- 
plar, of  Abmgton  ;  the  Massachusetts  Consistory 
(thirty-second  degree,  of  Boston),  and  Aleppo 
Temple,  Order  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Bos- 
ton. He  is  also  member  of  the  Union  Glee 
Club,  of  Rockland. 

On  Jan.  27,  1873,  Mr.  Wright  married  Mary 
F.,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  A.  Grose,  of 


Scituate,  Mass.  Mrs.  Wright  has  proved  her- 
self a  willing  helpmate,  having  assisted  her 
husband  in  his  early  struggles,  and  much  of  his 
successful  life  is  due  to  her  assistance  and  en- 
couragement. Three  children  were  bom  to  this 
union:  Charles  Irving,  born  May  26,  1876,  who 
is  a  lawyer  and  resides  in  Pa^^adena,  Cal.,  mar- 
ried Edith  McFadden,  and  has  one  child,  Kath- 
arine, born  Jan.  28,  1907;  Annie  May,  born 
Nov.  28,  1879,  married  James  Albert  Monroe, 
who  is  vice-president  of  E.  T.  Wright  &  Co., 
and  they  reside  in  Brookline,  Mass.;  Janet 
Ansel,  born  May  2,  1891,  married  Louis  F 
Wright,  of  Brockton,  Mass.,  and  they  have  one 
;>on,  Louis  Elwin  Wright,  born  Sept.  17,  1910. 

CUMMINGS  (New  Bedford  family).  The 
name  Cummings,  variously  spelled,  is  of  com- 
mon occurrence  in  Great  Britain.  It  appears 
early  in  France,  often  written  Coymus.  A 
Robert  Cumine  was  made  Earl  of  Northumber- 
land in  the  third  year  of  William  the  Con- 
queror. A  William  Cumin  was  Lord  Chan- 
cellor of  Scotland  in  the  time  of  King  David, 
1124.  And  many  more  influential  houses  in 
the  old  country  were  of  this  name. 

Perhaps  some  twenty  years  after  the  com- 
ing to  this  country  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
there  came  hither  one  (I)  Isaac  Cumings,  tlie 
tradition  being  that  he  came  either  from  Scot- 
land or  was  of  Scottish  descent.  He  was  of 
Ipswich  and  made  a  freeman  in  1642,  and 
later  of  Topsfield.  From  him  has  descended 
a  family  now  numerous  both  in  New  England 
and  throughout  the  country.  Of  his  wife  noth- 
ing is  known  except  that  she  preceded  him  in 
death.  He  left  four  children :  John,  born,  in 
1630;  Isaac,  born  in  1633;  Elizabeth,  and 
Ann. 

For  generations  the  old  town  of  Dartmouth, 
this  Commonwealth,  has  been  the  home  of  one 
branch  of  the  New  England  stock  of  Cum- 
mingses,  and  New  Bedford  for  half  a  cen- 
tury has  been  the  home  of  .what  we  might 
have  more  properly  in  point  of  designation 
called  the  Dartmouth-New  Bedford  family. 

Among  the  representatives  of  the  branch 
just  named  was  Benjamin  Cummings,  the 
elder,  several  of  whose  sons,  among  them  Wil- 
liam, John  and  Benjamin,  were  merchants  of 
Dartmouth,  conducting  there  an  extensive 
store  and  successful  business.  It  was  with  the 
family  in  particular  of  the  youngest  of  these 
three  brothers — the  late  Benjamin  Cummings, 
Esq.,  of  New  Bedford — that  this  article  is  to 
deal,  Mr.  Cummings  himself  becoming  one  of 
the  most  active  and  extensive  business  men  of 
his  adopted  city.    He  left  a  son  to  perpetuate 


688 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  family  name,  the  late  Charles  S.  Cum- 
mings  of  tlie  same  city,  who  worthily  wore  it 
and  sustained  the  family  reputation,  now  up- 
held by  his  nephew  and  successor,  Benjamin 
Cumraings. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  state  that  among 
some  of  the  worthies  of  the  New  England 
Cummingses,  some  who  have  achieved  more 
than  an  ordinary  or  local  fame,  are :  Maria 
Susanna  Cummins,  the  author,  a  native  of 
Salem,  Mass.,  one  of  whose  works,  "The  Lamp- 
lighter," published  when  she  was  twenty-seven, 
was  instantly  popular,  over  forty  thousand  cop- 
ies being  sold  within  two  months,  and  when 
republished  in  England  was  received  with  even 
greater  approbation,  the  sale  reacliing  upward 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  copies. 
.Of  this  book  said  a  writer :  "The  work  is  one 
of  the  noted  successes  in  American  fiction,  be- 
ing exceeded  only  by  novels  like  'Ben  Hur' 
and  'Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.'  Had  Miss  Cum- 
mins written  nothing  else  she  had  earned  the 
title  of  fame."  Revs.  William  and  Moses  Cum- 
mings,  father  and  son,  were  pious  clergymen 
of  the  Christian  sect,  the  former  being  the 
founder  of  his  church  in  New  England  and  the 
latter  the  editor  of  the  "Christian  Herald  and 
Messenger"  and  the  "Palladium."  It  was  the 
latter's  son,  the  Hon.  Amos  Jay  Cummings,  a 
gallant  soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  who  later  won 
national  reputation  as  a  newspaper  correspon- 
dent, was  president  of  the  New  York  Press 
Club,  represented  the  Wall  street  Congressional 
district  in  the  Fiftieth  United  States  Congress 
and  later  succeeded  the  late  Hon.  S.  S.  Cox 
in  the  Ninth  New  York  district.  And  an- 
other of  the  literary  New  England  Cum- 
mingses following  the  learned  professions  was 
Eev.  Joseph  Cummings,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  educator 
and  clergyman  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  and  for 
years  president  of  the  Wesleyan  University  and 
subsequently  of  the  Northwestern  University 
at   Kvanston,   Illinois. 

(II)  Deacon  Isaac  Cummings,  son  of  Isaac 
of  Ipswich  and  Topsfield,  born  in  1633,  mar- 
ried Nov.  27,  1659.  Mary,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Grace  Andrews.  He  resided  in  Topsfield, 
and  was  elected  deacon  of  the  church  June  13, 
1686.  He  was  an  influential  man  of  the  town, 
and  served  as  selectman,  treasurer,  constable 
and  tithingman.  He  was  made  a  freeman  in 
1673,  and  in  1675  was  impressed  for  the  Nar- 
ragansett  expedition.  He  died  in  1731.  His 
children  were:  Isaac,  born  Sept.  15,  1664; 
John,  June  7,  1666;  Thomas,  June  27,  1670; 
Mary,  Feb.  16,  167—;  Rebecca.  April  1,  1674; 
Abigail ;  and  three  sons  that  died  in  infancy. 

(III)  John  Cummings,  son  of  Deacon  Isaac, 


born  in  Topsfield  June  7,  1666,  was  quite  a 
large  landholder  in  his  native  town.  He  mar- 
ried Jan.  23,  1688,  Susannah,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Phebe'  (Perkins)  Towne.  She  was 
born  Dec.  24,  1670,  and  died  Sept.  13,  1766. 
The  children  born  of  this  union  were :  Joseph, 
baptized  Jan.  26,  1689-90 ;  John,  baptized 
July  17,  1692;  Isaac,  born  Dec.  25,  1695; 
David,  born  April  15,  1698;  Mai-y,  born  May 
15,  1700;  Susannah,  born  Jan.  3,  1701-02; 
Stebbins,  born  Aug.  3,  1706;  Samuel,  born 
Feb.  14,  1708-09;  and  Rebecca,  baptized  Nov. 
1,   1713. 

(IV)  John  Cummings,  son  of  John,  bap- 
tized in  Topsfield  July  17,  1692,  married  (in- 
tentions published)  Feb.  18,  1715,  Mary, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Martha  (Towne)  Larra- 
bee,  of  Lynn,  Mass.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade.  In  1727  he  removed  to  Southboro, 
Mass.,  where  he  bought  a  farm  from  John 
Howe.  In  his  will  he  mentions  his  son  John 
"if  he  shall  ever  return  from  His  Majesty's 
service."  He  died  Feb.  29,  1756.  His  chil- 
dren were:  John,  bom  April  19,  1717;  Han- 
nah, Nov.  6,  1718;  Mercy,  Oct.  26,  1720;  Ben- 
jamin, Sept.  12,  1723  (died  Nov.  27,  1731); 
Reuben,  Jan.  29,  1726;  Sarah.  May  30,  1729; 
Benjamin,  Oct.  7,  1731 ;  and  Joseph,  Feb.  5, 
173.3. 

(V)  Joseph  Cummings,  son  of  John,  born 
Feb.  5,  1733,  in  Middletown,  married  Sept.  11, 
1753,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Andrew  Allard, 
of  Framinghara,  and  lived  in  Southboro,  Mass. 
In  1767  he  made  an  exchange  with  David 
Goddard,  giving  his  farm  in  Southboro  for  a 
farm  in  Athol.  He  served  as  corporal  in  Captain 
Dexter's  company  at  Lexington ;  he  was  also 
at  Bunker  Hill,  and  in  1777  marched  against 
the  forces  of  Burgoyne.  He  was  elected  to 
office  in  his  town,  which  he  served  many  years. 
He  died  Feb.  25,  1818,  in  Phillipston,  Mass. 
His  children  were :  Joseph,  born  in  Southboro, 
Oct.  13,  1754,  a  Revolutionary  soldier;  Eliza- 
beth, born  in  Southboro  Feb.  8,  1757;  John, 
born  in  Southboro  Aug.  13,  1759,  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier;  Benjamin,  bom  in  Southboro 
Feb.  8,  1764;  Stephen,  born  in  Southboro  May 
8,  1766;  Daniel,  born  in  Athol  May' 20,  1768, 
who  died  young;  Nathan,  horn  in  Athol  April 
8,  1771;  Samuel,  born  in  Athol  Feb.  2,  1773; 
Susy,  born  in  Athol  Jan.  7,  1778;  and  Daniel, 
born  in  Athol  Jan.  27,  1781. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Cummings,  son  of  Joseph, 
born  in  Southboro  Feb.  8,  1764,  married  Jan. 
10,  1780,  Mehitable  Rider.  He  was  a  sea  cap- 
tain and  was  known  as  Capt.  Benjamin.  His 
children  were:  Rebecka,  born  Oct.  22,  1781, 
who   married   Joseph     Smith    and    moved    to 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


689 


White  Creek,  N.  Y.;  William,  born  Dec.  21, 
1783,  who  died  unmarried;  Rutli,  born  Nov. 
4,  1785;  Elizabeth,  born  Mav  20,  1788,  who 
died  Feb.  15,  1812;  Nancy^  born  May  23, 
1790,  who  married  Charles  Smith;  Mehitable, 
born  Nov.  30,  1792,  who  died  unmarried;  John, 
born  Feb.  13,  1795,  who  married  Elizabeth 
Olds;  Benjamin,  born  April  7,  1797;  and 
Sally,  born  June  5,  1799. 

(VII)  Benjamin  Cdaimings,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin, born  April  7,  1797,  in  the  town  of 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  was  in  his  early  years  un- 
til soon  after  his  marriage  associated  with  his 
•older  brothers,  William  and  John  Cummings, 
in  the  conduct  of  an  extensive  store  in  Dart- 
mouth, doing  a  successful  business.  Soon  after 
his  marriage  he  left  the  store  and  devoted  his 
attention  to  his  farm  and  the  many  business 
interests  connected  with  it.  There  was  upon 
it  a  valuable  water  power  which  was  used  for 
a  sawmill,  grist  mill  and  fulling  mill,  all  of 
■which  called  for  his  attention,  and  all  of  which 
lie  successfully  managed.  At  that  time  the 
whaling  business  flourished  greatly,  and  it 
naturally  attracted  him,  and  he  soon  began  to 
invest  in  whaling  vessels.  He  found  interest 
and  profit  in  this  and  increased  his  investments 
until  he  was  part  owner  in  a  large  number  of 
whalers,  one  of  which  was  named  for  him,  and 
bore  as  a  figureliead  a  full-length  likeness  of 
him  carved  in  wood,  which  was  thought  singu- 
larly true  to  life.  He  also  invested  largely  in 
Teal  estate  in  New  Bedford,  and  the  accuracy 
of  his  judgment  has  been  indicated'  in  the 
■development  of  the  city. 

In  1857  he  erected  the  Cummings  building 
■on  the  corner  of  Williams  and  Purchase  streets, 
in  which  enterprise  his  brother  William  joined. 
At  that  time  the  building  was  the  largest  and 
finest  in  the  city,  and  the  wisdom  of  it  from 
a  financial  standpoint  was  doubted  by  many, 
but  the  result  proved  his  judgment  correct, 
and  his  building  did  much  to  fix  the  business 
■center  of  the  city.  He  had  moved  from  Dart- 
mouth to  New  i3edford  in  1855,  to  the  house 
at  No.  411  County  street  where  he  died  seven 
years  later,  and  in  which  his  widow  resided  un- 
til her  death,  in   1902. 

The  life  of  Benjamin  Cummings  was  one 
■of  intense  attention  to  business  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  much  interested  in 
Antioeh  College  at  Yellow  Springs,  Ohio,  and 
found  time  in  his  busy  life  to  serve  it  as  a 
trustee.  He  liked  trees  and  flowers  and  all 
outdoor  things  and  took  great  pleasure  and 
pride  in  his  garden. 

On  Jan.  27,  1820,  when  twenty-two  years 
«lil.   Mr.   Cummings  married   Cynthia   Smith, 

44 


born  Jan.  9,  1802,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Mary  (Almy)  Smith,  who  owned  a  large  tract 
of  land  in  Dartmouth,  on  the  Paskamansett 
river,  which  is  still  kept  in  the  family.  Ten 
children  blessed  this  marriage,  namely:  Caro- 
line Almy,  born  Sept.  23,  1821,  married  Abner 
R.  Tucker,  and  died  March  5,  1904;  Mary 
Ann,  born  Jan.  6,  1823,  married  Charles  Almy, 
whom  she  survived,  and  lived  in  Buffalo,  where 
she  died  Dec.  18,  1910  (she  was  laid  to  rest 
in  Oak  Grove  cemetery,  at  New  Bedford) ; 
William  Henry,  born  Dec.  21,  1824,  died  Dec. 

27,  1874;  Emily  Mandeville,  born  June  25, 
1827,  married  Benjamin  Rathbone  Almy; 
Charles  Smith  was  born  Feb.  4,  1830;  Sarah, 
bom  Oct.  8,  1832,  died  Sept.  29,  1847;  John 
Tillinghast,  born  April  23,  1835,  died  April 
7,  1837;  Louise  Smith  was  born  in  Dartmouth 
Sept.  18,  1838;  Julia  Holmes,  born  May  20, 
1842,  died  May  26,  1843;  and  Julia  Holmes 
(2),  born  Feb.  20,  1844,  died  Aug.  20,  1856. 
The  old  age  to  which  Mr.  Cummings  had 
looked  forward  as  a  time  when  he  could  en- 
joy the  property  he  had  accumulated,  to  which 
he  had  looked  as  a  means  rather  than  an  end, 
was  denied  him,  and  lie  died,  leaving  the  repu- 
tation of  an  honorable  and  upright  man  in 
whom  his  family  could  feel  just  pride,  Sept. 

28,  1863,  in  New  Bedford.  Mrs.  Cummings 
died  March  4,  1902,  just  about  two  months 
after  her  one  hundredth  birthday. 

(VIII)  William  Henry  Cummings,  son  of 
Benjamin,  born  Dec.  21,  1824,  in  Dartmouth, 
married  (first)  June  5,  1849,  Hannah  W. 
Smith,  who  bore  him  three  children,  namely: 
Benjamin,  born  Dec.  24,  1852 ;  William,  Aug. 
11,  1856;  and  Florence  Evelyn,  Aug.  3,  1859. 
Mr.  Cummings  married  (second)  March  15, 
1864,  Lucy  B.  Gifford,  and  to  this  marriage 
were  born  two  children :  Charles  Smith,  Dec. 
9,  1867;  and  Mabel  L.,  Jan.  6,  1870.  Mr. 
Cummings  spent  his  younger  days  in  Dart- 
mouth, where  he  was  educated.  In  his  earlier 
years  he  followed  whaling  for  a  short  time,  go- 
ing on  two  or  three  voyages.  In  1849  he  went 
to  California  with  the  gold  seekers,  and  re- 
mained about  a  year.  Upon  his  return  he 
lived  in  Westport  for  about  four  years,  and 
in  1855  located  at  Russell's  Mills  in  Dart- 
mouth. Here  he  engaged  in  farming,  an  oc- 
cupation he  followed  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred Dec.  27,  1874. 


(IX)  BENjAMfN  Cummings,  son  of  William 
H.,  was  born  Dec.  24,  1852,  in  that  part  of 
Westport  which  is  known  as  "Head  of  West- 
port."  He  was  given  his  primary  or  elemen- 
tary education  at  Russell's  Mills,  whither  his 


690 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


parents  had  removed  in  1855.  He  attended 
school  there  until  he  was  about  twelve  years 
of  age,  when  he  was  sent  to  the  Friends'  board- 
ing school  in  Providence,  where  he  studied  two 
years.  He  left  this  school  in  June,  1867,  and 
on  Aug.  19th  of  the  same  year  became  a  clerk 
in  the  store  of  his  uncles.  Tucker  &  Cum- 
mings,  and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  the 
retirement  of  Abner  R.  Tucker,  the  senior 
member,  in  1881,  when  he  became  the  junior 
member  of  the  firm.  This  business  was  estab- 
lished in  1853,  as  Tucker  &  Cummings  (Abner 
R.  Tucker  and  Charles  S.  Cummings),  and 
was  confined  to  one  store  from  1853  to  1873, 
when  another  store  was  added,  and  two  stores 
were  operated  until  1881,  when  the  third  store 
was  opened,  and  the  firm  name  became  C.  S. 
&  B.  Cummings.  As  such  it  continued  until 
the  death  of  the  senior  member  in  1906,  when 
the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Cummings  & 
Cummings,  Frank  A.  Cummings,  son  of 
Charles  S.,  becoming  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm,  and  at  the  same  time  a  fourth  store  was 
added.  The  members  of  this  firm  of  importers 
and  grocers  for  fifty-five  years  have  numbered 
among  their  patrons  the  best  and  most  exclu- 
sive New  Bedford  families.  From  the  time  of 
his  entrance  into  this  firm  as  a  boy  in  1867, 
for  a  period  of  twenty-nine  years,  Benjamin 
Cummings  opened  the  store  daily  at  5  :30  a.  m. 
in  the  summer  and  6  :00  a.  m.  in  the  winter, 
and  without  disparagement  to  any  one  else  it 
may  be  said  that  he  largely  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  business  years  before  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm,  in  1881.  From 
the  time  he  became  identified  with  the  firm 
in  1867  the  business  has  increased  tenfold. 
Inheriting  from  his  parents  a  rugged  constitu- 
tion, and  possessing  great  energy  and  keen 
aptitude  for  business,  Mr.  Cummings  has  made 
himself  one  of  the  most  representative  and 
successful  business  men  and  merchants.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  his  politi- 
cal views  he  is  a  Republican,  and  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  merits  of  a  protective  tariff  for 
American  industries.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Republican  Home  Market  Club,  but  otherwise 
is  not  active  in  party  work.  He  is  a  trustee 
of  the  Institution  for  Savings.  Socially  he  is 
an  original  member  of  the  Dartmouth  Club, 
and  a  member  of  the  Wamsutta,  Country  and 
Yacht  Clubs. 

On  Feb.  7,  1893,  Mr.  Cummings  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Elizabeth  Smiih,  of  New  Bed- 
ford.    They  have  no  children. 


(VIII)  Ch.\rles  Smith  Cummixcss,  son  of 
Benjamin    and    Cynthia    (Smith)    Cummings, 


born  Feb.  4,  1830,  died  in  New  Bedford  Aug. 
26,  1906.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  town,  the  Friends'  Acad- 
emy at  New  Bedford  and  Phillips  Academy  at 
Andover.  In  1849  he  went  to  California,  and 
for  the  next  four  years  was  engaged  in  min- 
ing. He  returned  and  established  a  store  at 
South  Dartmouth.  For  fifty-three  years  Mr. 
Cummings  had  devoted  his  time  and  attention 
to  the  grocery  business,  which  began  in  a 
small  store  at  Padanaram  in  1853,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  comprised  several  stores  in 
the  Cummings  building  on  Williams  street. 
The  business  was  established  under  the  firm 
name  of  Tucker  &  Cummings,  the  partners  be- 
ing Abner  R.  Tucker  and  Charles  S.  Cum- 
mings. The  store  in  South  Dartmouth  was 
on  the  road  leading  to  the  bridge,  and  in  it 
were  kept  for  sale  all  sorts  of  goods,  from 
hardware  to  groceries,  from  crockery  to  ship 
supplies.  Besides  their  general  store  business 
Tucker  &  Cummings  fitted  nine  whaling  ves- 
sels and  built  four  more,  the  "H.  H.  Crapo," 
the  "A.  R.  Tucker,"  the  "Eliot  C.  Cowdin" 
and  the  "Benjamin  Cummings."  The  panic 
of  1857  resulted  in  the  dropping  of  the  whal- 
ing end  of  the  business,  and  in  1860  the  firm 
moved  to  New  Bedford.  For  a  year  Tucker 
&  Cummings  occupied  a  store  at  the  corner  of 
Front  and  Union  streets,  where  they  carried 
on  a  wholesale  and  retail  business.  In  1861 
the  firm  opened  the  Williams  street  stores, 
which  were  extended  from  time  to  time  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  increase  in  busi- 
ness. In  1881  Mr."  Tucker  withdrew  and  Ben- 
jamin Cummings,  a  nephew,  became  the  jun- 
ior member  of  the  firm.  During  the  war  Mr. 
Cummings  was  a  member  of  the  3d  Massachu- 
setts Cavalry,  in  wliich  he  attained  the  rank 
of  second  lieutenant.  He  was  a  member  of 
Acushnet  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the 
New  Bedford  Protecting  Society.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Repul)lican. 

On  Nov.  27,  1855,  Mr.  Cummings  was  mar- 
ried to  A.  Emma  Brownell,  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph BrowncU.  Their  children  were:  (1)  Ida 
F.,  born  Oct.  29,  1858,  married  Charles  D. 
Prescott,  M.  D.  (2)  Emily  Ahny,  born  Jan. 
16,  1861,  married  June  I'l,  1891,  Eliot  D. 
Stetson,  and  has  children,  Lydia  Almy  (born 
April  5,  1892),  Emily  Cummings  (March  2, 
1893),  Ellen  AVinslow  "(May  18,  1895),  Frances 
Eliot  (born  June  23,  1897),  Thomas  Meriam 
(horn  Oct.  27.  1899),  and  Eliot  Dawes,  Jr., 
(Oct.  5,  1903).  (3)  Frank  Augustus,  bom 
Oct.  15,  1869,  married  Sept.  15,  1903,  Roxy 
H.  Greene,  and  his  children  are  Rosalind,  born 
July  15,  1904,  and  Prescott  Brownell,  born 
July  6,  1908. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


691 


ALMY.  (I)  William  Alniy,  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1601,  came  to  America  with  Governor 
Winthrop.  He  was  made  a  freeman  in  1635, 
was  commissioner  in  1656-57-63.  His  wife 
Audry  was  born  in  1603,  and  both  died  in 
1676. 

(II)  Christopher  Almy,  son  of  William  and 
Audry,  born  in  1633,  married  July  9,  1661, 
Elizabeth  Cornell,  daughter  of  Thomas,  born 
in  Hertford,  England.  He  was  of  Portsmouth, 
R.  I.,  and  died  there  Jan.  30,  1713,  and  she 
died  after  1708. 

(III)  William  Almy,  son  of  Christopher  and 
Elizabeth,  born  Oct.  27.  1665,  was  of  Tiverton, 
R.  I.,  where  he  married  Deborah  Cook,  of 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  born  Feb.  15,  1669.  He 
died  July  6,  1747. 

(IV)  Job  Almy,  son  of  William  and 
Deborah,  born  April  28,  1696.  was  of  East 
Greenwich,  R.  I.  In  Tiverton  he  married 
July  18,  1717,  Lydia  Tillinghast,  of  East 
Greenwich,  born  July  8,  1700.  He  died  at 
Tiverton  July  18,  1777. 

(V)  Job  Almv,  son  of  Job  and  Lydia,  born 
in  Dartmouth  Oct.  16,  1730,  died  Jan.  4, 
1816.  On  April  27,  1750,  he  married  in  Dart- 
mouth Anne  Slocum,  born  in  Dartmouth 
March  6,  1732,  died  Sept.  17,  1793. 

(VI)  Tillinghast  Almy,  son  of  Job  arid 
Anne,  born  March  16,  1754,  died  Sept.  22, 
1830.  He  was  of  Dartmouth.  He  married 
about  1777  Hannah  Chase,  of  Portsmouth, 
R.  I.,  born  March  ]5,  1750,  died  Jan.  6,  1840. 

(VII)  Mary  Almy,  daughter  of  Tillinghast 
and  Hannah,  born  in  Dartmouth  May  23,  1780, 
died  March  26,  1829,  married  Oct.  2,  1800, 
Henry  Smith,  born  July  16,  1777,  died  July 
16,  1813. 

(VIII)  Cynthia  Smith,  daughter  of  Mary 
(Almy)  and  Henry  Smith,  born  Jan.  9,  1802, 
in  Dartmouth,  married  Jan.  27,  1820,  Ben- 
jamin Cummings,  born  April  7,  1797,  died 
Sept.  28,  1863. 

(IX)  Emily  Mandeville  (Cummings)  Almy, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Cynthia  (Smith) 
Cummings,  born  June  25,  1827,  in  Dartmouth, 
married  there  Nov.  15,  1849,  Benjamin  Rath- 
bone  Almy,  born  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  Feb.  22, 
1810,  died  in  New  Bedford  Jan.  29,  1861. 
He  was  a  son  of  William  Almy,  of  Portsmouth, 
R.  I.,  and  Rhoda  his  wife,  and  grandson  of 
Tillinghast  and  Hannah  (Chnse)  Almy,  above 
mentioned.  To  Benjamin  R.  and  Emily  M. 
(Cummings)  Almy  were  born  children  as  fol- 
lows: Walter,  born  in  Providence  Dec.  29, 
1850,  died  Aug.  13,  1906;  Clarence,  born  in 
Barrington,  R.  I.,  Aug.  15, 1852,  married  Anna 
Kirtley  Bowen,  and  died  July  6,  1883;  Emma 


Cummings,  born  in  New  Bedford  July  4,  1854, 
died  there  July  12,  1855;  Harry  Atherton, 
born  in  New  Bedford  Aug.  8,  1857,  died  Sept. 
2,  1860;  and  Ernest,  bom  in  New  Bedford 
June  20,  1859,  died  July  4,  1859. 

BROWNELL.  While  the  Brownell  family 
strictly  speaking  is  a  Rhode  Island  one,  yet 
through  that  part  of  Massachusetts  lying  adja- 
cent thereto  branches  of  the  family  early  found 
homes  and  the  name  has  since  been  a  com- 
mon one  there  and  the  family  numerous. 

(I)  Thomas  Brownell,  the  progenitor  of  the 
Rhode  Island  family,  was  born  in  1619.  He 
appeared  at  Portsmouth  in  1647,  when  at  the 
formation  of  the  government  under  the  char- 
ter of  1643,  with  John  Cook,  he  was  chosen 
water  "bailie"  for  the  Colony,  having  charge 
of  the  fisheries,  then,  as  now,  an  important 
industry  and  a  source  of  wealth.  Mr.  Brown- 
ell was  a  freeman  in  1655.  He  was  also  com- 
missioner in  that  same  year,  and  again  in 
1661,  1662  and  1663,  and  deputy  in  1664. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Ann.  Mr. 
Brownell  died  in  1665,  and  Mrs.  Brownell  in 
that  same  year.  Their  children,  were:  Mary, 
Sarah,  Martha,  George,  William,  Thomas, 
Robert  and  Anna.     Of  these, 

(II)  George  Brownell,  born  in  1646, 
married  in  1673  Susanna,  born  in  1652,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  and  Susanna  (Wright)  Pearce. 
He  lived  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  and  was  a 
prominent  public  man.  He  represented  his 
town  as  deputy  to  the  General  Court,  in  1699 
and  1702;  and  was  assistant  in  1706-07-08-09- 
10-11.  He  died  in  1718,  and  his  wife  in  1743. 
Their  children  were:  Susanna,  Sarah,  Mary, 
Martha,   Thomas,  Joseph,  Wait   and   Stephen. 

(III)  Joseph  Brownell,  son  of  George,  of 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  was  born  Dec.  5,  1680. 
He,  married  Jan.  5,  1716-17,  Ruth  Cor- 
nell, born  Dec.  12,  1697,  daughter  of 
George  Cornell,  and  their  children  were: 
George,   born    June    23,    1718 ;   Joseph,    April 

26,  1720;  Thomas.  Oct.  23,  1722-;  Wait, 
Feb.  6,  1724-25;  Philadelphia,  Dec.  15,  1726; 
Martha,  March  17,  1728-29;  and  George,  Sept. 

27,  1736. 

(IV)  Joseph  Brownell  (2),  son  of  Joseph 
and  Ruth,  born  April  26,  1720,  married  Dec. 
22,  1742,  Rebecca  Tripp,  born  Aug.  28,  1722, 
daughter  of  Abicl  and  Eleanor  (Wait)  Tripp. 
Their  "children  were:  Stephen,  born  Feb.  12, 
1744;  Jonathan,  May  30,  1746;  Nathan,  Feb. 
7,  1747-48;  Oliver,  Feb.  17,  1749;  Philadel- 
phia, May  17,  1752;  Susanna,  March  17,  1754; 
Mary,  Dec.  6,  1757;  Amey,  Sept.  8,  1760; 
Thomas,  Dec.  16,  1762;  Rebecca,  Feb.  19, 1765. 


692 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(V)  Thomas  Brownell,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Eebecca  (Tripp),  born  Dec.  16,  1762,  mar- 
ried May  6,  1790,  Mercy  Shaw.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Amey,  born  Jan.  31,  1791;  Oliver, 
April  15,  1793;  Joseph,  Jan.  19,  1795;  An- 
thony, Sept.  27,  1797;  Rebecca,  Jan.  14,  1800; 
Thomas,  Feb.  28,  1802;  and  William,  June 
17,  1804. 

(VI)  Joseph  Beowxell  (3),  son  of 
Thomas  and  Rebecca  (Tripp)  Brownell,  born 
Jan.  19,  1795,  in  Portsmoutli,  R.  I.,  married 
Lyda  Almy,  born  March  7,  1804,  died  Feb.  12, 
1888,  daughter  of  Sanford  and  Lydia  (Grey) 
Almy,  of  Little  Compton,  R.  I.  He  removed 
to  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  where  he  first  engaged 
in  blacksmithing  and  then  in  carriage  manu- 
facturing, being  one  of  the  first  to  carry  on 
the  manufacture  of  "carriages  there,  a  business 
begun  there  early  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
He  commenced  in  a  limited  way  and  in  a  small 
shop  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Spring 
streets  perhaps  as  early  as  1820.  Later  on  his 
son  J.  Augustus  and  Joshua  B.  Asldey  were 
admitted  to  the  partnership.  In  1854  a  re- 
pository was  built  which  was  in  after  years 
occupied  by  H.  G.  0.  Cole;  and  still  later  it 
was  occupied  and  was  perhaps  the  property  of 
the  firm  of  Brownell,  Ashley  &  Co. 

Mr.  Brownell  was  a  man  of  quiet  tastes,  un- 
assuming. He  was  fully  devoted  to  his  busi- 
ness and  made  a  success  in  it.  He  liad  clear 
convictions  and  was  decided  in  them.  He 
possessed  social  qualities  which  made  him 
many  friends.  It  goes  without  saying  that  he 
was  held  in  high  esteem  and  respect  by  those 
whose  privilege  it  was  to  know  him. 

With  little  or  no  taste  for  political  prefer- 
ment, and  less  ambition  in  this  direction,  pub- 
lic office  sought  Mr.  Brownell  rather  than  he  it. 
Back  near  the  middle  of  the  century  but  re-, 
cently  closed  he  was  a  member  of  the  Con- 
etitutional  convention.  He,  too,  served  for 
several  years  as  an  alderman  of  New  Bedford. 
He  was  for  many  yeaf s  a  member  of  the  Fourth 
Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  filled 
from  time  to  time  most  of  the  church  offices. 
Of  this  church  he  was  a  generous  supporter. 
Mr.  Brownell  died  at  his  home  in  New  Bed- 
ford, Mass.,  Aug.  19,  1879,  aged  eighty-four 
years,  seven  months.  His  children  were : 
Thomas  Anthony,  born  Jan.  10,  1823,  died 
April  29,  1840;  Caroline,  born  July  23,  1824, 
died  Oct,  19,  1855 ;  Alniira,  born  Aug.  25, 
1827,  died  Sept.  19,  1830;  Joseph  A.,  born 
July  12,  1829,  died  Nov.  21,  1893;  Emma 
Waldron,  born  April  15,  1831,  died  Feb.  2, 
1833;  Almira  Emma,  born  Aug.  22,  1834,  is 
the  widow  of  Charles  Smith  Cummings;   Jo- 


sephine, born  Oct.  30,  1836,  died  Nov.  10, 
1898;  Lydia  Almy,  born  Nov.  17,  1839,  died 
May  20,  1840;  Thomas  F.,  born  Jan.  3,  1842, 
died  Jan.  7,  1901;  Ella  Marie,  born  Aug.  10, 
1846,  died  Sept.  22,  1846. 

TUCKER.  The  Tucker  families  of  Dart- 
mouth and  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  are  descended 
from  a  common  ancestor,  (I)  Henry  Tucker, 
who  is  called  by  Savage  as  of  Sandwich.  How 
long  he  resided  there  is  uncertain.  He  pur- 
chased of  his  friend  William  Allen,  of  Sandwich, 
April  15,  1669,  his  one-third  share  of  Dart- 
mouth lands  for  fifteen  pounds,  and  was  then 
called  of  Milton.  He  married  Jan.  9,  1651-52, 
Martha,  and  their  children  were :  Abraham, 
born  Oct.  13,  1653,  who  married  (first)  Mary 
Slocum  and  (second)  Hannah  Mott;  John, 
born  Aug.  28,  1656;  Martha,  born  July  14, 
1659;  Hannah,  born  July  25,  1662;  James, 
born  March  16,  1665,  who  died  March  28,  1689 ; 
Mary,  born  Aug.  16,  1668,  who  married  May 
9,  1690,  Samuel  Perry,  of  Kingstown,  R.  I., 
son  of  Edward  Perry,  of  Sandwich,  Mass.;  and 
Sarah,  born  Sept.  20,  1674. 

(II)  John  Tucker,  son  of  Henry,  born  Aug. 
18  (or  28),  1656  (one  record  says  June  28, 
1656),  married  April  25,  1688,  Ruth  Woolley, 
of  Shrewsbury,  N.  J.,  born  Oct.  12,  1663,  died 
Dec.  23,  1759,  daughter  of  Emanuel  and  Eliz- 
abeth Woolley.  He  died  Sept.  2,  1751,  and 
his  will  was  drawn  Aug.  26,  1751,  and  pro- 
bated or  approved  Sept.  10,  1751.  On  the 
records  of  the  Dartmouth  Monthly  Meeting 
he  is  styled  that  "ancient  and  'noted  Friend." 
His  children  were :  Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  9, 
1689,  who  died  Jan.  6,  1690;  James,  born  Aug. 
27,  1691;  John,  born  Oct.  25,  1693,  who  died 
June  14,  1730;  and  Joseph,  born  Nov.  7,  1696. 
John  Tucker  lived  for  a  time  at  Shrewsbury, 
in  east  New  Jersey,  and  moved  to  Massachu- 
setts about  1695.  He  was  a  minister  and  very 
influential  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends 
for  fifty  years,  serving  as  clerk  and  keeper  of 
the  records  of  the  meeting.  He  was  a  large 
landed  proprietor. 

(III)  Joseph  Tucker,  son  of  John,  born 
Nov.  7,  1696,  was  an  esteemed  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends.  He  died  at  Dartmouth 
May  21,  1790.  On  Dec.  22,  1720,  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Howland,  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Howland,  and  their  children  were :  Ruth,  born 
Dec.  2,  1721,  died  April  24,  1816,  married 
June  4,  1747,  James  Tucker,  son  of  Abram 
and  Elizabeth  (Russell)  Tucker;  Hannah,  born 
Sept.  2,  1723,  died  unmarried  July  25,  1799; 
Elizabeth,  born  Oct.  25,  1725,  died  May  12, 
1780;  Mary,  born  June  27,  1727,  died  unmar- 


PD 


/i?-d^-'/f  /v     -  yy  /'^rff  ^/fr  ft 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS  693 

ried  Aug.  28,  1799;  Abigail  was  born  Feb.  25,  port.  In  1830  he  came  to  New  Bedford  and 
1729;  John,  born  Feb.  24,  1732,  is  mentioned  entered  the  counting  room  of  Isaac  Howland, 
below;  Martha,  born  Nov.  14,  1734,  died  Oct.  Jr.  &  Co.,  and  six  years  later  he  began  hiji 
7,  1820,  married  Oct.  16,  1755,  Timothy  Gif-  business  life.  In  1844  he  entered  into  partner- 
ford;  Edith,  born  June  1,  1737,  died  Oct.  21,  ship  with  Edward  D.  Mandell,  and  then  was 
1827,  married  July  2.  1766,  Edward  Wing,  of  established  what  eventually  became  the  sue- 
Sandwich;  Joseph,  born  July  29,  1740,  died  in  cessful  and  distinguished  business  house  of 
1827,  married  Oct.  2,  1762,  Mary  Wing,  sister  Charles  E.  Tucker  &  Company.  Mr.  Tucker 
of  Edward;  and  Barzillai,  born  June  15,  1743,  very  early  took  a  high  position  among  the 
died  in  1832.  merchants   of   New   Bedford.     He   was  enter- 

(IV)  John  Tucker,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary  prising  and  successful,  and  for  the  most  part 
(Howland),  born  Feb.  24,  1732,  was  promi-  the  firm  confined  its  operations  to  whale  fish- 
nent  in  the  Society  of  Friends.  He  died  in  ing  or  the  whaling  business.  As  the  business 
Dartmouth  March  12,  1820.  He  was  twice  and  managing  capacity  of  the  head  of  the 
married,  on  June  3,  1756,  wedding  (first)  firm  developed,  and  his  fidelity  to  duty  as  the 
Lydia  Wilbur,  of  Ehode  Island,  born  Jan.  2,  ruling  principle  of  his  conduct  was  universally 
1731,  died  in  1768.  They  had  three  children,  recognized,  he  had  committed  to  him  many  im- 
Esther,  born  March  1,  1758,  Ruth,  Nov.  20,  portant  trusts,  to  all  of  which  he  was  faithful, 
1760,  and  Lydia,  Sept.  4,  1763.  On  Oct.  25,  and  in  the  discharge  of  which  he  won  to  an  ex- 
1769,  he  married  (second)  Rhoda  Wing,  tent  reached  by  few  the  approbation  and  regard 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Rhoda  (Rogers)  of  his  associates  and  of  the  community.  His 
Wing.  She  was  born  Oct.  22,  1741,  and  died  connection  with  the  Merchants'  National 
April  21,  1828.  Their  children  were:  John,  Bank  extended  o%er  a  period  of  more  than  a 
born  April  13,  1771,  died  July  27,  1791;  quarter  of  a  century,  for  twenty-three  years  of 
Lydia,  born  Sept.  20,  1774,  married  April  30,  which  time — from  1853  until  his  death — he 
1795,  Zephaniah  Buffington,  and  died  Dec.  held  the  presidency  of  the  institution,  succeed- 
29,  1796;  James,  born  April  27,  1777,  died  ing  the  late  John  Avery  Parker.  He  was  long 
Dec.  17,  1843,  married  (first)  June  10,  1796,  a  trustee  of  the  New  Bedford  Institution  for 
Phebe  Tucker,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Tucker,  Savings,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  held  a 
and   (second)   in  1813  Sarah  Fish;  Benjamin,  place  on  its  board  of  investment. 

born  Sept.  15,  1781,  died  Dec.  19,  1861,  mar-  As  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ  and 

ried  Oct.  11,  1802,  Lucretia  Russell.  leading  member  and  official  of  the  Society  of 

(V)  Benjamin  Tucker,  son  of  John  and  Friends,  Mr.  Tucker  was  conspicuous  for  his 
Rhoda,  born  Sept.  15,  1781,  was  one  of  the  activity  and  usefulness.  There  was  placed  in 
leading  residents  and  farmers  of  the  town  of  him  the  same  reliance  in  the  soundness  of  his 
Dartmouth,  being  the  owner  of  considerable  judgment  and  his  fidelity  to  right,  and  his  in- 
real  estate.  Like  his  forefathers  he  was  a  fluence  was  widely  felt.  There  is  no  position 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  He  died  in  the  society  which  he  did  not  at  some  time 
in  Dartmouth  Dec.  19,  1861.  On  Oct.  11.  occupy,  and  there  was  in  the  discharge  of  the 
1802,  he  married  Lucretia  Russell,  daughter  of  various  duties  devolving  upon  him  such  un- 
Elijah  and  Hannah  (Brayton)  Russell,  of  selfish  devotion  to  principle  and  recognition  of 
Dartmouth,  where  she  was  born  Nov.  30,  1779,  the  paramount  value  of  the  spiritual  life  as  in- 
and  died  June  22,  1852.  Three  children  were  spired  confidence  in  his  counsels  and  gave  him 
born  of  this  union :  John,  born  June  22,  1805,  a  large  share  in  the  administration  of  the  af- 
married  in  1831  Mary  B.  Swain,  of  Nantucket;  fairs  of  the  New  England  Yearly  Meeting,  as 
Rhoda,  born  Nov.  27,  1806,  married  May  6,  well  as  many  of  the  subordinate  organizations. 
1830,  William  Giflford,  and  died  Dec.  22,  1891 ;  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  clerk  of  the 
Charles  Russell,  born  March  5,  1809,  married  yearly  meeting,  the  highest  official  position  in 
Dorcas  Fry.  the  society.     In  his  own  monthly  meeting  he 

(VI)  Charles  Russell  Tucker,  son  of  Ben-  was  an  elder  and  overseer.  His  judgment  and 
jamin  and  Lucretia  (Russell),  was  a  native  of  fidelity  in  aid  of  the  management  of  one  of 
Dartmouth,  born  March  5,  1809,  on  the  home-  its  trust  funds,  by  which  an  unproductive  be- 
stead farm  which  was  for  over  two  hundred  quest  was  changed  into  a  bountiful  source  of 
and  ten  years  in  the  possession  of  the  family,  benefit  to  the  needy,  will  long  be  remembered 
After  leaving  the  Friends'  School  at  Provi-  in  connection  with  the  "John  West  Fund,"  for 
dence  about  the  year  1825,  the  young  man  be-  the  assistance  of  the  worthy  poor.  Although 
came  a  teacher,  and  for  four  years  followed  warmly  attached  to  the  religious  principles  and 
that  occupation  in  his  native  town  and  in  West-  denominational  peculiarities  of  the  Society  of 


69-1: 


southeastp:i?x  Massachusetts 


Friends,  he  had  a  most  comprehensive  cliarity 
and  felt  and  often  expressed  a  unity  in  all  the 
measures  which  appeared  to  him  calculated  to 
exalt  the  moral  tone  of  society  and  diffuse  the 
blessings  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Tucker  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board,  having  the  oversight  and 
direction  of  the  Friends'  Yearly  Meeting  Board- 
ing School  in  Providence.  The  interests  of  the 
scliool  received  a  large  share  of  his  attention. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  Dec. 
21,  1876,  the  New  Bedford  Mercury  said:  "It 
is  simple  justice  to  the  deceased  to  say  that  he 
brought  to  the  discharge  of  every  duty  he  as- 
sumed conscientious  fidelity  and  displayed  in 
each  sound  judgment  and  practical  ability.  He 
gave  his  time  without  stint,  and  at  no  small 
personal  sacrifice  to  every  public  trust  confided 
in  him — an  example  worthy  of  all  imitation, 
and  the  more  excellent  because  so  rare." 

On  Sept.  19,  1833,  Mr.  Tucker  was  married 
to  Dorcas  Fry,  of  Weare,  N.  H.,  a  native  of 
Bolton,  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  who  died  a  year 
previous  to  his  decease.  Their  children  were : 
Benjamin  R.,  born  March  14,  1835,  died  March 
11,  1836;  Benjamin,  born  Nov.  20,  1836,  now 
living  in  Bethlehem,  N.  H.,  married  Sept.  4, 
1876,  Maria  McKeage,  and  has  two  children, 
Edith  (born  Nov.  25,  1877)  and  George  E. 
(born  Dec.  7,  1885)  ;  John  Fry,  born  Aug.  13, 
1839,  died  June  14,  1886,  married  (first)  Jan. 

17,  1860,  Elizabeth  H.  Huzzey  (died  in  Octo- 
ber, 1868)  and  (second)  in  February,  1870, 
Lucy  C.  Haseltine,  and  had  a  daughter  Bertha 
F.,  born  Dec.  31,  1874;  Henry  R.,  born  April 

18,  1842,  died  in  New  Bedford  Aug.  9,  1872; 
Charles  Russell,  Jr.,  born  Aug.  19,  1844,  died 
in  New  Bedford  Feb.  11,  1891,  married  Mary 
R.  E.  Bourne  in  June,  1869,  and  had  three 
children,  Annie  (born  in  April,  1871,  died  in 
July,  1872),  Arthur  Standish  (born  in 
July,  1873)  and  Ralph  (born  in  March, 
1878)  ;  Robert  E.,  born  Aug.  30,  1846,  died  in 
California  Feb.  22,  1873;  Edward  T.,  born 
Sept.  29,  1849,  is  mentioned  below ;  and  George 
F.,  born  Jan.  19.  1852,  graduated  from  Brown 
University  in  1873  and  from  Boston  Univer- 
sity Law  School,  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  Ph.  D.  from  Brown,  and  is  now  practicing 
law  in  Boston  though  living  in  Middleboro 
(on  May  18,  1907,  he  married  Effie  Dana  Wil- 
liams, and  they  have  two  children,  Dorcas,  born 
June  11,  1908,  and  Robert  B.,  born  Aug.  29, 
1909). 

(VII)  Dr.  Edward  T.  Tuckkr,  son  of 
Charles  Russell,  born  Sept.  29,  1849,  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  New  Bedford 
schools,  and  was  prepared  for  college  at  the 


Friends'  Academy  at  the  same  place.  He 
graduated  from  Brown  University  in  1871, 
and  from  Harvard  Medical  School  in  1874. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  New  Bedford. 

Dr.  Tucker  is  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Medical  Society  and  of  the  New  Bedford 
Society  for  Medical  Improvement.  He  was 
physician  to  the  overseers  of  the  poor  for  out- 
side work  for  the  south  half  of  the  city  from 
1903  to  1905,  and  has  been  physician  in  charge 
of  the  city  almshouse  since  1904.  For  six 
years,  1893  to  1898  inclusive,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  committee,  and  has  been  ac- 
tive in  public  affairs.  He  is  broad-minded  and 
liberal,  and  keenly  interested  in  every  move- 
ment tending  to  the  uplifting  of  the  moral 
tone  of  the  community.  Dr.  Tucker  belongs  to 
the  New  England  Historic  and  Genealogical 
Society ;  to  the  Old  Colony  Historical  Society 
of  Taunton;  and  to  the  Old  Dartmouth  His- 
torical Society  of  New  Bedford.  He  is  secre- 
tary of  the  Safe  Deposit  and  Trust  Company 
for  its  annual  meetings.  Like  all  his  family 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  being 
affiliated  with  the  New  Bedford  Meeting.  He 
has  been  clerk  of  the  New  Bedford  Monthly 
Meeting  of  Friends  since  1883,  and  of  the 
Sandwich  Quarterly  Meeting  since  1887. 

On  June  7,  1877,  Dr.  Tucker  married  Anna 
E.  Pope,  and  four  children  have  blessed  this 
union,  namely :  Robert  Earle,  born  June  29, 
1878 ;  Emily,  born  Oct.  19,  1880,  who  died 
March  19,  1882;  George  G.,  born  Sept..  28, 
1882,  who  died  Feb.  8,  1903 ;  and  Helen,  born 
Aug.  14,  1884,  who  married  Herbert  H.  Chand- 
ler, and  has  a  son,  Richard  T.,  born  June  14, 
1907. 

ARTHUR  RICHMOND  CRANDELL,M.D., 

engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
surgery  in  Taunton  and  one  of  the  popular 
club  men  of  that  town,  was  born  there  Sept. 
15,  1870,  and  is  a  descendant  of  a  family  that 
has  been  of  record  and  prominence  in  New 
England  since  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 

(I)  John  Crandall  appears  at  Newport,  R.  L, 
as  early  as  the  year  1651,  where  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  the  Baptists.  He  subsequently  be- 
came the  first  elder  of  that  denomination  at 
Westerly.  He  was  a  freeman  in  1655,  was 
commissioner  several  years,  1658-1662,  inclu- 
sive. He  had  half  a  square  assigned  him'  at 
Westerly  in  1661,  was  deputy  in  1667  and  again 
in  1670-71.  He  died  at  Newport  in  1676,  hav- 
ing moved  there  on  account  of  the  Indian  war. 
Mr.    Crandall   was   twice   married ;   the   Chris- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


695 


tian  name  of  his  first  wife  is  not  known.  She 
was  buried  May  2,  1670.  His  second  wife's 
name  was  Hannali.  His  children  were:  John, 
James,  Jane,  Sarah,  Peter,  Joseph,  Samuel,  all 
bom  to  the  first  wife ;  and  Jeremiah  and  Eber 
born  to  the  second  wife. 

(II)  Samuel  Crandall,  son  of  John,  married 
in  1685  Sarah  Celley.  He  died  May  19,  1736, 
iind  slie  died  Aug.  3,  1758.  Their  children 
were:  Samuel,  born  Oct.  30,  1686;  Mary,  born 
May  17,  1689,  died  July  11,  1732;  James,  bom 
Aug.  23,  1692,  died  Jan.  30,  1782;  John,  born 
Jan.  11,  1695;  Peter,  born  Oct.  25,  1697:  Jo- 
seph, bom  Nov.  28,  1701,  died  June  2,  1731; 
and  Thomas,  born  July  27,  1707. 

(III)  Samuel  Crandall,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Sarali  (Celley),  born  Oct.  30,  1686,  married. 
May  3,  1706,  Mary  Wilbor,  born  in  1685.  Their 
children  were:  Thomas,  born  1707;  Eber,  1708; 
Samuel,  1710;  William,  1711;  John,  1713; 
Peter,  1715;  Wilbor,  1717;  Sarali,  1718;  Jo- 
seph, 1721  (died  Jan.  19,  1791);  Mary,  1723 
(died  April  4,  1783);  Lois,  1725;  Benjamin, 
1727:  Lemuel,  1729;  Philip,  1731;  and  Na- 
thaniel,  1733    (died  April   10,   1821). 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Crandall,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Wilbor),  born  in  1733,  and  baptized 
June  10,  1733,  in  the  United  Congregational 
Church  of  Little  Compton,  died  April  10, 1821. 
He  married  Sarah  Wilcox,  who  bore  him  child- 
ren as  follows:  Falle,  baptized  in  the  United 
Congregational  Church  at  Tiverton  in  July, 
1757;  Ezra,  baptized  in  same  church  in  July, 
1769;  Nathaniel,  and  perhaps  others. 

(V)  Nathaniel  Crandell,  born  June  2,  1779, 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Wilcox),  married 
in  1803,  Comfort  Bailey,  born  Dec.  14,  1782, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Euth  Bailey.  He  re- 
moved to  Taunton,  where  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  baker.  He  died  May  4,  1842,  and  his 
wife  4ied  March  19,  1858.  His  children  were: 
William  Bailey,  born  April  16,  1804,  at  Tiver- 
ton, R.  I. ;  Louisa,  born  Dec.  21,  1805,  in  Ti- 
verton, who  married  Alex.  H.  Seabury ;  Sarah, 
•who  married  Charles  Nourse;  and  Mary  Ann, 
■who   married   Zephaniah   Leonard. 

(VI)  William  Bailey  Crandell,  son  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Comfort  (Bailey),  bom  in  Tiver- 
ton April  16,  1804,  passed  his  boyhood  days  in 
Taunton,  and  was  there  educated.  For  some 
years  he  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  and  accumulated  a  considerable 
property.  He  had  an  inherent  love  for  music, 
and  was  a  skillful  player  on  the  violin  and 
flute,  and  owned  much  music  and  many  instru- 
ments. He  was  one  of  the  original  members 
of  the  Beethoven  Society  of  Taunton — an  or- 
ganization  that   secured    for   the   city   a   wide 


reputation  as  a  music-loving  community.  Mr. 
Crandell  died  April  22,  1872.  He  married  Aug. 
27,  1826,  Abigail  Howard  Weatherby,  a  native 
of  Taunton,  and  their  children  were  as  follows: 

(1)  Abigail  Farrington,  born  July  25,  1827, 
died  Oct.  27,  1828,  married  Henry  C.  Perry; 

(2)  SaraJi  Bailey,  born  May  25,  1829,  married 
Francis  B.  Dean,  and  had  two  children,  Louis 
B.  (deceased)  and  Clarence  R. ;  (3)  William 
Thomas,  born  Jan.  6,  1832,  died  July  21,  1833; 
(4)  William  Thomas  (2),  bom  Aug.  4,  1834, 
married  (first)  Mary  Ellis  and.  (second)  Cath- 
erine Peirce;  (5)  Caroline  Weatherby,  bom 
July  13,  1836,  is  unmarried  and  lives  in  Taun- 
ton; (6)  Charles  Weatherbv,  born  Aug.  20, 
1838,  died  Dec.  13,  1897;  and  (7)  Marianna, 
born  Nov.  27,  1840,  died  March  25,  1845. 

(VII)  Charles  Weatherby  Crandell,  son  of 
William  Bailey  and  Abigail  Howard  (Weath- 
erby), was  born  in  Taunton,  Aug.  20,  1838.  He 
married  Abby  Dean,  youngest  daughter  of 
Barney  Dean,  and  died  Dec.  13,  1897.  Their 
cliildren  were  :  Frederick,^  Walter  and  Charles, 
who  all  died  under  two  years  of  age;  Arthur 
Richmond,  born  in  Taunton  Sept.  15,  1870; 
and  Ruth,  born  Oct.  23,  1878,  who  married 
Allan  B.  Greenough,  of  Taunton. 

(VIII)  Arthur  Richmond  Crandell  was  bom 
in  Taunton,  Mass.,  Sept.  15,  1870,  and  he  re- 
ceived lys  primary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  graduating  from  the  high 
school  in  1888.  In  the  fall  of  that  same  year 
he  entered  Harvard  University,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1892,  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  He  then  entered  the  Medical 
Department  of  Harvard  University,  graduating 
therefrom  in  1896  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
Believing  in  thorough  preparation  for  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  he  became  interne  in  the 
Children's  Hospital  at  Boston,  remaining  for 
fifteen  months  in  1896-1897.  He  then  en- 
tered the  Massachusetts  Hospital  as  surgical 
pupil  for  sixteen  months.  At  the  end 
of  this  period,  he  entered  the  Boston 
Lying-in  Hospital,  where  he  remained  two 
months  in  1898  and  four  months  in 
1899.  Returning  at  the  end  of  that  time  to 
his  native  town,  he  began  the  general  practice 
of  his  profession,  in  which  he  has  continued  to 
the  present  time  with  more  than  ordinary  suc- 
cess. He  is  one  of  the  staff  of  Morton  Hospital. 
ProfeRsionally  he  is  a  member  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Medical  Society,  and  of  the  American 
Medical  Association.  Socially  he  belongs  to 
the  Winthrop  and  Yacht  Clubs,  and  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Taunton  Boat  Club. 

On  April  25.  1906,  Dr.  Crandell  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Gertrude  Scovil  Luce,  daugh- 


696 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ter  of  Warren  Augustus  Luce,  a  Methodist  mia- 
ister,  native  of  Vineyard  Haven.  To  this  union 
was  born,  July  8,  1907,  a  daughter  Carolyn. 

•  EUGENE  EBEN  SHAW,  formerly  of  the 
town  of  Carver,  now  residing  in  Middleboro, . 
Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.,  is  a  business  man  of 
varied  interests,  but  perhaps  best  known  in 
his  connection  with  the  cranberry  industry,  he 
having  been  the  largest  individual  grower  in 
the  town.  He  has  served  in  numerous  town 
oflBces  and  represented  his  district  in  the  Legis- 
lature, and  all  in  all  is  an  appreciable  factor 
in  the  well-being  of  the  community. 

Mr.  Shaw  was  born  Nov.  5,  1853,  in  Provi- 
dence, E.  I.,  but  he  belongs  to  an  old  Massa- 
chusetts family,  being  a  descendant  in  the 
ninth  generation  from  John  Shaw,  his  im- 
migrant ancestor.  We  give  herewith  the  line 
in  chronological  order. 

(I)  John  Shaw  was  in  New  England,  an 
inhabitant  of  Plymoiith,  in  1627,  in  which  year 
he  had  a  share  in  the  division  of  cattle.  He  is 
referred  to  as  one  of  the  "purchasers  or  old 
comers."  He  was  a  freeman  according  to 
Pope  of  1632-33,  and  was  one  of  those  who  be- 
fore July  1,  1633,  undertook  to  cut  a  passage 
from  Green's  harbor  to  the  bay.  He  had  ad- 
ditional lands  in  1636  and  was  juryman  in 
1648.  He  was  one  of  the  purchasers  of  Dart- 
mouth in  1652,  and  became  one  of  the  first 
settlers  in  Middleboro  in  1662.  He  had  bought 
into  the  Twenty-six  Men's  Purchase  prior  to 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and  was  one  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Middleboro  in  the  fort  at 
that  time,  and  then  he  or  his  son  John  served 
seventeen  days  against  the  Narragansetts  in 
1645.  He  had  sold  his  interest  in  the  Twenty- 
six  Men's  Purchase  before  1677  to  Samuel 
Wood.  On  coming  from  England,  according 
to  Savage,  he  brought  with  him  wife  Alice 
and  children  John,  James,  Jonathan  and 
Abigail,  the  latter  of  whom  married  Stephen 
Bryant.  The  father  died  Oct.  24,  1694.  The 
mother  was  buried  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  March 
6,  16.54-55. 

(II)  Jonathan  Shaw,  son  of  John,  as  stated, 
came  to  New  England  with  his  parents  and 
was  an  early  settler  at  Plymouth,  and  for  a 
portion  of  his  life  he  may  have  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Duxbury  or  Eastham.  He  was  twice 
married,  marrying  (first)  Jan.  22,  1657, 
Phebe,  daughter  of  George  Watson,  and  (sec- 
ond) Persis,  widow  of  Benjamin  Prati  and 
daughter  of  Deacon  John  Dunham.  He  had 
children :  Hannah  married  Aug.  5,  1678, 
Thomas  Paine,  Jr.,  of  Eastham ;  Jonathan  was 
born  in   1663;   Phebe  married  John   Morton; 


Mary  married  in  1687  Eleazer  Ring;  George 
married  Jan.  8,  1690,  Constant  Doane,  and 
was  of  Eastham;  Lydia  married  April  4,  1689, 
Nicliolas  Snow;  Benjamin  (twin)  was  born  in 
1672;  Benoni  (twin),  born  in  1672,  married 
Lydia,  daughter  of  John  Waterman. 

(III)  Jonathan  Shaw  (2),  of  Plympton,  soa 
of  Jonathan,  born  in  1663,  married  (first)  in 
1687  Mehetabel  Pratt,  who  died  in  1712,  and 
he  married  (second)  Nov.  6,  1715,  Mary  Dar- 
ling, who  died  March  9,  1754,  aged  eighty  and' 
a  widow.  His  children  were:  Jonathan,  born, 
in  1689,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.;  Phebe,  born  in 
1690,  who  married  Thomas  ShurtlefE;  Persis, 
born  in  1692,  who  married  Joseph  Lucas; 
Mehetabel,  born  in  1694,  who  married  Zacha- 
riah  Weston ;  James,  born  in  1696 ;  Hannah, 
born  in  1699,  who  married  James  Harlow; 
Elizabeth,  born  in  1701;  Priscilla,  born  in 
1702;  Abigail,  born  in  1705;  Samuel;  and 
Rebecca,  born  in  1718. 

(IV)  Jonatlian  Shaw  (3),  of  Plympton, 
son  of  Jonathan  (2),  born  in  1689,  in  Middle- 
boro, married  (first)  Elizabeth  Atwood,  and' 
(second)  Sarah  Rich.  His  children,  all  born 
to  the  first  marriage  excepting  the  youngest, 
were:  Nathaniel,  born  in  1714;  Mary,  born 
in  1716;  Nathaniel  (2),  born  in  1718';  Eliza- 
beth, born  in  1719;  Sarah,  born  in  1724;  Jo- 
nathan, born  in  1728;  and  Thomas,  born  in 
1738,  who  served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
and  died  while  in  the  army. 

(V)  Capt.  Nathaniel  Shaw,  of  Plympton, 
son  of  Jonathan  (3),  born  in  1718,  married 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Luke  Perkins.  According 
to  the  family  Captain  Shaw  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  A  Nathaniel  Shaw  of  Plymp- 
ton is  of  record  as  a  member  of  Capt.  James 
Warren's  regiment,  which  marched  in  response 
to  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  to  Marshfield. 
He  also  was  captain  of  the  Plympton  com- 
pany under  Col.  Gamaliel  Bradford,  Jr.,  whO' 
commanded  the  1st  Plymouth  county  regiment 
of  militia  in  1776,  Shaw  being  commissioned 
June  6th  of  that  year.  He  was  also  captain 
in  Lieut.  Col.  Jeremiah  Hall's  regiment  in 
December,  1776,  company  raised  in  Kingston, 
Plympton  and  Halifax;  and  captain  of  7th 
company  of  Col.  Theophilus  Cotton's  regiment 
of  Massachusetts  militia,  being  commissioned 
Oct.  28,  1778.  His  children  were:  Mary,  bom 
in  1741;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1744;  Nathaniel, 
born  in  1747;  Joseph,  born  in  1749;  Hannah, 
born  in  1751 ;  Ruth,  born  in  1753;  Sarah,  born 
in  1756;  Jonathan,  born  in  1758;  Deliverance, 
born  in  1760;  James,  born  in  1764;  and  Zil- 
pha,    born  in  1765. 

(VI)  Lieut.  Joseph  Shaw,  born  in  1749,  son^ 


■  ES  U  B  t3 


(yuoji^^-L^ 


^a^-yy^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  6<jr 

of  Nathaniel,  married  April  25,  1776,  Lydia  J.  Holmes,  and  Nathaniel  Warren.  (6)  Han- 
Shaw,  their  marriage  being  of  Middleboro  town  nah  M.,  born  in  1827,  died  in  1892.  In  1850' 
record.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  she  married  Eli  Atwood,  of  Carver,  and  they 
war,  and  died  Aug.  4,  1805,  at  the  age  of  fifty-  had  one  child,  Betsey  S.,  who  married  Win- 
six  years.  His  children  were:  George,  born  field  Pratt.  (7)  Oliver,  born  Feb.  5,  1831, 
in  1776;  Lydia,  born  in  1778;  Nathaniel,  born  died  Dec.  26,  1894.  '  He  was  for  years  one 
in  1780;  Joseph,  born  in  1782;  Oliver,  born  of  the  most  prominent  and  successful  men  in 
in  1784;  Ruth,  born  in  1786;  Isaac,  born  in  his  section,  his  residence  being  at  Watertown, 
1788;  Betsey,  born  in  1790;  Waitstill,  born  in  Mass.  In  1855  he  married  Miranda  Atwood, 
1792;  Hannah,  born  in  1794;  Cephas,  born  in  and  their  children,  Alton  E.,  and  Bradford  0. 
1797;  and  Elkanah,  born  in  1802.  and  Bartlett  E.,  twins,  are  all  now  deceased. 

(VII)  Capt.  Joseph  Shaw  (2),  son  of  Jo-  (8)  Priscilla  Jane,  born  in  July,  1834,  mar- 
seph  and  Lydia,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Car-  ried  Pelham  W.  Barrows,  and  had  children: 
ver,  Feb.  17,  1782,  and  died  Sept.  26,  1855.  Joseph  Whitman,  Ellis  Harvey,  Pelham  A., 
He  was  engaged  principally  in  farming,  in  the  Laura  L.,  Hannah  B.  and  Frank  E.  (9)  Bart- 
winter  months  working  in  the  old  blast  foun-  lett,  born  March  12,  1835,  learned  the  iron- 
dry.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in  his  molder's  trade.  In  1861  he  assisted  in  rais- 
locality,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  ing  a  company  in  Carver  for  the  Unioii  ser- 
of  his  day,  and  was  captain  of  a  company  of  vice,  was  appointed  orderly  sergeant,  and  was 
State  militia.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  was  later  promoted  to  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant, 
drafted  for  service,  but  because  of  illness  in  Owing  to  the  illness  of  his  superior  ofRcer  he 
his  family  sent  a  substitute,  Benjamin  Harlow,  was  placed  in  charge  at  the  second  battle  of 
In  1804  Captain  Shaw  married  (first)  Sarah  Bull  Run,  and  lost  his  life  in  that  engage- 
MurdoA,  and  to  them  were  born  six  sons,  the    ment. 

eldest  born  in  1804,  the  youngest  in  1814,  as  (VIII)  Ebenezer  Dunham  Shaw,  son  of  Jo- 
follows:  (1)  Joseph  died  unmarried  in  1865.  seph,  born  Feb.  8,  1823,  in  Carver,  died  Sept. 
(2)  Linus  was  married  in  1833  to  Dicey  14,  1889.  He  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
Allen,  and  they  had  six  children,  George  H.,  and  in  charcoal  burning,  and  built  an  iron 
Linus  A.  (both  of  whom  served  in  the  Civil  foundry  at  Middleboro,  conducting  same  for 
war),  Jeannette  H.,  Arlotha  M.,  Calvin  R.  and  some  years.  It  burned  down,  however,  and  he 
Betsey.  (3)  Bartlett  was  married  in  1833  to  spent  his  declining  years  at  Carver,  where  he 
Almira  Atwood,  had  one  child,  and  died  in  died.  He  was  not  only  a  good  business  man 
1835.  (4)  Martin,  born  in  1811,  died  the  but  active  in  town  affairs,  serving  many  years 
same  year.      (5)    Dennis,   who   died   in    1875,    as  selectman. 

married  Emmeline  Skinner,  and  their  children  In  1848  Mr.  Shaw  married  (first)  Nancy 
were :  William  B.,  Henry  and  Henrietta  Eugenia  Bisbee,  daughter  of  Alden  and  Nancy 
(twins),  Albert,  Charles,  Emmeline,  Susannah  (Dunham)  Bisbee.  Mrs.  Shaw  died  Aug.  11, 
and  Apollos.  The  father  and  the  eldest  four  1855,  in  Lakeville,  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
sons  served  in  the  Civil  war,  two  of  them  being  dren,  Frederick,  Aravesta,  Josephus  and  Eu- 
wounded.  One  son  died  while  serving  in  the  gene  Eben,  the  last  named  the  only  one  who 
regular  army.  (6)  Harrison,  who  died  in  survived  infancy.  Mr.  Shaw's  second  mar- 
1861,  married  Adaline  Bent  and  had  eight  riage  was  to  Mrs.  Hannah  (Westgate)  Denni- 
children,  William  B.,  Sarah  M.,  Deliverance,  son,  who  was  born  Jan.  13,  1830,  and  died  July 
Charles  H.,  Emma  B.,  John,  Mary  and  2,  1908.  They  had  five  children,  as  follows: 
Erastus.  (1)    Frederick   Warren,   born    Dec.    19,    1857, 

For  his  second  wife  Captain  Shaw  married,  died  Jan.  29,  1899.  He  married  Annie  Till- 
in  1818,  Hannah  Dunham,  and  to  this  union  son,  daughter  of  Marcus  and  Abbie  (Atwood) 
were  born  nine  children:  (1)  William  H.,  Tillson,  and  they  had  four  children :  Ellsworth 
born  in  1819,  died  the  same  year.  (2)  Na-  Vernon,  Norman  Lee,  Myrtle  Amber  and  Eben- 
thaniel,  born  in  1820,  died  in  1821.  (3)  ezer  Dunham.  (2)  Aravesta  Bartlett,  born 
Ebenezer  Dunham  is  mentioned  below.  (4)  Jan.  14,  1859,  in  Carver,  is  unmarried  and 
Francis  S.,  born  in  1824,  died  in  1885.  In  living  in  Lakeville,  Plymouth  county.  (3) 
1849  he  married  Abbie  Southworth,  of  Lake-  Elmer  Francis,  born  July  4,  1861,  is  engaged 
ville,  and  of  their  thirteen  children  only  two  in  the  foundry  business  in  Boston.  He  mar- 
survive,  Emma  L.  amd  Jennie.  (5)  Sally  ried  Harriet  Squires,  of  Plymouth,  and  they 
Murdock,  born  in  1826,  was  married  in  1847  have  had  two  children,  William  S.  and  Oliver, 
to  Ira  Cook  Bent,  of  Carver,  and  they  had  the  latter  now  deceased.  (4)  Bartlett  Mur- 
two  children,  Ellen  F.,  who  married  Philander    dock,   born   May   1,   1865,  married    Edith   B. 


698 


SOUTHEASTE]}X  :MASSAt'HUSP:TTS 


Ashley,  of  Berkley,  and  their  children  are 
Eliot  A.,  Joseph,  Bartlett  M.,  Jr.,  and  Fred- 
erick D.,  all  residing  in  Watertown,  Mass.  He 
is  superintendent  of  the  Walker  &  Pratt  Manu- 
facturing Company.  (5)  Myra  Amber,  born 
Dec.  26,  1868,  married  Walter  Franklin  Ham- 
mond, of  Carver,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Bertha  Frances. 

(IX)  Eugene  Eben  Shaw,  son  of  Ebenezer 
D.  Shaw,  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools,  which  he  left  when  fourteen  years 
old.  He  learned  the  molder's  trade  ill  Water- 
town,  Middlesex  Co.,  Mass.,  following  that 
work  for  five  years,  after  wliich  he  went  West, 
spending  some  time  in  Nebraska  and  North 
Dakota,  in  the  latter  State  being  in  the  employ 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company.  Ee- 
turning  home  after  an  absence  of  about  three 
years  he  went  into  the  foundry  business,  manu- 
facturing oil  stoves,  whifh  business  he  later 
sold  to  the  Plymouth  Stove  Company.  He  was 
then  engaged  in  the  charcoal  business  in  South 
Carver,  later  taking  up  the  lumber  business 
and  running  a  sawmill.  For  some  time  he  was 
extensively  interested  in  the  growing  of  cran- 
berries, his  bogs  covering  about  seventy-five 
acres,  but  sold  his  interests  in  this  line  to  the 
United  Cape  Cod  Cranberry  Company  in  the 
fall  of  1909.  He  has  high  standing  among 
business  men  for  integrity  and  ability,  and  is 
trusted  by  all  who  have  had  dealings  with 
him. 

Mr.  Shaw  has  been  quite  prominent  in  the 
local  government,  having  filled  many  town  offi- 
ces ;  was  special  assessor  for  two  years ;  served 
five  years  as  forester ;  and  was  representative 
in  the  State  Legislature  in  1908,  during  which 
year  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  committee 
on  Agriculture.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politi- 
cal connection.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Waukinquoak  Lodge,  No.  119,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of 
Wareham,  and  a  member  of  Plymouth  Rock 
Lodge,  No.  84,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  of  Plymouth  :  in 
religion  he  is  a  Baptist. 

Mr.  Shaw  married  (first)  July  16,  1885, 
Cordelia  Frances  Shurtleff,  who  was  born  Nov. 
29,  1861,  daughter  of  Perez  T.  and  Eliza 
(Richmond)  Shurtleff,  of  Carver,  and  they  had 
two  children:  Ralph,  born  in  August,  1886, 
who  died  in  infancy;  and  Cordelia  Gertrude, 
born  Nov.  29.  1887,  who  married  April  6, 
1909,  Henry  Stewart  Pink,  of  Carver.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  Dec.  7,  1887. 
Mr.  Shaw's  second  marriage,  on  Feb.  14,  1891, 
was  to  Ella  Gibbs  Atwood,  daughter  of  John 
Savery  and  Susan  Malone  (Hamblin)  Atwood, 
and  they  have  had  four  children,  born  as  fol- 
lows: Kenneth   Eugene,   Feb.    17,   1892;   Cora 


Frances,  April  12,  1893;  Hannah  Lucille,  Oct. 
11,  1894;  and  Aravesta  Eugenia,  July  3,  1898. 
On  Sept.  1,  1910,  Mr.  Shaw  purchased  the 
handsome  residence  of  Arthur  H.  Leonard,  on 
High  street,  Middleboro,  to  which  he  and  his 
family  have  since  removed,  and  where  they 
now  reside. 

DR.  NAHUM  WASHBURN,  D.  D.  S.,  who 
during  his  life  was  one  of  the  leading  profes- 
sional men  of  the  Bridgewaters,  and  a  pioneer 
in  the  dental  profession  in  southeastern  Massa- 
chusetts, was  bom  in  Bridgton,  Maine,  Nov. 
15,  1806.  The  Washburn  family  is  an  old  and 
distinguished  one  in  New  England.  The  name 
has  been  variously  spelled — Washburne,  Wash- 
born,  Washborne  and  Washburn — but  all  claim 
as  a  common  ancestor  Jolm  Washburn  of  Dux- 
buiy. 

(I)  John  Washburn,  the  first  of  the  name, 
was  an  early  settler  in  New  England,  and  was 
a  resident  of  Duxbury,  Mass.,  before  1632,  in 
which  year  he  had  an  action  in  court  against 
Edward  Doten.  He  was  named  in  the  assess- 
ment of  taxes  in  1633,  and  in  1634  bought  a 
place  from  Edward  Bonparse  known  as 
"Eagle's  Nest."  He  and  his  two  sons,  John 
and  Philip,  were  included  among  those  able 
to  bear  arms  in  1643.  He  and  his  son  John 
were  original  proprietors  of  Bridgewat.er,  and 
they,  with  the  son  Philip,  settled  in  that  town 
as  early  as  1665.  John  Washburn  died  in 
Bridgewater  before  1670. 

(II)  John  Washburn  (2),  son  of  John,  lo- 
cated with  his  father  in  Bridgewater.  He  mar- 
ried in  1645  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Experience 
Mitchell,  also  of  Bridgewater.  Mr.  Washburn 
made  his  home  there  and  there  died.  His  chil- 
dren were :  John ;  Thomas ;  Joseph ;  Samuel ; 
Jonathan;  Benjamin;  Mary,  born  in  1661,  who 
married  Samuel  Kinsley ;  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried (first)  James  Howard  and  (second)  Ed- 
ward Sealey ;  Jane,  who  married  William  Or- 
cutt,  Jr. ;  James,  born  in  1672 ;  and  Sarah,  who 
married  in  1697  John  Ames. 

(III)  Jonathan  Washburn,  son  of  John  (2), 
was  married  about  1683  to  Mary  Vaughn. 
Their  children  were:  Elizabeth,  bom  1684 
(married  in  1710  John  Benson)  ;  Josiah,  1686; 
Benjamin,  1688;  Ebenezer,  1690;  Martha, 
1692;  Joanna,  1693;  Nathan,  1699;  Jonathan, 
1700;  and  Cornelius,  1702. 

(IV)  Josiah  Washburn,  son  of  Jonathan,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Bridgewater  in  1686.  In 
1723  he  married  Elizabetli  Devenport,  and  they 
had  two  sons,  Josiah  and  Jonathan. 

(V)  Josiah  Washburn  (2),  son  of  Josiah, 
married  in  1753  Phebe  Hayward,  daughter  of 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


699 


Thomas  Hayward,  and  their  children  were : 
Solomon,  born  in  175-i;  Seth,  1756;  Thomas, 
1758;  Bethiah,  1760;  Mary,  1762;  Hannah  and 
i?etty,  1766;  Jonathan,  1768. 

(VI)  Solomon  Washburn,  son  of  Josiah  (2), 
was  born  in  Bridgewater  in  1754.  In  1773  he 
married  Anne  Mitchell,  daughter  of  Seth 
Mitchell,  and  their  children  were:  Zenas; 
Anna,  who  married  in  1797  Oliver  Hayward; 
Solomon;  Eeuljcn ;  Thomas,  horn  in  1787;  Os- 
car, born  in  1795;  Lewis,  born  in  1797;  and 
Nahum,  who  married  Anne  Mitchell,  daughter 
of  Jolm. 

(VII)  Solomon  Washburn  (2),  son  of  Solo- 
mon, was  born  in  Bridgewater,  and  tliere  in 
1801  married  Sally  Carver,  daughter  of  Ja- 
bez  Carver.  In  his  young  manhood  Solomon 
Washburn  spent  some  time  in  Maine,  but  later 
removed  to  Hanover,  Mass.,  and  thence  to 
Bridgewater,  where  the  remainder  of  his  life 
was  passed.  He  was  a  machinist  by  trade,  and 
was  an  extensive  landowner  in  his  native  town 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  normal  school.  He  built 
a  fine  brick  house  on  Summer  street,  which  is 
still  standing,  and  there  he  made  his  home. 
He  was  a  man  of  enterprise  and  of  progressive 
spirit,  and  for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Washburn,  Carver  &  Co.,  manufacturers 
of  cotton  gins.  He  died  at  his  home  on  Sum- 
mer street,  and  was  buried  in  Mount  Prospect 
cemetery.  His  children  were :  Rotheus,  bom 
Feb.  26,  1803,  married  Mary  Hayward;  Carver 
was  born  Nov.  20,  1804;  Nahum  was  bom  Nov. 
15,  1806;  Thomas  J.,  born  June  25,  1809,  mar- 
ried Marcha  Perkins;  Albert,  bom  July  21, 
1812,  married  (first)  Clarissa  Pratt,  daughter 
of  Calvin  Pratt,  and  (second)  Maria  0.  Pratt, 
daughter  of  Jared  Pratt;  Eli,  born  March  18, 
1817,  died  unmarried  Dec.  21,  1879;  Nathan, 
born  April  3,  1819,  died  unmarried  Dec.  10, 
1842;  John,  born  May  22,  1821,  married  Jane 
Robinson,  and  died  July  28,  1868;  Maria,  bom 
in  1823,  married  Alonzo  Masters,  of  Boston, 
and  died  in  November,  1879. 

(VIII)  Carver  Washburn,  son  of  Solomon 
(2),  was  bom  Nov.  20,  1804,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  local  school  and  at  Bridgewater 
Academy.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
home,  and  became  identified  with  the  cotton 
gin  manufacturing  business,  being  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Washburn,  Carver  &  Co.,  of 
Bridgewater.  He  continued  a  member  of  this 
firm  until  his  death,  although  for  the  last  few 
years  of  his  life  his  impaired  health  rendered 
his  retirement  from  active  work  imperative. 
His  home  was  on  Summer  street,  near  the  old 
home  of  his  father,  and  there  he  died  June  17, 
1862,  and  his  remains  rest  in  Mount  Prospect 


cemetery.  He  was  a  Whig  and  Republican, 
but  he  never  sought  or  accepted  office  though 
often  solicited  to  do  so.  With  his  wife  he  at- 
tended the  Unitarian  Church.  Mr.  Washburn 
was  twice  married.  On  March  4,  1827,  he  mar- 
ried Harriett  Harden,  bom  Oct.  4,  1800.  She 
died  Feb.  24,  1834,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Mount  Prospect  cemetery.  The  children  of 
tliis  union  were:  Mira  Louise,  born  Dec.  2.1, 
1827,  married  (first)  Jan.  12,  1845,  Frederick 
Cushing,  and  (second)  James  Whitney,  of  New 
York,  and  is  now  deceased ;  Margaret,  born 
Dec.  9,  1829,  married  April  21,  1850,  Stillman 
Alger,  and  died  July  4,  1856,  tlie  mother  of 
four  children,  Stillman  (bom  Dec.  29,  1850), 
Austin  W.,  William  E.  and  Hattie  C,  all  now 
deceased;  Ferdinand  Carver,  bom  July  17, 
1831,  now  deceased,  a  railroad  engineer  and 
Scottish  Rite  Mason  in  Ohio,  married  March 
1,  1859,  Mary  Brumly.  Mr.  Washburn  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  Jane  Mitchell  Hay- 
ward, born  Oct.  20,  1802,  daughter  of  Calvin 
Hayward.  She  died  Aug.  5,  1902,  and  was 
laid  to  rest  in  the  family  lot  in  Mount  Pros- 
pect cemetery.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Uni- 
tarian Church.  The  three  children  of  this 
marriage  were :  Mary  Jane,  born  June  19,  1836, 
who  died  Aug.  6,  1837;  Clinton,  bom  Nov.  25, 
1838 ;  and  Caroline,  born  April  2,  1842,  who 
died  in  March,   1907. 

(IX)  Clinton  W.\shburn,  only  son  born 
to  Carver  and  Jane  Mitchell  (Hayward) 
Washburn,  received  his  education  in  the 
Bridgewater  school  and  the  local  academy.  He 
then  worked  in  the  cotton  gin  factory  for  some 
years,  when  he  retired  from  active  business  and 
made  his  home  with  his  mother  and  sister  as 
long  as  they  lived.  He  occupied  the  homestead 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  April  8,  1909. 
He  was  unmarried,  thus  being  the  last  of  his 
line.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican,  and  in 
religious  views  a  Unitarian. 

(VIII)  Dr.  Nahum  Washburn,  son  of  Solo- 
mon (2)  and  brother  of  Carver,  was  but  five 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  removed  to  the 
town  of  Hanover,  in  Plymouth  county,  later 
coming  to  Bridgewater,  which  town  has  been- 
the  home  of  the  Washburn  family  for  many 
years.  He  attended  the  public  schools  and 
Bridgewater  Academy  under  the  tutelage  of  the 
late  Hon.  John  A.  Shaw,  after  which  he  at- 
tended Dartmouth  College,  graduating  in  1832. 
His  scholarship  was  of  a  high  order,  and  he 
had  an  especial  taste  for  literary  and  scientific 
subjects.  After  completing  his  college  course 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society  in  1835.  Later  he  took  up 
the  study  of  dentistry,  and  entered  upon  the 


700 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


active  practice  of  that  profession  in  Bridge- 
water,  his  ability  winning  for  him  marked  suc- 
cess for  upward  of  half  a  century.  He  num- 
bered among  his  patients  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  families  of  New  Bedford  and 
other  sections  of  the  State  besides  those  in  the 
Bridgewaters.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  inventive 
genius,  and  was  the  inventor  and  manufac- 
turer of  many  of  the  instruments  used  in  his 
profession.  He  was  also  the  inventor  of  a  mill 
for  the  grinding  of  rock  crystal  for  use  in  the 
manufacture  of  teeth.  He  was  a  typical  gen- 
tleman of  the  old  school,  a  fine  entertainer  and 
possessed  of  refined  tastes.  His  wit  was  spark- 
ling, but  never  cruel,  and  he  was  endowed  with 
a  remarkable  memory  and  rare  conversational 
powers,  wliicJi,  united  with  his  habits  of  close 
ob.servation  and  study,  rendered  his  companion- 
ship not  only  attractive  but  instructive. 

Dr.  Washburn  was  not  only  liberally  edu- 
cated himself,  but  he  was  the  firm  friend  of 
the  public  schools.  He  was  keenly  sympathetic 
and  was  quick  to  advocate  any  measure  that 
insured  actual  benefit  to  the  unfortunate.  On 
account  of  the  loss  of  eyesight,  he  was  obliged 
to  abandon  his  profession  some  ten  years  be- 
fore his  death,  but  he  retained  Ms  mental 
vigor  to  the  last.  His  declining  years  were 
spent  in  his  historic  home,  surrounded  by  his 
family  and  the  friends  he  loved  so  well.  He 
died  as  he  had  lived,  a  true  man,  loyal  to  bis 
State  and  faithful  in  his  home,  Dec.  28,  1883, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  and  was  laid 
to  rest  in  Mount  Prospect  cemetery. 

Dr.  Washburn  was  married  May  16,  1836,  to 
Christiana  Pratt,  of  Bridgewater,  born  Jan.  8, 
1811,  who  died  April  18,  1893.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Calvin  and  Clarissa  (Keith)  Pratt, 
and  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of 
Plymouth  county.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  (1)  Dr.  Christian,  born  April  22, 
1838,  married  June  o,  1862,  Salome  Lazell 
Keith,  born  March  23,  1840,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Caroline  (Jones)  Keith,  and  has 
one  child,  Helen  Christiana  (born  April  29, 
1868),  who  married  April  28,  1896,  Frank 
Jordan,  horn  Dec.  17,  1868,  son  of  Simeon 
and  Harriett  Jordan,  and  has  one  child,  Chris- 
tiana Pratt,  bom  Oct.  22,  1902;  they  reside  at 
Plymouth.  (2)  Nahum,  born  July  30,  1839, 
died  Oct.  14,  1893.  He  married  (first)  Nov. 
18,  1874,  Mary  Reed  (born  March  15,  1848, 
died  June  25,  1878,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Sophia  Reed),  and  had  one  child,  Sophia 
Clarke  (born  Nov.  3,  1875,  married  Dr.  Frank 
E.  Bateman,  of  Somerville,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren— Lois,  bom  April  25,  1898;  Leon,  Feb. 


25,  1900;  and  Sylvia,  June  5,  1902).  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Jan.  26,  1881,  Corinna  Bates 
(born  July  16,  1846,  died  March  22,  1902,. 
daughter  of  Samuel  Ward  Bates)  and  had  one- 
son,  Samuel  Ward,  born  Nov.  7,  1885.  (3) 
Clara  Sumner,  bom  April  15,  1845,  resides  at 
home.  (4)  George,  bom  April  23,  1850,  mar- 
ried Feb.  18,  1886,  Ellen  Burt  Allen  (bom 
Dec.  19,  1853,  daughter  of  Joseph  A.  and  Lucy^ 
Allen)  and  has  one  child,  Lucy  Christiana^ 
born  Aug.  26,  1896. 

GIFFORD  (Fall  River  family).  The  fam- 
ily bearing  tliis  name  in  this  as  well  as  in  the- 
mother  country  is  one  ancient  and  honorable. 
It  was  seated  at  Honfleur,  in  Normandy,  three- 
hundred  years  before  the  conquest  of  Eng- 
land by  William  the  Norman,  and  for  services 
at  the  battle  of  Hastings  (1066)  was  rewarded 
by  him  with  land  in  Somersetshire  and 
Cheshire.  And  here  in  America  a  branch  of 
the  English  family  is  one  of  some  two  hundred 
and  eighty  and  more  years'  standing,  dating^ 
from  the  coming  to  the  Virginian  Colony  in 
1626  of  Francis  Gifford.  Here  in  New 
England,  in  this  Commonwealth,  the  com- 
ing of  the  progenitor  of  the  special  Fall 
River  family  here  treated  is  perhaps  a 
score  of  years  later.  Reference  is  here 
made  to  the  family  of  the  late  Gideon  Gif- 
ford of  Fall  River,  one  of  whose  sons  is  the 
present  Ferdinand  H.  Gifford,  Esq.,  who  has 
for  years  been  president  of  the  Fall  River 
National  Bank.  From  William  Gifford,  the 
Sandwich  settler.  President  Gifford's  descent 
is  through  Robert,  Stephen,  Benjamin,  John, 
Isaac  and  Gideon  Gifford,  which  generations  in 
the  order  named  and  in  detail  follow. 

(I)  William  Gifford,  of  record  in  1647  at 
Stamford,  Conn.,  and  William  Gifford,  of 
Sandwich,  Mass.,  and  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Inquest,  Plymouth,  in  1650,  are  believed  by 
the  compiler  of  the  "Gifford  Gen."  to  be  one 
and  the  same  person.  He  died  in  1686-87,  and 
in  his  will  probated  March  2d  of  that  year  he 
gives  to  his  children  John,  Hannaniah,  Wil- 
liani,  Christopher,  Robert,  Jonathan,  James 
and  Mary;  and  to  his  grandchildren.  Temper- 
ance, John,  Robert,  Experience  and  Sarah 
Kirby  (children  of  Richard  Kirby).  He  also- 
gave  five  pounds  "to  the  service  and  improve- 
ment of  my  friends  called  Quakers."  He  seems 
to  have  left  a  considerable  property  among  his 
children,  including  lands  at  Sacounessett  or 
Falmouth.  He  was  committed  by  the  court  in 
1658  for  not  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance; 
again  in  1659  for  affronting  the  marshal,  and 
in  1660  for  being  at  Quaker  meetings. 


cf 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


701 


(II)  Robert  Gifford,  son  of  William,  mar- 
ried Sarah,  daughter  of  Stephen  Wing,  of 
Sandwich,' who  died  the  20th  of  the  6th  month, 
1720.  It  seems  he  had  married  again  previous 
to  making  his  will  (in  1724),  which  docu- 
ment was  probated  April  30,  1730,  and  in 
which  he  gives  to  his  children  Jeremiah,  Ben- 
jamin, Stephen,  Timothy  and  Simeon.  Ste- 
phen Wing,  of  Sandwich,  in  his  will  dated  Dec. 
2,  1700,  and  probated  July  13,  1710,  gave  to 
his  daughter  Sarah  Gifford  and  grandson  Jere- 
miah Gifford. 

(III)  Stephen  Gifford,  son  of  Robert,  mar- 
ried Mary,  and  their  children  were :  Ste])hen, 
born  Jan.  30,  1711-12  (died  Feb.  25,  1711- 
12);  Patience,  Dec.  16,  1712;  Hannaniah, 
Aug.  20,  1714;  Susannah,  May  24,  1716;  Pris- 
«illa,  June  17,  1718;  Keziah,  Feb.  2,  1720; 
Abigail,  Nov.  4,  1721;  Mary,  Aug.  12,  1723; 
Ruth,  Oct.  5,  1725;  and  Benjamin,  Feb.  2, 
1727-28. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Gifford,  son  of  Stephen,  was 
born  Feb.  2,  1727-28.  (A  Benjamin  by  will, 
25th  of  10th  month,  1778,  probated  May  4, 
1779,  gives  to  sons  Stephen,  Chadwick,  Benja- 
min and  to  daughters  Grace  and  Ruth. — See 
■"Leonard  Papers,"  Xew  Bedford  Public  Li- 
brary.) 

(V)  John  GifEord,  son  of  Benjamin,  born 
Aug.  28,  1754,  married  Ruth  Luther,  born 
Aug.  6,  1754.  They  lived  in  Westport,  Mass. 
Their  children  were :  Warren,  born  July  29, 
1775;  Weston,  Oct.  12,  1776;  Luther,  Aug. 
17,  1778;  Anna,  April  3,  1780:  Lydia,  Oct.  24. 
1781;  Peleg,  Sept.  17,  1783;  Levi,  June  15, 
1785;  Isaac,  Jan.  15.  1787;  Maria,  Sept.  2, 
1788;  Mary,  July  2,  1790;  Lucretia,  May  10, 
1793;  Benjamin,  Dec.  3.  1795;  Weston  (2), 
May  2,  1796;  and  one  born  dead,  Jan.  19, 
1792. 

(VI)  Isaac  Gifford,  son  of  John  and  Ruth, 
■was  born  Jan.  15,- 1787,  was  a  farmer,  and  re- 
sided in  Westport,  where  he  died.  He  was 
buried  on  his  farm,  whence  in  1908  the  re- 
mains were  removed  to  Oak  Grove  cemetery. 
Fall  River.  Mr.  Gifford  was  a  member  of  the 
First  Christian  Church  at  Head  of  Westport. 
He  married  Edith  Sherman,  of  Westport,  who 
survived  him,  and  died  at  the  home  of  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Charles  Jenks,  at  Fall  River. 
To  Isaac  and  Edith  (Sherman)  Gifford  were 
born  children  as  follows:  Hannah  nuirried 
Abner  Read,  a  farmer,  and  resided  in  West- 
port  nearly  all  her  life,  but  died  in  Fall  River ; 
Gideon  is  mentioned  below;  Ann  married 
Charles  Jenks,  a  farmer,  and  lived  in  Fall 
River;  Weston  married  Rachel  Thurston  and 
died  in  Westport  (he  was  a  farmer) ;  Cynthia 


married  Rev.  Benjamin  S.  Batchelor,  an  Ad- 
ventist  clergyman,  and  died  in  New  Bedford; 
Uriah  died  in  young  manhood;  Ruth  S.  mar- 
ried John  Tripp,  a  farmer  and  mason,  and 
died  in  New  Bedford;  Emeline  Jane  married 
Benjamin  Carter,  a  cabinetmaker,  and  died  in 
Providence;  William  died  in  early  manhood; 
Sarah  died  young;  Andrew  A.  went  to  Cali- 
fornia during  the  gold  excitement  and  was 
drowned  there  while  bathing;  Betsey  B.,  the 
last  surviving  member  of  the  family,  is  the 
wife  of  Charles  F.  Lake,  a  painter  and  paper 
hanger,  and  resides  in  Fall  River ;  George  F. 
died  young.  Of  this  family,  Uriah,  William, 
Sarah  and  George  F.  died  within  a  short  time, 
of  fever. 

(VII)  GiDEOx  Gifford,  son  of  Isaac,  was 
born  June  10,  1811,  in  Westport,  and  resided 
there,  engaged  in  farming,  until  his  removal 
to  Fall  River  in  1844.  Here  he  engaged  in 
teaming,  following  that  occupation,  which  he 
found  very  profitable,  until  about  three  years 
previous  to  his  death.  He  retired  on  account 
of  advancing  age.  and  died  Jan.  6,  1882;  he 
was  buried  in  Oak  Grove  cemetery.  Mr.  Gif- 
ford was  a  well  known  man  in  his  line,  and  did 
considerable  teaming  for  the  large  mills  of 
the  city.  He  had  a  high  reputation  for  indus- 
try, thrift  and  reliability,  and  was  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him  for  his  quiet  but  useful 
life.  A  stanch  advocate  of  temperance,  he 
would  never  allow  intoxicating  liquors  of  any 
kind,  not  even  cider,  on  his  wagons.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  First  Christian  Church. 

Mr.  GifEord  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife, 
Almeda  W.  Dennis,  daughter  of  Robert  Den- 
nis, of  Westport,  being  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, Ferdinand  H.  and  Robert  D.  (born  Dec. 
28.  1849,  died  Dec.  6,  1851).  Mrs.  GifEord 
was  born  Feb.  13,  1811,  and  died  March  15, 
1861.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Gifford  mar- 
ried Eliza  Rhodes,  who  survived  him  and  died 
in  Boston. 

(VIII)  FEiiDiNAXD  H.  GiFFOED,  SOU  of  Gid- 
eon, was  born  Dec.  13,  1838,  in  Westport,  and 
was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  to 
Fall  River.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city,  and  left  school  to 
take  a  position  which  had  been  offered  him, 
ag  clerk  in  the  Metacomet  National  Bank.  At 
that  time  JefEerson  Borden  was  president  of 
the  institution  and  Azariah  S.  Tripp  cashier. 
He  there  remained  as  clerk  until  September. 
1863,  when  he  was  offered  the  position  of  teller 
in  the  Fall  River  National  Bank,  holding  same 
for  almost  ten  years,  until  Feb.  1,  1873,  when 
he  was  promoted  to  cashier.  After  over  twenty 
years  in  that  incumbency  he  became  president, 


702 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Sept.  30,  1895,  succeeding  Guilford  H.  Hatha- 
way, and  has  been  at  the  head  of  the  bank 
ever  since.  For  many  years  Mr.  Gifford  has 
been  a  trustee  of  the  Eall  River  Savings  Bank, 
and  he  is  president  of  the  Fall  River  Clearing 
House,  in  which  position  he  succeeded  the  late 
Charles  J.  Holmes.  Mr.  Gifford's  business  re- 
lations show  clearly  his  standing  among  finan- 
ciers in  the  city.  Up-to-date  in  everything 
that  pertains  to  the  transaction  and  advance- 
ment of  his  business,  he  is  nevertheless  care- 
ful and  conservative  in  the  best  sense,  and  has 
been  able  to  hold  the  confidence  of  his  asso- 
ciates and  the  public  to  an  unusual  degree. 
Personally,  though  courteous  and  companion- 
able, he  is  a  man  of  the  most  quiet  and  modest 
tastes,  and  belongs  to  no  clubs  or  fraternities. 
He  is  a  Republican,  but  takes  no  part  in  poli- 
tics beyond  casting  his  vote.  , 

Mr.  Gifford  was  married  in  Fall  River  to 
Eliza  Nelson  Buffinton,  a  native  of  Fall  River, 
born  Aug.  26,  1847,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Eliza  (Carr)  Buffinton.  Mrs.  Gifford  died 
June  30,  1879. 

In  1902  Mr.  Gifford  published  a  "Genealogy 
of  Joseph  Carr  of  Jamestown,  Rhode  Island," 
for  private  distribution.  It  pertains  particu- 
larly to  the  lineage  of  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Ferdinand  H.  Gifford,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Eliza  Carr,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  works  of 
the  kind  ever  published,  a  veritable  work  of 
art  from  the  bookbinder's  standpoint. 

HON.  ALBERT  RICHMOND  WADE.  "To 

live  in  the  hearts  of  those  we  leave  behind  us 
is  not  to  die,"  and  so  the  Hon.  Albert  Rich- 
mond Wade,  fifth  mayor  of  Brockton,  Mass., 
man  of  courage,  of  integrity,  of  upright  living, 
of  high  ideals,  "is  not  dead — he  is  just  away." 
It  has  been  given  to  but  few  to  so  live  that  it 
could  be  truthfully  said  their  passing  into  life 
eternal  was  a  shock  and  a  grief  to  the  entire 
community,  yet  so  it  was  with  Mr.  Wade,  whose 
entire  life  had  been  passed  in  Brockton,  and 
whose  record  was  an  open  book,  the  pages  of 
which  were  without  spot  or  blemish.  Strong 
in  character,  bluff  and  hearty  in  manner,  warm 
in  heart,  he  was  a  most  likeable  man.  He  was 
frank  and  outspoken  of  his  convictions,  yet 
tolerant  of  the  opinions  of  others;  his  judg- 
ment was  rarely  at  fault,  and  his  reasoning, 
so  rapid  that  it  seemed  like  intuition,  was  al- 
ways logical.  What  he  did  he  did  thoroughly, 
conscientiously.  He  loved  the  world  and  he 
loved  life,  and  his  cheerful  acceptance  of  life's 
duties  and  responsibilities  magnetized  the  con- 
ditions about  him  and  made  him  an  inspiration 
to  those  who  came  within  his  radiance. 


Albert  R.  ^^"ade  was  bom  at  Brockton 
Heights,  in  the  town  of  North  Bridgewater 
(now  Brockton),  Oct.  26,  1844,  son  of  Oren 
and  Jane  (Richmond)  Wade,  the  former  for  a 
generation  proprietor  of  a  blacksmith  shop  on 
North  Pearl  street.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the 
seventh  generation  from  Nicholas  Wade,  the 
line  being  given  herewith : 

(I)  Nicholas  Wade,  of  Scituate,  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  Feb.  1,  1638.  His  house 
and  homestead  were  on  the  west  side  of  Brushy 
hill.  In  1657  he  was  licensed  to  keep  an  ordi- 
nary or  tavern.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Ensign,  and  his  children  were : 
John,  Thomas,  Nathaniel,  Elizabeth,  Joseph,. 
Hannah,  Nicholas  and  Jacob. 

(II)  Tliomas  Wade,  son  of  Nicholas,  mar- 
ried in  1672  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Curtis.  He  settled  in  Bridgewater  about  1680, 
and  there  some  of  his  children  were  born.  In 
1693  he  purcliased  a  farm  near  Nippenieket 
Pond.  His  will  was  dated  in  1726.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Jacob,  born  in  1673;  Joseph,  born 
in  1675;  Sarah,  born  in  1678;  Thomas,  born 
in  1680;  Hannah,  born  in  1682;  Ichabod,  born 
in  1685 ;  Moses,  born  in  1689  ;  Deborah,  born  in 
1691 ;  and  Rachel,  born  in  1692. 

(III)  Thomas  Wade  (2),  bora  in  1680,  mar- 
ried in  1722  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Joseph  Snow, 
and  lived  in  what  became  West  Bridgewater, 
Mass.  Their  children  were :  Hopestill,  born  in 
1725;  Mary,  born  in  1727;  Keziah,  bom  in 
1729;  David,  born  in  1732;  Rebecca,  bom  in 
1734. 

(IV)  David  Wade,  born  in  1732,  married  in 
1756  Maiy,"  daughter  of  Daniel  Littlefield,  and 
.their  children  were:  Rebecca,  born  in  1757; 
Rhoda,  born  in  1759;  Silence,  born  in  1762; 
Thomas,  born  in  1764;  David,  bom  in  1766; 
Thomas,  born  in  1769;  Keziah,  born  in  1772; 
and  Mary,  born  in  1775.  This  family  removed 
to  the  town  of  Easton.  David  Wade,  the  father, 
was  a  member  of  Capt.  Eliakim  Howard's  com- 
pany. Col.  Edward  Mitchell's  regiment,  that 
marched   to  Braintree  during  the   Revolution. 

(V)  David  Wade  was  born  Sept.  20,  1766, 
and  died  May  7,  1817,  in  Easton,  Mass.     He 
was  engaged  in  farming.     His  wife,  Chloe,  was 
bom  June  12,  1768,  and,  their  children  were 
Eliza,  born  April  5,  1789;  Patty,  born  Jan.  25 
1791;    David,   born   July    12,    1792;    Ramath 
born  Nov.  15,  1793 ;  Chloe,  bom  Feb.  23,  1797 
Amold,    born    April    29,    1798;    Ajahal,   born 
Aug.  20,  1799 ;  Joseph  D.,  born  Dec.  8,  1800 
Fidelia,   born   Nov.    27,    1802 ;   Lorenzo,   bom 
Aug.    21,    1804;    Oren,    born    Feb.    12,    1808 
Mary,  bom  July  12,  1809 ;  and  Susannah,  bom 
June  1,  1811. 


SOUTHEASTEEX  MASSACHUSETTS 


703 


(VI)  Oren  Wade,  son  of  David,  was  born 
Feb.  13,  1808,  in  Easton,  Mass.,  and  after  at- 
tending the  district  schools  of  his  native  town 
went  to  Milton,  Mass.,  where  he  learned  the 
trade  of  blacksmith.  After  acquiring  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  his  trade  he,  as  a  young 
man,  came  to  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brock- 
ton) and  settled  in  that  part  of  the  town 
known  as  Brockton  Heights,  where  for  many 
years  he  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop.  In  po- 
litical faith  Mr.  Wade  was  originally  an  old- 
line  Whig,  and  after  the  formation  of  the  Re- 
publican party  he  became  a  stanch  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  that  party,  but  although  he 
was  always  interested  in  public  affairs  he  never 
sought  public  office.  In  manner  he  was  quiet 
and  unassuming,  and  devoted  to  his  family. 
Of  a  cordial  and  friendly  disposition,  he  made 
aud  retained  many  friends.  He  inclined  to  the 
Unitarian  Church,  and  gave  his  support  to  the 
same.  On  Aug.  24,  1834,  Mr.  Wade  married 
Sophia  Churchill,  daughter  of  Isaac  Churchill, 
of  Plympton,  Mass.,  and  to  them  were  bom 
children  as  follows :  Oren  Allen,  bom  June  14, 
1835,  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade;  he  married 
Sarah  Smith,  of  Easton,  Mass.,  where  they 
both  died.  Isaac  Edmund,  born  x\ug.  12,  1839, 
a  shoemaker  by  trade,  married  Martha  A. 
Hunt,  of  Stoughton,  Mass.,  and  died  in  East 
Bridgewater  in  1909.  The  mother  of  the  above 
children  died  Nov.  29,  1839,  and  the  father 
married  (second)  May  18,  1842,  Jane  Rich- 
mond, daughter  of  Apollos  Richmond,  of  Mid- 
dleboro,  Mass.,  who  passed  away  Sept.  16,  1870, 
in  Brockton,  aged  fifty-three  years.  To  this 
second  marriage  came  one  son,  Albert  Rich- 
mond, mentioned  below. 

Mr.  Wade's  line  of  descent  from  (I)  John 
Richmond,  of  Ashton  Keynes,  Wiltshire,  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  and  became  an 
original  purchaser  of  Taunton  in  1638,  is 
through  (II)  John  Riclmiond  (2),  (III)  Jo- 
seph Richmond,  (IV)  Henry  Richmond,  (V) 
Job  Richmond  and  (VI)  Apollos  Richmond, 
father  of  Mrs.  Jane  (Richmond)  Wade. 

(VII)  Albert  Richmond  Wade  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  also  attended  a  private 
school  for  some  time.  When  his  education  was 
completed,_as  a  boy  his  first  work  was  in  a  ma- 
chine shop)  where  he  spent  about  one  year.  He 
then  entered  his  father's  blacksmith  shop,  and 
there  served  a  regular  apprenticeship,  learning 
blacksmithing,  horseshoeing  and  carriage-mak- 
ing, becoming  so  proficient  that  he  had  few 
equals  in  this  part  of  the  State.  This  was  the 
trade  he  was  following  when  elected  mayor  of 
Brockton,  and  his  smithy  was  the  one  his 
father  had  established — for  a  long  time  the  only 


one  in  this  locality.  It  was  while  performing 
his  duties  as  chief  executive  that  he  closed  his 
forge,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Lowell  E. 
Smith  for  the  manufacture  of  shoe  findings, 
later  adding  leather  trimmings  and  similar 
goods.  The  firm  was  known  as  Smith  &  Wade, 
and  about  five  years  before  the  latter's  death 
erected  the  factory  at  No.  52  Haverhill  street, 
Mr.  Smith  retiring  four  years  later.  Mr.  Wade 
then  conducted  the  business  alone,  assisted  by 
his  daughter,  Helen  E.,  now  Mrs.  Hamilton. 
He  did  much  of  the  selling,  and  made  many 
trips  through  the  South  and  other  parts  of  the 
country.  On  his  return  from  these  trips  his 
friends  at  the  Commercial  Club  would  gather 
around  him,  delighting  in  the  description^  of 
people  and  things  his  keen  observation  and 
kindly  humor  had  preserved  for  them. 

As  a  young  man  he  took  a  great  interest  in 
the  public  affairs  of  the  town  and  in  politics, 
frequently  differing  with  his  father.  He  was 
a  Democrat,  and  in  1883  became  a  member  of 
the  city  government  as  councilman  from  Ward 
Seven;  he  served  with  distinction,  and  in  1884, 
1886  and  1887  served  as  alderman.  In  1887  he 
was  chosen  to  head  the  administrative  depart- 
me«t  of  the  city,  and  so  satisfactory  was  his 
conduct  of  official  duties  that  he  was  reelected 
for  a  second  term  without  opposition,  being 
indorsed  by  both  leading  parties.  His  enforce- 
ment of  the  no-license  law  brought  him  the 
support  of  the  best  citizens  of  all  parties.  "His 
administration  of  affairs  was  that  of  a  clean, 
capable  man  with  ideas  and  a  purpose.  He 
pounded  away  at  what  he  conceived  to  be  right 
with  the  same  ringing  blows  he  had  dealt  his 
anvil."  As  his  predecessor  in  that  office.  Col. 
John  J.  Whipple,  said  at  the  time  of  Mr. 
Wade's  death :  "He  was  a  thorough  Brocktonian, 
deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  city, 
always  championing  any  movement  which  he 
believed  was  for  the  best  interests  of  the  city. 
....  As  a  mayor  his  administration  was 
honest,  upright  and  conscientious."  After  his 
retirement  as  mayor  he  held  no  public  office. 
Mr.  Wade  was  a  veteran  fireman  of  Brockton 
Heights,  a  survivor  of  those  old  days  when  the 
fire-fighting  apparatus  consisted  of  a  hand 
engine  manned  by  volunteers.  Seldom  was  he 
absent  from  a  meeting  of  the  Hancock  Veteran 
Volunteer  Firemen's  Association,  of  which  he 
was  the  first  president,  and  he  made  the  first  do- 
nation toward  their  building  fund.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  custodian  of  the  silver 
trumpet,  of  such  great  interest  in  bygone  days. 
In  fraternal  societies  he  was  well  known.  He 
was  a  member  and  past  grand  of  Massasoit 
Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F. ;  a  member  of  Banner  Lodge, 


704 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


N.  E.  0.  P.,  and  twice  grand  warden  of  the 
grand  lodge  of  Massachusetts.  He  belonged  to 
the  Commercial  Club,  the  Brockton  No-License 
League,  and  the  Mayors'  Club  of  Massachusetts, 
and  was  past  president  of  the  Wales  Home.  In 
all  of  these  orders  and  clubs  he  was  an  active 
member.  It  was  not  in  his  nature  to  shift 
to  others  the  responsibility  that  he  knew  to 
be  his,  and  as  he  was  a  good  citizen,  alive  to  his 
town's  needs,  so  he  was  a  good  member  of  what- 
ever organization  he  joined,  ever  willing  and 
ready  to  do  his  part  well. 

For  twenty  years  Mr.  Wade  suffered  with 
heart  trouble,  and  the  last  three  months  of  his 
life  were  months  of  enforced  quiet.  Just  when 
coijiparative  recovery  seemed  his,  death  came 
swiftly  and  suddenly,  July  14,  1907,  after  a 
happy  drive  to  his  old  home  in  Brockton 
Heights.  The  flag  on  the  city  hall  and  that 
over  Hancock  hall  floated  at  half-mast,  and 
the  whole  city  mourned.  At  the  funeral,  held 
at  the  family  home,  were  representatives  of 
citizens  in  every  walk  of  life — the  city  officials, 
the  officers  and  members  of  the  lodges  and  of 
the  clubs,  the  Hancock  Veteran  Firemen — who 
were  there  as  a  guard  of  honor,  business  asso- 
ciates, men  and  women  and  children  who  knew 
him  and  loved  him.  The  casket  was  covered 
with  flowers  and  the  room  was  filled  with 
these  mute  but  eloquent  tributes  to  his  mem- 
ory. The  service  itself  was  simple,  as  he  would 
have  desired  it.  The  music  consisted  of  songs 
he  especially  liked;  one  of  them,  "Here  and 
There,"  by  Banks,  had  greatly  impressed  him 
when  sung  at  his  daughters  funeral  several 
years  before.  Rev.  Dr.  Albert  Marion  Hyde, 
in  the  course  of  his  eulogy  paid  this  most  beau- 
tiful tribute — more  beautiful,  indeed,  because 
it  was  so  very  true :  "He  represented  the  best 
in  public  and  in  private  station.  No  taint  of 
corruption  ever  rested  on  his  public  fame ;  no 
taint  of  pollution  ever  was  whispered  of  his 
private  life.  AVith  him  religion,  politics,  busi- 
ness and  life  were  one,  he  could  not  separate 
or  distinguish  them ;  he  did  not  have  one  set 
of  principles  for  private  life  and  another  for 
public  life ;  to  him  Monday  was  as  sacred  as 
Sunday;  his  feet  trod  always  on  holy  ground. 
....  As  a  child  he  went  only  to  a  country 
school,  and  that  was  all.  He  never  attended 
the  academies  or  colleges  or  universities,  yet 
his  education  was  complete.  Life  itself  to  him 
was  but  a  school  in  which  he  was  learning  all 
the  time.  He  knew  that  a  cap  and  gown,  a 
diploma  and  a  degree,  are  not  alone  sufficient 
to  fit  a  man  for  living.  He  knew  that  life  is 
a  school  where  all  men  study  day  by  day,  week 
after  week,  year  after  year,  in  tears  and  toil 


and  trial,  in  patience  and  in  humility,  until  at 
last  God  Himself  smiles  down  as  He  did  on  our 
friend  the  other  day  and  confers  the  one  de- 
gree in  the  whole  universe  that  is  worth  hav- 
ing. He  was  essentially  a  poet  in  feeling,  in 
sensitiveness  and  in  sympathy.  The  lion  and 
the  lamb  lay  down  together  in  his  heart.  He 
knew  music,  for  it  symbolized  to  him  the  har- 
mony of  the  world.  He  knew  art  in  the  liigher 
sense,  the  art  that  is  the  expression  of  a  man's 
joy  in  his  work,  and  he  lived  the  real  artistic 
life,  a  life  of  simplicity,  a  life  of  purity,  a  life 
like  that  of  the  flowers,  and  the  little  chil- 
dren whom  he  loved.  It  is  a  privilege  at  this 
hour  to  recall  the  courteoiis  grace  which  al- 
ways marked  him.  His  stately  bearing,  bis 
dignity  of  character,  made  him  distinguished 
everywhere.  There  was  a  prevailing  serious- 
ness in  his  manner  and  in  his  speech  which 

was  most  impressive No  one  will  ever 

know  all  his  beneficent  deeds.  There  are  wid- 
ows who  will  miss  him ;  there  are  orphans  who 
will  be  heavy-hearted  because  he  is  gone;  there 
are  young  men  in  business  who  will  find  it 
another  world  now  he  is  here  no  more.  His 
biography  was  written  long  ago  by  the  great 
apostle  of  love  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of 
First  Corinthians:  He  suffered  long  and  was 
kind;  he  envied  not,  vaunted  not  himself,  was 
not  puffed  up,  did  not  behave  himself  un- 
seemly, sought  not  his  own,  rejoiced  in  the 
truth   and   hoped   all   things." 

The  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  Melrose 
cemetery  beneath  the  stone  placed  there  some 
two  years  before  by  Mr.  Wade.  This  is  a  huge 
boulder,  and  from  it  on  the  top  is  chiseled  an 
anvil — emblem  of  the  work  that  engrossed  his 
earlier  years. 

On  Oct.  31,  1865,  Albert  Richmond  Wade 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Susan  Howard, 
daughter  of  the  late  Cyrus  and  Abi  (Edson) 
Howard,  of  North  Bridgewater,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  several  of  the  leading  families  of  North 
Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),  many  of  whom 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  community, 
where  they  were  prominently  identified  with 
the  early  government  of  the  colony.  Although 
not  a  meml)er,  Mr.  Wade  affiliated  with  the 
Porter  Congregational  Church,  to  which  he 
gave  his  liberal  support,  and  of  which  his 
widow  is  an  active  member  and  worjver,  she 
being  an  influential  member  of  the  various 
societies.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade  were  bom 
two  daughters:  (1)  Carrie  Agnes,  born  May 
!).  1869,  married  April  9,  1894,  J.  Willard 
Clapp,  of  Avon,  Mass.,  and  died  in  Brockton 
July  11,  1903.  To  this  union  was  born  a 
daughter,   Rita    Pauline.    Feb.    26,    1895.   who 


^oCl^/'<-  -'0-;^:^c 


^^-e 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


705 


died  July  7,  1896.  (3)  Helen  Everet,  born 
Jan.  14,  1873,  married  Dec.  33,  1907,  Ashton 
Hamilton,  formerly  of  Calais,  Maine,  now  of 
Brockton,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  shoe 
findings  business,  formerly  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Hamilton  &  Strong,  and  now  of  the 
Wade  Manufacturing  Company.  Mrs.  Hamil- 
ton, who  for  some  years  prior  to  her  father's 
death  assisted  him  in  his  business,  has  since 
his  death  continued  the  business  with  equal 
success.  She  is  a  member  of  Deborah  Samp- 
son Chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  of  Brockton  (which 
she  has  served  as  treasurer),  being  eligible  to 
membership  througli  the  service  of  her  great- 
great-grandfather,   David   Wade. 

REV.  OBADIAH  CHACE,  of  Swansea, 
Mass.,  for  about  fifty-si.x  years  a  minister  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  was  born  April  12, 
1818,  in  Warren,  R.  I.,  son  of  Anthony  and 
Isabel  (Buffinton)  Chace,  the  latter  of  whom 
lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  The 
Eev.  Mr.  Chace  was  the  last  survivor  of  a  fam- 
ily of  six  children,  two  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters, and  he  was  in  the  eighth  generation  in 
direct  line  from  William  Chace,  who  settled 
in  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  in  1637,  the  line  being  as 
follows:  (I)  William  Chace  and  wife  Mary; 
(II)  William  Chace;  (III)  William  Chace  and 
wife  Hannah  Sherman;  (IV)  Eber  Chace  and 
wife  Mary  Knowles;  (V)  Eber  Chace  and  wife 
Sarah  Baker;  (VI)  Obadiah  Chace  and  wife 
Eunice  Anthony,  who  lived  on  Prudence 
Island,  engaged  in  the  produce  business,  and 
after  the  husband's  death  the  wife  carried  on 
the  same  business  with  great  success;  (VII) 
Anthony  Chace  and  wife  Isabel  Buffinton,  who 
moved  to  the  old  Gardner  farm  near  Touis- 
set.  The  maternal  or  Buffinton  line  is  as  fol- 
lows: (I)  Thomas  Buffinton  and  wife  Sarah 
Southwick:  (II)  Benjamin  Buffinton  and  wife 
Hannah:  (III)  Benjamin  Buffinton  and  wife 
Isabel  Chace;  (IV)  Moses  Buffinton  and  wife 
Isabel  Baker;  (V)  Benjamin  Buffinton  and 
wife  Charity  Robinson;  (VI)  Isabel  Buffinton 
and  husband  Anthony  Chace. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Chace  was  brought  up  a  farm- 
er, and  followed  that  occupation  successfully 
until  his  retirement  at  the  age  of  sixty-six 
years.  His  education  was  received  in  a  War- 
ren district  school  and  at  the  Friends'  School, 
Providence.  At  the  age  of  thirty-four  he  was 
approved  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  served 
the  Somerset  Meeting  in  that  capacity  for  more 
than  half  a ,  century,  without  salary,  and  at 
the  same  time  was  a  liberal  contributor  to 
the  support  of  the  church.  Beginning  his 
work  when  the  church  was  in  a  relatively  low 

45 


state  of  Christian  life,  he  was  instrumental, 
through  persevering  effort  and  liberal  views,  in 
greatly  improving  its  condition,  and  during 
his  ministry  many  were  added  to  the  member- 
ship. Although  very  active  as  an  agricultur- 
ist he  was  never  too  busy  to  attend  the  mid- 
week meetings,  funerals  and  other  religious 
occasions  of  the  Friends'  Society.  Nothing 
was  allowed  to  come  between  him  and  his  re- 
ligious duties.  Although  living  seven  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  meetinghouse,  he  would 
drive  twice — and  when  occasion  required  three 
and  sometimes  more  times — a  week  to  the  place 
of  worship.  Nor  was  his  work  confined  to  the 
home  meeting;  he  made  two  trips  through  the 
West,  one  in  1856,  and  one  in  1872,  traveling 
as  far  as  Kansas  and  visiting  meetings  and 
families  of  Friends.  He  always  preserved  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Yearly  Meeting,  and  he  visited  all  the 
meetings  within  its  limits. 

His  liberal  views  were  widely  known,  and 
his  advocacy  of  church  extension  was  well 
known,  for  he  would  not  exclude  any  from 
fellowship  on  account  of  minor  differences  of 
belief.  He  was  wont  to  quote  the  words  of 
William  Penn:  "The  Word  of  God  without 
me,  and  the  Grace  of  God  within  me,  is  the 
foundation  and  declaration  of  my  faith ;  let 
him  find  a  better  who  can."  He  was  always 
young-hearted,  and  a  friend  of  the  young  peo- 
ple, with  whom  he  mingled  in  social  gather- 
ings, contributing  to  their  enjoyment  by  an 
occasional  poem  or  narrative.  During  his  ca- 
reer he  wrote  many  poems  for  social  and  lit- 
erary occasions,  the  greater  number  of  which 
were  brought  together  in  a  bound  volume. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Chace  was  always  actively 
interested  in  the  public  welfare.  He  taught 
school  several  winters  at  Warren  Neck  and  in 
other  towns  in  this  locality ;  was  a  member 
of  the  Warren  town  council  in  18.57  and  for 
several  years  immediately  following;  and  rep- 
resented the  town  for  two  years  in  the  General 
Assembly.  During  the  Dorr  Rebellion  in  1842 
he  took  the  side  of  the  party  in  power.  A 
watch  was  kept  along  the  river  that  year,  when 
two  sailboats  anchored  in  Mount  Hope  bay. 
The  crews,  composed  of  six  men,  hurried  to 
shore  and  thence  into  Massachusetts.  This 
aroused  suspicion  and  several  citizens,  in- 
cluding Mr.  Chace,  after  detaching  the  rud- 
ders and  sails,  scuttled  the  boats  at  their  an- 
chorage. The  authorities  approved  the  action. 
The  crews  later  returned,  and  said  they  came 
from  Warwick  to  escape  from  the  State  and 
avoid  military  service.  They  were  arrested  and 
placed    in    the  Bristol    jail.     In    politics    Mr. 


706 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Chace  was  first  a  Whig,  then  a  Free-soiler,  and 
later,  from  the  date  of  the  organization  of  that 
party,  a  Eepublican.  He  worked  persistently 
for  good  roads  and  good  schools.  Desiring  a 
school  in  his  own  neighborhood,  he  built  a 
schoolhouse  and  hired  the  teacher  himself.  He 
always  interested  himself  in  useful  inventions 
and  took  great  pleasure  in  the  inventions  of 
speedy  transit,  like  bicycles  and  automobiles. 
When  eighty-nine  years  of  age  he  would  ride 
in  an  automobile  and  never  complain  of  too 
great  speed  whatever  it  might  be. 

On  April  28,  1845,  Mr.  Chace  was  married 
to  Esther  Taber  Freeborn,  daughter  of  Jona- 
than and  Esther  (Taber)  Freeborn,  and  they 
had  a  married  life  of  more  than  sixty  years; 
their  twenty-fifth,  fiftieth  and  sixtieth  anniver- 
saries were  appropriately  celebrated.  Mrs. 
Chace,  his  constant  companion  in  work  and 
travel,  died  Nov.  20,  1905,  aged  eighty-two 
years,  and  he  never  recovered  from  the  loss  he 
then  sustained.  In  1884  he  had  retired  from 
active  work,  and  moved  to  Swansea.  After 
his  wife's  death  he  became  a  member  of  the 
household  of  his  son  Charles,  and  there,  after 
a  gradual  decline,  passed  away  Sunday  even- 
ing. May  19,  1907,  in  his  ninetieth  year.  Until 
a  very  few  months  before  his  decease  he  walked 
every  morning  to  the  railroad  station  in  South 
Swansea  to  get  his  daily  paper,  and  he  also 
attended  church  quite  regularly.  He  kept  in- 
formed on  all  current  topics,  and,  with  a  re- 
markable memory,  recalled  historical  facts  and 
statistics  with  wonderful  accuracy.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  American  Peace  Society,  and 
kept  fully  abreast  of  the  progress  of  peace  and 
arbitration  movements  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
But  alive  as  he  was  to  the  movements  of  men, 
he  seemed  resigned  as  he  neared  the  close  of 
life,  and,  indeed,  desired  the  time  when  he 
should  be  called  hence.  Like  the  Apostle  Paul 
he  could  say :  "These  hands  have  ministered 
unto  my  necessities  and  I  have  not  been  charge- 
able to  any  of  you,"  and  also  that  he  had 
"fought  a  good  fight,  had  finished  his  course, 
and  had  kept  the  faith." 

To  the  Rev.  Obadiah  and  Esther  Taber 
(Freeborn)  Chace  were  born  four  children,  as 
follows:  Charles  Anthony,  born  Dec.  23,  1846; 
Emma  Rogers,  born  May  22,  1853,  who  mar- 
ried Edgar  W.  Chace,  and  died  Jan.  6,  1906; 
Walter  Freeborn,  born  Feb.  28,  1858;  and 
George  Mahlon,  born  April  3,  1864. 

In  1898  Mr.  Chace  published  a  book  of 
poems  dedicated  as  follows :  ■  "To  Augustine 
Jones,  Principal  of  Friends'  School,  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  where  I  first  learned  to  frame 
words  in  metre,  I  dedicate  this  Book."    In  the 


preface  he  says:  "The  fir«t  that  I  remember 
of  any  serious  thought  of  rhyming  was  when. 
I  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age.  A  phre- 
nologist examined  my  head,  and  said  in  a  very 
slighting  kind  of  way,  'I  guess  he  can't  write 
poetry  much.'  I  was  rather  skeptical  in  re- 
gard to  the  new  science,  and  so  I  thought  I 
would  try  to  prove  whether  it  were  true.  The- 
following  is  the  result  of  my  first  effort."  The 
titles  of  poems  in  this  little  volume  are :  The 
Seasons;  The  Slave's  Lament;  Ocean;  Slavery; 
Composition ;  Lines  Written  in  an  Album ;  To 
My  Cousin ;  Snow  Storm ;  A  Large  Rain ;  Dedi- 
cation of  Farmers'  Hall ;  Lines  Found  in  an 
Old  Note  Book;  Welcome;  Written  for  the 
Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society;  Birth- 
day Party ;  Re-Dedication  of  a  Church  built 
in  1743  ;  Lines  AVritten  for  the  Ninetieth  Birth- 
day of  Deacon  Peck,  of  Rehoboth;  Christian 
Endeavor  Social;  The  Clambake  of  1872;, 
Christmas  Carol ;  Missionary  Social ;  1845- 
1895,  Fiftieth  Wedding  Anniversary,  Obadiah 
Chace  and  Wife;  For  the  Experience  Social;, 
etc.     In  1891  he  wrote  the  following  poem: 

In  the  name  of  the  old  Wickapimset 
And  Swansey  the  more  modern  word 
We  welcome  Mead  Kelsey  our  brother 
And  servant  of  Jesus,  our  Lord. 

From  his  home  in  the  broad  Carolinas, 
Or  prairies  or  leas  of  the  West, 
He  may  find  in  his  new  habitation 
His  seasons  of  labor  or  rest. 

The  ministers  ancient  and  modem. 
Who  found  in  this  parish  their  homes, 
Were  Buflfintons,  Braytons  and  Chaces 
And  rather  more  recently  Jones. 

But  we  welcome  our  wandering  brother 
From  his  journeys  of  labor  and  love, 
With  his  doctrines  as  broad  as  the  ocean 
And  bright  as  the  regions  above. 

By  the  graves  of  our  worshipping  fathers, 
Now  resting  in  silent  repose, 
Who  witnessed  in  ways  that  are  simple 
And  buried  their  faithful  in  rows; 

In  this  house  where  the  voice  of  thanksgiving 
Has  often  been  heard  in  the  air, 
And  the  times  when  the  whole  congregation 
Arose  and  uncovered  in  prayer. 

The  chan^jes  in  manner  of  travel 
We  may  not  attempt  to  conceal. 
From  old-fashioned  saddle  and  pillion 
To  electrics  and  automobile. 

So  we  welcome  our  laboring  brother 

To  a  service  as  varied  and  free, 

As  the  winds  that  sweep  over  the  mountains 

And  play  on  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

* 
And  we  welcome  his   loving  companion, 
To  the  hearts  and  homes  of  our  friends, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


707 


And  the  work  both  at  home  and  in  missions 
As  that  work  in  its  progress  extends. 

And  in  love  we  all  welcome  their  children 
As  plants  in  a  garden  are  seen; 
May  they  grow  both  in  station  and  wisdom 
In  favor  with  God  and  with  men. 

In  the  earlier  days  of  the  Pilgrims 
When  passion  was  strong  in  the  land, 
A  company,  friends  of  the  martyrs. 
Were  formed  as  an  organized  band. 

By  the  shores  of  a  beautiful  river 
Which  they  found  in  their  diligent  search. 
In  a  place  which  was  called  Wickapimset, 
They  founded  a  visible  church. 

The  day  of  their  earliest  meeting. 
We  may  not  with  certainty  know, 
But  the  date  with  account  of  its  service 
The  records  of  Heaven  will  show. 

In  the  year  sixteen  hundred  and  eighty 
A  meeting  for  worship  was  held. 
And  before  and  for  many  years  after 
Their  service  the  angels  beheld. 

Through  the  years  on  each  Sabbath  morning. 
As  far  as  our  knowledge  extends. 
There  was  held  in  this  place  where  we  ^ther 
A  regular  meeting  of  Friends. 

And  now  in  Nineteen  Hxindred  One, 
This  year  of  wondrous  grace, 
I  sign  my  name,  Your  Loving  Friend, 
Etc.,  Obadiah  Chace. 

In  the  last  year  of  his  life  he  wrote  the 
following : 

We  thank  Thee,  dear  and  blessed  Lord, 
For  gifts  sent  down  from  Heaven, 
And  ask  the  fullness  of  His  Grace 
For  Nineteen  Hundred  Seven. 

We  pri*e  the  fitting  words  arranged 
With  wisdom  and  with  care. 
And  brought  so  lovingly  to  view 
In  Bishop  Brooks's  Prayer. 

This  little  poem  was  inspired  by  the  famous 
prayer  of  Phillips  Brooks,  which  is  as  follows: 
"Pray  the  largest  prayers.  You  cannot  think 
of  a  prayer  so  large  that  God  in  answering  it 
will  not  wish  that  you  had  made  it  larger. 
Pray  not  for  crutches,  but  for  winga.  Pray 
that,  whatever  comes — trial,  doubt,  failure  or 
success,  hope,  joy — it  may  all  work  together 
to  make  your  soul  fit,  first  to  receive,  and  then 
to  shine  forth  with,  the  light  of  God." 

Charles  Anthony  Chace,  son  of  the  Rev. 
Obadiah,  born  Dec.  22,  1846,  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Warren,  R.  I.,  and  at  the 
Friends'  School,  Providence.  For  three  win- 
ters he  taught  school,  and  in  181'9  moved  to 
the  Abner  Slade  farm,  residing  there  until 
1900,  when  he  built  his  present  beautiful  resi- 


dence at  South  Swansea.  His  son  Benjamin 
Slade  Chace  now  resides  on  the  farm.  For 
many  years  Mr.  Chace  and  his  sons  erected 
windmills,  tanks  and  silos,  and  in  1902  they 
incorporated  the  New  England  Tank  and 
Tower  Company,  Mr.  Warren  0.  Chace  taking 
charge  of  the  factory  at  Everett,  Mass.  Mr. 
Chace  was  a  Republican  previous  to  1884,  when 
he  joined  the  Prohibition  party,  becoming  one 
of  its  active  and  leading  members.  He  has 
been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  State 
committee,  has  served  as  a  delegate  from 
Massachusetts  to  two  Presidential  conventions, 
has  been  a  candidate  on  the  State  ticket  several 
times,  and  in  1900,  1901,  1902  ai3d'1906  was 
the  candidate  for  State  senator  from  his  dis- 
trict, the  vote  those  years  being  263,  409,  459 
and  738,  respectively.  In  1904,  as  candiSate 
for  presidential  elector,  he  received  4,275  votes; 
and  in  1909,  as  candidate  for  State  auditor, 
5,663.  For  seven  years  Mr.  Chace  served  his 
town  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  he 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Sunday 
School  Association. 

On  Sept.  26,  1873,  in  the  Friends'  meeting- 
house, jVIr.  Chace  married  Adeline  Francis 
Slade,  adopted  daughter  of  Abner  Slade,  of 
Swansea,  who  has  a  sketch  following  this. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  A.  Chace  have  had 
children:  Benjamin  Slade,  born  Jan.  11,  1875; 
Harold  Anthony,  born  Aug.  13,  1876,  who 
died  Feb.  28,  1878;  Arthur  Freeborn,  born 
May  13,  1879 ;  Warren  Obadiah,  born  June  12, 
1882;  and  Sarah  Slade,  born  April  22,  1889. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chace  are  life  members  of  the 
American  Peace  Society. 

Benjamin  Slade  Chace,  son  of  Charles 
Anthony,  born  Jan.  11,  1875,  married  June 
19,  1895,  Carrie  Estelle  Mosher,  and  they  have 
had  five  children :  Fenton  Mosher,  born  Aug. 
11,  1896;  Harold  Dean,  Dec.  22,  1898;  Clyde 
Fuller,  Aug.  6,  1908;  Carol  Elisabeth,  Feb. 
21,  1910;  and  Beryl,  March  8,  1911  (died 
March  28,  1911).  Mr.  Chace  lives  upon  his 
father's  farm,  and  is  ably  managing  the  ex- 
tensive work  there. 

Arthur  Freeborn  Chace,  M.  D.,  son  of. 
Charles  Anthony,  born  May  13,  1879,  was  edu- 
cated at  Oakwood  Seminary,  Union  Springs, 
N.  Y.,  Earlham  College,  Richmond,  Ind.,  from 
which  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and 
also  graduated  from  Harvard  with  the  degree 
of  A.  B.,  and  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons  of  New  York  City  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  He  has  advanced  rapidly  in 
his  profession,  and  is  now  secretary  and  assist- 
ant treasurer  of  the  New  York  Post-Graduate 
Hospital,  and  a  member  of  its  board  of  trus- 


708 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


tees.  Dr.  Cliace  married  Nov.  2,  1911,  Kath- 
leen Stirling  Fletcher,  of  New  York,  where 
they  reside. 

Warren  Obadiah  Chack,  son  of  Cliarles 
Anthony,  born  June  12,  1882,  married  Oct.  2, 
1907,  M.  Flossie  Mosher,  and  has  one  child, 
Esther  Freeborn,  born  Jan.  22,  1911.  Mr. 
Chace  has  charge  of  the  factory  of  the  New 
England  Tank  and  Tower  Company,  at  Ever- 
ett, Massachusetts, 


Walter  Freeborn  Chace,  son  of  Rev.  Oba- 
diah, born  Feb.  28,  1858,  resides  at  Coachella, 
Cal.  He  married  Dec.  24,  1880,  Celia  Perkins 
Emery,  daughter  of  Eliplialet  Emery,  former 
superintendent  of  the  Durfee  Mills  at  Fall 
River.  They  have  had  three  children :  Emery 
Perkins,  born  July  31,  1882,  who  married 
April  25,  1905,  Elsie  M.  Herbst,  born  Aug. 
30,  1882,  and  has  had  four  children,  Emery 
Philip  (born  Jan.  29,  1906,  died  Nov.  6, 
1907),  Ruth  (born  July  8,  1907),  Chester  F. 
(born  Aug.  29,  1908)  and  Gail  P.  (born  Feb. 
2,  1910)  ;  Anthony  F.,  born  May  1,  1888;  and 
Walter  Freeborn,  Jr.,  born  June  27,  1897. 

George  Mahlon  Chace,  son  of  Rev.  Oba- 
diah, born  April  3.  1864,  died  Sept.  12.  1907. 
On  Sept.  7,  1887,  he  married  Emma  F.  Sladc. 
He  was  foreman  for  Beattie  &  Cornell,  con- 
tractors, at   Fall  River,  Massachusetts. 

SLADE.  The  name  Slade  was  in  use  as  a 
surname  as  early  as  1200  and  the  name  of 
de  la  Slade  occurs  in  the  Hundred  Rolls  of 
the  thirteenth  century.  The  Slade  faniily  of 
Trevennen  in  Gorran,  ('ounty  of  Cornwall,  in 
the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth  had  a  coat  of 
arms,  as  did  the  Slade  family  of  Maunsell 
House,  County  of  Somerset,  England. 

(I)  Edward  Slade,  of  whom  little  seems 
known  more  than  he  was  admitted  a  freeman 
in  Rhode  Island  in  1658,  is  said  to  have  been 
a  native  of  Wales,  and  that  he  lost  his  life  in 
a  voyage  from  America  to  England. 

(II)  William  Slade,  son  of  Edward,  born  in 
1662,  in  Wales,  came  to  this  country  and  ap- 
pears at  Newport ;  was  made  a  freeman  in 
1659.  He  is  said  to  have  come  from  Newport 
in  1680  in  company  with  other  young  men, 
among  them  Jonathan  Bowers,  to  that  part  of 
Swansea  (Mass.)  now  Somerset,  and  where  lie 
settled  was  called  after  him  .Slade's  Ferry.  Of 
the  company  Bowers  and  Slade  only  remained 
and  founded  the  settlement — Somerset.  Mr. 
Slade  became  a  large  land  owner  in  that  vicin- 
ity and  portions  of  his  estate  are  still  owned 
by  his  descendants.  He  married  about  1684 
Sarah  Holmes,  born  in  16G4,  daughter  of  Jona- 


than and  Sarah  (Borden)  Holmes,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Rev.  Obadiah  Holmes,  of  Reho- 
botli.  Slade's  Ferry  was  kept  in  the  family 
upward  of  200  years.  William  Slade  died 
March  30,  1729,  aged  sixty-seven.  His  wife 
died  Sept.  10,  1761,  in  her  ninety-seventh  year. 
Children :  Jonathan,  who  died  when  about 
eighteen  years  old;  Sarah,  born  in  1687;  Mary, 
born  in  Mav,  1689;  William,  born  Nov.  20, 
1692;  Edward,  born  June  4,  1694;  Elizabeth, 
born  Dec.  2,  1695;  Hannah,  born  July  5, 
1697;  Martha,  born  Feb.  27,  1699;  Phebe, 
born  Sept.  25,  1701 ;  Jonathan,  born  Aug.  3, 
1703;  and  Lydia,  born  Oct.  8,  1706. 

(Ill)  Edward  Slade,  of  Somerset,  son  of 
William,  born  June  14,  1694,  married  (firet) 
in  1717  Elizabeth  Anthony  and  (second)  Dec. 
6,  1720,  Phebe  C'hase,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Sherman)  Chase,  granddaughter  of 
William  Chase  and  great-granddaughter  of 
William  Chase,  the  immigrant.  His  third  wife 
was  Deborah  Buffum.     He  died  April  5,  1755. 

(lY)  Joseph  Slade,  son  of  Edward  and 
Phebe  (Chase)  Slade,  born  Nov.  16,  1724, 
married  (first)  July  25,  1747,  Hannah  Chase; 
he  married  (second)  Deborah  Brayton ;  and 
(third)    PrisciUa  Borden. 

( V )  Benjamin  Slade,  son  of  Jose])!)  and 
Hannah  (Chase)  Slade,  born  June  16.  1753, 
married  June  17,  1779,  Elizabeth  Robinson, 
daughter  of  John  and  Phebe  (Chase)  Robin- 
son. Children:  Rebecca,  born  Aug.  5,  1780; 
Hannah,  Jan.  1,  1783  (married  Oliver  Earle)  ; 
Phebe.  Oct.  20,  1785;  Elizabeth,  Nov.  25, 
1787;  Susanna,  July  12,  1790;  Abner,  Oct.  2, 
1792;  Ruth  Borden.  Jan.  25,  1795  (married 
Moses  Buffington)  ;  and  Content.  Feb.  8.  1798. 

(VI)  Abner  Slade,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth  (Robinson)  Slade.  was  born  in 
Swansea  Oct.  2,  1792,  on  the  homestead  of  his 
father,  and  his  long  life  was  passed  in  this 
vicinity.  He  was  reared  a  farmer  and  tanner, 
succeeding  his  father  in  the  tanning  business, 
which  he  followed  the  rest  of  his  life.  By 
perseverance  and  the  strictest  integrity  he  built 
u]i  a  fine  business  which  grew  to  large  propor- 
tions. He  was  systematic  and  industrious,  and 
believed  in  giving  the  most  minute  detail  the 
same  attention  he  would  give  to  larger  affairs. 
He  retired  with  a  handsome  competency  as 
the  reward  of  his  application  and  energy, 
leaving  business  activities  in  1856,  and  his  re- 
maining years  were  devoted  to  looking  after 
his  various  investments.  He  never  accepted 
nor  wi.shed  for  oflRce,  having  no  political  aspira- 
tions. He  was  a  director  of  the  Fall  River  Na- 
tional Bank  many  years  and  was  interested  in 
the  Old   Colonv   Railroad   and  to  some  extent 


P  O  b  L  I  0 


l<^^^--^>^- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


r09 


in  the  Providence  and  Worcester  Railroad.  He 
was  also  stockholder  in  various  corporations 
and  manufactories  in  Fall  River. 

On  Sept.  30,  1829,  Mr.  Slade  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Asa  and  Elizabeth  (Mitchell) 
Sherman,  who  was  born  Feb.  30,  1810.  Asa 
Sherman  was  the  son  of  Samson  and  Ruth 
Sherman,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  born  Dec.  22, 
IT'TO,  and  he  died  in  Fall  River,  Mass.,  Dec. 
29,  1863,  aged  eighty-four  years.  He  was  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Philip  Sherman,  who  in 
1636,  with  seventeen  others,  purchased  from 
the  Indians  the  islands  of  Rhode  Island — Pa- 
tience, Hope  and  Conanicut.  Asa's  wife,  Eliza- 
beth, was  the  daughter  of  Richard  and  Joanna 
Mitchell,  of  Middletown.  R.  I.,  born  Oct.  17, 
1782,  and  she  died  in  Fall  River  April  22, 
1858,  in  her  seventy-si.xth  year.  They  had  ten 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Slade  was  third. 

The  married  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slade  cov- 
ered a  period  of  over  half  a  century,  and  it 
was  one  of  peace  and  happiness.  They  had  no 
children,  but  adopted  a  little  girl  of  about  two 
years,  Sarah  Bovvers,  to  whom  they  gave  ten- 
der care  until  her  death,  in  her  twentieth  year. 
They  then  adopted  Adeline  F.  Cole,  when  seven 
years  of  age,  born  March  29,  1849,  to  whom 
they  gave  the  love  and  care  of  fond  parents. 
She  married  Charles  A.  Chace,  and  they  reside 
at  South  Swansea.  Mr.  Slade  passed  through 
the  years  of  life  to  a  hale  old  age,  in  which 
the  powers  of  thought  and  consolations  of  re- 
ligion held  sway  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred Dec.  2,  1879. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  hoard  of  direc- 
tors of  the  Fall  River  National  Bank,  Dec.  4. 
1879,  the  following  preamble  and  resolution 
was  passed : 

Whereas,  It  has  pleased  our  Heavenly  Father  to 
remove  by  death  our  highly  respected  associate,  Abner 
Slade,  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-seven  years,  who  has 
been  identified  with  this  bank  as  director  for  more 
than  thirty-three  years,  giving  to  it  his  counsel  find 
judgment,  a  man  honored  for  his  sterling  integrity 
and   Christian   character;    therefore, 

Resolved,  It  is  not  as  a  mere  formality  -that  this 
board  recognize  the  loss  they  have  sustained,  and 
in  token  of  respect  to  his  memory,  and  to  manifest 
our  sj'mpathy  with  his  family,  this  board  will  .ittend 
his  funeral  in  a  body. 

Mr.  Slade  was  an  earnest  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  his  brethren.  The  Frinuh'  Rpvie.w 
gave  this  notice  of  him:  "Abner  Slade,  an 
elder  of  Swansea  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends, 
deceased,  twelfth  month,  second,  1879,  aged 
eighty-seven.  He  was  truly  a  father  in  Israel. 
While  we  deeply  feel  our  loss,  and  miss  his 
sweet    words    of    counsel,    we   can    but    rejoice 


when  we  think  of  his  triumphal  death,  and 
remember  how  his  countenance  beamed  with 
joy  when  he  told  us  he  was  going  to  his  home 
in  heaven." 

SHURTLEFF.  (I)  William  Shurtleff, 
when  a  youth,  came  to  America  from  Eccles- 
field,  a  village  of  Yorkshire,  England,  located 
some  five  miles  from  Sheffield,  and  about 
twenty  from  Scrooby,  the  early  gathering  place 
of  the  Pilgrims  before  they  went  to  Holland. 
He  was  at  Plymouth  as  early  as  1634;  was 
among  those  able  to  bear  arms  in  1643.  He 
removed  to  Marshfield,  where  he  was  a  pro- 
prietor and  town  officer.  He  married  Oct.  18, 
1655,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Lettice. 
He  was  killed  by  lightning  and  was  buried 
June  24,  1666,  his  Avidow  administering  his 
estate.  She  later  remarried.  His  children 
were:  William,  born  in  1657;  Thomas;  and 
Abiel,  born  in  June,  1666. 

(II)  Abiel  Shurtleff,  of  Plymouth,  son  of 
William,  born  in  June,  1666,  married  in  1696 
Lydia,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Barnes,  of  Ply- 
mouth. Their  children  were :  James,  born  Nov. 
16,  1696;  Elizabeth,  Dec.  6,  1698;  Lydia,  Feb. 
28,  1701;  David,  June  1,  1703;  Hannah,  July 
31,  1705;  John,  Nov.  8,  1707;  Benjamin,  April 
11,  1711;  William,  Sept.  8,  1713;  Joseph,  .Jan. 
22,  1716;  and  Abiel,  Oct.  23,  1717.  The  fam- 
ily home  was  in  that  part  of  the  town  which 
became  Plympton,  and  there  the  mother  died 
Sept.   10,  1727,  and  the  father  Oct.  28,  1732. 

(III)  David  Shurtleff,  son  of  Abiel,  born 
June  1,  1703,  married  in  1731  Bethiah,  daugh- 
ter of  Benoni  Lucas,  and  their  children  were: 
Abiel,  born  in  1734;  David;  and  perhaps 
others. 

(IV)  Abiel  Shurtleff  (2),  son  of  David,  born 
in  1734,  married  Mary,  bom  in  1737,  daugh- 
ter of  James  LeBaron,  of  Middleboro,  Mass. 
Their  children  were:  Gideon,  bom  in  1762; 
David,  born  in  1765;  James,  in  1768;  Joel,  in 
1771;  Enoch,  in  1773;  Abiel,  in  1776;  and 
Enoch  (2),  in  1779.  At  the  father's  death,  in 
1826,  he  had  living  three  hundred  and  fifty 
descendants. 

(V)  Gideon  Shurtleff,  of  Carver,  son  of 
Abiel  (2),  born  in  1762,  married  Lucy  Shaw, 
and  their  children  were:  Phebe,  bom  March  17, 
1786,  who  died  April  5,  1822;  Lavina,  born 
April  5,  1788,  who  died  June  28,  1820;  Gid- 
eon, born  May  15,  1789;  James,  bom  April  8, 
1795:  Sabra,  bom  June  27,  1792,  who  died 
March  27,  1822;  Luther,  bom  Nov.  24,  1790, 
who  died  Oct.  7,  1827;  Bethia,  born  Nov.  16, 
1793,  who  died  Sept.  14,  1852;  Malinda,  born 
Jan.  27,   1797;  Eunice,  bom  Jan.   27,   1797; 


710 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Robert,  born  May  14,  1799,  who  died  Feb.  3, 
1826;  Levi,  bom  March  3,  1801;  Lucy,  born 
Feb.  14,  1803;  Betsy,  born  Feb.  13,  1805; 
Alden,  born  Jan.  24,  1807,  who  died  April  15, 
1812;  Albert,  born  March  4,  1809;  Mary,  born 
March  5,  1812,  who  died  Nov.  15,  1812; 
Amanda,  born  March  4,  1817,  who  died  May 
22,    1889. 

(VI)  Albert  Shurtleff,  son  of  Gideon,  was 
born  March  4,  1809,  and  died  April  26,  1887. 
He  married  Lucy  Thomas,  a  native  of  Middle- 
boro,  Mass.,  and  they  had  five  children,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  three  survivors 
were:  Lucy  Ann,  born  in  1839,  who  married 
Job  Cole  Chandler,  of  Carver,  Mass.,  and  their 
children  were  Alton  C.  and  Ida  M. ;  Eunice 
B.,  who  married  Daniel  Dunham,  of  Carver, 
and  had  three  children,  William  B.,  Charles 
Otto  and  Teresa  M.  (deceased)  ;  and  Albert 
Tiilson. 

(VII)  Albert  Tillson  Shurtleff  was 
born  Jan.  31,  1837,  in  Carver,  Mass.  When 
a  young  man,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  secured 
a  position  on  a  fishing  schooner,  but  after  four 
years  on  the  §ea  resigned  his  place  from  the 
ship's  crew  and  went  to  Providence,  R.  I.,  to 
learn  the  jeweler's  trade.  On  April  17,  1861, 
he  enlisted  from  Providence  in  Company  D, 
1st  R.  I.  Detached  Militia.  He  was  mustered 
in  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  on  July  21, 1861, 
was  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  where  he 
received  a  wound  caused  by  a  minie  ball  strik- 
ing him  on  the  right  arm  between  the  elbow 
and  shoulder.  He  was  taken  prisoner  on  the 
retreat,  and  after  the  expiration  of  ten  days 
was  taken  to  Libby  prison,  where  he  was  held 
until  Oct.  7,  1861,  being  paroled  and  delivered 
to  the  Union  lines  at  Newport  News.  His  right 
arm  was  amputated  by  the  surgeons  on  the 
battlefield  three  days  after  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner. Mr.  Shurtleff  then  applied  himself  dili- 
gently to  the  study  of  law  and  in  1879  was 
admitted  to  the  District  of  Columbia  Ijar,  after 
graduating  with  honors  from  the  National  Law 
School.  His  health  becoming  impaired,  he  re- 
signed a  position  in  the  War  Department  at 
Washington,  in  the  paymaster  general's  office, 
which  he  had  held  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
returned  to  Carver.  Here  he  entered  the  lum- 
ber business,  becoming  associated  with  the  late 
Benjamin  Ward  and  the  late  John  J.  Russell, 
of  Plymouth.  Later  Mr.  Shurtleff  devoted 
himself  to  cranberry  growing,  shipping  to  all 
parts  of  the  country.  He  continued  in  the 
same  until  his  death. 

On  Aug.  8,  1871,  Mr.  Shurtleff  was  married 
to  Maria  Young  Davis,  daughter  of  James  and 
Sophia  (Smith)   Davis,  of  Washington,  D.  C, 


and  they  had  children  as  follows:  (1)  Mary 
Elizabeth,  born  June  28,  1872,  married  Alfred 
Allen  Walker,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  their 
children  are :  Ruth  S.,  born  May  24,  1895,  and 
Grace  A.,  born  Jan.  23,  1899,  all  living  in 
Washington,  D.  C.  (2)  Walter  Davis,  born 
May  31,  1875,  in  Washington,  D.  C,  is  men- 
tioned below.  (3)  Lucy  Thomas,  bom  Jan.  9, 
1877,  in  Washington,  D.  C,  married  March  4, 
1896,  Herbert  F.  Atwood,  of  Carver,  where 
they  reside,  and  they  have  children:  Roy  F., 
Charlotte  M.,  Eunice,  Carlton  S.  and  Davis  B. 
(4)  Anna  Kimball,  born  Jan.  6,  1882,  in  Car- 
ver, married  July  9,  1904,  Ellsworth  Vernon 
Shaw,  of  Carver,  and  they  have  one  child,  Mar- 
jorie  Aima,  born  April  17,  1909.  They  reside 
in  Pembroke,  Mass.  (5)  Carlton,  bom  May 
8,  1888,  in  Carver,  is  unmarried,  living  with 
his  mother. 

The  death  of  Albert  Tillson  Shurtleff  oc- 
curred Feb.  16,  1902,  in  Carver,  Mass.  He 
was  a  man  of  wide  acquaintance  and  held  in 
high  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
instrumentaL  in  the  establishment  of  the  Car- 
ver Free  Public  Library,  and  was  chairman 
of  the  board  of  trustees  from  its  inception  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  served  fourteen 
years  as  town  clerk  of  Carver,  and  for  eight 
years  he  was  selectman,  assessor  and  overseet 
of  the  poor.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  also 
for  a  number  of  years.  A  member  of  Colling- 
wood  Post,  No.  76,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Plymouth, 
his  funeral  was  attended  by  the  comrades  of 
that  post,  and  he  was  laid  to  rest  with  all 
the  honors  due  a  soldier,  the  interment  taking 
place  in  Carver  Centre  cemetery. 

(VIII)  Walter  Davis  Shurtleff.  M.  D., 
son  of  Albert  Tillson,  was  bom  May  31,  1875, 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Carver,  in  the  Eaton  School  at 
:^Tiddleboro,  and  in  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Amherst.  In  Howard  University, 
Washington,  D.  C,  he  took  the  full  medical 
course  and  graduated  in  1897,  with  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  He  opened  an  office  for  practice  that 
same  year  in  Kingston,  Mass.,  and  has  since 
continued  in  active  work  in  Kingston  and  Ply- 
mouth. In  1903  he  opened  an  office  in  Ply- 
moiuh,  where  he  also  has  a  good  practice.  Dr. 
Shurtleff  belongs  to  Cornerstone  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  Duxbury;  Middleboro  Lodge,  I.  0. 
0.  F.;  Accomack  Tribe,  I.  0.  R.  M.,  of  Ply- 
mouth, of  which  he  is  a  charter  member;  and  is 
medical  examiner  for  a  number  of  insurance 
companies  and  fraternal  organizations.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  is  now  serving 
as  a  commissioner  of  Inland  Fisheries,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Fish  and  Game  commis- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


711 


sion.  He  holds  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace,  so  long  held  by  his  father.  Profession- 
ally the  Doctor  is  allied  with  the  Plymouth 
County  and  Massachusetts  State  Medical  So- 
<ielies,  and  with  the  New  England  Electro- 
Therapeutic  Association. 

Dr.  Shurtleif  married  Dec.  25,  1898,  Helen 
Eliza  Sleeper,  born  in  Lynn,  Mass.,  daughter  of 
Horace  J.  and  Genevra  (Bisbee)  Sleeper,  of 
Xiynn.  They  have  three  children :  Flora  G., 
born  Oct.  6,  1899;  Albert  H.,  Nov.  30,  1900; 
and  Francis  LeBaron,  June  10,  1902. 

TABER.  The  Taber  family  of  Dartmouth, 
New  Bedford  and  Fairhaven,  one  of  the  oldest 
families  in  southeastern  Massachusetts,  is  de- 
scended from 

(I)  Phillip  Taber,  who,  according  to  Savage, 
was  born  in  1605,  and  died  in  1672.  He  was 
at  Watertown  in  1634,  and  he  contributed 
toward  building  the  galley  for  the  security  of 
the  harbor.  He  was  made  a  freeman  at  Boston 
in  that  same  year  and  at  Plymouth  in  1638. 
In  1639-40  he  was  a  deputy  from  Yarmouth, 
and  was  afterward  at  Martha^s  Vineyard,  a.nd 
from  1647  to  1655  was  at  Edgartown,  going 
from  there  to  New  London  in  1651,  but  prob- 
ably returning  soon.  He  was  an  inhabitant 
■of  Portsmouth  in  February,  1655,  and  was  a 
representative  in  Providence  in  1661,  the  com- 
missioners being  Roger  Williams,  William 
Field,  Thomas  Olney,  Joseph  Torrey,  Phillip 
Taber  and  John  Anthony.  He  later  settled  in 
Tiverton,  where  his  death  occurred.  He  mar- 
ried Lydia  Masters,  of  Watertown,  Mass., 
daughter  of  John  and  Jane  Masters,  and  (sec- 
ond) Jane  Masters,  sister  of  his  first  wife,  born 
in  1605,  died  in  1669.  His  children  were: 
John,  baptized  at  Barnstable  Nov.  8,  1640,  who 
died  young;  Phillip,  baptized  at  Barnstable  in 
February,  1646,  who  married  Mary  Cook; 
Thomas,  born  in  1644,  baptized  at  Barnstable 
in  February,  1646 ;  Joseph,  baptized  at  Barn- 
stable Feb.  11,  1646;  and  Lydia,  who  married 
Pardon  Tillinghast,  and  died  in  1718. 

(II)  Thomas  Taber,  son  of  Phillip,  born  in 
February,  1644,  baptized  in  1646,  died  Nov.  11, 
1730.  He  was  town  surveyor  in  1673;  town 
clerk  and  constable  in  1679;  freeman  in  1684; 
selectman  in  1685,  1692,  1694.  1699,  1701, 
1702  and  1711;  was  twice  representative  to 
the  General  Court  (once  in  1693),  and  captain 
in  1689.  His  house  in  Dartmouth  (now  Fair- 
haven)  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  1675,  and 
he  fled  with  his  family  to  the  blockhouse  which 
had  been  built  by  John  Cook.  Mr.  Taber  after- 
ward built  another  house,  a  portion  of  the  south 
end   of   which    is   standing    (1912).      Thomas 


Taber  was  married  (first)  to  Esther  Cook(e), 
daughter  of  Rev.  John  and  Sarah  (Warren) 
Cook(e),  he  a  son  of  Francis  Cook(e)  and 
she  a  daughter  of  Richard  Warren,  both  of 
the  "Mayflower."  She  died  in  1671,  and 
he  married  (second)  in  June,  1672,  Mary 
T(h)ompson,  born  in  1650,  first  cousin  of  his 
first  wife,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Cook) 
T(h)ompson,  of  Dartmouth,  and  gmnddaugh- 
ter  of  Francis  Cook(e),  of  Plymouth,  and  she 
died  May  3,  1734.  To  his  first  marriage  were 
born:  Thomas,  Oct.  2,  1668,  and  Esther,  April 
17,  1671.  The  eleven  children  of  the  second 
marriage  were:  Lydia,  born  Aug.  8,  1673; 
Sarah,  Jan.  28,  1675;  Mary,  March  18,  1677; 
Joseph,  March  7,  1679;  Thomas,  Feb.  22,  1681; 
John  (twin  to  Thomas) ;  Jacob,  July  26,  1683; 
Jonathan,  Sept.  22,  1685;  Bethiah,  Sept.  3, 
1687;  Phillip,  Feb.  7,  1689;  and  Abigail,  May 
2,  1693. 

(III)  Jacob  Taber,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
(T(h)ompson)  Taber,  born  July  26,  1683, 
married  Sarah  West,  of  Tiverton,  daughter  of 
Stephen  and  Mercy  (Cook(e))  West,  and  died 
April  4,  1773.  She  died  Dec.  5,  1775,  in  her 
ninetieth  year.  Their  children  were:  Eunice, 
born  July  10,  1711,  married  Sept.  13,  1739, 
Benjamin  Akin,  and  died  June  4,  1762 ;  Ste- 
phen, born  Feb.  22,  1712-13,  married  Dec.  9, 
1734,  Rebecca  Taber;  Jerusha,  born  Aug.  27, 
1715,  married  Nov.  16,  1752,  John  Wood  (son 
of  Thomas  and  Content  Wood) ;  Bartholomew, 
born  Sept.  11,  1717,  married  Mercy  Bowditeh 
(daughter  of  William  and  Mary  West  Bow- 
ditch)  ;  Lois,  born  Aug.  23,  1719,  married  Jan. 
25,  1750,  Thomas  Hathaway  (son  of  Thomas 
Hathaway)  ;  Sarah,  born  July  23,  1721,  died 
April  16,  1745;  Jacob,  born  May  21,  1723, 
married  May  1,  1754,  Lydia  Howland  (daugh- 
ter of  Barnabas  Howland)  ;  and  John,  born 
Nov.  28,  1726,  died  Aug.  27,  1760. 

(IV)  Bartholomew  Taber,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Sarah  (West)  Taber,  born  Sept.  11,  1717,  mar- 
ried March  15,  1769,  Mercy  Bowditeh,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Mary  (West)  Bowditeh. 
Their  children  were:  Sarah,  born  May  13, 
1771;  John,  May  23,  1773;  Jacob,  Oct.  12, 
1775;  and  Bartholomew,  Aug.  5,.  1779. 

(V)  John  Taber,  son  of  Bartholomew  and 
Mercy  (Bowditeh)  Taber,  born  May  23,  1773, 
died  in  1847.  In  1800  he  married  Mary 
Hathaway,  eldest  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Abi- 
gail (Smith)  Hathaway,  and  they  had  two 
children:  Sarah  Russell,  born  Sept.  27,  1806, 
who  married  Capt.  Henry  Huttleston;  and 
George  Hathaway,  born  Oct.  29,  1808. 

(VI)  George  Hathaway  Taber,  son  of  John 
and  Mary   (Hathaway)   Taber,  was  born  Oct. 


713 


SOUTHEASTEKX  MASSACHU SETTS 


29,  1808.  His  parents  were  Quakers.  His 
father  was  a  farmer,  and  in  his  boyhood  the  son 
worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  school.  On 
completing  his  education  in  the  institution 
known  as  "The  Old  Academy"  he  went  to  sea, 
and  made  voyages  in  merchantmen  for  several 
years.  In  1832  he  became  a  captain  and  con- 
tinued to  follow  the  sea  for  several  years,  sail- 
ing principally  from  New  York  for  European 
ports.  He  finally  retired  to  his  farm  in  Fair- 
haven,  where  he  spent  the  balance  of  his  life, 
dying  on  Dec.  12,  1901,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
three  years,  in  the  same  room  in  which  he  was 
born.  Captain  Taber  was  repeatedly  honored 
with  offices  in  the  town  government  and  served 
as  selectman  and  overseer  of  the  poor  almost 
continuously  from  1850  to  1890.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Fair- 
haven  Institution  for  Savings  from  its  incep- 
tion, and  was  its  president  from  1880  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  also  a  trustee  of 
the  Millicent  Library,  of  Fairhaven,  in  which 
he  took  a  keen  interest.  He  was  deeply  inter- 
ested in  Freemasonry,  and  the  Masonic  lodge 
in  Fairhaven  and  the  building  occupied  by  it 
were  named  for  him  during  his  lifetime.  Up 
to  and  beyond  his  ninetieth  year  he  continued 
vigorous  and  participated  actively  in  the  busi- 
ness and  social  life  of  Fairhaven,  which  knew 
him  so  long.  In  1858  he  married  Eliza  Parker, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Prudence  (Nye)  Bates, 
of  Fairhaven,  and  two  sons  were  born  to  them: 
George  Hathaway,  born  Jan.  20,  1859,  and 
John  Huttleston,  born  Jan.  16,  1862. 

(VII)  George  Hathaway  Taber  (2),  son 
of  George  Hathaway  and  Eliza  Parker  (Bates) 
Taber,  was  born  Jan.  20,  1859,  and  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Pittsburgli,  Pa.  He  married  Jan.  11, 
1887,  Bessie  Fessenden,  daughter  of  George  L. 
and  Mary  (Hoxie)  Fessenden,  of  Sandwich, 
Mass.,  and  they  have  had  children  as  follows: 
George  Hathawav,  born  Jan.  4,  1890 ;  Mildred 
Fessenden,  Jan.  20,  1892;  Philip.  Jan.  9,  1894; 
Laura  Hathaway  Nye,  Jan.  4,  1896;  and  Elisa- 
beth Fessenden,  May  28,  1899  (died  Jan.  11, 
1900).  These  children  have  at  least  seven 
"Mayflower"  ancestors,  three  on  their  father's 
side  and  four'^^n  their  mother's.  .  Mr.  Taber 
has  in  his  possession  a  deed  dated  1672,  given 
by  John  Cook,  one  of  the  "Mayflower"  Pilgrims 
and  one  of  the  original  purchasers  of  Dart- 
mouth, to  his  son-in-law,  Thomas  Taber  (II). 
This  deed  conveyed  land  in  Fairhaven,  a  part 
of  which  has  never  been  deeded  since,  being 
handed  down  from  father  to  son,  and  now  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Taber. 

(VII)    John    Huttlestox    Taber,   son   of 
George   Hathaway   and    Eliza    Parker    (Bates) 


Taber,  was  born  Jan.  16,  1862,  and  now  makes 
his  home  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.  In  1892  he 
married  Mary  Arthur  Frick,  of  Danville,  Pa., 
and  they  have  three  children:  Mary  Hath- 
away, born  Oct.  15,  1893;  John  Huttleston, 
June,  1895;  Alexander  Frick,  September,  1899. 

MAYNAED  ALTON  DAVIS.  One  of  the 
business  institutions  of  which  the  people  of 
Brockton  and  the  adjacent  towns  can  feel  justly 
proud  in  these  days  is  the  Brockton  Public 
Market,  carrying  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
complete  stocks  in  the  New  England  States. 
The  career  of  the  gentleman  who  is  its  founder 
and  presiding  genius  presents  many  points  wor- 
thy of  commendation,  for  although  a  resident 
of  the  community  for  but  a  little  over  a  decade 
he  has  become  one  of  the  best-known  business 
men  in  this  section  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Owing  to  the  loss  of  his  father  when  he  was 
but  a  few  days  old,  Mr.  Davis  was  early  com- 
pelled to  seek  his  own  livelihood;  beginning 
life  with  no  capital  save  a  goodly  amount  of 
boundless  energy  and  a  resolute  purpose,  he  has 
pushed  his  way  upward  against  hindering  ob- 
stacles. In  the  best  sense  of  the  word  he  is  a 
self-made  man,  but  merit  commands  recogni- 
tion, and  the  deserving  find  doors  opening  and 
the  way  growing  plainer  as -they  go  forward. 
Courage,  fidelity,  thrift  and  integrity  are  the 
prices  that  must  be  paid,  and  Mr.  Davis  has 
settled  in  a  large  measure  for  all  that  favoring 
fate  or  fortune  has  brought  him.  Born  of 
sturdy  and  thrifty  ancestry,  he  has  inherited 
those  traits  which  have  materially  assisted  him 
in  "the  battle  of  life." 

Maynard  Gardner  Davis,  father  of  Maynard 
Alton,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  was  born 
in  Richford,  Vt.,  son  of  Gardner  Davis,  a  tan- 
ner, and  after  attending  the  neighboring 
schools  settled  down  to  the  life  of  a  farmer, 
at  wliich  occupation  he  continued  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  promptly 
offered  his  services  to  his  country,  enlisting  in 
Company  G,  32d  Maine  V.  I.  He  continued 
in  the  service  until  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  which  lasted  from  May  8  to  May 
18,  1864,  and  which  was  the  second  greatest 
battle  of  that  war,  18,000  men  being  killed  and 
wounded ;  and  there  he  lost  his  life,  the  victim 
of  a  Confederate  picket's  shot.  Mr.  Davis  mar- 
ried Adeline  Little,  who  died  in  Poland,  Maine, 
the  mother  of  three  sons,  as  follows:  Dellazon 
A.,  who  is  unmarried  and  resides  in  Brockton, 
an  employee  at  the  Brockton  Public  Market ; 
Donizetta  I.,  a  mechanical  engineer,  who  died 
in  Montana  in  1889;  and  Maynard  Alton. 


VOA^yMJXMJAj  Ct  , 


ctA^t^^y 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


713 


Maynard  Alton  Davis  was  horn  May  4,  1864, 
in  Poland,  Maine,  but  a  few  days  prior  to  the 
death  of  his  father  on  the  battlefield.  As  a 
boy  he  attended  the  district  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town,  and  during  that  time  he  gave  what 
assistance  he  could  to  his  widowed  mother. 
From  the  time  he  was  eleven  until  he  became 
sixteen  he  worked  at  Poland  Springs,  Maine, 
in  summers,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left 
school  to  begin  his  life's  work.  Leaving  home 
he  went  to  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  and  secured  em- 
ployment in  the  provision  store  of  R.  S.  Dar- 
ling &  Sons,  in  whose  employ  he  continued  for 
a  period  of  seven  years.  He  then  bought  a 
large  farm  in  Seekonk,  Mass.,  which  he  suc- 
cessfully conducted  as  a  stock  and  dairy  farm 
from  1887  to  1894,  having  a  ready  market  for 
his  products  in  Providence  and  vicinity.  Upon 
leaving  the  farm  he  again  entered  the  provis- 
ion business,  this  time  as  traveling  salesman 
for  the  Darling  Brothers  Company,  of  West 
Fourteenth  street,  New  York,  this  firm  being 
composed  of  the  sons  in  the  firm  of  R.  S.  Dar- 
ling &  Sons,  his  former  employers  in  Paw- 
tucket. After  spending  about  a  year  in  the 
capacity  of  traveling  salesman  in  the  New 
England  States,  he  returned  to  the  farm, 
which  he  conducted  but  a  short  time,  when  he 
decided  to  embark  in  the  provision  business 
on  his  own  account,  and  in  November,  1896, 
in  company  with  C.  C.  Hall,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Hall  &  Davis,  opened  a  market  and 
provision  store  on.  Broad  street,  Pawtucket, 
known  as  the  New  Public  Market,  continuing 
as  a  partner  in  this  business  until  February, 
1899,  in  which  year  he  sold  out  his  interest 
in  the  business  to  Mr.  Hall.  Mr.  Davis  then 
toured  the  New  England  States  in  search  of  a 
city  in  which  to  locate  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  during  this  time  visiting  every  city 
in  that  section  having  a  population  of  30,000 
or  more.  He  finally  decided  upon  Brockton 
as  the  most  promising  city,  and  in  November, 
1899,  he  there  opened  a  market  and  provision 
store  in  the  Lyman  block.  This  business  meet- 
ing with  success  he  later  leased  the  Satucket 
block,  where  he  opened  up  for  business,  run- 
ning the  two  stores  for  a  time,  after  which  he 
consolidated  them,  removing  the  business  to 
the  latter  block,  corner  of  Main  and  West  Elm 
streets,  wliich  became  known  as  the  Brockton 
Public  Market.  Shortly  after  establishing  this 
business  he  incorporated  the  same  under  the 
laws  of  Maine  with  a  capital  of  $50,000 
($35,000  paid  in),  becoming  president  and 
treasurer  of  the  concern,  and  he  has  since  re- 
mained  in   the   capacity  of   president,   Mr.   J. 


E.  Morrow  becoming  treasurer  in  1909.  Mr. 
Davis  has  extended  and  increased  this  business 
until  now  a  corps  of  about  100  people  is  given 
employment  and  a  number  of  wagons  are  used 
in  the  delivery  of  the  goods  both  in  Brockton 
and  the  surrounding  towns.  In  1906  Mr.  Davis 
instituted  a  Food  Fair,  held  each  year  during 
the  second  and  third  weeks  of  January,  and 
during  the  first  year's  exhibition  his  store  was 
visited  by  15,322  persons  on  the  first  Saturday 
— actual  count.  From  a  small  beginning  the 
Brockton  Public  Market  grew  rapidly  and 
steadily,  until  it  had  no  superior  in  a  city  of 
like  size.  The  increase  of  business  necessitated 
additional  floor  space,  and  in  1909  Mr.  Davis, 
upon  the  completion  of  the  Holbrook  building, 
adjoining  the  Satucket  block,  leased  a  large 
portion  of  the  space  in  the  rear  of  the  building, 
which  was  connected  with  the  Satucket  block, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  took  over  the  remain- 
ing space  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  Satucket 
block,  acquiring  a  floor  space  of  44,480  square 
feet.  On  Sunday  morning,  July  31,  1911,  the 
Satucket  block,  occupied  by  the  Brockton  Pub- 
lic Market  Company,  the  Holbrook  building 
next  north  on  Main  street,  and  the  F.  W.  Wool- 
worth  store  were  practically  destroyed  by  fire. 
The  Satucket  block  was  gutted,  the  adjoining 
lodging  houses  wrecked,  and  the  Holbrook 
building  badly  damaged.  This,  the  biggest  fire 
in  the  history  of  Brockton's  business  district, 
started  Sunday  morning  at  4 :09  and  the  loss 
conservatively  estimated  was  $200,000.  To 
meet  the  threatening  fire  crisis  all  of  the  fire- 
fighting  apparatus  that  Brockton  has  was  used 
and  companies  vtete  called  from  Boston, 
Quincy,  Rockland,  Avon,  Stoughton  and  Taun- 
ton, with  some  apparatus.  Fifty  firemen  were 
overcome  by  ammonia  fumes  in  this  fire 
and  others  were  overcome  by  smoke.  On 
Tuesday  night  following  the  fire  Mr. 
Davis  closed  a  deal  in  which  he  pur- 
chased outright  the  business  of  the  J.  W. 
Shaw  Company,  including  the  stock,  fix- 
tures and  good  will,  and  on  Wednesday  morn- 
ing that  store  was  opened  under  the  Public 
Market  management.  On  the  following  Sat- 
urday the  Brockton  Public  Market  opened  a 
branch  store  at  No.  19  East  Elm  street  under 
the  Orpheum  Theatre. 

Since  becoming  a  resident  of  Brockton  Mr. 
Davis  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  advancement  and  welfare 
of  his  adopted  city.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
Plymouth  County  Trust  Company,  and  an  in- 
corporator of  the  People's  Savings  Bank.  In 
political  faith  he  is  an  independent  Republican, 
and  a  firm  believer  in  local  option,  being  an 


714: 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


active  member  of  the  No-license  League  of 
Brockton.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arca- 
num, holding  membership  in  the  lodge  at 
Pawtucket,  Ehode  Island. 

Mr.  Davis  is  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Brockton,  and  has  served  for  sev- 
eral years  as  a  member  of  the  finance  com- 
mittee of  the  church.  He  was  active  in  the 
work  in  connection  with  the  erection  of  the 
new  church  at  the  corner  of  Warren  avenue 
and  West  Elm  street,  which  was  completed  in 
1909,  he  having  been  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee  in  charge  of  its  construction. 

On  Oct.  27,  1886,  Mr.  Davis  was  married 
to  Emma  Smith  Walker,  daughter  of  George 
H.  and  Sarah  (Burgess)  Walker,  of  Seekonk, 
Mass.,  and  tliis  union  was  blessed  with  seven 
children,  as  follows:  Chester  Allen,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  one  year,  eight  months;  Mabelle 
Esther;  Marion  Edna,  «'ho  died  aged  sixteen 
years;  Euth  Adeline;  Howard  Halsey;  May- 
nard  Wentworth,  .who  died  in  infancy;  and 
Stanton  Walker. 

As  may  be  seen,  Mr.  Davis  has  been  the 
architect  of  his  own  success,  showing  what  may 
be  accomplished  by  one  who  possesses  those 
qualities  so  essential  to  achievement — self- 
reliance,  pluck,  energy,  thrift  and  determina- 
tion. His  success  is  not  entirely  due  to  a  nat- 
ural-born business  acumen,  but  rather  to  the 
unhesitating  grasp  of  opportunity,  and  as  well 
in  taking  the  initiative.  His  business  career 
has  been  of  that  clean-cut,  wholesome  character 
which  makes  him  a  worthy  example  to  the  ris- 
ing and  ambitious  young  man  of  to-day.  He 
has  just  cause  to  feel  a  pride  in  his  life's 
achievement  and  in  the  place  he  has  earned  for 
himself  in  the  business  circles  of  his  adopted 
citv. 


George  Halsey  Walker,  father  of  Mrs. 
Davis,  was  born  in  1837,  and  is  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Philip  Walker,  who  is  of  record 
at  Eehoboth  in  1653.  being  a  son  of  "Widow 
Walker"  of  Eehoboth,  and  brother  of  James 
Walker  of  Taunton.  Widow  Walker  was  one 
of  the  first  proprietors  and  purchasers  of  the 
town,  but  when  and  whence  she  came  to  New 
England,  and  where  she  died,  alike  seem  un- 
known. From  Philip  Walker  the  descent  of 
George  H.  Walker  is  through  Samuel  Walker, 
of  Eehoboth,  Mass.,  and  his  wife  Martha  Ide; 
Peter  Walker,  of  Eehoboth,  and  his  wife  Mary 
Child ;  Lieut.  Moses  Walker,  of  Eehoboth,  and 
his  wife  Sarah  Bowen;  Lieut.  Moses  Walker 
(2)  of  Seekonk,  Mass.,  and  his  wife  Hannah 
Carpenter,  he  a  soldier  of  the  Eevolution  and 


a  lieutenant  in  the  militia ;  and  George  Wash- 
ington Walker  of  Seekonk,  Mass.,  and  his  wife 
Esther  Smith.  George  H.  Walker  went  to  Cali- 
fornia by  way  of  Panama  during  the  gold  ex- 
citement. 

Mrs.  Sarah  (Burgess)  Walker  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  M.  Burgess,  one  of  the  "forty- 
niners"  to  California,  he  making  the  trip 
around  Cape  Horn  in  a  three-masted  schooner, 
which  occupied  six  months  in  making  the  trip. 

JAMES  EDWIN  BLAKE,  one  of  the  oldest 
druggists  in  southeastern  Massachusetts,  is  one 
of  the  best  known  citizens  of  New  Bedford, 
where  he  is  now  living  retired  after  an  active 
career  of  sixty-five  years  in  the  drug  business. 
Mr.  Blake  was  born  in  Fall  Eiver,  Mass.,  and  is 
a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  families  of  Bristol  county. 

The  Blakes  are  an  ancient  family  in  England, 
mentioned  on  the  Wiltshire  rolls  of  subsidies 
granted  by  Edward  L,  A.  D.  1286,  and  Eobert 
de  Blakeland  was  assessed  to  that  king's  re- 
quirement. The  progenitor  Eobert  Blake 
dropped  the  particle  "de"  and  the  suffix  "land"  • 
from  the  name.  He  was  a  resident  of  Calne,  ad- 
joining the  family  estates  in  Blakeland,  where 
he  was  assessed  to  the  subsidies  of  Edward  III. 
in  1347  to  an  amount  far  exceeding  any  other 
inhabitant  of  the  town.  He  married  Anne  Cole, 
daughter  of  William  Cole.  From  this  Robert 
Blake  has  been  traced  by  genealogists  William 
Blake,  the  immigrant  to  New  England,  as  fol- 
lows: 

(II)  Henry  Blake,  son  of  Eobert,  married 
the  daugliter  and  co-heir  of  Eobert  Durant. 

(III)  William  Blake,  son  of  Henry,  married 
Elizabeth  Power. 

(IV)  Henry  Blake  (2),  of  Calne,  son  of  Wil- 
liam, married  Margaret  Bellett. 

(V)  Eobert  Blake,  of  Calne,  son  of  Henry 
(2),  married  Alice  Wallop. 

(VI)  William  Blake  (2),  of  Calne'  and 
White  Parisli,  of  Wiltshire,  son  of  Eobert. 

(VII)  William  Blake  (3),  son  of  William 
(2),  of  Andover,  White  Parish,  in  Old  Hall  in 
Eastontown.  married  Mary  Cole  or  Coles. 

(VIII)  Humphrey  Blake,  son  of  William  (3), 
married  Agnes.  He  removed  early  in  the  six- 
teenth century  to  Over  Stowey,  Somersetshire, 
and  became  lord  of  the  manor  of  Plainfield  in 
that  parish,  etc. 

(IX)  John  Blake,  son  of  Humphrey,  born 
in  1521,  succeeded  to  the  manor  of  Plainfield, 
etc. ;  he  married  Jane. 

(X)  William  Blake  (4),  son  of  John, 
bought  land  in  Pitsminster  in  1586  and  went 
there  to  live.     He  had  children:     Grace,  bap- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


715 


tized  Feb.  9,  1588 ;  Eme,  baptized  Dec.  3,  1592 ; 
William,  baptized  Jul}'   10,  1594;  John,  bap- 
tized June  15,  1597;  Anne,  baptized  Oct.  16, 
1600;  and  Richard,  baptized  April  17,  1603. 
The  American  line  is  as  follows: 

(I)  William  Blake,  son  of  William  (4), 
eleventh  in  descent  in  the  English  line  and 
first  in  the  American,  baptized  July  10,  1594, 
married  Sept.  23,  1617,  at  Pitsminster,  Eng- 
land, Agnes  Band,  a  widow,  and  they  had  chil- 
dren, baptized  at  Pitsminster:  John,  Aug.  16, 
1618;  William,  Sept.  6,  1630;  James,  April 
27,  1624;  Edward.  William  Blake  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  Springfield  in  1636.  He  re- 
moved to  Dorchester,  where  he  is  of  record 
Jan.  3,  1637. 

(II)  William  Blake  (2),  son  of  William 
and  Agnes  (Band)  Blake,  born  in  England, 
baptized  at  Pitsminster  Sept.  6,  1620,  came  to 
America  with  his  father.  His  first  wife  was 
Anna,  his  second  (married  Nov.  22,  1693,  at 
Milton)  Sarah  (Tolmon)  Lyon,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  Tolmon.  In  1660  Mr.  Blake 
received  an  allotment  of  land  in  that  part  of 
Dorchester  set  oil  in  1662  as  Milton.  He 
owned  a  large  farm  on  Brush  Hill  in  Milton. 
He  was  very  closely  identified  with  Milton,  both 
in  connection  with  church  and  business  affairs. 
He  served  on  the  committee  to  build  the  new 
meetinghouse,  as  selectman,  sergeant  of  the 
inilitia,  etc.  He  was  deputy  to  the  General 
Court  in  1680-83-90-97.  He  died  in  Milton 
Sept.  3,  1703,  aged  eighty-three.  His  wife  died 
Aug.  4,  1729 (?),  in  Dorchester,  in  her  ninety- 
first  year.  Eight  of  his  eleven  children  were 
Taom  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  and  the  others  in 
Milton.  The  children  were:  Samuel,  born 
May  14,  1650;  Anne,  baptized  March  7,  1651, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Anne  (2),  born  March  6, 
1652-53;  Mary,  bom  March  12,  1654-55;  Wil- 
liam, born  Feb.  22,.  1656-57 ;  Nathaniel,  born 
July  4,  1659;  Edward,  born  April  13,  1662; 
Experience,  born  June  17,  1665;  Agnes,  born 
Sept.  29,  1667;  Susan,  bom  Julv  20,  1670; 
and  Mehetabel,  born  April  2,  1673'. 

(III)  Samuel  Blake,  son  of  William  (3), 
born  May  14,  1650,  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried Sarah,  daughter  of  George  and  Susanna 
Macey,  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  died  in  the  lat- 
ter town  in  1719.  Children,  order  of  birth  not 
known,  were:  (1)  Priscilia  married  May  30, 
1700,  John,,  son  of  Nathaniel  Smith.  (2) 
Samuel  died  in  Taunton  in  January,  1771, 
aged  ninety-one.  He  may  have  lieen  the  Sam- 
uel Blake  who  married  May  19,  1701,  in  Taun- 
ton, Sarah  Pitts.     (3)  Edward. 

(IV)  Edward  Blake,  son  of  Samuel,  died  in 
Taunton  July  25,  1759,  in  his  seventieth  year. 


His  wife,  formerly  Anne  Hanover  ("daughter 
of  Ann  Grinfell"),  died  Nov.  21,  1790,  in  the 
ninety-third  year  of  her  age.  Children:  Ed- 
ward, Grenfield,  Mary  (who  married  a  Hos- 
kins),  Sarah,  Priscilia  (who  married  Ebenezer 
Joydale),  Silence  (wife  of  Jacob  Barney),  Pru- 
dence (married  Thomas  Rob),  Jerusha  and 
Jane. 

(V)  Grenfield  Blake,  sou  of  Edward  and 
Anne  (Hanover)  Blake,  was  born  in  Taunton 
in  1721.  He  made  his  home  in  Taunton,  where 
he  died  while  still  in  the  prime  of  manhood, 
Sept.  9,  1753,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years. 
He  married  Desire  Crocker  (?),  and  they  had 
two  children :     Grenfield  and  Samuel. 

(VI)  Grenfield  Blake  (2),  son  of  Grenfield 
and  Desire  Blake,  was  born  Oct.  6,  1752,  in 
Taunton,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  he 
made  his  permanent  home  in  that  section,  being 
an  extensive  land  owner  there ;  he  owned  what 
was  known  as  Blake's  Landing,  and  also  oper- 
ated a  brickyard.  He  died  in  Taunton  May 
10,  1813.  During  the  Revolutionary  war  he 
enlisted  in  the  patriot  army,  his  record  being 
as  follows:  "Greenfield"  Blake,  private,  Capt. 
Josiah  King's  company.  Col.  David  Brewer's 
regiment;  muster  roll  dated  Aug.  1,  1775;  en- 
listed June  20,  1775;  service,  one  month,  two 
weeks;  company  return,  dated  Oct.  7,  1775. 
Also,  private.  Captain  King's  company.  Col. 
Rufus  Putman's  (late  Brewer's)  9th  regiment, 

'  order  for  bounty  coat  or  its  equivalent  in  money, 
dated  at  Roxbury  Dec.  2,  1775.  Also,  matross, 
Capt.  Samuel  Fales's  Taunton  (artillery)  com- 
pany. Col.  G.  Williams's  regiment.  General 
Godfrey's  brigade,  marched  to  Slade's  Ferry  in 
Swanzey,  R.  I.,  on  the  alarm  of  Dec.  8,  1776; 
service,  thirty-one  days.  Also,  private,  Capt. 
Jonathan  Shaw's  company.  Col.  John  Daggett's 
regiment,  elilisted  Aug.  21,  1778,  discharged 
Sept.  1,  1778;  service  twelve  days  at  Rhode 
Island.  Also,  private.  Capt.  Josiah  Crocker's 
artillery  company,  Colonel  Mitchell's  regiment. 
Brigadier  General  Godfrey's  brigade,  marched 
to  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  on  the  alarm  of  Aug.  2, 
1780;  service  eight  days.  His  son  James  Hart 
Blake  was  administrator  for  his  estate,  which 
was  quite  large  for  the  time.  Grenfield  Blake 
married  Phebe  Hart,  and  their  children  were: 
Grenfield,  bom  Feb.  26,  1780,  married  Abigail 
Dean  Sept.  22, 1805 :  Phebe,  born  Dec.  13,  1781, 
married  David  Reed ;  Hanover  was  born  Dec. 
20.  1783:  Desire  Crocker,  born  Sept.  23,  1785, 
married  Ruius  Cobb,  Jr.,  April  19,  1808; 
James  Hart  was  bom  Aug.  16,  1787;  Polly 
Hart  was  bom  Aug.  7,  1789 ;  Hannah  C.,  bom 
Sept.  13.  1791,  married  Barney  Pratt:  Betsey 
H.  was  bora  Sept.  29,  1793;  Gilbert,  April  5, 


716 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1796;  Luther,  in  August,  1798;  Amity,  Aug. 
14,  1801. 

(VII)  James  Hart  Blake,  born  Aug.  16, 
1787,  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  there  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  was  engaged  in  the  making  of  brick 
in  Taunton,  in  his  father's  brickyard,  and  in 
Fall  River.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  hatmak- 
ing  in  Dighton.  He  lived  at  Taunton,  Dighton 
and  Fall  River.  On  Oct.  10,  1832,  he  sailed 
in  the  sloop  "Ann  Maria,"  of  Freetown,  Mass., 
for  Darien,  Ga.,  having  charge  of  a  load  of  mer- 
chandise for  his  brother-in-law.  The  sloop 
made  New  York  and  from  there  sailed  for  her 
destination,  which  she  never  reached,  having 
been  lost  veith  all  hands. 

On  Aug.  27,  1823,  James  Hart  Blake  mar- 
ried Sarah  Pitts,  who  was  born  in  Dighton, 
Mass.,  Sept.  12,  1798,  daughter  of  Capt.  George 
and  Lydia  (Stetson)  Pitts.  Children:  (1)  James 
Gilbert,  born  Nov.  24,  1824,  died  Jan.  19, 
1826.  (2)  James  Edwin,  born  Dec.  27,  1827, 
is  mentioned  below.  (3)  Sarah  Elizabeth,  born 
May  30,  1829,  married  Harrison  Gray  Lowell, 
and  they  had  three  children:  Walt<?r  Nichols, 
born  July  23,  1852,  married  Dec.  24,  1879,  Nel- 
lie Wood,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  Sarah 
Frances  (born  March  3,  1885,  died  July  29, 
1893)  and  Walter  Wood  (born  Aug.  25,  1895)  ; 
Nellie  Gray,  bom  Aug.  26,  1854,  married  Clin- 
ton E.  Stark,  M.  D.,  in  February,  1885,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Florence  (born  May 
21,  1887)  and  Lowell  (born  Dec.  7,  1892)  ; 
James  Harrison,  born  May  4,  1860,  married 
Florence  Hard  Oct.  8,  1898,  and  they  have 
four  children.  Wade  Harrison  (born  Aug.  12, 
1899),  Blake  J.  (born  June  16,  1901),  Doug- 
las Walter  (born  June  4,  1903)  and  Edwin 
Gray  (born  Sept.  19,  1905).  (4)  Mary  Luther, 
born  March  28,  1833,  resides  at  Meriden,  New 
Hampshire. 

(VIII)  James  Edwin  Blake,  son  of  James 
Hart  and  Sarah  (Pitts)  Blake,  was  born  Dec. 
27,  1827,  in  Fall  River,  Mass.  His  father  dy- 
ing at  sea  when  James  was  yet  a  mere  lad,  the 
widowed  mother  and  children  moved  to  Dighton, 
where  they  made  their  home  with  her  father, 
George  Pitts.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  James 
E.  Blake  went  to  New  Bedford  and  became  a 
drug  clerk,  in  the  same  building  and  on  the 
same  site  where  his  active  career  terminated 
sixty-five  years  later.  It  was  back  in  the  thir- 
ties of  the  last  century  he  entered  the  apothe- 
cary shop  of  Dr.  S.  Tompkins  &  Brother.  He 
attended  school  between  his  working  hours,  and 
wlien  he  reached  his  eighteentli  year,  like  most 
of  the  other  boys  of  his  acquaintance,  he  had 
a  desire  to  engage  in  whaling,  but  Dr.  Tomp- 
kins talked  him  out  of  the  idea,  promising  an 


interest  in  the  firm  when  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority. When  he  became  of  age  the  original 
firm  was  dissolved  to  make  place  for  young 
Blake,  who  was  given  an  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness. The  firm  continued  under  the  old  name 
for  several  years  afterward,  and  upon  the  death 
of  Dr.  Tompkins  Mr.  Blake  was  willed  the 
Doctor's  interest  in  the  concern.  For  a  period 
the  business  was  continued  as  formerly,  later 
taking  the  name  of  James  E.  Blake,  and  so  it 
continued  to  the  end.  At  one  time,  shortly 
after  the  late  F.  B.  Hadley  had  served  his  time 
under  Mr.  Blake,  he  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  business,  and  James  E.  Blake  &  Co.  was  the 
name  adopted  by  the  new  partners,  but  Mr. 
Hadley's  connection  with  the  firm  was  of  short 
duration. 

In  the  early  days  of  Mr.  Blake's  experience 
the  putting  up  of  medicine  chests  for  the  whale 
ships  was  a  money-making  proposition,  and  the 
man  who  secured  this  contract  made  a  good 
thing  of  it.  During  his  first  year  in  the  busi- 
ness as  a  member  of  the  firm  Mr.  Blake  fitted 
twenty-five  ships,  and  as  the  whaling  industry 
increased  so  did  trade  along  that  particular  line. 
The  firm  that  started  as  Dr.  S.  Tompkins  & 
Brother  ended  as  James  E.  Blake  &  Co.,  and 
did  a  great  business  in  certain  patent  medicines 
which  had  more  than  a  mere  reputation.  Dr. 
Tompkins's  Spring  Bitters  and  Dr.  Fisher's 
Golden  Seal  are  remedies  which  will  be  recalled 
by  older  residents.  Dr.  Fisher's  Golden  Seal 
had  immense  sales.  It  was  introduced  by  a 
peddler  named  Cape  and  was  compounded  by 
the  firm  at  the  outset,  later  being  taken  up  by 
the  house  and  puslied  for  all  its  worth.  When 
Mr.  Blake  retired  from  business  he  sold  the 
formula  to  the  Eastern  Drug  Company  of  Bos- 
ton, which  continues  to  keep  it  on  the  market. 

In  Mr.  Blake's  day  there  have  graduated 
ilruggists  under  him — I.  H.  Shurtleff,  F.  B. 
Hadley,  L.  H.  White  and  C.  T.  Bosworth,  three 
of  whom  are  to-day  among  the  leading  drug- 
gists in  New  Bedford,  besides  others  who  are 
in  business  elsewhere.  Blake's  corner  was,  so 
to  speak,  the  old  school  for  the  young  men  de- 
siring to  got  a  start.  In  its  day  the  firm  was 
one  of  the  most  successful  in  southea.stern 
Massachusetts,  and  after  sixty-five  years  of 
'activity  James  E.  Blake  left  the  work  to  be 
taken  up  by  his  son  George  A.  Blake. 

What  a  remarkable  record !  Sixty-five  years 
in  one  building  and  on  the  same  site !  Persist- 
ent as  a  boy  in  his  chosen  profession,  Mr.  Blake 
gained  the  good  will  of  his  employers,  as  stated, 
and  now,  in  his  declining  days — in  the  eighty- 
fourth  year  of  his  age — he  can  look  )iack  with 
pleasure  at  some  of  the  happenings  which  led 


southeastp:rn  masSx\chusetts 


717 


up  to  his  success,  for  in  his  time  he  was  one 
of  the  leading  druggists.  Witliout  a  doubt  Mr. 
Blake  is  the  dean  of  that  profession  in  this 
part  of  the  old  Bay  State,  and  while  he  is  well 
remembered  by  men  in  middle  life  here  in  New- 
Bedford,  few  of  the  present  generation  know 
that  at  one  time  he  carried  on  the  most  ex- 
tensive business  of  its  kind  in  the  city. 

Blake's  C'orner,  as  it  was  called  so  long  ago, 
and  the  old  wooden  building  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Middle  and  Second  streets  in  which 
the  now  aged  apothecary  sold  drugs  for  sixty- 
five  years,  may  surely  be  considered  one  of  the 
landmarks  of  New  Bedford  and  a  most  inter- 
esting one  to  father  and  son. 

James  E.  Blake  is  a  member  of  Star  in  the 
East  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  DeMolay  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  of  the  Massachusetts  State  and 
Americah  Pharmaceutical  Associations  and  of 
the  Massachusetts  College  of  Pharmacy.  He 
is  the  only  surviving  charter  member  of  the 
City  Guards.  • 

On  Jan.  24,  1861,  James  Edwin  Blake  mar- 
ried Lois  Akin  Davis,  daughter  of  Humphrey 
and  Nabby  (Spooner)  Davis,  and  they  had 
children  as  follows:  (1)  Edwin  Humphrey, 
born  Jan.  26,  1862,  died  April  26,  1869.  (2) 
George  Augustus,  horn  Feb.  25,  1864,  succeeded 
his  father  in  the  drug  business,  but  later  sold 
out,  and  is  now  engaged  in  manufacturing  in 
Boston,  Mass.  (3)  Clara  Sears,  born  May  13, 
1866,  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  New  Bedford  and  is  now  a  clerk  in 
the  school  board  office.  New  Bedford.  (4)  Ralph 
Vincent,  bom  Sept.  9,  1868,  educated  in  the 
local  public  and  high  schools  and  at  Harvard 
Dental  School,  practiced  first  in  Boston  and  is 
now  practicing  in  New  York.  He  married 
Huldah  Carlson,  and  they  have  had  children, 
Mildred  V..  Ralph  H.  (died  in  infancy),  Lois 
M.,  and  Walter  L.  (5)  James  Edwin,  Jr.,  born 
Dec.  12,  1870,  was  educated  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  New  Bedford  and  learned  the 
drug  business  with  his  father,  and  is  now  a 
druggist  "in  Boston,  his  home  being  in  Walt- 
ham,  Mass.  He  married  Ella  Gardner.  (6) 
Lois  Davis,  born  March  17,  1873,  was  educated 
in  the  New  Bedford  public  and  high  schools  and 
at  Pratt's  Institute,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and'  i^s 
now  a  kindergarten  teacher  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
(7)  Herbert  Tompkins,  born  June  18,  1875, 
married  Grace  Van  Wyangartcn,  and  has  one 
child,  Grace  E.  He  built  up  a  splendid  drug 
husiness  in  Caldwell,  Idaho,  but  because  of  ill 
health  he  was  obliged  to  prepare  for  out-of-donr 
work.  Accordingly  he  attended  the  College 
of  Orcharding  in  Corvallis,  Oregon,  from  which 
■school  he  graduated  in  June,  1911.  since  when 


he  has  been  offered  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  the  Roswell  Park  Fruit  Tract  Com- 
pany, his  duties  beginning  in  February,  1913. 
(8)  Ada  Swasey,  born  Dec.  8,  1877,  attended 
the  public  and  high  schools  in  New  Bedford  and 
later  Radcliffe  College,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and 
is  now  a  teacher  in  the  Young  Ladies'  Academy 
at  Albany,  N.  Y.  (9)  Emily  Stetson  and  (10) 
Robert  Pitts,  twins,  were  born  Feb.  3,  1880. 
She  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  New  Bedford  and  the  State  normal  school  at 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  from  which  she  was  gradu- 
ated in  1904,  and  taught  school  in  New  Bedford 
for  several  years,  but  is  now  at  home.  Robert 
P.  Blake  is  with  his  older  brother  in  Boston  in 
the  manufacturing  business. 

Mrs.  Blake,  the  mother  of  this  family,  died 
at  her  home  in  New  Bedford  May  25,  1906,  and 
is  buried  in  Oak  Grove  cemetery.  Mr.  Blake  in 
his  declining  years  has  the  devoted  care  of  his 
daughters. 

Davis.  The  Davis  family,  of  which  the 
late  Mrs.  James  Edwin  Blake  was  a  descendant, 
is  an  old  and  well-known  family  of  this  section 
of  the  State. 

(I)  Dolar  Davis,  born  in  1593,  married  in 
the  County  of  Kent,  England,  March  29,  1634, 
Margery  Willard,  baptized  Nov.  7,  1603,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  Willard,  of  Horsemonden, 
County  of  Kent,  yeoman.  Davis,  with  his  wife 
and  three  children  and  Simon  Willard,  his 
wife's  brother,  came  to  New  England  and  set- 
tled prior  to  Aug.  4,  1634,  in  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  master 
builder.  He  removed  to  Du.xbury,  then  became 
a  resident  of  Barnstable.  He  left  Plymouth 
Colony  and  returned  to  Massachusetts  Bay 
Colony,  etc. 

(II)  John  Davis,  son  of  Dolar,  born  in  Eng- 
land, married  March  15,  1648,  the  daughter  of 
Robert  Linnell,  of  Barnstable.  He  was  a  house 
carpenter.  His  home  lot  of  eight  acres  was  the 
first  on  the  west  side  of  what  is  now  Hyannis 
road.     He  died  in  1703. 

(III)  Timothy  Davis,  son  of  John,  married 
7th  of  1st  month,  1690,  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Edward  Perry,  of  Sandwich.  He  joined  the 
Society  of  Friends  and  removed  to  Rochester. 
His  oldest  son  was  born  in  Sandwich  and  the 
other  children  probably  in  Rochester. 

(IV)  Nicholas  Davis,  son  of  Timothy,  born 
Oct.  28,  1690,  in  Sandwich,  married  (first) 
20th  of  2d  month,  1715,  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  Summers,  of  Rochester; 
(second)  Ifith  of  12th  month  1724-25,  Hannah, 
daughter  of  William  Wood,  and  (third)  10th 
of  5th  month,  1729,  Ruth,  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham Tucker. 


718 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(V)  Nicholas  Davis  (2),  son  of  Nicholas  and 
Euth,  of  Rochester,  married  24;th  of  13th 
month,  1761,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Obadiah  and 

,  Catherine  Williams,  the  former  then  deceased, 
the  latter  of  Shrewsbuiy,  wife  of  John  Russell. 
Children :  Hunmhrey,  John  R.,  Obediah  (who 
married  Ruth  Slierman),  Abraham  (married 
Abigail  Sherman),  Timothy  (married  Paul- 
ine Stephens),  Williams  (married  Elizabeth 
Tripp),  George,  Salley  (married  a  Gifiord), 
Kate  (married  John  Jenney)  and  Elizabeth 
(married  Joseph  Tripp). 

(VI)  Humphrey  Davis,  son  of  Nicholas  (8) 
and  SaraJi  (Williams)  Davis,  married  Eunice 
Hathaway,  and  they  had  children  as  follows: 
Lois  died  unmarried;  Hannah  married  Prince 
Sears;  Humphrey,  Jr.,  is  mentioned  below; 
Nancy  married  Prince  Sears  (his  second  wife) ; 
Rebecca  married  Ira  Leband,  a  Baptist  min- 
ister; Sarah  married  Joseph  Shockley;  George 
died  uiimarried. 

(VII)  Humphrey  Davis,  Jr.,  born  Feb.  20, 
1798,  at  Long  Plain,  Mass.,  there  made  his 
home  and  died  March  2,  1863.  His  wife  died 
Dec.  2,  1886.  On  Dec.  20,  1820,  he  married 
Nabby  Spooner,  who  was  born  Oct.  30,  1802, 
and  they  had  a  large  family,  born  as  follows: 
Nancy  Vincent,  Oct.  8,  1821  (died  Feb.  11, 
1890);  Elizabeth  Rouncville,  Sept.  3,  1823; 
HannaJi  Church,  April  16,  1825;  Walter 
Spooner,  March  16,  1827;  Joshua  Vincent, 
June  2,  1829  (died  Nov.  20,  1893)  ;  Eunice 
Hathaway,  March  30,  1831 ;  Abbie  Spooner, 
Nov.  5,  1833  (died  April  12,  1873) ;  Isaac  Vin- 
cent, Nov.  15,  1835;  Lois  Akin,  May  14,  1838 
(married  James  Edwin  Blake,  of  New  Bedford, 
and  died  May  25,  1906)  ;  Rebecca  Leland,  Jan. 
7,  1841;  Sarah  Forest,  April,  1843;  George 
Humphrey,  Sept.  10,  1846  (died  in  1893); 
Harriet  Angeline,  April  17,  1848. 

Pitts.  The  Pitts  family,  of  which  James 
Edwin  Blake  is  a  descendant  on  his  mother's 
side,  is  an  old  and  well-known  one  of  Bristol 
county.  Peter  Pitts,  the  founder  of  this  branch, 
settled  in  Taunton  as  early  as  1643.  He  mar- 
ried about  1654  Mary  Andrews,  daughter  of 
Henry  Andrews  and  widow  of  William  Hodges. 
He  died  in  1692-93.  Children :  Samuel,  Mary, 
Sarah,  Peter  and  Alice,  and  Ebenezer. 

Ebenezer  Pitts,  born  in  1670,  died  Feb.  28, 
1735,  in  Dighton,  Mass.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Hoskins,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Knapp)  Hoskins,  and  they  had  children: 
Elizabeth,  born  in  1700  (who  married  Joshua 
Philips);  Sarah  M.,  1703;  Mary.  1705;  Han- 
nah, 1707;  a  daughter,  July  3,  1709  (died  in 
infancy);  Mary,  Nov.  15,  1712;  George,  Sept. 
15,  1715;  Silence,  March  14,  1718. 


George  Pitts,  son  of  Ebenezer,  born  Sept. 
15,  1715,  married  Elizabeth  Brightman.  Chil- 
dren: Ebenezer,  born  June  10, 1749  (died  Oct. 
9,  1750);  Elizabeth,  Aug.  23,  1750;  George, 
Aug.  5,  1752;  Mary,  June  26,  1754;  Susannah 
and  Silence,  twins,  June  15,  1756;  Sarah,  April 
4,   1760. 

Capt.  George  Pitts,  son  of  George  and  Eliza- 
beth (Brightman)  Pitts,  was  born  Aug.  5, 
1752,  in  Dighton,  where  he  was  a  farmer  and 
land  owner.  He  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  his  record  being  as  follows :  George  Pitts, 
Dighton,  private,  Capt.  Peter  Pitts'  company. 
Col.  Timothy  Walker's  regiment,  muster  roll 
dated  Aug.  1,  1775;  enlisted  May  2,  1775;  ser- 
vice three  months,  six  days.  Also,  company 
return  dated  Oct.  6,  1775.  Also,  order  of 
bounty  coat  or  its  equivalent  in  money,  dated 
Roxbury,  Nov.  5,  1775.  Capt.  George  Pitts 
married  Lydia  Stetson,  of  Scituate,  Mass.,  bans- 
published  in  Dighton  June  3,  1780.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Stetson,  of  Scituate. 
Children:  George,  born  Feb.  21,  1782;  Lydia, 
April  11,  1784;  Thomas  Stetson,  AprU  5,  1786; 
John,  Aug.  28,  1788  (was  drowned  in  the 
James  river,  Virginia,  July  23,  1816)  ;  Eliza- 
beth, Sept.  25,  1791;  Joseph,  July  14,  1794; 
Sarah,  Sept.  12,  1798;  Hannah,  Aug.  9,  1802 
(died  Aug.  30,  1808).  The  father  of  this  fam- 
ily died  Aug.  31,  1838,  in  Dighton. 

Sarah  Pitts,  daughter  of  Capt.  George  Pitts,, 
born  at  Dighton,  Mass.,  Sept.  12,  1798,  married 
(intentions  published  in  Dighton,  July  5,  1823) 
James  Hart  Blake. 

ALLEN  PHELPS  KEITH,  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools  of  New  Bedford,  and  well 
known  as  an  educator  throughout  this  section 
of  Massachusetts,  is  a  direct  descendant  of  the 
Rev.  James  Keith,  a  Scotchman,  who  was  the 
first  minister  of  Bridgewater. 

(I)  Rev.  James  Keith  was  educated  at  Aber- 
deen, Scotland,  and  came  to  America  in  1662, 
locating  at  West  Bridgewater.  He  was  then 
eighteen  years  old.  He  was  ordained  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1664,  and  died  July  23,  1719.  He 
married  Susanna  Edson,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Edson,  and  they  had  children  as  follows: 
James,  Joseph,  Samuel,  Timothy,  John,  Jo- 
siah,  Margaret,  Mary  and  Susanna.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Keith  married  (second)  in  1707  Mary 
Williams,  widow  of  Thomas  Williams,  of 
Taunton. 

(II)  John  Keith,  son  of  Rev.  James,  mar- 
ried in  1711  Hannah  Washburn,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Washburn,  and  they  lived  in  Bridge- 
water.  He  died  there  in  1761,  and  she  in  1766. 
Their   children   were:    Joihn,    bom   in    1712; 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


719 


James,  1716;  Israel,  1719;  HaJinah,  1721 
(married  in  1740,  Benjamin  Leach,  Jr.)  ;  Ke- 
ziah,  1723  (married  Arthur  Bennett,  1744) ; 
Daniel,  1725;  Susanna,  1727;  Zephaniah, 
1730;  Joseph;  Mary  (married  1761,  Solomon 
Pratt). 

(III)  Zephaniah  Keith,  son  of  John,  born 
in  Bridgewater,  in  1730,  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  town.  He  later  made  his  home  in 
Easton,  and  remained  there  until  his  house 
was  burned.  He  then  went  to  Sheldon,  Vt., 
where  some  of  his  sons  had  settled.  There  he 
died  at  a  ripe  old  age.  In  1750  he  married 
Mary  Hooper,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Hooper. 
Their  children  were:  Israel,  born  in  1750, 
graduated  from  Harvard  University  in  1771, 
was  adjutant  general  of  Massachusetts,  but 
later  moved  to  Vermont,  and  died  there  in 
1819  ;  Scotland  married  Parnel  Howard,  daugh- 
ter of  Col.  Edward  Howard;  Cyrus;  Euel  set- 
tled in  Vermont;  Jonathan  settled  in  Kenne- 
bec, Maine;  Unite  and  Alfred  both  settled  in 
Vermont. 

(IV)  Cyrus  Keith,  son  of  Zephaniah,  was 
born  in  Middleboro,  where  he  made  his  home. 
He  enlisted  during  the  Revolutionary  war  in 
Middleboro  as  private  in  Capt.  Nehemiah 
Allen's  Company,  Col.  Theophilus  Cotten's  regi- 
ment, and  served  thirty-one  days  on  secret  ex- 
pedition to  Rhode  Island,  September  and  Oc- 
tober, 1777;  was  also  a  private  in  Capt.  Na- 
thaniel Wood's  Company,  Col.  Ebenezer 
Sprout's  Regiment,  enlisted  May  6,  1778,  dis- 
charged May  9,  1778,  served  three  days;  com- 
pany marched  on  two  alarms  at  Dartmouth, 
Mass.,  one  in  May,  and  one  in  September,  1778. 
Mr.  Keith  married  Bathsheba  Sprout,  daughter 
of  Col.  Ebenezer  Sprout,  a  Revolutionary  offi- 
cer. Their  children  were :  Abigail,  Jolin,  Bath- 
sheba, Israel,  Mary,  Thomas  and  Malinda, 
After  the  death  of  his  wife,  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Jane  Thomas,  and  their  children  were: 
Cyrus,  Jene,  Susan,  Philand^,  Nancy  and 
two  others.  He  married  (third)  a  lady  by  the 
name  of  Eveleth.  They  lived  in  Providence,  R. 
I.,  and  later  moved  to  New  York,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

(V)  John  Keith,  son  of  Cyrus,  was  born  at 
Middleboro,  where  he  married  Abigail  Thomas. 
Their  children  were:  Abigail,  Thomas,  Mary, 
Israel  and  Cyrus.  Mr.  Keith  died  in  Middle- 
boro at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years. 

(VI)  Thomas  Keith,  son  of  John,  was  born 
at  Middleboro,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  and 
worked  at  the  nail  making  trade.  He  followed 
his  calling  in  Fall  River,  Taunton,  Middle- 
boro, and  later  at  Bridgewater  in  the  Bridge- 
water  Iron  Works.     He  made  his  home  in  the 


latter  town,  where  he  died  in  1872,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Prospect  street  cemetery.  He 
married  Julia  A.  White,  of  Raynham,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Parmelia  (Washburn) 
White.  Their  cliildren  were :  Alfred  T. ;  Is- 
rael, who  resides  at  Plymouth,  Mass.;  Mary, 
who  died  young;  Juliette,  who  married  Alex- 
ander Dove  and  resides  at  Bridgewater;  Anna 
W.,  who  married  George  W.  Gossett,  is  now  a 
widow  and  resides  in  Bridgewater. 

(VII)  Alfred  T.  Keith,  son  of  Thomas,  bom 
Feb.  18,  1839,  in  East  Taunton,  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Middleboro,  and  be- 
came an  iron  worker,  following  his  trade  in 
Bridgewater,  and  also  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  and 
Providence,  R.  I.  He  worked  for  some  time  in 
the  Bridgewater  Iron  Works.  He  died  June 
14,  1903.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  Mr.  Keith  married  Mary  B.  Phelps, 
born  at  Swanton,  Vt.,  daughter  of  ,  Allen 
Phelps,  and  granddaughter  of  John  and  Betsey 
(Pratt)  Phelps,  and  a  descendant  of  the  well 
known  Phelps  family  of  Connecticut.  Mrs. 
Keith  is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Willis,  where  she  is  tenderly 
cared  for.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keith  had  children : 
Emma  B.,  born  Feb.  3,  1867,  married  Arthur 
H.  Willis,  the  well  known  editor  of  Bridge- 
water  (See  sketch  elsewhere  in  this  work)  ; 
John  M.,  born  at  Quincy,  Mass.,  Dec.  15,  1870, 
died  Feb.  1,  1883;  Allen  Phelps  was  born 
Dec.  18,  1872. 

(VIII)  Allen  Phelps  Keith,  son  of  Alfred 
T.,  bom  at  Bridgewater,  Dec.  18,  1872,  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  that  town.  When 
the  fariiily  removed  to  Nashua,  N-  H.,  he  en- 
tered school  there,  but  later  returned  to  Bridge- 
water,  and  attended  the  Bridgewater  Academy. 
Prom  there  he  entered  the  State  Normal 
School  of  Bridgewater,  under  Dr.  Boyden,  and 
graduated  in  1894.  He  took  up  the  profession 
of  teaching,  going  to  Pascoag,.  R.  I.,  where  he 
taught  in  the  public  schools  for  a  year  and  a 
half,  when  he  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  public  schools  of  the  town  of  Burrill- 
ville,  R.  I.,  a  position  he  filled  with  ability  until 
1904,  when  he  accepted  a  like  position  in  the 
schools  of  East  Providence,  R.  I.  There  he 
remained  until  1906,  when  he  came  to  New 
Bedford,  teaching  in  the  Clifford  school  until 
June,  1908,  when  he  received  the  appointment 
of  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  New  Bed- 
ford, succeeding  W.  E.  Hatch.  Mr.  Keith  is 
well-fitted  for '  his  position.  He  is  a  natural 
student,  is  equipped  with  a  vast  fund  of  general 
information,  and  in  addition  has  the  enthusi- 
asm and  magnetism  that  is  inspiring  to  pupils. 
As  an  executive  he  has  shown  marked  ability. 


720 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  the  schools  under  his  direction  liave  ad- 
vanced along  modern  ideas  without  detriment 
to  the  thoroughness  of  the  instruction  given. 

Mr.  Keith  is  a  member  of  Fellowship  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Adoniram  Chapter,  K.  A.  M. ; 
New  Bedford  Council,  and  Sutton  Command- 
ery,  K.  T.,  all  of  New  Bedford.  He  is  a  mem- 
her  of  the  National  Educational  Association. 
He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  is  chairman  of  the 
Social  Committee.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  In  politics  he 
is  independent. 

On  June  26,  1900,  in  Pascoag,  R.  I.,  Mr. 
Keith  married  Emma  Louise  Harriman, 
daughter  of  Henry  P.  Harriman.  Mrs.  Keith 
was  a  teacher  before  her  marriage.  To  their 
union  have  been  born  two  children :  Arthur 
Reginald  and  Doris. 

HALL  (Taunton  family).  Ancient  and 
original  Taunton  has  been  the  home  of  the 
Halls  since  its  settlement  not  far  from  1637; 
and  from  that  early  period  to  this  members  of 
the  family  from  generation  to  generation,  as 
evidenced  by  the  records,  have  been  among  the 
substantial  men  and  women  of  their  com- 
munities, being  more  or  less  prominently  iden- 
tified with  public  affairs.  In  this  article  is 
considered  some  of  the  Norton  branch  of  the 
name.  Reference  is  made  to  some  of  the  de- 
scendants of  the  late  Richard  Hutehens  Hall, 
who  was  at  one  time  for  years  superintendent 
of  the  Norton  branch  of  the  Taunton  Copper 
Manufacturing  Company;  to  his  son,  Hon. 
Richard  Henry  Hall,  who  was  almost  from  boy- 
hood prominently  identified  with  copper  manu- 
facturing in  Norton  and  Taunton,  his  services 
with  one  company  covering  a  period  of  upward 
of  a  third  of  a  century,  and  whose  public  ser- 
vices as  councilman,  member  of  the  school 
board  and  mayor  of  the  city  of  Taunton,  re- 
flected honor  on  the  name ;  to  the  sons  of  the 
latter,  who  are  now  active  and  useful  in  citi- 
zenship in  Taunton,  one  of  whom,  Hon.  Fred- 
erick Stanley  Hall,  is  most  \vorthily  wearing 
the  family  name  and  sustaining  its  reputation, 
having  for  years  been  among  the  members  of 
the  Taunton  bar,  representing  his  town  several 
times  in  the  Massachusetts  Assembly,  etc. ;  and 
also  to  Andrew  H.  Hall,  a  descendant  of  the 
same  parent  stock,  but  in  a  collateral  line,  who 
followed  agricultural  and  manufacturing  pur- 
suits, took  part  in  public  affairs,  and  left  to 
his  posterity  an  untarnished  name.  Nine  gen- 
erations of  the  family  have  lived  in  Taunton, 
and  a  record  of  these  in  detail  follows. 

(I)  George  Hall  and  his  wife  Mary,  progeni- 


tors of  the  Taunton  Halls,  are  said  to  have 
come  from  Devonshire,  England,  in  1636-37. 
Mr.  Hall  is  of  record  as  a  proprietor  of  land  in 
Diixbury,  Mass.,  in  1637,  about  the  date  of  his 
settlement  in  Cohannet  (Taunton).  He  was 
one  of  the  original  forty-six  proprietors  of  the 
first  territorial  purchase  of  the  Indian  sachem 
Massasoit,  including  a  tract  of  eight  miles,  the 
present  territory  of  Taunton,  Berkley,  Rayn- 
ham,  extending  to  Mansfield.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  the  town  of  Taunton  in  1639. 
He  was  admitted  a  freeman  in  1645,  and  was 
constable  of  the  town  the  same  year.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  board  of  selectmen  from  1666 
to  1669,  the  year  of  his  death.  He  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Pilgrim  Congregational 
Church  of  Taunton.  He  was  one  of  the  stock 
proprietors  of  the  first  iron  "bloomery"  estab- 
lished in  this  region  by  the  Leonards  and  oth- 
ers of  Taunton,  upon  the  site  of  the  "old 
forge,"  in  what  was  later  Raynham,  Mass., 
and  was  its  first  clerk,  continuing  so  for  years 
and  being  succeeded  at  his  death  by  his  son 
John.  Mr.  Hall  was  one  of  the  largest  land- 
holders in  Taunton,  and  divided  his  holdings 
among  his  sons.  He  died  Oct.  30,  1669,  aged 
about  sixty-nine  years.  The  children  men- 
tioned in  his  will  were:  John,  born  in  1640; 
Joseph,  in  1642:  Samuel,  in  1644;  Charity; 
Sarah,  and  Mary.  After  his  death  his  widow 
and  sons  were  shareholders  in  the  iron-works, 
which  works  were  continued  for  upward  of  two 
liundred  years.  His  sons  were  among  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  large  tract  of  land  called 
"Taunton  North  Purchase,"  whieli  included 
tiie  present  towns  of  Norton  and  Easton  and 
portions  of  Mansfield  and  Raynham. 

(II)  John  Hall,  born  in  1640,  married  Feb. 
4,  1671,  Hannah  Penniman.  Mr.  Hall  became 
a  leading  man  in  business  affairs.  He  was 
constable  in  1666;  succeeded  his  father  as 
shareholder  and  clerk  in  the  iron  bloomery  in 
1669,  in  which  capacities  he  is  also  recorded 
in  1671  and  1677;  was  one  of  the  board  of 
selectmen  in  1684,  1685,  1686  and  1691; 
served  as  deputy  to  the  General  Court  of  Ply- 
mouth Colony  in  1689-91.  As  intimated,  he 
was  a  large  landholder  and  was  a  large  pro- 
prietor in  the  "Taunton  South  Purchase"  of 
1663,  and  in  the  North  Purchase  in  1668. 
He  died  in  1693.  His  children  were:  John 
horn  June  27,  1672;  Joseph,  April  7,  1674 
James,  Dec.  8,  1675;  Benjamin,  Dec.  6,  1677 
Sarah,  1678;  Jacob,  Feb.  14,  1680;  and  Han- 
nah. Jan.  8,  1682. 

(III)  John  Hall  (2),  born  June  27.  1672, 
married  Dec.  16,  1690,  Elizabeth  King,  and 
thev  were  residents  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  where 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


721 


Mr.  Hall  was  occupied  in  fanning.  He  was 
for  several  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  se- 
lectmen and  assessors  of  tlie  town.  His  death 
occurred  in  1768.  His  children  were  John, 
Judith  and  Philip. 

(IV)  John  Hall  (3)  was  twice  married,  the 
name  of  his  first  wife  being  Mary ;  his  second 
was  Hannah  Williams.  He  resided  in  that 
part  of  Taunton  which  in  1731  became  the 
town  of  Eaynham,  Mass.  He  was  a  large  land- 
owner and  occupied  in  farming.  He  held  a 
number  of  positions  of  trust,  among  them  town 
•offices.  He  and  his  family  were  members  of 
the  First  Congregational  Churcli.  He  died  in 
1766.  His  children  were:  Freelove ;  Brian, 
born  July  9,  1727  (both  born  'to  the  first 
wife)  ;  John,  Jan.  26,  1729;  Hannah,  Nov.  11, 
1730;  Elkanah,  Deoember,  1732;  Elisha,  Sept. 
10,  1735;  Joseph,  March  18,  1738;  and  Noah, 
Dec.  26,  1741. 

(V)  Brian  Hall,  born  July  9,  1727,  in  what 
is  now  Raynham,  Mass.,  married  in  1751 
Abiah,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Joanna  Cross- 
man,  of  the  same  town.  She  was  born  Aug. 
28,  1726,  and  died  Feb.  15,  1814,  in  the  eighty- 
eighth  year  of  her  age.  Perhaps  a  year  or  more 
after  their  marriage,  and  the  death  of  their 
first  child,  they  removed  to  Boston,  remaining 
a  few  years.  Mr.  Hall  having  purchased  a 
farm  in  the  town  of  Norton,  Mass.,  the  family 
removed  thither  about  1755.  He  subsequently 
became  a  large  owner  of  and  operator  in  real 
estate.  In  the  Revolutionary  struggle  he  was 
one  of  the  first  to  act  and  to  respond  to  the 
cause ;  was  a  lieutenant  in  Captain  Hodges's 
company,  serving  in  Rhode  Island  in  1776.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  select  Committee  of  Cor- 
respondence, to  take  into  consideration  the 
"Confederation  of  the  Union  of  States,"  pro- 
posed by  Congress ;  was  also  on  the  committee 
to  devise  means  for  the  formation  of  a  State 
constitution.  He  held  other  responsible  posi- 
tions in  the  town.  He  and  his  wife  were  con- 
nected with  the  First  Congregational  Society. 
They  had  the  following  children :  Isaac,  born 
Aug.  16,  1753  (in  Boston)  ;  Nancv,  April  1, 
1755;  Prudence,  Jan.  8,  1758;  Jolin,  Oct.  21, 
1760;  Brian,  April  10,  1763;  Abiah.  Oct.  3, 
1765;  and  Silas,  June  19,  1768. 

(VI)  Silas  Hall,  born  June  19,  1768,  mar- 
ried Nancy  Stanley,  and  they  were  residents 
■of  the  town  of  Norton,  Mass.,  where  Mr.  Hall 
was  occupied  in  agricultural  pursuits.  His 
death  occurred  June  29,  1841.  His  wife  Nancy 
passed  away  March  26,  1833.  Their  children 
were;  Chandler,  born  Jan.  23,  1795;  x\nna, 
April  4,  1797 ;  Silas,  Jan.  29,  1800 ;  Benjamin 
S.,    Oct.    2,    1802;    Dexter,    April    30,    1805; 

46 


Soranus    L.,    Aug.    27,    1807;     and     Richard 
Hutchens,  May  23,  1810. 

(VII)  Richard  Hutchens  Hall,  born  May 
23,  1810,  in  Norton,  Mass.,  married  Mary  Ann 
Bates,  born  Sept.  8,  1812,  daughter  of  Horatio 
and  Mary  (Monroe)  Bates,  of  Providence,  R. 
I.,  and  they  lived  in  Norton,  Mass.  Mr.  Hall 
learned  the  business  of  copper  manufacturing 
and  became  superintendent  of  the  works  in 
Norton,  a  position  he  held  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  satisfaction  to  all  concerned  for  the 
long  period  of  about  twenty-five  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  at  Norton.  He  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  His 
death  occurred  Feb.  11,  1877,  his  wife's  Oct. 
19,  1878.  Their  children  were:  Richard 
Henry,  born  Nov.  7,  1830;  Alfred,  May  18, 
1832;  Horatio  Hutchens,  Sept.  6,  1833  (lives 
at  Weir);  Mary  Jane,  Feb.  14,  1836;  Julia 
Ann,  Oct.  29,  1838;  Eliza  Ann  (twin  to  Julia 
Ann),  born  Oct.  29,  1838;  Silas  Frederick, 
Feb.  10,  1841;  Harriet  Augusta,  March  14, 
1845  (married  Alfred  W.  Woodward)  ;  George 
Edwin,  Oct.  1,  1847  (lives  in  Norton)  ;  and 
Velina  Allin,  Oct.  5,  1854. 

(VIII)  Richard  Henry  Hall,  son  of  Richard 
Hutchens  and  Mary  Ann  (Bates)  Hall,  born 
Nov.  7,  1830,  in  Norton,  Mass.,  married  Jan. 
3,  1859,  Susan  Jane,  daughter  of  James  Cobb 
and  Lydia  T.  (Packard)  Drake,  of  that  part 
of  North  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  which  became 
the  town  of  Brockton ;  and  great-granddaugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Daniel  Drake,  an  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  a  kinsman  of  John 
Drake,  of  Dorchester  or  Boston,  who,  s^'s  Sav- 
age, probably  came  in  the  fleet  with  Winthrop 
in  1630,  was  an  early  settler  of  Taunton,  and 
was  later  at  Windsor,  Connecticut. 

It  seems  from  a  little  pamphlet  entitled 
"Genealogical  and  Biographical  Account  of  the 
Family  of  Drake  in  America."  published  at 
Boston  by  S.  G.  Drake,  in  1845,  that  the  fam- 
ily of  Drake,  according  to  the  old  English  gen- 
ealogists, "is  one  of  great  antiquity,  several 
families  of  the  name  residing  within  a  small 
compass  in  the  south  part  of  the  County  of 
Devonshire  as  early  as  the  Norman  conquest, 
and  that  the  family  was  Saxon;  that  the  Eng- 
lish family  had  a  coat  of  arms;  that  the  family 
has  been  distingiiished  in  England  from  the 
earliest  ages,  by  a  long  array  of  noble  men," 
etc.  The  Drake  family,  who  held  their  seat 
at  Ashe,  according  to  Stiles's  Ancient  Windsor, 
were  ever  prominent,  and  from  them  it  is  sup- 
posed that  the  Drakes  of  New  England  were 
descended. 

As  stated,   Capt.   Daniel   Drake,  the  great- 


•^22 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


grandfather  of  Mrs.  Hall,  was  an  officer  in 
the  American  Bevolution.  His  birth  occurred 
in  1743,  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  and,  it  is  said,  he 
entered  the  service  in  defense  of  the  Colonies 
the  day  following  the  Lexington  Alarm,  anS. 
served  with  distinction  throughout  the  strug- 
gle, taking  part  in  the  siege  of  Boston.  The 
father  of  Mrs.  Hall.  James  Cobb  Drake,  who 
was  born  Jan.  15,  1809,  removed  from  Grafton 
to  Brockton,  Mass.,  in  1831,  where  for  many 
years  he  was  occupied  as  a  railroad  contractor. 
His  death  occurred  April  16,  1865.  Mrs.  Hall 
and  perhaps  one  or  more  of  her  sons  are  mem- 
bers respectively  of  the  Daughters  and  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  made  eligible 
through  their  ancestor  first  alluded  to,  and 
the  latter  also  eligible  through  their  ancestor 
Lieut.  Brian  Hall,  of  Taunton,  also  alluded  to 
in  the  foregoing. 

Richard  Henry  Hall,  after  attendance  at  the 
public  schools  of  Norton,  finished  his  studies 
at  Brisfol  Academy,  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  at 
the  Peirce  Academy,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Taunton  Copper  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  for  the  long  period  of  thirty-four 
years  continued  his  services  with  that  corpora- 
tion, as  metallurgist,  refiner,  chemist,  super- 
intendent and  director;  and  to  his  skill  and 
ability  the  high  standard  of  the  various  lines 
of  merchandise  manufactured  by  the  company 
is  due.  In  1884  Mr.  Hall,  in  need  of  rest  and 
recreation,  resigned  his  position  and  for  sev- 
eral months  sought  rest  and  pleasure  in  Euro- 
pean travel.  On  his  return  home,  at  the  ear- 
nest solicitation  of  the  business  men  of  Taun- 
ton he  became  a  candidate  for  the  office  of 
mayor  of  the  city.  He  was  elected  to  that 
office  without  opposition,  serving  in  1886.  He 
was  again  elected  in  1888,  and  was  reelected 
without  opposition  in  1889,  having  been  re- 
nominated by  both  the  Citizens'  and  Republi- 
can conventions.  During  his  three  years  of 
service  as  chief  e.xecutive  of  Taunton  he  gave  his 
entire  time  to  municipal  work  and  his  arduous 
labors  for  the  city  during  the  year  (1886)  of 
the  disastrous  freshet,  and  during  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  town's  250th  anniversary,  in  1889, 
are  held  in  most  appreciative  remembrance  by 
all.  Previous  to  his  election  as  mayor,  his 
only  political  service  had  been  as  member  of 
the  Norton  school  board  and  of  the  common 
council  of  Taunton. 

Mr.  Hall  was  independent  in  his  politics, 
voting  for  men  and  measures  outside  of  party 
lines.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of 
St.  Thomas'  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
one  of  the  vestrymen  of  that  church.     He  was 


one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Bristol  County  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  a  trustee  of  Morton  hospital. 
He  was  chosen  a  trustee  of  the  Taunton  public 
library  in  the  early  nineties,  and  continued  in 
that  position  until  his  death.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Hall  was  identified  with  various  Masonic 
organizations.  Mr.  Hall  after  his  retirement 
from  the  mayoralty  of  Taunton  again  entered 
active  business,  becoming  superintendent  of  the 
works  of  the  Revere  Copper  Company.  His 
death  occurred  Sept.  5,  1909.  His  wife  died 
July  4,  1906,  and  they  are  buried  in  the  Norton 
Common  cemetery,  Norton,  Massachusetts. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hall 
were :  Henry  Lindsay,  born  Nov.  27,  1859' 
(lives  in  Norton)  ;  Frederick  Stanley.  Feb.  10, 
1861;  and  Edward  George,  June  29,  1867 
(lives  in  Taunton). 

(IX)  FREDEiiicK  Stanley  Hall,  son  of 
Richard  Henry  and  Susan  Jane  (Drake)  Hall, 
was  born  in  Norton,  Mass.,  Feb.  10,  1861.  He 
acquired  his  preliminary  education,  his  prep- 
aration for  college,  in  the  public  schools  of 
Taunton,  Mass.,  entered  Harvard  University, 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  with  the  class  of 
1882.  Having  decided  upon  the  law  for  his 
life  work  he  entered  the  Boston  University 
Law  School,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1885.  After  his  admission  to  the  bar  he  at 
once  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession 
alone  at  Taunton,  where  he  has  since  continued 
actively  engaged,  and  through  his  application, 
industry,  acquirements  and  force  of  character 
has  risen  to  high  standing  in  the  profession, 
not  only  at  the  bar  of  his  adopted  city,  but 
among  his  legal  associates  in  the  county  and 
State ;  and  as  well  to  prominence  in  citizen- 
ship and  public  affairs. 

Mr.  Hall  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  Massachusetts  Assembly  for  the 
years  1887  and  1888.  In  1887  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  Judiciary  and  Rules, 
and  in  1888  he  was  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  Prisons  and  member  of  the  comraittee 
on  Rules.  He  was  a  member  of  Governor 
Bates's  council  in  1904,  and  of  Governor 
Douglas's  in  1905,  for  the  Second  district. 
He  was  a  delegate  from  Massachusetts  to  the 
National  Republican  convention  in  1896  held 
in  St.  Louis,  when  William  McKinley  received 
his  first  nomination  for  President.  He  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Taunton  school  board 
and  an  associate  .iudge  of  the  District  court, 
and  as  well  a  member  of  the  Taunton  Board 
of  Trade,  of  which  he  has  been  president.  In 
1907  he  was  made  receiver  for  the  Taunton 
Safety  Deposit  and  Trust  Company.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Bristol  County  National  Bank, 


^^^,....^^^ 


SOUTHEASTEKX  MASSACHUSETTS 


723 


and  of  the  Old  Colony  Street  Eaihvay:  and  is 
counsel  lor  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hart- 
ford Kailroad  Company  for  Bristol  county.  He 
is  a  member  of  all  the  social  clubs  of  the  city. 
On  Nov.  20,  1888,  Juda;e  Hall  was  married 
to  Bessie  H.  Perkins,  of  Taunton,  and  they 
have  had  children  as  follows :  Stanley  Perkins, 
born  Sept.  3,  1889;  Fred  Hastings,  born  Aug. 
24.  1898;  and  Kachel,  born  March  6,  1901. 
The  family  attend  the  St.  Thomas  Episcopal 
Church. 


(II)  Joseph  Hall,  born  in  1642,  son  of  the 
emigrant  George  and  his  wife  Mary,  died 
April  17,  1705.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  and 
resided  on  the  homestead  inherited  from  his 
father  on  Dean  street,  Taunton.  He  was  a 
large  landowner  through  his  father's  right  in 
the  original  purchase — fifty-two  acres  in  the 
South  Purchase,  and  a  portion  in  the  North 
Purchase.  He  was  also  a  share  owner  in  the 
iron-works.  He  was  constable  and  surveyor 
from  1667  to  1680;  and  he  was  a  ready  pro- 
moter of  the  Pilgrim  Church  and  of  town  af- 
fairs. He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel Bell,  and  ftieir  children  were :  Joseph, 
born  in  1694;  Mary,  born  in  1696,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  Wilbore,  of  Taunton ;  Mehitable, 
born  in  1698,  who  died  in  1785;  and  Abigail, 
born  in  1700,  who  died  in  1790. 

(III)  Capt.  Joseph  Hall,  son  of  Joseph, 
born  in  1694,  died  in  1763.  He  was  patriotic 
and  public-spirited,  and  in  1757  raised  a  com- 
pany for  Col.  Ephraim  Leonard's  regiment  to 
proceed  under  Lieutenant  General  Pepperell 
to  protect  the  frontier  from  French  invasion. 
He  was  a  wealthy  business  man,  as  indicated 
by  the  inventory  of  his  estate,  which  covers 
several  pages,  and  gives  the  names  of  a  variety 
of  valuables,  among  which  were  two  slaves — a 
man  and  a  woman — whom  he  willed  to  his 
wife,  it  being  before  the  decree  of  emancipa- 
tion in  Massachusetts.  He  was  master  of  a 
vessel  and  was  engaged  in  coasting  and  trading 
to  and  from  New  York  and  the  West  Indies. 
He  was  also  interested  in  land  purchases  and 
loaning  money.  He  was  a  prominent  member 
of  the  church  at  Taunton,  of  which  Eev.  Sam- 
\ie\  Danforth  and  Eev.  Thomas  Clapp  were 
fourth  and  fifth  pastors,  respectively.  Captain 
Hall  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  Seward  2d,  the 
iron  manufacturer,  and  he  married  second 
Mrs.  Sarah  (Dean)  Williams.  His  children 
were:  Joseph,  born  Oct.  12,  1720;  Susannah, 
who  married  Job  Tisdale;  and  Ebenezer,  born 
in  1754. 


(IV)  Ebenezer  Hall,  son  of  Joseph,  born  in 
1754,  was  a  farmer  and  brickmaker,  and  re- 
sided on  the  ancestral  estate,  near  the  site  of 
the  dwelling  of  his  emigrant  ancestor  George 
Hall,  on  Dean  street.  On  Jan.  17,  1787,  he 
married  Mehitable  Hodges,  born  Nov.  15,  1766. 
He  died  in  Taunton  Aug.  11,  1820,  and  she 
died  there  Oct.  4,  1853.  Their  children  were: 
Sarah,  born  Dec.  19.  1788,  married  John  Dean 
Gilmore;  Ebenezer,  born  Sept.  22,  1790,  died 
unmarried;  Mehitable,  born  Oct.  3,  1793,  died 
unmarried;  Leonard,  born  Aug.  16.  1794,  mar- 
ried Eoby  King  Crane,  daughter  of  Terry  and 
Eoby  (King)  Crane,  of  Norton;  Eufus,  born 
Jan.  30,  1797,  married  Lydia  Williams  Toby; 
Betsey,  born  March  12.  1799,  died  unmarried; 
Lodica,  born  Dec.  14,  1801,  married  Oren 
Shaw  Dean,  of  Eaynham;  Andrew  Hodges, 
born  March  17,  1804,  is  mentioned  below;  Al- 
mira,  born  March  15,  1807,  married  Jonathan 
Hunt,  of  Taunton. 

(V)  Andrew  H.  Hall,  son  of  Ebenezer  and 
Mehitable,  was  born  in  Taunton  March  17, 
1804,  and  died  Dec.  17,  1876,  when  seventy- 
two  years  of  age.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  and  Bristol  Academy,  and  at  an  early 
age  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  inci- 
dentally to  the  manufacture  of  brick,  and  to 
surveying,  for  which  latter  he  had  a  taste.  He 
was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  which  he  was 
called  upon  to  exercise  in  the  settlement  of 
estates,  and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  se- 
lectmen and  of  assessors,  and  in  other  respon- 
sible positions.  He  was  a  highly  respected 
member  of  the  Ancient  Congregational  Church 
Society,  of  which  his  ancestors  were  members, 
and  of  which  George  Hall  was  one  of  the  origi- 
nators. 

On  Nov.  24,  1832,  Mr.  Hall  married  Han- 
nah Walker  Crane,  daughter  of  Capt.  Terry 
and  Eoby  (King)  Crane,  of  Norton.  She  was 
born  March  18,  1810,  and  died  March  1,  1835, 
leaving  two  daughters,  viz. :  Mary  Bowers,  born 
Jan.  12,  1834;  and  Hannah  Crane,  born  Feb. 
24,  1835. 

(VI)  Mary  Bowers  Hall,  daughter  of  An- 
drew H.  and  Hannah  Walker  (Crane),  mar- 
ried Thomas  J.  Washburn,  of  Eavnham,  who 
died  July  8,  1870,  in  his  forty-fourth  year, 
leaving  an  only  son.  Harry  Thomas,  born  Nov. 
29,  1868.  Mrs.  Washburn  and  her  son  oc- 
cupy a  handsome  residence  recently  erected  on 
the  old  homestead  on  Dean  street,  where 
George  and  Mary  Hall  resided  in  1639,  when 
the  town  was  incorporated.  This  homestead 
has  been  in  the  family  for  255  years,  and  on  a 
portion  of  this  property  Andrew  H.  Hall  re- 
sided at  the  time  of  his  death. 


724 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


DEAN  OR  DEANE  (Taunton  family).  The 
name  of  Dean  or  Deane,  which  was  originally 
spelled  Den  or  Dene,  and  which  is  now  written 
Dean  or  Deane,  made  its  appearance  in  England 
soon  after  the  introduction  of  surnames.  Jt 
was  apparently  derived  from  the  Sa.xon  word 
"den"  or  "dene,"  meaning  a  valley,  that  word 
being  taken  as  a  surname  l)y  the  peo])le  who 
lived  in  the  valleys.  The  family  is  probably  of 
Norman  origin,  as  the  first  of  the  name  of  whom 
we  have  any  record  was  Robert  de  Den,  butler 
to  Edward  tiie  Confessor,  and  doubtless  one  of 
his  Norman  favorites,  as  it  is  known  that  lie 
owned  estates  in  Normandy.  Later  the  name 
is  met  with  in  Essex,  Northamptonshire,  Hunt- 
ingdonshire, Oxfordshire,  etc.,  many  of  the 
name  belonging  to  the  nobility.  After  the  abo- 
lition of  feudalism  by  Henry  the  VII.,  the 
territorial  prefix  "'de"  was  drop])ed ;  the  letter 
"a"  was  introduced  into  tlic  name  "Dene"  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  it  be- 
came "Deane."  The  Deanes  of  England  have 
been  a  highly  respectable  and  prominent  family, 
such  men  as  Henry  Dene,  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury and  Lord  Chancellor  under  Henry  VII., 
Sir  Richard  Deane,  Mayor  of  London  in  1629, 
Major  Gen.  Richard  Deane,  the  regicide,  and 
Sir  Anthony  Deane,  Compti'oller  of  the  Navy, 
being  members  of  that  family. 

The  Deanes  have  resided  for  centuries  at  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  Taunton,  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land, and  from  that  place  came  most  of  the 
early  immigrants  of  the  name  to  America,  Ste- 
phen Dean  being  the  first  of  the  name  to  land 
in  America.  He  came  to  these  shores  in  the 
ship  "Fortune"  in  November,  1G21,  and  built 
the  first  cornmill  in  Plymouth  Colony.  John 
and  Walter  Deane,  brotliers.  who  came  to 
America  in  1637  from  Taunton  or  its  imme- 
diate vicinity,  in  England,  were  the  i^regenitorg 
of  most  of  the  extensive  Deane  family  in  Massa- 
chusetts. They  settled  at  Taunton,  in  that 
State,  which  city  is  said  to  have  derived  its 
name  from  Taunton,  in  England.  The  Deanes, 
wherever  residing,  have  iicen  noted  for  certain 
characteristics,  among  which  may  he  noted 
strong  will  power,  earnestness  of  purjiose,  un- 
tiring energy,  and  great  integrity  of  character. 

(I)  John  Deane  was  horn  about  ]6(»0  and 
died  between  April  25  and  June  7,  1660,  "aged 
sixty  years  or  thereabouts."  He  was  one  of 
"the  grand  inquest,  from  Taunton,  1640."  His 
wife,  who  was  named  Alice,  survived  him  and 
was  probably  living  as  late  as  16G8,  as  she  is 
mentioned  in  a  grant  of  the  Plymouth  Court 
June  1st  of  that  year.  Their  children  were: 
John,  born  about  1639;  Thomas,  wlio  settled 
in   Taunton;   Israel,  wlio  was  a   lieutenant  in 


King  Philip's  war,  and  was  in  the  great  Narra- 
gansett  fight,  and  who  died  unmarried ;  Isaac, 
who  settled  in  Taunton ;  Nathaniel,  who  died 
without  issue  between  1660  and  1677;  and 
Elizabeth,  who  was  born  about  1650. 

(II)  Jolm  Deane,  son  of  John  and  Alice 
Dean^,  born  about  1639,  died  at  Taunton  Feb. 
18,  1716-17,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years. 
Tradition  asserts  that  he  was  the  first  white 
child  bom  in  Taunton.  He  married,  Nov.  7, 
1663,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Deacon  Samuel  Edson, 
of  Bridgewater,  and  she  probably  survived  him. 
They  had  children :  Samuel,  born  June  24, 
1666-67,  who  died  Oct.  1,  1731;  Sarah,  born 
Nov.  9,  1668,  who  married  Major  Jonathan 
Howard,  of  Bridgewater;  John,  horn  July  26, 
1670,  who  died  Aug.  6,  1670;  Mehitahle,'^born 
Oct.  9,  1671,  who  married  Joseph  Wilbore; 
John,  born  Sept.  18,  1674,  who  died  July  31, 
1724  (his  widow  Hannah  died  July  15,  1748),; 
Elizabeth,  born  March  15,  1676,  who  died  un- 
married March  15,  1749;  Mary,  horn  July  15, 
1680,  who  married  Seth  Williams;  Susannah, 
born  Aug.  13,  1683,  who  died  unmarried  in 
1716;  Israel,  born  Aug.  4,  1685,  who  married 
March  20,  1704-05,  Katheryie  Bird,  of  Dor- 
chester. 

(II)  Thomas  Deane,  son  of  Jolm  and  Alice, 
married  Jan.  5,  1669,  Katherine  Stephens,  and 
settled  in  Taunton.  His  will  was  proved  June 
15,  1697.  His  widow  survived  him  and  her  will 
was  proved  June  12,  1726-27.  Their  cliildren 
were:  Thomas,  Itorn  Feb.  1,  1670-71,  died  Feb. 
26,  1670-71;  Hannah,  bom  Jan.  14,  1671-72, 
died  unmarried  about  1750;  Thomas  (2),  born 
about  1673,  died  Sept.  10,  1747,  in  his  seventy- 
fourth  year  (he  was  married  Jan.  7,  1696,  by 
Rev.  Peter  Thatcher,  to  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
Kingsley  of  Milton.  Mass.,  and  she  died  Feb. 
1,  1749-50,  in  her  seventy-fourth  year.  From 
them  was  descended  Hon.  Josiah  Dean,  of  Rayn- 
ham,  who  died  in  1818,  and  was  a  member  of 
Congress  in  1807-09)  ;  Deborah  married  John 
Tisdale;  Katherine  married  A])ril  17,  1710, 
Deacon  Samuel  Leonard;  Lydia  married  George 
Hall;  Mercy  married- Daniel  Williams;  Eliza- 
beth, born  about  1(!88,  who  died  March  18, 
1758,  aged  seventy  years,  married  Dec.  4,  1707, 
Deacon  Benjamin  \\'illiams,  who  died  Jan.  10, 
1757,  aged  seventy-one  years. 

(II)  Isaac  Deane,  son  of  John  and  Alice 
Deane,  married  Jan.  24,  1677.  Hannah,  daugh- 
ter of  James  Leonard.  He  settled  in  Taunton. 
His  will  was  proved  April  11,  1710.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Alice,  born  Nov.  20,  1678,  mar- 
ried Feb.  1,  1699-1700,  John  King,  of  Rayn- 
ham;  Abigail,  born  Nov.  16,  1680,  married 
Thomas  Terry;  Hannah,  born  April  24,  1683, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


725 


married  a  Mr.  Hodges;  Natlianiel,  born  April 
25,  1685;  Jonathan;  Abiali;  and  Deborali. 


(I)  AValter  Deane  was  born  in  Chard,  Eng- 
land, between  1615  and  1620.  He  was  a  man 
of  influence  and  highly  esteemed  among  his 
English  neighbors  at  Taunton.  He  married 
Eleanor,  daughter  of  Richard  Strong,  of  Taun- 
ton, England,  who  came  to  New  England  with 
her  brotiier,  Elder  John  Strong,  in  the  "Mary 
and  John,"  in  1630.  They  had  children :  Jo- 
seph, a  cordwainer  of  Taunton  in  1684,  was 
of  Dighton  in  1728;  Ezra  settled  in  Taunton; 
and  Benjamin  also  settled  in  Taunton. 

(II),  Joseph  Deane,  son  of  Walter  and 
Eleanor  (Strong),  was  a  cordwainer  in  Taunton 
in  1684,  and  of  Dighton  in  1728.  He  died  be- 
tween Dec.  3,  1728,  and  Feb.  11,  1728-29,  leav- 
ing a  widow  Mary.  His  children  were :  Joseph, 
born  in  1688;  Samuel  died  without  issue; 
James,  who  died  about  1750,  married  Mary 
Williams  ;  Sarah  married  Joseph  Read ;  Esther, 
born  in  1694,  died  in  1707. 

(II)  Ezra  Deane,  son  of  Walter  and  Eleanor 
(Strong),  settled  in  Taunton.  He  married  Dec. 
17,  1676,  Bethiah,  daughter  of  Deacon  Samuel 
Edson,  of  Bridgewater.  He  died  between  Oct. 
28,  1727,  and  Feb.  15,  1732.  His  children  were: 
Bethia,  born  Oct.  14,  1677,  died  Nov.  27,  1679; 
Ezra,  born  Oct.  14  or  19,  1680;  Samuel,  born 
April  11,  1682,  died  Feb.  16,  1683;  Seth,  born 
June  3,  1683;  Margaret  married  a  Shaw; 
Ephraim  married  Mary  Allen,  of  Rehoboth, 
Massachusetts. 

(III)  Ezra  Deane,  son  of  Ezra,  born  Oct.  14 
or  19,  1680,  was  twice  married,  (first)  to  Abi- 
gail Leonard,  and  (second)  to  Abigail,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Brentnell,  of  Bridgewater,  who 
survived  him.  He  was  a  physician  and  resided 
in  Taunton.  His  family  was  remarkable  for  its 
longevity.  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a 
communication  published  in  the  Columhian 
Reporter,  a  newspaper  published  in  Taunton  in 
1825:  "Dr.  Ezra  IDeane's  children  were:  (1) 
Ezra  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  (2) 
Theodora  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  years. 

(3)  Abigail  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years. 

(4)  Bethiah  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six  years. 

(5)  Nohemiah  died  at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

(6)  James  died  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  (7) 
Seth  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  (8) 
Solomon  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years.  (9) 
Elkanah  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
(10)  William  is  living  (1825)  aged  ninety-four 
years.  (11)  George  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  years.  (12)  Elisha  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years.  (13)  Nathaniel  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five  years.     (14)   Esther,  living 


now,  1825,  aged  ninety-two  years.  (15)  Pru- 
dence died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  (16) 
Stephen  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years. 
United  ages  1307.  Eleven  of  the  family  lived 
more  than  1000  years,  two  of  whom  are  now 
(1825)  living."  Theodora  Deane  lived  to  see 
her  children  to  the  fifth  generation  and  was  the 
mother  of  the  late  Dr.  Job  Godfrey  of  Taunton. 

(IV)  Solomon  Deane,  son  of  Dr.  Ezra,  bora 
in  1723,  died  in  Taunton  in  1784.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Williams,  daughter  of  Richard  Wil- 
liams (3),  and  their  children  were:  Abisha, 
Richard  (married  Deborah  Grossman),  Solo- 
mon, Nathaniel,  Brinton,  Sylvester,  and 
Wealthy  (married  John  Robinson,  of  Rayn- 
ham). 

(V)  Richard  Deane,  son  of  Solomon,  mar- 
ried Deborah  Grossman,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Grossman,  and  they  had  nine  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Simeon,  Richard,  Abijah  (born  April 
28,  1782),  Apollos,  Deborah,  James,  Bethiah, 
Calvin  (whose  descendants  live  in  North  Attle- 
boro)  and  Dolly. 

(VI)  Abijah"Deane,  bom  April  28,  1782,  son 
of  Richard  and  Deborah  (Grossman),  married 
Polly,  daughter  of  Jabez  Rounds,  of  Taunton. 
Their  children  were:  Ashael,  born  Sept.  19, 
1811,  married  Harriet  Sumner,  of  Foxboro, 
Mass.,  in  1835 ;  Polly  married  Elnatlian  Jones, 
and  died  in  Norton,  Mass. ;  Richard  died  young; 
Abijah  Carpenter  married  Laura  Dunbar,  of 
Foxboro;  Nancy  married  Enon  Rounds,  and 
died  in  1908,  in  her  ninetieth  year;  Benjamin 
married  Nancy  Goe;  George  married  Sarah 
Manchester,  and  died  Nov.  19,  1897;  Charles 
Mason  married  Celinda  Harris,  daughter  of  a 
Methodist  minister;  and  Clarissa  married  Pres- 
ton G.  Gomey,  of  Foxboro. 

(VII)  Ashael  Deane,  son  of  Abijah,  born 
Sept.  19,  1811,  married  Harriet  Sumner,  of 
Foxboro,  daughter  of  William  Fisher  Sumner. 
She  was  born  in  1813  and  died  in  1845.  He 
married  (second)  Lucy  Hodges,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Hodges,  of  Sharon.  To  the  first 
marriage  were  born :  Ashael  Sumner,  born 
March  31,  1837;  Harriet  Louise,  bom  in  1839; 
Henry  Augustus,  born  May  3,  1842,  who  mar- 
ried (second)  Ida  Ne^vman  ;  and  Mary  Skinner, 
born  in  1846,  who  died  in  infancy.  To  the  sec- 
ond marriage  were  born  three  children :  Marcus 
Edgar,  born  Sept.  14,  1847;  Lucy  Anna,  born 
July  36,  1849;  and  Francis,  bom  "Sept.  30,  and 
died   Oct.   7,   1851. 

(VIII)  Dr.  Ashael  Spmner  Deane, 
son  of  Ashael,  was  born  in  Foxboro,  Mass., 
March  31,  1837.  He  received  his  elementary 
education  in  the  grammar  school  of  his  na- 
tive town.     He  then  entered  the  State  Normal, 


726 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


which  lie  attended  for' some  time,  after  which 
he  taught  sciiool  in  Canton,  two  terms  in  Fox- 
boro  and  two  terms  iu  Maynard.  He  was  a 
student  of  medicine  for  a  time  at  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  and  then  entered  the  iS'avy  on  his 
certificate  as  a  surgeon,  rcinaining  until 
tlie  close  of  tlic  war.  Returning  to  Pitts- 
field  he  graduated  in  18(35.  While  in  tiie  service 
he  was  surgeon  on  the  flagship  of  Admiral 
Dahlgren's  scjuailron,  and  in  that  capacity  met 
many  of  the  best  men  of  the  country  for  those 
times.  During  this  time  lie  spent  one  winter 
in  Washington,  and  was  blown  up  on  the  goveni- 
ment  dispatch  boat  "Harvest  Moon."  lie  had 
among  his  messmates  Admiral  Johnson  and 
Admiral  Forsyth.  In  186G  Dr.  Deane  went  to 
Fall  River,  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  for  a  tew  months.  He  then  went  to 
Wrentham,  Mass.,  where  he  practiced  for  five 
years,  and  in  1871  he  located  in  Taunton,  where 
he  has  been  actively  engaged  in  his  profession 
ever  since.  In  point  of  years  he  is  now  one  of 
the  oldest  practitioners  in  the  city.  When  the 
government  established  its  board  of  pension  ex- 
aminers he  was  appointed  one  of  the  members, 
became  its  president,  and  has  since  served  in 
that  capacity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bristol 
(North)  branch  of  the  Massachusetts  State 
Medical  Society.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  in  1861. 

In  1860  Dr.  Deane  was  married  to  Virginia 
Hughes,  who  was  bom  in  Pittsburg,  daughter 
of  John  Hughes.  Their  children  were :  Ellen 
Virginia,  born  Oct.  16,  1861,  married  Rev. 
George  H.  Reed,  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  and  they 
have  one  daughter,  Margaret  Reed  (born  Feb. 
5,  1892)  ;  Frederick  Sumner,  born  Aug.  8,  1864, 
died  May  20,  1883,  while  a  member  of  the 
Freshman  class  at  Amherst  College ;  Fanny 
Brown,  bom  in  1867,  died  soon  after;  Lemira 
Harris,  born  June  22,  1868,  married  William 
■C.  Hawley,  of  Maiden,  Mass.,  and  has  three 
children,  Alice  Sumner  (bom  Nov.  13,  1803), 
Catharine  Deane  (born  Feb.  16,  1896)  and 
William  Sumner  (bora  Sept.  17,  1901). 


(V)  Abislia  Dean,  son  of  Solomon,  married 
Olive  Leonard,  daughter  of  Colonel  Leonard, 
and  had  children :  William,  Allan,  James, 
Abby,  Barney  and  Artemas.  . 

(VI)  Barney  Dean,  son  of  Abisha.  married 
Fanny  Washburn,  and  has  three  daughters: 
Frances  E.,  who  married  Nathan  S.  Hoard : 
Helen  Barney,  who  married  Frederick  Crane ; 
and  Abby,  who  married  Charles  Crandell. 


(II)    Benjamin   Deane,  son   of   Walter   and 


Eleanor  (Strong),  settled  in  Taunton.  He 
married  Jan.  6,  1680-81,  Sarah  Williams.  He 
died  between  Feb.  2,  1722,  and  April  14,  1725. 
His  children  were:  Naomi,  born  Nov.  1,  1681, 
died  Jan.  6,  1681-82 ;  Hannah,  bom  Dec.  36, 
1682,  married  a  Mr.  Richmond;  Israel,  born 
Feb.  3,  1684-85,  died  March  17,  1760,  in  his 
seventy-sixth  year  (he  married  Ruth,  who  died 
April  18,  1796,  in  her  eightieth  year)  ;  Mary, 
born  June  15,  1687,  married  a  Mr.  Edson; 
Damaris,  born  Sept.  4,  1689,  married  Mathew 
White;  Sarah,  born  Aug.  30,  1692,  married  a 
Mr.  Danforth;  Elizabeth,  born  March  26,  1694- 
95,  married  a  Richmond;  Mehetable,  born  June 
9,  1697,  married  a  Mr.  Richmond ;  Benjamin, 
born  July  31,  1699,  died  Jan.  6,  1785,  in  liis 
eighty-sixth  year  (he  married  Zopporah  Dean, 
daughter  of  John  Dean,  and  she  died  Sept.  37, 
1778,  in  her  seventy-fifth  year)  ;  Capt.  Eben- 
ezer,  born  Feb.  14,  1701-03,  died  July  3U,  1774 
(he  married  Rachel  Allen,  who  died  March  3, 
1768,  in  her  seventy-fifth  year)  ;  Lydia,  born 
Dec.  11,  1704;  Joshua,  born  Oct.  33,  1707,  died 
March  33,  1709-10. 

(IK)  t'apt.  Ebenezer  Deaji,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Sarah  (Williams),  born  Feb.  14,  1701-03, 
died  July  30,  1774.  He  married  Rachel  Allen, 
of  Rehoboth,  who  died  March  3,  1768,  in  her 
seventy-fifth  year.  He  and  his  son  Joshua 
marched  in  the  same  army  in  defense  of  their 
country  in  the  old  French  war ;  he  was  the  cap- 
tain of  the  company.  Joshua  had  a  son  Joseph, 
who  was  frequently  out  in  the  service  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  had  command  of  a  com- 
pany that  was  called  out  in  support  of  the 
Courts  during  Shays's  Rebellion.  Ebenezer  and 
Rachel  (Allen)  Dean  had  four  children:  Eben- 
ezer; Joshua,  who  died  June  10,  1772;  Rachel, 
and  Phebe. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Dean,  Jr.,  son  of  Capt.  Eben- 
ezer and  his  wife  Rachel,  was  born  about  1730, 
and  died  Jan.  5,  1819,  in  his  ninetieth  year. 
He  was  known  as  Deacon  Dean.  He  married 
Prudence,  daughter  of  John  King,  of  Raynham, 
and  she  died  March  10,  1787.  in  her  tifty-fifth 
year.  Their  children,  eleven  in  number,  were 
as  follows:  Ebenezer  (Deacon)  married  Sallie 
Soper;  Abiatha  married  Wealtha  Crane;  Enos; 
Levi,  born  Dec.  13.  1767,  married  Betsey  Dean, 
and  died  Nov.  1,  1840:  Apollus  married  Matilda 
French;  Caius  (doctor)  ;  Rhoda  married  Daniel 
Douglass:  Phebe  married  Thomas  Daggett; 
Bathsheba  married  David  Padelford ;  Rachel 
married  Samuel  Oushee ;  and  Prudence  married 
Nathan  King. 

(V)  Enos  Dean,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Pru- 
dence, was  the  father  of  Enos  W. 

(VI)  Enos  W.  Dean,  son  of  Enos,  married 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


727 


Oct.  29,  1827,  Elizabeth  Jane  Williams,  daugh- 
ter of  Abiathar  and  (Nancy)  Anna  (Dean) 
Williams,  of  Raynham.  Their  children  were: 
Ebenezer  Abiel/born  March  16,  1830;  Sarah 
Elizabeth,  born  Feb.  3.  1832;  Helen  Williams, 
born  Julv  27,  1835,  died  June  18,  1872;  and 
William  Francis,  born  Oct.  .5,  1839. 

(A'lD  William  Francis  Dean,  son  of  Enos 
W.  and  Elizabeth  J.,  was  born  in  Taunton  Oct. 
5.  1839.  and  was  educated  in  the  pidilic  schools 
of  Taunton,  and  at  Bristol  Academy,  at  which 
latter  place  so  many  of  the  young  men  of  lus 
time  and  of  tlie  best  families  were  given  instruc- 
iion.  He  became  a  farmer  and  lived  on  Stephen 
street.  Taunton,  where  he  spent  the  balance  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  but 
never  an  office  holder.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Unitarian  Church  of  Taunton.  On  Nov. 
24,  1870,  he  married  Mary  Jane  Bassett,  who 
■was  born  in  Grafton,  and  they  had  two  children  : 
Enos  Williams,  born  and  died  Nov.  5,  1871 ;  and 
William  Milton,  born  Nov,  16,  1874. 

(YIII)  WiLLL-VM  M.  Dean,  son  of  William 
Francis  and  Mary  Jane,  was  born  in  Taunton 
Nov.  16,  1874.  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
flnd  high  schools,  graduating  from  the  latter  in 
1892.  In  the  same  year  he  became  a  pupil  in 
Bristol  Academy,  in  preparation  for  college, 
graduating  in  1893.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  matriculated  as  a  student  in  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  Boston  University,  and  for  the  follow- 
ing four  years  studied  for  his  profession,  and 
at  the  same  time  took  special  studies  in  the 
Academic  Department  of  the  University.  He 
graduated  in  the  class  of  1897.  Prior  to  his 
graduation  he  applied  for  and  received  admis- 
sion to  practice  in  the  Courts  of  the  Common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts.  Immediately  after- 
ward he  opened  an  office  in  Taunton,  where  he 
has  since  been  engaged  in  a  lucrative  practice. 
While  his  practice  has  been  general,  he  has  nev- 
ertheless had  more  experience  in  the  matter  of 
Teal  estate,  conveyancing,  etc. 

In  1905  Mr.  Dean  became  actively  inter- 
ested in  political  matters,  and  at  the  November 
election  of  that  year  was  elected  to  represent 
the  Fourth  District  of  Bristol  County  in  the 
State  Legislature  for  1906,  and  was  reelected 
in  1906  and  1907.  In  his  first  year  he  was  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  Constitutional 
Amendments  and  Federal  Relations,  of  both  of 
which  he  was  clerk.  In  his  second  year  he  was 
a  member  of  the  committees  on  Ways  and 
Means,  and  on  Elections  (of  which  he  was  chair- 
man). For  the  summer  of  1907  he  sat  with  the 
committee  on  Ways  and  Means  in  special  ses- 
sion "to  revise  the  financial  methods  of  the 
Commonwealth."    In    1908    he   was   elected    to 


represent  the  Fii-st  Bristol  District  in  the  Senate 
and  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  Public 
Service  and  member  of  the  committee  on  Le- 
gal Affairs  and  (Jounties.  Fraternally  he  is 
a  member  and  past  master  of  King  David 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Taunton:  St.  Mark's 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Boston  Commandery,  K.  T., 
and  has  attained  the  32d  degree.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Palestine  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S.,  of 
Providence.  In  the  Knights  of  Pythias  he  is 
a  member  and  past  chancellor  of  Orient  Lodge, 
Taunton,  and  was  member  of  the  judiciaiy 
committee  of  the  Grand  Lodge  in  1907.  He  was 
also  district  deputy  of  two  lodges  at  Fall  River 
and  Brockton.  He  belongs  to  Sabbatia  Lodge, 
I.  0.  0.  F.;  the  A.  0.  U.  W.;  the  B.  P.  0.  E., 
being  past  exalted  ruler:  and  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution.  He  was  counsel  for  the 
North  Dighton  Cooperative  Bank. 

Mr.  Dean  married  June  1,  1899,  Alta  Louise, 
bom  Jan.  16,  1876,  daughter  of  Erbanus  J.  and, 
Louise  H.   (Lincoln)   Bassett.     They  have  two 
children:     Alta  Ramona,  born  Aug.   8,  1900; 
and  Louise  Frances,  Aug.  26,  1901. 


(IV)  Joshua  Dean,  son  of  Capt.  Ebenezer 
and  Rachel  (Allen),  died  June  10,  1773.  He 
married  (first)  Keziah  Paddock,  and  (second) 
May  23,  1754,  Abigail  (King)  Leonard,  wid- 
ow of  Nathan  Leonard.  She  was  born  March 
17,  1728.  To  the  first  marriage  was  born  one 
son,  Joseph,  Jan.  1,  1751.  The  children  of  the 
second  marriage  were:  Nathan,  born  April  28, 
1755;  Joshua,  bom  Julv  26,  1756,  died  Feb. 
20,  1758;  Keziah,  bom  "Jan.  11  or  14,  1759; 
Abigail,  bom  Aug.  31,  1760,  died  young;  Abi- 
gail, born  Nov.  16.  1761 ;  Joshua,  born  Oct.  9, 
1764;  Kate,  born  Dec.  28,  1766,  died  Dec.  31, 
1768;  and  Caleb,  born  March  8,  1770. 

(V)  Joseph  Dean,  son  of  Joshua  and  Keziah, 
was  bom  Jan.  1,  1751.  and  died  Sept.  7,  1838. 
On  Dec.  1,  1774,  he  married  Anna  Strobridge, 
born  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  Feb.  26,  1755,  died 
Sept.  2,  1842.  Their  children  were:  Robert, 
born  Oct.  28,  1775,  died  May  24,  1822;  Arte- 
mas,  bom  Feb.  12,  1777,  died  May  16,  1779; 
Joseph,  born  Jan.  28,  1779,  died  Sept.  3,  1841 ; 
Anna,  bom  Oct.  6,  1781,  died  Sept.  27,  1858; 
Artemas  (2),  bom  Oct.  or  Aug.  16,  1783,  died 
Sept.  9,  1859;  Keziah,  bom  March  24,  1786, 
died  Nov.  19,  1787  ;  Joshua,  bom  July  16,  1788, 
died  Jiily  11  or  12,  1824;  Keziah  (2),  bom 
June  27,  1790,  died  Oct.  15,  1821;  Lois,  bom 
Sept.  10,  1792,  died  April  2,  1883;  Paddock, 
bom  Sept.  27,  1794,  died  April  29,  1855;  Eliza- 
beth, bom  Aug.  25,  1796,  died  Oct.  or  Aug.  8, 
1821;  and  George  Washington,  bom  Feb.  23, 
1799,  died  Jan.  14,  1878. 


728 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(VI)  Robert  Dean,  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna, 
was  born  Oct.  28,  1775,  and  died  May  2-i,  1822. 
On  July  26,  1803,  he  married  Sarah  Susan 
Leavitt  Padelford,  who  died  April  3,  1850.  They 
had  ten  children  as  follows :  One  died  young ; 
Robert  Strobridge,  born  Feb.  6,  1805,  died  in 
Taunton  Dec.  18,  1889 ;  Benjamin  Randall, 
bom  Oct.  29,  1806,  died  March  17,  1863 ;  Susan 
Padelford,  born  Oct.  12,  1808,  died  March  9, 
1885;  Samuel  Augustus,  born  Aug.  29,  1810; 
Henry  Ale.xis,  born  Oct.  5,  1812;  Elizabeth  J., 
born  Aug.  23,  1814;  Anna  Catherine,  born  May 
12,  1817;  Joseph,  born  Nov.  16  or  19,  1819,  died 
Aug.  16,  1888;  and  Francis  Baylies,  born  Jan. 
12,  1822. 


Israel  Dean  married  Sarah  Richmond,  and 
among  their  children  was  a  son  Rufus.  This 
Israel  is  probably  the  son  of  Israel  (born  1685) 
who  married  Katherine  Bird,  and  grandson  of 
John  (son  of  John  and  Alice)  who  married 
Sarah  Edson. 

Rufus  Dean,  son  of  Israel,  and  Sarah  (Rich- 
mond) Dean,  born  in  Taunton  in  1739,  mar- 
ried tliere  Fei).  1,  1770,  Lydia  Htxlges,  bom  in 
1749  or  1750.  He  died  in  Taunton  Fel).  24, 
1800,  and  she  Sept.  9,  1790.  Their  children 
were:  Joshua,  born  in  1770-71,  died  July  2, 
1784;  Rufus,  bom  in  1772,  died  Sept.  22,  1830; 
Israel,  born  about  1774;  Lydia,  born  March 
30,  1776,  died  Feb.  17,  1850,  in  Raynham, 
Mass.,  married  Feb.  1,  1801,  David  Carver,  of 
Taunton;  Sarah  Dean,  born  in  1777,  died  Jan. 
8,  1805,  married  Oct.  17,  1802,  Nathan  Carver, 
of  Taunton ;  Catharine  Walker,  born  Feb.  28, 
1779,  died  April  11,  1863,  married  Capt.  Ben- 
jamin Shores,  of  Taunton  ;  Henry  Hodges,  bom 
in  1781,  married  Mav  13,  1804,  Deborah  Dean, 
of  Taunton;  Rhoda,"'born  Nov.  28,  1783,  died 
Feb.  20,  1866,  married  May  24,  1804,  Charles 
Cobb,  of  Taunton;  Zephaniah  Hodges,  born  in 
1785,  married  Panielia  Hodges;  and  Nancy, 
born  Dec.  10,  1786,  died  Sept.  5,  1853,  married 
Dec.  6,  1820,  Rufus  Carver,  of  Taunton,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Col.  Israel  Dean,  born  about  1774,  son  of 
Rufus  and  Lydia,  married  Jan.  15,  1813,  Lydia 
Burt,  daughter  of  Simeon  and  Betsey  (Pitts) 
Burt,  of  Berkley,  Mass.  Their  children  were: 
Lydia,  born  in  July,  1812,  died  young;  Carissa 
Burt,  bom  Nov.  12,  1816,  died  April  26,  1888, 
married  Capt.  Billings  T.  Presbrey  (born  Aug. 
28,  1815,  died  June  10,  1891)  ;"  Lydia,  born 
March  18,  1818,  marrietl  Leonard  Conant, 
father  of  Henry  Conant;  Israel,  born  March  8, 
1819;  and  Israel  Lysander,  bom  May  7,  1821. 
Col.  Israel  Dean  was  a  member  of  the  militia. 


and  obtained  iiis  rank  in  that  service.  He  waff 
a  farmer,  brickmaker  and  fisher  by  occupation,, 
and  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  manufacturer 
of  brick  in  Taunton. 


CRIFFITTS  M.  HAFFARDS,  late  of  Fall 
River,  was  a  man  whose  influence  in  financial 
afi'airs  and  business  matters  generally  had  a 
pronounced  effect  upon  the  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity in  that  respect  for  a  long  period.  His 
record  of  continuous  success,  brought  about  by 
able  management  and  untiring  devotion  to 
whatever  he  undertook,  gave  his  opinion  weight 
in  the  highest  circles  and  made  his  example- 
valualile.  He  bore  an  honorable  name,  and  his 
reputation  was  so  high,  his  judgment  so  keen,, 
his  authority  so  respected,  his  ability  so  pro- 
nounced, that  he  was  often  solicited  to  accept 
place  in  the  directorate  of  various  corporations- 
in  the  city,  mills  and  financial  institutions,  in 
wliich  he  hinuself  had  no  material  interest. 
Though  so  thoroughly  identified  with  tlie  af- 
fairs of  Fall  River,  where,  indeed,  he  ])assed 
his  active  business  career,  Mr.  Haffards  was 
a  native  of  New  Bedford,  bom  April  9,  1845. 
The  family  has  long  been  identified  with  that 
section.  We  give  herewith  a  little  of  the  early 
history  in   New  England. 

For  some  two  hundred  years  at  least,  and 
how  much  earlier  has  not  been  ascertained,  the 
Haffards  family,  name  variously  spelled,  has 
had  an  abiding  place  in  various  parts  of  Ply- 
mouth county,  while  in  New  Bedford  its  his- 
tory covers  a  period  of  upward  of  a  century. 
Tlie  children  of  John  and  Lydia  (Peirce) 
Haffard  of  Middleboro  record  were ;  Ebenezer, 
Alice,  John,  Jacob  and  SamneJ,  all  born  be- 
tween 1707  and  1719.  since  when  and  in  that 
and  other  towns  of  Plymouth  county  the  name 
has  continued ;  and  since  the  close  of  the 
eighteenth  century — for  now  upward  of  an 
hundred  years — the  name  has  been  a  continu- 
ous one  in  that  part  of  Dartmouth  which  be- 
came New  Bedford.  Reference  is  made  to 
some  of  the  descendants  of  Jonathan  and  Roba 
(Brightman)  Haffards,  whose  intention  of 
marriage  is  of  public  record  as  expressed  May 
27,  17S6.  Their  children  of  New  Bedford 
public  record  were:  James,  born  Marcli  11, 
1787:  Sarah,  born  May  11,  1789;  William, 
born  April  22,  1791 ;  John  Brightman,  born 
April  27,  1793;  Jonathan,  born  March  5,  1795; 
and  Susanna,  born  Nov.  4,  1797,  to  which  are 
added  from  family  record  Joseph,  Charles,  Bet- 
sey and  Lydia.     Of  these, 

Charles   Hafl^ards   was  born   Aug.    17,   1801,_ 
in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  married  Dec.  26, 


P  D  B  L  I  C 


^=:^^i^- 


;?€^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


729 


1823,  Lydia,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Lydia 
Bonney,  of  Rochester,  Mass.  She  died  Nov. 
20,  1842,  and  he  married  (second)  July  4, 
1843,  Mrs.  Betsey  (Bonney)  Whitney,  a  widow, 
sister  of  his  first  wife.  She  died  Jan.  8,  1870, 
in  her  sixty-seventh  year.  Mr.  Haffards  died 
Oct.  8,  1859,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.  He  was 
engaged  as  a  merchant  there.  Of  the  seven 
children  born  to  the  first  marriage  all  died 
quite  young  excepting  Caroline  E.,  who  mar- 
ried David  F.  Brown,  formerly  of  Fall  River, 
Mass.,  now  of  Accord,  town  of  Hingham,  Mass., 


always  obliged  to  decline  such  honors  because 
of  the  demands  of  his  private  affairs.  He  was 
a  stockholder  in  numerous  local  corporations, 
and  achieved  large  success,  ranking  among  the 
wealthy  men  of  the  city,  and  he  showed  his 
faith  in  its  present  and  future  by  investing  his 
means  where  he  had  acquired  them.  Mr.  Haf- 
fards was  the  proper  man  to  attain  wealth  and 
position,  for  he  had  the  sense  of  responsibility 
which  the  possession  of  large  means  and  the 
consciousness  of  high  standing  should  carry. 
He  used  his  money  and  his  influence  with  the 


and  of  their  two  children  Caroline  F.  died  June    most  intelligent  care  and  thoug^it  for  the  good 


10,  1908;  and  Charles  Haffards  Brown  is  an 
accountant  with  an  office  in  Boston  and  resi- 
dence at  Accord,  Mass.,  is  married  and  has  a 
son  David  M.  Brown.  To  the  second  marriage 
of  Charles  Haffards  was  born  one  child,  Grif- 
fitts  M. 

Griffitts  M.  Haffards  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  New  Bedford.  Coming  to 
Fall  River  while  yet  in  his  teens,  he  became    approbation  as  well  as  the  respect  of  his  fel- 


of  others  as  well  as  for  himself.  He  did  not 
undervalue  his  obligations  and  he  never  shirked 
them.  Though  he  took  no  direct  part  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  with  the  exception  of  serving  one 
term  in  1875  as  a  member  of  the  common  coun- 
cil, his  citizenship  was  of  the  highest  type,  and 
he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
the  city.     He  so  lived  that  he  commanded  the 


a  bookkeeper  for  Daniel  Brown,  one  of  the  early 
grain,  coal  and  commission  merchants  of  Fall 
River.     After   a   few   years    Mr.    Haffards   be- 
came a  partner  in  the  business,  becoming  asso- 
ciated  with   David   F.    Brown,  son   of   Daniel, 
under  the  firm  name  of  D.  Brown,  Son  &  Co. 
In  1873  Mr.  Haffards,  Mr.  Alphonso  S.  Covel 
and  Mr.  James  C.   Brady  established  a  bank- 
ing house  at  the  corner  of   South   Main   and 
Pleasant  streets.     Mr.  Brady  retired  from  the 
firm  in  1877  to  become  city  treasurer,  and  Mr. 
Covel    retired   soon   after  to   become   treasurer 
in  turn  of  the  Crescent  Mill,  Merchants  Ma^iu- 
lacturing  Company  and  the  Tremont  and  Suf- 
folk Mills,  of  Lowell.     Mr.  Haffards  continued 
the    business   alone   and   about    1880    included 
with  it  a  general  stock  brokerage,  real  estate 
and  insurance  business,  all  of  which  he  contin- 
ued  with  marked  success.     In  1884  Mr.  John 
T.  Robertson,  who  had  been  with  the  firm  as 
a   clerk  from   1877,  was  admitted  as  partner, 
and   the  business   is   still   being  conducted    by 
him  under  the  old  name  of  G.  M.  Haffards  & 
Co.      The    senior    partner,    because    of    poor 
health,  retired  from  the  firm   in  June,   1905, 
a  little  more  than  a  year  before  his  death. 

Mr.  Haffards  was  a  man  of  unusually  fine 
business  qualities.  Possessing  keen  foresight, 
and    being   a   splendid   Judge   of   men,   he   be 


lowmen,  and  the  force  of  his  example  is  still 
felt  among  those  who  were  associated  with  liira 
for  so  many  years. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Haffards  was  a 
Republican.  Socially  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Quequechan  Club.  He  was  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  First  Christian  Church  and 
was  active  in  the  management  of  its  material 
concerns  for  many  years.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  standing  committee  of  the  corporations 
and  for  years  a  trustee  of  the  parsonage  fund. 
He  died  Sept.  23,  1906,  being  stricken  while 
sitting  in  his  pew  at  the  morning  services  in 
the  First  Christian  Church,  and  passed  away  a 
few  moments  later.  His  remains  lie  in  Oak 
Grove  cemetery. 

Mr.  Haffards's  first  wife,  Ida  P.  Brown,  was 
tlie  daughter  of  Daniel  Brown,  his  former  em- 
ployer, and  they  had  two  children :  Elizabeth 
M.,  who  died  in  young  womanhood,  and  Grif- 
fitts  M.,  Jr.,  who  died  young.  Mrs.  Haffards 
died  Aug.  12,  1894,  and  in  1897  Mr.  Haffards 
was  married  (second)  to  Adelaide  B.  White, 
of  Fall  River,  daughter  of  the  late  Dr.  Andrew 
M.  W.  AVhite,  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of 
the  city  in  his  day.  She  is  now  the  wife  of 
Capt.  Charles  H.  Danforth,  U.  S.  A. 

BRIGGS.     The  Briggs  family,  to  which  be- 


came  a   leading  authority  in   mill   matters   as    longs  Franklin  Briggs,  for  years  a  well-known 


■well  as  real  estate  and  commercial  affairs,  and 
his  judgment  and  advice  were  highly  valued 
and  much  sought.  As  previously  remarked,  he 
was  frequently  asked  to  accept  place  in  the  di- 
rectorate of  some  of  the  mills  and  of  various 
financial  institutions  of  Fall  River,  but  he  felt 


citizen  of  the  town  of  Dighton,  now  living  re- 
tired, are  prominent  citizens  of  the  iowi\  of 
Dighton,  wliere  for  two  centuries  or  more  they 
have  made  their  home.  The  founder  of  this 
branch  of  the  Briggs  family  was  Clement. 
(I)  Clement  Briggs  came  from  Southwarke, 


?30 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


England — likely,  as  Aug.  29,  1638,  he  made  an 
affidavit  that  in  the  year  1616  he  was  living 
with  Samuel  Latham  on  Bermuudsey  street, 
Southwarke,  England — to  Plymouth  Colony  in 
New  England  in  1621,  in  the  ship  "Fortune." 
He  shared  in  the  division  of  the  common  cattle 
in  1627,  and  o%vned  land  at  Joanes  Swamp, 
June  3,  1639.  He  was  in  Weymouth  in  1633, 
and  was  an  innholder  there  in  1660;  was  a 
resident  there  from  about  1630.  He  married 
Joane  Allen.  His  will  was  proved  Oct.  24, 
1650,  bequeathing  to  his  wife,  and  to  sons 
Thomas,  Joi^than,  Clement,  David  and  Re- 
member. 

(II)  William  Briggs,  of  Taunton,  Mass., 
thought  to  be  a  son  of  Clement  Briggs  and 
mentioned  by  Savage  as  probably  brother  of 
Clement's  son  Jonathan,  settled  with  others 
of  this  family  in  Taunton.  He  married  in  No- 
vember, 1666,  Sarah  Macomber,  and  their 
children  born  in  Taunton  were :  William,  born 
Jan.  35,  1667-68;  Thomas  and  Sarah  (twins), 
born  Sept.  9  and  10,  1669,. respectively;  Eliza- 
beth, born  March  14,  1671;  Hannah,  born  Nov. 
4,  1672;  Mary,  born  Aug.  14,  1674;  Matthew, 
born  Feb.  5,  1676;  and  John,  born  March  19, 
1680. 

(III)  Matthew  Briggs,  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Macomber)  Briggs,  of  Taunton,  born 
Feb.  5,  1676,  is  probably  the  Matthew  Briggs 
who  is  referred  to  in  the  early  records  of  the 
South  Purchase  (later  the  town  of  Dighton) 
in  1710  as  figuring  in  the  seating  at  the  meet- 
inghouse, and  wlio  is  also  referred  to  in  the 
records  as  bringing  from  England  machinery 
for  a  grist  mill  and  forge,  which  were  set  up 
on  the  pond  west  of  the  brick  meeting-house. 
This  property  remained  in  the  Briggs  family 
many  years.  It  may  be  worthy  of  note  to  add 
that  Dighton  was  incorporated  a  town  in  1712. 
According  to  the  gravestone  Deacon  Matthew 
Briggs  died  March  8,  1765,  aged  eighty-eight 
years. 

(IV)  Matthew  Briggs  (2),  son  of  Matthew 
Briggs,  was  bom  in  the  town  of  Dighton,  Mass., 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  where  his  life 
was  spent.  He  was  an  iron  worker  and  owned 
a  forge.  He  was  deacon  in  the  church  Dec.  16, 
1736.  His  wife  Mary  Pitts  bore  him  children 
as  follows:  Eliakim,  born  Sept.  21,  1733;  Sil- 
vester, Feb.  5,  1734-35;  Mercy,  Feb.  3,  1736; 
Abigail,  Aug.  10,  1742;  Matthew  and  Henrv 
(twins),  Jan.  16,  1747-48;  Mary,  March  31, 
1752. 

(V)  Matthew  Briggs  (3),  son  of  Matthew 
(2)  and  Mary  (Pitts)  Briggs,  born  Jan.  16, 
1747-48,  like  his  father  followed  the  iron  busi- 
ness.     His   home    was   in   the   section    of   the 


Brick  Church,  known  as  the  Brick  district.  He 
was  a  deacon  of  the  church.  He  was  twice 
married,  first  (intention  of  marriage  published 
June  18,  1774)  to  Marcy  Richmond,  who  died 
July  31,  1783,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  and  by 
whom  he  had  children :  Deliverance,  born  Nov. 
37,  1775;  Betsey,  May  6,  1778;  Abigail,  Jan. 
18,   1781;  and  Matthew,  Jan.  23,   1783.     For 

his  second  wife  he  married  in  1785,  Celia , 

and  they  had  children:  Nancy,  born  Jan.  18, 
1786;  Polly,  July  38,  1788;  Henry,  June  8, 
1790;  Celia,  Nov.  18,  1792;  and  Joseph,  in 
1795. 

Deacon  Matthew  Briggs  enlisted  during  the 
Revolutionary  war,  being  a  private  in  Capt. 
Elijah  Walker's  company.  Col.  Pope's  (Bristol 
county)  regiment,  which  marched  to  Rhode 
Island  on  the  alarm  of  Dec.  8,  1776;  service, 
nine  days ;  roll  sworn  to  at  Taunton.  He  was 
also  private  in  Capt.  Jesse  Briggs'  company. 
Col.  Freeman's  regiment,  which  marched  from 
Dighton  Oct.  2,  1777,  on  a  second  expedition 
to  Rhode  Island;  discharged  Oct.  29,  1777,  by 
General  Spencer;  service  twenty-nine  days.  He 
died  Aug.  13,  1824.  aged  seventy-seven  years, 
and  his  widow,  Celia,  died  Dec.  18,  1832,  aged 
sixty-eight  years.  He  and  his  wives  are  buried 
in  the  town  of  Dighton. 

(VI)  Joseph  Briggs,  son  of  Deacon  Matthew, 
born  in  the  town  of  Dighton,  in  1795-96,  fol- 
lowed iron  working  and  owned  a  forge  at 
Dighton  in  the  Brick  Church  district,  where 
he  made  anchors  and  chains,  and  implements. 
The  product  of  his  forge  was  sold  in  'the  Bos- 
fon  and  Nfew  York  markets  and  was  conveyed 
to  these  places  by  ox  teams.  He  spent  lus 
entire  life  in  the  town  of  Dighton,  where  he 
made  his  home  and  where  he  died  Jan.  13, 
1864,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  He  is  buried  in 
the  cemetery  where  his  father  and  gramifather 
are  interred.  He  was  twice  married,  (first) 
Oct.  25,  1830,  to  Patience  Perry,  a  native  of 
Digliton,  daughter  of  Sylvester  and  Patience 
(Pierce)  Perry,  and  granddaughter  of  Edward 
and  Sarali  (Austin)  Perry  and  gi'eat-grand- 
daiighter  of  William  and  Mary  Perry.  The 
children  of  this  union  were  boni  as  follows: 
Joseph,  July  30,  1822  (died  Aug.  12,  1822)  : 
Franklin;  Albert,  April  10,  1827;  Charles,  in 
January.  1830  (died  June  29,  1859).  Mrs. 
Patience  Briggs  died  Dec.  7,  1834,  aged  tliirty- 
eigiit  years,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  before 
mentioned.  He  married  (second)  June  21, 
1835,  Lucinda  T.  Williams,  of  Dighton,  who 
died  April  19,  1888,  aged  seventy-eight  years, 
ten  months,  two  days.  Their  children  were :  Pa- 
tience Ann,  bom  Jan.  1,  1836  (died  aged  six- 
teen  years)  ;  and   J.   Emmons,  born   in   1842, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


731 


who  was  a  physician  and  practiced  the  medical 
profession  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  where  he  died 
May  4,   1867,  at  the  age  of  twenty-iive. 

(VII)  Franklin  Briggs,  sou  of  Joseph,  was 
born  in  the  to^vn  of  Dighton  June  20,  1828. 
He  was  educated  there  in  the  public  schools 
and  at  Peirce  Academj-,  Middieboro,  Mass.  He 
followed  the  business  of  his  father,  and  Ids 
brother  Albert  engaged  in  the  making  of  chains 
and  anchors,  Franklin  taking  up  toolmaking, 
at  which  he  continued  during  his  active  life, 
conducting  the  shop.  He  is  now  li\ang  re- 
tired. Though  now  pa^  the  fourscore  mark 
he  is  still  active.  He  married  Mary  Jane  Hor- 
ton,  a  native  of  Dighton,  and  daughter  of 
Leonard  and  Mary  T.  (Eead)  Horton.  They 
had  children  as  follows:  Annie  E.,  widow  of 
Herbert  T.  Washburn;  Emma  J.,  who  married 
Frederick  W.  Grant,  of  Rehoboth,  and  now  re- 
sides in  Pawtucket  (she  has  one  child,  Fred- 
erick Briggs)  ;  and  Amitie  F.,  who  married 
Frank  W.  Eead,  who  is  connected  with  tlie 
Nemasket  Mills,  and  resides  in  Middieboro, 
Mass.  (she  has  two  children,  Madeline  M.  and 
Hawl  H.).  Mrs.  Briggs  died  March  17,  1911. 
She  was  a  highly  respected  lady,  and  her  peo- 
ple, the  Hortons,  have  long  been  among  the 
most  highly  respected  families  of  Rehoboth, 
Massachusetts. 


HoRTON.  Published  lineage  of  members 
of  the  Massachusetts  family  of  Horton  sets 
fortli  that  John  Horton,  with  two  brothers, 
came  to  America  from  England  as  early  as 
1640.  John  settled  at  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  where 
he  married  Mehitable  Gamaey,  and  they  had 
eight  children.  The  descendants  of  John  Hor- 
ton are  and  have  been  very  numerous  in  Reho- 
both and  surrounding  towns. 

The  lineage  of  Mrs.  Briggs  is  through  Solo- 
mon Horton,  of  Rehoboth,  assumed  to  be  a  de- 
scendant of  John  of  Rehoboth,  presumably 
grandson.  He  and  his  wife  Mary  had  chil- 
dren :  Charles,  born  March  18,  1739 ;  Constant, 
Oct.  29,  1740;  Solomon,  Jan.  or  June  15,  1743; 
Mary,  Aug.  10,  1745;  Abiel,  Oct.  14,  1747; 
Daniel.  Jan.  13,  1749;  Aaron,  March  21,  1752. 

Solomon  Horton,  son  of  Solomon  and  Mary 
Horton,  born  June  or  Jan.  15,  1742,  married 
in  November,  1768,  Hannah  Talbot,  of  Reho- 
both. He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  being  a  sergeant  in  Capt.  Elijah  Walker's 
company.  Col.  Pope's  Bristol  County  Regi- 
ment, and  serving  twelve  days  at  Rhode  Island 
on  the  alarm  of  Dec.  8,  1776;  roll  dated  at 
Taunton  (where  it  was  sworn  to)  Dec.  17, 
1776;  marched  Dec.  17,  1776;  returned  to 
Taunton,  Dec.  17,  1776. 


Solomon  Horton,  Jr.,  son  of  Sergt.  Solomon 
and  Hannah  (Talbot)  Horton,  born  at  Reho- 
both, lived  at.  Dighton,  where  he  was  a  cooper, 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  pails.  He  also 
followed  farming,  having  his  land  and  resi- 
dence in  the  Brict  Church  neighborhood,  where 
he  died.  On  May  24,  1802,  he  married  Re- 
becca Wheeler,  born  Feb.  28,  1781,  daughter 
of  Jeremiah  and  Elizabeth  (Troop)  Wheeler, 
granddaughter  of  Jeremiah  Wheeler,  a  great- 
granddaughter  of  James  A.,  Jr.,  and  a  great- 
great-granddaughter  of  James  A.  Wheeler,  who 
was  bom  March  27,  1697.  Jeremiah  Wheeler 
located  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  Henry  T.  Horton  in  Rehoboth,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  The  children  of 
Solomon  and  Rebecca  Horton  were :  Loretta, 
born  Aug.  4,  1803,  died  in  Dighton,  unmar- 
ried ;  Tamerlane  W.,  born  Sept.  17,  1805,  mar- 
ried Amanda  Walker;  Rebecca,  born  Feb.  14, 
1808,  was  twice  married,  first  to  Philip  Nich- 
ols, second  to  Valentine  Martin,  and  died  in 
Swansea,  Mass.,  at  an  advanced  age,  leaving 
two  children  by  her  first  marriage.  Dexter 
Nichols  and  Mrs.  Rebecca  Cummings;  Leon- 
ard, born  June  13,  1811,  married  Mary  T. 
Read,  of  Taunton,  and  resided  in  Dighton, 
where  he  was  engaged  as  a  farmer,  and  where 
he  died  leaving  three  children — Mary  Jane 
(who  married  Franklin  Briggs,  and  died 
March  17,  1911),  Mrs.  Rosalthe  F.  Bliss,  and 
Josiah  L.  (the  latter  also  deceased) ;  Eliza- 
beth Stinson,  born  Sept.  27,  1814,  married 
(first)  Sylvanus  Bliss,  and  (second)  Richard 
Bullock,  Jr.,  and  had  three  children  by  her 
first  marriage — Alice  (widow  of  Stephen  Dex- 
ter Lee,  of  East  Providence),  Sylvanus  A.,  of 
Baker  street.  Providence,  and  Lucetta  (the  lat- 
ter now  deceased). 

Mary  Jane  Horton.  daughter  of  Leonard 
and  Mary  T.  (Read)  Horton,  of  Dighton,  mar- 
ried Franklin  Briggs.  She  died  March  17, 
1911. 

Annie  R.  Briggs,  bom  Aug.  5,  1858,  daugh- 
ter of  Franklin  and  Mary  Jane  (Horton) 
Briggs,  attended  common  and  high  schools  at 
Dighton,  finishing  at  Wheaton  Seminary,  at 
Norton.  After  her  marriage  to  Dr.  Andrew 
J.  Smith  she  located  with  him  in  Cambridge 
and  later  at  San  Antonio,  Texas,  later  return- 
ing to  Taunton,  where  Dr.  Smith  died.  She 
married  (second)  Mr.  Herbert  T.  Washburn 
and  became  interested  in  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness, assisting  her  husband  in  his  work.  She 
took  a  course  in  embalming  at  the  Massachu- 
setts College  of  Embalming  at  Boston,  from 
which  she  graduated,  being  the  only  woman 
in   a   class  of  thirty-two.     Having  passed   the 


732 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


board  of  Registration  of  Embalming  she  re- 
ceived her  diploma  and  conducted  the  business 
of  lier  husband  for  several  years  before  his 
death,  having  full  charge  of  all  its  details.  After 
the  death  of  Mr.  Washburn  which  occurred 
Aug.  11,  1907',  she  sold  out.  She  still  makes 
Taunton  her  home.  Mrs.  Washburn  was  one 
of  tile  organizers  and  directors  of  the  National 
Crash  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Millbury, 
Mass.,  of  which  she  is  now  treasurer.  She  is 
a  lady  of  culture  and  marked  intelligence,  and 
a  thorough  business  woman,  as  the  success  of 
the  various  ventures  testifies. 


De.  Andrew  J.  Smith  was  a  native  of 
Maine,  born  at  Augusta  Dec.  2,  1845,  son  of 
Andrew  J.  and  Almira  (Dodge)  Smith.  He 
was  educated  in  his  native  home  and  took  up 
the  study  of  dentistry  at  the  Massachusetts 
Dental  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1871 
with  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  Locating  in  Taun- 
ton after  he  was  admitted  to  practice,  he  re- 
mained there  three  years  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession,  building  up  a  successful 
patronage.  In  1874  he  went  to  South  America 
and  became  court  dentist  to  the  Emperor  of 
Brazil,  Dom  Pedro,  wliere  he  practiced  two 
years,  winning  for  himself  the  esteem  and  re- 
spect of  the  court  and  its  officials.  Returning 
to  New  England,  he  located  at  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  where  for  seven  years  he  continued  his 
professional  work  with  great  success,  he  and 
his  wife  then  moving  to  Texas  and  locating  at 
San  Antonio.  There  he  was  in  active  prac- 
tice until  1887,  but  on  account  of  ill  health 
he  was  obliged  to  give  up  liis  practice  and  he 
and  his  wife  came  to  Taunton,  where  the  re- 
mainder of  liis  life  was  spent,  and  where  he 
died  May  29,  1888.  He  was  buried  in  the 
Brick  Church  cemetery,  Dighton.  Dr.  Smith 
was  a  man  well  known  and  most  highly  re- 
'spected.  Possessing  a  very  genial  manner, 
thoroughly  devoted  to  his  profession,  he  was 
much  beloved  and  admired.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


Washburn.  (I)  John  Washburn,  the  first 
of  this  name  in  New  England,  settled  in  Dux- 
bury  and  was  one  of  the  first  proprietors  of 
Bridgewater,  1645. 

(II)  John  Washburn  (2)  married  Elizabeth 
Mitchell,  daughter  of  Experience  Mitchell. 

(III)  Samuel  Washburn  married  Deborah 
Packard,  daughter  of  Samuel. 

(IV)  Israel  Washburn,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
in  1684,  married  in  1708  Waitstill  Sumner, 
and  their  children  were:  Sarah,  born  in  1709; 
Deborah,  bom  in   1712;   Seth,  bom  in   1714; 


and  Israel.  The  estate  of  Mr.  Washburn  was 
divided  in  1730  among  Israel,  Sarah  and  Debo- 
rah. His  \vidow  remarried.  Of  the  children, 
Sarah  married  in  1733  Ephraim  Keith;  Debo- 
rah married  (first)  John  Ripley  and  (second) 
in  1740   Nathaniel  Bolton,  and  died  in  1759. 

(V)  ('apt.  Israel  Washburn  (2),  son  of 
Israel,  married  in  1740  Leah,  daughter  of 
Joshua  Fobes,  and  their  sons  were :  Israel,  Ne- 
hemiali,  Seth  and  Oliver.  Mr.  Washburn  set- 
tled in  the  town  of  Raynham,  Mass.  He,  as- 
sociated with  Zadoc  Presbo,  operated  a  fur- 
nace at  the  dam  on  the  Fowling  stream  for 
manufacturing  hollow  ware.  This  business 
continued  many  years,  the  ore  being  dug  on 
the  banks  of  the  river.  Captain  Washburn  be- 
came owner  of  the  Presbo  gristmill  in  the  year 
1784,  and  left  the  property  to  his  son  Dr. 
Seth  Washburn ;  it  subsequently  passed  into- 
the  hands  of  his  son  Franklin  Washburn.  The 
Presbo  mill  referred  to  was  owned  by  James 
Presbo  in  1770. 

(VI)  Dr.  Seth  Washburn,  son  of  Israel  (2), 
married  and  had  sons  Philo  and  Benjamin 
Franklin. 

(VII)  Philo  Washburn,  born  in  Raynham, 
came  to  Taunton  in  tlie  year  1851  and  estab- 
lished the  undertaking  business  which  was  con- 
tinued by  his  sons  and  grandson.  He  lived  and 
died  at  Taunton. 

(VIII)  Philo  Thompson  Washburn,  son  of 
Philo,  followed  the  undertaking  business  in 
company  with  his  brother  Henry,  carrying  on 
the  business  founded  by  their  father  in  Taunton 
in  the  early  fifties.  They  were  among  the  best 
known  undertakers  in  that  section  of  the  State. 
Philo  T.  Washburn  died  in  Taunton,  as  did 
also  liis  brother  Henry,  and  both  are  buried 
in  Mt.  Pleasant  cemetery.  The  former  mar- 
ried Hannah  Southworth,  and  had  three  chil- 
dren :  Helen  M.,  Herbert  Thompson  and  Flor- 
ence. 

(IX)  Herbert  Thompson  Washburn,  son 
of  Philo  TliOmpson  and  Hannah  (Southworth) 
Washburn,  was  born  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  Jan. 
23,  1849.  After  his  school  days  were  over,  he- 
having  received  his  education  in  the  Taunton 
public  schools,  he  went  into  business  training 
under  the  direction  of  his  father  in  his  under- 
taking establishment,  and,  remaining  ^-ith  the 
concern  until  the  death  of  his  father  and  uncle, 
succeeded  to  the  business,  which  he  success- 
fully conducted  up  to  his  death,  Aug.  11,  1907. 

On  Jan.  21,  1871,  Mr.  Washburn  married 
Idella  A.  Bliss,  who  died  Dec.  9,.  1884,  leaving 
daughters:  Bertha  T.,  wife  of  Milton  H.  Far- 
ley, successor  to  Mr.  Washburn;  Alice  B.,  un- 
married; and  Edith  A.,  who  married  Louis  H.. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


733 


Pero,  of  Taunton.  Mr.  Washburn  married 
<seeond)  Dec.  28,  1896,  Mrs.  Annie  R. 
.(Briggs)  Smith,  who  was  lx)rn  in  the  town  of 
Dighton,  daughter  of  Franklin  and  Mary  J. 
Briggs,  and  widow  of  Dr.  Andrew  J.  Smith. 
Mr.  Washburn  was  a  member  of  Ionic  Lodge 
of  Masons,  St.  Mark's  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  St. 
John's  Comnianderj',  K.  T.,  of  Providence,  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  at  Boston,  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  at 
Taunton,  also  of  Rebekah  Degree,  B.  P.  0.  E., 
and  the  K.  of  P. 

HATCH  (Whitman  family).  The  family 
bearing  this  name  at  Whitman,  to  which  be- 
longed the  late  Rev.  Leonard  Bradford  Hatch, 
D.  D.,  who  for  upward  of  fifty  years  was  a 
zealous  and  efficient  minister  of  the  gospel, 
identified  with  the  Baptist  denomination,  and 
who  for  thirty  and  more  years  was  connected 
with  the  newspapers  of  Whitman  and  vicinity, 
being  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Whitman 
Times  and  the  Plymouth  County  Journal,  of 
Abingtoii,  is  one  of  the  ancient  and  prominent 
families  of  New  England. 

Tliomas  Hatch,  of  Plymouth  Colony,  the  an- 
cestor of  the  Barnstable  families  of  the  name, 
came  over  early — was  one  of  the  nine  who  pro- 
posed Jan.  7,  1638  (0.  S.),  "to  take  up  their 
freedom  at  Yarmouth."  In  1641  he  had 're- 
moved to  Barnstable.  He  had  taken  the  "oath 
of  fidelity"  before  his  removal  from  Yarmouth. 
In  January,  1644,  he  was  named  on  the  list 
•of  approved  inhabitants  of  Barnstable.  He 
was  a  church  member,  a  man  whose  life  was  a 
living  testimony  of  his  fidelity  to  the  princi- 
ples which  he  professed.  He  died  in  1661, 
leaving  a  widow  Grace  and  son  Jonathan  and 
daughter  Lydia,  wife  of  Henry  Taylor.  He 
probably  liad  other  children,  but  none  is  named 
as  surviving  in    1661. 

Jonathan  Hatch,  son  of  Thomas,  is  repre- 
sented as  being  a  man  of  indomitable  energy 
,of  character.  "He  was  a  pioneer  in  the  marcli 
of  civilization,  and  the  history  of  his  life,  if 
faithfully  written,  would  present  many  points 
of  romantic  interest."  On  Aug.  24,  1645,  he 
was  one  of  the  four  men  forming  the  quota 
of  the  town  of  Barnstable  in  the  expedition 
against  the  Narragansetts  and  their  confed- 
erates. He  married  April  11,  1646,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Henry  Rowley.  He  removed  pro- 
bably to  West  Barnstable,  thence  to  South  Sea. 
He  sold  his  farm  at  Sipnesset  in  1661,  and  re- 
moved to  Saconecet  (variously  spelled),  the 
Indian  name  of  the  town  of  Falmouth,  of  which 
he  was  an  original  proprietor.  His  fann  at 
Falmouth  contained  eighty  acres,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  he  was  the  agent  of  the  proprietor^. 


and  was  employed  at  times  in  running  out  the 
bounds  of  lots  and  attending  to  the  sales  and 
transfers  of  rights.  He  became  a  "religious 
man,  the  venerable  patriarch  of  a  large  and 
esteemed  family  of  children."  He  acquired  a 
large  landed  estate  and  was  ranked  among  the 
wealthy  of  those  times.  He  died  in  December, 
1710,  aged  about  eighty-four  years.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Mary,  Thomas,  Jonathan,  Joseph, 
Benjamin,  Nathan,  Samuel  (all  born  in  Barn- 
stable), Moses,  Sarah,  Mercy  and  Lydia. 

From  the  foregoing  source  have  de.scended 
the  several  branches  of  the  Tolland  (Conn.) 
and  vicinity  Hatches.  Of  the  sons  of  Jonathan 
and   Sarah    (Ro\iley)    Hatch, 

(1)  Capt.  Joseph  Hatch,  who,  with  the  pos- 
sible exception  of  Moses,  was  the  most  dis- 
tinguished of  Jonathan's  sons,  was  a  soldier 
in  King  Philip's  war,  1675-76.  He  was  lieu- 
tenant of  the  militia  company  in  1702  and 
afterward  captain.  He  inherited  the  home- 
stead of  his  father,  acquired  a  large  estate  and 
exercised  a  wide  influence.  He  married  in 
1683  Amy  Allen,  of  Chilmark,  and  of  their 
children  (a)  Joseph,  born  in  1689,  married 
in  1713.  His  children  by  this  union  of  Tol- 
land (Conn.)  birth  were  Amy,  Joseph,  Mercy 
and  Jonathan,  and  tliose  born  to  a  second  wife, 
Rebecca,  were  Lemuel,  Rebecca,  Ebenezer  and 
Timothy.  The  father  as  intimated  removed 
to  Tolland,  Conn.,  where  it  is  said  his  son 
Joseph  was  the  first  male  child  born  in  the 
town — Sept.  12,  1715.  The  father  was  for  two 
years  selectman  of  the  town,  and  was  the  first 
tavern-keeper  in  Tolland,  chosen  as  such  Jan. 

6,  1718.  He  was  the  first  military  officer  of 
Tolland,  etc.  (b)  Ichabod,  bom  in  1691,  mar- 
ried in  1714  Abigail  Weeks.  He  removed  to 
Tolland,  Conn.,  in  1726.  Their  children  were: 
Zerviah,  Joseph,  Judah,  Justus,  Abigail,  Dan- 
iel, Ruth  and  Ichabod. 

(2)  Benjamin  Hatch,  another  son  of  Jona- 
than  and   Sarah    (Rowley)    Hatch,  born  Sept. 

7,  1655,  married  (first)  in  1678  Mary  Hamb- 
lin,  of  Barnstable,  after  her  death  married 
(second)  in  1682  Elizabeth  Eddy,  and  after 
her  death  (third),  in  1711-12,  Experience, 
widow  of  Jabez  Davis,  of  Barnstable,  and 
daughter  of  David  Linnell.  Mr.  Hatch  re- 
moved to  Mansfield,  Conn.  His  children  were: 
Abigail,  Mary,  Nathaniel,  Benjamin,  John, 
Elizabeth,  Melatiah,  Timothy,  Hannah,  Eddy 
(born  Aug.  2,  1700)  and  Solomon  (born  May 
7,  1704). 

There  was  in  Tolland,  Conn.,  an  Eddy 
Hatch,  referred  to  as  son  of  Abner,  whose 
children  comprised  Experience,  born  in  1722; 
Abner,    1726;    Hannah,    1729;    Sarah,    1734; 


734 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


David,  1736;  and  Lucy,  I'iiO;  and  there  was 
a  David  Hatch,  in  Tolland,  who  by  his  wife 
Anna  had  children,  George,  Solomon  and  Lucy, 
born  Sept.  2d,  1764,  Nov.  5,  1766,  and  Feb. 
19,  1768,  respectively. 

This  Solomon  Hatch,  son  of  David,  born 
Nov.  5,  1766,  it  is  assumed,  married  Patience, 
born  Sept.  4,  1773,  of  Bristol  (R.  1.)  town  rec- 
ord, daughter  of  George  and  Sally  Coggeshall, 
and  is  the  ancestor  of  Rev.  Dr.  Leonard  Brad- 
ford Hatch,  of  Whitman,  who  was  of  Connecti- 
cut and  Rhode  Island  antecedents  and  himself 
a  native  of  the  latter  State.  George  Coggeshall 
was  born  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  Nov.  3,  1780, 
son  of  William  Coggeshall  and. his  wife  Eliza- 
beth (Newby),  William  removing  to  Bristol, 
K.  I.,  where  earlier  generations  of  the  family 
were  born  and  lived.  William  Coggeshall  was 
the  son  of  John  Coggeshall,  grandson  of  John 
Coggeshall  and  great-grandson  of  John  Cogge- 
shall, of  the  County  of  Essex,  England,  who 
came  over  in  the  "Lion"  in  1632,  with  his  wife 
and  children  John,  Anne  and  Joshua. 

George  Coggeshall  Hatch,  son  of  Solomon 
and  Patience  (Coggeshall),  married  Martha 
Turner  Coomer,  daughter  of  John  Coomer, 
grandson  of  John  Coomer,  great-grandson  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Kinnecut)  Coomer  and 
great-great-grandson  of  John  Coomer  and  his. 
wife  Sarah,  of , Newport,  R.  I.  The  third  John 
and  his  brother,  Thomas  Kinnicut  Coomer, 
were  both  Patriots  of  the  Revolution  and  pen- 
sioners of  Bristol,  R.  I.,  in  1835,  and  through 
John  is  made  eligible  his  posterity  in  the  So- 
ciety of  the  American  Revolution.  George 
Coggeshall  Hatch  was  a  farmer  in  that  part 
of  Bristol,  R.  I.,  which  later  became  a  part 
of  the  town  of  Warren,  and  he,. too,  was  of  a 
military  turn,  rendering  service  as  an  officer 
in  the  Rhode  Island  militia. 

Rev.  Leoxard  Bkadfoed  Hatch,  D.  D.,  son 
of  George  Coggeshall  and  Martha  Turner 
(Coomer)  Hatch,  was  born  Sept.  83,  1832,  in 
what  is  now  the  town  of  Warren,  R.  I.,  where 
in  the  public  schools  and  the  Warren  Acad- 
emy he  acquired  his  early  education.  He  for 
a  time  t^ght  school  and  in  the  meantime  pre- 
pared for  college.  Entering  Colgate  College 
he  pursued  his  studies  in  a  manner  to  win 
honor  in  his  classes,  but  owing  to  ill  health 
he  had  to  drop  out  and  gain  that  rest  his  sys- 
tem required.  He  had  in  view  as  a  life  work 
the  ministry,  so  he  continued  his  preparations 
in  this  line  and  as  an  aid  in  furthering  his 
preparation  taught  school  to  some  extent  and 
preached  occasionally.  After  having  been  so 
occupied  for  a  couple  of  years  he  passed  a  very 
satisfactory  examination  for  entering  upon  the 


work  of  tlie  ministry.  He  was  ordained  at 
Brentwood,  N.  H.,  in  the  winter  of  1858.  He 
engaged  in  the  work  later  at  Edgartown,  Mass., 
then  at  Whitman,  to  which  he  came  in  1877, 
preacliing  for  several  years  at  the  First  Bap- 
tist Church.  His  ne.xt  charge  was  at  Avon, 
Mass.,  where  from  a  small  society  he  built 
up  a  large  church  and  during  his  ministry 
there  he  was  instrumental  in  the  expenditure 
of  considerable  money  in  the  improvement  of 
the  church  edifice.  Following  this  he  was  sta- 
tioned over  the  church  at  Lexington,  Mass., 
where  his  efi'orts  were  attended  with  similar 
success,  tlie  membership  being  largely  in- 
creased. From  Lexington  he  went  to  Brain- 
tree,  where  the  church  society  was  small  and 
without  a  church  building,  a  hall  being  used 
for  meetings,  but  through  his  zeal  and  efforts, 
it  may  be  said  to  liis  credit,  in  less  than  three 
years  a  church  edifice  was  built  and  equipped 
and  the  society  became  one  of  the  largest  in 
point  of  attendance  and  most  flourishing  of 
any  in  that  vicinity.  His  success  seemingly 
here  lay  in  his  power  and  ability  to  attract 
railroad  men  to  the  services,  many  of  them 
becoming  zealous  and  strong  members  of  the 
church.  Again  he  became  pastor  of  a  small 
church  society  worshipping  in  a  hall,  this  time 
at  Mattapan,  Mass.,  and  there  he  was  as  suc- 
cessful as  he  had  been  at  Lexington,  building 
up  in  the  period  of  five  years  a  strong  church 
and  erecting  on  one  of  the  principal  street* 
of  the  town  a  handsome  church  edifice,  ele- 
gantly equipped. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Dr.  Hatch  chose  to 
accept  calls  to  pastorates  small  and  struggling, 
and,  too.  that  it  proved  his  forte  to  place  them 
upon  a  sure  foundation.  This  was  a  prominent 
feature  of  his  ministry,  much  of  his  long  min- 
isterial life  having  been  given  to  the  building 
up  of  weak  and  small  societies;  and  as  each 
became  a  power  he  left  it  to  others  and  sought 
other  fields  to  benefit ;  and  while  he  was  sought 
by  many  large  and  flourishing  churches  he  felt 
it  a  duty  to  decline  such  offers  and  continue 
the  path  apparently  mapped  out  for  him. 

Outside  of  his  ministerial  work  Dr.  Hatch, 
for  he  bore  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity, 
which  was  conferred  on  him  in  June,  1908, 
by  Grand  Island  College,  at  Grand  Island, 
Nebr.,  found  time  to  give  attention  to  business, 
having  for  thirty  and  more  years  been  the 
editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Whitman  Timex 
and  the  Plymouth  County  Journal  of  Abington, 
having  been  publisher  and  owner  of  the  Timef 
from  1878,  and  of  the  Plymouth.  County  Jour- 
nal from  1877.  He  was  for  twenty  years,  from 
1890,    a    director    of    the    Abington    National 


LEONARD    B.    HATCH 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


735 


Bank,  and  a  trustee  of  the  Whitman  Savings 
Bank  from  tlie  time  of  its  organization,  and 
for  some  fifteen  years  was  a  member  of  the 
investment  board.  For  seven  years  Dr.  Hatch 
was  a  member  of  the  school  committee  and  he 
had  received  other  public  honors  in  tlie  town. 

Dr.  Hatch  was  a  charter  member  of  Old 
Colony  Chapter,  Sons  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, and  held  the  office  of  president  some 
two  years.  He  was  a  life  director  of  the  Bap- 
tist Missionary  Society,  and  was  a  director  and 
president  of  the  Baptist  Camp  Meeting  Asso- 
ciation of  Cottage  City. 

Dr.  Hatch  was  a  Mason  from  1859,  uniting 
with  the  lodge  at  Haverhill,'  Mass.  On  locat- 
ing at  Whitman  he  transferred  to  Puritan 
Lodge.  He  served  the  lodge  at  Whitman  as 
chaplain,  then  was  chosen  to  the  highest  office, 
that  of  the  Worshipful  Master,  sustaining  sucli 
relation  for  several  years.  He  was  a  member  of 
Pilgrim  Chapter,  Ro3'al  Arch  Masons,  and  of 
Abington  Council,  Royal  and  Select  Masters. 
He  was  at  one  time  honored  with  the  position 
of  chaplain  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachu- 
setts and  Rhode  Island.  He  was  for  several 
years  Past  Sir  Eminent  Commander  of  Old  Col- 
ony Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Abing- 
toD,  and  was  for  one  year  prelate  of  the  Grand 
Commandery.  He  was  also  a  thirty-second-de- 
gree Mason.  In  Odd  Fellowship  he  had  been 
Noble  Grand  of  Webster  Lodge,  at  Whitman, 
was  a  member  of  the  Patriarchs  Militant,  and 
held  almost  every  important  office  in  the  fra- 
ternity. He  was  for  two  years  colonel  of  the 
Division  of  the  East,  Patriarchs  Militant.  In 
1888  and  1889  he  was  N"ew  England  aide  to 
the  Grand  Commander  of  tlie  Supreme  Lodge 
of  Odd  Fellows  of  the  United  States.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  Mount  Hermon  Com- 
mandery, Knights  of  Malta,  and  served  as  Emi- 
nent Commander. 

Dr.  Hatch  was  one  of  the  best  of  after  din- 
ner speakers,  and  was  often  called  upon  on 
6uch  occasions.  He  was  a  man  of  pleasing 
personality,  of  broad  and  liberal  views,  a  strong 
advocate  of  temperance  and  had  the  reputation 
of  being  both  enterprising  and  public-spirited". 

Dr.  Hatch  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  Mary  E.  Roberts,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Nancy  G.  (Gorham)  Roberts,  of  Bruns- 
wick, Maine,  died  Aug.  9,  1877,  aged  thirty- 
four  years,  nine  months,  twenty-four  days.  To 
this  union  were  born  two  sons,  George  S.  and 
Leonard  F.,  both  of  whom  are  physicians.  On 
Dec.  25,  1880,  he  married  (second)  Myra  B., 
daughter  of  the  late  David  B.  Gurney,  of 
Whitman,  the  veteran  tack  manufacturer. 

Dr.  Hatch  passed  away  at  the  home  of  his 


son.  Dr.  Leonard  F.  Hatch,  at  Vineland,  N.  J., 
on  Sunday  morning,  Oct.  9,  1910,  aged  sev- 
enty-eight years,  after  an  illness  of  about  a 
montli,  and  in  his  death  the  community  in 
which  he  had  lived  for  a  period  of  thirty-six 
years  truly  sufi'ered  a  great  loss.  His  place  in 
public  life  will  be  hard  to  fill.  His  remains 
were  brought  to  Whitman  for  burial,  and  the 
funeral  services  were  held  in  the  First  Baptist 
Church,  in  order  that  the  hundreds  of  friends 
might  attend;  the  auditorium  was  crowded. 
The  stores  of  the  towns  were  closed  during  the 
services  as  a  mark  of  respect  to  one  who  had 
for  so  many  years  been  connected  with  the 
business  life  of  Whitman.  The  various  organ- 
izations with  which  he  was  affiliated,  the  banka. 
Board  of  Trade,  the  Merchants'  Association, 
and  other  business  associations,  were  repre- 
sented by  delegations.  The  funeral  services 
were  in  charge  of  Rev.  Frank  S.  Jones,  the 
pastor  of  the  church,  the  Lotus  Glee  Club,  of 
Boston,  rendering  the  favorite  selections  of  Dr. 
Hatch.  The  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in 
Colebrook  cemetery.  Whitman.  The  love  and 
esteem  borne  for  Mr.  Hatch  were  shown  in  the 
great  number  of  beautiful  floral  offerings  sent 
from  so  many  friends  and  from  organizations, 
one  of  the  largest  ever  seen  in  the  town. 

GURNEY.  (I)  According  to  manuscript 
in  the  possession  of  members  of  the  Gurney 
family  there  were  two  emigrants  of  the  name 
to  these  shores  in  the  early  days,  Edward  Gur- 
ney coming  to  Cambridge  in  16.36,  and  John 
Gurney  coming  to  Braintree.  The  latter  was 
an  apprentice  to  John  Newgate.  He  was  born 
Sept.  29,  1615,  and  died  in  1663.  His  wife 
died  in  1664.  Nothing  seems  to  be  known  of 
his  children,  yet  a  Richard  Gurney  of  Wey- 
mouth appears  to  have  been  his  son. 

(II)  John  Gurney,  probably  son  of  above, 
came  from  Weymouth  about  1690  and  settled 
in  that  part  of  Bridgewater  which  became  the 
town  of  Abington,  and  was  the  progenitor  of 
most  of  the  Abington  Gurneys.  He  died  about 
1715,  and  it  seems  intestate,  as  his  estate  was 
divided  equally  among  his  children,  among 
whom  were  Richard,  David  and   Nathan. 

(III)  Nathan  Gurney,  son  of  John,  married 
and  lived  in  Abington.  His  children  were: 
Rebecca,  born  in  October,  1727;  Lemuel,  born 
in  October,  1730;  Elijah,  born  in  1732;  Noah, 
born  in  May,  1735;  Nathan,  born  in  Novem- 
ber, 1739;  Silas,  born  in  June,  1743;  Sarah,, 
born  in  March,  1745;  Jacob,  born  in  March,. 
1748;  John,  born  in  May,  1751. 

(IV)  Noah  Gurney,  son  of  Nathan,  born  in 
May,    1735,   married    a    daughter    of    Samuel 


736 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Pod],  Esq.,  wlio  was  a  prominent  man  of  his 
town,  as  was  his  father  before  him,  and  a 
descendant  of  Edward  Pool,  of  Weymouth, 
through  Joseph  and  Samuel  Pool,  the  latter, 
his  father,  being  for  six  years  selectman  from 
South  Abington  and  a  representative  to  the 
General  Court,  while  he  himself  was  also  select- 
man and  representative.  Noah  Gurney's  chil- 
dren were :  Asa,  Joseph  Pool,  Noah,  Jeremiah, 
James,  John  and  Olive. 

(V)  Asa  Gurney,  son  of  Noah,  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Joseph  Hersey,  and  their 
children  were:  David,  born  in  1782;  Mary  and 
Eosanda,  the  daughters  dying  in  early  life. 

(VI)  David  Gurney,  son  of  Asa,  born  in 
1782,  married  Anna  Ellis.  Mr.  Gurney  pos- 
sessed a  rugged  constitution  and  was  a  most 
active  and  industrious  man.  He  was  of  a 
mechanical  turn  of  mind,  and  though  occupied 
in  farming  also  engaged  in  making  tacks, 
when  they  were  manufactured  by  hand.  He 
and  one  Charles  Dyer  put  in  order  and  set  in 
operation  one  of  the  first  machines  used  for 
making  tacks  in  this  country :  and  perhaps  for 
a  dozen  years  horses  were  used  as  means  of 
power  in  its  operation.  Subsequently  he  erected 
a  building  on  a  stream  in  the  town  of  Abing- 
ton, where  waterpower  was  used  for  the  pur- 
pose. This  was  the  beginning  of  the  after- 
ward extensive  manufacturing  plant  of  Mr. 
Gurney,  which  later  passed  into  the  hands  of 
his  son  and  namesake,  David  B.  Gurney,  re- 
spectively at  Abington  Centre,  South  Abington 
and  Whitman.  David  Gurney  was  one  of  the 
most  upright,  honorable  and  useful  citizens  of 
his  town.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  religious 
convictions,  wa.s  for  many  years  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  of  his  community,  in  the 
work  of  which  he  was  always  greatly  interested 
and  to  which  he  contributed  liberally  both  time 
and  money.  He  acquired  considerable  means. 
His  death  occurred  in  1862. 

The  children  of  David  and  Anna  (Ellis) 
Gurney  were :  Euth,  who  married  Orange 
Wilkes ;  Mehitable,  who  became  the  wife  of 
iSamuel  D.  Wilkes;  Davis,  who  married  Eliza 
Blanchard ;  David  B.,  of  whom  more  further 
on;  Mary,  who  married  James  Corthell;  and 
Eosanda,  who  married   Thomas   Drake. 

(VII)  David  Brain'ard  Gukkey,  son  of 
David  and  Anna  (Ellis)  Gurney,  was  born 
Sept.  10,  1815,  in  the  town  of  South  Abing- 
ton, now  Whitman,  Mass.  He  acquired  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  his  native  towTi.  His 
father  being  a  man  of  mechanical  skill,  and  a 
farmer  as  well  as  manufacturer  of  tacks,  it 
was  but  natural  for  David  B.  Gurney  to  fall 
into  line,  imbibing  as  he  grew  up  a  taste  for 


the  vocations  of  his  father.  Of  a  naturally 
robust  constitution,  his  early  work  upon  the 
farm  only  strengthened  him  physically  for  the 
great  application  he  later  gave  to  an  indoor 
business  life.  When  in  his  middle  teens  he 
was  apprenticed  to  his  father  in  the  manu- 
facture of  tacks,  and  learned  the  business  from 
one  end  of  the  factory  to  the  other,  and  from 
that  time  on  through  an  unusually  long,  ac- 
tive, busy  life  he  continued  the  business  of 
tack  manufacturing  and  soon  won  and-  ever 
afterward  held  a  large  place  in  the  life  of  his 
community  and  in  the  hearts  of  his  fellow 
townsmen.  On  the  retirement  from  active 
business  of  his  father  in  the  middle  fifties 
David  B.  Gurney  assumed  the  management  of 
the  business.  About  this  time  an  impetus  was 
given  to  the  business,  which  marked  the  be- 
ginning of  considerably  increased  facilities  for 
its  enlargement,  though  it  had  aheady  out- 
grown its  accommodations,  and  it  was  not  long 
until  the  tack  factory  of  David  B.  Gurney  com- 
prised an  extensive  building,  which  was  not 
only  used  as  a  factory,  but  for  various  other 
purposes.  It  was  situated  in  Centre  Abing- 
ton, on  a  stream  where  there  was  formerly  a 
sawmill  and  a  gristmill,  near  the  residence 
of  the  late  Capt.  Noah  Ford.  The  main  por- 
tion of  the  factory  was  erected  in  1854,  which, 
witli  additions  made  to  it  later,  was  110  feet 
in  length,  averaging  over  30  feet  in  width, 
two  stories  high,  with  a  capacious  basement, 
and  an  attic  tlie  whole  length ;  this  building 
was  divided  into  various  apartments,  the  main 
one  being  for  the  tack  business,  in  which  up 
to  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  were  placed  twenty 
tack  machines,  two  vibrating  machines  for  mak- 
ing shoe  nails,  and  one  for  heel  plates.  In 
another  room  there  was  a  board  and  shingle 
mill,  and  a  planing  machine.  There  was  also 
an  apartment  for  making  boxes,  etc.,  and  other 
places  for  the  storage  of  stock  and  prepared 
goods,  with  various  outbuildings,  the  whole  be- 
ing operated  by  steam  and  water  together,  or 
by  either  alone,  and  employment  was  given  to 
from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  persons,  turn- 
ing out  a  product  to  the  value  of  approxi- 
mately .$75,000  per  year. 

In  the  middle  seventies  the  business  of  Mr. 
Gurney  was  removed  from  Abington  Centre  to 
what  is  now  Whitman,  where  he  erected  com- 
modious buildings  in  keeping  with  the  most 
modern  improvements,  resulting  in  a  factory 
equipped  in  a  manner  to  make  it  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  in  the  country. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  Mr.  Gurney  was 
the  oldest  business  man  of  Whitman,  and  he 
was  considered  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  build- 


Prelet  Drake  Conant 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


737 


ing  up  of  the  town.  A  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  he  was  noted  for  his  honesty  in  every 
dealing,  -his  faithfulness  to  every  trust,  his 
conscientious  regard  for  the  welfare  of  others 
and  his  public  spirit.  He  was  the  oldest  tack 
manufacturer  in  the  world  in  active  business, 
having  been  engaged  in  that  line  of  manufac- 
ture from  the  time  he  was  eighteen  years  old, 
for  twenty  years  witli  his  father,  and  from 
1854  until  his  retirement  on  his  own  account. 
Though  past  ninety  at  the  time  of  his  demise 
he  had,  with. his  remarkably  good  health,  been 
able  to  look  after  the  business  personally  un- 
til a  few  years  before,  when  he  relinquished  the 
management  to  his  son,  David  A.  Gurney,  who 
has  since  continued  the  business  with  equal 
success.  The  product  of  his  factory  was  known 
all  over  the  country  and  noted  for  honest  value, 
and  all  Mr.  Gurney's  associates  and  employees 
loved  and  honored  him  as  the  soul  of  fairness 
in  every  transaction. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  as  the  years  came 
and  went  Mr.  Gurney  became  one  of  the  lead- 
ing factors  of  the  life  of  the  town.  He  was 
one  of  the  best  speakers  at  the  annual  town 
meetings.  He  seldom  said  much,  but  it  was  to 
the  point,  and  he  generally  carried  the  voters 
with  him.  Any  movement  for  the  advancement 
of  the  town  met  with  his  favor  and  he  always 
did  his  share  and  more  in  its  support.  He  al- 
ways was  a  friend  of  the  firemen,  and  the  first 
company  formed  in  the  town.  Hose  No.  1,  was 
named  in  his  honor.  In  manner  he  was  un- 
assuming and  unostentatious.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  convictions,  which  were  not  hastily 
formed,  nor  was  he  easily  led  from  them.  He 
was  from  early  years  a  strong  temperance  ad- 
vocate, and  became  a  Prohibitionist,  and  was 
three  times  the  candidate  ^of  the  Prohibition 
party  of  Massachusetts  for  tnte  office  of  secretary 
of  State,  having  such  associates  on  the  ticket 
as  the  distinguished  Wendell  Phillips  and  Eev. 
Dr.  Miner.  He  possessed  a  quick  sense  of  in- 
justice, and  was  a  persistent  enemy  of  slavery. 
On  the  coming  into  existence  of  the  Eepubli- 
can  party  he  strongly  supported  its  war  policy 
and  struggles  for  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Gurney  was  the  first  president  of  the 
Wliitman  National  Bank,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  founders,  and  served  as  such  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  he  was  also  one  of  the  trus- 
tees and  founders  of  the  Whitman  Savings 
Bank. 

When  a  young  man  Mr.  Gurney  became  iden- 
tified with  the  Baptist  Church,  and  the  churches 
of  his  community,  wherever  he  lived,  had  no 
stronger  pillar,  morally  or  financially,  than  he. 
For  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  church  of 

47 


that  denomination  in  South  Abington  and 
deacon  of  the  same.  He  served  on  the  pru- 
dential committee  and  was  a  liberal  contribu- 
tor to  the  society.  He  was  a  great  favorite  with 
the  young  people  of  the  town.  He  was  for- 
merly president  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  To  quote 
from  a  newspaper  article  published  at  the  time 
of  his  death :  "He  loved  the  golden  rule  and 
lived  it  hour  and  day  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
make  all  love,  admire  and  esteem  him.  He 
was  a  genial  gentleman,  full  of  fun,  pleasant 
with  all,  and  his  greeting  was  a  blessing." 

On  Sept.  6,  1837,  Mr.  Gurney  was  married 
to  Cementha,  daughter  of  Eli  and  Deborah 
(Harden)  Blanchard,  of  East  Bridgewater,  and 
to  them  were  born  children :  Ann,  who  mar- 
ried Charles  E.  Phillips;  Myra  B.,  widow  of 
Rev.  Leonard  B.  Hatch;  and  David  A. 

Mr.  Gurney  died  in  the  early  evening  of 
Aug.  3,  1906,  at  his  home  on  Washington 
street.  Whitman,  Mass.,  when  in  the  ninety- 
first  year  of  his  age.  Every  respect  was  shown 
on  the  day  of  the  funeral.  His  numerous 
friends  in  both  social  and  business  relations 
vied  in  doing  honor  to  his  memory.  Merchants 
closed  their  stores  during  the  services,  and  the 
Gurney  factory,  the  American  Shoe  Finding 
factory  and  the  Union  Shank  factory  were  also 
closed.  The  attendance  at  the  funeral  ser- 
vices was  representative,  all  the  public  and 
private  interests  of  the  town  being  represented 
in  the  large  gathering,  and  Rev.  Dr.  Stewart, 
the  pastor  of  his  church,  was  assisted  by  Rev. 
C.  L.  Jackson  of  Philadelphia,  a  former  pas- 
tor. The  remains  were  interred  in  Colebrook 
cemetery  beside  those  of  his  beloved  wife,  who 
had  passed  away  a   few  years  before. 

Mrs.  Gurney's  father,  Eli  Blanchard,  came 
from  Weymouth,  Mass.,  and  settled  in  East 
Bridgewater.  He  was  descended  from  Thomas 
Blanchard,  who  was  the  ancestor  of  the  larger 
part  of  the  New  England  families  of  the  name 
of  Blanchard.    He  came  from  London  in  1639. 

PRELET  DRAKE  CONANT  (deceased), 
former  merchant,  dealer  in  hardware,  paints, 
etc.,  was  long  one  of  thp  substantial  men  of  his 
adopted  city,  Fall  River.  A  native  of  the 
ancient  town  of  Attleboro,  Mass.,  Mr.  Conant 
was  of  Revolutionary  stock ;  his  grandfather, 
Timothy  Conant,  respectively  a  resident  of 
Rehoboth,  Norton  and  Brimfield,  Mass.,  per- 
formed service  in  defense  of  the  Colonies  dur- 
ing the  Revolution,  was  a  member  of  Capt. 
Dyer's  company  in  1776,  and  was  again  in 
the  service  as  a  member  of  Nathaniel  Carpen- 
ter's company,  Thomas  Carpenter's  regiment, 
in   1777.     Timothy  Conant    also    contributed 


738 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


funds  to  the  cause.  He  married  Sarah  Has- 
kins,  who  died  Feb.  23,  1826,  aged  seventy-four 
years.  He  died  March  5th  of  the  same  year, 
in  Norton  or  Brimfield,  Mass.  '  Their  children 
were:  Polly,  Nancy  (married  John  Lazell), 
Leonard,  Timothy,  Eoxanna  and  William. 

William  Conant,  son  of  Timothy  and  Sarah 
(Haskins)  Conant,  was  born  in  1795,  and  mar- 
ried Feb.  16,  1816,  Achsah  Eliza,  daughter  of 
Isaac  Perry,  of  Attleboro,  and  a  descendant  of 
Anthony  Perry,  who  came-  from  Devonshire, 
England,  in  1643,  and  settled  in  Rehoboth. 
Capt.  Samuel  Perry,  his  son,  served  in  King 
Philip's  war.  Samuel,  his  son,  was  the  father  of 
Isaac  Perry.  Mr.  Conant  died  July  17,  1823. 
His  children  were:  Lydia  Almeda,  born  Nov. 
4,  1818,  married  Horace  White,  and  died 
Dec.  17,  1879;  Vashta  Drake,  born  Aug.  24, 
1820,  died  Oct.  9,  1841;  Prelet  Drake  was 
born  Sept.  20,  1822;  and  Betsey  Jane,  born 
March  21,  1824,  died   Nov.  9,  1842. 

Prelet  Drake  Conant,  son  of  William  and 
Achsah  E.  (Perry)  Conant,  was  born  Sept.  20, 
1822,  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  and  after  h^s  mar- 
riage located  in  1843  in  Fall  River,  in  that 
part  of  the  village  which  for  a  time  was  Tiver- 
ton, E.  I. ;  and  from  that  early  period  through 
the  remainder  of  his  long  life  he  was  identi- 
fied with  and  a  part  of  the  business  life  and 
growth  of  the  great  industrial  city  it  has  be- 
come. Both  he  and  his  wife  took  part  in  the 
religious  and  reform  life  of  the  city.  In  youth 
Mr.  Conant  taught  school  and  later  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed  for 
many  years,  eventually  going  into  business  on 
Second  street,  where  he  sold  sash,  blinds  and 
hardware.  Years  later  he  associated  with  him 
his  son-in-law,  J.  0.  Neill,  as  a  partner,  the 
business  being  conducted  under  the  firm  name 
of  P.  D.  Conant  &  Co.  They  conducted  the 
business  together  on  Bedford  street,  until  in 
October,  1886,  when  the  senior  partner  retired 
from  the  firm  to  give  his  attention  to  car- 
ing for  his  various  interests.  Being  interested 
in  refofm  movements,  also  in  church  affairs, 
he  gave  much  of  his  time  and  attention  to 
these  matters.  For  many  years  he  served  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace. 

Mr.  Conant  was  radical  yet  conservative,  his 
ideas  of  reform  being  in  sympathy  with  some 
of  the  most  unpopular  movements  of  his  day. 
He  was  always  frank  and  open  in  his  advocacy 
of  the  prohibition  of  liquor  traffic,  and  in 
opposition  to  vaccination  laws;  was  in 
full  sympathy  with  liberal  movements  in  re- 
ligion, and  took  active  interest  to  the  last  in 
wholesome  social  undertakings,  having  encour- 
aged two  church  clubs  and  patronized  lecture 


courses  and  other  means  of  advancing  the  men- 
tal and  social  interests  of  the  community.  For 
years  he  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  casting  the 
first  Antislavery  vote  in  Tiverton,  Rhode 
Island. 

Mr.  Conant  was  a  director  in  the  Laurel 
Lake  Mills,  and  at  the  time  of  his'  death  was 
one  of  the  oldest  trustees  and  the  first  vice- 
president  of  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank,  as  well 
as  being  connected  with  various  other  enter- 
prises. In  religion  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Second  Baptist  Church  at  Fall  River.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Fall  River  Congregational 
Club,  of  St.  Mark's  Temple,  No.  23,  Templars 
of  Honor  and  Temperance,  of  Mount  Hope 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Mount  Hope  Lodge,  No. 
63,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  the  Fall  River  Board  of 
Trade,  Fall  River  Veteran  Firemen's  Associa- 
tion (including  the  beneficiary  branch),  and 
other  organizations. 

The  wif6  of  Mr.  Conant  was  formerly  Jane 
Monroe  Rounds,  and  they  were  married  Aug. 
6,  1843.  Their  children  were:  Mary  Jane, 
who  is  the  wife  of  Hon.  Joseph  0.  Neill,  of 
Fall  River,  who  has  a  sketch  immediately  fol- 
lowing; Thomas  Le  Prelette,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Thomas  Le  Prelette  (2),  who  died  aged 
thirteen  years ;  and  Minnie  Ida,  deceased.  They 
also  had  an  adopted  daughter,  Minnie  Ida  (2), 
who  married  in  1893  Ralph  W.  Reynolds.  Mr. 
Conant  died  at  his  residence.  No.  421  South 
Main  street.  Fall  River,  Mass.,  March  23,  1900,. 
when  in  the  .seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

Mrs.  Jane  Monroe  (Rounds)  Conant,  who- 
survived  her  husband  until  Dec.  17,  1905,  when 
her  death  occurred  in  Fall  River,  was  born  in 
Rehoboth,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Joshua  and' 
Meribah  (Monroe)  Rounds.  She  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  Deacon  Chase  Rounds,  of  Reho- 
both, also  of  Stephen  and  Meribah  (Shaw) 
Monroe  (who  were  married  in-  Bristol,  R.  I., 
in  1773),  and  descended  on  both  sides  from- 
Revolutionary  stock.  From  both  the  Rounds 
and  Monroe  sides  she  inherited  the  firmness 
and  persistency  of  character  which  marked  b&- 
many  of  the  early  New  England  families,  and 
throughout  her  life  she  was  of  positive  and 
unswerving  ways,  but  nevertheless  kind  and 
generous-hearted  and  well  beloved.  In  early 
womanhood  she  had  been  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  but  for  many  years  she  was 
a  devout  member  of  the  Central  Congrega- 
tional Church,  where  her  interest  in  benevolent 
enterprises  was  always  keen,  and  she  devoted' 
the  best  efforts  of  her  declining  years  to  its 
aid.  She  was  also  a  worker  in  other  local  or- 
ganizations devoted  to  the  public  good.  Both- 
she  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Neill,  were  mem- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


739 


bers  from  its  organization  of  the  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  and  ever  took  a 
deep  interest  in  its  affairs. 

HON.  JOSEPH  0.  NEILL,  citizen  soldier, 
merchant  and  public  official  of  Fall  Eiver,  was 
born  Jan.  31,  1837,  in  Calais,  Maine,  son  of 
William  and  Margaret  (Greenough)  Neill.  He 
acquired  a  common  school  education,  and  in 
young  life  was  variously  occupied,  making  at 
one  time,  in  1857,  a  voyage  to  Cuba  in  the 
ship  "Plumas."  Becoming  a  resident  of  Massa- 
chusetts, he  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  went 
to  the  front  in  his  country's  defense,  enlist- 
ing April  16,  1861,  in  Company  G,  4th  Regi- 
ment, Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia,  a  three 
months'  regiment.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that 
the  4th  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  Infantry 
was  the  first  to  reach  the  seat  of  war  in  Vir- 
ginia after  the  call  for  troops.  He  was  dis- 
charged from  the  service  July  28,  1861,  by 
reason  of  the  expiration  of  his  term,  during 
all  of  which  he  was  at  Portress  Monroe.  On 
Nov.  21,  1861,  young  Neill  reenlisted,  this 
time  from  the  same  place,  Taunton,  as  ser- 
geant in  Company  F,  29th  Regiment,  Massa- 
chusetts Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  mus- 
tered into  the  United  States  service  Nov.  25, 

1861,  and  on  May  18th  of  the  year  following, 

1862,  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant  and 
later  to  first  lieutenant,  resigning  the  latter 
position  to  return  home  and  raise  a  company 
for  the  60th  Massachusetts  Regiment,  under 
Col.  Ansel  D.  Wass.  In  July,  1864,  he  was 
commissioned  captain  of  Company  D,  60th 
Regiment,  from  Fall  River. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Captain  Neill  re- 
turned to  Fall  River  with  an  honorable  army 
record  and  locat€d  there  permanently.  He  en- 
tered the  employ  of  Prelet  D.  Conant,  his 
father-in-law,  whose  location  was  on  the  site 
of  the  present  post  office  on  Second  street. 
Some  years  later  he  was  taken  into  the  con- 
cern as  a  partner  of  Mr.  Conant,  and  upon  the 
retirement  from  business  of  Mr.  Conant,  in 
October,  1886,  Captain  Neill  succeeded  to  the 
business,  which  had  been  removed  to  its  pres- 
ent location  on  Bedford  street,  and  he  has 
since  successfully  conducted  it. 

It  was  not  long  after  Captain  Neill  had  be- 
come established  in  business  in  Fall  River  that 
be  began  to  take  an  active  part  and  interest  in 
the  public  affairs  of  the  city,  where  he  has  long 
been  prominent  in  civil  life.  He  was  a  candi- 
date against  Robert  Howard,  of  Fall  River,  for 
State  senator  in  1886,  1887,  1889,  1890,  1891 
and  1893,  but  was  defeated.     In  1888  he  re- 


ceived a  certificate  of  election  over  Mr.  How- 
ard, but  the  seat  was  successfully  contested  on 
the  ground  of  a  misspelled  ballot.  He  was 
senator  from  the  Second  Bristol  district  in 
1894,  1895  and  1896;  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  Federal  Relations  and  a  member 
of  the  committees  on  Public  Charitable  Insti- 
tutions and  Woman  Suffrage  in  1894;  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  Harbors  and  Public 
Lands,  and  a  member  of  the  committees  on 
Printing  and  Charitable  Institutions  in  1895; 
chairman  of  the  committee  on  Charitable  In- 
stitutions, and  a  member  of  those  on  Harbors 
and  Public  Lands  and  Public  Service,  in  1896; 
house  chaii^an  of  the  committee  on  Public 
Charitable  Institutions  and  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  Street  Railways  in  1897.  Cap- 
tain Neill  was  a  member  of  the  common  coun- 
cil of  Fall  River  in  1867,  alderman  in  1878 
and  1879,  and  water  commissioner  in  1891, 
1892  and  1893. 

Captain  Neill  is  a  member  of  Mount  Hope 
Lodge,  Fall  River  Chapter  and  Council  of 
Masons,  and  of  Fall  River  Lodge,  No.  29, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  commander  of  Richard  Bor- 
den Post,  No.  46,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Metacomet  Bank. 

On  July  31,  1863,  Captain  Neill  married 
Mary  Jane,  daughter  of  Prelet  D.  Conant, 
and  to  the  marriage  came  children  as  follows: 
Jessie  Lillian  married  William  Sydney  Bate- 
man,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  had  children, 
Dorothy  and  William  Sydney,  Jr. ;  Lena  May 
died  in  infancy;  Jennie  Le  Prelette  married 
William  Nichols  Emory,  of  Jacksonville,  Fla., 
and  they  reside  at  Monsey,  N.  Y. ;  Lena  May 
(2)  married  Albert  Worth  Howard,  of  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island. 

Mrs.  Neill  has  always  interested  herself  in 
club  affairs.  On  Nov.  9,  1896,  she  established 
the  Quequechan  Chapter  of  the  D.  A.  R., 
serving  as  regent  thereof  the  first  two  years, 
and  she  also  instituted  in  the  same  year  the 
Gen.  John  Swift  Chapter  of  the  C.  A.  R.  She 
is  an  associate  member  of  Orlando  Chapter, 
D.  A.  R.,  at  Orlando,  Fla.,  which  place  is  the 
winter  home  of  the  family.  She  has  been  a 
member  since  its  organization  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps;  is  a  member  of  the  New  Bed- 
ford Chapter,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star;  and 
of  Willing  Circle,  King's  Daughters. 

JOHN  T.  ROBERTSON,  banker  and 
broker,  one  of  the  substantial  and  successful 
business  men  of  Fall  River,  traces  his  ancestry 
in  maternal  lines  to  one  of  the  oldest  settled 
and  most  prominent  families  in  New  England 
— the  Church  family.     On  his  father's  side  he 


740 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


descends  from  sturdy  Scotcli  ancestry,  his 
grandfather,  David  Robertson,  liaving  been  a 
native  of  Scotland,  whence  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  settling  in  Fall  River,  Mass., 
where  he  was  employed  in  the  mills.  Here 
he  died  Oct.  18,  IHl'i,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 
His  wife,  whom  he  married  in  Scotland,  was 
Agnes  Wright,  and  they  had  a  large  family  of 
children. 

John  VV.  Roljertson,  son  of  David  and  father 
of  John  T.,  was  born  Aug.  l;i,  1832,  in  Fall 
River,  and  there  for  forty  years  was  engaged 
in  the  confectionery  business,  first  being  asso- 
ciated with  George  W.  Nowell  and  later  in 
business  for  himself.  His  location  for  many 
years  was  on  North  Main  street,  where  the 
Fall  River  Globe  ottice  stands.  He  retired  from 
business  a  few  years  before  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  12,  1901.  Mr.  Robertson  was 
married  in  1857  to  Jane  M.  Taber,  who  was 
bom  in  Fall  River  May  25,  1839,  daughter  of 
Stephen  MacPherson  and  Frances  Perkins 
(Church)  Taber,  he  for  many  years  a  merchant 
in  Fall  River.  Mrs.  Robertson  died  Oct.  24, 
1909.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Robertson,  John  T.  and  Fannie  C,  the  latter 
the  wife   of   Arthur   E.   Buffinton,   of   Boston. 

John  T.  Robertson  was  born  in  Fall  River 
Oct.  8,  1859,  and  completed  his  schooling  at 
the  Fall  River  high  school,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1877.  Immediately  after  his 
graduation  he  entered  the  office  of  Covel,  Haf- 
fards  &  Co.,  bankers  and  brokers,  as  a  boy  in 
the  office,  and  remained  with  the  firm  and  its 
successor,  G.  M.  Haffards,  in  the  capacity  of 
clerk  until  1884,  when  he  was  admitted  as  a 
partner  with  Mr.  Haffards,  the  firm  becoming 
G.  M.  Haffards  &  Company.  It  so  continued 
until  June,  1905,  when  Mr.  Haffards  retired 
from  the  firm,  Mr.  Robertson  succeeding  to  the 
sole  ownership  of  the  business,  which  is  still 
carried  on  under  the  name  of  G.  M.  Haffards 
&  Company. 

Mr.  Robertson's  business  training,  received 
under  the  preceptorship  of  so  able  a  man  as 
Mr.  Haffards,  was  such  that  he  is  given  high 
rank  among  the  capable  and  successful  men  of 
Fall  River.  His  individual  achievements  have 
shown  him  worthy  of  this  confidence.  In  his 
political  views  he  is  independent,  voting  for  the 
men  and  issues  of  which  he  approves  in  prefer- 
ence to  the  party  which  sponsors  them.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Union 
Savings  Bank.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Quequechan  Club,  of  Fall  River,  of  the  Pom- 
ham  Club,  and  of  the  Rhode  Island  Country 
Club  at  Providence.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Baptist  Church. 


On  Jan.  17,  1884,  Mr.  Robertson  was  mar- 
ried in  Fall  River  to  Alice  Cheetham,  a  native 
of  Fall  River,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Es- 
telle  (Buffinton)  Cheetham,  and  grand- 
daughter of  the  late  ex-mayor  and  Congress- 
man, James  Buffinton.  Four  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robertson:  (1) 
Wright  H.  graduated  from  the  Fall  River  high 
school  in  1904,  from  Yale  in  1908,  and  is  con- 
nected with  the  banking  firm  of  Tucker,  An- 
thony &  Co.,  at  Boston.  (2)  Alice  Estelle 
graduated  from  the  Fall  River  high  school  in 
190(5  and  from  the  National  Park  Seminary, 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  1908.  (3)  Harold  died 
in  infancy.      (4)    John  T.,  Jr. 


Chdech.  Mr.  Robertson  through  his  ma- 
ternal grandmother,  Frances  Perkins 
(Church)  Taber,  is  a  descendant  in  the  ninth 
generation  from  Richard  Church,  who  was 
born  in  England  in  1608  and  came  to  America 
with   Governor  Winthrop  in   1630. 

(I)  Richard  Church  was  bom  in  England 
in  1608.  and  came  to  America  with  Governor 
Winthrop  in  1630.  He  was  made  a  freeman 
Oct.  19,  1630,  but  did  not  take  the  oath.  He 
removed  from  Weymouth  to  Plymouth,  and 
there  on  Oct.  4,  1632,  was  made  a  freeman. 
He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  with  John 
Thompson  erected  the  first  meeting-house,  and 
built  the  first  gun  carriage  in  Plymouth,  in 
1637.  In  1649  he  sold  his  estate  there  and 
went  to  Eastham,  whence  in  1653  he  moved  to 
Charlestown,  and  four  years  later  was  located 
at  Hingham.  In  1664  he  was  at  Sandwich. 
He  was  often  a  member  of  the  grand  inquest 
and  frequently  made  referee.  As  a  soldier  in 
the  Pequot  war  he  held  the  rank  of  sergeant. 
His  will,  dated  Dec.  25,  1668,  provides  for 
his  widow,  and  gives  equal  portions  to  all  his 
children  except  his  son  Joseph,  who  had  a  lame 
hand,  and  to  him  his  father  gave  a  double 
portion.  In  1636  Richard  Church  married 
Elizabeth  Warren,  daughter  of  Richard  War- 
ren, the  latter  one  of  the  passengers  of  the 
"Mayflower."  She  died  in  Hingham  in  1670. 
Their  children  were:  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Cobb  Hobert,  and  died  in  1659 ;  Joseph,  bom 
in  1638,  who  married  Mary  Tucker,  and  died 
in  1711;  Benjamin,  bom  in  1639,  who  married 
Alice  Southworth,  and  died  Jan.  17,  1718; 
Nathaniel;  Caleb,  bom  in  1642,  who  married 
Joanna  Sprague,  and  died  in  1667;  Charles, 
who  was  killed  Oct.  30,  1659;  Richard,  who 
died  young  in  Plymouth ;  Abigail,  born  in 
1648,  who  married  Samuel  Thaxter,  and  died 
in  1677:  Hannah;  Sarah,  who  married  James 
Burroughs;  Lydia,  who  married  a  Frenchman, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  741 

and   went  to   France   in   1691;   Priscilla,  wife  was  knocked  overboard,  and  the  other  endeav- 

of  Jolm   Irish;    and   Deborah,   born   in    1657,  oring    to    rescue    liim,    both    were    drowned, 

who  married  William  Briggs,  of  Little,  Comp-  Capt.   Thomas   Sanford  found  the  vessel  with 

ton,  R.  I.,  and  died  Sept.   25,  1713.  a   light   in   the   cabin,   but  no   one   on    board. 

(II)  Nathaniel  Church,  son  of  Richard,  For  manj'  days  the  river  was  dredged,  cannon' 
was  a  farmer,  and  liis  land  included  the  bald  were  fired,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  recover 
hills  near  the  North  river  in  Scituate,  south  the  bodies,  but  all  in  vain.  On  hearing  of  his 
of  Cornet  Stetson's.  In  1665  he  married  disappearance  Captain  Church's  wife  became 
Sarah  Barstow,  of  Scituate,  daughter  of  Wil-  insane,  and  remained  so  for  some  years,  but 
liam  Barstow.  Their  children  were:  Abigail,  before  her  death  fully  recovered  her  reason, 
born  in  1666,  who  married  Nathaniel  Harlow;  In  her  maidenhood  .she  was  Sarah  Brightman, 
Richard,  born  in  1668 ;  Nathaniel,  born  in  and  her  marriage  to  Captain  Cliurch  took 
1670;  Alice,  born  in  1679;  Joseph,  born  in  place  in  1765.  Tlieir  children  were:  Ruth, 
1681,  who  died  in  1707;  Charles,  born  in  born  in  1767,  wdio  married  a  Mr.  Butts;  Ann, 
1681 ;  and  Sarah,  born  in  1683,  who  married  born  in  1768,  who  married  Feb.  12,  1792,  Abel 
John  Holmes.  Borden;  Susanna,  born  Dec.  4,  1773,  who  mar- 

(III)  Charles  Church,  son  of  Nathaniel,  ried  in  1793  Joseph  Borden;  Rebecca,  born 
was  born  in  1681,  and  upon  reaching  man's  in  1775,  who  married  in  1706  William  Bor- 
estate  engaged  in  a  seafaring  life,  becoming  den;  Sarah,  born  in  1777,  who  married  in  1800 
captain  of  a  vessel.  He  was  drowned,  with  Silas  Terry;  Joseph,  born  in  1779;  Prudence, 
Capt.  Constant  Church,  in  the  bay  opposite  bom  in  1784,  who  married  Preserved  Briggs, 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Fall  River,  Mns>..  and  died  in  May,  1859 ;  Hannah,  bom  in  1786, 
March  9,  1726.  He  married  Mary  Pope,  of  who  married  in  1807  Increase  Smith,  and  died 
Dartmouth,  and  they  lived  at  Plymouth  and  in  1863 ;  Mary,  born  in  1789,  who  married  in 
later  in  Freetown.  Their  children  were:  1813  Stephen  Hart,  and  died  in  1862;  and 
Charles,  born  in  1710;  Mary,  born  in  1719;  Lemuel,  bom  in  1793,  who  married  Betsey 
Susanna,    born    in    1721;    Hannah,    born    in  Simmons. 

1723;  Seth,  born  in  1724;  and  Alice,  bom  in         (VI)    Joseph  Church,  son  of  Capt.  Joseph, 

1726.  was  bom  Sept.  28,  1779,  and  he  departed  not 

(IV)  Charles  Church,  son  of  Capt.  Charles,  from  the  calling  of  his  ancestors,  but  early 
was  born  in  Plymouth  in  1710.  Like  his  shipped  before  the  mast,  becoming  in  due 
father  he  followed  the  sea  and  became  cap-  course  of  time  a  captain.  His  death  occurred 
tain  of  vessels.  After  his  father's  death  he  Oct.  5,  1858.  On  July  1.  1801,  he  married 
paid  to  William  -H.  Dyer,  Abraham  Gardner  Hannah  Peckham,  who  was  born  Sept.  6,  1786, 
and  Stephen  Hodges  one  hundred  and  fifty-  and  who  died  Dec.  37,  1868.  Their  children 
five  pounds,  ninepence,  halfpenny  due  them  were :  Julia  Ann,  bom  May  23,  1802,  married 
from  his  father.  He  died  May  6,  1763.  In  Nov.  4,  1829,  Dr.  E.  Richmond  Wade;  Ruth, 
1735  he  married  Frances  Turner,  and  they  bom  Feb.  24,  1804,  married  Oct.  5,  1820,  Capt. 
became  the  parents  of  children  as  follows :  Jacob  Brightman ;  Frances  Perkins  was  bom 
Charles,  born  in  1740,  married  lillias  Bowen,  May  31,  1805;  Calista,  born  Feb.  19,  1807, 
and  they  removed  to  St.  John,  New  Bruns-  died  unmarried  Jan.  13,  1842 ;  Joseph,  born 
wick,  Canada;  Joseph  was  born  in  1742;  Mary,  Feb.  20,  1809,  married  March  27.  1834, 
born  in  1744,  married  in  1763  Stephen  Bor-  Jemima  Boomer,  and  died  Aug.  16,  1887 ;  Isaac, 
den;  Hannah,  born  in  1746,  married  in  1775  born  Sept.  19,  1810,  married  Sept.  7,  1837, 
Daniel  Boomer;  Seth,  born  March  1,  1749,  Mary  Ann  Harris,  and  died  Oct.  1,  1838; 
married  in  1770  Elizabeth  Palmer,  and  he  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  9,  1812,  died  Feb.  6, 
became  a  sea  captain,  dying  Feb.  16,  1797;  1844;  Benjamin  Barber,  born  June  3,  1814, 
Benjamin  in  1785  married  (first)  Mehitable  married  Sept.  4,  1835,  Amelia  Lorel  Chase,  and 
Triby  and  (second)  Elizabeth  Phillips,  and  died  Jan.  26,  1882:  Sarah,  born  Feb.  7,  1816, 
died  Nov.  25,  1833 ;  Susanna  in  1774  married  married  Aug.  24,  1838,  Jirah  B.  Petty,  a  mer- 
George  Borden;  and  John.  chant  of  Fall  River',  and  died  March  6,  1872; 

(V)  Joseph  Church,  son  of  (IV)  Capt.  Lemuel,  bom  March  30,  1818,  died  Sept.  1, 
Charles,  was  born  in  1742,  and  in  his  youth  1820;  Hiram,  born  July  19,  1819,  died  Dec. 
answered  the  call  of  the  sea.  He  was  drowned  25,  1819 ;  Janette,  born  May  13,  1822,  married 
at  Bristol  Ferry,  R.  I.,  in  1816.  He  had  a  Nov.  22,  1842,  Charles  A.  "Swasey,  a  sea  cap- 
cargo  of  wood  from  Fall  River  to  Providence,  tain;  and  Lemuel  (2),  born  Aug.  1,  1826,  mar- 
aud with  Thomas  Chaloner  was  returning  to  ried  June  30,  1850,  Mary  Ann  Baker,  and 
his  sloop  when,  it  is  supposed,  one  of  the  men  removed  to  California.     Capt.  Joseph  Church, 


742 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  father  of  the  above  family,  was  captain  of 
a  packet  running  between  Providence  and  Fall 
Eiver,  and  made  his  home  in  the  latter  place,, 
where  his  children  were  all  born. 

(VII)  Frances  Perkins  Church,  bom  May 
21,  1805,  married  Oct.  U,  1827,  Stephen 
MacPherson  Taber,  a  merchant  of  Fall  Eiver, 
and  died  Oct.  24,  1880. 

(VIII)  Jane  M.  Taber  married  John  W. 
Robertson. 

(IX)  John  T.  Robertson. 

GEORGE  GIBBS.  The  Gibbs  family  of 
Wareham  has  had  many  sailors  and  captains 
of  ships,  but  it  has  also  given  to  the  town  and 
country  many  worthy  citizens  wliose  success 
has  been  won  in  various  lines  of  endeavor.  One 
of  the  latter  is  George  Gibbs,  who,  though  the 
active  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  main 
away  from  Massachusetts,  nevertheless  returned 
to  pass  his  eventide  in  the  home  of  his  fathers, 
and  now  is  a  respected  citizen  of  his  native 
town.  Mr.  Gibbs  was  born  in  Wareham  March 
25,  1842,  son  of  Capt.  George  Gibbs. 

The  first  of  the  name  of  Gibbs  in  tliis  sec- 
tion of  Massachusetts  was  Thomas  Gibbs,  who 
settled  at  Sandwich,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1639. 
His  children  were:  John,  bonr  Sept.  12,  1634; 
Thomas,  May  23,  1636;  Samuel,  June  23, 
1639;  Sarah,  April  11,  1652;  Job  and  Betliiah, 
twins,  April  15,  1655;  May,  Aug.  12,  1657; 
and  Samuel,  June  23,  1659. 

From  one  of  the  above  named  sons  de- 
scended the  Wareham  family  of  Gibbs,  and  this 
one  is  supposed  to  have  been  John  Gibbs.  Ac- 
cording to  the  late  William  T.  Davis,  in  his 
"Ancient  Landmarks  of  Plymouth,"  the  chil- 
dren of  John  and  his  wife  Hester  were :  Joshua, 
born  in  1690;  Nancy,  1695;  Jane,  1697;  John, 
1699;  Hannah,  1701;  and  Experience,  1703 
(married  Benjamin  Cornish). 

Joshua  Gibbs,  son  of  John,  born  in  1690, 
married  Mercy,  and  their  children,  according 
to  Davis,  were:  Temperance,  born  in  1712; 
Ruth,  1715;  Mercy,  1717;  Betsey,  1720;  Josh- 
ua, 1724;  John,  1725;  and  Phebe,  1727.  After 
the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Wareham 
Joshua  Gibbs  was  chosen  the  first  constable  of 
the  new  town,  and  later  held  the  office  of  select- 
man, taking  a  very  prominent  part  in  public 
affairs. 

Joshua  Gibbs,  son  of  Joshua,  born  in  1724, 
was  married  by  Ezra  Bourne,  Esq.,  justice  of 
the  peace,  to  Rebecca  Swift,  of  Sandwich,  on 
Nov.  10,  1748.  She  died  Aug.  18,  1752,  aged 
twenty-nine  years.  He  married  (second)  Han- 
nah (maybe  Haskell,  the  records  showing  the 
marriage  of  a  Joshua  Gibbs  and  Hannah  Haskell 


on  Jan.  11,  1759),  who  died  July  8,  1813, 
aged  eighty  years.  He  died  May  22,  1793,  and 
both  were  buried  at  Wareham.  The  cliildren 
born  to  Joshua  Gibbs,  all  but  the  eldest  to  the 
second  marriage,  were:  Joshua,  born  Oct.  29, 
1751;  Rebecca,  Dec.  25,  1759;  Joseph,  Sept. 
17,  1761;  Bethiah,  Nov.  13,  1764;  Abraham, 
Sept.  26,  1765;  Andrew,  Jan.  3,  1768;  Bethiah 
(2),  March  7,  1771;  Abigail,  Aug.  20,  1773; 
George,  Sept.  10,  1775  (died  in  infancy)  ; 
George  (2),  Sept.  20,  1776;  and  Moses,  Nov. 
27,  1778. 

Joshua  Gibbs,  son  of  Joshua  and  Rebecca, 
born  Oct.  29,  1751,  grew  to  manhood  in  the 
town  of  Wareham.  From  early  boyhood  he  fol- 
lowed a  seafaring  life,  and  was  part  owner 
and  master  of  several  vessels  that  were  engaged 
in  the  coasting  trade  and  also  in  trade  with 
foreign  ports.  He  was  strictly  honest  in  all 
his  dealiilgs,  and  was  very  outspoken  in  his 
views.  He  was  deeply  religious,  and  very  much 
interested  in  church  work,  and  for  many  years 
held  the  office  of  deacon.  He  was  opposed  to 
music  in  the  church,  especially  to  the  bass  viol, 
which  he  called  the  "devil's  instrument,"  and 
he  would  not  attend  church  when  it  was  played. 
The  minister  of  the  church  in  which  he  was 
deacon  comj^romised  with  him  by  having  the 
objectionable  instnmient  barred  out  on  the 
third  Sunday  of  eacli  month,  and  on  those  Sun- 
days the  Captain  was  in  his  pew.  During  the 
Revolution  he  enlisted  in  Capt.  Israel  Fearing's 
company,  which  marched  on  the  alami  of  April 
19,  1775,  to  Marshfield,  serving  four  days.  He 
died  at  his  home  May  6,  1839,  in  his  eighty- 
seventh  year,  and  was  buried  at  Wareham. 
The  house  in  which  he  resided  is  still  in  the 
family,  being  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his 
grandson,  George  Gibbs.  He  married  Dec.  18, 
1783,  Hannah  Crowell,  of  Falmouth,  who  died 
Aug.  16,  1847,  aged  ninety-eight  years,  seven 
months,  seven  days.  Their  children  were : 
Sylvia,  born  Sept.  17,  1784,  married  Capt. 
Hallett  Swift,  and  died  Feb.  18,  1859;  Ste- 
phen was  born  Sept.  5,  1786;  Moses,  born 
July  29,  1788,  died  May  8,  1834;  Charles,  bom 
July  17,  1790,  died  Nov.  10,  1811;  Calvin, 
born  Aug.  22,  1792,  died  July  4,  1868;  Abi- 
gail, born  Dec.  8,  1795,  married  Naman  Dil- 
lingham, and  died  March  11,  1864;  Joshua 
was  born  March  26,  1798;  George  was  born 
June  6.  1800;  Hannah,  born  Sept.  23,  1802, 
married  Lewis  Kinney,  and  died  Aug.  26,  1869. 

Capt.  George  Gibbs,  son  of  Deacon  Joshua, 
was  born  in  Wareham  June  6,  1800,  and  was 
educated  in  the  local  schools  of  his  native  town. 
At  an  early  age  he  went  to  sea,  his  first  voj'age 
being  with   Capt;   Ansel   Gibbs.      He   followed 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


743 


whaling  for  many  years  as  master  of  the 
"George  Washington,"  and  later  of  the  "Hunt- 
ress," owned  by  Robert  Gibbs,  of  New  Bedford. 
He  sailed  from  the  latter  port  on  his  last  voy- 
age, being  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Karaginskii, 
an  island  which  was  uncharied.  He  was  res- 
cued from  the  island  by  Captain  Seabury,  later 
being  transferred  to  the  vessel  of  his  nephew, 
Capt.  Benjamin  Fearing  Gibbs,  and  was  landed 
at  San  Francisco,  returning  to  Wareham  via 
Panama.  After  returning  home  in  1853  he 
determined  to  give  up  the  sea  and  to  engage 
in  business.  Accordingly  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  J.  H.  Hall  and  Lewis  Kinney,  and 
under  the  name  of  the  Weweantitt  Nail  Com- 
pany they  carried  on  business  until  1859,  when 
Captain  Gibbs  met  with  a  serious  accident, 
from  the  effect  of  which  he  died  Feb.  5,  1859, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-nine;  he  was  buried  in 
Wareham  cemetery.  In  his  church  views  he 
was  liberal,  and  in  politics  a  Whig.  He  was 
active  in  town  affairs,  and  served  as  selectman, 
overseer  of  the  poor  and  assessor. 

On  Dec.  3,  1835,  Capt.  George  Gibbs  was 
married  at  Falmouth  to  Mary  F.  Shiverick, 
bom  at  Falmouth,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Salome  (Fearing)  Shiverick.  She  died  Aug. 
2,  1845,  and  was  buried  in  Wareham  cemetery. 
To  this  union  were  born  four  children:  Moses, 
born  Sept.  7,  1836,  died  June  27,  1858 ;  George 
S.,  born 'July  16,  1840,  died  Sept.  2/,  1841; 
George,  Jr.,  was  born  March  25,  1842 ;  Mary, 
horn  Aug.  20,  1845,  resides  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Wareham.  Captain  Gibbs  married 
(second)  Nov.  16,  1846,  Salome  Shiverick, 
sister  of  his  first  wife.  She  died  Aug.  27,  1894, 
and  was  buried  at  Wareham.  There  were  no 
•children  by  the  second  marriage. 

George  Gibbs,  son  of  Capt.  George,  was  born 
March  25,  1842,  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  at  Peirce  Academy,  at  Middle- 
boro.  After  leaving  school  he  remained  nt 
home  until  1862,  when  lie  became  a  clerk  in 
a  wholesale  grocery  house  in  Boston,  where  he 
spent  six  years.  In  1868  he  went  to  Kentucky, 
and  there  along  the  mountain  range  he  was 
■employed  as  an  expert  mining  engineer  for 
the  Eastern  Kentucky  Railway  Company  for 
upward  of  forty  years,  rising  to  the  position  of 
chief  engineer.  During  all  those  years  away 
from  New  England  he  never  lost  interest  in 
liis  old  home,  his  family  returning  for  the 
summers.  After  retiring  from  active  work 
Mr.  Gibbs  returned  to  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood and  youth,  and  there  in  Wareham  has 
since  occupied  the  old  ancestral  homestead. 
In  his  political  faith  Mr.  Gibbs  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  but  has  never  taken  an  active  part 


in  party  work.     His  family  attend   the  Con- 
gregational Church. 

Mr.  Gibbs  was  married  in  Plymouth,  Mass., 
Aug.  18,  1875,  to  Elizabeth  T.  Hodge,  who 
was  born  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  daughter  of 
James  Thatcher  and  Mary  Spooner  (Russell)' 
Hodge.  To  this  union  have  been  born  children 
as  follows:  Laura  Russell,  born  in  November, 
1876,  was  graduated  from  the  Illinois  State 
University,  was  formerly  assistant  librarian  at 
Radclifle,  and  is  now  holding  a  similar  position 
at  Brown  University,  Providence.  George, 
born  in  January,  1878,  graduated  from  the 
Illinois  State  University  with  the  degree  of 
B.  S.,  and  from  Harvard  in  the  class  of  1903, 
and  is  now  engaged  as  a  landscape  architect. 
Elizabeth  H.,  born  in  May,  1879,  graduated 
from  the  Illinois  State  University,  and  is  now 
teaching  music.  Charlotte  M.,  born  in  1885, 
graduated  from  the  Illinois  State  University, 
and  is  now  teaching  in  her  alma  mater. 


Michael  Hodge,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Gibbs, 
was  born  in  Newburyport  in  1780,  and  in  1814 
married  Betsey  Hayward,  daughter  of  James 
Thatcher  and  widow  of  Daniel  Robert  Elliott, 
of  Savannah,  Ga.  James  Thatcher  Hodge, 
son  of  Michael  and  Betsey  Hayward  Hodge, 
born  in  1816,  in  Plymouth,  married  in  1846 
Mary  Spooner  Russell,  daughter  of  John  Rus- 
sell, and  had  children :  Elizabeth  Thatcher, 
born  in  1846,  married  George  Gibbs,  of  Ware- 
ham ;  John  Russell,  born  in  1847,  married 
Harriet  Evans,  daughter  of  Seth  Evans,  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio;  James  Michael  was  born  in 
1850;  Mary  is  unmarried. 

The  Russell  family  was  brought  to  this 
country  by  John  Russell,  who  came  from  Scot- 
land and  settled  at  Plymouth.  He  married 
in  1757  Mary  Foster,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Foster,  and  they  had  ten  children. 

Jolin  Russell  (2),  son  of  John  and  Mary, 
lx>rn  in  1758,  married  in  1786  Mary  Jackson, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Jackson,  and  had  seven 
cliildren. 

John  Russell  (3),  son  of  John  (2),  born  in 
1786,  married  in  1816  Deborah  Spooner, 
(laughter  of  Nathaniel  Spooner,  and  they  had 
four  children :  Mary  Spooner.  who  married 
James  Thatcher  Hodge ;  John  J. ;  Helen,  who 
married  (first)  William  Davis  and  (second) 
W.  H.  Whitman ;  and  Laura. 

The  Thatcher  family  is  traced  to  Anthony 
Thatcher,  whose  son  John,  liorn  at  Yarmouth, 
Mass:,  married  in  1664  Rebecca  Winslow, 
daughter  of  Josiah  Winslow,  and  had  children, 
Peter,  Josiah  and  John. 

John  Thatcher  (2),  son  of  John  and  grand- 


744 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


son  of  Anthony,  born  in  1675,  married  in  1698 
Desire   (Sturgis)   Dimmock,  a  widow. 

John  Thatcher  (3),  son  of  John  (2)  and  De- 
sire, born  in  1703  at  Yarmouth,  married  Con- 
tent Norton,  daughter  of  Samuel  Norton,  of 
Chilmark. 

James  Thatcher,  son  of  John  (3)  and  Con- 
tent, bom  in  1754,  was  a  physician  and 
Burgeon,  and  as  such  served  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  He  married  Susanna  Hayward, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Hayward,  of  Bridge- 
water,  and  they  had  a  daughter  Betsey. 

Betsey  Hayward,  daughter  of  James,  born 
in  1785,  married  Daniel  Robert  Elliott,  of 
Savannah,  Ga.,  and  (second)  Michael  Hodge, 
of  Newburyport. 

James  Thatcher  Hodge,  son  of  Betsey  by  her 
second  marriage,  married  Mary  Spooner  Rus- 
sell, and  their  daughter,  Elizabeth  Thatcher, 
married  George  Gibbs. 

GEORGE  E.  WILBUR,  president  of  the 
Weir  Stove  Company,  etc.,  of  Taunton,  was 
born  July  29,  1844,  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.  Mr. 
Wilbur  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Samuel  Wild- 
bore,  as  the  name  was  then  written,  one  of 
New  England's  pioneers.  His  Wilbur  lineage 
from  Samuel  Wildbore  is  through  Shadrach, 
Shadrach  (2),  Benjamin,  Benjamin  (2)  and 
Benjamin  Godfrey  Wilbur.  These  generations 
in  the  order  named  and  somewhat  in  detail 
follow. 

(I)  Samuel  Wildbore  came  to  Boston  not 
later  than  1633,  he  appearing  first  of  record 
there  in  the  first  church  at  Boston  in  Massa- 
chusetts Colony,  to  which  church  he  and  his 
wife  Ann  were  admitted  Dec.  1,  1633.  Mrs. 
Wildbore  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Bradford, 
of  Dorchester,  in  the  south  part  of  the  County 
of  York,  England.  Samuel  Wildbore  here  in 
New  England  married  a  second  wife,  Eliza- 
beth, who  was  admitted  to  the  church  at  Bos- 
ton Nov.  19,  1645.  Mr.  Wildbore  was  admitted 
a  freeman  of  Boston  in  1634.  He  bought 
largely  in  the  town  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  re- 
moved thither  with  his  family.  There  he,  with 
others,  embraced  the  doctrines  of  Cotton  and 
Wheelwright,  and  they  were  banished  from  the 
Province  in  1637.  He  then,  with  others,  fled 
to  Providence  and  purchased,  under  the  ad- 
vice of  Roger  Williams,  from  the  Indians  the 
island  of  Aquidneck,  to  which  place  he  re- 
moved his  family  early  in  1638.  Mr.  Wildbore, 
however,  did  not  remain  in  Rhode  Island.  He 
returned  to  Boston  in  1G45,  maintaining  a 
home  both  in  Taunton  and  in  Boston.  With 
some  associate  he  built  and  put  in  operation 
an  iron  furnace  in  that  part  of  Taunton  which 


is  now  Raynham,  said  to  have  been  the  first 
built  in  New  England.  He  was  a  man  of 
wealth  for  that  period,  and  evidently  of  re- 
spectable standing  in  society,  exerting  a  wide- 
influence  in  each  of  the  places  where  he  dwelt^ 
His  death  occurred  in  1656.  His  four  sona 
were  Samuel,  Joseph,  William  and  Shadrach, 
and  he  probably  had  a  daughter,  Sarah.  To 
Samuel  lie  left  his  lands  in  Rhode  Island,  and 
to  Joseph  and  Shadrach  his  real  estate  in 
Taunton.  On  the  death  of  the  father  the  sons 
in  general  spelled  the  name  Wilbor. 

(II)  Shadrach  Wilbor,  youngest  son  of 
Samuel,  settled  in  that  part  of  Taunton  which 
became  the  town  of  Raynham,  and  on  lands  of 
his  father  which  came  into  his  possession 
eventually  by  bequest.  He  married  (first) 
Mary  Deane,  who  died  March  27,  1691,  and 
(second)  Sept.  16,  1692,  Mrs.  Hannah  (Bass) 
Paine,  widow  of  Stephen.  The  county  rec- 
ords  of    Bristol   county   show   his   children   tO' 

•have  been  :  Mary,  born  March  18,  1662,  died 
at  thirteen  years  of  age;  Samuel,  born  April 
1,  1663;  Rebecca,  born  Jan.  18,  1665;  Han- 
nah, born  Feb.  14,  1668  (died  at  seven);  Jo- 
seph, born  July  27,  1670;  Shadrach,  bom  Dec. 
5,  1672;  John,  born  March  2,  1675;  Eleazer, 
born  July  1,  1677;  and  Benjamin,  born  Julj 
23,  1683;  and  it  is  conjectured  that  he  had  a 
daughter  Sarah  (born  March  18,  1661),  as 
in  his  will  a  legacy  is  given  to  "daughter  Sarah,, 
wife  of  Samuel  Hoar."  The  father,  Shadrach 
Wilbor,  was  evidently  a  man  of  wealth  and 
influence  in  his  day.  He  represented  the  town 
in  the  Provincial  government,  and  was  town 
clerk  for  thirty-five  consecutive  years.  His  will 
was  dated  Sept.  12,  1696,  and  probated  the- 
following  March.  He  died  in  February,  1697- 
98. 

(III)  Shadrach  Wilbor  (2),  born  Dec.  5, 
1672,  married  March  20,  1700,  Joanna  Neal, 
born  May  27,  1680,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Hannah  (Pray).  He  settled  upon  a  farm  in 
that  part  of  Taunton  which  became  RajTiham. 
He  died  Nov.  8,  1749.  Their  children  were: 
Shadrach,  born  about  1700,  married  Anna 
Hackett  and  (second)  Mehetabel  White; 
Meschach,  born  about  1702,  married  Elizabeth 
Leonard ;  Joseph  married  Susanna  Harris ; 
Jacob  married  Mary  Harris;  Abijah,  bom  in 
1716.  married  Phgbe  White;  Ebenezer  mar- 
ried Lydia  Deane;  Philip  married  Mary  Leon- 
ard ;  Benjamin  is  the  next  in  line. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Wilbor,  son  of  Shadracb 
(2),  married  (first)  June  24,  1742,  Elizabeth 
Leonard,  who  died  Sept.  17,  1756.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Aug.  4,  1757,  Elizabeth  Eddy, 
born   in    1722,   widow   of   Paul   Leonard   and 


'L^. 


6.  ^r.u^^ 


^^--^__ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


745 


daughter  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Leonard) 
Hodges.  Mr.  Wilbor  died  Aug.  16,  1763,  and 
his  second  wife  died  Nov.  30,  1765.  His  chil- 
dren, all  save  one  born  to  the  first  marriage, 
were:  Sarah;  Daniel;  Jonathan,  born  in  1751, 
who  married  Priscilla  Partridge;  Samuel,  born 
in  1753,  who  married  (first)  Sarah  Gilmore 
and  (second)  Peddy  Briggs,  and  died  Feb.  2, 
1832;  Benjamin,  born  in  1755;  Abithar,  born 
Aug.  26,  1756;  and  Elizabeth,  baptized  July 
5,  1761,  born  to  the  second  wife. 

(V)  Benjamin  Wilbor  (2),  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Elizabeth  (Leonard)  Wilbor,  born  in 
1755,  was  twice  married,  the  second  time  in 
1793  to  Bathsheba  Godfrey.  The  latter  died 
July  14,  1844,  aged  eighty-four  years  (Taun- 
ton town  record) — a  widow  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  A  son,  Benjamin  Godfrey,  was  bom 
to  them;  and  perhaps  others.  The  first  pro- 
prietor of  the  "Wilbur  House"  in  Fall  River 
was  a  half  brother  of  Benjamin  G.  Wilbur; 
he  had  a  son  who  succeeded  him.  A  Benjamin 
Wilbore  of  Taunton  was  a  private  in  Capt. 
Robert  Crosman's  company  of  minute-men,  Col. 
Nathaniel  Leonard's  regiment,  which  marched 
April  20,  1775,  in  response  to  the  alarm  of 
April  19,  1775,  to  Roxbury;  service  twelve 
days.  A  Benjamin  Wilbore  of  Taunton  was 
sergeant  in  Capt.  Joshua  Wilbore's  company. 
Col.  George  Williams'  regiment,  service  twenty- 
five  days,  at  Rhode  Island,  on  the  alarm  of 
Dec.   8,  1776. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Godfrey  Wilbur,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Bathsheba  (Godfrey)  Wilbor, 
bom  March  3,  1805,  married  (first)  Nov.  29, 
1827,  Sophia  W.  Colby,  who  died  Sept.  1,  1839. 
He  married  (second)  Nov.  1.  1840,  Polly 
(Martin)  Hicks,  widow  of  Ira  W.  Hicks.  He 
died  Dec.  25,  1882,  aged  seventy-seven  years, 
nine  months,  twenty-two  days.  She  died  March 
12,  1884,  aged  seventy-two  years,  four  months, 
nineteen  days.  His  children  were:  Mary  Ann, 
bom  April  12,  1829;  Benjamin  F.,  Nov.  29, 
1830;  Helen  A.,  June  3,  1832;  Sarah  J.,  Jan. 
20,  1834;  James,  May  28,  1835;  Elizabeth, 
April  25,  1838  (all  bom  to  the  first  marriage)  ; 
Darius  M.,  Aug.  7,  1842  (died  Jan.  2,  1890)  ; 
George  E.,  July  29,  1844;  and  Charles  A., 
March  3,  1852. 

(VII)  George  E.  Wilbur,  son  of  Benjamin 
Godfrey  and  Polly  (Martin-Hicks)  Wilbur,  as 
stated, "was  born  July  29,  1844,  in  Eehoboth, 
Mass.  When  he  was  but  three  years  of  age  his 
parents  removed  to  Weir.  George  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  the  Weir, 
and  then  was  privileged  to  attend  a  private 
class  of  thirty  or  forty  pupils,  conducted  by 
Rev.  Mr.   Collins,  in  the  vestry  of  the  Win- 


slow   Congregational    church    for    two    years. 
These  years  under  Mr.  Collins  Mr.  Wilbur  re- 
garded as  the  most  valuable  in  all  his  school 
life,  the  comradeship  existing  between  teacher 
and  pupils  stimulating  ambition  until  it  made 
the  acquisition  of  learning  a  pleasure.     Leav- 
ing school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  went  into 
the  Bay  State  Screw  Factory  for  a  year,  after 
which  he  learned  the  machinist's  trade  in  the 
Mason  Machine  Works.     He    was    next    em- 
ployed in  the  Taunton  Locomotive  Works.    In 
August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  4th 
Mass.   V.  I.,  under  Capt.   Charles   Paul,  and 
served  for  eleven  months.     During  his  army 
service  he  was  in  the  Department  of  the  Gulf, 
and  was  located  at  New  Orleans.     On  his  re- 
turn  to   Massachusetts   he   again   secured   em- 
ployment in  the  Taunton  Locomotive  Works, 
where  he  remained  until   he  went  to  Mystic, 
Conn.,  to  work  at  his  trade.     During  his  stay 
there  he  shipped  as  fireman  on  an  American 
steamer  bound  from   Mystic  to   New   Orleans. 
In  the   latter  city    he    worked    about    seven 
months,  and  then  shipped  as  engineer  on  a  gov- 
ernment dispatch  boat,  on  which  he  worked  for 
four  months.  Illness  made  it  necessary  for  him 
to  give  up  his  work  at  this  time  and  return 
home.  For  a  second  time  he  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Bay  State  Screw  Company,  and  he  re- 
mained with  them  three  years.    As  a  boy  things 
mechanical  appealed  to  him,  and  as  he  grew 
older  the  solution  of  any  problem  pertaining 
to  the  making  or  the  operation  of  machinery 
gave  him  great  pleasure.     He  learned  the  trade 
of  patternmaking,  and  worked  at  this  for  two 
years    for    Samuel    Miller.     At    the    age    of 
twenty-four  he  had  established  a  pattern-mak- 
ing business  of  his  own,  making  stove  patterns, 
and  working  for  the  Union  Furnace  Company, 
for  the  Taunton   Iron   Works  and   for   Samp- 
son Perkins.     He  carried  on  his  trade  as  pat- 
ternmaker for  six  or  seven  years.     In  January, 
1879,   the   well   known   Weir    Stove    Company 
was   formed,   the   constituent  members   of  the 
firm   being    Mr.    Wilbur,    William    E.    Walker 
and    Charles    F.    Baker    (deceased).      Digging 
for  the   foundation   of  the  present  plant   was 
immediately  begun,  and  on  Feb.  28,  1879,  the 
first  melt  was  made.     In  the   assignment   of 
the  branches  of  the  manufacture  Mr.  Wilbur 
looked  after  the  designing  and  making  of  pat- 
terns   and    the    keeping    of    the    books.     Mr. 
Walker  was  the  salesman,  and  Mr.  Baker,  a 
molder   by   trade,   looked    after   the   foundry. 
Upon    the    reorganization,    into   a   stock    com- 
pany, Mr.  Wilbur  became  president  and  Mr. 
Baker  treasurer.     From  the  beginning  it  was 
evident  that  hard  work  was  to  be  shared,  as 


746 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


their  means  were  small  and  their  credit  was 
yet  to  be  established.  In  the  first  days  five 
men  were  employed,  but  now,  as  the  largest 
stove  foundry  in  New  England,  over  four 
hundred  people  (of  whom  135  are  molders) 
are  on  the  payroll.  The  three  partners — un- 
til Mr.  Baker's  death,  and  since  then  the  sur- 
viving two — have  cooperated  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  plant  with  the  utmost  harmony.  The 
Weir  Stove  Company  now  owns  the  controlling 
interest  in  the  Standard  Stove  Lining  Com- 
pany, of  Taunton.  In  addition  they  own  a  con- 
trolling interest  in  six  large  house  furnishing 
stores  throughout  New  England,  and  located  at 
Worcester,  Springfield,  Pittsfield,  Brockton,  in 
Massachusetts,  and  Lewiston  and  Waterville, 
in  Maine.  Of  most  of  the  companies  repre- 
sented by  these  stores  Mr.  Wilbur  is  president. 
He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Bristol  County  Savings 
Bank.  He  is  a  Methodist  in  religious  faith, 
and  is  a  member  and  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  the  Weir.  He  is  a  member  of 
Alfred  Baylies  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the 
Weir;  St.  Mark's  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Taun- 
ton; and  St.  John's  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of 
Providence.  He  was  master  of  his  lodge  one 
year  and  district  deputy  two  years.  In  politics 
he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  has 
served  both  as  councilman  and  as  alderman. 

Mr.  Wilbur  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
union  being  to  Sarah  A.  Phillips,  of  Berkley, 
and  his  second  to  Julia  G.  Allen,  of  Taunton. 
They  had  an  adopted  daughter.  Bertha  Frances 
Briggs,  who  married  Harry  W.  Forbes,  of 
Taunton,  and  died  Nov.  9,  1901,  leaving  three 
children :  Wilbur  Emmons,  Allen  B.  an4 
Rachel.  In  all  that  he  has  accomplished  Mr. 
Wilbur  stands  out  a  typical  representative  of 
the  progressive  self-made  man  of  New  Eng- 
land. 

MARTIN.  Through  his  mother  Mr.  Wilbur 
is  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Martin  and  his 
second  wife  Mercy. 

Hezekiah  Martin,  son  of  John  and  Mercy, 
born  Sept.  7,  1719,  married  (intentions  pub- 
lished) March  28,  1740,  Hannah  Andros. 
They  were  both  of  Rehoboth.  Their  children 
were:  Hannah,  born  Oct.  28,  1741;  Hezekiah, 
Aug.  12,  1743  (died  Feb.  11,  1744)  ;  Anne, 
Sept.  15,  1745;  Gideon,  July  4,  1747;  Heze- 
kiah (2),  March  22,  1748-49;  Mary,  June  10, 
1753;  Luce,  March  15,  1756;  Ephraim,  May 
9,  1758;  Sarah,  April  6,  1761;  and  Abigail, 
July  19,  1763. 

Hezekiah  Martin  (2),  son  of  Hezekiah,  born 
March    32,    1748-49,   married    Dec.    23,    1770, 


Mary  Pearse,  and  both  were  of  Rehoboth. 
Their  children  were:  Huldah,  born  Sept.  8, 
1771;  Gideon,  April  29,  1773;  Lydia,  March 
25,  1775;  Hannah,  Feb.  19,  1777;  Hezekiah, 
March  25,  1779;  Pearcy,  Oct.  28,  1780;  Am- 
brose, Nov.  29,  1782;  Polly,  Feb.  24,  1785; 
Luther,  May  21,  1787;  Darius,  Oct.  26,  1789; 
and  Anger,  April  25,  1795. 

Darius  Martin,  son  of  Hezekiah  (2),  born 
Oct.  26,  1789,  married  Dec.  2,  1810,  Hannah 
Horton,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by 
Elder  Preserved  Pearse.  To  this  union  were 
born  children  as  follows:  Polly,  Nov.  24,  1811; 
Joanna  H.,  Aug.  19,  1813;  Nancy,  July  3, 
1815;  Hannah,  June  21,  1817;  Darius,  Aug. 
29,  1819;  Hezekiah,  Dec.  12,  1821 ;  and  George, 
March  16,  1826   (living  in  Providence). 

Polly  Martin,  daughter  of  Darius  and  Han- 
nah, born  Nov.  24,  1811,  married  (first)  Sept. 
25,  1831,  Ira  W.  Hicks,  who  died  Sept.  6, 
1838.  On  Nov.  1,  1840,  she  married  (second) 
Benjamin  G.  Wilbur,  and  the  children  of  this 
union  were:  Darius  M.,  born  Aug.  7,  1842, 
died  Jan.  2,  1890;  George  E.,  born  July  29, 
1844;  Charles  A.,  born  March  3,  1852. 

JATHNIEL  A.  PECK  (deceased),  who 
during  his  life  was  one  of  Taunton's  best 
known  citizens,  extensively  engaged  in  carriage- 
making  and  wheel wrigh ting  as  senior  member 
of  the  well-known  firm  of  Peck  &  White,  was 
a  native  of  the  old  town  of  Rehoboth,  born  Jan. 
8,  1829. 

The  Peck  family,  of  which  Mr.  Peck  was  a 
descendant,  is  an  old  and  prominent  one  in 
New  England.  (I)  Joseph  Peck,  baptized  in 
Beccles,  County  of  Suffolk,  England,  April  30, 
1587,  son  of  Robert  and  a  descendant  in  the 
twenty-first  generation  from  Jolm  Peck,  of  Bel- 
ton,  Yorkshire,  settled  at  Hingham,  County  of 
Norfolk,  England.  In  1638,  he  and  other 
Puritans,  with  his  brother,  Robert  Peck,  their 
pastor,  fled  from  the  persecution  of  the  church 
to  this  country,  coming  over  in  tlie  ship  "Dili- 
gence," of  Ipswich.  Joseph  Peck  was  accom- 
panied by  his  wife,  three  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, and  two  menservants  and  three  maidser- 
vants. He  settled  in  Hingham.  He  married 
(first)  Rebecca  Clark,  by  whom  his  children 
were:  Anna,  baptized  July  27,  1616;  Rebecca, 
May  25,  1620;  Joseph,  Aug.  23,  1623;  John, 
about  1626;  Nicholas,  April  9,  1630  (all  bap- 
tized in  Hingham,  England).  The  first  Mrs. 
Peck  died  in  October,  1637,  and  Mr.  Peck  re- 
married, but  the  name  of  his  wife  is  unknown 
to  us.  Their  children  were:  Samuel,  baptized 
in  Hingham,  Mass.,  Feb.  3,  1638-39;  Nathan- 
iel, Oct  31,  1641 ;  and  Israel,  March  4,  1644. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


747 


After  a  residence  of  some  seven  years  at  Hing- 
ham  Mr.  Peck  removed  to  Seekonk.  At  Hing- 
ham  he  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
town,  taking  an  active  part  in  its  business 
affairs.  He  was  deputy  to  the  General  Court 
in  1639-40-41-42.  In  1641  he  became  one  of 
the  principal  purchasers  from  the  Indians  of 
Seekonk,  afterward  incorporated  in  a  town 
since  known  as  Kehoboth,  Mass.,  comprising 
what  is  now  Rehoboth,  Seekonk  and  Pawtucket. 
He  removed  thither  in  1645.  He  seems  to  have 
been  one  of  the  principal  men  here,  as  he  had 
been  at  Hingham,  as  well  as  one  of  the  wealthi- 
est. Here  on  Seekonk  Plain  Mr.  Peel'  built  a 
home,  and  there  continued  to  live,  and  there  he 
died  Dec.  23,  1663. 

(II)  Joseph  Peck  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  bap- 
tized Aug.  23,  1623,  in  England,  came  with 
his  father  to  New  England  in  1638.  In  1645 
he  removed  witfi  his  family  from  Hingham, 
Mass.-,  to  Seekonk  Plain,  where  he  located  near 
his  father.  His  name  frequently  appeared  in 
the  town  records,  it  being  on  the  list  of  those 
who  advanced  money  for  the  prosecution  of 
King  Philip's  war.  He  became  a  large  land 
owner,  and  about  1660  settled  upon  Palmer's 
river,  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  where  he  passed  his 
last  years.  His  children  were :  Rebecca,  born 
Nov.  6,  1650;  Hannah,  March  25,  1653;  Eliza- 
beth, Nov.  26,  1657;  Jathniel,  July  24,  1660; 
May,  Nov.  17,  1662;  Ichabod,  Sept.  13,  1666; 
Patience,  Oct.  11,  1669;  and  Samuel,  Oct.  11, 
1672. 

(III)  Jatkniel  Peck,  born  July  24,  1660, 
married  Eeb.  28,  1688-89,  Sarah  Smith,  and 
settled  near  his  father.  He  became  a  man  of 
wealth  and  iniluence.  He  was  a  representative 
to  the  General  Court  in  1721-22-23-26-27-28- 
29-30-31.  He  also  took  an  active  part  in  the 
afEairs  of  the  church,  and  was  one  of  those 
instrumental  in  organizing  and  building  up 
the  church  at  Palmer's  river.  He  and  Capt. 
Samuel  Peck  gave  each  one  acre  of  land  for 
the  site  of  the  house  which  stood  upon  the  hill 
northerly  and  not  far  from  what  in  long  after 
years  was  known  as  the  Orleans  factory.  They 
were  both  members  of  the  church.  Jathniel 
and  his  wife  were  buried  here.  He  died  April 
5,  1742,  and  his  wife  passed  away  June  4,  1717. 
Their  children  were:  Daniel,  born  Jan.  30, 
1689-90 ;  Ichabod,  March  9,  1690-91 ;  Solomon, 
Sept.  20,  1692;  Esther,  April  30,  1694;  Jath- 
niel, Sept.  10,  1695;  Ebenezer,  Sept.  20,  1697; 
Sarah,  March  1,  1698-99;  Rebecca,  Oct.  10, 
1700;  Joseph,  April  18,  1702;  Ann,  April  7, 
1704;  Benjamin,  Jan.  18,  1705-06;  Elizabeth, 
Oct.  31,  1707;  Henry,  Dec.  7,  1709;  Nathaniel, 
Sept.  14,  1712. 


(IV)  Ebenezer  Peck,  son  of  Jathniel,  born 
Sept.  20,  1697,  married  Aug.  12,  1724,  Mar- 
garet Whitaker,  and  settled  near  Great  Meadow 
Hill  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.  Here  he  established 
a  forge,  at  which  he  and  his  sons  did  an  ex- 
tensive business  for  many  years.  Connected 
with  it  was  also  a  sawmill  and  gristmill.  Mr. 
Peck  was  a  man  of  much  distinction.  His 
descendants  were  numerous.  They  owned  a 
large  tract  of  land,  at  least,  it  is  said,  one  mile 
square.  The  place  was  long  known  as  the  Peck 
neighborhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck's  children 
were:  Jathniel,  born  Nov.  22,  1725;  Margaret, 
Jan.  26,  1726-27;  Shubael,  May  31,  1730; 
Ebenezer  and  James  (twins),  Sept.  17,  1732; 
Hannah,  March  26,  1735;  Sarah,  Jan.  26, 
1737-38;  Elizabeth,  May  1,  1741;  Mary,  Sept. 
27,  1744;  Philip,  April  25,  1747;  and  Susan, 
March  24,  1750. 

(V)  Jatluiiel   Peck,  son  of  Ebenezer,  born 
Nov.  22,  1725,  married    (first)    Sybel  Butter- 
worth;  (second)  Mrs.  Sarah  (Ingols)  Michel; 
(third)  Mrs.  Rebecca  (Horton)  Martin.     Mr. 
Peck  occupied  the  forge  of  his  father,  continu- 
ing the  business,  in  connection  with  his  broth- 
ers.    He  died  March  23,  1812.    His  first  wife 
died  March  15,  1769,  the  second,  Aug.  9,  1798. 
Children:    Jathniel,    born    Feb.    24,    1747-48 
Otis,  April  10,  1750 ;  Esther,  April  21,  1752 
James,  Aug.  10,  1754;  Olive,  Nov.  20,  1756 
Sylvester,  July  9,  1759;  Sybel,  Sept.  24, '1761 
Shubael,   July,    1764;   Benoni,   Feb.    8,    1769 
Edmund,  Sept.  2,  1773;  Sarah,  Oct.  11,  1775 
(married  Noah  Carpenter)  ;  George  W.,  Nov. 
11,  1777;  and  Shubael   (2),  Jan.  23,  1779. 

(VI)  Otis  Peck,  son  of  Jathniel,  bom  April 
10,  1750,  married  Grace  Carpenter.  Mr.  Peck 
settled  in  Rehoboth,  near  the  homestead  of  his 
father,  and  carried  on  the  business  of  tlie  forge 
which  had  been  occupied  by  him.  He  was  a 
man  of  extensive  interests.  He  was  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  held  other  public  offices.  He 
died  Oct.  9,  1805.  Children:  Chariotte,  born 
Jan.  27,  1774;  Jathniel,  born  April  22,  1775; 
Elizabeth,  bom  Jan.  8,  1777;  Esther,  born 
Oct.  25,  1778;  Grace,  bom  March  28,  1782; 
Otis,  born  March  23,  1785 ;  Nancy,  born  Jan. 
9,  1787;  Vashtia,  born  March  9,  1789;  and 
Peria,  bom  Nov.  9,  1791. 

(VII)  Jathniel  Peck,  son  of  Otis,  born  April 
22,  1775,  married  Sybil,  bora  Oct.  18,  1788, 
daughter  of  Shubael  Horton,  of  Rehoboth.  Mr. 
Peck  settled  on  the  homestead.  He  died  July 
13,  1840.  Children:  Otis  C,  bom  March  15, 
1812;  Joanna  B.,  June  24,  1815;  Sybil  M., 
July  13,  1819;  George  H.,  Oct.  1,  1821;  and 
Jathniel  A.,  Jan.  8,  1829. 

(VIII)  Jathniel    A.    Peck,   senior   member 


748 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  the  firm  of  Peck  &  White,  carriage  manu- 
facturers, was  born  iu  Eehoboth,  Mass.,  Jan. 
8,  1829.  After  completing  the  regular  course 
at  the  public  schools  here  he  went  to  Provi- 
dence, where  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade. 
Later  he  was  connected  with  the  Perkins 
Horseshoe  Company  of  Providence.  In  1851 
he  went  to  Taunton,  where  he  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  what  is  now  the  extensive  carriage 
manufacturing  firm  of  Peck  &  White.  He 
started  business  on  Broadway,  near  Leonard 
street,  and  in  1859  the  business  was  established 
on  Weir  street,  Mr.  Peck  taking  into  partner- 
ship his  nephew,  William  Leonard  White,  Jr. 
After  Mr.  White  became  a  partner  the  name 
became  Peck  &  White,  which  became  one  of 
the  most  extensive  and  prosperous  firms  in  this 
section  of  the  State.  A  branch  of  the  business 
was  established  in  Fall  River  and  conducted 
successfully.  Mr.  Peck  continued  in  the  busi- 
ness up  to  his  death,  his  association  therewith 
extending  to  a  period  of  nearly  sixty  years. 
He  was  a  successful  business  man  and  a  thor- 
ough mechanic.  In  November,  1869,  he  re- 
ceived a  patent  (No.  97,111)  from  Washington 
for  an  improvement  on  the  fifth  wheel  on  car- 
riages. He  was  a  man  of  inventive  ideas,  pro- 
gressive and  well  known,  and  highly  esteemed 
and  respected  for  his  honorable  dealings.  He 
died  at  his  home  on  Winthrop  street  Nov.  23, 
1906,  and  was  buried  in  Mount  Pleasant  ceme- 
tery. Mr.  Peck  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
Church.  He  married  Abigail  Leonard  White, 
of  Taunton,  daughter  of  Cornelius  and-  Flor- 
entia  (Chase)  White,  and  she  preceded  him  in 
death,  passing  away  Nov.  8,  1889 ;  she  is  buried 
in  Mount  Pleasant  cemetery.  They  had  four 
children,  Herbert  Leonard,  Clarence  Adelbert, 
Frank  Otis  and  Adrianna,  the  sons  all  deceased 
The  daughter  lives  at  the  old  homestead  in 
Taunton.  She  is  a  member  of  the  D.  A.  R 
chapter  of  that  town. 

(IX)  Heubert  Leovard  Peck,  born  Jan. 
21,  1850,  was  engaged  in  the  shoe  business  at 
Taunton,  and  was  quite  active  in  public  life, 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature. 
He  was  a  popular  and  stanch  member  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  belonged  to  Charles  H. 
Titus  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  St.  Mark's  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.,  and  St.  John's  Commandery,  K.  T., 
of  Providence,  R.  I.  Mr.  Peck  died  Dec.  16, 
1898,  aged  forty-eight  years,  ten  months, 
twenty-five  days. 

(IX)  Clarence  Adelbert  Peck,  son  of 
Jathniel  A.  and  Abigail  Leonard  (White) 
Peck,  was  born  in  Taunton  Jan.  22,  1853,  and 
was  educated  in  his  native  city  in  the  public 
schools.     He  became  engaged  in  the  business 


of  his  father  and  remained  with  this  firm  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  being  for  a  time  manager 
of  the  Fall  River  branch  of  the  business.  A 
conscientious  worker,  he  was  one  whose  efforts- 
aided  riiuch  to  bring  about  the  success  which 
this  business  enjoyed.  Mr.  Peck's  death  oc- 
curred June  9,  1906,  and  he  was  buried  in- 
Mount  Pleasant  cemetery.  In  politics  he  was 
a  stanch  Democrat  and  was  quite  active  in  the 
party,  well  known  and  highly  respected,  and 
held  the  office  of  register  of  voters,  having  been 
a  member  of  the  board  for  twelve  years. 

On  Nov.  27,  1871,  Mr.  Peck  married  Jennie- 
E.  Russell,  a  native  of  Seymour,  New  Haven 
Co.,  Conn.,  daughter  of  William  S.  and  Mary 
A.  Russell.  Mrs.  Peck  still  makes  her  home- 
at  the  homestead  on  Winthrop  street.  Three 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peck : 
(1)  Harrie  Adelbert  Peck,  who  is  now  the 
manager  of  the  firm  of  Peck  &  White,  was 
bom  in  Taunton  March  17,  1873,  and  there 
received  his  early  education,  later  attending 
Bristol  Academy.  For  some  years  he  was 
leader  of  tlie  orchestra  at  Keith's,  in  Boston. 
Returning  to  Taunton,  after  the  death  of  his 
father  and  grandfather,  he  took  charge  of  the 
Peck  interest  in  the  firm  of  Peck  &  White. 
In  1909  the  firm  sold  out  the  business  in  Fall 
River  and  bought  out  the  interest  of  Mr.  White 
in  the  Taunton  business,  which  Mr.  Peck  has 
since  managed  for  the  Peck  family.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  old  line,  the  firm  now  deals  in 
automobiles  and  does  automobile  repairing. 
Mr.  Peck  married  Dec.  21,  1909,  Emma  Louise 
Tupper,  of  Boston,  daughter  of  Frank  M.  Tup- 
per,  a  well-known  banker.  (2)  Russell  Allen 
Peck,  bom  Nov.  24,  1881,  obtained  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  and  graduated  froni- 
high  school  in  1901,  after  which  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  firm  of  Peck  &  White  at  Fall 
River,  where  he  was  bookkeeper.  He  continued 
there  until  1905,  when  he  accepted  a  position 
in  the  sales  department  of  the  Weir  Stove  Com- 
pany. On  Jan.  1,  1912,  he  became  a  member 
and  half  owner  of  the  Peck-Leach  I^'urniture 
Company,  No.  37  Main  street,  Taunton,  Mass., 
of  which  Robert  M.  Leach  is  president  ar^ 
Russell  A.  Peck  treasurer  and  manager.  He 
is  a  young  man  of  popular  and  honorable 
standing,  bearing  the  family  name  for  high 
morals  and  reliable  dealings.  He  is  a  member 
of  Ionic  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Taunton, 
and  of  St.  Mark's  Chapter,  and  also  holds 
membership  in  the  Bristol  Club  and  the  Uni- 
tarian Church.  He  married  Nov.  24,  1908, 
Norma  Howard  Temple,  a  native  of  Taunton, 
who  graduated  from  the  high  school  there.  She 
is  a  daughter  of  Edward  H.  Temple,  city  treas- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


749 


iirer  of  Taunton.  (3)  Marian  C.  Peck,  born 
Sept.  19,  1886,  resides  with  her  mother  at 
home. 

(IX)  Frank  Otis  Peck,  born  Dee.  28,  1860, 
in  Taunton,  was  educated  there  and  was  em- 
ployed with  the  firm  of  Peck  &  White  until 
his  death,  Sept.  8,  1899.  He  married  Mabel 
M.  Morse. 

WALKER.  The  Walker  family  of  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  claim  as  the  progenitor  of  their 
race  in  America  the  Widow  Walker  (I),  of 
EJehobotb,  some  of  whose  descendants  have 
been  among  the  most  successful  and  represen- 
tative men  of  this  section.  The  Widow  Walker 
was  one  of  the  first  purchasers  and  proprietors 
■of  the  town  of  Rehoboth,  or  Seacunk  (now 
Seekonk),  and  was  one  of  the  company  who 
first  settled  there.  Her  name  is  on  the  list 
of  those  who  in  1643  gave  in  the  value  of  their 
estates  for  a  pro  rata  division  of  lands.  Hers 
was  fifty  pounds.  In  the  division  made  June 
30,  1644,  she  was  given  a  share  and  lots  were 
assigned  her  in  several  divisions  afterward,  as 
in  the  drawing  for  the  Great  Plain,  and  on 
the  18th  of  12th  month,  1646,  for  the  Great 
Meadow.  Her  name  then  disappears,  and  no 
trace  of  her  is  found  save  the  already  noted 
facts  of  her  being  associated  with  that  brave 
adventurous  company,  most  of  whom  went  out 
from  Weymouth  into  the  wilderness.  This 
band  was  known  for  its  religious  enthusiasm, 
and  the  educated  and  saintly  Rev.  Samuel  New- 
man was  in  many  respects  the  leader.  It  is 
probable  that,  becoming  a  widow  in  England, 
she  emigrated  with  her  younger  son  Philip 
after  the  coming  of  her  two  elder  children, 
James  and  Sarah. 

(II)  James  Walker,  son  of  Widow  Walker, 
of  Rehoboth,  was  born  in  England  in  1619  or 
1620.  He  came  to  New  England  in  the  ship 
"Elizabeth,"  and  first  appears  of  record  in 
Taunton  in  1643,  of  which  town  he  was  ad- 
mitted a  freeman  June  4,  1650,  and  became  a 
highly  useful  and  honored  citizen.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Phillips,  daughter  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  (Parker)  Phillips;  she  died  Aug. 
14,  1678.  They  had  five  children:  James, 
Peter,  Eleazer,  Hester  and  Deborah.  For  his 
second  wife  James  Walker  married  Nov.  4, 
1678,  Sarah  Rew,  widow  of  Edward  Rew  and 
daughter  of  John  Richmond,  of  Taunton. 
James  Walker  died  Feb.  15,  1691. 

(III)  James  Walker  (2),  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Phillips),  born  in  1645,  married 
Dec.  23,  1673,  Bathsheba  Brooks,  daughter  of 
Gilbert  Brooks,  of  Rehoboth.  She  was  born  in 
1655,  and  died  Feb.  24,  1738.    Their  children 


were:  James,  born  in  December,  1674;  Eliza- 
beth; Nathan,  born  about  1677,  who  died  Dec. 
23,  1747;  David,  who  died  in  1765;  Bathsheba, 
who  died  in  1756;  Mehitable,  born  in  1685  or 
1686,  who  died  in  1759;  Mercy,  born  in  1686 
or  1687,  who  died  in  1758;  Nehemiah,  bom 
in  1689,  who  died  in  1760;  Josiah,  who  died 
in  1748  or  1749;  Rebecca;  and  Mary.  James 
Walker  (2)  was  a  constable  in  Taunton  in 
1689,  and  was  admitted  a  freeman  there  that 
same  year.  He  lived  at  the  Weir  in  Taunton, 
where   Col.   Israel  Dean  lived. 

(IV)  Nathan  Walker,  son'  of  James  (2), 
born  about  1677,  married  July  29,  1708,  Abi- 
gail Richmond,  daughter  of  John  Richmond,  of 
Taunton.  They  made  their  home  in  Dighton. 
Their  children  were :  Nathan,  born  Oct.  2T, 
1709;  Abigail,  Dec.  3,  1711;  Phebe,  Sept.  29, 
1713;  William,  Aug.  15,  1715;  Lydia,  Aug. 
31,  1717;  Deborah,  Aug.  13,  172—. 

(V)  William  Walker,  son  of  Nathan,  born 
Aug.  17  (or  15),  1715,  married  May  31,  1743, 
Hannah  Shaw,  daughter  of  Deacon  Abraham 
Shaw,  of  Dighton.  He  was  a  boatman  in  1743. 
The  three  children  of  William  Walker  were: 
William,  born  Dec.  14,  1743,  who  died  in  1816; 
Abraham,  born  March  17,  1745;  and  George, 
born  Dec.  19,  1749. 

(VI)  William  Walker  (2),  son  of  William, 
born  Dec.  14,  1743,  married  Sept.  3,  1767, 
Elizabeth  Read,  daughter  of  Joseph  Read,  of 
Taunton.  Sixteen  children  were  born  to  them 
as  follows:  William,  Nov.  16,  1768  (died  Sept. 
29,  1769)  ;  William  (2),  March  24,  1770  (died 
May  25.  1834)  ;  Hannah,  Nov.  20,  1771;  Jo- 
seph and  Elizabeth  (twins),  Jan.  14,  1774; 
Nathan,  Sept.  14,  1775;  Deborah,  June  14, 
1777;  George,  Aug.  1,  1779;  Abiathar,  May  4, 
1781;  Hannah,  Sept.  5,  1782  (died  Oct.  3, 
1782);  Hannah  (2),  Sept.  5,  1783;  Henry, 
May  28,  1785;  Samuel,  Jan.  15,  1787;  Nico- 
demus,  Dec.  30,  1788;  Elizabeth,  April  29, 
1791;  and  Nathan,  Jan.  13,  1795.  William 
Walker  (2)  served  in  Capt.  Elijah  Walker's 
company  and  went  to  Rhode  Island,  Dec.  1, 
1776,  and  in  the  same  company  to  Tiverton, 
Aug.  2,  1780.  His  residence  was  in  Welling- 
ton, now  Dighton,  and  his  estate  was  inven- 
toried at  $14,029,  a  considerable  fortune  in 
those  days. 

(VII)  William  Walker  (3),  son  of  William 
(2),  born  March  24,  1770,  died  May  25,  1834. 
On  Oct.  1,  1796,  he  married  Sally,  daughter 
of  Simeon  Williams.  She  died  Sept.  7,  1853, 
aged  seventy-nine  years.  They  became  the 
parents  of  ten  children :  Nancy,  born  Jan.  3, 
1798;  Deborah  Talbot,  Jan.  4,  1800;  William, 
Aug.  29,  1801;  Sally  Williams,  March  9,  1803; 


750 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Amanda,  July  28,  1805;  Mary,  Nov.  12,  1807; 
Joseph,  Nov.  8,  1809;  Elizabeth  Alice,  Feb. 
25,  1812;  Amelia,  Sept.  22,  1814;  and  George 
EUery,  March  18,  1817  (married  Nov.  19, 
1841,  Lucinda  D.  Payne,  daughter  of  Leonard 
Payne,  and  lived  in  Dighton).  William 
Walker  (3)  was  a  lieutenant,  was  a  school 
teacher  for  several  years,  and  then  engaged 
in  farming  in  Dighton. 

(VIII)  George  Walker,  son  of  William  (3), 
married  Nov.  19,  1841,  Lucinda  D.  Payne, 
daughter  of  Leonard  Payne,  of  Dighton,  who 
bore  him  these  children :  William  Ellery,  born 
Sept.  11,  1844  (Dighton  record) ;  George  Leon- 
ard, born  July  29  (or  9),  1847;  Lucinda  Isa- 
bella, born  May  13,  1849 ;  Sarah  Williams,  born 
May  20,  1851  (?),  who  married  Oren  H.  At- 
wood;  and  Mary  Ella. 

(IX)  William  Elleet  Walker,  son  of 
George  and  Lucinda  D.  (Payne),  was  born 
Sept.  11,  1844  (Dighton  record).  He  attended 
the  Eed  schoolhouse  in  Dighton,  but  left  school 
and  enlisted,  Jan.  6,  1862,  for  three  years, 
becoming  a  member  of  Company  D  (Captain 
Leonard),  7th  Mass.  V.  I.  (Colonel  Couch), 
being  one  of  six  schoolboys  from  the  town 
schools  who  enlisted  in  this  company  at  that 
time.  During  this  enlistment  he  took  part  in 
the  Peninsular  campaign  under  McClellan,  was 
at  Gettysburg  under  Meade,  and  in  the  Wilder- 
ness campaign  under  Grant.  He  participated 
in  all  the  principal  battles  of  these  campaigns, 
being  in  addition  to  those  mentioned,  at  Wil- 
liamsburg, Fair  Oaks,  the  Seven  Days  Fight, 
Spottsylvania  and  North  Anna  river.  In  the 
last  mentioned  tight  he  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  was  confined  from  May  to  November,  1864, 
in  Libby  and  Andersonville  prisons.  Before 
his  capture  he  had  rcenlisted  in  the  field,  Jan. 
20,  1864,  for  three  years,  but  during  his  im- 
prisonment the  term  of  enlistment  of  his  regi- 
ment expired.  He  came  home  in  January, 
1865,  after  his  release,  and  on  his  return  to  the 
service,  in  April,  1865,  found  that  those  of 
his  company  who  had  reenlisted  with  him  had 
been  transferred  to  the  37th,  Mass.  V.  I.  After 
a  short  service  with  this  regiment  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Company  C,  20th  Mass.  V.  I.  After 
a  patriotic  service  of  three  and  a  half  years  he 
was  mustered  out,  discharged  July  16,  1865. 
Returning  to  Dighton  at  the  close  of  his  army 
service,  he  entered  the  foundry  of  the  Dighton 
Furnace  Company,  becoming  a  molder  by  trade. 
He  followed  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  until 
he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  and  then  for  four 
years  was  foreman  of  the  foundry  of  0.  G. 
Thomas,  at  the  Weir.  He  left  this  place  in 
January,   1879,  to   become  a  member  of  the 


now  well  known  Weir  Stove* Company,  the  con- 
stituent members  of  which  were  George  E. 
Wilbur,  William  E.  Walker  and  Charles  F. 
Baker  (since  deceased).  The  digging  of  the- 
foundation  for  the  present  plant  was  immedi- 
ately begun,  and  on  Feb.  28,  1879,  the  first 
melt  was  made.  In  this  partnership  Mr. 
Walker  took  charge  of  the  sales  department,- 
and  in  cooperation  with  his  partners  developed 
a  plant  which  in  its  beginning  gave  employ- 
ment to  five  molders,  but  now,  as  the  largest 
stove  foundry  in  New  England,  over  four  hun- 
dred people  (of  whom  135  are  molders)  are 
on  the  payroll. 

Mr.  Walker  is  and  has  been  for  quite  a  num- 
ber of  years  a  director  of  the  Bristol  County 
National  Bank.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Stand- 
ard Stove  Lining  Company,  a  company  which 
is  controlled  by  the  Weir  Stove  Company.  He 
is  also  a  director  in  the  sii  large  house  furnish- 
ing stores  controlled  by  the  company,  and  lo- 
cated at  Worcester,  Springfield,  Pittsfield,  and 
Brockton,  in  Massachusetts,  and  Lewiston  and 
Waterville,  in  Maine,  and  he  was  at  one  time 
quite  active  in  the  management  of  them. 

In  his  politics  Mr.  Walker  may  be  said  to 
be  a  liberal  Eepublican.  He  is  a  member  of 
Alfred  Baylies  Lodge,  A.  P.  &  A.  M.;  St. 
Mark's  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  and  St.  John's 
Commandery,  of  Providence.  He  belongs  to 
William  H.  Bartlett  Post,  No.  3,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Taunton.  He  is  a  Methodist  in  religious  faith, 
being  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  of  the  Weir,  of  which  he  has  been 
a  trustee  for  many  years.  He  has  also  been 
for  many  years  a  director  of  the  Martha's 
Vineyard  Camp  Meeting  Association. 

Oii  Aug.  29,  1870,  Mr.  Walker  married  Jen- 
nie E.  Carmichael,  daughter  of  John  Car- 
michael,  of  Somerset,  Mass.,  and  they  have- 
one  daughter,  Mary  E.,  now  the  wife  of  Robert 
M.  Leach. 

In  the  industrial  history  of  Taunton,  Mr. 
Walker  and  his  associates  have  taken  and  are 
still  filling  a  most  important  part.  Measured 
by  what  he  has  accomplished,  his  life  furnishes 
an  excellent  example  of  what  one,  though  he 
begin  life  empty  handed,  may  attain  if  he  only 
exercise  the  cardinal  virtues  of  everyday  life. 

OSBORNE  (East  Bridgewater  family). 
The  Osborne  familj'  here  briefly  reviewed  is 
one  of  long  and  honorable  standing  in  the  Old 
Colony  and  of  especial  interest,  owing  to  its 
devotion  to  country  during  the  American  Revo- 
lution and  the  distinction  earned  in  that  strug- 
gle. Reference  is  made  to  what  may  more- 
properly  be  termed  the  Pembroke-Hanson  fam- 


iUiLll  e^^^     [p,    iiJeJyiL^x 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


751 


ily — that  of  the  immediate  family  of  George 
Osborne,  of  Pembroke,  one  of  wliose  descend- 
ants was  the  late  Judge  William  Uenry  Os- 
borne, of  the  Third  Judicial  district  of  Ply- 
mouth county,  himself  a  soldier  of  gallant 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  a  lawyer  and  jus- 
tice of  high  reputation.  A  native  of  the  town 
of  Scituate,  Plymouth  county.  Judge  Osborne 
was  a  great-grandson  of  George  Osborne  of 
Pembroke,  the  head  of  the  family  so  distin- 
guished for  patriotism  and  service  in  the 
American  Revolution. 

George  Osborne  was  twice  married,  and  by 
his  first  wife,  Sarah  Wade,  had  twelve  chil- 
dren: George,  born  in  1753;  Hannah;  Thomas, 
born  in  1758;  Hugh,  bom  in  1763;  Michael; 
Peleg;  William;  John;  Sarah;  Betsey;  Levi, 
and  Susan.  By  his  second  wife,  Deborah 
Atwood,  of  South  Hanson,  he  had  three  chil- 
dren: Deborah  and  Barbia,  twins,  born  in 
1780 ;  and  Ebenezer,  born  in  1781.  The  father, 
George  Osborne,  died  Sept.  16,  1816,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-nine  years,  and  is  buried  in  Fern 
Hill  cemetery,  at  Hanson. 

Of  the  family  of  George  Osborne  of  Pem- 
broke we  quote  from  an  article  prepared  by 
Judge  Osborne  and  printed  in  the  New  Eng- 
land Historical  and  Genealogical  Register 
some  years  ago,  the  writer  stating  that  the 
record  is  drawn  from  official  sources,  not  fam- 
ily tradition. 

"George  Osborne  of  Pembroke,  Mass.,  was 
forty-two  years  of  age  at  the  breaking  out  of 
the  American  Revolution.  He  had  eight  sons, 
seven  of  whom,  together  with  himself,  served 
terms  of  varying  lengths  in  the  army  and  navy 
during  that  war.  The  names  of  the  father  and 
his  sons,  George,  Jr.,  and  Thomas,  are  first 
found  on  a  roll  of  a  company  of  minute-men, 
commanded  by  Captain  Gushing,  that  marched 
from  the  west  parish  of  Pembroke  on  the  alann 
of  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  The  father's  name 
further  appears  on  the  roll  of  Capt.  Hamlin's 
Company,  Col.  Thomas'  Regiment,  for  service 
at  Roxbury,  from  May  1st  to  Aug.  1st,  1775 ; 
on  the  roll  of  Captain  Hatch's  Company  for 
service  at  Weymouth  and  Braintree  Farms  on 
tlie  alarm  of  March,  1776 ;  on  the  roll  of  Stet- 
son's Company,  Colonel  Dyke's  Regiment,  at 
Dorchester  Heights  in  November,  1776,  and 
again  on  the  roll  of  Captain  Hatch's  Company 
at  Bristol,  R.  I.,  on  the  alarm  of  Dec.  8,  1776. 

"His  seven  sons  emulated  his  patriotic  ex- 
ample in  this  wise:  George,  Jr.,  as  stated, 
served  first  with  his  father  on  the  alarm  of 
Lexington.  He  was  with  Captain  Hatch  at 
Weymouth  and  Braintree  Farms  on  the  alarm 
of  March,  1776;  enlisting  in  Captain  Nelson's 


Company,  Colonel  Willard's  Regiment,  he 
served  in  the  campaign  against  Burgoyne,  un- 
der Gates  in  1777.  In  January,  1780,  he  again 
entered  the  army,  serving  in  Captain  Bailey's 
Company,  Colonel  Bailey's  Regiment,  under 
two  enlistments,  to  the  close  of  the  war,  being 
twenty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  first 
enlistment. 

"Peleg  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  the  war 
began,  and  when  fourteen,  in  1777,  he  served 
from  April  to  June,  on  the  'forty  days'  expe- 
dition to  Rhode  Island.  From  July,  1777,  to 
January,  1778,  he  was  under  enlistment  for 
service  in  the  New  England  States  in  Colonel 
Robinson's  Regiment.  For  fifteen  days  in 
March,  1781,  he  served  again  in  Rhode  Island, 
and  wound  up  his  service  by  enlisting  as  a 
marine  on  the  frigate  'Deane'  in  December, 
1781,  being  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  after 
transferred",  together  with  several  of  his  broth- 
ers, to  the  famous  frigate  'Alliance,'  under 
Capt.  John  Barry,  and  serving  till  June,  1782, 
practically  to  the  end  of  the  war. 

"The  third  son,  Michael,  commenced  his  ser- 
vice in  Captain  Sparrow^s  Company,  Col.  Na- 
than Tyler's  Regiment,  serving  four  months 
and  twenty  days  in  Rhode  Island,  between  July 
and  December.  1779.  He  served  in  the  same 
company  one  month  in  1780,  and  later  in  the 
same  year  his  name  appears  on  a  roll  of  six 
months'  men,  raised  by  the  town  of  Pembroke, 
serving  under  the  enlistment  in  Washington's 
army  at  the  camp  at  Totowa  and  Preakness, 
N.  J.,  till  January,  1781.  He  served  in 
Colonel  Cotton's  Regiment  on  the  'forty  days' 
expedition  to  Rhode  Island,  and  concluded  his 
service  on  the  frigate  'Deane'  between  Decem- 
ber, 1781,  and  May,  1783. 

"John  enlisted  as  a  'boy'  and  served  three 
times  in  the  navy,  once  on  the  brigantine 
'Tyrannicide'  in  1779;  again  in  1779  on  the 
ship  'General  Putnam'  and  lastly,  in  1782,  on 
the  frigate  'Deane.' 

"Hugh  Osborne  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
when  the  war  broke  out  and  in  1776  performed 
service  at  Dorchester  Heights  in  Colonel  Dyke's 
R.egiment,  and  again  in  the  same  year  in 
Rhode  Island,  in  Captain  Hatch's  Company. 
In  1777  he  served  again  in  Rhode  Island,  in 
Colonel  Titcomb's  Regiment,  for  a  period  of 
two  months  and  ^x  days.  Between  July,  1778, 
and  April,  1779,  he  Rcrved  in  Pennsylvania, 
New  York  and  New  Jersey,  in  Colonel  Bailey's 
Regiment,  and  concluded  his  service,  as  did 
several  of  his  brothers,  by  enlisting  as  a  marine 
on  the  frigate  'Deane'  in  December,  1781,  and 
serving  till  May,  1782. 

"The  son  William  enlisted  with  his  brothers 


752 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


Thomas,  Hugh,  John  and  Peleg,  on  the  frigate 
'Deane'  in  December,  1781 ;  was  afterward 
transferred  to  the  frigate  'Alliance,'  on  which 
he  died  in  1782. 

"We  conclude  the  record  with  that  of 
Thomas  Osborne,  who  marched  with  his  father 
and  brother  George  on  the  alarm  of  Lexington. 
A  few  days  after  his  return  from  this  march 
he  joined  Captain  Hamlin's  Company  of 
Colonel  Bailey's  Eegiment,  marched  to  the 
siege  of  Boston,  and  was  present  during  the 
entire  siege.  After  the  evacuation  of  Boston 
he  marched  with  Washington's  army  to  New 
York  City,  and  was  in  the  battles  of  Long 
Island,  Aug.  27,  1776;  Harlem  Heights,  Sept. 
16,  1776;  White  Plains,  Oct.  28,  1776;  Tren- 
ton, N.  J.,  Dec.  26,  1776;  and  Princeton,  N. 
J.,  -Jan.  3,  1777.  He  went  with  Washington's 
army  after  the  latter  battle  to  Morristown 
Heights,  where  he  was  discharged  Jan.  15, 
1777,  making  a  continuous  service  of  twenty- 
one  and  one  half  months.  In  April,  1777,  he 
enlisted  in  Colonel  Staunton's  Regiment,  to 
serve  in  Rhode  Island.  After  his  return  from 
this  service  in  June,  1778,  he  enlisted  in  Cap- 
tain Hatch's  Company  for  nine  montlis  and 
went  to  West  Point,  N.  Y.  Immediately  after 
the  completion  of  this  service,  he  entered  the 
Pennsylvania  line  for  one  year.  In  March  or 
April,  1780,  he  returned  to  his  home,  but  at 
once  entered  the  sea  service,  and  is  reported 
to  have  enlisted  on  the  Massachusetts  armed 
vessel,  the  'Proctor,'  commanded  by  Capt.  John 
Foster  Williams  of  Boston.  In  June,  of  that 
year,  the  'Proctor'  had  an  engagement  with  the 
British  ship  'Admiral  Duff,'  and  captured  her. 
While  on  a  second  cruise  on  the  'Proctor' 
(1781),  he  was  in  the  engagement  with  the 
English  vessels  the  'Roebuck'  and  'Mayday,'  was 
severely  wounded  and  captured  with  his  vessel 
and  her  officers  and  crew,  carried  to  Halifax, 
Nova  Scotia,  a  prisoner  of  war,  where  he  was 
detained  si.x  montlis.  Upon  being  released 
toward  the  close  of  the  year,  he  enlisted  on  the 
frigate  'Deane'  (December,  1781).  Was  trans- 
ferred to  the  'Alliance'  a  few  days  later,  and 
set  sail  on  her  Dec.  25  (1781)  for  L'Orient, 
France,  having  on  board  as  passengers  the  Mar- 
quis de  LaFayette  and  the  Count  de  Noailles. 
As  is  well  known,  the  'Alliance,'  which  was 
thought  to  be  the  finest  ship  in  the  American 
navy,  was  at  this  time  commanded  by  Capt. 
Jolm  Barry.  Aftei"  leaving  her  distinguished 
passengers  at  L'Orient,  she  proceeded  upon  a 
successful  cruise,  fighting,  as  is  claimed,  the 
last  battle  of  the  war  of  American  independence 
upon  either  land  or  sea.  Thomas  Osborne,  as 
appears  by  his  own  statement,  served  on  this 


gallant  ship  till  she  went  out  of  commission 
in  March,  1783,  and  thus  served,  including 
his  six  months'  imprisonment,  a  period  of  seven 
years  and  about  nine  months.  He  died  at 
Bridgewat«r,  Mass.,  in  1837,  at  the  advanced 
age  of*  seventy-nine  years,  having  entered  the 
army  at  the  age  of  seventeen." 

Ebenezer  Osborne,  son  ol  George,  was  born 
in  1781  in  Hanson,  Mass.,  married  and  had 
the  following  named  children :  Ebenezer,  Abi- 
gail, Deborah,  Henry,  Joseph  and  Mabel. 

Ebenezer  Osborne,  son  of  Ebenezer,  born  in 
Scituate,  Mass.,  grew  to  manhood  there.  From 
early  boyhood  he  followed  a  seafaring  life,  and 
became  a  master  mariner,  sailing  to  foreign 
ports  and  in  the  coastwise  trade,  and  after  giv- 
ing up  sailing  he  was  appointed  lighthouse- 
keeper  at  Scituate.  In  1850,  after  his  retire- 
ment from  that  position,  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  East  Bridgewater,  where  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there.  He  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Elm- 
wood.  A  man  well  known  and  respected,  he 
was  an  industrious  worker,  faithful  in  all  the 
relations  of  life,  and  a  loyal  citizen.  On  Dec. 
5,  1822,  he  married  Mary  Woodman,  who  was 
born  Aug.  17,  1801,  at  Freeport,  Maine,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Leah  (Mann)  Woodman,  and 
they  had  a  family  of  eight  children :  Mary 
(born  Sept.  13,  1823),  Ebenezer  (born  Oct. 
13,  1825),  Elizabeth  (born  Feb.  19,  1830), 
Olive  Forbes  Hudson  (bom  April  20,  1833), 
Joseph,  William  Henry  (born  Sept.  16,  1840), 
Edward  E.  and  James  B. 

William  HEhTRY  Osborne,  son  of  Ebenezer 
and  Mary  (Woodman)  Osborne,  was  born  Sept. 
16,  1840,  in  Scituate.  Mass.  He  accompanied 
the  family  on  their  removal  to  East  Bridge- 
water  in  1850,  and  lived  afterward  in  Bridge- 
water  about  three  years,  returning  to  East 
Bridgewater  in  1854,  which  place  continued 
his  home  until  his  death.  He  was  educated 
at  the  public  schools  in  East  Bridgewater  and' 
Bridgewater,  at  the  East  Bridgewater  Academy 
and  the  State  normal  school  at  Bridgewater, 
from  which  latter  institution  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  July,  1860.  He  taught  a  public  school 
during  the  autumn  of  1860  and  the  winters  of 
1860  and  1861. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  young  Osborne's 
patriotism  was  stirred  by  the  excitement  of 
the  times,  and  he  resolved  to  serve  his  country 
in  the  war.  As  has  been  noted  in  the  fore- 
going, he  belonged  to  a  patriotic  family,  and 
it  required  but  little  to  arouse  his  patriotism. 
On  May  18,  1861,  at  East  Bridgewater,  he  en- 
listed, becoming  a  private  soldier  in  Company 
C,  which  company  formed  a  part  of  the  29th 


1^' 


■^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


753 


Regiment,  Massachxisetts  Volunteer  Infantrj'. 
His  regiment  remained  in  the  Department  of 
Southeastern  Virginia  until  June,  1862,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  was  in  the  engagement  of 
March  8th  and  9th,  1862,  at  Newport  News, 
and  was  with  his  regiment  in  the  expedition 
at  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth.  On  June  9,  1862, 
his  regiment  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
at  Fair  Oaks,  Va.,and  made  part  of  the  famous 
Irish  Brigade  under  Gen.  Thomas  F.  Meagher. 
This  regiment  was  at  the  front  nearly  every 
day  for  several  weeks  and  constantly  under 
fire.  Mr.  Osborne,  with  liis  company,  was 
engaged  in  a  sharp  skirmish  with  the  enemy 
June  15,  1S62,  when  his  company  suffered  its 
first  loss  in  battle.  He  was  in  the  battles  at 
'Gaines'  Mill,  one  of  the  bloodiest  engagements 
of  the  campaign,  June  27,  1862;  Peach  Or- 
chard and  Savage  Station,  June  29,  1862 ;  at 
White  Oak  Swamp,  Charles  City  Cross  Roads, 
June  30,  1862,  and  Malvern  Hill,  July  1,  1862. 
In  the  last-named  battle  he  was  struck  by  a 
musket-ball  in  the  chest,  and  M'as  carried  off 
the  field  insensible,  and  left  as  dead.  By  the 
•efforts  of  surgeons,  however,  he  was  restored 
to  consciousness,  when  he  seized  the  gun  of  a 
dead  soldier  and  in  the  darkness  found  his 
way  to  the  front  and  joined  the  Irish  regiment 
■of  the  brigade.  He  had  .been  in  the  ranks, 
however,  but  a  short  time,  when  he  was  struck 
in  the  left  leg  by  a  fragment  of  a  shell  and 
severely  wounded.  He  was  taken  to  the  field 
hospital  at  the  Pitts  House.  After  remaining 
there  and  at  Savage  Station  some  fifteen  days 
he  was  carried  by  the  enemy  to  Richmond,  and 
paroled  July  18,  1862.  He  was  then  conveyed 
te  St.  Luke's  hospital.  New  York  City,  where 
he  was  treated  till  Januarj-,  1863,  and  then 
discharged  as  unfit  for  service. 

Returning  home  with  a  most  honorable  war 
record,  Mr.  Osborne  resumed  the  profession  of 
teaching,  taking  charge  of  a  school  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Elmwood,  East  Bridgewafer,  and  in 
April,  1863,  he  began  to  read  law  with  the 
late  Hon.  B.  W.  Harris,  of  East  Bridgewafer. 
He  was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  Plymouth 
■county  Bar  at  the  October  term,  Superior 
-court,  1864.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  at 
once  after  his  admission,  and  as  stated  above 
continued  a  resident  of  that  town.  Some 
twenty-five  years  ago  it  was  said  of  him : 

"As  a  lawyer  and  advocate,  Mr.  Osborne  is 
able  and  eloquent,  also  industrious,  zealous, 
and  persevering  in  the  interests  of  his  clients; 
the  large  and  increasing  business  of  his  office 
and  his  practice  in  the  courts  show  that  his 
ability  is  recognized,  and  the  value  of  his  pro- 
fessional services  appreciated,  and  that  he  ranks 

48 


among  the  most  successful  lawyers  of  the 
court." 

In  1871  Mr.  Osborne  represented  the  Elev- 
enth Plymouth  district  in  the  General  Court 
of  Massachusetts,  being  an  active  and  xiseful 
member  of  the  committee  on  Probate  and 
Chancery.  He  was  again  chosen  to  that  body 
in  1883,  this  time  from  the  Eighth  Plymouth 
district,  and  served  on  the  Judiciary  com- 
mittee. 

In  June,  1894,  Mr.  Osborne  was  appointed 
United  States  pension  agent  at  Boston.  It 
1906  he  was  appointed  justice  of  the  courts  for 
the  Third  Plymouth  district,  with  jurisdiction 
in  Plymouth,  Kingston,  Plympton,  Pembroke, 
Duxbury  and  Maiiffield,  succeeding  the  late 
Judge  Charles  C.  Davis,  and  he  continued  in 
that  capacity  with  dignity  and  ability  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  June  5,  1910. 

Judge  Osborne  had  been  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  since  it  was  organized,  and  for  many 
years  was  commander  of  the  post  at  East 
Bridgewafer.  He  has  ever  been  the  zealous 
friend  of  the  soldier.  He  had  many  times  ad- 
dressed tjie  Grand  Army  at  some  place  in  pub- 
lic discourse  on  Memorial  Day.  He  wrote  and 
published,  in  1877,  by  request,  the  "History  pf 
the  29th  Massachusetts  Regiment,"  a  most  gra- 
cious and  feeling  tribute  to  his  comrades,  a 
work  showing  marked  ability  and  involving  a 
great  deal  of  labor.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Georgetown  Lodge  of  Masons,  the  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution  and  the  Old  Bridgewafer 
Historical   Society.     He  never  married. 

GEORGE  EDWARD  BICKFORD,  late  of 
Brockton,  where  he  passed  away  April  29,  1903, 
was  through  most  of  the  period  from  1870  to 
the  time  of  his  death  one  of  the  most  active, 
enterprising  and  successful  of  the  younger  busi- 
ness men  of  that  city.  The  head  of  a  family 
which  during  its  forty  years'  location  in  Brock- 
ton has  kept  abreast  of  the  period  in  which  the 
place  has  made  its  great  stride  of  growth  and 
participated  actively  in  the  march  forward,  he 
commanded  the  respect  and  esteem  of. the  com- 
munit}'  in  which  he  achieved  his  business  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Bickford  was  born  Jan.  24,  1854, 
in  Dresden  Mills,  Maine,  the  only  child  of 
Charles  W.  and  Louise  Theresa  (Bickford) 
Bickford. 

While  the  Bickfords  are  not  an  old  North 
Bridgewafer  or  Brockton  family,  they  are  an 
ancient  New  England  one.  Mr.  Bickford's  im- 
mediate antecedents  were  from  Maine.  The 
Bickfords  of  Maine — the  State  whence  came 
the  Brockton  family — at  least  in  part  sprang 
from   the   early   and   very   respectable   ancient 


754 


SOUTHEASTEK^^  MASSACHUSETTS 


New  Hampshire  family  of  the  name,  one  nu- 
merous there  and  of  high  standing  for  upward 
of  two  liundred  and  sixty  years.  John  Bick- 
ford  or  Beckford,  the  first  American  ancestor 
of  the  New  Hampshire  family,  appeared  at 
Oyster  River,  in  Dover,  as  early  as  1645,  July 
17th  of  which  year  he  bought  there  the  dwell- 
ing-house of  one  Darbey  Field,  with  a  lot  of 
five  or  six  acres  adjoining.  On  June  23,  1684, 
Mr.  Bickford  with  his  wife  Temperance  (Fur- 
ber)  transferred  to  their  son,  Thomas,  this 
property,  and  Mr.  Bickford  removed  to  New- 
ington  shore,  where  he  had  several  tracts  of 
land.  His  children  and  grandchildren  mar- 
ried into  the  first  families  of  Newington,  and 
from  that  early  Colonial  period  on  through 
the  history  of  the  Commonwealth  the  Bick- 
fords  have  been  a  part  of  the  history  and  a 
factor  in  the  progress  attained.  John  Beck- 
ford  became  a  freeman  of  Massachusetts  in 
1671.     He  had  sons  John  and  Joseph. 

Through  Eliakim  Bickford,  a  shipmaster, 
and  who  i§  made  by  Savage  a  probable  descend- 
ant of  John  Beckford,  above,  and  who  about 
1740  removed  from  Salem  to  Kennebunkport, 
Maine,  have  descended  the  Bickfords  of  that 
region.  His  children  were  Joseph  and  Abigail, 
and  the  former's,  by  his  wife  Mary  (Averill), 
were  Eliakim,  James,  Thomas,  Lucy,  Abigail, 
Joseph,  Hannah,  Mary,  John,  George,  William 
and  Gideon. 

Charles  W.  Bickford,  father  of  the  late 
George  Edward  Bickford,  was  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  and  met  with  an  accident 
which  resulted  in  his  death  when  his  son  was 
very  young.  He  married  Louise  Theresa 
Bickford,  daughter  of  William  and  Mehitabel 
(Hathorne)  Bickford,  of  Dresden,  Maine,  and 
after  the  death  of  Mr.  Bickford  she  married 
(second)  Charles  Doane;  they  later  removed 
to  Brockton. 

Of  Mr.  Bickford's  maternal  ancestors,  Henry 
Bickford  married  Abigail  Tibbetts.  Their  eld- 
est son,  Paul,  married  Betsey  Kendall,  who 
was  from  England,  and  their  children  were : 
Paul,  John,  Abigail,  Hulda,  Henry,  Geoj-ge 
and  William.  Mrs.  Betsey  (Kendall)  Bick- 
ford was  a  member  of  a  wealthy  English  fam- 

iiy- 

William  Bickford,  son  of  Paul,  married 
Mehitabel  Hathorne,  a  native  of  Woolwich, 
Maine,  and  their  children  were :  Mary,  Joseph, 
Nathaniel,  Louise  Theresa  (who  married 
Charles  W.  Bickford),  Eliza,  Williaiji  and 
Franklin. 

George  Edward  Bickford,  only  child  of 
Charles  W.  and  Louise  Theresa  (Bickford) 
Bickford,  was  born   in   Dresden  Mills,  Maine, 


and  acquired  but  a  meager  educational  training 
in  the  district  schools  of  his  native  town,  at- 
tending during  the  winter  months,  while  his 
summers  were  devoted  to  work.  At  the  age  of 
but  eleven  years  he  was  practically  thrown  upon 
liis  own  resources,  and  went  to  live  with  the 
family  of  Seth  Houdlette,  at  Dresden,  receiv- 
ing his  board  and  clothes  for  labor  performed, 
and  remaining  with  him  until  he  went  to  Bos- 
ton. There  he  remained  for  a  time,  having 
secured  a  position  in  a  book  store,  though  at 
a  very  small  salary,  but  he  also  acted  as  a 
waiter  in  the  "Quincy  Hotel,"  for  which  service 
he  received  his  meals.  Lewis  A.  Johnson,  for- 
merly of  the  dry  goods  house  of  Dole  &  John- 
son, of  Brockton,  who  was  a  native  of  Dres- 
den, Maine,  saw  an  opportunity  for  the  young 
man,  and  sent  for  him  to  take  a  position  in 
L.  F.  &  A.  C.  Severance's  meat  market  and 
provision  store  in  North  Bridgewater,  Mass., 
where  Mr.  Johnson  was  also  employed.  This 
was  in  1870,  and  the  young  man  came,  showed 
his  employers  the  application  and  faithfulness 
that  were  always  characteristic  of  him,  and 
was  rapidly  advanced  to  places  of  trust  and  im- 
portance. He  remained  with  this  firm,  in  prac- 
tically the  same  location  where  he  was  later 
engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account,  for 
several  years,  when  the  firm  became  known  as 
Stoddard  &  Severance,  and  the  business  was 
still  later  conducted  by  W.  W.  Stoddard,  after 
the  death  of  his  partner,  A.  C.  Severance.  Mr. 
Bickford  continued  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Stod- 
dard until  May  1,  1880,  when  in  company 
with  Henry  Newton,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Bickford  &  Newton,  he  purchased  the  busi- 
ness of  Mr.  Stoddard  and  the  building  in  which 
it  was  carried  on,  and  this  partnership  con- 
tinued for  several  years,  when  Mr.  Bickford 
purchased  the  interests  of  Mr.  Newton  in  the 
business.  Thereafter  until  his  death  Mr. 
Bickford  successfully  continued  the  establish- 
ment, under  the  name  of  Bickford's  Market. 
All  his  energy  and  ability  were  devoted  to  it, 
and  he  met  with  marked  success.  He  was  cap- 
able, shrewd  and  a  well  informed  buyer;  in  all 
his  dealings  he  was  straightforward  and  hon- 
orable, and  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his 
many  patrons,  as  well  as  of  all  with  whom  he 
had  business  dealings.  Of  an  energetic  and 
industrious  nature,  he  set  an  example  for  those 
associated  with  him,  either  as  employer  or  em- 
ployee. His  modest,  unassuming  manners,  and 
his  upright,  unassailable  character,  made  and 
held  for  him  many  warm  friendships.  His  as- 
sociations outside  of  business  were  happy  ones, 
as  he  enlarged  his  circle  of  friends  only  when 
the    inclination   and   disposition   were   mutual. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


755 


He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Commercial 
Club,  of  Brockton,  and  was  also  a  member  of 
various  fraternal  organizations,  belonging  to 
Paul  Eevere  Lodge,  A.  P.  &  A.  M. ;  Satucket 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M.;  Brockton  Council,  R.  & 
S.  M. ;  Bay  State  Commandery,  Knights  Tem- 
plar; Damocles  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
Electric  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  all  of  Brockton.  He 
was  not  a  man  who  devoted  much  time  to  the 
secret  orders,  though  attending  meetings  oc- 
casionally and  always  keeping  in  touch  with 
them,  but  most  of  his  energy  and  thought  were 
given  to  his  private  business  affairs. 

Mr.  Bickford  was  identified  with  the  Porter 
Congregational  Church,  where  he  was  a  pew- 
holder,  and  of  which  his  wife  has  been  an 
active  member.  Both  have  been  liberal  con- 
tributors to  its  support.  In  political  matters 
he  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  although  he  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  city  he 
never  aspired  to  public  office  and  did  not  in- 
terest himself  in  politics  to  any  extent,  other 
than  to  always  be  in  touch  with  affairs.  How- 
ever, he  was  one  who  always  had  an  opinion 
regarding  them,  and  was  ready  to  express  it, 
and  his  views  always  showed  an  accurate  under- 
standing of  the  situations. 

On  April  30,  1878,  Mr.  Bickford  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mary  Bertha  Thompson,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Seth  (Jr.)  and  Angenette  (Rey- 
nolds) Thompson,  of  North  Bridgewater,  and 
this  happy  union  was  blessed  with  one  son, 
Edward  Burgess,  who  was  born  Dec.  3,  1895, 
and  died  May  7,  1904. 

Mr.  Bickford  had  been  in  failing  health  for 
some  two  years  before  his  death,  and  on  Jan. 
17th  preceding  that  event  he  was  taken  ill 
with  an  attack  of  the  grip,  which  proved  se- 
vere. After  he  was  about  again  he  had  trouble 
with  his  head  as  a  result  of  his  illness,  and  he 
gradually  failed  until  the  final  separation  came 
on  the  morning  of  April  29,  1903. 

Mrs.  George  E.  Bickford  numbers  among  her 
forbears  many  of  the  earliest  and  most  promi- 
nent families  of  this  country,  the  ancestry  of 
her  father's  family  being  here  given  in  chron- 
ological order  from  the  first  American  an- 
cestor. 

(I)  John  1?homson  was  born  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  Wales,  in  the  year  1616.  He  came 
to  this  country  in  the  third  embarkation  from 
England,  at  the  age  of  six  years,  and  settled 
in  Plymouth,  where  he  became  prominent  in 
the  affairs  of  that  Colony.  On  Dec.  26,  1645, 
he  married  Mary  Cooke,  who  was  born  in  1626, 
daughter  of  Francis  Cooke,  of  the  "Mayflower." 
John  Thomson  died  June  16,  1696,  aged  nearly 


eighty  years.  His  children  were :  Adam ;  John ; 
Mary;  Esther;  Elizabeth;  Sarah;  Lydia; 
Jac'Sfe;  Thomas;   Peter;  and  Mercy. 

(II)  John  Thomson  (2),  son  of  John,  born 
in  1648,  married  Mary  Tinkham,  daughter  of 
Ephraim  Tinkham,  the  emigrant.  He  was  a 
carpenter,  and  died  Xov.  25,  1725,  in  his  sev- 
enty-seventh year.  His  children  were :  John ; 
Ephraim;  Thomas;  Shubael ;  Mary ;  Martha; 
Francis;  Sarah;  Peter;  Jacob';  "and  Ebenezer 

(III)  Jacob  Thomson,  son  of  John  (2),  was 
born  in  1710,  and  married  in  1735  Mary  Hay- 
ward,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Ilayward.  He 
died  Feb.  17,  1750,  in  his  fortieth  year.  His 
children  were :  Jacob ;  Ebenezer :  Nathaniel ; 
Mary;  Martha;  Ephraim;  and  Daniel. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Thomson,  son  of  Jacob,  was 
born  Oct.  14,  1737,  and  married  Elizabeth 
Besse,  of  Wareham,  Mass.,  and  they  lived  to- 
gether for  sixty  years.  He  served  in  both  the 
French  and  Revolutionary  wars.  He  died  May 
10,  1832,  in  his  ninety-fifth  year.  His  chil- 
dren were :  Nathaniel ;  Rebecca ;  Aseneth ; 
Elizabeth,  and  Charity. 

(V)  Nathaniel  Thompson,  son  of  Ebenezer, 
was  born  May  11,  1761,  and  married  (first) 
in  1785  Sarah  Thayer,  daughter  of  David 
Thayer,  and  (second)  Mrs.  Mary  Foster, 
daughter  of  Jabez  Hall.  Nathaniel  Thompson 
lived  in  Halifax,  Mass.,  and  held  a  commission 
as  major  in  the  militia.  He  died  Jan.  13, 
1843.  His  children,  all  born  to  the  first  mar- 
riage, were  as  follows :  Polly ;  Lucy ;  Nathaniel ; 
Seth  ;  Elizabeth ;  Charity ;  Ebenezer ;  David ; 
Sarah ;  Welcome,  and  Almira. 

(VI)  Seth  Thompson,  son  of  Nathaniel,  was 
born  Sept.  6,  1791,  and  married  Jan.  1,  1815, 
Bethiah  Benson,  daughter  of  David  and  Char- 
ity Benson.  They  lived  together  in  the  mar- 
riage relation  for  seventy-two  years,  nine 
months.  In  1840  they  lived  at  Sandwich, 
Mass.  He  died  Nov.  20,  1888,  in  East  Bridge- 
water,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  be- 
lieved to  be  the  oldest  man  in  the  county.  His 
children  were :  David ;  Martin  Benson ;  Na- 
thaniel; Mercy  W. ;  Julia  Ann;  Seth,  Jr.; 
Martin  Van  Buren ;  and  Frances  Maria,  all  of 
whom  are  now  deceased. 

(VII)  Capt.  Seth  Thompson  (2),  son  of 
Seth,  was  born  Aug.  27,  1830,  and  married 
Nov.  21,  1855,  Angenette  Eeynolde,  daughter 
of  Azel,  Jr.,  and  Mary  (Thayer)  Reynolds. 
Capt.  Seth  Thompson  was  for  a  number  of 
years  engaged  in  whaling,  being  master  of  va- 
rious vessels  employed  in  that  industry.  He  was 
later  engaged  in  business  in  Brockton  as  a 
manufacturer  of  box  toes,  his  factory  being 
located  on  High  street.     He  died  in  Brockton, 


756 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Mass.,  March  8,  1901,  hanng  survived  his 
wife,  who  passed  away  June  26,  1883.  To  this 
union  were  born  two  daughters,  namely :  Carrie 
Alberta,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  A.  Keed.  of 
Brockton;  and  Mary  Bertha,  who  is  the  widow 
of  George  E.  Bickford. 

On  her  mother's  side,  Mrs.  Bickford  is  a 
direct  descendant  in  the  tenth  generation  from 

(I)  Robert  Reynolds,  who  appears  at  Bos- 
ton in  about  1630,  and  is  believed  to  have  come 
from  England.  He  is  mentioned  Sept.  3,  1634, 
as  a  shoemaker  and  freeman.  The  Christian 
name  of  his  wife  was  Mary,  and  they  had  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Nathaniel,  Ruth,  Tabitha, 
Sarah  and  Mary. 

(II)  Capt.  Nathaniel  Reynolds,  son  of  Rob- 
ert, was  born  about  1627,  in  England,  and 
came  when  a  child  to  New  England  with  his 
parents.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  John 
Dwight,  of  Dedhara,  and  after  her  death  mar- 
ried (second)  Priscilla  Brackett,  daughter  of 
Peter  Brackett,  a  well-to-do  tradesman  of  Bos- 
ton. He  had  three  children  by  his  first  wife, 
and  eight  by  his  second,  as  follows :  Sarah, 
Mary,  Nathaniel,  John,  Peter,  Philip,  Joseph, 
Hannah,  Mary  (2),  Benjamin,  and  Ruth. 

(III)  Nathaniel  Reynolds  (2),  son  of  Na- 
thaniel, was  born  March  3,  1662-63,  and  lived 
in  Boston.  His  wife's  name  was  Ruth,  and 
he  was  the  father  of  nine  children,  Sarah, 
Ruth,  Mary,  Nathaniel,  John,  Ebenezer, 
Philip,  Ruth    (2)   and  Naomi. 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Reynolds  (3),  son  of  Na- 
thaniel (2),  was  born  Jan.  14,  1693-94,  in 
Boston,  and  was  a  shoemaker,  as  was  his 
father  and  grandfather.  He  married  Mary 
Snell,  daughter  of  Thomas  Snell,  of  Bridge- 
water,  and  they  had  sons,  Nathaniel  and 
Thomas.  The  father  died  Oct.  20,  1719,  and 
the  mother  removed  to  her  native  town  with 
her  two  sons. 

(V)  Thomas  Reynolds,  son  of  Nathanial 
(3),  was  born  Feb.  25,  1719,  in  Boston,  on 
Milk  street,  in  the  same  house  in  which  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  was  born  in  1706.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Turner,  and  their  children 
were:  Amy,  Joseph,  Amy  (a),  Elizabeth, 
Susanna,   Martha,  Thomas  and  Josiah. 

(VI)  Joseph  Reynolds,  son  of  Thomas, 
was  born  June  21,  1751,  and  nuirried  in  1772 
Jemima  Perkins,  daughter  of  Luke  Perkins. 
Their  children  were:  Ichabod,  Joseph,  Dan- 
iel, Simeon,  Azel,  Thomas,  Jemima,  Olive, 
Amy,  Susanna  and  Vesta. 

(VII)  Azel  Reynolds,  son  of  Joseph,  mar- 
ried in  1812  Susanna  Nasli.  Children  :  Azel,  Jr., 
Bardin  Hiland,  Martha  and  Silas  Howard. 


(VIII)  Azel  Reynolds,  Jr.,  son  of  Azel, 
married  Sept.  28,  1834,  Mary  Thayer,  daugh- 
ter of  Zenas  Thayer,  of  North  Bridgewater, 
and  to  this  union  were  born  the  following 
cliildren:  Angenette,  born  Dec.  24,  1837; 
Davis  Bernard,  born  March  30,  1841,  who 
served  three  years  in  the  Civil  war;  Marcus 
Henry,  born  Feb.  17,  1845;  Mary  Emma, 
born  Aug.  4,  1847,  who  died  in  infancy;  Mary 
Emma  (2),  born  Aug.  21,  1849;  and  Rufus 
Marion,  born  July  14,  1852,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

(IX)  Angenette  Reynolds,  daughter  of 
Azel  and  Mary  (Thayer)  Reynolds,  born  Dec. 
24,   1837,  married   Capt.    Seth   Thompson. 

CRANDALL  (Attleboro  family).  The  fam- 
ily bearing  this  name  in  Attleboro,  so  lately 
represented  by  George  N.  Crandall,  who  died 
at  his  home  in  that  city,  Aug.  17,  1902,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two  years,  nine 
months,  twenty  days,  is  a  branch  of  the 
Charlestown,  R.  I.,  family  of  the  name,  the 
birthplace  of  the  deceased. 

The  Charlestown  Crandalls  and  those  of 
Westerly,  of  which  town  Charlestown  at  one 
time  formed  a  part,  sprang  from  the  New- 
port family,  the  progenitor  of  which,  John 
Crandall,  is  said  to  have  come  to  Boston  in 
1634  or  1635,  but  being  persecuted  on  account 
of  his  Baptist  principles,  removed  to  Provi- 
dence and  later  to  Newport.  He  was  early 
associated  with  the  Baptists  at  the  latter  place, 
subsequently  becoming  the  first  elder  of  that 
denomination  at  Westerly.  In  1660  he  be- 
came associated  with  others  in  the  purchase 
of  the  Misquamicutt  tract  of  land  on  the  Paw- 
catuck  river,  now  known  as  Westerly.  With 
other  founders  of  Westerly  Mr.  Crandall  set- 
tled on  the  Misquamicutt  land  before  1665. 
He  was  commissioner  for  a  numlier  of  years, 
served  as  deputy  from  both  Newport  and 
Westerly,  and  in  other  capacities  which  evi- 
dence that  he  was  a  man  of  importance. 

Through  the  seven  sons  of  Elder  Crandall — 
Jacob,  James,  Peter,  Joseph,  Samuel,  Jere- 
miah and  Eber — the  name  became  a  common 
one  and  the  family  numerous  in  Rhode  Island. 

The  late  George  N.  Crandall,  alluded  to  in 
the  foregoing,  was  a  son  of  George  N.  and 
Thankful  (Greene)  Crandall,  and  as  well 
sprang  from  early  Rhode  Island  families  on 
his  mother's  side,  she  being  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  John  Greene,  of  Kings  Towne,  R.  I., 
who  came  to  Narragansett  about  1639,  living 
in  the  family  of  Richard  Smith.  From  this 
John    Greene,    the    Christian    name    of    whose 


.  ^ff  3*rrg  A  C^ 


r      /^^•^ZSx-*-*-**^^^*'^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


757 


■wife  was  Joan,  the  descent  of  Mrs.  Crandall 
was  througli  Benjamin  Greene,  of  North 
Kingstown  and  East  Greenwich,  E.  I.,  and 
his  wife  Humility,  John  Greene  (2),  of  East 
Greenwich,  R.  I.^  and  his  wife  Mary  (Ayles- 
wortli),  Amos  Greene,  of  Charlestown,  E.  I., 
and  his  wife  Amy  (Knowles),  and  Henry 
Greene,    of   Charlestown,    Rhode    Island. 

The  lineage  of  Mr.  Crandall  on  his  father's 
side  from  the  ancestor  and  settler,  (I)  John 
Crandall,  is  through  Jeremiah  Crandall, 
James,  Oliver  and  George  Nichols.  These 
generations  in  detail  follow  in  regular  order. 

(II)  Jeremiah  Crandall,  son  of  John  the 
settler,  married  Priscilla  Warner,  daughter  of 
Jolm  and  Ann  (Gorton)  Warner,  and  lived 
at  Newport  and  Westerly,  R.  I.  They  died, 
he  in  1718,  and  she  in  1750.  Their  children 
were:  Jeremiah,  born  June  25,  1702;  Ann; 
John,  born  Oct.  4,  1704;  Hannah;  James, 
born  Sept.  4,  1706;  Experience,  born  Dec. 
28,  1709;  Patience;  Susanna,  born  March  11, 
1715;  and  Marv,  born  Mav  13,  1717. 

(III)  James"  Crandall,  born  Sept.  4,  1706, 
married  (probably)  (first)  Feb.  27,  1742,  Dn- 
marius  Kenyon,  of  Charlestown.  Their  chil- 
dren of  Westerly  town  record,  according  to 
Arnold,  were:  Eunice,  born  Jan.  24,  1743- 
44;  Ezekiel,  Oct.  11,  1746;  Damarius,  Sept. 
8,  1749;  Enoch,  Nov.  1,  1752;  Christopher, 
Sept.  11,  1755;  Augustus,  March  27,  1761; 
Cynthia,  Feb.  4,  1763;  Charlotte,  May  10, 
1764;  and  James,  July  16,  1766.  It  was  prob- 
ably the  father  of  these  who  married  (second) 
at  Westerly,  R.  I.,  June  26,  1768.  he  being 
then  referred  to  as  of  Charlestown,  R.  I.,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Saunders,  born  Dec.  15,  1736,  of 
Westerly,  widow  of  Elisha  Saunders,  and 
daughter  of  Oliver  Chase  and  liis  wife,  Eliza- 
beth (Cleveland),  of  Berkley,  Mass.,  until 
about  1740,  when  he  removed  to  Westerly. 
The  children  born  to  James  and  Elizabeth, 
the  eldest  in  Charlestown,  R.  I.,  and  the  others 
likely  in  Westerly,  where  they  are  of  town 
record,  were:  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  8,  1769; 
Mary,  Aug.  3.  1771:  Oliver,  Sept,  30,  1773; 
Damarius,  July  26  (?),  1776;  Nancy,  Sept. 
4,  1778;  and  Fanny. 

(IV)  Oliver  Crandall,  son  of  James,  born 
Sept.  30,  1773,  was  a  well-kno%vn  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

(V)  George  Nichols  Crandall,  son  of 
Oliver,  married  Thankful  Greene,  and  they 
lived  in  Charlestown,  R.  I.,  where  he  was  oc- 
cupied in  farming,  being  an  extensive  land 
owner.  Their  children  were :  Patience,  who 
married    Jonathan    Tucker;    Ruth    Ann,    who 


married  Angus  Monroe ;  Thankful,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Arnold  Pierce;  George  Nichols, 
mentioned  below;  William,  who  married  Cath- 
arine Babcock,  of  Charlestown,  sister  of  the 
first  wife  of  George  N. ;  and  Beriah — all  of 
whom  are  deceased. 

(VI)  George  Nichols  Crandall,  son 
of  George  Nichols  and  Thankful  (Greene), 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Charlestown  Oct.  27, 
1819,  and  for  half  a  century  was  identified 
with  the  business  interests  of  Attleboro,  Mass. 
His  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  a  farm,  and 
his  education  acquired  in  the  local  schools. 
As  a  boy  he  became  a  clerk  in  a  grocery 
store  in  Westerly,  and  when  of  age  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Mr.  Seeger  under  the  firm 
name  of  Crandall  &  Seeger,  and  they  carried 
on  a  grocery  in  the  town  of  Westerly,  the 
partnership  lasting  for  six  years,  when  Mr. 
Crandall  bought  out  Mr.  Seeger's  interest  and 
then  for  two  years  carried  on  the  business 
alone.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  sold  out 
and  moved  to  Natick,  in  the  town  of  War- 
wick, Kent  Co.,  E.  I.,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  and  was  also  the  postmaster. 
There  he  continued  until  1855,  when  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  Attleboro,  and  here  em- 
barked in  the  grocery  business,  having  as  a 
partner  George  A.  Whipple.  Their  business 
was  located  on  Park  street,  and  the  firm  name 
of  Whipple  &  Crandall  soon^  became  well 
known  to  the  people  of  Attleboro  and  vicinity. 
They  remained  together  until  1866,  when  Mr. 
Crandall  bought  out  Mr.  Whipple's  interest, 
and  carried  the  business  on  by  himself  until 
he  sold  it  to  Lucius  Z.  Carpenter.  The  re- 
mainder of  his  life  was  then  devoted  to  the 
real  estate  which  ho  had  acquired.  He  built 
a  fine  home  on  North  Main  street,  and  there 
his  death  occurred  Aug.  17,  1902,  after  a 
short  illness.  His  remains  rest  in  Woodlawn 
cemetery,  where  a  handsome  monument  marks 
his  last  resting  place. 

Mr.  Crandall  was  a  stanch  supporter  of 
Republican  principles,  and  was  a  veteran  mem- 
ber of  Company  C  Association,  one  of  the 
oldest  Republican  clubs  in  the  State.  In  1881 
he  represented  the  town  of  Attleboro  in  the 
State  Legislature,  and  was  a  man  of  influence 
in  that  body.  For  three  years  he  was  select- 
man of  the  town,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
a  member  of  the  board  of  assessors,  and  several 
years  of  the  board  of  health.  For  eighteen 
years  he  was  special  commissioner  of  Bristol 
county,  Mass.,  for  fourteen  years  justice  of 
the  peace.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  vice  presi- 
dent   of   the   Attleboro   Gas   Light   Company, 


758 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


aud  was  also  a  director  of  the  Attleboro  Mu- 
tual Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  one  of  the 
assistant  engineers  of  the  Attleboro  fire  dis- 
trict which  was  formed  in  1851). 

Mr.  Crandall  was  a  well-read  man,  and  was 
a  deep  student  of  law.  With  his  knowledge 
of  public  affairs  generally  through  his  long 
service  as  an  official  he  figured  as  an  adviser 
and  assistant  to  the  principal  in  many  cases 
before  the  United  States  and  Bristol  County 
courts.  He  was  a  man  of  decided  action,  and 
he  meant  what  he  said,  and  there  was  never 
any  mistaking  his  meaning.  His  tastes  were 
domestic,  and  in  public  and  private  life  he 
was  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity.  His  fra- 
ternal connection  was  with  Oriental  Lodge  of 
Odd  Fellows  at  Attleboro. 

Mr.  Crandall  was  twice  married.  In  1844 
he  wedded  Maria  S.  Balx'ock,  daughter  of 
Jesse  Babcock,  of  Charlestown,  R.  I.  She 
died  in  Attleboro  in  1856,  leaving  one  son, 
George  H.  Mr.  Crandall  married  (second) 
in  Attleboro,  May  19,  1858,  Frances  A.  Mar- 
tin, who  was  born  in  that  town,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Alfred  and  Bebe  (Dean)  Martin,  the  for- 
mer a  well-known  dentist  and  son  of  Hale 
Martin.  Mrs.  Crandall  still  occupies  the  old 
home  and  she  is  greatly  beloved  by  all  who 
know  her. 

CHARLES  AUGUSTUS  ATWOOD,  M.  D., 
has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  surgery,  with  his  residence  on  West  Bri- 
tannia street,  Whittenton,  since  his  location  in 
Bristol  county  in  1883,  after  his  graduation 
from  medical  school.  He  was  bora  in  Taun- 
ton June  12,  1861,  son  of  Henry  Dean  and 
Alice  Brown  (Williams)  Atwood,  and  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  seventh  generation  of  the  fam- 
ily in  America. 

(I)  Joseph  Atwood,  of  Taunton,  married, 
Jan.  1,  1680,  Esther,  daughter  of  James  Walk- 
er, and  their  children  were :  Joseph,  born  Aug. 
4,  1681,  became  a  citizen  of  Dighton,  was  third 
town  clerk  of  that  town  in  1718,  and  again 
clerk  in  1721,  and  in  1729  was  a  representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court ;  John,  born  Feb.  28, 
1683  ;  Ephraim  ;  and  perhaps  Joanna. 

(II)  Ephraim  Atwood,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Esther  (Walker),  was  elected  town  clerk  of 
Dighton  in  1724.  His  wife's  name  was  Ruth 
and  they  had  a  son  Ephraim. 

(III)  Ephraim  Atwood,  son  of  Ephraim  and 
Ruth,  married  Abigail  Bowers,  of  Somerset, 
a  niece  of  Jeremiah  Bowers.  The  children 
born  of  this  union  were:  George,  born  1765; 
John,  1771 ;  Ephraim,  1777;  and  Walter  Haley, 
1788. 


(IV)  George  Atwood,  son  of  Ephraim  and 
Abigail  (Bowers),  born  in  1765,  married  Anna 
Richmond,  born  March  24,  1767,  daughter  of 
Perez  (born  Oct.  13,  1728)  and  Mercy 
(Church)  Richmond  (born  Sept.  18,  1734). 
They  had  children  as  follows:  George  Bowers, 
born  Oct.  G,  1792 ;  Abigail,  born  Dec.  12,  1794, 
died  Dec.  16,  1810;  Maiy,  born  March  18, 
1797,  died  June  21,  1851;  Ephraim,  born 
April  2,  1800,  died  Sept.  7,  1848;  Charles 
Richmond,  born  Jan.  20,  1804,  died  Dec.  18, 
1877.  George  Atwood,  the  father,  died  Oct. 
12,  1821,  and  his  wife  Anna  Aug.  29,  1846. 
To  Perez  and  Mercy  (Church)  Richmond  were 
born  the  following  children:  Sarah,  born  Aug. 
24,  1756;  Ruth,  Sept.  6,  1758;  Elizabeth, 
March  9,  1760;  Mary,  Sept.  29,  1761 ;  Thomas, 
March  5,  1764;  Benjamin,  July  11,  1765; 
Anna,  March  24,  1767;  Charles,  Sept.  28, 
1768;  Mary  (2),  April  5,  1770;  Charles  (2), 
July  9,  1773;  and  Hannah,  Dec.  17,  1775. 

(V)  Charles  Richmond  Atwood,  son  of 
George  and  Anna  (Richmond),  bora  in  Digh- 
ton Jan.  20,  1804,  married,  Sept.  24,  1832, 
Susan  Padelford  Dean,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Sarah  Susan  Leavitt  (Padelford)  Dean. 
She  died  April  3,  1850.  Robert  Dean  died 
May  24,  1822.  To  Charles  E.  Atwood  and  his 
wife  were  born  the  following  children :  Charles 
Augustus,  born  June  25,  1835,  died  Jan.  7, 
1859;  Robert  Dean,  born  May  6,  1837,  died 
Aug.  19,  1838;  and  Henry  Dean,  born  Jan.  29, 
1839. 

(VI)  Henry  Dean  Atwood,  son  of  Charles 
R.  and  Susan,  born  Jan.  29,  1839,  was  edu- 
cated in  Bristol  Academy  under  Prof.  Nourse, 
prepared  for  college  under  the  late  Hon.  John 
E.  Sanford,  and  graduated  from  Harvard  in 
1800.  He  then  studied  law  with  Chester  Isham 
Reed  in  Taunton,  and  while  pursuing  his  pro- 
fessional studies  went  to  the  Dean  Cotton  & 
Machine  Company  to  learn  bookkeeping.  When 
twenty-two  years  of  age  he  was  made  pay- 
master for  all  the  mills,  and  also  of  the  Phoe- 
nix Cotton  Mill  run  by  his  uncle  Robert  S. 
Dean,  and  of  the  Phoenix  Crucible  Manufac- 
turing Company,  of  which  his  father  was  agent 
and  treasurer.  He  did  not  complete  his  law 
studies.  The  outbreak  of  the  Civil  w'ar  made 
it  necessaiy  for  him  to  help  his  father  with 
whom  he  acted  as  clerk.  After  his  father's 
death  he  continued  the  same  business,  succeed- 
ing him  as  agent.  He  also  had  charge  of  a 
place  in  Jersey  City  which  had  been  established 
in  1865.  He  continued  this  work  until  he  sold 
out,  finally  retiring  in  1902.  He  had  taken  an 
active  part  in  public  affairs,  served  as  a. member 
of  the  school  committee,  and  for  one  year  on 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


759 


the  board  of  aldemien.  In  politics  he  wa?  a 
Eepiiblican.  On  April  17,  1860,  Mr.  Atwood 
married  Alice  Brown  Williams,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  P.  and  Martha  (Brown)  Williams. 
Their  children  were :  Charles  Augustus,  Carrie 
Edchmond,  Henry  Church,  Susan  Padelford 
and  Anna  Richmond. 

(VII)  Charles  Augustus  Atwood  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Taunton,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in 
1880.  He  then  entered  the  medical  department 
of  Harvard  University,  and  graduated  in  1883. 
When  but  twenty-two  years  of  age  he  located 
where  he  now  is  on  West  Britannia  street, 
Whittenton,  and  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  has  made  a  special  study  of  oper- 
ative surgery,  attending  the  clinics  at  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  and  he  is  now 
chiefly  engaged  with  that  branch  of  profes- 
sional work.  His  practice  is  wide,  and  he  has 
been  eminently  successful  in  some  of  the  most 
complicated,  cases.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Boston  Medico-Legal  Society,  and  of  the  Taun- 
ton branch  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety, of  which  latter  he  has  been  president.  He 
has  for  some  years  been  a  member  of  the  staff 
of  Morton  Hospital.  Governor  Wolcott  ap- 
pointed him  associate  medical  examiner  to  Dr. 
Presbrey  for  a  term  of  seven  years,  and  Gov- 
ernor Douglas  reappointed  him  for  a  like 
period.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  King  David's 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  but  has  taken  no  active  part  in 
party  work.  For  some  years  he  has  been  a 
trustee  of  the  Public  Library,  and  was  one  of 
the  committee  who  approved  and  voted  for  the 
acceptance  of  the  plans  of  the  present  beauti- 
ful edifice.  In  his  profession  Di.  Atwood 
stands  in  the  front  rank,  and  the  call  for  his 
services  comes  from  a  wide  radius  of  territory 
about  Taunton. 

In  1888  Dr.  Atwood  married  Elizabeth  Sey- 
mour Woodward,  of  Taunton,  daughter  of 
James  A.  B.  Woodward. 

WALLACE  C.  FLAGG.  The  city  of  Brock- 
ton has  grown  within  a  period  of  but  a  few 
years  from  a  small  village,  known  as  North 
Bridgewater,  to  a  large  thriving  municipality, 
and  the  growth  of  this  industrial  center  is  due 
to  the  energy  and  enterprise  of  men  who  have 
nearly  all  started  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder. 
Their  capital  in  many  cases  amounted  to  little 
save  boundless  energy  and  a  resolute  purpose, 
and  today  that  city  can  point  with  pride  to 
numbers  of  her  leading  citizens  who  started 
life  as  poor  boys,  and  whose  success  has  been 
attained  by  their  possession  of  these  sterling 


traits.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the 
name  of  Wallace  C.  Flagg,  who  has  by  his 
own  energy  and  thrift,  combined  with  natural 
business  acumen,  reached  a  position  in  the 
business  world  where  he  commands  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  the  community,  having  become 
a  prominent  factor  in  the  development  and 
growth  of  his  adopted  city. 

Mr.  Flagg's  ancestors  were  originally  early 
settlers  of  this  Commonwealth,^  while  he  was 
born  in  Vermont,  whither  his  father  migrated, 
and  where  his  became  one  of  the  pioneer  fam- 
ilies. The  common  ancestor  of  the  Colonial 
Flaggs  of  New  England  was  Thomas  Flagg. 
While  the  name  is  variously  spelled,  the  earlier 
and  no  doubt  correct  spelling  of  the  surname 
was  Flagg.  Thomas  Flaes  was  the  son  of 
Bartholomew  and  Alicia  Flagg  (or  Fleg),  and 
was  baptized  at  Whinburgh,  County  of  Nor- 
folk, England,  in  1615.  His  ancestry  in  Eng- 
land is  said  to  be  traced  to  William  Flagg, 
who  died  in  1426,  and  mention  is  made  of  va- 
rious Fleggs  and  De  Fleggs  in  the  twelfth  and 
thirteenth  centuries,  when  the  head  of  this 
family  was  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Flegg  Hall, 
Winterton,  Hundred  of  East   Flegg,  Norfolk. 

(I)  Thomas  Flagg,  the  immigrant  Ameri- 
can settler,  came  to  this  country  with  Richard 
Carver  in  1637,  embarking  at  Scratby,  County 
of  Norfolk.  He  was  located  at  Watertown  as 
early  as  1641,  when  he  had  a  homestead  of 
six  acres  and  other  land.  He  was  selectman 
there  in  1671-72-73-74-75-76-78-81-85-86-87. 
He  died  Feb.  6,  1697-98.  His  wife  Mary  died 
Dec.  30,  1702.  Their  children  were:  (1) 
Gershom  removed  to  Woburn  about  1668.  He 
was  a  lieutenant,  and  was  killed  by  the  In- 
dians July  6,  1690.  He  married  Hannah  Lef- 
fingwell,  and  had  ten  children.  (2)  John 
married  Mary  Gale,  and  settled  in  Watertown. 
They  had  three  children.  (3)  Bartholomew, 
a  captain  in  King  Philip's  war,  died  probably 
before  1697.  (4)  Thomas  married  Mary  Dix, 
had    six   children,   and   settled    at   Watertown. 

(5)  William  was  a  soldier  on  guard  at  Lan- 
caster in  King  Philip's  war,  and  was  killed 
by  the  Indians  in  the  massacre,  Aug.  22,  1675. 

(6)  Michael  settled  at  Watertown.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  proprietors  at  the  attempted 
settlement  of  Worcester  in  1674,  and  he  served 
in  King  Philip's  war.  He  married  Mary  Bige- 
low  and  (second)  Mary  (Lawrence)  Earle, 
and  died  in  Watertown.  (7)  Eleazer  moved 
to  Concord,  and  there  married  Deborah 
(Wright)  Barnes.  Like  three  of  his  brothers 
he  served  in  King  Philip's  war.  (8)  Eliza- 
beth married  Joshua  Bigelow.  (9)  Mary  mar- 
ried Samuel  Bigelow.     (10)  Rebecca  married 


760  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

Deacon   Stephen  Cook.     (11)    Benjamin,  born  Braintree,  June  28,   1816,  daughter  of  Moses 

June  25,  1653,  is  mentioned  below.     (12)   Al-  and  Hannah    (Latlirop)    Harwood,  the  former 

len  married  Sarah  Bell,  settled  at  Watertown,  a  native  of  Braintree,  who  went  West  before 

and  had  nine  children.  the   war.     Austin   Flagg  died  Jan.   24,   1874; 

(II)  Benjamin  Flagg,  son  of  Thomas,  his  wife,  who  had  proved  herself  a  devoted 
born  June  25,  1652,  removed  to  Worcester  at  companion  and  mother,  survives  him,  and, 
the  time  of  the  third  and  successful  attempt  still  resides  at  Braintree,  Vt.,  at  the  remark- 
to  settle  there  in  1718,  and  was  very  promi-  able  age  of  almost  ninety-five  years.  The  fol- 
nent  among  the  early  settlers.  He  married  in  lowing  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
1689  or  1690  Experience  Child,  and  had  nine  Flagg:  (1)  Menander,  born  May  2,  1838,. 
children,  all  born  in  Watertown,  as  follows:  died  Julv  30,  1841.  (2)  George  Washington,, 
Benjamin,  born  Aug.  25,  1691,  died  in  Wor-  born  April  9,  1839,  is  mentioned  below.  (3)' 
cester  June  12,  1751;  Experience,  born  May  Persis  Mary,  born  Nov.  2,  1840,  married  Jan. 
5,  1693,  married  Caleb  Ball,  of  Concord;  Abi-  16,  1865,  Stearns  S.  Hutchinson,  of  Roxbury, 
gail  was  born  April  16,  1694-95;  Bartholomew  and  lives  at  East  Braintree.  Their  children 
was  born  Nov.  16,  1697;  Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  are:  Bella  E.,  born  May  19,  1866;  and 
28,  1699,  married  Peter  King;  Gershom  was  Wright,  born  June  27,  1868.  (4)^ 
born  Julv  11,  1702;  Mary  was  baptized  April  Wright,  born  July  25,  1842,  died  Jan.  21, 
9,  1704;''Ebenezer  was  Ijorn  Jan.  21,  1705-06;  1862.  (5)  William  Day,  born  Oct.  5,  1844,, 
Richard,   May  30,   1708.  died   Sept.   2,  1846.      (6)    Watson  Orvis,  born 

(III)  Ebenezer  Flagg,  son  of  Benjamin,  Jan.  10,  1847,  died  in  1891,  married  Oct.  19,, 
born  Jan.  21,  1705-06,  in  Watertown,  married  1875,  Ella  L.  Martin,  of  Randolph,  Vt.,  also 
Lydia,  and  among  their  children  was  a  son  deceased.  (7)  Waldo  Jason,  born  Dec.  15, 
Rufus.  1848,  married  July  4,  1873,  Julia  Bowen,  of 

(IV)  Rufus  Flagg,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Bethel,  Vt.,  and  resides  in  Miller,  Nebr.,  where 
Lydia,  born  Jan.  18,  1742-43,  in  Worcester,  he  is  extensively  engaged  in  farming  and 
married  Hannah,  and  had  a  son  Perley,  born  stockraising.  His  daughter  Lulu  E.,  born  in 
Feb.  13,  1775.  Charlestown,  died  in  Miller,   Nebr.,  in   1891^ 

(V)  Perley  Flagg,  son  of  Rufus  and  HaI^  aged  nine  years.  (8)  Wallace  C,  born  June 
nah,  born  Feb.  13,  1775,  married  Persis  Fisk,  26,  1851,  is  mentioned  below.  (9)  Miles  Wes- 
daughter  of  Asa  '  Fisk,  of  Brimfield,  Ma.^s.,  ley,  born  Aug.  4.  1855,  died  Dec.  28,  1861. 
and  they  went  to  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  there  (10)  Adella  Inez,  born  Aug.  20,  1858,  mar- 
lived  and  died.  They  became  the  parents  of  ried  Nov.  23,  1861,  Arthur  Cunningham,  of 
William,  Austin,  Rosanna,  and  two  who  died  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  died  Oct.  17,  1882. 
in  infancy.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  (11)  Warren  Dayton,  born  March  20,  1861, 
Mrs.  Persis  (Fisk)  Flagg  married  Sylvanus  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Randolph,  Vt.  He 
Bolton,  and  they  with  her  children  moved  married  Annie  Eliza  Perry,  of  Philadelphia, 
in  1816  to  Braintree,  Vt.,  making  the  journey  Pa.,  and  they  had  children:  Elgin  L.,  born 
on  foot.  During  their  first  year  in  that  coun-  in  New  York  City,  Feb.  9,  1886 ;  Hazel  D., 
try  they  suffered  much  from  want  of  food,  born  May  27,  1890,  who  is  married  and  has 
often  going  supperless  to  bed.  Of  the  one  child;  Wright  ■  W.,  born  Feb.  26,  1892; 
two  sons,  William  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  Miles  Austin,  born  Feb.  27,  1894,  who  died 
this  work,  and  Austin's  life  in  detail  follows.  July    31,    1894;   George   W.,   born    March    11, 

(VI)  Austin  Flagg,  son  of  Perley,  was  born  1897;  Perry  L.,  born  Dec.  15,  1899;  and  Mary 
Feb.    14,    1806,   in    Brimfield,    Mass.      At    the  M.,  born  June  16,  1903. 

age   of   ten   years  he   accompanied   the  family        Samuel  Harwood,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Mary 

to  Braintree,   Vt.,  and  was  put  out  at  farm-  E.    (Harwood)    Flagg,   was  born    in    1743    in 

ing  and  lumbering  until   he  had  attained   his  Sutton,  Mass.    He  married  there  Jan.  5,  1775, 

majority.     He  then  took  up  farming  and  lum-  Lydia  Kenney,  born  in  1755,  and  as  early  as 

bering  on  his  own  account,  building  a  sawmill  1786   removed   to   Braintree,   Vt.     They   died, 

at  Braintree,   in   about   1851.     He   later   gave  he    April    21,    1830,    and    she    May    13,    1831. 

his    vihole    attention    to    farming,    and    owned  Their    children    were:      Polly,    born    in    1776, 

and  operated  a  large  farm,  which  he  kept  in  married   July  6,   1793,   Zion   Copeland ;    Sam- 

a  good  state  of  cultivation.     He  was  an  ener-  uel,  born  June  1,  1778,  married  Jan.  12,  1808, 
getic  and  industrious  man,  and  raised  a  large"  Elizabeth  Bass;  Aaron,  born  in  1780,  married 

family    of    children,    all    of   whom    have    done  Abigail   Ford;  Moses,  born  Nov.   13,   1782,  is 

honor  to  his  name.     On  May  14,  1837,  he  mar-  mentioned     below;     Nathan,    born     June     12, 

ried    Mary     E.    Harwood,   who    was   born    in  1790,  married    (first)    Feb.   5,   1811,   Penelope' 


QiL 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  761 

Chaplain,    of     Colchester;     John     died     when    — all    desirable   land   and   unspoiled   by   grade 
young.  crossings,   and    now    has    tracks    and    freight 

Moses  Harwood,  son  of  Samuel  and  Lydia  sheds  thereon.  The  large  lumber  yards  for- 
(Kenney)  Harwood,  born  Nov.  13,  1782,  mar-  merly  owned  by  H.  S.  Richmond  on  Court 
ried  Hannah  Lathrop,  born  April  28,  1783,  street  also  belong  to  Mr.  Flagg,  us  well  as  va- 
and  their  daughter  Mary  E.  married  Austin  rious  other  properties,  including  the  "Elms'' 
Flagg.  and  "Flagler"  apartments,  on  West  Elm  street, 

(VII)  Wallace  Clinton  Flagg,  son  of  Aus-  which  he  erected  in  1906-07,  together  with 
tin  and  Mary  E.  (Harwood)  Flagg,  was  born  a  number  of  tenement  buildings.  In  the  fall 
in  Braintree,  Vt.,  June -26,  1851.  He  received  of  1902  Mr.  Flagg,  in  company  with  Elmer 
but  a  limited  education,  attending  school  from  L.  Willis,  under  the  firm  name  of  Flagg  & 
three  to  six  months  each  year.  He  earned  Willis,  purchased  the  vvell  known  furniture 
his  first  wages  when  eight  years  of  age,  the  establishment  of  Thomas,  Packard  &  Co.,  and 
amount  being  eight  dollars,  part  in  postage  since  that  time  the  firm  has  successfully  con- 
stamps,  for  which  he  performed  a  month's  ducted  this  business,  which  includes  upholster- 
work  in  the  hayfield,  under  the  hot  sun  of  ing  and  the  repairing  of  all  kinds  of  furni- 
July.  Hiring  out  at  intervals  as  a  farm  hand,  ture,  and  is  enjoying  a  steady  increase  of 
he  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was  trade.  In  1909  this  firm  remodeled  the  front 
nearly  twenty  years  old.  He  then  assumed  of  the  place  of  business,  putting  in  a  solid 
the  responsibilities  of  manhood  and  entered  plate  glass  front,  supported  by  steel  girders, 
on  a  somewhat  varied  career.  For  some  time  from  the  ground  floor  up  through  the  entire 
he  was  employed  in  Boston  as  a  horse-car  front  of  the  building,  which  is  four  stories 
conductor.  Following  that  he  was  for  five  high.  This  improvement  has  given  the  store 
months  brakeman  on  the  passenger  express  a  distinctiveness,  and  is  a  marked  advantage 
of  the  Boston  &  Albany  railroad  between  Bos-    in  the  display  of  goods. 

ton  and  Springfield.  He  next  entered  the  em-  Mr.  Flagg  was  one  of  the  promoters  and 
ploy  of  the  Boston  Ice  Company,  with  which  stockholders  and  directors  of  the  East  Side 
he  remained  eleven  years.  In  that  period  he  Street  Railroad,  which  employed  the  first  four 
was  first  a  driver,  and  then  he  built  icehouses,  electric  cars  in  the  State — acting  as  direc- 
cut,  packed  and  shipped  ice,  delivered  ice  to  tor  of  the  same  some  five  years,  or  until  this 
customers,  collected  bills  and  at  times  acted  line  was  sold  to  the  Brockton  Street  Railway 
as  foreman.  On  March  10,  1882,  he  came  Company ;  it  now  forms  a  part  of  the  Old 
to  Brockton,  and  with  his  savings  purchased  Colony  Street  Railway  system. 
the  stock  in  trade,  including  the  horses  and  On  Oct.  20,  1880,  Mr.  Flagg  married  Angle 
wagons,  of  W.  F.  Cleaveland,  of  Brockton,  A.  Flint,  daughter  of  Rufus  Newton  and  Mary 
who  had  been  in  the  ice  business  some  twenty  Arvilla  (Thayer)  Flint,  of  Braintree,  Vt.,  and 
years.  During  the  first  three  months  he  met  granddaughter  of  Rufus  and  Olive  (Holman) 
with  the  most  determined  opposition,  but  Flint.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flagg  have  been  born 
eventually  through  perseverance  and  deter-  children,  as  follows:  (1)  Elmer  W.,  born  Oct. 
mination  he  conquered  it  and  carried  on  a  9,  188-1,  died  at  the  age  of  two  years,  three 
successful  business  until  1895.  On  April  loth  months.  (2)  Lena  M.,  born  Feb.  20,  1886, 
of  that  year  he  disposed  of  his  retail  trade  and  married  Charles  Gustavus  Nelson,  of  Brock- 
his  teams,  and  engaged  in  developing  the  ton,  where  they  reside,  and  they  have  four 
wholesale  business.  He  cut  his  own  ice,  from  children,  Marjorie  Flagg,  Dorothy  Angela, 
the  reservoir,  factory  pond  and  several  other  Wallace  Clinton  and  Charles  Alfred  (the  last 
points.  In  connection  with  his  ice  business  two  being  twins).  (3)  Bertha  Angle,  born 
he  also  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  and  Sept.  24,  1888,  died  at  the  age  of  one  year, 
wagon  repair  shop.  In  conjunction  with  his  (4)  Florence  Inez  was  born  July  10,  1897. 
wholesale  business  he  engaged  in  the  coal  Mr.  Flagg  and  his  family  reside  in  a  pleasant 
business,  conducting  the  same  successfully  modern  home  at  the  corner  of  Belmont  and 
until  May  1,  1902,  when  he  sold  out  the  busi-    Newbury  streets. 

ness  to  the  Brockton  Ice  and  Coal  Company.  In  his  political  faith  Mr.  Flagg  is  a  stal- 
Mr.  Flagg  has  invested  heavily  in  real  estate  wart  Republican,  and  he  has  served  his  adopt- 
in  Brockton,  which  he  has  greatly  improved,  ed  city  as  a  member  of  the  common  council 
He  owned  fifteen  acres  of  land  on  East  Union  from  Ward  Two  for  two  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
street,  on  the  east  side  of  the  railroad  track,  her  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  become 
a  part  of  which  he  has  since  sold.  He  owns  a  member  of  Phoenix  Lodge,  of  West  Ran- 
1,004  feet  between  Lawrence  and  Union  streets    dolph,  Vt.,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 


762 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


since  coming  to  Brockton  has  become  affili- 
ated with  Paul  Kevere  Lodge  of  the  latter  city. 
He  has  also  been  a  member  of  the  Commercial 
Club,  of  Brockton,  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  Brockton  Lodge,  I. 
0.  0.  F.  He  and  Ms  wife  attend  the  Uni- 
versalist  Church,  and  liberally  support  it.  Mr. 
Flagg  possesses  a  genial,  cordial  nature,  ener- 
getic and  untiring  in  his  efforts,  and  in  busi- 
ness matters  is  keen,  alert  and  farsighted,  and 
his  success  in  life  is  largely  due  to  these  traits 
as  well  as  to  his  strictly  temperate  habits  and 
to  his  close  attention  to  his  varied  business 
interests. 

Mrs.  Flagg  is  a  member  of  the  Women's 
Club,  of  Brockton,  and  is  also  a  member  of 
Deborah  Sampson  Chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  her 
great-great-grandfather.  Col.  Jonathan  Hol- 
man,  having  been  an  officer  in  the  Revolution. 

In  the  winter  of  1775-76  a  regiment  was 
formed  of  men  coming  from  "Sutton,  Oxford, 
Sturbridge,  Chaxlton  and  Dudley,  including 
adjacent  lands,'"  and  placed  imder  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  Jonathan  Holman,  of  North  Sut- 
ton, the  House  of  Representatives  making 
choice  by  ballot  of  the  field  officers.  This,  the 
5th  Regiment  of  Militia  in  the  County  of 
Worcester,  was  usually  known  and  styled  the 
"Sutton  regiment,"  it  being  largely  composed 
of  Sutton  men,  and  was  destined  to  a  very 
severe  and  long-continued  service  of  nearly 
two  years,  during  which  it  was  engaged  in 
many  battles  with  the  enemy,  and  finally,  if 
we  accept  the  evidence  of  a  high  British  au- 
thority, in  the  great  decisive  battle  of  the  war, 
the  battle  at  Saratoga.  Being  incorporated 
into  the  army  of  General  Washington  at  Cam- 
bridge, they  began  their  march  with  him  soon 
after  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  and  proceeded 
first  to  Rhode  Island,  where  they  remained 
some  two  or  three  months;  thence  to  Long 
Island,  where  they  engaged  in  battle;  thence 
up  the  Hudson  river  to  White  Plains,  where 
the  American  army  had  a  hard  fought  battle 
in  which  the  Sutton  regiment  bore  a  promi- 
nent part.  Some  of  the  soldiers,  in  their  pen- 
sion affidavits,  testify  "they  were  greatly  out- 
numbered by  the  enemy,  but  their  colonel  ob- 
stinatelv  refused  to  yield  until  they  were 
nearly  surrounded,  and  when  at  last  the  order 
came  to  fall  back,  he  was  nearly  the  last  man 
to  leave  the  field."  After  the  battle  of  White 
Plains,  the  Sutton  regiment  under  Colonel 
Holman  was  ordered  to  Bennington,  Vt., 
where  it  campaigned  in  and  around  that 
region  for  several  months,  to  hold  in  check  the 
advancing  hosts  of  General  Burgoyne.  In  the 
meantime   the    famous    battle    of   Bennington 


was  fought  under  General  Stark.  They  were 
next  ordered  to  join  the  army  of  General 
Gates,  then  massed  near  Saratoga.  In  the  bat- 
tle that  ensued.  Colonel  Holman's  regiment 
was  actively  engaged,  and  they  acquitted  them- 
selves bravely,  as  may  be  justly  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  after  the  battle  this  regiment  was 
designated  to  "take  possession  of  Fort  Edward, 
and  to  hold  it  until  the  dispersion  of  Bur- 
goyne's  army,"  which  they  did.  The  regiment 
was  then  honorably  discharged  and  the  men 
returned  to  their  homes.  Col.  Jonathan  Hol- 
man, whose  public  and  patriotic  services  and 
gallantry  have  been  partially  described,  was 
born  in  1732,  and  was  forty-three  years  of  age 
when  the  Revolutionary  war  broke  out.  He 
embraced  the  cause  of  freedom  with  great 
ardor,  devoting  to  it  most  of  his  time  and, 
as  it  proved  in  the  end,  most  of  his  property. 
As  lie  had  been  thoroughly  trained  in  military 
tactics  in  the  British  service  during  the  French 
war,  which  preceded  by  a  brief  interval  the 
American,  it  was  very  natural  that  he  should 
be  called  to  the  front  when  the  war  began.  He 
retired  from  the  French  war  with  a  commis- 
sion as  major.  After  returning  from  his  cam- 
paign in  New  York,  which  ended  with  the  sur- 
render of  Burgoyne,  though  not  in  the  regular 
service  he  continued  active  in  the  cause  by 
raisin?  troops  from  time  to  time  for  coast 
alarms;  forwarding  supplies,  and  in  various 
ways  contributing  to  the  grand  result.  After 
the  war,  when  Shays's  Rebellion  arose,  he 
promptly  of  his  own  accord  raised  a  body  of 
men  and  marched  to  Petersham  to  aid  in  sup- 
pressing it.  Colonel  Holman  was  a  descend- 
ant in  the  third  generation  from  Solomon  Hol- 
man, who  came  from  Newbury,  and  was  one 
of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Sutton  North  par- 
ish. He  married  Hannah  Sibley,  of  Uxbridge, 
by  whom  he  had  six  sons  and  three  daughters, 
and  (second)  Susannah  Trask,  and  three  chil- 
dren, one  son  and  two  daughters,  were  bom 
to  them.  Four  of  his  sons  migrated  to  Maine. 
Colonel  Holman  died  Feb.  25,  1814,  at  the 
venerable  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Flint.  The  Flint  family  to  which  Mrs. 
Flaeg  belongs  is  of  early  Salem  settlement. 
(1)  Thomas  and  William  Flint,  of  Salem, 
who  are  regarded  as  brothers,  probably  arrived 
there  before  the  year  1640.  William  owned 
much  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Flint  street;  he 
died  in  1673,  leaving  a  widow,  Alice;  he  had 
six  children,  of  whom  two  were  sons,  Edward 
and  Thomas.  Thomas  Flint,  brother  of  Wil- 
liam, died  April  15,  1663,  leaving  a  widow 
and  children,  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  George, 
John  and  Joseph.     He  is  said  to  have  come 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  763 

from  Wales  and  to  have  settled  in  that  part  Feb.  8,  1835,  married  Jan.  18,  1855,  Francis 

of  Salem  now  South  Danvers,  Mass.     On  Sept.  F.   Thayer;    Eleanora    Janett,  born   June    2, 

18,  1G54,  he  bought  150  acres  of  meadow  and  1836,  married  Joseph  C.  Bryant;  Mary  E., 
pasture  land  within  the  limits  of  Salem.  His  born  Nov.  7,  1837,  married  March  26,  1857, 
wife's  name   was  Ann.  Charles  E.   Woodward. 

(II)  Jolin  Flint,  son  of  Thomas,  born  Aug.  (VIII)   Rufus  Newton  Flint,  son  of  Eufus 

3,   1655,  married   and   lived   in   Salem   village  (2),  born  Jan.  3,  1826,  married  Nov.  2,  1853, 

(now  South  Danvers).  He  died  in  April,  1730.  Mary  Arvilla  Thayer,  and  they  lived  in  Ran- 

(IID    John   Flint    (2),  son  of  John,  born  dolph,   Mass.,  where   he   was  engaged   in   the 

Feb.  8,  1681,  removed  to  that  part  of  Wind-  grpcery  business  till   1873,   when  he   removed 

ham  that  became  Hampton,  Connecticut.  to  Braintree,  Vt.     Their  children  were:  Angle 

(IV)  Samuel  Flint,  son  of  John  (2),  born  Arvilla,  born  Nov.  23,  1858,  married  Oct.  20, 
April  'J,  1712,  was  thrice  married,  and  after  1880,  Wallace  C.  Flagg,  now  of  Brockton, 
his  third  marriage  removed  from  Hampton  to  Mass.;  Minnie  Florence,  born  April  5,  1868, 
Randolph,  Vt.,  where  he  died  in  1802.  married    Lester    G.    Flagg,    and    she    died    in 

(V)  Silas  Flint,  son  of  SamueJ,  bom  March  Brockton;  Rufus  Anson,   born  Oct.   16,   1871, 

19,  1737,  in  Hampton,  Conn.,  married  (first)  resides  in  Brockton.  Rufus  N.  Flint,  the 
Abigail  Robinson,  bom  Feb.  22,  1737.  Mr.  father,  passed  away  in  Brockton  March  8, 
Flint  removed  to  Braintree,  Vt.,  in  February,  1910,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 
1785,  subsequently  went  to  Canada,  and  was  Thayer.  Cornelius  Thayer,  son  of  Richard 
killed  there.  His  children  were:  Lucy,  born  and  Dorothy,  married  Abigail  Copeland,  and 
Aug.   21,   1762,  in  Hampton,   Conn.,   married  settled  in  Braintree. 

in   1786   Nathaniel   Hutchinson;  Asahel,  born  Hezekiah  Thayer,  son  of  Cornelius  and  Abi- 

May  28,  1765,  married  Sally  Parish,  removed  gail,  born  in  1708,  married  in  1729  Christian 

to  Braintree,  Vt.,  and  there  they  died  child-  (Aspinwall)   Thayer,  widow  of  Moses  Thayer. 

less,   he    March    16,    1855,    and    she    Jan.    31,  Hezekiah  Thayer   (3),  son  of  Hezekiah  and 

1868;  Rufus  was  bom  April  3,  1768;  Phineas  Christian,    bom    Sept.    30,    1730,    married    in 

was  born  July   1,   1770;  triplets  lived  only  a  1751  Mary  Stetson.     This  may  have  been  the 

few  days ;  Silas  was  bom  April  20,  1774.  Hezekiah  Thayer  who  was  a  corporal  in  Seth 

(VI)  Rufus  Flint,  son  of  Silas,  born  April  Turner's  company,  Col.  Benjamin  Lincoln's 
3,  1768,  married  Hannah  Hawes,  born  July  regiment,  which  marched  on  the  alarm  of 
10,  1773.  He  removed  to  Braintree,  Vt.,  with  April  19,  1775,  from  the  South  Precinct  in 
his  father,  thence  to  Madison,  Ohio,  in  1830,  Braintree,  service  four  days;  also  private  in 
and  there  died  May  12,  1837.  Mrs.  Flint  Capt.  Moses  French's  company.  Col.  Joseph 
died  July  12,  1842.  Their  children  were:  Palmer's  regiment,  service  twelve  days,  com- 
Electa,  born  July  29,  1798,  married  Daniel  pany  assembling  at  Braintree  March  4,  1776. 
D.  Robinson,  of  Northfield,  lived  there  a  few  Levi  Thayer,  son  of  Hezekiah  (2)  and 
years,  and  thence  removed  to 'Cla'ridon,  Ohio;  Mary,  bom  Feb.  2,  1752,  married  Hannah 
Rufus    was    born    March   4,    1800;    Ebenezer  Curtis  and  settled  in  Braintree. 

Hawes,  born  Aug.  21,  1803,  married  June  17,  Abel  Thayer,  son  of  Levi  and  Hannah,  born 

1828,  Sarah  E.  Du  Bois;  Hannah,  bora  July  July     2,    1789,    married     in     1812    Lydia     C. 

18,  1806,  married  Jan.   1,  1845,  Joseph  Hoi-  Cleaveland,   and    settled   in    Braintree,   Massa- 

brook,    and    lived    at    Salt   Lake    City,    Utah;  chusetts. 

Frederick,  born  Dec.  9,  1809,  went  to  Madi-  Mary  Arvilla  Thayer,  daughter  of  Abel  and 

son,  Ohio,  thence  to  Nebraska ;  and  Mary,  born  Lydia  C,  married  Rufus  Newton  Flint. 

March  27,  1812,  married  Anson  Call,  of  Ohio, 

and  removed  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  (VII)     George    Washington    Flagg;    the 

(VII)  Rufus  Flint  (2),  son  of  Rufus,  bora  eldest  living  son  of  Austin  and  Mary  E. 
March  4,  1800,  married  (first)  March  17,  (Harwood)  Flagg,  was  born  on  April  9,  1839, 
1825,  Olive  Holman,  and.  (second)  Nov.  15,  in  Braintree,  Vt.  After  acquiring  his  early  edu- 
1866,  Ellen  Dorothy  Freeze,  of  Sandwich,  N.  cational  training  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
H.  His  children  were:  Rufus  Newton,  bom  native  town  he  became  engaged  in  agricultural 
Jan.  3,  1826,  is  mentioned  below;  Electa,  bom  pursuits,  in  which  he  continued  for  many 
May  23,  1827,  married  April  23,  1855,  Wil-  years.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has  also 
liam  Cushraan,  of  Randolph;  Elvira,  born  been  extensively  interested  in  dealing  in 
July  6,  1828,  died  Feb.  10,  1851 ;  Seth  Mann  horses,  although  he  is  now  practically  retired 
Holman,  born  Dec.  18,  1830,  married  April  from  active  business  cares.  In  his  younger 
18,  1858,  Deborah  Mann;  Ruth  Holman,  born  days  Mr.  Flagg  possessed  a  very  robust  con- 


764 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


stitution  and  was  a  noted  atUete,  and  at  the 
age  of  thirty-eight  years  he  took  up  wrestling, 
becoming  one  of  the  best  known  wrestlers  in 
this  country,  challenging  all  comers,  and  while 
in  his  prime  put  down  among  others  the  big 
Indian  chief  wrestler  of  the  West.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  ottered  his  services  to  his 
country,  becoming  a  private  in  the  2d  Ver- 
mont Regiment  of  Volunteer  Infantry,  with 
which  he  participated  in  active  service  for  four 
years  and  two  months.  Fer  meritorious  serv- 
ice he  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and 
for  a  time  was  acting  captain  of  his  company. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Flagg  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  organization.  In  political  faith  he 
is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  principles, 
and  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  interests 
of  the  party.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State 
of  Vermont,  and  in  1909  and  1910  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate,  in  both  bodies 
giving  faithful  service  to  his  constituents.  On 
May  16,  1865,  Mr.  Flagg  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Adelia  A.  Howard,  daughter  of  Whit- 
man and  Elmira  (Smith)  Howard,  of  Ran- 
dolph, Vt.,  and  to  this  union  were  born  two 
sons,  namely :  Lester  Geary,  born  Jan  27, 
1867,  who  is  mentioned  below;  and  Burt  C, 
born  Feb.  26,  1878,  who  died  Jan.  17,  1896. 
The  mother  of  these  children  passed  away 
Jan.  15,  1910. 

(VIII)  Lester  Geary  Flagg,  the  eldest 
son  of  George  W.  and  Adelia  A.  (Howard) 
Flagg,  was  born  Jan.  27,  1867,  in  Braintree, 
Vt.,  and  acquired  his  early  educational  train- 
ing in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  at  Randolph,  Vt.,  later  attending  the  Ran- 
dolph high  school.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  at 
Brookfield,  Vt.,  being  thus  occupied  for  two 
terms.  Leaving  school  when  about  nineteen 
years  of  age,  he  remained  on  the  home  farm 
until  he  had  reached  his  majority.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  came  to  Brockton,  Mass.,  where 
he  became  employed  by  his  uncle,  Wallace  C. 
Flagg,  who  was  then  engaged  in  the  coal  and 
ice  business,  and  continued  in  his  employ  for 
a  period  of  about  fourteen  years,  during  a  part 
of  that  time  being  foreman  of  the  yards.  He 
then  accepted  the  position  of  superintendent 
of  the  Brockton  Ice  and  Coal  Company,  in 
which  capacity  he  remained  for  about  two 
years.  Mr.  Flagg  then  engaged  in  the  coal 
business  on  his  own  account,  and  the  follow- 
ing year  purchased  the  ice  business  then  con- 
ducted by  Oscar  D.  Thomas,  which  business  has 
since  been  conducted  under  the  name  of  the 
Flagg  Ice,  Coal  and  Coke  Company.     In  con- 


nection with  his  coal,  ice  and  charcoal  busi- 
ness Mr.  Flagg  is  also  engaged  in  general 
teaming,  and  under  his  able  management  and 
untiring  energy  this  business  has  been  a  suc- 
cess from  the  start  and  has  grown  rapidly,  un- 
til now  he  requires  the  use  of  about  thirty 
teams  in  its  conduct.  His  office  and  coaL 
yards,  the  latter  having  been  equipped  with 
modern  coal  and  coke  chutes,  which  are  con- 
nected with  a  spur  railroad  track,  are  located 
at  No.  444  Main  street. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Flagg  is  a  member  of  Paul 
Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Brockton. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial 
Club  and  the  Board  of  Trade,  of  Brockton. 
In  political  faith  he  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the- 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  and 
his  wife  attend  the  Universalist  Church,  to- 
which  they  give  their  support. 

On  Nov.  10,  1891,  Mr.  Flagg  married  Min- 
nie Florence  Flint,  daughter  of  the  late  Rufus 
N.  and  Mary  A.  (Thayer)  Flint,  of  Brain- 
tree,  Vt.  Mrs.  Flagg  passed  away  in  Brock- 
ton Sept.  2.3,  1903,  without  issue,  and  Mr. 
Flaea:  married  (second)  Jan.  15,  1905,  Edith 
E.  Kidder,  of  Brockton,  daughter  of  Charles 
and  Zeruah  A.  (Cogswell)  Kidder,  of  Bridge- 
water,  Maine.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  daughter,  Louise  Howard,  bom  Nov. 
19,  1908,  in   Brockton. 

Mrs.  George  W.  Flagg,  mother  of  Lester  G. 
FlasET,  was  also  a  descendant  of  historic  old 
New  England  ancestry,  being  in  the  seventh 
generation  from  John  Howard,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  and  original  proprietors  of  the  an- 
cient town  of  Bridgewater,  this  Common- 
wealth, the  ancestral  branch  of  her  family  be- 
ing given  'herewith  in  chronological  order, 
from  the  first  American  ancestor. 

(I)  John  Howard,  with  his  brother  .James, 
came  from  England  and  settled  in  Duxbury. 
James  removed  to  Bermuda.  John  removed  to 
the  West  parish  of  Bridgewater,  and  became 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  in  1651,  of 
which  he  was  also  one  of  the  original  fifty- 
four  proprietors.  He  was  a  man  of  great  in- 
fluence in  the  new  plantation,  and  one  of  the 
first  military  officers  of  Bridgewater.  His 
children  were :  John,  James,  Jonathan,  Eliza- 
beth,  Sarah,  Bethiah  and  Ephraim. 

(II)  Jonathan  Howard,  son  of  John,  mar- 
ried in  1689  Susanna  Keith,  daughter  of  Rev. 
James  Keith.  She  died  without  issue,  prob- 
ably the  same  year,  and  he  married  (second) 
in  1692  Sarah  Dean,  by  whom  he  ha(J  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Jonathan,  Joshua,  Susanna, 
Ebenezer,  Seth,  Abiel,  Sarah,  Henry  and  Keziah. 

(III)  Abiel  Howard,  son  of  Jonathan,  was 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


765 


torn  Nov.  6,  1704,  and  married  April  26, 
1737,  Silence,  daughter  of  Nehemiah  Wash- 
burn, of  Bridgewater.  He  graduated  from 
Harvard  University  in  1729,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  the  first  to  graduate  from  that  uni- 
versity from  Plymouth  county.  He  was  a 
physician.  He  died  in  West  Bridgewater  Jan. 
10,  1777.  Their  children  were:  Silence,  who 
married  Dr.  Philip  Bryant;  Nehemiaii;  Jane, 
who  married  Ebenezer  Ames ;  John ;  Daniel ; 
Charity,  who  died  unmarried;  Anna,  who  mar- 
ried Jacob  Foster,  and  removed  to  Maine;  and 
■Joshua. 

(IV)  Nehemiah  Howard,  son  of  Dr.  Abiel, 
was  born  April  13,  1740,  and  married  Feb. 
27,  1770,  Hannah,  daughter  of  Deacon  James 
and  Hannah  (Hay ward)  Dean,  of  Easton, 
Mass.,  where  he  died  Sept.  30,  1825.  Their 
children  were  :  Abiel ;  Dean  ;  Asa  ;  Hannah, 
who  married  Eliphalet  Mitchell,  of  Easton; 
Jeptha,  and  Nathaniel. 

(V)  Jeptlia  Howard,  son  of  Nehemiah,  was 
born  April  22,  1780,  and  married  Dec.  1, 
1803,  Betsey  Knapp,  daughter  of  Abijah 
Knapp,  of  Taunton,  Mass.  He  resided  in 
Easton,  Mass.,  until  1817,  when  he  removed 
-to  Braintree,  Vt.  He  died  Nov.  13,  1839. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely : 
Phebe,  born  in  1804,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
Whitman,  bom  in  1807 ;  Betsey  Knapp,  horn 
in  1808.  who  married  Zela  Smith,  of  Middle- 
sex, Vt. ;  Jeptha,  born  in  1810;  Lewis  Strong, 
Ijorn  in  1812;  Alnieda,  born  in  1814,  who  mar- 
ried William  W.  Woodward,  of  Roxbury,  Vt. ; 
Cyrus,  bom  in  1816;  Daniel,  born  in  1818; 
Samuel,  born  in  1821 ;  and  Mary  Gurney,  born 
in  1825,  wlio  died  in  1832. 

(VI)  Whitman  Howard,  son  of  Jeptha,  was 
born  Feb.  26,  1807,  and  married  Nov.  29, 
1832.  Elmira  Smith,  daughter  of  Zeba  and 
Ruth  (Thayer)  Smith.  She  died  July  11, 
1854,  and  he  married  (second)  Sept.  30,  1861, 
Sophia  Hatch,  of  Randolph,  Vt.  He  resided 
in  Randolph,  Vt.,  where  he  died  Jan.  27,  1882. 
His  five  children  were  born  in  Randolph,  as 
follows:  Lucinda  Elmira,  born  Oct.  17,  1833. 
married  Joseph  Partridge,  of  Braintree.  Vt. ; 
Ruth  Ann,  born  May  24,  1836,  married  Joel 
A.  W^hiting,  of  Braintree ;  Adelia  Augusta, 
born  March  1,  1840,  married  May  16,  1865, 
George  W.  Flagg;  Almeda  0.,  born  Feb.  7, 
1842,  died  the  same  day;  and  Frank  Whitman, 
bom  Oct.  12,  1853,  married  Eva  P.  Martin, 
of  Randolph,  Vt.,  and  they  reside  in  Brockton, 
Massachusetts. 

SIMMONS.  The  Brock-ton  family  of  this 
name  is  a  branch  of  the  Old   Colony   Simons 


or  Simmons  family,  the  ancestor  of  which  was 

(I)  Moses  Simmons,  formerly  written 
"Moyses  Symonson,"  who  came  to  Plymouth  in 
tlie  "Fortune"  in  1621,  and  is  usually  reck- 
oned as  one  of  the  Pilgrims,  being  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Plymouth,  and  to  whom  Wins- 
low  referred  as  "a  child  of  one  that  was  in 
communion  with  the  Dutch  Church  at  Ley- 
den,"  and  as  being  "admitted  also  to  baptism 
as  well  as  our  own."  Mr.  Simmons  received 
land  in  the  division  in  1623,  and  also  shared 
in  the  division  of  cattle  in  1627.  He  was  in 
Duxbury  before  1637  and  in  1638-39  received 
a  grant  of  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  town.  He 
became  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
Bridgewater,  but  soon  after  sold  his  share.  He 
was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Middleboro 
in  1662. 

Through  the  two  sons  of  the  settler — Moses 
and  Thomas  Simmons — have  descended  the 
numerous  Simmonses  of  southeastern  Massa- 
chusetts. Of  these  sons,  Moses  was  the  ances- 
tor of  John  Simmons,  at  present  a  prominent 
business  man  of  Brockton,  whose  line  we  are 
tracing  in  this  article.  Thomas,  the  other  son 
of  the  settler,  was  a  householder  in  the  town 
of  Scituate  before  1647,  his  house  being  on 
the  "Green  field,"  between  those  of  Samuel 
Nash  and  John  Turner,  Jr.  He  had  sons 
Moses  and  Aaron. 

From  the  town  of  Kingston,  which  was  origi- 
nally a  part  of  Plymouth,  came  to  North 
Bridgewater  (now  Brockton)  the  head  of  the 
family  here  in  the  person  of  the  late  Weston 
Simmons.  This  was  in  about  1828,  and  here 
the  family  have  since  resided  and  been  among 
the  substantial  men  and  women  of  the  com- 
munity, one  of  the  sons  of  Weston — the  John 
Simmons  mentioned  above — being  at  the  head 
of  one  of  the  extensive  manufacturing  concerns 
of  the  city,  a  man  of  substance  and  influence. ' 

(II)  Moses  Simmons  (2),  son  of  Moses, 
lived  in  Duxbury,  where  he  died  in  1689.  He 
married  Sarah,  and  their  children,  several  of 
whom  married  into  the  "Mayflower"  families, 
as  will  be  seen,  were:  John  (married  Mercy 
Pabodie),  Aaron,  Mary  (married  Joseph 
Alden),  Elizabeth  (married  as  his  second  wife 
Richard  Dwelley),  Sarah  (married  James 
Nash,  of  Duxbury). 

(III)  Aaron  Simmons,  of  Duxbury,  son  of 
Moses  (2),  married,  and.Winsor  makes  him 
the  father  of  children:  John;  Benjamin,  who 
married  Sarah  Sampson  and  (second)  Pris- 
cilla  Delano;  Joseph,  bora  in  1683,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Weston ;  Joshua,  born  in  1688, 
who  married  Sarah  Delano;  and  Rebecca,  who 
married   Constant   Southworth. 


YGfi 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(IV)  John  Simmons,  of  Duxbury,  son  of 
Aaron,  married  Nov.  4,  1715,  Susanna  Tracy, 
■who  died  Sept.  12,  1756,  aged  eighty-two  years. 
Thledr  cliildren  were:  John,  bom  Aug.  22, 
1716;  Ruth,  bom  April  26,  1719;  Joel,  born 
Feb.   5,  1723;  and  Leah,  born  Sept.   7,  1728. 

(V)  John  Simmons  (2),  son  of  John,  born 
Aug.  22,  1716,  married  Oct.  21,  1736,  Hope- 
still,  daughter  of  Elisha  Stetson,  of  Plymouth 
as  early  as  1699,  in  which  year  the  town  was 
divided  into  two  military  districts  and  Elisha 
was  in  the  southern  district.  After  the  town 
of  Kingston  was  set  off  he  became  a  resident 
of  that  town  and  lived  and  died  there;  all  of 
his  children,  Hopestill  included,  were  baptized 
March  19,  1721.  The  children  of  John  and 
Hopestill  (Stetson)  Simmons,  all  of  Kingston 
town  record,  were:  Faith,  born  June  27,  1738; 
Noah,  born  Jan.  15,  1739-40;  Eunice,  born 
March  8,  1742-43;  and  John,  bom  Aug.  29, 
1746. 

(VI)  Noah  Simmons,  son  of  John  and  Hope- 
still, born  Jan.  15,  1739-40,  in  Kingston, 
Mass.,  married  (intentions  expressed  Aug.  17, 
1771)  Diana  Keene,  of  Duxbury,  Mass.,  and 
among  their  children  was  Hezekiali. 

(VII)  Hezekiah  Simmons,  son  of  Noah  and 
Diana  (Keene),  was  bom  Jan.  17,  1772,  in 
Kingston,  Mass.  He  was  master  of  a  coasting 
vessel  which  plied  the  waters  between  Kingston 
and  ports  of  the  Southern  States,  and  in  1816 
his  vessel  encountered  a  severe  storm  and  was 
lost,  neither  the  vessel  nor  any  of  the  crew 
ever  being  heard  of.  He  married  Lydia  Wes- 
ton, of  Duxbury,  who  upon  the  loss  of  her 
husband  was  left  a  widow  with  seven  small 
children,  the  oldest  then  but  thirteen  years 
of  age.  She  married  (second)  Capt.  John 
McLaughlin,  of  Kingston,  where  she  died  in 
1850.  To  Capt.  Hezekiah  and  Lydia  (Weston) 
Simmons  were  born  children  as  follows:  (1) 
Charles,  born  in  1803,  died  in  Kingston  in 
1863 ;  he  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  He  mar- 
ried Almira  Bisbee,  of  East  Bridgewater.  (2) 
Lydia  married  Elijah  Witherell  and  (second) 
Nathaniel  Waterman,  of  Kingston,  where  she 
died.  (3)  Hezekiah,  Jr.,  became  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Monmouth  county,  111.,  making 
the  trip  to  the  Western  country  by  team,  and 
became  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen 
there,  where  he  died.  He  married  Zoa  Dailey, 
of  Easton,  Mass.  (4)  Diana  was  an  invalid, 
and  died  in  Kingston  -at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years,  unmarried.  (5)  Maria,  who  became  the 
wife  of  George  Croome,  of  Boston,  died  in 
Arlington,  Mass.,  in  1890,  in  the  eighty-first 
year  of  her  age.  (6)  Weston  is  mentioned 
below.     (7)  Levi,  who  died  in  the  West,  mar- 


ried   Sarah    Shepardson    and    (second)    Lucy 
Shepardson,  sisters. 

(VIII)  Weston  Simmons,  son  of  Capt.  Heze- 
kiah, was  born  July  15,  1811,  in  Kingston, 
Mass.  In  early  life  he  learned  the  trade  of 
blacksmith,  and  for  a  number  of  years  followed 
that  occupation.  His  older  brother,  Hezekiah 
Simmons,  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
hay  forks  for  several  years  prior  to  his  removal 
to  Illinois,  during  which  time  he  was  associated 
with  him,  and  after  the  departure  of  his 
brother  he  continued  the  business  for  some  time 
himself.  In  about  1828  Mr.  Simmons  came  to 
North  Bridgewater,  now  Brockton,  where  for 
a  number  of  years  he  continued  to  follow  his 
trade  in  the  employ  of  the  late  Tyler  Cobb,  the 
late  Silas  V.  Tuck,  and  others  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  shoe  tools.  He  was  of  an  industrious 
nature,  and  recognized  as  a  fiTst-cJass  me- 
chanic. In  April,  1855,  he  became  warden  of 
the  almshouse,  and  continued  in  that  capacity 
for  a  period  of  about  ten  years.  In  political 
faith  he  was  in  early  life  an  old-line  Whig, 
and  after  the  formation  of  the  Republican 
party  he  continued  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  that  party  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  was  interested  in  educational 
matters,  and  for  several  years  served  in  the 
capacity  of  hiring  the  teachers  for  Prudential 
district  No.  7,  prior  to  the  consolidation  of  the 
various  school  districts.  In  early  life  he  at- 
tended the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  later 
becoming  a  regular  attendant  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church.  On  Oct.  13,  1842,  Mr. 
Simmons  was  married  to  Esther  Hayward, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Esther  (Ripley)  Hay- 
ward,  of  Easton,  Mass.,  she  being  a  direct  de- 
scendant in  the  fifth  generation  from  Thomas 
Hayward,  who  came  from  England,  and  settled 
in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  previous  to  1638,  later  be- 
coming an  original  proprietor  and  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  old  mother  town  of  Bridge- 
water.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simmons  were  bom 
children  as  follows:  Weston  Hayward,  born 
Aug.  21,  1843,  died  Sept.  3,  1843.  George 
Weston,  born  July  28,  1844,  died  in  Brockton 
in  March,  1896.  Esther  Minerva,  born  Nov. 
4,  1846,  is  the  widow  of  Thomas  A.  Baxendale, 
of  Brockton,  where  she  resides.  John,  bom 
April  29,  1850,  is  mentioned  below.  Joseph 
Lyman,  bom  March  29,  1859,  died  Sept.  18, 
1859. 

Weston  Simmons,  the  father,  died  in  Brock- 
ton Jan.  20,  1883,  aged  seventy-one  years,  six 
months,  five  days.  He  had  been  a  resident  and 
identified  with  the  growth  of  the  town  for 
more  than  fifty  years,  and  for  more  than  thirty 
years  was  identified  with  the  industrial  affairs 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


^-67 


of  the  town,  with  intervals  during  which  he 
followed  farming.  His  service  as  warden  of  the 
almshouse  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  and  his 
kind  treatment  of  the  unfortunate  poor,  as 
well  as  his  economical  and  conscientious  admin- 
istration in  that  office,  are  recognized  facts. 
He  built  one  of  the  first  houses  erected  on 
Pleasant  street,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  Mr.  Simmons  was  not  only  a  very  kind- 
hearted  man  and  devoted  to  his  family,  but  was 
a  considerate  and  friendly  neighbor.  He  led 
a  good  life,  and  although  of  a  quiet  and  unas- 
suming nature  readily  made  friends,  and  was 
universally,  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

(IX)  John  Simmons,  proprietor  of  the 
Baxendale  Box  Toe  Company,  of  Brockton, 
Mass.,  one  of  the  successfully  conducted  and 
extensive  manufacturing  concerns  of  that  city, 
is  a  man  of  influence  and  honorable  standing 
in  the  community,  and  as  a  business  man  is 
enterprising  and  progressive.  Mr.  Simmons  is 
a  native  of  the  city  (which  was  at  the  time  of 
his  birth  the  town  of  North  Bridgewater),  born 
April  29,  1850,  son  of  Weston  and  Esther 
(Hayward)  Simmons.  He  acquired  his  early 
educational  training  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  town  and  the  high  school,  which 
he  attended  for  a  time  when  the  latter  was  first 
opened  to  the  public  in  1864.  After  leaving 
school  he  entered  the  employ  of  John  L.  Hollis, 
wdth  whom  he  was  engaged  at  sole  leather  cut- 
ting, and  after  remaining  in  his  employ  for 
several  years  he  accepted  a  similar  position  with 
Frederick  G.  Jones  &  Co.,  shoe  manufacturers, 
with  which  firm  he  continued  for  about  two 
years.  Mr.  Simmons  then  entered  the  employ 
of  his  brother-in-law,  the  late  Thomas  A.  Baxen- 
dale, manufacturer  of  box  toes  for  men's  boots 
and  shoes,  and  about  one  year  later  assumed 
charge  of  the  sales  department  of  this  exten- 
sive business,  in  which  capacity  he  served  effi- 
ciently until  1898,  with  the  exception  of  about 
one  year  when  he  was  foreman  in  the  shoe  fac- 
tory of  Frederick  G.  Jones  &  Co.,  at  Plymouth, 
Mass.,  to  which  town  their  shoe  factory  had  in 
the  meantime  been  removed.  In  the  latter  year, 
1898,  Mr.  Simmons  purchased  the  business  of 
Mr.  Baxendale,  since  which  time  he  has  suc- 
cessfully conducted  it  under  the  name  of  the 
Baxendale  Box  Toe  Company,  of  which  he  is 
the  sole  proprietor.  Mr.  Simmons  gives  em- 
ployment to  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  hands 
in  the  manufacture  of  his  box  toes,  which  have 
an  extensive  reputation  with  the  shoe  trade  for 
quality  and  workmanship,  and  which  are  sold 
in  every  country  where  shoes  are  manufactured. 

In  political  faith  Mr.   Simmons  is  a  stanch 


supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  being  of  a  home-loving  nature  and 
devotedly  attached  to  his  business  interests  he 
has  never  aspired  to  public  office.  He  and  his 
^nfe  are  active  and  devoted  members  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church,  and  are  liberal 
in  their  support  of  the  same  as  well  as  of  all 
charitable  and  benevolent  objects. 

On  Jan.  3,  1871,  Mr.  Simmons  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Ella  Maria  Thayer,  daughter 
of  the  late  Eliphalet  Loring  Thayer,  and  his 
wife,  Nancy  Fisher  (Guild)  Thayer,  of  North 
Bridgewater,  and  this  happy  union  has  been 
blessed  with  children  as  follows:  Alice  Ger- 
trude is  the  wife  of  John  Carroll,  of  Bridge- 
water,  who  is  a  teacher  by  profession,  now 
engaged  in  the  Longfellow  school  at  Roslin- 
dale,  Boston,  and  they  reside  in  Brockton; 
they  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Dorothy 
Simmons  and  Ruth  Robbins.  Estella  died 
when  one  year  old.  John  Weston,  born  Nov. 
14,  1877,  was  graduated  from  the  Brockton 
high  school  and  from  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
business  college,  of  Boston,  and  is  now  associated 
in  business  with  his  father;  he  married  Ruby 
W.  Alley,  of  Brockton,  where  she  passed  away 
April  4,  1910. 

Mr.  Simmons  and  his  family  reside  in  a 
handsome  home  which  he  erected  in  1904  on 
Simmons  avenue,  which  thoroughfare  he 
opened  up  and  improved,  and  which  bears  his 
name.  As  a  business  man  he  is  upright  and 
supremely  honest,  having  it  always  in  mind 
to  deal  fairly  with  those  who  have  commercial 
relations  with  him,  and  as  a  citizen  he  has  ever 
held  high  ideals  of  the  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities which  of  necessity  devolve  upon  a  man 
of  worth  in  any  community.  In  his  native  city 
he  enjoys  the  highest  confidence,  and  is  ever 
ready  to  lend  himself  to  any  advancement  of 
its  best  interests  or  any  project  which  has  for 
its  object  the  betterment  of  its  moral  and  so- 
cial conditions.  His  home  life  and  surround- 
ings, to  which  he  is  much  devoted,  are  ideal, 
and  he  has  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  whole 
community. 

Mrs.  Simmons  is  also  descended  from  historic 
old  New  England  ancestry,  numbered  among 
whom  were  also  patriots  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.     Her  line  is  as  follows: 

(I)  Richard  Thayer,  probably  brother  of 
Thomas,  who  was  born  at  Thombury,  England, 
and  the  former  baptized  there  in  April,  1601, 
came,  bringing  eight  children,  in  1640,  and 
in  1641  settled  in  Braintree.  He  sold  land  to 
his  soil  Richard  in  1648.  He  removed  to  Bos- 
ton. He  had  married  at  Thombury,  April  5, 
1624,  Dorothy  Mortimore.     He  married   (sec- 


768 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ond)  Jane,  widow  of  John  Parker.  His  chil- 
dren were :  Ricliard,  Cornelius,  Deborah,  Jael, 
Sarah,  Hannah,  Zachariah,  Nathaniel. 

(II)  Richard  Thayer  married  24th  of  10th 
month,  1651,  Dorothy  Pray,  and  settled  in 
Braintree.  They  died,  he  Dec.  4,  1705,  and 
she  Dec.  11,  1705.  Their  children  were: 
Dorothy,  born  in  1653;  Richard,  bom  in  1655; 
Nathaniel,  born;  in  1658;  A'bigail,  born  in 
1661 ;  Johanna,  born  in  1665 ;  Sarali,  born  in 
1667;  and  Cornelius,  born  in  1670. 

(III)  Nathaniel  Thayer,  born  Jan.  1,  1658, 
married  May  27,  1679,  Hannah  Hayden  and 
settled  in  Braintree.  He  died  March  28,  1729, 
and  his  estate  was  settled  by  liis  widow,  Han- 
nah. Their  children  were :  Nathaniel,  born 
in  1680;  Richard,  bom  in  1683;  Hannah  W., 
born  in  1685;  Zachariah,  born  in  1687;  Ruth, 
bom  in  1689 ;  Dorothy  L.,  born  in  1692 ;  Lydia 
H.,  baptized  in  1715;  and  David,  born  in  1695. 

(IV)  Richard   Thayer    (3),  bom  in   1683, 
married  in  1708  Susanna,  daughter  of  Samuel 
White,  and  settled  in  Braintree,  Mass.    He  died 
Feb.    7,    1759.      His   wife   died   Feb.    1,    1760. 
Mitchell   says   that    Mr.    Thayer   removed    to 
West  Bridgewater,  Mass.  The  children  of  Rich- 
ard and  Susanna  were :  Susanna,  bom  in  1710 
Jemima,  bom  in  1713;  Enos,  born  in   1716 
Aima,    born    in    1718;    Seth,    born   in    1721 
Micah,  born  in   1724;   Abijah,  born  in  1726 
Jeremiah,  born  in   1729;  and  Thankful,  born 
in  1731. 

(V)  Seth  Thayer,  son  of  Richard  (3),  born 
Aug.  17,  1721,  married  May  19,  1743,  Hannah 
Pray,  and  settled  in  1744"  in  North  Bridge- 
water.  He  died  in  1798,  aged  seventy-seven 
years.  His  children,  according  to  Kingman, 
were:  Enos,  born  Sept.  27,  1744,  married  Re- 
becca Curtis;  Hannah,  born  May  16,  1748, 
m.arried  Daniel  Cary;  Susanna,  born  Dec.  15, 
1749;  Michael,  bom  June  24,  1753,  died 
young;  Molly,  born  Feb.  18,  1756,  married 
Silas  Hayward;  and  Seth,  born  Feb.  12,  1760. 

(VI)  Seth  Thaver  (2),  son  of  Seth,  bom 
Feb.  12,  1760,  married  Molly  Tliayer.  Their 
children  were  bom  as  follows:  Enos,  March 
30,  1788;  Hannah,  July  11,  1789;  Micah, 
March  28,  1791;  Seth,  Aug.  8,  1793;  Elipha- 
let,  Oct.  15,  1795;  Zachariah,  April  27,  1797; 
Zeba,  Feb.  15,  1799;  Samuel,  Dec.  1,  1800; 
Charles,  Oct.  19,  1802.  The  fatiier  died  May 
18,  1806,  aged  forty-six  years,  the  mother 
Sept.  29,  1828,  aged  sixty-seven  years. 

(VII)  Eliphalet  Thayer,  son  of  Seth  (2), 
was  bom  Oct.  15,  1795,  in  North  Bridgewater, 
where  he  died  Aug.  27,  1862.  The  greater 
part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  farming  in  his 
native   town   on    a   tract   of   land    situated   on 


Pleasant  street,  where  he  removed  in  about 
1819.  He  was  also  engaged  in  making  shoes, 
and  for  a  time  worked  in  the  United  States 
AiTUory,  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  his  broth- 
ers Micah  and  Seth  were  also  employed  as 
blacksmiths  for  a  number  of  years.  He  owned, 
a  large  tract  of  land  which  extended  north  and 
south  from  Oak  street  to  Belmont  street,  and 
about  forty  rods  wide.  In  early  life  he 
attended  the  Unitarian  Church,  later  becoming 
identified  with  the  Congregational  Church. 
He  married  Oct.  10,  1819,  Lydia  Stone,  daugh- 
ter of  Solomon  Stone,  of  North  Easton,  Mass., 
and  she  died  in  North  Bridgewater  July  6, 
1862,  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Charlotte,  born  March  10,  1821,  married  Isaac 
Brett ;  Eliphalet  Loring,  born  July  2,  1824, 
married  Nancy  F.  Guild;  John  Davis,  born 
Oct.  24,  1833,  married  Bethiah  Hayward,  now 
deceased,  and  he  resides  in  Brockton ;  Lydia- 
ette,  born  Sept.  15,  1837,  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
W.  Tilton,  of  Brockton;  Rufus  Harrison,  born 
June  29,  1840,  died  Dec.  31,  1844;  and  Julia 
Frances,  bora  Oct.  11,  1843,  is  the  wife  of  Mel- 
vin  F.  James,  of  Brockton. 

(VIII)  Eliphalet  Loring  Thayer,  son  of 
Eliphalet,  was  bom  in  North  Bridgewater 
(now  Brockton)  July  2,  1824,  and  in  that  town 
his  life  was  spent;  he  died  there  Aug.  10,  1876, 
aged  fifty-two  years,  one  month,  eight  days. 
Mr.  Thayer  was  for  a  number  of  years  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes 
in  his  native  town,  and  was  known  in  this  and 
neighboring  town?  as  a  man  of  honest  and  up- 
right purposes,  and  although  somewhat  quiet 
and  retiring  in  disposition  was,  nevertheless, 
strong  and  steadfast  in  his  eon\'ictions  and 
principles.  He  was  among  the  oldest  of  the 
town's  boot  and  shoe  manufacturers,  and  for 
many  years  had  met  with  marked  success  in 
his  business  enterprises,  but  during  the  panic 
of  1873,  through  the  failure  of  several  of  his 
patrons,  Mr.  Thayer  experienced  financial  re- 
verses. An  unusual  degree  of  public  sympathy 
was  manifested  because  of  the  business  embar- 
rassments with  which  the  latter  years  of  his  life 
were  weiglited,  and  which  doubtless  contributed 
more  than  anything  else  to  bring  about  the 
sickness  wliich  resulted  in  his  death,  when  yet 
in  the  prime  of  life. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Thayer  had  affiliated  with 
the  Whig  party,  and  after  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party  continued  loyal  in  his  support 
of  the  principles  of  that  party.  He  twice  rep- 
resented his  native  town  in  the  General  Court 
of  the  State,  being  a  member  of  that  body  dur- 
ing the  sessions  of  1872  and  1873.  As  a  citi- 
zen  he  was  a  man  of  influence  in  the  com- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


769 


munity,  wliere  he  bore  the  esteem  and  respect 
of  all.  For  many  years  Mr.  Thayer  was  an 
active  and  consistent  member  of  tlie  Univer- 
salist  Church,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  in  Brockton,  and  lie  aided  materially 
in  establishing  the  church  and  putting  it  on  a 
firm  foundation.  Mr.  Thayer  was  married  July 
24,  1849,  to  Nancy  Fisher  Guild,  daughter  of 
Horace  and  Amelia  (Fisher)  Guild,  of  Canton, 
Mass.,  who  survived  her  husband  and  died  in 
Brockton  July  11,  1910,  aged  eighty- two  years, 
three  months,  twenty-one  days.  To  them  were 
bom  the  following  children:  Ella  Maria,  born 
May  31,  1850,  is  the  wife  of  Jolin  Simmons; 
Horace  Loring,  born  March  30,  1854,  is  a- 
shoemaker  by  trade,  and  resides  at  ttie  old 
homestead,  unmarried ;  Alice  Nancy,  born  Dec. 
18,  1855,  died  Feb.  2,  1859;  Emma  Louise, 
born  Dec.  3,  I860,  resides  in  California,  un- 
married :  and  Gertrude  Amelia,  born  Feb.  8, 
1866,  died  Dec.  17,  1876. 

(IX)  Ella  Maria  Thayer,  eldest  daughter  of 
the  late  Eliphalet  Loring  Thayer  and  his  wife 
Nancy  Fisher  (Guild)  Thayer,  was  born  May 
31,  1850,  and  on  Jan.  3,  1871,  was  united  in 
marriage  to  John  Simmons.  Mrs.  Simmons  is 
a  member  of  the  Woman's  Club  of  Brockton, 
in  the  work  of  which  she  takes  an  active  inter- 
est. She  is  also  a  member  of  Deborah  Samp- 
son Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, being  eligible  to  membership  in  same 
through  her  descent  from  Maj.  Aaron  Guild, 
of  Dedham,  Mass.,  her  great-grandfather,  who 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  having  left 
his  plow  in  the  field  (now  Norwood)  for  ser- 
vice in  that  struggle,  and  to  whose  memory  and 
bravery  a  monument  has  since  been  erected. 
Mrs.   Simmons"s  Guild  ancestry  is  as  follows : 

(I)  John,  Samuel  and  Ann  Guild,  sup- 
posedly brothers  and  sister,  came  from  Scotland 
to  America  about  1636,  and  the  name  is  first 
of  record  at  Dedham,  Mass.,  where  the  mar- 
riage of  Ann  is  recorded  in  1638.  Samuel  was 
admitted  a  freeman  in  1642,  but  left  Dedham. 
John  was  admitted  to  the  church  in  Dedham 
July  17,  1640,  and  was  made  a  freeman  in 
1643.  He  was  one  of  the  original  grantees  of 
the  town.  He  had  land  by  grant  and  purchase, 
buying  in  1640  twelve  acres,  upon  which  he 
built  a  house,  which  was  occupied  by  himself 
and  his  descendants  for  more  than  two  cen- 
turies. He  married  April  24,  1645,  Elizabeth 
Crook,  of  Roxbury,  and  had  children:  John, 
Samuel,  John  (2),  Eliezur,  Ebenezer,  Eliza- 
beth and  Benjamin.  The  father  died  Oct.  4, 
1682. 

(II)  Samuel  Guild,  born  Sept.  7,  1647,  mar- 
ried Sept.  29,  1676,  Mary,  daughter  of  Samuel 

49 


and  Ann  Woodcock,  and  their  children  were: 
Samuel ;  Nathaniel ;  Mary  ;  John ;  Israel ;  Eben- 
ezer; Joseph,  and  Elizabetli.  The  father  died 
Jan.  1,  1730. 

(III)  Nathaniel  Guild,  born  Nov.  12,  1678, 
married  Mehetabel,  who  died  Feb.  10,  1771. 
Mr.  Guild  was  ensign,  appointed  in  1736.  They 
lived  in  Dedham.  He  died  Jan.  28,  1774,  aged 
ninety-si.x.  Their  children  were:  Mehetabel, 
Mary,  Nathaniel,  Susanna,  Susanna  (2),  Sam- 
uel, Rebecca,  Sarah,  Moses,  Aaron. 

(IV)  Mjaj.  Aaron  Guild,  born  in  April, 
1728,  married  (first)  June  1,  1752,  Sarah 
Coney,  of  Stoughton,  who  died  Feb.  18,  1755. 
He  married  (second)  Annah  Coney,  and 
(third)  Dec.  11,  1777,  Sarah  May,  of  Stough- 
ton, a  widow.  He  resided  in  South  Dedham. 
He  was  commissioned  ensign  in  1758  and 
afterward  promoted  to  captain.  When  a  mes- 
senger from  Leiington  came  galloping  through 
the  town  announcing  that  war  had  begun,  he 
with  his  son  Aaron  was  plowing  in  the  field 
in  front  of  the  house.  Leaving  the  plow  in  the 
furrow  and  the  oxen  standing,  he  hastened 
to  the  house,  took  down  his  favorite  king's 
arm  and  departed  immediately  for  the  scene 
of  action,  arriving  upon  the  ground  in  time 
to  aid  in  firing  upon  the  British  troops,  who 
were  hastily  returning  to  Boston.  During  the 
war  he  held  various  offices.  He  was  on  a  com- 
mittee of  Safety  in  1774,  and  in  1775  was  a 
muster  master.  In  1779  he  was  on  a  com- 
mittee to  make  provision  for  the  families  of 
non-commissioned  officers  and  soldiers,  and  in 
1780  and  1781  he  was  on  a  committee  of  Cor- 
respondence and  Safety.  He  died  Feb.  3,  1818. 
His  children  were:  Aaron,  Oliver  (both  born  to 
the  first  wife),  Sarah,  Jacob,  Annah,  Joel, 
Abner,  Priscilla,  Jolm  and  Nathaniel. 

(V)  Joel  Guild,  born  Jan.  20,  1765,  mar- 
ried Jan.  4,  1789,  Hannah  Weatherbee,  who 
was  born  May  13,  1766.  He  resided  in  South 
Dedham,  Mass.,  and  died  Dec.  11,  1842.  His 
children  were :  Clarissa,  Reuben,  Joel,  Abner, 
Benjamin,  Horace,  Hannah,  Warren  andLouise. 

(VI)  Horace  Guild,  bom  Nov.  24,  1802, 
married  March  5,  1827,  Amelia  Fisher,  of 
Canton,  Mass.,  who  was  bom  March  6,  1803. 
They  lived  in  Canton,  he  being  a  farmer.  Their 
cluldren  were :  Nancy  Fisher,  born  March  20, 
1828;  Horace,  bom  Sept.  18,  1829;  Amelia 
M.,  bom  April  29,  1831;  Hannah  W.,  bom 
Aug.  20,  1832;  Frederic,  born  Oct.  30,  1833; 
Henry,  born  July  9,  1840;  and  Josephine,  born 
July  27,  1844. 

HICKS.  The  American  ancestor  of  the 
Hicks  family,  of  Westport,  Mass.,  was  Robert 


770 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Hicks,  who  came  from  England  in  the  ship 
"Fortune"  in  1621.  He  was  a  great-grandson 
of  Thomas  Hicks,  of  Trotworth,  England,  who 
inherited  his  estate  from  his  father,  John 
Hicks,  a  descendant  of  Sir  Ellis  Hicks,  who 
was  knighted  by  Edward,  the  Black  Prince, 
in  1356.  Robert  Hicks's  wife  was  Margaret. 
She,  with  two  sons,  Samuel  and  Ephraim,  and 
two  daughters,  came  in  the  ship  "Ann,"  in 
August,  1623.  He  was  a  leather  dresser  in 
London  in  1618.     He  died  March  24,  1647. 

Samuel  Hicks,  eldest  son  of  Robert  Hicks, 
of  Plymouth,  removed  in  1643  to  Eastham, 
Mass.,  and  there  married  Lydia,  daughter  of 
John  Doane,  Esq.  He  was  a  representative 
in  1649 ;  removed  later  to  Barnstable,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  promoting  the  settlement 
of  Dartmouth.  He  was  among  the  thirty-six 
original  purchasers  of  that  town  who  met  at 
Plymouth  March  7,  1652,  to  divide  their  pur- 
chase. He  owned  one  thirty-fourth  of  the 
town,  where  lie  removed  before  1670,  as  on 
May  1st  of  that  year  we  find  him  recorded  as 
one  of  the  seven  freemen  of  Dartmouth. 

Joseph  Hicks  (probably  son  or  grandson  of 
Samuel  Hicks)  married  Mary  Earle.  He  was 
a  farmer  in  that  part  of  Dartmoutli  now  West- 
port.  His  children  were  :  Grace  ;  Joseph,  who 
died  in  1718,  unmarried;  Elizabeth,  born  July, 
1698,  who  married  Constant  Sisson;  Gabriel, 
born  March  JO,  1699;  Sarah,  born  Jan.  10, 
1702,  who  married  James  Stevens;  William, 
bom  Oct.  7,  1705,  who  married  Anna  Corey; 
Prudence,  born  Oct.  11,  1706,  who  married 
Ben  Potter;  Benjamin,  born  Oct.  17,  1708; 
and  Mary,  born  Sept.  12,  1709. 

Gabriel  Hicks,  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Earle)  Hicks,  born  March  10,  1699,  married 
Sarah  Manchester,  and  had  eight  children : 
Susanna,  born  May  11,  1721;  Joseph,  Feb.  22, 
1722;  Comfort,  June  23,  1725;  Benjamin, 
Nov.  2,  1727;  William,  Jan.  5,  1729;  John, 
May  28,  1732;  Elizabeth,  Feb.  5,  1735-36; 
Thomas,  May  8,  1738.  Gabriel  Hicks,  father 
of  these,  was  a  farmer  and  tanner  and  owned 
about  100  acres  of  land. 

Joseph  Hicks,  son  of  Gabriel  and  Sarah 
(Manchester)  Hicks,  was  born  Feb.  22,  1722, 
was  a  farmer  and  tanner,  and  like  his  father 
was  a  valued  citizen  and  a  man  of  sound  judg- 
ment. He  married  Elizabeth  Waite  and 
reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  viz. :  Ben- 
jamin married  Eunice  Briggs;  Oliver  mar- 
ried Polly  Earle ;  Barney  married  Sarah  Cook  ; 
Durfee  married  Susannah  Potter ;  Thomas 
married  Elizabeth  Davis;  Comfort  married 
Philip  Corey ;  Mary  married  Stephen  Earle ; 
Lucy  married   Philip  Taber;  Priscilla  became 


the  second  wife  of  Stephen  Earle;  Deborah 
married  John  Pearce;  Prudence  married  An- 
thony Almy;  and  Hannah  married  Paul  Earle. 
Mr.  Hicks,  the  father,  died  Oct.  12,  1798. 
Mrs.  Hicks  was  born  Jan.  20,  1727,  and  died 
Sept.  25,  1827,  having  attained  the  remarkable 
age  of  one  hundred  years,  eight  months,  five 
days. 

Barney  Hicks,  third  son  and  child  of  Jo- 
seph and  Elizabeth  (Waite)  Hicks,  was  born. 
June  9,  1754.  Before  he  was  of  age  he  be- 
came a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  en- 
listing as  a  private  soldier  under  Major  Man- 
chester in  a  Rhode  Island  regiment  of  tlie  Co- 
lonial army  and  was  for  some  months  in  serv- 
ice. He  then  fitted  out  a  sloop  at  Westport 
for  the  West  Indian  trade  and  started  on  a 
voyage.  His  sloop  was  captured  by  a  British 
cruiser,  however,  before  night  of  the  first  day 
out.  The  weather  becoming  rough  the  sloop 
could  not  be  carried  into  Newport  as  the  cap- 
tors desired,  and  they  bore  away  for  New 
York.  The  storm  continued,  and  they  were  cast 
away  near  Little  Egg  harbor  and  all  were  lost 
except  Mr.  Hicks,  one  other  man  and  a  dog, 
who  reached  a  small  deserted  island.  The 
cold  was  intense  and  Mr.  Hicks's  companion 
and  the  dog  were  frozen  to  death.  Mr.  Hicks 
was  so  badly  frozen  that  he  lost  both  feet  from 
this  cause — one  at  that  time  and  the  other 
after  the  lapse  of  twenty  years.  At  last  he  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  residents  of  the' 
Jersey  shore  and  they  succeeded  in  rescuing 
him  from  his  perilous  position.  He  remained 
at  the  house  he  first  reached  twelve  months 
before  he  recovered  his  health  sufficiently  to 
do  any  business.  Then  going  to  Philadelphia 
he  engaged  with  New  Bedford  friends  in  fit- 
ting out  a  privateer.  In  three  weeks  after 
sailing  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  in  charge 
of  a  captured  vessel  and  after  recovering  his 
share  of  the  prize  money  he  paid  for  his  year's 
board  in  New  Jersey.  He  soon  sailed  as  cap- 
tain for  another  privateer.  On  the  first  voy- 
age the  vessel  was  captured  and  taken  to  Ply- 
mouth, England,  and  after  a  short  captivity 
on  a  prison  ship  Captain  Hicks  was  sent  to 
America.  During  a  fog  he  incited  a  mutiny 
and  captured  the  vessel.  The  fog  lifting,  the 
attempt  at  escape  was  discovered  and  the  ves- 
sel retaken  by  the  British.  Captain  Hicks 
again  succeeded  in  capturing  the  vessel,  and 
this  time  cut  her  out  from  the  fleet  and 
brought  her  safely  as  his  prize  into  Boston. 
He  made  other  privateering  cruises,  was  again 
captured,  and  held  for  nearly  two  years  a 
prisoner,  on  a  prison  ship  in  New  York.  When 
the  war  closed  he  entered  the  merchant  service 


^y^/^J?. 


'  y.jf/r/^'  ■  /f^/A'j 


# 


'#■ 


'/n 


,  M.Mch 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


771 


■\vliich  lie  followed  until  he  was  about  forty 
years  old,  when  he  returned  to  his  farm  in 
Westport,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
He  made  forty-five  voyages  to  San  Uomingo 
and  on  liis  last  voyage  he  sailed  to  Africa  and 
the   E^st   Indies. 

Mr.  Hicks  married  Jan.  10,  1796,  Sarah 
(Sally)  Cook,  of  Tiverton,  born  May  26,  1776, 
and  had  twelve  children:  Betsey,  born  Feb. 
9,  1798,  married  Nathaniel  Tompkins;  An- 
drew, born  June  17,  1799,  is  mentioned  below; 
Lydia,  born  Dec.  15,  1800,  married  Nathaniel 
Church  and  lived  in  Fairhaven,  Mass. ;  Isaac, 
born  Sept.  4,  1802,  is  mentioned  below;  John, 
born  Feb.  22,  1804,  married  Caroline  B.  Almy ; 
Hannah,  born  May  24,  1809,  married  Edward 
G.  Sowle;  Barney,  born  March  27,  1811,  mar- 
ried Catharine  Seabury;  William  B.,  born  Jan. 
8,  1813,  is  mentioned  below;  Reuben,  born 
Nov.  19,  1814,  married  Sarah  Kirby;  Alex- 
ander, born  Feb.  20,  1817,  married  Elizabeth 
Howland;  Sarah,  born  May  31,  1818,  married 
Ephraim  Brownell ;  Joseph,  born  April  29, 
1820,  married  Betsey  Briggs.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  privations  and  vicissitudes,  Mr.  Hicks 
attained  his  seventy-eighth  year,  dying  Jan. 
5,  1832,  showing  that  he  must  have  had  an 
unusually  strong  constitution.  He  was  prompt, 
decisive  and  resolute,  and  was  esteemed  by 
his  acquaintances.  His  wife  died  March  20, 
1826,  aged  nearly  fifty  years. 

Anduew  Hicks,  eldest  son  of  Barney  and 
Sarah  (Cook)  Hicks,  was  born  in  Westport, 
Mass.,  June  17,  1799,  and  resided  on  the  home 
farm  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  to  Adamsville,  R.  I.  There  he  was 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  store,  where  he  re- 
mained for  eight  years,  until  he  opened  a  store 
of  his  own,  which  he  conducted  for  three  years. 
Returning  then  to  the  home  farm  he  several 
years  later,  in  1836,  fitted  out  a  vessel  and 
began  an  -extended  whaling  business,  which 
he  continued  with  marked  success  for  more 
than  a  half  century.  At  one  time  he  owned 
interests  in  eleven  vessels  and  during  his  ca- 
reer built  eight  or  more  vessels.  He  owned 
Hicks'  block  in  New  Bedford.  Mr.  Hicks  in 
former  days  was  a  Whig,  and  after  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  was  active  in  sup- 
port of  its  principles.  He  represented  West- 
port  in  the  Legislature  of  1866,  and  for  a 
third  of  a  century  and  perhaps  more  he  was 
a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  for  forty-one 
years  before  his  death  a  director  of  the  Mer- 
chants' National'  Bank  of  New  Bedford.  Mr. 
Hicks  was  a  careful  and  sound  financier  and 
was  very  successful.  He  was  modest  in  his 
bearing  and  upright  in  all   his  dealings,   and 


so  lived  as  to  command  the  respect  of  all.  He 
never  married.  He  died  at  Westport  Point, 
Mass.,  Feb.  4,  1895.  in  the  ninety-sixth  year 
of  his  age. 

Isaac  Hicks,  son  of  Barney  and  Sarah 
(Cook)  Hicks,  was  born  on  the  Hicks  farm  in 
the  town  of  Westport,  Mass.,  Sept.  4,  1802. 
He  attended  the  district  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  remained  on  the  homeetead  with  his 
parents  until  he  grew  to  manhood.  Having 
obtained  a  part  of  the  homestead  he  built  a 
house  and  made  other  extensive  improvements, 
engaging  in  general  farming  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  Mr.  Hicks  was  a  Whig,  later  a 
Republican,  and  though  deepTy  interested  in 
his  party's  welfare  took  no  active  part  in  pub- 
lic life  or  political  affairs.  His  daily  lesson 
was  the  Golden  Rule  and  his  devotion  to  his 
home  and  family  and  the  great  number  who 
mourned  him  at  his  death  evidence  the  char- 
acter of  the  man.  His  death  occurred  at  his 
home  March  24,  1892,  in  his  ninetieth  year, 
and  his  remains  lie  in  the  cemetery  at  Central 
village. 

On  Nov.  25,  1832,  Mr.  Hicks  married  in 
Westport,  Mass.,  Huldah  Tompkins,  born 
March  1,  1803,  in  Westport,  daughter  of  Gid- 
eon and  Cynthia  (Brownell)  Tompkins.  She 
died  Jan.  16,  1880.  She  was  an  attendant  of 
the  Congregational  Church.  Two  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mjs.  Hicks,  viz. :  Char- 
lotte, born  June  20,  1834 ;  and  Ellen,  born 
June   7,  1838,  who  died  Jan.   12,   1841. 

Miss  Chaelotte  Hicks,  only  surviving 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  Hicks,  devoted 
much  of  her  life  to  the  care  of  her  parents, 
nursing  her  father  through  all  his  sufferings 
and  tenderly  caring  for  the  wants  of  both  un- 
til they  were  taken  from  her.  After  her 
father's  death  Miss  Hicks  sold  the  homestead 
and  removed  to  New  Bedford,  where  she  now 
makes  her  home.  She  has  in  her  possession 
some  fine  highly  prized  antique  furniture 
which  has  been  in  the  family  for  many  years. 

John  Hicks,  son  of  Barney  and  Sarah 
(Cook)  Hicks,  born  Feb.  22,  1804,  married 
Caroline  B.  Almy.  Mr.  Hicks  was  largely 
identified  with  the  whaling  interests  of  New 
Bedford,  where  he  died  Feb.  3,  1879,  a  highly 
respected  &nd  prominent  citizen.  Of  his  chil- 
dren, John  J.,  the  eldest,  was  the  only  one 
to  reach  maturity. 

John  Jay  Hicks,  son  of  John  and  Caro- 
line B.  (Almy)  Hicks,  was  born  at  Westport; 
Point,  Mass.,  "Aug.  13,  1832.  At  the  time  of 
Mr.  Hicks's  birth  his  parents  resided  at  Dux- 
bury,  Mass.,  and  there  he  obtained  his  educa- 
tion  at   the   Partridge   Academy,   from   which 


773 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


he  was  graduated  at  an  early  age.  Leaving 
Duxbury  at  tliat  time  he  entered  a  large  whole- 
sale dry  goods  house  in  Boston,  at  a  salary  of 
$50  per  year,  and  an  opportunity  to  learn  the 
business.  This  was  considered  in  those  days 
an  excellent  opening,  but  the  preliminary  steps 
in  this  learning  consisted  of  pretty  hard  man- 
ual labor  for  boys  of  fifteen.  Six  months  sat- 
isfied Mr.  Hicks  that  there  was  no  immediate 
chance  of  being  taken  into  partnership.  Sev- 
ering his  connection  with  the  house  and  part- 
ing from  it  with  good  wishes  on  both  sides, 
he  entered  the  counting  room  of  Arthur  L. 
Payson,  a  TBqston  merchant  engaged  in  the 
Mediterranean  trade.  Mr.  Hicks  remained  in 
the  capacity  of  clerk  for  about  three  years, 
when  he  made  one  voyage  to  Mediterranean 
ports  as  supercargo  in  his  employer's  interest. 
Having  accumulated  some  capital  and  for  his 
years  considerable  experience,  he  chartered 
and  loaded  a  vessel  and  went  to  the  Mediter- 
ranean on  his  own  account.  After  a  moder- 
ately successful  experience  of  two  years  he 
decided  the  risk  was  too  great  for  the  capital 
at  his  disposal  and  abandoned  the  enterprise. 
Tn  185.3  he  established  himself  in  Boston  in 
the  brokerage  business,  dealing  principally  in 
Mediterranean  products.  During  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion  Mr.  Hicks  became  interested  in 
buying  and  selling  tobacco  and  established  a 
profitable  business.  In  1877,  owing  to  the 
failing  health  of  his  father,  Mr.  Hicks  came 
to  New  Bedford,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  his  death,  April  4,  1908.  He  was  a  man 
of  much  foresight,  and  possessed  keen  intui- 
tion and  ability.  In  business  circles  he  early 
earned  and  ever  maintained  a  high  reputation. 
Mr.  Hicks  was  director  of  the  Merchants' 
National  Bank  of  New  Bedford  and  of  the 
Davol  Mills  of  Fall  River.  In  June,  1872, 
Mr.  Hicks  married  Sarah  A.,  youngest  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  James  Phillips  and  Mary  (Tew) 
Sisson,  of  East  Greenwich,  Rhode  Island. 

William  Bates  Hicks,  son  of  Barney  and 
Sarah  (Cook)  Hicks,  was  born  in  Westport, 
Mass.,  Jan.  8,  1813,  and  he  was  reared  to 
farm  work  and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter, 
but  he  did  not  work  long  at  his  trade,  as  he 
went  to  sea  when  a  young  man  and  in  time 
became  master  of  whaling  vessels  sailing  from 
Westport  Point  and  vicinity.  This  occupation 
he  followed  until  1843,  when  he  settled  on  the 
home  farm  in  Westport,  and  there  resided  un- 
til 1840,  when  he  went  to  California.  He  was 
there  engaged  in  prospecting  fur  gold,  and 
during  ■  this  period  his  family  resided  at 
Adamsville.  R.  I.  He  returned  from  Cali- 
fornia   in    January,    1851,    and    his    death    oc- 


curred one  week  later,  on  Jan.  11th.  He  was 
buried  first  in  the  family  yard  on  the  ancestral 
farm,  but  his  remains  were  later  removed  to 
Oak  Grove  cemetery,  at  Fall  River. 

Mr.  Hicks  was  married  on  Jan.  29,  1840, 
to  P^liza  Seabury,  of  Westport,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Benjamin  and  Ruth  (Manchester)  Sea- 
bury.  •  Mrs.  Hicks  removed  to  Fall  River  in 
1859,  to  educate  her  children,  and  ever  after- 
ward made  that  city  her  home,  she  dying  there 
on  Aug.  13,  1892.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Central  Congregational  Church. 

Two  daiighters  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hicks:  Maria  Rodman,  born  Sept.  1,  1844, 
was  for  a  number  of  years,  until  she  resigned, 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Fall  River, 
and  she  resides  on  High  street  in  that  city; 
Sarah  Bailey,  born  Feb.  26,  1846,  who  died 
Nov.  30,  1877,  was  also  a  public  school  teacher 
in  Fall  River. 

SMALL.  The  family  bearing  this  name  at 
Fall  River,  the  head  of  which  is  Reuben  C. 
Small,  whose  son  and  namesake,  Reuben  C. 
Small,  Jr.,  has  been  for  some  years  one  of  the 
prominent  manufacturers  and  public  officials 
of  the  city,  is  a  branch  of  the  Provincetown 
family    and    it    of    the    earlier    Ti-uro    family. 

This  name,  frequently  written  Small,  Smal- 
ley,  or  Smalle,  though  the  same  in  all  cases, 
according  to  Freeman,  who,  however,  adds  these 
different  names  have  come,  at  last,  to  represent 
distinctive  branches,  is  one  ancient  in  the  Old 
Colony  and  Maine.  John  Smalley,  says  Sav- 
age, came  in  the  "Francis  and  James"  in  1632. 
He  went  to  Eastham  with  the  first  settlers.  He 
had  children  born  in  Plymouth :  Hannah,  born 
June  14,  1641,  who  married  John  Bangs;  John, 
born  in  1644;  Isaac,  born  Dec.  11,  1647;  and 
Mary,  twin  to  Isaac,  who  married  John  Snow. 

Francis  Small,  born  in  1627,  as  a  deposition 
shows,  lived  in  Dover,  N.  H.,  in  1648,  and  is 
supposed  by  some  to  have  been  a  son  of  Ed- 
ward Small,  of  whom  nothing  is  known  further 
than  he  came  to  the  Piscataqua  about  1632, 
and  was  magistrate  in  1640,  sold  his  land  in 
1647  and  was  of  the  Isles  of  Shoals  in  1653. 
His  wife  was  Elizabeth  (maybe  Leighiton). 
Francis  in  1668  bought  a  tract  of  land  knowTi 
as  Ossippee  of  an  Indian  chief  and  had  a  dwell- 
ing house  and  trading  post  there.  He  was  in 
Kittery  in  1668,  and  left  there  about  1700, 
going  to  live  \vith  his  son  Daniel  at  Truro, 
Mass.,  where  he  died  about  1714  or  1715.  His 
children  were:  (1)  Edward  removed  to  Chat- 
ham, Mass.,  about  1694,  and  died  about  April 
30,  1702.  He  married  M,ary,  daughter  of 
Judge  John  and  Mary   (Field)    Woodman,  of 


im 


i' 


■■>*.^ 


PUBLIC 


9^^-^.^ 


'.yM-- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


773 


Dover,  N.  H.,  and  three  of  their  seven  chil- 
dren, Jonathan,  Benjamin  and  Zachariah,  were 
among  the  first  settlers  at  Harwich,  Mass.  (2) 
Francis  died  at  Truro,  Mass.,  in  1709-10.  He 
had  wife  Elizabeth,  and  children,  Francis,  Sam- 
uel, and  others.  (3)  Samuel  married  Eliza- 
beth (Heard),  widow  of  James  Chadbourne, 
and  daughter  of  James  and  Shuali  Heard. 
(4)  Benjamin  married  Rebecca,  lived  at  East- 
ham  an(i  Truro,  Mass.,  and  Lebanon,  Conn. 
Some  of  his  descendants  write  the  name  Smal- 
ley.  (5)  Daniel.  (6)  Elizabeth  married  John 
Pugsley,  of  Dover,  N.  H.  (7)  Mary  married 
Nicholas  Frost.  (8)  Alice  married  a  Mr. 
Wormwood. 

Provincetown,  this  Commonwealth,  was  the 
home  of  tlie  earlier  Fall  River  Small  family, 
and  no  doubt  is  traceable  to  the  foregoing  race 
of  Smalls,  as  says  Rich  in  his  "Landmarks  and 
Seamarks,"  "All  of  this  name  (Small)  in 
ProvincetowTi  belonged  to  the  Truro  family." 

Daniel  Small,  son  of  Francis,  lived  in  Truro 
and  Provincetown.  He  married  and  had  eight 
children,  three  dying  small.  The  others  were". 
Daniel,  Francis,  Jolm,  Jesse  and  Hannah 
(married  a  Mr.  Bailey). 

Francis  Small,  son  of  Daniel,  married  Lydia 
Cook,  daughter  of  Reuben  Cook,  of  Province- 
town,  Mass.  They  had  two  children,  namely: 
Reuben  Cook ;  and  Mary  E.,  wlio  married 
Elisha  H.  Tillson. 

Reuben  Cook  Small,  son  of  Francis,  was  born 
Jan.  19,  1836,  in  Pro\'incetown,  and  died  in 
Fall  River  Sept.  15,  1911.  He  carried  on  a 
grocery,  lumber  and  fish  business  in  early  life 
in  Provincetown.  He  married  Catherine  T. 
Hootou,  daughter  of  Robert  Hooton,  of  Bos- 
ton. Their  children  were :  'George  F.,  who  mar- 
ried Hattie  B.  White,  of  Provincetown,  and 
lives  in  Newark,  N.  J.;  Emma  T.,\vho  mar- 
ried Henry  C.  Daily,  of  Fall  River:  Reuben 
Cook,  Jr. ;  and  Elisha  H.,  who  married  Han- 
nah G.  Growther,  of  Fall  River. 

Reuben  Cook  S^iall,  Jr.,  son  of  Reuben  C, 
was  born  March  23,  1859,  in  Provincetown, 
Mass.,  and  there  passed  ihis  childhood  and 
early  boyhood,  attending  the  public  schools 
of  the  town  until  he  was  twelve  years  old. 
Then  for  a  little  while  he  and  his  brother, 
Elisha  H.  Small,  then  nine  years  old,  were 
in  a  fish  business.  In  1871  the  family 
moved  to  Syracuse,  where  he  attended  school 
for  a  few  weeks,  and  where  he  was  engaged 
as  a  cash  boy  in  one  of  the  large  stores.  In 
1872,  while  in  his  early  teens,  he  came  to 
Fall  River,  which  has  since  been  his  field  of 
labor  and  place  of  residence.  He  began  the 
practical  side  of  life  as  an  employee  in   the 


Durfee  Mill  No.  8,  in  the  capacity  of  back- 
boy  at  forty-eight  cents  per  day.  Ambitious 
and  aspiring,  and  as  well  industrious  and  eager 
to  learn  and  forge  ahead,  he  soon  exhibited  such 
traits  of  character  and  aptness  in  his  duties 
as  to  attract  the  favorable  notice  of  his  su- 
periors, resulting  in  promotion  as  years  came 
and  went.  He  finally  became  overseer  of  the 
cloth  room  of  the  Richard  Borden  Manufac- 
turing Company.  He  bided  his  time,  not  be- 
ing content  with  working  for  others,  and  his 
opportunity  came.  He  saw  a  business  in  sup- 
plying the  various  mills  with  banding  and 
cotton  ropes,  and  in  the  year  1885,  associated 
with  his  brother,  Elisha  Holmes  Small,  built 
and  equipped  in  a  small  way  a  shed,  15x20 
feet,  one  story  high,  with  proper  machinery 
for  the  business  alluded  to,  and,  in  the  begin- 
ning with  one  helper,  the  brothers  launched 
forth  in  the  enterprise.  With  little  capital  and 
lots  of  energy,  confidence  and  ambition,  and  as 
well  with  the  determination  to  make  a  good 
quality  of  work  and  establish  a  reputation,  the 
young  men  started  out  full  of  hope,  and  in 
due  time  the  reward  for  conscientious  service 
and  manly  efl^ort  began  coming  to  them.  Their 
rope  and  banding  became  in  great  demand  by 
the  many  mill  superintendents  and  it  was  not 
long  ere  their  quarters  were  too  small  for  the 
growing  trade  and  the  extensive  works  now 
in  use  became  a  necessity  and  were  built.  Suf- 
fice it  to  say  that  the  concern  now  gives  employ- 
ment to  upward  of  one  hundre<l  persons  and 
produces  an  output  of  banding,  tubular  braids, 
spool  tapes  and  corset  laces  of  upward  of 
1,000,000  pounds  per  annum,  and  has  a  pat- 
ronage that  extends  all  over  the  country. 

As  a  man  among  the  young  business  men  and 
public  servants  of  Fall  River,  perhaps  none 
has  achieved  so  great  a  success  as  Reuben  C. 
Small,  Jr.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  served 
in  1896  as  a  member  of  the  City  committee 
and  was  and  lias  ever  been  active  in  the  cau- 
cuses in  the  interest  of  good  nominations,  hav- 
ing in  view  clean  administrations  in  public 
affairs.  On  the  creation  of  the  Park  Commis- 
sion of  Fall  River,  one  of  the  very  first  names 
suggested  and  considered  by  the  mayor  for  its 
membership  was  that  of  Mr.  Small,  who  was 
strongly  recommended  as  a  citizen  who  could 
be  relied  upon  to  bring  about  results  within 
the  appropriation  and  not  be  influenced  by  po- 
litical expediency.  He  was  nominated  for 
membership,  and  was  unanimously  cuosen  by 
the  citizens  associated  with  him,  for  the  chair- 
manship of  the  conmiission.  The  position  im- 
posed arduous  duties  upon  the  holder,  but 
Mr.    Small   was   interested  in   the  department 


774 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


aad  of  his  time  he  gave  freely  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  work.  He  held  the  chairmanship 
for  three  years  without  challenge,  but  at  the 
close  of  such  a  period  a  change  of  administra- 
tion brought  about  his  retirement,  and  this 
greatly  to  the  regret  of  many  leading  citizens, 
who  joined  in  a  petition  to  the  mayor  for  his 
retention.  Later  the  mayor  who  had  failed  to  ap- 
point him  called  him  back  to  his  former  position, 
and  he  was  again  by  unanimous  vote  made  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  commissioners,  which  po- 
sition he  still  holds.  It  is  well  known  that  it  is 
due  to  Mr.  Small's  close  and  able  supervision  of 
improvements  that  the  park  system  entered 
upon  a  stage  of  development  that  will  make  it 
in  time  to  come  one  of  the  great  delights  of  the 
city. 

Mr.  Small  is  both  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a 
Mason,  identified  with  Friendly  Union  Lodge 
of  the  former  order  and  with  Narragansett 
Lodge  of  the  latter.  He  is  a  member  and 
steward  of  St.  Paul's  M.  E.  Church. 

On  June  7,  1882,  Mr.  Small  was  married 
to  Annie  A.,  daughter  of  William  Standish, 
and  they  have  had  two  children :  Edith  Stan- 
dish,  born  May  4,  1883,  who  married,  June  7, 
19U4,  Raymond  D.  Borden,  son  of  Eric  Bor- 
den, of  Fall  River,  and  has  three  children, 
Caroline  Standish  (born  Aug.  19,  1905),  Kath- 
erine  Small  (born  May  15,  1907)  and  Annie 
Standish  (born  Nov.  11,  1910)  ;  and  Norman 
Cook,  born  Sept.  9,  1897. 

DELANO  (Kingston  family).  The  De- 
lano family  of  Massachusetts  is  descended  from 
Huguenots  of  France  and  Separatists  of  Eng- 
land. 

(I)  Philip  De  La  Noye  (Delanoy  or  De 
Lannoy)  was  born  in  Leyden,  Holland,  in  1602, 
and  was  a  son  of  Jean  and  Marie  de  Lannoy, 
who  to  escape  the  persecutions  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  party  then  in  power  went  to  Leyden. 
Philip  was  baptized  there  in  the  Walloon 
Church  in  1603,  and  he  grew  up  under  the 
teaching  and  influence  of  the  Separatists  of 
the  Church  of  England,  who  fled  to  Holland  in 
1608,  taking  up  their  abode  in  Leyden.  Philip 
De  La  Noye  was  a  passenger  on  the  ship  "For- 
tune" in  i621.  He  had  lands  assigned  to  him 
in  1623,  and  received  an  acre  of  land  at  the 
distribution  of  land  in  Plymouth  in  1624.  He 
was  made  a  freeman  Jan.  1,  1632-33,  and  early 
removed  io  Duxbury,  settling  a  little  north  of 
John  Alden.  He  was  a  man  of  much  respecta- 
bility, was  employed  in  surveying  lands,  and 
was  often  one  of  the  grand  inquest  of  the  Col- 
ony. He  volunteered  for  the  Pequot  war  in 
1637.      His   will    was   probated   July   7,   1682. 


Under  the  name  of  Philip  Delano  he  was  mar- 
ried (first)  at  Duxbury,  Mass.,  Dec.  19,  1634, 
to  Hester  Dewsbury.  He  married  (second)  in 
1657  Mary  Pontus,  widow  of  James  Glass  and 
daughter  of  William  Pontus.  To  the  first  mar- 
riage were  born :  Mary,  born  1635,  who  married 
Jonathan  Dunham;  Esther,  born  1638;  Plulip, 
Jr.,  born  about  1640;  Thomas  (Dr.),  born 
March  21,  1642,  who  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  John  Alden,  and  (second)  Widow  Hannah 
Bartlett;  John,  born  1644;  Jane,  born  1646; 
Jonathan  (Lieut.),  born  1647;  and  Rebecca, 
born  1651.  To  the  second  marriage  was  born 
one  child,  Samuel,  in  1659,  who  married  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Alexander  Standish. 

(II)  Philip  Delano  (2),  of  Duxbury,  son  of 
Philip,  married  in  1668  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
William  and  Martha  (Nash)  Clark.  Their 
children  were:  Samuel,  born  about  1670;  Ebe- 
nezer,  bom  in  1675;  Philip,  bom  in  1678; 
Martha,  bom  in  1680;  and  Jane,  born  in  1685. 
The  father  gave  his  son  Ebenezer  deed  to  land 
to  build  a  house  on  which  his  father  Philip 
(Sr.)  had  given  him,  at  Pine  Point.  Philip 
Delano  (2)  died  in  1708. 

(III)  Ebenezer  Delano,  of  Duxbury,  son  of 
Philip  (2),  born  in  1675,  married  Dec.  29, 
1699,  Martha,  born  in  November,  1677,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Mercy  (Pabodie)  Simmons. 
He  died  before  Dec.  11,  1708,  and  his  widow 
remarried,  marrying  June  20,  1709,  Samuel 
W^est,  and  in  1749  removed  to  Pembroke,  where 
she  died.  Ebenezer  Delano's  children  were: 
Joshua,  born  Oct.  30,  1700;  Thankful,  born 
June  8,  1702;  and  Abiah,  born  Aug.  7,  1704. 

(IV)  Joshua  Delano,  of  Duxbury,  son  of 
Ebenezer,  born  Oct.  30,  1700,  married  Hope- 
still,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Lydia 
(Thatcher)  Peterson,  who  was  bom  Jan.  30, 
1703,  and  died  Julv  27,  1775.  Their  children 
were:  Lydia,  born  July  12,  1723;  Rhoda,  Feb. 
28,  1731;  Sylvia,  Jan.  22,  1733;  Hopestill, 
June  19,  1735;  Be'ze,  Nov.  24,  1737;  Martha, 
Sept.  21,  1739;  W^ealthea,  Dec.  7,  1741; 
Joshua,  Sept.  30,  1744;  and  Thankful,  Jan.  13, 
1749. 

(V)  Joshua  Delano  (2),  of  Kingston,  son 
of  Joshua,  bom  Sept.  30,  1744,  married  Jan. 
15,  1767,  Mary,  bom  Sept.  25,  1744,  daughter 
of  Philip  and  Rebecca  (Phillips)  Chandler. 
He  died  in  Kingston  July  22,  1816,  and  she 
died  Aug.  19,  1824.  Their  children  were: 
Charlotte,  bom  Dec.  4,  1767;  Joshua,  Nov.  8, 
1769;  William,  Feb.  3,  1771;  Lucy,  Sept.  18, 
1772;  Pollv.  Sept.  18,  1774;  Lucy  (2),  March 
23,  1776;  Benjamin,  March  31,  1778;  Rebecca, 
in  1782  (married  Zebulon  Bisbee)  ;  and  Weal- 
thea,   1785. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  775 

(VI)  Benjamin  Delano,  born  March  31,  married  Rose  Blair,  of  Towanda,  Pa.,  and  John 
1778,  married  Jan.  30,  1803,  Susanna,  born  Holmes,  who  is  engaged  in  ranching  in  the 
June  20,  1779,  in  Kingston,  daughter  of  Me-  State  of  Washington.  Fraternally  Mr.  De- 
latiah  and  Elizabeth  (Bradford)  Holmes.     Mr.  lano  was  a  Mason. 

Delano  died  Jan.  19,  1868,  and  his  wife  died 

in  Kingston  Aug.  30,  1866,  and  both  were  KEITH.  This  ancient  family  is  supposed 
buried  in  Kingston.  Their  children  were:  to  derive  its  origin  from  Robert,  a  chieftain 
Eliza,  born  Nov.  21,  1803;  Augusta,  Jan.  27,  among  the  Catti,  from  which  it  is  said  came 
1806;  Susan,  Jan.  16,  1808;  Joshua,  June  6,  the  surname  of  Keith.  At  the  battle  of  Pan- 
1809;  Angeline,  Oct.  27,  1812;  Benjamin,  Oct.  bridge,  in  1006,  he  slew  with  his  own  hands 
16,  1815;  Lucy,  Oct.  30,  1817;  and  Catherine,  Camus,  general  of  the  Danes,  and  King  Mai- 
Dec.  4,  1820.  colm,  perceiving  this  achievement,  dipped  his 
Benjamin  Delano  made  his  home  in  Kings-  fingers  in  Camus'  blood  and  drew  red  strokes, 
ton,  where  he  was  a  ship  owner  and  merchant,  or  pales,  on  the  top  of  Robert's  shield,  which 
his  vessels  being  engaged  in  the  West  Indian  have  ever  since  been  included  in  the  armorial 
and  European  trade,  and  he  was  also  interested  bearings  of  his  descendants.  In  1010  he  was 
in  the  Grand  Bank  fishing;.  He  was  very  sue-  made  hereditary  marischal  of  Scotland,  and 
cessful  in  his  business  affairs,  and  became  very  was  rewarded  with  a  barony  in  East  Lothian, 
wealthy.  Among  his  friends  he  numbered  which  was  called  Keith  Marischal.  This  ar- 
some  of  the  leading  men  of  his  time,  Daniel  tide  is  to  treat  particularly  of  the  descendants 
Webster  being  an  occasional  visitor  at  the  De-  of  Rev.  James  Keith,  who  was  the  first  min- 
lano  home.  ister  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  among  whom  were 

(VII)  Joshua  Delano,  of  Kingston,  son  of  the  late  Capt.  Ziba  Keith  and  his  sons,  Martin 
Benjamin,  was  born  June  6,  1809.  He  mar-  Luther  Keith,  Ziba  C.  Keith  and  Edwin 
ried  July  17,  1842,  Marcia,-  born  Sept.  10,  Keith,  all  of  whom  held  prominent  places  in 
1813,  in  Kingston,  daughter  of  William  and  the  business  and  social  life  of  the  communities 
Betsey  (Bryant)  Simmons,  who  died  March  in  which  their  lives  were  spent.  The  history 
19,  1895.  Their  children  were:  Augusta,  born  of  this  branch  of  the  family  follows,  the  gen- 
May  8,  1843 ;  Marcia,  born  Aug.  26,  1845,  who  erations  being  given  in  chronological  order, 
married  Reuben  Edson  Demmon  (now  de-  (I)  Rev.  James  Keith,  the  progenitor  of 
■ceased),  of  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  and  lives  in  Bos-  this  family  in  America,  was  born  in  1644,,  and 
ton  but  spends  her  summers  at  the  old  home-  was  educated  in  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  where  he 
stead  in  Kingston;  and  Joshua,  born  April  was  graduated  from  college  (his  education,  as 
14,  1848.  tradition   says,  being  obtained  at  the  expense 

Joshua   Delano  was  educated   in   the   public  of  a  maiden  aunt).     At  the   age  of  eighteen 

schools  of  Kingston,  and  grew  up  in  his  fath-  years  he  emigrated  to  this  country,  and  arriv- 

er's  business,  in  time  becoming  associated  with  ing  at   Boston  in   1662   he  was'  introduced   to 

him  under  the  firm  name  of  Benjamin  Delano  the    church    in    Bridgewater    by    Dr.    Increase 

&    Son.      This   business   was   continued   until  Mather.     On  Feb.  18,  1664,  he  was  ordained 

1889,  when  Mr.   Delano  retired,  and   his   last  as  minister  of  the  church  at  Bridgewater,  and 

years  were  spent  in  retirement  at  the  home  in  for  a  period  of  fifty-six  years  labored  in  the 

Kingston,  where  he  died  Jan.  31,  1903.     Mrs.  ministry  of  that  town.     lie   married   May   3, 

Delano  was  a  granddaughter  of  Noah  Simmons,  1668,    Susanna    Edson,   daughter    of    Deacon 

a  Revolutionary  soldier.  Samuel  and  Susanna    (Orcutt)   Edson,  and  to 

(VIII)  Joshua  Delano,  son  of  Joshua  and  them  were  born  children  as  follows:  James, 
Marcia,  was  bom  April  14,  1848,  and  was  edu-  Joseph,  Samuel,  Timothy,  John,  Josiah,  Mar- 
cated  in  the  public  schools  in  Kingston  and  garet,  Mary  and  Susanna.  The  wife  died  Oct. 
the  Partridge  Academy  at  Duxbury.  For  a  16,  1705,  aged  sixty-five  years,  and  he  married 
number  of  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  manu-  (second)  in  1707  Mary,  widow  of  Thomas 
facture  of  rivets  in  Kingston.  He  made  his  Williams,  of  Taunton,  Mass.  Rev.  Mr.  Keith 
home  on  property  adjoining  the  old  home-  died  July  23,  1719,  aged  seventy-six  yeaTs. 
stead,  and  there  died  Sept.  1,  1906.  He  mar-  (II)  Timothy  Keith,  fourth  son  of  Rev. 
ried  Olive  Holmes,  daughter  of  Stephen  James,  was  born  in  1683,  and  became  one  of 
Holmes,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  the  first  settlers  of  the  North  parish  of  Bridge- 
of  PljTnouth  county.  Three  children  were  born  water  in  the  eighteenth  century.  He  married 
to  them:  Ruth  Bradford,  who  makes  her  home  Hannah  Fobes,  daughter  of  Deacon  Edward 
with  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Demmon;  Paul  Holmes,  a  Fobes,  and  they  had  four  children:  Timothy, 
■civil  engineer  residing  on  the  homestead,  who  Jr.,   Abiah,   Nathan   and    Hannah.     The   wife 


776 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


died  May  23,  1765,  and  he  died  Nov.  8,  1767, 
aged  eighty-three  years.  Timothy  Keith  is 
described  as  having  been  a  man  small  in  stat- 
ure and  of  frail  constitution.  He  was  a  man 
who  figured  conspicuously  in  town  affairs,  he 
being  one  of  the  original  petitioners  for  tlie 
establishment  of  the  North  precinct,  and  was 
moderator  of  the  first  meeting  held  after  it 
became  a  precinct. 

(III)  Timothy  Keith  (2),  the  eldest  son 
of  Timothy,  was  born  Jan.  27,  1711,  and  mar- 
ried June  2,  1737,  Bethiah  Ames,  daughter  of 
William  Ames,  and  they  had  two  children, 
Levi  and  Timothy.  The  father  died  in  1740, 
aged  twenty-nine  years,  and  was  buried  beside 
his  father  in  the  Campello  lot,  where  a  monu- 
ment has  been  placed  in  his  memory  by  his 
descendants. 

(IV)  Levi  Keith,  son  of  Timothy  (2),  was 
born  Aug.  25,  1738,  and  married  Nov.  8,  1759, 
Jemima  Perkins,  daughter  of  Mark  Perkins, 
and  their  children  were :  Bethiah,  Timothy, 
Reuben,  Benjamin,  Jemima  who  died  in  in- 
fancy, Jemima  (2),  Molly  (who  died  in  in- 
fancy), Levi,  Molly  (2)  and  Anna.  The 
father,  Levi  Keith,  was  a  tanner  and  shoe 
manufacturer,  or  as  defined  in  a  deed,  a  cord- 
wainer.  The  site  of  his  tannery  was  what  is 
now  the  corner  of  Montello  and  Garfield 
Btreets,  Campello.  He  died  in  1813,  aged 
seventy-six  years. 

(V)  Benjamin  Keith,  son  of  Levi,  was  born 
Nov.  18,  1763,  and  married  Dec.  18,  1788, 
Martha  Cary,  daughter  of  Col.  Simeon  Cary, 
who  was  captain  in  the  French  war  and  colonel 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Their  children 
were:  Ziha,  born  Nov.  10,  1789;  Arza,  May  10, 
1791;  Bela,  Feb.  2,  1793;  Charles,  Aug.  8, 
1794;  Polly,  Oct.  9,  1798;  Jason,  March  6, 
1801;  and  Benjamin,  Feb.  6,  1803  (died  in 
infancy).  The  father  died  Sept.  9,  1814,  and 
the  mother  died  June  10,  1852,  having  at- 
tained the  ripe  age  of  eighty-six  years.  He 
was  principally  a  farmer,  owning  quite  an  ex- 
tensive tract  of  land  on  the  west  side  of  Main 
street,  and  also  operated  a  tannery  and  made 
and  repaired  shoes. 

(VI)  Capt.  Ziba  Keith,  the  eldest  son  of 
Benjamin,  was  born  Nov.  10,  1789,  and  mar- 
ried Nov.  25,  1813,  Sally  Cary,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  and  Abigail  (Perkins)  Cary,  and 
their  children  were:  Benjamin,  born  Oct.  19, 
1814;  Franklin,  Jan.  28,  1816;  Martha  C, 
Dee.  6,  1817  (who  married  Henry  Jackson)  ; 
Martin  (died  in  infancy)  ;  Martin  Luther. 
Feb.  8,  1822;  Nancy  C,  April  14.  1824  (died 
in  her  fourteenth  year)  ;  David  and  Jonathan, 
twins.  May  12,  1826    (the  former  died  in  in- 


fancy) ;  and  Levi  Watson,  April  9,  1830.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  Sept.  26,  1832, 
and  the  father  married  (second)  March  13, 
1834,  Polly  Noyes,  daughter  of  Daniel  Noyes, 
of  Abington,  Mass.,  and  to  this  union  there 
were  born  children  as  follows :  Daniel  Noyes, 
born  April  29,  1835,  who  married  Mary  How- 
ard, of  Brockton,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
shoe  manufacturing  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  March  28,  1904;  Edwin,  born  Aug. 
21,  1840,  who  is  mentioned  below;  and  Ziba 
Cary,  born  July  13,  1842,  who  is  also  men- 
tioned below. 

Capt.  Ziba  Keith  died  Sept.  28,  1862.  His 
wife  passed  away  June  14,  1882.  She  was 
born  April  1,  1798,  daughter  of  Daniel  Noyes, 
and  a  direct  descendant  of  Nicholas  Noyes,  an 
English  emigrant  who  was  born  in  1615-16 
and  came  to  America  in  1633,  settling  at  New- 
bury in  1635 ;  he  was  a  freeman  of  1637.  He 
married  Mary  Cutting.  Mr.  Noyes  was  a 
son  of  Rev.  William  Noyes,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, educatetl  at  Oxford,  taking  the  degree  of 
B.  A.  in  1592.  He  became  rector  at  Cliolder- 
ton  in  the  County  of  Wilts  in  1602.  He  was 
married  in  about  1595  to  Anne  Parker.  From 
the  emigrant  the  lineage  of  Mrs.  Polly 
(Noyes)  Keith  is  through  John  Noyes  and  his 
wife  Mary  (Poore),  Samuel  Noyes  and  his 
wife  Hannah  (Poor),  Daniel  Noyes  and  his 
wife  Mary  (Reed),  and  Daniel  Noyes  (2)  and 
his  wife   Huldah    (Jenkins). 

Capt.  Ziba  Keith  was  born  in  the  old  home- 
stead on  Main  street.  Of  strong,  robust  build, 
he  was  physically  well  fitted  for  the  occupa- 
tion which  he  was  mainly  to  follow,  namely, 
that  of  a  farmer.  He  early  learned  to  make 
and  repair  shoes  from  his  grandfather,  Levi 
Keith,  and  for  some  years,  during  the  winter 
months,  continued  this  business,  inherited 
from  his  ancestors,  in  the  "Old  Red  Shop." 
As  his  sons  became  of  age  they  were  likewise 
instructed  in  the  art  of  shoemaking,  and  the 
entire  number  were  in  due  time  graduated 
from  the  benches  beneath  its  roof. 

On  May  29,  1816,  Capt.  Ziba  Keith  was  com- 
missioned by  Governor  Brooks  as  an  ensign 
of  a  company  in  the  3d  Regiment  of  Infantry, 
1st  Brigade,  5th  Division ;  and  on  Dec.  5, 
1822,  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  in  the  same 
company,  which  title,  then  acquired,  attached 
to  him  through  life.  As  a  man  Captain  Keith 
was  upright  and  just  in  all  his  dealings ;  as 
a  neighbor,  kind  and  respected,  willing  always 
to  bear  his  share  of  private  or  public  burdens; 
as  a  father,  considerate  and  forbearing,  ful- 
filling the  summary  of  the  whole  law,  "serving 
God    and    keeping    his    commandments,"    and 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


777 


doing  unto  others  as  he  would   they   should 

o  unto  him."    His  first  wife,  one  of  a  family 

emarkahle    for    their     domestic     attachment, 

lied  of  consumption  after  a  lingering  illness, 

n    1832.     The  second  wife,   fitted   by   a   long 

xperience  as  a  teacher  in  public  and  private 

chools,  assumed  the  care  of  tlie  family,  a  re- 

;ponsibility  which  did  not  appall  a  strong  and 

villing  heart.     To   her   praise   let  it   be   said, 

10  utterance  has  ever  found  expression  which 

ntimated  anything  but  the  most  loyal,  impar- 

ial   devotion   to  the  interests  and  welfare   of 

ler   family.      The   exercise   of   those   motherly 

qualities,  remembered  with  aft'eciion,  has  been 

gratefully     acknowledged     by     her     children, 

honoring  father  and  mother.    Length  of  days 

was   hers,    continuing    by    reason   of    strength 

fdursci  re  and  fouv  years  before  siic  was  called 

home  to  her  reward. 

(VII)  Martin  Luthee  Keith  (deceased), 
who  during  his  lifetime  was  one  of  the  most 
widely  Imown  among  the  early  shoe  manu- 
facturers of  Brockton,  was  born  in  what  was 
North  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton)  Feb.  8, 
1822,  son  of  Capt.  Ziba  and  Sally  (Gary) 
Keith.  Mr.  Keith's  opportunities  for  educa- 
tion were  limited,  for  at  the  early  age  of  eight 
years  he  started  work  in  the  shoemaking 
shop  of  his  father,  the  "Old  Red  Shop,"  wliere 
his  first  employment  was  pegging  shoes.  At 
the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  made  his  first  case 
of  shoes,  taken  from  the  factory  of  Hiram 
French,  of  Randolph,  Mass.  He  continued 
working  at  the  trade  until  1847,  when  he 
started  manufacturing  shoes  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  what  it  now  the  city  of  Brockton, 
haTing  as  partner  in  this  venture  George  C. 
Littlefield,  and  they  continued  to  manufacture 
shoes  for  a  short  while,  until  Mr.  Littlefield 
withdrew  from  the  business.  Mr.  Keith  car- 
ried it  on  alone  until  1856,  when  he  took  into 
partnership  his  brother  Franklin,  and  the  busi- 
ness was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Martin  L.  Keith  &  Co.,  in  the  large  factory 
on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Plain  streets 
(which  was  destroyed  by  fire -in  1874).  Mr, 
Keith  assumed  the  work  of  buying  and  sell- 
ing the  goods,  while  his  brother  Franklin  su- 
nerintended  the  running  of  the  factory.  In 
1858  he  located  in  Boston  with  his  family  and 
continued  to  direct  the  business  from  that  end, 
this  arrangement  being  successful  until  the 
period  of  the  Civil  war,  which  caused  much 
loss  in  business.  The  partnership  was  then 
dissolved,  Martin  L.  Keith  continuing  in  the 
business.  By  industry,  thrift  and  ability  he 
soon  found  himself  on  the  way  to  retrieve  his 
losses,  embracing  every  opportunity  to  do  so. 


In  1877  he  retired,  still  making  his  home  in 
Boston,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  He 
was  active  to  the  last  and  took  much  pleasure 
in  fishing  and  hunting,  also  traveling  exten- 
sively, over  New  England  and  in  the  West.  He 
died  ^t  his  home  in  Boston  March  25,  1888, 
and  was  buried  in  Forest  Hills  cemetery,  Bos- 
ton. Mr.  Keith  was  a  man  well  known  and 
respected.  He  was  a  thorough  mechanic,  and 
many  who  in  time  became  large  shoe  manufac- 
turers of  Brockton  worked  in  his  factory 
whep  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  business. 
He  was  fond  of  music  afad  took  much  inter- 
est in  church  music,  for  sixteen  years  acting  as 
rlirector  of  the  choir  in  the  village  church 
(succeeding  his  brother  Benjamin)  and  play- 
ing the  violin  in  the  orchestra.  For  several 
years  he  was  also  the  leader  of  the  North 
Bridgewater  Brass  Band,  for  whose  welfare  he 
was  much  concerned.  Except  for  his  activ- 
ity in  musical  matters  his  interests  were  cen- 
tered in  his  business  and  his  home,  but  he  was 
nevertheless  justly  regarded  as  a  good  citizen, 
having  the  good  of  the  community  at  heart, 
though  he  gave  no  direct  public  service.  In 
political  affairs  he  took  an  independent  stand. 
On  Nov.  16,  1843,  Mr.  Keith  was  married 
in  Brockton  to  Mary  Copeland  Keith,  who  was 
born  in  Brockton  (then  North  Bridgewater), 
daughter  of  Sylvanus  and  Lurana  (Copeland) 
Keith.  She"  died  Dec.  27,  1886,  and  Mr. 
Keitli  married  (second)  July  25,  1887,  Mrs. 
Isabella  Clark,  of  O.tford,  Maine,  where  she 
now  resides.  Three  children  were  born  to 
the  first  marriage:  (1)  Myron  Forrest,  bom 
Aug.  29,  1847,  died  Oct.' 22,  1851.  (2) 
Walter  Leo,  born  Dec.  7,  1851,  died  in  Brock- 
ton Sept.  13,  1895;  he  married  Sept.  14,  187G, 
Mary  Elizabeth  Willcutt,  and  they  had  chil- 
dren: Walter  Martin,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Edith  Evelyn,  who  died  in  infancy;  Arthur 
MacArthur,  born  May  1,  1881,  who  resides  in 
Boston;  and  Evelvn  Mary,  born  May  1,  1887. 
(3)  Evelyn  Huntington,  born  April  27,  1S53, 
married  Oct.  14,  1874,  "William"  F.  Brownell, 
a  native  of  New  Bedford,  son  of  William  and 
Rebecca  (Cliilds)  Brownell,  and  they  make 
their  home  in  Brookline,  Mass.  Children: 
Marguerite  Huntington,  born  June  19,  1877, 
was  married  June  10,  1903,  to  Frank  H. 
Bowles,  who  died  Dec.  29,  1908,  in  Winches- 
ter, Mass. ;  Evelyn  Keith  was  born  June  9, 
1882;  William  'Martin  was  born  Feb.  16, 
1886;  Walter  Keith,  born  June  10,  1888, 
was  graduated  from  the  Massachusetts  Insti- 
tute  of  Technology  at  Boston,  and  is  now  a 
civil  engineer;  Mary  Alice,  born  Sept.  22 
1801,  is  a  student  at  Wellesley  College  in  the 


778 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


class  of  1912,  preparing  to  become  a  teacher  of 
physical  training. 

(VII)  Edwin  Keith,  son  of  Capt.  Ziba 
and  Polly  (Noyes)  Keith,  was  born  Aug. 
21,  1840,  in  the  homestead  of  his  father  at 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Plain  streets,  Cam- 
pello,  which  was  removed  from  the  present 
site  of  the  residence  of  George  P].  Keith,  and 
which  has  been  the  home  of  this  family  for 
over  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  years.  After 
the  usual  attendance  at  the  district  schools  at 
Campello,  the  high  school  and  Hunt's  Acad- 
emy in  his  native  town  (leaving  the  latter  in 
1856),  like  most  of  the  Keith  name  he  en- 
gaged in  what  was  the  common  occupation  of 
the  village,  shoemaking,  and  afterward,  in 
1859,  when  sewing  and  stitching  machines 
were  introduced  into  the  manufacture  of 
boots  and  shoes,  Mr.  Keith  became  superinten- 
dent of  the  stitching  room  in  the  shoe  factory 
of  his  brothers,  Martin  L.  and  Franklin 
Keith,  then  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Plain 
streets,  which  was  a  large  and  successful  es- 
tablishment conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
M.  L.  Keith  &  Co.,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  1871.  This  establishment,  which  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1874,  stood  upon  the  site 
of  the  residence  of  Edwin  Keith's  brother, 
the  late  Hon.  Ziba  C.  Keith,  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Plain  streets.  In  February,  1874, 
Mr.  Keith  became  associated  with  an  older 
brother,  Daniel  Noyes  Keith,  for  the  purpose, 
of  manufacturing  shoes,  under  the  firm  name 
of  Keith  Brothers,  which  firm  was  dissolved 
by  mutual  agreement  in  November,  1881. 
Soon  after  this  dissolution  Mr.  Keith  pur- 
chased the  factory  formerly  occupied  by 
George  Stevens,  on  Montello  street,  and  im- 
mediately entered  into  a  successful  business 
career,  manufacturing  shoes,  continuing  in 
business  there  until  about  1903,  when  he  re- 
tired from  the  manufacturing  line.  In  Novem- 
..-^n^.h-  admitted  his  son,  Lester  C.  Keith, 
'.    ■    v.ii'in.'j-.  ':;^'  ;':ni   '  ..r,i    "■■-"  Kopoming  E. 

careei   J..   .'I   ■  '  "     111..'  s.      ■ 

as    special    partners    luc    ...  ■  .';''•    ;i\'.\ 

Soule  &  Harrington,  of  New  Bedtora,  ior 
whom  he  manufactured  shoes  at  his  plant  in 
Campello.  On  July  1,  1904,  Mr.  Keith  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  house  of  Rice  Broth- 
ers, on  Commercial  street,  Boston,  which  has 
been  a  grain  and  feed  store  foi  over  seventy 
years,  and  on  July  4,  1906,  purchased  the 
remaining  interests  of  his  partners  in  the  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  successfully  until  his 
death,  as  sole  proprietor.  The  business  is 
now  located  at  No.  134  Milk  street. 


In  1870  Mr.  Keith  purchased  the  well 
known  dwelling  house  on  South  street  which 
he  rebuilt  and  modernized  (formerly  occupied 
by  one  of  the  foi'mer  pastors  of  the  South 
Congregational  Church,  Rev.  Daniel  Hunting- 
ton), and  where  he  resided  until  the  death  of 
the  devoted  and  estimable  wife  who  had  shared 
his  joys  and  sorrows  for  so  many  years,  after 
which  time  he  made  his  home  with  his  son  in 
Boston. 

Mr.  Keith  was  largely  interested  in  real  es- 
tate, having  several  houses  on  what  is  known 
as  the  "ministerial  lot"  and  on  what  is  well 
known  as  the  Amzi  Brett  place,  Amzl  Brett 
having  been  one  of  the  earlier  inhabitants  of 
the  south  part  of  the  old  town  of  North 
Bridgewater.  His  real  estate  operations  were 
also  extended  to  Monument  i?each,  in  the 
town  of  Bourne,  Mass.,  where  he  owned  several 
cottage  houses,  he  and  his  family — as  well  as 
so  many  other  Brockton  people — resorting 
thither  in  the  summer  season. 

Mr.  Keith  was  united  in  marriage  Nov.  25, 
1862,  with  Ellen  Richardson,  daughter  of 
Welcome  and  Susan  (Tilden)  Howard,  of 
Brockton,  granddaughter  of  Col.  Caleb  and 
Sylvia  (Alger)  Howard,  and  a  direct  descend- 
ant in  the  seventh  generation  from  John  How- 
ard, who  came  from  England  to  Duxbury, 
Mass.,  and  later  became  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers in  the  old  town  of  Bridgewater,  in  1651, 
previous  to  its  division.  Her  line  from  John 
is  through  Ephraim,  Ephraim  (2),  George, 
Col.  Caleb  and  Welcome  Howard.  This  happy 
union  was  blessed  with  children  as  follows: 
Albion  Howard,  born  April  16,  1864,  died  July 
31,  1865;  Lester  Carlton,  born  Sept.  27,  1866, 
who  was  graduated  from  the  East  Greenwich 
(R.  I.)  Academy,  and  was  for  several  years 
engaged  in  shoe  manufacturing  with  his 
father,  is  now  engaged  in  the  silver  and  nickel 
plating  business  in  Boston,  where  he  resides 
(he  married  Rebecca  May  Baker,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Obed  Baker,  3d,  of  West  Dennis,  Mass., 

I  'i,,.-,-  },r,„p  one  daughter,  Florence  May 
■      :.:.    ...  .;     \:,.>-  '■,".,     EvfMv". 

],."-.  M;  '.  ■■'.  '■■■:•■■  ..  .  :\i'-'  '  ..  i> 
Xoj\--.  ■  '■■<■■•'■  ■"  '!  ■'■  ~  ■  ■  •  'i<'.  -'■■  : 
1881.  The  liintner  ui  t;..b  ..i.iu.;  ■!■.■■■■  .  ■■. 
27,  1906,  her  death  being  a  severe  loss  to  Mr. 
Keith,  to  whom  she  had  been  a  devoted  com- 
panion during  the  forty-three  years  of  their 
wedded  life.  Her  kindly  spirit  and  loving 
sympathy  were  the  encouragement  of  his 
younger  days  and  the  reliance  of  his  mature 
years,  and  lier  influence,  thougii  gentle,  was'  a 
steady  and  strong  factor  in  all  his  interests. 

A  stanch  Republican  in  political  faith,  Mr. 


l-'i  ■:<■■■* 
:  I 


if-y  5yS  G  M/^-i-rv  SBra  /VK 


Oclc't.^Vla^    i'Ceyt-^V 


-7  J^3t»j-a  &  Ca- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


779 


Keith  always  manifested  a  keen  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  native  town  and  city,  but  never 
cared  for  nor  sought  public  office.  Of  a  quiet, 
unpretentious  nature,  he  preferred  to  devote 
his  leisure  moments  to  home  companionship, 
for  which  he  ever  displayed  love  and  fondness, 
finding  his  keenest  happiness  in  the  company 
of  his  wife  and  family.  Mr.  Keith  always 
affiliated  with  the  South  Congregational 
Church  of  Campello,  to  the  support  of  which 
he  gave  liberally,  and  of  which  his  wife  was 
an  active  member  and  earnest  worker,  be- 
longing to  the  various  societies  connected  with 
the  church  work.  Mrs.  Keith  was  descended 
from  Revolutionary  stock,  and  was  an  active 
member  of  Deborah  Sampson  Chapter, 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution.  Mr. 
Keith  was  a  member  of  the  Old  Bridgewater 
Historical  Society,  and  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  that  organization.  He  died 
in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  May  28,  1910. 

(VII)  ZiBA  Cary  Keith,  son  of  Captain 
Ziba  and  Polly  (Xoyes)  Keith,  was  born  in 
what  is  now  Brockton,  July  13,  1842,  at  the 
ancestral  homestead  across  the  street  from  his 
late  residence  in  Campello.  The  family  lived 
in  the  old  house  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Plain  streets  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the 
handsome  George  E.  Keith  residence.  The 
old  house  was  one  of  the  landmarks  of  Cam- 
pello and  had  been  the  home  of  the  Keith 
family  for  several  generations. 

Mr.  Keith's  early  life  had  much  in  common 
■with  that  of  the  average  youth  of  the  period. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  village,  then  known  as 
North  Bridgewater  (which  on  Jan.  1,  1882, 
Ijecame  the  city  of  Brockton),  and  at  the 
Peirce  Academy  in  Middleboro,  Mass. 
Meantime  he  assisted  with  the  farm  work  at 
home  and  acquired  a  knowledge  of  shoemak- 
ing  at  the  "Old  Red  Shop,"  and  when  he  was 
€ighteen  he  went  to  work  in  the  shoe  factory 
of  his  brothers,  Martin  L.  Keith  &  Co.,  who 
were  then  doing  an  extensive  business  in  that 
line.  Later  he  became  bookkeeper  and  sales- 
man for  the  same  firm  in  Boston,  continuing 
thus  until  July,  1863,  when  he  returned  to 
Campello — the  southerly  portion  of  Brockton 
— to  enter  into  business  on  his  own  account. 
In  company  with  Embert  Howard  he  bought 
out  the  dry  goods  and  general  store  owned  by 
Sidney  Packard,  and  for  two  years  they  ran 
it  under  the  firm  name  of  Howard  &  Keith,  at 
the  end  of  that  time  selling  out  to  Jonas  Rey- 
nolds, the  partnership  being  dissolved.  Six 
months  later,  however,  Mr.  Keith  again  bought 
the  business,  which  he  carried  on  until  he  re- 


tired from  that  line  in  1882.  For  a  year  or 
two  during  this  period  Mr.  H.  N.  P.  Hubbard 
conducted  the  dry  goods  department,  but  with 
that  exception  Mr.  Keith  was  the  sole  owner 
of  the  business  until  he  sold  it,  in  1882,  to 
Pitts  &  Hayward,  who  took  the  grocery  depart- 
ment, and  Thayer  &  Whitman,  who  took  the 
dry  goods  department.  The  establishment 
enjoyed  a  continuous  career  of  prosperity 
under  his  management,  but  his  other  interests 
had  become  so  numerous  and  important  that 
he  felt  it  necessary  to  give  up  the  store  in 
order  to  attend  properly  to  the  demands  which 
public  service  and  accumulated  business  cares 
made  upon  his  time. 

Though  not  at  the  time  of  his  death  con- 
nected in  any  official  capacity  with  Brockton 
banks,  Mr.  Keith  was  for  many  years  a  prom- 
inent figure  in  the  management  of  various 
financial  institutions.  He  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  organizing  the  Campello  Coopera- 
tive Bank,  and  during  its  early  years  served  as 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  institution, 
which  played  such  an  important  part  in  the 
building  up  of  the  southern  part  of  the  city, 
-aidin^g  many  ambitious  workers  to  acquire 
their  own  homes,  and  establishing  a  standard 
of  prosperity  which  has  had  a  permanent 
effect  upon  the  welfare  of  Campello.  He  was 
an  incorporator  and  at  one  time  director  and 
first  vice  president  of  the  Brockton  Savings 
Bank,  a  director  of  the  Brockton  National 
Bank  from  the  time  of  its  incorporation  until 
1893,  when  he  resigned  to  become  president  of 
the  Plymouth  County  Safe  Deposit  &  Trust 
Company  (of  which  he  was  an  incorporator), 
now  the  Plymouth  County  Trust  Company, 
serving  as  president  for  ten  years,  until  1904, 
but  had  severed  all  these  connections  before  his 
death.  Mr.  Keith  was  identified  with  vari- 
ous enterprises  which  have  marked  the  prog- 
ress and  growth  of  the  city.  He  was  a  cor- 
porate member  of  the  original  street  railway 
company  in  Brockton,  and  served  as  its  treas- 
urer for  several  years,  and  he  was  the  first 
treasurer  of  the  Monarch  Rubber  Company  of 
Campello  until  its  liquidation,  also  owning 
the  building  in  which  the  company  did  busi- 
ness. He  was  also  active  in  the  organization 
of  the  Brockton  Hospital,  of  which  he  was  the 
first  president.  As  the  successful  manager 
of  so  many  prosperous  ventures,  he  had  won 
Tinusual  confidence,  and  he  was  called  upon  to 
act  as  trustee  of  numerous  estates.  So  much 
of  his  work  toward  the  advancement  of  the 
city,  however,  was  done  through  official  chan- 
nels that  mention  of  his  public  services  is  nec- 
essary. 


780 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


In  1875  Mr.  Keith  represented  his  district 
in  the  State  Legislature,  to  whicli  he  was  re- 
elected for  the  following  year;  in  1878  he 
was  elected  selectman  of  old  North  Bridge- 
water,  and  in  1881  he  was  a  niemher  of  the 
committee  selected  by  the  town  to  draft  the 
city  charter.  At  the  first  election  upon  the 
organization  of  the  city  of  Brockton  he  was 
chosen  mayor,  and  as  such  presided  at  the  first 
meeting  of  the  new  city  government,  Jan.  2, 
1883.  Some  of  his  fellow  members  in  that 
first  organization  were  such  prominent  citi- 
zens as  William  L.  Douglas  (former  gover- 
nor), George  Churchill,  George  E.  Keith, 
Bradford  E.  Jones,  DeWitt  C.  Packard,  Jona- 
than White  and  Baalis  Sanford.  Two  years  later 
he  was  reelected,  and  he  was  several  times  so 
honored  subsequently,  serving  in  1884,  1885, 
1891,  1892  and  1893.  He  was  the  first  mayor 
ever  called  to  the  office  for  three  consecutive 
years.  His  repeated  election  tu  the  office 
would  be  sufficient  evidence  of  the  satisfaction 
his  services  gave.  Under  his  administration 
some  of  the  most  important  innovations  in 
the  municipal  economy  were  inaugurated.  The 
present  sewerage  system,  which  has  proved 
such  a  great  boon  to  the  city,  was  planned  and 
launched  during  his  regime ;  the  new  city  hall 
was  constructed ;  a  park  commission  was  es- 
tablished ;  and  another  important  work  was 
consummafed,  the  abolishment  of  sixteen 
grade  crossings  of  the  Old  Colony  division  of 
the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  rail- 
road in  the  city  within  two  years'  time. 

In  1887  and  1888  Mr.  Keith  was  State  sen- 
ator for  the  Second  Plymouth  district;  in  1887, 
1888  and  1889  he  was  ta.x  collector  of  Brock- 
ton; on  Jan.  1,  1890,  he  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Ames  a  member  of  the  "State  Com- 
mission of  Health,  Lunacy  and  Charity" ;  and 
for  three  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's Council,  to  which  office  he  w^as  first 
elected  in  the  fall  of  1892,  serving  continu- 
ously until  1895,  from  the  Second  Plymouth 
district.  In  1893  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Gov.  William  E.  Russell's  party 
which  visited  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  as 
representatives  from  this  Commonwealth. 
During  his  first  term  as  councilor  he  served  on 
the  committees  on  Accounts  (chairman).  Har- 
bors and  Public  Lands,  Charitable  Institu- 
tions, Military  Affairs  and  Railroads,  and 
State  House  Extension.  He  served  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace  for  over  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  having  been  commissioned  May  5, 
1882.  By  virtue  of  his  position  as  mayor  of 
the  city  he  was  chairman  of  the  school  com- 
mittee   of    Brockton.     Though    a    stanch    Re- 


publican in  political  principle  he  was  never 
bound  by  party  ties  on  municipal  questions, 
and  his  honorable  policies  and  standards  kept 
him  free  from  the  limitations  of  the  design- 
ing politician. 

Mr.  Keith's  extensive  interests  in  business 
and  public  lines  did  not  prevent  liim  from  ac- 
tivity in  social  and  church  life,  in  which  he 
always  took  a  prominent  part.  He  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  Commercial  Club,  and 
vice  president  of  same  for  several  years.  He 
was  a  Freemason,  belonging  to  St.  George 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M.,  Brockton  Council,  R.  &  S.  M..  and  Bay  State 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Brock- 
ton. In  religious  belief  he  was  a  Trinitarian 
Congregationalist,  and  he  was  for  many  years 
a  prominent  member  and  worker  of  the  South 
Congregational  Church  and  Society  at  Cam- 
pello,  whicli  he  joined  in  May,  1886,  and 
served  in  various  capacities.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  parish  committee  for  several  years, 
and  of  the  committee  which  had  in  charge^  the 
rebuilding  and  enlarging  of  the  church  in 
188S.  He  also  served  as  delegate  from  the 
church,  and  for  forty  years  was  active  in  the 
choir,  serving  as  organist  and  in  every  way 
aiding  in  the  direction  of  the  church  music. 
His  interest  and  taste  in  musical  matters  Imd 
long  been  well  known,  and  on  April  6,  1869, 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Union 
Musical  Society,  of  which  he  became  vice 
president.  He  played  the  violin  from  boy- 
hood, music  having  always  afforded  him  much 
pleasure  as  well  as  relaxation,  and  he  was  only 
ten  years  old  when  he  became  a  member  of  the 
orchestra  of  the  South  Congregational  Church, 
then  under  the  direction  of  his  brother,  Martin 
L.  Keith.  His  taste  in  this  direction  led 
him  to  become  interested  in  the  Old  Colony 
Piano  Company,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  in  1889,  serving  as  treasurer  of 
same  until  his  death.  When  a  young  man  he 
belonged  to  the  State  Militia,  and  in  April, 
1865,  he  was  chosen  second  lieutenant  of  Dis- 
trict 61. 

Mr.  Keith  could  well  be  called  a  self-made 
man,  for  he  advanced  himself  by  honest  effort 
and  intelligent  application  of  his  faculties  to 
a  position  among  the  foremost  citizens  of  his 
day.  By  reading  and  observation  he  added 
to  his  intellectual  acquirements,  for  which  he 
never  lost  his  inclination,  and  he  was  wel- 
comed as  a  social  factor  wherever  known,  his 
kindly  disposition  and  sincerity  of  purpose 
winning  and  keeping  friends  however  met. 
His  high  standards  in  all  the  relations  of  life 
had  their  best  expression  in  his  own  actions. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


J-Sl 


wliich   reflected   the   highest  credit  upon   him. 

On  Dec.  31,  1865,  Mr.  Keith  was  married 
to  Abbie  Frances  Jackson,  who  was  born  Oct. 
27,  184:8,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Malvina 
Frances  (Packard)  Jackson,  of  North  Bridge- 
water,  who  is  also  a  direct  descendant  of  sev- 
eral of  New  England's  prominent  and  earliest 
settled  families.  To  this  union  was  born  one 
son,  Willie  Clifton  Keith,  Aug.  31,  1866,  who 
is  the  father  of  one  son,  Ziba  Cary  Keith, 
born  June  13,  1888. 

Mr.  Keith's  beautiful  homo  at  No.  1260 
Main  street,  Campello,"  at  the  corner  of  Plain 
street,  is  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  that 
section  of  the  city,  ideally  located  and  com- 
manding a  fine  view  of  the  city  and  surround- 
ing country.  There  he  died  April  5,  1909,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  after  a  brief  illness, 
which  gave  no  sign  of  proving  fatal  until  the 
day  previous.  Nothing  could  show  the 
breadth  of  his  life,  the  extent  of  his  interests, 
more  than  the  variety  of  sources  from  which 
expres.sions  of  sorrow  at  this  unlooked-for 
event  came.  Among  the  first  to  show  sym- 
pathy and  regret  were  the  surviving  ex-mayors 
of  the  city,  by  whom,  as  the  first  incumbent  of 
the  office,  he  was  regarded  with  especial  es- 
teem, and  by  whom  lie  was  honored  without 
regard  for  political  ties.  Upon  the  day  of 
the  funeral  such  marks  of  respect  were  paid 
by  citizens  and  business  houses  everywhere  as 
few  men  receive.  The  flag  at  the  city  hall 
floated  at  half  mast,  the  city  government  sent 
floral  offerings  and  was  officially  represented 
at  the  ceremimy,  members  of  the  council  who 
had  served  during  his  administrations  attend- 
ed, men  and  women  from  all  ranks  and  classes, 
from  the  humblest  to  the  highest,  were  present 
to  show  sympathy  for  the  living  and  regard 
for  the  dead,  and  not  only  were  the  special 
places  of  business  with  which  lie  had  been 
associated — the  Old  Colony  Piano  Company 
and  the  Stowe  &  Woodward  Rubber  Works — 
closed,  but  also  mercantile  houses  throughout 
the  city,  this  unusual  action  being  taken  by 
vote  of  the  Brockton  Merchants'  Association. 
Most  of  the  banks  were  also  represented,  offi- 
cially or  unofficially,  and  the  local  press  paid 
glowing  tribute  to  his  worth  as  a  man  and  an 
incorruptible  public  servant.  The  Brockton 
Enterprise  said  editorially: 

"No  man  in  Brockton  had  been  so  frequent- 
ly honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  with  posts  of 
honor,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  ever  will  be 
again.  He  held  the  esteem  of  the  people 
through  a  long  term  of  years.  After  being 
selected  as  the  man  to  lead  the  way  in  Brock- 
ton's  first   experiment   as   a   municipality,   he 


was  chosen  again  a  little  later,  and  then,  ten 
years  after  his  first  occupancy  of  the  mayor's 
chair,  was  again  selected  for  the  office  and  held 
it  for  three  terms.  The  passing  of  time  had 
taken  nothing  from  his  reputation  as  an  able 
and  popular  mayor,  but  had  added  to  it;  and 
a  new  generation  of  voters  was  willing  and 
anxious  to  have  him  serve  again,  and  for  sev- 
eral years,  as  Brockton's  leading  citizen.  His 
fame,  instead  of  decreasing,  had  grown  with 
the  passage  of  time.  He  was  also  selected  as 
senator  from  this  district,  as  a  representative 
from  the  city  and  as  a  member  of  the  gov- 
ernor's council.  In  business  affairs  he  also 
took  at  various  times  a  prominent  part. 

"Ziba  C.  Keith  made  few  enemies.  He 
was  a  man  of  kindly  heart  and  a  naturally 
aft'able  disposition.  He  was  interested  in  the 
lives  of  those  about  him,  with  a  kindly  and 
helpful  and  not  censorious  interest.  In  pub- 
lic life  he  was  able,  tactful,  equal  to  the  situa- 
tion at  all  times  and  places.  In  the  first 
year  of  his  administration,  in  blazing  a  path 
through  new  territory,  he  was  an  admirable 
choice  for  the  work,  which  required  diplo- 
macy, judgment  and  a  wide  knowledge  of 
Broclvton  and  its  citizens  and  their  needs. 
Under  liis  direction  the  ship  set  sail  and 
caught  a  favoring  wind  from  the  very  inception 
of  the  voyage. 

''Those  privileged  to  know  Mr.  Keith  so- 
cially knew  him  as  a  man  whose  friendship  was 
wortli  while,  and  who  always  had  the  sun 
shining  around  him.  He  was  genial,  yet  dig- 
nified— two  most  admirable  attributes  of  a 
public  man.  People  whom  he  met  instinc- 
tively realized  the  kindly  nature  of  the  man 
and  his  desire  that  all  about  him  should  be 
content,  and  he  inspired  a  warm  personal  re- 
gard in  those  whom  he  knew  in  his  journey 
through  life.  His  contemporaries — those 
who  knew  him  best  as  boy  ana  man — trusted 
him,  worked  and  voted  for  him  without  ques- 
tion. As  the  younger  generation  gi'ew  up  and 
met  him  and  knew  him  they  followed  in  the 
footsteps  of  their  elders,  and  their  ballots  and 
their  liking  also  were  for  Ziba  Keith.  It  was 
an  experience  given  to  few  men  to  enjoy. 

"Brockton  will  sincerely  mourn  the  passing 
of  this  able  and  beloved  citizen.  His  friends 
are  on  every  street  and  avenue  of  the  city,  and 
his  admirers,  both  of  the  able  political  leader 
and  of  the  man,  are  legion.  Men  of  every 
political  party  treasured  his  friendship  as  he 
treasured  theirs.  He  was  an  able  man  and 
he  was  a  good  man." 

Mr.  Keith  was  deeply  interested  in  the  early 
history  of  the  Keith  family,  and  spent  years 


782 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


in  the  compilation  of  an  exhaustive  history  of 
his  branch  of  the  family,  which  he  completed 
and  had  published  in  1889. 

HATHAWAY  (New  Bedford  family).  This 
name  has  been  a  continuous  one  and  tlie  family 
numerous  in  the  several  towns  formed  out  of 
original  Dartmouth  for  approximately  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years.  Arthur  Hathaway,  the 
progenitor  of  tlie  Dartmouth  Hathaways,  came 
early  to  PljTiiouth  and  became  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Dartmouth.  He  married  in  1652, 
in  Duxbury,  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Warren)  Cook,  the  latter  being  a 
daughter  of  Richard  Warren,  of  the  "May- 
flower," as  was  also  John  Cook,  a  son  of  Francis 
Cook,  a  passenger  of  that  historic  vessel.  All 
of  the  foregoing  in  detail  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  and  by  reference  to  other  articles 
on  the  Hathaways  it  will  be  seen  that  Arthur 
Hathaway  was  an  important  man  in  the  town, 
holding  various  public  offices;  that  of  his  three 
sons,  through  whom  the  name  has  been  per- 
petuated, John,  Thomas  and  Jonathan,  John's 
farm  or  homestead  was  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Acushnet  river  and  comprised  upward  of  175 
acres  of  land,  his  landing  place  being  the  now 
Belleville  Wharf;  that  Thomas's  estate  of  some 
two  hundred  thirty  and  more  acres  of  land  was 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  opposite  the  land- 
ing of  his  brother  John,  and  most  advan- 
tageously situated  for  the  carrying  on  of  their 
business ;  that  Jonathan's  homestead  was  next 
south  of  his  brother  Thomas's ;  that  they  them- 
selves were  largely  engaged  in  navigation, 
which  occupation  have  followed  many  of  their 
descendants,  and  that  as  owners  and  command- 
ers of  various  kinds  of  vessels  they  as  a  family 
have  been  eminently  successful ;  that  coming, 
as  ■  they  did,  among  the  very  first  to  Dart- 
mouth and  allying  themselves  by  marriage  with 
the  leading  families  they  have  always  main- 
tained a  prominent  position. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  ancient  or 
original  Dartmouth  included  the  present  towms 
of  Dartmouth,  Westport,  New  Bedford  and 
Fairhaven  and  was  bought  from  the  Indians 
in  1652.  It  was  then  owned  by  the  thirty-six 
original  purchasers,  only  five  or  six  of  whom, 
however,  became  settlers.  All  of  the  original 
purchasers  were  passengers  of  the  "Mayflower," 
but  no  name  of  those  in  the  "Mayflower"  was 
among  the  early  settlers  there.  The  lands  were 
taken  up  mostly  by  members  of  the  Society 
of  Friends  or  Quakers,  who  were  not  particu- 
larly identified  with  the  Puritans.  The  first 
settled  part  of  the  old  town  was  southern  Dart- 
mouth, some  seven  miles  west  of  New  Bedford, 


where  not  far  from  1652  Ralph  Russell  re- 
moved from  Raynham  and  established  an  iron 
forge  and  other  machinery,  mills,  etc.,  on  the 
Pascamanset  river,  now  more  generally  known, 
as  Slocuni's  river,  so  called  from  Anthony 
Slocum,  who  was  also  an  early  settler  in  that 
quarter.  At  the  division  of  Dartmouth  in 
1787  New  Bedford  and  Fairhaven  formed  the 
townsliip  or  town  of  New  Bedford  and  Fair- 
haven bearing  the  name  of  New  Bedford;  they 
were  divided  into  separate  towns  in  1812.  New 
Bedford  may  be  said  to  date  from  1761,  when 
the  first  house  east  of  the  county  road  was  built 
by  John  Lowden,  although  approximately  one 
hundred  years  prior  to  this,  as  stated  above, 
a  settlement  had  been  made  at  Russells  Mills 
by  the  family  of  that  name,  other  early  set- 
tlers there  being  the  Ricketsons,  Slocums  and 
Smiths;  and  at  Acushnet  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river  by  the  Popes,  Tabers,  Hathaways  and 
Jennings.  The  settlements  of  New  Bedford 
and  Fairhaven  were  coeval.  Previous  to  the 
Revolution  the  land  of  New  Bedford  lying  be- 
tween the  "cove"'  and  head  of  the  river  was 
mostly  owned  by  a  few  families,  commencing 
south  with  the  Aliens ;  thence  north  the  Rus- 
sells, Kemptons,  Willises,  Peckhams,  Hatha- 
ways and  Wrightingtons.  These  people  were 
substantial  farmers  and  the  old  large  and  com- 
fortable farmhouses  of  eac)i  of  these  families 
generally  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  county 
road. 

It  was  from  this  Hathaway  stock  and  the 
section  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing  descended 
thfe  late  Capt.  William  Hathaway,  and  his 
brothers  James  and  Samuel.  Of  these,  the 
records  say  that  James  Hathaway,  of  Westport, 
married  Nov.  7,  1824,  Lydia  C.  Gardner;  he 
died  Dec.  30,  1831,  aged  forty-seven  years,  and 
she  died  Sept.  14,  1831,  aged  forty-five.  Sam- 
uel Hathaway  married  Joanna  Gilbert,  and 
their  daughter,  Joanna,  born  Sept.  25,  1783, 
died  March  20,  1865,  married  April  27,  1808, 
James  Tilton  (born  Jan.  20,  1785,  died  March 
13,  1866). 

Capt.  William  Hathaway  was  a  native  of  New 
Bedford,  and  became  a  merchant  sailing  master 
from  New  York.  In  March,  1811,  he  married 
Sarah  Haffords,  born  May  11,  1789,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  and  Roby  (Brightman)  Hafi'ords, 
of  New  Bedford.  He  died  in  New  York  City 
about  1848,  aged  about  sixty  years. 

James  H.  Hathaway,  son  of  Capt.  William, 
passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  New  York 
City  as  an  accountant.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Smith  Wilcox,  daughter  of  David  Bennett  and 
Hannah  (Smith)  Wilcox,  and  they  died,  he  in 
1844,  and  she  in  1890. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


783 


James  Henry  Hathaway  (son  of  James 
H.),  former  city  treasurer  of  New  Bedford,  was 
born  in  that  citj'  Nov.  1,  1835,  receiving  there 
a  public  and  higli  school  education.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  engaged  in  the  hat  business  with 
his  uncle,  David  B.  Wilcox,  as  a  partner.  In 
1859  he  became  a  member  of  the  New  Bedford 
City  Guards.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war,  in  April,  1861,  he  responded  to  his  coun- 
try's call,  and  went  to  her  defense,  enlisting 
in  Company  L,  3d  Mass.  V.  I.,  and  served  three 
months,  being  stationed  at  Fortress  Monroe. 
Afterward  he  was  appointed  a  clerk  in  tlie  navy 
department  under  Paymaster  Thornton,  and  in 
this  capacity  served  with  the  Burnside  expedi- 
tions on  the  sounds  of  North  Carolina,  at 
Eoanoke  Island,  and  at  Newbern,  where  on 
Aug.  5,  1862,  he  received  the  appointment  of 
acting  assistant  paymaster  in  the  United  States 
navy,  which  position  he  held  until  May,  1866. 
He  served  mainly  in  this  latter  capacity  with 
the  Mississippi  squadron,  and  was  in  the  IJed 
river  and  other  expeditions,  and  after  the  war 
closed  he  had  charge  of  a  number  of  light- 
clad  boats  laid  up  to  be  sold  at  Cairo,  111.  For 
several  years  after  receiving  an  honorable  dis- 
charge "from  the  United  States  navy  he  was 
connected  with  the  New  Bedford  assessor's  of- 
fice. On  April  6,  1874,  he  was  appointed  as- 
sistant to  the  late  James  B.  Congdon,  then  city 
treasurer,  and  on  April  6,  1879,  he  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Congdon  as  city  treasurer, 
which  office  he  creditably  and  satisfac- 
torily filled  until  Dec.  1,  1907,  having  with 
but  one  exception  (1896)  been  unanimously 
reelected   by   the  city  council   on   joint  ballot. 

Mr.  Hathaway  is  an  honored  and  respected 
citizen,  and  a  member  of  Eureka  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  of  Post  No.  1,  G.  A.  R. 

On  May  12,  1858,  Mr.  Hathaway  married 
Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Arvin  Smith,  of  New 
Bedford,  and  they  have  had  two  sons:  William 
W.,  who  from  1879  until  his  deatli,  Oct.  27, 
1896,  was  assistant  in  the  treasurer's  office ; 
and  Charles  R.,  who  completed  his  brother's 
term  as  assistant  treasurer  and  was  continued 
in  the  same  office  by  his  father's  successor. 

WALLACE  GUSHING  KEITH.  M.  D.,  one 
of  the  leading  physicians  of  Brockton,  where 
for  a  period  covering  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury he  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  is  the  worthy 
representative  of  a  name  which  has  had  long 
and  honorable  standing  in  the  community,  and 
by  marriage  the  Keith  family  has  allied  itself 
with  several  others  descended  from  New  Eng- 
land's earliest  and  most  distinguished  settlers. 


Dr.  Keith  was  bom  Nov.  25,  1858,  in  West 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  the  son  of  Jonathan  C. 
and  Lucy  Reed  (Gushing)  Keith.  The  record 
of  the  branch  of  the  Keith  family  to  which 
Dr.  Keith  belongs  follows,  the  generations  be- 
ing given  in  chronological  order. 

(I)  Rev.  James  Keith,  the  first  minister  in 
Bridgewater,  was  a  Scotchman,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  Aberdeen,  Scotland.  He  came  to 
America  in  1662,  when  about  eighteen  years 
of  age,  and  was  ordained  in  February,  1664. 
His  first  sermon  was  preached  from  a  rock  in 
Mill  Pasture,  so  called,  in  West  Bridgewater. 
He  married  Susanna,  a  daughter  of  his  dea- 
con, Samuel  Edson,  and  liad  six  sons  and  three 
daughters:  James,  Joseph,  Samuel,  Timothy, 
John,  Josiah,  Margaret,  Mary  and  Susanna. 
He  died  July  23,  1719,  aged  seventy-six  years, 
having  labored  in  the  town  fifty-six  years.  He 
married  a  second  wife,  Mary,  widow  of  Thomas 
Williams,  of  Taunton,  Massachusetts. 

(II)  Timothy  Keith,  son  of  Rev.  James, 
married  Hannali,  daughter  of  Deacon  Edward 
Fobes,  in  1710,  and  had  three  sons  and  one 
daughter:  Timothy,  born  in  1711;  Abiah,  bom 
in  1712;  Nathan,  born  in  1714;  and  Hannah, 
born  in  1718.  Timothy  Keith  died  Nov.  8, 
1767,  aged  eighty- three  years,  and  his  wife 
died  May  23,  1765. 

(III)  Nathan  Keith,  son  of  Timothy,  mar- 
ried Hannah,  daughter  of  Joseph  Snell,  in 
1746,  and  their  children  were:  Mehitable,  bom 
in  1747;  Simeon,  born  in  1749;  Damaris,  bom 
in  1751;  Isaac,  bom  in  1753;  Jonathan,  born 
in  1754;  Hannah,  born  in  1756;  Martha,  bom 
in  1761;  and  Nathan,  born  in  1764.  Nathan 
Keith  died  in  1786,  aged  seventy-two  years. 

(IV)  Simeon  Keith,  son  of  Nathan,  was 
horn  Jan.  19,  1749,  in  West  Bridgewater,  and 
died  in  Canipello,  Mass.,  June  24,  1828,  aged 
seventy-nine  years.  He  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing during  his  active  life,  and  in  connection 
with  agricultural  pursuits  made  frequent  trips 
to  Boston  by  team,  returning  with  hides  for  the 
shoemakers,  and  also  collected  the  hair  there- 
from, which  he  disposed  of  to  masons  to  be  used 
in  mixing  mortar,  etc.  In  this  business  he  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  Pardon,  who  followed  the 
same  for  a  number  of  years,  until  better  ship- 
ping facilities  came  into  vogue. 

Simeon  Keith  married  June  15,  1775,  Molly 
Gary,  daughter  of  Col.  Simeon  Gary,  who  was 
a  captain  in  the  French  war,  in  1758  and  1759, 
and  was  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war  in 
1776,  and  a  descendant  in  the  fourth  genera- 
tion of  John  Gary,  who  came  from  England  and 
settled  in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  later  becoming  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Bridgewater,  of  which 


r84 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


town  he  was  the  first  town  clerk ;  and  liis  wife, 
Mary  Howard,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel 
Howard,  Esq.,  and  a  descendant  in  the  fourth 
generation  of  Jolm  Howard,  who  came  from 
England  and  settled  in  Duxbury,  later  becom- 
ing one  of  the  first  settlei-s  of  Bridgewater, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  first  military  officei-s.  To 
Simeon  and  Molly  (Cary)  Keith  were  born  chil- 
dren as  follows :  Hampden,  who  was  born  in 
l'i'76,  married  Sally  Bassett;  Hannah,  born  in 
1777,  married  George  Haskell;  Molly,  born  in 
1779,  married  Dr.  Issachar  Snell ;  Austin,  bom 
in  1781,  is  mentioned  below;  Sidney,  boni  in 
1783,  married  Samantlia  Snell;  Martha,  born 
in  1785,  married  Amos  Bond;  Pardon,  bom  in 
1787,  married  Abigail  T.  Wild ;  Rhoda,  born  in 
1790,  married  Rev.  Jonas  Perkins;  Silvia,  born 
in  1792,  married  Josiah  Williams;  Keziah,  bom 
in  1794,  married  Peter  Talbot,  of  Winslow, 
Maine,  where  Hampden  and  Sidney  also  set- 
tled. The  mother  of  this  family  died  Sept. 
25,   1832,  aged   seventy-eight  years. 

(V)  Austin  Keith,  son  of  Simeon,  was  born 
Aug.  20,  1781,  in  West  Bridgewater,  and  died 
in  Campello,  Mass.,  Nov.  15,  1858,  aged  sev- 
enty-seven years.  He  was  a  farmer  in  West 
Bridgewater  during  the  active  years  of  liis  life. 
He  married  Aug.  3,  1813,  Mehitable  Copeland, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  Copeland,  and  a  direct 
descendant  of  Lawrence  and  Lydia  (Townsend) 
Copeland,  of  Braintree,  Mass.  To  Austin  and 
Mehitable  (Copeland)  Keith  were  horn  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Eliza  Copeland,  born  Nov.  6, 
1814,  died  unmarried;  Samuel  Dunbar,  born 
June  11,  1816,  married  Cordelia  Freeman,  of 
Brewster,  Mass.,  and  he  died  in  Lowell,  Mass. ; 
Henry  Snell,  born  Oct.  17,  1818.  married 
(first)  Sarah  H.  Manley  and  (second)  Thalia 
Alden,  and  he  died  in  Canijiello,  Mass. ;  Charles 
Austin,  born  Aug.  20,  1821,  married  Hannah 
Copeland,  and  he  died  in  Campello,  Mass.; 
Jonathan  Copeland,  born  July  31,  1824,  is 
mentioned  below. 

(VI)  Jonathan  Copeland  Keith,  son  of  Aus- 
tin, was  bom  July  31,  1824,  in  West  Bridge- 
water,  where  during  the  active  years  of  his  life 
he  was  engaged  in  farming.  In  political  faith 
he  in  early  life  allied  himself  with  the  Whig 
party,  and  after  the  formation  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  in  1856,  became  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  latter.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  town,  and  served  in  various  posi- 
tions of  trust,  in  1868  being  a  member  of  the 
board  of  selectmen,  overseers  of  the  poor  and 
assessors,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a 
member  of  the  school  committee,  and  he  was 
frequently  called  upon  to  administer  on  estates. 
He   was   one   of   the   original    trustees   of   the 


Howard  Fund  of  West  Bridgewater,  having 
been  named  as  such  by  the  late  Capt.  Benjamin 
B.  Howard,  who  bequeathed  by  his  will  $80,000, 
the  income  of  which  was  to  be  used  by  the  town 
to  support  a  school  to  be  known  as  the  Howard 
school.  Mr.  Keith  was  one  of  the  honored  and 
respected  citizens  of  Jiis  community,  and  was 
a  devout  member  of  the  South  Congregational 
Church  of  Campello,  Mass.  His  death  occurred 
Dec.  7,  1868,  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 
On  Jan.  20,  1858,  Mr.  Keith  was  married  to 
Lucy  Reed  Cushing,  daughter  of  Greenwood 
and  Mary  Hobart  (Reed)  Cushing,  of  Abing- 
ton,  Mass.  Mrs.  Keith  survived  her  husband 
many  years,  dying  in  Brockton  July  9,  1900, 
the  mother  of  the  following  children :  Wallace 
{'ushing,  mentioned  below;  Jonathan  Wales, 
wlio  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years;  and  Fred- 
erick Greenwood,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years. 

(VII)  Wallace  Cushing  Keith,  M.  D.,  the 
eldest  son  of  the  late  Jonathan  C.  and  Lucy 
Reed  (Cnslung)  Keith,  was  born  Nov.  25, 
1858,  in  Vest  Bridgewater,  Mass.  In  the 
district  scnools  of  his  native  town  his  educa- 
tional training  was  begun,  and  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  entered  the  North  Bridgewater 
high  school,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
the  class  of  1875.  The  following  year  he  spent 
as  a  student  at  the  Adams  Academy,  Quincy, 
Mass.,  and  then  entered  Amherst  College, 
graduating  therefrom  in  the  class  of  1880, 
with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  and  in  1886  was  given 
the  degree  of  A.  M.  at  the  same  college.  After 
graduating  from  Amherst,  in  1880,  Dr.  Keith 
entered  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1884,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  After  serving  as  house  officer 
in  the  Boston  City  hospital  for  nearly  two 
years,  Dr.  Keith,  in  1885,  came  to  Brockton, 
where  he  immediately  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  his  chosen  profession,  and  where  he  has  since 
continued  in  active  practice,  ha\dng  acquired  a 
large  and  lucrative  practice.  Dr.  Keith  is  a 
member  of  the  Brockton  Medical  Society;  of 
the  Plymouth  District  Medical  Society,  of 
which  he  is  president;  of  the  Massachusetts 
Stale  Medical  Society,  and  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Chi  Phi  Fraternity.  He  is  a  prominent  and 
active  member  of  the  Masonic  organization, 
liolding  memhevsliip  in  Paul  Revere  Ijodge,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.;  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.; 
Brockton  Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  in  which  he  is 
captain  of  the  guard;  and  Bay  State  Command- 
ery.  Knights  Templar,  of  Brockton,  being  ju- 
nior warden  in  the  latter  body.  He  has  at- 
tained the  lliirty-second  degree,  being  a  mem- 


^^^^4: 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


785 


iber  of  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  of  Boston,  and 
holding  the  office  of  guard  in  the  consistory; 
and  is  also  a  member  of  Aleppo  Temple,  Order 
■of  the  Jlystic  Shrine,  of  Boston.  He  also  be- 
longs to  the  Loyal  Legion,  Massachusetts  Com- 
mandery,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Commercial 
Club  of  Brockton. 

In  political  faith  Dr.  Keith  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  in  1886  was  a  member  of  the 
■common  council  from  Ward  Seven.  In  edu- 
cational matters  he  has  taken  a  very  active  in- 
terest, and  has  served  eight  terms  of  three 
jears  each,  covering  a  period  of  twenty-four 
years,  as  a  member  of  the  school  committee, 
of  which  he  was  also  president  for  several 
jears.  In  1889  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Harrison  United  States  pension  examining  sur- 
geon, and  has  filled  that  office  ever  since.  Dr. 
Keith  is  also  State  inspector  of  health  for  Dis- 
trict No.  3,  of  Massachusetts,  which  position 
he  has  held  for  several  years. 

Dr.  Keith  and  his  wife  are  active  members 
of  the  Porter  Congregational  Church,  and  for 
.a  period  of  ten  years  he  served  as  treasurer  of 
the  Church,  and  for  a  number  of  years  has 
been  president  of  the  parish  committee  of  the 
Church.  For  several  years  he  was  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Howard  Fund  of  West  Bridge- 
water,  and  is  an  incorporator  of  the  People's 
Savings  Bank  of  Brockton. 

On  Jan.  14,  1885,  Dr.  Keith  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Helen  Richmond  Ford,  daughter 
of  the  late  Charles  Richmond  Ford,  of  Brock- 
ton (who  for  many  years  was  one  of  the  ex- 
tensive shoe  manufacturers  of  the  city),  and 
his  wife,  Sarah  Fidelia  Jones,  daughter  of  Au- 
gustus Jones,  a  record  of  whose  family  will 
Tie  found  elsewhere  in  these  volumes.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.   Keith  have  no  children. 

Mrs.  Keith  is  a  direct  descendant  in  the 
ninth  generation  from  Andrew  Ford  (I),  who 
was  at  Weymouth,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1651,  and 
his  wife,  Eleanor  Lovell,  through  Andrew,  Jr., 
and  Abiah  Ford  (II)  :  Ensign  Andrew  and 
Marcy  (Whitmarsh)  Ford  (III)  ;  Jacob  and  Sa- 
rah (Pool)  Ford  (IV)  ;  Jacob.  Jr.,  and  Rachel 
(Agur)  Ford  (V) ;  David  and  Olive  (Pack- 
ard) Ford  (VI)  ;  Noah  and  Silence  (Rich- 
mond) Ford  (VII)  ;  and  Charles  Riclunond 
and  Sarah  Fidelia  (Jones)  Ford  (VIII),  the 
latter  having  been  the  parents  of  five  children : 
Helen  Richmond,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Keith ; 
Edward  Torrey,  who  is  a  Congregational  min- 
ister, now  located  at  Tacoma,  Wash. ;  Lizzie 
Hastings,  who  died  young;  Lottie,  who  died 
young;  and  Jennie  Hilton,  at  home. 

OBED  NYE  was  descended  from  a  family 
■of   English   extraction,   the   American   branch 

50 


of  which  is  kin  to  some  of  the  nobility  of  that 
name  in  England,  the  early  records  of  the 
family  in  America  being  given  on  other  pages 
of  this  publication. 

Capt.  Obed  Nye,  of  Sandwich,  his  paternal 
grandfather,  was  born  in  1736,  and  was  twice 
married,  first  to  Mary  Sellers,  born  in  1739, 
who  died  March  28,  1797,  and  second  to  Free- 
love  Maxfield,  born  in  1748,  who  died  Nov.  6, 
1815.  Captain  Nye  died  Nov.  10,  1815.  By 
his  first  wife  he  had  twelve  children,  namely: 
Jonathan,  born  in  1760,  who  married  in  1784 
Hannah  Mandell  (born  1762,  died  Sept.  26, 
1844),  and  died  Nov.  18,  1815;  Obed,  born  in 
1766,  who  married  Mary  Marshall  (died  April 
8,  1852),  and  died  Aug.  25,  1796,  in  France, 
leaving  two  daughters.  Prudence,  who  married 
Joseph  Bates,  and  Sylvia,  who  married  John- 
akins  Taber  and  (second)  William  Mickel; 
Thomas,  born  in  1768,  who  married  Hannah 
Hathaway,  and  died  in  October,  1842;  Gideon; 
Philip;  James;  Deborah,  Mrs.  Thurston 
Potter;  Mary,  Mrs.  Sylvanus  Bartlett;  Susan, 
Mrs.  Ezra  Smith;  Mercy,  Mrs.  John  How- 
land  ;  Rebecca,  Mrs.  Luke  Hammond ;  and 
Jane,  Mrs.  Reuben  Swift.  Capt.  Obed  Nye 
was  a  well  known  sailing  master  and  after- 
ward a  resident  of  Acushnet,  where  he  died. 
The  deaths  of  himself,  his  second  wife,  and 
his  son  Jonathan,  which  occurred  in  Novem- 
ber, 1815,  were  caused  by  a  "spotted  fever"  or 
"black  death"  epidemic  that  prevailed  in  that 
locality  about  that  time. 

Jonathan  Nye,  son  of  Capt.  Obed  Nye,  was 
a  respected  farmer  in  Fairhaven.  His  wife 
Hannah  was  a  daughter  of  Lemuel  Mandell, 
and  their  children  were:  Sarah,  born  June 
16,  1785,  married  Solomon  Matthews,  and 
died  Nov.  26,  1866;  Gideon,  bom  Nov.  21, 
1786,  married  in  December,  1811,  Sylvia 
Hathawav,  and  died  March  12,  1875;  Rebecca, 
born  Sept.  25,  1788,  married  in  1813  Alfred 
Nye  (born  in  1785,  died  Jan.  19,  1864),  son 
hi  Barnabas  and  Deborah  Nye,  and  died 
March  29,  1867;  Clement  D.,  born  in  August, 
1791,  married  in  1818  Susan,  daughter  of  Asa 
and  Virtue  (Swift)  Russell,  and  died  in  Aug- 
ust, 1842;  Clarissa  H.,  born  Aug.  15,  1793, 
married  Oct.  8,  1815,  William  Gordon;  Susan, 
born  Feb.  11,  1796,  died  Aug.  11,  1804; 
Marv,  born  Feb.  7,  1798,  married  Davis 
Thaeher,  and  died  March  20,  1875;  Obed  is 
mentioned  below;  Deborah,  born  Jan.  29, 
1802,  died  Nov.  20,  1803;  Jonathan,  born 
April  17,  1804,  died  Oct.  27,  1853;  and  Susan 
M.,  born  Aug.  24,  1807,  married  July  4,  1828, 
Warren  Tliacher,  and  passed  away  May  1, 1891. 


786 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Obed  Xye  was  born  in  Fairhaven  (Acusli- 
net),  Bristol  Co.,  Mass.,  Jan.  25,  1800,  and 
received  a  limited  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  time.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  began  his  business  life  as  a  clerk  in  the  gen- 
eral store  of  Swift  &  Nye,  at  the  Head  of  the 
Eiver,  and  continued  to  be  employed  in  that 
capacity  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He 
was  then  admitted  to  partnership  in  the  busi- 
ness, the  firm  name  becoming  Swift,  Nye  & 
Co.,  for  many  years,  Mr.  Nye  being  connected 
with  same  until  1861,  when  he  retired  with  a 
competency.  He  had  commenced  his  busi- 
ness career  with  borrowed  capital,  but  by  the 
exercise  of  those  sterling  principles  of  honesty, 
energy  and  thrift  which  characterized  his  en- 
tire life  achieved  eminent  success,  and  always 
had  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew 
him.  Thus  he  was  emphatically  a  self-made 
man.  His  integrity  and  uprightness  won  for 
him  universal  esteem.  He  was  a  man  of 
good  habits,  of  strong  powers  of  thought,  and 
of  decided  principles  and  opinions,  and  in  all 
his  intercourse  he  was  social,  genial  and  com- 
panionable. Eobust  in  mind  and  body,  and 
broad  and  liberal  in  his  Christian  charity,  he 
held  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Unitarian  belief, 
but  regularly  attended  the  Orthodox  Congre- 
gational Church.  In  politics  he  was  origi- 
nally a  Whig  and  later  a  stanch  Eepublican, 
and  for  a  time  represented  his  district  in  the 
lower  house  of  the  Massachusetts  Legislature. 
For  many  years  he  was  the  local  agent  of  the 
Hingham  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  he 
also  acquired  a  wide  reputation  as  a  measurer 
of  1  imber.  Active  and  energetic  in  temper- 
as, ici  t,  benevolent  and  charitable  in  all  his 
dealings,  and  zealous  in  promoting  the  general 
welfare  of  his  town,  he  was  a  good  citizen,  a 
kind  neighbor  and  an  honest  man.  His 
death  occurred  Jan.  29,  1878. 

On  Oct.  16,  1821,  Mr.  Nye  married  Abby 
Hathaway,  who  was  born  June  5,  1801,  daugh- 
ter of  William  (Jr.)  and  Abigail  (Perry) 
Hathaway,  of  New  Bedford,  the  former  for 
many  years  one  of  New  Bedford  s  leading  citi- 
zens and  a  prominent  factor  in  tne  great  whal- 
ing industry.  Mrs.  Nye  died  May  10,  1864, 
the  mother  of  nine  children:  (1)  Laura 
Hathaway,  born  Oct.  3,  1822,  married  Capt. 
Charles  Spooner  Taber  (see  sketch  following 
this)  and  resides  in  Fairhaven.  (2)  Helen 
Hathaway,  bom  Feb.  16,  1824,  died  May  20, 
1831.  (3)  Abbv  Perrj',  born  June  20,  1826, 
married  David  Franklin  Hall,  and  died  Jan. 
19.  1893,  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  They  had  four 
children,  born  as  follows:  Abbv  Frank,  Sept. 
7,    1851;    Ella   Frances,   Aug.    5,   1852;    Obed 


Nye,  Oct.  19,  1856  (died  in  1859) ;  and 
Charles  Taber,  Aug.  15,  1865  (married  Lot- 
tie Cass  and  resides  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.;  they 
have  one  daughter,  Abby  Nye).  (4)  William, 
born  Dec.  6,  1827,  died  in  September,  1828. 
(5)  Ann  Hathaway,  born  Nov.  17,  1829,  died 
July  9,  1831.  (6)  Helen  H.,  born  Aug.  5, 
1832,  died  Dec.  29,  1834.  (7)  William  H., 
born  Aug.  2,  1834,  was  a  photographer  in  New 
Bedford,  where  he  died  March  14,  1882.  He 
married  Abbie  S.  Davis,  born  Nov.  5,  1833, 
who  died  April  16,  1874,  and  they  had  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Emma  Taber  and  Ella  Hall, 
twins,  bom  May  15,  1855,  the  former  of 
whom  married  Willard  R.  Pulsifer,  has  one 
daughter,  Abbie  Caroline,  and  resides  in  Dor- 
chester, Mass.,  while  Ella  Hall  Nye  resides  in 
Fairhaven;  Annie  T.,  born  Dec.  3,  1858,  who 
married  Rev.  Thomas  Edward  Potterton,  a 
Universalist  clergyman,  and  resides  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.;  Lillian  F.,  bom  March  12,  1867, 
who  married  Capt.  Andrew  J.  Henderson,  U. 
S.  N.,  and  has  two  sons,  Leland  F.,  a  student 
at  Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  111., 
and  Richard  Laurance;  and  Helen  Hathaway, 
born  April  19,  1869,  who  married  John  Henry 
Appleton,  a  well  known  lawyer  of  Boston.  (8) 
Francis  H.,  born  Feb.  28,  1837,  died  May  3, 
1864.  (9)  Rudolphus  S.  was  born  May  17, 
1839. 

CHARLES  SPOONER  TABER,  a  citizen 
of  Fairhaven  who  represented  those  inherent 
New  England  characteristics  which  marked 
the  old  school  gentleman,  was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Pliilip  Taber,  who  was  born  in  1605. 

(I)  Philip  Taber  came  from  England  to 
Watertown,  Mass.,  in  1633-34;  moved  to  Yar- 
mouth, Cape  Cod,  in  1639 ;  served  as  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Court  at  Plymouth; 
and  removed  to  New  London  in  1650.  He 
resided  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  from  1655  to 
1663,  and  afterward  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  where 
he  died.  He  married  Lydia,  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  Masters,  of  Watertown,  and  by  her 
had  five  children :  John,  Thomas,  Philip,  Jr., 
Joseph  and  Lydia.  His  second  wife  was  a  sis- 
ter of  the  first. 

(II)  Thomas  Taber,  son  of  Philip,  Sr.,  was 
born  in  February,  1645,  lived  in  Dartmouth 
(now  Fairhaven),  and  was  a  mason  by  trade. 
He  married  Esther,  daughter  of  John  Cooke, 
the  last  male  survivor  of  the  passengers  of  the 
"Mayflower."  She  died  in  1671-72,  leaving 
two  children.  His  second  wife  was  Mary, 
daughter  of  John  Thomson  of  Middleboro, 
and  a  niece  of  John  Cooke,  her  mother  being 
the  latter's  sister.     Thomas  Taber  was  promi- 


^ 


a^ 


o 


Ery"  liy  EBama.Smi.Mui  TlrrK  ■ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


787 


nent  in  local  affairs,  serving  as  selectman,  sur- 
veyor of  highways,  town  clerk  and  captain  of 
militia,  and  two  terms  as  representative  to  the 
General  Court.  During  King  Philip's  war 
his  house  was  burned  by  the  Indians,  and  soon 
afterward  he  built  the  stone  house  at  Oxford 
village,  the  ruins  of  which  are  still  in  exist- 
ence. He  died  Nov.  11,  1730.  By  his  second 
wife,  Mary  Thomson,  Thomas  Taber  had  ten 
children,  of  whom  Jacob  was  born  July  26, 
1683. 

(III)  Jacob  Taber,  son  of  Thomas,  died 
April  4,  1773.  He  married  his  second  cousin, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Stephen  West  and  Mercy 
Cooke,  daughter  of  John  Cooke.  She  was 
born  Aug.  1,  1686,  and  died  Sept.  5,  1775. 
They  had  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  the 
sons  being  Bartholomew,  Jacob,  John  and 
Stephen. 

(IV)  Bartholomew  Taber,  born  Sept.  11, 
1717,  married  Mercy,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Bowditch,  and  granddaughter  of  Jacob  Taber's 
sister,  and  had  eight  children,  of  whom  three 
■were  sons,  viz. :  John,  Jacob  and  Bartholo- 
mew.      The  father  died  in  1803. 

(V)  Jacob  Taber  was  born  in  1779  and 
died,  of  spotted  fever,  in  December,  1815.  He 
was  a  sailor.  He  married  Dolly  Spooner, 
daughter  of  Seth  Spooner  and  granddaughter 
of  Judge  Walter  Spooner,  and  had  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  five  grew  to  maturity :  Charles 
S. ;  Margaret,  born  March  21,  1811,  who  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Nye,  and  died  Feb.  11,  1879; 
Mary  H.,  born  Nov.  30,  1812,  who  married 
Rudolphus  W.  Dexter,  resided  in  Dorchester, 
Mass.,  and  had  one  son,  Franklin  Bowditch 
Dexter;  Sally  S.,  bom  July  1,  1814,  who  mar- 
ried Nathaniel  Nye,  and  lived  in  New  Bed- 
ford; and  Jacob  S.,  born  in  1816,  who  was 
drowned  in  New  Bedford  harbor  in  May, 
1831. 

(VI)  Charles  Spooxer  T.\ber  was  born 
on  the  old  Taber  homestead  in  Fairhaven, 
Bristol  county,  Dec.  5,  1809.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  six  years  old  and  he 
remained  with  his  mother  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  si.xteen.  when  he  shipped  as  a  com- 
mon sailor  on  the  "Columbus,"  which  was 
bound  for  Marseilles  with  a  cargo  of  oil.  Ee- 
turning  home  he  spent  about  a  year  at  the 
Fairhaven  Academy,  and  then  entered  the 
merchant  servnce  as  a  sailor,  becoming  first 
mate.  Concluding  after  a  time  that  whaling 
was  more  profitable  he  arranged  for  a 
voyage  on  a  whaler  as  boat  steerer,  and  was 
conveyed  to  the  vessel  by  his  youngest  brother, 
Jacob  S.,  who  was  drowned  while  returning 
to  shore.      This  sad  event  changed  his  course. 


He  abandoned  his  plans,  and  for  two  years 
carried  on  an  outfitting  business  for  sailors. 
In  1835  Mr.  Taber  accepted  the  position  of 
boat  steerer  on  the  ship  "Shylock,"  of  Eoches- 
ter,  a  whaler  bound  for  Tristan  da  Cunha 
island  and  the  South  Atlantic,  and  returning 
ten  months  later  he  shipped  on  the  next  voy- 
age as  first  mate  of  the  same  vessel,  going  to 
the  Indian  Ocean  and  Madagascar  coast.  This 
trip  occupied  a  period  of  twenty  months.  He 
was  then  given  command  of  the  same  ship, 
and  on  his  first  voyage  of  twenty  months  cir- 
cumnavigated the  globe.  In  1839  he  sailed  again 
as  master  of  the  "Shylock,"  bound  for  New 
Zealand  and  New  Holland,  and  after  securing 
nearly  2,200  barrels  of  oil  (2,500  being  a  full 
cargo)  he  decided  to  go  to  the  Fiji  islands  for 
the  remainder  of  the  load.  While  off  these 
islands  the  ship  was  becalmed.  Suddenly  a 
breeze  sprang  up,  and  about  eleven  o'clock  at 
night  the  vessel  struck  a  coral  reef  not  indi- 
cated on  the  charts  and  .rapidly  went  to  pieces. 
Captain  Taber  hurriedly  secured  his  quad- 
rant, compass  and  glass,  and  without  his 
boots  succeeded  in  reaching  one  of  the  three 
boats,  two  of  which  got  clear.  Of  the  entire 
crew  only  one,  a  boy,  was  lost.  The  Captain 
distrusted  the  hospitality  of  the  Fiji  island- 
ers, who  were  cannibals,  and  accordingly 
shaped  his  course  for  the  Tonga  or  Friendly 
islands,  which  they  reached  after  an  exposure 
of  two  days  and  three  nights  to  the  elements 
and  the  ravages  of  hunger  and  thirst,  and 
where  they  were  kindly  received  and  enter- 
tained. Going  from  one  island  to  another 
they  finally  reached  Vavau,  one  of  the  islands, 
where  they  found  an  English  missionary  sta- 
tion. The  missionaries  not  only  relieved  their 
necessities,  but  also  placed  their  vessel  at 
Captain  Taber's  service,  and  conveyed  him  to 
Hobart  Town,  whence  he  went  to  Sydney,  New 
Zealand,  and  thence  came  to  Boston.  Captain 
Taber  was  soon  offered  the  command  of  sev- 
eral vessels,  which  shows  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him  and  the  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held.  He  accepted  the  command  of  the 
"Huntress,"  of  New  Bedford,  and  made  a  very 
successful  voyage  of  thirty  months,  visiting 
the  South  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans.  After 
returning  he  started  on  another  voyage  as 
master  of  the  "Elizabeth,"  of  New  Bedford, 
but  failing  health  caused  him  to  leave  his  ship 
at  Pernambuco  and  return  home.  He  then 
devoted  his  attention  to  the  culture  of  the  old 
Taber  homestead,  which  was  held  by  him  in 
direct  inheritance  through  Thomas,  Jacob, 
Bartholomew  and  Jacob  Taber.  In  1877  he 
moved  into  Fairhaven  village,  where  he  died 


788 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


May  18,  1892.  Captain  Taber  was  a  typical 
whaler  of  the  most  prosperous  period  of  the 
great  whaling  industry  in  New  England.  He 
wae  a  man  of  ability,  of  great  force  of  charac- 
ter, and  of  unswerving  integrity.  He  wrote 
a  most  interesting  narrative  of  his  shipwreck 
off  the  Fiji  islands,  wliich  has  been  printed  for 
private  distribution  by  his  widow.  In  politics 
he  was  a  Republican,  but  never  sought  or  ac- 
cepted public  office,  being  content  to  exercise 
the  duties  of  a  quiet,  respectable  citizen.  In 
religion  he  was  liberal,  attending  with  his  wife 
the  Unitarian  Church,  and  was  probably  the 
last  survivor  of  the  little  band  who  bid  off  a 
seat  in  the  church  (then  the  Freewill  Baptist) 
at  its  dedication  in  December,  1832.  He  pos- 
sessed a  sanguine  temperament,  was  pleasing 
and  social  in  all  intercourse  with  his  fellow 
men,  and  during  a  long  and  eventful  life  had 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him. 
On  Dec.  8,  1846,  Captain  Taber  married 
Laura  Hathaway  Nye,  a  woman  of  uncommon 
intelligence  and  character  and  of  remarkable 
memory.  She  survives  him  and  resides  in 
Fairhaven.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late 
Hon.  Obed  Nye,  a  prominent  merchant  at  the 
Head  of  the  River  (Acushnet)  for  many  years, 
whose  sketch  appears  above. 

HENRY  LIVINGSTON  DAVIS,  founder 
of  the  H.  L.  Davis  Company,  painters,  paper 
hangers  and  decorators,  Taunton,  and  a  man 
highly  est«emed  in  business  and  in  private  life, 
was  born  in  Centerville,  Barnstable  Co.,  Mass., 
May  17,  1837,  son  of  Daniel  and  Olive  Dexter 
(Crowell)  Davis — tlie  latter  a  daughter  of 
Paul  and  Olive  (Dexter)  Crowell — and  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Robert  Davis,  who  became  a  free- 
man at  Barnstable. 

(I)  Robert  Davis's  name  appears  on  the  list 
of  those  who  were  able  to  bear  arms  in  Yar- 
mouth in  August,  1643.  He  removed  to  Barn- 
stable not  far  from  1649,  as  his  last  child  of 
Yarmouth  record  was  in  1648  apd  the  first  of 
Barnstable  record  in  1650.  "Excepting  of  the 
births  of  his  children,"  says  Otis,  "the  earliest 
record  I  find  of  his  name  on  the  records  is  12th 
May,  1657,  when  a  grant  of  a  parcel  of  com- 
mon land  in  the  New  Common  Field,  was  made 
for  him,  lying  between  the  lands  of  Goodman 
Cobb  and  Goodman  .Gorham."  He  was  admit- 
ted a  freeman  of  the  Colony  in  1659.  While 
not  a  man  of  wealth  or  distinguished  in  po- 
litical life,  he  had  the  reputation  of  being  an 
honest,  good  man,  and  his  character  for  honesty 
and  industry  he  transmitted  to  his  posterity, 
for  says  Otis,  "all  the  descendants  of  Robert 
Devis    for    eight    successive    genetations    have 


been  noted  for  their  honest  dealings."  He  died 
in  1693.  His  will  is  dated  April  14,  1688,  and 
proved  June  29,  1693.  He  names  his  wife 
Ann,  who  died  in  1701,  and,  as  she  names  in  her 
will  only  the  younger  childxen,  she  lis  be- 
lieved to  have  been  the  second  wife  of  Mr. 
Davis.  His  children,  the  two  eldest  born  in 
Yarmouth,  and  the  others  in  Barnstable,  were: 
Deborah,  born  in  Januarv,  1645;  Mary,  born 
April  28,  1648;  Andrew,"  born  in  May,  1650; 
Jolm,  born  March  1,  1652;  Robert,  born  in 
August,  1654;  Josiah,  bom  in  September, 
1656;  Hannah,  born  in  September,  1658; 
Sarah,  born  in  October,  1660;  Joseph;  and 
Mercy. 

(II)  Joseph  Davis,  son  of  Robert,  married 
in  March,  1695,  Hannah,  daughter  of  James 
Cobb.  He  resided  in  Barnstable,  and,  says  Mr. 
Otis,  "his  family  was  one  of  the  most  respect- 
able in  town."  He  died  says  the  church  record 
Aug.  10,  1735,  aged  about  seventy,  and  his 
>\idow  Hannah  May  2,  1739,  aged  sixty-eight. 
'I'heir  children  were:  Robert,  bom  March  7, 
1696-97;  Joseph,  born  March  23,  1698-99; 
James,  born  July  30,  1700;  Gershom,  born 
Sept.  5,  1703;  Hannah,  born  March  5,  1705; 
Mary,  born  June  5,  1707;  Lydia,  bom  Feb.  12, 
1709;  and  Daniel,  born  Sept.  28,  1713. 

(III)  Hon.  Daniel  Davis,  son  of  Joseph, 
born  Sept.  28,  1713,  in  Barnstable,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried (first)  Mehetabel,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Lothrop,  and  (second)  Mehetabel  Sturgis.  The 
land  on  which  he  built  Ids  house  was  a  part  of 
the  original  allotment  to  Joseph  Lothrop,  the 
father  of  Thomas.  Mr.  Davis  was  a  gentleman 
highly  esteemed  and  always  prominent  in  the 
business  of  both  town  and  county.  He  was 
one  of  the  justices  of  the  Common  Pleas,  from 
1770;  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress;  of 
the  Council  from  1776  to  the  commencement  of 
the  State  Constitution ;  appointed  judge  of  pro- 
bate, 1778;  and,  in  1781,  judge  of  the  Com- 
mon Pleas,  and  then  chief  justice,  holding  the 
last  two  offices  to  tlie  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
an  active  man  and  an  ardent  patriot  during  the 
Revolution.  He  often  represented  the  to^vn  in 
the  General  Court,  was  on  committees  and  per- 
formed mucli  labor.  He  died  April  22,  1799, 
aged  eighty-five  years,  six  months  and  twenty- 
four  days.  His  children,  all  born  in  Barn- 
stable, were:  Mary,  born  April  29,  1740;  Dan- 
iel, born  Oct.  10,  1741 ;  Robert,  born  March 
27,  1743;  John,  bom  Oct.  7,  1744;  Deborah, 
born  Aug.  13,  1746 ;  Thomas,  born  Aug.  24, 
1748;  Desire,  bom  March  27,  1750;  Ansel,  bom 
March  13,  1752;  Experience,  born  July  11, 
1754:  Mehetabel,  born  Julv  11,  1756;  Lothrop; 
and  Daniel,  bom  May  8,  "1762. 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


789 


(IV)  Hon.  John  Davis,  son  of  Hon.  Daai- 
iel,  born  Oct.  1,  1744,  in  Barnstable,  Mass., 
married  and  among  his  large  family  was  Job 
C.  The  father  practiced  medicine  many  years, 
was  judge  of  Probate,  and  held  many  respon- 
sible offices.  He  was  a  mild  pleasant  man, 
not  inheriting  the  energy  of  character  for  which 
his  father  was  distinguished.  In  the  early  part 
of  his  life  he  resided  in  what  later  was  Col. 
Davis  Gorham's  house.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  he  removed  to  the  paternal  mansion, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  till  his  death. 

(V)  Hon.  Job  C.  Davis,  son  of  Hon.  John, 
married  Desire,  daughter  of  Otis  Loring,  and 
they  had  twelve  children.  He  was  a  judge  of 
Probate  and  register  of  deeds. 

(VI)  Daniel  Davis,  son  of  Job  C,  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  and  was  lost  at  sea  on  a 
trip  he  was  making  from  Boston  to  New  York 
Oct.  16,  1843.  He  married  Olive  Dexter 
Crowell  and  they  were  the  parents  of  Henry  L. 

(VII)  Henry  L.  Davis  obtained  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school  in  Centerville,  but 
on  account  of  his  father's  death  he  was  obliged 
to  leave  school  at  the  age  of  eleven,  and  he 
went  to  sea  as  a  cook  on  a  sailing  vessel.  Al- 
though early  taken  away  from  his  studies,  he 
was  always  fond  of  reading  and  had  a  keen 
appreciation  of  the  best  in  literature,  with  an 
especial  liking  for  the  romantic  tales  of  Sir 
Walter  Scott.  He  was  made  captain  of  a  ves- 
sel at  an  early  age,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
followed  the  sea,  but  the  loss  of  his  vessel 
caused  him  to  abandon  it,  and  in  the  early  sev- 
enties he  came  to  Taunton  and  established  him- 
self in  the  sash,  door,  blind  and  paint  business 
at  the  Weir.  After  remaining  here  some  time 
he  removed  to  a  place  on  Broadway,  where  he 
added  painting,  paper  hanging  and  decorating. 
From  there  he  moved  to  the  comer  of  Tres- 
cott  and  Main  streets,  opposite  the  present 
stand,  where  he  was  engaged  for  several  years, 
then  moving  to  the  place  where  the  business  is 
now  located.  Under  his  management  the  busi- 
ness grew  until  his  painting,  papering  and  dec- 
orating department  became  the  largest  of  the 
kind  in  Taunton.  He  also  carried  picture 
frames,  draperies  and  upholstery  goods,  and  at 
one  time  his  picture  gallery  was  the  largest  in 
eastern  Massachusetts.  His  outside  employees 
in  the  season  numbered  between  thirty  and 
forty,  and  he  kept  twelve  clerks  busy  the  whole 
year  round.  After  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  Taunton,  Feb.  24,  1899,  the  business  was 
incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  H.  L. 
Davis  Company. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Davis's  death,  the  Taun- 
ton Gazette  said:  "Mr.  Davis  was  not  a  man 


who  cared  for  political  honors,  preferring  to 
devote  his  energy  to  his  business,  and  to  the 
upbuilding  of  religious  and  philanthropic 
causes.  He  was  a  true  Christian,  unwavering 
in  the  faith,  and  earnest  in  the  performance  of 
the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  life.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  building  committee  of  the 
Winslow  Congregational  Church,  and  the  beau- 
tiful edifice,  completed  in  1898,  under  his  su- 
pervision will  ever  be  a  monument  to  his  mem- 
ory and  a  tribute  to  liis  consecrated  devotion. 
There  was  true  heroism  in  the  tireless  fidelity 
with  which  this  man  then  on  the  brink  of  the 
grave,  who  could  not  take  a  step  without  pain 
and  weakness,  kept  to  his  labor  of  love.  To 
him  the  new  church  was  the  absorbing  ambi- 
tion of  his  life,  and  he  would  not  give  up  until 
its  walls  stood  firm  and  its  spire  pointed 
Heavenward.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  on  its  first  board  of 
directors.  He  gave  of  his  means  and  his 
strength  most  liberally  to  that  infant  associa- 
tion when  it  most  needed  help.  For  years  he 
was  one  of  its  most  valued  and  valuable  mem- 
bers. He  was  also  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  attended  the 
first  meeting  to  interest  the  citizens  of  Taun- 
ton in  it." 

Mr.  Davis  was  a  member  of  Friendship 
Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.;  Bristol  Council,  No.  158, 
Royal  Arcanum;  Sabbatia  Lodge,  No.  225,  I. 
0.  0.  F. ;  Golden  Rod  Lodge,  Daughters  of 
Rebekah,  and  the  Old  Colony  Historical  So- 
ciety. 

Mr.  Davis  was  twice  married.  On  Dec.  16, 
1863,  he  married  Datie  Maria  Bray,  daughter 
of  John  and  Maria  (Crowell)  Bray,  of  Yar- 
mouth, Mass.  They  had  two  sons,  Ernest  and 
Shirley,  who  died  in  childhood.  On  Oct.  23, 
1879,  he  married  (second)  in  Brookline,  Mass., 
Emma  A.  (Babbitt)  Downer,  daught-er  of 
Charies  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Doriand)  Babbitt, 
who  with  one  daughter,  Mollie,  survives. 

BURT.  The  Burt  family  has  long  been 
prominent  in  Massachusetts,  and  from  the  time 
of  Richard  Burt,  the  American  ancestor  of  the 
family,  down  to  Henry  P.  Burt,  of  New  Bed- 
ford. 

(I)  Richard  Burt,  the  first  of  the  family  in 
.imerica,  was  one  of  the  first  purchasers  of 
Taunton,  Mass.,  and  came  from  Dorchester,  in 
the  Massachusetts  Colony,  and  settled  at 
Cohannet,  in  Plymouth  Colony,  about  1639. 
He  was  the  owner  of  eight  shares  of  the  com- 
pany which  purchased  Taunton,  and  was  doubt- 
less accompanied  by  his  family.  Of  him  not 
much  is  known,  but  it  is  reasonably  certain 


r9o 


SOUTHEASTERiSr  MASSACHUSETTS 


that  he  and  his  son  Richard,  born  in  1629, 
were  living  in  this  place  March  3,  1639-4.0, 
when  the  Plymouth  Court  passed  the  brief 
order  "That  Cohannet  shall  be  called  Taunton." 
He  took  the  oath  of  fidelity  and  died  some  time 
previous  to  Oct.  26,  1647,  as  at  that  date  his 
minor  son  Eichard  made  choice  of  a  guardian. 
,  (II)  Richard  Burt,  son  of  Eichard,  born  in 
1629,  died  in  October,  1685.  He  was  one  of 
the  number  who  had  taken  the  oath  of  fidelity 
in  1657;  was  a  surveyor  of  highways  in  1658; 
was  constable  in  1667;  freeman  in  1670;  pro- 
prietor of  the  North  Purchase  in  1668,  and  of 
the  South  Purchase  in  1672;  was  chairman  of 
a  committee  of  twelve  to  lay  out  the  highway 
from  Ware  to  Assonet  Neck  May  11,  1672.  His 
dwelling-house  and  farm  were  on  the  easterly 
side  of  the  Taunton  river  in  what  is  now  Berk- 
ley. His  wife's  given  name  was  Charity;  she 
died  June  3,  1711,  aged  seventy-six.  His  chil- 
dren, according  to  the  names  given  in  the 
proprietors'  records,  were:  Abel,  born  Dec.  5, 
1657;  Mary,  May  15,  1661;  Richard,  June  21, 
1663;  Joseph,  May  15,  1666;  Ebenezer,  May 
15,  1669;  John,  Aug.  21,  1671;  Ephraim,  Feb. 
27,  1674;  Abigail,  Jan.  28,  1676. 

(III)  Abel  Burt,  son  of  Richard  and 
Charity,  born  Dec.  5,  1657,  died  in  June,  1711. 
He  was  a  prominent  man  of  affairs,  and  was 
engaged  in  many  kinds  of  business.  He  owned 
a  sawmill  and  tannery,  and  was  a'  large  land 
owner.  In  1703  with  his  brother  Ephraim, 
Samuel  Bradford  and  John  Tisdale,  he  pur- 
chased of  Maj.  William  Bradford,  of  Plymouth, 
a  large  tract  of  land  known  as  the  Bradford 
Claim.  He  was  a  deputy  sheriff.  His  will, 
dated  May  31,  1711,  was  proved  June  30th,  of 
the  same  year.  On  June  26,  1685,  he  married 
Grace  Andrews,  born  in  1666,  daughter  of 
Henry  Andrews,  of  Taunton.  She  died  Sept. 
19,  1709,  aged  forty-three  years.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Seth,  born  in  1686,  who  died  in 
1761;  Abel,  Joseph,  Josiah,  Jotham,  Priscilla 
and  Miriam  were  all  under  age  in  1711. 

(IV)  Abel  Burt  (2),  son  of  Abel  and  Grace, 
bom  in  1692,  died  Nov.  16,  1766.  His  will, 
dated  Sept.  10,  1766,  gives  "all  my  real  estate 
in  Berkley"  and  five  acres  of  land  in  Taunton 
to  his  son  Abner,  and  makes  him  sole  executor. 
He  was  known  as  Lieut.  Abel  Burt,  and  was 
buried  at  Neck  o'  Land.  He  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Briggs,  of  Taunton.  Their 
children  were:  Abel;  George,  born  in  1727, 
who  died  Jan.  8,  1804;  Abner;  Sarah,  who 
married  Eichard  Burt;  and  Phebe,  Mrs.  Lin- 
coln. 

(V)  Abner  Burt,  son  of  Lieut.  Abel  and 
Sarah,  born  Oct.  13,  1732,  was  of  Berkley.    His 


will,  dated  Sept.  9,  1805,  and  proved  Jan.  2, 
1821,  gives  "All  my  homestead  farm  and  build- 
ings and  all  my  woodland  in  Berkley,  and  in 
Taunton  to  sons  David  and  Abel."  He  mar- 
ried (first)  Mary  Dean,  of  Dighton,  (second) 
Mrs.  Mary  Dean,  (third)  Sarah  Eichmond  and 
(fourth)  Betsey  Hathaway.  His  children  were: 
Abner,  David,  Abel,  Darius,  Shadrach,  Dean, 
Sarah,  Triphena,  Diadema  and  Priscilla. 

(VI)  Dean  Burt,  son  of  Abner  and  Mary 
(Dean),  born  Nov.  22,  1779,  married  May  29, 
1806,  Polly  Crane,  bom  in  December,  1778, 
daughter  of  Elisha  and  Thankful  (Axtell) 
Crane,  of  Berkley.  He  died  May  24,  1856,  and 
she  died  Dec.  25,  1855,  aged  seventy-seven 
years.  He  was  deputy  sheriif  for  many  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  Rev.  Daniel  Crane 
and  perhaps  others. 

(VII)  Rev.  Daniel  Crane  Burt,  son  of  Dean 
and  Polly,  was  born  in  Berkley  March  31, 
1808,  and  died  Feb.  25,  1894.  On  June  6, 
1836,  he  married  Susan  Jenney,  of  Fairhaven, 
daughter  of  Levi  and  Susanna  (Procter) 
Jenney.  Their  children  were:  Samuel  Procter, 
born  April  8,  1837,  died  Aug.  8,  1838;  Samuel 
Procter  (2),  born  in  Acushnet  July  26,  1839, 
died  May  10,  1884;  Elisha  Crane,  born  April 
14,  1843,  died  March  25,  1863;  Carrie  Jenney 
was  bom  April  24,  1848;  Hattie  Louise,  born 
March  29,  1850,  died  April  30,  1862. 

(VIII)  Samuel  Peocter  Burt,  son  of  Rev. 
Daniel  Crane  and  Susan  (Jenney)  Burt,  was 
born  July  26,  1839,  and  his  death  occurred  at 
Metropolitan,  Mich.,  May  10,  1884.  The  earlier 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  New  Bedford, 
where  he  was  a  most  successful  business  man 
and  leading  banker  and  broker  for  many  years. 
Early  in  life  he  became  the  confidential  clerk 
of  Edward  L.  Baker,  who  established  a  banking 
investment  and  stock  brokerage  business  in 
New  Bedford  in  1848.  He  purchased  Mr. 
Baker's  interest  in  1865,  and  in  1875  took  in 
as  partners  Gardner  T.  Sanford  and  Charles 
S.  Kelley,  the  firm  name  being  changed  to  S. 
P.  Burt  &  Co.  In  1878  he  went  from  New 
Bedford  to  Milwaukee,  where  the  works  of  the 
Milwaukee  Iron  Company  at  Bay  View  were 
purchased  by  the  North  Chicago  Rolling  Mill 
Company.  The  purchase  was  negotiated  by 
him  and  at  its  conclusion  he  was  made  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Bay  View  property  along  with 
Mathew  Keenan  and  David  Ferguson,  citizens 
of  Milwaukee.  When  the  North  Chicago  Roll- 
ing Mill  Co.  formally  took  possession  of  the 
property  not  long  afterward  he  was  elected  vice 
president  of  that  corporation  and  held  the 
position  until  1882.  He  was  prominently  inter- 
ested in  the  Inter  Ocean  Transportation  Com- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


791 


pany,  and  president  of  the  Metropolitan  Iron 
&  Land  Company,  operating  iron  mines  in 
Metropolitan,  Mich.  In  the  business  world  he 
was  credited  with  great  wealth  and  enterprise 
and  an  important  share  in  the  rapid  industrial 
development  of  the  Northwest  which  had  taken 
place  within  the  few  years  prior  to  his  death. 

Mr.  Burt  was  a  man  of  high  culture,  but 
did  not  devote  much  time  to  society.  While 
a  resident  of  Milwaukee  he  was  a  member  of 
Immanuel  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  1883 
was  superintendent  of  the  Immanuel  Sunday 
school.  He  was  at  one  time  president  of  the 
Milwaukee  branch  of  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association.  He  was  also  one  of  the  coun- 
cil of  the  Associated  Charities.  While  a 
resident  of  New  Bedford  he  was  at  different 
times  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank, 
one  of  the  original  directors  of  the  New  Bed- 
ford and  Fairhaven  Street  Railway  Company, 
and  served  the  board  as  clerk  for  several  years. 
He  was  also  a  director  of  the  New  Bedford, 
Vineyard  &  Nantucket  Steamboat  Company, 
Mt.  Washington  Glass  Company,  the  Flint  & 
Pere  Marquette  Railroad  Company;  trustee  of 
the  New  Bedford  Institution  for  Savings; 
traHsfer  agent  for  the  Flint  &  Pere  Marquette 
Railroad  Company  and  the  North  Chicago 
Rolling  Mill  Company;  and  president  of  the 
Protecting  Society.  He  was  for  several  years 
the  superintendent  of  the  North  Congregational 
Sunday  school,  and  was  also  an  earnest  sup- 
porter of  the  temperance  cause. 

Mr.  Burt  married  (first)  Alice  Hathaway. 
His  second  wife  was  Amanda  Almy  Taber,  of 
New  Bedford,  and  to  this  union  were  born 
three  children:  Alice  Louise,  born  Sept.  15, 
1864,  who  died  July  20,  1875;  Henry  P.,  born 
Nov.  30,  1866 ;  and  Henrietta  Cook,  born  July 
20,  1870,  who  married  Normfm  L.  Almy.  On 
March  26,  1884,  Mr.  Burt  married  (third) 
Elizabeth  Thompson,  of  Bay  View. 

(IX)  Henkt  p.  Burt,  son  of  Samuel  Proc- 
ter, was  bom  in  New  Bedford  Nov.  30,  1866, 
and  accompanied  his  father  to  the  West,  where 
he  remained  until  the  latter's  death.  He  then 
returned  East,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
high  school  in  New  Bedford  in  the  class  of 
1888.  He  was  associated  for  two  years  with 
Charles  Tobey  in  the  manufacture  of  electrical 
supplies,  their  factory  and  office  being  located 
in  the  brick  building  at  No.  23  Middle  street. 
The  firm  was  known  as  Burt  &  Tobey,  and  was 
continued  until  1893,  when  the  partnership 
was  dissolved.  In  March,  1906,  Mr.  Burt  en- 
gaged in  compressed  air  cleaning,  by  the 
vacuum  process,  and  this  he  has  continued  to 
the  present  time,  meeting  with  great  success. 


He  is  a  director  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  of 
the  New  Bedford  Protecting  Society.  His 
religious  connection  is  with  the  North  Con- 
gregational Church. 

Mr.  Burt  married  Lucy  Milliken,  daughter 
of  Edward  R.  and  Harriet  J.  (Chase)  Milliken, 
of  New  Bedford,  and  they  have  a  daughter, 
Beatrice  Milliken,  born  Dec.  17,  1893. 

JOSEPH  E.  FRENCH,  the  well-known  shoe 
manufacturer  of  Rockland  and  Boston,  is  a 
native  of  Rockland,  Mass.,  born  Aug.  12,  1838, 
son  of  Joseph  French  and  grandson  of  Moses 
French. 

Moses  French,  the  grandfather,  was  born  in 
Boston  in  1781,  and  died  there  Sept.  13,  1821. 
He  was  married  there  June  1,  1806,  to  Eliza- 
beth Perry,  born  April  11,  1777,  in  Hanover, 
Mass.,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth  (House) 
Perry,  granddaughter  of  Samuel  and  Eunice 
(Witherell)  Perry,  great-granddaughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Ruth  (Bryant)  Perry,  great- 
great-granddaughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Lobdell)  PeTry,  and  great-great-great-grand- 
daughter of  Thomas  Perry,  of  Scituate,  and 
his  wife  Sarah  (Stedman).  The  children  of' 
Moses  and  Elizabeth  (Perry)  French  were: 
Catherine  M.,  Eliza,  Joseph  and  Joan  E. 

Joseph  French,  son  of  Moses  and  Elizabeth 
(Perry)  French,  born  Jan.  15,  1813,  in  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  married  Dec.  25,  1834,  Sarah  P. 
Lane,  daughter  of  Charles «  and  Sarah 
(Reed)  Lane.  On  the  death  of  his  father 
Joseph  French,  then  a  lad  in  his  ninth  year, 
went  to  live  with  his  maternal  grandparents 
in  Hanover.  He  received  a  common  school 
education,  and  was  early  taught  to  be  self-de- 
pendent, to  support  himself;  was  put  at  shoe- 
making  in  boyhood  and  learned  the  trade  thor- 
oughly. On  reaching  his  majority  he  obtained 
a  position  as  cutter  in  the  factory  of  Jenkins 
Lane  ir^  East  Abington,  now  Rockland.  He 
continued  in  the  employment  of  Mr.  Lane 
many  years.  In  1862  Mr.  French  engaged  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  carrying  on,  and 
successfully,  for  years  a  retail  grocery 
business  in  East  Abington.  He  retired  from 
active  business  in  1874,  and  died  Feb.  2,  1876. 
He  possessed  sterling  qualities  and  for  them 
was  esteemed  and  respected.  He  was  of  a 
modest,  retiring  disposition,  and  in  no  way 
sought  publicity,  not  aspiring  to  political  pre- 
ferment. He  was  upright  and  honest  in  all  of 
his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men,  and  a  genial, 
whole-souled  man.  His  religious  faith  was 
that  of  the  Baptist  denomination. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph 
French  were:     Sarah  M.,  now  deceased;  Jos- 


792 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


eph  E.,  mentioned  below;  Francis  M.,  now  liv- 
ing in  Eockland;  Charles  H.,  now  living  in 
Rockland;  Sarah  E.,  deceased;  Henrietta  W., 
who  married  (first)  Sereno  Lapham  and  (sec- 
ond) Stephen  M.  Howes,  of  Rockland;  and  Isa- 
dora A.,  who  married  Alonzo  W.  Perry,  of 
Rockland. 

Joseph  E.  French,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
P.  (Lane)  French,  was  born  Aug.  13,  1838,  in 
East  Abington  (now  Rockland),  Mass.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
and  after  his  school  days  were  over  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Jenkins  Lane  concern  to  l6am 
the  shoe  business.  He  continued  there  until  the 
war  broke  out,  in  1861,  when  he  became  fore- 
man of  the  Leonard  Blanchard  factory.  Later 
he  was  general  manager  of  a  plant  in  Rock- 
land conducted  by  J.  F.  Dane,  Grinnell  &  Co., 
for  about  twelve  years.  Returning  at  the 
end  of  that  period  to  the  Lane  factory  as  a 
salesman,  he  continued  there  for  two  years, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  George  W. 
Hall,  and,  as  member  of  the  firm  of  IVench  & 
Hall,  began  the  manufacture  of  shoes  on  his 
own  account.  Mr.  Hall  retired  from  the  firm 
in  1893  and  the  firm  of  French,  Shriner  & 
Urner  was  organized,  of  which  corporation  Mr. 
French  is  still  a  director.  This  concern  trans- 
ferred its  business  to  Boston  a  few  years  ago 
and  a  new  firm,  J.  E.  French  &  Co.,  was  or- 
ganized with  Samuel  P.  Urner,  Winslow  B. 
French  and  James  T.  Lawless  as  members; 
Joseph  E.  French  is  now  a  member  of  same, 
having  purchased  Mr.  Urner's  interests,  and 
this  firm  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
shoes  in  Rockland.  Mr.  French  is  one  of  the 
oldest  shoe  manufacturers  in  his  section  of  the 
State.  He  is  well  and  favorably  known  to  the 
trade,  and  as  a  business  man  he  is  regarded  as 
safe;  and  his  high  reputation  for  integrity  and 
fair  dealing  has  won  for  him  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  all  who  know  him.  It,  too,  is 
worthy  of  record  that  not  once  during  all  his 
experience  of  nearly  fifty  years  lias  he  had  to 
contend  with  strikes  or  other  forms  of  labor 
disturbances,  nor  has  his  business  career  been 
marred  by  failure  at  any  point.  His  enter- 
prise and  public  spirit  have  contributed  mater- 
ially to  making  a  national  reputation  for  Rock- 
land as  a  shoe  manufacturing  center.  Since 
1903  the  firm  of  French,  Shriner  &  Urner  has 
been  doing  business  in  Boston,  where  it  con- 
tinues in  the  manufacture  of  the  highest  grade 
of  men's  shoes.  Mr.  French  is  actively  iden- 
tified with  this  concern,  and  at  the  same  time 
maintains  the  executive  and  manufacturing 
headship  of  the  firm  of  J.  E.  French  &  Ca  at 
Rockland,  making  medium  and  fine-grade  shoes. 


Dr.  Winslow  B.  French,  his  son,  is  manager  of 
the  latter  plant. 

In  addition  to  his  connection  with  the  shoe 
business  Mr.  French  has  found  time  to  take  a 
l>ronunent  part  in  town  afEairs.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  since  he 
was  a  boy  and  recently  retired  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday  School  after  a  service  of 
thirty  years.  He  has  served  as  deacon  for 
many  years  and  is  also  treasurer  of  the  society. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Rockland  Savings  Bank,  in  which  capacity  he 
has  served  for  over  thirty  years,  and  served  "as 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Rock- 
land during  the  nineteen  years  of  its  existence, 
and  he  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Rockland  Trust  Company,  of  which  he  is  a  di- 
rector. He  is  a  member  of  the  Rockland  Com- 
mercial Club,  and  was  one  of  its  organizers. 

On  Oct.  2,  1859,  Mr.  French  married  M. 
Ellen  Burrell,  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Salome 
(Curtis)  Burrell,  of  what  is  now  Rockland. 
Their  only  living  child  is  Dr.  Winslow  B. 
French,  who  was  born  Aug.  19,  1869.  The 
parents  celebrated  the  golden  anniversary  of 
their  marriage  at  their  hospitable  home  Oct. 
2,  1909,  entertaining  relatives  and  friends. 

Winslow  B.  French,  M.  D.,  son  of 
Joseph  E.  French,  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Rockland,  graduating  from  the  high -school 
in  the  class  of  1887,  after  which  he  entered  the 
Berkley  School  at  Boston,  where  lie  was  pre- 
pared for  college.  He  took  the  medical  course 
at  Boston  University,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  1891  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  After 
leaving  college  he  went  abroad  to  study  in 
Paris  and  Vienna,  where  he  spent  one  year, 
and  on  returning  to  America  he  took  up  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession  in  Boston. 
There  he  remained  for  thirteen  years,  prac- 
ticing medicine  and  surgery  with  marked  suc- 
cess, not  only  attending  to  his  private  patron- 
age, but  acting  as  physician  and  surgeon  at 
the  Massachusetts  Homeopathic  hospital,  and 
at  the  Baptist  hospital,  and  as  consulting  sur- 
geon at  the  Emerson  hospital.  Though  thor- 
oughly in  love  with  the  medical  profession,. 
Dr.  French  had  to  give  up  practice  on  account 
of  his  health,  and  he  took  up  a  business  life, 
forming  a  partnership  with  his  father,  Joseph 
E.  French,  in  the  shoe  manufacturing  business 
in  1905,  as  member  of  the  firm  of  Joseph  E. 
French  &  Co.,  Rockland.  Since  that  time  Dr. 
French  has  given  his  whole  time  and  attention 
to  the  management  of  the  factory  in  Rockland, 
where  an  extensive  business  is  carried  on,  and 
he  has  shown  himself  fully  capable  of  hand- 
ling it. 


,1  P  L  I  C 


^  Cp^    y^ /T^T^^f^L^ry:^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


793 


Tlie  Doctor  is  a  Mason  of  high  standing, 
being  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Boston,  which  is  the  oldest  lodge 
of  Masons  in  New  England ;  a  member  of  St. 
Paul's  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  and  DeMolay  Com- 
mandery,  K.  T.,  of  Boston.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  I.  0.  0.  F. 
and  the  Rebekab  Degree  at  Rockland;  of  the 
Commercial  Club  of  Rockland,  of  which  he  is 
a  director;  and  is  a  director  of  the  Baptist 
Social  Club  of  Boston.  His  religious  connec- 
tion is  with  the  Baptist  Church  at  Rockland. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  sentiment,  but  takes  no 
part  in  politics. 

On  May  12,  1893,  Dr.  French  married  in 
Rockland  Mattie  E.  Foster,  daugnter  of  Wil- 
liam E.  Foster,  of  Rockland.  They  have  no 
children. 


(I)  John  Burrell  settled  in  Weymouth  be- 
fore 1659.  By  wife  Rebecca  he  had  children: 
John,  born  about  1650 ;  Thomas,  born  Feb.  2, 
1659;  Ephraim,  born  July  19,  1664.  Of  this 
name,  John,  the  son,  served  in  the  company  of 
Isaac  Jolmson  in  December,  1675,  probably  en- 
gaged in  the  deadly  assault  when  his  captain 
was  killed. 

(II)  Ephraim  Burrell,  of  Weymouth,  son  of 
John,  born  July  19,  1664,  married  Lydia,  and 
had  children:  Lydia,  born  April  23,  1689; 
Mary,  born  May  23,  1690;  Samuel,  bom  Oct. 
7,  1691;  Ephraim,  born  Feb.  14,  1695;  John, 
born  Jan.  12,  1698;  Sarah,  born  May  28,  1699; 
and  perhaps  others. 

(III)  John  Burrell,  of  Weymouth,  born 
Jan.  12,  1697-98,  son  of  Ephraim,  married 
Susanna  Richards  and  had  Abraham,  born 
Sept.  26,  1721. 

(IV)  Abraham  Burrell,  son  of  John  and 
Susanna,  born  Sept.  26,  1721,  married  Jane 
Dyer,  and  their  children,  all  save  Isaac  of 
Abington  town  record,  were :  Isaac,  born 
March  24,  1747-48;  Abraham,  born  Aug.  20, 
1750;  Jane,  born  Sept.  29,  1753;  Chloe,  born 
May  18,  1757;  Benjamiil,  born  Jan.  17,  1760. 

(V)  Benjamin  Burrell,  son  of  Abraham  and 
Jane  (Dyer)  Burrell,  born  Jan.  17,  1760,  mar- 
ried Oct.  25,  1781,  Mary  Damon,  born  Feb.  2, 
1759,  who  died  Oct.  9,  1790.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) March  26,  1795,  Esther  Twist,  she  born 
May  19,  1770,  died  Sept.  2,  1853.  He  died 
March  27,  1844.  Children:  By  first  mar- 
riage— Benjamin,  born  Feb.  9,  1783,  died  May 
4,  1864;  Mary,  born  June  13,  1784,  died  March 
10,  1877;  Henry,  born  March  13,  1786,  died 
June  26,  1874;  Hannah,  born  Feb.  28,  1788, 
died  May  17,  1884;  Jane,  born  June  12,  1790, 


died  Aug.  19,  1791 ;  by  second  marriage — 
Elias,  born  Sept.  24,  1795,  died  March  12, 
1876;  Isabel,  born  March  18,  1797,  died  Sept. 
5,  1798;  Esther,  born  Feb.  21,  1799,  died  May 
7,  1879;  Sybil,  bom  Dec.  2,  1800,  died  July  11, 
1880;  Maria,  born  March  10,  1803,  died  Aug. 
27,  1803;  Reuben,  bom  Feb.  20,  1804,  died 
Feb.  23,  1876;  Maria  (2),  born  April  2,  1806, 
died  July  7,  1874;  John  was  born  June  29, 
1807;  Jane  Dyer,  born  Jan.  23,  1809,  died  Oct. 
4,  1884;  Martha  Twist,  born  June  14,  1812, 
died  Sept.  16,  1813 ;  Levi  Twist,  twin  of  Mar- 
tha, died  Sept.  26,  1813;  Stephen  Twist,  born 
Nov.  15,  1814,  died  Sept.  30,  1815;  Stephen 
Twist  (2),  born  Aug.  29,  1817,  died  Oct.  19, 
1817. 

(VI)  Reuben  Burrell,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Estber  (Twist)  Burrell,  born  Feb.  20,  1804, 
followed  tlie  trade  of  shoemaker,  working  at  it 
in  East  Abington  and  also  in  Rhode  Island, 
and  later  conducting  a  retail  shoe  store  in  New 
Ycilc  He  made  his  home  in  North  Abington, 
where  for  a  time  he  was  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing shoes.  He  died  in  Rockland  Feb. 
23,  1876,  and  is  buried  in  Mount  Vernon  cem- 
etery. On  April  27,  1824,  Mr.  Burrell  mar- 
ried Salome  Curtis,  born  May  9,  1805,  daugh- 
ter of  Joshua  and  Nancy  (Ridyard)  Curtis, 
and  they  had  three  children:  A  child  born 
Oct.  1 7,  1825,  that  died  in  infancy ;  a  child, 
born  Aug.  20,  1826,  that  died  in  infancy;  and 
M.  Ellen,  who  married  Joseph  E.  French,  of 
Rockland. 


The  Curtis  family  (name  variously  spelled) 
were  early  in  the  Counties  of  Kent  and  Sus- 
sex, England,  one  Stephen  Curtis  being  of  Ap- 
pledore,  Kent,  about  1450,  and  several  of  his 
descendants  were  mayors  of  Tenterden,  a  town 
whence  came  to  our  Scituate,  in  New  England, 
a  number  of  its  early  settlers. 

(I)  William  Curtis,  born  in  1592,  came  from 
Nansing,"  England,  to  Roxbury,  in  the  ship 
"Lion,"  in  1632,  bringing  with  him  four  chil- 
dren. Before  1649  his  brothers,  Richard,  John 
and  Thomas,  settled  in  Scituate.  Thomas  later 
went  to  York,  Maine;  John  left  no  descend- 
ants; while  William  and  Richard  left  many. 
William  was  of  Scituate  in  1643.  His  wife 
Sarah  was  sister  to  Rev.  John  Eliot,  the  In- 
dian Apostle.  He  conveyed  land  to  his  son 
Isaac  Feb.  11,  1669,  on  condition  that  he  care 
for  the  father  and  mother  the  rest  of  their 
lives.  He  died  Dec.  8,  1672,  aged  eighty;  the 
widow  died  in  March,  1673,  aged  seventy  three. 
His  children  were:  William  (came  to  New 
England  in  1631  before  his  father)  ;  Thomas; 


794 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Mary;    John;    Philip j    Isaac    (born    July    22, 
1641)  ;  and  Thomas. 

(II)  William  Curtis  (2),  son  of  William, 
bom  in  England,  came  to  New  England  in 
1631,  before  his  father,  and  died  in  1634.  It 
is  believed  that  William  Curtis,  of  Scituate, 
mentioned  below,  was  his  son,  and  perhaps 
brought  up  in  the  family  of  Eichard  Curtis 
of  that  town.  There  is  lack  of  agreement  in 
the  accounts  of  this  family. 

(III)  William  Curtis  (3),  son  of  William 
(2),  was  an  inhabitant  of  Scituate,  his  farm 
being  on  the  North  river,  next  south  of  the 
Wanton  farm.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Sec- 
ond Church  of  Scituate.  His  children,  all 
born  in  Scituate,  were ;  Joseph,  born  in  May, 
1664;  Benjamin,  born  in  January,  1667;  Wil- 
liam, born  in  January,  1669;  John,  born  in 
February,  1671;  Miriam,  born  in  April,  1673; 
Mehetabel,  born  in  December,  1675 ;  Stephen, 
born  in  August,  1679;  Samuel,  born  in  June, 
1681. 

(IV)  Joseph  Curtis,  son  of  William  (3), 
born  in  May,  16G4,  in  Scituate,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried Rebecca,  and  had  children:  Joseph,  born 
March  23,  1694;  Josiah,  born  April  5,  1697; 
Rebecca,  born  May  9,  1699 ;  Martha,  born  Feb. 
14,  1701;  Richard,  born  Nov.  8,  1702;  Elisha, 
born  Feb.  20,  1705;  Thankful,  born  Jan.  17, 
1708;  Jesse,  born  Oct.  17,  1709;  Peleg,  bap- 
tized Oct.  12,  1712. 

(V^  Joseph  Curtis  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  born 
March  23,  1694,  married  Sept.  ^7,  1727,  Mary 
Palmer.  They  lived  on  Circuit  street,  and,  it 
is  said,  with  Joseph  House,  he  was  proprietor 
of  the  mill  afterward  called  Eliab's  mill.  He 
was  known  as  Governor  Curtis,  and  was  a  man 
of  enterprise.  His  children  were :  Mary,  born 
Aug.  1,  1729;  Joseph,  born  Sept.  21,  1731; 
Joshua,  born  Sept.  22,  1733;  Experience,  born 
July  28,  1735;  Stephen,  baptized  July  15, 
1739 ;  and  Thankful,  bom  April  2,  1742. 

(VI)  Joshua  Curtis,  son  of  Joseph  (2),  born 
Sept.  22,  1733,  married  Dec.  17,  1761,  Abigail 
House.  They  settled  in  the  town  of  Abington, 
Mass.,  where  they  lived  and  died.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Joshua,  Abigail  (married  Ebed 
Vining,  of  Abington,  Mass.),  Rufus,  Joseph, 
Marlboro,  Leafy  (married  Isaac  Burrell)  and 
Seth. 

(VII)  Joshua  Curtis  (2),  son  of  Joshua 
and  Abigail  (House),  bom  in  1762,  died  June 
5,  1823.  He  married  Nancy  Ridyard,  of  Eng- 
land, and  they  had  children  born  as  follows: 
Joshua,  July  18,  1791;  Rufus,  Jan.  21,  1793; 
John,  July  6,  1795;  Nancy,  June  14,  1797; 
Joseph,  Aug.  15,  1799;  Tirzah,  Jan.  7,  1801; 
Salome,   May    19,   1805;    Margaret    Ridyard, 


March  28,  1807;  Abigail,  June  6,  1809;  Henry 
Ridyard,  May  22,  1811. 

(VIII)  Salome  Curtis,  daughter  of  Joshua 
(2)  and  Nancy  (Ridyard)  Curtis,  married 
Reuben  Burrell. 

JOSEPH  STANLEY  TURNER,  of  Rock- 
land, Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.,  died  Dec.  13,  1893. 
So  a  part  of  all  that  was  good  and  true  in  the 
business  and  the  private  life  of  the  town  was 
he  that  the  death  of  perhaps  no  other  man  in 
the  community  could  have  produced  so  univer- 
sal a  sense  of  personal  loss.  He  was  bom  in 
Hingham,  Mass.,  June  29,  1841,  son  of  John 
and  Abigail  S.  (Poole)  Turner. 

John  Turner,  his  father,  was  a  shoemaker, 
and  died  in  Rockland  April  24,  1849,  aged 
forty-two  years,  shortly  after  his  removal  there 
from  Hingham.  He  married  Abigail  S.  Poole, 
daughter  of  David  and  Abigail  (Studley) 
Poole.  Mrs.  Turner  died  March  1,  1895,  aged 
seventy-nine  years,  one  month,  nine  days. 

Joseph  Stanley  Turner  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools.  He  was  but  a  lad  when  his  pa- 
rents removed  to  Rockland  (then  East  Abing- 
ton), and  in  1856,  when  only  fifteen  years  of 
age,  he  entered  the  employ  of  a  relative,  Nath- 
aniel Poole,  to  learn  the  trade  of  shoe  cutter. 
This  he  followed  until  the  Civil  war  called  him 
from  the  shop  to  the  battlefield.  On  July  14, 
1864,  he  enlisted  for  one  hundred  days  in 
Company  A,  60th  Mass.  V.  I.,  Capt.  Josiah 
Soule,  Jr.,  commanding,  and  was  made  cor- 
poral. They  went  to  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  from 
there  were  sent  to  Indianapolis  to  guard  the 
Rebel  prisoners  there.  He  was  mustered  out 
Nov.  30,  1864. 

In  1865  Mr.  Turner  formed  a  partnership 
with  James  B.  Studley,  son  of  Gideon  Studley, 
and  they  began  the  manufacture  of  shoes  in  the 
elder  Studley's  stable  on  Union  street.  A  rapid 
increase  of  business  soon  warranted  their  re- 
moval to  the  building  where  the  town  library 
now  is.  They  continued  to  prosper,  and  when 
in  1873  Mr.  Studley  was  instantly  killed,  while 
unloading  a  long  stick  of  timber,  Mr.  Turner 
continued  the  business  alone.  Some  time  after- 
ward he  bought  the  site  on  Howard  street  where 
his  factory  stood,  erected  a  suitable  building, 
and  moved  therein.  As  the  years  passed  the 
business  increased  and  many  additions  were 
made  to  the  original  striicture.  The  product 
of  this  factory  stood  at  the  top  of  the  market, 
a  position  held  through  both  the  taste  of  design 
and  skill  of  manufacture.  Only  high-grade 
goods  were  made — five  dollars  and  upwards 
(wholesale),  and  the  proportion  of  such  shoes 
(sewed)  sent  out  from  his  factory  was  greater 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


795 


than  from  most  if  not  all  other  large  manufac- 
tories. Many  single  orders  for  higli-grade 
hajid -sewed  shoes  were  received  from  all  over 
til*  couutry.  Mr.  Turner  received  the  liighest 
medal  for  his  exhibit  of  boots  and  shoes  at  the 
Southern  exhibition  in  New  Orleans,  and  first 
premium  at  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  in 
1893. 

Through  all  the  years  he  stood  preeminent 
as  a  manufacturer  he  also  rose  to  unusual 
heights  in  the  care  he  exercised  for  his  work- 
ingmen.  He  had  a  keen,  high  sense  of  justice 
that  is  indispensable  to  a  man  who  rules  over 
many,  and  with  Mr.  Turner  it  meant  the  ex- 
emplification of  the  brotherhood  of  man  in  the 
relation  of  employer  to  employee.  He  ran  his 
shop  for  the  benefit  of  his  workmen  as  well  as 
for  himself,  and  never  but  once  did  he  have 
any  labor  trouble,  and  that  was  settled  his  way, 
those  causing  it  being  proved  far  in  the  wrong. 

Mr.  Turner  was  also  an  inventor.  He  de- 
vised a  pricking  and  sole-trimming  machine;  a 
method  of  sawing  last  blocks  so  that  shoes 
could  be  sewed  or  stitched  with  straight  or 
crooked  awl  without  taking  the  lasts  out  of  the 
shoe;  and  had  just  completed  the  installation 
in  his  factory  of  certain  new  improvements  he 
had  patented.  He  owned  the  Arnold  chan- 
neling machine,  and  had  been  for  some  time 
treasurer  of  the  Eppler  Welt  and  Stitching 
Machine  Company.  He  was  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  of  Rockland. 

Mr.  Turner  married  Fannie  H.  Pratt,  of 
South  We}Tnouth,  who  survives  him.  They  had 
no  children.  Mr.  Turner  was  in  no  sense  of 
the  word  a  club  man.  He  belonged  to  the 
Commercial  Club  and  to  the  Union  Glee  Club, 
but  he  found  his  greatest  enjoyment  in  his  own 
home,  surrounded  by  his  friends. 

Out  of  the  fullness  of  their  grief  many  of 
his  friends  paid  heartfelt  tribute  when  told  of 
his  death.  Of  these  comments  it  is  fitting  that 
some  of  them  be  preserved.  Rev.  Jesse  H. 
Jones  wrote :  "I  will  speak  out  of  my  heart 
in  his  praise.  Joseph  Stanley  Turner  stood  in 
my  mind  as  the  highest  type  of  the  manufac- 
turer that  has  yet  appeared.  He  was  the  man 
who  loved  justice  and  equity  first.  When  in 
the  performance  of  my  duties  as  an  officer  of 
the  Knights  of  Labor,  several  years  ago,  I  had 
occasion  to  consult  with  him,  he  received  me 
■with  courtesy,  and  freely  gave  me  the  informa- 
tion I  sought  without  hesitation.  I  had  learned 
before  I  went  to  him  that  by  common  consent 
he  was  the  standard  man  in  all  this  region,  and 
when  I  talked  my  errand  over  with  him,  I  could 
see  by  the  way  his  mind  worked  as  he  talked 
that  he  loved  to  do  just  the  right  thing  by  his 


men,  and  that  he  had  the  clear,  keen,  practical 
mind  to  see  what  that  right  thing  was;  and  I 
was  not  long  in  finding  out  that  his  men  knew 
him  as  such  a  man  and  regarded  him  accord- 
ingly. They  had  confidence  in  him,  and  were 
content  under  his  management;  and  so  he  had 
the  pick  of  the  men  in  the  tovni.  I  laid  hold 
of  him  as  one  whose  decisions  were  like  those 
of  the  Supreme  court  of  the  land;  and  when 
I  had  to  decide  a  difficult  case  of  a  strike  in 
Weymouth  I  held  to  him  as  the  nearest  to  a 
perfect  standard  I  could  find,  and  shaped  my 
decision  as  near  to  him  and  the  standard  he 
had  set  in  his  factory  as  the  circumstances  of 
the  case  and  my  own  capacities  would  permit 
me  to  do.  I  held  firmly  in  the  case  and  would 
not  yield,  because  I  held  to  him  from  the  very 
depths  of  my  soul,  and  accounted  him  before 
all  men  the  man  to  be  guided  by.  And  from 
that  day  to  this  I  have  always  held  toward  him 
a  feeling  quite  apart  from  what  I  have  had 
toward  any  other  man — such  a  feeling  as  would 
naturally  come  to  one  who  had  passed  through 
such  an  experience  as  I  did,  though  I  have 
never  given  any  expression  to  it  before. 

"And  now  that  he  has  gone  forever  from 
the  sight  of  men,  and  his  brisk  step  and  pleas- 
ant smile  will  nevermore  be  known  on  the 
earth  again,  I  would  lay  on  his  grave  this 
laurel  leaf  of  the  best  esteem  of  my  heart.  And 
ever  hereafter,  when  one  may  say  that  business 
should  be  conducted  first  of  all  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  work,  let  any  one  who  reads  and 
cares  remember  that  Mr.  Turner  is  the  stand- 
ard in  my  mind;  and  that  to  attain  to  his 
measure  is  to  lift  the  world  a  long  way  forward 
toward  the  Golden  Age." 

From  Henry  A.  Wynian,  an  attorney  at  law 
of  Boston,  and  a  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Tur- 
ner :  "  'He  was  a  man,  take  him  for  all  in 
all,  I  shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again.' 
No  truer  application  can  be  made  of  these  lines 
than  to  the  life  of  J.  Stanley  Turner,  which 
has  just,  so  untimely,  gone  out.  So  much 
could  be  written  of  this  man's  life  that  this 
little  tribute  will  seem  small  indeed  to  those 
who  knew  him  well.  His  was  in  truth  a  rare 
individuality.  No  life  has  been  lived  within 
the  small  ken  of  my  observation  that  was  so 
absolutely  planned  upon  the  theory  of  doing 
for  others  as  you  do  not  expect  them  to  do  for 
you,  as  was  his.  His  thought  was  pure,  and 
his  act  but  expressed  his  thought.  His  nature 
but  mirrored  all  that  is  delicate,  sweet,  refined, 
true  and  simple  in  our  daily  life.  He  was  a 
man  to  be  not  only  respected  and  admired  but 
beloved  of  men — a  trait  so  rare  to-day  as  to  be 
singled  out  among  all  others  for  note.    A  thou- 


796 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


sand  things  might  be  told  of  his  generous, 
qui^t,  secret  good  doings.  By  nature  and  by 
instinct  he  was  continually,  firmly  and  quietly 
concealing  or  evading  the  good  deeds  that  could 
be  brought  home  to  his  door.  His  treatment  of 
men  was  instinctively  patterned  after  the  life 
of  Christ  as  it  has  been  reported  to  us.  He 
was  kindly  and  gentle  to  his  inferiors,  firm  and 
courteous  with  those  whose  dispositions  placed 
them  above  him,  a  seeker  after  and  a  doer 
of  justice,  in  that  simple,  homely,  honest  way 
that  but  too  rarely  finds  expression  in  the  nar- 
row life  out  of  which  the  present  New  England 
civilization  is  growing.  His  love  of  nature  was 
profound,  and  a  walk  with  him  through  the 
woods  and  fields  was  a  treat  ever  to  be  remem- 
bered. His  nature  was  one  to  find  'sermons 
in  stones,  tongues  in  trees,  and  books  in  run- 
niug  brooks,'  and  oh,  so  truly,  'good  in  every- 
thing.' A  tribute  to  his  memory  must  sound 
in  simplicity.  His  whole  life  was  a  sermon 
with  simplicity  as  its  text,  and,  indoors  and 
out,  and  through  all  the  ups  and  downs  of  a 
busy,  active  career,  he  practiced  every  tenet 
which  he  preached.  The  life  of  such  a  man 
ennobles  every  one  who  has  seen  and  known 
it.  It  lives  and  will  live  in  the  memory  of 
one  who  knew  him  all  too  little,  and  in  whom 
he  inspired  the  largest  love  and  respect  ever 
given  to  fellow  man." 


Pratt.  The  Pratt  family  to  which  Mrs. 
Turner  belongs  is  descended  from 

(I)  Ephraim  Pratt,  who  appears  of  record 
at  Weymouth,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1698,  where 
by  wife  Phebe  he  had  born  to  him  children : 
Ephraim,  born  June  15,  1698;  Phebe,  born 
March  20,  1699-1700;  Joseph,  bom  in  1703; 
and  John,  born  March  1,  1704-05. 

(II)  John  Pratt,  son  of  Ephraim,  iborn 
March  1,  1704-05,  married  Feb.  25,  1723-24, 
Jael  Beal,  and  their  children  of  Weymouth 
town  record  were:  Hannah,  born  May  1,  1726; 
John,  born  Sept.  25,  1727  (gravestone  says 
John,  born  Sept.  25,  1730)  ;  Nehemiah,  born 
Oct.  22,  1732;  Mary,  born  June  28,  1735;  Jo- 
siah,  bom  April  19,  1738;  and  Ezra,  born 
March  25,  1740. 

(III)  Ezra  Pratt,  son  of  John,  born  March 
25,  1740.  married  (intentions  March  29.  1766) 
Abigail  Clark,  of  Braintree.  He  died  Nov.  7, 
1807,  aged  sixty-eight,  and  she  passed  away 
April  8,  1822,  aged  seventy-seven.  Their  chil- 
dren of  Weymouth  town  record  were :  Susa, 
bom  Jan.  19,  1770;  Lucy,  born  May  5,  1772; 
Sarah,  born  April  30,  1776;  Bela,  born  Dec. 
30,  1777;  Jacob,  born  Dec.  23,  1781;  Hannali, 
born  Jan.  27,1784;  Lydia,  born  Aug.  2, 1789. 


(IV)  Jacob  Pratt,  of  Weymouth,  son  of 
Ezra,  born  Dec.  23,  1781,  was  a  stonemason 
by  occupation  and  made  his  home  in  the  town 
of  Weymouth,  where  he  followed  his  trade.  He 
helped  to  construct  the  stone  fort  at  Newport, 
E.  I.  He  was  a  man  well  known  and  respected. 
He  married  (intentions  published  May  1, 1803) 
Hannah  Loring,  of  Hingham,  born  in  1783, 
daughter  of  David  and  Bethia  (Whiton)  Lor- 
ing, he  a  direct  descendant  of  Thomas  Loring, 
who  came  from  xVxminster,  County  of  Devon, 
England,  in  1634,  resided  a  short  time  in  Dor- 
chester, Mass.,  thence  removed  to  Hingham, 
and  in  1635  drew  a  house  lot  on  what  is  now 
North  street  near  the  corner  of  Ship  street, 
from  whom  his  descent  is  through  Thomas 
Loring  (2)  and  his  wife  Hannah  (Jacob), 
David  Loring  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  (Otis- 
Allyne),  Solomon  Loring  and  his  wife  Sarah 
(Wilder)  and  Solomon  Loring  (2)  and  his 
wife  Hannah  (Dunbar).  Hannah  (Loring) 
Pratt  died  March  5,  1856,  aged  seventy-three 
years.  She  was  the  mother  of  nine  children, 
born  as  follows:  Dolly,  Oct.  20,  1803;  Laura 
and  Love,  twins,  June  10,  1805 ;  Loring,  March 
3,  1807;  Almeria,  April  25,  1809;  Hannah  L., 
May  23,  1811;  George  W.,  April  10,  1815; 
Chester  D.,  May  9,  1817;  Jacob,  Nov.  16,  1820. 

(V)  Chester  D.  Pratt,  bom  May  9,  1817,  in 
the  town  of  Weymouth,  there  grew  to  manhood 
and  followed  farming  all  his  life,  owning  land 
there.  He  died  in  Weymouth  Nov.  23,  1892, 
and  is  buried  in  the  Wej-mouth  cemetery.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics.  On  Sept.  3,  1843, 
Mr.  Pratt  married  in  Weymouth  Louisa  P. 
Hobart,  bom  May  10,  1824,  daughter  of  Elijah 
and  Louisa  (Poole)  Hobart.  She  died  Sept.  1, 
1897,  the  mother  of  four  children:  Ellen  L., 
who  married  Elbridge  S.  Pratt;  Alonzo  C, 
now  living  at  the  old  homestead  in  South  Wey- 
mouth ;  Fannie  H.,  widow  of  Joseph  Stanley 
Turner,  of  Rockland;  and  Abby  F.,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  T.  Merrill,  of  Rockland. 


Hobart.  The  Hobart  family,  to  which  Mrs. 
Chester  D.  Pratt  belonged,  is  an  old  estab- 
lished one  in  New  England. 

(I)  Edmund  Hobart,  the  founder  of  this  line 
in  New  England,  was  born  in  1604  in  Hing- 
ham, England,  son  of  Edmund.  He  and  his 
wife  Elizabeth  located  in  the  town  of  Hing- 
ham, Mass.,  where  he  died  March  8,  1646;  she 
died  June  23,  1649. 

(II)  Samuel  Hobart,  son  of  Edmund,  bap- 
tized April  13,  1645,  in  Hingham,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried Feb.  26,  1673,  Hannah  Gold,  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Margaret  Gold.  He  died  April 
25,  1718. 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


797 


(III)  Peter  Hobart,  son  of  Samuel,  born  in 
Hingham  in  1684,  married  Dec.  31,  1715,  Jael 
Whiton,  daughter  of  Thomas.  Mr.  Hobart  died 
Dec.  4,  1760,  his  widow  Sept.  4,  1775.  They 
made  their  home  in  the  town  of  Hingham, 
where  they  were  buried. 

(IV)  Peter  Hobart  (2),  son  of  Peter,  born 
Oct.  19,  1727,  in  Hingham,  married  Lucretia 
Oill,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Hawke) 
Gill,  and  she  survived  him,  he  dying  Oct.  8, 
1798,  and  she  March  19,  1805.  He  lived  at 
Hingham,  where  he  followed  farming  and  was 
active  in  the  life  of  the  community,  serving 
as  constable  of  the  town  and  as  deacon  in 
the  church. 

(V)  Elijah  Hobart,  son  of  Peter  (2),  was 
born  ih  Hingham  Aug.  31,  1763,  and  married 
Aug.  12,  1787,  Martha  Stoddard,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Stoddard.  They  settled  in  the  town  of 
Abington,  Mass..  where  he  died  Sept.  22,  1847. 

(VI)  Elijah  Hobart  (2),  son  of  Elijah,  born 
in  Abington  Dec.  24,  1795,  lived  in  Hingham, 
but  his  death  occurred  in  Eockland  Dec.  19, 
1885,  when  he  was  within  a  few  days  of  com- 
pleting his  ninetieth  year.  On  March  26,  1822, 
he  married  Louisa  Poole,  who  was  born  in  May, 
1806,  daughter  of  David  and  Abigail  (Studley) 
Poole,  and  granddaughter  of  Gideon  Studley, 
a  soldier  of  the  Eevolution.  Mrs.  Hobart  died 
in  Hingham,  Nov.  23,  1872.  They  had  chil- 
dren as  follows:  Louisa  Poole,  born  May  10, 
1824,  married  Chester  D.  Pratt;  Mary  Ann, 
born  Feb.  26,  1827,  married  Charles  Grose,  of 
Scituate,  Mass.;  Elijah,  born  Aug.  19,  1838; 
Caroline,  born  Aug.  11,  1831,  married  May  6, 
1852,  Charles  Andrews;  Eebecca  Garrison, 
born  June  3,  1836,  married  May  6,  1852, 
Charles  H.  Tisdale;  Angelina  G.,  born  Feb.  5, 
1839,  married  April  12,  1857,  Eussell  D. 
Gardner;  Benjamin  Wharton,  born  March  7, 
1842,  died  Feb.  16,  1869;  Amanda  Frances, 
bom  May  19,  1844,  married  May  24,  1866, 
Webster  Cushing;  Horace  Wendell  was  bom 
April  27,  1846;  Chester  Clark,  Jan.  11,  1850. 

PEESBEEY.  Among  the  papers  that  came 
ofiBcially  into  the  hands  of  the  administrator 
of  the  estate  of  the  late  Seth  Presbrey  was  a 
document  bearing  the  following  inscription: 
"To  the  generation  of  Presbreys  in  coming  time 
I  bequeath  this  genealogical  document."  This 
paper  bears  date  "Taunton,  April,  1845,"  and 
the  statements  made  therein  are  doubtless 
trustworthy.  There  has  been  question  about 
the  spelling  of  the  name,  some  scholars  claim- 
ing that  no  such  spelling  is  found  in  books  of 
heraldry,  but  always  Presbury.  Still  many 
of  the  family  prefer  Presbrey. 


(I)  William  Presbrey  was  born  in  the  city 
of  London  about  the  year  169u.  When  ten 
years  of  age  he  was  impressed  on  board  a  man- 
of-war,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  about 
twenty-one.  One  summer,  when  the  ship  was 
lying  in  Boston  harbor,  he  with  others  was 
permitted  to  go  ashore  and  he  strayed  away 
from  his  companions.  Passing  through  Eox- 
bury,  he  pushed  on  through  fields  and  woods 
four  days,  subsisting  on  berries.  He  came  to 
Taunton,  and  his  first  stopping  place  was  at 
the  house  of  Nathaniel  Crossman,  on  what  is 
now  Cohannet  street,  nearly  opposite  White's 
Music  Hall.  Mr.  Crossman  was  a  farmer,  mil- 
ler and  shoemaker,  and  he  hired  the  young  man 
as  man-of-all-work.  It  is  said  that  he  rigged 
the  first  properly  equipped  vessel  in  Taunton 
river,  which  vessel  was  a  sloop  built  at  Ben- 
jamin King's  landing  in  Eaynham.  He  bought 
land,  and  built  a  house  near  Spring  Brook, 
where  after  marrying  Hannah  Smith  (born  in 
Weymouth  March  29,  1687,  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Experience  Smith,  who  moved  from 
Weymouth  to  Taunton  about  1690)  he  lived 
until  he  was  eighty-one  years  old.  He  had  two 
sons,  William  and  Joseph,  and  one  daughter, 
Hannah,  who  died  early. 

(II)  William  Presbrey,  son  of  William,  was 
a  coaster  and  shoemaker,  and  lived  in  that  part 
of  Taunton  known  as  Weir.  His  house  was 
located  on  the  site  where  Capt.  Allen  Presbrey's 
house  stood,  and  his  farm  comprised  the  land 
owned  by  Artemas  Briggs  in  1883  and  the 
brickyard  ovnied  by  Alex.  Williams.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  White,  and  died  when  about  forty- 
five  years  of  age,  leaving  five  sons  and  four 
daughters:  William;  Betsey,  born  in  1751; 
Seth,  bom  in  September,  1752;  John,  who  died 
Nov.  19,  1749;  Simeon;  Levi,  who  married 
Lina  Pratt;  Lydia,  who  married  Samuel  Has- 
kins;  Mary,  who  married  Francis  Goward; 
and  Abigail,  who  married  Abijah  Leonard. 

(II)  Joseph  Presbrey,  son  of  William  the. 
emigrant,  also  lived  at  the  Weir.  He  married 
Nov.  21,  1745,  Molly  Baker,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Abigail  (White)  Baker,  and  died 
when  seventy-five,  leaving  two  sons  and  four 
daughters :  Elisha,  Joseph,  Sarah,  Patty,  Mary 
and  Hannah. 

(III)  Capt.  Seth  Presbrey,  second  son  of 
William  and  grandson  of  William  the  emi- 
grant, was  born  in  Taunton  Sept.  17,  1753, 
&nd  died  there  Dec.  15,  1838.  He  married 
Sarah  Pratt,  who  died  in  Taunton  May  21, 
1834,  and  their  children  were :  Seth,  Jr.,  born 
Nov.  11,  1780;  Sarah,  Oct.  1,  1782;  Barney, 
June   28,   1785;   Allen,  Jan.   19,   1787    (died 

March  15,   1789):  Allen    (2),  Mav  27,  1790; 


798 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Billings,  June  14,  1793  (died  May  23,  1818) ; 
and  Rev.  Samuel,  Sept.  8,  1796. 

(IV)  Seth  Presbrey,  Jr.,  son  of  Seth,  born 
Nov.  11,  1780,  married  Jan.  19,  1808,  Mary 
Dean,  daughter  of  James  and  Hannah  Dean, 
and  fourth  in  descent  from  Walter  Dean.  To 
them  were  born  four  children :  Silas  Dean, 
born  Dec.  3,  1808 ;  Benjamin  Franklin,  Oct. 
23,  1810;  Billings  Troop,  Aug.  28,  1815;  and 
Harriet  Melancy,  Oct.  23,  1823. 

(V)  Capt.  Billings  Troop  Presbrey,  son  of 
Seth,  Jr.,  born   Aug.   28,   1815,  married  Jan. 

18,  1838,  Clarissa  Burt  Dean,  born  Nov.  12, 
1816,  daughter  of  Col.  Israel  Dean.  They  had 
one  child,  Silas  Dean  Presbrey.  Captain  Pres- 
brey died  June  10,  1891,  and  his  wife  April 
26,  1888. 

(VI)  Silas  Dean  Presbrey  was  born  Oct. 

19,  1838.  He  lived  at  the  Weir,  and  attended 
public  school  until  fitted  for  the  high  school, 
which  he  entered  in  the  spring  of  1852,  when 
thirteen  years  of  age.  The  high  school  was 
then  held  in  the  old  Spring  street  church  and 
was  in  charge  of  Ozias  C.  Pitkin  as  principal, 
and  Miss  Mary  G.  Heed  and  Miss  Emeline 
Lothrop  as  assistants.  In  this  school  he  fitted 
for  college.  Mr.  Pitkin  was  followed  by  Mr. 
Ruggles,  Mr.  William  L.  Gage  and  Mr.  Wil- 
liam E.  Fuller  during  his  course  of  study  there. 
The  young  man  was  well  prepared  for  the  col- 
lege examinations,  as  in  July,  1856,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  Harvard  College  "without  condi- 
tions." The  next  four  years  were  those  of  the 
college  student  who  enjoys  his  privileges  but 
feels  it  a  duty  to  help  bear  the  expense  of  such 
a  course  of  study.  During  the  winters  he  taught 
school  in  Taunton.  The  last  two  years  of  his 
college  course,  by  his  standing  in  his  class,  he 
became  entitled  to  one  of  the  State  scholar- 
ships, which  was  granted  him.  During  his 
college  course  he  had  the  following  honorary 
"parts":  Junior  Exhibition,  May  3,  1859;  a 
Jjatin  version  from  Tennyson,  the  "Lotus  Eat- 
ers" (translated  into  Latin  hexameters) ; 
Senior  Exhibition,  Oct.  18,  1859.  a  disserta- 
tion, "The  Poetic  and  Scientific  Love  of  Na- 
ture"; and  his  part  at  commencement  in  July, 
1860,  a  disquisition,  "Parliamentary  Manners." 
He  maintained  a  good  rank  in  his  class  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  the  overwork  re- 
quired of  one  who  "went  out  to  teach"  so  de- 
pressed his  vitality  that  he  was  obliged  to  lose 
six  weeks  of  his  senior  year  by  reason  of  pneu- 
monia. At  his  graduation  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  of  Harvard. 
On  returning  to  Taunton  he  entered  the  office 
of  Dr.  Henry  B.  Hubbard  for  the  study  of 
medicine,  his  chosen  profession.     In   October, 


of  the  same  year,  he  joined  the  class  of  Harvard 
Medical  School,  and  was  thus  well  started  in 
his  life  work.  Mr.  William  E.  Fuller  resigning 
his  position  as  principal  of  the  high  school, 
young  Presbrey  was  invited  to  take  his  place. 
He  accepted  that  position,  though  with  a  great 
pang  of  disappointment  at  this  interruption 
of  his  studies.  During  his  principalship  the' 
school,  which  had  had  no  curriculum  of  study, 
was  graded  and  a  systematic  order  of  study 
covering  a  four  years'  course  was  adopted  and 
put  in  successful  operation.  In  1863  he  re- 
turned to  his  studies,  to  which  he  had  devoted 
all  his  spare  time  wliile  teaching. 

On  Oct.  19,  1863,  Mr.  Presbrey  was  mar- 
ried to  Sarah  Williams  Briggs,  born  Sept.  19, 
1839,  died  Aug.  8,  1893,  second  daughter  of 
Artemas  and  Susan  Shaw  (Williams)  Briggs. 
They  became  the  parents  of  three  daughters : 
Clara  Briggs,  born  Aug.  26,  1864,  studied  two 
years  at  the  Harvard  Annex,  and  then  went 
into  the  Art  Department;  Florence  Nathalie, 
born  Aug.  20,  1869,  was  graduated  from  Smith 
C'ollege  in  Northampton  in  1890;  and  Laura 
Edith,  born  Aug.  24,  1871,  died  Oct.  12,  1891, 
during  her  junior  year  at  Smith  College. 

In  1863  Mr.  Presbrey  returned  to  his  class 
in  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  and  continued 
there  until  his  graduation  in  medicine  in  1865. 
In  the  fall  of  1864  he  was  appointed  by  the 
governor  resident  physician  at  the  Tewksbury 
State  Almshouse,  where  he  got  his  first  real 
experience  in  the  everyday  work  of  his  profes- 
sion. He  soon  opened  an  office  in  Taunton, 
and  was  appointed  the  first  city  physician.  He 
filled  the  office  until  1870.  In  1865  he  was 
admitted  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Med- 
ical Society,  of  which  he  was  president  in 
1908-09,  and  has  held  other  offices  in  that  so- 
ciety; and  of  the  Bristol  North  District  Medi- 
cal Society,  of  which  he  was  president  in  1869- 
70.  In  May,  1868,  he  removed  to  his  present 
residence  on  the  corner  of  Weir  and  Harrison 
streets.  In  1866  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  school  committee,  which  office  he  held  until 
January,  1872.  After  five  years  he  was  again 
elected  and  remained  on  the  board  until  1884, 
when  through  the  pressure  of  other  duties  he 
resigned.  He  was  long  one  of  the  standing 
committee  (and  chairman  for  several  years)  on 
the  high  school.  For  several  years  he  was  one 
of  the  trustees  of  the  Bristol  Academy.  In 
July,  1877,  he  was  appointed  by  the  governor 
one  of  the  medical  examiners  for  Bristol 
countv.  and  has  held  the  office  ever  since.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  and  for  some  time 
president  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Medico- 
Legal  Society,  and  a  member  of  the  American 


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Medical  Association,  and  was  one  of  tlie  vice 
presidents  of  the  American  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine. Besides  attending-  to  a  large  and  respon- 
sible practice  he  has  found  time  to  publish 
articles  of  much  value  in  the  medical  journals. 
In  the  spring  of  1881  he  was  chuseu  one  of  the 
board  of  water  commissioners  of  Taunton  and 
has  held  the  position  ever  since.  In  1881,  find- 
ing himself  much  worn  out,  he  joined  one  of 
Tourjee's  excursion  parties,  and  passed  the 
summer  in  a  trip  through  England,  Scotland 
and  portions  of  the  Continent.  He  returned 
in  September  with  renewed  strength  and  cour- 
age for  his  great  work.  Later  he  went  on  one 
of  Clark's  tours  to  the  Mediterranean  and  th£ 
Holy  Land ;  made  a  trip  with  his  daughters 
through  Canada ;  then  went  to  Honolulu ;  and 
in  1909  he  and  his  daughters  made  a  tour  of 
the  world  with  Frank  Clark. 

In  1886-87  Dr.  Presbrey  became  greatly  in- 
terested and  was  instrumental  in  the  establish- 
ment of  a  city  hospital,  which  was  incorporated 
in  1888  as  the  Morton  hospital,  of  which  cor- 
poration the  Doctor  has  been  president  from 
the  beginning.  The  dedicatory  address  at  the 
opening  of  the  hospital,  Jan.  3,  1889,  was  de- 
livered by  Dr.  Presbrey.  He  has  a  large  prac- 
tice in  Taunton  and  the  neighboring  towns. 
He  wins  the  love  of  his  patients  by  his  cheery 
and  sympathetic  manner  in  the  sick  room,  and 
their  confidence  by  his  skillful  treatment  of 
their  ailments.  Dr.  Presbrey  has  been  a  trustee 
and  member  of  the  investing  committee  of  the 
Bristol  County  Savings  Bank  for  twenty-six 
years. 


(IV)  Barney  Presbrey,  son  of  Capt.  Seth 
and  Sarah  (Pratt),  born  June  28,  1785,  re- 
sided in  Taunton,  where  he  died  Feb.  12,  1835. 
He  married  Feb.  25,  1811,  Abigail  Godfrey, 
daughter  of  Brig.  Gen.  George  Godfrey.  Their 
children  were:  Barney,  born  June  83,  1813, 
is  mentioned  below;  Abigail,  born  July  21, 
1815,  died  April  20,  1832;  Seth  Warren,  born 
Jan.  7,  1818,  died  April  8,  1848;  Samuel  Ac- 
mon,  born  June  3,  1820,  married  Sept.  12, 
1844,  Sarah  B.  Woodward;  George  Gooding 
was  born  Oct.  9,  1822;  Henry  Moore,  born 
July  12,  1825,  died  April  24,  1860,  married 
Feb.  7,  1847,  Sally  Maria  Cushman;  Sarah 
died  young. 

(V)  Barney  Presbrey,  son  of  Barney  and 
Abigail,  born  June  23,  1813,  married  Nancy 
Wardwell  Lindsey,  of  Bristol,  E.  I.  He  died 
June  21,  1881.  lie  was  a  master  mariner  and 
resided  in  Taunton.  His  children  were :  Mary 
Abby,  born  April  1,  1842,  married  Capt.  Jacob 


B.  Phillips,  who  died  Oct.  29,  1907,  and  she 
died  Dec.  2,  1909;  Evelyn,  born  June  19,  1845, 
is  unmarried;  Isabel,  born  Sept.  24,  1847, 
married  April  6,  1871,  William  N.  Parker 
(died  Sept.  24,  1906) ;  Anne  Lindsey,  born 
Jan.  23,  1851,  married  July  3,  1878,  Gordon 
H.  Godfrey;  Ella  Clifford,  born  Nov.  25,  1854, 
on  July  28,  1880,  married  William  H.  Chase, 
of  Dorchester;  and  William  Lindsey,  born 
Sept.  21,  1856,  married  Nov.  19,  1884,  Fannie 
M.  Sherman.  Barney  Presbrev  was  a  quiet, 
unassuming  man,  who  with  the  help  of  his  most 
capable  wife  took  great  interest  in  giving  to 
his  six  children  good  educations,  three  of  the 
daughters  becoming  teachers.  They  were  both 
faithful  and  devout  members  of  the  First 
Methodist  Church. 

(VI)  William  Lindsey  Presbbet,  son  of 
Barney  and  Nancy  W.  (Lindsey),  was  born 
in  Taunton  at  the  Weir,  Sept.  21,  1856.  His 
family  was  closely  identified  through  several 
generations  with  the  history  of  the  city,  and 
his  character  showed  the  traits  of  sturdy  in- 
tegrity that  characterized  his  honored  ancestry. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at- 
tended Bristol  Academy  for  one  year.  After 
taking  a  commercial  course,  and  when  only  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  he  began  keeping  books  for 
the  White  Shoe  Company,  of  Eaynham,  Mass. 
In  1877  he  entered  the  store  of  F.  E.  Wash- 
burn as  bookkeeper,  and  there  he  learned  the 
hardware  business,  remaining  with  Mr.  Wash- 
burn until  1882.  After  that  he  was  employed 
for  a  time  at  the  store  of  Salmon  Washburn, 
and  later  by  a  Providence  house.  On  Dec.  20, 
1883,  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  for 
himself  in  the  Jones  block  on  Broadway,  where 
he  continued  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Later 
he  added  mill  supplies  to  his  hardware  stock. 
He  was  a  most  capable  business  man,  and  dur- 
ing the  twenty  years  of  business  life  his  trade 
had  increased,  and  he  had  repeatedly  been 
forced  to  extend  his  quarters,  till  it  became 
one  of  the  largest  hardware  and  mill  supply 
houses  in  this  part  of  the  State.  Mr.  Presbrey 
devoted  himself  closely  to  his  store.  He  was 
a  hard  worker,  too  much  so  for  his  health,  and 
the  confinement  incident  to  the  large  and  in- 
creasing trade  was  greater  than  his  strength 
really  justified.  He  was  scrupulously  upright 
in  his  dealings,  a  man  whose  word  was  always 
a  sufficient  surety  of  the  carrying  out  of  his 
part  of  a  business  agreement.  He  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  Sabbatia  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He 
belonged  to  the  First  Unitarian  Church.  He 
was  large-hearted  and  generous,  and  his  life 
was  one  that  commended  itself  to  all. 

On   Nov.    19,   1884,   Mr.    Presbrey  married 


800 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Fannie  M.  Sherman,  daughter  of  Joseph  Sher- 
man, of  Warren,  R.  I.,  and  they  had  two 
daughters.  May  and  Agnes  Ellis.  Mr.  Presbrey 
was  a  kind  and  loving  husband  and  father,  de- 
voted to  his  home  and  family,  and  a  neighbor 
who  was  always  ready  and  willing  to  do  all 
that  comes  within  the  bounds  of  neighborly 
attitude.  He  was  essentially  a  self-made  man, 
and  in  all  that  goes  to  make  up  good  citizen- 
ship he  was  exemplary. 


Lincoln;  Sarah,  born  Sept.  22,  1849;  Herbert 
Quimby,  born  June  6,  1852,  who  married  Isa- 
bel Lincoln;  and  Henry,  who  died  young. 


(IV)  Rev.  Samuel  Presbrey,  son  of'  Capt. 
Seth  and  Sarah  (Pratt),  born  Sept.  8,  1796, 
married  June  1,  1828,  Myra  Williams,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Williams,  and  died  in  Taunton 
Oct.  6,  1834.  Their  children  were:  Lydia 
Williams,  born  May  25,  1829;  Gordon  Wear, 
March  6,  1831;  Arthur  Morton,  July  16,  1832; 
Sarah  Abby,  March  8,  1834. 

(V)  Lydia  Williams  Presbrey,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Samuel  and  Myra  (Williams),  married 
Sept.  28,  1847,  Joseph  K.  Grinnell,  of  New 
Bedford.  Their  children  were :  Edmund,  born 
Oct.  13,  1850,  died  Aug.  27,  1892,  married 
Jennie  Gibbs  Swift;  Susan  Williams,  born  Feb. 
16,  1852,  died  June  18,  1888,  married  June  20, 
1882,  William  Wanton  Bunnell,  of  Providence; 
Arthur  was  born  July  6,  1854;  Josephine,  born 
June  6,  1856,  married  Dec.  4,  1879,  Morgan 
Rotch;  and  Rachel,  born  Nov.  12,  1860,  died 
unmarried  Oct.  11,  1878. 


(IV)  Capt.  Allen  Presbrey,  son  of  Capt. 
Seth,  resided  in  Taunton,  where  he  died  Dec. 
6,  1879.  He  represented  Taunton  in  the  State 
Legislature,  in  1834-35-36-39-40-42-43,  and 
was  selectman  in  1855-56-57-58-59-60-61-62- 
63-64.  He  married  Jan.  7,  1813,  Harriet  Dean, 
and  (second)  Jan.  26,  1823,  Mary  Locke.  The 
children  of  the  first  marriage,  all  born  in  Taun- 
ton, were:  James  Dean,  born  JNov.  18,  1813, 
who  died  Dec.  10,  1890  (married  Feb.  7,  1849, 
Virginia  Williams ;  no  children)  ;  Sarah  Bil- 
lings, born  Aug.  22,  1815 ;  Allen  F.,  born  Dec. 
22,  1816,  who  died  May  14,  1827;  and  Daniel 
Brewer,  born  Sept.  22,  1820.  The  children  of 
the  second  marriage  were :  Joseph  Locke,  born 
Aug.  30,  1825 ;  Mary  Allen  Francis,  born  July 
19,  1829;  and  Abigail  Johnson,  born  Feb.  22, 
1832,  who  died  Dec.  22,  1835. 

(Y)  Daniel  Brewer  Presbrey,  son  of  Capt. 
Allen  and  Harriet  (Dean),  born  Sept.  22,  1820, 
died  Feb.  20,  1881.  He  married  in  September, 
1842,  Sarah  J.  Howard,  and  they  had  five 
children,  namely:  Daniel  Howard,  born  Nov. 
30,  1843,  who  died  young;  Allen  Fi-ancis,  born 
April  20,  1846,  who  married  Charlotte  How- 
ard, daughter  of  Elmer  and  Eliza  (Danforth) 


Capt.  Jacob  B.  Phillips  was  born  in  Berk- 
ley, Mass.,  and  in  his  young  manhood  moved  to 
Taunton.  He  had  inherited  a  love  for  the  sea 
and  early  took  charge  of  vessels  owned  by  the 
H.  W.  Church  Company,  becoming  the  fore- 
most captain  on  the  river.  He  eventually  be- 
came a  vessel  o^vner,  and  continued  actively 
at  work  until  his  health  failed.  He  was  a  most 
generous  captain,  and  was  popular  with  the 
seamen  under  him.  The  Captain  was  a 
devout  Christian,  and  a  kind  friend  and  neigh- 
bor. He  died  Oct.  29,  1907.  He  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife  bore  him  two  sons, 
Arthur  J.  and  Edward,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs. 
Arthur  Leach.  He  married  (second)  Mary 
Abby  Presbrey,  daughter  of  Barney  and  Nancy 
W.  (Lindsey)  Presbrey,  and  one  son,  Howard, 
now  a  practicing  attorney  in  New  York,  blessed 
this  union. 

CAPT.  JUDAH  HATHAWA"S.  (I)  Ar- 
thur Hathaway  was  among  those  in  Marshfield, 
who  were  there  and  able  to  bear  arms  in  1643. 
A  decade  later  he  was  in  Dartmouth.  One  of 
the  writers  of  the  pioneers  of  Massachusetts 
has  Mr.  Hathaway  coming  over  in  1630.  As 
stated  he  was  in  Marshfield  in  1643.  In  1660 
he  was  with  Sergeant  Shaw  appointed  by  the 
court  of  Plymouth  to  put  those  who  have  lands 
in  Dartmouth  in  some  way  for  the  levying  and 
paying  of  the  tax  levied  upon  Cushna.  On 
Oct.  3,  1662,  two  years  before  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  town,  he  was  appointed  on  the  grand 
inquest.  He  was  selectman  in  1677,  and  often 
held  that  office  later.  His  name  disappears 
from  the  records  in  1686.  On  Nov.  20,  1652, 
he  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  Cook  of 
the  "Mayflower,"  and  his  wife  Sarah  (War- 
ren), daughter  of  Richard  Warren  of  the  "May- 
flower." The  "Leonard  Papers"  in  the  New 
Bedford  Free  Public  Library  has  Arthur  Hath- 
away (2),  son  of  Arthur  (above),  marrying 
Sarah  Cook.  Their  children  w^ere :  John,  iDorn 
Sept.  17,  1653;  Sarah,  born  Feb.  28,  1655-56; 
and  maybe  others,  among  them  Arthur  and 
Jonathan.  ("The  Leonard  Papers"  give  the 
children  of  Arthur  Hathaway  (2)  as  John, 
born  Sept.  17,  1655;  Sarah,  born  Feb.  28, 
1656;  Thomas;  Jonathan,  born  in  1671,  who 
married  Susanna  Pope;  Mary;  Lydia,  born  in 
1662,  who  married  James  Sisson ;  and  Han- 
nah.) 

(II)  John  Hathaway,  son  of  Arthur,  born 
Sept.  17,  1653,  married  (first)  March  15,  1682- 


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SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


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83,  Joanna,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarali 
(Jenny)  Pope,  who  died  Dec.  25,  1695.  His 
second  wife  was  Patience.  Mr.  Hathaway's 
homestead  was  on  the  west  side  of  Acushnet 
river  next  north  of  John  Peckham's.  He  tilled 
various  offices  in  the  town.  He  died  in  1732. 
His  will  of  Feb.  11,  1732,  was  probated  Aug. 
15,  1732.  Children:  Sarah,  born  Feb.  24, 
16S3,  married  John  Cannon;  Joanna,  born 
Feb.  28,  1685,  married  Elkanah  Blackwell ; 
John,  born  March  18,  1687,  married  Alice 
Launders,  of  Sandwich ;  Arthur,  born  April 
2,  1690,  lived  in  Rochester;  Hannah  was  born 
Feb.  16,  1692;  Mary,  June  4,  1694  (all  born 
to  the  first  wife)  ;  Jonathan,  born  June  23, 
1697,  married  Abigail  Nye,  of  Sandwich;  Rich- 
ard, born  May  21,  1699,  married  Deborah 
Doty;  Thomas  was  born  Feb.  5,  1700-  Hunne- 
well,  born  April  21,  1705,  married  Mary  Taber ; 
Elizabeth  was  born  May  6,  1708 ;  Patience, 
born  April  21,  1710,  married  Reuben  Peck- 
ham  ;  Benjamin,  born  Jan.  10,  1712,  married 
Elizabeth  Richmond  and  Mary  Hix;  James 
was  born  Jan.  24,  1713-14;  and  Ebenezer,  born 
May  12,  1717,  married  Ruth  Hatch. 

(III)  Arthur  Hathaway  (2),  son  of  John 
and  Joanna  (Pope)  Hathaway,  born  April  2 
or  3,  1690,  had  children:  Simon,  born  Sept. 
26,  1711;  and  Joanna,  born  Nov.  5,  1713.  It 
is  assumed  that  this  is  the  Artluir  Hathaway 
who  was  among  the  first  settlers  of  Rochester 
(see  Gen.  Reg.,  Vol.  V,  page  86),  whose  wife 
according  to  "The  Leonard  Papers"  was  Maria 
Luce,  and  children:  Salathiel,  born  May  1, 
1719;  and  Loruhomer,  born  Dec.  6,  1721. 
Arthur  and  Maria  Hathaway  had  of  Rochester 
town    record:     Benoni,   born    April   20,   1724 

(died  July   6,    1726)  :   Marv.   liorn    April    28, 
1726;  and  Thomas,  born  Ang.  12,  1731. 

(IV)  Salathiel  Hathaway,  son  of  Arthur  and 
Maria  (Luce)  Hathaway,  born  May  1,  1719, 
married  Deliverance  Griffeth,  of  Rochester, 
Mass.,  and  their  children  of  Rochester  town 
record  were:  Marimi,  born  July  13,  1746;  and 
Mary,  born  June  28,  1748.  Doubtless  there 
were  other  children,  among  them  Salathiel. 

(V)  Salathiel  Hathaway  (2),  son  of  Sal- 
athiel, born  in  1764,  in  Wareham,  Mass.,  but 
birth  not  found  in  public  record — town  or 
church — married  Nov.  26,  1786,  Love  Hatha- 
way (Wareham  town  record).  Mr.  Hathaway 
died  in  September,  1835.  His  wife  died  in 
1841.  Their  children  were:  Judah  ;  Thomas, 
who  married  twice,  his  second  wife  being  Char- 
ity Crapo,  of  New  Bedford  (they  left  a  son 
Isaac,  who  resides  in  Acushnet,  Mass.)  ;  Sal- 
athiel :  David ;  Jonathan,  who  married  Mercy 
Hal]  and  had  a  son  George;  Simon;  Charles; 

61 


Charity;  and  Mary,  who  married  (first)  a  Mr. 
Tiiher  and   (second)   Richard  Ridington. 

(\'l)  Judah  Hathaway,  son  of  Salathiel, 
born  Dec.  8,  1797,  in  Wareham,  received  his 
education  in  the  district  schools  there  and  in 
his  early  years  farmed  with  his  father.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  was  cabin  boy  on  a  coaster 
between  Boston  and  Southern  ports,  later  be- 
coming a  seaman  on  the  same  line.  Cargoes 
of  rice  and  cotton  were  brought  North.  As 
this  work  occupied  the  winter  months  only, 
in  the  summer  he  did  general  farming  and 
truck  gardening,  owning  a  tract  of  about  fifty 
acres.  He  was  drowned  in  1834  in  the  Savan- 
nah river,  in  Georgia.  Mr.  Hathaway  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Clmrcli  at  Wareham. 
He  was  a  Whig  in  political  matters.  His  wife, 
Bethia  (Crapo),  daughter  of  William  and 
Alice  Crapo,  of  Rochester,  was  born  May  4, 
1800,  and  died  in  1880.  Their  children  were 
all  born  in  Wareham,  viz.:  (1)  William,  born 
Aug.  16,  1824,  died  in  Marion.  He  mai-ried 
Jane  Handy,  daughter  of  Jabez  and  Hannah 
(Wing)  Handy,  of  Rochester,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  Alice  W.,  Hannah  W.,  and  William 
C^  (2)  Mary,  born  Dec.  27,  1825.  died  in  New 
Bedford.  She  married  Zaccheus  Braley,  of 
Falmouth,  Mass.,  and  had  children,  George, 
Susan  and  Arthur.  (3)  Sarah,  born  Dec.  27, 
1825,  died  in  Wareham.  She  married  Edward 
F.  Handy,  of  Rochester,  and  had  children, 
Ella,  Bethia,  Mary,  William  and  Frank.  (4) 
Judah  is  mentioned  below.  (5)  Ira,  born  Jan. 
8,  1834,  died  in  Pittsburg,  Pa.  He  married 
Nancy  Allen,  of  New  Bedford,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  Adeline  and  Frank. 

(VII)  Capt.  Judah  Hathaway,  son  of  Judah 
and  Bethia  (Crapo)  Hathaway,  was  born 
March  11,  1832,  in  Wareham.  He  attended 
district  school  in  Rochester  until  the  age  of 
sixteen,  working  around  the  farm  the  next 
year.  In  1849  he  sailed  from  New  Bedford 
on  the  bark  "Heckley,"  on  a  whaling  trip 
around  Cape  Horn,  under  Capt.  Alden  Besse. 
Their  largest  catch  was  obtained  off  the  Chili 
coast,  and  they  returned  to  New  Bedford  in 
1853  with  one  of  the  largest  cargoes  of  those 
times.  Before  the  end  of  his  second  voyage, 
which  was  made  on  a  schooner  from  Marion, 
he  had  risen  to  the  position  of  seaman  and 
was  later  promoted  to  second  mate.  xVfter 
tliis  Captain  Hathaway  made  short  whaling 
trips  to  Greenland  and  the  northern  Atlantic, 
on  board  the  "Admiral  Blake"  (schooner), 
"William  Wilson"  and  "Altamahal,"  on  which 
boat  he  was  first  mate,  and  was  captured  in 
1861  by  the  "Alabama,"  whose  officers  set  it 
on  fire,  the  ship  being  a  complete  loss.    On  this 


802              •                          SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

occasion  Captain  Hathaway  was  captured  and  FLETCHER.     The     Fletcher     family,     of 

held  in  irons  for  three  days,  being  put  ashore  Brockton,   now   represented   by   Eustis  Jerome 

at  the  Azores  after  the  burning  of  the  vessel.  Fletcher  and  Jolrn  A.  Fletcher,  brothers,  and 

He  became  captain  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  the   latter's  son,  Elmer  Herbert  Fletcher,  the 

and  for  over  two  years  he  was  captain  of  the  well-known  attorney,  is  one  of  the  oldest  and 

whaler   "William    Wilson,"   sailing   from    New  best  known  families  in  New  England.    Fletcher 

Bedford  and  Marion,  Mass.     He  owned  shares  is  an  ancient  surname  and  the  origin  of  the 

in  a  number  of  vessels  which  he  commanded,  family  is  traced  to  Burgundy,  now  the  Canton 

and  had  an  interest  in  several  when  he  retired  de  Yaud,   Switzerland.     The  first  Fletcher  in 

from  the  water.     In   1868  Captain  Hathaway  England  came  with  the  Normans  at  the  time 

gave  up  his  seafaring  life  and  bought  a  large  of  the   Conquest,   1066. 

farm  in  Rochester,  on  which  he  built  a  saw-  (I)  Robert  Fletcher,  born  in  England  in 
mill  and  gristmill,  running  same  in  connection  1592,  according  to  family  tradition  in  York- 
with  general  farming.  He  turns  out  about  shire,  where  the  name  is  still  common,  settled 
seven  hundred  thousand  box  boards  per  year,  in  Concord,  Mass.,  in  1630,  with  his  sons,  Luke 
as  well  as  long  lumber  and  shingles,  His  hold-  and  William,  and  probably  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ings  consist  of  about  a  thousand  acres  of  ter.  He  was  a  wealthy  and  influential  man. 
meadow  and  woodland.  Although  he  has  been  He  was  ajipointed  by  the  General  Court  con- 
very  busy  with  his  private  affairs,  he  served  in  stable  for  Concord.  He  removed  to  Chelms-. 
the  Legislature  in  1879,  and  he  has  held  many  ford,  and  joined  with  his  brother  William  and 
town  offices.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Im-  others,  in  i654,  in  inviting  Mr.  John  Fiske  and 
provement  Society  of  Rochester.  He  is  a  Re-  the  Wenham  Church  to  remove  to  Concord.  He 
publican  in  political  opinion,  and  in  religion  made  his  will  Feb.  4,  1672,  aged  about  four- 
is  identified  with  the  Congregational  Church,  score  years,  and  committed  his  wife  to  the  care 
On  April  8,  1858,  Captain  Hathaway  mar-  of  his  son  Francis;  bequeathed  to  sons  Francis, 
ried  Hannah  Lewis,  born  Jan.  29,  1834,  William  and  Sanmel.  The  inventory  was  dated 
daughter  of  David  and  Adelia  (King)  Lewis,  May  12,  1677.  He  died  April  3,  1677,  at  Con- 
of  Rochester.  She  died  Feb.  4,  1889,  the  cord,  aged  eighty-five  years.  His  children 
mother  of  the  following  named  children:  (1)  were:  Luke,  born  in  England;  William,  born 
Mary  Lewis,  born  July  21,  1859,  is  unmarried  in  England  in  1622,  who  married  Lydia  Bates 
and  living  with  her  father ;  she  graduated  from  and  settled  in  Chelmsford ;  Cary,  who  married 
Wellesley  College.  (2)  Elizabeth  Tobey,  born  a  Kebby;  Samuel,  born  in  1632,  in  Concord, 
Oct.  26,  1860,  married  Oct.  26,  1887,  Chester  who  settled  in  what  is  now  Westford  (married 
V.  Humphrey,  of  Rochester,  and  their  chil-  Margaret  Hailston)  ;  and  Francis,  born  in  1636, 
dren  are :     Albert  I^ewis,  born   May  5,   1889 ;  in  Concord. 

Ellen  H.,  born  March  18,  1893;  Judah,  born  (II)  Francis  Fletcher,  son  of  Robert,  bom 
Aug.  27,  1896;  Pauline,  born  Dec.  28,  1898;  in  1636,  in  Concord,  married  Aug.  1,  1656, 
Elizabeth  Ijee,  born  June  10,  1903.  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  George  and  Katherine 
Humphrey  is  a  graduate  of  Wellesley  College.  Wheeler.  He  lived  in  Concord,  and  became 
(3">  David  Lewis  King,  born  Oct.  18,  1864,  a  great  land  owner.  He  was  admitted  a  free- 
married  Ella  Louise  Holman,  daughter  of  Jere-  man  in  1677,  and  in  that  same  year  was  re- 
miah  M.  Holman,  of  Warren,  Mass.  Their  ported  in  full  conununion  with  the  church  at 
children  are:  Marion,  Gladys  ]j.  and  Merwin.  Concord.  In  the  year  1666,  when  the  records 
Mr.  Hathaway  is  a  graduate  of  Lake  Academy,  of  deeds  were  revised,  he  owned  437  acres  in 
of  Marion,  and  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  the  east  quarter  of  the  town.  His  wife  Eliza- 
Technology,  of  Boston;  and  is  a  draftsman  lieth  died  June  14,  1704.  Their  children  were : 
with  the  Warren  Steam  Pump  Works  at  War-  Samuel,  born  Aug.  6,  1657;  Joseph,  born  April 
ren,  Mass.  (4)  Ellen  Adelia,  born  April  18,  15,  1661,  who  married  Mary  Dudley;  Eliza- 
1870,  married  Isaac  Elwood  Hiller,  of  Malta-  beth,  born  Aug.  24,  1663;  John,  born  Feb.  28, 
poisett,  and  their  children  are:  Gertrude,  El-  1665;  Sarah,  born  Feb.  24,  1668;  Hezekiah, 
wood  and  Lewis  King.  Mrs.  Hiller  attended  born  April  6,  1672,  who  married  Mary  Wood; 
the  Tabor  Academy,  of  Marion,  and  the  New  Hannah,  born  Oct.  24,  1674;  and  Benjamin, 
England  Conservatory  of  Music,  of  Boston.    (5)  born  Dec.  1,  1677. 

Hattie  Florence,  born  Dec.  12,  1878,  married  (III)  Samuel  Fletcher,  son  of  Francis,  born 
Walton  S.  Delano,  of  Marion,  and  their  chil-  Aug.  (i,  1657,  at  Concord,  Mass.,  married  April 
dren  are  Mary  Lewis  ^and  Ruth  Hathaway.  15,  1682,  Elizabeth  Wheeler.  He  was  select- 
Mrs.  Delano  is  a  graduate  of  Tabor  Academy  man  of  Concord  in  1705,  1706,  1709  and  1713; 
and  also  attended  Wellesley  College.  towTi  clerk,  1705  to  1713.     He  died  Oct.   23,. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


803 


1744,  and  his  wife  three  days  later.  Their 
cliildren,  all  born  in  Concord,  were :  Samuel, 
who  died  young;  Joseph,  born  March  26,  1686, 
who  married  Elizabeth  Carter  and  Hepsibah 
Jones;  Elizabeth,  born  April  2,  1688;  Sarah, 
born  May  19,  161)0;  John,  born  Aug.  26,  1692; 
Hannah,  born  Dec.  1,  1694;  Ruth,  bom  March 
2,  1696;  Rebecca,  bom  June  2,  1699;  Samuel 
(2),  born  April  27,  1701;  Benjamin,  born 
April  29,  1703;  and  Timothy,  bom  Aug.  28, 
1704. 

(IV)  Timothy  Fletcher,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
Aug.  28,  1704,  in  Concord,  Mass.,  married 
Elizabeth.  He  was  in  the  French  and  Indian 
war  and  was  a  great  hunter.  He  is  said  to 
have  been  with  Captain  Church,  and  at  one 
time  to  have  entered  the  camp  of  the  Indian 
chief  Annawan,  ascertained  the  strength  of 
the  warriors  forces,  and  then  guided  the  white 
troops  that  surprised  and  routed  them.  His 
children  were:  Elizabeth,  born  March  23,  1726; 
Timothy,  born  Nov.  2,  1728,  who  married  Re- 
becca Steams  and  (second)  Sarah  Brewer; 
Sarah,  bom  Aug.  16,  1730;  John,  bom  Sept. 
7,  1732,  who  married  Elizabeth  Foster;  James, 
born  Sept.  23,  1734;  Joseph,  bom  in  August, 
1735,  who  settled  in  Sturbridge,  Mass.,  then  re- 
moved to  Croydon,  N.  H. ;  Benjamin,  born 
June  27,  1738,  who  died  in  the  army  of  the 
Revolution;  Ephraim  (twin),  born  Feb.  5, 
1740,  who  married  Sarah  Davenport;  Lydia, 
twin,  born  Feb.  5,  1740,  who  resided  in  Stur- 
bridge; Joel,  born  March  18,  1743;  and  Sam- 
uel, bom  Aug.  12,  1747,  who  married  Sybil 
Caldwell. 

(V)  James  Fletcher,  son  of  Timothy,  bom 
Sept.  23,  1734,  in  that  part  of  Concord  now 
Acton,  Mass.,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  French 
and  Indian  war,  as  a  private  in  Captain  Os- 
good's company  in  the  Nova  Scotia  expedition 
of  1755,  and  appears  to  have  settled  in  Chester- 
field, N.  H.,  about  the  time  his  brother  John 
removed  to  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.  His  chil- 
dren, were:  Samuel,  Ijorn  about  1750  in  Chester- 
field, N.  H.,  is  mentioned  below;  Ebenezer, 
born  about  1754,  married  Mary  Calder ;  Han- 
nah married  a  Bowker ;  James,  born  Feb.  28, 
1757,  married  in  1779  Catherine  Russell,  and 
settled  in  Woodstock,  Vt. :  Abel  was  born  about 
1760;  Joel,  born  Nov.  26,  1763,  married  Lucy 
Hubbard  and  settled  in  Lyndon,  Vermont. 

(VI)  Samuel  Fletcher,  son  of  James,  born 
about  1750,  in  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  married 
(first)  May  2,  1772,  Elizabeth  Whitney,  and 
(second)  Mary  (Ames)  Billings.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Revolution.  He  died  in  East 
Montpelier,  Vt.,  in  1831.  His  children  were: 
James,  Eli,  Melinda,  Polly,  John  Caswell  and 


Arad   (who  settled  with  his  brother  James  in 
Hatley,  Canada). 

(VII)  John  Caswell  Fletcher,  son  of  Samuel, 
was  born  at  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  Nov.  29,  1793. 
He  lived  for  a  time  at  Waterford,  Vt.,  and 
in  other  sections  of  that  State  as  well  as 
New  Hampshire,  finally  settling  in  the  town  of 
Concord,  V^t.,  on  a  tract  of  eighty-six  acres, 
which  was  bought  for  him  by  his  son  John  A. 
Many  improvements  in  the  buildings  and  other- 
wise were  made  on  this  land,  and  here  he  con- 
tinued in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  death, 
Feb.  14,  1855.  He  is  buried  at  Concord.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Taylor,  born  March  20, 
1795,  in  Fairfax  county,  Va.,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Elizabeth  (Thorpe)  Taylor,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  England,  and  members 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  or  Quakers,  who  left 
England  on  accoiint  of  religious  persecution, 
on  a  sailing  vessel  bound  for  Philadelphia.  A 
severe  storm  prevented  the  vessel  making  that 
port  and  they  landed  on  the  shores  of  Lees- 
burg,  Va.  The  family  later  removed  to  Pough- 
keepsie,  N.  Y.,  and  still  later  to  Dalton,  N.  H. 
Mrs.  Fletcher  died  while  on  a  visit  to  Boston, 
Mass.,  Feb.  16,  1871,  at  the  home  of  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Mellen,  and  she  was  buried  at  Con- 
cord, Vt.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher  were  bom 
'eight  children,  as  follows:  Sally,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  eleven  years;  Richard  T.,  who  mar- 
ried Esther  M.  Darling,  and  resided  in  Brock- 
ton until  his  death,  Feb.  11,  1910;  Priscilla 
Jane,  who  married  Samuel  W.  Shorey,  and  both 
died  in  Allston,  Mass.;  Laura  M.,  who  married 
Frank  Mellen,  deceased,  and  resides  in  Valley 
Springs,  S.  Dak.;  John  A.,  mentioned  below; 
Ann,  who  died  young;  Samuel,  who  died  in 
December,  1903,  at  Galesburg,  111.;  and  Eustis 
Jerome,  mentioned  farther  on. 

(VIII)  John  A.  Fletcher,  son  of  John  C, 
was  born  March  19,  1830,  at  Lunenburg,  Vt., 
and  while  he  was  still  an  infant  was  taken  by 
his  parents  to  Dalton,  N.  H.,  and  lat«r  to  Lit- 
tleton, that  State,  where  they  lived  until  their 
removal  to  Waterford  in  1840.  There  Mr. 
Fletcher  attended  school  and  worked  on  the 
farm  with  his  father  until  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  took  up  carpentry  and 
bridge  work,  and  followed  it  for  about  five 
years.  He  then  removed  to  Massachusetts,  lo- 
cating first  at  East  Stoughton,  now  Avon, 
where  he  found  employment  in  the  shoe  fac- 
tory of  Henry  Rlanchard,  and  for  a  period  of 
fifteen  years  he  worked  at  bootmaking  in  this 
factory.  In  1867  Mr  Fletcher  located  in 
North  Bridgewater,  now  Brockton,  where  he 
began  work  as  a  shoemaker  in  the  factory  of 
the    late    Howard    T.    Marshall,    on    Montello 


804 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


street,  in  whose  employ  lie  remained  for  about 
three  years,  after  which  for  two  years  more  he 
followed  his  trade  in  different  shoe  factories. 
In  1872  Mr.  Fletcher  started  in  business  on 
his  own  account  in  Boston,  making  shoe  uppers 
for  the  custom  trade,  in  which  he  was  building 
up  a  successful  business  wlieu  the  fire  of  1872 
swept  his  business  away  with  many  others,  and 
lie  was  left  penniless.  He  then  went  to  North 
Adams,  Mass.,  and  liecame  superintendent  of 
the  factory  of  Millard  Brothers,  shoe  manufac- 
turers, where  he  continued  for  about  three 
years.  In  187(3  he  returned  to  Brockton,  where 
he  took  contract  work  in  the  bottoming  depart- 
ments of  various  shoe  factories,  principally  with 
Ijucius  Leach,  and  he  continued  in  this  kind 
of  work  until  188!»,  when  he  entered  the  real 
estate  brokerage  business,  in  which  lie  was  en- 
gaged until  1893.  He  then  accepted  a  position 
with  his  brother,  Eustis  Jerome  Fletcher,  who 
was  engaged  in  shoe  manufacturing,  and  with 
whom  he  was  employed  at  operating  a  McKay 
sewing  machine,  stitching  bottoms  on  shoes. 
JHe  continued  thus  employed  for  about  seven 
years,  and  then  retired  from  active  business, 
now  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest  from  labor, 
surrounded  by  his  family,  to  whom  he  is  much 
devoted. 

In  August,  1855,  Mr.  Fletcher  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Louise  J.  HayBes,  who  was  bom 
at  Randolph,  Mass.,  and  who  died  in  Boston 
in  1865,  the  day  President  Lincoln  was  assas- 
sinated, and  she  is  buried  in  East  Stoughton, 
Mass.  To  this  union  were  born  children  as 
follows :  A  daughter  who  died  in  infancy ;  Fred 
Lincoln,  now  deceased ;  Charles  Walter,  who 
died  at  tlie  age  of  twenty-six  years;  Jennie 
Mabel,  who  died  aged  four  years ;  and  a  daugh- 
ter that  died  in  infancy.  On  Jan.  7,  1869,  Mr. 
Fletcher  married  (second)  in  North  Bridge- 
water  Mehitable  Howland,  daughter  of  Perez 
and  Mehitable  N.  (Howland)  Howland,  and 
widow  of  George  F.  Willis.  To  this  marriage 
were  born  the  following  children :  Frank  Arthur, 
l)orn  Feb.  1,  1871,  a  shoe  operative,  wlio  married 
Mrs.  Florence  E.  Goodwin,  and  they  reside  on 
Byron  avenue,  Brockton ;  and  Elmer  Herbert, 
mentioned  below.  Mrs.,  Fletcher  died  June  22, 
1909,  aged  seventy-nine  years,  and  was  buried 
in  Matfield  cemetery.  By  her  marriage  with 
Mr.  Willis  she  had  three  children,  of  whom 
the  only  survivor  is  George  H.  Willis,  now  of 
Hudson,  Mass.  Her  ancestry  on  both  sides 
goes  back  to  the  coming  of  the  "Fortune"  in 
1623. 

(IX)  Eljier  Herbert  Fletcher,  son  of 
John  A.  and  Mehitable  (Howland)  Fletcher, 
was  born  in  Boston  Sept.  9,  1873.     His  early 


education  was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  Brock- 
ton, and  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school 
in  1892.  His  natural  inclinations,  fostered  by 
an  ambitious  and  devoted  mother,  turned  him 
toward  the  legal  profession  as  his  life  work, 
and  he  entered  the  office  of  the  late  Judge  Fred 
M.  Bixby  as  a  student,  later  attending  the 
law  school  of  Boston  University,  from  wliich 
he  was  graduated  with  honor  in  1896,  and  he 
was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  State 
C'ourts  at  the  Suffolk  county  bar  at  the  end  of 
his  second  year  at  Boston  University  Law 
School ;  he  has  since  been  admitted  to  practice 
before  the  United  States  District  and  Circuit 
courts.  He  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge 
Loyed  E.  Chamberlain,  of  Brockton,  under  tlie 
name  of  Chamberlain  &  Fletcher,  and  they  have 
built  up  an  extensive  practice  all  through 
southeastern  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Fletcher  is 
a  man  of  pleasing  personality,  and  is  honest 
and  straightforward  in  his  dealings.  He  has 
given  strict  attention  to  his  profession,  and 
has  won  as  high  a  place  in  the  estimation  of 
his  fellow  practitioners  at  the  bar  as  he  holds 
in  the  opinion  of  the  people  of  his  community, 
who  know  his  temperate  and  upright  private 
life.  He  has  ever  been  found  on  the  side  of 
good  government  in  public  affairs,  and  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  "no-license"  question 
in  Brockton.  He  is  a  member  of  the  No- 
License  League,  and  for  fourteen  years  has 
been  chainnan  of  its  executive  committee.  In 
politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  committee.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Plymouth  County  Bar  As- 
sociation and  the  Brockton  Bar  Association. 
Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the  K.  of  P.  He 
attends  the  I'orter  Congregational  Church,  of 
Brockton. 

On  Dec.  9,  1904,  in  Brockton,  Mr.  Fletcher 
married  Florence  A.  H.  Miller,  who  was  born 
in  C'amden,  Maine,  in  1875,  daughter  of  Lieut. 
Alden  and  Caroline  M.  (Gushing)  Miller.  To 
this  union  was  born  a  son,  Robert  Miller,  Jan. 
25,  1908.  Mrs.  Fletcher  passed  away  the  day 
the  son  was  born,  and  was  buried  at  Camden, 
Maine.  She  was  a  cultured,  educated  woman, 
charming  in  manner  and  brilliant  in  conver- 
sation; and,  deeply  interested  in  her  husband's 
work,  was  his  counselor  and  companion  at  all 
times.  She  was  an  attendant  of  the  Porter  Con- 
gregational Church. 


(VIII)  EusTis  Jerome  Fletcher,  retired 
shoe  manufacturer  of  Brockton,  is  the  youngest 
son  of  the  late  John  Caswell  and  Elizabeth 
(Taylor)  Fletcher,  and  was  born  in  Littleton, 
N.  H.,  Nov.  24,  1837,  and  while  he  was  vet  an 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


805 


infant  his  p.nrents  removed  to  Waterford,  Vt., 
where  he  attended  school,  also  at  Concord,  Vt., 
where  liis  father  permanently  settled.  He 
worked  on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  eight- 
een years  of  age,  when  he  left  home  to  visit 
his  brother  at  Randolph,  Mass.,  and  while 
there  he  secured  employment  operating  a  sew- 
ing machine  in  a  slioe  factory,  where  he  learned 
the  trade  of  stitcher,  after  which  he  worked 
at  Randolph  for  Howard  &  French,  shoe  manu- 
facturers, for  a  period  of  about  seven  years. 
Removing  to  North  Easton,  Mass.,  he  there 
worked  for  A.  A.  Gihnore  &  Co.,  as  a  stitcher, 
taking  work  by  contract  and  hiring  his  own 
help,  continuing  thus  for  about  four  years.  In 
1867  Mr.  Fletcher  went  to  the  State  of  Georgia 
to  establisii  a  shoe  factory  at  Americus  for 
J.  11.  Black,  who  was  engaged  in  the  tanning 
business.  Mr.  Fletcher  fitted  up  this  factory, 
installing  the  machinery,  and  continued  in 
charge  of  the  factory  for  about  three  years. 
However,  conditions  were  not  encouraging,  and 
Mr.  Fletcher  returned  North  in  1870,  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  superintendent  of  the  shoe 
factory  of  C.  T.  Sampson,  at  North  Adams, 
Mass.,  who  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  largest 
shoe  manufacturers  in  Massachusetts.  At  this 
time  there  was  a  strike  on  at  the  factory 
brought  on  by  what  was  known  as  tlie  Crispin 
organization,  which  made  it  difficult  to  con- 
tinue operations.  Mr.  Sampson,  in  order  to 
keep  his  factory  going,  brought  seventy-five 
Chinamen  from  the  Pacific  coast  and  estab- 
lished them  in  his  factory,  and  later  brought 
others,  having  upward  of  two  hundred  China- 
men, all  of  whom  were  housed  and  fed  in  the 
factory,  and  this  resulted  in  breaking  up  the 
Crispin  organization.  Mr.  Fletcher  spent  six 
years  in  this  factory  as  superintendent,  where 
over  four  hundred  hands  were  employed.  The 
last  year  he  spent  in  North  Adams  he  repre- 
sented the  North  America  Shoe  Machine  Com- 
pany. In  1877  Mr.  Fletcher  came  to  Brock- 
ton, and  rented  a  space  in  the  shoe  fac- 
tory of  W.  L.  Douglas,  where  he  took  up  con- 
tract work  stitching  with  the  McKay  and  other 
machines,  sewing  bottoms  to  shoes,  and  em- 
ploying his  own  help,  and  here  he  spent  three 
years.  In  1880  he  started  into  shoe  manufac- 
turing, forming  a  partnership  with  his  broth- 
er-in-law, L.  C.  Bliss,  under  the  firm  name  of 
L.  C.  Bliss  &  Co.,  which  partnership  continiied 
for  about  twelve  years.  After  the  dissolution 
of  the  partnership  Mr.  Bliss  took  into  partner- 
ship with  him  his  son,  and  formed  the  Regal 
Shoe  Company.  Mr.  Fletcher  then  formed  a 
partnersliip  with  Everett  Joyce,  in  189.3,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Joyce  &  Fletcher,  this  finn 


continuing  successfully  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  shoes  until  September,  1901,  when 
his  partner  Mr.  Joyce  was  killed  in  a  railroad 
accident  at  Avon.  The  product  of  this  fac- 
toiy  found  a  ready  market  in  New  York  and 
the  West  Indies.  After  his  partner's  untimely 
death  Mr!  Fletcher  retired  from  the  manufac- 
turing business,  selling  out  to  the  late  T.  D. 
Barry,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  retired 
in  his  pleasant  home  on  Wintbrop  street,  which 
he  built,  and  where  he  is  now  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  labors.  Mr.  Fletcher  married 
Sept.  1,  1870,  Mary  F.  Bliss,  daughter  of 
James  and  Peddy  Bliss,  of  Rehoboth,  Mass., 
and  sister  of  L.  C.  Bliss,  of  the  well-known 
shoe  manufacturing  concern,  the  Regal  Shoe 
Company.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher  had  no  chil- 
dren.   She  died  Feb.  28,  1911. 

When  the  war  broke  out  between  the  North 
and  South,  in  1861,  Mr.  Fletcher  was  among 
those  to  answer  the  first  call  of  President 
Lincoln  for  75,000  volunteers.  He  enlisted  at 
Randolph,  Mass.,  April  16,  1861,  in  Company 
D,  4th  Massachusetts  Minute-men,  under  Cap- 
tain Niles,  Colonel  Packard,  and  spent  three 
months  in  the  service,  being  stationed  at  For- 
tress Monroe,  Newport  News  and  Hampton 
Roads.  The  State  of  Massachusetts  presented 
each  of  the  soldiers  who  served  as  minute-men 
a  medal,  which  Mr.  Fletcher  still  possesses  and 
prizes.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Post 
No.  53,  G.  A.  R.,  of  North  Easton,  Mass., 
which  is  now  extinct,  and  is  a  member  of 
Fletcher  Webster  Post,  No.  13,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Brockton.  He  was  also  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Company  D,  4th  Massachusetts  organi- 
zation, which  meets  at  Randolph  for  reunions 
each  year.  Mr.  Fletcher  joined  the  Blue  Lodge 
of  Masons  in  Randolph,  but  is  now  affiliated 
with  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Brockton.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  a 
member  of  the  Commercial  Club  and  the  Board 
of  Trade  of  Brockton,  having  been  a  member  of 
the  executive  committee  of  the  latter  for  sev- 
eral years.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Fletcher  is 
a  stanch  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  has  never  aspired  to 
public  office.  Of  a  retiring  disposition,  modest 
and  unpretentious  in  nature,  he  enjoys  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  the  entire  community  in 
which  he  has  resided  for  so  many  years. 


HowLAND.  The  Howland  family  to  which 
Mrs.  Mehitable  (Howland)  Fletcher,  wife  of 
John  A.  Fletcher,  belonged  is  one  of  the  oldest 
in  New  England,  where  it  was  founded  by  (I) 
Henry  Howland,  who  with  his  wife  Mary  came 
from    England    and    settled    at    Plymouth    in 


806 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1624.  He  later  went  to  Duxbury,  where  he 
died  July  17,  1671.  His  wife  Mary  died  June 
17,  1674.     They  had  eight  children. 

Mehitable  Howland  was  also  a  descendant 
of  Arthur  Howland,  who  with  his  brother 
Henry  came  from  England  about  1623.  Henry 
and  Arthur  are  supposed  to  have  l)een  brothers 
of  John  Howland,  who  came  to  America  in 
the  "Mayflower." 

(II)  Samuel  Howland,  son  of  Henry,  re- 
sided first  in  Duxbury,  but  later  settled  in 
Freetown,  Mass.,  on  land  owTied  by  his  father. 
He  was  assessor  of  the  town  in  1694,  and  was 
one  of  the  original  proprietors  there.  He  died 
in  1716.  His  wife  Mary  was  the  mother  of 
ten  children. 

(III)  Abraham  Howland,  son  of  Samuel, 
was  born  in  Freetown  May  9,  1675.  About 
1700  he  married  Ann  Colson,  of  Newport,  R. 
I.,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Colson,  and  had 
thirteen  children.  He  settled  in  Pembroke,  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

(IV)  Joseph  Howland,  son  of  Abraham,  was 
born  in  Pembroke,  Mass.,  April  3,  1722,  and 
lived  there.  He  married  (first)  Lydia  Pierce 
and  (second)  Rubia,  Whitten.  He  was  the 
father  of  five  children. 

(V)  Capt.  Perez  Howland,  son  of  Joseph, 
was  born  Dec.  3,  1775.  He  married  (first) 
Bathsheba  Foster,  born  July  31,  1778,  died 
May  27,  1818,  and  married  (second)  Sylvia 
Whitten.  He  was  commissioned  captain  of  the 
4th  Massachusetts  Infantry  June  25,  1812.  He 
died  Dec.  6,  1875,  at  the  age  of  one  hundred 
years. 

(VI)  Perez  Howland,  son  of  Capt.  Perez, 
was  born  Sept.  21,  1805,  in  the  town  of  Han- 
son, Mass.  He  married  June  29,  1828,  Mehita- 
ble N.  Howland,  born  June  14,  1810,  in  Pem- 
broke, daughter  of  Luther  Howland,  and  a 
descendant  of  Arthur  Howland.  Perez  How- 
land settled  in  1834  in  East  Bij-idgewatter, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  and 
where  lie  died  Aug.  22,  1855.  His  wife  died 
Nov.  1,  1860.     They  had  one  child,  Mehitable. 

(VII)  Mehitable  Howland,  daughter  of  Pe- 
rez, was  bom  June  16,  1830,  in  Pembroke, 
Mass.  She  married  (first)  Oct.  17,  1849,  in 
East  Bridgewater,  George  F.  Willis,  of  Kings- 
ton, Mass.,  and  their  cliildren  were:  George  H., 
born  Oct.  23,  1852;  a  son  born  Oct.  23,  1855, 
who  died  Oct.  24,  1855;  and  Forest  N.,  born 
April  13,  1851,  who  died  June  1,  1878.  Mr. 
Willis  died,  and  she  married  (second)  Jan.  7, 
1869,  John  A.  Fletclier,  of  Brockton,  Mass. 
Two  sons  were  born  to  this  union :  Frank  A., 
born  Feb.  1,  1871 ;  and  Elmer  Herbert,  Sept. 
9,  1873. 


MiLLEK-CusiiiNG.  The  Miller  and  Gushing 
families,  to  which  Mrs.  Florence  A.  H.  (Mil- 
ler) Fletcher,  wife  of  Elmer  H.  Fletcher,  be- 
longed, have  played  important  parts,  in  the 
communities  in  which  they  have  lived.  The 
first  of  the  Millers  in  direct  line  was  (I)  Noali 
Miller,  of  Scotch  descent,  who  married  Mary 
Mills,  of  Hopewell,  N.  J.,  and  went  to  Nova 
Scotia.  Later  he  removed  to  Canaan,  now  Lin- 
colnville,  Maine,  where  he  and  his  wife  died  in 
1821.  They  had  ten  children,  namely:  Oliver 
and  Mary  were  both  drowned  in  the  Lincolu- 
ville  pond  in  1790;  Ephraini  married  Mary 
Heald,  of  Parker's  Island ;  Samuel  married 
Grace  Hall,  of  Parker's  Island ;  Noah  married 
Lucy  Mahoney ;  Israel  married  Nancy  Gould, 
of  Bath,  Maine;  Hope  married  Joseph  Gould, 
of  Bath,  Maine;  John,  born  Nov.  16,  1781, 
is  mentioned  below;  Joel,  bom  in  1784,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Robinson,  and  resided  at  St. 
George,  where  lie  died  Sept.  10,  1849  (he  was 
warden  of  the  State  prison  and  judge  of  Pro- 
bate) ;  Lovisa  married  Dr.  C.  C.  Chandler,  and 
died  at  Thomaston. 

(II)  John  Miller,  son  of  Noah,  born  Nov. 
16,  1781,  became  a  prominent  man  in  church 
and  town  affairs,  being  deacon  in  the  former 
connection  and  justice  of  the  peace  in  the  lat- 
ter. He  was  active  in  the  Masonic  fraternity. 
He  died  June  1,  1857,  aged  seventy-six  years, 
in  Warren,  Maine.  He  married  (first)  Mar- 
garet Robinson,  of  St.  George,  Maine,  and  their 
children  were:  May,  bom  in  1804,  married 
Nov.  14,  1830,  Timothy  Fogg,  and  died  Oct. 
16,  1835;  Jolm,  born  1808,  married  June  1, 
1831,  Fannie  Starrett,  and  died  in  Lawrence, 
Mass.,  March  14,  1860;  Alden,  born  1810,  is 
mentioned  below;  Angelica  married  Theodore 
Dillingham;  Eliza,  born  1814.  died  April  10, 
1817;  Andrew,  born  1815,  died  Aug.  24,  1818; 
Eliza  A.  died  Oct.  30,  1865;  Joseph  R.  went 
to  California,  and  died  in  1852 ;  Levi  B.  died 
Oct.  16,  1828.  Deacon  John  Miller  married 
(second)  in  1841  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Burton 
Vaughan.    No  children  were  born  to  this  union. 

(III)  Alden  Miller,  son  of  Deacon  John, 
was  bom  in  1810,  and  lived  in  Warren,  later 
settling  in  Camden,  Maine,  where  he  died.  In 
1864  he  succeeded  George  R.  Mclntyre  as  gov- 
ernment clerk  in  Washington,  D.  C.  On  April 
1,  1830,  he  married  Rebecca  Wyllie,  and  their 
children  were:  Maria  A.,  who  died  in  Camden, 
Maine,  Jan.  10,  1867;  Alden,  mentioned  below; 
Irene  C,  who  married  (first)  George  W.  Smith 
and  (second)  Edgar  Start,  and  resided  in  Cam- 
den ;  Charles  and  a  daughter,  twins,  born 
March  17,  1842,  of  whom  the  latter  died  in 
infancy,  and  the  fonner,  who  was  engaged  in 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


807 


the  jewelry  business  in  Camden,  married  Dec. 
18,  i869,  Clara  J.  Houston;  and  Mary  Henri- 
etta, who  married  Oscar  Spear,  and  settled  in 
Lawrence. 

(IV)  Alden  Miller,  son  of  Alden,  settled  in 
Camden,  Maine,  where  he  was  postmaster  in 
1876,  holding  that  office  many  years.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  at  Warren,  Maine,  in 
Company  G,  20th  Maine  Regiment,  and  was 
promoted  until  he  attained  the  rank  of  lieuten- 
ant. On  Dec.  19,  18G4,  he  married  Caroline 
M.  Cushing,  and  their  children  were:  Sarah  C, 
born  Aug.^12,  1865,  died  Sept.  4,  1865;  Maria 
Cushing,  bom  Jan.  12,  1867,  married  Loyed  E. 
Chamberlain,  judge  of  Probate  of  Brockton ; 
Edwin  Dillingham,  born  Dec.  30,  1867,  who 
resides  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  married  Josephine 
Hyde;  Charles  Alden,  born  June  25,  1869, 
married  Mertie  Hall ;  Margaret  E.,  born  Feb. 
11,  1871,  married  Hudson  D.  Ames,  and  re- 
sides in  Rockland,  Maine ;  Maurice  McLellen, 
born  July  14,  1872,  married  Louise  Morse, 
and  lives  in  Providence,  R.  1. ;  Grace  Norwood, 
born  Sept.  29,  1874,  died  Aug.  28,  1875;  and 
Florence  A.  H.,  born  Oct.  29,  1875,  married 
Dec.  9,  1904,  Elmer  Herbert  Fletcher,  attorney 
at  law  at  Brockton,  and  died  Jan.  25,  1908. 

The  Cushings,  to  which  family  Mrs.  Caro- 
line M.  (Cushing)  Miller  belongs,  were  planted 
in  America  by 

(I)  Matthew  Cushing,  who  for  fifty  years 
had  been  a  resident  of  Hardingham  and  Hing- 
ham,  England.  With  his  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren he  ■  came  to  New  England  in  the  ship 
"Diligence,"  which  sailed  from  Gravesend  April 
26,  1638.  Among  the  133  passengers  on  the 
vessel  was  Robert  Peck,  M.  A.,  rector  of  the 
parish  of  Hingham,  England.  The  party  hav- 
ing landed  at  Boston,  Aug.  10,  1638,  immedi- 
ately proceeded  to  their  destination,  Hingham, 
Mass.  At  a  town  meeting  held  in  1638  a  home 
lot  of  five  acres  on  Bachelor  (Main)  street  was 
given  to  Matthew  Cushing,  and  it  continued  in 
the  possession  of  the  family  until  1887. 
Matthew  Cushing  was  baptized  at  Hardingham, 
England,  March  2,  1589,  son  of  Peter  and 
Susan  (Hawes)  Cushing.  His  lineage  has  been 
traced  back  to  William  Cussyn,  Cusseyn  or 
Cushing,  who  was  born  some  time  during  the 
fourteenth  century,  and  was  either  the  son  or 
grandson  of  the  Galfridus  Cusyn  of  Harding- 
ham, County  of  Norfolk,  England,  wlio  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Subsidy  Rolls  for  Norfolk  in 
1327.  From  this  William  Cushing  the  de- 
scent of  Matthew  Cushing  is  through  Thomas, 
William,  John,  Thomas  (2)  and  Peter  Cush- 
ing. At  Hingham  Matthew  Cushing  was  early 
engaged  in  the  affairs  of  the  town,  and  became 


a  deacon  in  the  church.  He  married  Aug.  5, 
1613,  Nazareth  Pitcher,  daughter  of  Henry 
Pitcher,  of  the  famous  family  of  Admiral 
Pitcher,  of  England.  He  died  at  Hingham 
Sept.  30,  1660,  and  his  widow  passed  away 
Jan.  1,  1681.  Their  children,  all  born  in  Hing- 
ham, England,  were:  Daniel,  April  20,  1619; 
Jeremiah,  July  21,  1621 ;  Matthew,  April  5, 
1623;  Deborah,  Feb.  17,  1625  (married 
Matthias  Briggs  and  lived  at  Hingham);  and 
John,  in  1627. 

(II)  John  Cushing,  son  of  Matthew,  bom 
in  1627,  in  Hingham,  England,  came  to  this 
country  with  his  people  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  and  he  appears  to  have  remained  at 
Hingham,  Mass.,  till  after  his  father's  death  in 
1660.  In  1657,  associated  with  Matthias 
Briggs,  he  bought  the  Vassall  estate  at  "Belle 
House  Neck,''  Scituate,  which  comprised  120 
acres  with  house  and  barns;  but  Mr.  Cushing 
did  not  move  there  until  about  1662.  He  was 
surveyor  of  highways  in  1663;  receiver  of  ex- 
cises in  1667;  deputy  to  the  Colony  in  1674, 
and  was  often  reelected.  He  was  on  the  com- 
mittee in  1673  for  dividing  Scituate  lands; 
and  in  1676  he  was  chosen  to  report  to  the 
government  a  statement  of  all  services  of  the 
soldiers  of  Scituate  in  the  war  with  King 
Philip.  Mr.  Cushing  was  selectman  from  1674 
to  1686,  inclusive,  and  county  magistrate  for 
Plymouth  county  from  1685  to  1692.  He  was 
assistant  in  the  Old  Colony  government  of 
Plymouth  Colony  from  1689  to  1691,  and  rep- 
resentative to  the  General  Court  at  Boston  in 
1692,  and  for  several  succeeding  years,  member 
of  the  council  in  1696  and  1697,  and  was  colo- 
nel of  the  Plymouth  regiment.  He  married 
Jan.  20,  1658,  at  Hingham,  Mass.,  Sarah 
Hawke,  daughter  of  Matthew  and  Margaret 
Hawke.  who  was  baptized  at  Hingham  Aug.  1, 
1641,  and  died  at  Scituate  March  9,  1679.  Mr. 
Cushing  died  at  Scituate.  Mass.,  March  31. 
1708.  Their  children  were:  John,  born  April 
28,  1660;  Thomas,  born  Dec.  26,  1663; 
Matthew,  born  Feb.  23,  1665;  Jeremiah,  bom 
July  13,  1666;  James,  born  Jan.  27,  1668; 
Joshua,  born  Aug.  27,  1670;  Sarah,  born  Aug. 
26,  1671;  Caleb,  born  Jan.  6,  1673;  Deborah, 
born  Sept.  14,  1674;  Mary,  born  Aug.  30, 
1676;  Joseph,  born  Sept.  23.  1677;  and  Ben- 
jamin, born  Feb.  4,  1679. 

(III)  Hon.  John  Cushing  (2),  son  of  John, 
born  April  28.  1660.  married  (first)  May  20. 
I(i87.  Deborah  Loring.  of  Hull,  who  died  in 
1713.  He  married  (second)  in  1714  Widow 
Sarah  Holmes.  Mr.  Cushing  lived  at  Belle 
House  Neck;  was  chief  justice  of  the  Inferior 
court  of  Plymouth  from  1702  to  1710;  coun- 


808 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


selor  of  Massachusetts  from  1710  to  1728,  and 
from  1728  to  the  time  of  his  death,  judge  of 
His  Majesty's  Superior  court,  of  which,  ac- 
cording to  John  Cotton,  "he  was  the  life  and 
soul."  He  died  Jan.  19,  1738.  His  children 
were:  Sarah,  born  in  1689;  Deborah,  in  1693; 
Jolm,  in  1695;  Elijah,  in  1697;  Mary,  in  1700; 
Nazareth,  in  1703;  Benjamin,  in  1706;  Na- 
thaniel, in  1709  (all  born  to  the  first  mar- 
riage) ;  Josiah,  in  1715;  and  Mary,  in  1716. 

(IV)  Elijah  Cushing,  son  of  John  (2),  born 
March  7,  1697-98,  married  in  1724  Elizabeth 
Barker,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  widow  of  Isaac 
Barker,  and  daughter  of  Capt.  Joseph  Barstow. 
He  resided  in  that  part  of  Hanover  that  became 
Pembroke,  Mass.  He  was  for  many  years  jus- 
tice of  the  peace;  was  the  first  representative 
of  tlie  town  in  1737,  and  selectman  eleven 
years,  from  1728-39.  Much  of  the  public  busi- 
ness of  the  town  was  entrusted  to  him,  and  he 
executed  his  trust  with  fidelity  and  success. 
His  children  were  :  Elijah  ;  Nathaniel ;  Joseph  ; 
Mary,  who  married  Gen.  Benjamin  Lincoln ; 
Deborah,  who  married  Rev.  Daniel  Shute,  of 
Hingham;  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Maj. 
Isaiah   Cushing,  of  Hingham. 

(V)  Joseph  Cushing,  son  of  Elijah,  bom 
March  1,  1731-32,  was  graduated  from  Har- 
vard, and  became  one  of  the  most  valuable 
citizens  of  his  town,  Hanover.  He  was  select- 
man six  years,  1768-1774,  and  representative 
in  1773-75,  and  in  1778-79;  also  town  clerk, 
1774-78.  Mr.  Cusliing  was  sent  from  Hanover 
as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  of  September, 
1768,  called  to  consult  upon  measures  for  the 
safety  of  the  Province  after  the  act  of  tlie 
mother  country  of  tliat'  year  imposing  a  duty 
on  tea,  papers,  glass,  etc.  He  is  characterized 
in  local  liistory  as  "a  gentleman  who  had  been 
long  and  favorably  known  to  his  townsmen, 
and  who  was  distinguished  for  his  unbending 
integrity  an<l  affable  deportment ;  who  after- 
ward held  an  honorable  rank  in  the  conventions 
of  the  county  and  the  Congre.'sses  of  tlie  Prov- 
ince; and  who  at  a  still  later  period,  when  peace 
had  been  declared  and  order  restored  to  our 
disturbed  civil  institutions,  as  a  token  of  grati- 
tude and  esteem  for  his  services  was  elevated  to 
the  office  of  judge  of  Probate  for  the  county  of 
Plymouth,  and  received  a  military  commission 
with  the  rank  of  brigadier  general."  Mr.  Cush- 
ing married  Ruth  Stockbridge,  and  his  home 
was  near  the  Four  Corners  in  Hanover,  where 
he  died  Dec.  19,  1791 ;  his  widow  died  Feb.  12, 
1822.  Their  children  were:  Ruth,  who  married 
David  Stockbridge,  Jr. ;  Charlotte,  who  died 
Aug.  24,  1825,  aged  sixty  years;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Nathaniel  Barstow;  Joseph;  Deborah, 


who    married    John    Hathaway,    of    Camden, 
Maine;  and  Horatio. 

(VI)  Joseph  Cushing  (2),  son  of  Joseph, 
bom  in  1770,  married  Nov.  6,  1794,  Kezia 
Curtis.  Mr.  Cushing  removed  to  Camden, 
Maine,  where  he  died  Feb.  9,  1830.  Their 
children  were:  Ruth  married  Maj.  Joseph  Em- 
ery; Jeremiah  married  Abigail  Dillingham  j 
Joseph  married  Susan  Weston  ;'Melzar  married 
Anne  E.  Garland;  Horatio  married  (first) 
Frances  Wyman  and  (second)  Martha  A. 
Wheeler ;  Sarah  died  unmarried ;  Deborah  H. 
married  Rev.  Charles  G.  Porter;  Benjamin 
married  Lauretta  Dean;  Luther  married  Abby 
P.    Frost. 

(VII)  Jeremiah  Cu.shing,  son  of  Joseph 
(2),  was  born  Aug.  10,  1799,  in  Hanover, 
Mass.,  and  settled  with  his  parents  at  Camden, 
Maine,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  house 
and  ship  carpenter.  He  married  Abigail  Dil- 
lingham, and  their  children  were:  Elizabeth, 
Kezia,  who  married  Benjamin  Crabtree  (2d), 
of  Hope,  Maine ;  Sarah  Frances,  who  married 
Edmund  Wyllie,  of  Warren,  Maine;  and  Caro- 
line Maria,  who  married  Lieut.  Alden  Miller, 
Jr.,  of  Warren,  Maine. 

BLISS.  Mrs.  Mary  F.  (Bliss)  Fletcher, 
wife  of  Eustis  Jerome  Fletcher,  came  of  a  long 
line  of  ancestry,  members  of  which  have  left  an 
indelible  imprint  on  the  history  of  the  com- 
munities in  which  they  have  resided. 

(I)  Thomas  Bliss  lived  in  Belstone  Parish, 
Devonshire,  England.  He  was  a  wealthy  land 
owner,  belonged  to  the  class  who  were  stigma- 
tized as  Puritans  on  account  of  the  purity  and 
simplicity  of  their  forms  of  worship  and  were 
persecuted  by  the  civil  and  religious  authorities 
under  the  direction'  of  Archbishop  Laud ;  was 
maltreated,  impoverished  and  imprisoned  and 
finally  ruined  in  health  (as  well  as  financially) 
by  the  many  indignities  and  hardships  forced 
upon  him  by  the  intolerant  church  party  in 
power.  Mr.  Bliss  is  supposed  to  have  been  born 
about  1550  or  1560.  He  died  about  1635. 
When  the  Parliament  of  1628  assembled  Puri- 
tans, or  Roundheads,  as  the  Cavaliers  called 
them,  accompanied  the  members  to  London; 
two  of  the  sons  of  Thomas  Bliss,  Jonathan  and 
Thomas,  rode  from  Devonshire  on  their  iron- 
grey  horses  and  remained  .for  some  time  in  the 
city,  long  enough  at  least  for  the  King's  offi- 
cers and  spies  to  learn  their  names  and  con- 
dition, and  whence  they  came;  and  from  that 
time  forth  they  with  others  who  had  gone  to 
London  on  the  same  errand  were  marked  for 
destruction.  They  were  fined  a  thousand 
pounds  for   non-conformity,   and   thrown   into 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


80!) 


prison,  wliere  they  lay  many  months.  Even 
old  Mr.  Thomas  Bliss,  the  father,  was  dragged 
through  the  street,<s  with  the  greatest  indignity. 
On  another  occasion  the  ofliccrs  of  the  high 
commission  levied  all  their  horses  and  sheep 
except  one  poor  ewe  that  in  its  fright  ran  into 
the  house  and  took  refuge  under  a  bed.  At 
another  time  the  brothers,  with  twelve  other 
Puritans,  were  led  through  the  market  place 
in  Okehampton  witli  ropes  around  their  necks, 
and  fined  heavily,  and  Jonathan  and  his  father 
were  thrown  into  prison,  the  sufferings  of  the 
son  there  eventually  causing  his  death.  At 
another  time  the  King's  officers  seized  the  cattle 
of  ^he  Bliss  family  and  most  of  their  household 
goods,  some  'of  the  articles  of  furniture  being 
highly  valued  for  their  beauty  and  age,  having 
been  in  the  family  for  centuries.  In  fact  the 
family  was  so  reduced  in  circumstances  that  it 
was  unable  to  secure  the  release  of  both  Jona- 
than and  his  father,  so  the  younger  man  had 
to  remain  in  prison,  and  at  Exeter  he  suffered 
thirty-five  lashes  with  a  tliree-corded  whip 
which  tore  his  back  in  a  cruel  manner.  Before 
Jonathan  was  released  the  estate  itself  had  to 
be  sold.  The  father  and  mother  went  to  live 
with  their  daughter,  who  had  married  a  man 
of  the  Established  Church,  Sir  John  Calcliffe. 
The  remnant  of  the  estate  was  divided  among 
the  three  sons,  who  were  advised  to  go  to 
America,  where  they  might  escape  persecution. 
Thomas  and  George  feared  to  wait  for  Jona- 
than, who  was  still  very  ill,  and  they  left 
England  in  the  fall  of  1635,  with  their  fami- 
lies. Thomas,  son  of  Jonathan  and  grandson 
of  the  elder  Thomas,  remained  with  his  father, 
who  finally  died,  and  the  son  then  came  to 
join  his  uncles,  settling  near  Thomas.  The 
children  of  Thomas,  Sr.,  were :  Jonathan,  who 
died  in  England  1635-36;  Thomas,  born  in 
England,  who  married  Margaret,  believed  to  be 
Margaret  Lawrence,  and  came  to  New  Eng- 
land; Elizabeth,  who  married  Sir  John  Cal- 
cliiTe,  of  Belstone;  George,  born  in  1591,  who 
came  to  Xew  England  and  settled  at  Lynn  and 
Sandwich  and  Newport,  Rhode  Island;  and 
Mary  or  Polly. 

(il)  Jonathan  Bliss,  son  of  Thomas,  of  Bel- 
stone,  England,  married  and  had  several  chil- 
dren, among  whom  were  Thomas  and  Mary. 
The  father  died  in  1635-36  (see  account  of  him 
above). 

(Ill)  Thomas  Bliss,  son  of  Jonathan,  born 
in  Belstone,  England,  on  the  death  of  his 
father  came,  as  stated,  to  this  country.  He 
stopped  for  a  time  at  Boston,  thence  removed 
to  Braintree,  thence  to  Hartford,  and  from 
there  to  Weymouth,  near  Braintree,  thence  in 


1643  to  Reboboth.  He  was  made  a  freeman 
in  Cambridge  May  18,  1642,  and  in  the  Ply- 
mouth Colony  Jan.  4,  1645.  On  June  9th 
of  the  last  named  year  he  drew  lot  No.  30  on 
the  Great  Plain  in  Seekonk.  He  was  appointed 
surveyor  of  highways  in  1647.  He  died  at 
Reboboth  in  June,  1649.  His  children  were: 
Jonathan ;  a  daughter  who  married  Thomas 
Williams;  Mary,  who  married  Nathaniel  Har- 
mon: and  Nathaniel,  of  Reboboth  or  Hingham. 
(IV)  Jonathan  Bliss  (2),  son  of  Thomas, 
horn  about  1625,  married  about  1648,  Miriam 
Harmon.  He  was  admitted  a  freeman  in 
Plymouth  Colony  in  1655.  He  was  appointed 
"way  warden"  in  town  meeting  at  Rehoboth 
May  24,  .1652,  and  May  17,  1655,  grand  jury- 
man. He  was  accepted  as  a  freeman  Feb.  22, 
1658,  and  drew  a  lot  in  the  meadows  on  the 
north  side  of  the  town  June  22d  of  that  year. 
He  was  one  of  the  eighty  who  made  the  Reho- 
both North  Purchase  in  1666,  and  May  26, 
1668,  drew  a  lot  in  the  third  "North  Purchase." 
He  died  in  1687.  His  children  were :  Ephraim, 
born  Feb.  5,  1649 ;  Rachel,  Dec.  1,  1651 ;  Jona- 
than, March  4,  1653  (died  the  same  year) ; 
Mary,  Sept.  30,  1655;  Elizabeth.  Jan.  29,  1657; 
Samuel,  June  24,  1660 ;  Martha,  in  April, 
1663;  Jonathan  (2),  Sept.  17,  1666;  Dorothy, 
Jan.   27,   1668;  and   Bethia,  in  August,  1671. 

(Y)  Jonathan  Bliss  (3),  son  of  Jonathan 
(2),  born  Sept.  17,  1666,  in  Rehoboth,  was 
a  blacksmith  of  Rehoboth,  as  was  his  father 
before  him.  He  was  a  man  of  standing  and 
influence  in  the  town,  and  held  a  variety  of 
to\vn  offices.  He  is  said  to  have  given  the  land 
for  the  old  cemetery  located  about  two  miles 
south  of  Rehoboth  village.  On  June  23,  1691, 
he  married  Miriam  Carpenter,  bom  Oct.  26, 
1674,  daughter  of  William  and  Miriam 
(Searls)  Carpenter,  of  Rehoboth.  She  died 
May  21,  1706,  and  he  married  (second)  April 
10,"l711,  Mary  French,  of  Rehoboth.  He  died 
Oct.  16,  1719.  She  remarried,  and  died  Dec. 
10,  1754,  aged  seventy  years.  His  children 
were:  Jonathan,  born  .June  5,  1692;  Jacob, 
March  21,  1694;  Ephraim,  Dec.  28,  1695; 
Elisha,  Oct.  4,  1697:  Ephraim  (2),  Aug.  15, 
1699;  Daniel,  Jan.  21,  1702;  Noah,  May  18, 
1704  (died  Sept.  20,  1704);  Miriam,  Aug.  9, 
1705;  Mary,  Nov.  23,  1712;  Hannah,  Jan.  7, 
1715;  Bcthiah,  May  10,  1716;  and  Rachel, 
Aug.   10,  1719. 

(VI)  Lieut.  Ephraim  Bliss,  son  of  Jonathan 
(3),  born  Aug.  15,  1699,  married  Dec.  5,  1723, 
Rachel  Carpenter,  and  lived  in  Rehoboth.  His 
children  were:  Ephraim,  born  Jan.  23,  1725 
(died  March  2,  1725) ;  Ephraim,  June  3,  1726 ; 
Noah  (twin),  June  3,  1726;  Rachel,  March  6, 


810 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1728;  Abiah,  Jan.  26,  1730;  Jonathan,  Sept. 
8,  1731 ;  Lydia,  July  3,  1733 ;  Keziah,  Feb.  7, 
1735;  Hannah,  Feb.  16,  1737;  Jonathan  (2). 
Jan.  26,  1739;  Abadial,  Dec.  15,  1740;  and 
Benjamin,  Dec.  24,  1743. 

(VII)  Jonathan  Bliss,  son  of  Ephraim,  born 
Jan.  26,  1739.  in  Rehoboth,  married  Dec.  27, 
1759,  Lydia  Wheeler,  born  Oct..  17,  1737,  and 
died  April  11,  1803.  Hp  was  a  resident  of 
Rehoboth,  where  he  died  Jan.  24,  1800.  His 
children  were:  Keziah,  born  Oct.  10, 1760  (died 
Nov.  26,  1760)  ;  James,  Jan.  18,  1762;  Jona- 
than. Dec.  6,  1763;  Chloe,  March  4,  1765; 
Jonathan,  April  3,  1767;  Lucy,  June  23,  1769; 
Asahel,  Sept.  6,  1771;  Shubael.  Oct.  30.  1773; 
Lydia,  Dec.  29,  1776;  Zenas,  Nov.  12,  1779: 
and  Nancy,  May  15,  1784. 

(VIII)  Capt.  James  Bliss,  son  of  Jonathan, 
born  Jan.  18,  1762,  was  a  farmer  in  Rehoboth. 
Mass.  When  quite  a  lad,  upon  first  hearing  a 
violin  played  he  inquired,  "Is  it  solid?"  Where- 
upon he  received  the  euphonius  title  of  "Capt. 
Solid,"  which  he  retained  through  life.  He 
married  Dec.  11,  1783,  Lydia  Carpenter,  who 
died  Aug.  8,  1785.  He  then,  Nov.  23,  1786. 
married  (second)  Mary  Carpenter,  who  died 
Aug.  9,  1828.  He  died  March  5,  1842.  Their 
children  were:  James,  born  Nov.  7,  1787;  Eli- 
jah, July  21,  1789;  Keziah,  July  7,  1791; 
Danforth,  Dec.  29,  1793;  Lucy.  April  8,  1796; 
Mary,  Sept.  23,  1798:  and" Patty,  May  28, 
1802    (died  June  27,   1802). 

(IX)  James  Bliss,  son  of  Capt.  James,  born 
Nov.  7,  1787,  in  Rehoboth,  married  -May  8, 
1814,  Olive  Jacobs,  of  Rehoboth,  who  died  Dec. 
6,  1814,  without  issue.  He  married  (second) 
Jan.  5,  1821,  Rhoda  Tisdale,  of  Taunton,  born 
in  1789,  who  died  Aug.  19,  1831,  leaving  issue: 
James  Tisdale,  born  April  11,  1822.  He  mar- 
ried (third)  in  January.  1832.  Peddy,  born 
Marcli  20.  1805,  daughter  of  Cromwell  and 
Peddy  (Cushman)  Peck,  and  widow  of  Edward 
J.  Peck,  of  Rehoboth.  Mr.  Bliss  lived  in 
Rehoboth  and  Wrentham,  Mass.  He  died  Julv 
31,  1861.  The  children  born  to  the  third  mar- 
riage were :  Rhoda  Tisdale,  born  Oct.  16,  1832  ; 
Leonard  C,  July  10,  1834;  Laura  Ann,  Aug. 
13,  1836:  Ebenezer  P.,  Feb.  17,  1840;  and 
Mary  F..  July  15,  1845  (married  Sept.  1.  1870, 
Eustis  Jerome  Fletcher). 

HON.  JAMES  PICKENS  PEIRCE.  former 
member  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  one  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  Lakeville,  Mass.,  was 
born  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  Sept.  24,  1835,  son 
of  Philip  Hathaway  and  Alugail  (Pickens) 
Peirce,  and  descendetl  in  the  paternal  line  from 
Abraham   Peirce,   of   record   as   a   taxpayer   in 


Plymouth  in  1623,  and  in  the  maternal  line 
from  Thomas  Pickens,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  his  wife  and  three  children  about  1718. 

(I)  Abraham  Peirce,  early  at  Plymouth, 
where,  according  to  the  late  E.  W.  Peirce,  he 
is  first  of  record  as  a  taxpayer  in  1623,  shared 
there  in  the  division  of  cattle  in  1627.  He 
was  one  of  tlie  "purchasers  or  old  comers."  He 
was  a  freeman  in  1633:  settled  at  Duxbury. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  purchasers  of 
ancient  Bridgewater  in  1645.  He  died  in  or 
about  1673.  According  to  the  authority 
quoted  above  the  Christian  name  of  his  wife 
was  Rebecca,  and  his  children  were:  Abraham, 
Rel:)ecca,  Mary,  Alice  and  Isaac. 

(II)  Isaac  Peirce,  son  of  Abraham,  received 
at  the  distribution  of  his  father's  estate  in  1673 
twenty  acres  of  upland  and  two  acres  of 
meadow.  For  services  in  King  Philip's  war  he 
received  a  grant  of  land.  He  died  in  that  part 
of  Middleboro  now  Lakeville,  Feb.  28,  1732. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Alice,  and 
his  children  were :  Isaac ;  Thomas,  wdio  married 
April  16,  1714,  Naomi  Booth,  of  Middleboro; 
Mary;  Lydia,  who  married  (first)  July  3,  1706, 
John  Heyford,  of  Bridgewater,  and  (second) 
Jan.  12,  1725,  Aaron  Seekel ;  Mercy,  who  mar- 
ried May  15,  1707,  Joseph  Trouant,  of  Bridge- 
water  ;  Sarah ;  and  Rebecca,  who  married  Sam- 
uel Hoar,  of  Middleboro. 

(III)  Isaac  Peirce  (2),  son  of  Isaac,  mar- 
ried (first)  Judith  Booth,  born  March  13,  1680, 
daughter  of  John  Booth,  of  Scituate.  She  died 
in  what  is  now  Lakeville  May  4,  1733,  in  her 
fifty-fourth  year,  and  he  married  (second)  Abi- 
gail   '—.     He  died  Jan.  17,  1757.     The 

children  born  to  the  first  marriage  were: 
Ebenezer,  born  in  1704,  married  in  1728  Mary 
Hoskins,  of  Taunton,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
granddaughter  of  William  Hoskins,  of  that 
tomi:  Isaac,  born  in  1705;  Elislia,  horn  about 

1706,  married  in  1738,  Margaret,  daughter  of 
John  Pain,  of  Freetown ;  Abigail,  bom  about 

1707,  married  in  1736  John  Howland,  of  Mid- 
dleboro; Judith,  born  July  4,  1709,  married 
in  1736  Lieut.  Thomas  Nelson,  of  Middleboro; 
and  Elkanah  married  in   1742  Hannah  Eddy. 

(IV)  Ensign  Isaac  Peirce,  son  of  Isaac  (2), 
born  in  1705,  married  May  5,  1735,  Deliver- 
ance Holloway,  of  Middlel)oro.  He  was  com- 
missioned ensign  of  the  Fourth  Company  of 
local  militia  in  Middlelioro.  He  died  Sept.  18, 
1782,  and  she  Oct.  11,  1801;  both  were  buried 
in  what  is  now  Lakeville,  Mass.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  George,  born  Oct.  16,  1735;  one 
deceased  in  infancy;  Enos,  born  Sept.  30,  1739, 
married  in  1785,  Ruth  Durt'ee,  of  Freetown; 
David,  born  March  20.  1741.  married  in  1764 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


811 


Abigail,  daughter  of  Ensign  Silas  Hathaway, 
of  Freetown;  Silas,  born  July  25,  1744,  mar- 
ried in  1771  Anna  Hathaway,  of  Taunton; 
Lucy,  born  May  28,  1755,  married  in  1775 
Capt.  Samuel  French,  of  Berkley. 

(V)  George  Peirce,  son  of  Ensign  Isaac, 
born  Oct.  16,  1735,  married  Sept.  14,  1757, 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Shadrach  Peirce.  Thev 
died,  he,  July  17,  1774,  and  she,  April  20, 
1778.  Their  children  were:  George  married 
in  1782,  Content  Evans,  of  Berkley;  Hermon, 
bom  Nov.  17,  1765;  Levi,  born  Aug.  10,  1774, 
married  (first)  Lucy  Peirce,  of  Middleboro; 
Phebe  married  Isaac  Parris,  of  Middleboro; 
and  Abigail  married  John  Hoar,  of  Middleboro. 

(VI)  Hermon  Peirce,  son  of  George,  born 
Nov.  17,  1765,  married  March  25,  1787,  Rachel, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Rachel  (Hoskins) 
Hoar.  They  died  he,  Aug.  7,  1809,  and  she, 
Nov.  9,  1856.  Mr.  Peirce  was  a  deacon  in  the 
Second  Baptist  Church  in  what  is  now  Lake- 
ville,  Mass.  The  children  bom  to  him  and  his 
wife  Rachel  were:  Sally,  born  Oct.  3,  1788, 
married  Joseph  Hall,  of  Raynham,;  Mercy, 
born  Feb.  3,  1790,  married  Henry  Pickens,  of 
Middleboro;  Abiah,  born  Jan.  27,  1792; 
Nancy,  born  Sept.  29,  1795;  John,  born  Feb. 
18,  1799,  nwrried  June  19,  1824,  Bathsheba 
Winslow  of  Berkley;  Levi,  bom  May  12,  1801, 
married  Nov.  21,  1837,  Lucy  V.  Hathaway, 
of  Freetown ;  Rachel,  bom  April  27,  1804,  mar- 
ried J.  H.  Perkins  of  Middleboro;  and  Philip 
Hathaway,  bom  March  29,  1807. 

(VII)  Philip  Hathaway  Peirce  married 
March  3,  1834,  Abigail  Pickens,  of  Middleboro, 
Mass.,  born  Aug.  4,  1807,  daughter  of  Lieut. 
George  and  Abigail  (Harvey)  Pickens.  He 
was  a  fanner  and  lived  in  what  is  now  Lake- 
ville,  Mass.  Their  children  were :  James 
Pickens,  born  Sept.  24,  1835;  Henry,  bom 
March  17,  1837,  married  Mrs.  Jane  Munroe, 
of  Middleboro  (no  children)  ;  Ellen,  bom  July 
12,  1840,  married  Stephen  Hinds,  of  Lake- 
ville,  and  has  children,  Jennie  F.,  Abbie  and 
James  P.  Philip  Hathaway  Peirce,  the  father, 
died  May  30,  1899,  in  Lakeville. 

(VIII)  James  Pickens  Peikce  attended  the 
public  schools  until  about  eighteen  years  of 
age.  At  that  time  he  hired  himself  out  for 
ten  cents  an  hour,  and  during  the  winter 
earned  thirty-five  dollars.  He  then  started  in 
the  cattle  buying  business  and  engaged  in 
butchering,  wholesale  and  retail.  For  the  past 
forty-five  years  he  has  been  carrying  on  a  real 
estate  business  in  connection  with  lumbering, 
and  the  running  of  a  sawmill,  now  having 
about  1200  acres  of  woodland,  of  which  thirty 
only  have  been  cultivated. 


Mr.  Peirce  has  taken  a  very  active  part  in 
jniblic  affairs,  and  served  his  fellow  townsmen 
thirteen  years  on  the  board  of  selectmen.  He 
was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  in  1879,  and 
by  reappointment  has  continued  to  serve  in 
that  capacity  to  the  present  time.  In  1878  he 
was  sent  to  the  General  Assembly  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  his  district.  Politically  he  is  a 
Republican.  His  religious  faith  is  that  of  the 
Baptist  denomination. 


Pickens.  The  Pickens  family,  of  which  the 
Hon.  James  Pickens  Peirce  is  a  member  in 
the  maternal  line,  is  descended  from  (I) 
Thomas  Pickens  (final  "s"  added  in  this  coun- 
try), who  with  wife  Margaret  (Steel)  and 
their  children  Jane,  Andrew  and  James  (twins, 
aged  about  two  years)  came  to  this  country 
about  1717,  landing  at  Boston  after  a  rough 
and  tedious  voyage  of  eleven  weeks.  They 
came  from  Ballygully,  near  Coleraine  in  the 
North  Part  of  Ireland.  After  coming  to  this 
country  they  had  born  to  them :  Martha,  John, 
Margaret  and  Thomas.  The  family  lived  for 
a  time  in  a  little  town  in  Milton,  thence  went 
to  Freetown,  and  soon  after  settled  in  the 
southwest  part  of  Middleboro,  on  land  which 
for  generations  was  occupied  by  their  descend- 
ants. The  first  mention  of  a  Pickens  in  the 
land  record  at  Plymouth  is  in  1736,  when 
Thomas  Pickens  of  Freetown  gave  a  deed  of 
land  to  John  Tinkham.  Thomas  Pickens  was 
in  Middleboro  in  1739,  when  he  deeded  to  his 
son  James  of  that  same  town  a  tract  of  land. 
His  name  ajSpears  as  one  of  the  original  mem- 
bers of  the  Lakeville  Congregational  Church 
fomied  Oct.   12,  1725. 

(II)  James  Pickens,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Margaret,  of  Middleboro,  was  born  about  1715, 
in  the  North  of  Ireland,  and  became  a  farmer 
and  lived  on  land  owned  and  in  the  house  built 
by  his  father.  He  died  at  Middleboro  March 
22,  1800,  in  his  eighty-fourth  year.  His  wife 
Margaret  (Strobridge)  Pickens,  born  Sept.  21, 
1728,  in  the  west  part  of  Middleboro,  now 
Lakeville,  Mass.,  and  to  whom  he  was  married 
Aug.  20,  1752,  died  Jan.  28,  1798,  in  Middle- 
boro, in  her  seventieth  year.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  WilLiam  Strobridge,  who  was  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  Londonderry  in  the  North  of 
Ireland,  and  his  wife  Margaret  Henry,  to  whom 
he  was  married  in  1716,  and  who  with  wife 
and  child  came  to  this  country  about  1719  and 
settled  in  what  is  now  Lakeville.  The  chil- 
dren of  James  and  Margaret  (Strobridge) 
Pickens  were:  James,  bom  Nov.  17,  1753; 
Alexander,  Feb.  14,  1755;  Martha,  Oct.  19, 
1756;  Samuel,  May  1,  1758;  William,  June  23, 


812 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1760;  Margaret,  April  19,  1762;  David,  Jan. 
25,  1764;  John,  Oct.  10,  1765;  George,  April 
18,  1767;  Mary,  July  2,  1768;  and  Eebecca, 
April  28,  1771. 

(III)  Lieut.  George  Pickens,  son  of  James 
and  Margaret  (Strobridge)  Pickens,  bom  April 
18,  1767,  in  the  west  parish  of  Middleboro,  now 
Lakevalle,  Mass.,  married  (first)  Jan.  23,  1794, 
Polly,  daughter  of  Jolm  and  Ruth  (Gushing) 
Pickens,  who  died  Aug.  19,  1805,  and  he  mar- 
ried (second)  Nov.  20,  1806,  Abigail,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  Harvey.  She  died  July  13,  1839, 
aged  sixty-nine  years.  He  died  April  2,  1849. 
His  children  were:  Lucy,  born  June  10,  1795; 
Asa  Pease,  April  24,  1797;  Mary,  April  24, 
1800;  George,  April  4,  1802;  Alexander,  June 
20,  1805  (all  to  the  first  marriage)  ;  Abigail, 
Aug.  4,  1807;  Jonathan  Harvev,  Aug.  15, 
1808;  and  James,  Jan.  23,  1810.  " 

(IV)  Abigail  Pickens,  daugliter  of  Lieut. 
George  and  Abigail  (Harvey)  Pickens,  born 
Aug.  4,  1807,  in  what  is  now  Lakeville,  Mass., 
married  March  3,  1834,  Philip  Hathaway 
Peirce. 

CHARLES  PERRY  BRING.  The  name 
Bring  is  an  old  and  honored  one  in  New  Eng- 
land, one  now  of  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years"  standing  in  and  about  tlie  towns  of  both 
Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts,  close  to  the 
line  separating  the  two  States.  Little  Compton 
was  the  early  home  of  the  Bring  family  treated 
in  this  article,  and  Newport  the  home  of  later 
generations  of  this  branch,  which  by  way  of 
designation  we  have  termed  the  Newport-Fall 
River  family,  a  prominent  member  of  which 
was  the  late  Charles  Perry  Bring,  who  for  a 
period  of  over  sixty  years  was  one  of  the  well- 
known  and  prominent  business  men  of  hie 
adopted  city.  Fall  River,  Mass.,  one  who  had 
worked  his  way  from  a  poor  boy  to  position 
and  influence  in  that  community,  and  was 
himself  a  witness  to  and  participant  in  the 
great  changes  wrought  in  those  years.  This 
Little  Compton-Newport  and  Fall  River  branch 
of  the  Bring  family,  too,  has  allied  itself  by 
marriage  and  become  connected  with  a  num- 
ber of  the  historic  families  of  this  section,  with 
such  families  as  those  of  Perry  and  Brownell, 
the  former  of  which  gave  to  the  country  the 
distinguished  brothers  and  naval  officers,  Co7n- 
modores  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  of  Lake  Erie 
fame,  and  Mattliew  Calbraith  Perry,  U.  S.  N., 
who  negotiated  our  peace  relations  witli  Japan, 
and  the  latter  of  which  gave  the  distinguished 
churchman — the  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  Church 
Brownell,  D.  B.,  LL.  B.,  Bishop  in  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church.     More  could  be  said 


of  other  families  allied  with  this  Bring  fam- 
ily, suffice  it,  however,  to  add  that  some  of  its 
connections  are  traced  to  the  historic  "May- 
flower," among  tliem  being  the  Alden  and  Mul- 
lins  families,  Charles  P.  Bring  having  been  a 
direct  descendant  in  the  eighth  generation 
through  John  Bring  and  ICsther  Perry  (VII)  j 
Philip  Bring  and  Ruth  Stoddard  (VI)  > 
Thomas  Bring  and  Sarah  Searle  (V) ;  Na- 
thaniel Searle  and  Sarah  Rogers  (IV)  ;  John 
Rogers  and  Elizabeth  Pabodie  (III)  ;  William 
Pabodie  and  Elizabeth  Alden  (II),  of  John 
Alden  and  Priscilla  Mullins  (I),  of  the  "May- 
flower," whose  courtship  has  been  made  famous 
by  Longfellow's  poem.  The  Bring  family  also 
furnished  its  brave  and  distinguished  men  dur- 
ing the  Revolution,  among  them  Nathaniel 
Bring,  who  served  in  that  memorable  war; 
Thomas  Bring,  who  served  as  gunner  on  the 
sloop  "Success,"  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  died  in  1787,  and  his  son,  Philip  Bring, 
who  was  born  in  1750,  was  a  lieutenant  of 
troop  of  horse,  Capt.  Gideon  Ahny's  Company, 
in  the  same  war;  and  the  courageous  Thomas 
Bring,  who  was  engaged  in  a  seafaring  life 
during  those  times,  being  twice  captured  by 
the  British,  hi«  sufferings  and  privations  while 
a  prisoner  being  vividly  portrayed  in  his 
"Recollections  of  the  Jersey  Prison-Ship," 
which  was  prepared  by  him  in  the  year 
1824,  and  afterward  arranged  for  publication 
by  Mr.  Albert  G.  Greene.  And  among  others 
of  the  family  who  have  distinguished  them- 
selves in  various  ways  may  be  mentioned  Ben- 
jamin Bring,  who  served  as  a  seaman  on  the 
ship  "Cffisar,"  of  130  tons,  which  vessel  took 
part  in  the  Louisburg  expedition,  he  being  a 
member  of  her  crew  when  she  was  sent  to  Cape 
Ann  in  1745.  where  they  were  to  take  orders 
from  Governor  Shirley,  and  then  proceed  to 
Cape  Breton  to  aid  in  overthrowing  the  enemy ; 
and  as  well  Benjamin  Bring,  who  left  his 
home  in  Newport  to  join  Commodore  Perry 
on  Lake  Erie,  after  which  famous  battle  he 
was  never  heard  of,  although  he  took  a  promi- 
nent part  therein,  being  one  of  the  men  who 
rowed  the  small  open  boat  containing  Commo- 
dore Perry,  in  which  the  latter  was  conveyed 
from  his  sinking  ship,  the  "Lawrence."  across 
the  open  water  to  the  ship  "Niagara,"  from 
the  mast  of  which  he  floated  his  ilag. 

There  follows  in  chronological  order  from 
the  early  Little  Compton  Bring  settler,  the 
ancestry  of  this  fainily  in  America.  The  Bring 
family  is  of  English  origin.  Members  of  the 
family  were  prominent  in  the  annals  of  the 
mother  country,  being  frequently  and  honor- 
ably mentioned  among  the  English  Peerage. 


J'JfBnr,  £Co 


4^^li      ^     ^rn. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACH  USETTS 


813 


The  first  authentic  record  of  the  Dring  fam- 
ily in  America  opens  in  Little  Conipton,  tlieu 
a  part  of  Massachusetts,  but  later  of  Ehode 
Island,  wliere  (1)  Thomas  Dring,  who  was 
born  in  16(J6,  is  of  record  there  as  marrying 
May  21,  169G,  Mary  Butler,  who  was  born  in 
1670,  and  their  children  of  Little  Compton 
town  record  were:  John,  born  April  12,  1697; 
Mary,  born  April  23,  1699,  who  died  in  May, 
1786;  Mercy,  born  July  23,  1701;  Thomas, 
horn  April  23,  1704;  Elizabeth,  born  May  16, 
1706;  Nathaniel,  born  April  17,  1707;  I'ris- 
cilla,  born  March  8,  1709,  who  died  June  8, 
1709;  Azariah,  born  March  27,  1710;  Ruth, 
born  Feb.  3,  1712 ;  Bathsheba,  born  Aug.  16, 
1715,  who  died  in  March,  1790;  and  Freelove, 
born  March  1,  1730. 

(II)  Thomas  Dring,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Butler)  Dring,  was  born  April  23,  1704, 
and  married  June  28,  1725,  Sarah  Searle, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Searle.  She  was  born 
April  2,  1700,  and  died  Feb.  16,  1783.  Their 
children  were:  Tabitha,  born  Oct.  22,  1726; 
Benjamin,  Nov.  27,  1727;  Philip,  Sept.  7, 
1730;  Hannah,  Sept.  14,  1732;  Nathaniel, 
Sept.  4,  1734;  Abigail,  April  30,  1736;  and 
Mary,  in  1737  (died  Oct.  18,  1822).  The 
father  of  these  children  died  April  16,  1787. 

(III)  Philip  Dring.  son  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Searle)  Dring,  born  Sept  7,  1730,  mar- 
ried Dec.  19.  1751,  Ruth  Stoddard,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Dring)  Stoddard. 
She  was  born  Oct.  1,  1733,  and  died  July  24, 
1816.  Their  children  were:  Delany,  born 
June  30,  1752,  married  Robert  AVoodworth ; 
John,  born  Dec.  15,  1754,  died  Nov.  5,  1775; 
Hannah,  born  Feb.  3,  1757,  married  Peter 
Holt:  Philip,  horn  April  23,  1759,  died  April 
10,  1766;  Nathaniel,  born  March  29,  1761, 
married  Susanna  Brownell ;  Rutli,  born  June 
26,  1763,  died  in  1766;  Benjamin,  born  in 
1765,  died  in  1766;  Ruth  (2),  born  April  18, 
1767,  married  Ehenezer  Clarke ;  Philip  was 
born  Aug.  29,  1769;  Sarah  Searle,  born  June 
1,  1772,  died  April  13,  1859;  John  was  born 
Nov.  4,  1775 ;  Deborah  was  born  March  22. 
1777. 

(IV)  John  Dring,  son  of  Philip  and'  Ruth 
(Stoddard)  Dring,  was  born  Nov.  4,  1775,  in 
Little  Compton,  R.  I.,  and  died  in  Newport, 
July  17,  1855.  In  early  life  lie  followed  the 
sea,  and  later  became  engaged  in  farming  and 
teaming.  He  married  Esther  Perry,  who  was 
bom  in  1782,  in  South  Kingstown,  R.  I., 
daughter  of  Edward  Perry,  and  died  in  New- 
port, Aug.  20,  1820.  Their  home  was  in  New- 
port, where  their  children  were  born,  as  fol- 
lows:    Philip,  born   May  24,  1»U2,  died   Feb. 


22,  1891;  Abby  Gardner,  born  Dec.  10,  1805, 
died  unmarried,  Oct.  28,  1898,  in  her  ninety- 
third  year;  Charles  Perry,  born  June  12,  1808, 
is  tlie  subject  proper  of  this  review;  Mary, 
born  Oct.  7,  1810,  died  unmarried,  March  23, 
1882;  Ruth,  born  July  7,  1813,  died  unmar- 
ried Jan.  16,  1855;  Frances,  born  Oct.  1,  1815, 
died  unmarried,  April  15,  1839;  Sarah,  born 
Oct.  4,  1817,  died  April  15,  1818;  Harriet, 
born  May  9,  1819,  died  Oct.  15,  1820. 

(V)  Charles  Perry  Dring,  son  of  John  and 
Esther  (Perry)  Dring,  was  born  in  the  Dring 
homestead  on  Levin  street,  in  Newport,  R.  I., 
June  12,  1808,  and  acquired  the  rudiments  of 
his  education  in  the  neighborhood  school — 
what  was  known  as  the  "little  red  school- 
house."  His  childhood  being  passed  near  the 
shores  of  the  Atlantic,  with  its  waters  and  ships 
perpetually  in  sight,  it  was  but  natural  that 
the  bend  of  his  mind  and  tastes  should  be  sea- 
ward. In  time  he  went  to  Stonington,  Conn., 
where  he  shipped  for  a  sealing  voyage,  around 
Cape  Horn,  thence  to  the  Antarctic  regions, 
the  expedition  occupying  about  one  and  one- 
half  years.  The  crew  brought  home  27,000 
seal  skins.  He  made  a  second  voyage,  this  one 
being  to  the  Mediterranean  in  a  ship  from 
Bristol,  R.  I.,  which  took  aboard  sugar  from 
Cuba  to  Triest.  Subsequently  he  made  a  voy- 
age from  his  native  town  to  Cuba,  thence  to 
New  Orleans,  and  from  there  to  New  York. 
These  four  years  passed,  as  it  were,  upon  the 
bosom  of  the  deep,  satisfied  his  nautical  de- 
sires, for  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in  1827, 
he  is  found  beginning  the  calling  in  life  which 
proved  to  be  one. for  which  be  was  admirably 
adapted,  one  in  which  he  excelled  and  made 
for  himself  a  reputation,  gaining  both  position 
and  wealth.  This  beginning,  and  we  may  say 
ending,  was  at  Fall  River,  Mass.,  for  his  long, 
busy  and  honorable  career  was  passed  at  that 
point.  He  became  employed  in  1827,  at  the 
Fall  River  Foundry,  then  operated  by  Messrs. 
Newell  &  Woodward,  but  which  three  years 
later  fell  into  the  possession  of  the  Fall  River 
Iron  Works  Company,  Mr.  Dring  being  trans- 
ferred to  the  latter,  with  which  he  remained  a 
most  trusted  employee  and  official  until  about 
1866,  his  services  with  practically  the  one  con- 
cern covering  the  long  period  of  thirty-nine 
years.  Along  in  the  middle  of  the  forties  John 
Kilbum,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  had  com- 
menced the  manufacture  at  Fall  River  of  cot- 
ton looms,  and  as  well  what  was  known  as  the 
"Fourneyron  turbine,"  the  latter  a  French  in- 
vention, which  was  being  introduced  into  the 
New  England  mills.  Mr.  Kilburn  died  in 
1846,  and  his  brother,  Elijah  C.  Kilburn,  came 


814 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


to  Fall  River,  and  in  conjunction  with  his 
brothers  widow  continued  the  business.  Not 
being  a  practical  mechanic  himself,  he  asso- 
ciated with  them  in  the  business,  in  1847,  Jon- 
athan Lincoln,  forming  the  firm  of  E.  C.  Kil- 
burn  &  Co.  In  1856  Henry  Clay  Lincoln,  a 
son  of  Jonathan,  was  taken  into  the  concern, 
and  the  business  was  continued  under  the  firm 
name  of  Kilburn,  Lincoln  &  Son,  who  subse- 
quently built  a  new  and  commodious  plant  for 
their  increasing  business.  At  this  time,  in  1866 
or  1867,  Charles  P.  Dring  was  admitted  to  the 
partnership,  bringing  with  him  the  ripe  ex- 
perience earned  in  his  nearly  forty  years  of 
service  with  the  Fall  River  Iron  Works  Com- 
pany, and  whose  reputation  as  a  most  honor- 
able man  and  practical  mechanic  played  no  lit- 
tle part  in  the  success  this  enterprise  afterward 
attained.  Andrew  Luscomb,  a  son-in-law  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  was  also  at  this  time  admitted 
a  partner  in  the  concern,  the  firm  name  at  this 
time  assuming  the  style  of  Kilburn,  Lincoln  & 
Co.,  which  had  a  paid-up  capital  of  $80,000. 
The  new  plant  of  this  concern,  built  in  1867, 
and  which  was  complete  and  modern  in  all  of 
its  departments,  covered  some  three  hundred 
rods  of  land  conveniently  located  at  the  corner 
of  Annawan  and  Canal  streets,  near  the  railroad 
and  tide  water.  As  to  the  further  history  of  this 
enterprise — wdth  which,  by  the  way,  Mr.  Dring 
continued,  and  in  an  official  capacity  as  a  di- 
rector, through  the  remainder  of  his  lifetime, 
and  in  which  his  son,  the  late  Charles  H. 
Dring,  was  schooled  and  became  identified  with 
it,  remaining  for  many  years — it  is  enough  to 
say  that  it  became  and  is  now  one  of  the  larg- 
est and  most  modernly  equipped  plants  of  its 
kind  in  this  country. 

Tlie  life  of  the  late  Cliarles  Perry  Dring 
spanned  almost  the  whole  of  the  industrial  life 
of  the  now  great  manufacturing  center  of  Fall 
River,  with  its  thousands  of  bu*\  spindles. 
Coming  to  the  place,  as  he  did,  when  it  was 
a  mere  village,  he  witnessed  its  rapid  and 
wonderful  growth  to  a  city  of  thousands,  and 
was  an  active  participant  in  the  scenes  whicli 
wrought  these  great  changes.  His  long,  active, 
busy  career  is  so  interwoven  with  the  city's 
history  as  to  be  a  part  of  it.  His  career  is  one 
that  will  be  the  more  interesting  and  shine 
with  greater  lustre  to  the  readers  of  it  in  com- 
ing years.  Of  a  good,  illustrious  ancestry  and 
early  training,  Mr.  Dring  became  a  man  of 
character;  uniting  with  the  church,  he  threw 
his  influence  on  the  side  of  right  and  his  ex- 
ample and  life  were  an  inspiration  to  many. 
Beginning  life,  as  he  did,  in  a  most  humble 
way  and  rising  through  the  sheer  force  of  his 


make-up  to  position  and  wealth,  he  knew  how 
to  sympathize  with  those  who  were  struggling 
at  the  threshold  as  did  he,  and  they  in  turn 
seeing  his  success  saw  hope  and  gathered  in- 
spiration. 

Mr.  Dring  was  a  man  of  tender  heart  and 
sympathies,  and  aided  in  more  ways  than  one 
the  poor  of  his  community.  He  was  a  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school,  of  wliom  so  few  are  left. 
He  was  modest,  kind,  courteous  and  withal  a 
dignified  gentleman.  He  treated  all  alike — 
the  high  and  the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor,^ 
were  but  one  to  him,  all  alike,  worthy  of  re- 
spect and  courteous  treatment,  and  thus  with 
all  he  was  popular  and  was  admired  for  his 
true  worth.  As  a  business  man  he  was  able,, 
one  of  foresight,  standing  high  in  business 
circles.  He  was  honorable  and  high-minded, 
a  man  of  strict  integrity,  and  as  a  citizen  his 
character  was  above  reproach.  In  his  home, 
whose  fireside  with  his  family  about  him  he 
dearly  loved,  he  was  an  affectionate  husband 
and  loving  father,  whose  children  might  well 
often  rise  to  the  occasion  of  calling  his  mem- 
ory blessed.  But  one  of  these  is  now  left  to 
represent  the  name  in  the  community  where 
-his  life  work  was  so  nobly  and  successfully 
wrought,  Miss  Caroline  A.  Dring,  who  still 
resides  in  Fall  River. 

Mr.  Dring  was  one  of  the  original  promoters 
of  the  Union  Mills  enterprise,  which  was 
started  in  Fall  River  in  1859,  was  one  of  th& 
directors  at  the  time  of  its  failure,  and  lost  a 
portion  of  his  hard-earned  property  by  indors- 
ing for  this  concern.  He  was  also  a  director 
for  many  years  of  the  Union  National  Bank 
and  of  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank,  until  obliged 
by  increasing  infirmities  to  resign  from  these 
boards.  In  1837  Mr.  Dring  became  a  member 
of  the  Franklin  Street  Christian  Church  at 
Fall  River,  of  which  he  continued  to  be  an 
esteemed  and  wortliy  member  and  liberal  sup- 
porter until  his  death. 

On  Jan.  3,  1833,  Mr.  Dring  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Maria  Brownell,  a  native  of 
Little  Compton,  E.  I.,  born  March  9,  1812, 
daughter  of  Humphrey  and  Sarah  (Head) 
Brownell,  and  a  direct  descendant  of  Thomas 
Brownell,  who  is  of  record  at  Portsmouth,  R. 
I.,  as  early  as  1647,  and  who  was  for  a  number- 
of  years  commissioner  from  that  town,  and  in 
1664  represented  it  in  the  Colonial  Assembly. 
PVom  this  Thomas  Brownell  descended  Sylves- 
ter Brownell,  through  the  former's  son  Tliomas 
Brownell  (2),  who  was  one  of  the  original  pro- 
prietors of  Little  Compton,  R.  I.  Sylvester 
Brownell  is  recalled  as  one  of  the  thousand 
minute-men  whom  the  gallant  Prescott  led  to- 


^.XBmmfm  St  Co- 


f0CXJU^-^     Cl.3^ 


MMiTK 


7 


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a^-n^-^T-^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


815 


the  heights  of  Bunker  Hill  on  the  memorable 
niglit  of  June  16,  1775,  and  was  in  the  battle 
the  following  day.     He  was  one  of  the  surviv- 
ors present  at   the  laying  of  the  corner-stone 
of    Bunker    Hill    Monument,    June    17,    1825. 
Mrs.  Maria  (Brownell)  Bring  died  at  the  fam- 
ily home  in  Fall  River,  Mass., 'on  Dec.  27,  1866. 
She  was  a  true  woman,  one  of  fine  qualities, 
whose  moral  worth  was  an  influence  for  good 
in    the    community    in    which    she    lived    and 
moved.     Mr.  Bring  survived  his  devoted  wife 
almost  twenty-five  years,  dying  at  liis  home  in 
Fall  River,  May  7,  1891,  in  the  eighty-third 
year  of  his  age.    The  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Bring  were:     Charles  H.,  born' Aug.   6, 
1841,  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  and  Caroline  Augusta, 
born  June   17,   1846,  in  Tiverton,  R.   I.;  the 
latter  resides   in   Fall   River,  unmarried,  hav- 
ing devoted  her  life  to  the  care  of  her  parents. 
(VI)  Charles  Humphrey  Bring,  only  son 
of  the  late  Charles  Perry  and  Maria  (Brown- 
ell) Bring,  was  born  Aug.  6,  1841,  in  the  town 
of    Tiverton,   R.   I.     He    acquired  a   common 
school  education,  after  which  he  furthered  his 
studies  by  attendance  at  the  Andover  (N.  H.) 
Seminary.    He  was  reared  in  Fall  River,  Mass., 
the  home  of  the  family,  and  in  time  learned 
the  business  in  which  his  father  was  engaged, 
entering   in    1866    or    1867    the    concern   with 
which  his  father  was  connected,  that  of  Kil- 
burn,  Lincoln  &  Co.,  machinists  and  founders, 
at   Fall  River,  the  history  and   description  of 
whose  business   is  set  forth  in   the  foregoing. 
Mr.    Bring,    as    had    his    father    before    him, 
started  in  the  business  at  the  bottom,  learning 
the  trade  of  molder,  and  gradually  worked  his 
wav  upward  until  he  became  a  member  of  the 
firm.     He  worked  for  some  years  simply  as  a 
mechanic,  then  became  foreman,  and,  as  stated, 
finally  was  admitted  as  an  interested  party  in 
the   business,   succeeding   his   father.     His   ef- 
forts   in   the   various   capacities    in    which   he 
served  were  crowned  with  success,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  possessed  of  consid- 
erable  property.     Owing   to   the   condition    of 
his  health  he  retired  from  the  corporation  some 
years  prior  to  his  death.     Mr.  Bring  was  in- 
terested  in   and   identified    with   a   number   of 
fraternal  organizations.     He  was  a  member  of 
the  Benevolent  and   Protective  Order  of  Elks 
at    Fall   River,  in   which   he  had   held   various 
offices  being  a  past  exalted  ruler;  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  at  one  time  was  prominent  in  the 
circles  of  tliat  order,  and  he  was  also  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  as  well  as  various 
other  social  and  fraternal  societies. 

Mr.  Bring  never  married.     For  some  years 


prior  to  his  death  he  made  his  home  on  Wheeler 
avenue,  at  Edgewood,  Providence,  R.  I.,  where 
he  lived  quieily;  in  tJie  companionship  of  a  few 
intimate  friends.  Here  he  ]>a;-;-ed  away  March 
15,  1907,  wlien  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his 
age. 

EBENEZER  ALBEN  BYER,  M.  B.,  a 
leading  professional  man  of  Whitman,  whose 
years  have  been  devoted  to  ministering  to  the 
afflicted  and  to  the  service  of  his  fellow  men 
in  public  position,  where  he  has  evinced  quali- 
ties of  a  high  order  of  statesmanship  and  lofty 
patriotism,  was  born  in  what  was  then  South 
Abington  (now  Whitman),  Mass.,  July  17, 
1857,  son  of  Edward  Loring  and  Lavinia 
Crosby  (Gannett)  Byer. 

The  Byer  family  to  which  the  Boctor  belongs 
is  one  of  the  oldest  in  this  section  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  for  several  generations  its  mem- 
bers have  lived  in  and  around  Abington.  The 
founder  of  the  family  in  America  was  (I)  Wil- 
liam Byer,  who,  with  his  son  Christopher,  is 
on  a  recorded  list  of  those  who  took  the  oath 
of  allegiance,  in  1665,  at  Sheepscott,  Maine, 
where  they  were  both  early  settlers,  and  where 
they  were  both  massacred  by  the  Indians  dur- 
ing King  Philip's  war.  William  Byer  built 
his  cabin  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  which  still 
bears  his  name  and  opposite  what  is  still  known 
as  Byer's  Neck.  The  river  and  neck  are  lasting 
monuments  to  William  Byer,  the  pioneer,  who 
was  the  first  to  lose  his  life  (according  to  Cush- 
man)  from  Indian  hatred  in  the  general  mas- 
sacre when  Sheepscott  was  pillaged  and  sacked 
by  the  Indians  in  1676.  His  death  threw  his 
family  and  the  colony  at  Sheepscott  into  de- 
spair, and  following  his  death  many  of  the 
colonists  \vere  killed,  the  survivors  fleeing  in 
terror  to  other  settlements,  but  mostly  to  Bos- 
ton and  vicinity.  William  Byer  had  two  sons 
and  one  daughter,  namely :  Christopher,  the 
elder;  John,  born  about  1648;  and  Mary,  who 
married  Samuel  Bolles. 

(II)  Christopher  Byer,  son  of  William,  had 
the  following  children  by  his  first  marriage: 
William ;  John ;  and  Grace,  who  married  John 
Ellicett,  or  Ellisett,  of  Boston.  By  his  second 
wife,  Ruth,  he  had  Mary,  who  married  Samuel 
Talbot,  of  Taunton,  and  Ruth,  who  married 
Benjamin  Paul,  of  Taunton. 

(III)  William  Byer,  son  of  Christopher,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  that  part  of 
Rridgewater  since  known  as  Abington  and 
Whitman,  in  1699.  His  first  wife  was  Joanna 
Chard  or  Joanna  Bicknell.  A  short  distance 
west  of  where  the  railroad  station  at  Whitman 
now  stands  he  built  his  log  cabin,  near  a  fine 


816 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


spring  of  water,  and  here  Christopher,  his  son, 
was  born  in  1701,  the  first  child  born  in  the 
town  of  Abington.    He  married  (second)  April 

17,  1712,  Mary  Whitman,  and  removed  to  Wey- 
mouth. He  died  prior  to  Aug.  15,  1750,  when 
his  will  was  probated. 

(IV)  Christopher  Dyer,  son  of  William,  born 
in  1701,  in  Abington,  the  first  white  child  born 
in  the  town,  died  in  the  same  town  Aug.  11, 
1786.  He  married  Hannah  Nash,  daughter  of 
Ensign  James  Nash,  of  Abington,  and  their 
children  were:  Mary,  Hannah,  (iliristopher, 
Sarah,  Jacob,  Betsey  and  James. 

(V)  Christopher  Dyer  (2),  son  of  Christo- 
pher and  Hannah,  made  his  home  in  Abington, 
where  he  reared  six  sons,  namely :  Bela,  who 
settled  in  Abington ;  Joseph,  who  died  young ; 
Christopher;  Benjamin,  who  settled  in  Ash- 
field,  Mass. ;  Jesse,  who  located  in  Plainfield, 
Mass.,  and  Asa,  who  made  his  home  in  Skowhe- 
gan,  Maine. 

(VI)  Christopher  Dyer  (3),  son  of  Christo- 
pher (2),  was  born  in  Abington,  Mass.,  Dec. 
23,  1764.  He  lived  in  the  south  part  of  Ab- 
ington, now  Whitman,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  where  he  died 
May  9,  1853.  He  married  Deborah  Reed, 
born  July  25,  1768,  daughter  of  Samuel  Reed, 
and  their  children  were:  Christopher,  Sally, 
Deborah,  Mehitable,  Lucy,  Charles,  Sally  (2), 
Hervey,  Mary  and  Samiiel. 

(VII)  Christopher  Dyer  (4),  son  of  Chris- 
topher (3),  was  bom  in  the  south  part  of  Ab- 
ington Oct.  15,  1786,  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood, making  his  home  where  his  grandson, 
Dr.  Dyer,  now  resides.  He  was  a  man  of  ed- 
ucation, and  was  a  great  reader,  being  well  in- 
formed on  all  the  topics  of  the  day.  He  was 
an  artistic  penman,  was  a  teacher  of  penman- 
ship, and  was  also  a  sign  painter.  His  death 
occurred  at  his  home  Sept.  24,  1868,  and  he 
was  buried  in  the  Colebrook  cemetery  at  Whit- 
man.      He  married  in   South  Abington,  Jan. 

10,  1810,  Betsey  Porter,  daughter  of  Ebenezer 
Porter,  of  South' Abington,  and  their  children 
were:     Betsey,  born  Oct.  20,  1811,  died  Sept. 

18,  1817;  Ebenezer  Porter,  born  Aug.  15,  1813, 
married  Dec.  2,  1838,  Esther  Ann  Hough,  and 
died  Aug.  27,  1882 ;  Elizabeth  Jjavinia,  born 
Aug.  16,  1817,  married  April  4,  1848,  Charles 
Cummings,  and  died  in  Medford,  Mass. ;  Chris- 
topher, born  Oct.  28,  1819,  married  Almira 
Littlefield  Nov.  5,  1850,  and  died  at  Avon  Nov. 

11,  1881;  Maria  Louisa,  born  Sept.  9,  1821, 
married  April  4,  1848,  Rev.  Ebenezer  Alden,  of 
Randolph,  and  died  March  4,  1889;  Sally, 
bom   April   15,   1823,  married  May  21,   1843, 


Daniel  M.  FuUerton,  and  died  in  Whitman 
July  7,  1895 ;  Georffe  Gustavus,  born  Aug.  20, 
1825,  married  Nov.  14,  1852,  Mary  Ann  Bart- 
lett,  and  died  Jan.  9,  1891 ;  Edward  Loring 
was  born  May  16,  1828;  Francis  Elihu,  bom 
Dec.  8,  1830,  married  Nov.  9,  1852,  Mary  B. 
Thomas,  and  died  Oct.  5,  1866;  Helen  Amelia, 
born  April  2,  1836,  died  April  1,  1843. 

(VIII)  Edward  Loring  Dyer,  son  of  Chris- 
topher (4),  was  bom  on  the  homestead  May  16, 
1828,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  attending 
the  district  schools  and  working  for  his  father. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  express  business,  but 
later  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Francis  Elihu  Dyer,  and  they  carried  on  a  gen- 
eral store  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
war.  Mr.  Dyer  enlisted  in  Company  C,  38th 
Mass.  V.  I.,  at  South  Abington,  for  three 
years.  Before  his  term  of  enlistment  expired 
he  was  taken  ill  and  returned  home,  dying 
Feb.  12,  1864.  He  was  buried  in  Colebrook 
cemetery.  He  had  held  the  office  of  constable 
of  the  town.  On  Oct.  22,  1850,  he  married 
I.^vinia  Crosby  Gannett,  born  June  28,  1831, 
daughter  of  Seth  Gannett,  of  Hanson,  Mass., 
and  she  died  Oct.  28,  1899;  she  was  buried  in 
the  Colebrook  cemetery.  Two  children  were 
born  of  this  union:  Edward  Oscar,  born  Jan. 
14,  1853;  and  Ebenezer  Alden,  born  July  17, 
1857. 

(IX)  Ebenezer  Alden  Dyer  received  his  early 
literary  training  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town,  and  then  entered  Phillips  (Andover) 
Academy,  whence  he  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1878,  after  which  he  matriculated  at  Amherst 
College.  Later  he  took  up  the  study  of  medi- 
cine at  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College, 
graduating  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  in  the 
class  of  1882.  He  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  where  he 
remained  one  year,  and  then  moved  to  South- 
ampton, where  he  practiced  for  six  and  a  half 
yearsv  In  1890  he  came  to  South  Abington, 
now  Whitman,  where  for  eight  years  he  de- 
voted his  time  to  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
When  gold  was  discovered  in  Alaska  Dr.  Dyer, 
being  fond  of  travel  and  adventure,  started  for 
the  new  El  Dorado,  and  there  for  five  years 
was  engaged  in  prospecting  and  also  for  a  time 
followed  his  profession  at  Cape  Nome.  In 
1903  he  returned  from  Alaska,  and  since  then 
has  been  engaged  in  professional  work,  making 
his  home  at  the  old  Dyer  homestead — one  of 
the  oldest  in  this  section  of  the  county. 

In  public  life  the  Doctor  has  been  quite 
active  for  a  number  of  years.  For  several 
years    he    was    a    member    of    the    Republican 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


817 


town  committee,  and  was  its  cliairman  in  1907. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Plymouth  County  Club. 
A  Republican  organization ;  and  for  several 
jears  has-  been  a  member  of  the  Republican 
Club  of  Massachusetts.  In  the  fall  of  1905 
he  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  as  a 
member  of  the  General  Court  for  the  towns 
•of  Abington  and  Whitman,  and  there  served  on 
the  Public  Lighting  committee,  and  was  moni- 
tor of  the  Second  Division  in  the  House.  In 
1906  he  was  again  elected,  and  during  the  ses- 
sion of  1907  served  as  a  member  and  chairman 
■of  the  committee  on  Public  Charitable  Institu- 
tions. At  both  elections  he  received  large 
pluralities  over  his  opponents.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Whitman  Board  of  Trade.  In  pro- 
fessional connection  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Plymouth  District  Medical  Society  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Medical  Society,  and  for  several 
years  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medical 
Association.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Hath- 
■erly  Medical  Club,  which  is  composed  of  the 
physicians  of  Whitman  and  vicinity;  and  of 
the  Massachusetts  Association  of  Boards  of 
Health.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Puri- 
tan Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Whitman,  of 
which  he  is  a  past  master;  of  Pilgrim  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M. ;  and  of  Old  Colony  Commandery,  K. 
T.,  of  Abington;  of  Aleppo  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N. 
M.  S.,  of  Boston,  and  of  the  Knights  of  Con- 
stantine  and  Alabama.  He  is  past  district 
deputy  grand  master  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Ma- 
sonic district,  and  is  past  president  of  the 
Worshipful  Masters'  Association,  of  the  same 
district.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Old 
Bridgewater  Historical  Society,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  George  A.  Custer  Camp,  No.  28, 
Sons  of  Veterans,  of  Whitman. 

Dr.  Dyer  takes  a  deep  interest  in  his  native 
town,  and  is  always  foremost  in  its  public 
gatherings.  He  is  a  fine  public  speaker,  and 
is  often  called  upon  to  deliver  addresses  at  puj)- 
lic  meetings.  When  the  centennial  of  the 
First  Congregational  Church  of  Whitman  was 
celebrated,  June  10,  1907,  he  was  selected  to 
•deliver  an  address  on  the  history  of  the  town. 
At  the  dedication  of  the  new  Town  Hall,  Dec. 
10,  1907,  he  was  chosen  by  the  committee  to 
make  the  address;  and  when  the  tablet  to  the 
soldiers  of  the  Revolution  was  unveiled  in  the 
town  hall  the  same  year  Dr.  Dyer  was  again 
■called  upon,  and  on  that  occasion  he  read  the 
following  poem  which  he  himself  composed : 

Tbibute  to  the  Flag 

Old  Flag  of  our  land  where  Freedom  is  natal, 

How  blest  is  the  breeze  that  unfurls  you  on  high ; 


Your  stripes  are  as  bright  as  the  beams  of  the 
morning 
.\nd  shine  out  your  stars  as  the  stars  in  the  sky. 

For  Liberty  spoke — and  crimson  was  streaming 
The  blood  of  her  sons  for  her  banner  of  right: 

When  Liberty  won — Old  Albion's  Union 

Was  torn  from  its  place,  a^  the  light  breaks  the 
night. 

Thirteen  were  the  states  from  tyranny  wrested, 

The  number  the  same  of  the  stripes  and  the  stars, 

But  now,  forty-six  in  azure  are  gleaming — 

The  conquests  of  peace  and  the  victories  of  wars. 

The  Red  of  your  stripes  marks  the  scars  of  conflict, 
The  White  is  as  pure  as  strong  justice  and  right. 

And  Blue  over  all  is  the  sky  of  Freedom, 

Sown  thick  ^vith  the  stars  of  her  statehood  and 
might. 

Old  Flag  of  our  land,  ninety  millions  adore  thee. 
For  ages  to  come  and  by  millions  anew. 

Thy  folds  shall  inspire  the  same  love  that  we  bear 
thee, 
The  Flag  of  America,  the  Red,  White  and  Blue. 

At  the  celebration  of  the  two  hundred  and 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  the 
town  of  Old  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  June  13, 
1906,  Dr.  Dyer  delivered  the  following  address 
in  response  to  the  toast  "Medicine:  Our  sur- 
geons and  physicians  have  proved  an  honor  to 
their  profession  and  a  blessing  to  the  afflicted." 

Last  week  Boston  was  gav  with  bunting  in  honor 
of  medicine,  and  badges  of  Hygeia  were  conspicuous 
throughout  the  city.  Thousands  of  physicians  had 
gathered  from  all  parts  of  our  country  to  attend  the 
fifty-seventh  annual  session  of  the  Americnn  Medical 
Association.  Among  the  decorations  was  this  senti- 
ment: "The  physician  of  to-day  is  the  unord-iined 
minister  of  the  gospel.  It  is  his  mission  to  uplift 
humanity  and  restore  the  crippled  hands  to  the 
sanctity  of  usefulness."  On  this  commeniQr,')tive  oc- 
casion time  will  not  permit  to  pay  due  tribute  to 
those  members  of  the  medical  profession  whose  lives 
were  spent  in  ministrations  of  helpfulness  to  this 
community,  the  State  and  the  nation.  In  the  history 
of  Old  Bridgewater  Dr.  Samuel  Alden  was  the  first 
physician  given  biographical  mention,  and  for  fifty 
years  his  life  and  services  w^ere  devoted  to  the  people 
of  this  vicinity.  In  the  celebration  of  1856  Dr.  Eben- 
ezer  Alden.  whose  name  I  bear,  was  one  of  the 
speakers;  fifty  years  later,  by.  some  strange  coin- 
cidence, I  am  asked  to-day  to  respond  to  the  same 
sentiment  that  ennobled  their  lives.  How  true  those 
immortal  lines  so  dear  to  the  heart  of  Abraham 
Lincoln : 

"For  we  are  the  same  as  our  fatliers  have  been. 
We  see  the  same  sights  our  fathers  have  seen. 
We  drink  the  same  stream  and  view  the  same  sun, 
And  run  the  same  course  our  fathers  have  run." 


52 


818 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Would  that  their  mantles  might  fall  on  worthier 
shoulders!  We  know  not  what  hard^ihip3  those  early 
pioneers  experienced  on  their  missions  of  cheer  and 
healing  in  a  new  and  scattered  community.  To-day 
there  is  hardly  a  hamlet  in  Massachusetts  so  small 
but  that  a  physician  is  there  willing  and  anxious  to 
relieve  suffering  humanity  of  its  ills  and  bills.  To- 
day so  numerous  and  common  have  doctors  become 
that  oftentimes  it  is  thought  unnecessary  to  pay 
them.  It  was  in  the  Old  VVorld  that  a  tourist  in  a 
remote  place  asked  a  native  if  there  was  a  doctor 
anywhere  about,  and  when  told  there  was  not,  asked 
in  amazement:  "And  what  do  you  do  when  taken 
suddenly  ill?"  "Oh,"  he  replied,  "we  just  die  a  na- 
tural death."  The  advances  that  have  been  made 
in  medicine  in  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  seem 
almost  incredible,  and  so  skillful  have  surgeons  be- 
come in  certain  operations  that  you  almost  wonder 
whether  certain  organs  and  parts  of  the  body  are  real- 
ly superfluous  or  to  test  the  skill  of  the  operator.  The 
following  epitaph  is  a  testimonial  to  surgical  thorough- 
ness: "To  our  beloved  father,  who  has  gone  to  join 
his  appendix,  his  tonsils,  his  kidney,  an  arm,  a  leg 
and  such  other  parts  of  his  anatomy  as  his  devoted 
surgeon  found  he  must  dispense  with.  He  is  at  rest 
with  the  majority." 

It  is  with  great  pride  that  we  linger  long  over  the 
names  of  that  little  handful  of  men  that  Ixjught  their 
rights  on  Sachem  Rock,  and  gave  us  birthright  in  an 
honored  ancestry  on  historic  grounds.  Little  thought 
that  struggling  band  of  Pilgrims  that  they  had  fovmd 
in  Plymouth  Rock  the  cornerstone  of  a  mighty  na- 
tion, that  such  feeble  beginnings  nurtured  in  weak- 
ness by  abiding  faith  should  bear  the  glorious  fruition 
of  our  civil  and  religious  freedom.  Our  heritage 
to-day  oceans  cannot  bound  and  far  isles  of  the  sea 
float  the  flag  of  our  freedom. 

The  following  poem  was  composed  by  Dr. 
Dyer  for  the  occasion  and  was  read  by  him : 

America 

I  love  the  land  that  gave  me  birth. 

Where  Pilgrim  faith  a  refuge  found. 
Where  Puritan  of  sterling  worth 

A  nation  built  on  freedom's  giound. 
Where'er  I  be,  be  thou  ray  star! 

My  home,  thy  name,  America. 

1  love  the  flag  of  Freedom's  home 
Flung  over  land  from  sea  to  sea. 

Where  exiles  from  all  nations  come 
To  reap  the  fruits  of  liberty. 

Your  portals  flung  wide  op^n  are 
A  home  for  all,  America. 

I  love  the  names  that  made  thee  great. 
Vast  nation  of  the  western  world; 

Whom  millions  learn  to  venerate 
Where'er  thy  flag  shall  be  unfurl'd. 

Time  cannot  dim.  no  stain  shall  mar 
Thy  heroes'  fame,  America. 

The  God  of  nations  loves  our  land 

Where  Justice  rules  in  eqiiity; 
America  will  always   stand 

For  Union,  Peace  and  Liberty, 
Till  lands  and  seas  and  islands  far 

Shall  be  like  thee,  America. 


On  April  7,  1908,  Dr.  Dyer  delivered  the 
oration  upon  the  occasion  of  the  unveiling  of 
the  tablet  to  the  memory  of  the  Revolutionary 
soldiers  of  Abington  by  Capt.  John  Pulling 
Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, of  Whitman. 

(IX)  Edward  Oscar  Dyer,  son  of  the  late 
Edward  Loring  and  brother  to  Dr.  Ebenezer 
Alden  Dyer,  was  born  on  the  old  homestead 
Jan.  14,  1853,  and  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  the  State  normal 
school  at  Bridgewater,  after  which  he  taught 
school  for  one  year  at  Palmer,  Mass.  He  then 
entered  Phillips  (Andover)  Academy,  where 
he  graduated  in  1875,  and  from  there  he  went 
to  Amherst  College,  graduating  therefrom  in 
the  class  of  1878.  Determining  to  enter  the 
ministry  he  began  the  study  of  theology  in  the 
Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  and  later 
studied  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  And- 
over,  where  he  graduated  in  1881.  After  his 
ordination  he  was  stationed  at  Raymond,  N. 
H.,  and  later  was  called  to  the  Congregational 
Church  at  South  Braintree.  His  next  charge 
was  at  Sharon,  Conn.,  and  for  the  past  several 
years  he  has  been  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Chester,  Conn.  Rev.  Mr.  Dyer  is 
a  writer  of  note,  and  enjoys  the  family's  poet- 
ical gift.  He  has  written  a  volume  of  poems, 
entitled  "Legend  of  Hobomoc,  and  Other 
Poems."  He  also  wrote  "Gnadensee,  or  the 
Lake  of  Grace,"  and  "The  Camp  of  Pocon- 
nuck,"  a  story  of  the  Connecticut  border. 

On  June  5,  1895,  Rev.  Mr.  Dyer  was  married 
to  Mary  Woolworth  Burbank.  They  have  no 
children. 

DELANO.  The  Delano  family  of  New  Bed- 
ford and  vicinity  is  decended  from  the  Hugue- 
nots of  France  and  the  Separatists  of  England. 

(I)  Philip  De  La  Noye  (Delanoy  or  de 
Lannoy)  was  born  in  Leyden,  Holland,  in  1602, 
and  was  a  son  of  Jean  and  Marie  de  Lannoy, 
who  to  escape  the  persecutions  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  party  then  in  power  went  to  Leyden. 
Philip  was  baptized  there  in  the  Walloon 
Church  in  1603,  and  he  grew  up  under  the 
teaching  and  influence  of  the  Separatists  of  the 
Church  of  England,  who  fled  to  Holland  in 
1608,  taking  up  their  abode  in  Leyden.  Philip 
De  La  Noye  was  a  passenger  on  the  ship  "For- 
tune" in  1621.  He  received  an  acre  of  land 
at  the  distribution  of  land  in  Plymouth  in 
1624.  He  was  made  a  freeman  Jan.  1,  1632-33, 
and  early  removed  to  Duxbury,  settling  a  little 
north  of  John  Alden.  He  was  a  man  of  much 
respectability  and  was  employed  in  surveying 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


819 


lands,  and  was  often  one  of  the  Grand  Inquest 
of  the  Colony.  Under  the  name  of  Philip  De- 
lano he  was  married  (first)  at  Duxbury,  Mass., 
Dec.  19,  1634,  to  Hester  Dewsbury.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  in  1657  Mary  Pantus  (or  Pon- 
tus),  widow  of  James  Glass  and  daughter  of 
William  Pontus.  To  the  first  marriage  were 
born:  Mary,  born  in  1635;  Esther,  1638; 
Philip,  Jr.,  about  1640;  Thomas,  March  21, 
1642;  John,  1644;  Jane,  1646;  Jonathan 
(Lieut.),  .1647';  and  Rebecca,  1651.  To  the 
second  marriage  was  born  one  child,  Samuel, 
in  1659. 

(II)  Lieut.  Jonathan  Delano,  son  of  Philip 
and  Hester,  was  born  in  Duxbury  in  1647,  and 
he  died  in  Dartmouth  Dec.  23,  1720.  He  re- 
moved to  Dartmouth  and  became  one  of  the  ori- 
ginal proprietors  there,  his  name  appearing  in 
the  confirmatory  deed  from  Governor  Bradford 
Nov.  13,  1694.  His  share  comprised  about 
eight  hundred  acres,  and  one  authority  says 
he  lived  near  the  brook  at  Tusket  Hill.  He 
and  Seth  Pope  were  chosen  deputies  to  the 
General  Court  in  June,  1689.  He  held  many 
offices,  such  as  constable,  surveyor,  commis- 
sioner, selectman,  etc.  He  was  commissioned 
lieutenant  by  Governor  Hinckley,  Dec.  25, 
1689,  and  he  served  in  the  Indian  war  of  1675- 
76,  being  with  Capt.  Benjamin  Church  at 
Mount  Hope,  the  stronghold  of  King  Philip, 
the  Indian  chief.  At  Plymouth,  Feb.  28,  1678, 
he  married  Mercy  Warren,  born  Feb.  20,  1658, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Walker) 
Warren,  and  granddaughter  of  Richard  and 
Elizabeth  Janette  (Marsh)  Warren,  of  the 
"Mayflower."  Their  children  were:  A  daugh- 
ter, bom  Nov.  25,  1678  (died  unnamed  on  the 
28th  of  the  same  month)  ;  Jonathan,  Jr.,  Jan. 
20,  1680;  Jabez,  Nov.  8,  1682;  Sarah,  Jan.  9, 
1684;  Mary,  Oct.  27,  1686;  Nathan,  Oct.  29, 
1688;  Bethia,  Nov.  29,  1690;  Susanna,  Sept. 
3,  1693 ;  a  son,  Oct.  22,  1694  (died  same  day)  ; 
Nathaniel,  Oct.  29,  1695;  Esther,  April  4, 
1698  ;  Jethro,  July  31,  1701 ;  and  Thomas,  May 
10,  1704. 

(III)  Jabe^  Delano,  son  of  Lieut.  Jonathan 
and  Mercv  (Warren),  born  Nov.  8,  1682,  mar- 
ried (first)  in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  Feb.  8,  1710, 
Mary  Delano,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Weston)  Delano.  She  was  bom  in  Duxbury 
in  1683,  and  died  in  Dartmouth  April  29,  1716. 
He  married  (second)  in  Dartmouth,  in  1717. 
Hannah  Peckham.  His  children  were:  Mary, 
born  April  12,  1712;  Jonathan,  Feb.  13,  1713: 
Susanna,  Nov.  16,  1717;  Abigail,  May  1,  1719; 
Jabez,  April  25,  1723;  Mercy,  Aug.  27,  1725; 
Eunice,  May  31,  1727;  Hannah,  May  28,  1729: 


Stephen,  May  18,  1732;  and  Sarah,  May  24,. 
1734. 

(IV)  Jabez  Delano  (2),  son  of  Jabez  and 
Hannah  (Peckham),  born  April  25,  1723,  died 
in  January,  1768.  He  married  (first)  Deborah, 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Hannah  Barlow,  who 
was  born  in  Rochester,  Mass.,  March  30,  1731. 
He  married  (second)  in  Rochester  Ruth,  born 
Nov.  16,  1736,  daughter  of  John  and  Bethia 
Goodspeed.  His  children  were:  Harper,  born 
Dec.  20,  1747;  Stephen,  Jan.  17,  1749;  Beulah, 
Jan.  27,  1751;  Hannah,  June  26,  1754  (died 
young);  Nathan,  July  9,  1756;  Jabez,  June 
15,  1758;  Deborah,  May  15,  1761;  Anna,  Nov. 
5,  1762;  Bethia,  Sept.  21,  1764;  Hannah,  May 
18,  1766;  and  Mary,  Jan.  30,  1768. 

(V)  Jabez  Delano  (3),  son  of  Jabez  (2), 
born  June  15,  1758,  died  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  in 
1817.  On  June  13,  1782,  in  Rochester,  he 
married  Rhoda,  bom  in  that  town  April  26, 
1762,  daughter  of  James  and  Ruth  Blanken- 
ship.  He  married  (second)  June  23,  1807^ 
Jedidah  Briggs.  His  children  were :  James, 
born  Sept.  18,  1789;  Azubah,  March  12,  1791; 
Betsey,  in  1793;  Lucy,  June  4,  1796;  Henry 
Dow,  Aug.  26,  1798;  Job;  Jabez,  June  9, 
1803;   and   Beulah. 

Jabez  Delano  (3)  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war  from  1776  to  1783,  as  one  of  General 
Washington's  bodyguard.  At  the  storming  of 
an  important  redoubt  General  Washington 
called  twenty  men,  of  whom  Jabez  Delano  was 
one,  as  a  picked  guard. 

(VI)  James  Delano,  son  of  Jabez  (3),  bom 
Sept.  18,  1789,  died  in  Marion  July  15,  1875. 
He  married  in  Rochester  Sept.  17,  1816,  Doro- 
thy, daughter  of  Philip  and  Sarah  (Hathaway) 
wing.  She  was  born  Dec.  23,  1794,  and  died 
in  Marion  March  12,  1865.  Their  children 
were:  John,  born  Sept.  13,  1817;  Amanda  F., 
May  29,  1819;  George,  May  13,  1821;  James, 
June  20,  1823  (died  Nov.  12,  1825) ;  Anna 
Maria,  May  23,  1825  (died  May  1,  1828)  ;  Ann 
Maria  (2),  Feb.  17,  1828;  Sophia  Matilda, 
Sept.  16,  1830;  and  Betsey  Richmond,  June 
14,  1833. 

(VII)  George  Delano,  son  of  James,  born 
May  13,  1821,  died  in  Rochester  Jan.  6,  1890. 
He  married  March  20,  1845,  Abigail,  daughter 
of  George  and  Cynthia  (Washburn)  Leonard, 
bom  in  New  Bedford  March  16,  1822.  To  this 
union  were  born  children  as  follows:  James, 
born  in  Marion  Aug.  13,  1846;  Stephen  Clark 
Luce,  June  2,  1848 ;  and  Charles  Henry  Leon- 
ard, Aug.  27,  1859. 

In  1869  George  Delano  succeeded  to  the  oil 
business  of  Charles  H.  Leonard,  in  whose  em- 
ploy he  had  been  from  1855,  and  in  1884  his 


820 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


sons,  Stephen  L.  C.  and  James,  entered  the 
firm,  and  after  their  father's  death  they  be- 
came the  sole  proprietors.  The  oil  works 
occupied  nearly  two  acres  of  land,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  South  Second  and  South  streets,  and 
the  firm  was  probably  more  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  refining  of  grease  oil  than  any 
other  concern  in  the  world. 

(VIII)  Stephen  Clark  Luce  Delano,  son  of 
George  and  Abigail  (Leonard)  Delano,  was 
bom  in  Rochester,  Mass.,  June  3,  1848,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  Marion  Aug.  18,  1910. 
After  a  business  experience  in  Boston  he  be- 
came with  his  brother,  the  late  James  Delano, 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  George  Delano  & 
Sons,  in  1884,  and  for  many  years  represented 
the  firm  in  New  York  City.  About  ten  years 
before  his  death  he  retired  from  active  business 
and  after  that  made  his  home  in  Marion.  He 
was  higlily  respected,  and  although  he  did  not 
hold  active  membership  in  many  organizations 
after  his  retirement  he  quietly  but  generously 
gave  financial  aid  and  was  interested  in  all 
public  movements. 

Mr.  Delano  married  Rosa  Doane,  of  New 
Bedford,  who  survives  him  with  four  children : 
George;  Abby  L.,  wife  of  Leffert  Lefferts,  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  (they  have  two  children,  John 
and  Helen)  ;  Arthur  D.,  who  is  married  and 
has  a  daughter,  Ruth;  and  Helen  H.,  who  mar- 
ried George  M.  Piersol,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
and  has  a  daughter,  Helen. 

(VIII)  Charles  Henry  Leonard  Delano, 
son  of  George  and  Abigail  (Leonard)  Delano, 
was  bom  in  New  Bedford  Aug.  27,  1859.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  at  the  Friends' 
Academy,  and  he  later  attended  the  Military 
Academy  at  Peekskill,  eventually  entering  Har- 
vard College,  from  which  institution  he  gradu- 
ated in  1881.  He  was  more  active  in  the  pub- 
lic service  than  in  business,  his  connection  %vith 
the  firm  of  George  Delano  &  Sons  in  the  oil 
business  covering  but  a  few  years,  after  which 
he  withdrew.  Subsequently  he  maintained  no 
active  interest  in  commercial  affairs.  He  al- 
ways made  his  home  in  New  Bedford,  where 
he  became  very  prominent  in  his  association 
with  the  municipal  government.  Such  services 
as  he  gave  are  possible  only  to  one  who  com- 
bines intelligence  and  foresight  with  the  highest 
ideals  of  civic  responsibility.  In  189.5  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  common  council,  in 
which  he  served  several  years.  Later  he  became 
assessor  at  large  for  New  Bedford,  was  chosen 
chairman  of  the  board  of  assessors  in  1900, 
and  resigned  the  incumbency  in  1901,  it« 
duties,  as  he  saw  them,  demanding  more  of  his 
time  than  he  felt  he  could  spare.     His  fidelity 


to  the  trust  reposed  in  him,,  his  characteristic 
conscientiousness,  made  him  an  official  of  such 
high  value  that  his  withdrawal  was  the  occa- 
sion of  widespread  regret  among  his  fellow 
citizens.  Mr.  Delano  died  at  his  residence,  on 
County  street.  New  Bedford,  Feb.  24,  1911, 
in  his  fifty-second  year.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Wamsutta  Club  and  of  the  New  Bedford 
Yacht  Club. 

On  June  18,  1895,  Mr.  Delano  married  Sarah 
Spooner  Bullard,  who  was  born  in  New  Bed- 
ford May  20,  1866,  daughter  of  John  Lincoln 
and  Sarah  (Spooner)  Bullard. 

(IX)  George  Delano,  son  of  Stephen  C.  L. 
and  Rosa  (Doane)  Delano,  was  born  in  New 
Bedford,  Mass.,  Jan.  10,  1874.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
the  Polytechnic,  New  York  Military  Academy, 
at  Cornwall,  N.  Y.,  and  Newark  Business  Col- 
lege. For  two  years  he  was  in  his  father's 
office  in  New  York.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  City  Mill,  in 
New  Bedford,  was  later  with  the  Potomaka 
Mills,  and  in  1902  became  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Parker  Mill  in  Fall  River.  In 
October,  1905,  he  was  made  superintendent  of 
the  Bourne  Mills  and  upon  the  death  of  George 
A.  Chace,  in  October,  1907,  was  elected  treas- 
urer. 

On  April  16,  1902,  Mr.  Delano  was  mar- 
ried, at  Lexington,  Ky.,  to  Elsie  Goodloe,  and 
they  have  tliree  children :  George,  Jr.,  born 
March  24,  1905 ;  Leslie,  Feb.  1,  1909 ;  and  Wil- 
liam Goodloe,  Oct.  20,  1910. 

Mr.  Delano  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  Ascension ;  of  the  Quequechan  €lub  of  Fall 
River;  Fall  River  Golf  Club;  New  Bedford 
Country   Club;  and   Rhode  Island  Golf  Club. 

NEWCOMB.  The  Newcomb  family,  of 
which  the  late  Washington  Lafayette  Newcomb, 
of  Taunton,  was  a  member,  is  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  prominent  families  in  New  England. 

(I)  Capt.  Andrew  Newcomb  was  the  first  of 
the  name  to  locate  in  New  England,  making 
his  home  in  Boston,  Mass.  He  was  a  seafar- 
ing man,  and  was  a  master  mariner.  He  was 
twice  married. 

(II)  Lieut.  Andrew  Newcomb  (2),  eldest 
son  of  Capt.  Andrew,  was  born  about  1640. 
He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Sarah  and  his  second  Anna  Bayes. 

(III)  Simon  Newcomb,  son  of  Lieut.  An- 
drew (2),  was  born  about  1666  in  Maine.  He 
moved  with  his  father  to  Edgartown,  Mass., 
but  in  1713  moved  to  Lebanon,  New  London 
Co.,  Conn.,  where  he  died  Jan.  20,  1744,  at 
the    age    of    seventy-nine   years.      He   married 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


821 


Deborah  in  1687,  and  she  died  in  Lebanon, 
Conn.,  June  17,  1756,  aged  ninety-two  years. 

(IV)  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  son  of  Simon,  was 
bom  in  1693-94,  at  Edgartown,  Mass.,  and  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Connecticut,  locating 
at  Lebanon.  Here  he  followed  the  trade  of 
carpenter  and  joiner.  He  married  Jerusha 
Bradford,  Nov.  14,  1716.  She  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Bradford,  of  Norwich,  Conn. 
They  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
among  whom  was  Peter. 

(V)  Peter  Newcomb,  son  of  Hezekiah,  was 
bom  Nov.  28,  1718,  in  Lebanon,  Conn.  He 
married  Nov.  2,  1740,  Hannah  English,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  English.  Peter  Newcomb  made 
his  home  in  Columbia,  Conn.,  where  he  died 
Sept.  26,  1779.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Newcomb 
were  the  parents  of  six  children. 

(VI)  Hezekiah  Newcomb  (2),  eldest  son  of 
Peter,  was  born  May  6,  1747,  in  what  was  then 
the  town  of  Lebanon,  now  Columbia,  Conn. 
He  married  Sept.  15,  1768,  Lydia  Hunt, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Hunt,  of  Norwich,  Conn., 
and  they  located  in  Bernardston,  Franklin  Co., 
Mass.,  where  he  died  Jan.  25,  1821.  They  had 
seven   cjiildren,   the   eldest  being   Hezekiah. 

(VII_)  Hezekiah  Newcomb  (3),  son  of  Heze- 
kiah (2),  was  born  June  12,  1769,  in  Leba- 
non, Conn.  He  moved  with  his  parents  to  Ber- 
nardston, Mass.,  where  he  married  Ruth  Burn- 
ham,  born  Dec.  6,  1766.  He  died  on  a  farm 
in  Leyden,  Mass.,  where  his  life  was  spent,  Aug. 
19,  1844.  His  wife  died  April  9,  1846.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children. 

(VIII)  Hezekiah  Newcomb  (4),  son  of 
Hezekiah  (3),  was  born  Feb.  27,  1792,  in 
Leyden,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  and  here  followed 
farming.  He  married  May  26,  1816,  Nancy 
A.  Rounds,  who  was  born  March  1,  1797,  in 
Rehoboth,  daughter  of  Hezekiah  and  Jemima 
Rounds,  and  she  died  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
16,  1862.  Mr.  Newcomb  moved  to  Cortland, 
N.  Y.,  in  1834,  and  died  there  Nov.  8,  1839. 
He  was  a  school  teacher  for  some  years,  but 
afterward  followed  farming.  He  held  the  rank 
of  Colonel  in  a  New  York  regiment,  and  served 
as  a  member  of  the  State  Legislature  in  Massa- 
chusetts. Ten  children  were  born  to  this  couple : 
(1)  Dianthia  D.,  born  Nov.  10,  1818,  died 
in  August,  1840.  (2)  Louisa  Almira,  born 
Feb.  5,  1820,  married  George  W.  Mabey.  (3) 
Hezekiah  T.,  born  April  3,  1821,  died  Oct.  8, 
1832.  (4)  Rodolphus  Burnham,  born  April 
2,  1823,  was  a  farmer  in  Homer,  N.  Y.  (5) 
Washington  Lafayette  was  born  Sept.  20,  1825. 
(6)  Maria  Jemima,  born  May  8,  1828,  mar- 
ried Oct.  10,  1859,  Ira  S.  Allen.     (7)   Mary 


Lydia,  bom  May  10,  1830,  married  Sept.  12, 
1852,  Rev.  Charies  W.  Tomlinson.  (8)  Heze- 
kiah Augustus,  born  Dec.  31,  1832,  died  in 
Taunton.  (9)  Francis  Dwight,  born  Sept.  22,, 
1835,  died  in  Taunton,  Mass.  (10)  Cyrenius 
Adelbert,  born  Nov.  10,  1837,  resides  in  De- 
troit, Mich.,  where  he  is  a  prominent  business 
man. 

(IX)  Washington  Lafayette  Newcomb, 
son  of  Col.  Hezekiah  Newcomb,  was  born  Sept. 
20,  1825,  at  Leyden,  Franklin  Co.,  Mass.,  and 
he  was  nine  years  old  when  he  moved  with 
his  parents  to  New  York  State,  locating  at 
Cortland.  Here  he  attended  school  and  made 
such  good  progress  in  his  studies  that  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  was  given  the  first  school 
at  Wellsboro,  Pa.,  in  the  year  1842.  He  was 
but  a  lad  of  fourteen  when  his  father  died  and 
his  efforts  to  gain  his  education  were  made 
doubly  hard  because  of  this  loss.  He  taught 
school  two  years  at  Wellsboro  and  also  taught 
at  other  places  until  the  year  1846,  when  he 
came  to  Massachusetts  and  located  in  the  town 
of  Norton,  Bristol  county.  Here  he  taught 
school  during  the  winter  season  (working  at 
carpenter  work  during  the  rest  of  the  year), 
during  the  years  1846,  1847  and  1848.  In  the 
winters  of  1849  and  1850  he  taught  school  in 
the  town  of  Mansfield,  in  1851  and  1852  again 
at  Norton,  during  all  this  time  spending  some 
of  his  time  at  carpentering.  Although  a  very 
successful  teacher  he  cared  for  a  business 
rather  than  a  professional  career,  and  ^vith  this 
end  in  view  he  came  to  Taunton,  in  1852, 
where  he  ever  after  made  his  home.  Buying 
out  the  sash,  blind  and  door  business,  which 
was  conducted  by  William  H.  Bliss,  he  contin- 
ued the  business  on  Weir  street,  taking  in  as 
partners  his  brothers,  Hezekiah  Augustus  and 
Francis  Dwight,  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  L. 
Newcomb  &  Co.  The  business  was  conducted 
successfully  imtil  1885,  when  the  partnership 
was  dissolved  and  the  business  disposed  of  to 
George  B.  Williams.  At  this  time  Mr.  New- 
comb retired  from  active  business  pursuits,  giv- 
ing his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his  real 
estate  interests.  He  built  several  houses  in 
Taunton,  and  erected  his  own  home  on  Web- 
ster street,  where  his  widow  still  resides.  Mr. 
Newcomb  became  well  known  and  respected 
for  his  high  principles,  his  strict  honesty  in 
business  and  his  genial  manner.  Formerly  a 
Whig,  he  became  a  Republican,  but  never 
aspired  to  office.  He  died  at  his  home  Aug.  1, 
1900,  and  was  buried  in  Mount  Pleasant  ceme- 
tery. He  was  one  of  those  fine  men  who  be- 
lieve in  making  the  Golden  Rule  their  every- 
day habit,  and  he  consistently  held  to  it. 


Q09 

O-v-v 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Mr.  Newcomb  married  March  29,  1849,  in 
Foxboro,  Mass.,  Sarah  Jane  Smith,  born  Dec. 
12,  1831,  in  Norton,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Seth 
and  Sarah  Makepeace  (Wetherell)  Smith,  and 
granddaughter  of  Abisha  and  Philena  (Morey) 
Smith.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Mrs.  Newcomb  is  now  living  at  her 
home  on  Webster  street.  Two  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newcomb :  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, born  April  10,  1861,  died  May  17,  1864; 
and  Winifred  Jane,  born  Oct.  20,  1864,  mar- 
ried Oct.  22,  1884,  Charles  F.  Ripley,  a  well 
known  druggist  of  Taunton.  She  died  June 
9,  1893,  leaving  two  children,  Ruth  N.  (born 
Feb.  8,  1887,  married  Luther  J.  Anthony,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Luther  J.,  Jr.,  and 
Elizabeth)  and  Howard  Cyrenus  Newcomb 
(born  Aug.  27,  1892). 

OLIVER  B.  QUINBY,  treasurer  of  the 
well-known  shoe  manufacturing  concern  of 
Stacy-Adams  Company,  of  Brockton,  is  one  of 
that  city's  substantial  and  highly  respected 
citizens,  his  long  official  connection  with  one 
of  the  city's  most  prosperous  and  important 
industries,  together  with  his  worth  as  a  cap- 
able and  conservative  business  man,  entitling 
him  to  rank  among  the  leading  and  influential 
men  of  the  community  in  which  he  has  resided 
for  a  period  covering  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century.  Mr.  Quinby  was  born  Dec.  6,  1841, 
in  Lisbon,  Maine,  only  son  of  the  late  Rev. 
Oliver  H.  and  Elizabeth   (McManus)   Quinby. 

The  Quinby  name  is  not  numerously  repre- 
sented in  New  England  or  in  any  part  of  this 
country,  but  the  quality  of  its  representatives 
will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  many 
families  of  much  larger  numbers.  It  has  been 
identified  with  the  development  of  New  Eng- 
land, and  is  entitled  to  honorable  mention  in 
connection  therewith.  It  begins  at  an  early 
period  of  American  history,  in  the  settlement 
of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  and  is  still 
continuing  in  a  worthy  way  along  the  lines 
of  civilization. 

(I)  Robert  Quinby  is  found  of  record  in 
Amesbury,  Mass.,  as  a  ship  carpenter,  and  was 
there  married  about  1657  to  Elizabeth  Osgood, 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  Osgood,  of 
Salisbury.  He  purchased  land  in  Amesbury 
the  next  year,  and  received  grants  in  1659  and 
1668.  He  is  of  record  as  a  "townsman"  in 
1660,  and  as  holding  a  meetinghouse  seat  in 
1667.  He  died  about  1677,  and  it  is  probable 
that  his  death  occurred  in  the  Indian  massa- 
cre at  Amesbury,  July  7th  of  that  year.  His 
wife  was  wounded  in  that  massacre,  but  sur- 
vived.    She  was  appointed   administratrix   of 


his  estate  Oct.  9th  of  that  year.  The  inven- 
tory was  made  Aug.  27th.  Their  son  Robert 
was  appointed  to  administer  the  estates  of  both 
parents  Sept.  26,  1694,  and  the  property  was 
not  divided  until  1700.  Their  children  were: 
Lydia,  William,  Robert,  John,  Thomas,  Eliza- 
beth,  Phillip   and   Joseph. 

(II)  Robert  Quinby,  second  son  of  Robert, 
was  born  in  Amesbury,  and  resided  in  that 
town.  He  was  given  a  seat  in  the  meeting- 
house in  1699,  and  was  one  of  "the  five  late 
constables"  who  were  prosecuted  on  Oct.  18, 
1708,  for  not  making  up  their  accounts 
according  to  law.  His  estate  was  administered 
June  6,  1715,  and  divided  in  December  of 
the  same  year.  He  had  three  sons  and  three 
daughters:  Joseph,  John,  Mary,  Benjamin, 
Hannah  and  Anne. 

(III)  Joseph  Quinby,  eldest  son  of  Robert 
(2),  resided  in  Amesbury,  and  on  account  of 
an  uncle  who  bore  the  same  name  was  known 
as  "junior"  until  1736.  He  married  Lydia 
Hoyt,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Chal- 
lis)  Hoyt.  She  was  born  June  15,  1686,  in 
Amesbury,  and  was  the  executrix  of  her  hus- 
band's estate,  appointed  Sept.  30,  1745.  His 
children  were:  Joseph  and  Benjamin  (twins), 
Ann,  Hannah,  Daniel  (died  young),  Robert, 
Daniel   (2)   and  Mary. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Quinby,  son  of  Joseph,  was 
born  in  1715  in  Amesbury,  and  learned  the 
fuller's  trade  at  Salem,  Mass.  In  his  twenty- 
sixth  year  he  located  a  cloth  factory  of  his  own 
upon  a  water  power  on  Salem  Falls  river,  in 
Somersworth,  N.  H.,  at  a  place  called  Quamp- 
Hegan.  He  purchased  this  mill  privilege  Oct. 
1,  1741,  and  in  the  deed  is  called  "clothier 
of  Salem,  Mass."  He  had,  however,  resided 
for  a  time  previously  at  Berwick,  Maine,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  where  he  was 
a  member  of  Capt.  John  Hill's  militia  com- 
pany in  October,  1740.  Having  completed  the 
purchase  of  his  mill  he  returned  to  Massachu- 
setts to  visit  his  sweetheart,  Anne  Plummer, 
of  Rowley,  Mass.,  and  caused  their  marriage 
intentions  to  be  recorded  in  Salem  July  16, 
1742.  They  were  married  Nov.  4th  of  that 
year,  and  the  marriage  is  recorded  in  both 
Rowley  and  Salem.  With  his  bride  he  imme- 
diately settled  near  the  mill,  and  in  October, 
1742,  he  purchased  further  rights  in  the  water 
power,  being  one  half  of  a  one  quarter  part 
of  a  single  saw  with  logging  privileges  and 
landing.  In  1770  Benjamin  Quinby  joined 
his  twin  brother,  Joseph,  at  Portland  (then 
Falmouth,  and  in  November  of  that  year  sold 
his  land  and  buildings  in  Somersworth  and 
located  in  Saccarappa,  a  few  miles  from  Port- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


823 


land  (now  Westbrook).  He  purchased  the 
right  to  use  the  water  power  on  the  Presump- 
ficot  river  for  the  purpose  of  running  a  fulling 
mill.  His  wife  died  April  17,  1776,  at  Fal- 
mouth. In  1799  Benjamin  Quinby  entered 
into  an  agreement  with  his  son  and  namesake, 
of  Somersworth,  N.  H.,  to  maintain  himself 
and  his  second  wife,  Eleanor  Starbird,  of  Port- 
land, whom  he  married  May  6,  1779.  He  died 
Feb.  26,  1807,  and  his  widow,  Eleanor,  mar- 
xied  Nov.  5th,  of  the  same  year,  Solomon 
Haskill.  She  died  in  August,  1822.  Benja- 
min Quinby's  children  were :  Benjamin,"  Jo- 
seph, Anne,  Nathan,  Moses  and  Simon. 

(V)  Benjamin  Quinby  (2),  eldest  son  of 
Benjamin,  was  born  Sept.  15,  1746,  in  Somers- 
worth, and  died  Nov.  6,  1810,  at  Saccarappa, 
whither  he  removed  about  1800  and  there  built 
mills.  He  married  Feb.  2,  1775,  Lydia, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  Clements,  of 
Somersworth,  who  died  about  1841,  in  Roch- 
ester, N.  H.  Their  children  were:  Nancy, 
Betsey,  George  W.,  Benjamin,  Sallie  and 
Samuel. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Quinby  (3),  second  son  of 
Benjamin  (2),  was  born  July  13,  1786,  in 
Somersworth,  N.  H.,  and  died  at  Saccarappa 
April  19,  1854.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable 
local  prominence  and  was  possessed  of  large 
means  for  his  day.  He  served  thirteen  years 
as  selectman  between  1819  and  1837,  and  his 
name  appears  frequently  in  the  public  records. 
He  married  (first)  May  13,  1808,  Elizabeth 
Jones,  who  died  Oct.  27,  1821,  and  (second) 
Sarah  Purinton.  She  died  Aug.  4,  1840,  and 
he  married  (third)  Jan.  5,  1852,  Cyrene 
Hobbs.  His  children  were:  Mary,  born  1808, 
who  died  in  1822;  Rev.  George  W.,  born  1810, 
of  Augusta,  Maine,  who  was  a  well-known 
author  and  editor;  Sophronia,  born  1813; 
Lucretia,  born  1814,  who  died  in  1822;  Har- 
riet Jane,  born  1816;  Oliver  H.,  born  1819; 
Eev.   Edwin  F.,  born  1821. 

(VII)  Oliver  H.  Quinby,  son  of  Benjamin 
(3),  was  born  June  4,  1819,  in  Saccarappa, 
now  Westbrook,  and  died  Feb.  23,  1842,  nt 
Ijisbon,  Maine,  aged  twenty-three  years.  He 
was  educated  for  the  ministry,  and  was  or- 
dained in  the  Universalist  denomination,  at 
Lisbon,  a  most  promising  career  being  cut  off 
by  his  untimely  death.  His  only  published 
work  was  a  sermon  delivered  April  11,  1841, 
at  Lisbon,  in  his  twenty-second  year.  He  mar- 
ried Feb.  23,  1841,  Elizabeth  McManus, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Eleanor  (Crosby) 
McManus,  of  Brunswick,  Maine,  and  to  this 
union  was  bom  one  son,  Oliver  B.  After  the 
death   of  her  husband   Mrs.    Quinby  married 


(second)    Capt.    Peleg    Curtis,    and    during   a 
voyage  with  her  husband  was  lost  at  sea. 

(VIII)  Oliver  B.  Quinby,  only  child  of  the 
late  Rev.  Oliver  H.  and  Elizabeth  (McManus) 
Quinby,  was  born  Dec.  6,  1841,  in  Lisbon, 
Maine,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  lived 
with  his  grandfather  in  Westbrook,  where  he 
attended  the  public  schools  until  ten  years  of 
age.  He  then  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where 
for  six  years  lie  lived  with  an  uncle,  and  fur- 
thered his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  city. 
Returning  east  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  he  followed  the  sea  with  his  step-father. 
Captain  Curtis,  who  was  engaged  in  the  mer- 
chant marine  service.  He  was  gradually  pro- 
moted until  at  the  time  he  left  the  service  he 
was  serving  in  the  capacity  of  mate.  The 
career  of  a  seaman  did  not  appeal  to  him,  and 
upon  leaving  the  seafaring  life,  in  1863,  he 
enlisted  in  the  1st  Maine  Light  Artillery,  and 
continued  in  the  service  of  his  country  until 
the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  During  this  ser- 
vice he  participated  in  a  number  of  battles, 
including  Winchester  (in  September,  1864), 
Cedar  Creek,  and  others.  He  was  mustered 
out  in  June,  1865,  and  upon  his  return  to 
Maine  settled  in  Augusta,  where  for  five  years 
he  was  employed  in  the  mechanical  depart- 
ment of  the  "Gospel  Banner,"  there  mastering 
the  printer's  trade,  while  also  acting  as  book- 
keeper. Mr.  Quinby  then  became  bookkeeper 
for  the  Bodwell  Granite  Company,  of  Vinal 
Haven,  Maine,  in  which  capacity  he  continued 
for  a  period  of  about  three  years,  at  the  end 
of  that  time  resigning  this  position  to  become 
bookkeeper  and  financial  man  for  Stacy,  Adams 
&  Jones,  shoe  manufacturers  of  Brockton. 
This  was  in  1875,  and  after  three  years  he 
became  a  member  of  the  firm,  taking  the 
place  of  S.  Gardner  Jones,  the  iSrm  then  be- 
coming Stacy,  Adams  &  Co.  Messrs.  Stacy 
and  Adams  were  salesmen,  and  while  they  were 
engaged  in  selling  the  product  of  the  factory 
Mr.  Jones  had  been  the  practical  shoemaker, 
and  Mr.  Quinby  looked  after  the  oflSce  and 
financial  end  of  the  business.  From  a  small 
beginning  this  business  has  grown  steadily  and 
rapidly,  and  to-day  the  product  of  this  well- 
known  concern  is  known  and  sold  all  over  the 
world,  having  a  wide  reputation  for  superior 
quality  and  style.  In  1908  the  business  was 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts  as  the  Stacy-Adams  Company 
(with  a  capital  stock  of  $150,000),  of  which 
William  H.  Stacy  is  president,  Oliver  B, 
Quinby,  treasurer,  and  James  H.  Cunning- 
ham, superintendent.  In  February,  1910,  the 
business  was  installed  in  a  new  six-story  brick 


824 


SOTITHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


factory  building,  erected  for  the  purpose,  on 
MonteJlo  street,  near  Centre  street,  this  build- 
ing covering  a  part  of  the  site  occupied  by  this 
concern  since  its  first  establishment.  The 
Stacy-Adams  Company  manufactures  a  fine 
grade  of  men's  high  quality  shoes,  which  retail 
from  $5  per  pair  upward,  and  has  a  capacity 
of  from  1,200  to  1,500  pairs  of  shoes  per 
day,  giving  employment  to  from  350  to  400 
hands,  among  whom  are  some  of  the  most 
skilled  shoe  workers  in  the  city  of  Brockton, 
which  city  is  noted  the  world  over  for  the 
quality  of  its  workmen  in  this  line.  This  con- 
cern holds  membership  in  the  National  Boot 
and  Shoe  Association  of  Kochester,  New  York. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Quinby  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  organization,  holding  membership  in 
Bethlehem  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Augusta, 
Maine,  of  which  he  was  secretary  and  recorder 
for  several  years:  Jerusalem  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M.,  of  Hallowell,  Maine;  and  Bay  State  Com- 
mandery.  Knights  Templar,  of  Brockton.  He 
is  also  an  active  member  of  the  Commercial 
Club  and  the  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers' 
Club,  of  Brockton,  and  holds  membership  in 
Fletcher  Webster  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Brockton. 
Mr.  Quinby  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  the  financial  institutions  of  the  city, 
being  an  incorporator  of  the  Brockton  Savings 
Bank,  and  in  January,  1895,  became  a  director 
of  the  Home  National  Bank,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  since  continued.  In  political  faith  Mr. 
Quinby  is  a  Republican,  but  has  avoided  pub- 
lic honors,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided 
attention  to  his  business. 

On  Feb.  13,  1868,  Mr.  Quinby  was  united 
in  marriage  by  the  Rev.  George  W.  Quinby,  of 
Augusta,  Maine,  to  Mary  E.  Stacy,  daughter 
of  the  lat€  William  H.  and  Sarah  E.  (Robin- 
son) Stacy,  of  Augusta,  Maine,  and  sister  of 
William  H.  Stacy,  one  of  the  founders  and 
now  president  of  the  Stacy-Adams  Company. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quinby  have  no  children. 

Mr.  Quinby  is  endowed  with  keen  intelli- 
gence, marked  executive  ability  and  conserva- 
tive judgment  in  business  and  financial  affairs, 
and  enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  the  greater  part  of  his  active 
business  life  has  been  spent.  Quiet  and  digni- 
fied in  manner  when  first  approached,  he 
readily  displays  cordial  friendliness  when  on 
a  subject  he  finds  interesting.  He  is  fond  of 
his  intimate  friends,  and  enjoys  their  com- 
pany, and  can  be  found  occasionally  spending 
an  evening  at  the  club  as  a  recreation  from 
business  cares,  though  he  is  devoted  to  his 
home,  where  his  evenings  are  generally  spent. 
Mr.   and   Mrs.   Quinby  are  active   members  of 


Unity  Church,  of  Brockton,  which  Mr.  Quinby 
has  served  several  years  as  a  member  of  the- 
standing  committee.  Mrs.  Quinby  is  much 
interested  in  charitable  work,  and  devotes 
much  of  her  time  to  the  work  in  connection 
with  the  Day  Nursery  and  the  Wales  Home,  of 
Brockton,  both  of  which,  together  with  all 
benevolent  projects,  receive  consideration  from 
her  and  her  husband. 

BENJAMIN  RATHBONE  ALMY  was 
during  the  early  years  of  the  past  century  one 
of  Hie  prominent  bankers  and  manufacturers 
of  Providence,  R.  I.,  but  spent  the  last  few 
years  of  his  life  as  a  resident  of  New  Bedford, 
Mass.  He  was  born  Feb.  22,  1810,  in  Ports- 
mouth, R.  I.,  son  of  William  and  Rhoda  (Fish) 
Almy,  and  was  a  descendant  of  one  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Massachusetts,  from  whom  his  line- 
is  herewith  given. 

(I)  William  Almy,  the  colonist,  was  born  in 
1601  in  England.  Coming  to  this  country  he 
settled  at  Lynn,  Mass.,  in  1631,  and  there  re- 
sided for  a  few  years,  later  returning  to  Eng- 
land. In  1635  he  came  again  to  New  Eng- 
land, in  the  ship  "'Abigail,"  with  his  wife- 
Audry  and  children  Annis  and  Christopher. 
He  was  one  of  the  ten  men  of  Lynn  who  were 
grantees  of  the  town  of  Sandwich,  by  the  Ply- 
mouth court,  in  1637,  but  whether  he  removed 
to  Sandwich  and  assisted  in  founding  that 
town  is  not  known.  In  1644  he  was  at  Ports- 
mouth, R.  I.,  and  was  granted  lands  at  "the 
wading  brook,"  the  scene  of  the  hard-fought 
battle  under  Sullivan  and  Greene,  in  August, 
1778.  Mr.  Almy  soon  rose  to  distinction  in 
the  infant  Colony,  then  so  much  in  need  of 
good  and  capable  men.  In  1648,  the  year  after 
the  formation  of  the  government,  under  the 
charter  of  1643,  he  was  assistant  for  Ports- 
mouth, and  was  commissioner  in  1656,  1657 
and  1663.  The  office  of  assistant  correspond- 
ed to  that  of  senator  and  commissioner  to  rep- 
resentative. William  Almy's  will,  dated  in 
February,  1676,  mentions  his  children  Christo- 
pher, John,  Job,  Ann  and  Catherine,  from 
whom  the  numerous  and  widely  represented 
Almy  family  is  descended.  He  probably  died 
in  the  year  that  his  will  was  executed. 

(II)  Christopher  Almy,  son  of  William- 
Almy,  was  born  in  1632  and  married  July  9, 
1661,  Elizabeth  Cornell,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Rebecca  Cornell.  He  died  Jan.  30,  1713, 
and  his  wife  after  the  year  1706.  In  1658  he 
was  made  a  freeman  in  Portsmouth,  and  later 
for  a  time  he  lived  at  Monmouth,  N.  J.,  where- 
he  and  others  bought  lands  of  the  Indians  in 
1667.       He  returned  to  Rhode  Island  previous 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


82& 


to  1680,  in  wliicli  year  he  was  one  of  the  eight 
purchasers  of  Pocasset  (Tiverton),  the  pur- 
chase being  made  of  Gov.  Josiah  Winslow.  In 
1690  he  was  deputy  and  assistant,  and  in  that 
same  year  was  chosen  governor,  but  refused  to 
serve.  Being  in  England  in  1693  as  messen- 
ger from  Rhode  Island,  he  delivered  to  Queen 
Mary  the  address  from  Rhode  Island  and  his 
own  petition.  Four  of  his  nine  children  were 
sons,  William,   Christopher,  John   and   Job. 

(III)  William  Almy  (2),  son  of  Christopher 
and  Elizabeth  (Cornell)  Almy,  was  born  Oct. 
27,  1665,  and  died  July  6,  1747.  He  was  a 
resident  of  Tiverton,  and  married  Deborah 
Cook,  of  Portsmouth,  born  Feb.  15,  1669, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Borden)  Cook. 
Their  children  were :  Mary,  John,  Job,  Eliza- 
beth, Samuel,  Deborah,  Rebecca,  Joseph  and 
William. 

(IV)  Job  Almy,  son  of  William  (2)  and 
Deborah  (Cook)  Almy,  was  born  April  28, 
1696,  and  died  at  Tiverton,  July  18,  1777.  He 
was  married  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  July  18,  1717, 
to  Lydia  Tillinghast,  of  East  Greenwich,  born 
July  8,  1700. 

(V)  Job  Almy  (2),  son  of  Job  and  Lydia 
(Tillinghast)  Almy,  was  born  in  Dartmouth, 
Mass.,  Oct.  16,  1730,  and  died  Jan.  4,  1816. 
On  April  27,  1750,  he  married  m  Dartmouth 
Anne  Slocum,  a  native  of  that  place,  born 
March  6,  1732,  who  died  Sept.  17,  1793. 

(VI)  Tillinghast  Almy,  son  of  Job  (2)  and 
Anne  (Slocum)  Almy,  was  born  March  16, 
1754,  and  died  Sept.  22,  1830.  The  later 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  at  Quonset  Rocks, 
now  known  as  Horse  Neck  Beach,  in  the  town 
of  Westport.  He  married  about  1777  Han- 
nah Chase,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  born  March 
15,  1750,  who  died  Jan.  6,  184*0. 

(VII)  William  Almy,  son  of  Tillinghast 
and  Hannah  (Chase)  Almy,  was  an  extensive 
farmer  and  lived  near  the  stone  Dridge  in  Tiv- 
erton. He  married  Rhoda  Fish,  and  their 
children  were:  Tillinghast,  born  Sept.  27, 
1806;  William  Franklin,  born  May  37,  1808; 
Benjamin  Rathbone,  bom  Feb.  22,  1810; 
Humphrey,  born  Feb.  15,  1812  (married  Amy 
Ann  Chase)  ;  Giles  Martinborough,  born  Sept. 
23,  1813;  Elizabeth  Boltwood,  born  Nov.  2, 
1815 ;  Rhoda  Ann ;  Mary,  and  Robert. 

(VIII)  Benjamin  Rathbone  Almy  spent  the 
early  years  of  his  life  in  Tiverton  and  at  the 
age  of  ten  went  to  live  with  his  grandfather, 
Tillinghast  Almy,  at  Horse  Neck  Beach,  in 
Westport.  There  he  remained  about  four  years, 
after  which  he  had  to  make  his  own  way  in  the 
world.  At  an  early  age  he  went  to  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufac- 


ture of  cotton  waste,  and  as  his  capital  in- 
creased he  enlarged  his  interests,  entering  upon 
the  manufacture  of  paper  and  woolens.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Evans  &  Sea- 
graves  Company,  woolen  manufacturers,  being 
a  silent  partner  in  that  firm.  In  1853,  when 
the  Continental  Bank  was  organized  in  Provi- 
dence as  a  State  bank,  located  in  the  What 
Cheer  building,  Mr.  Almy  was  honored  by 
being  chosen  as  its  first  president,  holding  that 
office  the  rest  of  his  life.  This  bank  in  1865 
became  the  Fourth  National  Bank. 

Mr.  Almy  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and 
throughout  the  years  of  his  business  activity 
was  recognized  as  a  leader,  because  of  both 
bis  ability  and  his  accomplishments.  He  was 
successful  in  his  ventures  and  invested  heavily 
in  shipping  interests  in  Providence  and  the 
whaling  industry  in  New  Bedford.  From 
1849  to  1853  he  lived  in  the  old  Roger  Wil- 
liams house  on  North  Main  street,  in  Provi- 
dence. In  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  New  Bedford,  pur- 
chasing for  his  home  the  Thomas  R.  Robeson 
mansion  on  County  street,  which  he  named 
"Greystone."  The  architect  of  this  mansion 
was  Russell  Warren,  who  gave  New  Bedford 
character  and  reputation  for  a  group  of  superb 
examples  of  architecture  in  a  day  when  it 
achieved  a  reputation  for  its  magnificent  patri- 
cian mansions.  The  wealthy  merchants  of 
New  Bedford  were  discriminating  in  their  se- 
lection of  an  architect,  and  his  most  brilliant 
accomplishments  were  in  designing  the  public 
buildings  and  homes  of  the  "nabobs"  of  the 
time.  Some  of  his  most  glorious  creations, 
however,  such  as  the  John  Avery  Parker  or 
Bennett  mansion,  and  "Greystone,"  have  been 
destroyed,  and  the  best  idea  of  "Greystone" 
can  be  obtained  from  the  picture  of  it  preserved 
in  the  New  Bedford  Library.  Mr.  Warren 
was  also  the  architect  of  the  old  town  hall,  just 
remodeled  into  the  new  public  library  building, 
and  of  the  bank  building  at  the  foot  of  William 
street. 

Here  in  his  Colonial  mansion  Mr.  Almy 
passed  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  during 
which  he  became  active  in  the  business  and  so- 
cial life  of  New  Bedford.  He  was  a  lover  of 
the  country  and  of  outdoor  life,  and  his  ener- 
getic disposition  found  many  agreeable  chan- 
nels in  his  new  home.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Unitarian  Society  and  a  constant 
church  attendant.  Cheerfulness  and  geniality 
and  the  natural  product  of  these  two,  courtesy, 
were  the  characteristics  which  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world  more  especially  marked  Benjamin  R. 
Almy.      These  qualities  made  him  a  man  who 


826 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


in  his  business  and  social  relations  formed  an 
unusually  wide  circle  of  pleasant  acquaintance- 
sliip  and  wlio  in  the  more  intimate  associations 
of  private  life  was  a  deliglitful  companion,  a 
deeply  loved  friend.  His  life  was  shorter  than 
the  normal,  but  long  enough  for  him  to  bless 
many  of  liis  fellow  men  with  the  radiated  in- 
fluence of  his  sunny  temperament  and  to  earn 
for  him  a  lasting  place  in  the  happiest  memor- 
ies of  those  he  loved.  He  died  Jan.  29,  1861, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Swan  Point  cemetery, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders,  having 
been  among  the  earliest  to  take  an  interest  in 
its  promotion  and  establishment. 

The  New  Bedford  Evening  Standard  of  Jan. 
29,  1861,  said:  "We  regret  being  called  upon 
to  announce  the  death  of  Benjamin  R.  Almy, 
Esq.,  a  prominent  and  well  known  merchant  of 
this  city,  which  took  place  at  his  residence 
about  eleven  o'clock  this  forenoon.  He  was 
attacked  with  an  apoplectic  fit  on  Sunday  after- 
noon last  (Jan.  27th),  from  which  he  did  not 
rally.  He  would  have  been  fifty-one  years  old 
on  the  22d  of  next  month.  A  wife  and  seven 
children,  and  an  entire  community  are  left  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  an  upright  and  honest  citi- 
zen." 

Mr.  Almy  was  first  married,  in  1832,  in  Tiv- 
erton, R.  I.,  to  Hannah  Evans,  born  July  9, 
1805,  in  Freetown,  Mass.  She  died  Sept.  10, 
1848,  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  the  mother  of  six 
children:  William  Humphrey,  born  in  Scitu- 
ate,  R.  I.,  Nov.  22,  1832,  wlio  died  in  Provi- 
dence in  February,  1875;  Benjamin  Franklin, 
born  in  Tiverton  June  10,  1834;  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson, born  in  Providence  April  7,  1836;  Mar- 
tha Frances,  Mrs.  Wiswall,  born  in  Providence 
Aug.  17,  1839;  Annah  Evans,  born  in  Provi- 
dence April  22,  1843,  who  married  Joseph  Az- 
arian;  and  Frederick  Steuben,  born  in  Provi- 
dence Nov.  21,  1847,  who  died  in  August, 
1848. 

On  Nov.  15,  1849,  Mr.  Almy  married  (sec- 
ond) Emily  Mandeville  Cummings,  who  was 
bom  in  Dartmouth  June  25,  1827,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Cynthia  (Smith)  Cummings, 
whose  record  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
To  Benjamin  R.  and  Emily  M.  (Cummings) 
Almy  were  born  five  children:  Walter,  born  in 
Providence,  R.  L,  Dec.  29,  1850,  died  Aug.  13, 
1906;  Clarence,  born  in  Barrington,  R.  I., 
Aug.  15,  1852,  married  Anna  Kirtley  Bowen, 
and  died  July  6,  1883 ;  Emma  Cummings,  born 
in  New  Bedford  July  4,  1854,  died  July  12, 
1855;  Harry  Atherton,  born  in  New  Bedford 
Aug.  8,  1857,  died  Sept.  2,  1860 ;  Ernest,  born 
in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  June  20,  1859,  died 
July  4,  1859. 


Mrs.  Almy,  through  her  mother  and  grand- 
mother, is  also  an  Almy  descendant,  her  line 
of  descent  from  William  Almy  for  six  genera- 
tions being  the  same  as  that  of  Mr.  Almy.  In 
the  seventh  generation,  Mary  Almy,  daughter 
of  Tillinghast  and  Hannah  (Chase)  Almy,  was 
born  in  Dartmouth,  May  23,  1780,  and  died 
March  26,  1829.  She  married  Oct.  2,  1800, 
Henry  Smith,  born  July  16,  1777,  who  died 
July  16,  1813.  Their  daughter,  Cynthia  Smith, 
born  Jan.  9,  1802,  in  Dartmouth,  married 
Jan.  27,  1820,  Benjamin  Cummings,  born 
April  7,  1797,  and  their  daughter,  Emily  Man- 
deville, married  Benjamin  R.  Almy. 

STUDLEY.  The  Studley  family,  repre- 
sented in  Rockland  for  more  than  three 
quarters  of  a  century  by  the  late  Gideon 
Studley  and,  at  present,  by  his  son  and  name- 
sake, has  had  honorable  as  well  as  lengthy 
connection  with  the  affairs  of  that  community. 
Active  and  successful  in  business,  intelligent, 
progressive  and  public-spirited,  they  have  in- 
deed been  valuable  citizens  of  the  town  and 
forceful,  if  quiet,  factors  in  its  best  develop- 
ment. 

Studley  is  an  old  English  surname  of  the 
County  of  Kent  and  Yorkshire,  the  seat  of  the 
family  in  the  latter  being  at  Studley  Park, 
near  which  are  the  ruins  of  the  celebrated 
Fountains  Abbey,  a  famous  place  of  resort  for 
travelers.  Two  families  of  this  name  appear 
early  in  New  England  history,  one  in  Boston, 
and  the  other  in  Sandwich. 

(I)  Benoni  Studley,  of  Sandwich,  Mass., 
was  in  that  part  of  Scituate  now  the  town  of 
Hanover,  and  his  house  on  Hanover  street, 
which  was  built  in  1702,  was  the  oldest  that 
was  standing  in  the  town  in  1853.  He  mar- 
ried Abigail,  daughter  of  John  Stetson.  He 
died  suddenly,  Nov.  14,  1746,  and  his  widow 
passed  away  Feb.  1,  1758-59,  aged  eighty-two. 
Their  children  were :  Abigail,  bom  Aug.  13, 
1702  (married  Joseph  House)  ;  John,  bom 
Feb.  25,  1704;  Joshua,  born  in  August,  1707; 
Gideon,  born  May  5,  1710  (died  Aug.  3, 
1734);  Sarah,  born  March  31,  1716;  Benoni, 
bom  July  15,  1720. 

(II)  Joshua  Studley,  son  of  Benoni  and 
Abigail  (Stetson)  Studley,  born  in  August, 
1707,  married  March  6,  1735,  Lydia  Pratt,  of 
Pembroke.  She  died  July  9,  1759,  and  he 
died  July  15,  1760.  Their  children  were: 
Gideon,  bom  May  15,  1738;  Lydia,  born  Jan. 
16,  1740  (died  May  6,  1740)  ;  Abigail,  bap- 
tized June  28,  1741  (married  Daniel  Crocker, 
and  died  in  September,  1779)  ;  Joshua,  bom 
Sept.  26,  1742;  Joanna,  bora  Jan.  13,  1744 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


827 


(died  April  16,  1779)  ;  Ann,  bom  May  11, 
1746  (died  May  15,  1760)  ;  Lydia  (2),  born 
May  8,  1748;  John,  born  July  22,  1750  (died 
Jan.  17,  1751) ;  and  Rebecca,  born  March  8, 
1752    (died  May  16,  1754). 

(III)  Gideon  Studley,  son  of  Joshua  and 
Lydia  (Pratt)  Studley,  born  May  15,  1738, 
married  Jan.  14,  1762,  Rosamond  Church.  It 
is  said,  and  there  are  evidences  of  it,  that  he 
was  out  in  the  French  and  Indian  war  in  1756. 
During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  was  a  private 
in  Capt.  Nathaniel  Winslow's  company,  Col. 
Simeon  Cary's  regiment,  service  from  time  of 
enlistment  to  date  of  marching  to  Roxbury, 
Feb.  12,  1776,  seven  days.  He  died  Aug.  14, 
1816,  aged  seventy-eight,  and  his  wife  died 
Jan.  3,  1832,  aged  ninety-two.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Anna,  born  Dec.  27,  1762,  married 
Homer  Whiting;  Sarah,  born  July  9,  1766, 
died  June  26,  1847 ;  Rosamond,  born  June  9, 
1768,  married  Zattu  Gushing,  of  Abington; 
Rebecca,  born  Feb.  15,  1770,  married  Benja- 
min Tolman;  Lucy  was  born  Oct.  12,  1773; 
Gideon  was  born  July  19,  1776;  Abigail,  born 
Oct.  19,  1778,  married  David  Poole,  of  Abing- 
ton; and  Joshua,  born  Sept.  15,  1784,  was 
long  a  physician  in  Hanover. 

(IV)  Gideon  Studley  (2),  son  of  Gideon, 
born  July  19,  1776.  married  Dec.  17,  1809, 
Grace  Butler,  and  lived  on  Main  street,  near 
Grove,  in  Hanover,  Mass.,  where  his  wife  died 
July  9,  1838.  He  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  trunk  woods.  With  the  exception 
of  Gideon  his  sons  all  learned  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  and  all  were  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  the  communities  in  which  they  lived.  He 
died  Jan.  10,  1850.  The  children  were:  Anne, 
born  July  8,  1810  (was  for  some  years  a  school 
teacher;  married  Caleb  Whiting) ;  Gideon, 
bom  Oct.  19,  1811;  John  B.,  born  June  27, 
1813;  James  B.,  born  March  9,  1815;  Joshua, 
born  Dec.  5,  1817;  Sarah  B.,  born  Dec.  23, 
1819;  and  George,  born  Nov.  11,  1822  (mar- 
ried Sarah  de  Croel  Bonney). 

(V)  Gideon  Studley  (3),  son  of  Gideon 
(2),  born  Oct.  19,  1811,  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  was  thus  occupied  in  East  Abing- 
ton, now  Rockland,  Mass.,  where  he  lived. 
After  following  his  trade  for  a  number  of 
years,  along  in  the  early  forties  he  began  the 
manufacture  of  boxes,  box  boards  and  other 
like  articles.  He  and  his  good  wife  were  plain, 
unassuming  people,  having  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  their  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 
He  died  at  Rockland,  Mass.,  March  15,  1883, 
aged  seventy-two  years. 

On  March  31,  1841,  Mr.  Studley  was  mar- 
ried by  Rev.  Lucius  Alden  to  Priscilla  Beal 


Shaw,  who  was  born  July  2,  1816,  in  East 
Abington,  daughter  of  Brackley  and  Betsey 
(Porter)  Shaw,  and  died  March  13,  1901, 
aged  eighty-five  years.  The  children  of  this 
union  were  born  as  follows:  Gideon  H.,  Aug. 
6,  1842  (died  March  11,  1844)  ;  James  B., 
Oct.  28,  1843;  Sarah  A.,  March  11,  1845 
(married  George  S.  Donham)  ;  Anna  H.,  Nov. 
22,  1846;  Alice,  June  13,  1849  (married  June 
13,  1871,  William  A.  Kane) ;  Gideon,  June  12, 
1851;  Joshua  Frank,  Oct.  1,  1854  (died  Jan. 
3,  1891). 

(VI)  James  Butler  Studley,  son  of  Gideon 
(3)  and  Priscilla  B.  (Shaw)  Studley,  was 
born  in  East  Abington  (now  Rockland)  Oct. 
28,  1843.  He  served  in  the  Civil  war  in  Com- 
pany G,  43d  Regiment,  M.  V.  I.,  and  in  Com- 
pany E,  2d  Regiment,  Heavy  Artillery.  He 
learned  the  shoe  business,  and  in  1865  formed 
a  partnership  with  the  late  Joseph  Stanley 
Turner  for  the  manufacture  of  shoes  in  the 
to^vn  of  East  Abington  (now  Rockland).  He 
died  in  his  thirtieth  year,  April  24,  1873.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife  and  three  children, 
having  married  Dec.  2,  1866,  Sarah  L.  Gray, 
born  in  1844,  daughter  of  George  and  Ange- 
line  Gray.  The  children  were  bom  as  follows: 
James  Gray,  Sept.  18,  1867;  George  Herbert, 
Sept.  5,  1869;  Fred  B.,  July  2,  1871;  Ange- 
line  Gray,  Oct.  12,  1873  (died  Oct.  1,  1875). 

(VI)  Gideon  Studley  (4),  son  of  Gideon 
(3)  and  Priscilla  B.  (Shaw)  Studley,  was 
born  June  12,  1851,  in  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Rockland,  Mass.  Since  the  death  of  his 
father  he  has  continued  the  mill  and  box  busi- 
ness established  by  the  latter. 

On  Jan.  1,  1874,  Mr.  Studley  married  Han- 
nah E.  Totman,  daughter  of  Horace  C.  and 
Hannah  Elizabeth  (Guild)  Totman.  To  this 
union  were  born  twelve  children:  (1)  Fanny 
Kilby,  born  May  9,  1875,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Rockland  high  school.  (2)  Ira  Guild,  born 
Sept.  11,  1876,  was  educated  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  and  the  Boston  School  of  Tech- 
nology. He  is  engaged  in  the  box  and  lumber 
business  in  Rochester,  N.  H.  (3)  James 
Butler,  bom  July  24,  1878,  was  educated  in 
the  public  and  high  schools  of  Rockland  and 
graduated  from  Harvard  Law  School  in  1902. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Bran- 
dies, Dunbar  &  Nutter,  Boston,  Mass.  He 
married  Mary  Frances  Edwards,  and  they  have 
had  one  child,  Linnell  Edward.  They  reside 
in  Newton,  Mass.  (4)  Alice  Gertrude,  bom 
Dec.  17.  1880,  died  May  15,  1893.  (5)  Horace 
Franklin,  born  April  10,  1882,  was  educated 
in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Rockland, 
after  which  he  graduated  from  Harvard  with 


828  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

the  degree  of  A.  B.,  later  attending  the  Yale  Clapp's   company   of   minute-men,    Col.    John 

School   of   Forestry.     He   has   been  supervisor  Bailey's  regiment,  which  marched  on  the  alarm 

in    the    United     States    forest    service.      (6)  of  April   19,  1775;  service,  fifteen  days. 
Annie  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  29,  1883,  attended         (VI)    Charles  Totman,  born  Feb.  26,  1787, 

the  local  public  and  high  schools  and  gradu-  married  Jan.  24,  1812,  Sophia  Collamore,  and 

ated    from    Simmons    College,    Boston,    Mass.  died    in    1825,    aged    thirty-eight.      He    wa» 

(7)    Marion   Herbert,    born   March    13,    1885,  "captain."     His  children  were:  Charles,  born 

graduated  from  the  Rockland  high  school  and  May  7,  1813;  George,  Jan.  25,  1815;  Sophia 

from    Wellesley    College    (1906)    and   is   now  Davis,  Dec.  23,  1816   (married  Alfred  Paine, 

teacher  of   English.      (8)    Gideon,    born   Dec.  of    Abington)  ;    Horace    C,    Nov.    21,    1818; 

20,  1886,  graduated  from  the  Rockland  high  Dorcassina,   Dec.    11,    1820    (married   Reuben 

school     and    from     the     Lawrence     Scientific  Payne  July  10,  1842). 

School  of  Harvard  College,  and  is  now  with        (VII)  Hor.\ce  C.  Totman,  son  of  Charles 

the  Westinghouse  Machine  Company,  at  Pitts-  and   Sophia    (Collamore)    Totman,  born   Nov. 

burg.  Pa.      (9)   Lucy  Adelaide,  born  April  1,  21,    1818,    married    Hannah    Elizabeth    Guild, 

1889,    graduated    from    the    Rockland     high  daughter  of   Ira   Guild.     On   Sept.   23,   1863, 

school    and    from    Simmons    College,    Boston,  he  married    (second)    Sarah  C.  Kilby,  daugh- 

(10)    Robert  Allen,  born  April  2,   1892,  is  a  ter   of   Theophilus   and   Deborah   Kilby.      His- 

student  at  high  school.     (11)   Priscilla  Ford,  daughter   Hannah  E.   is  the  wife   of   Gideon 

born  Jan.  21,  1895,  is  a  student  at  the  Rock-  Studley. 

land  high  school.     (12)  Joshua,  bom  July  15,  

1897,  is  attending  the  Rockland  high  school. 


Shaw.     The    Shaw  family,   to  which  Mrs. 

The  Totman  family  to  which  Mrs.  Gideon  Gideon  Studley  belongs,  in  the  maternal  line, 

Studley  belongs  is  an  old  one  in  New  England,  has  a  line  of  resi^ected  representatives  from  the 

and   we   give   the   record   of   her   ancestors   in  emigrant  ancestor,  Abraham  Shaw,  who  came 

direct  line  from   the   first  of  record,   Thomas  to    America    before    1636.      Following    is    the 

Totman.  record. 

(I)  Thomas  Totman,  of  Plymouth,  removed  (I)  Abraham  Shaw,  a  resident  of  the  village 
to  Scituate  before  1660.  He  resided  on  the  of  Northowram,  in  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  Eng- 
south  side  of  Church  Hill.  He  had  a  son  land,  married  June  24,  1616,  Bridget  Best, 
Stephen.  and     their     children     baptized     there     were : 

(II)  Stephen  Totman,  son  of  Thomas,  had  Joseph,    March    14,    1618;    Grace,    Aug.    15, 
children:    Samuel,    born    in    1693;    Stephen,  1621;  Martha,  Dec.  1,  1623;  Maria,  June  18, 
1695;  Mary,  1696;  Christian,  1699;  Elkanah,  1626;   John,   Feb.    16,   1628;   John    (2),  May 
1703;  Thomas,   1705;  Lydia,   1708;  and   Ste-  23,  1630;  and  Martha  (3),  Jan.  6,  1632. 
phen    (2),  1711.  Mr.  Shaw  came  to  this  country  before  1636 

(III)  Thomas  Totman,  son  of  Stephen,  and  was  admitted  a  freeman  March  9,  1636. 
born  in  1705,  had  a  son  Ebenezer,  born  in  He  was  a  proprietor  of  Watertown  in  1636, 
1731.  and  removed  to  Dedham.     He  signed  the  fam- 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Totman,  son  of  Thomas,  ous  compact  and  was  constable  of  Dedham, 
bom  in  1731,  married  in  1752  Grace,  daughter  elected  Sept.  6,  1638.  He  died  in  1638,  leav- 
of  Hawkins  Turner.  They  had  four  children,  ing  a  will  in  which  he  bequeathed  to  his  eldest 
born  as  follows:  Thomas,  Nov.  20,  1753;  Ste-  son  Joseph;  children  Mary,  John  and  Martha, 
phen,  April  5,  1756;  Lucy,  Dec.  9,  1758;  the  two  latter  being  infants;  Joseph  and  John 
Lydia,  July  29,  1761.  to  have  his  lot  at- Dedham. 

(V)  Stephen  Totman,  born  April  5,  1756,  (II)  John  Shaw,  son  of  Abraham,  born  in 
died  Sept.  27,  1830.  He  married  in  1777  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England,  baptized  May  23, 
Hannah  Damon,  and  they  had  children  born  1630,  married  Alice  Phillips,  of  Weymouth, 
as  follows:  Stephen,  Jan.  13,  1778;  Hannah,  and  there  lived  all  his  active  life.  Children, 
Dec.  26,  1779;  Isaac,  Sept.  7,  1781;  Ebenezer,  born  at  Weymouth,  were:  John,  born  about 
Sept.  2,  1783;  Fanny,  June  26,  1785;  Charles,  1655;  Elizabeth,  bom  Feb.  26,  1656;  Abra- 
Feb.  26,  1787;  Polly,  Feb.  16,  1789;  Lydia,  ham,  born  Oct.  10,  1657;  Mary,  born  May  24, 
Sept.  26,  1791;  Harris  Miner,  Oct.  19.  1793;  1660;  Nicholas,  born  March  23,  1662;  Joseph, 
Benjamin  Turner,  Feb.  12,  1795;  Thomas,  born  April  15,  1664;  Alice,  born  July  6,  1666 ; 
July  7,  1797;  Sally,  Nov.  25,  1798.  Hannah,  bom  April  7,  1668;  Benjamin,  bom 

Stephen  Totman,  of  Scituate,  was  a  private  June  16,  1670;  Abigail,  bom  July  15,  1672; 

during  the  Revolutionary  war  in  Capt.   John  and  Ebenezer,  born  April  24,  1674. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


829 


(III)  John  Shaw  (2),  eon  of  John,  was 
born  about  1655,  and  married  Hannah  Whit- 
marsh,  who  died  May  4,  1736.  Their  chil- 
dren weret  Hannah,  born  in  1680,  who  died 
joung;  Abraham,  born  in  1685;  Hannah  (2), 
born  in  1687;  Jolin,  bom  in  1690;  Mary,  born 
in  1691;  Benjamin,  bom  in  1693;  and  Joseph. 

(IV)  Joseph  Shaw,  of  WejTnouth,  son  of 
John  (2),  married  (intentions  Nov.  13,  1716) 
Mary  Blanchard,  and  their  children  of  Wey- 
mouth town  record  were :  Ebenezer,  born  April 
23,  1718;  Abraham,  born  Sept.  8,  1720;  Mary, 
bom  July  14,  1723 ;  Susanna,  born  March  3. 
1726;  Alice,  born  April  22,  1728;  and  Abigail, 
horn  Dec.  27,  1731. 

(V)  Abraham  Shaw,  son  of  Joseph,  bom 
Sept.  8,  1720,  married  Jan.  26,  1741-42, 
Joanna  Hunt,  born  Sept.  25,  1722,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Hunt,  of  Weymouth,  and  his  wife 
Elizabeth  (Reed),  granddaughter  of  Ephraim 
Hunt  and  his  wife  Joanna  (Alcock),  great- 
^anddaughter   of    Ephraim    Hunt   and   Anna 

(Richards)  and  great-great-granddaughter  of 
Enoch  Hunt,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Wey- 
mouth. The  children  of  Abraham  and  Joanna 
(Hunt)  Shaw  of  Weymouth  town  record  were: 
Joanna,  born  Oct.  24,  1742 ;  and  Abraham, 
born  Dec.   17,  1744. 

(V'l)  Capt.  Abraham  Shaw,  of  Weymouth 
and  East  Abington,  son  of  Abraham  and 
Joanna  (Hunt)  Shaw,  born  Dec.  17,  1744,  in 
Weymouth,  married  April  16,  1765,  Priscilla, 
born  in  1746,  in  Abington,  daughter  of  Jere- 
miah Beal  and  his  wife  Mary  (Colson),  he  a 
direct  descendant  of  John  Beal,  who  came 
from  Hingham,  County  of  Norfolk,  England, 
in  1635,  and  settled  in  Hingham,  Mass.,  from 
whom  his  descent  is  through  Jeremiah  Beal 
and  his  wife  Sarah  (Ripley),  Jeremiah  Beal 
(2)  and  his  wife  Hannah  (Lane)  and  Jere- 
miah Beal  (3)  and  his  wife  Esther  (Farrow)  ; 
the  third  Jeremiah  removed  from  Hingham  to 
Weymouth,  and  the  fourtii  Jeremiah,  wlio  had 
removed  there  with  him,  settled  about  1731 
in  Abington. 

Abraham  and  Priscilla  (Beal)  Shaw  had 
children  as  follows:  Abraham,  born  Jan.  14, 
1766;  Jeremiah,  June  18,  1767;  Nathaniel, 
Aug.  5,  1769;  Daniel,  Oct.  16,  1771;  Priscilla, 
Oct.  17,  1773  (died  Sept.  4,  1775)  :  Bracklev, 
April  12,  1775;  Oliver,  Nov.  19,  1777;  Pri.sse, 
Dec.  24,  1780;  Polly,  Dec.  20,  1785;  Nancy, 
July  2,  1786:  Chloe,  May  6,  1788. 

(VII)  Brackley  Shaw,  son  of  Abraham 
and  Priscilla  (Beal)  Shaw,  was  bom  in  the 
town  of  Abington  April  12,  1775,  and  married 
Betsey  Porter,  who  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire.     Children :  Betsey,  born  Aug.  12, 


1798  (married  Capt.  Melvin  Shaw)  ;  Dorinda, 
May  21,  1803  (married  Capt.  Melvin  Shaw, 
her  deceased  sister's  husband)  ;  Brackley,  July 
1,  1805;  Edmund,  Aug.  2,  1807;  Louisa,  Aug. 
16,  1810  (married  Daniel  Blanchard)  ;  Micah 
P.,  April,  1813  (died  Oct.  6,  1867)  ;  Priscilla 
Beal,  July  2,  1816;  Philander,  Feb.  28,  1818; 
Sumner,  March  28,  1821  (married  Hannah 
Smith  Hunt). 

LEMUEL  LeBARON  DEXTER,  well- 
known  attorney  at  law  of  New  Bedford,  with 
offices  in  the  Masonic  building,  and  his  home 
in  Mattapoisett,  Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.,  was 
bom  Dec.  22,  1872,  in  the  town  of  Matta- 
poisett, the  only  son  of  Elisha  Loring  and 
Harriet  W.    (LeBaron)    Dexter. 

The  Dexter  family  was  planted  in  America 
by  (I)  Thomas  Dexter,  a  native  of  England, 
who  settled  in  Lynn,  Mass.,  at  an  early  period. 
He  was  a  man  of  education  and  a  good  writer. 
He  was  the  owner  of  about  eight  hundred  acres 
of  land  in  Lynn,  and  was  known  as  Farmer 
Dexter.  He  was  energetic  and  enterprising, 
and  built  a  mill  neaf  the  Saugus  river.  He 
moved  to  the  town  of  Sandwich,  Barnstable 
county,  where  in  1637  he  built  the  first  grist- 
mill. Returning  to  Lynn  he  remained  thei-e 
until  1646,  when  he  bought  a  tract  of  land  in 
Barnstable,  settling  there.  Later  he  moved  to 
Boston,  spending  his  latter  days  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Captain  Oliver,  and  dying  at 
her  house  in  1677.  He  was  buried  in  the 
Oliver  tomb,  in  King's  Chapel  burying  ground. 
His  children  were :  Thomas,  who  married 
Elizal)eth  Vincent  in  1648;  William,  who  mar- 
ried Sarah  Vincent  in  1653;  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried (first)  John  French  and  (second)  Capt. 
James  Oliver,  of  Boston;  and  James,  who  mar- 
ried Rachel  Wood. 

(II)  William  Dexter,  son  of  Thomas,  settled 
in  Barnstable  in  1650,  on  one  of  his  father's 
farms.  In  1679  he  moved  to  t\\e  town  of 
Rochester,  Plymouth  county,  where  he  became 
a  large  land  owner.  He  also  had  landed  inter- 
ests in  Barnstable.  He  died  in  1684.  In 
January,  1653,  he  married  Sarah  Vincent,  and 
tlieir  children  were:  Mary,  born  in  January, 
1654  (married  Moses  Barlow)  ;  Stephen,  May, 
1657 ;  Philip,  September,  1659 ;  James,  May, 
1662  (died  July  15,  1694)  ;  Thomas,  July, 
1665;  John,  August,  1668;  and  Benjamin, 
Feb.   16,  1670. 

(III)  Philip  Dexter,  son  of  William,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Barnstable,  Mass.,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1659.  He  settled  in  the  town  .of  Fal- 
mouth, Mass.,  where  he  was  a  landholder.  He 
also  owned  and  operated  a  mill.     He  was  quite 


830 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


active  in  public  affairs,  serving  as  selectman 
and  town  clerk.  He  died  there  in  1741,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two  years.  He  married  Alice 
Allen,  and  had  children :  Joseph,  Philip,  Jabez, 
John   and   others. 

(IV)  Jabez  Dexter,  son  of  Philip,  born  at 
Falmouth,  Mass.,  made  his  home  in  the  town 
of  Eochester,  Mass.,  where  he  was  called  yeo- 
man. He  was  juryman  in  July,  1753.  His 
will  is  dated  Feb.  27,  1759.  He  married  Mary 
Dexter,  daughter  of  James  Dexter,  of  Roches- 
ter, and  their  children  were:  Alice,  bom  Nov. 
9,  1715,  who  died  in  September,  1746;  Abi- 
gail, born  Nov.  6,  1717,  who  married  Nathaniel 
Snow;  William,  bom  May  14,  1719;  Sarah, 
born  Feb.  19,  1720-21,  who  died  Aug.  5,  1721; 
James,  born  July  18,  1722,  who  died  in  June, 
1723;  Seth,  bom  Feb.  17,  1723;  Elizabeth, 
born  June  15,  1725,  who  married  Isaac  Ste- 
phens; Jabez,  born  May  11,  1728;  Thankful, 
born  March  20,  1729;  Elnathan,  bom  June 
17,  1732;  Mary,  born  May  20,  1734,  who  died 
in  1761 ;  Hannah,  and  Jonathan. 

(V)  Seth  Dexter,  son  of  Jabez,  born  Feb. 
17,  1723,  in  Rochester,  was  married  in  that 
town  May  21,  1753,  to  Mary  Kirby.  Their 
children  were :  Jabez,  born  Aug.  10,  1754,  died 
in  January,  1814;  Elias  died  Dec.  15,  1821; 
Elizabeth  died  March  18,  1827;  Elisha,  bora 
in  April,  17—,  died  Jan.  14,  1834;  Sarah, 
born  Sept.  2,  1755,  married  Josiah  Macomber, 
and  died  Aug.  8,  1833;  Mary  married  Charles 
Ellis;  Isaiah  was  born  Dec.  31,  17 — . 

(VI)  Elisha  Dexter,  son  of  Seth,  was  born 
in  Rochester,  Mass.,  and  married  in  December, 
1778,  Eunice  Bowles,  who  died  Jan.  31,  1833, 
aged  sixty-nine  years.  He  died  Jan.  14,  1834. 
Their  children  were :  Jane,  born  in  January, 
1780,  married  Kirby  Beard,  and  died  Sept.  10, 
1845;  Betsey,  bora  March  30,  1781,  married 
Thomas  C.  Ames,  and  died  Dec.  9,  1865; 
Mary,  bora  Oct.  5,  1784,  married  Sylvanus 
Tripp,  and  died  Sept.  11,  1854;  Elisha  was 
born  Feb.  4,  1794;  Seth,  bom  July  3,  1799, 
died  June  20,  1824;  Harvey,  born  Dec.  3, 
1801,  died  Jan.  4,  1850;  Alden,  born  July  2, 
1804,  died  May  14,  1841;  and  Clarissa,  born 
June  30,  1807,  married  Lewis  Randall. 

(VII)  Elisha  Dexter,  son  of  Elisha,  born 
in  the  town  of  Rochester,  now  a  part  of  the 
town  of  Mattapoisett,  Feb.  4,  1794,  there  grew 
to  manhood.  He  worked  as  a  house  carpenter 
and  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  the  saw- 
mill business,  manufacturing  box  board,  which 
he  shipped  to  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
markets.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Mattapoisett 
Jan.  17,  1890.  He  married  Sarah  C.  Men- 
dall,    and    their   children    were :  Mary    A.    R., 


born  Feb.  8,  1824,  married  Nathaniel  Parker 
Oct.  26,  1842;  Lydia  was  bom  Oct.  26,  1825; 
Martha,  bora  Sept.  23,  1828,  married  Oct. 
15,  1861,  Nathan  Smith;  Charies  Frederick, 
born  Feb.  2,  1831,  married  Mary  Morton  Oct. 
24,  1862;  Elisha  Loring  was  born  March  22, 
1834;  Albert  M.,  born  Aug.  12,  1837,  died 
July  25,  1899,  married  Oct.  24,  1871,  Anne 
E.  Hathaway;  Greorge  H.,  born  March  29, 
1840,  married  Mary  F.  Wood  Oct.  24,  1871, 
and  died  Feb.  16,  1905 ;  Myra  Jane  was  born 
Feb.  24,  1842;  Sarah  W.,  born  Nov.  1,  1844, 
died  July  26,  1845;  Sarah  S.,  born  May  14, 
1848,  married  Nov.  28,  1887,  Daniel  W.  Nash, 
and   died  in   Carver,  Massachusetts. 

(VIII)  Elisha  Loring  Dexter,  son  of  Elisha, 
was  born  in  Mattapoisett,  which  was  then  a 
part  of  Rochester,  Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.,  March 
22,  1834.  He  attended  the  local  school  of 
the  town,  and  worked  from  an  early  age  as  a 
carpenter  and  in  the  sawmill  with  his  father 
and  brothers.  In  the  early  settlement  of  Kan- 
sas he  went  there  with  others,  locating  at  El- 
wood,  where  he  took  up  land,  and  spent  up- 
wards of  three  years  there.  He  then  returned 
to  his  native  town,  and  took  charge  of  opera- 
tions in  the  family  sa\vmill,  in  which  business 
he  continued  up  to  his  death,  leaving  the 
business  prosperous  and  well  established. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Dexter  enlisted 
at  Camp  Joe  Hooker,  Lakeville,  in  August, 
1862,  in  Company  I,  3d  Massachusetts  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  under  Col.  Silas  P.  Richmond 
and  Capt.  Barnabas  Ewer,  of  Fairhaven.  He 
served  until  July  22,  1863,  having  been  with 
his  regiment  at  Newbern  and  Plymouth,  N.  C. 
He  was  a  man  of  ready  wit  and  kindly  sym- 
pathy and  is  said  by  his  comrades  to  have 
iDeen  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  his  com- 
pany. He  was  discharged  at  Boston,  after 
which  he  returned  home  and  continued  in  the 
lumber  business.  He  died  after  a  short  illness 
from  erysipelas,  Dec.  4,  1876,  and  was  buried 
in   Mattapoisett  cemetery. 

On' Sept.  4,  1866,  in  Mattapoisett,  Mr.  Dex- 
ter married  Harriet  Wing  LeBaron,  born  Nov. 
12,  1837,  daughter  of  Lemuel  and  Lydia 
(Holmes) '  LeBaron.  They  had  one  child, 
Lemuel  LeBaron. 

(IX)  Lemuel  LeBaron  Dexter,  only  son  of 
Elisha  Loring,  was  born  Dec.  22,  1872,  anfl 
began  his  education  in  the  public  schools  and 
Barstow  school  at  Mattapoisett,  and  Tabor 
Academy  at  Marion,  where  he  graduated  in 
1892,  after  which  he  entered  Harvard  College. 
He  was  severely  ill  with  bronchitis,  but  re- 
entered and  graduated  in  the  class  of  1898, 
with  degree  of  A.  B.,  T\ath  honors.     He  then 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


831 


entered  Harvard  Law  School  and  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1901,  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. 
After  being  admitted  to  practice  before  the 
Massachusetts  bar,  he  entered  the  law  offices 
of  Hitch  &  Sparrow,  of  New  Bedford,  where 
he  remained  until  that  partnership  was  disr 
solved.  He  continued  associated  with  Mr.  M. 
E.  Hitch,  and  later  with  Mr.  M.  C.  Fisher, 
in  the  Masonic  building,  New  Bedford,  and 
here  he  has  practiced,  mainly  in  the  settlement 
of  estates  and  as  trustee,  for  the  past  ten  years. 
He  is  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  notary 
public. 

On  July  26.  1899,  Mr.  Dexter  married 
Clara  Lucinda  Hammond,  daughter  of  Noah 
and  Martha  M.  Hammond.  Although  he  has 
traveled  considerably  both  in  this  country  and 
Europe,  Mr.  Dexter  has  always  made  Matta- 
poisett  his  home,  and  he  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  the  town  and  its  institutions.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  school  committee  for  the  past 
fifteen  years,  and  ever  since  coming  of  age  a 
trustee  of  the  public  library.  He  is  a  member 
and  clerk  of  the  Congregational  Church,  has 
been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  Tabor 
Academy  Alumni,  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Fair- 
haven  Institution  for  Savings.  He  was  a  Joint 
author  of  "Mattapoisett  and  Old  Rochester," 
the  historical  volume  published  in  1907. 


The  LeBaron  family,  to  which  Mrs.  Harriet 
Wing  (LeBaron)  Dexter  belongs,  is  of  French 
origin,  and  was  planted  in  America  in  the 
seventeenth  century  by 

(I)  Francis  LeBaron,  of  whom  the  first 
record  evidence  in  this  country  is  in  the  rec- 
ords of  Plymouth,  a  few  years  prior  to  his 
marriage.  According  to  family  tradition,  he 
came  to  New  England  in  this  wise :  A  French 
privateer,  fitted  out  at  Bordeaux,  and  cruising 
on  the  American  coast,  was  wrecked  in  Buz- 
zard's bay;  the  crew  were  taken  prisoners  and 
carried  to  Boston;  in  passing  through  Ply- 
mouth the  surgeon,  Francis  LeBaron,  was 
detained  by  sickness,  and  on  his  recovery  per- 
formed a  surgical  operation  so  successfully 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  petitioned 
the  executive.  Lieutenant  Governor  Stoughton, 
for  his  release,  that  he  might  settle  among 
them.  The  petition  was  granted,  and  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  that  town  and  vicinity 
until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Francis  LeBaron  was  born  in  1668,  in 
France.  He  came  to  New  England  as  above 
narrated  and  married  Sept.  6,  1695,  Mary, 
bom  April  7,  1668,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Elizabeth  (Eames)* Wilder,  of  Hingham.  He 
died  Aug.  8,  1704,  in  Pljonouth.     After  this 


event,  on  Dec.  10,  1707,  liis  widow  married 
Return  Waite,  born  in  1678,  in  Boston,  and 
died  in  Plymouth  Oct.  3,  1751.  Dr.  LeBaron's 
children  were:  James,  born  May  23,  1696; 
Lazarus,  born  Dec.  26,  1698;  and  Francis, 
born  June  13,  1701. 

(II)  Lazarus  LeBaron,  son  of  Dr.  Francis, 
born  Dec.  26,  1698,  studied  medicine  with 
Dr.  McKay,  a  Scotch  physician  of  Southamp- 
ton, Long  Island,  in  1718.  He  practiced  his 
profession  in  Plymouth,  where  he  was  also 
selectman.  He  died  there  Sept.  2,  1773.  He 
married  May  16,  1720,  Lydia  Bartlett,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Griswold)  Bartlett, 
a  descendant  of  Richard  Warren  of  the  "May- 
flower," she  bom  in  1698,  died  May  19,  1742. 
On  May  2,  1743,  he  married  (second)  Lydia 
Bradford  Cushman,  a  widow,  daughter  of 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Finney)  Bradford,  and 
great-granddaughter  of  Gov.  William  Brad- 
ford, of  PljTnouth,  she  born  Dec.  27,  1719, 
died  Oct.  28,  1756.  His  children  were:  Laza- 
ms,  bom  May  7,  1721;  Joseph,  Oct.  7,  1722; 
Lydia,  Dec.  3,  1724;  Mary,  March  20,  1731; 
Hannah,  April  5,  1734;  Theresa,  June  22, 
1736  (died  March  30,  1738)  (all  to  the  first 
marriage);  Isaac,  Jan.  23,  1744;  Elizabeth, 
Dec.  21,  1745;  Lemuel,  Sept.  1,  1747;  Frances, 
Sept.  3,  1749  (died  Sept.  10,  1773,  in  South 
Carolina)  ;  William,  Aug.  8,  1751 ;  Priscilla, 
Aug.  3,  1753;  Margaret,  July  5,  1755  (died 
Nov.  20,  1765)    (to  the  second  marriage). 

(III)  Lemuel  LeBaron,  son  of  Dr.  Lazarus, 
born  at  Plymouth  Sept.  1,  1747,  graduated 
from  Yale  College  in  1768  (A.  M.,  1771). 
He  studied  in  the  divinity  course,  and  was 
ordained  a  minister  in  Mattapoisett  Jan.  29, 
1772.  He  became  minister  of  the  church  in 
Mattapoisett  and  so  continued  the  rest  of  his 
life^a  pastorate  of  over  sixty  years.  He  was 
chaplain  in  the  army  during  the  Revolutionary 
war.  He  died  in  Mattapoisett  Nov.  26,  1836, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years.  Mr.  LeBaron 
married  Nov.  24,  1774,  Elizabeth  Allen,  born 
at  Martha's  Vineyard  April  9,  1752,  who  died 
Nov.  9,  1830.  Their  children  were :  Lemuel, 
bom  Aug.  1,  1775,  who  died  in  September, 
1775;  Ann,  bom  Jan.  9,  1778,  who  died  May 
22,  1779;  Lemuel  (2),  born  Jan.  10,  1780; 
John  Allen,  born  April  27,  1782;  Elizabeth, 
born  March  27,  1784,  who  died  Jan.  2,  1815; 
William,  born  April  27,  1786;  Lazarus,  born 
July  27,  1789;  Sally  Ann,  born  Sept.  11, 
1791;  and  James,  bom  Oct.  19,  1794,  who  died 
Dec.  12,  1801. 

(IV)  John  Allen  LeBaron,  son  of  Rev. 
Lemuel,  born  in  Rochester,  now  Mattapoisett, 
April    27,    1782,   was    a   merchant   and    vessel 


833 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


owner.  He  made  his  home  in  Mattapoisett, 
where  he  died  Oct.  8,  1854.  He  served  in  the 
Legislature.  He  married  Dec.  10,  1807,  Abby 
Phillips,  who  died  May  10,  1815.  He  married 
(second)  July  11,  1819,  Harriet  Wing,  who 
died  March  9,  1851.  His  children  were:  Lem- 
uel, born  March  28,  1809;  James,  March  25, 
1811;  and  Horatio  G.,  March  23,  1813  (mar- 
ried April  21,  1844,  Martha  Bumpus,  and  died 
in  Hebron,  Maine,  Nov.  1,  1881). 

(V)  Lemuel  LeBaron,  son  of  John  Allen, 
born  in  the  town  of  Eochester,  now  the  town 
of  Mattapoisett,  March  28,  1809,  attended 
school  in  his  native  town,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood,  and  where  he  made  his  home  all  his 
life.  He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and 
joiner,  and  worked  as  a  journeyman  in  Matta- 
poisett and  New  Bedford.  Later  he  became 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  forming  a 
partnership  with  Abner  Harlow,  binder  the 
name  of  Harlow  &  LeBaron,  and  they  success- 
fully conducted  a  general  store,  for  years  a 
local  center,  in  Mattapoisett  village.  After  the 
death  of  Mr.  Harlow  Mr.  LeBaron  continued 
the  business  alone.  He  was  a  man  of  ability 
and  sound  business  sense,  kindly  and  sympa- 
thetic, fond  of  a  good  horse  and  his  flower 
garden.  He  was  largely  interested  in  real  es- 
tate, and  was  the  owner  of  large  tracts  of 
woodland  and  other  property  in  Rochester  and 
Mattapoisett.  In  1867  he  represented  his  town 
in  the  State  Legislature.  His  political  allegi- 
ance was  given  first  to  the  Whig  party,  and 
later  to  the  Republican.  He  was  always  active 
in  town  affairs,  although  he  seldom  held  office. 
He  was  one  of  the  main  supporters  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church.  His  death  occurred  Jan. 
14,  1892. 

On  Sept.  12,  1836,  Mr.  LeBaron  married 
Lydia  Holmes,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Betsey 
(Clark)  Holmes  (See  Holmes  family  history 
elsewhere  in  this  work).  She  died  Jan.  31, 
1894.  They  had  one  child,  Harriet  Wing 
LeBaron,  born  at  Mattapoisett  Nov.  12,  1837; 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  academy  of 
Mattapoisett  and  at  Kents  Hill,  Maine.  She 
is  now  the  widow  of  Elisha  Loring  Dexter, 
and  makes  her  home  at  the  LeBaron  home- 
stead on  North  street,  Mattapoisett,  with  her 
son. 

GREENE  (Fall  River  family).  While 
the  family  bearing  this  name  at  Fall  River 
with  which  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  article  to 
deal  is  not  an  old  one  there  it  is  one  of  the 
most  ancient  and  honored  in  the  nearby  Com- 
monwealth of  Rhode  Island,  and  one  represen- 
tative of  Pall  River's  best  citizenship  for  nearly 


seventy  years.  Reference  is  made  to  some  of 
the  descendants  of  the  late  Chester  Washington 
Greene,  at  one  time  postmaster  of  Fall  River 
and  long  engaged  there,  associated  with  his 
son,  in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  business, 
the  son  being  the  present  Hon.  William  Sted- 
man  Greene,  whose  long  honorable  business  and 
public  career  places  him  in  the  forefront  of  the 
city's  prominent  men  and  useful  citizens.  He 
is  now  and  has  been  for  some  years  past  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  Congress  from  the  Thirteenth 
district. 

There  follows  in  chronological  order  and 
somewhat  in  detail  from  the  first  American  an- 
cestor the  Greene  lineage  and  family  history  of 
the  Fall  River  branch  of  Greenes  alluded  to. 

(I)  John  Greene,  an  English  surgeon,  son 
of  Richard  and  Mary  (Hooker)  Greene,  grand- 
son of  Richard  Greene  and  great-grandson  of 
Robert  Greene,  was  born  on  his  father's  estate 
at  Bowridge  Hill,  in  the  Parish  of  Gilling- 
ham,  Dorsetshire,  England,  about  1590.  His 
forefathers  had  been  residents  of  Bowridge  Hill 
for  nearly  an  hundred  years  before  him,  and 
Robert  Greene  it  seems  probable  was  descended 
from  a  younger  branch  of  the  powerful  and 
wealthy  family  of  Greenes  of  Northampton- 
shire. This  Surgeon  John  Greene  had  early 
removed  to  Sarum  (Salisbury),  the  county 
town  'of  Wiltshire,  whene,  at  St.  Thomas' 
church,  Nov.  4,  1619,  he  was  married  to 
Joanne  Tattershall,  who  was  the  mother  of 
all  his  children,  seven  in  number,  and  all  of 
whom  were  baptized  at  St.  Thomas'  church. 
Mr.  Greene  here  lived  and  followed  his  profes- 
sion for  sixteen  years,  when,  in  1635,  with  his 
wife  and  six  children,  he  sailed  in  the  ship 
"James"  for  New  England  and  arrived  in  Bos- 
ton June  3d  of  that  year.  He  first  settled  in 
Salem,  where  he  was  associated  with  Roger 
Williams  and  where  he  purchased  or  built  a 
house,  but  soon  after  Mr.  Williams's  flight  from 
Salem  (1636)  he  sold  it,  joined  Williams  at 
Providence  and  secured  his  home  lot,  No.  15, 
on  the  main  street.  Surgeon  Greene  was  one 
of  the  eleven  men  baptized  by  Roger  Wil- 
liams and  one  of  the  twelve  original  members 
of  the  first  Baptist  church  on  the  continent,  or- 
ganized at  Providence,  R.  I.  He  was  the  first 
professional  medical  man  in  Providence  Plan- 
tations. Mrs.  Joanne  Greene  died  soon  after 
the  family's  removal  to  Rhode  Island  and  Sur- 
geon Greene  married  (second)  Alice  Daniels, 
a  widow,  and  in  1642-43  they  removed  to 
Warwick,  R.  I.  After  thg  death  of  his  wife 
Alice  he  married  (third)  in  London,  England, 
about  1644,  Phillipa,  who  returned  with  him 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  833 

to  Warwick,  R.  I.,  in  1646.       The  third  Mrs.  western  border  of  the  Warwick,  known  as   'the 
Greene  died  March  11,  1687,  in  Warwick.  Forge.'"        The    place    at    Potowomut    where 
Surgeon  Greene  made  the  first  purchase  by  James  Greene  resided  until  his  death  was  the 
the  English  of  land  in  Warwick,  R.  I.,  to  him  birthplace    of    his    great-grandson,    the    highly- 
being  deeded  Oct.  11,  1642,  the  tract  of  land  distinguished  Nathaniel  Greene,  of  the  Revolu- 
(700  acres)  called  Occupasuetuxet  by  the  chief  tionary  army,  and  the  residence  of  his  descend- 
sachem    of   the    Narragansetts    and    the    local  ants  for  more  than  two  hundred  years.     He 
sachem  of  Pawtuxet,  and  upon  it  he  was  an  died  "at  his  mansion  in  Potowomut,"  April  27, 
actual  resident  in  September,  1644.  His  family  1698,   in   the   seventy-second   year  of  his   age. 
held  it  for  one  hundred  and  forty  and  more  The  issue  of  the  first  marriage  of  James  Greene 
years,  when  it  was  sold,  Oct.  6,  1783,  by  his  were:  James,  Mary,  Elisha  and  Sarah;  and  of 
great-great-grandchildren.        Surgeon      Greene  the  second  marriage:     Peter,  Elizabeth,  John, 
was  a  prominent  man  in  the  public  affairs  of  Jabez,  David,  John  and  Susanna, 
the  town  and  Colony  and  enjoyed  the  confi-  (III)  James  Greene  (2),  son  of  James,  was 
dence  and  respect  of  his  associates  through  a  born  June  1,  1649,  and  married,  Jan.  29,  1688- 
long  and  active  political  life,  holding  office  al-  89,  Mary,  daughter  of  Capt.  John  and  Mar- 
most  continuously  until  the  summer  before  his  garet  Tones,     of     Newport,     Jamestown     and 
death,  when  he  declined  to  accept  the  office  of  Kingstown,  he  a  prominent  planter  of  Kings- 
commissioner.       He   died   and   was   buried   at  town.       Mr.   Greene  resided  at   Nassauket,  in 
Conimicut,  Warwick,  the  first  week  in  Janu-  the  town  of  Warwick,  R.  I.,  where  in  the  year 
ary,  1659.    His  issue  were:  John,  Peter,  Rich-  1687  he  built  a  home  that  was  still  standing  in 
ard,  James,  Thomas,  Jane  and  Mary.  1887.       He  was  admitted   a  freeman  of   the 
(II)   James   Greene,   "of   Potowomut,"  was  Colony  June  26,  1683.      He  was  deputy  from 
baptized  June  21,  1626,  and  came  to  New  Eng-  Warwick  in  1696.      He  died  March  12,  1712, 
land  with  his  parents.       He  married    (first)  and  was  buried  in  his  father's  burial  ground  at 
about  1658  Deliverance,  bom  in  1637,  daugh-  Old    Warwick.        His   widow  died   March   20, 
ter  of  Robert  Potter  and  wife  Isabel.       This  1721.       Their  children   were:    Fones,  James, 
Robert    Potter    was    the    ancestor    of.  Bishop  Mary,  Daniel,  Elisha,  Deliverance,  Mary   (2), 
Potter,  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.      Mrs.  John,  Jeremiah  and  Samuel. 
Deliverance  Greene  died  in  1664,  and  he  mar-  (IV)   Pones  Greene,  born  March  23,  1689- 
ried  (second)  Aug.  3,  1665,  Elizabeth,  daugh-  90.  married  (first)  March  15,  1710-11,  Dinah, 
ter  of  John  and  Susannah  Anthony,  of  Ports-  daughter  of   Sampson   and   Dinah   Batty    (or 
mouth,   R.   I.       She  died  in    1698.       James  Beatty),    of    Jamestown,    R.     I.       She    was 
Greene  was  made  a  freeman  of  Warwick  and  drowned  March  21,  1710-11,  only  six  days  after 
Providence   Plantations  in   1647,  and  resided  her  marriage  by  the  upsetting  of  a  boat  in  go- 
at Old  Wanvick.       He  was  a  member  of  the  ing  from  Newport  to  Jamestown.    He  married 
General  Assembly  of  the  Colony,  being  com-  (second)   Feb.  29,  1712,  Rebecca,  daughter  of 
missioner  under  the  first  charter  and  deputy  Henry  and  Rebecca  Tibbitts,  of  North  Kings- 
and  assistant  under  the  second  (1663)  for  ten  town,  R.  I.,  who  died  Feb.  18,  1765,  in  the  sev- 
years,  between  1660  and  1675.       He  was  con-  enty-first  year  of  her   age.       He  was   deputy 
sidered  a  man  of  much  practical  sagacity.      On  from  Warwick  in  May,  1724.      He  resided  in 
the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  war,  1675-76,  the  the  home  which  he  inherited,  which  was  built 
inhabitants  of  Warwick  left  the  town  and  Mr.  by   his   father  in   1687.        He   died   July    29, 
Greene  fled  to  Portsmouth,  and  in  1684,  hav-  1758.       His  children  were:  James,  born  Dec. 
ing  made  purchases  of  Warwick  land,  he  re-  2,  1713;  Dinah,  bom  Dec.  24,  1715;  Job,  bom 
moved  to  Potowomut,  where  was  an   ancient  Aug.  8,  1717;  Thomas,  born  Nov.  22,  1719; 
mill,  and  built  his  home  on  the  hill  near  the  Mary,  born  March  18,  1723;  and  Fonee,  born 
west  bank  of  the  river,  overlooking  the  beauti-  July  29,  1727. 

ful  lake  which  furnished  the  water  power  for  (V)  Job  Greene,  born  Aug.  8,  1717,  mar- 

the  forge  which  his  grandsons  (sons  of  Jabez)  ried  May  30,  1745,  Mercy,  born  Oct.  31.  1725, 

established  for  making  anchors  and  other  forms  laughter   of   William   and    Sarah    (Medbury) 

of  iron  work.      This  became  a  notable  industry  Greene,  of  Old  Warwick.       Mr.  Greene  was  a 

in  Colonial  times  and  in  the  early  days  of  the  farmer  and  owned  and  resided  at  the  Fones 

republic.       The  interests  of  the  forge  "were  Greene  farm  in  Coventry.      The  house  which 

enhanced  by  the  revival  after  peace  existed  he-  he  built  was  occupied  by  his  descendants  for 

tween  England  and  her  emancipated  colonies,  about    one    hundred    and    fifty   years.        Mt. 

and  this  became  the  pioneer  of  the  more  ex-  Greene  was  prominent  in  military  affairs  dur- 

tensive  works  on  the  Pawtuxet  river,  near  the  ing  the  Revolution.      He  died  March  29,  1798, 

53 


834 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


in  his  eighty-first  year.  His  widow  died 
April  8,  ISOO,  in  her  seventy-fifth  year;  both 
were  buried  on  the  old  farm  nearly  opposite 
the  old  house.  Their  children  were :  Job, 
born  Aug.  7,  1746;  Mary,  in  1747  (died  when 
young ^  :  William,  Jan.  15,  1748;  Mary  (2), 
Feb.  15,  1752;  Tones,  Sept.  6,  1754;  Stephen, 
Jan.  9,  1757;  Rebecca,  in  1759;  Mercy,  in 
1762;  Daniel,  in  1764  (died  when  young); 
John,  March  15,  1767;  Samuel,  April  13, 
1769 ;  and  Nancy,  mentioned  in  her  father^s 
will. 

(VI)  Job  Greene  (2),  born  Aug.  7,  1746,  in 
Coventry,  R.  I.,  married  Dec.  10,  1767,  Mercy, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Dexter.  She  died 
March  22,  1826,  when  in  her  eightieth  year. 
He  died  Sept.  12,  1820.  Their  children  were : 
William  Fones,  born  Aug.  28,  1768;  Benja- 
min Dexter,  July  27,  1770 ;  Amey  C,  Sept.  24, 
1772;  Henry  A.,  July  24,  1774;  Dorrance, 
Aug.  24,  1776;  Thomas  Warner.  Nov.  5,  1778; 
Phebe,  Dec.  4,  1780;  Mary,  Oct.  4,  1783;  Na- 
thaniel, March  23,  1786;  and  Job,  June  15, 
1788. 

(VII)  William  Fones  Greene,  born  Aug.  28, 
1768,  in  Coventry,  R.  I.,  married  Nov.  10, 
1793,  Abby,  born  Aug.  10,  1772,  daughter  of 
Capt.  James  Sheldon,  of  Cranston,  R.  I.  She 
died  May  16,  1847,  and  he,  Feb.  1,  1863.  Their 
children  were:  Caroline,  born  June  10,  1795; 
Henry  Augustus,  Feb.  2,  1797;  Julia  Ann, 
Aug.  7,  1798  (died  Sept.  14,  1809)  ;  Lydia 
Hill,  Feb.  18,  1801 ;  George  W.,  Aug.  3,  1804 
(died  Oct.  30,  1805)  ;  Warren  Sheldon,  Jan. 
19,  1807;  Mary  Dexter,  Dec.  27,  1809;  and 
Chester  Washington,  Oct.  7,  1811. 

(VIII)  Chester  Washington  Greene,  born 
Oct.  7,  1811,  married  Feb.  22,  1838,  Abby 
Stone,  daughter  of  Judge  Bial  Stedman,  of 
Belpre,  Ohio.  Mr.  Greene  for  a  time  was  a 
resident  of  Tremont,  111.  He  returned  to  the 
East  in  the  summer  of  1844,  locating  in  Fall 
River,  Mass.,  whicli  city  was  ever  afterward  his 
home  and  where  he  was  among  the  leading 
business  men.  From  1866  until  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  associated  in  business  with 
his  son,  the  present  Hon.  William  S.  Greene, 
they  condncting  an  extensive  auction,  insur- 
ance and  real  estate  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Greene  &  Son.  He  was  at  one  time 
postmaster  of  Fall  River.  He  died  Aug.  24, 
1896.  His  children  were :  Anna  Ormsbee, 
born  Nov.  4,  1838,  who  married  Eliphalet  S. 
Brown;  and  William  Stedman,  born  April  28, 
1841. 

(IX)  William  Stedman  Greene,  son  of 
Chester  Washington  and  Abby  (Stone)  Greene, 
is  a   native   of   Illinois,  born   at  Tremont,   in 


Tazewell  county,  April  28,  1841,  and  was 
brought  by  his  parents  to  Fall  River,  Mass., 
on  their  removal  here  in  1844.  In  1856,  at 
the  age  of  fifteen,  after  acquiring  a  common 
school  education  in  his  adopted  city,  he  began 
his  business  career  as  a  clerk  in  a  millinery 
and  fancy  goods  store.  One  year  later,  in 
March,  1858,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  late 
John  P.  Slade,  in  the  insurance  business,  with 
whom  he  continued  until  in  May,  1865.  For 
a  year  or  more  following,  1865-66,  he  was  oc- 
cupied in  the  insurance  business,  for  a  time  at 
Providence,  R.  I.,  and  Butt'alo  and  New  York 
City  in  the  Empire  State.  Returning  then  to 
Fall  River,  here,  associated  with  his  father,  he 
engaged  in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  busi- 
ness, also  acting  as  auctioneer,  the  style  of 
firm  being  Greene  &  Son ;  and  if  we  mistake 
not,  the  name  of  the  firm  has  never  changed,, 
for  in  time  after  the  father's  death,  the  grand- 
son, Chester  W.  Greene,  succeeded  the  grand- 
father; and  the  firm  has  continued  successful, 
now  having  charge  of  the  very  best  class  of 
property  in  Fall  River;  and  such  is  the  knowl- 
edge and  experience  of  the  business  of  the  sen- 
ior member  of  the  firm  that  he  is  at  times 
called  into  service  in  this  line  out  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Greene  has  always  been  a  zealous  Repub- 
lican and  active  and  for  many  years  prominent 
in  the  councils  of  the  party.  He  has  frequently 
been  called  by  his  fellow  citizens  to  positions  of 
trust,  honor  and  responsibility,  and  to  his 
credit  may  it  ever  be  said  that  he  has  never  been 
found  wanting  in  point  of  ability  and  fidelity, 
ever  discharging  the  duties  of  his  many  trusts 
with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  all 
interested.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
common  council  of  Fall  River  in  the  fall  of 
1875  from  his — the  Fifth — ward  and  served  in 
that  body  from  1876  to  1879  inclusive,  being 
president  of  the  council  for  the  last  three  years 
of  that  time.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican city  committee  in  1876.  In  1879  he 
was  made  by  acclamation  the  Republican  can- 
didate for  mayor  of  the  city,  and  was  elected 
the  following  December  by  461  majority;  and 
his  administration  of  the  aifairs  of  the  office 
was  marked  with  firmness  and  economy,  he 
vetoing  several  appropriations  in  all  of  which 
save  one  he  was  sustained;  and  it  was  during 
bis  term  of  service  that  an  ordinance  was 
passed  creating  the  office  of  superintendent  of 
public  buildings,  inspector  of  buildings,  estab- 
lishing a  fire  district  and  regulating  the  con- 
struction of  buildings  throughout  the  city;  also 
an  ordinance  creating  the  office  of  city  engi- 
neer and  defining  its  duties.  He  was  reelected 
chief  executive  officer  of  the  city  in  December, 


/  ^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


835 


1880,  by  a  majority  of  1,368  votes,  but  rerigned 
the  office  on  his  appointment  in  March,  1881, 
by  President  Garfield,  as  postmaster  of  Fall 
Eiver,  the  duties  of  which  he  entered  upon 
April  15th,  following.  He  served  with  dis- 
tinction for  four  years,  then  returned  to  pri- 
vate life.  It  may  be  noted  that  he  was  an  al- 
ternate delegate  in  1880  from  the  First  Con- 
gressional tJistrict  to  the  Republican  national 
convention  in  Chicago,  and  participated  in  the 
deliberations  of  the  convention  that  resulted  in 
the  nomination  of  James  A.  Garfield  for  the 
Presidency. 

Mr.  Greene,  however,  was  not  permitted  to 
remain  long  in  retirement  from  public  service, 
for  in  1885  he  was  honored  again  by  his  party, 
and  chosen  mayor.  By  this  time  he  was  known 
all  over  Massachusetts  as  a  clean,  conservative 
and  efficient  official.  He  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Governor  Ames,  who  in  1888  appoint- 
ed him  superintendent  of  State  prisons,  in 
which  capacity  his  record  is  too  well  known  to 
need  repeating  here.  He  was  honest,  fearless 
and  independent;  a  public  office  with  him  was  a 
public  trust,  and  in  the  administration  of  its 
affairs  he  was  just  to  all.  He  was  again  nomi- 
nated by  his  party  in  1894  for  the  office  of 
mayor,  was  elected,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  was  twice  reelected  to  that  post  of  honor. 
In  1898  Mr.  Greene  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
State  Congress  from  the  Thirteenth  district, 
and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity  with  the 
fidelity  and  ability  characteristic  of  the  man. 

In  June,  1906,  Branch  No.  18  of  the  Na- 
tional Letter  Carriers'  Association  presented  to 
Congressman  Greene  a  handsomely  framed  set 
of  engrossed  resolutions  in  appreciation  of  his 
services,  which  read: 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  Branch  18, 
National  Association  of  Letter  Carriers  of  New 
Bedford,  Mass.,  the  following  resolutions  were 
unanimously  adopted: 

"Whereas^  our  Congressman,  the  Hon.  Wil- 
liam S.  Greene,  having  done  an  immeasurable 
amount  of  work  with  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment to  have  the  new  census  accepted,  and  to 
have  the  carrier  service  reclassified,  and  in  hav- 
ing the  compensation  of  our  mounted  carriers 
raised  to  equal  that  of  the  same  branch  of  the 
civil  service  in  other  cities;  it  is  therefore 

"Resolved,  That  as  he  has  always  shown  a 
deep  interest  in  everything  pertaining  to  the 
letter  carriers,  both  in  and  out  of  Congress, 
that  we,  the  members  of  Branch  18,  National 
Association  of  Letter  Carriers,  do  hereby  ex- 
press our  gratification,  and  tender  to  him  our 
heartiest  thanks  for  the  interest  he  has  always 
taken  in  our  welfare ;  and, 


"Resolved,  That  we  extend  to  our  honored 
friend  our  wishes  for  his  long  continuance  in 
the  responsible  place  he  has  so  honorably  and 
ably  filled  in  the  service  of  his  country." 
[Signed  by  the  committee.] 

For  many  years  Mr.  Greene  was  superinten- 
dent of  the  Sunday  school  of  St.  Paul's  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  of  Fall  River,  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  He  is  a  member  and  past  mas- 
ter of  Mount  Hope  Lodge,  A.  P.  &  4-  M.,  of  the 
chapter,  council  and  commandery ;  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Odd  Fellows, 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 

On  March  8,  1865,  Mr.  Greene  was  married 
to  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Pardon  A.  and  Eliza- 
beth W.  (Spink)  White,  of  Fall  River,  Mass., 
and  the  union  has  been  blessed  with  children: 
Mabel  Lawton,  Chester  White  and  Foster  Eag- 
nier. 

WINTHROP  C.  DURFEE,  manufacturing 
chemist,  of  Boston,  is  a  native  of  Fall  River, 
Mass.,  being  a  descendant  in  the  sixth  genera- 
tion from  Thomas  Durfee,  the  American  an- 
cestor of  the  family,  from  whom  his  line  is 
through  Benjamin,  Thomas,  Samuel  and  Wal- 
ter Chaloner  Durfee.  These  generations  are 
herewith  given  in  detail. 

(I)  Thomas  Durfee,  bom  in  England  in 
1643,  came  thence  to  Rhode  Island  at  an  early 
day,  settling  here  while  the  Warwick  charter 
of  1643  was  still  in  force.  He  was  married 
(first)  in  Portsmouth  about  1664,  and  had 
the  following  children  born  in  Portsmouth : 
Robert  (born  March  10,  1665),  Richard, 
Thomas,  William,  Ann  and  Benjamin.  He 
married  (second)  Deliverance  (Hall),  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Mary  Hall  and  widow  of 
Abiel  Trip.  She  died  in  1721,  the  mother  of 
two  children  by  her  marriage  with  Mr.  Durfee. 

(II)  Benjamin  Durfee,  son  of  Thomas,  mar- 
ried in  1699  Prudence  Earle.  He  inherited 
from  his  father,  in  addition  to  what  he  had 
previously  given  him,  large  tracts  of  land 
witliin  the  present  limits  of  Fall  River.  He 
subsequently  acquired  more  by  purchase,  and 
became  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in  this 
section  of  the  country.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  energy,  of  character,  quick  of  compre- 
hension and  intelligent,  and  held  in  high  esti- 
mation in  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 
At  his  death,  in  1754,  he  left  a  large  estate, 
some  of  which  long  remained  in  the  family, 
if  it  has  not  to  the  present  time;  but  like 
most  large  properties  much  of  it  has  changed 
hands,  and  is  now  owned  by  others  not  of  the 
same  name.  He  received  by  deed  of  gift  from 
his  father,  Thomas  Durfee,  the  land  from 
Rodman  street  on  the  north  to  Osborn  street 


836 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


on  the  south,  and  extending  from  the  shore  to 
Eight  Rod  Way.  This  land  was  purchased  of 
William  Manchester  in  1680,  and  was  given  to 
Benjamin  Durfee  in  1709.  The  latter  gave 
the  same  land  to  his  son,  Capt.  William  Dur- 
fee, and,  by  will,  William  Durfee  gave  the 
south  half  to  his  nephews  Richard  Durfee,  the 
son  of  his  brother  Richard,  and  James  Durfee, 
the  son  of  his  brother  Benjamin;  the  north 
half  he  gave  to  his  relative  William  Borden. 
James  Durfee  sold  his  portion  to  David  Dur- 
fee, the  father  of  Hon.  David  Durfee  of  Tiver- 
ton, who  in  time  gave  it  to  his  son,  Capt.  Wil- 
liam Durfee,  and  he,  dying  in  1816,  left  it  to 
his  children.  They  sold  it  to  Oliver  Chace, 
and  it  has  since  been  laid  out  and  much  of 
it  sold  for  building  lots,  upon  which  may  be 
found  some  of  the  finest  residences  in  Fall 
River.  The  children  of  Benjamin  and  Pru- 
dence (Earle)  Durfee  were:  James,  bom  Aug. 
28,  1701;  Ann,  Jan.  17,  1703  (married 
Thomas  Cory)  ;  Hope,  Jan.  7,  1705;  William, 
Dec.  7,  1707;  Benjamin,  Jan.  5,  1709  (married 
Amy  Chase) ;  Mercy,  Jan.  30,  1711  (married 
Samuel  Durfee) ;  Lusannah,  Jan.  28,  1713 
(married  Matthew  Wright)  ;  Martha,  July  13, 
1719;  Thomas,  Nov.  5,  1721;  and  Richard, 
Nov.   9,   1723    (married  Rebecca  Cole). 

(Ill)  Thomas  Durfee  (2),  son  of  Benja- 
min, born  Nov.  5,  1721,  in  Tiverton,  R.  I., 
married  Aug.  9,  1747,  Patience  Borden, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Borden,  of  Freetown.  He 
came  into  possession  of  a  large  landed  estate 
from  his  father,  Benjamin  Durfee.  The  farm 
on  which  he  lived  and  died,  and  where  all  his 
children  were  bom,  constituted  all  tliat  part 
of  the  present  city  of  Fall  River  north  of  the 
line  of  Elm  street  and  south  of  Turner  street, 
extending  from  the  shore  to  the  Watuppa 
Lake.  In  addition  to  this  property  he  was 
the  owner  of  other  large  tracts  of  land,  and 
likewise  a  part  of  the  water  power,  which  came 
to  him  on  the  division  of  the  estate  of  his 
father-in-law.  Having  wealth,  he  lived  in  a 
manner  corresponding  to  his  good  fortune. 
He  inclosed  a  large  park,  in  which  he  kept  a 
fine  herd  of  deer.  He  was  noted  for  his  gen- 
erous hospitality,  and  was  ever  ready  to  enter- 
tain all  who  made  his  acquaintance.  Among 
his  guests  at  one  time  was  General  LaFayette, 
who  presented  him  two  fine  French  hounds. 
His  intelligence  and  strict  integrity  brought 
him  into  prominent  notice  in  early  life.  He 
was  elected  to  many  important  places  of  public 
trust.  He  represented  the  town  of  Freetown 
in  the  Great  and  General  Court  for  many 
years ;  for  thirteen  consecutive  years  he  was 
elected  to  the  Senate,  and  for  six  years  he  was 


a  member  of  the  governor's  council,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  court 
of  Sessions  for  the  county  of  Bristol.  He  was 
a  delegate  in  the  convention  of  1788,  and  dur- 
ing the  stormy  period  of  the  Revolution  was 
ever  found  ready  to  spend  and  to  be  spent  for 
his  country's  independence.  A  large  portion 
of  his  estate  was  used  for  that  end.  He  died 
at  Freetown  (now  Fall  River),  Mass.,  July 
9,  1796,  aged  nearly  seventy-five  years. 

The  children  born  to  Thomas  and  Patience 
(Borden)  Durfee  were:  Hope,  born  Sept.  29, 
1748,  married  Walter  Chaloner;  Joseph,  bom 
April  27,  1750,  married  Elizabeth  Turner; 
Nathan  was  born  April  5,  1752;  Benjamin, 
•born  in  May,  1754,  married  Sarah  Borden; 
Prudence,  born  Sept.  26,  1756,  married  Capt. 
Joseph  Gardner;  Abigail  was  born  in  August, 
1759;  Charles,  born  Nov.  20,  1761,  married 
Welthe  Hathaway;  Susannah,  born  in  Novem- 
ber, 1764,  married  Parker  Borden;  Nathan 
(2),  born  March  23,  1766,  married  Ruth  Bor- 
den; James,  born  March  25,  1768,  married 
Sally  Walker;  Thomas  was  bom  Jan.  23, 
1771;  Samuel  was  born  Aug.  25,  1773. 

(IV)  Samuel  Durfee,  son  of  Hon.  Thomas, 
born  Aug.  25,  1773,  married  in  1798  Hannah 
Anthony,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  their  chil- 
dren were :  Patience  B.,  bom  July  26,  1801 
(married  J.  C.  Whiting) ;  Elisha  A.,  Oct.  17, 
1802;  Samuel  B.,  Feb.  27,  1804;  Thomas  R. 
G.,  March  12,  1807;  Frederick  P.,  Feb.  12, 
1809;  Mary  A.,  Dec.  26,  1811  (married  Wil- 
liam Gould);  Walter  C,  Feb.  24,  1816;  and 
Martha  A.,  Sept.  26,  1818. 

(V)  Walter  Chaloner  Durfee,  son  of  Sam- 
uel, born  Feb.  24,  1816,  married  March  23, 
1841,  Jane  Frances  Alden,  born  Oct.  4,  1821, 
in  Roxbury,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and 
Mary  Margaret  (Jones)  Alden.  She  was  a 
lineal  descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  from 
the  Pilgrim  John  Alden.  Her  family  had 
moved  to  Fall  River,  her  father  being  well 
known  in  civic  and  church  affairs  there.  He 
was  a  la^vyer  by  profession.  Mrs.  Durfee  was 
keenly  interested  in  all  that  concerned  the  wel- 
fare of  the  city  and  was  devoted  to  the  church 
of  which  she  was  a  member.  Her  tireless  and 
unselfish  care  of  the.  home,  her  kindly  affection 
for  friends,  her  sweet  and  unobtrusive  help- 
fulness to  those  in  need,  are  a  blessed  memory 
to  those  who  knew  her.  Her  death  occurred 
at  her  home  in  Fall  River,  April  24,  1907, 
when  she  was  aged  eighty-five  years,  six 
months,  twenty  days.  Mr.  Durfee  died  Dec. 
8,  1901. 

The  children  of  Walter  C.  and  Jane  F.  Dur- 
fee were  as  follows :  Frances  Eudora,  born  Dec. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


837 


28,  1841,  died  Jan.  14,  1844;  Eliza  Chaloner 
was  bom  Jan.  31,  1845;  Walter  Sherwood,, 
born  Aug.  4,  1847,  died  Aug.  20,  1848;  Mary 
Hannah,  born  Jan.  17,  1849,  died  Sept.  16, 
1853;  Caroline  Clinton,  born  July  22,  1852, 
married  Edward  0.  Stanley,  of  New  York; 
Jane  Farquar,  born  April  13,  1855,  died  in 
February,  1871;  Winthrop  Carver  was  born 
April  23,  1858;  Annie  Marvel,  Jjorn  June  6, 
1860,  married  David  F.  Slade ;  Harriet  Alden 
was  born  April  4,  1863;  Randall  Nelson  was 
born  Oct.  13,  1867;  Margaret  Russell,  born  ' 
Nov.  3,  1871,  married  Rev.  J.  E.  Johnson,  of'" 
Nahant,  Mass.,  now  deceased,  and  they  had 
three  children,  Frances,  Lawrence  and  Mar- 
garet. 

We  quote  in  part  from  an  article  in  the  Fall 
River  News  announcing  the  death  of  Walter 
C.  Durfee:  "His  education  was  very  good 
and  he  found  his  first  business  situation  as 
assistant  in  Mr.  Ainsworth's  private  commer- 
cial school.  Later  he  entered  the  counting 
house  of  Mr.  Charles  Potter,  a  Providence 
commission  merchant  by  Vhose  influence  and 
connection  with  the  Globe  Print  Works  of 
Fall  River  he  secured,  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  that  concern,  and 
has  since  then  resided  continuously  in  this 
city.  During  the  winter  of  1836  he  opened 
and  conducted  a  private  evening  school.  Four 
years  later  he  became  manager  of  the  Globe 
Print  Works,  having  served  as  its  bookkeeper 
until  that  time  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
months  in  the  office  of  the  Fall  River  Iron 
Works.  At  the  end  of  three  years  this  con- 
nection was  severed,  owing  to  poor  business 
conditions.  After  a  year  of  office  work  with 
N.  B.  Borden  &  Co.,  wholesale  grocers,  he 
entered  into  copartnership  with  Daniel  Brown, 
as  wholesale  dealers  in  provisions  and  ship 
stores,  which  lasted  xmtil  1859. 

"In  Augxist,  1862,  he  became  collector  of 
internal  revenue  for  the  First  district  of 
Massachusetts  by  appointment  of  President 
Lincoln,  and  held  this  office  until  1866.  From 
.this  time  he  was  engaged  in  business  pursuits 
until  1871,  when  he  became  treasurer  of  the 
Wampanoag  Mills,  serving  twenty-one  years, 
and  finally  retiring  from  active  life  in  1892. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Border  City  Manu- 
facturing Co.,  in  1879  and  1880,  president 
and  director  of  the  Metacomet  National  Bank, 
president  and  trustee  of  the  Fall  River  Five 
Cents  Savings  bank,  director  of  the  Wam- 
panoag Mills,  and  in  the  Fall  River  Mutual 
Insurance  Co.  He  was  deeply  interested  in 
all  that  concerned  the  public  welfare,  and  had 
a  keen  sense  of  the  duty  which  every  citizen 


owes  to  the  community  and  country  in  which 
he  lives.  In  his  early  manhood  he  was  ap- 
pointed lieutenant  in  a  volunteer  company, 
10th  Regiment,  Rhode  Island  militia,  being  on 
active  duty  in  the  Dorr  rebellion,  and  ordered 
to  Newport  to  protect  persons  and  property. 
Twice  he  was  representative  to  the  Rhode 
Island  Legislature,  and,  as  such,  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  Convict  Petitions,  and  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  which  drafted  the  pro- 
test against  the  action  of  South  Carolina  in 
"imprisoning  negro  sailors  while  in  port.  He 
served  as  alderman  of  Fall  River  four  years; 
as  assessor  in  the  years  1870-71,  and  was  at 
one  time  fire  ward.  He  was  interested  in 
all   charities 

"In  1862  he  received  a  commission  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  from  the  first  war  governor 
of  Massachusetts,  John  A.  Andrew.  He  held 
this  office  continuously  and  the  commission  in 
effect  at  his  death  was  signed  by  the  latest 
war  governor,  Roger  Wolcott. 

"His  earliest  religious  associations,  through 
his  mother,  were  with  the  Friends,  and  he 
kept  them  ever  in  warm  regard.  But  he  was 
attracted,  while  still  in  his  youth,  to  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  and  as  a  member  of  the  parish 
of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension  his  name  may 
be  found  in  the  list  of  115  active  members  of 
the  year  1841,  when  he  was  elected  a  vestry- 
man. For  nearly  sixty  years  he  was  delegate 
to  the  Diocesan  convention.  For  a  long  period 
he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 
He  was  forty-five  years  treasurer  of  the  parish, 
and  senior  warden  until  his  death. 

"In  personal  intercourse  he  had  a  ready  wit 
and  a  sunny  humor  which  freshened  the  life 
of  others  and  gave  a  charm  to  companionship. 
With  the  increase  of  years  he  clearly  recog- 
nized the  uncertainty  of  life  and  its  duration 
as  necessarily  brief.  He  fully  realized  his  hu- 
man imperfections,  but  he  was  conscious  of 
integrity  and  committed  himself  to  One  whose 
grace  and  mercy  had  been  his  support  for 
many  years.  His  end  was  peace,  and  his  mem- 
ory blessed." 

(VI)  Winthrop  Carver  Durfee,  son  of  Wal- 
ter Chaloner,  was  born  in  Fall  River  April  23, 
1858,  and  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  his  birthplace.  He  was  graduated 
from  Brown  University  in  1878  with  the  de- 
gree of  Ph.  B.  In  1883  he  took  up  the  pro- 
fession of  chemistry,  locating  in  Boston,  where 
for  the  past  twenty-eight  years  he  has  been  a 
maniifacturing  chemist.  He  is  also_  an  im- 
porter of  chemicals,  and  is  a  consulting  chem- 
ist for  the  textile  industry. 

Mr.  Durfee  is  interested  in  literature  and 


838 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


has  excellent  taste  and  talent  in  that  direction. 
He  has  written  historical  sketches,  and  several 
articles  on  the  subject  of  Masonry,  to  which 
he  has  given  deep  study.  He  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason  and  very  prominent  in 
that  circle.  He  is  a  member  of  Eliot  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Boston,  St.  And^e^r's  Chap- 
ter, Boston  Council,  and  St.  Bernard  Com- 
nuandery,  of  K(nights  Templar;  member  of 
Lafayette  Lodge  of  Perfection;  of  Giles  Fonda 
Yates  Council,  Princes  of  Jerusalem;  Mount 
Olivet  Chapter,  Rose  Croix;  and  Massachusetts 
Consistory.  Mr.  Durfee  is  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Chemical  Industry  and  member  of 
the  American  Chemical  Society.  He  has  been 
much  interested  in  family  history  and  gen- 
ealogy, and  wrote  the  history  of  the  French 
branch  of  the  Durfee  family. 

On  Oct.  18.  1881,  Mr.  Durfee  married 
Sylvie  Whitney,  born  in  Pawtucket,  R.  I., 
daughter  of  James  0.  and  Elizabeth  (Slack) 
Whitney.  Their  children  are:  (1)  Walter 
Chaloner  2d,  born  Jan.  29,  1883,  was  gradu- 
ated from  Harvard  University  in  the  class  of 
1904,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  cum  laude, 
and  took  his  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1905.  He 
became  engaged  as  a  mechanical  engineer  and 
is  now  associated  with  his  father  in  the  chemi- 
cal business.  He  was  married  Aug.  17,  1911, 
to  Elizabeth  ^Y.  Davidson,  of  Beaver  county. 
Pa.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Boston  Society 
of  Civil  Engineers,  member  of  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  of  the  Na- 
tional Geographical  Society,  and  of  the  Asso- 
ciation for  the  Advancement  of  Science.  (2) 
Pauline  Elizabeth,  born  Feb.  11,  1885,  gradu- 
ated from  Wellesley  College  in  1908  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  (3)  Philip  Sherwood,  born 
June  11,  1891,  received  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
in  June,  1911,  at  Harvard,  as  a  member  of  the 
class  of  1912.  He  is  now  a  graduate  student 
in  geology  for  the  degree  of  M.  A. 

(VI)  Rand.\ll  Nelson  Durfee,  son  of 
Walter  Chaloner  1st,  was  born  Oct.  13,  1867, 
in  Fall  River,  Mass.  He  was  graduated  from 
high  school  in  1884,  from  Phillips  Academy 
at  Exeter  in  1885,  and  from  Harvard  Uni- 
versity in  1889,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B. 
from  the  last.  He  was  a  law  student  at  the 
Han'ard  Law  School  in  1888-89.  He  was  em- 
ployed in  the  office  of  the  Wampanoag  Mills  in 
1889-93,  in  1893  and  1894  being  bookkeeper. 
He  resigned  the  latter  position  to  enter  the 
cotton  business  and  was  employed  in  the  office 
of  Messrs.  Andrews  &  Horton  until  June, 
1895,  since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in 
the  cotton  brokerage  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count. 


Mr.  Durfee  is  a  director  of  the  Sagamore 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  a  trustee  of  the 
Fall  River  Five  Cents  Savings  Bank.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Fall  River  common  council 
in  1892,  1893  and  1894,  serving  as  president 
of  that  body  in  the  last  named  year.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen  in  1895; 
is  a  trustee  of  the  Fall  River  Public  Library, 
serving  since  1908,  his  term  not  to  expire  until 
1914.  His  political  affiliations  are  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  he  is  in  religious  faith 
an  Episcopalian.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fall 
River  Golf  Club,  of  the  Country  Club  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  of  the  Episcopalian  Club  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

On  June  12,  1895,  Mr.  Durfee  was  married 
to  Abby  Slade  Brayton,  born  Nov.  10,  1870, 
in  Fall  River,  daughter  of  the  late  Hezekiah 
A.  and  Caroline  E.  (Slade)  Brayton,  and  their 
children  are :  Randall  Nelson,  born  March  13, 
1897;  Bradford  Chaloner,  born  Aug.  12,  1900; 
Caroline,  born  March  12,  1904;  and  Mary 
Brayton,  born  March  4,  1909. 

JUDGE  LEMUEL  LeBARON  HOLMES, 
son  of  Jonathan  H.  and  Hannah  (Fish) 
Holmes,  was  born  July  26,  1852,  in  that  part 
of  Rochester  now  Mattapoisett.  His  early  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of 
the  village,  and  later  he  attended  the  Warren 
school  at  Charlestown.  He  furthered  his  stud- 
ies at  the  Peirce  Academy,  at  Middleboro,  and 
eventually  entered  the  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Amherst,  graduating  in  the  class  of 
1872.  But  agriculture  was  the  least  of  his 
natural  bents  and  he  speedily  concluded  that 
the  law  was  his  field.  He  entered  the  law  office 
of  Stetson  &  Greene,  of  New  Bedford,  reading 
law,  and  in  1875  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
the  courts. 

As  a  lawyer  he  speedily  developed  peculiar 
force  as  a  jury  pleader,  besides  having  marked 
power  in  the  soundness  of  his  conception  of 
the  law.  Not  only  was  he  one  of  the  most 
prominent  court  practitioners,  but  his  office 
was  one  of  the  most  active  in  Bristol  county. 
Many  eminent  cases  claimed  his  attention  first 
and  last,  notably  the  ferry  suits,  the  Hoxie  and 
Burgess  murder  causes,  the  famous  license  fights 
of  some  years  before  his  death  in  New  Bedford, 
and  more  recently  the  Jane  Toppan  case,  which 
came  to  him  as  district  attorney.  It  was  Mr. 
Holmes  who  raised  the  famous  legal  techni- 
cality known  as  the  "semicolon"  law  and  revo- 
lutionized the  liquor  license  practice  of  the 
whole  State.  Mr.  Holmes  always  tried  a  case 
for  all  there  was  in  it  and  jury  pleading  lost 
a  prominent  and  potent  factor  in  his  advance- 


L^te^^r^-    /j    (^^T^^*^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


839 


ment  to  the  bench.  His  legal  abilities  were 
€arly    recognized.      He    was    city    solicitor    in 

1888  and  continued  in  office  seven  years.     In 

1889  he  was  nominated  for  the  district  attor- 
neyship after  one  of  the  bitterest  contests  of 
recent  years,  and  was  elected  by  a  large  ma- 
jority. In  1896  he  was  reelected.  His  service 
in  office  was  marked  by  a  large  proportion  of 
convictions  in  all  cases  he  tried.  He  resigned 
this  office  to  accept  an  appointment  as  Superior 
court  justice. 

Judge  Holmes  was  long  regarded  as  one  of 
the  leading  members  of  the  New  Bedford  bar, 
both  in  his  activities  and  in  his  legal  abilities. 
Further,  in  public  life  he  was  a  prominent 
figure,  and  over  and  once  again  was  a  veritable 
rock  in  the  maelstrom  of  local  politics.  Per- 
haps his  greatest  personal  achievement,  and 
which  gave  him  his  greatest  popularity,  was 
in  the  famous  fight  with  the  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company  for  the 
restoration  of  the  Fairhaven  ferry  after  its  dis- 
continuance for  over  a  score  of  years.  This 
fight,  waged  alike  in  the  courts  and  the  Legis- 
lature, resulted  after  a  bitter  contest  in  a  com- 
plete victory  for  the  people  and  the  utter  rout 
of  the  railroad.  He  was  not  so  busy  but  that  he 
•could  take  an  active  part  in  local  politics,  both 
on  the  stump  and  as  an  official.  He  served 
New  Bedford  as  a  member  of  the  common 
council,  and  several  years  as  a  trustee  of  the 
free  public  library.  He  was  president  of  the 
Dartmouth  Club  for  several  years  in  the  period 
of  its  greatest  development.  He  was  a  promi- 
nent Mason  and  a  member  of  Sutton  Com- 
mandery,  Knights  Templars.  He  was  one  of 
the  promoters  and  incorporators  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  and  an  officer  in  the  old  New  Bedford 
Lyceum,  also  a  director  of  the  Merchants'  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  one  of  the  corporators  of  the 
New  Bedford  Safe  Deposit  &  Trust  Company. 
He  had  traveled  extensively  in  Europe,  was  a 
man  of  brilliant  wit,  and  a  charming  com- 
panion. He  was  a  great  reader,  and  delighted 
in  historical  associations,  being  especially  well 
informed  as  to  the  local  history  and  traditions 
of  his  native  town. 

On  March  25,  ISfS,  he  married  Eliza  War- 
ren, daughter  of  Abner  and  Syhda  (Freeman) 
Harlow,  who  was  born  in  Mattapoisett  in  1849, 
and  who  died  March  25,  1906.  They  had  no 
children,  but  an  adopted  daughter,  Lizzie  Har- 
low Holmes.  Judge  Holmes  for  some  years 
resided  on  Elm  street  in  New  Bedford,  but 
after  his  appointment  to  the  bench  he  spent 
much  time  at  his  home  in  Mattapoisett,  on 
Main  street,  where  he  died  on  the  morning  of 
Aug.  4,  1907. 


ELLIOT  LINCOLN  BONNEY,  of  Brock- 
ton, where  he  is  extensively  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  wooden  boxes,  is  one  of  that 
city's  progressive  and  successful  business  men. 
Mr.  Bonney  is  a  native  of  Plymouth  county, 
this  Commonwealth,  born  March  4,  1856,  in 
Pl}Tnpton,  son  of  James  S.  and  Sophia  E. 
(Curtis)  Bonney.  He  is  descended,  as  will 
be  observed  in  this  article,  from  several  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers — from  George  Soule,  Capt. 
Miles  Standish,  and  John  Alden  and  his  wife 
Priscilla  Mullens,-  and  Gov.  William  Bradford, 
all  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620. 

Says  one  of  the  English  Bonneys,  "the  Bon- 
neys  came  over  with  the  Huguenots  and  are 
descended  from  the  Bourbono."  And  Prof. 
Thomas  G.  Bonney,  of  Cambridge  College,  and 
secretary  of  the  British  Association,  has  said 
in  substance  that  the  family  of  de  Bonnay  in 
France  took  its  name  from  an  estate  situated 
in  Berry  on  the  border  of  Bourbonnais;  and 
that  its  antiquity,  which  goes  back  to  the  days 
of  chivalry,  is  established  by  charters  of  the 
date  of  1111,  during  which  period  lived  John 
Bonney. 

The  American  branch  of  the  Bonney  family 
is  supposed  to  be  of  Huguenot  origin.  Thomas 
Bonney,  the  first  American  ancestor,  the  name 
being  generally  spelled  on  the  early  records 
Boney,  and  Mr.  Bonney  being  also  called  Good- 
man Bonney,  came  to  New  England  in  the 
"Hercules"  in  March,  1634.  He  was  from 
Sandwich,  England,  and  brought  with  him  a 
certificate  from  Thomas  Warren,  rector  of  St. 
Peter's  Church,  bearing  date  of  March  14th  of 
the  year  named.  He  settled  at  Charlestown, 
where  he  was  a  proprietor,  1635.  He  sold  his 
house  and  lands  in  1637.  He  was  proposed  for 
freemanship  at  Duxbury,  Mafch  5,  1638-39; 
was  a  proprietor  Aug.  31,  1640;  among  those 
able  to  bear  arms,  1643 ;  town  officer  in  court, 
1645.  His  will  was  probated  May  1,  1693, 
and  in  it  he  bequeathed  to  wife  Mary  and  son 
Thomas  the  estate  to  be  divided  among  the 
children  after  the  death  of  their  mother.  He 
had  land  located  northwest  of  North  Hill  in 
Duxbury,  and  thirty  acres  at  Namasakesset. 
He  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Bridgewater, 
1645,  but  lived  in  Duxbury.  He  married — 
(first)  according  to  Winsor  in  his  "History  of 
Duxbury" — Dorcas  Sampson,  and  his  second 
wife's  name  was  Mary.  According  to  a  grand- 
son who  wrote  in  1758  Mr.  Bonney  married 
(first)  Mary  Terry,  who  died,  and  he  then 
married  Mary  Hunt,  the  grandson  stating  that 
Mr.  Bonney  bame  from  Dover,  England,  and 
giving  his  children  as  Thomas,  married  to  Dor- 


840 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


cas  Sampson;  Sarah,  married  to  Nathan  Cole; 
Hannah;  John,  married  to  Elizabeth  Bishop; 
William,  married  to  Ann  May;  Joseph,  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  Phillips;  and  James,  married 
to  Abigail  Bishop. 

Stephen  Bonney,  grandfather  of  Elliot  Lin- 
coln Bonney,  was  born  in  Plympton,  where  his 
life  was  spent  in  agriciiltural  pursuits,  and 
where  he  died.  On  Nov.  17,  1832,  he  married 
Panny  (or  Frances)  Churchill,  born  Aug.  28, 
1797,  daughter  of  Oliver  Churchill,  of  Plymp- 
ton, and  his  wife  Saba  (Soule),  and  their  chil- 
dren were :  A  son  who  died  in  infancy ;  James 
S.,  mentioned  below;  Thomas  Edward,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty  years;  and  Frances 
Williams,  who  married  Eichard  H.  Fuller. 

James  Stephen  Bonney,  son  of  Stephen,  was 
bom  in  October,  1823,  in  Plympton,  where  he 
in  early  life  for  several  years  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  wooden  boxes,  later  locating 
with  his  family  in  South  Abington  (now  Whit- 
man), where  he  conducted  the  same  business 
for  a  number  of  years,  for  a  time  being  in  part- 
nership with  Atwood  Brothers.  After  the  dis- 
solution of  this  partnership  Mr.  Bonney  was 
similarly  engaged  for  several  years  in  Acush- 
net,  Mass.  Some  years  prior  to  his  death  he 
established  himself  in  the  same  line  in  Brock- 
ton, where  he  continued  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  June  12,  1895,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
one  years,  eight  months.  Mr.  Bonney  mar- 
ried Sophia  E.  Curtis,  who  was  born  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  daughter  of  John  and  Orpha 
(Ijoring)  Curtis,  both  natives  of  Plympton, 
and  to  this  union  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  William  L.,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  picture  frames,  and  died  at 
New  Bedford,  Mass. ;  Emily  Sophia,  who  mar- 
ried George  H.  Briggs,  both  now  deceased ; 
Sarah  Alice,  who  died  aged  thirteen  years ;  Ar- 
villa,  who  married  Albert  T.  Bryant  (deceased) 
and  resides  at  Winthrop,  Mass. ;  Eliza  Cur- 
tis, who  married  Orlando  Packard,  of  Whit- 
man, Mass.,  and  has  a  daughter,  Fannie  G.  E. 
(married  to  Allston  D.  Gurney) ;  Elliot  Lin- 
coln, who  is  mentioned  below:  and  James 
Henry,  a  retired  clothing  manufacturer,  now 
residing  in  Dorchester,  Mass.  The  mother  of 
these  children  passed  away  in  Plympton,  in 
1880,  and  is  buried  there. 

Elliot  Lincoln  Bonney  acquired  his  educa- 
tional training  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  town.  Leaving  school  when  about  four- 
teen years  of  age,  he  spent  two  years  in  the 
employ  of  his  father  in  the  latter's  sawmill. 
When  he  was  sixteen  his  fathct  became  en- 
gaged in  the  box  manufacturing  business  at 
South    Abington,    in    company    with    Atwood 


Brothers,  and  here  the  son  was  employed  until 
the  dissolution  of  the  partnership.  He  ac- 
companied his  father  to  Acushnet,  Mass.,  and 
was  employed  by  him  there  about  one  and  a 
half  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  re- 
turned to  South  Abington,  where  for  the  next 
two  years  he  was  employed  by  Atwood  Broth- 
ers. He  then  returned  to  his  native  town, 
where  he  established  himself  in  the  business  of 
manufacturing  wooden  boxes,  remaining  thus 
engaged  for  about  three  years.  In  1881  Mr. 
Bonney  removed  to  Brockton,  where  he  estab- 
lished himself  in  a  similar  line,  and  where  he 
has  since  been  successfully  engaged.  In  1895 
he  built  his  present  factory  on  Sprague  avenue, 
where  all  kinds  of  wooden  boxes  are  manufac- 
tured, particularly  cases  used  for  the  shipment 
of  shoes,  about  twenty-five  hands  being  given 
employment.  Besides  owning  woodland  in 
Plymouth  county,  Mr.  Bonney  controls  exten- 
sive woodlands  in  Maine  and  New  Hampshire, 
from  which  the  lumber  used  in  his  plant  is 
obtained. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Bonney  is  an  active  and 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  organiza- 
tion, holding  membership  in  Paul  Revere 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M.,  and  Bay  State  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of 
Brockton;  and  Aleppo  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N.  M. 
S.,  of  Boston.  He  is  an  influential  member 
of  the  Commercial  Club  of  Brockton,  and 
served  as  captain  of  the  bowling  club  of  the 
same  for  several  years.  He  is  also  an  associate 
member  of  the  Brockton  Country  Club.  In 
political  faith  he  is  a  supporter  of  Republican 
principles,  and  has  served  the  city  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  common  council  for  two  years  from 
Ward  Five,  one  of  the  strong  Democratic 
wards  of  the  city.  He  possesses  a  generous 
and  affable  nature,  which  has  won  for  him 
many  stanch  friendships. 

On  Feb.  19,  1881,  Mr.  Bonney  was  married 
to  Annie  W.  White,  daughter  of  Darius  E.  and 
Sophia  (Perkins)  White,  of  Plympton,  Mass. 
Mrs.  Bonney  passed  away  March  12,  1895,  in 
Brockton,  the  mother  of  one  son,  Arthur  Mor- 
ris, now  superintendent  of  his  father's  box 
manufacturing  plant,  and  married  to  Kath- 
erine  White  (daughter  of  William  H.  White, 
of  West  Hanover,  Mass.),  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter,  Annie  Louise. 


Churchill.  The  Churchill  family  to  which 
Mr.  Bonney  belongs  through  his  grandmother, 
Fanny  or  Frances  (Churchill)  Bonney,  is  de- 
scended from  (I)  John  Churchill,  bom  in 
Plngland,  who  came  to  this  country,  and  ap- 
pears   first    of    record    at    Plymouth    in    1643, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


841 


where  he  was  among  those  able  to  bear  arms— 
those  between  sixteen  and  sixty  years  of  age. 
On  Dec.  18,  1644,  he  married  Hannah  Pontus, 
daughter  of  William  Pontus,  of  Plymouth  in 
1633.  He  was  admitted  a  freeman  June  5, 
1651.  On  Aug.  18,  1645,  he  bought  a  farm, 
and  in  1652  more  land ;  in  the  deed  he  is  styled 
"planter." 

(II)  William  Churchill,  born  in  1656,  in 
Plymouth,  married  there  Jan.  17,  1683,  Lydia 
Bryant.  He  inherited  lands  in  what  became 
Plympton  and  was  among  the  first  settlers 
there.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
church  in  Plymouth. 

(III)  William  Churchill  (2),  born  Aug.  2, 
1685,  in  Plympton,  married  Jan.  4,  1704, 
Ruth,  daughter  of  John  Bryant.  They  lived 
at  "Rocky  Gutter"  in  Plympton;  both  were 
members  of  the  church  there. 

(IV)  David  Churchill,  born  Nov.  4,  1709, 
in  Plympton,  married  in  1729  Mary  Magoon, 
and  they  lived  in  Plympton.  Both  died  in 
1785,  he  Sept.  27th,  aud  she  May  18th. 

(V)  Capt.  James  Churchill,  born  May  29, 
1746,  married  (first)  Oct.  31,  1765,  Priscilla 
Soule,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Soule  (2),  and 
granddaughter  of  Benjamin  Soule  and  his  wife 
Sarah  (Standish),  he  a  direct  descendant  of 
George  Soule,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620, 
through  George's  son  John  Soule  and  his  wife 
Hester  (De  La  Noye  or  Delano) ;  and  she  a 
direct  descendant  of  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  of 
the  "Mayflower,"  1620,  through  Capt.  Stand- 
ish's  son  Alexander,  who  married  Sarah  Alden, 
daughter  of  John  Alden  and  his  wife  Pris- 
cilla Mullens,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620. 

(VI)  Oliver  Churchill,  born  April  21.  1766, 
in  Plympton,  married  Saba  Soule,  born  Jan. 
16,  1773,  a  direct  descendant  of  George  Soule, 
of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620.  They  lived  in 
Plympton,  Mass.,  where  he  died  Nov.  24,  1851, 
and  she  Jan.  31,  1839. 

(VII)  Frances  or  Fanny  Churchill,  born 
Aue.  28,  1797,  married  Nov.  17,  1822,  Ste- 
phen Bonney,  grandfather  of  E.  L.  Bonney. 

FREDERICK  D.  BARTLETT,  treasurer 
of  the  Bradford  Joint  Company,  president  of 
the  Cooperative  Bank  of  Plymouth  and  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  selectmen  of  that  town, 
is  properly  classed  among  the  most  progressive 
citizens  of  the  day  and  his  activities  are  of 
the  most  practical  kind.  He  is  a  native  of 
the  Old  Colony,  born  June  22,  1862,  and  is  a 
descendant  in  the  ninth  generation  from  Rob- 
ert Bartlett,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  this 
country.  We  give  herewith  some  account  of 
the  family  from  its  begirming  in  America. 


(I)  Robert  Bartlett,  of  Plymouth,  came  over 
in  the  ship  "Ann"  in  1623.  He  was  made  a 
freeman  iu  1633,  served  as  juryman,  town  ofl5- 
cer,  etc.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
Richard  Warren,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620, 
and  a  descendant  of  William  the  Conqueror, 
as  shown  in  the  Wari'en  genealogy.  Robert 
Bartlett  died  in  1676.  His  will,  which  was 
probated  Oct.  29th  of  the  year  named,  be- 
queathed the  whole  estate  to  his  wife.  His 
children  were:  Benjamin,  born  in  1638; 
Joseph,  born  in  1639;  Lydia,  bom  June  8, 
1647;  Mercy,  born  March  10,  1650  (married 
John  Ivey,  of  Boston) ;  Rebecca  (married  Wil- 
liam Harlow,  of  Plymouth)  ;  Sarah  (married 
Samuel  Rider,  of  Plymouth) ;  Mary  (married 
Richard  Foster,  of  Plymouth)  ;  Elizabeth 
(married  Anthony  Sprague,  of  Plymouth). 

(II)  Benjamin  Bartlett,  son  of  Robert,  born 
in  1638,  married  in  1656  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Love  Brewster  and  granddaughter  of  Elder 
William  Brewster,  of  the  "Mayflower."  Their 
cliildren  were:  Benjamin,  Samuel,  Ichabod, 
Ebenezer,  Rebecca  and  Sarah. 

(III)  Samuel  Bartlett,  son  of  Benjamin, 
married  in  1683  Hannah,  daughter  of  William 
Peabodie,  and  their  children  were:  Benjamin, 
born  in  1684;  Joseph,  born  in  1686;  Samuel, 
born  in  1688;  Ichabod;  Lydia  (married  Jo- 
seph Holmes) ;  Sarah  (married  Nathan 
Thomas  and  Jedediah  Bourne) ;  Elizabeth 
(married  Ephraim  Bradford). 

(IV)  Samuel  Bartlett  (2),  son  of  Samuel, 
married  in  1725  Hannah  Churchill,  and  their 
children  were :  Samuel,  William,  John  and 
Judah. 

(V)  Samuel  Bartlett  (3),  son  of  Samuel 
(2),  married  (first)  in  North  Carolina  Betsey 
Moore,  and  their  children  were:  Mary  (mar- 
ried Ephraim  Finney),  Betty  (married  Ama- 
ziah  Churchill),  William,  John,  and  Joseph 
(born  in  1762).  The  father  married  (sec- 
ond) in  1766  Elizabeth  Jackson,  and  their 
children  were:  Samuel,  born  in  1767;  Nath- 
aniel, born  in  1769 ;  Cornelius,  born  in  1771 ; 
Alexander;   Truman,   and   Stephen. 

Samuel  Bartlett,  Jr.,  of  Plymouth,  was  a 
private  in  Capt.  Abraham  Hammatt's  com- 
pany, which  marched  on  the  alarm  of  April  20, 
1775,  to  Marshfield;  service,  seven  days. 

(VI)  Nathaniel  Bartlett,  son  of  Samuel 
(3),  born  in  1769,  married  in  1793  Mary  Bart- 
lett, daughter  of  Joseph  Bartlett,  and  had 
children :  Nathaniel ;  Harriet  (married  Samuel 
M.  Whitten)  ;  Mary  (married  Henry  Sey- 
mour) ;  Almira  (married  Nathaniel  Church- 
ill) ;  Sophia  (married  William  Straffin)  ;  Bet- 
sey ;  Edward,  and  Cornelius. 


842 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(VII)  Nathaniel  BartMt  (3),  son  of  Nath- 
aniel, born  in  September,  1797,  in  Plymouth, 
was  reared  there.  In  early  youth  he  com- 
menced to  follow  the  sea,  engaging  in  fishing 
on  the  Grand  Bank,  and  was  also  engaged  in 
the  coasting  trade,  and  in  later  life  he  fol- 
lowed similar  work  on  shore,  curing  fish, 
etc.  He  made  his  home  all  his  life  in  Ply- 
mouth, and  died  there  Jan.  26,  1874;  he  was 
buried  in  the  Chiltonville  cemetery,  at  Ply- 
mouth. 

In  1821  Mr.  Bartlett  married  in  Plymouth 
Lucia  Holmes,  who  was  born  in  July,  1794, 
daughter  of  Barna'bas  and  Priscilla  (Whiting) 
Holmes,  and  she  died  at  her  home  March  14, 
ISf'O,  at  the  ripe  age  of  ninety-five  years  and 
eight  months.  She  was  buried  beside  her  hus- 
band. They  were  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Bartlett  was 
a  Democrat.  They  had  children  as  follows : 
Nathaniel,  born  in  1822;  Frederick,  born  in 
1824,  who  married  (first)  Harriet  Manter,  and 
(second)  Elizabeth  G.  Thrasher;  David  Cor- 
nish, bom  in  1829 ;  Lucia  Ann,  born  in  1828, 
who  died  in  1855 ;  Cornelius,  born  in  1831 
(married  Deborah  A.  Hoyt),  who  died  in  July, 
1909 ;  and  Mary  J.,  born  in  1837,  who  resides 
on  Warren  avenue,  in  Plymouth. 

(VIII)  Nathaniel  Bartlett  (3),  son  of 
Nathaniel  Bartlett  (2),  was  born  in  1822  in 
Plymouth,  and  followed  in  his  fathers  wake, 
becoming  a  seafaring  man.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  Grand  Bank  fisheries,  and  while  on  a 
trip  to  those  fishing  grouijds  in  the  schooner 
"Linnet,"  commanded  by  Capt.  William  Lang- 
ford,  was  lost  on  the  Banks  in  September, 
1870,  neither  vessel  nor  crew  ever  being  heard 
of.  His  body  was  never  recovered.  Mr.  Bart- 
lett married  Sarah  Cushman  Soule,  a  native 
of  Plympton,  daughter  of  Daniel  Soule,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  two 
of  whom  died  young;  Nathaniel,  who  was  a 
seafaring  man,  died  of  yellow  fever  in  1869, 
in  the  West  Indies ;  Sarah  Helen  married  Ed- 
mund F.  Darling,  of  Plymouth ;  and  Frederick 
D.  is  mentioned  below.  After  her  husband's 
death  Mrs.  Bartlett  continued  to  make  her 
home  in  Plymouth,  engaging  in  nursing,  and 
her  wholesome,  cheerful  disposition  brought 
sunshine  into  many  a  sick-room.  She  died  at 
her  home  May  10,  1888,  and  was  buried  in 
Vine  Hill  cemetery. 

(IX)  Frederick  D.  Bartlett  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Plymouth,  graduating 
from  the  high  school  in  1879.  For  a  short 
time  thereafter  he  worked  in  the  shoe  factory 
of  the  F.  F.  Emory  Company,  and  in  1880 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Bradford  Joint 


Company,  of  Plymouth,  which  was  incorpo- 
rated in  1871,  with  which  he  has  since  been  as- 
sociated. He  began  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper, 
continuing  in  that  capacity  until  1902,  when 
he  became  treasurer  and  manager.  For  a 
number  of  years  Mr.  Bartlett  has  been  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Cooperative  Bank  of  Plymouth, 
of  which  he  was  elected  vice  president  in  1893, 
and  in  1902  was  elected  president,  an  office 
he  has  filled  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Bartlett  has  ever  been  concerned  for 
the  municipal  welfare,  and  he  is  willing  to 
show  liis  interest  by  effective  service.  In 
1905  he  was  elected  selectman,  and  has  con- 
tinued to  hold  such  office  since,  in  1906  be- 
coming chairman  of  the  board,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  is  still  serving.  In  1910  he  was 
elected  representative  to  the  General  Court 
of  the  State,  serving  as  a  member  of  that  body 
in  1911.  He  is  a  Democrat  on  party  tjues- 
tions. 

On  July  12,  1888,  Mr.  Bartlett  married 
Lucy  M.  Harlow,  daughter  of  Barnabas  L. 
and  Catherine  W.  (Cunningham)  Harlow,  and 
they  have  had  three  children:  Helen  Cush- 
man, born  March  1,  1891,  who  graduated  from 
the  Plymouth  high  school  in  1909;  Frederick 
L.,  and  Katharine.  The  family  attend  the 
Universalist  Church. 


Soule.  (I)  George  Soule,  who  came  to 
New  England  as  a  passenger  on  the  "May- 
flower," the  thirty-fifth  signer  of  the  Compact, 
became  a  freeman  of  the  Colony  in  1633.  He 
removed  to  Duxbury  before  1643.  He  died 
in  1680. 

(II)  John  Soule,  son  of  George,  born  in 
1632,  married  Esther  Delano,  widow  of  Sam- 
uel Sampson,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians. 
Their  children  were:  John;  Joseph;  Joshua, 
born  in  1681;  Josiah,  born  in  1682;  Benja- 
min; Sarah,  who  married  Adam  Wright;  Re- 
becca, who  married  Edmond  Weston ;  Rachel, 
who  married  John  Cobb;  Aaron;  James,  and 
Moses. 

(III)  Benjamin  Soule,  son  of  John,  born  in 
1666,  died  in  Duxbury  in  1729.  He  married 
Sarah  Standish,  daughter  of  Alexander  and 
Sarah  (Alden)  Standish  and  granddaughter 
of  Miles  Standish  and  Priscilla  (Mullins),  of 
the  "Mayflower"  company.  They  had  children 
as  follows:  Zachariah,  born  in  1694;  Hannah, 
born  in  1696  (married  George  Sampson)  ; 
Sarah,  born  in  1699  (married  Edward  Wes- 
ton) ;  Deborah,  born  in  1702  (married  Adam 
Wright);  Benjamin,  born  in  1704;  and  Ebe- 
nezer. 

(IV)  Zachariah    Soule,    son    of    Benjamin, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  843 

born  at  Standish  Neck  in  the  town  of  Dux-  born  Dec.  16,  1705,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Al- 
bury  in  1694,  died  in  1751.  On  June  19,  len,  and  their  children  were:  Timothy,  born 
1720,  he  married  Mary  Eaton,  born  in  1700,  Dec.  27,  1730;  Abial,  March  18,  1732; 
and  their  children  were:  Jabez,  Zaehariah„  Thomas,  Jan.  19,  1733  (died  young)  ;  Stephen, 
Mary,  Sarah,  Ephraim,  Hannah,  Eunice,  July  18,  1739  (married  April  2,  1761,  Eliza- 
James  and  Lois.  beth    King)  ;     Mary,    April    19,     1741 ;    and 

(V)  Ephraim  Soule,  son  of  Zachariah,  born  Thomas    (2),  May  3,  1743. 

in  1729,  died  in  Duxbury  in  1817.     He  mar-        Thomas    Akin    (2),    son    of    Thomas,    born 

ried  Rebecca  Whitmarsh,  daughter' of  Richard  May   3,    1743,   came    back  from   Nova    Scotia 

Whitmarsh,   of  Abington,   Mass.     Their  chil-  and  made  his  home  in  Dartmouth.     On  April 

•dren  were:  Daniel,  James,  Lydia,  Zachariah,  29,  1767,  he  married  Rebecca  Russell,  daugh-^ 

Rebecca  and  Abiah.  ter  of  Timothy  and  Rhoda   (Potter)    Russell.* 

(VI)  Daniel  Soule,  son  of  Ephraim,  born  She  was  bom  March  3,  1748,  and  died  Aug. 
in  1757,  resided  in  the  town  of  Plympton,  17,  1803.  Their  children  were:  Roby,  born 
where  he  enlisted  during  the  Revolution  in  Jan.  30,  1768  (married  Benjamin  Taber  Sept. 
Capt.  Thomas  Loring's  Company,  of  Plymp-  7,  1789);  Abiel,  Oct.  28,  1770;  Stephen,  Feb. 
ton.    He  died  in  1840.    He  and  his  wife  Sarah  28,   1774    (died  young)  ;   Susanna,   March   15, 

(Cushman),  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Deborah  1777;   Abigail,   June   9,   1780    (married   May 

(Ring)  Cushman,  had  children:  Ephraim;  Re-  26,   1802,   Gideon   Shepherd);  Lurania,   April 

becca,  who  married  Nehemiah  Burbank  (being  4,  1782   (married  Nov.  6,  1803,  John  Wood)  ; 

his  second  wife)  and  whose  daughter  Rebecca,  Charles,    Dec.    30,    1784    (married    Bathsheba 

born  in  1813,  married  Barnabas  H.  Holmes;  Kelley) ;    Timothy,    April    2,    1790    (died    in 

Deborah;  Daniel;  Josiah;  Sarah,  and  Susanna.  Westport  March  11,  1873). 

(VII)  Daniel  Soule  (2),  son  of  Daniel,  re-  Abiel  Akin,  son  of  Thomas  (2),  born  Oct. 
sided  in  PljTnpton.  He  married  Content  28,  1770,  settled  in  South  Yarmouth,  Barn- 
Holmes,  and  their  children  were :  Sarah  C,  stable  Co.,  Mass.,  where  he  made  his  home, 
who  married  Nathaniel  Bartlett;  Daniel;  On  June  12,  1794,  he  married  (first)  Cath- 
Samuel;  and  Mary  and  Martha,  t<vins.  arine  Kelley,  daughter  of  David  Kelley  (who 

died  April   5,    1815),   granddaughter   of   Seth 

PELEG  PECKHAM  AKIN,  in  his  lifetime  O'Kelley    (who   died   Aug.    13,   1758),   great- 

a  well-known  business  man  and  highly  honored  granddaughter    of    Jeremiah    O'Kelley     (who 

citizen   of   South  Yarmouth,  was  a  native   of  died    Aug.    10,    1728)    and   great-great-grand- 

that  town,  born   June   30,   1832,   only  son   of  daughter  of   David   O'Kelley,  the  first  of  the 

David  Kelley  and  Rachel  W.  (Peckham)  Akin,  name  on  the  Cape,  who  took  the  oath  in  Oc- 

The  Akin  family  is  of  Scottish  origin,  and  tober,   1657,  and  died  in  Yarmouth   Oct.    17, 

according  to  tradition  two  brothers,  John  and  1711.     Mrs.  Catharine   (Kelley)  Akin  died  at 

James,  came  from  Scotland  with  their  mother  South  Yarmouth   April   2,   1811,  aged  thirty- 

in  the   early  days   and  settled   at  Dartmouth,  eight  years,  and  was  buried  there.     She  was  a 

Later  James  went  to  Portsmouth,  R.  I.    Capt.  sister  of  Zeno  and  Seth  Kelley.     On  Nov.  29, 

John    Akin,    to    whom    Peleg    Peckham    Akin  1813,  Mr.  Akin  married  (second)   Mary  Wing, 

traced  his  lineage,  was  born  in  1663.     He  mar-  To  the  first  marriage  were  born:  Rebecca,  who 

ried    (first)    Mary  Briggs,  bom  Aug.  9,  1671,  married  Daniel  Swift,  of  Falmouth;  Thomas; 

daughter    of    Thomas    Briggs,    and     (second)  David  Kelley;  Joseph;  Seth  Kelley;  Deborah; 

Hannah    Sherman.      He    died    June    3,    1746,  Catharine,  and  Roby. 

aged  eighty-three.  His  children  were :  David,  David  Kelley  Akin,  son  of  Abiel  and  Cath- 
born  Sept.  19,  1689;  Susanna,  Jan.  1,  1691;  arine  (Kelley)  Akin,  was  born  in  the  town 
Deborah,  Dec.  30,  1692 ;  Timothy,  Jan.  30,  of  Yarmouth,  Barnstable  Co.,  Mass.,  1st 
1695;  Marv,  Jan.  23,  1697;  Hannah,  March  month,  5th  day,  1799.  He  obtained  his  edu- 
12,  1699;  Thomas,  March  27,  1702;  Elizabeth,  cation  in  the  Friends'  school  at  Providence. 
May  20,  1704;  James,  Aug.  4,  1706:  Judith,  Learning  the  business  of  clockmaking,  he  be- 
Oct.  17,  1708  (all  to  the  first  marriage);  came  engaged  in  that  line  at  South  Yarmouth, 
Benjamin,  May  18,  1715;  Ebenezer,  Dec.  3,  and  later  became  interested  in  the  manufacture 
1716;  Susanna,  Sept.  27,  1718;  Elisha,  Aug.  of  salt,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  some  time, 
6,  1720;  Joseph,  and  Abigail.  erecting  works  for  that  purpose.  Subsequently 
Thomas  Akin,  son  of  Capt.  John,  was  born  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business,  form- 
in  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  March  37,  ing  a  partnership  with  his  brother  Thomas  un- 
1702,  and  moved  first  to  New  Jersey  and  later  der  the  firm  name  of  David  K.  Akin  &  Co. 
to  Nova  Scotia.     He  married  Abigail  Allen,  This  business  was  continued  for  a  number  of 


844 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


years.  He  was  for  years  engaged  in  the  ma- 
rine and  fire  insurance  business  at  South  Yar- 
mouth, and  held  the  office  of  secretary  of  the 
first  marine  insurance  company  for  many  years ; 
he  was  also  for  years  a  director  of  the  Barnstable 
County  Fire  Insurance  Company,  eventually 
filling  the  office  of  president,  succeeding  Amos 
Otis.  For  half  a  century  he  was  connected 
■with  the  Yarmouth  National  Bank  as  a  di- 
rector, and  was  elected  its  president  in  1871, 
•filling  that  position  of  trust  and  responsibility 
for  eight  years.  One  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Bass  Eiver  Savings  Bank,  he  served  as  trustee 
for  many  years,  and  in  all  these  relations  be- 
came noted  for  his  sterling  honesty  and  hon- 
orable dealings,  his  life  and  character  being 
above  reproach.  He  led  a  life  of  the  highest 
integrity,  doing  his  full  duty  as  a  citizen,  hus- 
band and  father.  A  Republican  in  politics, 
he  was  quite  active  in  public  affairs,  serving 
on  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  his  as- 
sociates in  that  body  being  Seth  Crowell  and 
John  Doane.  He  also  served  as  overseer  of 
the  poor  for  one  term,  and  for  years  filled  the 
position  of  postmaster  at  South  Yarmouth.  A 
strict  member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  he 
served  as  elder  and  took  an  active  part  in 
the  work  of  the  Society  and  its  meetings.  He 
was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Sandwich  Montlily 
Meeting,  and  filled  the  position  for  twelve 
years.  He  was  known  all  over  New  England 
in  his  connection  with  the  Society  of  Friends. 
Broad-minded  and  liberal  in  his  views,  he  re- 
spected the  opinions  of  others  while  adhering 
to  his  own  beliefs.  His  life  was  not  lived  in 
vain.  Like  Paul  of  old  he  fought  the  fight 
and  kept  the  faith,  and  died  as  he  lived,  a  true 
Christian  and  honorable  man.  He  passed 
away  at  his  home  8th  month,  23d,  1887,  and 
was  buried  in  the  Friends'  cemetery  at  South 
Yarmouth. 

Mr.  Akin  was  twice  married.  His  first  mar- 
riage, 6th  month,  23d,  1824,  was  to  Rachel 
White  Peckham,  of  Westport,  Mass.,  a  de- 
scendant of  John  Peckham,  of  Newport,  R.  I. 
She  died  6th  month,  17,  1848,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Friends'  cemetery.  By  this  union  there 
were  two  children :  Hannah  Peckliam,  who 
married  David  Kelley,  and  died  2d  month, 
21st,  1872;  and  Peleg  Peckham,  born  6th 
month,  30th,  1832.  Mr.  Akin  married  (sec- 
ond) 10th  month,  5th,  1849,  Mrs.  Betsey 
(Freeman)  Crowell,  who  died  1st  month, 
18th,  1881,  and  was  buried  in  the  Friends' 
cemetery. 

Peleg  Peckham  Akin,  the  only  son  of  David 
Kelley  Akin,  was  educated  at  a  boys'  board- 
ing   school     at     Sandwich,    finishing    at    the 


Friends'  school  in  Providence.  He  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  many  of  his  enter- 
prises, and  was  engaged  for  many  years  as  a 
merchant  at  South  Yarmouth,  being  also  con- 
nected with  the  insurance  business  in  which 
his  father  was  interested.  He  became  treas- 
urer of  the  Bass  River  Savings  Bank  upon  ita 
organization,  and  took  a  particularly  deep  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  that  institution;  when 
it  was  in  difficulties  he  came  promptly  to  the 
rescue,  and  by  his  influence  and  aid  succeeded 
in  getting  its  affairs  into  good  shape  and  its  fi- 
nances on  a  solid  basis.  He  held  many  other 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility,  was  post- 
master for  a  number  of  years,  and  following 
in  his  father's  footsteps  led  an  honorable  and 
well-spent  life,  doing  his  full  duty  in  every 
relation.  Modest,  retiring  and  unassuming, 
he  would  accept  no  public  honors  or  high  po- 
litical position,  though  he  was  a  stanch  Re- 
publican in  his  views.  Beloved  and  respected 
wherever  known,  he  was  a  broad-minded  and 
liberal  man,  consistent  in  his  own  career  as  a 
member  of  the  Society'  of  Friends,  but  tol- 
erant of  the  opinions  of  others.  He  was  ac- 
tively interested  in  the  Society  and  its  meet- 
ings. He  died  at  his  home  in  South  Yar- 
mouth, Jan.  4,  1903,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Akin  family  lot  in  the  Friends'  cemetery 
there. 

In  1856  Mr.  Akin  was  married  (first)  to 
Mary  A.  Leonard,  of  New  Bedford,  who  died 
in  1861.  On  Jan.  7,  1866,  he  married  (sec- 
ond) in  South  Yarmouth,  Rebecca  B.  Howes, 
a  native  of  South  Yarmouth,  daughter  of  Ab- 
ner  and  Rebecca  (Baker)  Howes,  and  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  oldest  families  on  Cape 
Cod.  Mrs.  Akin  survives  her  husband,  she 
and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Tupper,  residing  at 
Brookline,  Mass.,  and  in  the  summer  season 
occupying  the  homestead  at  South  Yar- 
mouth. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Akin  had  one  child, 
Mary  Leonard,  born  at  South  Yarmouth,  who 
was  educated  at  the  Catherine  Aiken  School, 
Stamford,  Conn.,  and  on  Oct.  7,  1903,  married 
George  W.  Tupper,  a  native  of  Cobourg,  Can- 
ada, son  of  Eliakim  and  Clarissa  (Smith) 
Tupper,  and  a  near  relative  of  the  well-known 
Canadian  statesman.  Sir  Charles  H.  Tupper, 
who  for  years  was  prominent  in  public  life  in 
the  Dominion.  Mr.  Tupper  was  ordained  a 
minister  of  the  M.  E.  Church  and  is  devot- 
ing his  life  to  lecturing  in  New  England  and 
elsewhere,  being  a  noted  platform  speaker, 
one  who  has  attained  both  reputation  and 
popularity.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tupper  have  had 
two  children:  Rachel,  born  Jan.  12,  1905,  and 
George  Akin,  bom  Sept.  20,  1906. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


845 


GEORGE  STEPHEN  WOOD,  a  well- 
known  wool  merchant  of  Boston,  and  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  the  town  of  Norton,  is 
a  native  of  Bristol  county,  Mass.,  bom  in  the 
town  of  Norton  Sept.  7,  1863.  He  is  a  de- 
scendant in  the  ninth  generation  from  Henry 
Wood,  the  emigrant  ancestor  of  a  most  re- 
spected family  in  the  Colony. 

(I)  Henry  Wood,  the  founder  of  the  Wood 
family  in  New  England,  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. He  settled  in  Plymouth  in  1641,  in 
which  year  he  bought  a  house  and  lot  there. 
He  later  removed  to  Barnstable  county,  lo- 
cating at  Yarmouth,  where  he  remained  but 
two  years,  returning  at  the  end  of  that  time 
to  Plymouth,  where  he  remained  until  1665. 
About  this  time  he  became  a  resident  of  what 
is  now  the  town  of  Middleboro.  He  was  quite 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  Colony.  He 
died  in  1670  in  Middleboro,  a  year  after  its 
incorporation  as  a  town.  Mr.  Wood  married 
April  28,  1644,  Abigail,  daughter  of  John 
Jenney,  and  their  children  were:  Samuel, 
John,  David,  Joseph,  Benjamin,  Abiel,  James, 
Sarah,  Abigail,  Susanna  and  Mary. 

(II)  David  Wood,  son  of  Henry,  was  born 
in  Plymouth  Oct.  17,  1651,  and  there  he  spent 
his  entire  life.  He  married  March  5,  1684, 
Mary  Williams,  daughter  of  John  and  Anna 
(Williams)  Barker,  of  Duxbury,  and  widow 
of  Samuel  Pratt.  She  aftenvard  married 
Francis  Coombs,  whom  she  survived,  her  death 
occurring  in  Middleboro,  where  Mr.  Wood  also 
died.  David  and  Mary  Wood  had  children  as 
follows:  John,  born  in  1686;  David,  born  in 
1688;  and  Jabez,  born  in  1689. 

(III)  John  Wood,  son  of  David,  was  born 
in  Middleboro  in  1686,  and  there  spent  his 
life.  He  and  his  wife  Sarah  both  died  in  Mid- 
dleboro. 

(IV)  Stephen  Wood,  son  of  John  and 
Sarah,  was  born  in  Middleboro  Sept.  21,  1712. 
He  located  in  the  town  of  Norton,  Bristol 
county.  In  1733  he  married  Remember 
Hodges,  born  Aug.  16,  1713,  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel Hodges,  and  they  had  four  children, 
viz.:  Elkanah,  born  Nov.  1,  1734;  Nathaniel, 
July  4,  1737;  Mary,  Dec.  29,  1739  (died  Sept. 
14,  1784;  she  married  Dec.  3,  1763,  Elisha 
Dean)  ;  and  Rebecca,  Nov.  12,  1743  (died 
young). 

(V)  Nathaniel  Wood,  son  of  Stephen,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Norton  July  4,  1737.  He 
made  his  home  in  the  town  of  Norton,  where 
he  was  quite  prominent  both  in  town  affairs 
and  in  the  Colonial  wars  and  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  He  served  as  private  in  the 
French  and  Indian  war  from  May  12,  1759, 


to    Jan.   2,  1760,  in    Capt.    Nathan    Hodges' 
company,  during  the  campaign  in  which  Ti- 
conderoga    and    Crown    Point   were    captured 
and  the  French  driven  from  Lake  Champlain. 
During  the  Revolution  he  served  as  sergeant 
in   Capt.   Isaac   Hodge's  company,  in  defense 
of  Boston,  serving  from  Aug.  12,  1776,  to  Oct. 
1,  1776;  copies  of  company  receipts  for  wages 
show  him  sergeant   in   Captain  Hodges'  com- 
pany, Ebenezer  Francis's  regiment,  from  Aug. 
12,  1776,  to  Nov.  30,  1776,  dated  Dorchester; 
also   same    company    and    regiment,   ipay    ab- 
stracted for  travel  allowance  from  camp  home, 
sworn  to  Nov._  29,  1776,  said  Wood  credited 
with  allowance  for  two  days,  thirty-five  miles 
travel,  company  drafted  from  Rehoboth,  Attle- 
boro,   Mansfield   and   Norton.     He  again   en- 
listed in  same  company.  Col.  George  Williams' 
regiment,  for  service  between  Sept.  25,  1777, 
and   Oct.   31,  1777,  period  of  thirty-six  days, 
on  a  secret  erpedition ;  roll  sworn  to  at  Norton. 
During   the   Revolutionary  war,   in   company 
with  Noah  Wiswall,  he  built  a  factory  in  Nor- 
ton, for  the  making  of  molasses  from  corn- 
stalks, but  this  did  not  prove  successful.     Mr. 
Wood  married  Feb.  24,  1763,  Abigail  Carver, 
born  May  12,  1734,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Abigail  (Allen)  Carver,  of  Taiinton,  and  their 
children  were:  Polly,  bom  Nov.  17,  1763;  Na- 
thaniel, Jan.   12,   1767    (who  settled  in  New- 
York)  ;  Carver,  April  14,  1768;  Elkanah,  Nov. 
7,  1769;  Peggy,  March  20,  1771   (died  in  in- 
fancy) ;  Peggy  (2),  March  22,  1773;  and  Abi- 
gail, March  12,  1776. 

(VI)  Elkanah  Wood,  son  of  Nathaniel  ancl 
Abigail  (Carver),  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Norton  Nov.  7,  1769,  and  there  he  made  his 
home  and  died.  He  married  May  17,  1798, 
Melinda  White,  born  May  19,  1779,  in  Nor- 
ton, daughter  of  Maj.  Zebulon  White,  who  was 
a  Revolutionary  soldier.  She  died  April  15, 
1817,  aged  thirty-eight  years,  and  he  married 
(second) — intentions  expressed  May  13,  1818 
— Olive  Field,  of  Taunton,  widow  of  Jesse 
Lincoln.  She  died  Oct.  25,  1822,  aged  thirty- 
six  years.  Children,  all  born  to  the  first  mar- 
riage, were:  Elkanah,  born  Sept.  14,  1799, 
who  married  Sept.  15,  1822,  Lemira  Bland- 
ing,  and  they  have  two  sons  living  in  Norton, 
Elkanah  Carver  and  Nathaniel  Holden;  Eli, 
born  Aug.  25,  1801 ;  Melinda,  born  Feb.  5, 
1804,  who  married  Dec.  31,  1829,  George 
Clapp,  of  Grafton;  Abigail  Ann,  born  July 
24,  1806,  who  married  Sept.  29,  1824,  Jo- 
sephus  White,  of  Hanson,  Mass. ;  and  Polly, 
born  Feb.  20,  1815,  who  married  Dec.  8,  1840, 
CjTus  Hicks,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

(VII)  Eli  Wood,  son  of  Elkanah,  born  Aug. 


846  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

25,  1801,  in  the  town  of  Norton,  Mass.,  re-  when  he   returned   to   Norton,   where   he  has 

mained    there    during   his   lifetime    and    there  ever  since  made  his  home.     In  1901  he  opened 

died.     He  married  Sept.  27,  1824,  in  Norton,  offices  in  Boston  as  wool  merchant,  and  by  his 

Mass.,  Fanny  White,  born  April  8,  1803,  and  prudence,    foresight    and    keen    knowledge    of 

their  children  were:  Eli  Carver,  born  Aug.  16,  the  business  has  built  up  a  large  and  growing- 

1825;   Fanny   Margaret,  Aug.   18,    1827;   Me-  trade,  covering  over  $200,000  per  year.     He  is 

linda    S.,  April    30,    1830     (married    Calvin  a  large  dealer  in  domestic  and  imported  wool. 

Lewis,  of  East  Boston)  ;  John  Stephen,  Aug.  A  man  of  enterprise  and  progressive  ideas,  he 

14,  1838;  Mary  Ann  Hix,  July  12,  1843  (mar-  finds  no  difficulty  in  conducting  his  business 
ried  J.  E.  Smith,  now  deceased,  and  she  re-  affairs  and  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  in 
sides  in  Medford,  Massachusetts).  the     mercantile     world.     He     succeeded     his 

(VIII)  John  Stepjien  Wood,  son  of  Eli,  father  as  postmaster  of  East  Norton  and  con- 
was  born  Aug.  14,  1838,  in  the  town  of  Nor-  tinues  to  fill  the  office.  Fraternally  Mr.  Wood 
ton,  where  he  received  his  education  and  grew  is  a  member  of  St.  James  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
to  manhood.  He  was  engaged  for  several  M.,  of  Mansfield;  of  Foxboro  Chapter;  Bristol 
years  in  teaming  and  jobbing,  later  embarking  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Attleboro; 
in  the  coal,  wood,  grain  and  feed  business,  es-  of  Aleppo  Temple,  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  Bos- 
tablishing  himself  in  East  Norton.  By  close  ton;  and  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  at  Mans- 
application  and  untiring  energy  he  built  up  a  field.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  a  firm. 
successful  business,  which  is  now  being  con-  believer  in  the  principles  of  McKinley,  Roose- 
ducted  by  his  son,  Walter  C.  S.  His  entire  velt  and  Taft.  He  has  been  a  selectman,  as- 
life  was  spent  in  Norton,  where  he  died,  and  sessor  and  overseer  of  the  poor  for  four  years, 
he  was  buried  in  the  Norton  cemetery.  He  and  was  a  trustee  of  the  Public  Library  of 
was  a  man  well  known  and  respected,  having  Norton.  He  was  formerly  secretary  and 
held  the  office   of  postmaster  of  East  Norton  treasurer   of   the    Norton   Band. 

and  proved  a  valuable  citizen  to  his  commu-  Mr.  Wood  married  in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  Nov. 

nity.     In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican.  16,  1892,  Blanche  Brownell  Hodges,  born  Oct. 

Mr.  Wood  married  in  Norton  Mary  Elizabeth  28,   1864,   daughter  of   Charles   Maynard   and 

Smith,  born  April  1,  1839,  daughter  of   Seth  Betsey  White  (Tilson)  Hodges.     Mr.  and  Mrs, 

Smith.      To   them   were   born   three    cliildren.  Wood  are  members  of  the  Unitarian  Church, 

viz.:    (1)    George   Stephen   was  born   Sept.    7,  They  have  one  child,  Norma  Marie,  bom  Aug. 

1863.     (2)    Walter   Carver    Smith,   born   Nov.  30,  1894,  who  graduated  from  the  Norton  high 

6,  1868,  in  Norton,  was  educated  in  the  local  school. 

public  schools  and  the  Bristol  Academy.     He  — ■ — ■ • 

succeeded   his   father   in   the   hay,   grain   and 

coal  business  at  East  Norton,  and  he  has  been  Hodges.     The  Hodges  family,  of  which  Mrs. 

tax   collector,   water   commissioner   and   chair-  Wood  is  a  descendant,  is  an  old  and  honorable 

man   of   the    school    committee.      He    married  one  in  Massachusetts.     The  first  of  the  name 

Feb.    20,    1896,    Lizzie    Hodge    Leonard,    born  in   America   was 

Feb.    14,    1874,    daughter    of    Everett    Russell  (I)   William  Hodges,  born  in  England,  who- 

Leonard,  and  they  have  three  children:  Doris  died   April    2,    1654,   in   Taunton,   Mass.     He 

Leonard,  bom  Dec.  2,  1896;  Ethel,  born  Sept.  married  in  Taunton  Mary  Andrews,  daughter 

15,  1901 ;  and  Arthur  Carver,  born   Dec.   19,  of  Henry  and  Mary  Andrews. 

1909.     (3)  Jane  married  Willard  G.  Leonard,  (II)    John   Hodges,    son    of   William,   was 

a   well-known   meat   dealer   in    Norton,  son   of  born  in  1650  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  died  in 

Everett  Russell  Leonard.  1719.     He  married  May  15,  1672,  in  Taunton, 

(IX)  George  Stephen  Wood,  son  of  John  Elizabeth  Macey,  of  Taunton,  daughter  of 
Stephen,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Norton  Sept.  George   and    Susannah    (Street)    Macey.      She 

7,  1863.      He    attended    school   in   his   native  died   in  Norton  Jan.   29,   1718-19. 

town,  also  Bristol  Academy  at  Taunton,  and  (III)    William  Hodges,  son  of  John,  born 

upon  leaving  entered  tlie  Norton  Wool  Scour-  June  6,  1682,  in  Taunton,  settled  in  what  is 

ing  Mill,  where  he  filled  the  position  of  book-  now  the  town  of  Norton.     He  died  June  23, 

keeper  for  six  years.     He  then  went  to  Bos-  1766.     On   Feb.   8,   1710-11,   at  Taunton,  he 

ton,   taking   a    position   as    bookkeeper   in   the  married  Hannah  Tisdale,  daughter  of  Joseph 

office  of  a  wool  merchant,  where  he  remained  and  Mary  (Leonard)  Tisdale,  of  Taunton.    He 

for    twelve    years.      Prom    there    he    went    to  married    (second)    Mary    Clapp. 

New  York   City   and   there   held   a   like   posi-  (IV)    Elijah  Hodges,   son   of  William,   was 

tion    until    the    time    of    his    father's    death,  born  in  1724  (or  1725)  in  Taunton,  and  died 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS                                       847 

in  Mansfield  July  28,  1809.  He  lived  in  the  Abishai  Smith,  son  of  Seth  (2)  and  Sarah 
North  Precinct  of  Norton,  which  is  now  Mans-  (Cobb),  was  born  May  8,  1761.  He  married 
field.  During  the  French  and  Indian  war  he  Nov.  10,  1785,  Phylene  Morey,  born  May  24, 
served  as  a  soldier.  He  was  among  those  de-  1763,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Bathsheba 
tailed  from  the  3d  Bristol  County  Regiment  (Godfrey)  Morey.  She  died  Aug.  2,  1839.  He 
on  Aug.  11,  1757,  with  orders  to  march  and  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  having  en- 
report  to  Lieut.  Gen.  Sir  William  Pepperell.  listed  several  times  during  the  memorable  con- 
He  also  served  in  the  Crown  Point  expedi-  flict.  His  father-in-law,  Maj.  Thomas  Morey, 
tion  from  May  12,  1759,  to  Jan.  2,  1760,  as  was  major  in  the  3d  Bristol  County  Regiment, 
second  lieutenant  under  Capt.  Nathan  Hodges.  He  was  at  the  siege  and  capture  of  Louisburg 
On  April  19,  1775,  at  the  news  of  the  battle  and  Cape  Breton.  Mr.  Smith's  death  occurred 
of  Lexington,  he  volunteered  as  private  al-  in  August,  1839,  when  he  was  aged  seventy- 
though  previously   an   officer,   and   served   five  eight. 

days  in  the  7th  (Col.  John  Daggett's)  regi-  Seth '  Smith,  son  of  Abishai  and  Phylene, 
ment,  Mansfield  company.  In  1767  he  was  was  born  in  Norton  April  24,  1797.  He  mar- 
elected  on  the  committee  chosen  to  apportion  ried  Feb.  15,  1826,  Sarah  Makepeace  Wether- 
the  school  funds  among  school  districts,  and  ell,  who  was  born  Nov.  19,  1803,  daughter  of 
in  1786  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  par-  William  and  Eunice  Wetherell  and  g|randdaugh- 
ish.  He  married  Elizabeth  Reed,  daughter  ter  of  William  and  Hannah  (Makepeace)  Weth- 
of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Tisdale)  Reed,  of  erell.  Their  children  were:  Sarah  Jane,  born 
Dighton,  Mass.,  and  she  died  Dec.  6,  1803.  Dec.   12,   1831,  married   Washington  L.   New- 

(V)  John  Hodges,  son  of  Elijah,  born  Feb.  comb;  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  April  1,  1839, 
27,  1765,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  was  fifer  of  married  Jolin  Stephen  Wood;  Marcus  was 
Capt.  John  Allen's  company  when  it  served  fori  born  July  20,  1843. 

a  short  time  in  Rhode  Island,  in  July,  1780. 

He  was  captain  of  the  Mansfield  Companions.  THORNTON  (New  Bedford  family).  (I) 
He  followed  the  occupation  of  farmer  and  was  John  Thornton  is  the  progenitor  of  an  inter- 
quite   prominent   in   his  community.  esting   familv   here    in    America,    members    of 

(VI)  Guilford  Hodges,  son  of  Capt.  John,  which  have  been  valued  and  esteemed  citizens 
was  born  in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  April  22,  1800,  of  their  communities,  among  them  Elisha 
and  died  there  Feb.  5,  1882.  He  married  in  Thornton,  the  well-known  druggist  of  New 
1818  Betsey  Brownell,  born  in  1796,  in  Rhode  Bedford,  and  his  sons,  John  Russell  and  Eli- 
Island,  daughter  of  George  and  Nancy  Brown-  sha,  Jr.  Jolm  Thornton  had  ten  acres  of  land 
ell.  She  died  in  Mansfield  Feb.  27,  1879.  Mr.  granted  him  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  in  1639,  he  at 
and  Mrs.  Hodges  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil-  the  time  being  in  the  employ  of  John  Cogge- 
dren.  shall.       On  Oct.  12,  1648,  he  was  one  of  the 

(VII)  Charles  Maynard  Hodges,  son  of  twelve  members  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
Guilford,  born  Nov.  8,  1834,  made  his  home  in  full  communion.  He  was  a  freeman  of 
in  Mansfield.  Mr.  Hodges  was  a  soldier  in  1655.  He  removed  from  Newport  and  in 
the  Civil  war.  He  married  Dec.  14,  1856,  1679  was  in  Providence,  R.  I.  He  was  taxed 
Betsey  White  Tilson,  born  Oct.  24,  1837,  in  in  1679,  and  in  1680  was  deputy,  etc.  The 
Wrentham,  Mass.,  daughter  of  William  and  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Saiah,  and 
Abby  (Meserve)  Tilson.  Eight  children  were  their  children  were:  John;  Thomas;  Solo- 
bom  to  this  union,  of  whom,  Blanche  Brown-  mon ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Dec.  9,  1680, 
ell,  born  Oct.  28,  1864,  married  Nov.  16,  1892,  Edward  Manton;  Sarah,  who  married  (first) 
George    Stephen   Wood,   of   Norton.  Zachariah   Field   and    (second)    John   Gurney; 

Smith.     The   Smith  family,  of  Norton,  of  James;  Benjamin,  and  William, 

which  the  late  Mrs.  John   Stephen  Wood  was  (II)   John  Thornton   (2),  son  ef  John  and 

a  descendant,  have  made  Norton  their  home  Sarah,  married  DinaR,  daughter  of  John  and 

for  upward  of  two  hundred  years.  Hannah   (Wickenden)   Steere.       Mr.  Thornton 

Seth  Smith,  who  settled  in  the  town  of  Nor-  lived  in  Providence,  R.  I.       He  died  Jan.  9, 

ton,  married  in  Weston,  Middlesex  Co.,  Mass.,  1716,  his  wife  dying  before  him.      Their  chil- 

Sept.    30,    1725,    Elizabeth   Allen,    of   Weston,  dren    were:      John,    Josiah,    Dinah,    Stephen, 

She  died  Sept.  26,  1796,  aged  ninety-seven.  Ruth,  Daniel,  Elihu  and  Ebenezer. 

Seth  Smith   (2),  son  of  Seth,  was  born  in  (III)  Ebenezer  Thornton,  son  of  John  and 

Norton  Sept.  13,  1734.     lie  married  Oct.  10,  Dinah,  married  Ruth  Smith,  and  their  children 

1754,    Sarah   Cobb,   of   Noi^on,   and    (second)  of  Smithfield  town  record  were:     Rachel,  born 

March  16,  1780,  Rachel  Newcomb.  April  8,  1733;  Stephen,  July  7,  1735;  Ruth, 


848 


SOUTHEASTEKjS^  MASSACHUSETTS 


March  9,  1737;  Daniel,  Jime  8,  1739  (died 
Sept.  5,  1748);  Ebenezer,  March  31,  1742; 
Phebe,  Sept.  3,  1744;  Elisha,  July  12,  1747, 
and  Mary,  Sept.  23,  1750. 

(IV)  Elisha  Thornton,  of  Smithfield,  R.  I., 
son  of  Ebenezer,  born  July  12,  1747,  married 
Anna  Eead.  He  was  the  Elisha  Thornton  who 
according  to  the  Friends'  records  was  the  emi- 
nent minister  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  whose 
death  is  of  record  as  having  occurred  Dec.  31, 
1816.     He  and  his  wife  had  thirteen  children. 

(V)  Elisha  Thornton  (2),  son  of  Elisha 
and  Anna,  born  April  6,  1780,  in  Smithfield, 
R.  I.,  was  engaged  as  a  druggist  in  New 
Bedford,  where  he  died  Aug.  13,  1854.  He 
married  31st  of  10th  month,  1804,  Rebecca 
Russell,  daughter  of  Humphrey  and  Bethiah 
Russell,  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and  their  chil- 
dren, according  to  the  Friends'  records,  were : 
Joseph  Ricketson,  born  Aug.  8,  1805 ;  Sarah 
Ann,  born  Nov.  15,  1806;  John  Russell,  born 
Oct.  8,  1808;  Gilbert  Russell,  born  Dec.  31, 
1810;  Mary  B.,  born  Jan.  15,.  1814;  Elisha, 
born  Aug..  1,  1815;  Rebecca,  born  March  16, 
1817;  Daniel;  Virginia;  Frances,  and  Kath- 
erine. 

(VI)  John  Russell  Thornton,  son  of  Eli- 
sha (2)  and  Rebecca  (Russell)  Thornton,  was 
born  in  New  Bedford  Oct.  8,  1808.  He  re- 
ceived his  educational  training  in  his  native 
place  and  learned  the  business  of  druggist 
under  his  father.  Their  place  of  business  was 
on  the  corner  of  Union  and  Bethel  streets,  and 
their  establishment  was  the  leading  one  of  its 
kind  in  New  Bedford.  He  was  succeeded  by 
his  brother  Elisha,  Jr.,  in  the  drug  business, 
while  he  engaged  in  other  mercantile  affairs 
and  was  largely  interested  in  whaling  in  asso- 
ciation with  Willard  Nye  and  Dennis  Wood. 
Mr.  Thornton  was  a  thoroughly  successful  busi- 
ness man  of  rare  ability,  and  throughout  his 
life  held  a  reputation  for  strict  integrity  that 
not  only  commanded  respect  but  marked  him 
as  one  whose  efforts  were  worthy  of  emulation. 
From  1867  until  his  death  he  was  a  director  in 
the  Mechanics'  B^nk  and  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  investment  of  the  New  Bedford  In- 
stitution for  Savings.  He  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Acushnet  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  and  a 
member  of  the  Unitarian  Church.  A  Demo- 
crat in  his  political  faith,  he  never  cared  for  or 
sought  public  oflfice.  He  was  a  well-known 
figure  in  New  Bedford,  and  reached  a  ripe  old 
age,  passing  away  on  Dec.  1,  1893,  at  his  home 
on  the  corner  of  Spring  and  Seventh  streets, 
and  he  was  buried  in  the  Rural  cemetery. 

Mr.  Thornton  married  Sophia,  daughter  of 
Dr.   Paul    Spooner,  who  for  more  than   fifty 


years  was  one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  New 
Bedford.  Mrs.  Thornton  died  in  middle  life, 
the  mother  of  two  children,  a  daughter  that 
died  young,  and  a  son,  Walter  Spooner,  who 
died  unmarried. 

(VI)  Elisha  Thornton,  Jr.,  son  of  Elisha 
(2)  and  Rebecca  (Russell)  Thornton,  was  born 
Aug.  1,  1815,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  in 
the  schools  of  the  place  acquired  his  education. 
His  father  and  older  brother,  John  R.  Thorn- 
ton, being  druggists,  Elisha  followed  in  their 
footsteps,  becoming  skilled  in  the  business 
under  their  direction.  In  time  Elisha  became 
established  in  business  for  himself  on  North 
Water  street.  Later  on  he  became  successor 
to  his  father  and  brother  at  the  old  stand  and 
conducted  the  business  for  many  years.  He 
became  one  of  the  owners  of  the  Thornton 
block,  which  was  erected  on  the  site  of  his 
former  place  of  business  and  later  became 
known  as  the  Standard  building.  Subsequent- 
ly he  carried  on  his  business  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Union  and  Second  streets,  and  he 
opened  a  second  store  on  the  corner  of  Union 
and  Purchase  streets.  For  a  period  Mr.  Thorn- 
ton had  associated  with  him  in  business  the  late 
William  L.  Gerrish,  the  style  of  firm  being 
Thornton  &  Gerrish.  On  Jan.  1,  1873,  both 
stores  were  disposed  of  to  Messrs.  C.  H.  and 
H.  A.  Lawton,  he  himself  retiring  from  busi- 
ness. 

First  a  Whig,  then  a  Republican,  in  his  po- 
litical affiliations,  Mr.  Thornton  was  active 
and  zealous  in  politics.  He  was  for  years 
chairman  of  the  Republican  city  committee. 
In  the  year  1857  he  represented  his  ward  on 
the  board  of  aldermen.  He  was  six  times 
elected  a  county  commissioner,  holding  such 
office  at  the  time  of  his  demise ;  and  for  several 
years  he  was  chairman  of  the  board.  His  first 
election  to  the  office  of  county  commissioner 
was  as  the  successor  of  John  Baylies,  who 
died  in  1863. 

One  has  only  to  read  between  the  lines  of 
this  outline  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Thornton  to 
judge  of  his  standing  with  the  people  of  not 
only  New  Bedford  but  Bristol  county,  for 
through  his  long  official  relation  he  had  be- 
come well  known  all  over  the  county.  He  was 
universally  esteemed  and  respected.  Mr. 
Thornton  died  July  24,  1879,  at  his  home  on 
Cottage  street.  New  Bedford. 

Mr.  Thornton  married  Marv  Howland  Allen, 
of  New  Bedford,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Phebe  (Howland)  Allen,  and  she  survived 
him  many  years,  dying  in  June,  1900.  They 
had  the  following' children:  Anna,  born  Sept. 
30,   1839,  died  in  infancy;   Edward   B.,  bom 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


849 


March  1,  1841,  resides  in  Pawtucket,  R.  I. ;' 
Thomas  A.,  born  Oct.  4,  1843,  resides, in  New 
Bedford;  Anna  (2),  born  Jan.  30,  1846,  was 
the  first  wife  of  Otis  N.  Pierce,  and  died  Feb. 
7,  1907;  William,  born  March  9,  1849,  resides 
in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Charles,  born  Aug.  13, 
1851,  died  Dec.  25,  1856;  Mary  A.,  born  Aug. 
29,  1858,  is  the  wife  of  Otis  N.'  Pierce,  of  New 
Bedford. 

DEAN-DEANE  (Taunton  family).  The 
name  of  Dean  or  Deane,  originally  spelled  Den 
or  Dene,  appeared  in  England  soon  after  the 
introduction  of  surnames.  It  was  apparently 
derived  from  the  Saxon  word  "den"  or  "dene," 
meaning  a  valley,  that  word  being  taken  as  a 
surname  by  the  people  who  lived  in  the  val- 
leys. The  family  is  probably  of  Norman 
-origin,  as  the  first  record  of  the  name  is  when 
Robert  deDen  was  butler  to  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor, and  doubtless  one  of  his  Norman  fa- 
vorites, as  it  is  known  he  had  estates  in  Nor- 
mandy. Later  the  name  is  found  among  the 
nobility  in  Essex,  Northamptonshire,  Hunting- 
donshire and  Oxfordshire.  After  the  aboli- 
tion of  feudalism  by  Henry  VII.,  the  terri- 
torial prefix  "de"  was  dropped ;  the  letter  "a" 
appeared  in  the  name  during  the  days  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  and  it  became  "Deane." 
Among  the  prominent  bearers  of  the  name 
may  be  mentioned  Henry  Dene,  Archbishop  of 
■Canterbury  and  Lord  Chancellor  under  Henry 
VII. ;  Sir  Richard  Deane,  Mayor  of  London 
in  1629 ;  Maj.  Gen.  Richard  Deane,  the  regi- 
cide; and  Sir  Anthony  Deane,  Comptroller  of 
the   Navy. 

For  centuries  the  family  have  resided  at 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  Taunton,  Somersetshire, 
England,  and  from  that  place  came  most  of 
the  emigrants  of  the  name  to  America.  John 
and  Walter  Deane,  brothers,  came  to  America 
in  1637  from  Taunton  or  vicinity,  and  were 
the  progenitors  of  most  of  the  name  in  Mas- 
sachusetts. They  settled  at  Taunton,  that 
State,  wliich  city  is  said  to  have  derived  its 
name  from  Taunton,  in  England.  The  Deanes 
have  been  noted  for  their  strong  will  power, 
earnestness  of  purpose,  untiring  energy  and 
great   integrity   of   character. 

(I)  John  Dene,  born  about  1600,  died  be- 
tween April  25  and  June  7,  16.60,  "aged  sixty 
years  or  thereabouts."  He  was  one  of  "the 
grand  inquest,  from  Taunton,  1640."  His 
wife,  who  was  named  Alice,  survived  him,  and 
was  probably  living  as  late  as  1668,  on  June 
1st  of  which  year  she  is  mentioned  in  a  grant 
of  Plymouth  court.  Their  children  were : 
John,  "born  about  1639;  Thomas,  who  settled 

54 


in  Taunton ;  Israel,  a  lieutenant  in  King  Phil- 
ip's war,  who  participated  in  the  great  Narra- 
gansett  fight,  and  who  died  unmarried;  Isaac, 
who  settled  in  Taunton;  Nathaniel,  who  died 
without  issue  between  1660  and  1677;  and 
Elizabeth,   born  about   1650. 

(II)  Thomas  Deane,  son  of  John  and  Alice, 
settled  in  Taunton.  His  will  was  proved  July 
15,  1697.  He  married  Jan.  5,  1669,  Kath- 
erine  Stephens,  who  survived  him,  her  will 
being  proved  June  12,  1726-27.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Thomas,  born  Feb.  I*  1670-71,  died 
Feb.  26,  1670-71 ;  Hannah,  born  Jan.  14,  1671- 
72,  died  unmarried  about  1750;  Thomas  (2), 
born  about  1673;  Deborah  married  John  Tis- 
dale;  Katherine  married  April  17,  1710,  Dea- 
con Samuel  Leonard;  Lydia  married  George 
Hall;  Mercy  married  Daniel  Williams;  and 
Elizabeth,  born  about  1688  and  died  March 
18,  1758,  married,  Dec.  4,  1707,  Deacon  Ben- 
jamin Williams  (died  Jan.  10,  1757,  aged 
seventy-one  years). 

(III)  Thomas  Deane  (2),  son  of  Thomas 
and  Katherine,  born  about  1673,  died  Sept. 
10,  1747.  On  Jan.  7,  1696,  he  was  married 
by  the  Rev.  Peter  Thatcher,  to  Mary  Kings- 
ley,  daughter  of  John  Kingsley  of  Milton, 
Mass.  She  died  Feb.  1,  17*49-50,  in  her  sev- 
enty-fourth year.  From  them  was  descended 
Hon.  Josiah  Dean,  of  Raynham,  who  was  a 
member  of  Congress  in  1807-09,  and  who  died 
in  1818.  Thomas  Deane  had  a  family,  the 
second  son  being  Josiah. 

(IV)  Josiah  Dean,  second  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Kingsley)  Dean,  bom  in  1699, 
married  in  1737,  Jane,  born  in  1715,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Nehemiah  Washburn,  of  Brain- 
tree.  He  died  March  23,  1778,  and  she  in 
1757. 

(V)  Hon.  Josiah  Dean,  fourth  son  of  Jo- 
siah and  Jane  (Washburn),  born  March  6, 
1748,  married  Sarah  Byram,  who  was  bom 
in  1750.  He  was  a  member  of  Congress  from 
1807  to  1809.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Court  in  1810.  He  died 
Oct.  14,  1818,  and  his  wife  Jan.  13,  1849,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  ninety-nine  years. 

(VI)  Eliab  Byram  Dean,  son  of  Hon.  Jo- 
siah, was  born  in  Raynham  in  1788.  He  mar- 
ried Charlotte  iVilliams,  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
and  Lucilda  (Ilodges)  Williams,  the  former 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  of  Taunton,  and  they 
had  a  family  of  twehc  children.  He  died  Nov. 
2,  1871.  He  was  a  manufacturer  of  iron  in 
his  early  life,  but  toward  the  close  was  a 
farmer.  He  was  a  Whig  and  Republican  in 
politics,  but  never  an  aspirant  for  political 
lionors.      For    more    than    fifty   years    he    was 


850 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


deacon  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Eayn- 
ham,  of  which  his  wife  was  a  faithful  member 
until  her  death. 

(VII)  Theodore  Dean,  son  of  Eliab  By- 
ram,  born  in  Raynham,  Dec.  31,  1809,  re- 
ceived a  common  school  and  academic  educa- 
tion at  Bristol  Academy,  at  Taunton,  Mass. 
At  eighteen  years  he  commenced  teaching  and 
taught  four  winters  with  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  his  constituents.  He  was  reared 
a  farmer  and  manufacturer  of  iron  and  con- 
tinued with  h'ls  father  until  1848,  when  he 
purchased  hjs  father's  interest  in  the  "old 
iron  forge"  at  Raynliam,  and  continued  to 
conduct  a  successful  business  until  1873.  This 
forge  was  the  first  in  the  Old  Colony  and  one 
of  the  first  in  America,  those  at  Lynn  and 
Braintree  having  been  established  at  an  earlier 
date.  This  forge  or  bloomery  was  established 
by  Messrs.  Henry  and  James  Leonard  and 
Ralph  Russell  as  early  as  1656.  "The  forge 
at  Raynham  was  the  great  joint  stock  company 
of  that  vicinity  and  period."  These  works 
were  very  profitable  and  the  records  show  that 
the  shares  were  transmitted  from  father  to 
son  'or  other  heirs  for  several  generations.  Mr. 
Dean  was  also  a  descendant  from  the  Leonards 
on  his  father's  side,  and  through  his  grand- 
mother Sarah  Byram,  daughter  of  the  Rev. 
Eliab  Byram. 

Mr.  Dean  removed  to  Taunton  Aug.  15, 
1866,  and  continued  to  reside  there  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  represented  Raynham  and  Easton 
in  the  State  Legislature  in  1866,  serving  on 
the  committee  on  Banks  and  Banking.  In 
1851  he  was  chosen  a  director  of  the  Bristol 
County  Bank,  and  in  September,  1853,  was 
chosen  its  president  and  continued  as  such  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  Jan.  19,  1885.  In 
1865  the  name  of  the  bank  was  changed  to 
"Bristol  County  National  Bank."  He'  was 
a  director  in  various  interests  both  at  home 
and  abroad  and  in  all  his  varied  interests  was 
successful;  he  was  one  of  Taunton's  most  re- 
spected and  wealthy  citizens.  He  was  a  man 
of  energy  and  decision  of  character,  with 
strong  convictions,  which  he  did  not  lack  the 
courage  to  openly  avow,  and  in  all  matters  of 
business  or  finance  his  rare  judgment  and  sa- 
gacity were  unquestioned. 

Mr.  Dean  married  Lydia  A.  Lord  in  No- 
vember, 1854,  and  they  had  three  children, 
namely:  Florence,  who  married  (first)  Charles 
D.  Stickney  (died  in  January,  1900),  of  Fall 
River,  and  had  two  children,  Harold  D.  and 
Adelaide,  and  married  (second)  in  1901  Suth- 
erland Orr,  of  Madras,  India,  who  died  May 


8,  1908;  Bertha;  and  Charles  Theodore,  who 
died  in  August,  1865,  aged  five  years. 

BRIGHTMAN.  The  ancestor  of  the 
Brightmans  of  Dartmouth  and  New  Bedford 
was  (I)  Henry  Brightman,  of  Plymouth  and 
Newport,  R.  I.,  and  Freetown,  Mass.  He 
was  made  a  freeman  and  juryman  in  1671. 
He  was  one  of  forty-seven  to  whom  was 
granted  five  thousand  acres  in  Rhode  Island 
to  be  called  East  Greenwich,  but  he  never  set- 
tled there.  He  was  a  deputy  to  the  General 
Court  in  1682-85-90-91,  and  again  in  1705- 
06-07-08-09;  constable  in  1687;  and  member 
of  the  grand  jury  in  1688.  His  wife  Joan 
died  in  1716,  and  he  passed  away  in  1738. 
Their  children  were :  Henry,  who  married 
Elizabeth  Lawton ;  Hester,  who  married  a 
Chandler;  William,  who  married  Jan.  22, 
1708,  Mercy  Spurr;  Thomas,  of  Dartmouth; 
Sarah,  who  married  Hezekiah  Hoar;  and  Jo- 
seph, born  in  1691,  of  Freetown,  Massachu- 
setts. 

(II)  Thomas  Brightman,  son  of  Henry  and 
Joan,  married  and  was  of  Dartmouth,  where 
he  deeded  six  acres  of  land  to  his  son  Thomas 
for  £36,  this  land  being  a  part  of  his  home- 
stead. His  children  were :  Henry,  born  Nov. 
4,  1709;  Mary,  March  15,  1711  (married  July 
3,  1735,  Benjamin  Potter)  ;  Esther,  Nov.  7, 
1712;  Sarah,  Nov.  29,  1715;  Thomas,  Nov.  20, 
1718;  William,  Sept.  20,  1720;  Joseph;  Pene- 
lope ;  Jane,  born  April  20,  1730. 

(III)  Thbmas  Brightman,  Jr.,  son  of 
Thomas,  born  Nov.  20,  1718,  married  in  Lit- 
tle Compton  Dec.  24,  1740,  Judah  Manclies- 
ter,  daughter  of  Stephen.  Their  children  were: 
Elizabeth,  born  April  14,  1742;  Martha,  Dec. 
3,  1743;  George,  July  3,  1746;  Sarah,  Jan. 
18,  1752:  Phebe,  Aug.  28,  1754;  Thomas, 
Aug.  23,  1756;  Hannah,  Aug.  28,  175-;  Par- 
don, Sept.  24,  17—;  William,  1761;  Arnold, 
June  5,  1763. 

(IV)  William  Brightman,  son  of  Thomas,  Jr.,. 
was  born  in  1761.  On  Jan.  8,  1785,  his  inten- 
tions of  marriage  were  published,  Elizabeth 
Shaw  to  be  the  bride.  They  became  the  par- 
ents of  Jeremiah. 

iV)  Jeremiah  Brightman,  son  of  William 
and  Elizabeth,  married  Sept.  4,  1808,  Deborah 
Potter,  and  their  children  were :  Nathan  P. 
and   Oliver  Potter. 

(VI)  Oliver  Potter  Brightman,  son  of  Jere- 
miah, was  born  in  Westport,  Mass.,  FebL  7, 1822. 
He  spent  liis  boyhood  in  his  native  place,  and 
there  attended  school  for  a  portion  of  the  year, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  year  going  to  sea 
in  the  vessel  of  which  his  father  was  for  many 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


851 


years  captain,  in  the  coastwise  trade.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  New  Bedford,  and 
became  an  apprentice  to  learn  tinsmithing  and 
plumbing,  in  the  employ  of  Henry  V.  Davis 
&  Co.  At  the  end  of  five  years  he  was  en- 
abled to  purchase  Mr.  Davis's  interest  and 
became  a  partner  in  the  firm,  the  other  mem- 
bers being  his  brother,  Nathan  P.  Brightman, 
and  Isaiah  Wood.  When  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm,  in  October,  1844,  the  name 
was  changed  to  Wood,  Brightman  &  Co.,  un- 
der which  style  the  business  continues,  al- 
though Mr.  Brightman  and  his  brother  were 
not  connected  with  the  firm  for  some  years 
before  their  deaths,  Mr.  Brightman  retiring 
in  1881.  The  firm  dealt  extensively  in  tin 
and  sheet  iron,  and  contracted  for  plumbing, 
steam  fitting,  etc.,  and  Mr.  Brightman,  being 
a  practical  workman,  was  enabled  to  manage 
his  share  of  the  large  interests  very  success- 
fully, so  that  the  firm  gained  a  wide  reputa- 
tion in  the  vicinity  of  New  Bedford. 

Mr.  Brightman  represented  Ward  Three  in 
the  council  five  terms,  1862-63-64-65  and  1884, 
and  in  1885-86  he  represented  the  district  in 
the  State  Legislature.  He  was  a  director  of 
the  Citizens'  Bank,  and  of  several  manufac- 
turing corporations,  and  was  also  a  trustee 
member  of  the  Five  Cents  Savings  Bank.  He 
served  several  years  as  trustee  of  the  Unitarian 
Church,  and  was  a  member  for  some  time  of 
Vesta  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  1853  Mr. 
Brightman  married  Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Otis 
H.  Pierce,  of  New  Bedford,  and  they  had  four 
children:  Charles  0.,  Edward  P.,  Arthur  G., 
and  Sarah  E.  (who  married  Dr.  A.  L.  Shock- 
ley,  of  New  Bedford). 

(VII)  Charles  Oliver  Brightman,  son  of 
Oliver  P.  and  Sarah  J.  (Pierce)  Brightman, 
was  born  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  March  28, 
1853.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  his  native  city,  and  in  1870  went 
to  Providence,  where  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  remaining  five  years.  Afterward 
he  spent  three  years  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  and 
in  1878  he  returned  to  New  Bedford,  where  in 
1879  he  engaged  in  stair  building,  which  he 
had  previously  learned  in  addition  to  his  trade. 
In  1881  he  became  a  general  contractor  and 
builder,  a  business  he  has  since  followed  with 
success.  Among  the  numerous  structures 
erected  by  him  are  the  Wamsutta  block,  the 
Haskell  and  Tripp  stores,  Adelphia  rink, 
House  of  Correction,  St.  Luke's  hospital,  the 
New  Bedford  Five  Cents  Savings  Bank  build- 
ing, the  Emerson  building,  the  Union  for  Good 
Works  building,  the  Unitarian  Chapel,  the 
Parker  House  addition,  the  Slocum  building, 


the  Howland  and  Eotch  mills,  the  Bennett 
mill  No.  2,  the  Columbia  spinning  mills  No. 
1  and  No.  2,  and  the  Samuel  P.  Richmond, 
Clarence  A.  Cook,  Charles  M.  Tripp,  Charles 
S.  Kelly,  Edmond  M.  Wood  and  other  resi- 
dences, all  in  New  Bedford;  United  States 
J^^sh  Commission  building  at  Woods  HoU; 
Globe  Yarn  mill  No.  3,  in  Fall  River;  the 
Masonic  building,  and  "Tabitha  Inn,"  in 
Fairhaven,  for  Mr.  Rogers;  the  "Converse 
residence,"  in  Marion ;  and  the  residences  of 
Mrs.  Frederick  Grinnell  and  John  W.  Knowles, 
in  South  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  besides  many  other 
buildings,  dwellings,  etc.  He  is  one  of  the 
leading  builders  in  southeastern  Massachusetts, 
and  employs  from  forty  to  three  hundred  men, 
or  about  125  on  an  average. 

Mr.  Brightman  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  city  council  in  1887,  and  for  three  years 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  public  works. 
He  served  as  secretary  of  the  New  Bedford 
Republican  City  committee  for  several  years, 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Re- 
publican State  Central  committee  from  1892 
to  date,  from  the  Third  Bristol  county  Sena- 
torial district.  He  was  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners appointed  by  the  governor  to  build 
the  new  jail  in  Fall  River.  Mr.  Brightman 
is  a  thirty-second-degree  Mason,  holding  mem- 
bership in  all  the  bodies  of  the  fraternity,  and 
he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Elks,  of  the 
Wamsutta  and  Dartmouth  Clubs  of  New  Bed- 
ford, and  of  the  Quequechan  Club  of  Fall 
River.  In  1908,  1909  and  1910  he  was  made 
a  member  of  the  governor's  council  from  the 
First  district. 

In  1876  Mr.  Brightman  was  married  to 
Anna  Cronan,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  they 
have  had  three  children:  Oliver  C,  Ella  D. 
(died  in   1905)    and   Marshall    C. 

BATES.  Not  only  in  New  England  is  the 
name  of  Bates  ancient  and  now  common  and 
the  family  numerous  throughout  the  country, 
but  across  the  water  in  old  England  it  is  one 
of  antiquity,  the  lineage  of  one  Clement  Bate 
or  Bates,  who  settled  in  Hingham,  Mass.,  in 
1635,  being  traced  back  to  Thomas  Bate  of 
Lydd,  Parish  of  All  Hallows,  who  died  in 
1485.  Edward  Bates  of  Weymouth  is  made 
by  some  a  brother  of  Clement,  but  not  con- 
sidered so  by  the  compiler  of  the  "Bates 
Genealogy." 

There  follows  in  chronological  order  from 
Edward  Bates  just  alluded  to  to  the  late  Eli- 
phalet  Ripley  Bates,  of  North  Abington,  the 
family  history  and  genealogy  of  this  line  of 
the  Bates  family. 


852 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(I)  Edward  Bates  is  of  record  at  Boston  as 
early  as  1633,  in  which  year  he  was  admitted 
to  the  church  there.  He  probably  came  over, 
says  Savage,  as  an  apprentice  to  Thomas  Lev- 
erett.  The  latter  was  a  merchant  of  Boston, 
England,  and  came  over  in  the  "Griffin,"  with 
Revs.  John  Cotton,  Thomas  Hooker  and  Stone, 
and  others,  landing  at  Boston,  New  England, 
Sept.  4,  1633.  Mr.  Bates  removed  to  Wey- 
mouth, was  made  a  freeman  March  9,  1636-37; 
was  a  proprietor  in  1643.  He  was  a  ruling 
elder  in  the  church,  held  the  oiSce  of  elder 
of  the  church  at  Weymouth  for  thirty  years 
and  more;  was  a  representative  from  1639 
to  1641,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  busi- 
ness of  the  General  Court.  He  held  the  office 
of  townsman  in  1643.  He  died  according  to 
the  inscription  on  his  tombstone  March  25, 
1686.  The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was 
Susanna,  and  their  children  were :  Prudence ; 
Susanna,  who  married  (first)  Nathaniel 
Blanchard  and  (second)  Deacon  Thomas 
Bass,  of  Braintree;  Increase,  born  Dec.  28, 
1641;  John,  baptized  Jan.  23,  1642,  in  Bos- 
ton; Mary,  who  married  John  Rodgers;  Anna, 
who  married  James  Stewart ;  Edward,  born 
Dec.  10,  1655;  and  Jehoshsheath. 

(II)  Increase  Bates,  son  of  Edward,  born 
Dec.  28,  1641,  married  Mary,  daugliter  of  John 
Whitmarsh.  They  died,  hefeb.  20,  1717,  and 
she  Dec.  21,  1715.  In  his  will  dated  April  13, 
1713,  and  probated  March  17,  1717,  he  men- 
tions all  tlie  children  named  below  excepting 
Edward.  Their  children  were :  Edward,  born 
Jan.  21,  1681:  Ebenezer,  March  1,  1686; 
Samuel,  about  1693;  Anna,  Aug.  23,  1695; 
Ruth,  July  9,  1700;  John;  Mary;  Judith;  and 
Sarah. 

(III)  John  Bates,  son  of  Increase,  married 
Remember.  They  died,  he  Sept.  17,  1746, 
and  she  about  1758.  Their  children  were: 
John,  bom  March  9,  1707:  David,  Aug.  16, 
1708;  Mai.7.  Feb.  17,  1711;  Mercy,  June  11, 
1713;  and  Jonathan,  Nov.  2,  1718. 

(IV)  Jonathan  Bates,  son  of  John,  born  Nov. 
2,  1718,  married  Nov.  29,  1744,  Deborah  Bates, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Grace  Bates.  She 
was  born  in  1721,  and  died  Nov.  25,  1795, 
aged  seventy-four  years.  Mr.  Bates  was  a 
weaver.  He  died  Sept.  20,  1761.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  Deborah,  bom  June  14,  1745  (mar- 
ried Josiah  Ward);  Mercy,  March  8,  1747; 
Eunice,  Feb.  14,  1749;  Jonathan,  Nov.  27, 
1751:  Daniel,  Jan.  15,  1754:  Samuel,  March 
26,  1757:  Increase,  baptized  April  15,  1759; 
and  Noah,  born  June  2,  1761. 

(V)  Samuel  Bates,  son  of  Jonathan,  bom 
March  26, 1757,  married  March  24,1778,  Celia 


White,  of  Abington,  Mass.,  who  died  June  20, 
1832,  aged  seventy-seven  years.  He  died  Feb. 
14,  1838.  Their  children  were:  Samuel; 
Elijah,  born  Sept.  5,  1781 ;  Reuben,  born  Aug. 
7,  1783;  Celia,  born  June  19,  1785  (married 
David  Gushing)  ;  Hannali,  born  Oct.  30,  1787 
(married  James  Holbrook)  ;  Samuel  (2),  born 
Nov.  27,  1789;  John,  born  May  3,  1791; 
Polly,  born  Nov.  5,  1793;  Lydia,  born  Dec. 
17,  1796  (married  Lemuel  Payne) ;  and 
Wealthy. 

(VI)  John  Bates,  son  of  Samuel,  born  May 
3,  1791,  married  Dec.  31,  1817,  Nancy  W., 
baptized  in  September,  1798,  daughter  of  Eli- 
phalet  and  Rebecca  (Webb)  Ripley.  She  died 
Oct.  15,  1847,  aged  forty-nine.  He  died  May 
2,  1869.  Their  children  were:  Nancy  AVebb, 
bom  Dec.  13,  1818,  who  married  Jesse  H. 
Sprague ;  John  Vinson,  born  June  30,  1820 ; 
Eleanor  R.,.  born  March  28,  1822  (married 
James  Sprague)  :  Washington  LaFayette,  bom 
March  31,  1824;;  Eliphalet  Ripley,  bom  Nov. 
14,  1827;  Virginia,  bom  March  27,  1832 
(married  Albert  Russell  Shaw)  ;  Carolina, 
born  July  13,  1835  (married  Cyrus  A. 
Tucker)  ;  Georgia,  born  Nov.  16,  1837  (mar- 
ried Hiram  Buck,  and  resides  in  Maine) ;  Eme- 
line  Celestia,  born  March  2,  1840,  who  died 
aged  thirteen  years;  and  a  child  born  in  1826 
who  died  in  1827. 

(VIII)  Eliphalet  Ripley  Bates,  son  of 
John,  born  Nov.  14,  1827,  in  the  town  of  Wey- 
mouth, Mass.,  spent  his  boyhood  days  there. 
His  educational  opportunities  were  limited 
to  those  afforded  by  the  district  schools,  and 
from  an  early  age  he  worked  in  the  shoe  shops, 
Igaming  the  different  branches  of  the  shoe 
business,  in  his  native  town  and  in  Abington. 
Early  in  life  he  and  Boylston  Beal  were  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  boots.  Later  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  David  Beal,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Beal  &  Bates,  to  engage  in 
the  manufacture  of  shoes.  They  did  business 
in  that  line  for  ten  years,  when  the  partner- 
ship was  dissolved  and  in  1871  they  started 
for  the  West,  where  they  became  interested  in 
the  cattle  business.  They  owned  tracts  of  land 
in  Arizona,  Texas  and  the  Indian  Territory, 
and  developed  the  cattle  business  until  it  was 
quite  extensive,  raising  and  dealing  in  stock, 
for  which  they  found  a  market  in  Chicago  and 
Kansas  City.  Mr.  Bates  was  engaged  in  that 
line  for  a  period  of  thirteen  years,  when  he 
sold  his  stock  and  land  interests  and  returned 
to  the  Bay  State.  Locating  in  North  Abing- 
ton he  embarked  in  the  real  estate  business, 
building  houses,  etc.,  and  met  with  success  in 
that  field  as  he  had  in  his  other  undertakings. 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


853 


Other  enterprises  also  enlisted  his  interest  and 
support.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  di- 
rectors of  the  Cooperative  Bank  of  North  Ab- 
ington,  and  was  always  alive  to  the  welfare 
of  this  institution.  At  the  time  of  liis  death 
the  officers  and  directors  of  the  bank  passed 
the   following  resolutions : 

"Whkreas,  the  deceased  has  been  a  faithful 
officer  and  a  wise  adviser  and  steadfast  supporter 
of  the  North  Abington  Cooperative  Bank, 
therefore  be  it 

"Resolved,  that  in  the  death  of  E.  R.  Bates 
the  North  Abington  Cooperative  Bank  loses  a 
director  whose  judgment  has  ever  been  reliable 
and  for  the  best  interest  and  continued  pros- 
perity of  the  bank  and  member  of  the  security 
committee  the  value  of  whose  services  is  best 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  number  of  years 
during  which  he  has  served  in  that  capacity 
the  bank  has  never  suffered  any  loss  on  any 
loan  recommended  by  Mm;  and  further 

"Resolved,  that  for  the  many  services  which 
he  has  willingly  and  gratuitously  given  the 
bank  in  order  that  this  institution  might  be 
firmly  established  for  the  benefit  of  its  mem- 
bers and  the  community  and  that  their  inter- 
est be  carefully  and  permanently  safeguarded, 
we  desire  to  express  our  grateful  appreciation, 
and  further 

"Resolved,  that  for  the  quiet,  genial,  kindly, 
good  fellowship  with  the  officers  of  this  insti- 
tution we  wish  to  express  our  cordial  mutual 
appreciation  and  our  respect  for  him  person- 
ally, and  we  wish  to  further  express  our  sym- 
pathy to  those  more  closely  endeared  to  him  by 
family  kindred  and  relationship;  and  further 

"Resolved,  that  a  copy  of  these  resolutions 
be  spread  upon  the  records  of  the  bank  and 
forwarded  to  the  relations  of  the  deceased  and 
published   in   the   local   papers. 

"Joseph  L.  Greenwood, 
"Edward  P.  Boyanton, 
"Daniel  R.   Coughlan." 

As  a  man  of  progressive  and  intelligent 
mind  Mr.  Bates  was  a  good  citizen  and  inter- 
ested in  the  general  welfare,  but  he  never  took 
any  active  part  in  public  affairs  in  the  way 
of  holding  office,  and  led  an  altogether  unas- 
suming life.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  attended  the  Congregational  Church.  He 
died  at  his  home  in  North  Abington  Nov.  10, 
1902,  of  heart  disease,  and  was  buried  in 
Mount  Vernon  cemetery. 

On  April  6,  1849,  Mr.  Bates  was  married, 
in  the  town  of  Abington,  to  Ruth  Torrey  Reed, 
a  native  of  that  town,  daughter  of  Seth  and 
Sarah  (Blanehard)  Reed,  and  they  had  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children:   (1)  Helen  Dwight,  born 


July  25,  1851,  married  Eugene  L.  Chapman, 
of  Abington,  Mass.,  and  has  one  child,  Lillian 
Charlotte,  now  the  wife  of  Arthur  Burns,  of 
Abington'.  (2)  Elmer  Westelle,  born  Aug.  18, 
1853,  died  Jan.  23,  1855.  (3)  Aurelia  Anna, 
born  Oct.  30,  1855,  was  married  Nov.  3,  1872, 
to  Henry  Beaman,  and  has  had  four  children: 
Annie  May,  who  is  married  to  Willard  Thayer 
and  has  two  children,  Howard  and  Ruth  Elea- 
nor; Bertha  Lee,  wife  of  William  York,  of 
Abington;  Ethel  Adams,  wife  of  Andrew  Mer- 
rell,  of  Rockland;  and  Ruth  Ripley,  wife  of 
Roy  Tribou.  (4)  Prank  Clifford,  bom  June 
13,  1858,  married  Aug.  15,  1886,  Rebecca  C. 
Staynor,  and  they  have  had  five  children,  El- 
mer Jesse,  Mertie  Helen,  Seth  Reed,  Aurelia 
Frances  and  Frank  Clifford.  (5)  Eliphalet 
Ripley,  born  May  12,  1864,  married  July  30, 
1882,  Ella  J.  White,  and  to  them  have  been 
born  five  children,  Fannie  Clifford  (who  mar- 
ried Edward  Young,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years,  leaving  one  son,  Kenneth 
Lawrence  Bates,  born  Oct.  31,  1903,  who  since 
the  death  of  his  mother  has  made  his  home 
with  his  great-grandmother),  Ernest  Stanley 
(who  died  young),  Lillian  Vernon  (who  died 
young),  Lena  Ashton  (who  married  Joseph 
Clapp,  of  Abington)   and  Aumond  Milford. 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Bates 
has  managed  the  estate,  and  she  is  not  only 
active  but  possessed  of  good  business  ideas 
and  executive  ability.  The  Reed  family,  her 
paternal  ancestors,  descend  from  William 
Reade,  from  whom  we  give  the  direct  line  in 
chronological   order. 

(I)  William  Reade,  supposed  to  be  the  son 
of  William  Reade  and  Lucy  Henage,  born  in 
1605,  sailed  from  Gravesend,  County  of  Kent, 
England,  in  the  "Assurance  de  Lo"  in  1635, 
and  settled  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
made  a  freeman  Sept.  2d  of  that  same  year. 
He  was  representative  from  Weymouth  in 
1636  and  1638.  He  married  Avis  Deacon. 
Their  children  were :  Margaret,  Hannah, 
William,  Esther,  Ruth,  Thomas,  Mary,  John 
and  James. 

(II)  William  Read  (2),  born  Oct.  15,  1639, 
married  in  1675  Esther  Thompson,  of  Middle- 
boro,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Cooke) 
Thompson,  she  a  daughter  of  Francis  Cooke, 
of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620.  The  children  of 
William  and  ■  Esther  were :  John,  William, 
John  (2),  Jacob,  Bashna,  Mercy,  Mary,  Hes- 
ter and  Sarah. 

(III)  William  Read  (3),  born  May  24, 
1682,  in  Weymouth,  married  in  1703,  Alice 
Nash.  He  moved  to  Abington,  Mass.,  and  at 
the  first  town  meeting,  March  2,  1712,  he  was 


854 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


chosen  selectman  and  town  clerk.  He  was 
styled  "Capt.  Eead."  He  died  June  3,  1753, 
and  his  wife  passed  away  Dec.  5,  1751.  Their 
children  were:  Alice,  William,  Obadiah,  Ebe- 
nezer,  Alice  (2),  Daniel,  James,  Solomon,  Ja- 
cob, Moses,  and  Alice  (3). 

(IV)  Daniel  Eead,  born  Dec.  6,  1713,  mar- 
ried (first)  Sept.  15,  1739,  Euth  White,  and 
(second)  in  1776  Sarah  Hamlyn.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Cummington,  and 
died  April  5,  1781.  He,  too,  was  captain. 
Their  children  were:  Eachel,  Micah,  Jesse, 
Enoch,  Seth,  Euth  and  Noah. 

(V)  Seth  Eeed,  son  of  Daniel,  bom  July 
16,  1750,  married  (first)  in  1773,  Thankful 
Whitmarsh,  who  died  in  1775,  and  (second) 
in  1776  Mary  Lazell.  His  children  were,  Olive 
and  Seth. 

(VI)  Seth  Eeed  (3),  born  in  1777,  married 
Jan.  10,  1801,  Catherine  Brown,  and  their 
children  were :  Lucy,  bom  July  20,  1802 ;  Seth, 
born  May  2,  1804;  Mehetable,  born  June  4, 
1806,  and  Noah,  born  Feb.  20,  1810. 

(VII)  Seth  Eeed  (3),  son  of  Seth  (2), 
bom  May  2,  1804,  married  Sept.  13,  1826, 
Sarah  Blanchard,  daughter  of  Dean  and  Annie 
(Merrell)  Blanchard,  and  their  children  were 
as  follows:  Ann  Merrell,  born  Nov.  15,  1829, 
married  John  F.  Whitmarsh,  and  had  children, 
Ella  Ann,  Mary  Vinson,  Sarah  Etta,  Eliza- 
beth Dean,  Emma  Frances  and  Willard  Fran- 
cis, the  latter  a  pliysician  of  Bridgewater ;  Euth 
Torrey,  bom  Dec.  24,  1833,  married  Eliphalet 
E.  Bates;  Sarah  Dean,  born  April  17,  1839, 
died  in  infancy;  Seth  Dean,  born  June  19, 
1840,  married  Sarah  Isabelle  McConihe,  and 
had  children,  Alice  Weston,  a  son  who  died 
young,  Emma  Estelle,  Marie  Antoinette  and 
Agnes  Isabelle ;  a  daughter,  bom  April  10, 
1842,  died  May  6,  1842;  Sarah  Weston,  born 
Oct.  9,  1847,  married  Joseph  Warren  Eandall, 
and  their  children  were  Edith  May,  Annie, 
Luetta  and  Harry. 

CHACE  (Fall  Eiver  family).  The  Chace 
family — the  name  in  earlier  generations  being 
spelled  Chase,  though  both  spellings  are  now 
in  use — in  and  about  Fall  Eiver,  on  either  side 
of  the  line  separating  the  States  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  Ehode  Island,  springs  from  the 
old  Eoxbury- Yarmouth  race  of  the  name  and 
is  one  of  the  oldest  in  New  England,  the  com- 
ing hither  of  William  Chase  from  England 
dating  back  to  within  a  decade  of  the  landing 
of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  themselves;  and  this 
race,  too,  finding  its  way  to  Swansea  and  Som- 
erset and  Fall  Eiver  and  into  Ehode  Island, 
has  given  to  these  localities  some  strong,  force- 


ful characters  who  have  left  their  impress  for 
good  in  the  various  walks  of  life  in  which  their 
lots  were  cast.  For  generations  members  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  among  them  were  min- 
isters of  distinction  and  usefulness.  But  it  is 
the  purpose  of  this  article  to  review  only  a 
special  line  of  the  Swansea-Fall  Eiver  family 
of  the  name,  whose  head  was  the  late  Charles 
Frederic  Chace,  of  Fall  Eiver  and  New  York, 
who  was  identified  with  the  manufacturing 
interests  of  the  former  city,  his  son,  the  present 
Hon.  Frank  M.  Chace,  for  years  a  successful 
business  man  of  Fall  Eiver,  and  a  prominent 
public  official  of  long  and  distinguished  service 
in  both  city  and  State,  representing  his  district 
in  both  branches  of  the  Massachusetts  Assem- 
bly. There  follows  in  chronological  order  the 
family  iustory  and  genealogy  of  the  special 
Chace  family  alluded  to,  beginning  with  the 
immigrant  settler. 

(I)  William  Chase,  born  about  1595,  in 
England,  with  wife  Mary  and  son  William 
came  to  America  in  the  ship  with  Governor 
AVinthrop  and  his  colony  in  1630,  settling  first 
in  Eoxbury.  He  soon  became  a  member  of  the 
church  of  which  the  Eev.  John  Eliot,  the 
Apostle  to  the  Indians,  was  pastor.  On  Oct. 
19,  1630,  he  applied  for  freemanship  and  was 
made  a  freeman  May  14,  1634.  In  1637,  or 
thereabouts,  he  became  one  of  the  company 
who  made  a  new  settlement  at  Yarmouth,  of 
which  town  he  was  made  constable  in  1639. 
He  resided  at  Yarmouth  the  rest  of  his  life, 
dying  in  May,  1659.  His  widow  died  the  fol- 
lowing October.  Their  children  were :  William, 
born  about  1622,  in  England;  Mary,  bora  in 
May,  1637,  in  Eoxbury;  and  Benjamin,  born 
in  1639,  in  Yarmouth. 

(II)  William  Chase  (2),  son  of  William  and 
Mary,  born  about  1622,  in  England,  came  to 
America  with  his  parents,  married  and  was  a 
resident  of  Yarmouth.  He  died  Feb.  27,  1685. 
His  children  were :  William,  Jacob,  John, 
Elizabeth,  Abraham,  Joseph,  Benjamin  and 
Samuel. 

(III)  Samuel  Chase,  son  of  William  (2), 
married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Martha  (Tripp)  Sherman,  and  granddaughter 
of  Philip  and  Sarah  (Odding)  Sherman,  ol 
Portsmouth,  E.  I.  Mr.  Chase  came  from 
Ehode  Island  to  Swansea,  Mass.,  about  1700, 
and  with  his  father's  family  was  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  The  children  of  Sam- 
uel and  Sarah  were:  Phebe,  bom  Jan.  22, 
1700,  married  .Edward  Slade ;  Martha,  born 
Feb.  24,  1702,  married  Ezekiel  Fowler;  Su- 
sanna, born  April  7,  1704,  married  William 
Buffington;  Elisha,  born  May  5,  1706,  married 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


855 


Elizabeth  Wheaton;  Samuel,  born  Jan.  29, 
1709,  married  Abigail  Buffum;  Eleazer,  born 
Jan.  27,  1711,  married  Ruth  Perry;  Pliilip, 
born  Aug.  20,  1715,  married  Hannah  Buflum; 
John,  born  Oct.  8,  1720,  married  Lydia 
Luther;  Sarah  married  Daniel  Baker;  and 
Elizabeth. 

(IV)  Elisha  Chase,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Sherman)  Chase,  born  May  5,  1706, 
married  Elizabeth,  born  May  12,  1706,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Sarah  (Soule)  Wheaton,  and 
after  her  death  he  married  (second)  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Morris  and  Sarah  Tucker,  of  Wes- 
terly, R.  I.  Mr.  Chase  died  in  October,  1764. 
His  children  were:  Phebe,  born  Nov.  8,  1727, 
married  John  Robinson;  Martha  was  born  Oct. 
17,  1730;  Charity,  born  June  18,  1734,  mar- 
ried Stephen  Bourne  and  Silas  Chase;  Elisha, 
born  Jan.  13,  1732,  married  Sarah  Sisson; 
Sarah,  born  Sept.  5,  1736,  married  William 
Robinson;  Susanna,  born  Jan.  2,  1739,  mar- 
ried Samuel  Buffum;  Sybil,  born  March  1, 
1740,  married  Benjamin  Tripp;  John,  born 
May  7,  1743,  married  Elizabeth  Buffum  (all 
born  to  the  first  marriage)  ;  Stephen  was  born 
Dec.  13,  1746;  Elizabeth,  born  Jan.  11,  1748, 
married  Daniel  Chase;  Reuben,  born  May  7, 
1751,  married  Martha  Chase;  Amey,  bom  May 
28,  1754,  married  Job  Eddy;  Noah,  born  Feb. 
28,  1757,  married  Nancy  Walker;  Hannah, 
born  March  30,  1759,  married  James  Martin; 
and  Patience,  born  May  5,  1761,  married  Sam- 
uel Baker. 

(V)  Stephen  Chase,  son  of  Elisha,  born  Dec. 
13,  1746,  married  Sept.  3,  1769,  Bethany 
Baker,  and  (second)  Eunice,  daughter  of  Pre- 
served Eddy.  His  children  were:  Henry  mar- 
ried Patience  Eddy;  Reuben  married  Phebe 
Paine;  Stephen  died  unmarried;  Elizabeth 
married  Philip  Chace;  Samuel  married  Mary 
Chase;  Martha  (all  born  to  the  first  mar- 
riage); Noah  married  Elizabeth  Hathaway; 
Stephen  married  Betsey  Peirce;  Elisha  mar- 
ried Sarah  Jane  Horton. 

(VI)  Henry  Chase,  son  of  Stephen,  married 
Patience,  daughter  of  Preserved  and  Lydia 
(Davis)  Eddy.  Their  children  were:  Lois, 
who  married  Edward  Slade ;  Joseph  F. ;  Dean, 
and  Elisha. 

(VII)  Joseph  F.  Chase,  son  of  Henry,  mar- 
ried May  17,  1827,  Betsey,  born  Oct.  31,  1802, 
daughter  of  Dr.  Ebenezer  and  Catherine 
(Gardner)  Winslow,  of  Warren,  R.  I.,  and 
their  children  were:  Charles  Frederic,  men- 
tioned below;  and  Katharine  F.,  who  married 
Capt.  William  R.  Gardner  and  later  Benjamin 
B.  Gardner,  her  first  husband's  nephew. 

(VIII)  Charles  Frederic  Chace,  son  of  Jo- 


seph F.  and  Betsey  (Winslow)  Chase,  bom  Feb. 
13,  1828,  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  Mary  E. 
Tobey,  daughter  of  Elisha  Newcomb  Tobey, 
the  latter  born  in  New  Bedford  in  1797.  Mr. 
Chace  died  Feb.  7,  1891,  aged  sixty-two  years, 
eleven  months,  twenty-four  days,  and  was 
buried  in  Swansea,  Mass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chace 
had  tliree  children,  Frederick  T.  (deceased), 
Henry   (deceased)   and  Frank  Minthorne. 

Elisha  Newcomb  Tobey,  born  Oct.  12,  1797, 
in  New*'  Bedford,  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Cornelius 
and  Nancy  Tobey,  he  a  physician  (born  in 
Dartmouth)  of  Freetown  and  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Thomas  Tobey,  of  the  town  of 
Sandwich  in  Plymouth  Colony,  where  he  was 
among  the  early  settlers,  being  of  record  there 
in  1644,  the  7th  of  6th  month  of  which  year 
he  subscribed  toward  building  the  meeting- 
house; from  whom  his  descent  is  through 
Samuel,  Cornelius  and  Elisha  Tobey,  the  lat- 
ter a  native  of  that  part  of  Dartmouth  that 
became  New  Bedford,  a  joiner  and  mariner 
by  occupation,  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
serving  in  Capt.  Thomas  Crandon's  company, 
Col.  Jolm  Hathaway's  regiment,  on  an  alarm 
in  Rhode  Island,  from  Aug.  2  to  8,  1780;  was 
also  a  member  of  Capt.  Isaac  Pope's  com- 
pany, Col.  William  Shepard's  regiment  (the 
3d  Massachusetts),  enlisting  for  nine  months 
in  1778;  and  it  seems  that  he  was  drafted  in 
1778  to  serve  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Na- 
thaniel Hammond;  name  also  on  the  rolls  for 
March  and  April,  1779. 

(IX)  Frank  Minthoene  Chace,  son  of 
Charles  Frederic  and  Mary  E.  (Tobey)  Chace, 
was  born  April  16,  1856,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute in  his  native  city,  and  then  went  into 
business  in  his  line,  being  employed  by  James 
Fiske,  Jr.,  in  the  Erie  railroad  offices  until 
1872.  From  the  year  named  until  1879  he 
was  engaged  in  the  oil  business,  his  associate 
being  H.  B.  Cooper.  Coming  to  Fall  River 
in  1879,  he  from  that  time  until  1882  repre- 
sented here  the  Vacuum  Oil  Company.  From 
1882  until  1893  he  was  the  manager  in  Fall 
River  of  the  branch  office  of  Messrs.  J.  A.  Fos- 
ter &  Co.,  an  extensive  jewelry  house  of  Prov- 
idence. At  the  time  of  his  taking  charge  of  the 
Fall  River  store  it  was  doing  a  business  of 
$12,000  a  year.  During  the  next  twelve 
months  Mr.  Chace  had  doubled  that  amount, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  retirement  the  house 
was  doing  a  business  to  the  amount  of  $67,000 
per  year. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Chace  had  given  some 
time  to  politics  and  public  affairs,  though  up 
to  1898  he  had  held  no  public  office.    In  1899 


856 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  again  in  1900  he  was  chosen  from  his  ward 
— the  Seventh — a  member  of  the  common 
council.  During  his  service  in  this  body  he 
was  so  efficient  and  seemed  so  well  adapted 
and  equipped  for  successful  public  life  that  his 
fellow  citizens  in  1901  sent  him  as  their  rep- 
resentative to  the  General  Court  of  Massachu- 
setts. In  that  body  he  was  made  a  member 
of  the  important  committee  on  Cities.  To  this 
office  he  was  again  chosen  in  1902  and  1903, 
and  in  both  terms  served  on  the  committees 
on  Street  Railway  and  on  Banks  and  Bank- 
ing. Mr.  Chace  was  elected  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate in  1904,  succeeding  a  Democrat  who  had 
the  previous  year  defeated  the  Republican  candi- 
date by  900  votes.  He  himself  received  a  ma- 
jority of  1,100  votes.  In  the  Senate  he  served 
on  the  committees  on  Public  Charitable  Insti- 
tutions and  on  Banks  and  Banking,  and  was 
chosen  chairman  of  the  committee  on  Print- 
ing. Senator  Chace  was  reelected  in  1905  and 
1906,  and  became  chairman  of  the  Public 
Charitable  Institutions  committee,  in  which 
position  he  did  much  for  his  Fall  River  con- 
stituents. While  Senator  Chace  is  a  zealous, 
sincere  and  earnest  Republican,  he  has  always 
believed  that  in  public  office  he  represented  no 
one  party  or  section  of  the  people,  but  all, 
and  has  worked  untiringly  for  the  best  inter- 
ests of  his  constituents.  In  his  position  as  a 
member  of  the  committee  on  Public  Charitable 
Institutions  he  was  able  to  serve  many  in  Fall 
River  who  were  in  need  of  aid  and  was  most 
pleased  to  do  so.  He  has  been  especially  active 
in  urging  the  need  of  a  consumptives'  hospital 
in  the  Fall  River  section  of  Massachusetts, 
having  worked  assiduously  four  years  for  an 
appropriation  for  a  tuberculosis  hospital,  es- 
pecially for  the  benefit  of  the  Fall  River  dis- 
trict, which,  because  of  its  large  cotton  fac- 
tories, furnished  about  seventy-five  per  cent  ol 
the  tuberculosis  patients  of  the  State.  He  ulti- 
mately succeeded  in  getting  through  the  Legis- 
lature an  appropriation  for  $300,000  for  three 
tuberculosis  hospitals,  one  to  be  located  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  (and  which  is  now 
completed),  one  in  the  Connecticut  valley  and 
one  in  Lakeville,  in  the  Fall  River  district. 
Mr.  Chace  has  ever  been  a  warm  and  consist- 
ent friend  of  the  labor  interests,  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  on  Banks  and  Banking 
was  able  to  be  of  material  assistance  to  the 
'financial  institutions  and  to  check  ill-advised 
legislation.  During  his  last  term  as  senator 
he  was  appointed  county  commissioner  to  suc- 
ceed George  T.  Durfee,  who  was  appointed 
postmaster,  and  he  held  such  office  under  this 
appointment  until  Jan.  1,  1908,  also  continu- 


ing to  act  at  the  same  time  as  senator.  In 
the  fall  of  1907  he  was  nominated  by  the  Re- 
publicans and  indorsed  by  the  Democrats  and 
elected  to  the  same  office,  to  serve  from  Jan. 
1,  1908,  for  three  years.  On  Jan.  1,  1909, 
he  was  made  chairman  of  the  board. 

Senator  Chace  has  a  pleasing  personality^ 
being  whole-souled,  kindly,  obliging,  courteous, 
unassuming  in  manner  and  approachable,  traits 
that  have  made  him  most  popular.  The  fact  that 
he  has  been  reelected  to  every  office  to  which 
he  has  been  chosen  is  the  highest  evidence  of 
the  satisfaction  with  which  his  services  have 
been  received.  His  public  life  has  been  in- 
cluded within  a  comparatively  brief  period, 
but  he  has  throughout  that  period  shown  him- 
self eminently  fitted  for  responsibilities.  The 
confidence  which  he  has  inspired  among  his 
confreres  in  the  various  legislative  bodies  of 
which  he  has  been  a  member  is  well  illustrated 
in  the  important  assignments  for  special  ser- 
vices given  liim.  He  has  proved  capable  in 
every  capacity. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Chace  was  mar- 
ried to  Amanda  L.  Dubois,  of  Flushing,  Long 
Island,  and  twelve  children  have  blessed  this 
union,  six  of  whom,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters,  are  now  living,  namely :  Frederic 
S.,  Susan  V..  Ellen  A.,  Mabelle,  Warren  G. 
and  Hollister  R. 

DR.  JAMES  LLOYD  WELLINGTON,  of 
Swansea,  Mass.,  the  second  oldest  graduate  of 
Harvard  University  and  the  senior  alumnus 
of  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  was  born  at 
Templeton,  Mass.,  Jan.  27,  1818,  son  of  Rev. 
Charles  and  Anna  (Smith)  Wellington,  and  he 
is  in  the  seventh  generation  of  the  family 
founded  by  Roerer  Wellington,  one  of  the  early 
proprietors  of  Watertown,  Massachusetts. 

(I)  Roger  Wellington,  a  planter,  born  about 
1609-10,  emigrated  from  Wales,  and  became 
an  early  settler  of  Watertown,  Mass.,  his  name 
appearing  on  the  earliest  list  of  proprietors  ex- 
tant. He  joined  church  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years,  and  was  admitted  a  freeman  in  April, 
1690,  it  being  necessary  to  be  a  member  of 
church  in  order  to  be  a  freeman.  He  was 
selectman  in  1678-79-81-82-83-84-91.  He  was 
the  owner  of  a  large  estate,  extending  nearly 
to  the  present  Mount  Auburn  limit.  He  died 
March  11,  1697-98.  His  wife  was  Mary,  eld- 
est daughter  of  Dr.  Richard  Palgrave,  of 
Charlestown,  Mass..  one  of  the  first  doctors  in 
that  place.  Their  children  were :  John,  Mary, 
Joseph,  Benjamin,  Oliver  and  Palgrave. 

(II)  Joseph  Wellington,  son  of  Roger,  was 
born  Oct.  9,  1643.    His  first  wife,  Sarah,  died! 


^ct^> 


r^MJ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


857 


Feb.  5,  1683.  He  married  (second)  June  6, 
1684,  Elizabeth  Straight,  who  bore  him  four 
children,  Elizabeth,  Thomas,  Mary  and  Su- 
sanna. 

(III)  Thomas  Wellington,  son  of  Joseph, 
born  Nov.  10,  1686,  married  Rebecca  Whitte- 
raore  for  his  first  wife,  and  a  Chary  for  his 
second.  In  his  will  he  styles  himself  "of  Cam- 
bridge." His  children  were:  Rebecca,  Joseph, 
Thomas,  Susanna  and  Elizabeth. 

(IV)  Thomas  Wellington  (2),  son  of  Thom- 
as, born  Aug.  6,  1714,  was  an  innholder  at 
Watertown  in  1770-71.  He  is  given  as  of 
Waltham.  He  died  Nov.  4,  1783.  His  wife, 
Marg-aret  Stone,  died  at  Lexington.  Their 
children  were :  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  John,  Su- 
sanna, Jonathan,  Samuel,  Josiah,  William, 
George,  Rebecca,  Susanna,  Thaddeus,  Sarah 
and  Joel. 

(V)  William  Wellington,  son  of  Thomas 
(2),  born  July  28,  1746,  was  selectman  in 
1780-1803.  He  married  Mary  Whitney,  born 
Dec.  22,  1751,  and  they  reared  a  large  family 
of  children,  namely:  William,  born  Dec.  11, 
1769;  David,  born  Nov.  1,  1771,  who  died 
March  10,  1860;  Abraham,  born  March  22, 
1774;  Polly,  born  April  16,  1776,  who  married 
Phineas  Lawrence,  of  Lexington,  and  died  June 
9,  1850;  Isaac,  born  in  1778,  who  was  a  senior 
at  Harvard  University  when  drowned  in  Fresh 
Pond  in  November,  1798 ;  Charles,  born  Feb. 
20,  1780;  Alice,  born  Oct.'  31,  1781,  who  mar- 
ried Jonas  Clarke,  of  Walthaiii;  Betsey,  born 
Feb.  4,  1784,  who  married  Isaac  Childs,  and 
died  at  Lexington  Oct.  10,  1850;  Seth,  born 
Nov.  18,  1785;  Sybil,  born  Sept.  24,  1787,  who 
married  Loring  Pierce ;  Marshall,  born  Sept. 
26,  1789;  Darius,  born  Jan.  14,  1794;  and 
Almira,  born  Aug.  1,  1795,  who  married  Hon. 
Francis  Bowman,  and  died  Aug.  31,  1872. 

(VI)  Charles  Wellington,  son  of  William, 
born  Feb.  20,  1780,  at  Waltham,  Mass.,  gradu- 
ated from  Harvard  University  in  1802  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  Choosing  the  ministry 
as  his  calling  he  pursued  his  divinity  course 
at  Harvard,  and  received  the  desree  of  D.  D. 
from  that  institution.  In  1804  he  was  made 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Templeton,  over  which 
he  remained  fifty  years.  He  died  Aug.  3,  1861. 
His  wife,  Anna  Smith,  whom  he  married  June 
29,  1807,  was  born  Aug.  29,  1783,  at  Halifax, 
N.  S.,  daughter  of  Henry  Smith,  of  Boston 
(born  Aug.  7.  1735,  died  April  8,  1811),  and 
his  wife  Elizabeth  Draven.  The  pioneer  pro- 
genitor of  the  Smith  family  in  America  was 
William  Smith,  born  Nov.  6,  1675,  in  Newton, 
near  Hingham  ferries,  Northampton,  England ; 
he  married  Martha  Turnstall,  of  Putney.    Mrs. 


Anna  (Smith)  Wellington  died  April  24,  1830. 
Mr.  Wellington  married  (second)  July  27, 
1831,  Adelaide  Russell,  of  Templeton.  His 
children  were :  Elizabeth  Smith,  born  July  12, 
1808,  married  Leander  Leland,  of  Templeton, 
and  died  Sept.  23,  1882;  Mary  Whitney,  born 
Dec.  30,  1810,  married  Jacob  Batchelder,  of 
Lynn,  and  died  Dec.  31,  1889;  Rebecca  Smith, 
born  April  5,  1812,  married  June  19,  1834, 
Artemas  Z.  Brown,  M.  D.,  of  Phillipston,  and 
died  June  16,  1867;  William  Henry,  born  Jan. 
16,  1814,  married  Susan  Gilpatrick,  and  died 
at  St.  Louis  Oct.  12,  1843;  Anna,  born  June  9,^ 
1816,  married  Joseph  C.  Batchelder,  M.  D., 
and  died  Sept.  2,  1905;  James  Lloyd  was  born 
Jan.  27,  1818;  Almira,  born  Dec.  28,  1819, 
married  Joseph  C.  Baldwin,  and  died  at  Phil- 
lipston in  January,  1872;  Margaret  Coffin, 
born  Dec.  10,  1821,  married  Leonard  Stone, 
and  died  in  February,  1893;  Charles  Wood- 
ward Wilder,  born  May  17,  1825,  married 
Eunice  Allen  Starr,  of  Deerfield,  and  died  at 
Hyde  Park,  Aug.  3,  1880;  Adelaide,  born  June 
30,  1832,  died  Feb.  26,  1855. 

(VII)  James  Lloyd  Wellington,  Swansea's 
faithful  physician  and  honored  citizen,  obtained 
his  education  at  New  Salem  Academy,  Temple- 
ton high  school,  and  Harvard  University,  re- 
ceiving his  degree  of  A.  B.  from  the  latter  in- 
stitution in  1838.  He  bears  the  distinction  of 
being  the  second  oldest  surviving  graduate  of 
that  university.  His  was  the  class  noted  for 
the  number  of  men  who  afterward  became  fa- 
mous, including  James  Russell  Lowell,  Wil- 
liam Wetmore  Story,  Dr.  George  B.  Loring 
and  Gen.  Charles  Devens  (at  one  time  secre- 
tary of  state).  He  was  in  college  at  the  same 
time  as  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  Everett 
Hale,  and  was  a  classmate  of  his  brother, 
Nathan  Hale.  His  freshman  year  in  college  he 
occupied  a  Yard  room  on  the  first  floor  of  Hol- 
lis  Hall,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  front 
entrance;  his  sophomore  year  the  southwest 
corner  room  of  the  same  dormitory ;  in  his 
junior  year  the  northwest  corner  of  the  same 
floor.  His  senior  year  found  him  living  on 
the  third  floor,  west  side  of  the  east  entrance 
of  Holworthy  Hall,  in  which  in  those  days 
only  seniors  were  allowed  to  room.  During 
his  college  course  the  Doctor  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society  for 
his  rank  in  bis  studies.  For  diligence  in  hi& 
studies  he  was  given  a  "detur,"  two  volumes 
of  Burns's  poems.  At  one  of  the  annual  class 
exhibitions  he  read  an  original  Latin  oration, 
and  at  another  a  Latin  translation,  and  he  took 
a  prominent  part  in  the  commencement  exer- 
cises of  his  class.     While  he  was  a  junior  he 


858 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


was  present  the  first  time  "Fair  Harvard"  was 
BUDg.  This  was  at  the  celebration  of  the  two 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the 
college,  in  1836.  He  was  also  present  at  the 
two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary,  in  1886, 
and  has  attended  commencement  whenever  he 
could,  being  present  when  his  grandson  was 
in  college  in  1900. 

In  1842  Dr.  Wellington  graduated  from  the 
Harvard  Medical  School,  where  he  was  a  stu- 
dent under  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes.  In 
the  summer  school  of  that  institution  his  in- 
structors were  Drs.  Holmes,  Bigelow,  Eeynolds 
and  Storer.  During  his  course  in  the  medical 
school  he  was  a  member  for  two  years  of  the 
Boston  Cadets. 

Preferring  not  to  settle  in  his  native  town. 
Dr.  Wellington  came  to  Swansea  in  1842,  and 
was  associated  with  Dr.  Artemas  Z.  Brown, 
whose  wife  was  Dr.  Wellington's  sister.  At 
that  time  there  were  only  six  doctors  in  Fall 
River,  where  now  more  than  a  hundred  suc- 
cessful physicians  are  located.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1846  Dr.  Wellington  took  the  place  of 
a  physician  in  Templeton  while  the  latter  en- 
joyed a  short  vacation,  and  the  people  there 
were  so  pleased  with  his  work  that  they  wanted 
him  to  stay,  but  he  still  did  not  wish  to  prac- 
tice in  the  tovra  where  his  childhood  had  been 
passed,  and  thus  interfere  with  his  friend  the 
Templeton  physician,  so  he  returned  to  Swan- 
sea, where  for  sixty-nine  years  he  has  made 
his  home.  During  the  first  year  he  rode  horse- 
back, carrying  the  traditional  leather  saddle- 
bags with  his  stock  of  medicines ;  later  he  used 
a  chaise,  and  still  later  a  buggy.  On  the  re- 
moval of  Dr.  Brown  to  Cambridge  Dr.  Wel- 
lington succeeded  to  a  practice  which  extended 
for  miles  around  into  the  towns  of  Fall  River, 
Somerset,  Rehoboth,  Seekonk,  Dighton,  Mass., 
and  Warren  and  Barrington,  R.  I.,  and  in  all 
those  towns  he  was  the  familiar  friend  and  wise 
counselor,  a  true  representative  of  that  fast 
disappearing  but  beloved  and  useful  type,  the 
family  physician. 

On  Aug.  7,  1845,  Dr.  Wellington  married 
Charlotte  Sisson,  a  native  of  Warren,  R.  I., 
bom  Aug.  19,  1825,  who  died  June  30,  1881. 
Their  children  were :  Arthur  Wellesley,  born 
Nov.  4,  1846;  Helen  Lloyd,  Oct.  31,  1847; 
Julia  Russell,  Jan.  4,  1849 ;  William  Henry, 
April  9,  1861;  and  Charles,  Aug.  27,  1864 
(died  May  20,  1866).  Of  these  Arthur  Wel- 
lesley married  Jan.  17,  1877,  Ellen  Read  Ma- 
son, and  has  a  son,  Charles  Frederic,  born  Dec. 
4,  1877,  who  graduated  from  Harvard  1900; 
and  William  Henry  married,  Oct.  12,  1887, 
Ethelyn  Rounseville  Allen,  and  has  had  five 


children:  Charlotte  Sisson  (born  May  26,  1888, 
died  Aug.  26,  1888),  Lloyd  Allen,  (born  Oct.  3, 
1890,  died  Sept.  11,  1891),  Roger  (bom  June 
16,  1894,  died  Dec.  3,  1900),  Rosamond  B. 
(born  Oct.  18,  1901),  and  Reginald  G.  (born 
Jan.  8,  1905).  From  1840  to  1842  Dr.  Welling- 
ton was  assistant  surgeon  to  the  7th  Massachu- 
setts Infantry,  and  during  the  Civil  war  was 
examining  surgeon  for  recruits.  He  belongs  to 
the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  and  the 
Bristol  County  Medical  Society.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  an  honored  mem- 
ber of  the  Harvard  Club  of  Fall  River.  Among 
his  treasured  relics  is  his  christening  cap,  em- 
broidered by  his  mother. 

EBENEZER  BACON,  deceased,  who  during 
his  life  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
liighly  respected  citizens  of  Attleboro,  where 
for  many  years  he  was  actively  engaged  in 
the  jewelry  manufacturing  business  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  A.  Busbee  &  Co.,  was  born 
Oct.  29,  1815,  at  Attleboro,  son  of  George  and 
Avis  (Fales)  Bacon. 

Ebenezer  Bacon  attended  the  schools  of  his 
neighborhood  and  the  Wrentham  high  school, 
walking  each  day  to  school  from  his  home  at 
Attleboro  Falls.  As  a  boy  he  worked  in  the 
button  factory  at  the  Falls,  and  on  reaching 
young  manhood  embarked  in  the  jewelry 
manufacturing  business,  in  which  he  spent  the 
most  of  his  active  life.  In  January,  1868,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Albert  A.  Busbee 
of  Attleboro,  for  the  manufacture  of  jewelry, 
and  in  1870  Charles  H.  Busbee  was  admitted 
to  the  firm,  this  partnership  continuing  until 
December,  1886,  under  the  name  of  A.  Busbee 
&  Co.  At  this  time  Mr.  Bacon  retired  from 
the  business,  the  remainder  of  his  life  being 
spent  in  retirement.  He  built  a  fine  home  on 
Peck  street,  one  of  the  handsomest  in  that  sec- 
tion of  the  city,  and  here  his  death  occurred 
April  20,  1900,  his  burial  taking  place  at 
Woodlawn  cemetery.  He  was  a  man  noted  for 
his  quiet  manner,  his  devotion  to  his  home 
and  family,  his  kind  and  neighborly  acts  and 
his  honest  and  upright  life.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  but  never  sought  oflBce, 
being  simple  in  his  tastes. 

On  Feb.  3,  1841,  Mr.  Bacon  was  married  to 
Lucretia  M.  Hamilin,  born  March  10,  1820, 
near  Chatham,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  Perry  and 
Susan  (Gott)  Hamilin,  and  granddaughter  of 
Story  Gott,  who  was  a  drummer  boy  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bacon 
spent  a  married  life  of  nearly  sixty  years  to- 
gether, one  of  happiness  and  contentment.  She 
is  a  lady  of  refined  tastes,  and  in  spite  of  her 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


859 


advanced  years,  and  the  shock  she  sustained  in 
the  deaths  of  her  husband  and  daughter,  she 
is  active  of  mind  and  body,  and  cheerful  in 
disposition.  Mrs.  Bacon  attends  the  Second 
Congregational  Church.  Two  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bacon :  George  Marcellus 
and  lolene  Lucinda. 

George  Marcellus  Bacon  was  born  Aug.  12, 
1843,  and  for  many  years  was  in  partnership 
in  the  jewelry  manufacturing  business  with 
Joseph  M.  Bates,  under  the  firm  name  of  Bates 
&  Bacon.  On  account  of  ill  health  he  was 
compelled  to  retire  from  active  business  pur- 
suits, and  now  makes  his  home  a  part  of  the 
time  in  New  York. 

lolene  Lucinda  Bacon  was  born  Eeb.  28, 
1853,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Attleboro,  and  the  high  school,  of  which 
she  was  one  of  the  first  members,  as  well  as 
a  member  of  the  Alumni  Association.  She 
took  up  painting  as  a  profession,  studied  un- 
der the  well-kBown  artist  Leavitt  of  Provi- 
dence, E.  I.,  and  became  one  of  the  best  known 
artists  in  New  England.  Her  landscape  draw- 
ings and  oil  paintings  commanded  the  highest 
praise  and  specimens  of  her  art  are  to  be  found 
in  the  best  homes  in  the  New  England  States. 
For  many  years  she  was  e  Sunday  school 
teacher  in  the  Second  Congregational  Church, 
where  she  was  known  and  beloved  by  all.  Miss 
Bacon  is  still  remembered  as  one  of  Attle- 
boro's  most  gifted  and  noble  women.  Her 
death  occurred  Aug.  12,  1902,  and  she  was 
buried  beside  her  father  in  Woodlawn  ceme- 
tery. 

REED.  The  family  of  Reed,  spelled  vari- 
ously Reade,  Rede,  Reid,  Read  and  Reed,  traces 
its  lineage  back  to  the  time  of  the  Norman 
Conquest.  Among  the  names  found  on  the 
muster  roll  of  William  the  Conqueror  in  1050 
■was  John  Rede  or  John  of  Rede. 

(I)  William  Reade,  supposed  to  be  the  son 
of  William  Reade  and  Lucy  Henage,  was  born 
in  1605,  and  sailed  from  Gravesend,  in  the 
County  of  Kent,  in  the  "Assurance  de  Lo" 
(Isaac  Broomwell  and  George  Persey,  mas- 
ters), in  1635.  He  settled  in  Weymouth, 
Mass.,  and  was  made  freeman  Sept.  2,  ,1635. 
He  bought  a  house  and  land  of  the  heirs  of 
Zachary  Bicknell  March  9,  1636-37,  for  seven 
pounds,  thirteen  shillings,  four  pence.  Mr. 
Reade  was  among  the  early  settlers  of  Wey- 
mouth, it  having  been  made  a  plantation  May 
8,  1635,  when  Rev.  Mr.  Hall  and  twenty-one 
families  settled  there.  He  was  representative 
from  that  town  in  1636  and  1638.  The  name 
■of  his  wife,  it  is  supposed,  was  Avise  Deacon. 


Their  children  were:  William,  Thomas,  John, 
Mary,    Margaret,    Hannah,    Ruth   and    James. 

(II)  John  Reade,  son  of  William,  of  Wey- 
mouth, was  born  in  1649,  and  was  the  ances- 
tor of  the  Taunton  Reeds.  He  married  Be- 
thiah,  daughter  of  George  Frye,  and  removed 
to  Taunton  in  1680.  Their  children  were: 
John,  William,  Thomas,  George,  Mary,  Ruth 
and  Hannah.  Mr.  Reade  was  a  farmer  and 
house  carpenter  and  appears  to  have  been  a 
man  of  considerable  property  and  an  extensive 
dealer  in  land.  The  records  describe  many 
pieces  of  land  bought  by  him  in  Taunton  and 
several  parcels  sold  by  him.  He  was  also  quite 
a  business  man  in  Taunton.  He  removed 
thence  to  the  South  Purchase,  now  Dighton, 
about  1697,  and  there  died  Oct.  20,  1730.  He 
and  his  wife  were  buried  in  Dighton,  on  Bur- 
ial Hill,  between  Upper  and  Lower  Four  Cor- 
ners. 

(III)  William  Reade,  son  of  John,  was  of 
Taunton,  and  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
Richmond,  June  8,  1721.  Their  children 
were:  John,  William,  Mary  and  Abigail.  H& 
was  a  man  of  good  reputation,  highly  esteemed, 
and  died  in  1734.  The  land  of  the  homestead 
is  owned  and  occupied  by  one  of  his  descend- 
ants at  the  present  time.  On  Nov.  6,  1738, 
his  widow  married  Stephen  Andrews,  a  man 
of  learning,  probity  and  piety,  known  by  his 
neighbors  as  St.  Stephen.  He  lived  to  be 
nearly  one  hundred  years  old. 

(IV)  John  Reed,  son  of  William,  was  born 
in  1722,  and  died  in  December,  1788.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith  and  a  man  of 
considerable  business  importance;  was  one  of 
the  Committee  of  Inspection  and  Correspond- 
ence during  the  Revolution,  and  was  known  as 
a  religious  man.  He  was  above  the  middle 
stature,  and  rather  stern  in  his  manners.  On 
Dec.  30,  1746,  he  marxied  Dorothy  Pinneo, 
by  whom  he  had  children :  Ruth,  Lois,  John, 
Mary,  Dorothy,  Hannah,  Zilpah,  Enos  and 
Lydia.  On  Jan.  9,  1771,  he  married  (second) 
Mrs.  Hannah  Austin,  and  their  children  were: 
Nathan,  Phebe,  David  and  Jonathan.  Mr. 
Reed's  first  wife,  Dorothy,  was  the  daughter  of 
James  Pinneo,  a  French  Huguenot  who  had 
escaped  from  France  during  the  persecutions 
of  his  sect,  and  after  being  secreted  in  dens 
and  caves  in  France  finally  made  his  way  to 
America  and  settled  in  Connecticut.  Rev. 
Bezaliel  Pinneo,  of  Milford,  Conn.,  was  his 
grandson. 

(V)  John  Reed,  son  of  John,  was  born 
March  29,  1752,  and  died  Feb.  24,  1841.  He 
was  above  the  medium  stature,  athletic,  un- 
commonly regular  in  his  habits,  and  was  dis- 


860 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


tinguished  for  his  good  common  sense  and 
sound  judgment,  being  often  chosen  as  arbi- 
trator between  his  neighbors.  He  was  known 
as  "Squire"  Reed,  was  prominent  in  local  pub- 
lic affairs,  having  served  as  selectman  and 
representative  for  several  years,  and  filled  an 
important  place  in  his  social  circle.  On  Nov. 
21,  1775,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Brig. 
Gen.  George  Godfrey.  Mrs.  Reed  was  a 
woman  of  superior  sense  and  practical  piety. 
She  survived  her  husband,  dying  Oct.  12, 
1843.  Their  children  were:  John,  born  Aug. 
II,  1776;  William,  Oct.  6,  1778;  Polly,  Aug. 
31,  1782;  Dolly,  May  31,  1785;  Marshal,  Jan. 
17,  1788;  Hodges,  June  3,  1790;  Sophia,  Sept. 
2,  1792;  Zilpah,  Dec.  22,  1796.  John  Reed 
served  as  a  minute-man  a  short  time  in 
the  Revolution  in  Capt.  Robert  Grossman's 
company.  Col.  George  Williams'  regiment. 

(VI)  John  Reed,  son  of  John,  was  born 
Aug.  11,  1776,  and  died  Nov.  9,  1864.  He  was 
well  known  in  Taunton,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged as  a  merchant  for  over  fifty  years.  On 
May  31,  1804,  he  married  Rebecca  Gooding,  of 
Dighton,  who  was  born  Sept.  28,  1782,  and 
died  Jan.  31,  1872.  Their  children  were  born 
as  follows:  Mary  Ann,  May  20,  1805  (mar- 
ried Rev.  Martyn  Cushman)  ;  John.  June  17, 
1808;  Henry  Gooding,  July  23,  1810;  Re- 
becca, April  12,  1813  (married  James  H. 
Cushman);  William  Andrew,  Sept.  2,  1816; 
Sophia  Jane,  Nov.  9,  1818;  Elizabeth  Good- 
ing, Sept.  4,  1823  (married  Samuel  G. 
Tucker) . 

(VII)  Henry  Gooding  Reed,  son  of  John, 
was  bom  July  23,  1810,  and  grew  up  in  Taun- 
ton, attending  the  public  schools  and  after- 
ward the  academy  in  Taunton.  During  school 
vacations  he  helped  his  father  in  the  store. 
In  his  early  life  he  made  a  collection  of  wood- 
working tools  and  he  spent  much  of  his  leisure 
working  with  them,  making  useful  articles  for 
the  family  and  neighbors,  as  well  as  miniature 
vessels  and  other  toys  for  his  mates.  He 
worked  at  organ  building  with  Zephaniah 
Leonard,  as  his  first  trade.  When  he  was 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  shop  of 
Babbitt  &  Grossman,  as  an  apprentice,  con- 
tinuing with  that  firm  and  its  successors  until 
he  attained  his  majority,  in  1831.  During  his 
apprenticeship  he  became  a  master  of  his  trade, 
and  remaining  in  the  employ  of  the  Taunton 
Britannia  Manufacturing  Company  as  a  jour- 
neyman, working  first  at  the  lathe  and  after- 
ward in  various  departments,  he  was  in  time  in- 
trusted with  the  oversight  of  others'  work,  be- 
coming eventually  time-keeper  and  superin- 
tendent.    These   relations   he   was    sustaining 


when,  in  1835,  the  firm  was  obliged  to  suspend 
operations,  and  the  managing  agent  contracted 
with  him  and  Mr.  Barton  to  continue  the  busi- 
ness. He  began  the  manufacture  of  britannia 
ware  on  School  street,  in  connection  with 
Charles  E.  Barton  and  Gustavus  Leonard  in 
1837,  employing  twelve  hands.  The  business  con- 
sisted of  the  manufacture  of  britannia  ware,  later 
of  electro-plated  and  still  later  of  solid  silver 
ware,  and  in  times  of  ordinary  prosperity  eight 
hundred  people  were  employed  in  the  factories. 
There  was  no  ware  in  their  line  of  goods  that 
had  a  better  reputation.  The  company  was 
known  not  only  in  this  country,  but  in  all 
other  lands  with  which  America  trades. 

Mr.  Reed  was  a  director  in  the  Taunton  Na- 
tional Bank  for  more  than  forty  years  from 
1851,  trustee  in  the  Taunton  Savings  Bank 
from  its  organization  (twenty-four  years),  a 
director  in  the  City  Mission  and  Associated 
Charities  of  the  city  from  their  beginning,  an 
interested  and  liberal ,  member  of  the  Old  Col- 
ony Historical  Society,  and  president  of  the 
Reed  Association  in  Taunton  for  twenty  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  old  Beethoven  Soci- 
ety, and  was  fond  of  music.  He  was  a  very 
conscientious  man,  of  generous  sympathies,  and 
a  valuable,  highly  prized  citizen.  He  died 
March  1,  1901. 

Mr.  Reed  married  for  his  first  wife  Clara, 
daughter  of  Isaac  White,  of  Mansfield.  She  died 
Sept.  27,  1847.  His  second  wife,  Frances  Lee, 
daughter  of  Jared  Williams,  of  Dighton,  died 
May  9,  1857.  On  Oct.  27,  1858,  he  married  De- 
light Carpenter,  of  Rehoboth.  His  children 
were :  Clara  Isabel,  wife  of  Dr.  Charles  T. 
Hubbard,  of  Taunton;  Henry  Arthur,  de- 
ceased ;  Ida  Frances,  deceased ;  Fannie  Lee, 
wife  of  William  Bradford  Homer  Dowse,  Esq., 
of  West  Newton,  Mass.;  and  Henry  Francis, 
who  died  in  1890. 

GOODING.  The  founder  of  the  Gooding 
family  in  America  was  (I)  George  Gooding, 
third  son  of  Matthew  and  Johanna  Gooding, 
of  Huntworthy,  parish  of  North  Petherton, 
Somersetshire,  England.  He  was  born  in  1633 
and  came  to  this  country  in  1673,  settling  in 
Taunton,  Mass.,  where  he  died  June  1,  1712. 
His  descendants  are  scattered  over  the  United 
States  and  form  a  family  entirely  distinct  and 
separate  from  the  Goodwins,  Goddings,  etc.,  al- 
though members  have  often  been  classed  with 
them. 

Little  is  known  of  the  personal  character 
and  worldly  estate  of  this  early  settler  except 
what  is  furnished  by  the  town  records  at  Taun- 
ton.    From  them  we  learn  that  he  was  an  en- 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


861 


ergetic  "Church  of  England"  man,  contribut- 
ing money  and  influence  toward  building  the 
first  Episcopal  church  in  that  part  of  Bristol 
county,  that  he  was  an  able  musician,  and  was 
fined  for  "singing  in  an  unseemly  manner  in 
the  Lord's  House";  that  he  was  of  a  quick, 
irascible  temper,  in  consequence  of  indulging, 
for  which  he  was  several  times  brought  before 
a  magistrate;  and,  finally,  that  he  was  a  large 
property  owner  and  was  received  in  the  best 
fiociety  of  the  town.  This  last  fact  is  estab- 
lished by  his  marriage,  in  February,  1686,  with 
Deborah  Walker,  daughter  of  James  Walker, 
who  was  for  many  years  the  wealthiest  and 
most  influential  citizen  of  Taunton.  George 
Oooding  acquired  a  large  tract  of  land  in  the 
"Taunton  South  Purchase,"  afterward  called 
"Dighton,"  from  the  maiden  name  of  Frances, 
wife  of  Eichard  Williams,  another  of  Taun- 
ton's most  distinguished  early  settlers.  This 
tract  (said  to  be  two  miles  in  length)  was 
partly  his  own  purchase  and,  doubtless,  in  part, 
the  dower  of  his  wife.  A  note  at  the  foot  of 
a  very  old  deed  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Alan- 
son  Gooding,  of  New  Bedford,  reads:  "This  is 
to  declare  that  my  father-in-law,  James 
Walker,  gave  me  money  that  bought  the  land 
mentioned  in  this  deed,  for  which  I  humbly 
thank  him.     [Signed]  George  Gooding." 

But,  better  than  money  or  lands,  to  be  trans- 
mitted to  their  offspring,  were  the  sterling 
qualities  of  mind  his  wife,  Deborah,  inherited 
from  her  father,  to  whom  the  following  tribute 
is  paid  by  the  compiler  of  the  Walker  Geneal- 
ogy: "From  the  records  given  we  conceive  of 
him"  (James  Walker)  "as  a  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence,  judicious  in  counsel,  en- 
ergetic in  action,  steadfast  in  integrity,  public- 
spirited,  benevolent,  and  alive  to  the  secular 
and  religious  prosperity  of  the  Colony.  Sur- 
passed by  none  in  the  town  for  his  contribu- 
tions for  the  ministry,  and  in  the  number  and 
continuance  of  civil  trusts,  he  needed  no  her- 
aldic distinctions  and  he  transmitted  none. 
Worthy  of  remembrance  and  honor  by  those  of 
his  own  name  and  lineage,  he  is  an  honor  to 
them  only  as  they  strive  to  emulate  his  useful- 
ness, and  reproduce  his  virtues  and  his  piety." 
"Yours  to  serve"  is  the  unique  form  with  which 
he  concludes  a  letter  to  Governor  Prince. 

No  record  is  found  of  the  will  of  George 
Gooding,  who  died  at  Taunton  June  1,  1718. 
The  will  of  Mrs.  Deborah  Gooding  was  pro- 
bated at  Taunton  May  16,  1726,  and  mentions 
son  Matthew,  born  June  12,  1695,  and  daugh- 
ters Johanna,  born  March  13,  1687,  who  mar- 
ried John  Godfrey;  Mary,  born  Aug.  18,'  1689, 
who  married  Josiah  Walker:  and  Sarah,  born 
Aug.  21,  1699,  who  married  Josiah  Talbot. 


(II)  Matthew  Gooding,  son  of  George,  waa 
born  at  Dighton,  Mass.,  June  12,  1695,  passed 
his  entire  life  in  the  old  town,  and  died  there, 
a  large  land  owner  and  respected  citizen, 
March  15,  1756.  He  was  a  constable  and 
magistrate  many  years.  In  1723  he  married  ■ 
Abigail,  daughter  of  Lieut.  Joseph  Eichmond, 
of  Middleboro,  and  his  wife  Abigail  (Eogers). 
The  latter  was  a  daughter  of  John  Eogers,  of 
Duxbury,  who  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Eogers, 
the  Pilgrim.  Matthew  Gooding  and  his  wife 
Abigail  had  two  daughters — Deborah,  who 
married  Jacob  Packard,  and  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried William  Nicholls — and  five  sons,  four  of 
whom  enlisted  as  minute-men  in  the  Eevolu- 
tionary  war.  A  note  from  the  "Secretary  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,"  dated 
March  27,  1903,  says:  "The  original  pay-roll 
of  the  services  of  the  four  Gooding  brothers  of 
Dighton"  (Joseph,  Matthew,  William  and 
Job)  "is  preserved  here."  Thus  all  the  de- 
scendants of  Matthew  and  Abigail  Gooding 
possess  credentials  admitting  them  to  the  So- 
ciety of  Mayflower  Descendants,  to  the  Society 
of  Colonial  Dames  and  to  the  Sons  of  Colonial 
Wars,  and  the  descendants  of  the  four  soldier- 
sons,  Joseph,  Matthew,  William  and  Job,  to 
the  Sons  and  Daughters  of  the  American 
Eevolution. 

The  sisters  of  Matthew  Gooding  married 
prominent  men  in  Taunton,  and  their  naines 
are  handed  down  in  honor  in  the  families  of 
Godfrey,  Walker  and  Talbot.  Johanna  Good- 
ing married  John  Godfrey,  of  Taunton,  "2,  3, 
1716,"  and  they  had  a  son  George,  born  March 
9,  1720-21,  named  for  his  grandfather  George 
Gooding.  This  George  Godfrey  was  one  of  the 
heroes  of  the  Eevolutionary  war,  noted  no  less 
for  his  piety  than  for  his  dashing  bravery  in 
the  field,  being  known  as  "the  praying  Col- 
onel." He  was  retired  from  the  Eevolutionary 
army  as  brigadier  general.  Countless  families 
in  Bristol  county  carry  down  the  tradition  oi 
this  brave  officer,  who,  sitting  erect  on  his 
horse,  always  offered  prayer  before  leading  his 
regiment  into  battle.  John  Godfrey,  son  of 
John  and  Johanna  (Gooding)  Godfrey,  was 
born  Nov.  25,  1728,  and  died  Nov.  26,  1749. 
They  also  had  another  son  named  John,  who 
was  an  officer  in  the  Eevolutionary  army  at 
the  time  of  his  discharge. 

All  the  sons  of  Matthew  Gooding  married 
and  had  numerous  descendants,  who  settled 
in  the  eastern  counties  of  Massachusetts,  and 
thence  were  scattered  over  the  country  at 
large.  But  it  is  ■with  the  branch  which  set- 
tled in  Ehode  Island  that  we  are  chiefly  con- 
cerned.    In  passing  be  it  said  that  the  families 


863 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  George,  Matthew  and  Job  scattered  over 
Bristol  and  Plymouth  counties;  William  had 
eight  children,  all  of  whom  grew  up  and  mar- 
ried, settling  in  Vermont  and  New  York,  and 
thence  going  to  Illinois,  Kentucky,  and  fur- 
ther West.  Many  soldiers  named  Gooding,  en- 
listing from  ,  the  West,  especially  fought 
bravely  in  the  Civil  war. 

The  children  of  Matthew  and  Abigail  (Rich- 
mond) Gooding,  born  at  Dighton,  were: 
George,  who  married  Sarah  Eeed;  Deborah, 
who  married  Jacob  Packard;  Joseph,  born 
June  20  or  July  1,  1730;  Matthew,  who  mar- 
ried Mercy  Crane;  William,  who  married  Bath- 
sheba  Walker;  Mary,  who  married  William 
Nicholls;  and  Job,  who  married  Polly  Claget 
(or  Clark). 

(Ill)  Joseph  Gooding,  son  of  Matthew, 
born  at  Dighton  July  1,  1730,  was  published 
with  (in  June,  1769)  and  married  (in  Septem- 
ber, 1769,  in  Taunton)  Eebecca  Macomber, 
of  Taunton,  who  was  born  in  1747,  daughter 
of  Lieut.  Josiah  Macomber  and  his  wife  Euth 
(Paull),  and  granddaughter  of  John  Macomb- 
er, Jr.,  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  (Williams),  all 
of  Taunton.  The  same  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Williams)  Macomber  were  ancestors  of  the 
late  John  Hay,  secretary  of  state.  Elizabeth 
(Williams)  Macomber's  grandmother,  Frances 
(Deighton)  Williams,  is  admitted,  as  a  claiip- 
ant  to  a  true  and  legitimate  royal  pedigree, 
into  the  new  and  expurgated  edition  of 
Browning's  "Americans  of  Eoyal  Descent." 

Joseph  Gooding's  record  is  that  of  a  sub- 
stantial citizen  of  Dighton,  who,  by  prudence 
and  energy,  added  to  the  estate  left  by  his 
father.  He  served  the  town  as  selectman, 
without  compensation,  during  the  entire  period 
of  the  Eevolution,  except  when  doing  military 
service.  Two  records  of  such  enlistments  are 
preserved,  one  in  1776,  the  other  in  1778.  He 
died  at  Dighton  Dec.  23,  1815,  aged  eighty- 
five  years.  On  the  same  stone  that  marks  his 
resting  place,  in  the  old  Gooding  burying 
ground  at  Dighton,  one  reads  that  "Eebecca, 
the  Widow  of  Joseph  Gooding,  died  Aug.  7, 
1835,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  her  age." 
Their  children,  born  at  Dighton,  were:  Deb- 
orah, born  March  22,  1771,  married  David 
Standish;  Joseph,  born  March  6,  1773,  married 
Betsy  Austin;  Elizabeth,  born  May  26,  1775, 
married  Job  Perry ;  Josiah,  born  Nov.  8,  1777, 
married  Nancy  Smith,  daughter  of  James 
Smith,  of  Bristol,  E.  I.;  John,  born  July  27, 
1780,  married  Deborah  Barnes;  Eebecca,  born 
Sept.  28,  1782,  married  John  Eeed,  of  Taun- 
ton; Henry,  born  June  12,  1785,  married 
(first)    Elizabeth  Brown  and    (second)    Ehoda 


Brown;  Alanson,  born  March  4,  1789,  mar- 
ried (first)  Elizabeth  Kempton  and  (second) 
Sophia  Hammond;  one  died  unnamed. 

SYLVESTEE.  The  name  Sylvester  or  Sil- 
vester appears  to  be  of  French  origin,  and  in 
the  Frencli  signifies  "of  or  belonging  to  a  wood 
or  forest,"  whence  the  coat  of  arms,  repre- 
senting an  oak  tree  in  the  shield,  being  a 
parlant  or  speaking  coat,  descriptive  of  the 
name. 

We  find  the  family  settled  in  England  not 
long  after  the  Conquest,  and  the  ancestor  prob- 
ably went  over  in  the  army  of  William,  in 
1066.  Stephen  Silvester  is  named  by  Fuller 
among  the  gentry  of  Norfolk.  Gabriel  Sylves- 
ter, D.  D.,  was  prebend  of  Wexford,  Litchfield, 
in  1506;  and  in  1538  Eobert  was  archdeacon 
of  Langtoft,  York,  prebend  of  York,  1541,  and 
archdeacon  of  Nottingham,  1549.  The  family- 
is  one  of  high  respectability  in  the  old  country 
and  is  now  numerously  represented  in  the 
United  States.  The  following  record  is  given 
in  chronological  order  from  the  first  of  the 
name  to  come  to  America. 

(I)  Eichard  Sylvester,  the  first  of  the  name 
in  New  England,  was  of  Weymouth,  1633,  and 
of  Scituate,  1642,  and  settled  on  the  "Two 
Miles."  The  year  in  which  he  came  over,  and 
the  name  of  the  vessel  in  which  he  embarked, 
we  have  not  been  able  to  learn.  Settlements 
were  made  at  Weymouth  in  1619,  1624  and 
1625.  He  probably  came  in  company  with 
Eev.  Eobert  Lenthal,  minister  of  Weymouth, 
and  the  cause  of  his  removal  to  Scituate  waa 
difficulty  arising  from  his  religious  opinions. 
About  1632  he  married  Naomi  Torrey,  and 
died  in  Scituate  in  1663.  Children:  (1> 
Lydia,  born  in  1633,  married  Nathaniel  Eaw- 
lins,  Sept.  4,  1652.  (2)  John,  born  in  1634, 
married  and  had  Sarah  (born  1671),  John 
(born  1672),  Joseph  (born  1674,  who  was  of 
Marshfield  and  left  children),  Samuel  (1676, 
also  of  Marshfield  and  left  children)  and  Lydia 
(born  1679).  (3)  Peter,  born  in  1637,  died 
in  1642,  being  accidentally  shot,  on  the  Sab- 
bath, by  the  discharge  of  a  gun,  in  his  father's 
house.  (4)  Joseph,  bom  in  1638,  is  men- 
tioned below.  (5)  Dinah,  born  in  1642,  prob- 
ably died  unmarried.  (6)  Elizabeth,  born  in 
1643,  married  John  Lowell  Jan.  24,  1658,  and 
died  soon  after.  (7)  Eichard,  born  in  1648, 
was  of  Milton,  1678.  He  married  Hannah, 
daughter  of  "Old  James  Leonard,  of  Taun- 
ton," and  was  probably  ancestor  of  the  Sylves- 
ters of  Norfolk  county.  (8)  Naomi,  born  in 
1649,  married  John  Lowell  in  1666.  (9) 
Israel,  born  in  1651,  had  a  house  on  the  mar- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  863 

gin  of  the  "second  Herring  brook."     In  1670  cross  to  son  Joseph ;  the  three  younger  sons 

he  married,  and  he  had  Israel,  born  Sept.  23,  (Amos,  Benjamin  and  David)   to  be  provided 

1675,  who  left  descendants;   Silence,  born  in  for   by   their  mother    (Mary)    out   of   the   re- 

1677;  Richard,  born  in  1679,  who  married  and  mainder  of  my  estate." 

left  descendants;  Lois,  born  in  1680;  Martha,  (III)  Amos  Sylvester,  son  of  Capt.  Joseph, 

born   in    1682 ;    Mary,   born   in    1683 ;   Elisha,  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  his  shop  standing 

born  in  1685;  Peter,  born  in  1687,  who  mar-  near   his   house,   which   stood   on   Washington 

ried  and  left  descendants,  some  of  his  posterity  street,    near   where   that   of    Robert    Sylvester 

now   living   in  Leicester,   Mass.,   and   in   New  now  stands;  this  was  for  many  years  a  tavern 

Hampshire;  Zebulon,  born  in  1689,  who  mar-  stand,  kept  by  his  widow  after  his  decease.    He 

ried  and  left  descendants;  Barshua,  born   in  was  selectman  in  1743.    When  the  old  mansion 

1692;  and  Deborah,  born  in  1696.     (10)  Hes-  was  torn  down  two  chairs  were  preserved,  one 

ter,  born  in  1653,  probably  died  unmarried,  of  which  is  in  the  possession  of  Robert  Syl- 

(11)  Benjamin,  born  in  1656,  married  Lydia  vester    and    the    other    of    Michael    Sylvester. 

Standlake  in   1684.  Amos  Sylvester  married  Nov.  20,  1706,  Eliza- 

(II)  Capt.  Joseph  Sylvester,  son  of  Richard,  beth  Henchman,  who  died  Feb.  11,  1762,  aged 
lived  where  Samuel  Waterman's  house  stands,  seventy-seven;  he  died  Oct.  23,  1753.  Chil- 
in  South  Scituate,  Mass.,  near  Church  Hill,  dren:  (1)  Amos  was  born  Sept.  14,  1707.  (2) 
and  improved  the  farm  which  he  purchased  of  William  was  born  Feb.  22,  1709.  (3)  Joseph 
John  Whiston  in  1664.  His  children  by  wife  was  born  Jan.  9,  1711.  (4)  Hencliman,  born. 
Mary  were:  Joseph,  bom  Nov.  11,  1664;  Mary,  Dec.  20,  1713,  died  April  23,  1758.  His  house 
Dec.  24,  1666  (married  Benjamin  Curtis)  ;  stood  opposite  his  father's  and  is  now  occupied 
Naomi,  March  5,  1668;  Anna,  May  5,  1669;  by  B.  F.  Burgess.  On  Feb.  29,  1748,  he  mar- 
Benjamin,  Dec.  11,  1680;  David,  April  20,  ried  Sarah  Stockbridge;  they  had  no  children. 
1683;  Amos,  Nov.  15,  1685.  She  married  William  Norton  before  1761.  (5) 

Capt.  Joseph  Sylvester,  as  a  reward  for  his  Michael  was  born  Oct.  27,  1714.     (6)   Nath- 

services  in  the  Indian  wars,  had  a  grant  of  aniel  was  bom  April  29,   1718.      (7)    Caleb, 

land  made  to  him  and  his  company  by  the  born  Dec.  14,  1719,  lived  on  what  is  now  Main 

General    Court.     It    was    intended    to    be    in  street,  whence  he  moved  to  Tovmsend,  Mass. 

Maine,  but  when  the  line  was  dravra  between  He  married  Nov.  1,  1750,  Desire  Stetson,  and 

the  provinces  it  proved  to  be  in  New  Hamp-  his  children  were:  Desire,  born  in  1752   (died 

shire;  and  on  a  representation  of  these  facts  1754);  Caleb,  1754  (married  Abigail,  daugh- 

by  Charles  Turner  and  others,  agents  for  the  ter    of    Dr.    Joseph    Jacobs,    and    moved    to 

claimants,  in  1765,  a  new  grant  was  made  in  Maine);   Desire,    1755;   Henchman,    1758    (a 

Maine,  on  condition  that  thirty  families  and  soldier    in    the    Revolution)  ;    Lillis    T.    and 

a  minister  should  be  settled,  and  a  meeting-  Grace,  1763;  Joseph,  1764.     (8)  Edmund,  the 

house  built,  within  six  years.     This  settlement  next  in  the  family,  was  born  June  20,  1721. 

is  now  Turner,  Maine.  (9)   Mary,  born  Oct.  19,  1723,  died  Aug.  28, 

The  following  is  from  the  History  of  Han-  1724.      (10)    Thomas,    born    Oct.    19,    1723, 

over:   Within  a  half  mile  of  the  comers,  north-  married    Sarah,    daughter   of    Matthew    Estes. 

ward,    dwelt    the    Sylvesters,    descendants    of  She  died  June  20,  1794,  and  he  died  Oct.  1, 

Richard,  who  was  of  Weymouth  in  1633,  and  1760,  leaving  one  son,  Matthew,  baptized  Sept. 

of  Scituate  in  1642.     Capt.  Joseph,  the  father  19,  1760,  who  married  a  Josselyn  and  died  in 

of    Amos    and    Benjamin,    of    Hanover,    had,  Pernbroke,    leaving    one    daughter,    Margaret,, 

according    to    Deane,    a    farm    north    of    the  who  married  Isaac  Magown,  of  Pembroke.   The 

Church  Hill,  which  in  part  he  purchased  of  father's  house  stood  where  now  stands  that  of 

John   Whiston  in   1664,   and   his   house   stood  Dr.    Garratt.      (11)    Elizabeth  was  born   July 

where  that   of   Samuel  Waterman   stands,  not  15,  1725. 

far  from  the  third  Herring  brook.  He  was  (IV)  Michael  Sylvester,  son  of  Amos,  mar- 
captain  under  Col.  Benjamin  Church,  the  fam-  ried  (first)  Mary,  daughter  of  Capt.  Thomas 
ous  Indian  warrior,  in  the  eastern  expedition  Bardin,  Nov.  12,  1741;  she  died  Oct.  29,  1755, 
in  1689,  and  in  1690  was  captain  with  sixteen  and  he  married  (second)  Ruth  Turner  Jan. 
men  from  Scituate,  many  of  whom  never  re-  17,  1760.  She  survived  him,  dying  Nov. 
turned,  in  Phipps'  expedition  to  Canada,  and  12,  1798,  aged  eighty-four,  and  she  Oct.  3, 
died  in  the  service.  His  will,  which  was  ver-  1806,  aged  seventy.  Children:  Bardin,  who 
bal,  was  proved  in  the  court  by  three  of  his  died  Feb.  15,  1746;  Mary,  baptized  March  12, 
soldiers,  Benjamin  Stetson  and  John  and  Wil-  1745,  who  died  March  18,  1746;  Michal,  bap- 
liam  Perry,  and  gives  "all  my  land  at  Hugh's  tized    Nov.    9,    1755,   who   married    Cornelius 


864: 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Turner  Dec.  8,  1768,  and  moved  to  Maine; 
Bardin  (2),  baptized  Nov.  9,  1755;  Michael, 
baptized  Nov.-  9,  1755;  Mary,  baptized  Nov. 
9,  1755,  who  married  Charles  Tolman  May 
19,  1774;  (by  second  marriage)  Bathshua, 
baptized  Feb.  13,  1761,  who  died  June  4, 
1768;  Eobert,  baptized  Oct.  19,  1766,  who  died 
June  4,  1768;  Lucinda,  baptized  April  10, 
1768,  who  married  Benjamin  Bass  Dec.  4, 
1794;  Juliette,  baptized  April  8,  1770,  who 
died  unmarried  Dec.  27,  1842;  Robert,  bap- 
tized Aug.  9,  1772. 

(V)  Robert  Sylvester,  baptized  Aug.  9, 
1772,  died  Aug.  17,  1807.  He  built  the  house 
in  which  William  Dawes  now  resides  and  occu- 
pied it  until  his  father's  decease,  when  he  tore 
down  the  old  family  homestead,  replacing  it 
with  the  house  in  which  his  son  Robert  lived. 
On  Nov.  8,  1796,  he  married  Lucy  Bailey, 
daughter  of  George  and  Rebecca  (Ellis) 
Bailey,  of  Hanover,  born  in  1781,  died  Oct.  7, 
1840.  Children:  Lucy,  born  Sept.  1,  1797, 
married  July  29,  1821,  William  Church;  Re- 
becca E.,  born  Nov.  27,  1799,  died  Dec.  1, 
1847  (she  married  Dec.  15,  1819,  Benjamin  C. 
Pratt)  ;  Michael  was  bom  May  5,  1802;  Rob- 
ert was  born  Oct.  19,  1805;  Sarah  E.,  born 
March  21,  1808,  married  Dec.  14,  1828,  Sam- 
uel S.  Church,  and  died  Dec.  28,  1850. 

(VI)  Robert  Sylvester  (2),  born  Oct.  19, 
1805,  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Hanover,  leaving  school  at  the  age 
of  fifteen.  He  learned  the  trade  of  ship  joiner 
and  carpenter,  serving  his  apprenticeship  on 
the  North  river,  in  the  town  of  Hanover,  and 
in  the  town  of  Hingham.  After  giving  up 
this  kind  of  work  he  devoted  all  his  time  to 
his  fann,  which  comprised  160  acres  of  land, 
all  well  cultivated.  He  carried  on  general 
farming,  but  made  a  specialty  of  hay  and 
grain  and  garden  truck.  He  was  active  in 
local  politics  as  a  Republican  and  served  the 
community  as  road  surveyor  and  member  of 
the  school  committee.  He  was  an  orthodo.x 
church  member.  He  died  in  March,  1899,  in 
Hanover. 

On  Nov.  28,  1828,  Mr.  Sylvester  married 
Sarah  W.  Burgess,  who  was  born  in  August, 
1807,  daughter  of  Loammi  Burgess,  of  Har- 
vard, Mass.,  and  died  No-  9,  1855.  To  this 
union  came  the  following  i-hildren,  all  born 
in  Hanover:  (1)  Loammi  ;,  born  March  18, 
1832,  was  injured  in  the  batiie  o'  Cedar  Moun- 
tain and  died  shortly  afterward.  He  marrieii 
Emeline  (Pratt)  Bartlett,  a  widow,  and  had 
one  child,  Sarah,  who  married  William  P. 
Steams  and  now  resides  in  Wayland,  Mass. 
(2)   Susanna  F.,  be  n  April  5,  1834,  married 


William  T.  Lapham,  of  Norwell,  and  had  Wil- 
liam and  George,  who  reside  in  Ashmont, 
Mass.  (3)  Belcher,  born  May  26,  1837,  died 
July  2,  1838.  (4)  Elizabeth  B.,  born  July 
5,  1839,  married  Israel  H.  Macomber,  of 
Marshfield,  and  had  Herbert  I.  and  Walter  S., 
the  latter  of  whom  died  young.  (5)  Sarah 
E.,  born  Sept.  1,  1843,  married  Nov.  9,  1864, 
George  H.  Allen,  son  of  Zenas  and  Caroline 
(Randall)  Allen,  of  Boston,  and  they  have 
three  children:  Fannie,  born  Aug.  13,  1869; 
Sadie,  Sept.  17^  1871 ;  and  Grace  B.,  in  June, 
1874.  (6)  Juletta  S.,  bom  April  14,  1845, 
married  Frank  A.  Clapp,  of  Norwell,  and  had 
Annie  May  and  Carrie,  who  reside  in  Wake- 
field, Mass.  (7)  Robert  is  the  youngest  of 
the  family. 

(VII)  Robert  Sylvester  (3),  bom  June 
20,  1847,  in  Hanover,  Mass.,  b&gan  his  educa- 
tion there  in  the  district  schools,  later  attend- 
ing Hanover  Academy  and  the  Assinippi  Insti- 
tute. For  a  few  years  he  acted  as  depot  mas- 
ter for  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railway  Company  and  then  went  into  the 
grain  business  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Church, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Sylvester  &  Church, 
when  he  was  twenty-two  years  old.  He  devoted 
most  of  Ms  energies  to  his  and  his  father's 
farms,  engaging  extensively  in  truck  garden- 
ing, and  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death  the 
latter's  farm,  nearly  140  acres,  was  turned 
over  to  him.  His  property  is  laid  out  as  well 
as  any  in  this  section  and  he  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  intelligent  farmers  of  the  vicin- 
ity, his  work  showing  excellent  results.  Like 
all  of  his  familj',  he  is  a  good  citizen  as  well  as 
an  able  business  man.  However,  he  has  given 
little  time  to  public  affairs. 

On  Nov.  22,  1868,  Mr.  Sylvester  married 
Mary  Bailey  Turner,  daughter  of  Elijah  B. 
and  Lucy  (Standish)  Turner,  and  they  had 
one  child,  Robert  B.,  born  April  10,  1871,  who 
died  Jan.  30,  1896,  in  New  York.  Mr.  Syl- 
vester is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  belongs 
to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  member  of 
Phoenix  Lodge  at  Hanover,  and  is  an  orthodox 
church  member. 

Turner.  (I)  Humphrey  Turner,  according 
to  Deane,  arrived  in  Plymouth  in  1628,  and 
had  a  house  lot  assigned  him  in  1629,  upon 
which  he  built  a  house  in  which  he  resided 
some  years.  It  is  a  family  tradition  that  he 
came  from  Essex  in  England.  In  1633  he  had 
another  house  lot  on  Kent  street.  In  1636  he 
had  eighty  acres  at  the  place  known  in  more 
recent  years  as  Union  Bridge  on  the  west  side 
of  North  river,  which  land  for  generations  re- 
mained  in   the  possession   of  his   descendants. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


865 


The  farm,  however,  upon  which  he  resided 
was  east  of  the  Coleman  hills.  He  was  a  use- 
ful and  enterprising  man  in  the  new  settle- 
ment, and  often  employed  in  public  business. 
He  was  decidedly  a  practical  man,  a  tanner 
by  trade,  erecting  a  tannery  as  early  as  1636. 
He  married  Lydia  Gamer,  who  died  before  he 
did.  His  death  occurred  in  1673.  He  left 
children  named  in  his  will  in  the  following 
order,  "John,  Joseph,  young  son  John,  Daniel, 
Nathaniel,  Thomas,  daughter  Mary  Barker, 
daughter  Lydia  Doughty,  grandchildren  Hum- 
phrey (son  of  Thomas),  Mary  Doughty,  Jona- 
than, Joseph  and  Ezekiel  (sons  of  John,  Sr.) 
and  Abigail,  daughter  of  Nathaniel." 

(II)  John  Turner,  son  of  Humphrey,  mar- 
ried Nov.  12,  1645,  Mary  Brewster,  daughter 
of  Jonathan,  the  eldest  son  of  Elder  William 
Brewster,  of  the  "Mayilower."  He  died  in 
Scituate  in  1687.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  were 
the  parents  of  thirteen  children. 

(III)  Philip  Turner,  son  of  John,  married 
Elizabeth  Nash,  and  their  children  were :  Ann, 
Elizabeth,  Grace,  Israel,  Nathaniel  and  Philip. 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Turner,  son  of  Philip,  mar- 
ried Mary  Bailey,  and  their  children  were: 
Elijah,   Nathaniel  and  Job. 

(V)  Elijah  Turner,  son  of  Nathaniel,  mar- 
ried Mary  Foster,  and  their  children  were: 
Temperance,  who  married  Joshua  Burr; 
Lucinda,  who  married  Abijah  Goodrich;  Lem- 
uel, who  married  Rosana  Ruggles;  Mary  (Pol- 
lie),  who  married  a  Burr;  Elijah  Bailey,  and 
Fanny.  The  father,  Elijah  Turner,  was  a 
prominent  and  well-known  man  in  his  day, 
serving  as  selectman  and  representative. 

(VI)  Elijah  Bailey  Turner,  born  Sept.  22, 
1794,  in  Norwell,  died  there  .March  23,  1865. 
He  married  Lucy  Standish,  and  to  them  were 
born  two  children:  Miles  Standish  and  Mary 
Bailey,  the  latter  now  the  wife  of  Robert  Syl- 
vester. Miles  Standish  Turner,  born  Aug.  26, 
1852,  married  (first)  Annie  Mackay,  who  died 
in  June,  1888,  the  mother  of  one  child,  Lucy 
M.,  and   (second)   Nannie  Webb. 

JOHN  J.  SHAW,  M.  D.  The  Shaw  family 
of  Plymouth,  Mass.,  whose  representative  head 
is  John  Joseph  Shaw,  M.  D.,  for  years  one  of 
the  leading  physicians  of  that  community,  is 
a  branch  of  the  East  Bridgewater  family  of 
that  name,  and  is  of  the  earlier  Weymouth 
Shaw  family,  the  progenitor  of  which  was 
Abraham  Shaw.  Various  members  of  this 
branch  of  the  Shaw  family  have  made  a  place 
for  themselves  in  the  history  of  the  learned 
professions,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned- 
the  Hon.  Lemuel  Shaw,  LL.  J).,  of  the  legal 

S5 


profession,  who  was  graduated  from  Harvard 
college  in  1800,  and  in  1830  became  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  judicial  court  of  Massa* 
chusetts,  holding  that  office  for  a  period  of 
thirty  years,  until  he  resigned,  Aug.  31,  1860. 
Dr.  John  J.  Shaw  is  also  descended  from 
"Mayflower"  ancestry,  being  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Mary  Chilton  and  of  Dr.  Samuel  Fuller, 
and  also  of  Elder  William  Brewster,  through 
the  wife  of  Doctor  Fuller,  who  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  Elder  Brewster;  and  he  is  closely 
connected  by  marriage  with  the  descendants 
of  many  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land. Among  Doctor  Shaw's  present  wife's 
kinsmen  of  more  than  ordinary  note  may  be 
mentioned  Nehemiah  R.  Knight,  governor  of 
Rhode  Island,  who  was  her  great-grandfather; 
the  late  Henry  Howard  and  Albert  C.  Howard, 
former  governor  and  lieutenant  governor,  re- 
spe<;tively,  of  Rhode  Island ;  and  James  Burrill 
Angell,  former  president  of  Michigan  Univer- 
sity. Governtir  Howard  was  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Howard,  of  Lynn,  Mass.,  and 
later  of  Enfield,  Conn.,  and  President  Angell 
is  a  direct  descendant  of  Thomas  Angell,  one 
of  the  founders  of  Providence  Plantations, 
coming  to  New  England  in  company  with 
Roger  Williams  in  1631,  in  the  ship  "Zjon." 
Doctor  Shaw's  lineage  with  the  Shaw  family 
history  follows,  in  chronological  order  from 
the  first  American  ancestor. 

(I)  Abraham  Shaw  and  his  wife,  Bridget 
Best,  came  from  the  village  of  Northowram, 
Parish  of  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England,  and 
settled  in  Watertown,  Mass.,  where  he  was  made 
a  freeman  March  9,  1636.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  to  subscribe  to  the  Covenant.  His  house 
was  burned  in  October,  1636,  and  he  soon  after 
sold  his  town  lot  and  farm  of  eight  and  a  half 
acres  and  removed  to  Dedham,  Mass.,  for  the 
incorporation  of  which  he,  with  his  eldest  son 
Joseph  and  twenty  others,  had  signed  a  peti- 
tion on  "the  6th  of  the  7th  month  (Sept.) 
1636."  With  his  associates  he  built  the  old 
dam  across  the  Charles  river  for  a  gristmill, 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  southwest  of 
the  new  bridge.  He  was  made  a  freeman 
March  9,  1637,  and  the  same  year  was  granted 
a  monopoly  of  one-half  of  the  coal  and  iron  to 
be  found  in  the  Common  Lands,  but  died  the 
next  year,  163f^.  His  will  bears  no  date,  but 
mentions  his  tor-i'lot  in  Dedham,  also  his  two 
sons  and  two  diiughters,  Joseph,  Mary,  John 
and  Martha,  the  latter  two  being  infants,  Jo- 
seph and  John  to  have  his  estate  in  Dedham. 

(II)  John  Shaw,  son  of  Abraham,  born  about 
1630,  in  Halifax,  Yorkshire,  England,  came  to 
New  England  and  maii^ied  Alice  Phillips,  of 


866 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Weymouth,  and  there  in  Weymouth  he  lived  all 
of  his  active  lifetime.  His  children,  all  born 
in  Weymouth,  were:  John,  born  about  1655; 
Elizabeth,  Feb.  26,  1656;  Abraham,  Oct.  10, 
1657;  Mary,  May  24,  1660;  Nicholas,  March 
23,  1662;  Joseph,  April  15,  1664;  Alice,  July 
6,  1666;  Hannah,  April  7,  1668;  Benjamin, 
born  June  16,  1670;  Abigail,  July  15,  1672; 
and  Ebenezer,  April  24,  1674. 

(III)  Joseph  Shaw,  son  of  John,  bom  April 
15,  1664,  married  Judith,  born  in  1669, 
daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Whitmarsh.  Mr. 
Shaw  removed  to  ancient  Bridgewater,  now 
the  town  of  East  Bridgewater,  before  1698. 
He  died  in  1718,  and  she  passed  away  in  1760, 
aged  ninety-one  years.  Their  children  were: 
Elizabeth,  born  in  1687  (married  Noah  Wash- 
burn) ;  Joseph,  born  in  1691;  Judith,  born' in 
1693;  Abigail,  born  in  1695  (married  Daniel 
Alden)  (all  these  born  in  Weymouth)  ;  Huth, 
born  in  1698  (married  James  Snow)  ;  Martha, 
born  in  1700  (married  Eleazer  Alden)  ;  Sarah, 
born  in  1702  (married  Deacon  James  Cary)  ; 
Hannah,  born  in  1704  (married  Isaac  Snow 
and  second  John  Whitman)  ;  Ebenezer,  born 
in  1706;  John,  born  in  1708;  and  Zachariah, 
born  in  1711. 

(IV)  Deacon  Zachariah  Shaw,  son  of  Joseph, 
born  in  1711,  in  East  Bridgewater,  married 
in  1733  Sarah,  daughter  of  Daniel  Packard. 
Deacon  Shaw  remained  on  the  family  estate  in 
East  Bridgewater.  He  died  in  1790,  aged 
seventy-nine  years;  she  died  in  1792,  aged 
seventy-seven  years.  Their  children  were : 
Sarah,  bom  in  1734  (married  Elijah  Snow) ; 
Euth,  born  in  1738  (married  Joseph  Snow)  ; 
Martha,  born  in  1740;  Daniel,  bom  in  1742; 
Elizabeth,  born  in  1744  (married  Obadiah 
Eeed)  ;  Judith,  born  in  1749  (married  John 
Edson)  ;  Zachariah,  born  in  1751 ;  and  Nehe- 
miah,  born  in  1753  (married  Molly  Hill  or 
Beal). 

(V)  Zachariah  Shaw,  son  of  Deacon  Zacha- 
riah, born  in  1751,  married  in  1770  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Sajnuel  Bisbee.  He  died  in  1820, 
and  she  in  183?,  "aged  eighty-two  years.  Their 
children  were  :    Joseph,  Sarah  and  Alvan. 

(VI)  Joseph  Shaw,  son  of  Zachariah  and 
Hannah  (Bisbee),  bom  in  1779,  married  in 
1805  (first)  Olive  Dike,  born  in  1782,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Dike,  Jr.,  and  granddaughter  of 
Samuel  Dike.  Mr.  Shaw  died  April  8,  1863, 
m  East  Bridgewater.  The  only  child  of  Joseph 
and  Olive  was  a  son,  Samuel  Dike. 

(VII)  Samuel  Dike  Shaw,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Olive  (Dike),  bom  Nov.  25,  1813,  on  the 
old  Shaw  homestead  in  East  Bridgewater, 
Mass.,   married    in     1839    Wealthy     Stickney 


Estes,  born  June  5,  1818,  in  Unity,  Maine,, 
daughter  of  James  and  Joanna  (Blithen) 
Estes,  of  Brunswick,  Maine,  and  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Sir  William  Thompson,  Knight, 
and  Baron  of  the  city  of  London,  England,  and 
also  a  direct  descendant  of  Eichard  Estes,  of 
Dover,  England,  who  came  to  America  in 
1684,  from  whom  his  descent  is  through  Ed- 
ward Estes  and  Edward  Estes  (2).  The  two- 
cliildren  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  were: 
Henry  W.  and  John  Joseph,  the  former  of 
whom  died  in  young  manhood  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years. 

Samuel  D.  Shaw  was  of  literary  tastes  and 
bent  and  it  was  the  intention  of  his  parents 
to  give  him  a  college  education,  but  his  pre- 
carious health  necessitated  the  abandonment 
of  this  plan.  They,  however,  started  him  out 
in  life  the  possessor  of  a  gristmill,  which  soon 
led  to  the  grain  business  as  an  adjunct,  and  of 
an  apt  business  turn  it  was  not  long  ere  through 
his  enterprise,  industry  and  the  careful  man- 
agement of  his  affairs  he  was  carrying  on  an 
extensive  wholesale  business,  as  well  as  retail, 
in  grain  and  flour,  and  in  all  the  requirements 
of  a  country  store.  He  also  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  "business,  controlling  a  mill  for  the 
manufacture  of  building  lumber.  He,  too,  at 
one  time,  was  interested  in  the  manufacture- 
of  tacks.  And  through  his  varied  business 
experiences  he  was  successful,  though  many 
times  unfortunate  in  sustaining  heavy  losses 
by  fire,  having  had  no  less  than  half  a  dozen 
damaging  fires  in  his  career. 

It  has  been  stated  that  Mr.  Shaw  was  of  a- 
literary  bent.  He  was  all  of  this,  and  through 
a  busy,  active  life  he  was  a  student  and  espe- 
cially gave  much  attention  to  the  natural  sci- 
ences. In  his  political  affiliations  he  was  a- 
Whig,  until  the  formation  of  the  Eepublican 
party,  when  he  became  identified  with  that  par- 
ty, with  which  he  ever  afterward  acted.  He 
was  an  earnest  opponent  of  slavery.  After 
his  retirement  from  active  business  he  made 
his  home  with  his  son,  in  Plymouth,  dying 
there  Nov.  29,  1905,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two- 
years.  His  wife  died  in  East  Bridgewater, 
where  both  are  buried. 

(VIII)  John  Joseph  Shaw,  M.  D.,  son  of 
Samuel  Dike  and  Wealthy  Stickney  (Estes) 
Shaw,  was  born  Aug.  11,  1842,  in  East  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.  He  acquired  his  early  education 
in  his  native  town,  attending  the  William 
Allen  Academy,  and  the  public  schools,  furth- 
ering his  studies  in  the  celebrated  State  nor- 
mal school  at  Bridgewater,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1863.  Having  a 
taste  for  medicine  he  began  his  study  in  the- 


LA^UC..*^^^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


867 


year  following  his  graduation.  He  was  grad- 
uated in  1867  from  the  Hygeio-Therapeutic 
College  of  New  York  City.  Later,  in  1872, 
he  took  a  post-graduate  course  at  the  Harvard 
Medical  School,  and  after  its  completion  locat- 
ed in  East  Bridgewater  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine, remaining  there  two  years.  In  October, 
1874,  he  removed  to  the  old  historic  town  of 
Plymouth,  which  has  ever  since  been  his  field 
of  labor  and  operation,  and  there  he  has  be- 
come the  "beloved  physician,"  has  grown  into 
an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice. 

Dr.  Shaw  is  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Homoeopathy.  He  is  an  original 
thinker,  and  a  clear  and  forcible  writer,  and, 
being  a  student,  has  kept  abreast  of  the  times 
in  the  profession.  Not  a  little  has  gone  from 
his  pen  to  the  medical  press,  and  before  medi- 
cal societies.  He  is  the  author  of  the  mono- 
graphs entitled  "The  Scientific  Basis  of  Homoe- 
opathy" and  "Why  I  am  a  Homoeopath."  He 
served  for  a  period  as  town  physician  of  Ply- 
mouth. 

He  is  a  member  of  Patuxet  Colony,  No.  103, 
Pilgrim  Fathers,  of  which  he  is  lieutenant 
governor ;  and  belongs  to  Mayflower  Lodge,  No. 
54,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  to  Plymouth  Rock  Lodge, 
No.  84,  A.  0.  U.  W.,  all  of  Plymouth.  He 
is  local  medical  examiner  for  both  the  frater- 
nities. 

Dr.  Shaw  has  traveled  abroad  to  some  ex- 
tent, visiting  Europe  in  the  year  1896.  He 
went  to  London  as  a  delegate  to  the  Interna- 
tional Homoeopathic  Medical  Congress,  and 
later  visited  Scotland,  Belgium,  Germany,  the 
Rhine,  Switzerland  and  Paris.  On  his  re- 
turn to  this  country  he  took  a  special  course 
at  the  New  York  Poet  Graduate  Medical  Col- 
lege and  Hospital.  He  again  visited  Europe 
in  1900.  In  1909,  accompanied  by  Mrs. 
Shaw,  he  made  a  trip  over  the  American  conti- 
nent, including  a  visit  to  the  exposition  at 
Seattle. 

Dr.  Shaw  has  been  twice  married,  marrying 
(first)  Persis  R.,  daughter  of  Alvin  Kingman, 
of  Keene,  N.  H.,  and  (second)  Edith  Luella, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Jeremiah  Knight  Aldrich,  of 
Warwick,  R.  I.,  and  a  direct  descendant  of 
George  Aldrich,  of  Derbyshire,  England,  who 
came  to  this  country  in  1631,  became  a  free- 
man at  Dorchester,  removed  to  Braintree  and 
later,  in  1663,  to  Mendon,  Massachusetts. 

Rev.  Jeremiah  K.  Aldrich,  the  father  of  Mrs. 
Shaw,  among  other  charges  served  as  pastor  of 
churches  in  Groton,  Rye  and  Nashua,  N.  H. 
He  was  the  author  of  "The  Day  of  Our  Sav- 
ior's Crucifixion." 


One  child  was  born  to  the  first  marriage  of 
Dr.  Shaw,  by  name  John  Holbrook  Shaw,  who 
was  graduated  in  1893  from  the  Harvard  Med- 
ical School  and,  in  1894,  from  the  Boston  Uni- 
versity, and  has  since  been  actively  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  Plymouth,  Mass. 
He  took  a  special  course  in  diseases  of  the  eye 
and  ear,  to  which  he  now  devotes  his  entire  at- 
tention, practicing  ih  Plymouth. 

Two  children  blessed  the  second  marriage  of 
Dr.  Shaw:  Lillian  Estes,  born  Oct.  13,  1881, 
died  May  16,  1895.  Joseph  Henry,  born 
Oct.  9,  1886,  graduated  from  Rock  Ridge 
school,  at  Wellesley  Hills,  Mass.,  and  then 
spent  a  year  and  a  half  as  a  student  at  the 
Massachusetts  School  of  Technology,  at  the  end 
of  wliich  time  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  his 
studies  on  account  of  ill  health;  he  is  now  pro- 
prietor of  the  Samoset  Garage,  of  Plymouth. 

WALTER  COPELAND  BRYANT.  The 
name  of  Bryant  has  been  of  record  in  New 
England  for  nearly  two  hundred  and  eighty 
years,  while  since  the  early  settlement  of  the 
North  parish  of  Bridgewater,  now  Brockton, 
members  of  the  family  have  played  a  promi- 
nent part  in  the  development  and  growth  of 
this  section  of  Massachusetts.  While  the  fam- 
ily is  not  an  exceptionally  numerous  one,  it 
has,  nevertheless,  sent  forth  into  the  world 
distinguished  sons  and  daughters,  none  of 
whom,  perhaps,  gained  a  more  renowned  repu- 
tation than  the  late  William  Cullen  Bryant, 
the  poet,  who  although  born  at  Cummington, 
Mass.,  Nov.  3,  1794,  was  really  a  North 
Bridgewater  product,  as  his  father,  Dr.  Peter 
Bryant,  a  physician,  and  his  mother  and 
grandfather.  Dr.  Philip  Bryant,  were  born  in 
North  Bridgewater,  where  William  Cullen 
Bryant  himself  lived  in  1814  and  1815,  at  the 
home  of  his  grandfather.  No.  815  Belmont 
street,  less  than  a  mile  from  the  Brockton  fair 
grounds  on  the  trolley  line  to  Taunton.  This 
house  is  still  known  as  the  William  Cullen 
Bryant  house,  and  it  was  here  the  young  man 
came  to  live  in  June,  1814,  to  study  law  with 
Judge  Baylies,  of  West  Bridgewater,  going 
back  and  forth  to  his  studies  on  horseback. 
"Thanatopsis"  was  written  and  published  in 
rough  draft  a  short  time  before  he  came  to 
North  Bridgewater,  and  he  brought  the  manu- 
script with  him.  "The  Inscription  for  the 
Entrance  to  a  Wood,"  one  of  his  best  poems, 
was  written  here,  and  "Yellow  Violets"  was 
written  just  before  leaving  North  Bridgewater, 
the  latter  being  composed  there  but  written  out 
during  a  short  visit  to  Cummington;  "Thana- 
topsis" in  its  finished  form  with  the  last  verse 


868  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

added  and  complete,  as  we  know  it,  emanated  Natlian,    Setli,    Job,    Gamaliel,    Phebe,    Ruth, 

from    the    North    Bridgewater    house.     "The  Sarah,    Anna   and    Prudence.      The   father   of 

Waterfowl,"   his   best  poem   in   the   estimation  these   children   died    Nov.    22,    1759,    and   the 

of  many,  was  composed  there,  even  if  not  put  mother  March  27,  1777,  aged  seventy-five, 
down  on  paper,  the  actual  writing  taking  place         (IV)   Job  Bryant,  son  of  Ichabod,  married 

just  after  he  left  North  Bridgewater,  its  tlieme  May  3,  17G4,  Mary  Turner,  and  their  children 

having  been  prompted  by  the  thought  of  being  were:  Anna,  born  in  1764;  Nathan,  1766;  Cal- 

a  young  lawyer  and  wondering  how  he  would  vin,   1768;  Job   Staples,   1772;  Thirza,   1774; 

get   his   living.      On   Aug.    15,    1815,   William  Oliver;  Clement;  Samuel;  Asa,  and  Harriet. 
Cullen    Bryant    left    North    Bridgewater    with         (V)   Oliver  Bryant,  son  of  Job,  married  in 

his  credentials  as  an  attorney  of  the  common  1804,  Nabby   (otherwise  Abigail),  daughter  of 

pleas  in  his  pocket,  having  lived  in  the  town  Timothy  Ames,  and  their  children  were :  Ziba, 

from  June,  1814,  a  little  over  a  year  and  two  born  Oct.   16,   1804;  Danville  Ames,  July  19, 

months.     His  grandfather.  Dr.   Philip  Bryant  1806;  Theron  Carver,  May  17,  1808;   George 

(died  in  1816),  and  his  grandmother.  Silence  Washington,    Aug.    4,    1810;    Abigail    Carver, 

Bryant  (died  in  1777),  are  buried  in  the  little  March  1,  1813;  Timothy  Ames,  Aug.  30,  1815; 

graveyard    just    west    of    the    Brockton    fair  Jane,  Jan.  19,  1820;  Charles,  July  25,  1822; 

grounds,   near   a   large   clump   of   white   birch  and  Edwin  Clark,  Feb.  10,  1825. 
trees,  their  gravestones  still  standing.     In  later         (VI)    George    Washington    Bryant,    son    of 

years  William  Cullen  Bryant  revisited  the  old  Oliver,    was    born    Aug.    4,    1810,    in    North 

home,    the    guest    of    his    kinsman,    the    late  Bridgewater,  now  Brockton,  in  that  section  of 

George  W.   Bryant,  grandfather  of  Walter   C.  the    town    now    known    as    Brockton    Heights. 

Bryant,    and    took   great    pleasure    in    viewing  He  married  Lucy  Washburn,  daughter  of  Bil- 

again  the   scenes  of  his  younger   days   in  the  dad  Washburn,  of  Kingston,  Mass.  Mr.  Bryant 

town.       The    poet's     brother,    John     Howard  was   a    manufacturer   of   marble   work    in   the 

Bryant,  who  was  also  a  gifted  poet,  visited  the  town   of   North    Bridgewater,    Mass.      He   was 

late  Henry  L.  Bryant  several  times  and  talked  justice  of  the  peace  and  trial  justice  for  Ply- 

at    length    of    William    Cullen's    year   in    the  mouth  county,  and  one  of  the  prominent  and 

North  parish  of  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),  influential   citizens   of   his   native   town.      The 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  article  to  treat  of  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.   Bryant  were: 

the  branch  of  the  Bryant  family  to  which  be-  George    Edward,    who    married    Elizabeth    C. 

longed  the  late  Henry  Lyman   Bryant,  in  his  Holmes,  and  is  now  deceased ;  Henry  Lyman, 

lifetime  one  of  the  progressive  and  enterprising  mentioned  below ;  and  Abby  Jane,  who  married 

citizens    of    Brockton,    and    his    son,    Walter  Fred  Hanson,  of  Brockton,  where  she  died. 
Copeland  Bryant,  who  for  a  number  of  years        (VII)  Henry  Lyman  Bryant,  son  of  George 

was  associated  with  his  father  in  various  busi-  Washington,    was    born    in    the    old    towti    of 

ness  enterprises.     The  genealogy  of  the  family,  North   Bridgewater,  in   the  old  Bryant  home, 

as  given  below,  is  in  chronological  order,  be-  which   stood   on   Main   street,   near   West   Elm 

ginning   with   the    first   American   ancestor   of  street,  the  present  site  of  the  Homestead  build- 

the  family.  ing    (whence  the  latter  takes  its  name),  May 

(I)  Stephen  Bryant,  the  progenitor  of  the  11,  1835.  He  received  a  common  school  edu- 
Bryants  in  and  about  the  Bridgewaters,  came  cation,  all  that  was  given  the  average  boy  of 
from  England  and  settled  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  his  day.  He  inherited  the  ambition,  industry 
as  early  as  1632,  and  there  married  Abigail  and  thrift  that  had  characterized  his  Puritan 
Shaw,  daughter  of  John  Shaw,  who  came  from  ancestors,  and  he  was  determined  to  work  for 
England  with  him.  Their  children  were :  himself.  One  of  his  first  aspirations  was  to 
John,  Mary,  Stephen,  Jr.,  Sarah,  Lydia  and  succeed  in  business.  He  wanted  to  be  a  self- 
Elizabeth.                    .  made  man,  and  as  the  years  rolled  on  he  most 

(II)  Stephen  Bryant  (2),  son  of  Stephen  assuredly  realized  his  dream,  and  his  fortune 
and  Abigail,  married  Mehitable,  and  their  chil-  was  all  of  his  own  making.  As  a  small  boy 
dren  were :  Stephen,  David,  William,  Hannah,  he  started  out  as  a  newsboy — the  first  in  his 
Ichabod  and  Timothy.  town — sending  to  Boston  and  having  sent  him 

(III)  Ichabod  Bryant,  son  of  Stephen  (2),  each  Saturday  two  copies  of  the  Boston  Bee, 
was  born  July  5,  1699,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  Boston  Daihi  Star  and  Boston  Daily  Mail. 
whence  he  moved  to  the  North  parish  (after-  He  sold  his  first  paper  to  Benjamin  Kingman, 
ward  North  Bridgewater,  and  now  Brockton)  who  admired  his  grit  and  energy,  and  by  hard 
during  the  early  settlement.  He  married  Ruth  work  he  disposed  of  his  first  consignment  by 
Staples,     and     their    children     were:     Philip,  the  following  Tuesday  night — there  not  being 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


S69 


then  the  frantic  desire  for  news  of  the  world 
evinced  by  later  generations.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  his  business  ventures,  and  in  a 
short  time  he  had  built  up  a  profitable  paper 
route.  His  optimistic  spirit  did  not  let  him 
stop  here.  When  twenty-one  years  old  he  went 
to  Randolph,  then  quite  a  town  compared  with 
North  Bridgewater,  and  opened  a  clothing 
store,  but  conditions  were  not  good  and  he 
soon  gave  it  up.  Returning  then  to  North 
Bridgewater,  he  and  his  brother  George  E. 
purcliased  of  the  late  Henry  W.  Robinson  his 
entire  stock  of  clothing,  and  under  the  firm 
name  of  G.  E.  &  H.  L.  Bryant  established  the 
first  exclusive  clothing  store  in  the  town,  their 
business  being  located  at  Main  and  Centre 
streets,  where  the  Bryant  building  now  stands. 
At  that  time  the  structure  consisted  of  three 
wooden  sheds,  so  connected  in  front  as  to  look 
like  one  building.  The  brothers  had  the  south 
and  middle  rooms,  and  they  built  up  a  good 
business,  continuing  some  years  after  the  war. 
Late  in  the  sixties  Mr.  Henry  L.  Bryant  sold 
his  interest  in  the  business  to  his  brother. 

Mr.  Bryant  purchased  the  property  at  Main 
and  East  Elm  streets,  and  although  warned  by 
others  that  his  plan  was  rash,  he  determined 
to  put  up  a  large  brick  building.  On  the 
property  were  three  houses,  in  one  of  which 
his  son  Walter  Copeland  was  born.  He  had 
infinite  faith  in  the  future  of  Brockton,  how- 
ever, and  moving  the  three  houses  away 
erected,  in  1871,  the  Opera  House  building, 
or  Music  Hall,  as  it  was  generally  known. 
This  was  the  third  brick  building  in  Brockton. 
It  contained  the  largest  hall  in  the  town,  and 
there  some  of  the  most  important  events  in 
the  history  of  the  town  took  place.  As  the 
town  grew  the  needs  for  a  larger  hall  became 
manifest,  and  Mr.  Bryant  altered  and  rebuilt 
the  property  as  the  Brockton  Opera  House,  he 
liimself  becoming  the  manager.  His  interest 
in  amateur  theatricals  led  him  into  the  busi- 
ness as  theatrical  manager.  In  the  early  days, 
as  a  member  of  the  Jackwood  Dramatic  Club, 
formed  in  1865,  and  named  from  their  first 
play,  "Neighbor  Jackwood,"  he  attained  note 
as  an  actor.  The  second  play  of  the  club  was 
the  old  Southern  drama,  "The  Octoroon,"  and 
his  characterization  of  Wah-No-Tee,  the  In- 
dian, left  so  vivid  an  impression  that  it  was 
talked  of  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  afterward ; 
and  every  time  that  play  was  revived,  even  as 
late  as  in  the  eighties,  he  was  a  conspicuous 
figure.  While  he  played  in  some  half  dozen 
plays  he  was  usually  the  business  manager, 
and  the  unfailing  success  that  attended  the 
efforts  of  the  Jackwoods  was  largely  attributed 


to  his  management  and  advertising.  During 
his  career  as  manager  Brockton  was  given  the 
best  the  country  afforded  in  the  theatrical  line. 
Mr.  Bryant  was  a  personal  friend  of  such 
actors  as  Joseph  Jefferson,  Lawrence  Barrett, 
Frank  Mayo,  Nat  C.  Goodwin,  John  B.  Mason, 
George  Rignold,  Signer  Brignoli  (the  singer), 
Margaret  Mather,  Lotta,  Maggie  Mitchell  and 
many  others.  As  these  nearly  all  in  those  days 
were  with  the  road  companies,  he  was  success- 
ful in  having  them  visit  Brockton.  The  Opera 
House  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1886,  and  that 
ended  his  career  as  a  manager.  A  new  build- 
ing was  erected  on  the  ashes  of  the  old,  and 
while  it  still  retains  the  name  it  is  used  for 
commercial  purposes.  In  the  early  eighties 
Mr.  Bryant  erected  the  Crescent  block,  corner 
of  Main  and  Crescent  streets,  and  in  1885  the 
Church  block  (adjoining  the  Opera  House 
block  on  Main  street),  and  he  was  also  inter- 
ested in  other  property.  For  many  years  he 
was  one  of  the  largest  taxpayers  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Bryant's  beautiful  home  was  erected  on 
West  Elm  street  in  1878,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
of  the  attractive  homes  on  that  street.  Although 
he  was  devoted  to  his  home,  Mr.  Bryant  was 
also  fond  of  travel,  in  which  pleasure  he  in- 
dulged extensively,  not  only  in  this  country 
but  among  foreign  countries  as  well.  Four 
times  he  had  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  had 
visited  France,  Italy,  Switzerland,  Holland, 
England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  Germany,  Aus- 
tria, Belgium,  and  other  countries.  Rome 
especially  held  many  attractions  for  him,  and 
her  wealth  of  historical  associations  wrought  a 
lasting  impression  upon  him.  He  was  one  of 
the  oldest  members  of  the  Church  of  the  New 
Jerusalem,  though  for  some  years  before  his 
death  he  attended  the  Church  of  the  Unity. 
He  belonged  to  no  fraternal  organization,  and 
took  but  little  interest  in  politics,  never  aspir- 
ing to  public  office.  His  political  affiliations 
were  with  the  Republican  party.  For  several 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Commercial 
Club,  of  Brockton. 

Mr.  Bryant  was  three  times  married.  On 
May  11,  1856,  he  married  Rebecca  Porter 
Copeland,  who  was  bo.rn  Nov.  27,  1838, 
daughter  of  Marcus  and  Rebecca  (Porter) 
Copeland,  of  North  Bridgewater,  who  was  also 
a  descendant  of  historic  New  England  ances- 
try, she  being  of  the  seventh  generation  from 
Lawrence  Copeland,  of  Braintree,  Mass.,  and 
also  a  granddaughter  of  Maj.  Cyrus  Porter,  of 
Stoughton,  Mass.  This  union  was  blessed  with 
two  sons:  Henrv  Shelton,  born  Jan.  29,  1858, 
died  Jan.  31,  "'1858;  and  Walter  Copeland, 
born  Oct.  8,  1867,  is  mentioned  below.     Mrs. 


870 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Bryant  died  Nov.  15,  1875.  Mr.  Bryant  mar- 
ried (second)  July  2,  1877,  Lizzie  Jane  Wash- 
burn, daughter  of  Elisha  and  Elizabeth  Alma 
(Kingman)  Washburn,  of  North  Bridgewater, 
and  she  died  Jan.  28,  1881,  without  issue.  On 
Feb.  8,  1882,  Mr.  Bryant  married  (third) 
Helen  B.,  daughter  of  William  and  Ann  Bur- 
gess, of  Thomaston,  Maine,  who  survives  him. 

Throughout  his  last  illness,  which  lasted  for 
some  months,  Mr.  Bryant  never  lost  his  inter- 
est in  affairs,  and  at  no  time  did  he  seem  to 
despair,  being  cheerful  to  the  last.  His  busi- 
ness matters  were  left  in  perfect  condition,  but 
order  was  characteristic  of  him  always.  He 
loved  Brockton,  delighted  in  telling  of  its  early 
flays,  and  all  Brockton  loved  him.  He  passed 
Bway  at  his  home  April  23,  1908 — a  man  who 
commanded  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  his  long  and  useful  life  had 
been  passed. 

(VIII)  Walter  Copeland  Bryant,  son  of  the 
late  Henry  Lyman  and  Rebecca  Porter  (Cope- 
land),  was  born  Oct.  8,  1867,  in  North  Bridge- 
water,  and  after  attending  the  common  and 
high  schools  of  his  native  town  took  a  special 
business  course  at  Beckers  &  Bradford's  busi- 
ness college,  Boston.  After  leaving  school  Mr. 
Bryant  established  himself  in  the  crockery  and 
household  furnishings  business,  in  which  he 
continued  for  about  two  years  under  the  firm 
style  of  W.  C.  Bryant  &  Co.  Disposing  of 
his  interests  in  the  business  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  father,  under  the  name  of 
H.  L.  &  W.  C.  Bryant,  engaging  in  the  bro- 
kerage and  real  estate  business,  and  thus  con- 
tinued until  the  father's  death,  since  which 
time  Mr.  W.  C.  Bryant  lias  conducted  the  same 
business  alone,  together  with  attending  to  the 
management  of  his  father's  estate.  Mr.  Bry- 
ant is  a  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the 
Eepublican  party,  but  like  his  father  has  never 
aspired  to  public  office. 

On  Jan.  21,  1891,  Mr.  Bryant  was  married 
to  Maria  0.  Robinson,  daughter  of  the  late 
Capt.  Edwin  A.  and  Amelia  (Waldo)  Robin- 
son, of  Thomaston,  Maine.  Capt.  Edwin  A. 
Robinson  was  a  sea  captain,  for  a  number  of 
years  master  of  a  fast  clipper  ship  engaged 
in  the  China  trade,  and  for  several  years  prior 
to  his  death  was  president  of  the  Thomaston 
National  bank.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bryant  have 
been  born  two  children :  Waldo  Robinson,  born 
Oct.  6,  1892 ;  and  Mildred  Copeland,  March  7, 
1896.  Mr.  Bryant  and  his  family  reside  in  a 
pleasant  modern  home  at  No.  374  West  Elm 
street,  which  lie  erected  in  1893.  Like  his 
father,  he  is  of  a  retiring  nature  and  is  un- 
assuming in  his  manners. 


Mr.  Bryant  has,  up  to  the  present  time 
(1911),  made  four  voyages  to  Europe,  going 
on  the  various  journeys  from  Naples  to  Nor- 
way and  Ireland  to  Vienna,  and  has  traveled 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  from  St.  John, 
N.  B.,  to  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  and  from  Hud- 
son Bay  Post,  Quebec,  to  Kingston,  British 
West  Indies.  During  the  past  fifteen  years  he 
has  formed  a  collection  of  works  of  art  by 
modern  American  masters,  representing 
Dwight  W.  Tryon,  Homer  D.  Martin,  Alex. 
H.  Wyant,  Edmund  C.  Tarbell,  Thomas  W. 
Dewing,  Charles  H.  Davis,  Thomas  Eakins, 
Winslow  Homer,  James  McN.  Whistler,  Wil- 
liam M.  Chase,  Theodore  Wendel,  J.  Alden 
Wier,  Childe  Hassam,  John  J.  Enneking,  John 
H.  Twachtman,  Kenyon  Cox,  Abbott  Graves, 
Louis  Kronberg,  and  others;  also  a  collection 
of  Japanese  works  by  Hokusai  and  his  school. 
In  this  work  Mr.  Bryant  has  been  greatly 
assisted  by  the  refined  taste,  skill  and  judg- 
ment of  his  wife,  who  has  visited  with  him 
many  of  America's  well  known  artists,  and  she 
has  traveled  with  him  on  two  voyages  to 
Europe.  Mr.  Bryant  has  also  composed  con- 
siderable music  for  our  national  musical  in- 
strument, the  banjo,  including  a  suite,  "The 
Rain,"  "The  Wave"  and  "The  Pine  Trees." 
He  has  also  published  a  set  of  studies  for  the 
banjo.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Copley  Society 
of  Boston. 

JACOB  BAKER  HADLEY.  For  nearly 
seventy  years  the  Hadley  family  has  been 
prominently  identified  with  New  Bedford's 
business  interests,  and  while  Hadley  is  not 
an  old  Dartmouth  name  it  is  an  ancient  one  in 
the  Commonwealth,  and  of  historic  interest 
inasmuch  as  it  was  represented  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  Revolution  at  Lexington  as  well  as  in 
the  ranks  throughout  that  struggle.  Jacob 
Baker  Hadley,  a  well-known  and  highly  re- 
spected citizen  and  business  man  of  New  Bed- 
ford, was  born  in  Newton,  Mass.,  July  10, 
1814,  and  it  is  with  the  branch  of  the  family 
of  which  he  was  a  member  this  article  will 
deal. 

One  George  Hadley,  planter  and  yeoman, 
appears  early  at  Ipswich,  of  which  place  he 
was  a  proprietor  before  1639.  He  removed  to 
Rowley  about  1655.  The  surname  of  his  first 
wife  was  Proctor.  He  married  (second)  in 
1668  Deborah  Skillings.  His  children  were: 
John,  Samuel,  Martha,  Abigail  and  Elizabeth. 
It  is  from  this  George  Hadley  that  Dr.  Hadley, 
president  of  Yale  University,  is  descended. 

The  Hadley,  or  Headley,  name  first  appears 
in  the  Lexington   (Mass.)   records  about  1740, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


871 


but  from  what  place  the  family  came  to  that 
town  seems  uncertain.  Thomas  Hadley  mar- 
ried April  15,  1741,  Ruth,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth  Lawrence.  He  is  said  by  Hud- 
son to  have  probably  been  a  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Mehetabel  Hadley,  and  was  of  Groton, 
Mass.,  born  Aug.  11,  1712.  He  died  July  15, 
1788,  aged  seventy-five  years.  Hudson  re- 
marks that  the  records  of  the  family  are  very 
imperfect  and  that  tradition  but  poorly  sup- 
plies the   defect. 

This  Thomas  Hadley,  of  Lexington,  was  a 
member  of  the  gallant  band  who  appeared  un- 
der Captain  Parker  in  1775,  and  it  would  seem 
that  all  of  his  sons,  saving  the  youngest,  who 
was  not  old  enough,  entered  the  Revolution 
and  served  pretty  much  throughout  the  war. 
One  of  these,  Samuel  Hadley,  died  for  free- 
dom on  the  first  morning  of  the  Revolution, 
at  Lexington,  April  19,  1775,  and  his  memoi^ 
is  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen. 

The  children  of  Thomas  and  Ruth  (Law- 
rence) Hadley  were:  Elizabeth,  born  May  11, 
1742;  Thomas,  July  3,  1744;  Samuel,  July  9, 
1746;  Ruth,  May  15,  1749;  Ebenezer,  May  5, 
1751;  Thomas  (2),  July  8,  1754;  Benjamin, 
July  25,  1756;  Ruth,  June  1,  1759;  Simon, 
July  26,  1761;  Sarah,  Nov.  26,  1764;  Mary, 
May  20,  1767;  and  John,  Aug.  6,  1770.  The 
mother  of  these  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of 
Binety-four  years,  dying  May  26,  1819. 

John  Hadley,  son  of  Thomas  and  Ruth, 
born  Aug.  6,  1770,  married  Elizabeth  Baker. 
He  became  a  well  and  favorably  known  busi- 
ness man  of  Boston  or  vicinity,  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  shoes.  He  died  at  Cam- 
bridge in  1818.  To  John  and  Elizabeth  (Ba- 
ker) Hadley  were  born:  Humphrey;  William; 
John;  Thomas;  Albert;  Jacob  Baker;  and 
George,  who  died  in  New  Zealand  in  Septem- 
ber,   1905. 

Jacob  Baker  Hadley,  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth, was  born  July  10,  1814,  in  Newton, 
Mass.  His  father  dying  when  he  was  but  four 
years  of  age,  he  went  to  live  with  his  maternal 
grandparents,  farming  people,  to  whom  he  was 
indebted  for  his  early  training.  As  was  then 
the  custom  of  the  boys  of  the  general  farmer 
young  Hadley  assisted  with  the  farm  work  in 
season,  and  attended  the  neighborhood  school 
through  the  winters  during  his  early  boyhood. 
When  perhaps  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  age 
he  was  apprenticed  to  the  baker's  trade  at  Med- 
ford,  and  so  apt  was  he  in  his  new  work  that 
after  having  served  the  term  of  his  indenture, 
young  as  he  was,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  baking  business  of  his  brothers,  Albert  and 
William  Hadley,  at  Lynn,  Mass.     Being  econ- 


omical and  saving,  he  in  1841  was  able  to  go 
into  business  for  himself,  choosing  New  Bed- 
ford as  a  location.  In  this  city  he  bought  out 
the  business  of  Charles  F.  Allen,  who  had  been 
carrying  on  a  small  bakery  on  School  street. 
Young  Hadley  opened  an  establishment  on 
Water  street,  near  School,  and  in  1849,  so 
satisfactorily  had  he  progressed  and  so  suc- 
cessfully had  he  conducted  his  business,  he 
erected  a  large  bakery  on  a  site  on  Water  street 
between  School  and  Walnut  streets.  He 
equipped  the  new  building  with  the  latest  im- 
proved machinery,  and  began  the  manufacture 
of  ship's  bread  on  an  extensive  scale,  and 
commenced  to  cater  to  the  trade  of  New  Bed- 
ford and  vicinity,  putting  a  number  of  wagons 
on  the  road  for  the  purpose,  and  it  was  not 
long  ere  "Hadley's  Bakery"  was  known  far  and 
wide  through  this  section  and  its  owner  was 
enjoying  a  prosperous  and  successful  trade. 

Through  his  business  connection  with  ship 
owners  Mr.  Hadley  early  became  quite  exten- 
sively interested  in  whale  shipping  and  contin- 
ued his  identity  with  the  same  for  many  years 
after  he  withdrew  from  the  bakjng  business.  In 
1856  he  disposed  of  his  baking  business,  selling 
it  to  Messrs.  David  A.  Snell  and  Charles  D. 
Capen.  Four  years  later,  associated  with  Mr. 
Lorenzo  Pierce,  he  began  the  business  of  refin- 
ing crude  petroleum  oil,  locating  for  the  pur- 
pose in  Willis  Point,  and  by  the  way  it  is  a 
matter  of  history  that  this  firm  of  Hadley  & 
Pierce  were  the  forerunners — the  pioneers — of 
this  industry  in  the  New  Bedford  section. 
Under  the  judicious  management  of  Mr.  Had- 
ley and  his  associate  this  new  business  grew 
rapidly  and  they  were  soon  giving  employment 
to  quite  a  large  number  of  persons,  and  were 
themselves  meeting  with  that  success  their  en- 
terprising efforts  deserved.  Their  trade  was 
largely  with  the  near-by  cities  of  Boston  and 
Providence.  So  successful  were  they  that  it 
was  not  a  great  while  until  the  business  was 
merged  into  that  of  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
pany. Long  ere  this,  however,  Mr.  Hadley  had 
gotten  into  easy  circumstances,  and  in  a  com- 
paratively short  time  he  withdrew  from  active 
imsiness,  yet  continued  an  oversight  and  the 
real  management  of  his  whaling  interests. 

Mr.  Hadley's  political  affiliations  were  with 
the  Democratic  party,  stanch  and  strong  in  the 
advocacy  of  that  party's  principles.  His  party, 
too.  in  recognition  of  his  loyalty,  often  made 
him  the  standard  bearer  for  office.  Mr.  Had- 
ley was  prominent  in  fraternal  life.  He  was 
a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  holding  mem- 
bership in  Star  in  the  East  Tvodge,  and  Sutton 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  being  a  char- 


872 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ter  member  of  the  latter  and  its  treasurer  from 
time  of  organization  until  his  death,  a  period 
of  thirty-five  years.  He  was  for  nearly  fifty 
years  a  member  of  Acushnet  Lodge,  I.  0.  0. 
P.,  and  later  a  member  of  Pacific  Lodge  of 
that  order. 

Mr.  Hadley  was  twice  married,  marrying 
(first)  in  March,  1843,  Ann  Elizabeth  Leathe, 
of  Lynn,  Mass.,  who  died  Oct.  21,  1889,  and 
is  buried  in  Oak  Grove  cemetery,  at  New  Bed- 
ford. In  March,  1897,  he  married  (second) 
Emma  Paisler  Bucklin,  who  survives  and 
makes  her  home  in  New  Bedford.  Mr.  Hadley 
died  Oct.  12,  1899,  and  is  buried  in  Oak  Grove 
cemetery.  His  children  were :  George  T.,  de- 
ceased; Frank  E.,  deceased,  who  married 
Susan  E.  Driggs,  of  New  Bedford ;  Eugene 
Jacob;  John  D. ;  and  Lizzie  J.,  deceased,  Avho 
married  Joseph  A.  Taber,  of  New  Bedford, 
and  had  two  children,  Annie  Hadley  (who 
married  W.  H.  Gidley)  and  Edgar  F. 

Edgene  Jacob  Hadley,  son  of  Jacob  Baker 
and  Ann  Elizabeth  (Leathe)  Hadley,  was 
born  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  where  he 
attended  the  public  schools.  He  was  also  a 
student  in  the  Fairhaven  schools,  after  which 
he  entered  Cornell  University,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1871  with  the  degree  of  B. 
S. ;  later  he  took  the  degree  of  civil  engineer, 
187.'j,  at  Cornell.  Returning  to  his  home  in 
New  Bedford  lie  began  active  work  as  a  civil 
engineer,  after  a  time  taking  up  the  study  of 
law.  He  entered  the  Boston  University  Law 
School,  and  graduating  in  1875  with  the  de- 
gree of  LL.  B.  was  admitted  to  the  Suffolk 
county  bar.  He  then  entered  the  law  offices 
of  the  late  Gen.  Benjamin  F.  Butler  and 
Edwin  L.  Barney,  and  has  for  thirty-six  years 
been  practicing  before  all  the  courts  in  the 
State,  and  the  United  States  Supreme  court 
at  Washington.  He  is  a  justice  of  the  peace 
and  notary  public.  In  politics  he  is  an  inde- 
pendent Democrat.  His  home  is  in  New  Bed- 
ford, where  he  has  many  friends.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi  fraternity. 

FREDERIC  AUGUSTUS  WASHBURN, 
late  of  New  Bedford,  was  for  many  years  of  his 
life  a  well-known  banker  of  that  city  and  one 
of  its  leading  and  most  beloved  citizens.  He 
was  a  native  of  New  Bedford,  born  Jan.  5, 
1834,  son  of  Marsena  and  Lucy  (Gifford) 
Washburn. 

This  Washburn  family  is  an  old  and  hon- 
ored one  of  New  England.  (I)  John  Wash- 
burn, the  first  of  the  name  who  settled  in 
America,  was  a  native  of  Evesham,  Worcester- 
shire,  England,   came  early  to   New  England, 


being,  of  record  in  1632  at  Duxbury,  and  is 
named  in  the  assessment  of  taxes  in  1633.  He 
bought  land  in  1634.  His  wife  Margery,  aged 
forty-nine,  with  sons  John,  aged  fourteen,  and 
Philip,  aged  eleven,  came  in  the  "Elizabeth" 
in  1635.  Father  and  sons  were  included  in 
those  able  to  bear  arms,  1643,  and  the  father's 
name  is  among  the  first  freemen  of  Duxbury. 
The  John  Washburn  who  was  the  first  secre- 
tary of  the  Plymouth  Council  in  England  is 
believed  by  some  to  be  the  elder  John  Wash- 
burn alluded  to  above.  John  Washburn  of 
Duxbury  and  his  son  John  were  among  the 
original  fifty-four  persons  who  became  pro- 
prietors of  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts,  in 
1645,  and  they  and  Philip  became  resident  set- 
tlers here  in  South  Bridgewater  as  early  as 
1665.  The  father  died  before  1670.  It  is  not 
found  that  Philip  left  either  wife  or  children. 

(II)  John  Washburn  (2),  born  in  1621,  in 
England,  came  to  New  England  as  stated  with 
his  mother  in  1635  in  the  "Elizabeth,"  and 
became  an  original  proprietor  of  Bridgewater 
and  a  resident  there  as  early  as  1665.  He 
married  in  1645  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Exper- 
ience Mitchell.  Mr.  Washburn  sold  in  1670 
the  house  and  land  that  his  father  gave  him  at 
Green  Harbor,  Duxbury.  His  will  was  made 
in  1686.  His  children  were:  John,  married 
Rebecca  Lapham;  Thomas  married  (first)  Ab- 
igail Leonard  and  (second)  Deliverance  Pack- 
ard ;  Joseph  married  Hannah  Latham ;  Samuel 
married  Deborah  Packard;  Jonathan  married 
Mary  Vaughn ;  Benjamin  died  on  the  Phipps 
expedition  to  Canada ;  Mary  married  Samuel 
Kinsley;  Elizabeth  married  (first)  James 
Howard  and  (second)  Edward  Seeley;  Jane 
married  William  Orcutt,  Jr. ;  James  married 
Mary  Bowden ;  Sarah  married  John  Ames. 

(III)  Sergt.  Samuel  Washburn,  son  of  John 
(2),  married  Deborah,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Packard,  and  their  children  were :  Samuel, 
born  in  1678;  Noah,  born  in  1682;  Israel,  born 
in  1684;  Nehemiah,  born  in  1686;  Benjamin; 
and  Hannah.  The  father  died  in  1720,  aged 
sixty-nine,  and  left  a  will  by  which  it  appears 
Noah  and  Israel  were  then  dead.  Hannah 
married  in  1711  John  Keith. 

(IV)  Capt.  Benjlamin  Washburn,  son  of 
Sergt.  Samuel,  married  in  1715  Susanna  Or- 
cutt,  and  their  children  were:  Benjamin,  Jona- 
than and  others. 

(V)  Benjamin  Washburn  (2),  son  of  Capt. 
Benjamin,  was  born  in  December,  1718.  He 
married  (first)  Susannah  Battles,  who  died 
Jan.  26,  1744,  aged  twenty-three  years,  and 
(second)  Marv  Cushman,  who  was  bom  Oct.  4, 
1725,  and  died  Nov.  28,  1808,  and  their  chil- 


^;:7^,i^,^^li>^^.?j^^;^^^?.^^^.t;^ 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


873 


dren  were:  Susannah,  born  May  29,  1749; 
Mary  (or  Moll v),  born  June  8,  1751;  Eunice, 
born  Sept.  5,  1753;  Asa,  born  Oct.  9,  1756; 
Joshua,  born  Sept.  24,  1759;  Olive,  born  Mav 
26,  1765;  and  Keziah,  born  Oct.  16,  1769.  Of 
these,  Susannah  married  in  1772  James  Hoop- 
er, Jr.;  and  Keziah  married  Andrew  Conant. 
Benjamin  Washburn,  the  father,  died  in  1812, 
aged  ninety-four  years. 

(VI)  Joshua  Washburn,  son  of  Benjamin 
(2),  was  born  Sept.  24,  1759,  in  Bridgewater, 
and  died  there  May  14,  1832.  He  married  in 
1786  Lovisa  Rickard,  born  Feb.  16,  1763,  died 
Dec.  10,  1831,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Susanna 
(Packard)  Rickard,  and  their  children  were: 
Susannah,  born  Dec.  14,  1787;  Marsena,  born 
Dec.  8,  1789;  Joshua,  born  Dec.  10,  1791; 
Benjamin,  born  April  30,  1796;  Isaac,  born 
July  13,  1799;  Eunice,  born  Nov.  4,  1801;  and 
Charles,  born  March  7,  1807. 

(VII)  Marsena  Washburn,  son  of  Joshua 
and  Lovisa  (Rickard),  was  born  Dec.  8,  1789, 
in  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  where  he 
attended  school.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
he  went  to  Roxbury,  Mass.,  where  he  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  he  later  located  at 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  he  followed  his  trade.  The 
region  at  that  time  was  but  sparsely  settled. 
He  subsequently,  about  1820,  came  to  New 
Bedford,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  following  his  trade  and  also  making 
candle  boxes  and  ship  bellows,  etc.  A  natural 
mechanic,  he  could  make  almost  anything  from 
wood  with  tools.  He  built  a  home  on  Third 
street,  in  New  Bedford,  when  that  street  was 
in  the  choice  residential  section,  and  later  re- 
sided on  Grinnell  street.  On  account  of  fail- 
ing eyesight  he  withdrew  from  active  work 
about  the  middle  fifties  and  spent  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  in  retirement.  He  died  at  the 
home  of  his  son  Frederic  A.  Washburn,  where 
he  spent  his  declining  years,  April  13,  1876,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six  years,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Rural  cemetery  at  New  Bedford.  An  esteemed 
and  respected  citizen,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Trinitarian  Church  .at  New  Bedford;  he  was 
a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican  in  politics.  As 
a  man  and  a  citizen  he  was  useful  in  every  re- 
lation of  life.  On  Dec.  3,  1823,  Mr.  Wash- 
bum  married  Lucy,  born  Sept.  28,  1802, 
daughter  of  Elihu  and  Mary  (Polly)  (Gifford) 
GifFord.  Mrs.  Washburn  died  Sept.  30,  1853, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Rural  cemetery.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  (1) 
Caroline  E.,  born  Oct.  7,  1824,  married  Feb. 
7,  1855,  Charles  C.  Saver,  who  died  March 
17,  1883,  Mrs.  Sayer  dying  Oct.  7,  1908;  they 
had  two  children,  Caroline  Mather,  born  Aug. 


3,  1856,  and  Frederic  Lincoln,  born  May  6, 
1867,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  Brooklyn,  N. 
Y.,  Nov.  23,  1906.  (2)  Mary  Gifford,  born 
Oct.  24,  1826,  died  July  19,  1906.  She  was 
a  school  teacher  in  New  Bedford.  (3)  Lucy 
Merritt,  born  Oct.  12,  1830,  died  June  27, 
1903.  (4)  Frederic  Augustus  was  born  Jan. 
5,  1834.  (5)  Annie  Morton,  born  April  23, 
1838,  resides  in  New  Bedford. 

(VIII)  Frederic  Augustus  Washburn,  only 
son  of  Marsena  and  Lucy  (Gifford)  Washburn, 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city 
until  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  when  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Merchants'  National 
Bank  in  New  Bedford,  and  for  twenty  years 
continued  in  its  service,  during  the  later  years 
of  that  period  as  cashier.  He  left  this  institu- 
tion in  1870  to  become  assistant  treasurer  of 
the  New  Bedford  Institution  for  Savings,  tak- 
ing the  place  of  the  late  Charles  H.  Pierce 
(who  at  that  time  succeeded  the  late  William 
C.  Coffin  as  treasurer),  a  relation  he  sustained 
to  the  bank  for  thirty-seven  years,  completing 
the  long  service  of  fifty-seven  years  in  the 
employ  of  the  two  institutions.  Mr.  Wash- 
burn has  been  accorded  high  praise  by  his  as- 
sociates in  both  banks.  He  was  most  faithful 
to  the  trusts  imposed  on  him,  his  many  high 
qualities  winning  for  him  the  respect  and  es- 
teem of  those  who  came  to  know  him  inti- 
mately. 

•  Aside  from  his  duties  as  bank  official  Mr. 
Washburn  was  active  along  many  lines.  In 
his  early  life  he  was  a  member  of  the  Fourth 
Street  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  for 
many  years  before  his  death  he  had  been  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  Trinitarian  Church, 
and  he  served  the  church  well  in  many  capaci- 
ties; was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
deacon  and  senior  deacon,  and  for  years  super- 
intendent of  the  Bible  school.  As  a  teacher 
in  the  Bible  school  through  a  long  period  he 
came  in  close  contact  with  both  the  younger 
and  older  people  of  the  church,  and  the  asso- 
ciation was  highly  treasured  by  all.  He  had 
also  held  some  of  the  minor  positions  in  the 
church,  and  in  all  of  them  he  displayed  that 
quality  of  fidelity  that  made  his  contribution 
of  work  highly  effective.  He,  too,  had  been 
prominently  identified  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A., 
of  New  Bedford,  serving  it  both  as  treasurer 
and  president.  He  was  treasurer  of  the  Tabor 
Academy  Corporation,  and  Washburn  Dormi- 
tory, connected  with  the  academy,  at  Marion, 
Mass.,  built  in  1905-06,  was  named  in  his 
honor.  The  building  was  dedicated  March 
5,  1906,  the  speaker  on  the  occasion  being 
Eev.   M.   C.   Julien,  who,  in  an  address  and 


874 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


speaking  for  the  trustees,  said:  "As  their 
spokesman  I  am  authorized  to  announce  that 
it  has  been  agreed  to  name  this  building  in 
honor  of  one  whose  personal  character,  as  well 
as  his  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  this  institu- 
tion, merits  our  public  recognition.  The  an- 
cient philosopher  of  China,  Mencius,  gave  to 
the  world  the  saying :  'The  great  man  is  lie  who 
does  not  lose  his  child's  heart.'  It  is  this  ele- 
ment of  greatness  which  has  made  us  feel  the 
fitness  of  the  name  chosen  for  this  home  of 
the  young  people  of  Tabor  Academy.  And  we 
are  confident  that,  to  those  who  know  him  best, 
our  choice  will  seem  most  wise." 

The  words  of  Rev.  M.  C.  Julien  were  apt  in 
his  reference  to  Mr.  Washburn  as  a  man  who 
had  not  lost  his  child's  heart.  Throughout 
his  connection  with  the  Trinitarian  Church 
this  trait  in  the  character  of  Mr.  Washburn 
was  most  prominent.  Those  who  came  to 
know  him  when  they  were  yet  young  people 
will  always  appreciate  the  association.  Mr. 
Washburn  died  suddenly  frdm  a  stroke  of  apo- 
plexy Jan.  23,  1908,  at  his  home  on  Maple 
street,  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts. 

On  Sept.  13,  1864,  Mr.  Washburn  was  mar- 
ried in  New  Bedford  to  Mary  Jane,  who  was 
born  March  25,  1842,  daughter  of  Perez 
Wheeler  and  Almeda  A.  (ShurtlefE)  Swan,  the 
former  of  Stonington,  Conn.,  the  latter  of 
Rochester,  Mass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Washburn 
had  a  family  of  five  children:  (1)  Mabel,  born 
Nov.  21,  1865,  married  April  27,  1899,  James 
Graham  Whitelaw,  of  New  York,  and  has  one 
son,  Graham,  born  Feb.  13,  1900.  (2)  Helen, 
born  July  9,  1867,  married  (first)  Feb.  9,  1892, 
Lyman  Elliot  Montague,  who  died  Nov.  7, 
1892,  and  (second)  Dec.  24,  1898,  Dr.  Henry 
Smith  Mathewson,  of  Pomfret,  Conn.,  a  surgeon 
in  the  marine  hospital* service.  Her  children 
are  Hope  (born  Oct.  20,  1899),  Marion  Chan- 
dler (born  Jan.  15,  1903),  Allen  Hunt  (born 
Nov.  14,  1904),  and  Jane  Washburn  (bom 
June  25,  1908).  (3)  Frederic  Augustus  is 
mentioned  below.  (4)  Charles  Swan,  born 
Nov.  16,  1873,  resides  in  New  Bedford,  where 
he  is  engaged  as  a  cotton  broker.  He  married 
Bessie  Clifton  Gould,  of  Vineyard  Haven, 
Mass.  (5)  Ethel  Allerton,  born  Dec.  30, 
1883,  married  Sept.  9,  1907,  Arthur  Clinton 
Swift,  of  New  Bedford,  and  has  one  child, 
Frederic  Washburn,  born  March  14,  1910. 

(IX )  Frederic  Augustus  Washburx,  M.  D., 
was  born  in  New  Bedford  Nov.  22,  1869. 
He  received  his  early  education  there  in  the 
public  schools,  going  through  the  high  school, 
after  which  he  took  a  course  at  Amherst,  from 
which  college  he  was  graduated  in  1892,  with 


the  degree  of  A.  B.  Entering  Harvard  Medi- 
cal School  he  was  graduated  in  1896  with  the 
degree  of  M.  D.,  after  which  he  became  house 
physician  at  the  Children's  Hospital,  also 
house  surgeon  in  the  Massachusetts  General 
Hospital,  Boston.  In  1898  he  served  in  the 
Spanish-American  war,  as  first  lieutenant  and 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  6th  Massachusetts  U. 
S.  Volunteers.  In  1899  he  became  captain 
and  assistant  surgeon  of  United  States  Volun- 
teers and  served  in  the  Philippine  islands  dur- 
ing the  insurrection.  In  1901  he  became  sur- 
geon, with  the  rank  of  major,  and  served  as 
such  until  1903,  with  duty  in  the  Philippine 
islands,  to  which  he  made  two  trips  during  his 
army  service.  Returning  to  Massachusetts  in 
1903,  he  became  assistant  administrator  of  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  until  1908, 
when  he  took  his  present  position  as  adminis- 
tratot  of  the  hospital.  Dr.  Washburn  is  a 
member  of  Columbian  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
Boston,  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society, 
Boston  Medical  Library  and  American  Medical 
Association,  of  the  University  Club  of  Boston, 
of  the  St.  Botolph  Club,  and  of  the  Society  of 
Mayflower   Descendants. 

On  Jan.  10,  1911,  Dr.  Washburn  was  mar- 
ried to  Amy  Silsbee,  daughter  of  Gen.  Fran- 
cis Henry  Appleton,  of  Boston. 


GiFFORD.  The  Gifford  family,  from  which 
the  late  Mr.  Frederic  Augustus  Washburn  was 
descended  on  the  mother's  side,  traces  back  to 
the  Conquest  of  England  by  William,  Duke  of 
Normandy.  From  the  English  book  of  her- 
aldry we  take  the  following  genealogy  of  the 
family  back  in  Great  Britain. 

The  family  of  Gifford  is  of  high  antiquity 
and  was  seated  at  Honfleur,  in  Normandy, 
three  hundred  years  before  the  Conquest  of 
England  by  William  the  Norman.  At  the 
battle  of  Hastings  (1066)  Sire  Randolph  de 
Gifforde  was  one  of  the  Conqueror's  standard 
bearers,  and  was  rewarded  by  him  with  land  in 
Somersetshire  and  Cheshire,  which  was  created 
into  a  barony  from  which  his  descendants  had 
summons  to  Parliament.  In  the  reign  of 
Henry  II.,  Sir  Peter  Gifford  married  Alice, 
daughter  and  heiress  of  Sir  Guy  de  Corbuchin, 
with  whom  he  had  the  lordship  of  Chillington 
in  Cheshire,  which  was  the  seat  of  the  Duke 
of  Buckingham  of  this  family.  Sir  Stephen 
Gilford  was  one  of  the  barons  accompanying 
Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  to  the  Holy  Land  and 
was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Jerusalem.  His  son 
Sir  Stephen  was  wounded  there.  The  family 
enjo3'ed  great  distinction  in  the  English  court 
for  several  centuries,  having  no  less  than  five 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


875 


peerages  existing  at  one  time.  Baron  George 
Gifford  was  made  Earl  of  Buckingham  by 
Henry  V.,  but  joining  the  House  of  York 
against  that  of  Lancaster,  and  being  one  of  the 
prime  favorites  of  Edward  V.,  he  was  created 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  and  married  the  Prin- 
cess Maude  Plantagenet,  the  king's  cousin.  His 
fion,  George  Gifford,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  was 
one  of  the  favorites  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
afterward  Richard  III.  Being  detected  by 
that  tyrant  in  the  act  of  corresponding  with 
the  Earl  of  Richmond  (Henry  VII.),  he  was 
-attainted  of  high  treason  and  beheaded  by 
Richard's  orders.  This"  Duke  of  Buckingham 
left  several  children,  but  as  they  had  been  de- 
prived of  their  lands  and  titles  the  mercenary 
king  (Henry  VII.)  found  it  more  convenient 
not  to  restore  them.  Of  his  sons,  George,  who 
■continued  the  first  line,  continually  solicited 
the  Crown  and  Parliament  for  his  restoration; 
but  from  the  powerful  opposition  of  his  (the 
king's)  brother-in-law,  Humphrey  Stafford,  a 
very  rich  and  powerful  nobleman,  who  had 
married  the  eldest  daughter  of  Henry,  he  was 
always  defeated,  Stafford  being  created  Duke 
of  Buckingham.  The  StafEords  followed  the 
fate  of  their  maternal  ancestor  (GifEord),  for 
the  grandson  of  Humphrey  was  beheaded  and 
his  family  deprived  of  their  vast  estates.  The 
OifPords  in  the  reigns  of  Henry  VIII.  and 
Queens  Mary  and  Elizabeth  ineffectually  put 
their  claims  before  the  English  Parliament, 
never,  however,  being  able  to  obtain  judgment. 
In  the  reign  of  James  I.  Sir  Ambrose  Gifford 
claimed  before  the  House  of  Peers  to  be  Duke 
of  Buckingham,  but  in  the  second  year  of  the 
reign  of  Charles  I.  his  claim  was  disallowed 
on  account  of  his  poverty.  Walter  Gifford, 
son  of  Sir  Ambrose,  emigrated  from  England 
to  Massachusetts  Bay  in  16.30,  and  was  the 
progenitor  of  the  American  branch  of  the 
family.  It  is  claimed  by  some  that  William 
Gifford,  the  ancestor  of  the  GifEord  family  in 
question,  was  the  son  of  Walter  Gilford ;  but 
the  Rhode  Island  genealogist  Austin  says  in 
regard  to  this:  "It  needs  better  proof,  however, 
than  any  of  which  the  author  [of  One  Hun- 
dred and  Sixty  Allied  Families]  nas  knowledge 
to  substantiate  these  claims." 

(I)  William  GifEord  became  an  inhabitant 
of  Sandwich,  Mass.,  where  he  was  early  a  pro- 
prietor of  lands,  and  early  joined  tlie  Quakers. 
He  is  believed  by  the  genealogist  of  the  Gif- 
ford family  to  have  been  previously,  as  early 
as  1647,  at  Stamford,  Conn.,  in  which  year  he 
was  ordered  to  be  whipped  at  -the  court's  dis- 
cretion and  banished.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Inquest  at  Plymouth  in  1650.  With 


the  exception  of  five  years  between  1665  and 
1670,  when  he  and  others  were  first  proprietors 
and  settlers  of  Monmouth,  N.  J.,  he  continued 
to  reside  at  Sandwich  until  his  death.  Being 
a  Quaker  he  suffered  severely  from  fines  and 
vexatious  suits  both  in  Massachusetts  and  in 
New  Jersey.  He  was  a  large  landholder  in 
Sandwich,  Falmouth  and  Dartmouth,  Mass., 
and  as  well  owned  land  in  Rhode  Island  and 
Connecticut.  He  gave  by  will  to  his  sons 
Jonathan  and  James  in  Falmouth;  deeded  to 
his  sons  Robert  and  Christopher  lands  in  Dart- 
mouth, both  erecting  homesteads  on  their  es- 
tates. Robert  continued  to  live  in  Dartmouth, 
and  Christopher  continued  to  live  in  Little 
Compton,  both  having  many  descendants  now 
living  in  southern  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Is- 
land. William  Gifford  was  twice  married,  his 
second  wife,  to  whom  he  was  married  16th  of 
7th  month,  1683,  being  Mary  Mills.  She  died  in 
1687.  His  children  born  to  the  first  marriage 
were:  John,  Hannah,  William,  Christopher, 
Robert,  Patience  and  Mary;  and  those  of  the 
second,  Jonathan  (bom  in  1684)  and  James 
(born  March  10,  1685-86).  The  father  died 
in  April,  1687. 

(II)  William  GifEord  (3),  son  of  William, 
married  Lydia  Hatch,  and  died  in  1738  in 
Sandwich,  Barnstable  county,  where  he  made 
his  home.  Children :  Gideon,  born  10th 
mo.,  6.  1676;  Gershom,  6th  mo.,  15,  1679; 
Seth.  3d  mo.,  17,  1681 ;  Exoerience,  10th  mo., 
7,  1683;  Jabez,  2d  mo.,  2,"  1686;  Mehetabel, 
7th  mo.,  7,  1689;  Justice,  10th  mo.,  12,  1691; 
Mary,  oth  mo.,  25,  1694;  Hannah,  10th  mo., 
24,  1696;  William,  2d  mo.,  16,  1699. 

(III)  Gershom  Gifford,  son  of  William  (2), 
born  6th  mo.,  15,  1679,  was  a  large  land  owner 
at  Falmouth,  Barnstable  county.  In  1704 
he  married  Deborah  Bowerman,  and  their 
children  were:  Joseph  (born  in  1711),  Benja- 
min and  Elizabeth. 

(IV)  Joseph  Gifford,  son  of  Gershom,  born 
in  Falmouth,  Mass.,  Oct.  19,  1711,  made  his 
home  in  Dartmouth  (now  New  Bedford)  where 
he  died  Oct.  23,  -1810,  aged  ninety-nine  years. 
He  married  Oct.  2,  1737,  Content  Irish,"  bom 
Sept.  3,  1718,  daughter  of  David  Irish.  She 
died  in  1762.  Children:  Deborah,  wJio  mar- 
ried John  Williams  March  3,  1763,  and  died  in 
1809:  David,  born  in  1742;  Joseph,  born  Feb. 
13,  1751;  Content,  born  in  April,  1753;  and 
Elizabeth,  born  in  April,  1760. 

(V)  David  Gifford,  son  of  Joseph,  born  at 
Dartmouth,  lived  in  the  town  of  Dartmouth, 
where  he  followed  farming  and  where  he  built 
a  home,  at  which  he  died  Feb.  14,  1826,  aged 
eighty-four  years.     He  married  Hannah  Shep- 


876 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


hard  (intentions  published  in  1771,  she  born 
April  24,  1743),  widow  of  Abner  Shephard, 
and  they  had  children :  William,  who  married 
Harriet  Russell;  Elihu,  born  in  1774;  Con- 
tent, born  March  9,  1781,  who  married  Feb. 
26,  1801,  Caleb  Sanford ;  David,  who  married 
Sarah  Corey,  who  died  Nov.  10,  1872  (he  was 
lost  at  sea)  ;  Joseph,  born  May  28,  1788;  Han- 
nah, born  in  December,  1790,  who  married 
Stephen  Sherman  in  1824,  and  their  daughter. 
Content  Sherman,  married  Joseph  Davis  of 
Padanaram. 

(VI)  Elihu  GifEord  (2d),  so  designated  to 
distinguish  from  others  of  same  name, 
son  of  David,  born  in  Dartmouth  in  1774,  fol- 
lowed fanning  in  the  town  of  Dartmouth.  He 
bought  a  large  tract  of  land  in  Maine,  where 
he  located  for  a  time,  while  there  cutting  the 
wood  off  the  land.  He  died  Sept.  13,  1808, 
in  Dartmouth,  where  he  was  buried.  On 
Dec.  31,  1801,  he  married  Mary  (Polly)  Gif- 
ford,  born  Jan.  26,  1780,  daughter  of  Elihu 
and  Abigail  (Chase)  Gifford,  and  after  the 
death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Gifford  came  to 
New  Bedford,  where  she  died  June  16,  1828. 
Children:  Lucy,  bom  Sept.  28,  1802,  married 
Dec.  3,  1823,  Marsena  Washburn ;  Abigail, 
born  in  1804,  married  Oliver  Bryant;  Parnell, 
born  in  1806,  died  when  sixteen  years  old; 
Elihu,  born  in  1808,  married  Lydia  Perry. 

Elihu  Gifford,  maternal  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Lucy  (Gifford)  Washburn,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution.  By  calling  he  was  a 
carpenter.  He  made  his  home  in  Dartmouth, 
where  he  married  Abigail  Chase.  He  was 
son  of  Peleg  Gifford,  grandson  of  Jeremiah  and 
great-grandson  of  Robert,  who  was  son  of 
William  Gifford. 

DAVID  CROCKER,  of  Barnstable,  Barn- 
stable county,  is  a  representative  of  an  old 
family  of  this  region.  During  his  business 
career  he  was  a  resident  of  New  York  City,  but 
since  closing  out  his  more  active  interests  he 
has  made  his  home  at  Barnstable,  where  he 
has  a  fine  property. 

The  surname  Crocker  (orthography  usually 
Croker  in  England)  is  a  very  ancient  one. 
The  Crocker  family  in  England  was  originally 
seated  at  Crocker's  Hele,  and  Crokern  and  at 
Lineham,  Devonshire.  The  genealogy  of  the 
Crokers  of  Lineham  is  accurately  recorded  and 
exhibits  a  descent  of  eleven  John  Crokers  in 
almost  uninterrupted  succession.  Members  of 
the  family  removed  to  Cornwall,  Waterford 
and  other  places.  Croker  of  Lineham  always 
bore  "three  ravens"  and  having  obtained  Line- 
ham by  marriage  with  the  heiress  of  Churchill, 


quartered  sa.,  lion  ramp.,  arg.,  for  that  name. 
The  general  crest  of  the  family  of  Croker  is 
a  raven  ppr.  Edward  IV.  granted  to  Sir  John 
Croker,  who  accompanied  him  as  cup  and 
standard  bearer  in  his  expedition  to  France 
in  1475,  for  crest  "A  drinking  cup,  or,  with 
three 'fleurs  of  the  same,  issuing  therefrom  and 
charged  with  a  rose."  Mottoes:  Deus  alit  eos 
and  Je  tiendrarj  ma  puissance  par  ma  foi. 

(I)  Deacon  William  Crocker  (the  first  of 
this  line  iii  America),  a  native  of  England, 
came  to  America  with  Rev.  Mr.  Lothrop  and 
his  church  in  1639.  His  brother  John  Crocker 
came  the  following  spring.  They  came  prob- 
ably from  Devonshire.  For  a  time  both  were 
at  Roxbury,  but  soon  settled  in  Barnstable. 
John  left  no  posterity ;  that  of  William  is  num- 
erous, a  large  majority  of  the  name  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada  tracing  their  de- 
scent to  him.  Deacon  William  Crocker  united 
with  Mr.  Lothrop's  church  in  Scituate  Dec.  25, 
1636;  came  to  Barnstable  in  October,  1639, 
among  the  first  settlers.  He  built  a  frame 
house  in  Scituate  in  1636,  the  forty-fourth  in 
the  town.  He  was  constable  in  1644,  grand 
juror  in  1654,  1655,  1657,  1661,  1667  and 
1675,  salesman  in  1668,  deputy  to  the  General 
Court  at  Plymouth  in  1670,  1671,  1674.  He 
was  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  his  day,  often 
employed  in  the  business  of  the  town  and  in 
settling  estates.  He  acquired  a  large  landed 
estate  and  for  many  years  was  the  richest  man 
in  the  town.  His  sons  were  all  wealthy.  Dea- 
con Crocker's  first  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
1636,  was  named  Alice,  and  his  second  was 
Palience,  widow  of  Robert  Parker,  and  daugh- 
ter of  Elder  Henry  Cobb.  He  died  in  the  fall 
of  1692,  aged  about  eighty. 
/  (II)  Deacon  Job  Crocker,  born  March  9, 
1644-45,  married  (first)  in  November,  1668, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas  Walley,  of 
London,  England,  who  came  over  in  1662  and 
was  pastor  of  the  Barnstable  Church.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  July  19,  1680,  Hannah,  daugh- 
ter of  Richard  Taylor,  of  Yarmouth.  Few 
men  in  Barnstable  were  held  in  higher  esteem 
in  his  day  than  Deacon  Job  Crocker.  Like 
his  father  he  was  honest  and  upright  in  his 
dealings,  industrious  and  prudent  in  his  habits, 
and  an  obliging  neighbor,  a  good  citizen,  etc. 

(III)  Deacon  John  Crocker,  born  Feb.  34, 
1683,  died  Feb.  7,  1773.  He  was  three  times 
married,  his  first  wife,  Hannah,  whom  he  mar- 
ried Nov.  11,  1704,  dying  Oct.  10,  1720.  He 
married  (second)  June  22,  1721,  Mary  Hinck- 
ley, and  (third)  Nancy,  who  died  July  27, 
1741,  aged  fifty-six. 

(IV)  Daniel   Crocker,  son  of  Deacon  John 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


877 


and  great-grandfather  of  David  Crocker,  was 
born  March  1,  17:i5-2G.  He  was  a  property 
owner  in  Barnstable,  living  in  the  western  part 
of  the  town,  and  occupied  the  house  in  which 
Whalley,  the  regicide,  took  refuge.  Daniel 
Crocker  died  in  November,  1788,  in  his  sixty- 
fourth  year.  He  was  married  three  times, 
first  May  19,  1748,  to  Elizabeth  Childs,  by 
whom  he  had  one  child,  Job,  born  May  6,  1749, 
who  removed  to  western  New  York  and  left 
descendants.  His  second  marriage,  in  1755, 
was  to  Phoebe  Winslow,  of  Harwich,  by  whom 
he  had  three  children:  Winslow,  born  Dec.  31, 
1755,  married  Blush  and  had  a  fam- 
ily; Elizabeth,  bom  March  14,  1760,  married 
(first)  Heman  Crocker  and  (second)  Elisha 
Euggles,  of  Rochester;  Daniel,  born  March  8, 
1762,  married  Sally  Sturgis  and  had  a  family. 
His  third  wife,  Batlisheba  (Jenkins),  born 
Oct.  22,  1741,  died  Nov.  22,  1803,  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two.  They  had  the  following  named 
children:  Mary,  born  July  11,  1767  (married 
James  Davis) ;  Abigail,  Nov.  6,  1769  (married 
Ebenezer  Bacon,  Esq.) ;  Joseph,  Jan.  27,  1771 
(married  Joanna  Tiacon)  ;  Prince,  Sept.  61, 
1772  (married  Martha  Nye  and  left  descend- 
ants) ;  Temperance,  July  28,  1776  (married 
Ezra  Crocker);  David,  Feb.  21,  1779;  and 
Josiah,  Aug.  24,  1781  (died  in  New  Orleans 
in  July,   1807). 

Bathsheba  (Jenkins)  Crocker  descended 
from  John  Howland,  the  "Mayflower"  Pilgrim 
•who  came  to  this  country  in  company  with 
John  Carver  (afterward  governor)  and  others, 
arriving  in  Cape  Cod  bay  Nov.  11,  1620.  He 
was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  compact  made 
aboard  the  "Mayflower."  Soon  afterward  he 
married  Elizabeth,  only  daughter  of  John  Til- 
ley,  who  died  of  the  sickness  which  broke  out 
among  the  colonists  not  long  afterward.  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Tilley)  Howland  had  ten 
children. 

John  Howland,  Jr.  (known  as  Lieut.  John), 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Tilley),  was  born 
in  Plymouth  Feb.  24,  1627,  and  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Robert  Lee,  Oct.  26,  1651.  They 
had  ten  children. 

Shubal  Howland,  son  of  Lieut.  John,  born 
in  Barnstable  Sept.  30,  1662,  married  Mercy 
Blossom  Dec.  13,  1700.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren. 

Mercy  Howland,  born  May  21,  1710,  mar- 
ried Joseph  Jenkins  July  15,  1736,  and  had 
eight  children,  among  them  Bathsheba  (born 
Oct.     22,    1741). 

(V)  David  Crocker,  son  of  Daniel,  was  a 
prominent  man  of  Barnstable  in  his  day.  He 
was   iii   business   as   a   grocer   and   was   quite 


prominent  in  local  public  affairs,  serving  as 
selectman  and  sheriff.  By  good  management 
he  became  possessed  of  considerable  means 
and  he  gained  a  high  standing  in  his  commun- 
ity. He  was  intelligent  and  progressive,  and 
made  a  trip  to  Amsterdam,  Holland,  and 
through  Europe,  a  journey  of  far  more  im- 
portance in  his  day  than  at  the  present  time. 
He  married  Rachel  Bacon,  of  Barnstable,  born 
Jan.  5,  1791,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Re- 
becca  (Jenkins)   Bacon. 

(VI)  Henry  H.  Crocker,  son  of  David,  was 
born  in  Barnstable.  He  early  engaged  in  the 
East  India  trade,  owning  vessels  and  becoming 
a  merchant  of  considerable  prominence  in  that 
line,  though  he  began  humbly,  making  his  first 
voyage  as  supercargo  when  quite  a  young  man. 
He  established  the  firm  of  Crocker  &  Sturgis, 
whose  headquarters  were  at  Boston,  and  they 
continued  in  business  until  the  panic  of  1857, 
when  the  firm  failed.  Going  to  New  York 
City,  Mr.  Crocker  resumed  business  in  much 
the  same  line,  being  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Henry  H.  Crocker  &  Co.,  East  India  bro- 
kers, who  had  a  long  and  successful  career. 
He  remained  in  New  York  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  there  Dec.  6,  1893.  His  re- 
mains were  brought  to  Barnstable  and  interred 
at  the  Unitarian  Church. 

Mr.  Crocker  married  Sarah  Mary  Ann 
Parker  Elderedge,  like  himself  a  native  of 
Barnstable.  Her  father,  Gideon  Elderedge, 
died  when  she  was  young,  and  she  was  reared 
by  her  uncle.  Waterman  Elderedge;  her  un- 
cles Waterman  and  Eben  H.  Elderedge  con- 
ducted the  "Globe  Hotel,"  now  the  "Barn- 
stable Inn,"  for  many  years.  The  latter  was  a 
"forty-niner"  and  made  his  home  in  Califor- 
nia. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crocker  were  born 
children  as  follows:  David;  Mary  K.,  wife  of 
Henry  C.  Mortimer,  of  New  York,  a  promi- 
nent broker  and  director  of  the  New  York  Life 
Insurance  Company;  Henry  H.,  Jr.,  a  mer- 
chant on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange,  who 
retired  some  years  before  his  death,  at  the  age 
of  fifty-eight  (he  never  married)  ;  Annie,  wid- 
ow of  Dr.  F.  G.  Kelly,  of  Barnstable,  Mass., 
and  Pasadena,  Cal.,  where  Dr.  Kelly  died 
(Mrs.  Kelly  lives  in  Barnstable  the  greater 
part  of  the  time) ;  Prof.  Francis  Bacon  Crock- 
er, professor  of  electricity  at  Columbia  Univer- 
sity (unmarried)  ;  and  a  child  that  died  in 
infancy.  David  Crocker,  of  Barnstable,  and 
Professor  Crocker,  of  New  York,  are  the  only 
living  sons   of  Henry  H.    Crocker,   Sr. 

(VII)  David  Crocker  was  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  Feb.  15,  1846,  and  received  his  early 
education  partly  in  his  native  place  and  also 


878 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  attended  the  Collegiate 
Institute  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  and  a  private 
school  in  New  York  City.  When  ready  to 
commence  his  active  life  work  he  made  a  trip 
to  India  on  an  ice  sliip  from  Boston  and  when 
he  returned  he  joined  his  father  in  business 
at  New  York  and  was  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  Henry  H.  Crocker  &  Co.  for  several  years, 
continuing  in  business  a  few  years  after  his 
father's  death.  In  1896  he  closed  out  the 
business  of  the  firm  and  went  abroad  for  a 
year,  and  upon  his  return  to  this  country  set- 
tled at  Barnstable,  in  the  beautiful  home  he 
has  since  occupied. 

Mr.  Crocker  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
social  affairs,  having  been  a  member  of  the 
old  Union  Club,  of  New  York,  of  which  he 
was  governor,  and  he  has  long  held  member- 
ship in  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 
He  has  numerous  other  relations  of  a  similar 
character.  He  was  in  the  old  militia,  having 
held  the  rank  of  major  on  the  1st  Brigade 
staff,  and  for  years  stood  high  in  his  State, 
New  York,  for  proficiency  in  rifle  practice.  He 
served  ten  years  as  rifle  inspector  for  the  1st 
Brigade,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.  In  religious  connec- 
tion he  is  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church. 
Politically  he  is  a  Republican  in  sentiment,  but 
independent  in  voting. 

On  Nov.  19,  1896,  Mr.  Crocker  married 
Julia  G.  Davis,  of  Boston,  a  native  of  that 
city,  daughter  of  Barnabas  and  Ellen  M. 
(Andrews)  Davis,  and  a  member  of  an  old 
family  of  Salem,  Mass.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crocker 
have  had  no  children. 

BACON.  The  Bacon  family,  of  Barnstable, 
is  descended  from  Nathaniel  Bacon,  who  be- 
longed to  the  same  family  as  the  celebrated 
Sir  Francis  Bacon. 

(I)  Nathaniel  Bacon  came  to  these  shores 
from  Stratton,  in  Rutlandshire,  England,  in 
1640,  and  died  in  1673.  He  married  Hannah 
Mayo,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  and  Tamsett 
Mayo,  Dec.  4,  1642,  and  they  had  children  as 
follows :  Hannah,  born  Sept.  4,  1643 ;  Nathan- 
iel, born  Feb.  5,  1645  (died  December,  1691)  ; 
Mary,  born  Aug.  12,  1648 ;  Samuel,  born  Feb. 
25,  1650,  who  married  Mary  Jacob,  of  Hing- 
ham,  Mass.,  and  died  Feb.  18,  1680;  Eliza- 
beth, born  Jan.  28,  1653,  who  died  in  1676; 
Jeremiah,  born  May  8,  1657 ;  Mercy,  born  Feb. 
28,  1659,  who  married  Hon.  John  Otis  July 
18,  1683;  and  John,  born  in  June,  1664. 

(II)  Nathaniel  Bacon  (2),  son  of  Nathan- 
iel, born  Feb.  5,  1645,  married  March  27, 
1673,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Gov.  Thomas  Hinck- 
ley. Mr.  Bacon  died  Dec.  31,  1691.  His  first 
wife  died  Feb.  16,  1686,  and  he  married   (sec- 


ond) Hannah  Lumbart,  who  later  married 
John  Davis,  Jr.  Mr.  Bacon's  children  were 
as  follows:  Nathaniel,  born  Sept.  9,  1674,  mar- 
ried Nov.  11,  1696,  Ruth  Dagget,  of  Martha's 
Vineyard ;  Mary,  born  Oct.  9,  1677,  married 
John  Crocker  Nov.  5,  1704,  and  died  in  March,. 
1711;  Elizabeth,  born  April  7,  1680,  married 
Aug.  31,  1704,  Israel  Tupper;  Samuel,  born 
Jan.  20,  1682,  died  April  21,  1728. 

(II)  Jeremiah  Bacon,  born  May  8,  1657, 
married  Elizabeth  Howes  Dec.  10,  1686,  and 
their  children  were  born  as  follows :  Sarah, 
Oct.  16,  1687;  Anna,  1688;  Mary,  1689;  Sam- 
uel, April  15,  1692;  Jeremiah,  Oct.  2,  1694; 
Joseph,  June  15,  1695;  Ebenezer,  March  11, 
1698;  Nathaniel,  Sept.  11,  1700;  Job,  March 
23,  1703;  Elizabeth,  Aug.  6,  1705. 

(II)  Jolm  Bacon,  son  of  Nathaniel,  born 
in  June,  1664,  married  Mary  Hawes  June  17, 
1686,  and  they  had  children  born  as  follows: 
Hannah,  1687;  Desire,  1689;  Nathaniel,  Jan. 
16,  1691;  Patience,  1694;  John,  March  24, 
1697;  Isaac.  March  29,  1697  (1699?);  Solo- 
mon, April  3,  1701;  Judy,  Dec.  9,  1703. 

(III)  Samuel  Bacon,  son  of  Nathaniel  (2), 
born  Jan.  20,  1682,  married  (first)  March  20, 
1704,  Mary  Huckdns,  daughter  of  Thomas. 
Four  years  later,  Jan.  26,  1708,  he  married 
Sarah,  widow  of  Samuel  Allyne  and  daughter 
of  Edward  Taylor.  She  died  Sept.  25,  1753. 
By  the  first  marriage  there  was  one  child, 
Ebenezer,  born  March  15,  1705,  who  died 
July  17,  1706.  By  the  second  marriage  there- 
were  children  as  follows :  Ebenezer,  born  Dec. 
4,  1708,  who  married  Lydia  Lothrop,  and 
moved  to  Lebanon,  Conn. ;  Mercy,  born  May 
22,  1710,  who  married  Jonathan  Hallet  Aug. 
4,  1744;  and  Edward. 

(IV)  Hon.  Edward  Bacon,  son  of  Samuel, 
born  Jan.  23,  1715,  died  March  16,  1783.  On 
Sept.  2,  1740,  he  married  (first)  Patience, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Marston.  She  died  Oct. 
21,  1764.  and  he  married  (second)  Rachel 
Doane,  of  Wellfleet,  Dec.  21,  1765.  His  chil- 
dren were  all  born  to  the  first  union,  as  fol- 
lows: Edward,  born  Oct.  19,  1742,  married 
Jan.  28,  1764,  Lydia  Gorham  (the  name  Gor- 
ham  was  originally  De  Gorron)  and  died  Aug. 
20,  1811;  Lydia.  born  Feb.  3,  1744,  died  April 
28,  1745;  Nymphas,  born  June  2,  1746,  died 
Dec.  6,  1746;  Samuel,  born  Oct.  17,  1747,  died 
Nov.  7,  1747;  James,  born  Oct.  30,  1748, 
married  Joanna  Hamblen,  moved  to  Preeport, 
Maine,  and  died  in  1803 ;  Susanna,  born  Dec. 
13,  1750.  died  March  24,  1753;  Sarah,  born 
Dec.  25,  1752,  died  April  11,  1776;  Susanna, 
born  Feb.  14,  1755,  died  in  infancy;  Ebenezer, 
born  Aug.  30,  1756,  is  the  next  in  the  line  we- 
are  tracing. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


87» 


(V)  Hon.  Ebenezer  Bacon,  son  of  Edward, 
born  Aug.  30,  l'?56,  was  tliree  times  married. 
His  first  wife,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Daniel  Car- 
penter, whom  he  wedded  Jlay  28,  1779,  died 
July  1,  1781,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  On 
Sept.  21,  1782,  he  married  Eebecca  Jenkins, 
who  died  in  June,  1791,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight.  His  third  union,  in  May,  1792,  was  to 
Abigail  Crocker,  born  Nov.  6,  1769,  daughter 
of  Daniel  Crocker;  she  died  Jan.  18,  1859,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-nine.  The  only  child  of  the 
first  union,  Abigail,  born  June  23,  1781,  died 
in  infancy.  By  the  second  marriage  there  were 
six:  Abigail  Carpenter,  born  Sept.  23,  1783, 
died  Dec.  30,  1801 ;  Rebecca  Jenkins,  born  Dec. 
7,  1784,  married  Roland  T.  Crocker,  Esq.,  and 
died  June  16,  1848;  Lydia,  born  March  16, 
1786,  died  Jan.  19,  1802;  Daniel  Carpenter, 
born  May  23,  1787,  is  mentioned  below;  Tem- 
perance, born  Dec.  24,  1788,  died  unmarried 
Nov.  13,  1843;  Rachel,  born  Jan.  5,  1791, 
married  David  Crocker,  and  died  June  17, 
1848.  Nine  children  were  born  to  Mr.  Bacon's 
third  marriage :  Eliza,  born  Feb.  7,  1793,  mar- 
ried Elisha  Scudder,  Esq. ;  Ebenezer,  born 
Aug.  28,  1794,  is  mentioned  below;  Edward, 
born  April  10,  1796,  died  unmarried  June  17, 
1853 ;  Mary  Ann,  born  Aug.  7,  1800,  married 
Horace  Scudder,  and  died  in  July,  1845 ; 
David  Crocker,  born  May  29,  1802,  died  un- 
married May  8,  1869 ;  Francis,  born  Dec.  21, 
1804,  married  Eliza  B.  Dehon  (name  origi- 
nally De  Honne)  :  Abigail  Lydia,  born  Oct. 
26,  1806,  married  Barnabas  Davis,  and  died 
Aug.  13,  1840;  Sarah,  born  Oct.  11,  1808, 
died  June  23,  1823;  Ellen,  bom  April  11, 
1811,  married  Rev.  Edmund  Hamilton   Sears. 

(VI)  Daniel  Carpenter  Bacon,  son  of  Hon. 
Ebenezer,  born  in  Barnstable  May  23,  1787, 
there  made  his  home.  He  married  Desire 
Taylor  Gorham,  daughter  of  Edward  Gorham, 
Esq.  Mr.  Bacon  died  Nov.  13,  1856.  His 
children  were  as  follows:  Daniel  Gorham,  born 
in  1819;  William  Benjamin,  born  in  1823; 
Eben  Sheppard,  born  in  1831,  who  died  un- 
married ;  and  Francis  Edward,  who  married 
Louisa   Crowingshield. 

(VII)  William  Benjamin  Bacon,  son  of 
Daniel'  Carpenter,  born  in  1823  in  Barnstable, 
owned  the  original  homestead  owned  by  the 
first  Nathaniel  Bacon.  In  1849  he  married 
Eleanor  Gassett,  who  died  leaving  one  child, 
Eleanor  Gassett,  born  in  1849,  who  married 
Nathaniel  H.  Emmons,  of  Falmouth  and  Bos- 
ton. Mr.  Bacon  married  (second)  Emily  C. 
Low,  and  they  had  two  children :  William  Ben- 
jamin, born  in  1856,  who  married  Elizabeth 
Stone,  and  died  in  Denver,  Colo. ;  Robert,  born 


1860,  who  was  Secretary  of  State  under 
President  Roosevelt  and  is  now  U.  S.  A. 
ambassador  at  Paris,  France  (he  married 
Martha  Eliot  Cowden,  of  New  York,  and  has 
children,  Robert,  Gesber,  Eliot  C.  and  Beatrix). 

(VI)  Ebenezer  Bacon,  Jr.,  son  of  Hon. 
Ebenezer,  born  in  Barnstable  Aug.  28,  1794, 
made  his  home  there,  and  was  married  in 
Barnstable  in  1815  to  Phoebe  Davis,  daughter 
of  Elisha  Thatcher  and  Ruth  (Crocker)  Davis, 
and  granddaughter  of  Dr.  Daniel  Davis.  Mr. 
Bacon  died  June  24,  1868,  and  is  buried  in 
the  family  lot  in  Barnstable.  Eleven  children 
were  born  to  him  and  his  wife:  Louisa,  in  1816 
(died  unmarried)  ;  Emily,  1818  (died  unmar- 
ried) ;  George,  1819;  Edward,  1821  (died  un- 
married); Francis  WiUiam,  1823;  Elisha, 
1825  (married  Elizabeth  Plumber)  ;  Sarah, 
1827  (unmarried,  living  in  Barnstable)  ;  Lu- 
cretia,  1830  (married  S.  P.  Holway,  of  Sand- 
wich, Mass.) ;  Phebe,  1833  (died  unmarried) ; 
Abigail,  1835  (married  Hubbard  Brooks  and 
settled  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.) ;  Grace,  1838 
(married  Andrew  Jackson  Bryant,  of  San 
Francisco,  California). 

(VII)  George  Bacon,  son  of  Ebenezer,  Jr., 
was  born  in  Barnstable  in  1819.  He  became  a 
well-known  cotton  broker  of  Boston  and  New 
York,  being  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Pierce 
&  Bacon,  cotton  brokers  of  Boston,  until  the 
Civil  war,  when  he  moved  to  New  York  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  Governor  Gardner 
(the  Massachusetts  war  governor)  under  the 
name  of  Gardner  &  Bacon,  of  New  York,  cot- 
ton brokers.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Cotton 
Exchange  in  New  York.  There  he  continued 
until  his  death,  making  his  summer  home, 
however,  in  Barnstable,  on  part  of  the  original 
homestead  of  Nathaniel  Bacon,  the  first  settler 
of  the  name.  Mr.  Bacon  died  at  his  summer 
liome  June  28,  1873,  and  is  buried  in  the  fam- 
ily lot  in  Barnstable  cemetery. 

On  Sept.  28,  1845,  Mr.  Bacon  married  at 
Hallowell,  Maine,  Olivia  B.  Grant,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Clinton  and  Elizabeth  Frances 
(Vaughan)  Grant,  of  Hallowell.  Mrs.  Bacon 
died  Oct.  2,  1900,  and  is  buried  in  the  same 
cemetery  as  her  husband.  They  had  children 
as  follows:  Horace,  born  July  1,  1846,  is  a 
banker  and  broker  of  New  York;  Olivia  B., 
born  in  1847,  resides  in  Barnstable,  Mass.; 
Francis  William,  born  in  1849,  is  deceased; 
Elizabeth  Vaughan,  born  in  1855,  died  un- 
married ;  Maria  Louisa,  born  in  1856,  is  un- 
married and  lives  in  Barnstable;  George,  bom 
in  1857.  died  in  childhood ;  Vaughan  Davis, 
born  Feb.  1,  1865,  is  a  civil  engineer  and  sur- 
veyor and  resides  in  Barnstable    (he  married 


880 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Aug.  13,  1908,  Eliza  Davis  Percival,  daughter 
of  Daniel  W.  and  Emma  Annable  Pereival; 
they  have  no  children). 

EDWIN  HOWARD  LOTHROP,  now  liv- 
ing retired  in  West  Bridgewater,  Plymouth 
Co.,  Mass.,  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  most 
active  business  men  of  that  section,  where  he 
was  long  engaged  in  shoe  manufacturing  and 
later  as  a  dealer  in  grain,  coal  and  groceries. 

The  Lothrop  family  has  long  been  estab- 
lished in  the  Bridgewaters,  and  has  become  al- 
lied by  marriage  with  many  other  of  the  old 
families  of  Plymouth  county.  The  Lowtliorpe 
family  from  which  Rev.  John  Lothropp  (as  he 
wrote  his  name),  the  American  pioneer,  de- 
scended, had  its  earliest  known  English  seat 
in  Lowthorpe,  wapentake  of  Dickering,  East 
Riding  of  Yorkshire.  Capt.  Thomas  Lothrop, 
of  Salem-Beverly,  was  a  proprietor  and  free- 
man May  14,  1634.  "At  a  meeting  of  the 
seven  men  on  the  11th  day  of  the  10th  month, 
1643,  Marke  Lothrop  is  receaved  an  inhabitant, 
and  hath  a  request  for  some  ground  neer  to  his 
kinsman,  Thomas  Lothrop."  Neither  Savage 
nor  Pope  shows  any  kinship  between  Rev.  John 
Lothropp  and  Capt.  Thomas  and  Mark  Loth- 
rop. 

(I)  Mark  Lothrop  is  first  of  record  in  this 
country  as  a  proprietor  at  Salem,  1643.  In 
1656  he  is  found  living  in  Bridgewater,  and 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  town.  He  took 
the  oath  of  fidelity  in  1657,  and  in  the  year 
following  was  elected  constable,  and  for  some 
twenty-five  years  held  a  prominent  place  in 
town  affairs ;  was  often  elected  one  of  the  jury 
for  trials,  a  grand  juror  and  surveyor  of  high- 
ways, and  was  one  of  the  committee  appointed 
"to  lay  out  all  the  waies  requisett  in  the  town- 
ship of  Bridgewater."  He  died  Oct.  25,  1685. 
His  children  were :  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Samuel  Packard ;  Samuel :  Mark,  who  died 
while  serving  in  the  expedition  to  Canada ;  and 
Edward. 

(II)  Samuel  Lathrop,  son  of  Mark,  married 
Sarah  Dower,  and  their  children  were :  Mary, 
born  in  1683,  who  married  Josiah  Keith  in 
1703;  Samuel,  born  in  1685;  John,  born  in 
1687;  Mark,  bom  in  1689;  Sarah,  born  in 
1693",  who  married  Solomon  Packard;  and 
Joseph  and  Edward,  twins,  bom  in  1697.  The 
father  died  in  1724. 

(III)  Edward  Lathrop,  son  of  Samuel,  bom 
in  West  Bridgewater  in  1697,  married  Han- 
nah, daughter  of  Thomas  Wade,  and  their  chil- 
dren were  bom  as  follows:  Seth,  1732;  Jo- 
siah, 1726;  Edward,  1728;  David,  1735;  Mark, 
1738. 


(IV)  Josiah  Lathrop,  son  of  Edward,  born 
in  1726  in  the  town  of  West  Bridgewater,  died 
in  1808.  In  1746  he  married  Sarah  Church, 
of  Scituate,  who  died  in  1715.  To  them  were 
born  the  following  children:  Hannah,  born  in 
1753,  was  married  in  1776  to  Joseph  Bassett; 
Sarah  was  born  in  1755;  Josiah,  born  in  1759, 
is  mentioned  below;  Huldah,  born  in  1764, 
married  in  1786  Edmund  Alger;  Charles  was 
born  in  1767. 

(V)  Josiah  Lathrop  (2),  son  of  Josiah,  was 
born  in  1759  in  West  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and 
there  grew  to  manhood.  He  followed  farm- 
ing near  the  center  of  the  town  until  he  re- 
moved with  his  family,  about  1817,  to  Canada, 
locating  at  Eaton,  in  the  Province  of  Quebec, 
just  across  the  line  from  Vermont.  There  he 
became  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land  and 
settled  down  to  farming,  spending  the  remain- 
der of  his  life  at  that  place,  where  he  and  his 
wife  died.  In  1785  he  married  Susanna  How- 
ard, daughter  of  Theophilus  Howard,  and  to 
them  were  bom  six  children,  as  follows:  Vesta, 
1795;  Susanna,  1798;  Josiah,  1802;  Howard, 
1804;  Edwin,  1807:  and  Margaret  Nevens, 
1809. 

(VI)  Edwin  Lothrop,  son  of  Josiah  (2), 
was  but  ten  years  old  when  the  family  moved 
to  Canada,  and  there  he  passed  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  took  up  his  father's  vocation, 
farming,  and  prospered  in  it,  becoming  the 
owner  of  over  250  acres,  and  he  also  engaged 
to  some  extent  in  lumbering.  He  died  at 
Eaton  July  26,  1888,  and  was  buried  there. 
Mr.  Lothrop  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  married  Susan  Lob- 
dell,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  whose  parents 
were  natives  of  Connecticut  and  later  settled  in 
Canada.  She  died  at  West  Bridgewater  June 
30,  1893,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  her  age, 
and  was  buried  at  Eaton.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lothrop  were  born  six  children :  Harriet,  who 
was  the  wife  of  Elbridge  Howard,  of  West 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  died  leaving  two  sons, 
George  W.  and  Elmer  E. ;  Vesta  died  young; 
Margaret  is  the  wife  of  George  Nye,  of  Cam- 
pello,  Mass.,  and  has  two  children,  Charles  and 
Annie ;  Edwin  Howard  is  mentioned  below ; 
Eben,  who  resides  at  Easton,  Mass.,  engaged  in 
the  teaming  business,  married  Elva  J.  Planche, 
and  has  two  children,  Ervin  and  William ; 
Susan  married  Azel  Dinsmore  and  died  leaving 
one  son,  Frederick. 

(VII)  Edwin  Howard  Lothrop  was  bom  in 
the  town  of  Eaton  Oct.  19,  1843,  on  a  farm, 
and,  being  reared  in  what  was  then  a  new  coun- 
try, his  educational  advantages  were  somewhat 
limited.      He  attended  the  local  schools,  how- 


S^^c^4^    /^    '^^^^S^^i-t^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


881 


■ever,  such  as  they  were,  and  from  an  early  age 
until  he  was  nineteen  assisted  with  the  farm 
work.  But  he  had  no  particular  desire  to  make 
agriculture  his  life  work,  and  as  he  had  a  sis- 
ter married  and  living  in  Plymouth  county, 
Mass.,  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune  in  that 
section.  Coming  to  West  Bridgewater,  Mass., 
the  home  of  his  ancestors,  in  1862,  he  com- 
menced to  learn  the  business  of  shoe  finishing 
with  Charles  Martin,  with  whom  he  remained 
four  years,  gaining  tt  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  trade.  He  had  managed  his  resources  so 
well  during  that  period  that  he  had  saved  a 
little  out  of  his  wages,  and  in  1866,  in  com- 
pany with  Benjamin  Curtis,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Lothrop  &  Curtis,  he  bought  the  busi- 
ness of  his  employer,  conducting  it  for  two 
years.  Their  business  was  located  in  that 
part  of  West  Bridgewater  which  has  since  be- 
come a  part  of  the  city  of  Brockton.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  Mr.  Lothrop  sold  his  interest 
to  Mr.  Curtis.  However,  he  did  not  abandon 
the  business,  soon  establishing  himself  at  West 
Bridgewater  in  the  same  line  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  continuing  to  devote  all  his  time 
to  that  establishment  until  he  bought  out  a 
similar  one  in  Elmwood,  East  Bridgewater, 
after  which  he  conducted  both,  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  men's  medium-grade  shoes.  He 
retained  the  Elmwood  business  for  fourteen 
years,  meanwhile  buying  an  interest  in  the 
shoe  manufactory  of  Thomas  Ripley,  being  a 
silent  partner  in  same  for  six  years.  Then 
he  disposed  of  all  his  interests  in  the  shoe  trade 
and  branched  out  in  an  entirely  different  line, 
starting  a  grocery  business  in  West  Bridge- 
water,  as  well  as  dealing  wholesale  and  retail 
in  grain  and  coal.  He  was  in  this  line  for 
•eight  years  when  he  sold  the  grain  and  coal 
business  to  George  C.  Holmes,  and  after  con- 
ducting the  grocery  business  for  about  one 
year  he  sold  it  out  to  E.  C.  Fisher,  and  retired 
from  active  affairs,  his  time  ever  since  being 
devoted  to  the  care  and  management  of  his  real 
estate  and  stocks.  In  1886  he  built  his  own 
fine  home,-  one  of  the  handsomest  in  West 
Bridgewater,  and  he  has  built  a  number  of 
other  houses,  also  making  valuable  improve- 
ments on  the  property  adjoining  his  home.  He 
is  thoroughly  business-like  and  enterprising  in 
all  his  undertakings,  and  has  worked  hard  from 
boyhood,  but  he  has  been  well  rewarded  for  his 
industry,  not  only  in  the  prosperity  which  has 
been  the  result  of  his  efforts  but  also  in  the 
excellent  standing  he  has  attained  and  the  high 
reputation  he  has  won. 

Mr.  Lothrop  has  been  chosen  to  various  local 
■ofifices,  having  served  three  years  as  a  member 

66 


of  the  board  of  selectmen,  as  assessor  and  as 
overseer  of  the  poor.  In  1910  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  water  commissioners  of  West 
Bridgewater,  the  commission  having  charge  of 
the  construction  of  the  town's  new  water  sys- 
tem in  connection  with  the  water  supply  from 
Brockton's  source;  his  fellow  commissioners  are 
Orvis  F.  Kinney  and  Hervey  S.  Dunham.  Mr. 
Lothrop  has  had  charge  of  the  construction, 
and  he  threw  the  first  shovelful  of  earth  from 
the  trenches,  the  second  being  handled  by  Mr. 
Dunham  and  the  third  by  Mr.  Kinney.  Mr. 
Lothrop  is  a  Republican  in  political  sympathy. 
His  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  town  has 
been  sincere,  and  he  is  considered  a  good  citi- 
zen in  every  way. 

At  Eaton,  his  native  place,  Mr.  Lothrop 
married  Oct.  6,  1868,  Lucy  Planche,  who  was 
born  there,  daughter  of  William  and  Janet 
(Hurd)  Planche.  They  have  had  two  children: 
(1)  Charles  Arthur,  born  Oct.  31,  1869,  was 
educated  primarily  in  rthe  public  schools  of  West 
Bridgewater,  attended  the  high  school,  and 
later  took  a  course  in  medicine  at  the  Boston 
University  and  the  Hahnemann  Medical  School 
of  Chicago,  graduating  from  the  latter  institu- 
tion in  1892,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  For 
a  period  of  about  two  years  he  was  engaged  in 
practice  in  Brockton,  and  is  now  practicing  his 
profession  at  Sharon,  Wis.  He  married  (first) 
Oct.  24,  1894,  Saba  K.  Perkins,  of  Bridge- 
water,  and  to  this  union  came  one  son.  Duncan 
Lothrop,  born  Aug.  10,  1895.  In  May,  1902, 
he  married  (second)  Mary  Smith  Younglove, 
of  Wautoma,  Wis.,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Lucy  Mae,  born  Aug.  29,  1904.  (2)  Jessie 
Janet  is  the  widow  of  Arthur  Davis  Copeland 
(son  of  Davis  Copeland),  of  Brockton,  and  has 
one  cliild,  Dwight  Lothrop  Copeland,  born 
Aug.  16,  1899. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lothrop  have  made  several 
trips  to  Califorjiia.  Mr.  Lothrop  is  a  member 
of  Fellowship  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Bridge- 
water,  a  charter  member  of  Howard  Lodge,  No. 
116,  K.  of  P.  (of  which  he  is  one  of  the  trus- 
tees), and  was  a  member  of  the  West  Bridge- 
water  Grange,  No.  156,  for  several  years.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Economic  Club  of 
Brockton.  He  attends  the  Unitarian  Church, 
both  he  and  his  wife  being  members  of  the 
church  society. 

COL.  ABRAM  WASHBURN  (deceased) 
was  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  progres- 
sive citizens  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.  He  was  a 
native  of  Pomfret,  Vt.,  born  April  17,  1795, 
a  member  of  an  old  family  of  that  section. 
The    name    has    been    given    several    different 


883 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


spellings — Washburne,  Washborn,  Washborne, 
Washburn — those  in  Plymouth  county  spelling 
it  Washburn. 

(I)  John  Washburn,  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America,  was  an  early  settler  in  New  England, 
and  was  a  resident  of  Duxbury,  Mass.,  before 
1632,  in  which  year  he  had  an  action  in  court 
against  Edward  Doten.  He  was  named  in  the 
assessment  of  taxes  in  1633,  and  in  1634  bought 
a  place  from  Edward  Bonparse,  known  as 
"Eagle's  Nest."  He  and  his  two  sons,  John 
and  Philip,  were  included  with  those  able  to 
bear  arms  in  1643.  He  and  his  son  John  were 
original  proprietors  of  Bridgewater,  and  they 
with  the  son  Philip  settled  in  the  town  as  early 
as  1665.    He  died  in  Bridgewater  before  1670. 

(II)  John  Washburn  (2),  son  of  John,  lo- 
cated with  his  father  in  Bridgewater.  He  mar- 
ried Dec.  6,  1645,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Experience  and  Jane  (Cook)  Mitchell,  also 
of  Bridgewater.  Mr.  Washburn  made  his  home 
in.  Bridgewater  and  died  there  Nov.  12,  1686. 
His  children  were:  John,  bom  1646;  Thomas, 
who  married  (first)  Abigail  Leonard  and  (sec- 
ond) Deliverance  Packard;  Joseph,  who  mar- 
ried Hannah  Latham;  Samuel,  bom  1651,  who 
married  Deborah  Packard ;  Jonathan,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Vaughn ;  Benjamin ;  Mary,  bom 
1661,  who  married  Samuel  Kinsley;  Elizabeth, 
who  married  (first)  James  Howard,  and  (sec- 
ond) Edward  Sealey;  Jane,  who  married  Wil- 
liam Orcutt,  Jr. ;  James,  born  1672,  wh'o  mar- 
ried Mary  Bowden;  and  Sarah,  born  1675,  who 
married  Jan.  12,  1697,  John  Ames. 

(III)  John  Washburn  (3),  son  of  John  (2), 
was  born  1646  and  married  in  Bridgewater 
April  16,  1679,  to  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Tilden)  Lapham,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  Josiah,  born  Feb.  11,  1680;  John, 
April  5,  1682;  Joseph,  July  7,  1683;  William, 
Feb.  16,  1686;  Abigail,  June  6,  1688  (married 
in  1717  Josiah  Leonard)  ;  Rebecca  (married 
1719  David  Johnson).  Jolui  Washburn  (3) 
died  in  Bridgewater  in  1719. 

(IV)  Jolm  Washburn  (4),  son  of  John  (3), 
was  born  April  5,  1682,  in  Bridgewater,  and 
died  there  July  6,  1746.  In  1710  he  married 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Lydia 
(Kingman)  Packard,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  children  as  follows:  John,  born  July 
9,  1711 ;  Nathaniel,  Sept.  5,  1713;  Robert,  May 
23,  1715;  Abraham,  April  19,  1717;  Margaret, 
Aug.  22,  1718  (married  in  1741  Ephraim 
Holmes)  ;  Abishai,  June  16,  1720;  Jane,  March 
28,  1722  (married  in  1745  Thomas  Thomp- 
son) ;  and  Content,  April  23,  1724  (married 
in  1746  Joseph  Lathrop). 

(V)  Nathaniel  Washburn,  son  of  John   (4) 


and  Margaret,  was  bom  Sept.  5,  1713,  in 
Bridgewater,  and  in  that  town  made  his  home 
as  long  as  he  lived.  On  Feb.  28,  1740,  he  there 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Han- 
nah (Miller?)  Pratt,  of  Middleboro,  Mass.,. 
and  their  children  were :  Lucy,  born  Dec.  5, 
1740,  who  married  in  1756  Nathaniel  Morton, 
of  Halifax,  Mass. ;  Abraham,  born  Jan.  26,. 
1742;  Nathaniel,  born  Feb.  7,  1748;  and  Han- 
nah, who  married  in  1762  Moses  Snell.  The 
father  died  March  17,  1750,  and  the  mother 
married  for  her  second  husband,  in  1753, 
Eleazer  Gary. 

(VI)  Capt.  Abraham  Washburn,  son  of 
Nathaniel,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Bridge- 
water,  Jan.  26,  1742,  and  died  there  July  8,. 
1785.  On  Oct.  28,  1765,  he  married  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Jemima  (Washburn) 
Leonard.  Their  children  were  :  Nathaniel,  bom' 
Oct.  22,  1766;  Chloe,  born  June  2,  1768  (mar- 
ried in  1789  Edward  Mitchell,  Jr.) ;  Abraham,. 
Sept.  1,  1772;  Seth,  Sept.  23,  1776;  Abram, 
Aug.  28,  1779;  Lucy,  1781  (married,  1813,. 
Lawson  Lyon,  of  Boston,  and  for  her  second 
husband  a  Mr.  Whitney). 

Abraham  Washburn  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  and  his  record  taken  from  the  list 
of  Sailors  and  Soldiers  of  Massachusetts  iu 
the  Revolutionary  war  is  as  follows:  "Abra- 
ham Washburn,  captain  of  Bridgewater  com- 
pany. Col.  Edward  Mitchell's  regiment,  served 
six  days ;  company  marched  to  Horse  Neck  in 
Braintree  March  4,  1776.  Also,  captain  in 
Col.  John  Cushing's  regiment,  engaged  Sept. 
18,  1776,  service  sixty-two  and  a  half  days; 
company  stationed  at  Newport,  R.  I. ;  roll 
dated  Bridgewater.  Also,  captain  on  list  of 
officers  appointed  to  command  several  com- 
panies of  a  regiment  drafted  for  Brig.  Gen. 
Joseph  Cushing^'s  brigade  and  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Otis's  (Barnstable  company)  brigade,  tO' 
be  commanded  by  Col.  John  Gushing,  Jr.,  and 
ordered  to  march  to  Rhode  Island,  as  returned 
by  Joseph  Gushing,  to  Major  General  Warren,, 
dated  Hanover,  Oct.  30,  1776;  company  raised 
in  Bridgewater.  Also,  in  Capt.  Edward  Mit- 
chell's regiment,  served  sixteen  days;  com- 
pany marched  to  Bristol,  R.  I.,  Dec.  8,  1776. 
Also,  Col.  Abijah  Stern's  regiment;  pay  roll 
made  up  for  service  of  said  Washburn  com- 
pany from  April  11,  1778,  to  July  2,  1778,  at 
Castle  Island.  Also,  captain  in  Maj.  Nathaniel 
Goodwin's  detachment.  Col.  Jacob  Gerrish's 
regiment  of  guards,  engaged  July  10,  1778, 
discharged  Dec.  18,  1778,  service  five  months 
and  nine  days  at  and  about  Boston,  term  sir 
months  to  expire  Jan.  1,  1779.  Also,  captain 
in   Maj.    Eliphalet   Gary's  regiment,   marched 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


883 


July  30,  liSO,  discharged  Aug.  9,  1780,  served 
eleven  days;  company  marched  to  Rhode  Island 
on  an  alarm.  Also,  captain  in  Col.  Theophilus 
Cotton's  regiment,  marched  March  10,  1781 ; 
service  twenty-two  days;  company  marched  to 
Newport,  E.  I.,  to  serve  forty  days;  roll  dated 
Bridgewater." 

(VII)  Nathaniel  Washburn,  son  of  Capt. 
Abrah3m,  was  born  in  Bridgewater  Oct.  22, 
1766,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  became 
engaged  in  farming,  and  followed  that  occu- 
pation through  life.  He  married  Salome, 
daughter  of  Moses  and  Lois  (Hayward)  Sim- 
mons, and  they  became  the  parents  of  six 
children:  Eebecca,  born  July  28,  1792,  who 
married  John  Conant;  Abram,  born  April  17, 
1795;  Nathaniel,  born  May  14,  1797;  John, 
born  Oct.  4,  1799;  Lois  Howard,  born  Dec.  16, 
1814,  who  married  Ephraim  Sprague;  and 
Sarah  Simmons,  born  Dec.  8,  1816. 

Mr.  Washburn,  when  a  young  man,  moved  to 
Pomfret,  Vt.,  and  lafter  farming  there  for 
some  time  returned  to  his  native  town,  buying 
property  in  Titicut,  near  that  owned  by  his 
brother  Seth.  When  he  retired  from  active 
work  he  moved  into  the  village  of  Bridgewater, 
and  there  died,  in  his  seventy-seventh  year,  on 
Feb.  9,  1843.  He  was  laid  to  rest  in  Mount 
Prospect  cemetery.  His  wife  lived  to  the  age 
of  eighty-one,  and  she,  too,  sleeps  in  Mount 
Prospect  cemetery. 

(VIII)  Col.  Abram  Washburn,  son  of  Nath- 
aniel, was  born  in  Pomfret,  Vt.,  April  17,  1795. 
He  attended  the  district  schools  until  he  was 
sixteen,  and  in  1811  came  to  Bridgewater, 
where,  under  his  uncle,  Capt.  Abraham  Wash- 
burn, he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  This 
calling  did  not  prove  congenial  to  him,  and  he 
continued  at  it  only  a  short  time.  At  an  early 
age  he  became  identified  with  the  manufac- 
turing firm  of  Carver,  Washburn  &  Co.,  cotton 
gin  manufacturers,  and  traveled  through  the 
South  in  the  interest  of  that  firm.  Later  he 
was  admitted  as  a  member  of  the  firm,  and  his 
connection  therewith  was  continued  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  became  an  extensive  land 
owner  around  Bridgewater,  and  was  known  as 
a  great  lover  of  nature.  He  did  much  toward 
beautifying  Bridgewater,  bringing  from  his 
home  in  Vermont  two  hundred  and  more  trees, 
including  maple,  ash  and  bass,  which  he 
planted  in  different  parts  of  the  village,  and 
at  his  own  home  on  Summer  street  stand  two 
large  maple  trees  that  in  themselves  are  living 
testimonials  to  his  pride  in  their  cultivation. 
With  his  own  hands  he  planted  in  Carver  Pond 
the  water  lilies  that  have  bloomed  there  for 
three  quarters  of  a  century.     He  was  a  man  of 


enterprise  and  progressive  ideas,  and  was  well 
informed  on  questions  of  importance  to  the 
town  and  country. 

Colonel  Washburn  donated  the  land  on  which 
was  built  the  first  State  normal  school,  and  he 
did  much  to  have  that  school  established  in 
the  town.  In  1819,  while  still  a  young  man, 
he  took  quite  an  active  part  in  the  organization 
of  the  local  rifle  company,  and  under  Col.  Sam- 
uel Leonard  he  was  at  one  time  its  first  lieu- 
tenant, and  later  its  captain.  He  was  elected 
colonel  of  the  3d  Regiment  of  State  militia, 
and  in  military  matters  took  a  deep  interest. 
In  his  younger  days  he  was  a  Democrat,  sup- 
porting strongly  the  candidates  of  that  party, 
but  he  was  one  of  the  early  sympathizers  with 
the  antislavery  cause,  and  his  home  sheltered 
many  a  fugitive  from  the  sunny  southland. 
Among  these  slaves  may  be  mentioned  William 
and  Ellen  Crafts,  husband  and  wife,  who  es- 
caped to  the  North  and  found  shelter  under  the 
hospitable  roof  of  Colonel  Washburn.  Mrs. 
Crafts  was  of  light  complexion,  and  she  trav- 
eled as  a  white  woman,  her  darker  skinned  hus- 
band acting  as  her  slave  or  servant.  In  later 
years  Colonel  Washburn  became  a  Republican. 
He  was  a  good  and  iiseful  citizen,  whom  the 
people  trusted  and  respected. 

Colonel  Washburn  helped  to  organize  the 
Bridgewater  Society  of  the  New  Jerusalem 
Church.  He  was  a  strong  advocate  of  tem- 
perance. He  died  May  28,  1881,  at  his  home 
on  Summer  street  (which  he  had  erected  in 
1825,  and  wliich  is  now  occupied  by  his  daugh- 
ter Hannah),  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-six 
years,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Mount  Prospect 
cemetery. 

Colonel  Washburn  was  twice  married:  First, 
April  14,  1822,  to  Pamelia,  daughter  of  Isaac 
and  Joanna  (Pratt)  Keith,  the  former  a  son 
of  Isaac  Keith,  and  the  latter  a  daughter  of 
Deacon  Seth  Pratt,  and  widow  of  Adam  Besse. 
Mrs.  Washburn  died  in  Bridgewater  March  25, 
1833,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Mount  Prospect 
cemetery.  Three  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage:  Lucia  Conant,  born  March  27,  1823, 
who  married  William  J.  Cutler,  of  Boston; 
Ann,  who  died  young;  and  Saba,  born  Aug.  4, 
1829,  who  married  Sept.  23,  1851,  Fisher  Ames 
Sprague  (who  died  Jan.  18,  1868),  and  re- 
sided in  Bridgewater  until  her  death,  Nov.  7, 
1909.  Colonel  Washburn  married  (second),  in 
1832,  Sarah  Miller  Shaw,  who  was  bom  in 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  Nov.  23,  1797.  daughter  of 
Dr.  Samuel  and  Olive  (Leonard)  Shaw,  and 
granddaughter  of  Rev.  John  Shaw,  minister 
of  the  Bridgewater  Church,  and  sister  to  Hon. 
John  A.   Shaw,  a  well-known  educator.     She 


884 


SOTJTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


was  also  a  granddaughter  of  Zebulon  Leonard, 
a  well-kno\vn  lawyer  of  Middlesex  county.  Mrs. 
Washburn  died  Dec.  14,  1861,  and  was  buried 
in  Mount  Prospect  cemetery.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Unitarian  Church.  Five  children 
were  born  to  this  second  marriage,  namely: 
Abram,  born  Aug.  1,  1833,  died  in  1871 ;  Nath- 
aniel, born  Sept.  6,  1835,  died  May  28,  1861 ; 
Hope  Savage,  bom  April  19,  1837,  died  June 
2,  1855;  Hannah  Ames,  born  May  14,  1840,  re- 
sides on  the  old  homestead ;  and  Samuel  Shaw, 
born  Jan.  13,  1842,  died  June  24,  1862. 

HAYWARD  (Taunton  family).  Since  the. 
close  of  the  Civil  war  there  have  resided  at 
Taunton  and  been  active  and  prominent  there 
in  its  social  and  professional  life  representa- 
tives of  one  branch  of  the  Easton  Hayward 
family.  Reference  is  made  to  the  late  Joseph 
W.  Hayward,  M.  D.,  a  Civil  war  surgeon, 
brevet  major  of  United  States  volunteers,  who 
was  long  active  in  his  profession  and  in  useful 
citizenship  in  the  city  of  his  adoption,  where 
now  his  son,  Dr.  Walter  Barrows  Hayward, 
is  following  the  profession  of  his  father. 

The  branch  to  which  the  Hayw^rds  of  Taun- 
ton under  consideration  belong,  was  descended 
from  (I)  Thomas  Hayward,  of  Aylesford, 
England,  who  with  his  wife  Susanna  and  five 
children  came  to  this  country  in  1630,  in  the 
ship  "Hercules,"  settling  at  Cambridge,  where 
he  was  a  proprietor  in  1635-36.  He  removed 
to  Duxbury,  where  he  was  a  proprietor  in 
1638,  and  a  freeman  in  1647.  He  removed  to 
Bridgewater,  becoming  a  proprietor,  and 
among  the  earliest  and  oldest  of  the  settlers 
of  the  town.  He  died  in  1681,  and  his  will 
bears  date  of  1678.  His  children  were:  Thomas, 
Nathaniel,  John,  Joseph,  Elisha,  Mary  (wife 
of  Edward  Mitchell)  and  Martha  (wife  of 
John   Howard ) . 

(II)  Deacon  Joseph  Hayward,  son  of 
Thomas,  married  (first)  Alice,  daughter  of 
Elder  William  Brett,  and  had  a  son  Joseph, 
born  in  1673.  He  married  again  and  had  a 
daughter  Alice,  born  in  1683.  He  married 
(third)  Hannah,  daughter  of  Experience 
Mitchell  and  his  wife  Jane  (Cooke)  Mitchell, 
the  latter  the  daughter  of  Francis  Cooke,  the 
"Mayflower"  pilgrim.  By  this  third  marriage 
there  were  children:  Mary,  born  1685  (mar- 
ried in  .1706  Thomas  Ames)  ;  Thomas,  born 
1687;  Edward,  born  July  24,  1689;  Hannah, 
born  1691  (married  in  1714  Capt.  Ebenezer 
Byrarn)  ;  Susanna,  born  1695  (married  prob- 
ably in  1719  Jonathan  Packard)  ;  Peter,  born 
1699;  and  Abigail,  born  1702  (married  in 
1731    Zachariah    Snell). 


(III)  Edward  Haywarf,  son  of  Deacon 
Joseph,  born  in  1689,  settled  in  Taunton 
North  Purchase,  now  Easton,  as  early  as  1714. 
In  1715  he  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Kinsley.  Their  children  were:  Hannah, 
born  July  15.  1716;  Edward,  April  13,  1718; 
Joseph,  April  27,  1722  (died  in  1740)  ;  and 
Matthew,  Dec.  10,  1728.  Mrs.  Hannah  (Kins- 
ley) Hayward  died  Nov.  11,  1747.  On  Oct. 
26,  1748,  Mr.  Hayward  married  (second) 
Keziah  White,  widow  of  Edward  White, 
of  West  Bridgewater,  and  their  children 
were:  Edward,  born  July  31,  1749;  Ke- 
ziah, July  12,  1751;  Joseph,  July  17,  1753; 
and  Solomon,  Aug.  3,  1755.  Edward  Hay- 
ward was  deacon  in  the  Congregational 
Church.  In  1737  he  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace;  and  he  also  represented  the  town  in  the 
State  Legislature.  He  died  May  21,  1760,  in 
the  seventy-first  year  of  his  age. 

(IV)  Joseph  Hayward,  son  of  Edward  and 
Keziah,  born  July  17,  1753,  married  Jan.  24, 
1781,  Lydia,  daughter  of  Elisha  Barrows,  Esq., 
of  Rochester,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Elizabeth  Smith, 
Rotheus,  Lucy,  Lydia,  Joseph,  Ansel,  Elisha, 
Rowena,  Sophia,  Minerva,  Edward  Tupper, 
Daniel,  Lydia  (2),  and  George  Washington. 
The  aggregate  height  of  the  seven  sons,  in 
their  shoes,  was  forty-three  feet. 

(V)  Capt.  George  Washington  Hayward, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Barrows),  and  father 
of  the  late  Dr.  Joseph  W.  Hayward,  of  Taun- 
ton, was  born  June  10,  1807.  He  was  one  of 
the  leading  men  and  useful  citizens  of  his 
town.  In  the  early  thirties  he  was  made  cap- 
tain in  the  militia  of  the  town — was  next  to 
the  last  captain  of  the  East  company  of  the 
Easton  militia,  which  held  its  last  annual 
meeting  in  May,  1835.  He  was  for  five  years, 
including  1838,  1841,  1844  and  1846,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  superintending  school  committee. 
He  was  selectman  of  the  town  for  seven  years, 
1849-1856.  He  married  Sylvia  Smith  Pratt, 
and  they  had  three  children,  as  follows: 
Georgiana,  born  Nov.  20,  1835,  who  died  July 
17,  1899;  Edward  Russell,  born  Jan.  17,  1837; 
and  Joseph  Warren. 

(VI)  Dr.  Joseph  Waeren  Haywakd,  son  of 
George  Washington  and  Sylvia  S.  (Pratt),  was 
born  in  Easton  July  11,  1841.  He  was  gradu- 
ated at  the  Bridgewater  normal  school  in  the 
spring  of  I860,  then  taught  school  two  winters. 
In  1861  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  with 
Dr.  Edgar  E.  Dean,  of  North  Bridgewater, 
and  entered  Harvard  Medical  School  in  the 
fall  of  1862.  On  March  13,  1863,  having 
passed   the   examination   of   the   regular   army 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


885 


board  at  Philadelphia,  he  was  appointed  medi- 
cal cadet  of  the  United  States  army,  and  was 
soon  on  duty  at  the  Wasliington  general  hos- 
pital at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  where  he  served  un- 
til Feb.  11,  186-i,  and  for  the  balance  of  his 
year,  until  March  lltli,  he  was  on  duty  at  the 
Brown  general  hospital  at  Louisville,  Ky.  Dr. 
Hayward  then  returned  home,  and  entered  tho 
medical  school  at  Bowdoin  College,  Maine, 
from  which,  having  passed  the  required  exam- 
ination at  the  United  States  Medical  School, 
at  New  York  City,  he  was  appointed  assistant 
surgeon  of  United  States  volunteers  by  Presi- 
dent Lincoln.  He  was  ordered  to  report  to 
General  Butler  in  Virginia,  and  was  sent  to 
the  2d  Division  of  the  10th  Corps  in  front  of 
Petersburg.  In  a  few  days  he  was  made  oper- 
ating surgeon  of  the  10th  Corps,  Artillery  Bri- 
gade, making  his  headquarters  with  the  4th 
New  Jersey  Battery.  After  General  Butler 
was  superseded  by  General  Ord,  Dr.  Hayward 
was  assigned  to  the  position  of  staff  surgeon, 
in  which  capacity  he  was  present  at  the  fall 
of  Petersburg  and  Lee's  surrender.  Reaching 
Richmond  April  12,  1865,  he  was  detailed 
upon  the  department  staff  as  assistant  medical 
director,  which  position  he  held  until  his  res- 
ignation in  November  following.  On  March 
13,  1865,  he  was  brevetted  major.  United 
States  volunteers.  In  the  winter  of  1865-66 
Dr.  Hayward  attended  lectures  at  Bellevue 
Medical  College,  New  York  City.  On  April  1, 
1866,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  George 
Barrows,  of  Taunton,  the  partnership  continu- 
ing six  years.  In  1867  he  was  commissioned 
surgeon  of  the  3d  Mass.  V.  I.,  and  in  1874  was 
made  medical  director  of  the  1st  Brigade  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel,  holding  this 
position  until  an  act  of  legislation  discharged 
all  its  military  officers.  In  1877  he  was  ap- 
pointed United  States  pension  surgeon.  In 
1878  he  was  added  to  the  faculty  of  the  Bos- 
ton University  School  of  Medicine,  as  especial 
lecturer  upon  fractures,  dislocations  and  gun- 
shot wounds,  and  was  still  acting  in  that  capa- 
city at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Massachusetts  Homeopathic  State 
Medical  Society,  and  served  as  its  president ; 
he  was  also  a  member  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Homeopathy.  Dr.  Hayward  served 
twenty-one  years — 1876-1897 — on  the  school 
board  of  Taunton,  thus  giving  much  valuable 
time  to  its  educational  interests,  notwithstand- 
ing the  demands  of  his  large  practice.  He  was 
elected  a  director  of  the  Parental  Home  Asso- 
ciation of  Boston,  a  charitable  institution  for 
the  care  of  homeless  children.  He  was  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Morton  hospital  in  Taun- 


ton from  the  beginning.  Fond  of  field  sports 
in  the  way.  of  recreation  and  rest,  with  dog, 
gun  and  fishing  rod,  this  taste  was  recognized 
by  the  incorporated  association  having  for  its 
name  "The  New  England  Field  Trial  Club," 
and  for  its  object  the  improvement  of  the 
hunting  dog  and  the  promotion  of  legitimate 
field  sports,  by  choosing  him  for  its  president. 
Dr.  Hayward  died  Nov.  21,  1905. 

On  June  10,  1866,  Dr.  Hayward  married 
Lemira  Harris,  daughter  of  John  R.  Drake, 
of  Easton,  and  they  had  four  children :  Ernest 
Lowell,  born  Aug.  28,  1868;  Ralph  Morris, 
born  July  8,  1870;  Walter  Barrows,  born  Oct. 
31,  1872;  and  Josephine  Lemira,  born  May  11, 
1876,  who  married  Henry  Burt  Wright,  son  of 
Dean  Henry  R.  Wright,  of  Yale  University. 

(VII)  Walter  Baeeows  Haywaed,  M.  D., 
son  of  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  was  born  in  Taun- 
ton Oct.  31,  1872,  and  began  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place,  gradu- 
ating in  1891.  He  then  entered  Brown 
University  School  of  Medicine,  graduating 
in  1897.  After  one  year  in  the  Boothby 
hospital  at  Boston  he  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  with  his  father  in  Taunton,  and 
continued  in  such  relation  until  the  death  of 
the  latter  Nov.  21,  1905.  He  belongs  to  the 
Homeopathic  School  of  Medicine,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  staff  at  Morton  hospital. 

GEORGE  TABER  RUSSELL,  during  Ks 
life  a  well-known  citizen  of  the  town  of  Acush- 
net,  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  there  and 
a  man  whose  business  and  public  activities  en- 
titled him  to  recognition  as  one  of  the  town's 
most  valuable  residents,  was  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  of  Bristol  county, 
Mass.  The  first  of  the  name  in  New  England 
was  (I)  John  Russell.  He  and  his  wife  Doro- 
thy were  residents  of  Marshfield  as  early  as 
1642  or  1643,  where  according  to  the  town 
records  Mr.  Russell  was  elected  constable.  In 
February,  1643-44,  he  was  granted  land.  He 
was  made  a  freeman  by  the  General  Court  at 
Plymouth  in  June,  1644,  and  in  the  fall  of 
that  year  was  granted  thirty  acres  of  land.  He 
is  mentioned  in  the  summer  of  1645  as  among 
those  who  were  willing  to  support  a  school, 
and  in  1646  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  com- 
mittee to  the  next  court.  He  was  chosen  in 
1648  one  of  the  raters  and  in  that  same  year 
he  was  surveyor  of  highways  of  Marshfield. 
Seven  years  later  he  was  chosen  grand  jury- 
man. In  March,  1661,  he  bought  from  the 
attorney  of  Miles  Standish  his  share  of  the 
town  of  Dartmouth,  for  the  "sum  of  £42;  and 
in  the  deed  it  is  "John  Russell  of  Marshfield."' 


886 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


It  has  been  thought  by  some  and  so  stated 
that  Mr.  Russell  was  a  son  of  Ralph  Russell, 
of  Pontypool,  Monmouthshire,  Wales,  who  came 
to  Braintree,  Mass.,  and  from  there  went  to 
Taunton,  Mass.,  in  1652,  to  build  iron-works 
in  company  with  the  brothers  James  and 
Henry  Leonard.  It  has  been  stated  that  Ralph 
later  went  to  Dartmouth  and  started  a  forge 
at  Russell's  Mills,  and  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
Russells  of  that  town.  "On  this  point,"  says 
Barrett  Beard  Russell,  in  his  article  on  the 
descendants  of  John  Russell  of  Dartmouth,  in 
the  New  England  Historic  and  Genealogical 
Register  of  October,  1904,  "I  have  been  unable 
to  find  any  proof  that  he  was  the  father  of 
John,  or  that  he  built  the  aforesaid  forge." 

John  Russell  is  thought  to  have  been  born 
in  1608.  He  died  13th  of  2d  month,  1694-95. 
His  wife,  Dorothy,  died  13th  of  12th  month, 
1687.  Their  children  were:  John,  Martha, 
Dorothy  (died  or  was  buried  in  Marshfield 
Jan.  13,  1657-58)  and  Joseph  (born  May  6, 
1650). 

(II)  Joseph  Russell,  born  May  6,  1650, 
probably  in  Marshfield,  died  Dec.  11,  1739. 
His  wife,  Elizabeth,  born  March  6,  1657,  died 
Sept.  25,  1737.  Their  children  were:  Joseph 
(twin),  born  Nov.  29,  1679;  John  (twin), 
born  Nov.  29,  1679;  William,  born  May  6, 
1681;  Mary,  born  July  10,  1683;  Joshua,  born 
Jan.  26,  1686;  Rebecca,  born  Jan.  3,  1688; 
Benjamin,  born  Mav  17,  1691;  Seth,  born 
April  7,  1696:  and  Sarah. 

(III)  Joseph  Russell  (2),  son  of  Joseph, 
born  Nov.  29,  1679,  in  the  fort  house  at  Rus- 
sell's Orchard,  Dartmouth,  where  the  citizens 
had  assembled  for  protection  from  the  Indians, 
was  twice  married,  the  name  of  his  first  wife 
being  Sarah.  He  married  (second)  (permis- 
sion of  the  Friends'  Meeting  19th  of  5th 
month,  1703)  Mary,  daughter  of  Abrahpm 
Tucker,  and  granddaughter  of  Henry  Tucker. 
One  child,  Sarah,  born  May  24,  1702,  blessed 
the  first  marriage,  and  the  following  children 
the  second:  Mary,  born  June  1,  1704;  Abra- 
ham, March  19,  1705-06;  William,  Dec.  20, 
1708;  Abigail,  March  19,  1711;  Caleb,  Aug. 
9,  1713 ;  Martha,  June  24,  1716 ;  Joseph,  Oct. 
8,  1719;  Mary,  Dec.  20,  1723;  and  Patience, 
Oct.  8,  1727. 

(IV)  Abraham  Russell,  son  of  Joseph  (2), 
born  March  19,  1705-06,  in  Dartmouth,  Mass., 
married  Nov.  28,  1728,  Dinah  Allen,  born  Dec. 
8,  1703-04,  who  died  in  1784.  He  died  July 
4,  1770.  Children,  all  born  in  Dartmouth, 
Mass.:  Abigail,  born  Jan.  26,  1730-31,  died 
Nov.  27,  1815-16;  Seth,  born  Sept.  2,  1732, 
died   in   1820;  Abraham,  born  Dec.   23,   1733, 


married  Hannah  Devoll;  David,  born  Dec.  6, 
1735,  married  Susannah  Soul,  and  died  in, 
1814;  Thomas,  born  May  25,  1738,  married 
Edith  Sherman;  Rachel,  born  July  28,  1741, 
married  Edmund  Maxfield;  William,  born 
Aug.  5,  1743,  married  Hepzibeth  Mosher,  and 
died  March  17,  1825;  Allen  was  born  March 
2,   1745. 

(V)  Allen  Russell,  son  of  Abraham,  born 
March  2,  1745,  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  died  Feb. 
13,  1835.  He  married  Sept.  27,  1781,  Abagail, 
daughter  of  Gideon  and  Elizabeth  Allen.  Mrs. 
Russell  died  Nov.  11,  1815.  Children:  Meri- 
bah,  born  Nov.  30,  1782,  died  in  Fairhaven, 
Mass.,  unmarried,  Nov.  2,  1851 ;  Gideon,  bom 
April  25,  1784,  died  when  about  twenty-one; 
Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  24,  1785,  died  when 
about  eighteen;  David,  born  Oct.  22,  1786, 
married  (first)  Betsey  Blackmer  and  (second) 
Mrs.  Mary  F.  (Parker)  Blackmer,  and  died 
July  3,  1869;  Meriah,  born  April  5,  1788,  mar- 
ried John  Taber;  Lemuel  was  born  April  20, 
1791;  Susan,  born  May  6,  1793,  married 
Gamaliel  Lincoln,  and  died  April  26,  1878. 

(VI)  Lemuel  Russell,  son  of  Allen,  born 
April  20,  1791,  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married 
March  21.  1810,  Mercy  W.  Taber,  of  Acushnet, 
born  April  24,  1794.  Mr.  Russell,  when  a  boy 
of  fourteen  years,  accompanied  his  parents  on 
their  removal  to  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Acushnet.  He  died  April  15,  1854.  His  wife 
survived  him  and  died  March  18,  1863.  Their 
children  were:  George  T.,  born  June  8,  1811; 
Elizabeth,  born  March  28,  1813,  who  died 
young;  Betsey  B.,  born  March  11,  1815,  who 
died  unmarried  March  17,  1879;  Allen,  born 
March  16,  1817,  who  married  Rhoda  R.  Gif- 
ford,  and  died  Jan.  26,  1888;  and  Nye  T., 
born  Aug.  16,  1819,  who  died  when  young. 

(VII)  George  Taber  Russell,  son  of  Lemuel 
and  Mercy  W.  (Taber)  Russell,  was  born  June 
8,  1811,  in  what  was  then  New  Bedford,  later 
became  Fairhaven,  and  is  now  Acushnet.  He 
acquired  a  common  school  education.  As  time 
passed  he  became  interested  with  his  brother 
Allen  in  real  estate  transactions  and  from  time 
to  time  they  bought  and  sold  considerable 
property,  dealing  especially  in  woodland.  He 
developed  shrewdness  in  his  real  estate  trans- 
actions and  in  time,  by  carefully  looking  after 
his  business  and  the  practice  of  economy, 
a7nassed  considerable  wealth.  He  became  one 
of  the  heaviest  land  owners  in  the  town  of 
Acushnet,  and  was  considered  an  expert  in 
the  value  of  such  lands  as  he  handled. 

Mr.  Russell  was  always  to  the  front,  active 
and  prominent  in  town  meetings.  He  was  an 
advocate  of  economy  in  matters  of  expenditure 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


887 


for  the  town.  Possessed  of  a  remarkable  mem- 
ory, in  his  last  days  he  narrated  with  much  in- 
terest to  those  who  met  and  conversed  with  him 
events  of  the  past,  remembering  as  he  did 
much  of  the  history  of  his  section.  Mr.  Eus- 
sell  died  May  16,  1899. 

On  Oct.  29,  18;57,  Mr.  Eussell  married 
Eubey  B.  Doty,  born  April  10,  1816,  in  Roch- 
ester (now  Mattapoisett),  Mass.,  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  (I)  Edward  Doty  or  Doten,  a 
London  youth  who  came  over  in  the  "May- 
flower," 1620,  as  an  apprentice  of  Stephen 
Hopkins,  and  the  first  account  of  whom  is  in 
Cape  Code  harbor,  where  he  signed  the  cabin 
contract.  Hopkins  was  a  tanner  of  London, 
and  joined  the  Pilgrims  at  Southampton.  Doty 
was  made  a  freeman  in  1633,  etc.  From  tliis 
Edward  Doty,  who  married  Faith  Clarke, 
Eubey  B.  (Doty)  Eussell's  descent  is  through 

(II)  Joseph  Doty,  born  April  29,  1631,  in 
Plymouth,  married  there  Sept.  5.  1654,  Eliza- 
beth Warren,  who  was  born  in  Plymouth, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Walker) 
Warren,  and  granddaughter  of  Richard  War- 
ren, a  passenger  in  the  "Mayflower,"  1620. 
Joseph  Doty  married  (second)  Deborah  Hatch. 
He  also  had  a  third  wife,  but  Deborah  was  the 
mother  of  his  son  Ellis,  of  the  line  here  con- 
sidered. Joseph  Doty  died  in  Eochester,  Mass., 
as  did  his  wife  Deborah. 

(III)  Ellis  Doty  was  born  in  1681,  prob- 
ably in  Sandwich,  Mass.  His  wife's  name  was 
Ellinor,  and  they  resided  in  Eochester,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

(IV)  Edward  Doty,  born  May  7,  1705,  in 
Eochester,  Mass.,  married  there  Nov.  19,  1726, 
Mary  Andrews.  He  was  a  farmer  in  Eochester ; 
may  have  removed  later  to  Hardwick,  Massa- 

(V)  Capt.  John  Doty,  born  Aug.  7, 1734,  in 
Eochester,  Mass.,  married  there  Dec.  28,  1758, 
Elizabeth  Clark,  and  lived  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  in  Eochester,  but  died  at  Montpelier, 
Vt.,  as  did  his  wife. 

(VI)  Thomas  Doty,  born  Oct.  8,  1759,  in 
Eochester,  Mass.,  married  there  April  5,  1780, 
Asenath  Bassett.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade.  They  removed  in  1799  to  Montpelier, 
Vermont. 

(VII)  Thomas  Doty  (2),  born  in  Eoch- 
ester, Mass.,  was  reared  by  his  grandfather 
Bassett.  He  married  there,  probably  in  June, 
1807,  Bathsheba  Blankenship;  both  lived  and 
died  in  Eochester,  Massachusetts. 

(VIII)  Eubey  Blankenship  Doty,  bom  April 
10,  1816,  married  George  Taber  Russell,  and 
died  Dec.  28.  1891. 

The  following  were  the  children  bom  to  Mr. 


and  Mrs.  Russell:  Abby,  born  Nov.  3,  1838, 
died  Jan.  31,  1841;  George  Taber,  Jr.,  was 
born  Jan.  8,  1840;  Charles  Lemuel,  born  Oct. 
13,  1841,  married  Feb.  25,  1875,  Mary  E.  Pot- 
ter, and  died  Oct.  18,  1899,  leaving  one  daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth  L. ;  Elizabeth  Ann,  born  April 

10,  1845,  married  Feb.  21,  1867,  Israel  D. 
Washburn,  and  died  Dec.  14,  1868;  Abby  Lou- 
isa, born  May  11,  1847,  died  Dec.  27,  1847; 
Sylvia  Harlow,  born  April  10,  1849,  died  Sept. 
16,  1850;  Rubie  Doty,  born  Feb.  13,  1851,  re- 
sides at  the  homestead  in  Acushnet,  with  her 
brother  Henry  T. ;  Henry  Thomas,  born  July 

11,  1854,  died  July  15,  1854;  Henry  Thomas 
(2)  was  born  June  19,  1855. 

(VIII)  George  Taber  Russell,  Jr.,  son  of 
George  Taber  and  Rubey  Blankenship  (Doty) 
Russell  was  born  Jan.  8,  1840,  in  Fairhaven 
(now  Acushnet),  Mass.  After  acquiring  the 
usual  training  in  the  public  schools  of  his  na- 
tive town  and  in  those  of  New  Bedford  he 
furthered  his  studies  in  the  line  of  preparation 
for  business  at  a  commercial  college  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he 
began  to  teach  school'  and  for  the  long  period 
of  twenty-two  years  continued  in  the  profes- 
sion with  marked  success,  his  field  of  labor 
being  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town  and 
those  of  Fairhaven  and  New  Bedford..  Dur- 
ing one  of  the  years  as  a  teacher  in  Acushnet 
the  town  report  of  that  place  paid  Mr.  Russell 
the  following  well-deserved  compliment:  "Mr. 
Russell  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  suc- 
cessful teacher,  exhibiting  at  all  times  those 
qualities  so  essential  to  success,  namely,  firm- 
ness, patience  and  self-possession." 

Mr.  Russell  was  also  for  a  time  an  in- 
structor at  Scholfield's  commercial  college  in 
Providence.  He  was  for  some  three  years  a 
valuable  member  of  the  Acushnet  school  com- 
mittee. Since  the  middle  seventies  of  the  last 
century  he  has  been  employed  in  the  New  Bed- 
ford Institution  for  Savings.  He  is  a  member 
of  Middlfeboro  Lodge,  No.  135,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
and  of  Annawan  Encampment,  No.  8,  of  New 
Bedford. 

(VIII)  Henrt  Thomas  Russell,  son  of 
George  Taber  and  Rubey  Blankenship  (Doty) 
Russell,  was  born  June  19,  1855,  in  what  is 
now  Acushnet,  Mass.  He  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
those  of  New  Bedford  and  the  Friends'  Acad- 
emy, also  of  New  Bedford.  He  has  been  vari- 
ously occupied,  and  for  years  has  been  together 
with  his  brother  George  T.  employed  in  the 
management  of  the  estate  of  his  father.  Mr. 
Russell  is  well  and  favorably  known  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  State  and  is  esteemed  and  respected 


890 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


nate  circumstances  which  made  him  doubly 
charitable  and  kindly  toward  many  whom  he 
befriended  in  various  ways. 

His  home  life  was  ideal.  On  April  18,  1851, 
he  married  Nancy  B.  Wheaton,  who  was  born 
in  Eehoboth  March  10,  1824,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Nancy  Burr  Wheaton,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Isaac  Burr.  The  married  life  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Short  covered  a  period  of  over 
fifty-two  years,  during  which  time  their  mu- 
tual devotion  brought  a  degree  of  happiness 
and  contentment  known  to  few.  Both  were 
domestic  in  their  tastes  and  lovers  of  home, 
and  they  took  great  pride  in  the  home  on  Bank 
street  which  Mr.  Short  erected.  Mrs.  Short 
has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  B.  Church  for 
the  past  forty-five  years,  and  for  twenty-five 
years  was  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Eehoboth,  Mass.  She  has  always 
shared  the  high  esteem  in  which  Mr.  Short 
was  held,  and  is  well  known  for  her  kindliness 
and  benevolence.  Mr.  Short  was  a  member  of 
Ezekiel  Bates  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Attle- 
boro.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  of  the 
old  school. 

FEANCIS  E.  WHITE.  The  Brock-ton  fam- 
ily of  Whites  here  treated,  the  head  of  which 
is  the  present  Francis  E.  White,  who  has  long 
been  one  of  the  cit/s  most  successful  and 
highly  honored  business  men,  and  as  well  an 
enterprising  and  progressive  citizen,  while  not 
an  old-time  family  in  the  community  is  one — 
with  its  connections  through  marriage — an- 
cient and  historic  in  the  Commonwealth,  de- 
scending from  one  of  the  "Mayflower"  Pil- 
grims. The  progenitor  of  this  branch  of  the 
White  family  was  Thomas  White,  who  was  ad- 
mitted a  freeman  of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  in 
1635-36,  from  whom  Francis  E.  White  is  the 
seventh  generation  removed.  Among  the  White 
connection  in  and  about  Weymouth  may  be 
mentioned  such  Colonial  families  as  Loud, 
Burrell  and  Tirrell,  names  associated  with 
early  New  England  history.  Ma j.  John  Tirrell 
will  be  recalled  as  the  drum  major  who  served 
with  General  Winslow  at  Annapolis  Eoyal  in 
1755,  during  the  French  war,  and  at  Fort 
William  Henry  at  the  time  of  the  massacre 
there  in  1757;  he  was  one  of  the  few  who 
made  their  escape  to  Fort  Edward.  It  was 
either  John  Burrell,  the  Weymouth  settler,  or 
his  son  John,  who  was  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany commanded  by  Capt.  Isaac  Johnson,  in 
December,  1675,  and  was  probably  in  the 
deadly  assault  with  the  Indians  when  his  cap- 
tain was  killed.  It  is  a  matter  of  history  that 
Francis  Loud,  said  to  have  come  from  Scot- 


land, appeared  at  Sagadahoc,  Maine,  on  the 
Kennebec  river,  as  early  as  1675,  and  that  his 
son  Francis,  who  was  a  resident  of  Weymouth, 
by  his  marriage  to  a  daughter -of .  Isaac  and 
Mary  (Turner)  Prince  connects  his  posterity 
with  the  blood  of  William  Brewster,  of  the 
"Mayflower." 

The  history  of  this  branch  of  the  White  fam- 
ily follows,  the  generations  being  given  in 
chronological  order,  beginning  with  the  emi- 
grant ancestor. 

(I)  Thomas  White  was  admitted  a  free- 
man of  the  Massachusetts  Colony  March  3, 
1635-36,  being  then  and  previously  an  inhabi- 
tant of  Weymouth  and  a  member  of  the  church 
there.  Neither  the  place  of  his  nativity  in 
England  nor  the  year  of  his  coming  to  this 
country  is  certainly  known.  His  age  is  stated 
in  a  deposition  taken  in  1659  at  about  sixty 
years.  He  was,  therefore,  born  in  1599.  His 
name  appears  on  the  earliest  records  of  Wey- 
mouth, and  if  not  one  of  the  first  settlers  he 
must  have  been  nearly  so.  His  place  of  resi- 
dence is  said  to  have  been  near  the  present 
turnpike  leading  from  Quincy  to  Hingham  in 
Weymouth,  what  has  long  been  known  as  "Old 
Spain."  He  was  many  years  one  of  the  select- 
men of  Weymouth,  and  was  often  chosen  on 
important  committees.  He  commanded  a  mili- 
tary company,  then  a  post  of  distinguished 
honor  and  responsibility,  and  was  representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court  in  1637,  1649,  1657 
and  1671.  His  will,  dated  July  5,  1679,  was 
proved  Aug.  28,  1679.  His  death,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years,  must  have  occurred  in  the  in- 
terval. He  was  the  ancestor  of  a  numerous 
posterity,  many  of  whom  have  been  persons  of 
distinction  and  education  and  worth.  His 
wife,  not  being  mentioned  in  the  will,  prob- 
ably died  before  him,  and  neither  her  Chris- 
tian name  nor  her  surname  has  been  ascer- 
tained. His  children  living  at  the  date  of  the 
will,  and  probably  born  in  Weymouth,  were  as 
follows:  Thomas,  who  married  Mary  Pratt; 
Joseph,  who  married  Lydia  Eogers;  Hannah 
or  Anna,  who  married  Capt.  John  Baxter; 
Samuel,  who  married  Mary  Dyer;  and  Eben- 
ezer,  who  married  Hannah  Phillips. 

(II)  Capt.  Ebenezer  White,  youngest  son  of 
Thomas  White,  was  born  in  1648,  and  married 
Hannah  Phillips,  born  Dec.  4,  1651,  daughter 
of  Nicholas  and  Abigail  Phillips.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  Ebenezer,  who  married  Hannah 
Pierson;  Thomas,  who  married  Mary  White; 
Samuel,  who  married  Anna  Pratt;  Joseph, 
who  married  (first)  Sarah  and  (second)  Cath- 
arine Andrews ;  Hannah,  who  married  John 
Alden;   Abigail,   who   married   Samuel   Eeed; 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


891 


Benjamin,  who  married  (first)  Rutli  Reed  and 
(second)  Ann  Bicknell ;  Experience,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  Pool ;  and  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried David  Pierson. 

(III)  Deacon  Samuel  White,  son  of  Capt. 
Ebenezer  White,  was  born  in  1676,  and  mar- 
ried Anna  Pratt,  daughter  of  Matthew  Pratt, 
Jr.,  and  Sarah  (Hunt),  his  wife.  He  died 
Aug.  18,  1760,  aged  eighty-four  years;  his  wife 
was  born  Sept.  14,  1682,  and  died  Sept.  14, 
1757,  aged  seventy-five  years.  Their  children, 
all  born  in  Weymouth,  were :  Ebenezer,  who 
married  Anna  Short;  Elisha,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Matthew,  who  married  Martha  Vinson; 
Samuel,  who  settled  in  Ashford,  Conn. ;  Elisha 
(2),  who  married  Silence  Whitman;  Jeremiah, 
who  married  (first)  Hannah  Cantebury,  (sec- 
ond) Sarah  Thayer  and  (third)  Esther  King- 
man; Anna,  who  married  David  Gannett;  Ne- 
hemiah,  who  married  Ruth  King;  and  Ezekiel, 
who  married  Abigail  Blanchard.  The  father 
of  the  above  children  was  deacon  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  South  Weymouth  for  a 
number  of  years. 

(IV)  Deacon  Matthew  White,  son  of  Deacon 
Samuel  White,  was  born  April  17,  1704,  in 
Weymouth,  Mass.,  and  married  Aug.  9,  1727, 
Martha  Vinson,  daughter  of  Samnef  and  Han- 
nah (Bicknell)  Vinson.  He  was  chosen  dea- 
con of  the  church  of  the  Second  precinct. 
South  Weymouth,  in  November,  1743.  His 
children,  all  born  at  South  Weymouth,  were: 
Martha,  who  married  John  Pratt;  Daniel,  who 
married  Sarah  Turner;  Hezekiah,  who  mar- 
ried Hannah  Butt;  Sarah,  who  married  Eben- 
ezer Noyes;  Hannah,  who  died  young;  Char- 
ity, who  married  Micah  Allen;  Experience; 
Matthew,  who  married  Esther  Bayley;  Eliza- 
beth ;  Benjamin,  who  married  Anna  White ; 
Azubah ;  and  Hannah,  who  married  Jesse 
Dunbar. 

(V)  Deacon  Benjamin  White,  son  of  Deacon 
Matthew  White,  was  born  in  April,  1747,  in 
South  Weymouth,  and  died  Oct.  30,  1815,  aged 
nearly  seventy  years.  He  married  (published 
May  31,  1766)  Anna  White,  of  Abington, 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Anna  (Short) 
White,  his  cousin.  He  was  also  deacon  of  the 
church  at  South  Weymouth.  His  children, 
born  in  Weymouth,  were:  Charity,  who  mar- 
ried Daniel  Loud;  Lydia,  who  probably  mar- 
ried David  Whitman;  Benjamin;  Jonathan, 
who  married  Polly  Loud ;  Jeremiah,  who  mar- 
ried Ruth  Derby ;  Vinson ;  Anna,  and  Jacob. 
Deacon  Benjamin  White  served  in  Massachu- 
setts and  Rhode  Island  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  is  listed  both  as  a  drummer  and  as 
a  private. 


(VI)  Jonathan  White,  son  of  Deacon  Ben- 
jamin White,  was  baptized  in  March,  1774,  in 
South  Weymoufh,  and  married  Oct.  25,  1795, 
Polly  Loud,  daughter  of  William  and  Lucy 
(Vining)  Loud,  and  a  descendant  of  Elder 
William  Brewster  (who  was  born  in  1590,  in 
England,  "the  excellent  elder  of  Plymouth," 
who  came  to  America  in  the  "Mayflower"  in 
1620).  Mr.  White  was  one  of  the  substantial 
farmers  of  Weymouth,  where  he  was  a  member 
of  the  old  Congregational  Church.  To  him 
and  his  wife  were  born  in  Weymouth  children 
as  follows:  George  Washington,  born  Dec.  12, 
1797;  Mary  Ann,  Dec.  1,  1799;  Jonathan 
Major,  Jan.  16,  1801 ;  Boylston  Adams,  Nov. 
7,  1803;  Lucy  Eldridge,  April  9,  1806;  and 
William  Loud,  Jan.  27,  1811. 

(VII)  George  Washington  White,  son  of 
Jonathan  and  Polly  (Loud)  White,  was  born 
Dec.  12,  1797,  in  Weymouth,  and  married 
Betsey  Burrell,  daughter  of  Samuel,  Jr.,  and 
Ruth  (Tirrell)  Burrell,  of  South  Weymouth, 
and  a  descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  of 
John  Burrell,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Weymouth,  and  as  well  a  descendant  of  Wil- 
liam Tirrell,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Boston.  Mr.  White  was  engaged  in  farming 
in  his  native  town  during  his  active  years,  and 
died  in  South  Weymouth  in  1879,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-two.  He  was  a  quiet, 
unpretentious  man,  devoted  to  his  home  and 
family.  He  was  musically  inclined,  and  for 
pastime  frequently  played  in  the  amateur  or- 
chestras of  his  neighborhood.  He  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  old  South  Congre- 
gational Church  of  South  Weymouth.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  White  were  bom  children  as  follows: 
George  W.,  Jr.,  who  lived  and  died  in  Wey- 
mouth, where  he  was  deputy  sheriff  for  a 
period  of  forty-five  years;  Sanford,  who  was  a 
shoemaker  and  died  in  Weymouth ;  William,  a 
shoemaker,  who  died  in  Quincy,  Mass. ;  Henry, 
who  was  a  turnkey  at  the  House  of  Correction 
in  Waltham  for  a  number  of  years,  and  died  at 
Dedham,  Mass. ;  Loring,  a  shoemaker,  ^vho 
died  in  Brockton ;  Augustavus,  who  died  in 
South  Weymouth,  .where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
clothing  business;  Francis  E.,  who  is  men- 
tioned below;  Elizabeth,  who  was  engaged  in 
teaching  in  San  Francisco  for  a  number  of 
years,  where  she  died  unmarried ;  Mary,  who 
died  unmarried  in  Richmond,  Va. ;  Emeline, 
who  married  Abraham  Randall,  and  died  in 
Abington,  Mass. ;  Harriet,  who  married  Ste- 
phen Randall,  and  died  in  Abington;  and  Mal- 
vina,  who  married  Francis  Bush,  and  is  now  a 
widow  and  residing  in  South  Weymouth. 

(VIII)    Francis  E.  White,  son  of  the  late 


893 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


George  Washington  and  Betsey  (Burrell) 
White,  was  born  Aug.  8,  1837,,  in  South  Wey- 
mouth, Mass.,  and  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  village  and  at  the  first  high  school 
of  the  town  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his 
education,  which  he  furthered  at  the  South 
Weymouth  high  school,  which  lie  attended  one 
year.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  (1854)  he  went 
to  Boston,  wliere  he  entered  the  counting  room 
of  Daniel  Deshon  &  Son,  at  No.  5  Long  wharf, 
who  were  engaged  in  the  South  American  and 
West  Indies  trade,  and  there  acquired  a  good 
business  training.  When  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  went  to  New  York  and  there  was  simi- 
larly occupied  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war,  in  1861.  Answering  the  call  of  his 
country,  he  left  the  counting  room  for  the 
tented  field,  enlisting  Sept.  2,  1861,  in  Com- 
pany G,  4th  New  York  Cavalry,  and  for  up- 
ward of  three  years  shared  the  fortunes  of  war 
with  his  command,  which  during  his  service 
formed  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
For  meritorious  service  at  the  battle  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, Va.,  in  December,  1868,  he  was 
promoted  to  first  lieutenant.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  with  his  regiment  Oct.  28,  1864,  at 
Winchester,  Virginia. 

Returning  to  his  native  State  at  the  close 
of  the  war  with  an  honorable  army  record, 
Lieutenant  White  located  in  the  town  of  North 
Bridgewater,  now  the  city  of  Brockton,  Mass., 
where  he  began  a  business  career  which  has 
proved  one  of  marked  success,  and  where  as 
■  a  citizen  he  has  won  and  held  the  confidence, 
esteem  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He 
became  associated  with  the  late  Daniel  S.  How- 
ard in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes, 
and  they  operated  under  the  firm  style  of  Dan- 
iel S.  Howard  &  Co.,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  having  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  successful  and  leading  manufacturers  in 
Massachusetts.  Withdrawing  from  this  firm 
in  1879  Mr.  White  established  a  business  of 
the  same  kind  on  his  own  account,  under  the 
firm  name  of  F.  E.  White  &  Co.,  in  which 
from  the  very  start  he  greatly  prospered,  until 
he  became  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  his 
adopted  city.  He  continued  actively  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  until  1906,  in 
which  year  he  retired,  since  then  devoting  him- 
self to  the  care  of  various  real  estate  holdings 
and  invested  interests. 

A  man  of  large  and  keen  business  ability 
and  foresight,  and  one  of  force,  the  interest 
Mr.  White  has  always  manifested  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  city  has  not  been  without 
profit  to  the  community.  He  was  an  early  ad- 
vocate  of   the   proposed   change    of   the   name 


from  North  Bridgewater  to  one  more  dis- 
tinctive in  character  and  favored  the  name  of 
Brockton,  which  was  finally  adopted.  He  early 
advocated  the  change  from  the  town  to  the 
city  form  of  government,  and  since  the  change 
he  has  most  intelligently  served  two  terms, 
1887  and  1888,  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
aldermen,  being  president  of  the  board  the 
latter  year.  He  was  also  one  of  the  comraiS' 
sioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund  for  a  number  of 
years.  For  years  Mr.  White  was  a  director  of 
the  Brockton  National  Bank  and  the  Boylston 
National  Bank  of  Boston.  He  is  a  Mason, 
holding  membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.;  Satucket  Chapter,  R.'  A.  M.; 
Brockton  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Bay  State 
Commandery,  K.  T. — of  Brockton.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion,  of  Fletcher  Webster  Post,  No.  13,  G. 
A.  R.,  and  of  the  Commercial  Club.  Mr. 
White  is  an  active  member  of  the  Church  of 
the  New  Jerusalem,  and  has  served  on  the- 
standing  committee  of  the  church  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  being  liberal  in  his  support  of 
all  worthy  religious  and  charitable  move- 
ments. 

It  is  worthy  to  note  here  that  this  White 
family  to  which  Lieutenant  White  belongs  is 
truly  a  military  and  patriotic  one.  His  father 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  two  of 
his  more  remote  ancestors  were  patriots  of  the 
Revolution,  both  serving  as  soldiers,  while  the 
first  five  of  the  seven  sons  of  his  father  were 
participants  in  the  war  for  the  preservation 
of  the  Union,  1861-65,  all  performing  faithful 
and  honorable  service. 

Mr.  White  has  traveled  quite  extensively, 
both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  His  political 
affiliations  have  been  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  temperance  man,  believing  it 
for  the  good  of  the  community. 

On  May  2,  1866,  Mr.  White  married  Ada- 
line  Frances,  born  Feb.  17,  1844,  daughter  of 
Charles  Little  and  Betsey  (Morton)  Hauth- 
away,  of  Brockton,  Mass.  She  died  May  24, 
1884,  and  in  October,  1885,  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Fanny  Carlton,  only  daughter  of  Rufus 
Carlton  and  Mary  (Tobey)  Kimball,  of  Brock- 
ton, and  widow  of  George  F.  Gurney,  of  Brock- 
ton. One  child,  Henry  Preston,  was  born  to- 
the  first  marriage.  He  has  been  liberally  edu- 
cated, graduating  from  Harvard  University  in 
1899,  and  is  now  an  architect  in  Boston,  being 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Pray,  Hub- 
bard &  White ;  he  married  Sarah  Croome  Cole- 
man, of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  they  now  reside 
in  Brookline,  Mass.,  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren,   Frances   Everett   and   John  Hauthaway, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


893 


DURFEE  (Fall  River  family).  The  Dur- 
fee  family  here  in  our  coimtry  is  of  long  and 
honorable  standing,  one  of  the  ancient  fami- 
lies of  southern  Rhode  Island,  and  while  no 
identity  has  been  absolutely  fixed  between 
Thomas  Durfee,  the  immigrant  ancestor  of  the 
American  family,  and  the  Durfees  across  the 
water,  the  genealogist  of  the  American  Durfees 
thinks  the  conditions  indicate  a  connection 
with  the  Huguenot  d'Urfe  or  Durfee  family. 
Some  time  before  1628  a  French  refugee 
named  d'Urfe  fled  from  Rochelle,  France,  to 
England,  bringing  with  him  a  son.  Thomas 
Durfey  (or  d'Urfe),  the  English  dramatist,  was 
born  at  Exeter,  England,  and  it  was  from 
Exeter,  England,  and  its  vicinity,  that  many 
of  the  first  settlers  of  Rhode  Island  came.  The 
dramatist  spelled  his  name  with  the  "d',"  but 
Huguenot  writers  at  about  1680-90  spelled  it 
"Durfee." 

It  is  only  the  purpose  here,  however,  to 
review  briefly  one  branch  of  the  old  Tiverton 
Durfee  family — that  of  the  family  of  the  late 
Hon.  Nathaniel  Briggs  Durfee,  legislator,  sen- 
ator and  member  of  Congress,  whose  son,  Capt. 
George  Nightingale  Durfee,  a  gallant  soldier 
and  officer  of  the  Civil  war,  is  now  active  and 
prominent  in  the  social  and  business  life  of  Fall 
River.  This,  chronologically  arranged,  fol- 
lows: 

(I)  Thomas  Durfee,  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America  of  whom  any  record  has  been  found, 
came  to  Portsmouth  in  the  Colony  of  Rhode 
Island  previous  to  1664,  in  October  of  which 
year  he  appeared  at  the  session  of  the  Colonial 
General  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island.  Se  was 
admitted  a  freeman  of  the  town  of  Portsmouth, 
May  6,  1673.  He  was  chosen  juryman  in 
1679,  was  appointed  constable  in  1690,  was 
•chosen  an  overseer  of  the  poor  in  1691,  and  on. 
Dec.  29th  of  that  same  year  was  chosen  deputy. 
He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  town  council 
in  1692,  and  again  in  1694,  and  was  again 
made  deputy  in  1694.  ■  For  seven  years  after 
1698  he  and  John  Borden  were  engaged  asi 
managers  on  the  Rhode  Island  side  of  the  Bris- 
tol ferry.  The  name  of  his  first  wife,  the 
mother  of  his  sons,  is  unknown.  He  died  in 
July,  1712.  His  second  wife,  whom  he  mar- 
ried at  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  was  Deliverance 
(Hall)  Tripp,  widow  of  Abiel  Tripp.  The  two 
children  born  to  the  latter  marriage  were  Pa- 
tience and  Deliverance,  and  those  of  the  first: 
Robert,  Richard,  Thomas,  William,  Ann  and 
Benjamin. 

(il)  William  Durfee,  born  about  1673,  in 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  married  Ann,  and  they  re- 
sided  in    Tiverton,    R.    I.,   where    lie    died   in 


1727.  Their  children  were:  David,  bom 
March  1,  1700;  Samuel,  born  March  1,  1702; 
and  Joseph,  born  about  1705,  who  died  in  Tiv- 
erton, in  1733,  unmarried.  William  Durfee 
married  a  second  wife,  who  was  probably  the 
mother  of  his  daughter  Abigail. 

(III)  David  Durfee,  born  March  1,  1700, 
in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  married  April  16,  1726, 
Abigail  Wing,  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  born  in 
July,  1701,  who  died  July  4,  1792.  Mr.  Dur- 
fee died  March  1,  1788.  Children:  David, 
born  April  9,  1739;  William;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  George  Westgate,  Jr. ;  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried William  Carder,  of  Warwick,  R.  I.;  Wing; 
Abigail;  and  Rebecca. 

(IV)  David  Durfee  (2),  born  April  9,  1739, 
in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  married  there  Jan.  24,  1760, 
Mary,  born  Oct.  21,  1740,  in  Portsmouth,  R. 
I.,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Brayton) 
Giflford.  She  died  Nov.  19,  1815.  He  died 
April  7,  1824,  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  William,  born  June  18,  1761; 
Thomas,  born  Aug.  9,  1763;  Ruth,  born  Oct. 
23,  1765;  Christiana,  born  Feb.  5,  1768;  Abi- 
gail, born  Dec.  19,  1770;  Elizabeth,  born  May 
23,  1773;  Joseph,  born  Jan.  13,  1776;  Mary, 
bom  Oct.  11,  1778;  David,  born  March  3, 
1781 ;  and  Wanton  H.,  born  Oct.  23,  1783. 

(V)  David  Durfee  (3),  born  March  3,  1781, 
in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  married  there  Oct.  1,  1807, 
Mrs.  Patience  (Cook)  Briggs,  widow  of  Maj. 
Nathaniel  Briggs.  of  Tiverton,  and  daughter 
of  Col.  John  and  Sarah  (Gray)  Cook,  born 
June  17,  1779,  in  Tiverton,  and  died  there 
Oct.  7,  1851.  Mr.  Durfee  aL=;o  died  in  Tiver- 
ton, R.  I.,  in  September,  1876.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Nathaniel  Briggs,  born  Sept.  29, 
1812 ;  and  five  others,  who  died  when  young. 

Mr.  Durfee  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and 
unsullied  reputation  throughout  a  long  event- 
ful life  of  ninety-five  years.  A  Whig  in  politics, 
he  was  much  in  public  life  and  represented  the 
town  of  Tiverton  for  many  years  in  the  Gren- 
eral  Assembly  of  Rhode  Island,  in  both  the 
House  and  Senate.  He  was  a  member  and  at 
one  time  president  of  the  town  council  of  Tiv- 
erton. 

(VI)  Nathaniel  Briggs  Durfee,  son  of 
David  (3)  and  Patience  (Cook-Briggs)  Dur- 
fee, bom  Sept.  29,  1812,  in  Tiverton,  R.  I., 
married  in  Warwick,  R.  I.,  May  16,  1832,  Har- 
riet Maria  Greene,  born  May  2,  1814,  in  War- 
wick, R.  I.,  daughter  of  Simon  Ray  Greene,  of 
Warwick  Neck,  and  granddaughter  of  Col.  Wil- 
liam Greene,  of  Warwick  Neck,  the  Colonel 
being  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Greene,  sur- 
geon, who  was  the  great-grandson  of  Robert 
Greene,  of  Gillingham,  County  of  Dorset,  Eng- 


894 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


land.  Dr.  John  Greene  came  from  Salisbury 
to  America  and  became  one  of  the  founders  of 
Providence  plantations  and  Warwick,  R.  I., 
from  whom  Colonel  Greene's  descent  is 
through  John  Greene  (2),  Samuel  Greene, 
William  Greene  and  Benjamin  Greene. 
Colonel  Greene  was  commander  of  the  Kentish 
Guards,  the  independent  company  of  volunteer 
militia  of  East  Greenwich,  in  which  Gen. 
Nathaniel  Greene  acquired  the  first  elements 
of  his  military  knowledge. 

Mr.  Durfee  was  not  engaged  in  active  busi- 
ness at  any  time  of  his  life.  He  removed  from 
Warwick  to  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  in  about  1850. 
First  a  Whig  and  then  a  Republican,  he  was 
always  interested  in  public  affairs  and  was 
much  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens,  represent- 
ing the  town  of  Warwick,  R.  I.,  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  Rhode  Island  and  also  his  native 
town.  He  w^as  at  one  time  speaker  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  his  State.  He 
represented  his  district  in  the  XXXIVth  and 
XXXVth  Congresses  of  the  United  States.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  held  the  office  of  town 
clerk  of  Tiverton,  which  he  had  filled  for  about 
six  years.  A  man  of  strong  forceful  character, 
he  held  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens, 
and  his  death,  which  occurred  Sept.  9,  1872, 
in  Tiver'ton,  R.  I.,  was  keenly  felt  by  all. 

The  children  born  to  Nathaniel  Briggs  and 
Harriet  Maria  (Greene)  Durfee  were:  William 
Ray,  born  March  15,  1833 ;  Maria  Macy,  born 
June  23,  1835 ;  George  Nightingale,  born  Dec. 
16,  1843;  and  Edgar  Greene,  born  Sept.  8, 
1847. 

(VII)  Geoege  Nightingale  Durfee,  son 
of  Hon.  Nathaniel  Briggs  and  Harriet  Maria 
(Greene)  Durfee,  was  born  Dec.  16,  1843,  in 
Tiverton,  R.  I.  Mr.  Durfee  was  sent  first  for 
one  year  to  the  Friends'  School  at  Providence 
and  then  to  Dr.  Wheelwright's  private  school 
in  Taunton,  Mass.  Here  he  was  accidentally 
shot  by  Edward  L.  Keyes,  son  of  General 
Keyes,  which  took  him  from  school  for  a  while, 
and  during  his  illness  and  convalescence,  and 
before  he  was  able  to  return  to  school.  Dr. 
Wheelwright  was  appointed  United  States  la- 
bor commissioner  by  N.  P.  Banks,  then  speaker 
of  the  House,  and  had  suspended  school.  Mr. 
Durfee  was  then  sent  to  the  University  Gram- 
mar School  of  Providence  and  was  a  student 
there  for  some  time,  preparing  for  college.  At 
the  end  of  his  period  there  he  had  a  chance  of 
entering  the  Fall  River  Union  Bank,  as  clerk, 
and  he  remained  there  for  two  years.  He  en- 
listed for  service  in  1862.  He  and  two  others 
had  organized  a  Zouave  company,  and  as  order- 
ly sergeant  of  the  company  a  great  deal  of  the 


drill  work  devolved  upon  Mr.  Durfee,  who  be- 
came well  informed  in  the  manual  of  arms. 
When  he  enlisted  he  was  asked  to  go  as  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  G,  under  Captain  Rodman, 
his  brother-in-law,  as  he  was  able  to  drill  the 
company.  When  the  companies  were  being 
drilled  preparatory  to  going  to  the  front  they 
were  reviewed  by  Governor  Sprague,  and  when 
commissions  w'ere  issued  he  received  a  commis- 
sion as  captain  of  Company  K,  7th  Rhode 
Island  Volunteer  Infantry.  The  7th  formed 
a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  until  after 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  in  which  it  per- 
formed valuable  service.  Captain  Durfee  re- 
signed in  the  spring  of  1863,  and  returning 
home  with  an  honorable  war  record  entered 
into  manufacturing  business  with  Captain 
Rodman,  at  Rocky  Brook,  South  Kingston,  R. 
I.,  remaining  there  for  five  or  six  years.  In 
1870  he  came  to  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  and  on  the 
death  of  his  father,  in  1872,  he  succeeded  him 
as  town  clerk  and  as  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature. In  1881  he  came  to  Fall  River  and 
went  into  business  with  W.  B.  M.  Chace,  form- 
ing the  company  of  Durfee  &  Chace,  the  char- 
acter of  the  business  being  real  estate,  insur- 
ance and  mortgage  loans.  In  1894  this  busi- 
ness partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Durfee 
buying  out  the  insurance  business  from  Mr. 
Chace  and  continuing  it  in  his  owti  name.  He 
has  developed  a  very  large  private  banking 
business  in  the  last  few  years  and  has  become 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  Fall  River. 
Mr.  Durfee  has  always  declined  political  office, 
but  when  the  new  charter  of  the  city  went  into 
operation  he  was  appointed  by  Mayor  Grime 
chairman  of  the  new  fire  commission,  and  he 
served  in  this  capacity  for  three  years. 

On  April  18,  1866,  Captain  Durfee  mar- 
ried, at  Wakefield,  R.  I.,  Julia  W.,  daughter 
of  Carder  Hazard,  of  South  Kingston,  R.  I., 
and  to  them  came  children:  George  Nightin- 
gale, Jr.,  born  Nov.  12,  1867 ;  Charles  Hazard, 
born  Oct.  12,  1870;  Nathaniel  Briggs,  born 
April  5,  1874;  Julian  Huntington,  born  Aug. 
16,  1878;  and  Edgar  Greene,  born  April  1, 
1884. 

ALGER.  The  family  bearing  this  name  in 
Taunton,  the  head  of  which  is  Hon.  Arthur 
Martineau  Alger,  is  one  of  the  ancient  families 
of  this  section  of  Massachusetts.  The  lineage 
and  family  history  of  Mr.  Alger,  somewhat  in 
detail   and  chronologically  arranged,  follow. 

(I)  Thomas  Alger,  immigrant  ancestor  of 
the  Taunton-Bridgewater  and  vicinity  Algers, 
came  to  this  country  not  far  from  1665,  in 
wMch  years  he  appears  of  record  in  Taunton, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  895 

on  Jan.  9,  1664-65,  having  been  granted  land,  (VI)  Nahum  Alger,  son  of  James  and  Han- 
near  the  Three-mile  river.  He  was  married  nah  (Bassett)  Alger,  born  Feb.  27,  1794,  mar- 
Nov.  14,  1665,  to  Elizabeth  Packard,  of  Bridge-  ried  Aug.  15, 1815,  Catherine  Sampson  Rounse- 
water,  daughter  of  Samuel  Packard,  of  Wy-  ville,  born  April  5,  1799,  daughter  of  Rev. 
mondham,  England,  and  Hingham  and  Bridge-  William  Rounseville,  of  Freetown,  a  Baptist' 
water.  New  England.  In  after  years  he  re-  clergyman,  locally  noted  for  his  eloquence, 
moved  within  the  limits  of  Bridgewater.  who  for  ten  consecutive  years  represented  the 

(II)  Israel  Alger,  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza-  town  in  the  General  Court;  and  granddaugh- 
beth  (Packard)  Alger,  married  Patience  Hay-  ter  of  Capt.  Levi  Rounseville,  who  commanded 
ward,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Hayward,  and  a  company  of  minute  men  that  marched  from 
granddaughter  of  Thomas  Hayward,  one  of  the  Freetown  to  Lexington,  April  19,  1775,  and 
original  proprietors  and  first  settlers  of  Bridge-  subsequently  was  a  captain  in  the  9th  Regi- 
water.  He  lived  on  the  north  side  of  the  ment  of  the  Continental  army.  Nahum  Alger 
Town  river,  in  Bridgewater.  He  died  in  1726,  was  the  agent  of  Alger  &  Fobes  Iron  Foundry 
leaving  a  large  estate  for  that  time.  at  Freetown.    He  died  May  8,  1846.    His  wife 

(III)  Israel  Alger  (2),  son  of  Israel  and  died  Dec.  26,  1840,  at  the  age  of  forty-one 
Patience  (Hayward)  Alger,  born  Sept.  9,  1689,  years. 

married    (second)    Dec.    25,    1717,    Susanna,  (VII)   Rev.  William  Rounseville  Algek, 

daughter  of  William  Snow,  Sr.,  one  of  the  pro-  son  of  Nahum  and  Catherine  S.  (Rounseville) 

prietors    and    first    settlers    of    Bridgewater.  Alger,  born  Dec.  30,  1822,  in  Freetown,  Mass., 

When   twenty-one  hi^  father  gave   him  thirty  married  Sept.  21,  1847,  Anne  Langdon  Lodge, 

acres  of  land,  "tutting  on  the  north  side  of  the  daughter  of  Giles  Lodge,  of  Boston,  and  hia 

town  river,"  upon  which  he  built  his  house,  wife   Abigail   Harris    (Langdon)    Lodge,   par- 

and  there  he  died  Nov.  13,  1762.  ents  of  John  Ellerton  Lodge,  father  of  .Hon. 

(IV)  (Lieut.)  James  Alger,  son  of  Israel  Henry  Cabot  Lodge,  and  of  Dr.  Giles  Henry 
(2)  and  Susanna  (Snow)  Alger,  bom  in  1729,  Lodge  (Harvard  University,  1825),  translator 
married  Martha,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  of  Wincklemann's  "History  of  Ancient  Art 
Mary  (Keith)  Kingman.  Mr.  Alger  owned  a  Among  the  Greeks,"  and  of  an  art  novel  from 
large  farm  in  West  Bridgewater.  Previous  to  the  German  of  Baron  von  Sternberg,  entitled 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  he  held  a  lieuten-  "The  Breughel  Brothers."  Mrs.  Abigail  Harris 
ant's  commission  in  the  local  militia  of  Bridge-  (Langdon)  Lodge  was  a  direct  descendant  of 
•water.  He  was  frequently  chosen  moderator  John  Langdon,  of  Boston,  who  died  Dec.  6, 
of  the  town  meetings  and  was  for  some  years  1732,  through  Nathaniel  Langdon,  of  Boston, 
a  selectman  of  the  town.  He  was  the  grand-  and  his  wife  Abigail  (Harris),  and  through 
father  of  Cyrus  Alger,  founder  of  the  South  Capt.  John  Langdon,  who  served  in  the  Rev- 
Boston  Iron  Works.  His  death  occurred  May  olutionary  war,  and  his  wife  Mary,  daughter 
20,  1810,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age.  of  Maj.  Gen.  Thomas  Walley,  one  of  the  weal- 
His  wife  died  Aug.  23,  1813,  aged  eighty-one.  thiest  merchants  of  Boston  of  his  time,  and  a 

(V).  James  Alger  (2),  son  of  James  and  judge  of  the  Supreme  court. 
Martha  (Kingman)  Alger,  born  Oct.  22,  1770,  Conditions  threw  Mr.  Alger'  early  upon  his 
married  April  19,  1791,  Hannah,  daughter  of  own  resources.  As  a  boy  he  worked  five  years 
Lieut.  Joseph  and  Phebe  (Cushman)  Bassett,  in  a  cotton  mill,  and  during  this  period  read 
a  direct  descendant  on  her  father's  side  from  and  studied  mornings,  noons,  and  by  the  light 
William  Bassett,  on  her  mother's  from  Rev.  of  a  candle  at  night.  He  went  through  an 
Robert  Cushman,  both  of  whom  were  among  algebra  and  Davis's  West  Point  Course  of 
the  Plymouth  Pilgrims.  Mr.  Alger  owned  and  Mathematics  to  the  eighth  book  of  analytic 
lived  on  a  farm  in  that  part  of  Bridgewater  geometry,  solving  by  his  own  efforts  the  prob- 
called  Scotland,  and  for  a  number  of  years  lems,  some  of  which  he  was  weeks  in  work- 
carried  on,  in  partnership  with  Col.  Salmon  ing  out.  Later  on  he  attended  New  Hamp- 
Fobes,  an  iron  furnace  and  store  in  Freetown,  shire  academies,  where  he  was  fitted  for  the 
He  was  a  deacon  in  the  First  Congregational  Divinity  school  of  Harvard  University,  from 
Church  in  Bridgewater,  and  during  his  active  which  he  was  graduated  in  1847.  Subsequently 
life  influential  in  church  and  town  affairs.  He  Harvard  University  conferred  upon  him  the 
was  the  father  of  Rev.  Horatio  Alger  (Harvard  honorary  degree  of  master  of  arts.  He  was 
University,  1825),  and  grandfather  of  Horatio  ordained  as  a  Unitarian  clergyman  over  the 
Alger,  Jr.,  the  well-known  author  of  boys'  Mount  Pleasant  Congregationalist  Society  of 
books.  He  died  Nov.  2,  1844,  aged  seventy-  Roxbury,  Mass.,  in  1847.  His  later  pastor- 
four.  His  wife  died  Jan.  16,  1845,  aged  ates  were  in  Boston  and  New  York  City,  and 
seventy-three.  '  he  also  preached  in  Chicago,  Denver,  and  Port- 


896  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

land,  Maine.  In  the  days  of  his  activities  ho  register  of  Probate  and  Insolvency  for  Bristol 
was  famous  as  a  pulpit  orator,  and  in  demand  county  since  1893.  He  has  acted  as  master, 
as  a  lecturer  before  lyceums  in  various  parts  auditor  and  referee  in  many  cases,  and  has 
of  the  country.  In  1857  he  delivered  the  been  much  consulted  as  counsel.  He  has  con- 
Fourth  of  July  oration  in  Boston,  in  which  he  tributed  articles  to  the  "American  Law  Re- 
took strong  ground  against  slavery,  and  pro-  view"  and  the  "Harvard  Law  Review,"  and  has 
phesied  secession  and  war  unless  the  Republi-  published  "A  Treatise  on  the  Law  in  Relation 
•can  party  triumphed.  The  city  council  refused  to  Promoters  and  the  Promotion  of  Corpora- 
to  pass  the  customary  vote  of  thanks  until  six  tions,"  which  has  been  favorably  received  by 
years  later,  when  he  was  thanked  for  his  ora-  the  profession.  He  was  one  of  the  editors  of 
tion,  which  in  the  meantime  had  been  printed  "Contributions,  Biographical,  Historical,  Gen- 
in  pamphlet  form,  and  had  gone  through  sev-  ealogical,"  published  by  the  New  England  His- 
€ral  editions.  As  chaplain  of  the  Massachu-  toric  Genealogical  Society.  He  is  a  director  of 
setts  House  of  Representatives,  his  conduct  ol  tlie  Taunton  National  Bank  and  of  a  number 
devotional  services  attracted  much  favorable  of  business  corporations,  a  trustee  of  the  Taun- 
attention,  his  prayers  being  taken  down  and  ton  Savings  Bank  and  of  the  Morton  Hospital, 
published,  and  the  speaker  presenting  him  in  and  a  director  of  the  Old  Colony  Historical 
the  name  of  the  House  a  gold  watch  with  an  Society.  He  married  April  22,  1882,  Lelia 
appropriate  inscription.  He  was  the  author  of  C,  daughter  of  George  B.  and  Elizabeth  S. 
a  number  of  books  which  went  through  many  Sanders,  of  Taunton,  who  died  Oct.  24,  1895, 
editions,  the  principal  being  "A  Critical  His-  leaving  two  daughters :  Mary  Lodge,  who  mar- 
tory  of  the  Doctrine  of  a  Future  Life,"  which  ried  John  B.  Sullivan,  Jr.,  a  graduate  of  Har- 
passed  through  fourteen  editions,  "The  Genius  vard  University,  and  of  the  Harvard  Law 
of  Solitude,"  "The  Friendship  of  Women,"  School,  a  practicing  lawyer  in  Boston;  and 
"The  School  of  Life,"  and  the  "Poetry  of  the  Anne  Langdon,  who  is  unmarried. 
Orient."    Many  of  his  discourses  and  addresses 

have  also  been  published.  He  delivered  the  DAVIS  (Somerset  family).  At  what  date 
oration  at  the  unveiling  of  the  monument  to  (I)  William  Davis,  the  immigrant  progenitor 
the  poet  Poe  at  the  Metropolitan  Art  Museum  of  this  family,  came  to  these  shores  is  not 
in  New  York.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  known,  but  the  records  show  that  in  1(597  he 
Boston  school  committee  and  as  a  trustee  of  was  grand  juryman  in  Freetown,  and  that 
the  Boston  Public  Library.  He  was  in  touch  March  1,  1686,  he  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
with  the  scholars  and  thinkers  of  his  day,  and  William  and  Ann  (Johnson)  Makepeace,  of 
in  correspondence  with  Spencer,  Martineau,  Freetown,  Mass.  Ann  Johnson  was  the  grand- 
Matthew  Arnold,  Emerson  and  many  others,  daughter  of  Thomas  Makepeace,  of  Boston. 
He  died  Feb.  7,  1905,  and  is  buried  at  Mount  They  had  twelve  children,  the  fourth  of  whom 
Auburn.     Of  the  children  of  Mr.  Alger,  a  son,  was  Jonathan. 

Capt.  Philip  R.  Alger,  U.  S.  N.,  has  been  foi         (II)   Jonathan  Davis  married  Sarah  Terry, 

some   years    professor   of   mathematics    at   the  and  had  five  children. 

U.   S.   Naval  Academy,  Annapolis,  and  is  one        (III)    Jonathan   Davis    (2),   second   in   the 

of  the  foremost  experts  of  the  country  on  ord-  family  of  Jonathan  and  Sarah,  was  born  May 

nance,  having  published  textbooks  and  various  26,   1736.       He   was  twice   married,   first      to 

papers    on    the    subject.      A    daughter,    Abbie  Margaret  Baggs,  of  Freetown,  March  20,  1757 ; 

Langdon  Alger,  who  died  unmarried  in  1905,  second  to  Sarah  Treadwell,  of  Freetown,  Jan. 

was  a  remarkable  linguist,  and  translated  and  16,  1772.       He  died  Jan.  1,  1808.      His  chil- 

published  a  number  of  books.  dren  by  his  first  wife  were:  Margaret,  who  died 

Arthur    Martineau    Alger,    son    of    Rev  young,  and  Jonathan. 
William     Rounseville     and     Anne     Langdon        (IV)    Jonathan    Davis    (3),    born    Jan.    7, 

(Lodge)   Alger,  was  born  in  that  part  of  Bos-  1770,    married    Chloe    Simmons,    daughter    of 

ton    formerly    Roxbury.    Sept.    23,    1854.      He  Zephaniah    and    Abigail     (Parker)     Simmons, 

was  educated  in  the  Boston  Latin  School  and  She  was  born  June  29,  1779.       Their  children 

privately,    and    was    graduated   from    the    law  were :   Jonathan,   Nancy,  Abby,  Zephaniah    S., 

school  of  Boston  University  in  1876.     He  was  Eliphalet,    Nathan,    Louisa,    Chloe,    Bradley, 

admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  year  and  at  once  Sarah,   Harriet,   Russel,    Sarah    (2),   Sybil   P. 

located   in  Taunton.     He  served  as   alderman  and  Phebe  A. 

one  year,  city  solicitor  four  years,  mayor  two        (V)    Capt.  Nathan  Davis,  son  of  Jonathan 

years,  as  clerk  of  the  First  District  court  of  (3)  and  Chloe  (Simmons)  Davis,  was  born  in 

Bristol  for  a   number  of  years,  and  has  been  Freetown,  Mass.,  Jan.  17,  1803,  and  spent  the 


^J.2^c^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


897 


larger  part  of  his  life  on  the  water.  His 
father  was  engaged  in  the  coasting  trade,  and 
Nathan  was  early  made  acquainted  with  that 
business.  At  the  tender  age  of  ten  years  he 
commenced  going  on  the  Taunton  river,  and 
after  a  service  of  seven  years  had  grown  so 
familiar  with  the  coasting  business  that  he  be- 
came master  of  the  sloop  "Mary''  at  seventeen 
years  of  age,  commanding  her  some  five  or  six 
years.  Soon  after  he  built  the  sloop  "Eang- 
er,"  in  company  with  Capt.  Joseph  Simmons, 
and  ran  her  between  Fall.Eiver  and  Taunton. 
After  a  few  years  he  built  another  sloop,  which 
he  named  "Temperance."  He  departed  from 
the  time-honored  custom  of  breaking  a  bottle 
of  rum  over  the  bow  at  this  launching  and 
ventured  the  experiment  of  breaking  a  bottle 
of  pure  water  ovfer  the  bow  of  his  sloop.  This 
was  probably  the  first  sloop  or  vessel  of  any , 
kind  built  in  this  country  dedicated  to  temper- 
ance. Captain  Davis  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
temperance  men  of  this  section  and  was  ever 
a  consistent  advocate  of  that  cause.  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact,  well  worthy  of  mention,  that 
he  and  five  of  his  sons  each  commanded  the 
"Temperance,"  and  she  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  profitable  sloops  that  ever  sailed.  Cap- 
tain Davis  continued  to  follow  the  coasting 
business  until  1873,  when  he  retired.  From 
1845  to  1855  he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Somerset.  In  the  prime -of  life  he 
joined  the  First  Baptist  Church  there  and  in 
1838  was  ordained  deacon,  and  for  many  years 
was  trustee  of  that  church.  Politically  he 
was  first  a  Whig,  later  a  Republican.  He 
died  at  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  Sept.  9,  1886,  while 
on  a  visit  to  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Chase,  and  was 
buried  at   Somerset. 

On  Jan.  1,  1826,  Captain  Davis  married 
Clarissa,  daughter  of  John  Bowen,  of  Fall 
River.  She  was  born  in  1811,  and  died 
March  27,  1871,  in  her  sixty-first  year.  Mrs. 
Davis  was  one  of  the  most  capable  women  of 
her  day  in  the  community.  In  cases  of  need 
she  was  always  ready  to  assist,  and  having 
reared  a  large  famfly  herself  she  was  particu- 
larly skillful  in  caring  for  the  sick.  She  was 
one  of  the  strongest  temperance  advocates  in 
the  town,  and  much  credit  was  due  her  for 
the  position  the  town  took  on  that  question  dur- 
ing her  lifetime.  She  was  a  faithful  wife 
and  a  devoted  mother,  and  the  impress  of  her 
Christian  character  may  be  seen  to-day  in  her 
descendants.  The  children  of  Capt.  Nathan 
and  Clarissa  (Bowen)  Davis  were:  (1)  Sarah 
A.,  bom  Dec.  7,  1826,  married  William  P. 
Hood,  of  Somerset,  and  died  Nov.  4,  1905.  (2) 
Nathan  S.,  bom  Oct.  14,  1828,  is  mentioned 

57 


below.  (3)  William  B.,  born  Jan.  22,  1830, 
died  Aug.  7,  1831.  (4)  Elijah  Gifford,  born 
March  1,  1832,  is  mentioned  below.  (5) 
Mary  E.,  born  Sept.  7,  1833,  married  Thomas 
S.  Hart  and  (second)  John  A.  Chase,  of  Fair- 
haven,  where  they  reside.  (6)  Amos  N.,  born 
June  14,  1835,  is  mentioned  below.  (7) 
Joseph  F.,  born  June  30,  1837,  died  Oct.  6, 

1838.  (8)    Joseph   F.    (2),   bom   March   8, 

1839,  is  mentioned  below.  (9)  Ellen  M., 
born  Feb.  3,  1841,  died  May  16,  1841.  (10) 
William  H.  H.,  bom  May  21,  1842,  died  Aug. 
5,  1843.  (11)  Jonathan  B.,  born  Nov.  6, 
1843,  died  Sept.  25,  1845.  (12)  Clarissa  E., 
born  Dec.  18,  1845,  married  James  F.  Gardner, 
of  Somerset.  (13)  Cornelius  A.  is  mentioned 
below.  (14)  Keziah  M.,  bom  Dec.  3,  1849,  is 
the  widow  of  Edward  Mosher  and  resides  at 
Providence,  R.  I.      She  has  one  son,  Clarence. 

(VI)  Nathan  S.  Davis,  son  of  Capt. 
Nathan  and  Clarissa  (Bowen)  Davis,  was  born 
in  Somerset,  Mass.,  Oct.  14,  1828.  For  some 
years  he  engaged  in  seafaring  life.  From 
1860  for  many  years  he  was  postmaster  at 
Somerset,  and  also  ran  a  grocery  store  there. 
His  first  wife  was  Keziah  Mason  Marvel,  his 
second  Nancy  B.  Eddy.  Having  no  children 
he  adopted  Charlotte  E.  Dodge,  who  married 
Thomas  H.  Deane  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deane' 
and  their  family  live  with  Mr.  Davis  in  Som- 
erset. Mr.  Davis  is  a  charter  member  and 
past  master  of  Pioneer  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

(VI)  Capt.  Elijah  Giffoed  Davis  was 
born  March  1,  1832,  in  Somerset,  where  his 
boyhood  and  school  days  were  passed.  He  be- 
gan his  seafaring  life  early.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen years  he  was  captain  of  a  small  sloop  run- 
ning to  New  York.  For  a  few  years  he  clerked 
in  his  father's  store  in  Somerset.  During 
the  Civil  war  he  was  in  command  of  the 
"Jane  F.  Durfee,"  a  large  schooner  owned  at 
Fall  River,  chartered  by  the  government  to 
carry  supplies  to  the  army.  He  was  captured 
by  the  Confederates  just  above  Fortress  Mon- 
roe, but  upon  giving  a  cash  bond  of  $10,000 
was  allowed  to  go,  In  1865,  in  company  with 
others,  he  purchased  the  propellor  "United 
States,"  of  which  he  took  command  for  a  j'ear, 
running  between  Fall  River  and  New  York. 
He  commanded  the  "Albatross"  of  the  Fall 
River  Steamboat  Line  until  Jan.  1,  1876,  when 
that  line  was  bought  out  by  the  Old  Colony 
Steamship  Company.  He  continued  with  this 
line  and  its  successor,  the  present  Fall  River 
Line,  his  term  of  service  in  the  New  York  and 
Fall  River  line  covering  a  period  of  thirty-five 
years.  While  he  was  captain  of  all  the  steam- 
ers in  commission  when  he  was  in  service  he 


898 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


was  considered  more  tlie  captain  of  the  "Ply- 
moutli"  than  of  any  other  and  was  commodore 
of  the  fleet  at  the  time  of  iiis  retirement.  He 
retired  from  the  service  Feb.  1),  1904,  with  a 
pension,  and  the  New  Yorlv  liners  every  night 
honor  him  by  a  salute  as  they  steam  out  of 
the  Taunton  river  past  his  home  into  Mount 
Hope  bay.  His  intrepid  skill  and  pluck  in 
bringing  his  boats  through  in  all  kinds  of 
weatheir  earneil  for  him  tl^e  soubricjuet  of 
"Danger  Davis." 

On  May  10,  1855,  Capt.  Davis  married  Ada 
A.  Wright,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Meribah 
(Chase)  Wright,  of  Lowell.  She  was  born 
in  Saco,  Maine,  and  there  passed  her  early  life. 
Peter  Wright  with  his  family  removed  to 
Lowell,  Mass.,  where  he  was  a  superintendent 
of  cotton  mills.  Mrs.  Davis  died  Feb.  17, 
1908.  To  her  and  her  husband  were  born 
five  children:  (1)  Ada  Alice,  born  March  3, 
1856,  married  Edward  K.  Morse,  and  has  a 
son,  Edward  G.,  who  married  Alice  R.  Arnold, 
and  has  two  children,  Ralph  W.  and  Ruth  M. 
(2)  Katherine  G.,  born  Nov.  14,  1862,  married 
Howard  L.  Chace.  (3)  Peter  F.,  born  Nov.  29, 
1863,  died  aged  twenty-nine  years,  unmarried. 
(i)  Clara  A.,  born  July  25,  1865,  married  Al- 
bert M.  Hartford.  (5)  Etta  Blanche,  born  June 
9,  1867,  married  Oct.  8,  1896,  Sydney  Kelley 
Crittenden,  and  has  one  child,  Davis,  born 
March  3,  1901. 

Captain  Davis  keeps  remarkably  well,  going 
from  his  home  at  South  Swansea  to  Fall  River 
two  or  three  times  a  week.  His  South  Swan- 
sea home  is  appropriately  called  "The  Anchor- 
age." 

(VI)  Amos  N.  Davis,  son  of  Capt.  Nathan 
and  Clarissa  (Bowen)  Davis,  was  born  in  Som- 
erset, Mass.,  June  14,  1835.  He  led  a  sea- 
faring life,  his  first  command  being  the  "Tem- 
perance." On  March  20,  1867,  he  was  lost 
at  sea  with  the  "Fannie  M.  Morse."  He  was 
married  in  North  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1856,  to 
Helen  M.  Hervey,  and  their  children  were : 
Helen  Augusta,  who  married  Aug.  25,  1884, 
Capt.  George  F.  Chase,  who  for  twenty-eight 
years  was  with  the  Fall  River  Line  of  boats 
(they  have  one  daughter,  Winifred  Florence)  ; 
Florence  Inez,  teacher  of  biology  at  the 
Bridgewater  normal  school;  and  Elmer  Nelson, 
who  died  in  infancy. 

(VI)  Capt.  Joseph  F.  Davis,  son  of  Capt. 
Nathan  and  Clarissa  (Bowen)  Davis,  was  born 
in  Somerset,  Mass.,  March  8,  1839.  He  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  Somerset,  and  before 
the  age  of  nine  years  went  with  his  father  on 
the  "Temperance"  as  cook,  receiving  five  dol- 
lars a  month  for  his  services.       At  the  age  of 


fifteen  years  he  became  captain  of  the  '"Tem- 
perance," at  thirty-five  dollars  a  month,  mak- 
ing trips  to  New  York  City,  taking  produce 
down  and  bringing  back  goods  for  his  father's 
store.  Later  he  commanded  the  sloop  "John 
M.  Parker,"  of  Bristol,  R.  I.,  and  still  later  the 
schooner  "Lady  Adams,"  both  in  the  general 
freighting  trade.  During  the  Civil  war  Cap- 
tain Davis  was  master  of  the  "Lucy  Robinson," 
carrying  supplies  from  New  York  to  the  army 
in  Virginia.  During  the  last  two  years  of  the 
war  he  was  mate  with  his  brother.  Captain 
Elijah  G.  Davis,  on  the  "Albatross,"  which  was 
formerly  Admiral  Farragut's  flagship.  After 
this  he  bought  the  schooner  "Ida  Dellatora," 
using  it  in  the  coal  trade  from  Georgetown,  D. 
C,  to  eastern  ports.  He  was  next  master  of 
the  "Carrie  S.  Hart,"  built  in  1873,  at  Fall 
River,  by  Capts.  Joseph  F.  and  Cornelius  A. 
Davis,  and  engaged  in  the  coal  trade  except 
in  the  winter,  when  he  used  her  in  the  West 
India  trade.  He  successively  commanded  the 
"William  T.  Hart,"  built  by  him  in  1883  at 
Alexandria,  Va.,  and  which  sprang  a  leak  dur- 
ing a  heavy  gale  and  was  lost  off  Barnegat,  N. 
J.,  in  1885,  Captain  Davis  barely  escaping  with 
his  life;  the  "Benjamin  F.  Poole,"  built  at 
Bath,  Maine,  in  1886;  and  the  "Governor 
Ames,"  built  by  Capts.  Joseph  F.  and  Cor- 
nelius A.  Davis,  in  coasting  voyages.  In  De- 
cember, 1895,  he  gave  up  the  command  of  the- 
"Governor  Ames"  and  retired  from  his  seafar- 
ing life.  For  forty  summers  Captain  and 
Mrs.  Davis  spent  the  season  at  their  beautiful 
summer  home  at  what  is  now  Oak  Bluffs.  Noth- 
ing pleased  him  more  than  to  receive  and  en- 
tertain visitors  at  his  home,  on  board  his 
motor  boat  or  in  his  automobile. 

On  July  8.  1860,  Capt.  Joseph  F.  Davis  was 
married,  in  Somerset,  in  the  house  in  which 
he  ever  afterward  lived,  to  Anna  Sweet  Man- 
chester, only  daughter  of  Abner  Cook  and 
Lydia  Ann  (Briggs)  Manchester.  Mrs.  Davis 
is  a  native  of  Johnston,  R.  I.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  her  mother  in  Digh- 
ton,  Mass.  Although  Captain  and  Mrs.  Davis 
had  no  family  of  their  own  he  was  a  great 
lover  of  children,  and  to  many  whom  he  met 
daily  lie  was  "Uncle  Joe."  He  was  one  of  the 
best  known,  most  highly  respected  and  beloved 
citizens  of  Somerset,  and  his  death  caused  a 
widespread  feeling  of  sorrow.  He  attended 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  was  a  Mason 
in  fraternal  connection,  a  member  of  Pioneer 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  Captain  Davis  passed 
away  at  Vineyard  Haven,  Mass.,  Oct.  6,  1911,. 
and  was  buried  in  the  Palmer  street  cemetery 
at  Somerset. 


PO 


r    ^^rdiyvv^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


899 


(VI)  Clahissa  E.  Davis,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Nathan  and  Clarissa  (Bowen)  Davis,  was  born 
in  Somerset,  Mass.,  Dec.  18,  1845,  and  mar- 
ried Feb.  4,  1867,  James  F.  Gardner.  They 
have  three  sons:  Ehner  N.,  a  salesman,  who 
married  Emma  Dora  Addison;  C.  Abbott,  a 
real  estate  broker,  who  married  Emma  F.  Goffi.; 
and  Roswell  Frederick,  electrical  engineer,  who 
married   Florence   E.   Whitmarsh. 

(VI)  Capt.  Cornelius  A.  Davis,  son  of 
Capt.  Natlian  and  Clarissa  (Bowen)  Davis, 
was  bom  in  Somerset,  Mass.,  Dec.  5,  1847,  and 
there  received  his  early  education.  In  boy- 
hood he  began  going  to  sea  with  his  father  in 
the  "Temperance."  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  during  his  father's  absence,  he  took  the 
schooner  to  Providence  and  returned  to  Somer- 
set with  a  load  of  groceries  for  the  Somerset 
stores.  He  commanded  the  "Lady  Adams," 
the  "Miflin"  and  the  "John  Walker."  In 
company  with  his  brother,  Capt.  Joseph  F. 
Davis,  he  had  built  by  Joseph  C.  Teri7  the 
schooner  "Carrie  S.  Hart,"  and  commanded 
her  in  the  coastwise  trade,  the  West  India 
trade,  and  on  one  trip  to  Aspinwall.  Capts. 
Cornelius  A.  and  Joseph  F.  Davis  had  built 
at  Bath,  Maine,  the  schooner  "William  P. 
Hood";  the  schooner  "William  T.  Hart,"  at 
Alexandria,  Va. ;  the  schooner  "Benjamin  F. 
Poole,"  at  Bath,  Maine.  The  "Governor 
Ames,"  the  first  five-masted,  schooner  ever  built 
and  the  largest  wooden  vessel  of  her  time,  they 
had  built  at  Waldoboro,  Maine,  in  1888.  The 
"Governor  Ames"  was  built  and  commanded  by 
both  Capts.  Cornelius  A.  and  Joseph  F.  Davis. 
Capt.  Cornelius  A.  Davis  took  her  loaded  with 
coal  from  Baltimore  around  Cape  Horn  to  San 
Francisco,  and  used  her  in  the  coasting  trade 
from  British  Columbia  to  San  Francisco.  Fol- 
lowing this  he  made  a  voyage  from  Port  Blake- 
ly.  Wash.,  to  Port  Pirie,  Australia,  with  a 
cargo  of  lumber,  then  loaded  with  coal  at 
Newcastle,  Australia,  for  Honolulu,  thence  re- 
turned to  Puget  Sound  and  loaded  with  lum- 
ber for  Liverpool,  England,  thence  home,  being 
absent  four  years.  Both  brothers  then  gave 
;ip  going  to  sea,  and  put  the  "Governor  Ames" 
in  the  general  coasting  trade.  In  December, 
jPO:),  ilui  was  lost  off  Cape  Hatteras,  only  one 
member  of  the  crew  surviving  to  tell  what  be- 
came of  her.  They  built  the  "Hope  Sher- 
wood" at  Bath,  Maine,  the  "Quinnebaug"  at 
Mystic,  Conn.,  the  "Charles  E.  Wilbur"  at 
Mystic,  Conn.,  the  "Clara  Davis"  at  Mystic, 
Conn.,  the  "Fannie  Prescott"  at  Stonington, 
Conn.,  and  the  "Florence  Howard"  at  Stoning; 
ton.  Conn.  These  they  turned  into  the  Atlan- 
tic Shipping  Company  of  Stonington,  Conn., 


of  which  Capt.  Cornelius  A.  Davis  is  treasurer 
and  general  manager. 

Capt.  Cornelius  A.  Davis  was  married  in 
Somerset,  Mass.,  to  E.  Fannie  Boss,  of  Somer- 
set, daughter  of  Capt.  Nicholas  Boss.  They 
had  si.x  children:  Mary  Lawton,  who  died  aged 
six  years;  Josie,  who  died  aged  four  years; 
Francis,  who  died  in  infancy;  Harold,  wha 
died  young;  Clara  L.,  who  married  Fred  H. 
Dary,  of  Taunton,  Mass. ;  and  Alma  A.,  who 
married  William  E.  Small,  of  Boston,  and  has 
had  one  child,  Wilma.  Captain  Davis  is  a 
member  of  Pioneer  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

THOMAS.  Kingston,  Mass.,  has  been 
through  several  generations  the  home  of  the 
Thomas  family,  whose  various  members  have- 
been  prominent  in  the  professional  and  busi- 
ness life  of  that  part  of  the  State.  The  fami- 
ly has  been  located  in  Massachusetts  for  twa 
hundred  and  sixty  and  more  years. 

(I)  John  Thomas  came  from  London  in  the- 
"Hopewell"  in  1635,  and  in  that  year  settled 
in  Marshfield.  He  married  Dec.  21,  1648^ 
Sarah,  daughter  of  James  Pitney,  who  died  in 
1682.  He  died  in  1676.  Their  children  were: 
John,  born  in  1649;  Elizabeth,  Sept.  12,  1652; 
Samuel,  Nov.  6,  1655;  Daniel,  Nov.  20.  1659; 
Sarah,  Sept.  20,  1661;  James,  Nov.  30,  1663; 
Ephraim,  in  1667-68  (removed  to  Little 
Compton)  ;  and  Israel,  in  1670. 

(II)  Samuel  Thomas,  son  of  John,  born 
Nov.  6,  1655-56,  married  May  27,  1680,  Mercy, 
daughter  of  Deacon  William  Ford.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Bethiah,  born  Jan.  25,  1681;  John, 
born  Nov.  8,  1683;  Samuel,  Dec.  7,  1685; 
Nathan,  Nov.  21,  1688;  Joseph,  in  1690;  Gid- 
eon, in  1692;  and  Josiah,  in  1694. 

(III)  John  Thomas,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
Nov.  8,  1683,  married  in  1714  Lydia  Water- 
man, and  died  April  4,  1773.  His  wife  died 
Jan.  17,  1750.  Their  children  were:  Zenniah, 
born  in  1714,  married  James  Bradford,  and 
removed  to  Plainfield,  Conn. ;  Ann,  born  in 
1716,  died  Dec.  7,  1723;  Anthony  was  born 
in  1719 ;  John,  bom  in  1724,  Is  mentioned 
below;  Sarah,  born  in  1726,  married  Jeremiah 
Kinsman,  and  removed  to  Connecticut ;  Ke- 
ziah,  born  Nov.  7,  1730,  died  unmarried  Dec. 
11,  1751. 

(IV)  Maj.  Gen.  John  Thomas,  son  of  John, 
born  in  1724  in  Marshfield,  married  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  Thomas,  of  Plymouth, 
who  died  in  1849.  Their  children  were:  Han- 
nah, born  Nov.  14,  1762  (married  Zephaniah 
Willis);  John,  Jan.  17,  1766:  and  Nathaniel, 
June  23,  1769  (died  Aug.  1,  1846).  The  wife 
and    mother    died    April    1,    1819 ;    General 


900 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Thomas  passed  away  ia  Canada,  June  2,  1776. 
The  father  and  grandfather  of  General 
Thomas  before  him  had  resided  in  Marshfield, 
where  they  were  substantial  farmers  and  lead- 
ing men.  The  son  John  received  a  medical 
education  at  Medford,  studying  under  Cotton 
Tufts,  and  commenced  practice  in  his  native 
town,  but  soon  removed  to  Kingston,  where  he 
was  a  skillful  and  very  successful  physician. 
He  became  a  prominent  man  in  the  affairs  of 
the  town;  was  chosen  clerk  for  1764,  1765  and 
1766,  and  was  one  of  the  selectmen  from  1763 
to  1775.  In  March,  1746,  Dr.  Thomas  was 
commissioned  as  second  surgeon  in  a  body  of 
troops  raised  to  be  stationed  at  Annapolis 
Eoyal.  In  1755  he  was  appointed  surgeon's 
mate  in  Shirley's  regiment,  but  soon  left  the 
medical  staff,  and  was  appointed  a  lieutenant 
in  the  same  regiment.  He  was  appointed  a 
colonel  in  1759,  and  reappointed  in  1760,  and 
commanded  his  regiment  part  of  both  these 
years  in  Nova  Scotia.  This  latter  year  he 
joined  the  army  at  Crown  Point,  commanded 
by  Sir  Jeffrey  Amherst,  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  North  American  forces. 

At  the  close  of  this  French  war  Colonel 
Thomas  continued  in  his  profession  at  home 
until  1775,  when  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
began.  He  recruited  a  regiment  of  volunteers 
and  on  Feb.  9,  1775,  was  made  a  brigadier 
general  by  the  Provincial  Congress.  His  name 
not  appearing  in  the  first  list  of  generals  cre- 
ated by  the  Continental  Congress,  he  withdrew 
from  the  service,  but  was  induced  by  Wash- 
ington to  return,  and  during  the  siege  of  Bos- 
ton, as  commander  of  a  brigade,  rendered  not- 
able service  to  the  patriot  cause.  On  the  night 
of  March  4,  1776,  with  3,000  men,  he  cap- 
tured Dorchester  Heights,  and  threw  iip  en- 
trenchments, which  compelled  the  British  to 
abandon  Boston  three  days  later.  On  March 
6,  1776,  he  was  made  major  general  by  Con- 
gress, and  after  the  death  of  General  Mont- 
gomery was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
patriot  forces  operating  in  Canada.  He  ar- 
rived at  Quebec  May  1st,  and  finding  that  his 
command  was  seriously  depleted  by  disease 
and  death,  and  that  the  term  of  enlistment  of 
300  of  the  soldiers  had  expired,  he  at  once  or- 
dered a  retreat.  During  the  march  toward  the 
frontier  he  was  attacked  by  smallpox  and  died 
at  Chamblay,  near  Montreal,  June  2,  1776. 

(V)  Col.  John  Thomas,  son  of  Gen.  John, 
born  in  1766,  married  in  1791  Waity,  daughter 
of  Waite  Gray,  who  bore  him  children  as  fol- 
lows: Augustus,  who  married  Sally  Brewster; 
Saba,  born  in  1792;  William  Appleton,  born 
in  1800;  and  John.     He  married   (second)   in 


1805  Judith,  widow  of  Joseph  Sampson,  and 
daughter  of  James  Drew,  and  to  this  marriage 
was  born  a  daughter,  Hannah,  who  married 
Theodore  Cunningham.  He  died  Feb.  21, 
1853,  aged  eighty-seven  years. 

During  the  siege  of  Boston,  when  but  a  lad, 
Col.  John  ran  away  from  home,  got  by  the 
sentries  and  reached  liis  father,  then  in  com- 
mand at  Dorchester  Heights.  This  was  an  in- 
cident of  his  boyhood  he  always  recalled  with 
pleasure. 

(VI)  John  Thomas,  son  of  Col.  John,  was 
born  in  Kingston,  and  was  liberally  educated. 
He  was  prepared  for  the  law,  and  before  mid- 
dle life  was  located  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  occupying  an  office 
on  Main  street.  In  1832  he  was  admitted  to 
the  firm  of  I.  L.  &  T.  Hedge,  men  largely 
engaged  in  the  whale  fishery.  In  1833  he  pur- 
cliased  the  old  Dr.  James  Thatcher  estate, 
called  "Longwood,"  then  altogether  the  most 
aristocratic  estate  in  Plymouth.  In  1837  he 
sold  the  place  and  moved  to  New  York,  where 
he  engaged  successfully  in  the  wholesale  iron 
business,  and  afccumulated  a  handsome  prop- 
erty. When  retiring  from  business  he  bought 
an  estate  at  Irvington  on  the  North  river,  and 
built  a  house  which  he  occupied  until  his 
death.  In  1823  he  married  Hannah,  daughter 
of  Barnabas  Hedge,  of  Plymouth,  Mass.,  and 
their  children  were:  Eunice  Burr,  born  in 
1824,  who  married  John  Earl  Williams;  and 
William  Appleton,  born  in  1829.  Mr.  Thomas 
was  killed  by  lightning  in  the  hayfield  in  July, 
1855.  The  watch  he  wore  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  that  of  his  grandfather.  General 
Thomas,  and,  due  no  doubt  to  the  electric  cur- 
rent, stopped  at  the  minute  Mr.  Thomas  met 
his  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian 
Church  known  as  Dr.  Bellows's  Church.  His 
wife  died  in  1877,  at  Irvington,  and  both  were 
buried  at  Kingston. 

(VII)  WiLLi.\M  Appleton  Thomas,  son  of 
John,  born  at  Plymouth  July  13,  1829,  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  in  New 
York  University.  Preferring  an  outdoor  life 
to  that  of  a  business  or  professional  career  he 
came  to  Kingston,  and  settled  on  the  Thomas 
estate,  first  owned  by  his  great-grandfather. 
General  Thomas,  becoming  a  gentleman  farm- 
er. He  made  extensive  improvements  on  the 
property,  and  took  great  pride  in  its  develop- 
ment, using  modern  scientific  metho<ls,  and 
•making  of  it  one  of  the  most  highly  cultivated 
places  in  southeastern  Massachusetts.  He  was 
a  great  reader,  and  few  men  in  Kingston  were 
better  read,  not  only  in  the  affairs  of  the  day, 
but  alonsr  classical  and  scientific  lines.    He  was 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


901 


a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  but  he 
found  his  chief  interest  in  his  liome.  His 
death  occurred  Dec.  4,  1903,  and  he  was  buried 
in  Evergreen  cemetery. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  married  in  Boston,  Mass., 
Oct.  8,  1868,  to  Annie  Corliss  Morton,  daugh- 
ter of  Job  and  Caroline  (Chandler)  Morton. 
No  children  were  born  to  them.  Mrs.  Thomas 
occupies  the  beautiful  home,  to  which  she  is 
much  attached.  She  is  descended  from  one  of 
the  early  Plymouth  families,  her  ancestor, 
George  Morton,  having  come  over  in  the 
"Ann"  in  1633.     Her  lineage  is  as  follows: 

(I)  George  Morton,  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America,  was  born  about  1585,  in  Austerfield, 
Yorkshire,  England.  He  early  joined  the  Pil- 
grims at  Leyden,  and  continued  of  their  com- 
pany until  his  death.  One  writer  says  that 
he  was  "the  agent  of  those  of  his  sect  in  Lon- 
don," and  another  that  he  acted  as  financial 
agent  in  London  for  Plymouth  Colony.  He 
was  a  merchant  and  for  some  reason  did  not 
come  with  the  first  of  the  colonists,  but  sailed 
with  his  wife  Juliana  (Carpenter)  Morton 
(born  in  Wrentham,  England,  daughter  of 
Alexander  Carpenter,  and  married  in  1613  to 
Mr.  Morton  at  Leyden)  and  children  in  the 
"Ann,"  the  third  and  last  ship  to  carry  what 
are  distinctively  known  as  the  "Forefathers," 
reaching  Plymoutli  early  in  June,  1633.  Mr. 
Morton  had  issued  in  London,  in  1631,  a  pub- 
lication composed  of  letters  and  journals  from 
the  chief  colonists  at  Plymouth,  either  ad- 
dressed or  instructed  to  George  Morton,  and 
this  publication  was  entitled  "A  Relation  or 
Journal  of  the  Beginning  and  Proceedings  of 
the  English  Plantation  settled  at  Plymouth 
in  New  England."  He  died  in  June,  1634. 
His  widow  remarried  and  died  at  Plymouth 
Peb.  18,  1665.  The  children  of  George  and 
Juliana  Morton,  all  born  in  Leyden,  Holland, 
excepting  the  youngest,  and  it  on  the  "Ann," 
were:  Nathaniel,  born  1613^  who  married 
Lydia  Cooper;  Patience,  born  1615,  who  mar- 
ried John  Faunce;  John,  born  in  1616-17; 
Sarah,  born  in  1617-18,  who  married  George 
Bonum;  and  Ephraim,  born  in  1623  on  the 
"Ann." 

(II)  Lieut.  Ephraim  Morton,  son  of  George, 
born  in  1633,  on  the  "Ann,"  married  (first) 
Nov.  18,  1644,  Ann  Cooper,  who  died  Sept.  1, 
1691;  he  married  (second)  in  1693  Mary, 
widow  of  William  Harlow,  and  daughter  of 
Robert  Shelly,  of  Scituate.  Mr.  Morton  be- 
came a  freeman  June  7,  1648,  and  on  the  same 
day  was  chosen  constable  for  Plymouth.  He 
served  on  the  grand  inquest  in  1654,  and  in 
1657  was  chosen  representative  to  the  General 


Court  of  Plymouth,  of  which  he  was  a  member 
twenty-five  years;  and  in  1691-93,  on  the  union 
of  the  Colonies,  he  was  one  of  the  first  repre- 
sentatives to  the  Massachusetts  General  Court. 
For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was  at 
the  head  of  the  board  of  selectmen  of  Ply- 
mouth. He  was  a  magistrate  of  the  Colony 
and  also  a  justice  of  the  court  of  Common 
Pleas.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  militia 
company;  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  council 
of  war.  He  was  a  deacon  of  the  church 
for  years.  He  died  Sept.  7,  1693.  His  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Plymouth,  were :  George,  born 
in  1645,  who  married  Joanna  Kempton; 
Ephraim,  bom  Jan.  27,  1648;  Rebecca,  born 
March  15,  1651 ;  Josiah,  born  in  1653,  who 
married  Susanna  Wood ;  Nathaniel,  who  mar- 
ried Mary  Faunce ;  Eleazer,  born  in  1659 ; 
Thomas,  born  in  1667,  who  married  Martha 
Doty ;  and  Patience,  who  married  John  Nelson. 

(III)  George  Morton,  son  of  Lieut.  Eph- 
raim, born  in  1645,  married  in  1664  Joanna 
Kempton,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Kempton. 
Their  children  were:  Hannah,  bom  1668,  who 
married  John  Dyer;  Manasseh,  bom  1669; 
Ephraim,  born  1671;  Joanna,  born  1673,  who 
married  Thomas  Holmes;  Ruth,  born  1676, 
who  married  Stephen  Barnaby;  George,  born 
1678;  Timothy,  born  1683;  Rebecca,  born 
1684,  who  married  Nicholas  Drew;  Elizabeth, 
born  1686;  and  Thomas,  born  1690. 

(IV)  Timothy  Morton,  son  of  George,  born 
in  1683,  married  in  1713  Mary  Rickard,  and 
(second)  Sarah  Wilson.  His  children,  all  born 
to  the  first  marriage,  were:  Charles,  born 
1714;  John,  born  1716;  Job,  born  1719;  Mary, 
born  1722  (married  Thomas  Foster)  ;  Silas, 
born  1727;  Elizabeth,  born  1733. 

(V)  Silas  Morton,  son  of  Timothy,  born  in 
1727,  married  in  1748  Martha  Morton.  Their 
children  were:  Hannah,  born  1749;  Silas, 
1753;  Timothy,  1754;  Martha,  1757  (married 
Michael  Drew);  Job,  1760;  Oliver,  1763; 
Thomas,  1765;  Ezra,  1768;  Hannah,  1770; 
and  Lemuel,  1775. 

(VI)  Job  Morton,  son  of  Silas,  born  in 
1760,  lived  at  Carver,  Mass.  He  married  Pa- 
tience Crooker,  and  they  had  children  as  fol- 
lows: Job  and  Patience,  twins,  born  in  1790; 
Abigail,  born  in  1793 ;  Eliza  Crooker  and  Mary, 
twins,  born  in  1799.  Mr.  Morton  married  (sec- 
ond)   Molly  Dunham. 

(VII)  Job  Morton  (3),  son  of  Job,  born  in 
1790,  made  his  home  in  Carver.  He  married 
Caroline  Chandler,  and  they  had  three  chil- 
dren, namely:  Caroline,  born  in  1831;  Charles 
Henry,  born  in  1843 ;  and  Annie  Corliss,  who 
married  William  Appleton  Thomas. 


902  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

STUDLEY  (Rockland  family).  For  two  who  married  John  Robinson,  of  Plymouth; 
and  one  half  centuries  and  perhaps  more  the  James,  who  was  lost  at  sea ;  Thankful,  who 
Studley  family  has  been  a  continuous  one  in  married  (first)  Michael  Jackson,  of  Abington, 
the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  and  for  and  (second)  Seth  Keith,  of  Bridgewater ;  Deb- 
only  a  little  less  in  the  Scituate-Hanover  re-  orah ;  Lucy,  who  married  Seth  Stetson ;  Abi- 
gion,  the  latter  town  being  the  seat  of  the  fani-  gail,  who  married  Thomas  Curtis ;  Japhet, 
ily.  From  Hanover  came  into  Abington  and  born  July  25,  1756;  and  Joseph,  who  mar- 
Rockland  the  particular  family  of  which  this  ried  Rebecca  Stetson. 

article  is  to  treat — that  of   the  present   Hon.  (IV)    Japhet    Studley,    son    of    Eliab    and 

Ezekiel    Reed    Studley,    who    through    a    long,  Mary    (Briggs)    Studley,  born  July  25,   1756, 

active   public   career   has  left  his   impress   for  married    Rachel    Fearing,    of    HSngham,    wJio 

good  upon  the  community  in  which  much  of  died    Sept.    28,    1826,   aged   seventy-one  years, 

4iis  life  has  been  lived.     His  lineage  and  fam-  and    he    died    Jan.    2,    1842,    aged    eighty-five 

ily  history  from  the  Studley  immigrant  ances-  years.     Their  children  were :  Rachel,  born  May 

tor  follows.  5,   1781    (married   Jesse    Stoddard,   of   Abing- 

Studley  is  an  old   English   surname   of  the  ton)  ;  David,  born  March  31,  1783;  Walter  B., 

County  of  Kent  and  Yorkshire — the  seat  of  the  born  March  7,  1786;  Lucy,  born  Jan.  25,  1788 

family   in   the   latter   being   at    Studley    Park,  (married      Lewis      Litchfield,      of      Hanover, 

near    which    are   the    ruins    of    the    celebrated  Mass.)  ;  Lydia,  born  April  6,  1791  (died  March 

Fountains  Abbey,  a  famous  place  of  resort  for  11,    1793);    Luther,    born    Jan.    26,    1792-93; 

travelers.     Two  families   of   the   name   appear  Lydia     (2),    born    Sept.    25,    1796     (married 

early  in  New  England  history,  one  in  Boston  David    Darling)  ;    and    Japhet,    born    Oct.    31, 

and  the  other  in  Sandwich.  1799   (died  May  9,  1832). 

(I)  John  Studley,  the  immigrant  ancestor  (V)  David  Studley,  son  of  Japhet  and  Ra- 
of  this  branch,  was  living  in  Boston  as  early  as  chel  (Fearing)  Studley,  born  March  31,  1783, 
1659,  and  may  have  been  in  Gloucester  pre-  in  Hanover,  Mass.,  married  Hannah,  daughter 
viously,  as  early  as  1643,  where  and  at  which  of  Caleb  Torrey,  of  Middleboro.  He  settled  in 
time  John  Studley,  an  apprentice,  was  sued  his  native  town,  living  on  Pleasant  street.  He 
by  his  employer.  He  was  a  proprietor  there  was  by  trade  and  occupation  a  clockmaker,  and 
in  1650.  The  Christian  name  of  the  wife  of  possessed  much  natural  mechanical  ability.  He 
John  Studley  of  Boston  was  Elizabeth,  and  was  esteemed  as  a  citizen,  and  reared  a  large 
their  children  were:  John,  born  Dec.  8,  1659,  and  respectable  family  of  children.  His  wife  died 
in  Boston;  and  Benjamin,  born  there  May  23,  long  before  him.  May  19,  1850,  and  he  passed 
1661.  away   Oct.    30,    1873,   when   ninety   years   old. 

(II)  Benjaiiiin  Studley,  son  of  John  and  lie  was  buried  in  Hanover  Centre  cemetery. 
Elizabeth,  of  Boston,  born  there  May  23,  1661,  Their  children  were:  Cephisa,  born  Feb.  10, 
married  in  1683  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Mer-  1811,  married  Ezekiel  Reed,  of  Abington,  and 
ritt.  Mr.  Studley  in"  his  youth  went  to  Hing-  died  Jan.  30,  1892;  David  F.,  born  Oct.  6, 
ham.  About  the  time  he  came  of  age,  in  1680-  1812,  a  jeweler  in  North  Bridgewater,  married 
81,  he  removed  to  Scituate,  and  settled  near  Martha  J.  Howard,  and  died  April  24,  1873 ; 
Merritt's  brook,  near  the  bridge.  His  children,  Philander,  born  Nov.  5,  1814,  married  Eliza- 
born  in  Scituate,  were:  John,  born  Dec.  11,  beth  Estes,  and  died  April  9,  1885;  Joseph  H., 
1684;  Benjamin,  born  Dec.  7,  1687;  James,  bom  Oct.  13,  1816,  married  Lucinda  Curtis, 
born  July'l5,  1690  (married  in  1717  Sarah  and  died  Dec.  24,  1885:  lantha  E.,  born  Feb. 
Farrar,  of  Hingham)  ;  Jonathan,  born  June  26,  1819,  married  Joseph  W.  Gurney,  and  died 
19,  1693  (resided  at  Hingham,  married  Su-  July  4,  1895;  Luther,' born  Dec.  28,  1820,  a 
sanna  Ijanc)  ;  David,  born  Jan.  19,  1696 ;  Mary,  jeweler  of  North  Bridgewater,  died  Aug.  25, 
born  Sept.  23,  1699;  Elizabeth,  born  June  8,  1895,  at  Whitman;  Benjamin  F.,  born  Feb. 
1701 ;  Deborah,  born  Dec.  19,  1703;  and  Eliab,  21,  1823,  married  Betsey  R.,  daughter  of  Amos 
bom  Sept.  10,  1706.  Bates,  and  died  Oct.  15,  1874,  at  East  Bridge- 

(III)  Eliab  Studley,  son  of  Benjamin,  born  water;  Mary  F.,  born  March  5,  1825,  died 
Sept.  10,  1706,  married  April  10,  1729,  Mary  Sept.  14.  1826;  Walter  B.,  born  Jan.  10,  1827, 
Briggs,  of  Scituate,  and,  it  is  said,  settled  in  a  jeweler  of  East  Abington,  married  Susan 
what  is  now  Pleasant  street  in  the  town  of  Turner,  and  died  June  16,  1905;  Henry  C, 
Hanover,  Mass.  He  died  Dec.  13,  1785,  and  born  June  3,  1829,  of  North  Bridgewater,"  died 
his  widow  Oct.  19,  1797,  aged  ninety  years.  Oct.  20,  1892;  Ezekiel  Reed  was  born  Nov. 
Their  children  were:  Benjamin;  Martha,  who  30,  1831;  Hannah  M.,  born  June  28,  1834, 
married  John   Shaw,   of  Abington ;   Elizabeth,  died   May  7,  1836. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


903 


(VI)  EzEKiEL  Reed  Studlet,  son  of  David 
^nd  Hannah  (Torrey)  Studley,  was  born  Nov. 
30,  1831,  in  the  town  of  Hanover,  Mass.  He 
pursued  his  studies  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  town  and  furthered  liis  education  in 
the  Easthampton  Seminary.  For  the  next  two 
years  he  alternated  work  on  the  farm  in  sea- 
son with  teaching  during  the  winters  in  the 
district  schools  of  Hanover.  In  his  boyhood 
the  making  of  shoes  in  his  section  of  the  State 
claimed  the  attention  of  many  as  it  has  ever 
since,  it  having  been  the  leading  industry  of 
the  region.  When  fifteen  years  of  age  young 
Studley  began  in  that  line  of  effort  and  for 
many  years  followed  it  as  a  pursuit  in  life. 
After  some  experience  in  the  making  of  shoes 
he  became  employed  as  a  shoe  cutter  in  one  of 
the  factories,  and  as  such  continued  for  twenty 
years.  In  the  year  1857  he  located  in  the  town 
of  Abington  and  was  occupied  as  a  cutter  and 
shoe  manufacturer  up  to  the  year  1874.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  become  engrossed  in  the 
public  affairs  of  the  town,  which  by  the  middle 
seventies  came  to  claim  so  much  of  his  time 
that  he  dropped  out  of  the  shoe  business,  giving 
practically  all  of  his  time  to  public  work.  He 
had  been  chosen  a  member  of  the  lower  house 
•of  the  Massachusetts  General  Court  from 
Abington  in  1864,  as  a  Republican,  and,  by 
the  way,  Mr.  Studley  is  a  Republican  of  as 
long  standing  as  is  the  party  itself,  he  having 
■cast  his  vote  for  its  first  Presidential  candidate 
—John  C.  Fremont,  the  "pathfinder,"  in  1856; 
but  the  type  of  man  Mr.  Studley  represents, 
liis  character  and  conduct  have  been  such  that 
from  the  start  he  has  had  the  fullest  confidence 
of  both  parties.  He  was  again  elected  to  the 
lower  house  in  1877  and  1878,  and  served  in 
the  latter  year  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  Towns. '  From  1871  to  1874  he  was  an  effi- 
cient member  of  the  Abington  board  of  select- 
men. He  also  served  one  year  on  the  school 
board. 

Mr.  Studley,  having  descended  from  one  of 
the  ancient  families  of  old  Abington  section, 
being  interested  in  the  history  of  the  locality 
and  so  long  actively  identified  with  its  advance- 
ment and  officially  with  its  public  affairs,  is 
looked  upon  and  regarded  as  authority  on  all 
matters  of  a  public  nature — the  historian,  as  it 
were,  of  East  Abington,  now  Rockland.  On 
"the  separation  of  what  became  Rockland  from 
the  mother  town  Mr.  Studley-,  having  been  the 
leading  spirit  in  bringing  the  change  about, 
was  on  the  organization  of  the  new  town  cho- 
sen its  first  town  clerk  and  treasurer  and  the 
first  chairman  of  its  board  of  selectmen ;  all 
this  involving  much  clerical  work  on  his  part 


as  well  as  study  and  brain  work,  and  as  the 
years  passed  his  fellow  citizens  deemed  it  ex- 
pedient to  continue  him  at  the  helm.  For 
some  twenty  years  he  served  faithfully  and  in- 
telligently as  treasurer,  and  for  thirty-seven 
years  he  has  acted  as  town  clerk,  which  office 
he  still  fills.  Supported  by  the  people  he  gave 
heart  and  hand  to  all  of  the  preliminary  work 
involved  in  launching  the  new  town  properly, 
and  through  all  of  the  twenty  years  he  served 
as  treasuVer  and  clerk  he  collected  and  wisely 
expended  the  funds  entrusted  to  him  and  dis- 
charged most  efficiently  the  duties  of  the  triple 
office  of  clerk,  treasurer  and  chairman  of  the 
selectmen,  assessors  and  overseers  of  the  poor. 
He  resigned  the  office  of  treasurer  in  1894. 
It  was  in  the  year  1890  that  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Rockland  school  committee.  Along  in 
the  middle  seventies  he  was  made  a  justice  of 
the  peace,  an  office  he  still  fills.  He  is  also  one 
of  the  associate  county  commissioners,  having 
been  elected  to  that  position  in  1899  and  filled 
it  continuously  since. 

Aside  from  his  many  official  duties  Mr. 
Studley  has  had  other  responsibilities.  In  1876 
he  was  appointed  treasurer  of  the  Rockland 
Savings  Bank,  succeeding  in  that  position  his 
brother,  Walter  B.  Studley.  This  relation  he 
sustained  to  the  bank  for  twenty-nine  years. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  he  is  one  of  the 
most  esteemed,  respected  and  favorably  known 
citizens  of  the  town  of  which  he  is  justly 
known  as  the  father.  He  has  long  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Rockland  Commercial 
Club.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Town  Clerks' 
Association  of  Plymouth  county,  which  he  has 
served  as  president. 

In  1855  Mr.  Studley  was  married  to  R. 
Augusta  Studley,  daughter  of  Gridley  Studley, 
and  their  married  life  of  five  and  thirty  years 
was  an  unusually  happv  one,  terminating  with 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Studley  Dec.  23,  1890.  Three 
sons  represent  the  living  children  of  this  mar- 
riage: Orville  F..  born  May  12,  1856;  Herman 
L..  born  July  24,  1858;  and  Harold  F.,  born 
May  1,  1880  (married  Esther  B.  McGill). 
Herman  L.  Studley  was  cashier  of  the  Rock- 
land Savings  Bank  for  a  number  of  years; 
he  married  Nettie  A.  Norris,  of  Searsport, 
Maine. 

Ezekiel  R.  Studley  married  (second)  in 
Rockland,  Mass.,  May  29,  1903,  Mary  Davis 
Dunbar,  widow  of  George  C.  Dunbar  and 
daughter  of  Charles  H.  and  Mary  (Hunt) 
Davis. 

PAINE.  The  name  Paine  or  Payne  is  one 
of  great  antiquity,  and  in  the  latter  form  has 


904 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


been  traced  to  Persian  origin.  In  England 
the  records  mention  the  son  of  Payne  and  the 
daughter  of  Payne  in  times  anterior  to  the 
adoption  of  family  names,  when  strictly  it  was 
not  regarded  as  a  patronymic. 

(I)  Thomas  Paine,  the  ancestor  of  the  fam- 
ily here  narrated,  is  said  by  tradition  to  have 
come  to  New  England  in  1624,  and  he  may 
have  been  identical  with  the  Thomas  Paine 
who  was  at  Yarmouth  in  1639,  and  was  the 
first  representative  of  that  town  to  the  General 
Court  of  Plymouth  Colony.  He  brought  with 
him  an  only  son,  who  is  said  to  have  been 
ten  years  old  at  the  time,  and  also  that  by 
accident  of  an  arrow  flight  he  was  bereft  of 
one  eye. 

(II)  Thomas  Paine  (2),  son  of  Thomas, 
married  about  1650  Mary,  daughter  of  Nicho- 
las and  Constance  (Hopkins)  Snow,  her  moth- 
er being  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Hopkins,  of 
the  "Mayflower."  Mr.  Paine  was  a  cooper  in 
Eastham,  Mass.,  at  a  period  when  there  were 
but  nineteen  families  settled  there.  He  was 
also  a  millwright,  for  he  built  several  mills  in 
that  Colony.  He  was  made  a  freeman  at 
Plymouth  in  1658;  was  surveyor  of  highways 
in  1662;  juror  in  1664;  representative  in  1664, 
and  eight  times  afterward ;  was  water  bailiff 
to  regulate  the  fishing  in  1671,  and  later  select- 
man, constable,  town  treasurer  from  1674  to 
1694,  and  part  of  this  time  town  clerk.  In 
1677,  with  others,  he  purchased  fishing  rights 
at  the  Cape.  In  1696  he  represented  Eastham 
in  the  General  Court  at  Boston.  In  1G97  he 
returned  to  Eastham,  and  died  there  Aug.  16, 
1706.  His  wife  Mary  died  April  88,  "l704. 
Their  children  were :  Mary,  who  married 
James  Rogers  and  (second)  Israel  Cole;  Sam- 
uel; Thomas,  born  in  1656-57;  Eleazer  and 
Elisha  (twins),  bom  March  10,  1658;  John, 
born  March  14,  1660;  Nicholas,  born  in  1663; 
James,  bom  July  6,  1665;  Joseph,  born  in 
1667;  and  Dorcas,  born  in  1669. 

(III)  Thomas  Paine  (3),  son  of  Thomas 
(2),  born  in  1656-57,  married  Hannah  Shaw, 
of  Plymouth,  and  (second)  Mrs.  Eliz.  Eares. 
of  Boston.  He  lived  in  Truro,  owning  the 
whole  of  Longnook,  besides  other  lands.  He 
was  town  clerk,  captain  in  the  military  of  the 
town,  selectman,  justice  of  the  peace,  etc.  His 
house  is  said  to  have  stood  a  few  rods  east  of 
the  Esquire  Dyer  house,  near  a  never-failing 
spring  of  pure  water.  He  died  Jan.  23,  1721, 
in  his  sixty-fifth  year.  His  children,  all  born  to 
the  first  marriage,  were  :  Hannah,  born  in  1679  ; 
Hugh,  born  in  1680;  Thomas,  born  in  1682; 
Hannah  (2),  born  in  1684;  Jonathan,  born 
in  1686;  Abigail,  born  in  1687;  Abigail   (2), 


born  in  1689;  Phebe,  born  on  1691;  Elkanah, 
born  in  1693;  Moses,  born  in  1695;  Joshua, 
born  in  1697;  Phebe,  born  in  1699;  Lydia, 
bom  in  1700;  and  Barnabas,  born  in  1705. 

(IV)  Elkanah  Paine,  son  of  Thomas  (3), 
born  in  1693,  married  in  1717  Reliance  Young. 
He  settled  in  East  Harbor,  and  was  perhaps 
the  ancestor  of  the  North  Truro  branch  of  the 
Paines.  Their  children  were:  Elisha,  born  in 
1721;  Elkanah,  in  1724;  Phineas,  in  1727; 
Sarah,  in  1730;  and  Joshua,  in  1732. 

(V)  Joshua  Paine,  son  of  Elkanah,  born 
Nov.  10,  1732,  married  July  29,  1759,  Eliza- 
beth Atkins. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Paine,  son  of  Joshua  and 
Elizabeth  (Atkins),  born  Jan.  10,  1768,  in- 
Truro,  Mass.,  was  a  seafaring  man.  He  mar- 
ried Thankful  Small,  and  both  were  buried  in 
the  Methodist  cemetery  at  Truro,  where  the  in- 
scriptions on  the  tombstone  say  he  died  Aug. 
31,  1831,  aged  sixty-four  years,  and  she  died 
June  19,  1844,  aged  seventy-one  years.  Among 
their  children  were :  Joseph,  Isaiah,  Israel  and 
Atkins,  who  were  lost  in  the  noted  gale  of  Oc- 
tober, 1841;  Sarah,  wlio  died  in  California; 
Benjamin,  and  Amasa. 

(VII)  Capt.  Amasa  Paine,  son  of  Benjamin, 
was  born  in  Truro,  Mass.,  where  practically  all 
his  life  was  spent,  and  where  he  died  about 
1883,  agecl  seventy-two  years.  Like  his  father 
he  followed  the  sea,  leaving^it  in  1854  when  he 
established  a  packing  wharf  at  Provincetown, 
in  company  with  Rufus  L.  Thatcher,  and  con- 
ducted what  was  known  as  Market  Wharf  for 
about  one  year.  Captain  Paine  the  next 
year  had  a  third  interest  with  Nathaniel  Dyer 
and  Seth  Rich  in  fitting  out  vessels  at  Truro, 
he  having  charge  of  the  packing,  continuing 
this  business  until  1862,  after  which  he  and 
Nathaniel  Dyer  were  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Truro  for  several  years.  He  then 
purchased  his  partner's  interest,  and  success- 
fully conducted  the  business  until  within  a  few 
years  of  his  death.  He  was  also  interested  in 
a  financial  way  in  several  vessels  in  Truro.  In 
politics  Captain  Paine  was  in  early  life  a 
Whig,  but  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republi- 
can party  allied  himself  with  the  new  organiza- 
tion, and  during  the  Civil  war  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Court  of  the  State.  He  was  a 
very  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  broad-minded  in  his  religious  be- 
lief. Captain  Paine  married  Susannah  Free- 
man, daughter  of  John  and  Susan  T.  (At- 
wood)  Freeman,  and  of  "Mayflower"  stock. 
She  died  in  Brock-ton,  Mass.,  Nov.  24,  1907,  in 
the  ninety-first  year  of  her  age.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  A  daughter  who  died  in  infancy; 


^  ixju.^2^  ^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


905 


Joseph  S.,  deputy  sheriff  in  Boston,  and  re- 
siding in  Allston ;  Susan  L.,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy in  1843;  Amasa  Elliot,  mentioned  below; 
Mary  L.,  who  died  unmarried  in  May,  1873, 
aged  twenty-seven  years;  James  H.,  who  died 
in  Brockton  in  July,  1906;  Benjamin  A.,  who 
died  in  infancy  in  1853 ;  Benjamin,  who  died 
in  1863,  aged  nine  years,  of  diphtheria ;  and 
William  L.,  of  Boston,  inspector  of  the  North- 
ern division  of  the  Old  Colony  Street  Railway 
Company. 

(VIII)  Amasa  Elliot  Paine,  M.  D.,  son 
of  Amasa  and  Susannah  (Freeman)  Paine,  was 
bom  Nov.  19,  1843,  in  Truro,  Mass.  After 
acquiring  a  common  school  education  he  at- 
tended Truro  Academy,  and  then  prepared  for 
the  medical  profession  at  Harvard  Medical 
School,  which  institution  he  entered  in  the 
spring  of  1862.  His  studies,  however,  were 
soon  broken  in  upon,  for,  as  the  Civil  war 
progressed,  he  felt  that  his  services  were  need- 
ed by  his  country.  So  enlisting  in  August 
following  his  entering  Harvard,  in  Company 
E,  43d  Mass.  V.  I.,  he  was  detailed  for  duty  in 
the  regimental  hospital,  where  he  remained 
tmtil  July  1,  1863.  Returning  to  Harvard 
Medical  School  in  October  of  the  last  named 
year  he  there  pursued  his  studies  until  June, 
1864,  when  he  received  the  appointment  of 
medical  cadet  in  the  regular  army.  He  was 
first  stationed  at  Mount  Pleasant  hospital, 
Washington,  D.  C,  being  in  charge  for  a 
period  of  the  erysipelas  ward,  in  the  mean- 
time attending  GeorgetowTi  College,  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  He  was  graduated  from  this 
institution  in  1865,  in  August  of  which  year 
he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  assistant 
surgeon  of  colored  volunteers,  and  was  ordered 
for  duty  to  the  104th  Regiment,  colored 
troops,  stationed  at  Beaufort,  S.  C.  His  mili- 
tary services  closed  in  February,  1866. 

Returning  to  his  home  after  the  war  Dr. 
Paine  located  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Welltleet,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  but  a 
short  time,  removing  later  to  Taunton,  and 
finally,  in  SepteiD;ber,  1867,  to  the  town  of 
North  Bridgewater,^  now  Brockton,  which  has 
ever  since  been  his  field  of  labor,  and  where 
he  has  built  up  a  lucrative  practice  and  been 
successful  in  it. 

Having  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow  citizens  and  being  well  fitted  by  educa- 
tion and  training  for  official  position.  Dr. 
Paine  has  been  often  called  to  public  station. 
He  was  for  several  years  an  efficient  member  of 
the  Brockton  board  of  health,  and  for  some 
thirty  and  more  years  from  1877  has  been  med- 
ical examiner  for  the  First  Plymouth  district. 


For  a  number  of  years  he  was  town  physician. 
His  political  affiliations  are  with  the  Republi- 
can party.  He  is  a  member  of  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Plymouth  District  Masachusetts 
Medical  Society  in  1891  and  1892;  and  also 
belongs  to  the  American  Medical  Association. 
For  several  years  after  1895  he  was  treasurer  of 
the  Massachusetts  Medico-Legal  Society.  Dr. 
Paine  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  Brock- 
ton hospital,  and  was  a  number  of  years  chair- 
man of  the  consulting  board  of  the  hospital, 
and  the  past  several  years  has  been  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  corporation.  Fraternally  the  Doc- 
tor is  a  member  of  Electric  Lodge,  No.  204, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  which  he  joined  in  1871,  and  has 
passed  through  all  tlie  chairs  in  both  the 
lodge  and  Nemasket  Encampment,  No.  44,  also 
belonging  to  Canton  Nemasket,  No.  18,  Patri- 
archs Militant,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He  is  a  member 
of  Fletcher  Webster  Post,  No.  13,  G.  A.  R. ;  of 
the  Loyal  Legion,  and  of  the  Commercial  Club, 
of  Brockton. 

On  May  1,  1867,  Dr.  Paine  was  married  to 
Lucie  W.  Ritter,  daughter  of  Frederick  W.  and 
Angelica  (Powers)  Ritter,  of  Washington,  D. 
C,  and  this  union  has  been  blessed  with  two 
daughters,  Georgina  L.,  who  married  Charles 
Wesley  Fairbanks,  of  Whitman,  Mass.;  and 
Charlotte  H.,  at  home. 

REALS  (Middleboro  family).  The  Beals 
family  of  Middleboro  Js  a  branch  of  the  Pem- 
broke family  and  it  of  the  Hingham  family, 
the  latter  point,  one  in  the  early  Massachusetts 
Bay  Colony,  having  been  the  family  seat  for 
two  hundred  and  seventy  and  more  years. 
Prominent  there  in  laying  the  foundation  of 
the  social  and  religious  life  of  the  Colony,  it 
has  been  no  less  active  and  substantial  since 
the  time  of  the  American  Revolution  in  Mid- 
dleboro in  the  progress  that  the  years  have 
brought  about.  The  late  head  of  the  Middle- 
boro family  here  under  consideration,  Joseph 
E.  Beals,  Esq.,  was  closely  identified  with  the 
town's  life  and  progress  from  boyhood,  giving 
attention  particularly  to  the  higher  and  more 
elevating  phases  of  the  town's  being  and  promi- 
nent in  public  affairs;  long  an  active  volunteer 
worker  for  and  in  the  public  library.  As  will 
be  observed  in  what  follows,  Mr.  Beals  was 
not  only  a  direct  descendant  of  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony,  but 
of  the  Old  or  Plymouth  Colony  from  John 
Howland,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620. 

(I)  John  Beal  (Beale),  with  his  wife  and 
five  sons  and  three  daughters  and  two  servants, 
came  in  1638  from  old  Hingham,-  England, 
and  settled  in  Hingham,  Mass.,  where  he  was 


906 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


admitted  a  freeman  in  1639.  He  received  in 
Septembec,  1638,  a  grant  of  land  of  six  acres 
on  what  is  now  South  street,  corner  of  Hersey 
street,  Hingham.  He  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  town  in  the  General  Court  of  the  Colony 
in  1649  and  1659.  His  first  wife,  who  was  the 
mother  of  his  children,  and  born  in  England, 
was  Nazareth  Hobart,  daughter  of  Edniiind 
and  Margaret  (Dewey)  Hobart.  She  died 
Sept.  23,  1658,  and  he  married  (second)  March 
10,  1659,  Mrs.  Mary,  widow  of  Nicholas 
Jacob.  She  died  June  15,  1681,  in  Hingham. 
He  died  April  1,  1688.  The  children  of  John 
and  Nazareth  were:  Martha,  born  about  1620; 
Mary,  in  1622;  Sarah,  in  1625;  John,  in  1627; 
Nathaniel,  in  1639;  Jeremiah,  in  1631;  Josh- 
ua, in  1633;  Caleb,  in  1636;  Rebecca  (in 
Hingham).  in  February,  1640-41;  and  Jacob, 
Oct.  13,  1642. 

(II)  Nathaniel  Beal,  born  in  England  about 
1629,  came  with  the  family  to  New  England 
and  settled  in  Hingham.  In  1669  he  was  cho- 
sen by  the  selectmen  to  keep  an  ordinary.  He 
resided  on  South  street  opposite  Thaxter's 
bridge.  He  was  constable  in  1676;  selectman 
in  1667,  1673,  1678,  1680,  1681,  1683  and 
1686.  He  was  representative  at  the  General 
Court  in  1677,  1683,  1691  and  1693.  He  died 
Dec.  20,  1708.  His  wife  died  May  10,  1692. 
Their  children,  all  born  in  Hingham,  were: 
Martha,  baptized  in  August,  1646;  Nathaniel, 
baptized  in  October,  1648;  John,  baptized  Aug. 
25,  1650;  Mary;  Christian,  baptized  Nov.  9, 
1654;  Hannah,  baptized  in  1656;  John,  born 
Dec.  7,  1659,  died  young;  Sarah,  born  Dec.  18, 
1662,  died  young;  Susanna,  born  March  3, 
1664-65;  and  Sarah  (2),  baptized  Oct.  7,  1667. 

(III)  Nathaniel  Beal  (2),  baptized  in  Octo- 
ber, 1648,  in  Hingham,  married  March  15, 
1676-77,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Joan  Joy.  They  probably  removed  from 
Hingham.  Their  children  were :  Gershom, 
bom  May  31,  1677:  Solomon,  April  10,  1679; 
Nathaniel,  Anril  2,  1681 ;  Christian,  March  2, 
1683;  Elizabeth,  May  3,  1685  (died  Aug.  8, 
1686);  Elizabeth  (2),  Feb.  7,  1686-87;  and 
Asa. 

(IV)  Solomon  Beal,  born  in  Hingham  April 
10,  1679,  removed  to  Pembroke,  Mass.  He  was 
a  cooper  by  occupation.  He  married  Deborah, 
and  died  May  13,  1750,  aged  seventy-one  years. 
His  children  were:  Solomon,  born  Nov.  3, 
1707,  in  Hingham ;  Jedediah,  born  April  17, 
1716,  likely  in  Pembroke,  who  was  also  a  coop- 
er, married  April  5.  1738,  Deborah  Bowles,  of 
Rochester,  and  died  April  16,  1806;  and  maybe 
other  children. 

(V)  Solomon  Beals  (2),  born  Nov.  3,  1707, 


in  Hingham,  married  Nov.  10,  1730,  Ann, 
born  Sept.  2,  1713,  daughter  of  Abraham  and 
Ann  (Colson)  Howland,  of  Pembroke,  Mass., 
who  died  Oct.  14,  1731,  aged  nineteen  years, 
leaving  a  son,  Howland  Beals,  from  whom 
there  were  descendants.  She  according  to 
Davis  and  the  Howland  genealogy  was  a 
granddaughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  Howland, 
and  great-granddaughter  of  Henry  Howland,  a 
brother  of  John  Howland,  of  the  "Mayflower." 
Solomon  Beals  married  (second),  some  time  be- 
tween 1730  and  1740,  Hannah,  born  in  1715 
or  early  in  1716,  and  died  April  21,  1790,  in 
her  seventy-fifth  year.  They  had  perhaps  nine 
children,  among  whom  were :  Hannah,  who 
married  Isaac  Shaw;  Stephen,  who  married  a 
Richmond ;  Arma ;  John ;  Benjamin,  and 
Solomon. 

(VI)  Solomon  Beals  (3)  married  Polly 
Kingman,  and  lived  in  Middleboro,  Mass.  His 
children  were:  Eber  and  Elam  (twins),  born 
March  31,  1799;  and  Solomon,  born  Sept.  24, 
1802. 

(VII)  Eber  Beals,  born  March  31,  1799,  in 
M^iddleboro,  Mass.,  married  (first)  Oct.  2, 
1824,  Jane  Finny,  and  (second)  Nov.  3,  1827, 
Lucy,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Cushman) 
Vaughan,  of  Middleboro.  Mr.  Beals  was  a 
man  of  strong  character  and  a  valuable  citi- 
zen. He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade  and  occu- 
pation, and  a  skillful  mechanic.  His  shop,  as 
early  as  1824,  stood  in  the  Tribou  neighbor- 
hood at  Warrentown,  in  Middleboro.  He  fol- 
lowed his  pursuit  in  Middleboro  for  nearly 
seventy  years.  He  died  April  13,  1883,  in  the 
eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  Lucy 
died  in  August,   1872. 

(VIII)  Joseph  Eber  Beals,  son  of  Eber 
and  Lucy  (Vaughan)  Beals,  their  only  child, 
was  born"  March  18,  1834.  in  Middleboro,  Mass., 
where  in  the  public  schools  and  the  Peirce 
Academy  he  acquired  his  education,  fitting  for 
college  in  the  latter  institution.  He  learned 
the  printer's  trade,  and  between  that  .  and 
teaching  as  an  occupation  he  was  employed 
for  a  period — teaching  school  during  the  win- 
ters and  working  at  the  printer's  case  in  the 
summer  seasons.  For  the  long  period  of  thirty 
years  beginning  in  1862  he  served  witli  fidelity 
in  various  capacities,  as  clerk,  accountant,  pay- 
master and  cashier,  at  the  Bay  State  Straw 
Works. 

The  political  aflfiliations  of  Mr.  Beals  were 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  was  long  ac- 
tive and  prominent  in  town  afi'airs,  and  while 
a  stanch  Republican  was  not  without  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  the  opposition  party,  be- 
ing  popular   with    both    organizations.      From 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


907 


1890  to  1893  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
selectmen  of  Middleboro.  He  was  connected 
with  the  board  of  water  commissioners  -of  the 
town  from  1885,  in  the  capacit}'  of  clerk  and 
superintendent,  a  relation  he  sustained  until 
his  death,  and  which  placed  him  in  full  charge 
of  all  matters  connected  with  the  water  ser- 
vice. Mr.  Beals  was.  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Middleboro  public  library  in  187-1,  and 
was  always  identified  with  the  growth  and  well- 
being  of  this  excellently  managed  institution. 
It  has  a  fine  collection  of  reading  matter  and 
one  of  the  very  handsome  and  nicely  appointed 
library  buildings  of  New  England  (the  gift  of 
Thomas  S.  Peirce)  and  to  Mr.  Beals's  intelli- 
gence, adaptation  for  work  along  this  line,  and 
the  interest  he  took  in  the  institution,  the  high 
character  it  has  attained  is  largely  due.  For 
many  years  in  connection  with  the  library  as 
a  volunteer  he  performed  some  of  the  duties  of 
librarian,  and  he  was  one  of  the  trustees.  On 
the  organization  of  the  Middleboro  Cooperative 
Bank  in  1889  Mr.  Beals  was  made  treasurer,  a 
relation  he  sustained  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Mr.  Beals  was  a  member  of  a  number  of 
social  and  other  organizations.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Middleboro  Business  Men's  Club,  of 
which  he  was  president  in  1894-96.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  New  England  Water  Works 
Association,  of  which  he  had  been  vice  presi- 
dent ;  also  a  member  of  the  town  committee 
on  local  history,  of  which  he  had  served  as 
chairman,  and  of  the  New  England  Historic 
and  Genealogical  Society.  He  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  Society  of  Good  Fellows,  and 
Sons  of  Temperance.  In  religion  he  was  a 
Universalist.     He  died  Sept.  3,  1909. 

On  March  18,  1863,  Mr.  Beals  married  Mary 
E.,  daughter  of  Simeon  W.  and  Betsey  Leon- 
ard, of  Bridgewater,  Mass.  She  died  Feb.  20, 
1871,  leaving  one  child,  Walter  I^eonard.  On 
April  12.  1876,  Mr.  Beals  married  (second) 
Harriet  €.  Barden,  daughter  of  Joseph  S.  Bar- 
den,  of  Middleboro,  Massachusetts. 

(IX)  Walter  Leonard  Beals,  son  of  Jo- 
seph Eber  and  Mary  E.  (Leonard)  Beals,  was 
born  June  4,  1869,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.  He 
acquired  his  preliminary  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  town,  was  prepared  for 
college  at  the  Middleboro  high  school,  and  then 
entered  Tufts  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated In  1890.  Following  his  graduation  he 
was  for  four  years  occupied  as  a  civil  engineer. 
Later  he  became  connected  with  the  illustra- 
ting department  of  the  "Youth's  Comjianion," 
in  Boston.  He  is  now  the  successor  of  his 
father  in  the  Cooperative  Bank  and  water 
works  at  Middleboro. 


On  Oct.  3,  1894,  Mr.  Beals  married  Ella 
M.,  daughter  of  Robert  T.  LuCas,  of  Manches- 
ter, Mass.  They  have  had  children:  Austen 
Lucas,  born  Sept.  8,  1895;  and  Marian,  born 
Jan.  5,  1898. 

SYLVESTER.  Charles  F.  Sylvester,  busi- 
ness man  of  Fall  River,  and  George  Irving 
Sylvester,  late  of  Brockton,  one  of  the  respected 
citizens  of  that  community,  in  which  his  whole 
life  was  spent,  were  born  in  North  Bridge- 
water  (now  Brockton),  sons  of  Frederick  and 
Lucia  (Soule)  Sylvester,  and  descended  im 
both  paternal  and  maternal  lines  from  historic 
New  England  ancestry.  The  history  of  the 
Sylvester  family  is  given  below,  the  genera- 
tions, beginning  with  the  first  known  Ameri- 
can ancestor,  being  given  in  chronological 
order. 

(I)  Richard  Sylvester  appears  at  Dorchester 
as  early  as  1630,  in  October  of  which  year  he 
made  application  for  freemanship.  He  was  a 
proprietor  there ;  removed  to  Weymouth,  being 
there  as  early  as  1633.  He  was  fined  and  dis- 
franchised in  1638-39  for  joining  an  attempt 
at  organizing  a  church  not  authorized  by  the 
authorities.  He  sold  his  house  and  lot  in 
1640  and  removed  to  Marshfield,  where  he  was 
a  town  officer.  He  was  of  Scituate  in  1642, 
and  died  there  in  1663.  He  married  about 
1632  Naomi  Torrey,  and  his  children  were: 
Lydia,  born  in  1633,  who  married  Nathaniel 
Rawlins;  John,  born  in  1634;  Peter,  born  in 
1637;  Joseph,  born  in  1638;  Dinah,  born  in 
1642;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1643,  who  married 
John  Lowell;  Richard,  born  in  1648;  Naomi, 
born  in  1649,  who  married  John  Lowell;  Is- 
rael, born  in  1651;  Hester,  born  in  1653;  Ben- 
jamin, born  in  1656.  Of  these,  Richard  Syl- 
vester married  Hannah,  daughter  of  "Old 
James  Leonard,"  of  Taunton,  was  at  Milton  in 
1678,  and  was  probably  the  ancestor  of  the 
Sylvesters  of  the  towns  of  Norfolk  county. 
Through  Israel's  son  Peter  came  some  of  the 
Leicester  (Mass.)  and  the  New  Hampshire 
Sylvesters. 

(II)  Israel  Sylvester,  son  of  Richard,  born 
in  1651,  married  and  had  children:  Israel, 
born  Sept.  23,  1675;  Silence,  born  in  1677; 
Richard,  born  in  1679;  Lois,  born  in  1680: 
Martha,  born  in  1682;  Mary,  born  in  1683; 
Elisha,  born  in  1685;  Peter,  born' in  1687; 
Zebulon,  born  in  1689;  Bathsheba,  born  in 
1692;  and  Deborah,  born  in  1696.  In  1670 
the  father  had  a  house  on  the  margin  of  the 
second  Herring  brook. 

(III)  Israel  Sylvester  (2),  son  of  Israel, 
born    Sept.    23,    1675,   married    Oct.    3,    1701, 


908                                      SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 

Euth  Prince,  widow  of  Thomas  Prince,  both  Field,  and  a  direct  descendant  in  the  fifth  gen- 

at  the  time  referred  to  as  of  Scituate.    Among  eration  of  John  Field,  who  came  from  Provi- 

their  children  were:  Euth,  born  June  26,  1701,  dence-,  E.   I.,   to   West   Bridgewater   in   1677, 

who    married    Feb.    i,    1719,    Francis    Cooke;  being  the  first  of  that  name  in  the  ancient  town 

Israel,  born  M^y  5,  1705;  and  Grace,  born  in  of  Bridgewater.    She  died  April  16,  1845,  and 

November,   1706,  who  married   in   1730  Isaac  he   married   Nov.   27,    1847,   Keziah  Hunting. 

Partridge.  He  died  March  19,  1848,  in  his  native  town, 

(IV)  Israel  Sylvester  (3),  son  of  Israel  where  he  had  been  engaged  in  farming.  He 
(2),  born  May  5,  1705,  was  of  Duxbury.  In  was  sergeant  in  Capt.  Nehemiah  Lincoln's 
1734  he  married  Abigail,  daughter  of  Josiah  company  during  the  war  of  1812,  which  com- 
Snell,  of  West  Bridgewater.  .  Their  children  pany  was  detached  from  the  3d  Eegiment  and 
were:  Joseph,  born  July  6,  1735;  Israel,  born  stationed  at  Plymouth,  under  the  command  of 
Nov.  1,  1737;  Seth,  born  Aug.  30,  1740;  Jo-  Lieut.  Col.  Caleb  Howard,  commandant.  His 
siah,  born  May  14,  1742;  Zechariah,  born  Feb.  children,  all  born  to  the  first  marriage,  were: 
24,  1744-45;  and  Abigail,  born  April  17,  1747.  Emeline,  born  Sept.  27,  1810,  died  when 
Of  these,  Joseph  and  Israel  were  baptized  in  young;  Wealthy,  bom  June  4,  1813,  married 
1739  in  West  Bridgewater,  but  the  family  Lorenzo  E.  Packard;  Abigail,  bom  Jan.  23, 
afterward  lived  in  Duxbury.  The  father  died  1814,  married  Alpheus  Holmes;  Frederick, 
in  1785,  and  the  mother  July  22,  1775,  aged  born  Dec.  29,  1816,  is  mentioned  below;  Mar- 
seventy-two  years.  tha  M.,  born  May  26,  1820,  married  James  0. 

(V)  Joseph  Sylvester,  son  of  Israel  (3)  and  Allen;  Francis  M.,  born  in  May,  1827,  mar- 
Abigail    (Snell)    Sylvester,  born  July  6,  1735,  ried   Sarah  W.   Orcutt. 

married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Ephraim  Sampson,  (VIII)  Frederick  Sylvester,  son  of  Gustavus, 

of   Middleboro,    Mass.,   and   they   removed   to  was  born  Dec.  29,  1816,  in  North  Bridgewater, 

North  Bridgewater,  where  Mr.  Sylvester  died  where  his  life  was  spent.    In  early  life  he  was 

in  1818,  in  his  eighty-fourth  year.     Their  chil-  engaged  in  making  shoes,  when  it  was  the  cus- 

dren  were:  Lucy,  born  March   1,   1772,  who  torn  to  receive  the  stock  at  the  factories,  and 

died  Aug.  4,  1845;  Ephraim,  born  April  23,  after  making  up  the  shoes  at  home  return  them 

1774;  Seth;  Benjamin;  Josiah;  and  Joseph,  to  the  factory  ready  for  the  market.     He  was 

(VI)  Joseph  Sylvester  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  also  engaged  in  farming,  which  was  his  sole 
married  Aug.  10,  1785,  Hannah  Howard,  occupation  the  latter  years  of  his  life.  On 
daughter  of  Eobert  and  Abigail  (Snell)  How-  May  19,  1839,  he  married  Lucia  Soule,  daugh- 
ard,  and  a  direct  descendant  in  the  fifth  gen-  ter  of  Aaron  Soule,  of  Plympton,  Mass.,  a 
eration  of  John  Howard,  who  came  from  Eng-  merchant,  and  a  direct  descendant  of  George 
land  and  settled  in  Duxbury,  Mass.,  later  be-  Soule,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  political  corn- 
coming  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  West  pact  made  on  board  the  "Mayflower"  in  1620. 
Parish  of  Bridgewater  in  1651.  Joseph  Syl-  Their  children  were:  Charles  Frederick,  bom 
vester  and  his  wife  resided  in  North  Bridge-  March  14,  1841,  is  mentioned  below;  Lucia 
water,  Mass.,  where  he  was  a  justice  of  the  Jane,  born  Nov.  29,  1844,  died  Sept.  23,  1846; 
peace.  On  Jan.  25,  1782,  he  was  one  of  five  William  Henry,  born  Dec.  25,  1847,  married 
from  North  Bridgewater  who  enlisted  in  Col.  Catherine  H.  Stevens,  of  Brockton,  where  he 
John  Bailey's  regiment  to  reinforce  the  Conti-  is  engaged  in  farming;  George  Irving,  born 
nental  army  during  the  Eevolutionary  war.  He  July  31,  1851,  is  n;entioned  below. 

died  March   18,   1849,  aged  eighty-five  years.  (IX)  Chaeles  F.  Sylvkster,  son  of  Fred- 

His  wife  died  Dec.  7,  1843,  aged  seventy-nine  erick  and  Lucia    (Soule)    Sylvester,  was  born 

years.      Their   children   were:    Gustavus,   born  March  14,   1841,  at  North  Bridgewater    (now 

Dec.    27,    1786,    who   married    Martha    Field;  Brockton),  Mass.,  and  spent  his  boyhood  there, 

Abigail,  born   May   10,   1788,  who  died  when  receiving  a  common  school  education.     While 

young;  Hannah,  born  Feb.  15,  1790;  Clinthy,  a  boy  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  business  of 

born  June   6,   1792 ;  Wealthy,  born   Aug.   24,  shoemaking,  which  was  carried  on  in  his  house, 

1794,  who  died  young;  and  Algernon  Sidney,  and  in  connection  with  the  farm  work.     In 

born  Nov.  8,  1798,  who  married  (first)  Han-  1862  he  entered  a  shop  at  North  Bridgewater 

nah  H.  Bartlett,  (second)  Eebecca  Bisbee  and  operated  by  E.   S.  Snell  &  Co.,  and  engaged 

(third)   Abby  S.  Bradford.  in  the  manufacture   of  shoe   tools.     In  about 

(VII)  Gustavus  Sylvester,  son  of  Joseph  a  year  Mr.  Snell  died  and  Mr.  Sylvester.be- 
(2),  was  born  in  North  Bridgewater  Dec.  27,  came  manager  of  the  business,  in  which  ca- 
1786.  On  Nov.  30,  1809,  he  married  Martha  pacity  he  continued  until  Mr.  Spragiie,  another 
Field,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  (Snell)  member   of  the   firm,  died   about   1870,  soon 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


909 


after  which  Mr.  Sylvester  purchased  the  busi- 
ness. He  continued  to  carry  it  on  under  the 
old  name,  at  times  employing  twenty  work- 
men. When  the  business  of  manufacturing 
shoes  was  revolutionized  by  improved  ma- 
chinery and  his  work  ceased  to  be  profitable 
he  disposed  of  his  interest  therein,  in  1883, 
and  removed  to  Fall  Eiver,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  weavers'  combs,  etc.,  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  C.  F.  Sylvester  & 
Co.,  being  associated  with  James  F.  Davis.  La- 
ter, in  1889,  he  opened  a  general  hardware 
and  sporting  goods  establishment  on  South 
Main  street,  which  in  time  was  succeeded  by 
a  lock  and  gunsmith  business.  In  all  his  ven- 
tures his  ability  and  devotion  to  the  manage- 
ment of  his  affairs  brought  him  success. 

Mr.  Sylvester  in  political  matters  is  inde- 
pendent, not  being  bound  by  party  ties,  but 
voting  for  what  he  thinks  are  the  best  men 
and  issues.  He  is  a  member  of  no  secret  so- 
cieties, or  organizations  of  any  kind. 

In  1864  Mr.  Sylvester  was  married  (first) 
in  Provincetown,  Mass.,  to  Louise  Kilburn, 
who  died  in  1869,  the  mother  of  two  children: 
Abbie  Louise,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years;  and  Frederick  Oakes.  Mr.  Sylvester 
was  married  (second)  in  1874  to  Georgiana 
Davis. 

(X)  Frederick  Oakes  Sylvester,  son  of 
Charles  'F.  and  Louise  (Kilburn)  Sylvester, 
was  born  Oct.  8,  1869,  in  Brockton,  Mass.,  and 
was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
moved  to  Fall  River.  There  he  graduated  from 
the  high  school 'in  1888,  and  two  years  later 
graduated  from  the  Massachusetts  Normal 
Art  School,  in  Boston.  In  1891  he  became 
Director  of  the  Art  Department  of  the  H. 
Sophie  Newcomb  College,  a  part  of  Tulane 
University,  New  Orleans.  In  1893  Mr.  Syl- 
vester was  appointed  as  general  instructor  in 
Art  at  the  St.  Louis  high  and  normal  schools, 
and  he  is  now  head  of  the  Art  department  of 
the  Central  high  school  at  St.  Louis.  Although 
Mr.  Sylvester  spends  a  large  part  of  his  time 
in  teaching,  he  finds  time  for  original  crea- 
tive work.  He  has  been  exhibiting  from  time 
to  time  and  ha?  gradually  won  a  position  in 
the  front  rank  of  American  landscape  painters. 
His  first  official  recognition  as  an  artist  came 
when  he  was  elected  to  associate  membership 
in  the  Society  of  Western  Artists  in  1899.  A 
year  later  he  became  an  active  member,  and 
then  for  five  years  (1901-1906)  he  filled  the 
office  of  secretary  and  in  1907  occupied  the 
vice  presidential  chair.  Mr.  Sylvester  has  for 
years  been  very  active  in  the  affairs  of  the  St. 
Louis  Artists'  Guild.    In  1903  he  became  sec- 


retary, in  1904  vice  president,  and  at  present 
he  is  the  official  head  of  that  institution.  Be- 
sides this  general  recognition  by  his  fellow  ar- 
tists, he  was  awarded  a  bronze  medal  at  the 
World's  Fair,  in  1904,  a  silver  medal  at  the 
Portland  Exhibition  and  the  Fine  Arts  Build- 
ing Prize  offered  by  the  Society  of  Western 
Artists  in  1907.  For  the  last  ten  or  twelve 
years  Mr.  Sylvester  has  devoted  his  talent  to 
the  interpretation  of  the  mystery,  poetry  and 
beauty  of  "The  Father  of  Waters,"  and  has 
become  known  nationally  as  "the  painter  poet 
of  the  Mississippi."  Several  of  his  large  mural 
decorations  of  the  great  river  are  to  be  found 
in  important  public  buildings  in  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  Sylvester  married  Florence  Gerry,  of 
Fall  River,  and  they  have  two  children,  Doro- 
thy Louise  and  Kilburn  Gerry. 

(IX)  George  Irving  Sylvester,  youngest 
son  of  the  late  Frederick  and  LuCia  (Soule) 
Sylvester,  was  born  July  31,  1851,  in  North 
Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),  and  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  town  acquired  his  school- 
ing. After  leaving  school  he  became  a  clerk 
and  salesman  in  the  extensive  lumber  yards 
of  his  uncle,  the  late  Oakes  Soule,  and  con- 
tinued a  trusted  employee  there  for  a  number 
of  years.  On  account  of  ill  health  he  was 
compelled  to  retire  in  about  1888,  after  which 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  at  his  home  in 
Brockton  July  19,  1892,  he  was  occupied  in 
looking  after  his  real  estate  holdings,  and  as 
agent  for  the  Stockbridge  Fertilizer  Company. 
In  political  views  Mr.  Sylvester  was  a  Repub- 
lican, and  in  1886,  1887  and  1888  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  common  council  of  the  city  from 
Ward  Five.  He  and  his  family  attended  the 
First  Congregational  Church,  to  which  he  gave 
support. 

On  Dec.  27,  1874,  Mr.  Sylvester  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Laura  Gibbs  Fuller,  of  Plymp- 
ton,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Cath- 
erine (Gibbs)  Fuller,  granddaughter  of  Eph- 
raim  Fuller,  of  Plympton,  and  a  descendant 
of  Samuel  Fuller,  who  came  to  America  in  the 
"Mayflower"  in  1620.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  children  as  follows:  Cephas  H.,  born 
March  31,  1876,  now  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  in  Brockton,  married  Edna  C.  Chand- 
ler, of  Brockton,  and  has  three  children,  Irving 
Elliott,  Bemice  Edna  and  Olive  Chandler; 
George  Arthur,  born  July  18,  1877,  superin- 
tendent of  the  Nesmith  Shoe  Company  at 
Brockton,  married  Alice  K.  Snow;  Walter 
Everett  died  in  infancy;  Florence  Mae,  born 
May  18,  1886,  married  John  M.  Foye,  who 
is  assistant  in  the  credit  department  of  the 
Churchill  &  Alden  Shoe  Company,  of  Brock- 


910 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ton,  and  they  have  one  child,  Muriel  Sylvester 
Foye. 

ANTHONY  PIERCE,  Jr.,  late  of  New 
Bedford,  was  a  well-known  resident  of  that 
place  for  some  years  before  his  death.  Mr. 
Pierce  was  a  native  of  Bristol  county,  born  at 
Dighton  Aug.  20,  1825,  son  of  Anthony  and 
Olive  (Lee)  Pierce.  The  Pierce  family  to 
which  he  belonged  was  founded  by  Capt. 
Michael  Pierce,  from  whom  we  give  a  record 
of  the  line  in  detail. 

(I)  Capt.  Michael  Pierce,  born  in  England, 
came  to  this  country  not  far  from  1645 ;  was 
in  Hingham  in  1646,  and  in  Scituate  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  here  he  purchased  land  in 
the  Conihassett  in  1647.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife  dying  in  1662.  He  married 
(second)  Annah  James — in  a  deed  she  was 
called  Anna  (Eames)  Allen,  a  widow,  after- 
ward wife  of  Capt.  Michael  Pierce,  the  James 
family  living  in  1650  in  Marshfield.  Captain 
Pierce  was  in  the  Narragansett  fight  in  De- 
cember, 1675,  and  escaped  with  his  life  only 
to  fall  in  a  more  terrible  conflict  in  March 
following.  In  his  will,  dated  in  1675,  he  gives 
to  his  wife  Ann,  to  son  Benjamin,  to  son  John, 
to  son  Ephraim,  to  daughter  Abigail  Holbrook, 
to  daughters  Elizabeth,  Deborah,  Ann,  Abiah, 
Ruth,  Persis.  His  children  were:  Persis,  Ben- 
jamin, John,  Ephraim,  Eliza,  Deborah,  Anna, 
Abiah,  Ruth  and  Abigail. 

(II)  John  Pierce,  son  of  Capt.  Michael, 
married  in  1683  Patience  Dobson,  born  in 
Scituate,  daughter  of  Anthony  and  Mary  (Wil- 
liams) Dobson,  and  they  resided  in  Scituate 
and  Swansea,  Ma?s.  He  died  in  June,  1738. 
His  will;  dated  June  6,  1738,  was  proved  at 
Taunton  Nov.  6,  1750,  from  Swansea.  Chil- 
dren: Mial,  born  Sept.  24,  1684  (married 
Mary  Wood)  ;  John,  born  April  12,  1686;  Jon- 
athan, born  Feb.  24,  1688;  Ruth,,  born  Sept. 
6,  1689  (married  Stephen  Cornell)  ;  Joel,  born 
Feb.  24,  1692  (married  Hezekiah  Chace)  : 
David,  born  Jan.  1,  1695;  Clothier,  born  May 
5,  1698  (married  Hannah  Sherman);  Mary; 
and  Samuel   (married  Polly  Barber). 

(III)  John  Pierce  (2),  son  of  John  and 
Patience  (Dobson),  born  April  12,  1686,  mar- 
ried Oct.  26,  1712,  Abigail  Vintfln,  and  they 
lived  in  Scituate. and  Dighton,  Mass.  His  will 
was  proved  May  5,  1766.  Children:  John, 
born  about  1713;  Elisha ;  Ebenezer,  who  mar- 
ried March  21,  1752,  Ruth  Tilden  ;  Obadiah; 
Lydia,  who  married  Maj-ch  20,  1734,  Abial 
Simmons,  of  Dighton ;  Sybil,  who  married 
Ebenezer  Phillips;  Martha;  and  Abigail. 

(IV)  John   Pierce    (3),   son   of   John   and 


Abigail  (Vinton),  born  about  1713,  married 
May  28,  1737,  Anna  Burt,  of  Berkley,  and  they 
resided  in  Dighton,  Mass.  He  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1798.  His  will  is  dated  Sept.  2,  1795, 
and  proved  in  1798.  Children:  Zephaniah, 
born  Dec.  28,  1738;  and  John,  born  Oct.  16, 
1740. 

(V)  John  Pierce  (4),  son  of  John  (3), 
born  Oct.  16,  1740,  married  Oct.  30,  1783, 
Rebecca  Snell,  and  they  had  children  born  as 
follows:  Rebecca.  June  20,  1785;  Sally,  Jan. 
7,  1788;  John,  March  27,  1790;  Levinia,  May 
13,  1792;  Anthony,  July  16,  1795;  Nancy, 
April  30,  1797;  Gamaliel,  Dec.  15,  1799;  Sim- 
eon Burt,  March  12,  1802  (lost  at  sea  Sept.  6, 
1821)  ;  Polly,  June  2,  1804  (died  as  effect  of 
being  scalded  April  12,  1805). 

(VI)  Anthony  Pierce,  born  in  Dighton  July 
16,  1795,  died  at  that  place  April  2,  1885.  He 
was  principally  engaged  in  fish  dealing,  trav- 
eling through  the  surrounding  towns,  and  also 
dealt  in  produce.  He  made  his  home  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town  of  Dighton,  where  he 
lived  to  the  ripe  age  of  nearly  ninety  years. 
He  married  (first)  Feb.  3,  1822,  Olive  Lee, 
born  Aug.  8,  1803,  who  died  May  16,  1872,  and 
they  had  the  following  children :  Olive,  born 
March  19,  1823,  married  Lloyd  Brayton  Chase 
(both  are  deceased,  her  death  occurring  Jan. 
31,  1890)  ;  Anthony  was  born  Aug.  20,  1825; 
Mary  Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  14,  1827,  married 
John  A.  Sayles  (both  are  deceased,  she  dying 
Nov.  10,  1903)  ;  Susan  Maria,  born  July  6, 
1830,  married  July  29,  1849,  Silas  Dean 
Briggs  (both  are  deceased;  she  died  Sept.  18, 
1906)  ;  Simeon  Allen,  born  April  8,  1835,  mar- 
ried Melissa  Reed,  and  resides  in  Taunton, 
Mass. ;  George  Edward,  born  April  24,  1838, 
married  Mary  Jane  Reed,  and  died  March  12, 
1890.  Mr.  Pierce-  had  no  children  by  his  sec- 
ond marriage,  to  Mrs.  Deborah  Brightman. 
She  resides  at  the  home  of  her  son.  Captain 
Brightman,  of  Dighton. 

(VII)  Anthony  Pierce,  Jr.,  son  of  Anthony, 
grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  town  and  at- 
tended the  district  school.  Learning  the  trade 
of  mason,  he  worked  at  same  for  some  time 
in  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  New  Bedford,  Mass., 
being  employed  in  the  latter  place  by  James 
Wheaton.  He  was  later  employed  in  the  cop- 
per works  in  Taunton,  where  he  continued  for 
some  time.  In  New  Jersey  he  was  an  expert 
at  the  Passaic  Zinc  Works,  was  engaged  for 
some  time  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  developing  a 
process  of  zinc  refining  discovered  by  himself, 
and  following  his  experience  there  worked  for 
some  time  in  Taunton  and  still  later  in  New 
Bedford,  where  he  made  his  home  during  his 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


911 


last  years.  He  died  April  3,  1907,  and-  was 
buried  at  Taunton.  He  was  a  man  of  domes- 
tic tastes  and  very  highly  respected.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Republican. 

On  Dec.  6,  1847,  Mr.  Pierce  married  in 
Dighton  Hannah  Francis  Briggs,  who  was  born 
in  Dighton  Dec.  6,  1828,  daughter  of  David 
and  Hannah  H.  (Francis)  Briggs.  Mrs.  Pierce 
is  still  living  and  in  full  possession  of  all  her 
faculties,  though  past  eighty  years  of  age.  She 
is  tenderly  cared  for  in  her  declining  years  by 
her  daughter  Clara.  Three  children  were  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pierce:  (1)  Hannah  Amelia, 
born  Aug.  17,  1849,  died  Aug.  9,  1851.  (2) 
Eudora  Janette,  born  Dec.  16,  1850,  died  Aug. 
16,  1851.  (3)  Clara,  born  Sept.  5,  1859,  re- 
sides with  her  mother,  to  whom  she  is  much 
devoted. 


Briggs.  The  Briggs  family,  to  which  Mrs. 
Pierce  belongs,  can  be  traced  back  as  far  as 
1637,  (I)  John  Briggs,  of  Sandwich,  Mass., 
being  the  first  known  representative.  He  died 
there  in  1641.  He  had  a  wife.  Katherine,  and 
two  children,  Samuel  and  Sarah. 

(II)  Samuel  Briggs,  son  of  John,  married, 
and  had  children :  Elizabeth,  born  in  1665 ; 
Ruth,  in  1667;  Ebenezer,  in  1671  (died  in 
1727);  Samuel,  in  1673;  and  Hannah,  in 
1675. 

(III)  Ebenezer  Briggs,  born  in  1671,  son 
of  Samuel,  married  and  settled  in  Dighton, 
Mass.  His  death  occurred  in  1727.  His  chil- 
dren were:  John,  born  in  1720;  Samuel,  born 
in  1721,  who  died  in  1807;  Ebenezer,  born  in 
1722;  and  Mary,  born  in  1724. 

(IV)  Samuel  Briggs,  born  in  1721,  son  of 
Ebenezer,  married  Mary  Pitchley  (born  in 
1721,  died  Oct.  9,  1823,'  aged  102  years)  and 
had  children:  Samuel,  born  July  29,  1745 
(died  in  1823)  :  Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  5,  1746; 
Jemima,  born  March  14,  1750  (died  in  1842)  : 
Hannah,  born  Sept.  2,  1752;  Abiezer,  born 
March  27,  1753  (died  in  1849)  ;  Abner,  born 
Oct.  25,  1755  (died  in  1841)  :  Ruth,  born  July 
18,  1757;  Robv,  born  May  4,  1760  (died  in 
1829)  ;  Zebedee.  born  in  February,  1763  (died 
in  1833)  ;  and  Eliakim,  born  Jan.  18,  1765 
,(died  in  1852).  Samuel  Briggs.  the  father, 
died  in  1807. 

(V)  Abiezer  Briggs  (born  March  27,  1753. 
died  in  1849  in  Dighton). -son  of  Samuel,  mar- 
ried Pamelia  Palmer,  and  their  children  were: 
Frederick,  born  in  1784,  died  in  1856;  Jarvis, 
born  in  1786.  died  at  sea  in  1806;  Lucy,  born 
July  24,  1788,  died  in  1856;  Ruth,  born  June 
3,  1790,  died  in  1855;  Polly,  born  June  27, 


1792,  died  in  1846;  Silas  was  born  in  1794; 
Avis,  in  1796;  John,  in  1798;  Pamelia,  born 
in  1801,  died  in  1864;  David  was  born  in 
1803;  William,  born  in  1806,  died  in  1868. 

Abiezer  Briggs  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  as  private  in  Capt.  Elijah  Walker's  (7th) 
company.  Col.  John  Hathaway's  Bristol  county 
regiment,  Brigadier-General  Godfrey's  bri- 
gade ;  marched  to  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  on  alarm  of 
Aug.  2,  1780,  service  seven  days.  He  was 
wounded  in  the  arm. 

(VI)  David  Briggs.  son  of  Abiezer  and 
Pamelia  (Palmer),  born  in  Dighton  Aug.  4, 
1803,  married  Nov.  30,  1826,  Hannah  H. 
Francis,  who  was  born  Nov.  23,  1805.  He  died 
Oct.  25,  1887, -Mrs.  Briggs  passing  away  March 
18,  1894.  Their  children  were  as  follows: 
David  Hiram,  born  Aug.  19,  1827,  married 
July  14,  1850,  Lillis  Smith,  and  died  Aug.  31, 
1909;  Hannah  Francis,  born  Dec.  6,  1828, 
married  Anthony  Pierce,  Jr. ;  Orren  Nelson, 
born  Oct.  13,  1830,  died  Dec.  22,  1832; 
Amelia  Palmer,  born  March  7,  1833,  married 
Aug.  18,  1861,  Henry  Field,  Jr.,  and  died 
Sept.  13,  1908;  Lucy  Maria,  born  April  6, 
1835.  married  Oct.  17,  1860,  Henry  Lavander 
Dunham,  and  died  April  1,  1908 ;  John  Al- 
bert, born  May  16,  1841,  married  Jan.  12, 
1861,  Mary  Elizabeth  Talbott  (he  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  war),  and  died  Aug.  30,  1905; 
Julia  Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  6,  1843,  married 
July  4,  1863,  Beuaiah  Leonard  Dean,  of 
Dighton;  Susan  Alice,  born  Aug.  22,  1845, 
married  Oct.  22,  1867,  George  P.  Macomber, 
and  resides  in  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts. 

HERVEY  (New.  Bedford  family).  For 
some  two  hundred  and  seventy  years,  since  the 
very  dawn  of  the  settlement  of  ancient  or  orig- 
inal Taunton,  the  Hervey  or  Harvey  family 
has  been  a  continuous  one  within  that  terri- 
tory, and  very  prominent  as  it  was  at  the  start 
it  has  continued  more  or  less  so  until  the  pres- 
ent, when  it  is  one  of  the  leading  and  influen- 
tial families  of  New  Bedford,  represented 
there  now  by  E.  Williams  Hervey,  Esq.,  long 
an  official  in  one  of  the  banking  institutions 
and  otherwise  identified  with  the  public  life  of 
the  place. 

The  surname  written  and  pronounced  indif- 
ferently formerly  as  Hervey  or  Harvey  exists 
in  botli  forms  in  England,  and  the  coats  of 
arms  are  nearly  the  saine,  thus  indicating  a  re- 
lationship in  the  families.  Probably  Hervey 
is  the  more  ancient  spelling,  as  the  tendency  of 
English  pronunciation  is  to  give  e.  the  sound 
of  a. 

The  Hervey  family  here  under  consideration 


912 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


descends  from  two  brothers,  William  and 
Thomas  Harvey,  from  the  fact  that  they  inter- 
married in  the  second  generation.  Both  were 
prominent  citizens  of  Cohannet,  which  includ- 
ed Taunton,  Berkley  and  Raynham;  and  were 
distinguished  by  high  public  positions  in  the 
early  history  of  Plymouth  Colony.  William 
Harvey  was  proposed  to  take  up  his  freedom  in 
1653;  was  admitted  a  freeman  at  court  in 
1656;  was  a  member  of  the  grand  inquest  in 
1655-60;  constable  in  1661;  surveyor  of  high- 
ways in  1662;  was  appointed  to  collect  the  ex- 
cise in  1661;  was  deputy  or  representative  to 
the  General  Court  for  fourteen  years  from 
1664;  was  selectman  for  twenty  years,  to  1667; 
was  appointed  to  look  after  the  minister's  rate 
in  1670;  appointed  to  be  the  "to'wne  Counsell 
of  war"  in  1675.  A  mortgage  of  land  made 
over  by  Philip,  the  Sachem,  to  Constant  South- 
worth  was  made  over  to  William  Harvey  and 
John  Richmond  in  1672  and  thus  described: 
"Four  miles  square  down  Taunton  river  and 
next  unto  Taunton  bounds."'  Among  the  first 
and  ancient  purchases  of  the  town  was  eight 
shares  by  William  Harvey;  also  among  the 
purchasers  of  the  addition  to  the  town  in  1668 
called  the  North  Purchase,  which  included 
what  is  now  Norton,  Mansfield  and  Easton, 
were  William  Harvey  and  Thomas  Harvey,  the 
elder,  and  Thomas  Harvey,  Jr.  Assonet  Neck 
obtained  from  the  Indians  was  divided  among 
six  freemen,  including  William  Harvey.  An- 
other purchase  made  in  16T2,  by  William  Har- 
vey and  four  others,  afterward  constituted  the 
town  of  Dighton.  This  deed  was  signed  by 
King  Philip  or  Metacomet. 

Thomas  Harvey,  brother  of  William,  ap- 
peared on  the  list  of  those  "able  to  bear  arms," 
those  from  sixteen  to  sixty  years  of  age,  in 
1643.  He  was  sergeant  at  arms  in  1673,  con- 
stable in  1678,  surveyor  of  highways  in  1681 ; 
and  he  and  Thomas  Harvey,  Jr.,  were  admitted 
freemen  in  1689.  He  married  Elizabeth  An- 
drews. 

William  Harvey  married  April  2,  1639,  Joan 
Hucker,  of  Cohannet,  and  had  issue :  Thomas, 
born  in  1642 ;  Jonathan ;  Joseph,  bom  in  1645 ; 
Experience,  born  in  1644,  who  married  Thomas 
Harvey,  of  Taunton;  and  Elizabeth. 

From  Thomas  and  Experience  Harvey  the 
descent  of  E.  Williams  Hervey,  of  New  Bed- 
ford, is  through  William  Hervey  (or  Harvey) 
of  Berkley,  Mass.,  James,  James  (2),  James 
(3)  and  Eliphalet  Williams  Hervey. 

William  Harvey  was  born  Dec.  20,  167 — , 
and  his  death  occurred  Jan.  7,  1745.  His 
wife's  name  was  Hopestill. 

James  Hervey,  their  son,  was  born  June  13, 


1701,  lived  in  the  town  of  Berkley,  Mass., 
where  in  the  family  plot  in  the  cemetery  near 
Berkley  Common  he  lies  buried,  the  inscription 
on  his  tombstone  proclaiming  that  he  died  Dec. 
28,  1795,  in  the  ninety- fifth  year  of  his  age. 
He  married  Rebecca. 

James  Hervey  (2),  son  of  James  and  Re- 
becca, was  born  Jan.  23,  1726,  and  married 
Aug.  29,  1758,  Rachel  Phillips.  She  later 
married  a  Mr.  Dean. 

James  Hervey  (3),  born  Aug.  21,  1767,  mar- 
ried Lucinda  Paull,  both  being  of  the  town 
of  Berkley,  Mass.  Mr.  Hervey  was  an  enter- 
prising farmer  and  also  engaged  in  shipbuild- 
ing at  the  Weir  or  Taunton  river,  where  he 
built  sailing  vessels,  furnishing  the  materials 
and  contracting  for  the  labor.  These  vessels 
were  freighted  with  lumber  and  both  vessels 
and  cargoes  disposed  of  in  Bristol  and  other 
Rhode  Island  ports. 

Dr.  Eliphalet  Williams  Hervey,  of  Berkley, 
born  April  28,  1800,  married  Dorcas  Fearing, 
of  Wareham.  He  received  his  medical  degree 
from  Brown  University  in  1826,  and  practiced 
medicine  successfully  in  Wareham  and  neigh- 
boring towns  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1827 
he  was  commissioned  surgeon  of  the  5th  Regi- 
ment of  Infantry  in  the  1st  Brigade,  5th  Divi- 
sion of  Militia,  by  Gov.  Levi  Lincoln. 

Eliphalet  Williams  Heevey,  son  of 
Eliphalet  W.  and  Dorcas  (Fearing)  Hervey, 
was  born  July  27,  1834,  in  the  town  of  Berk- 
ley, Bristol  Co.,  Mass.  Having  lost  his  father 
when  four  years  of  age  he  went  to  New  Bed- 
ford and  became  a  member  of  the  family  of 
Ebenezer  Hervey,  a  younger  brother  of  his 
father  and  for  thirty  years  a  grammar  master 
in  the  New  Bedford  public  schools.  Eliphalet 
W.  was  graduated  from  the  New  Bedford  high 
school  with  the  class  of  1849.  After  a  clerk- 
ship of  two  years  in  the  Marine  Bank  he  be- 
came teller  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  and  in 
1857  was  elected  cashier,  holding  that  respon- 
sible position  for  twenty-five  years.  Upon  his 
resignation  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  and  still  serves  as  such,  his 
official  connection  with  this  bank  covering  a 
period  of  more  than  fifty  years. 

In  the  year  1860  Mr.  Hervey  published  a 
"Catalogue  of  the  Plants  found  in  New  Bed- 
ford and  Vicinity,  arranged  according  to  the 
season  of  their  flowering."  This  was  a  novel 
arrangement  for  a  flora,  but  it  proved  to  be 
a  very  acceptable  one  to  persons  interested  in 
botany.  In  1891  a  revision  and  enlargement  of 
the  catalogue  appeared,  entitled  "Flora  of  New 
Bedford  and  Shores  of  Buzzard's  Bay,  with  a 
Precession  of  the  Flowers."     He  has  written 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


913 


to  a  considerable  extent  on  botanical  subjects 
and  is  recognized  as  a  reliable  authority.  He 
l^as  been  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of 
the  New  England  Botanical  Club.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  "L'Academie  Internationale  de 
Geographic  Botanique,"  of  le  Mans  (Sarthe), 
France. 

For  six  years,  1859  to  1865,  Mr.  Hervey 
served  on  the  school  committee;  was  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Court  two  years,  1885 
and  1887;  secretary  of  the  original  Y.  M.  C. 
A.,  which  antedated  the  present  organization 
by  many  years;  a  director  of  the  American 
Tack  Company;  an  original  trustee  of  St. 
Luke's  Hospital;  a  trustee  of  the  Five  Cents 
Savings  Bank  since  1885 ;  and  a  life  member  of 
the  Old  Colony  Historical  Society.  Both  he 
and  Mrs.  Hervey  are  members  of  the  North 
Congregational   Church. 

In  1862  Mr.  Hervey  married  Emeline  K., 
daughter  of  Daniel  Homer,  of  New  Bedford. 
Their  children  are:  Homer  W.,  A.  B.,  LL. 
B.,  Harvard,  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
law  in  New  Bedford,  who  married  Helen  L. 
Shaw  and  has  one  son.  Homer  W.,  Jr.;  Hetta 
M.,  who  married  Pierre  E.  Richards,  and  has 
two  children.  Homer  E.  H.  and  Emeline  H. ; 
and  Emma  F.,  who  is  married  to  Gilbert  T. 
Thompson,  and  has  two  children,  Hervey  and 
Gilbert  T.,  Jr. 

HERBERT  L.  KINGMAN,  one  of  the 
energetic  and  successful  business  men  of 
Brockton,  and  one  of  that  city's  progressive 
citizens,  is  a  worthy  representative  of  a  fam- 
ily which  has  long  be  i  identified  with  this 
Commonwealth.  Mr.  Kingman  was  born  Aug. 
6,  1850,  in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  son  of  the  late 
Lewis  Arastus  and  Mary  Jane  (Alderman) 
Kingman.  The  history  of  this  branch  of  the 
Kingman  family  follows. 

Henry  Kingman,  aged  forty,  with  wife  Jone. 
aged  thirty-nine,  and  children,  Edward  aged 
sixteen,  Joane  eleven,  Anne  nine,  Thomas 
seven,  John  two,  and  servant  John  Ford,  aged 
thirty,  embarked  from  Weymouth,  England, 
before  March  20,  16.35,  and  settled  in  Wey- 
mouth, Mass.  He  was  a  freeman  of  March 
3,  1635-36,  and  on  that  same  day  was  licensed 
ferryman.  He  was  representative  or  deputy  in 
1638  and  1653,  and  town  officer.  His  wife 
Jone  (Joan)  died  April  11,  1659.  He  died 
5th  of  4th  month,  1667.  His  will,  dated  May 
24th,  was  probated  July  31,  1667.  His  chil- 
dren were :  Edward,  Thomas,  John,  and  daugh- 
ters, one  a  Holbrook,  another  a  Davis  and  a 
third  a  Barnard. 

From  this  source  descended  the  Kingmans 


of  the  section  of  Massachusetts  here  alluded  to, 
the  line  following  removing  to  the  westward 
of  the  Bridgewaters  in  the  early  settlement  of 
that  country. 

John  Kingman,  son  of  Henry,  settled  in 
what  became  West  Bridgewater,  buying  in 
1685  the  former  Daniel  Bacon  estate.  His 
wife's  name  was  Elizabeth. 

John  Kingman  (2),  son  of  John,  married 
Desire,  daughter  of  Isaac  Harris. 

Josiah  Kingman,  son  of  John  (2),  born  in 
1713,  married  in  1737  Mary,  daughter  of  Jo- 
siah Williams.  Mr.  Kingman  settled  first  in 
East  Bridgewater,  but  later  removed  to  the 
town  of  Easton,  which  with  the  town  of  Mans- 
field was  formerly  a  part  of  Norton,  and  the 
latter  still  earlier  a  part  of  Taunton.  Josiah'8 
.children  were:  Josiah,  born  in  1740;  Molly,  in 
1742;  Edward,  in  1744;  Benjamin,  in  1746; 
and  Martha,  in  1750. 

Edward  Kingman,  of  Norton,  Mass.,  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Revolution,  on  the  Lexing- 
ton alarm,  April  19,  1775,  went  out  with  the 
detachment  of  men  that  marched  under  com- 
mand of  Capt.  Seth  Gilbert  (the  2d  Norton 
Company),  rendering  twelve  days  service.  He 
also  joined  Capt.  Macey  Williams's  company, 
enlisting  May  2,  1775,  and  was  in  the  service 
three  months  and  seven  days.  This  same  Ed- 
ward Kingman,  or  another  Edward  of  Norton, 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  enlisted  in  Capt. 
Ephraim  Burr's  company,  Colonel  Bailey's 
regiment,  for  service  during  the  war ;  his  name 
appears  as  ensign  in  Col.  John  Bailey's  regi- 
ment; on  the  Continental  army  pay  accounts 
for  service  from  Jan.  1,  1777,  to  Sept.  26th, 
of  that  year;  also  for  service  in  Capt.  Eph- 
raim Burr's  (4th)  company.  Col.  John  Bailey's 
regiment;  company's  return  dated  Camp  near 
Valley  Forge,  Jan.  24,  1778 ;  reported  killed  at 
Saratoga,  Sept.  26,  1777;  also,  account  of  the 
seven  years'  half  pay  allowed  agreeable  to  re- 
solve of  Aug.  24,  i780,  to  widows  and  orphans 
of  officers  who  were  killed  or  died  in  service; 
Colonel  Bailey's  regiment,  rank  ensign ;  re- 
ported died  Oct.  1,  1777;  half  pay  allowed 
from  Oct.  1,  1777,  to  Oct.  1,  1784. 

Capt.  Edward  Kingman,  of  Mansfield,  Mass., 
«on  of  Ensign  or  Lieut.  Edward,  according  to 
tombstone  inscription,  married  (intentions  of 
marriage  expressed  July  7,  1787)  Polly 
Knowles,  of  Dighton,  Mass.,  and  lived  in 
Mansfield,  Mass.  In  his  will  of  Dec.  27,  1839, 
he  bequeaths  to  his  wife  Polly  and  to  children 
Edward,  Henry,  David,  Joseph  N.,  Hiram  A., 
Polly,  Hillard  E.,  Nancv  Snow  and  Abigail 
Ball".  On  April  14,  1845,  Polly  Kingman, 
widow   of    Capt.    Edward,    Edward    Kingman 


68 


914  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

and  wife  Nancy  W.,  Joseph  and  Betsey^  David,  provision  business  in  Campello,  married  Grace 
Hillard  E.  and  Hannah  A.,  Hiram  and  Lydia  Howard,  daughter  of  Elam  and  Keziah  (Wil- 
W.,  Nancy  Snow  (widow),  Alvin  Robinson,  bar)  Howard,  of  West  Bridgewater,  and  has 
Jr.',  and  wife  Sarah  A.,  Lydia  Ball  and  Abby  children,  Lewis  Elam  (born  June  16,  1884,. 
W.  Ball,  wife,  children  and  heirs-at-law  in  the  married  Mae  Sumner  Bryant,  of  Brockton), 
estate  of  the  late  Capt.  Edward  Kingman,  of  George  Herbert  (born  Aug.  17,  1886)  and 
Mansfield,  all  deed  to  Henry  Kingman.  Grace  Morton   (born  March  15,  1895)  ;  Jennie 

Henry  Kingman,  son  of  Capt.  Edward  and  Louise,  born  Oct.  15,  1858,  married  Winfield 
Polly  (Knowles)  Kingman,  was  born  in  Mans-  A.  Clark,  of  West  Newton,  Mass. ;  Eddie  Clif- 
field,  Mass.,  and  died  there.  He  married  (first)  ford,  born  June  28,  1860,  died  Aug.  7,  1860; 
Dec.  8,  1815,  Nancy  Carpenter,  born  Aug.  18,  and  Alice  Greenwood,  born  May  19,  1865,  died 
1790,  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah   Car-   April  21,  1869. 

penter,  of  Norton,  Mass.,  and  they  were  the  Herbert  Lewis  Kingman,  son  of  Lewis  Aras- 
parents  of  children  as  follows:  George,  Henry,  tus,  was  born  Aug.  6,  1850,  in  Mansfield, 
Edward,  Frank,  Gardner,  Nancy,  Lucy,  Jane  Mass.,  and  when  he  was  about  six  months  old 
and  James  (twins,  the  latter  going  to  Califor-  his  parents  removed  to  North  Bridgewater,  now 
nia  during  the  gold  excitement  in  1849,  and  Brockton,  where  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
dying  there),  and  Lewis  A.  his   education   being   supplemented  by   attend- 

Lewis  Arastus  Kingman,  son  of  Henry,  was  ance  at  the  Bridgewater  Academy.  Leaving 
born  March  13,  1820,  in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  and  school  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  then 
after  acquiring  his  early  schooling  in  the  dis-  entered  his  father's  carriage  shop,  where  he 
trict  schools  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  build-  learned  the  trade  of  carriage  maker,  trimmer, 
er  and  wheelwright  under  his  father,  following  etc.,  acquiring  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
that  trade  for  several  years  in  his  native  town,  the  business,  and  remaining  with  his  father 
In  the  fall  of  1850  he  came  to  North  Bridge-  until  he  was  twenty  years  old.  However,  the 
water,  where  he  started  in  the  business  on  his  business  was  not  to  his  liking,  and  he  then 
own  account,  and  for  over  forty  years  success-  went  to  work  for  the  late  Sanford  Winter,  in 
fully  conducted  the  business  of  wheelwright  the  meat  business,  remaining  with  him  for 
and  carriage  builder,  having  his  shop  at  what  about  one  year,  when  he  found  employment 
is  known  as  Marshall's  Corner.  He  was  a  good  with  Alger  &  Flagg,  in  West  Bridgewater,  in 
mechanic,  and  an  energetic  and  industrious  whose  employ  he  remained  about  five  years, 
man.  In  political  views  he  was  in  early  life  He  then  went  to  Newport,  R.  L,  where  he  fol- 
an  old-line  Whig,  and  upon  the  organization  of  lowed  the  meat  business  from  1876  to  1878. 
the  Republican  party,  in  1856,  allied  himself  Returning  to  Brockton,  he  there  established 
with  that  party,  and  continued  to  support  its  himself  in  the  retail  meat  business,  continuing 
candidates  until  his  death.  He  was  of  a  quiet,  successfully  in  the  business  until  1888,  when 
unpretentious  nature,  hence  never  cared  for  he  .formed  a  partnersliip  with  the  late  Ellery 
nor  sought  public  office,  preferring  to  devote  C.  Gaboon,  under  the  firm  name  of  Gaboon  & 
his  time  to  his  business,  and  in  the  compan-  Kingman,  and  engaged  in  the  wholesale  meat 
ionship  of  his  family.  He  was  a  consistent  and  provision  business.  In  about  1890  this 
member  of  the  Pearl  Street  M.  E.  Church,  and  firm  associated  themselves  with  the  Swifts,  of 
was  liberal  in  his  support  of  the  same.  Chicago,    under    the    firm    name    of    Cahoon, 

On  June  4,  1844,  Mr.  Kingman  married  Kingman  &  Swift,  when  their  present  business 
Mary  Jane  Alderman,  born  March  12,  1820,  block  and  storage  house  was  built  on  Montello 
daughter  of  Pliny  and  Theodosia  (Miller)  Al-  street,  and  there  the  business  has  since  been 
derman,  the  former  of  Westfield,  Mass.,  and  conducted.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Cahoon,  in 
the  latter  of  Suffield,  Conn.  Mr.  Kingman  1907,  Mr.  Kingman  took  over  the  interests  of 
died  at  Brockton  March  27,  1892,  aged  seventy-  his  former  partner,  since  which  time  the  firm 
two  years,  and  was  survived  by  his  wife,  who  name  has  been  Kingman  &  Swift.  As  is  well 
resided  at  Brockton  until  her  death,  which  oc-  known  the  Swifts  are  among  the  largest  dealers 
curred  March  21,  1910,  at  the  advanced  age  in  Chicago,  and  the  firm  in  Brockton  is  one  of 
of  ninety  years,  happy  in  the  companionship  the  largest  in  its  line  in  southeastern  Massa- 
of  her  children  and  grandchildren.     She  was  chusetts. 

the  mother  of  children  as  follows:  Nancy  Car-  Mr.  Kingman  is  an  energetic  and  indus- 
penter,  born  April  17,  1847,  is  the  wife  of  S.  trious  business  man,  possessing  self-control  and 
Man-ley  Hayward,  of  Brockton;  Herbert  Lewis,  perseverance,  is  not  afraid  of  work,  and  with 
born  Aug.  6,  1850,  is  mentioned  below;  Morton  quiet  courage  he  applies  himself  to  the  work 
Alderman,  born  May  20,  1855,  engaged  in  the  as  in  his  younger  days. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


915 


In  political  views  Mr.  Kingman  is  a  stanch 
adherent  -to  the  principles  of  the  Eepublican 
party,  but  in  city  affairs  takes  a  neutral  stand. 
He  has  never  been  an  office  seeker,  devoting  his 
hours  out  of  business  to  his  home.  He  and  his 
family  attend  the  South  Congregational 
Church,  in  Campello. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Kingman  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding 
membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  Satueket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.;  Brockton 
Council,  R.  &  S.  M.;  Bay  State  Commandery, 
K.  T. ;  Masonic  Benefit  Association,  of  Brock- 
ton; and  Aleppo  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S., 
of  Boston.  He  has  attained  the  thirty-second 
degree,  being  a  member  of  Massachusetts  Con- 
sistory at  Boston:  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
A.  0.  U.  W.  and  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  Socially  he 
belongs  to  the  Commercial-  Club  and  to  the 
Country  Club,  of  Brockton.  He  is  a  director 
of  the  Campello  Cooperative  Bank,  and  an  in- 
corporator and  trustee  of  the  People's  Sav- 
ings Bank,  of  Brockton. 

On  Dec.  30,  1875,  Mr.  Kingman  married 
(first)  Love  Louisa  Flagg,  daughter  of  George 
and  Lucina  (Miller)  Flagg,  of  West  Bridge- 
water,  and  she  died  Feb.  22,  1881,  the  mother 
of  a  daughter,  Alice,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  months.  Mr.  Kingman  married  (sec- 
ond) May  10,  1888,  Abbie  Adelia  Peckham, 
daughter  of  Reuben  Morton  and  Elizabeth 
Pope  (Churchill)  Peckham,  of  Fall  River  (see 
Peckham  family  history  elsewhere  in  this 
work),  and  this  union  was  blessed  with  one 
son,  Alton  Hayward,  born  in  Brockton,  July 
7,  1889. 

LEWIS  GOODWIN  BRADFORD  (de- 
ceased), who  passed  away  at  his  home  in  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.,  April  23,  1898,  was  a  man  of 
inventive  genius  of  high  order  and  proved  a 
great  benefactor  to  the  race  in  the  many  labor- 
saving  devices  brought  out  through  his  in- 
genuity. His  various  inventions  with  the  capi- 
tal used  and  the  employment  given  in  their 
manufacture  added  honor  to  the  historic  town 
of  Plymouth,  and  as  well  indelibly  impressed 
himself  upon  the  industrial  life  of  the  com- 
munity. 

Mr.  Bradford  was  a  native  of  Plymouth, 
born  April  9,  1810,  and  was  a  descendant,  in 
the  ninth  generation,  of  the  Bradford  family 
famous  in  Massachusetts  annals  from  the  ear- 
liest Colonial  days.  We  give  herewith  a  brief 
account  of  the  earlier  generations. 

(I)  Gov.  William  Bradford  of  the  Plymouth 
Colony  was  born  in  1588,  son  of  William  and 
Alice  (Hanson)  Bradford,  of  Austerfield,  Eng- 


land, and  grandson  of  William  Bradford.  His 
father  dying  in  1591,  he  was  then  cared  for  by 
his  grandfather  Bradford  until  his  death  in 
1596  and  later  by  his  uncle  Robert  Bradford, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  resident  of  the  village 
of  Scrooby,  England.  He  united  with  the 
church  where  Revs.  Clifton  and  Robinson 
preached  and  was  soon  one  of  the  "Separat- 
ists," and  became  a  leader  among  them.  In 
time  he  went  with  the  community  which  mi- 
grated to  Holland  and  was  one  of  the  most 
influential  among  them.  He  married  in  Am- 
sterdam, Holland,  Dec.  9,  1613,  Dorothy  May, 
he  being  at  the  time  twenty-three  and  she  six- 
teen. In  1620  they  went  to  England  and  in 
September  of  that  same  year  sailed  from  Ply- 
mouth, with  the  first  company  of  Pilgrims  in 
the  "Mayflower,"  and  reached  Cape  Cod  har- 
bor in  New  England  in  November  following. 
While  they  were  at  anchor,  and  when  Mr. 
Bradford  was  absent,  his  wife  Dorothy  fell 
overboard  and  was  drowned.  He  married 
(second)  Mrs.  Alice  Southworth,  widow  of 
Edward,  and  daughter  of  Alexander  Carpenter 
of  Wrentham,  England. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  affairs  at  Ply- 
mouth Mr.  Bradford's  part  in  the  fortunes  of 
the  community  was  important  and  powerful. 
Soon  after  the  first  governor — William  Carver 
— died,  Bradford  was  elected  to  that  office, 
which  he  held  by  annual  election  until  his 
death,  excepting  the  years  1633,  1634,  1636, 
1638  and  1644.  He  died  May  9,  1657.  His 
widow  Alice  died  March  26,  1670.  His  chil- 
dren, the  eldest  only  born  to  liig  first  wife, 
were:  John;  William,  born  Jan.  17,  1624; 
Mercy;  and  Joseph,  born  in  1630. 

(II)  Maj.  William  Bradford  (2),  son  of 
Gov.  William,  born  Jan.  17,  1624,  married 
(first)  Alice,  daughter  of  Thomas  Richard,  of 
Weymouth,  who  died  in  1671,  aged  forty-four 
years,  and  he  married  (second)  Widow  Wis- 
wall,  and  (third)  Mrs.  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
Atwood,  of  Plymouth,  and  the  widow  of  Rev. 
John  Holmes,  of  Duxbury.  She  died  in  1714- 
15.  Mr.  Bradford  removed  to  Kingston, 
Mass.;  was  assistant,  deputy  governor,  one  of 
Governor  Andros's  Council,  1687,  and  chief 
military  officer  of  Plymouth  Colony.  He  died 
Feb.  20,  1693.  His  children  were:  John  (born 
Feb.  20,  1653),  William  (born  March  11, 
1655),  Thomas,  Samuel,  Alice,  Hannah, 
Mercy,  Meletiah,  Mary,  Sarah,  Joseph,  Israel, 
David,   Ephraim  and  Hezekiah. 

(III)  John  Bradford,  son  of  William  (2) 
and  Alice  (Richard)  Bradford,  was  born  Feb. 
20,  1653,  and  married  Mercy  Warren,  daugh- 
ter  of  Joseph  Warren   and  granddaughter  of 


916 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Eichard  Warren,  of  the  "Mayflower."  Chil- 
dren: John,  born  in  1675;  Alice,  1677  (mar- 
ried Edward  Mitchell  and  Joshua  Harvey)  ; 
Abigail,  1679  (married  Gideon  Sampson)  ; 
Mercy,  1681  (married  first  Jonathan  Freeman 
and  second  Isaac  Cushman)  ;  Samuel,  1683; 
Priscilla,  1686  (married  Seth  Chapman)  ; 
William,  1688;  James;  Zadock,  and  Eliphalet. 

(IV)  John  Bradford  (2),  son  of  John,  born 
in  1675,  married  in  1701  Rebecca  Bartlett, 
daughter  of  Benfamin  Bartlett,  and  they  had 
two  children:  Robert,' born  in  1706,  and  Re- 
becca, born  in  1710. 

(V)  Robert  Bradford,  son  of  John  (2),  was 
born  in  Kingston  in  1706,  and  in  1726  mar- 
ried Zeresh  Stetson.  They  had  children  as  fol- 
lows: Peleg,  born  in  1727;  Zilpha,  1728  (mar- 
ried Thomas  Loring)  ;  Rebecca,  1730  (married 
Micah  Holmes);  John,  1732;  Elethea,  1734; 
Orpha,  1736;  Stetson,  1739;  Robert,  1741; 
Sarah,  1742;  Consider,  1745;  Sarah,  1748; 
Robert,  1750. 

(VI)  Peleg  Bradford,  son  of  Robert,  born  in 
1727,  married  in  1746  Lydia  Sturtevant.  Chil- 
dren: Elizabeth,  James,  Bartlett,  Consider, 
Rebecca,  Lydia,  Susan  and  Sarah. 

(VII)  James  Bradford,  son  of  Peleg,  born 
in  1749,  married  in  1773  Sarah  Ellis.  Chil- 
dren: Ellis,  born  in  1773;  Nathaniel,  1776; 
Lydia,  1778  (married  Samuel  Soule) ;  Con- 
sider, 1781;  Bartlett,  1784;  James,  1786; 
Thomas,  1790. 

(VIII)  Bartlett  Bradford,  born  in  King- 
ston in  1784,  married  Lucy  Bradford,  of  Ply- 
mouth, daughter  of  Samuel  Bradford.  Chil- 
dren: Lucy  Bartlett  (married  Caleb  Rider), 
Lewis  Goodwin,  Bartlett,  Evaline  (married 
Benjamin  F.  Field)  and  James. 

(IX)  Lewis  Goodwin  Bradford  learned  the 
machinist's  trade  in  his  youth,  and  became  an 
expert  of  a  high  order  in  all  that  pertained  to 
that  pursuit.  When  a  young  man  he  invented 
a  machine  for  manufacturing  lozenges,  and 
associated  himself  with  the  late  Bartlett  Ellis 
in  the  manufacture  of  that  class  of  confec- 
tionery in  Plymouth.  The  machinery  was 
afterwards  sold  to  Chase  &  Co.,  of  Boston,  and 
even  at  this  time  the  apparatus  used  in  their 
big  factory  is  essentially  the  same  as  the  origi- 
nal made  by  Mr.  Bradford.  It  is  also  used  in 
cutting  out  all  the  round  crackers.  A  sausage 
machine  was  another  device  of  his  and  with 
the  late  Webster  Seymour,  of  Plymouth,  he 
carried  on  sausage-making  for  a  time  in  a 
building  which  then  stood  on  Town  brook. 
Market  street,  opposite  the  Joint  Works.  La- 
ter Mr.  Bradford  was  located  in  Boston,  in  a 
shop  near  where  Thompson's  spa,  Washington 


street,  is  situated.  There  he  worked  exten- 
sively on  printing  presses,  and  was. considered 
among  the  best  in  repairing  those  heavy  and 
delicate  machines.  He  was  also  employed  at 
a  tack  and  rivet  works  of  the  late  Samuel  Lor- 
ing, and  while  with  him  devised  a  machine  for 
leathering  carpet  tacks.  On  Dec.  6,  1870,  he 
received  a  patent  for  a  bedstead  rail  joint, 
which  has  since  come  into  use  all  over  the 
country.  The  late  N.  H.  Morton  was  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Bradford  in  the  manufacture, 
but  died  soon  afterwards,  and  Nathaniel  Mor- 
ton succeeded  him  and  pushed  the  business  to 
final  success.  Mr.  Bradford's  Joint  Company 
had  its  product  on  the  market  in  1871,  but 
owing  to  the  crude  machinery  in  use  among 
furniture  manufacturers  the  joint  was  not  al- 
ways what  it  was  intended  to  be,  and  to  remedy 
this  Mr.  Bradford  designed  a  machine  which 
slotted  rails  and  posts  and  bored  holes  for  the 
pins  which  secured  the  parts  all  at  one  opera- 
tion. Since  that  time  the  Bradford  Joint  Com- 
pany has  done  a  large  business  all  over  the 
country  in  furnishing  machines  and  joints.  Mr. 
Bradford  was  president  of  the  company  for  five 
years,  and  then  retired  from  active  business. 

Mr.  Bradford  married  Louisa,  born  July  19, 
1813,  a  daughter  of  the  late  Deacon  John  and 
Maria  (Smith)  Allen.  Mrs.  Bradford  survived 
her  husband  a  few  years,  dying  Dec.  12,  1901. 
They  are  buried  in  Oak  Grove  cemetery.  Four 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bradford: 
Louise  Adelaide  married  Leavitt  T.  Robbins, 
and  both  are  deceased ;  Frances  Maria  lives  at 
the  old  home ;  Alice  A.  lives  with  her  sisfer ; 
Louis  K.,  who  lives  in  Plymouth,  married 
Maria  W.  Holmes,  and  they  have  a  family  of 
five  children,  John,  Louisa  (who  resides  with 
her  aunts),  Mary  Alice,  Lewis  Bartlett  and 
James  Goodwin. 

DAVID  KEMPTON  TRIPP  (deceased), 
late  a  well-known  successful  lumber  merchant 
of  New  Bedford,  a  man  of  sterling  character, 
was  a  native  of  Bristol  county,  Mass.,  born  in 
the  town  of  Westport  10th  day,  8th  month, 
1830.  His  parents  were  Abner  and  Catharine 
(Kirby)   Tripp. 

John  Tripp,  one  of  the  founders  and  pro- 
prietors of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  1638,  held  vari- 
ous offices  in  the  town,  and  was  commissioner 
or  representative  in  1651,  1654,  1655  and  1661. 
He  was  assistant  or  of  the  governor's  council  in 
1648  and  1670,  1673,  1674  and  1675.  He 
married  Mary  Paine,  daughter  of  Anthony  and 
Rose  Paine,  and  from  them  have  come  the 
Tripps  of  southern  Rhode  Island  and  the  adja- 
cent Massacliusetts  territory. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


917 


Abner  Tripp,  of  Westport,  Mass.,  a  descend- 
ant of  Jolm  Tripp,  bom  June  20,  1803,  mar- 
ried in  1838  Catharine  Kirby,  born  in  March, 
1808.  They  died,  he  on  July  1,  1844,  and  she 
on  Dec.  3,  1874.  Children:  David  K.,  born 
Aug.  10,  1830;  and  Hannah  M.,  born  in  1834, 
died  April  14,  1877,  wife  of  Frank  Bailey,  who 
was  born  in  September,  1823,  and  died  Nov. 
20,  1866. 

David  Kempton  Tripp,  son  of  Abner  and 
Catharine  (Kirby)  Tripp,  born  Aug.  10,  1830, 
married  June  10,  1857,  Angenette  Earl  Wil- 
cox, born  July  31,  1835,  in  New  Bedford, 
daughter  of  William  and  Hannah  (Potter) 
Wilcox.  Children :  William  Wilcox,  born 
March  7,  1858;  Katharine  M.,  born  Dec.  15, 
1867;  and  David  Kempton,  Jr.,  born  June  14, 
1869.  All  reside  in  New  Bedford.  Mr.  Tripp 
died  Dec.  5,  1876,  and  was  buried  in  Oak  Grove 
cemetery.  Mrs.  Tripp  subsequently  married, 
in  1880,  Capt.  Francis  B.  Smith,  of  Edgar- 
town,  Mass.,  who  is  now  living  in  New  Bedford 
and  is  one  of  its  oldest  citizens,  cared  for  in 
his  old  age  by  his  step-daughter,  Miss  Kath- 
arine M.  Tripp.  Mrs.  Smith  died  at  her  home 
in  New  Bedford  June  29,  1900,  and  was  bur- 
ied in  Oak  Grove  cemetery. 

(I)  Eichard  Kirby  appears  as  an  inhabitant 
of  Lynn,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1636.  He  removed 
to  Cape  Cod  and  was  then  one  of  those  to 
begin  the  settlement  of  Sandwich;  removed  to 
Dartmouth  some  time  after  1660,  where  he  died 
after  May,  1686,  and  before  July,  1688. 

(II)  Richard  Kirby  (3)  married  Patience 
Gifford  and  Abigail  Howland;  he  lived  in 
Sandwich  and  Dartmouth. 

(III)  Robert  Kirby,  of  Dartmouth,  married 
Rebecca  Potter. 

(IV)  Nathaniel  Kirby,  of  Dartmouth,  mar- 
ried Abigail  Russell. 

(V)  Justin  Kirby  married  Catherine  Cornell. 

(VI)  Abner  Kirby,  of  Westport,  Mass.,  and 
Norridgewock,  Maine,  married  (first)  Thank- 
ful Soule. 

(VII)  Catharine  Kirby,  born  in  March, 
1808,  married  in  1838  Abner  Tripp,  of  West- 
port,  born  June  30,  1803. 

Mrs.  Angenette  Earl  (Wilcox)  Tripp  was  a 
granddaughter  of  Abner  Wilcox,  undoubtedly 
a  descendant  of  Daniel  Wilcox,  of  Portsmouth, 
R.  I.,  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and  Tiverton,  R.  I., 
whom  Austin  assumes  was  the  son  of  Edward 
Wilcox,  of  Rhode  Island,  married  Nov.  28, 
1661,  Elizabeth  Cook,  daughter  of  John  and 
Sarah  (Warren)  Cook.  The  early  generations 
of  his  posterity  lived  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I., 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and  Little  Compton  and 
Tiverton,  Rhode  Island. 


Abner  Wilcox,  born  at  Tiverton  (or  West- 
port)  March  4,  1784,  died  in  Middleboro,  Mass., 
Oct.  34,  1874,  and  is  buried  in  Oak  Grove 
cemetery.  His  father  was  either  Sylvanus  or 
Levi  Wilcox.  Abner  Wilcox  lived  in  New  Bed- 
ford, where  he  was  a  ship  carpenter,  and  fol- 
lowed that  trade  during  his  active  life.  After 
he  retired  he  moved  to  Middleboro,  where  he 
made  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Syl- 
vanus Reed,  at  whose  home  he  died.     On  Oct. 

19,  1806,  he  married  Sarah  Sherman,  daughter 
of  Preserved  Sherman,  and  they  had  children: 
William,  born  Sept.  16,  1808;  Ruth  S.,  born 
Nov.  18,  1810,  who  married  Lemuel  Barker, 
of  Dartmouth,  and  died  in  New  Bedford  Aug. 

20,  1890;  Patience,  born  Feb.  16,  1815,  wh& 
married  Eli  Potter,  and  died  in  Westport  April 
5,  1851 ;  Preserved  Sherman,  born  Aug.  25, 
1817,  who  died  Aug.  30,  1884,  at  Visalia,  Cal.; 
Benjamin  Peckham,  born  Sept.  16,  1820,  who 
died  in  May,  1825;  Sarah  A.,  born  March  9, 
1823,  who  died  April  30,  1905,  the  wife  of 
James  Bates,  Jr.;  Dolly,  born  Feb.  23,  1825, 
who  died  Dec.  20,  1875,  the  wife  of  William 
Howard,  of  Brockton,  Mass.;  Olivette  Potter, 
born  March  12,  1827,  who  married  Sylvanus 
Reed,  of  Middleboro,  Mass.,  and  died  Dec.  21, 
1886;  and  Matilda  Jane,  bom  May  16,  1831, 
who  married  Daniel  B.  Allen,  of  Little  Comp- 
ton. 

William  Wilcox,  son  of  Abner  and  Sarah 
(Sherman),  born  Sept.  16,  1808,  married 
March  13,  1831,  Hannah  Potter,  born  June  9, 
1809,  daughter  of  Wesson  Potter,  of  Westport, 
born  April  1,  1764,  and  granddaughter  of  Jon- 
athan and  Rebecca  (South worth)  Potter.  Mr. 
Wilcox  died  Sept.  21,  1868.  His  daughter, 
Angenette  Earl,  born  in  New  Bedford,  married 
David  Kempton  Tripp,  of  that  city. 

HORTON.  The  Horton  family  is  a  very  old 
one  in  New  England,  several  authorities  on 
the  first  settlers  of  this  section  referring  to  the 
emigrants  of  this  name  (which  in  the  early 
records  is  spelled  without  the  "H")  as  here  as 
early  as  1640,  among  them  Barnabas,  of 
Hampton,  1640  (thence  to  Southold,  L.  I., 
1662) ;  Benjamin  and  Caleb,  of  the  same  place 
and  time;  and  Joseph,  of  Southold,  1663.  All 
of  them,  says  Savage,  perhaps  were  brothers. 
The  published  lineage  of  members  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Horton  family  sets  forth  that  John 
Horton,  with  two  brothers,  came  from  England 
to  New  England  at  an  early  date,  John  settling 
in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  where  he  married  Mehet- 
able  Gamzey,  and  their  children  were  eight  in 
number,  the  five  sons  being:  John,  Jotham, 
Nathaniel,  Jonathan  and  David.    No  record  of 


918 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


his  death  has  been  found.  His  home  was  in 
the  south  part  of  the  town  of  Rehoboth,  and 
his  descendants  are  and  have  been  very  num- 
erous in  Rehoboth  and  surrounding  towns. 

Solomon  Horton,  of  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  pre- 
sumably a  grandson  of  Jolm,  above,  married 
there  (intentions  expressed)  Feb.  18,  1737-38, 
Mary  Goff,  and  their  children  of  Rehoboth 
town  record  were:  Charles,  born  March  18, 
1739;  Constant,  born  Oct.  29,  1740;  Solomon, 
born  Jan.  15,  1742-43;  Mary,  born  Aug.  10, 
1745;  Abiall,  born  Oct.  14,  1747;  Daniell,  born 
Jan.  30,  1749-50;  and  Aaron,  born  March  21, 
1752. 

Solomon  Horton  (2),  son  of  Solomon  and 
Mary  (GofE),  born  Jan.  15,  1742-43,  married 
in  November,  1768,  Hannah  Talbot,  of  Digh- 
ton,  Mass.,  and  ten  children  were  born  to 
them,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  Solomon 
Horton  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  serving  as 
sergeant  in  Capt.  Elijah  Walker's  company, 
Colonel  Pope's  Bristol  county  regiment,  and 
served  twelve  days  at  Rhode  Island,  on  the 
alarm  of  Dec.  8,  1776,  returning  to  Taunton 
Dec.  17,  1776. 

Aaron  Horton,  son  of  Solomon  (2)  and 
Hannah  (Talbot),  born  in  1779  or  1780  in 
Dighton,  Mass.,  where  his  father  had  located, 
married  (first)  Bethaney,  born  Dec.  19,  1784, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Baker,  of  Rehoboth,  Mass., 
and  after  her  death  he  married  (second)  Jan. 
3,  1842,  Sally  M.  Burr,  daughter  of  Cromwell 
and  Sarah  (Mason)  Burr,  of  Rehoboth.  The 
children  born  to  the  first  marriage  were:  Ma- 
son, Danforth,  Hiram,  Nancy  B.  (married  Jar- 
vis  W.  Eddy),  Nathaniel  B.,  Angelina  (married 
Levi  Baker)  and  Alvah. 

Danforth  Horton,  son  of  Aaron  and  Beth- 
aney (Baker)  Horton,  was  born  Nov.  19,  1812, 
in  Dighton,  Mass.  He  passed  his  boyhood  on 
his  father's  farm,  alternating  between  attend- 
ance at  the  neighborhood  schools  and  work 
wpon  the  farm  in  season.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years  he  began  learning  the  trade  of  mason 
with  James  Horton,  of  Rehoboth,  and  after 
its  completion  he  followed  it,  working  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  and  Taunton  and  New  Bedford, 
Mass.  Going  to  Fall  River  in  1833  he  ever 
afterward  resided  there  and  in  that  vicinity  was 
wrought  his  life  work.  Perhaps  within  a  year 
or  thereabouts  of  his  locating  in  Fall  River  he 
associated  himself  with  Mr.  Lloyd  S.  Earle  in 
a  partnership  to  carry  on  contracting  and  build- 
ing. This  partnersiiip  continued  from  1834 
until  1860,  during  whicli  time  they  erected 
entire  or  in  part  some  of  the  most  substantial 
buildings  in  Fall  River,  including  many  of  its 
business  blocks  and  dwelling-houses.    This  firm 


engaged  in  doing  all  kinds  of  masonry  and  in 
their  line  sustained  a  high  reputation  for  the 
quality  of  their  work. 

Prior  to  the  dissolving  of  the  firm  of  Earle 
&  Horton,  or  vice  versa,  as  the  style  of  the  firm 
was,  Mr.  Horton  had  been  in  the  city's  service 
for  a  couple  of  years  as  surveyor  of  highways, 
having  been  elected  as  such  in  1858,  and  in 
1860  he  was  elected  superintendent  of  streets 
and  his  active  life  was  thereafter  passed  chiefly 
in  the  city's  service.  He  continued  as  super- 
intendent of  streets  until  the  year  1878,  and 
for  much  of  the  intervening  time  was  also  sur- 
veyor of  highways.  For  many  years,  too,  he 
was  superintendent  of  the  lights  of  the  city, 
and  in  addition  looked  after  the  teams  of  the 
fire  department.  He  had  charge  of  all  the  sew- 
ers constructed  in  Fall  River  prior  to  the  year 
1878. 

It  is  but  just  to  the  memory  of  Danforth 
Horton  to  credit  him  with  being  a  self-made 
man.  Starting  out  with  but  a  limited  com- 
mon-school education,  a  farmer's  boy  without 
money,  he  through  his  own  effort,  through  the 
force  of  his  make-up,  rose  to  a  creditable  posi- 
tion among  his  fellow  men  and  sustained  an 
unsullied  reputation.  He  was  for  a  period  a 
director  and  president  of  the  Robeson  Mills 
Corporation,  and  was  a  director  of  the  Bourne 
and  Stafford  Mills  Corporation  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  on  through  life.  For  a  time 
he  was  a  director  of  the  companies  operating 
the  Merino  and  Tecumseh  and  Fall  River 
Granite  Mills.  He  was  also  for  a  period  a  di- 
rector of  the  Pocasset  National  Bank,  and  a 
trustee  and  vice  president  of  the  Citizens  Sav- 
ings Bank  of  Fall  River. 

In  his  early  life  Mr.  Horton  affiliated  with 
the  Free-soil  branch  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  in  1856,  on  the  formation  of  the  Republi- 
can party,  he  joined  it  and  ever  afterward  was 
a  stanch  advocate  of  its  principles. 

On  Jan.  29,  1835,  Mr.  Horton  married  Sarah 
B.,  bom  Feb.  18,  1810,  daughter  of  Carlton 
and  Sarah  (Brayton)  Shearman,  of  Fall  River, 
and  granddaughter  of  Silas  Shearman,  of  Free- 
town, Mass.  Carlton  Shearman  was  by  trade 
a  cabinetmaker  and  this  in  connection  with 
farming  was  his  occupation.  He  died  July  10, 
1849,  when  in  the  seventy-fourth  year  of  his 
age.  His  wife  died  Jan.  15,  1845.  aged  seventy 
years.  Their  cliildren  were:  Benjamin  B., 
iZeniah  A.,  Persis  P.  (who  married  Lloyd  S. 
Earle)  and  Sarah  B.  Two  children  were  born 
to  Danforth  Horton  and  his  wife:  Sarah  and 
Charles,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 


Mason  Horton,  son  of  Aaron  and  Bethaney 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


919 


(Baker)  Horton,  was  a  mason  by  occupation. 
He  removed  to  Fall  River  in  the  early  forties 
and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  married 
Sarah  A.  Baker,  and  they  had  two  children, 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  the  latter,  Ruth  Ann, 
marrying  David  M.  Anthony  and  dying  many 
years  previous  to  her  brother. 

Chahles  M.  Hoeton,  son  of  Mason  and 
Sarah  A.  (Baker)  Horton,  and  grandson  of 
Aaron  Horton,  was  born  Sept.  30,  1841,  in 
Rehoboth,  Mass.  His  parents  came  to  Fall 
River  to  make  their  home  when  he  was  but 
two  or  three  years  of  age,  and  there  they  all 
passed  the  remainder  of  their  days.  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  graduating 
from  the  high  school  in  Fall  River  in  the  class 
of  1857,  that  date  being  the  year  of  entry  of 
the  class,  not  the  year  of  graduation,  according 
to  a  difference  in  practice  which  has  obtained 
in  the  high  school  since  that  time.  He  was  for 
a  short  period  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  this  city 
and  then  (1861)  entered  the  post  office  as  clerk 
under  Postmaster  Edwin  Shaw,  in  which  posi- 
tion and  then  that  of  assistant  he  remained 
about  twenty  years.  Retiring  from  that  office, 
after  that  time  he  gave  his  attention  to  his  bank 
and  real  estate  interests,  which  were  extensive. 
He  was  known  quite  generally  as  owner  of  the 
C.  M.  Horton  building  on  North  Main  street. 
His  official  duties  included  those  of  vice  presi- 
dent and  director  of  the  National  Union  Bank, 
and  adjuster,  after  the  death  of  Edward  M. 
Thurston,  of  grade-crossing  claims  for  the  New 
York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Com- 
pany, in  which  office  he  was  very  successful. 
He  passed  away  July  20,  1903. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Horton  was  a  personal  loss 
to  a  large  number  of  his  fellow  citizens,  his 
career  in  Fall  River  having  been  one  of  honor 
and  agreeable  relations  with  all.  His  record 
was  not  so  much  eventful  as  honorable,  a  record 
of  straightforwardness  and  good  humor  not 
often  excelled.  In  the  performance  of  his  pub- 
lic and  private  duties  he  was  an  exemplar  of 
good  citizenship. 

Mr.  Horton  left  no  survivor  of  his  parents' 
family.  He  was  survived  by  his  wife  and 
daughter,  the  former,  who  died  Oct.  9,  1910, 
having  been  Sarah  P.  Buffington,  of  this  city, 
daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  James  Buffington, 
first  mayor  of  Fall  River  and  member  of  Con- 
gress; the  daughter,  Mary  Buffington  Horton, 
graduated  from  the  B.  M.  C.  Durfee  high 
school,  class  of  1903,  and  attended  Dana  Hall, 
Wellesley,  one  year.  She  was  married  Jan.  7, 
1911,  to  Frank  Birtwistle  Williams,  of  Fall 
River  (Dartmouth,  1909),  and  they  reside  in 
Fall  River. 


CAPT.  WILLIAM  HATHAWAY  REY- 
NARD, who  during  his  life  was  one  of  the 
best-known  master  mariners  of  the  old  school, 
was  a  native  of  New  Bedford,  bom  Jan.  6, 1808, 
eldest  son  of  Capt.  John  and  Mary  P.  Reynard. 

Capt.  John  Reynard  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, and  with  his  wife  came  to  this  country 
and  settled  at  New  Bedford,  where  he  became 
an  American  citizen  early  in  the  last  century. 
He  followed  the  sea,  being  master  of  a  vessel  in 
the  merchant  service,  and  while  on  a  voyage 
to  the  West  Indies,  during  the  war  of  1812-15, 
was  captured  by  the  British,  taken  to  England 
and  imprisoned,  passing  two  years  as  a  prisoner 
of  war  at  Dartmoor.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  was  released  and  returned  to  New  Bedford, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scotch-Irish 
extraction,  also  died  in  New  Bedford.  Their 
children  were:  Francis,  who  died  young;  Wil- 
liam H. ;  Elizabeth  P.,  who  married  Marshall 
Root  (both  deceased)  ;  Owen,  a  master  mariner, 
who  died  in  New  Bedford ;  Robert  P.,  whose 
sketch  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  David 
H.,  who  died  young;  Sarah  J.,  who  married 
Thomas  Wall,  and  died  in  Oakland,  Cal. ;  and 
Mary  A.  C,  who  is  now  the  widow  of  James 
T.  Almy,  and  resides  in  New  Bedford. 

William  H.  Reynard,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
P.  (Proudfud)  Reynard,  at  an  early  age  went 
to  sea  and  became  a  skillful  navigator.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  whaling  service,  and  as  mate 
and  captain  of  the  ship  "Abigail"  was  instru- 
mental in  making  two  voyages  of  unusual  suc- 
cess, and  was  equally  fortunate  in  the  "Frances 
Henrietta"  and  "Canada."  When  he  retired 
from  whaling,  in  company  with  Capt.  Cranston 
Wilcox  he  was  part  owner  in  and  agent  of 
several  whaling  vessels.  In  the  year  1852  he 
took  the  merchant  bark  "Eliza  Thornton"  to 
San  Francisco,  where  he  disposed  of  the  vessel 
and  her  assorted  cargo.  He  then  returned  to 
New  Bedford  ancl  again  engaged  in  fitting 
whaling  vessels.  Captain  Reynard's  last  ser- 
vice at  sea  was  as  master  of  the  celebrated  clip- 
per ship  "Flying  Cloud,"  Grinnell  &  Minturn, 
of  N€w  York,  being'  the  agents. 

Captain  Reynard  was  no  less  the  forceful 
character  and  intelligent  citizen  on  land  than 
he  had  been  on  the  deep,  and  on  his  retiring 
from  the  water  became  prominent  in  the  pub- 
lic affairs  of  his  native  city,  and  one  of  its  sub- 
stantial men  and  useful  residents.  He  was 
twice  a  member  of  the  common  council  and 
of  the  board  of  aldermen.  He  represented  New 
Bedford  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Assembly  in  1868. 

On  Aug.  9,  1831,  Captain  Reynard  was  mar- 


920 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ried  to  Emily  Howland,  born  Aug.  5,  1814, 
daughter  of  Elihu  and  Lydia  (Cheney-Slocum- 
Russell)  Russell,  the  latter  marrying  (first) 
Oliver  Slocum  and  (second)  Howard  Russell, 
and  the  former  a  direct  descendant  of  John 
Russell,  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and  his  wife 
Dorothy,  he  living  in  Marshfield,  Mass.,  as 
early  as  1642  or  1643,  where  according  to  the 
town  records  he  was  elected  a  freeman  in  1644. 
He  held  several  important  trusts  in  Marshfield. 
He  bought  from  that  place  in  1661  of  Edward 
Gray,  attorney  for  Capt.  Miles  Standish,  his 
share  of  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  and  thereafter 
was  identified  with  the  new  town,  Dartmouth, 
Mass.  From  him  the  descent  of  Elihu  Russell 
is  through  Joseph  Russell  and  his  wife  Eliza- 
beth, John  Russell  and  his  wife  Rebecca 
(Ricketson)  and  Timothy  Russell  and  his  wife 
Hannah,  widow  of  Walter  Briggs  and  daughter 
of  James  and  Rebecca  Russell.  The  children 
of  Capt.  William  H.  and  Emily  H.  (Russell) 
Reynard  were:  Mary  P.,  who  married  (first) 
George  Trask  and  (second)  John  G.  Norris, 
who  was  vice  president  of  the  New  York  Stock 
Exchange,  is  now  a  widow  and  resides  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. ;  one  daughter  died  in  infancy ;  Wil- 
liam H.  is  mentioned  below;  Phebe  D.,  who 
is  now  the  widow  of  Capt.  George  E.  Allen, 
resides  in  New  Bedford;  Lydia,  who  married 
Ira  Richards,  resides  in  North  Attleboro,  Mass. 
The  father  of  these  children  died  Oct.  4,  1879, 
in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his  age. 

Capt.  William  Hathaway  Reynakd,  Jr., 
son  of  thfe  late  Capt.  William  H.  Reynard,  was 
born  in  New  Bedford  April  20,  1844.  He  at- 
tended a  private  school  and  the  Friends'  Acad- 
emy in  New  Bedford.  When  a  small  boy  he 
went  to  sea  with  his  father,  and  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  entered  the  seafaring  life  on  his  own 
account,  shipping  before  the  mast  on  the  "Scot- 
land," a  whaling  vessel  from  New  Bedford,  un- 
der Capt.  Humphrey  Seabury.  He  continued 
to  follow  the  sea  and  rose  to  the  position  of 
mate  on  the  schooner  "Thomas  Hunt,"  a  sealer 
from  Stonington,  Conn.  In  time  he  became 
master  of  the  whaling  schooner  "Union,"  Capt. 
Joseph  Little,  agent,  of  Westport:  In  1885, 
after  a  long  and  eventful  sea  career,  he  retired 
from  that  work,  and  took  up  the  real  estate 
business  in  his  native  city.  This  he  continued 
until  -1893,  when  he  renioved  to  Padanaram, 
South  Dartmouth,  where  he  and  his  wife  have 
eince  made  their  home.  They  spend  their  win- 
ters in  Florida,  sometimes  in  California.  In 
politics  the  Captain  is  independent. 

On  Dec.  20,  1886,  Captain  Reynard  married 
Martha  J.  Robinson,  born  at  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa,  daughter  of  Harrison  and  Eliza  J.  Rob- 


inson. They  were  the  parents  of  one  child, 
William  Hathaway  (3d),  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  and  a  half  years.  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Reynard  have  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  They 
are  people  whose  excellent  tastes  enable  them 
to  appreciate  the  benefits  derived  from  travel 
and  the  beauties  of  art,  literature  and  music. 

NASH.  The  Nash  family  of  New  Bedford 
is  an  old  settled  one  in  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  particularly  numerous  and  well 
known  in  the  region  of  Boston  and  Weymouth. 
Simeon  Nash,  the  first  of  the  name  in  New 
Bedford,  where  he  settled  about  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  was  a  descendant  of 
the  Nashes  who  were  settled  in  Boston  and 
later  in  Weymouth. 

Joseph  Nash,  who  moved  from  Boston  and 
settled  in  Weymouth,  married  Eliza  Holbrook, 
daughter  of  John,  and  they  had  children; 
Joseph,  bom  June  8,  1674,  who  died  young; 
and  Joseph  (2),  born  in  1678. 

Joseph  Nash  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  born  in 
Boston  in  1678,  made  his  home  in  the  town  of 
Scituate,  where  he  owmed  land.  On  Jan.  1, 
1700,  he  was  married  there  to  Hannah  Curtis, 
daughter  of  John,  and  their  large  family  of 
children  were  born  as  follows:  Joseph,  1701; 
John,  1703;  Hannah,  1705;  James,  1708; 
Elizabeth,  1709;  David,  May  11,  1712;  Mary, 
Feb.  11,  1713  (died  young) ;  Ephraim,  Jan. 
17,  1715;  Mercy,  1716;  Simeon,  May  8,  1717; 
Mercy  (2),  1718;  Elisha,  July  4,  1722;  and 
Mercy  (3),  1724   (died  May  23,  1782). 

Simeon  Nash,  son  of  Joseph  (2),  bom  in 
Scituate  May  8,  1717,  was  married  there  Feb. 
19,  1740,  to  Lydia  Church,  bom  Aug.  11,  1721, 
daughter  of  Cornelius  and  Huldah  Church, 
and  their  children,  all  born  in  Scituate,  were 
baptized  there  on  the  following  dates:  Simeon, 
July  23,  1742;  Deborah,  Nov.  6,  1743;  Church 
and  Oliver,  Aug.  10,  1746;  and  Abel,  Samuel, 
Thomas  and  Lydia,  all  on  July  23.  1757. 

Simeon  Nash  (2),  son  of  Simeon,  was  born 
Feb.  3,  1741,  and  baptized  as  above  recorded. 
He  was  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle  in  New 
Bedford,  then  known  as  Dartmouth,  where  he 
bought  a  large  tract  of  land  on  what  is  now 
Acushnet  avenue,  part  of  which  is  still  in  the 
family's  possession.  He  made  his  home  there 
to  the  close  of  his  life,  dying  June  3,  1824. 
During  the  Revolutionary  war  he  served  as  a 
private  in  Capt.  Avery  Packer's  (1st)  com- 
pany. Col.  John  Hathaway's  Bristol  County 
regiment,  entering  the  service  Aug.  3,  1780, 
and  receiving  his  discharge  Aug.  8,  1780;  serv- 
ice six  days,  on  an  alarm  in  Rhode  Island.  He 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Betsey  Louden,  who 


,/^05T0/y 


(^<r^u^a^J:'//k^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


921 


bore  him  two  children:  Betsey,  born  Nov.  9, 
1770,  who  after  the  death  of  her  mother  re- 
sided with  her  mother's  relatives  in  Duxbury; 
and  Simeon,  born  March  23,  1772,  who  died 
Sept.  9,  1772.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Nash 
married,  Nov.  17,  1774,  Joanna  Pope,  who 
was  born  Oct.  29,  1749,  and  died  Sept.  25, 
1815,  on  the  farm  above  mentioned.  The  chil- 
dren of  this  union  were  as  follows:  Huldah, 
born  April  18,  1776,  married  Pardon  Potter; 
Edward,  born  March  29,  1778,  died  April  15, 
1778 ;  Abigail,  born  Aug.  13,  1779,  died  Sept. 
29,  1830;  Deborah,  born  Sept.  29,  1782,  mar- 
ried Asa  Dillingham,  and  died  Oct.  6,  1863 ; 
Simeon,  born  Nov.  17,  1784,  died  Aug.  5,  1787; 
Thomas,  bom  Jan.  11,  1787,  married  Betsey 
Potter  and  died  Aug.  27,  1847;  Simeon  (2), 
born  March  17,  1789,  is  mentioned  below; 
"William,  born  Aug.  25,  1791,  resided  at  Hud- 
son, New  York. 

Simeon  Nash  (3),  son  of  Simeon  (2)  and 
Joanna  (Pope)  Nash,  born  March  17,  1789, 
on  the  farm  on  what  is  now  Acushnet  avenue. 
New  Bedford,  passed  all  his  life  in  New  Bed- 
ford, in  time  establishing  his  home  on  Elm 
street.  He  was  a  carpenter,  and  continued  to 
follow  that  trade  all  his  life,  in  his  later  years 
engaging  in  building  and  contracting.  He  was 
still  in  his  prime  at  the  time  of  his  death 
which  occurred  Sept.  27,  1847.  He  was  buried 
in  the  West  cemetery  at  Mount  Pleasant. 
There  his  wife  is  also  interred.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  North  Congregational  Church. 
On  Oct.  8,  1818,  Mr.  Nash  married  Thankful 
Young  Pope,  who  was  born  Sept.  22,  1799, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Keziah  Pope,  and 
died  Nov.  8,  1886.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nash  had 
a  large  family,  viz.:  (1)  Hannah  Peckham, 
born  Sept.  22,  1819,  died  July  9,  1820.  (2) 
John  Peckham,  born  July  27,  1821,  died  Feb. 
2-,  1890,  at  Stockton,  Cal.  (3)  Lydia  Ann, 
bom  Jan.  2,  1824,  married  Calvin  B.  Nye,  of 
Falmouth,  Mass.,  born  Aug.  7,  1820,  died 
July  (or  Jan.)  6,  1887,  and  they  had  one  son, 
William  Prince  Nye,  born  Oct.  14,  1846.  Mrs. 
Nye  died  Dec.  13,  1900.  William  Prince  Nye 
married  Mary  H.  Sweet,  of  Providence,  E.  I., 
and  they  have  two  sons,  Walter  C,  bom  Aug. 
7,  1874,  and  William  Slater,  born  April  11, 
1877.  In  1898  Walter  C.  Nye  married  Ruth 
Brayton,  and  he  has  one  daughter,  Dorothy, 
born  Sept.  18,  1903.  William  Slater  Nye  mar- 
ried Israella  Angell  Sept.  11,  1902.  (4) 
Thomas  N.  was  born  Aug.  2,  1826.  (5)  Wil- 
liam A.,  bom  Feb.  10,  1829,  died  Dec.  8,  1872, 
in  New  Bedford.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Thomas  and  they  had  four  children :  Martha 
A.,  born  Aug.  3,  1850,  resides  at  Cambridge, 


Mass.;  Giles  died  in  infancy;  Giles  (2)  died 
in  infancy;  Edmund  H.,  born  Nov.  7,  1868, 
married  in  1888  Mary  Barrett  and  resides  at 
East  Concord,  N.  H.  Their  children:  Ger- 
trude, born  in  1888,  who  died  in  1891;  Eliza- 
beth, bom  in  1890;  and  William,  born  in  1892. 
(6)  Elizabeth  E.,  bom  Jan.  5,  1832,  died  Sept. 
11,  1838.  (7)  Simeon,  born  Jan.  22,  1835, 
lives  in  Taunton,  Mass.  (8)  Joanna  Pope, 
bom  May  8,  1837,  is  the  widow  of  Abraham 
W.  Pierce  and  resides  in  New  Bedford.  (9) 
Henry  M.,  born  March  10,  1840,  lived  in  Stock- 
ton, Cal.,  and  died  in  1901.  (10)  Andrew  T., 
born  Oct.  1,  1842,  died  in  New  Bedford  Aug. 
27,  1901. 

Thomas  N.  Nash  was  bom  in  New  Bed- 
ford Aug.  2,  1826,  and  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  Friends'  Acad- 
emy. When  a  younp-  man  he  learned  painting 
with  Potter  &  Hillman,  and  worked  at  the 
trade  for  five  years,  but  finding  it  did  not 
agree  with  his  health  he  gave  it  up  and  settled 
on  the  farm,  where  he  ever  afterward  made 
his  home.  This  farm  was  a  part  of  the  original 
homestead  of  his  grandfather,  Simeon  Nash, 
which  in  the  latter's  day  comprised  over  one 
hundred  acres,  Thomas  N.  Nash  inheriting 
from  his  uncle  Thomas,  for  whom  he  was 
named,  a  third  part  of  this  homestead.  His 
share  consisted  of  thirty  acres,  on  which  he 
made  extensive  improvements  and  engaged  in 
farming  in  a  small  way,  his  principal  product 
being  milk.  In  1850  he  erected  the  present 
house.  He  was  in  poor  health  for  some  time 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  there  June 
27,  1902.  He  was  buried  in  Oak  Grove  ceme- 
tery. New  Bedford.  Mr.  Nash  was  a  Repub- 
lican in  political  matters. 

On  May  14,  1851,  Mr.  Nash  married  Caro- 
line Borden,  who  was  born  in  Fall  River, 
daughter  of  Melvin  Borden,  and  died  June  8, 
1856,  the  mother  of  children  as  follows:  (1) 
Abby,  born  April  30,  1852,  married  May  22, 
1877,  William  S.  White,  who  died  in  New  Bed- 
ford April  24,  1904.  They  bad  three  children: 
Thomas  Nash,  born  March  8,  1879,  who  mar- 
ried June  10,  1901,  Jennie  N.  Burt,  of  New 
Bedford,  and  had  Winifred  Sherman  (bom 
Aug.  16,  1902,  who  died  in  infancy),  Thomas 
Nash  (born  Aug.  16,  1903),  Elizabeth  Wil- 
ton (born  March  25,  1905),  George  Burt  (bom 
Sept.  22,  1906,  who  died  Sept.  30,  1907)  and 
William  Sherman  (born  Jan.  20,  1908)  ; 
Horace  D.,  bom  Sept.  30,  1880,  who  died  April 
23,  1900;  and  Carrie  B.,  born  Feb.  8,  1884, 
who  died  March  19,  1885.  (2)  Caroline  A., 
bom  Sept.  3,  1853,  died  March  19,  1864.  (3) 
Joanna   Pope,  born  April   26,   1855,  married 


922 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Horace  F.  Dixon  and  resides  in  Worcester, 
Mass.  They  have  had  five  children :  Bessie, 
born  Oct.  2,  1879,  who  married  F.  Austin  Lid- 
bury;  Melvin  E.,  born  March  31,  1883,  who 
married  Bertha  Ellis,  of  Keene,  N.  H.,  in  June, 
1908;  Arthur,  born  Sept.  28,  1885;  Frederick 
B.,  born  June  11,  1887,  who  died  Dec.  6,  1891; 
and  Donald  Nash,  born  July  23,  1889,  who 
died  Dec.  4,  1891. 

On  Nov.  8,  1859,  Mr.  Nash  married  (sec- 
ond) Clara  J.  Cate,  who  was  born  in  Brook- 
field,  N.  H.,  Oct.  15,  1832,  daughter  of  Joshua 
and  Judith  (Chamberlin)  Gate  and  grand- 
daughter  of  Joshua  N.  Cate  and  of  Thomas 
Chamberlin,  both  of  whom  were  soldiers  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Mrs.  Nash  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  her  native 
town  and  in  the  academy  at  Wolfboro,  N.  H., 
and  taught  school  for  a  number  of  years  prior 
to  her  marriage,  six  years  in  her  native  home 
and  two  years  at  New  Bedford,  where  she  was 
principal  of  the  Belleville  school.  She  still 
resides  on  the  homestead,  and  is  quite  active 
in  spite  of  her  advanced  years.  She  attends 
the  North  Congregational  Church,  as  did  her 
husband.  Two  children  were  born  to  Thomas 
N.  and  Clara  J.  (Cate)  Nash:  (l)Emma  Cate, 
born  Dee.  17,  1860,  received  her  education  in 
the  New  Bedford  public  schools,  graduating 
from  the  high  school  in  1880,  after  which  she 
taught  in  New  Bedford,  at  the  Cedar  Grove 
and  Parker  street  schools.  She  has  spent  some 
years  in  Boston,  where  she  joined  the  old  South 
Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Eevolution.  On  April  15,  1891,  she  married 
Frank  B.  Robbins,  a  native  of  Yarmouth, 
Nova  Scotia,  a  well  known  poultry  raiser  of 
New  Bedford,  and  they  reside  on  the  old  Nash 
homestead.  (2)  Bessie  Potter,  born  Sept.  22, 
1862,  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  New  Bedford,  graduating  from  the 
high  school  in  1879.  She  then  attended  the 
State  normal  school  at  Bridgewater,  and  was 
subsequently  engaged  in  teaching  in  New  Bed- 
ford, holding  a  position  in  the  Maxfield  street 
school.  On  June  1,  1892,  she  married  Frederick 
Alden  Bradford,  of  New  Bedford,  but  who  was 
a  native  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  who  died  June 
15,  1906,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Bradford 
now  makes  her  home  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  She 
has  two  children:  Thomas  Nash,  born  Feb.  1, 
1895,  and  Frederick  Alden,  born  Oct.  4,  1897. 

The  Pope  family,  to  which  this  Nash  family 
is  related  in  two  maternal  lines,  was  founded 
in  New  England  by  Thomas  Pope,  born  in 
1608,  who  settled  in  the  Plymouth  Colony, 
being  there  in  1631  and  owning  land  there. 
Later  in  life  he  settled  in  Dartmouth,  Mass. 


He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Pequot  war,  1637.  He 
died  March  4,  1683.  On  July  28,  1637,  he 
married  (first)  Anna  Fallowell,  daughter  of 
Gabriel,  and  on  May  29,  1646,  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Sarah  Jenne,  daughter  of  John.  His 
children  were  as  follows:  Hannah,  born  in 
1639,  married  Joseph  Bartlett;  Seth,  born  Jan. 
13,  1648,  died  March  7,  1727;  Thomas  was 
born  March  25,  1651;  John,  born  March  15, 
1653,  was  killed  by  the  Indians;  Susannah, 
born  in  1649,  married  Ensign  Jacob  Mitchell, 
and  she,  too,  was  killed  by  the  Indians;  Sarah 
was  married  Nov.  13,  1676,  to  Samuel  Hinck- 
ley, son  of  Governor  Hinckley;  Jessie  married 
John  Hathaway  Dec.  25,  1695;  Isaac. 

Capt.  Seth  Pope,  son  of  Thomas,  born  Jan. 
13,  1648,  died  Nov.  17  (or  March  7),  1727, 
in  Dartmouth,  Mass.  His  first  wife,  Deborah, 
died  Feb.  19,  1710,  aged  fifty-six  years,  and 
his  second,  Rebecca,  died  Jan.  23,  1741,  aged 
seventy-nine  years.  His  children  were  as  fol- 
lows: John,  bom  Oct.  23,  1675;  Thomas, 
Sept.  1,  1677;  Susannah,  July  31,  1683  (mar- 
ried David  Peabody) ;  Mary,  Sept.  11,  1686 
(married  Charles  Church) ;  Seth,  April  5, 
1689;  Hannah,  Dec.  14,  1693  (married  Rev. 
Samuel  Hunt) ;  Elnathan,  Aug.  15,  1694  (died 
Feb.  8,  1735-36);  Capt.  Samuel,  Feb.  21, 
1696    (died  May   23,   1771). 

John  Pope,  son  of  Capt.  Seth,  born  Oct.  23, 
1675,  died  in  1721.  On  Jan.  2,  1699-00,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Bourne,  daughter  of  Elisha 
and  Patience  Bourne,  and  she  died  April  15, 
1715.  On  Oct.  3,  1717,  he  married  (second) 
Experience  Jenks.  His  children  were  bom  as 
follows:  Seth,  Jan.  30,  1700;  Deborah,  Jan. 
6,  1701-02;  Sarah,  March  25,  1705  (married 
Zachariah  Toby  Jan.  1,  1726)  ;  Elizabeth,  Jan. 
3,  1706;  Thomas,  1709  (died  March,  1784); 
Mary,  December,  1713;  Ezra,  April  3,  1719; 
Joanna,  March  3,  1721-22;  Charles,  Feb.  18, 
1722-23. 

Thomas  Pope,  son  of  John,  born  in  1709, 
died  in  March,  1784.  On  Sept.  26,  1735,  he 
married  Thankful  Dillingham,  who  was  born 
April  18,  1718,  daughter  of  Shubal  Dilling- 
ham, and  died  April  13,  1756.  On  Feb.  12, 
1761  (intentions  published),  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Alice  Jenne,  who  died  Oct.  21,  1805, 
aged  eighty-six  years.  His  children  were  bom 
as  follows:  Lydia,  May  18,  1738  (married 
Joseph  Ripley) ;  Edward,  Feb.  15,  1739  (died 
June  10,  1818)  ;  Hannah,  Nov.  29,  1743  (mar- 
ried Joseph  Pope) ;  Joanna,  Oct.  29,  1749 
(married  Nov.  17,  1774,  Simeon  Nash  (2)  ) ; 
Sarah,  Dec.  25,  1750  (married  Paul  Swift)  ; 
Thankful,  May  29,  1753  (died  Nov.  2,  1769)  ; 
Elizabeth,    April    8,    1756    (married  Lemuel 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


923 


Toby,  and  died  Dec.  20,  1835)  ;  Abigail 
(Nabby),  Nov.  11,  1761  (married  Capt.  Wil- 
liam Gordon). 

From  Thomas  Pope,  the  founder  of  the  fam- 
ily in  New  England,  was  also  descended  Thank- 
ful Young  Pope,  who  married  Simeon  Nash 
(3),  her  line  being  through  Capt.  Seth. 

Elnathan  Pope,  son  of  Capt.  Seth,  was  born 
Aug.  15,  1694,  and  died  Feb.  8,  1735.  He 
lived  in  Dartmouth.  On  March  14,  1715,  he 
married  Margaret  Pope,  born  Jan.  30,  1690, 
daughter  of  Isaac  Pope,  and  died  May  22, 
1776.  They  had  children  as  follows:  Sarah, 
born  April  26,  1715  (married  Moses  Wash- 
burn) ;  Joanna,  Feb.  20,  1717;  Thomas,  July 
13,  1720  (died  Nov.  19,  1732)  ;  Isaac,  March 
12,  1723  (died  Dec.  9,  1793)  ;  Deborah,  March 
26,  1726;  Seth.  April  15,  1729;  Hannah,  May 
20,  1732  (died  July  24,  1802;  married  Isaac 
Vincent) ;  Margaret,  June  13,  1735  (died  July 

8,  1793;  married  Chillingworth  Foster). 
Isaac  Pope,  bom  March  12,  1723,  died  Dec. 

9,  1793.  He  lived  in  Dartmouth.  He  married 
Sarah,  born  in  1726,  who  died  March  3,  1795, 
and  they  had  ten  children,  two  sons — -Jonathan 
and  Worth  (who  was  a  captain) — and  eight 
daughters. 

Jonathan  Pope,  son  of  Isaac,  removed  to 
Strongsville,  Cuyahoga  Co.,  Ohio,  in  1819,  and 
there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days,  dying 
there.  Some  of  his  descendants  are  still  living 
in  that  section:  He  married  Keziah  Jenney, 
born  May  14,  1773,  and  they  had  children  born 
as  follows:  Margaret,  born  Jan.  10,  1795 
(married  Elijah  Lyman  and  (second)  Peter 
D.  Wellman) ;  Ansel  Jenney  (married  Lucinda 
Britten);  Thankful  Young,  Sept.  22,  1799; 
Thomas,  Oct.  17.  1801;  Jonathan,  April  3, 
1805 ;  Philander.  April  12.  1807 ;  Keziah,  Sept. 
15,  1809  (married  A.  Pomeroy,  and  one  of 
his  sons,  Dr.  Harlan  Pomeroy,  is  one  of  the 
leading  physicians  of  Cleveland,  Ohio)  ;  Mary, 
April  3,  1812;  Narcissa,  April  5,  1815. 

LeBARON  ATHERTON,  one  of  the 
founders  and  general  manager  of  the  Atherton 
Furniture  Company,  which  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est complete  house  furnishing  corporations  in 
•the  New  England  States,  where  they  operate 
stores  in  various  cities,  is  an  enterprising  and 
progressive  business  man,  who  has  by  his  force 
and  perseverance  won  for  himself  a  place  in  the 
front  ranks  in  his  line  of  business.  Mr.  Ather- 
ton was  born  Oct.  1,  1863,  in  New  Brunswick, 
Canada. 

There  were  two  early  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land bearing  this  nam^  who  left  descendants. 
These  were  Maj.  Gen.  Humphrey  Atherton  and 


James  Atherton.  The  starting  point  of  the 
careers  of  both  is  in  Dorchester.  While  the 
name  is  peculiar  to  Lancashire,  England,  there 
are  traces  of  it  in  other  counties.  Still  it  is 
probable  that  the  New  England  emigrants  came 
from  that  county  and  not  improbable  that  they 
were  offshoots  of  the  Athertons  of  Atherton. 
James  Atherton,  the  founder  of  the  Worces- 
ter county  family  of  this  name,  was  a  tanner. 
He  settled  in  that  part  of  Dorchester  now  Mil- 
ton, but  prior  to  1653  was  an  inhabitant  of 
the  territory  called  Nashaway.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  to  sign  the  orders  adopted  by  the 
grantees  of  the  new  town  of  Lancaster  formed 
of  Nashaway  plantation.  There  lie  remained 
until  the  sacking  of  the  town  by  the  Indians  in 
1676,  when  he  returned  to  Dorchester.  He  re- 
moved to  Sherburn  in  1703,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-six.  Prior  to  his  death  he 
conveyed  his  estate  in  Lancaster  to  his  sons 
James  and  Joshua.  Of  these  the  latter,  who 
was  born  at  Lancaster  in  1656,  removed  with 
his  father  in  1676  to  Dorchester,  where  he 
married  Mary  Gulliver.  He  returned  to  Lan- 
caster about  1687,  and  settled  on  a  part  of  the 
old  homestead,  where  he  followed  the  farming 
and  tanning  business.  His  house,  which  he 
built,  stood  under  a  great  elm  tree,  and  was 
one  of  the  familiar  landmarks  for  nearly  two 
hundred  years.  He  left  a  numerous  family  of 
children.  Of  these  Peter  Atherton,  the  young- 
est son,  born  in  1705,  married  Experience 
Wright  and  occupied  the  house  just  alluded  to. 
He  was  a  magistrate,  colonel  in  the  militia,  and 
represented  the  town  of  Harvard  in  the  General 
Court.  Joshua,  a  son  of  this  Peter  and  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard,  was  a  Loyalist  during  the 
Revolution,  but  did  not  remove.  He  became 
attorney  general  of  New  Hampshire.  Benja- 
min Atherton,  son  of  Dr.  Benjamin  and  a 
nephew  of  Col.  Peter,  and  brought  up  by  the 
latter,  enlisted  in  the  French  and  Indian  war, 
and  before  the  Revolution  settled  at  ShefiBeld, 
N.  B.,  on  the  St.  John  river.  He  was  the  first 
comer  in  that  province,  and  register  of  wills 
and  deeds.  He  removed  in  1780  to  the  site  of 
the  city  of  Fredericton,  and  when  that  city 
was  laid  out  he  was  given  by  the  government  a 
large  farm  in  Prince  William  twenty-five  miles 
up  the  river.  This  Benjamin  Atherton  was 
bom  in  1736  and  married  in  1773  Abigail 
Mores,  and  they  had  a  son  Israel  and  perhaps 
other  children. 

Peter  Atherton,  grandfather  of  LeBaron 
Atherton,  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  Canada, 
his  ancestors  having  been  formerly  residents  of 
the  United  States  who  migrated  to  Canada 
during  the  Revolutionary  war. 


9S4: 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Thomas  C.  Atherton,  father  of  LeBaron 
Atherton,  was  born  in  New  Brunswidv,  Can- 
ada, where  his  life  was  spent,  and  where  he 
died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
For  many  years  he  was  a  well  known  merchant 
of  Southampton,  where  he  successfully  con- 
ducted a  general  store  and  was  also  largely  in- 
terested in  the  lumbering  business.  Although 
a  quiet,  unpretentious  man  in  manner,  he  pos- 
sessed sterling  qualities  which  won  for  him  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community. 
He  was  a  consistent  and  active  member  of  the 
Free  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  was  deacon 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  married  Susanna 
M.  Huestis,  of  New  Brunswick,  where  she  still 
"resides  at  an  advanced  age,  and  although  over 
eighty-five  years  old  still  retains  her  faculties 
to  a  marked  degree.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  LeBaron  and  Mrs.  George  K. 
Lugrin,  of  Brockton,  being  the  only  ones  who 
reside  in  the  United  States. 

LeBaron  Atherton  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  and  the  high  school 
of  his  native  town.  After  leaving  school  he 
entered  Lemont's  variety  and  furniture  store 
at  Fredericton,  York  County,  New  Brunswick, 
as  clerk,  in  which  capacity  he  remained  for  a 
period  of  about  six  years.  Believing  that  a 
young  man  had  a  better  opportunity  in  a  larger 
city,  he  then  came  to  Boston,  Mass.,  his  aim 
being  to  get  into  the  furniture  business,  for 
which  he  had  a  decided  liking,  but  the  oppor- 
tunity did  not  at  first  present  itself,  so  he 
accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  grocery,  hav- 
ing the  understanding  with  his  employer  that 
when  he  had  the  opportunity  he  would  return 
to  the  furniture  business.  After  clerking  in 
the  grocery  store  for  a  time,  the  desired  opening 
presented  itself,  and  Mr.  Atherton  took  a  posi- 
tion with  B.  A.  Atkinson  &  Co.,  one  of  the 
largest  furniture  houses  in  Boston,  and  for  the 
next  six  years  was  employed  in  their  Boston 
store.  Then  he  was  made  manager  of  their 
Lewiston  (Maine)  store,  which  was  at  that  time 
'not  in  a  prosperous  condition.  Under  Mr. 
Atherton's  management  tlie  establishment 
proved  a  success  and  the  volume  of  business 
was  greatly  increased.  Mr.  Atherton  continued 
as  manager  of  this  store  for  a  period  of  about 
six  years,  until  in  August,  1900,  in  company 
with  Messrs.  George  E.  Wilbur  and  W.  E. 
Walker,  of  Taunton,  Mass.,  he  purchased  the 
business,  which  has  since  been  conducted  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Atherton  Furniture  Com- 
pany. This  store  at  Lewiston,  Maine,  proved 
to  be  the  nucleus  of  the  large  aiid  extensive 
business  now  done  by  this  enterprising  and 
progressive  corporation.     Following  the  acqui- 


sition of  the  store  in  Lewiston  this  concern  has 
since  entered  the  same  business  in  Waterville, 
Maine,  Bangor,  Maine,  Brockton,  Mass.,  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  Springfield,  Mass.,  Pittsfield, 
Mass.,  Haverhill,  Mass.,  and  Kingston,  N.  Y., 
in  all  of  which  cities  it  now  has  furniture 
stores  which  are  enjoying  a  large  and  steadily 
increasing  patronage,  the  business  in  Spring- 
field being  conducted  by  what  is  known  as  the 
Metropolitan  Furniture  Company;  the  Haver- 
hill store  by  the  Atherton-Byard  Furniture 
Company ;  the  Bangor  store  by  the  Hodgkins  & 
Fiske  Company;  the  Kingston  store  as  the 
Atherton-Carl  Furniture  Company;  the  others 
under  the  name  of  the  Atherton  Furniture 
Company.  Each  store  is  incorporated  sepa- 
rately. Mr.  Atherton  is  general  manager  of 
the  Atherton  Furniture  Company,  and  in  that 
capacity  has  oversight  of  all  the  stores,  which 
he  frequently  visits.  In  September,  1902,  the 
Atherton  Furniture  Company  opened  its 
Brockton  store,  and  upon  its  incorporation  in 
1904  Mr.  Atherton  was  elected  treasurer  of  the 
same,  in  which  capacity  he  has  since  continued 
in  connection  with  his  duties  as  general  man-* 
ager  of  the  corporation's  several  stores. 

In  politics  Mr.  Atherton  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party.  Fraternally  he  is  a  Mason, 
holding  membership  in  Ashler  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  and  is  algo  a  member  of  King  Hiram 
Chapter,  R.  A.   M.,  both  of  Lewiston,  Maine. 

On  Oct.  31,  1904,  Mr.  Atherton  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Grace  G.  Atwood,  daughter 
of  Stephen  M.  and  Rose  (Bonney)  Atwood, 
of  West  Minot,  Maine,  where  Mrs.  Atherton's 
father  is  engaged  in  the  milling  business.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Atherton  have  had  two  children, 
namely:  Atwood  Atherton,  who  was  born  in 
Brockton,  Mass.,  July  31,  1905;  and  Bettina 
Atherton,  born  Jan.  2,  1911. 

Since  taking  up  his  residence  in  Brockton 
Mr.  Atherton  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  city  and  its  industrial  growth 
and  development,  and  every  such  project  has 
his  liberal  and  enthusiastic  support. 

EMMONS  DEXTER  GUILD,  late  one  of 
Attleboro's  well-known  jewelry  manufacturers 
and  representative  citizens,  Civil  war  veteran, 
and  for  several  years  commander  of  Wm.  A. 
Streeter  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
was  born  in  Wrentham  Sejit.  11,  1843.  The 
Guild  family  is  an  old  and  honorable  one  in 
New  England,  and  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America  was 

(I)  John  Guild,  who  with  Samuel  and  Ann 
Guild,  perhaps  his  brother  and  sister,  came 
from  Scotland  about  1636.     Their  names  ap- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


925 


pear  first  of  record  in  Dedham.  John  was 
admitted  to  the  Church  in  Dedham  July  17, 
1640,  and  he  was  made  a  freeman  in  1643. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  grantees  of  the 
town,  and  to  the  grant  received  he  added  by 
grants  and  purchases  considerable  other  real 
estate  in  Dedham,  Wrentham,  Medfield  and 
Natick.  The  house  he  built  at  Dedham  was 
occupied  by  himself  and  his  descendants  for 
more  than  two  centuries.  He  was  an  honest, 
frugal  and  industrious  man,  modest  in  deport- 
ment, and  retiring  in  habits.  He  married  April 
24,  1645,  Elizabeth  Crooke,  of  Roxbury.  She 
died  Aug.  31,  1669,  and  Mr.  Guild  passed  away 
Oct.  4,  1682.  Their  children  were:  John,  born 
June  20,  164G;  Samiiel,  Sept.  7,  1647;  John 
(2)  Sept.  29,  1649;  Eliezur,  Sept.  30,  1653; 
Ebenezer,  Oct.  21,  1657;  Elizabeth,  Nov.  11, 
1660;  and  Benjamin,  May  25,  1664. 

(II)  John  Guild  (2),  son  of  John,  born 
Sept.  29,  1649,  in  time  united  with  the  Church, 
and  was  elected  a  deacon.  As  the  Puritan 
standard  of  fitness  for  church  membership,  and 
especially  for  the  office  of  deacon,  was  very  rigid, 
Mr.  Guild  likely  possessed  those  qualities  of 
mind  and  heart  which  constitute  the  trustwor- 
thy citizen  and  exemplary  Christian.  He  mar- 
ried March  23,  1677,  Sarah  Fisher,  of  Dedham. 
He  removed  from  Dedham  to  Wreptham  in 
1681,  after  the  birth  of  his  second  child.  He 
united  with  the  church  in  "Wrentham  April  13, 
1692,  and  was  elected  deacon  Dec.  7.  1707.  He 
died  Jan.  24,  1723.  His  children  were: 
Bethiah,  born  Aug.  4,  1678;  Sarah,  Aug.  30, 
1680;  Sarah  (2),  June  3,  1683;  Elizabeth, 
July  7,  1685;  Joanna,  Nov.  4,  1687;  John, 
Nov.  7,  1690;  Josiah,  July  14,  1694;  Judith, 
Sept.  19,  1697;  and  Ebenezer,  Sept.  9,  1700. 

(III)  John  Guild  (3),  son  of  John  (2), 
-born  Nov.   7,   1690,  married    (first)    June   11, 

1711,  Mercy  Foster.  She  died  May  3,  1730, 
and  he  married  (second)  March  22,  1732, 
Phebe  Mann,  who  died  May  7,  1790.  Mr. 
Guild  lived  in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  and  there 
died  Jan.  24,  1762.  His  children  were:  John, 
born  Nov.  23,  1712;  Joseph,  Aug.  17,  1714; 
Benjamin,  April  12,  1717;  Mercy,  April  6, 
1719;  Esther,  Sept.  20,  1721;  Ebenezer,  July 
31,  1724;  Timothy,  Jan.  15,  1733;  Samuel, 
April  21, 1734;  Daniel,  Sept.  30,  1736;  Abigail, 
baptized  Sept.  16,  1739;  Phebe,  born  Feb.  8, 
1742;  Mary,  Oct.  24,  1743. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Guild,  son  of  John  (3),  born 
Jujy  31,  1724,  was  a  resident  of  West  Wrent- 
ham, Mass.,  and  with  West  Wrentham  was  set 
off  to  the  town  of  Franklin.  He  was  a  deacon 
in  the  Baptist  Church.  His  death  occurred 
May  29,  1790.     He  married  Margaret  Pond, 


who  survived  him,  dying  Aug.  11,  1810,  aged 
eighty-five  years.  Their  children  were:  Eben- 
ezer, born  Aug.  16,  1747;  Joseph,  Sept.  14, 
1748;  Margaret,  Feb.  22,  1751;  Mary,  July  14, 
1754;  Chloe,  May  15,  1760;  and  Samuel. 

(V)  Samuel  Guild,  son  of  Ebenezer,  born 
Dec.  13,  1762,  in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  married 
April  17,  1782,  Ruth  Morse,  of  Medway,  who 
died  Sept.  28,  1838.  They  resided  in  the  town 
of  Franklin,  where  Mr.  Guild  died  Dec.  25, 
1840.  Their  children  were:  Lewis,  born  April 
28,  1783;  Phebe,  Feb.  8,  1785;  Betsey,  Nov. 
17,  1786;  Cyrus,  Dec.  30,  1789;  Samuel,  Aug. 
6,  1792;  Ruth,  Oct.  30,  1794;  Rachel,  March 
19,  1797;  Polly,  Oct.  31,  1798;  Benjamin, 
April  12,  1801 ;  Nancy,  March  22,  1804 ;  Joel, 
May  4,  1806;  and  Chloe,  June  30,  1812.  On 
the  records  of  the  Massachusetts  Soldiers  and 
Sailors  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  are  found 
the   names    of    Samuel    and    Ebenezer    Guild, 

"brothers.  Samuel  Guild,  of  Franklin,  on  pay- 
roll for  six  months'  men  belonging  to  the  town 
of  Franklin,  raised  for  service  in  the  Continen- 
tal army  during  1780,  marched  July  3,  1780, 
discharged  Dec.  23,  1780 — service  six  months, 
and  (wo  days,  travel  incTuded. 

(VI)  Samuel  Guild,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
Aug.  6,  1792,  married  May  10,  1813,  Zepha 
Haskell,  of  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  and  in  the  late 
sixties  they  were  residents  of  Medway,  Mass. 
Their  children  were:  Allen  D.,  bom  April  7, 
1815;  Thomas  N.,  Sept.  17,  1817;  Sarah 
Franklin,  Nov.  14,  1820;  Ellis  Emmons,  July 
3,  1823  (died  Nov.  18,  1843) ;  George  Otis, 
March  6,  1826;  Lepha  Emily,  July  1,  1830 
(deceased) ;  Samuel  Williams,  Aug.  3,  1833 
(deceased) ;  and  Ardelia  Maria,  Feb.  12,  1836 
(died  March  1,  1851). 

(VII)  Allen  Dexter  Guild,  son  of  Samuel, 
born  April  7,  1815,  married  Nov.  30,  1837, 
Abby  Tabor,  of  Wrentham.  They  resided  in 
Attleboro,  and  their  children  were:  Mortimer 
Allen,  born  July  10,  1839,  resides  in  Attleboro; 
Sarah  Abby,  Sept.  27,  1841  (deceased)  ; 
Emmons  Dexter,  Sept.  11,  1843;  Edgar,  July 
19,  1847,  resides  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Melzena, 
July  16,  1849,  married  Chauncey  Sherman, 
and  died  in  Attleboro;  Maria  Ella  died  aged 
four  years;  and  Herbert  Weston  died  young. 
Allen  D.  Guild  was  first  a  farmer,  in  Wrent- 
ham, but  later  worked  in  the  jewelry  shops  in 
Attleboro.  He  died  Sept.  19,  1885,  and  is 
buried  in  Woodlawn  cemetery.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican,  and  in  religious  faith  a 
Universalist.  His  wife  died  Feb.  19,  1904, 
and  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  Woodlawn  cemetery 
beside  her  husband.  She,  too,  was  a  Univer- 
salist. 


926 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(VIII)  Emmons  Dexter  Guild  was  born  in 
Wrentham  and  was  quite  young  when  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Attleboro.  Here  he  acquired  his 
education  in  the  public  schools.  In  his  young 
manhood  he  learned  the  jeweler's  trade,  and 
was  associated  with  that  calling  all  his  life. 
As  a  boy  he  was  industrious  and  energetic  and 
when  eleven  years  old  drove  a  milk  wagon.  He 
was  employed  in  various  ways  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war.  On  Dec.  9,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Troop  G,  1st  Rhode  Island  Cavalry, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
He  participated  in  the  following  battles,  all 
in  Virginia:  Columbia  Bridge,  Mullen  Bridge, 
Cedar  Mountain,  North  Rappahannock,  Catten 
Station,  Sulphur  Springs,  Groveton,  Second 
Bull  Run,  Chantilly,  White  Ford,  Mountville, 
Hazel  Run,  Fredericksburg,  Hartwood  Church, 
Kelly's  Ford  (where  his  conspicuous  bravery 
while  acting  as  corporal  caused  his  promotion 
to  sergeant),  Rapidan  River,  Ellis  Ford, 
Brandy  Station,  Middleburg,  Jones'  Cross 
Roads,  Hazel  Run  (2),  Rapidan  Station  and 
Warrenton.  At  the  last  named  fight  Sergeant 
Guild  was  taken  prisoner  and  for  the  remark- 
able period  of  500  days  suffered  every  torture 
and  hardship  history  has  painted,  in  Confed- 
erate prisons  at  Richmond,  Laundry,  Pember- 
ton.  Belle  Isle,  Andersonville,  Savannah 
Mills  and  Florence.  He  was  paroled  at  Wil- 
mington, N.  C,  Feb.  26,  1865.  His  naturally 
rugged  constitution  enabled  him  to  withstand 
this  experience  without  permanent  injury  to 
"his  health,  though  he  weighed  far  less  than 
one  hiuidred  pounds  on  his  release. 

On  his  return  to  Massachusetts  Mr.  Guild 
entered  the  employ  of  Kingman  &  Hodges,  of 
Mansfield,  as  foreman,  and  after  nearly  five 
years  there  came  to  Attleboro,  and  after  work- 
ing for  one  or  two  concerns  became  foreman 
in  the  W.  H.  Wilmarth  Company  corporation, 
and  about  1891  became  a  member  of  the  cor- 
poration. He  was  elected  president  and  held 
that  position  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

On  July  26,  1870,  Mr.  Guild  married  Ella 
Josephine  Brown,  who  was  bom  in  Mansfield, 
daughter  of  Francis  A.  and  Caroline  M.  (Pat- 
ten) Brown.  To  this  union  was  born  one  son: 
Frank  Emmons,  May  28,  1881,  who  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  jewelry  firm  of  F.  E.  Guild  &  Co., 
of  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  He  married 
Ethel  R.  Wolfenden  of  Attleboro. 

Shortly  after  the  war  Mr.  Guild  joined  Pres- 
cott  Post  No.  1,  G.  A.  R.,  Department  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  later  became  a  charter  member  of 
William  A.  Streeter  Post,  of  Attleboro,  and  of 
the  latter  he  served  as  commander  in  1886, 
1887,  1905,  1906,  1907,  1908,  and  was  still  in 


that  position  when  he  died.  He  was  past  com- 
mander of  the  Massachusetts  Association  of 
Ex-Prisoners  of  War,  and  a  member  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Attleboro  Association  of  Ex-Pris- 
oners, and  he  served  as  an  aide  on  the  staff  of 
past  commander-in-chief,  Gen.  Russell  A.  Alger 
of  the  National  G.  A.  R.  He  was  a  member  of 
several  other  State  and  county  associations  of 
the  veterans.  He  was  past  grand  of  Orient 
Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F. ;  Gideon  Horton  Encamp- 
ment of  Odd  Fellows;  a  charter  member  of 
Pokonoket  Tribe,  I.  0.  R.  M. ;  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Malta ;  Royal  Arcanum ;  and 
Pennington  Lodge,  A.  0.  U.  W.  He  was  inter- 
ested and  active  in  all.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Murray  parish,  Universalist  Society,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  its  affairs. 

Mr.  Guild  died  Nov.  19,  1909,  after  several 
months  of  ill  health.  He  was  universally  es- 
teemed, and  it  had  been  his  good  fortune  to 
make  and  to  retain  the  warm  friendship  of  all 
who  came  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance 
and  knew  his  genial,  kindly  smile.  In  an  edi- 
torial the  day  of  his  death,  the  Attleboro  Sun 
said: 

"Emmons  D.  Guild  possessed  to  a  rare  de- 
gree the  qualities  that  win  admiration  and 
cement  friendship.  The  cheery  word,  the  hearty 
handclasp  and  the  sunny  smile  will  be  sorely 
missed  by  a  legion  of  friends  and  a  host  of 
acquaintances,  and  the  town  will  mourn  the 
passing  of  a  son  ever  zealous  in  her  best  inter- 
ests. His  life  story  with  its  rise  to  promineiice 
that  extended  beyond  Attleboro  is  a  guide  and 
inspiration  to  others  who  can  emulate  his  gos- 
pel of  hard  work  and  his  high  ideals ;  while  his 
war  record  with  its  500  days  spent  in  Confed- 
erate prisons  is  a  lesson  in  patriotism  that 
Attleboro  cherish.es.  Overwhelming  sorrow  at 
his  going  cannot  but  be  lightened  by  realization 
of  the  rich  legacy  of  personality  he  leaves.  In 
the  number  who  feel  his  loss  is  his  greatest 
tribute." 

BENJAMIN  MARSTON  WATSON  (de- 
ceased), who  for  years  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  nursery  business  at  Plymouth,  as  the 
owner  of  the  Old  Colony  Nursery,  was  widely 
known  in  this  country  and  Europe,  not  only  in 
his  commercial  relations  with  that  line  of  busi- 
ness but  also  in  a  broader  and  more  enviable 
connection — as  a  student  of  forestry  and  horti- 
culture, a  lover  of  nature,  a  practical  worker 
in  his  chosen  calling,  yet  cherishing  ideals 
which  raised  it  above  the  level  of  mere  business 
and  invested  it  with  charm  for  himself  and  all 
who  came  in  contact  with  him. 
.    Mr.  Watson  was  bom  in  Plymouth  Jan.  18, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


927 


1820,  a  descendant  of  an  old  and  honored  New 
England  family,  the  seventh  in  line  from  Eob- 
ert  Watson,  the  emigrant  ancestor.  We  give 
a  brief  outline  of  the  earlier  generations. 

(I)  Eobert  Watson  came  early  to  Plymouth 
from  London,  England,  and  settled  finally  in 
Connecticut.  He  had  by  wife  Elizabeth,  bom 
in  England,  George  (born  in  1603),  Robert, 
Samuel,  and  perhaps  Frances  (married  John 
Rogers).    The  father  died  in  1637. 

(II)  George  Watson,  son  of  Robert,  born  in 
1603,  was  in  Plymouth  as  early  as  1633,  and 
there  married  in  1635  Phebe,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Hicks,  and  their  children  were :  Phebe,  who 
married  Jonathan  Shaw;  Mary,  who  married 
Thomas  Leonard,  of  Taunton;  John;  Samuel 
and  Elizabeth,  born  in  1648,  the  latter  of  whom 
married  Joseph  Williams,  of  Taunton ;  Jona- 
than, born  in  1652;  and  Elkanah,  born  in  1656. 

(III)  Elkanah  Watson,  son  of  George,  born 
in  1656,  married  in  1676  Mercy,  daughter  of 
William  Hedge,  of  Yarmouth,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  John,  born  in  1678;  Phebe,  born 
in  1681  (married  Edmund  Freeman) ;  Mercy, 
born  in  1685  (married  John  Freeman) ;  Mary, 
born  in  1688  (married  Nathaniel  Freeman) ; 
Elizabeth  (married  John  Bacon). 

(IV)  Jghn  Watson,  son  of  Elkanah,  born  in 
1678,  married  in  1715  Sarah,  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel Rogers,  of  Ipswich,  and  their  children  were : 
John,  born  in  1716;  and  George,  born  in  1718. 
He  married  (second)  in  1729  Priscilla,  daugh- 
ter of  Caleb  Thomas,  of  Marshfield,  and  their 
children  were:  William,  born  in  1730,  and  El- 
kanah, born  in  1732. 

(V)  John  Watson  (2),  son  of  John,  born  in 
1716,  married  in  1744,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Reynolds,  of  Bristol,  and  their  children 
were :  Elizabeth,  born  in  1745  (married  Ed- 
ward Clark,  of  Boston)  ;  John,  born  in  1747; 
and  Daniel,  born  in  1749. 

(VI)  John  Watson  (3),  son  of  John  (2), 
born  in  1747,  married  in  1769  Lucia,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  Marston,  of  Manchester,  and 
their  children  were:  John,  born  in  1769; 
George,  born  in  1771;  Sally  Marston,  born  in 
1772;  Benjamin  Marston,  born  in  1774;  Lucia, 
born  in  1776,  who  married  John  Taylor;  Dan- 
iel, born  in  1779 ;  William,  born  in  1783 ;  Wins- 
low,  bom  in  1786;  and  Broke. 

(VII)  Benjamin  Marston  Watson,  son  of 
John  (3),  born  in  1774,  married  in  1804  Lu- 
cretia  Burr,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Sturges,  of 
Fairfield,  Conn.  Their  children  were :  Lucretia 
Ann,  who  married  Rev.  Hersey  B.  Goodwin; 
Elizabeth  Miller;  Benjamin  Marston,  bom  in 
1820;  and  Jonathan  Sturges. 

(VIII)  Benjamin  Marston  Watson,  son  of 


Benjamin  Marston  and  Lucretia  Burr  (Stur- 
ges) Watson,  was  born  Jan.  18,  1820,  in  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.  He  was  graduated  from  Har- 
vard College  in  1839  with  high  honors,  having 
among  his  classmates  Judge  James  Gore  King 
of  New  York,  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Rev. 
Samuel  Longfellow,  Gov.  Nathaniel  S.  Baker, 
of  New  Hampshire,  Kirk  Root,  George  Hay- 
ward  and  Samuel  Elliot. 

Mr.  Watson  was  a  great  lover  of  nature  and 
decided  on  leading  a  rural  life.  He  purchased 
a  large  tract  of  wild  land  a  mile  from  Ply- 
mouth to  which  he  applied  his  knowledge  of 
forestry  and  horticulture.  He  converted  this 
land  into  the  charming  "Hill-side"  so  well 
known  to  Plymoutheans,  and  where  he  estab- 
lished the  "Old  Colony  Nurseries,"  and  dur- 
ing the  larger  part  of  his  active  life  carried  on 
an  extensive  business,  his  relations  in  other 
connections  making  him  well  kno\vn  all  over 
the  country  and  also  at  places  in  Europe, 
whence  he  often  made  importations  of  choice 
flowers  and  bulbs. 

Mr.  Watson  was  always  the  scholar,  exceed- 
ingly well  read,  and  he  wrote  to  some  extent 
for  various  magazines,  mainly  on  historical  sub- 
jects. Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  Henry  D. 
Thoreau  and  Bronson  Alcott  of  the  Concord 
School  of  Philosophy  were  intimates  of  his,  and 
often  visited  his  home,  and  he  was  sympathtic 
with  advanced  thought  and  human  progress 
wherever  presented.  Mr.  Watson  was  a  friend 
to  the  Plymouth  Public  Library  and  it  was 
largely  through  his  advice  and  effort,  in  con- 
junction with  the  late  Charles  Burton  and 
a  few  others,  that  the  beginning  was  made 
more  than  forty  years  prior  to  his  death  of  this 
highly  beneficial  institution.  Closely  connected 
in  ancestry  with  the  "Fathers,"  Mr.  Watson 
was  a  student  of  their  character,  and  an  ad- 
mirer of  their  virtues,  and  he  had  been  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Pilgrim  Society. 

Mr.  Watson  cared  little  for  distinction,  never 
holding  public  office  or  entering  aggressively 
into  political  affairs,  but  always  in  his  com- 
munity and  elsewhere  was  distinguished  as  a 
true  gentleman  of  learning  and  character,  ever 
genial,  kindly  and  polite,  whose  friendships 
were  sincere  and  whose  acquaintance  it  was 
a  pleasure  to  possess. 

In  1846  Mr.  Watson  married  Mary  Russell, 
born  Jan.  9,  1820,  daughter  of  Thomas  Rus- 
sell ;  she  died  Dec.  13,  1906,  surviving  Mr. 
Watson,  who  had  passed  away  Feb.  19,  1896. 
They  had  children  as  follows:  Benjamin  Mar- 
ston, born  in  1848 ;  Thomas  Russell ;  Lucretia 
Sturges,  born  in  1851 ;  Edward  Winslow,  born 


938 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Sept.  20,  1853 ;  and  Ellen,  bom  in  1856.    The 
daughters  reside  at  the  "Hill-side"  homestead. 

(IX)  Benjamin  Marston  Watson  (2), 
eon  of  Benjamin  Marston,  born  in  1848,  was 
educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of 
Plymouth  and  at  Harvard  University,  gradu- 
ating from  the  latter  institution  with  the  class 
of  1870.  Returning  home  at  the  close  of  his 
college  course  he  worked  with  his  father  in 
the  Old  Colony  Nurseries  for  some  time,  then 
entering  the  Bussey  Institution,  Harvard,  where 
he  took  up  landscape  architecture,  becoming 
one  of  the  foremost  men  in  his  line  in  the 
State.  He  is  now  professor  of  horticulture  at 
the  Bussey  Institution,  Harvard. 

(IX)  Thomas  Russell  Watson,  son  of 
the  late  Benjamin  Marston  Watson,  was  born 
July  18,  1850,  on  the  homestead.  After  receiv- 
ing his  preparatory  training  in  the  common 
land  high  schools  of  Plymouth  (graduating 
from  the  high  school  in  1869)  he  entered  Har- 
vard, from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1873,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He 
tetumed  home  after  tb,e  completion  of  his 
college  course  and  engaged  in  the  nursery  busi- 
ness with  his  father  until  1878,  in  which  year 
he  went  West,  locating  in  Walton  township. 
Rooks  Co.,  Kans.,  where  he  took  up  farming, 
sheep  and  cattle  raising,  continuing  thus  for 
a  period  of  sixteen  years,  during  which  time 
he  met  with  fair  success.  But  in  1894  he  sold 
out  and  returned  East,  settling  at  his  old  home, 
Plymouth,  to  succeed  his  father  in  the  nur- 
sery and  flower  business,  which  he  has  since 
conducted.  Mr.  Watson  is  now  one  of  the  best- 
known  men  in  his  line  in  the  State,  and  is 
considered  an  authority  on  nursery  stock,  or- 
namental trees,  shrubbery  and  flowers.  He  is 
energetic  and  thrifty  as  well  as  progressive,  and 
his  long  experience  has  enabled  him  to  con- 
tinue the  business  successfully,  his  shipments 
of  ornamental  trees  and  shrubbery  being  made 
all  over  the  American  continent,  to  many  parts 
of  Europe,  and  to  Japan,  New  Zealand  and 
India;  he  has  over  twenty  acres  of  land  under 
cultivation  for  this  particular  kind  of  stock. 
Mr.  Watson  has  taste  for  his  work  and  artistic 
ideas,  and  his  home  grounds  and  surroundings 
are  eloquent  of  his  talent  in  this  regard.  He 
has  followed  in  his  father's  footsteps  as  a  stu- 
dent of  horticulture  and  kindred  interests,  and 
has  written  several  articles  on  the  subject. 

In  July,  1901,  Mr.  Watson  was  married,  at 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  to  Frederica  King  Davis,  a 
native  of  Cambridge,  daughter  of  Andrew  M. 
Davis  and  granddaughter  of  "Honest"  John 
Davis,  a  well-known  governor  of  Massachusetts. 
They  have  had  three  children:  Eleanor  Whit- 
ney, Margery  Willard  and  Frederica  Gore. 


Mr.  Watson  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  has 
always  been  interested  in  the  public  welfare, 
being  independent,  however,  in  local  affairs. 
While  a  resident  of  Kansas  he  was  quite  active 
in  the  affairs  of  Walton  township.  Rooks 
county,  serving  several  years  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  as  school  trustee,  clerk  of  the  township 
and  in  other  minor  offices.  He  is  known  as  a 
most  public-spirited  citizen  in  Plymouth,  at 
present  a  member  of  the  Park  Commission, 
and  a  trustee  of  the  Plymouth  Savings  Bank. 
He  holds  membership  in  the  Pilgrim  Society 
of  Plymouth  (of  which  he  is  a  trustee)  and 
the  Old  Colony  Club,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Hasty  Pudding  Club  of  Harvard,  and  of  the 
American  Association  of  Nurserymen. 

(IX)  Edward  Winslow  Watson,  young- 
est son  of  Benjamin  Marston,  born  in  Ply- 
mouth Sept.  20,  1853,  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  of  Plymouth.  He 
worked  at  home  with  his  father  until  he  went 
West  to  Kansas,  locating  with  his  brother 
Thomas  R.  in  Walton  township.  Rooks  county, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  ranching  until  1896. 
That  year  he  returned  to  the  old  homestead, 
and  has  been  associated  with  his  brother 
Thomas  in  the  nursery  business  ^ver  since. 
He  married  Anna  Johnson,  and  has  five  chil- 
dren :  Mary  Russell,  Ellen  Marston,  Christenia, 
Edward  Winslow,  Jr.,  and  Benjamin  Marston. 

LOT  PHILLIPS,  box  manufacturer  of  West 
Hanover,  Plymouth  Co.,  Mass.,  is  a  well  k-nown 
business  man  and  a  descendant  of  an  old  Ply- 
mouth county  family.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Hanson,  Feb.  13,  1841. 

This  Phillips  family  is  descended  from  John 
Phillips,  Lot  Phillips  tracing  his  line  through 
Samuel,  Thomas,  Blaney,  Lot  and  Ezra. 

(I)  John  Phillips  (accepting  Pope  as  au- 
thority), of  Duxbury,  was  a  volunteer  for  the 
Pequot  war  in  1637;  a  proprietor,  1640;  on  the 
list  of  those  able  to  bear  arms,  1643.  He 
bought  Oct.  19,  1639,  a  house  in  Duxbury  of 
Robert  Mendall,  for  which  annual  payments 
were  to  be  made  at  Boston.  He  married  (first) 
at  Marshfield,  July  6,  1654,  Grace  Holloway, 
and  ( second P*March  14,  1666,  Faith,  widow  of 
Edward  Doten.  She  died  Dec.  21,  1675;  made 
will  Dec.  12,  1675,  giving  her  estate  to  her 
daughters  Mary,  Elizabeth  and  Desire.  He 
had  one  child,  Joseph,  born  last  of  March, 
1655.  He  made  his  will  Oct.  20,  1691,  aged 
about  eighty-nine  years;  bequeathed  to  son 
Samuel,  and  son  Benjamin,  and  each  of  their 
sons. 

(II)  Samuel  Phillips,  of  Taunton,  perhaps 


SOUTHEASTJ^KN  MASSACHUSETTS 


929 


8oa  of  the  above,  married  in  1676  Widow  Mary 
Cobb,  and  their  children  were :  Mehetabel,  born 
in  1676;  Samuel,  born  in  1678;  and  Thomas. 

(III)  Thomas  Phillips,  of  Marshfield,  per- 
haps son  of  Samuel  (above),  married  in  1702 
Rebecca,  daughter  of  John  Blaney,  of  Charles- 
town,  and  their  children  were :  Rebecca,  born 
in  1704  (married  Philip  Chandler)  ;  Thomas, 
born  in  1705;  John,  born  in  1707;  Samuel, 
iDom  in  1709;  Blaney,  born  in  1711;  and  per- 
haps Mary  (who  married  Reuben  Carver). 

(IV)  Blaney  Phillips,  of  Duxbury,  and 
Pembroke,  Mass.,  born  in  1711,  married  in 
1733  Christian,  daughter  of  Christopher  Wads- 
worth,  of  Duxbury,  and  their  children  were: 
Samuel,  born  in  1734;  Blaney,  born  in  1736; 
Samuel,  born  in  1738;  Christian,  born  in  1740 
(married  Philip  Chandler) ;  Mercy,  born  in 
1744  (married  Mark  Phillips)  ;  Alice,  born  in 
1747  (married  David  Beal) ;  Seth,  born  in 
1749;  Christopher,  born  in  1753;  Lot,  born 
in  1755;  and  Betty,  born  in  1757. 

(V)  Lot  Phillips,  of  Pembroke,  born  in 
1755,  married  in  1779  Diana,  daughter  of 
Rouse  Howland,  and  their  children  were :  Ezra, 
born  in  1779;  Mehetabel,  born  in  1783;  Lydia, 
born  in  1786;  Sally,  bom  in  1788;  Diana,  born 
in  1791;  Christian  Wadsworth,  born  in  1793; 
and  Blaney,  born  in  1797. 

(VI)  Ezra  Phillips,  of  Hanson,  Mass.,  son 
of  Lot  and  Diana  (Howland)  Phillips,  bom 
Oct.  2,  1779,  in  the  town  of  Hanson,  there 
grew  to  manhood.  He  owned  a  tract  of  land 
in  that  town  and  followed  farming,  making 
his  home  there  throughout  life.  He  lived  to 
a  ripe  old  age,  dying  July  6,  1857;  he  was 
buried  in  Hanson.  He  was  a  man  well  known 
and  respected,  a  good  citizen  in  every  way.  He 
married  (first)  in  1808  Mehetabel,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Allen,  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  two 
children  were  born  to  that  union :  Ezra,  horn 
Oct.  10,  1810,  and  Mehetabel,  born  in  1811, 
who  married  Charles  Beal  and  resided  in 
Turner,  Maine.  Mr.  Phillips  married  for  his 
second  wife,  in  1814,  Lucy,  daughter  of  Josiah 
Chamberlain,  and-^hey  had  three  children:  a 
son,  bom  in  1815,'- who  died  in  infancy,  un- 
named; Lucy  Pratt,  born  in  1821;  and  George, 
bom  in  1824.  For  his  third  wife  Mr.  Phillips 
married,  in  1833,  Nabby  Pratt,  widow  of  Jon- 
athan Pratt,  and  daughter  of  Mark  Phillips, 
of  East  Bridgewater.  She  died  May  6,  1863,  at 
her  home  in  Hanson,  leaving  one  son,  Lot, 
who  was  born  Feb.  13,  1841. 

(VII)  Lot  Phillips,  son  of  Ezra  and  Nabby 
(Phillips)  Phillips,  was  born  in  Hanson,  Mass., 
and  until  twenty-two  years  of  age  remained 
on  the  home  place,  attending  the  public  schools 

B9 


and  working  on  the  farm.  Of  a  mechanical 
turn  of  mind,  and  with  a  taste  in  that  direc- 
tion, he  learned  the  trade  of  millwright,  be- 
coming proficient  in  that  occupation,  at  which 
he  continued  until  1871.  Feeling  now  like  do- 
ing business  on  his  own  account,  he  became  as- 
sociated with  E.  Y.  Perry  &  Co.,  of  South 
Hanover,  this  firm  being  composed  of  E.  Y. 
Perry  and  Mr.  Phillips's  half-brother,  Ezra 
Phillips,  who  built  for  him  a  plant  for  the 
manufacture  of  wooden  boxes  and  the  grinding 
of  grain,  their  location  being  in  West  Hanover, 
Mass. ;  the  business  was  conducted  under  the 
firm  style  of  Lot  Phillips  &  Co.,  Mr.  Phillips 
being  given  a  half  interest  in  the  business 
which  he  was  to  pay  for  out  of  the  profits  of 
the  business.  When  Mr.  Phillips  began  busi- 
ness in  West  Hanover  it  was  a  mere  hamlet. 
But  owing  to  the  extensive  business  this  con- 
cern has  brought  to  the  place  ihe  point  has 
become  one  of  the  busiest  sections  of  the  town ; 
and  all  this  through  the  efforts  of  enterprise 
and  public  spirit  of  Lot  Phillips  &  Co.,  for 
they  have  been  wide-awake,  industrious  and 
progressive  men.  The  mill  business  still  con- 
tinues to  be  the  principal  industry  there  and 
the  employees  reside  in  comfortable  homes  in 
the  immediate  yicinity,  erected  principally 
through  Mr.  Phillips's  energy. 

Mr.  Phillips  started  in  business  in  a  modest 
way  and  by  his  own  sheer  pluck  and  good  busi- 
ness methods  has  increased  the  capacity  of 
the  original  plant  many  times,,  until  it  is  now 
one  of  the  largest  box  mills  in  this  part  of 
Massachusetts.  In  addition  to  the  mill  and 
box  business  at  West  Hanover  he  has  acquired 
by  purchase  a  number  of  other  smaller  mills 
in  Hanover  and  siirrounding  towns,  including 
the  old  Alahab  mill,  at  West  Hanover,  and 
others,  in  West  Duxbury,  East  Pembroke,  and 
elsewhere.  In  1904  the  business  was  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  Massachusetts,  with 
he  following  oflBcers:  Lot  Phillips,  president; 
T^red  Phillips,  secretary ;  J.  W.  Hinckley,  treas- 
urer. 

As  required  in  his  business,  Mr.  Phillips 
deals  quite  extensively  in  real  estate.  He  is 
an  experienced  woodman  and  knows  that 
branch  of  the  business  thoroughly.  He  super- 
intends personally  the  cutting  of  lumber  on 
his  woodland,  and  in  storm  and  sunshine 
makes  his  regular  trips  to  the  woods  all  through 
the  southern  Plymouth  county  tovras  where 
he  has  interests.  He  also  owns  a  nimiber  of 
farms  throughout  the  towns  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hanover  and  elsewhere.  He  conducts  his  busi- 
ness in  an  up-to-date  and  modem  manner.  He 
is  ever  looking  for  new  improvements  and  few 


930 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


in  business  are  more  progressive  than  he.  His 
success  in  business  is  due  to  his  careful  and 
shrewd  management.  He  is  square  and  open 
in  all  his  business  dealings  and  his  word  is  as 
goo(.l  as  his  bond.  He  has  in  his  employ  in  the 
neighborhood  of  eighty  to  one  hundred  hands 
and  this  number  is  greater  at  certain  seasons 
of  the  year. 

Mr.  Phillips  has  become  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  in  Hanover.  He  is  always  in- 
terested in  anything  for  the  benefit  of  the 
town  of  his  adoption  and  can  be  relied  upon 
to  be  upon  the  right  side  of  the  question.  His 
business  judgment  is  often  sought  by  people 
in  other  lines  of  industry.  He  takes  much  in- 
terest in  town  meetings,  and  it  is  rarely  in- 
deed that  he  misses  a  meeting. 

Mr.  Phillips  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
cemetery  committee  in  Hanover  for  several 
years  and  it  is  largely  through  his  efforts  that 
the  cemetery  at  Centre  Hanover  has  become 
one  of  the  handsomest  in  this  section.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Kockland  Commercial  Club 
and  has  served  on  many  important  committees, 
having  served  on  the  executive  committee  for 
the  past  several  years.  He  attends  the  First 
Congregational  Church  at  Centre  Hanover,  is 
a  member  of  the  parish  and  has  acted  as  treas- 
urer of  the  parish  for  many  years.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Abington  &  Kockland  Electric 
Light  &  Power  Company,  and  a  director  and 
vice  president  of  the  Rockland  Trust  Company, 
of  Rockland,  of  which  he  "was  one  of  the  in- 
corporators. 

Mr.  Phillips  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
while  he  has  never  held  any  office  he  has  served 
as  a  member  of  tlie  Republican  town  committee 
and  was  for  some  time  an  officer  of  the  Ply- 
mouth County  Republican  Club,  doing  much 
to  bring  that  organization  to  the  front  as 
one  of  the  political  powers  of  the  State.  He 
has  traveled  extensively  through  this  country 
and  has  a  wide  acquaintance  among  public 
men.  His  friends  and  fellow  citizens,  believ- 
ing the  people  of  the  district  were  in  want  of 
a  business  man  to  represent  them  in  the  Gen- 
eral Court  of  Massachusetts,  and  believing  him 
to  be  just  such  a  man  as  wanted,  urged  him, 
in  1906,  to  become  a  candidate  lor  representa- 
tive of  the  Rockland,  Hanover  and  Hanson 
district  at  the  party  caucus  held  in  September 
of  that  year,  and,  yielding  to  their  wishes,  his 
name  was  there  presented  ;  he  was  defeated  by 
but  three  votes. 

On  March  6,  1862,  Mr.  Phillips  married 
Sarah  E.  Barker,  who  was  born  in  Livermore, 
Maine,  May  26,  1842,  daughter  of  Lot  P.  and 
Elizabeth    (Soper)    Barker,  of   Hanson,   Mass. 


To  this  union  were  born  children  as  follows: 
(1)  George  W.,  born  Feb.  9,  1864,  died  Oct. 
13,  1889.  He  married  June  28,  1888,  Edith 
E.  Wheeler,  who  was  bom  July  9,  1868,  daugh- 
ter of  L.  F.  Wheeler,  of  Rockland,  Mass.,  and 
they  had  one  child,  George  W.,  Jr.,  born  Nov. 
13,  1889.  (2)  Mabel  G.,  born  Dec.  11,  1866, 
married  Edwin  T.  Whiting.  (3)  Fred  W., 
born  Jan.  10,  1870,  married  Aug.  18,  1896, 
Jane  F.  Drew,  daughter  of  Thomas  Drew,  and 
they  have  had  three  children;  Elizabeth,  born 
June  26,  1897;  Evalina  D.,  July  24,  1900;  and 
Lot  (2),  Sept.  11,  1903.  (4)  Flora  E.,  born 
Nov.  20,  1871,  married  Frank  S.  Alger,  editor 
of  the  Rockland  Standard.  (5)  Ezra  Burt, 
born  Oct.  18,  1873,  married  Dec.  25,  1894,. 
Mabel  F.  Turner,  daughter  of  Walter  F. 
Turner,  and  they  have  had  two  children,  Reta 
L.,  born  July  7,  1900,  and  Ezra  W.,  born 
March  6,  1906.  (6)  Lee,  born  April  8,  1879, 
married  April  19,  1906,  Elizabeth  W.  Curtis, 
daughter  of  Albert  J.  Curtis,  and  they  have- 
two  children:  Elizabeth,  born  May  11,  1907; 
anl  Hannah  Curtis,  born  Jan.  27,  1909.  (7) 
Hugh,  born  Feb.  1,  1882,  resides  at  home. 
The  mother  of  this  family  passed  away  in 
Hanover,  Mass.,  Jan.  9,  1907. 

SANFORD  (Attleboro  family).  For  some- 
two  hundred  years  the  Sanford  family  of  what 
comprised  ancient  Taunton  and  vicinity  has 
stood  out  conspicuously  in  the  learned  profes- 
sions. Reference  in  particular  is  made  to  those 
of  the  line  of  Capt.  Joseph  Sanford,  an  active 
patriot  of  the  American  Revolution,  four  of 
whose  immediate  family  were  college-bred  men 
and  ministers  of  the  gospel ;  while  many  of 
their  posterity  have  followed  in  their  foot- 
steps. And  now  for  some  sixty  years  there  has 
resided  in  the  town  of  Attlehoro  the  present 
venerable  Dr.  Edward  Sanford,  a  grandson  of 
Capt.  Joseph  Sanford,  the  patriot,  whose  long 
life  as  a  physician  and  citizen  has  been  one  of 
usefulness — one  that  should  be  an  incentive 
and  inspiration  to  the  youth  of  to-day. 

The  Taunton  records  proclaim  that  July  1, 
1713,  John  Sanford  was  married  to  Abigail 
Pitts.  These  were  the  ancestors  of  the  Attle- 
boro family  especially  considered  in  this  arti- 
cle. Abigail  was  born  in  1689  and  was  a 
granddaughter  jof  Peter  Pitts  and  Edward  Bab- 
bitt, of  Taunton,  and  great-granddaughter  of 
Miles  Tame,  of  Boston.  Mr.  Sanford  died  in 
1747. 

From  this  couple  the  lineage  of  the  present 
Dr.  Edward  Sanford  of  Attleboro  is  through 
Lieut.  George  Sanford  (1724-1820)  and  his- 
wife  Mary  Phillips,  who  died  in   1793;   Capt. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


931 


Joseph  Sanford  (1761-1834)  and  his  wife  Eli- 
nor Macomber  (1763-1845),  and  Rev.  Enoch 
Sanford  (1795-1890). 

Since  the  Revolutionary  period  the  Sanford 
family  in  question  has  had  such  a  connection 
with  Brown  University  as  is  unusual.  It  is  a 
matter  of  history  that  during  the  Revolution 
University  Hall  was  occupied  as  a  barracks 
for  the  Colonial  troops,  and  while  in  the  ser- 
vice during  the  struggle  for  liberty  it  fell  to 
the  lot  of  Capt.  Joseph  Sanford  to  be  quartered 
in  the  building  for  upward  of  a  year;  and  in 
after  years  he  used  to  say  with  a  twinkle  in 
his  eye  that  he  had  been  "through  college." 
He  reared  four  sons  who  cited  old  Brown  as 
their  alma  mater.  They  were :  Rev.  James 
and  Rev.  John,  of  the  class  of  1812 ;  Rev. 
Enoch,  of  the  class  of  1820;  and  Rev.  Baalis, 
of  the  class  of  1823 ;  and,  as  intimated  in  the 
foregoing,  a  number  of  their  posterity  have 
since  been  graduated  from  that  institution. 
Of  the  four  sons  of  Tirown  named,  James  after 
his  graduation  studied  divinity  and  for  years 
was  pastor  of  churches  of  the  Congregational 
denomination  in  the  States  of  New  York  and 
Massachusetts;  John  was  ordained  a  Congre- 
gational minister  in  1815,  was  for  years  an 
evangelist,  then  pastor  of  churches  in  Massa- 
chusetts; Enoch  was  also  for  many  years  a 
pastor,  and  of  whom  more  presently ;  and 
Baalis,  a  graduate  of  the  Andover  Theological 
School,  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  churches 
in  Massachusetts. 

Rev.  Enoch  Sanford,  D.  D.,  son  of  Capt. 
Joseph  and  Elinor  (Macomber)  Sanford,  was 
born  Oct.  26,  1795,  at  Berkley,  Mass.  He  was 
prepared  for  college  at  Phillips  Academy,  An- 
dover, Mass.,  under  John  Adams  as  principal. 
He  completed  the  preparatory  course  in  1816, 
and  then  entered  Brown  University.;  two 
brothers,  James  and  John,  as  stated,  had  pre- 
ceded him  at  Brown,  and  one,  Baalis,  followed 
him  later,  class  of  1823 ;  and  all  like  himself 
became  Congregational  preachers.  Enoch  was 
graduated  in  1820  and  in  1821  was  appointed 
tutor  in  his  alma  mater,  a  relation  he  sustained 
to  the  institution  for  two  years,  studying  theol- 
ogy at  the  same  time,  under  the  direction  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Calvin  Park,  then  professor  of  moral 
philosophy  and  metaphysics  in  the  college.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  oldest  person 
who  had  been  a  teacher  in  the  college.  While 
tlitor  Mr.  Sanford  was  the  teacher  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Barnas  Sears,  president  of  Brown  University, 
1855-67,  and  the  friendship  there  formed  be- 
tween them  la«ted  through  life. 

After  completing  his  course  of  theological 
study  Mr.  Sanford  was  ordained  and  settled  as 


pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  at 
Raynham,  Mass.  This  pastorate  he  held  for 
twenty-five  years.  He  subsequently  preached  at 
Halifax,  Wellfleet  and  Dighton,  Mass.,  and  for 
a  time  was  principal  of  the  Hollis  Institute,  at 
Braintree,  Mass.  His  residence  continued  to 
be  at  Raynham  throughout  his  life  and  there 
he  is  buried  among  the  people  of  his  first  choice. 
One  of  his  first  official  acts  on  assuming  his 
pastoral  charge  at  Raynham  was  the  formation 
of  a  Sunday  school,  not  then  a  common  insti- 
tution. As  he  became  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Berkley,  his  native  town, 
when  twelve  years  of  age,  he  was  at  tlie  time 
of  his  death,  so  far  as  could  be  ascertained, 
the  church  member  of  longest  standing  in  the 
State  of  Massachusetts. 

Dr.  Sanford's  interest  in  classical  and  mathe- 
matical studies  continued  without  abatement 
as  long  as  he  lived.  For  a  time  he  annually 
calculated  with  exactness  the  eclipses  of  the  sun 
and  moon  in  advance  of  the  calendar,  and  for 
many  years  annually  read  Homer.  His  mental 
clearness  and  vigor  were  unimpaired  to  the 
last,  though  he  was  physically  disabled  for  some 
months.     His  final  illness  lasted  but  one  week. 

Dr.  Sanford  was  the  author  of  several  local 
histories,  "Genealogy  of  the  King  Family,"  etc. 
He  was  corresponding  member  of  the  New 
York  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Society 
and  member  of  the  State  Historical  Society  of 
Wisconsin.  In  June,  1884,  the  University  of 
the  City  of  New  York  conferred  on  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

On  Dec.  14,  1823,  Mr.  Sanford  '  married 
Caroline,  only  daughter  of  Capt.  Solomon  and 
Lurane  (Loud)  White,  of  Braintree,  Mass. 
She  died  Sept.  16,  1870.  Their  five  children 
were:  Edward  Sanford,  M.  D.,  of  Attleboro, 
Mass. ;  L.  Augusta  Sanford,  now  living  on  the 
homestead  at  Raynham,  where  she  ministered 
faithfully  and  tenderly  for  many  years  to  her 
aged  parents;  Enoch  W.  Sanford,  M.  D.,  de- 
ceased, who  for  three  years  was  a  member  of  the 
class  of  1856  of  Brown  University;  Solomon 
W.  Sanford,  who  died  Sept.  16,'  1872;  and 
Hon.  Elliot  Sanford,  formerly  of  New  York, 
chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  court  of  Utah 
under  President  Cleveland. 

Dr.  Sanford  died  at  his  home  at  Raynham, 
Mass.,  Nov.  30,  1890,  at  the  age  of  ninety-five 
years,  one  month,  four  days. 

Dr.  Edward  Sanford,  son  of  Rev.  Enoch 
and  Caroline  (White)  Sanford,  was  born  in 
March,  1825,  at  Raynham,  Bristol  Co.,  Mass., 
and  in  the  schools  of  his  native  place  received 
his  early  education.  Later  he  furthered  his 
studies  in  the  Bristol   Academy  at   Taunton. 


932 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Deciding  upon  entering  the  medical  profession 
as  a  calling  in  life  he  was  prepared  for  the 
same  at  the  Harvard  Medical  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1852,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  He  located  in  that  same  year 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Attleboro, 
Mass.,  where  he  continued  in  it  for  fifty  and 
more  years,  and  with  that  degree  of  success 
that  his  earnest  efforts  have  merited ;  building 
up,  as  he  did  years  ago,  an  extensive  practice 
and  making  for  himself  that  reputation  in  the 
profession  that  has  long  been  characteristic  of 
the  Sanford  name. 

The  long  period  of  a  residence  of  nearly 
threescore  years  in  one  community  has  seen 
vast  changes ;  the  little  quiet  village  to  which 
the  Doctor  came  to  enter  upon  his  professional 
career  has  long  ago  talien  on  the  form  of  a  busy, 
tustling  city — has  become  the  center  of  a  great 
industry,  hardly  second  to  any  engaged  in 
jewelry  manufacturing  in  this  country.  The 
Doctor  has  seen  the  old  original  Attleboro  di- 
vided into  two  towns  as  a  result  of  the  growth 
of  this  section ;  he  has  witnessed  the  population 
increase  some  tenfold,  has  been  a  witness  to  the 
changing  conditions  which  have  brought  all 
this  about,  and,  too,  been  an  actual  partici- 
pant in  the  affairs  which  have  led  up  to  the 
present  high  civilization.,  For  some  thirty  or 
more  years  after  locating  in  Attleboro  he  had 
his  office  in  Park  street,  and  in  this  same  street, 
at  the  junction  of  South  Main  and  County 
streets,  he  built  for  himself  and  family  a  com- 
modious dwelling,  which  he  has  since  occu- 
pied, and  where  he  is  now  spending  the  evening 
of  life  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruit  of  his 
earlier  labors. 

Through  his  industry,  through  his  close  at- 
tention to  his  professional  duties,  and  through 
the  careful  management  of  his  business  affairs. 
Dr.  Sanford  has  prospered  and  is  the  owner  of 
considerable  real  estate,  lie  being  among  tlie 
largest  holders  of  real  estate  in  the  town,  to  the 
caring  of  which  he  has  for  some  few  years  given 
the  greater  part  of  his  time,  rather  making  the 
practice  of  his  profession  a  secondary  consid- 
eration. 

Dr.  Sanford's  affilmtions  have  been  with  the 
Republican  party.  His  fellow  citizens  have 
from  time  to  time  chosen  him  to  posts  of  re- 
sponsibility, trust  and  honor,  the  duties  of 
which  he  has  most  intelligently  and  faithfully 
performed.  He  has  ever  taken  a  deep  interest 
in  the  public  affairs  of  his  adopted  town,  ever 
favoring  such  measures  as  looked  to  him  as 
tending  to  its  progress  and  the  welfare  of  its 
people.  For  many  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  school  committee,  serving  as  its  chairman 


for  perhaps  twenty  or  more  years.  For  one 
term  he  represented  Attleboro  in  the  lower 
house  of  the  State  Assembly.  Ever  courteous 
and  genial  in  manner,  he  has  made  many 
friends  who  hold  him  in  esteem  and  respect. 
He  is  a  Freemason,  a  member  of  Bristol  Lodge 
and  of  the  council  and  chapter.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church 
at  Attleboro. 

Dr.  Sanford  has  been  twice  married,  mar- 
rying first  at  Attleboro  Olive,  daughter  of 
Archibald  Thompson,  a  well-known  citizen  of 
Attleboro.  Three  children  blessed  the  mar- 
riage :  Caroline  Eleanor,  who  married  Charles 
S.  Holden,  M.  D.,  of  Attleboro;  John  A.,  a 
graduate  of  Brown  University,  now  professor 
of  Latin  in  Adelphi  College,  Brookyln,  N.  Y. ; 
and  Mary,  now  the  wife  of  Dr.  William  Elliott, 
a  leading  dentist  of  Attleboro.  Dr.  Sanford 
married  (second)  Irene  M.  Fuller,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  , 

GARDNER.  (I)  Samuel  Gardner,  of  New- 
port, the  progenitor  of  the  Swansea  family  of 
that  name,  removed  in  1687  to  Freetown, 
Mass.,  and  in  1693  bought,  in  partnership  with 
Ralph  Chapman,  of  Ebenezer  Brenton,  a  farm 
at  Mattapoisett  (now  Gardner's  Neck),  South 
Swansea,  where  he  died  Dec.  8,  1696.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth,  widow  of  James  Brown,  and 
daughter  of  Robert  Carr  of  Newport.  She  was 
living  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Elizabeth,  born  in  1684,  died  Sept. 
24,  1754  (on  Jan.  16,  1699,  she  married  Ed- 
ward Thurston,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  who  died 
April  27,  1727)  ;  Samuel  was  born  Oct.  28, 
1685;  Martha,  born  Nov.  16,  1686,  died  Oct. 
27,  1763  (she  married  March  23,  1704,  Heze- 
kiah  Luther,  who  died  Nov.  2.  1763,  of  small- 
pox) ;  Patience,  born  Oct.  31,  1687,  married 
Thoma.s  Cranston;  Sarah,  born  Nov.  1,  1692, 
married  Samuel  Lee.  The  will  of  Samuel 
Gardner  read  as  follows:  "In  the  name  of 
God,  Amen,  I,  Samuel  Gardner,  of  ye  towne 
of  Swansey  in  ye  CoUony  of  ye  Massachusetts 
in  New  England  and  America,  being  very  sick 
&  wake  in  body  but  of  good  &  perfect  memory 
doth  declare  this  prest.  instrument  to  be  my 
last  will  and  testament. 

"Impris.  I  give  &  bequeth  my  soul  into  ye 
hands  of  Almighty  God  my  Creator  &  Redeem- 
er &  my  body  to  ye  earth  from  whence  itt  came 
to  be  decently  buried  according  to  ye  discration 
of  my  executors  hereafter  named  &  for  ye  rest 
of  my  worldly  estate  which  itt  hath  pleased 
God  Almightv  to  possess  me  with  I  do  order 
and  dispose  of  in  maner  &  forme  following. 

"Item.     Whareas  share  'was'  was  a  quarter 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


933 


of  share  of  land  lying  &  being  att  a  place  called 
Westquidnoag  in  the  Collony  of  Ehoade  Island 
&  three  pounds  of  money  given  unto  my  son 
Samuell  Gardner  &  my  son-in-law  Esek 
Browne  to  be  equally  divided  between  them 
both  I  do  freely  give  three  pounds  moar  for 
incordigement  toward  ye  settling  of  sd  quarter 
of  share  to  be  divided  equally  as  ye  other  is. 

''Item.  I  give  &  bequeth  it  my  son-in-law 
Esek  Browne  ye  'slip  of  land'  yt  I  bought  of 
Robert  Carr  which  joynes  on  James  Browne 
sotherly  and  on  sd  Robert  Carr  notherly  when 
he  Cometh  to  lawfull  age. 

"Item.  I  give  &  bequeth  unto  my  well  be- 
loved son  Samuell  Gardner  &  to  my  daughters 
Elizabeth,  Martha,  Sarah  &  Peacience  all  ye 
rest  of  my  estates  both  reall  &  personall  to  be 
divided  according  as  my  executors  shall  thing 
fitt  betwext  them  to  each  of  them  &  their  eaires 
forever. 

"Lastly,  I  do  appoynt  my  loving  brother 
Robert  Gardner  &  my  brother-in-law  Robert 
Carr,  both  of  New  Port  in  ye  Collony  of  Rhoad 
Island  to  be  my  executors  of  this  my  last  will 
&  testiment  &  doe  give  them  my  sd  executors 
full  power  to  actt  &  doe  as  they  shall  see  fitt 
to  be  done  for  ye  benifitt  of  my  above  sd  chil- 
dren be  itt  to  sell  lett  or  dispose  of  any  manor 
of  way  whatsoever. 

"I  do  further  giv  them  full  power  if  they  se 
cause  to  sell  partt  or  all  of  my  farme  I  now 
live  on  being  ye  half  part  of  ye  neck  of  land 
called  Matapoysett  att  Swansey  in  New  Eng- 
land. 

"In  testimony  wherof  I  ye  sd  Samuell  Gard- 
ner hath  hereunto  set  my  hand  &  efixed  my 
seal  this  twenty-eighth  year  of  ye  Rain  of  our 
Sovarain  'Lor'  William  ye  third  King  ever 
England  Scotland  France  &  Ireland  Defender 
ef  ye  faith  &c. 

"Samuel  Gardner,  Seal, 
"Signed,  sealed  &  acknowledged  in  presence 
of— 

"James  Cole-^ 

"James  Brown — 

"  'M.'  J.  Cole— 

"The  X  mark 

"Joanna  'Conant' 

"The  X  mark  of  Mary  Earle." 
"The  above  written  will  being  not  legally 
proved  in  regard  the  witnesses  cannot  swear  that 
the  testator  was  of  sound  memory  and  of  well 
disposing  minde  but  upon  their  oath  have  ac- 
cording to  theif  apprehensions  declared  the  con- 
trary whereupon  the  sd  will  being  voyde  ad- 
ministration is  granted  to  the  widow  as  the 
law  directs  as  attests. 

Jno.  SaSin, 
Feb.  16,  1696-97.  J.  Probate." 


(This  copy  was  duly  authenticated  by  Arthur 
M.  Alger,  register  of  Bristol  county,  Mass., 
July  8,  1903,  under  seal  of  the  Probate  court.) 

(II)  Samuel  Gardner  (2),  son  of  Samuel, 
was  born  Oct.  28,  1685.  He  was  married  Dec. 
6,  1707,  by  Gov.  Samuel  Cranston,  to  Hannah, 
born  Dec.  20,  1688,  daughter  of  Philip  and 
Mary  Smith.  He  died  Feb.  10,  1773,  and  she 
passed  away  Nov.  16,  1768.  Issue:  Elizabeth, 
born  Nov.  11,  1708,  died  Jan.  28,  1788,  mar- 
ried July  4,  1728,  Ambrose  Barnaby  (born 
April  20,  1706,  died  April  18,  1775)  ;  Mary, 
born  Oct.  26,  1710,  married  Jan.  31,  1731, 
Barnard  Hill ;  Samuel,  born  Oct.  30,  1712,  died 
young;  Samuel  (2),  born  Feb.  17,  1717,  is 
mentioned  below ;  Peleg  was  born  Feb.  22, 
1719;  Patience,  born  Feb.  17,  1721,  married 
March  30,  1738,  Dr.  John  Turner;  Hannah, 
born  in  1724,  died  Dec.  24,  1811,  married  Caleb 
Turner,  who  died  July  20,  1757;  Sarah,  born 
in  1726.  died  Feb.  29,  1808,  married  April  19, 
1744,  John  Mason  (born  Sept.  28,  1723,  died 
Nov.  27,  1805)  ;  Edward,  born  April  22,  1731, 
died  in  1795,  married  Jan.  11,  1756,  Esther 
Mason,  born  Sept.  2,  1735,  died  1806;  Martha 
was  married  to  Job  Mason  on  May  10, 
1753. 

(III)  Samuel  Gardner  (3),  son  of  Samuel 
(2),  was  born  Feb.  17,  1717.  He  married  Oct. 
30,  1740,  Content  Brayton,  who  was  bom  April 
3,  1724,  daughter  of  Preserved  and  Content 
Brayton.  Issue:  Elizabeth,  born  June  1,  1741, 
married  March  18,  1762,  Samuel  Luther;  Anne, 
born  Feb.  26,  1743,  married  June  10,  1762, 
Richard  Barton  (born  Feb.  9,  1738,  died  March 
1,  1797)  ;  Samuel,  born  March  5,  1745,  died 
Sept.  20,  1822,  married  Dec.  17,  1767,  Eliza- 
beth Anthony  (died  Feb.  14,  1816)  ;  Israel, 
born  April  14,  1747,  died  young;  Israel  (2), 
born  March  29,  1748.  died  Oct.  22,  1783,  mar- 
ried Nov.  6.  1772,  Elizabeth;  Parthenia  was 
born  Sept.  2.  1750;  William,  born  Sept.  12, 
1753,  married  Zerviah  McKoon;  Hannah,  born 
March  3,  1756,  died  July  16,  1835,  married 
Capt.  Simeon  Cockran;  Patience,  bom  Nov.  15, 
1758,  married  May  14,  1778,  Dr.  Jonathan  An- 
thony (born  July  12,  1757)  ;  Mary,  born  Dec. 

25,  1760,  died  Dec.  18,  1805.  married  Sept.  11, 
1785,  Caleb  Mason  (born  Feb.  11,  1756,  died 
July  2,  1812)  ;  Content  was  born  July  11, 
1764:  Stephen,  born  Aug.  4,  1766,  died  Nov. 

26,  1819,  married  July  22,  1788,  Mary  Lee 
(died  June  20,  1829)';  Parthenia  (2),  born 
Aug.  11,  1767,  died  Oct.  15,  1828,  married  Feb. 
14,  1790.  Elias  D.  Trafton. 

(IV)  William  Gardner,  son  of  Samuel  (3), 
born  Sept.  12,  1753,  married  Jan.  17,  1779, 
Zerviah,  daughter  of  James  and  Bathsheba 
(Luther)    McKoon.     He  died  April  24,  1811, 


934 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  she  passed  away  Sept.  15,  1824.  Cliildren : 
(1)  Brayton,  boril  Oct.  7,  1779,  died  June  7, 
1863,  married  Feb.  2,  1806,  (first)  Mercy 
Wood,  born  Feb.  22,  1773,  daughter  of  Aaron 
and  Freelove   (Mason)   Wood.     She  died  Oct. 

11,  1834,  and  he  married  (second)  Sarah  An- 
gell,  who  died  Sept.  22,  1840.  On  Dec.  13, 
1841,  he  married  (third)  Mrs.  Almira  Gardner, 
who  was  born  Sept.  14,  1796,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Hannah  (Anthony)  Mason,  and 
was  the  widow  of  Hezekiah  Gardner.  She  died 
Feb.  11,  1875.  (2)  Parthenv,  born  Nov.  28, 
1781,  died  Dec.  30,  1844,  married  Jan,  8,  1800, 
Henry  Gardner,  born  Jan.  14,  1773,  died  July 
15,  1857.  (3)  Israel,  born  Feb.  19.  1784,  died 
April  2,  1864,  married  April  19,  1807,  Rebecca 
Kelly,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth,  born 
June  18,  1787,  died  March  10,  1832.  (4)  Wil- 
liam, born  Aug.  23,  1786,  is  mentioned  below. 
(5)  Frances  was  born  May  5,  1789.  (6)  Sam- 
uel, born  Dec.  14,  1791,  died  May  3,  1873,  mar- 
ried March  20,  1820,  Patience  Hicks,  born  Feb. 
21,  1799,  died  July  6,  1880.  (7)  Sara,  born 
April  21,  1794,  died  Feb.  27,  1876,  married 
Nov.  16,  1825,  Martin  E.  Borden,  born  Feb. 
2,  1800,  died  July  14,  1870.  (8)  Zerviah,  born 
Aug.  30,  1796,  died  May  6,  1882,  married 
March  18,  1827,  John  Mason,  born  March  31. 
1800,  died  Nov.  20,  1884.  (9)  Elizabeth,  born 
May  11,  1799,  married  Sept.  2,  1827,  Nathan 
Bosworth.  (10)  Joseph,  born  May  5,  1801, 
died  Oct.  20,  1829.  (11)  James,  born  Aug.  30, 
1806,   died   July   30,   1890,   married   Jan.    17, 

1830,  Lydia  Bosworth,  born  Dec.  30,  1808,  died 
March  26,  1880. 

(V)  William  Gardner  (2),  son  of  William, 
born  Aug.  23,  1786,  died  March  31,  1872.  He 
married  Feb.  14,  1813,  Anne  L.  Gardner, 
daughter  of  Alexander  and  Anne  (Luther), 
born  Jan.  25,  1795,  died  Feb.  3,  1879.  Chil- 
dren: Slade,  born  April  4,  1814,  died  June  1, 
1848,  married  Feb.  21.  1842,  Hannah  M.  Lu- 
ther, who  died  Oct.  20,  1872;  Lydia,  born 
March  19,  1815,  died  Nov.  16,  1826;  Rosanna 
MacKoon,  born  Aug.  16,  1817,  married  Oct.  3, 
1836,  William  H.  Pearse,  born  June  15,  1813, 
died   May   9,   1892;   Mary  Taylor,  born  April 

12,  1822,  died  Sept.  1.3,  1893;  Charles  W., 
born  Sept.  18,  1829,  died  Sept.  20,  1875,  mar- 
ried March  15,  1855,  Sally  Carr  Cole,  born 
Sept.  27,  1830  (deceased)  ;' Nathan  Bosworth, 
born  Jan.  3,  1833,  died  Oct.  17,  1903,  married 
Nov.  15,  1860,  Mary  G.  Hicks   (born  Jan.  28, 

1831,  died  Feb.  5,  1900)  and  married  (second) 
Nov.  6,  1902,  Susan  M.  (Rounds)  Barton,  born 
Sept.  28,  1841;  Henry  Augustus  was  bom 
Sept.  12,  1835.  Mr.  Gardner  lived  at  Touisset 
for  many  years.     He  engaged  in  farming,  and 


though  he  was  a  good  shoemaker  he  did  not 
work  at  that  trade.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner 
were  members  of  the  First  Christian  Church  of 
Swansea.  In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  and  later 
a   Republican. 

(VI)  Henry  Augustus  Gardner,  born  Sept. 
12,  1835,  lived  the  early  part  of  his  life  at  the 
old  homestead  where  H.  E.  Wilbur  now  resides, 
and  for  several  years  has  lived  at  his  present 
house  near  Touisset  station.  Farming  has  al- 
ways been  his  occupation.  On  Dec.  11,  1864, 
he  married  Caroline  Cole  Mason,  born  Dec.  12, 
1839.  daughter  of  Zephaniah  S.  and  Susan 
(Vinnicum)  Mason.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gardner 
are  members  of  the  First  Christian  Church  of 
Swansea.  To  them  were  born  four  children : 
(1)  Orrin  Augustus,  born  July  21,  1867,  is 
mentioned  below.  (2)  Frank  Henry,  born 
Jan.  16,  1869,  graduated  from  the  Warren  (R. 
I.)  high  school  and  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  com- 
mercial business  college,  and  for  a  time  was 
bookkeeper  for  William  6.  Pearse,  of  Fall 
River.  He  attended  the  Christian  Biblical 
School  at  Stanfordville,  Dutchess  Co.,  N.  Y., 
was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  and  has  been  pas- 
tor of  churches  at  Schultzville,  N.-  Y.,  Lubec, 
Maine  (for  five  years),  and  (for  the  past  ten 
years)  Portsmouth.  N.  H.  He  married  May 
23.  1894.  Edith  May  Bufifington.  born  June  13, 
1874,  daughter  of  George  0.  and  Elizabeth 
(Langley)  Buffington.  (3)  William  Wilson, 
born  Jan.  2,  1875,  graduated  from  the  Warren 
(R.  I.)  high  school,  the  Friends'  School  at 
Providence.  R.  I.,  and  Amherst  College.  He 
taught  in  the  schools  of  Newtown  and  South 
Manchester,  Conn.,  and  the  B.  M.  C.  Durfee 
high  school,  at  Fall  River.  On  July  24,  1906, 
he  married  Josephine  H.  Cobb,  of  New  Bed- 
ford, born  Oct.  18,  1874,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Hamilton  Mason,  born  Nov.  7,  1911.  (4) 
Mabel,  born  Aug.  16,  1876,  died  Sept.  2,  1876. 

(VII)  Orrin  Augustus  Gardner,  son  of 
Henry  A.,  was  born  July  21,  1867.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  Warren  (R.  I.)  high  school,  the 
Bryant  &  Stratton  commercial  business  col- 
lege, and  the  Rhode  Island  State  normal  school. 
He  has  taught  in  the  schools  of  Swansea.  Tiv- 
erton and  Fall  River;  was  principal  of  the 
Highland  school,  Fall  River,  and  is  now  prin- 
cipal of  the  N.  B.  Borden  school  of  that  city. 


Mason  (Fall  River  family).  The  Masons  of 
that  section  of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island 
near  the  boundary  line  between  those  States  are 
descended  from  Sampson  Mason,  the  Dor- 
chester Rehoboth  settler.  Mrs.  Caroline  Cole 
(Mason)  Gardner  was  a  descendant  in  the 
seventh  generation  from  Sampson  Mason,  her 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  935 

line  of  descent  being  through  Samuel,  James,  married  (second)  Jan.  11,  175T),  Mrs.  Hannah 

John,   Samuel    (2)    and  Zephaniali   S.   Mason.  Holden,  of  Warwick,  R.  I.,  probably  widow  of 

These  generations  in  detail  and  in  the  order  John   Holden    and    daughter   of    Thomas   and 

named  follow.  Mary  (Green)  Fry.    Mr.  Mason  lived  in  Swan- 

(I)  Sampson  Mason  was  at  Dorchester,  sea,  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Colony ;  but  some 
Mass.,  in  1649.  In  a  History  of  the  Baptists  few  years  before  his  death  the  section  of  the 
in  America  it  is  stated  (presumably  founded  town  in  which  he  resided  was  given  to  Rhode 
on  family  tradition)  he  had  been  a  soldier  in  Island.  His  will  is  dated  in  Warren,  R.  I.; 
Cromwell's  army,  and  upon  the  turn  of  events  his  death  occurred  in  1755.  The  children  of 
<;ame  to  America  and  settled  in  Rehoboth.  He  James  and  Rose  (Hale)  Mason,  all  born  in 
married  Mary  Butterworth,  of  Weymouth.  Swansea,  were:  Nathaniel,  born  April  6,  1714 
Mass.,  and  about  this  time,  1650-51.  bought  (died  March  31,  1716)  ;  Elizabeth,  March  4, 
land  in  Rehoboth,  and  also  sold  land  there  in  1716  (died  in  infancy)  ;  Ann,  March  4,  1716 
1655-56.  As  early  as  1657  he  and  his  wife  and  (died  June  29,  1748);  Elizabeth,  July  25, 
-their  three  children  were  in  Rehoboth,  and  in  1718;  James,  March  13,  1720;  Hannah,  Sept. 
that  town  is  a  record  of  others  of  their  children.  22,  1721 ;  John,  Sept.  28,  1723;  Rose,  Feb.  19, 
all  likely  born  there.     Mr.  Mason  was  engaged  1725-26;  Mary,  March  5,  1730. 

in  extensive  land  speculation.     He  was  a  land  (IV)   John  Mason,  born  Sept.  28,  1723,  in 

holder    in    Rehoboth    North    Purchase,    which  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  April  19,  1743,  Sarah 

later  became  Attleboro ;  and  he  was  also  one  of  Gardner,  born  about  1726  in  Swansea,  daughter 

the  proprietors  of  Swansea,  in  which  town  his  of  Samuel  and  Sarah   (Smith)   Gardner.     Mr. 

descendants  for  many  years  were  prominent—  Mason  lived  at  Touisset  Neck,  in  Swansea  (but 

an  original  proprietor  on  the  town's  incorpora-  now  in  Warren,  R.  I.).    He  died  Nov.  27,  1805. 

-tion  in  1668.     It  was  about  this  time  probably  His  wife  died  Feb.  29,  1808.     Their  children 

that  he  united  with  the  First  Baptist  Church,  were:  Gardner,  born  Aug.  28,  1744;  Edward, 

hut   he   very   likely   never  moved   to   Swansea,  born  June  22,  1746,  who  died  Nov.  27,  1768; 

He  died   in   1676,   and   at   this   time   was   the  Haile,  born  Nov.   12,  1748,  who  died. in  Cal- 

owner  of  several  hundred  acres  of  land.     His  cutta  aged  forty;  Holden,  born  Feb.  18,  1750; 

-widow    died   in    1714.      Their   children   were:  Rose,   born    Oct.   2,   1752,  who   died    Feb.    13, 

:Noah,  born  in  1651-52;  Sampson,  about  1654  1822;   Hannah,  born   Feb.   9,   1755,  who  died 

(both  in  Dorchester);  Samuel,  Feb.  12,  1656-  Dec.    28,    1826;    Samuel,   born    Oct.    2,    1757; 

57;  John,  1657;  Sarah,  Feb.  15,  1658;  Mary,  Sarah,  born  June  1,  1759;  Mary,  born  about 

Peb.  7,  1659-60;  James,  Oct.  30,  1661;  Joseph,  1762,  who  died  Jan.   16,  1803;  and  Patience, 

July  15,  1667;  Pelatiah,  April  1,  1669;  Ben-  born  about  1765,  who  died  Feb.  18,  1847. 

janiin,  Oct.  20,  1670;  and  Thankful,  Oct.  27,  (V)   Samuel  Mason   (2),  born  Oct.  2,  1757, 

1672  (all  in  Rehoboth).  in  Warren,  R.  I.,  married  May  12,  1782,  Han- 

(II)  Samuel  Mason,  son  of  Sampson,  born  nah  Anthony,  born  Feb.  2,  1762,  daughter  of 
Teh  12  1656-57,  probably  in  Rehoboth,  mar-  Job  and  Mary  (Gardner)  Anthony.  She  died 
Tied  March  2,  1682,  Elizabeth  Miller,  of  Re-  Aug.  14,  1830.  He  died  Oct.  27,  1846.  Their 
Tioboth,  Mass.,  born  in  October,  1659.  She  died  children  were:  Lydia,  born  June  15,  1783,  died 
March  3,  1718,  and  he  married  (second)  Nov.  May  15,  1860;  Mary,  born  July  10,  1785,  mar- 
4,  1718,  Mrs.  Lydia  Tillinghast,  probably  ried  Joseph  Cole  Dec.  14,  1806;  Haile  was  born 
-widow  of  Rev.  Pardon,  of  Providence,  and  March  13,  1787;  Esther,  born  April  7,  1789, 
dau<Thter  of  Philip  and  Lydia  (Masters)  Tabor,  married  Hanan  Wilbur  (born  Aug.  5,  1785, 
She'^died  in  1720.  He  died  Jan.  25.  1743-44,  died  Sept.  17,  1845;  she  died  April  11,  1866)  ; 
-and  was  buried  in  the  old  Kickemuit  cemetery,  Sarah  was  born  Sept.  2,  1790;  Job  Anthony, 
in  what  is  now  Warren,  R.  I.  He  was  a  resi-  born  Nov.  16,  1792,  died  June  23,  1855;  Jo- 
dent  of  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  and  also  probably  of  anna,  born  Nov.  4,  1794,  died  July  27,  1856; 
toth  Seekonk  and  Swansea.  His  children,  all  Almira  was  born  Sept.  14.  1796;  Hannah,  born 
torn  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  were:  Samuel,  born  April  13,  1798,  died  March  29,  1870;  John  was 
June  9  1683;  James,  March  18,  1684-85;  born  May  31,  1800;  Samuel,  born  Sept.  8, 
Elizabeth  May  5,  1689;  and  Amos,  Feb.  18,  1802,  died  May  22.  1803;  Zephaniah  S.  was 
1699         '        '  born  Jan.  27,  1804;  Samuel  (2)  was  born  April 

(III)  James  Mason,  born  March  18,  1684-  22,  1809. 

85    in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  married    (first)    July  (VI)    Zephaniah    S.    Mason,   born   Jan.   27, 

20,  1713,  Rose,  born  May  30,  1692,  in  Swansea,  1804,  died  Nov.  11,  1844.     On  Dec.  18,  1828. 

Mass.,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Mary    (Bui-  he   married    Susan   Vinnicum,   and   they   had 

lock) 'Hale.     She  died  March  7,  1748,  and  he  Jhree  children:  William,  born  June  5,  1831; 


936 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Ann  Frances,  born  Nov.  14,  1834;  and  Caro- 
line Cole,  born  Dec.  12,1839  (married  Dec.  11, 
1864,  Henry  Augustus  Gardner). 

HENRY  MAYO  PEECIVAL,  who  has  been 
sheriff  of  Barnstable  county,  Mass.,  since  1907, 
was  born  in  Orleans,  that  county,  Nov.  4,  1855, 
eon  of  James  Warren  and  Chloe  Anna  (Mayo) 
Percival,  and  grandscjn  of  James  Percival. 

James  Warren  Percival  was  also  born  in  the 
town  of  Orleans,  was  for  some  years  a  captain 
in  the  coastwise  trade,  and  later  became  a  mer- 
chant on  his  own  account.  He  married  Chloe 
Anna  Mayo,  also  a  native  of  Orleans,  daughter 
of  Joseph  Collins  Mayo,  a  farmer  and  United 
States  government  contractor  who  carried  the 
mail  to  Provincetown ;  her  mother,  Harriet 
Snow,  was  a  daughter  of  Gideon  Snow,  post- 
master, town  clerk  and  merchant  at  Orleans. 
Rev.  Henry  Mayo,  of  Eastham,  Mass.,  a  Meth- 
odist minister,  was  Mrs.  Percival's  uncle. 

Henry  Mayo  Percival,  son  of  James  Warren, 
received  his  early  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Orleans  and  his  later  schooling  in  Boston. 
After  commencing  work  he  became  bookkeeper 
for  Batcheller  &  Co.,  wholesale  dealers  in  fish 
on  Long  wharf  (now  State  street),  Boston,  re- 
maining with  them  in  that  capacity  for  four 
years,  after  which  he  was  associated  with  a 
publishing  house  in  Boston  for  a  year.  He 
then  bought  a  grocery  store  at  Orleans,  Mass., 
which  he  conducted  for  only  a  couple  of  years, 
taking  a  position  with  Cummings  &  Howes, 
manufacturers  of  clothing  at  Orleans,  with 
whom  he  was  engaged  for  the  long  period  of 
twenty  years.  Meantime  he  had  served  some 
sixteen  years  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Barnstable 
county.  In  the  fall  of  1907  he  was  elected 
sheriff,  which  office  he  filled  for  three  years 
and  in  the  fall  of  1910  was  reelected  for  a  term 
of  five  years.  He  also  fills  the  position  of  jailer 
and  master  of  the  House  of  Correction.  Mr. 
Percival  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school 
committee  of  Orleans,  and  was  appointed  no- 
tary public,  having  at  the  same  time  also  re- 
ceived his  commission  as  justice  of  the  peace 
under  Governor  Robinson;  he  has  held  these 
offices  for  the  last  twenty  years.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican on  political  questions. 

Mr.  Percival  is  very  well  known  socially,  be- 
ing a  member  of  Pilgrim  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  Harwich,  Barnstable  county;  of  Frater- 
nal Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Orleans;  of  the  Old 
Colony  Club,  Buzzard's  Bay ;  and  of  the  Satur- 
day Night  Club  of  Hyannis.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Universalist  Church. 

Mr.  Percival  was  united  in  marriage  (first) 
to  Luella    F.   Hopkins,   of  Orleans,  a  native 


of  that  place,  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah 
A.  (Linnell)  Hopkins,  the  former  of  whom 
was  captain  of  a  packet  boat  in  days  past;  he 
is  still  living  at  Orleans,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
four  years.  Solomon  Linnell,  father  of  Mrs. 
Hannah  A.  (Linnell)  Hopkins,  was  a  clock- 
maker  and  jeweler  of  Orleans,  where  he  lived 
to  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  Mrs.  Percival 
died  in  December,  1887,  leaving  no  children. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Universalist  Church. 
On  Oct.  27,  1909,  at  Waltham,  Mass.,  Mr.  Per- 
cival married  Emma  J.  Linnell,  daughter  of 
Solomon  and  Abigail  (Smith)  Linnell,  of  Or- 
leans, Massachusetts. 

KEMPTON.  The  family  of  Kempton  is  an 
old  one  in  New  Bedford,  the  first  ancestor,  (I) 
Ephraim  Kempton,  appearing  in  Plymouth  in 
1643.  He  was  included  in  the  list  of  those 
able  to  bear  arms  at  that  time,  with  Ephraim,. 
Jr.,  but,  says  Savage,  his  name  was  erased  be- 
cause no  doubt,  he  was  too  old  or  infirm,  and 
I'e  died  May  5,  1645.  It  is  not  known  when 
he  came,  but  it  was  after  1627,  as  his  name  is 
not  mentioned  in  the  division  of  cattle  of  that 
year. 

(II)  Ephraim  Kempton  (2),  of  Scituate^ 
son  of  Ephraim,  born  in  England,  married  Jan. 
28,  1646,  Joanna  Rawlins,  daughter  of 
Thomas.  Their  children  were  :  Joanna,  bom 
Sept.  29,  1647;  Patience,  born  Oct.  2,  1648; 
Ephraim,  born  Oct.  1,  1649 ;  and  Menasseh, 
born  Jan.  1,  1652,  who  died  in  1655. 

(III)  Ephraim  Kempton  (3),  son  of 
Ephraim  (2),  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  Reeves,  of  Salem.  Their  children  were: 
Ephraim,  born  in  1674;  Stephen,  born  in 
1676;  and  Samuel,  born  in  1681. 

(IV)  Ephraim  Kempton  (4),  son  of 
Ephraim  (3),  born  in  1674,  married  in  1702 
Patience,  daughter  of  Elder  Thomas  Founce. 
He  had  removed  to  Salem  before  1677,  and 
perhaps  went  to  Plymouth  late  in  life.  His 
widow  lived  to  be  much  over  one  hundred  years 
old.  She  remembered  having  seen  the  head 
of  King  Philip  on  a  pole  at  Plymouth,  where- 
it  had  remained  over  twenty  years.  Ephraim 
Kempton  was  a  goldsmith  at  one  time  in  Bos- 
ton. His  children  were :  Ephraim  (5),  born 
in  1703;  Thomas,  born  in  1705;  William,  born 
in  1707;  and  Joanna,  born  in  1710,  who  mar- 
ried Joshua  Drew. 

(V)  Thomas  Kempton,  son  of  Ephraim  (4), 
of  Plymouth  and  Dartmouth,  married  in  1730' 
Esther  Troop,  of  Bristol,  R.  I.,  and  had  chil- 
dren born  as  follows:  Esther,  1736;  Thomas, 
1740;  Hepsibah,  1743;  Ephraim,  1746;  Mary, 
1750;  David,  1753;  and  Jonathan,  1754. 


SiAAc^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


937 


(VI)  Ephraim  Kempton,  son  of  Thomas, 
bora  Jan.  26,  1745-46,  died  Jan.  25,  1803.  He 
married  May  8,  1774,  Elizabeth  Tupper,  who 
died  Nov.  29,  1848,  aged  ninety-five.  Their 
children  were:  Lydia,  born  in  June,  1774, 
married  May  26,  1795,  Peter  Foster;  Mary, 
born  in  1777,  married  Oct.  13,  1805,  Paul 
Kempton;  David,  born  in  1779,  married  Dec. 
22,  1805,  Joanna  Maxfield ;  Thomas,  Esq.,  born 
in  1783,  married  Feb.  27,  1819,  Mary  Taber, 
and  died  Dec.  5,  1826;  Ephraim,  born  in  1789, 
is  mentioned  below;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1794, 
married  Oct.  17,  1813,  Alanson  Gooding. 

(VII)  David  Kempton,  son  of  Ephraim, 
born  in  1779,  died  Aug.  30,  1830.  On  Dec.  22, 
1805,  he  married  Joanna  Maxheld,  who  died 
Aug.  26,  1826.  Their  children  were:  Fred- 
erick, David  Batchelder,  Susanna  (Mrs.  Lind- 
sey),  Ephraim,  Elizabeth,  Emily,  Eoland  F., 
Louisa  and   Rodolphus. 

(VIII)  David  Batcheldek  Kempton  was 
a  native  of  New  Bedford,  born  April  25,  1818, 
son  of  David  and  Joanna  (Maxfield)  Kemp- 
ton, and  a  direct  descendant  of  Ephraim 
Kempton,  of  Plymouth,  the  first  American  an- 
cestor of  the  family.  He  attended  the  schools 
of  his  native  town  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twelve  years,  at  which  time,  his  parents  having 
died,  he  went  to  live  with  his  father's  brother, 
J']phraim  Kempton,  and  learned  from  him  the 
house  carpenter's  trade.  He  remained  with 
Kim  from  that  time  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority, after  which  he  worked  at  his  trade  for 
twelve  years,  ten  years  of  this  time  doing  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account.  Then  he  became  an 
agent  or  managing  ownfr  of  whaling  vessels, 
and  continued  in  that  business  until  1877,  a 
period  of  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
That  year  he  visited  the  countries  of  the  Old 
World,  traveling  extensively  over  Europe  as 
far  east  as  Constantinople,  and  also  visiting 
the  Holy  Land.  Previously  he  was  connected 
with  the  New  Bedford  Flour  Mill  as  director 
and  president,  until  the  destruction  of  the  mill 
by  fire,  Sept.  13,  1870.  He  became  president 
of  the  Pope's  Island  Manufacturing  Corpora- 
tion, a  director  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank, 
a  director  of  the  New  Bedford  Gas  and  Edison 
Light  Company,  and  active  in  other  business 
ventures.  He  served  his  city  in  various  posi- 
tions long  and  well.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
city  council  m  1864-65-66,  and  the  latter  year, 
at  "the  beginning  of  the  construction  of  the  New 
Bedford  waterworks,  was  elected  to  the  water 
board,  with  William  W.  Crapo  and  Warren 
Ladd  as  associate  members.  In  this  capacity 
he  ser\'ed  for  about  two  years  and  was  still  a 
member  of  the  board  at  the  time  of  his  death. 


He  was  warden  of  Ward  Five,  New  Bedford, 
in  1875-76-77.  In  1888  and  1890  he  repre- 
sented the  city  in  the  Legislature. 

In  1842  Mr.  Kempton  was  married  (first) 
to  Sarah  Bates  Lindsey,  daughter  of  the  late 
Benjamin  Lindsey,  Sr.,  editor  of  the  New  Bed- 
ford Mercury,  and  by  her  had  one  son,  Francis 
H.,  of  Providence.  In  1879  David  B.  Kemp- 
ton married  (second)  Susan  H.  Jennings, 
daughter  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Jennings.  His  resi- 
dence, built  in  1882,  on  the  corner  of  County 
and  North  streets.  New  Bedford,  is  on  the  spot 
where  he  was  born,  and  which  has  been  occu- 
pied by  the  Kemptons  for  a  period  of  more 
than  two  hundred  and  forty  years.  The  land 
was  originally  bought  of  the  Indians,  as  ap- 
pears by  a  deed  dated  New  Plymouth,  Nov.  29, 
1652,  when  the  whole  township  of  Dartmouth 
was  sold  by  Wesamequen  and  his  son  Wamsutta 
to  John  Cook  and  others.  It  was  bought  in 
"34  whole  parts  and  no  more,"  in  the  language 
of  tlie  deed;  and  parts  of  this  property  in  Mr. 
Ivemptcm's  postession  had  up  to  1899  never 
been  deeded.  David  Batchelder  Kempton  died 
Maixli  4,  1899.  He  attended  the  Unitarian 
Churfh,  and  gave  liberally  toward  its  support. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  32nd-degree  Mason. 


(VII)  Ephraim  Kempton,  son  of  Ephraim 
and  Elizabeth  (Tupper)  Kempton,  born  in 
1789,  died  Aug.  19,  1863.  He  married  (first) 
Aug.  25,  1811,  Mary  Hillman,  and  (second) 
July  3,  1845,  Elizabeth  S.  Shulor,  daughter 
of  Welcome  M.  Chase,  of  Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 
His  children  were:  Horatio  A.,  born  June  27, 
1812;  and  Mary  H.,  born  June  30,  1823. 

(VIII)  Horatio  A.  Kempton,  son  of 
Ephraim,  bom  June  27,  1813,  died  Nov.  2, 
1885.  On  Sept.  21,  1841,  he  married  Caroline 
Newhall  Thornton,  born  in  Leicester,  Mass., 
July  15,  1814,  and  died  Sept.  11,  1862.  Their 
children  were :  Clara  Earle,  born  Nov.  27, 
1844,  married  29th  day,  10th  month,  1873, 
Peleg  C.  Howland,  and  died  15th  day,  8th 
month,  1879;  Mary,  born  March  27,  1848, 
died  Aug.  29,  1851 ;  Elizabeth  Thornton,  bom 
Nov.  1,  1850,  married  16th  day,  lltb  month, 
1882,  Peleg  C.  Howland,  and  "died  March  7, 
1896;  and  Jane  Delano,  born  Jan.  3,  1854, 
died  Feb.  12,  1868. 

MORSE.  The  surname  Morse  is  that  of  an 
old  English  family  occurring  as  early  as  1368, 
in  the  time  of  Edward  III.,  during  whose  reign 
Hugho  de,  Mors  undertook  a  journey  to  France 
during  a  truce  with  that  country  and  the  cap- 
tivity of  her  king.  The  name  is  found  still 
earlier  in  Germany. 


938 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


One  Eobert  Morse,  of  Stoke  next  Nayland, 
England,  made  his  will  Oct.  9,  1552.  It  was 
proved  at  Bury  St.  Edmunds  Sept.  15,  1553, 
bequeathing  to  wife  Agnes  and  children  as  fol- 
lows :  John,  the  eldest,  Thomas,  Richard,  John, 
the  younger  (two  sons  of  the  same  name), 
Alice,  Jane,  Margaret  and  Katherine. 

Richard  Morse,  son  presumably  of  Robert 
Morse,  and  the  Richard  who  was  a  minor  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death  in  1553,  married 
Eeb.  15,  1586,  Margaret  Symson,  at  Dedham, 
England.     They  had  a  son  Samuel. 

(I)  Samuel  Morse,  son  of  Richard  Morse, 
baptized  July  15,  1587,  at  Dedham,  England, 
married  in  England,  his  wife's  name  being 
Elizabeth.  He  sailed  from  England  April  15, 
1635,  in  the  ship.  "Increase."  He  went  to 
Dedham,  Mass.,  with  the  first  settlers  and  his 
name  was  third  on  the  list  of  signers  to  the 
Dedham  compact ;  his  sons  Daniel,  Joseph  and 
John  also  signed.     He  was  collector  of  ta.xes 

■  in  1636,  member  of  the  first  board  of  selectmen, 
and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  first  church. 
His  house  was  burned  by  the  Indians  Feb.  2, 
1675.  He  was  admitted  a  freeman  Oct.  8,  1640, 
and  later  removed  to  the  adjoining  town  of 
Medfield,  where  his  descendants  have  been 
among  the  most  prominent  citizens.  He  died 
in  Dedham  April  5,  1654.  Mrs.  Morse,  who 
was  forty-eight  years  old  when  she  came  to  this 
country  with  her  husband  and  children,  died 
June  20,  1655.  Children,  born  in  England: 
John,  born  in  1611;  Daniel,  born  in  1613;  Jo- 
seph, born  about  1615 ;  Abigail,  married  to 
Daniel  Fisher,  of  Dedham;  Mary,  married  to 
Samuel  Bullen ;  Jeremiah,  who  went  east,  per- 
haps to  England ;  Samuel,  who  lived  in  Ded- 
ham and  who  married  Mary  Bullen. 

(II)  John  Morse,  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth Morse,  born  in  1611,  in  England,  came 
to  this  country  after  his  parents,  and  was  ad- 
mitted a  proprietor  of  Dedham  and  had  a  lot 
assigned  to  him  in  1637.  He  became  a  church 
member  in  1640.  On  Aug.  18,  1636,  he  had  a 
house  lot  of  two  acres  granted  him,  and  twelve 
acres  more  from  his  father.  This  land  he  sold 
Nov.  27,  1654,  and  removed  to  Boston,  where 
he  followed  the  tailor's  trade.  He  married 
Agnas  or  Agnes  Chickering,  who  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1691.  He  died  Nov.  16,  1657.  His 
will,  dated  Dec.  18.  1655,  was  proved  June  18, 
1658.  Children:  Ruth,  born  June  3,  1637, 
married  (first)  Joseph  Ellis  and  (second) 
on  March  3,  1675,  John  Brackett;  John 
born  June  8,  1639,  married  Elizabeth  Bosworth 
and  settled  in  Boston ;  Samuel,  baptized  March 
5,  1640,  died  young;  Rachel  (twin),  baptized 
March  5,  1640,  died  young;  Joseph  was  born 


Feb.  3,  1640-41;  Ezra  was  born  Feb.  5,  1643; 
Abigail,  born  March  2,  1646,  married  (first) 
Israel  Everett  and  (second)  William  Jones; 
Ephraim  was  born  July  19,  1648;  Bethiah, 
born  March  28,  1651,  married  Capt.  Timothy 
Dwight,  of  Dedham;  Nathaniel  was  born  May 
2,    1653. 

(Ill)  Joseph  Morse,  son  of  John  and  Agnas 
or  Agnes  (Chickering)  Morse,  born  Feb.  3, 
1640-41,  married  Nov.  12,  1668,  Priscilla  Col- 
burne  (or  Colburn),  and  settled  in  Medfield, 
Mass.,  near  what  was  called  "Death's  Bridge," 
where  he  built  a  house  in  the  time  of  King 
Philip's  \far.  He  died  in  1689. 
•  (IV)  Rev.  Joseph  Morse  (8),  son  of  Joseph 
and  Priscilla  (Colburne)  Morse,  born  May  25, 
1671,  in  Medfield,  Mass.,  married  Amity  Har- 
ris, by  whom  he  had  six  children.  Mr.  Morse 
was  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1695. 
After  leaving  college  he  went  to  Providence, 
R.  I.,  and  while  there  engaged  in  teaching 
school  he  met  and  married  Miss  Harris.  In 
1701  he  went  to  Watertown  Precinct,  where  he 
also  taught  school,  and  gathered  a  congrega- 
tion, who  built  him  a  meetinghouse ;  and  on 
July  6,  1702,  a  call  was  extended  to  him  to 
settle  over  th'em.  He  continued  his  services 
with  that  people  until  1706.  In  January,  1707, 
he  went  to  the  new  village  of  Canton,  where 
he  preached  for  a  decade  and  more.  He  was 
ordained  as  pastor  of  the  church  in  Dorchester 
village  in  October,  1717.  A  disaffection  be- 
tween Rev.  Mr.  Morse  and  the  church  arose  and 
about  1727  he  was  dismissed,  but  remained  a 
member  of  the  church  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  Nov.  29,  1732.  "Dec.  1,  1733.— This 
day  was  interred  the  Rev.  Mr.  Joseph  Morse,  a 
member  of  this  church,  and  first  pastor  of  this 
church." 

(V)  Henry  Morse,  son  of  Rev.  Joseph  and 
Amity  (Harris)  Morse,  married  in  Stoughton, 
Mass.,  Abigail  Clapp,  and  they  had  six  chil- 
dren, among  them  Asa,  born  Nov.  7,  1752. 

(VI)  Asa  Morse,  son  of  Henry  and  Abigail 
(Clapp)  Morse,  horn  Nov.  7.  1752,  in  Canton, 
Mass.,  married  Hannah  Griggs,  of  Roxbury. 
He  was  a  resident  of  Canton,  Mass.,  in  1778. 
They  had  seven  children,  among  them  a  son 
James. 

(VII)  James  Morse,  son  of  Asa  and  Hannah 
(Griggs)  Morse,  was  a  hatter  by  trade  and 
occupation ;  he  lived  in  Dedham,  Mass.  He 
was  musically  inclined,  interested  in  military 
affairs,  and  at  one  time  was  clerk  of  a  local 
military  company.     He  married  Lucy  Whiting. 

(VIII)  Edward  J.  W.  Morse,  son  of  James 
and  Lucy  (Whiting)  Morse,  was  born  April  10, 
1809,  in  Dedham,  Mass.     He  received  a  com- 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


939 


mon  school  education,  and  conditions  putting 
him  early  in  the  way  of  caring  for  himself 
from  a  lad  he  worked  in  cotton  mills  in  Ded- 
ham  and  Mansfield,  Mass.,  as  mule  spinner; 
and  through  his  attentive  industry,  through 
the  force  of  a  strong  individuality  and  a  laud- 
ahle  ambition,  he  rose  to  high  financial  stand- 
ing and  to  fortune.  He  went  to  Easton,  Mass., 
-about  1828,  to  take  charge  of  a  cotton  cloth 
factory  as  agent  and  manager,  though  then  but 
nineteen  years  of  age.  About  the  year  1833 
lie  began  the  manufacture  of  cotton  thread  as 
a  member  of  the  firm  E.  J.  W.  Morse  &  Co. 
Mr.  Morse  ever  afterward  made  his  home  in 
Easton.  It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  at  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  connected  with  busi- 
ness in  the  same  building  in  which  he  com- 
menced his  labors.  This  business,  too,  con- 
tinued in  the  family  name  up  to  1900,  when 
it  was  sold,  it  succeeding  to  sons  and  grand- 
sons. Edward  N.  Morse,  son  of  the  founder 
•of  the  business,  succeeded  the  father.  The 
•elder  Morse  established  his  business  in  eight 
other  places,  and  he  himself  was  a  general  part- 
ner in  each  manufactory,  six  of  these  being  in 
Easton,  one  in  Kingston,  Mass.,  and  one  in 
Milford,   New  Hampshire. 

Mr.  Morse  needs  no  eulogy;  one  has  only  to 
read  between  the  lines  of  this  brief  sketch  to 
judge  of  the  man.  The  building  up  of  the 
enormous  business  just  outlined  in  a  little  more 
than  a  score  of  years  indicates  something  of  his 
energy,  activity,  capacity  and  ability.  He  was 
uniformly  successful  in  his  undertakings.  He 
lived  to  be  but  fifty-six  years  of  age,  yet  so  well 
had  he  wrought  that  at  the  close  of  life  he  was 
the  largest  land  owner  in  Easton. 

In  his  religious  faith  he  was  a  Congrega- 
tionalist,  having  united  with  that  denomination 
when  seventeen  years  of  age  and  continued  in 
fellowship  to  the  end  of  his  life.  A  Whig  and 
Republican  in  his  political  affiliation,  he  took 
BO  active  part  in  politics,  leaving  to  those  who 
cared  for  them  the  emoluments  and  honors  of 
official  place.  He  had  decided  musical  tastes. 
When  but  eighteen  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Medfield  brass  band,  was  leader  of  the  church 
choir  of  Easton  for  years,  bought  for  the  church 
its  first  organ,  and  was  its  organist,  and  he 
retained  the  same  position  when  the  larger  one 
was  introduced. 

While  positive  in  his  own  convictions  Mr. 
Morse  was  very  considerate  of  the  opinions  of 
others,  did  much  to  mold  public  opinion,  and 
had  many  warm  and  stanch  friends.  He  was 
liberal  to  all  good  objects,  social  and  full  of 
humor  in  his  associations  with  others,  but  while 
very  aSable  and  courteous  was  a  man  of  prompt 


decision  and  resolute  character.  He  could  and 
would  say  "no"  to  all  plans  or  schemes  of  which 
his  judgment  did  not  approve. 

On  May  17,  1830,  Mr.  Morse  married  Eliza 
Copeland,  who  was  born  at  Warren,  Maine, 
Aug.  25,  1805,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Cather- 
ine (Storer)  Newcomb,  of  Mansfield,  Mass.,  he 
a  direct  descendant  of  Francis  Newcomb,  an 
Englishman  who  came  to  New  England  in 
April,  1635,  then  aged  thirty  years,  with  his 
wife  Rachel,  aged  twenty,  and  their  two  chil- 
dren, and  lived  in  Boston  some  three  years, 
when  he  settled  in  what  was  later  Braintree, 
Mass.,  that  part  now  Quincy ;  from  whom  his 
descent  is  through  Peter,  Jonathan,  Jonathan 
(2)  and  Jonathan  (3).  Shortly  after  her  mar- 
riage— she  going  to  Easton  on  her  wedding 
day — Mrs.  Morse  united  with  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  there,  with  which  she  was  in 
communion  for  many  years,  until  her  death, 
April  9,  1883,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
seven  years.  Two  children  blessed  this  mar- 
riage :  Edward  N.  and  Caroline  E.  The  daugh- 
ter, born  July  7,  1834,  died  Oct.  24,  1856. 

Edward  J.  W.  Morse  died  at  Saratoga,  N. 
Y.,  Aug.  17,  1865,  and  is  buried  in  South 
Easton  cemetery. 

(IX)  Edwaed  Newcomb  Morse,  son  of  Ed- 
ward J.  W.  and  Eliza  Copeland  (Newcomb) 
Morse,  was  born  Oct.  12,  1831.  He  succeeded 
his  father  in  manufacturing.  He  married  Oct. 
4,  1854,  Hannah  Alice  Bryant,  born  Jan.  18, 
1833,  daughter  of  Deacon  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Bassett)  Bryant,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and 
they  had  the  following  children  :  Caroline  Alice, 
born  in  Easton  Oct.  24,  1856,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Abner  J.  Tower,  of  Boston ;  Edward 
John  Whiting,  born  Oct.  5,  1858,  who  died 
Jan.  2,  1907;  Gertrude  Bassett,  born  Oct.  5, 
1858  (twin),  who  married  Eugene  C.  Belcher, 
of  Newtonville,  Mass. ;  Alfred  Bryant,  born 
Dec.  29,  1861 ;  Grace  Newcomb,  born  July  2, 
1867.  who  died  Aug.  27,  1868;  Justin  Neu- 
hert,  born  March  9,  1869 ;  and  Florence  Wini- 
fred, born  Jan.  27,  1876,  wife  of  J.  Cheney 
Wells,  of  Southbridge,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Morse  died  Dec.  23,  1889,  aged  fifty- 
eight  years;  his  wife  died  Dec.  14,  1883,  aged 
fifty  years. 

(X)  Alfred  Bryant  Morse,  son  of  Edward 
Newcomb  and  Hannah  Alice  (Bryant)  Morse, 
was  born  in  Easton,  Mass.,  Dec.  29.  1861.  He 
was  educated  principally  in  the  public  schools 
of  Easton,  finishing  at  a  private  Latin  school 
on  Charles  street,  Boston.  He  succeeded  to 
this  business  of  his  father  and  grandfather  in 
the  manufacture  of  cotton  thread,  continuing 
same  up  to  1900,  when  he  sold  out  to  the  thread 


940  SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 

trust,  and  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  Samuel  and  Esther,  was  born  Feb.  8,  1680,  and 

manufacture   of   automobiles   and  textile   ma-  died  July  24,  1761. 

chinery,  having  extensive  plants  for  the  pur-  (IV)  Deacon  Thomas  Man,  son  of  Theodore 

pose    at    South    Easton.     Altogether,    he    has  and  Abigail,  was  born  Oct.  11,  1721,  and  died 

taken  out  eighty  patents  on  automobile,  textile  March  19,  1807.    He  and  his  wife  Mary,  who 

and  electric  machinery,  etc.  died  Oct.  29,  1812,  had  children  born  as  fol- 

Mr.  Morse  married  June  4,  1885,  Julia  Alice,  lows:  Hannah,  Oct.  16,  1746;  Ariel,  June  20, 

daughter  of  Jacob  Brownell  and  Julia  Eansted  1748    (died   Jan.   4,   1777)  ;   Moses,   Feb.   18, 

(Palmer)    Mann,    of    Stoughton   and   Easton,  1749-50;  Aaron,  Jan.  31,  1752  (N.  S.) ;  Jacob, 

Mass.,   and  they  have   three   children:   Dorris  March  12,  1754;  David,  Feb.  6,  1756;  Eunice, 

Brownell,  born  March  8,  1891;  Neubert  Bas-  Oct.  12,  1758;  Lois,  July  6,  1760  (died  1812); 

sett,  born  Aug.  7,  1896;  and  Alice  Lucile,  born  Mary,  March  18,  1764  (died  May  3,  1764). 

Feb.   24,   1898.  (V)  Jacob  Man,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary, 

(X)  Justin  Neubert  MoKSE,  son  of  Edward  died    March    4,    1825.      He    married    Mary 

Newcomb  and  Hannah  Alice  (Bryant)  Morse,  Brownell,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Patience 

was  born  in  Easton  March  9,  1869.     He  was  Brownell,  and  she  died   Sept.  3,  1831.     They 

educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  had  three  children:     (1)    Nancy,  born   Sept. 

town,  at  Berkley  School,  Boston,  and  Harvard  26,   1782,  died   Feb.   28,   1815.     She  married 

College.     He  began  his  business  career  in  the  Isaac  Hall,  and  they  had  children  as  follows: 

cotton  thread  manufacturing  business  with  his  Isaac,  born  Oct.  6,  1805 ;  Oliver  Wendall,  born 

brothers  E.  J.  W.  and  A.  B.  Morse,  at  South  Jan.  2,  1807;  Mary  Ann,  born  Aug.  28,  1808; 

Easton,  in  1891,  continuing  thus  until  1900,  Nancy  Man,  born  May  19,  1812,  who  died  July 

and  has  since  been  connected  with  the  Rich-  29,  1829;  a  son,  born  Jan.  31,  1814,  who  died 

mend  Lace  Works,  Easton  Machine  Company  Feb.   1,  1814;  and  a  daughter,  born  Feb.  25^ 

and  other  concerns,  in  which  he  holds  the  posi-  1815,  who  died  the  same  day.     (2)   Adonlram 

tion  of  treasurer.     His  first  marriage,  on  June  Judson    is    mentioned    below.     (3)    Brownell, 

12,    1901,   was   to   Herberta    Whipple-Gunton,  born  Sept.  24,  1787,  died  Oct.  6,  1810. 

daughter    of    Edward    and    Amelia    (Austin)  (VI)  Adoniram  Judson  Man,  son  of  Jacob 

Whipple,  of  Cambridge,  N.  Y.    By  her  he  had  and  Mary,  was  born  Dec.  20,  1784,  and  died 

one  daughter,  Herberta  Austin.     Mrs.  Morse  Sept.  30,  1831.     He  and  his  wife  Lydia,  who 

died  in  1902,  and  he  married    (second)    Olive  died    Oct.    4,    1827,   had    children   as   follows: 

M.,  daughter  of  Charles  H.  and  Sarah  (Wood)  Angeline,  born   March   31,   1811;  Lydia  Ann, 

Mandeville,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.    Mr.  Morse  is  born  Dec.  7,  1812,  who  died  Sept.  19,  1813; 

a  member  of  the  Boston  Art  Club,  Massachu-  Julia   Ann,  born   Aug.   4,   1814;   Lucy   Maria 

setts  Automobile  Club,  Corinthian  Yacht  Club  and  Jacob  Brownell,  twins,  born  July  5,  1817; 

and  Eeybiirn  Country  Club.    Politically  he  is  a  Lemuel    Shephard,   born    May    17,    1819,   who 

Republican.  married    Lucy    Hastings,    and    had    one    son, 

(X)    Gertrude   Bassett    Morse,   daughter   of  Charles    Shephard,    born    Feb.    2,    1847;    and 

Edward  N.  and  Hannah  A.    (Bryant)    Morse,  Lydia  Newell,  born  Sept.  9,  1820. 

was  born  in  Easton  Oct.  5,  1858,  and  married  (VII)   Jacob  Brownell  Mann,  son  of  Adon- 

June  4,  1885,  Eugene  C.  Belcher,  son  of  James  iram   Judson,  was  the  father  of  Mrs.   Alfred 

Monroe  and  Angeline    (Sylvester)    Belcher,  of  Bryant  Morse.     A  native  of  Wrentham,  Mass., 

Easton,  a  direct  descendant  of  Jeremiah  Bel-  born  July   5,   1817,  he  was  for  a  number  of 

cher,  of  Ipswich,  Mass.,  in  1634.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  years  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  boot  and 

Belcher  have  three  children,  Gregory,  Clifford  shoe  tools  in  Stoughton  and  later  in  Brockton 

and  Dorothy.     They  have  resided  in  Newton-  and  Easton.     He  died  in   South  Easton  Nov. 

ville,  Mass.,  since  1895.     Mr.  Belcher  has  been  14^  1901.     He  married  Julia  Ransted  Palmer, 

a  member   of  the   publishing  house   of   Dana,  who  was  born  May  18,  1822,  daughter  of  Moses 

Estes  &  Co.,  Boston,  since  1872.  Palmer  (born  Feb.  16,  1800,  died  Nov.  3,  1846) 

and   his   wife    Sally   Jaquith    (born    Sept.    18, 

1796,  died  Feb.  2,  1869).     Mrs.  Mann  died  in 

Mann.      (I)   William  Man,  born  1607,  the  South  Easton   Jan.    1,   1906.,     Mr.   and   Mrs. 

first    of    the    name    who    emigrated    from    the  Mann   had   three  children :   William  Brownell, 

County  of  Kent,  England,  settled  at  Cambridge,  born  Dec.  3,  1846,  of  Whitman,  Mass.,  married 

Mass.,  in  1632.  Anna    Beals;    Frank    Palmer,    born    July    15, 

(II)  Rev.  Samuel  Man,  son  of  William  and  1856,  of  South  Easton,  now  following  the 
Mary,  was  born  in  July,  1647,  and  died  May  business  of  his  father,  married  Mary  Grady 
22,  1719.  (she   is   deceased)  ;   Julia   Alice,  born   May   5, 

(III)  Deacon   Theodore   Man,   son   of   Rev.  1862,  is  the  wife  of  Alfred  Bryant  Morse. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


941 


CHURCHILL.  One  representative  of  this 
ancient  Massachusetts  family  now  living  in 
East  Bridgewater  is  Newton  Churchill,  select- 
man of  that  towTi,  and  identified  with  busi- 
ness interests  as  traveling  salesman  for  the 
United  Shoe  Machinery  Company  of  Boston. 
He  is  a  descendant  in  the  eighth  generation  of 
John  Churchill,  the  emigrant  ancestor.  Some 
account  of  the  family  in  the  Old  World  will 
be  found  in  another  Churchill  sketch.  We 
give  herewith  a  brief  record  of  the  forefathers 
of  Newton  Churchill. 

(I)  John  Churchill,  the  emigrant  ancestor, 
was  a  native  of  England  and  first  appeared  at 
Plymouth  in  New  England  in  1643.  Here  at 
Plymouth,  Mass.,  Dec.  18,  1644,  he  married 
Hannah  Pontus;  bought  a  farm  in  1645;  was 
admitted  freeman  in  1651;  in  subsequent  deeds 
he  is  called  "planter."  Mr.  Churchill  settled 
at  Hobb's  Hole,  where  he  lived  and  died,  his 
death  occurring  Jan.  1,  1662-63.  His  estate 
fell  into  the  hands  of  his  son  Eleazer.  He  had 
acquired,  by  grant  or  purchase,  quite  a  large 
land  property.  His  wife  Hannah  was  the 
'daughter  of  William  Pontus,  who  was  at  Ply- 
mouth as  early  as  1623,  and  was  born  in  Hol- 
land or  England  in  1623.  William  Pontus  was 
a  citizen  of  some  prominence  and  influence  in 
the  Colony;  and  a  member  of  the  Court,  1636- 
1638,  inclusive.  The  children  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Pontus)  Churchill  were:  Joseph, 
Hannah,  Eliezer,  Mary,  William  and  John. 

(II)  William  Churchill,  son  of  John,  born 
in  1656,  in  Plymouth,  married  there  Jan.  17, 
1683,  Lydia,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Abigail 
(Shaw)  Bryant,  who  died  Feb.  6.  1736,  in  the 
seventy-fourth  year  of  her  age.  Mr.  Churchill 
inherited  lands  in  what  is  now  Plympton  and 
was  among  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  where 
he  lived  and  died.  He  was  the  progenitor  of 
the  Plympton  branch  of  the  Chyrchill  family. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  church 
in  Plymouth.  Their  children  born  in  Plymp- 
ton were:  William,,  born  Aug.  2,  1685;  Sam- 
uel, born  April  15,  1688;  James,  born  Sept. 
21,  1690:  Isaac,  born  Sept.  16,  1693;  Benja- 
min, born  in  1695  ;  Lydia,  born  April  16,  1699  ; 
Josiah,  born  Aug.  21,  1702;  and  Mehetabel. 

(III)  William  Churchill  (2),  son  of  Wil- 
liam, born  Aug.  2,  1685,  in  Plympton,  Mass., 
married  Jan.  4,  1704,  Ruth,  daughter  of  John 
Bryant,  who  died  May  15,  1757.  in  Plympton, 
aged  seventy-two.  Mr.  Churchill  lived  at  what 
w'as  known  as  "Rocky  Gutter"  in  Plympton. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Plympton  Church.  He  was  a  man  of  character 
and  influence  in  the  town,  was  several  times 
representative  to  the  General  Court.    He  died 


Feb.  3,  1760.  Their  children  were  all  b.orn 
in  Plympton,  as  follows:  Ebenezer,  born  Oct. 
8,  1705;  Hannah,  born  Oct.  23,  1707;  David, 
born  Nov.  4,  1709;  Rebecca,  born  Jan.  8, 
1712;  William,  born  Dec.  15,  1714;  Ruth,  born 
Sept.  14,  1716;  Nathaniel,  born  May  11,  1718; 
Abigail,  born  July  11,  1720;  Ichabod,  born 
Sept.  24,  1722;  Sarah,  born  Feb.  7,  1725;  and 
Joanna,  born  May  22,  1727  (died  April  16, 
1728). 

(IV)  David  Churchill,  son  of  William  (2), 
born  Nov.  4,  1709,  in  Plympton,  Mass.,  married 
in  1729  Mary  Magoon,  who  died  May  18,  1785. 
They  lived  in  Plympton,  where  he  is  said  to 
have  built  the  house  where,  in  1827,  William 
Bradford  lived.  He  died  Sept.  27,  1785.  Their 
children,  all  born  in  Plympton,  were:  David, 
born  Aug.  9,  1729;  Hannah,  born  June  17, 
1733  (died  March  17,  1744)  ;  William,  born 
Nov.  28,  1739  (married  Sarah  Rider) ;  Elias, 
born  Aug.  7,  1742  (died  June  3,  1751);  and 
James,  born  May  29,  1746  (married  Priscilla 
Soule). 

(V)  David  Churchill  (2),  son  of  David, 
born  Aug.  9,  1729,  in  Plympton,  married 
(first)  Feb.  30,  1750,  Jane  Ellis,  who  died 
Aug.  21,  1775.  He  married  (second)  Lurana 
McFarland.  He  lived  in  Plympton,  and,  late 
in  life,  in  Hingham.  He  was  one  of  the  "min- 
ute-men" of  the  Revolution,  serving  in  Capt. 
Thomas  Loring's  Company,  which  marched  to 
Marshfield  on  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775.  He 
lived  to  be  eighty-two  years  of  age,  and  died 
Feb.  23,  1812.  His  children,  all  born  in 
Plympton,  were:  Hannah,  born  June  14,  1752, 
married  Elkanah  Cushman ;  Molly,  born  July 
21,  1754,  married  Shadrach  Standish,  of 
Plympton;  Jane,  born  Aug.  30,  1756,  married 
Daniel  Ripley;  Elias,  born  Jan.  26,  1759,  mar- 
ried Hannah  Cushman ;  Levi,  born  July  4, 
1761.  died  young;  Patty,  born  March  12,  1764, 
died  Sept.  25,  1775;  Sylvia,  born  Feb.  21,  1767, 
married  Joshua  Churchill ;  David,  born  May 
18,  1775,  died  young;  David  (2),  born  Jaine 
11,  1778,  married  a  Hersey,  of  Boston;  Levi, 
born  Feb.  20,  1780,  is  mentioned  below;  Thad- 
deus  was  born  March  18,  1788;  Jesse,  born 
Aug.  28,  1784,  married  Anna  Barrell,  of  Scit- 
uate;  Asaba  was  bom  Feb.  19,  1787:  Rufus, 
born  Oct.  10,  1789,  married  Eunice  Lewis,  of 
Hingham;  Lydia,  born  about  1791,  married  a 
Mott,  of  Hingham ;  and  Otis  died  young. 

(VI)  Levi  Churchill,  son  of  David  (2)  and 
Lurana  (McFarland)  Churchill,  born  Feb.  20, 
1780,  in  Plympton,  Mass.,  married  (first) 
Sept.  19,  1799.  Cynthia  Packard,  of ,  East 
Bridgewater,  Mass.,  who  died  in  1832.  He 
married    (second)    Oct.   20,   1833,  Adaline  C. 


942 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Wright,  of  Plympton.  He  lived  in  Hingham, 
Mass.,  and  died  in  1843.  His  children,  all 
excepting  the  youngest  born  to  the  first  wife, 
were:  Asaba,  born  Aug.  19,  1801,  who  married 
in  1819  Lewis  Keith;  Levi,  born  March  5, 
1803;  Lurana,  born  April  17,  1804;  Luther, 
born  in  April,  1805,  who  married  Eveline 
Blanchard;  Abisha  S.,  born  Oct.  13,  18U7 ; 
Cynthia,  born  Jan.  27,  1809,  who  married 
Joshua  Bennett;  Sarah  C,  born  in  Boston, 
March  9,  1811,  who  married  Elijah  Scott,  of 
Ludlow,  Vt.;  David,  born  in  June.  1812;  Wil- 
liam Morton,  born  Aug.  24,  1814,  who  married 
Mary  R.  Tribou;  Bethiah,  born  May  11,  1816, 
who  married  Nicholas  Vella ;  Elizabeth,  born 
Jan.  6,  1818;  Benjamin  Pierson,  born  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1820,  who  married  Amanda  N.  Ban- 
croft; George,  born  May  5,  1821,  who  married 
Julia  Soule,  of  Lynn,  Mass. ;  and  Ethan  S., 
born  Jan.  11,  1835,  who  married  Adaline 
Wright. 

(VII)  Levi  Churchill  (2),  son  of  Levi,  born 
March  5,  1803,  in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  attended 
the  public  schools  of  East  Bridgewater,  whitlier 
he  cariie  when  about  three  years  old.  In  time 
he  learned  shoemaking,  at  which  he  worked  for 
many  years  before  he  went  into  the  grocery 
line,  at  Elmwood,  a  part  of  East  Bridgewater. 
He  conducted  a  grocery  for  many  years,  during 
a  large  part  of  the  time  in  partnership  with 
his  son  Warren,  who  late'r  purchased  the  busi- 
ness, now  being  conducted  by  the  present  pro- 
prietor, Loren  A.  Flagg.  Besides  attending  to 
this  business  he  was  also  to  some  extent  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Altogether,  he  was  a  very 
active  and  busy  man.  He  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  CJeneral  Court  in  1851 ;  was  active 
in  the  East  Bridgewater  militia,  and  in  his 
various  connections  was  unusually  well  known. 
He  was  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

On  Sept.  10,  1828,  Mr.  Churchill  married 
Lucretia  Keen,  who  was  bom  Jan.  14,  1807,  in 
East  Bridgewater,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Celia  (Mitchell)  Keen,  and  died  Jan.  1,  1891, 
surviving  her  husband,  who  had  passed  away 
July  28,  1881.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Churchill 
died  in  East  Bridgewater  and  are  buried  in 
Elmwood  cemetery.  A  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren was  born  to  them :  Celia,  born  Feb.  14, 
1830,  died  in  1833.  Cynthia  Maria,  born  Sept. 
7,  1832,  died  in  1833.'  Warren,  born  Feb.  24, 
1834,  died  March  33,  1898;  he  married  Eliza- 
beth Joscelyn,  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Eliza- 
beth H.  (Tallman)  Joscelyn,  of  Hanover, 
Mass.,  and  they  had  George  M.  and  Saba  War- 
ren. Bethia,  born  Aug.  10,  1838,  is  unmar- 
ried, and  lives  in  East  Bridgewater.  Andrew, 
born  Nov.  9,  1841,  died  April  8,  1844.    Newton 


is    mentioned    below.      Asaba,    born    in    June,. 
1846,  died  in  1848. 

(VIll)  Newton  Chdechill,  son  of  Levi 
(2),  born  April  7,  1844,  in  East  Bridgewater, 
Mass.,  received  his  early  education  there  in  the 
district  -schools.  Later  he  went  to  Allen's 
Academy  at  East  Bridgewater  Centre,  from 
which  he  was  graduated.  He  learned  to  stitch 
shoes  in  Seth  Bryant's  factory,  where  he  was 
employed  for  three  years  in  making  army 
shoes,  and  then  for  seven  years  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  machine  shop  of  Samuel  Keen, 
in  East  Bridgewater.  After  that  he  made  a 
radical  change,  going  into  the  machine  shop  of 
the  Carver  Cotton  Gin  Company,  in  which  de- 
partment he  remained  for  twenty  years.  He 
then  traveled  for  three  years  through  the  cot- 
ton belt,  selling  cotton  gins,  and  then  for  sev- 
enteen years  sold  shoe  machinery,  his  whole- 
connection  with  the  Carver  Cotton  Gin  Com- 
pany covering  the  long  period  of  forty  years. 
He  not  only  worked  in  the  machine  shop  and 
as  salesman,  but  he  suggested  and  himself  in- 
vented many  improvements  upon  the  machinery 
manufactured  by  the  concern,  taking  out  a 
number  of  patents  upon  which  he  now  draws 
royalties.  His  travels  as  a  shoe  machinery 
salesman  took  him  into  Pennsylvania,  New 
York,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  New  Hamp- 
shire, Vermont  and  Maine.  On  May  1,  1907, 
Mr.  Churchill  resigned  his  position  with  the- 
Carver  Cotton  Gin  Company  and  went  with 
the  United  Shoe  Machinery  Company,  of  Bos- 
ton, as  traveling  salesman,  covering  the  south 
shore  shoe  district.  Mr.  Churchill  is  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  East  Bridgewater  and 
director  of  the  East  Bridgewater  Savings  Bank. 
In  spite  of  his  business  activity  he  has  found 
time  to  take  an  interest  in  the  public  affairs 
of  the  town,  and  he  is  now  a  member  of  the- 
board  of  selectmen,  upon  which  he  has  beep 
serving  since  1904.  In  political  opinion  he  is 
an  independent  Democrat.  He  is  a  Mason, 
holding  membership  in  Fellowship  Lodge,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  of  East  Bridgewater. 

On  Nov.  26,  1867,  Mr.  Churchill  was  mar- 
ried in  East  Bridgewater  to  Abbie  Weeks^ 
White,  daughter  of  Harrison  N.  an^  Amelia 
Thomas  (Washburn)  White,  of  Kingston  and 
Attleboro,  Mass.  Mr.  White  was  born  July 
12,  1813,  and  died  July  14,  1884;  Mrs.  White 
was  born  Jan.  20,  1820,' and  died  July  27,  1897. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Churchill  have  had  two  children : 
Harry  Newton,  born  Sept.  14,  1868,  who  died 
Aug.  24,  1878,  and  Percival  Mitchell,  born  Jan. 
5,  1873.  The  latter  received  his  early  education 
in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  East  Bridge- 
water,  and  later  attended  the  School  of  Tech- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS  943 

nology  at  Boston,  where  lie  studied  civil  engi-  22,    1657-58    (died    March    12th    following)  ; 

neering.      He    is   now   in    the    employ    of    the  Enoch,   March   8,   1659-60;   Thomas,  May   18, 

United   States  government,  laying  out  the  in-  1662 ;  and  Mary,  April  29,  1664. 

land  canal  system.    Percival  M.  Churchill  mar-  (II)  James  Whiton  (2),  son  of  James,  bap- 

ried  Maud  Janette  Whitman,  daughter  of  Eze-  tized  July  15,  1651,  in  Hingham,  resided  near 

kiel   and    Emma    (Chase)    Whitman,   of   West  the    paternal    homestead   at   Liberty    Plain    in 

Newbury,  Mass.,  and  they  have  had  two  chil-  South  Hingham.     His  wife  Abigail  died  May 

dren:  Virginia,  born  Oct.  5,  1904,  and  Perci-  4,  1740,  in  Hingham,  in  her  eighty-fifth  year, 

val  Newton,  born  Dec.  17,  1909.  He  was  a  farmer;  died  Feb.  20,   1724-25,  in 

liis   seventy-fourth  year.     His  will   was  dated 

WHITING.      The    New    Bedford    Whiting  Oct.   15,   1724.     Children,  all  born  in   Hing- 

family  here. considered,  the  head  of  which  was  ham,  were:  James,  in  1676;  Hannah,  July  4,. 

the    late    Edward    Bennett    Whiting,    descends  1678     (married    John    King,    of    Plymouth)  ; 

from  James  Whiton,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  John,   April    5,   1681    (settled   in   Plympton)  ; 

town  of  Hingham,  Mass.,  from  whom  the  line  Abigail,  Sept.  5,  1683    (died  Dec.  10,  1695)  ; 

is  traced  through  James   (2),  Solomon,  Com-  Samuel,    Nov.    12,    1685;    Joseph.    March    23, 

fort,  Lemuel  and  Thomas  Whiting.    These  gen-  1686-87;  Judith,  May  6,   1689    (married  first 

erations  in  detail  and  in  the  order  named  fol-  James    White    and    second    Jonathan    Farrow, 

low.  widower);  Rebecca,  Dec.   6,   1691;   Benjamin, 

(I)  James  Whiton  (surname  variously  Dec.  21,  1693;  and  Solomon,  June  10,  1695. 
spelled)  was  an  inhabitant  of  Hingham  as  early  (III)  Solomon  Whiton,  son  of  James  (2), 
as  1647,  where  he  was  a  proprietor  and  desig-  born  June  10,  1695,  in  Hingham,  married  Oct. 
nated  as  a  farmer  and  mariner.  In  the  year  19,  1721,  Jael  Dunbar,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
named  he  gave  a  letter  of  attorney  to  Richard  Christian  (Garnet)  Dunbar.  She  was  born 
Betscomb  of  Hingham  to  collect  a  legacy  due  Nov.  27,  1698,  in  Hingham,  and  died  in  1772, 
him  from  Thomas  Wyton,  of  Hooke  Norton,  aged  seventy-four  years.  Mr.  Whiton  was  a 
Oxfordshire,  yeoman,  deceased.  Mr.  Whiton  blacksmith  and  lived  near  the  corner  of  Main 
was  a  freeman  of  May  30,  1660.  He  resided  and  South  Pleasant  streets  in  Hingham.  He 
at  "Tjiberty  Plain,"  South  Hingham.  In  1657  died  Dec.  18,  1745,  in  his  fifty-first  year.  Chil- 
he  received  a  grant  of  land  from  the  town,  and  dren,  all  born  in  Hingham,  were:  Jael,  born 
at  subsequent  dates  other  lots  of  meadow  and  July  3,  1722;  Solomon,  Dec.  5,  1724;  Ruth, 
upland.  He  was  one  of  the  larger  taxpayers  of  Sept.  22,  1726;  Deborah,  Oct.  7,  1728;  Mercy, 
Hingham  at  the  time  the  new  meetinghouse  Sept.  22,  1730;  Thankful,  Oct.  26,  1732;  Si- 
was  erected  in  1681,  and  at  his  decease  pos-  lence,  Nov.  22,  1734;  Comfort,  Sept.  15,  1736; 
sessed  much  landed  property  in  the  neighboring  Mela,  Nov.  5,  1739  (married  James  Chub- 
towTis  of  Scituate,  Abington  and  Hanover,  as  buck). 

well   as  in  Hingham.     His  house  was  burned  (IV)    Comfort    Whiting,    son    of    Solomon, 

by  the  Indians  April  20,  1676.  born   Sept.   15,   1736,  in  Hingham,  Mass.,  re- 

On  Dec.  30,  1647,  James  Whiton  married  moved  from  that  town.  He  married  Mrs. 
Mary  Beal,  daugh'ter  of  John  and  Nazareth  Grace  M.  Fadden  or  Grace  McFadden,  of 
(Hobart)  Beal.  She  was  born  in  1622  in  Stoughton.  He  was  a  mariner.  Children,  born 
Hingham,  England,  and  died  in  our  Hingham  perhaps  in  that  part  of  Stoughton  that  he- 
Dec.  12,  1696  (some  records  say  Jan.  12  and  came  Canton,  were:  Joanna,  born  April  27, 
Feb.  12,  1696-97).  James  Whiton  died  April  1759;  Nathaniel,  Jan.  28,  1761;  Philip,  Jan. 
26,  1710.  In  his  will,  dated  Sept.  29,  1708,  28,  1761;  Mary,  Dec.  1,  1762;  Ruth,  Nov."  6, 
he  provides  liberally  for  his  children  and  grand-  1764;  Rebecca,  March  6,  1767;  Nathaniel  (2), 
children,  mentioning  three  sons  and  one  daugh-  Dec.  24,  1768;  Abigail,  March  1,  1771 ;  Lem- 
ter  then  living,  also  seven  grandchildren  "who  uel,  1773;  Grace,  July,  1775;  and  Comfort, 
are  the  issue  of  my  son  Thomas  Witon,  de-  March,  1777. 

ceased."     In  this  instrument  his  name  is  writ-  (V)  Lemuel  Whiting,  son  of  Comfort,  born 

ten  "James  Witon,"  although  in  the  baptismal  in  1773,  married  Rebecca,  and  their  children, 

records  of  several  of  his  children  the  surname  or  among  them,  were:  Ralph,  Louise,  Nabby, 

is  given  Whiting.     Children,  all  born  or  bap-  Comfort  and  Thomas  F. 

tized  in  Hingham:  James,  Aug.  15,  1649  (died  (VI)  Comfort  Whiting,  son  of  Lemuel  and 

Nov.     11,    1650);    James,    July    15,    1651;  Rebecca,  born  Jan.   19,  1800,  in  the  town  of 

Matthew,  Oct.   30,   1653;  John,  Dec.   2,  1655  Canton,  Mass.,  located  in  New  Bedford,  where 

(died   soon) ;   David,   born   Feb.    22,    1657-58  he  was  long  occupied  as  a  market  man,  his 

(died  March  18th  following)  ;  Jonathan,  Feb.  location  for  a  time  being  in  the  city  hall.    He 


944 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


was  twice  married,  marrying  (first)  a  Penni- 
man,  and  (second)  May  14,  1835,  Elizabeth 
Hooker.  He  died  Jan.  13,  1865,  aged  sixty- 
four  years,  eleven  months,  twenty-four  days. 
His  children  were:  Capt.  Comfort,  Jr.,  who 
married  his  cousin,  Esther  Whiting;  William 
Barker,  who  married  Mary  Ann  Allen  (born 
Sept.  18,  1827,  died  June  18,  1905,  daughter 
of  John  and  Margaret  Bismore  Allen),  and 
had  children,  Grace  Leonard  (born  Sept.  15, 
1853,  married  James  R.  Forbes),  James  Mac- 
omber  (born  June  18,  1855),  Elizabeth  Com- 
fort (born  March  29,  1858,  married  Harry  M. 
Church)  and  Lucie  Howland  (born  July  19, 
1863,  married  Edward  H.  Carter)  ;  Annie  M., 
who  married  her  cousin,  Josiah  Hunt  (whose 
mother  was  Louise  Whiting),  and  had  three 
children,  William,  Frederick  W.  and  Josiah  (of 
the  City  Coal  Company). 

(VI)  Thomas  F.  Whiting,  son  of  Lemuel, 
married  Nov.  1,  1832,  Susan  Haskins  HafEards, 
born  March  20,  1815,  died  Aug.  9,  1899,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  James  and  Mary  (or  Polly) 
(Haskins)  Haffards,  and  granddaughter  of 
Jonathan  Haffards,  of  New  Bedford,  and  his 
wife  Roba  (Brightman),  he  being  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  John  Heyford,  who  came  from  a 
respectable  family  of  "the  West  Riding"  of 
Yorkshire,  England,  and  was  an  associate  of 
Elder  William  Brewster.  The  children  of 
Thomas  F.  and  Susan  H.  (Haffards)  Whiting 
were:  Thomas  B.,  born  Sept.  30,  1833;  and 
Edward  B.,  born  Feb.  25,  1835. 

(VII)  Edward  Bennett  Whiting  was 
born  in  New  Bedford  Feb.  25,  1835.  He 
acquired  such  education  as  the  public  schools 
of  the  town  afforded.  In  early  manhood,  when 
but  little  more  than  of  age,  Feb.  17,  1857,  he 
branched  out  on  his  own  account  as  a  dry  goods 
merchant  in  his  native  town,  and  there  he  lived, 
prosecuting  his  business  as  the  years  came  and 
went,  and  so  conducting  himself  as  to  win  favor 
and  the  confidence  of  his  business  associates 
and  fellow  citizens,  and  as  well  success  in  his 
undertakings,  rising  to  position  in  the  com- 
munity, where  he  held  the  respect  and  esteem 
of  the  people  and  gained  for  himself  as  well 
a  competence.  Some  twenty  or  more'  years 
prior  to  his  death  there  grew  out  of  his  busi- 
ness and  was  formed  the  business  house  and 
firm  of  E.  B.  Whiting  &  Co.,  which  thereafter 
maintained  the  high  reputation  that  Mr.  Whit- 
ing himself  had  previously  enjoyed. 

Mr.  Whiting  was  very  much  interested  in 
the  affairs  of  his  native  city,  and  did  much 
toward  making  possible  the  high  place  it  has 
reached  among  New  England  cities.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  New  Bedford  Board  of  Trade, 


a  director  of  the  Five  Cents  Savings  Bank,  etc. 
Socially  he  was  a  member  of  the  Dartmouth 
Club,  and  affiliated  with  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  being 
a  member  of  Vesta  Lodge,  at  New  Bedford.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Trinitarian  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  New  Bedford. 

On  Sept.  21,  1858,  'Mr.  Whiting  was  mar- 
ried to  Alice  Bradford  Hedge,  born  March  12, 
1837,  daughter  of  James  G.  and  Sarah  B. 
(Holmes)  Hedge,  of  Plymouth.  To  this  union 
were  born  four  daughters:  Louise  Sherman, 
April  21,  1859;  Alice  Hedge,  Nov.  .5,  1861; 
Susan  Aurora,  June  2,  1864;  and  Sarah 
Hedge,  Oct.  24,  1869  (married  Nov.  4,  1892, 
William  Hastings  Bassett,  son  of  William  A. 
Bassett,  and  had  three  children,  Alice  Whiting, 
born  March  7,  1894,  William  Hastings,  Jr., 
Dec.  25,  1896,  and  Edward  Whiting,  Oct.  10, 
1903,  the  last  named  dying  young). 

Mr.  Whiting  died  June  20,  1899,  at  his 
home,  No.  140  Cottage  street,  New  Bedford, 
and  was  survived  by  his  wife  and  daughters. 

GIFFORD.  (I)  William  Gifford,  rf  Sand- 
wich, perhaps  a  Quaker  at  least  in  sympathy 
with  the  Friends,  was  committed  by  the  court 
in  1660  for  being  at  Quaker  meetings,  as  he 
had  previously  been  in  1658  for  not  taking  the 
oath  of  allegiance.  On  Nov.  10,  1670,  he 
bought  a  half  share  in  Dartmouth,  which  he 
later,  in  1683,  gives  to  his  two  sons  Christopher 
and  Robert.  In  his  will  made  and  probated  in 
1687  he  gives  to  children  John,  Hanaaniah, 
William,  Christopher,  Robert,  Jonathan,  James 
and  Mary.  The  genealogist  of  the  Gifford 
family  believes  this  Mr.  Gifford  to  have  been 
the  same  man  who  was  at  Stamford,  Conn., 
in  1647,  and  has  him  at  Sandwich  as  early  as 
1650.     He  died  in  1686-87. 

(II)  Robert  Gifford  married  (first)  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Stephen  Wing,  of  Sandwich,  and 
his  wife  Sarah  (Briggs).  She  died  20th  of 
6th  month,  1720,  and  he  married  (second) 
j*jlizabeth.  His  children  were:  Jeremiah, 
Benjamin,  Stephen,  Timothy  and  Simeon. 

(III)  Stephen  Gifford,  son  of  Robert,  mar- 
ried Mary,  and  their  children  were:  Stephen, 
born  Jan.  30,  1711-12;  Patience,  born  Dec. 
16,  1712;  Hannaniah,  bom  Aug.  20,  1714; 
Susannah,  born  May  24,  1716;  Priscilla,  born 
June  17,  1718;  Kezia,  born  Feb.  2,  1720;  Abi- 
gail, born  Nov.  4,  1721 ;  Mary,  born  Aug.  12, 
1723;  Ruth,  born  Oct.  5,  1725;  and  Benjamin, 
born  Feb.  2,  1727-28. 

(IV)  Hannaniah  (or  Ananias)  Gifford, 
born  Aug.  20,  1714,  lived  in  North  Westport, 
Mass.,  and  had  children:  Benjamin,  Recom- 
pense, Abigail,  May  and  Kezia. 


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SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


945 


(V)  Benjamin  Gifford,  of  Westport,  Mass., 
married  (second)  Susan,  daughter  of  Sampson 
Sherman.  He  died  in  1817.  His  children 
ivere :  Nathaniel,  James,  Stephen,  John, 
George  (born  Feb.  17,  1772)  and  Ruth. 

(VI)  George  Gifford,  son  of  Benjamin,  bom 
Teb.  17,  1773,  in  Freetown,  Mass.,  married 
(second)  Susan  Slierman.  Mr.  GiSord  was 
■what  is  termed  a  man  of  good  common  sense, 
with  not  a  little  literary  taste.  He  was  well 
read,  a  good  penman  and  an  all-around  ca- 
pable man.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  such  were 
his  attainments  that  he  often  acted  as  clerk 
in  town  meetings,  at  sales,  etc.  He  taught 
school  as  well,  and  was  a  most  worthy  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  his  later  life  he 
moved  to  Grafton,  N.  H  ,  which  place  was  his 
"home  for  a  few  years,  later  returning  to  Fall 
River,  where  he  passed  a  few  years,  spending 
"the  rest  of  his  life  at  North  Westport,  where 
he  died.  Three  sons  were  born  to  George  and 
Susan  Gifford:  Charles,  who  died  unmarried; 
William ;  and  Stephen,  who  resided  in  Fall 
Hiver,  where  he  wis  engaged  as  a  merchant. 

(VII)  William  Gifford,  son  of  George, 
born  Feb.  12,  1794,  in  Westport,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried Deborah,  born  Oct.  12,  1791,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Freelove,  of  Troy  (now  Fall 
River),  Mass.  Like  his  father  before  him, 
Mr.  Gifford.  was  a  man  of  good  intellect.  He 
was  an  energetic,  enterprising  and  industrious 
farmer;  taught  school  some  in  his  early  life, 
and  successfully.  He  was  a  progresive  man 
and  kept  abreast  of  the  times,  especially  in 
farming,  in  which  he  set  the  pace  for  others 
to  follow.  He  was  a  large  dealer  in  firewood, 
cut  on  his  farm  and  disposed  of  in  Fall  River. 
He  read  a  good  deal,  and  being  a  man  of  orig- 
inal ideas  and  thoughts  and  good  judgment 
his  opinions  were  logically  formed  and  his 
conclusions  seldom  at  fault — a  man  whose  ad- 
vice, judgment,  opinions  and  counsel  were  con- 
sidered good  and  were  often  sought. 

A  man  of  simple  tastes  and  life,  quiet  and 
"unobtrusive,  yet  withal  forceful,  he  was  be- 
loved and  admired  for  his  exemplary  life  and 
his  attainments.  He  was  truly  a  Christian 
gentleman  in  word  and  deed ;  was  throoigh  life 
a  worthy  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  of 
North  Dartmouth— Elder  Hicks's  Church.  His 
heart  was  in  every  good  cause,  in  everj-thing 
that  tended  for  the  elevation  of  man.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Washingtonian  Temperance 
Society,  the  first  temperance  society  organized 
in  this  section.  Mrs.  Gifford  died  in  Septem- 
ber, 1865,  and  both  she  and  her  husband  lie 
in  a  private  yard  north  of  the  present  residence 
of  William  H.  Gifiord.     She  was  a  very  in- 

60 


dustrious  woman,  and  much  of  her  husband's 
success  may  be  attributed  to  her  cooperation. 
They.had  three  children :  Susan,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  nine  years ;  Ruth,  who  married  Jacob 
Hicks,  a  farmer,  and  resided  in  Fall  River; 
and  William  Henry.  • 

(VIII)  William  Henkt  Gifford,  son  of 
William  and  Deborah  (Freelove)  Gifford,  was 
born  Jan.  19,  1827,  in  Westport,  Mass.,  in  the 
common  schools  of  which  town  he  acquired 
his  education.  A  farmer  by  occupation, 
through  a  long  active  lifetime  he  has  wrought 
well  in  his  community — given  a  good  account 
of  himself,  wearing  the  family  name  worthily 
and  sustaining  its  reputation.  For  a  time  he 
was  interested  in  whaling,  owning  three 
fourths  of  a  whaling  vessel. 

Through  his  energy,  industry,  through  his 
good  business  judgment  and  ability  and  his 
straightforward  course  in  life  he  has  greatly 
prospered  and  accumulated  a  fortune.  To  the 
some  ten  acres  of  land  inherited  from  his 
father  he  added  until  he  possessed  at  one  time 
some  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  in  his  sec- 
tion of  the  country.  Much  of  it  was  valuable 
woodland,  which  he  disposed  of  in  recent  years. 
At  one  time  Mr.  Gifford  did  a  large  and  profit- 
able business  in  the  getting  out  of  hoops  for 
casks  used  in  the  West  Indies  trade.  Mr.  Gif- 
ford owns  considerable  real  estate  in  Fall 
River. 

Mr.  Gifford  has  always  been  found  on  the 
moral  and  right  side  of  measures  and  issues 
having  in  view  the  uplifting  of  mankind  and 
the  welfare  of  the  people.  He  was  an  active 
member  and  did  good  service  in  the  old  Wash- 
ingtonian Temperance  Society,  for  years  was 
its  efficient  secretary,  and  is  now  the  only  sur- 
viving member  of  that  pioneer  temperance  or- 
ganization. Since  the  organization,  in  1873, 
of  the  Barnard  Manufacturing  Company  of 
Fall  River  he  has  been  a  member  of  its  board 
of  directors,  and,  of  course,  a  stockholder  of 
the  corporation ;  he  is  the  only  surviving  mem- 
ber of  the  original  board  of  directors.  Mr. 
Gifford  is  a  Republican  but  not  active  in  party 
affairs,  and  has  always  declined  public  honors 
of  any  kind.  He  attends  the  First  Christian 
Church  of  North  Westport,  to  the  support  of 
which  he  is  a  liberal  contributor,  and  he  has 
been  treasurer  of  the  society  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years. 

Mr.  Gifford  married  (first)  Ruth  L.,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Zilpha  (Davol)  Brownell,  of 
Westport,  Mass.  Mrs.  Gifford  died  a  few  weeks 
after  the  birth  of  their  only  child,  Ruth,  who 
died  when  three  months  old.  On  April  12, 
1902,  Mr.   Giflord  was  married    (second),  in 


946 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Swansea,  by  the  late  Elder  William  Miller,  to 
Mrs.  Mary  C.  (Cranston)  Weaver,  a  native  of 
New  Bedford,  widow  of  Thomas  H.  Weaver, 
and  daughter  of  James  Miller  and  Susan  Cog- 
geshall  (Grinnell)  Cranston,  and  a  descendant 
of  the  Khode  Island  family  of  the  name.  Mrs. 
Gifford  is  a  woman  of  intelligence  and  of 
proved  business  ability,  and  she  has  been  a 
most  efficient  helpmate  to  Mr.  Giflord. 

LON  WESTON,  one  of  the  representative 
and  highly  resjiected  citizens  of  Brockton, 
Mass.,  where  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
manufacturing  interests  of  the  city  for  a  period 
of  over  thirty  years,  is  a  native  of  Harrison, 
Maine,  born  Feb.  18,  1834,  son  of  James  and 
Sukey  (Spurr)  Weston.  Mr.  Weston  is  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  New  England's  early  settled 
families,  the  history  of  the  branch  of  the  Wes- 
ton family  through  which  he  traces  his  ances- 
tral line  being  here  given  in  chronological 
order. 

(I)  John  W^eston,  born  in  1631,  came  from 
Buckinghamshire,  England,  to  America,  and 
was  at  Salem  in  1644.  His  mother  was  a 
widow  at  the  time  of  his  coming  to  this  coun- 
try. Although  but  thirteen  years  of  age  his 
desire  to  come  over  was  such  that  he  concealed 
himself  in  a  ship  bound  for  America  until  she 
sailed.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Salem  Church 
in  1648,  and  removed  to  Reading  in  1653.  In 
1653  he  married  Sarah  Fitch,  their  marriage 
being  the  earliest  of  record  in  Reading.  She 
was  born  in  Reading,  the  daughter  of  Zackery 
Fitch,  who  was  a  freeman  of  Lynn  in  1638, 
removing  to  Reading  in  1644,  becoming  one 
of  the  first  settlers  of  the  latter  town.  The 
children  of  John  and  Sarah  (Fitch)  Weston 
were:  John,  born  in  1661;  Samuel;  born  in 
1665;  Stephen,  born  in  1667;  Thomas,  born  in 
1670;  Sarah;  Mary;  and  Elizabeth. 

(II)  Thomas  Weston,  son  of  John,  was  born 
Nov.  20,  1670,  and  married  Nov.  13,  1694, 
Elizabeth  Brown.     He  died  April  3,  1745. 

(III)  Joseph  Weston,  son  of  Thomas,  was 
born  May  7,  1698.    His  wife's  name  was  Sarah. 

(IV)  Joseph  Weston  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  was 
born  March  26,  1729,  and  married  Sept.  9, 
1755,  Catherine  Mosher,  of  Gorham,  Maine. 
He  was  on  the  first  board  of  selectmen  in  the 
town  of  Gorham  in  1765,  liaving  removed  to 
Gorham,  Maine,  with  his  father  and  brother  be- 
fore 1749. 

(V)  Thomas  Weston,  son  of  Joseph  (2), 
was  born  Dec.  4,  1764,  in  Gorham,  Maine,  and 
died' in  Otisfield,  Maine,  March  5,  1849,  in  his 
eighty-fifth  year.  He  was  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  was  also  extensively  engaged 


in  the  lumbering  business.  He'  married  April 
11,  1794,  Esther  Turner,  daughter  of  Elisha 
Turner,  of  Otisfield,  Maine,  and  their  children 
were:  Hannah,  who  died  unmarried;  Sallie^ 
who  married  William  Haskell ;  James,  who  is 
mentioned  below;  Elisha  T.,  who  married  a 
Turner;  Daniel,  who  married  a  Knight;  Cath- 
erine M.,  who  married  Abraham  Chute;  Esther 
T.,  who  married  Dr.  Houghton ;  Margaret,  who 
became  the  second  wife  of  Abraham  Chute; 
Susanna  P.,  who  died  young;  Susanna  P.  (3), 
who  married  Otis  Knight ;  and  Rebecca,  who 
died  in  young  womanhood,  unmarried. 

(VI)  Capt.  James  Weston,  son  of  Thomas, 
was  born  Oct.  24,  1798,  in  'Otisfield,  Maine, 
and  died  Dec.  2,  1881,  in  Harrison,  Maine. 
He  followed  the  pursuits  of  farming  and  lum- 
bering, was  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers 
in  that  section  of  the  State,  and  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  well-to-do  men  of  ithe  com- 
munity. He  was  of  a  very  energetic  and  thrifty 
nature,  his  land  was  kept  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation,  and  so  well  did  he  manage  his  own 
affairs  that  he  was  frequently  called  upon  to 
administer  the  affairs  of  the  town,  serving  as 
selectman  and  in  various  other  official  capa- 
cities. In  political  faith  he  was  an  old-line^ 
Whig  and  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republi- 
can party  became  a  stanch  supporter  of  its 
principles.  Although  not  a  member  of  any  re- 
ligious denomination  Mr.  Weston  attended 
church,  and  was  liberal  in  his  support  of  all 
worthy  objects;  his  wife  was  a  devout  member 
of  the  Congregational  Church.  He  married 
Nov.  24,  1825,  Sukey  Spurr,  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph and  Tryphenia  (Hancock)  Spurr,  of 
Otisfield,  Maine,  who  was  born  Oct.  25,  1801, 
and  passed  away  in  Harrison,  Maine,  July  25, 
1892,  aged  ninety-one  years,  beloved  by  all  who 
knew  her  for.  her  sterling  traits  of  character. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  children  as  fol- 
lows: Octavia  W.  married  Maj.  Plummer 
Stuart;  Samuel  L.,  who  was  a  physician,  and 
died  in  Harrison,  married  Elizabeth  Mead  ;  Lon 
is  mentioned  below ;  James  Wendall,  who  is 
conducting  the  old  homestead  farm,  married 
(first)  Sarah  Roby  and  (second)  Sarah  Anne- 
Chase. 

(VII)  Lon  Weston,  son  of  James  and  Sukey 
(Spurr)  Weston,  was  born  Feb.  18,  1834,  in 
Harrison,  Maine,  and  until  he  was  about  six- 
teen years  of  age  attended  the  district  schools 
of  his  native  town.  Desirous  of  furthering  his 
education  he  attended  the  Bridgton  Academy 
at  North  Bridgton  for  several  terms,  during  » 
part  of  whicli  time,  for  the  purpose  of  paying 
liis  tuition,  he  began  teaching  in  the  country 
schools,   being   thus   occupied   for  four  winter 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


947 


terms.  He  then  became  a  student  at  the  Bethel 
Hill  Academy,  and  the  following  winter  taught 
school  at  Paris  Hill,  where  he  became 
acquainted  with  a  young  lawyer,  a  graduate  of 
Union  College,  who  became  interested  in  his 
efforts  to  obtain  an  education  and  gave  him  val- 
uable advice  regarding  his  further  education. 
During  the  following  summer  young  Weston 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  at  the  same  time 
kept  up  his  studies,  carrying  his  Latin  text- 
books with  him  to  the  fields.  He  finally  passed 
the  examinations,  and  in  1855  entered  Union 
College,  at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  graduating 
therefrom  in  1858,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
having  gained  a  year  in  his  studies  by  extra 
preparation.  He  had  also  taken  a  special 
course  in  engineering  and  left  Union  College 
with  the  additional  degree  of  C.  E.  While  a 
student  at  Union  College  he  was  enabled  to 
pay  his  tuition  by  teaching  mathematics  at 
the  Mount  Pleasant  Military  Institute.  After 
receiving  liis  diploma  from  Union  College  he 
became  private  tutor,  during  the  following 
summer,  to  the  two  sons  of  William  B.  Dins- 
more  (at  Staatsburg-on-the-Hudson),  who  was 
then  vice  president  of  the  Adams  Express  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Weston  then  went  West,  settling 
first  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  later  going  to  Spring- 
field, that  State,  where  he  was  engaged  at  civil 
engineering.  While  living  in  Springfield,  111., 
he  became  acquainted  with  Abraham  Lincoln, 
with  whom  he  had  a  calling  acquaintance  dur- 
ing his  stay  in  the  city.  In  the  winter  of  1859 
he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and  there  was  em- 
ployed in  the  office  of  an  architect  for  a  time, 
as  well  as  in  teaching,  when  on  account  of 
ill  health  he  returned  to  his  native  town  in 
Maine.  On  his  way  home,  in  July,  1860,  Mr. 
Weston  stopped  at  Springfield,  111.,  and  in  com- 
pany with  a  friend  called  to  pay  his  respects 
to  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  had  but  a  few  days 
before  received  the  nomination  for  the  presi- 
dency of  the  United  States  at  the  Republican 
national  convention  held  in  Chicago.  The  sin- 
cerity of  purpose  of  Mr.  Lincoln  greatly  im- 
pressed Mr.  Weston  and  he  has  ever  since  re- 
tained a  strong  admiration  for  that  illustrious 
statesman.  Returning  to  the  homestead  farm 
at  Harrison,  Maine,  Mr.  Weston  remained  there 
during  the  summer,  and  upon  regaining  his 
health  went  to  Stonington,  Conn.,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  teaching  during  the  following 
winter.  The  next  year  he  went  to  Mystic, 
Conn.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  the 
high  school,  remaining  in  that  position  for  two 
years.  He  was  then  appointed  general  agent 
for  the  Charter  Oak  Life  Insurance  Company, 
for  the  States  of  Xew  Hampshire  and  Vermont, 


with  headquarters  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  in  which 
capacity  he  continued  with  marked  success  for 
the  next  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  accepted  the  position  of  general  manager  of 
the  Mystic  River  Hardware  Company,  at  Mys- 
tic, Conn.,  manufacturers  of  cotton  gins,  book- 
binding machinery,  general  hardware,  etc., 
which  position  he  filled  for  a  period  of  three 
years.  Resigning  this  position,  he  then  went 
to  Norwich,  Conn.,  where  he  became  associated 
with  the  late  William  A.  Buckingham,  who  was 
governor  of  Connecticut  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  the  latter's  son-in-law,  Gen.  William  A. 
Aiken,  as  general  manager  of  the  manufactur- 
ing department  of  the  Norwich  Lock  Company, 
a  position  he  filled  for  about  three  years.  In 
the  fall  of  1879  Mr.  Weston  came  to  Brockton, 
Mass.,  where  he  purchased  the  business  of  the 
late  Silas  Y.  Tuck,  who  had  had  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  manufacturer  of  fine  tools. 
This  thriving  concern,  which  has  since  been 
conducted  under  the  style  of  the  Tuck  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  which  manufactures 
a  general  line  of  springs,  hardware  tools,  screw 
drivers,  cold  chisels,  and  a  variety  of  small 
tools,  has  been  greatly  improved  and  the  busi- 
ness greatly  increased  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Weston,  and  its  success  is  due  largely 
to  the  energy  and  business  acumen  which  he 
has  displayed  in  its  conduct. 

Since  becoming  a  resident  of  Brockton  Mr. 
Weston  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  adopted  city,  and  every  movement 
which  has  had  for  its  object  the  betterment  of 
the  community  has  had  his  indorsement  and 
assistance.  He  was  one  of  the  original  incor- 
porators of  the  People's  Savings  Bank  of 
Brockton,  and  has  served  as  a  trustee  and  first 
vice  president  of  that  financial  institution  since 
its  incorporation,  in  1895.  He  has  also  been  a 
trustee  of  the  Brockton  Public  Library  for  a 
period  of  over  twenty  years,  and  for  several 
years  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weston  are  active  and  consistent 
members  of  the  Porter  Congregational  Church, 
he  having  served  for  a  number  of  years  as  a 
member  of  the  parish  committee.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  Mr.  Weston  was  president  of  the 
Associated  Charities  of  Brockton,  in  the  work 
of  which  he  took  a  very  active  and  prominent 
part.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Weston  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  in  1888,  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  aldermen  from  Ward  Seven. 

On  April  10,  1866,  Mr.  Weston  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Martha  B.  Greenman,  daughter 
of  George  and  Abigail  (Chipman)  Greenman, 
of  Mystic,  Conn.,  where  her  father  was  exten- 


948 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


sively  engaged  in  shipbuilding.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  two  sons,  as  follows:  (1)  Eob- 
ert  Spurr,  born  Aug.  1,  1869,  at  Concord,  N. 
H.,  was  graduated  from  the  Brockton  high 
school  in  1887,  after  which  he  entered  Am- 
herst College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1891,  and  in  1900  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. ; 
he  was  a  student  in  the  Massachusetts  Institute 
of  Technology  in  1894-95 ;  in  the  University  of 
Berlin,  Germany,  in  1897-98 ;  was  assistant 
chemist  of  the  Louisville  Water  Company  in 
1895,  1896-98,  with  the  Superior  Water,  Light 
and  Power  Company  in  1898-99,  and  since 
1899  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  private 
practice  as  a  consulting  sanitary  engineer  with 
an  office  in  Boston.  He  married  Dec.  21,  1909., 
Miss  Josephine  FitzEandolph,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Lewis  V.  T.  FitzEandolph,  of  Plainfield, 
N.  J.  (2)  Lawrence  Greenman,  born  April  24, 
1873,  in  New  London,  Conn.,  was  graduated 
from  the  Brockton  high  school  and  the  Phillips 
Academy,  Andover,  Mass.,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  coanected  with  the  Tuck  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  of  which  he  is  now  manager. 
He  married  June  24,  1905,  Miss  Irene  Eussell 
Lewis,"  daughter  of  Prentice  Lewis,  of  Hyannis, 
Mass.,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren, Eussell  Greenman,  born  June  6,  1906, 
and  Martha  Greenman,  born  May  5,  1910. 

CAPT.  SIEEEA  L.  BEALEY,  late  of  Fall 
Eiver,  Bristol  Co.,  Mass.,  was  widely  known 
in  business  circles  in  his  connection  of  over 
thirty  years'  duration  with  the  house  now 
known  as  George  E.  HoBr  &  Son,  and  par- 
ticularly prominent  by  reason  of  his  long  and 
honorable  association  with  the  Massachusetts 
militia.  A  veteran  of  the  Civil  and  Spanish- 
American  wars,  in  both  of  which  he  served  as 
a  commissioned  officer,  he  was  a  worthy  de- 
scendant of  honored  ancestry,  of  whom  we  give 
a  brief  account. 

(I)  Eoger  Braley  (name  variously  spelled), 
■with  his  wife  and  children,  is  of  record  at 
Portsmouth,  E.  I.,  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
seventeenth  and  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
centuries.  The  Christian  name  of  his  wife 
was  Alice,  and  their  children  were:  Elizabeth, 
born  June  25,  1697;  Eoger,  born  Nov.  15, 
1698;  Alice,  born  March  28,  1700;  Ambrose, 
born  Dec.  4,  1701 ;  John,  born  March  26,  1703 ; 
Grace,  born  Feb.  22,  1704-05;  and  Sarah,  bom 
March  25,  1707. 

(II)  Eoger  Braley  (2),  son  of  Eoger  and 
Alice,  born  Nov.  15,  1698,  married  (first)  Han- 
nah, probably  at  Middleboro,  whither  he  went, 
and  (second)  Margaret  Sherman,  bom  in  1711, 
daughter   of   David   and   Abigail    (Hathaway) 


Sherman,  of  Dartmouth.  His  children  (the 
first  two  bom  to  the  first  marriage,  and  the 
others  to  the  second)  were:  Alice,  born  July 
29,  1722;  Eoger,  born  April  6,  1724;  Abigail, 
born  April  1,  1734;  David,  born  Sept.  1,  1735; 
Eussell,  bom  March  17,  1737;  Solomon,  bom 
Nov.  19,  1738.  At  this  period  Mr.  Braley 
moved  to  the  town  of  Eochester,  Mass.,  where 
were  born  additional  children:  Lydia,  July 
29,  1740;  Israel,  May  15,  1742;  Elijah,  March 
5,  1744;  Hannah,  Feb.  2,  1746;  Caleb,  Dec. 
16,  1747;  Ezekiel,  Dec.  6,  1749;  Margaret, 
Aug.  18,  1752;  and  George,  Dec.  3,  1754. 

(III)  Elijah  Braley,  son  of.  Eoger  Braley 
(2),  bom  March  5,  1744,  in  Eochester,  Mass., 
married  Lydia  Ashley,  and  among  their  chil- 
dren was  Amos  Braley. 

(IV)  Amos  Braley,  son  of  Elijah,  was  born 
Sept.  20,  1768,  and  resided  in  Freetown,  where 
he  followed  the  occupation  of  farmer.  He 
married  Feb.  18,  1790,  Lucy,  daughter  of  Lieut. 
Nathaniel  Morton,  and  granddaughter  of  Maj. 
Nathaniel  Morton,  who  served  in  the  Eevolu- 
tion,  as  did  Lieut.  Nathaniel  Morton,  the  latter 
commanding  a  company  at  the  Lexington 
alarm.  Maj.  Nathaniel  Morton  married 
Martha  Tupper.  The  chilc^en  of  Amos  and 
Lucy  (Morton)  Braley  were:  Abraham,  born 
Feb.  6,  1791,  married  Lorinda  Sherman;  Ee- 
becca,  born  Jan.  14,  1793,  married  Jeremiah 
Bennett;  Hannah,  bora  Oct.  28,  1795,  married 
Matthias  Gammons;  Eodah,  born  Nov.  1,  1797, 
died  unmarried ;  Andrew  M.,  born  Oct.  5,  1799, 
married  Charlotte  Townsend ;  Lucy,  born  Jan. 
12,  1801,  married  Warren  Hathaway;  Amos, 
born  Aug.  4,  1803,  married  (first)  Annie  Le- 
vitt, (second)  Patty  Levitt  and  (third)  Eliza- 
beth Botlec ;  John  L.,  born  Sept.  5,  1805,  mar- 
ried Mary  A.  Borden;  Elijah,  bom  April  2, 
1808,  married  (first)  Maud  Blankenship,  and 
(second)  a  Miss  Caswell;  William  Gray  was 
born  in  May,  1810. 

(V)  Capt.  William  Gray  Braley,  son  of 
Amos  and  Lucy,  was  bom  in  May,  1810,  in 
Freetown,  the  Braley  homestead  standing  on 
the  boundary  line  between  Rochester  and  Free- 
town. He  removed  to  Fall  River  and  resided 
at  Steep  Brook.  He  followed  the  sea  in  the 
coastwise  and  West  Indies  trade  and  com- 
manded different  vessels,  and  he  lost  his  life 
in  a  wreck  off  Block  Island  in  the  winter  sea- 
son, being  frozen  to  death  lashed  to  a  mast. 
He  married  Sarah  Slade,  of  Somerset,  a  de- 
scendant of  an  old  Bristol  county  family,  and 
a  great-granddaughter  of  John  Eeynolds,  who 
enlisted  in  the  Eevolutionary  service  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  and  served  two  years  in  Col. 
H.  Jackson's  regiment.     Mrs.  Braley  survived 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


949 


her  husband  many  years,  dying  in  Fall  River. 
They  had  three  children:  Aramanta  D.,  born 
June  19,  1838,  was  a  school  teacher,  and  died 
in  young  womanhood ;  Angello  D.,  born  June 
6,  1841,  a  master  mariner,  married  Mrs.  Jane 
(Simester)  Hadwin,  and  resides  in  Fall  River; 
Sierra  L.  was  born  Dec.  17,  1843. 

(VI)  Capt.  Sierra  L.  Braley,  son  of  William 
Gray  Braley,  was  born  Dec.  17,  1843,  at  Steep 
Brook,  and  his  early  life  was  spent  at  farm 
work.-  Meantime  he  also  attended  the  district 
school.  When  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon  he 
was  in  his  eighteenth  year.  He  was  very 
anxious  to  enlist  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war, 
but  was  refused  because  of  his  youth.  On  Aug. 
17,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  3d  Regi- 
ment, Massachusetts  Militia,  for  nine  months. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  in  Sept.  23,  1862, 
and  he  was  made  corporal.  He  served  in  North 
Carolina  under  Gen.  John  G.  Foster,  until  he 
returned  home,  being  discharged  June  26, 
1863.  On  Dec.  11,  1863,  he  reenlisted,  becom- 
ing a  member  of  Battery  I,  2d  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, and  was  at  once  made  a  sergeant;  was 
promoted  to  second  lieutenant  April  18,  1865, 
and  assigned  to  duty  with  Battery  L,  14th 
United  Stateai  Artillery  (colored),  June  3*, 
1865 ;  he  was  mustered  out  Dec.  11,  1865. 
After  the  war  he  entered  the  Massachusetts 
militia  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  D,  3d 
Regiment,  Infantry,  Dec.  16,  1866,  was  pro- 
moted to  captain  Jan.  2,  1868,  and  appointed 
adjutant  March  27, 1871.  The  3d  Regiment  was 
disbanded  April  28,  1876,  and  Captain  Braley 
was  made  quartermaster  of  the  3d  Battalion, 
Infantry,  Sept.  1st  of  that  year.  In  December, 
1878,  he  organized  Company  M,  1st  Regiment, 
Infantry,  and  on  Dec.  17,  1878,  he  was  com- 
missioned captain  of  that  company,  holding  this 
position  until  Jan.  1,  1899,  when  he  resigned. 
During  that  period  the  regiment  was  changed 
from  an  infantry  regiment  to  heavy  artillery, 
and  as  a  part  of  the  1st  Massachusetts  Heavy 
Artillery,  U.  S.  V.,  his  battery  (M)  took  part 
in  the  Spanish-American  war. 

After  his  return  from  the  Civil  war  Captain 
Braley  attended  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  com- 
mercial school  at  Providence  and  upon  leaving 
same  became  a  bookkeeper  in  the  White  mill. 
Later  he  was  bookkeeper  for  Andrew  Waite, 
•who  conducted  a  paint  and  paper-hanging  busi- 
nesB.  He  then  entered  the  employ,  as  book- 
keeper, of  George  E.  Hoar,  owner  of  the  well- 
known  paint  and  paper-hanging  establishment 
that  bore  his  name,  and  remained  with  him  and 
his  successor — the  present  firm  of  George  E. 
Hoar  &  Son — until  his  death.  Captain  Braley 
passed  away  Feb.  27,  1901,  and  he  was  buried 


in  Oak  Grove  cemetery.  He  was  a  member  of 
Richard  Borden  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  a  member 
of  the  Spanish  War  Veterans.  Fraternally  he 
was  a  well-known  member  of  King  Philip 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  serving  as  secretary  of 
that  organization  for  fifteen  years.  He  was  a 
most  prominent  factor  in  all  military  interests 
of  the  State  as  well  as  of  his  city,  and  it  was 
largely  due  to  the  pace  set  by  him  that  the 
1st  Regiment  and  all  regiments  in  Massachu- 
setts attained  the  high  standard  for  which  they 
are  noted. 

On  May  27,  1868,  Captain  Braley  married 
Annie  E.  Hoar,  who  was  born  April  17,  1847, 
in  Fall  River,  adopted  daughter  of  Deacon 
George  E.  Hoar  (previously  mentioned).  Four 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  as  follows: 
Sarah  Elizabeth  died  in  infancy ;  Maude  Louise 
died  aged  six  years;  Mary  Linda,  born  Dec.  5, 
1879,  was  married  June  15,  1909,  to  Gilbert 
Winslow  Tinkham,  born  at  Taunton,  Mass., 
Aug.  31,  1880,  son  of  John  G.  and  Phebe  Slade 
(Winslow)  Tinkham,  of  Fall  River  (Gilbert 
Winslow  Tinkham  is  a  draftsman  connected 
with  the  Brown  &  Sharpe  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany at  Providence,  R.  I. ;  Mrs.  Tinkham  is 
eligible  to  membership  in  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution) ;  Frank  Mason  died  in 
infancy. 

The  Fall  River  home  of  Captain  Braley  was 
for  many  years  at  No.  301  High  street,  and 
there  his  widow  and  daughter  continued  to 
reside  until  after  the  latter's  marriage,  when 
they  removed  to  Providence.  Captain  Braley 
attended  the  First  Christian  Church,  of  which 
Mrs.  Braley  is  a  member. 

FRANK  S.  ALGER,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  Rockland  Standard,  publishes  one  of  the 
best-known  weekly  papers  in  Plymouth  county. 
His  connection  with  the  Standard  began  in 
1890,  and  during  his  career  as  a  newspaper 
man  he  has  been  associated  with  various  papers 
of  standing  in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Alger  is  a 
native  of  the  old  Bay  State,  born  in  Salisbury, 
Essex  county,  Aug.  3,  1871,  and  a  descendant 
of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  the  southern  sec- 
tion of  Massachusetts,  his  first  recorded  ances- 
tor in  America  being  Thomas  Alger,  from 
whom  we  give  the  line. 

(I)  Thomas  Alger,  from  Taunton  (perhaps 
Easton  now),  was  in  West  Bridgewater  as  early 
as  1665,  on  Nov.  14th  of  which  year  he  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Samuel  Packard.  They 
had  children:  Israel  and  Deliverance,  and  per- 
haps others. 

(II)  Israel  Alger,  son  of  Thomas,  married 
Patience,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Hayward,  and 


950 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


they  had  children  :  Israel,  born  in  1689  ;  Joseph, 
1694;  Thomas,  1697;  Nathaniel,  1700;  John, 
1704.  Nathaniel  went  to  Easton  and  was  there 
in  1737  and  1729.  John  died  in  1730,  and  his 
brother  Israel  i?ettled  his  estate. 

(III)  Joseph  Alger,  son  of  Israel,  married 
in  1719  Mary,  daughter  of  William  Ames,  and 
they  had  children:  Mary,  born  in  1720  (mar- 
ried Abner  Hayward  in  1739)  ;  Joseph,  1723; 
Patience,  1726  (married  Isaac  Lathrop  in 
1743);  Bethiah,  1729  (married  Isaac  Lazell 
in  1748);  John,  1733;  Susanna,  1734  (mar- 
ried Ephraim  Burr  in  1755);  Nathan,  1737; 
Edmund,  1739. 

(IV)  Joseph  Alger  (3),  son  of  Joseph,  mar- 
ried in  1747  Naomi,  daughter  of  Elisha  Hay- 
ward,  and  they  had  children :  Edward,  born  in 
1750;  Bethia,  1752  (married  Joseph  Johnson 
in  1771)  ;  Mary,  1754  (married  Nathaniel  Per- 
kins in  1775)  ;  Hannah,  1757  (married  Jacob 
Hewins  in  1776)  ;  Silence,  1759  (married  Bar- 
nabas Dunbar  in  1780):  Joseph,  1762; 
Susanna,   1767;  Ebenezer,  1769. 

(V)  Ebenezer  Alger,  son  of  Joseph  (3), 
married  in  1793  Polly  Capen,  of  Sharon,  and 
had:  Otis,  born  in  1793  (married  Susanna  Per- 
kins in  1817)  ;  Polly,  1795  (married  Waldo 
Hayward,  Jr.,  in  1816  and  died  in  1817)  ;  Lucy, 
1797;  Ebenezer,  1799;  Nancy,  1801  (married 
Waldo  Hayward,  Jr.,  in  1818);  Eliza,  1803; 
Sanford,  1805;  William,  1808. 

(VI)  Otis  Alger,  son  of  Ebenezer,  resided  in 
the  towTi  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.  He  married 
Susanna  Perkins  in  1817  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  four  cliildren :  Columbus,  William 
0.,  Mary  and  Lucy  Ann. 

(VII)  Columbus  Alger,  son  of  Otis,  was  born 
in  West  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  in  1830,  and  there 
grew  to  manhood.  He  learned  the  trade  of  iron 
molder  in  West  Bridgewater,  which  trade  he 
followed  for  some  time,  until  he  received  the 
appointment  of  keeper  of  the  poor  farm  at 
West  Bridgewater,  where  he  spent  five  years. 
After  this  experience  he  became  keeper  of  the 
poor  farm  at  East  Bridgewater,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year,  changing  from  there  to  Hing- 
hani,  Mass.,  having  been  appointed  superin- 
tendent of  the  poor  farm  there.  He  was  en- 
gaged at  that  place  eight  years,  until  he  re- 
signed to  accept  a  like  position  at  the  new 
almshouse  at  Eockland,  Mass.,  where  he  also 
served  faithfully  for  eight  years.  His  next 
charge  was  at  Abington,  Mass.,  where  he  was 
keeper  of  the  town  almshouse  until  the  build- 
ing was  destroyed  by  fire.  From  that  time  to 
the  end  of  his  life  he  lived  retired,  making  hi* 
home  in  Brockton,  where  he  and  his  devoted 
wife  spent  their    declining    years    with    their 


daughter,  Mrs.  Kelley,  at  whose  residence  Mr. 
Alger  died  in  August,  1901.  He  was  buried  in 
Cochesett  cemetery.   West  Bridgewater. 

In  1843  Mr.  Alger  was  married,  in  East 
Bridgewater,  to  Elizabeth  W.  Lothrop,  a  native 
of  Livermore  Falls,  Maine,  daughter  of  Cyrus 
and  Mary  (Willis)  Lothrop.  Mrs.  Alger  was 
quite  young  when  she  moved  with  her  parents 
to  East  Bridgewater,  which  had  formerly  been 
their  home,  and  there  she  was  educated.  She 
was  a  school  teacher,  before  her  marriage,  and 
throughout  her  long  life  was  esteemed  for  her 
intelligent,  helpful  nature  and  high  principles. 
She  was  her  husband's  able  assistant  during  all 
the  years  he  was  connected  with  the  almshouse 
in  Plymouth  county.  She  died  Feb.  37,  1903, 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  is  buried  be- 
side her  husband  in  West  Bridgewater.  Three 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alger: 
Charles  F.,  born  in  1845,  now  living  in  Hing- 
ham  (he  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war)  ; 
Frank,  born  July  8,  1846 ;  and  Mary  E.,  born 
in  1853,  now  the  wife  of  Joseph  Kelley  and 
residing  in  Brockton. 

(VIII)  Frank  Alger,  son  of  Columbus,  was 
born  in  West  Bridgewater  July  8,  1846,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  town. 
At  an  early  age  he  started  in  to  learn  the  black- 
smith's trade  at  the  Bridgewater  Iron  Works 
in  Bridgewater,  where  he  spent  three  years. 
During  the  Civil  war  lie  enlisted,  in  "jun^, 
1863,  at  West  Bridgewater,  in  Company  I,  40th 
Regiment,  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  Mounted 
Infantry,  under  Col.  Burr  Porter,  Capt.  Wil- 
liam Harper.  The  company  was  in  the  battle 
of  Baltimore  Cross  Roads,  Va.,  and  was  pres- 
ent dui'ing  the  last  day's  fight  at  Gettysburg, 
but  did  not  participate  in  the  battle.  Its  first 
camp  was  at  Miner's  Hill,  Ya.,  across  the  Poto- 
mac, and  thence  the  command  went  to  the 
forts  in  front  of  Charleston  and  took  part  in 
the  siege  of  Fort  Wagner  and  battle  of  Morris 
Island.  Thence  they  were  sent  on  the  Florida 
expedition.  At  that  time  the  regiment  was 
commanded  by  Col.  (later  Gen.)  Guy  V.  Henry, 
who  had  succeeded  Col.  Joseph  Dalton.  Mr. 
Alger  was  with  the  company  up  to  and  includ- 
ing the  battle  of  Olustee,  Fla.,  Feb.  20,  1864, 
at  which  engagement  he  was  wounded  and  left 
on  the  field  in  a  supposedly  dying  condition. 
The  following  letter  explains  itself: 

Camp  40th  Ma.ss.  Vols.,  near  Jackson- 
ville, Fla.,  Mar.  12,  1864. 
Mr.  Alqer. 

Dear  Sir: — It  is  with  feelings  of  deep  regret  that 
I  am  called  upon  to  perform  the  painful  duty  of  an- 
nouncing to  you  the  death  of  your  son,  Frank  Alger, 
of  my  company.  He  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Olustee,  on  the  afternoon  of  Feb.  20th,  while  nobly 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


951 


performing  his  duty.  He  was  struck  by  a  musket 
■ball,  the  ball  passing  through  him,  striking  the  breast 
and  coming  out  at  the  back.  We  dismounted  and 
placed  him  against  a  tree.  He  seemed  aware  that 
iiis  wound  was  mortal,  and  bade  all  his  comrades  an 
affectionate  farewell.  We  were  obliged  to  leave  him, 
as  the  enemy  were  rapidly  advancing,  and  were 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  place.  He  died  as  he  had 
lived,  a  true  hero.  And  while  you  mourn  the  loss  of 
a  dear  son,  we  mourn  a  brave  comrade  and  companion 
in  arms.  In  him  our  cause  has  lost  a  brave  defender. 
Ever  prompt  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duty,  he  had  earned  and  well  merited  the  title  of  a 
good  soldier.  Cheerful  and  obliging  in  his  disposition, 
he  had  made  many  friends — indeed,  he  was  a  universal 
favorite. 

We  know  that  this  Dispensation  of  Providence  will 
make  a  vacant  place  around  your  family  board  and 
in  your  hearts ;  but  God  deals  mysteriously  with  us, 
and  sometimes  the  greatest  afflictions  are  intended 
for  our  good.  I  can  truly  say  of  your  son  that  he 
■was  in  every  respect  a  model  soldier.  His  obedience 
was  ever  willingly  and  cheerfully  given,  and  he  had 
won  the  commendation  and  good  will  of  his  officers, 
and  the  love  and  confidence  of  his  companions.  While 
you  mourn  his  early  death,  you  have  the  consolation 
that  he  died  engaged  in  a  noble  cause,  and  one  which 
lie  loved.  We  shall  ever  remember  him  as  a  young 
patriot,  an  offering  on  the  altar  of  Liberty. 

Permit  me,  dear  sir,  to  extend  to  you  my  heartfelt 
flympathy  in  this  hour  of  affliction,  and  may  you 
find  consolation  in  the  reflection  that  he  willingly 
gave  his  young  life  for  our  noble  cause.  With  one 
more  assurance  of  my  deep  sympathy  for  you  and 
the  other  friends  who  mourn  his  early  death,  I  would 
subscribe  myself, 

Respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

John  Pollock, 
Ist  Lieutenant  Commanding,  Co.  I, 
40th  Mass.  Moujited  Infantry. 

However,  in  spite  of  what  must  have  seemed 
to  be  incontrovertible  evidence,  Mr.  Alger's 
mother  clung  to  the  belief  that  he  was  alive, 
though  in  the  long  imprisonment  which  fol- 
lowed his  capture  at  Olustee  he  had  no  oppor- 
tunity to  communicate  with  his  family  to  re- 
lieve their  grief.  As  his  lieutenant  related,  he 
was  severely  wounded,  in  the  right  side,  and 
fell  from  his  horse,  which  dragged  him  some 
distance.  This  happened  just  before  nightfall. 
and  believing  his  injuries  fatal  he  bade  his 
comrades  good-bye,  thinking  it  useless  for  them 
to  sacrifice  themselves  for  him.  He  remained 
on  the  field  two  days.  He  had  lost  conscious- 
ness, but  came  to  before  the  end  of  the  fight. 
A  Confederate  soldier  took  him  to  the  shelter 
of  the  embankment  of  the  railroad  running 
through  the  battlefield  and  in  the  morning  he 
was  taken  to  a  church  in  the  neighborhood, 
where  his  wounds  were  dressed.  After  that  he 
was  in  hospital  several  weeks,  first  at  Lake  City 
and  later  at  Tallahassee,  after  which  his  real 
prison  life  began,  at  Andersonville,  where  he 
was  confined  for  six  months.  There- were  36,- 
000  prisoners  there  during  that  time.     He  as- 


sisted in  running  down  the  famous  raiders  and 
helped  build  the  scaffold  on  which  some  of 
them  were  hanged.  Thence  he  was  removed 
to  Savannah,  Ga.,  for  a  short  time,  and  from 
there  to  Charleston,  where  he  was  held  in  the 
jail  and  at  the  race  course  for  a  period  of  six 
weeks.  He  escaped  from  there,  but  was  run 
down  by  bloodhounds  and  recaptured,  and  was 
afterward  sent  to  the  prison  at  Florence,  S.  C, 
until  February,  1865,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  Wilmington,  N.  C,  being  incarcerated  in 
Fort  Fisher,  which  was  a  short  distance  south 
of  that  city.  He  was  there  when  General  But- 
ler attempted  the  capture  of  the  fort,  where 
there  were  three  thousand  prisoners  at  the 
time.  He  was  finally  sent  to  Wilmington  for 
parole  after  fourteen  months'  confinement,  the 
hardships  of  which  experience  may  be  best 
judged  by  the  fact  that  he  weighed  175  pounds 
when  wounded  at  Olustee  and  ninety  pounds 
when  paroled.  After  a  thirty  days'  furlough 
Mr.  Alger  rejoined  his  regiment  at  Richmond, 
Va.,  and  was  mustered  out  in  June,  1865,  after  ■ 
spending  three  years  less  eleven  days  in  the 
Union  service. 

Upon  his  return  from  the  war  Mr.  Alger 
again  took  up  his  trade,  working  first  as  a 
journeyman  at  Quincy,  Mass.,  and  later  in  the 
town  of  Hingham,  Mass.,  after  which  he  started 
business  for  himself  in  North  Weymouth,  do- 
ing general  blacksmithing,  carriage  and  repair 
work,  as  well  as  horseshoeing.  After  three 
years  there  he  sold  out  and  bought  his  present 
plant  at  Assinippi,  in  the  town  of  Hanover,  in 
1877,  where  he  has  ever  since  conducted  a  suc- 
cessful business  as  a  general  blacksmith  and 
horseshoer.  He  is  well  known,  not  only  as  a 
business  man,  but  for  his  service  on  the  police 
force  of  Hanover,  of  which  he  was  a  member  for 
seventeen  years.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
but  no  politician.  He  is  a  member  of  North 
River  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F. 

On  April  1,  1867,  Mr.  Alger  married  Ellen 
Heffernan,  wlio  was  born  in  Stoughton  Dec. 
25,  1846,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Heffer- 
nan. She  died  April  10,  1902.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Alger  had  four  children :  Frank  S.,  born  Aug. 
3,  1871;  Charles  F.,  who  died  youpg;  George; 
and  Nellie  A.,  born  Feb.  19,  1877,  who  mar- 
ried Isaac  Hersey,  of  Hingham,  and  resides 
in  Dorchester.  Massachusetts. 

(IX)  Frank  S.  Alger,  eldest  son  of  Frank, 
was  six  years  old  when  his  parents  moved  to 
the  to'(vn  of  Hanover,  locating  at  Assinippi, 
where  he  first  attended  school.  He  also  at- 
tended at  Norvell  and  Hanover,  graduated 
from  the  Hanover  high  school  in  June,  1888 
(one  of  the  youngest  in  his  class),  and  then 


952 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


worked  in  his  father's  blacksmith  and  wheel- 
wright shop  for  over  a  year.  In  January,  1889, 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  Plymouth  County 
Journal,  at  Abington,  where  he  became  an  ap- 
prentice to  the  printer's  trade.  After  a  year 
and  a  half,  in  1890,  he  entered  the  Standard 
printing  office  at  Rockland,  and  there  learned 
all  the  branches  of  the  newspaper  business, 
printing,  advertising,  reporting,  etc.  In  1901 
he  became  reporter  for  the  Boston  Herald,  suc- 
ceeding Walter  H.  Cobb,  and  his  reporting  du- 
ties for  this  paper  took  him  to  fourteen  towns 
in  Plymouth  county.  In  1892  he  was  the  local 
editor  of  the  Hanover  Branch,  a  newspaper 
printed  in  connection  with  the  Rockland  Stand- 
ard, being  its  first  local  editor.  In  1904  he 
became  editor  of  the  Standard,  in  which  office 
he  had  spent  the  first  years  of  his  active  life  in 
newspaper  work,  and  he  has  made  great  im- 
provements in  the  establishment  since  he  be- 
came proprietor.  He  is  an  up-to-date  news- 
paper man,  enterprising  and  progressive,  and 
keeps  himself  abreast  of  the  times  in  every 
branch  of  his  work.  He  conducts  one  of  the 
best  weeklies  in  Plymouth  county,  is  corre- 
spondent for  the  Boston  Herald,  Brockton 
Enterprise  and  a  number  of  other  papers  and 
magazines,  for  which  he  does  special  work  in 
addition  to  his  local  interests.  He  is  well 
known  in  his  profession.  Mr.  Alger  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Standish  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  at  Rock- 
land, the  Rockland  Commercial  Club,  the  Bos- 
ton Herald  Suburban  Benefit  Association,  and 
Nelson  Lowell  Camp,  Sons  of  Veterans.  He  is 
a  director  of  the  Rockland  Cooperative  Bank, 
and  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Press  As- 
sociation. He  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  poli- 
tical sentiment  but  independent  in  action,  sup- 
porting honest  candidates  for  office  no  matter 
of  what  party.  When  the  Hanover  street  rail- 
road was  started  he  was  one  of  the  promoters 
and  was  a  director  of  the  company  for  some 
months. 

In  November,  1892,  Mr.  Alger  married  Flora 
E.  Phillips,  daughter  of  Hon.  Lot  Phillips,  of 
Hanover.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alger  have  had  two 
children,  Dorothy  (who  died  in  infancy)  and 
Hugh   Stedman    (born  Feb.   23,   1907). 

JOHN  ALEXANDER  RUGGLES  (de- 
ceased), for  some  years  a  member  of  the  board 
of  assessors  of  New  Bedford,  and  a  contractor 
and  builder  well-known  and  prominent  in  that 
city,  was  born  there  Sept.  19,  1825,  son  of  John 
and  Harriet  (Tompkins)  Ruggles.  The  Rug- 
gles  family  is  of  long  residence  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  of  great  antiquity  in  Great  Britain. 

(I)    Thomas  Ruggles,  of   Sudbury,   Suffolk, 


England,  Esq.;  will  made  June  21,  1547. 
His  children  were :  Nicholas  Ruggles,  of  Sud- 
bury; John  Ruggles,  of  Stanstead,  Suffolk; 
Ann  Ruggles;  and  Elizabeth  Ruggles. 

(II)  Nicholas  Ruggles,  of  Sudbury,  Suifolk, 
England,  had  children :  Roger  Ruggles,  who 
married  Feb.  23,  1573,  Margery  Dandye; 
George  Ruggles,  of  Sudbury,  who  married  Alice 
Dandye;  Thomas  Ruggles,  of  Sudbury  and 
Nanzing,  Essex;  Edward  Ruggles;  William 
Ruggles  who  married  Brundisk;  Robert  Rug- 
gles, of  Lavenham,  Suffolk;  Margery  Ruggles, 
who  married  John  Drury. 

(III)  Thomas  Ruggles,  of  Sudbury,  Suffolk, 
and  Nanzing,  Essex,  had  children:  Thomas 
Ruggles,  of  Nanzing,  Essex,  and  Roxbury, 
Mass.;  John  Ruggles,  of  Nanzing,  Essex,  and 
Roxbury ;  Samuel  Ruggles ;  Nathaniel  Ruggles ; 
Florence   Ruggles;   and  Mary  Ruggles.    , 

(IV)  Thomas  Ruggles,  of  Nanzing,  Essex, 
and  Roxbury,  Mass.  (1637),  will  made  Nov. 
9,  1644;  married  Nov.  1,  1620,  Mary  Curtis, 
sister  of  William  Curtis,  the  first  of  Roxbury. 
His  children:  Thomas,  who  died  in  England; 
John,  baptized  Jan.  6,  1625 ;  Samuel,  who  mar- 
ried Hannah  Fowle;  and  Sarah,  who  married 
William  Lyon. 

(V)  John  Ruggles,  of  Roxbury,  Mass.,  bap- 
tized Jan.  6,  1625,  died  Sept.  15,  1658;  will 
made  Sept.  9th  of  the  same  year.  He  married 
Jan.  24,  1651,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Griffin 
Craft,  the  first  settler  in  Roxbury.  His  chil- 
dren: John,  born  Jan.  22,  1654;  Thomas,  born 
Jan.  28,  1655;  and  Samuel,  born  Aug.  16, 
1657. 

(VI)  John  Ruggles,  of  Roxbury,  Mass.,  born 
Jan.  22,  1654,  died  Dec.  16,  1694,  married 
Sept.  1,  1674,  Martha,  daughter  of  Edward 
Devotion  (Devaiiteon),  a  French  Huguenot 
of  noble  family.  His  children :  John,  born 
March  16,  1680;  Edward,  born  Oct.  2,  1691, 
who  married  Hannah  Craft;  Abigail,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Richardson ;  and  Martha,  who 
married  Jonathan   Smith. 

(VII)  John  Ruggles,  of  Roxbury  and  Scitu- 
ate,  going  to  the  latter  place  in  1719,  purchased 
lands  of  John  Barstow's  heirs,  midway  between 
Herring  Brook  hill  or  the  South  meetinghouse 
and  Jordan  lane.  He  married  Oct.  26.  1720, 
Joanna,  daughter  of  Thomas  Brooks.  His  chil- 
dren: Thomas,  born  in  1721;  Hannah,  in 
1723;  Grace,  in  1725;  John,  in  1729;  and 
Sarah,  in  1731. 

(VIII)  Deacon  John  Ruggles,  of  Scituate, 
Mass.,  inherited  the  farm  of  Thomas  Brooks 
(his  maternal  uncle  Brooks  having  left  no  chil- 
dren), where  Thomas  Ruggles,  his  son,  died  in 
1830.     Deacon  John  Ruggles  was  a  man  re- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


953 


markable  for  purity  of  character.  He  married 
Dec.  28,  1754,  Lusanna  Barstow,  of  Hanover, 
Mass.,  and  they  had  children:  Thomas,  born 
March  22,  1757;  Lusanna,  born  April  4,  1760; 
Hannah,  born  Aug.  16,  1762;  and  maybe 
others.  The  father  died  May  12.  1812,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-three  years.  His  wife  died  March 
8,  1809,  in  her  seventy-sixth  year. 

(IX)  Thomas  Ruggles,  of  Scituate,  born 
March  22,  1757,  married  May  10,  1781,  Eunice 
Oakham.  Their  children  were :  John,  born 
Dec.  14,  1781;  Eunice,  Sept.  20,  1783;  John 
(2),  July  26,  1785;  Lusanna,  June  24,  1787; 
Sarah,  Oct.  18,  178!);  Thomas,  March  24,  1792; 
and  Betsey,  May  9,  1794. 

(X)  John  Ruggles,  son  of  Thomas,  bom  in 
Scituate  July  26,  1785,  came  to  New  Bedford, 
where  he  made  his  home  and  died  Jan.  22, 
1867.  Throughout  his  active  life  he  was  a 
shipbuilder  at  New  Bedford,  engaged  in  the 
construction  of  whffling  vessels.  He  lived  re- 
tired, however,  for  twelve  years  before  his 
death.  Mr.  Ruggles  was  an  able  and  intelli- 
gent man,  and  active  also  outside  of  business 
interests,  taking  part  in  the  municipal  admin- 
istration and  in  church  affairs,  having  been 
chorister  of  the  Unitarian  church  for  thirty 
years,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  William  J. 
Potter.  He  was  a  vigorous  antislavery  advo- 
cate and,  for  a  layman,  a  strong  theologian  of 
the  liberal  type.  He  married  (first)  Deborah 
Drew,  born  Sept.  27,  1793,  died  Feb.  25,  1824. 
They  had  children:  Frederick  W.,  bom  Nov. 
27,  1812,  died  Nov.  27,  1812;  John  Henry, 
born  Jan.  12,  1814,  died  Aug.  12,  1817; 
George  Drew,  born  July  17,  1815.  died  Aug. 
23,  1816;  George  Drew  (2),  born  Dec.  27, 
1816,  was  drowned  May  31,  1834;  John,  born 
Aug.  4,  1818,  died  Aug.  10,  1818;  Susan  Drew, 
born  Oct.  1,  1819,  married  George  C.  Gibbs; 
Emma,  born  Nov.  17,  1821,  died  Feb.  26, 
1822.  Mr.  Ruggles  married  (second)  Dec.  14, 
1824.  Harriet  Tompkins,  bom  May  13,  1804, 
and  two  children  were  born  to  them:  John 
Alexander,  bom  *Sept.  19,  1825;  and  Isaiah 
Tompkins,  born  July  19,  1827.  He  married 
(third)  Dec.  20,  1829,  Sarah  W*.  Tompkins 
(sister  of  his  second  wife),  born  June  26, 
1802.  Their  children  were:  Thomas,  bom 
Nov.  17,  1830,  died  Oct.  9,  1836;  Harriet 
Tompkins,  born  Jan.  1,  1832,  married  in  1853 
Benjamin  F.  Brownell,  and  died  in  New  Bed- 
ford; James  Tompkins,  bom  May  19,  1833, 
died  April  8,  1835;  George  Drew  was  born 
Dec.  15,  1834;  Mary  Tompkins  was  born 
Sept.  1,  1836;  James  Tompkins  (2),  born 
Aug.  22,  1838,  died  Sept.  17,  1839;  Deborah 
Drew,  born  Jan.  22,  1841,  became  the  second 


wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Brownell,  and  resides  in 
New  Bedford;  Thomas  James  was  born  March 
8,  1843;  Lucy  T.,  born  Sept.  28,  1846,  mar- 
ried John  Chandler,  and  resides  in  Manches- 
ter,  New   Hampshire. 

(XI)  John  Alexander  Ruggles,  son  of  John, 
was  born  Sept.  19,  1825,  in  New  Bedford,  the 
house  in  which  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day 
being  on  the  corner  of  Purchase  and  Mill 
streets,  the  present  site  of  the  Webster  block. 
He  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  place,  and  in  the  New  Bedford 
high  school,  from  which  latter  he  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1839.  Among  his  classmates 
were  the  late  Hon.  Charles  S.  Randall,  John 
B.  Baylies,  Asa  C.  Peirce  and  Thomas  G. 
Bates.  For  two  years  after  his  graduation 
young  Ruggles  was  occupied  as  a  clerk  in  the 
grocery  store  of  the  late  Leonard  Macomber. 
whose  place  of  business  was  on  Union  street, 
New  Bedford.  Concluding  to  learn  a  trade 
he  fixed  upon  that  of  carpenter  and  became  ap- 
prenticed to  Sampson  Perkins,  a  prominent 
citizen  and  politician,  who  represented  the 
New  Bedford  district  in  the  State  Senate.  The 
term  of  young  Ruggles's  apprenticeship  was 
for  five  years,  and  he  continued  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  Perkins  for  a  longer  period. 

Establishing  himself  in  business  on  his  own 
account  in  the  year  1858  as  a  contractor  and 
builder,  Mr.  Ruggles  continued  as  such  and  suc- 
cessfully until  1889.  He  was  then  elected  as- 
sessor at  large  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  the 
late  David  B.  Wilcox.  He  was  reelected  to 
that  office  in  1890,  and  again  in  1893 ;  and  his 
practical  experience  and  knowledge  as  a 
builder,  and  his  familiarity  with  real  estate, 
made  him  a  valuable  man  on  the  board  in  the 
determination  of  property  values.  Other  than 
his  services  on  the  board  of  assessors  Mr.  Rug- 
gles was  assistant  assessor  from  1871  to  1873, 
and  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  common 
council  in  1867.  He  was  a  member  of  and 
long  an  active  worker  in  the  North  Congre- 
gational Church  at  New  Bedford,  and  a 
teacher  in  its  Sunday  school.  He  was  actively 
interested  in  the  Y.  M.   C.  A. 

On  May  22,  1855,  Mr.  Ruggles  married 
Susan  Reed  Nichols,  born  in  New  Bedford, 
Jan.  4.  1830,  daughter  of  Howard  and  Susan 
S.  (Clark)  Nichols.  Their  children  were: 
John  Alexander,  Jr.,  born  March  15,  1856; 
Howard  Nichols,  bom  March  19,  1858,  who 
died  July  12,  1864;  Hattie  Clark,  born  July 
7,  1860.  who  married  William  Gibbs,  and  has 
a  daughter  Rachel  Ruggles,  bom  Oct.  6,  1895 
(they  reside  with  Mrs.  Ruggles) ;  Susan  How- 
ard, born  June   17,   1864,  who  died  July   6, 


954 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1867;  and  Sarah  Nichols,  born  Dec.  11,  1865, 
bookkeeper  for  the  New  Bedford  Cordage  Com- 
pany. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ruggles  celebrated  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage  May  22, 
1905.  Mr.  Ruggles  died  at  the  family  home 
on  Sumner  street  Aug.  26,  1908. 

(XII)  John  Alexander  Ruggles,  Jr.,  born 
March  15,  1856,  in  New  Bedford,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  high  school,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  has  been  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness in  New  Bedford.  He  married  Clara 
Wilde,  and  has  a  son,  John  Wilde,  •born  Aug. 
12,  1900. 


Clark.  Mrs.  Susan  Reed  (Nichols)  Rug- 
gles is  a  member  of  some  of  the  oldest  families 
of  the  Plymouth  Colony,  the  Nicholses  and  the 
Clarks.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Susan  S.  Clark,  was  a  descendant  of  Thomas 
Clark,  who  came  over  in  the  "Ann"  in  1623, 
landing  at  Plymouth.  Before  1634  he  mar- 
ried Susanna  Ring,  daughter  of  Widow  Mary 
Ring.  His  children  were:  James,  born  1636; 
Andrew,  born  1639;  Susanna  (married  Barna- 
bas Lothrop)  ;  William,  born  1656;  John;  and 
Nathaniel.  In  1664  he  married  (second) 
Alice  Nichols,  daughter  of  Richard  Hallett. 

James  Clark,  son  of  Thomas,  married  in 
1657  Abigail  Lothrop,  daughter  of  Rev.  John 
Lothrop.  His  children  were :  John,  James, 
Susanna,  Abigail,  Joanna,  Thomas  and  Bath- 
sheba. 

John  Clark,  son  of  James,  married  Rebecca, 
and  had  children :  James,  born  1696 ;  Abigail, 
1698;  John,  1701;  Joseph,  1704;  and  Mary, 
1712. 

James  Clark,  son  of  John  and  Rebecca, 
born  in  Plymouth  in  1696,  married  in  1724, 
Meritta  Tupper,  and  had  children :  Rebecca, 
bom  in  1725;  James,  born  in  1727. 

James  Clark,  son  of  James  and  Meritta, 
born  in  1727,  married  in  1747  Hannah  Swift, 
and  had  children :  Meriah,  born  1748,  who 
married  Nathaniel  Sherman ;  Lothrop,  born 
1749;  Mary,  bcJrn  1753,  who  died  young;  Mary 
(2),  bom  1756;  Hannah,  born  1758,  who  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Gibbs;  Ann,  born  1760,  who 
married  Joseph  Bartlett;  James,  bom  1762; 
Sarah,  born  1765,  who  married  Gideon  Hol- 
brook;  Seth,  born  1767;  and  John,  born  1771. 

Seth  Clark,  son  of  James,  married  in  De- 
cember, 1789,  in  Plymouth,  Mary  Tupper,  and 
had  children:  Seth,  born  1790;  Nathaniel,  born 
1792;  Nancy,  born  1796,  who  married  Israel 
Briggs;  Susan  S.,  born  1799;  and  Joseph  S., 
bom  1801,  who  married  Harriet  B.  Bourne, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Bourne,  of  New'  Bedford. 


Susan  S.  Clark,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Mary 
(Tupper)  Clark,  born  in  Plymouth  Feb.  1, 
1799,  died  in  New  Bedford,  Aug.  1,  1837.  She 
married  Sept.  20,  1820,  Howard  Nichols,  son 
of  Moses  Nichols,  of  Plymouth.  Howard 
Nichols  was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation,  and 
settled  in  New  Bedford,  where  he  had  his  shop 
on  Elm  street,  near  Pleasant  street.  In  1849 
he  and  his  wife  went  to  California,  where  he 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  and  died  Sept. 
28,  1882.  The  children  of  his  first  marriage 
were:  Seth,  born  Aug.  17,  1822;  Harriet  C, 
born  Jan.  10,  1826;  Nathaniel  C,  born  Feb. 
26,  1828 ;  Susan  Reed,  born  Jan.  4,  1830,  who 
married  John  Alexander  Ruggles;  and  Cathar- 
ine C,  born  Nov.  27,  1832.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) Sarah  W.  Holmes,  who  bore  him  one 
child,  Howard,  Jr.,  born  April  25,  1840. 

BESSE  (Wareham  family).  The  Besses  are 
an  ancient  Cape  Cod  family,  one  of  the  Old 
Colony  and  of  some  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  years'  standing  in  Massachusetts.  An- 
thony Bessey,  the  American  ancestor  of  the 
family,  came  over  in  the  "James,"  in  1635, 
stopping  for  a  time  at  Lynn;  then,  in  1637, 
settling  at  Sandwich.  For  generations  the  pos- 
terity of  Anthony  and  his  wife  Jane  have  lived 
and  flourished  in  a  number  of  the  towns  of  the 
Old  Colony,  including  the  present  town  of 
Wareham  in  Plymouth  county,  a  town  incor- 
porated in  1739. 

It  is  with  the  Wareham  Besse  family,  with 
that  branch  of  it  whose  head  was  Samuel  Besse, 
a  man  of  seafaring  occupation  and  lines  of 
effort  akin  to  it,  whose  son,  the  late  Capt. 
Alden  Besse,  of  Wareham,  was  for  some  thirty 
years  a  successful  master  of  vessels  in  the 
whaling  industry  and  thereafter  for  nearly  as 
long  a  period  one  of  the  substantial  men  and 
useful  citizens  of  his  community,  holding  con- 
tinually the  highest  offices  of  the  town,  that 
this  article  has  to  do.  For  generations,  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  records,  especially  along  mili- 
tary lines,  the  Besse  name-  has  been  actively 
associated  with  the  stirring  events  of  the  sev- 
eral wars  01  the  Colonial  period.  Jabez,  Joshua, 
Joseph  and  Samuel  Besse  all  lending  their  aid 
to  the  Colonies  in  assisting  in  the  taking  of 
Louisburg  in  the  Cape  Breton  expedition,  in 
which  Samuel  Besse  lost  his  life ;  and  in  the 
war  for  independence  among  those  of  the  Besse 
name  from  Wareham  were:  John,  Joshua,  re- 
spectively drummer  and  fifer,  and  Jabez,  all  of 
the  minute-men  who  marched  to  Marshfield  on 
that  memorable  Lexington  alarm  of  April, 
1775;  and  Samuel,  Silas,  Jabez  and  Capt.  Bar- 
zillai  Besse  were  among  others  serving  later  in 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


955 


that  struggle. "  Capt.  Barzillai  Besse  went  out 
under  a  commission  in  an  armed  sloop  in  the 
privateer  service  and  was  successful.  Samuel 
Besse  was  one  of  the  thirteen  men  of  Wareham 
who  yielded  up  their  lives  in  the  Revolution. 

(I)  Anthony  Besse,  aged  forty-six,  came  in 
the  "James"  in  1635.  He  was  for  a  time  at 
Lynn  and  was  among  the  first  from  that  point 
who  settled  in  Sandwich.  He  preached,  it  is 
said,  to  the  Indians.  In  his  will  of  Feb.  10, 
1656,  he  mentions  his  wife  Jane,  and  children 
Nehemiah,  David,  Anne,  Mary  and  Elizabeth. 
The  widow  Jane  remarried,  marrying  (second) 
George  Barlow.  Her  will  bears  date  of  Aug. 
€,  1693,  in  which  she  mentions  daughters  Anne 
Hallett,  Elizabeth  Bodfish  and  Rebecca 
Hunter,  and  sons  Nehemiah  Besse  and  John 
Barlow. 

(II)  Nehemiah  Besse,  son  of  Anthony,  mar- 
ried Mary,  and  their  children  were :  Mary,  born 
in  November,  1680,  who  married  Dec.  3,  1700, 
Benjamin  Curtis,  of  Plymouth;  Nehemiah, 
born  July  3,  1682;  Hannah,  born  in  1684-85, 
who  married  Oct.  5,  1708,  Thomas  Jones; 
Eobert,  born  April  30,  1690,  who  married  May 
S,  1712,  Ruth  Pray,  of  Bridgewater;  Joshua, 
born  Feb.  14,  1692-93;  David,  bom  Dec.  23, 
1693;  Benjamin,  born  Sept.  20,  1696,  and 
Ebenezer,  born  April  30,  1699. 

(III)  David  Besse,  son  of  Nehemiah  and 
Mary,  born  Dec.  23,  1693,  married  July  18, 
1717,  Mary  Pray,  of  Bridgewater.  This  David 
Besse,  it  is  assumed,  is  the  David  of  Plymouth 
who  had  by  wife  Mary  children:  Samuel,  born 
in  1726;  Thankful,  born  in  1727;  and  Ne- 
hemiah, born  in  1729. 

(IV)  Samuel  Besse,  of  Wareham,  father  of 
a  David  there,  it  is  assumed  was  the  son  of 
David  and  Mary  (Pray)  Besse. 

(V)  David  Besse,  son  of  Samuel,  married, 
and  his  children  were :  Jabez,  Elizabeth,  David, 
Rebecca  and  Samuel.  The  father  is,  perhaps, 
the  David  Besse  of  Wareham  who  was  a  pri- 
vate in  Capt.  John  Gibb's  company,  Col.  Eben- 
ezer Sprout's  regiment  (4th  Plymouth 
County),  who  enlisted  Sept.  6,  1778,  and  was 
discharged  Sept.  10th  of  that  same  year,  the 
company  marching  to  Dartmouth ;  and  David 
Besse,  Jr.,  of  Wareham,  who  was  a  member  of 
that  same  company  and  regiment  which 
marched  Dec.  10,  1776,  on  an  alarm  to  Rhode 
Island,  performing  eleven  days  service,  was 
with  hardly  a  doubt  the  son. 

(VI)  David  Besse,  Jr.,  of  Wareham,  son  of 
David,  married  May  12,  1762,  Jedidah  Bur- 
gess, who  was  baptized  Aug.  28,  1747,  daugh- 

,  ter   of   Jedidiah    and    Jedidah    (Gibbs)    Bur- 
gess, of  Wareham.    Their  children  were:  Laur- 


ana,  born  Sept.  27,  1763;  Elizabeth,  born  Oct. 
3,  1765,  who  married  in  1798  Lot  Sturtevant; 
Seth,  born  Dec.  22,  1767;  David,  born  Dec. 
11,  1769,  who  married  in  1799  Betsey  Conant; 
Alden,  born  Oct.  11,  1772;  Sylvanus,  born 
Oct.  13,  1773,  who  married  in  1799  Thankful 
Bates;  Rebecca,  born  Feb.  24,  1775;  Lot,  born 
March  9,  1776;  Rebecca,  born  March  24,  1779; 
Jedidah,  born  Feb.  20,  1781;  Charity,  born 
April  4,  1783;  Samuel,  born  Aug.  31,  1785; 
Polly,  born  Mav  29,  1788;  and  Abigail,  born 
Jan.  9,  1790. 

(VII)  Samuel  Besse,  son  of  David,  born 
Aug.  31,  1785,  in  Wareham,  married  Dec.  13, 
1812,  Elizabeth  (or  Betsey)  Young,  who  was 
born  in  1786.  Their  children  were:  Charles 
Henry,  born  April  23,  1815,  died  Jan.  11, 
1892;  Samuel  Burgess  and  Isaac  Young, 
twins,  born  March  2,  1815,  died,  respectively, 
June  22,  1860,  and  March  27,  1849;  Zerviah 
Young,  born  Feb.  22,  1819,  died  March  28, 
1851;  Alden,  born  April  9,  1821,  died  June 
27,  1903;  and  Rodolphus,  born  April  21,  1823, 
died  March  5,  1878.  Samuel  Besse  in  his  early 
manhood  was  occupied  in  seafaring  pursuits. 
During  the  war  of  1812-15,  while  on  a  visit 
to  his  brother  on  West  island,  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  pressed  into  service  by  the  British, 
and  made  pilot  of  one  of  their  vessels  as  far 
as  Bird  island,  he  in  time  being  given  his 
freedom.  Both  he  and  his  wife  lived  useful 
lives  and  were  esteemed  and  respected  by  the 
community.  He  died  Aug.  16,  1863,  when  in 
his   seventy-eighth   year. 

(VIII)  Capt.  Alden  Besse,  son  of  Samuel, 
born  April  9,  1821,  in  Wareham,  passed  his 
childhood  amid  the  coming  and  going  of  the 
ships,  and  being  of  a  seafaring  family  it  was 
but  natural  that  he  imbibed  a  taste  for  the 
water,  which  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years 
he  began  to  gratify  in  employment  on  a 
coasting  vessel,  on  which  he  continued  six 
years.  He  then  shipped  before  the  mast  on 
the  whaling  brig  "Inga,"  which  cruised  for 
seven  months  in  the  North  and  South  Atlantic 
oceans.  He  made  a  second  cruise  on  th^  same 
vessel  and  in  the  waters  named,  this  time  as 
boat  steerer.  His  third  and  fourth  voyages 
were  on  the  "Inga,"  and  his  positions  those  of 
second  mate  and  first  mate,  respectively.  As 
noted  his  promotions  came  steadily  as  the 
years  passed,  and  it  was  as  master  he  made  his 
next  sail  from  New  Bedford,  on  the  bark 
"Charleston  Packet"  a  cruise  of  eighteen 
months  from  the  home  port.  The  following 
three  years  he  was  in  command  of  the  bark 
"Hecla,"  the  time  being  passed  chiefly  in  the 
North  Pacific  ocean.     On  his  return  after  this 


956 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


cruise  he  spent  some  six  months  with  liis  fam- 
ily, then  again  left  the  port  of  New  Bedford, 
this  time  in  charge  of  the  ship  "John  Wells," 
sailing  to  the  Okhotsk  sea,  and  there  cruised 
two  seasons.  He  passed  the  next  year  at  his 
home  in  Wareham,  and  then  went  upon  a 
cruise  which  kept  him  from  home  four  years, 
sailing  as  master  of  the  ship  "Hunter"  on  a 
sperm  whaling  trip  to  the  coast  of  New  Zea- 
land. His  next  and  last  cruise  was  made  on 
the  last  named  vessel  some  years  later,  this 
time  on  the  Atlantic  and  for  a  period  of 
nearly  two  years.  In  all  Captain  Besse's  ex- 
perience in  the  whaling  service  covered  a  per- 
iod of  nearly  thirty  years,  from  1839  to  1868, 
and  from  1846  on  in  the  capacity  of  master. 
His  voyages  were  invariably  successful. 

Captain  Besse  was  not  only  at  home  on  the 
deep,  a  skillful  and  careful  master  of  vessels, 
but  on  land  was  equally  a  good  business  man 
and  manager  and  as  well  a  substantial  man 
and  useful  citizen  in  his  community.  A  man 
of  strict  integrity,  honest  and  upright  in  his 
dealings,  and  having  managed  his  own  busi- 
ness affairs  successfully,  he  was  no  sooner  on 
shore  than  his  fellow  citizens,  deeming  him 
one  capable  to  look  after  the  public  affairs  of 
the  town,  pressed  him  into  service.  In  the 
course  of  his  active  career  he  had  accumulated 
considerable  property ;  had  been  the  owner  of 
several  vessels  and  interested  in  others,  en- 
gaged in  trade  to  and  from  foreign  ports.  He 
had  been  a  stanch  Republican,  firmly  support- 
ing and  advocating  the  principles  of  the  party, 
and,  as  foreshadowed  above,  interested  and 
active  in  public  affairs.  From  1868  until  1880 
he  served  as  an  efficient  selectman  of  Wareham, 
and  for  that  same  period  as  assessor  and  over- 
seer of  the  poor.  He  was  for  a  time  town 
treasurer  and  collector,  filling  out  an  unexpired 
term.  He  was  representative  from  the  Ware- 
ham district  in  the  General  Court  of  Massa- 
chusetts in  1871  and  1872.  For  fifteen  and 
more  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  National  Bank  of  Wareham, 
and  for  a  period  he  was  a  vice  president  and 
trustee,  and  one  of  the  investment  committee, 
of  the  Wareham  Savings  Bank. 

On  Dec.  26,  1852,  Captain  Besse  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  Betsey  S.  (Jenney)  Besse,  and 
the  marriage  was  blessed  with  children :  Frank 
Alden  and  Isaac  H.,  the  latter  now  deceased. 
Captain  Besse  died  June  27,  1903,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife,  who  also  died  in  Wareham,  rest 
in  the  Wareham  cemetery. 

(IX)  Frank  Alden  Besse,  son  of  Capt. 
Alden,  was  born  in  Wareham  Sept.  30,  1858, 
and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native 


town.  After  leaving  school  he  made  a  trip 
to  Europe  in  one  of  his  father's  vessels,  and  on 
his  return  became  a  clerk  in  a  store,  where  he 
remained  for  four  years.  He  then  started  on 
a  voyage  around  the  world  in  a  vessel  belong- 
ing to  his  father,  visiting  China,  Japan,  and 
many  European  countries,  and  spending  two 
years  on  the  trip,  part  of  this  time  being  passed 
in  Paris,  where  he  pursued  a  course  of  study. 
Returning  home,  he  in  1882  became  clerk  in 
the  National  Bank  of  Wareham,  and  there  he 
continued  until  1904,  when  he  was  appointed 
treasurer  of  the  Wareham  Savings  Bank,  a 
position  of  trust  and  responsibility  he  has  since 
filled  with  great  credit.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Savings  Bank,  and  a  director  of  the  National 
Bank,  and  has  been  identified  with  the  bank- 
ing interests  in  Wareham  for  nearly  thirty- 
years.  Mr.  Besse  is  very  public-spirited,  and 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  old  town  of  Ware- 
ham  and  its  institutions.  He  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board 
of  water  commissioners.  He  is,  however,  no 
seeker  after  public  honors.  He  attends  the 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  his  wife  is  a  mem- 
ber. 

On  Oct.  23,  1890,  Mr.  Besse  married  Mary 
Bryant  Gammons,  born  in  Wareham,  daughter 
of  Edward  A.  Gammons,  a  well-known  banker 
of  Wareham,  and  five  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  namely :  Edward  A.,  a  student  at 
school ;  Gerard  C. ;  Harry  W. ;  and  Gertrude 
Gammons  and  Alden  Bourne,  who  both  died 
young. 

WILLIAM  MURDOCK  THOMPSON,  of 
Brockton,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  W.  M. 
Thompson  &  Co.,  general  insurance  agents  of 
that  city,  and  one  of  the  best  known  men  in 
his  line  in  Plymouth  county,  died  at  his  home. 
No.  284  Main  street,  March  25,  1910.  He  had 
been  successfully  engaged  in  business  in  Brock- 
ton for  a  period  covering  over  thirty-five 
years.  Mr.  Thompson  was  descended  from  one 
of  the  earliest  settled  families  of  this  Com- 
monwealth, as  will  be  noted  in  the  genealogy 
of  the  Thompson  family  which  follows,  the 
generations  being  given  in  chronological  order. 

(I)  John  Thomson  or  Thompson  is  of  rec- 
ord at  Plymouth  in  1643,  in  which  year  he  is 
given  as  among  those  able  to  bear  arms.  It 
seems  uncertain  when  he  came  to  this  country. 
It  has  been  set  forth  that  he  was  born  in  1616 
in  the  northern  part  of  Wales;  that  he  came 
to  New  England  with  one  of  the  early  em- 
barkations and  landed  at  Plymouth ;  that  with 
Richard  Church  he  built  the  first  framed 
meetinghouse     at     Plymouth,     in     1637.     He 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


957 


■served  against  the  Narragansetts  for  seven- 
ieen  days  from  Aug.  15,  1645.  He  was  a 
town  officer  and  juryman  at  various  times. 
In  1645  he  bought  a  house  and  garden  in  Ply- 
mouth, and  in  that  same  year,  Dec.  26th,  he 
married  Mary  Cooke,  born  in  1626,  daughter 
of  Francis  Cooke,  who  came  to  this  country  in 
the  "Mayflower"  in  1620.  Mr.  Thomson 
finally  bought  much  land  some  thirteen  miles 
west  of  the  village  of  Plymouth  on  the  confines 
of  Bridgewater,  Middleboro  and  what  was  then 
called  Plymouth  (now  Halifax),  building  his 
house  in  Middleboro,  and  in  it  lived  until  it 
•was  burned  by  the  Indians.  He  was  an  active 
participant  in  King  Philip's  war,  in  which  he 
held  the  commission  of  lieutenant  command- 
ant, and  after  the  war  built  a  frame  house 
near  the  site  of  the  old  log  one  referred  to 
as  having  been  burned,  and  in  it  he  lived 
through  the  remainder  of  his  life;  and  four 
generations  of  his  posterity  occupied  it.  He 
died  June  16,  1696,  in  the  eightieth  year  of 
his  age,  and  his  wife,  Mary,  died  March  21, 
1714,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  her  age. 
iTieir  cliildren  were:  Adam,  who  died  young; 
John,  born  in  1648;  Mary,  born _  in  1650; 
Esther,  born  in  1652;  Elizabeth,  born  in  16S4; 
Sarah,  born  in  1657;  Lydia,  born  in  1659; 
Jacob,  born  in  1662;  Thomas,  born  in  1664; 
Peter;  and  Mercv,  born  in  1671. 

(II)  Jacob  Thomson,  born  April  24,  1662, 
married  Abigail  Wadsworth.  Mr.  Thomson 
was  for  a  number  of  years  a  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  died  Sept.  1,  1726,  in  his  sixty-fifth 
year,  and  his  wife  died  Sept.  15,  1714,  in  her 
seventy-fifth  year.  Their  children  were : 
Jacob,  born  in  1695;  Abigail,  born  in  1697; 
Mercy,  born  ,  in  1699;  John,  born  in  1701; 
Lydia,  born  in  1703;  Barnabas,  born  in  1705; 
Esther,  born  in  1707;  Hannah,  born  in  1709; 
Mary,  born  in  1711;  and  Caleb,  born  in  1712. 

(III)  Jacob  Thomson  (2),  born  April  17, 
1695,  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Tilson) 
Holmes,  widow  of  John  Holmes.  He 
was  a  surveyor  and  scrivener,  and  was 
generally  known  as  Clerk  Jacob.  He 
died  March  10,  1789,  •'in  his  'ninety-fourth 
year.  His  wife  died  Aug.  8,  1773,  in  her 
seventy-fourth  year.  Their  children  were: 
Abigail,  bom  in  1735;  Jacob,  born  in  1738; 
and  Elizabeth,  born  in  1741. 

(IV)  Jacob  Thomson  (3),  born  March  28, 
1738,  married  Oct.  27,  1761,  Freelove  Phin- 
ney,  daughter  of  Pelatiah  and  Mercy  (Wash- 
burn) Phinney.  He  was  chosen  captain  of  a 
military  company,  and  was  distinguished  from 
others  of  the  same  name  by  the  title  of  his  rank. 
He  died  in  November,  1806.     His  widow  died 


Nov.  7,  1826,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  her 
age.  Their  children  were :  Solomon,  born  in 
1762;  Benjamin,  born  in  1764;  Mercy  and 
Elizabeth,  twins,  born  in  1766;  Ruth,  born  in 
1768;  Jacob,  born  in  1771;  and  Freelove,  born 
in  1780. 

(V)  Solomon  Thompson,  born  Jan.  7,  1762, 
married  Lydia  Murdock,  who  was  born  Dec. 
8,  1766.  He  was  a  Baptist  deacon  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Their  children  were:  Lucy,  born 
in  1787,  married  Charles  Shaw;  Lydia,  born 
in  1789,  married  Timotliy  Drew;  Solomon, 
born  in  1791.  married  Harriet  Thompson  and 
(second)  Widow  Mary  Simmons;  Mercy,  born 
in  1794,  married  George  Atwood;  Calvin,  born 
in  1796,  married  Margaret  Richardson;  and 
Jacob,  born  in  1801,  married  (first)  Nancy 
Tinkham  and   (second)   Joann  Benson. 

(VI)  Calvin  Thompson,  born  Oct.  29,  1796, 
married  April  22,  18.21,  Margaret  Richardson, 
daughter  of  Robert  Richardson,  of  Boston. 
Calvin  Thompson  was  a  carpenter  by  trade. 
He  moved  from  Middleboro  to  North  Bridge- 
water  about  1844.  He  died  June  8,  1853,  and 
his  widow  died  in  June,  1867.  Their  children 
were :  Calvin  Murdock,  born  May  5,  1823,  is 
mentioned  below;  Edward,  born  Oct.  15,  1825, 
married  Sarah  S.  Savery;  Henry,  born  Dec.  4, 
1827,  married  Anne  Withingtop  Thayer;  Mar- 
garet Smith,  born  June  14,  1830,  married 
(first)  Noah  Ford  and  (second)  Charles  A. 
Tyler;  George  Richardson,  born  March  4, 
1833,  married  Mary  Alice  Johnson;  and  Rob- 
ert Richardson,  born  Jan.  10,  1838,  died  Nov. 
6,  1849. 

(VII)  Calvin  Murdock  Thompson,  born 
May  5,  1823,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  was  a  shoe 
salesman  by  occupation.  He  lived  in  Dorches- 
ter and  Hyde  Park,  and  his  death  occurred  at 
the  latter  place  in  September,  1874.  In  his 
political  views  he  was  a  Democrat  of  the  old 
school.  He  held  membership  in  various  Ma- 
sonic bodies,  including  the  commandery.  Mr. 
Thompson  married  (first)  in  June,  1847,  Mary 
B.  Sharp,  of  -Dorchester,  Mass.,  where  she  died 
in  November,  1856,  and  (second)  Helen  Bad- 
lam,  of  Hyde  Park,  Mass.,  where  she  now 
resides.  His  children  by  the  first  marriage 
were  as  follows :  William  Murdock,  born  Oct. 
10,  1848,  is  mentioned  below;  Clifton  Sharp, 
born  Jan.  2,  1852,  married  Nellie  (Putnam) 
Thompson,  widow  of  his  brother  George,  and 
resides  in  Denver,  Colo.,  where  he  is  a  bridge 
engineer  with  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Rail- 
road Company;  George  Badlam,  born  in  1855, 
married  Nellie  Putnam,  of  Neponset,  Mass., 
and  died  in  Dorchester  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  years,  his  widow  later  becoming  the  wife 


958 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  his  brother  Clifton.  To  Mr.  Thompson's 
second  marriage  was  born  one  son,  Charles 
Badlam,  who  is  a  civil  engineer  by  profession, 
and  resides  in  Hyde   Park,  Massachusetts. 

(VIII)  William  Murdock  Thompson,  son  of 
the  late  Calvin  M.  and  Mary  B.  (Sharp) 
Thompson,  was  born  Oct.  10,^  1848,  in  Dor- 
chester, Mass.,  where  his  schooling  was  begun. 
At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  came  to  make  his 
home  with  his  grandmotlier,  Mrs.  Thompson, 
in  North  Bridgewater,  wliere  he  continued  his 
studies  in  the  common  schools,  after  which  he 
furthered  his  education  in  Hunt's  Academy, 
which  was  conducted  by  Prof.  Sereno  D.  Hunt. 
Upon  completing  his  schooling  he  entered  the 
dry  goods  store  of  the  late  Henry  W.  Eobin- 
son,  where  he  remained  as  a  clerk  for  about 
nine  years,  the  training  here  received  greatly 
aiding  in  his  development.  On  Feb.  1,  1873. 
Mr.  Thompson  entered  the  insurance  office  of 
the  late  Sumner  A.  Hayward,  the  leading  in- 
surance man  of  the  city,  and  after  spending 
about  six  months  in  his  office  was  made  a  part- 
ner in  the  business,  which  was  then  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  Sumner  A.  Hay- 
ward  &  Co.  The  partnership  continued  until 
April  1,  1893,  when  Mr.  Thompson  purchased 
the  interests  of  Mr.  Hayward  in  the  business, 
and  carried  it  on  alone  until  1904,  in  which 
year  his  son,  Edgar  Hayward  Thompson,  be- 
came his  partner,  the  latter  soon  taking  full 
charge  of  the  firm's  affairs.  The  business  has 
been  conducted  under  the  name  of  W.  M. 
Thompson  &  Co.,  and  includes  both  real  estate 
and  insurance.  It  is  the  oldest  established  in- 
surance concern  in  the  city,  having  been  estab- 
lished in  1853  by  Sumner  A.  Hayward,  and 
has  since  enjoyed  an  extensive  patronage.  A 
number  of  the  leading  old-line  insurance  com- 
panies in  this  country  and  England  are  repre- 
sented, embracing  the  various  lines  of  insur- 
ance, including  fidelity  insurance.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son's health  began  to  fail  some  years  before  his 
death,  but  in  spite  of  his  physical  ills  his  men- 
tal vigor  was  unimpaired. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  holding  member- 
ship in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ; 
Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Brockton  Coun- 
cil, R.  &  S.  M. ;  and  Bay  State  Commandery, 
K.  T.,  of  Brockton.  He  also  belonged  to  Ban- 
ner Lodge,  N.  E.  0.  P.  Socially  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Commercial  Club,  in  the  formation 
of  which  he  had  been  a  leading  spirit,  and  had 
also  been  a  member  of  the  building  committee 
having  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  present 
club  house ;  and  at  its  organization  he  joined 
the  Country  Club,  of  Brockton,  and  continued 


his  membership  until  a  short  time  before  his 
decease.  He  was  also  identified  with  the  finan- 
cial institutions  of  the  city,  as  a  director  of 
the  Home  National  Bank  (which  office  he  held 
for  a  number  of  years,  being  at  the  time  of 
his  death  one  of  its  oldest  directors),  trustee 
of  the  Brockton  Savings  Bank,  director  and 
vice  president  of  the  Abington  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  of  Abington,  Mass.,  and 
a  member  of  the  Brockton  Board  of  Fire  In- 
surance Underwriters.  He  was  also  interested 
in  the  Board  of  Trade.  In  political  faith  Mr. 
Thompson  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party,  but  never  cared  for 
public  office.  Although  not  a  member  Mr. 
Thompson  attended  the  Porter  Congregational 
Church  regularly,  and  was  liberal  in  its  sup- 
port. 

On  April  23,  1873,  by  the  Rev.  S.  L.  Rori- 
paugh,  pastor  of  the  First  Universalist  Church, 
Mr.  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Julia  B.  Hayward,  daughter  of  Sumner  A.  and 
Cynthia  B.  (Washburn)  Hayward,  grand- 
daughter of  Ira  and  Sarah  (Edson)  Hayward, 
and  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas  Hayward, 
who  came  from  England  and  settled  at  Dux- 
bury,  Mass.,  in  1638.  Mrs.  Thompson  passed 
away  at  her  home  in  Brockton  June  11,  1908, 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  her.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Mayflower  Descendants 
of  Boston,  her  family  genealogy  being  traced 
back  on  both  sides  to  the  coming  of  the  "May- 
flower" to  Plymouth,  in  1620,  different  fami- 
lies to  which  she  was  related  being  the  Stand- 
ishes,  Cookes,  Aldens  and  Fullers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  had  one  son,  Edgar 
Hayward  Thompson,  born  June  10,  1879,  who 
was  graduated  from  the  Brockton  High  School 
in  1898,  after  which  he  attended  Brown  Uni- 
versity, and  who  is  now  the  only  survivor  of 
the  firm  of  W.  M.  Thompson  &  Co.,  and  one 
of  the  prominent  young  men  of  the  city.  He 
is  a  member  of  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M. ;  of  the  Commercial  Club,  and  of  the 
Thorny  T^ea  Golf  Club.  He  is  an  incorporator 
of  the  Brockton  Savings  Bank,  and  at  the  fifty- 
fifth  annual  meeting  of  the  Abington  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  in  1911,  he  was 
elected  a  director  of  the  same  to  succeed  his 
fatlier.  He  married  Mary  Parmenter,  of 
Brockton. 

In  spite  of  his  years  of  feeble  health  William 
M.  Thompson  was  at  his  office  less  than  a 
week  before  his  death.  The  news  that  he  had 
passed  away  caused  universal  regret,  and  many 
spoke  appreciatively  of  his  long  useful  life. 
Of  magnetic  personality,  with  keen  business 
judgment  and  sound  common  sense,  he  was  a 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


959 


dominant  force  in  the  business  world.  Hie 
support — moral  and  material — -for  all  measures 
for  Brockton's  advancement  was  freely  given, 
and  he  enjoyed  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the 
entire  community.  His  remains  were  interred 
in  the  family  lot  in  Melrose  cemetery. 

NATHANIEL  PEANCIS  SHURTLEPF, 
of  Middlebdro,  now  retired  from  active  busi- 
ness after  a  long  life  devoted  to  lumbering  and 
milling,  and  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of 
this  town,  comes  of  a  family  whose  early  home 
was  in  Yorkshire,  England. 

(I)  William  Shurtleff,  from  Ecclesfield, 
England,  some  twenty  miles  from  Scrooby— 
the  latter  being  the  point  at  which  assembled 
the  Pilgrims  before  their  going  to  Leyden, 
Holland,  in  his  youth  came  early  to  Plymouth, 
where  he  was  among  those  able  to  bear  arms 
in  1643.  He  was  apprenticed  at  Plymouth, 
says  Savage,  to  Thomas  Clark,  a  carpenter,  but 
was  not  probably  brought  by  him.  It  is  said 
that  at  Scrooby,  at  a  seat  called  Whitley  Hall, 
resided  the  only  family  of  the  name  that  has 
been  found  before  its  appearance  in  this  coun- 
try. William  Shurtleff  appears  in  the  Ply- 
mouth records  as  surveyor  of  highways  and 
constable.  On  Oct.  18,  1655,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Lettice,  who  was  born  in  England, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ann  Lettice.  He 
was  killed  by  a  stroke  of  lightning  at  Marsh- 
field  June  23,  1666.  She  survived  him,  and 
died  Oct.  31,  1693,  in  Swansea,  Mass.  Their 
children  were :  William,  Thomas  and  Abiel. 

(II)  Abiel  Shurtleff,  son  of  William,  and 
of  Plymouth,  married  there  Jan.  14,  1696, 
Lydia,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Barnes,  of  Ply- 
mouth. Their  children  were:  James,  born 
Nov.  16,  1696;  Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  6,  1698; 
Lydia,  born  Peb.  28,  1701 ;  David,  born  June 
1,  1703;  Hannah,  born  July  31,  1705;  John, 
born  Nov.  8,  1707;  Benjamin,  bom  April  11, 
1711;  William,  born  Sept.  8,  1713;  Joseph, 
born  Jan.  22,  1716;  and  Abiel,  born  Oct.  23, 
1717.  This  family  resided  in  that  part  of  the 
town  which  became  Plympton.  The  mother 
died  there  Sept.  10,  1727,  and  the  father  Oct. 
28,  1732. 

(III)  Benjamin  Shurtleff,  of  Plympton,  son 
of  Abiel,  born  April  11,  1711,  married  (first) 
Hannah  Diman,  and  (second)  in  1745  Su- 
sanna, daughter  of  Josiah  Cushman.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Hannah,  who  married  an  Ellis; 
Benjamin,  born  in  1748;  Susanna,  born  in 
1751;  and  Ruth,  born  in   1753. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Shurtleff  (2),  born  Oct.  14, 
1748,  died  July  8,  1821,  in  Carver,  Mass.  On 
June  7,  1773,  he  married  Abigail  Atwood,  of 


Carver,  who  was  born  Oct.  7,  1755,  and  died 
Nov.  29,  1826.  Their  children  were:  Benja- 
min, born  Nov.  7,  1774;  Nathaniel,  April  18, 
1776;  Stephen,  Dec.  28,  1777;  Barzilla,  Dec. 
23,  1780;  Abigail,  April  5,  1782;  Flavel,  Aug. 
29,  1784;  Ruth,  Aug.  24,  1787;  Lot,  March  7, 
1789;  Charles,  Oct.  20,  1790;  Samuel  Atwood, 
July  7,  1792;  Hannah,  Sept.  17,  1794;  and 
Milton,  July  28,  1796. 

(V)  N^athaniel  Shurtleff,  son  of  Benjamin 
(2),  born  April  18,  1776,  died  in  Middieboro 
Nov.  4,  1858.  He  married  Elizabeth  Bumpus, 
who  was  born  Dec.  25,  1778,  and  died  Feb.  1, 
1838,  and  their  children  were:  Elizabeth,  born 
May  2,  1804,  died  in  infancy;  Sarah,  born 
Jime  13,  1805,  died  unmarried  Feb.  20,  1831; 
Salem,  born  July  14,  1807,  died  in  1830; 
Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  28,  1808,  died  March  5, 
1855,  married  Matthew  Gushing,  of  Middie- 
boro, and  had  children,  Matthew  H.,  Nathaniel 
S.  and  Gamaliel ;  Nathaniel  was  born  Sept.  15, 
1811;  a  son  was  born  Dec.  21,  1813;  Joann 
born  March  14,  1818,  married  Israel  Smith, 
of  Middieboro,  and  had  children,  Joann  and 
Augusta;  Jerome,  born  Oct.  30,  1821,  died 
May  17,  1824;  and  Harrison,  born  Feb.  2, 
1825,  married  Adeline  Ward,  of  Carver. 

(VI)  Nathaniel  Shurtleff  (2),  son  of  Na- 
thaniel, born  Sept.  15,  1811,  died  Nov.  13, 
1903,  married  Jan.  24,  1841,  Susanna,  daugh- 
ter of  Silas  and  Polly  (Shurtleff)  Thomas. 
She  was  born  June  17,  1811,  and  died  Aug. 
4,  1868.  Their  two  children  were,:  Elizabeth 
Bumpus,  born  Dec.  28,  1841,  who  married 
Elbridge  Cushman,  of  Middieboro;  and  Na- 
thaniel Francis. 

Nathaniel  Shurtleff  (2)  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  district  schools  of  Middieboro,  after 
which  he  took  up  farming  with  his  father. 
Subsequently  he  went  into  the  sawmill,  making 
shingles,  box  boards,  and  later  cutting  long 
lumber.  He  was  very  active  in  public  matters, 
and  held  a  number  of  offices,  among  them  that 
of  selectman,  always  giving  conscientious  ser- 
vice to  the  town.  He  was  keenly  interested  in 
a  number  of  ventures  that  broadened  the  busi- 
ness relations  of  the  community.  In  religious 
faith  he  was  a  Methodist,  and  in  political 
principle  a  Republican. 

(VII)  Nathaniel  Francis  Shurtleff  was  born 
in  Middieboro  Aug.  15,  1844,  and  educated 
in  the  district  schools  of  that  town  and  in 
Peirce  Academy  and  the  Perez  Cushing  board- 
ing school.  His  school  days  ended  he  became 
associated  with  his  father  in  farming,  lum- 
bering and  milling.  The  sawmill  was  first  run 
by  water  power,  but  later  steam  was  installed. 
He  continued  to  run  and  manage  this  up  to 


960 


SOUTHEASTEKiSl'>  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  time  of  his  father's  death,  after  which  he 
took  full  charge,  and  with  his  two  sons  en- 
gaged in  business  with  him  has  met  with  great 
success.  He  now  owns  several  hundred  acres 
of  timberland,  and  about  forty  acres  of  culti- 
vated land  besides  that  devoted  to  the  culti- 
vation of  cranberries  Ijy  his  sons.  For  a  few 
years  he  has  been  practically  rehired  from  ac- 
tive work,  though  still  in  touch  with  the  man- 
agerial end  of  the  business.  His  sons  are 
proving  worthy  sons  of  their  father  and  are 
now  conducting  the  business  with  undimin- 
ished success. 

On  Dec.  23,  1866,  Mr.  Shurtleff  married 
Cynthia  Emma  Smith,  bom  Dec.  4,  1844, 
daughter  of  Perez  and  Joana  (Swift)  Smith, 
of  Eochester,  Mass.  She  died  May  10,  1910, 
in  Carver,  Mass.,  the  mother  of  three  chil- 
dren: Nathaniel  Allerton,  born  Oct.  13,  1867, 
is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  lumber 
business  and  in  farming  (he  is  unmarried)  ; 
Susanna  Thomas,  born  Dec.  22,  1868,  died 
Nov.  19,  1888;  and  Harrison  Francis,  born 
April  4,  1881,  also  associated  with  his  father, 
married  Alice  Ethel  Gerald,  of  Benton,  Maine, 
daughter  of  Alvin  M.  and  Caroline  L.  (Mar- 
con)  Gerald,  and  has  had  children,  Nathaniel 
(born  Sept.  19,  1903)  and  Susanna  Cynthia 
(bom  Jan.  5,  1909,  died  March  7,  1909). 

Mr.  Shurtleff  attends  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  of  South  Middleboro.  In  his 
political  faith  he  is  a  stanch  upholder  of  Re- 
publican principles. 

WILLIAM  B.  ATWOOD,  one  of  the  enter- 
prising and  successful  business  men  of  Brock- 
ton, where  he  is  engaged  as  a  dealer  in  leather 
remnants,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  earliest 
settled  families  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  born 
April  9,  1864,  in  Rochester,  Mass.,  son  of  Bart- 
lett  S.  and  Lois  Swift  (Smith)  Atwood.  The 
ancestry  of  this  branch  of  the  family  is  given 
in  chronological  order. 

(I)  The  late  William  T.  Davis,  the  historian 
of  Plymouth,  TVIass.,  in  his  "Ancient  Land- 
marks of  Plymouth,"  says :  "The  various 
branches  of  the  Atwood  family  of  that  town  de- 
scend from  John  Wood,  of  Plymouth,  1643 ; 
and  there  was  a  John  Atwood  in  Plymouth  in 
1636,  who  died  without  children."  Pope,  an- 
other authority,  has  John  Wood,  or  Atwood, 
bora  in  1609,  who  came  from  London  in  the 
ship  "Hopewell,"  in  1635,  and  settled  in  Ply- 
mouth, where  he  was  a  proprietor  in  1636, 
juryman  in  1638,  able  to  bear  arms  in  1643, 
and  married  to  Sarah  Masterson.  John  Wood, 
or  Atwood,  whom  Davis  quotes  as  of  Plymouth 
in   1643,  married    Sarah   Masterson,   daughter 


of  Richard  Masterson — hence  these  two  au- 
thorities refer  to  the  same  John  Wood  or  At- 
wood. John  and  Sarah  (Masterson)  Wood 
(Atwood)  had  children  as  follows:  John,  born 
March  4,  1649;  Nathaniel,  born  Feb.  25,  1651- 
52;  Isaac,  born  Feb.  27,  1653;  Mary,  who 
married  Rev.  John  Holmes,  of  Duxbury,  and 
(second)  Maj.  William  Bradforu;  Sarah,  who 
married  John  Fallowell ;  Abigail, 'married  to 
Samuel  Leonard  ;  Mercy ;  Elizabeth ;  and  Han- 
nah, married  to  Richard  Cooper. 

(II)  Deacon  Nathaniel  Atwood,  son  of  John, 
born  Feb.  25,  1651-52,  in  Plymouth,  Mass., 
married  in  1683  Mary  Morey,  born  in  Ply- 
mouth in  1660,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Morey, 
and  their  children  were:  John,  born  in  1684; 
Elizabeth,  in  1687;  Joanna,  in  1689;  Mary, 
in  1691;  Nathaniel,  in  1693;  Isaac,  in  1695; 
Barnabas,  in  1697-98,  and  Joanna  (2),  in 
1700. 

(III)  Lieut.  Nathaniel  Atwood,  son  of  Na- 
thaniel, bom  Oct.  3,  1693,  in  Carver,  Mass., 
married  in  about  1722  Mary  Adams,  daughter 
of  Francis  Adams,  and  (second)  Mrs.  Abigail 
(Lucas),  and  lived  in  Plympton,  Mass.  His 
children  were:  Mary,  born  in  1723;  Nathaniel, 
born  in  1725;  Francis,  born  in  1728  (all  by 
the  first  marriage)  ;  Sarah;  Mercy;  Ebenezer; 
Keziah  ;  William  ;  Joseph,  and  Ichabod. 

(IV)  William  Atwood,  son  of  Lieut.  Na- 
thaniel, was  born  April  5,  1740,  in  Carver, 
Mass.,  where  he  died  April  30,  1814.  He 
married  Dec.  4,  1766,  Lydia  Tilson,  who  was 
born  Feb.  14,  1749,  in  Carver,  Massachusetts. 

(V)  Asaph  Atwood,  son  of  William,  was 
born  Sept.  5,  1777,  in  Carver,  Mass.,  where 
he  died  Julv  26,  1870.  On  Nov.  19,  1805,  he 
married  Elizabeth  Shaw,  who  was  bom  in 
Carver  Nov.  19,  1787,  daughter  of  Maj.  John 
and  Abigail  (Perkins)  Shaw.  Their  children 
were:  Hannah,  Almira,  Elizabeth,  Tilson, 
Oren  and  Asaph. 

(VI)  Oren  Atwood,  son  of  Asaph,  was  bora 
Oct.  6,  1806,  in  I'arver,- where  he  was  engaged 
in  fanning  and  lumbering  during  his  life, 
and  where  he  died  Feb.  7,  1887.  He  mar- 
ried March  28,  1833,  Sibilla  Ward,  born 
in  Carver  Nov.  7,  1808,  daughter  of  Benja- 
min, Jr.,  and  Hannah  Ward.  Their  children 
were:  Bartlett  Shaw,  born  March  28,  1835,  is 
mentioned  below;  and  Arabella  Sprague,  bom 
Aug.  26,  1840,  married  Samuel  Shaw,  of  Car- 
ver, where  she  died. 

(VII)  Bartlett  Shaw  Atwood,  son  of  Oren 
and'  Sibilla  (Ward),  was  born  March  28, 
1835,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  where  his  school- 
ing was  obtained  in  the  district  schools  near 
his  home.       He  later  went  to  Carver,  where  he 


^^^L^^/^  (2^,^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


961 


followed  farming  and  lumbering  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  in  connection  with  the  latter  in- 
dustry had  a  saw  and  shingle  mill,  which  he 
ran  until  within  a  few  years  of  his  death.  He 
was  of  a  genial  and  kindly  nature,  and  was 
devoted  to  his  home  and  family.  In  political 
faith  he  was  a  Democrat  of  the  old  school.  He 
and  his  family  attended  the  Carver  Union 
Church,  to  which  he  gave  liberal  support.  On 
Sept.  28,  1861,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  Mr.  At- 
wood  married. Lois  Swift  Smith,  who  was  born 
Jan.  26,  1840,  in  Eochester,  Mass.,  daughter 
of  Perez  and  Joan  (Swift)  Smith,  grand- 
daughter of  Wdlliam  and  Hannah  (Cobb) 
Smith,  and  great-granddaughter  of  Perez 
Smith,  all  of  Eochester,  Mass.  Mr.  Atwood 
died  Aug.  21,  1893,  in  Carver,  and  is  survived 
by  his  wife,  who  now  resides  in  Brockton,  sur- 
rounded by  her  children  and  grandchildren. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atwood  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children :  William  B.,  born  April  9,  1864, 
is  mentioned  below;  Edward  Kelton,  born 
March  4,  1866,  in  Carver,  a  shoeworker  by 
trade,  in  Brockton,  married  Grace  Sharp  Lin- 
coln, of  Abington,  Mass.,  and  has  one  son, 
Eonald  Oren  Atwood;  Perez  Smith,  born  Dec. 
15,  1867,  in  Carver,  now  employed  by  his 
jDrotber  William  B.,  in  Brockton,  married 
Pearl  Leon  Spinney,  of  Brockton,  and  they 
have  one  son,  Bartlett  Shaw  Atwood;  Eobert 
'  Clayton,  born  Sept.  18,  1878,  in  Carver,  died 
aged  twenty-two  years;  and  Alice  Sprague, 
bom  Sept.  20,  1880,  in  Carver,  resides  with 
her  widowed  mother  in  Brockton. 

(VIII)  William  Bartlett  Atwoodj,  eldest 
son  of  Bartlett  S.  and  Lois  Swift  (Smith)  At- 
wood, was  born  in  Eochester,  Mass.,  April  9, 
1864.  His  parents  moved  to  the  town  of 
Carver  when  he  was  about  one  year  old,  and  in 
"the  district  schools  of  the  latter  town  he  ac- 
quired his  early  'educational  training,  attend- 
ing school  during  the  winter  months  and 
assisting  his  father  on  the  farm  and  in  his 
sawmill  in  the  summer  months  until  he  was 
seventeen  years  of  age.  The  nest  year  he 
left  home,  going  to  Abington,  Mass.,  where 
he  entered  the  shoe  factory  of  Cobb  &  Thomp- 
son, to  learn  the  trade  of  upper  leather  cut- 
ting, remaining  in  their  employ  about  four 
years.  He  then  became  an  upper  leather 
•cutter  in  the  shoe  factory  of  M.  N.  Arnold  & 
Co.,  of  the  same  town,  cSntinuing  as  such  for 
about  two  years.  In  1888  Mr.  Atwood  came 
to  Brockton,  where  he  accepted  a  position  in 
the  cutting  room  of  the  A.  M.  Herrod  shoe 
factory,  and  after  remaining  in  that  depart- 
ment for  a  short  time  went  on  the  .road  for 
the  same  concern  as  a  salesman  for  a  short 


time,  after  which  he  became  a  cutter  in  the 
D.  W.  Field  factory,  filling  that  position  for 
one  year.  He  then  filled  the  same  position  in 
the  George  H.  Kingman  factory  for  a  couple 
of  years,  and  from  there  went  to  the  Wendell 
Leach  shoe  factory,  remaining  in  the  cutting 
department  for  four  years,  when  the  factory 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Atwood  then  be- 
came superintendent  for  the  Niles  Shoe  Com- 
pany, of  Brockton,  remaining  in  that  capacity 
for  a  period  of  about  two  years,  when  he 
became  a  salesman  for  John  W.  Snow,  dealer 
in  upper  leathere'of  all  kinds,  and  in  his  em- 
ploy remained  four  years.  In  August,  1900, 
Mr.  Atwood  engaged  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  as  a  dealer  in  leather  remnants,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  remnants  from  belt  factories, 
which  are  sorted  and  made  up  into  shoe  rands, 
heels,  etc.,  for  the  shoe  manufacturers,  and  by 
close  application  to  business  he  has  met  with 
deserved  success,  his  business  having  enjoyed  a 
steady  and  continuous  growth  from  the  begin- 
ning. 

On  Oct.  15,  1891,  Mr.  Atwood  was  married 
to  Emma  F.  Stillman,  daughter  of  James  H. 
Stillman,  of  Brockton,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Eena  Lois,  bom  April  3,  1894.  So- 
cially Mr.  Atwood  is  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club,  of  Brockton.  Politically  he  is 
an  advocate  of  Eepublican  party  principles. 

DE.  CHAELES  WAEEEN  WHITE,  of 
Fairhaven,  who  died  May  15,  1904,  had  a  bril- 
liant, though  comparatively  brief,  career  as  a 
medical  practitioner.  He  was  bom  in  Ran- 
dolph, Mass.,  Aug.  20,  1859,  son  of  Charles 
Warren  and  Eliza  C.  (Lambert)  White,  and 
of  the  eighth  generation  of  the  family  in 
America  founded  by  Thomas  White  (1599- 
1679). 

(I)  Thomas  White,  bom  about  1599,  was 
admitted  a  freeman  of  the  Massachusetts  Col- 
ony, March  3,  1635-36,  being  then  and  previ- 
ously an  inhabitant  of  Weymouth,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church  there.  His  name  appears  on 
the  earliest  records  of  Weymouth,  and,  if  not 
one  of  the  first  settlers,  he  must  have  been 
nearly  so.  He  was  for  many  years  one  of  the 
selectmen  of  Weymouth,  and  was  often  chosen 
on  important  committees.  He  commanded  a 
military  company,  then  a  post  of  distinguished 
honor  and  responsibility,  and  was  representa- 
tive in  the  General  Court  1637,  1640,  1657  and 
1671.  His  will  is  dated  July  5,  1679,  and  was 
proved  Aug.  28,  1679.  His  children  living  at 
the  date  of  his  will,  and  probably  all  bom  in 
Weymouth,  were:  Joseph,  Hannah,  Samuel, 
Thomas  and  Ebenezer. 


ei 


962 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Thomas  White  was  the  ancestor  of  a  numer- 
ous posterity,  many  of  wliom  have  been  persons 
of  education,  distinction  and  worth,  among 
them  being  Hon.  Samuel  White,  of  Taunton, 
who  was  speaker  of  the  Massachusetts  House 
of  Representatives  at  the  time  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  whose  circular  as  speaker  called  together 
the  first  congress  which  assembled  at  New 
York  in  October,  1765,  an  act  which  was 
deemed  by  some  to  involve  the  crime  of  high 
treason — by  others  as  the  first  official  act  of 
the  American  Revolution. 

(II)  Thomas  White  (2),  son  of  Capt. 
Thomas,  of  Weymouth,  born  in  Weymouth,  set- 
tled in  Bjaintree,  not  far  from  the  Weymouth 
line.  He  was  admitted  a  freeman  in  1681  and 
had  a  high  socia'l  position.-  He  died  April  11, 
1706.  His  will  dated  March  28,  1706,  proved 
May  16,  1706,  mentions  his  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren, the  latter  being:  Thomas,  Mary,  Samuel, 
Joseph  and  Ebenezer. 

(III)  Thomas  White  (3),  son  of  Thomas 
(2), -of  Braintree,  married  (first)  July  21, 
1697,  Mehetabel  Adams,  youngest  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Abigail  Adams.  She  died  Oct.  12, 
1713,  aged  forty,  and  he  married  (second) 
April  29,  1714,  "Mary  Bowditch,  born  Feb.  17, 
1686-87,  daughter  of  John  and  Temperance 
(French)  Bowditch.  Mr.  White  lived  in  East 
Braintree;  was  selectman  in  1722  and  1725. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Second 
Church  in  Braintree  at  Mr.  Niles's  settlement 
in  1711.  He  sold  his  property  in  Braintree  in 
1734,  at  which  time  he  was  of  Abington.  His 
children,  all  born  in  Braintree,  were :  Thomas, 
Mehetabel,  Mary,  Abigail  (all  bom  to  the  first 
wife),  Ruth,  Rachel,  Josiah,  Sarah  and  Micah. 

(IV)  Micah  White,  son  of  Thomas  (3),  born 
Dec.  10,  1721,  married  Sept.  10,  1746,  Su- 
sanna Eager.  He  was  a  farmer;  settled  in 
^^raintree ;  removed  to  South  Precinct,  now 
the  town  of  Randolph,  and  there  spent  most  of 
his  days.  He  finally  removed  to  Titicut,  in 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  where  he  died  about  1802. 
His  children  were:  Susanna,  who  died  young; 
Lot,  born  in  1749,  who  married  Polly  Tower; 
Susanna  (2),  born  in  1750,  who  married  Elijah 
French,  and  removed  to  Braintree,  Vt. ;  Han- 
nah, who  married  Captain  Nichols,  of  Brain- 
tree, Vt. ;  Micah,  born  in  1754,  who  married 
Sarah  Mann,  and  for  a  time  at  least  was  a 
resident  of  Claremont,  N.  H.,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  business  with  Samuel  Mann,  and  the 
latter's  brothers,  Benjamin  and  Stephen  Mann. 

(V)  Micah  White  (2),  son  of  Micah,  bom 
March  10,  1754,  died  Nov.  14,  1841.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Mann,  who  was  born  July  17,  1762, 
and  who  died  June  2,   1852.     Their  children 


were:  Sarah,  born  Oct.  5,  1784;  Calvin,  Sept. 

5,  1786;  Charlotte,  Sept.  5,  1788;  Caleb, 
March  11,  1792;  Phebe,  April  29,  1794;  Na- 
than, Dec.  12,  1796;  Livingston,  Feb.  16, 
1799;  Warren,  July  12,  1801;  and  Eliza,  Oct. 

6,  1803. 

(VI)  Warren  White,  son  of  Micah  (2),  born 
July  12,  1801,  in  Randolph,  Mass.,  married 
March  13,  1828,  Lorena,  born  Oct.  7,  1800,, 
daughter  of  Elisha  and  Abigail  (Whitcomb) 
Mann,  he  a  farmer  at  West  Corner,  in  Ran- 
dolph, Mass.,  and  a  direct  descendant  of  Rich- 
ard Mann,  of  Scituate,  Mass.,  who  came  from 
England  to  this  country  and  is  first  of  record 
at  Scituate,  when  taking  the  oath  of  fidelity 
Jan.  15,  1644,  from  whom  his  descent  i& 
through  Thomas,  Joseph  and  Seth  Mann. 

The  children  of  Warren  and  Lorena  (Mann) 
White,  of  Randolph,  were:  Charles  Warren, 
born  Dec.  17,  1828;  Ephraim  Mann,  born 
March  7,  1830,  who  married  (first)  in  1855 
Mary  Frances  Nile^  and  (second)  in  1861 
Carrie  Richards;  Rufus  Thayer,  born  Dec.  30, 
1833,  who  married  in  1859  Carrie  H.  Clancy; 
Lucy  Ann,  born  July  9,  1836,  who  died  unmar- 
ried May  1,  1862;  Elisha  Mann,  bom  June  10, 
1841,  who  married  (first)  Amelia  Hopkins, 
Jan.  17,  1865,  and  (second)  Sarah  E.  Fisk. 

(VII)  Charles  Warren  White,  son  of 
Warren  and  Lorena  (Mann),  was  born  Dec.  17, 
1828,  in  Randolph,  Mass.,  and  acquired  his  edu-" 
cation  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town.  Dur- 
ing the  gold  excitement  on  the  Pacific  coast 
in  1849  he  went  with  his  brother  Ephraim  tO' 
California,  where  he  remained  four  years. 
Then,  returning  to  Massachusetts,  he  went  to- 
Boston,  which  city  he  made  his  home  through 
the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  there  engaged 
in  the  shoe  business  for  some  four  years,  and 
then,  in  1859,  founded  the  firm  of  C.  W.  White 
&  Co.,  dealers  in  surgeons'  supplies,  which  he 
developed  from  a  small  beginning  to  one  of 
great  importance.  On  retiring  from  business 
some  twenty  years  prior  to  the  time  of  his  death 
he  passed  a  number  of  years  in  travel.  He  was 
attracted  to  Fairhaven  from  the  fact  that  his 
son,  the  late  Charles  W.  White,  M.  D.,  had 
located  there  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  For 
some  ten  years  Mr.  White  spent  much  time  at 
the  home  of  his  son,  and  then  built  a  dwelling- 
house  for  himself  on  Union  street,  Fairhaven, 
where  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  were- 
passed. 

Mr.  White  was  a  most  honorable  and  suc- 
cessful business  man ;  was  a  generous  contrib- 
utor to  many  benevolent  objects,  and  was 
greatly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
a   member   of  a   Boston  lodge  of  Masons  and 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


963 


took  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  frater- 
nity. He  cared  nothing  for  political  preferment 
and  never  was  actively  engaged  in  politics  and 
public  affairs.  He  was  of  a  cheery  and  cordial 
disposition  and  made  friends  in  unusual  num- 
ber. 

In  1857  Mr.  White  was  married  (first)  to 
Emeline  Stanton.  On  July  31,  1858,  he  mar- 
ried (second)  Eliza  C.  Lambert,  who  survived 
him,  dying  April  29,  1911.  To  his  second  mar- 
riage was  born  one  son,  Charles  Warren. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  Mr.  White 
said  one  who  knew  him  well:  "In  the  death 
of  Charles  W.  White,  the  community  and  the 
church  of  which  he  was  a  liberal  patron,  as 
well  as  the  immediate  family  and  friends,  have 
suffered  a  great  loss.  Of  a  genial  and  social 
manner,  he  made  friends  of  all  ages  and  con- 
ditions. His  Christian  character  showed  itself 
in  different  ways,  and  his  charities  were  unos- 
tentatious. He  was  a  man  of  upright  life  and 
sterling  purity,  and  his  love  for  children  and 
kindness  to  them  were  constantly  shown.  In 
his  life  and  death  he  exemplified  the  beautiful 
sentence  of  scripture,  'Mark  the  perfect  man, 
and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that 
man  is  peace.' " 

(VIII)  Dr.  Charles  Warren  White,  son 
of  Charles  Warren  and  Eliza  C.  (Lambert), 
was  born  in  Randolph,  Mass.,  Aug.  20,  1859. 
After  acquiring  a  liberal  education  he  was  pre- 
pared for  the  medical  profession  at  Harvard 
Medical  School  and  took  his  degree  at  Bellevue 
Hospital  Medical  College,  New  York,  in  1885. 
He  furthered  his  studies  abroad,  at  Heidelberg 
University.  In  1888  he  located  in  the  practice 
of  medicine  at  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  where  his  skill 
and  engaging  personal  qualities  established  hira 
among  the  leading  medical  practitioners  in  hin 
section  of  Massachusetts.  His  ability  was  rec- 
ognized in  a  wide  sphere.  He  was  for  several 
years  a  member  of  the  staff  of  physicians  of 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  New  Bedford,  and  from 
him  the  White  Home  for  Nurses  at  that  hos- 
pital was  named  by  the  late  Henry  H.  Rogers, 
the  donor.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Millicent 
Library,  Fairhaven,  a  library  established  there 
by  the  family  of  the  late  Henry  H.  Rogers. 
His  ability  was  not  confined  to  his  profession 
alone,  but  he  had  proved  his  worth  in  other 
lines  of  endeavor,  and  had  rendered  efficient 
service  as  a  director  of  the  Fairhaven  Savings 
Bank. 

On  Aug.  23,  1892,  Dr.  White  married  Eliza 
W.  Childs,  who  was  born  in  Waquoit,  Fal- 
mouth, daughter  of  William  and  Laura  (Ham- 
lin) Childs,  the  former  a  well-known  whaling 
captain  sailing  from  New  Bedford.     The  chil 


dren  born  to  Dr.  White  and  his  wife  were: 
Laurence  Warren,  born  May  15,  1894,  who 
died  June  11,  1902;  Bradford  Childs,  born 
Nov.  1,  1897;  and  Barbara,  bom  Nov.  9,  1903. 
Dr.  White  died  suddenly,  after  an  illness 
of  but  one  day,  at  his  home  on  the  corner  ol! 
William  and  Union  streets,  Fairhaven,  Mass., 
May  15,  1904,  aged  forty-four  years. 

WILLIS.  The  Willis  family  of  which 
Arthur  H.  Willis,  of  Bridgewater,  Plymouth 
county,  founder,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
Bridgeivater  Advertiser,  is  a  member  is  one  of 
the  best  known  families  of  southeastern  Massa- 
chusetts. We  give  herewith  the  line  of  Arthur 
H.  Willis  from  the  immigrant  ancestor,  the 
Roman  numerals  indicating  the  generations 
who  have  lived  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

(I)  Deacon  John  Willis,  the  founder  of  thia 
family  in  the  New  World,  settled  in  1637  in 
Duxbury,  Mass.,  where  he  continued  to  mak(r 
his  home  until  1650,  when  he  was  made  one 
of  the  grantees  of  the  great  town  of  Bridge- 
water,  whither  he  removed  in  1651  and  settled. 
In  that  year  he  was  elected  her  first  repre^ 
sentative  to  the  General  Court  of  Plymouth 
and  continued  a  member  of  that  body  for 
twenty-five  years,  being  elected  annually.  He 
was  deacon  of  the  church  for  many  years.  He 
was  twice  married,  first  to  Hannah  and  second 
to  Elizabeth  (Hodgkin)  Palmer.  Children; 
John,  who  died  in  1712;  Nathaniel,  who  died 
in  1716;  Joseph;  Comfort;  Benjamin;  Han- 
nah, who  married  Nathaniel  Hayward;  Eliza- 
beth ;  and  Sarah,  who  married  John  Ames. 

(II)  John  Willis  (2),  son  of  Deacon  John, 
was  also  deacon  of  the  church  like  his  father, 
and  made  his  home  in  Bridgewater,  where  he 
married  Experience  Byram,  daughter  of  Nicho- 
las Byram.  Mr.  Willis  died  in  1712.  Children: 
John,  Experience  (married  William  Hudson), 
Samuel  (born  in  1688),  Mary  (married  Israel 
Randall)    and   Nathaniel. 

(III)  John  Willis  (3),  son  of  John  (2),  mar- 
ried Mary  Brett,  daughter  of  Elihu  Brett, 
Esq.,  and  they  lived  in  Bridgewater.  Their 
children  were :  Mary,  born  in  1699,  married  in 
1723  Joseph  Packard;  John,  born  in  1701,  is 
mentioned  below;  Margaret,  born  in  1704,  mar- 
ried in  1733  Nathaniel  Harvey;  Experience 
married  in  1732  John  Randall;  Martha  mar- 
ried in  1733  James  Pratt;  Mehetabel  married 
in  1743  Jnmee  Stacy. 

(IV)  John  Willis  (4),  son  of  John  (3),  born 
in  Bridgewater  in  1701,  married  in  1724  Pa- 
tience Hayward.  Children :  Susanna,  bom  in 
1727,  died  in  1750,  who  married  in  1743  David 
Johnson,  Jr.;  and  Daniel,  born  in  1732. 


964 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(V)  Daniel  Willis,  son  of  John  (4),  born 
in  Bridgewater  in  1738,  died  in  1814.  He  mar- 
ried Keziah  Willis,  daughter  of  Ebenezer 
Willis,  and  she  died  in  1816  in  Bridgewater. 
Children:  Daniel,  born  in  1758;  John,  also 
born  in  1758  (possibly  twin  of  Daniel),  who 
married  Sarah  Packard;  Jonah,  born  in  1764; 
and  Ebenezer,  born  in  1767,  who  resided  in 
Taunton  and  married  Joanna  Atwood  (he  was 
drowned). 

(VI)  Jonah  Willis,  son  of  Daniel,  bom  in 
1764,  married  in  1788  Abigail  Hayward,  who 
died  when  still  a  young  woman.  In  1800  he 
married  (second)  Hannah  Hayward,  who  died 
in  1816,  and  the  same  year  he  married  (third) 
Freelove  (French)  Forbes.  His  children  were 
as  follows:  Abigail,  born  in  1790,  who  mar- 
ried in  1816  Jacob  Hayward,  and  (second) 
Alfred  Whitman,  of  Easton,  Mass. ;  Jonah, 
born  in  1792 ;  Polly  Hayward,  born  in  1795, 
died  in  1837,  who  married  in  1817  Leonard 
Hill;  Lyman,  born  in  1798;  Clement,  born  in 
1801;  Henry  William,  born  in  1803;  Nathan, 
born  in  1806;  Emeline  Frances,  born  in  1808, 
who  married  Jonathan  Fulton ;  Augustus,  bom 
in  1811;  and  Benjamin,  bom  in  1815. 

(VII)  Nathan  Willis,  son  of  Jonah,  born  in 
1806,  in  Bridgewater,  on  the  old  homestead 
which  is  now  a  part  of  West  Bridgewater,  there 
grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  education. 
He  learned  shoemaking,  which  trade  he  fol- 
lowed both  in  the  Bridgewaters  and  in  Taun- 
ton, making  his  home  in  the  central  part  of 
Bridgewater,  where  he  continued  in  the  shoe 
business  during  his  active  life.  He  also  oper- 
ated a  part  of  the  old  homestead  and  was  in- 
dustrious and  thrifty  all  his  days.  He  died  at 
the  ripe  age  of  eighty-eight  years,  Aug.  14, 
1894,  and  is  buried  in  Mount  Prospect  ceme- 
tery at  Bridgewater.  Mr.  Willis  was  originally 
a  Whig  in  politics,  later  a  stanch  Republican, 
but  not  active  in  such  matters  and  never  an 
office  seeker.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Uni- 
tarian Church,  belonging  to  the  First  Parish. 
In  Taunton,  Mass.,  lie  married  Rebecca  S. 
Dean,  of  that  place,  and  they  had  children 
born  as  follows :  John  D.,  born  in  1835 ;  Na- 
than E.,  bom  in  1838 ;  and  Laura,  born  in 
1840  (she  married  Francis  H.  Ludington,  of 
Boston,  and  died  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1873). 

(VIII)  Nathan  E.  Willis,  son  of  Nathan 
and  Rebecca  S.  (Dean)  Willis,  was  born  in 
Bridgewater  July  13,  1838.  He  received  an 
excellent  education  at  Bridgewater  Academy, 
at  the  State  nonnal  school-,  and  at  Amherst 
College,  from  which  latter  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1863.  He  was  a  teacher  in  the 
high    school    at    Weymouth,    and    subsequently 


in  the  high  school  at  Jamaica  Plain,  and  later 
was  appointed  sub-master  of  the  English  high 
school,  Boston.  In  1872,  on  account  of  his 
wife's  health,  he  resigned  the  position  in  Bos- 
ton and  went  South,  where  he  was  ordained 
minister  of  a  colored  church  in  Marion,  Ala. 
Here  for  three  years  he  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing and  in  Christian  work,  with  a  devotion  that 
reflected  the  spirit  of  the  true  missionary  of 
the  Cross.  Thus  engaged,  he  was  on  his  way 
to  renew  his  labors  among  a  benighted  people, 
when,  within  a  few  hours'  ride  of  his  destina- 
tion, he  and  his  wife  met  a  tragic  fate  in  a 
railroad  accident.  He  died  Sept.  21,  1874, 
and  Mrs.  Willis  survived  him  but  a  few  days. 
Mr.  Willis's  life  was  a  remarkable  example  of 
devotion  to  duty,  and  his  memory  is  cherished 
as  a  marked  instance  of  self-sacrifice  to  the 
needs  of  the  poor  and  lowly.  Deeply  inter- 
esting memorial  services  for  him  and  his  wife 
were  held  at  the  church  at  Bridgewater,  in 
which  the  scholarly.  Christian  character  of  the 
devoted  couple  was  most  touchingly  delineated 
by  Rev.  H.  D.  Walker  and  Rev.  George  H. 
Hosmer.  Mr.  Willis  left  one  son,  who  es- 
caped death  in  the  accident  that  was  fatal  to 
his  parents. 

(IX)  Arthur  H.  Willis,  son  of  Nathan  E., 
born  in  the  town  of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  Oct. 
31,  1866,  went  South  with  his  parents  and  was 
with  them  on  the  train  when  they  met  death. 
He  was  taken  back  to  Bridgewater,  where  he 
lived  with  his  grandfather,  Nathan  Willis,  and 
where  he  attended  the  public  and  high  schools. 
Later  he  went  to  a  commercial  college  at 
Boston,  Mass..  after  which  he  started  in  to 
learn  the  printing  business,  in  the  office  of  the 
Independent.  Subsequently  he  worked  for 
Henry  T.  Pratt,  by  whom  he  was  engaged  as 
foreman  for  some  time,  and  on  the  death  of 
Mr.  Pratt  he  decided  to  start  in  tlie  printing 
business  for  himself.  Buying  out  Mr.  Pratt's 
office  in  1898,  he  did  job  and  book  work  ex- 
clusively until  1904,  when  he  started  the 
Advertiser,  a  paper  he  has  conducted  ever  since 
with  continued  success.  He  has  also  carried 
on  a  job  and  book  department,  as  before,  and 
by  satisfactory  work  and  business  thrift  has 
succeeded  in  building  up  a  most  substantial 
business.  His  office  is  one  of  the  best  equipped 
in  Plymouth  county  outside  of  Brockton. 
Being  a  thorough  newspaper  man,  fully  alive 
to  the  wants  of  the  public,  Mr.  Willis  has  not 
only  shown  himself  capable  of  supplying  the 
popular  needs  but  has  also  displayed  enterprise 
in  originating  work  and  initiative  in  introduc- 
ing new  lines,  with  the  ability  to  create  a 
market  when  the  demands  of  business  make  it 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


965 


necessary.  Mr.  Willis  has  shown  himself 
vitally  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the 
welfare  and  growth  of  the  town  to  whose  af- 
fairs he  has  given  much  time  and  attention. 
A  charter  member  of  the  Commercial  Clnb,  he 
was  its  first  secretary  and  treasurer;  he  has 
been  a  trustee  of  the  Bridgewater  Public  Li- 
brary, and  is  a  trustee  of  the  Plymouth  County 
Agricultural  Society.  A  stanch  Republican  in 
political  sentiment,  he  has  been  active  in  pro- 
moting the  success  of  his  party,  has  served 
for  a  number  of  years  as  a  member  of  the 
Republican  town  committee,  and  as  chairman 
of  the  Citizens'  town  committee.  Fraternally 
he  is  a  member  of  Fellowship  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  of  Bridgewater,  and  in  religious  mat- 
ters is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  New 
Jerusalem  of  Bridgewater. 

On  Dec.  14,  1887,  Mr.  Willis  married  Emma 
Brooks  Keith,  who  was  born  in  Bridgewater, 
daughter  of  Alfred  T.  and  Mary  (Brooks) 
Keith,  and  sister  of  Allen  P.  Keith,  super- 
intendent of  the  public  schools  of  New  Bed- 
ford. They  have  had  one  child,  Nathan  Elliot, 
bom  Jan.  31,  1889,  who  attended  the  local 
public  and  high  schools  and  graduated  from 
the  State  normal  school,  Bridgewater,  in  June, 
1911.  Mrs.  Willis  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  Women's  Club  of  Bridgewater  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Visiting  Nurse  Association. 

CHANDLER.  The  Chandler  family  of 
Massachusetts  was  founded  in  America  by  (I) 
Edmund  Chandler  (early  spelled  Chaunder 
and  later  Chanler),  who  was  early  at  Ply- 
mouth, a  freeman  of  1633,  resided  at  Duxbury, 
1636-37,  and  constable.  He  owned  land  which 
he  sold  in  1634.  In  1636  he  had  granted  to 
him  "forty  acres  of  land  lying  on  the  east  side 
of  Moyses  Symonson,  where  Morris  formerly 
began  to  cleare  for  Mr.  Bowman,"  which  was 
afterward  made  void,  and  sixty  other  acres 
granted.  He  was  of  Scituate  in  1650.  He 
died  in  1662,  leaving  an  estate  of  thirty-eight 
pounds.  He  owned  land  at  Barbadoes.  He 
had  daughters  Sarah,  Ann,  Mary  and  Ruth, 
and  sons  Benjamin,  Samuel  and  Joseph. 

(II)  Joseph  Chandler,  of  Duxbury,  and  per- 
haps of  Sandwich  in  1661,  was,  however,  of 
Duxbury  in  1684.  His  children  were:  John, 
Joseph,  Edmund,  and  Benjamin  (1684,  who 
died  March  26,  1771,  aged  eighty-seven). 

(III)  Joseph  Chandler  (2),  of  Duxbury, 
married  Feb.  12,  1701,  Martha  Hunt,  and 
their  children  were:  Philip,  born  July  21, 
1702;  Mary,  born  Aug.  3,  1704:  Joshua,  bom 
July  7,  1706;  Zachariah,  bom  July  26,  1708; 
Edmund,  born  April  9,  1710;  Ebenezer,  bom 


Sept.  8,  1712;  Sarah,  born  Oct.  25,  1714  (mar- 
ried Moses  Soule)  ;  Martha,  born  Nov.  23, 
1716  (married  Thomas  Weston) ;  Jonathan, 
born  Feb.  18,  1718;  and  Judah,  bom  Aug.  13, 
1720. 

(IV)  Philip  Chandler,  of  Duxbury,  born 
July  21,  1702,  married  Dec.  16,  1725,  Rebecca 
Phillips,  who  died  in  January,  1782,  aged 
seventy-eight.  He  died  Nov.  15,  1764,  aged 
sixty-two  years.  Their  children  were :  Nathan, 
born  Oct.  28,  1726;  Betty,  Oct.  21,  1728; 
Perez,  July  10,  1730;  Esther  and  Martha 
(twins).  May  31,  1732;  Peleg,  April  27,  1735; 
Philip,  Oct.  24,  1738;  Asa,  March  1,  1743; 
Mary,  Sept.  25,  1744;  and  Elijah,  Jan.  4, 
1747. 

(V)  Perez  Chandler,  of  Duxbury,  born  July 
10,  1730,  married  Dec.  11,  1755,  Rhoda  Wads- 
worth.  Their  children  were :  Betty,  born  June 
13,  1758 ;  Philip,  April  12,  1761  (lost  at  sea) ; 
Perez,  Dec.  28,  1764;  Doctor  Seth,  Feb.  22, 
1767;  Wadsworth,  1769;  Rhoda,  1772  (died  in 
1791);  Wealthea,  1774;  Asenath,  1778;  and 
Daniel,  Nov.  15,  1778. 

(VI)  Wadsworth  Chandler,  born  in  1769, 
married  Mercy  Chandler,  and  their  children 
were :  Elbridge,  Wadsworth,  Almira  and  Mercy. 
He  was  a  lifelong  resident  of  Duxbury. 

(VII)  Elbridge  Chandler,  born  Oct.  15, 
1810,  married  Martha  Chandler,  ajid  their 
children  were:  Elbridge  H.  and  Horace.  The 
father  until  sixteen  years  of  age  attended  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  town,  and,  reared 
on  a  farm,  thereafter  followed  chiefly  through 
life  agricultural  work.  He  was  active  and 
prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  his  town, 
serving  for  a  dozen  or  more  years  as  selectman, 
and  for  much  of  that  period  was  chairman  of 
the  board.  He  also  held  other  town  offices,  and 
in  1885  was  a  representative  from  Duxbury  in 
the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts.  He  was 
first  a  Whig  and  on  the  formation  of  the  Re- 
publican party  became  identified  with  it  and 
ever  thereafter  through  life  continued  to  act 
with  that  party.  He  died  March  7,  1897,  and 
his  wife  died  Sept.  3,  1891,  in  Duxbury. 

(VIII)  Elbridge  H.  Chandler,  born  June 
17,  1842,  began  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  and  completed  his  course  of  study  at 
the  Duxbury  Academy.  He  taught  school  for 
a  short  time,  and  then  interested  himself  in 
the  brickmason  business,  learning  the  trade. 
He  worked  in  Boston  for  a  time  after  the  great 
fire  in  that  city,  and  later  was  one  of  the  con- 
tractors engaged  in  building  the  Cordage 
Company's  plant  in  Plymouth.  In  1872,  ow- 
ing to  ill  health,  he  relinquished  this  business 
and  took  up  surveying  and  civil  engineering. 


966 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


making  his  home  in  Duxbury  until  1898,  when 
he  removed  to  Kingston,  where  he  died  April 
28,  1907,  and  was  buried  in  Duxbury  cemetery. 
He  was  active  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  of  the  community,  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  committee,  as  member  of 
the  board  of  selectmen,  trustee  of  the  Adams 
public  library  at  Kingston,  trustee  of  the  Dux- 
bury free  library,  a  trustee  of  the  Partridge 
Academy  Fund,  and  was  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  was  a  member  and  past  master  of  Matta- 
kesett  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He  was  a  man  who 
held  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 

Mr.  Chandler  married  in  Duxbury,  Feb.  2, 
1868,  Sylvia  B.  Atwell,  born  Feb.  28,  1848, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sylvia  (Churchill) 
Atwell,  of  Duxbury.  They  had  children, 
namely :  Martha  B.,  widow  of  Chester  A. 
Baker,  of  Kingston,  and  mother  of  one  daugh- 
ter, Marion  Baker;  Henry  Ward,  mentioned 
below;  and  Helen  B.,  wife  of  Edgar  W.  Loring, 
of  Kingston,  and  mother  of  Russell  Loring. 

(IX)  Henby  Ward  CHA>rDLEE,  son  of 
Elbridge  H.,  born  Oct.  16,  1870,  in  Duxbury, 
Mass.,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Duxbury  and  the  Partridge  Academy  at  Dux- 
bury, from  which  latter  he  was  graduated  in 
1885.  He  then  studied  one  term  at  the  com- 
mercial college  of  Bryant  &  Stratton,  at  Bos- 
ton, taking  the  full  business  course,  and  at 
the  early  age  of  sixteen  became  a  clerk  with  the 
late  E.  *Y.  Perry,  in  Whitman.  Mr.  Perry,  to- 
gether with  Amos  S.  Stetson,  founded  the 
Whitman  Grain  &  Coal  Company,  and  after 
Mr.  Chandler's  close  attention  to  business  and 
his  ability  had  been  evidenced,  Mr.  Perry  gave 
him  a  part  interest  in  the  business.  Here  by 
close  application  he  learned  all  the  details  and 
looked  after  the  financial  end  of  the  work, 
doing  the  buying  and  selling.  In  1895  Mr. 
Stetson  had  charge  of  the  business,  and  later 
Mr.  Calkins,  of  Abington,  became  an  interested 
partner.  In  1899  Mr.  Chandler  assumed  the 
management  of  the  business,  and  under  his 
careful  supervision  and  strict  attention  to  all 
its  branches  it  has  grown  to  a  large  extent  and 
is  now  one  of  the  largest  grain  businesses  of  its 
kind  in  tlie  county.  Mr.  Chandler  is  a  business 
man  of  excellent  judgment.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  order,  holding  membership  in 
Puritan  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Whitman; 
in  Pilgrim  Chapter,  Abington  Council,  and 
Old  Colony  Commandery  of  Abington ;  and  in 
Aleppo  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Boston. 
The  family  attend  the  First  Unitarian  Church, 
of  Whitman. 

Mr.  Chandler  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber 


of  Commerce,  of  Boston,  and  a  director  and 
vice  president  of  the  Whitman  National  Bank. 
He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  will  of  the 
late  E.  Y.  Perry,  of  Hanover,  Mass.,  who  be- 
queathed a  large  part  of  his  fortune  as  a  fund, 
the  income  of  which  is  being  used  for  the 
relief  of  the  poor  of  the  towns  of  Hanover, 
Hanson  and  Pembroke.  According  to  the  terms 
of  Mr.  Perry's  will  the  income  of  this  fund 
is  to  be  used  for  the  relief  of  such  poor  persons 
in  these  three  towns  as  are  suffering  for  food, 
clothing  or  shelter,  and  also  to  assist  any  young 
men  or  women,  indigent,  capable  and  deserv- 
ing, who  are  anxious  to  acquire  a  better  edu- 
cation. 

Mr.  Chandler  married  July  20,  1892, 'Maude 
L.  Stranger,  of  Brockton,  daughter  of  Heman 
F.  and  Ida  (Howard)  Stranger.  Three  chil- 
dren have  come  to  this  union,  namely:  Evelyn 
M.,  Louise  B.  and  Sylvia  Howard. 

HARLOW.  The  family  bearing  this  name 
in  Plymouth  is  among  the  oldest  and  best 
known  in  the  Old  Colony  and  is  descended 
from  William  Harlow,  a  native  of  England, 
from  whom  we  give  the  line  down  to  the  pres- 
ent generation. 

(I)  William  Harlow,  the  first  of  the  name 
in  New  England,  came  from  England  and  lo- 
cated first  in  Lynn,  in  1637,  thence  removing 
to  Sandwich,  in  Barnstable  county.  Later  he 
came  to  Plymouth,  where  the  remainder  of  his 
life  was  spent.  In  1649  he  married  in  Ply- 
mouth Rebecca  Bartlett,  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Mary  (Warren)  Bartlett  and  granddaugh- 
ter of  Richard  Warren,  of  the  "Mayflower," 
who  was  a  descendant  of  William  the  Con- 
queror. William  and  Rebecca  Harlow  had 
children:  William,  born  in  1650;  Samuel,  born 
in  1652;  Rebecca,  born  in  1655;  and  William 
(2),  born  in  1657.  After  the  death  of  his 
wife  Rebecca  William  Harlow  married  (sec- 
ond) in  1658  Mary  Faunce,  daughter  of  John 
and  Patience  (Morton)  Faunce,  and  by  this 
union  there  were  five  children,  born  as  fol- 
lows: Mary,  1659  (married  Samuel  Durham); 
Repentance,  1660;  John,  1662;  and  Benjamin 
and  Nathaniel,  1664.  Mr.  Harlow  married 
(third)  in  1665  Mary  Shelley,  daughter  of 
Robert  Shelley,  of  Scituate,  and  their  children 
were:  Hannah,  born  in  1666;  Bathsheba,  1667 
(married  Richard  Sears,  of  Yarmouth,  1696)  ; 
Joanna,  1669;  Mehitable,  1672;  Judith,  1676 
(married  Joseph  Church). 

(II)  Samuel  Harlow,  son  of  William,  born 
in  1652,  resided  in  Plymouth.  He  married 
Priscilla,  and  their  only  child  was  Rebecca, 
born  in  1678,  who  married  Thomas  Taber.    By 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


967 


his  second  wife,  Hannah,  he  had  children  as 
follows:  John,  born  in  1685;  Hannah,  1689; 
Samuel,  1690;  William,  1692;  Eleazer,  1694; 
Priscilla,  1695. 

(III)  William  Harlow  (2),  son  of  Samuel, 
born  in  1692  in  Plymouth,  married  Mercy, 
daughter  of  John  Ryder,  and  their  children 
were:  Sarah,  born  in  1715  (married  Eleazer 
Churchill);  Benjamin,  1716;  William,  1718; 
Hannah,  1720  (married  Ebenezer  Sampson); 
Mercy  (married  Sylvanus  Holmes)  ;  Kesiah, 
1723;  Samuel,  1726;  Phebe,  1728  (married 
Edward  Stephens)  ;  Eebecca,  1732;  Seth,  1736. 

(IV)  Samuel  Harlow  (2),  son  of  William 
(2),  was  born  in  Plymouth  in  1726  and  mar- 
ried Mercy  Bradford,  born  in  1729,  daughter 
■of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Finney)  Bradford 
and  a  direct  descendant  of  Gov.  William  Brad- 
ford of  Plymouth  Colony.  Their  children  were 
horn  as  follows:  Samuel,  1747;  Mercy,  1749; 
Mercy  (2),  1752;  Joshua,  1754;  Josiah,  1756; 
James,  1757;  George,  1759.  Mr.  Harlow  mar- 
ried for  his  second   wife  Mary  Morton. 

(V)  Samuel  Harlow  (3),  son  of  Samuel 
(2),  bom  in  1747  in  Plymouth,  married  in 
1768  Remembrance  Holmes,  born  in  1750, 
daughter  of  Ichabod  and  Rebecca  (Ellis) 
Holmes,  and  they  had  children :  Jane,  born  in 
1768  (married  Seth  Doggett  or  Daggett) ;  Sam- 
uel, born  in  1776;  Ichabod,  born  in  1779; 
Henry,  born  in  1782;  Nancy,  born  in  1785; 
George,  born  in  1789;  Remembrance,  born  in 
1775(?). 

(VI)  George  Harlow,  son  of  Samuel  (3), 
born  in  1789  in  Plymouth,  married  in  1813 
Lydia  Ellis,  who  was  born  in  1789,  daughter 
of  Nathaniel  and  Jane  (Bartlett)  Ellis,  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Bartlett  and 
a  direct  descendant  of  Robert  ■  Bartlett  and 
Mary  Warren.  Their  children  were :  Nathaniel 
Ellis,  bom  in  1813,  married  Julia  Whiting, 
•of  Bangor,  Maine;  Lydia,  bom  in  1819,  mar- 
ried Albert  Tribble;  Esther,  born  July  22, 
1821,  married  John  Henry  Hollis;  George 
Henry,  born  in  1823,  married  Sarah  E.  Mor- 
ton ;  Samuel  married  Mary  H.  Bradford  and 
resides  in  Plymouth,  the  only  survivor  of  the 
family.  The  mother  of  this  family  survived 
the  father,  living  to  within  two  months  of 
rounding  out  a  century,  dying  from  the  efEects 
-of  an  accident.  They  are  buried  in  Oak  Grove 
■cemetery.  ♦ 

George  Harlow  always  made  his  home  in 
Plymouth  and  was  engaged  in  the  fishing  indus- 
try largely  on  the  Grand  Bank  fishing  grounds, 
and  also  in  the  coast  trade.  He  owned  several 
vessels,  but  eventually  sold  out  his  holdings 
and   lived   retired.     He   was  never  active   in 


public  affairs,  but  had  his  own  convictions  on 
political  questions,  being  a  Whig  in  early  life 
and  later  a  Republican.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Unitarian  Society  and  attended  the  church, 
though  not  a  member  of  the  latter. 


Hollis.  (I)' John  Hollis,  the  first  of  this 
name  in  America,  settled  in  Weymouth,  Mass., 
and  married  Elizabeth  Rust,  daughter  of  John 
Rust.  Their  children  were :  John,  born  in 
1664;  Thomas,  born  in  1666;  Elizabeth,  born 
in  1669;  Mercy,  bom  in  1675;  and  Samuel. 

(II)  John  Hollis  (2),  son  of  John,  born  in 
1664,  in  Weymouth,  married  Mary  Yardley, 
and  their  children  were :  John ;  Mary,  born  in 
1686  (married  John  Wild)  ;  Dorothy,  bom  in 
1700;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1703;  Hannah,  born 
in  1705  (married  Gideon  Fair)  ;  Thomas,  bom 
in  1710;  James,  born  in  1712;  Sarah,  bom  in 
1715  (married  Joseph  Lovell). 

(III)  Thomas  Hollis,  son  of  John  (2),  bom 
in  1710  in  Weymouth,  married  Rachel  Wachu- 
sett,  and  their  children  were :  Deborah,  bom  in 
1738,  who  married  Micah  Wild;  Rachel,  born 
in  1739,  who  married  Howland  Cowen; 
Thomas,  born  in  1741;  and  Silas. 

(IV)  Silas  Hollis,  son  of  Thomas,  born  in 
Weymouth,  married  in  1768  Sarah  Owen,  and 
had  children  bom  as  follows:  Sarah,  1769 
(married  Ambrose  Thayer);  Silas,  1770;  Jo- 
seph, 1772;  Daniel,  1774;  Barnabas,  1776; 
Charles,  1778;  John,  1779. 

(V)  Silas  Hollis  (2),  son  of  Silas,  bom  in 
1770  in  Weymouth,  was  the  father  of  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Henry,  Silas,  Mary,  Ruth, 
Zebediah,  Joseph,  John  and  Lydia. 

(VI)  Henry  Hollis,  son  of  Silas  (2),  bora 
in  Weymouth,  married  in  1819  Abagail,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Leonard.  Their  children  were: 
John  Henry,  Elizabeth  Owen  (bom  in  1821) 
and  William  T.  (bom  in  1826). 

.  (VII)  John  Hentiy  Hollis,  born  in  1820 
in  Plymouth,  became  interested  in  the  cotton 
business,  first  in  Boston  and  later  in  New  York 
City,  where  he  was  a  director  of  the  Cotton 
Exchange  from  its  organization  to  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  cotton  business.  Mr.  Hollis  died  at  his 
home  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  July,  1890,  and 
his  remains  were  brought  to  Plymouth  for  in- 
terment in  Oak  Grove  cemetery.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah  (Uni- 
tarian), Brooklyn,  where  he  and  his  wife  had 
made  their  home  since  moving  from  Boston, 
in  1866. 

In  1846  Mr.  Hollis  was  married,  in  Ply- 
mouth, to  Esther  Harlow,  daughter  of  George, 
and  to  them  were  born  three  children:    (1) 


968 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Clarence  died  in  infancy.  (2)  William,  born 
in  Boston  June  24,  1857,  resides  at  Eagle  Pass, 
Texas.  He  graduated  at  Columbia  University, 
1878,  and  is  engaged  in  coal  mining  and  bank- 
ing. He  married  Florence  A.  Thompson,  at 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  July  22,  1881,  and  they  have 
had  two  children,  George  Cary,  bom  Oct.  17, 
1882,  and  Elizabeth  Owen,  born  Oct.  16,  1884. 
(3)  Henry  Leonard,  born  in  Boston  Feb.  17, 
1866,  graduated  from  Columbia  University  in 
1885.  He  is  a  consulting  mining  and  metal- 
lurgical engineer.  He  is  extensively  interested 
in  mining  in  the  Western  States  and  Mexico.  His 
business  headquarters  are  in  Chicago,  while  he 
makes  his  home  at  Winnetka,  111.  He  married 
Nov.  9,  1892,  Jane  Dustin  Grannis,  daughter 
of  William  C.  D.  and  Clara  A.  Grannis,  of 
Chicago.  They  have  had  one  daughter,  Clara 
Elizabeth,  born  June  30,   1897. 

Mrs.  HoUis  never  lost  her  love  for  her  early 
home  and  retained  all  her  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  her  native  Plymouth.  She  had  a  beau- 
tiful home  there,  at  Howe's  lane  and  Sandwich 
street,  which  from  the  time  of  her  husband's 
death  she  occupied  during  the  summer  season, 
spending  the  winters  with  her  sons.  She  at- 
tended the  Universalist  Church  at  Plymouth. 
Though  over  eighty-eight  years  old  at  the  time 
of  her  death  she  was  in  possession  of  all  her 
faculties  and  unusually  active  for  one  of  her 
years,  though  she  had  been  injured  by  a  fall 
at  Winnetka  about  a  year  before.  She  passed 
away  Jan.  30,  1910,  at  the  home  of  her  son 
in  Eagle  Pass.  The  remains  were  brought  to 
Plymouth  for  interment. 

THACHER  (Attleboro  family).  Since 
1743,  when  there  came  to  Attleboro,  fresh 
from  Harvard  College,  Eev.  Peter  Thacher  to 
preach  for  the  East  parish  of  the  tovra,  for 
now  nearly  a  century  and  three  quarters,  the 
name  has  been  a  most  esteemed  and  respected 
one  in  the  community,  as  it  had  been,  as  well 
as  a  highly  honored  and  distinguished  one,  in 
New  England  at  large  for  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years  previously.  The  family  are  yet 
occupying  the  old  homestead — built  about  1749 
— in  Attleboro,  where  for  generations  the 
Thachers  have  yearly  sown  and  reaped  and 
wrought  well  their  part  in  the  activities  of  life. 
Reference  is  made  to  the  family  of  the  vener- 
able John  Thacher,  who  has  been  long  known 
as  one  of  the  pillars  in  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church,  succeeding  there  generations  of 
his  forefathers,  a  representative  type  of  the 
gentleman  of  the  old  school,  which  is  fast 
becoming  known  only  in  name. 

John  Thacher  just  alluded  to  comes  of  a 


long  line  of  highly  educated  and  .n  men. 
Rev.  Peter  Thacher,  the  last  of  i't  i..,glish 
ancestors,  the  father  of  the  first  1  i.  lu■.^,.  an- 
cestor of  the  family,  was  born  iii  j.Coo  and 
was  graduated  from  Queen's  College,  Oxford, 
England,  in  1603.  He  took  his  degree  A.  B. 
in  1608,  and  became  a  Fellow  of  Corpus 
Christi  College  in  1613.  He  was  made  vicar 
of  the  parish  of  Milton  Clovendon,  Somerset- 
shire, and  continued  such  relations  till  1662, 
when  he  became  rector  of  the  church  at  St. 
Edmund's  in  Salisbury. 

(I)  Rev.  Thomas  Thacher,  son  of  Rev. 
Peter,  was  born  May  1,  1620,  in  Salisbury, 
England.  The  father,  as  stated,  was  rector 
of  St.  Edmund's  Church  in  Salisbury,  and  hav- 
ing given  his  son  a  good  grammar  school  edu- 
cation, offered  to  send  him  to  either  of  the  uni- 
versities, but  he  declined  to  go  because  of  the 
religious  subscriptions  required  by  them.  He 
came  to  New  England  in  1635,  with  his  uncle 
Anthony  Thacher,  in  the  ship  "Beero,"  and 
studied  several  years  under  the  Rev.  Charles 
Chauncy,  then  minister  of  Scituate  and  after- 
ward president  of  Harvard  College.  "As  was 
most  imcommon  at  that  period,  he  studied  two 
professions,  medicine  and  theology,  in  both  of 
which  he  obtained  a  high  reputation.  In  the 
former  profession,  he  has  the  honor  of  having 
been  the  author  of  the  first  medical  tract 
[which  was  on  smallpox]  ever  published  in 
Massachusetts.  He  first  settled  in  the  min- 
istry at  Weymouth,  where  he  continued  with 
great  acceptance  more  than  twenty  years."  He 
removed,  1664,  to  Boston,  "where  he  preached 
occasionally,  but  was  chiefly  employed  in  prac- 
ticing as  a  physician,  till  he  was  chosen  pastor 
of  the  Third  Church  in  1669.  As  a  Christian 
and  a  minister  he  was  greatly  and  deservedly 
esteemed.  He  was  among  the  most  popular 
preachers  in  the  colony." 

Mr.  Thacher  was  installed  Feb.  16,  1670,  and 
continued  sole  pastor  of  the  Old  South  Church 
for  eight  years — until  his  death,  Oct.  15,  1678. 
He  was  pronounced  by  a  president  of  Yale  the 
best  Arabic  scholar  in  America.  He  was 
twice  married,  (first)  May  11,  1643,  to  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Rev.  Ralph  Partridge,  and, 
(second)  in  1674,  to  Margaret,  daughter  of 
Henry  Webb  and  widow  of  Jacob  Sheaf.  His 
children  were :  Peter,  Ralph,  Thomas,  Patience 
and  Elizabeth.       ♦ 

From  this  Thomas  Thacher  the  descent  of 
Mr.  John  Thacher  of  Attleboro  is  through 
Rev.  Peter,  Rev.  Peter  (2),  Rev.  Peter  (3), 
Deacon  Peter  (4)  and  Deacon  Peter  Thacher, 
These  generations  follow  in  regular  order. 

(II)  Rev.    Peter    Thacher,    son    of    Rev, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


969 


Thomas,  born  July  18,  1651,  in  Salem,  Mass., 
was  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1671, 
and  was  tutor  there  for  several  years  after- 
ward, having  Cotton  Mather  as  one  of  his 
pupils.  He  spent  some  time  in  England,  where' 
ineffectual  efforts  were  made  to  induce  him  to 
confurm  to  the  Established  Church.  After 
his  return  he  was  ordained  the  first  pastor  of 
the  chujch  in  Milton  in  1681,  and  labored 
there  for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  at- 
tained not«  as  a  preacher  and  was  called  on  to 
speak  on  many  important  public  occasions. 
His  convention  sermon  (1711)  is  preserved  in 
manuscript  in  the  library  of  the  Massachusetts 
Historical  Society.  He  married  Nov.  21, 
1677,  Theodora,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Oxen- 
bridge;  she  died  Nov.  18,  1697,  aged  thirty- 
eight,  and  he  married  (second)  in  1699  Susan- 
na Bailey,  widow  of  Rev.  John  Bailey,  of  the 
First  Church  of  Boston.  She  died  in  1724, 
aged  fifty-nine  years,  and  he  married  (third) 
Elizabeth,  widow  of  Joshua  Gee,  of  Boston, 
and  daughter  of  Judah  Thacher,  of  Yarmouth, 
Mass.  His  children  were:  Theodora,  Bath- 
sheba,  Oxenbridge,  Elizabeth,  Mary  V.,  Peter, 
John,  Thomas  and  John  (2). 

(III)  Rev.  Peter  Thacher  (2),  bom  Oct.  1, 
1688,  was  graduated  from  Harvard  College  in 
1706  and  ordained  Nov.  2,  1709,  as  first  pas- 
tor of  the  church  at  Middleboro,  Mass.  He 
continued  such  relations  with  the  church  for 
some  thirty-five  years — until  his  death,  April 
22,  1744.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
Rev.  Thomas  Prince,  of  Old  South  Church, 
Boston,  and  sister  of  Thomas  Prince,  the 
donor  of  Prince  Library  at  Boston. 

(IV)  Rev.  Peter  Thacher  (3),  born  in  Mid- 
dleboro, Mass.,  Jan.  25,  1715,  married  Nov. 
30,  1749,  Bethiah,  daughter  of  Obadiah  Car- 
penter, of  Attleboro,  and  ten  children  blessed 
the  union,  of  whom  four,  Peter,  Thomas, 
Obadiah  and  John,  enlisted  from  the  home- 
stead in  Attleboro  for  service  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. Mr.  Thacher  was  graduated  from  Har- 
vard College  in  1737.  He  came  to  preach  for 
the  Second  Congregational  Church  on  or  soon 
after  the  organization  of  the  East  parish  of 
Attleboro,  1743.  Later  he  was  given  a  call 
to  settle,  and  though  he  preached  for  them  he 
was  not  ordained  over  the  church  until  in 
November,  1748.  His  pastorate  was  continued 
with  the  church  until  the  fall  of  1784.  He 
had  received  a  stroke  of  paralysis  which  inca- 
pacitated him  for  longer  service.  His  death 
occurred  Sept.  13,  1785,  when  he  was  aged 
seventy  years.  He  was  a  highly  respected  and 
useful  man.  It  is  noteworthy  that  with  the 
close  of  his  life,  including  the  term  of  years 


occupied  by  him  in  the  ministry,  the  services 
of  this  line  of  Thachers  in  the  ministry  in  this 
country  and  England  in  the  direct  male  line 
covered  a  period  of  227  years — a  record  per- 
haps unparalleled.  He  requested  that  he 
be  'Hburied  back  of  his  pulpit"  in  the  church 
yard,  and  his  remains  lie  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Kirk  cemetery. 

It  was  one  of  the  brothers  of  Rev.  Peter 
Thacher  of  Attleboro  of  whom  President  John 
Adams  said:  "He  (Oxenbridge  Thacher)  was 
the  second  who  gave  the  first  impulse  to  the 
Ball  of  Independence,  the  first  being  James 
Otis."  This  Oxenbridge  Thacher,  who  was 
graduated  from  Harvard  in  1738,  became  a 
successful  lawyer  and  took  an  active  part  in 
opposition  to  the  English  government  during 
the  early  stages  of  the  Revolution,  being  at 
that  time  one  of  the  four  representatives  of 
Boston  in  the  General  Court. 

(V)  Deacon  Peter  Thacher  (4),  son  of 
Rev.  Peter  (3),  born  Oct.  21,  1753,  in  Attle- 
boro, Mass.,  married  Nanne,  daughter  of  Capt. 
John  Tyler,  and  they  had  four  children. 

(VI)  Deacon  Peter  Thacher  (5),  son  of 
Peter  (4),  born  March  30,  1779,  in  Attle- 
boro, Mass.,  married  (first)  Saloma,  daugh- 
ter of  Abial  Dunham,  of  Attleboro.  Mr. 
Thacher,  like  his  father,  was  occupied  in  farm- 
ing. He  lived  on  the  homestead,  in  the 
house  built  by  his  forefather.  Rev.  Peter 
Thacher.  Deacon  Thacher  was  a  tall,  dig- 
nified gentleman  of  the  old  school,  whose 
presence  would  attract  attention,  and  Ids 
manJy  bearing  command  respect,  anywhere. 

A  man  of  intelligence,  of  excellent  judg- 
ment, just  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings 
with  his  fellow  men  and  one  who  held  the  con- 
fidence of  the  community  in  which  he  had 
lived  so  long,  he  was  respected  by  all  and  often 
called  upon  to  settle  estates  and  act  as  guar- 
dian of  minor  children.  He  was  careful  and 
slow  to  reach  conclusions,  weighing  matters 
carefully,  but  when  once  formed  he  stood  by 
them.  He  was  chosen  the  first  president  of 
the  Bristol  County  Agricultural  Society.  He 
served  as  treasurer  of  a  number  of  societies 
through  life.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the  church 
for  fifty  or  more  years.  In  the  War  of  1812 
he  enlisted  for  service,  and  was  detailed  for 
the  responsible  work  of  transporting  specie  for 
the  payment  of  the  soldiers. 

To  Deacon  Thacher  and  his  wife  Saloma 
'^  Dunham)  were  born  four  children.  After 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Saloma  Thacher  the  Deacon 
married  (second)  Susan  Carpenter,  of  Fox- 
boro,  Mass.  Four  children  blessed  the  second 
marriage:  Susan  B.,  born  Jan.  19,  1827;  John, 


970 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Nov.  4,  1828;  William  T.,  April  26,  1830;  and 
Calista  C,  Aug.  12, 1835.  Deacon  Thacher  died 
in  the  old  home  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  Sept.  20, 
1863,  aged  eighty-four  years.  His  widow 
passed  away  June  8,  1883,  aged  eighty-seven 
years. 

(VII)  Peter  Thacher  (6),  only  son  of  Dea- 
con Peter  (5)  and  his  wife  Saloma  (Dun- 
ham), was  born  July  20,  1812,  in  Attleboro, 
Mass.  He  acquired  his  early  school  training 
in  the  home  schools  and  furthered  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Wrentham  and  Amherst  (Mass.) 
Academies.  Thereafter  he  remained  for  a 
year  assisting  his  father  on  the  home  farm. 
jQoing  to  Taunton  in  1830,  he  was  there  em- 
ployed for  a  period  as  a  house  carpenter.  His 
next  experience  was  as  a  mechanic,  beginning 
in  1834  work  for  the  Boston  &  Providence 
Railroad  Company,  and  he  soon  thereafter  be- 
came their  superintendent  of  construction. 
Becoming  master  of  this  line  of  work,  in 
which  he  was  engaged  as  a  contractor  and 
builder — with  the  exception  of  three  years — 
from  1836  to  1849,  he  superintended  to  full 
operation  the  building  of  some  thirteen  differ- 
ent railroads,  among  them  the  Stoughton,  the 
Norwich  &  Worcester  and  the  Taunton  &  New 
Bedford  roads.  During  the  years  1843-44-45 
he  was  occupied  in  constructing  Forts  Warren 
and  Independence  in  Boston  harbor. 

Of  him  it  was  deservedly  said  by  Mr. 
Wright,  superintendent  of  engineers  of  Fort 
Warren :  "He  possesses  a  thorough  acquaint- 
ance with  the  business  and  combines  great  in- 
telligence with  an  uncommon  degree  of  faith- 
fulness in  the  discharge  of  duty.  I  feel 
assured  that  whoever  is  so  fortunate  as  to  com- 
mand his  services  will  esteem  him  a  great  ac- 
quisition." 

In  1859  Mr.  Thacher  obtained  control  of 
the  Rowe  patent  bridge  and  operated  in  the 
line  of  bridge  building  under  the  firm  name 
of  Thacher,  Burt  &  Co.  He  soon  removed  to 
'Cleveland,  Ohio.  Here  he  became  one  of  the 
active  and  prominent  citizens  of  the  city.  He 
was  soon  the  leading  bridge  builder  in  the 
West  and  constructed  bridges  on  most  of  the 
original  railroads  in  the  States  of  Ohio,  Mich- 
igan, Indiana  and  Kentucky.  During  the 
early  part  of  the  Civil  war,  in  1862,  he  con- 
structed the  bridge  over  the  Cumberland  river 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  which  was  later  burned. 
Withdrawing  from  the  firm  above  named  in 
1865  he  afterward  became  engaged  in  other 
enterprises,  and  as  it  had  previously  success 
followed  him  in  his  efforts. 

Although  a  very  busy  man  Mr.  Thacher 
ever  took  a  great  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 


adopted  city,  Cleveland,  and  was  active  in 
various  lines.  He  held  various  public  offices 
of  importance  and  trust.  Public  and  char- 
itable institutions  received  his  attention.  He 
was  greatly  interested  in  Masonry  and  held 
the  highest  honors  in  lodge,  chapter,  coun- 
cil and  commandery;  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Scottish  Rite  body  of  Freemasonry 
in  Cleveland.  He  died  there.  He  was  an  offi- 
cer of  several  literary  and  historical  societies. 

In  March,  1849,  Mr.  Thacher  married 
Sarah  Adams  Estabrook,  of  West  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  and  the  marriage  was  blessed  with  chil- 
dren, Peter,  John  and  Annie. 

(VII)  John  Thacher,  son  of  Deacon 
Peter  (5)  and  his  wife  Susan  (Carpenter), 
and  the  occupant  of  the  old  Thacher  home- 
stead, was  born  there  Nov.  4,  1828,  and  there 
he  passed  his  long,  usefvd  life.  After  the 
usual  elementary  school  training  given  to 
farmers'  sons  of  that  period,  young  Thacher 
was  sent  to  further  his  education  in  that  fa- 
mous old  New  England  school  known  the 
country  over — Phillips  Academy  at  Andover, 
Mass.  After  leaving  the  academy  he  for  a 
time  himself  was  engaged  in  teaching  school. 
He  settled  down,  however,  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits on  the  old  farm — a  tract  of  225  acres — 
that  had  been  the  field  of  operation  of  his  fore- 
fathers, and  became  a  full-fledged  .farmer. 

Of  a  quiet,  kindly  disposition  and  manner, 
Mr.  Thacher  went  along  in  the  even  tenor  of 
his  way  through  life  and  silently  accomplished 
much  in  the  community  in  which  he  moved 
by  his  example — a  consistent  Christian  life  of 
the  type  of  the  earlier  Thachers.  A  man  of 
high  intelligence,  of  good  judgment,  careful 
in  all  his  acts  and  conclusions,  his  reputation 
was  that  of  a  conservative,  safe  counsellor  and 
one  of  integrity,  whose  word  was  ever  as  good 
as  his  bond.  His  mind  was  of  the  kind  that 
enabled  him  to  form  opinions  and  to  clearly 
express  them  and  with  that  force  that  instilled 
confidence.  His  long  continuance  in  official 
relations  was  proof  of  his  fitness  for  them 
and  of  his  high  standing  in  the  community. 
He  was  thoughtful  and  considerate  of  those 
who  had  been  less  fortunate  in  this  world's 
goods  than  himself  and  in  his  quiet,  unosten- 
tatious manner  scattered  here  and  there  along 
his  pathway  considerable  sunshine.  In  short, 
he  filled  a  position  in  society  in  keeping  with 
that  of  his  godly  ancestors — one  toward  the 
elevation  of  his  fellow  man. 

Mr.  Thacher  was  associate  county  commis- 
sioner of  Bristol  county  for  over  fourteen 
years  and  filled  that  important  office  until  his 
death.       He  also  filled  the   offices  of  select- 


(Z^ OtyZ^-i^^C-O^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


971 


man  and  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  for  many 
jears  served  most  efficiently  as  tax  collector. 
He  was  for  a  number  of  years  treasurer  of  the 
agricultural  society  until  it  went  out  of  exist- 
ence, and  for  nearly  twenty  years  treasurer  of 
the  Second  Congregational  Church,  the  church 
of  his  forefathers,  with  which  Mr.  Thacher 
united  when  a  young  man,  and  of  which  both 
his  sons  and  tlieir  wives  are  members. 

Besides  attending  to  his  agricultural  work 
Mr.  Thacher  had  been  engaged  in  the  ice  busi- 
ness for  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life,  and 
the  business  is  now  being  conducted  by  his 
son  Carroll,  under  the  name  of  the  Attleboro 
Ice  Company.  Mr.  Thacher  was  a  n)ember 
■of  Orient  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  at  Attleboro.. 
He  was  a  Eepublican  in  politics  almost  from 
the  birth  of  the  party,  having  cast  his  first 
Republican  vote  for  Lincoln. 

In  1871  Mr.  Thacher  was  married  to  Ida 
B.  Bullock,  of  Smithfield,  Pa.,  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  old  families  of  Rehoboth,  Mass. 
They  had  two  children :  John  Judson  and  Car- 
roll Clarke.  Mrs.  Thacher  died  Dec.  21,  1893, 
aged  forty-nine  years,  one  month,  nine  days. 
She  was  a  graduate  of  Lombard  College,  at 
Galesburg,  111.,  and  taught  school  previous  to 
her  marriage.  She  was  a.  woman  of  intelli- 
gence and  cultured  tastes,  devoted  to  her  fam- 
ily and  widely  beloved. 

Mr.  Thacher's  second  marriage  was  to  Har- 
riet Rebecca  Jewett,  who  was  born  in  1855  at 
Abington,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Frederick 
Jewett,  and  died  March  26,  1904,  aged  forty- 
nine  years,  seventeen  days.  There  were  no 
children  by  this  union.  Mr.  Thacher  died 
Feb.  17,  1911. 

(VIII)  John  Judson  Thacher,  born  Dec.  24, 
1878,  who  now  holds  a  responsible  position 
■ivith  Brown  &  Sharpe,  of  Providence,  married 
Oct.  20,  1903,  Florence  Emily  Hall,  born  Aug. 

26,  1874,  daughter  of  Herbert  D.  Hall,  of 
Taunton,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Emily, 
born  June  10,  1909. 

(VIII)    Carroll  Clarke  Thacher,  bom  July 

27,  1882,  who  remained  as  his  father's  assist- 
ant on  the  homestead  and  in  the  ice  business, 
was  married  Jan.  23,  1903,  to  Bessie  Adelaide 
Corry,  born  Sept.  20,  1887,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Clayton  Corry,  of  Attleboro. 


(VII)  WiLUAM  T.  Thacher,  son  of  Dea- 
con Peter  (5)  and  his  wife  Susan  (Carpen- 
ter), was  born  April  26,  1830,  in  the  old 
Thacher  home  at  Attleboro,  Mass.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  neighborhood, 
then  furthered  his  studies  in  the  Wrentham 
Academy.       Evidence  of  the  resolute  and  de- 


termined character  he  possessed  was  early  re- 
vealed. When  a  boy  of  six  years  he  accom- 
panied lus  father  and  a  servant  to  Providence. 
In  some  way  they  became  separated,  the  fath- 
er thinking  the  boy  was  with  the  servant  and 
the  servant  thinking  he  was  with  his  father. 
Upon  the  return  home  of  the  father  without 
the  boy  the  household  was  in  a  highly  excited 
state.  But  it  was  not  long  before  the  child 
appeared,  having  run  the  entire  distance  from 
Providence  to  his  home,  spurning  all  offers  of 
assistance.  In  1849,  when  but  nineteen  years 
of  age,  he  was  allured  to  the  Pacific  coast  on 
the  discovery  of  gold  there,  being  one  of  the 
very  first  to  start  for  the  new  El  Dorado.  He 
went  by  the  Cape  Horn  route.  Some  five 
years'  experience  there  was  sufficient  to  quench 
his  thirst  in  that  direction,  and  on  his  return 
soon  thereafter  lie  married  and  settled.  He 
became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  beautiful 
suburb  of  Boston,  Hyde  Park.  He  branched 
out  in  the  real  estate  business,  was  one  of  the 
extensive  real  estate  and  brokerage  firm  of 
Blake,  Bradbury  &  Thacher,  and  soon  acquired 
a  handsome  competence.  He  built  for  him- 
self one  of  the  finest  modern  homes. 

A  young  man  of  resolute  will,  restless  and 
untiring  energy,  active  and  impulsive,  he  could 
not  see  the  Civil  war  go  on  without  being 
a  participant  in  it,  so  he  went  to  the  front 
and  was  wounded.  The  latter  years  of  his 
life  were  passed  in  Boston,  where  he  built  up 
an  extensive  business.  He  was  a  man  of  un- 
usual force  and  independence  of  character; 
was  a  strong  advocate  of  temperance.  His 
death  occurred  at  Boston  July  16,  1884,  when 
he  was  aged  fifty-four.  He  was  survived  by 
his  wife,  who  was  formerly  Anna,  daughter  of 
Rev.  James  0.  Barney,  of  Seekonk,  Mass.  They 
were  married  April  26,  1859,  and  had  four 
children,  all  of  whom  are  deceased,  namely : 
George  William,  born  Feb.  19,  1860,  died 
Oct.  27,  1860;  William  Carpenter,  born  Aug. 
3,  1864,  died  Sept.  25,  1864;  Harrie  Brastow, 
horn  Nov.  1,  1866,  died  March  8,  1900;  and 
James  Herbert,  born  June  17,  1871,  died  Oct. 
18,  1871. 

(VII)  The  Misses  Susan  B.  and  Calista  C. 
Thacher,  who  reside  at  the  homestead,  sisters 
of  John  and  William  T.  Thacher,  were  born 
on  the  Thacher  homestead  and  educated  in  the 
Attleboro  schools  and  Ipswich  Female  Semi- 
nary. They  have  taught  school  for  many 
years.  Miss  Susan  B.  Thacher  is  an  excellent 
portrait  painter,  and  does  beautiful  work  with 
her  brush  on  porcelain.  The  sisters  are  ladies 
of  culture  and  refined  tastes,  and  they  occupy 
a  high  social  position  and  enjoy  the  friendship 


972 


SOTJTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  a  wide  circle.  They  are  members  of  the  Sec- 
ond Congregational  Church.  They  have  in 
their  possession  many  relics  and  heirlooms 
which  have  been  handed  down  in  the  family 
for  generations. 

BARTLETT  MURDOCK  SHAW,  general 
superintendent  and  a  director  of  the  Walker 
&  Pratt  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Water- 
town,  Mass.,  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  that 
town.  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  native  of  old  Plymouth 
county,  Mass.,  born  May  1,  1865,  in  the  town 
of  Carver. 

The  Shaw  family  of  which  Mr.  Shaw  is  a 
member  is  a  very  old  and  well-known  one  in 
Massachusetts.  He  is  a  descendant  in  the 
ninth  generation  from  John  Shaw,  the  immi- 
grant ancestor. 

(I)  John  Shaw  was  in  New  England,  an  in- 
habitant of  Plymouth,  in  1637,  in  which  year 
he  had  a  share  in  the  division  of  cattle.  He 
is  referred  to  as  one  of  the  "purchasers  or  old 
comers."  He  was  a  freeman  according  to  Pope 
of  1632-33,  and  was  one  of  those  who  before 
July  1,  1633,  undertook  to  cut  a  passage  from 
Green's  harbor  to  the  bay.  He  had  additional 
lands  in  1636  and  was  juryman  in  1648.  He 
was  one  of  the  purchasers  of  Dartmouth  in 
1652,  and  became  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Middleboro  in  1662.  He  had  bought  into  the 
Twenty-six  Men's  Purchase  prior  to  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  war,  and  was  one  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Middleboro  in  the  fort  at  that  time, 
and  then  he  or  his  son  John  served  seventeen 
days  against  the  Narragansetts  in  1645.  He 
had  sold  his  interest  in  the  Twenty-six  Men's 
Purchase  before  1677  to  Samuel  Wood.  On 
coming  from  England,  according  to  Savage,  he 
brought  with  him  wife  Alice  and  children  John, 
James,  Jonathan  and  Abigail,  the  latter  of 
whom  married  Stephen  Bryant.  The  father 
died  Oct.  24,  1694.  The  mother  was  buried 
at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  March  6,  1654-55. 

(II)  Jonathan  Shaw,  son  of  John,  as  stated, 
came  to  New  England  with  his  parents  and 
was  an  early  settler  at  Plymouth,  and  for  a 
portion  of  his  life  he  may  have  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Duxbury  or  Eastham.  He  was  twice 
married,  marrying  (first)  Jan.  22,  1657,  Pliebe, 
daughter  of  George  Watson,  and  (second)  Per- 
sis,  widow  of  Benjamin  Pratt  and  daughter  of 
Deacon  John  Dunham.  He  had  children: 
Hannah  married  Aug.  5,  1678,  Thomas  Paine, 
Jr.,  of  Eastham;  Jonathan  was  born  in  1663; 
Phebe  married  John  Morton ;  Mary  married  in 
1687  Eleazer  Ring;  George  married  Jan.  8, 
1690,  Constant  Doane,  and  was  of  Eastham; 
Lydia  married  April  4,  1689,  Nicholas  Snow; 


Benjamin  (twin)  was  born  in  1672;  Benoni 
(twin),  born  in  1672,  married  Lydia,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Waterman. 

(III)  Jonathan  Shaw  (2),  of  Plympton,  son 
of  Jonathan,  born  in  1663,  married  (first)  in 
1687  Mehetabel  Pratt,  who  died  in  1712,  and 
he  married  (second)  Nov.  6,  1715,  Mary  Dar- 
ling, who  died  March  9,  1754,  aged  eighty  and 
a  widow.  His  children  were :  Jonathan,  bom 
in  1689,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.;  Phebe,  born  in 
1690,  who  married  Thomas  Shurtleff;  Persis, 
born  in  1692,  who  married  Joseph  Lucas;  Me- 
hetabel, born  in  1694,  who  married  Zaehariah 
Weston;  James,  born  in  1696;  Hannah,  bom 
in  1699,  who  married  James  Barlow;  Eliza- 
beth, born  in  1701;  Priscilla,  born  in  1702; 
Abigail,  born  in  1705;  Samuel;  and  Rebecca, 
born  in  1718. 

(IV)  Jonathan  Shaw  (3),  of  Plympton, 
son  of  Jonathan  (2),  bom  in  1689,  in  Middle- 
boro, married  (first)  Elizabeth  Atwood  and 
(second)  Sarah  Rich.  His  children,  all  born 
to  the  first  marriage  excepting  the  youngest, 
were:  Nathaniel,  born  in  1714;  Mary,  bora  in 
1716;  Nathaniel  (2),  born  in  1718;  Elizabeth, 
born  in  1719;  Sarah,  born  in  1724;  Jonathan, 
bom  in  1728;  and  Thomas,  born  in  1738,  who 
served  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and  died 
while  in  the  army.' 

(V)  Capt.  Nathaniel  Shaw,  of  Plympton, 
son  of  Jonathan  (3),  born  in  1718,  married 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Luke  Perkins.  Accord- 
ing to  the  family  Captain  Shaw  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution.  A  Nathaniel  Shaw  of 
Plympton  is  of  record  as  a  member  of  Capt. 
James  Warren's  regiment,  which  marched  in 
response  to  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  to 
Marshfield.  He  also  was  captain  of  the  Plymp- 
ton company  under  Col.  Gamaliel  Bradford, 
Jr.,  who  commanded  the  1st  Plymouth  county 
regiment  of  militia  in  1776,  Shaw  being  com- 
missioned June  6th  of  that  year.  He  was  also 
captain  in  Lieut.  Col.  Jeremiah  Hall's  regi- 
ment in  December,  1776,  company  raised  in 
Kingston,  Plympton  and  Halifax;  and  captain 
of  7th  company  of  Col.  Theophilus  Cotton's 
regiment  of  Massachusetts  militia,  being  com- 
missioned Oct.  28,  1778.  His  children  were: 
Mary,  born  in  1741;  Elizabeth,  1744;  Nathan- 
iel, 1747;  Joseph,  1749;  Hannah,  1751;  Ruth, 
1753;  Sarah,  1756;  Jonathan,  1758;  Deliver- 
ance, 1760;  James,  1764;  and  Zilpha,  1765.  ' 

(VI)  Lieut.  Joseph  Shaw,  born  in  1749,  son 
of  Nathaniel,  married  April  25,  1776,  Lydia 
Shaw,  their  marriage  being  of  Middleboro  town 
record.  He  was  a  soldier  *in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  died  Aug.  4,  1805,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
six  years.    His  children  were:  George,  bom  in 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


973 


1776;'Ly(iia,  1778;  Nathaniel,  1780;  Joseph, 
1782;  Oliver,  1784;  Ruth,  1786;  Isaac,  1788; 
Betsey,  1790;  Waitstill,  1793;  Hannah,  1794; 
Cephas,  1797;  and  Elkanah,  1802. 

(VII)  Capt.  Joseph  Shaw  (3),  son  of  Jo- 
seph and  Lvdia,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Car- 
ver Feb.  17,  1782,  and  died  Sept.  28,  1855. 
He  was  principally  engaged  in  fanning,  in  the 
winter  months  working  in  the  old  blast 
foundry.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  men  in 
his  locality,  taking  an  active  part  in  the  affairs 
of  his  day,  and  was  captain  of  a  company  of 
State  militia.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  was 
drafted  for  service,  but  because  of  illness  in 
his  family  sent  a  substitute,  Benjamin  Harlow. 

In  1804  Captain  Shaw  married  (first)  Sarah 
Murdock,  and  to  them  were  born  six  sons,  the 
eldest  born  in  1804,  the  youngest  in  1814, 
viz.:     (1)   Joseph    died    unmarried    in    1865. 

(2)  Linus  married  in  1833  Dicey  Allen,  and 
they  had  six  children,  George  H.,  Linus  A. 
(both  of  whom  served  in  the  Civil  war), 
Jeannette  H.,  Arlotha  M.,  Calvin  R.  and  Betsey. 

(3)  Bartlett  was  married  in  1833  to  Almira 
Atwood,  had  one  child,  and  died  in  1835.  (4) 
Martin,  born  in  1811,  died  the  same  year.  (5) 
Dennis,  who  died  in  1875,  married  Emmeline 
Skinner,  and  their  children  were:  William  B., 
Henry  and  Henrietta  (twins),  Albert,  Charles,, 
Emmeline,  Susannah  and  Apollos.  The  father 
and  the  eldest  four  sons  served  in  the  Civil 
war,  two  of  them  being  wounded.  One  son 
died  while  serving  in  the  regular  army.  (6) 
Harrison,  who  died  in  1861,  married  Adaline 
Bent  and  had  eight  children,  William  B., 
Sarah  M.,  Deliverance,  Charles  H.,  Emma  B., 
John,  Mary  and  Erastus. 

For  his  second  wife  Captain  Shaw  married, 
in  1818,  Hannah  Dunham,  and  to  this  union 
were  born  nine  children:  (1)  William  H.,  born 
in  1819,  died  the  same  year.  (2)  Nathaniel, 
born  in  1820,  died  in  1821.  (3)  Ebenezer 
Dunham  is  mentioned  below.  (4)  Francis  S., 
bom  in  1824,  died  in  1885.  In  1849  he  mar- 
ried Abbie  Southworth,  of  Lakeville,  and  of 
their  thirteen  children  only  two  survive,  Emma 
L.  and  Jennie.      (5)    Sally  Murdock,  born  in 

1826,  was  married  in  1847  to  Ira  Cook  Bent, 
of  Carver,  and  they  had  two  children,  Ellen 
F.  (who  married  Philander  J.  Holmes)  and 
Nathaniel  Warren.     (6)   Hannah  M.,  born  in 

1827,  died  in  1892.  In  1850  she  married  Eli 
Atwood,  of  Carver,  and  they  had  one  child, 
Betsey  S.,  who  married  Winfield  Pratt.  (7) 
Oliver,  born  Feb.  5,  1831,  died  Dec.  26,  1894. 
He  was  for  years  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  successful  men  in  his  section,  his  residence 
being  at  Watertown,  Mass.     In  1855  he  mar- 


ried Miranda  Atwood,  and  their  children, 
Alton  E.,  and  Bradford  0.  and  Bartlett  E., 
twins,  are  all  now  deceased.  (8)  Priscilla 
Jane,  bom  in  July,  1834,  married  Pelham  W. 
Barrows,  and  had  children:  Joseph  Whitman, 
Ellis  Harvey,  Pelham  A.,  Laura  L.,  Hannah 
B.  and  Frank  E.  (9)  Bartlett,  bom  March 
12,  1835,  learned  the  ironmolders'  trade.  In 
1861  he  assisted  in  raising  a  company  in  Car- 
ver for  the  Union  service,  was  appointed  or- 
derly sergeant,  and  was  later  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  second  lieutenant.  Owing  to  the  illness 
of  his  superior  officer  he  was  placed  in  charge 
at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  lost  his 
life  in  that  engagement. 

(VIII)  Ebenezer  Dunham  Shaw,  son  of  Jo- 
seph (2),  born  Feb.  8,  1823,  in  Carver,  died 
Sept.  14,  1889.  He  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  and  in  charcoal  burning,  and  built  an 
iron  foundry  at  Middleboro,  conducting  same 
for  some  years.  It  burned  down,  however,  and 
he  spent  his  declining  years  at  Carver,  where 
he  died.  He  was  not  only  a  good  business  man 
but  active  in  town  affairs,  serving  many  years 
as  selectman. 

In  1848  Mr.  Shaw  married  (first)  Nancy 
Eugenia  Bisbee,  daughter  of  Alden  and  Nancy 
(Dunham)  Bisbee.  Mrs.  Shaw  died  Aug.  11, 
1855,  in  Lakeville,  the  mother  of  four  chil- 
dren, Frederick,  Aravesta,  Josephus  and 
Eugene  Eben,  the  last  named  the  only  one  who 
survived  infancy.  Mr.  Shaw's  second  marriage 
was  to  Mrs.  Hannah  (Westgate)  Dennison, 
who  was  born  Jan.  13,  1830,  and  died  July 
2,  1908.  They  had  five  children,  as  follows: 
(1)  Frederick  Warren,  born  Dec.  19,  1857, 
died  Jan.  29,  1899.  He  married  Annie  Till- 
son,  daughter  of  Marcus  and  Abbie  (Atwood) 
Tillson,  and  they  had  four  children,  Ellsworth 
Vernon,  Norman  Lee,  Myrtle  Amber  and 
Ebenezer  Dunham.  (2)  Aravesta  Bartlett, 
born  Jan.  14,  1859,  in  Carver,  is  unmarried 
and  living  in  Lakeville,  Plymouth  county.  (3) 
Elmer  Francis,  born  July  4,  1861,  is  engaged 
in  the  foundry  business  in  Boston.  He  mar- 
ried Harriet  Squires,  of  Plymouth,  and  they 
have  had  two  children,  William  S.  and  Oliver, 
the  latter  now  deceased.  (4)  Bartlett  Mur- 
dock, bom  May  1,  1865,  is  mentioned  below. 
(5)  Myra  Amber,  bom  Dec.  26,  1868,  married 
Walter  Franklin  Hammond,  of  Carver,  and 
they  have  one  child.  Bertha  Frances. 

(IX)  Bartlett  Murdock  Shaw,  son  of  Eben- 
ezer D.  Shaw,  attended  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town,  also  taking  a  course  at  a  com- 
mercial college  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.  After 
leaving  school  he  went  to  Boston  to  accept  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  in  the  Boston  office  of 


974 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  Walker  &  Pratt  Manufacturing  Company, 
of  which  firm  his  uncle  Oliver  Shaw  was  a 
member.  After  spending  four  years  at  this 
work  Mr.  Shaw  went  to  Watertown  and  be- 
came manager  of  the  Walker  &  Pratt  Manu- 
facturing Company  store,  which  he  conducted 
successfully  for  four  years.  He  then  started 
in  business  for  himself,  following  the  line  of 
hardware,  heating  outfits  and  plumbing  sup- 
plies, etc.,  and  he  continued  at  this  for  two 
years.  In  1895,  upon  the  death  of  his  uncle, 
Hon.  Oliver  Shaw,  he  succeeded  him  as  gen- 
eral superintendent  of  the  plant  of  the  Walker 
&  Pratt  Manufacturing  Company  and  became 
a  director  in  the  company,  and  for  the  past 
seventeen  years  he  has  filled  that  position  of 
responsibility  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  the  company.  A  man  of 
keen  foresight  and  progressive  ideas,  Mr.  Shaw 
has  become  a  most  valuable  member  of  the 
company's  force.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New 
England  Foundrymen's  Association  and  one  of 
its  past  presidents.  Since  locating  in  Water- 
town  Mr.  Shaw  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
the  town  and  its  people,  is  public-spirited  and 
gives  much  of  his  time  to  the  public  needs. 
He  was  elected  member  of  the  board  of  select- 
men in  1904  and  1905,  being  chairman  of  the 
board  both  years;  he  is  one  of  the  twenty-one 
members  of  the  Finance  committee  appointed 
by  legislative  authority  to  handle  the  finances 
of  the  town,  being  chairman  of  the  committee 
and  directing  it  so  successfully  that  the  town 
is  now  in  a  sound  financial  condition.  He 
takes  pride  in  every  movement  looking  toward 
the  betterment  of  the  town  and  the  welfare  of 
its  people.  He  is  president  and  a  director  of 
the  Watertown  Cooperative  Bank,  and  is  also 
trustee  of  the  Watertown  Savings  Bank.  Fra- 
ternally Mr.  Shaw  is  a  member  of  Pequossette 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Watertown.  He  is 
a  trustee  of  St.  John's  M.  E.  Church  of  Water- 
town,  and  in  1910  he  was  elected  member  of 
the,  Wesleyan  Association,  of  Boston.  Politi- 
cally he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  Mr.  Shaw  has 
made  a  success  of  his  life  not  only  through  his 
natural  ability  but  by  close  application  to  every 
detail,  by  his  thoughtfulness  and  his  unsel- 
fishness. 

On  June  30,  1892,  Mr.  Shaw  married  Edith 
Brown  Ashley,  of  Berkley,  Bristol  Co.,  Mass. 
To  them  have  come  four  children,  Eliot  Ashley, 
Joseph,  Bartlett  M.,  Jr.,  and  Frederick  Dean, 
all  residing  in  Watertown,  Mass.,  the  eldest  a 
student  at  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  and  the 
three  younger  in  the  public  schools  of^Water- 
town. 


HORACE  KINGMAN,  of  Brockton,  who 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  that  city's 
water  system,  both  as  water  commissioner  and 
as  superintendent  of  the  waterworks,  in  which 
capacities  he  has  faithfully  served  his  native 
city  for  a  number  of  years,  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  a  family  wliich  has  long  been  active 
in  the  development  and  growth  of  the  com- 
munity where  they  were  among  the  first  set- 
tlers. Mr.  Kingman  was  born  April  17,  1864, 
in  North  Bridgewater,  now  Brockton,  on  what 
is  now  Summer  street,  known  as  the  "Kingman 
neighborhood,"  and  where  he  has  since  resided, 
the  son  of  Eliphalet  and  Mary  Frances  (Park- 
er) Kingman.  A  history  of  his  branch  of  the 
Kingman  family  follows,  in  chronological 
order  from  tlie  emigrant  ancestor. 

(I)  Henry  Kingman,  of  Weymouth,  is  the 
first  of  this  name  found  in  this  country.  He 
came  from  Wales  in  1632;  was  made  a  freeman 
in  1636 ;  grand  juror  in  1637 ;  was  representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court  in  1638  and  1653;  and 
was  on  a  committee  to  lay  out  and  define  the 
town  ways.  To  him  and  his  wife  Joanna  were 
born  six  children:  Edward  (who  died  single), 
Thomas,  John,  and  three  daughters  whose 
names   have    not  been   ascertained. 

(II)  John  Kingman,  son  of  Henry,  moved 
from  Weymouth  to  West  Bridgewater  in  about 
1685,  and  lived  on  the  farm  afterward  occu- 
pied by  Caleb  Kingman.  His  wife's  name  was 
Elizabeth,  and  they  had  six  children,  namely : 
John,  Henry,  Samuel,  Elizabeth,  Deliverance 
and  Susanna. 

(III)  Henry  Kingman,  son  of  John,  born  in 
1668,  married  in  1693  Bethiah  Howard, 
daughter  of  John  Howard,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  Bridgewater,  1651.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  Bethiah,  Elizabeth,  Sarah,  Martha, 
Henry,  Jr.,  Keziah,  Hannah,  Jonathan,  Anne 
and    Mary. 

(IV)  Henry  Kingman,  Jr.,  son  of  Henry, 
born  April  19,  1701,  died  Oct.  5,  1775.  He 
married  (first)  in  1726  Mary  Allen,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Allen,  and  their  children  were: 
Mary,  Martha,  Jane,  Matthew,  Anna,  Henry 
and  Benjamin  (who  died  young).  Mr.  King- 
man married  (second)  March  15,  1743,  Abi- 
gail, widow  of  Seth  Copeland,  and  daughter  of 
Thomas  White,  of  Braintree,  Mass.  To  tliis 
union  were  born:  Abigail  (who  died  young), 
Abigail  (2),  Anna,  Benjamin  (who  died 
young),  Seth,  Benjamin   (2)   and  Submit. 

(V)  Matthew  Kingman,  son  of  Henry,  born 
Sept.  8,  1732,  died  Nov.  22,  1809.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  resided  on  Summer  street.  On 
Nov.  6,  1755,  he  married  Jane  Packard,  daugh- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


975 


ter  of  David  and  Hannali  (Ames)  Packard, 
and  a  descendant  in  the  fourth  generation  of 
Samuel  Packard,  who  was  the  first  of  the  name 
to  come  to  this  country,  becoming  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  West  parish  of  Bridge- 
water.  Mrs.  Kingman  died  Feb.  11,  1823,  aged 
eighty-eight  years.  Their  children  were :  Sim- 
eon, born  May  27,  1756;  Mary,  Dec.  18,  1757; 
Eunice,  Feb.  16,  1760;  Hannah,  May  5,  1761; 
Harmony,  Jan.' 3,  1763;  Jane,  Oct.  23,  1764; 
Martha,  Aug.  31,  1766;  Abel,  Aug.  22,  1768; 
Henrv,  April  7,  1770;  Eliphalet,  Feb.  18, 
1775;  and  Keziah,  Jan.  31,  1777. 

(VI)  Eliphalet  Kingn^an,  son  of  Matthew, 
born  Feb.  18,  1775,  died  Oct.  30,  1856,  aged 
eighty-one  years.  He  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace  several  years,  selectman  of  the  town,  rep- 
resentative to  the  General  Court,  and  promi- 
nent in  the  town  government.  On  Nov.  27, 
1801,  he  married  Zilpha  Edson,  daughter  of 
Josiah  and  Reliance  (Fuller)  Edson.  She  died 
March  31,  1853,  aged  seventy-five  years.  The 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kingman  were : 
Lucius,  born  Jan.  23,  1803,  married  Nov.  17, 
1835,  Lucia  Holmes;  Matthew,  born  Feb.  24, 
1807,  married  (first)  Sept.  8,  1835,  Maria 
Norton,  and  (second)  March  11,  1852,  Widow 
Catherine  P.  Cary;  Adeline,  born  Oct.  21, 
1809,  married  May  18,  1834,  Isaac  Harris; 
Isaac,  born  Dec.  i2,  1811,  married  June  2, 
1844,  Sibil  Ames;  Davis,  born  Feb.  27,  1814, 
married  (first)  April  22,  1838,  Susanna 
French,  and  (second)  June  12,  1861,  Lydia 
B.  Smith;  Lucia,  born  Sept.  14,  1816,  married 
(first)  Oct.  5,  1840,  James  Otis  Clapp,  and 
(second)  Oct.  8.  1856,  Henry  Snell ;  Eliphalet, 
born  Feb.  18,  1821,  married  Nov.  22,  1855, 
Mary  F.  Parker. 

(VII)  Eliphalet  Kingman  (2),  son  of  Eli- 
phalet, was  born  Feb.  18,  1821,  in  North 
Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),  where  his  life 
was  spent,  and  where  he  died  Jan.  28,  1886,  in 
the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  engaged 
in  farming  during  his  life,  his  farm  being 
located  on  Summer  street,  in  what  is  known 
as  the  "Kingman  neighborhood."  In  political 
faith  he  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party,  but  being  in 
rather  feeble  health  during  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  he  did  not  enter  into  the  activities 
of  public  affairs.  On  Nov.  22,  1855,  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Frances  Parker,  daughter  of  Gould 
and  Mary  (Flint)  Parker,  of  Reading,  Mass., 
who  survived  her  husband,  and  resides  at  the 
old  home  in  Brock4on.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  this  union:  Eliphalet,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  missionary  work  in  Africa,  being  at 
the  head  of  an  industrial  department;  Ellen 


Maria,  who  married  Jared  Warren  Pratt,  of 
Brockton ;  Parker,  a  carpenter  in  Brockton,, 
who  married  Lillian  F.  Ames ;  Davis,  foreman, 
in  the  waterworks  department,  who  married 
Grace  Harlow;  Horace;  Mary  Zilpha,  a  teach- 
er in  the  public  schools,  residing  with  her 
mother;  and  Edson,  who  died  young. 

(VIII)  Horace  Kingman,  son  of  Eliphalet 
(2)  and  Mary  F.  (Parker)  Kingman,  was 
born  April  17,  1864,  in  North  Bridgewater, 
and  resides  on  Summer  street,  his  home  being 
a  part  of  the  original  farm  of  his  grandfather, 
Eliphalet  Kingman,  which  land  has  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  Kingman  family  for  many 
years.  After  acquiring  his  early  training  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town,  leaving 
same  at  the  age  of  about  thirteen,  he  devoted 
himself  for  a  period  of  three  or  four  years  to 
assisting  his  father  on  the  farm.  He  then  be- 
came an  employee  of  the  Tuck  Manufacturing 
Company,  where  he  remained  two  and  a  half 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  entered 
upon  an  apprenticeship  to  the  machinist's  trade 
with  Stone  &  Goddard,  where  he  was  for  seven 
years.  He  then  became  employed  as  a  machin- 
ist with  the  0.  A.  Miller  Treeing  Machine 
Company,  remaining  there  about  one  year. 
Mr.  Kingman  ne.xt  purchased  the  interest  of 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Burr  &  Han- 
Ion,  machinists  on  High  street,  the  firm  be- 
coming Burr  &  Kingman.  Mr.  Kingman  was 
the  junior  partner  in  this  business  for  about 
two  years,  when  he  sold  his  interest.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1893,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the 
board  of  water  commissioners  of  the  city,  and 
was  also  elected  superintendent  of  the  water- 
works by  the  board,  in  which  capacity  he  has 
since  remained,  filling  that  position  with  effi- 
ciency and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  public,  as 
well  as  continuing  to  be  one  of  the  water  com- 
missioners to  the  present  time.  During  his 
administration  the  system  has  been  greatly  de- 
veloped, and  many  improvements  installed, 
among  them  the  present  Silver  Lake  water  sup- 
ply. As  an  evidence  of  the  growth  of  the  wa- 
ter department  of  the  city  since  Mr.  Kingman 
became  connected  with  the  same  in  1893,  in 
which  year  the  receipts  were  $36,241.39,  the 
system  has  been  extended  until  in  1910  the  re- 
ceipts were  $121,473.13. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Kingman  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  he  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  thetiflairs  of  the  city.  In  1889  and  1890  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  common  council 
from  Ward  Five,  and  in  1892  was  a  member 
of  the  board  of  aldermen  from  the  same  ward, 
in  the  latter  body  serving  on  the  committee 
on  Highways  and  on  the  committee  on  Water. 


976 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of  Massasoit  Lodge, 
No.  69,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  which  he  is  past  noble 
grand.  Mr.  Kingman  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Porter  Congregational  Church. 

On  Sept.  27,  1887,  Mr.  Kingman  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  D.  Ames,  daughter  of  Charles 
P.  and  Harriet  E.  (Howard)  Ames,  of  West 
Bridgewater,  and  a  descendant  of  several  of 
New  England's  earliest  settled  families.  Seven 
children  have  blessed  this  union  as  follows: 
Mabel  A.;  Howard,  who  died  in  infancy;  Law- 
rence; Forrest  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
years;  Zilpha;  Paul  F.,  and  Constance. 

BLISS  (Attleboro  family).  For  now  ap- 
proximately two  and  three  quarters  centuries 
the  Bliss  name  has  had  an  identity  with  New 
England — since  the  coming  hither  from  old 
England  of  the  immigrant  settler  in  the  per- 
son of  Thomas  Bliss,  the  progenitor  of  a  num- 
erous and  respectable  race  of  men  and  women 
whose  descendants  are  now  in  all  parts  of  our 
country,  and  many  of  whom,  too,  have  given  an 
excellent  account  of  themselves  in  the  varied 
activities  of  life.  But  in  this  article  we  con- 
fine ourselves  to  some  of  the  descendants  only 
of  the  late  Jonathan  and  Hannah  (Kent) 
Bliss,  farming  people  of  the  old  home  town 
of  their  forefathers — Rehoboth ;  one  or  more 
of  whose  sons,  however,  took  up  an  abiding- 
place  in  the  near-by  town  of  Attleboro,  where 
some  of  the  grandsons  and  great-grandsons 
have  long  been  among  the  substantial  men  and 
leading  citizens  of  that  town  and  city,  notably 
the  Bliss  brothers,  Messrs.  Charles  Edwin  and 
Everett  Bradford  Bliss,  manufacturing  jewel- 
ers, whose  success  was  pronounced. 

It  may  be  here  added  in  a  general  way  that 
the  late  Hon.  Cornelius  Newton  Bliss,  former 
secretary  of  the  Interior,  springs  from  this 
Rehoboth  Bliss  family  and  is  only  a  little  re- 
moved in  kinship  from  the  immediate  family 
under  consideration;  and  that  George  Bliss,  a 
wealthy  merchant  and  banker,  as  well  as  phil- 
anthropist, of  the  banking  house  of  Levi  P. 
Morton  &  Co.,  New  York,  and  Morton,  Rose 
&  Co.,  London,  also  springs  from  the  Rehoboth 
Bliss  family,  as  did  the  late  Gen.  Zenas  R. 
Bliss,  U.  S.  A.,  of  Providence,  and  does  Maj. 
George  N.  Bliss,  of  Civil  war  note  and  since 
prominent  in  professional  and  business  life  at 
Providence. 

The  Attleboro  Bliss  brothers  before  alluded 
to  are  descendants  in  the  eighth  generation 
from  Thomas  Bliss,  their  American  ancestor, 
from  whom  their  lineage  is  through  Jonathan, 
Jonathan  (2),  Lieut.  Ephraim,  Capt.  Jona- 
than, Jonathan  Bliss  and  Zeba  Bliss.     These 


generations  in  detail  follow. 

(I)  Thomas  Bliss,  born  in  England,  son  of 
Jonathan  and  grandson  of  Thomas,  both  of 
Belstone  parish,  in  Devonshire,  and  both  of 
whom  were  Puritans  and  were  presented  and 
imprisoned  on  account  of  nonconformity  and 
opposition  to  the  iniquitous  practice  that  had 
obtained  in  the  dominant  church  party,  on  the 
death  of  his  father  in  1635-36  came  to  Amer- 
ica, landing,  at  Boston,  whence  he  removed  to 
Braintree,  thence  to  Hartford,  thence  back  to 
Weymouth  and  Braintree,  from  which  place 
with  others  he  removed  in  1643  and  began  the 
new  settlement  called  Rehoboth.  Mr.  Bliss 
was  made  a  freeman  in  Cambridge  in  1642  and 
in  Plymouth  Colony  in  1645.  On  June  9, 
1645,  he  drew  a  lot  on  the  Great  Plain  at  See- 
konk.  He  was  appointed  to  public  office  in 
1646  and  1647  and  died  in  1649  in  Rehoboth. 
His  children  were :  Jonathan,  Mary,  Nathaniel, 
and  a  daughter  whose  name  is  unknown. 

(II)  Jonathan  Bliss,  son  of  Thomas,  born 
about  1625,  married  about  1648  Miriam  Har- 
man.  Mr.  Bliss  was  of  Rehoboth,  and  was 
made  a  freeman  in  Plymouth  Colony  in  1655. 
He  was  appointed  to  public  office  in  1652,  and 
in  1655,  was  accepted  a  freeman  Feb.  22,  1658, 
and  drew  a  lot  on  the  north  side  of  town  June 
22d  following.  He  was  one  of  the  eighty  who 
made  the  Rehoboth  North  Purchase  in  1666, 
and  on  May  26,  1668,  drew  a  lot  in  that  Pur- 
chase. His  children  were:  Ephraim,  born 
Feb.  5,  1649;  Rachel,  Dec.  1,  1651;  Jonathan, 
March  4,  1653;  Mary,  Sept.  30,  1655;  Eliza- 
beth, Jan.  29,  1657;  Samuel,  June  24,  1660; 
Martha,  in  April,  1663;  Jonathan  (2),  Sept. 
17,  1666;  Dorothy,  Jan.  27,  1668;  and 
Bethiah,  in  August,  1671. 

(III)  Jonathan  Bliss  (2),  son  of  Jonathan, 
born  Sept.  17,  1666,  married  (first)  June  23, 
1691,  Miriam,  daughter  of  William  and 
Miriam  (Searls)  Carpenter,  of  Rehoboth,  and 
was  a  resident  of  Rehoboth. 

Mr.  Bliss  became  a  man  of  standing  and  in- 
fluence in  the.  town  and  held  various  offices.  It 
is  said  that  he  gave  ground  for  the  old  burying 
ground  two  miles  south  of  Rehoboth  village. 
He  died  Oct.  16,  1719.  The  children  of  his 
first  marriage  were:  Jonathan,  born  June  5, 
1692:  Jacob,  March  21,  1694;  Ephraim,  Dec. 
28,  1695;  Elisha,  Oct.  4,  1697;  Ephraim  (2), 
Aug.  15,  1699:  Daniel,  Jan.  21,  1702;  Noah, 
May  18,  1704;  and  Miriam,  Aug.  9, 1705.  The 
father  married  (second)  in  April,  1711,  Mary 
French,  of  Rehoboth,  and  to  this  marriage 
came  children  as  follows:  Mary,  bom  Nov.  23, 
1712;  Hannah,  Jan.  7,  1715;  Bethia,  May  10, 
1716;  and  Rachel,  Aug.  10,  1719. 


/il^^i^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


977 


-  (IV)  Lieut.  Ephraim  Bliss,  son  of  Jonathan 
(2),  born  Aug.  15,  1699,  married  Dec.  5,  1723, 
Eachel  Carpenter,  and  was  of  Rehoboth,  Mass. 
Their  children  were:  Ephraim,  born  Jan.  2, 
1725;  Ephraim  (2),  June  3,  1726;  Noah 
(twin),  June  3,  1726;  Rachel,  March  6,  1728; 
Abiah,  Jan.  26,  1730;  Jonathan,  Sept.  8,  1731; 
Lydia,  July  3,  1733;  Keziah,  Feb.  7,  1735; 
Hannah,  Feb.  16,  1737;  Jonathan,  in  January, 
1739;  Abadial,  Dec.  15,  1740;  and  Benjamin, 
Dec.  24,  1743. 

(V)  Capt.  Jonathan  Bliss,  son  of  Lieut. 
Ephraim,  born  in  January,  1739,  married 
Dec.  27,  1759,  Lydia  Wheeler,  born  Oct.  17, 
1737,  who  died  April  11,  1803.  Captain  Bliss 
died  Jan.  24,  1800.  They  were  residents  of 
Rehoboth,  Mass.  Their  children  were :  Keziah, 
born  Oct.  10,  1760;  James,  Jan.  18,  1762; 
Jonathan,  Dec.  6,  1763;  Chloe,  March  4,  1765; 
Jonathan,  April  3,  1767;  Lucy,  June  23,  1769; 
Asahel,  Sept.  6,  1771;  Shubael,  Oct.  30,  1773; 
Lydia,  Dec.  29,  1776;  Zenas,  Nov.  12,  1779; 
and  Nancy,  May  15,  1784. 

(VI)  Jonathan  Bliss,  born  April  3,  1767, 
married  March  19,  1792,  Hannah  Kent,  born 
in  August,  1769.  They  resided  in  Rehoboth, 
Mass.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Bliss,  which 
occurred  March  19,  1799,  his  widow  married 
Otis  Capron,  of  Attleboro,  Mass.,  and  she 
died  May  27,  1836.  The  children  born  to 
Jonathan  and  Hannah  were:  Jonathan,  born 
Feb.  15,  1793,  died  Sept.  2,  1872;  Martin, 
born  Oct.  24,  1794,  died  March  29,  1864; 
Zeba,  born  Aug.  20,  1796,  died  July  29,  1858; 
George,  born  Feb.  3,  1799,  died  March  3,  1851. 

(VII)  Zeba  Bliss,  born  Aug.  20,  1796,  in 
Rehoboth,  Mass.,  married  April  6,  1820,  Lepha 
Peck,  born  Dec.  13,  1797,  in  Rehoboth,  Mass., 
ninth  child  of  Oliver  and  Hannah  (Bliss) 
Peck,  of  Rehoboth.  They  removed  to  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  in  1842,  and  thence  to  Lewiston  in 
1847.  Mrs.  Bliss  died  Nov.  26,  1857,  and  Mr. 
Bliss  passed  away  July  29,  1858.  Their  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  were :  Lucy 
Jane,  born  June  28,  1822;  Zeba  F.,  April  2, 
1824;  Zenas  F.  (twin),  April  2,  1824  (died 
April  25,  1868);  Lepha  C.  July  8,  1826; 
Mary  E.,  Aug.  24,  1828  (died  May  18,  1829)  ; 
Charles  Everett,  Sept.  7,  1831  (died  Sept.  25, 
1836)  ;  Mary  E.  (twin  to  Charles  E.)  (died 
Oct.  5,  1836);  Charles  Edwin,  Feb.  8,  1837; 
and  Everett  Bradford,  Oct.  31,  1839. 

Zeba  Bliss  was  engaged  in  his  earlier  years 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  thread  in  Attle- 
toro,  importing  machinery  from  England  for 
that  purpose.  Through  the  carelessness  of  one 
of  his  employees  the  factory  was  burned,  and 
as  in  those  days  there  was  no  insurance  Mr. 

62 


Bliss  lost  his  all.  Later  he  moved  with  his 
family  to  Lewiston,  Maine,  where  he  built  the 
Lincoln  Cotton  Mills  for  Boston  parties.  He 
finally  engaged  in  farming  in  Auburn,  Andros- 
coggin Co.,  Maine,  and  there  he  and  his  wife 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  In  later 
years  their  bodies  were  removed  by  their  son 
Charles  E.  to  the  cemetery  in  Attleboro. 

(VIII)  Charles  Edwin  Bliss,  son  of  Zeba 
and  Lepha  (Peck)  Bliss,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Attleboro,  Mass.,  Feb.  8,  1837.  He  was 
still  quite  young  when  the  family  moved  to  the 
State  of  Maine,  and  there  in  the  public  schools 
of  Lewiston  he  received  his  education.  In 
1856  he  returned  to  Attleboro,  and  within  two 
years  both-  his  parents  had  died.  At  the  age  of 
nineteen  he  entered  the  jewelry  factory  of 
Hayward  &  Briegs,  and  there  mastered  the 
trade.  He  spent  sixteen  years  with  this  one 
firm,  twelve  and  a  half  years  of  that  time  be- 
ing foreman  of  the  factory.  On  Jan.  1,  1873, 
in  company  with  his  brother  Everett  Bradford 
Bliss,  he  started  into  the  jewelry  business  with 
R.  L.  F.  Everett  as  a  third  partner,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bliss  Brothers  &  Everett.  This 
was  continued  until  1883,  when  Mr.  Everett 
sold  out  his  interest  to  the  other  partners,  and 
the  name  of  the  firm  became  Bliss  Brothers. 
Success  had  attended  the  business  from  its  in- 
ception and  the  brothers  continued  to  prosper 
together  until  1895,  when  Everett  Bradford 
Bliss  sold  out  to  Charles  Edwin  Bliss,  who  un- 
til 1901  carried  on  the  work  alone,  without, 
however,  altering  the  name  of  Bliss  Brothers. 
In  the  last  named  year  he  retired,  and  his  sons, 
Herbert  C.  and  Ernest  M.,  who  had  previously 
learned  the  business,  assumed  control.  The 
company  was  then  incorporated  under  the 
name  of  Bliss  Brothers  Company,  with  Ernest 
Mason  Bliss  as  president,  and  Herbert  Charles 
Bliss  as  treasurer.  Offices  were  opened  in  New 
York  and  San  Francisco,  and  the  business  in- 
creased accordingly. 

By  his  keen  foresight  and  ability,  combined 
with  his  thorough  knowledge  of  his  trade,  Mr. 
Charles  E.  Bliss  built  up  a  most  successful 
business,  and  his  honesty  and  integrity  won 
him  a  firm  hold  in  the  commercial  world.  But 
not  alone  did  he  devote  his  energies  to  his 
business  and  to  the  accumulation  of  wealth. 
He  was  broad-minded  and  liberal,  and  he  took 
a  keen  interest  in  everything  that  nffccted  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  For  twelve  years 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  committee, 
and  was  its  chairman.  He  was  treasurer  of 
the  Richardson  school  fund,  and  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  of  which  he  had  also  for 
a  quarter  of  a  century  served  as  deacon.     He 


978 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


was  vice  president  of  the  Attleboro  Savings 
Bank  of  North  Attleboro,  and  president  of  the 
Attleboro  Fire  Insurance  Company;  a  mem- 
ber of  both  the  Park  commission  and  of  the 
Sinking  Fund  commission.  In  fact,  he  was 
active  in  everything  that  would  cause  pros- 
perity and  good  to  his  town.  He  was  a  stanch 
advocate  of  temperance  in  all  things.  He 
found  his  keenest  enjoyment  in  his  own  home, 
though  he  was  a  prominent  member  of  Ezekiel 
Bates  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  (of  which  he  was 
a  past  master),  and  of  King  Hiram  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M. 

On  June  11,  1857,  Mr.  Bliss  was  married  to 
Sarah  H.  Newcomb,  who  was  born  in  Easton, 
Mass.,  July  21,  1836,  daughter  of  Joseph  M. 
and  Hannah  K.  (Capron)  Newcomb.  On 
June  11,  1907,  they  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding  at  their  home,  No.  20  Peck  street, 
their  children  and  many  friends  uniting  to 
•make  the  occasion  one  long  to  be  remembered. 
Many  costly  presents  were  siven  them — tokens 
of  love  and  good  will  from  those  who  knew 
them ,  well.  Among  these  presents  may  be 
mentioned  $1,000  in  gold  from  their  three 
sons,  $300  in  gold  from  a  number  of  manufac- 
turing jewelers  of  Attleboro,  a  costly  sterling 
silver  loving  cup  from  the  Savings  Bank  of 
North  Attleboro  (of  which  Mr.  Bliss  was  vice 
president),  a  beautiful  pedestal  clock  from  the 
public  school  teachers  of  Attleboro,  a  hand- 
some rosewood  parlor  cabinet  filled  with  cut 
glass  from  the  women  members  of  the  Second 
Congregational  Church,  and  many  other  such 
presents  from  different  friends. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bliss,  namely:  (1)  Cordelia  Lepha,  born  March 
23,  1858,  is  at  home.  (2)  Mary  Herbert,  born 
March  3,  1860,  died  Dec.  28,  1864.  (3)  Her- 
bert Charles,  born  April  3,  1867,  was  gradu- 
ated from  Amherst  College  and  is  now  treas- 
urer of  Bliss  Brothers  Company.  He  married 
A.  Louise  Carpenter.  (4)  Clinton  Edwin, 
born  Nov.  30,  1869,  was  foreman  for  his 
father.  He  died  Aug.  24,  1894,  unmarried. 
(5)  Ernest  Mason,  born  Aug.  6,  1871,  was 
graduated  from  Amherst  College  and  for  three 
years  was  a  teacher  at  the  Chester  (Pa.)  Mili- 
tary Academy,  resigning  to  become  president 
of  Bliss  Brothers  Company.  He  married 
Waunita  Farley,  and  has  two  children,  Clinton 
Farley,  born  April  21,  1899,  and  Ernest  M., 
Jr.,  born  April  4,  1901.  (6)  Chester  Merton, 
born  Nov.  12,  1876,  began  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Attleboro,  graduated  from 
Amherst  College,  and  is  now  assistant  princi- 
pal in  the  high  school  at  Cambridge,  Mass., 
where  he  is  now  professor  of  Latin  and  Greek. 


He  married  Annie  Codding,  daughter  of  Ar- 
thur A.  Codding,  of  North  Attleboro,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Margarita,  born  June 
18,  1901,  and  Arthur  C,  born  May  23,  1902. 
(7)  Ethel  M.,  born  Dec.  5,  1880,  graduated 
from  Smith  College  in  1902  and  married  Al- 
bert L.  Woodworth,  of  Springfield;  she  has  one 
son,  Kingsley  Bliss,  born  Feb.  14,  1905. 

Charles  Edwin  Bliss  passed  away  April  1^ 
1908,  at  Sea  Breeze,  Fla.  No  local  death  has 
caused  greater  public  sorrow  than  that  of  this 
well-known  citizen  of  Attleboro.  The  years 
he  served  in  public  office,  especially  his  long 
service  as  head  of  the  school  board,  made  him 
known  to  nearly  every  resident  of  the  town^ 
and  he  could  not  be  known  without  being  re- 
spected and  esteemed.  His  passing  took  from 
Attleboro  a  man  who  had  proved  in  his  three- 
score years  and  ten  personal  worth  that  gave- 
him  an  assured  place  in  the  memory  of  his 
fellow  citizens.  He  was  a  Christian  of  the 
sturdy  type,  a  man  of  rare  strength  of  char- 
acter, a  citizen  ever  first  when  public  spirit 
was  demanded,  a  successful  business  man  and 
a  conscientious  public  official.  The  Second 
Congregational  Church,  of  which  he  had  been 
a  member  for  forty-two  years  and  a  deacon  for 
twenty-two  years,  being  at  the  time  of  his 
death  its  senior  officer  and  one  of  the  oldest 
members,  passed  resolutions  to  express 

"Its  appreciation  of  his  faithfulness  in  the 
many  capacities  in  which  he  was  chosen  to 
serve  the  church.  In  an  age  when  most  men 
find  many  interests  which  they  easily  persuade 
themselves  are  more  important  than  the  churchy 
that  church  is  fortunate  which  has  a  man  in 
whose  life  its  interests  are  paramount.  We 
feel  that  we  were  doubly  fortunate  in  that  it 
was  transparent  to  all  that  zeal  for  the  church 
was  not  because  it  was  his  church,  but  because 
it  was  Christ's  Church,  the  best  means  he  knew 
to  serve  the  spiritual  and  eternal  Kingdom  of 
God. 

"Of  strong  religious  convictions  and  fully 
consecrated  in  his  Christian  life,  the  commun- 
ity has  met  with  a  great  loss  which  will  be- 
deeply  felt  in  its  religious,  educational  and 
civic  and  political  life.  Always  interested  in 
everything  that  meant  the  moral  uplift  of  the- 
community,  he  commanded  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  all  factions,  and  many  times  a 
few  words  of  wise  and  unbiased  counsel  from 
him  have  brought  order  and  good  feeling  out 
of  confusion  and  strife  in  the  public  considera- 
tion of  town  affairs. 

"Mourning  the  loss  of  our  brother,  yet  recog- 
nizing the  fact  that  it  was  not  a  part  of  God's 
great  plan  for  him  to  remain  longer  with  us. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


979 


we  would  pay  tribute  to  his  life  of  Christian 
helpfulness.  Associated  with  him  in  the  fel- 
lowship of  the  church  one  could  not  but  be 
strengthened  by  the  testimony  of  his  words 
and  life,  for  it  was  his  life  that  gave  his  words 
power  to  put  purpose  into  our  hearts  for 
greater  spiritual  attainments.  His  life  veri- 
fied his  principles  and  was  as  genuine  as  his 
words." 

The  selectmen  of  Attleboro  likewise  adopted 
resolutions  of  regret,  from  which  we  quote  the 
following : 

"In  behalf  of  the  town,  whose  representa- 
tives we  are,  we  desire  to  place  on  record  our 
high  personal  esteem  for  our  late  fellow-towns- 
man and  our  great  appreciation  of  the  work 
he  accomplished  for  our  town  in  the  various 
public  offices  which  he  held.  As  a  member  of 
the  first  board  of  selectmen  after  the  town  was 
divided,  he  rendered  good  and  efficient  serv- 
ice; as  a  member  of  the  park  commissioners 
he  displayed  great  interest  and  good  judg- 
ment; as  a  member-  of  the  school  committee 
for  many  years  he  will  be  best  and  longest  re- 
membered ;  as  chairman  of  that  board  for 
twelve  years  he  displayed  rare  qualifications 
and  great  executive  ability  and  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  town,  for  the  benefit  and  up- 
building of  the  schools,  a  vast  amount  of  time, 
which  he  freely  gave;  for  this  great  work  alone 
we  owe  to  his  memory  a  debt  of  gratitude  that 
we  can  never  repay : 

"Resolved,  that  in  all  walks  of  life,  as  a  citi- 
zen, a  public  official,  an  employer  of  labor,  a 
neighbor,  and  as  a  friend,  Charles  E.  Bliss  dis- 
played the  qualities  of  an  upright,  patriotic 
and  honest  man,  such  as  the  town  can  ill  af- 
ford to  lose." 

As  a  last  token  of  respect  to  Mr.  Bliss,  there 
was  a  general  suspension  of  business  in  Attle- 
boro during  the  service  at  his  funeral,  which 
was  attended  by  hundreds  of  citizens.  There 
were  services  first  at  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  the  Masonic  ceremonies  at 
the  grave.  All  the  Park  street  stores  were 
closed,  the  curtains  were  drawn  in  many  fac- 
tories and  flags  were  displayed  at  half  mast 
on  all  public  buildings.  The  public  schools 
were  closed  for  the  afternoon. 

GIFFORD.  The  Gifford  family  has  been  of 
record  in  New  England  since  the  early  days 
of  the  Colonies.  (I)  William  Gifford  of  rec- 
ord in  1647  in  Stamford,  Conn.,  and  William 
Gifford,  of  Sandwich,  Mass.,  and  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Inquest,  Plymouth,  in  IGSO,  are  be- 
lieved by  the  compiler  of  the  "Gifford  Gen- 
ealogy" to  be  one  and  the  same  person.     He 


died  in  1686-87,  and  in  his  will  probated 
March  2d  of  that  year  he  gives  to  his  children 
John,  Hannaniah,  William,  Christopher,  Rob- 
ert, Jonathan,  James  and  Mary;  and  to  his 
grandchildren.  Temperance,  John,  Robert,  Ex- 
perience and  Sarah  Kirby  (children  of  Richard 
Kirby).  He  also  gave  five  pounds  "to  the  ser- 
vice and  improvement  of  my  friends  called 
Quakers."  He  seems  to  have  left  considerable 
property  among  his  children  including  lands 
at  Succanessett  or  Falmouth.  He  was  com- 
mitted by  the  court  in  1658  for  not  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance;  again  in  1659  for  af- 
fronting the  marshal,  and  in  1660  for  being 
at  Quaker  meetings. 

(II)  William  Gifford   (2),  son  of  William, 

married    (first)   and    (second)    June 

21,  1711,  Lydia  Hatch.  He  had  according  to 
the  Gifford  Genealogy  twenty-three  children, 
those  born  to  the  first  wife,  all  in  Falmouth, 
being:  Gideon,  born  Oct.  6,  1676;  Gershom,  in 
June  1679;  Seth,  March  17,  1681;  Experience, 
Oct.  7,  1685;  Jabez,  Feb.  7,  1686;  Mehetabel. 
July  7,  1689;  Justice,  Oct.  12,  1691;  Mary, 
May  25,  1694;  Hannah,  Oct.  24,  1696;  Wil- 
liam, Feb.  16,  1699;  and  Temperance,  Dec.  17, 
1710. 

(III)  William  Gifford  (3),  son  of  William 
(2),  born  Feb.  16,  1699,  in  Falmouth,  Mass., 
married  Mary  Dillingham.  Their  children 
were:  Meribah,  born  Dec.  24,  1730;  Annie, 
Oct.  24,  1735;  Elizabeth,  Nov.  21,  1737; 
Zaccheus,  in  1740;  Hannah,  March  24,  1743; 
Molly  or  Mary,  July  8,  1745 ;  and  Content. 

(IV)  Zaccheus  Gifford,  son  of  William  (3), 
born  in  1740,  married  (first)  Lydia  Dilling- 
ham, and  (second)  Sarah  Shove.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  Lydia  married  David  Purrington, 
of  Maine ;  Sarah ;  Elizabeth  married  Seth 
Kelly,  of  Yarmouth,  Mass. ;  Hannah ;  Theophi- 
lus ;  and  William. 

(V)  Theophilus  Gifford,  son  of  Zaccheus, 
married  Nov.  13,  1804,  Priscilla  R.  Ellis.  He 
died  Dec.  20,  1840.  Their  children  were:  Eliza- 
beth, born  Feb.  20,  1807,  married  Stephen 
Dillingham,  of  Falmouth,  Mass.,  and  died  Oct. 
26,  1871;  Ellis,  born  July  26,  1809;  Thomas 
Scattergood,  born  July  20,  1811;  Azariah 
Shove,  born  Nov.  26,  1813;  Charity,  born 
March  15,  1816,  married  (first)  Reuben  Dil- 
lingham, of  West  Falmouth,  and  (second)  Wil- 
liam Chase,  of  Fall  River,  and  died  Dec.  13, 
1894;  Hannah,  bom  Feb.  9,  1818,  married 
Samuel  Way,  of  Bedford,  Pa. ;  Huldah,  born 
Nov.  26,  1819,  married  Arnold  Gifford;  Sam- 
uel was  born  Dec.  13,  1821,  and  died  Aug.  31, 
1868;  and  James  Ellis,  born  May  15,  1832, 
died  in  West  Falmouth  in  1900. 


980 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(VI)  Azariah  Shove  Gifford,  son  of  Theophi- 
lu8,  was  born  Nov.  26,  1813,  in  West  Falmouth, 
Barnstable  Co.,  Mass.  During  his  entire  active 
business  life  his  occupation  vi^as  that  of  farmer 
and  dealer  in  cattle.  He  was  a  thrifty,  pro- 
gressive man,  and  for  the  times  left  a  consid- 
erable estate.  He  was  a  birthright  Quaker, 
as  was  also  his  wife,  the  latter  being  a  Quaker 
minister,  and  one  of  the  youngest  that  ever 
sat  at  a  meeting  in  West  Falmouth.  On  June 
25,  1848,  he  married  Lois  Bean,  daughter  of 
James  and  Hannah  (Eoberts)  Bean,  of  Farm- 
ington,  N.  H.  Mr.  Gifford  died  in  1866,  and 
Mrs.  Gifford  in  1871.  To  this  union  were 
born:  James  W.,  born  Sept.  21,  1850,  died 
July,  1899,  married  July  3,  1876,  Elizabeth 
Brown,  of  Fall  Eiver,  and  had  four  children, 
James  W.,  Jr.  (born  July  30,  1878),  Charles 
H.  (Feb.  28,  1880),  Lois  Anne  (April  24, 
1881)  and  Ethel  May  (Jan.  20,  1889);  Seth 
K.,  born  March  20,  1853,  died  April  7,  1854; 
Seth  K.  (2),  born  July  29,  1854,  married 
(first)  Elma  Winslow,  of  St.  Albans,  Maine 
(died  in  March,  1881),  and  (second)  in  June, 
1883,  Mary  A.  Collins,  of  Providence,  and  has 
two  children,  Margaret  Amy  (born  July  24, 
1888)  and  Philip  Collins  (Sept.  22,  1891); 
and  John  H.,  born  Feb.  6,  1858,  is  mentioned 
below. 

(VII)  Dr.  John  H.  Gifford,  son  of  Aza- 
riah Shove,  was  born  Feb.  6,  1858.  He  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  the  district 
school,  at  his  honiei  in  West  Falmouth,  and  in 
1872  he  went  to  the  Friends'  School  (now  the 
Moses  Brown  school)  in  Providence,  E.  I., 
graduating  therefrom  in  1876.  He  then  went 
to  Haverford  College,  from  which  institution 
he  graduated  in  1879,  after  which  he  taught 
in  South  Pittsburg,  Tenn.,  and  for  one  year 
in  the  Moses  Brown  school  of  Providence.  At 
the  expiration  of  this  period  he  began  in  1884 
the  study  of  medicine  in  the  Harvard  Medical 
School,  entering  the  medical  school  in  the  sec- 
ond year  of  the  course,  having  completed  the 
first  year's  studies  in  a  summer  school.  He 
was  in  the  Lying-in  Hospital  in  Boston  for  a 
few  months,  and  in  September,  1884,  began 
the  practice  of  liis  profession  in  Fall  Eiver, 
where  he  has  since  been  very  successfully  en- 
gaged. In  point  of  years  in  practice  he  is 
almost  the  dean  of  the  active  practitioners  in 
Fall  Eiver,  though  not  as  old  as  some  in  years. 
He  has  a  large  consultation  practice.  Profes- 
sionally he  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association ;  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety, of  which  he  is  a  councilor;  the  Massachu- 
Betts  Medico-Legal  Association,  and  the  Fall 
Eiver   Medical   Society.     Dr.   Gifford  formerly 


made  a  speciality  of  obstetrics,  but  of  late 
years  has  excelled  in  diagnosis.  He  has  a  large 
practice  as  examiner  for  several  life  insurance 
companies.  He  is  a  member,  and  in  1908  and 
1909  was  president,  of  the  staff  of  the  Union 
hospital  of  Fall  Eiver.  He  is  an  associate 
medical  examiner  for  the  south  part  of  Bristol 
county,  now  serving  his  second  term  of  seven 
years.  Dr.  Gifford  is  a  Eepublican  in  politics, 
but  has  never  taken  an  active  part  in  public 
affairs.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Fall  Eiver. 

On  Sept.  14,  1886,  Dr.  Gifford  married 
Phoebe  Elizabeth  Newton,  and  they  have  had 
children:  Edward  Shove  Anthony,  born  Sept. 
2,  1889,  who  died  Nov.  9,  1890;  and  Newton 
Eogers,  born  Dec.  17,  1890. 

COENELL.  For  two  hundred  and  fifty 
and  more  years  have  lived  on  either  side  of  the 
line  separating  the  States  of  Ehode  Island  and 
Massachusetts  in  the  Portsmouth-Fall  Eiver- 
Tiverton  region  the  posterity  of  Thomas  and 
Eebecca  Cornell,  he  of  Hertford,  England,  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  and  Portsmouth;  E.  I.,  and  for  a 
time  also  at  Throgg's  Neck,  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  Mr.  Cornell  is  of  record  at  Boston 
as  early  as  1638,  when  on  the  6th  of  September 
he  was  licensed  an  innkeeper.  He  had  land 
granted  him  in  Portsmouth,  E.  I.,  in  1641, 
and'  in  that  same  year  was  made  a  freeman 
of  the  town.  He  was  constable  in  1641,  and 
ensign  in  1642  and  1664.  For  a  time  in  1643 
he  was  at  Throgg's  Neck,  N.  Y.,  but  again  re- 
turned to  Portsmouth.  In  1646  he  was  granted 
100  acres  of  land  at  the  farther  side  of  the 
Wading  river,  Portsmouth,  and  in  that  same 
year,  1646,  he  had  a  grant  of  a  tract  of  land 
"from  the  Dutch  government  of  New  York,  now 
in  Westchester  county.  He  was  commissioner 
in  1654. 

(I)  Thomas  Cornell  was  born  in  1595  and 
died  in  1655.  His  wife,  who  was  formerly 
Eebecca  Briggs,  was  born  in  1600,  and  died 
in  1673.  From  this  couple  the  lineage  and 
family  history  of  the  special  Fall  Eiver-New 
Bedford-Westport  Cornell  family  it  is  here  the 
purpose  to  notice  —that  of  the  late  Pardon  Cor- 
nell, long  a  leading  business  man  and  farmer, 
and  substantial  citizen  of  New  Bedford,  Mass., 
the  latter's  descent  being  through  Thomas  (2), 
Stephen,  William,  Caleb,  Gideon,  Pardon  and 
Godfrey  Cornell,  which  generations  in  the  or- 
der named  and  in  detail  follow. 

(II)  Thomas  Cornell  (2),  son  of  Thomas, 
married  (second)  Sarah  Earle.  He  is  of  rec- 
ord at  Portsmouth,  E.  T.,  in  1655,  in  March 
of  which  year  lie  is  styled  Thomas  Cornell,  Jr., 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


981 


when  with  others  he  was  appointed  to  prize 
land  and  buildings.  He  was  granted  land  in 
1657.  He  was  several  times  deputy  to  the 
General  Assembly  between  1664  and  1672.  He 
was  with  others  appointed  to  audit  accounts  in 
the  Colonies.  His  death  occurred  May  23, 
1673.  It  appears  by  the  records  that  he  left 
four  sons  by  the  first  wife  and  three  children, 
daughters,  by  the  second,  the  sons  being: 
Thomas,  born  in  1657,  who  married  Susanna 
Lawton;  Stephen,  born  in  1656;  and  John, 
who  married   Hannah    Smith    (?),   of   Hemp- 

(III)  Stephen  Cornell,  son  of  Thomas  (2), 
bom  in  1656,  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  married 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Rebecca  (Han- 
del) Mosher.  Mr.  Cornell  was  admitted  free- 
man in  1688.  His  children  were:  William  is 
mentioned  below;  Stephen  married  Ruth 
Pierce;  Edward  married  Susanna  Wilcox; 
John  married  Sarah  Sherman;  Richard,  bom 
Jan.  28,  1701-02,  married  Content  Brownell; 
Elizabeth  married  Richard  Sisson ;  James  mar- 
ried Abigail  Tripp. 

(IV)  William  Cornell,  son  of  Stephen,  mar- 
ried Mehetabel,  born  July  22,  1684,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Fish.  He  died  in  1755.  Their 
children  were:  Benjamin,  born  Nov.  13,  1711; 
George,  born  Dec.  15,  1713;  Caleb,  born  March 
24,  1716;  Rebecca,  born  March  9,  1718  (mar- 
ried Recompense  Kirby)  ;  Joseph,  born  Dec.  8, 
1720  (married  first  Deborah  Allen)  ;  Daniel, 
born  Sept.  17,  1727  (married  Elizabeth  Allen)  ; 
Alse  or  Alice,  born  March  14,  1726  (married 
Peleg  Gifford) ;  and  Mary,  born  June  8,  1728 
(married  Isaac  Gifford). 

(V)  Caleb  Cornell,  son  of  William,  bora 
March  24,  1716,  married  Dele,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Gifford,  and  lived  in  Dartmouth.  He 
died  in  1756,  and  she  Oct.  12,  1774.  Their 
children  were:  Gideon,  born  Feb.  5,  1746; 
Goved,  born  May  27,  1748  (married  Elizabeth 
Almy) ;  Joseph;  William;  Jerathmel;  and 
Else. 

(VI)  Gideon  Cornell,  son  of  Caleb,  born 
Feb.  5,  1746,  married  Elizabeth  Tucker,  and 
they  were  residents  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.  He 
died  June  21,  1825,  in  Foster.  She  died  Nov. 
12,  1809,  aged  sixty-five  years.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Godfrey,  born  Nov.  5,  1771;  Cory, 
born  Mav  18,  1773;  Pardon,  born  Sept.  17, 
1774;  Jerathmel;  and  Else,  who  married  Adam 
Case. 

(VII)  Pardon  Cornell,  son  of  Gideon,  born 
Sept.  17,  1774,  married  (first)  Anna  Case  (?), 
and  (second)  Lydia,  born  March  8,  1781, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mercy  ( ?)  Wing.  He 
died  Jan.  3,  1859,  and  she  passed  away  April 


9,  1853.  His  children  were :  Phebe,  bora  Sept. 
21,  1800,  who  married  Ellery  Brownell;  God- 
frey, born  Nov.  4,  1802 ;  Joseph  W.,  born  Oct. 
26,  1804;  Mercy  W.,  born  Jan.  29,  1807,  who 
married  Charles  Allen;  Elizabeth,  bora  May 
29,  1812,  who  married  William  R.  Slocum; 
Lydia,  born  Dec.  6,  1813,  who  died  unmarried; 
Gideon,  born  Dec.  6,  1815;  and  Alfred,  bom  in 
1821. 

(VIII)  Godfrey  Cornell,  son  of  Pardon, 
born  Nov.  4,  1802,  married  (first)  Feb.  22, 
1825,  Abigail,  bora  13th  of  12th  month,  1785, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Smith?)  How- 
land,  he  a  descendant  of  Henry  Howland 
through  Zoeth,  Benjamin,  Isaac  and  Benjamin 
Howland.  He  married  (second)  July  2,  1829, 
Thursy  or  Theresa  Howland,  born  March  14, 
1810,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  (Wood) 
Howland,  of  Dartmouth,  he  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  Henry  Howland  through  Zoeth,  Nicholas 
and  Daniel  Howland.  His  children  were : 
Joshua  (deceased),  who  married  Angelina 
Wood,  of  Westport  (to  the  first  marriage) ; 
Daniel  Howland,  bora  Feb.  4,  1830;  Pardon, 
bora  Oct.  25,  1831;  Godfrey;  John  W.,  born 
April  15,  1834,  who  was  a  whaling  captain,  and 
died  in  New  Bedford;  Abigail,  who  married 
William  Macomber  (both  are  deceased) ;  Sarah, 
who  married  Isaac  Macomber ;  Gideon,  residing 
at  Westport;  Edwin,  who  makes  his  home  at 
Adamsville,  R.  I. ;  and  Addie  A.,  who  married 
Charles  E.  Kirby  (deceased),  and  lives  at 
Westport. 

(IX)  Pardon  Cornell  (2),  son  of  Godfrey 
and  Theresa  (Howland)  Cornell,  was  born  Oct. 
25,  1831,  in  that  part  of  Dartmouth  now  West- 
port,  Mass.,  where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm. 
He  received  a  common  school  education.  Going 
to  New  Bedford  when  a  young  man  he  bought 
in  time  what  was  known  as  the  Watson  farm, 
made  extensive  improvements  thereon,  and  for 
nearly  fifty  years  made  it  his  home.  This 
was  located  on  Kemptcm  street.  He  became 
and  long  continued  one  of  the  city's  substan- 
tial men,  acquiring  a  large  fortune.  In  con- 
nection with  the  ice  and  butchering  and  pro- 
vision business,  which  he  engaged  in  exten- 
sively, he  carried  on  farming.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  in  later 
years  sustained  heavy  losses.  He  was  well  and 
favorably  known,  esteemed  and  respected.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He  died  April 
9,  1910,  and  was  buried  in  Westport  cemetery. 

Mr.  Cornell  married  Sarah  M.  Brownell, 
daughter  of  Alanson  Peckham  Brownell,  and 
five  children  were  born  to  them :  One  died  in 
infancy ;  Lafayette  died  young ;  Addie  Brownell 
died  young;  Violetta  married  F.  William  Oest- 


982 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


ing ;  Mary  died  young.  After  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Sarah  M.  Cornell  Mr.  Cornell  married  (sec- 
ond) April  9,  1879,  May  E.  Ellis,  daughter 
of  George  Ellis.  To  this  union  were  born : 
Sarah  H.,  who  married  C.  F.  Wing,  of  New 
Bedford;  Milton  P.;  Walter  T.,  who  married 
Mildred  Perry;  and  Clifford  E.,  who  resides 
at  home. 


Brownell.  The  Brownell  family  was  early 
represented  in  Ehode  Island.  (I)  Thomas 
Brownell  was  born  in  England  in  1619,  and 
settled  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  where  he  died 
in  1665.  His  wife  Ann  died  the  same  year. 
He  held  many  important  offices  in  Portsmouth. 
He  was  the  father  of  eight  children. 

(II)  William  Brownell,  son  of  Thomas,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Smiton.  He  moved  from  Ports- 
mouth to  the  town  of  Little  Compton,  where 
he  held  many  offices.  Later  in  life  he  removed 
to  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and"  was  a  resident  of 
that  town  in  1706.  He  died  in  1715,  the  father 
of  eleven  children. 

(III)  Thomas  Brownell,  eldest  son  of  Wil- 
liam, born  May  25,  1674,  married  Esther  Ta- 
ber.  Their  children  were:  Joseph,  born  Feb. 
13,  1699;  Elizabeth,  May  13,  1700;  Thomas, 
Feb.  13,  1702;  Sarah,  Feb.  20,  1704;  Esther, 
Feb.  10,  1706;  Content,  Feb.  18.  1708;  Re- 
becca, Feb.  28,  1710;  and  Ichabod,  Oct.  17, 
1712. 

(IV)  Ichabod  Bro\\aiell,  son  of  Thomas, 
married  in  Little  Compton  Feb.  21,  1732,  Re- 
becca Devol.  Their  children  were :  Ichabod  ; 
Benjamin  ;  George ;  Prince ;  Judith,  who  mar- 
ried Ephraim  Potter;  Mary,. who  married  John 
Devol;  Sarah,  who  married  Benjamin  Cornell; 
Anne,  who  married  David  Cornell ;  and  Pru- 
dence, who  married  Bayona  Devol. 

(V)  Benjamin  Brownell,  born  June  13,  1734, 
son  of  Ichabod,  married  Phebe  Potter,  born 
Aug.  21,  1733.  She  died  Nov.  27,  1811,  and 
he  died  Dec.  3,  1816.  Their  children  were: 
Martha,  born  Dec.  1,  1753;  Abner,  June  21, 
1756;  Phebe,  Nov.  6,  1758;  Benjamin,  Feb.  2, 
1760;  Sarah,  Aug.  29,  1766;  Mary,  July  18, 
1772;  and  Esther,  Aug.  30,  1775. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Brownell  (2),  son  of  Ben- 
jamin, born  Feb.  2,  1760,  married  March  18, 
1784,  Abigail  Milk,  born  Sept.  28,  1765,  died 
April  14,  1830.  Their  children  were:  Phebe, 
born  Jan.  7,  1785,  who  married  Peleg  Gilford; 
Jireh,  born  June  17,  1786;  and  Prudence,  born 
Feb.  24,  1788,  who  married  Levi  Gifford. 

(VII)  Jireh  Brownell,  son  of  Benjamin  (2), 
born  June  17,  1786,  married  Dec.  13,  1812, 
Sarah  Kirby,  born  March  22,  1790,  daughter  of 


Stephen  and  Sarah  (Lawrence)  Kirby,  of 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,. and  had  children:  Alanson 
Peckham,  born  May  4,  1815;  Sarah,  Jan.  12, 
1817;  Ezra  Plummer,  Aug.   10,  1819. 

(VIII)  Alanson  Peckham  Brownell,  son  of 
Jireh,  married  Mary  Ann  Sherman,  and  thej. 
lived  in  the  town  of  Westport,  Mass.  Their 
daughter,  Sarah  Maria  Brownell,  married  Par- 
don Cornell  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
Mrs.   F.  M'illiam  Oesting,  of  New  Bedford. 

F.  WILLIAM  OESTING  was  born  in  New 
Bedford  in  1857,  son  of  William  and  Ann 
(Dixon)  Oesting,  well-known  citizens  of  New 
Bedford. 

William  Oesting,  the  father,  was  a  native  ot 
Germany,  son  of  George  and  Joanna  Oesting. 
He  settled  in  New  Bedford,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  business  and  where  he  became  highly 
respected.  He  died  Feb.  13,  1897,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-five  years,  ten  months,  and  was  bur- 
ied in  Rural  cemetery.  He  married  Ann  Dixon, 
daughter  of  John  Dixon.  She  died  Feb.  24, 
1902,  aged  seventy-two  years,  and  was  buried 
in  Rural  cemetery. 

F.  William  Oesting  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  New  Bedford  and  became  a  clerk 
in  the  store  of  Charles  Fisher.  Later  he  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself,  conducting  the 
Globe  clothing  store.  He  also  owned  branch 
stores  in  Lowell  and  Fall  River,  Mass.  He  be- 
came interested  in  real  estate,  and  in  time  was 
one  of  the  largest  real  estate  operators  in  New 
Bedford.  He  has  been  successful  in  his  deal- 
ings. His  home  on  County  street,  which  was 
originally  the  Hadley  home,  is  one  of  the  fore- 
most in  the  city.  Politically  he  is  stanch  in 
his  faith  in  Republican  principles.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F. 

Mr.  Oesting  married  Violetta  Cornell, 
daughter  of  the  late  Pardon  Cornell,  and  they 
have  had  children  as  follows :  Florence  May, 
who  married  in  1910  Harold  Winslow,  a  news- 
paper man  of  New  Bedford,  son  of  Rear  Ad- 
miral Dr.  George  F.  Winslow,  of  New  Bedford ; 
Edward  A.,  in  business  with  his  father,  who 
married  Florence  Roberta  Forsythe;  Lillian 
E. ;  Louise  E. ;  Mary  E. ;  Frederick  W.,  Jr. ; 
Mildred  E. ;  Gladys;  and  William  C,  who  died 
young. 

ANDREW  M.  W.  WHITE,  M.  D.,  late  of 
Fall  River,  was  one  of  those  men  whose  per- 
sonality so  pervaded  all  his  relations  in  life  that 
he  is  remembered  as  few  can  hope  to  be  re- 
membered. His  spontaneous  good  nature  and 
impulsive  energy  made  his  presence  a  welcome 
one  wherever  he  was  known.     Taken  away  in 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


983 


his  very  prime,  he  had  followed  the  calling  of 
his  choice  but  a  few  years  at  the  time  of  his 
■decease,  yet  in  that  brief  period  he  had  so 
demonstrated  his  fitness  for  its  pursuit  that 
patients  and  fellow  practitioners  alike  mourned 
his  death  as  a  loss  to  the  profession.  Though 
his  long  experience  in  the  drug  business  in 
Fall  Eiver  before  he  entered  upon  the  practice 
of  medicine  had  undoubtedly  given  him  some 
advantage  of  reputation  and  personal  popu- 
larity, there  are  few  men  who  could  have  suc- 
ceeded, in  so  short  a  time,  in  building  up  the 
large  practice  Dr.  White  enjoyed.  All  his 
life  he  had  been  remarkable  for  ambition  and 
his  happy  disposition  was  never  subdued  by 
the  obstacles  he  had  to  overcome  in  his  path 
to  success. 

Dr.  White  was  born  in  Fall  Eiver,  June  17, 
1843,  son  of  Peter  and  Susan  S.  White,  the 
father  a  native  of  Pomfret,  Conn.,  the  mother 
of  Tiverton,  R.  I.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and  from  his  early 
boyhood  helped  to  support  himself  as  a  news- 
boy. At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  the  drug 
store  of  Charles  A.  Baker,  with  whom  he 
remained  exactly  twenty  years,  during  the  last 
several  years  having  a  partnership  in  the  busi- 
ness. Meantime  he  had  become  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  after  his 
withdrawal  from  the  firm  gave  a  few  months 
entirely  to  study  with  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful physicians  of  Fall  River,  Dr.  Jerome 
Dwelly.  Entering  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College,  New  York  City,  he  found  that  his 
early  training  was  very  valuable,  enabling  him 
to  make  unusually  rapid  progress.  Returning 
to  Fall  River  upon  graduation,  his  success  as 
a  practitioner  was  immediate.  To  quote  from 
an  editorial  which  appeared  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  in  the  Fall  River  Daily  News  of  Jan. 
6,  1885: 

"Seldom  is  it  that  a  physician  builds  up  such 
an  extensive  practice  as  his  in  so  few  years. 
The  many  friends  tliat  had  kno'mi  him  from 
boyhood  sought  him  in  their  sickness,  and  he 
early  learned  that  a  professional  life  had  its 
trials.  No  one  regretted  more  than  he  to  be 
called  in  to  take  the  place  of  other  physicians; 
but  patients  insisted,  and  he  could  but  respect 
their  calls."  This  simple  comment  reveals  the 
disposition  of  the  man  toward  others  in  the 
profession,  but  it  also  shows  the  feeling  his 
friends  entertained  regarding  his  ability.  It 
is  a  fact  that  he  had  exceptional  success  in  the 
treatment  of  patients  from  the  very  first,  and 
this  formed  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  the 
pleasure  he  took  in  his  calling.  To  see  the 
sick  recover,  and  to  receive  their  grai;itude  and 


witness  their  Joy  were  enough  to  offset  aiiy 
hardships  or  trials  his  work  entailed.  His  kind 
heart  and  sympathetic  nature,  no  less  than  his 
skill,  tended  to  inspire  confidence  and  raise  the 
hopes  of  those  to  whom  he  ministered.  His 
strong  constitution  and  buoyant  temperament 
enabled  him  to  keep  pace  with  the  demands 
of  his  practice,  and  his  sudden  death,  after 
an  illness  of  only  a  few  days,  caused  the  utmost 
surprise  among  the  many  who  knew  him  and 
were  aware  of  the  heavy  strain  his  strength 
had  successfully  withstood.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  Dr.  White  was  particularly  missed 
among  the  city's  poor.  Many  of  his  patients 
were  among  the  needy,  and  he  gave  to  them  of 
his  time  and  best  efforts  without  stint  and 
without  hope  of  reward,  for  his  charges  were 
either  governed  by  the  circumstances  or  with- 
held entirely.  It  is  greatly  to  his  credit  that 
the  universal  sorrow  at  his  death  was  so  largely 
shared  by  this  class.  He  realized  soon  after 
entering  the  profession  what  he  had  probably 
expected,  that  there  were  many  opportunities 
in'  the  life  of  a  physician  for  charity  of  the 
mind  as  well  as  of  the  purse,  and  that  much 
of  the  best  aid  a  physician  gives  is  not  strictly 
professional.  Genial  and  whole-souled,  he  was 
a  companion  who  always  cheered,  and  his  sym- 
pathy was  never  dulled  by  the  constant  de- 
mands made  upon  it.  He  was  as  generous  with 
his  friendship  as  he  was  with  his  medical  ser- 
vices, and  his  heartiness  carried  a  note  of  sin- 
cerity that  always  left  a  favorable  impression. 
Though  he  died  in  his  forty-second  year,  Jan. 
5,  1885,  after  but  a  few  years  in  the  profession 
whose  pursuit  was  his  dearest  ambition, 
thousands  of  patients,  rich  and  poor,  held  him 
in  grateful  and  loving  remembrance. 

Dr.  White  was  a  member  of  the  Central 
Congregational  Church,  and  the  fraternity  of 
the  Masons,  holding  membership  in  King 
Philip  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  Commandery,  K.  T.  He  had  a'  rich 
voice  and  was  in  demand  as  a  singer.  To  quote 
from  the  source  already  referred  to:  "Mem- 
ory looks  back  during  the  past  twenty  years 
and  recalls  the  many  times  in  which  his  rich 
voice,  blending  with  other  singers,  brought  com- 
fort to  the  hearts  of  mourners,  and  it  is  not 
mere  imagery  to  say  that  the  'celestial  choirs' 
have   had  their  ranks   increased." 

On  Nov.  6,  1866,  Dr.  White  married  Allie 
Brown,  daughter  of  Capt.  William  Brown,  of 
Fall  River,  a  commander  of  the  Old  Colony 
Line,  who  was  master  of  the  first  vessel  of  that 
line.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs.  White  were  born  three 
daughters,  as  follows:  Adelaide  B.,  who  mar- 
ried Griffitts  M.  Haffards,  of  Fall  River,  now 


984 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


deceased,  and  (second)  Capt.  Charles  H.  Dan- 
forth,  U.  S.  A.;  Susan  Sanford,  who  married 
Albert  R.  Gee  and  has  one  child,  Alden  White ; 
and  Hetty  Baker,  who  married  James  Edward 
Newton  and  has  two  children,  Dorothy  and 
Elisabeth  Anthony. 

DYER.  The  Dyer  family,  one  of  the  old- 
est in  the  Bay  State,  has  given  to  the  world  a 
number  of  useful  citizens — men  of  affairs  in 
commerce,  in  banking  and  in  the  professions. 
From  this  same  family  came  the  well-known 
English  poet,  John  Dyer,  LL.  B.,  who  was 
born  in  1700,  and  died  July  24,  1758,  and 
who  was  the  author  of  many  well-known 
poems,  among  them  "The  Fleece."  And  in 
Abington  and  Whitman  several  well-known 
men  and  women  of  the  name  have  been  irnpor- 
tant  factors  in  the  community's  life.  Refer- 
ence is  here  made  especially  to  the  brothers 
Samuel  Brown  Dyer  and  James  Bicknell  Dyer, 
both  deceased,  who  were  honored  and  respected 
residents  of  that  community.  Beginning  with 
the  first  American  ancestor,  the  history  of  this 
branch  of  the  family  is  given  somewhat  in  de- 
tail, the  generations  being  indicated  by  Ro- 
man numerals. 

The  Dyer  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  this 
section  of  Massachusetts,  and  for  several  gen- 
erations its  members  have  lived  in  and  around 
Abington.  The  founder  of  this  family  in 
America  was  (I)  William  Dyer,  who  with  his 
son  Christopher  is  of  a  recorded  list  of  those 
who  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  at  Sheepscott, 
Maine,  in  1665,  where  they  were  both  early 
settlers,  and  where  they  were  both  massacred 
by  the  Indians  during  King  Philip's  war, 
1676-1678.  William  Dyer  built  his  cabin  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river  which  still  bears  his 
name  and  opposite  what  is  still  knowji  as 
Dyer's  Neck.  The  river  and  neck  are  lasting 
monuments  to  William  Dyer,  the  pioneer,  who 
was  the  first  to  lose  his  life  (according  to 
Cushman)  from  Indian  hatred  in  the  general 
massacre  when  Sheepscott  was  pillaged  and 
sacked  by  the  Indians  in  1676.  His  death 
threw  his  family  and  the  colony  at  Sheepscott 
into  despair,  and  following  his  death  many  of 
the  colonists  were  killed,  the  survivors  fleeing 
in  terror  to  other  settlements,  but  mostly  to 
Boston  and  vicinity.  William  Dyer  had  two 
sons,  namely :  Christopher,  the  elder ;  John, 
bom  about  1648;  and  one  daughter,  Mary, 
who  married  Samuel  Bolles. 

(II)  Christopher  D^yer,  son  of  William, 
married  and  had  William;  John;  and  Grace, 
who  married  John  Ellicett,  or  Ellisett,  of 
Boston.        He    married    (second)    Rutli,    and 


had :  Mary,  who  married  Samuel  Talbot,  of 
Taunton;  and  Ruth,  who  married  Benjamin 
Paul,  of  Taunton. 

(III)  William  Dyer,  son  of  Christopher,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  that  part  of 
Bridgewater  which  later  became  Abington  and 
now  Whitman,  in  1669.  His  first  wife  was 
Joanna  Chard  or  Joanna  Bicknell.  A  short  dis- 
tance west  of  the  railroad  station  at  Whitman 
he  built  his  log  cabin,  near  a  fine  spring  of 
water,  and  here  Christopher,  his  son,  was 
born,  in  1701,  the  first  child  born  in  what  be- 
came the  town  of  Abington.  He  married 
(second),  April  17,  1713,  Mary  Whitman, 
and  removed  to  Weymouth.  He  died  prior  to- 
Aug.  15,  1750,  when  his  will  was  probated. 

(IV)  Christopher  Dyer,  son  of  William,, 
born  in  1701,  in  Abington,  the  first  white  child 
born  in  the  town,  died  in  the  same  town,  Aug. 
11,  1786.  He  married  Hannah  Nash,  daugh- 
ter of  Ensign  James  Nash,  of  Abington,  and 
their  children  were:  Mary,  Hannah,  Christo- 
pher,   Sarah,  Jacob,   Betsey   and  James. 

(V)  James  Dyer,  son  of  Christopher,  made 
his  home  in  Abington.  He  married  Patty 
Harding. 

(VI)  James  Dyer  (2),  son  of  James,  was 
born  in  Abington,  and  here  grew  to  manhood. 
During  the  war  of  1812  he  was  captain  of  a 
militia  company,  and  was  stationed  at  the 
"Garnet"  in  Plymouth.  For  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  his  home 
town,  Abington,  in  partnership  with  Samuel 
Brown.  They  conducted  a  variety  store,  and 
Mr.  Dyer  was  also  postmaster.  For  some 
years  he  was  engaged  in  a  sawmill  business. 
His  death  occurred  in  Abington  Sept.  14, 
1863.  In  1807-08  he  married  Anna  Bick- 
nell, daughter  of  Jacob  Bicknell,  and  their 
children  were:  Samuel  Brown,  born  Sept.  9, 
1809;  James  Bicknell,  Sept.  25,  1814;  Nancy 
Ann,  in  1816  (married  George  Penniman, 
and  died  July  2,  1848)  ;  and  Maria  Elizabeth, 
born  Aug.  30,  1827  (married  Farrington  Hol- 
brook,  of  East  Randolph,  now  Holbrook, 
Mass.).  Mrs.  Dyer  died  April  3,  1853,  and 
both  she  and  her  husband  are  buried  in  Mount 
Vernon  cemetery,  Abington. 

(VII)  Samuel  Brown  Dyer,  son  of  James 
(2),  was  born  in  Abington  Sept.  9,  1809.  He 
attended  the  local  schools,  and  while  his  op- 
portunities for  an  education  were  limited  he 
studied  at  home,  and  in  time  became  a  well- 
educated  man.  At  an  early  age  he  went  to 
North  Bridgewater,  now  Brockton,  and  there 
clerked  in  a  variety  store  kept  by  David  Cobb. 
After  two  years'  faithful  service  there,  on  the 
strength  of  his  employer's  recommendation,  he 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


985 


obtained  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  Tremont 
Bank  at  Boston.  In  that  institution  he  rose 
to  the  position  of  teller.  The  death  of  his 
young  wife  just  two  months  after  their  mar- 
riage changed  the  whole  course  of  his  life.  He 
resigned  his  position,  and  sailed  on  the  "Great 
Western"  on  its  first  return  voyage,  for 
Europe.  In  London  he  engaged  in  the  com- 
mission business,  and  while  there  witnessed  the 
coronation  of  the  late  Queen  Victoria  in  1838. 
After  a  somewhat  successful  career  in  London 
he  went  to  Paris,  and  there  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  John  M.  Monroe,  under  the  firm 
name  of  John  M.  Monroe  &  Co.,  bankers,  and 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  they  prospered 
greatly.  Having  acquired  a  competency  Mr. 
Dyer  returned  to  Abington,  and  here  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  retirement.  He 
fitted  up  a  fine  home,  and  here,  in  the  company 
of  his  brother  and  the  latter's  children,  who 
tenderly  cared  for  him,  he  passed  his  last 
years  and  died  Feb.  13,  1894,  in  his  eighty- 
fifth  year. 

Mr.  Dyer  had  gathered  in  his  home  a  num- 
ber of  rare  paintings  and  art  treasures  from 
the  Old  World.  He  was  a  man  of  artistic 
tastes  and  temperament,  and  delighted  in  the 
beautiful  in  nature  and  in  art.  He  was  pub- 
lic spirited,  and  did  a  great  deal  for  his  town. 

On  July  10,  1833,  Mr.  Dyer  married  Abi- 
gail H.  Jones,  born  April  24,  1814,  in  Port- 
land, Maine,  who  died  in  Boston  Sept.  13, 
1833.     Mr.  Dyer  never  remarried. 

(YII)  James  Bicknell  Dter,  son  of  James 
and  brother  of  Samuel  Brown,  was  born  Sept. 
25,  1814.  After  attending  the  local  schools  he 
learned  the  shoe  cutter's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed all  his  life.  He  made  his  home  on 
Washington  street,  where  he  died  Sept.  14, 
1876.  His  remains  were  interred  in  Mount 
Vernon  cemetery.  He  was  liberal  in  his  be- 
lief in  politics  and  in  religion,  and  was  a  gen- 
ial, kindly  man,  quick  with  sympathy  and 
help.  In  1834  he  married  Lucy  White  Her- 
sey,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  (White) 
Hersey,  and  she  died  Jan.  31,  1863,  and  was 
buried  in  Mount  Vernon  cemetery.  Their 
children  were:  (1)  Abby  Jones,  born  April 
11,  1835,  married  Francis  Bourne,  of  Mans- 
field, Mass.,  and  now  makes  her  home  with  her 
sister.  Miss  Marietta  White  Dyer,  at  the  home- 
stead. (2)  Lucy  Ann,  born  June  3,  1837, 
married  William  H.  Reed,  of  Whitman.  (3) 
Henry  Bicknell,  born  Feb.  3,  1840,  died  in 
Abington  Nov.  5,  1895.  He  married  Mary 
L.  Sewell,  of  Sumner,  Maine.  (4)  Susan 
Brown,  horn  Jan.  13.  1842,  married  William 
W.    Whitmarsh,    of    Abington,    and   she    died 


May  28,  1863.  (5)  Samuel  Brown,  bom  Nov. 
5,  1843,  never  married,  and  died  Nov.  20, 
1907,  in  Abington.  (6)  Mehitable  Packard, 
born  Oct.  5,  1840,  died  July  2,  1905,  unmar- 
ried. (7)  Amelia  Frances,  born  Sept.  28, 
1848,  married  David  A.  Gurney,  of  Whitman. 
(8)  Charles  A.,  born  March  10,  1850,  died 
Oct.  14,  1854.  (9)  Marietta  White,  born 
Feb.  6,  1853,  resides  at  home.  (10)  George 
A.,  born  Oct.  19,  1854,  died  Aug.  »,  1857. 

(VIII)  Marietta  White  Dyer,  daughter 
of  James  Bicknell,  was  born  in  Abington,  and 
educated  in,  the  public  schools  and  at  a  private 
school  in  Brookline,  Mass.,  where  she  also  re- 
ceived her  musical  education.  She  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Woman's  Club,  Abington. 
Miss  Dyer  resides  in  the  old  homestead. 


Hersey.  The  Hersey  family,  to  which 
Mrs.  Lucy  Whit*  (Hersey)  Dyer  belonged,  is 
an  early  settled  family  of  this  Commonwealth. 

(I)  William  Hersey  located  in  the  west  part 
of  the  town  of  Hingham  July  3,  1636,  and 
there  became  a  land  holder.  He  died  March 
22,  1658.  His  wife  Elizabeth  died  in  1671. 
Their  children  were:  William,  Elizabeth, 
James,  Francis,  Judith  and  John. 

(II)  William  Hersey,  eldest  son  of  William, 
located  with  his  father  in  the  town  of  Hing- 
ham. He  married  Rebecca  Chubbuck,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Chubbuck,  of  Hingham,  and  she 
died  Nov.  21,  1691.  His  death  occurred 
June  1,  1686.  Their  children  were:  William, 
John,  James,  Joshua,  Rebecca,  Deborah,  Ruth, 
Hannah,  Elizabeth,  Mary  and  Judith. 

(III)  William  Hersey,  son  of  William  and 
grandson  of  William  the  settler,  was  married 
June  12,  1683,  to  Mary,  who  bore  him  four 
children:  Deborah,  David,  Isaac  and  William. 
After  the  death  of  this  wife  he  married  (sec- 
ond) Sarah  May,  widow  of  Jonathan  May, 
and  nine  children  blessed  this  marriage,  as 
follows:  Stephen,  Joseph,  Elisha,  John,  Han- 
nah, Sarah,  Marian  (or  Miriam),  Mary  and 
Edith.  In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  William  Hersey  and  his  family  moved 
to  the  town  of  Abington,  locating  in  the  south- 
ern part,  a  part  now  the  town  of  Whitman. 
He  became  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land 
and  there  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days. 

(IV)  Joseph  Hersey,  son  of  William,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Hingham  Nov.  9,  1697, 
and  was  hut  about  three  years  of  age  when 
he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  the  town  of  Ab- 
ington, where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  like 
his  father  became  an  agriculturist.  In  1721 
he  married  Abigail  Nash,  and  their  children 
were:  Joseph,  Abigail,  James  and  Jonathan. 


986 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(V)  Joseph  Hersey,  eldest  son  of  Joseph 
and  Abigail,  was  born  in  South  Abington 
March  5,  1722,  and  there  grew  to  manhood, 
following!  farming  as  an  occupation.  On 
Dec.  4,  1754,  he  married  Mary  Reed,  daughter 
of  Obediah  and  Mary  (Nash)  Reed,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  family: 
Obediah,  Sarah,  Joseph,  Mary,  Silence,  Daniel 
(died  in  infancy),  Daniel  (2),  Hannah, 
Thomas  and  Mehitable. 

(VI)  Joseph  Hersey  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  was 
born  in  South  Abington,  where  he  spent  all  his 
life.  He  married  Pamelia  Record,  of  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.,  and  they  had  two  children: 
Sally,  who  married  Jacob  Harding;  and 
Joseph. 

(VII)  Joseph  Hersey  (3),  son  of  Joseph 
Hersey  (2),  was  born  in  South  Abington, 
Mass.,  and  learned  the  trade  of  mason,  which 
he  followed  all  his  life.  He  married  Sarah 
White,  daughter  of  Thomas  White,  and  their 
children  wiere:  Pamelia,  who  married  Asa 
Cook;  Roxanna,  who  married  Jacob  Hersey; 
Joseph,  who  was  an  iron  worker  and  settled  in 
Wheeling,  W.  Va. ;  Davis,  who  died  young ; 
and  Lucy  White,  who  married  James  Bicknell 
Dyer.  Joseph  Hersey  (3)  married  (second) 
Deborah  Cook,  daughter  of  Levi  Cook,  and 
their  children  were :  Sarah,  who  married 
George  Peck,  and  resided  in  Taunton;  Wil- 
liam, who  died  young;  and  Susan,  who  resided 
in  Taunton.  Joseph  Hersey  and  his  two  wives 
are  buried  in  Zion  cemetery,  Whitman. 

COOK  (Whitman  family).  For  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  father  and  son,  the  late 
Randall  Cook  and  the  present  Randall  Web- 
ster Cook,  have  carried  on  together  and  in 
turn,  at  what  is  now  Whitman,  one  of  the 
leading  business  interests  in  its  line  in  the 
town — at  this  time  the  general  store  and  grain 
and  coal  establishment  of  Randall  W.  Cook — 
and  established  in  the  community  an  honora- 
ble standing;  and  this  name  and  family  here 
in  Whitman,  and  as  well  in  other  parts  of 
Plymouth  county,  are  representative  of  the 
oldest  families  of  the  Old  Colony,  being  direct 
descendants  of  a  number  of  the  "Mayflower" 
Pilgrims — among  them  Francis  Cooke,  Stephen 
Hbpkins,  George  Soule  and  Gov.  William 
Bradford,  all  signers  of  the  "Mayflower"  com- 
pact— and  as  well  of  later  arrivals. 

There  follows  in  chronological  order  from 
Francis  Cooke  the  Cook  lineage  and  some  fam- 
ily history,  somewhat  in  detail,  of  the  present 
head  of  the  Whitman  Cooks,  Randall  Webster 
Cook. 

(I)  Francis  Cooke,  an  Englishman,  was  with 


the  Pilgrims  at  Leyden  and  married  in  Hol- 
land, his  wife,  Hester,  being  a  Walloon,  a 
member  of  the  church.  He  and  his  son  John 
came  in  the  "Mayflower,"  1620,  and  he  was 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  compact.  His  wife 
Hester  and  children  Jacob,  Jane  and  Hester 
came  in  the  "Ann"  in  July,  1623,  and  in  the 
division  of  land  made  the  following  spring  Mr. 
Cooke  received  two  acres  on  the  south  side  of 
the  brook,  toward  the  bay,  and  four  acres  to- 
ward Strawberry  Hill.  He  settled  at  Ply- 
mouth. His  name  is  found  on  the  list  of  free- 
men dated  1633,  with  which  the  first  order  of 
court  orders  begins.  His  name  is  of  frequent 
record  in  connection  with  the  afliairs  of  the 
early  and  later  settlement.  He  was  probably 
a  husbandman  after  he  came  to  Plymouth,  as 
there  is  no  evidence  that  he  had  a  trade  and 
both  his  sons  became  farmers.  His  frequent 
service  on  the  grand  inquest  and  trial  juries, 
and  as  a  surveyor  of  highways,  makes  it  clear 
that  he  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and 
had  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  com- 
munity. He  died  April  7,  1663.  The  chil- 
dren of  Francis  Cooke  and  his  wife  Hester 
were:  John,  born  in  Holland,  who  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Richard  Warren,  of  the 
"Mayflower";  Jane,  born  in  Holland,  who  mar- 
ried Experience  Mitchell;  Jacob,  born  in  Hol- 
land about  1618;  Hester,  who  married  Rich- 
ard Wright;  and  Mary,  born  at  Plymouth, 
Mass.,  who  married  John  Thomson. 

(II)  Jacob  Cooke,  son  of  Francis,  bom 
about  1618  in  Holland,  married  (first)  after 
June,  1646,  Deborah,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Hopkins,  who  came  in  the  "Mayflower,"  1620, 
and  was  one  of  the  signers  pf  the  compact. 
He  married  (second)  in  November,  1669, 
Elizabeth  (Lettice)  Shurtleff.  His  children 
were:  Elizabeth,  born  Jan.  18,  1648;  Caleb, 
bom  March  29,  1651 ;  Jacob,  born  March  26, 
1653;  Mary,  born  Jan.  12,  1658;  Martha, 
bom  March  10,  1660;  Francis,  born  Jan.  5, 
1663;  and  Ruth,  born  Jan.  17,  1666.  The 
father,  as  stated,  was  a  farmer.  He  died  in 
1676,  and  his  widow  remarried. 

(III)  Francis  Cooke  (2),  son  of  Jacob, 
born  Jan.  5,  1663,  married  Elizabeth  Latham, 
and  in  his  will,  proved  in  1732,  he  mentions 
his  son  Caleb,  the  children  of  Robert,  his  de- 
ceased son,  his  daughter  Elizabeth,  and  the 
children  of  his  deceased  son  Francis. 

(IV)  Robert  Cooke,  son  of  Francis  (2), 
married  Abigail,  and  their  children  were: 
Charles,  born  in  1717;  Nathaniel,  born  in 
1719;  Robert,  born  in  1721;  and  Sarah,  bom 
in)  1724.  In  the  father's  will,  which  was 
proved  in   1731,  he  names  his  sons  Charles, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


987 


Nathaniel,  Eobert,   Francis  and  Simeon,  and 
appoints  his  brother,  Caleb  Cook,  executor. 

(V)  Nathaniel  Cooke,  son  of  Robert,  bom  in 
1719,  married  and  had  children:  Isaac,  Levi 
and  Mary.     The  father  died  in  1760. 

(VI)  Levi  Cook,  son  of  Nathaniel,  born  in 
Kingston,  removed  to  the  town  of  Abington, 
Mass.,  not  long  before  the  Revolution,  as  early 
as  1772  or  1773.  He  was  a  blacksmith  by 
trade.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Joshua 
Poole,  and  had  a  large  family  of  children : 
John,  Susanna,  Levi,  Nathaniel,  Mary,  Peleg, 
Deborah,  Asa,  Isaac.  Robert,  Randall  and 
Thomas  Jefferson.  The  father  performed  ser- 
vice in  the  Revolution,  as  a  private  of  Lieut. 
Benjamin  Bates's  company;  marched  with  that 
company  from  Abington  to  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  on 
the  alarm  there  of  July  30,  1780,  and  was  dis- 
charged from  the  service  Aug.  9,  1780.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  Captain  Soper's  company, . 
which  served  in  the  defense  of  the  seacoast 
from  July  to  September,  1785,  under  the  di- 
rection of  field  officers  of  the  First  Plymouth 
County  Regiment. 

(VII)  Randall  Cook,  son  of  Levi  and 
Sarah  (Poole)  Cook,  was  born  Nov.  7,  1800,  in 
Abington,  Mass.  He  settled  on  the  old  Gur- 
ney  farm  in  what  was  then  South  Abington, 
now  Whitman,  where  he  followed  farming  for 
some  time.  In  the  year  1837  he  laid  the 
foundation  of  and  in  time  established  the  ex- 
tensive business  which  he  himself  was  long 
engaged  in  and  which  since  his  death  has  been 
so  successfully  managed  and  carried  on  by  his 
son,  who  has  developed  it  to  still  greater  pro- 
portions. Reference  is  made  to  the  grain,  coal 
and  general  merchandise  business  of  Randall 
W.  Cook,  the  general  store  being  added  to  the 
business  in  1849,  in  which  year  he,  in  company 
■with  Henry  Hobart,  Jr.,  pwrchased  the  same 
of  Benjamin  Hobart.  In  the  latter  named 
year  the  business  was  removed  to  its  present  lo- 
cation. This  partnership  lasted  for  a  few 
years,  after  which  Mr.  Cook  continued  the  busi- 
ness alone  until  in  1864,  when  his  son  became 
a  partner.  The  father  was  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial men  of  the  community.  He  died  June 
7,  1871,  esteemed  and  respected,  and  was  bur- 
ied in  Mount  Zion  cemetery.  He  was  first  a 
Whig  in  politics,  later  a  Democrat,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 

On  Sept.  13,  1827,  Mr.  Cook  married  Sarah 
Tower  Bates,  born  at  Plainfield,  Mass.,  Nov. 
25,  1810,  daughter  of  Rufus  Pratt  and  Nabby 
(Bisbee)  Bates.  To  this  union  were  born 
children  as  follows :  Sarah  Jane,  born  Jan.  23, 
1830,  married  John  G.  Taylor,  who  was  killed 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  she  died  at  Abington 


Nov.  13,  1903;  Ellen  Maria,  born  Jan.  23, 
1832,  died  Jan.  9,  1851;  Fidelia  Hayward, 
born  Nov.  19,  1833,  married  John  Addison 
Allen,  of  East  Bridgewater;  Harriet  Bisbee, 
born  March  19,  1836,  is  unmarried,  and  resides 
on  the  old  homestead ;  Randall  Webster  was 
born  Aug.  29,  1841;  Edward  Clifford,  born 
Dec.  20,  1852,  is  unmarried,  and  resides  on 
the  old  homestead ;  Carrie  Isabelle,  bom  Aug. 
18,  1857,  married  Leonard  K.  Wood,  of  Whit- 
man. Mrs.  Cook,  the  mother,  died  Feb.  16, 
1893,  aged  eighty-two  years,  two  months, 
twenty-two  days,  and  was  buried  in  Mouat 
Zion  cemetery. 

(VIII)  Randall  Webster  Cook,  son  of 
Randall  and  Sarah  T.  (Bates)  Cook,  was  born 
Aug.  29,  1841,  in  what  was  then  South  Abing- 
ton, but  now  Whitman.  His  father  a  mer- 
chant, it  was  but  natural  for  the  son  to  form 
tastes  in  that  line  of  effort,  and  after  acquiring 
training  in  the  common  schools  of  the  town,  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  years,  in  1856,  he  entered 
the  store  of  his  father,  and  there  under  the 
direction  of  the  latter  began  what  has  since 
proved  a  long  and  successful  business  career. 
Possessing  from  the  start  a  natural  aptitude 
for  business,  with  energy  and  industry  and 
with  that  business 'foresight  and  tact  so  essen- 
tial to  one's  success  in  business,  as  the  years 
came  and  went  he  materially  aided  his  father, 
was  admitted  to  partnership  in  1864,  and  later, 
when  in  turn  the  establishment  fell  to  him,  in 
1871,  developed  an  extensive  business  and  es- 
tablished for  himself  a  high  reputation  in  and 
about  Whitman,  where  he  has  long  been  known 
as  one  of  the  .leading  business  men.  Though 
coal  was  but  little  used  for  fuel  at  the  time, 
it  was  first  handled  by  the  firm  in  1849.  Be- 
cause the  business  was  established  so  many 
years  ago  is  no  sign  that  it  is  old-fashioned  in 
appearance  and  methods.  Mr.  Cook  is  a  man 
wlio  believes  in  progress,  and  he  has  kept  up 
with  the  times,  as  his  place  of  business,  run 
on  strictly  modern  methods,  and  largely 
stocked,  gives  evidence.  He  has  seen  the  town 
develop  from  a  little  village  to  its  present  pro- 
portions, and  in  this  upbuilding  he  has  taken  a 
good  part.  He  is  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Whitman,  of  which  he 
is  also  president,  and  a  trustee  of  the  Whitman 
Savings  Bank,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of 
investment  of  the  same.  For  several  years  he 
was  vice  president  of  the  latter,  resigning  this 
office  in  September,  1909,  to  accept  the  presi- 
dency of  the  National  Bank.  For  a  period 
covering  twenty-seven  years  he  has  served  as 
chairman  of  the  board  of  registrars  of  voters. 

Mr.  Cook  is  prominent  in  Masonry,  in  which 


988 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


he  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree.  He 
is  a  member  of  Puritan  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Whitman;  Pilgrim  Chapter,  E.  A.  M., 
Abington  Council,  R.  &  S.  M.,  and  Old  Colony 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Abington; 
and  all  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies  including  the 
Consistory  (tlfirty-second  degree)  at  Boston,  he 
is  also  a  member  of  Aleppo  Temple,  Order  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Boston.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Massachusetts  Society,  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution.  He  was  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  First  Unitarian  Church  at 
Whitman  from  its  organization  in  1884  until 
1911,  and  contributes  to  its  support.  Mrs. 
Cook  is  an  active  member  of  that  church. 

On  Oct.  14,  1870,  Mr.  Cook  was  married  to 
Marcia  Soule,  of  Kingston,  Mass.,  and  to  them 
were  born  children:  Sarah  Wadsworth,  Lucy 
Ethel  (who  died  Oct.  13,  1903),  Randolph 
Bradford  and  Francis  Gray.  They  have  been 
liberally  educated,  Sarah  Wadsworth  attend- 
ing the  Waltham  New  Church  School,  Lucy 
E.  graduating  from  Smith  College,  Randolph 
Bradford  taking  a  post-graduate  course  at 
Dartmouth,  and  Francis  Gray  graduating  from 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology. 
Mrs.  Cook  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Zilpha 
W.  (Cook)  Soule,  and  a  direct  descendant  of 
George  Soule,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  and  also  of 
Gov.  William  Bradford  and  Francis  Cooke, 
both  passengers  of  that  same  vessel. 


Bates.  In  the  maternal  line  Mr.  Cook  be- 
longs to  the  Bates  family.  His  line  beginning 
with  the  emigrant  ancestor  is  given  below  in 
chro'nological  order. 

(I)  Edward  Bates,  a  native  of  England, 
born  about  1605,  from  Boston  or  vicinity,  in 
Lincolnshire,  probably  came  over  with  Thomas 
Leverett,  as  an  apprentice.  Leverett  was  a 
merchant  of  Boston  who  came  to  New  England 
in  the  "Griffin"  with  Revs.  John  Cotton,  Thom- 
as Hooker,  Stone,  and  others  who  landed  at 
Boston.  Edward  Bates  appears  first  of  record 
here  in  1633,  at  the  time  of  his  joining  the 
church  in  Boston  in  November  of  that  year. 
He  became  a  freeman  March  13,  1638-39,  and 
was  one  of  the  deputies  to  the  General  Court 
sitting  at  Boston  in  May,  1639.  of  which  body 
he  was  continued  a  member  for  three  years. 
He  probably  represented  Weymouth  at  that 
time.  He  was  elected  deputy  from  Weymouth 
in  December,  1660.  He  served  in  other  im- 
portant relations,  among  them  those  of  town- 
officer,  elder  in  th«  church  for  upward  of  thirty 
years,  etc.  The  time  of  his  removal  to  Wey- 
mouth is  given  as  about  1638.  He  was  prob- 
ably married   while  living  at   Boston,  but  no 


record  seems  to  have  been  found.  At  his 
death  he  mentions  his  beloved  wife  Susanna. 
His  children  were:  Prudence;  Susanna,  who 
married  Nathaniel  Blanchard,  of  Charlestown; 
Increase,  born  Dec.  28,  1641 ;  John,  baptized 
in  Boston,  Jan.  23,  1642;  Mary,  who  married 
John  Rogers;  Anna,  who  married  James  Stew- 
art or  Steward ;  and  Edward,  born  Dec.  10, 
1655. 

(II)  Increase  Bates,  son  of  Edward,  bom 
Dec.  28,  1641,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John 
Whitmarsh,  and  they  resided  on  ji  part  of  the 
old  Bates  homestead  in  Weymouth.  He  died 
Feb.  20,  1717,  aged  seventy-six.  His  wife  died 
Dec.  21,  1715.  Their  children  were:  Edward, 
born  Jan.  21,  1681 ;  Ebenezer,  born  March  1, 
1686,  who  married  Catherine  Arnold,  of  Rhode 
Island;  Anna,  born  Aug.  23,  1695;  Ruth,  born 
July  9,  1700;  John;  Mary;  Judith,  and  Sarah. 

(III)  John  Bates,  son  of  Increase,  married 
Remember,  and  their  children  were:  John, 
born  March  9,  1707,  who  married  Deliverance 
Proctor;  David,  born  Aug.  16,  1708;  Mary, 
born  Feb.  17,  1711,  who  married  William 
Thomas;  Mercy,  born  June  11,  1713,  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Porter;  and  Jonathan,  born  Nov. 
2,  1718,  who  married  Deborah  Bates.  The 
father  died  Sept.  17,  1746. 

(IV)  David  Bates,  son  of  John,  born  Aug. 
16,  1708,  married  March  4,  1736,  Hannah  Lin- 
coln.    Mr.   Bates  probably  removed  to  Hing- 
ham,  Mass.,  where  he  died,  for  his  will,  made 
May   5,    1772.  probated   Aug.    7,   1772,  called 
him  of  Hingham.     His  children  were:  Noah, 
bom   Dec.    11,   1736;   David,  May  29,   1738 
Abner,  Aug.  10,  1740;  James,  July  27,  1742 
Susanna,  Dec.  1.  1745;  John,  Nov.  12,  1748 
and  Daniel,  baptized  Oct.  7,  1750. 

(V)  Abner  Bates,  son  of  David,  born  at 
Weymouth,  Aug.  10,  1740,  married  Sept.  13, 
1770,  Sarah  Tower.  Their  children  were: 
John,  born  Sept.  2.  1773;  Abner,  born  Jan.  7, 
1777;  Kannah,  baptized  Jan.  15,  1779;  Vir- 
tue; Rufus  Pratt,  born  July  22,  1782;  and 
Deborah,  baptized  Nov.  5,  1789. 

(VI)  Rufus  Pratt  Bates,  son  of  Abner,  born 
in  Windsor,  Mass.,  July  22,  1782,  became  a 
farmer  and  veterinary  surgeon.  He  also  set- 
tled a  number  of  estates.  He  made  his  home 
first  in  Plainfield,  Mass.,  and  later  was  for  sev- 
eral years  at  East  Bridgewater.  After  the 
death  of  his  wife  he  went  to  Indiana,  where  he 
lived  at  Boonville,  with  his  son's  family.  There 
his  death  occurred  Sept.  19,  1860.  He  was  a 
quiet,  industrious  man,  unassuming  in  man- 
ner, with  an  enviable  reputation  for  honesty 
and  integrity.  In  Cummington,  Mass.,  he 
married  Nabby  Bisbee,  bom  Aug.  6,  1788,  who 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


989 


died  in  East  Bridgewater,  Dec.  13,  1857.  The 
children  born  of  this  union  were :  Maria,  born 
in  May,  1806,  married  Sept.  13,  1829,  Galen 
Allen,  of  East  Bridgewater,  where  she  died ; 
James  Madison  married  Waity  Luther,  and 
died  in  Seekonk,  Mass.;  John,  twin  to  James 
Madison,  died  in  infancy;  Sarah  Tower,  bom 
Nov.  25,  1810,  married  Randall  Cook;  Norman 
died  at  Springfield,  111.,  aged  twenty-eight 
years;  Bela  Norton,  born  in  April,  1813,  died 
at  Boonville,  Ind. ;  Barton  Bisbee,  born  June 
3,  1815,  a  shoemaker  in  East  Bridgewater, 
married  Matilda  Gammons,  and  died  March 
13,  1861 ;  Abigail,  born  in  January,  1818,  mar- 
ried Oct.  19,  1841,  Franklin  Cook,  of  Plain- 
field,  Mass. ;  Laura  Ann,  born  in  October,  1822, 
married  Edward  Lincoln,  of  East  Bridgewater ; 
Harriet  Beals,  bom  Jan.  17,  1825,  married 
(first)  Joseph  Cleverly,  of  Abington,  and  (sec- 
ond) Francis  M.  Shaw,  of  Brockton,  where  she 
now  resides,  a  widow ;  and  Eliza  Sophia,  born 
in  July,  1829,  married  Thomas  Rogers,  of  East 
Bridgewater,  and  died  in  Wisconsin. 

ERNEST  LINCOLN  COOK.  The  Cook 
family  now  at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  that  at  the 
head  of  which  is  the  present  Ernest  Lincoln 
Cook,  who  for  over  twenty  years  has  been  a 
substantial  citizen  of  the  town,  as  well  as  one 
■of  its  leading  business  men,  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  brick,  descends  from  the  an- 
cient Weymouth-Mendon  family,  the  immi- 
grant ancestor  of  which  was  Walter  Cook,  who 
made  his  appearance  at  Weymouth  as  early  as 
1643,  and  from  whom  has  descended  a  numer- 
ous and  distinguished  family,  many  of  whose 
members  have  taken  Tin  active  and  prominent 
part  in  the  history  of  the  New  England  States. 
Later  generations  in  the  line  of  the  present 
Bridgewater  citizen  referred  to  above  are  re- 
siding in  what  is  now  Cumberland,  R.  I., 
Wrentham,  Mass.,  Bellingham,  Mass.,  and  Mil- 
ford,  Mass.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Wey- 
mouth, Mass.,  was  the  second  settlement  in 
New  England  made  by  white  men,  in  1622, 
by  those  who  came  in  the  ships  "Charity"  and 
"Swan,"  whom  Thomas  Weston  sent  to  plant 
a  colony  for  him.  The  town  was  not,  however, 
permanently  settled  until  1624  by  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Morrill,  Capt.  Robert  George  and  others, 
and  it  was  here  that  Walter  Cook  became  an 
early  settler  in  the  year  1643.  The  ancestral 
line  of  this  branch  of  the  Cook  family  is  here 
given,  the  generations  being  recorded  in  chron- 
ological order. 

(I)  Walter  Cook,  of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  as 
early  as  1643,  of  which  town  he  became  a  free- 
man in  1657,  removed  to  Mendon,  Mass.,  in 


which  town  he  accepted  land,  upon  which  he 
settled  before  September,  1663.  Two  other 
Cooks,  Gregory  and  Stephen,  supposed  to  have 
been  brothers  of  Walter,  accompanied  him  to 
Mendon,  but  they,  however,  soon  removed  to 
the  neighborhood  of  Cambridge.  Walter  Cook 
had  at  Mendon  an  original  forty-acre  lot,  with 
all  its  rights  to  future  divisions  of  common, 
in  virtue  of  which  he  and  Ms  sons  became 
large  landholders  in  various  parts  of  the  town, 
especially  in  the  easterly  part,  lying  adjacent 
to  Bellingham,  Wrentham  and  the  Rhode  Is- 
land line,  which  latter,  by  the  way,  was  then 
farther  south  than  now  and  the  town  of  Men- 
don claimed  what  is  now  the  northern  border 
of  Cumberland,  Woonsocket,  North  Smithfield, 
etc.,  in  Rhode  Island.  The  Christian  name  of 
his  first  wife  was  Experience,  and  of  his  second 
Catherine,  one  account  stating  the  latter  was 
formerly  the  widpw  of  George  Aldrich.  His 
children  bom  to  the  first  marriage  were :  Eben- 
ezer,  Walter  and  Peter;  and  those  to  the  sec- 
ond wife  were :  John,  Hannah,  Peter,  Ebenezer, 
Walter,  Samuel,  Nicholas  and  Experience. 
Walter  Cook,  the  father,  died  Jan.  5,  1696,  at 
an  advanced  age,  his  wife,  Catherine,  surviv- 
ing him  only  two  days.  From  Walter  Cook, 
of  Weymouth  and  Mendon,  the  lineage  of  Er- 
nest Lincoln  Cook,  of  Bridgewater,  is  through 
Deacon  Nicholas,  Elder  Josiah,  Deacon  Abner, 
Horace,  Deacon  Amory  Bates  and  Levi  A. 
Cook. 

(II)  Deacon  Nicholas  Cook,  son  of  Walter, 
born  Feb.  9,  1660,  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried (first)  Nov.  14,  1684,  Johanna  Rockwood, 
born  Aug.  14,  1667,  in  Mendon,  daughter  of 
John  Rockwood.  She  died  in  about  1710,  and 
he  married  (second)  Dec.  18,  1712,  Mehitable 
(Hayward)  Staples,  widow  of  Abraham  Sta- 
ples, and  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mehitable 
(Thompson)  Hayward.  Mr.  Cook  extended 
his  possessions  into  Bellingham,  even  perhaps 
to  the  edge  of  Cumberland,  R.  I.,  and  from 
him  have  descended  most  of  the  Milford  Cooks 
and  also  those  of  Mendon,  Blackstone,  Belling- 
ham, Wrentham,  Mass.,  and  Cumberland  and 
Woonsocket,  R.  I.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the 
Baptist  Church  in  Bellingham,  one  of  the  old- 
est churches  in  New  England.  He  died  in  Bel- 
lingham Dec.  7,  1730.  His  children  were 
Josiah,  born  in  1685 ;  Nicholas,  born  in  1687 
Joanna,  born  in  1688-89;  Mary,  born  in  1690 
Ann,  born  in  1695 ;  Seth,  born  in  1699 ;  Dan- 
iel, bom  in  1703 ;  David,  born  in  1705 ;  Abi- 
gail, born  in  1707;  and  Noah,  bom  in  1710. 

(III)  Elder  Josiah  Cook,  son  of  Deacon 
Nicholas,  bom  Aug.  29,  1685,  married  Mary 
Staples.     Elder  Cook  was  the  first  pastor  of 


990 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  Six  Principle  Baptist  Church,  of  Cumber- 
land, R.  I.,  where  he  then  lived.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  pastorate  of  the  church  by  Elder 
Nathaniel  Cook,  and  the  latter  by  Elder  Abner 
Ballou.  Elder  Josiah  Cook  died  in  Cumber- 
land, R.  I.,  in  1774.  His  children  were:  Jo- 
siah, Abner,  Joanna,  Mehitable,  Abraham, 
Hezekiah,  Mary  and  Annie. 

(IV)  Deacon  Abner  Cook,  son  of  Elder 
Josiah,  was  born  in  Cumberland,  but  resided 
in  West  Wrentham.  He  worshipped  in  the 
church  of  which  his  father  was  pastor.  The 
Ballous  and  Cooks  were  main  pillars  in  that 
ancient  society,  and  built  the  somewhat  famous 
old  edifice  known  as  the  Ballou  meetinghouse, 
and  of  this  church  Abner  Cook  was  the  last 
deacon.  He  .married  Rhoda  Thompson,  and 
had  children :  Lovice,  Mehitable,  Cynthia, 
Rhoda,  Abner,  Thankful,  Celina,  Lucy,  War- 
ren Washington,  Urana  and  Horace. 

(V)  Horace  Cook,  son  of  Deacon  Abner, 
married  Lucretia  Bates,  daughter  of  Ezekiel 
Bates,  of  Bellingham.  They  lived  in  the  town 
of  West  Wrentham,  Mass.  Their  fifteen  chil- 
dren were :  Amy,  Deborah,  Orilla,  Eli  Elkanah, 
Alenah  Abigail,  Lucretia,  Alenah  Abigail  (2), 
Martha  Ann,  Horace  Lyman,  Rhoda  Thomp- 
son, Mortimore  Cherbeny,  Massena  Abner, 
Warren  Foster,  Alonzo  and  Amory  Bates. 

(VI)  Deacon  Amory  Bates  Cook,  son  of 
Horace,  was  born  May  16,  1804,  in  West 
W^rentham,  Mass.  He  married  Mary  Hawes, 
who  was  born  Aug.  29,  1801,  daughter  of  Sam- 
uel Hawes.  Mr.  Cook  removed  to  North  Bel- 
lingham, Mass.,  in  1837,  and  to  Milford  in 
1870.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the  Universalist 
Church.  Their  children  were:  Julianna,  born 
Feb.  19,  1826;  Erastus  A.,  born  April  19, 
1828;  Levi  A.,  born  Jan.  4,  1830;  Orlando  D., 
born  Aug.  14,  1832,  who  died  in  infancy;  El- 
len E.,  born  Jan.  17,"  1834,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy; Sally  R.,  born  Nov.  10,  1836,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Ellen  Eliza,  born  Aug.  16,  1840, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Mary  E.,  born  Feb.  18, 
1844;  and  Warren  F.,  born  Nov.  10,  1848. 

(VII)  Levi  A.  Cook,  son  of  Deacon  Amory 
Bates,  was  bom  Jan.  4,  1830,  in  West  Wrent- 
ham, Mass.,  and  married  June  11,  1856,  Sylvia 
Freeman,  who  was  born  Sept.  20,  1836,  in  Bel- 
lingham, Mass.,  daughter  of  Lyman  and 
Hypsa  L.  (Freeman)  Holbrook.  They  resided 
in  Milford,  Mass.  Their  children  were:  Addie 
E.,  born  Dec.  27,  1860,  in  Medway,  resides  in 
Milford,  unmarried ;  Ernest  Lincoln  was  bom 
July  22,  1865,  in  Milford  ;  and  Bertha  F..  born 
Feb.  21,  1870,  died  July  13th  of  that  year. 
In  writing  of  the  branch  of  the  Cook  family 
who  worshipped  in  the  meetinghouse  alluded 


to  in  the  foregoing,  said  Rev.  Adin  Ballou: 
"The  whole  family  have  exemplified  their  re- 
putable intelligence,  enterprise,  industry,  fru- 
gality and  moral  rectitude."  Levi  A.  Cook 
died  in  Milford  Sept.  5,  1897,  and  his  wife 
passed  away  in  the  same  town  Nov.  11,  1870. 

(VIII)  Ernest  Lincoln  Cook,  only  son  of 
Levi  A.  and  Sylvia  F.  (Holbrook)  Cook,  was 
bom  July  22,  1865,  in  Milford,  Mass.  His 
early  educational  training  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town,  which  he 
attended  until  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of 
age.  He  then  commenced  learning  the  trade 
of  machinist  in  the  Rhode  Island  Locomotive 
Works,  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  he  con- 
tinued employed  for  a  period  of  about  four 
years.  Subsequently  he  entered  the  employ  of 
George  Draper  &  Sons,  of  Hopedale,  Mass.,  the 
extensive  manufacturers  of  cotton  machinery, 
and  for  several  years  was  employed  by  this 
well-known  concern  in  setting  up  and  putting 
in  operation  their  machinery  in  various  cotton 
manufacturing  centers.  Ambitious  to  enter 
business  on  his  own  account,  Mr.  Cook  was  at- 
tracted to  another  line  of  operation  from  that 
which  he  had  been  prepared  for  and  had  fol- 
lowed, namely,  that  of  manufacturing  brick. 
This  business  he  began  in  a  small  way,  employ- 
ing only  some  twenty-five  men  at  the  start. 
The  business,  however,  from  the  careful  atten- 
tion he  gave  it,  soon  proved  the  wisdom  of  his 
venture,  and  as  time  passed  he  found  it  neces- 
sary gradually  to  increase  his  force  and  quar- 
ters until  now  his  business  is  well  established 
and  his  product  enjoying  a  well-earned  repu- 
tation. His  business  and  works  were  estab- 
lished in  1891,  the  location  being  near  the 
State  Farm,  in  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  this 
Commonwealth.  Here  he  now  has  an  up-to- 
date  and  thoroughly  equipped  plant,  and,  be- 
ing a  practical  mechanic  himself,  Mr.  Cook  is 
able  to  judge  of  machinery,  consequently  hav- 
ing installed  in  his  plant  the  best  kind  of  ma- 
chinery used  in  the  manufacture  of  brick. 
His  equipment  includes  a  valuable  steam  dry- 
ing plant  and  various  other  labor-saving  appli- 
ances. His  plant  is  second  to  none  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  in  the  conduct  and  manage- 
ment of  his  business  Mr.  Cook  has  displayed 
foresight,  rare  good  judgment  and  high  execu- 
tive ability,  which  pive  him  a  place  among  the 
successful  and  progressive  business  men  of  his 
adopted  town. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Cook  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  organization,  being  an  active  member 
of  Fellowship  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  Har- 
mony Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  both  of  Bridgewater; 
Brockton  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ;  Bay  State  Com- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


991 


mandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Brockton ;  and 
is  also  a  member  of  Aleppo  Temple,  Nobles  of 
Li'o  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Boston. 

The  political  affiliations  of  Mr.  Cook  are 
with  the  Republican  party,  and  although  he 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
adopted  town  he  has  not  cared  for  or  sought 
public  office,  preferring  to  give  his  undivided 
attention  to  his  business  interests. 

On  Oct.  26,  1896,  Mr.  Cook  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Georgiana  M.  Wrisley,  daughter 
of  Luke  and  Lucinda  (Rice)  Wrisley,  of 
Orange,  Mass.,  and  this  happy  union  has  been 
blessed  with  three  children,  as  follows:  Bertha 
Sylvia,  born  Nov.  25,  1897;  Alice  Rice,  born 
June  24,  1899;  and  Ernest  Lincoln,  Jr.,  born 
March  29,  1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook  are  ac- 
tive members  of  the  First  Congregational  Uni- 
tarian Society,  of  Bridgewater,  which  Mr.  Cook 
has  served  for  several  years  as  a  member  of  the 
parish  committee. 

RUFUS  EDMUND  WORDELL,  late  of 
North  Westport,  was  a  descendant  in  the  sev- 
enth generation  from  William  Wordell  (spelled 
in  early  records  Wodell),  an  early  settler  of 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.  Fuller  records  of  the  fam- 
ily will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  publication. 

Edmund  Wordell,  father  of  Rufus  E.,  was 
born  in  Westport  July  14,  1807.  In  early 
manhood  he  was  employed  at  various  occupa- 
tions in  New  Bedford — for  some  years  in  the 
old  Sperm  City  Candle  Works,  conducted  by  a 
Mr.  Congdon.  For  some  time  after  his  mar- 
riage he  followed  farming  in  Dartmouth,  in 
about  1846  moving  to  North  Westport  and  set- 
tling on  the  farm  which  in  after  years  was 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  son  Rufus.  There 
he  was  successfully  engaged  in  dairying  and 
general  farming  until  his  death,  and  he  ac- 
quired a  competence,  ranking  among  the  well- 
to-do  men  of  his  section.  He  died  April  28, 
1873,  and  was  buried  iA  the  Wordell  cemetery 
at  North  Westport.  Mr.  Wordell  was  an  active 
member  of  the  First  Christian  Church  near  his 
home  and  took  a  leading  part  in  its  affairs,  be- 
ing one  of  the  prominent  workers  in  the  erection 
of  its  present  building.  He  was  married  Oct.  6, 
1834,  to  Lucinda  W.  Tripp,  born  June  16,  1815, 
in  Westport,  daughter  of  Rufus  and  Patience 
(Gifford)  Tripp.  Like  her  husband,  Mrs. 
Wordell  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  First 
Christian  Church  and  took  a  deep  interest  in 
its  affairs.  She  survived  Mr.  Wordell  over 
twenty-eight  years,  dying  at  the  homestead  May 
9,  1901,  and  was  buried  beside  him.  They  had 
a  family  of  six  children:  (1)  Fannie  C,  born 
Oct.   3,   1835,   married   Thomas  J.   Pettey,   a 


farmer,  and  resides  in  Fall  River.  (2)  Pa- 
tience T.,  born  Feb.  16,  1838,  is  the  wife  of 
John  Collins,  a  farmer  of  North  Dartmouth. 
(3)  Joshua  R.,  born  April  21,  1840,  died  Nov. 
14,  1850.  (4)  Mary  M.,  born  April  12,  1843, 
in  Westport,  married  Perry  G.  Lawton,  for- 
merly a  prominent  citizen  of  Dartmouth,  who 
died  Aug.  26,  1901,  in  New  Bedford,  where 
Mrs.  Lawton  resides,  at  No.  87  State  street. 
(5)  Rufus  E.  was  born  April  16,  1852.  (6) 
Almira  A.,  born  May  23,  1854,  married  Wil- 
liam H.  Poole,  and  resides  at  North  Dart- 
mouth. 

Rufus  Edmund  Wordell  was  born  April  16, 
1852,  at  North  Westport,  on  the  farm  where  he 
spent  his  life.  He  attended  the  district  school 
and  had  one  term  in  the  Fall  River  high  school. 
From  his  early  youth  he  was  trained  to  farm 
work,  and  his  father  dying  just  at  the  time  he 
attained  his  majority  he  at  once  took  charge  of 
the  home  farm,  which  he  inherited.  He  dis- 
played exceptional  ability  in  its  management 
as  well  as  its  cultivation  from  the  start,  and 
the  work  was  very  profitable  under  his  direc- 
tion. He  added  very  little  to  the  original 
acreage,  but  all  of  his  land  was  in  a  splendid 
state  of  cultivation,  and  he  soon  became  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  most  intelligent  farmers 
of  his  section.  He  also,  in  time,  became  en- 
gaged in  the  teaming  business,  as  well  as  deal- 
ing in  wood,  and  did  a  large  business  in  the 
selling  and  hauling  of  sand,  finding  many  pa- 
trons among  the  contractors  and  builders  of 
Fall  River;  as  many  as  twenty  horses  were 
often  required  in  his  business.  He  was  always 
busy,  yet  he  accomplished  as  much  by  his  sound 
judgment-  in  business  affairs  and  by  excellent 
executive  ability  as  he  did  by  actual  industry. 
Being  a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  he  installed 
many  modern  improvements  on  his  farm  and 
improved  the  appearance  of  the  place  until  he 
had  one  of  the  best  farm  properties  in  the  town. 
Moreover,  he  was  public-spirited  and  enter- 
prising in  matters  which  affected  the  general 
welfare,  and  every  movement  for  the  better- 
ment of  the  community  had  his  hearty  sup- 
port, morally  and  materially.  Quiet  and  un- 
assuming, but  active  whenever  his  participa- 
tion in  affairs  would  do  any  good,  he  won  a 
high  place  among  his  fellow  men  for  his  hon- 
orable and  kindly  life.  He  was  the  kind  of 
citizen  a  community  can  ill  afford  to  lose,  and 
his  death,  which  occurred  Feb.  20,  1898,  at  a 
comparatively  early  age,  was  sincerely  mourned. 
He  was  buried  in  the  Wordell  cemetery  on  San- 
ford  road,  in  North  Westport.  Mr.  Wordell 
never  held  any  public  office  himself,  but  he  was 
interested  in  selecting  good  men  for  the  public 


992 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


service.  In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Repub- 
lican. He  was  a  member  of  the  First  Chris- 
tian Church  at  North  Westport. 

On  Nov.  13,  1873,  Mr.  Wordell  married,  in 
Dartmouth,  Elizabeth  Davis  Giirord,  who  was 
bom  May  16,  1851,  in  Westport,  daughter  of 
William  Henry  and  Sarah  (Gifford)  Gifford. 
Mrs.  Wordell  and  her  daughters  ndw  occupy 
the  homestead  as  a  summer  residence.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wordell  had  two  daughters :  ( 1 )  Alice 
Gifford,  born  Nov.  9,  1877,  graduated  from  the 
Fall  River  high  school  in  1895  and  later  took 
a  normal  course  at  the  Allen  Gymnasium, 
graduating  therefrom  in  1903.  She  is  a 
teacher  of  physical  culture,  at  present  engaged 
at  Wells  College,  Aurora,  N.  Y.  She  formerly 
taught  in  Orange,  N.  J.     (2)  Edith,  born  Feb. 

19,  1880,  graduated  from  the  lall  River  high 
school  in  1898  and  subsequently  took  a  course 
in  Miss  Symonds'  Kindergarten  Training 
School  at  Boston,  graduating  in  1900.  She 
taught  in  Boston  until  her  marriage,  on  June 

20,  1906,  to  Frank  Y.  Hicks.  They  reside  in 
Newark,  N.  J.,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  in- 
surance business. 

EDWARD  HASKELL  (deceased),  mer- 
chant, New  Bedford.  Born  in  1828  in  Still 
River,  Mass.,  Edward  Haskell  was  the  son  of 
Calvin  and  Ann  (Hersey)  Haskell.  He 
passed  his  early  years  in  school,  but  owing 
to  the  business  reverses  of  his  father  found  it 
necessary  to  begin  life's  battle  while  yet  young, 
and  finally  was  in  the  employ  of  a  Boston  firm, 
for  whom  he  went  to  New  Bedford  to  dispose 
of  a  stock  of  goods.  His  intention  was  to  re- 
main in  the  city  named  but  a  short  period, 
but  meeting  with  success,  his  employers  con- 
cluded to  keep  him  in  trade  there,  especially 
as  he  liked  the  place  and  made  warm  friends. 
In  the  year  1849  young  Haskell  began  business 
for  himself  in  a  small  way  as  a  dry  goods  mer- 
chant, his  location  being  on  the  west  side  of 
Purchase  street,  between  William  and  Union 
streets.  Full  of  energy,  ambitious  and  popu- 
lar, he  was  successful,  and  after  a  year  or  two 
there  moved  across  the  street  to  the  middle 
store  of  a  number  subsequently  occupied  by 
him.  There  his  business  rapidly  increased, 
and  he  showed  remarkable  business  capacity 
in  securing  the  class  of  goods  most  salable, 
and  introduced  many  departments  carrying 
goods  not  strictly  classed  as  dry  goods.  For 
thirty  and  more  years  Mr.  Haskell  continued 
in  trade  on  the  same  site,  and  was  obliged  to 
enlarge  the  capacity  of  his  establishment  fre- 
quently, and  finally,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
in   1882,  the   firm   of   Edward  Haskell   &   Co. 


occupied  four  stores,  consolidated  into  one 
large  emporium  of  trade.  It  should  have 
been  stated  above  that  the  firm  as  named  was 
formed  in  the  year  1876,  Mr.  Haskell  admit- 
ting as  a  partner  Charles  M.  Tripp.  In  spite  of 
competition  of  the  closest  kind,  Mr.  Haskell 
had  a  steady  advance  in  his  business  from  the 
very  first  day  of  trade,  and  stood  for  years  as 
the  leading  and  representative  merchant  of 
New  Bedford. 

Mr.  Haskell  was  for  many  years  a  prominent 
and  active  member  of  the  North  Congregation- 
,il  Church  of  New  Bedford,  and  was  one  of 
its  deacons,  and  for  eleven  yeato  was  superin- 
tendent of  its  Sunday  school,  in  which  he  was 
greatly  interested.  He  had  a  pleasant,  win- 
ning manner,  and  treated  every  one  with  the 
most  perfect  courtesy.  He  was  firm  in  oppo- 
sition to  anything  he  deemed  wrong,  but  equal- 
ly as  strong  in  advocating  anything  for  the 
improvement  and  elevation  of  mankind.  He 
was  generous  and  hospitable  to  a  fault  and 
many  acts  of  his  kindness  are  known  only  to 
those  who  received  the  benefits  of  his  broad 
charity.  In  the  home  circle  Mr.  Haskell  was 
a  loving  husband,  and  a  father  who  gratified, 
if  possible,  every  wish.  He  was  a  strong 
friend,  a  very  pleasant  and  social  companion, 
with  a  large  number  of  personal  friends  in  the 
leading  circles  of  society.  He  gave  at  all 
times  his  time  and  money  freely  for  church 
and  benevolent  purposes.  A  fluent  and  effective 
speaker,  he  was  always  ready  to  respond  when 
asked  to  speak  for  any  good  cause,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  unselfish  of  men,  seeming  only 
to  be  fully  happy  when  doing  something  for 
the  happiness  or  benefit  of  others. 

Mr.  Haskell  was  a  man  of  very  fine  taste 
in  art,  and  was  a  rare  judge  of  paintings,  stat- 
uary and  other  kindred  works.  He  was  fond  of 
pets,  had  a  great  fancy  for  fine  horses, 
pigeons,  fowls,  etc.,  and  raised  many  of  them. 
He,  too,  was  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  flowers, 
and  engaged  with  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature  in 
horticulture ;  was  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Horticultural  Society,  and  was  awarded  a 
silver  medal  for  his  collection  of  Nymphaeas. 
Among  the  lovers  and  cultivators  of  flowers 
he  took  high  rank.  His  love  for  the  beautiful 
was  manifested  in  everything,  in  the  adorn- 
ment of  home  and  grounds,  in  the  decoration 
of  Ills  place,  in  his  personal  appearance  and 
dresS;  in  artistic  display  of  goods,  etc. 

Mr.  Haskell  was  twice  married,  marrying 
(fiist)  Sarah  Claflin,  of  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  and 
(second)  Louisa  B.,  only  daughter  of  Alex- 
ander H.  and  Louisa  (Crandall)  Soabury,  of 
New  Bedford.     One  son,  George  Edward,  was 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


993 


born  to  the  first  marriage,  and  to  the  second 
were  born  Mary  Crandall  and  Helen  Parker, 
George  Edward  Haskell  was  for  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  mercantile  house  Abram  French  & 
Co.,  of  Boston.  Mary  Crandall  is  the  widow  of 
Edward  L.  Hersey,  resides  in  St.  Paul,  Minn., 
and  has  four  children,  Marie  Louise,  Hamil- 
ton, Edward  Lewis  and  Hugh  Haskell.  Helen 
Parker  is  the  wife  of  Andrew  G.  Pierce,  Jr.,  of 
New  Bedford,  and  has  two  children,  .Elsie 
Haskell  and  Andrew  Granville,  Jr. 

Mr.  Haskell  died  at  his  home  on  Union 
street,  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  Dec.  11,  1882, 
aged  fifty-four  years,  and  was  buried  in  Oak 
Grove  cemetery. 

GEORGE  HOWARD,  founder  and  presi- 
dent of  the  George  Howard  &  Sons  Company, 
of  Brockton,  one  of  the  most  extensive  and 
best  known  Concerns  engaged  in  contracting 
and  building  in  the  State,  is  one  of  that  city's 
successful  and  enterprising  business  men,  one 
who  through  thrift  and  untiring  energy  has 
created  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  builder.  He 
was  born  March  12,  1849,  in  West  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.,  son  of  Samuel  H.  and  Lavina 
(Wilbar)  Howard,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of 
this  Commonwealth's  earliest  settled  families, 
a  history  of  his  branch  of  the  Howard  family 
following  in  chronological  order. 

The  Howard  family  is  one  of  long  and  hon- 
orable standing  in  this  Commonwealth,  partic- 
ularly in  the  Bridgewaters  and  in  the  region  of 
country  thereabout,  descendants  in  the  main 
of  (I)  John  Howard  (or  Haward,  as  he  spelled 
the  name),  who  with  his  brother  James  came 
from  England  and  settled  in  Duxbury,  Mass. 
John  Howard  removed  to  the  West  parish  of 
ancient  Bridgewater,  and  became  one  of  the 
settlers  there  in  1651.  When  a  lad,  it  is  said, 
he  lived  in  the  family  of  Capt.  Miles  Standish. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  influence  in  the  Bridge- 
water  plantation,  was  one  of  the  first  military 
officers  of  the  town,  ensign  in  1664,  lieutenant 
in  1689;  was  licensed  to  keep  an  ordinary  or 
tavern  in  1670;  was  chosen  selectman  in  1678; 
and  was  deputy  to  the  General  Court  from 
1678  to  1683.  He  was  brave,  just  and  patri- 
otic, a  representative  to  -the  Old  Colony,  and 
was  a  noble  example  to  his  numerous  posterity. 
His  children  were:  John,  Jr.,  who  married 
Sarah  Latham ;  James,  who  married  Elizabeth 
Washburn ;  Jonathan,  who  married  Sarah 
Dean;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Edward  Fobes; 
Sarah,  who  married  Zaccheus  Packard; 
Bethiah,  who  married  Henry  Kingman;  and 
Ephraim,  who  married  Mary  Keith.  John 
Howard   died  in   1700.     After  that   date  the 

63 


name    appears    uniformly    on    the    records   as 
Howard. 

(II)  Jonathan  Howard,  son  of  John,  mar- 
ried (first)  Jan.  8,  1689,  Susanna,  daughter 
of  Rev.  James  Keith,  a  Scotchman  of  educa- 
tion who  came  to  this  country  and  became  the 
first  minister  at  Bridgewater.  She  probably 
died  the  year  of  their  marriage.  Later  he 
married  (second)  Sarah  Dean.  In  1685  he 
received  one  of  the  young  men's,  shares,  and  he 
inherited  from  his  father  forty-nine  acres  of 
land  where  he  lived,  with  other  outlying  lots. 
His  estate  was  settled  and  divided  in  1739. 
His  children,  all  born  to  the  second  wife,  were : 
Jonathan,  born  Dec.  9,  1692;  Joshua,  bom 
Jan.  9,  1696;  Susanna,  born  Aug,  8,  1698,  who 
married  Benjamin  Williams,  of  Norton ;  Eben- 
ezer,  born  Jan.  10,  1700;  Seth,  born  Nov.  15, 
1702;  Abiel,  born  Nov.  6,  1704;  Sarah,  born 
Oct.  28,  1707,  who  married  Ebenezer  Ames; 
Henry,  bom  Sept.  6,  1710;  and  Keziah,  bom 
Feb.  23,  1712,  who  married  Thomas  Ames. 

(III)  Jonathan  Howard  (2),  son  of  Jona- 
than, born  Dec.  9,  1692,  married  July  30, 
1719,  Sarah,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Ames)  Field,  of  Bridgewater.  He  died  May 
18,  1769,  in  what  is  now  West  Bridgewater, 
Mass.  His  widow  died  there  Sept.  20,  1777, 
aged  seventy-eight  years.  Their  children  were: 
Nathan,  bom  March  17,  1720;  Charity,  bom 
July  25,  1721,  who  married  Benjamin  Pierce; 
Susanna,  born  Jan.  2,  1724,  who  married  Ed- 
ward Howard,  of  Bridgewater;  Sarah,  born 
Sept.  21,  1726,  who  married  a  Bailey;  Jona- 
than, born  Aug.  22,  1729;  and  Aimme,  born 
April  13,  1734,  who  married  Jeremiah  Belcher. 

(IV)  Nathan  Howard,  son  of  Jonathan  (2), 
bom  March  17,  1720,  married  June  11,  1746, 
Jane,  daughter  of  Maj.  Edward  and  Mary 
(Byram)  Howard,  of  Bridgewater.  His  will 
was  made  Oct.  14,  1799.  His  wife  died  June 
29,  1791,  aged  seventy  years.  Their  children 
were:  Natlian,  born  Dec.  27,  1746;  Jonathan, 
born  March  14,  1748;  Gamaliel,  bom  July  17, 
1751;  Bezaliel,  born  Nov.  22,  1753;  Thaddeus, 
born  Feb.  28,  1756;  Artemus,  bom  May  25, 
1758,  who  died  unmarried  Dec.  15,  1809; 
Sarah,  born  Aug.  1,.1760,  who  married  Caleb 
Packard;  and  Jane,  born  April  27,  1763,  who 
married  Luther  Burr. 

(V)  Nathan  Howard  (2),  son  of  Nathan, 
born  Dec.  27,  1746,  married  Sept.  23,  1770, 
Susanna,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Phebe  (Bry- 
ant) Howard.  Mr.  Howard  was  a  farmer  of 
West  Bridgewater,  and  at  intervals  taught 
school  in  that  part  of  the  town  known  as  Jeru- 
salem. He  lived  in  a  house  he  built  in  1772, 
on  West  street,  in  the  west  part  of  town.    He 


99-i 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  seeing  service 
in  Capt.  Eliakim  Howard's  company,  Col.  Ed- 
ward Mitchell's  regiment,  which  marched  from 
Bridgewater  to  Braintree  Neck  March  4,  1776; 
served  six  days.  He  died  July  1,  1832,  in  his 
eighty-sixth  year.  They  had  children  as  fol- 
lows: Abiel,  born  March  28,  1771;  Nathan, 
Sept.  17,  1772;  Alfred,  Nov.  Iv,  1774;  Ruel, 
Oct.  27,  1776;  Lewis,  Oct.  9,  1778;  Lucinda, 
Sept.  19,  1780  (married  John  Hartwell)  ;  and 
Jane,  Aug.  21,  1782. 

(VI)  Alfred  Howard,  son  of  Nathan  (2), 
born  Nov.  17,  1774,  in  West  Bridgewater, 
there  spent  his  entire  life,  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  and  died  May  29,  1856,  aged 
eighty-one  years,  six  months,  twelve  days.  In 
1799,  he  married  Hannah  Hartwell,  born  in 
1781,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Abigail  (Loth- 
rop)  Hartwell.  Their  children  were:  Oryn- 
thia,  born  June  1,  1801 ;  Rhoda  L.,  born 
March  12,  1803;  Lucinda,  born  Dec.  16,  1804; 
Jane  V.,  born  July  18,  1807 ;  Julia  A.,  born  in 
1809 ;  Ruhama,  born  in  1813 ;  and  Samuel  H. 

(VII)  Samuel  Hartwell  Howard,  son  of 
Alfred,  born  Dec.  1,  1815,  in  West  Bridge- 
water,  was  like  his  father  engaged  in  fanning. 
He  was  an  industrious  man,  and  by  prudence 
and  thrift  attained  a  position  where  he  ranked 
among  the  foremost  farmers  of  his  community, 
his  farm  of  about  130  acres  always  being  kept 
in  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  In  early  life 
Mr.  Howard  allied  himself  with  the  old-line 
Whigs,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  in  1856,  he  at  once  became 
i<lentified  with  the  latter  party,  and  was  always 
alive  to  the  best  interests  of  his  native  town. 
A  success  in  handling  his  own  afifairs,  he  was 
called  upon  to  perform  public  duties,  and  for 
several  years  served  his  town  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  selectmen.  On  Oct.  15,  1840,  Mr. 
Howard  was  married  to  Lavina  Wilbar,  who 
was  born  in  Warren,  Maine,  daughter  of  Mar- 
shall and  Phebe  (Leonard)  Wilbar.  Mr. 
Howard  and  his  wife  passed  away  within  a  few 
days  of  each  other,  their  deaths  occurring  in 
West  Bridgewater,  his  on  March  31,  1900,  and 
hers  on  April  6,  1900.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  How- 
ard were  born  children  as  follows:  Lucinda, 
who  married  John  F.  Cooper,  of  Wakefield,  N. 
H.,  and  later  of  Brockton,  now  resides  in 
Orange,  Mass.,  where  he  died;  Herbert  M.,  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  died  in  West  Bridgewater 
March  1,  1868,  in  his  twenty-first  year ;  George 
is  mentioned  below ;  Irving  married  Susan 
Tribou,  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  died 
March  4,  1900,  aged  forty-eight  years,  in 
Boston,  while  on  a  visit  there;  Walter  died  in 
infancy. 


(VIII)  George  Howard  was  born  March 
12,  1849,  in  West  Bridgewater,  on  the  farm 
where  his  father  was  born  and  where  he  passed 
away.  In  his  native  town  he  attended  the- 
district  schools  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  when  his  parents  removed  to  North 
Bridgewater,  where  they  lived  for  about  four 
years.  During  a  portion  of  this  time  he  con- 
tinued his  studies  in  the  North  Bridgewater 
high  school,  completing  his  schooling  at  Crom- 
er's business  college  in  Boston.  After  leavings 
school,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  became 
an  apprentice  to  the  mason's  trade  with  Sidney 
L.  Washburn,  in  whose  employ  he  remained 
for  a  period  of  about  five  years.  He  applied 
himself  to  his  trade,  and,  having  acquired 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  details  of  the 
business,  he  in  1873  decided  to  engage  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Albert  Blanchard,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Howard  &  Blanchard,  as  mason  con- 
tractors, this  firm  continuing  in  business  for 
nearly  five  years,  when  they  dissolved  partner- 
ship, Mr.  Howard  being  alone  during  the 
period  from  1878  to  1905.  In  rne  latter  year 
the  business  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  Massachusetts  as  the  George  Howard  &  Sons 
Company,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000,  Mr- 
Howard  then  admitting  his  two  sons  into  part- 
nership. It  is  a  close  corporation,  the  father 
being  president,  and  the  sons  Harry  C.  and 
Preston  W.  being  treasurer  and  secretary,  re- 
spectively. They  are  extensively  engaged  in 
general  contracting,  handling  all  kinds  of  con- 
struction and  building  from  the  excavation 
work  to  the  finished  structure,  and  that  this- 
corporation  bears  an  enviable  reputation  along" 
its  line  of  work  is  best  evidenced  by  the  large 
number  of  magnificent  buildings  of  all  kinds 
which  stand  as  monuments  to  its  ability. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  Satucket 
block  and  the  Bay  State  block,  Brockton  Sav- 
ings Bank  building.  Home  National  Bank: 
and  Bixby  block,  courthouse.  Barristers'  Hall, 
People's  Savings  bank,  James  Edgar  Com- 
pany's block.  United  Shoe  Machinery  building, 
the  First  Baptist  church  (completed  in  1910), 
and  the  new  Home  National  Bank  building 
(completed  in  1911),  together  with  many 
others  in  the  city  of  Brockton ;  the  addition  to 
the  State  normal  school  at  Bridgewater,  the 
Plymouth  County  Registrar  of  Deeds  building- 
at  Plymouth,  the  town  hall  at  Whitman,  State 
Soldiers'  Home  Hospital  at  Chelsea;  among 
the  library  buildings,  those  at  Dexter,  Maine, 
Hyde  Park,  Mass.,  Carnegie  at  Rockland:  the 
Masonic  Hall  at  Madison,  N.  J.;  and  among 
the   school  buildings  are  four  at   Quincy,  one 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


995 


at  Mattapoisett  (which  was  a  gift  from  the 
late  Henry  H.  Rogers),  the  Training  school  in 
connection  with  the  normal  at  Hyannis,  Mass., 
and  the  high  school  at  New  Bedford,  costing 
nearly  $500,000,  all  of  which  are  modern 
structures,  and  a  credit  to  the  builders. 

During  the  Civil  war,  although  but  fifteen 
years  of  age  at  the  time,  Mr.  Howard  en- 
listed, in  July,  1864,  in  Company  F,  6th 
Massachusetts  Volunteer  Infantry,  at  Read- 
ville,  Mass.,  for  one  hundred  days,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Fort  Delaware.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Fletcher  Webster  Post,  No.  13,  G.  A.  R., 
Brockton. 

Politically  Mr.  Howard  is  a  firm  believer  in 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
being  domestic  in  his  tastes  and  of  a  retiring 
disposition,  he  has  never  cared  for  or  sought 
public  office.  Socially  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Commercial  Club,  of  Brockton,  where  he 
spends  an  occasional  evening  among  his 
friends. 

On  Sept.  18,  1872,  Mr.  Howard  married 
Alice  M.  Clough,  daughter  of  Columbus  and 
Ann  M.  (Cushman)  Clough,  of  Brockton,  and 
a  direct  descendant  of  Robert  Cushman.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  have  been  born  children 
as  follows: 

(1)  Harry  Clough  Howard  was  born 
April  23,  1877,  in  Brockton,  and  after  attend- 
ing the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  entered 
Bryant  &  Stratton's  business  college,  of  Bos- 
ton, from  which  he  was  graduated.  Upon 
leaving  school  he  became  apprenticed  to  the 
brickmason's  trade  under  his  father,  and  after 
completing  his  apprenticeship  continued  in  the 
employ  of  his  father  until  1905,  when,  upon 
the  incorporation  of  the  George  Howard  & 
Sons  Company  he  was  made  treasurer  of  the 
same,  and  has  since  continued  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  corporation,  he  having  had  charge 
of  the  construction  of  many  of  the  large  build- 
ings which  this  well  known  contracting  con- 
cern has  since  erected. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Howard  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  since  reaching  his  majority  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  the  public  atfairs  of  his 
native  city.  In  1908  and  1909  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  aldermen  from  Ward 
Two,  and  during  his  service  on  that  board  was 
chairman  of  the  committees  on  Highways, 
Public  Property,  Fire  and  Building,  and  a 
member  of  the  committees  on  Street  Railways 
and  on  Police ;  and  during  his  last  year  was 
chairman  of  the  board.  In  1910  he  was  the 
choice  of  his  party  for  the  nomination  of 
mayor  of  the  city,  and  at  the  election  in  De- 
cember following  was   elected   chief   executive 


hff  a  substantial  majority,  serving  in  that 
capacity  during  the  year  1911,  during  which 
year,  as  mayor,  he  was  also  president  ex-officio 
of  the  school  board  of  the  city. 

Socially,  Mr.  Howard  is  a  member  of  the 
Commercial  Club,  of  Brockton,  and  also  holds 
membership  in  Damocles  Lodge,  No.  16, 
Ivnights  of  Pythias. 

On  May  4,  1898,  Mr.  Howard  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Alice  G.  Carver,  of  Brockton, 
and  to  this  union  was  born  one  son,  George 
Marston,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 

(2)  Preston  Wilbar  Howard,  born  Jan.   6, 

1882,  in  Brockton,  was  educated  in  the  Brock- 
ton public  schools,  and  in  1903  was  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
contracting  business.  Upon  the  incorporation 
of  the  business,  in  1905,  he  became  secretary 
of  the  same.  On  Sept.  28,  1910,  he  married 
Henrietta  Jane  Williamson,  daughter  of  ex- 
Mayor  Charles  Williamson,  of  Brockton. 

(3)  Ruby  May  Howard  was  born  March  16, 

1883,  and  "died  Aug.  22,  1883. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  attend  the  Unitarian 
Church,  and  are  liberal  in  their  support  of 
charitable  and  benevolent  projects.  Mr.  How- 
ard is  honorable  and  upright  in  his  dealings 
with  his  fellowmen,  and  enjoys  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  Mrs.  Howard 
is  a  member  of  Deborah  Sampson  Chapter, 
Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution,  her 
eligibility  being  through  the  Cushman  line. 


Cushman.  The  Cushman  family  to  which 
Mrs.  George  Howard  belongs  is  descended 
from  (I)  Robert  Cushman,  one  of  the  most 
active  and  influential  men  in  the  movement 
which  took  the  Pilgrims  to  Holland,  and  in 
the  preparation  for  their  removal  to  America. 
He  himself  came  over  in  1621,  bringing  with 
him  his  young  son  Thomas.  He  returned  in  a 
short  time,  leaving  Thomas  in  the  care  of  Gov- 
ernor Bradford.  Robert  Cushman  died  in 
England  in  1626. 

(II)  Elder  Thomas  Cushman,  son  of  Rob- 
ert, came  to  New  England  in  1621  with  his 
father.  He  was  later  of  Plympton.  He  mar- 
ried Ruib;-(iajigbter  of  John  iJQHrl«ftd^.r)f  the 
"Mayflower." 

(III)  Benjamin  Cushman,  son  of  Elder 
Thomas,  was  of  Plympton.  He  married  Sarah 
Eaton. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Cushman  (2),  son  of  Ben- 
jamin, was  also  of  Plympton.  He  married 
Zurinah  Sampson. 

(V)  Jacob  Cushman,  of  Plympton,  son  of 
Benjamin     (2),      married      Sylvia     Sampson, 


996 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


daughter  of  Jonathan  and  sister  of  the  famous 
Deborah  Sampson,  who  in  male  attire  served 
three  years  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution. 
Jacob  Cushman  was  a  member  of  Capt.  John 
Bradford's  company,  Col.  Theophilus  Cotton's 
regiment,  which  probably  marched  on  the 
alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  to  Marshfield,  service 
performed  twelve  days;  served  again  in  the 
same  company  and  regiment  in  1775;  per- 
formed three  months'  and  seven  days'  service 
from  enlistment  of  May  2d  of  that  year.  His 
name  is  also  on  the  company  return  dated  Oct. 
7,  1775.  He  was  a  member  of  Capt.  James 
Harlow's  company,  commanded  by  Lieut. 
Elisha  Bisbee,  Jr.,  Col.  Thomas  Lothrop's  regi- 
ment. Gen.  John  Cushing's  brigade,  serving 
some  sixteen  days,  the  company  marching  to 
Bristol,  R.  I.,  on  the  alarm ;  roll  dated  March 
29,  1777.  He  was  also  a  private  in  Capt.  Icha- 
bod  Bonney's  company,  in  Col.  Nathan  Spar- 
rowhawk's  regiment,  marching  Nov.  29,  1778, 
service  fifteen  days,  at  Castle  Island. 

(VI)  Winslow  Bradford  Cushman,  son  of 
Jacob,  was  of  North  Bridgewater.  He  married 
Elmira  Tower,  daughter  of  Isaac  Tower,  of 
Randolph,  Massachusetts. 

(VII)  Ann  Matilda  Cushman,  daughter  of 
Winslow  Bradford,  married  Columbus  Clough. 

HAWKINS  (Fall  River  family).  The 
Hawkins  family  of  Fall  River,  the  forerunner 
of  which  was  William  H.  Hawkins,  an  old-time 
merchant  there,  several  of  whose  sons  and 
grandsons  followed  in  his  footsteps  and  have 
been  or  are  now  among  the  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful business  men  and  substantial  citizens 
of  the  city,  is  representative  in  the  near  pater- 
nal and  maternal  lines  of  two  of  the  old  fami- 
lies of  Ancient  Providence  and  the  adjacent 
"mother"  town  of  Massachusetts — Ancient  Re- 
hoboth. 

William  Hawkins,  the  ancestor,  is  of  record 
as  receiving  land  in  Providence  Dec.  20,  1638. 
He  was  one  of  the  thirty-nine  signers  of  an 
agreement  for  a  form  of  government,  and  he 
was  made  freeman  in  1655.  He  died  in  1699. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Margaret, 
and  their  children  were :  John,  William,  Ed- 
ward, Mary  and  Madeline.  Of  these  sons, 
William  Hawkins  was  deputy  in  1678  and  also 
in  1703, 1705  and  1706. 

William  H.  Hawkins,  son  of  Nehemiah 
Hawkins  and  a  descendant  of  the  first  William 
Hawkins,  was  a  native  of  that  part  of  Ancient 
Providence  that  became  the  town  of  Johnston, 
R.  I.  He  became  a  merchant  in  the  nearby 
town  of  Fall  River,  Mass.,  moving  thither  in 
the  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  century.     At 


the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  the  office  of  a 
cotton  concern  at  Providence,  and  was  about 
nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Fall 
River,  where  he  became  interested  in  a  dry 
goods  and  variety  store  business  with  Henry 
H.  Fish.  Later  he  went  into  the  wholesale 
grocery  business,  being  for  many  years  a  part- 
ner of  N.  B.  Borden,  under  the  firm  name  of 
N.  B.  Borden  Company.  He  retired  from  the 
N.  B.  Borden  Company  and  engaged '  in  the 
•lime,  cement,  brick  and  coal  business  at  Slades 
Wharf,  subsequently  giving  up  this  business  to 
his  son  Edwin  M.  Seth  Pooler  and  C.  W. 
Hawkins  succeeded  N.  B.  Borden  in  the  whole- 
sale grocery  business,  and  in  1864  Henry  C. 
Hawkins  bought  Mr.  Pooler's  interest  in  the 
establishment  and  formed  the  firm  of  Hawkins 
&  Bro.  About  the  year  1872  Charles  W.  Haw- 
kins retired,  and  Henry  C.  and  William  H. 
Hawkins,  Jr.,  formed  the  firm  of  H.  C.  Haw- 
kins &  Bro.,  who  now  carry  on  the  business. 
On  the  incorporation  of  the  Fall  River  Insti- 
tution for  Savings,  in  the  year  1828,  William 
H.  Hawkins  was  chosen  one  of  the  first  trus- 
tees; he  was  later  treasurer  of  the  institution, 
the  name  of  which  was  changed  in  1855  to 
the  Fall  River  Savings  Bank.  In  this  position 
Mr.  Hawkins  was  succeeded  by  Joseph  F. 
Lindsey. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Mr.  Hawkins 
married  Harriet,  daughter  of  Fayette  and 
Hopestill  Thurber,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  and 
a  descendant  of  the  first  John  Thurber,  the 
immigrant  ancestor,  and  his  wife  Priscilla, 
who  with  six  of  their  eight  children,  Mary  and 
James  remaining  in  England,  came  from  Stan- 
ton, Lincolnshire,  a  place  125  miles  from  the 
city  of  London,  to  this  country,  and  settled  at 
Meadow  Neck,  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  now  a  part 
of  the  town  of  Barrington,  R.  I.  The  children 
were:  James,  John,  Abigail,  Thomas,  Ed- 
ward, Charity,  Elizabeth  and  Mary.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  H.  Hawkins 
of  Fall  River  town  record  and  according  to 
tombstone  were :  Charles  William,  who  died 
aged  six  years ;  Cornelius  Martin,  who  died 
aged  twenty-nine  years,  unmarried ;  Henry 
Clay;  Charles  William  (2);  Harriet  Rosa- 
mond ;  Edwin  Montgomery ;  Mary  Olivia ;  Han- 
nah  Louisa;   William   Henry.   Martha   Maria. 

William  H.  Hawkins  died  Aug.  10,  1878,  at 
his  home  on  Maple  street.  Fall  River,  Mass., 
aged  seventy-three  years,  two  months,  one  day. 
His  wife,  Harriet  T.  Hawkins,  died  Oct.  11, 
1887,  and  the  remains  of  both  now  rest  in  the 
family  lot  in  Oak  Grove  cemetery  at  Fall 
River.  Both  were  Unitarians  in  religious  be- 
lief. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


997 


Henry  Clay  Hawkins,  son  of  William  H. 
Hawkins,  was  born  in  Fall  Eiver  Sept.  7,  1833, 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  For 
thirteen  years  he  was  superintendent's  clerk  at 
the  Fall  Eiver  Iron  Works  mill,  and  as  such 
was  timekeeper  and  paid  oflE  the  men  each 
month.  His  connection  with  the  wholesale 
grocery  house  of  H.  C.  Hawkins  &  Bro.  from 
1864  has  already  been  related.  Mr.  Hawkins 
has  been  connected  with  the  Fall  Kiver  Savings 
Bank  for  many  years  as  a  trustee,  director, 
chairman  of  the  board  of  investment  and  vice 
president.  On  April  22,  1869,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Silsby  Hapgood,  of  Bellows  Falls, 
Vt.,  and  to  them  were  born  four  children,  two 
sons  and  two  daughters:  (1)  Cornelius  Sils- 
by, born  May  21,  1870,  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  at  I^ehigh  University.  He 
is  teller  of  the  Fall  River  Savings  Bank  and 
resides  in  Swansea.  He  married  Emily  Amis 
Long,  of  Weldon,  N.  C.  (2)  Elizabeth  Hap- 
good, born  Oct.  15,  1871,  married  Oliver  K. 
Hawes,  of  Fall  River,  and  has  two  children, 
Kingsley  and  Cornelius  Hawkins.  (3)  Caro- 
line, born  May  5,  1875,  married  John  P.  Gage 
and  has  two  children,  John  Paine,  Jr.,  and 
Elizabeth.  (4)  Henry  Clay,  Jr.,  born  April 
16,  1878,  received  his  preparatory  education 
in  the  public  schools  and  graduated  from  Har- 
vard with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  At  Harvard 
he  was  very  active  in  athletics  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Glee  Club.  He  is  now  connected 
with  the  Savings  Bank  at  Claremont,  N.  H. 
He  married  Frances  Glidden  Holt,  and  they 
have   a  daughter,   Caroline. 

Charles  W.  Hawkins,  son  of  William  H. 
and  Harriet  (Thurber)  Hawkins,  was  bom 
Nov.  29,  1835,  in  Fall  River.  He  received  his 
education  there  in  the  primary  and  high 
schools.  After  working  for  the  N.  B.  Borden 
Company  he  succeeded  to  the  business  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Pooler  &  Hawkins  and 
eventually  became  a  member  of  the  wholesale 
grocery  firm  of  Hawkins  Brothers,  Fall  River, 
Mass.,  whose  business  was  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  Hawkins  &  Bro.  Mr.  Haw- 
kins had  withdrawn  from  the  firm  some  twenty 
years  before  his  decease  and  thereafter  lived 
retired.  He  was  an  esteemed  and  respected 
citizen,  and  died  Oct.  12,  1909,  at  his  home 
on  Winter  street.  Fall  River,  aged  seventy- 
three  years,  ten  montlis,  fourteen  days.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church  and  in 
his  younger  days  quite  active  in  church  affairs. 
On  Oct.  5,  1858,  Mr.  Hawkins  married  Mary 
Virginia  Paine,  who  was  born  June  5,  1836, 
and  died  Dec.  31,  1859.  She  was  the  mother 
of  one  child,  Charles  Merrick,  who  died  when 


four  years  old.  Mr.  Hawkins's  second  mar- 
riage, on  May  7,  1862,  was  to  Melissa  M.  Hop- 
kins, of  Fall  River,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Elizabeth  Hopkins,  of  Norwich,  Conn.  Mrs. 
Hawkins  died  at  Fall  River  Feb.  6,  1910.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hawkins  were  born  children : 
Harry,  who  died  aged  four  years ;  Edward  L. ; 
and  Ada  Pooler,  who  was  married  Dec.  12, 
1908,  to  John  D.  Eddy,  of  Fall  River. 

Harriet  Rosamond  Hawkins  married  George 
W.  Dougherty,  and  died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  She  had  three 
children:  Emily  Hyde,  who  married  Archi- 
bald Boyd,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  Henry  H.,  and 
Gertrude. 

Edwin  Montgomery  Hawkins,  born  Dec. 
23,  1839,  spent  his  schooldays  in  Fall  River. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  began  clerking 
for  the  N.  B.  Borden  Company,  and  when  his 
father  took  the  lime,  coal,  brick  and  cement 
end  of  the  business  went  with  him,  finally  suc- 
ceeding his  father.  About  1890  he  retired 
from  active  business  pursuits,  though  for  some 
years  thereafter  he  was  interested  in  the  in- 
surance line.  Mr.  Hawkins  married  Oct.  6, 
1864,  Margaret  Hapgood,  of  Bellows  Falls,  Vt. 
They  have  three  children :  Harriet  Thurber, 
born  Oct.  11,  1865,  who  married  June  14,  1899, 
Harry  H.  Townsend,  of  Taunton,  Mass.  (they 
have  no  children)  ;  Margaret  Hapgood,  born 
July  28,  1867,  who  was  married  Feb.  3,  1891, 
to  Frederic  Archer  Gee,  of  Fall  River,  and 
has  three  children;  and  Richard  Mott,  born 
Feb.  18,  1870. 

Hannah  Louisa  Hawkins  married  Albert 
Hachfield  and  is  now  deceased.  She  had  two 
children,  one  daughter  and  one  son,  both  now 
deceased. 

William  Henry  Hawkins  married  Ida  Mer- 
rill and  has  two  sons,  William  Henry  (3)  and 
George  Merrill. 

Martha  Maria  Hawkins  married  E.  H.  B. 
Brow  and  had  one  daughter,  Edith,  who  mar- 
ried Robert  C.  Davis.  Mrs.  Brow  died  in  May, 
1906. 

Edward  L.  Hawkins,  son  of  Charles  W. 
and  Melissa  M.  (Hopkins)  Hawkins,  was  born 
Feb.  18,  1866,  in  Fall  River,  Mass.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  Fall  River  high 
school  in  1886.  After  this  event  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  late  George  H.  Hawes, 
cotton  broker,  bttt  later  resigned  this  place  to 
become  a  salesman  for  Hooper  &  Buffington, 
cotton  brokers,  in  the  same  office,  where  he  re- 
mained up  to  the  time  of  his  decease.  He  had 
the  reputation  of  having  become  one  of  the 
best  cotton  salesmen  in  New  England,  and  had 


998 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  confidence  of  many  mill  men,  including 
Frank  H.  Dvvelly  and  William  S.  Potter,  with 
both  of  whom  he  was  on  terms  of  intimacy  and 
both  of  whom  passed  away  within  a  few 
months  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Hawkins. 

Mr.  Hawkins  was  a  member  of  King  Philip 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Fall  River  Royal  Arch 
Chapter,  Fall  River  Council,  Godfrey  de 
Bouillon  Commandery,  K.  T.,  and  the  Queque- 
chan  Club,  in  the  organization  of  which  he 
took  an  active  part.  He  had  a  generous,  hos- 
pitable and  kindly  disposition,  and  had  a  host 
of  friends.  He  died  on  the  morning  of  March 
25,  1908,  at  his  home.  No.  190  Winter  street. 

In  1882  Mr.  Hawkins  married  Amy  Louise 
Jackson,  only  daughter  of  Dr.  Amos  Jackson, 
and  she  survived  him  with  their  three  sons, 
in  whom  he  took  a  great  pride :  Lee  Howard, 
Edward  Jackson  and  Brooks. 

MAGLATHLIN  (Duxbury-Kingston  fam- 
ily). Since  almost  the  very  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century  the  name  and  family  of 
Maglathlin  has  been  a  continuous  one  in  that 
part  of  the  Old  Colony  which  became  Duxbury, 
in  which  community  is  located  the  ancient 
estate  and  homestead  of  the  Maglathlins  in  the 
line  of  the  late  Capt.  Henry  B.  Maglathlin, 
scholar,  teacher,  citizen  soldier,  author  and  re- 
■  former,  long  one  of  the  leading  men  not  only 
of  his  community  but  of  southeastern  Massa- 
chusetts. 

The  lineage  and  family  history  of  Captain 
Maglathlin  ju.<t  alluded  to,  chronologically 
arranged  from  the  first  American  ancestor,  fol- 
lows: 

(I)  John  Maglathlin,  according  to  tradition 
son  of  Robert  and  Isabella  (Sampson)  Mag- 
lathlin, of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  kin  to  King 
Robert  Bruce,  born  there  in  1695,  came  to 
this  country  in  1712,  and  after  a  period  in 
Maine  located  permanently  in  Duxbury.  He 
married  Margaret  Miller,  said  to  have  been  a 
native  of  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  their 
children  were:  John,  born  in  1737,  who  mar- 
ried Jedidah  Sampson;  Robert,  born  in  1740; 
Daniel,  born  in  1744;  William;  Thomas; 
Jane,  who  married  Samuel  Sampson,  of 
Kingston ;  Margaret,  born  in  1748 ;  Joseph, 
born  in  1754;  Polly,  born  in  1756;  and 
Nathaniel. 

(II)  Daniel  Maglathlin,  of  Duxbury,  son  of 
John,  born  in  1744.  married  in  1779  Asenath 
Stetson,  of  Pembroke,  and  their  cnildren  were : 
Daniel  Stetson,  born  in  1779 ;  Polly,  born  in 
1789,  who  married  Benjamin  Prior;  Sophia, 
born  in  1785,  who  married  Levi  Sampson; 
Asenath,   born   in   1786,  who   married   Joseph 


Ford;  Simeon  Hall,  born  in  1791;  Prudence, 
born  in  1792;  Lucy,  bom  in  1794;  Bartlett, 
born  in  1797;  and  Prudence,  born  in  1801, 
who  married  Joshua  W.  Hathaway,  of  Dux- 
bury. 

(III)  Bartlett  Maglathlin,  of  Duxbury,  son 
of  Daniel  and  Asenath  (Stetson)  Maglathlin, 
bom  in  1797,  married  in  1817  Maria  W., 
daughter  of  Nathan  Chandler,  of  Kingston. 
Their  children  were:  Henry  Bartlett,  bom  in 
1819;  Nathan  Chandler,  born  in  1821;  Ed- 
ward Doten,  born  in  1825;  Daniel  S.,  born  in 
1828;  Sidney  S.,  born  in  1831;  Mercer  E., 
born  in  1834;  Mary  D.,  born  in  183G,  who 
married  Levi  Ford ;  and  Isabella  S.,  who  also 
married  Levi  Ford. 

(IV)  Henry  B.  Maglathlin,  son  of  Bart- 
lett and  Maria  Weston  (Chandler)  Maglathlin, 
was  born  May  16,  1819,  in  Duxbury,  Mass. 
He  was  reared  amid  agricultural  pursuits  and 
while  yet  a  lad  remote  from  schools  he  thought 
of  acquiring  a  collegiate  education  and  set 
liimself  about  to  obtain  it.  In  time  he  engaged 
as  an  operator  in  a  cotton  factory,  working 
fourteen  hours  a  day  as  a  means  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  his  cherished  hope ;  and  when  six- 
teen he  began  teaching  school.  By  the  savings 
thus  earned,  and  by  dint  of  perseverance  in  the 
face  of  many  obstacles,  he  was  enabled  to  pre- 
pare for  college  and  take  the  course  of  study 
at  Harvard  University,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1843.  Not  content  with  this  he 
thereafter  continued  his  studies  there  some 
three  years  longer,  and  in  1846  he  graduated 
from  the  Harvard  Divinity  School.  He  sub- 
sequently had  charge  of  a  classical  institute 
in  the  State  of  Maine,  but  this,  owing  to  poor 
health,  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  after  an 
experience  of  three  years. 

In  1849  Mr.  Maglathlin  published  an  educa- 
tional work,  of  which  twenty-five  editions  were 
sold.  In  that  same  year  he  accepted  from 
bis  publishers  a  business  agency  with  the  view 
of  regaining  his  health  by  traveling,  and  he 
spent  several  years  in  this  occupation,  visiting 
various  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
and  forming  many  acquaintances.  From  1856 
to  1862  he  was  occupied  largely  with  editorial 
labors,  associated  with  Benjamin  Greenleaf, 
the  well-known  mathematician,  in  re-writing 
the  National  Arithmetic,  and  in  composing  the 
Elementary  Algebra,  Geometry  and  Trigonom- 
etry in  the  Greenleaf  series.  From  1870  to 
1873  he  was  engaged  with  the  late  Prof.  Daniel 
B.  Hagar,  principal  of  the  Massachusetts 
State  norma]  school  at  Salem,  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  mathematical  works  which  were  pub- 
li'^hed   in   Philadelphia.     In   the   extension   of 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


999 


ihe  Greenleaf  series  he  prepared  on  his  own 
account,  in  1877,  the  Manual  of  Intellectual 
Arithmetic,  and  in  1881  the  First  Lessons  in 
Numbers,  Brief  Course  in  Arithmetic,  Com- 
plete Arithmetic.  His  arithmetics  in  the 
Greenleaf  series  have  attained  a  remarkable 
popularity,  bein^  used  extensively  in  different 
parts  of  this  country  and  also  in  some  of  the 
English  provinces.  The  National  Arithmetic 
has  been  translated  into  Spanish,  and  several 
other  books  of  the  series  have  been  republishecj 
outside  of  the  United  States.  In  1896  he 
issued  revised  and  improved  editions  of  the 
Brief  Course  in  Arithmetic,  and  of  the  Com- 
plete Arithmetic.  In  1863  he  was  honored  by 
Tufts  College  with  an  appointment  to  the 
mathematical  examination   committee. 

In  1861  his  native  town  with  tliat  of  Dux- 
bury  honored  Mr.  Maglathlin  with  a  seat  in 
t'le  lower  house  of  the  General  Court,  and  after 
the  adjournment  in  1862,  at  a  town  meeting 
held  in  Du.xbury,  he  headed  the  enlistment 
Tinder  a  call  for  volunteers  to  assist  in  putting 
down  the  Rebellion.  Although  without  mili- 
tary knowledge  or  experience  he  was  made 
-commander  of  a  company  which  had  been 
raised  mostly  by  his  efforts,  which  company 
tecame  a  part  of  the  4th  Massachusetts  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  The  latter  became  a  part  of  the 
25th  Army  Corps,  Department  of  the  Gulf. 
At  the  surrender  of  Port  Hudson, 'which  in  the 
language  of  President  Lincoln  allowed  the 
Mississippi  to  "run  unvexed  to  the  sea,"  Cap- 
tain Maglathlin  had  charge  of  the  parallels  at 
"the  extreme  front.  He  was  in  all  the  expedi- 
tions and  engagements  of  his  regiment  and 
Teturned  home  with  an  honorable  war  record. 

Captain  Maglathlin  early  was  given  recogni- 
tion for  his  educational  work.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  school  committee  of  Water- 
ville,  Maine,  in  1847;  of  the  school  committee 
of  Duxbury  (for  three  years)  in  1857;  of  the 
school  committee  of  Kingston  (for  three 
years)  in  1890,  and  again  in  1893.  At  the 
time  of  his  retirement  from  the  board  at  the 
close  of  his  last  term,  the  average  attendance 
of  the  Kingston  schools  ranked  first  in  the 
county  of  Plymouth.  While  in  the  Massachu- 
setts Assembly  he  served  on  the  joint  commit- 
tee on  Education.  The  town  of  Kingston  in 
1896  chose  Captain  Maglathlin  a  member  of 
ihe  committee  for  carrying  out  the  will  of 
Frederick  C.  Adams,  for  the  establishment  of 
a  public  library. 

Captain  Maglathlin  was  publicly  identified 
in  1870  with  labor  matters,  when,  being  ur- 
gently solicited,  he  consented  to  lead  a  forlorn 
liope  as  a  Labor  Reform  candidate  for  coun- 


cilor for  the  Fijst  District  of  Massachusetts. 
He  was  handsomely  supported  by  members  of 
different  parties,  receiving  about  4,500  votes. 
The  next  year  he  was  the  nominee  of  the  same 
party  for  secretary  of  State.  He  had  been  a 
member  of  the  Sovereigns  of  Industry, 
Knights  of  Labor,  and  other  similar  associa- 
tions for  the  improvement  of  the  industrial 
classes.  He  was  for  years  an  earnest  advocate 
of  cooperation,  distributive  and  productive. 
For  several  years  Captain  Maglathlin  was  the 
president  of  a  cooperative  foundry  company; 
and  the  Cooperative  store  at  Silver  Lake, 
Kingston,  founded  June  14,  1875,  under  his 
management  for  more  than  twenty-five  years 
notably  prospered,  it  being  the  longest  Ameri- 
can trial  of  the  Rockdale  plan.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  central  board  of  the  Coopera- 
tive Union  of  America  at  its  founding  in  1895. 

Until  the  year  1886,  excepting  the  year  he 
was  in  Maine,  Mr.  Maglathlin  lived  on  the 
ancestral  estate  in  Duxbury,  where  had  lived 
his  great-grandfather,  grandfather  and  father. 
After  that  he  lived  at  Silver  Lake,  a  hamlet 
in  Kingston,  and  there  his  death  occurred 
after  a  long  illness  Feb.  17,  1910,  when  he 
was  aged  almost  ninety-one  years. 

On  June  1,  1854,  Captain  Maglathlin  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Wadsworth,  born  in  Dux- 
bury March  21,  1827,  daughter  of  Dura  and 
Abigail  (Cushman)  Wiadsworth.  She  died 
Oct.  2,  1906,  after  a  wedded  life  of  fifty-two 
years,  and  was  buried  in  Evergreen  cemetery, 
Kingston.  Their  children  were:  (1)  Abby, 
born  May  21,  1855,  married  in  October,  1878, 
George  F.  Lane,  and  died  Jan.  25,  1880  (no 
issue).  (2)  Arthur,  born  Aug.  11,  1857,  in 
Duxbury,  Mass.,  resided  at  Whitman,  Mass., 
and  died  June  9,  1911,  at  the  Homeopathic 
Hospital,  Boston ;  he  married  Eudora  Lobdell, 
of  Plympton,  and  they  had  four  children,  Maria 
Weston,  Clarence  Murton,  Cnester  Arthur 
and  Leona  Gertrude.  (3)  Alice,  born  June 
19,  1862,  married  July  26,  1883,  Edmund 
Bradford,  of  Silver  Lake,  and  has  two  children, 
Gilbert  (born  April  25,  1890)  and  Myrtle  E. 
(born  July  29,  1897). 

ABRAM  TAYLOR  BRIGGS  has  for  years 
been  one  of  the  substantial,  conservative  busi- 
ness men  and  esteemed  and  respected  citizens 
of  Taunton.  Like  his  father,  the  late  Abra- 
ham Briggs,  he  is  a  mason  by  trade,  and  has 
made  for  himself  in  his  business  as  a  con- 
tractor a  reputation  for  the  execution  of  good 
work  and  honorable  dealing  that  has  given  him 
a  hifirh  standing  in  business  circles. 

From    the    Saxon    word    Briggs,    meaning 


1000 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Bridge,  comes  the  surname  Bnggs,  which  is 
early  known  in  England.  "William  atte 
Brigge  of  Salle"  is  mentioned  in  the  records 
of  Edward  I.  and  Edward  II.  about  1272,  and 
the  family  of  Briggs  in  Norfolk  trace  their 
descent  from  him.  Various  branches  of  the 
family  in  England  have  coats  of  arms  and  its 
members   include   many   distinguished   men. 

There  were  several  of  the  name  who  came 
early  to  New  England,  among  them  Clement 
and  John  Briggs,  to  whom  many  of  the  Briggs 
name  in  and  about  what  was  original  Taunton 
trace  their  line.  Clement  Briggs,  immigrant 
to  New  England,  came  from  Southwarke, 
England,  and  to  Plymouth  Colony  in  1621  in 
the  ship  "Fortune."  He  was  in  Weymouth  in 
1633.  He  shared  in  the  division  of  cattle  in 
Plymouth  in  1627,  and  owned  land  at  Jones 
Swamp  in  1639.  He  was  an  innholder  in 
Weymouth  in  1660  and  earlier.  His  will  was 
proved  Oct.  24,  1650,  bequeathing  to  wife,  to 
sons  Thomas,  Jonathan,  Clement,  David  and 
Remember.  The  last  named,  as  well  as  John, 
who  died  early,  was  born  to  a  second  wife. 

John  Briggs  was  one  of  the  company  who 
formed  a  body  "Polytick"  at  Portsmouth,  in 
Aquidneck,  R.  I.,  April  30,  1639,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  and  became  an  influential 
man  in  the  Colony.  He  was  an  assistant  in 
1648  and  also  constable  that  year  and  in  1651. 
In  1649  he  was  authorized  to  keep  an  ordinary, 
which  he  continued  to  keep  for  many  years;  at 
which  the  courts  met,  as  well  as  the  town 
authorities.  He  was  a  commissioner  from  1654 
to  1656,  also  in  1659,  1661  and  1662.  He  was 
a  town  magistrate  in  1653  and  1656.  He 
bought  of  the  Dartmouth  Purchase  in  1662. 
In  March,  1678-79,  he  gives  to  his  son  Thomas 
and  Mary,  his  wife,  thirty-five  acres  of  the 
Dartmouth  Purchase.  In  October,  1679,  he 
gives  to  his  son  John  land  in  the  Dartmouth 
Purchase.  By  his  will  of  April  lii,  1690,  pro- 
bated 9,  17,  1690,  he  gives  to  sons  Enoch,  old- 
est son  John,  son  Thomas  and  daughter  Su- 
sanna Northway  and  son  Job. 

Through  Thomas  Briggs,  son  of  John,  have 
descended  the  Dartmouth  Briggses.  Thomas 
Briggs  married  Mary  Fisher,  and  their  child- 
ren were:  Mary,  Susanna,  Deborah,  Hannah, 
John  and  Thomas  (see  Leonard  Papers,  New 
Bedford  Library). 

There  were  in  1675  the  following  heads  of 
families  of  the  Briggs  name  in  Taunton : 
Hugh,  Jonathan,  Richard  and  William 
Briggs,  the  three  last  named  judged  to  be  sons 
of  Clement  Briggs  alluded  to  in  the  foregoing 
(see  Savage,  Vol.  I,  pp.  251-252). 

Jonathan    Briggs,    of    Taunton,    had    Jona- 


than, born  in  1668;  and  David,  born  in  1669. 
Richard  Briggs,  of  Taunton,  married  in  166:2 
Rebecca  Hoskins  and  had  William,  born  in 
1663;  Rebecca,  born  in  1665;  Richard,  born  in 
1668;  John,  born  in  1673;  Joseph,  born  in 
1674;  and  Benjamin,  born  in  1677.  William 
Briggs,  of  Taunton,  married  in  1666  Sarah 
Macumber,  and  their  children  were :  William, 
born  in  1668;  Thomas,  born  in  1669,  and 
Sarah  the  next  day;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1672; 
Mary,  born  in  1674;  Matthew,  born  in  1677; 
John,  born  in  1680;  and  Amos. 

Amos  Briggs,  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Macumber)  Briggs,  and  probably  grandson 
nf  Clement  Briggs,  the  immigrant,  resided  in 
that  part  of  Taunton  that  later  became  the 
town  of  Berkley.  He  married  at  Taunton  in 
1706  Sarah  Paine;  also  was  a  resident  of  Free- 
town, but  died  in  Berkley  leaving  posterity  in 
Berkley  and   Freetown. 

John  Briggs,  brother  of  Amos  (above),  mar- 
ried Hannah  Rocket  and  located  in  the  town 
of  Norton.  (There  lived  in  Norton  a  Deacon 
John  Briggs,  who  was  a  son  of  Richard  Briggs 
and  grandson  of  Clement.) 

Thomas  Briggs,  brother  of  John  and  Amos 
(above),  born  in  1669,  married  Abigail 
Thayer,  and  through  their  sons,  Thomas 
Briggs  (2)  and  Nathaniel  Briggs,  who  settled 
in  the  town  of  Rehoboth,  came  some  of  the 
Briggses  of  that  town. 

Jonathan  Briggs  was  an  associate  preacher 
of  the  Taunton  South  Purchase  in  1672.  This 
in  1712  was  incorporated  as  the  town  of 
Dighton,  where  have  lived  many  of  the  Briggs 
name.  Dighton  in  the  beginning  included  the 
territory  that  a  little  later  became  the  town 
of  Berkley. 

James  Briggs,  of  Dighton,  whose  connection 
with  the  earlier  Taunton  Briggses  outlined  in 
the  foregoing  we  have  not  been  able  to  make, 
and  who  is  the  ancestor  of  the  special  family 
here  noticed,  was  married  Nov.  26.  1746.  to 
Anne  Pitt.  He  died  May  31,  1753.  Their 
rbildren  of  Dighton  town  record  were:  James, 
born  Dec.  20,  1747-48;  Job,  born  Sept.  29, 
1750;  and  Abigail,  bom  Oct.  6,  1752. 

James  Briggs,  horn  Dec.  20,  1747-48,  died 
Aug.  16,  1813.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lution. On  May  7,  1767,  he  married  Hannah 
Shaw,  born  March  13,  1744,  died  Feb.  10, 
1835.  Their  children  were:  James,  born  July 
3,  1768;  Nancy,  July  15,  1770;  Olive,  April 
15,  1772;  Zebina,  July  10,  1774;  George 
Washington,  June  27,  1776;  Polly,  Aug.  9, 
1778;  Guilford,  Aug.  19,  1780;  Mathew,  Sept. 
21,  1782;  Abraham,  May  8,  1784;  and  Peggy, 
Nov.  3,  1788. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1001 


Mathew  Briggs,  son  of  James  and  Hannah 
(Shaw),  born  Sept.  21,  1788,  married  Aug. 
30,  1817,  Elizabeth  Walker,  of  Dighton,  born 
April  29,  1791.  He  died  July  12,  1857,  and 
she  died  Nov.  28,  1864.  Their  children  were: 
Mathew,  Jr.,  born  June  29,  1818  (died  Feb. 
26,  1886);  Elizabeth,  Sept.  10,  1820;  Abra- 
ham, March  24,  1823  (died  March  4,  1887)  ; 
Amelia,  June  6,  1826  (died  April  1,  1856) ; 
Charles  Henry,  April  15,  1829;  and  William 
James,  Feb.  2,  1834   (died  Aug.  13,  1887). 

Abraham  Briggs,  son  of  Mathew  and  Eliza- 
beth, born  March  24,  1823,  died  March  4, 
.1887.  He  married  March  26,  1848,  Betsey 
Atwood  Wright,  bom  Jan.  18,  1831,  daughter 
of  James  and  Eunice  (Atwood)  Wright,  of 
Carver.  She  died  Dec.  15,  1901.  Their  child- 
ren were:  Abram  T.,  born  Dec.  17,  1848; 
Elizabeth  A.,  bom  Nov.  16,  1850,  who  married 
Sept.  29,  1885,  Herbert  N.  Pierce,  and  died 
July  1,  1894;  and  James  M.,  born  Oct.  17, 
1854,  who  married  Oct.  11,  1882,  Sarah  A. 
White,  and  died  Jan.  2,  1885. 

Abraham  Briggs  "was  a  most  truthful  and 
honorable  man,  of  excellent  judgment  and  a 
hard  worker,  and  he  never  wasted  either  time 
or  words.  His  word  was  to  be  taken  for  any- 
thing, and  no  one  ever  thought  of  questioning 
his  sincerity.  He  was  a  good  husband  and 
kind  father,  and  one  of  the  best  of  citizens. 
Many  instances  could  be  related  of  his  benevo- 
lence and  kindness  of  heart,  for  'do  unto 
others  as  I  would  they  should  do  unto  me'  was 
ever  a  part  of  his  creed,  and  his  life  was  replete 
with  services  to  those  among  whom  he  lived.  He 
was  a  great  admirer  of  nature,  enjoying  fre- 
quent visits  to  his  farm  in  Dighton  where  he 
was  born,  and  taking  a  deep  interest  and 
pleasure  in  its  cultivation.  It  was,  however, 
amid  the  piney  vales  of  Cape  Cod  and  foliage 
of  the  dying  year,  with  his  gun,  a  favorite 
hound  and  congenial  friends,  that  he  found  the 
pastime  which  he  preferred.  Upon  all  these 
occasions  his  was  a  truly  coveted  presence,  and 
■who  is  there  that  ever  drove  with  him  over  a 
country  road,  or  accompanied  him  on  an  ex- 
cursion by  rail  or  joined  with  him  in  the  field 
of  sports  which  he  loved  so  well,  that  does 
not  recall  him  with  the  kindest  remembrance? 
He  was  one  of  the  prominent  men  in  business 
and  political  circles  of  the  city.  He  served  the 
city  in  various  capacities  at  different  times, 
and  always  with  a  zeal  and  a  display  of  sound 
judgment  which  redounded  to  nis  credit  as 
well  as  to  that  of  the  people  who  honored 
themselves  in  honoring  him.  He  was  street 
commissioner  from  the  time  Taunton  became 
a   city,   chief   of  the   fire   department  during 


the  year  1857,  selectman  for  the  year  1864, 
served  in  the  Legislature  during  the  term  of 
1865,  was  alderman  from  Ward  One  during 
the  year  1867  (elected  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  elevation  of  Alderman  Ehodes 
to  the  mayoralty)  and  assessor  during  the 
years  1870-71-72.  He  was  a  master  builder, 
and  left  more  monuments  to  his  industry  than 
any  other  man  who  ever  lived  in  Taunton. 
x\mong  the  prominent  stone  and  brick  struc- 
tures built  by  him  may  be  mentioned  the  Whit- 
tenton  mills;  St.  Thomas,  Broadway  and 
Grace  churches;  vestry  of  the  Unitarian 
church;  Cedar  street  chapel  (now  known  as 
Plistorical  Hall) ;  also  the  Weir  and  Whitten- 
ton  grammar  schoolhouses;  the  Old  Colony 
passenger  station ;  Eagle  mill ;  Westminster 
House;  Taunton  and  Walnut  street  oil  cloth 
works;  the  city  engine  house;  the  central  gas 
holder  of  the  Taunton  Gas  Company;  Jones's, 
Hoye's  and  the  Stanley  blocks;  and  those  por- 
tions of  the  Union  block  now  occupied  by 
Colby  &  Co.,  E.  H.  Reed,  Salmon  Washburn, 
and  also  that  portion  under  the  control  of 
Isaac  Washburn;  besides  many  others  which 
cannot  be  called  to  mind." 

Abram  Taylor  Briggs,  son  of  Abraham  and 
Betsey  A.,  was  born  Dec.  17,  1848,  in  Taunton, 
Mass.,  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city.  While  still  a  young  man, 
he  developed  a  desire  to  learn  his  father's 
trade,  and  under  the  latter's  wise  direction  be- 
came proficient  in  the  trade  and  business,  and 
well  trained  in  the  ordinary  business  principles 
of  life.  At  the  death  of  his  father  he  suc- 
ceeded- to  the  business,  which  he  has  since  car- 
ried on  alone,  meeting  with  that  success  one 
might  predict  for  a  man  of  his  energy,  indus- 
try and  conservative  management.  Mr.  Briggs 
is  worthily  bearing  the  family  name  and  sus- 
taining its  reputation. 

On  Nov.  25,  1879,  Mr.  Briggs  was  married 
to  Mary  Ella  Wrigley,  daughter  of  George 
W.  and  Charlotte  (Darke)  Wrigley,  of  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  and  they  have  children :  George 
Wright,  born  Feb.  "l7,  1881;  James  Abram, 
Sept.  29,  1887;  Rufus  W.,  Jan.  19,  1889;  and 
Howard  A.,  May  12,  1890.  The  eldest,  George 
Wright  Briggs,  was  married  June  26,  1908,  to 
Sophia  Reed,  born  Aug.  27,  1881,  and  they 
have  had  two  children,  Julian  Reed,  born  May 
11,  1909,  who  died  May  16,  1909,  and  George 
Wright,  Jr.,  born  Oct.  17,  1910.  James 
Abram  Briggs  was  married  Aug.  31,  1910,  to 
Lilla  Bunker. 

ANDREW  BERNARD  CUSHMAN,  M.  D., 
fellow  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical   Society, 


1002 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  one  of  the  best  known  professional  men  of 
southern  Bristol  county,  was  born  at  East 
Freetown,  Mass.,  July  19,  1856.  He  is  a 
descendant  in  the  tenth  generation  from  Eob- 
-ert  Cushman,  the  immigrant  ancestor,  from 
whom  we  give  a  brief  history  of  the  line. 

(I)  Robert  Cushman,  a  wool  carder,  of  Can- 
terbury, England,  married  at  Leyden,  Holland, 
June  3,  1617,  Mary,  widow  of  Thomas 
Chingleton,  of  Sandwich,  England.  He  was 
associated  with  William  Brewster  as  agent  of 
the  Leyden  Church  in  negotiations  for  re- 
moval. He  came  to  New  England  in  the 
"Fortune,"  in  1621,  bringing  with  him  his 
only  son,  Thomas.  He  returned  to  England 
■on  business  of  the  Colony,  and  died  there  in 
1626.  He  left  his  son  Thomas  in  the  care  of 
Governor  Bradford. 

(II)  Thomas  Cushman,  son  of  Robert,  born 
in  February,  1608,  in  England,  accompanied 
lis  father  to  Plymouth  in  1621  in  the  ship 
"Fortune,"  and  became  an  important  man  here 
in  church  and  colony.  He  married  about  1635 
Mary  Allerton,  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620 ;  and 
they  lived  together  the  long  period  of  fifty-five 
years,  she  surviving  him  nearly  ten  years.  Mr. 
Cushman  was  chosen  and  ordained  elder  of  the 
Plymouth  Church  in  1649,  and  was  forty-three 
years  in  that  office.  He  died  Dec.  11,  1691. 
The  children  of  Mr.  Cushman  and  wife  were: 
Thomas,  born  in  1637;  Sarah;  Lydia ;  Isaac, 
born  in  1647-48;  Elkanah,  born  in  1651; 
Feare,  born  in  1653;  Eleazer,  born  in  1656- 
57;  and  Mary. 

(III)  Thomas  Cushman  (2),  born  Sept.  16, 
1637,  married  (first)  in  1664  Ruth,  daughter 
of  John  Howland,  of  the  "Mayflower."  She 
died  between  May  25,  1672,  and  her  husband's 
remarriage,  which  occurred  Oct.  16,  1679, 
when  he  married  Abigail  Fuller,  of  Rehoboth, 
and  both  were  members  of  the  church  at 
Plympton.  He  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the 
highway  that  leads  from  Plympton  meeting- 
house to  the  north  part  of  the  town,  and  "Col- 
chester Brook"'  ran  through  liis  farm,  which 
contained  a  large  quantity  of  land.  He  died 
Aug.  23,  1726,  aged  eighty-nine  years,  and 
was  interred  in  the  Centre  burying  ground  at 
Plympton.  His  children  were :  Robert,  born 
Oct.  4,  1664;  Job,  born  about  1680;  Bartholo-' 
mew,  born  in  1684;  Samuel,  born  July  16, 
1687;  Benjamin,  born  in  1691. 

(IV)  Robert  Cushman,  born  Oct.  4,  1664, 
married  (first)  Persis,  who  died  Jan.  14,  1743- 
44,  and  at  eighty  -years  of  age  he  married 
(second)  in  Feijruary,  1744-45,  Prudence 
Sherman,  of  Marshfield.  He  lived  to  be 
ninety-two    years,    eleven    months,    three    days 


old.  His  children  were:  Robert,  born  July 
2,  1698;  Ruth,  born  March  25,  1700;  Abigail, 
born  July  3,  1701 ;  Hannah,  born  Dec.  25, 
1704;  Thomas,  born  Feb.  14,  1706;  Joshua, 
born  Oct.  14,  1708;  and  Jonathan,  born  July 
28,   1712. 

(V)  Joshua  Cushman,  born  Oct.  14,  1708, 
married  (first)  Jan.  2,  1733,  Mary,  born  Dec. 
6,  1706,  daughter  of  Josiah  Soule,  of  Duxbury, 
and  (second)  March  5,  1752,  Deborah  Ford, 
of  Marshfield,  born  in  1718.  Mr.  Cushman 
settled  in  Duxbury,  coming  thither  from  Leba- 
non, Conn.  His  children  were :  Joseph,  born 
in  1733;  Molly,  born  in  1736;  Joshua; 
Cephas ;  Soule  ;  Paul ;  Apollos ;  Ezra ;  Con- 
sider; Robert;  Mial,  and  Deborah. 

(VI)  Cephas  Cushman,  baptized  in  1746, 
married  in  1767  Judith,  born  in  1750, 
daughter  of  Ezekiel  Clark.  They  lived  in 
Mattapoisett  and  Rochester,  Mass.,  where  he 
was  deacon  in  the  Congregational  Church 
under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Lemuel  LeBarron. 
Mr.  Cushman  was  for  a  period  engaged  in  the 
whaling  business.  He  was  later  a  farmer  and 
also  shoemaker.  He  died  in  1815,  and  she  in 
1833.  Their  children  were:  Ezekiel,  born 
Nov.  5,  1768,  is  mentioned  below;  Cephas, 
born  Oct.  13,  1770,  died  unmarried  in  1836; 
Ezra,  born  March  10,  1772,  married  Mrs. 
Allis  Babcock,  of  New  Bedford;  Joshua,  born 
Nov.  17,  1773,  died  Dec.  23,  1850,  unmarried; 
Mary,  born  Sept.  2,  1775,  married  Capt.  Moses 
Rogers,  of  Mattapoisett ;  Rebecca,  born  Sept. 
17,  1777,  married  Ansel  Jenney,  of  New  Bed- 
ford; Allerton,  born  March  4,  1779,  married 
Sally  Bryant,  of  Plympton ;  Hannah,  born 
May  2,  1781,  married  Capt.  Ebenezer  Hatha- 
way, of  New  Bedford;  Judith,  born  Oct.  21, 
1782,  married  Abisha  Rogers,  of  Martha's 
Vineyard,  and  resided  at  Mattapoisett ;  Aaron, 
born  Oct.  16,  1784,  married  Mary  Shaw,  of 
Fairhaven;  Benjamin,  born  April  16,  1787, 
married  Laura  Bryant,  of  Plympton;  CJardner 
was  born  March  19,  1790 ;  Asenath,  born  Jan. 
1,  1793,  married  Leonard  Hammond,  of  Mat- 
tapoisett ;  Deborah,  born  July  14,  1794,  mar- 
ried Holden  Gillett,  of  Mattapoisett;  and 
Thomas,  born  Dec.  6,  1797,  died  at  sea,  un- 
married. 

(VII)  Elder  Ezekiel  Cushman,  bom  Nov. 
5,  1768,  married  Oct.  4,  1793,  Abigail  Toby, 
born  Nov.  8,  1770,  in  Rochester.  Mr.  Cush- 
man was  a  member  and  became  a  deacon  and 
still  later  elder  of  the  Christian  Baptist 
Church  at  North  Fairhaven.  He  was  occupied 
as  a  farmer  and  shoemaker.  He  died  Dec.  2, 
1831,  in  Rochester,  Mass.  His  wife,  "Abigail, 
died  Aug.  26,  1832 ;  she,  too,  was  a  member  of 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1003 


the  Christian  Church  at  Long  Plain,  North 
Fairhaven.  Their  children  were :  Sophia,  born 
Oct.  11,  179-1,  married  Caleb  Bryant,  of  New 
Bedford;  James  Harvey,  born  Oct.  24,  1795, 
married  Mrs.  Sears;  Almira,  born  Dec.  14, 
1796,  married  (first)  John  Davis,  and  (sec- 
ond) Major  Poole;  Bartlett,  born  Feb.  12, 
1798,  is  mentioned  below;  Elizabetii,  born 
May  26,  1799,  married  Ansel  Weeks  (2)  ; 
Gibson,  born  Aug.  26,  1800,  married  Oct.  31, 
1824,  Susan  H.  Purrington;  and  Abigail  was 
born  Jan.  19.  1802. 

(VIII)  Elder  Bartlett  Cushman,  born  Feb. 
12,  1798,  in  Rochester,  Mass.,  married  April 
7,  1818,  Sarah  Simmons,  born  Aug.  28,  1799, 
in  New  Bedford.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  young 
Cushman  entertained  a  hope  in  Christ,  and 
joined  the  church  with  his  parents,  and  when 
seventeen  years  old  commenced  holding  meet- 
ings in  schoolhouses  and  private  dwellings, 
and  had  some  fruit  of  his  labors  in  the  revival 
of  the  work  of  God.  He  ever  afterward  con- 
tinued in  the  work  of  the  Master.  He  was  a 
zealous  advocate  of  a  pure,  unadulterated 
Christianity,  as  he  understood  it.  He  resided 
in  Rochester,  Dartmouth  and  Freetown.  For 
many  years  his  expenses  in  traveling  and 
preaching  were  considerably  more  than  he  re- 
ceived. He  was  ordained  an  elder  in  the 
Christian  Church. 

Elder  Cushman  died  at  his  home  in  East 
Freetown,  Mass.,  after  a  brief  sicKness,  May  9, 
1852,  in  the  prime  of  life  and  usefulness.  The 
following  concerning  him  is  extracted  from  an 
obituary  notice  that  appeared  in  local  news- 
papers: "His  opportunities  lor  intellectual 
improvement  in  early  life  being  very  limited, 
of  course  his  acquirements  were  not  extensive. 
As  a  preacher  his  discourses  were  usually  ex- 
perimental and  practical,  and  delivered  with 
such  self-apparent  sincerity  and  earnestness 
of  manner  as  seldom  failed  to  interest  both 
saint  and  sinner,  and  to  comfort  and  edify  the 
one,  and  deeply  to  impress  the  other.  But, 
probably,  it  was  as  counselor  and  adviser  that 
he  excelled.  He  was  endowed  with  a  'sound 
mind  and  a  discriminating  judgment  so  that 
he  perceived  readily  and  spoke  promptly,  and 
generally  with  as  much  accuracy  as  is  common 
to  human  frailty.  With  great  uniformity  and 
consistency  he  maintained  his  religious  pro- 
fession and  character,  and  when  otliers  turned 
aside  to  vain  jangling  he  persevered  in  well 
doing,  and  has  ever  been  a  man  of  firmness 
and  stability." 

Elder  Cushman  was  survived  by  his  wife  and 
three  children.  His  children  were :  Susan 
Shepard,  born  in  January,  1819,  married  Levi 


R.  Mason,  of  Freetown,  and  resided  in  New 
Bedford;  Ezekiel  Stephen  was  born  in  1821; 
Francis  Bartlett,  born  June  26,  1826,  is  men- 
tioned below;  and  Sarah,  born  Sept.  15,  1829, 
died  in  infancy. 

(IX)  Francis  Bartlett  Cusnman,  son  of 
Elder  Bartlett  Cushman,  born  June  26,  1826, 
was  a  member  of  Company  C,  18th  Massachu- 
setts Volunteers,  serving  in  the  Civil  war,  and 
died  of  typhoid  pneumonia  May  13,  1868,  on 
Bedloe's  Island,  in  New  York  harbor,  whither 
he  had  been  taken  after  being  wounded  at  the 
battle  of  Yorktown.  On  Jan.  29,  1851,  he 
married  Charity  S.  Ashley,  a  member  of  the 
.Ashley  family  of  South  Carolina,  and  to  them 
were  born  two  children :  Sarah  B.,  born  Aug. 
28,  1852,  who  married  William  T.  Wilcox,  of 
New  Bedford,  Aug.  28,  1872,  and  died  April 
12  or  13,  1901;  and  Andrew  Bernard,  bom 
July  19,  1856. 

(X)  Andrew  Bernard  Cushman  was  left 
fatherless  in  his  sixth  year.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  New 
Bedford,  working  at  various  pursuits  during 
vacations  and  at  odd  prices,  and  yet  notwith- 
standing the  obstacles  that  he  knew  would  con- 
front him  he  determined  to  study  medicine. 
In  1883  he  began  under  the  tutorship  of  Dr. 
Stephen  W.  Hayes,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  well  grounded  in  the  principles,  and  he 
then  entered  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Vermont,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  July  19,  1886,  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  In  that  same  year  he  began 
practice  at  South  Dartmouth,  where  he  has 
since  been  successfully  engaged.  In  1898  he 
was  made  counselor  for  the  Bristol  South  Dis- 
trict. 

Dr.  Cushman  has  given  considerable  time  to 
public  affairs,  being  keenly  interested  in  the 
progress  and  well-being  of  his  home  town.  He 
has  served  on  the  school  committee  for  twenty- 
one  consecutive  years,  is  physician  for  that 
committee,  is  a  trustee  of  the  Southworth 
library,  being  much  interested  in  literary  af- 
fairs, and  is  physician  to  the  overseers  of  the 
poor,  which  office  he  has  held  for  twenty-three 
years.  He  is  medical  examiner  for  several  in- 
surance companies.  Dr.  Cushman  is  a  promi- 
nent Mason,  belonging  to  Eureka  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  New  Bedford,  Adoniram  Chapter, 
R.  A.  M.,  Taunton  Council,  Royal  &  Select 
Masters,  and  Sutton  Commandery,  K.  T.,  all 
of  New  Bedford.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  a  member  of 
the  Alumni  Association  of  the  University  of 
Vermont  and  a  member  of  the  Delta  Mu  fra- 
ternity. 


1004 


SOUTHEASTEBN  MASSACHUSETTS 


On  Aug.  22,  1887,  Dr.  Cushman  married 
Edith  H.,  daughter  of  Thomas  L.  and  Mary 
(Hamblin)  Allen,  and  they  have  had  three 
children,  Helen  A.,  Robert  W.  and  Ruth  B. 

MILLER  (Middleboro  family).  (I)  John 
Miller,  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1624,  was 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Inquest,  Middleboro, 
in  1672.  He  was  among  the  proprietors  of 
fhe  Twenty-six  Men's  Purchase  (1661-62)  at 
their  meeting  in  1677.  Previous  to  April  29, 
1678,  he  bought  a  house  lot  of  Edward  Gray. 
He  was  the,  owner  of  Lot  154  in  the  South 
Purchase  (1673),  and  was  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  Sixteen  Shilling  Purchase  (1675).  Mr. 
Miller  lived  on  Thompson  street  not  far  from 
the  brook  in  Middleboro,  near  the  house  of  the 
late  Elijah  Shaw.  He  died  May  11,  1720,  in 
the  ninety-seventh  year  of  his  age.  His  monu- 
ment stands  in  the  cemetery  at  the  "Green," 
where  rest  the  remains  of  six  or  more  genera- 
tions of  his  descendants.  The  Christian  name 
of  his  wife  was  Mercy,  and  their  children  were : 
John,  Mary  and  P^lizabetli. 

(II)  John  Miller  (2),  son  of  John,  born  in 
1669,  married  Lydia,  born  in  1678,  daughter 
of  Francis  and  Deborah  (Morton)  Coombs. 
Mr.  Miller  lived  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  where 
he  died  in  1727.    His  wife  died  in  1734. 

(III)  John  Miller  (3),  son  of  John  and 
Lydia  (Coombs)  Miller,  born  in  1704,  mar- 
ried Priscilla,  born  in  1711,  daughter  of  Peter 
Bennett  (born  in  1678  and  died  in  1749)  and 
his  wife  Priscilla  (Howland)  (born  in  1681), 
daughter  of  Isaac  Howland  (bom  in  1649  and 
died  in  1724)  and  his  wife  Elizabeth 
(Vaughn)  (born  in  1652  and  died  in  1727), 
granddaughter  of  John  Howland  and  his  wife 
Elizabeth  (Tilley),  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620. 
Mr.  Miller  died  in  1794.  The  children  of 
Jolin  and  Priscilla  (Bennett)  Miller  were: 
Mary,  bom  Jan.  25,  1736,  died  March  4,  1812; 
John,  born  Dee.  7,  1737,  died  in  1807;  Seth, 
born  Feb.  22,  1739,  died  Jan.  6,  1823;  Joseph, 
born  Jan.  8,  1741,  died  Nov.  8,  1838;  Jedidah, 
born  Aug.  30,  1743,  died  in  1810;  Priscilla, 
born  May  19,  1745,  died  March  18,  1837; 
Lucy,  born  Sept.  20,  1747,  died  March  10, 
1835;  Peter,  born  March  31,  1750,  died' March 
15,   1835. 

(IV)  Peter  Miller,  son  of  Jolm  and  Pris- 
cilla (Bennett)  Miller,  born  in  Middleboro 
March  31,  1750,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  and  died  March  15,  1835.  He 
married  March  21,  1780,  Keziah  Besse.  Their 
children  were:  Lucy,  born  Aug.  3,  1781; 
Peter,  born  Feb.  9,  1783;  Southworth,  born 
Jan.  23,  1785;  Alden,  bora  Feb.  9,  1786;  Jere- 


miah, born  May  9,  1788;  Mary  Tinkham,  bom 
April  13,  1790;  Arza,  born  Jan.  2,  1792; 
Elizabeth,  born  July  5,  1793 ;  Mary,  born  Aug. 

8,  1795. 

(V)  Alden  Miller,  son  of  Peter,  born  Feb. 

9,  1786,  married  Feb.  9,  1809,  Millicent 
Lovell,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Jerusha  (Spar- 
row) Lovell,  she  bom  in  1784  and  died  March 
2,  1881.  He  was  a  farmer  and  also  engaged  in 
the  milling  business  on  the  old  homestead. 
Their  children  were:  Hannah  P.,  born  Sept. 
9,  1809,  married  Alexander  Hackett,  of  Mid- 
dleboro; Southard  Harrison,  born  Nov.  30, 
1811,  married  Esther  G.  Peckham;  Alden, 
born  Aug.  3,  1814,  engaged  at  various  occupa- 
tions and  died  in  Middleboro ;  Lucy  Ann,  born 
March  20,  1816,  died  Feb.  14,  1897,  married 
Andrew  Cobb  Wood;  Samuel,  born  in  1819, 
died  in  1821 ;  and  Lorenzo  Theodore,  born 
Dec.  8,  1821,  died  in  1900  in  Middleboro. 

(VI)  Lorenzo  Theodore  Miller  was  born 
on  the  old  Miller  homestead  at  Fall  Brook, 
Middleboro,  Dec.  8,  1821.  After  taking  ad- 
vantage of  such  limited  educational  advan- 
tages as  were  his,  he  worked  on  the  home  farm, 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  started  out  to  make 
his  own  way.  Going  to  Fall  River  on  foot, 
he  found  employment  in  a  lumber  yard,  and 
later  learned  the  carpenters  and  joiner's 
trade,  and  was  engaged  in  the  building  busi- 
ness at  Fall  River.  He  worked  at  contract 
work  with  his  brother  Southard  H.,  and  many 
of  the  houses  and  mills  in  Fall  River  bear 
his  handiwork,  among  the  principal  ones  being 
the  King  Philip  mill  and  several  business 
blocks.  He  and  his  brother  became  the  best- 
known  contractors  in  that  part  of  Massachu- 
setts. Soon  after  his  success  in  Fall  River  was 
assured  Mr.  Miller  bought  the  Seth  Miller 
farm  at  Fall  Brook,  now  occupied  by  his  son, 
Andrew  Wood  Miller,  and  at  that  beautiful 
place  he  spent  his  summers,  and  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  business  he  made  it  his  per- 
manent home.  He  delighted  in  the  work  about 
the  farm,  and  was  active  in  the  management 
of  the  place  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
May  8,  1900,  when  he  was  seventy-eight  years 
of  age.  He  was  buried  in  the  Oak  Grove  ceme- 
tery. Fall  River.  Politically  he  was  a  Republi- 
can, and  he  was  quite  active  in  town  affairs  in 
Pall  River.  On  Aug.  3,  1844,  at  Little  Comp- 
ton,  R.  I.,  he  married  Ellen  Manchester, 
daughter  of  John  Manchester  of  that  town. 
Mrs.  Miller  died  in  Fall  River,  and  was  buried 
in  Oak  Grove  cemetery.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren :  Andrew  Wood,  born  June  9,  1845,  who 
resides  at  Fall  Brook;  Lorenzo  Theodore,  Jr., 
now  deceased  ;, and  John  Alden. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1005 


(VII)  John  Alden  Miller,  son  of  Lorenzo 
Theodore  and  Ellen  (Manchester)  Miller,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Tiverton,  E.  I.,  on  the  Fall 
River  road,  March  1,  1856.  He  received  a 
public  school  education,  and  worked  with  his 
father  and  brothers  for  some  time  at  the  car- 
penter's trade.  Later  he  started  into  business 
for  himself,  forming  a  partnership  with  Robert 
0.  Hearn,  under  the  name  of  the  Fall  River 
Ice  Company.  This  partnership  lasted  for 
three  years,  after  which  for  about  eight  years 
Mr.  Miller  conducted  the  business  alone,  meet- 
ing with  good  success.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  came  to  Fall  Brook,  Middleboro,  and 
buying  the  farm  owned  by  Abishai  Miller, 
which  was  the  original  farm  owned  by  the 
emigrant  ancestor  of  the  family,  John  Miller. 
For  five  years  he  devoted  himself  to  its  cultiva- 
tion, and  became  interested  in  the  growing  of 
cranberries  and  in  the  raising  of  blooded 
stock.  He  owned  some  fast  trotters,  and  is  a 
great  lover  of  horses.  In  1895  he  came  to 
]\Iiddleboro  Center,  where  he  built  a  beautiful 
home  on  South  Main  street.  This  he  has  since 
occupied,  and  he  has  given  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  the  real  estate  business  and  cranberry 
bogs,  etc.  He  is  a  man  of  genial  disposition 
and  makes  many  fritnds.  Enterprising  and 
progressive,  he  has  been  keenly  interested  in 
the  development  of  his  town.  He  is  a  stock- 
fiolder  in  several  cotton  mills  in  Fall  River,  a 
member  of  the  Electric  Light  board  of  Middle- 
boro, and  a  trustee  in  the  Middleboro  Savings 
Bank.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican  in  prin- 
ciple, but  at  local  elections  casts  his  vote  inde- 
pendent of  party  ties.  He  attends  the  Central 
Congregational  Church,  of  Middleboro. 

On  June  12,  1879,  at  Fall  River,  Mr.  Miller 
was  married  to  Lydia  Elenah  Young,  born  in 
Fall  River,  daughter  of  Benjamin  T.  and 
Elizabeth  Hathaway  (Tew)  Young,  and 
granddaughter  of, John  and  Mary  (or  Polly) 
(Chase)  Young  and  Capt.  Philip  and  Keziah 
(Mason)  Tew.  Mrs.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the 
Cabot  Club,  of  Middleboro.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Miller  have  been  born  two  sons,  namely:  (1) 
Theodore  H.,  born  July  3,  1885i,  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  and  graduated  from  Har- 
vard University  in  1904,  and  is  now  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Taylorsville  Cotton  Mill 
Company,  of  Taylorsville,  N.  C. ;,  he  married 
Sarah  Bruno  Viele,  of  Salisbury,  N.  C.  (2) 
John  Alden,  Jr.,  born  Feb.  11,  1888,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Mid- 
dleboro, and  graduated  from  the  Bradford 
Durfee  Textile  School,  of  Fall  River,  in  1911, 
with  the  highest  standard  ever  attained  by  a 
student  at  anv  of  the  textile  schools  in  this 


country,  and  received  the  first  medal  ever  given 
to  this  school  by  the  National  Association  of 
Cotton  Manufacturers,  which  has  set  aside  a 
fund  for  this  purpose. 


Manchester.  The  Manchester  family, 
of  which  the  late  Mrs.  Lorenzo  Theodore 
Miller  was  a  member,  is  one  of  the  best-known 
families  in  Rhode  Island. 

(I)  Thomas  Manchester,  the  first  of  the 
name  to  settle  in  that  State,  was  in  Ports- 
mouth as  early  as  1655.  He  married  Margaret 
Wood,  and  they  owned  land  in  the  town  of 
Tiverton,  where  one  or  more  of  their  sons  set- 
tled. Their  children  were :  Thomas,  who 
settled  in  Portsmouth;  .William;  John; 
Stephen;  Job,  who  settled  in  Dartmouth, 
Mass. ;  Mary,  and  Elizabeth. 

(II)  William  Manchester,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Margaret  (Wood)  Manchester,  was  born 
in  1654.  He  married  Mary  Cook,  daughter 
of  John  and  Mary  (Borden)  Cook.  William 
Manchester  was  made  a  freeman  in  1675,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Tiverton  in 
1692,  when  the  town  was  organized.  He  died 
in  1718.  Their  children  were:  John,  William, 
Jlary,  Sarah  Deborah,  Elizabetti,  Margaret, 
Amy,  Susannah,  Rebecca  and  Thomas. 

(III)  John  Manchester,  son  of  William, 
was  bom  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.  He  settled  in 
the  town  of  Tiverton  with  his  father  and  there 
married  March  22,  1719,  Phebe  Gray.  Their 
children  were:  William,  born  Feb.  9,  1720; 
Philip,  Feb.  11,  1722;  John,  Feb.  12,  1724; 
Mary,  Jan.  23,  1726;  John  (2),  April  17, 
1728;  and  Isaac,  June  27,  1731. 

(IV)  Isaac  Manchester,  son  of  John  and 
Phebe  (Gray)  Manchester,  was  born  in  Tiver- 
ton June  27,  1731.  He  married  Nov.  1,  1750, 
Abigail  Brown,  and  their  children  were :  Phil- 
ip, born  Aug.  23,  1751;  Sarah,  Oct.  1,  1753; 
Isaac,  Aug.  4,  1756;  Thomas,  April  5,  1759; 
Abraham,  Aug.  8,  1761;  John,  July  10,  1764; 
Phebe,  Aug.  22,  1766;  Abigail,  Feb.  9,  1769. 

(V)  Isaac  Manchester,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Abigail  (Brown)  Manchester,  was  born  Aug. 
4,  1756.  He  made  his  home  in  Tiverton,  where 
he  was  a  land  owner.  He  married  May  11, 
1783,  Alice  Taber,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Su- 
sannah Taber.  Their  children  were:  John, 
born  May  19,  1784;  Susannah,  March  26, 
1788;  Robert,  April  21,  1790;  and  Isaac,  Sept. 
21,  1792. 

(VI)  Capt.  John  Manchester,  son  of  Isaac, 
was  bom  in  Tiverton,  May  19,  1784.  He  made 
his  home  in  Little  Compton,  R.  I.,  where  he 
was  a  land  owner.  He  was  twice  married, 
his  second  wife  being  Lydia  Seabury,  whom 


1006 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


he  married  in  Little  Compton.  She  was  bom 
in  Little  Compton  July  15,  1785.  They  both 
died  in  Little  Compton  and  were  buried  in  the 
Presbyterian  cemetery  at  Tiverton.  Their 
children  were :  Hannah,  Casindey,  Ursula, 
William,  Henry  and  Charles  (twins)  and 
Ellen. 

(VII)  Ellen  Manchester,  daughter  of  John 
and  Lydia  (Seabury)  Manchester,  was  born  in 
Little  Compton,  and  there  married  Aug.  3, 
1844,  Lorenzo  Theodore  Miller.  She  died  in 
Fall  River  and  was  buried  in  Oak  Grove  ceme- 
tery. 


Tew.  The  Tew  family  of  southeastern  Mas- 
sachusetts is  descended  from  Richard  Tew,  who 
was  a  native  of  Maidford,  Northamptonshire, 
England,  and  was  a  son  of  Henry  Tew,  of 
Maidford.  In  1640  Richard  Tew  came  to 
New  England,  locating  first  in  Portsmouth, 
R.  I.,  and  in  1654  in  Newport,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  in  New- 
port in  1673.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  and  had  recorded  upon  the 
Friends'  record's  his  children's  births.  He 
married  in  England  Mary  Clarke,  daughter  of 
AVilliam  Clarke,  of  Priors  Hardwick,  North- 
amptonshire, and  she  died  in  1687.  Their 
children  were:  Seaborn,  born  June  4,  1640,  at 
sea  (hence  her  name),  married  Jan.  5,  1658, 
Samuel  Billings  and  (second)  Owen  Higgins; 
Elnathan,  born  Oct.  15,  1644,  .died  in  1711 
(married  Nov.  3,  1664,  Thomas  Harris)  ; 
Mary,  born  Aug.  13,  1647,  died  in  1688  (mar- 
ried Dec.  8,  1670,  Andrew  Harris)  ;  Henry 
was  born  in  1654. 

Henry  Tew,  son  of  Richard,  was  born  in 
Newport  in  1654.  He  was  a  prominent  man 
in  the  affairs  of  Rhode  Island,  and  succeeded 
William  Clarke  as  deputy  governor  of  the 
Colony.  He  was  a  man  of  wealth  and  in- 
fluence and  owned  a  large  tract  of  real  estate, 
cattle,  sheep,  and  was  also  a  slave  owner.  He 
died  April  28,  1718.  He  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Dorcas,  who  died  in  1694,  and  second 
to  Sarah,  who  died  in  1718.  His  children 
were:  Mary,  born  Oct.  12,  1680,  died  May  2, 
1752,  married  June  10,  1703,  William  Peck- 
ham;  Henry,  born  in  1681,  died  in  1731,  mar- 
ried Ann  Richmond;  William,  born  in  1683, 
died  April  5,  1718;  Richard  was  norn  in  1684; 
John  is  mentioned  below;  Elizabeth  married 
Sept.  17,  1712,  Edward  Smith,  and  died  in 
1769 ;  Sarah  married  Sylvester  Sweet ;  Elisha 
was  born  in  1691 ;  Edward  died  Jan.  16,  1702; 
Dorcas,  born  Sept.  26,  1796,  died  Feb.  5,  1715; 
Paul,  born  in  September,  1699,  died  May  24, 


1711;  Edward,  born  Nov.  1,  1703,  died  Nov. 
4,  1723. 

John  Tew,  son  of  Henry,  was  born  in  New- 
port, R.  I.,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Dighton, 
Mass.,  on  property  which  was  willed  him  by 
liis  father.  He  married  Sarah  Briggs,  and 
their  children  according  to  Dighton  town  rec- 
ords were:  William,  iDorn  Feb.  13,  1724; 
Elisha,  Oct.  15,  1725;  Henry,  Oct.  29,  1729; 
William,  Sept.  12,  1731;  Dorcas,  March  26, 
1734. 

Henry  Tew,  son  of  John,  married  Dec.  5, 
1753,  Elizabeth  Hathaway,  born  Oct.  18,  1737. 

Henry  Tew,  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Hathaway),  made  his  home  in  Berkley  and 
there  engaged  in  farming.  He  was  quite  active 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  and-  participated 
in  that  memorable  conflict.  He  married  Abi- 
gail Hathaway,  born  Oct.  1,  1767,  daughter 
of  Philip  and  Lucy  (Valentine)  Hathaway. 
Philip  Hathaway  was  lieutenant  of  the  1st 
foot  company  of  local  militia  in  Freetown. 
His  children  were:  Philip;  Hathaway;  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Oct.  21,  1804,  Joseph  Dean ; 
Sally,  who  married  Nov.  16,  1803,  Ichabod 
Mason ;  Abigail,  who  married  Sept.  14,  1813, 
Isaac    Sanford. 

Philip  Tew,  son  of#  Henry  and  Abigail 
(Hathaway)  Tew,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Berkley.  He  was  a  seafaring  man  and  was  a 
sailing  master.  He  married  Keziah  Mason  and 
their  children  were:  Philip  Mason,  Elizabeth 
Hathaway  and  Hathaway  W.,  and  maybe 
others. 

Elizabeth  Hathaway  Tew,  daughter  of 
Philip  and  Keziah  (Mason)  Tew,  was  born  in 
Berkley,  Mass.  She  married  Benjamin  T. 
Young,  of  Fall  River,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(or  Polly)  (Chase)  Young,  and  their  children 
were:  Benjamin  Mason,  who  died  unmarried; 
Flarriet  Adeline  Tew,  who  is  still  living,  un- 
married ;  Mary  Eliza,  who  married  John 
Brooks  Read,  and  is  now  deceased;  Amy  Cook, 
who  married  George  E.  Emerson,  of  Franklin, 
Mass. ;  Lydia  Hathaway,  who  died  aged  two 
years ;  Hortense  Oduska,  who  is  a  teacher  in 
the  Harvard  Grammar  School,  Cambridge, 
Mass. ;  and  Lydia  Elenah,  who  married  John 
A.  Miller,  of  Middleboro. 

GEORGE  DANA  SOULE,  who  for  many 
years  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
public  life  of  Whitman,  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  selectmen  for  a  period  of  twenty 
years,  for  twenty-two  years  as  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Whitman  Cooperative  Bank, 
and  for  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  engaged  in 
the  real   estate  and    insurance    business,  was 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


loor 


born  in  tlie  town  of  Stoiighton,  Norfolk  Co., 
Mass.,  Sept.  4,  1850,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
oldest  families  of  New  England. 

(I)  George  Soule,  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America,  was,  according  to  tradition,  a  French 
Huguenot,  wlio  came  to  New  England  as  one 
of  the  "Mayflower"  Pilgrims,  and  was  a  signer 
of  the  political  compact,  1620.  He  came  to 
Plymouth  under  the  protection  of  Edward 
Winslow,  where  he  was  allotted  land,  1623, 
which  he  sold  in  1639.  He  removed  to  Dux-' 
bury  and   was  a  representative   in   1645.     He, 


(VI)  Thomas  Soule,  son  of  Constant  S.,  was 
born  July  1,  1788,  at  Duxbury,  Mass.,  and 
lived  in  Belchertown.  He  died  July  23,  1819, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-one  years.  He  married 
Lois  Howard,  of  Pomfret,  Conn.,  and  had  twa 
children :  Thomas  Howard,  born  Feb.  22, 
1810,  in  Enfield,  Mass. ;  and  Stephen  Dana,, 
born  at  Belchertown  Dec.  17,  1813. 

(VII)  Stephen  Dana  Soule,  son  of  Thomas,, 
was  born  in  what  is  now  Belchertown,  Mass., 
Dec.  17,  1813,  and  was  but  six  years  old  when 
his    father   died.      He   was    cared    for    by    his 


was  an  original  proprietor  of  Bridgewater, .  widowed  mother,  who  was  unable  to  allow  him 
and  later  sold  his  interest  there.  He  also'  extended  educational  advantages.  With  her 
owned  land  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.  He  died  in"  children  Mrs.  Soule  moved  to  Duxbury,  where 
1680.  He  married  Mary  Beckett,  who  died  iit\  they  lived  with  a  farmer  named  Barker.  There 
1677.  They  became  the  parents  of  eight  'young  Stephen  worked  at  farm  work  until 
children:  Zachariah,  John,  Nathaniel,  George, -in  early  manhood,  when  he  came  to  the  town 
Patience,  Elizabeth,  Susanna  and  Mary.  \\  of  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton),  Mass., 

(II)  John  Soule,  son  of  George,  was  bor^ip,  and  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade.  At  that 
in  1632,  and  died  in  1707  in  Duxbury,  whereS  occupation  he  worked  for  twenty-five  years  in 
he  made  his  home.     He  married  Esther  Naslf,    different  sections,  principally  in  the  town   of 


and  their  children  were:  John,  who  settled  in 
Middleboro,  Mass.;  Joseph;  Joshua;  Josiah; 
Benjamin,  and  two  daughters. 

(III)  Josiah  Soule,  son  of  John  and  Esther, 
was  born  in  1682,  in  Duxbury,  Mass.  He  mar- 
ried May  23,  1704,  Lydia  Delano,  who  was 
bom  in  1680,  and  died  Nov.  24,  1763.  He 
died  June  25,  1764.  Their  children  were: 
Jonathan,  born  June  :?3,  1705,  who  died  April 
4,  1776;  Mary,  born  Bee.  5,  1706,  who  mar- 
ried Jan.  2,  1733,  Joshua  Cushman,  of  Leb- 
anon, Conn.;  Abisha,  born  Nov.  25,  1708; 
Micah,  born  April  12,  1711;  Nathaniel,  born 
Nov.  4,  1714;  and  Lydia,  born  Oct.  2,  1719. 

(IV)  Micah  Soule  was  of  Duxbury,  where 
he  was  a  selectman  in  1777.  He  married  May 
30,  1740,  Mercy  Southworth,  daughter  of  Ed.- 
ward  and  Mary  (Pabodie)  Southworth,  of 
Duxbury,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  ("Alden)  Pabodie,  and  grand- 
daughter of  John  Alden  of  the  "Mayflower." 
Mr." Soule  died  Nov.  4,  1778,  aged  sixty-seven 
years,  and  his  wife  died  in  1797.     They  were 


Stoughton.  While  a  resident  of  that  town  he 
was  appointed  warden  of  the  almshouse,  a 
position  he  held  for  four  years.  He  later 
moved  to  the  town  of  Abington,  where  he  filled 
a  like  position  at  the  Abington  almshouse  for 
two  years,  after  which  he  settled  in  South 
Abington  (now  Whitman),  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life  in  retirement.  He 
died  Jan.  9,  1887,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Ever- 
green cemetery  at  Stoughton.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican.  He  married  Tabitha 
Jackson,  who  bore  him  three  children :  Amelia 
Frances,  who  married  Benjamin  F.  Wood,  and 
resides  at  Natick,  Mass. ;  Mary  Josephine, 
widow  of  George  M.  Warren,  a  soldier  of  the 
Civil  war;  and  John,  who  resides  in  Stough- 
ton, Mass.  Mrs.  Tabitha  Soule  is  buried  in 
Evergreen  cemetery,  Stoughton.  After  her 
death,  Mr.  Soule  married  (second)  Elizabeth 
Caldwell,  born  in  West  Bridgewater,  daughter 
of  Ebenezer  and  Betsey  (Howard)  Caldwell. 
She  died  while  visiting  friends  in  East  Bridge- 
water,    and    was    laid    beside    her   husband    in 


the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Aphela,    Evergreen  cemetery,  Stoughton.     She  attended 


born  in  1741;  Josiah,  1742;  Constant  S., 
1744;  Rebecca,  1750  (died  Oct.  14,  1778); 
Asa,  1752  (married  Olive  Southworth  April 
15,  1773);  Esther,  1753;  and  Lydia,  1756 
(died  Oct.  19,  1778). 

(V)  Constant  S.  Soule,  son  of  Micah,  bom 
in  1744,  was  drowned  July  10,  1790.  His 
widow,  Jemima,  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band married  (second)  William  Adams,  of 
Enfield,   Conn.     They   kept   the   toll    gate   at 


the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  To  the  sec- 
ond marriage  were  born  two  children :  George 
iJana,  mentioned  below,  and  Herbert  Caldwell, 
fvho  died  in  infancy. 

(VIII)  George  Dana  Soule  was  born  Sept. 
4.  1850,  in  the  to\vn  of  Stoughton,  where  he 
attended  the  public  and  high  schools.  Later 
he  attended  French's  Commercial  College  in 
Boston,  Mass.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  be- 
came an  employee  of  the   Southworth  cotton 


Belchertown,  Conn.,  which  place  afterward  be-    mills,  in   Stoughton,  and  continued  there  in 
came  Belchertown,  Massachusetts.  the  carding  department  until  the  early  part 


1008 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHTTSETTS 


of  1870,  when  he  received  appointment  as  sta- 
tion agent  at  South  Abington  for  the  Old 
Colony  Railroad  Company,  and  there  for  a 
period  of  fourteen  years  he  faithfully  per- 
formed the  duties  of  ticket  agent,  freight  agent 
and  operator.  In  1883  he  started  into  business 
for  himself,  establishing  a  stationery  and  news 
store  which  he  conducted  with  fair  success  for 
several  years,  during  which  time  he  started 
the  fire  insurance  business,  and  later  took  up 
real  estate.  For  the  past  quarter  of  a  century 
he  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  this  work, 
representing  from  fifteen  to  twenty  of  the  larg- 
est and  most  influential  insurance  companies 
in  the  country,  including  the  Agricultural, 
Boston  Insurance,  Commercial  Union,  Conti- 
nental, Hartford,  New  Hampshire,  Norwich 
Union,  Security,  Spring  Garden  and  Wil- 
liamsburgh  City  Companies;  and  the  following 
mutual  insurance  companies — Berkshire,  Citi- 
zens', Dorchester,  Merchants'  and  Farmers', 
Middlesex,  Salem,  Massachusetts  Mutual  Life, 
Fidelity  &  Casualty,  American  Surety  and 
Metropolitan  Plate  Glass. 

In  1889  Mr.  Soule  was  one  of  the  incorpo- 
rators of  the  Whitman  Cooperative  Bank,  of 
which  he  is  a  director,  and  since  its  formation 
his  been  the  secretary  and  treasurer.  In  public 
life  Mr.  Soule  has  been  quite  active,  having 
been  for  a  number  of  years  a  member  of  the 
Republican  town  committee,  and  was  its  chair- 
man for  several  years.  He  also  served  contin- 
uously for  a  period  of  twenty  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  selectmen  of  Whitman,  to 
which  board  he  was  first  elected  in  1886,  in 
which  year  the  town  of  South  Abington 
changed  its  name  to  Whitman,  and  for  several 
years  was  chairman  of  the  board.  He  also 
served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  assessors 
and  the  board  of  overseers  of  the  poor.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  Puritan  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Whitman,  having  been  made 
a  Mason  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  and  was  its  secretary  for  seven  years, 
later  being  president  of  the  same.  In  religious 
faith  he  is  a  Unitarian,  and  is  clerk  of  the 
First   Unitarian    Church    of   Whitman. 

On  Nov.  17,  1869,  in  North  Bridge  water, 
Mr.  Soule  married  Elizabeth  B.  Howard, 
daughter  of  Ephraim  Howard,  of  North 
Bridgewater.  She  died  Feb.  28,  1901,  and  is 
buried  in  Colebrook  cemetery.  Whitman.  Four 
children  were  born  to  them,  as  follows:  (1) 
Lizzie  Gertrude,  born  May  31,  1874,  married 
Frank  C.  Stetson,  of  Whitman,  and  they  have 
become  the  parents  of  four  children,  Dorothy 
Elizabeth  (who  died  in  infancy),  Dana  Emer- 


son, Robert  Jackson  and  Theodore.  (2)  George 
Howard,  born  April  14,  1876,  was  educated  in 
■the  Whitman  public  and  high  schools,  and 
Dean  Academy,  Franklin,  Mass.,  and  is  now 
associated  with  his  father  in  business  under 
the  name  of  George  D.  Soule  &  Son.  He  is 
a  member  of  Puritan  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
Whitman,  of  which  he  is  past  worshipful 
master.  He  married  June  19,  1901,  Alice  M. 
Tyler,  daughter  of  John  Tyler,  and  has  one 
child,  George  Howard,  Jr.  (3)  Marion  Leslie, 
born  April  13,  1878,  married  Nahum  Reed,  of 
Whitman,  and  they  have  one  son,  Howard 
Clinton  Reed.  (4)  Harrison  Dana,  born  Sept. 
26,  1888,  attended  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Whitman,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Highland  Military  Academy,  at  Worcester, 
Mass.,  in  1907;  for  three  years  he  was  in  the 
office  of  the  Regal  Shoe  Company,  and  is  now 
in  the  office  of  George  D.  Soule  &  Son;  he  is 
also  a  member  of  Puritan  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  Whitman. 

Mr.  Soule  married  (second)  June  12,  1902, 
Anna  Howard  Brown,  of  Abington,  daughter 
of  William  Brown.  Mrs.  Soule  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Unitarian  Church,  of  Whit- 
man. 

ZENAS  WINSLOW  LEWIS,  proprietor  of 
the  Superior  Polish  Company,  of  Brockton, 
manufacturer  of  shoe  dressings  and  polishings 
of  all  kinds,  is  one  o^'  the  enterprising  and 
successful  business  men  of  that  city.  "Gen- 
eral" Lewis,  by  which  title  he  is  familiarly 
known,  through  his  prominence  in  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  is  a  native  of 
this  Commonwealth,  born  June  20,  1855,  in 
West  Dennis,  Mass.,  son  of  Zenas  W.  and 
Eunice  M.  (Gage)  Lewis,  and  a  descendant  6f 
historic  old  New  England  ancestry.  The 
Lewis  family  history,  which  follows,  is  given 
in  chronological  order  from  the  first  American 
ancestor. 

(I)  George  Lewes  (as  he  spelled  his  name, 
and  which  spelling  was  used  until  about  1700), 
a  clothier  by  trade,  with  his  brother  John  came 
from  East  Greenwich,  in  the  County  of  Kent, 
England,  to  America,  settling  first  at  Ply- 
mouth, whence  he  removed  to  Scituate  in 
1631-35.  In  1639,  when  Rev.  Mr.  Lothrop 
moved  to  Barnstable  with  his  church,  he  went 
with  him.  He  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  the 
Plymouth  Colony  Jan.  14,  1636-37.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Jenkins  in  England,  where  his  first 
five  children  were  bom,  namely,  Mary, 
Thomas,  George,  James  and  Edward.  After 
coming  to  America  they  had  John,  bom  in 
Scituate,   and    Ephraim   and    Sarah,   born   in 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1009 


Barnstable.  He  married  (second)  Mary,  who 
was  living  in  1670.  He  died  in  Barnstable 
in  1662-63.  From  this  George  Lewes  have 
descended  practically  all  of  the  name  on  Cape 
Cod,  and  from  him  and  his  brother  John,  who 
settled  in  Westerly,  R.  I.,  in  1661,  have  de- 
scended a  numerous  posterity  who  have  become 
prominent  in  the  various  stations  of  life. 

(II)  George  Lewes  (2),  son  of  George,  was 
a  planter,  and  resided  in  the  East  parish  of 
Barnstable.  He  married  Dec.  1,  1651,  Mary, 
daugiiter  ci  Barnard  Lumbard.  He  died 
March  20,  1709-10,  aged  about  eighty  years. 
His  children  were:  George,  Mary,  Sarah,  Han- 
nah, Melatiah,  Bathshua,  Jabez,  Benjamin, 
Jonathan,  John,  Nathan  and  Thankful. 

(III)  Jabez  Lewes,  son  of  George  (2),  was 
born  in  Barnstable  June  10,  1670,  and  mar- 
ried Feb.  20,  1695,  Experience  Hamblin.  In 
1702  he  removed  to  Yarmouth,  where  he  died 
in  1738,  aged  sixty-eight  years;  his  widow  died 
in  1766,  aged  ninety-two  years.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  John,  Jabez,  Eleanpr,  Elnathan, 
Antipas  and  Naomi. 

(IV)  Elnathan  Lewis,  son  of  Jabez,  was 
born  in  Yarmouth  Aug.  27,  1702,  and  married 
Oct.  16,  1735,  Priscilla  Lewes.  He  died 
June  19,  1782,  aged  eighty  years.  He  resid- 
ed at  West  Dennis.  His  childreii  were:  Ben- 
jamin, .  Mary,  Thankful,  Priscilla,  David,  El- 
nathan, Antipas,  Naomi  and  John. 

(V)  David  Lewis,  son  of  Elnathan,  was 
born  July  16,  1744,  was  of  Yarmouth,  and 
married  Nov.  24,  1774,  Phebe  Crowell.  (It  is 
a  peculiar  coincidence  that  on  the  same  page 
of  the  records  showing  their  marriage  appears 
that  of  another  David  Lewis  of  Barnstable  and 
Phebe  Crowell,  date  July  6,  1775.)  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Susa,  born  July  24,  1776;  Phebe, 
born  July  5,  1778;  David,  born  May  22,  L781 ; 
Elizabeth,  born  April  19,  1783.  After  the 
death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  he  mar- 
ried (second)  Temperance  Lewis,  daughter  of 
Lemuel  Lewis,  and  to  this  union  were  born : 
Temperance,  born  June  2,  1789;  Priscilla, 
born  Jan.  24,  1791;  Mary,  born  March  19, 
1793;  Sallv,  born  Oct.  13,  1795;  and  Richard, 
born  in  1798  or  1799. 

(VI)  David  Lewis  (2),  son  of  David,  was 
born  in  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  May  22,  1781,  and 
married  (intentions  published  Jan.  2,  1803) 
Jane  Crowell,  daughter  of  Joshua  and  Sally 
Crowell,  of  Dennis.  David  Lewis  followed 
the  sea  during  the  active  years  of  his  life,  and 
died  in  West  Dennis  Jan.  27,  1869,  in  the 
eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  died 
Jan.  25,  1870,  aged  eighty-seven  years,  the 
mother  of  the  following  children  (of  record  as 

64 


born  in  Dennis)  :  Phebe,  bom  Dec.  11,  1803; 
Oren,  born  Dec.  30,  1805;  Sarah,  born  July 
7,  1808;  Heman,  born  May  7,  1812  (died 
April  17,  1891);  Almira,  born  May  31,  1816 
(died  Jan.  24,  1882) ;  Lavina,  bom  Nov.  6, 
1820  (died  July  26,  1876)  ;  Mary,  born  Feb. 
3,  1824  (died  Aug.  14,  1890)  ;  David,  born 
June  30,  1826  (died  Dec.  29,  1828). 

(VII)  Oren  Lewis,  eldest  son  of  David  (2), 
was  born  Dec.  30,  1805,  in  West  Dennis, 
Mass.,  and  married  Lucretia  Baker,  daughter 
of  Barnabas  Baker.  Mr.  Lewis  was  a  sea 
captain,  engaged  in  the  coasting  trade,  and 
during  a  return  voyage  from  the  West  Indies 
in  1844  was  strioken  with  yellow  fever,  which 
caused  his  death,  and  he  was  buried  at  sea. 
To  Captain  Lewis  were  born  the  following 
children:  Zenas  W.,  who  is  mentioned  below; 
Almira,  who  married  George  Crowell,  of  West 
Dennis;  Mary,  who  married  Barnabas  Bray, 
of  Yarmouth;  Oren,  Jr.,  born  Oct.  15,  1835, 
who  was  a  sea  captain,  and  was  drowned  off 
Cape  Hatteras,  Feb.  7,  1866 ;  Barnabas,  who 
lost  his  life  in  the  Grover  disaster,  at  Brock- 
ton, which  occurred  March  20,  1905;  and  Lu- 
cretia, who  died  in  infancy. 

(VIII)  Zenas  Winslow  Lewis,  Sr.,  son  of 
Oren  and  Lucretia  (Baker)  Lewis,  was  bom 
Nov.  27,  1830,  in  West  Dennis,  Mass.  Like 
his  ancestors  he  early  took  to  the  sea,  and  at 
the  age  of  ten  years  began  following  a  sea- 
faring life.  In  early  life  he  was  engaged  in 
the  coasting  trade,  finally  attaining  the  rank 
of  captain.  Later  he  sailed  from  Boston  on 
vessels  for  the  foreign  countries,  continuing  to 
follow  the  sea  until  about  1879,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Brockton,  where  he  followed  carpen- 
tering. In  1882,  upon  the  establishing  of  a 
city  form  of  government  in  Brockton,  Captain 
Lewis  was  the  first  man  appointed  to  the  regu- 
lar city  police  force,  and  he  continued  in  that 
service  until  his  last  sickness,  which  finally 
resulted  in  his  death  July  31,  1896!  Frater- 
nally Captain  Lewis  was  a  member  of  Massa- 
soit  Lodge,  No.  69,  and  Nemasket  Encamp- 
ment, No.  44,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  a  member  of 
Damocles  Lodge,  No.  16,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
of  Brockton.  In  political  faith  he  was  a  firm 
believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party.  On  Jan.  31,  1854,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Eunice  M.  Gage,  daughter  of  Syl- 
vanus  and  Mercy  (Nickerson)  Gage,  of  Yar- 
mouth, Mass.,  and  to  this  union  were  born  five 
children,  as  follows:  (1)  Zenas  W.  Lewis  is 
mentioned  below.  (2)  Nathaniel  A.,  born 
Sept.  6,  1859,  in  Norfolk,  Va.,  is  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Superior  Polish  Company.  He 
was  formerly  a  shoeworker,  and  was  employed 


1010 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


at  the  E.  B.  Grover  &  Co.  factory  at  the  time 
their  plant  was  destroyed  by  fire,  he  and  one 
other  employee  being  the  only  two  to  escape 
from  the  finishing  department.  He  married 
Teresa  Perry.  (3)  Sarah  A.,  born  Nov.  5, 
1864,  in  West  Dennis,  Mass.,  is  the  wife  of 
Samuel  E.  Chase,  and  they  reside  in  Brockton. 
(4)  Thankie  B.,  born  Feb.  16,  1866,  in  West 
Dennis,  married  John  A.  Chase,  of  Lewiston, 
Maine,  and  they  reside  in  West  Bridgewater, 
Mass.  (5)  Minnie,  born  Aug.  23,  1867,  in 
West  Dennis,  died  in  infancy. 

(IX)  Zenas  Winslow  Lewis,  son  of  Zenas  W. 
and  Eunice  M.  (Gage)  Lewis,  was  born  June 
20,  1855,  in  West  Dennis,  Barnstable  Co., 
Mass.  Until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he 
attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
towTi,  at  which  age  he  became  engaged  in  a 
seafaring  life  during  the  summers,  his  winters 
being  occupied  in  attending  school.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  began  taking  long  sea  voy- 
ages of  a  year  or  more  and  visited  many  of  the 
foreign  ports  in  the  merchant  trade,  acting  as 
mate  and  navigator  of  vessels.  The  last  year 
he  followed  the  sea  he  was  engaged  in  the  coast- 
ing trade  and  met  with  many  severe  hardships. 
The  last  vessel  with  which  he  had  expected  to 
make  a  voyage  was  lost  the  night  after  sailing 
'from  Boston,  and  this  so  discouraged  him  that 
he  decided  to  discontinue  that  vocation.  In 
1880  Mr.  Lewis  came  to  Brockton,  where  he 
procured  employment  in  the  finishing  room  of 
the  shoe  factory  of  Mitchell  Brothers.  After 
working  at  the  bench  for  about  two  years  he 
took  charge  of  the  finishing  room  of  this  fac- 
tory, which  later  became  the  Howard  &  Foster 
factory.  After  two  years  in  this  position  he 
resigned  to  take  charge  of  the  similar  depart- 
ment at  the  M.  A.  Packard  &  Co.  factory, 
which  position  he  held  for  a  period  of  about 
eleven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  re- 
signed to  accept  the  position  of  foreman  of  the 
finishing  and  dressing  departments  at  the  E. 
B.  Grover  &  Co.  factory,  and  he  held  this  posi- 
tion for  a  period  of  si.x  years.  At  this  time 
Mr.  Lewis  determined  to  enter  business  on  his 
own  account,  and  in  March,  1902,  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  supplies  for  the  finish- 
ing and  dressing  room  departments  of  shoe 
factories,  in  which  business  he  has  since  con- 
tinued and  in  which  he  has  met  with  marked 
success.  This  business  is  conducted  under  the 
name  of  the  Superior  Polish  Company,  and  it 
is  steadily  growing  under  his  management.  Mr. 
Lewis  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  dress- 
ings, polishes  and  general  supplies  for  the  fin- 
ishing and  dressing  departments  of  shoe  fac- 
tories,   his    products    being    favorably    known 


throughout  the  shoe  manufacturing  centers 
not  only  in  this  country,  but  in  the  foreign 
markets  as  well. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Lewis  is  prominently  iden- 
tified with  various  organizations.  He  was 
formerly  a  member  of  Massasoit  Lodge,  No. 
69,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  which  he  joined  April  7,  1887, 
and  from  which  he  withdrew  to  become  a  char- 
ter member  of  Brockton  Lodge,  No.  240,  which 
was  instituted  Nov.  26,  1900,  and  of  which  he 
is  past  noble  grand ;  is  a  member  of  Nemasket 
Encampment,  No.  44,  which  he  joined  June' 
25,  1888,  and  of  which  he  is  past  chief  patri- 
arch; a  member  of  Canton  Nemasket,  Patri- 
archs Militant,  No.  18,  which  he  joined  Aug. 
17,  1888,  and  of  which  he  is  past  captain.  For 
several  years  he  was  colonel  of  the  5th  Regi- 
ment of  Massachusetts,  Patriarchs  Militant, 
and  in  1910  was  elected  department  comman- 
der of  the  order  in  Massachusetts  with  the  title 
of  major  general.  Gen.  Lewis  has  always 
been  an  active  worker  in  the  I.  0.  0.  F. 
since  he  became  a  member  of  the  order.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Beatrice  Rebekah  Degree 
Lodge,  No.  28,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  which  he  joined 
Nov.  20,  1894,  and  of  which  his  wife  is  also  an 
active  member.  He  also  holds  membership  in 
Brockton  Lodge,  No.  669,  B.  P.  0.  Elks,  the 
Commercial  Club,  and  the  Superintendents'' 
and  Foremen's  Association,  of  Brockton.  In 
political  faith  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  Republican  in 
national  affairs,  while  in  local  matters  hfe  takes 
an  independent  stand. 

On  April  9,  1882,  Gen.  Lewis  was  united  in 
marriage  to  EfSe  A.  Tinkham,  daughter  of 
Augustus  G.  and  Lucy  (Dunbar)  Tinkham, 
of  Brockton.  Like  her  husband,  Mrs.  Lewis 
is  descended  from  a  number  of  New  England's 
historic  old  families.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis 
have  no  children. 

General  Lewis  possesses  a  genial,  whole- 
souled  nature,  is  charitable  and  sympathetic  in 
his  impulses;  his  friends  are  legion,  and  he 
enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  commun- 
ity in  which  the  greater  part  of  his  life  has 
been  spent.  He  is  president  of  the  Silver 
Beach  Land  Company,  at  North  Falmouth, 
Mass.,  where  he  owns  a  summer  home,  and 
where  he  and  his  wife  spend  the  summer 
months. 

LINCOLN  (Brockton  family).  For  several 
generations  the  Lincoln  name  has  been  a  con- 
tinuous one  in  the  Bridgewaters  and  the  family 
one  of  high  standing  in  the  several  communi- 
ties with  which  it  has  been  identified.  In  and 
about  the  ancient  town  of  Hingham,  close  by, 
where  the  family  was  an  early  one,  the  name 


/^  jf^^ 


^ 


(  pjiS 


t-^K^CV^^ 


y^.Ji^^^^uri 


-^^^ocn^y^^ 


SOTJTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1011 


has  been  common  and  the  family  very  numer- 
ous, and  from  the  several  progenitors  of  the 
Hingham  Lincohis  have  descended  many  of 
the  name  who  have  distinguished  themselves 
Tn  the  various  callings  of  life,  not  the  least  of 
whom   was   the   illustrious   Al)raham   Lincoln. 

Across  the  water  in  Old  Hingham,  in  the 
County  of  Norfolk,  England,  the  name 
Lincoln,  variously  spelled,  has  also  been  a  com- 
mon one  for  several  centuries.  Among  the 
early  settlers  of  New  England  there  came  to 
Hingham,  Mass.,  eight  male  persons  of  this 
surname  of  mature  age,  of  whom  mention  is 
made  upon  the  records  of  the  town.  These 
were  Daniel  Lincoln,  the  husbandman,  wtio 
died  unmarried,  and  his  brothers,  Samuel 
Lincoln  and  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  weaver; 
Daniel  Lincoln,  known  as  the  "young  man," 
and  as  "sergeant"  and  "boatman" ;  Stephen 
Lincoln,  and  his  brother  Thomas  Lincoln,  the 
husbandman;  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  cooper; 
and  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  miller. 

It  is  the  purpose  here,  however,  to  refer  to 
some  of  the  Bridgewater  Lincolns ;  to  some  of 
the  descendants  of  Ezekiel  Lincoln,  of  Abing- 
ton,  two  of  whose  sons,  Nehemiah  and  Gideon, 
settled  in  North  Bridgewater,  from  one  of 
whom  came  the  East  Bridgewater  family,  the 
head  of  which  was  the  late  Elbridge  Gerry 
Lincoln.  Of  the  latter's  sons,  George  Almond 
Lincoln  is  one  of  the  respected  citizens  of 
Brockton,  and  the  late  Hon.  Henry  Elbridge 
Lincoln  was  long  a  prominent  man  in  that 
city. 

Two  of  the  grandsons  of  Thomas  Lincoln, 
the  cooper,  of  Hingham,  Mass. — Joseph  and 
Elisha,  sons  of  Joseph  Lincoln — removed  to 
Abington.  Thomas  Lincoln,  the  cooper,  came 
from  the  west  of  England,  says  tradition,  and 
settled- at  Hingham,  Mass.,  aboui  1635-36.  In 
1636,  the  year  in  which  his  name  first  appears 
on  the  Hingham  records,  he  was  granted  five 
acres  of  land  at  the  west  end  of  the  town  for 
a  house  lot;  this  he  afterward  sold  or  ex- 
changed for  one  on  North  street,  which  was  his 
homestead.  His  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
England  about  1630,  was  Avis  or  Avith  Lane, 
a  daughter  of  William  Lane.  At  the  time  the 
meeting-house  of  the  First  Parish  was  erected, 
1680-81,  Thomas  Lincoln,  cooper,  was  one  of 
the  five  elderly  gentlemen  to  whom  was  as- 
signed a  sitting  "in  the  seats  under  the  pul- 
pit"; while,  too,  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  given  a 
place  "in  the  second  seate  next  ye  pew."  Mr. 
Tyincoln  died  at  his  residence  on  North  street. 
West  Hingham,  Sept.  28,  1691.  His  children 
were :  Thomas,  Joseph,  Benjamin,  Deborah 
and  Sarah.    Of  these, 


Joseph  Lincoln,  born  Nov.  80,  1640,  in 
Hingham,  married  (first)  June  14,  1688, 
Prudence,  born  Dec.  22,  1663,  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Elinor  Ford,  of  Weymouth.  She 
died  in  Hingham  Nov.  26,  1695,  and  he  mar- 
ried (second)  in  February,  1695-96,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Bisbee,  widow  of  Hopestill.  They  died, 
he  March  18,  1715-16;  and  she  Oct.  20,  1716. 
Mr.  Lincoln  resided  on  the  paternal  home- 
stead. His  children,  all  born  to  Prudence, 
were:  Joseph,  born  March  13,  1682-83;  Israel, 
born  April  17,  1685;  Nehemiah,  born  May  4, 
1688;  and  Elisha.  Of  these,  Joseph  and 
Elisha  removed  to  Abington. 

Nehemiah  Lincoln,  son  of  Ezekiel  of  Abing- 
ton, married  Nov.  24,  1748,  Keziah  Packard, 
daughter  of  Deacon  James  Packard.  He  lived 
in  North  Bridgewater,  moving  thither  from 
Abington.  Mr.  Lincoln  adopted  his  nephew, 
Gideon  Lincoln,  son  of  his  brother  Ezekiel  Lin- 
coln (3).  This  Gideon  Lincoln  inherited  his 
uncle's  estate,  and  settled  in  North  Bridge- 
water,  on  the  road  leading  from  Abington  to 
North  Bridgewater,  near  Sprague's  works.  He 
married  Aug.  13,  1781,  Martha,  daughter  of 
Luke  Perkins,  and  their  children  were :  Nehe- 
miah, born  Nov.  8,  1782;  Mehitable,  March 
29,  1784;  Keziah,  July  4,  1785;  Ruel,  Feb.  6, 
1787;  Charles,  April  20,  1788  (drowned  in 
1794)  ;  Martha,  Aug.  17,  1789;  Content,  June 
13,  1791;  Ro.xana,  May  23,  1792;  Triphena, 
April  21,  1793  ;  Charles,"  Dec.  27,  1795  :  Serena, 
June  22,  1797;  and  Luke  Perkins,  Dec.  22, 
1798. 

Ruel  Lincoln,  son  of  Gideon,  bom  Feb.  6, 
1787,  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  was  also 
engaged  in  farming.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  manufactured  pegging  awls  for  the  shoe 
trade.  He  married  Dec.  30,  1804,  Eunice, 
daughter  of  John  Willis,  and  they  resided  in 
East  Bridgewater,  where  he  died.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Roxana,  born  July  14,  1805  (died 
in  infancy);  Charles,  Feb.  4,  1807;  Isaac, 
March  11,  1809  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  Oct.  23,  1810; 
Emeline,  March  6,  1813  (died  in  infancy)  ; 
and  Eliza,  March  31,  1815. 

Elbridge  Gerry  Lincoln,  son  of  Ruel,  was 
born  in  East  Bridgewater  Oct.  23,  1810,  and 
married  April  10.  1834,  Sarah  Ann,  daughter 
of  Nathaniel  Shepardson.  Their  children 
were:  Mary  Edson,  born  May  29,  1835,  mar- 
ried Stephen  Chessman,  Jr.,  of  East  Randolph, 
and  is  now  a  widow  residing  in  Holbrook, 
Mass.;  George  Almond,  born  Sept.  16,  1837, 
is  mentioned  below;  Henry  Elbridge,  born 
April  13,  1840,  is  mentioned  below;  Isaac 
Augustus,  born  Jan.  28,  1843,  who  was  a  cabi- 
netmaker   by    trade,    married    Helen    Frances 


1013 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Thompson,  of  Brockton,  where  they  both  died; 
Sarah  Ann,  born  Oct.  30,  1845,  died  May  8, 
1851 ;  Eliza  Jane,  born  June  17,  1848,  married 
C.  Alden  Buck,  of  North  Easton,  Mass.;  Elvi- 
ra Maria,  born  Aug.  14,  1850,  is  the  wife  of 
George  W.  Barnefield,  of  Pawtucket,  R.  I. ; 
Stephen,  born  Oct.  4,  1854,  died  the  same  day ; 
Emma  Florence,  born  Oct.  4,  1854,  died  Oct. 
2,  1855. 

In  early  life  Elbridge  G.  Lincoln  learned  the 
blacksmith's  trade  with  his  father,  which  oc- 
cupation he  followed  a  number  of  years,  after 
which  he  settled  down  to  farming  in  his  native 
town.  For  several  years  he  was  also  engaged 
in  making  shoes,  when  it  was  the  custom  to 
obtain  the  stock  at  the  factories,  and  after 
making  wp  the  shoes  at  home  deliver  them  to 
the  factory  ready  for  the  market.  In  political 
faith  he  was  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican. 
He  was  of  a  quiet  and  retiring  nature.  He 
died  in  Brockton,  where  he  had  lived  for  sev- 
eral years  prior  to  his  death. 

George  Almond  Lincoln,  son  of  Elbridge 
G.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Shepardson)  Lincoln,  was 
born  Sept.  16,  1837,  in  North  Bridgewater 
(now  Brockton),  on  what  is  Belmont  street. 
After  acquiring  a  common  schooling  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  his  native  town  he  took  up 
shoemaking  with  his  father,  remaining  with 
him  for  about  a  dozen  years,  after  which  he 
was  similarly  employed  in  East  Randolph  with 
his  brother-in-law,  Stephen  Chessman,  Jr.,  for 
about  the  same  number  of  years.  He  then 
went  to  work  in  the  stitching  room  of  the  Orr 
&  Sears  shoe  factory,  where  he  remained  for  a 
period  of  about  four  years.  After  following 
his  trade  of  shoemaking  for  several  years,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  found  employment  in  var- 
ious shoe  factories,  Mr.  Lincoln  became  fore- 
man in  the  dressing  room  of  the  Nahum  John- 
son shoe  factory,  in  which  capacity  he  remained 
about  twelve  years.  He  then  became  engaged 
in  making  shoe  racks  for  the  late  Charles  F. 
Porter,  and  after  continuing  thus  for  about 
seven  years  began  to  manufacture  shoe  racks 
on  his  own  account,  leasing  the  factory  and 
machinery  from  Mr.  Porter ;  he  carried  on  this 
business  successfully  until  about  1897,  in  which 
year  he  closed  out  the  business,  and  he  has 
since  lived  retired  from  active  pursuits. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Lincoln  is  a  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
attends  the_  Baptist  Church,  of  which  his  wife 
is  a  member. 

On  Dec.  9,  186G,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Helen  Livingston,  who  was  born 
in  West  Hockington,  N.  H.,  daughter  of  Enoch 
and  Melinda   (Flanders)   Livingston,  of  Hol- 


brook,  Mass.  Mrs.  Lincoln  died  July  14, 
1911,  age  seventy-two  years.  To  this  union 
was  born  one  daughter,  Clara  May  Lincoln, 
now  the  wife  of  John  L.  Emery,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  leather  business  'in  .Brockton, 
where  they  reside ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emery  are 
the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Helen  Olive  and 
Elsie  Lincoln. 

Henry  Elbridge  Lincoln,  son  of  Elbridge 
G.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Shepardson)  Lincoln,  was 
born  April  13,  1840,  in  East  Bridgewater.  His 
schooling  was  acquired  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  Hunt's  Academy,  of  North  Bridgewater. 
After  leaving  school  he  was  engaged  for  several 
years  in  making  shoes  with  his  father,  follow- 
ing the  custom  of  taking  the  stock  from  the 
factories  and  after  making  up  the  shoes  at 
home  returning  the  finished  product  to  the  fac- 
tory ready  for  the  market.  He  then  became  a 
clerk  in  the  shoe  store  of  John  Weld,  in  Bos- 
ton, for  a  time,  after  which  he  returned  to 
North  Bridgewater  and  became  a  clerk  in  the 
clothing  establishment  of  Messrs.  George  and 
Henry  L.  Bryant,  in  whose  employ  he  remained 
about  twelve  years,  when  he  purchased  the 
clothing  business  of  Henry  A.  Brett,  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  School  streets.  There  he 
continued  successfully  engaged  in  the  clothing 
business  until  his  death.  During  this  time 
he  also  purchased  the  coal  business  of  Samuel 
S.  Brett,  in  company  with  Ezra  T.  Kimball, 
becoming  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of 
Lincoln  &  Kimball.  Possessed  of  ability,  good 
judgment  and  tact,  together  with  habits  of  in- 
dustry and  the  faculty  of  careful  management, 
Mr.  Lincoln  attracted  a  good  class  of  custom- 
ers to  him  and  developed  an  extensive  trade, 
becoming  eminently  successful  and  acquiring 
a  goodly  competence.  He  was  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  term  a  self-made  man.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, by  his  straiglitforward  course  in  business 
and  by  his  irreproachable  deportment  in  life, 
won  and  held  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 
Perhaps  no  man  of  his  time  in  the  community 
was  more  highly  esteemed. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  was 
prominent  in  the  public  aifairs  of  the  town 
and  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
assessors  of  Brockton  in  1878,  1879  and  1880, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  selectmen 
of  the  town  in  1880  and  1881.  Upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  city  government  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  alder- 
men from  Ward  One.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  General  Court,  in  1886,  rep- 
resenting the  double  district  of  Brockton,  com- 
prising Wards  One,  Two  and  Five,  filled  the 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1013 


position  with  credit  and  was  nominated  for  a 
second  term,  and  no  doubt  would  have  been 
returned  to  that  body  liad  he  lived  until  the 
time  for  reelection. 

Mr.  Lincoln  was  also  prominently  identitied 
with  various  financial  and  industrial  institu- 
tions of  the  city.  He  was  for  several  years  a 
director  of  the  Brockton  National  Bank,  hav- 
ing been  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  direc- 
tors upon  the  organization  of  the  bank,  in 
1881 ;  he  was  also  one  of  the  original  incor- 
porators of  the  Brockton  Savings  Bank  in  1881. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  incorporators  of 
the  Jenny  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company, 
which  was  organized  in  1884,  and  he  became 
the  first  treasurer  of  the  company,  remaining 
in  that  capacity,  and  also  acting  as  general 
manager  of  the  concern,  until  it  was  merged 
with  the  Edison  Electric  Illuminating  Com- 
pany. He  was  also  active  in  the  atfairs  of  the 
company  organized  in  Brockton  to  manufacture 
the  American  Heeling  Machine.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  members  of  the  Brockton  Agri- 
cultural Society,  and  served  as  a  director  of  the 
same  until  his  death.  Socially  he  was  a  char- 
ter member  of  the  Commercial  Club.  Mr. 
Lincoln  was  an  active  and  consistent  member 
of  the  Porter  Congregational  Church,  and 
served  as  treasurer  of  that  church  for  several 
years  prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred  Oct. 
28,  1887. 

On  Nov.  24,  1864,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Jeanette  Augusta  Tobey,  daugh- 
ter of  Ezra  and  Elizabeth  (Bassett)  Tobey,  of 
Sandwich,  Mass.,  and  this  union  was  blessed 
with  two  daughters:  Lizzie  Tobey,  who  mar- 
ried C.  Ernest  Perkins,  D.  D.  S.,  of  Brockton, 
where  she  died  May  16,  1892,  the  mother  of 
one  son,  Henry  Lincoln  Perkins,  born  April 
22,  1892 ;  and  Carrie  Maud,  who  died  in  the 
seventeenth  year  of  her  age. 

EDWIN  TALBOT  GOWAKD,  one  of  Eas- 
ton's  well-known  and  successful  business  men, 
is  a  native  of  that  town,  born  Jan.   7,  1838. 

The  Goward  family,  of  which  Mr.  Coward 
is  a  member,  is  of  English  origin,  and  has 
been  established  in  southeastern  Massachusetts 
for  upward  of  two  hundred  years.  There  is  a 
tradition  in  the  Goward  family  here  consid- 
ered that  their  ancestor  (I)  Francis  Goward, 
when  a  lad  of  seven  years,  was  stolen  as  it  were 
and  taken  on  board  of  a  vessel  from  England 
bound  for  America;  this  about  1715;  that  he 
was  landed  in  Duxbury,  and  later  married  in 
Middleboro.  In  support  of  a  part  of  this  tra- 
dition, Francis  Goward,  of  Rochester,  is  of 
record  as   marrying  in   Middleboro   July    10, 


1730,  Anna  Morse,  of  the  latter  town,  the 
ceremony  being  performed  by  Peter  Thatcher. 
Two  of  their  children  are  of  record  as  born  in 
Middleboro,  namely:  William,  Nov.  29,  1730; 
and  Francis,  Aug.  23,  1738 ;  maybe  there  were 
others. 

(II)  Francis  Goward  (2),  son  of  Francia 
and  Anna  (Morse)  Goward,  born  Aug.  23, 
1738,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  came  to  the  town 
of  Easton  while  still  young,  and  was  employed 
by  Dr.  Seth  Babbett,  who  died  from  smallpox 
in  1761,  having  contracted  it  while  serving  in 
the  French  and  Indian  war.  Mr.  Goward  set- 
tled on  the  farm  adjoining  that  of  Dr.  Bab- 
bett, which  was  located  on  the  old  road  from 
Easton  to  Mansfield,  Mass.  He  was  a  Baptist 
in  his  religious  faith,  as  his  name  appears  in 
that  connection.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Rev- 
olutionary army  from  the  town  of  Easton; 
was  a  private  in  Capt.  Macy  Williams's  company 
on  the  Lexington  alarm,  April  19,  1775;  served 
three  months  at  Providence  in  1777  during  the 
Rhode  Island  campaign,  and  in  1780  was  in 
the  service,  then  a  member  of  Capt.  Josiah 
Keith's  company.  Col.  Isaac  Dean's  regiment. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Mary. 
She  lived  to  advanced  age  and  died  Aug.  15, 
1832,  aged  eighty-four  years.  He  died  July 
17,  1797,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age; 
this  according  to  inscriptions  on  their  tomb- 
stones, which  apparently  are  in  what  is  now  the 
town  of  Norton,  Mass.  Their  children  were: 
Francis,  born  Aug.  20,  1773;  Isaac,  who  mar- 
ried Nov.  25,  1804,  Abigail  Lothrop;  and 
Israel,  born  Dec.  5,  1779,  who  married  Jan.  9, 
1803,  Patty  Williams. 

(III)  Francis  Goward  (3),  son  of  Francis 
(2)  and  Mary,  born  Aug.  20,  1773,  married 
Dec.  2,  1798,  Polly,  bom  Sept.  7,  1775,  daugh- 
ter of  Ammiruhamah  and  Mary  (Trow)  Kim- 
ball, of  Mansfield,  Norton  and  Easton,  Mass., 
he  a  direct  descendant  of  Richard  Kimball, 
who  with  his  family  embarked  at  Ipswich, 
County  of  Suffolk,  England,  April  10,  1634, 
in  the  ship  "Elizabeth,"  and  landed  in  Bos- 
ton, thence  going  to  Watertown,  where  he 
soon  became  active  and  prominent  in  the  set- 
tlement, from  whom  his  descent  is  through 
Richard  (2),  Samuel,  Samuel  (2),  and  Sam- 
uel Kimball  (3).  The  children  of  Francis 
and  Polly  (Kimball)  Goward  were:  William, 
bom  Aug.  14,  1800;  Dwelly,  born  March  14, 
1802;  Charles,  born  July  9,  1803;  Maria  F., 
born  Oct.  20,  1812;  Emory,  born  May  5,  1814. 
Mr.  Goward  lived  to  be  ninety-four  years  old 
and  Mrs.  Goward  reached  the  age  of  ninety 
years;  their  remains  repose  in  the  Furnace 
Village  cemetery  in  Easton,  Massachusetts. 


1014 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(IV)  Dwelly  Goward,  son  of  Francis  (3) 
and  Polly  (Kimball),  was  born  March  14, 
1802,  on  the  homestead  in  the  town  of  Easton, 
and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  became  en- 
gaged in  farming,  later  branching  out  in  the 
meat  business,  buying  cattle  which  he  butch- 
ered, dressed  and  sold  wholesale  and  retail. 
In  this  enterprise,  in  which  he  was  ably  as- 
sisted by  his  sons,  he  was  very  successful,  and 
spent  his  life  on  his  farm,  dying  there  in  1874; 
he  was  buried  in  the  Furnace  Village  cemetery 
at  Easton.  He  was  a  man  well  known  in  his 
community,  though  domestic  in  his  tastes,  tak- 
ing much  pleasure  in  his  home  and  family.  In 
politics  he  was  a  stanch  Republican. 

Mr.  Goward  married  Feb.  7,  1*^28,  in  Nor- 
ton, Eliza  Hodges,  born  in  Norton,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Sarah  (VVinslow) 
Hodges,  and  granddaughter  of  Josiah  Hodges, 
who  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Mrs.  Goward  descended  from  William 
Hodges,  the  first  of  the  name  in  Taunton, 
through  John  Hodges,  Nathan  and  Experience 
(Williams)  Hodges,  and  Josiah  and  Wealthy 
(Hodges)  Hodges,  the  latter  a  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Hodges.  Mrs.  Goward  died  in  the 
town  (^f  Easton,  and  was  buried  in  the  Fur 
nace  Village  cemetery.  She  was  a  devoted  wife 
and  mother.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goward  came 
children  as  follows:  Henry  Dwelly,  born  July 
3,  1829,  married  Nov.  5,  1859,  Maria  (Reed) 
Roatch,  and  he  died  in  Newport,  R.  I. ;  Josiah 
Francis,  born  July  19,  1832,  married  Oct.  30, 
1856,  Sarah  Elizabeth  Waite,  daughter  of  Israel 
Niles  and  Sally  (Packard)  Waite  (he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  meat  business  in  Easton,  where  he 
died);  Sarah  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  4,  1836, 
died  Jan.  31,  1837;  Edwin  Talbot  was  born 
Jan.  7,  1838 ;  Lewis  Hodges,  born  Nov.  14, 
1839,  married  Oct.  7.  1868,  Martha  Ann  Lin- 
coln, and  he  resides  in  Taunton ;  Willard  Kim- 
ball, born  Jan.  20,  1845,  married  Oct.  7,  1875, 
Harriet  Louise  King,  and  he  resides  in  North 
Easton;  Ellen  Eliza,  born  Oct.  12,  1848,  mar- 
ried June  20,  1872,  Everett  Russell  Leonard, 
and  she  died  in  Norton. 

(V)  Edwin  Talbot  Goward.  son  of  Dwelly, 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town, 
after  which  he  entered  the  Peirce  Academy,  of 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  where  he  graduated  in 
1854.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  at 
home  with  his  father  for  some  Time,  later  en- 
gaging in  the  butchering  business  with  his 
brother  Josiah  F.,  until  1861,  when  he  started 
into  business  for  himself,  settling  on  the  old 
Howard  place  known  as  the  "Howard  Inn,"  in 
Easton.  Here  he  became  extensively  engaged 
in  the  meat  business,  both  wholesale  and   re- 


tail, buying  cattle  in  the  Brighton  and  Water- 
towTi  markets.  His  business  extended  over  a 
large  field,  covering  Easton,  Brockton,  the 
Bridgewaters  and  Taunton.  The  success  of 
his  business  is  due  to  his  own  efforts  and  to  the 
fact  that  he  has  given  it  his  close  attention  and 
conducted  it  with  the  strictest  integrity.  Be- 
sides his  meat  business  Mr.  Goward  has  inter- 
ested himself  in  real  estate,  in  the  erecting  of 
dwelling  houses,  which  he  disposes  of,  and 
though  now  retired  from  the  meat  business 
still  interests  himself  in  his  real  estate  hold- 
ings. He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  cran- 
berry growing  in  the  town  of  Easton,  having 
extensive  bogs,  and  he  markets  hundreds  of 
barrels  yearly.  He  has  dealt  largely  in  timber 
land  and  together  with  farming  has  spent  a 
very  busy  life.  Mr.  Goward  is  a  deep  lover  of 
nature  and  is  a  great  home  lover.  He  is  a 
stanch  Republican  and  is  much  interested  m 
tiie  affairs  of  his  community,  but  has  never 
sought  office.  He  attends  the  Unitarian 
Church  in  Easton,  of  which  Mrs.  Goward  is  a 
member. 

Mr.  Goward  was  married  Nov.  1,  1865,  in 
Easton,  to  Maria  Howard,  born  Nov.  18,  1844, 
daughter  of  Horace  D.  and  Bathsheba  A.  (Wil- 
liams) Howard,  and  granddaughter  of  Asa 
Howard,  who  kept  the  "Howard  Inn."  His 
father,  Nehemiah  Howard,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  died  in  1825.  His 
father  Dr.  Abiel  Howard  was  a  native  of 
Bridgewater  and  settled  in  Easton  where  he 
practiced  his  profession.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goward 
had  children  as  follows:  (1)  Carrie  Williams, 
born  April  1,  1869,  married  Dec.  24,  1895, 
William  Neale,  a  retired  railroad  conductor, 
and  they  reside  in  Stoughton,  Mass. ;  they 
have  two  children,  Maina  and  Pauline  Goward. 
(2)  Bertha  May,  born  April  7,  1873,  married 
Nov.  24,  1892,  Harry  Meyers,  of  North  Eas- 
ton, who  is  a  conductor  on  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  railroad. 

I 
■  BARNEY.  The  Barneys  of  Bristol  county, 
Mjass.,  come  ,  from  the  early  Rehoboth  and 
Swansea  families,  in  which  region  of  country 
the  name  has  been  continuous  for  two  hundred 
and  more  years,  during  which  period  it  has 
had  a  creditable  and  honorable  standing  among 
the  sturdy  yeomanry  of  New  England. 

(I)  Jacob  Barney,  born  about  1601,  is  said 
to  have  icome  from  Swansea,  Wales,  to  Salem, 
Mass.,  about  1630.  He  was  made  a  freeman 
May  14,  1634,  and  represented  Salem  in  the 
General  Court  in  1635,  1638,  1647  and  1655. 
He  was  an  intelligent  man,  and  often  served 
as  selectman,  deputy  to  the  General  Court,  etc. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1015 


He  opposed  the  sentence  of  the  General  Court 
against  those  who  petitioned  for  freer  fran- 
chise. He  followed  the  occupation  of  tailor. 
Mr.  Barney's  death  occurred  at  Salem  April 
28,  1673,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

Pope's  "Pioneers  of  Massachusetts"  says  that 
an  Anna  Barney  was  a  member  of  the  church 
at  Salem  in  1637,  and  queries  whether  she  was 
not  Jacob's  wife,  but  in  the  settlement  of  his 
estate,  Sept.  30,  1673,  the  relict,  Elizabeth,  is 
called  the  mother  of  Jacob,  only  son  of  the 
deceased,  and  he  is  called  her  son.  As  he  was 
born  in  England  before  1634,  Anna  could  not 
have  been  the  wife  of  his  father  in  1637.  Theye 
is  little  doubt  that  Jacob  Barney,  the  elder, 
was  son  of  Edward  Barney,  of  Bradenham, 
County  of  Bucks,  England,  yeoman,  who 
bequeathed  in  his  will  of  Oct.  9,  1643,  to  "son 
Jacob  Barney,  if  he  is  living  at  the  time  of 
my  death  and  come  over  into  England." 
Edward's  wife  may  have  been  Isabel  Rooles, 
daughter  of  John  Rooles,  of  Turfile,  County  of 
Bucks,  England. 

The  children  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Bar- 
ney were :  Jacob ;  Sarah,  who  married  John 
Grover  and  died  in  November,  1662;  John, 
baptized  Dec.  13,  1639;  and  Hannah,  who  mar- 
ried John  Cromwell,  who  died  in  September, 
1700. 

(II)  Jacob  Barney  (2)  was  born  in  Eng- 
land and  was  married  Aug.  18,  1657,  in  Salem, 
Mass.,  to  Hannah  Johnson,  who  died  June  5, 
1659.  He  married  (second)  April  26,  1660, 
Ann  Witt,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Witt, 

•of  Lynn.  His  children  were :  Josiah ;  Hannah, 
born  May  30,  1659;  Hannah  (2),  March  2, 
1661;  Sarah,  Sept.  12,  1662;  Abigail,  Oct.  31, 
1663;  John,  Aug.  1,  1665;  Jacob,  May  21, 
1667;  Ruth,  Sept.  27,  1669;  Dorcas,  April  22, 
1671;  Joseph.  March  9,  1673;  Israel,  June  17, 
1675 ;  Jonathan,  March  29',  1677  ;  Samuel,  Feb. 
10,  1679;  and  Hannah  (3),  Feb.  6,  1681.  Mr. 
Barney  was  a  Baptist  minister  and  founded 
the  churches  in  Charlestown  and  Swansea,  and 
was  probably  the  one  who  founded  the  First 
Baptist  Society  in  Boston  in  1668.  He  re- 
moved from  Salem  not  earlier  than  1673,  going 
to  Bristol  and  Rehoboth.  His  will  was  made 
July  13,  1694,  and  probated  Feb.  25,  1695, 
wife  Ann  being  appointed  executrix.  She  died 
March  17,  1701,  in  R«hoboth. 

(III)  Joseph  Barney,  son  of  Jacob  (2)  and 
Ann  (Witt),  born  in  1673,  came  to  Rehoboth 
in  1690  with  Josiah,  his  half-brother,  and  mar- 
ried Constant  Davis,  daughter  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  Davis,  of  Haverhill,  Mass.  Their 
children  were :  Elizabeth,  born  in  1694,  who 
married  Joseph   Mason,   of   Swansea;  Daniel, 


born  in  1697,  who  married  Alice  (or  Freelove) 
Wheaton ;  Joseph,  who  married  Joanna  Mar- 
tin;  John,  who  married  (first)  Hannah  Clark 
and  (second)  Keziah  Horton ;  Esther,  who 
married  Daniel  Davis,  son  of  Elisha  and  Grace 
(Shaw)  Davis;  Ann;  Sarah,  who  married 
John  Davis,  June  30,  1732;  and  Anna. 

(IV)  Daniel  Barney,  son  of  Joseph,  born  in 
1697,  nxarried  Freelove  Wlieaton,  and  had 
children:  Mary,  born  in  1739;  Constant,  in 
1731;  .Betsey,  in  1733;  Anna,  in  1734;  Daniel, 
in  1736  (married  Rachael  Bowen)  ;  David  and 
Jonathan,  1741;  Beniah,  1744;  Sarah,  March 
2,  1737. 

(V)  Daniel  Barney,  Jr.,  son  of  Daniel,  bom 
in  1736,  married  Rachael  Bowen,  and  had 
children:  Daniel;  Nathan;  Jonathan;  Peleg; 
Nancy ;  Reuben ;  Ebenezer,  and  Rhoda. 

(VI)  Jonathan  Barney,  son  of  Daniel,  Jr., 
married  (first)  Elizabeth  (Betsey),  daughter 
of  Marmaduke  Mason,  and  their  children  were : 
Mason,  Rachael,  Hannah,  Nathan,  Jonathan, 
Betsey,  Mary,  Nancy,  Anthony,  Alanson  and 
Matilda. 

(VII)  Mason  Barney,  son  of  Jonathan,  born 
in  1782,  married  in  1802  Martha  Smith,  who 
died  a  few  years  later.  He  married  (second) 
in  1812  Polly  Grant.  His  children  by  the 
first  marriage  were :  Angeline,  born  in  1802, 
married  Johoi  D.  Mason;  Edwin,  born  in 
1804,  married  Abby  Luther;  Mason  was  born 
in  1808.  To  the  second  marriage  were  born: 
Martha,  who  married  William  Franklin ;  Jona- 
than, unmarried;  Mary,  who  married  Enoe 
Conkling;  Betsey,  who  married  Charles  Smith; 
Rodman,  who  married  Elizabeth  Seymour; 
and  Esther  and  Mason,  both  unmarried. 

(VIII)  Rodman  Barney,  son  of  Mason  and 
Martha,  married  Elizabeth  Seymour,  and  had 
children:  Esther  M.,  who  married  William  D. 
Vose,  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  has  a  daughter, 
Lozetta ;  Algernon  Hollister;  Rodman,  who 
died  aged  two  years ;  and  Jonathan,  who  mar- 
ried Ida  Barker,-  and  lives  in  Barrington, 
Rhode  Island. 

(IX)  Algernon  Hollister  Barney,  son  of 
Rodman,  was  born  at  his  present  residence  in 
Swansea,  Mass.  His  education  was  obtained 
in  the  public  schools  of  Swansea,  the  Warren 
high  school  and  Cady's  private  school  in  Bar- 
rington, R.  I.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age  his  father  died,  and  the  care  of  the  farm 
devolved  upon  the  young  son.  He  sold  hay 
and  produce  to  the  city  of  Providence,  and  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  went  to  Canada  to  buy 
horses  for  that  city.  For  twenty-five  years  he 
has  been  the  holder  of  the  contract  for  the  dis- 
posal of  the  garbage  of  Providence,  and  at  one 


1016 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


time  had  the  contract  for  the  same  work  for 
Pawtucket,  Fall'  River,  New  Bedford  and  New- 
port. He  holds  the  government  mail  contract 
in  Providence,  and  handles  all  the  work  for 
the  Providence  Journal.  He  has  a  livery 
stable  on  Dorrance  street,  Providence,  where  he 
keeps  125  horses.  His  various  contracts  neces- 
sitate the  constant  use  of  three  hundred  horses, 
and  over  two  hundred  men  are  on  his  pay  roll. 
His  Swansea  fann  contains  1,200  acres.  He 
pays  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
hogs.  Mr.  Barney  has  always  been  blessed 
with  Tood  health,  and  his  happy  disposition  has 
won  him  many  friends  who  have  rejoiced  in 
the  success  and  prosperity  that  have  attended 
his  efforts  in  the  business  world. 

Mr.  Barney  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
old  Providence  Athletic  Club.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Elks,  the  United  Workmen,  and  the 
Masons,  having  attained  the  thirty-second  de- 
gree in  Masonry;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Shrine. 

Mr.  Barney  has  been  twice  married.  By  his 
first  wife,  Medora  W.  Brayton,  he  had  three 
children:  Carrie  E.,  who  married  Willard  C. 
Gardner,  of  Swansea,  and  has  two  children, 
Medora  and  Marcia;  Eodihan  S.,  manager  of 
his  father's  farm,  who  married  Augusta  Merri- 
weather,  and  has  four  children,  MoUie,  Eod- 
•man,  Algernon  and  Elizabeth;  and  Ethel,  who 
married  Ernest  Bell  (who  has  charge  of  the 
United  States  mail  contract  in  Providence  for 
Mr.  Barney)  and  has  four  children,  Algernon 
S.,  Hope,  Earnest  and  Caroline.  On  Aug.  30, 
19Q7,  Mr.  Barney  married  (second)  Jessie  E. 
Sampson,  of   Fall   River,  Massachusetts. 

PARKEE  (New  Bedford  family).  For  an 
hundred  and  more  years  the  Parker  family 
here  considered,  some  of  the  descendants  of 
Silvanus  Parker — whose  grandson,  the  late 
Hon.  Ward  Mayhew  Parker,  became  and  con- 
tinued through  an  unusually  long  life  one  of 
'the  foremost  citizens  of  New  Bedford,  and 
whose  son,  the  present  Hon.  David  Lewis  Par- 
ker, has  most  successfully  continued  in  the 
footsteps  of  the  father,  having  filled  a  number 
of  high  official  stations  in  the  city  of  his  birth 
— has  had  an  abiding  place  in  the  old  whaling 
town  and  been  among  its  most  substantial 
citizens. 

This  New  Bedford  Parker  family  is  a  branch 
of  the  early  Cape  Cod  stock,  whose  progeni- 
tor, William  Parker,  was  among  the  early  in- 
habitants of  Scituate,  and  who  with  others  in 
1640  removed  to  Mattakeese,  there  settling  on 
a  tract  of  land  granted  the  September  previ- 
ous.      Mr.  Parker  finally  settled  in  the  town 


of  Falmouth,  where  he  resided  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  On  Nov.  13,  1651,  he  married 
Mary,  daughter  of  Humphrey  Turner;  at  his 
death  he  left  several  sons,  among  whom  was 
Eobert. 

From  this  (I)  William  Parker  the  line- 
age of  Hon.  David  Lewis  Parker,  of  New  Bed- 
ford, is  through  Eobert,  Joseph,  Silvanus, 
Seth,  and  Ward  Mayhew  Parker.  These 
generations  in  detail  and  in  the  order  named 
follow : 

(II)  Eobert  Parker,  whom  Savage  has  of 
Barnstable,  married  Jan.  28,  165?,  Sarah 
James,  and  to  them  came  children :  Mary,  born 
April  1,  1658;  Smith;  June  30,  1660;  Alice, 
Jan.  20,  1662;  and  Jane,  in  March,  1664.  To 
the  father's  second  marriage,  this  time  with 
Patience,  daughter  of  Henry  Cobb,  came  chil- 
dren:  Thomas,  born  Aug.  24,  1669  ( ?)  ; 
Daniel,  April  18,  1670  (?);  Joseph,  Feb.  16, 
1671-72;  Benjamin,  March  15,  1674;  Han- 
nali,  in  April,  1676;  Sarah,  in  1678;  Eliza- 
beth, in  1680;  and  Alice  (2),  Sept.  15,  1681. 

(III)  Joseph  Parker,  born  Feb.  16,  1671- 
72,  married  June  30,  1698,  Mercy  Whist  on. 
Mr.  Parker  and  his  wife  were  original  mem- 
bers of  the  church  at  Falmouth  in  1707,  both 
being  residents  of  the  town  in  1708.  Their 
children  were:  Joseph,  born  April  23,  1699; 
John,  Sept.  11,  1700;  Benjamin,  Feb.  16, 
1702;  Timothy,  Nov.  27,  1703;  Seth,  Sept.  20, 
1705;  Silvanus,  Sept.  11,  1707;  and  Mercy, 
May  21,  1709. 

(IV)  Silvanus  Parker,  born  Sept.  11,  1707, 
married  in  1748  Martha  Mayhew,  of  Chil- 
mark.  Their  children  were :  Seth,  born  Oct. 
12,  1750;  and  Lydia,  who  married  (first)  Jo- 
siAh'  Cotton,  of  Plymouth,  and  (second) 
Thomas   Smith,  of  Sandwich. 

(V)  Seth  Parker,  born  Oct.  12,  1750,  mar- 
ried about  1776  Sophia  Cotton,  of  Plymouth, 
Mass.,  and  had:  Silvanus,  born  in  1777,  who 
died  in  1811 ;  Rossiter  C,  born  in  1779,  who 
died  in  1804;  Seth,  born  in  1781,  who  died  in 
1811 ;  Ward  M..  born  in  1784;  Lydia,  born  in 
1787,  who  died  in  1848;  and  John  C,  born  in 
1793. 

(VI)  Ward  Mayhew  PaSker,  son  of  Seth 
and  Sophia  (Cotton)  Parker,  was  born  June 
18,  1784,  in  Woods  Holl,  Mass.,  and  in  early 
life  engaged  in  the  coasting  trade,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  being  captain  in  command  of  a 
vessel  hauling  live  oak  timber  from  South 
Carolina  during  the  winters  and  making  trad- 
ing voyages  to  Nova  Scotia  in  the  summers. 
He  secured  the  confidence  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants and  business  men  at  the  port  of 
Charleston,  S.  C,  and  his  operations  were  uni- 


^^^^^^A./W^^ 


iZ^Q^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1017 


formly  successful.  The  war  of  1812,  with 
the  embargo,  broke  up  liis  coasting  business  at 
the  South,  but  this  did  not  dishearten  him. 
For  several  years  he  was  engaged  in  procuring 
live  oak  timber  in  Florida  under  contracts 
with  the  government,  and  soon  after  embarked 
in  the  whaling  business  at  Woods  Holl,  Mass., 
where  he  built  the  ship  "Bartholomew  Gos- 
nold,"  which  was  fitted  at  Woods  Holl.  He 
then  retired  from  business,  devoting  himself 
to  the  care  of  the  handsome  property  which  he 
had  acquired,  and  which  under  his  shrewd  and 
judicious  management  grew  to  a  large  estate. 
For  nearly  forty  years  he  was  a  director  of  the 
Marine  (now  the  First  National)  Bank,  and 
for  many  years  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the 
New  Bedford  and  Taunton  Railroad  Company, 
the  Gas  Light  Company  (also  its  vice  presi- 
dent), the  Commercial  Insurance  Company, 
the  Taunton  Copper  Company  (and  its  presi- 
dent for  many  years)  and  the  Taunton  Loco- 
motive Works. 

The  architect  of  his  own  fortune,  with  full 
faith  in  "Poor  Richard's"  maxims  and  with 
habits  of  rigid  economy,  he  was  not  a  close  nor 
a  hard  man.  No  director  of  a  bank  was  more 
liberal  in  affording  accommodation  to  men  of 
small  means  needing  assistance,  and  many  who 
failed  of  relief  in  tight  times  from  the  bank 
have  been  supplied  from  his  private  means. 
Cautious  in  his  investments,  he  was  not  lack- 
ing in  enterprise  and  rarely  hesitated  to  aid  in 
starting  manufacturing  projects  which  prom- 
ised advantages  to  the  city.  Exact  in  all  his 
transactions,  he  was  always  fair,  honorable  and 
scrupulously  just.  He  was  genial,  kind-heart- 
ed and  unostentatiously  benevolent — a  man 
thoroughly  respected  and  highly  esteemed  in 
all  the  relations  of  life.  Up  to  the  close  of 
that  life  so  long  protracted  he  exhibited  re- 
markable physical  vigor,  brightness  and  clear- 
ness of  intellect  and  a  lively  interest  in  affairs. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Whig  and  Republican, 
was  a  representative  to  the  General  Assembly 
from  Falmouth  from  1834  to  1838,  and  he 
was  postmaster  at  Woods  Holl,  Mass.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812. 

As  may  be  inferred,  Mr.  Parker  was  one  of 
the  typical  men  of  New  England,  and  on  his 
removal  to  New  Bedford  he  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  monied  management  of  the  interests  of 
southeastern  Massaclmsetts.  Joseph  Grinnell 
and  himself  were  chums  in  congenial  enter- 
prises, the  one  president  and  the  other  vice 
president  of  the  old  Marine  Bank.  Mr.  Parker 
served  as  president  of  the  bank  at  a  time 
when  Mr.  Grrinnell  was  absent  in  Europe,  and 
being  tendered  the  salary  for  the  term  refused 


it  with  the  remark  that  the  honor  of  the  posi- 
tion was  full  payment.  The  financial  heroism 
of  these  two  men  more  than  once  saved  the 
Wamsutta  Mills  Corporation  from  wreckage 
in  times  of  financial  tornadoes;  these  two 
names  backed  paper  that  carried  the  corpora- 
tion safely  through.  "No  credit  to  me,"  said 
Mr.  Parker,  "Joseph  always  put  his  name 
first."  When  Ward  M.  Parker  was  in  his 
ninetieth  year  Mr.  Samuel  P.  Burt,  late  one 
evening,  on  the  brink  of  financial  disaster, 
sought  the  old  man's  counsel  and  found 
safe  pilotage.  The  prime  habit  of  Mr.  Parker's 
life  was  moderation  in  eating,  drinking  and 
living.  He  detested  a  mortgage  and  never 
took  nor  gave  one  in  his  life.  Of  rare  judg- 
ment, intense  fidelity  and  genial  nature,  his 
life  left  a  gentle  incense  of  ovation  to  his  dear 
memory  from  all  who  knew  him. 

Mr.  Parker  was  twice  married,  marrying 
first,  July  27,  1815,  Hepzibah,  daughter  of 
Deacon  John  Davis ;  she  was  born  Oct.  4, 
1793,  and  died  Feb.  26,  1833.  The  children 
by  this  marriage  were :  Abby  0.,  deceased ; 
Hannah  C,  deceased  wife  of  J.  A.  Beauvais ; 
Abby  S.,  the  only  survivor,  wife  of  J.  L.  Fer- 
guson, of  New  York  City;  and  Ward  R.,  de- 
ceased, of  New  York  City.  Mr.  Parker  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  Marcia  F.,  daughter 
of  David  and  Cynthia  Lewis,  May  25,  1836. 
She  was  bom  in  Falmouth,  May  11,  1813,  and 
descended  from  an  old  and  honored  family  of 
that  town.  They  had  ten  children,  five  of 
whom  were  living  in  1883:  Arabella  (now  de- 
ceased), Lawrence  H.,  Henrv  W.,  David  L. 
and  Lydia  P.  (wife  of  C.  W.  Mitchell,  of 
Brookline,  Mass.).  Mr.  Parker  died  Aug.  6, 
1881,  at  his  home  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  aged 
ninety-seven  years.  His  wife  Marcia  died  at 
New  Bedford  Nov.  27,  1900,  aged  eighty- 
seven  years. 

(VII)  David  Lewis  Parker,  son  of  Ward 
Mayhew  and  Marcia  F.  (Lewis)  Parker,  was 
born  Aug.  30,  1851,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass. 
He  acquired  his  education  in  the  Friends' 
Academy,  New  Bedford,  being  graduated 
therefrom  in  1870,  and  at  Scholfield's  Com- 
mercial College  in  Providence.  Thus  well 
equipped  for  the  active  duties  of  life,  return- 
ing to  his  native  city  he  entered  the  banking 
house  of  Messrs.  S.  P.  Burt  &  Co.,  of  that 
place,  with  which  institution  he  remained 
some  three  years.  Later  on  he  passed  a  like 
period  as  a  clerk  in  the  establishment  of  David 
W.  Lewis  &  Co.,  produce  commission  mer 
chants  of  New  York  City.  Following  this  ex 
perience  he  was  for  some  eight  years  engagec 
in   the   coal   business  at   New   Bedford,   asso 


1018 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


dated  in  a  business  partnership  with  Mr.  Ed- 
ward P.  Haskell,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Parker  &  Haskell. 

Mr.  Parker  is  most  worthily  wearing  the 
family  name  and  sustaining  its  reputation.  A 
stanch  Republican,  he  has  frequently  been 
called  into  the  public  service  of  his  community 
and  as  often  satisfactorily  responded  to  the 
trusts  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  public 
works  of  New  Bedford,  giving  to  it  a  war  and 
a  half  of  service,  then  resigning.  On  Dec.  4, 
1894,  he  was  chosen  by  election  the  chief  ex- 
ecutive officer  of  the  city  of  New  Bedford,  by 
a  majority  of  485,  and  in  December  following 
he  was  reelected  mayor  by  a  majority  of  817. 
It  is  his  privilege  >to  have  been  one  of  the  gov- 
ernment appointments  of  the  late  lamented 
President  McKinley,  whose  official  act  of  Oct. 
1,  1897,  made  him  postmaster  of  New  Bedford. 
Mr.  Parker  was  for  three  years  a  member  of 
the  city  guards.  He  served  as  president  of 
the  Dartmouth  Club  in  the  years  1896  and 
1897.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Veteran  Fire- 
men's Association,  the  New  Bedford  Protect- 
ing Society,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Dart- 
mouth, Wamsutta  and  Country  Clubs,  and  the 
Board  of  Trade.  For  several  years,  since  1905, 
he  has  served  as  chainnan  of  the  Republican 
city  committee. 

On  Sept.  18,  1883,  Mr.  Parker  was  married 
to  Calista  S.,  daughter  of  Roland  Holcomb, 
of  New  Bedford.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  Marion  and  Ward  M. 

CAPTAIN  ROBERT  P.  REYNARD,  a  re- 
tired master  mariner  of  the  old  school,  a  suc- 
cessful whaler,  and  one  of  the  venerable  citizens 
of  Fall  River,  was  born  in  New  Bedford, 
Massachusetts,  on  the  fourteenth  of  August, 
1817.  His  father,  John  Reynard,  came 
from  England,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
and  settled  in  the  town  of  New  Bedford,  where 
he  became  an  American  citizen  early  in  the 
nineteenth  century.  He  was  master  of  a  ves- 
sel in  the  merchant  service  and,  when  on  a 
voyage  to  the  West  Indies  during  the  War  of 
1812,  was  captured  by  the  British  and  taken 
to  England,  where,  for  two  years,  he  was  held 
as  prisoner-of-war  at  Dartmoor.  At  the  close 
of  the  war,  he  was  released  and  returned  to 
New  Bedford,  where  he  subsequently  died  at 
the  age  of  forty  years.  The  children  of  John 
and  Mary  Reynard  were,  Francis,  (died 
young),  William  H.,  (became  a  sea  captain), 
Elizabeth  P.,  (married  Marshall-Root),  Owen, 
(became  a  sea  captain),  Robert  P.,  (became  a 
sea  captain),  David,   (died  young),  Sarah  J., 


(married  Thomas  Wall  and  lived  in  Cali- 
fornia), and  Mary  A.  C,  (married  James  T. 
Almy). 

Robert  P.  Reynard,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  ear- 
ly in  life,  as  his  father  and  mother  died  when 
he  Was  still  a  child.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained at  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town 
and  at  the  age  of  twelve  he  launched  upon  his 
life  as  a  mariner.  Familiar  with  the  exper- 
iences of  his  father  and  brothers,  the  dangers 
of  a  seafaring  life  were  not  unknown  to  him, 
yet  he  embarked  upon  his  vocation  with  great 
enthusiasm  and  ambition.  He  first  shipped  as 
cabin  boy  on  the  whaling  ship  "Abigail,"  of 
New  Bedford,  with  Capt.  Benjamin  Clark  in 
command  and  William  H.  Reynard,  his 
brother,  as  first  mate.  This  voyage  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  going  and  returning  around 
Cape  Horn,  lasted'  nearly  four  years,  and  was 
filled  with  varied  adventures  for  the  young 
sailor.  Before  starting  out  again,  he  took  a 
course  of  study  in  navigation  and  soon  ob- 
tained the  position  as  boat  steerer  on  the 
"America,"  also  a  whaler.  This  cruise  lasted 
two  years,  with  most  of  the  time  spent  in  the 
Indian  Ocean. 

The  third  voyage  brought  another  promo- 
tion for  the  young  man,  who,  although  he  had 
spent  much  time  on  the  seas,  was  still  a  minor. 
This  time,  as  second  mate,  with  his  brother 
Owen  as  Captain,  he  sailed  in  the  "Amethyst" 
to  the  same  waters,  going  out  around  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope  and,  returning  around  Cape 
Horn.  This  was  the  first  of  his  four  tripB 
around  the  world  and,  taken  under  sail  alone, 
was  one  of  great  accomplishment.  He  made 
another  trip  in  this  same  ship  as  chief  mate, 
and  the  third  voyage  in  the  "Amethyst"  found 
him,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  in  the  position 
of  Captain. 

The  ship  "Averick,"  in  which  the  next  voy- 
age of  Capt.  Reynard  was  made,  was  the  only 
vessel  he  ever  lost ;  she  was  blown  ashore  in  a 
hurricane  and  wrecked  on  Raiatea,  one  of  the 
Society  Islands,  but  all  the  crew  were  saved. 
After  living  six  months  with  the  natives,  Capt. 
Reynard  and  his  crew  went  to  Tahiti,  another 
island  of  this  group,  where  they  were  cared 
for  by  the  American  Consul  until  they  were 
able  to  return  to  America. 

His  next  trip,  made  in  the  "Alexander," 
brought  quite  another  experience  and  so  suc- 
cessful was  it  that  the  owners  offered  to  buy 
any  ship  that  Capt.  Reynard  wished  to  com- 
mand. 

It  was  during  one  of  his  whaling  voyages  to 
the   Arctic,  in  the  ship  "China,"  that  Capt. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1019 


Eeynard  saved  fifty-seven  shipwrecked  French 
sailors  from  the  "Cosmopolite,"  who  were  in 
danger  from  the  natives,  and,  changing  his 
course,  carried  them  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
Good  judgment  on  his  part  saved  the  loss  of 
his  own  vessel  on  this  trip.  T«  shorten  the 
distance  some  four  or  five  hundred  miles,  he 
decided  to  take  a  course  through  the  Aleutian 
Islands,  which  is  particularly  dangerous.  The 
day  was  apparently  perfect,  with  only  a  light 
breeze,  and,  although  not  necessary,  he  decided 
to  make  another  tack  to  give  his  vessel  more 
room.  The  tide  carried  them  well  out  to  sea, 
and  that  night,  when  a  severe  gale  came  up, 
they  rode  it  out  in  safety.  Had  he  not  been  so 
fore-sighted  and  made  the  tack,  which  to  the 
majority  of  navigators  would  have  seemed 
needless,  they  would  have  been  blown  ashore 
and  wrecked  upon  the  iron-clad  coast. 

During  the  gold  fever  in  1849,  Capt.  Eey- 
nard commanded  the  bark  "Dimon,"  in  which 
many  from  Fall  River  and  New  Bedford  sailed, 
bound  for  California.  While  there  he  made 
one  trip  to  Oregon  and,  although  flattering 
offers  were  made  him  to  continue  his  naviga- 
tion on  the  Pacific  Ocean,  after  one  year  he 
sold  the  vessel  and  returned  to  Massachusetts, 
by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  to  embark  again  as  a 
whaler. 

He  sailed  upon  his  last  and  most  successful 
voyage  as  master  of  a  whaling  ship,  in  the 
"Thomas  Pope,"  at  ten  o'clock  on  June  10, 
1856,  and  on  his  return  dropped  anchor  in 
New  Bedford  harbor  on  June  10,  1859,  at  the 
same  hour. 

These  were  the  whaling  voyages  made  by 
Capt.  Reynard,  which,  combining  adventure 
and  hardship,  were  crowned  with  success.  Af- 
ter visiting  every  continent  and  ocean  (except 
the  Antarctic),  just  in  the  prime  of  life  and 
at  the  zenith  of  prosperity,  he  gave  up  his 
career  as  master  of  the  sea  and  retired  with  the 
well-earned  satisfaction  that  his  ambitions  had 
been  realized.  Capt.  Reynard  had  already 
married  and  his  wife  and  family  were  living 
in  Fall  River ;  here  he  joined  them  to  enjoy 
their  pleasures  and  the  comforts  of  his  home. 

Capt.  Reynard  still  retained  his  interests  in 
shipping  and  built  four  three-masted  schoon- 
ers, namely:  "Jefferson  Borden,"  "Stephen 
Davol,"  "R.  P.  Reynard"  and  "James  Ford." 
In  the  latter  he  made  one  commercial  trip 
which  was,  to  those  who  Icnew  its  details,  a 
most  remarkable  one.  This  took  him  to  South 
America,  to  Scotland,  to  Cuba,  then  to  Phil- 
adelphia, and  back  to  Boston. 

At  one  time  Capt.  Eeynard  had  the  supervis- 
ion of  three  vessels  connected  with  the  Iron 


Works  Company  of  Fall  River,  and  his  mer- 
cantile knowledge  and  advice  were  invaluable 
to  the  company. 

Soon  after  his  retirement  from  life  on  ship- 
board he  built  a  house  at  Westport  Harbor,  a 
summer  resort  fifteen  miles  south  of  Fall  Eiver, 
and  here  he  enjoyed  the  ever-changing  scenes 
of  the  broad  Atlantic,  and  the  recreation  in 
sailing  small  craft  upon  its  waters. 

Captain  Eeynard's  ability  was  not  limited  to 
the  battles  of  the  sea,  but  he  was  well  equipped 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  business  world.  He 
became  an  active,  influential,  and  highly  re- 
spected citizen  and,  although  not  seeking  pub- 
lic office,  he  served  one  term  in  the  city  gov- 
ernment. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Fajl 
Eiver  Five  Cents  Savings  Bank  and  acts  as 
one  of  its  trustees,  which  position  he  has  held 
since  its  organization.  Although  past  his 
ninety-fourth  birthday,  his  intelligent  and 
vigorous  comments  on  the  leading  questions  of 
the  day,  with  which  he  keeps  abreast,  are 
worthy  of  note  by  those  influential  in  the  busi- 
ness world. 

Eobert  P.  Reynard  was  married  in  Fall 
River  on  May  8,  1844,  to  Elizabeth  C.  Brown, 
daughter  of  Captain  Daniel  and  Candace 
(Pierce)  Brown.  Their  children  were,  Robert 
P.,  Owen,  Elizabeth  B.,  (died  young),  Edith 
E.,  and  Jennie  B.,  (died  in  infancy). 

JOHN  THORNTON  BULLARD,  M.  D.,  a 
practicing  physician  and  surgeon  in  New  Bed- 
ford for  the  last  twenty  years,  is  one  of  the 
leading  members  of  the  medical  profession  at 
that  place  and  has  been  identified  with  local 
affairs  in  various  professional  capacities,  be- 
sides being  well  known  as  a  general  practi- 
tioner. He  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Boston, 
born  March  31,  1864,  son  of  John  Lincoln  and 
Sarah  (Spooner)  Bullard.  His  great-great- 
grandfather, Eev.  John  Bullard,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard,  1776,  and  minister  of  Pepperell,  was 
evidently  the  John  mentioned  as  son  of  (IV) 
Henry  Bullard,  below ;  he  served  in  the  patri- 
ot ranks  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Ilill.  His 
grandfather,  John  Parker  Bullard,  was  born 
in  Pepperell,  Middlesex  Co.,  Mass.,  and  died 
in  Clinton,  La.,  Jan.  29,  1845.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  Harvard  College  with  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  in  1829  and  received  the  degree  of  LL.  D. 
in  the  year  1836.  He  married  Lucy  Forbes 
Brigham. 

John  Lincoln  Bullard,  born  Aug.  17,  1840, 
at  Jackson,  La.,  only  child  of  John  Parker  and 
Lucy  Forbes  (Brigham)  Bullard,  was  grad- 
uated from  Harvard  in  1861.     He  was  in  the 


1020 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


United  States  service  during  the  Civil  war, 
being  captain,  commissary  and  subsistence  de- 
partment. United  States  army,  Nov.  29,  1868, 
and  in  November,  1865,  was  made  brevet 
major  of  United  States  volunteers.  During 
most  of  his  business  life  he  was  in  the  cotton 
ties  and  bag  business,  being  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Bullard  &  Wheeler,  of  New  York  City, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Cotton  Exchange. 
Able  and  diligent,  he  was  highly  successful  and 
universally  considered  a  man  of  keen  intelli- 
gence. He  died  in  Short  Hills,  N.  J.,  July 
2,  1899. 

Mr.  Bullard  was  twice  married.  On  June 
10,  1863,  he  married  (first)  Sarah  (Spooner), 
who  died  June  1,  1866,  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren: John  Thornton  and  Sarah  Spooner;  the 
latter,  born  May  20,  1866,  was  married  June 
18,  1895,  to  Charles  Henry  Leonard  Delano, 
who  was  born  Aug.  27,  1859.  For  his  second 
wife  Mr.  Bullard  married  in  November,  1868, 
Charlotte  Haskell,  of  Acushnet,  Mass.,  an  aunt 
of  Alice  Lee,  the  first  wife  of  ex-President 
Roosevelt.  She  died  Feb.  20,  1898.  By  this 
union  there  was  one  daughter,  Lucy  Forbes, 
born  Nov.  17,  1877,  who  married  March  16, 
1898,  Louis  P.  Bayard,  of  Short  Hills.  N.  J., 
and  she  has  three  children,  Louis  P.  3(J,  Alice 
Hathaway,  and  Martha  Pintard. 

John  Thornton  Bullard  received  his  prepar- 
atory education  at  the  Friends'  School  in  New 
Bedford,  Mass.  In  1880  he  entered  Harvard, 
graduating  in  1884  with  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
and  for  the  next  three  years  pursuing  his  medi- 
cal studies  at  the  same  institution,  from  which 
he  received  the  M.  D.  degree  in  1887.  In  July 
of  the  latter  year  he  went  to  Europe,  passing 
the  summer  at  Heidelberg  studying  the  lan- 
guages, and  spent  the  following  winter  in  study 
at  Vienna,  whence  he  went  to  Dublin,  Ireland, 
for  two  months'  study  at  the  Rotunda  Hospital. 
Returning  home  in  the  summer  of  1888  he 
spent  the  next  winter  in  New  York  and  Bos- 
ton, establishing  himself  for  practice  in  New 
Bedford  in  1889.  He  has  remained  there  ever 
since,  and  now  commands  one  of  the  leading 
practices  in  the  city,  where  his  personal  and 
professional  reputation  alike  are  irreproacha- 
ble. Dr.  Bullard  has  been  on  the  surgical 
staff  of  St.  Luke's  hospital  ever  since  1890,  and 
since  1891  he  has  been  acting  assistant  surgeon 
of  the  United  States  Public  Health  and  Marine 
hospital ;  he  has  been  associate  medical  exam- 
iner for  Bristol  county  since  1895 ;  was  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  health  and  port  physician 
from  1894  to  1902;  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Sinking  Fund  Commissioners  of  New 
Bedford.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Massachu- 


setts State  Medical  Society,  and  socially  be- 
longs to  the  local  clubs  and  the  Somerset  Club 
of  Boston.  On  June  18,  1889,  Dr.  Bullard 
married  Emily  Morgan  Rotch,  of  New  Bed- 
ford. They  have  five  children :  John  Morgan, 
born  June  7,  1890,  who  is  now  a  sophomore  at 
Harvard  University ;  Helen  Rotch,  bom  Jan. 
25,  1892;  William  Rotch,  born  Oct.  16,  1893^ 
Emily,  born  July  20,  1895;  and  Lydia  Gard- 
ner, born  Nov.  3,  1896. 

BULLARD  (New  Bedford  family).  Among 
the  first  planters  of  New  England,  according 
to  the  latest  researches  in  genealogy,  appear 
four  men  of  the  name  of  Bullard,  viz.,  Robert, 
George,  John  and  William,  all  of  whom  doubt- 
less emigrated  from  England  about  the  year 
1630,  and  were  certainly  among  the  first  set- 
tlers in  Watertown  and  its  vicinity.  The  two 
first  named  or  their  children  had  lands  as- 
signed them  in  Watertown  in  1637  and  1644, 
and  the  other  two  in  Dedham  about  the  year 
1636.  Of  these  four,  Robert  was  unquestion- 
ably the  ancestor  of  many  of  the  Bullards  of 
Massachusetts,  particularly  the  Sutton  family 
of  that  name  and  branches  of  it  in  Medway 
and  other  towns  in  the  State.  He  was  bom 
about  the  year  1599,  as  it  is  a  matter  of  record 
that  he  died  in  Watertown  April  24,  1639, 
aged  forty  years.  He  left  a  widow  Ann 
or  Anna  and  probably  only  three  children,  a 
son  Benjamin  and  two  daughters  Anna  and 
Maudlin. 

(II)  Benjamin  Bullard,  only  son  of  Robert 
and  Anna,  was  born  probably  about  the  year 
1630.  From  all  accounts  handed  down  by  his 
contemporaries  he  seems  to  have  been  regarded 
as  a  man  of  rare  energy  and  force  of  character. 
During  a  portion  of  his  minority  he  resided  in 
Dedham,  being  under  the  care  of  an  uncle, 
probably  John  Bullard,  a  holder  of  land  in  that 
town.  He  was  admitted  a  townsman  at  Ded- 
ham Jan.  11,  1655-56,  "which  then  implied  a 
previous  probation,  a  good  moral  character  and 
the  age  of  twenty-one."  His  name  appears  in 
1657-58  in  the  list  of  those  to  whom  land  was 
to  be  assigned  in  Dedham,  but  having  removed 
from  Dedham  about  that  time  he  received  none. 
He  was  twice  married,  first  at  Dedham  in  1659' 
to  Margaret  Pidge,  and  to  his  second  wife, 
Elizabeth,  in  1677'.  About  the  time  of  his  first 
marriage  he  and  others  located  homes  in  what 
is  now  the  town  of  Sherborn,  where  they  con- 
tinued to  reside  during  the  rest  of  their  lives, 
in  a  state  of  warfare  with  the  savages  who 
then  infested  nearly  all  the  early  settlements 
of  Massachusetts.  Benjamin  Bullard  was  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  first  petition  for  the  incor- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1021 


poration  of  the  town  of  Sherborn.  He  eventu- 
ally became  the  proprietor  of  large  tracts  of 
land  in  Medway,  Sherborn  and  Holliston,  some 
of  which  remained  in  the  possession  of  descend- 
ants as  late  as  1878.  He  died  in  Sherborn 
Sept.  27,  1698.  His  family  consisted  of  twelve 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters  by 
■each  wife.  In  closing  a  most  excellent  tribute 
to  his  memory  Mr.  Morse  eulogizes  the  "great 
Puritan  ancestor  of  the  Bullards"  and  records 
that  "he  sleeps  hard  by  the  scenes  of  his  toils 
and  his  perils.  On  the  apex  of  one  of  nature's 
pyramids,  whose  base  is  laved  by  the  Charles 
river,  repose  his  ashes  in  company  with  those 
of  the  founders  of  Sherborn." 

(III)  John  Bullard,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Elizabeth,  was  born  March  7.  1678,  in  Sher- 
born. He  married  Jan.  7,  1702,  Abigail  Le- 
land,  who  was  born  Feb.  17,  1683,  daughter  of 
Hopestill  and  Abigail  (Hill)  Leland,  and  they 
had  their  home  in  Medway.  Their  children 
were:  Thankful;  John,  born  May  16,  1705; 
Abigail,  born  Dec.  4,  1708;  Hannah,  born  May 
12,  1714;  Mary,  born  April  7,  1717;  Comfort, 
born  March  2,  1721;  and  Henry,  born  Oct.  1, 
1723. 

(IV)  Henry  Bullard,  son  of  John  and  Abi- 
gail (Leland),  was  born,  Oct.  1,  1723.  On 
March  14,  1745-46,  he  married  Jemima  Pond, 
who  was  born  in  Wrentljam,  Mass.,  and  died 
May  19,  1766.  His  second  wife,  Abigail 
Morse,  was  the  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Sarah  (Coolidge)  Morse.  They  lived  at  Med- 
way. Mr.  Bullard  had  a  family  of  twelve 
children:  (1)  Mary,  born  Oct.  14,  1746,  was 
married  in  1766  to  Timothy  Hill,  and  died 
Feb.  18,  1825;  (2)  Henry  was  born  April  29, 
1749;  (3)  Adam  was  born  Aug.  10,  1752;  (4) 
John,  bom  Nov.  28,  1756,  married  Elizabeth 
Adams,  daughter  of  Rev.  Amos  Adams,  of  Rox- 
bury;  (5)  Eli,  born  Nov.  16,  1758,  married  in 
1794  Ruth  Buckminster;  (6)  Royal,  born 
April  21,  1762,  married  Ruth  Penniman,  and 
died  March  25,  1785;  (7)  Samuel,  born  May 
15,  1766,  married  Abigail  Bullard  and  resided 
in  Shrewsbury',  Mass.;  (8)  Abigail,  bom  April 
11,  1773,  died  Sept.  24,  1776;  (0)  Margaret, 
bora  Nov.  1,  1775,  died  Oct.  11,  1776;  (10) 
Liberty,  born  Nov.  11,  1777,  married  Abigail 
Learned  and  resided  at  New  Salem,  Mass. ; 
(11)  Amos  was  bom  Feb.  35,  1780;  (12)  Abi- 
gail, born  Aug.  11,  1783,  married  Thomas  Bur- 
hank  and  resided  in  Warren,  Massachusetts. 

GIBBS.  The  Gibbs  family,  to  which  the 
late  Capt.  Stephen  B.  Gibbs,  an  old-time  mas- 
ter of  whaling  vessels  and  a  stanch  and  consist- 
ent advocate  of  temperance,  belonged,  was  ear- 


ly planted  on  the  Massachusetts  coast,  and  its 
first  home  in  the  New  World  was  in  Barnsta- 
ble county. 

(I)  Micah  Gibbs _was  at  Plymouth  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century,  where 
on  March  6,  1727,  he  deeded  land  at  Agawam, 
then  a  part  of  the  town  of  Rochester,  now  of 
Wareham,  Mass.,  to  Thomas  Savery.  The 
Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Sarah.  He 
was,  perhaps  without  doubt,  a  descendant  of 
Thomas  Gibbs,  who  was  at  Sandwich  and 
among  those  there  able  to  bear  arms  in  1643, 
and  a  division  of  whose  estate  was  made  in 
1693  among  his  sons,  John,  Thomas  and  Sam- 
uel, providing  for  their  mother's  maintenance. 
The  children  of  Thomas  were:  John,  born 
Sept.  12,  1634;  Thomas,  born  March  23,  1636; 
Samuel,  born  June  22,  1649  ;  Sarah,  born  April 
11,  1652;  Job  and  Bethiah,  born  April  15, 
1655;  Mary,  born  Aug.  12,  1657;  and  Samuel, 
born  June  23,  1659.  The  children  born  to 
Micah  and  Sarah  Gibbs,  all  of  Wareham  record, 
were:  Thankful,  born  March  6,  1733;  Hannah, 
June  8,  1735;  Mary,  born  Aug.  9,  1737; 
Micah,  June  6,  1741 ;  Jonathan,  Nov.  9,  1746. 

(II)  Jonathan  Gibbs,  son  of  Micah  and 
Sarah,  born  in  Wareham  Nov.  9,  1746,  mar- 
ried June  1,  1776,  Hannah  Clark,  of  Ply- 
mouth, and  their  children  were:  Micah,  born 
Sept.  17,  1777;  Clark,  Oct.  28,,  1779;  Sally, 
June  28,  1781;  James,  Aug.  2,  1783;  Lydia, 
Sept.  12,  1785;  Polly,  Dec.  10,  1787;  Elisha, 
Nov.  1,  1789;  Bartlett,  Dec.  12,  1791;  Elna- 
than.  May  5,  1794;  Deborah,  April  1,  1797; 
and  Jonathan,  Sept.  6,  1799.  Among  the  rec- 
ords of  soldiers  who  fought  in  the  Revolution- 
ary war  is  that  of  Jonathan  Gibbs,  also  called 
Jonathan,  Jr.,  of  Wareham,  who  was  sergeant 
in  Capt.  Noah  Fearing's  company,  minute-men, 
who  marched  on  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775, 
to  Marshfield — service  four  days;  also  sergeant 
in  Capt.  John  Gibb's  Co.,  Col.  Ebenezer  Sprout's 
regiment — service  two  days,  company  marched 
to  Falmouth  on  the  alarm  at  Elizabeth  Island 
Dec.  8,  1776;  also  same  company  and  regi- 
ment— service  thirteen  days,  company  marched 
to  Rhode  Island  on  the  alarm  of  Dec.  10,  1776; 
also  Capt.  John  Gibb's  company.  Col.  Ebenezer 
Sprout's  4th  Plymouth  county  regiment,  en- 
tered service  Sept.  6,  1778,  discharged  Sept. 
10,  1778 — service  five  days,  company  marched 
to  Dartmouth  Sept.  6,  1778,  on  an  alarm; 
also  same  company  and  regiment,  entered  ser- 
vice Sept.  12,  1778,  discharged  Sept.  18,  1778 
— service  five  days,  company  marched  to  Fal- 
mouth on  an  alarm. 

(III)  James  Gibbs,  son  of  Jonathan  and 
Hannah,  born  in  Wareham  Aug.  2,  1783,  mar- 


1022 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


ried  Martha  Swift.  He  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  Nantucket,  Mass.,  where  they  lived. 
Among  his  children  was  a  son,  Stephen  B., 
born  July  22,  1811. 

(IV)  Capt.  Stephen  B.  Gibbs,  son  of 
James  and  Martha,  was  born  in  East  Ware- 
ham,  Mass.,  July  22,  1811.  When  he  was 
quite  young  his  parents  removed  to  Nantucket, 
where  he  worked  at  different  occupations, 
helping  to  support  the  family,  and  attending 
school  during  the  winter  season.  He  worked 
at  farm  labor  until  he  was  fourteen,  when  he 
took  up  a  seafaring  life,  shipping  on  the 
whaler"Bnterprise,"toimmanded  by  C'Japt.  Obed 
Swain.  They  started  on  a  whaling  voyage  to 
the  Pacific  ocean,  sailing  around  Cape  Horn, 
and  after  three  years  returned  home  with  the 
sum  of  $350,  which  he  gave  to  his  father.  He 
shipped  on  the  same  vessel  a  second  time,  and 
after  a  two  and  a  half  years'  voyage  returned 
with  $1,100  as  his  share  of  the  profits,  and 
this  he  also  gave  his  father.  This  money  was 
used  to  buy  a  home  in  Nantucket,  where  the 
father  spent  his  declining  years.  At  the  age 
of  twenty-two  Captain  Gibbs  became  third 
mate  on  the  ship  ''Charles  &  Henry,"  under 
Capt.  C.  F.  Joy,  and  this  voyage  occupied 
nearly  three  and  a  half  years.  He  next  was 
made  mate  on  the  ship  ."Maria,"'  under  Capt. 
Elisha  H.  Fisher,  and  sailed  to  the  southern 
Pacific  ocean.  During  this  trip  Mate  Gibbs 
was  with  others  overturned  in  a  small  boat 
while  attempting  to  capture  a  whale.  Mr. 
Gibbs  was  seized  by  the  whale  and  the  flesh  of 
his  right  leg  was  stripped  from  the  bone  for 
several  inches,  and  after  his  rescue  by  the  crew 
the  wound  was  dressed  by  the  captain.  It  took 
some  time  to  heal.  After  a  period  of  three 
years  they  returned  home  and  Mr.  GUbbs  be- 
came master  of  the  whaler  "Ontario.  While 
on  his  first  voyage  as  master  he  visited  the 
harbor  at  Nukahiva,  and  raised  a  Bethel  flag. 
The  place  later  became  a  missionary  station, 
and  afterward  a  French  possession.  The  in- 
habitants of  the  Pacific  islands  during  those 
days  were  largely  cannibals,  and  only  under 
the  protection  of  firearms  was  landing  safe 
in  many  instances.  Captain  Gibbs  niad^  a 
second  trip  on  the  "Ontario,"  after  which  he 
became  master  of  the  "Napoleon."  While  on 
the  latter  vessel  he  was  taken  ill,  and  had  to 
be  put  ashore  at  Panama,  whence  he  returned 
home.  This  ended  his  life  on  the  water.  At 
the  age  of  forty  years  he  had  made  fourteen 
trips  around  the  Horn,  and  was  successful  in 
all  his  ventures.  After  giving  up  the  sea  he 
located  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  where  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life.     He  took  a  deep  in- 


terest in  the  town  and  its  institutions,  and  al- 
ways attended  the  town  meetings.  He  was 
one  of  the  original  incorporators  of  the  Mid- 
dleboro Savings  Bank. 

Captain  Gibbs  was  a  stanch  temperance  man, 
and  during  his  life  at  sea  absolutely  refused  to 
take  liquor  aboard  when  about  to  leave  for  his 
voyages.  This  at  first  caused  considerable  dif- 
ficulty with  the  crew,  but  the  Captain  held  fast 
to  his  determination,  and  it  became  a  well- 
known  and  settled  fact  that  grog  would  find  no 
place  in  his  cargo  of  supplies.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  Assawampsett  Division,  Sons  of 
Temperance,  and  was  also  a  member  of  a 
State  temperance  society  at  one  time.  For 
upward  of  forty  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Central  Baptist  Church,  and  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  all  church  work. 

Captain  Gibbs  died  Feb.  28, 1906,  aged  nine- 
ty-four years,  at  his  home  on  High  street,  and 
was  laid  to  rest  in  Central  cemetery,  Middle- 
boro. The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by 
Rev.  M.  F.  Johnson,  a  former  pastor  of  the 
church.  Captain  Gibbs  was  loved  and  respect- 
ed by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  noted  for 
his  honesty  and  honorable  dealings,  and  was 
a  good  citizen  and  Christian  gentleman. 

The  Captain  was  twice  married.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  Judith  Maxam,  of  Nantucket,  who 
died  in  East  Wareham,  and  was  buried  in  Nan- 
tucket. She  left  one  child,  Charles,  who  was 
drowned  in  Taunton  river.  Captain  Gibbs 
married  (second)  June  11,  1856,  Mrs.  Judith 
J.  (Cole)  Bradford,  of  Middleboro,  and  the 
children  born  to  them  were :  ( 1 )  James  E., 
born  Sept.  25,  1857,  manager  for  the  Swift 
Packing  Company,  at  Middletown,  N.  Y.,  mar- 
ried Eva  J.  Mitchell.  (2)  Stephen  Bourne, 
born  Oct.  19,  1858,  agent  for  the  Board  of  Ma- 
rine Underwriters,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal., 
with  offices  at  Seattle,  Wash.,  married  Eliza- 
beth Morse,  a  native  of  England.  (3)  Carle- 
ton  Lynwood,  born  May  4,  1864,  manager 
for  the  Swift  Packing  Company  at  Concord, 
N.  H.,  married  Emma  Sliaw,  of  Lakeville.  Mrs. 
Gibbs  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church, 
and  was  a  woman  of  kindly  impulses,  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  her.  She  passed 
away  at  her  home  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  Jan. 
29,  1910,  aged  eighty-one  years,  six  months. 


Cole.  The  Cole  family,  to  which  Mrs. 
Gibbs  belonged  in  paternal  lines,  is  descended 
from 

(I)  James  Cole,  a  resident  of  Highgate,  a 
suburb  of  London,  England,  in  1616,  who  mar- 
ried in  1624  Mary,  daughter  of  the  noted 
botanist    and    physician,    Mathieu    Lovel,   who 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1023 


was  born  in  Lille,  a  son  of  Jean  de  Lovel,  a 
distinguished  lawyer.  Mr.  Cole  and  his  wife, 
with  their  sons  James  and  Hugh,  who  were 
probably  born  in  London,  came  to  New  Eng- 
land in  1632,  and  were  for  a  time  at  Saco, 
Maine.  Mr.  Cole  located  in  Plymouth,  Mass., 
in  1633,  and  was  there  made  a  freeman  in  the 
same  year.  He  was  known  as  a  sailor.  His 
name  appears  on  the  tax  list  of  Plymouth  in 
1634.  He  was  the  first  settler  of  and  lived 
upon  what  is  still  known  as  "Cole's  Hill,"  the 
first  burial  ground  of  the  Pilgrims.  This  land 
probablyl  included  the  ground  upon  which 
rests  Plymouth  Eock.  He  had  various  grants 
of  land.  He  was  surveyor  of  highways  in  1641, 
1642,  1651  and  1652;  was  constable  in  1641 
and  1644.  He  was  a  volunteer  in  1637  against 
the  Pequot  Indians.  Mr.  Cole  kept  perhaps 
the  first  public  house  or  inn  in  Plymouth,  and 
one  of  the  first  in  New  England.  This  inn 
was  opened  soon  after  Mr.  Cole's  arrival  at 
Plymouth,  and  it  was  continued  by  himself 
and  son  James,  respectively,  until  1698.  The 
children  of  Mr.  Cole  and  his  wife  were :  James, 
born  in  1625;  Hugh,  in  1627;  John,  Nov.  21, 
1637,  in  Plymouth;  and  Mary,  in  1639. 

(II)  Hugh  Cole,  son  of  James,  born  in  1627, 
probably  in  London,  England,  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  his  parents  in  1632,  and  with  them 
probably  went  to  Plymouth,  of  which  he  was 
made  a  freeman  in  1657.  He  married  (first) 
Jan.  8,  1654,  Mary,  born  Aug.  17,  1635,  in 
Scituate,  daughter  of  Eichard  and  Ann  (Shel- 
ly) Foswell,  of  Barnstable,  Mass.,  her  father 
having  come  from  England  with  Governor 
Winthrop  in  1631,  and  settled  in  Scituate. 
Mr.  Cole  married  (second)  Jan.  1,  1689,  Eliz- 
abeth, widow  of  Jacob  Cook,  former  widow 
of  William  Shurtliffe,  and  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Ann  Lettuce,  of  Plymouth.  She  i^ed  in 
Swansea,  Mass.,  Oct.  31,  1693,  and  he  mar- 
ried (third)  Jan.  30,  1694,  Mary,  widow  of 
Deacon  Ephraim  Morton,  former  widow  of 
William  Harlow,  and  daughter  of  Eobert  and 
Judith  Shelly.  At  the  opening  of  King  Phil- 
ip's war  in  1675  two  of  the  sons  of  Mr.  Cole 
were  made  prisoners  by  the  Indians.  Philip 
ordered  them  to  be  set  at  liberty,  because  their 
father  had  been  his  friend.  He  sent  word  to 
Hugh  that  for  safety  he  should  remove  his 
family  to  Ehode  Island,  which  he  did.  Per- 
haps in  an  hour  after  he  left  his  house  was  in 
flames.  He  lived  for  a  time  at  Portsmouth, 
E.  I.  According  to  Savage,  Mr.  Cole  was  a 
sergeant  in  the  war.  He  returned  to  Swansea 
in  1677,  and  built  a  house  within  a  few  rods 
of  the  present  home  of  Miss  Abby  Cole,  and 
this   land   on   the   Kickemuit   river   has   never 


passed  out  of  the  possession  of  the  Cole  family,' 
being  now  owned  by  the  lady  named.  Mr. 
Cole  died  in  Swansea  Jan.  22,  1699.  Of  his 
ten  children  the  first  three  were  born  in  Ply- 
mouth and  the  others  in  Swansea. 

(III)  Benjamin  Cole,  son  of  Hugh,  born  in 
1678,  in  Swaiisea,  Mass.,  married  June  27, 
1701,  Hannah,  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Eliza- 
beth (Bullock)  Eddy.  Mr.  Cole  was  a  hus- 
bandman and  lived  in  Swansea,  Mass.  He  was 
a  deacon  in  the  church  from  1718  till  the  time 
of  his  death,  Sept.  29,  1748.  His  wife  died 
May  15,  1768,  and  both  were  interred  in  the 
Kickemuit  burying  ground.  The  house  he 
built  in  1701  is  still  standing. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Cole  (2),  son  of  Benjamin, 
born  Oct.  31,  1706,  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried (first)  Nov.  19,  1730,  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Hope  (Huckins)  Nelson, 
of  Middleboro,  Mass.  She  died  March  25, 
1748,  and  he  married  (second)  Sept.  22,  1749, 
Hannah,  widow  of  Job  Luther,  and  daughter 
of  Eichard  and  Mary  Harding.  Mr.  Cole  died 
Dec.  20,  1776. 

(V)  Isaiah  Cole,  son  of  Benjamin  (2),  born 
in  1731,  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  in  1750 
Eleanor,  daughter  of  Samuel  Nichols,  of  Kin- 
derhook,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Cole  was  a  shipwright 
and  lived  in  Warren,  E.  I.,  until  after  the 
Eevolution,  when  he  removed  to  Middleboro, 
Mass.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Eevolution, 
but  of  the  several  Isaiahs'  and  Josiahs'  service, 
and  there  being  some  confliction  between  the 
two  names,  there  is  too  much  uncertainty  to 
attempt  to  assign  to  each  his  share.  He  died 
Nov.  9,  1811,  at  Middleboro.  His  widow  died 
Feb.  8,  1827,  at  the  home  of  her  daughter 
Abigail,  in  Warren,  Ehode  Island. 

(VI)  Capt.  Nathaniel  Cole,  son  of  Isaiah, 
born  Nov.  20,  1759,  in  Warren,  E.  I.,  married 
Oct.  17,  1784,  Nancy  Anthony,  born  Jan.  24, 
1762,  in  Swansea,  Mass.  Mr.  Cole  was  a  pa- 
triot of  the  Eevolution.  He  served  in  Capt. 
Amos  Washburn's  company.  Col.  Ebenezer 
Sprout's  regiment,  May  6,  1778;  also  Capt. 
Elisha  Haskell's  company.  Col.  Benjamin 
Hawe's  (Howe's)  regiment,  July  29,  1778,  to 
Sept.  11,  1778.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
Mr.  Cole  removed  to  Middleboro,  Mass.,  having 
purchased  a  farm  upon  which  he  lived.  He 
was  a  ship  carpenter  by  trade.  He  was  cap- 
tain of  the  2d  Company  of  Middleboro  militia 
from  May  7,  1805,  to  1809.  Subsequently  he 
purchased  a  farm  between  Windsor  and  Hart- 
land,  Vt.  He  died  Jan.  12,  1846,  at  the  home 
of  his  daughter,  Abigail,  in  Hartland,  Vt. 
His  wife  died  Dec.  8,  1828. 

(VII)  James  Cole,  son  of  Capt.  Nathaniel, 


1024 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


'born  Nov.  20,  1785,  in  Warren,  R.  I.,  married 
Sept.  9,  1713,  Polly  Gorham,  born  Sept.  1, 
1789.  She  died  Feb.  21,  1864,  and  he  married 
(second)  May  21,  1865,  Mrs.  Beulah  Macom- 
ber.  Mr.  Cole  was  a  master  millwright.  He 
owned  and  lived  upon  a  farm  at  Assawampsett, 
some  four  miles  from  the  farm  of  his  father. 
He  died  at  Middleboro,  Mass.,  Oct.  16,  1871. 
His  children,  all  born  in  Middleboro,  were : 
Abigail,  born  Sept.  4,  1814,  married  Abrara 
M.  Cushman;  Andrew,  born  Sept.  1,  1816, 
married  Hannah  S.  Smith;  Mary  Ann,  bom 
Nov.  23,  1817,  married  Ira  Thomas;  James 
was  born  April  7,  1819;  Harrison  G.,  born 
Nov.  4,  1820,  married  Caroline  B.  Silvester; 
Luther,  born  May  20,  1822,  married  Sarah  A. 
Carsley;  Nathaniel,  born  May  3,  1824,  married 
Martha  S.  Foy ;  Robert  V.,  bom  July  14,  182-, 
married  Cordelia  B.  Savery;  Judith  J.,  born 
Aug.  10,  1828,  married  (first)  Soranus  C. 
Bradford,  of  Attleboro,  Mass.,  (second)  Capt. 
Stephen  B.  Gibbs  (deceased)  ;  Elcener  T., 
born  March  26,  1832,  married  Martin  P.  Stan- 
dish. 

TABER.  The  Taber  family  of  Dartmouth 
and  New  Bedford,  one  of  the  oldest  families  in 
southeastern  Massachusetts,  is  descended  from 
(I)  Philip  Taber,  who,  according  to  Savage, 
was  born  in  1605,  and  died  in  1672.  He  was  at 
Watertown  in  1634,  and  he  contributed  toward 
building  the  galley  for  the  security  of  the  har- 
bor. He  was  made  a  freeman  at  Plymouth  in 
that  same  year.  In  1639-40  he  was  deputy  from 
Yarmouth,  and  was  afterward  at  Martha's 
Vineyard,  and  from  1647  to  1655  was  at  Ed- 
gartown,  going  from  there  to  New  London  in 
1651,  but  probably  returning  soon.  He  was 
an  inhabitant  of  Portsmouth  in  February, 
1655,  and  was  a  representative  in  Providence 
in  1661,  the  commissioners  being  Roger  Wil- 
liams, William  Field,  Thomas  Olney,  Joseph 
Torrey,  Philip  Taber  and  John  Anthony.  He 
later  settled  in  Tiverton,  where  his  death  oc- 
curred. He  married  Lydia  Masters,  of  Wa- 
tertown, Mass.,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane 
Masters,  and  his  second  wife,  Jane,  born  in 
1605,  died  in  1669.  His  children  were:  John, 
baptized  at  Barnstable  Nov.  8,  1640,  who  died 
young;  Philip,  baptized  at  Barnstable  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1646,  who  married  Mary  Cook;  Thom- 
as, born  in  1644,  baptized  at  Barnstable  in 
February,  1646;  Joseph,  baptized  at  Barnsta- 
ble Feb.  11,  1646;  and  Lydia,  who  married 
Pardon  Tillinghast,  and  died  in  1718. 

(II)  Thomas  Taber,  son  of  Philip,  born  in 
February,  1644,  baptized  in  1646,  died  Nov. 
11,    1730.     He    was    town    surveyor    in    1673, 


town  clerk  and  constable  in  1679,  freeman  in 
1684,  selectman  in  1685,  1692,  1694,  1699, 
1701,  1702  and  1711;  was  twice  representa- 
tive to  the  General  Court  (once  in  1693),  and 
captain  in  1689.  His  house  in  Dartmouth 
(now  Fairhaven)  was  burned  by  the  Indians 
in  1675,  and  he  fled  with  his  family  to  the 
blockhouse  which  had  been  built  by  John 
Cook.  Mr.  Taber  afterward  built  another 
house,  a  portion  of  the  south  end  of  which  was 
standing  in  1908.  He  married  (first)  Esther 
Cook,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  and  Sarah  (War- 
ren) Cook,  he  a  son  of  Francis  Cook(e)  and 
she  a  daughter  of  Richard  Warren,  both  of  the 
"Mayflower."  She  died  in  1671,  and  he  mar- 
ried (second)  in  June,  1672,  Mary  Thompson, 
born  in  1650,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(t'ook)  Thompson,  of  Dartmouth,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Francis  Cook,  of  Plymouth,  and 
she  died  May  3,  1734.  To  his  first  marriage 
were  born:  Thomas,  Oct.  2,  1668,  and  Esther, 
April  17,  1671.  The  eleven  children  of  the 
second  marriage  were :  Lydia,  born  Aug.  8, 
1673;  Sarah,  Jan.  28,  1675;  Mary,  March  18, 
1677;  Joseph,  March  7,  1679;  Thomas,  Feb. 
22,  1681 ;  John  (twin  to  Thomas)  ;  Jacob,  July 
26,  1683;  Jonathan,  Sept.  22,  1685;  Bethiah, 
Sept.  3,  1687;  Philip,  Feb.  7,  1689;  and  Abi- 
gail, May  2,  1693. 

(III)  Joseph  Taber,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  (Thompson),  born  March  7,  1679,  died 
in  1752.  He  married  May  28,  1701-02,  Eliz- 
abeth Spooner,  daughter  of  John,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children :  Amos, 
born  April  29.  1703;  Sarah,  March  2,  1704- 
05;  Benjamin,  Dec.  2,  1706;  Mary,  June  6, 
1708-09;  Joseph,  Feb.  15,  1709-10;  Rebekah, 
Oct.  11,  1711;  Elener,  March  28,  1713;  John, 
Aug.  8,  1715;  Thomas,  Sept.  20,  1717;  Eliza- 
beth, Nov.  2.  1718;  Peter,  April  6,  1721;  Wil- 
liam, Slarch  15,  1722;  Abegael,  April  16.  1725. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Taber,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Spooner),  bom  Dec.  2,  1706,  mar- 
ried Dec.  5,  1729,  Susannah  Lewis,  and  be- 
came the  father  of  thirteen  children :  Elizabeth, 
born  Sept.  17,  1730;  Joseph,  Feb.  28,  1731-32; 
Benjamin,  Oct.  10,  1733  (died  in  1820)  ;  John, 
Oct.  9,  1735;  Archilus,  July  2t,  1737;  Joshua, 
Jan.  28,  1739-40;  Mary,  June  14,  1741;  Jedu- 
than,  March  15,  1742-43;  Rebecca,  Feb.  28, 
1744-45;  Thomas,  March  28,  1747;  Jeremiah, 
April  3,  1749;  Lewis,  Oct.  7,  1751;  and 
Joshua,  Feb.  23,  1753. 

(V)  Benjamin  Taber  (2),  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Susannah  (Lewis),  born  Oct.  10,  1733, 
married  (first)  in  1755  Hannah  Gardner 
(born  in  1737,  in  Nantucket,  Mass.,  died  in 
1766),  and    (second)    Eunice    (Worth)    Gard- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1025 


Der  (born  in  1731,  died  1814).  The  latter 
■was  a  widow  with  one  daughter,  Lydia  Bun- 
ker. By  the  first  marriage  there  were  three 
children:  Barnabas,  born  in  1761,  died  in 
1767;  Daniel,  born  June  33,  1764,  died  in 
1839;  Benjamin,  born  Feb.  2,  1766,  died  in 
1846.  To  the  second  marriage  were  also  born 
three:  Barnabas,  born  April  24,  1768,  died 
in  1853;  Susannah,  born  April  7,  1770,  died 
in  1839;  Francis,  born  Sept.  16,  1773,  died  in 
1854. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Taber  (3),  son  of  Benjamin 
(2)  and  Hannah  (Gardner),  born  Feb.  2, 
1766,  was  a  blockmaker  and  possessed  great  in- 
ventive genius.  He  received  or  owned  a  patent 
for  boring  logs  for  aqueducts,  which  business 
he  followed  so  long  as  he  remained  in  New 
Bedford.  The  latter  part  of  his  life  was  passed 
in  Victoria,  111.,  where  he  died  aged  eighty 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  traits,  and  was 
much  esteemed  for  his  numerous  good  qualities. 
On  Sept.  7.  1787,  he  married  (first)  Eoby 
Akin,  bom'  Jan.  30,  1768,  who  bore  him  eight 
children:  Hannah,  Philip  A.,  James,  James 
(2),  Henry  (born  March  29,  1795),  Thomas, 
Shubael  and  Rhode.  He  married  (second) 
Merab  Coffin,  who  bore  hiin  six  children :  Ben- 
jamin C,  born  Sept.  13,  1813;  Sarah  C.  and 
Ann  F.  (twins),  1816:  Roby  Akin,  1818; 
John  W. ;  and  Avis  F.,  1825. 

(VII)  Capt.  Henry  Taber,  son  of  Benjamin 
(3),  was  born  in  New  Bedford  March  29, 
1795.  He  remained  at  home,  receiving  a  lim- 
ited school  education,  and  assisting  his  father 
tintil  he  was  fourteen,  when  he  went  to  sea 
as  cabin  boy  with  his  uncle,  John  Wood,  mas- 
ter of  the  "George  &  Susan."  His  first  voyage 
took  him  to  Virginia,  whence  a  lading  of  to- 
bacco was  taken  to  Liverpool.  His  second  trip 
was  to  Port  Glasgow,  and  his  third  was  as 
second  mate  to  Hamburg.  His  last  long  voy- 
age was  in  the  brig  "Nancy,"  Captain  Packard, 
after  the  war  of  1812,  from  New  York  to  Dub- 
lin. He  was  then  for  one  year  chief  mate 
under  Capt.  John  Wood,  on  a  packet  running 
from  New  Bedford  to  New  York.  For  the  fif- 
teen subsequent  years  he  was  captain  on  the 
same  line,  and  commanded  four  different  ves- 
sels, "Orbit,"  "Boston,"  "Experiment"  and 
''Helen,"  owning  a  fourth  interest  in  the  last 
two.  In  1832  Captain  Taber  engaged  in  trade 
in  New  Bedford  as  a  grocer  and  ship  chandler, 
in  company  with  David  Sherman,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Taber  &  Sherman,  on  Centre 
street,  near  the  wharf.  Mr.  Sherman  soon  left 
for  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.,  to  look  after  whaling 
interests  there.  After  two  or  three  years  Cap- 
tain Taber  formed  a  partnership  with  his  son. 

65 


William  G.,  and  son-in-law,  John  Hunt,  under 
the  firm  title  of  Henry  Taber  &  Co.  The  firm 
continued  in  successful  and  pro(<perous  opera- 
tion until  March  1,  1866,  when  Captain  Taber 
retired  and  the  name  was  changed  to  Taber, 
Gordon  &  Co.  In  1834  Captain  Taber  became 
largely  interested  in  whaling  and  amassed 
considerable  wealth  from  this  source.  He  was 
largely  interested  in  various  business  enter- 
prises in  New  Bedford.  He  was  president  of. 
the  Mutual  Marine  Insurance  Company,  a  di- 
rector of  the  National  Bank  of  Commerce,  and 
a  stockholder  in  three  different  banks. 

In  politics  Captain  Taber  was  first  a  Whig 
and  then  a  Republican.  Firmly  believing  in 
the  principles  of  these  parties,  he  was  strong 
in  their  support,  and  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  served  in  the  State  Legislature  from 
1838  to  1844.  He  was  one  of  New  Bedford's 
representative  and  most  successful  business 
men.  He  was  industrious,  cautious  and  con- 
servative, showing  great  financial  ability  in  the 
diversified  interests  in  which  he  was  engaged. 
Of  strict  integrity  and  frank  courtesy,  his 
manly  qualities  and  sterling  worth  secured  him 
stanch  friends. 

Captain  Taber  was  twice  married.  On  Dec. 
16,  1819,  he  married  Nabby,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Nabby  Gordon.  She  was  born  in 
New  Bedford  March  10,  1800,  and  died  Nov. 
9,  1831,  the  mother  of  three  children:  William 
G.,  born  Aug.  20,  1831 ;  Abby,  Aug.  16,  1824 
(married  John  Hunt) ;  and  Robert,  Oct.  4, 
1831.  On  Dec.  9,  1832,  he  married  (second) 
Sally,  sister  to  his  first  wife.  She  was  born 
July  20,  1802.  To  this  second  marriage  was 
born  one  son,  Henry  A. 

(VIII)  William  Goedox  Taber,  son  of 
Capt.  Henry,  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  well-known  firm  of  Taber,  Gordon  & 
Co.,  of  New  Bedford.  He  was  born  Aug.  20, 
1821,  in  the  town  of  Acushnet,  Bristol  Co., 
Mass.,  and  was  educated  at  public  school  in 
New  Bedford,  and  the  Friends'  Academy  at 
New  Bedford.  After  leaving  school  he  entered 
the  business  with  his  father,  who  conducted  a 
ship  chandlery  and  whaling  outfit  business  and 
with  whom  he  Avorked  for  several  years.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  and  John  Hunt  entered 
into  partnership  with  his  father,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Henry  Taber  &  Co.  The  firm 
was  agent  for  a  line  of  packets  which  ran  be- 
tween New  Bedford  and  New  York.  After  the 
retirement  of  Capt.  Henry  Taber  from  the 
'business  the  name  of  the  firm  became  changed 
to  Taber,  Gordon  &  Co.,  and  William  G.  Taber 
continued  in  active  connection  with  this  busi- 
ness up  to  his  retirement.     He  was  a  thor- 


1026 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


oughly  upright  business  man,  honest  and  hon- 
orable in  his  dealings,  well  known  and  most 
highly  respected.  He  was  quite  active  in  the 
affairs  of  the  city,  having  served  several  terms 
as  member  of  the  city  council,  and  in  1876  he 
was  elected  alderman  from  Ward  Three.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church.  He 
died  at  his  home  on  County  street  (the  old 
Kempton  homestead)   on  Dec.  21,  1896. 

In  December,  1843,  Mr.  Taber  married 
Mary  Kempton,  who  was  born  in  New  Bedford 
Aug.  25,  1811,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and  Mary 
(HiJlman)  Kempton,  and  a  descendant  of  one 
of  the  oldest  and  best-known  families  of  New 
Bedford.  She  died  at  her  home  July  15,  1873. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Unitarian  Church. 
Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Taber:  Mary  Kempton;  William  G.,  Jr.,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Ephraim  Kempton;  Sally 
Gordon;  and  Thomas  Sullivan.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Taber  married  (sec- 
ond) June  5,  1877,  Abbie  F.  Rugg,  who  sur- 
vives him. 

(IX)  Ephraim  Kempton  Taber,  son  of  Wil- 
liam Gordon  and  Mary  (Kempton),  born 
Aug.  19,  1850,  in  New  Bedford,  was  educated 
in  the  public  and  select  schools  and  at  the 
Friends'  Academy  there.  After  leaving  school 
he  entered  the  employ  of  his  father,  then  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Taber,  Gordon  &  Co., 
as  clerk,  continuing  there  until  his  death,  in 
1878,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years. 

(IX)  Thomas  Sullivan  Taber,  youngest  son 
of  William  G.,  was  born  in  New  Bedford  Oct. 
19,  1857.  He  attended  public  and  select 
schools  and  the  Friends'  Academy  in  his  native 
place,  and  died  while  still  a  student,  in  1876, 
aged  nineteen  years.  The  family  lot  is  in  the 
Oak  Grove  cemetery. 

Misses  Mary  Kempton  and  Sally  Gordon 
Taber,  the  only  survivinjr  children  of  the  late 
William  G.  and  Mary  (Kempton)  Taber,  re- 
side at  the  Kempton  homestead  on  County 
street.  This  place,  which  has  been  in  the 
family  for  many  years,  was  the  home  of  their 
grandfather,  Ephraim  Kempton. 


Kempton.  The  Kempton  family  of  which 
the  Misses  Taber  are  descendants  is  among  the 
oldest  and  best  known  families  of  the  State. 
We  here  give  the  family  history  as  written  by 
Miss  Mary  Kempton  Taber  and  read  before 
the  Old  Dartmouth  Historical  Society. 

The  Kempton  Family  in  Old  Dart- 
mouth.— Ephraim  Kempton  arrived  at  Plym- 
outh in  the  ship  "Ann"  August,  1623.  He  was 
the  first  Kempton  to  come  to  this  country. 
(The  name  was    sometime    spelled   Kimton.) 


His  two  sons,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  came 
with  him.  The  father  died  in  1645;  the  sons 
were  appointed  administrators  of  his  estate. 
Ephraim  2nd  married  and  settled  in  Scituate. 

Manasseh  was  a  very  noteful  citizen ;  a  man 
of  great  executive  ability;  was  chosen  deputy 
to  the  General  Court,  surveyor  of  highways, 
and  assessor  of  taxes,  serving  many  terms  in 
each  office.  In  1624  he  married  Julian,  widow 
of  George  Morton,  this  commencing  what  aft- 
erward became  a  very  close  relation  with  the 
Morton  family,  especially  noticeable  in  the 
Christian  names  in  both  families,  Ephraim 
and  Manasseh  being  used  over  and  over  again. 
He  was  one  of  the  original  thiriy-six  purchas- 
ers of  Dartmouth  in  1652.  He  died  without 
children  in  1662.  The  records  said,  "lie  did 
much  good  in  his  place  the  time  God  lent 
him." 

In  1714  there  was  a  Manasseh  Kempton  in 
Southampton,  Long  Island,  by  occupation  a 
gunsmith,  who  was  formerly  of  Plymouth. 
He  represented  the  Kempton  landed  interest 
in  Dartmouth  which  he  derived  from  his 
uncle  Manasseh.  There  is, considerable  mys- 
tery how  the  Southampton  Manasseh  ob- 
tained title  to  the  Dartmouth  lands;  as  the 
original  purchaser  left  no  will  his  supposed 
heir  would  be  his  brother  Ephraim,  but  this 
brother  never  owned  the  Dartmouth  lands,  ac- 
cording to  the  records;  and  a  still  further 
problem  is  to  decide  who  the  Long  Island  man 
was;  if  the  original  purchaser  was  his  uncle, 
it  might  be  suggested  that  the  Scituate  Eph- 
raim could  be  his  father,  but  there  is  no  record 
establishing  this  fact,  and  when  later  this  gun- 
smith transferred  his  Dartmouth  lands  to 
Ephraim  Kempton  3d  he  calls  him  his  cousin, 
which  is  an  absurdity,  if  this  Ephraim  was 
his  own  brother. 

The  confusion  created  by  these  different  re- 
lationships given-  in  the  deed  leaves  in  con^ 
siderable  doubt  the  relation  of  tne  Long  Island 
man  to  the  families  in  Plymouth ;  one  thing, 
however,  seems  certain,  that  as  he  died  about 
1736  Manasseh,  the  first  purchaser,  could 
not  have  been  his  father. 

In  1733  Manasseh  transferred  most  of  his 
Dartmoutli  lands,  consisting  of  extensive  tracts 
of  swamps,  woodland,  and  shore  meadows. 
Years  before,  the  proprietors  in  the  division 
of  the  common  lands  had  allotted  to  the  Long 
Island  Kempton  extensive  tracts  of  upland, 
meadow  and  cedar  swamps  in  Dartmouth.  The 
first  was  150  acres  at  the  extreme  end  of  Scon- 
ticut  Neck;  the  second  was  a  farm  of  a  100 
acres  on  the  east  side  of  the  Acushnet  river, 
north  of  the  terminus  of  the  Coggeshall  street 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1027 


bridge ;  the  third  was  a  tract  of  forty  acres  on 
the  east  side  of  Clarks  Point,  divided  by  But- 
ler street;  the  fourth  was  a  tract  of  woodland, 
comprising  300  acres,  in  Smith  Mills,  lying 
between  North  Dartmouth  railroad  station  and 
the  road  between  Faunce"s  Corner  and  Hix- 
ville;  the  fifth,  known  as  the  homestead  and 
designated  by  Thomas  M.  Stetson  as  "a  mag- 
nificent rectangle,"  was  bounded  on  the  east 
by  the  Acushnet  river,  on  the  west  by  Rock- 
dale avenue,  its  south  line  100  feet  south  of 
Spring  street,  the  north  boundary  100  feet 
north  of  Sycamore  street,  and  its  area  over 
four  hundred  acres. 

The  distinguishing  marks  along  the  south 
side  have  been  obliterated  for  over  a  century, 
except  a  curious  jog  in  the  west  line  of  County 
street  in  front  of  the  residence  of  the  late 
James  Arnold,  which  may  be  observed  as  late 
as  the  atlas  of  1871. 

The  north  boundary  of  the  Kempton  farm 
can  be  easily  traced ;  Rockdale  avenue  at  a 
point  320  feet  north  of  West  Maxfield  street 
changes  its  direction;  this  point  is  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  Kempton  homestead;  the 
line  extended  about  100  feet  north  of  Syca- 
more street,  at  Pleasant  street  crossing  the 
Armory  lot,  and  reaching  Purchase  street  420 
feet  north  of  Maxfield  street.  Within  this  do- 
main the  village  of  Bedford  started.  The 
county  road  traversed  this  farm  as  early  as 
1711,  and  later  was  called  County  street;  ex- 
tending therefrom,  east  and  west,  were  farm 
lanes  which  afterward  became  the  modern 
streets.  On. its  water  front  were  built  twelve 
of  the  fifteen  wharves  that  were  in  existence 
in  1820.  Here  was  built  in  1794  the  first 
schoolhouse,  situated  on  Purchase  street ;  a 
meetinghouse,  built  in  1795,  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  Purchase  and  William  streets,  and 
dwellings  of  Bedford's  first  merchants. 

While  the  Kemptons  owned  valuable  inter- 
ests in  Dartmouth  from  the  date  of  the  pur- 
chase, in  1652,  yet  for  over  eight  years  none 
of  them  lived  on  Buzzards  bay  until  Ephraim 
came  to  Dartmouth  in  1736,  being  the  first  of 
that  name  t©  reside  in  this  part  of  the  prov- 
ince. 

The  Long  Island  Manasseh  in  1733  trans- 
ferred the  land  on  Clarks  Neck,  the  homestead 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Acushnet  river,  and  the 
Smith  Mills  woodland,  to  "my  loving  cousin, 
Ephraim  Kempton  of  Plymouth,  shipwright"; 
in  his  will,  probated  in  1736,  he  devised  the  re- 
mainder of  his  Dartmouth  lands  to  "my  kins- 
man, William  Kempton,  ship  carpenter,  now 
living  in  the  town  of  Plymouth."  William 
and  Ephraim  were  sons  of  Ephraim  2d,  and  it 


is  difficult  to  understand,  if  the  Long  Islander 
was  another  son,  why  he  should  have 
described  one  brother  as  "my  kinsman"  and 
tlie  other  as  "my  cousin." 

This  included  the  end  of  Sconticut  Neck 
and  the  farm  on  the  east  side  of  the  Acushnet 
river.  In  1742  William  Kempton  transferred 
to  Jethro  Delano  the  Sconticut  Neck  land,  the 
transfer  describing  it  as  "given  me  by  my 
honored  Uncle  Manasseh  Kempton,  late  of 
Long  Island." 

William  occupied  as  his  homestead  the  farm 
on  the  east  of  the  Acushnet  river.  The  Smith 
]\Iills  property  was  conveyed  to  William  Ryder. 
When  the  transfer  was  made  of  the  great 
homestead  to  Ephraim  Kempton  there  must 
have  been  a  family  arrangement  that  a  portion 
of  it  was  intended  for  Samuel  Kempton,  the 
brother  of  Ephraim',  as  a  short  time  later 
Ephraim  conveyed  to  Samuel  the  south  third 
of  the  homestead ;  the  north  line  of  this  sec- 
tion was  100  feet  south  of  Elm  street.  Eph- 
raim occupied  the  remainder  of  the  farm  as  his 
homestead ;  also  the  Clarks  Neck  lot  until  his 
death  in  1758. 

Samuel  Kempton  never  resided  in.  Dart- 
mouth, but  in  1744  conveyed  his  tract  of  150 
acres  to  Col.  Samuel  Willis ;  it  is  said  that  the 
latter  built  a  house  for  his  son  Ebenezer  on 
tlie  west  side  of  County  street,  at  the  head  of 
William  street,  and  when,  in  1748,  Colonel 
Willis  transferred  the  150  acres  to  Joseph  Rus- 
sell, the  latter  occupied  this  house  as  his  home- 
stead. 

.William  Kempton,  the  owner  of  the  Fair- 
haven -farm,  at  his  death  in  1787  devised  his 
homestead  to  his  three  sons,  William,  Stephen 
and  James ;  it  was  occupied  by  these  sons  and 
their  descendants  for  many  years  after.  This 
farm  lay  in  the  hollow  between  the  hills,  one 
at  Dahls  Comer  and  the  other  at  the  terminus 
of  the  Cogffeshall  street  bridge,  and  extended 
from  the  river  eastward  a  third  of  a  mile; 
within  its  limits  were  the  Tripp  farms,  Gould, 
place   and   the   Woodside   cemetery. 

The  son,  William,  Jr.,  moved  to  Acushnet 
village,  and  at  one  time  owned  and  occupied 
the  house  at  the  northwest-  corner  of  Lunds 
Corner.  He  also  established,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Acushnet  river,  the  old  tavern  which 
is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  and 
is  the  third  l)uilding  east  of  the  bridge;  for 
half  a  century  this  tavern  was  a  famous  resort 
for  convivial  persons  living  in  New  Bedford. 
In  1758,  at  the  death  of  Ephraim  Kempton, 
the  first  Dartmouth  resident,  he  gave  by  will 
his  Clarks  Neck  lot  to  his  children,  Thomas 
and  Joanna,  the  latter  the  wife  of  Benjamin 


1028 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Drew;  she  sold  her  interest  later  to  Esther 
Butler,  her  niece,  and  they  divided  the  tract, 
and  Butler  street  was  opened  on  the  division 
line.  Some  of  this  tract  is  still  owned  by  the 
Kempton  descendants. 

The  homestead  farm  of  Ephraim,  the  south 
third  of  which  was  between  Sycamore  and  Elm 
streets,  he  gave  by  will  to  his  son,  William, 
the  same  who  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Acushnet  river,  and  the  rest  of  the  homestead 
to  his  son  Thomas.  The  division  line  between 
William  and  Thomas  was  Kempton  street, 
which  had  been  opened  as  a  traveled  lane  in 
1778  at  the  time  of  the  British  raid.  In  his 
will  William  Kempton  gave  the  section  be- 
tween Elm  and  Kempton  streets  to  three  other 
sons,  Benjamin,  Manasseh  and  Ephraim. 

During  the  years  between  1760  and  1800 
these  three  Kempton  brothers  were  selling 
house  lots.  Thomas  Kempton  at  his  death,  in 
1769,  by  will  gave  the  sections  of  his  home- 
stead between  Kempton  and  Hillman  streets 
to  his"  son  Ephraim,  the  other  half  of  his 
homestead  north  of  Hillman  street  to  his  son 
Thomas. 

When  the  Clarks  Point  tract  was  assigned  to 
Manasseh  Kempton,  a  stream  of  fresh  water 
flowed  north  into  the  river,  south  of  where  the 
Butler  mill  is  now  located.  Fresh  water  was 
not  abundant  on  Clarks  Neck,  consequently 
this  stream  was  considered  a  public  conven- 
ience rather  than  a  private  right,  as  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  Kempton  tract  the 
proprietors  laid  out  a  watering  place,  which 
was  a  strip  of  land  extending  from  the  road  to 
the  brook  over  600  feet  distant ;  through  this 
strip,  ten  rods  wide,  animals  could  be  driven 
to  the  water.  When  the  Kempton  watering 
place,  comprising  four  acres,  was  found  to  be 
of  greater  extent  than  the  needs  of  the  public 
required,  the  town  of  New  Bedford  placed  a 
schoolhouse  at  the  west  end  and  a  powder 
house  further  east.  Within  a  few  years  the 
old  wooden  schoolhouse  had  given  way  to  a 
handsome  brick  structure ;  but  according  to  the 
terms  of  the  original  grant  any  person  to-day 
can  drive  a  herd  of  cattle  down  by  the  school- 
house  to  the  ancient  brook.  In  a  division  of 
the  Kempton  lands  in  1850,  among  fifteen 
heirs,  they  received  the  numerous  tracts  be- 
tween County  street  and  Rockdale  avenue,  and 
on  both  sides  of  Mill  and  North  street.  The 
lot  on  the  northwest  corner  of  County  and 
Mill  streets  was  assigned  to  Ephraim  Kemp- 
ton. The  lot  next  north  was  allotted  to  Alfred 
Kempton,  and  they  built  their  mansions  that 
time  on  these  lots.  The  land  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  County  and  North  streets,  originally 


occupied  by  the  first  Kempton  house,  finally 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  late  David  B. 
Ivempton. 

The  tirst  Kempton  dwelling  was  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  County  and  North  streets, 
occupied  by  Ephraim  3d,  who  died  1758;  his 
home  was  two-storied  and  had  a  long,  sloping 
roof,  as  houses  were  built  in  those  days;  was 
taken  down  by  David  Kempton  2d  about  1800, 
and  in  its  place  he  erected  a  dwelling,  and  this 
was  demolished  by  the  late  David  B.  Kempton, 
who  built  a  house  on  the  same  site. 

Col.  Thomas  Kempton's  house  stood  on  the 
west  side  of  Waldon  street,  fronted  south,  with 
long,  old-fashioned  north  roof. 

Manasseh  Kempton,  living  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  built  his  house  in  a  field,  and 
when  streets  were  laid  out  it  stood  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  Second  and  Elm  streets. 
Manasseh's  heirs,  in  1806,  sold  this  house  to  a 
descendant  and  it  stands  to-day  on  Elm  street 
next  west  of  the  corner  of  Second  street. 

The  numerous  descendants  of  the  Kempton 
family  built  their  houses  on  different  points 
of  the  great  homestead. 

Tiie  Kemptons  resided  only  in  New  Bedford 
and  Fairhaven,  and  not  anywhere  else  in  Dart- 
mouth. 

No  Kempton  ever  owned  a  wharf  or  had  a 
ship  named  for  him ;  for  over  a  century  after 
the  family  settled  in  Dartmouth  only  one  en- 
gaged in  the  whaling  business,  the  late  David 
B.  Kempton. 

The  peculiar  development  oi  the  whaling 
business  seems  to  have  resulted  in  this  condi- 
tion; the  ships  were  built,  manned  and  re- 
paired by  men  who  resided  north  of  Union 
street,  but  owned  by  men  living  south  of  Union 
street. 

The  Kemptons  were  farmers,  traders  and 
many  mechanics,  not  engaging  in  large  enter- 
prises; very  few  met  with   financial   reverses. 

The  Kemptons  were  all  Congregationalists, 
not  one  a  Quaker. 

William  Kempton  owned  half  a  pew  in  the 
meetinghouse  at  Acushnet,  built  in  1744. 
There  were  thirty-nine  proprietors  of  the  meet- 
inghouse on  the  northwest  corner  of  Purchase 
and  William  streets,  built  in  1795.  Eight 
were  Kemptons :  Ephraim  owned  a  whole  pew 
in  that  meetinghouse.  Ephraim  and  Manasseh 
each  owned  a  pew  in  the  meetinghouse  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Union  and  Eighth  streets, 
built  in  1838. 

The  singular  fact  is  that  the  Congregation- 
alists resided  north  of  Union  street,  the  Quak- 
ers south  of  Union  street.  The  lines  drawn 
between  Quakers  and  Pilgrims  in  1730  were 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1029 


very  strong,  and  any  person  of  Puritan  ten- 
dencies moving  into  Dartmouth  after  that  date 
would  not  affiliate  with  the  Quakers;  and  as 
Ephraim  Kempton  3d  had  been  an  attendant 
at  the  Congregational  Church  in  Duxbury, 
none  of  his  descendants  were  Quakers.  They 
were  not  in  any  way  dependent  on"  the  Friends, 
as  they  were  rich  themselves. 

The  Purchase  street  schoolhouse  was  built 
about  1794  by  a  number  of  men  connected 
with  the  Congregational  Church  residing  in 
Bedford  village.  Among  the  proprietors  were 
Ephraim,  Manasseh  and  Thomas  Kempton, 
also  Benjamin  Hill,  whose  wife  was  a  Kemp- 
ton. 

A  modern  schoolhouse  built  in  1900  is 
named  the  Horatio  A.  Kempton  school,  a 
grandson  of  the  Ephraim  C.  Kempton,  one  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  schoolhouse  built  in 
1794. 

In  the  New  Bedford  Mercury  of  1811  is  a 
notice  that  Thomas  Kempton  "will  open  a 
school  in  Mrs.  Lydia  Foster's  house  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Purchase  and  Mill  streets" 
(she 'was  a  Kempton).  In  1821  he  was  to 
open  a  school  in  the  Purchase  street  school- 
house,  which  stood  on  the  east  side  of  Purchase 
street,  about  ninety  feet  south  of  William 
street. 

Smith  Mills  road,  now  Kempton  street,  had 
been  opened  for  travel  in  September,  1778, 
because  John  Gilbert,  a  hired  man  of  Joseph 
Russell,  made  his  escape  on  horseback  from  the 
British  on  that  road.  Nine  years  later  it  be- 
came a  town  way. 

Windmill  Hill,  so  called  on  account  of  a 
gristmill  which  stood  on  the  top  of  the  hill, 
100  feet  east  of  County  street,  between  Mill 
and  North  streets.  The  mill  was  owned  and 
run  by  a  Kempton  in  the  year  1792. 

Before  the  division  of  the  lands  the  lots  west 
of  County  street  lying  between  Mill  and  North 
streets  were  used  as  circus  lots,  and  small  boys 
and  girls,  and  children  of  older  growth,  gave 
peanuts  to  the  elephants  as  they  do  at  the 
present  day.  Also  on  the  lot  where  the  high 
school  now  stands  fireworks  were  displayed  for 
the  first  time. 

Patience  Faunce,  wife  of  Ephraim  Kempton 
(4),  lived  to  be  105  years,  six  months  and  six 
days.  She  lived  to  the  greatest  age  of  any 
person  in  this  part  of  the  province.  She  re- 
membered seeing  King  Philip's  head  on  a 
pole  at  Plymouth,  where  it  remained  many 
years.  She  said:  "There  was  a  wren,  that 
built  a  nest  every  year  in  the  skull,  and  there 
reared  her  young." 

She  is  buried  at  Acushnet.    Her  epitaph  is : 


In  peaceful  slumber  of  the  dead 
The  aged  saint  reclines  her  head  ; 
The  paths  of  virtue  long  she  trod 
Revered  of  men,  beloved  of  God. 

When  Elizabeth,  the  wife  of  Ephraim 
Kempton,  heard  tiie  British  were  coming,  she 
with  her  children  left  her  home,  northwest 
corner  of  County  and  North  streets,  and  fled 
to  the  woods.  The  traditions  that  have  come 
down  in  the  family  are  that  what  silver  they 
had  she  hid  in  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  She  car- 
ried with  her  one  of  the  most  cherished  pos- 
sessions of  the  family,  the  brass  warming  pan. 
As  she  went  through  the  wood,  the  pan  hit 
the  trees  and  she  was  advised  to  drop  it,  as 
the  British,  hearing  the  noise  it  made,  might 
pursue  them.  But  she  would  not  part  with 
it.  It  is  now  in  the  possession  of  her  two 
surviving  great-grandchildren.  Tradition  again 
says  that  the  British  ransacked  the  house,  eat- 
ing everything  that  was  cooked  and  throwing 
numerous  articles  in  the  well,  which  was  north 
of  tlie  house. 

There  is  also  in  the  possession  of  one  of  the 
descendants  of  the  family  a  picture  of  the 
Ephraim  Kempton  house  which  stood  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  County  road  and 
Kempton  street.  It  was  painted  by  his  daugh- 
ter Sylvia  in  1780. 

The  old  Kempton  clock  is  in  the  possession 
of  one  of  the  descendants. 

Manasseh  Kempton,  of  Dartmouth,  served  as 
first  lieutenant  in  the  Revolutionary  war  in 
1775  and  1776. 

Another  Manasseh  Kempton,  of  Dartmouth, 
served  as  captain,  then  was  made  first  major, 
in  1776. 

Col.  Manasseh  Kempton  served  in  1778. 
Thomas  Kempton,  captain,  in  1775,  made 
lieutenant  colonel  in  1776. 

James  Kempton,  of  Dartmouth,  sergeant, 
second  lieutenant,  then  lieutenant,  in  1775, 
marched  to'  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775. 

Thomas  Kempton,  colonel  of  Revolutionary 
war,  was  also  a  master  mariner  in  1767,  com- 
manding the  sloop  "Dare"  in  1779  and  also 
the  sloop  "Polly." 

Kempton^Daniel,  William,  Obed,  Stephen, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  in  1775  and 
are  enumerated  among  the  minute-men. 

Among  the  effects  of  William  Kempton,  who 
died  in  1787,  were  the  following  books: 
Thought  on  Religion,  Grace  Defendeth,  Anno- 
tations of  the  Bible  and  Ship  Builders  As- 
sistant. 

Ephraim  Kempton,  who  died  in  1758,  had 
among  his  effects'  one  large  Bible,  one  small 
Bible,  four  books  of  Psalms,  thirteen  old  paper 


1030 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


books,  two  pewter  platters,  twelve  pewter 
plates,  one  looking  glass. 

Ephraira  Kempton,  who  died  in  1802,  had 
among  his  effects  a  Bible,  a  silver  watch,  six 
silver  spoons,  and  a  pew  in  the  Bedford  meet- 
inghouse. 

It  is  fashionable  in  articles  on  the  origin 
of  New  England  families  to  claim  as  belong- 
ing to  tliem  the  coat  of  arms  of  an  English 
family  of  the  same  name;  it  may  seem  to  am- 
bitious persons  a  matter  of  regret  that  no 
Kempton  ever  claimed  the  heraldic  rank  above 
a  tradesman. 

BROWNELL  (Taunton  family).  (I) 
Thomas  Brownell,  born  in  1619,  appears  in 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  in  1647,  when,  at  the  for- 
mation of  the  government  under  the  charter 
of  1643,  with  John  Cook  he  was  chosen  "water 
baillie"  for  the  Colony,  having  charge  of  the 
fisheries,  then  as  now  an  important  industry 
and  a  source  of  wealth.  Mr.  Brownell  was  a 
freeman  in  1655.  He  was  commissioner  in 
1655,  1661,  1662  and  1663,  and  deputy  in 
1664.  The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was 
Ann.  Mr.  Brownell  died  in  1665,  and  his  wife 
also  passed  away  that  year.  Their  children 
were:  Mary;  Sarah;  Martha,  born  in  1644, 
died  Feb.  15,  1743;  George,  born  in  1646,  died 
April  20,  1718;  William,  born  in  1648,  died 
in  1715;  Thomas,  born  in  1650,  died  May  18, 
1732;  Robert,  born  in  1652,  died  July  12, 
1728;  and  Anna,  born  in  1654,  died  April  2, 
1747. 

(II)  Thomas  Brownell,  born  in  1650,  mar- 
ried Mary  Pearce,  born  May  6,  1654,  daughter 
of    Richard    and     Susanna    (Wright)    Pearce. 

■  Mr.  Brownell  became  one  of  the  proprietors 
and  first  settlers  of  the  town  of  Little  Comp- 
ton,  R.  I.  He  died  May  18,  1732,  and  his 
widow  Mary  died  May  4,  1735-1736.  Their 
children  were:  Thomas,  born  Feb.  16,  1679, 
died  Jan.  1,  1752;  John,  born  Feb.  21,  1682, 
died  in  March,  1759;  George,  born  Jan.  19, 
1685,  died  Sept.  22,  1756;  Jeremiah,  born 
Oct.  10,  1689,  died  in  June,  1756 ;  Mary,  born 
March  or  May  22,  1692,  died  July  31,  1717; 
and  Charles,  born  Dec.  23,  1694,  died  in  Feb- 
ruary,  1774. 

(III)  George  Brownell,  born  Jan.  19,  1685, 
married  July  6,  1706,  Mary  Thurston,  born 
March  20,  1685.  Mr.  Brownell  in  1702  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  two  miles  square,  in 
the  southeast  corner  of  Westport,  embracing 
what  is  now  Coaxet,  Mass.  Mr.  Brownell  died 
Sept.  22,  1756,  and  his  wife  Mary  passed  away 
Feb.  23,  1740.  Their  children  «'ere :  Giles, 
born    March    1,    1707;   Phebe,   born   June    19, 


1708;  Mary,  born  Nov.  9,  1709,  died  Oct.  6, 
1791;  George,  born  June  21,  1711;  Thomas, 
born  Feb.  1,  1713;  Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  15, 
1717;  Jonathan,  born  March  19,  1719,  died 
June  11,  1776;  Paul,  born  June  12,  1721, 
died  March  21,  1760;  Stephen,  born  Nov.  29, 
1726.  George  Brownell  married  (second) 
April  18,  1745,  Comfort  Taylor,  born  March 

12,  1703,  and  to  them  was  born  a  daughter, 
Mary,  March  3,  1747. 

(IV)  Stephen  Brownell,  son  of  George  and 
Mary  (Thurston)  Brownell,  born  Nov.  29, 
1726,  married  Jan.  5,  1747,  Edith  Wilbor, 
born  April  22,  1727.  He  married  (second) 
Feb.  14,  1771,  Mary  Eldridge.  His  children 
by  the  first  marriage  were:  Phebe,  born  Sept. 
4,  1747;  William,  born  July  17,  1749,  died  in 
1810;  Abigail,  born  March  15,  1751;  Edith, 
born  Nov.  2,  1752;  Mary,  born  July  5,  1754; 
George,  born  Oct.  29,  1756;  and  Stephen,  born 
March  18,  1762,  died  March  12,  1855. 

(V)  George  Brownell,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Edith  (Wilbor),  born  Oct.  29,  1756,  married 
March  26,  1780,  Elizabeth  Peckham.  They 
had  children:  Rlioda,  born  Jan.  6,  1781; 
Daniel,  March  14,  1782  (father  of  George 
Brownell,  of  New  Bedford)  ;  Rachel,  Nov.  22, 
1784;  Mary,  July  29,  1786;  Drusilla,  Oct.  22, 
1788;  Ezra,  Dec.  24,  1791;  Nancy,  Aug.  31, 
1793;  Sarah,  Jan.  22,  1795;  Peleg,  March  13, 
1798;  Cook,  Oct.  4,  1800;  and  Elizabeth,  July 
19,  1803. 

(VI)  Peleg  Brownell,  son  of  George  and 
Elizabeth    (Peckliam)    Brownell,   born    March 

13,  1798,  married  in  1819  Lydia  Randall 
Church,  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Hannah 
Church.  They  had  children:  Laura  A.,  born 
April  7,  1821;  Rachel,  Jan.  9,  1823;  Maria, 
May  26,  1825;  Horatio  Lorenzo,  June  6,  1830, 
died  in  August,  1908;  Esther  Wilbur,  April 
17,  1832;  and  Alvin  Church,  Sept.  28,  1835. 

(VII)  Alvin  Church  Brownell,  son  of 
Peleg  and  Lydia  Randall  (Church)  Brownell, 
was  born  ,in  Little  Compton,  R.  I.,  Sept.  28, 
1835.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Little  Compton,  his  attendance  at  school 
about  four  months  in  winter  alternating  with 
work  upon  his  father's  farm  in  summer.  This 
he  continued  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of 
age,  when  he  went  to  Fall  River,  where  he 
spent  two  )'ears  as  clerk  for  J.  B.  Marvel. 
From  there,  on  June  8,  1854,  he  went  to 
Taunton,  where  he  took  a  position  with  the 
firm  of  J.  B.  Rounds,  the  predecessor  of  Mr. 
N.  H.  Skinner.  He  remained  in  this  position 
until  June,  1857.  In  August  of  that  year, 
wishing  to  advance  his  interests  and  position 
in  the  business  world,  he  formed  a  copartner- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1031 


ship  in  the  dry  goods  business  with  John 
Henry  Harris,  imder  the  firm  name  of  Harris 
&  Brownell.  They  located  in  the  same  store 
where  Mr.  Brownell  now  is,  which  they  occu- 
pied for  six  or  seven  years,  at  which  time, 
on  account  of  the  ill  health  of  Mr.  Harris,  the 
firm  dissolved  business.  Having  a  lease  upon 
the  store  which  the  firm  had  occupied,  and 
his  father-in-law,  Lemuel  M.  Leonard,  being 
a  foundry  man,  Mr.  Brownell  had  the  store 
stocked  by  him,  and  began  business  again  over 
forty-six  (1909)  years  ago,  and  he  is  still  con- 
ducting the  same  in  the  same  place.  He  has 
been  successful  in  his  business.  At  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-three  years,  he  conducts  his  own 
business  alone  and  with  as  much  energy  and 
close  attention  as  many  a  younger  man.  He 
is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  taken  no 
active  part  in  pa^rty  work,  giving  his  entire 
attention  to  his  business.  The  church  of  the 
family  is  the  Unitarian. 

Mr.  Brownell  married  in  April,  1857,  Miss 
Amelia  E.  Leonard,  daughter  of  Lemuel  M. 
and  Mary  L.  (Babbitt)  Leonard,  grand- 
daughter of  Charles  Babbitt,  and  great-grand- 
daughter of  Nathaniel  Babbitt.  To  this  mar- 
riage have  been  born  children  as  follows : 
Mary  Abby;  and  Hattie,  who  married  Chester 
N.  Leonard,  of  Taunton. 

SAMUEL  HUDSON  COOK,  who  for  a 
number  of  years  was  one  of  the  foremost  in- 
surance men  and  w-ell-kno«Ti  citizens  of  New 
Bedford,  was  a  native  of  that  city,  born  Feb.  5, 
1842,  son  of  Thomas  Cook,  and  grandson  of 
Thomas  Cook,  who  was  a  native  of  England 
and  was  a  seafaring  man,  making  his  home  in 
Newport,  R.  L     He  married  a  Miss  Tompkins. 

Thomas  Cook  (2),  son  of  Thomas  Cook,  of 
Newport,  was  born  Feb.  5,  1801,  in  Newport, 
E.  I.,  in  the  public  schools  of  which  place  he 
acquired  his  education.     He  early  found  em- 

filoyment  in  a  store,  intending,  however,  to 
ollow  the  sea,  as  did  his  father;  but  on  ac- 
count of  partial  deafness  lie  was  induced  to 
abandon  this  intention.  He  learned  the  tailor's 
trade  under  the  direction  of  a  Mr.  Swan  of 
his  native  place.  In  the  early  twenties  of  the 
last  century  the  young  tailor  went  to  New 
Bedford  on  foot,  seeking  a  wider  field  for 
business  in  his  line  of  work.  At  New  Bedford 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  late  William  H. 
Allen,  and  afterward  was  for  a  time  clerk 
for  and  then  later  partner  of  Col.  Lysander 
Washburn.  On  the  death  of  the  latter  Mr. 
Cook  found  a  partnership  with  the  late  Loum 
Snow,  who,  too,  had  been  a  clerk  in  the  store 
of    Colonel    Washburn,    and    for    nearly    forty 


years  the  firm  of  Cook  &  Snow  carried  on 
business  as  wholesale  and  retail  dealers  in  dry 
goods,  and  merchant  tailors,  and  for  many 
years  as  owners  and  agents  of  whale  ships.  On 
the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Snow  from  the  firm,  in 
the  late  fifties,  Mr.  Cook  continued  the  busi- 
ness first  with  Abner  W.  Snow,  and  his  son 
William  Cook,  and  then  with  Abner  W.  Snow 
alone.  After  perhaps  half  a  dozen  years  this 
firm  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Cook  retired  from 
active  business.  For  a  year  or  so  he  occupied 
himself  in  assisting  a  son  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  paints,  out  soon  gave 
up  all  pretense  of  business,  making  his  head- 
quarters when  downtown  at  the  insurance 
office  of  another  son,  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Cook, 
there  meeting  and  greeting  his  old  friends  and 
keeping  up  his  interest  in  current  events  and 
opinions  by  a  daily  perusal  of  the  leading 
newspapers.  In  the  store  at  Newport,  where 
in  his  youth  he  first  found  employment,  was  a 
circulating  library.  Access  to  this  gav»  him 
a  taste  for  reading,  which  no  cares  of  business 
disturbed  and  which  was  a  solace  in  his  old 
age.  In  his  long  business  career  Mr.  Cook 
was  industrious,  prudent  and  successful,  retir- 
ing with  all  that  he  craved — a  competence, 
with  a  reputation  for  spotless  integrity,  thor- 
oughly deserved,  and  of  which  no  misfortune 
could  rob  him.  In  all  the  relations  of  life,  as 
a  citizen,  neighbor  and  friend,  he  was  public- 
puirited,  kind,  generous  and  faithful.  During 
all  the  years  of  his  residence  in  New  Bedford 
he  was  a  member  of  the  LTnitarian  Society,  and 
one  of  its  most  active  and  efficient  supporters. 
Mr.  Cook  belonged  to  that  old-fashioned  class 
of  men,  now  so  sadly  thinned  out  in  most 
congregations,  whose  absence  from  church  is 
the  rare  exception. 

Mr.  Cook  married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of 
Samuel  G.  and  Phoebe  Hudson,  of  Newport, 
R.  I.  Mrs.  Cook  died  March  27,  1879,  aged 
seventy-five  years.  Mr.  Cook  died  Sept.  20, 
1890,  aged  eighty-nine  years,  seven  months, 
fifteen  days. 

Samuel  Hudson  Cook,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Mary  A.  (Hudson)  Cook,  was  born  Feb.  5, 
1842,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Friends'  Academy.  He  then  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Mutual  Marine  Insur- 
ance Company,  an  organization  at  that  time 
doing  a  large  business,  and  continued  with  this 
company  until  the  decline  of  the  whaling  in- 
dustry, when  it  went  out  of  existence.  Mr. 
•"'ook  then  established  a  majine  and  fire  insur- 
ance agency  which  he  continued  with  marked 
success  the  remainder  of  his  active  life.  For 
vears  he  was  the  only  agent  in  the  marine  line 


1032 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  insurance  in  New  Bedford.  He  represented 
also  the  largest  fire  insurance  companies  of 
this  country  and  England.  Being  capable, 
energetic  and  industrious,  he  built  up  one  of 
the  largest  insurance  businesses  in  this  section 
of  the  State,  and  at  the  time  of  his  retirement 
was  the  most  successful  insurance  man  in  the 
city.  His  successors  in  business  are  Paul, 
Dixon  &  Cook.  In  February,  1908,  Mr.  Cook 
retired  from  active  business  because  of  poor 
health. 

Mr.  Cook,  though  a  lifelong  resident  of  New 
Bedford  and  a  most  capable  man,  never  was 
active  or  prominent  in  politics,  being  content 
to  give  his  whole  energy  to  his  business,  which 
as  stated  he  made  a  prosperous  one.  He  was 
well  and  favorably  known  throughout  New 
Bedford,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  and 
had  a  reputation  for  honesty  and  straightfor- 
wardness in  all  matters.  His  death  occurred 
March  19,  1910,  and  he  was  buried  in  the 
Rural  cemetery.  He  was  a  member  of  Wam- 
sutta  Club,  and  an  attendant  of  the  Unitarian 
Church. 

On  April  19,  1865,  Mr.  Cook  married  in 
Boston  Sarah  Perry  Smith,  born  in  Boston, 
daughter  of  Harrison  and  Sarah  M.  (Perry) 
Smith.  One  child  was  born  to  them,  Caroline 
Perry,  who  with  her  mother  resides  on  Madi- 
son street. 

TEIBOU.  The  Tribou  family  first  ap- 
peared in  Bridgewater  in  the  early  half  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  and  its  members  in 
each  succeeding  generation  have  been  known 
as  industrious,  honest  and  patriotic  citizens. 
In  the  present  day  Charles  E.  Tribou,  who 
led  that  memorable  charge  in  the  battle  of  the 
Crater,  before  Petersburg,  in  July,  1864,  and 
who  though  now  well  past  fourscore  years  is 
actively  interested  in  the  welfare  of  liis  native 
city ;  and  his  nephew,  John  Adams  Tribou, 
long  connected  with  the  W.  L.  Douglas  shoe 
factory,  are  worthy  representatives. 

(I)  Thomas  Tribou,  a  Frenchman,  settled 
in  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  as  early  as  1745.  In 
1746  he  married  Margery  Pratt,  daughter  of 
John  Pratt,  and  their  children  were :  Relief, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Isaac,  born  in  1748; 
William,  born  in  1753;  Rhoda,  born  in  1754, 
who  married  Daniel  French ;  Anna,  born  in 
1757,  who  married  Jacob  Hill ;  Amasa,  born 
in  1760;  and  Melzar,  born  in  1766,  who  settled 
in  Middleboro,  Mass.  Thomas  Tribou,  the 
father,  died  Dec.  29,  1811. 

(II)  William  Tribou,  son  of  Thomas,  was 
born  April  1,  1752,  in  West  Bridgewater,  and 
there  engaged  in  farming  and  died.    He  was  a 


soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  In  1784  he 
married  Amy  Belcher,  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
Belcher,  of  Sharon,  Mass.  Jeremiah  was. also- 
a  Revolutionary  soldier,  serving  from  Sha- 
ron, Mass.  The  children  of  William  and  Amy. 
Tribou  were:  (1)  Peter,  born  in  1786,  was 
a  farmer  and  died  in  West  Bridgewater.  In 
1817  he  married  Martha  Hall,  of  Plympton,. 
and  had  a  son,  Martin,  born  in  1818.  (2) 
John,  born  in  1788,  was  a  wood  turner  by 
trade,  and  died  in  Hanover,  Mass.  In  1810' 
he  married  Mary  Tilden,  of  Hanover.  (3) 
Daniel,  born  in  1790,  was  a  stone  cutter  and 
died  in  East  Bridgewater.  He  married  Cor- 
delia Ashley,  of  Freetown.  (4)  William,  born 
Feb.  4,  1793,  married  in  1816  Polly  Ford,, 
daughter  of  Asa  Ford,  and  (second)  Vesta 
Dunbar.  (5)  Francis,  born  in  1795,  was  a. 
farmer  and  died  in  West  Bridgewater.  In 
1816  he  married  Sally  Thayer,  of  Randolph^ 
Mass.  (6)  Charles,  born  in  1797,  was  a  shoe- 
maker, and  died  unmarried  in  Abington.  (7) 
Walter  Spooner,  born  iu  1799,  a  tackmaker 
by  trade,  died  in  East  Bridgewater.  He  mar- 
ried Huldah,  daughter  of  Howland  Holmes. 
(8)  Sally  S.,  born  in  1802,  married  Joseph 
Packard,  of  North  Bridgewater,  where  she- 
died. 

(Ill)  William  Tribou,  son  of  William  and 
Amy  (Belcher)  Tribou,  was  born  in  West 
Bridgewater  Feb.  4,  1793,  and  died  in  North 
Bridgewater  Feb.  5,  1855.  At  the  age  of  nine 
years  he  went  to  live  with  Capt.  Lloyd  How- 
ard, of  West  Bridgewater,  and  remained  with 
him  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  He- 
became  a  farmer,  and  lived  en  his  father's 
farm  in  Campello  until  his  death.  In  181S 
he  married  Polly  Ford,  daughter  of  Asa  Ford, 
of  North  Bridgewater,  and  the  children  of 
this  union  were:  (1)  Samuel  Ford,  bom 
Nov.  13,  1816,  was  a  shoemaker  and  lived  and 
died  in  North  Bridgewater.  He  married  Abi- 
gail Britton  and  (second)  Lucretia  Rounds. 
(2)  Asa,  born  Feb.  15,  1823,  married  Dec.  31^ 
1851,  Dolly  P.  Adams,  and  is  mentioned  in 
full  below.  (3)  Sarah,  born  Feb.  15,  1823,. 
twin  to  Asa,  died  Oct.  31,  1849,  unmarried. 
(4)  Charles  Edward,  born  May  15,  1825,  is 
mentioned  below.     The  mother  died  Dec.   31,. 

1831.  Mr.  Tribou  married  (second)  Vesta, 
daughter     of     Ebenezer    Dunbar,    in    August, 

1832.  To  this  second  union  was  born  a  daugh- 
ter, Emma  Frances,  April  15,  1838,  who  mar- 
ried Richard  M.  Fullerton,  of  Brockton,  where- 
they  reside  (see  sketch  in  full  elsewhere  in 
this  work).  In  politics  William  Tribou  was 
a  stanch  Whig,  and  he  was  a  Universalist 
in  religious  belief.     He  was  one  of  the  strong 


c^-^jyVcA   CP     J  ^idyi^^^-^-'^-^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1033 


men  of  the  community,  and  had  the  well  mer- 
ited respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 

(IV)  Charles  Edward  Tribou,  son  of 
William  and  Polly  (Ford)  Tribou,  was  born 
May  15,  1825,  in  North  Bridgewater,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools, 
which  he  attended  until  he  was  about  fifteen 
years  old.  He  then  began  shoemaking,  tak- 
ing borne  the  work  from  the  factories,  as  was 
then  the  custom,  and  returning  same  ready 
for  the  market.  About  1861  he  began  to  learn 
the  carpenter's  trade  with  Jarvis  Thayer,  and 
this  work  was  interrupted  by  his  enlistment 
Sept.  15,  1862,  in  Company  G,  45th  Mass.  V. 
I.  He  participated  in  the  skirmishes  in  North 
Carolina,  and  was  discharged  at  Eeadville 
July  7,  1863.  Reenlisting  March  31,  186-i, 
he  was  enrolled  as  sergeant  of  Company 
I,  58th  Mass.  V.  I.,  and  took  part  in 
the  Wilderness  campaign,  and  at  Petersburg 
led  the  spectacular  charge  of  the  battle  of  the 
Crater.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and  was  sent 
to  Danville,  but  on  account  of  illness  was  pa- 
roled. He  was  honorably  discharged  at  Bos- 
ton, July  5,  1865. 

Upon  taking  up  the  pursuits  of  peace  once 
more  he  started  in  again  at  carpentering,  and 
as  a  contractor  and  builder  worked  until  1895, 
meeting  with  marked  success  in  his  work.  He 
built  the  R.  M.  Fullerton  shoe  factory  and  a 
number  of  the  best  residences  in  the  town. 
He  was  industrious  and  the  investment  of  his 
savings  was  always  conservative,  and  he  has 
realized  excellent  returns  from  his  real  estate 
holdings.  He  has  an  orange  grove  in  southern 
California,  and  there  he  has  spent  several 
winters. 

On  Feb.  24,  1848,  Mr.  Tribou  married 
Elizabeth  Ellms,  daughter  of  Gushing  0.  and 
Susan  (Litchfield)  Ellms,  of  Scituate,  Mass. 
Two  children  were  bofn  of  this  union,  namely : 
Walter  Edward,  born  Nov.  2,  1852,  in  North 
Bridgewater,  and  now  engaged  in  teaming  in 
Brockton,  married  Dec.  10,  1873,  Anna  E. 
Reed,  daughter  of  Timothy  Reed,  of  Whitman, 
Mass.  Charles  Otis,  -born  March  19,  1854,  a 
shoemaker  by  trade,  but  now  engaged  in  orange 
growing  in  California,  married  Charlotte  E. 
Howland,  daughter  of  Frederick  Rowland,  of 
Plymouth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tribou  celebrated 
the  sixtieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage  in 
1908,  giving  an  oyster  supper  to  members  of 
the  G.  A.  R.,  the  W.  R.  C,  and  other  friends 
in  G.  A.  R.  hall  in  honor  of  the  occasion. 

Mr.  Tribou  is  an  active  member  of  Fletcher 
Webster  Post,  No.  13,,  G.  A.  R.,  Joining  the 
same  in  1869,  and  in  1907  serving  as  its  com- 
mander.    He  is  a  Spiritualist  in  religious  be- 


lief. In  politics  he  was  formerly  a  Free-soiler 
and  a  strong  Abolitionist,  but  is  now  a  stanch 
Republican.  In  his  earlier  years  he  served  on 
the  school  committee  and  was  its  clerk,  and  he 
also  gave  efficient  service  as  road  surveyor. 
Throughout  his  long  life  he  has  stood  for 
good  government,  and  in  whatever  place  he 
has  been  called  to  fill  he  has  been  faithful 
to  his  trust.  Now  in  the  evening  of  his  well 
spent  life  he  is  enjoying  the  respect  and  esteem 
he  so  richly  deserves. 


(IV)  Asa  Tribou,  son  of  William  and  Polly 
(Ford),  was  born  Feb.  15,  1823,  in  North 
Bridgewater,  and  died  in  Brockton  Sept.  9, 
1880.  His  education  was  all  acquired  in  the 
common  schools,  and  he  early  became  identified 
with  shoemaking,  taking  the  stock  home  from 
the  factories,  and  on  completing  the  shoes 
returning  same  ready  for  the  market.  He 
also  engaged  in  farming,  and  made  his  home 
at  Campello,  on  a  part  of  the  old  homestead. 
He  was  industrious,  and  was  possessed  of 
great  strength,  being  six  feet,  two  inches  tall, 
and  weighing  250  pounds,  and  he  was  strong 
in  proportion.  In  the  early  days  of  the  party 
he  was  a  Republican,  but  later  became  a  Demo- 
crat. He  had  no  ambition  for  office  holding 
and  was  always  devoted  to  his  home. 

On  Dec.  31,  1851,  Mr.  Tribou  married  Dolly 
P.  Adams,  daughter  of  Moses  Adams,  of  New 
London,  N.  H.  She  died  Dec.  6,  1894.  Their 
children  were :  George  Packard,  who  died  in 
infancy;  John  Adams,  born  Sept.  30,  1861 
(twin  to  George  Packard) ;  Georgiana  Maria, 
who  died  young;  Mary  Lizzie,  wlio  died  young. 

(V)  John  Adams  Tribou,  son  of  Asa  and 
Dolly  P.  (Adams),  was  born  Sept.  30,  1861, 
and  was  educated  in  the  Campello  schools. 
Leaving,  school  at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  en- 
tered a  shoe  shop  to  learn  cutting.  This  was 
in  the  Moses  A.  Packard  shoe  factory,  and 
there  the  young  man  remained  seven  years, 
receiving  the  best  of  instruction.  He,  how- 
ever, at  the  end  of  this  time  thought  he  would 
like  a  change,  and  accordingly  engaged  in  the 
butchering  business  for  a  year.  He  then  re- 
turned to  shoemaking  and  for  three  years  was 
with  the  late  Albert  Barrows.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  was  thrown  out  of  work  by  the 
burning  of  the  factory,  and  found  work  later 
as  a  cutter  with  W.  L.  Douglas,  remaining 
seven  years.  For  a  few  months  he  worked 
for  Packard  &  Field,  and  for  three  years  with 
R.  B.  Grover.  Ill  health  compelled  him  to 
be  idle  for  about  three  years,  and  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  again  went  to  the  W.  L. 
Douglas  factory,  where  he  has  since  remained. 


1034 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Mr.  Tribou  has  been  much  interested  in 
Masonry.  He  belongs  to  Paul  Severe  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.; 
and  Bay  State  Cominandery,  K.  T.,  of  Brock- 
ton. In  politics  he  is  an  independent  voter, 
not  being  bound  by  j'arty,  particularly  on  local 
issues.  He  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Uni- 
versalist  Church. 

Mr.  Tribou  was  married  Sept.  30,  1884,  to 
Carrie  S.  Ransom,  of  Plympton,  Mass.,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Susan  (Washburn)  Ransom. 
By  this  union  there  has  been  one  child,  George 
Parley,  born  Oct.  25,  1885,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  seven  years,  thi-ee  months. 

GEORGE  R.  SAMPSON,  a  successful  brick 
manufacturer  of  Middleboro,  and  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Thomas  S.  Peirce  estate,  was 
born  in  that  town  Oct.  2,  1852,  a  member  of 
one  of  Plymouth  county's  old  and  respected 
families. 

(I)  Henry  and  Abraham*  Sampson,  sup- 
posed to  have  been  brothers,  were  among  the 
early  immigrants  to  New  England,  Henry, 
a  member  of  the  family  of  his  kinsman  (a 
cousin,  says  Pope),  Edward  Tilley,  being  a 
passenger  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620;  while 
Abraham  came  later,  as  early  as  1638,  and  was 
one  of  the  list  of  persons  in  Duxbury,  1643, 
able  to  bear  arms.  He  was  one  of  the  fifty- 
four  original  grantees  of  Bridgewater,  1645, 
all  of  whom  were  residents  of  Du.xbury,  the 
latter  town  including  the  territory  that  be- 
came Bridgewater  in  1656.  Mr.  Sampson  and 
most  of  the  grantees  never  removed  there.  Mr. 
Sampson  was  surveyor  of  highways,  1648; 
constable,  1653.  He  was  admitted  a  freeman 
of  Plymouth  colony  in  1654.  He  was  living  in 
1686,  after  which  there  is  no  record  of  him. 
He  married  a  daughter  of  Lieut.  Samuel  Nash, 
of  the  Duxbury  company,  the  latter  being  an 
officer  in  nearly  all  the  military  expeditions 
of  the  Colony  and  sheriff  or  chief  marshal  of 
the  Colony  for  more  than  twenty  years  from 
1652.  Winsor  gives  him  a  second  wife,  not 
naming  her,  however.  Of  his  children  only  the 
names  of  the  following  four  are  seemingly 
preserved:  Samuel,  George,  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  the  two  latter  marrying  sisters,  Sarah 
or  Loah  and  Lydia  Standish,  respectively. 

(II)  Samuel  Sampson,  son  of  Abraham, 
born  about  1646,  in  Duxbury,  married  Esther. 
Mr.  Sampson  lived  in  Duxbury;  was  killed  in 
King  Philip's  war.  His  widow  remarried, 
marrying  in  1678  John  Soule,  of  Duxbury, 
son  of  George  Soule,  who  came  over  in  the 
"Mayflower,"  1620.  She  died  Sept.  12,  1733, 
aged  ninety-five  years.   The  children  of  Samuel 


and  Esther   Sampson  were :    Samuel,  born  in 
1670;  and  Ichabod. 

(Ill)  Samuel  Sampson  (2),  son  of  Samuel, 
born  in  1670,  married  Mercy,  daughter  of 
Obadiah  Eddy,  of  Middleboro,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Samuel  Eddy,  who  came  from 
England  in  1630,  settling  in  Plymouth  and 
afterward  in  Middleboro.  Mr.  Sampson  lived 
in  the  town  of  Middleboro;  was  a  member  of 
the  First  Church  in  that  town;  and  was  one 
of  the  fifty  proprietors  or  purchasers  in  March, 
1717,  of  the  First  Parish  burying  ground.  He 
died  in  September,  1744,  aged  seventy-four 
years.  His  children  were  :  Obadiah ;  Gershom, 
married  to  Bethiah  Clark;  Ichabod,  married 
to  Mercy  Savory ;  Esther,  married  to  Abraham 
Borden,  of  Middleboro  (his  second  wife) ;  and 
Mary,  married  to  Issachar  Fuller. 

(IV)  Obadiah  Sampson,  son  of  Samuel  (2) 
and  Mercy  (Eddy),  of  Middleboro,  Mass., 
married  in  1731  Mary  Soule,  born  m  1709,  a 
direct  descendant  of  George  Soule,  one  of  the 
"Mayflower"  Pilgrims.  Mr.  Sampson  first  set- 
tled in  Marshfield ;  was  admitted  to  the  church 
there  May  30,  1730.  He  removed  not  long 
after  to  his  native  town,  and  was  received  in 
the  first  church  there  July  20,  1731.  He  died 
early  in  1766.  His  children  were:  Ruth; 
Israel,  born  in  1734,  who  died  in  that  same 
year;  Samuel,  born  in  1735,  who  died  Aug. 
31,  1757;  Mary  and  Martha  (twins),  born  in 
1737,  who  died  in  1738;  Obadiah,  born  in 
1739;  John,  born  in  1741;  Ezekiel,  born  in 
1744,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution;  and  Esther, 
born  in  1749. 

(V)  John  Sampson,  son  of  Obadiah,  of 
Middleboro,  born  in  1741,  married  Elizabeth 
Cobb,  of  Plymouth  (intentions  published 
April  2,  1763).  Mr.  Sampson  was  a  soldier 
during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  serving  as 
a  private  in  Capt.  Nathaniel  Allen's  company, 
Col.  Theophilus  Cotton's  regiment,  for  thirty- 
one  days,  in  an  expedition  to  Rhode  Island, 
September  and  October,  1777.  His  children 
were:  vSamuel,  born  Feb.  24,  1764;  Obadiah, 
May  28,  1766:  Elizabeth,  March  3,  1768  (died 
in  infancy)  ;  Elizabeth  (2),  Feb.  7,  1769;  and 
Nathaniel,  May,  1777. 

(VI)  Samuel  Sampson,  son  of  John,  born 
Feb.    24,    1764,    in    the   town    of    Middleboro, 
married    Polly    Bryant    (intentions    published 
Jan.  27,   1789).     Their  children  were:  John 
born  Dec.  27,  1789;  Samuel,  Aug.  14,  1793 
Lydia,   Dec.   4,   1795;   John,  April   24,   1798 
Marv,   Mav   31,   1800;   Polly,   May  23,   1805 
Betsey,  April   18,   1806;  Jane,   Dec.   5,  1808 
Richard,  Nov.   13,   1811;  and   Ira,  March  23, 
1815. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1035 


(VII)  Eichard  Sampson,  son  of  Samuel, 
born  Nov.  13,  1811,  in  the  tow-n  of  Middleboro, 
grew  to  manhood  there.  He  made  farming  his 
life  occupation,  and  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land  north  of  the  center  of  the  town  where  he 
had  built  a  fine  house,  and  made  other  im- 
provements. He  was  one  of  the  best-known 
and  most  highly  respected  men  of  that  section. 
He  was  quite  active  in  public  life,  and  held 
several  town  offices,  and  served  as  a  member 
of  the  State  Legislature.  During  his  term  in 
the  Legislature  he  died  from  the  effects  of  a 
shock,  and  was  taken  home  and  buried  in 
Nemasket  cemetery,  Middleboro.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Ann  Wood  (intentions  published 
April  30,  1831),  daughter  of  George  and 
Lvdia  (Tucker)  Wood.  Mrs.  Sampson  died 
at  the  home  of  her  son,  George  E.,  in  1809, 
and   was   buried   beside   her  husband. 

(VIII)  George  E.  Sampson,  son  of  Eichard, 
was^  educated  in  the  local  schools  and  in  Peirce 
Academy,  graduating  from  the  latter.  He 
worked  at  home  on  the  farm,  and  was  still  in 
his  teens  when  he  went  West,  locating  in  Illi- 
nois, where  he  worked  at  different  occupations, 
including  school  teaching.  After  spending 
three  years  there  he  returned  to  his  native 
town  and  started  in  the  business  of  manufac- 
turing brick.  He  bought  a  tract  of  land  not 
far  from  the  center,  where  he  erected  kilns 
and  became  extensively  engaged.  He  later  sold 
his  interests  to  the  New  England  Brick  Com- 
pany, and  became  that  company's  superintend- 
ent, a  position  he  held  for  eleven  years,  when 
he  resigned.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged 
in  selling  brick. 

Mr.  Sampson  was  appointed  by  the  will  of 
the  late  Thomas  S.  Peirce  as  one  of  the 
trustees  of  his  estate,  which  trust  he  is  filling 
with  credit.  Mr.  Sampson  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  has  served  two  terms  as  a  member 
of  the  General  Court  of  the  State,  in  1904  and 
1905.  He  served  on  the  committees  on  Public 
Health  and  State  House.  He  is  a  trustee  and 
vice  president  of  the  Middleboro  Savings 
Bank,  and  a  director  of  the  Middleboro  Na- 
tional Bank. 

In  1875  Mr.  Sampson  was  married  to  Clara 
J.  LeBaron,  daughter  of  John  Burt  LeBarop, 
and  they  have  two  children:  (1)  Harvey  L.  B. 
was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Middleboro,  graduating  from  the  latter  as 
valedictorian  of  his  class;  Dartmouth  College, 
where  he  was  valedictorian  of  his  class,  and  the 
law  department  of  Harvard  University,  also 
as  valedictorian  of  his  class.  He  is  now  prac- 
ticing his  profession  in  Boston.  He  is  un- 
married.    (2)   George  Arthtir  was  educated  in 


the  local  and  high  schools  and  Dartmouth 
College,  and  is  a  civil  engineer,  connected 
with  William  Wheeler,  of  Boston,  the  well- 
known  constructing  engineer  and  owner  of 
water  works.  Mrs.  Sampson  is  a  member  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  of  Plymouth  county, 
that  of  LeBaron,  and  a  sketch  of  this  family's 
history,  beginning  with  the  earliest  known 
American  ancestor  down  to  the  present,  is 
given  below  in  detail,  the  generations  appear- 
ing in  chronological  order. 

LeBAEON  (Middleboro  family).  For  gen- 
erations there  have  resided  in  the  ancient  town 
of  Middleboro  the  posterity  of  him  of  whose 
antecedents  so  little  was  knovai,  yet  whose 
personality  was  of  such  mold  as  to  have 
prompted  a  brilliant  writer  to  make  him  the 
hero  of  one  of  her  novels,  "A  Nameless  Noble- 
man," by  Jane  Austin.  Eeference  is  made  to 
some  of  the  descendants  of  Francis  LeBaron 
of  Plymouth ;  among  these  and  to  which 
branch  this  article  is  especially  directed  is  the 
family  of  the  late  Hon.  John  Burt  LeBaron, 
whose  life  work  in  the  community  in  which 
much  of  his  career  was  passed  was  of  such  a 
character  as  to  have  left  its  impress  upon 
society,  forming  a  most  creditable  page  in  the 
annals  of  Middleboro.  He,  too,  founded  and 
partially  developed  an  extensive  and  success- 
ful business,  which  has  given  employment  to 
hundreds  if  not  thousands  of  people  during  the 
past  fifty  and  more  years,  his  sons  John  Bay- 
lies and  the  late  Eugene  P.  LeBaron  and  since 
the  latter's  death  his  son  and  namesake, 
Eugene  Leonard  LeBaron,  who  from  young 
manhood  have  sustained  the  family  reputation 
in  citizenship,  carrying  it  forward  to  still 
greater  proportions. 

And  it  is  worthy  of  note,  and  a  matter  in 
which  the  LeBar.ons  may  take  just  and  par- 
donable pride,  to  here  state  that  through  the 
LeBarons's  allied  marriage  connections  many 
of  them  have  descent  or  connection  with  the 
'"Mayflower"  blood  and  that  of  some  of  the 
first  families  of  ancient  Plymouth,  among 
them  those  of  Warren,  Griswold,  Bradford, 
Cushman,  Bartlett  and  DeWolf.  There  fol- 
lows in  chronological  order  from  the  first 
American  ancestor  the  LeBaron  lineage  and 
genealogy. 

(I)  Francis  LeBaron,  of  whom  the  first  rec- 
ord evidence  in  this  country  is  in  the  records 
of  Plymouth  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  ac- 
cording to  family  tradition  came  to  New  Eng- 
land in  this  wise;  A  French  privateer,  fitted 
out  at  Bordeaux  and  cruising  on  the  Ameri- 
can coast,  was  wrecked  in  Buzzards  Bay ;  the 


1036 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


crew  were  taken  prisoners  and  carried  to  Bos- 
ton; in  passing  through  Plymouth,  the  sur- 
geon, Francis  LeBaron,  was  detained  by  sick- 
ness, and  on  his  recovery  performed  a  surgical 
operation  so  successfully  that  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  petitioned  the  executive.  Lieuten- 
ant Governor  Stoughton,  for  his  release,  that 
he  might  settle  among  them.  The  petition  was 
granted,  and  he  practiced  his  profession  in  that 
town  and  vicinity  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Francis  LeBaron  was  born  in  1668,  in 
France.  He  came  to  New  England  as  above 
narrated  and  married  Sept.  6,  1695,  Mary, 
born  April  7,  1668,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Elizabeth  (Fames)  Wilder,  of  Hingham.  He 
died  Aug.  8,  1704,  in  Plymouth.  After  this 
event,  Dec.  10,  1707,  his  widow  married  Re- 
turn Waite,  born  in  1678,  in  Boston,  who 
died  in  Plymouth  Oct.  3,  1751.  Dr.  LeBaron's 
children  were :  James,  born  May  23,  1696 ; 
Lazarus,  born  Dec.  26,  1698 ;  and  Francis, 
born  June  13,  1701. 

Edward  Wilder,  of  Hingham,  was  the  son 
of  Thomas  and  Martha  Wilder,  of  Shiplake, 
Oxfordshire,  England.  He  was  in  Hingham, 
Massachusetts  Bay,  in  November,  1638,  on  the 
arrival  of  his  mother  from  England  in  the 
ship  "Confidence,"  from  the  port  of  Southamp- 
ton. 

(II)  James  LeBaron,  born  May  23,  1696, 
in  Plymouth,  Mass.,  married  Nov.  3,  1720, 
Martha  Benson,  of  Middleboro,  Mass.  Mr. 
LeBaron  was  a  farmer,  and  resided  on  the 
farm  in  Middleboro  which  .had  been  be- 
queathed to  him  by  his  father,  Francis,  in  his 
will.  He  died  May  10,  1744,  and  his  widow 
remarried,  marrying  May  15,  1745,  William 
Parker.  His  children  were:  James,  born  Dec. 
22,  1721,  who  died  Sept.  16,  1725;  John,  bom 
April  2,  1724;  James,  born  Dec.  10,  1726; 
Joshua,  born  Oct.  10,  1729;  Martha,  born 
April  9,  1732,  who  died  when  young;  Francis, 
born  Dec.  20,  1734,  who  died  July  8,  1761; 
Mary,  born  Aug.  9,  1737;  David,  born  April 
27,  1740;  and  Lydia,  born  Jan.  26,  1743,  who 
died,  when  young. 

(III)  John  LeBaron,  born  April  2,  1724, 
married  Feb.  23,  1748,  Mary  Raymond,  of 
Middleboro,  Mass.  He  held  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  and  re- 
sided there.  He  died  Aug.  1,  1801.  His  wife 
Mary  died  March  25,  1791.  Their  children 
were:  Abiezer,  born  July  4,  1749  (soldier  of 
the  Revolution);  John,  born  April  10,  1750; 
Zebulon.  horn  Dec.  6,  1752;  Eunice,  born  Nov. 
4,  1761;  Joshua,  born  Nov.  6,  1763  (died  Aug. 
4,  1793);  Levi,  born  Oct.  14,  1765;  Chloe, 
born  Aug.  8,  1773;  Mary,  barn  Julv  9,  1775. 


(IV)  Levi  LeBaron,  born  Oct.  14,  1765, 
married  Aug.  12,  1787,  Temperance  Morse, 
born  Aug.  12,  1767.  They  resided  in  Middle- 
boro, Mass.  Mr.  LeBaron  died  July  20,  1820, 
and  Mrs.  LeBaron  Aug.  28,  1829.  Their 
children  were :  John,  born  Oct.  18,  1788 ;  Ziba, 
born  Dec.  27,  1789;  Waitstill,  born  Jan.  30, 
1792;  Joshua,  born  March  1,  1794;  Tem- 
perance, born  April  17,  1796  (died  June  16, 
1801);  Elizabeth  C,  born  Sept.  21,  1798; 
Temperance  (2),  born  March  21,  1801;  Levi, 
born  June  2,  1803  (died  when  young) ;  Mary, 
born  April  26,  1806  (died  unmarried  Nov.  27, 
1833) ;  and  Lucy,  born  Julv  20,  1807  (died 
unmarried  July  23,  1832). 

(V)  John  LeBaron  (2),  born  Oct.  18,  1788, 
in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  married  (first)  Feb.  17, 
1811,  Sarah  Burt,  of  Plymouth,  Mass.,  and 
after  her  death,  which  occurred  Dec.  15th  of 
that  same  year,  he  married  (second)  Dec.  1, 
1814,  Bethany  Rvder,  who  died  Nov.  8,  1863. 
Mr.  LeBaron  died  July  10,  1879.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Sarah  Burt,  born  July  13,  1815; 
John  Burt,  born  Sept.  19,  1817;  Bethany,  born 
July  17,  1819  (died  May  17,  1823)  ;  Ziba,  born 
Aug.  3,  1824;  Bethany  Weston,  born  March 
26,  1826;  Almeda  Allen,  born  Aug.  26,  1828; 
and  Hannah  W.,  born  Feb.  26,  1833.  The 
father  in  his  earlier  life  lived  in  that  part  of 
Middleboro  called  Rock.  Later  in  life  he  lived 
in  Middleboro  Village.  He  was  an  iron  mold- 
er,  and  fully  conversant  with  all  departments 
of  the  iron  business.  He  carried  on  farming  in 
connection  with  this  industry. 

(VI)  John  Burt  LeBaron,  son  of  John  and 
Bethany  (Ryder)  LeBaron,  was  born  Sept.  19, 
1817,  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  and  there  passed 
his  boyhood  in  attendance  at  the  schools  of 
his  locality  and  assisting  with  the  home  work. 
While  yet  in  his  teens  he  began  work  at  the 
Norton  furnace,  in  a  not  far  distant  town, 
serving  an  apprenticeship  at  the  foundry  busi- 
ness. After  the  completion  of  his  apprentice- 
ship he  continued  working  at  his  trade  in 
Norton  for  some  years.  From  Norton  he  went 
to  Field's  furnace  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  and  there 
remained  for  several  years  working  at  his 
trade.  As  the  years  were  passing  he  was  gain- 
ing in  experience  and  a  knowledge  of  his  occu- 
pation and  there  was  offered  him  the  foreman- 
ship  in  a  foundry  at  Bourneville,  a  point  now 
within  the  bounds  of  Fall  River,  Mass.  This 
position  he  occupied  for  a  couple  of  years, 
when  he  went  to  Somerset,  this  State,  to  super- 
intend the  building  of  what  became  later  the 
Cooperative  Foundry.  After  two  years'  em- 
ployment in  Somerset,  in  1855,  associated  with 
Samuel  Tinkham,  of  Taunton,  he  established 


SOUTHEASTEEX  MASSACHUSETTS 


1037 


the  foundry  and  business  with  which  he  was  so 
long  afterward  connected.  He  kept  his  place 
of  residence  at  Taunton  until  the  autumn  of 
1859.  He  then  purchased  the  Ichabod  Thomas 
place,  in  Lakeville,  moved  thither,  and  therp 
resided  for  the  next  five  or  six  years,  when 
he  removed  to  Middleboro,  of  which  place 
he  was  ever  afterward  a  resident  and  for  which 
he  always  had  a  warm  place  in  his  heart. 

The  business  of  Tinkham  &  LeBaron  was 
conducted  by  those  who  established  it  until  the 
year  1864,  and  after  that  time  for  the  next 
twentv  years  by  Mr.  LeBaron  alone,  he  having 
purchased  his  partner's  interest  in  the  concern. 
On  Jan.  1,  1884,  Mr.  LeBaron  was  succeeded 
in  the  business  by  his  sons  J.  Baylies  and 
Eugene  P.  LeBaron,  who  then  formed  the  Le- 
Baron Foundry  Company,  the  business  of 
which  has  since  been  continued  and  been  devel- 
oped by  the  infusion  of  the  younger  blood  with 
their  enterprise  and  public  spirit  to  greater 
proportions,  and  the  reputation  of  the  family 
sustained. 

John  Burt  LeBaron,  a  man  of  large,  robust 
physique,  had  a  corresponding  positive  nature, 
and  whatever  he  undertook  he  did  with  a 
might,  throwing  into  it  his  whole  soul  and 
nature.'  He  was  a  man  of  tremendous  energy 
and  of  strong  will  power,  a  combination  that 
could  hardly  fail  in  making  life  a  success.  By 
his  owTi  exertions,  from  an  humble  beginning, 
by  the  force  of  his  make-up  he  steadily  forged 
his  way  to  the  front  and  became  a  man  of 
wealth,  position  and  influence  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  moved.  As  a  member  of 
society  he  was  respected  and  beloved.  While  of 
a  very  active  temperament,  earnest  and  im- 
pulsive, at  times  even  impetuous,  and  stern, 
he  had  a  social  side,  was  of  a  cheerful  disposi- 
tion, was  fond  of  telling  and  hearing  a  good 
story  and  joke.  He  was  a  man,  too,  of  marked 
generosity  and  liberality.  He  was  sincere  in 
whatever  he  did,  frank  and  candid  so  that 
everyone  knew  where  to  find  him — how  he 
stood  in  this  matter  or  that. 

Mr.  LeBaron  was  an  incorporator  and  di- 
rector of  the  Domestic  Needle  Company,  and 
its  successor,  the  Union  Needle  Company,  in 
which  he  held  a  fourth  interest.  He  was  one 
of  the  trustees,  and  on  the  board  of  investment 
of  the  Middleboro  Savings  Bank.  He  became 
the  possessor  of  considerable  land  in  Middle- 
boro, laid  out  many  village  lots  and  erected 
quite  a  number  of  houses  upon  them.  He  was 
the  first  to  engage  in  the  coal  business  in  Mid- 
dleboro. 

Mr.  LeBaron's  political  affiliations  were  with 
the  Democratic  party.   He  represented  Middle- 


boro in  the  lower  house  of  the  Massachusetts 
General  Court  in  1875.  He  was  a  member  of 
Assawampsett  Division,  Sons  of  Temperance, 
at  Middleboro,  and  during  the  temperance  re- 
form movement  was  active  in  its  support.  He 
was  for  years  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at 
Middleboro,  served  as  one  of  the  building  com- 
mittee of  the  present  ediiice,  and  as  well  con- 
tributed liberally  toward  it,  and  to  the  support 
of  the  church  he  was  a  generous  giver.  He 
became  a  member  of  that  church  in  1877,  be- 
came a  steward  and  trustee,  sustaining  such 
relations  to  the  church  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  for  many  years  a  prominent 
member  of  Mayflower  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Middleboro,  of  Adoniram  Chapter,  at  New 
Bedford,  and  of  Sutton  Commandery. 

On  Aug.  16,  1841,  Mr.  LeBaron  was  mar- 
ried to  Keziah,  born  Aug.  9,  1818,  daughter  of 
Charles  and  Keziah  (Rounds)  Baylies,  of 
Taunton,  Mass.  She  died  Oct.  10,  1861,  and 
Mr.  LeBaron  married  (second)  July  3,  1865, 
Mary  J.  (Chace)  Rose,  born  Dec.  22,  1823,  in 
Dighton,  Mass.  She  survived  her  husband, 
dying  Feb.  28,  1896.  His  children  were  (all 
born  to  the  first  marriage)  :  Adelaide,  born 
May  19,  1842,  who  died  Dec.  8,  1843;  John 
Baylies,  boVn  Jan.  4',  1845;  Maria  C,  born 
Jan.  18,  1847;  Eugene  P.,  born  Jan.  16,  1849; 
Charles  H.,  born  Sept.  14,  1851,  who  died  July 
31,  1853;  Clara  J.,  born  Jan.  7,  1855,  who 
married  George  R.  Sampson;  and  Harriet  J., 
born  Dpc.  2,  1857,  who  died  July  30,  1860. 

ANSON  CHURCHILL  PECKHAM,M.D., 
physician  and  surgeon,  of  Fall  River,  who 
has  been  in  practice  in  that  location  through- 
out his  professional  life,  a  period  of  over  thirty 
years,  was  born  in  Bristol  county,  at  Somer- 
set, Sept.  3,  1855,  and  comes  from  one  of  the 
old  New  England  families.  His  first  ancestor 
in  America  was  John  Peckham,  f];om  whom  he 
is  a  descendant  in  the  eighth  generation,  his 
line  being  through  William,  William  (2), 
William  (3),  Peleg,  Henry  and  Reuben  Mor- 
ton Peckham. 

The  Peckhams  get  their  name  from  the 
parish  of  Peckham  in  the  County  of  Kent, 
England.  In  Saxon  "ham"  signified  home  or 
town,  so  Peckham  would  be  the  town  of  Peck 
or  the  home  of  Peck.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
family  came  originally  from  Scandinavia,  and 
when  the  Normans  came  to  England,  in  the 
eleventh  century,  became  established  there. 
Variations  of  the  name  are  Peccam,  Peckham 
and  Pecham.  John  Peckham,  who  was  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  from   1279  to  1292,  is 


1038 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


generally  considered  the  founder  of  the  family. 
In  1127,  however,  there  was  one  Robert  Peck- 
ham  chaplain  to  King  Henry  I.,  and  he  may 
have  been  an  ancestor  of  the  Archbishop.  Sir 
Edmund  Peckham,  one  of  the  Archbishop's 
descendants,  was  master  of  the  mint  to  Queen 
Elizabeth  and  was  knighted  in  1542.  He  lived 
in  Buckinghamshire.  His  son.  Sir  George 
Peckham,  was  a  merchant  adventurer  and  with 
Sir  Henry  Gilbert  and  Sir  Richard  Greenville 
and  Christopher  Carlile  went  on  a  trip  of  ex- 
ploration in'  1574.  The  party  reached  the 
Newfounde-landes  (now  Newfoundland)"  and 
came  down  the  coast  of  Nortli  America. 

Another  Peckham,  named  John  like  the 
Archbishop,  came  to  this  country  some  time 
before  1638.  He  is  the  ancestor  of  the  family 
in  America  to-day,  and  is  probably  descended 
from  Sir  George,  the  adventurer.  Not  very 
much  is  known  of  liis  history,  but  it  is  said 
that  he  was  tlie  younger  son  of  a  titled  family, 
and  he  came  here  with  Anne  Hutchinson  and 
her  husband,  who  lived  in  England  at  Alford, 
one  of  the  manors  granted  to  Sir  Edmund. 
For  these  reasons  it  is  supposed  that  he  be- 
longed to  the  big  English  family  of  Peckhams 
founded  by  the   Archbishop  of   Canterbury. 

(I)  Jolm  Peckham,  founder  of  the  family  in 
America,  settled  in  Rhode  Island  and  was 
noted  as  a  zealous  Baptist.  He  was  at  New- 
port in  1638.  In  1648  he  was  registered  as 
one  of  the  ten  male  members  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  in  Newport  in  full  com- 
munion. He  was  twice  married  and  was  the 
father  of  twelve  children. 

(II)  William  Peckham,  son  of  John,  born 
in  1647,  married  Susannah  or  Elizabeth 
Clarke,  daughter  of  Joseph  Clarke,  and  lived 
in  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  he  was  deputy  to 
the  General  Assembly  in  1696-98.  He  was 
ordained  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Newport,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 
first  Baptist  minister  ordained  on  this  conti- 
nent. His  second  wife  was  Pliebe  Weeden, 
daughter  of  William  Weeden,  and  she  died  in 
Middletown  in  1745.  His  children,  born  to 
the  first  marriage,  were:  William,  Samuel, 
Mary,  Phebe  and  Deborah. 

(ill)  William  Peckham  (2),  son  of  Wil- 
liam, was  born  Aug.  30,  1675,  and  engaged 
in  farming  all  of  his  life  in  Middletown,  dy- 
ing Jan.  18,  1764,  in  his  eiglity-ninth  year. 
He  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  Newport,  R.  I., 
in  1704,  and  was  a  member  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  New^^ort  in  1751.  He  was 
deputy  to  the  General  Court  that  met  in  May, 
1707.  He  was  married  Jan.  10,  1703,  to 
Marv   Tew,   born    Oct.    12,    1680,   daughter   of 


Henry  and  Dorcas  Tew,  and  she  died  May 
3,  1753,  in  her  seventy-third  year.  She  was 
the  mother  of  five  children:  Mary,  born  Sept. 
7,  1704;  William;  Dorcas,  born  July  3,  1709; 
Henry,  born  Feb.  86,  1711;  and  Elisha,  born 
May  8,  1716. 

(IV)  William  Peckham  (3),  born  Sept.  3, 
1706,  married  June  22,  1736,  Phebe,  born 
Nov.  14,  1717,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
(Cook)  Barker.  They  lived  in  Middletown, 
R.  I.  He  died  April  12,  1784,  and  she  passed 
away  Nov.  10,  1757.  Their  children  were: 
William,  born  Feb.  3,  1737;  Elisha,  born  in 
1738;  Peleg,  born  in  1739;  Mary,  born  in 
1741;i  ar(d  Phebe,  born  in  1743  (married 
Nov.  8,  1767,  Elisha  Barker). 

(V)  Peleg  Peckham,  born  in  1739,  mar- 
ried Oct.  25,  1772,  Elizabeth  Smith,  and  their 
children  of  Middletown  town  record,  accord- 
ing to  Arnold,  were :  Edward  Smith,  born  Aug. 
1,  1773;  Henry,  born  Dec.  27,  1780;  Mary, 
horn  April  4,  1783;  Peleg,  born  Oct.  13,  1785; 
Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  10,  1788;  Elisha,  born 
May  5,  1790;  and  Phebe,  born  June  21,  1792. 

(VI)  Henry  Peckham,  born  Dec.  27,  1780, 
married  April  20,  1803,  Esther  Gould,  of 
Middletown,  R.  I.,  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Gould,  of  South  Kingstown,  and  tlieir  children 
of  Middletown  (R.  I.)  town  record  were: 
Lvdia  B.,  born  Dec.  1,  1803 ;  Henry,  June  17, 
1805;  Edward  S.,  June  11,  1807;  Nicholas 
Alfred,  June  20,  1809;  Abbie  Ardeline,  Aug. 
14,  1811;  Esther  Gould,  July  21,  1813;  Eliza- 
beth Gardiner,  June  6,  1815 ;  James  Monroe, 
May  14,  1817;  Sophia  L.  R.,  April,  1819; 
Esther  Robbins,  May  11,  1821;  Reuben  Mor- 
ton, Sept.  17,  1823;  Mary  Ann  Sophia,  Sept. 
30,  1825 ;  and  Sarah,  May  6,  1829.  The  father 
was  a  farmer  and  during  the  war  of  1812  per- 
formed military  duty  in  the  service  of  his 
country. 

(VII)  Reuben  Morton  Peckham,  son  of 
Henry,  was  born  in  the  old  Dudley  house  in 
Middletown,  and  was  quite  young  when  the 
family  moved  to  Newport,  living  there  a  short 
time.  He  came  to  Fall  River  when  about  seven 
years  old  and  here  attended  the  common 
schools.  When  only  eleven  he  went  to  work  in 
the  new  Pocasset  Mill,  where  he  tended  cards- 
for  about  a  year  and  a  half.  He  then  changed 
to  the  calico  works,  also  in  Fall  River,  and 
later  to  the  American  Print  Works,  and  when 
about  eighteen  went  to  Middleboro,  where  for 
two  years  he  was  engaged  in  farming  with  his 
father.  Returning  to  Fall  River,  in  1842,  he 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with  Southard  H. 
Miller,  formerly  of  Middleboro,  with  whom  he 
served   for  two   and   a  half  years.     After  this 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1039 


lie  was  employed  in  Taunton,  as  carpenter 
and  pattern-maker,  by  the  William  Mason 
Machine  Company,  continuing  in  their  employ 
twelve  years.  For  a  number  of  years  following 
he  was  engaged  at  house  carpentry  in  Somer- 
set, Taunton,  Bridgewater  and  Fall  River,  and 
was  also  employed  in  a  stove  foundry  in  Somer- 
set as  pattern-maker.  For  several  years  before 
retiring  he  was  machine  carpenter  in  the  Nar- 
ragansett  Mills  in  Fall  River.  He  withdrew 
from  active  business  pursuits  in  1903.  His 
death  occurred  July  4,  1911. 

On  Oct.  25,  1846,  Mr.  Peckham  was  mar- 
ried in  Middleboro  to  Elizabeth  Pope  Church- 
ill, daughter  of  Anson  Sprague  and  Betsey 
(Collins)  Churchill,  of  New  Bedford,  and 
they  had  a  happy  married  life  of  almost  fifty- 
six  years,  Mrs.  Peckham  dying  in  Fall  River 
June  25,  1902.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  namely:  (1)  Hannah  Esther,  born 
Oct.  16,  1847,  in  Middleboro,  died  in  Fall 
River  Jan.  28,  1889.  On  Oct.  19,  1874,  she  mar- 
ried Ariel  B.  Bessey,  of  Fall  River,  and  they 
had  one  daughter,  Ariella,  born  Oct.  10,  1877, 
who  lives  in  Fall  River.  (2)  Adelaide  Eudora, 
born  Jan.  24,  1850,  in  Taunton,  died  unmar- 
ried Aug.  2,  1884,  in  Fall  River.  (3)  Char- 
lotte Helen,  born  Feb.  7,  1852,  in  Taunton, 
died  in  Fall  River  March  1,  1877,  unmarried. 
(4)  Anson  Churchill  is  mentioned  below.  (5) 
Alton  Norton,  born  May  5,  1860,  in  Fall 
River,  was  married  Sept.  7,  1882,  to  Mary  Ha- 
worth  Preston,  of  Fall  River.  They  have  no 
children.  (6)  Abbie  Adelia,  born  June  2, 
1862,  in  Fall  River,  married  Herbert  L.  King- 
man, of  Brockton,  of  the  firm  of  Kingman  & 
Swift.  (7)  Mabel  Louise,  born  Oct.  7,  1868, 
in  Fall  River,  married  Feb.  1,  1894,  Frederick 
L. 'Stiff,  of  Fall  River,  and  has  had  two  child- 
ren: Frederick  Kenneth,  born  Aug.  15,  1896; 
and  Churchill  Keith,  born  Dec.  14,  1899. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peckham  were  members  of  the 
Second  Baptist  Clnircli  of  Fall  River.  Dur- 
ing his  young  manhood  Mr.  Peckhaiii  was  a 
good  singer  and  was  very  much  interested  in 
music;  he  played  several  instruments.  He  in- 
clined to  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  was  independent  in  voting,  and 
never  took  any  active  part  in  politics.  In 
1844  he  raised  the  flag-pole  at  the  old  Bell 
schoolhouse  in  West  Middleboro. 

(VIII)  Anson  Churchill  Peckharfi  received 
his  primary  and  academic  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Fall  River,  and  later  received 
private  instruction,  studying  to  prepare  him- 
self for  entrance  to  medical  college.  He  was 
■under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Isaac  Smith, 
Jr.,    during    this    preparatory    period,    at    the 


same  time  taking  care  of  the  Doctor's  horses, 
collecting  his  bills,  keeping  his  books  and  at- 
tending him  upon  all  of  his  night  rides,  for 
which  he  received  his  instruction  and  five  dol- 
lars a  week.  In  1875  he  attended  his  first 
course  of  medical  lectures  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, and  took  his  second  in  1877,  being  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  Oct.  30,  1877.  Dur- 
ing all  this  time  he  had  no  outside  assistance, 
paying  his  own  way  and  successfully  combin- 
ing work  and  study.  On  Nov.  3,  1877,  he 
commenced  practice  in  Fall  River,  which  has 
ever  since  been  the  field  of  his  work.  He  was 
first  located  in  the  Troy  building  with  his 
former  preceptor,  and  in  1878  they  moved 
their  office  to  North  Main  street,  in  1880, 
however,  returning  to  the  Troy  building.  Dr. 
Peckham  continued  to  practice  in  partnership 
with  Dr.  Smith  until  the  latter's  death,  in 
1882.  On  May  20th  of  that  year  he  established 
his  office  in  the  "Ridings  House"  on  Bedford 
street,  where  he  remained  for  a  little  over  five 
years,  in  August,  1889,  buying  and  removing 
to  his  present  place,  at  the  corner  of  Purchase 
and  Cherry  streets. 

Dr.  Peckham  has  attained  more  than  aver- 
age success  in  his  profession  and  has  filled  a 
position  of  wide  usefulness  in  the  community, 
not  only  as  a  physician  but  also  in  his  capacity 
as  a  private  citizen.  However,  he  is  probably 
best  known  as  a  medical  man,  having  served 
for  about  nineteen  years  on  the  medical  and 
surgical  staff  of  the  Fall  River  hospital  and 
for  seven  years  as  a  specialist  in  skin  diseases 
at  the  City  hospital,  besides  attending  to  the 
demands  of  a  large  general  practice.  For  four 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  United 
States  pension  examiners  for  Fall  River,  in 
association  with  Drs.  Abbot  and  Dedrich.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  the  represenrative  and 
also  for  a  number  of  years  medical  examiner 
for  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  He  has  numerous 
social  and  professional  connections,  being  a 
member  of  the  Fall  River  Medical  Society  (of 
which  he  has  been  treasurer  and  president) 
and  of  the  American  Medical  Association ;  of 
Narragansett  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  (which 
he  ioined  in  1882)  ;  Fall  River  Council,  R.  & 
S.  M. ;  Fall  River  Royal  Arch  Chapter ;  God- 
frey de  Bouillon  Commandery,  K.  T. ;  Aleppo 
Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Boston;  mem- 
ber and  past  chancellor  of  Anawan-  Lodge,  K. 
P.  (and  has  been  representative  to  the  grand 
lodge)  ;  member  of  Fall  River  Lodge,  I.  0. 
0.  F.,  in  which  he  has  held  several  offices;  and 
member  of  Metacomet  Encampment,  I.  0.  0. 
F.  In  politics  the  Doctor  gives  his  allegiance 
to  no  particular  party. 


1040 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


On  Nov.  7,  1882,  Dr.  Peckham  married  Ida 
L.  Waite,  of  Adamsville,  R.  I.,  and  they  have 
one  daughter,  Sadie  Churchill,  wno  lives  with 
her  parents. 

COOK.  (I)  Capt.  Thomas  Cook,  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  Cook  family  in  America,  was 
born  probably  in  Essex,  England,  in  the  year 
1603,  and  emigrated  to  New  England  in  1635- 
36,  settling  first  in  Boston,  Mass.  From  there 
he  came  to  Plymouth  Colony,  at  Taunton, 
Mass.,  and  was  an  original  proprietor  of  the 
town  in  1637.  He  was  there  with  his  son 
Thomas  Cook  in  1643.  Probably  both  moved 
to  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  early,  where  he  was 
called  "captain";  in  1659  was  commissioned 
to  survey  the  west  line  of  the  Colony  of  Rhode 
Island.  In  1637  Capt.  Thomas  Cook  united 
with  a  company  of  fifty-four  persons  and  pur- 
chased from  the  Teliquet  Indians  the  town- 
ship known  as  Taunton  and  with  other  pur- 
chasers was  an  original  proprietor  of  the  city 
of  Taunton.  In  1643  he  disposed  of  his  in- 
terests in  -Taunton  and  removed  with  his  fam- 
ily to  the  town  of  Portsmouth,  originally 
called  Pocasset,  on  the  island  called  Rhode 
•  Island.  On  the  5th  of  October  of  that  year 
he  was  voted  in  and  received  as  an  inhabitant 
by  the  council  of  the  town.  His  lot,  afterward 
known  as  the  "home  lot"  of  Captain  Cook,  was 
situated  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  island  in 
the  seaport  of  Portsmouth,  six  miles  from 
Newport,  and  there  he  established  the  first 
"homestead"  of  tlje  Cook  family  in  America. 
After  a  period  of  233  years,  in  1876,  all  that 
was  visible  of  the  old  'Tiomestead"  was  the 
well,  and  remains  of  the  cellar  and  chimney 
of  the  house  on  the  river  bank,  a  few  rods 
from  the  wharf.  While  there  he  acquired 
other  lands,  until  at  the  time  of  his  death  the 
homestead  contained  (including  the  adjoining 
land  of  his  son  John)  about  two  hundred 
acres.  In  1664  Capt.  Thomas  Cook  was  elected 
deputy  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Colony  from  Portsmouth,  the  Assembly 
then  holding  its  sessions  at  Newport,  R.  I. 
Capt.  Thomas  Cook  lived  through  the  famous 
King  Philip  war  and  survived  all  the  devasta- 
tions and  damages  to  himself,  family  and  prop- 
erty. He  was  twice  married,  the  Christian 
name  of  his  second  wife  being  Mary.  He  died 
Feb.  6,  1677,  and  in  his  will,  proved  June  20, 
1677,  gives  to  wife,  son  John  and  to  grand- 
children. His  children  were:  Thomas,  bom 
in  1628;  John,  born  in  1631;  Sarah,  born  in 
1633 ;  and  George,  born  in  1635. 

(II)  Capt.  Thomas  Cook,  son  of  Thomas, 
was  brought  to  America  in  1635,  landing  in 


Boston.  With  the  family  he  Jemoved  to  Taun- 
ton in  1637,  and  thence  to  Portsmouth  in 
1643,  there  spending  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  He  was  considered  a  man  of  substance 
and  distinction  at  Portsmouth,  where  he  was 
a  freeman,  1655.  In  1658  he  acquired  land 
in  Tiverton,  this  being  the  first  introduction 
of  the  Cook  family  there^  He  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  William  and  Dionis  Havens,  and 
his  children  were:  Thomas,  John,  George, 
Stephen,   Ebenezer,   Phebe  and   Martha. 

(III)  Capt.  John  Cook,  son  of  Capt^ 
Thomas,  born  in  1652,  was  a  freeman  of  1768, 
and  died  Oct.  1,  1727.  He  was  a  noted  Indian 
fighter,  being  a  lieutenant  of  a  Rhode  Island 
company  of  which  John  Almy  was  captain  and 
Roger  Golding  ensign,  and  in  1704  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  passed  an  act  granting  Capt. 
John  Cook  compensation  for  military  services 
rendered  to  the  Colony.  In  1680  he  married 
Mary,  and  they  lived  in  Portsmouth  and  Tiv- 
erton, R.  I.,  his  dwelling  at  Tiverton  being 
a  large,  fine  house  for  the  times.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Thomas,  mentioned  below;  John, 
born  in  1685,  who  married  Elizabeth  Little; 
Peleg,  born  in  1687;  George,  born  in  1690, 
who  married  Jane  Weeden;  Joseph,  born  in 
1692;  Sarah,  born  in  1694;  Phebe,  born  in 
1696;  Mary,  born  in  1698;  Deborah,  born  in 
1700,  who  married  Benjamin  Tallman; 
Martha,  born  in  1702^  who  married  Benjamin 
Sherman;  and  Patience,  born  in  1704,  who 
married  Constant  Church,  of  Freetown. 

(IV)  Thomas  Cook,  son  of  Capt.  John, 
settled  in  North  Tiverton.  His  children  were: 
Oliver  (bom  about  1705),  John,  Thomas, 
Phebe,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  Martha,  Bathsheba 
(born  in  1720)  and  Sarah  (born  in  1722). 

(IV)  Peleg  Cook,  son  of  Capt.  John,  born 
in   1787,   married    Sarah  Weeden. 

(V)  John  Cook,  son  of  Peleg  and  Sarah 
(Weeden)  Cook,  born  Sept.  30,  1711,  prob- 
ably in  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  he  first  is  of 
town  record,  married  April  10,  1735,  Martha 
Wood.  Their  children  of  Tiverton  town  rec- 
ord were:  Elizabeth,  born  Feb.  5,  1735-36 
(also  of  Dartmouth  record) ;  Rebecca,  born 
March  17,  1738;  Bathsheba,  born  Sept.  17, 
1739;  Hannah,  born  June  25,  1741;  Pardon, 
born  June  28,  1743:  Paul,  born  June  5,  1745; 
Caleb,  born  March  20,  1747;  and  Bennet,  born 
April  4,  1749. 

(VI)  Caleb  Cook,  son  of  John  and  Martha 
(Wood)  Cook,'  born  March  20,  1747,  married 
March  22,  1770,  Rebecca,  born  Sept.  20,  1750, 
daughter  of  Richard  and  Susanna  GifEord. 
Their  children  were:  Elihu,  born  Oct.  6, 
1770,  who  married  Sarah  Sherman;  Abraham; 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1041 


Hannah;  Lucy,  who  died  in  December,  1802, 
aged  seventeen  years;  Hannah  (2),  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Hathaway,  and  died  in  1857; 
Abraham,  born  in  1780,  who  died  in  1853; 
Peace,  who  married  George  S.  Borden;  Betsey, 
born  July  28,  1791,  who  died  in  1862;  Susan, 
who  married  Thomas  Hathaway;  and  Sarah, 
who  married  Benjamin  Durfee,  for  his  second 
wife,  and  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty  years,  nine 
months,  twenty-eight  days. 

(VII)  Elihu  Cook,  son  of  Caleb,  married 
(first)  Annie  Young  and  (second)  Aug.  19, 
1798,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Joseph  Sherman. 
There  were  three  children  by  the  first  mar- 
riage, John  B.,  James  D.  and  Mary.  The 
children  of  the  second  marriage  were  as  fol- 
lows: Caleb,  born  June  27,  1799;  Elihu; 
Gardner  Dean,  born  Jan.  31,  1803 ;  Joseph 
Sherman,  born  Aug.  24,  1805;  Linden,  born 
Dec.  26,  1809  (unmarried)  ;  and  Mary  Glad- 
ding, born  Jan.  20,  1813  (unmarried).  The 
father  died  Dec.  24,  1824. 

(VIII)  Joseph  Sherman  Cook,  born  Aug. 
24,  1805,  died  Sept.  30,  1848.  On  Dec.  2. 
1830,  he  married  Minerva  Warren,  who  was 
torn  Nov.  26,  1806,  daughter  of  Joseph,  and 
they  had  two  children:  Henry  C,  born  Sept. 
29,  1837,  and  Minerva  W.,  born  May  24,  1846, 
-who  died  Aug.  30,  1873,  unmarried. 

(IX)  Gen.  Henry  Clay  Cook,  son  of 
Joseph  S.  and  Minerva  (Warren)  Cook,  was 
born  Sept.  29,  1837,  in  Fall  River,  Mass.,  and 
in  tlie  public  schools  of  that  place  and  at 
Peirce's  Academy,  at  Middleboro,  Mass., 
acquired  his  education.  On  June  5,  1861, 
he  was  appointed  second  lieutenant  of  the  ^d 
Regiment,  Rhode  Island  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  out  Aug.  7th  of  that  same  year.  He 
was  appointed  first  lieutenant  in  the  16th 
Eegiment,  United  States  Infantry,  Aug.  5, 
1861;  appointed  captain,  Sept.  24,  1864; 
transferred  to  the  2d  Regiment,  United  States 
Infantry,  April  17,  1869;  appointed  major  of 
the  13th  Regiment,  United  States  Infantry, 
Feb.  27,  1887;  appointed  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  4th  Regiment,  United  States  Infantry, 
Jan.  2,  1892,  and  colonel  of  the  5th  Infantry, 
April  17,  1897.  He  was  retired  June  30,  1898, 
for  disability  incurred  in  the  line  of  duty,  and 
-was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general, 
retired,  by  act  of  April  23,  1904. 

General  Cook  was  brevetted  captain  Sept. 
1,  1864,  for  services  in  the  Atlanta  campaign 
and  battle  of  Jonesboro,  Ga.  He  served  first 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  later  in  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  participatijig  in  the 
various  battles  and  campaigns  in  middle  Ten- 
nessee and  later  in  Georgia  in  which  his  com- 


mand was  engaged,  ending  with  the  battle  of 
Jonesboro.  After  the  war  he  served  at  various 
points  in  the  South  and  on  reconstruction  duty 
until  1877,  and  from  the  year  last  named  until 
1879  served  in  the  campaign  against  the  Nez 
Perce  and  Bannock  Indians,  in  Idaho  and 
Montana ;  and  later  at  different  frontier  posts. 
General  Cook  is  a  companion  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Commandery,  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  a 
member  and  Past  Commander  of  the  Hooker 
Association  of  Massachusetts,  and  a  member 
of  Richard  Borden  Post,  No.  46,  G.  A.  R.,  at 
Fall  River. 

On  May  8,  1862,  General  Cook  married 
(first)  Pulcheria  0.  Paine,  daughter  of  War- 
den and  Harriet  H.  Paine,  of  Fall  River. 
She  died  July  20,  1865.  His  second  marriage, 
which  took  place  July  12,  1877,  at  Atlanta, 
Ga.,  was  to  Teresa  Antonia  Valdes  Thom, 
daughter  of  Reuben  and  Basilisa  (Valdes) 
Thom.  They  had  one  child,  Henry  Claude, 
born  at  Boston,  Nov.  21,  1883,  who  died  Dec. 
9,  1892,  at  Fort  Spokane,  Washington. 

BENJAMIN  COBB  SHAW,  director  of  the 
Cape  Cod  Cranberry  Sales  Company  and  pro- 
prietor of  a  large  sawmill  in  East  Middleboro, 
is  a  representative  citizen  of  Middleboro, 
Mass.,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  New  Eng- 
land's oldest  families,  the  name  being  a  com- 
mon one  and  the  family  numerous  in  several 
towns  of  the  Old  Colony  since  less  than  a 
decade  after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers. 

The  Shaws  of  Scotland  were  a  branch  of  the 
Clan  Macintosh,  their  progenitor  being  Shiach 
''lies),  surnamed  de  Shawe,  one  of  the  sons  of 
"Duncan  MacDuff,  third  earl  of  Fife.  The 
surname  anglicized  is  "of  the  thicket  or  grove." 
The.  barony  of  Granock  came  by  marriage  to 
the  family  of  Shaw  of  Sanchie,  and  continued 
in  the  family  until  the  reign  of  King  James 
V.  In  the  reign  of  Alexander  III.  John  de 
Shaw  was  one  of  the  witnesses  to  the  donation 
which  John,  son  of  Reginald,  made  of  lands  to 
the  monks  of  Paisley  in  1284.  George  Shaw 
was  lieutenant  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  horses 
commanded  by  the  Earl  of  Dunfermline  at 
the  battle  of  Worcester.  For  his  valor  and 
loyalty  his  sovereign  was  pleased  to  confer  on 
him  the  honor  of  knighthood.  A  little  toward 
the, south  from  the  castle  of  Erskine  stands  the 
house  of  Bargaran,  the  seat  of  John  Shaw, 
whose  ancestors  for  three  hundred  years  have 
possessed  these  lands. 

(I)  John  Shaw,  the  immigrant  ancestor  of 
the  American  family,  was  in  New  England  as 
early  as  1627,  in  which  year  he  was  a  planter 


66 


1043 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


at  Plymouth  and  shared  in  the  division  of  cat- 
tle. He  was  admitted  a  freeman  of  the 
Colony  in  1632-33.  He  was  granted  additional 
land  in  1636,  and  was  a  juryman  in  1618.  He 
was  a  purchaser  of  land  in  Dartmouth  in 
1665;  in  1662  became  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Middleboro.  His  wife  Alice  was  buried  at 
Plymouth  March  6,  1654-55.  He  died  Oct.  24, 
1694.  His  children  were :  John,  who  sold  land 
to  his  brother-in-law,  Stephen  Bryant,  1651 
(either  he  or  his  father  served  seventeen  days 
against  the  Narragansetts  in  1645);  James; 
Jonathan;  and  Abigail,  who  married  Stephen 
Bryant. 

(II)  Jonathan  Shaw,  born  in  England, 
came  with  his  parents  to  New  England  and 
was  an  early  settler  at  Plymouth.  He  may 
have  been  a  part  of  his  life  a  resident  of  Dux- 
bury  and  Eastham.  He  was  twice  married,  on 
Jan.  23,  1657,  to  Phebe,  daughter  of  George 
Watson;  and  (second)  to  Persis,  widow  of 
Benajah  Pratt,  and  daughter  of  Deacon  John 
Dunham.  His  children  were :  Hannah  mar- 
ried Aug.  5,  1678,  Thomas  Paine,  Jr.,  of  East- 
ham;  Jonathan  is  mentioned  below;  Phebe 
married  John  Morton;  Mary  married  in  1687 
Eleazer  Ring;  George,  of  Eastham,  married 
Jan.  8,  1690,  Constance  Doane;  Lydia^  married 
April  4,  1689,  Nicholas  Snow;  Benjamin  was 
born  in  1672;  Benoni  (twin  to  Benjamin), 
born  in  1672,  married  Lydia,  daughter  of  John 
Waterman. 

(III)  Jonathan  Shaw  (2),  born  in  1663, 
married  (first)  in  1687  Mehetabel  Pratt,  who 
died  in  1712,  and  he  married  (second)  Nov. 
6,  1715,  Mary  Darling,  who  died  a  widow 
March  9,  1754,  aged  eighty.  His  children 
were:  Jonathan,  born  in  1689,  is  mentioned 
below;  Phebe,  born  in  1690,  married  Thomas 
Shurtleff;  Persis,  born  in  1692,  married  Jo- 
seph Lucas ;  Mehetabel,  born  in  1694,  married 
Zachariah  Weston;  James  was  born  in  1696; 
Hannah,  born  in  1699,  married  James  Har- 
low; Elizabeth,  born  in  1701,  married  a  Lucas; 
Priscilla,  born  in  1702,  married  a  Bosworth; 
Abigail,  born  in  1705,  married  a  Lucas;  Sam- 
uel; Rebecca  was  born  in  1718. 

(IV)  Jonathan  Shaw  (3),  born  in  1689,  in 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  married  (first)  Elizabeth 
Atwood  and  (second)  Sarah  Rich.  His  chil- 
dren, all  save  the  youngest  by  the  first  mar- 
riage, were  born  as  follows:  Nathaniel,  1714; 
Mary,  1716;  Nathaniel  (3),  1718;  Elizabeth, 
1719;  Sarah,  1734;  Jonathan,  1738;  and 
Thomas,  1738. 

(V)  Thomas  Shaw,  born  in  1738,  married 
Mary  Atwood,  who  died  Jan.  10,  1808,  aged 
seventy-one  years.     Mr.  Shaw  was  a  patriot  of 


the  Revolution,  and  lost  his  life  in  defense  of 
his  country.  He  was  a  private  in  Capt.  Wil- 
liam Shaw's  company  of  minute-men  which 
marched  on  the  Lexington  alarm,  April  19, 
1775,  to  Marshfield ;  also  was  sergeant  in  Capt. 
Joshua  Benson's  company.  Col.  Theophilus 
Cotton's  regiment,  serving  from  May  to 
August,  1775;  also  was  in  the  Continental 
army,  a  member  of  Capt.  Perez  Churchill's 
company.  Col.  Sprout's  regiment.     On  May  15, 

1777,  he,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine,  enlisted  for 
three  years  in  the  Continental  army,  and  joined 
Captain  Eddy's  company.  Colonel  Bradford's 
regiment.  May  35th  of  that  year.  Colonel 
Bradford  reported  Mr.   Shaw's  death  July  6, 

1778,  and  it  was  certified  to  by  Captain  Eddy, 
and  his  widow  Mary  signed  an  order  for  $100 
due  him,  the  order  being  countersigned  by 
Captain  Eddy.  The  children  born  to  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Atwood)  Shaw  were:  Samuel;  Jon- 
athan, who  married  Sally  Bartlett;  Persis, 
born  Sept.  9,  1763,  who  died  unmarried  Sept. 
18,  1790;  Azubah,  who  married  March  31, 
1789,  Obadiah  Simpson;  Sarah,  who  married 
April  17,  1779,  Elijah  Lucas;  Rebecca;  Elisha; 
and  Mary,  who  married  in  1803  Eben  Shurt- 
leff. 

(VI)  Samuel  Shaw,  born  in  Middleboro, 
married  there  in  1791  Lydia  Cobb,  born  in 
1766,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Lydia 
(Churchill)  Cobb.  His  mother  being  left  a 
widow  when  the  children  were  small  Samuel 
helped  carry  on  the  farm,  and  in  season  at- 
tended the  neighborhood  school.  When  twen- 
ty he  married  and  settled  on  a  farm,  where  he 
remained  all  through  life.  He  was  a  Whig  in 
politics,  and  orthodox  Congregationalist  in  re- 
ligion. He  died  in  1866,  and  his  wife  passed 
away  in  1870.  Their  children  were :  Thomas, 
born  May  12,  1792;  Lydia,  Nov.  8,  1793; 
Persis,  Dec.  7,  1795;  Betsey,  April  10,  17—; 
Melinda,  Oct.  25,  1797;  Samuel,  May  30,  1800; 
Ebenezer  Cobb,  Dec.  18,  1801 ;  Hannah,  Dec. 
31,  1803 ;  Anna,  Oct.  5,  1805 ;  Mary,  Oct.  11, 
1807;  Christiana,  March  27,  1810;  and  Elisha, 
Sept.  16,  1814. 

(VII)  Ebenezer  Cobb  Shaw,  born  Dec.  18, 
1801,  died  Oct.  26,  1886.  He  married  Relief 
Shaw,  born  April  3,  1800,  died  Nov.  9,  1886, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Shaw,  of  Carver,  Mass. 
Their  children  were:  Albert,  born  Feb.  2, 
1822,  died  Aug.  27,  1831 ;  Sarah  Crocker,  born 
July  22,  1828,  who  married  Augustus  Thomas, 
of  Middleboro,  and  had  children.  Flora  Ger- 
trude, Albert  and  Harry  W. ;  Ebenezer  A.,  born 
April  22,  1833,  who  died  Feb.  13,  1839;  and 
Ebenezer  A.  (2). 

(VIII)  Ebenezer  Albert  Shaw,  youngest  son 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1043 


of  Ebenezer  Cobb,  born  May  25,  1840,  died 
Nov.  20,  1894.  He  attended  the  district 
school  in  Middleboro,  and  also  Peirce  Academy 
for  a  few  terms.  He  then  took  up  farming 
and  was  engaged  at  the  same  time  in  the  lum- 
ber business,  running  a  sawmill.  His  death 
was  the  result  of  an  accident,  he  accidentally 
falling  down  the  shaft  of  a  new  sawmill,  which 
he  had  only  a  few  short  months  before  erected 
and  fitted  with  steam  power.  He  was  very 
prominent  in  town  affairs  and  held  a  number 
of  minor  offices.  Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason, 
belonging  to  Mavflower  Lodge,  at  Middleboro, 
and  to  E.  W.  Peirce  Post,  No.  8,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
Middleboro.  Mr.  Shaw  served  in  the  defense 
of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  war,  enlisting 
in  Company  K,  3d  Regiment,  Massachusetts 
A^'olunteer  Infantry,  for  three  months'  service. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  belonged  to  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Middleboro.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican.  Mr.  Shaw  was 
twice  married.  He  married  (first)  Sarah 
Murdock  Shaw,  daughter  of  Harrison  and 
Adeline  Shaw,  of  Carver,  and  she  died  June 
30,  1878,  aged  thirty-eight  years,  ten  months. 
Their  children  \vere:  Relief  W.,  born  Oct.  21, 

1861,  died  Feb.  23,  1863;  Benjamin  Cobb; 
Dana  Harrison,  born  Jan.  6,  1867,  married 
Nellie  Peckham,  daughter  of  Heniy  Miller 
and  Selesta  A.  (Bearce)  Peckham,  of  Carver, 
and  has  children,  Frank  Harrison  (born  Sept. 
26,  1888),  Selesta  Olive  (born  Aug.  26,  1890, 
married  Jay  Austin  ^Yard,  of  Carver),  Eben 
Albert  (May  14,  1897),  Benjamin  C.  (May  9, 
1899),  and  Henry  Miller  (July  1,  1905) ;  Wil- 
liam died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Shaw  married 
(second)  Mrs.  Bessie  Dunham,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  W.  and  Mary  T.  (Shaw)  Shaw,  of 
Carver,  and  the  two  children  of  this  union 
were:  William  Thomas,  born  May  6,  1880; 
and  Mary,  born  May  29,  1887. 

(IX)    Benjamin  Cobb  Shaw,  bom  May  11, 

1862,  in  Middleboro,  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town  and  later  Eaton 
Academy,  of  Middleboro,  where  he  remained 
one  term.  Returning  home  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  with  his  father,  and  ran  a 
large  sawmill  in  East  Middleboro,  doing  an  ex- 
tensive business.  He  also  became  an  exten- 
sive grower  of  cranberries  and  is  now  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Cape  Cod  Cranberry  Sales  Company. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  town  affairs, 
and  has  been  ever  ready  to  do  all  one  man 
could  do  to  further  the  interests  of  the  town 
and  people.  He  has,  however,  never  aspired 
to  office,  preferring  to  do  his  work  out  of  the 
limelight  of  public  position.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.     Fraternally  he  is  a  member 


of  Mayflower  Lodge  of  Masons,  Middleboro, 
and  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans.  His  wife  and 
daughters  are  members  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Middleboro. 

On  Aug.  28,  1883,  Mr.  Shaw  married  Betsy 
Jane  Shurtleff,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Priscilla  (Brown)  Shurtleff,  of  Bridgewater, 
and  they  have  two  daughters,  namely:  Sarah 
Murdock,  born  Sept.  2,  1884,  in  Middleboro,  a 
graduate  of  the  State  normal  school  at  Bridge- 
water,  and  now  teaching  in  Newton  Centre, 
Mass.,  and  Dorothy,  born  Aug.  21,  1888,  in 
Middleboro,  a  graduate  of  the  State  normal 
school,  at  Bridgewater,  and  now  a  successful 
teacher  in  the  school  at  South  Carver,  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

CAPT.  ALDEN  T.  POTTER,  who  resides 
at  Smith  Mills,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
town  of  Dartmouth,  Bristol  Co.,  Mass.,  has 
been  associated  with  the  whaling  industry  from 
boyhood.  He  is  familiar  with  it  in  its  various 
phases  as  only  a  few  men  have  had  the  oppor- 
tunity to  become.  In  his  youth,  thrilled  by 
the  tales  of  adventure  and  profit  which  drew 
hundreds  of  other  young  men  into  the  pursuit 
of  the  whale,  and  within  easy  reach  of  the 
means  to  gratify  his  ambition,  he  went  to  sea 
and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  followed  marine 
life,  becoming  himself  one  of  the  figures  whose 
rugged  and  picturesque  lines  appeal  to  the 
lovers  of  romance  in  every  walk  of  life.  How- 
ever, he  had  gained  an  unusually  good  reputa- 
tion for  practical  worth  as  well  as  hardihood 
in  braving  great  risks,  and  when  he  decided 
to  abandon  sailing,  readily  found  a  place  in  the 
purely  commercial  branch  of  the  business.  For 
many  years  he  has  been  purchasing  agent  in 
the  United  States  for  the  firm  of  Toro  &  Mar- 
tinez of  Talcahuano,  Chile,  dealers  in  whaling 
supplies,  his  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the 
business  and  its  requirements,  and  his  ability 
to  handle  all  the  responsibilities  intrusted  to 
him,  making  his  services  invaluable. 

Captain  Potter  was  born  Dec.  29,  1832,  in 
the  town  of  Dartmouth,  in  what  is  now  the 
George  Hambly  house  on  the  old  stage  road  to 
Westport,  and  the  family  has  been  settled  in 
that  town  since  early  Colonial  days.  He  is  of 
the  eighth  generation  in  descent  from  Nathan- 
iel Potter,  the  first  of  this  line  to  come  to 
America,  and  we  give  record  of  the  early  gen- 
erations before  taking  up  the  story  of  the  Cap- 
tain's life. 

(I)  Nathaniel  Potter,  an  early  inhabitant 
of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  was  admitted  an  inhabi- 
tant of  the  island  of  Aquidneck  in  1638.  He 
was  one  of  those  who  April  30,  1639,  signed 


1044 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


the  compact  for  government.  The  Christian 
name  of  his  wife  was  Dorothy.  She  was  born 
in  1617  and  died  Feb.  19,  1696.  After  his 
death  she  married  (second)  John  Albro.  Chil- 
dren: Nathaniel,  born  in  1637;  and  Ichabod, 
who  married  Martha  Hazard,  and  died  in  1676. 

(II)  Nathaniel  Potter  (2),  son  of  Nathan- 
iel, born  in  1637,  was  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I., 
and  Dartmouth,  Mass.  The  Christian  name 
of  his  wife  was  Elizabeth  (said  by  some 
Stokes).  He  was  made  a  freeman  in  1677, 
and  was  taxed  in  1680.  He  died  Oct.  20, 
1704.  By  his  will  of  Oct.  18,  1704,  probated 
Nov.  25,  1704,  he  gives  to  his  wife  Elizabeth, 
to  sons  Stokes,  John,  Nathaniel,  William,  Ben- 
jamin, Samuel  and  Ichabod,  and  to  his  daugh- 
ters Mary  Wilbour,  Rebecca  Kerby,  Elizabeth 
and  Katherine.  His  childTen  were :  Stokes, 
John,  Nathaniel,  William,  Benjamin,  Samuel, 
Ichabod,  Mary,  Rebecca,  Elizabeth  and  Cath- 
erine. 

(III)  Samuel  Potter,  son  of  Nathaniel  (2), 
born  in  1675,  married  Mary  Benton.  He  lived 
in  Dartmouth;  died  in  1748.  By  his  will  (being 
aged)  of  March  5,  1738,  probated  Aug.  2, 
1748,  he  gives  to  wife  Mary,  sons  Aaron,  Na- 
thaniel, Benjamin,  Samuel  and  Job,  to  daugh- 
ters Fear,  wife  of  William  Halliday,  Mary, 
wife  of  Othniel  Tripp,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Richard  Day.  His  children  were:  Aaron, 
born  Sept.  26,  1701;  Nathaniel,  born  Sept.  9, 
1703;  Fear,  born  May  11.  1705;  Mary,  born 
Feb.  1,  1709;  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  10,  1711; 
Benjamin  and  Samuel,  born  Sept.  23,  1714; 
and  Job,  born  Nov.  29,  1717. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Potter,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
Sept.  23,  1714,  married  Nov.  11,  1736,  Ruth 
Brownell.  Mr.  Potter  was  of  Dartmouth, 
Mass.  Their  children  were :  Joshua,  born  May 
28,  1739;  Stephen,  born  July  1,  1740;  Wil- 
liam Halliday,  born  Dec.  14,  1748. 

(V)  Joshua  Potter,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Ruth  (Brownell)  Potter,  born  May  28,  1739, 
in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married  (published 
March  15,  1761)  Lydia  Devol.  Children: 
Garner  and  Holder,  the  latter  of  whom  mar- 
ried Oct.  3,  1819,  Hannah  Sherman. 

(VI)  Garner  Potter,  son  of  Joshua  and 
Lydia  (Devol)  Potter,  born  in  1769  in  Dart- 
mouth, Mass.,  married  in  1796,  Elizabeth, 
born  in  1777,  daughter  of  William  Tripp. 
They  lived  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  where  all  of 
their  children  were  born.  He  died  Oct.  17, 
1851,  and  she  died  April  8,  1868.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Henry,  born  March  13,  1797;  Pat- 
rick, born  July  19,  1798,  who  married  Sarah 
Boles;  Joshua,  born  Nov.  11,  1799;  William, 
born  Feb.  24,  1801 ;  Lydia,  born  Oct.  28,  1802, 


who  married  Warren  GifEord;  Robert,  born 
March  16,  1804;  George,  born  Oct.  19,  1805, 
who  died  Dec.  29,  1819;  and  Peleg,  born  April 

26,  1808,  who  married  Phebe  Russell. 

(VII)  Joshua  Potter,  son  of  Garner  and 
Elizabeth  (Tripp)  Potter,  was  born  Nov.  11, 
1799,  in  the  town  of  Dartmouth.  He  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  made  his  home  on 
Chase  road  until  his  removal  to  Smith  Mills, 
where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  long  life, 
dying  June  29,  1882.  He  is  buried  in  the 
Friends'  cemetery  in  North  Dartmouth.  On 
Nov.  24,  1825,  Mr.  Potter  married  Deborah 
W.  White,  born  May  9,  1804,  who  died  Nov. 
11,  1887,  and  was  laid  to  rest  beside  him.  She 
was  a  member  of  the  Christian  Church  at 
Smith  Mills,  of  which  her  husband  was  also  a 
member.  He  was  a  Republican,  but  not  ac- 
tive in  political  matters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pot- 
ter were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely : 
(1)  Charles  W.,  born  Aug.  15,  1827,  died  Jan. 
9,  1894.  He  married  Elizabeth  (Barker) 
Maxtield,  daughter  of  William  Barker  and 
widow  of  William  Maxtield,  and  they  had  three 
children,  born  as  follows:   Charles  W.,   Nov. 

27,  1850;  Frank,  Nov.  19,  1851;  and  Lester 
W.,  June  30,  1856  (died  Feb.  23,  1863).  (2) 
Lemuel  M.,  born  Feb.  27,  1830,  died  May  8, 
1897.  He  was  a  sea  captain.  He  married 
(tirst)  Elizabeth  Davis,  and  (second)  Ann  M. 
Barker.  (3)  Alden  T.  is  mentioned  below. 
(4)  James  E.,  born  Oct.  16,  1837,  died  at 
Panama  June  30,  1875.  (5)  Holder  W.,  born 
Aug.  3,  1840,  resides  at  the  old  homestead  in 
North  Dartmouth.  He  married  Sarah  A.  Cod- 
ding, who  is  now  deceased.  (6)  Edward  E., 
born  Aug.  20,  1844,  resides  in  San  Francisco, 
California.  He  married  Susie  Anthony,  who 
is  now  deceased. 

(VIII)  Alden  T.  Potter  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  early  home 
and  during  his  youth  worked  with  his  father 
at  farming.  But  neither  school  nor  the  farm 
attracted  liim  particularly,  and  he  left  the  for- 
mer after  completing  the  grammar  course 
of  the  day  and  the  latter  as  soon  as  he  could 
make  the  opportunity.  Just  after  he  left 
school  his  uncle,  the  late  Capt.  James  White, 
was  fitting  a  ship  for-  sea,  and  learning  that 
the  boy  was  ambitious  to  follow  the  water  he 
encouraged  him  to  the  extent  of  offering  to 
make  him  one  of  the  crew.  But  his  parents 
were  so  opposed  to  the  idea  that  they  had  Cap- 
tain White  tell  the  boy  the  ship's  company  was 
complete,  and  by  way  of  mitigating  his  disap- 
pointment his  father  bought  him  a  fine  driving 
horse  and  gave  him  $100  in  money.  This  con- 
tented him  for  a  time,  but  the  desire  returned 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1045 


stronger  than  ever,  and  on  Sept.  2,  1851,  he 
signed  as  an  apprentice  before  the  mast  on  the 
sliip  "Good  Return,"  out  of  New  Bedford, 
owned  by  Taber,  Gordon  &  Co.,  and  com- 
manded by  Capt.  B.  Frank  Wing.  The  cruise 
was  to  the  North  Pacific  ocean,  and  lasted  un- 
til April  6,  1855,  a  period  of  three  and  a  half 
years  during  which  young  Potter  had  exper- 
iences which  entitled  liim  to  be  called  a  full- 
fledged  whaler.  Like  the  author  of  "Two 
Years  Before  the  Mast,"  he  had  trials  and 
hardships  the  first  few  months  which  thor- 
oughly disheartened  him.  If  he  had  not 
fought  so  persistently  to  be  allowed  to  go  to 
sea,  and  feared  the  ridicule  which  would  have 
followed  surrender,  he  would  have  returned 
home  gladly  after  a  month's  time,  and  he  was 
strongly  tempted  to  run  away  while  the  ship 
was  at  the  Azores  islands,  recruiting.  But  his 
pride  came  to  the  rescue  and  he  completed  what 
was  a  remarkably  prosperous  voyage,  500  bar- 
rels of  sperm  oil,  3,500  barrels  of  whale  oil  and 
49,231  pounds  of  whalebone  constituting  the 
big  catch  taken,  of  which  he  came  in  for  a 
good  share.  By  the  time  the  voyage  was  ended 
he  had  reached  the  position  of  boat  steerer, 
and  he  had  met  with  enough  adventure  in  the 
life  to  continue  it.  His  second  venture  was  in 
the  same  vessel,  under  the  same  command,  ship- 
ping as  third  mate.  He  left  on  this  voyage 
Oct.  9,  1855,  and  arrived  home  April  18,  1858, 
during  which  time  200  barrels  of  sperm  oil, 
3,443  barrels  of  whale  oil  and  29,400  pounds 
of  whalebone  were  taken.  On  his  third  cruise 
he  sailed  as  first  officer  of  the  "Bartholomew 
Gosnold,"  owned  by  Edward  F.  Robinson  & 
Co.,  and  commanded  by  the  late  Capt.  George 
Clark.  The  season  in  the  north  the  boat  was 
80  badly  jammed  in  the  ice  that  it  leaked  and 
had  to  put  into  Honolulu  for  repairs,  after 
which  she  sailed  on  a  short  cruise  off  New 
Zealand.  On  her  way  north  she  encountered  a 
severe  hurricane,  whi'ch  carried  away  the  top- 
masts, jib  boom  and  rigging,  and  she  had  to 
make  Sidney,  N.  S.  W.,  for  repairs.  Here 
Captain  Potter  had  to  deal  with  the  most  un- 
pleasant feature  of  sailing  in  the  olden  days, 
mutiny.  As  first  officer  he  was  blamed  by  the 
crew  for  all  the  extra  work  caused  by  the  dam- 
age the  hurricane  had  done,  and  threats  of  all 
kinds  were  made  against  him.  The  water 
police  assisted  him  until  he  got  the  ship  to  sea, 
with  the  crew  in  irons,  but  he  thought  he  could 
manage  them  on  the  water  and  was  not  daunted 
by  the  frightful  situation.  Out  in  deep  water 
the  men  soon  tired  of  the  bread  and  water  diet 
and  were  ready  to  return  to  their  duties,  and 
after  that  he  had  them  under  control. 


His  first  voyage  as  master  was  begun  in  the 
fall  of  1862,  upon  his  return  from  the  cruise 
in  the  "Gosnold."  On  Oct.  15th  of  that  year 
he  took  out  the  "Brunswick,"  for  J.  &  W.  R. 
Wing,  of  New  Bedford,  and  this  was  the  most 
adventurous  trip  of  his  career.  It  was  on  this 
voyage  that  he  had  his  experience  with  Captain 
Waddell  and  the  Confederate  cruiser  "Shen- 
andoah," by  which  he  was  captured.  While 
making  the  passage  of  Behring  strait,  bound 
for  the  Arctic  ocean,  in  the  summer  of 
1865,  the  ship  had  been  stove  in  by  ice  and 
leaked  so  badly  that  Captain  Potter  called  a 
survey  of  the  masters  of  the  fleer,  at  which  the 
"Brunswick"  was  condemned  and  her  running 
rigging,  sails  and  other  movable  stuff  ordered 
sold  under  the  hammer.  While  Captain  Pot- 
ter was  holding  an  auction  to  dispose  of  this 
property  a  thick  fog  prevailed,  and  just  as  the 
mist  cleared  a  steamer  was  discovered,  an  oc- 
currence so  unusual  that  there  were  many  sur- 
mises as  to  the  reason  of  her  presence  in  that 
latitude.  It  was  supposed  she  was  an  Ameri- 
can steamer  engaged  in  surveying  for  a  cable 
across  the  straits,  while  some  guessed  that  the 
stranger  was  a  Confederate  cruiser,  though  her 
arrival  was  not  at  once  taken  seriously.  How- 
ever, Captain  Potter  arid  his  crew  had  to  be 
taken  south  to  Honolulu  and  Captain  Jere- 
miah Ludlow,  of  the  "Isaac  Howland,"  went 
aboard  the  strange  vessel  to  obtain  transporta- 
tion for  them  if  possible,  making  the  visit  at 
Captain  Potter's  suggestion.  Captain  Wad- 
dell's  reply  to  Captain  Ludlow  was,  "Yes,  we 
will  take  him  and  you,  too,  presently.  You 
had  better  go  back."  The  surprise  and  con- 
sternation which  the  news  created  among  all 
the  boats  of  the  whaling  fleet  can  hardly  be 
imagined,  but  though  some  were  hardy  enough 
to  attempt  escape  it  was  absolutely  useless  in 
the  face  of  the  cruiser's  speed  and  guns.  Seven 
vessels  besides  the  "Brunswick"  suffered  this 
time.  The  captains  attending  the  auction  of 
the  "Brunswick's"  effects  returned  speedily  to 
their  own  boats  upon  learning  the  identity  and 
intentions  of  the  "Shenandoah,"  but  nothing 
availed  to  relieve  the  situation,  and  the  ships 
were  all  burned  to  the  water's  edge  in  June, 
1865,  the  "Brunswick"  being  the  last  to  go  up 
in  the  flames,  though  an  easy  prey  on  account 
of  her  disabled  condition.  All  the  captains 
were  taken  aboard  the  "Shenandoah'.'  and  or- 
dered to  sign  their  paroles  and  give  bonds. 
Captain  Potter  giving  a  bond  for  $37,000  and 
the  other  captains  for  $47,000.  After  this 
ceremony  they  had  to  hand  over  their  ready 
money,  but  Captain  Potter  had  had  a  chance 
to  think,  which  he  used  to  some  purpose,  so 


1046 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


that  Waddell  lost  several  hundred  dollars,  he 
having  distributed  his  money  among  his  offi- 
cers. He  asked  Captain  Waddell,  after  being 
relieved  of  what  little  money  he  had  not  dis- 
posed of,  if  he  did  not  want  his  watch,  but  the 
Captain  replied :  "No,  keep  it ;  you  may  think 
this  hard,  but  we  are  simply  retaliating  for 
what  the  North  has  done  to  us." 

We  give  an  interesting  occurrence  which 
took  place  at  this  time:  A  captain  of  one  of 
these  whaling  vessels,  himself  from  Maine  and 
his  vessel  from  New  Bedford,  was  ordered  by 
the  officer  of  the  "Shenandoah"  to  haul  down 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  under  penalty  of  being 
"blown  out  of  the  water."  He  answered  with 
a  gesture,  as  of  baring  his  breast,  to  "blow 
away  but  the  flag  will  not  come  down,"  and  it 
did  not  and  was  burned  with  the  ship. 

The  whalemen  were  all  transferred  to  the 
"James  Maury,"  which  had  been  bonded,  and 
taken  to  Honolulu.  Before  starting  on  the 
passage  down  the  ship  took  a  supply  of  water 
from  an  iceberg  which  was  fast  melting,  the 
ship  hauling  alongside  and  filling  the  casks 
directly  from  the  iceberg.  Captain  Potter  and 
his  crew  had  to  spend  three  weeks  at  Honolulu, 
leaving  that  port  on  the  packet  "Comet,"  Cap- 
tain Cox,  for  San  Francisco,  and  thence  pro- 
ceeding by  sailing  vessel  to  the  isthmus,  which 
they  crossed,  saving  the  long  trip  around.  He 
arrived  home  in  1865. 

After  a  year  ashore  Captain  Potter  set  out 
on  another  voyage,  in  command  of  the  "Abra- 
ham Barker,"  which  had  been  built  as  a  whaler 
by  the  late  Abraham  Barker  and  sold  during 
the  war  to  New  York  parties  for  the  merchant 
service.  She  was  purchased  for  Captain  Pot- 
ter by  the  Wings,  who  paid  a  high  price  for 
her,  and  on  June  19,  1866,  she  sailed  for  the 
Pacific  and  New  Zealand  on  a  voyage  which 
lasted  nearly  four  years,  arriving  home  May 
24,  1870.  This  trip  was  a  record  breaker  for 
profits  even  in  those  days.  She  had  been 
bought  and  fitted  at  great  expense,  for  supplies 
of  every  kind  were  commanding  the  highest 
prices,  but  fortunately  the  profits  were  in  pro- 
portion. Six  weeks  after  his  departure  Cap- 
tain Potter  sent  home  300  barrels  of  sperm  oil 
from  Fayal,  the  same  selling  for  $20,000.  This 
■was  only  a  forerunner  of  the  success  of  the  trip. 
Sperm  oil  sold  at  top  prices  at  that  time,  and 
the  3,000  barrels  which  the  ship  brought  home 
netted  a  large  profit,  the  whole  cargo  selling  for 
$150,000.  The  officers  and  crew  who  shared 
the  profits  had  a  remarkable  lay,  and  Captain 
Potter's  portion  was  handsome. 

Remaining  home  just  a  little  less  than  a 
year.  Captain  Potter  set  out  on  his  last  voyage, 


again  in  the  "Abraham  Barker,"  making  an- 
other successful  trip  from  which  he  returned 
Sept.  21,  1875.  This  cruise  was  also  in  the 
Pacific  to  New  Zealand  and  into  the  northern 
part  of  that  ocean,  returning  by  way  of  Cape 
Horn.  With  his  share  of  the  profits  of  this 
voyage  he  had  a  competency  which  determined 
him  to  give  up  the  water,  and  though  he  took 
Just  pride  in  his  record  he  was  never  again  per- 
suaded to  take  a  boat,  though  for  years  after 
his  retirement  he  had  tempting  offers.  He 
won  tlie  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most 
successful  whalemen  of  his  day,  and  his  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  business  has  made  him 
most  valuable  in  his  present  position,  as  agent 
for  the  Talcahuano  Company.  Some  time 
after  abandoning  marine  life  Captain  Potter 
made  a  trip  to  Chile  and  while  there  accepted 
the  position  he  has  since  held.  He  is  an 
authority  in  the  whaling  industry  of  undis- 
puted standing,  and  though  it  is  over  thirty 
years  since  he  retired  from  the  water  his  inter- 
est is  unabated  and  he  enjoys  the  news  of  the 
voyages  as  keenly  as  when  he  himself  was  sail- 
ing. 

Captain  Potter's  home  has  always  been  at 
Smith  Mills,  where  he  has  a  well-kept  home  at 
the  corner  of  Tucker  road  and  the  highway 
leading  from  New  Bedford  to  Fall  River,  hav- 
ing made  many  improvements  on  this  property 
during  his  long  possession.  He  is  the  soul  of 
hospitality,  and  enjoys  life  thoroughly.  After 
settling  down  on  shore  he  followed  farming  to 
a  limited  extent  for  some  years,  raising  just 
about  enough  for  home  consumption,  but  of 
late  years  he  has  not  undertaken  any  such  work 
beyond  the  care  of  his  home  and  its  surround- 
ings, though  he  owns  considerable  good  land. 
He  has  a  hobby,  however,  in  horticulture,  and 
has  a  small  greenhouse  on  his  home  property 
in  which  he  grows  carnations  and  other  hot- 
house flowers  in  the  wintertime,  all  the  work 
being  looked  after  by  him  personally.  He  still 
takes  great  pleasure  in  owning  a  good  horse 
and  enjoys  driving  as  much  as  ever.  Fishing 
is  another  recreation  in  which  he  delights.  He 
has  long  been  a  prominent  member  of  the 
South  Bristol  Farmers'  Club  and  is  well  known 
in  that  connection,  and  fraternally  unites  with 
Star  in  the  East  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Republican,  and  though  not  par- 
ticularly active  in  the  party  has  given  some 
time  to  public  service,  having  filled  various 
minor  town  offices. 

On  June  1,  1858,  Captain  Potter  married 
Abbie  A.  Macomber,  daughter  of  Daniel  Ma- 
comber.  Mrs.  Potter  died  Oct.  5,  1865,  the 
mother  of  two  children :  Henry  H.,  who  died 


HENRY   WEXEL 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1047 


in  infancy;  and  Henry  Alden,  born  Feb.  24, 
1863,  who  is  engaged  as  a  box  manufacturer 
and  resides  in  California  (he  married  Ida 
Kegle). 

On  June  11,  186G,  Captain  Potter  married, 
at  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Adelia  M.  Rodney,  and  later 
she  joined  him  at  Mougaunia,  New  Zealand, 
being  shipwrecked  en  route,  and  she  .was  with 
him  in  the  "Abraham  Barker"  on  the  Pacific 
ocean  cruise  previously  mentioned.  Their 
only  child,  Carrie  N.  D.,  was  born  during  that 
voyage,  June  14,  1869,  at  Mougaunia,  New 
Zealand.  Slje  lives  with  her  parents.  Mrs. 
Adelia  M.  Potter  died  April  16,  1881,  and  on 
Nov.  27,  1883,  the  Captain  married  Mary  E. 
Barker,  a  native  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  William  (Jr.)  and  Mary  (Slade) 
Barker,  the  former  of  whom  at  one  time  served 
his  district  as  senator  in  the  Massachusetts 
Legislature.  By  this  union  there  was  also  one 
child,  Adelia  Louise,  who  died  when  three 
months  old.  Captain  Potter  and  his  family 
attend  the  Chfistian  Church  at  Smith  Mills. 

HENRY  WEXEL  was  in  his  day  one  of 
the  best  known  manufacturing  jewelers  in  New 
England,  as  well  as  one  of  the  oldest  in  that 
line.  During  the  last  five  years  of  his  life 
he  was  retired  from  active  business  pursuits, 
in  which  he  had  won  such  reputation  and  ma- 
terial success  that  he  was  recognized  as  a  not- 
able example  of  the  self-made  man.  Mr.  Wexel 
came  to  this  country  in  young  manhood,  with 
no  knowledge  of  the  English  language  and 
no  friends  to  aid  him  in  his  struggles  toward 
fortune;  but  he  had  the  thorough  knowledge 
of  his  trade  characteristic  of  workmen  trained 
in  the  Old  World,  and  the  perseverance  neces- 
sary to  sustain  him  in  his  early  trials.  And 
no  man  in  his  chosen  line  made  a  worthier 
success  or  attained  higher  standing. 

Mr.  Wexel  was  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
Oct.  9,  1829,  in  Kongsberg.  His  schooling 
was  somewhat  limited,  and  when  he  was  four- 
teen he"  was  sent  to  Christiania  to  learn  the 
trade  of  silversmithing  and  die-cutting  of  his 
uncle,  remaining  there  seven  years.  During 
this  time  he  also  learned  sculpturing,  in  which 
he  was  very  proficient  in  his  later  years.  He 
was  thoroughly  trained  to  work  in  gold,  silver 
and  steel,  and  after  his  apprenticeship  was 
over  he  enlarged  his  experience  and  developed 
his  skill  in  work  at  other  places  in  the  old 
country,  being  thus  employed  at  Stockholm 
and  Goteborg,  Sweden.  He  acquired  particu- 
lar expertness  as  a  designer  and  as  a  maker 
of  dies  and  hubs.  In  September,  1852,  he 
came   to   America,   making  the'  voyage   on   a 


sailing  vessel.  His  life  in  the  New  World  was 
begun  under  inauspicious  circumstances.  But 
his  skill  at  his  trade  insured  him  profitable 
employment,  and  for  about  a  year  he  was  en- 
gaged in  a  silversmithing  factory  in  New 
York,  in  1853  going  to  Providence,  R.  I., 
where  he  entered  the  establishment  of  the  old 
firm  of  G.  &  S.  Owen,  then  the  leaders  in  the 
line  of  jewelry  manufacture.  As  a  die  and 
hub  cutter  he  remained  with  this  house,  off 
and  on,  for  about  twenty  years,  during  which 
period,  however,  he  was  absent  at  various 
times,  principally  on  account  of  ill  health. 
Once  he  visited  his  old  home  in  Norway,  and 
also  adjacent  countries,  while  recuperating. 
Returning  to  America,  he  offered  his  services 
on  the  Union  side  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting 
Sept.  9,  1861,  in  Company  A,  45th  New  York 
Volunteers.  He  raised  a  company,  of  which 
he  was  made  second  lieutenant,  and  later  first 
lieutenant,  and  was  acting  captain  for  much 
of  the  time.  He  served  faithfully,  but  the 
hardships  of  army  life  told  severely  upon  him 
and  he  was  obliged  to  resume  civil  duties.  He 
again  entered  the  employ  of  G.  &  S.  Owen 
for  a  time,  in  1865  accepted  a  position  with 
a  manufacturing  firm  in  Philadelphia,  and 
after  a  year  and  a  half  with  that  concern  re- 
turned in  1866  to  his  old  employers,  with 
whom  he  continued  until  1870.  He  then  paid 
another  visit  to  his  old  home,  in  Europe,  and 
returning  a  year  later  took  a  position  with 
Bates  &  Bacon,  of  Attleboro,  Mass.,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  he  was  ready  to  go  into 
business  on  his  own  account. 

In  1876  Mr.  Wexel  bought  the  interest  of 
Mr.  E.  A.  Cummings  in  the  firm  of  E.  A. 
Cummings  &  Co.,  and  in  association  with  John 
C.  Cummings  formed  the  firm  of  Cummings 
&:  Wexel,  the  business  being  conducted  under 
that  name  until  1892,  in  which  year  Mr.  Cum- 
mings retired.  The  firm  then  became  Henry 
Wexel  &  Co.,  being  composed  of  Henry  Wexel, 
Walter  T.  Mason,  Aaron  Smith  and  G.  Her- 
bert Howard.  On  May  18,  1898,  when  the 
great  conflagration  of  jewelry  shops  in  Attle- 
boro took  place,  the  establishment  of  this  firm 
went  with  the  rest,  and  Mr.  Wexel  lived  re- 
tired thereafter  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  his  home  in  Attleboro  Dec.  14,  1903, 
when  he  was  seventy-four  years  old,  suddenly, 
of  heart  failure.  He  was  buried  in  the  North 
cemetery  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island. 

Mr.  Wexel  was  a  man  who  deserved  all  the 
good  fortune  that  came  to  him,  for  he  gained 
his  prosperity  by  unquestionable  means,  and 
made  his  way  by  persistent  industry,  excellent 
management  and  the  highest  methods.    He  was 


1018 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


well  known  in  social  as  well  as  business  circles, 
having  numerous  connections  of  a  purely  so- 
cial nature,  being  a  member  of  Mount  Vernon 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Providence;  a  char- 
ter member  of  King  Hiram  Chapter,  of  Attle- 
boro.  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Attleboro  Council, 
Royal  and  Select  Masters;  Bristol  Command- 
ery,  Knights  Templar;  a  charter  member  of 
Hope  Chapter,  0.  E.  S.,  a  charter  member  of 
the  Company  C  Association;  a  member  of  the 
Pomham  Club,  of  Providence;  a  member  of 
William  A.  Streeter  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  and  a 
member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  Honor. 

In  1861  Mr.  Wexel  was  married  (first)  in 
Xew  York  to  Elizabeth  Hudson,  of  New  York, 
who  lived  only  a  short  time  thereafter;  they 
had  no  children.  On  April  26,  1871,  he  mar- 
ried (second)  Helen  A.  (Millard)  Mason,  a 
native  of  Saratoga,  N.  Y.,  daughter  of  James 
and  Laura  (Taylor)  Millard  and  widow  of 
Francis  Asbury  Mason,  of  Fall  River,  Mass. 
There  was  one  child  by  this  union,  Serena 
Augusta,  born  April  10,  1872,  who  died  young. 
Mrs.  Wexel  is  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church, 
a  stanch  advocate  of  temperance  and  a  promi- 
nent member  in  this  section  of  the  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  in  the  work  of 
which  organization  she  is  particularly  inter- 
ested, though  her  sympathy  includes  all  good 
causes,  and  she  is  known  for  her  benevolence 
and  kindness.  She  is  a  descendant  of  one  of 
the  earliest  families  of  New  England. 

MASON.  (I)  Sampson  Mason,  a  soldier 
in  Cromwell's  army,  came  to  America,  where 
he  first  appears  of  record  in  July,  1649.  He 
settled  in  Rehoboth  and  his  posterity  has  been 
numerous.  He  seemingly  was  at  Dorchester, 
where  he  purchased  a  house  and  lot  in  March, 
1650-51.  He  married  Mary  Butterworth, 
probably  daughter  of  John  Butterworth,  of 
Weymouth.  He  sold  his  property  in  1655-56 
and  removed  to  Rehoboth,  but  Just  at  what 
time  he  came  to  the  latter  town  has  not  been 
ascertained;  perhaps  not  far  from  1657-58. 
By  this  time  he  had  acquired  considerable 
property,  and  he  here  entered  extensively  into 
the  land  speculations  so  common  at  that  time. 
He  appears  as  the  holder  of  one  share  of  the 
seventy-nine  and  one-half  in  the  Rehoboth 
North  Purchase,  which  afterward  became  the 
town  of  Attleboro,  and  also  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  town  of  Swansea,  in  which  his 
descendants  for  many  generations  were  prom- 
inent. His  burial  is  recorded  in  Rehoboth, 
Sept.  15,  1676.  Mrs.  Mason's  death  is  re- 
corded as  having  occurred  Aug.  29,  1714. 
Their  children  were :     Noah,  Sampson,  John 


(all  born  in  Dorchester),  Samuel,  Sarah,. 
Mary,  James,  Joseph,  Bethiah,  Isaac,  Pelatiah,. 
Benjamin  and  Thankful  (all  born  in  Reho- 
both). 

(II)  Benjamin  Mason,  born  Oct.  20,  1670, 
in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,.  married  Ruth  Rounds,, 
daughter  of  John  Rounds,  of  Swansea.  Mr. 
Mason  was  a  farmer.  He  died  in  August  or 
September,  1740.  His  wife  passed  away  Oct. 
14,  1740.  Their  children,  all-  born  in  Swan- 
sea, were:  Hannah,  born  May  11,  1698;  Chris- 
topher, born  July  6,  1702;  Charles,  born  Aug. 

16,  1713. 

(III)  Christopher  Mason,  born  July  6^ 
1702,  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  (first)  June 

17,  1725,  Lydia  Jenckes,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Martha  (Brown)  Jenckes.  He  married 
(second)  Nov.  10,  1757,  Mrs.  Sarah  Luther,, 
widow  of  Theophilus  Luther  and  formerly 
widow  of  Edward  Cole,  and  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Hope  (Huckins)  Nelson.  She- 
died  May  8,  1782,  in  her  seventieth  year.  Mr. 
Mason  died  May  9,  1783.  The  children  of 
Christopher  and  Lydia,  all  born  in  Swansea,  ■ 
were:    Martha,  born  July  5,  1726;  Ruth,  Sept. 

21,  1728;  Lydia,  Nov.  8,  1730;  Benjamin, 
Feb.  26,  1732-33;  Joseph,  Sept.  2,  1735; 
Esther  (twin),  Sept.  2,  1735;  Christopher, 
Oct.  22,  1737;  Catherine,  June  13,  1741;  and 
Edward,  Jan.  26,  1760. 

(IV)  Edward  Mason,  born  Jan.  26,  1760, 
in  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  July  19,  1782, 
Tamar  Hale,  born  Dec.  6,  1760,  daughter  of 
John,  and  Bethiah  (Bosworth)  Hale.  Mr. 
Mason  died  Sept.  5,  1792,  and  his  widow  mar- 
ried (second)  James  Luther.  The  children 
of  Edward  and  Tamar,  all  born  in  Swansea, 
were:  Christopher,  born  April  27,  1783;  Wil- 
liam, March  12,  1785;  Edward,  Aug.  9,  1786; 
Mary,  Jan.  23,  1788;  Anna,  Sept.  7,  1789; 
John  Hale,  April  26,  1792. 

(V)  Edward  Mason  (2),  born  Aug.  9,  1786, 
in  Swansea,  Mass.,  man-ied  (intentions  re- 
corded Nov.  14,  1812,  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.) 
Mahala   Anthony.     His  will   was   dated   Feb. 

22,  1845,  at  which  time  his  wife  was  alive. 
Their  children  were:  Edward  Nelson,  born 
Dec.  21,  1813;  Mary  Anna  Hale,  Sept.  9, 
1815;  Elizabeth  Carpenter,  Dec.  29,  1818; 
William  Henry,  July  19,  1820;  John  Wesley, 
May  9,  1823;  John  Wesley  (2),  Aug.  25,  1827 
(all  bom  in  Rehoboth)  ;  and  Francis  Asbury, 
June  26,  1831  (born  in  Fall  River,  Massa- 
chusetts). 

(VI)  Francis  Asbury  Mason,  son  of  Ed- 
ward (2),  was  bom  June  26,  1831,  in  Fall 
River,  Mass.,  where  his  father  was  engaged  in 
the  dry  goods  business.     He  received  his  edu- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


104» 


cation  there,  and  when  a  young  man  became 
bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of  Sweet  &  Mason,  of 
Providence,  of  which  his  brotlier,  John  Wesley 
Mason,  was  the  junior  partner.  He  continued 
to  act  in  that  capacity,  and  as  expert  account- 
ant, substantially  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred June  29,  1866,  when  he  was  but  thirty- 
five  years  of  .age.  He  was  buried  in  Oak  Grove 
cemetery,  at  Fall  River.  Mr.  Mason  was  a 
young  man  of  much  promise,  and  his  death 
was  widely  mourned  as  the  untimely  taking 
away  of  one  who  had  much  before  him.  He 
was  married  in  Providence,  R.  1.,  June  22, 
1857,  to  Helen  A.  Millard,  daughter  of  James 
and  Laura  (Taylor)  Millard  and  granddaugh- 
ter of  James  Millard,  who  was  born  in  Dighton 
and  died  in  Providence.  One  child  came  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason,  Walter  T.,  born  Jan.  7, 
1860,  in  Providence,  where  he  was  reared  and 
educated.  For  a  number  of  years,  however, 
he  has  made  his  home  in  Attleboro,  Mass., 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  jewelry 
business,  and  in  the  past  few  years  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  building  up  quite  an  extensive  trade 
in  the  mail  order  line,  having  a  vsjide  patron- 
age. On  Jan.  31,  1881,  he  married  Clara  L. 
Mason,  daughter  of  the  late  Herbert  Noah 
Mason.  Mrs.  Mason  is  quite  active  in  benevo- 
lent work  and  in  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
Sta^,  in  which  she  is  a  past  matron.  Mr. 
Mason  is  independent  in  politics. 

MASON.  The  Mason  family  to  which  the 
late  Herbert  Noah  Mason  belonged  is  one  of 
the  oldest  in  this  Commonwealth.  The  first 
of  the  name  in  New  England  was 

(I)  Sampson  Mason,  a  soldier  in  Crom- 
well's array,  who  came  to  America,  where  he 
first  appears  of  record  in  July,  1649.  He  set- 
tled in  Eehoboth  and  his  posterity  has  been 
numerous.  He  seemingly  was  at  Dorchester, 
where  he  purchased  a  house  and  lot  in  March, 
1650-51.  He  married  Mary  Butterworth, 
probably  a  daughter  of  John  Butterworth,  of 
Weymouth.  He  sold  his  property  in  1655-56 
and  removed  to  Rehoboth,  but  just  at  what 
time  he  came  to  the  latter  town  has  not  been 
ascertained;  perhaps  not  far  from  1657-58. 
By  this  time  he  had  acquired  considerable 
property,  and  he  here  entered  extensively  into 
the  land  speculations  so  common  at  that  time. 
He  appears  as  the  holder  of  one  share  of  the 
seventy-nine  and  one-half  in  the  Rehoboth 
North  Purchase,  which  afterward  became  the 
town  of  Attleboro,  and  also  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  town  of  Swansea,  in  which  his 
descendants  for  many  generations  were  promi- 
nent.    His   burial    is   recorded    in'    Rehoboth 


Sept.  15,  1676.  His  wife's  death  is  recorded 
as  having  occurred  Aug.  29,  1714.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Noah,  Sampson,  John  (all  born 
in  Dorchester),  Samuel,  Sarah,  Mary,  James, 
Joseph,  Bethiah,  Isaac,  Pelatiah,  Benjamin 
and  Thankful   (all  born  in  Rehoboth). 

(II)  Noah  Mason,  born  about  1651-52,  in' 
Dorchester,  Mass.,  where  he  was  baptized  Feb. 
22,  1651-52,  married  (first)  Martha,  who  died 
in  February,  1675.  He  married  (second)  Dec. 
6,  1677,  Sarah  Fitch,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  Fitch,  and  they  were  residents  of  Reho- 
i)oth,  Mass.,  of  which  town  he  was  made  a 
freeman.  He  died  March  2,  1699-1700.  His 
children,  all  born  in  Rehoboth,  were:  Noah, 
born  Dec.  17,  1678;  John,  Nov.  28,  1680; 
Mary,  Dec.  12,  1682;  Daniel,  July  8,  1685; 
Timothy,  March  17,  1686-87;  Sarah,  Febru- 
ary, 1686-87;  Hannah,  Dec.  2,  1690;  and 
Martha,  June  16,  1693. 

(III)  Noah  Mason  (2),  son  of  Noah,  born- 
Dec.  17,  1678,  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  married 
Mary  Sweeting  (intentions  announced  Oct. 
16,  1708),  daughter  of  Henry  and  Joanna 
(Atkins?)  Sweeting.  Soon  after  his  marriage 
Mr.  Mason  purchased  from  his  uncle,  Samuel 
Mason,  the  homestead  of  the  latter  in  what 
is  probably  now  East  Providence,  R.  I.,  and 
at  this  time  he  also  bought  a  half  interest  in 
the  Providence  ferry  and  kept  the  ferry.  He 
died  Aug.  29,  1744,  and  his  wife  Mary  passed 
away  Aug.  18,  1738.  His  children,  all  born 
in  Rehoboth,  were :  Mary,  born  March  28, 
1710;  Noah,  Feb.  10,  1711-12;  Joanna,  April 
25,  1714;  Martha,  Jan.  29,  1715-16;  Hannah, 
Jan.  6,  1716-17;  John,  Sept.  9,  1718;  Sarah, 
Feb.  25,  1720-21;  and  Lydia.  Nov.  8,  1723. 

(IV)  John  Mason,  son  of  Noah  (2),  born 
Sept.  9,  1718,  in  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  married 
Elizabeth  Grafton,  of  Providence  (intentions 
announced  Aug.  20,  1748),  and  they  were  resi- 
dents of  Rehoboth,  he  a  tanner  by  trade.  She- 
died  Aug.  20,  1779.  Their  children  were: 
Noah,  born  June  29,  1749;  William,  Dec.  8, 
1751;  and  John,  June  20,  1762— all  born  in 
Rehoboth,   Massachusetts. 

(V)  John  Mason  (2),  son  of  John,  born 
June  20,  1762,  married  May  17,  1795,  Mrs. 
Hannah  (Richardson)  Campbell,  widow  of 
John  Campbell,  of  Rehoboth,  Mass.,  and 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Sarah  Richardson. 
She  died  April  1.  1839,  and  he  Nov.  28,  1834, 
in  Attleboro.  Their  children,  the  youngest 
four  born  in  Attleboro,  were:  Elizabeth,  born 
Feb.  27,  1796  (in  Rehoboth)  ;  Mary,  Jan.  14, 
1798;  James.  Feb.  26,  1800;  Moses,  May  29, 
1802;  and  Noah,  March  8,  1805. 

(YJ)   Noah  Mason    (3),  son  of  John    (2),. 


1050 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


born  March  8,  1805,  in  Attleboro,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried May  20,  1830,  Harriet  Wood  Fisher,  born 
Dec.  20,  1808,  in  Attleboro.  Mr.  Mason  was 
a  merchant,  a  dealer  in  groceries  and  general 
merchandise,  first  at  Mansfield,  Mass.,  and 
later  in  Attleboro.  He  died  Sept.  14,  1882, 
and  she  passed  away  Aug.  7,  1880.  Their 
children,  all  bom  in  Attleboro,  were:  Herbert 
Noah,  born  March  13,  1831 ;  George  Allen, 
Feb.  12,  1834;  Harriet  Eliza,  July  30,  1835 
(widow  of  Benjamin  A.  Cummings) ;  Fisher 
Nelson,  Aug.  28,  1837;  Calvin  Henry,  March 
12,  1839;  Warren  Sanford,  April  1,  1840;  Em- 
ily Amanda,  Sept.  30,  1841  (widow  of  Albert 
J.  Richardson,  of  North  Attleboro) ;  Caroline 
Frances,  Sept.  23,  1843;  Narzett  Fletcher, 
Oct.  2,  1844  (who  married  May  20,  1880, 
Frank  B.  Robbins). 

(VII)  Herbert  Noah  Mason,  son  of  Noah 
(3),  born  March  13,  1831,  in  Attleboro,  at- 
tended school  there  and  grew  to  manhood. 
Going  to  North  Attleboro,  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  E.  Ira  Richards  &  Co.,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  jewelry 
business,  and  became  an  e.xpert  workman. 
After  some  years  he  came  to  Attleboro,  and 
was  employed  by  Charles  E.  Hayward  for 
twenty  years.  After  resigning  his  position  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  Earl  Richards, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Mason  &  Richards,  for 
the  manufacture  of  jewelry,  and  this  was  suc- 
cessfully carried  on  for  several  years,  Mr. 
Mason  superintending  the  business,  while  Mr. 
Richards  acted  as  traveling  salesman.  When 
the  business  was  sold  out  to  Walker  &  Ripley 
Mr.  Mason  retired  from  active  business  and 
removed  to  the  town  of  Mansfield,  where  he 
spent  fifteen  years  engaged  in  farming.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  Attleboro, 
and  here  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life,  look- 
ing after  his  real  estate  holdings.  He  died 
May  13,  1904,  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  Mount 
Hope  cemetery.  North  Attleboro.  He  was  well 
known  and  highly  respected  by  all  classes  of 
people. 

Mr.  Majon  was  very  public-spirited  and  in 
politics  was  a  stanch  Republican.  He  was 
well  known  in  Masonic  circles,  having  been 
worshipful  master  of  Ezekiel  Bates  Lodge; 
past  high  priest  of  Keystone  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M. ;  past  thrice  illustrious  master  of  Attle- 
boro Council,  Royal  and  Select  Masters;  a 
member  of  Bristol  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar;  a  member  of  Hope  Chapter,  Eastern 
Star,  and  of  Company  C  Association. 

Mr.  Mason  was  twice  married.  He  wedded 
(first)  Mary  L.  W.  Titus,  born  in  South  Attle- 
boro, daughter  of  Otis  and  Celestine  (Wolcott) 


Titus,  and  granddaughter  of  Samuel  Titus 
and  Ebenezer  M.  Wolcott.  Two  children  were 
born  to  this  union :  Anna  C,  now  the  widow 
of  Peleg  E.  Mott,  of  Providence;  and  Clara 
L.,  who  married  Walter  T.  Mason,  of  Attle- 
boro. Mrs.  Mason  died  Feb.  17,  1862,  in 
Attleboro,  and  Mr.  Mason  married  (second) 
Mary  M.  Packard,  widow  of  Charles  M.  Has- 
kill.     She  died  Jan.  30,  1904. 

FRANK  LAWTON  CADY,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Mansfield,  treasurer  of  the  Reece 
Button  Hole  Machine  Company,  of  Boston, 
Mass.,  is  a  representative  of  an  old  and  long 
established  family,  prominent  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut. 

(I)  Nicholas  Cady,  his  first  American  ances- 
tor of  whom  we  have  record,  was  a  native  of 
England,  and  is  supposed  to  have  come  to 
America  as  early  as  1630,  though  the  first  un- 
doubted record  of  him  was  of  his  partnership 
with  John  Knapp,  at  Watertown,  Mass.,  on 
Aug.  8,  1645.  He  married  Judith  Knapp, 
daughter  of  William  Knapp,  of  Watertown, 
Mass.,  about  1648.  He  took  the  oath  of  fidel- 
ity in  1652,  and  in  1653  was  a  member  of  the 
train  band  of  Watertown.  He  removed  to 
Groton,  Mass.,  where  he  was  surveyor  of  that 
town  from  1668  to  1671.  He  lived  near 
Cady's  pond,  named  after  him,  and  located 
about  a  mile  southeasterly  from  Groton. 

(II)  Capt.  Joseph  Cady,  son  of  Nicholas  and 
Judith  (Knapp)  Cady,  was  born  at  Watertown, 
Mass.,  May  28,  1666,  and  died  at  Killingly, 
Conn.,  Dec.  29,  1742.  He  removed  to  Groton, 
Mass.,  with  his  parents,  and  there  he  spent  his 
early  youth  and  manhood.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  the  three  assaults  of  the  Indians  in  the 
month  of  March,  1676,  when  the  inhabitants 
sought  protection  in  the  garrisoned  houses 
which  were  bravely  defended  until  relieved  by 
Captain  Lee,  of  Cambridge,  who  escorted  them 
and  their  effects  to  Concord.  He  also  saw  ser- 
vice in  the  defense  of  the  town  during  the  In- 
dian disturbances  of  1691-92.  From  1699  to 
1701  he  kept  an  inn  in  Groton,  Mass.,  but  in 
1703  he  purchased  150  acres  of  land  in  Kil- 
lingly (now  Putnam),  Conn.,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  days.  In  1714  he  built  a 
large  house  which  was  occupied  by  him  and  his 
descendants  many  years.  Captain  Cady  had 
charge  of  the  public  lands  of  Killingly  for 
many  years  and  proved  himself  a  most  useful 
man  in  all  general  public  matters.  He  was 
chosen  deputy  or  representative  from  Killingly, 
serving  in  1731-34.  He  married  Saiah  Davis, 
born  at  Groton,  Mass.,  Aug.  16,  1667,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Waters)  Davis. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1051 


(Ill)Capt.  David  Cady,  son  of  Capt.  Joseph 
and  Sarah  •  (Davis)  Cady,  was  born  probably 
at  Killingly,  Conn.,  Sept.  17,  1703,  and  mar- 
ried Nov.  17,  1728,  Hannah  W'hitman,  bom 
May  29,  1705,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
Whitman.  He  died  Nov.  1,  1788,  and  his  wife 
passed  away  in  1803,  at  the  age  of  ninety-nine 
years.  David  Cady  was  commissioned  captain 
of  the  train  band  of  Killingly  in  October,  1747. 

(IV)  Capt.  Jonathan  Cady,  son  of  Capt. 
David  and  Hannah  (Whitman)  Cady,  was 
born  at  Killingly,  Conn.,  June  14,  1746,  and 
married  Nov.  20,  1766,  his  cousin  Eebecca 
Cady,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Cady,  also  of  Kil- 
lingly. In  1774  he  was  commissioned  by  the 
<3eneral  Assembly  of  Connecticut  lieutenant  in 
the  4th  Company  of  militia,  11th  Regiment. 
In  1779  he  was  appointed  captain  and  about 
1790  removed  to  Providence,  E.  I.,  leasing  land 
in  what  is  now  known  as  Cady  street.  As  he' 
applied  for  and  was  granted  a  pension  by  the 
United  States  government  in  1833,  it  is  pre- 
sumed he  saw  service  in  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion.    He  died  July  12,  1834. 

(V)  David  Cady,  son  of  Capt.  David  and 
Rebecca  (Cady)  Cady,  was  born  at  Killingly, 
Conn.,  Dec.  12,  1767.  He  married  Jan.  28, 
1789,  Nancy  Waterman,  born  Oct.  26,  1769, 
died  May  22,  1812,  and  he  married  (second) 
Jan.  5,  1813,  Catherine  Tippit,  daughter  of 
Moses,  of  Warwick,  R.  I.,  born  April  1,  1779, 
died  May  7,  1826.  Mr.  Cady  died  Dec.  7, 
1838,  in  Providence,  E.  I.  He  was  a  dyer  by 
trade,  and  at  the  time  of  the  war  of  1812  was 
a  manufacturer  of  cotton  cloth  at  West  Green- 
wich, Rhode  Island. 

(VI)  Milton  Cady,  son  of  David  and  Nancy 
(Waterman)  Cady,  was  born  in  Killingly, 
Conn.,  Aug.  3,  1792.  He  married  Aug.  20, 
1815,  Sarah  A.  Sherman.  He  was  a  cabinet- 
maker by  trade,  and  died  at  Providence,  R.  I., 
Dec.  20,  1873,  being  buried  in  I^ocust  Grove 
cemetery  of  that  city. 

(VII)  George  Lawton  Cady,  son  of  Milton 
and  Sarah  A.  (Sherman)  Cady,  was  born  in 
Providence,  R.  I.,  in  1821,  and  married  June 
21,  1848,  Abby  Ann  King.  He  was  a  cigar- 
maker  by  trade,  and  died  in  Providence,  R.  I., 
March  19,  1853. 

(VIII)  Frank  Lawton  Cady,  son  of  George 
Lawton  and  Abby  Ann  (King)  Cady,  was  born 
in  Providence,  R.  I.,  Nov.  30,  1853.  He  be- 
gan his  bright  career  early  in  life,  becoming  at 
the  age  of  twelve  errand  boy  for  Reed  &  Bar- 
ton, silver  manufacturers  of  Taunton,  with 
whom  he  was  connected  twenty-seven  years. 
Here  he  worked  himself  up  through  the  posi- 
tions of  office  clerk  and  factory  order  clerk,  and 


finally  became  traveling  salesman,  serving  in 
the  latter  capacity  from  1875  to  1896,  at  which 
time  he  became  a  stockholder  in  the  Reece  But- 
ton Hole  Machine  Company,  of  Boston,  a  large 
manufacturing  concern  of  the  highest  standing, 
and  he  has  been  treasurer  of  this  company 
since  March,  1896. 

Mr.  Cady  married  at  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  Jan. 
1,  1876,  Caroline  Amelia  Hodges,  who  was 
born  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  Dec.  28,  1854, 
daughter  of  Leonard  M.  and  Esther  A.  (Ed- 
sall)  Hodges.  To  them  were  born  four  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Caroline  Lawton,  borb  Dec.  4, 
1876;  a  daughter,  born  July  2,  1878,  who  died 
the  same  day;  Helen  May,  born  April  27, 
1879;  and  Frank  Milton,  born  June  29,  1882, 
who  died  Nov.  29,  1901.  Mrs.  Cady  was  a 
graduate  of  Wheaton  Seminary.  She  was  a 
member  of  the'  Mansfield  Congregational 
Church  and  of  the  New  Century  Club  of  Mans- 
field. Her  death  occurred  April  19,  1910. 
Since  1868  Mr.  Cady  has  been  a  resident  of 
Mansfield,  where  he  has  a  beautiful  home  on 
Chauncey  street,  in  the  suburbs  of  that  vil- 
lage. Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr. 
Cady's  success  in  life  is  due  principally  to  his 
untiring  efforts  and  strict  integrity.  He  has 
a  large  number  of  friends  and  is  well  known 
and  highly  respected  by  all. 


Hodges.  The  Hodges  family,  of  which  Mrs. 
Frank  L.  Cady  was  a  member,  traces  its  ances- 
try back  to 

(I)  William  Hodges,  born  probably  in  Eng- 
land, who  died  at  Taunton,  Mass.,  April  2, 
1654.  His  name  is  in  the  second  list  of  early 
settlers  of  Taunton  and  his  first  certain  ap- 
pearance on  the  records  is  in  August,  1643,  in 
the  list  of  males  of  Taunton,  from  the  ages  of 
sixteen  to  sixty  years,  able  to  bear  arms.  He 
was  made  freeman  June  5,  1651,  and  was  one 
of  the  original  stockholders  in  the  first  Taun- 
ton Iron  Works.  He  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Mary  Andrews,  of  Taunton. 

(II)  Henry  Hodges,  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Andrews)  Hodges,  was  born  in  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  in  1652,  and  died  at  Taunton  Sept. 
30,  1717,  aged  sixty-five.'  He  married  Dec. 
17,  1674,  Ester,  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah 
(Lake)  Gallop,  of  Taunton.  He  was  a  lead- 
ing man  in  all  affairs  of  the  settlement  of 
Taunton,  was  captain  of  the  military  com- 
pany, held  the  highest  town  offices  for  many 
years  and  was  a  deacon  and  presiding  elder  of 
the  church.  He  acquired  a  large  amount  of 
real  estate  and  his  farm  of  "Crooked  Meadow," 
at  Burts  brook,  is  often  referred  to  in  the  rec- 
ords.    He  served  as  selectman  for  twenty-eight 


1052 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


years,  represented  Taunton  in  the  General 
Court  five  years,  and  was  prominent  in  mili- 
tary affairs,  being  the  first  captain  of  the  sec- 
ond military  company  (organized  prior  to 
1703)  until  the  year  1714. 

(III)  John  Hodges,  son  of  Henry  and  Ester 
(Gallop)  Hodges,  was  born  in  1684  in  Taun- 
ton, Mass.,  and  died  at  Norton,  Mass.,  in  1759, 
aged  seventy-five.  His  wife  was  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Jolin  and  Mary  (Ring)  Morton, 
of  Middleboro,  Mass.,  born  Sept.  1,  1695.  John 
Hodges  settled  at  tlie  f'Crooked  Meadow"  in 
the  southern  part  of  Norton.  In  his  youth 
he  received  an  injury  to  his  limbs  which  ren- 
dered him  a  cripple  through  life. 

(IV)  Andrew  Hodges,  son  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Morton)  Hodges,  was  born  in  1729- 
30,  at  Norton,  Mass.,  where  he  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 1777,  aged  forty-seven.  He  married 
(first)  Mehitable,  daughter  of  James  and 
Mehitable  (Phillips)  Leonard,  of  Norton,  and 
(second) — publislied  May  17,  1773— Abigail, 
born  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  in  1741,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Joanna  (Harvey)  Hoskins.  An- 
drew Hodges  lived  at  "Crooked  Meadow," 
Norton,  where  his  father  lived  before  him.  He 
served  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  and  was 
sergeant  of  the  detail  from  the  3d  Bristol 
County  Regiment,  ordered  Aug.  11,  1751,  on 
news  of  the  attack  on  Fort  William  Henry,  N. 
Y.,  by  the  French  and  Indians,  to  march  and 
report  to  Lieut.  Gen.  William  Pepperell.  In 
July,  1771,  he  was  second  lieutenant  of  the  2d 
Troop  of  Horse,  3d  Bristol  County  Regiment. 
He  was  a  strong  advocate  of  the  cause  of  the 
United  Colonies  when  the  Revolution  began, 
and  in  1776  was  elected  on  the  Norton  Com- 
mittee of  Correspondence  and  Inspection. 

(V)  Leonard  Hodges,  son  of  Andrew  and 
Abigail  (Hoskins)  Hodges,  was  born  in  Nor- 
ton, Mass.,  March  13,  1774,  and  died  there 
March  7,  1841.  He  married  March  13,  1798, 
Hannah,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Hannah 
(Bliss)  Peck.  Mr.  Hodges  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade,  and  after  attaining  his  majority 
went  to  Williamstown,  Mass.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed his  trade  for  several  years.  Returning 
to  Norton  about  the  time  of  his  marriage  he 
settled  on  the  old  homestead,  carrying  on  the 
business  of  contractor  and  builder  in  connec- 
tion with  farming  until  a  short  time  before  his 
death.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat  of  the 
old  school.  A  firm  Methodist  m  his  religious 
belief,  he  led  an  honest,  well-conducted  life, 
and  was  most  successful  through  his  untiring 
energy  and  industry. 

(VI)  Leonard  Hodges  (2),  son  of  Leonard 
and  Hannah  (Peck)  Hodges,  was  born  in  Nor- 


ton, Mass.,  Feb.  27,  1801,  and  there  he  died 
May  27,  1877.  He  married  Nov.  26,  1824, 
Chloe,  daughter  of  William  and  Molly 
(Knapp)  Lane,  of  Norton.  Mr.  Hodges  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town.  He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  with 
his  father,  completing  his  apprenticeship  in 
Boston,  and  thereafter  followed  the  business  of 
contractor  and  builder.  In  1819,  while  yet  a 
minor,  he  took  and  successfully  carried  out  the 
contract  for  building  the  Armory  of  the  Norton 
Artillery  Company,  of  which  organization  lie 
became  at  a  later  date  first  lieutenant.  His 
reputation  as  a  skilled  mechanic,  and  for  hon- 
est dealing,  grew  rapidly,  and  soon  brought 
him  to  the  front  as  a  business  man.  Enjoying 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  townsmen  to 
an  unusual  degree,  he  was  called  to  fill  many 
official  positions,  but  he  never  sought  office. 
He  was  eight  years  selectman,  assessor  and 
overseer  of  the  poor,  and  three  years  special 
county  commissioner,  represented  Norton  in  the 
State  Legislature  in  1857,  and  was  justice 
of  the  peace.  Originally  a  Whig,  he  became 
later  a  stanch  Republican.  He  was  most  prom- 
inent in  church  work,  serving  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  Congregational 
parish.  Energetic  and  capable,  by  his  indus- 
try and  economy  he  accumulated  a  fortune. 

(VII)  Leonard  Morton  Hodges,  son  of 
Leonard  (2)  and  Chloe  (Lane)  Hodges,  was 
born  in  Norton  June  29,  1827.  He  married 
(first)  Dec.  27,  1850,  Hannah  L.,  daughter 
of  George  L.  and  Hannah  H.  (Leonard) 
Morey;  she  died  at  Providence,  R.  L,  Dec.  20,. 
1851.  He  married  (second)  Dec.  31,  1853, 
Esther  Antoinette  Edsall,  born  in  Hamburg,. 
N.  J.,  Sept.  4,  1832,  daughter  of  Barton  and 
Sarah  (Coulter)  Edsall,  and  she  died  in  Mans- 
field, Mass.,  Dec.  11,  1894.  Mr.  Hodges  lived 
in  his  native  town  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority, when  he  went  to  Canton,  and  a  year 
later  to  Boston,  and  after  his  first  marriage  to 
Providence.  Here  his  first  wife  and  child 
died.  He  then  went  to  New  York  City,  ob- 
tained a  position  mth  the  American  Express 
Company,  and  remained  in  their  employ  until 
the  Erie  Railroad  Company  took  control  of  the 
express  business  on  its  own  lines.  After  liis 
second  marriage  he  lived  a  short  time  in  Jersey 
City,  N.  J.,  and  then  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  later 
going  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  was  conduc- 
tor on  the  Ohio  &  Mississippi  railroad.  In 
1857  he  removed  to  Peoria,  111.,  and  resumed 
his  trade  of  carpenter.  In  1865  he  bought  a 
patent  right  to  manufacture  and  sell  tire  up- 
setting machines  in  Massachusetts,  Connecticut 
and    Rhode   Island,   and   returned   to   Norton.. 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


1053 


For  several  years  he  engaged  in  business  under 
his  patent  rights,  but  sold  out  his  interest  in 
187(5  and  then  with  his  brother,  forming  the 
firm  of  L.  M.  &  H.  G.  Hodges,  Ijegan  business 
as  contractor  and  buikler.  He  settled  in 
Mansfield  in  1872  and  carried  on  his  business 
there  the  remainder  of  his  days,  having  no  part- 
ner after  the  death  of  his  brother  in  1885. 
Leonard  M.  Hodges  died  March  11,  1903.  The 
cMldren  born  to  Mr.  Hodges's  second  marriage 
were :  Caroline  A.,  Leonard  C,  Mary  L.,  De- 
Witt  B.,  Emily  C,  Ida  A.  and  Kate  M. 

(VIII)  Caroline  Amelia  Hodges,  daughter 
of  Leonard  M.  and  Esther  A.  (Edsall)  Hodges, 
was  born  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  Dec.  28,  185-1. 
She  married  Jan.  1,  1876,  in  PawtHcket,  R.  I., 
Frank  Lawton  Cady,  and  her  death  occurred 
April  19,  1910,  in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  where  she 
was  deeply  mourned  by  all  who  knew  her. 

TORREY.  The  Torrey  family  of  Rockland, 
Mass.,  is  one  among  the  oldest  .and  most  impor- 
tant families  of  New  England.  The  name  goes 
back  to  Great  Britain,  where  the  seat  of  the 
family  was  at  Combe  St.  Nicholas,  Somerset- 
shire. There  William  Torrey,  one  of  the  four 
brothers  to  come  to  America,  was  liorn  in  1608. 

(I)  William  Torrey,  great-great-grandfather 
of  William  the  emigrant,  lived  at  Combe  St. 
Nicholas,  where  he  died  in  June,  1557.  His 
wife  Thomasyne  survived  him,  as  did  also  his 
children. 

(II)  Philip  Torrey,  son  of  William,  lived  at 
Combe  St.  Nicholas."  His  will,  dated  1604, 
mentions  his  wife  Margaret  and  children  Wil- 
liam and  Dorothy. 

(III)  William  Torrey,  son  of  Philip  and 
Margaret,  married  Jane,  who  died  in  1639.  At 
that  time  he  was  still  living. 

(IV)  Philip  Torrey,  son  of  William  and 
Jane,  lived  at  Combe"  St.  Nicholas,  and  there 
married  Alice  Richards,  daughter  of  James 
Richards,  Nov.  27,  1604.  He  died  in  June, 
1621,  leaving  daughters  Anne,  Mary  and  Sarah 
and  sons  William,  James.  Phillip  and  Joseph. 
These  four  sons  emigrated  to  America  in  1640. 
Phillip  settled  in  Roxbury,  Mass.;  Joseph  in 
Newport,  R.  I. ;  James  in  Scituate,  Mass.,  and 
William  in  Weymouth,  Massachusetts. 

(V)  William  Torrey,  son  of  Philip  and 
Alice  (Richards),  was  born  in  1608,  and  was 
baptized  on  Dec.  21st  of  that  year.  He  mar- 
ried March  17,  1629,  at  Combe  St.  Nicholas, 
Somersetshire,  Alice  Combe,  of  the  same  parish, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Combe.  She  died  in  1630. 
He  married  (second)  Jane  Haviland,  by  whom 
he  had  two  sons:     Samuel,  born  in  1632  in 


England;  and  William,  born  in  1638  in  Eng- 
land. His  wife  Jane  died  in  Combe  in  1639. 
In  1640  William  Torrey  and  sons  Samuel  and 
William  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Wey- 
mouth, Mass.,  where  he  made  his  home.  He 
married  (third)  a  daughter  of  Edward  Frye, 
and  to  this  union  were  born  six  children: 
Naomi,  Dec.  3,  1641 ;  Mary,  born  Dec.  3,  1642; 
Micajah,  l)orn  Oct.  12,  1643;  Josiah;  Judith, 
and  Angel.  Mr.  Torrey  died  in  Weymouth 
June  10;  1690.  He  was  a  man  of  cultivation 
and  education.  He  had  been  magistrate,  cap- 
tain of  the  train  band  of  the  Colony,  and  for 
many  years  representative  for  Weymouth  in  the 
General  Court  (of  which  he  was  usually  clerk 
or  secretary,  as  he  wrote  a  good  hand,  and  he 
was  a  member  of  its  committees  whenever 
there  was  anything  to  do  with  education,  as  in 
the  case  of  that  appointed  to  examine  Eliot's 
Indian  Bible). 

(VI)  William  Torrey,  son  of  William  and 
Jane,  was  born  in  England  in  1638,  and  lived 
in  Weymouth  practically  all  his  life,  dying 
there  Jan.  11,  1718.  He  married  Deborah 
Greene,  who  was  born  in  Warwick,  R.  I.,  Aug. 
10,  1649,  daughter  of  Maj.  John  and  Anne 
(Almy)  Greene,  the  former  of  whom  was  dep- 
uty governor  of  Rhode  Island;  the  latter  was  a 
native  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.  Mrs.  Torrey  died 
in  Weymouth,  Feb.  8,  1729.  Their  children 
were:  William,  born  Sept.  14,  1670;  John,  born 
June  23,  1673;  Philip,  born  May  2,  1681;  Jo- 
siah, born  Sept.  19,  1686;  Samuel;  Haviland, 
and  Jane. 

(VII)  Philip  Torrey,  son  of  William,  born 
at  Weymouth  May  2,  1681,  married  Mary 
Marsh,  daughter  of  Thomas  Marsh,  of  Wey- 
mouth. Their  children  were:  Philip,  born 
1713;  Josiah,  1720,  and  William,  1728. 

(VIII)  William  Torrey,  son  of  Philip,  born 
March  14,  1728,  in  Weymouth,  married  Aug. 
17,  1753,  Mehetable  Crane.  Mr.  Torrey  made 
his  home  in  the  north  part  of  the  town  of  Ab- 
ington,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming,  and 
there  died  July  6,  1815. 

(IX)  William  Torrey,  son  of  William  and 
Mehetable,  born  in  1768,  in  Weymouth,  re- 
moved to  the  town  of  Abington  with  his  pa- 
rents, and  there  he  grew  to  manhood,  and  be- 
came engaged  in  farming.  In  1790  he  moved 
to  the  home  of  Capt.  David  Hersey,  in  that  part 
of  Abington  now  Rockland,  and  there  worked 
for  Captain  Hersey.  A  year  later  he  started 
farming  for  himself  on  land  adjoining  the 
Hersey  farm,  this  tract  being  known  as  the  Pe- 
leg  Stetson  farm.  Here  he  became  extensively 
engaged  in  farming  and  cattle  dealing  and 
butchering.  For  years  he  was  connected  with  the 


1054 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


meat  business  at  Boston,  having  three  stalls  in 
the  Faneuil  Hall  market.  He  bought  his  cattle 
in  the  Brighton  market,  killed  and  dressed 
them  in  his  own  slaughter  house,  and  took  the 
meat  to  his  Boston  market,  being  assisted  In 
this  business  by  his  sons.  He  made  his  home 
on  the  farm  in  the  east  part  of  Abington,  now 
Eockland,  and  there  died  July  23,  1846.  On 
May  5,  1792,  he  married  Elizabeth  Hersey, 
daughter  of  Capt.  David  Hersey,  and  their 
children  were:  David,  born  Dec.  7,  1792; 
Eliza,  born  in  1794,  who  died  in  1797;  Wil- 
liam, born  July  4,  1797,  who  died  in  Hing- 
ham;  Josiah,  born  Xov.  29,  1798 ;  Harvey,  born 
July  27,  1801;  Eliza,  born  1803,  who  married 
Judson  Smith;  and  Maria,  born  in  August, 
1807,  who  married  in  1838  Isaiah  Jenkins,  and 
located  in  Maine. 

(X)  Josiah  Torrey,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  29,  1798,  was  educated  in 
the  local  schools,  and  worked  from  an  early  age 
on  the  farm  with  his  father,  also  assisting  in 
the  meat  business.  He  remained  at  home  un- 
til his  father's  death.  In  1848  he  embarked  in 
the  soap  manufacturing  business  with  James 
M.  Mansur,  under  the  firm  name  of  Torrey  & 
Mansur,  operating  the  plant  which  is  now 
owned  by  Josiah  Austin  Torrey,  his  son.  The 
partnership  continued  for  several  years,  when 
Mr.  Mansur  retired,  and  Josiah  Austin  Torrey 
became  a  partner  in  the  iirm  under  the  name 
of  Josiah  Torrey  &  Son,  and  as  such  the  busi- 
ness was  continued  until  the  death  of  the  elder 
Mr.  Torrey.  He  died  at  his  home  Jan.  31, 1880, 
in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  and  was 
buried  in  Mount  Pleasant  cemetery.  On  Jan. 
5,  1830,  he  married  Elizabeth  D.  Estes,  born  in 
Hanover,  Mass.,  April  12,  1812,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Experience  (Studley)  Estes,  of 
Hanover.  Mrs.  Torrey,  a  devoted  wife  and 
mother,  died  at  her  home  Jan.  10,  1893,  at  the 
age  of  eighty  years,  and  she,  too,  rests  in  Mount 
Pleasant  cemetery.  To  this  union  were  born 
children  as  follows :  Mary  L.,  born  Jan.  30, 
1831,  is  now  the  widow  of  Joseph  J.  Estes,  and 
resides  in  Rockland,  Mass. ;  Lucius  A.,  born 
Oct.  28,  1833,  died  Nov.  23,  1837 ;  Josiah  Aus- 
tin is  mentioned  below ;  Beulah  E.,  born  July 
20,  1837,  married  Nov.  4,  18.58,  Samuel  A. 
Walker,  of  Newton,  Mass.,  and  died  April  1, 
1890,;  Ann  Elizabeth,  born  April  21,  1839, 
married  May  6,  1858,  Charles  H.  Dill,  2d; 
Lucius  Alden,  born  April  7,  1841,  died  Aug. 
31,  1843;  Sarah  J.,  born  March  22,  1843,  mar- 
ried Oct.  12,  1861,  Henry  S.  Moulton,  of  San- 
ford,  Maine,  and  died  July  28,  1889 ;  Robert 
A.,  born  Jan.  14,  1845,  died  May  31,  1848; 
Clarissa,  born   Aug.   19,   1846,  resides  on  the 


old  homestead,  unmarried;  William  is  men- 
tioned below ;  Mehitable  R.,  born  Feb.  2,  1850, 
married  John  C.  Partridge  Jan.  1,  1879,  and 
resides  in  Rockland;  Ella  F.,  born  Oct.  10, 
1852,  is  deceased;  Ruth,  born  M^rch  28,  1854, 
is  unmarried. 

Charles  H.  Dill,  2d,  who  married  Ann 
Elizabeth  Torrey,  was  a  well-known  shoe  man- 
ufacturer in  Rockland  at  one  time  and  died  in 
Boston  Jan.  20,  1908.  His  remains  are  placed 
in  the  chapel  of  the  Massachusetts  Cremation 
Society  at  Forest  Hills,  Boston.  His  widow 
made  her  home  in  Boston,  where  she  died  Aug. 
14,  1910 ;  her  remains  are  also  in  the  chapel 
of  the  Massachusetts  Cremation  Society  at 
Forest  Hills,  Boston.  They  had  two  children, 
Annie  and  George  Albert.  The  latter  is  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business 
at  No.  73  Tremont  street,  Boston.  He  mar- 
ried Laura  Stoughton  Clark,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Dorothy  and  Ruth. 

(XI)  Josiah  Austin  Torrey,  son  of  Jo- 
siah and  Elizabeth  D.  (Estes),  was  born  on  the 
homestead  farm  Dec.  31,  1835.  He  attended 
public  school  in  the  winter  season,  and  worked 
on  the  farm  in  the  summer  time.  When  his 
father  engaged  in  the  soap  manufacturing  busi- 
ness he  became  employed  in  the  factory,  where 
he  learned  all  branches  of  the  work,  and  later 
he  became  a  partner  in  the  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  Josiah  Torrey  &  Son.  Since  his 
father's  death  in  1880  Mr.  Torrey  has  con- 
ducted the  business  alone,  although  now  over 
seventy-five  years  old,  and  is  still  active  and  in 
full  possession  of  all  his  faculties.  He  is  noted 
for  the  great  interest  he  takes  in  fishing  and 
hunting,  being  a  sportsman  in  the  true  sense  of 
the  word,  and  traveling  far  and  wide  in  search 
of  fish  and  game.  Mr.  Torrey  bears  an  envi- 
able reputation  for  a  high  sense  of  honor  and 
for  honesty  in  all  his  dealings.  He  is  a  good 
citizen  and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  his  town 
and  its  institutions.  He  was  for  years  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Rockland  National  Bank,  and  is  now 
president  of  the  Rockland  Savings  Bank,  an 
office  he  has  filled  with  credit  and  ability  for 
years.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has 
served  as  selectman  of  the  town.  He  is  a  firm 
believer  in  temperance,  as  was  his  father,  and 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  all  movements  tending 
toward  the  moral  uplift  of  the  town  and  its 
people.  He  is  a  member  of  Standish  Lodge, 
I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  Rockland,  and  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Rockland,  which  he  has 
served  as  trustee. 

On  Aug.  12,  1858,  in'  Bethel,  Maine,  Mr. 
Torrey  married  Arabella  Grover,  who  was 
born  Feb.  8,  1833,  in  Bethel,  Maine,  daughter 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1055 


of  George  Washington  and  Dolly  Ann  (Beane) 
Grover.  She  died  May  6,  1907,  and  was  buried 
in  Mount  Pleasant  cemetery.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  First  Congregational  Church.  Their 
children  were:  Josiah  Carleton,  born  Dec.  29, 
1861;  Arthur  Ehvood,  Jan.  23,  1865;  Harry 
Austin,  May  6,  1866 ;  and  Lena  Grover,  March 
18,  1870. 

(XII)  JosiAH  Caeleton  Tokkey,  son  of  Jo- 
siah  Austin  and  Arabella,  was  born  in  Kock- 
land  Dec.  29,  1861.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  and  high  schools  of  Rockland,  after 
which  he  entered  the  office  of  C.  W.  Howland, 
where  he  studied  surveying  and  civil  engineer- 
ing. He  later  took  a  course  in  civil  engineering 
in  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology, 
after  which  he  was  with  the  United  States  sur- 
vey in  western  Massachusetts.  Later  he  be- 
came assistant  engineer  at  Rockland  on  the  con- 
struction of  the  Abington  and  Rockland  water- 
works. He  filled  a  like  position  ■with  Mr. 
Boyce  in  Worcester,  and  later  settled  in  Whit- 
man, and  followed  his  profession.  For  three 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  street 
commissioners,  which  office  he  filled  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Whitman,  in  which 
he  held  the  office  of  deacon.  He  was  widely 
known,  and  was  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  married  Myrtie  G.  Gurney,  of  Rockland, 
and  had  one  child,  Mildred  6.,  bom  March  37, 
1890,  who  graduated  from  the  Whitman  high 
school  in  1908.  Mr.  Torrey  died  May  25, 1893, 
in  Whitman.    Fraternally  he  was  a  Mason. 

(XII)  Arthur  Elwood  Torrey,  son  of  Jo- 
siah  Austin,  was  born  on  the  homestead  Jan. 
23,  1865.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  and 
high  schools  of  Rockland,  and  all  his  life 
worked  in  the  soapmaking  business.  He  has 
been  engaged  as  a  mechanical  engineer  for  the 
past  few  years.  He  belongs  to  the  A.  0.  U.  W. 
and  the  Knights  of  Malta.  He  married  Grace 
Brooks,  of  Rockland. 

(XII)  Harry  Austin  Torrey,  son  of  Jo- 
siah  Austin,  born  May  6,  1866,  was  educated  in 
the  public  and  high  schools  of  Rockland,  and 
worked  first  with  his  father.  He  is  now  engaged 
in  the  poultry  business  and  market  gardening 
in  Rockland,  in  which  he  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. He  married  Sigride  Loyen,  and  they 
have  three  children :  Agnes  Arabella,  born  Oct. 
7,  1890;  Ragnhild  Elizabeth,  June  14,  1892; 
and  Josiah  Albert,  Feb.  20,  1896. 

(XII)  Lena  Grover  Torrey,  only  daugh- 
ter of  Josiah  Austin,  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic and  high  schools  of  Rockland,  and  now 
makes  her  home  with  her  father,  caring  for  him 
in  his  declining  years.    She  is  unmarried. 


(XI)  William  Torrey,  youngest  son  of  Jo- 
siah and  Elizabeth  D.  (Estes),  was  born  July 
16,  1848,  in  Rockland,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools.  He  has  made  his  home  all  his 
life  in  Rockland  where  for  several  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  clothing  business  as  a  partner 
of  F.  0.  Baker.  This  business  was  carried  on 
with  success  for  six  and  a  half  years,  but  on 
account  of  his  health  Mr.  Torrey  sold  out,  and 
has  ever  since  lived  retired  near  the  old  home 
of  his  father.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Rockland 
Savings  Bank.  He  and  his  wife  belong  to  the 
Congregational  Church,  in  which  he  is  a  trus- 
tee. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Frater- 
nally he  is  a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  Mr. 
Torrey  married  (first)  Nov.  23,  1872,  Harriet 
Burgess,  of  Hanover,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Burgess,  and  the  children  of  this  union 
were:  William  Archer,  born  Aug.  28,  1874, 
resides  at  Rockland;  Harwood  Gleesou,  born 
June  23,  1880,  married  Gertrude  Flynn,  of 
Abington;  Ethel  Burgess,  born  Nov.  30,  1881, 
married  Percy  M.  Smith,  and  resides  at  Ham- 
ilton, Ontario.  Mrs.  Torrey  died  June  5,  1904, 
and  Mr.  Torrey  married  (second)  Sept.  6, 
1906,  Clara  L.  Dodge,  of  New  York  State. 


(X)  Harvey  Torrey,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Hersey),  was  born  in  East  Abing- 
ton, now  Rockland,  on  the  homestead,  July  27, 
1801.  He  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  town.  At  an  early  age  he  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  butchering  and  cattle 
business,  managing  the  Boston  end  of 
the  business,  and  greatly  enlarging  it 
both  in  Boston  and  here,  and  through- 
out the  surrounding  towns.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  butchering  and  meat 
business  he,  for  many  years,  conducted  a  tan- 
ning business,  supplying  leather  to  the  local 
shoe  manufacturers.  A  few  years  later  he 
opened  a  general  store,  and  did  the  largest  busi- 
ness of  anyone  in  this  vicinity,  supplying  the 
families  within  a  radius  of  ten  or  more  miles 
with  all  kinds  of  merchandise  and  besides  do- 
ing considerable  farming.  He  was  a  broad- 
shouldered  man,  of  more  than  medium  height, 
and  possessed  great  physical  strength.  He  was 
a  man  of  strong  character,  yet  genial  and 
whole-souled.  Honest  and  upright  in  all  his 
dealings,  he-  was  not  only  a  prominent  but  a 
much  respected  citizen.  He  held  many  town 
offices,  was  a  magistrate  in  this  district,  repre- 
sented this  town  at  the  General  Court  in  1838- 
39,  and  in  his  younger  days  was  sergeant  in  the 
militia.  In  his  business  enterprises  he  pros- 
pered and  accumulated  for  those  days  A  large 
fortune.    He  built  his  home  on  Market  street. 


1056 


SOUTHEASTEEX  MASSACHUSETTS 


near  his  father's,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death,  March  9,  1855 ;  he  was  buried  in  Mount 
Vernon  cemetery. 

Mr.  Torrey  married  in  East  Abington  March 
9,  1826,  Lydia  Lane,  born  Xov.  1,  1803,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  and  Kachel  (Jenkins)  Lane.  She 
died  Sept.  16,  1886,  and  was  buried  in  Mount 
Vernon  cemetery.  Their  children  were :  James 
Harvey,  born  Aug.  23,  1828,  died  Feb.  6,  1853; 
Charles  William,  born  June  2,  1830,  is  men- 
tioned oelow;  Lydia  J.,  born  July  24,  1832, 
married  Jan.  20,  1853,  Samuel  P.  Keen  of 
Sumner,  Maine,  and  resided  at  East  Abington; 
Miranda,  born  March  6,  1835,  married  Nov. 
29,  1866,  Benjamin  F.  Hastings,  of  Whitman, 
and  she  died  Jan.  6,  1909 ;  David  Brainerd, 
born  June  29,  1837,  died  in  Rockland  April 
13,  1901,  married  April  24,  1858,  Mary  Jen- 
nie Nelson,  born  at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Nelson;  John  Elliott  married 
Abby  Bonney,  of  Sumner,  Maine,  Nov.  24, 
1864,  and  he  died  at  Brockton,  Oct.  18,  1901. 

(XI)  Charles  William  Torrey,  son  of  Har- 
vey, was  born  in  Rockland  June  2,  1830.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  And- 
over  Academy,  Andover.  After  leaving  school 
he  clerked  in  his  father's  store,  and  when  the 
latter  retired  from  business  the  son  continued 
in  the  store  for  some  time.  When  it  was  sold 
he  became  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  David  & 
E.  P.  Torrey,  then  engaged  in  the  dry  goods 
business  in  ,East  Abington.  There  he  contin- 
ued until  1857,  when  he  entered  the  shoe  busi- 
ness, manufacturing  fine  calf  boots  and  shoes, 
forming  a  partnership  with  T.  P.  Young,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Torrey  &  Young,  which 
business  was  continued  until  1860,  when  Mr. 
Torrey  bought  out  the  interest  of  his  partner 
and  carried  on  the  business  alone  under  the 
name  of  C.  W.  Torrey.  He  built  a  four-story 
factory  on  Vernon  street,  Rockland,  and  em- 
ployed some  two  hundred  skilled  workmen, 
turning  out  fifty  dozen  pairs  per  day,  which 
was  considered  a  large  business  for  the  times. 
All  the  latest  improvements  in  machinery  were 
employed.  The  firm  held  a  leading  position  in 
the  trade,  not  only  for  the  superiority  of  its 
output  but  for  its  progressive  policy  and  enter- 
prise and  its  liberality  and  promptness  in  all 
its  dealings.  Mr.  Torrey  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness until  1889,  or  for  thirty  years,  when  he  re- 
tired. Like  his  father  he  was  a  large  man  and 
of  strong  character.  He  was  a  director  in  and 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  First  National  Bank 
and  one  of  the  original  stockholders  in  the 
Street  Railway  and  Electric  Lighting  Com- 
panies, he  being  a  director  in  the  latter.  He 
was  a  trustee  of  the  Rockland  Savings  Bank 


and  was  one  of  a  committee  of  two  to  build  the 
Savings  Bank  block.  After  retiring  from  the 
manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes  Mr.  Torrey  was 
not  actively  employed,  but  dealt  considerably  in 
real  estate. 

He  married,  Jan.  21,  1853,  (first)  Hannah 
Smith,  born  June  18,  1834,  and  died  Aug.  19, 
1869,  daughter  of  Deacon  James  Smith.  Their 
only  child  was  Nettie  Judson,  who  married, 
April  29,  1891,  Amos  A.  Phelps,  and  resides 
in  Rockland.  Mr.  Torrey  married  (second) 
Dec.  20,  1870,  Emma  Josephine  Poole,  born 
March  13,  1849,  daughter  of  Micah  and  Sally 
(Hunt)  Poole,  and  granddaughter  of  Micah 
and  Nabby  (Holbrook)  Poole.  The  following 
children  were  born  to  the  second  marriage: 
William  Burton,  born  Sept.  30,  1871,  who  died 
Sept.  1,  1872;  George  Winthrop,  born  May  16, 
1873;  Harvey  Sears,  born  May  19,  1875,  who 
resides  at  Rockland,  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Hall  &  Torrey  (married  Emily  Poole)  ;  Alice 
Hastings,  born  Jan.  28,  1878  (married  June 
25,  1902,  James  A.  Terrell,  a  lawyer,  and  re- 
sides at  the  homestead)  ;  James  Harvey,  born 
Aug.  19,  1881,  who  graduated  from  Phillips 
(Exeter)  Academy,  and  from  Harvard  Univer- 
sity in  1902,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  New 
York  (married  in  February,  1911,  Mae  Lans,  of 
Boston).  Mr.  Torrey  died  at  his  home  April 
20,  1899,  and  was  buried  in  Mount  Vernon 
cemetery.  He  was  a  member  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church  and  fraternally  he  belonged 
to  Cutler  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Abington;  he 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club  and 
the  Union  Glee  Club.  Mrs.  Torrey  died  Sept. 
4,  1909,  and  is  buried  beside  her  husband. 

(XII)  George  Winthrop  Torrey,  son  of 
Charles  W.  and  Emma  J.  (Poole),  was  born 
May  16,  1873,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Rockland,  graduating  from  the  high 
school  in  the  class  of  1891,  and  from  the  Mas- 
sachusetts Institute  of  Technology  in  1895. 
After  completina;  his  education  he  entered  the 
employ  of  A.  W.  Perry  in  the  Church  Green 
Electric  Light  &  Power  Company  of  Boston, 
and  was  later  with  the  Edison  Electric  Illumi- 
nating Company,  of  Boston.  In  1907  he  started 
in  business  for  himself  as  an  electrical  engineer 
and  contractor,  with  offices  in  Boston.  Mr. 
Torrey  makes  his  home  in  Rockland.  He  is  a 
member  and  past  noble  grand  of  Standish 
Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  and  also  belongs  to  the 
grand  lodefe  of  the  State.  He  is  a  member  and 
vice-president  of  the  Union  Glee  Club. 

Mr.  Torrey  married  in  Brockton,  Mass.,  Oct. 
19,  1898,  Jennie  Francella  Starratt,  born  in 
Brockton,  daughter  of  Arthur  P.  Starratt.  Mrs. 
Torrey  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1057 


schools  of  Brockton,  where  she  was  graduated. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Club  of  Rock- 
land, and  takes  a  deep  interest  in  club  work. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Torrey:  Charles  W.,  born  July  18,  1899;  and 
Arthur  Starratt,  born  Feb.  31,  1902. 

POOLE  (Rockland  family).  This  family 
surname  as  first  written  was  De  La  Poole  (of 
the  Pool),  but  in  time  the  name  John  of  the 
Pool,  for  instance,  became  shortened  to  John 
Poole.  The  original  form  was  continued  to 
be  used  for  some  generations  after  the  original 
ancestor  in  England  came  over  with  William 
the  Conqueror  in  1066.  But  we  are  here  to 
review  only  a  particular  branch  of  the  New 
England  Poole  family,  that  which  for  designa- 
tion we  will  call  the  Weymouth-Abington 
branch,  and  the  particular  family  of  the  late 
Hon.  Franklin  Poole,  of  East  Abington  and 
Rockland,  who  was  long  one  of  the  forceful 
characters  of  his  community — a  typical  sturdy 
New  Englander,  who  left  his  impress  for  good 
in  the  community  in  which  he  wrought  his 
life  work,  a  most  honorable  and  successful 
business  man  and  a  leading  and  useful  citizen, 
as  was  his  father — Hon.  Micah  Poole — before 
him,  and  as  were  his  sons — the  late  Benjamin 
F.  Poole  and  the  late  Jerome  B.  Poole,  of 
Rockland,  the  latter  a  college-bred  man,  liber- 
ally educated  and  long  an  educator,  and  the 
former  the  father's  successor  in  business. 
These  sons  were  descendants  in  the  eighth  gen- 
eration from  their  first  American  ancestor, 
Capt.  Edward  Poole,  of  Weymouth,  from 
whom  their  descent  is  through  Joseph,  Joseph 
(2),  John,  John  (2),  Hon.  Micah  and  Hon. 
Franklin  Poole,  which  generations  in  detail 
and  in  the  order  named  follow. 

(I)  Capt.  Edward  Poole,  as  he  is  styled, 
aged  twenty-six  years,  came  from  Weymouth, 
England,  in  1635,  and  settled  in  Weymouth, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  through  life  and 
became  a  large  landholder.  He  gave  letters 
of  attorney  to  William  Pardon  to  collect  lega- 
cies due  his  wife  Sarah  from  Edmund  Pinney 
and  Elizabeth  Standerwick,  of  Broadway,  Som- 
ersetshire, 5,  10,  1645.  He  died  in  1664.  His 
will,  probated  Sept.  26,  1664,  bequeaths  to 
wife,  sons  Samuel,  Isaac,  Joseph,  Benjamin, 
John,  Jacob,  and  daughter  Sarah. 

(II)  Capt.  Joseph  Poole,  son  of  Edward, 
was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  named 
Elizabeth;  his  second  was  Mary  Shaw,  born 
Feb.  26,  1665,  daughter  of  John  Shaw.  Like 
his  father  he  is  styled  "captain"  and  became 
a  large  land  proprietor.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  the  original  owner  of  the  second  sawmill 

67 


in  Weymouth,  erected  in  1700,  on  the  Hersey 
river,  near  Little  Comfort.  He  resided  in 
Weymouth,  Mass.,  and  there  died  in  1706. 
His  will,  dated  April  11,  1706,  was  proved 
May  16th  of  that  year.  His  children  were: 
Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  6,  1674  (married  James 
Lovell)  ;  Susanna,  born  Dec.  17,  1679;  Mary, 
born  Jan.  26,  1681;  Benjamin,  born  Feb.  9, 
1682;  Margaret,  born  April  22,  1688;  Samuel, 
born  in  1690;  Joseph;  Abigail;  and  Isaac. 

(III)  Joseph  Poole  (2),  son  of  Joseph, 
born  in  1690,  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  married 
Ruth  Humphrey,  of  Weymouth,  born  Aug.  4, 
1687,  who  died  May  21^  1762.  They  resided 
in  Abington  Center,  Mass.,  where  Mr.  Poole 
died  May  21,  1762.  Their  children  were: 
John,  born  Oct.  24,  1707;  Ruth,  born  May  6, 
1710  (married  Josiah  Beal)  ;  and  Elizabeth, 
born  May  14,  1715  (married  William  Hol- 
brook). 

(IV)  John  Poole,  son  of  Joseph  (2),  born 
Oct.  24,  1707,  in  Weymouth,  Mass.,  married 
Jan.  4,  1733,  Mary,  born  Aug.  23,  1706,  in 
Weymouth,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Martha 
Pratt,  of  Weymouth.  Their  children  were: 
Joseph,-  who  is  said  to  have  removed  to  Con- 
necticut :  John,  born  in  1743 ;  Thomas,  and 
Micah. 

(V)  John  Poole  (2),  son  of  John,  born  in 
1743,  in  Weymouth,  married  in  1769  or  1770 
Sarah  Clark,  of  Braintree,  Mass.,  born  in 
1748,  and  died  in  1833,  in  Abington,  Mass. 
They  removed  to  Abington  the  year  of  their 
marriage  and  bought  a  farm  near  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  building  a  house  on  what 
later  became  Liberty  street.  Their  children 
were:  Sarah,  born  Jan.  23,  1771  (married 
Nathaniel  Howe) ;  Micah,  born  April  3,  1772; 
John,  born  June  17,  1776;  David,  born  May 
7,  1779;  Elias,  born  Jan.  23,  1781;  Elizabeth, 
bom  Dec.  1,  1782  (married  Charles  Whiting)  ; 
John  and  Clarissa  (twins),  born  May  20, 
1788. 

(VI)  Hon.  Micah  Poole,  son  of  John  (2), 
born  April  3,  1772,  married  Abigail  (Nabby) 
Holbrook,  a  native  of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  bap- 
tized June  7,  1778,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Hannah  (Torrey)  Holbrook.  Mr.  Poole  lived 
in  Abington,  Mass.,  where  he  was  a  leading 
citizen,  a  man  of  prominence  and  influence. 
He  was  selectman  of  the  town  in  1813  and 
for  eleven  years.  He  was  a  representative  to 
the  Massachusetts  General  Court  in  1828,  and 
again  in  1830,  1831,  1832,  1833,  1834  and 
1835.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee in  1829  and  1830,  and  a  justice  of  the 
peace  in  1834. 

The  children  of  Micah  and  Abigail  (Nabby) 


1058 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(Holbrook)  Poole  were  :  Edwin ;  Alfred ;  Ange- 
lina, born  Dec.  31,  1799;  Ludo,  born  in  1803; 
Mary  H.,  born  in  1804  (married  Zenas  Hol- 
brook) ;  Micah  H.;  Sally,  born  in  1810;  Frank- 
lin, born  in  1811;  Samuel  C,  born  in  1813; 
Cyrus,  born  in  1817;  Nathaniel;  and  Elizabeth 
(Betsey),  born  in  March,  1820  (married 
Stephen  Burrell). 

(VII)  Franklin  Poole,  son  of  Hon.  Micah 
and  Nabby  (Holbrook)  Poole,  was  bom  Sept. 
29,  1811,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Kock- 
land,  Mass.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  town  and  at  Phillips 
Andover  Academy.  Subsequently  lie  himself 
engaged  in  school  teaching,  following  it  for 
some  years,  working  during  the  intervals  be- 
tween schools  at  shoemaking  which,  then  as 
now,  was  the  principal  business  of  the  town. 
He  proved  a  good  manager,  saving  something 
each  year  as  the  years  came  and  went.  His 
wife,  a  woman  of  ability  and  remarkable 
energy  and  industry,  contributed  largely  to 
the  accumulations  of  her  husband  and  as  well 
to  his  business  success. 

Mr.  Poole,  with  two  of  his  brothers — Micah 
H.  and  Cyrus — went  to  California  on  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  there  in  1849.  He  engaged  in 
mining  for  about  a  year  and  a  half  and  with 
fair  success.  Returning  East  he  began  in  a 
small  way  in  the  general  merchandise  business 
in  his  native  town,  and  by  careful  managing 
of  his  affairs  accumulated  a  competence  for  a 
man  of  his  tastes  and  habits.  He  was  a  ca- 
pable, honorable  and  successful  business  man, 
one  conservative  and  safe.  He  was  quick  to 
act,  yet  careful  and  decided.  He  possessed 
rare  good  judgment  and  his  opinions  were  con- 
sidered good.  In  point  of  credit  in  business 
he  cared  more  for  what  a  man  was  than  for 
what  he  had. 

Mr.  Poole  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Abington  school  committee,  and 
later,  on  the  formation  of  the  new  town  of 
Rockland,  of  the  school,  committee  of  that 
town.  His  services  were  especially  valuable 
as  a  member  of  the  special  board  of  valuation 
for  Abington  in  1862.  He  was  for  a  number 
of  years  identified  with  the  Rockland  Savings 
Bank,  being  one  of  tlie  organizers  of  that  in- 
stitution, most  of  the  time  its  vice  president, 
and  a  member  of  the  board  of  investment ; 
these  relations  he  sustained  with  the  bank  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  from  the  start 
until  his  death  a  member  of  the  Rockland 
board  of  health. 

Mr.  Poole  was  not  only  honest  and  Just, 
but  he  had  no  use  whatever  for  shams,  for 
the  unreal.     One  day  he  met  the  pastor  of  his 


jiarish  near  a  church  then  in  process  of  con- 
struction, and  he  quite  sharply  criticized  the- 
building.  The  minister  said,  "Why,  it  is  in 
imitation  of  freestone."  Mr.  Poole  replied, 
"Confound  imitations.  Haven't  we  seen 
enough  of  them  to  teach  us  to  build  at  least 
our  churches  so  that  they  shall  honestly  be- 
what  they  seem?"  It  has  been  intimated  that 
Mr.  Poole  was  a  man  of  decided  convictions; 
he  was  all  that,  with  the  courage  to  express 
and  ability  to  defend  them. 

In  1880  Mr.  Poole  retired  from  the  exten- 
sive trade  and  business,  grocery  and  hardware, 
he  had  established  in  1851,  and  which  had 
been  developed  by  him  into  one  large  and  lu- 
crative, turning  it  over  to  his  son,  Benjamin 
F.  Poole,  who,  being  a  "chip  of  the  old  block," 
worthily  sustained  the  family  reputation. 

On  June  5,  1836,  Franklin  Poole  married- 
Ann  Sargent,  daughter  of  Joseph  Allen  Sar- 
gent, of  Wells,  Maine.  She  died  suddenly 
April  16,  1878.  He  married  (second)  June 
29,  1880,  Madeline  Hayden,  of  Quincy,  Mass. 
His  children  were:  (1)  Carrie,  born  July  26, 
1837,  married  James  F.  Claflin,  then  a  teacher 
of  Newton,  Mass.  She  had  been  a  teacher 
herself,  educated  at  Middleboro  and  at  Mount 
Holyoke  Seminary.  They  finally  settled  irt 
Lombard,  111.  She  died  en  route  home  from 
California,  where  she  had  been  for  her  health, 
at  Grand  Island,  Nebr.,  Nov.  3,  1875.  Their 
son  William  (now  deceased)  was  graduated 
from  Amherst  College  in  1883.  (2)  Charles 
Follen,  born  Sept.  13,  1839,  died  July  26, 
1840.  (3)  Benjamin  F.  was  bom  June  13, 
1842.     (4)  Jerome  B.  was  bom  Dec.  14,  1844. 

Hon.  Franklin  Poole  died  May  22,  1884,  at 
his  home  in  Rockland,  Mass.,  greatly  esteemed 
and  respected. 

(VIII)  Benjamin  Franklin  Poole,  son 
of  Franklin  and  Ann  (Sargent)  Poole,  was 
born  June  13,  1842,  in  the  old  Micah  Poole 
homestead  on  Liberty  street,  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Rockland,  Mass.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town  and  when  but  a  lad  of  twelve  years  began 
employment  in  the  general  store  conducted 
by  his  father,  continuing  so  occupied  until 
in  the  year  1870,  when  he  became  a  partner 
in  the  business.  On  the  death  of  his  father 
in  1884  Benjamin  F.  Poole  assumed  full  con- 
trol and  remained  in  active  connection  there- 
with until  1888,  when  he  retired  with  a  com- 
petence, after  being  engaged  in  business  thirty- 
four  years. 

Although  retiring  from  mercantile  business 
in  1888  Mr.  Poole  by  no  means  became  idle, 
for  besides  caring  for  his  own  estate  he  was 


/  •-:. 


/ 


L  1  C 


/^y'-^     ^-^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1059 


often  called  upon  to  settle  other  estates.  He 
had  ever  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  Eockland  and  given  of  his  time  and  advice 
in  such  public  matters  as  would  affect  its 
welfare.  In  his  early  manhood,  back  in  the 
si.xties,  he  was  active  in  the  old  volunteer  fire 
brigade,  then  the  only  means  of  fighting  fires. 
He  was  the  possessor  of  a  small  garden  engine 
to  which  at  first  was  attached  but  a  few  feet 
of  hose,  but  to  which  later  was  attached  from 
time  to  time  more  hose,  and  with  this  ap- 
paratus for  years  he  could  be  seen  at  all  fires 
hard  at  work  with  his  little  but  quite  effective 
ecjuipment.  He  kept  improving  this  means 
until  his  hose  measured  75  feet  and  his  engine 
could  throw  a  stream  over  the  tallest  building 
in  ithe  village.  Later,  on  the  organization  by 
the  village  of  a  fire  department,  of  which  he 
is  Jmown  as  the  "father,"  he  was  made  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  engineers,  and  for  some 
years  was  chief   engineer   of   the   department. 

Mr.  Poole  was  prominently  identified  with 
town  affairs ;  served  for  many  years  as  treas- 
urer of  the  Rockland  Commercial  Club;  was 
a  member  of  the  Union  Glee  Club;  and  was 
for  nearly  a  decade  president  of  the  Weymouth 
Agricultural  Society,  which  when  he  assumed 
charge  was  several  thousand  dollars  in  debt, 
which  he  liquidated,  besides  making  many  im- 
provements in  the  organization.  He  was  for 
some  twenty-five  years  or  more  a  member  of 
the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce.  He  was  a 
member  of  Standish  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.,  of  the 
Encampment,  and  of  the  Rebekah  Degree, 
Rose  Standish  Lodge. 

Mr.  Poole  was  a  lover  of  fine  hordes  and 
'through  life  had  been  the  owner  of  a  number 
of  good  ones,  among  them  "Dick,"  a  thorough- 
bred Morgan,  belonging  to  the  2 :40  class ; 
"Major,"  "Fannie"  and  "Nellie,"  the  latter 
a  finely  matched  pair  of  driving  animals. 
Then  there  were  "Mollie"  and  "Kitty"  and 
others,  and  as  these  outlived  their  usefulness 
he  cared  for  them  in  their  old  age  and  when 
they  died  gave  each  a  decent  burial  as  a  trib- 
ute to  their  noble  services,  their  good  qualities 
and  a  testimony  of  his  kind  heart  and  appre- 
ciation. 

Mr.  Poole,  too,  was  greatly  interested  in  the 
history  of  his  ancestors  and  active  in  the  Poole 
family  reunions  that  for  years  have  been  held 
annually,  he  being  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
association,  and  president  of  the  same. 

On  Aug.  11,  1862,  Mr.  Poole  married  Har- 
riet E.,  daughter  of  Reuben  Hunt,  of  East 
Abington  (now  Rockland),  Mass.  One  child 
was  born  to  this  union,  Annie  F.,  who  died 
March  15,  1864,  aged  five  months. 


Mr.  Poole  passed  away  at  his  home  in  Rock- 
land, Mass.,  on  May  5,  1911,  aged  sixty-nine 
years,  an4  is  buried  in  Mount  Vernon  ceme- 
tery,  at   Abington,   Massachusetts. 


Hunt.  Mrs.  Poole  traces  her  lineage  in 
the  Hunt  line  back  to  the  first  of  the  name 
to  come  to  these  shores,  Enoch  Hunt.  We 
give  the  family  record  from  him  to  the  present. 

(I)  Enoch  Hunt,  a  resident  of  Titenden, 
in  the  parish  of  Lee,  England,  with  his  son 
Ephraim  came  to  this  country,  where  at  New- 
port he  was  admitted  a  freeman  in  1638.  He 
became  an  early  settler  at  Weymouth,  there  in 
1640;  was  town  officer,  1651.  His  wife 
Dorothy,  formerly  the  Widow  Barker,  sur- 
vived him  and  married  John  King.  He  died 
before  1647,  when  Dorothy's  lands  are  men- 
tioned in  deeds  of  abutting  tracts.  In  her 
will  dated  14th  of  4th  month,  1662,  probated 
21st  of  6th  month,  1652,  she  bequeaths  to 
daughter  Sarah  Hunt,  referred  to  Ephraim 
Hunt  and  to  children  Joseph  and  Ruth  Barker 
and  Susanna  Heath.  Mr.  Hunt  had,  at  Wey- 
mouth, Sarah,  born  July  4,  164u. 

(II)  Ephraim  Hunt,  of  Weymouth,  son  of 
Enoch,  married  (first)  Anna  Richards,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Welthean  Richards,  and 
sister  of  William  Richards,  of  Ebbett,  Brins- 
mead,  England.  Mr.  Hunt  was  a  blacksmith 
of  Weymouth.  In  1646  he  gave  a  letter  of 
attorney  for  collection  of  property  in  Beacons- 
field,  Bucks,  formerly  of  John  Hunt  of  Winch- 
mere  Hill,  in  Agmondsham  parish.  He  died 
Feb.  22,  1686-87.  His  estate  was  £502,  Is. 
His  children  born  to  the  first  marriage  were : 
John,  Thomas  and  Ephraim ;  and  those  to  the 
second  were :  William,  Enoch  and  Joseph. 

(III)  Ephraim  Hunt  (2),  of  Weymouth, 
son  of  Ephraim,  married  Joanna  Alcock, 
daughter  of  Dr.  John  Alcock  and  granddaugh- 
ter of  Richard  Palgrave,  of  Charlestown.  Mr. 
Hunt  served  as  captain  in  the  Canada  expedi- 
tion, 1690,  and  was  colonel  in  the  expedition 
at  Groton  against  the  Indians,  1706-07,  etc. 
In  17.36  a  grant  of  land,  called  Huntstown, 
was  conveyed  to  his  heirs;  this  was  settled  in 
1742  and  incorporated  in  1764,  and  is 'now 
Ashfield.  Mrs.  Hunt  died  March  20,  1746. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt  were: 
John,  Samuel,  Joanna,  John  (2),  Peter,  Wil- 
liam, Ebenezer,  Thomas,  Elizabeth,  Sarah,, 
iMercy  and  Ephraim. 

(IV)  Thomas  Hunt,  son  of  Ephraim  (2), 
born  May  6.  1696,  married  (first)  Dec.  19, 
1717,  Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  4,  1694,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  Reed,  and  (second)  Jan. 
20,    1737,    Judith     Short,    daughter    of    Rev. 


1060 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Matthew  Short,  of  Albany.  His  children  were : 
Sarah  and  twin,  born  March  8,  1719;  Thomas, 
born  Jan.  6,  1721 ;  Joanna,  born  'Sept.  85, 
1728;  John,  born  April  5,  1724;  James,  born 
Feb.  16,  1728;  Elizabeth,  born  Jan.  4,  1730; 
Isaac,  born  June  12,  1731 ;  Mercy,  born  Feb. 

2,  1733;  Benoni,  born  May  23,  1736;  Mat- 
thew, born  in  August,  1737;  Judith,  born  Feb. 
16,  1739;  Obed,  born  Sept.  25,  1741;  Sarah, 
born   Sept.   29,   1743;   and   Peter,   born   April 

3,  1745. 

(V)  Thomas  Hunt  (2),  of  Weymouth,  born 
Jan.  6,  1721,  married  Dec.  29,  1743,  Lydia 
Burrell,  and  their  children  were:  Lydia,  born 
Dec.  14,  1744;  Thomas,  born  Dec.  5,  1746; 
Ebenezer,  born  Feb.  22,  1748;  Elizabeth,  born 
March  9,  1750;  and  Robert,  born  in  1752. 

(VI)  Thomas  Hunt  (3),  son  of  Thomas 
(8),  born  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Abing- 
fon,'  Dec.  5,  1746,  married  (first)  E.xperience 
Thayer,  Oct.  27,  1768.  She  died  April  30, 
1798,  and  he  married  (second)  Sept.  2,  1798, 
Selah  Shaw,  who  died  May  10,  1820.  He  mar- 
ried (third)  Aug.  28,  1820,  Mary  Pratt,  who 
died  April  10,  1887,  aged  forty-three  years. 
His  .  death  occurred  Feb.  18,  1823,  in  his 
seventy-seventh  year.  Children  as  follows 
were  born  to  his  first  marriage :  Sarah,  May 
18,  1770;  Thomas,  Feb.  25,  1772;  Lydia, 
Dec.  31,  1775;  Noah,  March  16,  1778;  Bet- 
sey, Aug.  16,  1780;  David,  Jan.  30,  1783; 
Silas,  Feb.  14,  1785;  Elias,  Feb.  19,  1787; 
Reuben,  Nov.  16,  1790;  Warren,  April  17, 
1794. 

(VII)  Reuben  Hunt,  son  of  Thomas  (3) 
and  Experience  (Thayer),  born  in  the  town 
of  Abington,  Mass.,  Nov.  16,  1790,  made  his 
home  there.  He  married  Aug.  19,  1813,  Nancy 
Smith,  and  they  had  children  born  as  follows: 
Nancy,  Jan.  19,  1814  (married  Thomas  Reed, 
Jan.  28,  1834)  ;  Mary  R.,  Dec.  20,  1815  (mar- 
ried April  23,  1834,  Zenas  Jenkins)  ;  Betsey, 
March  8,  1818  (married  Philander  Shaw)  ; 
Harriet  Smith,  April  11,  1820  (married  Aug. 
3,  1841,  Jonathan  Howland)  ;  Hannah  Smith, 
April  14,  1822  (married  Nov.  22,  1840,  Sum- 
ner Shaw)  ;  Reuben.  May  12,  1824. 

(VIII)  Reuben  Hunt  (2),  son  of  Reuben, 
born  on  North  Main  street,  in  East  Abington, 
in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Rockland,  May  12, 
1824,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  locality.  While  still  young  he  became  a 
olerk  in  the  store  of  Maj.  Joseph  Hunt,  who 
conducted  a  grocery  business  at  Chamberlain's 
corner,  near  the  Catholic  Church  at  Center 
Abington.  He  later  drove  a  peddler's  cart 
and  from  that  he  turned  to  the  manufacture 
of  shoes,  later  forming'  a  partnership  in  this 


line  with  Ira  Lowell  and  Sumner  Shaw  (his 
brother-in-law)  under  the  firm  name  of  Hunt 
&  Lowell.  They  did  business  together  for 
several  years,  when  Mr.  Hunt  became  engaged 
in  the  cattle  business,  having  as  partners  Lor- 
ing  Tirrell,  of  South  Weymouth,  and  Edward 
Dwelley,  of  North  Hanover.  They  drove  cat- 
tle from  Brighton  and  sold  them  to  the  farm- 
ers throughout  this  section.  Later  Mr.  Hunt 
became  interested  in  horses  and  became  a 
well  known  dealer,  importing  horses  from 
Canada  which  he  disposed  of  in  the  surround- 
ing towns.  After  giving  up  the  cattle  and 
horse  business  he  engaged  in  the  carriage  in- 
dustry, buying  and  selling  at  wholesale  and 
retail,  and  continued  in  this  line  successfully 
for  thirty-five  years,  until  his  retirement. 
From  that  time  on  he  devoted  himself  to  his 
extensive  real  estate  interests  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  his  home  on  Reed  street,  in 
Rockland,  Jan.  14,  1908.  He  was  buried  in 
the  family  lot  in  Mount  Vernon  cemetery,  at 
Abington.  Mr.  Hunt  was  at  the  time  of  his 
death  one  of  the  oldest  as  well  as  one  of  the 
best  known  residents  of  Rockland.  Over 
eighty-three  years  of  age,  he  had  been  widely 
known  in  his  .section  of  the  State  in  his  various 
business  associations,  in  all  of  which  he  was 
respected  for  excellent  judgment  and  the 
strictest  integrity. 

On  Aug.  15,  i844,  Mr.  Hunt  married  Har- 
riet E.  Cushing,  daughter  of  Maj.  John  Gush- 
ing, of  Nortli  Abington,  and  her  death  pre- 
ceded his  by  only  a  few  days,  taking  place  Jan. 
1,  1908,  after  a  long  illness.  Three  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt :  Harriet 
Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  10,  1845,  widow  of  Ben- 
jamin F.  Poole,  of  Rockland  ;  Reuben  Wallace, 
born  March  12,  1850,  president  of  the  South 
Weymouth  Savings  Bank ;  and  Charles  E., 
born  Jan.  15,  1854,  who  died  aged  about 
twenty-nine  years. 

(VIII)  Jerome  Bonaparte  Poole,  son  of 
Franklin  and  Ann  (Sargent)  Poole,  was  bom 
Dec.  14,  1844,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Rockland,  Mass.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  town,  was  graduated  from 
the  East  Abington  high  school  in  1862,  and 
was  prepared  for  college  at  Phillips  Exeter 
Academy.  He  then  entered  Harvard  Univer- 
sity, from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1867. 
Soon  after  his  graduation  he  took  up  the  voca- 
tion of  teacher  and  followed  it  for  the  best 
part  of  his  life.  His  first  position  was  as 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  North  Abing- 
ton and  after  a  few  years  there  he  was  prin- 
cipal of  the  high  schools  in  Stoughton  Center 
and  Walpole.     On   Nov.   18,   1873,  he  took  a 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1061 


position  as  teacher  in  tlie  English  liigh  school 
in  Boston.  Shortly  after  he  was  promoted  to 
master  and  he  filled  that  position  for  about 
twenty-six  years,  retiring  about  ten  years  be- 
fore his  death  on  account  of  his  failing  health. 
He  thereafter  led  a  retired  lite  at  his  home 
on  School  street  in  Rockland. 

Mr.  Poole  was  vitally  interested  in  Rock- 
land. He  was  much  interested  in  the  public 
library  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  build- 
ing committee  of  the  new  memorial  library 
building,  which  has  recently  been  completed, 
at  the  corner  of  Union  and  Belmont  streets. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  library  trustees,  and 
as  a  token  of  respect  the  library  was  closed 
during  the  funeral  services.  He  took  an  active 
interest  in  the  schools  and  served  for  a  time 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  was  also 
instrumental,  with  his  brother  Benjamin  F. 
Poole,  in  organizing  the  Poole  family  asso- 
ciation, and  had  served  as  its  secretary  for 
several  years.  He  always  acted  as  master  of 
ceremonies   at    the    yearly   family    reunions. 

Mr.  Poole  was  a  member  of  the  Rockland 
Commercial  Club  and  the  Union  Glee  Club 
of  Rockland.  He  jdned  Standish  Lodge,  I. 
0.  0.  F.,  in  1876,  and  served  as  noble  grand. 
Mr.  Poole  was  a  genial  man  to  meet  and  an 
interesting  conversationalist.  He  was  often 
called  upon  to  act  as  toastmaster  at  social 
functions  in  town  and  his  witticisms  always 
made  him  a  great  favorite. 

On  July  6,  1868,  Mr.  Poole  was  married  to 
Eurilla  A.  Shaw,  of  East  Abington,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Sumner  and  Hannah  (Hunt) 
Shaw,  of  East  Abington,  Mass.  She  died  Aug. 
39,  1880.  By  this  union  there  was  one  child, 
Grace  L.  Early  in  December,  1905,  Mr.  Poole 
with  his  daughter,  went  to  Southern  Pines, 
N.  C,  to  spend  the  winter  months  and  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health.  He  had  been  suffer- 
ing with  valvular  heart  trouble  for  some  years, 
but  when  he  left  his  home  was  in  his  usual 
health.  Some  days  before  his  death  he  caught 
cold,  which  developed  into  pneumonia,  and  he 
died  Jan.  21,  1906.  His  remains  ft'ere  brought 
to  Rockland  and  funeral  services  were  held 
at  the  Unitarian  Church  on  Wednesday  fol- 
lowing, services  being  conducted  by  Rev.  Wil- 
liam R.  Lord,  pastor  of  the  church,  assisted 
'  by  a  former  pastor.  There  was  a  large  attend- 
ance of  relations  and  friends  from  Rockland 
and  neighboring .  towns.  Delegations  were 
present  from  Standish  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
Rockland  Encampment,  and  Mr.  Poole's  class 
— 1867—  of  Harvard  University.  He  was 
buried  at  Mount  Pleasant  cemetery,  at  Rock- 
land. 


MATTHEW  LUCE,  deceased,  who  for  a 
number  of  years  was  a  well-known  wool  mer- 
chant of  Boston,  being  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Luce  &  Manning  of  that  city,  was  a 
native  of  New  Bedford.  The  Luce  family  of 
Bristol  county,  Mass.,  descend  from  Henry 
Luce,  the  first, of  the  name  in  New  England, 
who  located  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  where  he 
died  prior  to  1689. 

Martin  Luce,  grandfather  of  Matthew  Luce, 
and  a  direct  descendant  of  Henry,  died  in  Tis- 
bury  Jan.  25,  1817,  aged  fifty-six  years.  He 
and  his  wife  Lydia  had  children  as  follows :  Lu- 
cretia,  baptized  Nov.  25,  1795;  John,  baptized 
May  24,  1798;  Jacob  Clifford,  baptized  May 
30,  1804;  Matthew,  baptized  May  30,  1804; 
Richard,  baptized  Dec.  19,  1805. 

Capt.  Matthew  Luce,  son  of  Martin  and  Ly- 
dia Luce,  born  about  1801,  baptized  May  30, 
1804,  at  Tisbury,  Mass.,  was  in  early  life  a  sea- 
faring man  in  the  merchant  service,  becoming 
master  of  a  vessel.  He  located  in  New  Bed- 
ford, where  he  later  became  prominently  iden- 
tified with  business  interests,  imtil  his  death, 
Jan.  2,  1853,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders — in  1846 — and  prin- 
cipal stockholders  of  the  Wamsutta  Mills,  in 
New  Bedford,  the  first  cotton  mills  to  be  estab- 
lished in  that  town.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
directors  of  the  Pacific  Insurance  Company, 
which  was  founded  in  the  year  1839.  He  mar- 
ried Hepsa  Coffin. 

Matthew  Luce,  son  of  Capt.  Matthew  and 
Hepsa  (Coffin)  Luce,  was  born  Feb.  37,  1843, 
in  New  Bedford.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he 
decided  to  enter  upon  a  mercantile  life  and  went 
to  Boston  for  the  purpose.  As  a  boy  he  was 
first  employed  in  the  store  in  Boston  of  what 
was  at  the  time  Faulkner,  Kimball  &  Co.,  now 
Faulkner,  Page  &  Co.  Mr.  Robert  C.  Billings, 
who  was  then  a  member  of  the  firm,  formed  a 
great  attachment  for  Mr.  Luce.  The  latter  con- 
tinued in  the  employ  of  the  firm  for  some  years, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  wool  business  on  his 
own  account,  forming  the  firm  of  Manning  & 
Luce,  the  style  of  firm  later  becoming  Luce  & 
Manning,  who  continue  to  do  a  large  business 
on  Federal  street ;  Mr.  Billings  for  some  years 
was  a  silent  partner  in  the  concern. 

Through  his  keen  business  ability,  his  tact, 
energy  and  industry,  Mr.  Luce  soon  forged  his 
way  to  prominence  in  the  business  life  of  Bos- 
ton. He  was  connected  with  several  banking 
institutions  there  and  was  one  of  the  directors 
of  the  First  National  Bank  in  New  Bedford. 
He  was  instrumental  in  securing  the  gift  some 
years  ago  of  $95,000  to  local  charities  from  the 
estate  of  Mr.  Billings.  In  the  latter's  will  large 


1062 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


sums  were  left  to  charitable  and  educational  in- 
stitutions, including  the  Massachusetts  Gen- 
eral Hospital  and  Harvard  University.  The 
residue  was  turned  into  tlie  charities  of  his 
native  city  as  soon  as  the  estate  was  settled 
and  the  money  available. 

Mr.  Luce  never  forgot  his  bbyhood  home  or 
lost  interest  in  it  and  its  people.  He  fre- 
quently visited  New  Bedford,  and  some  two 
years  or  more  before  his  death  he  told  his  sis- 
ters there  that  if  it  were  possible  he  would 
have  a  share  of  the  residue  of  the  Billings  fund 
given  to  the  charities  in  New  Bedford.  His 
proposed  distribution  was  sanctioned  by  the 
court  and  later,  when  at  New  Bedford,  the 
Christmas  before  his  death,  on  a  visit  to  his 
sisters,  he  announced  to  them  the  successful 
accomplishment  of  his  intentions,  which  later 
was  made  public. 

Mr.  Luce  died  suddenly  of  heart  trouble  Feb. 
6,  1903,  at  his  home  on  Marlboro  street,  Bos- 
ton, when  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Rural  cemetery,  at  New 
Bedford. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Luce  the 
Boston  Herald  said  editorially :  "In  the  death 
of  Matthew  Luce,  Boston  loses  a  leading  mer- 
chant, the  wool  trade  loses  a  tower  of  strength, 
and  banking  and  financial  circles  lose  a  coun- 
sellor of  pronounced  activity  and  foresight. 
His  sudden  death  comes  like  a  great  shock  to 
the  business  world,  to  the  firm  of  which  he 
was  the  founder  and  executive  leader,  and, 
above  all,  to  his  family.  Always  courteous  to 
everybody,  and  especially  genial,  he  made  hosts 
of  friends  and  few  enemies.  To  his  last  mo- 
ments, almost,  his  happy  turn  of  mind  never 
.  left  him.  He  died  as  he  had  always  lived,  with 
some  happy  and  mirthful  thought  uppermost  in 
his  mind.  If,  in  the  land  of  the  blest,  human 
souls  are  weighed  from  the  balance  of  good 
cheer  and  happiness  spread  in  this  life,  that  of 
Matthew  Luce  will  be  in  the  front  ranks  for- 
ever." 

Matthew  Luce  married  in  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  Nov.  2,  18r34,  Elizabeth  Smith  Tucker, 
born  in  New  Bedford,  daughter  of  William  and 
Abby  (Wood)  Tucker.    They  had  two  children : 

(1)  Matthew,  who  is  engaged  in  the  wool  busi- 
ness in  Boston,  married  Mary  Hovey,  of  Bos- 
ton ;  they  have  two  children.  Matthew,  Jr.  and 
Alice,  and  make  their  home  in  Cohasset,  Mass. 

(2)  Edith,  who  married  Stephen  Pearson 
Brown,  resides  in  New  York. 

Mrs.  Luce  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  old- 
est families  of  New  Bedford,  the  first  American 
ancestor  being 

(I)   Henry  Tucker,  of  Sandwich,  who  pur- 


chased April  15,  1669,  of  his  friend,  William 
Allen,  of  that  town,  the  latter's  one-third  share 
of  Dartmouth  lands,  paying  him  for  these  fif- 
teen pounds,  he  then  being  called  of  Milton. 
Leonard  supposes  that  this  Henry  Tucker  was 
the  son  of  Robert  Tucker,  of  Weymouth,  1638, 
who  later  removed  to  that  part  of  Dorchester 
now  Milton,  where  he  was  representative  in 
1669,  1680  and  1681.  The  one-third  share  al- 
luded to  above  came  to  Mr.  Allen  by  his  wife 
Priscilla,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Peter  Brown 
of  tlie  "Mayflower,"  by  his  second  wife.  The 
Christian  name  of  the  wife  of  Henry  Tucker 
was  Martha,  and  their  children  were :  Abraham, 
born  Oct.  30,  1653;  John,  born  Aug.  18,  1656; 
Martha,  born  July  11,  1659;  Hannah,  born 
July  35,  1662;  James,  born  March  16,  1666; 
Mary,  born  Aug.  16,  1668;  and  Sarah,  born 
Sept.  20,  1674.  The  parents  died,  Mr.  Tucker 
21st  of  2d  month,  1691,  and  Mrs.  Tucker  36th 
of  9th  month,  1675,  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 

(II)  Abraham  Tucker,  born  Oct.  30,  1653, 
married  (first)  Oct.  26,  1679,  Mary  Slocum, 
who  died  Sept.  21,  1689,  and  (second)  Hannah 
Mott,  who  died  in  12th  month,  1751.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Henry,  born  30th  of  8th  month, 
1680;  Mary,  born  1st  of  12th  month,  1683; 
Martha  and  Patience,  born  28th  of  9th  month, 
1686;  Abigail,  born  31st  of  10th  month,  1688; 
Elizabeth,  born  24tli  of  6th  month,  1691 ;  Sa- 
rah, born  22d  of  2d  month.  1693;  Content, 
born  13th  of  1st  month,  1695;  Abraham,  born 
5th  of  1st  month,  1697;  Joanna,  born  14th  of 
8th  month,  1699;  Ruth,  born  16th  of  10th 
month,  1701 ;  and  Hannah,  born  22d  of  3d 
month,  1704. 

(III)  Abraham  Tucker  (2),  son  of  Abra- 
ham, born  5th  of  1st  month,  1697,  married 
(first)  1st  of  1st  month,  1731-23,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  John  Russell.  She  died  9th  of  8th 
month,  1734,  and  he' married  (second)  4th  of 
3d  month,  1736,  Hannah,  daughter  of  Tris- 
trim  Hall,  of  South  Kingstown,  R.  T.,  who 
died  in  1787.  His  children  were:  Rebecca, 
born  31st  of  10th  month,  1722;  James,  born 
2d  of  7th  month,  1724;  Abraham,  born  22d  of 
4th  month,  1739 ;  John,  born  33d  of  2d  month, 
1731;  John  (3),  born  31st  of  11th  month, 
1732;  Samuel,  born  39th  of  5th  month,  1734; 
Elizabeth,  born  29th  of  5th  month,  1735;  Han- 
nah, born  22d  of  5th  month,  1737;  Abraham, 
born  3d  of  3d  month,  1739  ;  David,  born  9th 
of  9th  montii,  1741 ;  Sarah,,  born  5th  of  10th 
month,  1743;  Rebecca,  born  14th  of  7th  month, 
1745;  Joanna,  born  17th  of  6th  month,  1749; 
and  Jonathan,  born  14th  of  9th  month,  1751. 
The  father  died  16th  of  6th  month,  1776. 

(IV)  Jonatlian    Tucker,    son    of    Abraham 


SOUTHEASTERN"  MASSACHUSETTS 


1063 


(2),  born  14th  of  9th  month,  1751.  married 
6th  of  6th  month,  1771,  Mehetabel,  daughter 
■of  William  Mosher.  Their  children  were: 
Elizabeth,  born  25th  of  6th  month,  1772;  Sa- 
rah, born  27th  of  2d  month,  1774;  Hannah, 
born  6th  of  3d  month,  1776  ;  Abraham,  born  2d 
of  5th  month,  1778;  Mehetabel,  born  10th  of 
2d  month,  1780;  Mehetabel  (2),  born  10th  of 
7th  month,  1782;  William,  born  14th  of  7th 
month,  1788;  Rebecca,  born  17th  of  5th  month, 
1791;  and  David,  born  2d  of  5th  month,  1795. 

(V)  Capt.  William  Tucker,  son  of  Jona- 
than, born  14th  of  7th  month,  1788,  married 
Sarah  Howland,  born  July  14,  1795.  Their 
children  were:  William,  born  Sept.  12,  1815; 
Elizabeth  M.,  born  Feb.  6,  1817;  Mehetabel, 
born  Dec.  18,  1819;  Abigail  W.,  born  No?.  21, 
1821 ;  and  Charles,  born  July  15,  1824. 

(VI)  William  Tucker,  son  of  Capt.  William, 
born  Sept.  12,  1815,  married  Abby  Wood. 
Among  their  children  was  Elizabeth  Smith, 
who  married  Matthew  Luce.  Mrs.  Luce  now 
makes  her  home  in  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

BARXEY  (New  Bedford  family).  The  Bar- 
ney family  is  an  ancient  and  honored  one  in 
the  early  annals  of  Salem,  Mass.,  and  the  New 
Bedford  Barneys  spring  from  the  Salem  race 
through  a  son  of  the  immigrant  ancestor  who 
located  in  Ancient  Rehoboth. 

The  especial  New  Bedford  Barney  family 
here  treated  is  that  the  head  of  which  was 
George  Barney,  a  prominent  ship  owner,  large- 
ly engaged  in  whaling. 

Jacob  Barney,  perhaps  a  son  of  Edward  Bar- 
ney, of  Bradenham,  County  of  Bucks,  England, 
who  in  his  will  of  1643  makes  a  bequest  to  his 
son  Jacob  "If  he  be  living  at  time  of  ray  death 
and  come  over  to  England,"  came  to  this  coun- 
try and  located  at  Salem,  Mass.,  1634.  He  was 
made  a  freeman  May  14,  1634,  and  was,  says 
Felt,  "an  intelligent  merchant,"  and  "often  se- 
lectman and  deputy  to  the  General  Court. . . . 

The  loss  of  such  men  as  Mr.  Barney 

is  not  easily  supplied."  He  opposed  the  sus- 
tenance of  the  General  Court  against  those  who 
petitioned  for  freer  franchise.  He  died  at 
Salem  April  28,  1673,  aged  seventy-three,  leav- 
ing a  widow,  Elizabeth.  Pope's  "Pioneers  of 
Massachusetts"  says  that  an  Anna  Barney  was 
a  member  of  the  church  at  Salem  in  1637,  and 
queries  whether  she  was  not  his  wife.  In  the 
settlement  of  his  estate,  Sept.  30,  1673,  the  re- 
lict Elizabeth  is  called  the  mother  of  Jacob 
Barney  (2),  only  son  of  the  deceased,  and  he 
is  called  her  son.  As  he  was  born  in  England 
"before  1634,  Anna  could  not  have  been  the 
wife  of  his  father  in  1637.     The  children  of 


Jacob  and  Elizabeth  were:  Jacob,  born  in 
'  England;  Sarah,  who  died  in  November,  1662; 
Hannah;  and  John.  Of  these,  Jacob  Barney 
was  a  Baptist  minister  and  founded  churches  in 
Charlestown  and  Swansea,  and  is  probably  the 
one  who,  in  1668,  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  First  Baptist  Society  in  Boston.  From 
Salem  he  removed  not  earlier  than  1673  (for 
one  of  his  children  was  born  in  Salem  that 
year)  to  Bristol  and  Rehoboth.  He  married 
(first)  in  Salem,  Aug.  18,  1657,  Hannah  John- 
son, who  died  June  5,  1659.  He  married  (sec- 
ond) April  26,  1660,  Ann  Witt,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  Witt,  who  died  at  Rehoboth 
March  17,  1701.  His  will  was  made  July  13, 
1692,  and  probated  Feb.  20,  1693,  wife  Ann 
executrix.  His  children  were:  Josiah  (  ?)  ; 
Hannah,  born  March  2,  1660-61 ;  Sarah,  born 
12th  of  7th  month,  1662;  Abigail,  born  31st 
of  8th  month,  1663 ;  John,  born  in  6th  month, 
1665;  Jacob,  born  21st  of  3d  month,  1667; 
Ruth,  born  27th  of  7th  month,  1669 ;  Dorcas, 
born  22d  of  2d  month,  1671;  Israel,  born  June 
17,  1675;  Johnathan,  born  March  29,  1677; 
Samuel,  born  10th  of  12th  month,  1678;  and 
Hannah  (2),  born  6th  of  12th  month,  1680. 

Johnathan  Barney,  son  of  Jacob  (2),  born 
3d  month,  29,  1677,  married  Sarah  Griffin. 
He  moved  from  Rhode  Island  to  Nantucket. 
Their  son, 

Benjamin  Barney,  born  4th  month,  13,  1699, 
died  4th  month.  14,  1783.  He  married  (first) 
1st  month,  31,  1722  (0.  S.),  Lydia  Starbuck, 
of  Nantucket,  daughter  of  Jethro  and  Dorcas 
(Bayer)  Starbuck  (Nantucket  Friends'  Rec- 
ords, Book  I,  page  23,  1722).  She  was  born 
9th  month,  15,  1704,  and  died  4th  month,  2, 
1751.  His  second  marriage  was  to  Huldah ' 
Bunker,  widow  of  Simeon,  and  daughter  of 
Bachelor  Hussey  (Ibid.,  page  221).  Phebe 
Barney,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Huldah 
(Bunker)  Barnev,  married  Joseph  Swain  (W. 
C.  Folger  MS.,  Barney  Family).  The  Folger 
MS.  also  shows  that  Jonathan  Barney  married 
Abial  Coffin,  daughter  of  Barnabas  Coffin. 

Benjamin  Barney,  of  Nantucket,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Lydia,  married  Jemima  Jenkins; 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Abigail  Jenkins  (Nan- 
tucket Friends'  Records,  page  217,  1753).  He 
was  born  8th  month,  8,  1732,  and  died  6th 
month,  2,  1803.  His  wife,  Jemima,  born  6th 
month,  24,  1732,  died  1st  month,  18,  1768. 
They  were  married  10th  month,  17,  1753. 
Their  son  was  Peter  Barney. 

According  to  Nantucket  Town  Records,  Book 
I,  page  34,  1726,  one  Jacob  Barney  married 
Dorcas  Barnard,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 
Dorcas  Barnard. 


1064 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Peter  Barney,  of  Dartmouth  and  New  Bed- 
ford, born  29th  of  8th  month,  1757,  died  9th 
of  2d  month.  1853.  From  Mr.  Daniel  Eicket- 
son's  book,  "New  Bedford  of  the  Past,"  we 
quote  the  following:  "Peter  Barney  wore  the 
primitive  Quaker  costume.  He  died  at  an  ad- 
vanced age  at  his  house  on  the  corner  of  Third 
and  School  streets.  He  was  a  native  of  Nan- 
tucket and  a  cousin  of  William  Eotch,  Jr.  He 
sat  on  the  second  rising  seat  or  the  one  below 
the  ministers,  and  elders,  at  the  Friends' 
meetinghouse,  that  is,  'facing  the  meeting'  as 
it  is  expressed,  and  considered  an  honorable 
place  for  those  of  marked  merit." 

Peter  Barney  married  (perhaps  second)  30th 
of  11th  month,  1780,  Sarah  (Sally)  Coleman, 
bom  25th  of  11th  month,  1761.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Paul,  bom  7,  16,  1781:  George, 
8,  13,  1783  (died  10,  3,  1811);  Avis,  7,  28, 
1785  (died  8,  29,  1813)  ;  Samuel,  3.  26,  1787 
(died  1,  3,  1795)  ;  Sarah,  9,  23,  1790  (died 
1,  9,  1795)  ;  Lydia,  12,  5,  1792  (died  8,  17, 
1793)  ;  Thomas,  5,  27,  1796  (died  10,  17, 
1796).    The  mother  of  these  died  5,  31,  1805. 

Paul  Barney,  of  New  Bedford,  son  of  Peter 
and  Sarah  (Coleman)  Barney,  born  16th  of  7th 
month,  1781,  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married 
(first)  Dec.  2,  1817,  Mary  C,  daughter  of 
David  Coffin.  She  died  Aug.  5,  1819,  aged 
twenty  years,  and  he  married  (second)   March 

1,  1821,  Eebecca  Howland,  born  12th  of  11th 
month,  1789,  daughter  of  Capt.  Cornelius  and 
Ehoda  (Wing)  Howland,  he  a  successful  and 
skillful  shipmaster  and  whale  man,  who 
amassed  a  large  property ;  he  was  a  direct 
descendant  of  Henry  Howland,  one  of  the  early 
comers  to  Plymouth,  through  Zoeth,  Benjamin, 
Barnabas  and  Gideon  Howland.     Eebecca  died 

2,  12,  1825,  and  Mr.  Barney  married  (third) 
Eliza  Coleman,  born  4,  24,  1797,  who  died 
4,  29,  1861.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Obed 
and  Elizabeth  Coleman,  of  Nantucket,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

Mr.  Barney  made  his  home  in  New  Bedford, 
where  he  was  interested  in  the  whaling  in- 
dustry and  was  a  ship  owner.  He  was  a  pros- 
perous man,  winning  his  success  by  honest  and 
upright  dealings.  His  death  occurred  Dec.  10, 
1836,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  Eural  cemetery 
at  New  Bedford.  There  were  two  children  by 
his  second  marriage:  George,  born  Dec.  2, 
1821 ;  and  Eebecca  Howland,  born  in  Decem- 
ber, 1824,  who  died  in  August,  1825. 

George  Barney,  only  son  of  Paul  and  Eebec- 
ca (Howland)  Barney,  was  born  Dec.  2,  1821, 
in  New  Bedford,  where  he  attended  the  Friends' 
Academy.  Upon  leaving  school  he  entered  the 
counting    room    of    Mr.    Charles   W.    Morgan, 


who  was  owner  of  a  large  number  of  whaling 
vessels.  Later  he  became  associated  with  Ed- 
ward W.  Howland  and  as  ship  ovniers  and 
agents  they  did  a  very  successful  business,  con- 
tinuing together  until  the  death  of  Mr.  How- 
land, in  1879.  Soon  afterward  Mr.  Barney 
retired  from  active  business.  He  died  suddenly 
at  his  summer  home  on  the  island  of  Nasha- 
wena.  May  4,  1883,  and  was  buried  in  the 
family  lot  in  Eural  cemetery  at  New  Bedford. 
A  man  well  known  and  highly  respected,  hon- 
est in  all  his  dealings,  he  was  charitable  and 
ready  to  do  for  anyone  whose  needs  became 
known  to  him.  He  made  his  home  on  Fourth 
street. 

Mr.  Barney  married,  June  16,  1875,  Juliet 
Ayers  Martin,  born  Feb.  14,  1837,  at  Taunton, 
Mass.,  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Ann  Bowers 
(Atwood)  Martin.  Her  death  occurred  Jan.  9, 
1908,  at  her  home  on  Fourth  street,  when  she 
was  aged  seventy-one  years,  and  she  was  laid  to 
rest  beside  her  husband  in  the  Eural  cemetery  at 
New  Bedford.  Children  as  follows  were  born  to- 
them:  Paul  (born  March  7,  1877,  died  Aug. 
19,  1877,  aged  five  months,  twelve  days),  Mor- 
gan and  Anne. 

Morgan  Barney,  son  of  George  and  Juliet 
Ayers  (Martin)  Barney,  was  born  in  New  Bed- 
ford Sept.  25,  1878.  He  graduated  from  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology  at  Bos- 
ton, in  the  class  of  1900.  Since  then  he  has 
followed  his  profession  of  naval  architecture 
and  marine  engineering  and  is  established  in 
New  York  City,  having  his  office  at  No.  29' 
Broadway.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Indian  Har- 
bor Yacht  Club,  the  New  Bedford  Yacht  Club 
and  the  Technology  Club  of  New  York.  Mr. 
and  Miss  Barney  retain  the  home  in  New  Bed- 
ford, to  which  they  are  much  devoted. 

DAVOL  (Fall  Eiver  family).  The  Davol 
family,  an  ancient  Ehode  Island  and  Massa- 
chusetts one,  is  said  to  be  of  French  origin, 
and  the  name,  like  that  of  Borden,  is  trace- 
able some  centuries  back  to  a  village  or  dis- 
trict of  France  termed  "Deyville,"  the  name 
since  passing  through  various  modifications  in 
the  course  of  years  until  it  became  Davol. 
For  now  some  two  himdred  and  seventy  years 
the  family  has  been  one  continuous  in  New 
England,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  time  in 
those  parts  of  Ehode  Island  and  Massachusett.s 
Iving  adjacent  to  each  other;  and  here  in  Fall 
Eiver  for  three  quarters  of  a  century  and 
more,  through  the  industrial  life  of  this  great 
manufacturing  point,  it  has  been  conspicuous 
as  a  family  in  the  development  of  that  indus- 
trial life  and  otherwise  prominent  and  useful 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1065 


in  citizenship.  Reference  is  especially  made 
to  some  of  the  descendants  of  the  late  Abner 
Davol,  a  manufacturer  of  shoes,  as  was  his 
father  before  him,  the  latter's  homestead  being 
on  North  Main  street,  not  far  from  the 
Friends'  burial  ground.  Two  of  Abner's  sons, 
the  late  William  C.  and  Stephen  Davol,  were 
long  most  prominently  connected  with  cotton 
manufacturing  in  Fall  River,  followed  by  their 
sons,  who  have  since  worthily  worn  the  family 
name  and  sustained  its  reputation,  among 
them  being '  William  C,  Col.  Bradford  D., 
Abner  P.,  George  S.  and  James  C.  C.  Davol, 
all  except  the  last  named  still  in  active  life 
and  prominent  in  the  social  and  business  life 
of  Fall  River. 

These  men,  just  alluded  to,  are  in  the  eighth 
generation  from  William  Davol,  the  immi- 
grant settler,  from  whom  their  lineage  is 
through  Benjamin,  William  (2),  William  (3), 
Pardon,  Abner  and  his  sons  William  C.  and 
Stephen  Davol.  These  generations,  somewhat 
in  detail  and  in  the  order  named,  follow : 

(I)  William  Davol  appears  at  Duxbury  as 
early  as  1640;  at  Braintree  in  1643;  and  at 
Rehoboth,  where  he  was  granted  a  house  and 
lot,  etc.  He  bought  property  there  in  1646. 
He  was  constable  in  1649.  He  was  of  New- 
port, R.  I.,  and  made  a  freeman  there  May  17, 
1653.  He  was  juryman  in  1673,  and  he  and 
his  son,  Joseph,  were  taxed  in  1680.  His 
children  were:  John,  Joseph,  Jonathan  and 
Benjamin. 

(II)  Benjamin  Davol,  son  of  William,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  Peabody. 
He  was  of  Newport,  R.  I.,  and  Monmouth, 
N.  J.  His  father  in  1672  deeded  to  him  cer- 
tain lands  at  Monmouth,  N.  J.,  which  he  had 
previously  purchased  of  Mark  Lucas,  of  New- 
port. The  children  of  Benjamin  and  Eliza- 
beth were:  Jonathan,  Joseph,  Benjamin,  Jere- 
miah, Mary,  William,  Anne,  Hannah,  Abigail, 
Sarah  and  Elizabeth. 

(III)  William  Davol  (2),  son  of  Benjamin, 
lived  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.  He  married  Sarah, 
daughter  of  James  and  Lydia  (Hathaway) 
Sisson.  He  died  in  1772,  and  in  his  will, 
made  in  1753  and  proved  in  1772,  he  gave  to 
his  children:  Lydia  Stafford,  Hannah  Mosher, 
Sarah  Wood  and  Phebe  Merihew,  Joshua, 
David  and  William. 

(IV)  William  Davol  (3),  son  of  "William 
(2),  married  March  6,  1737-38,  Abigail  Hix, 
and  their  children  were :  Svlvester,  born  May 
23,  1738;  Gideon,  Sept.  2,  1741;  Pardon,  May 
(or  March)  5,  1743;  Susannah,  Oct.  11,  1745; 
Stephen,  Sept.  27,  1747;  and  Rhoda,  Sept. 
27,  1749. 


(V)  Pardon  Davol,  son  of  William  (3), 
born  May  or  March  5,  1743,  married  in  1768 
Priscilla,  born  in  1747,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Marcia  Read,  of  Freetown,  Mass.,  and  a 
descendant  of  John  Alden  and  Priscilla  Mul- 
lins.  Mr.  Davol  lived  in  the  old  "gambrel- 
roofed  house,"  near  the  North  cemetery  on 
the  North  Main  road.  He  died  Nov.  22,  1808. 
His  wife  died  Jan.  13,  1830.  Their  children 
were :  Pardon,  Abner,  Dorothy,  Priscilla, 
Nathan,  Stephen,  Ezra,  John  and  Ruth. 

(VI)  Abner  Davol,  son  of  Pardon  and  Pris- 
cilla, born  Feb.  27,  1772,  in  Freetown,  Mass., 
married  in  1800,  at  Freetown,  Mary,  born 
July  20,  1776,  in  Freetown,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sarah  (Borden)  Durfee,  and  a 
direct  descendant  of  Thomas  Durfee,  who  came 
to  this  country  and  to  Portsmouth  in  the  Col- 
ony of  Rhode  Island  previous  to  1664,  from 
whom  her  descent  is  through  Benjamin, 
Thomas  (2)  and  Benjamin  Durfee.  Mrs. 
Davol  died  in  what  became  Fall  River,  Mass., 
in  July,  1812.  Mr.  Davol  died  there  Aug.  5, 
1851.  He  had  married  for  his  second  wife 
Betsey  Simmons.  His  children  by  the  first 
marriage  were:  Benjamin  D.,  born  June  7, 
1801,  married  Feb.  22,  1826,  in  Fall  River, 
Almira  Warren,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Rhoda 
(Borden)  Warren;  Harriet  G.,  born  Aug.  27, 
1803,  died  in  that  same  year;  William  C.  was 
bom  Jan.  5,  1806 ;  Stephen,  born  Nov.  22, 
1807,  is  mentioned  farther  on;  Amory  G., 
born  July  12,  1810,  married  in  Fall  River  May 
29,  1834,  Asenath  Butterworth,  of  Somerset, 
Mass.  By  the  second  marriage  of  Abner  Davol 
there  was  one  child,  Mary,  bom  May  27,  1816, 
who  married  in  Fall  River  Oct.  11,  1848, 
Samuel  H.  Barnard,  of  Fall  River,  the  latter 
of  whom  died  Dec.  30,  1880,  leaving  his  widow 
(who  died  Jan.  16,  1905)  and  their  only 
daughter,  Mary  L.  Barnard,  who  married 
George  E.  Bamford,  of  Fall  River. 

(VII)  Stephen  Davol,  son  of  Abner  and 
Mary  (Durfee)  Davol,  was  born  Nov.  22, 
1807,  in  Fall  River,  Mass.,  where  his  life's 
work  was  wrought.  He  began  at  the  foot  of 
the  ladder  in  manufacturing,  when  he  entered 
the  Troy  Mill  in  1818,  working  therein  dur- 
ing the  summer  and  attending  school  in  the 
winter.  His  elder  brothers  were  already  work- 
ing as  doffer  boys.  A  few  years  later  his 
father  apprenticed  him  to  the  firm  of  Daniel 
Wright  &  Co.,  which  had  begun  bleaching 
and  calico  printing,  the  treasurer  of  the  cor- 
poration having  expressed  a  wish  that  young 
Davol  should  come  with  them  and  learn  the 
business.  The  work,  however,  being  of  such 
irregular  nature,  the  boy  was  not  satisfied  with 


1066 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


it  and  after  a  few  months'  trial  returned  to 
the  Troy  Mill.  Here  he  soon  became  overseer 
of  the  spinning,  dressing  and  weaving,  re- 
maining until  the  year  1833.  He  rose  rapidly 
through  all  the  grades  of  the  business  until 
in  1842,  when  he  was  called  to  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Pocasset  Mill,  and  continued 
in  that  position  until  the  death  of  Mr.  M.  H. 
Ruggles,  the  treasurer,  in  1857,  when  he  suc- 
■ceeded  him,  sustaining  such  relation  to  the 
company  until  1877;  and  during  the  years 
from  1843  to  1860  he  was  also  treasurer  of 
the  Troy  Cotton  &  Woolen  Mill. 

Mr.  Davol  drew  all  the  plans  for  buildings 
and  alterations  in  the  mills  of  the  Pocasset 
Company,  and  was  generally  acknowledged  as 
&  leader  among  the  most  skilled  manufacturers 
-of  the  village  and  city  of  Fall  River.  At  the 
time  he  entered  this  company  as  superintend- 
■ent,  in  1833,  it  was  operating  from  one  thou- 
sand to  two  thousand  spindles  in  what  was 
known  as  their  Bridge  mill,  which  mill  was 
destroyed  by  iire  in  1843,  and  he  lived  to  see 
Mills  Nos.  1,  2  and  3  erected  and  the  com- 
pany operate  approximately  sixty  thousand 
spindles,  fifteen  hundred  looms,  with  a  capital 
of  upward  of  a  million  dollars.  In  his  later 
life  Mr.  Davol  loved  to  refer  to  the  rapid  im- 
provements and  ingenious  applications  which 
resulted  in  making  a  cotton  mill  of  the  period 
in  which  we  speak  one  of  the  wonders  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  His  own  skill  and  long 
experience  as  a  cotton  manufacturer  made  his 
opinions  in  such  matters  of  weight,  and  they 
were  often  sought  when  changes  in  methods  of 
manufacturing   were    contemplated. 

Even  after  his  retirement  from  active  busi- 
ness Mr.  Davol  was  induced  to  remain  as  a 
director  in  many  corporations  doing  business 
along  his  line,  that  they  might  have  the  benefit 
of  his  experience  and  judgment,  these  number- 
ing no  less  than  a  half  dozen.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Mechanics'  Mills  and  a  director  of 
same  and  of  the  Pocasset,  Troy,  Wampanoag 
and  Barnard  Manufacturing  Companies,  and 
of  the  Spool  &  Bobbin  Company,  as  well  as 
a  director  of  the  Blackstone  and  Merchants' 
Fire  Insurance  Companies,  of  Providence,  R. 
I.,  a  director  and  president  of  the  Fall  River 
Manufacturers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, director  of  the  Metacomet  Bank,  of  Fall 
River,  and  of  the  Watuppa  Reservoir  Com- 
pany, serving  the  last  named  company  for  up- 
ward of  a  third  of  a  century.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Fall  River,  Mass.,  March  7,  1888. 

On  May  18,  1840,  Mr.  Davol  was  married 
to  Sarah  F.  Chase,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  born 
there  Feb.   17,   1820,  daughter  of  Clark  and 


Anne  (Borden)  Chase;  she  died  Dec.  22,  1901. 
'i'heir  children  were:  (1)  Bradford  Durfee, 
born  March  30,  1841,  is  mentioned  farther 
on.  (2)  Sarah  L.,  born  June  11,  1842,  mar- 
ried at  Fall  River,  Mass.,  Sept.  21,  1864, 
Joseph  L.  Buffington,  of  Fall  River.  (3) 
Mary  A.,  born  Sept.  29,  1844,  married  Sept. 
27,  1865,  Alexander  Dorrance  Easton,  of  Fall 
River,  who  was  born  April  30,  1837,  son  of 
Xorman  and  Ann  H.  (White)  Easton,  and 
died  Jan.  2,  1900.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Easton  had 
three  children:  Harriet  B.,  born  May  1,  1868, 
who  died  May  24,  1898;  Norman  S.,  born 
Sept.  23,  1871,  now  principal  of  the  Davis 
school,  in  Fall  River,  who  married  Lillian  M. 
Phillips,  daughter  of  Mark  Phillips,  of  Fall 
River,  and  has  two  children,  Doris  Sherman, 
born  April  10,  1900,  and  Marion  Phillips,  born 
Dec.  18,  1903 ;  and  Alice  Freeborn,  born  Sept. 
16,  1875,  who  died  March  19,  1899.  (4) 
James  Clark  Chase,  born  Feb.  27,  1846,  is 
mentioned  farther  on.  (5)  George  S.,  born 
Sept.  15,  1848,  married  Sept.  3,  1873,  Mary 
Louise  Dean,  of  Fall  River,  daughter  of 
Charles  H.  Dean  and  granddaughter  of  King 
Dean,  of  Berkley,  Mass.  Mrs.  Davol  died  in 
March,  1911.  They  had  three  children: 
Stephen  Bradford  (a  resident  of  Brookline, 
Mass.,  member  of  the  firm  of  Houghton, 
Mifflin  &  Co.),  who  married  Amy  Putnam,  of 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  and  has  three  children, 
Florence,  Stephen  and  George ;  Louise  Dean, 
who  married  Fernald  L.  Hanson  (of  Somer- 
set, but  a  lawyer  of  Fall  River)  ;  and  Charles 
Dean,  who  married  Sylvia  Buffinton,  of  Fall 
River.  (6)  Harriet  Remington,  born  Sept. 
23,  1850,  married  Feb.  18,  1874,  Stephen  B. 
Ashley,  of  Fall  River,  and  died  April  25,  1901. 

(7)  Abner  P.  was  born  Dec.  1,  1852,  married 
Harriet  J.  Marvel  and  resides  in  Fall  River. 

(8)  Charles  M.  R.,  born  Nov.  20,  1853.  died 
Sept.  29,  1883.  (9)  Clara  F.,  born  Nov.  30, 
1856.  died  Aug.  13,  1881. 

(VIII)  Bradfoed  Durfee  Davol,  son  of 
Stephen  and  Sarah  F.  (Chase)  Davol,  was 
born  ,  March  30,-  1841,  at  his  grandfather's 
house  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  while  his  father 
was  erecting  a  residence  in  Fall  River,  and  the 
latter  city  has  since  been  his  home  and  field 
of  operation.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
and  high  schools  of  Fall  River,  then  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Pocasset  Manufacturing 
Company,  beginning  as  clerk  in  the  office  of 
the  concern,  and  as  clerk,  bookkeeper  and 
treasurer  was  there  occupied  for  a  third  of  a 
century,  from  1858  to  1891.  As  noted  in  this 
article,  Colonel  Davol  belongs  to  a  family  of 
manufacturers,  and  especially  one  of  long  con- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1067 


tinued  service  in  the  Pocasset  Company,  his 
father,  the  late  Stephen  Davol,  having  been 
identified  with  the  Pocasset  and  Troy  Mills 
as  agent  and  treasurer  for  fifty  and  more 
years,  and  his  younger  brother,  Abner  P.  Da- 
vol, connected  with  the  Pocasset  Company  for 
approximately  twenty  years. 

Colonel  Davol  has  experienced  a  long,  busy 
and  active  life  in  the  city  of  spindles,  and 
been  prominent  in  its  business  interests  and 
military  affairs.  He  was  for  several  years  a 
member  of  the  common  council,  serving  for  a 
time  as .  president  of  that  body,  and  was  for 
several  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  alder- 
men, from  his — the  Fifth — ward.  Since  the 
year  1864  he  has  served  respectively  as  pri- 
vate, second  lieutenant,  captain,  major,  lieu- 
tenant colonel  and  colonel  of  the  3d  Regiment 
of  Massachusetts  Volunteer  Militia,  following 
Col.  Thomas  J.  Borden.  He  was  second  lieu- 
tenant of  the  5th  Unattached  United  States 
Volunteers  for  three  months  from  May  to 
August,  1864. 

Colonel  Davol  has  witnessed  the  marvelous 
•growth  of  Fall  River  from  the  city  of  his  boy- 
hood of  some  13,000  inhabitants  to  one  of  up- 
"ward  of  120,000,  and  taken  a  prominent  part 
in  the  industrial  life  that  has  made  it  a  city 
■of  from  less  than  200,000  spindles  to  one  of 
4,000,000.  He  was  at  one  time  president  and 
later  treasurer  of  the  Flint  Mills,  and  is  now 
a  director  of  the  Pocasset  Manufacturing 
Company,  Troy  Cotton  &  Woolen  Manufac- 
turing Company,  Flint  Mills,  Mechanics'  Mills 
(of  which  he  is  also  president),  Barnaby  Man- 
Tifacturing  Company,  Barnard  Mills  (of  which 
he  is  president),  Fall  River  Manufactur- 
ers' Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company  and 
Massasoit-Pocasset  National  Bank;  was  a 
director  of  the  Dartmouth  &  Westport 
Street  Railway  Company,  and  since  its  con- 
solidation with  the  Union  Street  Railway 
Company,  of  New  Bedford,  continues  as  a  di- 
Tector  in  the  latter  company;  is  a  director  of 
the  Old  Colony  Street  Railway  Company,  hav- 
ing previously  been  a  director  of  the  Dighton, 
Somerset  &  Swansea  Railway  Company  until 
it  was  absorbed  by  the  Old  Colony  Street 
Hallway  Company;  and  is  treasurer  of  the 
Fall  River  Automatic  Telephone  Company. 
On  June  17,  1897,  he  was  appointed  by  Gover- 
nor Wokott  chairman  of  the  board  of  police 
•of  Fall  River  for  a  term  of  three  years  and  in 
1900  was  re-appointed,  for  a  similar  term,  by 
Gov.  W.  Murray  Crane.  He  is  a  member  of 
King  Philip  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Fall  River 
Royal  Arch  Chapter  and  Godfrey  de  Bouillon 
■Commanderv. 


On  Dec.  1,  1875,  Colonel  Davol  was  mar- 
ried to  Cornelia  W.,  daughter  of  Minor  S. 
Lincoln,  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

(VIII)  James  Clark  Chase  Davol,  son 
of  Stephen  and  Sarah  F.  (Chase)  Davol,  was 
born  Feb.  27,  1846,  in  Fall  River,  where  he 
passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  the  activi- 
ties of  the  industry  in  which  su  many  of  the 
name  have  won  success  and  fame.  He  proved 
himself  a  typical  and  worthy  member  of  the 
family.  Mr.  Davol  received  an  excellent  edu- 
cation, spending  his  early  years  in  the  public 
schools  of  Fall  River  and  later  attending  Mid- 
dleboro  Academy,  and  the  Friends'  School  and 
Mowry  &  Goff's  English  &  Classical  School 
in  Providence,  R.  I.  He  learned  the  business 
of  cotton  manufacturing  in  the  Pocasset  Mill, 
where  he  began  at  the  bottom  and  worked  up 
through  every  grade  of  employment  until  he 
became  superintendent  of  that  plant,  reaching 
that  responsible  position  when  he  was  still  a 
comparatively  young  man.  He  continued  as 
such  for  several  years.  Then  for  two  years 
he  was  in  a  mill  at  Middlebury,  Vt.,  owned 
by  his  father,  and  returning  to  Fall  River  he 
assisted  in  the  starting  of  the  new  King 
Philip  Mill.  When  that  was  in  running  order 
he  took  the  superintendency  of  the  Mechanics' 
Mills,  in  which  incumbency  he  proved  one  of 
the  most  successful  men  who  had  ever  under- 
taken its  duties.  His  health  failed,  however, 
some  five  or  six  years  before  his  death,  which 
(ccurred  June  14,  1905,  and  he  wf.s  obiiged. 
to  spend  his  closing  years  in  retirement. 
Though  his  active  life  ceased  sooner  than  he 
might  have  chosen  had  the  choice  been  left 
to  him,  5Ir.  Davol  had  made  a  j;ame  in  the 
cotton  industry  which  placed  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  mill  superintendents,  an  honor  not 
easily  won  in  a  community  and  a  section  where 
many  of  the  ablest  business  men  of  the  day  are 
engaged  in  that  line.  Moreover,  he  was  a  man 
of  active  mind  and  had  a  taste  for  good  read- 
ing, the  indulgence  of  which  gave  him  great 
pleasure.  Though  not  inclined  to  mix  in  pub- 
lic affairs  he  served  one  year  in  the  common 
council.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Quequechan 
Club.  Though  not  a  church  member  he  had 
profound  respect  for  religion  and  gave  his  ap- 
proval to  every  good  cause. 

On  June  2,  1880,  Mr.  Davol  married  Mary 
Ella  Brownell,  of  Fall  River,  daughter  of 
James  Randolph  and  Ruth  (Buffington)  Brow- 
nell and  granddaughter  of  George  C.  Brownell," 
of  Little  Compton,  and  of  Daniel  Buffington, 
of  Fall  River.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davol  were 
born  two  sons :  Edward  Holder,  bom  July  8, 
1881,   in   Middlebury,  Vt.,  who  married   Jan. 


1068 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


16,  1907,  Marion  Adelaide  Eemington;  and 
Bradford  Durfee  II,  born  Sept.  2,  1883,  in 
Pall  River.  They  are  proprietors  of  the  Da- 
vol  Braiding  Company,  of  Fall  Eiver. 

SPARROW.  The  Sparrow  family  is  of  long 
and  honorable  standing  in  Massachusetts,  and 
as  well  in  Old  England,  where  at  Ipswich  is 
still  standing  in  a  good  state  of  preservation 
the  home  of  Robert  Sparrow,  built  in  1557.  It 
is  situated  on  Butter  Market  Square,  and  is 
now  used  as  a  parochial  house.  While  there  in 
1901  Mr.  J.  A.  Sparrow,  of  Middleboro,  Ply- 
mouth Co.,  Mass.,  found  family  records  dating 
as  far  back  as  1419,  also  the  coat  of  arms  of  the 
family. 

Thomas  Sparrowe,  of  Somersham,  England, 
1419,  was  an  agriculturist. 

Thomas  Sparrowe  married  Agnes,  born  in 
1463,  daughter  of  Thomas  Lovedaye. 

Thomas  Sparrowe's  will,  dated  March  23, 
1520,  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  was  probated  Arch 
Suffolk,  April  5,  1521. 

Thomas  Sparrowe,  of  Somersham,  husband- 
man, had  children:  Richard  married  (first)' 
Agnes,  daughter  of  John  Double,  of  Often,  and 
(second)  Agnes,  daughter  of  John  Arnold; 
John,  of  Ipswich,  1541,  will  made  Oct.  8,  1558, 
of  Often,  showed  he  had  land  in  Somersham ; 
Philip,  of  Hadleigh,  married  Mary,  daughter 
of  John  Sale,  of  Hadleigh. 

John  Sparrowe,  second  son  of  Thomas,  Ips- 
wich, 1541,  was  bailiff  of  Ipswich.  His  will 
dated  Oct.  8,  1558,  of  Often,  showed  lands  in 
Somersham.  He  married  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Edmund  Bacon,  of  Hassott.  Their  children 
were:  Robert,  portman  of  Ipswich,  1573,  died 
July  26,  1594;  Margaret  married  Henry  Cole- 
borne,  of  Nettlestead,  1558 ;  Alice  married 
(fir.st)  Stephen  Gardiner,  had  a  daughter,  An- 
nie (married  Stephen  Upher),  and  married 
(second)  William  West,  of  Hadleigh,  and  had 
one  daughter,  Dorothy  (married  Stephen 
Brooks,  Hadleigh)  ;  and  Richard  married 
Joane,  daughter  of  John  Pecksall. 

Robert  Sparrowe,  son  of  John,  portman  of 
Ipswich,  1573,  died  July  26,  1594.  He  had 
a  grant  of  arms  as  son  and  heir  of  John,  June 
26,  1594.  His  will  was  dated  July  5,  1591. 
He  was  a  draper.  He  married  (first)  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Richard  Bacon,  of  Often, 
and  (second)  Dorothia,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Armiger;  she  died  April  22,  1598  (will  dated 
April  17,  1569).  His  children  were :  (1)  John, 
of  Somersham,  baptized  Jan.  11,  1544,  died 
April  4,  1617,  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Towell,  of  Greitingham.  (2)  William, 
born  June  3,  1545,  portman  of  Ipswich,  died 


March  6,  1614,  and  was  buried  at  St.  Lawrence 
Church.  (3)  Robert,  born  June  17,  1560,  of 
Lincolnshire,  living  in  1636,  unmarried,  com- 
piled the  pedigree  of  the  family.  (4)  Eliza- 
beth, baptized  May  7,  1547,  married  John 
Dawson,  of  Ipswich,  and  died  March  6,  1598. 

William  Sparrow,  son  of  Robert,  born  June 
3,  1545,  died  March  6,  1614,  and  was  buried 
at  St.  Lawrence  Church,  Ipswich.  He  was 
portman  of  Ipswich.  He  married  Morrian, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Whiting,  of  Ipswich,  and 
had  children :  Robert,  born  in  Ipswich,  bap- 
tized July  7,  1571,  died  in  1614,  aged  forty- 
four;  George,  baptized  Oct.  35,  1574,  was  a 
grocer  in  London,  and  died  Dec.  11,  1599. 

Robert  Sparrow,  son  of  William,  of  Ipswich, 
baptized  July  7,  1571,  was  portman  of  Ips- 
wich, and  died  in  1614.  He  married  Margaret, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Sherman,  baptized  Dec. 
18,  1572,  living  in  1647.  Their  children  were: 
George,  born  Dec.  18,  1610,  died  in  1692; 
Robert,  of  Ipswich,  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
William  Boggas,  will  dated  Aug.  15,  1661. 

Robert  Sparrow,  of  Offton,  County  of  Suf- 
folk, Gent.,  in  Bysshe's  visitation,  1664;  Harl 
MSS.,  6,071.  Children  William  (to  whom  his 
father  left  lands  in  Somersham,  1661),  Mary, 
Elizabeth  and  Macy  are  named  in  their  fa- 
ther's wdll. 

William  Sparrow,  of  Ipswich,  born  July  31, 
1600,  Gent.,  House  Thuleston.  He  married 
(first)  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Laney,  Esq., 
recorder  of  Ipswich,  April  27,  1628.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Annie,  daughter  of  John  Ben- 
nett, of  Washbroke,  Esq.,  granddaughter  of  Sir 
Thomag  Tinperley,  Kt.,  living  1672.  To  the 
first  marriage  were  born :  Mary,  unmarried, 
1670;  Robert,  of  Ipswich,  Gent.,  June  21,  1650, 
who  was  made  captain  of  Foot  Company, 
Ipsmch,  and  was  of  Thuleston  Hall,  1655.  To- 
the  second  marriage:  John,  mercer  in  Lon- 
don, who  had  a  daughter  Susanne,  twelve  years 
of  age,  in  1670;  Thomas,  living  in  1647;  Wil- 
liam, living  in  1670 ;  Elizabeth,  died  single 
(her  mother  was  the  executrix  of  her  estate) ; 
Margaret,  baptized  March  24,  1635,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Magle,  of  Ipswich,  1675 ;  and 
Annie,  who  married  Anthony  Dean,  1670. 

Robert  Sparrow,  Gent.,  portman  of  Ipswich, 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Parker,'  Re- 
giot  of  Surrey,  Gent.,  of  London.  His  cliil- 
dren  were :    William,  Jolm,  Mary  and  Annie. 

(I)  Edward  Sparrow,  the  first  of  the  name 
in  Xew  England,  was  born  at  Ipswich,  a  de- 
scendant of  Robert.  He  followed  the  sea,  and 
made  voyages  between  England  and  the  Amer- 
ican Colonies.  He  was  a  captain,  and  wa» 
lost  at  sea.    In  1741  he  married  Jerusha  Brad- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1069 


ford,  born  in  1722,  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Finney)  Bradford,  granddaughter 
of  William  and  Rebecca  (Bartlett)  Bradford, 
great-granddaughter  of  William  and  Alice 
(Richards)  Bradford,  and  great-great-grand- 
daughter of  William  and  his  second  wife  Alice 
(Carpenter)  Bradford,  he  the  second  governor 
of  the  Plymouth  Colony.  To  Edward  and  Je- 
rusha  was  born  one  child,  a  son  Edward. 

(II)  Edward  Sparrow,  only  child  of  Capt. 
Edward  and  Jerusha  (Bradford)  Sparrow, 
"born  April  2,  1746,  made  his  home  for  a  time 
in  the  town  of  Wareham,  Mass.,  and  still  later 
at  Middleboro,  Mass.  He  took  quite  an  active 
part  during  the  great  struggle  for  independ- 
ence, giving  over  five  years  of  his  time  in  that 
memorable  struggle,  as  shown  by  the  following 
copied  from  the  Records  of  the  Massachusetts 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  who  fought  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war:  Edward  Sparrow,  of  Wareham, 
also  given  Middleboro,  sergeant,  Capt.  Israel 
Fearing's  company  of  minute-men,  which 
marched  on  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  to 
llarshfield,  service  four  days,  reported  in  the 
army.  Also,  subaltern,  Capt.  John  Bridg- 
Taam's  company.  Colonel  Cotton's  regiment: 
list  of  officers  stationed  at  Roxbury;  resolved 
in  Provincial  Congress  May  26,  1775,  that  said 
officers  be  commissioned.  Also,  lieutenant, 
Capt.  John  Bridgham's  company,  Col.  Theophi- 
lus  Cotton's  regiment,  muster  roll  dated  Aug. 
1,  1775.  Also,  captain,  Col.  Danforth  Keyes's 
regiment,  engaged  June  27,  1777,  term  six 
months,  from  July  1,  1777;  roll  dated  Prov- 
idence. Also,  same  regiment,  pay  roll,  dated 
North  Kingston,  Dec.  4,  1777.  Also,  same 
regiment,  service  from  Dec.  1,  1777,  to  date 
of  discharge  Jan.  2,  1778,  one  month,  two 
days;  roll  dated  Providence.  Also,  colonel 
Keyes's  regiment.  Brigadier  Palmer's  brigade, 
return  of  officers  who  marched  to  Rhode 
Island  on  a  late  expedition,  dated  Germantown. 
Also,  captain,  serving  as  volunteer.  Col.  Eb- 
«nezer  Sprout's  regiment,  entered  service  Sept. 
6,  1778,  discharged  Sept.  12,  1778,  service  six 
days;  company  marched  on  two  alarms  at  Dart- 
mouth,  one   in   May   and    one   in    September, 

1778.  Also,  captain  in  Col.  Nathan  Tyler's 
regiment ;  list  of  officers  of  a  regiment  ordered 
to  be  detached  to  serve  at  Rhode  Island  until 
Jan.  1,  1780,  agreeable  to  resolve  of  June  8, 
1779;  commissioned  Aug.  4,  1779.  Also,  cap- 
tain, same  regiment,  engaged  July  1,  1779,  dis- 
charged Jan.  1,  1780,  service  six  months  at 
Rhode  Island.  Also,  same  regiment,  return  of 
effectives  dated  Camp  Providence,  Oct.  3,  1779. 
Also,  same  regiment,  pay  roll,  for  December, 

1779,  allowing  one  month,  two  days,  service 


at  Rhode  Island,  travel  (forty  miles)  included. 
Also,  captain  on  list  of  officers  appointed  to 
command  new  detachment  from  militia  to  re- 
inforce the  Continental  army  for  three  months, 
agreeable  to  resolve  of  June  22,  1780;  said 
Sparrow  detached  from  Col.  John  Jacobs's 
(Plymouth  County)  regiment,  commissioned 
July  27,  1780.  Also,  captain  in  Col.  John 
Jacobs's  regiment,  engaged  June  27,  1780,  dis- 
charged Oct.  27,  1780,  service  four  months, 
two  days;  regiment  detached  to  reinforce  Con- 
tinental army  for  three  months.  Also,  brigade 
major  in  Col.  Jacobs's  regiment,  appointed 
Aug.  12  (also  given  Aug.  11),  1780,  dis- 
charged Oct.  27  (also  given  Oct.  29),  1780, 
served  (three?  months,  sixteen  days)  (also 
given  seventy-nine  days)  ;  regiment  raised  in 
Plymouth  county  to  reinforce  Continental  army 
for  three  months.  He  died  Jan.  29,  1817,  aged 
seventy-one  years.  On  Feb.  4,  1765,  he  mar- 
ried Rhoda  (or  Elizabeth)  Bump,  born  April 
2,  1748,  died  Jan.  10,  1816,  aged  sixty-eight 
years.  Their  children  were:  Jerusha,  who 
married  (first)  a  Mr.  Lovell  and  (second)  a 
^[r.  Tinkham;  Edward,  born  Jan.  10,  1768; 
Philip,  April  9,  1770;  Susanna,  June  19,  1772; 
Josiah,  March  31,  1775;  Elizabeth,  March  15, 
1778;  Rhoda,  Nov.  21,  1780;  William,  Oct.  9, 
1783;  Pollv,  July  1,  1786;  James,  July  6, 
]  789  ;  Bradford,  April  13,  1793  (settled  in  New 
London  county,  Connecticut). 

(III)  Josiah  Sparrow,  son  of  Edward  and 
Elizabeth  (or  Rhoda)  (Bump)  Sparrow,  born 
March  31,  1775,  made  his  home  in  the  town 
of  Rochester,  where  he  died.  In  1800  he  mar- 
ried Minerva  Miller,  born  in  1779,  died  Aug. 
15,  1839,  daughter  of  John  Miller,  who  was 
a  Revolutionary  soldier  (see  sketch  elsewhere). 
He  married  (second)  Clarissa  Hayward,  and 
(third)  April  16,  1850,  Alice  Cushman,  a 
widow.  His  children  were :  Josiah,  Jr.,  born 
Oct.  1,  1801;  Minerva,  born  April  4,  1803, 
who  died  April  5,  1805 ;  Ilarley  Addison,  bom 
April  6,  1805,  who  died  Jiily  5,  1875;  Rhoda, 
born  May  13,  1811,  who  married  Newton 
Southworth ;  Jacob  Gerard,  bom  April  22, 
1815;  Susan  Miller,  born  Nov.  6,  1819,  who 
married  Solomon  Eaton ;  and  William  Ed- 
ward, born  April  21,  1824. 

(IV)  Jacob  Gerard  Sparrow,  son  of  Josiah, 
was  born  April  22,  1815,  in  Rochester,  Mass., 
and  there  grew  to  manhood.  As  a  young  man 
he  went  to  Boston,  where  he  learned  the  paint- 
er's trade,  and  while  there  he  had  for  his 
roommate  his  cousin  Abishai  Miller,  father 
of  Mrs.  Copeland,  of  Middleboro.  After  com- 
pleting his  trade  he  located  in  Middleboro, 
where  he  followed  it  for  some  time,  doing  both 


1070 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


house  and  carriage  painting.  Later  he  em- 
barked in  the  carriage  manufacturing  business 
on  Water  street,  Middleboro,  and  this  he  fol- 
lowed the  remainder  of  his  active  life.  In  1880 
he  retired  from  his  business,  and  a  few  months 
before  his  death  he  went  to  Mattapoisett  to 
spend  his  last  days  with  his  brother,  Dr.  Wil- 
liam E.  Sparrow,  who  ministered  to  his  phys- 
ical wants.  He  died  there  June  9,  1887,  and 
was  buried  at  Middleboro,  Mass.  He  was  well 
versed  in  the  Bible  and  other  good  works,  be- 
ing a  great  reader.  He  was  a  Blue  Lodge  Ma- 
son. On  Dec.  10,  1843,  he  married  Lois  Sher- 
man Macomber,  who  was  born  Aug.  13,  1830, 
and  died  March  5,  1863,  and  was  buried  in 
Middleboro.  He  married  (second)  March  13, 
1864,  Sarah  Jenkins  Thomas,  who  resides  at 
Plymouth,  Mass.  His  children  were:  Ara- 
bella Lois,  born  Jan.  1,  1845,  married  March 

29,  1866,  E.  E.  Southworth,  of  Middleboro; 
Jacob  Augustine,  born  May  34,  1849,  is  men- 
tioned below;  Helen  Frances,  born  Jan.  31, 
1852,  married  April  24,  1873,  Xathan  N.  Bar- 
rows, of  Middleboro ;  Harry  Porter,  born  Jan. 

30,  1857,  is  deceased ;  Annie  Miller,  born  June 
17,  1859,  married  Dec.  14,  1880,  George  E. 
Wood  (now  deceased),  and  resides  at  Middle- 
boro. 

(V)  Jacob  Augustine  Spakrow,  oldest  son 
of  the  late  Jacob  Gerard,  was  born  in  Middle- 
boro May  34,  1849,  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Middleboro,  Peirce  Academy 
and  East  Greenwich  (R.  I.)  Seminary,  where 
he  took  a  commercial  course.  After  leaving 
school  he  went  to  Boston  and  obtained  a  posi- 
tion as  clerk  with  Tillson  &  Wood,  where  he 
spent  three  years.  He  next  went  to  Michigan, 
and  there  obtained  a  position  as  salesman  with 
the  firm  of  Hannah,  Lay  &  Co.,  at  Traverse 
City,  remaining  seven  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  returned  to  Boston  and  became 
salesman  for  Whitten,  Burdett  &  Young, 
wholesale  clothiers,  for  whom  he  traveled  for 
two  years  through  the  State  of  Michigan,  after 
which  he  was  for  six  years  indoor  salesman  for 
A.  Shuman  &  Co.,  in  the  retail  trade.  The 
following  six  years  he  spent  in  like  capacity 
for  Moulton  &  Bradly,  during  which  time  he 
and  his  brother,  Harry  P.,  started  a  clothing 
business  in  Middleboro,  being  pioneers  in  the 
business,  and  Mr.  Harry  P.  Sparrow  conducted 
that  end  of  the  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Sparrow  Brothers.  When  Mr.  J.  A.  Spar- 
row resigned  his  position  in  Boston  the  two 
brothers  conducted  the  business  in  Middle- 
boro, building  up  a  most  successful  trade.  Be- 
ing men  of  enterprise  and  progressive  ideas 
the  two  brothers  with  keen  foresight  kept  add- 


ing to  their  business,  enlarging  it  until  they 
had  one  of  the  largest  clothing  stores  in  Ply- 
mouth county  outside  of  Brockton.  The  broth- 
ers worked  together  \mtil  February,  1909^ 
when  death  took  the  younger  brother.  Since 
then  Mr.  J.  A.  Sparrow  has  conducted  the 
business  alone.  He  is  a  capable  business  man,, 
of  wide  experience,  and  is  well  known  and 
highly  respected. 

Mr.  Sparrow  is  a  member  of  the  Middlebora 
Commercial  Cliib,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers;  also  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.  (being" 
a  charter  member  of  his  lodge),  the  Encamp- 
ment, Canton  Nemasket,  of  Brockton,  and  the 
Daughters  of  Rebekah,  of  Middleboro.  Po- 
litically he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Sparrow  married  Oct.  11,  1882,  in  Bos- 
ton, Harriet  Gleason,  a  native  of  Worcester,. 
Mass.  Mrs.  Sparrow  is  a  woman  of  refined 
tastes.  In  1910  she  and  her  husband  built 
a  new  home  in  Middleboro,  which  they  are  now 
enjoying.  They  have  no  children.  She  attends 
the  Unitarian   Church. 

(V)  Harry  Porter  Sparrow,  youngest  son 
of  Jacob  G.  and  Lois  S.  (Macomber)  Spar- 
row, was  born  in  Middleboro  Jan.  30,  1857. 
He  attended  the  local  schools  and  the  Friends'' 
School  at  Providence.  On  leaving  school  the- 
opportunity  was  offered  him  of  an  extended 
sea  voyage,  and  he  sailed  from  a  Canadian, 
port  on  the  bark  "G.  C.  Trufant,"  an  English 
vessel  which  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Gam- 
aliel Thomas,  of  Plymouth,  a  connection  of  the 
family.  The  voyage  included  a  trip  to  Aus- 
tralia and  a  subsequent  rounding  of  Cape 
Horn  en  route  to  San  Francisco,  from  which 
port  he  made  his  way  home  by  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  At  Melbourne,  Australia,  he  acci- 
dentally met  with  another  Middleboro  man, 
Henry  L.  Clapp,  who  was  at  that  time  follow- 
ing the  sea  and  chanced  to  touch  at  that  port 
at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Sparrow  began  his  busi- 
ness career  in  Boston,  but  soon  afterward  en- 
tered the  employ  of  M.  A.  Powers,  clothier. 
His  brother,  J.  A.  Sparrow,  was  at  this  time- 
located  in  Boston,  and  in  1880  joined  him  in 
purchasing  the  business  of  Mr.  Powers,  which 
they  later  augmented  by  succeeding  to  the 
stock  and  location  of  W.  0.  Permiman,  in  the 
Wells  block,  which  then  occupied  the  site  of 
the  present  Jones  building.  The  growing  busi- 
ness of  the  firm  soon  warranted  their  removal 
to  larger  quarters.  Mr.  Sparrow's  business 
sagacity  was  so  marked  as  to  command  gen- 
eral recognition,  both  in  his  personal  affairs 
and  those  of  his  firm,  and  led  to  his  election 
as  a  director  of  the  Middleboro  National  Bank 
and   as   a   trustee  of   the   Middleboro   Savings 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1071 


Bank,  positions  which  he  held  from  1893  to 
1902.  His  own  business  transactions  were 
characterized  by  strict  integrity  and  square 
dealing,  and  his  cooperation  with  his  partner 
in  uncompromising  adherence  to  these  prin- 
ciples was  the  prime  factor  in  the  attainment 
by  their  firm  of  the  enviable  commercial  posi- 
tion which  it  occupies.  Mr.  Sparrow  was  a 
man  who  was  intensely  loyal  to  those  who  en- 
joyed his  intimate  acquaintance. 

Mr.  Sparrow  was  twice  married.  On  Jan. 
23,  1885,  he  married  (first)  Franc  D.  Gid- 
dings,  of  Romulus,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in  1894. 
In  1897  he  married  (second)  Florence  G. 
Shaw,  daughter  of  George  H.  Shaw,  of  Middle- 
boro,  who  survives  him.  He  was  a  member  of 
Mayflower  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  of  the 
Middleboro  Business  Men's  Club. 


(IV)  Dr.  William  E.  Sparkow,  son  of 
Josiah  and  Minerva,  born  April  21,  1824,  in 
Rochester,  attended  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town  and  lived  on  his  father's  farm 
until  he.  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  then 
became  a  clerk  in  a  drug  store  in  Mattapoisett, 
where  he  continued  two  years.  He  took  up 
the  study  of  medicine  under  the  preceptorship 
of  Dr.  Newton  Southworth,  of  Mattapoisett, 
and  entered  Yale  University,  graduating  in 
1847.  Returning  to  Mattapoisett  he  began 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  was  meet- 
ing with  great  success  when  the  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  war  caused  him  to  throw  aside  per- 
sonal aims  and  ambition  and  enter  his  coun- 
try's service.  He  became  a  surgeon  in  the 
army,  and  was  located  at  Jefferson  Barracks, 
at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In  1863-64  he  was  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  was  acting  assistant  surgeon, 
following  General  Grant.  His  experience  in 
the  army  hospitals  gave  him  a  wide  knowledge 
of  surgery.  When  he  returned  to  Massachu- 
setts at  the  close  of  the  war  he  again  took  up 
his  private  practice,  and  continued  busy  until 
his  death.  He  also  kept  a  drug  store  for  many 
years. 

Outside  of  his  professional  duties  Dr.  Spar- 
row was  active  in  a  number  of  enterprises  in 
Mattapoisett  and  Marion.  As  early  as  1867 
he  was  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  lumber, 
owning  sawmills  in  the  town  of  Marion,  and 
he  was  also  extensively  engaged  in  cranberry 
culture.  He  owned  some  fine  bogs  in  Marion 
and  other  sections.  He  was  a  man  of  progres- 
sive ideas,  and  was  deeply  interested  in  the 
material  growth  and  welfare  of  his  town.  He 
died  at  his  home  May  15,  1899,  and  was  buried 
in  Mattapoisett  cemetery. 

Dr.  Sparrow  was  a  stanch  Republican,  and 


took  a  keen  interest  in  the  game  of  politics. 
In  1856  he  was  assistant  postmaster  of  Mat- 
tapoisett, and  served  in  that  capacity  for  ten 
years,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster,  in 
1866,  succeeding  Benjamin  F.  Barstow,  who- 
died.  Dr.  Sparrow  filled  the  office  most  ac- 
ceptably for  twenty-seven  years,  resigning  in 
1893.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
was  a  member  of  the  school  committee,  and 
for  a  half  century  a  member  of  the  town's^ 
board  of  health.  He  attended  the  Congrega- 
tional Church. 

Dr.  Sparrow  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  Sophronia  S.  Holmes,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Rochester,  now  a  part  of  the  town, 
of  Mattapoisett,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Bet- 
sey (Clark)  Holmes.  She  died  in  1865,  leav- 
ing four  children,  and  was  buried  in  Matta- 
poisett cemetery.  To  this  marriage  were  born : 
William  E.,  Jr.;  Elizabeth;  Solomon  Eaton; 
and  Frank  M.  The  daughter  married  Ward 
Parker  Delano,  an  architect,  lived  in  Wor- 
cester, and  died  in  1898,  leaving  three  chil- 
dren. Ward  P.,  Jr.,  Frank  S.,  and  Gertnide- 
H.  Dr.  Sparrow  married  (second)  in  1868 
Mrs.  Eliza  Harding,  a  widow,  daughter  of 
George  Dunham,  of  Martha's  Vineyard. 

(V)  William  E.  Sparrow,  Jr.,  son  of  Dr. 
Sparrow,  born  Nov.  17,  1849,  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Mattapoisett,  the- 
Academy  at  Middleboro,  and  the  Boston  '  In- 
stitute of  Technology,  graduating  from  the  last 
named  institution  in  1872.  For  some  years  he 
was  engaged  as  civil  engineer  and  railroad  en- 
gineer in  Pennsylvania.  Returning  to  Mas- 
sachusetts, he  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  manu- 
facturing in  New  Bedford,  and  later  in  look- 
ing after  his  father's  estate,  making  his  home 
in  Mattapoisett.  He  is  a  Blue  Lodge  Mason. 
Mr.  Sparrow  has  long  been  interested  in  local 
history  and  genealogy,  and  has  made  a  study 
of  same  for  a  number  of  years. 

On  June  2,  1880,  he  married  Mary  S.  Atsatt,. 
born  at  Mattapoisett,  daughter  of  John  T. 
and  Mary  (Bowles)  Atsatt.  They  have  three 
children :  Minerva,  who  was  educated  in  the 
high  school  and  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary, 
graduating  from  the  latter,  is  now  a  teacher 
of  Latin  and  Greek  in  Rust  University,  in 
Mississippi ;  Charles  A.,  who  attended  the  pub- 
lic and  high  schools,  graduated  from  Amherst 
College  and  in  1910  from  Harvard  Medical 
College,  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  is  now 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Wor- 
cester; Seaton  Lee,  a  student,  died  July  31, 
1909. 

(V)  Solomon  Eaton  Sparrow,  second  son 
of  Dr.  Sparrow,  was  born  at  Mattapoisett,  and 


1072 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


there  attended  school.  Later  he  was  graduated 
from  West  Point  Military  Academy,  and  be- 
came a  captain  in  the  United  States  army. 
He  died  July  14,  1903,  at  New  London,  Conn. 
He  married  Lee  Boyle,  daughter  of  Maj.  W. 
H.  Boyle,  21st  Infantry,  U.  S.  A.,  and  after 
her  death  he  married  (second)  Waite  Touzalin; 
they  had  children  William  E.  and  Gertrude 
T.,  the  latter  now  deceased. 

(V)  Frank  Miller  Sparrow,  youngest  son 
of  Dr.  Sparrow,  was  born  at  Mattapoisett  Aug. 
16,  1862,  attended  the  public  and  high  schools, 
and  in  1883  graduated  from  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. He  then  entered  the  law  offices  of 
Stetson  &  Greene,  of  New  Bedford,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  Bristol  county  bar  in  May, 
1892.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  having  his  offices  at  No. 
30  Purchase  street.  He  makes  his  home  in 
Mattapoisett.  On  Sept.  14,  1893,  he  married 
Sarah  Huldah  Crosby,  daughter  of  Alfred  and 
Mary  P.  (LeBaron)  Crosby,  and  a  descendant 
of  some  of  the  oldest  and  most  prominent  fam- 
ilies of  the  State.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  three  children:  William  Hubbard,  Al- 
fred Crosby  and  LeBaron  Holmes.  Mr.  Spar- 
row is  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public. 
He  was  license  commissioner  of  New  Bedford 
for  the  eleventh  year,  having  received  his  first 
appointment  from  Mayor  David  L.  Parker,  and 
second  from  Mayor  Charles  S.  Ashley.  Mr. 
Sparrow  owns,  in  the  town  of  Rochester,  a 
farm  which  was  a  part  of  the  homestead  of 
Capt.  Isaac  Holmes,  he  the  ancestor  who  came 
from  Marshfield  and  settled  in  Rochester. 

JOSEPH  GARDNER  LUTHER,  one  of 
the  best  known  citizens  of  Swansea,  Mass., 
where  for  half  a  century  he  was  engaged  in  a 
mercantile  business,  and  where  he  has  given 
able  service  as  a  town  official,  now  serving -as 
a  justice  of  the  peace,  is  a  descendant  in  the 
seventh  generation  from  Capt.  John  Luther, 
an  early  settler  of  Taunton,  Mass.  His  line- 
age, together  with  the  life  history  of  some  of 
the  early  members  of  the  family,  follows. 

(I)  The  name  Luther  has  been  a  common 
one  and  the  family  numerous  in  the  towns  cre- 
ated out  of  Ancient  Rehoboth  and  in  territory 
near  by  since  the  early  settlements  here — since 
the  coming  to  Taunton  of  Jolm  Luther,  who 
was  an  original  proprietor  of  Taunton.  1637. 
According  to  notes  left  by  Rev.  Mr.  Root,  of 
Providence,  who  had  collected  much  matter 
pertaining  to  the  early  families  of  the  part  of 
Massachusetts  alluded  to  and  of  Rhode  Island, 
a  family  record  set  forth  that  John  Luther 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  came  to  Boston 


in  1635.  Another  record  says  he  was  a  native 
of  Dorset,  England,  and  came  to  America  in 
1636,  and  in  1639  was  a  purchaser  of  Taunton, 
Mass.  He  and  some  of  his  men  were  killed 
by  the  Indians  in  1644,  while  on  a  trading 
voyage  in  Delaware  bay.  On  May  22,  1646, 
the  General  Court  decreed  that  the  Widow 
Luther  have  the  balance  of  her  husband's 
wages  according  to  sea  custom,  after  allowing 
to  the  merchants  what  they  had  paid  for  the 
redemption  of  her  son.  This  act  no  doubt  had 
reference  to  John  Luther.  Through  Samuel 
and  Hezekiah  Luther,  sons  of  Capt.  John, 
have  descended  the  Luthers  of  the  territory 
alluded  to.  Of  these  Samuel  was  born  in 
1638,  probably  in  Boston  or  vicinity.  He  is 
referred  to  as  of  Rehoboth.  On  Oct.  19,  1672, 
he  made  a  claim  or  demand  for  his  father's 
purchase  in  Taunton.  In  the  year  1685  Sam- 
uel Luther  succeeded  Rev.  John  Miles  as  elder 
of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Swansea,  Mr.  Miles 
having  died  in  1683.  Mr.  Luther  is  referred 
to  as  Rev.  Capt.  Samuel  Luther.  He  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  the  Swansea  Church  for 
thirty-two  years.  He  died  Dec.  20,  1716,  and 
was  lauried  in  the  Kickemuit  cemetery,  in  what 
is  now  Warren,  R.  I.,  where,  too,  rest  the  re- 
mains of  his  brother  Hezekiah,  who  died  July 

28,  1723,  aged  eighty-three  years.  The  chil- 
dren of  Elder  Samuel  Lutlier,  according  to 
Rehoboth  town  records,  were:  Samuel,  Theo- 
philus,  and  Mary ;  and  in  the  father's  will  are 
mentioned  also:  Joshua,  Ebenezer,  Susannah, 
Mehetabel  and  Martha. 

(II)  Hezekiah  Luther,  son  of  Capt.  John, 
the  settler,  born  in  1640,  probably  in  Taunton,, 
died  July  23,  1723.  He  married  (first)  Nov. 
30,  1661,  Elizabeth,,  in  Dorchester,  Mass., 
and  (second)  Sarah  Butterworth,  who  died 
Aug.  22,  1722.  His  children  were :  John,  born 
in  1663;  Nathaniel,  in  1664  (by  the  first 
union)  ;  Joseph,  Feb.  12,  1669;  Elizabeth,  Dec. 

29,  1671;  Edward,  April  27,  1674;  Hezekiah, 
Aug.  27,  1676:  and  Hannah  (by  the  second 
union).  The  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
lived   in   Swansea. 

(III)  Lieut.  Hezekiah  Luther,  son  of  Heze- 
kiah, born  Aug.  27,  1676,  was  married  in 
March,  1704,  to  Martha  Gardner,  and  died 
Oct.  37,  1763,  survived  by  his  wife  only  until 
Nov.  2,  1763.  Their  children,  all  born  in 
Swansea,  were:  Robert,  bom  Dec.  13,  1704; 
Levi,  Aug.  4,  1706;  Esek,  Dec.  6,  1708;  Con- 
stant, Oct.  4,  1711;  Lydia,  Sept.  19,  1714; 
Simeon,  May  19,  1717;  Edward,  Feb.  15, 
1719;  Martha,  Nov.  28,  1721;  Sarah,  Aug.  2, 
1724;  Avis,  Dec.  17,  1726;  Hezekiah,  Feb.  19, 
1728;  and  Calvin,  Aug.  9.  1731. 


t/'y 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1073 


(IV)  Edward  Luther,  son  of  Lieut.  Heze- 
kiah,  born  Feb.  15,  1719,  married  March  13, 
1745,  Sarah  Sweet,  of  Prudence,  K.  L,  and 
■died  March  7,  1776.  Their  children,  all  born 
in  Swansea,  were:  James,  born  Feb.  19,  1747; 
Sarah,  May  10,  1748;  Abner,  June  27,  1750; 
Martha,  Oct.  21,  1752;  Edward,  Nov.  10, 
1754;  Gardner,  Elizabeth  and  Sweet,  triplets, 
Feb.  19,  1757;  Peleg,  Jan.  .2,  1760;  Freelove, 
llarch  15,  1762;  Samuel,  April  26,  1764;  and 
Elizabeth,  April  15,  1766. 

(V)  Samuel  Luther,  son  of  Edward,  born 
April  26,  1764,  died  Nov.  15,  1835.  He  mar- 
ried Rebekah  Brown,  born  April  30,  1763, 
died  April  10,  1813,  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Catherine  (Bell)  Brown,  and  their  children 
"were:  Joseph  Gardner,  born  Dec.  31,  1789,  is 
mentioned  below;  Thomas  Sweet,  born  March 
14,  1792,  married  Elizabeth  A.  Taylor,  and 
had  two  children,  Virginia  B.,  and  Georgia 
Sweet,  both  of  whom  are  deceased ;  John 
Brown,  born  Oct.  16,  1794,  married  Lydia 
Luther,  and  died  Feb.  21,  1823  (they  had  one 
«on,  John  B.,  born  Dec.  19,  1822,  died  March 
24,  1910,  unmarried)  ;  Samuel  Sweet,  bom 
Feb.  14,  1799,  died  Oct.  18,  1823.  Samuel 
Luther  was  a  sea  captain.  His  fraternal  re- 
lations were  with  the  Masons,  he  affiliating 
•with  the  lodge  at  Warren,  Rhode  Island. 

(VI)  Joseph  Gardner  Luther,  son  of  Sam- 
uel, born  Dec.  31,  1789,  died  June  13,  1857. 
On  March  26,  1821,  he  married,  in  Swansea, 
Tamer  Luther,  born  Dec.  2,  1800,  died  Sept. 
24,  1891,  daughter  of  (VI)  James  and  Tamer 
(Hale)  Mason  Luther,  granddaughter  of  (V) 

James  and  Mercy  (Cole)  Chase  Luther,  great- 
granddaughter  of  (IV)  James  and  Martha 
(Slade)  Luther,  great-great-granddaughter  of 
(III)  Samuel  and  Sarah  Luther,  great-great- 
great-granddaughter  of  (II)  Samuel  and  Mary 
Abel  Luther  and  great-great-great-great-grand- 
daughter of  (I)  Capt.  John  Luther,  the  set- 
tler. Joseph  G.  Luther  was  agent  for  the 
factory  at  Hortonville  at  one  time,  but  in 
1823  succeeded  his  brother  John  B.  as  a  mer- 
chant at  Luther's  Corners.  He  was  a  cap- 
tain in  the  State  militia.  From  1830  to  1836 
"he  filled  the  office  of  town  clerk,  and  from 
1830  to  1835  that  of  town  treasurer;  he  also 
served  as  collector  of  taxes.  His  four  children 
were:  (1)  Rebecca  B.,  born  April  22,  1822, 
married  Jan.  16,  1849,  Benjamin  Bosworth, 
and  died  Nov.  7,  1902,  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, Joseph  L.  (born  March  10,  1850,  died 
Dec.  13,  1865)  and  Annie  H.  (born  May  28. 
1857.  married  April  19,  1887,  Alexander  M. 
Wetherell,  of  Fall  River).  (2)  Elizabeth  G., 
born  Dec.  14,  1824,  died  unmarried.  May  20, 


1909.  (3)  Sarah  Sweet,  bom  July  28,  1832, 
married  Oct.  27,  1853,  Elisha  B.  Gardner 
and  died  Oct.  3,  1905,  the  mother  of  Martha 
Tamer  (born  March  16,  1855,  married  Dec. 
10,  1890,  Herbert  H.  Horton,  and  died  Sept. 
13,  1893),  Elizabeth  Luther  (born  Oct.  27, 
1857,  married  Oct.  30,  1890,  James  H. 
French,  of  Fall  River)  and  Mary  Amanda 
(born  April  21,  1869).      (4)   Joseph  G. 

(VII)  Joseph  Gardner  Luther,  son  of  Jo- 
seph G.  and  Tamer,  was  born  Sept.  22,  1837, 
and  was  educated  at  the  Warren  (R.  I.)  Classi- 
cal Institute  and  at  a  school  at  Kent's  Hill, 
Readfield,  Maine.  He  succeeded  his  father  in 
the  mercantile  business,  which  he  conducted 
with  remarkable  success  from  1857  to  1906. 
He  is  a  careful  business  man  and  an  able 
financier.  He  has  ever  been  keenly  interested 
in  the  progress  of  his  community,  and  has 
high  ideals  of  citizenship;  has  always  been  a 
Republican,  and  has  served  his  town  faith- 
fully as  an  official,  holding  the  offices  of  town 
treasurer,  tax  collector,  and  (from  1865  to 
1880)  town  clerk.  Since  May  22,  1867,  he  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  in  Swansea,  conscien- 
tiously performing  his  duties  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  law  and  order.  Mr.  Luther's  path- 
way in  life  has  been  a  pleasant  one,  and  he 
has  endeavored  by  all  means  in  his  power  to 
scatter  sunshine  among  those  whose  lives  have 
come  close  to  his.  He  is  the  last  of  his  line, 
and  he  resides  in  the  old  family  home  in  Swan- 
sea Center. 

JACKSON.  (I)  Abraham  Jackson,  the  an- 
cestor of  the  Plymouth  Jacksons,  according 
to  Farmer,  came  over  in  the  third  ship,  the 
"Ann,"  in  1623,  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  with 
Secretary  Morton;  was  his  apprentice,  and 
married  his  daughter  Remember  Morton,  Nov. 
18,  1657.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  George 
Morton,  her  father,  is  credited  with  being  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  New  England  Colony 
in  Massachusetts,  having  been  of  those  Puri- 
tans who  left  England  in  the  early  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  found  a  brief  asylum 
in  Holland,  and  came  to  America  to  establish 
a  Christian  state.  He  was  the  financial  agent 
of  the  Pilgrims  in  England,  and  is  said  by 
one  writer  to  have  purchased  the  ship  "May- 
flower," and  took  an  active  part  in  sending 
over  the  Colony  that  landed  at  Plymouth  in 
1620,  coming  himself,  as  stated,  in  1623.  His 
daughter  Remember,  who  married  Abraham 
Jackson,  was  born  to  his  second  wife,  Hannah, 
former  widow  of  Richard  Templar,  of  Charles- 
town,  and  daughter  of  Richard  Pritchard,  and 
born  in   1637   at   PhTnouth.     She  died  July 


6S 


1074 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


24,  1707,  and  Abraham  Jackson  died  Oct.  4, 
1714.  Their  children  were :  Lydia,  born  Nov. 
19,  1658;  Abraham;  Nathaniel;  Eleazer,  born 
in  October,  166!);  and  John. 

(II)  Eleazer  Jackson,  son  of  Abraham,  born 
in  October,  1669,  married  in  1690  Hannah 
Ransom.  Their  children  were:  John,  born 
in  1692;  Eleazer,  born  in  1694;  Joanna,  born 
in  1696;  Mercy,  born  in  1697;  Hannah,  born 
in  1698;  Mary,  born  in  1701;  Abigail,  born 
in  1702;  Deborah,  born  in  1704;  Content,  born 
in  1705;  Susanna,  born  in  1706;  Ransom,  born 
in  1708,;  Benjamin,  born  in  1710;  E.xperience, 
born  in  1713;  and  Ephraini,  born  in  1714. 

(III)  Ephraim  Jackson,  son  of  Eleazer  and 
Hannah  (Ransom)  Jackson,  born  in  1714, 
probably  is  the  Ephraim  Jackson  who  went  to 
Bridgewater,  locating  perhaps  in  West  Bridge- 
water.  In  1736  he  married  Lydia  Leach.  He 
later  removed  to  Wrentham,  Massachusetts. 

(IV)  Lieut.  Ephraim  Jackson,  son  of  Eph- 
raim, married  in  1765  Bathsheba  Trask, 
daughter  of  John  Trask.  Ephraim  Jackson 
was  a  private  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  as 
a  member  of  Capt.  Simeon  Cary's  company,  in 
Col.  Thomas  Doty's  regiment,  in  the  service 
from  March  13  to  Dec.  11,  1758,  and  he  also 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  as  a  member 
of  Capt.  Daniel  Lothrop's  company,  in  Col. 
John  Bailey's  regiment,  in  1775.  His  wife, 
Bathsheba,  died  Dec.  24,  1782,  and  he  mar- 
ried (second)  in  1784  Hannah  Delano.  His 
children  by  the  first  union  were :  Asa,  born 
Dec.  5,  1765,  who  went  West;  Oliver,  born 
March  18,  1767;  Caleb,  born  Sept.  3,  1769; 
Lydia,  born  Feb.  26,  1771;  Bathsheba,  born 
July  28,  1772;  George  Washington,  born  Oct. 

19,  1776;  Rhoda,  born  Jan.  16,  1778;  Calvin, 
born  June  17,  1779;  and  Clarissa,  born  Dec. 

20,  1780.  To  the  second  union  were  born  three 
children:  Barnard,  Lucy  and  Polly.  The 
father  died  in  North  Bridgewater  May  29, 
1814,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and 
is  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  near  the  Brock- 
ton Fair  Grounds,  his  grave  being  marked  by 
the  Sons  of  the  Revolution. 

(V)  George  Washington  Jackson,  son  of 
Lieut.  Ephraim,  was  born  Oct.  19,  1776,  in 
North  Bridgewater.  He  was  foreman  of  a 
foundry  and  furnace  in  Halifax,  Mass.,  where 
he  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and 
where  he  married  Molly  Briggs.  He  died  in 
Bridgewater,  aged  ninety-four  years,  and  is 
buried  at  Halifax.  His  children  were  as  fol- 
lows: Bathsheba,  who  married  Ezekiel  Wa- 
terman (they  died  in  Weymouth,  Mass.)  ; 
George  W.,  Jr.,  who  was  engaged  in  farming, 
and   died   in   Bridgewater;  Louisa,   who  mar- 


ried Benjamin  F.  Dewing,  of  Chelsea;  Abner 
Cushman,  who  is  mentioned  below;  Nancy,. 
who  married  William  Pedrick  (they  lived  at 
Somerville,  Mass.)  ;  and  William  Dunham,  who 
died  a  young  man,  of  smallpox,  in  Halifax. 

(VI)  Abner  Cushman  Jackson,  son  of 
George  W.,  was  born  July  5,  1815,  in  Halifax,. 
Mass.,  and  received  his  early  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  his  native  town.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  became  apprenticed  to  the  car- 
penter's trade,  and  early  in  life  settled  in  East 
Bridgewater,  where  he  carried  on  a  large  busi- 
ness as  contractor  and  builder,  doing  work  in. 
most  of  the  towns  of  Plymouth  county.  Mr. 
Jackson  was  a  master  of  his  craft,  and  when 
at  the  height  of  his  active  career  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  best  farmers  and  builders  in 
the  county.  He  was  actively  engaged  in  the 
business  of  contracting  for  a  period  covering' 
about  fifty-five  years,  when  he  retired  from 
business  cares,  and  he  died  in  East  Bridge- 
water,  Jan.  16,  1902,  aged  eighty-six  years, 
six  months,  eleven  days,  an  honored  and  re- 
spected citizen  of  the  community  in  which  his 
long  and  useful  life  had  been  spent.  Mr. 
Jackson  married  Lydia  Snow  Wade,  daughter 
of  John  and  Caroline  (Wade)  Wade,  of  Hali- 
fax. Mrs.  Jackson  passed  away  in  East  Bridge- 
water  Nov.  3,  1892,  aged  seventy  years,  the 
mother  of  eight  sons,  all  of  whom  grew  up 
and  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  under  their 
father,  as  follows:  Andrew,  who  went  West,, 
where  he  followed  the  business  of  builder  and 
cabinetmaker;  William,  who  died  young;  John 
A.,  who  is  mentioned  below;  Wallace  Cushman, 
who  died  young;  Sidney  Roscoe,  who  died 
young;  George  W.,  who  resides  in  Brockton; 
Abner  Williams,  who  is  living  in  Whitman,  a 
retired  builder;  and  Prescott  H.,  who  is  men- 
tioned below. 

(VII)  John  Adams  Jackson,  son  of  Abner 
Cushman  and  Lydia  Snow  (Wade)  Jackson, 
was  born  June  12,  1847,  in  East  Bridgewater, 
Mass.,  and  in  the  district  schools  of  his  native 
town  acquired  his  early  educational  training. 
Leaving  school  when  about  fifteen  years  of  age, 
he  became  apprenticed  to  the  carpenter's  trade 
under  the  instruction  of  his  father,  in  whose 
employ  he  contimied  for  a  period  of  about  six 
years,  until  he  had  reached  his  majority.  Go- 
ing to  Lynn,  Mass.,  he  followed  his  trade  as  a 
journeyman  there  for  about  two  years.  Coming- 
then  to  North  Bridgewater  (now  Brockton), 
he  continued  at  his  trade  in  the  employ  of 
John  F.  Beal  and  James  P.  Beal,  as  a  journey- 
man, until  1875,  in  which  year  he  engaged 
in  the  contracting  business  on  his  own  account, 
and   he   has   since   continued    it    successfully. 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1075 


Among  the  many  substantial  buildings  which 
Mr.  Jackson  has  erected  in  Brockton  may  be 
mentioned  the  Home  National  Bank  block, 
the  Field  block,  the  Enterprise  building, 
the  Whipple-Freenian  block,  the  Elm  Court 
apartments  on  West  Elm  street,  as  well  as 
many  others,  in  and  about  the  city,  including 
the  State  Sanatorium  for  Consumptives  at 
Lakeville,  completed  in  February,  1910. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Jackson  is  a  prominent  and 
active  member  of  various  organizations,  hold- 
ing membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  P. 
&  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is  past  worshipful  master ; 
Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  of  which  he  is 
past  high  priest;  Brockton  Council,  R.  &  S.  M., 
of  which  he  is  past  thrice  illustrious  master; 
Bay  State  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of 
which  he  is  past  eminent  commander,  having 
been  eminent  commander  during  the  triennial 
conclave  held  in  Boston,  when  he  was  pre- 
sented the  bear  by  Golden  Gate  Commandery, 
of  San  Francisco ;  and  he  is  also  a  member  of 
Aleppo  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
of  Boston,  and  has  attained  the  thirty- 
second  degree,  being  a  member  of  Bos- 
ton Consistory.  He  is  also  a  member 
of  Massasoit  Lodge,  No.  69,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Brockton.  Mr.  Jack- 
son has  long  been  identified  with  the  Hancock 
Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  which  organiza- 
tion he  has  served  as  president  for  a  period 
of  eight  years.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  State  Association  of  Master 
Builders,  being  one  of  the  vice  presidents  for 
several  years,  and  is  now  president,  and  is  also 
a  member  of  the  executive  board  and  a  member 
of  the  legislative  committee. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Jackson  is  a  firm  sup- 
porter of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  served  the  city  from  Ward  One  as  a 
member  (in  1886)  of  the  common  council  (of 
which  he  served  as  president),  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  aldermen  for  a  period  of  three 
years,  in  1887,  1888  and  1889  (being  presi- 
dent of  the  latter  board  the  last  year  of  his 
service  in  same),  and  again  in  1896  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  aldermen. 

On  Nov.  24,  1870,  Mr.  Jackson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Abbie  K.  Wade,  daughter  of 
Lorenzo  and  Marcia  K.  (Jackson)  Wade,  of 
North  Bridgewater,  and  to  this  union  have 
been  bom  two  children:  (1)  Arthur  Adams, 
bom  Sept.  23,  1880,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts College  of  Pharmacy,  and  also  took 
special  courses  at  the  Boston  School  of  Tech- 
nologv,  since  which  time  he  has  followed  the 
profession  of  chemist,  having  been  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Southern  Cotton  Oil  Company,  of 


Augusta,  Ga. ;  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island 
Railroad  Company,  in  the  testing  department, 
at  Chicago,  the  Sun  Oil  Company,  of  Toledo, 
Ohio,  the  Zephon  Chemical  Compound  Com- 
pany, of  Chicago,  and  is  now  in  the  employ  of 
the  American  Cotton  Oil  Company  at  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio.  He  married  Anna  Louise  Salfers- 
berg,  of  Dorchester,  Mass.,  and  they  have  one 
daughter,  Marion.  (2)  Harold  Stanley,  born 
March  8,  1885,  who  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  Brockton  high  school,  is  now 
interested  with  his  father  in  the  contracting 
business;  he  married  Maude  C.  Keith,  of  East 
Bridgewater. 

(VII)  Prescott  n.\RDiNQ  Jackson,  young- 
est  son  of  the  late  Abner  Cushman  and  Lydia 
Snow  (Wade)  Jackson,  was  born  Aug.  8,  1859, 
in  East  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  in  the  dis- 
trict .schools  of  his  native  town  acquired  a  prac- 
tical common  school  education.  During  the 
time  not  spent  in  school  he  worked  with  his 
father  at  carpentering,  and  in  his  eighteenth 
year,  in  1877,  he  came  to  Brockton,  where  he 
became  apprenticed  to  the  carpenter's  trade 
with  his  elder  brother,  John  A.  Jackson,  with 
whom  he  spent  about  three  and  a  half  years. 
Mr.  Jackson  then  entered  business  as  a  con-- 
tractor  and  builder,  forming  a  partnership  with 
Alfred  E.  Woodward,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Woodward  &  Jackson,  this  association  lasting 
for  a  period  of  about  two  years.  After  sever- 
ing his  connection  with  Mr.  Woodward,  Mr. 
Jackson  continued  in  the  business  on  his  own 
account,  and  he  met  with  marked  success.  In 
April,  1905,  he  admitted  his  son  Ralph  Pres- 
cott  Jackson  as  a  partner,  and  in  September 
of  the  same  year  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  Massachusetts  as  the  P.  H. 
Jack.son  &  Son  Company,  a  close  corporation, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  "$25,000,  Ralph  Pres- 
cott  Jackson  becoming  president  and  Prescott 
H.  Jackson  treasurer.  Mr.  Jackson  erected 
many  of  the  most  prominent  buildings  in 
Brockton  as  well  as  in  other  sections  of  the 
State,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the 
Brockton  high  school  (and  annex,  completed 
in  the  summer  of  1911),  the  Masonic  building, 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building,  of  Brockton,  the 
First  Parish  building,  the  new  City  Theatre 
building,  the  big  mill  constructed  factory  plant 
of  the  Howard  &  Foster  Company,  the  Whit- 
man school  building,  the  Copeland  school,  the 
Cary  Hill  school,  the  high  school  at  Melrose, 
the  large  Mason  school  at  Newton  Centre,  the 
Brockton  Central  police  station,  a  large  school- 
house  in  the  town  of  Provincetown,  the  present 
new  plant  of  the  Brockton  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany,  several   additions  to   the  factory  plant 


1076 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  the  Emerson  Shoe  Company  in  Eockland, 
the  high  school  at  Weymouth,  Mass.,  the 
Thomas  Gardner  school  at  Allston,  Mass.,  the 
Ticknor  school  at  South  Boston,  a  school  at 
Everett,  one  at  Salem,  and,  among  the  hand- 
some residences  of  the  city,  those  of  Moses 
A.  Packard,  Hon.  John  S.  Kent,  and  many 
others. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Jackson  was  an  ad- 
herent of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  he  never  aspired  to  public  office. 
Fraternally  he  was  a  member  of  Paul  Revere 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Damocles  Lodge,  No. 
16,  Knights  of  Pythias;  and  Brockton  Lodge, 
No.  240,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Socially  he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  of  Brockton.  With  his  family  he 
attended  the  First  Universalist  Church  of 
Brockton,  to  which  they  give  their  support. 

Mr.  Jackson  died  Sept.  20,  1911,  at  his  home 
on  Forest  avenue,  Brockton,  his  death  result- 
ing from  an  apoplectic  shock  which  he  suf- 
fered two  days  before.  He  was  a  man  es- 
teemed by  all  who  knew  him.  Fair  in  his 
relations  and  dealings  with  his  employees,  he 
had  their  regard  as  well  as  their  respect. 
Companionable,  cheery  and  kindly,  he  was  liked 
by  all  who  had  occasion  to  meet  him. 

On  Aug.  14,  1881,  Mr.  Jackson  married 
Elizabeth  H.  Nash,  daughter  of  Henry  F.  and 
Abbie  (Fuller)  Nash,  of  Brockton,  and  by  this 
union  there  was  one  son,  Ralph  Prescott,  who 
was  born  July  5,  1882 ;  he  was  graduated 
from  the  Brockton  High  School,  and  was  as- 
sociated with  his  father  in  the  contracting  busi- 
ness, being  president  of  the  P.  H.  Jackson  & 
Son  Company;  he  married  Mrs.  Marie  Goss, 
daughter  of  George  J.  Smith,  of  Brockton. 

ELISHA  TUCKER  JACKSON,  long  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Taunton,  was  born  in 
Middleboro  Aug.  23,  1829.  His  ancestors  took 
an  active  part  in  the  early  colonial  life  of 
Plymouth  county,  Mass.  He  was  the  son  of 
James  and  Julia   (Vaughan)    Jackson. 

James  Jackson  was  a  cotton  manufacturer 
of  Middleboro,  who  possessed  talents  and  a 
force  of  character  that  promised  a  brilliant 
future.  He  died,  however,  in  young  manhood, 
in  the  midst  of  his  activities  and  usefulness, 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  His  wife,  Julia 
(Vaughan),  was  the  daughter  of  George  and 
Mercy  (Estes)  Vaughan. 

Elisha  T.  Jackson  received  his  education  at 
Peirce  Academy,  in  Middleboro.  A  few  years 
after  his  father's  death,  his  mother  marrying 
again,  he  left  school  and  a  little  later  came  to 
Taunton,    there    entering    upon    his    business 


career.  As  a  clerk  in  one  of  the  town's  busy 
stores,  afterward  as  senior  member  of  the  firm, 
Jackson  &  Williams,  and  for  the  last  thirty 
years  of  his  life  as  head  of  the  ^widely  known 
firm  of  E.  T.  Jackson  &  Co.,  he  acquired  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact,  and  his  name  stood  for  solid 
worth,  ability,  integrity  and  high  ideals.  An 
independent  Republican  in  politics,  he  served 
with  zeal  and  distinction  in  the  city  govern- 
ment, and  for  nine  years  as  a  county  commis- 
sioner. 

Underneath  a  quiet  and  gentl_e  manner  he 
possessed  an  indomitable  spirit.'  Those  who 
went  to  him  for  advice  and  help,  and  the  num- 
ber was  a  large  one,  knew  his  kindness  of 
heart,  broad  charity  and  nobility  of  character, 
as  well  as  the  soundness  of  his  judgment.  As 
the  place  which  a  city  gains  and  holds  depends 
upon  the  individual  worth  and  dignity  of  its 
citizens,  Taunton  owes  much  to  the  devoted 
lives  of  such  men. 

In  religion  Mr.  Jackson  made  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  his  creed,  and  the  rule  of  his 
daily  life.  To  posterity  he  left  the  heritage  of 
an  untarnished  name. 

In  1850  Mr.  Jackson  married  Caroline  Keith 
Fobes,  of  Bridgewater.  Their  surviving  chil- 
dren are :  Hon.  James  Frederick  Jackson,  of 
Brookline,  for  eight  years  chairman  of  the 
board  of  railroad  commissioners,  and  one  of  the 
best-known  lawyers  in  the  State ;  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Frankland  Bassett.  Mr.  Jackson  left 
as  his  widow  a  wife  by  second  marriage,  Jean 
Gordon  (Dean)  Jackson. 

CHARLES  E.  LOVELL,  M.  D.,  a  well- 
known  physician  of  Whitman,  who  has  given 
much  time  and  study  not  alone  to  the  relief 
of  physical  ills,  but  to  the  many  questions  of 
the  moral  and  material  progress  of  the  com- 
munity as  an  active  and  efficient  member  of 
the  board  of  selectmen  for  five  terms,  as  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  health,  as  town  physician, 
and  as  school  physician,  is  a  native  of  Vermont, 
born  at  Woodstock  April  13,  1861,  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  family  old  and  honorable  in 
New  England,  planted  here  in  less  than  two 
decades  after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers. 

(I)  Robert  Lovell,  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany of  Rev.  Joseph  Hull,  at  Weymouth,  Eng- 
land, in  March,  1635,  came  to  Wessaguscus, 
New  England,  during  the  following  summer. 
The  name  of  the  town  was  changed  at  the  time 
to  Weymouth,  in  kindly  remembrance  of  the 
port  whence  they  sailed.  The  company  had  been 
gathered  by  its  i-:-verend  leader  in  the  Counties 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1077 


of  Somerset,  Worcester  and  Dorchester,  but 
from  which  of  these  Mr.  Lovell  came  does 
not  appear.  He  was  called  a  husbandman 
and  his  age  is  given  as  forty  years,  while  that 
of  his  wife  Elizabeth,  who  accompanied  him,  is 
given  as  thirty-five.  They  brought  with  them 
children  :  Anne,  aged  sixteen  years ;  Zaccheus, 
aged  fifteen  years ;  John,  aged  eight  years ;  El- 
len and  James,  twins,  aged  one  year ;  and  also 
a  servant,  Joseph  Chicken,  aged  sixteen  years. 
The  father's  will  was  proved  June  25,  1672. 
His  property  seems  to  have  extended  from  the 
tide  mill  to  King  Oak  Hill,  in  scattered  lots, 
and  probably  covered  the  place  on  the  east  side 
of  "the  latter  hill  which  was  in  after  times  the 
homestead  of  Capt.  Enoch  Lovell. 

(II)  James  Lovell,  son  of  Robert,  aged  one 
year  on  the  coming  of  the  family  to  New  Eng- 
land, was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Jane,  his  second  Anna.  Mr.  Lovell  remained 
in  Weymouth,  residing  on  the  family  home 
stead,  upon  the  slope  of  King  Oak  Hill.  He 
died  in  Weymouth  in  1706,  leaving  a  large 
property.  His  children,  all  save  the  youngest 
born  to  the  first  wife,  were :  Deborah,  bom 
June  8,  1664;  James,  March  7,  1667;  Hannah, 
Sept.  29,  1668;  Enoch,  Dec.  29,  1670;  Mary, 
Jan.  5,  1673;  John,  April  19,  1676;  Elizabeth, 
Sept.  22,  1679;  Joseph,  Oct.  25,  1684;  and 
Anna,  Nov.  20,  1697. 

(III)  John  Lovell,  born  April  19,  1676, 
married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah 
Shaw,  and  removed  to  Middleboro,  where  the 
^vife  became  a  member  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  there  prior  to  1708,  the  church 
having  been  organized  in  1694.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  John,  born  Sept.  29,  1702;  Peter, 
Feb.  7,  1706;  Ebenezer,  Oct.  17,  1712;  Mary, 
April  20,  1714;  Joseph,  Jan.  20,  1717;  Han- 
nah, March  24,  1720;  and  perhaps  others  born 
between  1702  and  1712. 

(IV)  Joseph  Lovell,  bom  Jan.  20,  1717, 
married  in  1750  (intentions  expressed  or  mar- 
riage occurring  Oct.  13th  of  that  year)  Pa- 
tience 'Barrows.  They  lived  in  Middleboro, 
Mass.  Mr.  Lovell  died  Feb.  11,  1796,  aged 
seventy-nine  years.  Their  children  were: 
Millicent,  bom  Dec.  22,  1751;  Hannah,  July 
10,  1754 :  Joseph,  Sept.  9,  1758 ;  Samuel,  Aug. 
29,  1762;  and  Sylvanus,  Aug.  29,  1764. 

(V)  Joseph  Lowell  (2),  son  of  Joseph,  was 
bom  in  Middleboro,  Mass.,  Sept.  9,  1758.  He 
participated  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  his 
record  taken  from  the  Massachusetts  records 
of  soldiers  and  sailors  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  being:  "Joseph  Lovell,  Middleboro,  list 
of  men  mustered  between  Sept.  10  and  Sept. 
24,  1777,  by  James  Hatch,  muster  master  of 


Plymouth  county,  Colonel  Robinson's  regiment, 
enlisted  by  Captain  Hollis;  also  return  of  men 
mustered  for  Colonel  Jacobs's  regiment  by 
James  Hatch,  muster  master  of  Plymouth,  to 
serve  in  the  four  New  England  governments, 
dated  June  8,  1778,  enlisted  by  Capt.  Lemuel 
Wood.  Joseph  Lovell  was  also  corporal  in  Capt. 
Jacob  Fuller's  company.  Col.  John  Jacobs's 
regiment,  enlisted  May  4,  1778,  serving  seven 
months,  twenty-nine  days,  at  Rhode  Island,  en- 
'listment  to  expire  Jan.  1, 1779."  Joseph  Lovell 
married  Sept.  16,  1783,  Jerusha  Sparrow,  of 
Middleboro,  and  to  them  were  born  children 
as  follows:  Millicent,  1784;  Hannah,  July  27, 
1786;  Samuel,  Aug.  6,  1789;  Jerasha,  Nov.  6, 
1791;  Joseph,  Dec.  14,  1794;  Sally,  April  5, 
1797;  Sparrow,  Aug.  16,  1799.  Joseph  Lovell, 
the  father,  died  July  20,  1817,  aged  fifty-nine 
years. 

(VI)  Joseph  Lovell  (3),  son  of  Joseph  (2), 
was  born  in  Middleboro  Dec.  14,  1794.  He 
there  grew  to  manhood  and  when  a  young  man 
went  to  the  State  of  Vermont,  locating  at 
Woodstock,  on  a  farm,  making  farming  his 
life  occupation.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
years  in  his  new  home,  and  there  died.  He 
was  an  officer  in  the  militia,  and  was  quite 
prominent  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  town. 
He  married  in  Woodstock  Sarah  Lathrop,  a 
descendant  of  Rev.  John  Lathrop.  After  the 
death  of  her  husband  she  removed  to  East 
Houndsfield,  N.  Y.  She  died  at  Watertown, 
N.  Y.  Their  children  were:  One  born  Sept. 
3,  1827,  deceased  in  infancy;  Edward  Sparrow, 
bom  Oct.  13,  1830;  Augustus  Monroe,  bom 
Dec.  21,  1834;  Sarah  Louise,  born  Sept.  25, 
1837;  Joseph  Wheeler,  bom  Aug.  20,  1839, 
who  resides  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  is 
active  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic; 
and  Samuel  Alonzo,  born  Nov.  24,  1848,  who 
is  retired  and  resides  in  Watertown,  New  York. 

(VII)  Edward  Sparrow  Lovell,  son  of  Jo- 
seph (3)  and  father  of  Dr.  Lovell,  was  born 
on  the  farm  in  Woodstock,  and  there  grew 
to  manhood,  attending  the  local  school.  He 
entered  a  woolen  mill  at  an  early  age,  and 
learned  all  the  branches  of  the  woolen  manu- 
facturing business.  He  moved  from  Woodstock 
to  Michigan  with  his  family,  locating  at  Raw- 
sonville,  where  he  became  superintendent  of  a 
woolen  mill.  After  some  time  there  he  re- 
moved to  Watertown,  N.  Y.,  where  he  filled 
a  similar  position  for  some  time.  He  next  be- 
came engaged  in  the  insurance  business,  rep- 
resenting the  Phoenix  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company,  of  Hartford.  In  1876  he  removed 
to  the  town  of  Middleboro,  Mass.,  which  for 
generations  had  been  the  home  of  his  ancestors. 


1078 


SOUTHEASTERlSr  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  here  he  lived  retired  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  He  died  in  1888,  and  was  buried  in  the 
local  cemetery.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
but  no  office  seeker,  and  was  liberal  in  his 
church  views.  He  was  a  Mason,  belonging  to 
the  blue  lodge  and  chapter,  and  was  active  in 
the  latter  for  forty  years.  He  married  in 
Woodstock,  Vt.,  Mary  Taft,  born  in  Taftville, 
Vt.,  daughter  of  Lewis  and  Mary  (Cobb)  Taft, 
and  granddaughter  of  Daniel  Taft,  who  founded 
the  village  of  Taftville.  Mrs.  Lovell  died  in 
Middleboro  in  1891,  and  was  buried  beside 
her  husband.  They  had  two  children :  Charles 
E.,  mentioned  below ;  and  Flora  L.,  who  is  now 
the  widow  of  Israel  T.  Hathaway,  and  resides 
in  Middleboro  with  her  son  Ralph. 

(VIII)  Charles  E.  Lovell,  son  of  Edward 
Sparrow,  was  born  April  13,  1861,  in  Wood- 
stock, Vt.,  and  was  quite  young  when  he  went 
with  his  parents  to  Michigan,  where  he  at- 
tended school  a  short  time.  On  going  to  Wa- 
tertown,  N.  Y.,  with  his  parents,  he  was  a 
student  there,  finishing  his  preparatory  educa- 
tion in  Middleboro,  Mass.  In  1882  he  took 
np  the  study  of  medicine  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M. 
D.  in  1885,  after  which  he  practiced  for  two 
years  in  the  State  Hospital  at  Tewksbury.  In 
July,  1887,  he  came  to  the  town  of  Whitman 
and  began  practice,  and  here  and  in  the  ad- 
joining towns  for  the  past  twenty-four  years 
he  has  been  successfully  engaged.  Dr.  Lovell 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  his  profession.  In 
1891  he  built  the  fine  home  on  South  avenue, 
Whitman,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

Dr.  Lovell  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has 
been  elected  selectman  of  Whitman,  now  serv- 
ing his  fifth  term.  He  is  also  town  physician 
and  school  physician,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  health  (of  which  he  was  chairman) 
for  twelve  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ply- 
mouth District  Medical  Society  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Medical  Society  ;  of  the  American  Med- 
ical Association,  and  of  the  Hatherly  Medical 
Club,  of  which  he  is  secretary.  For  several 
years  he  was  United  States  examining  surgeon 
for  the  Brockton  District  of  Massachusetts, 
having  received  this  appointment  from  Presi- 
dent McKinley.  Fraternally  he  belongs  to  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution ;  Puritan 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Whitman;  Pilgrim 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Abington  Council,  R.  & 
S.  M. ;  Old  Colony  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of 
Abington ;  and  Aleppo  Temple,  Order  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  of  Boston.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Webster  Lodge,  No.  113,  I.  0.  0.  F., 
and  Plymouth  Rock  Lodge,  No.  43,  Knights  of 


Pythias,  of  Whitman ;  of  the  Middlesex  Club 
of  Boston,  and  of  the  Commercial  Club  of 
Brockton.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  Whitman 
Savings  Bank.  During  the  celebration  of  the 
250th  anniversary  of  the  settlement  of  Bridge- 
water,  June  13,  1906,  Dr.  Lovell  made  the 
following  address:  "I  congratulate'  myself 
upon  the  opportunity  which  this  occasion  af- 
fords of  attending  a  celebration  upon  such  a 
spot  as  this.  There  is  power  in  historic  as- 
sociation. We  celebrate  to-day  an  event  sep- 
arated from  us  by  two  hundred  and  fifty  years. 
I  am  glad  the  ancestors  of  so  many  good  people 
came  over  in  the  'Mayflower.'  I  am  some- 
times disposed  to  think  she  must  have  made  a 
good  many  trips,  but  I  am  pleased  that  they 
are  so  numerous.  Nothing  prevents  my  having 
had  an  ancestor  on  the  'Mayflower'  but  my 
veracity.  The  'Mayflower'  continues  sailing, 
transformed  into  a  Brockton  canal  boat,  a  dude 
train  or  even  an  electric  baggage  car.  Sh^ 
is  landing  many  pilgrims  in  many  portions 
of  our  country.  Wherever  men  and  women 
have  gone  with  the  spirit  of  the  brave  settlers 
of  this  town  to  found  new  communities  there 
has  been  a  new  landing  of  the  'Mayflower.' 
So  long  as  the  spirit  of  her  passengers  abides 
in  her  sons,  so  long  as  the  sons  of  Revolu- 
tionary sires  keep  alive  the  flame  those  patriots 
kindled,  our  land  is  safe.  We  have  come  here 
to-day  that  by  another  spark  this  sacred  flame 
within  us  may  burn  with  a  brighter  glow,  with 
confidence  in  law,  in  education,  in  liberty  and 
in  morality — we  dedicate  ourselves  anew  to 
these  principles."  Dr.  Lovell  is  a  member  and 
secretary  of  the  committee  having  in  charge 
the  celebration  of  the  250th  anniversary  of  the 
settlement  of  Abington  (which  now  includes 
the  towns  of  Abington,  Whitman  and  Rock- 
land), to  be  held  in  1912. 

Dr.  Lovell  married  in  Middleboro,  on  Sept. 
11,  1889,  Eugenia  Frances  Bartlett,  born  in 
Boonton,  N.  J.,  daughter  of  Bradford  D.  W. 
Bartlett.  Mrs.  Lovell  is  a  woman  of  culture 
and  refinement,  keenly  interested  in  the  public 
schools  of  Whitman  and  other  institutions. 
She  is  a  member  and  chairman  of  the  school 
committee,  serving  as  such  for  a  period  of  nine 
years,  and  a  member  of  the  library  board  of 
trustees.  She  belongs  to  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  Dr.  Lovell  and  his 
family  attend  the  Episcopal  Church.  One  child 
has  been  born  to  the  Doctor  and  his  wife, 
Lathrop  Bartlett,  who  was  educated  in  the 
Whitman  public  and  high  schools,  Dean 
Academy  at  Franklin,  Mass.,  and  is  now  a 
student  at  Dartmontli  College,  class  of  1912. 


lEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1079 


Bartlett.  The  Bartlett  family  to  which 
Mrs.  Lovell  belongs  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the 
Plymouth  Colonv. 

(I)  Robert  Bartlett,  the  first  of  the  name 
in  the  Plymouth  settlement,  married  Mary  War- 
ren, daughter  of  Richard  Warren,  of  the  ''May- 
flower," 1620. 

(II)  Joseph  Bartlett,  son  of  Robert  and 
Mary  (Warren)  Bartlett,  was  born  in  Ply- 
mouth.   He  married  Hannah  Pope. 

(III)  Benjamin  Bartlett,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Hannah  (Pope)  Bartlett,  was  born  in  Ply- 
mouth, Mass.,  and  married  Sarah  Barnes, 
•daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Elizabeth  (Hedge) 
Barnes,  of  Plymouth. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Bartlett  (2),  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Sarah  (Barnes)  Bartlett,  was  born 
in  Plymouth,  and  married  Hannah  Stephens, 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Mary  (Churchill) 
Stephens. 

(V)  Benjamin  Bartlett  (3),  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Hannah  (Stephens)  Bartlett,  born 
in  Phanouth,  made  his  home  in  Stoughton, 
Mass.    He  married  Susan  Hayden. 

(VI)  Asa  Bartlett,  son  of  Benjamin  (3)  and 
Susan  (Hayden)  Bartlett,  born  in  1790,  died 
in  1839.  He  lived  in  Easton,  Mass.,  and  later 
moved  to  Wareham,  Mass.  In  1811  he  married 
Sarah  Willis,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  De- 
liverance (Mitchell)  Willis,  and  granddaughter 
•of  Col.  Abiel  Mitchell,  an  officer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

(VII)  Bradford  Dennis  Willis  Bartlett,  son 
of  Asa  and  Sarah  (Willis)  Bartlett,  born  at 
Wareham,  Mass.,  July  31,  1833,  died  in  Whit- 
man April  30,  1894.  He  married  Sarah  Ellen 
Clark,  daughter  of  Capt.  James  Harvey  Clark, 
of  Rochester,  Mass.,  and  to  them  were  born  two 
children :  Edith  Isabelle,  who  married  Matthew 
Cushing,  of  Middleboro,  Mass.,  and  has  two 
children,  Bartlett  Ellis  and  Edith  Hazel;  and 
Eugenia  Frances,  who  married  Dr.  Charles  E. 
Lovell,  of  Whitman,  Massachusetts. 

WILLIAM  BRADFORD  (deceased).  Fair- 
haven.  On  passing  through  the  beautiful  River- 
side cemetery  in  Fairhaven  one  is  at  once 
attracted  by  a  huge  granite  boulder,  a  glacial 
■deposit  from  the  far  north,  which  marks  the 
resting  place  of  the  remains  of  the  late  widely 
known — may  we  not  say  famous — artist,  Wil- 
liam Bradford,  whose  name  introduces  this  ar- 
ticle. And  upon  the  boulder,  with  his  name, 
are  the  following  lines  from  Whittier : 

Something  it  has — a  flavor  of  the  sea 

And  the  sea's  freedom — which  reminds  of  thee. 

From  Gov.  William  Bradford  of  Plymouth 


Colony  and  of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620,  de- 
scended the  Fairhaven  artist  through  William 
Bradford  (2)  and  his  wife  Alice  Richards, 
John  Bradford  and  his  wife  Mercy  Warren 
(daughter  of  Joseph  and  granddaughter  of 
Richard  Warren  of  the  "Mayflower"),  Samuel 
Bradford  and  his  wife  Sarah  Gray,  John  Brad- 
ford (2)  and  his  wife  Elizabeth  Holmes,  Oliver 
Bradford  and  his  wife  Sarah  Chipman,  and 
Melvin  Bradford  and  his  wife  Hannah  (Kemp- 
ton). 

William  Bradford,  son  of  Melvin  and  Han- 
nah (Kempton)  Bradford,  was  bom  April  30, 
1827,  in  the  town  of  Fairhaven,  and  acquired 
there  a  common  school  education.  He  became 
a  clerk  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  Mr.  George 
M.  Eddy  in  New  Bedford,  and  later  engaged 
in  mercantile  pursuits  for  himself.  This  was 
not  to  his  liking,  however.  His  leisure  hours, 
even  while  in  this  business,  were  devoted  to 
painting,  and  he  soon  became  known  as  a  care- 
ful, painstaking  artist.  He  was  an  accurate 
portrayer  of  all  kinds  of  vessels,  and  he  made 
extended  studies  of  the  scenery  of  the  New 
England  and  British  North  American  coast, 
as  far  as  Labrador.  In  depicting  the  forms  and 
motions  of  waves  and  the  aspect  of  the  sea  in 
storms  he  produced  realistic  effects  not  ob- 
tained by  previous  artists.  He  subsequently  ex- 
tended his  studies  to  the  Arctic  regions,  and  in 
company  with  Dr.  Hayes  and  others  he  made 
excursions  to  the  ice  fields  of  the  North  Atlan- 
tic, in  a  vessel  chartered  by  him,  and  sketched 
floes  and  bergs  and  the  coast  scenery  of  the 
frozen  regions.  On  the  result  of  these  trips  the 
reputation  of  Mr.  Bradford  as  an  artist  large- 
ly rests,  and  the  paintings  from  the  scenes  he 
witnessed  created  great  enthusiasm  both  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe.  Perhaps  the  best  of 
them  all  was  one  bearing  the  poetic  title  of  the 
"Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun."  When  this 
painting  was  exhibited  at  the  art  gallery  of 
L.  B.  Ellis  in  New  Bedford,  crowds  of  people 
visited  the  place,  and  so  great  was  the  interest 
excited  that  Mr.  Bradford  felt  compelled  to 
yield  to  the  demand  to  lecture  to  school  chil- 
dren and  others  on  the  wonderful  things  he  had 
seen.  His  "Sealer  Crushed  in  the  Ice"  and 
"Steamer  Panther  Among  Field  Ice  and  Ice- 
bergs in  Melville  Bay"  also  attracted  much  at- 
tention. 

Mr.  Bradford  was  induced  to  go  to  England, 
where  his  pictures  speedily  attracted  attention, 
and  the  Marquis  of  Lome,  Lady  Burdett- 
Coutts  and  Lady  Franklin,  among  others,  be- 
came his  warm  friends  and  admirers.  His 
"Steamer  Panther  Among  the  Icebergs  and 
Field  Ice  in  Melville  Bay  Under  the  Midnight 


1080 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Sun"  was  purchased  by  Her  Majesty  Queen 
Victoria,  and  was  exhibited  by  her  permission 
at  the  Royal  Academy  in  1875.  Among  other 
notable  works  of  Mr.  Bradford  are :  "Fishing 
Boats  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,"  "Shipwreck  Off 
Nantucket,"  "Lighthouses  in  St.  John  Har- 
bor," "Fishing  Boats  Getting  Under  Way," 
"The  Island  of  Grand  Manan,"  "Fishing  Boats 
at  Anchor,"  "Sudden  Squalls  in  the  Bay  of 
Fundy,"  "A  Stiff  Breeze  in  the  Harbor  of  East- 
port,"  "The  Coast  of  Labrador,"  "Boarding  the 
Sloop,"  "Sunset  in  the  North,"  and  "Arctic 
Scene"  exhibited  in  the  National  Academy  at 
New  York  in  1886. 

A  correspondent  writing  of  Mr.  Bradford  in 
1888  says:  "Mr.  Bradford  was  born  in  Fair- 
haven  and,  although  he  has  travelled  all  over 
America,  finds  no  pleasanter  place  for  his  sum- 
mer home  than  this  in  which  his  earlier  days 
were  passed.  He  has  just  purchased  a  delight- 
ful place  on  commanding  ground,  overlooking 
a  broad  sweep  of  Buzzard's  bay  and  permitting 
a  fine  view  of  New  Bedford,  just  across  the 
Acushnet  river.  Here  he  does  not  tire  of  be- 
holding the  rising  sun  flashing  across  the  bay, 
or  the  setting  sun  with  its  wealth  of  golden  col- 
oring. 

"His  studio  is  half  a  mile  above,  at  the  foot 
of  Union  street.  Here,  in  an  old  weather- 
stained  building  at  the  water's  edge,  the  grand 
old  painter  may  be  found,  almost  any  morning, 
busily  at  work.  Amid  these  severely  plain,  even 
homely  surroundings,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
realize  that  the  quiet,  unassuming  man  before 
you  has  faced  the  rigors  of  northern  waters 
seven  different  seasons,  and  has  sailed  in  his 
own  vessel,  'The  Panther,'  far  into  the  thick  ice 
of  Melville  bay  and  to  within  sixty-five  miles 
of  the  spot  where  Lieutenant  Greeley  lay  dying 
at  the  time  of  his  rescue  by  Commander  Schley ; 
you  can  hardly  realize  that  this  is  the  man  who 
first  secured  a  London  publisher  for  the  famous 
African'  explorer,  Henry  M.  Stanley,  or  that 
his  own  book  was  brought  out  under  the  pat- 
ronage of  royalty,  and  of  such  men  as  Argyle 
and  Tyndall.  We  have  to  stop  and  think  that 
Whittier  has  sung  his  praises,  that  DeLong  en- 
trusted his  wife  to  his  care  (when  starting  on 
that  voyage  from  which  he  was  brought  back 
cold  in  death)  and  tliat  his  pictures  are  in 
Queen  Victoria's  library,  and  in  many  of  the 
finest  collections  of  England.  There  is  nothing 
to  tell  of  this  in  his  bowed  form  under  heavy 
frosty  brows.  He  is  a  man  caring  little  for 
externals,  but  everything  for  genuine  worth. 

"As  you  look  upon  his  impressive  pictures  of 
icebergs  and  ships  sailing  the  frozen  seas  or 
nipped  in  the  deadly  embrace  of  contending  ice 
floes,  you  begin  to  realize  something  of  what 


he  has  been  through.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  see 
him  at  his  work,  patiently  but  surely  portray- 
ing on  the  canvas  that  which  he  sketched  while 
standing  in  the  presence  of  one  of  Greenland's 
stupendous  glaciers.  And  as  one  looks  down 
from  his  studio  door,  it  is  fitting  that  there 
should  be  at  anchor  one  of  those  sturdy  old 
Arctic  whalers  (of  about  300  tons)  which  has 
ploughed  the  northern  seas  many  a  year  in  pur- 
suit of  whales.  I  climbed  its  side  and  went 
down  into  its  dark  interior.  Here  is  room  to 
stow  away  hundreds  of  barrels  of  oil,  and  its 
sturdy  oak  sides,  as  sound  as  years  ago,  must 
have  been  able  to  resist  a  great  ice  pressure.  It 
is  next  to  taking  an  Arctic  voyage  to  explore 
such  a  vessel  and  listen  to  the  stories  which  Mr. 
Bradford  can  tell  you." 

Some  years  prior  to  his  demise  Mr.  Bradford 
delivered  a  series  of  interesting  lectures  on  his 
Arctic  experiences  before  cultured  audiences  in 
various  cities  of  the  country.  He  was  the  only 
American  artist  previous  to  1871  that  lectured 
before  the  Royal  Society  of  London.  In  pri- 
vate life  he  was  kindly  and  courteous,  having 
a  pleasant  word  for  all,  and  in  all  the  relations 
of  life  he  was  genial  and  generous,  a  warm 
friend  and  a  safe  adviser. 

Mr.  Bradford  was  president  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco Art  Association,  an  associate  member  of 
the  National  Academy  of  Design,  and  of  the 
Century  Club  of  New  York  City. 

On  Dec.  15,  1847,  Mr.  Bradford  married 
Mary  Swett,  daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mary 
Eastman  (Swett)  Breed,  of  Lynn.  Three  chil- 
dren blessed  the  union,  two  dying  in  infancy, 
the  other  being  Mary  Eastman,  now  a  resident 
of  Fairhaven,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Bradford  died  in  the  New  York  Hospital 
in  the  morning  of  April  25,  1892,  from  the  ef- 
fects of  a  stroke  of  paralysis  with  which  he 
was  stricken  while  at  his  studio  in  New  York 
City. 

His  loss  was  sincerely  mourned  by  a  wide 
circle  of  friends,  to  whom  his  death  caused  keen 
regret,  and  who  mingled  their  tears  with  those 
of  his  bereaved  wife  and  daughter.  Mrs.  Brad- 
ford died  Jan.  26,  1907. 

THOMAS  B.  WILCOX,  for  more  than  half 
a  century  a  prominent  business  man  of  New 
Bedford,  died  at  his  home.  No.  330  Union 
street,  July  5,  1908,  in  the  eighty-seventh  year 
of  his  age.  He  was  a  member  of  a  family 
of  ancient  lineage  in  England,  where  his  line 
has  been  traced  back  to  the  year  1200;  while 
in  America  the  name  of  Edward  Wilcox  ap- 
pears on  the  records  of  the  island  of  Aquidneck 
as  early  as  1638. 

The  family  of  Wilcox  is  of  Saxon  origin,  and 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1081 


was  seated  at  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  in  the  Coun- 
ty of  Suffolk,  England,  before  the  Norman 
Conquest,  1066.  Sir  John  Dugdale,  in  his 
•'Visitation  of  the  County  of  Suffolk,"  men- 
tioned fifteen  generations  of  this  family  prev- 
ious to  1600.  In  the  reign  of  King  Edward 
[II.,  Sir  John  Wilcox  was  intrusted  with  sev- 
eral important  commands  against  the  French, 
and  had  command  of  the  crossbowmen  from 
Norfolk,  Suffolk  and  Essex.  .  John  William 
Wilcox,  of  Bury  Priory  in  Suffolk,  an  eminent 
queen's  counsel,  was  a  representative  of  this 
ancient  family  a  half  century  ago.  William 
Wilcox,  who  was  chosen  lieutenant  governor 
in  the  early  days  of  the  Massachusetts  Colony, 
was  the  first  of  the  name  who  is  recorded  on 
the  list  of  early  officers. 

The  name  of  (I)  Edward  Wilcox  was  on  a 
list  of  inhabitants  admitted  to  the  island  of 
Aquidneck  in  1638.  He  was  of  Portsmouth 
and  Kingstown,  was  early  at  Narragansett, 
and,  it  seems,  had  a  connection  with  Roger  Wil- 
liams in  establishing  trading  houses  for  the 
advantages  of  trade.  Austin,  the  Rhode  Island 
genealogist,  assumes  that  Stephen  Wilcox,  at 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  having  a  grant  of  land  in 
1657,  and  who  later  was  at  Westerly,  and  Dan- 
iel Wilcox,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  who  had  a 
grant  of  land  in  1656  and  was  later  at  Dart- 
mouth, Mass.,  and  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  were  sons 
of  Edward  Wilcox.  Stephen  Wilcox  was  dep- 
uty in  1670  and  1672.  His  name  was  on  the 
list  of  inhabitants  of  Westerly  in  1669.  He 
married  Hannah  Hazard,  and  had  seven  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  were  sons,  namely:  Edward, 
Thomas,  Daniel,  William,  Stephen  and  Jere- 
miah. Of  these  Edward  married  and  re- 
mained in  Westerly;  Daniel  married  and  lived 
in  Kingstown  and  Stonington,  Conn.;  William 
married  and  lived  at  Stonington;  Stephen  mar- 
ried and  lived  in  Kingstown  and  Westerly ;  and 
after  Jeremiah  married  he  settled  in  Newport, 
Rhode  Island. 

(II)  Daniel  Wilcox,  the  older  brother,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Cook,  and  they  had  ten  children, 
the  sons  being:  Daniel,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.; 
Samuel,  of  Dartmouth,  Mass. ;  Stephen,  of  Lit- 
tle Compton,  R.  I. ;  Edward,  of  Tiverton,  R.  I. ; 
and  Thomas.  All  married  and  had  descend- 
ants except  Thomas. 

(III)  Samuel  Wilcox,  son  of  Daniel,  settled 
at  Dartmouth.  He  married  Esther  Cook  and 
had  three  children,  namely:  Jeremiah,  born 
Sept.  24,  1683;  William,  Feb.  2,  1685;  and 
Mary,  Feb.  14,  1688. 

(IV)  Capt.  Jeremiah  Wilcox,  son  of  Samuel, 
was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  named 
Mary,   his   second,   intentions   published    Feb. 


11,  1738,  Judith  Bri"'<i's,  who  was  born  at  Lit- 
tle Compton  May  27,  1710,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Elizabeth  (Fobes)  Briggs.  To  the 
first  marriage  were  born :  Sarah,  born  Nov. 
13,  1734;  and  Mary,  who  died  Nov.  14,  1752. 
The  children  of  the  second  marriage  were : 
Samuel,  born  Sept.  30,  1739,  who  married 
Comfort  Seabury,  of  Little  Compton ;  William, 
born  May  23,  1741,  who  married  Beribah 
Tucker;  and  Benjamin,  born  Sept.  24,  1747. 

(V)  Capt.  Benjamin  Wilcox,  youngest  son  of 
Capt.  Jeremiah,  was  born  at  Dartmouth  Sept. 
24,  1747.  On  April  19,  1769,  he  married 
Patience  Tucker,  born  Sept.  18,  1746,  daugh- 
ter of  Capt.  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Ricketson) 
Tucker,  and  granddaughter  of  William  and 
Meribah  (Slocuni)  Ricketson,  who  were  mar- 
ried July  25,  1708.  Mrs.  Meribah  (Slocum) 
Ricketson  was  a  daughter  of  Eleazer  and  Ele- 
phel  (Fitzgerald)  Slocum,  of  Dartmouth,  the 
latter  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a  daughter  of 
the  Earl  of  Kildare.  Tradition  says  her  sis- 
ter eloped  and  married  an  English  officer,  and 
on  coming  to  America  brought  her  sister,  the 
Lady  Elephel.  The  latter  came  on  to  Rhode 
Island  and  there  lived  in  the  family  of  Giles 
Slocum,  in  Portsmouth,  where  the  youngest 
son  of  the  family,  Eleazer  Slocum,  fell  in  love 
with  her.  The  match  was  much  opposed,  and 
Mr.  Slocum  locked  the  young  Irish  girl  up  in 
the  smokehouse,  whence  she  was  rescued  by 
her  sweetheart,  who  took  her  to  Dartmouth,  to 
the  home  of  his  older  brothers,  and  there  mar- 
ried her.  The  children  born  to  Capt.  Benja- 
min and  Patience  Wilcox  were :  Jeremiah,  born 
Sept.  6,  1770,  married  Ruth  Allen;  Phebe,  born 
Nov.  27,  1771,  married  Christopher  Slo- 
cum; Willard,  born  Feb.  23,  1773,  married 
Ruth  Lawrence;  Patience,  born  June  21,  1776, 
married  Richard  Almy;  Benjamin  was  born 
Feb.  26,  1785. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Wilcox,  son  of  Capt.  Benja- 
min, was  born  Feb.  26,  1785,  and  made  his 
home  in  the  south  part  of  Westport,  where  he 
operated  the  homestead  farm  given  him  by  his 
father.  He  was  a  successful  man  and  well- 
known  citizen,  and'  died  Jan.  5,  1857,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-two  years.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried. By  his  first  wife,  Sarah  (Sally)  Taber, 
of  Westport,  he  had  four  children:  Willard; 
Jeremiah ;  Patience ;  and  Henry  Tucker.  He 
married  (second)  Patty  Brownell,  of  Westport, 
who  died  there  March  3,  1855,  aged  sixty-six 
years,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Deborah  (How- 
land)  Browaiell.  His  children  by  this  union 
were :  Thomas  B. ;  Sarah  W.,  widow  of  Capt. 
Charles  P.  Seabury,  of  New  Bedford;  and 
Hodijah  Baylies,  of  New  Bedford. 


1082 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(VII)  Thomas  Brownell  Wilcox,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Patty,  was  born  in  Westport, 
Mass.,  Nov.  12,  1821.  During  his  early  boy- 
hood he  attended  the  district  schools,  and 
worked  on  his  father's  farm.  Later  he  at- 
tended Groton  Academy,  at  Groton,  N.  Y., 
from  which  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1839. 
He  then  returned  to  his  home,  and  assisted  his 
father  in  the  conduct  of  the  farm  until  he  at- 
tained his  majority,  when  he  came  to  New  Bed- 
ford, and  entered  the  fruit  and  grocery  store 
of  Wood,  Potter  &  Brownell,  as  a  clerk,  re- 
maining in  that  capacity  for  a  period  of  about 
five  years.  In  1847  he  established  a  similar 
business  on  his  own  account,  locating  near  the 
foot  of  Union  street,  where  he  continued  with 
good  success  until  1861.  In  1865  he  became 
connected  with  the  New  Bedford  Glass  Com- 
pany, a's  treasurer  and  director,  which  position 
he  held  until  the  company  was  merged  into 
the  Mount  Washington  Glass  Company.  He 
was  a  director  of  the  Edison  Electric  Light 
Company  until  that  concern  was  absorbed  by 
the  New  Bedford  Gas  &  Edison  Light  Com- 
pany. At  one  time  he  was  a  director  of  the 
Globe  Street  Railway  Company,  of  Fall  River, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  director  of 
the  Union  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Fall 
River,  Grinnell  Manufacturing  Corpora- 
tion, City  Manufacturing  Corporation  and 
Bristol  Manufacturing  Corporation  of  New 
Bedford ;  for  years  he  was  a  director  of  the 
Central  Union  Association.  He  was  president 
of  the  old  Liberty  Hall  Association  when  that 
organization  sold  its  property  to  the  Mer- 
chants' National  Bank. 

Mr.  Wilcox  was  a  man  who  began  life  in  a 
very  modest  way,  rising  gradually  to  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  and  influence.  He  was  a 
philanthropist  in  a  quiet  way,  ever  ready  to 
render  assistance  to  those  who  needed  it,  and 
he  was  at  the  head  in  raising  money  for  worthy 
objects.  He  had  charge  of  the  subscription 
papers  for  raising  the  funds  to  build  the  pres- 
ent St.  Luke's  hospital,  and  he  assisted  in  rais- 
ing the  funds  for  the  relief  of  the  Vineyard 
Haven  fire  sufferers.  In  politics  he  was  inde- 
pendent, and  though  he  never  sought  office 
was  frequently  besought  by  his  friends  to  do 
so,  always  declining  to  do  this,  however.  He 
was  well  known  for  his  shrewdness  in  invest- 
ments, and  was  often  asked  for  advice. 

In  1849  Mr.  Wilcox  married  Jerusha  Ryder, 
daughter  of  David  and  Jerusha  (Ryder) 
Smith,  of  West  Harwich,  born  April  2,  1828. 
Their  surviving  children  are :  Mrs.  Sarah 
Waterman,  who  has  one  son,  Henry;  Susan  A.; 
Thomas  B.,  Jr.,  who  married  Flora  P.  Taber 


and  has  one  daughter,  Esther  T. ;  Benjamin; 
Patty ;  and  Frank  S.,  who  succeeded  his  brother 
Benjamin  as  treasurer  of  the  City  Manufactur- 
ing Corporation  (he  married  Mary  George,  and 
they  have  one  daughter,  Mary  G.).  Mrs.  VVil- 
cox  preceded  her  husband  in  death,  passing 
away  Aug.  25,  1904;  both  are  buried  in  the 
Rural  cemetery. 

(VIII)  Benjamin  Wilcox,  for  twenty- 
three  years,  until  his  resignation,  Sept.  1,  1911, 
treasurer  of  the  City  Manufacturing  Corpora- 
tion, was  born  in  New  Bedford  Dec.  8,  1859, 
son  of  the  late  Thomas  B.  Wilcox.  He  was 
educated  in  the  New  Bedford  schools,  and 
Bryant  &  Stratton's  business  college  at  Bos- 
ton. When  he  left  school  he  entered  the  office 
of  the  Wamsutta  Mills,  where  he  remained 
nine  years,  after  which  the  City  Manufacturing 
Corporation  was  organized  and  he  was  elected 
in  1888  its  treasurer,  a  position  he  continued 
to  fill  until  his  resignation  to  devote  his  at- 
tention to  his  private  interests.  In  1892  he 
was  made  treasurer  of  the  Bristol  Manufactur- 
ing Corporation  from  which  he  resigned  about 
ten  years  later.  He  is  vice  president  of  the  New 
Bedford  Safe  Deposit  &  Trust  Company,  and 
is  a  man  well  known  in  the  manufacturing 
world.  He  resides  at  Padanaramj  where  he 
bought  a  homestead  some  years  ago,  which  he 
remodeled  and  made  one  of  the  best  in  that 
section.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Dartmout^i 
Club  and  the  Wamsutta  Club.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican,  but  not  active  m  party  work. 

In  1884  Mr.  Wilcox  married  Charlotte  W. 
Haskins,  daughter  of  Cyrenius  W.  Haskins,  of 
New  Bedford.  They  have  one  son,  John  Has- 
kins, born  Feb.  10,  1886,  who  bought  his  grand- 
father's home  on  Union  street  in  1910. 

EARLE  (Fall  River  family).  The  Fall 
River  branch  of  the  Earles,  the  family  there  to 
which  this  article  is  devoted  (to  some  of  the 
descendants  of  the  late  Slade  Earle,  of  Somer- 
set, Mass.),  springs  from  the  earlier  Ports- 
mouth, R.  I. — Swansea,  Mass.,  family,  one  of 
some  two  hundred  and  seventy  and  more  years' 
standing  in  the  section  named.  A  prominent 
representative  of  this  branch  in  Fall  River  is 
John  Mason  Earle,  who  is  a  descendant  in  the 
eighth  generation  from  Ralph  Earle,  the  first 
American  ancestor  of  the  family. 

(I)  Ralph  Earle  was  among  those  of  Ports- 
mouth, R.  I.,  who  were  admitted  inhabitants  of 
Aquidneck  in  1638  and  who  signed  the  declara- 
tion of  allegiance  in  the  year  following.  He 
was  chosen  to  keep  an  inn  in  1647;  was  treas- 
urer in  1649,  and  also  overseer  of  the  poor  in 
that  year.     He  was  again  elected  treasurer  in 


^^^it^^^-^^>c/X^     Jf<     >^^^^^^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1083 


1651.  He  was  a  freeman  in  1655.  He  served 
later  as  juryman  and  grand  juryman.  He  was 
appointed  in  1655  to  keep  a  house  of  entertain- 
ment. He  joined  a  troop  of  horse  in  1667  and 
afterward  became  captain  of  it.  He  died  in 
1678.  His  wife  was  formerly  Joan  Savage. 
Their  children  were:  Ralph,  William,  Mary, 
Martha  and  Sarah. 

(II)  William  Earle,  son  of  Ralph,  married 
(first)  Mary,  daughter  of  Job  and  Katherine 
Walker,  and  his  second  wife  was  named  Prud- 
«nce.  He  was  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  then  of 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and  again  of  Portsmouth, 
E.  I.,  then  of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  and  again  of 
Portsmouth.  He  was  a  freeman  of  1658,  and  a 
juryman  of  that  year.  He  and  William  Cory 
operated  together  a  windmill.  He  probably  re- 
moved to  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  about  1670,  his  in- 
terest there  being  large,  and  remained  there 
for  a  time.  He  owned  2,000  acres  of  land  from 
his  claims  in  the  original  division.  He  was 
taxed  in  Portsmouth  in  1680.  The  May  ses- 
sion of  the  Assembly,  1691,  met  at  his  house, 
it  being  removed  from  Newport  on  account  of 
the  "distemper."  He  was  deputy  in  1693,  1704 
and  1706.  He  died  Jan.  15,  1715.  His  chil- 
dren, the  last  two  being  born  to  the  second 
marriage,  were:  Mary,  William  and  Thomas, 
Ealph,  Caleb,  John  and  Prudence. 

(III)  Thomas  Earle,  son  of  William  and 
Mary  (Walker),  married  before  November, 
1693,  Mary,  born  in  1670,  daughter  of  Philip 
and  Mary  (Cook)  Taber,  of  Dartmouth,  Mass. 
His  father  gave  him  land  in  Dartmouth  in 
1692  and  he  went  there  to  reside.  He  sold  this 
land  in  1696,  then  lived  a  short  time  in  Ports- 
mouth, when  he  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in 
Swansea  and  later  added  more  to  it.  He  sold 
between  one  and  two  acres  of  land  in  1708,  for 
a  Friends'  meetinghouse;  in  1716  he  conveyed 
half  of  his  farm  to  his  son  Oliver  and  in  1721 
sold  him  the  other  half  of  it.  He  died  at  his 
homestead  in  Warwick,  R.  I.,  April  28,  1727. 
His  wife  died  in  1759.  Their  children  were: 
William,  Thomas,  Mary,  Oliver,  Sarah,  Lydia 
and  Rebecca. 

(IV)  Oliver  Earle,  son  of  Thomas,  married 
June  9,  1720,  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Martha  (Tripp)  Sherman,  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I. 
As  stated,  his  father,  who  was  then  living  in 
Portsmouth,  in  1716  gave  him  half  of  his 
Swansea  farm.  He  had  been  living  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  East 
India  trade.  In  1721  Oliver  bought  of  his 
father  the  other  half  of  the  farm,  paying  for  it 
£1,100.  He  died  in  1766.  His  children  were: 
Joshua,  Caleb,  Thomas  and  Mary. 

(V)  Caleb  Earle,  son  of  Oliver,  bom  Jan. 


30,  1729,  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  (first) 
5th  of  10th  month,  1745,  Sarah,  born  Sept.  1, 
1727,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Isabel  BufiE- 
ington,  and  by  her  had  six  children.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  in  1769  Hannah,  born  13th  of 
12th  month,  1744,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  Chace,  of  Swansea,  and  they  had  eight 
children.  The  family  lived  in  Swansea.  The 
children  were:  ElizalDeth,  born  Feb.  13,  1748; 
Weston,  born  April  18,  1750;  Caleb,  bom 
Sept.  2,  1756;  Benjamin,  born  Jan.  17,  1759; 
Joshua,  born  Oct.  11,  1762;  David,  born  May 
8,  1764;  Mary,  born  Feb.  20,  1771;  Jonathan, 
born  July  13,  1772;  Rebekah,  born  July  20, 
1774;  Daniel,  born  Aug.  30,  1776;  Sarah,  bora 
March  11,  1778;  Oliver,  born  Jan.  24,  1780; 
William,  born  Aug.  30,  1781;  and  Hannah, 
born  July  15,  1787. 

(VI)  Weston  Earle,  son  of  Caleb,  bom  April 
18,  1750,  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  (first) 
Hepzibah  Terry,  (second)  Sarah  Slade,  and 
(third)  Martha  S.  Smith.  He  lived  in  Swan- 
sea, Mass.,  where  his  death  occurred  Sept.  5, 
1838.  He  was  buried  in  the  Friends'  cemetery, 
in  Somerset,  Mass.  His  children,  all  excepting 
the  youngest  born  to  the  first  and  second  wives 
— three  each — were:  Caleb,  born  Feb.  27, 
1771 ;  Sarah,  born  in  1777;  Hepzibeth,  born  in 
1778;  John,  born  May  24,  1790;  Slade,  bom 
Oct.  16,  1791 ;  Edward  S.,  born  Oct.  17,  1795; 
and  Thomas  G.,  bom  Oct.  19,  1823. 

(VII)  Slade  Earle,  son  of  Weston,  bom 
Oct.  16,  1791,  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  married  in 
1812  Hannah,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Martha 
Gibbs,  of  Somerset,  Mass.,  lived  in  Somerset, 
and  died  Sept.  21,  1872,  in  Fall  River,  Mass. 
Their  children  were:  Lloyd  S.  was  bom  Dec. 
11,  1812;  Gibbs,  born  July  20,  1814,  married 
Laura  Carpenter;  George  W.,  born  April  25, 
1818,  married  (first)  Julia  A.  Vickery  and 
(second)  Mary  E.  Case;  Slade  W.,  bom  Jan. 
24,  1820,  married  (first)  Elizabeth  W.  Win- 
slow  and  (second)  Mary  Becknell;  Hannah  J., 
born  Feb.  19,  1824,  married  William  Maxam; 
John  M.  was  born  July  3,  1830. 

(VIII)  John  Mason  Earle,  son  of  Slade, 
was  bom  July  3,  1830,  on  the  homestead  farm 
at  Bryant's  Corners  in  Swansea,  Mass.  His 
early  life  was  passed  on  the  farm  in  Swansea, 
and  he  was  educated  in  the  district  school.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  came  to  Fall  River 
to  Icai-n  the  carpenter's  trade,  serving  a  regular 
apprenticeship  with  James  Ford.  After  he  had 
worked  for  a  time  as  journeyman,  he  began 
contract  work  and  made  a  big  success  of  the 
undertaking.  The  woodwork  of  the  Shove  Mills 
and  the  Tecumseh  Mill  was  done  by  him.  He 
took  contracts  for  the  erection  of  many  of  the 


1084 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


private  houses  and  some  of  the  schoolhouses  in 
Fall  Eiver.  He  retired  from  business  in  the 
later  eighties  and  removed  to  Hartford,  Conn., 
and  there  made  his  home  for  about  fifteen  years, 
until  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Fall  River.  In  early  life  Mr.  Earle 
was  an  attendant  of  the  Hornbine  Baptist 
Church  in  Eehoboth,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
the  Christian  Science  church  in  Fall  River,  as 
is  Mrs.  Earle. 

On  Dec.  14,  1856,  Mr.  Earle  married  Lu- 
cretia  A.  Sinsabaugh,  and  to  them  was  born 
one  daughter,  Carrie  I.,  May  22,  1863,  who 
married  Oct.  2,  1884,  George  W.  Flint,  of  Fall 
Eiver.  Soon  after  her  marriage  she  removed 
to  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  she  died  April  23, 
1889.  Mrs.  Earle  died  Oct.  4,  1902,  and  Mr. 
Earle  married  (second)  Nov.  8,  1904,  H.  Ella 
Gilford,  daughter  of  Perry  and  Lydia  (West- 
gate)  Gifford,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
oldest  families  of  this  section. 

LEACH  (Bridgewater  family).  For  two 
hundred  and  fifty  and  more  years — from  the 
very  dawn  of  civilization  in  the  first  interior 
settlement  of  the  Old  Colony  of  Bridgewater — - 
the  name  of  Leach  has  been  identified  with  the 
town,  and  long  been  one  representative  of  the 
substantial  and  prominent  families  there.  And 
still  beyond  the  period  of  the  Bridgewater  set- 
tlement, back  to  a  time  within  a  decade  of  the 
landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  themselves,  it 
has  represented  a  worthy  Massachusetts  family. 

(I)  Lawrence  Leach,  the  colonist,  a  native 
of  England,  born  in  1589,  came  over  to  New 
England  as  one  of  the  "planters"  with  Rev. 
Francis  Higginson  in  1629.  He  had  been  a 
man  of  repute  in  England,  and  is  said  to  have 
descended  from  John  LeLeche,  surgeon  of  King 
Edward  III.  Locating  at  Salem,  he  engaged 
extensively  in  the  farming  and  milling  busi- 
ness, his  large  plantation  and  mills  being  lo- 
cated in  what  is  now  Beverly.  The  mills  were 
of  such  importance  that  the  adjacent  towns 
caused  public  roads  to  be  opened  to  them.  He 
was  active  in  public  affairs,  was  one  of  the 
twelve  jurymen  who  at  Boston  (1630)  served 
on  the  trial  of  the  first  capital  offense  case  that 
was  heard  in  Massachusetts,  and  for  many 
years  represented  Salem  in  the  General  Court. 
He  assisted  in  the  formation  of  the  first  church 
that  was  organized  in  Salem.  His  son,  Robert, 
became  one  of  the  founders  of  Manchester, 
Mass.,  and  one  of  its  largest  landed  proprietors. 

(II)  Giles  Leach,  believed  to  have  been  the 
youngest  child  of  Lawrence,  and  the  only  one 
born  in  this  country,  was  a  founder  of  Bridge- 
water,  owning  one  of  fifty-six  proprietary  in- 


terests of  the  town.  Giles  Leach  was  at  Wey- 
mouth in  1656,  but  removed  to  Bridgewater  be- 
fore 1665,  says  Mitchell,  who  mentioned  that 
he  married  in  1656  (but  Weymouth  record 
says  Jan.  20,  1657)  Ann  Nokes.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  Sarah,  born  1656  (record  says  Nov. 
13,  1657)  ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  in  1693 
John  Emerson;  Samuel,  born  in  1662;  David; 
John;  Ebenezer;  Benjamin;  and  perhaps- 
others.. 

It  was  from  the  foregoing  source  that  de- 
scended one  of  Bridgewater's  distinguished  sons, 
the  late  Rev.  Daniel  Leach,  D.  D.,  who  was 
graduated  from  Brown  University  in  1830,  then 
studied  divinity  at  Andover,  Mass.,  and  also 
under  Bishop  Griswold,  by  whom  he  was  or- 
dained an  Episcopal  clergyman  in  1 833 ;  and 
who  later  became  prominently  identified  with 
educational  affairs,  in  both  Massachusetts  and 
Rhode  Island,  he  being  in  the  latter  State  for 
upward  of  twenty-five  years  superintendent  of 
the  public  schools  of  Providence. 

It  was  from  Lawrence  Leach  that  descended 
the  journalist,  Hon.  DeWitt  Clinton  Leach, 
who  in  1850  was  a  member  of  the  Constitu- 
tional convention  of  Michigan,  and  made  a 
speech  before  it  urging  the  granting  of  the 
right  of  suffrage  to  the  colored  race.  He  had 
previously  served  in  the  Michigan  Legislature. 
He  became  State  librarian,  editor  of  a  Repub- 
lican paper  at  Lansing,  and  later  at  other 
points,  served  in  Congress,  was  again  in  1867 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  convention  of 
Michigan,  etc.  Another  of  the  descendants  of 
Lawrence  Leach  was  the  clergyman  and  editor, 
Rev.  Joseph  S.  Leach  of  New  Jersey,  whose 
sons,  Hon.  Josiah  G.  Leach  and  Frank  W. 
Leach,  Esqs.,  became  prominently  identified 
with  public  affairs  in  their  communities.  Still 
another  of  the  descendants  of  Lawrence  Leach 
was  Henry  Whitman  Leach,  a  descendant  in 
the  eighth  generation  from  Lawrence  Leacn, 
from  whom  his  lineage  is  through  Giles,  John, 
Nehemiah,  James,  Alpheus  and  Ambrose. 
These  generations  more  in  detail  and  in  the 
order  named  follow. 

(III)  John  Leach,  son  of  Giles,  married 
Alice,  and  their  children  were:  John,  bom  in 
1695;  Giles,  born  in  1697;  Stephen,  born  in 
1698;  Abiel,  born  in  1700;  Ebenezer,  born  in 
1702  ;  Mehetabel,  born  in  1704;  Timothy,  bom 
in  1707;  Nehemiah,  born  in  1709;  Solomon, 
born  in  1712;  and  Jesse,  born  in  1714.  The 
father  died  in  1744. 

(IV)  Nehemiah  Leach,  son  of  John,  born  in 
1709,  married  (first)  Mercy  Staples,  and  they 
had  children :  Abigail,  born  in  1730,  who  mar- 
ried in  1749  Benjamin  Keith;  and  Mercy,  born 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1085 


in  1732,  who  married  in  1756  Xathaniel  La- 
tham. The  father  married  (second)  • Bry- 
ant, of  Plympton,  and  their  children  were : 
James,  born  in  1737;  Ruth,  born  in  1739,  who 
married  in  1762  Benjamin  Packard;  Robert, 
born  in  1740;  Huldah,  born  in  1742,  who  mar- 
ried in  1761  Daniel  Lazell;  Mehetabel,  born  in 
1744,  who  married  Nathan  Jones;  Lydia,  who 
married  in  1770  John  Dickerman,  of  Roxbury ; 
Nehemiah;  Caleb;  and  Susanna,  who  married 
Deacon  Isaac  Wilbor.  The  father  died  in  1769 
and  the  mother  in  1775. 

(V)  James  Leach,  son  of  Nehemiah,  born 
in  1737,  married  in  1765  Hazadiah,  daughter 
of  Robert  Keith,  and  their  children  were:  Al- 
pheus;  Apollos;  Caleb;  James,  who  married 
Betsey,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Leonard;  Chloe, 
who  married  in  1807  Col.  Salmon  Fobes;  Rox- 
illiana,  who  married  in  1799  Elias  Dunbar; 
Mercy,  who  married  in  1809  Abraham  Gould; 
Sarah,  who  married  in  1792  Jonathan  Keith; 
Huldah,  who  married  in  1803  George  Chip- 
man;  and  Ruth,  who  married  in  1792  Joseph 
Bassett. 

(VI)  Alpheus  Leach,  son  of  James,  born 
Aug.  2,  1765,  in  Bridgewater,  married  in  1787 
Cassandra,  born  Jan.  21, 1767,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Keith.  Their  children  were :  Anna,  born 
Aug.  7,  1788;  Ambrose,  born  May  5,  1791; 
■Sally,  born  May  7,  1793;  Alpheus,  born  April 
3,  1796 ;  Louisa,  born  Nov.  20,  1800,  who  mar- 
ried Deacon  Philip  Hill ;  Wightman  Rathbum, 
bom  June  7,  1804;  Hepsibah  R.,  born  Feb. 
23,  1806;  and  James  Keith,  born  Oct.  7,  1811. 

(VII)  Ambrose  Leach,  son  of  Alpheus,  was 
born  in  Bridgewater  May  5,  1791,  and  there 
followed  farming.  He  bought  the  place  on  West 
Elm  street,  near  Cochesett,  West  Bridgewater, 
now  owned  by  his  granddaughter,  Mrs. 
Wheeler,  and  there  he  spent  his  remaining 
years.  He  died  March  13,  1865,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years,  ten  months,  and  three  days,' 
and  was  buried  in  Pine  Hill  cemetery.  On 
Oct.  8,  1815,  he  married  Hannah  Howara, 
■daughter  of  Nehemiah  Howard.  She  died  Nov. 
22,  1838,  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  and 
was  buried  in  Pine  Hill  cemetery.  On  April 
■23,  1840,  he  married  (second)  Jane  Bartlett, 
daughter  of  David  Bartlett.  The  children  born 
to  the  first  marriage  were:  Hannah,  born 
March  9,  1817,  married  Charles  Hartwell ;  Sa- 
rah, born  July  6,  1818,  died  unmarried;  Julia, 
bom  Sept.  3,  1820,  died  unmarried ;  Mary  Ann, 
born  Dec.  20,  1822,  married  Albert  Copeland, 
and  both  are  deceased ;  Henry  Whitman,  born 
Jan.  18,  1827,  is  mentioned  below ;  Nancy,  born 
Oct.  13,  1829,  married  Fred  W.  Packard,  and 
has  two  sons  in  Brockton,  Horace  C.  and  Wil- 


liam F. ;  Catharine,  born  Aug.  3,  1833,  married 
Lucius  Gurney,  and  they  reside  at  Cochesett, 
Massachusetts. 

(VIII)  Henry  Whitman  Leach,  son  of 
Ambrose,  was  born  on  the  homestead  Jan.  18, 
1827,  and  was  educated  in  the  district  schools. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner. 
When  gold  was  discovered  in  California  he  in 
1849,  with  a  company  of  others,  started  for  the 
gold  fields,  going  around  Cape  Horn.  After 
spending  a  year  there  he  returned  home,  but  a 
year  or  two  later  again  went  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  spent  three  years,  visiting  many 
parts  of  the  country.  Returning  to  his  native 
home  he  took  up  the  carpenter's  trade,  finding 
employment  thereat  in  the  Bridgewaters.  He 
continued  work  at  his  trade  in  connection  with 
the  cultivation  of  the  homestead,  on  which  he 
made  many  improvements  during  the  remain- 
der of  his  active  life.  The  advancement  and 
progress  of  his  town  greatly  interested  him. 
He  filled  the  offices  of  selectman,  overseer  of 
the  poor  and  member  of  the  board  of  assessors 
three  terms.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican, 
and  in  religious  faith  a  Baptist.  He  died  full 
of  years  and  highly  esteemed  by  all,  May  22, 
1903,  and  was  buried  in  Pine  Hill  cemetery. 

Mr.  Leach  was  married  in  West  Bridgewater, 
Jan.  16,  1861,  to  Julia  Franklin  Bartlett, 
daughter  of  the  late  David  and  Susanna  (Fish) 
Bartlett.  She  was  educated  in  the  local  schools 
of  West  Bridgewater  and  in  the  State  normal 
school  at  Bridgewater,  graduating  from  the  lat- 
ter with  honors,  and  taught  school  successfully 
for  twelve  years  in  West  Bridgewater  and  near- 
by towns.  She  died  at  her  home  Sept.  22,  1905, 
at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty  years,  seven  days,  and 
was  buried  in  Pine  Hill  cemetery.  Two  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leach,  namely : 
(1)  Ada  Whitman,  born  Nov.  24,  1861,  mar- 
ried Irving  E.  Wheeler,  and  has  a  son,  Henry 
Irving,  born  Nov.  26,  1895 ;  Mrs.  Wheeler  re- 
sides at  the  old  homestead,  to  which  she  is  much 
attached.  (2)  Clara  Bartlett,  born  Jan.  3,  1863, 
married  Alton  W.  Snell,  of  Brockton,  and  has 
five  children,  Walter  Henry  (born  May  19, 
1889),  Maude  W.  (Aug.  31, 1890),  Ruth  Bart- 
lett (Nov.  18,  1892),  Raymond  Franklin  (June 
26,  1894)  and  Helen  Webster  (July  27,  1902). 

NATHAN  SLADE,  one  of  the  best  known 
residents  of  the  town  of  Somerset,  Mass.,  traces 
his  line,  as  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  New  England,  back  to  William 
Slade,  the  emigrant  ancestor  of  the  family  in 
America.    The  line  is  here  given  in  detail. 

(I)  William  Slade,  the  first  of  the  line  in 
this  Country,  is  said  to  have  been  bom  in  Wales, 


1086 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Great  Britain,  the  son  of  Edward,  of  whom 
nothing  seems  to  be  known  more  than  that  he 
died.  This  family  is  said  to  have  come  from 
Somersetshire,  England,  probably  being  of 
Wales  only  a  short  time.  William  appears  of 
record  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  in  1659,  when  ad- 
mitted a  freeman  of  the  Colony.  He  became 
an  early  settler  in  the  Shawoniet  Purchase  or 
Shawomet  liands,  which  included  that  part  of 
Swansea  which  later  became  the  town  of  Som- 
erset. Mr.  Slade  located  in  Swansea  as  early 
as  1680,  the  year  of  the  beginning  of  the  first 
record  book,  and  the  meetings  of  the  proprie- 
tors were  held  at  his  house  after  their  discontin- 
uance at  Plymouth,  in  1677.  Mr.  Slade  was  a 
large  land  holder,  his  possessions  including  the 
ferry  across  Taunton  river  which  took  his  name, 
Slade's  ferry,  and  which  remained  in  the  fam- 
ily until  the  river  was  bridged  in  1876,  and  it 
was  last  operated  by  William  L.  and  Jonathan 
Slade.  Mr.  Slade  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Eev.  Obadiah  Holmes,  of  Rehoboth.  He  died 
March  30,  1729,  aged  sixty-seven  years;  Sarah, 
his  widow,  died  Sept.  10,  1761,  aged  ninety- 
seven,  and  her  descendants  numbered  435  at 
that  time.  Of  their  ten  children  three  were 
sons:  Mary,  born  in  May,  1689;  William, 
born  in  1692;  Edward,  born  June  14,  1694; 
Elizabeth,  born  Dec.  2,  1695;  Hannah,  born 
July  15,  1697;  Sarah,  born  in  1697;  Martha, 
born  Feb.  27,  1699;  Phebe,  born  Sept.  25, 
1701;  Jonathan,  born  Aug.  3,  1703  (died  aged 
about  eighteen)  ;  Lydia,  born  Oct.  8,  1706. 

(II)  Edward  Slade,  son  of  William,  born 
June  14,  1694,  married  (first)  in  1717  Eliza- 
beth Anthony,  (second)  Dec.  6,  1720,  Phebe, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Sherman) 
Chase,  and  (third)  Deborah  Buffum.  They 
were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  His 
children  were  born  as  follows :  By  the  first 
marriage — William,  Sept.  25,  1718;  by  the  sec- 
ond marriage — Samuel,  Sept.  26,  1721 ;  Eliza- 
beth, April  29,  1723;  Joseph,  Nov.  16,  1724; 
Sarah,  February,  1726;  by  the  third  marriage 
—Edward,  Jr.,  Nov.  11, 1728 ;  Philip,  April  19, 
1730;  Phebe,  July  4,  1737;  Mercy,  1744. 

(III)  Edward  Slade,  Jr.,  son  of  Edward  and 
Deborah  (Buffum)  Slade,  born  Nov.  11,  1728, 
married  June  4,  1756,  Lydia  Baker,  his  cousin, 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Lydia  (Slade) 
Baker.  Children  :  Baker,  born  Sept.  20,  1759  ; 
John ;  Edward ;  Sarah,  and  Phebe. 

(IV)  Edward  Slade  married  Mary  Slade, 
who  died  June  11,  1825,  aged  fifty-nine  years. 
Their,  children  were:  Sally  married  a  Mr. 
Marvel  and  had  children,  Mary  Ann,  Betsy 
Brightman,  Sarah  Rowland,  Gardner,  Phebe 
Brightman  and  Parthenia  Fields;  Ruth,  Mrs. 


Cummings,  had  children,  Ruth  Ann,  Frank, 
Amanda  and  David  P. ;  Mary  married  John 
Slade,  her  first  cousin,  son  of  John  and  Phebe 
(Pierce)  Slade,  and  had  children,  Winslow  (lost 
at  sea),  John  Palmer,  and  Edward  and  Mary, 
twins,  who  died  in  infancy;  Edward  had  chil- 
dren, Nancy  Chace,  Edward  J.,  Horace,  Lydia 
Simmons,  Frank,  Sarah  Gibbs,  Alfred  and  Fan- 
nie Gardner;  Gardner  is  mentioned  below; 
Phebe  married  a  Mr.  Winslow. 

(V)  Gardner  Slade  was  born  in  1796  and 
died  Oct.  31.  1859,  aged  sixty-three  years.  He 
lived  on  the  homestead  farm  all  his  life.  He 
was  a  very  quiet,  unassuming  man,  did  his 
daily  duty,  and  never  sought  the  plaudits  of  the 
world.  On  April  1],  1824,  he  married  Mary 
Mason,  daughter  of  David  and  Sarah  Mason, 
granddaughter  of  James  and  Mary  Mason, great- 
granddaughter  of  Elisha  Mason,  great-great- 
granddaughter  of  Peletiah  Mason  and  great- 
great-great-granddaughter  of  Sampson  Mason, 
the  ancestor  of  all  the  Masons  of  Swansea. 
Mary  (Mason)  Slade  died  June  20,  1882,  aged 
eighty-one  years,  seven  months.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slade  were :  Edward  N.,  born 
Jan.  1,  1825,  died  Nov.  30,  1825;  Mary  Ann, 
born  Aug.  22,  1826,  died  in  December,  1875, 
married  Benjamin  Earle  and  had  Mary  A. 
(married  George  Gage  and  had  a  son  Albert) 
and  Anna  R.  (married  Charles  H.  Chace)  ; 
John  M.,  born  Jan.  21,  1829,  died  Aug.  7, 
1866 ;  Sarah  A.,  born  May  18,  1831,  di^d  April 
4,  1853;  Phebe,  born  March  4,  1834,  died  in 
1908,  the  wife  of  Ezra  A.  Mason  (she  had  two 
children,  Charles  E.  and  Henry  M.,  the  latter 
of  whom  married  Cora  Hathaway,  and  has  one 
daughter,  Stella)  ;  Henry,  born  June  12,  1837, 
died  March  23,  1863;  Nancy  M.,  born  June  29, 
1840,  died  in  June,  1901,  married  Benjamin 
Smith ;  Nathan  was  born  April  10,  1843 ;  Eliz- 
abeth M.,  born  Aug.  29,  1846,  married  William 
G.  Pearce. 

(VI)  Nathan  Slade  was  born  April  10, 
1843,  and  attended  the  South  Somerset  school. 
He  was  brought  up  on  the  home  farm 
and  after  the  death  of  his  mother  bought  the 
farm  of  the  other  heirs.  Here  he  continued  to 
live  until  1906,  when  he  leased  the  farm  and 
removed  to  the  new  residence — "SwansQm" — 
which  he  had  built  at  Read's  Corners,  in  Som- 
erset. The  new  home  takes  its  name  from  the 
fact  that  the  old  farm  is  part  in  Swansea,  part 
in  Somerset.  Mr.  Slade  has  bought  land  until 
he  now  owns  the  farm  as  his  grandfather  held 
it  before  it  was  divided. 

On  Feb.  28,  1877,  Mr.  Slade  married  Marv 
R.  P.  Wood,  born  May  28,  1857,  daughter  of 
Nathan  Montgomery  Wood,  and  to  them  were 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


1087 


born  seven  children :  Mary  Abby,  born  Sept. 
19,  1880,  married  George  A.  Sias,  who  died 
May  7,  1911 ;  Elizabeth  R.,  born  Dec.  18,  1884, 
married  Paul  E.  Buffington  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Ruth  (born  March  26,  1907)  and  Char- 
lotte (born  June  5,  1909)  ;  Nancy  M.  was  born 
March  4,  1886;  Nathan  Gardner,  born  Sept. 
22,  1887,  died  March  12,  1892;  Julia  Kingsley, 
born  Dec.  1,  1890,  died  March  22,  1892;  Julia 
Buffington  was  born  April  27,  1892;  Laura  A. 
Wood,  born  Aug.  5,  1895,  died  Aug.  13,  1896. 

CAPT.  GEORGE  0.  BAKER,  now  living  re- 
tired at  New  Bedford,  is  one  of  the  best  known 
survivors  of  the  men  who  were  successful  whal- 
ing captains  at  the  height  of  that  industry.  He 
is  a  native  of  Bristol  county,  Mass.,  born  at 
Bakerville,  in  the  town  of  Dartmouth,  April  6, 
1835,  son  of  Michael  and  Jane  E.  (Dixon) 
Baker,  and  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  of 
the  Cape  Cod  families. 

(I)  Francis  Baker  was  born  in  England  in 
1611.  His  last  residence  in  his  native  land 
was  at  Great  St.  Albans,  Hertfordshire,  and  in 
1635  he  came  over  in  the  ship  "Planter,"  locat- 
ing at  Yarmouth,  Mass.  He  married  Isabel 
Tarning,  of  Yarmouth,  and  died  in  1696,  the 
last  of  the  first  comers.  His  children  were : 
Nathaniel,  John,  Samuel,  Daniel,  William, 
Thomas,  Elizabeth  (married  a  Chase)  and 
Hannah. 

(II)  Daniel  Baker,  son  of  Francis,  married 
May  27,  1674,  Elizabeth  Chase,  daughter  of 
William  Chase  (2),  the  latter  born  in  Yar- 
mouth, Mass.,  in  1622.  To  this  union  were 
born  the  following  children:  Daniel,  bom  in 
1675;  Samuel,  1676;  Elizabeth,  1678  (married 
in  1705  Nathan  Baker)  ;  Hannah  (married  in 
1714  Joseph  Hixon)  ;  Thankful,  1698;  and  Ta- 
bitha,  1700  (married  Joseph  Kelley). 

(III)  Samuel  Baker,  son  of  Daniel,  born  in 
1676,  married  Patience  and  their  children 
were:  Shubal,  born  March  24,  1710;  Susannah, 
June  22,  1711;  Hezekiah,  Aug.  4,  1715;  Ta- 
bitha,  March  8,  1718;  Desire,  Feb.  5,  1720; 
Elizabeth,  Sept.  9,  1725;  and  Samuel,  June  4, 
1-732. 

(IV)  Shubal  Baker,  son  of  Samuel,  bom 
March  24,  1710,  married  in  1733  Lydia  Stuart. 
Their  children  were:  Sylvanus,  bom  March 
10,  1734;  Azubah,  Mav  17.  1737;  Temperance, 
June  24,  1739:  Shubal,  Nov.  11,  1741;  Eliza- 
beth, Jan.  2,  1744;  Lydia,  Oct.  13,  1746;  Euth, 
June  25,  1749;  and  Patience,  Julv  19,  1752. 

(V)  Shubal  Baker  (2),  son  of  Shubal,  born 
Nov.  11,  1741,  married  Nov.  15,  1764,  Rebecca 
Chase,  born  Aug.  24,  1747,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Thankful  Chase.     To  this  union  were 


born:  Hapsabeth  (or  Hepsibah),  born  Oct. 
15,  176-5,  married  March  23,  1786,  Zenos  Chase; 
Archelus,  born  Nov.  26,  1767,  married  in  1789 
Mehitable  Chase;  Rebecca,  born  Dec.  19,  1770, 
married  Dec.  11,  1788,  David  Howes;  Shubal, 
born  July  10,  1772,  married  Jan.  10,  1793, 
Mercy  Smalley;  Ezra,  born  Sept.  5,  1775,  is 
mentioned  below;  Michael,  born  Nov.  6,  1776, 
died  April  7,  1796;  Ensign,  bom  July  3,  1779, 
married  Dec.  27,  1800,  Sally  Nickerson;  Tem- 
perance, born  Oct.  15,  1781,  married  Dec.  4, 
1800,  Henry  Kelly;  Abigail,  born  Nov.  22, 
1783,  married  April  20,  1807,  Edward  Sears; 
Sylvanus,  born  Aug.  24,  1786,  married  March 
],  1800.  Bethiah  Crowell;  and  Halsey,  born 
Feb.  27,  1789,  married  Nov.  28,  1811,  Mercy 
Allen. 

(YI)  Ezra  Baker,  son  of  Shubal  (2),  bom 
Sept.  o,  1775,  in  the  town  of  Harwich,  Barn- 
stable Co.,  Mass.,  was  one  of  the  six  Baker 
brothers  who  in  1806  came  to  Bristol  county 
and  he  settled  in  Dartmouth  on  a  tract  of  land 
which  he  cultivated  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  died  there  March  25,  1842,  in  his 
sixty-bcventh  year.  He  is  buried  in  South 
Dartmouth.  Mr.  Baker  was  a  member  of  the 
JM.  E  Church  and  respected  as  a  good  Chris- 
tian man.  On  March  13,  1795,  he  married 
Susanna  Gage,  who  was  born  July  8,  1779,  at 
Harwich,  Mass.,  and  died  July  7,  1866,  at  her 
home  in  Bakerville,  South  Dartmouth.  She 
was  laid  to  rest  beside  her  husband  in  the  ceme- 
tery in  South  Dartmouth.  Their  children  were 
as  follows:  David  Gage,  bom  Nov.  12,  1795, 
died  Sept.  25,  1820,  of  yellow  fever,  while  on 
a  voyage  from  Havana,  Cuba ;  Michael  was  bom 
Jan!  1,  1797;  Susanna,  born  June  28,  1800, 
married  (first)  Russell  Crapo  and  (second) 
Wanton  Westgate,  and  died  July  3,  1873 ;  Ezra, 
born  Jan.  7,  1802,  died  Sept.  22,  1820,  of  yel- 
low fever,  while  on  the  passage  from  Havana, 
Cuba;  Joshua  Gage,  born  Jan.  1,  1804,  died 
Sept.  16,  1804;  Lovey,  born  Sept.  17,  1806, 
married  Holder  W.  Brownell ;  Eliza,  born  June 
IG,  1809,  married  Thomas  Lapham,  and  died 
Jan.  6,  1902 ;  Hepsibeth  Gage,  bom  March  25, 
1812,  married  William  E.  Borden,  and  died 
Oct.  16,  1876 ;  Joshua  Gage  was  bom  Oct.  5, 
1814:  Sylvia  Davoll,  born  April  20,  1817,  mar- 
ried Christopher  Booth;  Jane  Crocker,  bom 
July  22,  1820,  married  Ephraim  C.  Ellis,  of 
Harwich,  Mass.,  and  died  May  4,  1896. 

(VIT)  Michael  Baker,  son  of  Ezra,  bom  Jan. 
1,  1797,  in  Bakerville,  town  of  Dartmouth, 
there  grew  to  manhood.  He  obtained  a  good 
education  for  his  day,  and  went  to  sea  in  his 
young  manhood,  engaging  principally  in  the 
coasting  trade.     He  taught  school  during  the 


1088 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


winter  season  in  the  public  school.  In  those 
■day  teachers  "boarded  round"  at  the  different 
pupils'  homes.  During  the  season  his  atten- 
tion, was  given  to  navigation,  and  he  became 
captain  of  a  coaster,  plying  between  New  Bed- 
ford and  vicinity  and  Philadelphia.  He  was 
also  engaged  in  the  West  Indies  trade.  Alto- 
gether he  followed  the  sea  for  a  period  of  forty- 
five  years.  Later  he  turned  his  attention  to 
farming  at  Bakerville,  operating  a  tract  of  land 
for  fifteen  years,  after  which  he  conducted  a 
grocery  store  in  his  native  town.  This  he  con- 
tinued during  the  remaining  years  of  his  active 
life.  He  died  Jan.  3,  1888,  at  the  ripe  age  of 
runet\'-one  years  and  was  laid  to  rest  in  South 
Dartmouth  cemetery.  He  was  a  member  of 
ihe  Baptist  Church  at  Bakerville.  Politically 
he  was  a  Democrat,  and  a  stanch  supporter  of 
the  old  "war  horses"  of  that  party.  On  Feb. 
7,  1826,  he  married  Jane  Eliza  Dixon,  born 
Jan.  2,  1808,  in  Alexandria,  Va.,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  Dixon.  Their  children  were: 
Eobert,  who  resides  in  Omaha,  Nebr. ;  Mary  E., 
who  married  April  17,  1851,  Elihu  Briggs  and 
resides  in  New  Bedford;  George  Orlando;  Sa- 
rah, who  married  Jerome  B.  Farnham,  and  re- 
sides in  New  Bedford;  Michael,  a  whaling  mas- 
ter, who  died  in  New  Bedford;  John,  a  store- 
keeper in  South  Dartmouth,  where  he  died ; 
Emily,  who  is  the  widow  of  James  H.  Sweet, 
and  resides  in  New  Bedford;  and  Oscar,  who 
died  in  Oakland,  Cal.  The  mother  died  in 
South  Dartmouth  at  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years,  three  months,  and  was  buried  in  the 
South  Dartmouth  cemetery. 

(VIII)  Capt.  George  Orlando  Baker  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  his  native  village 
and  was  but  thirteen  years  old  when  he  went  to 
sea,  shipping  in  1848  as  cabin  boy  on  the  whal- 
ing bark  "George  Washington,"  commander 
Capt.  Amos  Baker,  the  voyage  lasting  three 
years,  and  extending  to  the  Indian  ocean.  His 
next  voyage  was  on  the  whaling  ship  "Eliza-" 
heth,"  Capt.  Michael  Baker.  He  then  sailed 
with  Capt.  Obed  Pierce,  as  third  mate,  and  for 
T;  and  A.  R.  Nye,  and  was  two  voyages  with 
that  captain,  returning  as  first  mate,  the  voy- 
ages being  to  the  Pacific  ocean  as  far  as  the 
Ne\v  Zealand  coast.  As  first  mate  he  sailed  in 
the  '"Mei-lin,"  Capt.  John  DcBlois,  owned  by 
William  Watkins,  and  was  gone  three  years  in 
the  Pacific.  Eeturning  home  he  became  first 
officer  of  the  bark  "Coral,"  Gideon  Allen  &  Son, 
agents,  in  which  he  spent  one  season,  leaving 
the  ship  at  San  Francisco.  He  took  command 
at  San  Francisco  of  the  ship  "Edward  Carey," 
formerly  of  Nantucket,  and  while  on  the  voyage 
in  the  North  Pacific  in  1864  his  ship  was  cap- 


tured at  Ascension  island  by  the  Eebel  priva- 
teer "Shenandoah"  and  was  burned,  the  cap- 
tain with  his  crew  being  taken  prisoners,  put 
in  irons  for  seventeen  days  and  then  put  ashore 
on  the  same  island,  where  they  were  kept  prig- 
oners  for  six  months.  They  were  finally  res- 
cued by  a  United  States  boat  sent  for  them  by 
the  United  States  minister  at  the  Sandwich  isl- 
ands, chartered  for  their  rescue.  After  return- 
ing to  San  Francisco,  where  he  spent  a  year. 
Captain  Baker  went  to  Peru  and  shipped  as 
third  mate  on  a  Chilean  schooner  the  "Portia," 
for  three  months,  later  becoming  mate.  Then 
he  became  master  of  the  vessel,  and  was  captain 
of  her  for  three  years.  He  then  became  master 
of  the  bark  "Valparaiso,"  sailing  from  Caldera, 
Chili,  belonging  to  the  Chilean  fleet  of  whalers, 
in  which  he  spent  two  years,  when  his  brother, 
Capt.  Michael  Baker,  took  charge  of  the  ship 
at  Panama  and  Capt.  George  0.  returned  to 
Dartmouth.  In  1871  he  became  master  of  the 
"Cape  Horn  Pigeon,"  owned  by  William  Potter, 
of  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  in  which  he  made  two 
voyages  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  In  April,  1880, 
he  became  master  of  the  bark  "Europa,"  owned 
by  Swift  &  Akin,  New  Bedford,  and  in  this 
vessel  he  made  three  voyages,  eventually  re- 
turning to  New  Bedford.  In  1889  he  became 
master  of  the  ship  "Josephine,"  owned  by  Swift 
&  Akin,  and  in  1890  he  retired  from  the  whal- 
ing industry  after  forty-two  years  of  seafaring 
life,  thirty-five  as  master,  being  one  of  the  old- 
est in  point  of  years  in  the  whaling  business, 
and  one  of  the  most  successful  of  captains. 

After  retiring  from  the  sea  Captain  Baker 
settled  in  South  Dartmouth,  where  he  took 
quite  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town. 
He  became  a  trustee  of  the  Public  Library  at 
Padanaram,  and  was  register  of  voters  for 
twelve  years.  In  1869-70  he  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature,  elected  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  the  first  year  being  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committees  on  Drainage  and  Elec- 
tions. The  next  year  he  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  on  Prisons.  In  1902  Captain  Baker 
went  to  The  Hague  as  a  witness  for  the  United 
States  in  the  arbitration  between  the  United 
States  and  Russia.  The  dispute  between  the 
two  governments  was  over  the  seizure  of  the 
"Cape  Horn  Pigeon,"  a  whaling  vessel,  J.  & 
W.  R.  Wing,  of  New  Bedford,  agents.  The  ship 
was  whaling  in  the  Okhotsk  sea  in  1892,  and 
was  seized  by  an  armed  vessel  of  the  imperial 
Russian  government  on  Sept.  11th  of  that  year, 
charged  with  illegal  catching  of  fur  seals,  was 
taken  to  Vladivostok,  detained  there  until  the 
close  of  the  whaling  season,  and  finally  re- 
turned.    The  case  was  taken  to  The  Hague  in 


OAKES   S.   SOULE 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1089 


1902  after  years  of  litigation  and  Captain  Baker 
•was  called  as  an  expert  witness.  His  knowledge 
•of  whaling  enabled  him  to  give  expert  evidence 
and  the  owner  of  the  ship  received  damage  for 
ruin.  Captain  Baker  is  a  man  of  genial  per- 
sonality, and  is  a  popular  citizen.  He  married 
in  August,  1876,  Mary  E.  Weeks,  born  in  Dart- 
mouth, daughter  of  John  C.  and  Eebecca  H. 
(Smith)  Weeks.  They  have  two  daughters: 
Jane  R.,  a  music  teacher;  and  Alice  T.,  a  book- 
keeper. 

Captain  Baker  attends  the  North  Congrega- 
tional Church.  He  is  a  master  Mason,  of  Eu- 
reka Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


SOULE  (Brockton  family).  The  Brockton 
family  of  this  name,  the  head  ot  which  was  the 
late  Oakes  Sampson  Soule,  who  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  Brockton's  oldest  business  man 
both  in  point  of  age  and  of  service,  one  whose 
sixty  and  more  years'  residence  and  busines6 
activity  was  so  upright  and  honorable  as  to  re- 
flect great  credit  to  himself  and  honor  to  his 
adopted  city,  is  a  branch  of  the  Plympton 
family,  and  descended  directly  from  George 
Soule,  one  of  the  "Mayflower*'  passengers, 
1620,  and  the  thirty-fifth  signer  of  the  political 
compact.  As  early  as  162.3  George  Soule  was 
granted  land,  and  he  shared  in  the  division  of 
cattle  in  1627.  He  became  a  freeman  of  the 
Colony  in  1623.  He  lived  at  Eel  river,  north 
side  of  the  bridge,  in  1638,  and  then  at  Pow- 
der Point,  and  removed  to  Duxbury  before 
1650.  He  was  selectman  and  deputy  in  Dux- 
bury.  He  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors 
of  Bridgewater.  He  married  Mary  Becket, 
who  was  a  passenger  in  the  "Ann"  in  1621. 
She  died  in  1677,  and  he  in  1680.  Their  chil- 
dren were :  George,  Zachariah,  John,  Nathan- 
iel, Benjamin,  Patience,  Elizabeth  and  Mary. 

The  home  of  the  parents  of  the  late  Oakes 
Sampson  Soule,  the  Brockton  merchant,  was  in 
the  town  of  Plympton,  where  his  father  Aaron 
Soule  married  Euth  Sampson,  born  in  1782, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Sampson,  of  Plympton, 
Mass.,  and  his  wife  Ruth  (Bryant). 

Oakes  Sampson  Sodle,  son  of  Aaron  and 
Ruth  (Sampson)  Soule,  was  born  Nov.  17, 
1809,  in  the  town  of  Carver,  Mass.,  but  owing 
to  conditions  at  about  the  time  of  his  birth  he 
was  brought  by  the  family  while  an  infant  to 
Plympton.  His  father  through  the  dishonesty 
of  one  from  whom  he  had  purchased  a  small 
farm  in  Carver  lost  the  property  and  returned 
to  his  former  place  of  residence,  Plympton. 
These  conditions  placed' the  children  of  Aaron 
at  a  disadvantage,  at  least  for  a  time,  but,  per- 

69 


haps,  proved  a  blessing  to  them  later  on,  as 
from  necessity  they  early  became  self-reliant 
and  self-dependent.  Oakes  S.  Soule  acquired 
a  common  school  education,  and  just  before  he 
had  arrived  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  in  1827,  he 
went  to  North  Bridgewater,  and  apprenticed 
himself  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade  with  Mr. 
Augustus  Jones,  at  the  time  the  leading  car- 
penter of  the  town  and  vicinity.  His  term  of 
service  was  one  of  three  years  and  six  months, 
for  which  he  was  to  receive  thirty  dollars  per 
year  and  board.  Beginning  June  17th,  the 
first  day's  work  of  the  young  apprentice  was 
on  the  Orthodox  church,  which  later  became 
known  as  Baker  &  Kingman's  hall,  and  which 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1860.  At  this  time — 
the  beginning  of  young  Soule's  apprenticeship 
— there  were,  all  told,  only  316  buildings  be- 
tween Jones's  Corner  and  Johnnie  Wales's,  or, 
in  other  words,  between  Prospect  and  Belmont 
streets  of  today.  He  proved  an  apt  pupil  and 
learned  rapidly,  so  that  in  the  following  year, 
in  1828,  he  was  sublet  by  his  employer  to  con- 
tractors in  Dedham  and  Plympton  at  $20  per 
month,  the  difference  going  to  his  employer. 

From  1832  to  1846  Mr.  Soule  continued 
work  at  his  trade,  and  was  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness of  contracting  and  building,  building  ex- 
tensively in  the  Bridgewaters,  Abington, 
Stoughton,  Easton,  New  Bedford  and  in  all 
southeastern  Massachusetts.  His  first  contract, 
after  he  started  in  business  for  himself  in  1832, 
was  the  construction  of  a  house  for  Jonathan 
Parker,  of  Plympton,  and  he  was  one  year  in 
completing  it.  In  the  year  following  he  be- 
came associated  in  business  with  George  B. 
Dunbar,  and  as  Dunbar  &  Soule  they  did  an 
extensive  business  in  the  section  above  named. 
In  1846  Mr.  Soule  became  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business,  the  partnership  as  above  con- 
tinuing in  this  line  until  1861,  when  Mr.  Dun- 
bar retired  from  the  firm,  and  from  that  time 
up  to  the  date  of  his  death  Mr.  Soule  carried 
on  the  business  alone.  At  the  time  of  the 
latter  event  he  was  the  oldest  business  man  in 
Brockton  both  in  point  of  years  and  of  con- 
tinued service ;  and  just  two  days  prior  to  his 
death  he  received  a  check  for  $45,000  from  the 
Old  Colony  E.  E.  Co.,  in  payment  for  the  land 
occupied  by  his  lumber  yard,  which  land  was 
utilized  by  the  railroad  company  in  making 
improvements  in  connection  with  the  abolish- 
ment of  the  grade  crossings. 

Coming  to  North  Bridgewater  in  1827  and 
living  here  until  the  time  of  his  death,  cover- 
ing a  period  of  sixty-three  years,  what  changes 
he  witnessed !  He  saw  the  little  hamlet  grow 
into  a  great,  busy  industrial  city,  and  he  him- 


1090 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


self  was  an  active  participant  in  the  affairs  that 
brought  about  this  change,  remaining  in  the 
harness  to  the  very  last,  when  an  octogenarian. 

Back  in  his  early  years  Mr.  Soule  was  iden- 
tified with  the  military  of  the  town;  was  com- 
missioned paymaster  of  the  Old  Plymouth  reg- 
iment in  1832  by  Gov.  Levi  Lincoln.  For  six- 
teen years,  from  1865  to  1881,  he  was  the  effic- 
ient town  treasurer  of  North  Bridgewater,  only 
retiring  when  the  town  became  the  city  of 
Brockton;  and  the  duties  of  his  office  were  at 
all  times  most  satisfactorily  performed.  An 
instance  in  this  connection  illustrative  of  his 
honesty  is  worthy  of  note.  At  one  time  he 
deposited  his  private  money  and  the  town's 
funds  in  the  Randolph  Bank,  there  being  then 
no  bank  in  North  Bridgewater.  He  was  told 
he  would  be  credited  with  $100  interest  that 
year  on  his  deposits.  He  at  once  credited  the 
entire  amount  to  the  town,  and  an  examina- 
tion showed  that  the  town's  balances  for  the 
year  in  question  had  been  only  ninety  dollars 
more  than  his  own.  For  many  years  he  was 
a  member  of  Massasoit  Lodge,  I.  0.  0.  F.  He 
was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the 
First  Congregational.  Church. 

On  Sept.  1,  183.3,  Mr.  Saule  married  Rachel 
Jones  Snell,  daughter  of  Oliver  Snell,  and  their 
only  daughter,  Harriet  Rainsford,  born  Sept. 
26,  1835,  married  Lewis  Porter,  then  of  Ran- 
dolph, Mass.  Mr.  Soule  married  (second) 
Nov.  13,  1872,  Mrs.  Hannah  (Palmer)  Kil- 
burn,  daughter  of  William  and  Margaret 
(Stubbs)  Palmer,  and  widow  of  Capt.  Jona- 
than Kilburn,  of  Provincetown,  Mass.,  who 
survives  him,  and  although  in  the  ninetieth 
year  of  her  age  is  remarkably  active,  retaining 
all  her  faculties  to  a  marked  degree. 

Mr.  Soule  died  suddenly  of  heart  failure  on 
the  evening  of  Jan.  17,  1890,  at  his  home  on 
North  Main  street,  Brqckton,  Mass.,  when  in 
the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age.  Under  the 
heading  of  "A  Good,  Clean  Life"  there  was 
published  in  one  of  the  local  newspapers  of 
Brockton,  just  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Soule, 
the  following : 

"If  there  was  ever  a  man  who  has  lived  in 
the  vicinity  of  whom  could  be  said  'Blessed 
are  the  pure  in  heart,'  it  was  Oakes  S.  Soule. 
( 'oming  here  from  an  Old  Colony  town  and 
bringing  the  added  virtues  of  half  a  dozen  gen- 
erations of  Pilgrim  ancestors,  he  was  all  that 
might  be  expected  of  a  man  who  without  osten- 
tation lived  a  good,  clean  life.  Quiet,  atten- 
tive to  business,  a  kind  neighbor,  a  devout 
member  of  the  church,  a  true  and  steadfast 
friend  to  the  whole  people,  he  lived  such  a  life 
as  all  might  copy  to  advantage.     He  has  lived 


in  this  place  for  sixty-two  years,  and  during  all 
that  time  has  set  a  good  example  in  developing 
this  city,  a  locality  he  has  seen  grow  from  less 
than  fifteen  hundred  to  more  than  thirty  thous- 
and. His  place  of  business  is  about  all  the 
landmark  left  of  old  North  Bridgewater,  re- 
maining much  the  same  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury. No  man  has  lived  here  in  the  past  sixty 
years  who  was  the  superior  of  Mr.  Soule  in 
all  that  goes  to  make  a  man."  Mr.  Soule  was 
a  generous  and  kind-hearted  man,  and  in  his 
death  the  needy  and  unfortunate  of  the  com- 
munity lost  a  good  friend. 

CHARLES  ALLEN  WILBAR,  postmaster 
of  Bridgewater,  and  formerly  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  that  town,  is  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
oldest  families  of  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Wilbar 
was  born  on  the  Wilbar  homestead,  near  Scot- 
land, in  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  Plymouth, 
county,  Mass.,  Nov.  23,  1859.  A  brief  history 
of  his  ancestry  follows: 
■  The  Wilbar  family  name  has  been  spelled 
AVildbore,  Wilbore,  Wilbor,  Wilbur  and  Wilbour, 
and  Wi'bar. 

(T)  Samuel  Wilbur  (name  variously 
spelled,  but  this  form  is  now  used  by  the  largest 
number),  of  Boston,  a  freeman  of  March  4, 
1633,  was  admitted  to  the  church  there,  as  was 
also  hi.'^  wife  Ann,  Pec.  1st  of  that  same  year 
(1633).  He  bought  largely  in  the  town  of 
Taunton,  Mai^-s.,  and  removed  thither  with  his 
fa-.^,ily.  He  embraced  what  were  then  styled 
"the  dangerous  doctrines  of  Cotton  and 
Wheelwright,"  for  which  he  was  banished 
from  the  province  in  November,  1637.  He 
with  eighteen  others  tied  to  Providence; 
and  being  advised  by  Roger  Williams  they 
purchased  of  the  Indians  the  island  of 
Aquidneck,  to  which  place  he  removed  his 
family  early  in  1638.  On  March  7,  1638,  he 
and  the  eighteen  others  formed  a  colony  by 
solemn  compact.  He,  then  of  Portsmouth,  was 
clerk  of  the  train  band;  was  constable  in  1639; 
was  made  a  freemen  in  1641 ;  he  was  twice  mar- 
ried, marrying  (first)  Ann  (called  by  some 
daughter  of  Thomas  Bradford,  of  Doncaster, 
County  of  York,  England)  and  (second)  the 
widow  of  Thomas  Lechford.  Mr.  Wilbur  re- 
t\irned  to  Boston,  probably  in  1645,  that  being- 
the  date  of  his  wife  Elizabeth's  admission  to 
the  church  in  Boston.  He  had  a  house  in  Bos- 
ton, and  aLso  one  in  Taunton.  He  was  a  man 
of  wealth  for  the  times,  and  evidently  of  very 
respectable  standing  in  society,  exerting  a  wide 
influence  in  each  of  the  places  where  he  dwelt. 
He  died  Sept.  29,  1656.  In  his  will  he  be- 
queaths to  his  eldest  son  Samuel  not  only  his 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1091 


lands  on  the  island  but  in  various  items  other 
property.  He  gives  to  Joseph  and  to  his  young- 
est son  Shadrach  his  real  estate  in  Taunton, 
with  other  property,  provides  for  his  wife  and 
makes  her  and  liis  son  Shadrach  executors.  His 
children  were :  Samuel,  Joseph  and  Shadrach, 
the  first  named  settling  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I., 
and  the  others  in  Taunton,  Massachusetts. 

(II)  Shadrach  Wilbar  was  twice  married, 
the  surname  of  neither  wife  being  known  and 
the  Christian  name  only  of  his  second  wife, 
which  was  Hannah.  Mr.  Wilbar  settled  in  that 
part  of  Taunton  which  became  Raynham,  on 
lands  of  his  father,  which  he  eventually  re- 
ceived by  bequest.  He  was  town  clerk  for  more 
than  thirty  years.  He  was  evidently  a  man  of 
wealth  and  influence  in  his  time.  0^  him  says 
Baylies,  "By  reason  of  a  fire,  we  are  deprived 
of  the  account  of  his  long  official  services."  He 
was  a  member  of  the  grand  jury  in  1674.  He 
died  in  1698,  and  his  will  was  proved  March 
1st  of  that  year.  His  children,  all  born  to  the 
first  marriage,  were:  Sarah;  Marv,  bom  March 
8,  1662;  Samuel,  born  April  1,  1663;  Rebecca, 
born  Jan.  13,  1665;  Hannah,  born  Feb.  24, 
1668;  Joseph,  born  July  27,  1670;  Shadrach, 
born  Dec.  5,  1673 ;  John,  born  March  2,  1675 ; 
Eleazer,  born  Julv  ],  1G77;  Benjamin,  born 
July  23,  1679;  and  Benjamin  (2),  born  July 
23,  1683. 

(III)  Shadrach  Wilbor  (2),  born  Dec.  5, 
1672,  settled  on  a  farm  in  that  part  of  Taun- 
ton which  became  Raynham.  It  is  not  known 
whom  he  married.  He  had  five  sons,  namely: 
Shadrach,  Meshach,  Joseph,  Jacob  and  Abijah. 
By  land  conveyances  and  other  records  it  ap- 
pears that  the  sons  Shadrach  and  Meshach  set- 
tled in  Raynham,  hut  wliere  the  other  three  set- 
tled it  is  not  ascertained. 

(IV)  Meshach  Wilbor,  second  son  of  Shad- 
rach (2),  as  stated  settled  in  Raynham,  Mass., 
probably  on  his  father's  homestead,  where  he 
ever  afterward  lived.  His  six  sons  were:  Me- 
shach, Lemuel,  Josiah,  Simeon,  Ephraim  and 
George.  In  Raynham  Centre  cemetery  is  a 
stone  with  the  following  memorial :  "In  mem- 
ory of  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Mr.  Meshach 
Wilbore,  died  Nov.  ye  30th  A.  D.  1776,  in  ye 
70th  year  of  her  age."  This  no  doubt  is  the 
wife  of  Meshach  Wilbor,  Sr. 

(V)  ffeorge  Wilbor,  sixth  son  of  Meshach, 
settled  in  Titicut  parish,  Bridgewater,  Mass. 
The  Christian  name  of  his  wife  was  Lydia. 
Their  children  were:  George,  bom  in  1757  in 
Raynham;  I^aac,  born  in  1759  in  Raynham; 
Gideon,  born  in  1763;  Seabury,  born  in  1771; 
Bethana,  horn  in  1771;  Barak,  bom  in  1773; 
Lavinia,  bom  in  1778;  and  Nicholas,  born  in 


1781.  Of  these,  Bethana  married  in  1791  Asel 
Alden;  Lavinia  married  in  1797  Timothy 
Keith;  and  Nicholas  (a  daughter)  married  in 
1809  Daniel  Dunbar. 

(VI)  Gideon  Wilbor,  son  of  George,  married 
Huldah  Gardner,  of  Nantucket,  Mass.,  and 
their  children  were:  Gardner,  born  in  1786; 
Deborah,  born  in  1789 ;  and  Seth,  born  in  1799. 

(VII)  Gardner  Wilbor,  son  of  Gideon,  was 
born  in  1781,  at  Titicut,  in  the  town  of  Bridge- 
water,  and  there  he  was  engaged  in  fanning. 
He  moved  to  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the 
village  of  Scotland  and  there  continued  to  en- 
gage in  farming,  making  extensive  improve- 
ments on  that  place  and  spending  the  remainder 
of  his  life  there.  He  died  there  Sept.  13,  1867, 
and  was  buried  in  Mount  Prospect  cemetery, 
at  Bridgewater.  He  married  Hannah  Shaw,  of 
Middleboro,  Mass.,  and  their  children  were: 
Angelica  married  Charles  Latham;  Henry  G. 
died  young;  Chelcias  died  Sept.  18,  1874; 
Florentius,  born  Oct.  3,  1821,  resided  at 
Bridgewater;  Selina  married  Josiah  Bassett; 
Seth  died  in  California;  Theodore  is  mentioned 
below.  Mrs.  Wilbor  died  in  1881,  aged  ninety- 
three  years,  and  was  buried  in  Mount  Prospect 
cemetery. 

(VIII)  Theodore  Wilbar,  son  of  Gardner, 
was  born  on  the  home  farm  near  Scotland, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter  with  Ambrose  Keith,  with 
whom  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  eventually  settling  down  to  farm- 
ing on  the  homestead,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  there  March 
9,  1906.  He  was  buried  in  Mount  Prospect 
cemetery.  Mr.  Wilbar  was  an  old  school  Demo- 
crat and  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Scotland.  On  Nov.  18,  1856.  he 
married  Mary  Latham,  who  was  born  in  East 
Bridgewater,  daughter  of  Galen  and  Esther 
(Harris)  Latham.  Mrs.  Wilbar  is  still  living 
on  the  homestead,  active  for  her  years  and  re- 
taining all  her  interest  in  the  home  and  family. 
To  her  and  her  husband  were  born  five  chil- 
dren ;  Sarah,  who  resides  at  home  unmarried  ; 
Charles  A. ;  Arthur,  who  lives  at  Fairhaven, 
Mass. ;  Frederick,  residing  on  the  homestead, 
who  married  Carrie  Woodman;  and  Herbert, 
who  died  young. 

(IX)  Charles  Allen  Wilbar  was  bom  Nov. 
23,  1859,  on  the  homestead,  and  in  Bridge- 
water  spent  his  boyhood  days.  He  began  his 
education  in  the  district  schools  and  later  at- 
tended the  high  school,  graduating  in  1876, 
after  which  he  entered  the  State  normal  school, 
from  which  he  was  also  graduated,  in  1880. 
He   taught  school   at   Boston   Highlands   one 


1092 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


year,  after  which  he  went  West,  locating  in 
Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  ranching  for 
five  years.  Returning  to  liis  native  home  he 
became  engaged  in  tlie  meat  business  for  him- 
self in  1886,  in  Bridgewater,  and  followed  it 
one  and  a  half  years,  after  which  he  became 
clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of  Hooper  &  Co., 
of  Bridgewater,  with  whom  he  continued  for 
a  period  of  six  and  a  half  years.  Then  he 
was  engaged  as  clerk  with  Williams  &  Mayo, 
dealers  in  provisions,  with  whom  he  remained 
until  he  took  his  present  office  of  postmaster 
at  Bridgewater,  in  1898.  On  July  18th  of 
that  year  he  received  the  appointment,  un- 
der the  administration  of  President  McKinley, 
and  on  Aug.  1st  assumed  the  duties  of  the 
office,  which  he  has  since  filled,  his  ability 
and  conscientious  service  giving  general  satis- 
faction. Mr.  Wilbar  '  is  a  member  of  the 
'Ne-w  England  Postmasters'  Association;  a 
member  of  Fellowship  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  Bridgewater ;  and  of  Harmony  Royal  Arch 
Chapter  (of  which  he  served  several  years  as 
treasurer)  ;  of  Pioneer  Lodge,  No.  183,  I.  0. 
0.  F.,  Bridgewater  (of  which  he  is  a  past 
grand),  and  member  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the 
State,  to  which  he  has  often  been  a  delegate. 
He  also  served  as  a  member  of  the  Republican 
Town  committee  for  several  years. 

On  July  13,  1887,  Mr.  Wilbar  married  Mary 
Tucker  Snell,  a  native  of  Brockton,  daughter 
of  Williams  and  Charlotte  (Lemist)  Snell, 
and  they  have  had  two  children,  Katharine 
Latham  and  Donald  Gardner.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilbar  attend  Trinity  Episcopal  Church. 

WILLIAM  LOWELL  STEARNS  was  dur- 
ing his  lifetime  a  well-known  and  prominent 
merchant  and  citizen  of  Mansfield,  Mass. 
He  was  a  member  of  an  old  liistoric  family 
which  is  prominent  throughout  New  England, 
tracing  his  ancestry  to 

(I)  Isaac  Sterne,  Stearne  or  Sternes,.who 
with  others,  among  them  Sir  Richard  Salton- 
stall  and  family  and  Governor  Winthrop,  em- 
barked at  Yarmouth,  England,  April  8,  1630, 
in  the  "Arabella"  for  New  England  and  ar- 
rived in  Salem,  Mass.,  June  12th  of  that  same 
year.  They  went  thence  to  Charlestown  and 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Watertown. 
Here  Mr.  Sterne  was  granted  a  homestall.  He 
was  admitted  a  freeman  May  18,  1631;  was 
selectman  several  years.  Born  in  England,  he 
married  there  in  1622  Mary  Barker,  of  Stoke, 
Suffolk,  England.  He  diedJune  19,  1671,  and 
his  widow  passed  away  April  2,  1677.  Their 
children  were  Mary,  baptized  Jan.  6,  1626,  in 
the  parish  of  Nayland,  Suffolk,  England;  Han- 


nah, baptized  Oct.  5,  1628,  in  England;  John, 
born  perhaps  in  1631,  in  Watertown,  or  per- 
haps the  child  who  was  baptised  in  1623;  Isaac, 
born  Jan.  6,  1633 ;  Sarah,  born  Sept.  22,  1635, 
in  Watertown,  Mass.;  Samuel,  born  April  21, 
1638;  Elizabeth,  born  in  1640;  and  Abigail. 

(II)  Isaac  Stearns  (2),  born  Jan.  6,  1633, 
married  June  24,  1660,  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Capt.  Richard  and  Elizabeth  Beers  of  Water- 
town.  Captain  Beers  was  an  original  proprie- 
tor of  Watertown,  a  captain  in  King  Philip's 
war,  and  was  slain  in  battle  by  the  Indians 
Sept.  4,  1675,  at  Northfield,  Mass.  Mr.  Stearns 
settled  at  Cambridge  Farms,  now  Lexington, 
Mass.  His  children  were :  Sarah,  born  Jan. 
14,  1662;  Mary,  bom  Oct.  8,  1663;  Isaac,  born 
Aug.  26,  1665;  Samuel,  born  Jan.  11,  1667-68; 
Abigail,  born  in  1670;  and  John,  born  in  1675. 

(III)  Isaac  Stearns  (3),  born  Aug.  26, 
1665,  married  in  1696  Elizabeth  Stone,  born 
Oct.  9,  1670,  and  removed  about  1716  to 
Stoughton,  Mass.  The  births  of  their  first  four 
children  are  recorded  in  Cambridge,  and  the 
rest  in  Lexington,  Mass.  Administration  of 
his  estate  was  granted  May  22,  1741.  His  chil- 
dren were:  Isaac,  born  Oct.  19,  1697;  Simon, 
born  Oct.  19,  1697;  Jabesh,  born  Jan.  27, 
1700;  Jonathan,  born  Nov.  20,  1701;  Hannah, 
born  Jan.  26,  1704;  Mary,  baptized  Nov.  10, 
1706;  Martha,  baptized  Feb.  7,  1709-10;  Eben- 
ezer,  baptized  July  8,  1711;  Abigail,  baptized 
Nov.  12,  1713. 

(IV)  Isaac  Stearns  (4),  born  Oct.  19,  1697, 
married  June  14,  1722,  Rachel  Randall,  born 
Nov.  15,  1697,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ra- 
chel Randall,  of  Easton,  Mass.  The  inventory 
of  his  estate  was  taken  May  26,  1774.  Their 
children  were:  Isaac,  born  July  7.  1723;  Na- 
than, born  July  12,  1728;  and  Mary. 

(V)  Nathan  Stearns,  born  July  12,  1728, 
married  March  25,  1762,  Mercy,  born  Jan.  26, 
1733-34,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Sarah  (Cas- 
well) White,  and  settled  in  Wrentham,  Mass. 
He  died  Jan.  25,  1764,  and  his  widow  married 
Feb.  13,  1 766,  Ichabod  Ware.  One  child,  Isaac, 
came  to  Nathan  Stearns  and  wife. 

(VI)  Isaac  Stearns  (5),  born  Feb.  21, 1763, 
in  Wrentham,  Mass.,  married  Nov.  4,  1788, 
Susanna,  horn  Dec.  31,  1765,  daughter  of  Nich- 
olas and  Hannah  (Caswell)  Smith,  of  Mans- 
field, Mass.  They  settled  in  Mansfield,  where 
he  died  Aug.  23,  1837.  She  died  April  30, 
1840.  Their  children  were:  Isaac,  bom  Jan. 
18,  1790  ;  Lovice,  born  Sept.  22,  1792;  Susanna, 
born  Nov.  3,  1794;  Asenath,  born  Dec.  27, 
1796;  Rachel  H.,  born  Dec.  2,  1801;  Sally  and 
Polly  (twins),  born  Aug.  14,  1804;  and  Wil- 
liam", born  Aug.  2,  1808. 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1093 


(VII)  William  Stearns,  born  Aug.  2,  1808, 
in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  married  Nov.  17,  1831, 
Nancy  Hicks  Walker,  born  Sept.  21,  1807, 
daughter  of  Nehemiah  and  Elizabeth  Walker, 
of  Dighton,  Mass.  Their  children,  all  born  in 
Mansfield,  were :  William  Lowell,  bom  Nov.  6, 
1833;  LeRoy  Vernon,  born  Oct.  23,  1835; 
Nancy  Augusta,  born  Jan.  24,  1837,  who  died 
young;  Nancy  Josephene,  born  Oct.  11,  1839, 
who  died  in  1841 ;  Elijah  Walker,  born  Jan.  27, 
1842;  Josephene  E.,  born  April  29,  1845;  and 
Wilhelmina,  born  Oct.  17,  1848. 

(VIII)  William  Lowell  Steams,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Nancy  H.  (Walker)  Stearns,  was 
born  in  Mansfield,  Mass.,  Nov.  6,  1833.  When 
quite  young  he  started  in  business  as  a  painter 
and  paper  hanger,  and  practically  made  this 
his  life  work.  In  1870  he  erected  the  Stearns 
block  on  Main  street,  in  Mansfield,  stocking 
his  store  with  the  necessary  goods  for  his  line 
of  work,  and  this  he  successfully  conducted 
until  his  death,  adding  from  time  to  time 
various  other  lines.  In  1896  his  son  Charles 
n.  Stearns  acquired  an  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness which  from  this  time  on  has  been  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  W.  L.  Stearns  &  Son. 
Mr.  Steams  was  an  esteemed  member  of  Im- 
manuel  Lodge,  Knights  of  Honor.  For  four 
years,  1898,'  1899,  1900-01,  he  served  as  tax 
collector  of  Mansfield.  He  was  a  man  of  the 
most  diligent  and  progressive  habits,  and  his 
reputation  for  honesty  was  irreproachable.  He 
died  June  8,  1903. 

Mr.  Steams  married  March  22,  1855, 
Caroline  W.,  bom  April  24,  1837,  daughter  of 
Tertius  and  Harriet  (Wilbur)  Buck,  of  Eas- 
ton,  Mass.  By  this  union  there  were  six  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Ruth  Augusta,  who  married  Al- 
phonso  T.  Fuller,  resides  in  Mansfield,  and  has 
children,  Adel  A.,  Clinton  L.,  Blanche  G.,  and 
Leon  E. ;  Mary  E.  married  Alfred  T.  Cole, 
of  Mansfield,  and  died  Nov.  23,  1901  ;  Henry 
L.,  who  resides  in  New  London,  Conn.,  mar- 
ried Ella  Wells  and  has  children,  Benjamin 
L.,  Raymond,  Gladys  W.,  William  L.,  and 
Wallace;  Caroline  G.,  who  married  George 
W.  D.  Holt  and  resides  in  Mansfield,  has 
children,  Harold  L.,  Clara  W.  and  Malcolm ; 
Susan  A.  is  unmarried;  Charles  H.  married 
Marion  E.  Skinner  and  has  one  child,  Ber- 
nard S. 

ABRAM  R.  TUCKER,  during  his  life  one 
of  the  best  known  agriculturists  of  the  town  of 
Dartmouth,  was  bom  on  the  old  Tucker  home- 
stead in  North  Dartmouth,  Nov.  18,  1842, 
son  of  Joseph  and  Phebe  (Howland)  Tucker. 


Mr.  Tucker  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
oldest  and  best  known  families  of  the  old 
town  of  Dartmouth,  the  recorded  family  his- 
tory dating  back  one  thousand  years  or  more. 
It  is  an  ancient  family  in  England,  having 
arms  of  record  for  1079  and  1080.  These 
were  granted  to  one  John  Tucker,  who  is  said 
to  have  participated  in  the  battle  of  Hastings, 
1066,  under  William  the  Conqueror.  Of  the 
twelve  principal  inhabitants  of  Gravesend  and 
Milton,  in  1572,  George  Tucker  is  mentioned 
as  third.  One  Henry  Tucker  was  mayor  of 
Gravesend  and  Milton  in  1637.  Not  long 
after  this  the  name  Tucker  disappears  from 
the  records  of  Gravesend  and  Milton,  confirm- 
ing the  tradition  that  about  this  time  the 
younger  members  of  the  family  emigrated  to 
America. 

One  Robert  Tucker,  son  of  George  Tucker 
(2),  of  Milton,  next  Gravesend,  and  his  wife 
Maria  (Darrett),  came  to  this  country  and 
appear  at  Weymouth,  Mass.,  in  1635;  he  was 
afterwards  in  that  part  of  Dorchester,  now 
Milton,  where  he  was  representative  in  1669, 
1680  and  1681.    He  married  Elizabeth  Allen. 

(I)  Henry  Tucker,  the  emigrant  ancestor 
of  the  Dartmouth  Tucker  family,  is  made  by 
one  writer  a  descendant  of  Robert  Tucker, 
who  was  alderman  of  Exeter  in  Devonshire, 
and  mayor  thereof  in  1538,  from  whom  his 
descent  is  through  William,  Robert  and  Rob- 
ert (2).  Leonard,  in  his  genealogies  of  Dart- 
mouth, referring  to  Henry  Tucker,  says:  "I 
suppose  to  be  the  son  of  Robert  of  Wey- 
mouth." Henry  Tucker  is  called  by  Savage  as 
of  Sandwich.  How  long  he  resided  there  is 
uncertain.  He  purchased  of  his  friend  Wil- 
liam Allen  of  Sandwich,  April  15,  1669,  his 
one-third  share  of  Dartmouth  lands  for  fif- 
teen pounds,  and  is  then  called  of  Milton. 
This  share,  or  one-third  share,  came  to  Wil- 
liam Allen  by  his  wife  Pri-scilla,  who  was  the 
second  daughter  of  Peter  Brown,  of  the  "May- 
flower," 1620,  by  the  first  wife.  Henry 
Tucker  became  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  or  a  Quaker.  The  Christian  name  of 
his  wife  was  Martha.  He  died  21st  of  2d 
month,  1694.  She  died  28th  of  9th  month, 
1675.  Their  children  were:  Abraham,  born 
Oct.  30,  1653,  married  Mary  Sloeum  and  Han- 
nah Mott;  John,  born  28th  of  6th  month,  1656, 
is  mentioned  below;  Martha,  born  July  14, 
1659,  died  unmarried;  Hannah,  born  July  25, 
1662,  married  Nathaniel  Sloeum ;  James,  born 
March  16,  1666,  died  28th  of  1st  month,  1689  ; 
Mary,  born  Aug.  16,  1668,  married  Samuel 
Perry,  of  Kingston;  Sarah  was  born  Sept.  20, 
1674. 


1094 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(II)  John  Tucker,  son  of  Henry,  born  28th 
of  6th  month,  1656,  married  25th  of  2d  month, 
1688,  Ruth  Woolly,  of  Shrewsbury,  N.  J.,  born 
12th  of  8th  month,  1663,  who  died  23d  of 
2d  month,  1759.  He  died  2d  of  7th  month, 
1751.  By  his  will  filed  Aug.  26,  1751,  probated 
Sept.  10,  1751,  he  gives  to  son  James  of  East 
Shrewsbury,  N.  J.,  where  he  now  dwells;  to 
Joanna  Mott,  daughter  of  Jacob  Mott,  of 
Dartmouth  or  Rhode  Island,  "being  brought 
up  with  me,  and  for  her  cheerfulness  in  the 
time  of  her  service,  etc." ;  and  to  son  Joseph. 
The  children  of  John  and  Ruth  Tucker  were: 
James,  born  Aug.  27,  1691 ;  John,  born  Oct.  25, 
1695,  who  died  June  14,  1730;  and  Joseph, 
born  Nov.  7,  1696. 

(III)  Joseph  Tucker,  son  of  John,  bom 
Nov.  7,  1696,  married  22d  of  10th  month,  1720, 
Mary  Howland,  born  21st  of  7th  month,  1700, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Hannah  (Woodman) 
Howland,  granddaughter  of  Zoeth  and  Abigail 
Howland,  and  great-granddaughter  of  Henry 
Howland,  who  arrived  at  Plymouth  probably 
before  1625  and  is  believed  to  have  been  a 
brother  of  John  Howland,  of  the  "Mayflower," 
1620.    The  children  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (How- 

,land)  Tucker  were:  Ruth,  born  2d  of  10th 
month,  1721,  who  married  James  Tucker; 
Hannah,  born  2d  of  7th  month,  1723,  who  died 
unmarried  25th  of  7th  month,  1799;  Eliza- 
beth, born  25th  of  8th  month,  1725;  Mary, 
born  27th  of  1st  month,  1727,  who  died  un- 
married 28th  of  8th  month,  1799;  Abigail, 
born  25th  of  12th  month,  1729;  John,  born 
14th  of  12th  month,  1731,  who  married  Rhode 
Wing;  Martha,  born  14th  of  9th  month,  1734, 
who  married  Timothy  GifEord ;  Edith,  born 
1st  of  4th  month,  1737,  who  married  Ed- 
ward Wing,  of  Sandwich ;  Joseph,  born  29th 
of  5th  month,  1740;  and  Barzilla,  born  15th  of 
4th  month,  1743.  The  father  of  these  died  in 
1790. 

(IV)  Joseph  Tucker  (2),  son  of  Joseph, 
born  29th  of  5th  month,  1740,  married  in  1762 
Mary  Wing,  of  Sandwich.  Their  children 
were:  Edward,  born  27th  of  8th  month,  1765, 
is  mentioned  below;  Mary,  born  16th  of  7th 
month,  1769,  married  Peleg  Howland;  and 
Anna,  born  27th  of  12th  month,  1772,  mar- 
ried (first)  David  Sherman  and  (second) 
Reuben  Russell.  The  father  of  these  died  in 
1827. 

(V)  Edward  Tucker,  son  of  Joseph  (2), 
born  27th  of  8th  month,  1765,  married  25th 
of  2d  month,  1790,  Anna  Gifford.  Children: 
Lizzie;  Mary,  who  died  unmarried;  Anna,  who 
died  unmarried:  Rebecca,  who  died  young; 
Joseph ;    Elizabeth,    who     married     Zephaniah 


Barker;  and  Julia,  who  married  Abraham  An- 
thony. 

(VI)  Joseph  Tucker  (3),  son  of  Edward  and 
Anna  (Gitford)  Tvicker,  born  Dec.  12,  1806, 
in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married  May  17,  1831, 
Phebe  Howland,  born  Dec.  2,  1811,  in  Dart- 
mouth, Mass.,  daughter  of  Allen  and  Hannah 
(Howland)  Howland,  he  a  direct  descendant 
of  Henry  Howland,  who  arrived  at  Plymouth 
probably  before  1625  and  is  believed  to  have 
been  a  brother  of  John  Howland,  of  the  "May- 
flower," 1620,  through  Zoeth,  Nicholas, 
Nicholas  (2),  and  Timothy  and  Lucy  (Allen) 
Howland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tucker  had  two  chil- 
dren: Edward  (born  Jan.  2,  1836,  married 
Abby  Potter)  and  Abram  R. 

Joseph  Tucker  was  reared  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  attending  school  three  months  only 
each  year  and  through  the  winters  until  fif- 
teen years  of  age,  and  assisting  with  the  farm 
work  in  season.  He  continued  through  life 
occupied  in  farming  and  became  the  possessor 
of  some  three  hundred  acres  of  well  improved 
land,  some  of  which  had  been  in  the  family 
for  upwards  of  a  hundred  years.  In  his  po- 
litical affiliations  he  was  a  Whig  and  Repub- 
lican, respectively.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
Mr.  Tucker  was  the  oldest  living  representative 
of  the  Tucker  family  in  Dartmouth.  He  was 
a  good  type  of  the  honest,  hardworking, 
economical  New  England  farmer,  keen  of  in- 
tellect, and  successful  in  his  undertakings.  He 
was  greatly  esteemed  and  respected  by  the  com- 
munity in  which  his  long  life  was  passed.  He 
died  Feb.  28,  1892,  his  wife  Oct.  6,  1888;  they 
are  buried  in  Appona^enset  cemetery.  They 
were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends. 

(VII)  Abram  R.  Tucker,  son  of  Joseph, 
was  born  on  the  old  homestead  and  attended  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  also  the 
Rochester  Academy.  Taking  up  agricultural 
pursuits  with  his  father  on  the  homestead,  he 
there  continued  to  live  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  engaged  not  only  in  general  farming,  but 
in  stock  raising  and  dairying,  and  also  became 
largely  interested  as  dealer  in  ship  timber  and 
wood.  He  was  one  of  the  largest  land  owners 
in  Dartmouth,  owning  a  tract  of  250  acres, 
including  timberland.  He  was  successful  and 
hardworking,  and  he  took  no  active  part  in 
public  life,  devoting  his  time  and  energy  to 
the  building  up  of  his  farm  and  timber  busi- 
ness. In  1903  he  retired  from  active  pur- 
suits, turning  over  his  interest  to  his  son,  who 
has  been  carrying  it  on  ever  since.  Mr. 
Tucker  died  of  heart  trouble  Aug.  19,  1910, 
and  was  buried  in  the  South  Dartmouth 
cemetery.     He  attended  the  Friends'  Meeting, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1095 


"was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  intcested 
himself  in  helpful  and  progressive  enterprises 
■of  all  kinds.  He  married  June  4,  1872,  Laura 
Anna  Wing,  a  native  of  Westport,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Capt.  Benjamin  F.  and  Emily 
(Gilford)  Wing.  Mrs.  Tucker  still  resides  at 
the  homestead  and  is  much  devoted  to  her 
home.  One  child  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tucker,  Joseph  Franklin. 

Joseph  Franklin  Tucker  was  born  Feb.  4, 
1873,  on  the  homestead.  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  town  and  the  high 
school,  graduating  therefrom  in  1890,  the 
Friends'  school  in  Providence,  and  Bryant  & 
Stratton  commercial  college,  graduating  in 
1892.  He  then  took  up  farming  wth  his 
father  and  is  now  conducting  the  homestead 
place,  which  has  been  in  the  family  for  up- 
ward of  two  hundred  years.  An  active  young 
man,  he  is  hardworking  and  progressive,  and 
is  making  a  success  of  his  work.  He  married 
June  3,  1903,  Abby  May  Delano,  who  was  bom 
in  Fall  River  March  4,  1881,  daughter  of 
Arthur  J.  and  Annie  A.  (Ridley)  Delano. 
They  have  no  children. 

The  Wing  Family,  of  which  Mrs.  Tucker 
is  a  member,  is  descended  from  John  Wing, 
■of  Sandwich,  of  whom  nothing  seems  to  be 
definitely  known  by  the  genealogist  of  the 
Wing  family  before  his  arrival  at  Boston  and 
Tiis  residence  at  Saugus  (Lynn),  except  that 
he  had  married  Deborah,  the  second  daughter 
■of  Rev.  Stephen  Batchelder  and  was  one  of 
that  minister's  company.  Mr.  Batchelder  and 
•company  arrived  at  Boston  June  5,  1632.  Mr. 
Batchelder  had  been  well  educated,  had  re- 
ceived orders  in  the  Established  Church,  and 
had  gained  considerable  reputation  among  his 
■clerical  brethren  for  learning  and  ability.  From 
dissatisfaction  with  the  rites  and  institutions 
of  the  church,  he  -had  refused  conformity  with 
the  requirement  of  his  superiors  and  had  been 
•deprived  of  his  ecclesiastical  commission.  Soon 
after  this  he  left  England,  and  went  with  his 
family  to  Holland,  where  he  resided  several 
years.  He  then  returned  to  London  and  sailed 
■from  there  March  9,  1632. 

John  Wing's  place  of  residence  at  Sandwich 
was  situated  about  a  mile  from  the  present 
village  of  the  name,  and  here  was  the  home 
of  the  elder  branch  of  the  family  for  subse- 
quent generations.  The  date  of  Mr.  Wing's 
death  is  not  recorded.  It  was  probably  as 
early  as  1659.  His  wife  is  said  to  have  lived 
till  1692,  but  probably  this  date  has  arisen 
from  a  misunderstanding  of  the  record  respect- 
ing the  wife  of  John  of  Yarmouth.  John  and 
Deborah  (Batchelder)  Wing  had  at  least  foui- 
€Ons:    Daniel,  John,  Stephen  and  Matthew. 


(II)  Stephen  Wing,  son  of  John  and  Deb- 
orah (Batchelder)  Wing,  married  in  1646-47, 
Oseah,  daughter  of  Edward  Dillingham,  one 
of  the  nine  assosciates  to  whom  the  town  had 
been  granted  in  1637.  Mr.  Wing  lived  in 
Sandwich,  tradition  fixing  the  location  of  his 
farm  not  far  from  Spring  Hill.  A  part  of 
the  house  he  built  in  1644  is  said  to  be  still 
in  existence.  He  appears  to  have  been  an 
earnest  advocate  of  religion  and  morality,  as 
he  was  a  strenuous  supporter  of  religious  meet- 
ings and  public  order.  He  became  a  convert 
to  Quakerism  and  he  and  his  family  became 
permanently  connected  with  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  it  is  said  that  his  posterity  have 
in  all  their  generations  remained  true  to  his 
example.  Mr.  Wing  was  chosen  town  clerk 
in  1669.  His  wife  Oseah  died  9th  of  4th 
month,  1 653-54,'  and  7th  of  11th  month  of 
that  same  year  he  married  Sarah,  daughter 
of  John  Biggs,  who  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
in  1635,  came  to  America.  She  died  26th 
of  3d  month,  1689,  but  the  date  of  his  own 
death  is  uncertain,  one  account  placing  it 
24th  of  2d  month  (old  style),  1710.  His 
children  were:  Nathaniel,  born  about  1646-47; 
Deborah,  born  about  1647-48;  Ephraim,  bom 
in  1649;  Mercy,  born  in  1650;  Stephen,  born 
in  1656;  Sarah,  born  in  1657-58;  John,  born 
in  1661;  Abigail,  born  in  1664;  Elisha,  born 
in  1669-70  ;  Ebenezer,  born  in  1671 ;  Matthew, 
born  in  1673-74;  Joseph,  bom  in  1677;  and 
Benjamin,  born  in  1678. 

(III)  Matthew  Wing,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Sarah  (Biggs)  Wing,  born  in  3d  month,  1673- 
74,  married  4th  of  9th  month,  1696,  Eliza- 
beth, born  in  August,  1659,  daughter  of  Adam 
and  Mary  (Lott)  Mott  and  widow  of  Wil- 
liam Ricketson  of  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  and  Dart- 
mouth, Mass.  Mr.  Wing  in  1705  purchased 
a  farm  in  that  part  of  Dartmovith  which  be- 
came Westport,  Mass.,  near  Hick's  bridge, 
which  land  is  still  in  possession  of  one  of  his 
descendants.  Their  children  were :  Joseph, 
born  in  1697-98;  Benjamin,  born  in  1698-99; 
and  Abigail,  born  in  1700-01. 

(IV)  Joseph  Wing,  son  of  Matthew  and 
Elizabeth  (Ricketson)  Wing,  was  born  20th 
of  1st  month,  1697-98.  The  Christian  name 
of  his  wife  was  Catharine.  After  a  brief 
residence  in  Sandwich,  where  his  older  chil- 
dren were  born,  Mr.  Wing  removed  to  Dart- 
mouth, Mass.,  where  he  died.  Their  children 
were:  Zerviah,  born  in  1715-16;  Edward, 
born  in  1718-19  ;  Matthew,  born  in  1721 ;  John, 
born  in  1731,  the  next  in  this  line;  and  Daniel, 
born  in  1734. 

(V)  John  Wine,  son  of  Joseph  and  Cath- 
arine, bom  10th  of  7th  month,  1731,  married 


1096 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Oct.  25,  1750,  Jemima  Shepherd,  who  died 
28th  of  11th  month,  1816.  Their  children 
were:  Catherine,  born  29th  of  5th  month, 
1752;  Dorcas,  born  17th  of  19th  month,  1753; 
and  John,  born  11th  of  4th  month,  1755. 

(VI)  John  Wing  (2),  son  of  John  and 
Jemima  (Shepherd)  Wing,  born  11th  of  4th 
month,  1755,  married  4th  of  5th  month,  1780, 
in  Dartmouth,  Mercy  Almy,  born  3d  of  5th 
month,  1755.  He  died  1st  of  1st  month,  1832, 
and  she  5th  of  2d  month,  1850,  in  Dartmouth. 
Their  children  were:  Lydia,  born  8th  of  3d 
month,  1782;  Joseph,  born  11th  of  5th  month, 
1783;  Catharine,  born  26th  of  2d  month,  1786; 
Pardon,  born  22d  of  3d  month,  1788  ;  Patience, 
born  25th  of  4th  month,  1790;  Abigail,  born 
26th  of  2d  month,  1793;  Jemima,  born  14th 
of  2d  month,  1795;  John,  born  11th  of  7th 
month,  1797;  and  Almy,  born  24th  of  8th 
month,  1800. 

(VII)  Pardon  Wing,  son  of  John  (2),  born 
22d  of  3d  month,  1788,  married  in  1809  Almy 
Slocomb,  daughter  of  Peleg. 

(VIII)  Capt.  Benjamin  F.  Wing,  son  of 
Pardon,  married  3d  month,  20,  1851,  Emily 
Gilford,  daughter  of  John  and  Charity  Gif- 
ford,  and  they  had  children:  Laura  Anna, 
born  3d  month,  16,  1852;  John  Franklin,  8th 
month,  17,  1860 ;  Herbert,  9th  month,  14,  1864. 
The  Captain  and  his  family  lived  in  the  town 
of  Dartmouth,  where  he  died  April  19,  1898. 
His  wife  died  June  18,  1911. 

(IX)  Laura  Anna  Wing,  born  3d  month, 
16,  1852,  married  June  4,  1872,  Abram  R. 
Thicker. 

COVEL.  The  Covels  (or  Covells,  riame 
variously  spelled)  have  been  a  New  England 
family  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years.  One  ' 
Cesora,  says  Pope,  doubtless  Ezra,  aged  fifteen 
years,  settled  at  Plymouth  about  1643.  Na- 
thaniel Covel,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Nickerson,  was  at  Chatham,  Barnstable 
Co.,  Mass.,  in  1667,  and  in  that  town  John 
Covel  was  chosen  the  schoolmaster  in  June, 
1733.  His  wife  was  Thank-ful.  One  Nathaniel 
Covil,  son  of  John  and  Thankful  (Bangs) 
Covil,  married  Rebecca  Rider,  and  resided  in 
that  locality,  and  their  son,  Samuel  Covil,  born 
Dec.  22,  1763,  in  Yarmouth,  Mass.,  married 
Mary  Holoway  and  settled  in  Fairfield,  Som- 
erset Co.,  Maine.  Joseph  and  Lydia  Covel 
were  residents  of  Chatham,  Mass.,  in  1701. 

In  the  early  settling  of  that  part  of  the  town 
of  Killingly,  Conn.,  along  Whitstone  brook  and 
Lake  Mashapaug,  which  had  its  beginning 
about  1717,  Joseph  Covill.  Philip  Priest,  An- 
drew Phillips  and  John  Collins,  of  Charlestown, 


were  admitted  among  the  Chestnut  Hill  com- 
pany. There  is  a  record  at  Charlestown  of 
Joseph  Covel  selling,  in  1714,  John  Gould  a 
house  and  thirteen  acres  of  land,  which  was 
recorded  in  1724;  and  a  record  there  of  Mary 
Covel  marrying,  in  1706,  Andrew  Phillips,  and 
as  well  of  Alice  Covel  marrying  in  1707-08- 
John  Grover. 

The  Covells  of  Killingly,  Conn.,  have  been  a 
continuous  family  there  since  the  early  years 
of  the  eighteenth  century — since  the  time  of 
the  pioneer  Joseph  Covell,  and  they,  too,  have 
been  one  of  the  substantial  and  useful  families,, 
and  as  well  active,  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion, in  the  development  of  that  region  of  coun- 
try. 

(I)  Edward  Cowell  (so  spelled),  an  inhabi- 
tant of  Boston  in  1645,  a  cordwainer,  had  by 
his  wife  Margaret  children  as  follows:  John;. 
Joseph;  Elizabeth,  born  Aug.  17,  1653;  and 
William,  born  June  28,  1655.  Mr.  Cowell 
married  in  Hingham  June  26,  1668,  Sarah, 
born  Nov.  19,  1644,  daughter  of  Capt.  Joshua 
and  Ellen  (Ibrook)  Hobart,  and  their  children 
were:  Sarah,  born  April  2,  1669;  and  Edward,, 
born  Aug.  12,  1672.  Mr.  Cowell  was  a  partici- 
pant in  King  Philip's  war,  and  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  squad  or  company  of  eighteen  men 
in  April,  1675,  en  route  from  Marlboro  to  Bos- 
ton; some  throe  miles  from  Sudbury  they  were- 
surprised  by  the  Indians,  and  in  the  engage- 
ment that  followed  four  of  the  men  were  killed. 
On  this  occasion,  said  one  writer :  "From  all 
the  above  mentioned  authorities,  the  triie  ac- 
count in  brief  seems  to  be,  that  the  English 
had  no  suspicions  of  the  great  numbers  of  the 
Indians  that  were  gathering  about  Marl- 
borough and  Sudbury,  or  of  the  vicinity 
of  any,  until  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  21st  (April),  when  several  deserted  liouses 
were  burnt  with  the  evident  purpose  of  draw- 
ing out  the  garrisons  into  an  ambuscade.  Then 
Deacon  Haines's  garrison  home  was  attacked 
with  fury  by  large  numbers,  but  was  success- 
fully defended  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning- 
until  one  o'clock  P.  M.,  when  the  assault  was 
abandoned.  Twelve  volunteers  coming  from 
Concord  upon  the  alarm,  to  aid  the  garrison, 
were  lured  into  the  river  meadow,  and  all  slain 
save  one.  Mr.  Edward  Cowell,  with  a  body  of 
eighteen  mounted  men  coming  from  Brookfield 
by  way  of  Marlborough,  and  by  a  different  way 
from  that  taken  by  Captain  Wadsworth,  became 
sharply  engaged  with  the  outlying  part  of  the- 
enemy,  and  lost  four  men  killed,  one  wounded 
and  had  five  of  his  horses  disabled." 

(II)  Joseph  Cowell,  or  Covel,  son  of  Capt.. 
Edward,  and  a  cooper  of  Boston,  married  about. 


^c/ 


{U^i4t^C^t-L 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


1097 


1673  Mary,  daughter  of  Richard  Carter,  and 
■widow  of  William  Hunter.  Later  he  married 
(second)   Alice  Palmer. 

(III)  Joseph  Covell,  born  in  1694,  son  of 
Joseph,  died  in  1733.  He  was  of  Chatham, 
Mass.,  and  Killingly,  Conn.  His  wife  was 
Hannah. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Covell,  son  of  Joseph,  born 
Nov.  7,  1727,  was  a  resident  of  the  eastern  part 
of  Killingly,  Conn.  His  wife  was  Martha. 
They  died,  he  Aug.  23,  1805,  and  she  June  20, 
1803.  Their  children  were :  Samuel,  born  Jan. 
13,  1752;  Sampson,  April  4,  1754;  Mary,  Sept. 
15,  1756;  Ebenezer,  Jan.  11,  1759;  Tamer, 
March  8,  1761;  Keziah,  Nov.  8,  1764;  Martha, 
Jan.  26,  1766;  James,  April  10,  1768;  and 
Hannah,  Aug.  27,  1770. 

(V)  Samuel  Covel,  son  of  Ebenezer,  born 
Jan.  13,  1752,  married  Judith  Bloss. 

(VI)  Benjamin  Covel,  Sr.,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Judith,  was  bom  Jan.  15,  1779,  in  Kil- 
lingly, Conn.,  and  leaving  there  settled  in 
Berkley,  Mass.,  before  marriage.  He  was  twice 
married,  first  to  Polly  Newell,  by  whom  he  had 
Samuel  and  Benjamin,  and  second  to  Susan 
Tinkham,  of  Providence.  He  died  at  Berkley 
March  15,  1843,  aged  sixty-four  years.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  ship  carpenter  by  occupa- 
tion. 

(VII)  Benjamin  Covel,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Polly  (Newell),  was  bom  March  2,  1818,  in 
Berkley,  Mass.  He  was  reared  to  country  life, 
and  had  such  educational  privileges  as  the 
neighborhood  schools  afforded.  His  father 
being  a  ship  carpenter  as  well  as  farmer  it  was 
but  natural  that  the  son  evinced  a  taste  in  me- 
chanical lines,  and  at  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  went  to  Fall  Eiver  and  began  an  appren- 
ticeship at  the  carpenter's  and  joiner's  trade 
under  the  direction  of  Melville  Borden,  a  con- 
tractor and  builder  in  wood.  He  remained 
with  Mr.  Borden  for  a  year  and  a  half,  then  fin- 
ished his  apprenticeship  with  Pierce,  Mason  & 
Co.,  continuing  in  their  employ  till  the  sum- 
mer of  1842.  For  a  short  time  thereafter — 
from  September  till  November — he  was  in  the 
employ,  as  boss  carpenter,  qf  Samuel  Sanford, 
in  Boston,  having  general  oversight  of  all  the 
repairing  and  the  erection  of  the  new  tenement 
houses  put  up  by  Mr.  Sanford.  Returning  to 
his  native  town,  Berkley,  in  November,  1842, 
he  there  remained  until  the  spring  of  1843, 
when  he  located  in  Fall  River;  and,  associated 
with  James  Smith,  as  partner,  began  business 
on  his  own  account  and  a  career  that  proved 
successful.  Among  some  of  the  early  struc- 
tures built  in  Fall  River  by  Mr.  Covel  and  his 
partner  were  the  Pearl  Street  Church  edifice, 


and  the  "Richardson  House"  and  "Wilbur 
House";  and  for  the  following  forty  years  or 
more,  during  the  active  period  of  Mr.  Covel's 
life,  he  was  constantly  occupied  as  a  contractor 
and  builder  of  wood,  not  only  in  Fall 
River,  but  in  all  the  Fall  River  region, 
his  field  of  operation  sometimes  extend- 
ing to  the  cities  of  Boston  and  New- 
port. Among  some  of  the  Fall  River 
buildings  that  have  stood  as  monuments,  as  it 
were,  to  his  workmanship  may  be  mentioned 
the  Troy  buildings,  the  Durfee  block,  the  resi- 
dence of  William  C.  Davol,  Jr.,  and  the  resi- 
dence of  Alphonso  S.  Covel.  At  the  time  of 
the  extension  of  the  Old  Colony  railroad  from 
Fall  River  to  Newport  Mr.  Covel  constructed 
all  of  the  bridges  and  depots  on  the  line,  and 
for  this  company  he  erected  at  Boston  one  of 
the  large  freight  houses. 

Commencing  life  a  poor  boy,  Mr.  Covel  by 
his  own  exertions,  unaided  and  alone,  rose  to 
position  and  a  comfortable  competence;  truly 
was  he  a  self-made  man.  He  served  efficiently 
as  director  and  president  of  the  Crescent  Mills 
from  their  organization  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  also  was  vice  president  and  trustee 
of  the  Union  Savings  Bank  at  Fall  River.  A 
Republican  in  his  political  affiliations,  he  was 
often  called  to  positions  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility and  served  as  delegate  to  both  county 
and  State  conventions.  He  died  Nov.  16,  1892. 

On  Dec.  14,  1841,  Mr.  Covel  married  Ange- 
line,  born  Jan.  3,  1821,  in  Dartmouth,  Mass., 
daughter  of  Halsey  and  Mercy  (Allen)  Baker, 
of  Dartmouth,  Mass.  The  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Covel  was  blessed  with  children  as 
follows:  Alphonso  S.,  born  Nov.  22,  1842; 
Benjamin  F.,  Aug.  7,  1844;  Thomas  D.,  June 
21,  1850;  and  Ina  F.,  1860  (died  aged  two 
years). 

(VIII)  Alphonso  Smith  Covel,  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Angeline  (Baker)  Covel,  was 
born  Nov.  22,  1842,  in  Fall  River.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  city.  His  business  career  began 
when  he  engaged  in  a  grocery  business  at  the 
corner  of  Ninth  and  Pleasant  streets.  Fall 
River,  which  he  conducted  many  years.  Later 
he  became  associated  with  Griffitts  M.  Haf- 
fards  in  the  banking  business  and  in  1871  be- 
gan his  connection  with  the  cotton  manufac- 
turing industry,  in  which  he  achieved  great 
success.  In  that  year  he  became  a  director  of 
the  Richard  Borden  Manufacturing  Company, 
the  Wampanoag  Mills,  the  Crescent  Mills,  and 
the  Barnard  Manufacturing  Company.  In 
1871  he  also  became  treasurer  of  the"  Union 
Belt  Company.    In  most  of  these  cases  he  was 


1098 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


a  director  at  the  outset  of  the  organizations. 
In  1880  he  was  made  a  director  of  trie  Fall 
River  Machine  Company.  In  1885  he,  with 
others,  founded  the  Fall  River  hospital,  the 
successor  of  which  is-  the  present  Union  hos- 
pital. In  1885-87  he  was  a  director  and  the 
president  of  the  Merchants'  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  in  1886  he  was  made  a  director 
of  the  Fall  River  Gas  Works  Company.  He 
continued  his  relations  with  several  of  these 
concerns  until  his  removal  to  Boston,  in  1887, 
to  become  treasurer  of  the  Tremont  and  Suf- 
folk Mills  in  Lowell,  which  office  he  filled  until 
his  death.  From  modest  beginnings  he  passed 
within  a  comparatively  short  period  to  con- 
siderable wealth ;  and  as  he  progressed  in  bus- 
iness he  was  given,  according  to  his  manifes- 
tation of  interest,  positions  of  honor  in  the 
religious  and  reform  world.  Early  in  man- 
hood Mr.  Covel  became  a  member  of  the  Cen- 
tral Congregational  Church  and  also  the  Sun- 
day school,  and  so  long  as  he  remained  a  resi- 
dent of  Fall  River  he  maintained  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  that  church,  also  its 
Pleasant  street  mission.  He  was  the  treasurer 
-of  the  society  of  the  church,  from  187'1  to 
1878,  was  the  superintendent  of  the  mission 
school  from  1881  to  1887,  and  was  the  first 
president  of  the  Young  People's  Society  of 
Christian  Endeavor  formed  in  1883,  serving 
several  years  in  succession.  He  was  full  of 
the  courtesies  which  harmonize  with  the  char- 
acter of  an  interested  church  worker,  and 
helped  to  win  many  to  church  attendance. 
Pastors  found  him  one  of  the  best  of  helpers  in 
this  respect.  On  settling  in  Boston  Mr.  Covel 
joined  the  Old  South  Church  (Congrega- 
tional), and  there,  too,  he  was  active  and  help- 
ful. He  held  official  relations  with  this 
society,  of  which  he  remained  a  uiember  until 
his  death,  being  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
School  from  1890  to  1894,  head  usher  for 
twelve  years,  and  seventeen  years  a  deacon.  He 
_  was  very  much  interested  in  Christian  work  for 
young  men,  and  was  conspicuous  in  his  efforts 
to  sustain  Y.  M.  C.  A.  efforts  in  Boston,  being 
for  three  years,  1893  to  1895,  the  president  of 
the  Boston  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion. Mr.  Covel  died  at  his  residence  in  Bos- 
ton, April  13,  1907,  and  he  was  buried  in  Oak 
Grove  cemetery,  at  Fall  River. 

On  May  19,  1869,  Mr.  Covel  was  married  in 
Fall  River  to  Sarah  Walker  Borden,  born  May 
13,  1844,  daughter  of  Col.  Richard  and  Abby 
Walker  (Durfee)  Borden,  and  the  following 
children  were  born  to  them :  Richard  Borden 
(deceased),  Abbie  Walker,  Borden,  Gertrude 
Elliott,  Florence  and  Helen. 


(VIII)  Benjamin,  F.  Covel,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Angeline  (Baker)  Covel,  was  born 
in  Fall  River  Aug.  7,  1844,  on  the  site  of  the 
office  of  the  Durfee  mill,  where  his  father  built 
his  first  home  on  coming  to  Fall  River.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city, 
spending  one  year  only  in  the  liigu  school. 
After  Jeaving  school  he  worked  at  carpentering 
with  his  father  for  a  time,  and  then  entered 
the  grocery  store  of  his  brother,  Alphonso  S., 
where  he  was  employed  for  two  or  three  years. 
In  1865  lie  began  to  learn  the  machinist's  trade 
with  the  firm  of  GifEord  &  Houghton,  with 
whom  he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  three 
years,  after  which  he  worked  one  year  as  jour- 
neyman machinist.  In  1870  he  started  in  bus- 
iness for  himself  at  his  present  site,  on  Osborn 
street,  the  firm  being  known  then  as  now  as  the 
Covel  Machine  Company,  this  name  having 
been  continued  as  the  business  and  legal  title 
of  the  firm  for  over  forty  years,  Mr.  Covel  dur- 
ing all  this  time  being  sole  owner.  During 
twenty  of  these  years  Mr.  Covel  has  made 
the  10th  of  each  month  his  regular  monthly 
pay  day,  and  with  one  exception  has  not  missed 
paying  at  that  time  except  when  the  10th  came 
on  Sunday,  when  he  paid  on  the  following  day, 
the  exception  being  in  1884,  when  his  bank 
could  not  get  the  vault  open;  but  Mr.  Covel 
paid  the  next  day.  When  he  started  in  bus- 
iness he  gave  employment  to  only  seven  or 
eight  men ;  his  plant  now  requires  twenty-five 
men  the  year  round.  Mr.  Covel  has  been  a 
conservative,  careful  and  successful  business 
man,  and  has  used  no  borrowed  capital  to  run 
or  to  expand  his  business. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Covel  is  a  member  of  King 
Philip  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Fall  River  Chap- 
ter, R.  A.  M. ;  Fall  River  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ; 
and  Godfrey  de  Bouillon  Commandery,  K.  T. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Mount  Hope  Lodge, 
I.  0.  0.  F.  In  politics  he  is  independent  on 
local  issues,  but  is  a  Republican  on  national 
questions. 

Mr.  Covel  married  (first)  June  10,  1873, 
Mary  Almy,  daughter  of  Charles  Almy.  She 
died  Dec.  30,  1879.  On  Aug.  25,  1898,  he 
married  (second)  Susan  M.  Osborn,  daughter 
of  Wilson  Osborn.  By  the  first  marriage  there 
was  one  daughter,  Ina  F.,  born  June  7,  1874. 

(VIII)  TH0M.4S  D.  Covel,  son  of  Benjamin 
and  Angeline  (Baker)  Covel,  was  born  June 
21,  1850.  In  1873  he  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business  with  Arnold  B.  Sanford,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Sanford  &  Covel,  as  it  was  until 
1884,  when  Mr.  Osborn  bought  out  Mr.  San- 
ford's  interest  and  the  name  became  Covel  & 
Osborn,   so   continuing   until    1898,   when   the 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1099 


4)usmess  was  incorporated  as  tlie  Covel  &  Os- 
iorn  Company,  Mr.  Covel  becoming  treasurer. 
He  was  for  a  number  of  years  president  and 
director  of  the  National  Union  Bank,  and 
when  it  was  consolidated  with  the  Massasoit 
National  Bank  and  Pocasset  National  Bank, 
forming  the  Massasoit-Pocasset  National 
Bank,  he  became  a  director  and  later  vice 
president  of  the  latter  institution,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  discount  committee.  He  is  a 
trustee  and  member  of  the  board  of  investment 
■of  the  Union  Savings  Bank,  a  director  and  vice 
president  of  the  Davis  Mills,  a  director  of  the 
Arkwright  Mills,  and  a  director  and  member 
■of  the  security  committee  of  the  Troy  Cooper- 
ative Bank.  He  is  a  member  of  King  Philip 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Fall  Eiver  Chapter, 
E.  A.  M.;  Fall  River  Council,  R.  &  S.  M. ; 
•Godfrey  de  Bouillon  Commandery,  Knights 
Tempkir,  and  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

On  Oct.  31,  1876,  Mr.  Covel  was  married 
to  Betsey  Paine  Gray,  daughter  o.f  Franklin 
and  Irene  (Gardner)    Gray,  of  Fall  River. 


Baker.  Mrs.  Angeline  (Baker)  Covel  was 
a  lineal  descendant  of  (I)  Francis  Baker,  who 
was  born  in  England  in  1611.  His  last  resi- 
dence in  his  native  land  was  at  Great  St. 
Albans,  Hertfordshire,  and  in  1635  he  came 
over  in  the  ship  "Planter,"  locating  at  Yar- 
mouth, Mass.  He  married  Isabel  Taming,  of 
Yarmouth,  and  died  in  1696,  the  last  of  the 
first  comers.  His  children  were :  Nathaniel, 
John,   Samuel,  Daniel,  William  and  Thomas. 

(II)  Daniel  Baker,  son  of  Francis,  married 
May  27,  1674,  Elizabeth  Chase,  daughter  of 
William  Chase  (2),  the  latter  born  in  Yar- 
mouth, Mass.,  in  1622.  To  this  union  were 
born  the  following  children :  Daniel,  born 
1675;  Samuel,  1676;  Elizabeth,  1696;  Han- 
nah ;  Thankful,  1698 ;  and  Tabitha,  1700. 

(III)  Samuel  Baker,  son  of  Daniel,  born 
in  1676,  married  Patience,  and  their  children 
were:  Shubal,  born  March  24,  1710;  Susan- 
nah, June  22,  1711;  Hezekiah,  Aug.  4,  1715; 
Tabitha,  March  8,  1718;  Desire,  Feb.  5,  1720; 
Elizabeth,  Sept.  9,  1725;  and  Samuel,  June  4, 
1732. 

(IV)  Shubal  Baker,  son  of  Samuel,  born 
March  24,  1710,  married  in  1733  Lydia 
Stuart.  Their  children  were:  Svlvanus,  born 
March  10,  1734;  Azubah,  May  17,  1737;  Tem- 
perance, June  24,.  1739;  Shubal,  Nov.  11, 
1741;  Elizabeth,  Jan.  2,  1744;  Lydia,  Oct.  13, 
1746;  Ruth,  June  25,  1749;  and  Patience, 
July  19.  1752. 

(V)  Shubal  Baker  (2),  son  of  Shubal,  born 
Nov.  11,  1741,  married  Nov.  15,  1764,  Rebecca 


Chase,  born  Aug.  24,  1747,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Thankful  Chase.  To  this  union  were 
born:  Hapsabeth  (or  Hepsibah?),  born  Oct. 
15,  1765,  married  March  23,  1786,  Zenos 
Chase;  Archelus,  born  Nov.  26,  1767,  married 
in  1789  Mehitable  Chase;  Rebecca,  born  Dec. 
19,  1770,  married  Dec.  11,  1788,  David 
Howes;  Shubal,  born  July  10,  1772,  married 
Jan.    10,    1793,    Mercy    Smalley;    Ezra,    born 

Sept.  5,  1775,  was  married  March  13, ,  to 

Susanna  Gage;  Michael,  born  Nov.  6,  1776, 
died  April  7,  1796;  Ensign,  born  July  3,  1779, 
married  Dec.  27,  1800,  Sally  Nickerson;  Tem- 
perance, born  Oct.  15,  1781,  married  Dec.  4, 
1800,  Henry  Kelly;  Abigail,  born  Nov.  22^ 
1783,  married  April  20,  1807,  Edward  Sears; 
Sylvanus,  born  Aug.  24,  1786,  married  March 
1.  18 — ,  Bethiah  Crowell ;  and  Halsey,  born 
Feb.  27,  1789,  married  Nov.  28,  1811,  Mercy 
Allen. 

(VI)  Halsey  Baker,  son  of  Shubal  (2),  born 
Feb.  27,  1789,  married  Nov.  28,  1811,  Mercy 
Allen,  born  May  25,  1792,  daughter  of  Seth 
Allen,  granddaughter  of  John  Allen  (bom 
1729,  died  April  29,  1811,  married  July  25, 
1750,  Hannah  Paine,  born  1732,  died  April 
25,  1808),  and  great-granddaughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Susannah  Allen.  To  Halsey  Baker 
and  wife  were  born:  Rebecca,  Sept.  6,  1812; 
Ann,  Jan.  14,  1814;  Joseph,  Oct.  26,  1815; 
Bethany.  Oct.  5,  1817  (died  Nov.  14,  1830)  ; 
Susan,  Jan.  26,  1819;  Angeline,  Jan.  3,  1821 
(married  Benjamin  Covel)  ;  Lydia  Ann,  June 
3,  1823  (died  Nov.  20,  1830)  ;  David  Gage, 
June  24,  1825;  Mary  Jane.  March  23,  1828; 
Edwin  W.,  Dec.  25,  "1829;  Lydia  Maria,  and 
George  F. 

PEARSE.  The  Pearse  family  is  both  an- 
cient and  historic  in  the  annals  of  England, 
the  lineage  of  Richard  Pearse,  the  immigrant 
ancestor  of  the  New  England  family,  being 
traced  to  the  time  of  Alfred.  In  later  times 
were  Peter  Percy,  standard  bearer  of  Richard 
III.  at  the  battle  of  Bosworth  Field  (1485), 
and  Richard  Percy,  the  founder  of  Pearce 
Hall. 

For  nearly  two  and  a  half  centuries  the 
Pearse  family  has  been  identified  with  the 
political,  judicial,  legislative,  social  and  busi- 
ness life  of  Rhode  Island  and  southeastern 
Massachusetts.  During  both  the  Colonial  and 
Revolutionary  periods  the  name  constantly 
recurs  either  in  legislative  or  military  affairs. 
Capt.  Nathaniel  Pearse  commanded  an  ar- 
tillery company  at  the  burning  of  Bristol  by 
the  British  during  the  Revolutionary  war;  and 
covering  the  period  from  1757  to  1849  different 


1100 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


members  of  the  family  represented  Bristol  in 
the  State  Legislature.  Hon.  Dutee  J.  Pearse, 
iu  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  served 
as  a  member  of  Congress  from  Rhode  Island 
for  more  than  a  decade. 

This  article  is  to  deal  with  the  ancestry  and 
biography  of  William  George  Pearse  and  Wil- 
liam Henry  Pearse,  of  Swansea,  Mass.,  father 
and  son,  both  prominent  in  the  social  and 
business  affairs  of  that  town  and  of  Fall  River. 

(I)  Richard  Pearse  (name  changed  from 
Percy  in  this  generation),  born  in  England  in 
1.590,  married  in  England,  his  wife's  name  be- 
ing Martha,  and  was  a  resident  of  Bristol, 
"England.  He  was  a  son  of  Richard,  who 
resided  on  the  homestead  of  his  father,  grand- 
son of  Richard  Percy,  the  founder  of  Pearce 
Hall,  in  York,  England,  where  he  lived  and 
died ;  and  great-grandson  of  Peter  Percy, 
standard  bearer  to  Richard  III.  in  1485. 
Richard  Pearse  came  to  America  in  the  ship 
"Lyon"  from  Bristol,  England,  his  brother 
Capt.  William  Pearse  being  master  of  the  ship. 
His  children  were :  Richard,  John,  Samuel, 
Hannah,  Martha,  Sarah,  William  and  Mary. 
Capt.  William  Pearse,  of  the  ship  "Lyon,"  was 
a  distinguished  shipmaster.  He  was  killed  by 
the  Spaniards  at  Providence,  in  the  Bahama 
Islands,  16-11.  He  is  credited  with  being  the 
author  of  the  first  almanac  (1639)  published 
in  North  America. 

(II)  Richard  Pearse  (3),  son  of  Richard  the 
immigrant,  born  in  1615,  in  England,  married 
in  16i3,  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  Susannah 
Wright,  born  in  1620.  He  was  at  Portsmouth 
as  early  as  1654,  and  was  admitted  a  free- 
man of  the  Colony  from  that  place.  He  died 
in  1678,  in  Portsmouth,  and  his  wife  was  dead 
at  that  date.  His  children  were:  Richard, 
born  Oct.  3,  1643;  Martha,  Sept.  13,  1645; 
John,  Sept.  8,  1647;  Giles,  July  22,  1651; 
Susanna,  Nov.  23,  1652;  Mary,  May  6,  1654; 
Jeremiah,  Nov.  7,  1656;  Isaac,  December, 
1658;  George,  July  10,  1663;  and  Samuel, 
Dec.  23,  1664. 

(III)  Richard  Pearse  (3),  son  of  Richard 
(2),  born  Oct.  3,  1643,  in  Portsmouth,  R.  I., 
was  a  freeman  of  the  Colony  of  Portsmouth 
in  May,  1663.  He  removed  to  Bristol,  R.  I., 
probably  soon  after  his  father's  death,  and 
there  both  he  and  his  wife  E.xperience  died, 
his  death  occurring  Julv  19,  1720.  Their 
children,  born  in  Bristol,  were:  Jonathan, 
Richard,  Abigail,  Mary,  Jeremiah,  Annie,  Ben- 
jamin and  William. 

(TV)  William  Pearse,  son  of  Richard  (3), 
was  born  Sept.  18,  1716,  and  married,  April 
22,  1742,  Lvdia  Brown.    They  resided  in  Bris- 


tol, R.  I.,  and  in  1753  he  purchased  from  Jacob 
Lawton  the  property  known  as  the  Bristol 
ferry.  There  was  an  old  fort  located  not  far 
from  the  home  at  Bristol,  it  being  this  fort 
which  prevented  the  British  from  passing  on 
their  way  to  burn  Fall  River  and  other  places 
during  tlie  Revolutionary  war.  The  Colonists 
made  it  so  uncomfortable  for  them,  indeed, 
that  they  were  obliged  to  abandon  their  fleet 
and  man  their  barsres.  thinking  to  pass  safely, 
Imgging  the  south  shore,  but  nearly  all  the 
boats  were  sunk  and  the  attempt  had  to  be 
abandoned.  At  this  time,  during  the  war,  the 
Pearse  home  stood  a  short  distance  to  the  north- 
east of  the  present  house,  and  in  that  house 
two  sentries  were  killed  by  a  cannon  ball  fired 
from  the  British  fort  upon  the  other  side  of 
the  river,  or  bay,  about  one  mile  distant.  The 
inmates  of  the  house  were  repeatedly  warned 
of  the  danger,  but  did  not  heed.  The  ball 
first  struck  the  water,  then  a  sharp  rock  at 
the  foot  of  the  house,  then  a  partition,  and 
passing  through  the  body  of  one  man  lodged 
in  the  body  of  the  other,  killing  both.  Mr. 
Pearse's  son,  George,  related  that  one  day  the 
cannon  balls  were  flying  so  fast  that  the  family 
was  sent  to  Bristol  for  safety,  and  that  while 
he  was  going  over  the  top  of  Ferry  hill  on 
horseback,  behind  his  mother,  a  cannon  ball 
passed  between  the  horse's  legs.  People  have 
since  frequently  plowed  up  grape  shot,  eight 
and  twelve  pounders,  and  at  one  time  the  half 
of  a  twenty-fouT-pound  shot.  The  embankment 
of  the  fort  is  plainly  to  be  seen,  as  well  as 
the  powder  magazine.  At  one  time  the  British 
had  entire  possession  of  the  island  of  Rhode 
Island,  having  a  fort  at  the  north  end  of  the 
ferry.  In  the  Old  Colony  records  the  name 
of  William  Pearse  appears  as  assisting  about 
the  fort  and  victualling  the  soldiers.  During 
the  war  of  1813  a  man,  it  is  said,  was  dragged 
from  the  ferry  house,  cropped  and  branded. 
Members  of  this  Pearse  family  have  been  war- 
dens of  St.  Michael's  Church,  Bristol,  for  sixty 
years.  The  children  of  William  and  Lydia 
(Brown)  Pearse  were:  Sarah,  born  Dec.  31, 
1743;  George,  Sept.  15,  1744;  Susannah,  Aug. 
31,  1746;  Elizabeth,  June  20,  1748;  William, 
and  Lydia. 

(V)  George  Pearse,  son  of  William,  born 
Sept.  15,  1744,  resided  at  Bristol,  R.  I.  His 
wife's  name  was  Hannah,  and  their  children 
were:  William,  born  March  2,  1766;  George, 
April  28,  1768:  Mary,  June  4,  1770;  and 
Hannah,  Dec.  33,  1773. 

(VI)  William  Pearse,  son  of  George,  was 
born  March  3,  1766,  in  Bristol.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Gifford,  born  Feb.  27,  1769,  and  (sec- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1101 


ond)  Ruth  Lake,  who  survived  him  and  died 
in  May,  1861.  They  were  residents  of  Bristol, 
E.  I.  Mr.  Pearse  died  June  19,  1834.  His 
first  wife,  who  died  Jan.  25,  1826,  was  the 
mother  of  all  his  children:  George,  born  Nov. 
14,  1787;  Hannah,  Oct.  4,  1790;  Polly,  July 
29,  1794;  William,  March  8,  1798;  Hannah 
(2),  Aug.  8,  1800. 

(VII)  Hon.  George  Pearse.  son  of  William, 
was  born  Nov.  14,  1787.  On  Sept.  12,  1812, 
he  married  Elizabeth  T.  Childs,  born  March 
31,  1792.  Mr.  Pearse  died  at  the  home  of  his 
son,  William  H.  Pearse,  in  Swansea,  Mass., 
May  12,  1862,  in  his  seventy-fifth  year.  His 
remains  rest  in  Juniper  Hill  cemetery  at  Bris- 
tol, R.  I.  The  following  obituary  notice  ap- 
peared in  the  Bristol  Phoenix,  May  17,  1862: 

We  are  again  called  upon  to  announce  the  death 
of  another  aged  and  valuable  citizen,  Hon.  George 
Pearse,  who  died  at  the  residence  of  his  son.  William 
Henry  Pearse.  in  Swansea,  Mass.,  on  Monday  last 
(May  12,  1862),  in  the  seventy- fifth  year  of  his  age. 
Mr.  Pearse  was  known  to  the  public  as  the  proprietor 
of  the  Bristol  Ferry  (from  the  mainland  to  the  island 
of  Rhode  Island)  for  nearly  thirty  years  past,  having 
succeeded  his  father,  the  late  William  Pearse,  Esq., 
in  that  place. 

He  took  a  prominent  place  in  the  affairs  of  the 
town  and  State,  and  was  for  many  years  a  very 
useful  member  of  the  Town  Council  and  also  repre- 
sented the  town  in  both  branches  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature. He  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  having  become  a  communicant  at  an  early 
age,  and  ever  continued  to  adorn  his  profession  by  a 
well  ordered  life  and  godly  conversation.  His  seat 
was  seldom  vacant  in  the  sanctuary,  and  his  voice 
was  often  heard  in  prayer  and  exhortation  in  the 
conference  room.  Mr.  Pearse  in  consequence  of  failing 
health,  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  ferry  estate 
about  three  years  since  (18.59),  subsequently  residing 
with  his  children  in  different  parts  of  the  state. 

On  Wednesday  afternoon  last  the  funeral  services 
of  the  deceased  were  held  at  St.  Michael's  Church, 
Rev.  Mr.  Stone  conducting  the  exercises. 

The  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were 
unanimously  adopted  at  a  meeting  of  the  war- 
dens and  vestrv  of  St.  Michael's  Church,  Mav 
14.  1862: 

It  having  pleased  Almighty  God  in  His  wise  Pro- 
vidence to  take  from  us  to  his  reward  in  Heaven,  Mr. 
George  Pearse,  who  for  eighteen  years  filled  the  office 
of  Warden  in  St.  Michael's  Church,  we,  the  Wardens 
and  Vestry  of  said  Church,  unanimously  adopt  the 
following  resolutions  as  expressions  of  our  appreci- 
ation of  his  -worth  and  respect  for  his  memory: 

Resolved,  That  we  recognize  in  this  event  the  hand 
of  Our  Father  in  Heaven,  and  bow  in  humble  submis- 
sion to  His  holy  will. 

Resolved,  That  we  bear  testimony  to  the  strong 
affection  for  the  Church  manifested  by  our  deceased 
brother,  the  fidelity  with  which  he  discharged  the 
various  trusts  committed  to  him,  and  the  humble 
piety  for  which  he  was  so  distinguished. 

Resolved,  That  we  tender  to  the  family  of  the 
deceased  our  heart-felt  sympathy  in  their  season  of 


sorrow,  and  commend  them  to  that  God,  who  alone 
can  sustain  and  comfort  them. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  token  of  respect  we  attend 
the  funeral  of  our  departed  brother,  and  walk  in 
procession  to  the  grave. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  communicated 
to  the  family  of  our  deceased  brother  and  published 
in  the  Bristol  Phoenix  and  Christian  Witness. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Tripp  (Childs)  Pearse  died 
Dec.  16,  1854,  at  her  home  at  Bristol  Ferry, 
R.  T.,  and  on  this  occasion  Rev.  George  W. 
Hathaway,  in  the  Christian  Witness,  said: 

The  memory  of  the  deceased  will  be  affectionately 
cherished  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  who  sympathize 
with  the  bereaved  husband  and  family  in  their  af- 
fliction. Mrs.  Pearse  had  been  for  about  forty  years 
a  worthy  communicant  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  having  been  baptized  and  confirmed  by  the 
late  Venerable  Bishop  Griswold,  the  then  beloved  rec- 
tor of  St.  Michael's  Church,  Bristol.  She  has  ever 
since  adorned  her  profession  by  a  consistent  and 
exemplary  Christian  life,  abounding  in  those  meek 
and  quiet  virtues,  which,  though  less  observed,  con- 
tribute so  much  to  the  honor  of  the  Gospel  and  the 
happiness  of  social  life.  She  was  an  affectionate 
and  beloved  wife  and  mother,  an  amiable,  confiding 
and  faithful  friend,  charitable  to  the  poor  and  liberal 
in  every  good  work.  Her  decline  was  gradual  and 
lingering,  but  she  was  patient  and  unmurmuring. 
Although  aware  of  her  situation,  death  had  for  her  no 
terrors.  She  said  but  little  on  the  subject  of  a  sepa- 
ration, being  apparently  sustained  by  a  tender  regard 
for  the  feelings  of  her  afflicted  family.  Unaffected 
by  disease,  her  death  seemed  the  result  of  a  premature 
decay  of  the  physical  system,  and  at  last  exhausted 
nature  ceased  to  act,  she  breathed  her  life  out  as 
she  had  always  lived,  quietly  and  peacefully  falling 
asleep  in  Jesus.  "Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in 
the  Lord ;  even  so,  saith  the  Spirit,  for  they  rest 
from  their  labors." 

The  children  bom  to  George  and  Elizabeth 
Tripp  (Childs)  Pearse  were:  William  H.,  bom 
June  15,  1813,  married  Rosanna  M.  Gardner; 
Elizabeth  A.,  born  March  19,  1815,  married 
William  Augustus  Richmond;  Mary,  bom  April 
10,  1819,  married  Dr.  Charles  Gardner;  Joseph 
C.  was  born  Aug.  19,  1820 ;  Hannah,  bom  June 
23.  1821.  married  (first)  Albert  C.  Robinson 
and  (second)  William  Kenyon,  of  Wakefield; 
George  G.  was  bom  Jan.  25,  1824;  Frances  C, 
born  April  6,  1826,  married  Charles  C.  Chase; 
and  Rebecca  C,  born  June  26,  1832,  married 
(first)  Daniel  Gorham  and  (second)  Elisha 
Watson. 

(VlII)  William  H.  Pearse,  son  of  George, 
was  born  at  Bristol  Ferry,  R.  I.,  June  15,  1813, 
and  in  1816  came  with  his  parents  to  the 
farm  in  Swansea.  Mass.,  which  was  deeded  to 
his  grandfather  William  Pearse  by  Alexander 
Gardner,  of  Swansea.  In  1836  he  returned 
to  Bristol  Ferry  to  run  the  ferry  and  take 
charge  of  the  farm.  In  1851,  on  account  of 
his  health,  he  removed  to  Cumberland,  R.  I., 


1102 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


and  in  1857  returned  to  the  farm  in  Swansea. 
He  died  May  9,  1892,  in  Swansea.  He  was 
senior  warden  of  the  Episcopal  Church  at 
Swansea.  In  public  affairs  he  was  active  and 
interested.  He  served  in  the  town  council  at 
Cumberland,  and  in  1863  represented  Swansea 
in  the  State  Legislature.  He  was  a  volunteer 
in  the  Dorr  war.  On  Oct.  3,  1836,  in  the 
Christian  Church  at  Swansea  Center,  he  mar- 
ried liosanna  M.  Gardner,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Annie  L.  Gardner,  and  granddaughter 
of  Alexander  Gardner,  of  Swansea.  Their 
children  were:  Anna  Elizabeth,  born  April 
1,  1838,  married  James  G.  Darling,  and  died 
at  Woonsocket,  R.  I.,  April  8,  1895;  Lydia 
Gardner,  born  March  4,  1840,  married  George 
C.  Gardner,  and  died  in  Somerset,  March  2, 
1904;  Isabel  Frances,  born  Dec.  1,  1842,  mar- 
ried Capt.  Aaron  H.  Wood,  and  died  at  Santa 
Clara,  CaL,  Dec.  2,  1903;  William  George  was 
born  May  21,  1848;  Ruth  Ellen,  born  Nov. 
1,  1849,  is  unmarried  and  resides  at  Touisset; 
Henry  Baylies,  born  Dec.  7,  1858,  died  May 
29,  1875.  ■ 

Mrs.  Rosanna  McKoon  (Gardner)  Pearse 
was  born  Aug.  16,  1817,  daughter  of  (V)  Wil- 
liam (born  Aug.  23,  1786)  and  Annie  L. 
(Gardner)  Gardner,  granddaughter  of  (IV) 
Alexander  and  Anne  (Luther) Gardner.  (See 
Gardner  family  elsewhere.) 

(VIII)  George  G.  Pearse,  son  of  George, 
born  Jan.  25,  1824,  married  Oct.  15,  1849, 
Mary  N.  Robinson,  born  April  2,  1827,  daughter 
of  Capt.  George  Charaplin  Robinson,  of  Wake- 
field, R.  I.  Their  children  were:  George  R., 
born  July  14,  1850;  Mary  N.,  born  July  7, 
1852,  now  deceased;  Jeremiah  N.,  born  March 
9,  1855,  who  married  June  5,  1901,  Jessie 
Brown  Havens,  and  resides  at  Smoky  Hill 
ranch,  Russell  Springs,  Kans. ;  Joseph  C.,  born 
July  27,  1857,  who  married  Mary  Andrew,  and 
has  a  son,  Jeremiah  Niles,  born  June  28,  1898; 
Mary  P.,  born  Jan.  26,  1864,  who  died  Aug. 
16,  1874 ;  and  Elizabeth  E.,  born  July  9,  1866, 
who  married  Sept.  15,  1892,  Edward  D. 
Depew.  George  G.  Pearse,  the  father,  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Legislature  from  South 
Kingston  in  1865.  He  was  for  several  years 
chairman  of  the  board  of  assessors,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  South  Kingston  school  committee, 
and  during  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence 
was  a  member  of  the  council  of  the  district 
of  ITarragansett.  In  1859  Mr.  Pearse  was 
made  a  vestryman  of  the  Episcopal  Church  and 
for  forty-two  years  served  as  warden  thereof. 

(IX)  William  George  Pearse,  son  of  Wil- 
liam H.,  was  born  at  Bristol  Ferry,  May  21, 
1848,  and  obtained  his  early  education  in  the 


district  schools  of  the  vicinity.  He  also  at- 
tended the  Bryant  &  Stratton  commercial 
school  in  Providence.  When  he  was  quite  young- 
the  family  removed  to  the  town  of  Cumber- 
land, where  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm, 
until  1857.  At  that  time  he  located  in  Swan- 
sea, Mass.,  and  formed  a  partnership  with. 
Daniel  Mason  under  the  firm  name  of  D.  Ma- 
son &  Co.,  to  deal  in  live  stock,  principally 
horses  and  cattle.  For  ten  years  he  continued 
in  this  and  minor  enterprises,  and  on  Jan.  9, 
1877,  he  engaged  in  the  wholesale  fruit  and 
produce  business  on  Second  street,  in  Fall 
River,  associating  with  himself  E.  0.  Easter- 
brooks,  under  the  firm  name  of  Pearse  &  Easter- 
brooks.  Three  years  later  they  added  agricul- 
tural implements  to  theii  stock,  as  well  as  a 
line  of  hardware,  and  still  later  they  dropped 
the  produce  business,  and  added  harness  and 
horse  trappings.  At  this  time  Mr.  Easterbrooks 
withdrew  and  his  interest  was  taken  by  his- 
brother,  Charles  E.  Easterbrooks.  Soon  after 
the  latter  also  retired  and  Mr.  Pearse  became 
the  sole  proprietor.  In  1897  Mr.  Pearse  took 
his  son,  William  IT.,  into  the  firm,  the  name- 
being  changed  to  William  G.  Pearse  &  Son.  In 
August  of  that  same  year  George  Marvel  was 
also  admitted,  at  which  time  the  firm  took  the 
name  of  W.  6.  Pearse  &  Co.  In  1897-98  Mr, 
Pearsc's  health  required  him  to  take  a  vaca- 
tion, and  upon  his  return  to  business  Mr, 
Marvel  retired  from  the  firm. 

For  more  than  forty  years  Mr.  Pearse  has 
made  his  home  in  Swansea,  where  he  has  been 
active  in  social  and  public  life,  and  he  has 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  towns- 
men to  a  marked  degree.  In  politics  Mr.  Pearse 
is  a  Republican.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  South  Somerset  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  taught  a  class  there. 
Mr.  Pearse  is  a  busy,  active  merchant,  a  genial' 
man,  with  many  friends. 

On  Sept.  21,  1870,  Mr.  Pearse  married 
Elizabeth  M.  Slade,  daughter  of  Gardner 
Slade,  of  Somerset,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the 
oldest  families  of  southeastern  Massachusetts. 
Two  sons  were  born  to  this  union,  William  H. 
and  Nathan  G.,  the  latter,  born  Sept.  27, 
1874,  dying  Feb.  10,  1894. 

(X)  William  Henry  Pearse,  son  of  Wil- 
liam G.,  was  born  July  28,  1871.  He  married 
(first)  Bertha  Frances  Wilbur,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Wilbur  and  Marion  F.  (Brown),  of 
Somerset,  and  to  them  were  born  two  chil- 
dren: Elizabeth  W.,  Aug.  29,  1890  (graduated' 
from  Fall  River  high  school  in  1908,  died  Oct. 
17,  1911),  and  William  Henry.  Dec.  3,  1891. 
Mrs.  Pearse  died  May  28,  1902.     He  married 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1105 


(second)  Mrs.  Mary  H.  W.  Whitehead. 
Fraternally  he  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason  and 
a  member  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F. 

NYE  (New  Bedford  and  vicinity).  The 
Nye  family,  in  New  England  an  old  Cape  Cod 
one,  and  later  one  for  generations  of  ancient 
Dartmouth,  out  of  which  came  Fairhaven,  New 
Bedford  and  Acushnet,  where  the  name  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  all  that  has 
made  this  region  what  it  is  to-day,  back  in 
England  is  traced  for  generations  in  the  Coun- 
ties of  Sussex  and  Kent.  Here  in  and  about 
New  Bedford  have  figured  prominently  in  com- 
mercial and  public  life  such  well-known  rep- 
resentatives of  the  family  as  Capt.  Thomas 
Nye,  a  patriot  of  the  Revolution,  a  master 
mariner  in  the  merchant  service  and  a  rep- 
resentative in  the  Massachusetts  Assembly,  etc. ; 
his  son  and  namesake,  who  also  for  years  was 
a  master  of  merchant  ships  and  later  an  agent 
for  whaling  vessels,  in  company  with  his 
brother  Asa  R.  constituting  the  old  firm  of  T. 
&  A.  R.  Nye,  bank  president,  representative 
in  the  State  Assembly,  etc. ;  the  latter's  son, 
the  present  Pemberton  Hutchinson  Nye,  suc- 
cessor to  his  father,  who  is  now  worthily  wear- 
ing the  family  name  and  sustaining  its  repu- 
tation ;  and  among  others  the  late  Hon.  Obed 
Nye,  of  Fairhaven,  long  prominent  in  public 
and  commercial  life;  Obed  Clement  Nye,  of 
New  Bedford;  the  late  Clement  D.  Nye;  the 
late  William  Foster  Nye,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  the  founder  of  the  extensive  business 
of  himself  and  son,  Joseph  K.  Nye,  who  have 
become  the  largest  manufacturers  of  oils  for 
watches,  clocks,  sewing  machines,  etc.,  in  the 
world,  with  factories  on  Fish  Island,  New  Bed- 
ford. And  it  will  be  recalled  that  of  this  same 
old  Dartmouth  race  of  Nyes  sprang  the  late 
Hon.  Gideon  Nye,  who  for  fifty  years  was 
a  merchant  in  China,  long  American  vice  con- 
sul at  Canton,  etc.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this 
article  to  deal  briefly  with  the  genealogy  and 
family  history  of  some  lines  of  the  Nyes  who 
have  lived  in  and  about  New  Bedford,  which 
follow  in  chronological  order  from  the  im- 
migrant settler. 

(I)  Benjamin  Nye,  bom  May  4,  1620,  at 
Bidlenden,  Kent,  England,  came  to  this  country 
and  to  Lynn,  Mass.,  in  the  ship  "Abigail," 
■n-ith  Edmund  Freeman's  company,  1635.  Mr. 
Nye's  lineage  is  traced  back  to  Randolf  Nye, 
who  settled  in  Sussex,  England,  in  1527, 
through  William,  Ralph,  Thomas  and  Thomas 
(2).  Benjamin  Nye  was  married  Oct.  19. 
1640,  in  Sandwich,  Mass.,  to  Katherine, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Tupper,  who,  too,  was  a 


passenger  in  the  "Abigail,"  and  who  in  1637 
settled  in  Sandwich.  In  1654  Benjamin  Nye's 
name  appears  on  a  list  of  those  contributing 
toward  building  a  mill;  in  1655  his  name  is 
on  the  subscription  list  for  building  a  meeting<- 
house;  in  that  same  year  (1655)  he  was  super- 
visor of  highways;  in  1657  he  engages  to  pay 
fifteen  shillings  yearly  toward  the  minister's 
salary;  was  chosen  constable  in  1661,  etc.  He- 
seems  to  have  built  a  mill  at  the  little  pond 
and  therefor  the  town  in  1669  voted  him  twelve 
acres  of  land.  He  was  granted  permission  in 
1675  to  build  a  fulling  mill  upon  Spring  river. 
These  with  other  references  to  him  in  impor- 
tant connection  and  relation  to  public  business 
evidence  the  kind  of  man  he  was.  The  chil- 
dren of  Benjamin  and  Katherine  were:  Mary^ 
John,  Ebenezer,  Jonathan,  Mercy,  Caleb,  Na- 
than and  Benjamin. 

(IT)  Jonathan  Nye,  born  Nov.  29,  1649,  in. 
Sandwich,  JIass.,  married  (fir«t)  Hannah  and 
(second)  Patience  Burgess,  who  survived  him. 
His  name  appears  on  the  list  of  those  taking- 
the  oath  of  fidelity  July  4,  1678.  He  served 
on  the  grand  jury  in  1681,  and  as  selectman 
in  1698.  His  will  was  proved  May  13,  1747. 
His  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  to  the 
first  wife,  were :  Jabez,  Sarah,  Joanna,  Icha- 
bod,  Jonathan,  Patience,  Joseph,  Benjamin, 
Thomas,  Abigail,  Isaac,  Mary,  David  and 
Zervia. 

(Ill)  Thomas  Nye,  bom  in  August,  1699, 
in  Sandwich,  Mass.,  married  June  19,  1727,  in 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  Deborah  Peckham.  His 
children,  all  born  in  Dartmouth,  were :  Jon- 
athan, Stephen,  Patience,  Jane,  Thomas,  Ann, 
Obed.  Svlvester.  Deborah  and  Gideon. 

(IV~I  "Capt.  Obed  Nye,  born  Sept.  15,  1736, 
in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married  (first)  in  1760 
Mary  Sellars.  who  was  born  in  1739,  and  died 
March  28.  1797;  he  married  (second)  Mrs. 
Freelove  Babcock  Maxfield,  who  was  born  in 
1748.  and  died  Nov.  10.  1815.  Mr.  Nye  per- 
formed service  in  the  Revolution  as  a  marine 
on  the  frigate  "Boston,"  under  the  command 
of  Samuel  Tucker,  entering  the  service  March 
31.  1779;  discharged  April  2d  of  that  same 
year.  He  performed  other  service  as  a  private 
in  Capt.  Henry  Jenne's  company.  Col.  John 
Hathaway's  regiment,  enlisting  Aug.  2,  1780; 
discharged  Aug.  8th,  of  that  same  year  (service 
six  days)  ;  and  at  Rhode  Island  on  the  alarm. 
He  died  Nov.  ]0,  1815.  His  children  were: 
Jonathan,  born  in  1762;  Gideon;  Deborah, 
born  in  1 765 ;  Thomas,  born  in  September, 
1768;  Abisjail;  Obed;  Philip;  Mary;  James; 
Rebecca :  Mercv.  born  in  1781;  and  Jane,  bom 
in  1783. 


1104 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


(V)  Thomas  Nye,  born  Sept.  28,  1768,  in 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married  Nov.  6,  1791,  Han- 
nah, born  June  22,  1769,  and  died  June  3, 
1857,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Abigail  Hath- 
away. Mr.  Nye  was  a  resident  of  Fairhaven, 
Mass.  He  was  a  master  mariner  in  the  mer- 
chant service  for  many  years  and  later  on  agent 
for  merchant  ships  in  his  native  town,  where 
he  died  Oct.  1,  1843.  During  the  Revolution 
he  was  in  the  field,  was  a  private  in  Capt. 
Henry  Jenne's  company,  Col.  Hathaway's 
regiment,  the  2d  Bristol  County  Regiment,  en- 
listing Aug.  2,  1780 ;  discharged  Aug.  8,  1780 ; 
and  served  six  days  in  Rhode  Island  on  an 
alarm.  He  was  a  representative  from  his 
town  in  the  State  Assembly  in  1809.  His  chil- 
dren were:  William  C,  born  in  1792;  Betsey 
H.,  born  in  1796;  Nancy,  in  1797;  Philip,  in 
1797;  Hannah,  in  1800;  Nathaniel,  in  1803; 
Thomas,  in  1804;  James  S.,  in  1806;  Hum- 
phrey H.,  in  1807;  Asa  Russell,  in  1809; 
George,  born  and  died  in  1811 ;  and  George  H., 
in  1812. 

(VI)  Thomas  Nye  (2),  son  of  Thomas  and 
Hannah  (Hathaway)  Nye,  born  Nov.  9,  1804, 
in  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  married  (first)  July  19, 
1827,  Amelia  Hickling  Chambers  (born  Aug. 
7,  1796,  died  Oct.  20,  1872),  and  (second) 
Susan  W.  Case,  daughter  of  Pardon  Case,  of 
Westport  Point,  Mass.  Mr.  Nye  was  educated 
in  the  Friends'  Academy  at  New  Bedford. 
Like  his  father  before  him  he  was  for  many 
years  a  master  of  merchant  ships,  making  his 
first  voyage  as  master  when  only  eighteen  years 
old.  Later  he  became  an  .agent  for  whaling 
vessels  in  company  with  his  brother  Asa  R., 
the  firm  name  being  T.  &  A.  R.  Nye.  Mr.  Nye 
was  a  director  and  president  of  the  Bank  of 
Commerce  (which  later  became  a  national 
bank)  from  1860  to  1868.  In  1850  he  rep- 
resented his  town — New  Bedford — in  the 
Massachusetts  Assembly.  He  was  much  in- 
terested in  the  industrial  development  of  New 
Bedford  and  encouraged  in  every  way  in  his 
power  the  cotton  manufacturing  industry  of 
the  city.  He  was  a  man  of  broad  and  liberal 
views,  much  traveled  and  of  wide  informa- 
tion. Cherishing  a  strong  sentiment  for  his 
birthplace,  he  purchased  his  father's  homestead 
in  Fairhaven,  and  expended  large  sums  upon  ' 
it,  making  it  a  beautiful  place.  It  is  still  in 
the  family.  Fraternally  Mr.  Nye  belonged  to 
the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  He  was  an  excellent  and 
successful  business  man,  and  one  whose  word 
was  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  his  bond  as  good 
as  gold. 

Mr.  Nye  died  March  22,  1882,  his  wife  sur- 
viving him.     His  children  were :     Pemberton 


Hutchinson,  born  in  1828,  died  in  1838;  Eliza 
Williams,  born  March  24,  1830,  married  Ed- 
ward A.  Dana,  who  was  born  in  Portland, 
Maine,  in  1818;  Henry  Hitch,  born  in  1833, 
died  in  1836;  Maria  B.,  born  in  1835,  died 
in  1838;  William  C.  died  in  1838;  Pemberton 
Hutchinson  (2),  twin  of  William  C,  born  in 
1838,  died  in  1842;  Sarah  Dabney,  born  in 
1842,  died  in  1861  (all  born  to  the  first  union) ; 
Pemberton  Hutchinson  (3)  is  mentioned  be- 
low ;   Richard   Mott  died  in  infancy. 

(VIII)  Pemberton  Hutchinson  Nye,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Susan  W.  (Case)  Nye,  bom  Sept. 
23,  1870,  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  married  Oct. 
28,  1891,  Jennie  B.,  daughter  of  Alexander  B, 
Crapo,  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Nye  was  graduated  in  1887  from  the 
Friends'  Academy  at  New  Bedford,  Mass.  He 
later  made  several  pleasure  voyages  in  mer- 
chant ships.  In  the  fall  of  1894,  associated 
with  Mr.  Frederick  V.  Hadley,  he  established 
a  ship  chandlery  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Nye  &  Hadley,  their  location  being  on  the 
corner  of  Front  street  and  Taber's  wharf.  Mr. 
Hadley  withdrew  from  the  firm  in  May,  1896, 
since  when  Mr.  Nye  has  carried  on  the  business 
alone.  He  is  also  agent  for  ships  in  the  coasting 
service. 

JOHN  FOSTER.  The  Foster  family  is  one 
of  long  and  honorable  standing  in  New  Eng- 
land, and  the  branch  here  especially  treated, 
one  ancient,  and,  with  its  marriage  connec- 
tions, historic  in  the  Old  Colony.  Reference 
is  made  to  the  Pembroke-Hanson  branch  of  the 
Old  Colony  Fosters,  the  head  of  which  was  the 
late  David  Horace  Foster,  of  Pembroke,  one  of 
whose  sons,  the  late  John  Foster,  Esq.,  of  Han- 
son, was  long  one  of  the  leading  business  men 
of  that  town  and  one  of  its  substantial  citi- 
zens. 

There  follows  in  chronological  order  from 
the  first  American  ancestor  the  history  and 
genealogy  of  this  Hanson  Foster  family  al- 
luded to. 

(I)  Thomas  Forster  (Foster),  son  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Forster,  minister,  resident  of  Bidden- 
den  and  Ipswich,  England,  and  his  wife,  Abi- 
gail (Wimes),  of  Ipswich,  born  about  1600, 
married  about  1638,  his  wife's  name  being 
Elizabeth.  Sergeant  Foster,  as  he  is  styled,  in 
company  with  his  brother  William  came  to 
America  in  the  ship  "Hercules,"  in  1634.  He 
settled  first  at  Boston,  and  was  gunner  at  the 
castle  in  1639.  He  was  admitted  to  the  church 
26th  of  1st  month,  1642,  and  was  a  freeman 
May  18th  of  the  same  year.  In  1639  he  was 
granted  a  great  lot  at  what  became  Braintree 


SOUTHEASTEEN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1105 


in  1640;  this  he  later  sold.  He  was  afterward 
.at  Weymouth,  Woburn,  Braintree  and  Billeri- 
ca;  was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town  of 
Billerica,  chosen  among  the  first  officers  of  the 
town,  1659-60.  He  held  that  office  much  of 
the  time  for  the  next  decade.  He  was  an 
■officer  in  the  military,  etc.  He  died  at  Billeri- 
•ca,  April  20,  1682.  The  Christian  name  of  his 
wife  was  Elizabeth,  and  their  cnildren  were: 
Thomas,  born  Aug.  18,  1640;  John,  born  Oct. 
7,  1642;  Increase,  born  about  1644;  Elizabeth, 
born  about  1646;  Hopestill,  born  March  26, 
1648;  and  Joseph,  born  March  28,  1650. 

(II)  Deacon  John  Foster,  son  of  Sergt. 
Thomas,  born  Oct.  7,  1642,  in  Weymouth, 
Mass.,  married  (first)  about  1663  Mary, 
•daughter  of  Thomas  Chillingsworth,  of 
Marshfield.  She  died  Sept.  25,  1702.  He 
married  (second)  Dec.  30,  1702,  Sarah 
Thomas.  He  was  a  blacksmith;  was  selectman 
in  1690;  was  chosen  deacon  of  the  church 
April  6,  1700,  and  ordained  July  20,  1701.  He 
•died  June  13,  1732,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his 
■age,  leaving  seven  children,  forty-five  grand- 
•children  and  eighty-three  great-grandchildren. 
His  wife  Sarah  died  May  26,  1731.  His  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Marshfield,  were:  Elizabeth, 
ijorn  Sept.  24,  1664;  John,  born  Oct.  12,  1666; 
Josiah,  born  June  7,  1669 ;  Mary,  born  Sept. 
13,  1671;  Joseph,  born  about  1674;  Sarah, 
born  about  1677 ;  Chillingsworth,  born  July 
11,  1680;  James,  born  May  22,  1683;  and  De- 
borah, born  about  1691. 

(III)  Josiah  Foster,  son  of  Deacon  John, 
born  June  7,  1669,  in  Marshfield,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried (first)  Sarah,  daughter  of  Samuel  Sher- 
man, of  Marshfield,  who  died  July  30,  1713, 
and  he  married  (second)  May  2,  1717,  Ursula 
Hand,  who  died  Dec.  20th  of  that  same  year. 
Mr.  Foster  settled  in  the  town  of  Pembroke 
and  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
lived  to  be  about  ninety  years  old,  dying  in 
1757.  His  children  were:  Mary,  born  Feb.  2, 
1696;  Elizabeth,  born  in  November,  1698; 
Bathsheba,  born  in  September,  1700;  Josiah, 
born  in  December,  1703;  Isaac,  born  Aug.  5, 
1705;  David,  born  in  December,  1707; 
Nathaniel,  born  in  December,  1710;  and 
Sarah,  born  July  10,  1713. 

(IV)  David  Foster,  son  of  Josiah,  born  in 
December,  1707,  in  Pembroke,  Mass.,  married 
and  lived  in  that  town.     He  had  a  son  David. 

(V)  David  Foster  (2),  son  of  David,  born 
in  Pembroke,  Mass.,  married  there  Experience 
Eandall,  who  died  in  the  town  of  Hanson, 
Mass.,  in  1858,  outliving  him  many  years.  On 
bis  death  she  was  appointed  administratrix. 
Their  home  was  in  the  town  of  Pembroke.    Mr. 


Foster  was  a  patriot  of  the  war  of  1812,  during 
which  he  lost  his  life,  his  head  being  shot  oif 
by  a  cannon  ball.  Their  children  were :  David 
Horace,  born  March  24,  1799,  mentioned  be- 
low; John  Bunyan,  born  Feb.  4,  1804,  who 
married  Bathsheba  H.  Everson ;  Sybil  Brooks, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Sybil,  who  died  unmar- 
ried; and  Betsey,  who  married  Ira  Drake. 

(VI)  David  Horace  Foster,  son  of  David 
and  Experience,  born  March  24,  1799,  in  Pem- 
broke, Mass.,  married  Deborah  Howland,  born 
Aug.  9,  1804,  daughter  of  Luther  and  Hannah 
(Oldham)  Howland,  and  a  direct  descendant 
of  Arthur  Howland,  a  brother  of  John,  of  the 
"Mayflower,"  1620,  from  whom  her  descent  is 
through  Arthur  Howland  (2)  and  his  wife 
Elizabeth  (Prence),  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
his  wife  Patience,  daughter  of  William  Brew- 
ster, of  the  "Mayflower,"  1620;  Prence  How- 
land and  his  wife  Deborah;  Robert  Howland 
and  his  wife  Margaret  (Sprague)  ;  Eobert 
Howland  (2)  and  his  wife  Ruth,  and  Luther 
and  Hannah  (Oldham)  Howland,  of  Pem- 
broke, Mass.  David  Horace  Foster  lived  in 
Pembroke,  where  he  died  March  11,  1880.  His 
will  was  probated  April  12th  of  that  year. 
His  wife  Deborah  survived  him,  dying  Jan.  13, 
1896.  When  six  years  of  age  Mr.  Foster  was 
put  out  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Isaac  Foster,  of 
Scituate,  Mass.,  with  whom  he  remained  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  old,  working  for  his  board 
and  clothing.  He  then  went  to  live  with 
Colonel  Barstow  in  North  Pembroke,  continu- 
ing with  him  until  he  reached  his  majority, 
during  which  time  he  was  engaged  in  farming. 
He  then  learned  the  trade  of  ship  carpenter  on 
the  North  river  in  Pembroke  and  Hanover, 
and  after  finishing  his  trade  went  to  South 
Boston,  where  for  several  years  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  ship  yards.  Returning  to  Pem- 
broke, he  there  purchased  a  large  farm  and 
engaged  in  farming,  his  sons  conducting  the 
farm  while  he  was  working  at  his  trade  in  the 
ship  yards  in  Duxbury  and  Kingston,  he  being 
employed  at  the  latter  place  by  Joseph  Holmes 
for  many  years.  In  1856  he  built  his  home 
in  Pembroke,  which  continued  to  be  his  resi- 
dence until  his  death.  To  David  Horace  and 
Deborah  (Howland)  Fostar  were  born  tlie  fol- 
lowing children:  Horace  James,  born  Oct.  3, 
1824,  who  for  many  years  followed  the  trade  of 
ship  carpenter,  but  is  now  farming  in  Pem- 
broke; Jairus  Howland,  bom  Feb.  22,  1826, 
an  iron  molder  by  trade,  who  died  in  Woburn, 
Mass.,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his  age; 
Jared  Perkins,  born  June  18,  1829,  for  many 
years  superintendent  of  the  Cotton  Seed  Oil 
Company,  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  and  who  died 


70 


1106 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


at  Newport,  Ark.,  May  10,  1900;  Hiram,  born 
July  1,  1831,  who  has  been  engaged  as  a 
merchant  and  now  lives  in  Duxbury;  Charles, 
born  July  11,  1833;  Otis,  born  Aug.  27,  1839, 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  now  living  in  Pembroke, 
where  he  is  fish  and  game  warden ;  and  John, 
born  March  13,  1842,  mentioned  below. 

(VII)  John  Foster,  son  of  David  Horace 
and  Deborah  (Howland)  Foster,  was  bom 
March  12,  1842,  in  Pembroke,  Mass.  He  was 
reared  to  agricultural  pursuits,  and  his  father, 
while  engaged  in  farming,  giving  much  of  his 
time  to  ship  carpentry,  young  John  found 
plenty  to  do  in  the  assistance  with  the  farm 
work  and  in  attendance  at  the  neighborhood 
schools.  The  feeble  health  of  the  mother  made 
it  necessary  for  the  young  members  of  the  fam- 
ily to  assume  even  greater  responsibilities.  But 
as  the  years  passed  John  was  getting  that  ex- 
perience and  self-dependence  that  in  after 
years  made  of  him  the  successful  business  man. 
He  had  hardly  passed  his  majority  when  he 
was  now  and  then  putting  his  earnings  into 
tracts  of  timberland  in  that  locality.  These  he 
cleared  up  and  converted  into  lumber.  Up  to 
1874  he  had  hired  the  sawing  of  the  lumber, 
but  in  that  year  his  business  so  increased  that 
he  felt  it  would  warrant  the  setting  up  of  a 
sawmill  of  his  own  and  he  purchased  a  mill  to 
be  run  by  water  power.  It  was  not  long  ere 
his  business  foresight  prompted  the  adding  of 
a  grist  mill  and  box  factory  to  the  plant;  all 
this  was  in  his  native  town.  Under  his  careful 
and  judicious  management  his  business  con- 
tinued to  increase  and  in  less  than  half  a  dozen 
years  his  enterprise  was  manifested  in  the  pur- 
chase of  a  steam  sawmill  in  South  Hanson ; 
this  he  soon  enlarged  and  added  to  it  a  grist- 
mill. His  business  foresight  led  him  to  con- 
solidate his  several  interests  and  so  the  Pem- 
broke Mills,  all  excepting  the  sawmill,  were 
moved  to  South  Hanson.  He  believed  that  in 
union  there  was  strength,  and  that  in  this 
concentration  of  his  business  there  was  econ- 
omy, etc.  All  was  successful  apparently  in 
this  business,  when  within  a  couple  of  years 
after  getting  settled  in  South  Hanson  a  fire 
swept  the  entire  plant  away.  However,  un- 
daunted by  this  reverse  Mr.  Foster  had  the 
ruins  covered  with  a  more  modern  plant  and 
again  was  on  the  way  to  prosperity.  In  De- 
cember, 1890,  history  repeated  itself,  and  the 
mills,  factory,  etc.,  of  this  enterprising,  man 
were  again  reduced  to  ashes;  once  more  he  met 
the  emergency  squarely,  and  hardly  had  the 
fire  died  away  when  the  waste  land  was  again 
being  covered,  with  even  more  substantial  and 
modern  buildings,  and  the  plant  was  soon  in 


successful  operation.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  at 
the  beginning  of  this  enterprise  of  Mr.  Foster 
but  a  handful  of  men  found  employment — not 
more  than  three  or  four,  but  the  time  came 
when  scores  of  persons  were  busily  engaged  iu 
its  several  departments  and  the  plant  is  looked 
upon  as  one  of  the  most  valuable  concerns  to 
the  town  and  section,  employment  being  given 
to  an  average  of  150  hands.  Millions  of  feet 
of  lumber  are  handled  yearly,  and  from  it  gO' 
out  into  all  directions  building  materials  of  all 
kinds.  Mr.  Foster  also  manufactured  wooden 
boxes  of  all  kinds,  and  for  a  period  of  over 
thirty-five  consecutive  years  manufactured 
packing  cases  for  Walter  Baker  &  Co.,  of  Dor- 
chester, Mass.,  makers  of  Baker's  cocoa.  A 
cooperage  shop  for  the  manufacture  of  cran- 
berry barrels  is  also  a  part  of  the  plant.  In 
1904  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  'of  Massachusetts  as  the  Jolm  Foster 
Company,  Mr.  Foster  becoming  president  and 
treasurer,  in  which  capacities  he  continued 
until  his  death. 

Mr.  Foster  was  also  extensively  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business,  and  there  is  hardly  a 
doubt  but  that  he  was  the  owner  of  more  real 
estate  than  any  other  man  in  the  town  of  Han- 
son ;  his  property  holdings  were  not  confined 
to  his  town.  He  owned  acres  of  cranberry  land 
and  was  interested  in  many  other  cranberry 
bogs,  in  the  surrounding  towns. 

One  has  but  to  read  between  the  lines  of 
this  brief  review  of  the  career  of  Mr.  Foster 
and  those  of  his  Puritan  forefathers  to  judge 
him  a  man  of  affairs,  one  of  broad  views,  saga- 
cious, enterprising  and  public-spirited.  From 
a  poor  boy,  through  his  own  exertions,  through 
the  mere  force  of  his  make-up  he  rose  to  posi- 
tion and  wealth.  Mr.  Foster  was  made  a  mem- 
ber of  Corner  Stone  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Duxbury,  in  1867,  later  being  transferred  tO' 
Phoenix  Lodge  at  Hanover  as  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  that  body.  In  political  faith  Mr.  Foster 
was  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
owing  to  his  extensive  business  interests  did 
not  devote  much  time  to  political  work.  He 
and  his  wife  belonged  to  the  Hanson  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  gave  several  drinking 
fountains  to  the  town  of  Hanson,  and  a  hall 
to  the  G.  A.  R.  post  at  South  Hanson. 

On  Oct.  6,  1868,  Mr.  Foster  was  married 
to  Mary  F.,  daughter  of  Elbridge  G.  Fuller,  of 
Halifax,  Mass.,  she  being  a  direct  descendant 
of  the  early  Puritans  of  Massachusetts.  Two- 
children  blessed  this  marriage:  Edgar  M.,  who> 
died  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years;  and  Elwyn, 
who  died  aged  twenty-two  years.  Mrs.  Foster 
passed  away  in  Hanson,  and  Mr.  Foster  mar- 


^-^y^^^  ^t^i^feC^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1107 


ried  (second)  Xov.  14,  1907,  Ethel  G. 
McLane,  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Annie 
(Cameron)  McLane,  of  Sherbrooke,  Nova 
Scotia,  where  her  father  is  high  sheriff.  One 
daughter,  Stella  Howland  Foster,  born  Oct.  24, 
1909,  came  to  this  union.  Mr.  Foster  died  in 
Brockton  after  an  operation,  Dec.  8,  1909,  aged 
sixty-seven  years. 

WILLIAM  FOSTER  NYE  (deceased)  was 
a  descendant  in  the  seventh  generation  from 
(I)  Benjamin  Nye,  through  his  son  Ebenezer. 

(II)  Ebenezer  Nye,  son  of  Benjamin,  mar- 
ried Dec.  17,  1675,  Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas 
Gibbs.  Mr.  Nye  took  the  oath  of  fidelity  July 
4,  1678,  and  was  made  a  freeman  Jan.  27, 
1681.  In  1682  he  bought  land  in  Falmouth, 
where  he  removed,  and  was  selectman  in  1705 
and  1706.  According  to  town  records,  he  died 
in  1734,  and  according  to  some  of  his  descend- 
ants, in  1744.  His  children  were:  Bethiah, 
bom  Oct.  5,  1676 ;  Benjamin,  bom  Nov.  7, 
1677;  Meletiah,  born  in  1682;  Elnathan;  and 
Ebenezer. 

(III)  Meletiah  Nye,  born  in  1682,  married 
(first)  Dec.  11.  1712,  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  and  Sarah  (Hatch)  Wing;  and  (sec- 
ond) Jemima,  who  died  in  1773.  His  first  wife 
died  in  1734.  Mr.  Nye  lived  in  Falmouth, 
Mass.,  and  there  died  in  1749.  His  children 
were:  Sylvanus,  born  Feb.  3,  1714;  Mary, 
Dec.  23,  1716;  Meletiah,  April  5,  1719; 
Solomon,  Sept.  24,  1721;  Shubael,  Aug.  1, 
1724 ;  and  Sarah. 

(IV)  Solomon  Nye,  born  Sept.  24,  1721,  in 
Falmouth,  Mass.,  married  Nov.  17,  1748,  Mary 
Blackmore,  who  died  in  1815.  Mr.  Nye  was 
for  many  years  the  wealthiest  man  in  Pal- 
mouth.  He  died  Feb.  11,  1817.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  Bethiah,  born  Sept.  1,  1749; 
Sarah,  Oct.  24,  1750;  Rachel.  May  29,  1752; 
Huldah,  March  30,  1754;  Elnathan,  Dec.  7, 
1755;  Anna,  Nov.  1,  1757;  Holland,  July  6, 
1759  :  Lois,  March  15,  1761 ;  Thomas,  Jan.  4, 
1763;  Paul,  March  4,  1765;  and  Solomon, 
April  2,  1768. 

(V)  Thomas  Nye,  born  Jan.  4  (or  1),  1763, 
in  Falmouth,  Mass.,  married  Mary  (Perry) 
Ellis,  born  in  1759.  They  died,  he  Nov.  9, 
1835,  and  she  Sept.  30,  1852.  Mr.  Nye  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  his  name  being 
on  a  descriptive  list  of  men  raised  to  reinforce 
the  Continental  army  for  the  term  of  six 
months,  agreeable  to  resolve  of  June  5,  1780, 
returned  as  received  of  Justin  Ely,  commis- 
sioner, by  Brig.  Gen.  John  Glover,  at  Spring- 
field, July  19,  1780.  His  age  was  eighteen 
years ;    stature    five    feet,    eight    inches ;    com- 


plexion, light;  town,  Falmouth;  the  company 
marched  to  camp  July  19,  1780,  under  com- 
mand of  Captain  Clark.  Also,  pay  roll  for 
six  months'  men  raised  by  the  town  of  Fal- 
mouth for  service  in  the  army  during  1780; 
marched  July  6,  1780 ;  discharged  Jan.  1,  1781 ; 
service,  six  months,  eleven  days,  including 
travel  (300  miles)  home.  The  children  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  were:  Salome,  born  Nov. 
28,  1788;  Rachel,  June  1,  1792;  Elnathan, 
Dec.  1,  1794;  Mary,  May  3,  1796;  and  Eben- 
ezer, July  10,  1799. 

(VI)  Ebenezer  Nye,  bom  July  10,  1799,  in 
Sandwich,  Mass.,  married  Cyrena,  daughter  of 
David  and  Mercy  Doane  Dimmock,  born  in 
1801,  and  they  lived  in  Sandwich,  Mass.  She 
died  Sept.  20,  1872.  Their  children  were: 
Angeline,  born  Dec.  17,  1818;  Ebenezer  F., 
Oct.  13,  1822;  William  Foster,  May  20,  1824; 
Ephraim  B.,  May  1,  1826;  Albert  G.,  Dec.  25, 
1828;  Cyrena  M.,  Oct.  29,  1830;  Mercy  D., 
July  30,"  1832.;  and  David  D.,  Nov.  29,  1833 
(died  Sept.  28,  1910). 

(VII)  William  Foster  Nye,  bom  May  20, 
1824,  in  the  village  of  Pocasset,  then  in  the 
town  of  Sandwich,  Mass.,  was  married  on  May 
20,  1851,  to  Mary  S.,  daughter  of  Aberdeen 
Keith,  of  Middleboro,  "Mass.  Mr.  Nye  spent 
his  boyhood  in  his  native  place  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  went  to  New  Bedford, 
where  he  began  serving  an  apprenticeship  with 
Mr.  Prince  Weeks,  a  master  builder,  after  the 
completion  of  which  he  worked  at  organ  build- 
ing in  the  employ  of  a  Boston  fimi.  Later 
he  shipped  as  a  carpenter  on  an  East  India 
merchantman,  which  led  him  to  fill  a  three 
years'  engagement  with  the  Frederic  Tudor  Ice 
Company  in  Calcutta.  Thence  he  went  to 
California  on  the  discovery  of  gold  there,  and 
for  some  years  he  was  employed  in  the  re- 
building of  San  Francisco,  which  had  just  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  assisting  in  constructing 
some  of  the  first  brick  houses  erected  there. 
In  1855  he  returned  to  New  Bedford,  where 
he  settled  down  and  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war, 
when  he  joined  the  army  in  Virginia  in  the 
capacity  of  sutler  to  the  Massachusetts  Artil- 
lery and  4th  Massachusetts  Cavalrj-.  He  was 
afterward  commissioned  with  the  4th  Mas- 
sachusetts Cavalry,  passing  through  many  ad- 
ventures in  transporting  goods  to  his  regiment, 
ever  in  front  and  often  amid  scenes  of  risk 
and  daring.  He  was  with  the  artillery  corps 
of  forty-seven  batteries  under  Major  McGil- 
very  on  the  memorable  march  from  Fredericks- 
burg to  Gettysburg,  and  was  with  the  advance 
guard   which    entered   Richmond   on   April   5, 


1108 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1865.  His  regiment,  the  4th  Massachusetts 
Cavalry,  first  hoisted  the  flag  upon  the  capitol 
building  and  occupied  it  as  quarters  for  the 
first  night.  He  had  succeeded  the  day  before 
in  urging  his  teams  along  with  the  advance 
squads  and  the  morning  of  the  6th  found  liim 
with  permit  in  hand  to  select  a  trading  post, 
and  he  opened  the  first  store  in  a  rescued  brick 
block  on  Main  street;  for  some  days  he  was 
the  sole  tradesman  upon  the  streets  of  Vir- 
ginia's capital  city.. 

After  the  final  disbandment  of  the  4th 
Cavalry,  in  November,  1865,  Mr.  Nye  entered 
upon  what  proved  to  be  the  work  of  the  rest 
of  his  lifetime — that  of  refining  and  preparing 
the  finest  of  lubricating  oils  to  meet  the  wants 
of  the  rapid  production  of  watches,  clocks,  type- 
writers, sewing  machines,  bicycles,  etc.,  which 
require  oils  of  the  finest  quality  possible,  and 
his  success  was  phenomenal,  so  that  his  prod- 
ucts became  well  known  and  stand  foremost 
the  world  over.  He  became  one  of  the  best 
known  oil  refiners  in  the  United  States,  and 
continued  in  active  business  until  his  last  ill- 
ness, his  death  occurring  Aug.  12,  1910,  in 
the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

In  youth  Mr.  Nye  had  but  limited  school 
privileges  and  was  a  self  made  man,  but  his 
travels  in  all  lands  and  his  keen  observation 
of  men  and  things  gave  him  a  versatility  of 
knowledge  which  few  men  possess,  and  which 
rendered  him  well  educated.  He  was  the 
chief  promoter  of  the  Onset  Bay  Grove  Asso- 
ciation, the  largest  community  of  Spiritualists 
yet  formed  in  the  fifty  years'  history  of  its 
teachings. 

The  following  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nye:  Martha  Elizabeth,  born  May  6, 
1852,  married  Sept.  15,  1874,  John  Stoddard, 
of  Fairhaven,  Mass. ;  Joseph  Keith,  born  Feb. 
28,  1858,  married  Phila  Calder;  Mary  Athalie, 
born  March  22,  1862,  died  June  21,  1894. 

BENJAMIN  OTIS  CALDWELL  was  long 
the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Howard  & 
Caldwell,  which  had  an  enviable  reputation  for 
straightforward  and  upright  business  methods, 
as  well  as  for  the  quality  of  its  stock  in  trade. 

The  name  Caldwell  is  variously  spelled,  but 
the  above  orthography  has  prevailed  with 
various  members  of  this  family  for  several  gen- 
erations. Caldwell  applied  to  place  and  family 
is  traced  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland  and 
France,  and  from  England,  Scotland  and  Ire- 
land emigrants  of  the  name  came  to  New 
England.  Again,  Caldwell  applied  to  "place 
and  family  appears  as  remote  as  in  the  time 
of  William   the   Conqueror,    1066-1083.     The 


family  is  said  to  have  accompanied  William 
the  Conqueror  into  England  and  participated 
in  the  stirring  events  of  that  time.  In  Scotland 
the  Caldwells,  of  Caldwell,  in  Ayrshire,  had 
become  a  prominent  family  as  early  as  1349. 
At  this  date  it  furnished  a  chancellor  of  Scot- 
land. 

(I)  William  Caldwell  (Coaldwell,  Coldwell, 
or  Colwell,  as  variously  spelled),  born  in 
1695,  in  England,  was  kidnapped  and  impressed 
into  the  British  navy  when  sixteen  years  old. 
He  deserted  in  Boston  in  1712.  He  married 
Jane  Jordon,  who  was  born  June  1,  1717,  in 
Stoughton,  Mass.,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and 
Jane  Jordon.  He  removed  to  Connecticut 
about  1745,  and  from  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  to 
Horton,  Nova  Scotia,  in  1758.  I3e  died  at 
Gaspereaux,  Nova  Scotia,  Oct.  28,  1802,  aged 
107  years.  His  children  were:  William,  bom 
Nov.  20,  1734;  John,  born  in  1736;  Jedediah, 
born  Sept.  13,  1738;  Jemima,  born  June  37, 
1740;  Jane,  born  July  5,  1742;  Ebenezer,  born 
in  1744;  Jonathan,  born  in  1746;  Jacob,  born 
in  1748;  Mary,  born  in  1750;  and  Eliphalet, 
born  in  1752. 

(II)  Ebenezer  Caldwell,  sou  of  William,  born 
in  1744,  probably  at  or  near  Stoughton,  Mass., 
was  taken  when  an  infant  to  Bridgeport,  Conn. 
He  remained  in  Massachusetts  when  his  fathei* 
went  to  Nova  Scotia,  in  1758,  and  settled  in 
Bridgewater,  where  he  died  Nov.  22, 1827,  aged 
eighty-three  j'ears.  He  was  elected  surveyor  of 
highways  in  1780.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  in  Capt.  John  Ames'  company,  and 
again  in  Capt.  Eliakim  Howard's  company,  of 
Col.  Edward  Mitchell's  regiment  of  "minute- 
men,"  in  1776.  It  is  said  that  he  was  also 
with  General  Montgomery  on  his  expedition 
against  Canada,  in  1775.  In  1769  he  married 
Sarah  Price,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Silence  Price.  His  children  were:  Brett,  born 
in  1771,  died  young;  Keziah,  born  in  1775, 
married  Ebenezer  Edson ;  Ebenezer,  born  in 
1779,  is  mentioned  below;  Sarah,  born  in  1781, 
married  Albert  Edson;  Melvin,  born  in  1786, 
died  young;  John  was  born  in  1791. 

(III)  Ebenezer  Caldwell,  son  of  Ebenezer 
(2),  was  born  Nov.  9,  1779,  in  Bridgewater, 
Mass.  He  was  engaged  in  farming,  and  was 
a  very  extensive  landowner.  He  died  Nov. 
8,  1849.  He  served  in  Capt.  Nehemiah  Lin- 
coln's company  in  the  war  of  1812-14.  He 
married  (first)  Betsey  Howard  and  (second) 
Elizabeth  Bosworth.  His  children  were:  Wil- 
liam, born  Sept.  9,  1804;  John  Howard,  born 
Sept.  10,  1808;  Ebenezer;  Elizabeth,  born  April 
5,  1813,  who  married  Stephen  D.  Soule;  Ed- 
ward, born  June  9,  1817 ;  George,  born  June  27, 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1109 


1819 ;  and  Hiram,  who  never  married.  By  his 
second  wife,  Elizabeth  Bosworth,  he  had  two 
daughters :  Mary  Ann  Hayward,  born  April 
27,  183i,  who  married  Ebenezer  Fuller;  and 
Mercy  Tillson,  born  July  17,  1826,  who  mar- 
ried James  Smith. 

(IV)  Ebenezer  Caldwell  (3),  son  of  Eben- 
ezer (2)  and  Betsey  (Howard)  Caldwell,  was 
born  in  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  and  married  July 
4,  1833,  Deborah  Holmes,  born  May  28,  1816, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Deborah  (Packard) 
Holmes,  and  granddaughter  of  John  Holmes, 
of  South  Bridgewater.  Mr.  Caldwell  was  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  in  North 
Bridgewater,  where  he  conducted  a  grocery 
located  on  what  is  now  Belmont  street.  He 
also  ran  a  wagon  on  the  road,  selling  groceries 
and  provisions,  before  the  advent  of  the  rail- 
road. He  died  in  North  Bridgewater,  Oct.  17, 
1816.  His  children  were:  JHoratio  W.,  who 
died  in  North  Bridgewater  in  1862,  a  shoe- 
maker by  trade,  married  Sarah  Holcomb; 
Henry  Baker,  who  was  engaged  in  shoemaking 
in  North  Bridgewater,  where  he  died,  married 
Rachel  M.  Packard;  Ebenezer  M.  died  in 
infancy;  and  Benjamin  Otis  is  mentioned  be- 
low. 

(V)  Benjamin  Otis  Caldwell,  son  of  Eben- 
ezer (3)  and  Deborah  (Holmes)  Caldwell,  was 
born  Oct.  14,  1845,  in  North  Bridgewater,  now 
Brockton,  where  he  has  been  a  prominent  and 
successful  merchant,  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Howard  &  Caldwell.  He  attended  the 
"Whitman  school"  of  North  Bridgewater, 
where  he  acquired  his  early  educational  train- 
ing, and  in  1859  entered  the  employ  of  Messrs. 
W.  F.  Brett  &  Co.,  dry  goods  merchants,  with 
whom  he  remained  one  year.  He  then  removed 
to  Taunton.  Mass.,  where  he  worked  for  George 
H.  Hartwell  in  the  dry  goods  business  for  two 
years,  until  August,  1862.  Upon  the  govern- 
ment requisition  for  men,  Mr.  Caldwell  en- 
listed, Sept.  23,  1862,  in  Company  G,  4th 
Massachusetts  Regiment,  from  Taunton,  Col. 
Henry  Walker.  He  participated  in  the  battles 
at  Bisland,  Bayou  Teche,  La.,  and  Port 
Hudson,  and  in  the  Franklin  and  Red  River 
expeditions.  In  July,  1863,  had  come  the 
call  for  200,000  men.  The  4th  Massachusetts 
Regiment  of  Volunteers  was  the  first  regiment 
offered  under  this  call,  but  by  reason  of  not 
being  equipped  for  service  some  months  passed 
before  it  left  for  the  front,  via  Fortress  Monroe 
to  New  Orleans,  where  it  finally  arrived  about 
the  middle  of  February,  1863,  and  went  into 
camp  at  Carrollton.  Shortly  after  Mr.  Cald- 
well proceeded  to  Baton  Rouge  and  took  part 
in  the  first  Port  Hudson  expedition,  when  Far- 


ragut  passed  that  point  in  the  "Richmond." 
On  the  second  day  out  Colonel  Walker,  in  com- 
mand of  the  4th  and  31st  Massachusetts  Regi- 
ments, and  2d  Rhode  Island  Cavalry,  occu- 
pied the  "Cross  Roads."  On  March  11th,  by 
orders,  he  fell  back  to  Cypress  Bayou,  and 
finally  returned  to  Baton  Rouge  early  in  April 
he  proceeded  to  Brashear  City ;  afterward 
proceeded  across  Berwick  bay,  participated  in 
the  battle  at  Bisland,  and  the  expedition  to 
Franklin,  returning  to  Brashear  City,  where  he 
remained  and  performed  arduous  duties  until 
May  28th,  when  the  4th  Regiment  and  other 
troops  proceeded  to  Port  Hudson,  on  June  14th 
participating  in  the  assault  and  successful  cap- 
ture. After  that  the  regiment  remained  until 
Aug.  4th,  returned  home  to  Massachusetts,  and 
was  discharged  Aug.  28,  1863,  at  the  expiration 
of  its  term  of  service. 

After  being  honorably  discharged  from  the 
service  of  his  country,  Mr.  Caldwell  returned 
to  his  native  town,  and  again  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Brett  Brothers,  as  a  clerk.  He  was 
sent  to  their  store  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  where  he 
remained  for  about  two  years,  until  1866,  when 
he  returned  to  North  Bridgewater,  continuing 
there  in  the  employ  of  the  same  concern  until 
the  fall  of  1867,  when  the  firm  sold  out  to 
Jones,  Lovell  &  Sanford.  On  March  4,  1868, 
Mr.  Caldwell,  in  company  with  Embert  How- 
ard, under  the  firm  name  of  Howard  &  Cald- 
well, purchased  the  clothing  and  gentlemen's 
furnishings  business  of  Rufus  P.  Kingman, 
and  the  enterprising  firm  of  Howard  &  Cald- 
well continued  to  be  successfully  engaged  in 
this  business  until  June,  1910,  when  the  busi- 
ness was  purchased  by  Arthur  B.  Marston 
(he  is  still  conducting  it  under  the  name  of 
Howard  &  Caldwell).  From  a  small  business 
it  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
knovvn  in  its  line  in  New  England,  the  store 
having  been  enlarged  on  five  different  occasions. 
Although  he  is  a  stanch  Republican  in  po- 
litical views,  Mr.  Caldwell  has  always  been  too 
much  absorbed  in  business  to  accept  public 
duties  to  any  extent,  preferring  the  quiet  of 
private  life  to  the  vexations  attendant  upon 
public  business.  Fraternally  he  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Masonic  organization,  holding 
membership  in  Paul  Revere  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A. 
M.,  of  which  he  served  af  marshal  for  several 
years ;  Satucket  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  Bay  State 
Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  Brockton 
(having  been  generalissimo  of  the  same),  and 
Aleppo  Temple,  A.  A.  0.  N.  M.  S.,  of  Bos- 
ton. In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Unitarian,  and 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Church  of  the 
Unity   and    a   member  of  the  building  com-  ■ 


1110 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


mittee ;  he  has  also  served  as  treasurer  of  the 
society  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mr.  Caldwell  is  a  member  of  Fletcher  Web- 
ster Post,  No.  13,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Brockton, 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Cunning- 
ham Rifles,  Company  I,  which  is  a  part  of  the 
Massachusetts  volunteer  militia,  and  of  which 
he  served  as  first  lieutenant  fo;;^  several  years. 
He  was  also  a  charter  member  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club,  of  which  he  has  served  as  di- 
rector, member  of  the  house  committee  and 
first  vice  president ;  a  charter  member  of  Ban- 
ner Lodge,  No.  81,  New  England  Order  of 
Protection,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Brockton 
Country  Club.  He  was  one  of  the  originators 
of  the  Brockton  Agricultural  Society  in  1874, 
and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  the  society  ever  since,  having  served  for  a 
number  of  years  as  director  and  one  of  the 
"vice  presidents  of  the  same.  He  is  also  one  of 
the  incorporators  of  the  Brockton  Savings 
Bank,  and  was  one  of  the  petitioners  for  the 
original  horse  car  railroad  in  Brockton.  Mr. 
Caldwell  has  traveled  extensively,  having  visited 
California  (via  New  Orleans)  as  a  member 
of  the  first  excursion  conducted  by  Raymond 
&  Whitcomb.  He  has  also  visited  Mexico  and 
Cuba,  and  has  spent  the  winters  in  Florida 
for  the  past  twenty-three  years. 

On  June  27,  1867,  Mr.  Caldwell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Emma  Maria  Fairbanks,  adopted 
daughter  of  Eliab  and  Harriet  Souther  (Pack- 
ard )  Whitman,  of  Brockton.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Caldwell  have  been  born  two  sons,  as  follows : 
(1)  Arthur  Fairbanks,  born  June  22,  1870, 
who  graduated  at  the  Highland  Military 
Academy,  of  Worcester,  is  engaged  as  a  travel- 
ing salesman ;  he  married  Annie  Niles  Porter, 
of  Brockton,  and  they  have  had  children — 
Mildred  Porter,  Arthur  Wliitman  (who  died 
in  infancy),  Phillis  Louise,  Rudolph  Winston, 
Natalie  May,  Gloria  J.  and  Charles  Ben- 
jamin Caldwell.  (2)  Harry  Souther,  born 
May  25,  187.5,  graduated  from  the  Brockton 
high  school  and  from  Bryant  &  Stratton's  busi- 
ness college,  Boston,  and  was  in  the  employ  of 
Howard  &  Caldwell;  he  married  May  Torrey, 
of  Rockland,  Mass.  He  died  June  12,  1911, 
aged  thirty-six  years. 

Mr.  Caldwell  is  one  of  the  substantial  and 
enterprising  business  men  of  Brockton,  always 
ready  to  give  freely  of  his  means  and  time  to 
any  project  which  has  for  its  object  the  bet- 
terment of  his  native  city.  He  enjoys  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a  large  circle  of  stanch  friends, 
and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know 
him,  both  at  home  and  wherever  else  he  is 
known. 


:MARCUS  HALL  HOWES,  postmaster  at 
Barnstable,  Barnstable  Co.,  Mass.,  is  a  native 
of  Plymouth  county,  Mass.,  born  at  Brockton, 
March  28,  1881,  son  of  Zebina  and  Louisa  (Kel- 
ley)  Howes. 

The  Howes  family  is  of  English  origin,  the 
first  of  the  name  in  New  England  being  (I) 
Thomas  Howes,  who  with  his  wife  Mary  (Burr) 
came  from  England  about  the  year  1637,  and 
settled  at  Nobscussett,  in  Yarmouth,  in  March 
1639.  He  died  in  1665,  aged  seventy-five  years. 
Children :  Joseph,  born  in  England,  who  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Mayo,  and  died  Jan.  19,  1694- 
95;  Thomas;  and  Jeremiah,  born  on  passage 
over,  who  married  Sarah  Prince,  and  died  Jan. 
5,  1705-06. 

(II)  Thomas  Howes  (2),  son  of  Thomas, 
born  in  1636,  in  England,  came  over  with 
his  parents  and  settled  in  Yarmouth.  His 
death  occurred  Nov.  20,  1676.  He  married 
Sarah  Bangs  in  1656,  and  their  children  were: 
Rebecca,  born  in  December,  1657;  Thomas, 
May  2,  1663;  Jonathan,  Feb.  25,  1669;  Sarah, 
Oct.  29,  1673  (married  Feb.  12,  1708,  Daniel 
Sears). 

(III)  Jonathan  Howes,  son  of  Thomas  (2), 
was  born  Feb.  25,  1669,  at  Yarmouth.  His 
wife's  name  was  Sarah.  His  death  occurred 
Jan.  5,  1750-51.  His  children  were:  Sarah, 
born  June  30,  1695,  married  Peter  Paddock 
March  16.  1720;  David,  born  April  30,  1698, 
married  Feb.  27,  1720,  Hannah  Paddock; 
Jonathan,  born  April  2,  1701,  was  killed  by  a 
whale  Jan.  10,  1718;  Joshua,  born  Jan.  13, 
1704,  married  July  26,  1733,  Eunice  Allen; 
Thomas  was  born  May  17,  1711. 

(IV)  Thomas  Howes,  son  of  Jonathan,  born 
May  17,  1711,  married  Oct.  20,  1737,  Mercy 
Hedge,  and  their  children  were:  Joshua,  born 
July  12,  1738.  married  Dec.  2,  1763,  Mercv 
Howes;  Thankful,  born  July  7,  1740,  died 
March  30,  1741;  Thankful  (2),  born  Nov.  1, 
174:3,  married  Jan.  12.  1769,  Peter  Sears; 
Thomas,  born  Feb.  27,  1745,  is  mentioned  be- 
low; Mercv.  born  Mav  27,  1750,  married  John 
Hall,  of  Hebron.  July  7,  1771. 

(V)  Thomas  Howes,  son  of  Thomas,  born 
Feb.  27,  1745,  married  June  17,  1773,  Jerusha 
Howes.  They  had  the  following  children: 
Eunice,  born  July  30.  1774  (married  Jesse 
Hall);  Joshua,  Oct.  24,  1776  (married  La- 
vinia  Hall)  :  Thomas.  April  11,  1779  (married 
Priscilla  Hall  and  second  Elizabeth  Howes)  ; 
.Terusha.  Oct.  3,  1781 ;  Mercy,  March  14,  1783; 
Jonathan,  Jan.  17,  1788;  and  Zebina,  March 
22,  1792. 

(VI)  Zebina  Howes,  son  of  Thomas,  was 
born    March    22,    1792.      He    married    (first) 


^^■. 


/€  /^X-^ 


/^flC^^^^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1111 


Tamsen  Sears,  for  his  second  wife  Lydia 
Howes,  and  for  his  third  wife  Persis  Hall, 
who  died  Oct.  2,  1882.  He  died  Sept.  18, 
1871.  His  children  were :  Edward  Sears,  born 
Feb.  13,  1815;  Lydia,  born  April  14,  1828, 
■who  married  Paul  Shiverick ;  Persis  Hall,  born 
Aug.  7,  1830,  who  married  Joseph  Jenkins,  and 
2ebiiia,  born  June  7,  1833. 

(VII)  Zebina  Howes  (2),  son  of  Zebina,  was 
born  June  7,  1833.  He  married  Louisa  Bangs 
Xelley  and  their  children  were :  Lydia  Pauline, 
born  Dec.  25,  1859,  died  June  27,  1862 ;  Ed- 
ward Sears,  born  Nov.  22,  1862,  married  Jen- 
nie Philips,  and  resides  in  Exeter,  N.  H.; 
Bangs  Kelley,  born  Nov.  22,  1865,  married 
Luella  Chase,  and  resides  in  Barnstable;  Mary 
Louise,  born  Sept.  12,  1869,  died  Oct.  6,  1870; 
■Sophia  May,  born  April  26,  1871,  married  W. 
E.  Dunham,  and  resides  in  Neponset,  Mass.; 
Zebina  Horton,  born  Nov.  3,  1873,  is  owner 
jind  operator  of  a  gold  mine  in  Wadsworth, 
Washoe  Co.,  Xev.;  Susan,  born  July  12,  1876, 
is  her  brother's  assistant  in  the  post  office  at 
Barnstable;  Marcus  Hall  was  born  March  28, 
1881. 

(VIII)  Marcus  Hall  Howes  was  born  March 
■28,  1881,  and  was  educated  in  Barnstable.  He 
studied  law  for  some  time  and  in  1902  received 
the  appointment  of  postmaster  of  Barnstable 
from  President  Eoosevelt.  This  position  he 
has  since  filled  with  efficiency  and  general  satis- 
faction. He  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  a 
member  of  the  Republican  town  committee. 
On  Sept.  30,  1909,  he  married  Ethel  B., 
^laughter  of  Smith  and  Mary  Hopkins. 

WILLIAM  BAKER  WINSLOW,  in  his 
lifetime  a  well  known  citizen  of  New  Bedford, 
was  bom  in  the  town  of  Dartmouth  June  15, 
1815,  a  member  of  one  of  the  very  old  New 
England  families. 

(I)  Kenelm  Winslow,  son  of  Edward  and 
Magdalene  (Ollyver)  Winslow,  of  Droitwitch, 
Worcestershire,  England,  born  there  April  29, 
1599,  came  to  Plymouth,  probably  in  1629. 
with  his  brother  .Josiah,  and  was  admitted  a 
freeman  Jan.  1,  1632-33.  In  1641  he  removed 
to  Marshfield,  ha\'ing  previously  received  a 
grant  of  land  there.  He  was  one  of  the  twenty- 
six  original  proprietors  of  Assonet  (Free- 
town), Mass.,  in  1659.  He  was  deputy  or  rep- 
resentative to  the  General  Court,  1642-44,  and 
1649-53,  eight  years.  In  June,  1634,  he  mar- 
ried Eleanor,  widow  of  John  Adams,  of  Ply- 
mouth, and  died  Sept.  13,  1672,  at  Salem, 
Mass..  whither  he  had  gone  on  business.  She 
■survived  him,  and  died  at  Marshfield,  where 
she  was  buried  Dec.  5,  1681.     Their  children 


were:  Kenelm,  Ellen,  Eleanor,  Nathaniel  and 
Job. 

(II)  Lieut.  Job  Winslow,  son  of  Kenelm, 
born  about  1641,  settled  about  1666  at  Swan- 
sea, where  at  the  breaking  out  of  King  Philip's 
war,  in  1675,  his  house  was  burned.  He  was  in 
Rochester  about  1680,  but  soon  removed  to 
Freetown,  where  he  was  selectman  in  1686, 
town  clerk  in  1690,  assessor  in  1691,  1701- 
07  and  1711.  He  was  deputy  to  the  General 
Court  in  1686,  and  representative  in  1692,  at 
the  first  General  Court  in  Massachusetts, 
under  the  charter  of  William  and  Mary.  He 
died  July  14,  1720,  his  wife  Ruth  surviving 
him.  His  children  were  (births  of  the  first 
six  of  Swansea  record)  :  William,  Oliver,  Ruth, 
Richard,  Hope,  Job,  Joseph,  James,  Mary, 
George,  Jonathan,  John  and  Elizabeth. 

(III)  Jonathan  Winslow,  born  Nov.  22, 
1692,  in  Freetown,  Mass.,  married  Nov.  25, 
1722,  Sarah  Kirby,  probably  of  Dartmouth, 
and  their  children  (all  recorded  in  Freetown) 
were:  Rebecca,  born  Aug.  26,  1723  (died  Dec. 
18,  1731);  Jonathan,  Nov.  22,  1725;  John, 
Nov.  32,  1725;  Thomas,  July  5,  1729;  Sarah, 
July  19,  1731;  Nathaniel,  May  20,  1733; 
Ruth,  Feb.  1,  1735-36;  Reuben,  May  6,  1738; 
Benjamin,  Feb.  14,  1740-41;  Hannah,  Feb.  14, 
1743-44;  Hopestill,  February,  1743-44. 

(IV)  Benjamin  Winslow,  born  Feb.  14, 
1740-41,  in  Freetown,  Mass.,  married  (inten- 
tions published  Nov.  6,  1767)  Content  Web- 
ster (a  relative  of  Daniel  Webster).  Their 
children  were :  Sarah  married  Zebedee  Tall- 
man  ;  Benjamin  married  Annie  Cook  Nichols, 
and  (second)  Henrietta  Nevins,  of  Assonet, 
Mass.;  Hallet  Mitchell,  bom  in  June,  1775, 
married  in  1806  Sarah  Maxwell ;  Jonathan  was 
born  Nov.  17,  1779 ;  Anpie  married  Thomas 
Williams;  Molly;  Hudson,  born  in  1785,  is 
the  next  in  this  line. 

(V)  Hudson  Winslow,  born  in  1785,  in 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married  in  1810  Phebe, 
born  Feb.  1,  1792,  daughter  of  William  and 
Mercy  Baker,  of  Dartmouth.  She  died  March 
11,  1845,  in  Dartmouth,  and  was  buried  there. 
Mr.  Winslow,  who  was  a  mariner,  was  drowned 
from  the  sloop  "Lively"  of  Dartmouth,  in 
September,  1826,  while  on  a  voyage  to  Savan- 
nah, Ga.  Their  children  were:  Hallet  Mit- 
chell, born  June  21,  1812,  in  Dartmouth,  mar- 
ried (first)  Mary  A.  Clarke,  and  (second) 
Sarah  Beden;  William  Baker,  born  June  15, 
1815,  in  Dartmouth,  Mass.,  is  mentioned  be- 
low; Joshua  Baker,  bom  April  8,  1817,  in 
Dartmouth,  Mass.,  married  Mary  Dehart 
Bruen,  of  Newark,  N.  J.;  Phebe,  born  in  1818, 
died  in  infancy;  James   Smith,  born   Dec.   1, 


1112 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


1821-22,  in  Dartmouth,  married  there  (first) 
Sylvia  Ann  Snell,  and  (second)  Elizabeth 
Allen,  and  by  the  second  marriage  had  a  son 
William  J.  (who  is  a  civil  engineer  on  a  large 
sugar  plantation  in  Cuba,  and  who  married 
Elizabeth  Page,  of  Montana,  and  has  two 
children,  Russell  Page  and  Kenelm  Ben- 
jamin) ;  Benjamin,  born  Sept.  19,  1823,  in 
Dartmouth,  married  Cornelia  Greene  Baker; 
Hudson,  born  Jan.  3,  1826,  is  mentioned 
farther  on.  To  the  credit  of  this  large  family, 
it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  all  of  the  children 
were  given  a  common  school  education,  all 
began  life  poor,  each  lived  to  be  possessed  of 
a  competence,  and  not  one  was  helped  by  any 
one.     Three  of  the  sons  became  vessel  masters. 

(VI)  William  Baker  Winslow,  son  of  Hud- 
son and  Phebe  (Baker)  Winslow,  when  a 
young  man,  after  having  acquired  a  common 
school  education,  went  on  the  water  and  fol- 
lowed a  seafaring  life  for  many  years,  making 
in  all  five  whaling  voyages.  On  tlie  discovery 
of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast  in  1849  he  was  al- 
lured thither.  Going  to  California  he  there 
remained  one  year,  and  on  his  return  East  he 
became  and  remained  occupied  in  rigging  ships 
through  the  remaining  years  of  his  active  bus- 
iness life,  retiring  in  the  early  eighties.  Mr. 
Winslow  was  a  man  of  considerable  force  of 
character,  possessed  of  good  common  sense  and 
judgment.  He  was  exceedingly  genial  in  dis- 
position, kind  and  thoughtful  and  generous, 
making  a  warm  friend,  good  neighbor,  and  a 
popular  as  well  as  a  good  citizen.  He  was 
esteemed,  respected  and  beloved  by  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived.  Mr.  Winslow  w^s 
a  Republican  in  politics,  but  took  no  active 
part  in  party  or  public  affairs. 

On  May  7,  1840,  Mr.  Winslow  married  Ann 
Saulter  (Baldwin)  Worden,  daughter  of  Nehe- 
miah  S.  and  Esther  (McGuinness)  Baldwin,  of 
Newark,  N.  J.,  and  widow  of  Charles  Worden. 
She  died  April  11,  1884.  He  passed  away 
eight  years  later,  dying  May  8,  1892.  Two 
sons  blessed  this  marriage,  namely:  William 
Baker,  Jr.,  born  June  7,  1841,  died  Sept.  20, 
1851 ;  Jeremiah  Baldwin,  born  Jan.  5,  1843, 
died  in  August,  1845.  By  her  first  marriage 
Mrs.  Winslow  had  a  daughter,  Betsey  Baldwin 
Worden,  whom  Mr.  Winslow  legally  adopted, 
and  who  survives  and  occupies  the  Winslow 
homestead  built  in  1851  by  Mr.  Winslow.  Mr. 
Charles  Worden  was  a  shoe  manufacturer  of 
Newark,  iST.  J.,  and  while  on  a  business  trip 
to  New  York  died  of  cholera,  in  1836.  The 
Baldwin  was  one  of  the  oldest  families  of  New 
Jersey,  going  there  from  Connecticut,  and 
many  of  the  name  participated  in  the  war  for 


independence,  and  since  then  have  taken  part 
in  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  their  State 
and  nation. 

Miss  Betsey  Baldwin  Winslow,  so  well 
known  and  so  dear  to  the  people  of  New  Bed- 
ford that  she  needs  no  introduction,  has  given 
the  years  of  her  life  to  the  development  of  the 
schools  of  the  city  and  to  the  education  of  the- 
youth.  She  was  educated  in  the  public  schoola 
of  New  Bedford  and  at  a  select  school,  and  has 
been  a  student  all  her  life.  For  some  time  she 
was  a  teacher  in  the  Fifth  street  grammar 
school,  and  when  home  duties  made  it  neces- 
sary for  her  to  resign  it  was  suggested  she  be 
placed  on  the  school  committee.  Although  this- 
was  a  unique  position  for  a  woman  at  that 
time,  it  was  done,  her  election  occurring  in 
1876,  and  she  has  continued  to  be  an  active 
member  to  the  present  time  (1911).  The  year 
before  she  gave  up  teaching  in  the  Fifth  street 
school  she  was  offered  a  position  in  the  high 
school,  but  declined,  preferring  to  remain  in 
the  grammar  school.  Her  loyalty  to  that 
school  is  undiminished,  and  she  has  always- 
seemed  to  feel  herself  a  part  of  it.  At  the 
time  of  her  resignation  the  school  committee 
placed  on  record  a  testimonial  of  appreciation 
of  her  services. 

During  the  years  she  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  committee,  many  changes  have 
taken  place.  The  great  progressive  educational 
movements,  that  have  meant  the  introduction 
of  sewing,  cooking,  woodworking,  the  kinder- 
garten and  the  industrial  school,  have  had  her 
hearty  indorsement  and  cooperation.  A  Icindly- 
humor  has  helped  her  in  her  work,  and  is  one 
of  her  greatest  charms,  brightening  her  smile 
and  enlivening  her  conversation.  She  has  been 
a  most  efficient  and  popular  "coach"  to  hun- 
dreds, preparing  them  for  colleges.  Ever  since 
the  Harrington  Training  School  was  estab- 
lished, some  twenty  years  ago,  she  has  prepared 
girls  for  the  entrance  e.xamination,  and  every 
year,  as  a  member  of  the  committee,  presides 
at  this  examination,  the  questions,  however,, 
having  been  prepared  by  others  on  the  com- 
mittee. Young  men  have  sought  her  assistance 
in  preparing  for  the  professions,  young  Portu- 
guese priests  have  learned  faultless  English 
under  her  careful  tuition;  young  women  have 
been  prepared  for  training  classes  in  hospitals 
— in  fact,  her  whole  life  has  been  given  over  to 
educational  work.  She  is  a  natural  teacher — 
one  of  those  few  who  are  born,  not  made,  and 
she  has  the  breadth  of  vision  that  knows  no 
textbook  boundary,  but  looks  out  into  the  vor- 
tex of  the  world's  activities,  "feels  the  want 
and  sees  the  need." 


K^e^^^^Oy    \OOwCuj'^~^     u/Jic^'Gp-ctJ- 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1113 


Miss  Winslow  is  a  warm  advocate  of  woman 
sufErage,  and  in  defense  of  her  principles  has 
gone  regularly  to  the  polls  to  register  her  vote 
for  the  school  committee.  Since  she  lierself 
has  usually  been  the  unopposed  candidate  her 
vote  has  been  cast  for  herself.  At  the  election 
in  1909  her  name  appeared  on  the  Citizens' 
ticket,  and  no  other,  due  to  the  fact  that  she 
was  absent  from  home  and  could  not  accept 
the  nominations  tendered  by  the  other  parties. 
However,  she  ran  far  ahead  of  any  single  can- 
didate on  any  ticket,  receiving  1,133  votes  in 
Ward  Five.  As  an  official  Miss  Winslow  has 
been  exact  in  the  performance  of  her  duties, 
and  her  personal  conduct  has  been  such  as  to 
win  her  the  affectionate  regard  and  esteem  of 
the  whole  people.  It  has  been  determined  that 
a  new  school  shall  be  known  as  the  "Betsey 
Baldwin   Winslow  school." 

Miss  Winslow  has  found  time  for  active  in- 
terest in  many  good  works.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  New  Bedford  City  Mission,  and  is  its 
president ;  and  she  is  also  president  of  the 
New  Bedford  Reform  and  Relief  Association. 
She  attends  Unity  (Trinitarian)  Church.  A 
woman  of  charming  personality,  cultured  and 
refined,  winsome  in  her  femininity,  yet  with  a 
strength  of  character  and  a  fine  mentality  that 
enable  her  to  cope  with  the  busy  world  with 
clear  brain  and  steady  hand — she  is  an  ideally 
womanly  woman,  public  position  having  but 
deepened  and  strengthened  those  qualities  of 
heart  and  mind  that  work  for  the  good  of  man- 
kind. 

HUDSON  WINSLOW,  to  whom  has  been 
granted  a  long  life  of  more  than  fourscore 
years,  and  whose  activities  covered  that  period 
of  New  Bedford's  history  when  the  whaling 
industry  reached  its  zenith,  is  now  living  re- 
tired at  New  Bedford.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Dartmouth  Jan.  3,  1826,  son  of  Hud- 
son and  Phebe  (Baker)  Winslow. 

Mr.  Winslow  was  but  seven  months  old  when 
his  father  was  lost  at  sea.  He  attended  the 
district  school  for  only  a  short  time,  as  he  was 
obliged  to  earn  his  own  living  from  a  tender 
age.  When  eleven  years  old  he  began  to  do 
farm  labor  for  Jason  Phillips,  receiving  twelve 
cents  and  board  per  day.  The  next  year  he 
worked  for  Edward  Wilson  of  Fall  River  for 
twenty-five  cents  a  day  and  board,  but  after 
a  short  time  he  hired  out  to  Philip  Nichols,  in 
Dartmouth,  for  his  clothes  and  board,  and 
there  remained  fourteen  months.  He  received 
but  small  wages  until  he  was  seventeen  years 
old,  when  he  went  to  sea.  as  had  his  brothers. 
On  Nov.  27,  1843,  he  shipped  on  board  the 


whaling  vessel  "Benjamin  Tucker,"  owned  by 
Charles  R.  Tucker,  and  commanded  by  Capt. 
John  R.  Sands.  They  sailed  from  the  Com- 
mercial wharf  of  New  Bedford,  and  were  gone 
for  thirty-five  months,  cruising  in  the  North 
Pacific  ocean.  He  shipped  a  second  time  in 
that  vessel  and  with  the  same  commander, 
going  as  boat  steerer  on  a  thirty-three  months' 
voyage  to  the  South  Pacific  ocean,  off  New  Zea- 
land. He  next  shipped  as  third  mate  on  the 
"Fabius,"  owned  by  Charles  R.  Tucker  and 
commanded  by  Peleg  S.  Wing,  spending 
thirty  months  in  the  South  Pacific.  He  be- 
came first  mate  on  the  same  vessel  the  next 
voyage,  under  Capt.  John  S.  Smith,  of  Vine- 
yard Haven,  and  this  voyage  lasted  thirty-two 
montlis.  On  April  14,  1854,  he  became  master 
of  the  "Janus,"  owned  .by  T.  &  A.  R.  Nye  & 
Co.,  of  New  Bedford.  He  sailed  to  the  Pacific 
ocean  and  Sea  of  Okliotsk,  and  was  gone  for 
three  and  a  half  years,  returning  with  a  cargo 
valued  at  $100,000.  He  next  sailed  the  "Jen- 
ette,"  owned  by  Isaac  B.  Richmond  &  Co.,  of 
New  Bedford,  and  was  gone  forty  months  in 
the  Pacific.  His  next  whaling  voyage  was  on 
the  bark  "Isabella,"  owned  by  Thomas 
Knowles  &  Co.,  and  this  time  he  went  to  the 
Arctic  ocean  and  Behring  straits,  where  he 
was  overtaken  by  the  Rebel  ship  "Shenan- 
doah," off  St.  Lawrence,  his  ship  taken  and 
plundered  and  finally  burned.  The  captain 
and  crew  were  put  on  board  the  "General 
Pike,"  put  under  bonds,  together  with  251 
other  sailors  belonging  to  different  boats  cap- 
tured, and  taken  to  San  Francisco,  where  they 
were  released.  When  Captain  Winslow  reached 
home  he  determined  to  give  up  the  whaling 
business,  and  went  to  his  wife's  home  in  Free- 
town, where  he  settled  down  to  farming.  In  a 
short  time  he  moved  to  North  Dartmouth, 
where  he  bought  the  Abel  Snell  farm  of  sev- 
enty acres,  at  Faunce's  Corners.  Here  he  made 
many  improvements,  and  devoted  himself  to 
general  farming  until  the  spring  of  1910,  when 
he  disposed  of  tbe  farm  and  moved  to  New 
Bedford,  where  he  is  now  living  retired. 

Captain  Winslow  is  still  active  and  keenly 
interested  in  the  life  that  goes  on  around  him. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  was  a 
member  of  the  town  committee  of  Dartmouth, 
and  also  served  as  assessor  and  member  of  the 
school  committee  of  Freetown.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Star  in  the  East  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  New  Bedford ;  Adoniram  Chapter,  R.  A. 
M. ;  of  the  Council;  and  of  Sutton  Comman- 
dery,  K.  T.,  being  one  of  its  two  living  charter 
members.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  church 
work,   belonging  to   the   Christian    Church   at 


1114 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Plainville,  of  which  he  was  deacon  for  several 
years. 

On  April  i,  1854,  Captain  Winslow  was 
married  in  Boston  to  Elizabeth  Edminster 
Ashley,  who  was  born  in  Freetown  Jan.  7, 
1833,  daughter  of  Jefferson  and  Hope  (Col- 
lins) Ashley,  and  they  now  look  back  over 
fifty-eight  years  of  wedded  life  happy  and  con- 
tented, surrounded  by  children  who  are  de- 
voted to  them.  They  liad  children  as  follows: 
Annie  B.,  born  Jan.  9,  185.5,  is  the  widow  of 
Charles  Sumner  Chace,  of  New  Bedford ;  Wil- 
liam J.,  born  May  2,  1859,  died  Aug.  5,  1859; 
James  Hudson,  bom  June  6,  1863,  resides  in 
New  Bedford;  William  Baker,  born  June  2, 
1866,  died  Oct.  28,  1874;  Sarah  Ashley,  born 
May  15,  1868,  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  New  Bedford,  is  a  public  school 
teacher  of  that  city ;  Lizzie  Hudson,  born  July 
19,  1870,  died  Sept.  23,  1870;  Jefferson  Ash- 
ley, born  Oct.  28,  1871,  married  Mabel  War- 
ner, and  lives  in  Newark,  N.  J. ;  Benjamin 
Sabert,  born  Aug.  29,  1877,  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  Mosher's  Private  Academy,  and 
Harvard  Medical  School,  is  now  a  practicing 
physician  in  New  Bedford. 

Jefferson  Ashley,  father  of  Mrs.  Winslow, 
was  a  son  of  Abraham  Ashley,  and  grandson 
of  William  Ashley.  Their  home  was  in  Free- 
town, where  they  owned  land.  Abraham  Ash- 
ley married  (first)  Phebe  Taber  and  (second) 
Hannah  Crapo.  Jefferson  Asliley  was  a  land- 
owner and  farmer  in  Freetown,  where  he  lived 
all  his  life.  His  wife,  Hope  Collins,  was  a 
daughter  of  Eichard  Collins,  granddaughter 
of  Jonathan  Collins,  and  great-granddaugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Collins.  They  had  four 
children:  (1)  Olive  C.  married  Capt.  Marcus 
W.  Taber,  and  had  three  children :  Edward 
G.,  a  civil  engineer  of  Spokane,  Wash. ;  Charles 
B.,  a  civil  engineer  in  Forsyth,  Mont. ;  and 
Jessie,  who  died  young.  Captain  Taber  died 
in  September,  1904,  in  New  Bedford.  (2) 
Elizabeth  Edminster  married  Capt.  Hudson 
Winslow.  (3)  Sarah  C.  died  unmarried.  (4) 
Lovice  W.  resides  in  New  Bedford,  unmarried. 

EVANS  (Taunton  family).  For  upward 
of  two  centuries  the  name  Evans  has  been  a 
familiar  one  in  Taunton  and  other  towns  of 
Bristol  county,  representative,  too,  of  more 
than  one  progenitor.  In  the  second  list  of 
purchasers  of  Taunton  appears  the  name  of 
William  Evans,  who  was  here  as  early  as 
1640-41,  and  who,  says  Savage,  may  have  been 
the  William  Evans  who  was  at  Gloucester  and 
Dorchester,  1647-48,  and  at  Ipswich,  1656. 
He  died  before  1676.    Just  over  the  State  line 


in  Rhode  Island  settled  early  Eichard  Evans, 
who  had  been  previously  at  Eehoboth,  where 
he  was  a  resident  proprietor  in  1689.  He  was 
of  Providence  as  early  as  1713.  His  name  has 
been  perpetuated  through  his  only  son  who 
had  male  issue,  David  Evans,  who  settled  in 
that  part  of  Providence  now  Smithfield.  Eich- 
ard Evans  of  Eehoboth  and  Providence  is  be- 
lieved, says  the  Ehode  Island  genealogist  Aus- 
tin, to  be  a  son  of  David  Evans,  a  merchant 
of  Boston,  who  died  in  1663,  leaving  a  widow 
Mary  and  several  children.  And  since  the 
early  settlement  of  Freetown  toward  the  close 
of  the  seventeenth  century  the  Evans  family 
has  been  a  continuous  one  there,  and  one  rep- 
resentative of  substantial  and  useful  citizen- 
ship, forming  alliances  by  marriage  with  the 
first  families  of  that  section,  such  as  Winslow, 
Hodges,  Valentine,  Hathaway,  Howland  and 
Durfee.  Among  the  early  heads  of  families 
of  Freetown  of  the  name  in  question  were 
David  and  Sarah  Evans,  John  and  Euth  (Win- 
slow)  Evans  and  John  and  Martha  (Hodges) 
Evans. 

From  the  Freetown  Evanses  have  descended 
the  well-known  Evans  family  of  Taunton,  the 
head  of  which  was  the  late  James  Madison 
Evans,  long  one  of  the  highly  esteemed  and 
respected  citizens  of  his  adopted  city,  well  and 
favorably  known  in  business  circles  as  a  gro- 
cery merchant  and  nickel  plater,  and  one  of 
whose  sons,  Charles  Everette  Evans,  now  de- 
ceased, for  years  was  prominent  in  the  business 
life  of  Taunton  and  Bristol  county  as  treasurer 
and  manager  of  the  Taunton  Nickel  Plating 
Company,  and  its  successor,  the  Evans  Stamp- 
ing and  Plating  Company;  while  the  second 
son,  Edwin  Hubert  Evans,  has  been  the  very 
efficient  chief  of  police  of  the  city  and  high 
sheriff  of  the  county. 

(I)  David  Evans,  one  of  the  first  settlers 
of  Freetown,  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  John 
Bailey.  His  will  was  dated  June  7,  1761.  His 
children  were:  Mary,  born  in  1701;  Anna, 
May  3,  1703;  John,  Oct.  16,  1707;  Bailey, 
1711;  Sarah,  July  16,  1715;  Thomas,  Dec.  16, 
1717;  and  David,  Nov.  17,  1719. 

(II)  Thomas  Evans,  son  of  David,  bom 
Dec.  16,  1717,  married  Hannah  Hathaway,  and 
their  children  were:  Sarah,  bom  Nov.  3,  1750 
Lvdia,  Mav  13,  1752;  Guilford,  May  4,  1754 
Hannah,  Mav  1,  1756 ;  Abigail,  Sept.  12,  1760 
Thomas,  March  8,  1763 ;  David,  May  12,  1772 
and  Bhoda,  April  22,  1776. 

(III)  Guilford  Evans,  son  of  Thomas,  bom 
May  4,  1754,  married  Rebecca  Eeed,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Joseph,  born  March  1,  1786;  Betsey,  Aug.  28, 


SOUTHEASTEKN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1115 


1787;  WilUam  E.,  July  17,  1791;  and  Sally, 
Feb.  26,  1793.  Mr.  Evans  married  (second) 
Elizabeth  Howland,  who  bore  him  five  children, 
born  as  follows:  Noah  H.,  March  6,  1805; 
Jacob  H.,  March  31,  1807;  Benjamin,  Sept. 
18,  1809;  Euth  H.,  Nov.  15,  1815;  and  Deb- 
orah S.,  Jan.  9,  1821. 

(IV)  Noah  H.  Evans,  son  of  Guilford,  born 
March  6,  1805,  married  Almira  Howland,  and 
their  children  were:  Guilford,  born  July  31, 
1829;  Abigail  A.,  Aug.  37,  1831;  Rhoda,  Aug. 
10,  1833;  Ann  M.,  Aug.  15,  1835;  James 
Madison,  Aug.  31,  1837;  Charles  H.,  Aug.  31, 
1837 ;  Isaac  11.,  June  26,  1839 ;  Joseph,  April 
27,  1842;  Deborah  S.,  May  31,  1844;  Mary  E.; 
and  Franklin. 

(V)  James  Madison  Evans,  son  of  Noah  H., 
liorn  Aug.  31,  1837,  in  the  village  of  Assonet, 
Freetown,  Mass.,  was  quite  small  when  the 
family  moved  to  Dighton.  He  learned  the 
trade  "of  molder  in  Taunton  and  was  employed 
there  at  the  time  of  his  enlistment  for  service 
in  the  Civil  war,  in  Company  H,  3d  Massa- 
chusetts Infantry.  After  the  close  of  his  army 
service  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Charles 
F.  Baker,  in  the  grocery  business,  under  the 
name  of  Baker  &  Evans,  and  they  continued 
together  for  about  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Evans 
then  formed  the  Taunton  Nickel  Plating  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  agent  and  treasurer  until 
his  death.  He  was  esteemed  and  respected  in 
the  community,  and  had  the  confidence  of  his 
fellow  citizens,  represented  Taunton  one  term 
in  the  State  Legislature,  and  also  served  as 
alderman  and  member  of  the  city  council.  He 
was  a  member  of  Alfred  Baylies  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  and  of  William  H.  Bartlett  Post,  G. 
A.  R. 

Mt.  Evans  married  Emeline  E.  Hathaway, 
daughter  of  Leonard  Hathawav,  of  Dighton. 
They  died,  Mr.  Evans,  March  10,  1894;  and 
Mrs.  Evans,  Oct.  6,  1879.  Thev  had  two  sons: 
Charles  Everette,  bom  April  16",  1859;  and  Ed- 
win Hubert,  bom  Oct.  11,  I860. 

(VI)  Charles  Everette  Evans,  son  of 
James  Madison  and  Emeline  E.  (Hathaway) 
Evans,  was  born  April  16,  1859,  in  Taunton, 
where  he  was  married,  Oct.  3,  1879,  to  Alice 
M.  Sprague,  of  that  city,  daughter  of  Alden 
Foote  and  Mary  Frances  (Turner)  Sprague. 
They  had  two  children:  Mabel  Emeline,  who 
died  aged  seven  years ;  and  Alice  Frances,  bom 
Dec.  5,  1882,  who  married  Ralph  Linwood  Hop- 
kins,-and  has  one  son,  Harold  Everette. 

After  his  school  days  were  ended  Mr.  Evans, 
having  acquired  such  education  as  the  public 
schools  afforded,  entered  the  business  establish- 
ment of  his  father,  then  engaged  as  a  grocery 


merchant,  and  there  he  received,  under  the  di- 
rection of  his  father,  that  practical  training  and 
experience  which  in  combination  with  his  own 
eft'ort,  industry  and  capacity  made  him  one  of 
the  capable,  conservative  and  successful  busi- 
ness men  of  his  native  city.  After  remaining 
with  his  father  for  a  decade  he  began  business 
for  himself,  engaging  in  that  of  cleaning  carpets 
by  steam  process.  After  following  this  line  for 
some  four  years  he  made  another  change,  in 
1888  going  to  Boston,  where  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  John  H.  Pray  &  Son's  Company  un- 
til the  illness  of  his  father  made  his  services 
necessary  in  the  latter's  business  at  Taunton, 
his  father  at  the  time  being  engaged  in  the 
business  of  nickel  plating.  On  the  death  of 
his  father,  in  1894,  he  succeeded  to  the  latter's 
business  and  became  treasurer  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  Taunton  Nickel  Plating  Company, 
which  later  became  the  Evans  Stamping  and 
Plating  Company,  continuing  as  such  until  his 
death.  He  was  very  successful  in  his  under- 
takings, progressive  in  his  methods,  and  con- 
scientious in  all  that  he  did.  Mr.  Evans  was 
a  man  who  radiated  good  fellowship.  He  was 
fond  of  outdoor  life,  being  an  active  member 
at  one  time  of  the  Yacht  Club,  and  later  an 
ardent  automobilist.  He  made  friends  and  re- 
tained them.  His  death  occurred  May  26, 
1909.  Like  his  father  before  him  and  his 
brother  later  referred  to,  Mr.  Evans  was  a  man 
of  substance,  of  good  judgment,  capacity  and 
executive  ability ;  and  like  them  his  reputation 
and  standing  in  the  community  merited  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  and 
business  associates.  Fraternally  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Alfred  Baylies  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
of  which  he  was  past  master;  St.  Mark's 
Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ;  New  Bedford  Council,  R. 
&  S.  M.;  St.  John's  Commandery,  K.  T.,  of 
Providence ;  Palestine  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine ; 
Orient  Lodge,  K.  of  P. ;  and  Cohannet  Ledge, 
A.  0.  U.  W. 

(VI)  Edwin  Hubert  Evans,  son  of  James 
Madison  and  Emeline  E.  (Hathaway)  Evans, 
born  Oct.  11,  1860,  in  Taunton,  married  in 
September,  1885,  Ella,  daughter  of  Capt.  Den- 
nis C.  and  Mary  W.  Sturgis,  and  they  had 
two  children,  Shirley  Cottell,  who  was  married 
in  June,  1911.  to  Bessie  M.  Phillips,  and 
James  Hubert,  who  died  young. 

Mr.  Evans  acquired  his  education  in  the 
Taunton  public  schools  and  at  the  Bristol 
Academy,  located  in  the  same  city.  He  began 
his  business  training  not  far  from  1877  in  the 
capacity  of  clerk  in  the  grocery  establishment 
of  Messrs.  Bodfish  &  Evans,  but  not  content 
with  such  pursuit,  and  desirous  of  seeing  some- 


1116 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


thing  of  the  world,  he  shipped  to  the  West 
Indies,  and  engaged  as  merchantman  among 
the  islands  from  Porto  Rico  round  to  Curacao. 
After  some  time  and  interesting  experiences 
in  this  line  of  effort  he  returned  to  his  native 
place,  and  became  connected  with  the  Taunton 
Nickel  Plating  Company.  In  1884  he  was  ap- 
pointed on  the  police  force  of  the  city  of 
Taunton  as  patrolman,  serving  some  seven 
years;  and  in  this  line  he  apparently  found 
the  vocation  for  which  nature  seemingly  fitted 
him.  After  that  period  of  service,  as  it  were 
for  preparation,  he  was  appointed  chief  of 
police,  a  relation  he  most  efficiently  sustained 
to  the  city  for  five  years.  And  in  these  public 
capacities  he  developed  great  executive  ability, 
and  otherwise  showed  such  adaptability  and 
fitness  for  that  line  of  effort  that  his  fellow 
citizens  of  both  city  and  county  selected  him 
as  their  choice  for  the  important  office  of  high 
sheriff  of  Bristol  county,  and  elected  him  to 
the  office  in  November,  1895,  for  a  term  of  three 
years.  This  office  he  assumed  Jan.  1,  1896, 
and  such  has  been  the  manner  of  its  conduct 
from  that  time  to  this  that  he  has  retained 
his  place  by  successive  reelections  to  the  office, 
and  is  now  serving  his  sixth  term,  having  been 
last  elected  in  1910.  He  also  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Evans  Stamping  and  Plating  Com- 
pany until  he  resigned  in  1910.  Reading  be- 
tween the  lines  of  this  brief  reference  to  Mr. 
Evans's  career  is  sufficient  to  give  even  those 
not  knowing  him  an  estimate  of  the  man. 

Mr.  Evans  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  belonging  to  Alfred  Baylies  Lodge, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  St.  Mark's  Chapter,  R.  A.  M. ; 
St.  John's  Commandery,  K.  T.,  and  Palestine 
Temple,  Mystic  Shrine.  He  also  belongs  to 
Orient  Lodge,  K.  of  P.;  King  Philip  Lodge, 
I.  0.  0.  P. ;  and  Darius  N.  Couch  Camp,  No. 
26,  Sons  of  Veterans  (charter  member). 


HowLAND.  Mrs.  Almira  (Howland)  Evans 
was  a  direct  descendant  of  Henry  Howland,  an 
account  of  whom  with  her  lineage,  in  chrono- 
logical order,  follows: 

(I)  Henry  Howland,  one  of  the  original 
three  Rowlands  in  America,  the  others  being 
Arthur  and  John  (the  latter  of  the  "May- 
flower"), appeared  in  Plymouth  in  the  early 
days  of  its  settlement.  He  is  first  of  record 
in  New  England,  in  1624,  when  the  attachment 
of  cattle  was  made  to  the  different  families  in 
Plymouth.  He  appears  at  Duxbury  among 
its  earliest  settlers.  He  married  Mary  New- 
land,  and  both  probably  died  at  the  old  Dux- 
bury  home,  he  17th  of  1st  month,  1671,  and 
she  17th  of  6th  month,  1674. 


(II)  Emanuel  Howland,  born  in  Duxbury, 
married  Mary.  He  became  one  of  the  orig- 
inal settlers  of  Freetown,  where  he  was  promi- 
nent in  civil  affairs,  and  a  large  land  holder. 
He  served  both  as  selectman  and  as  assessor 
of  the  town.     He  died  in  1716. 

(III)  Joshua  Howland,  born  in  Freetown, 
married  (first)  12t.h  of  5th  month,  1709,  Eliza- 
beth Halloway,  of  Taunton.  He  lived  for  a 
time  in  Taunton,  but  later  returned  to  Free- 
town. 

(IV)  Joshua  Howland  (2),  born  in  Free- 
town or  Taunton,  married  Mary  Allen,  and 
settled  in  Freetown,  Mass.,  but  may  later  have 
removed  to  Delaware  county,  New  York. 

(V)  Joshua  Howland  (3)  married  (second) 
in  1789  Widow  Abigail  Pierce,  daughter  of 
Silas  Hathaway,  of  Freetown. 

(VI)  Seth  Howland,  born  in  1789,  married 
(first)  in  1808  Abigail  Ashley,  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  Joshua,  born  in  1809;  Almira, 
born  in  1811;  Adaline,  born  in  1813;  Jepha 
(or  Jephtha),  born  in  1814;  William  A.,  born 
in  1817;  Harrison,  born  in  1820;  and  Frank, 
born  in  1822. 

(VII)  Almira  Howland,  born  in  1811,  mar- 
ried Noah  H.  Evans,  of  Freetown. 

RICHARD  MORTON  FULLERTON,  of 
Brockton,  now  retired,  who  for  a  number  of 
years  was  prominently  identified  with  that 
city's  leading  industry,  that  of  shoe  manufac- 
turing, is  an  honored  and  respected  citizen  of 
his  community.  Mr.  Fullerton  was  born  Oct. 
3,  1830,  in  the  town  of  Abington,  Mass.,  eld- 
est son  of  the  late  Oliver  and  Rachel  (Ford) 
Fullerton,  and  a  descendant  of  several  of  New 
England's  old  historic  families.  The  ancestry 
of  the  Fullerton  family  which  follows  is  given 
in  chronological  order  from  the  first  American 
ancestor. 

The  Fullerton  (sometimes  appearing  as  Ful- 
lington)  evidently  was  not  an  early  nor  has 
it  been  a  numerous  Massachusetts  family,  the 
writers  on  the  pioneers  of  Massachusetts  not 
making  mention  of  it;  and  in  the  census  of 
1790  but  seven  heads  of  families  in  the  State 
are  given,  namely :  one  in  Pembroke,  one  in 
Worcester,  two  in  Abington  and  the  others  in 
Boston.  Little  has  found  its  way  into  type  of 
the  early  Fullertons.  There  are  fragmentary 
records  of  the  family  through  several  of  the 
towns  of  Plvmouth  county,  the  earliest  found 
being  the  family  of  John  and  Ruth  (Sampson) 
Fullerton,  at  Marshfield.  At  the  time  of  their 
marriage,  Oct.  13,  1720,  he  is  referred  to  as  of 
Marshfield.  She  was  born  Dec.  22,  1684, 
daughter  of  George   and  Elizabeth   Sampson, 


^^^Slc^oAoI    <^?  .  c>'^uJju^iy^^ 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


1117 


he  a  son  of  Abraham  Sampson,  who  came  from 
England  about  1G30,  and  settled  in  Uuxbury. 

The  two  heads  of  the  FuUerton  family  of 
the  town  of  Abington  referred  to  as  given  in 
the  first  census  of  the  United  States,  taken  in 
1790,  in  Massachusetts,  were  John  and  Asa 
Fullerton,  and  with  the  family  of  Asa  this 
article  is  to  deal. 

On  Jan.  29,  1782,  Asa  Fullerton  married 
Mary  Hunt,  who,  perhaps,  was  a  descendant 
of  Enoch  Hunt,  who  lived  in  Titenden,  in  the 
parish  of  Lee,  near  Wendover,  in  England.  He 
came  to  this  country  with  his  son  Ephraim,  lo- 
cated at  Weymouth,  but  later  returned,  leaving 
his  son  Ephraim,  who  married,  and  the  latter's 
son,  Thomas  Hunt,  removed  to  Abington  and 
was  the  progenitor  of  the  Abington  Hunts. 

Noah  Fullerton,  of  Abington,  son  of  Asa, 
married  in  April,  1806,  Silence  Daily,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  and  Silence  Daily,  of  Easton, 
Mass.,  and  perhaps  a  descendant  of  John 
Daily,  a  native  of  the  North  of  Ireland,  and 
his  wife  Abiah  Whitman,  of  Weymouth,  Mass., 
who  settled  in  Easton  as  early  as  1708,  on  the 
22d  of  February  of  which  year  he  located  on 
"Abiah  Whitman's  Right."  Noah  Fullerton 
was  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  died  in  Abington 
Sept.  11,  1859,  aged  seventy-three  years  and 
five  months,  the  father  of  children  as  follows: 
Oliver,  Silence,  Daniel,  Noah,  Jr.,  Myra  and 
Mary  (twins),  Nahum,  Lucretia,  Henry,  and 
perhaps  others. 

Oliver  Fullerton,  son  of  Noah  and  Silence, 
was  bom  in  Abington  (now  Whitman),  and  as 
a  young  man  came  to  North  ±iridgewater. 
Like  the  boys  of  his  day,  when  he  was  not 
occupied  witli  work  on  the  home  farm  he  was 
engaged  in  making  shoes.  Later  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  shoes  on  his  own 
account  in  a  small  way,  and  by  industry  made 
a  success  of  his  business.  He  was  stricken 
blind  a  few  years  prior  to  his  death,  and  was 
compelled  to  retire  from  active  business.  He 
died  in  North  Bridgewater  Dec.  19,  1848,  aged 
forty-two  years.  On  June  1,  1829,  he  married 
Rachel  Ford,  daughter  of  David  and  Olive 
(Packard)  Ford,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
direct  descendant  in  the  sixth  generation  from 
(I)  Andrew  Ford,  who  was  of  Weymouth, 
Mass.,  as  early  as  1651,  and  his  wife  Eleanor 
Lovell,  through  (II)  Andrew,  Jr.,  and  Abiah 
Tord;  (III)  Ensign  Andrew  and  Marcy 
(Whitmarsh)  Ford;  (IV)  Jacob  and  Sarah 
(Pool)  Ford;  and  (V)  Jacob,  Jr.,  and  Rachel 
(Agur)  Ford;  and  the  latter  a  direct  descend- 
ant in  the  fifth  generation  from  (I)  Samuel 
Packard,  who  with  his  wife  and  child  came 
from   Windham,   near  Hingham,   England,   in 


the  ship  "Diligence,"  and  settled  first  at  Hing- 
ham, Mass.,  later  becoming  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  West  Bridgewater,  through  (11) 
Zaccheus  and  Sarah  (Howard)  Packard; 
(III)  Zaccheus  (2)  and  Mercy  (Alden)  Pack- 
ard; (IV)  Simeon  and  Mary  (Perkins)  Pack- 
ard. To  Oliver  Fullerton  and  his  wife  were 
born  the  following  children :  Richard  Morton 
is  mentioned  below ;  Rachel  Ford,  born  July 
26,  1833,  died  Feb.  22,  1834;  Oliver  Wood- 
bridge,  born  Feb.  17,  1835,  a  shoe  manufac- 
turer, married  Angeline  W.  Reynolds,  and 
(second)  Sarah  Campbell,  and  died  in  Easton, 
Mass.;  Daniel  Ford,  born  April  3,  1839,  a 
shoemaker,  married  Fanny  Turner,  and  died 
in  Brockton;  Lucy  Ellen,  born  Nov.  15,  1841, 
married  Asbury  W.  Foss  and  (second)  Charles 
Martin,  Jr.,  and  she  died  in  Brockton;  Albert 
Davis,  bom  Jan.  22,  1845,  a  shoemaker,  mar- 
ried Sarah  Sproul,  of  Whitman,  and  died  in 
Brockton;  and  Susan  Louisa,  born  April  15, 
1847,  married  the  late  Eugene  Lincoln,  of 
Raynham,  Mass.,  and  now  lives  in  Wilmington, 
Massachusetts. 

Richard  Morton  Fullerton,  eldest  son  of  the 
late  Oliver  and  Rachel  (Ford)  Fullerton,  was 
born  Oct.  3,  1830,  in  South  Abington  (now 
Whitman),  in  the  same  house  in  which  his 
father  was  born,  and  which  was  the  first  house 
in  the  town  bordering  the  North  Bridgewater 
town  line.  When  he  was  yet  an  infant  his 
parents  removed  to  North  Bridgewater  (now 
Brockton),  and  in  the  schools  of  the  latter 
town  he  began  his  educational  training,  which 
was  later  supplemented  by  an  attendance  at 
the  Adelphian  Academy,  then  conducted  by  the 
Loomis  Brothers,  being  a  student  of  the  latter 
institution  of  learning  for  about  three  years. 
Leaving  school  at  the  age  of  about  sixteen 
years,  he  then  took  up  shoemaking  with  his 
father,  and  after  the  latter's  death,  in  1848,  he 
continued  the  business,  which  was  located  on 
Crescent  street  for  a  time,  finally  winding  up 
its  affairs  and  discontinuing  same.  Mr.  Ful- 
lerton then  became  general  superintendent  of 
the  shoe  factory  of  the  late  C.  B.  Kingman,  in 
which  capacity  he  remained  for  about  two 
years,  after  which  he  accepted  a  similar  posi- 
tion with  A.  &  A.  B.  Keith,  shoe  manufac- 
turers, continuing  in  that  position  for  about 
six  years.  Mr.  Fullerton  then,  in  about  1857, 
engaged  in  shoe  manufacturing  on  his  own 
account,  locating  in  the  shop  of  the  late  Mar- 
tin L.  Keith,  where  he  remained  for  a  time, 
when  he  erected  a  factory  of  his  own  on  Main 
street,  where  he  conducted  the  business  for  sev- 
eral years.  This  factory  later  became  a  part  of 
the    factory    used    bv    the    late    Franklin    and 


1118 


SOUTHEASTERN  MASSACHUSETTS 


Adelbert  F.  Keith  in  manufacturing  shoes. 
Upon,  discontinuing  work  in  this  factory  Mr. 
Fullerton  became  superintendent  for  the  late 
George  Stevens,  whose  shoe  factory  was  located 
on  Montello  street,  and  he  remained  in  that 
position  with  Mr.  Stevens  until  the  latter  re- 
tired from  business.  Mr.  Fullerton  then  pur- 
chased the  business  from  Mr.  Stevens,  and  con- 
ducted the  same  several  years,  when  the  factory 
was  visited  by  a  lire.  He  then  erected  a  fac- 
tory on  Montello  street,  where  he  carried  on 
business  for  several  years,  when  he  finally  ad- 
mitted his  son-in-law,  Albert  Barrows,  into 
partnership  with  him,  they  continuing  the 
business  until  February,  181)2,  when  Mr.  Ful- 
lerton sold  his  interest  to  Mt.  Barrows  and 
retired  from  active  cares.  By  careful  manage- 
ment of  his  affairs  Mr.  Fullerton  met  with 
success  in  his  various  enterprises,  accumulat- 
ing a  competency,  and  he  is  now  enabled  to 
spend  his  days  in  ease  and  comfort. 

In  political  faith  Mr.  Fullerton  is  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  being  of  a  home-loving  nature  and 
retiring  disposition  he  has  never  aspired  to 
public  office,  although  he  has  always  taken  an 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  city  in 
which  practically  all  his  life  has  been  spent. 

On  Dec.  7,  1856,  Mr.  Fullerton  married 
Emma  Frances  Tribou,  only  daughter  of  the 
late  William  Tribou  and  his  wife,  Vesta  Dun- 
bar, of  North  Bridgewater.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fullerton  have  been  born  two  children:  Mary 
Emma,  born  April  1,  1858,  married  Albert 
Barrows,  of  Brockton,  a  retired  shoe  manufac- 
turer; and  Adelbert  Morton,  born  Aug.  13, 
1866,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hay  and  grain 
business  in  Brockton,  married  Nellie  Geneva 
Tibbetts,  and  has  three  children,  Emma  Gil- 
lette (born  April  29,  1892),  Gertrude  Jose- 
phine (Nov.  13,  189?)  and  Mabelle  Leighton 
(March  19,  1905). 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fullerton  descend  from 
distinguished  New  England  ancestry,  and  are 
direct  descendants  of  John  Aldeii  and  his 
wife  Priscilla  Mulli'ns,  of  the  "Mayflower." 
Mrs.  Fullerton  is  a  member  of  Deborah  Samp- 
son Chapter,  D.  A.  R.,  of  Brockton,  being 
eligible  through  the  service  of  several  of  her 
ancestors.  Her  grandmother,  Rebecca  Cope- 
land  (daughter  of  Deacon  Joseph  Copeland, 
who  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier),  wife  of 
Ebenezer  Dunbar  (who  was  also  a  Revolution- 
ary soldier),  was  a  sister  of  Mary  Copeland, 
the  latter  being  the  mother  of  Deborah  Samp- 
son's husband.  Mrs.  Fullerton's  grandfather, 
William  Tribou,  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  and  his  wife,  Amy  Belcher,  was 


the  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Belcher,  who  served 
in  that  memorable  struggle  from  Sharon,  Mas- 
sachusetts. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fullerton  reside  on  Tribou 
street,  in  a  modern,  well-appointed  home, 
which  was  completed  in  1891,  on  land 
which  was  formerly  a  part  of  Mrs.  Fullerton's 
father's  large  farm,  and  which  street,  running 
west  from  Main  street  to  Packard  brook,  two 
rods  wide,  was  named  for  the  Tribou  family. 

SAYER  (New  Bedford  family).  The  New 
Bedford  Sayer  family,  the  head  of  which  was 
the  late  Benjamin  J.  Sayer,  one  of  whose  sons, 
the  late  Charles  C.  Sayer,  was  for  a  period 
register  of  deeds  for  the  southern  district  of 
Bristol  county,  and  whose  grandson,  William 
L.,  for  many  years  was  identified  with  both 
the  Mercury  and  Evening  Standard  of  New 
Bedford,  as  editor  and  now  president  of  the 
Mercury  Company,  is  a  branch  of  the  early 
Newport  (R.  I.)  family  of  the  name,  a  brief 
review  of  which  follows,  beginning  with  the 
first  American  ancestor's  father. 

(I)  Joshua  Sayer,  of  Deal,  England,  was  a 
shipwright  and  for  many  years  was  postmaster. 
He  died  March  13,  1733.  His  wife  was  Eliza- 
beth Saflrey. 

(II)  Joshua  Sayer  (2),  son  of  Joshua  of 
Deal,  was  born  there  Oct.  3,  1698,  and  came 
to  this  country  in  1728,  settling  in  Newport, 
R.  I.  In  1723  he  married  Ann  De  Hayne, 
who  died  Sept.  19,  1738,  leaving  no  children. 
On  Sept.  25,  1740,  he  married  Anstis  Almy, 
born  Feb.  3,  1721-22,  daughter  of  John  and 
Anstis  (Ellery)  Almy,  of  Newport,  grand- 
daughter of  William  and  Deborah  (Cook) 
Almy,  of  Tiverton,  R.  I.,  great-granddaughter 
of  Christopher  and  Elizabeth  (Cornell)  Almy, 
of  Portsmouth,  and  great-great-granddaughter 
of  William  Almy  and  his  wife  Audry,  of  Lynn 
and  Sandwich,  Mass.,  and  of  Portsmouth,  R. 
I.  William  Almy,  last  named,  was  an  English- 
man who  came  first  to  New  England  as  early 
as  June,  1631,  but  later  returned  to  England 
and  then  came  again  to  New  England  in  1635 
in  the  ship  "Abigail."  His  age  was  given  as 
thirty-four  years,  wife  Audry  thirty-two  years, 
daughter  Ann  eight  years,  and  son  Christopher 
three  years.  Joshua  Sayer  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness of  boat  builder.  In  1746  he  was  com- 
missioned as  captain  of  a  company  of  one 
hundred  men,  and  proceeded  to  the  storming 
of  Louisburg,  Cape  Breton,  in  the  French  and 
Indian  war,  and  thence  took  his  command  via 
the  St.  Lawrence  River  to  Quebec.  He  died 
in  Taunton  Aug.  26,  1776,  and  his  widow 
passed   away    Oct.    15,   1790.      Their  ,  children. 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


1119 


were  (Newport  town  record)  :  Abigail,  born 
July  8,  1741;  Benjamin,  June  20,  1743;  Jo- 
shua, Feb.  10,  1746;  Anstis,  Sept.  23,  1747; 
Ann,  Dec.  1,  1749;  Elizabeth,  April  18,  1753; 
Lewis,  Aug.  6,  1755;  and  Mary,  baptized  Nov. 
18,  1758;  all  of  these  children  were  baptized 
in  the  Second  Congregational  Church  at  New- 
port, of  which  their  father  was  for  many  years 
a  deacon. 

(III)  Lewis  Sayer,  son  of  Deacon  Joshua, 
born  Aug.  6,  1755,  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  married 
Patience  Hathaway.  Among  tfieir  children  was 
Benjamin  K.,  born  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 

(IV)  Benjamin  King  Sayer,  son  of  Lewis 
and  Patience,  born  April  13,  1792,  in  Newport, 
married  Dec.  31,  1818,  Ruth  Lawton,  daughter 
of  Jonathan  Lawton,  of  Newport.  Mr.  Sayer 
was  a  baker  by  trade,  but  was  a  local  preacher 
in  the  church  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  de- 
nomination, and  was  a  co-laborer  of  Rev. 
Daniel  Webb  in  building  up  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Newport.  Mr.  Sayer  re- 
moved to  New  Bedford  in  1819,  and  engaged  in 
the  baking  business  with  Jonathan  R.  Ward 
on  North  Second  street,  east  side,  just  north 
of  Middle  street.  In  1823  he  went  to  Cutty- 
hunk  Island,  where  he  was  keeper  of  the  light 
for  nine  years.  When  in  1832  he  came  back 
to  New  Bedford  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Tilson  B.  Denham,  and  the  firm  of  Sayer 
&  Denham  carried  on  the  baking  business 
at  No.  34  South  Water  street  until  1845. 
In  1851  he  was  elected  register  of  deeds  for 
the  southern  district  of  Bristol  county,  and 
held  the  office  until  1860,  when  he  resigned 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Charles  C.  Sayer. 
In  the  early  years  of  his  life  in  New  Bedford 
he  was  the  preacher  for  the  Methodists,  and 
was  largely  instrumental  in  building  up  that 
denomination.  He  died  March  20,  1867,  and 
his  wife  Dec.  22,  1873.  Their  children  who 
lived  to  mature  years  were :  Mary  Lawton,  who 
died  unmarried ;  Benjamin  Lawton ;  and 
Charles  Cahoone. 

(V)  Benjamin  Lawton  Sayer,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin K.  and  Ruth,  was  born  at  New  Bedford 
May  5,  1824.  He  married  Angalette  Ackley, 
daughter  of  John  and  Anna  (Dudley)  Ackley, 
at  East  Haddam,  Conn.,  on  Dec.  30,  1846.  She 
was  born  March  5,  1825,  at  Chatham  Centre,, 
Conn.,  and  /lied  April  19,  1901.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  William  L.,  born  Feb.  26,  1848; 
Herbert  A.,  born  June  17,  1850  (died  July 
4,  1871)  ;  Edward  A.,  born  Nov.  20,  1852 
(died  Sept.  6,  1879)  ;  Charles  S..  bom  April 
2,  1856  (died  Oct.  1,  1877)  ;  and  Ruth  Annie, 
born  Sept.  28,  1858.  Benjamin  L.  Sayer  joined 
the  Providence  (now  New  England  Southern) 


Methodist  Episcopal  Conference  when  he  was 
about  twenty-one  years  old,  and  continued  in 
the  active  work  of  the  ministry  nearly  to 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  East 
Falmouth  March  21,  1876.  He  filled  a  large 
number  of  appointments,  mostly  in  Cape  Cod. 

(V)  Charles  Cahoone  Sayer,  son  of  Benjamin 
K.  and  Ruth,  was  born  in  Newport,  R.  I., 
June  5,  1827.  On  Feb.  7,  1855,  he  married 
Caroline  Washburn,  daughter  of  Marsena  and 
Lucy  (Gifford)  Washburn,  and  their  children 
were :  Caroline  Mather,  born  Aug.  3,  1856 ; 
and  Frederic  Lincoln,  born  May  6,  1867. 
Charles  C.  Sayer  was  elected  register  of  deeds 
on  his  father's  withdrawal  from  the  office  in 
1860,  and  remained  in  that  position  until  his 
death  March  19,  1883.  He  was  generally 
nominated  by  both  political  parties,  and  he 
never  had  any  serious  opposition.  He  served 
several  years  as  a  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee, and  he  was  a  leading  member  of  the 
Fourth  Street  Methodist  Church.  His  widow 
died  Oct.  7,  1908.  Both  were  buried  in  the 
Rural  Cemetery  at  New  Bedford. 

(VI)  Frederic  Lincoln  Sayer,  only  son 
of  Charles  C.  and  Caroline  (Washburn)  Sayer, 
was  born  in  New  Bedford,  May  6,  1867.  Edu- 
cated in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  his 
native  city  he  was  graduated  from  the  latter 
in  1884,  after  which  he  took  a  four-years' 
course  at  the  Massachusetts  School  of  Tech- 
nology, of  Boston,  and  graduated  from  that 
school  in  1888  with  the  degree  of  S.  B.  He 
took  up  mechanical  engineering,  entering  the 
employ  of  the  George  F.  Blake  Manufacturing 
Company  of  Boston,  where  he  continued  until 
that  company  united  with  the  International 
Pump  Company,  with  offices  in  New  York.  Mr. 
Sayer  went  to  New  York  and  continued  with 
this  firm  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  soon 
became  a  valuable  employee  of  this  concern 
and  in  1896  he  was  sent  to  Europe  to  attend 
to  their  business  in  London,  Paris,  Vienna  and 
other  business  centers  abroad.  He  was  an  ex- 
pert in  his  line  and  his  employers  placed  in 
him  the  most  implicit  confidence.  Mr.  Sayer's 
death  occurred  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  23, 
1906,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  family  plot  in 
the  Rural  Cemetery  at  New  Bedford.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Crescent  Athletic  Club  of 
Brooklyn. 


(VI)  William  Lawton  Sayer,  son  of  Ben- 
jamin Lawton  and  Angalette  (Ackley)  Sayer, 
was  born  Feb.  26,  1848,  at  Falmouth,  Mass. 
Until  sixteen  years  old  he  attended  the  public 
schools,  then  worked  four  years  in  the  factory 


1120 


SOUTHEASTERX  MASSACHUSETTS 


of  the  Morse  Twist  Drill  Company  at  New 
Bedford.  He  subsequently  became  a  reporter 
for  the  New  Bedford  Morning  Mercury  (1871)  ; 
in  1876  he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Mercury, 
and  was  its  editor  until  1894,  when  he  was 
made  editor  of  the  New  Bedford  Evejiing 
Standard,  retaining  his  interest  in  the  Mer- 
cury, and  being  chosen  president  of  the  Mer- 
cury Publishing  Company.  Both  of  these 
places  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Sayer  is  a  director 
of  the  New  Bedford  Cooperative  Bank,  of  the 
Acushnet  Cooperative  Bank,  and  a  trustee  of 
the  Swain  Free  School  of  New  Bedford.  He 
is  what  may  be  termed  a  Liberal  Eepublican. 
His  religious  connection  is  with  the  Trinitarian 
Congregational  Church.     He  has  served  as  a 


member  of  the  school  committee  of  New  Bed- 
ford, and  for  some  years  was  a  trustee  of  the 
Free  Public  Library,  and  secretary  of  the  board. 

Mr.  Sayer  married,  Oct.  9,  1873,  Sarah 
Catherine  Bosworth,  daughter  of  Amos  and 
Sarah  A.  (Paun)  Bosworth,  and  they  have  one 
child,  Gertrude  Bosworth,  born  July  6,  1874. 

(VI)  Ruth  Annie  Sayer,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin L.  and  Angalette  (Ackley)  Sayer,  was 
born  Sept.  28,  1858,  at  North  Fairhaven,  now 
Acushnet.  On  Oct.  16,  1878,  she  married 
David  B.  Nye,  of  East  Falmouth,  who  died 
Feb.  2,  1898.  The  only  surviving  child  of  this 
marriage  is  Lindsey  Amos  Nye,  born  at  East 
Falmouth  July  15,  1893. 


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