USA > Massachusetts > Biographical history of Massachussetts; biographies and autobiographies of the leading men in the state, 1911, vol 7 > Part 5
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The uniform thoughtfulness and sympathy of his mother, com- bined with her readiness to render needed aid at all times and in gently unfolding the value of moral and spiritual ideals, deeply impressed her son with lessons of lasting worth.
Ing- tu Bing -Ly
John Liv. Bodlish
JOHN DUNNING WHITNEY BODFISH
Mr. Bodfish was handicapped in acquiring the education which he deeply craved because of lack of means, the long distance from the High School and the Normal School and later by loss of sight.
The books which have had the most influence in directing his thoughts and purposes have been the Bible, the great poets, and the writings of Lincoln and the Abolitionists of his time.
Notwithstanding the many hinderances which had to be over- come, Mr. Bodfish graduated from Barnstable High School in 1896, and from Hyannis Normal School in 1899. He was gradu- ated from Boston University Law School in June, 1914, with the degree of LL.B. Though without his sight and dependent almost entirely upon his own efforts to pay his way through this school, he was awarded the Ordrenoux Prize of $100 in gold for the best three years' work done by any member of the class. In the spring of 1915 he opened a law office in Hyannis where he is successfully practicing his profession, and where he is universally respected, not only as a lawyer, but also as a man.
He entered upon an active life as the Principal of the Osterville Grammar School, 1900 to 1901, when, his eyesight failing, he took up farming and fitted himself in spare time to teach the blind. In 1911 he served as Superintendent of work for the blind in Delaware.
Mr. Bodfish has always taken a deep interest in the public af- fairs of his locality. He led the fight in his town of Barnstable for cleaner politics and secured the Australian Ballot system of voting in town elections.
The relative strength of influence which has aided Mr. Bod- fish in attaining success is given in the following order: of home, of contact with men in active life, of school, of private study, and of early companionship. Politically, Mr. Bodfish is an independ- ent, always allied with the party and the men who are most ad- vanced in the advocacy of direct government and humanitarian programs.
As a public speaker he ranks with the best, being endowed with a strong and pleasing voice and the happy faculty of holding the close attention of his hearers from the first word to the last. His style is conversational. What he has to say is always worth say- ing and he says it with compelling force. In the matter of re- ligion he says that he is still seeking the organization which
JOHN DUNNING WHITNEY BODFISH
will most quickly bring about the practice of the Brotherhood of Man.
His hours of relaxation are divided between outdoor work in active farming, general reading, and such manual work as is done by the blind.
Mr. Bodfish was married December 31, 1908, to Louise Eliz- abeth, daughter of Myron and Elizabeth Clark, and granddaugh- ter of Henry H. and Elizabeth Clark, and of James and Margaret Corcoran. Mrs. Bodfish was born in Fabius, New York, February 23, 1879. Two children have been born to them, of whom Abbie Elizabeth Bodfish survives, born October 4, 1913.
This marriage has proven a most fortunate and happy one, and Mrs. Bodfish through her faithful devotion has rendered her hus- band invaluable assistance in his struggle for success.
In answer to the question, what will most help young people to attain true success in life, Mr. Bodfish says: "From my own ex- perience I will say that true success in life consists in making the most of one's opportunities as they present themselves, how- ever trifling they may seem. To do this, it is essential that one should form habits of industry, regularity, punctuality, and strict honesty. Learn to ask the question, 'Why?' Never take anything for granted. Cultivate your memory but do not trust it unless you have to, and above all things never let yourself lose faith in the justice and wisdom of the Destiny that shapes your ends." Mr. Bodfish exemplifies in his own life the essence of what he sug- gests for others to follow in order to win success.
Damit Www. Bank
DANIEL WEBSTER BOND
D ANIEL WEBSTER BOND, late Associate Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, was born in Canterbury, Connecticut, April 29, 1838. He died at Waltham, Massa- chusetts, January 22, 1911, in his seventy-third year. He was the son of Daniel H. and Deborah (White) Bond, and was a descend- ant of William Bond, who settled in Watertown, in 1630. His father was a native of Canterbury, Connecticut, where brothers of the Bond family settled as early as 1710. His mother was the daughter of the Rev. George S. White of Tunbridge Wells, Eng- land, who emigrated with his family to America in 1812.
The boyhood of Daniel Webster Bond was passed in his native town upon a farm, working out for the neighbors, and attending the public schools in the winter term. His hard work gave him the rugged physique which stood him in such good stead for so many years. He had a greater advantage than most boys of his town because his father was a highly intellectual man; he pro- vided his children with excellent reading matter. Mr. Bond early began to acquire a fund of knowledge which grew with his years. When sixteen years of age he entered a private school in Canter- bury, and later went to the Plainfield Academy and the New Britain Normal School in Connecticut. Afterwards he taught school in country districts around about, and had his share of that almost universal experience of the country school masters of those days, of boarding around with the families of the district.
In 1859, Mr. Bond began the study of law and acquired at the same time the art of shorthand, then comparatively little known. This accomplishment proved very useful to him in later years. When on the bench, in every case in which he presided he took the evidence in shorthand. In two trials where the stenog- rapher's notes had been lost or destroyed, he was able to draw a bill of exceptions upon all the evidence. In 1860, he entered the Columbia Law School, from which he graduated in 1862 with the
DANIEL WEBSTER BOND
degree of LL.B., and in the same year he was admitted to the practice of his profession at the bar.
At his graduation he was awarded the distinction of the Lieber prize of $200, a coveted honor at the school. During his two years at Columbia he almost entirely paid his way by outside work, largely by reporting lectures for the New York papers. For a time he practiced law in Providence, Rhode Island, and then re- moved to Florence, Massachusetts, where he served as attorney for a large corporation for several years. He made this an op- portunity to become well versed in patent law. In 1871, he opened an office in Northampton with his brother and Judge William Al- len, and within a few years acquired a large practice. He was strong on the criminal side of the Court, and one of his noted cases was the defense of the Northampton Bank robbers. In 1877 he was elected District Attorney for the Northwestern District, and he held the office until 1890, serving twelve full years. His success and ability in that office were so conspicuous that he was three times re-elected to the position, receiving in each case the nomination of both political parties.
His thorough knowledge of the law was of great service to him in the office of District Attorney. He had the instinctive knowledge of knowing when not to cross-examine a witness at all, and oftentimes, to the surprise of the bar, he would let a dan- gerous witness go without a word of cross-examination. His rea- son for such action was that when he was satisfied he could not weaken the force of what had been said, it was best to let the wit- ness's testimony alone. He was once asked by his associate in the trial of a cause to put a certain question to a hostile witness who was known to the Attorney to have testified contrary to the real fact. On inquiring of his associate his means of knowledge he asked him, "Have you witnesses present to contradict him?" "No," was the reply. Mr. Bond refused to put the question, and afterwards said it was a safe rule never to ask a hostile witness a question to which a lying answer would hurt one unless it was competent to contradict him and one had the means at hand. He rarely became agitated when presenting a case to a jury. He had a keen insight into human nature and used it to advantage in ar- guing his cause. He used simple language, marshaled his facts in logical order, and stated them simply but with great force.
DANIEL WEBSTER BOND
In his office of District Attorney he conducted the duties of his place with an eye to the reformation of criminals who had been simply misled and were not vicious, but he prosecuted chronic and wicked criminals relentlessly. Governor Robinson offered him a position upon the bench of the Superior Court, but he preferred to remain in general practice and keep the office of District Attor- ney. In 1891 he was again tendered the appointment by Governor Brackett and accepted the position. For the following twenty years he gave his most faithful service to the Commonwealth, al- though the acceptance of the place meant a considerable sacrifice on his part.
Judge Bond was always a man with the keenest sense of duty, and no Justice of our Courts has ever been more conscientious in the performance of his trust. Always a tireless worker, he had but few interests outside of his daily duty in the court room. He was never missing from his place upon the bench except in the few instances of severe sickness, and, while Attorneys practicing before him sometimes differed from his construction of the law, they always felt that in making the decision he was always ani- mated by a keen sense of right and uninfluenced by any other consideration. He had from his early years upon the bench the keenest interest in our probation system, and never wearied in giv- ing his time and strength to its application or extension. If in his terms of the criminal court he was rigorous in sentencing old offenders, he was on the other hand most painstaking in his en- deavor to see that the young men who had strayed into the path of vice should not only be given another chance but should be placed under the proper influences that should lead them to re- form.
Not only was the youthful offender the object of his considera- tion but also the young practitioners at the bar, enabling them to be at their best in the presentation of their causes. In a word, the beneficence of his nature was felt in all his relations with men.
In politics he was never a partisan, but always voted with the Republicans. He gave his first vote for Abraham Lincoln and voted for Grant on his first election to the Presidency.
On May 20, 1863, he married Susan J. Dyer of Canterbury, Connecticut. She was the daughter of Harvey J. Dyer of that town. His wife, two sons, Charles W. and Henry H. Bond, and a daughter, Mrs. Wilbur E. Barnard, survive him.
DANIEL WEBSTER BOND
At the session of the Superior Court held in Salem, shortly after he died, Mr. Justice Raymond, who presided, paid this tribute to him :
"The Commonwealth has lost a most useful judge in the death of Justice Bond. His mental endowment, his extensive and rare experience in general practice and as District Attorney, his knowl- edge of men and affairs, and his steady and toilsome climb from humble surroundings to the position on the Superior Bench gave him unusual equipment for service. His kindly heart and sym- pathetic nature made him most useful for young men at the bar and his wise suggestions were most gratefully received by his young associates on the bench. His death creates a vacancy very difficult to fill."
Mr. J. B. O'Donnell, who was a student in Judge Bond's of- fice, said: "Judge Bond was very much of a home man and had few, or no, associations, which interfered with his home life. He was self-possessed, always easily approachable, modest in bearing, and of a simple nature. He never 'posed'; he had little regard for formalities and conventionalities; he was original and inde- pendent in his mode of living; a strong character and a kind man."
In speaking of Judge Bond, Mr. Sherman L. Whipple said: ". . . I could not bear to speak of my own sense of personal loss or loss of the Commonwealth of one of the most upright, conscien- tious, and kindly judges we ever had-these of just renown, and of tender kindness to all deserving."
Rev. DeWitt S. Clark said: " ... How grateful you have come to be that he has been spared to you so long, and that he has ably occupied such a prominent position in the Commonwealth, and that his Christian character and fortitude are bequeathed to his family-their precious inheritance."
It was said by one of his associates :
"Judge Bond came to the bench well equipped for judicial service. By inheritance he was imbued with the New England con- ception of a free government, administered by free-men, and real- ized full well that for its successful maintenance a fearless and sound judiciary was indispensable. His long and successful ca- reer at the bar had made him familiar with the common law as a system of jurisprudence and the practice sanctioned by the courts for its application and enforcement. He knew full well the
DANIEL WEBSTER BOND
advantage derived from good pleading, but he never permitted him- self to overlook the facts on proof of which his client's cause ulti- mately depended. While engaged in a large and diversified civil practice he found time also for many years to serve the public as District Attorney. The administration of the functions of this office broadened his view of the social compact, or, as he once said to me, 'the most hardened criminal is entitled to the protection of the laws or there is no protection for the most virtuous member of society if his conduct runs counter to the will of the majority.'
"When he went on the bench few judges of his time were bet- ter fitted by learning and experience to discharge the great duties of a trial judge. It may be that his deep dislike of indirect methods, or where, perhaps, the side on which justice clearly lay was overweighed by opposing counsel, he indicated strongly his views of what the result ought to be, yet no man ever questioned his judicial integrity or ever suggested that possibly he was actu- ated by unworthy motives. If he thought that a presiding judge should be something more than a mere moderator to direct the sheriff to preserve order and conducted his court accordingly, who shall say that his standard of what a trial should be-the ascer- tainment of the truth-is unsupported by the example of some of the most eminent of English and American judges? His ample learning, his knowledge of men and things, gathered from an un- usually comprehensive and intensely active professional life, were ever at the service of not only his associates but the youngest and least experienced member of the bar. To the weak he was help- ful, and from the strong he withheld not his hand when justice demanded that he should not remain passive. Clear in analysis, full in all necessary details, correct and forcible in expression, his instructions to juries were of a high order-that supreme test of the capacity and efficiency of a nisi prius judge. The judicial ideals of Judge Bond were a passion for service and for righteous- ness, and in striving for their attainment he honored his profession and nobly served the Commonwealth."
WILLIAM LINCOLN BOOTH
W ILLIAM LINCOLN BOOTH, a prominent citizen of Fall River, was born in that city, May 7, 1866, and died there, March 3, 1915. He was the son of William and Mary Booth, his father having been a much-esteemed veteran of the Civil War. He attended the Borden School, though without com- pleting the course, and subsequently assisted his father in the gro- cery business. Some twenty years prior to his death Mr. Booth gave up his interest in the grocery establishment and devoted his attention to the sale of bundle-wood and package coal, and presently built up a thriving business in this line of trade, with branch stores in Taunton and New Haven.
Mr. Booth's earliest connection with the Fall River Fire De- partment was in 1885 when he was appointed call man and as- signed to Engine No. 3. He served in that connection for nine- teen years. On February 3, 1913, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, an office which he filled at the time of his death. Mr. Booth was widely popular, possessing qual- ifications alike desirable in private business or public service. On reaching his majority he adopted as a life motto: "If you can't boost a man, don't kick him," an injunction that might well lie on many a busy man's desk.
He was a thirty-second degree Mason and very prominent in the Masonic fraternity of Fall River and its vicinity. He was a member of Narragansett Lodge, F. & A. M .; a charter member of Fall River Royal Arch Chapter, Godfrey de Bouilion Commandery Knights Templar, Azab Grotto, and Manchester Unity of Odd Fel- lows. He was also a member of the Quequechan and Fall River Bowling Green clubs and of the transportation committee of the Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Booth belonged to the Republican party, while the trend of his religious feelings was made evident by his membership in the Episcopalian Church.
In 1886 Mr. Booth was married to Ada A. Whitworth, by whom he had two children, William Irving and John Morton, the last named at present a senior at Brown University. W. Irving has conducted his father's business since his death.
The career of Mr. Booth furnishes a remarkable instance of what energy and attention to the business at hand will accomplish towards attainment of success in life. Honesty and industry were his watchwords and he had a wide circle of friends.
IL Booth
JOHN BOWMAN, 3RD
J OHN BOWMAN, 3RD, was the son of John Bowman, 2nd (February 11, 1794-August 20, 1831), and Lucinda Foster, and grandson of Samuel Bowman (November 4, 1749-De- cember 21, 1819) and Hannah Winthrop Davenport of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Samuel Bowman was the son of John Bowman, 1st, of Lexington, and Susannah Coolidge, daughter of Captain Joseph Coolidge of Watertown.
The name Bowman and the names interwoven with it in family history have had large significance in the Commonwealth. The name originated in the beautiful north country of England, where settled a band of Anglo-Saxons in very early times. Subsequent invaders naturally sought these same hills for protection and made the "border country" between England and Scotland, their chief battle ground. Hence the early Saxons were early put to it to prove their mettle. In the use of the typical weapon of the period they attained an expertness that made them famous and placed them at the head of the Saxon armies. They were the bow-men of the times. Kings rewarded them with the greater part of the two counties of Cumberland and Northumberland. When the "Con- queror" came he selected them as his bodyguard, and to their sure aim he more than once owed his life. What more natural than that he should settle on them the "Bowman" family "arms" of Cross Bows, in recognition of their service. An appellation became a surname.
When the crowns of England and Scotland were united and many of the Barons were left unsupported, the Bowmans began to extend their holdings. Parts of the Clan went into Scotland about the beginning of the sixteenth century. They gave a Mayor to Edinburgh in the person of John Bowman. Other parts of the clan went into Derbyshire and Dorset. It is with the latter branches that we are more immediately concerned. Nathaniel Bowman, son of John Bowman and his wife, Ann Beresford, of Parwick, near Allstonfield, left England and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1630, where he became a "proprietor." His coming was not due to any Puritan allegiance for he was a good Episcopalian. Hence he held no office in the colony, but that he was a highly esteemed man is shown by the fact that a portion of the town was named in his honor.
The family was one of the most substantial in the early history of Massachusetts. The grandson of the first settler, Francis Bow- man, of Lexington, was admitted a "freeman" and held every office
JOHN BOWMAN 3RD
within the gift of King and town. His title, "Ye Most Worshipful Justice," attests his prominence. He was made the King's first "Royal Magistrate" in 1720, and his son succeeded him. Other names in the family genealogy stand out in the political and edu- cational history of the state. Major Simon Willard, of Cambridge, who bought Concord of the Indians, President Dunster of Harvard College, Josiah Willard of Harvard College, Reginald Foster, founder of Ipswich, Governor John Winthrop, Captain Joseph Coolidge, of Watertown, and Captain John Sherman and Rev. John Davenport were all directly related to the family and their names show the substantial character of the stock.
The family has been a conspicuous and enterprising patron of Harvard College, and Bowman graduates have held many places of trust and honor in town, state, and nation.
Three family characteristics stand out in the family history,- a progressive spirit, ability to bear a prominent part in the stirring times in which its members have participated, and intellectual power, which is at once a result and a cause of the liberal patronage of higher education.
John Bowman, 3rd, was born at Warwick, Mass., April 16, 1822, and died at Boston, August 4, 1882. He was brought up on a farm. New England farm life was a powerful educational force in the life of any boy, and John Bowman showed the typical New England traits,-participation in family duties and the cultivation of responsibility for his share in family enterprises. He attended the public schools and took them seriously. He followed their courses as far as they went and then attended the High Schools in Gardner and Worcester. Then he took up the study of the law, for the Bowmans have been lawyers in every generation since the "King's Bench" of England was established. His legal knowledge was always helpful to him but his tastes led him rather to scientific experiments. He gained a thorough knowledge of mechanics, and eventually he became a skilled machinist and developed a high degree of inventive power.
But he always called himself a farmer. His heart was always in the country. He loved to live close to "Nature and Nature's God." Farming itself is a science and naturally stimulates a sci- entific spirit in those who do not go into it perfunctorily but with an intelligent purpose. John Bowman was a farmer-inventor. The Douglass pump, a locomotive spark arrester, a knitting machine that brought him fame and fortune, stand to the credit of his inventive genius.
JOHN BOWMAN 3RD
Mr. Bowman resided for many years in the South, in Macon, Milledgeville, and Tallahassee,-where he invested extensively in real estate. In the far west also, he found business opportunities and had to do with the beginnings of the railroad that connects Oregon and California. The same progressive characteristics that distinguished his early ancestors took him out into these enterprises.
While he was in the South the Civil War broke out, and he was promptly drafted into the Confederate Army. This, however, was not an enterprise to his mind and he eventually came North.
His business interests took him out into the world, and besides he liked travel for itself. It gave him an opportunity to study the world and its people at first hand. True to the best traditions of New England and of his family he gave careful attention to the education of his children.
He was an excellent illustration of what may be called the mod- ern counterpart of a New England colonist of the higher type. In fraternity life he was a Mason; in politics, a Republican; in religion, a Unitarian.
John Bowman married, on August 10, 1848, Eliza Powel Git- tings, who was descended in direct line on her mother, Sarah Powel's side, from Captain William Powel, who came to Jamestown, Vir- ginia, in 1611 and was a leader in the first Legislative Assembly in America at Jamestown, July, 1619. Further back Mrs. Bowman traced her descent from Hugh Powel, father of Capt. William Powel, of Castle Madoc, Brecon, Wales, the King's High Sheriff; and still further back, from Llewellyn, last of the Welsh princes. On the side of her father, George Gittings, she was descended from John Gittings who came to Baltimore in 1659 with Philip Calvert, became Clerk of the Upper House of Burgesses, filled many places of trust and honor, and was considered one of the most highly educated men of the Colony. Three colonies were thus united in this marriage. Five children were born of the union, of whom two are still living: Samuel Stillman Bowman, a retired officer of the army, and Sarah Lucinda (Bowman) Van Ness, wife of Joseph Van Ness, who was the founder and is honorary life regent of the Lexington branch of the "Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution," also the "Society of the Daughters of the Founders and Patriots of America," and thus bears out the colonial traditions of the family. One grandchild, John A. Bow- man, also survives.
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