USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, vol 3 > Part 21
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of the strength of the Democratic party and the popu- larity of their candidate, he lost by a small minority. Mr. Saart is a strong Republican, having supported this party, and has been a loyal worker in its ranks since his majority, and he has for some years been a member of the Republican City Committee. In those lines of activity which carry neither honors nor re- muneration, Mr. Saart is a leading figure, and during the World War he gave largely of his time and ener- gies, as well as his means, to advance the work of the Liberty Loan drives and the Red Cross. He has always been an enthusiastic promoter of out-door athletics of all forms, especially baseball, in which game he is con- sidered one of the foremost promoters of Bristol county. Fraternally Mr. Sart is affiliated with Ezekiel Bates Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; King Hiram Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Attleboro Council, Royal and Select Masters; Bristol Commandery, Knights Templar; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. He has for thirty-five years been a member of the Knights of Pythias; and he is a charter member of Attleboro Lodge, No 1014, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is socially prominent, being a member of the West Side Club.
Mr. Saart married (first), in 1886, Anna Dietz, who was born in North Attiboro, and died, leaving one daughter, Anna, now the wife of Warren Binford, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Mr. Saart married (second), in North Attleboro, Carrie Schlavoigt, who was born at North Attleboro, and is now deceased. He married (third), in 1917, Alice G. Hines, who was born at Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Mrs. Saart is also a lead- ing figure in local welfare work and social activities.
JOHN H. BARROWS-For forty-six years iden- tified with the same industrial concern in New Bed- ford, Massachusetts, John H. Barrows is well known in the manufacturing world of Bristol county, Massa- chusetts. Entering this organization immediately fol- lowing the completion of his education, Mr. Barrows has risen through the various departments and now holds the responsible position of treasurer of the Taun- ton-New Bedford Copper Company.
A native of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Mr. Bar- rows is a member of a very old family of this section. He is a son of John N. Barrows, who was born in New Bedford, and died in 1884. He was throughout his lifetime a wholesale grocer, and was widely promi- nent in this field of commercial endeavor. The mother, Sarah M. (Dean) Barrows, was born in Raynham, Massachusetts, and died in 1914, at the age of eighty- eight years. This also is a very old name in Bristol county, Massachusetts, and the maternal line of Mrs. Barrows was distinguished for long lives. Her mother lived to be ninety-one years of age, and her grand- mother ninety-four.
John H. Barrows was born at New Bedford. Massa- chusetts, May 31, 1860. His education was acquired in the public schools of his birthplace, and as a young man he entered the employ of the New Bedford Cop- per Company. This was in 1877, and, taking a minor position in the office of the concern, Mr. Barrows gave every effort to the responsibilities placed in his hands, with the result that he won promotion steadily
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and became a permanent member of the organization. In 1900, when the New Bedford Copper Company was consolidated with the Taunton Copper Company under the present namc. Mr. Barrows remained with the concern and was made assistant treasurer. This position he held for many years, and in 1919 was elected treasurer of the organization, the position which he now ably fills. In this important industrial center the Taunton-New Bedford Copper Company holds a leading position, and data of the enterprise appears in another part of this work. As a leading business executive in New Bedford, Mr. Barrows is influential in various branches of advance, and has for some years been identified with the New Bedford Five Cent Sav- ings Bank as trustec. In the public life of the city he has been prominent for many years, and is a leader of the affairs of the Republican party. He was brought forward in the nineties as a member of the City Council from Ward Three, and, serving in this body for nine years, he acted as its president in 1894. He also served as alderman for two years, and at va- rious times has been active on the school committee. Fraternally he is identificd with the Pacific Lodge, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, of New Bedford, and he is a prominent member of the Dartmouth Club. His religious affiliation is with the Baptist church.
Mr. Barrows married, in 1884, Laura E. Allan, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, daughter of Robert and Laura A. (Davis) Allan, of this city, and they are the parents of four children: Rachael M .; Sarah D .; Laura D .; and Allan, who served during the World War in the United States Navy in the mine service, having a rating of quartermaster of the first class.
ISAAC NEWTON BABBITT, inventor, manu- facturer and industrial executive, was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, on February 19, 1872, a son of - James M. and Isabel (Hargraves) Babbitt. Mr. Bab- bitt, Sr., was likewise an inventor, having invented and perfected a machine for the manufacture of loom cranks. He was engaged in the manufacture of loom cranks throughout his lifetime and up until the time of his death, which occurred at Fairhaven, Massachu- setts, in 1917. Isaac Newton Babbitt's paternal grand- parents were Isaac N. and Almira (Morse) Babbitt, the latter a relative of the Morse of telegraph fame. His grandparents on his mother's side of the family were Robert and Elizabeth (Standing) Hargraves, rep- resentatives of an old New England family. Ancestors of both prominent families were early settlers in Bristol county.
Isaac Newton Babbitt's early education was obtained in the public schools of Fall River, following which he entered and was graduated from the Durfce High School. Upon the completion of his academic studies he secured a position in a local meat and grocery store, later entering the employ of L. W. Mason as a regular store clerk in the latter's grocery business. In De- cember, 1890, he apprenticed himself to Babbitt, Wood & Company to learn boiler manufacturing and machine- shop work. Joseph M. Babbitt, his uncle, was the founder of this well known company. So thoroughly did Isaac N. Babbitt learn the business in all its phases, and so diligently did he apply himself, that
when the company was divided in October, 1907, he was given the important position of treasurer of the Babbitt Steam Specialty Company, one of the two divisions. The factory and offices of the Babbitt Steam Specialty Company are located at the corner of Water and Spring streets, and the present officers are John A. Stitt, president, and Isaac Newton Babbitt, treasurer and general manager. The output of the factory is made up of power plant specialties. In 1915 Mr. Babbitt designed and perfected the Babbitt Adjust- able Sprocket Rim, which is now widely known and in general use.
Outside of his business Mr. Babbitt has taken an active and interested part in public affairs, having for many years served his city well as an assessor. At the present time he is selcctman for the town of Fair- haven, Massachusetts, and has discharged the duties of this office with his usual efficiency for a period of seven years.
Fraternally, Mr. Babbitt has been especially active and interested in things Masonic, being a member in good standing of the George H. Tabor Lodge, No. 320, Free and Accepted Masons, and is a past master of this body. He is also a Knight Templar and a Shriner, and served as the first president of the Fairhaven Masonic Club. He is a member and a past worthy patron of the Gifford Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. His clubs include the Rotary Club and the Leighton Club of Fairhaven. He was a director for many years of the New Bedford Young Men's Christian Association, and is the present incumbent of the president's chair of the Fairhaven Mutual Aid Society. He also holds mem- bership in the National Association of Cotton Manu- facturers. Mr. Babbitt's religious affiliation is given to the Congregational church.
Isaac Newton Babbitt was married, at Fall River, Massachusetts, on August 15, 1894, to Eva F. Healey, daughter of Valentine and Phoebe W. (Dwelly) Healey, and to them were born the following children : 1. Frank M., born at New Bedford, Massachusetts, on June 14, 1895; graduated from Massachusetts In- stitutc of Technology in the year 1920. During the late World War he served with distinction in the American Expeditionary Forces as a lieutenant with an engineer's corps of the United States Army. He is now associated with his father in business and has charge of production at the Fairhaven factory. 2. Ed- win V., who was born at Fairhaven, Massachusetts, on July 15, 1897. He was graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute with the class of 1922. He also is associated with his father in business. Edwin V. Babbitt married, and is the father of one child: Robert T., born at Fairhaven, Massachusetts, on June 4, 1921.
Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Newton Babbitt and their sons are active in the work of their church and in the social circles of their community. The family residence is at Fairhaven, while Mr. Babbitt's business interests are at New Bedford, Massachusetts.
THEODORE W. CASH-The group of pro- gressive and forward-looking executives which com- prise the jewelry industry of the Attleboros, in Bristol county, Massachusetts, includes many men whose names are worthy of marked distinction, for in their endeav-
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ors the prosperity of this section has been largely augmented and the present pre-eminence of the asso- . ciated cities in this industry has been achieved. Theo- dore W. Cash, who stands at the head of the Ballou Manufacturing Company, of Attleboro, is a thoroughly representative figure in this executive group, and his leadership of the firm of which he is the head is a noteworthy example of efficiency and well-directed energy.
Mr. Cash is a son of David A. Cash, who was born at Suffolk Falls. He was active as a jeweler through- out his lifetime, the greater part of his career having been spent in Attleboro, Massachusetts. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in a Rhode Island infantry regiment. His death occurred in 1911. His wife, Helen (Stewart) Cash, was born in the State of New York, and survived her husband for several years, passing away in the year 1917.
Theodore W. Cash was born in Attleboro, Massachu- setts, January 25, 1871. His education was received in the public schools of this city, and following the com- pletion of his studies he was employed in the watch- case factory of Bates & Bacon, where he learned the trade of engraver. After two years in this connection, Mr. Cash went to Sag Harbor, New York, where he was active for about one year. He then returned to Attleboro and spent three years with the S. W. Gould Company, then with the S. O. Bigney Company, of Attleboro, for nineteen years. During the greater part of that time he acted as foreman of the engrav- ing department, and in this capacity he bore a definite part in the progress of the concern. Mr. Cash then identified himself with the Ballou Manufacturing Com- pany, which was established in the year 1907, its first location being in the Tappen Building, on Union street. They removed to their present location, No. 94 County street, in 1917, and there they occupy one floor, employ- ing about forty people. This concern, which was founded by Mr. A. E. M. Ballou, was incorporated in the year 1910, and Mr. Cash is president and treasurer of the corporation. They manufacture a general line of jewelry, comprising links, lockets, and novelties of many kinds, and they are among the leaders in bring- ing out the specialties which meet the demands of any popular fad. The concern has enjoyed a steady growth since its inception, and is one of the large producers in its field in Attleboro today. Mr. Cash is a member of the New England Jewelers' and Silversmiths' Asso- ciation; the Manufacturing Jewelers' Board of Trade, of Providence, Rhode Island; and the Attleboro Cham- ber of Commerce. Mr. Cash supports the Republican party in political affairs, and for three years was with Company I, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. Frater- nally he is affiliated with Attleboro Lodge, No. 1014, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His relig- ious affiliation is with the Second Congregational Church.
Mr. Cash married, in 1895, Hattie L. Fiske, of Bristol county, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of two children: Harold G., born in 1898; and George T., born in 1903.
ELLIS (2) GIFFORD, through his ownership of the long-established jewelry store of C. E. Gifford & Company, is one of the foremost business men of to-
day in Fall River, Massachusetts. The business is the oldest retail store in the city still owned by the family of the founders, and was established in the year 1836 by Ellis (1) Gifford, originally of Falmouth, Massa- chusetts, where his forefathers settled about 1648.
Ellis (1) Gifford came to Fall River about 1830, and engaged in watch and clock repairing in a shop located at No. 1 South Main street, and from this modest be- ginning grew the weil and widely known establishment of today. Ellis Gifford was married in 1836 to Abbie Chase, and to them were born ten children: Charles E .; Phoebe S. (Mrs. Henry Aydelot); Benjamin S. C., now treasurer and manager of Allen Slade & Com- pany; Edmund C .; Abbie E .; Marianna; and four who died in infancy. Their sons, Charles E. and Edmund C., were reared in Fall River, and following their fun- damental education in the public schools of their birth- place, they entered and were graduated from Friends' School, now Moses Brown School, of Providence.
Charles E. Gifford, upon the completion of his education, immediately entered his father's business, which up to this time had been carried on by Ellis Gifford. At this same time Thomas Estes was taken into the firm under the firm name of Gifford, Estes and Company, under which title the business was continued for about a year, when Thomas Estes moved away and the name was changed back to Ellis Gifford. The father, Ellis (1) Gifford, died in the year 1866, leaving his son to carry on the business alone, which he did until 1880, when Edmund C. Gifford entered the business and be- came associated with his brother in the management of the store, the present firm name of C. E. Gifford & Company coming into use some time after 1866. In 1892 the establishment had been moved from the original location to new and larger quarters at No. 36 North Main street. The two brothers carried on the business successfully until Charles E. Gifford died in the year 1896, leaving his brother, Edmund C., to manage the enterprise alone. In the year 1905 the present Ellis (2) Gifford entered the concern and learned the business in all its departments and phases. Upon his father's death, in the year 1908, Ellis (2) Gifford became the manager of the store and of his mother's estate. Ten years later he purchased the in- terests of his mother, and since that time has success- fully continued in his management of the jewelry busi- ness so well established by his grandfather.
Edmund C. Gifford married (first), in 1880, Edith H. Miles, of Worcester, Massachusetts. To them were born two children: Ellis (2), of whom further, and Marjorie B., born in 1885, died in 1898. Edmund C. Gifford married (second), in 1892, Alice J. Flagg, of Chelsea, and to them were born three daughters: Dor- othy; Helen, now the wife of John S. Brayton; and Hilda, now the wife of Elmer Graham.
Ellis (2) Gifford was born at Fall River, Massa- chusetts, in 1884, a son of Edmund C. and Edith H. (Miles) Gifford. His early education was obtained from the public schools of Fall River, following which he entered and was graduated from the Fall River High School. He then matriculated at Harvard Uni- versity, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1906, being given the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He immediately entered the store of his fore-
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fathers and learned the business, as has already been mentioned. At least ten retail jewelry stores have been started by former employees of the C. E. Gifford & Company firm. The continued brotherly feeling be- tween these competitors is well shown by the fact that Fall River jewelers were one of the first organizations in the country to form a local organization, which is still in existence, and one of the few groups of retailers who advertise their goods cooperatively year after year.
Further business associations of Mr. Gifford's in- clude the directorship of research and chairman of trade interest committee of the American National Retail Jewelers' Association; ex-president of the Mer- chants' Association, now serving on the executive committee; president of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Retail Jewelers' Association; and ex-president of the Fall River Credit Reporting Association, of which latter body he is a member of the executive committee. In public and civic service Mr. Gifford has also been very active. He is a director of the Young Men's Christian Association, the president of the Association for Community Welfare; secretary of the B. M. C. Durfee High School Athletic Associa- tion; president of the Unitarian Layman's League; and director and vice-president of the Fall River Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Gifford is also a member of the Rotary Club, of which he is a director. He is also a member of the standing committee of the Unitarian church. He served on the fuel committee during the World War.
Ellis Gifford married, at Fall River, Massachusetts, June 1, 1909, Mary H. Beattie, a daughter of David and Etta (Davis) Beattie. To Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Gifford have been born two children, as follows: Isabel M., born June 18, 1910; and Edmund B., born August 14, 1914. The family attends the Unitarian church, and are active in the social circles of their community.
EDWARD ANTHONY THURSTON-Hardly past the half century mark in years, Edward An- thony Thurston developed strong qualities of lead- ership in his profession and in public life, and won an enduring place in legal records and State an- nals. He was learned in the law and commanded a large practice, extensive in its scope, including Boston and Washington, D. C. For many years he sacrificed much of his time in the field of poli- tics, allowing his profession to take a secondary place in his personal life, although he was until his death a member of the eminent Fall River law firm, Baker, Thurston, Seagrave & Terry. Yet despite his political activities and the demands of his Washington business, his local practice was extensive and he will long be remembered with favor as a lawyer of skill and ability. Yet he ac- quired a greater prominence in the political field, not as an office holder, for he never sought political office of any kind, but as an organizer, a leader and one of the hardest workers in the ranks of the Republican party. In 1914 a political writer, in dis- cussing the situation in Massachusetts, wrote thus of Mr. Thurston:
With the Democrats in possession of all the political strongholds, and with the Progressives still clinging-although a bit hysterical-together, it seems strange to find that the
average Republican leader in this State is an optimist when he is discussing what he believes will happen this fall. Strange until you find that the Republicans have at the head of their State committee the champion optimist in the State, Edward A. 'Thurston, a young Fall River lawyer.
Politics seemed to be second nature to Mr. Thurs- ton and he fairly reveled in the battles of the bal- lots. His personal acquaintance with great men in politics was very extensive, evidence of this being found in his law office, the walls of which he cov- ered with autographed photographs of President Harding, President Coolidge, ex-President Taft, Secretary of War Weeks, Senator Lodge, and many other leaders of the Republican party during the past twenty years.
Personally Mr. Thurston was one of the most likeable of men. Members of the bar, arrayed against him in trial, members of his party, not agreed with him in the policies to be pursued, ad- mired him for his frank, open, fearless way of carrying on his cause. He was generous to a fault, and, despite the teeming activities of his endeavors, found time to do numerous little things which showed the possession of a very fine spirit. He was an upstanding type of American citizenship. and fairly won the high opinion in which he was held by all who knew him.
Mr. Thurston of this review, traced his descent in paternal line through several generations of New England ancestors, to Edward Thurston, who came to Rhode Island before 1647, and his wife, Elizabeth Mott, daughter of Adam Mott. On the maternal side he traced through eleven generations to Dr. Francis Anthony, born in London, England, April 16, 1550, who, according to "Encyclopedia Britan- nica," was a "learned physician and chemist, son of an eminent goldsmith of London, who had a responsible position in the jewel office under Queen Elizabeth." His American ancestor was John (2) Anthony, born in 1607, who came to New England in the ship "Hercules," April 16, 1634. Portsmouth, Rhode Island, was the home of his Anthony an- cestors until Sarah Howland Anthony, of the elev- enth generation, married Edwin Chace Thurston, of Fall River, of the seventh generation of Thurstons in New England, and made Fall River their home, To Edwin Chace and Sarah Howland (Anthony) Thurston three children were born: Cora Belle, wife, and now widow, of Dr. Charles C. Terry; Ed- ward Anthony, of further mention; and Ralph Emery, of Putnam, Connecticut.
Edward Anthony Thurston, elder son of Edwin Chace and Sarah Howland (Anthony) Thurston, was born at Fall River, Massachusetts, June 26, 1871, died in the city of his birth, July 29, 1923. He completed courses of public school study with gradu- ation from B. M. C. Durfee High School in 1889, then entered Brown University, whence he was graduated with the degree of Batchelor of Arts, class of 1893. He chose the law as his profession and prepared at Harvard Law School, receiving the degree of Batchelor of Laws from that institu- tion in 1896, the same year gaining admissioin to the Massachusetts bar. He began professional life
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with the law firm of Jennings and Morton, remain- ing with them until the outbreak of the Spanish- American War in 1898, when, with old Battery M, 1st Regiment, Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, he joined the service, remaining on duty at Fort War- ren until the war ended. A year before he en- tered the service he formed a partnership with Charles L. Baker, under the firm name, Baker and Thurston. That association endured so long as life lasted, although the firm was enlarged, the name becoming Baker, Thurston, Seagrave & Terry, the junior member of the firm being a nephew of Mr. Thurston, Carl A. Terry. From the beginning of his professional career Mr. Thurston was very successful, and built up a clientele which included many corporations. His thorough knowledge of the law won him important clients and he was con- nected with many important cases tried in Massa- chusetts courts. In his later years his larger prac- tice was outside of Fall River, and he spent con- siderable time in Washington. When the financial bubble blown by Charles Ponzi burst, Mr. Thurston was named a trustee by Judge James M. Morton, Jr., and during the war period he performed legal service for a number of cotton mills of Fall River in safeguarding their government contracts. Dur- ing the years following the war, he was engaged in Washington in the settlement of claims against alien properties, seized by the government during the war period, 1917-1918, and in the settlement of claims arising from contracts made with the gov- ernment.
Mr. Thurston was a member of the Fall River Bar, Bristol County Bar, Massachusetts State Bar, and American Bar Associations, and was highly es- teemed by his contemporaries of the profession. Al- ways interested in politics, it was not until 1898 that he came into the limelight as a leader. His connection with Andrew J. Jennings, of the law firm Jennings & Newton, urged him to actively es- pouse Mr. Jennings' candidacy for Congress, against W. S. Greene. He obtained leave of absence from the army and was placed in charge of the Jen- nings campaign. He showed his great ability as a political worker during that campaign, although Mr. Jennings was defeated, and the fact was recognized that in Mr. Thurston a new leader had arisen. He was made chairman of the Republican Committee in 1906, 1907, and 1908, and later he was chosen a member of the Republican State Central Com- mittee. From his first connection with that body he impressed the members with his enthusiasm and ability to such an extent that in 1914 they elected Mr. Thurston chairman. Republican fortunes were then at low ebb in Massachusetts, the Democracy, after electing the governor, in 1913, having accom- plished the seemingly impossible, by having elected every candidate on their State ticket. Eugene N. Foss in 1923 had defeated Augustus P. Gardner, the Republican nominee. In 1914, when Mr. Thurston was elected chairman of the committee, the Repub- licans nominated Samuel W. McCall, the Democrats nominated David I. Walsh, and Joseph H. Walker ran as a Progressive candidate; Mr. Walker's entry
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