USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of Essex County, Massachusetts > Part 13
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Mr. Brown, Sr., was married a second time in January, 1852, to Miss Leona A. Story, who was born in Essex, daughter of David Story, a former resident of that town. Of his two children by his present wife, Alvin Story is living, and resides on the home farm. Alvin married Miss Ella Thurston, and has three children - Emma Appleton, Elsie Frances, and Ruth Story. His younger brother, Jesse Appleton Brown, died at the age of twenty-one years.
EORGE A. DAVIS, a prominent busi- ness man of Gloucester and the pro-
prietor of a large soda water manu- factory and bottling establishment, is a native of Newburyport, born November 27, 1846. A son of William and Nancy (Jackman) Davis, he is descended on the paternal side from early settlers of Amesbury, Mass. Since 1656 the name has been a familiar one in Essex County, and has been borne with honor by many who have been called to serve in official capacities. Mr. Davis's ınaternal an- cestors were among the oldest and most promi- nent citizens of Newburyport. Joseph Jack- man, his grandfather, served at one time as Postmaster of that town. William and Nancy (Jackman) Davis had nine children, as follows : Sarah E., born January 25, 1832; Joseph W., born August 3, 1833, who died October II, 1887; Lois, born July 11, 1835, who died May 29, 1837; Charles O., born December 17, 1837; Lois H., born May 26, 1840, who died May 9, 1897; Edward P., born August 12, 1843, who died August 16, 1843; George A., the subject of this sketch; Stephen F., born June 18, 1850; and Mary I., born May 20, 1854.
George A. Davis obtained his education in the public schools of Newburyport, after which he entered the employ of George Giles, of that place, as travelling salesman. In 1869 he came to Gloucester, and with S. B. Winn as partner, under the firm name of Winn & Davis, bought the business which he now conducts. His partner having retired a short time after, he has since carried on the enterprise alone ; and its growth and success are due to his own careful management.
On September 27, 1868, Mr. Davis was married to Mary C. Short, of West Newbury, and now has one daughter, Nellie M., living at home. A prominent Mason, he is a mem-
GEORGE A. DAVIS.
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ber of Tyrian Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; of William Ferson Chapter, R. A. M. ; of Beth- lehem Commandery, Knights Templar; of Aleppo Temple and Lafayette Lodge of Per- fection, of Boston ; of Giles F. Yates Council, Princes of Jerusalem ; of Mount Olivet Chap- ter, Rose Croix; and of the Massachusetts Consistory. He has filled the different chairs in Bethlehem Commandery, of which at the present time he is Eminent Commander. During the term of Mayor Rogers, Mr. Davis was a member of the Common Council. Un- assuming in manner and of genial disposi- tion, Mr. Davis has a large circle of friends and acquaintances.
G EORGE F. HAMER, of Lawrence, the accomplished pianist and organ- ist and teacher of harmony, composi- tion, and counterpoint, was born in this city, February 7, 1862. His parents, Benjamin and Priscilla (Taylor) Hamer, were born in Eng- land.
Benjamin Hamer, who was a native of Yorkshire, was born in 1819. He came to this country when about thirty years of age. A skilful and experienced weaver, he had charge of weaving-rooms in Portsmouth, N. H., for a number of years. He removed to Law- rence about 1858, and here had charge of weaving-rooms in the Pacific Mills. He died May 15, 1897, leaving a widow and this son.
George F. Hamer was gifted with a natural talent for music, and was a skilful performer on the church organ at an early age. He acquired a common-school education in Law- rence, and then bent all his energies to the task of advancing himself in music. At fif- teen he was organist of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Methuen, Mass., afterward St. John's, and the First Unitarian Church of Lawrence,
and later of Park Street Church, Boston, Mass. In the meantime he studied with private teachers in Boston. He spent two years in Munich under the tuition of Joseph Rheinberger, and studied the piano with Kel- lermann; and he travelled through Germany, Italy, France, and England, all the while perfecting himself in his chosen art. After his return Mr. Hamer was for eight years organist of Trinity Church, Lawrence, and one year organist and director of the Unitarian church in Dorchester, Mass. He is now organist and leader of the choir in the Uni- tarian church in Lowell.
Mr. Hamer has achieved success not only as an artist, but also in financial matters. As a teacher of the piano and organ and of har- mony, composition, and counterpoint he has few equals. While at Munich he wrote two orchestral overtures, both of which were per- formed by the orchestra at the music school ; and one of them was given at the graduation exercises of the Royal Music School, some of the nobility being present. Mr. Hamer is known through the country as a church com- poser, having written many anthems for church use, and also a number of successful piano pieces. His pretty home is at 352 Broadway, Lawrence. He built the house in 1896, and he moved into it in November of that year. Mr. Hamer himself earned the funds for his musical education, and has won his way to distinction and prosperity by untiring work.
He was married at the age of twenty-six to Alice M. Smith, of Lawrence. They have two children now living, namely : Elisabeth, born August 27, 1894; and Fillon, born July 4, 1896; and they have been bereft of two-a daughter that died in infancy and a son, Har- old, at the age of two years. In politics Mr. Hamer is a Republican. He was reared in the Episcopal faith.
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ON. WILLIAM H. TAPPAN, No- tary Public, land surveyor, and real estate dealer in Manchester, Mass., is a native of this town and a worthy rcpre- sentative of an old and substantial Essex County family, whose founder was Abraham Toppan, an Englishman, who settled at New- bury, Mass., in 1637, and whose posterity includes many distinguished names.
Son of Colonel Eben and Sarah (Hooper) Tappan, born October 30, 1821, Mr. Tappan is a grandson of Ebenczer Tappan, an old- time merchant of Manchester, who was a sol- dier in the Revolution, and who represented Manchester in the State legislature in 1811. Ebenezer Tappan's wife was Elizabeth Foster. His father, the Rcv. Benjamin Tappan, who married Elizabeth Marsh, was a son of Samuel and Abigail (Wigglesworth) Toppan, and a grandson of Dr. Peter and Jane (Batt) Top- pan, of Newbury, Dr. Peter being the eldest son of Abraham, the immigrant.
The Rev. Benjamin Tappan was the second settled minister at Manchester, where he had charge of the parish over forty years, till his death, occurring in 1790. It was he who changed the spelling of the name from Top- pan to Tappan. His son, the Rev. David Tappan, D. D., was for some years Hollis Pro- fessor of Divinity at Harvard College. Ben- jamin Tappan, Jr., brother of Professor Tap- pan, married a grand - niece of Benjamin Franklin, and was the father of Judge Tap- pan, of Ohio, and of the well-known phi- lanthropists of New York City, Arthur and Lewis Tappan, the former the first president of the American Anti-slavery Society.
Colonel Eben Tappan in 1818 commanded a regiment in the State militia. He was a manufacturer of furniture, fire-engines, and ship steering wheels. He served as Repre- sentative in the State legislature in 1843.
His wife was daughter of Captain William Hooper, of Manchester.
William H. and his sister, Mrs. General Tannatt, of the State of Washington, are the only survivors of a family of ten children. He was cducated in the public schools and at the academy in his native town. He after- ward spent some years in Boston, becoming a draughtsman, and upon the arrival of Profes- sor Louis Agassiz in this country Mr. Tappan was employed by him for several years in making drawings to illustrate his books and lectures. He accompanied the distinguished naturalist on his tour in the South.
In 1849 he went overland, by invitation of the Secretary of War, William L. Marcy, brought about through the influence of Daniel Webster and John Quincy Adams, with the regiment of Mounted Rifles, to what was then Oregon Territory, where for a while he was engaged in surveying and stock-raising. Later on he was employed by the United States government in the Indian Department, and was instrumental in extinguishing the Indian title to lands, the consummation being brought about by treaties with the different tribes occupying that vast region extending from the Pacific to the castern slope of the Rocky Mountains, to secure which he jour- neyed many thousand miles on horseback over Oregon, Washington, and adjoining Territo- ries. His influence made itself felt in the creation of the new Territory of Washington by separation from Oregon, and in the first legislature of Washington he was a member of the Territorial Council.
Leaving Washington in 1864, Mr. Tappan went by the overland stage line to Colorado, and, locating himself at Central City, engaged in mercantile business. Times were dull at that period in Colorado, which had not then been admitted as a State, and whose mineral
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resources had been but slightly developed. After the destruction of Central City by fire, in which he was a very heavy loser, Mr. Tappan returned to his birthplace and old home, Manchester-by-the-Sea, now become a noted summer resort.
Here he has since resided, giving his atten- tion to surveying and dealing in real estate. A stanch Republican in politics, he has served on the Central State Committee, and has taken an active part in town affairs. In 1881 he represented Manchester in the lower branch of the State legislature, and was on the Committee on the Revision of the Statutes. In 1885 and 1886 he served as State Senator from the Third Essex District, and was a member of the following committees: on Prisons, on Harbors and Public Lands, on Fisheries and Game, and on Woman's Suffrage.
Mr. Tappan is president of the Manchester Historical Society, of which he was one of the founders, and has always taken an active interest in its work. He is the author of the chapter on Manchester contained in the History of Essex County, published in 1888, the first history of the town ever printed.
Mr. Tappan's first wife was formerly Miss Anderson, of London, England. They were married April 7, 1857. She died April 1I, 1867. His union with his present wife, Augusta Wheaton, of Manchester, took place in 1881. Mrs. Tappan is a daughter of the late William E. and Sarah Edwards Wheaton, of Manchester, Mass.
OSEPH CHANDLER NEWHALL, a leading farmer of Lynnfield, was born on August 22, 1816, son of Joseph and Adeline (Batchelder) Newhall. The Newhall family, which is of English descent, came to New England in the early days of the Massa-
chusetts Bay Colony. Joseph Newhall, the grandfather of Joseph C., residing in a part of Danvers now known as South Peabody, reached an advanced age. By trade a stone-worker, he became the owner of stone quarries, and sup- plied therefrom the material for building cel- lars, foundations, and so forth. His son, Joseph, who died at the age of fifty-nine, settled across the road from his father's farm. Subsequently Joseph removed to Lynn, where he bought the homestead of his maternal grandfather, Daniel Galucia, and resided there during the rest of his life. His wife, Adeline, who died on January 26, 1866, was a daughter of Henry and Desire (Marsh) Bachelder, of Peabody. Desire was the sixth in line of descent from John Marsh, the founder of the well-known Marsh family of Salem, the line being through John, Zachery, Ezekiel, Ensign Ezekiel, and Lieutenant Ezekiel, who married Bethia Hartshorn. She was married on July 13, 1779, and she died on November 2, 1840.
Joseph Chandler Newhall, who passed his boyhood in Salem, removed to Lynn when eighteen years of age. After his first mar- riage he lived in Peabody, where he hired his grandfather's farm and carried on teaming for twelve or thirteen years. Upon coming to Lynnfield he settled on the old home of his wife's mother, which was subsequently be- queathed him to hold during his life. His first wife, Cinderella, born at Lynnfield on March 25, 1818, died on December 11, 1855. She was a daughter of Roxana Newhall, who died the next spring after Mr. Newhall came to the farm, and a grand-daughter of Ezekiel Newhall, who settled at an early date in South Lynnfield. One of the five original Newhalls was General Josiah, whose father settled at South Lynnfield, on the farm adjoining that of Ezekiel Newhall. After he came into posses- sion of this property, which originally com-
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prised about thirty acres, Mr. Newhall added considerable land, some of which was wood- land lying in Lynn, and which has since been sold to the Lynn Water Works Company. He has bought also thirty acres in Peabody and a wood-lot which he has never seen. Vegetable raising occupied a large share of his attention until his son Frank took charge, since which time considerable dairying has been carried on.
In October, 1856, at Reading, Mass., Mr. Newhall married for his second wife Alice Tucker. Born at Lynn in February, 1820, she died on March 6, 1881. Her death has been attributed to her unselfish devotion to her husband. A short time before, by per- sonally attending him through a long and severe illness, in which erysipelas threatened him with the loss of an arm, she completely undermined her own health, which was never robust. When Mr. Newhall came here he had only about five hundred dollars in the bank, but so much has his business prospered that he has been able to give to each of his six children about one thousand three hundred and fifty dollars. While he has taken a warm interest in town affairs, he has declined public office. He has, however, served on the School Committee. For about two years he has been in delicate health, and has fallen two or three times. Being a heavy man, these accidents shocked him severely, and have caused a great soreness in his chest. The cane he carries is one that was owned by his grandfather.
The children of Mr. Newhall, all the off- spring of his first marriage, were: Ashley Chandler Newhall, now a milkman residing in Lynn; Joseph Everett, who is in the poultry business at South Lynnfield; Cinderella, who married Asa T. Newhall, recently Mayor of the city of Lynn for two years; Jeremiah Lucian, who was a milk dealer in Lynn, and
died at the age of forty-four; Mary, now Mrs. Charles Abbott, of South Lynnfield; and Frank Newhall, who was born on April 3, 1853. Frank Newhall married Urildah J., daughter of Nathaniel D. Putnam, of Pea- body, and has two children: Lena Mabel, a young lady of seventeen; and Frank Chand- ler, both residing with their parents. Elected to the Board of Selectmen in 1885, Frank Newhall served until 1895, with the exception of the year 1890, when he refused to serve. He is now Superintendent of Streets, and has held the position for several terms before. He keeps twenty-five cows, and manages a milk route in Lynn and in Swampscott. Ar active Democrat, he has attended various party conventions, and he is a prominent member of the Essex County Agricultural Society.
ARGENT S. DAY, one of the few captains now living in Gloucester that were formerly engaged in the East India trade, was born in this place on February 8, 1820, son of Aaron and Judith (Tarbox) Day. He attended the public schools here for a number of years. While still quite young he studied navigation at a private school devoted especially to that science. His first experience at sea on a long voyage was as cabin boy on a brig engaged in the Surinam trade. After making a few trips in this capacity he engaged as mate on the schooner "Cinderella," a coasting-vessel which carried fish to Philadelphia, and brought back a cargo of coal. Not finding this entirely to his lik- ing, he shipped a few months later as ordinary seaman on the "Ellen Brooks," which was bound from Boston to New Orleans. His ability and attention to business were noted immediately by the ship's officers, and at the end of his first trip he was promoted to the
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position of second mate. Later, while in the harbor of New Orleans, he accepted an offer made him to ship as second mate of the "R. D. Shepherd," a large, fine vessel bound for Liverpool. At the end of the voyage a more advantageous offer induced him to enter the service of the New York & New Orleans Passenger Packet Company, with which he spent six years, serving successively in the capacities of first and second lieutenant. On leaving the packet company he went to Boston, and there took charge of the "Loo Choo," which sailed to Batavia, Java. After two voyages in the position of first officer he was appointed captain of the "Loo Choo," being then only twenty - two years of age. When he returned from a voyage to Singapore, he was transferred by his ship-owners to the "Washington Allston," a new ship that was a remarkably fine and handsome craft. His first voyage in her was to Batavia and his second to Calcutta. It was on this second voyage that he encountered a typhoon which nearly wrecked him. Mrs. Day, who was with her husband on that occasion, was fully aware of the great danger to which the ship and crew were exposed; but she showed her- self as brave as a sailor's wife should be. Upon his return Captain Day was given the command of the "Cohota," one of the largest and most finely equipped vessels engaged in the East India merchant service. For thir- teen years he continued master of this vessel, to the constant satisfaction of her owners. In 1857 he sold the "Cohota" while in Singa- pore, and returned to America on another ves- sel as a passenger. This was the captain's last voyage across the ocean. The Civil War, which broke out shortly after his return home, greatly affected the foreign shipping business. He met the situation by buying a wharf in Gloucester, building three first-class fishing-
vessels, and engaging in the fishing business. After a few years, however, as values in ship- ping property of all kinds were shrinking, he retired.
The Captain's wife before her marriage was Lucy Greenleaf, of Gloucester. She was the mother of five children, of whom two are liv- ing. These are: Lucy Lizzie, who was born in 1855, and is now the wife of Frank Tib- bets, of this city ; Elias Elwell, born in 1863, who is now living at Las Cruces, N. M. The others were Oliver E., Charles P. L., and an infant daughter. Captain Day is a member of Tyrian Lodge, F. & A. M., and has been its treasurer for the last thirty-eight years. He is also a member of Bethlehem Commandery, K. T .; of William Ferson Chapter, R. A. M. ; and of Martha Washington Chapter, O. E. S. From the beginning he has been the treasurer of R. A. M., K. T., and O. E. S. ; and he is affiliated with Ocean Lodge, I. O. O. F.
HARLES EDWIN SYMONDS, a prominent citizen of Salem and a son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Baker) Symonds, was born in Buffum Street, June 12, 1819. Mr. Symonds's great-grandfather, Benjamin, also a native of Salem, was of the fifth generation descended from John Symonds, who is known to have been in Salem in 1636. According to the best available information, he was a farmer of Toppsfield, England. Further, he received a grant of twenty acres of land in Salem, and was made a freeman in 1638.
Benjamin Symonds, a lifelong resident of Salem, carried on the business of potter in Osborn Street. William Symonds, the grand- father, for many years dealt in fishermen's supplies, and lived to be eighty years of age. His wife was Eunice Gardner Symonds,
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Nathaniel Symonds, having started in life as the proprietor of a grocery store, later became interested in the manufacture of boots and shoes. His wife, Elizabeth, was a daughter of Allen and Rebecca (Porter) Baker. The latter was a daughter of the Rev. John Porter, pastor of the Congregational church at Ips- wich for many years. Allen Baker owned and cultivated a farm in Ipswich that was formerly owned by acting governor Symonds, who married Martha, the sister of Governor Endicott. Mrs. Elizabeth Symonds died at the age of fifty two years. Ten of her thir- teen children attained maturity.
Charles Edwin Symonds, having passed through the graded schools of Salem, entered the high school at the age of twelve years. After he had studied here for a year and a half, he began to assist his father in his fac- tory. Later he started in business for him- self as a manufacturer of rubber boots and gloves, and subsequently followed it until he was about thirty-five years old, selling for a time most of the boots to the California trade. Then he accepted a position as clerk in the probate office, where he remained for a brief period. During the following five years he was on the Board of Principal Assessors. He then was elected to the offices of City Treas- urer and Collector, which he filled for six or seven years. For fifteen years he was treas- urer and manager of the Salem Savings Bank. At the age of sixty years he retired from active business, and has since devoted his time to his private affairs and to his official duties.
In 1843 Mr. Symonds married Miss Mary Jane Young, of Wenham. Six children have been born to them - Mary J., Sarah A., Charles N., John H., Lizzie Maria, and Arthur. Arthur died at the age of twenty- four years. Both parents are Unitarians, and
have been for forty-seven years constant at- tendants at the services of that church. Mr. Symonds has always taken an earnest interest in public affairs, and has occupied many prominent positions in the public service of the city. He served as a member of the Com- mon Council in 1859, 1893, and 1896, being probably the oldest member of a City Council in the State; and he has been an Overseer of the Poor and for one term a member of the School Committee.
LEXANDER SMART, a former car- riage-maker and Postmaster of Merri- mac, was born in Montrose, Scot- land, in 1842. He was but five months old when his parents came with him to America, settling in Andover, Mass., where his father was in business for many years. At the age of nineteen he came to Merrimac. Soon after he assisted in the organization of the only company of volunteers sent out from Merrimac during the Civil War. This was Company E, Fourteenth Massachusetts Regiment, which he joined with a Lieutenant's commission. Attached to Colonel Satchwell's staff, he remained with his company until 1864, when he was wounded by a minie ball, which shat- tered his hand while he was attempting to carry a message to the field officer during an engagement. His was the third attempt to deliver the message, the other messengers having lost their lives in the effort. Lieu- tenant Smart's time of service expired while he was in the hospital, and he was refused re- enlistment on account of his physical condi- tion. He then returned to Merrimac, and was there successfully engaged in the car- riage business, in partnership with Mr. R. P. Clement, at the Lower Corner, until 1890, when he retired. Always active in public
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GEORGE H. SAMPSON.
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affairs, he was a member of the Republican Town Committee, a delegate to various State and Senatorial conventions, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen during the year in which the town was set off from Amesbury, and in 1889 the district's Representative in the General Court of Massachusetts. Such was his influence in the locality that General Coggswell said of him, "I give him the credit of sending me to Washington."
In October, 1864, Mr. Smart married Eliza- beth W. Miller, of Andover, a refined and educated lady of Scottish descent. His chil- dren are : William L. and Abbie W. William L., who is a member of the hardware firm of I. B. Little & Co., married Abbie L., daugh- ter of Isaac B. Little, and has one daughter, Elizabeth W. Abbie W., a graduate of the Merrimac High School, class of 1897, is an accomplished musician, and much interested in painting. She resides at home, and assists her mother in the post-office. Mr. Smart was appointed Postmaster of Merrimac by Presi- dent Harrison in 1890. He held this position until his death, which occurred November 14, 1892. Having succeeded her husband in the office, Mrs. Smart is Postmistress of Merrimac at the present time.
G EORGE HARVEY SAMPSON, the manager of the Lynn and Salem branches of the Standard Oil Com- pany, was born in East Boston, Mass., March 20, 1857. He is of distinguished ancestry, the first of his progenitors in New England having come over in the "Mayflower, " settling in Plymouth. His father, Charles Sampson, born and bred in Duxbury, Mass., was for many years a member of the firm Sampson, Brooks & Campbell, well-known ship-builders of East Boston. He died in 1895, at the age
of sixty-seven years. The mother, whose maiden name was Catherine Powers, was born in Chelsea, Mass.
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