USA > Massachusetts > Biographical history of Massachussetts; biographies and autobiographies of the leading men in the state, 1911, vol 9 > Part 11
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In the home thus guarded Mr. Harlow's boyhood days were passed. With such an inheritance and environment he grew to be the loyal and highminded soldier and citizen. The farm, then as now, offered no royal road to wealth, and the farmer's boy had his daily tasks. He early had the ambition to obtain an education beyond that which the public schools of a small country town could give, and in gratifying his desire he had many difficulties to sur- mount, but through his own efforts, and with his father's generous and unfailing assistance, he realized his ambition in preparatory school and college. His favorite reading in youth was the Greek Testament; as an example of lucid English style he studied Ad- dison's "Spectator." The effectiveness of his work and study is shown by the record that he graduated from Yale when he was twenty-three years of age, having fitted himself for college with one term at Monson Academy. After he graduated from Yale he studied law and was admitted to the bar in Worcester, in 1853, when he was twenty-five.
Mr. Harlow had been in the practice of his profession but a few years when the Civil War broke out; and when the call came for volunteers he responded at once and enlisted for three years. He
WILLIAM TAYLOR HARLOW
joined the Twenty-first Massachusetts Regiment, which was or- ganized at Worcester in the early summer of 1861, and was made First Lieutenant of his company and later was promoted to be its Captain. He saw service under General Burnside at Roanoke Island and Newbern, North Carolina; was under General Pope in Northern Virginia; fought with the Army of the Potomac at Antietam and Fredericksburg, serving until his company was re- duced to nine men, while the whole regiment was nearly blotted out. He resigned with the other surviving officers and sought service in another regiment. Receiving a commission as major in the Fifty- seventh Veteran Regiment, he assisted in recruiting it, but was unable to return to the field, on account of malaria contracted earlier in the service.
Major Harlow practiced law again in Worcester, and later in Red Bluff, Tehama County, California. He there received ap- pointments and served as County surveyor, and assistant assessor of United States Internal Revenue. Again his old malaria found him out, and finally drove him back to Worcester, where he spent the rest of his life. In 1869 he was appointed Assessor of Internal Revenue and held that office until the office was abolished. He was then chosen Assistant Clerk of Courts and held that position from 1877 to 1904, for twenty-seven years, at the end of which time he retired to private life. For more than forty years Mr. Harlow had been in the public service as soldier and citizen, and in all of these years he gave to the service the best that was in him.
Mr. Harlow was with the Republican party in its beginning and remained loyal to it until his death. He was a "Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion." In his religious belief he was a Unitarian and was a member of the Second Parish Church of Worcester.
Mr. Harlow was married May 31, 1863, to Jeannette, daughter of Lewis and Maria (Stearns) Bemis, and granddaughter of Joshua and Phœbe (Bemis) Bemis and of Charles and Elizabeth (Mc- Farland) Bemis, and a descendant of Samuel Bemis, who was the second settler of Spencer, coming there from Watertown in 1721. She was also a descendant of Joseph Bemis, who came to Water- town from England in 1640. Mr. and Mrs. Harlow had three children, of whom two are living: Frederick Bemis Harlow, a lawyer, and Margaret Harlow.
William Taylor Harlow died at the advanced age of eighty-seven retaining to the last his vigorous faculties, and active interests and influence in the community. In his life full of years and of honor, with its many friendships and his loyalty to them, and his love of home, we have the record of one who in home, community, state and nation has been true to the highest New England ideals.
Hello Heywood
SETH HEYWOOD
S ETH HEYWOOD was descended from John Heywood, who came to New England before 1651, and settled in Concord, Massachusetts. John Heywood, son of the above John, was a prominent man, and had a son, Phineas, who was born in Concord in 1707, and removed to Worcester, and thence to Shrewsbury in 1739.
Phineas Heywood was a Selectman, a Representative in the Provincial Congress and a member of the committee of Corre- spondence and Safety. Seth Heywood, son of Phineas, was born in Worcester, December 4, 1737, and married in 1762, Martha, daughter of Isaac and Mary Temple, of Shrewsbury. He was a farmer and blacksmith, and served as Lieutenant in the Revolution, being at that time a resident of the town of Lancaster. After the war he bought a farm on the borders of Ashburnham and West- minster, which was included within the limits of Gardner on the incorporation of that town in 1785. The larger part of the town- hall lot, the burial-ground, and hotel lot, and some intervening streets in Gardner, are parts of the old Heywood farm. Mr. Hey- wood took an active part in securing the incorporation of the town, and was its first clerk and treasurer.
Benjamin Heywood, son of Seth and Martha (Temple) Heywood, was born in Lancaster, July 10, 1773, and was the Treasurer of the town of Gardner many years, and died in 1849. He inherited the farm of his father, and married Mary, daughter of William Whitney, of Winchendon, Massachusetts. His children were Levi, Benjamin F., Walter, William, Seth and Charles.
Seth Heywood, son of Benjamin and Mary (Whitney) Heywood, was born in Gardner, November 12, 1812, and died at his home there February 23rd 1904. His grandfather, William Whitney, was a prominent citizen of Winchendon, and represented that town in the Massachusetts General Court in 1803, 1805, 1806, 1807 and 1808.
Seth Heywood received his education in the district schools of his native town, and until he was twenty years of age assisted his father on his farm. In 1832, the year before he attained his ma- jority, he entered the employ of B. F. Heywood & Co., a firm con- sisting of Walter Heywood, B. F. Heywood, William Heywood and Moses Wood, of Gardner and James W. Gates of Boston, and ex- tensively engaged in the manufacture of chairs. He continued in the employ of the above firm and of his brother Levi (who for a
SETH HEYWOOD
time carried on the business alone) until 1844, when he became a member of the firm of Heywood & Wood, consisting of Moses Wood, his brother Levi and himself. In 1847 Mr. Wood retired, and Calvin Heywood, son of Levi, and Henry C. Hill came into the firm, which continued business under the style of Levi Heywood & Co. In 1851 the firm became organized as a joint-stock corporation under the name of the Heywood Chair Manufacturing Company, to which the employees of the company were admitted upon subscription to its capital. In 1861 the mills of the company were burned, and the company was dissolved. In 1862, after the mills had been rebuilt, a new firm was organized under the name of Heywood Brothers & Co., consisting of Levi and Seth Heywood, Charles Heywood, son of Levi, and Henry C. Hill. In 1868 Charles Heywood and Henry C. Hill retired, and Henry and George Heywood, sons of Seth, became members of the firm. At a later date, Alvin M. Green- wood, son-in-law of Levi Heywood, and Amos Morrill, son-in-law of Benjamin Heywood, who had died some years before, entered the firm, and in 1876 Charles Heywood re-entered it, remaining until his death, June 24, 1882. Levi Heywood died July 21, 1882. Soon after the death of Levi Heywood, Seth Heywood retired from the firm, and the year 1883 opened with its composition of four members, Henry Heywood, George Heywood, Alvin Greenwood, and Amos Morrill. Through all the changes above mentioned the style of the firm continued to be Heywood Brothers & Co.
Mr. Heywood received, as he deserved, the confidence of his fellow citizens, and was repeatedly called by them to positions of trust and honor. He was for several years Treasurer of Gardner, and was from the organization of the First National Bank of Gardner, in 1865, and of the Gardner Savings Bank, in 1868, respectively a Director and Trustee. In 1860 he was representative to the General Court, chosen, not only by the votes of the Demo- cratic party, of which he was a member, but by the added assistance of many of his political opponents. Mr. Heywood was a member of Hope Lodge Free and Accepted Masons. He was a respected and active member of the First Congregational Parish, and was a generous contributor to its support.
Mr. Heywood married, February 11, 1835, Emily, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Nichols) Wright, of Gardner, granddaughter of Nathaniel and Martha Wright and of David and of Rebecca (Burnap) Nichols, the sister of the wife of his brother Levi, and there were born to them the following children: Henry; George; Frances S. (Mrs. Frank W. Smith); Mary; and Mary E., who married Howard L. Ballard.
Geo Mywork
GEORGE HEYWOOD
G EORGE HEYWOOD, second son of the late Seth and Emily (Wright) Heywood, was born January 3, 1839. He was educated in the public schools of Gardner, Massachusetts, at Westminster Academy, and Barre Academy, Vermont. After completing his course in the latter institution he went to Bos- ton, where he represented the Heywood Brothers. He remained in this office for a few years, after which he entered the office of the Heywood Brothers and Company, located at Gardner, where he remained for some time. In 1868 he was admitted as a partner to the firm and in this connection continued until 1889, a period of twenty-one years, when he retired from business, and, surrounded by his loving family, led a quiet life up to the time of his death, September 23, 1905.
Mr. Heywood was a Democrat or Independent in politics, and although he displayed a lively interest in the important issues of the day, his business affairs prevented him from taking any active part in political matters beyond the exercise of his elective privileges. He was frequently chosen to fill various positions of trust and responsibility, in which he displayed the utmost efficiency and capability.
He was a Director of the Gardner Savings Bank, and his counsel was highly esteemed by the other members of the board. He took an active interest in the work connected with the First Con- gregational Church, of which he was a consistent and influential attendant.
He was a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery and the different Scottish Rite bodies up to and including the Thirty- second degree. He was one of the charter members of the Hope Lodge, of Gardner, in which he served for a time as Secretary. Mr. Heywood was a man of many sterling characteristics, with a strict regard for commercial ethics, with a high standard of citizenship and with social qualities which rendered him popular with a wide circle of friends. He was a man of honor, integrity, and high
GEORGE HEYWOOD
standing in the business community, and his career should serve as an example to young men who are ambitious and desire to succeed in the business world.
Mr. Heywood married, May 1, 1878, Laura A. Riddell, born in Amherst, New Hampshire, daughter of Albert A., and Sarah (Wheeler) Riddell, and granddaughter of Gawn Riddell, born in Bedford, New Hampshire, where his entire life was spent. Albert A. Riddell was born in Bedford, and followed agricultural pursuits throughout the active years of his life, and died in his native town at the age of fifty-one. His wife, Sarah (Wheeler) Riddell, was a native of Merrimac, New Hampshire, and her death occurred at the age of eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. Riddell were the parents of seven children, two of whom are living, as follows; Laura, widow of George Heywood; and Mrs. Charles E. Clement, of Nashua, New Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Heywood were the parents of two children: Alice W., educated in the schools of Gardner and at Miss Heloise E. Hersey's private school of Boston; and Henry E., educated in the schools of Gardner and at the preparatory school for boys at Lakeville, Connecticut, after which he entered Williams College at Williamstown, Massachusetts, and is now President of the F. W. Smith Silver Company.
George Heywood left the heritage of a noble life as an inspiration to the young men of today. Very early in his life he learned the wisdom of honesty, the uplift of true Christian charity, the faith in his fellow men that is above sordid selfishness and the sneer of small souls. No better proof of his broad view of God's love and care for all created beings need be adduced than his well known affection for dogs. He was a true sportsman as well as a nature lover, and early learned to find his chief recreation in hunting and fishing.
His wide circle of friends appreciated and trusted him. His long record of work in the upbuilding of his own town was notable, and the good he did will never be forgotten.
Henry Hay wood
HENRY HEYWOOD
H ENRY HEYWOOD came from a long line of English an- cestors. In 1651 representatives of the Heywood family settled in Concord and their descendants were prominent in the early history of the state of Massachusetts. He was born at Gardner, Massachusetts, June 25, 1836 and died there May 5, 1904. His father was Seth Heywood, born in 1812, the son of Benjamin Heywood, born in 1773, died in 1849. Seth Heywood died in 1904. Henry Heywood's mother was Emily Wright, the daughter of Joseph Wright, born in 1760, died 1824. Her mother's name before her marriage was Rebecca Nichols.
Seth Heywood was a chair manufacturer, a man of modest but upright nature. The moral and spiritual atmosphere of the home did much to mould the character of the son Henry, who evinced a nature extremely active and energetic. The influence of home, of private study, of school, and of early companionship was such that it exerted a potent, though quiet and unseen influence on his life.
Coming of a prosperous family, Henry Heywood received a liberal education, attending first the schools in his own town and then Westminster Academy from which he was graduated. At the age of eighteen, Mr. Heywood entered the chair factory as an em- ployee of his father, working up to the position of foreman. This position he held until 1868 when he became a member of the firm of Heywood Brothers and Company. In 1897 he was elected the first president of the firm of Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Company, which position he held until his death.
Mr. Heywood was a Mason, but refused official positions in either fraternities or political life. In politics he was a Democrat. As a pastime, Mr. Heywood delighted in farming, which was to him a most enjoyable relaxation from his business cares. Mr. Heywood held many responsible financial positions. He was a director of the First National Bank of Gardner and a trustee of the Gardner Savings Bank, and his advice and judgment were much sought by people who needed the guidance of a wise counselor in financial matters, Mr. Heywood was a constant attendant and generous
HENRY HEYWOOD
supporter of the First Congregational Church. He was modest and unostentatious, but was greatly esteemed for his large business ability and his unquestioned integrity.
On November 12, 1857, he was married to Martha, daughter of Seth and Phoebe (Jackson) Temple and granddaughter of Ahio and Betty (Heywood) Temple and of Elisha and Relief (Beard) Jackson. She was a descendant from Abraham Temple, who came from England to Salem sometime prior to 1636. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Heywood, of whom one, Helen R. is living.
Mr. Heywood, although he traced his lineage through successive generations of sturdy ancestors nevertheless owed the high position he attained to his own efforts and ability. He possessed a strong character. His dominant characteristic as a business man was his untiring energy and enterprise. Honest goods made the name of Heywood famous throughout the country. His house is the largest and best known chair manufactory in the world. The influence of his quiet and generous benefactions will live long. Many received his unostentatious charity. The loss of such a man to the com- munity is great, but his influence will long be felt, as he always stood for the best in everything.
The Henry Heywood Memorial Hospital of Gardner was built and named for him by his wife and daughter. The property was placed in the hands of a corporation, the members of which they selected. They contributed an endowment of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to help provide for the running expenses. Thus his name and influence will be perpetuated by this far-reaching charity.
GEORGE HENRY HEYWOOD
G EORGE HENRY HEYWOOD, only son of Henry and Martha (Temple) Heywood, was born in Gardner, Massa- chusetts, July 28, 1862.
He began his education in the public schools of his native town, and was graduated from the high school as valedictorian of his class in 1880. In 1884, after four years of study in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, he was graduated in the course in mining engineering. He then entered the office of Heywood Brothers and Company, and the next year went to Boston to open a branch store, of which he had charge and where he remained two years. Retaining his management of the Boston business, he then returned to take up his residence in Gardner. A year later he went to Chicago to superintend the erection of a large factory for the Heywood and Morrill Rattan Company and to open a retail store. After residing in Chicago three years, he returned to Gardner, and there became, next to his father, Henry Heywood, the leading spirit in the business, and when the Heywood and Wakefield Companies consolidated their interests, Mr. Heywood became one of the directors in the new company and also the Treasurer, continuing in that office until his death.
Upon his return to Gardner to take up his permanent residence, he displayed much interest in the town's affairs, and for six years served on the school committee, being Chairman of that body the last three years and directly instrumental in the adoption of ad- vanced measures for the management of the committee and of the schools.
He was a prominent member of the First Congregational parish, and a liberal contributor to every worthy cause, both within and outside the church. In social life he was also active, being a member of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, North Star Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar, Massachusetts Consistory, attaining the thirty-second degree in Free Masonry. He was one of the Directors of the Levi Heywood Memorial Library and President of the Gardner Boat Club. He was also a Trustee of Cushing Academy, but resigned on account
GEORGE HENRY HEYWOOD
of lack of time to attend to such duties. A public spirited citizen, he occupied a large place in the community and his death was universally mourned.
About May 1, 1898, he went to Haines Landing, Rangeley Lakes, Maine, accompanied by his wife, for rest from business cares and to enjoy fishing. There he died May 17, 1898. -
The Gardner Journal paid the following tribute to Mr. Heywood as part of its comment on his sudden death: -
" Of his character it can be said without exaggeration that he lived an exemplary life. He was high minded and scorned every- thing that was low and mean. He was true and faithful in all the relations of life, loyal to his friends, loyal to his town, to his state, and to his country. His was a busy life. He had never been an idler or mere pleasure seeker, but always applied himself closely to his business. He was a man of good intellect, clear-headed and of sound judgment. The cares and duties of his business did not prevent him from taking an active part in all that tended toward the welfare of his home community. His faithful interest in the public school system and the work he accomplished while on the board, will long be remembered to his credit."
Mr. Heywood was married in Gardner, October 27, 1886, to Harriet G. Edgell, daughter of John D. and Sarah (Greenwood) Edgell, all of Gardner. The children born of this union were; Seth, born July 28, 1887; John, April 28, 1890; Richard, born April 23, 1891, died August 29, 1891; and George Henry, born July 4, 1896.
This is the story of a comparatively short life. Yet who can recount the far reaching effects of his influence and his achieve- ments?
" No act falls fruitless; none can tell How vast its power may be, Nor what results enfolded dwell Within it silently."
If no single act falls fruitless, how much more must it be true that no life time of work for the attainment of character can fall wholly into oblivion. Certainly the exemplary life of George Henry Hey- wood has powerfully affected for good, not only his own family and his intimate friends, but also the public school system, the business world of Gardner, and all the interests of the community in which he moved. He built himself into the history of his town.
HENRY LEE HIGGINSON
H ENRY LEE HIGGINSON, soldier, banker, philanthropist, was born in New York City, November 18, 1834. His first ancestor in this country was the Reverend Francis Higgin- son, a graduate of Cambridge University, England, who arrived in Salem the last of June, 1629, and three weeks later was chosen minister of the church established there. Francis Higginson wrote the famous book entitled " New England's Plantations, or A Short and True Description of the Commodities and Discommodities of the Country," as well as an account of his voyage.
Mr. Higginson's father was born in 1804 and his life covered a large part of the century. His characteristics were honesty, sim- plicity, kindness, charity and patriotism. He married Mary Cabot Lee, daughter of Henry Lee, a merchant and good citizen.
Henry Lee Higginson entered Harvard University in 1851, but did not stay long. When asked once if he had had any difficulties to overcome in acquiring an education, he replied: " Yes, stupidity. I never was educated." He has served for many years on the governing Board of the University and is a member of the Corpora- tion.
Mr. Higginson first entered the counting-house of S. and E. Austin, and remained there nineteen months; then he went to Europe and later to Vienna where he studied music. Returning at the end of 1860, when the Civil War broke out, he and James Savage went to Fitchburg and recruited a company. He says: " This recruiting was strange work to us all and the men who came to our little recruiting office asked many questions which I did my best to answer."
In October 1861, Mr. Higginson was transferred, as captain, to the First Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry. He was promoted to Major on March 26, 1862, was wounded in the Battle of Aldie and on August 9, 1862, was discharged for disability re- sulting from wounds. Later he served on the staff of Major General Barlow, commanding the First Division of the Second Army Corps, and on March 13, 1865 was brevetted Lieutenant-Colonel U. S. V. for gallant and meritorious service during the war.
HENRY LEE HIGGINSON
After the end of the war, he, with two friends, planted cotton in Georgia for two years, and then early in 1868 became a member of the banking firm of Lee, Higginson & Company.
In 1881 Mr. Higginson established the Boston Symphony Or- chestra.
In June, 1890, Mr. Higginson wrote a letter to the President and Fellows of Harvard University offering them a tract of land ad- joining the Charles River. In this letter he said: "The estate henceforth belongs to the College without any condition or restric- tion whatsoever. I wish that the ground shall be called 'Soldiers' Field ' and marked with a stone bearing the names of some dear friends, alumni of the University, and noble gentlemen who gave freely and eagerly all that they had or hoped for to their country and to their fellow-men in the hour of their great need - the War of 1861 to 1865 - in defense of the Republic."
And after paying a beautiful tribute to the men whose names he wished to have associated with his gift, he spoke a few words which evidently came from his very heart and well illustrate the purposes and ideals of his own life: -
" What do the lives of our friends teach us?" he asks. This is his answer: - " Surely the beauty and the holiness of work and of utter unselfish, thoughtful devotion to the right cause, to our country, and to mankind. It is well for us all, for you and for the boys of future days, to remember such deeds and such lives and to ponder on them. These men loved study and work, and loved play too. They delighted in athletic games, and would have used this field, which is now given to the College and to you for your health and recreation. But my chief hope in regard to it is that it will help to make you full-grown, well-developed men, able and ready to do good work of all kinds, steadfastly, devotedly, thoughtfully; and that it will remind you of the reason for living, and of your own duties as men and citizens of the Republic."
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