USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, vol 2 > Part 48
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(VI) Israel Brayton was born in Somerset (which had been set apart from Swansea in 1790) on July 29, 1792, and died there November 5, 1866, although he did not pass his entire life on the Homestead Farm after his marriage to Keziah Anthony, daughter of David and Submit (Wheeler) Anthony, he lived a short time in Foxboro, and then re- moved to Swansea Village, where he remained several years. Subsquently, he became a resident of Fall River, but after the death of his brother Stephen, he returned to the Homestead Farm, where he spent the remaining years of his life.
The children of Israel and Keziah (Anthony) Bray- ton were: 1. Mary, who married (first) Branford Durfee; (second) Jeremiah S. Young. 2. William Bowers, who married Hannah T. Lawton, of Tiver- ton. 3. Nancy Jarrett Bowers, who married Daniel Chase, of Somerset. 4. Elizabeth Anthony, who married Roswell D. Hitchcock, a native of Maine; 5. David Anthony, a sketch of whom follows. 6. John Summerfield, a sketch of whom will be found in the following pages. 7. Israel Perry, born in Swansea, May 24, 1829. 8. Hezekiah Anthony, who married Caroline Elizabeth Slade, of Somerset.
DAVID ANTHONY BRAYTON-Gifted with a nature generous and benevolent, with a mind keen and quick in judgment of men, with foresight and wisdom in the handling of affairs, and a charac-
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ter noted for its sterling integrity, David Anthony Brayton was a citizen of commanding power, whose fearlessness in the performance of duty won for him the confidence and esteem of all who came within the scope of his broad influence.
David Anthony Brayton was the son of Israel and Keziah (Anthony) Brayton, and was born April 2, 1824, in Swansea, Massachusetts, and died in London, England, August 20, 1881. The greater part of his childhood was passed in Somerset, on the farm that for generations had been the home of his Brayton ancestors. He acquired the rudi- ments of a practical education by regular attend- ance at the public schools of Somerset and Fall River, and when not at school he worked with great energy and zeal at various occupations. His special aptitude for business led him to find a larger field than that offered by his boyhood home, and when still a minor he made a business trip to Cuba, in later years becoming extensively en- gaged in trade with the West Indies. The dis- covery of gold in California intensely interested Mr. Brayton, and in 1849 he sailed in the ship "Mary Mitchell" for the Pacific Coast, where he remained several months. On his return to Fall River, with Silas Bullard as a partner, he erected the Bristol County Flour Mills, the first industry of the kind in this part of Massachusetts, and he subsequently became its sole proprietor.
Shortly after the enactment of the National Bank- ing Law, David Anthony Brayton, with his brother, John S. Brayton, and their associates, established the First National Bank of Fall River, and so faithful and valuable were his services in building up this organization, that at the time of his death the directors of the corporation spread upon its records this tribute: "To his remarkable foresight, energy, and high moral character, this institution owes its origin and its great success."
Fall River had already become a centre of the cotton industry, and Mr. Brayton, realizing the great possibility of its growth, conceived the idea of erecting a large manufactory, for which, in 1865, a site was purchased, bordering on the stream that gave to Fall River its name. As a result of his foresight and business acumen, Durfee Mill No. 1 was completed in 1867; in 1871 Durfee Mill No. 2, a duplicate of No. 1, was built, thus doubling the production of the print cloths of this corporation; and in 1880 the plant was enlarged by the erection of mill No. 3. These mills were named in honor of Bradford Durfee, whose son, B. M. C. Durfee, was the largest stockholder, but they stand as an enduring monument to the enterprise, energy, and sound judgment of David Anthony Brayton. From the time of their incorporation to that of his de- mise he was treasurer and manager of the Durfee Mills, which for many years constituted one of the largest print cloth plants in the country.
Mr. Brayton's wide-spread knowledge and ex- perience contributed to the success of the many enterprises in which he held offices of responsibility and trust. He was director in eight other corpora-
tions in Fall River, and at the time of his death was president and principal owner, of the Arnold Print Works in North Adams, Massachusetts.
As a citizen, Mr. Brayton took an active inter- est in the development of Fall River, and his wise counsel and public spirit exerted a powerful influ- ence in the community. He was a regular attend- ant and active member of the First Congregational Church of Fall River, giving freely to the support of divine worship, and bestowing many private benevolences unostentatiously and discriminatingly.
David Anthony Brayton was married, in Fall River, May 1, 1851, to Nancy R. Jenckes, daugh- ter of John and Nancy (Bellows) Jenckes. They had five children, namely: 1. Nannie Jenckes Bray- ton (1853-1905), married (first) Norman Easton Borden, of Fall River; and (second) Henry Way- land Peabody, of Salem, Massachusetts. 2. David Anthony Brayton, Jr. (1855-1913), unmarried; he became associated with the Arnold Print Works, of North Adams, Massachusetts, and later succeeded his father as treasurer and manager of the Durfee Mills from 1881 until his death in 1913. 3. John Jenckes Brayton (1859-1915), unmarried; for sev- eral years he carried on a storage warehouse busi- ness and later became the president of the Durfee Mills, serving from 1908 until his death in 1915. 4. Elizabeth Hitchcock Brayton, born in 1865; un- married. 5. Dana Dwight Brayton. born in 1869; married Florence Elizabeth Davis, of Fall River. He succeeded his brother as president of the Dur- fee Mills, and is director of several other corpora- tions.
JOHN SUMMERFIELD BRAYTON, son of Israel and Keziah (Anthony) Brayton (q. v.), was born in Swansea, Massachusetts, December 3, 1826, and died in 1904. He attended the district school, fitting himself for teaching duties, and was enabled to continue his studies at Pierce's Academy, in Middleboro, and the University Grammar School, of Providence, Rhode Island. Subsequently, he was graduated from Brown University in the class of 1851, and deciding upon the legal profession, studied law in the office of Thomas Dawe Eliot ,at New Bedford, and in the Dane Law School of Harvard College, being graduated in 1853. On August 8th of the same year he was admitted to the suffolk county bar and began active practice in Fall River. The first year of his professional career was made notable by the fact that he was chosen city solici- tor, the first incumbent of that office in the newly- organized city. Later he served as clerk of courts for Bristol county. In 1864 he reentered general practice, in association with James M. Morton, who was later one of the justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Court. Mr. Brayton's appointment as
financial agent of Mrs. Mary B. Young and B. M. C. Durfee, brought obligations and responsibilities that necessitated his withdrawal from legal prac- tice, and from that time until his death he was a prominent figure in Fall River business circles. As president of the First National Bank and president
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of B. M. C. Durfee Trust Company, he headed two of the city's most substantial and valuable institu- tions and to their service he gave himself with a fidelity and devotion that knew no bounds. His helpful influence extended into many spheres of community life and his assistance was at the ready call of his wide circle of friends in both practical and personal relations. Loyalty and dependability were two of his outstanding characteristics and they found notable expression in all of his many and varied interests. Mr. Brayton's public service in- cluded representation of Fall River in the Central Court of Massachusetts in 1856, and membership on the governor's council in 1866-67-68 and 1879-80, under Governors Bullock, Talbot and Long. History, general and local, appealed strongly to his studious and scholarly taste and he was also a patron of art and literature. His knowledge of the Narra- gansett country was equal to that of any expert on the subject, and he was president of the Old Colony Historical Society for several years, a member of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, and from 1898 until his death was a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society. He was a loyal supporter of all forward movements in the cause of education. In 1893 his alma mater, Brown Uni- versity, honored him with the degree of Doctor of Laws, and from 1898 until his passing he was a Fellow of that institution; he was likewise, from 1882 until 1900, a trustee of Amherst College. He was a man of rare quality, whose nature inclined instinctively to all that is good and true, in whom were admirably blended philanthropic and humani- tarian aims and the faculty of practical administra- tion.
John S. Brayton married, November 27, 1855, Sarah Jane Tinkham, daughter of Enoch and Re- becca (Williams) Tinkham, and they were the par- ents of three children: Mary Jarrett Bowers, who married Dr. Charles L. Nichols, of Worcester; Har- riet Hitchcock; and John Summerfield, whose sketch follows.
JOHN SUMMERFIELD BRAYTON, son of John Summerfield, a sketch of whom precedes this, and Sarah Jane (Tinkham) Brayton, was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, September 16, 1864, and died there on April 20, 1923. His education was begun in the local public schools, and from the high school he went to Phillips Academy, at And- over, Massachusetts, whence he graduated in the class of 1884. Later, in 1888, he graduated from Amherst College, and then studied for a legal career at Harvard University Law School, entering upon the practice of law in Fall River, in partnership with the late Hon. Andrew Jackson Jennings and the late Justice James M. Morton. Although he was regarded as one of the promising young lawyers of his day, Mr. Brayton turned from the profes- sion of his early choice after a few years of active practice and entered the banking field in association with his father, John S. Brayton, then president of the First National Bank of Fall River and presi-
dent of the B. M. C. Durfee Trust Company. Such was the ability of the younger man and so great the public confidence in him that upon the death of his father, in 1904, he succeeded to the presi- dency of both these institutions. It was one of the noteworthy characteristics of the man that in all his activity in the world of finance he went forward with the quiet dignity and unconscious power which makes the most forceful executives and forms the ablest leadership. His legal training was of incalculable benefit to the institutions with which he was identified, and his keen far-sightedness and cool judgment were constant factors in their great prosperity and permanent stability. Mr. Brayton was extensively interested in the industrial world of Fall River and vicinity, and at the time of his death he was identified with the Border City Manufacturing Company as president and director, also holding the same offices in the Troy Cotton and Woolen Company and the Union Cotton Manu- facturing Company. He was a director of the American Linen Company, the Durfee Mills, the Foster Spinning Company, Charlton Mills, the Mechanics Mills and the Sagamore Manufacturing Company. In this center of textile activity he early apreciated the value of vocational education and for many years was one of the most active members of the board of trustees of the Bradford, Durfee Textile School of this city. He was also a trustee of the B. M. C Durfee High School. His long and enthusiastic encouragement and support of the Fall River Boys' Club was a matter of more than routine distribution of benevolence, for he was deeply concerned in the development of the youths who were benefited by its activities and gave his close personal attention to the problems of the organization.
John Summerfield Brayton married, on June 20, 1894, Jessie Curtis Flint, daughter of John D. and Clarissa Curtis (Waterman) Flint, and they are the parents of four children: John S., Jr., Flint, Edith, and Anthony.
The following is quoted from a leading journal as expressive of the universal esteem and apprecia- tion in which John Summerfield Brayton was held and as a contemporary estimate of his place in the community:
Seldom has Fall River received such a shock as falls upon it in the death of John S. Brayton, without the least fore- warning. Rarcly has a man, active in the business life of Fall River. heen called, in a day, from his full share in his responsibilities to the silence of death. According to nature, Mr. Brayton should have had another score of years in the administration of the hanking husiness, which he inherited, which he loved, and which he carried forward with success. That husiness had given him the opportunity, which he had the heart to use, to give not a few men the help in husiness which they needed, and of which he felt sure they were worthy, looking at their characters as an essential part of the security which they had to offer. Many causes looked to him for assistance, and usually not in vain, if he felt that they were worthy.
HON .. ANDREW JACKSON JENNINGS, as a leading lawyer of Bristol county, Massachusetts, as a public servant, and as a legislator of his native
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State, won marked distinction, and the influence of his long and useful life will bear beneficent fruit for many years to come. Mr. Jennings retired from professional activity and enjoyed the leisure he so richly deserved, but his former associates and col- leagues looked up to him as one whose leadership they valued, and he was frequently sought in an advisory capacity among the active members of the profession. Mr. Jennings was one of the best known lawyers in Southeastern Massachusetts, and was a former member of the State Legislature and the Senate. He was at one time district attorney. Possessed of a gift for public speaking, he took part in many patriotic gatherings and was always ready to put his shoulder to the wheel for any movement for the public good. His influence was uplifting, and his death leaves a gap which will be hard to fill. One of his last public appearances, if not his last, was as president of the day at the annual Memorial Day exercises on May 30th last.
Andrew J. Jennings came of an old Colonial family, being the seventh in his line of descent from John Jennings, of Sandwich. Subsequent genera- tions lived in Tiverton, where the first ancestor of the name settled, nearly 200 years ago, and where Mr. Jennings' grandfather, Isaac Jennings, was a well known resident. Andrew J. Jennings was a son of Andrew M. Jennings, who was born in what is now Fall River, Massachusetts, and was a machinist by trade. For thirty-five years he acted as foreman of Hawes, Marvel & Davol Machine Shops, at that time the second largest plant of this kind in the United States. Andrew M. Jen- nings died in the year of 1882, at the age of sev- enty-four years. The mother, Olive B. (Chace) Jennings, was born at Freetown, Massachusetts, and died at the age of seventy-six years.
Andrew Jackson Jennings was born at Fall River, Massachusetts, August 2, 1849, died, October 19, 1923. His education was begun in the local public schools, and he later took a preparatory course at the Mowry & Goff School, at Providence, Rhode Island, after which he entered Brown University, whence he was graduated with the degree of Bache- lor of Arts, class of 1872. At Brown he took an active part in athletics, being captain of his class and the university's baseball teams. His higher education being more or less dependent upon his own efforts, Mr. Jennings thereafter taught school for two years in the Warren, Rhode Island, High School, after which he returned to Fall River and began the study of law in the office of James M. Morton. A short time later, however, he entered Boston University School of Law, from which he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws, with the class of 1876. He began his professional career as a partner of James M. Morton, this association be- ing carried forward under the names of Morton & Jennings until the elevation of the senior member of this firm to the bench of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, which occurred in 1890. Thereupon Mr. Morton's son, James M. Morton, Jr., became Mr. Jennings' associate, and continued
in the same capacity until his appointment to the bench of the United States District Court, at Bos- ton, Massachusetts. Another name was also identi- fied with this partnership, that of John S. Brayton. Prior to the coming of Mr. Jennings into the firm, John S. Brayton, Sr., was the partner of the senior Mr. Morton, and on his appointment as clerk of the Superior Court, he still continued his affiliations, not wishing his name to be removed from the office sign. Upon the graduation of his son, John S. Brayton, Jr., from law school, the young man was taken into the firm, and thereby the names of John S. Brayton, as well as the names of James M. Morton and Andrew Jackson Jennings, remained continuously on the door of this office for a period of fifty-three years.
From the early years of his practice Mr. Jen- nings displayed the ability which not only wins personal success but commands the cooperation and loyalty of others. This quality was recognized many years ago by the leaders of the Republican party, and in 1878 he was elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature, where he served two successive terms. His work in this capacity. was that of a man with not only a broadly alert but a definitely constructive mental endowment, and so gratifying to his constituency was his activity as a legislator, that the people of the district elected him to the State Senate in the year 1882. Serving one term as a Senator, Mr. Jennings was thereafter active in his private practice until November, 1894, when he was elected district attorney of the Southeastern District of Massachusetts, in which responsible of- fice he served for a period of four years. As a citizen, a legislator, as a law officer of the govern- ment, he was always a tower of strength to the enemies of the drink curse. When a generation since, the Legislature of Massachusetts sent to the people for decision, the question of incorporating prohibition into the State constitution, and when the question was to be met, the friends of prohibition turned to him as a strong helper in the campaign which they were to wage.
Failing in that campaign, those who waged it still had in him a strong helper in the good cause. He was always relied upon for personal aid in no license campaigns. Whenever the city voted "no," he aided in the demand for the enforcement of the law. When, on that issue, the friends of law en- forcement went to the State Legislature and ob- tained the law for the appointment of a police and license commission, Mr. Jennings was their leader. When the law was finally enacted and signed, it was in his law office that the first board of police and license was fashioned for recommendation to the appointing power. Whenever, since that date, the law or the board has been assailed in the Legisla- ture, he has been a leader in defense of the law and of its administration, even down to last winter. As a lawyer he stood in the front rank. He had two fruitful terms in the office of district attorney. He took this position seriously and used it, to the utmost of his power, as an agency for the en-
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forcement of .the law. No one ever offered to buy immunity from him. He used his professional skill with the desire to promote righteous judgment.
Mr. Jennings achieved prominence at the bar and was everywhere recognized as an able, painstaking, and energetic lawyer and advocate, being retained in many important cases. He was a member of the local school board for three years, and served as a member of the House of Representatives in 1878 and 1879, and as State Senator in 1882. During his three years in the House and Senate, he was an influential member of the judiciary committee and chairman of the joint committee on the re- moval of Judge Day by address in 1882. He was active in securing the passage of the civil damage law in the House, and the introduction of the school house liquor law in the Senate. He was a natural orator, of eloquent and pleasing address, and a public-spirited citizen. At the time of the rapid growth of the textile industry in Fall River 1895- 1897, the tariff question became one of importance to the community and Mr. Jennings was retained to represent local manufacturing interests at tariff hearings in Washington. On these occasions he set forth the situation as it applied to the local textile mills and his knowledge of the situation was such that national tariff committees were guided to a great extent by the masterful presentation of the situation as argued by Mr. Jennings. On the day of General Grant's funeral, he was selected to deliver the memorial oration for this city, and on many other occasions, he was called upon to make important and fitting speeches.
Mr. Jennings had been for several years a trustee of Brown University, clerk of the Second Baptist Church, and was president of the Brown Alumni in 1891 and 1892. With the passing of the years Mr. Jennings became widely interested in various affairs in Fall River, Massachusetts, and was for a long period a trustee of the Union Savings Bank. In the industrial world he was a director of the Mer- chiants Manufacturing Company, one of the largest cotton mills of Fall River, and in many branches of social and welfare work he was a noteworthy figure. For a full quarter of a century he served as president of the Fall River Young Men's Chris- tian Association, and gave the weight of his influ- ence to every forward movement. He was interested in and for several years was a trustee of the Fall River Historical Society. He was affiliated with King Philip Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; his clubs, the University, of Providence; and the Quequechan Club, of Fall River. His religious affiliation was with the Second Baptist Church, of Fall River, and he was chairman of the standing com- mittee of the church society, teacher in the Sunday school, and he was devoted in his interest for the welfare of his church home.
Mr. Jennings married, in 1879, Marion G. Saun- ders, of Warren, Rhode Island, and to them two children were born: Oliver S., a graduate of Brown University, A. B., class of 1905, also a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with
the degree, Electrical Engineer, now in the employ of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Marion J., wife of Dwight S. Waring, a well known cotton yarn merchant of Fall River, and for some years chairman of the Fall River Fire Commission.
Such, in brief, is the life story of this eminent lawyer and worthy citizen, Andrew J. Jennings, one of the strong men of his day and generation. The sincere effort and constant loyalty to high ideals, which marked both his public service and his indi- vidual endeavors, made his life a worthy example for the youth of today, and it is eminently fitting that now, as an honorable and venerable, though fallen figure in Fall River, the people should render to his name full appreciation for the work which he did.
SIMEON BORDEN CHASE-The business career of Simeon B. Chase has been compiled in the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, where he holds high office in textile corporations and financial institutions. To a long life of business activity Mr. Chase has added public service to his State and for many years he has been an earnest student of economic questions, giving especial attention to the tariff and the theory of protection as applied to American industry. He has spoken from many platforms in support of the tenets of the Republi- can party, and is known as an able, forcible and interesting public speaker, vigorous thinker and writer. He receives many requests for lectures and papers from the various literary societies of Fall River and to his quality as a business man and public speaker he adds social qualities and sterling character, which in all complete an engaging per- sonality.
The surname Chase is derived from the French "chasser," meaning to hunt, and the family has been prominent in England since the first use of surnames. The seat of the family in England was at Chesham, in Buckinghamshire, through which runs a rapidly flowing river called the Chess, whence the name of the town and perhaps also of the family. Thomas and Aquila Chase, brothers, whose English ancestry is traced to remote antiquity, are believed to have been cousins of William Chase, the immigrant ancestor, mentioned below. Some branches of this family in America have used the spelling Chace, but the form in most general use is that at the head of this review.
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