USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of Essex County, Massachusetts > Part 63
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Frank Stanwood is a prominent member of Tyrian Lodge, F. & A. M .; and of William Ferson Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; a Past Grand of Ocean Lodge, I. O. O. F .; and Past Chief Patriarch of Cape Ann Encampment. He is now serving as High Priest of that order.
ILBERT H. KITTREDGE, crockery merchant, a prominent business man of Lawrence, Mass., was born in North Tewksbury, this State, on July 11, 1848, son of Henry A. and Mary (Clark) Kit- tredge. His first ancestor in this country, and probably the ancestor of most, if not all, of the Kittredges in the United States, was John Kittredge, who came from England with his mother, and settled in Billerica, Mass., where he died on October 18, 1676. He was a physician and farmer, and was Selectman in 1653. The earliest book of records speaks of him as "Dr. John Kittredge, on whom the
healing art had descended and had come down through many generations." The different branches of the family are traced in the records of Billerica.
Dr. John Kittredge, second, son of the immigrant, died in Billerica in 1714, at the age of forty-nine. His grave is in the Smith burial-ground in Tewksbury. The next in line, Dr. John, third, who died in 1762, at the age of seventy-two, was buried by the side of his father. Then came Dr. John Kittredge, fourth, who died in Andover, aged about sixty-eight years, and whose descendants are still living in that town. He was twice mar- ried.
Dr. Benjamin Kittredge, son of the fourth Dr. John and his wife Mary, was born in An- dover on March 7, 1740 or 1741, and died on January 18, 1822. His three half-brothers were: Thomas, John, and James or Jacob; and his half-sisters were Hannah and Su- sanna. Thomas was a distinguished physi- cian and surgeon, and resided in Andover. John was a farmer on the old farm in that town. He was unmarried, and his maiden sisters lived with him. Dr. Benjamin Kit- tredge settled in Tewksbury. Although his progenitors were skilful physicians and sur- geons, he was the first of the name who studied medicine in a professional school. He mar- ried Rebecca, daughter of John and Anne Ball. She was born on July 12, 1747, and died on July 5, 1808. The children of Benjamin and Rebecca Kittredge were as follows : Benjamin, Jr., who was born on December 9, 1767, stud- ied medicine with his father, practised for a while in Chester, N. H., and died on January 8, 1830; Rebecca, born August 22, 1769, died October 21 of the same year; John Ball, who was born in June, 1771, and died in Feb- ruary, 1848; Rebecca, second, born in Decem- ber, 1772, died in 1847; Theodore, who was
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born on May 17, 1775, and died September 18, 1798; George, who was born May 15, 1777, died February 12, 1824; Charles, born in July, 1779, died in 1812; Jacob, who was born December 19, 1781, and died in October, 1824; Mary, born October 26, 1784, died in 1840; Henry, who was born on January 3, 1787, and died December 18, 1847; and Rufus, born June 28, 1789, died February 23, 1854.
Dr. Henry Kittredge, the seventh son of Dr. Benjamin, was distinguished for his surgi- cal skill, as his ancestors had been. His prac- tice extended through Tewksbury, Andover, Lowell, and Billerica. He married Naomi Pinkerton, daughter of William and Margaret (Brown) Pinkerton, of Tewksbury. She was born on July 15, 1790, and died on October 18, 1844. She was the mother of five children - Maria, Henry A., Margaret, Mary, and Julia. Maria, who was born on August 13, 1812, and died on April 15, 1870, married Henry Griffin, of Andover, Mass. Margaret, who was born on January 22, 1818, and mar- ried Dr. William Gray, of Billerica, died in Washington, D. C., May 24, 1893. Mary Brown Kittredge was born on March 26, 1823, and died on January 11, 1865. She was the wife of Alpheus Trask, of Beverly. Julia A. Kittredge, who is the wife of Isaac New- ton Goodhue, of Newton, Mass., was born on October 26, 1828. She is now in Minnesota.
Henry A. Kittredge, father of Gilbert H., was born in North Tewksbury, Mass., on Au- gust 19, 1815. He was a volunteer in the late Civil War, and went to New Orleans with General B. F. Butler, where he died in the hospital on August 7, 1862. He was buried in Cypress Grove Cemetery. He was married in New York City on May 19, 1841, to Mary Clark, of Tewksbury. She was born on Janu- ary 16, 1824, and died on August 26, 1896,
having been the mother of nine children, by name Mary A., Henry C., Sarah S., Gilbert H., Isabelle C., John Ball, Theodore Augus- tus, Ellen May, and Clara Frances Katc. Mary A., who was born in Tewksbury on April 24, 1843, died when about twelve years of age ; and Henry C., who was born on August 7, 1845, died August 26 of the same year. Sarah Snell, who was born on August 31, 1846, is the wife of Charles Morton, and re- sides in Boston. Isabelle Clark, who was born in Lowell on August 23, 1851, died in May, 1874, unmarried. John Ball Kittredge, who was born on March 4, 1854, died in July, 1854. Theodore Augustus, who was born in Lowell on March 22, 1855, is now in San Antonio, Tex. He is unmarried. Ellen May, not married, was born in Lowell, April 5, 1857. Clara Frances Kate, who was born on February 8, 1860, and died on September 4, 1864, was a child of remarkable sweetness and precocity.
Gilbert H. Kittredge was educated in the public schools of Lowell and Salem, and at the age of fourteen took a course in Leavitt's Commercial College. He entered business life when only thirteen years of age, being employed as a clerk in a grocery store odd hours when out of school. After leaving school in his fifteenth year, he gave his full time to business, and was for some seven years in the same place. He lived with his mother up to 1881, when he came to Lawrence. Here until 1889 he was in business as one of the firm of French, Puffer & Co .; but in July, 1889, he succeeded the firm. Mr. Kittredge's fine store occupies two whole floors and half of another at 389 Essex Street. He carries a first-class line of goods and a larger stock than any other firm in the city, and possibly in the county, both of crockery and silver-plated ware. He employs about six workmen.
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Mr. Kittredge resides at 9 Valley Street, where he purchased a house in 1892. He was married at the age of twenty-three to Emily F. Hamilton, of Arlington, Mass. She died on September 24, 1874, at twenty-two years of age, leaving two children : Henry Clark Kit- tredge, who is a clerk in Lowell; and Emma May, who resides with her father. Mr. Kit- tredge was again married, on July 16, 1884, to Margaret J. O'Neil, of Machias, Me., who was left an orphan at an early age By this marriage there are two children : Guy Hamil- ton, who was born on July 20, 1885; and Grace Mildred, who was born January 9, 1889.
Mr. Kittredge is a Mason, a member of the Blue Lodge, an Odd Fellow, a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of the Royal Arcanum, of the Pilgrim Fathers, and of the Sons of Veterans. In politics he is a Republican. For about eight years he has been a member of the Republican City Com- mittee, and he is at present chairman of said committee. In 1893 and in 1894 he served on the Board of Aldermen. In religious views he is a Universalist, and believes in "deeds before creeds."
ERCY W. WHEELER, ex-presi- dent of the Gloucester Common Council, was born in this city, Octo- ber 30, 1859, son of Harvey and Lucy (Par- sons) Wheeler. He traces his lineage back through his grandfather, Vinson (or Finson) Wheeler, and his great-grandfather, Aaron Wheeler, to Moses Wheeler, without doubt the Moses, son of Jethro, Jr., and Sarah (Haraden) Wheeler, whose birth is recorded in the Gloucester registry.
Babson, the historian, says that Jethro Wheeler, Sr., father of Jethro, Jr., in 1712 bought of Joshua Norwood, for one hundred
and fifty pounds, about one hundred acres of land near Pigcon Cove, and that he had been in Newbury before 1695, and subsequently in Rowley, where he sold land in 1704. Jethro Wheeler, Sr., eventually removed to Maine; and it is supposed that he was killed by the Indians. His widow and children returned to Gloucester, and made their home on the north side of the Cape, at what is now Annisquam. From Coffin's History of Newbury we learn
that David Wheeler, born in Salisbury, Eng- land, came from Hampton to Newbury in 1645, was married there a few years later, and had several children, one a son named Jethro, born in 1664. Savage says that Jethro Wheeler, of Rowley, son of David, married Hannah French, daughter of Edward, of Salis- bury, and had a son Jethro, born in 1692. Mr. Percy W. Wheeler's grandfather, Vinson (or Finson) Wheeler, served under Peter Coffin in a skirmish at Coffin's Beach during the War of 1812. Mr. Wheeler's mother, Mrs. Lucy Parsons Wheeler, belongs to an old Gloucester family. Her parents were William P. and Mary (Witham) Parsons, and her paternal grandfather was Thomas Parsons.
Percy W. Wheeler was educated in the pub- lic schools. When seventeen years old, he went to Merrimac, Mass., where he learned the trade of a carriage blacksmith ; and, after working as a journeyman there for some time, he followed his trade in Haverhill for a short period. Returning to Gloucester in 1881, he was employed by Alexander McCurdy some five years, at the end of which time he established himself in the general blacksmithing business, which he carried on successfully for ten years. In 1897 he purchased the coal wharf formerly owned by Benjamin Spinney, and he is now dealing quite extensively in coal and wood. He served in the Common Council for the years 1886 and 1887, and, being again clected
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in 1892, was acting president from March until the close of the year.
Mr. Wheeler married Annie Ingersoll, daughter of Samuel Ingersoll, of Gloucester. She is a descendant of George Ingersoll, who came from Bedfordshire, England, and was in Gloucester in 1646, and of Josiah Ingersoll, who served in Captain Warner's company at the battle of Bunker Hill. Her maternal grandfather was Nathaniel Hadlock, who was taken prisoner during the War of 1812, and confined in Dartmoor Prison. Mrs. Wheeler is the mother of three daughters, namely : Es- telle, born in 1885; Ethel, born in 1887; and Mildred, born in 1894.
Mr. Wheeler is a Past Master of the local lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and is now serving as District Deputy Grand Mas- ter. He is closely identified with yachting in this locality, and is a commodore of the East Gloucester Yacht Club.
EORGE W. ROWELL, a well-to-do resident of Amesbury, is a native of this town, son of George and Re- becca (Jones) Rowell. The genealogical rec- ord of the family has been difficult to trace with accuracy, but from the best information obtainable it is probable that Mr. Rowell's first ancestor in this country was an early settler in Essex County. The family is un- questionably of English origin. According to Savage's History, one Thomas Rowell was living in Salem, Mass., in 1649, and some years later - in 1651 and 1652 - was a resi- dent of Ipswich. Mr. Rowell traces his an- cestry directly to Valentine Rowell, who was probably a brother of Thomas. On November 14, 1643, Valentine Rowell was married in Salem to Joanna, daughter of Henry Pindar. They had a family of eight children. Philip
Rowell, son of Valentine, was born May 8, 1648; and, according to the diary of the Rev. William Wells, he was mail-carrier between Amesbury and Newburyport, and was killed by the Indians in Patten Hollow, July 7, 1690. This Philip married Sarah, daughter of the first Abram Morrill, by whom he had nine children, among them Jacob, the eldest, born August 15, 1669. Jacob Rowell married Han- nah Barnard, of Andover, Mass. ; and the line was continued through his son Philip. This Philip Rowell kept a general store, transacted legal business, and was the owner of the Amesbury Iron Works and Nail Factory. A man of large means, he also engaged in private banking, acted as broker, exchanging the money of one Province for that of another, and was, in short, a typical "country squire " of Colonial days. He joined the Society of Friends, and served as clerk of that organiza- tion in Amesbury. On October 10, 1719, he married Elizabeth Purrington, and had a large family, of whom Jacob, his third son, was great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Jacob, son of Philip and Elizabeth Rowell, was connected with the iron works, had large property interests in Amesbury, and also prac- tised law to a limited extent. He took a leading part in public affairs, and was one of the most prominent and influential residents of his day and locality. He married Anna Buxton, of Salen, and was the father of eight children. Jacob Rowell, son of Jacob and Anna and grandfather of George W., adopted agriculture for his occupation, and was one of the wealthy men of Amesbury in his day. He married Abigail Jones, daughter of John Jones, a representative of a prominent Andover fam- ily; and his children were: John, Elizabeth, Jacob, Samuel, Charles, George, Abigail J., Sarah, and Mary.
George Rowell, George W. Rowell's father,
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was a hardware merchant, an auctioneer, and also an extensive dealer in real estate. He possessed ample means, which were largely employed in developing the business prosperity of Amesbury ; and he was quite prominent in local public affairs. He died at the age of fifty-two years. His wife Rebecca became the mother of three children - Georgiana Au- gusta, one son who died in infancy, and George W., the subject of this sketch.
George W. Rowell was educated in the schools of Amesbury. Since reaching his majority, his time has been chiefly devoted to the management of his property, which in- cludes, besides his Amesbury estate, five cot- tages at Salisbury Beach. Mr. Rowell is deeply interested in local history and geneal- ogy. He has given considerable attention to the tracing of his own family record, as briefly embodied in this article.
ON. ANDREW R. CURTIS,* a former Mayor of Newburyport, was G one of the ablest and most popular chief magistrates who have presided over the affairs of this municipality. He was born here November 1, 1851, son of Philip B. and Mary Ann (Hinchey) Curtis. His father, who is a native of Bristol, England, came to this country when he was eighteen years old, and has since resided in Newburyport. A hatter by trade, Philip B. Curtis followed that calling here successively as a journeyman and foreman for some years. Subsequently he became a member of the firm for which he worked, and which afterward conducted the Curtis Hat Manufactory. Upon the dissolu- tion of the firm, when its lease of the shop was forfeited in consequence of an explosion on the premises, he engaged with the New York Biscuit Company as agent, and thereafter
represented them in that capacity on the road for twelve years. He was still in the em- ployment of the New York firm when he opened a retail meat market in Newburyport. This venture having prospered, he later added general provisions to his stock in trade, and after another interval opened a department for wholesale trade. The business, which has be- come one of the largest of the kind in the town, is still actively conducted by the proprietor, now in his sixty-fifth year. He has served the community as an Overseer of the Poor, is a member of the Episcopal church, and is held in the highest regard by his townsmen. His wife, who is a daughter of John Hinchey, of London, England, has borne him three chil- dren - Philip J., Louisa, and Andrew R. Louisa is now the wife of a Mr. Ordway, of Boston.
Andrew R. Curtis received his elementary education in the common schools of Amesbury, this county. He afterward attended the high school, from which he graduated in due course. At the close of his school-days he took service aboard a merchant vessel, and thereafter was engaged in seafaring for seven years. Then, abandoning the sea, he engaged in the manu- facture of hats, and has prosperously followed that business since. In January, 1880, he married Ella M. Flanders, of Bradford, Mass., and is now the father of three children. These are : Aaron, a pupil of the Newburyport High School; George, also attending school; and Charles. Mr. Curtis has been a prominent member of the Republican party for many years. He was a member of the Common Council, serving in the capacity of president of that body ; and he also rendered valuable services to the city on the Board of Aldermen. In 1895 his fellow-citizens deemed him the fittest person to intrust with the chief magis- tracy, and he was accordingly elected to that
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office. His administration of the city's affairs throughout the ensuing year was so good that his candidacy for a second term was unopposed by the Democratic party in 1896, when he was triumphantly re-elected. He is a member of the Veteran Firemen's Association; and as Mayor of the city he was chairman, ex-officio, of the Park Commission and the Public Li- brary Board of Trustees.
HARLES H. HILDRETH, M.D.,* was for many years a popular and successful physician of Gloucester. The youngest of the seven children of the Rev. Hosea and Sarah (McCloud) Hildreth, he was born in Gloucester in 1825. His im- migrant ancestor came from the northern part of England to Massachusetts, and on May 10, 1643, was made a freeman in the part of Woburn now called Chelmsford. His great- grandson, Timothy Hildreth, the grandfather of Charles H., removed to Vermont.
The Rev. Hosea Hildreth, who was born in Massachusetts, for many years was an instruc- tor in Phillips Exeter Academy. Later he became pastor of the First Church in Glouces- ter. By his wife, Sarah, he was the father of seven children; namely, Richard, Samuel, Charles H., Elizabeth, Mary, Fanny, and Sarah. The three sons were Harvard gradu- ates. Richard, class of 1826, was the well- known historian. Samuel, class of 1837, a young man of marked ability, died two years after his graduation. Both of the parents are also deceased.
Charles H. Hildreth prepared for college in Phillips Exeter Academy, in which, as noted above, his father was an instructor. After- ward he entered the Harvard Medical School, and duly graduated therefrom with honor. For some years after obtaining his medical
degree he was house surgeon of the Massa- chusetts General Hospital, and later assistant physician at the Deer Island Hospital. Lo- cating in Gloucester in 1851, he soon ac- quired a large and lucrative practice. Besides attending to his professional duties, he was for many years a regular contributor to the local press. As a citizen, he was public- spirited ; and he rendered valued service to the community as a member of the School Com- mittee for nearly thirty years, serving continu- ously from his first election in 1855 until his death. He also held the office of surveyor of the port of Gloucester for a period.
Dr. Hildreth married Miss Annie Dawley, a daughter of Hiram Dawley, of Boston. They had one son, Samuel, born March 30, 1868. Samuel attended the public schools of Gloucester, graduating from the high school in 1884. He then entered Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1889. After this he completed a course in the Harvard Law School, class of 1892 ; and in February of the same year he was admitted to the Suffolk County bar. Shortly after he opened a law office here in Gloucester. He first served in the city government in 1897. In the follow- ing year he was elected president of the Com- mon Council. He belongs to Tyrian Lodge, F. & A. M .; McPherson Chapter, R. A. M .; and Bethlehem Commandery, Knights Temp- lar. On June 15, 1898, he was married to Blanche Brackett, a daughter of William D. Brackett, who is a large shoe manufacturer, with offices in Boston. His father, Dr. Hil- dreth, died here, May 21, 1884.
A H. PEIRCE, M.D., a rising young physician of West Newbury, was born in Lincoln, Mass., March 11, 1860, son of William and Isabella (Carret) Peirce.
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His father was born in Boston in 1829, and for many years was a druggist and apothecary in that city. William Peirce finally retired from business, and settled upon a farm in Lin- coln, where he is still residing. His wife, Isabella, is a daughter of Joseph Carret, a Frenchman who settled in Cuba, where he died. Mrs. William Peirce was born in that island, and received her education in Boston.
A. H. Peirce completed the regular course of study at the Lincoln High School, and, entering the Boston University of Medicine, was graduated in 1882. He then attended the Bellevue Medical College in New York City for a year, and subsequently located for prac- tice in Wilton, N. H. One year later he came to West Newbury, where he has since prac- tised his profession with success, having ac- quired a high reputation throughout this sec- tion. He is a member of the State and County Medical Societies. Politically, he is a Democrat.
In 1885 Dr. Peirce was united in marriage with Annie M. Titcomb, daughter of Silas M. Titcomb, of West Newbury. He has three children, namely: John WV., born in 1894; Lincoln C., born in 1895; and Russell M., born in 1897.
HOMAS BROWN,* son of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Boardman) Brown, was born in Candlewood, Ipswich, July 20, 1 802. He was a descendant of Francis Brown, who with his brothers, Samuel and William, came from England to America in the early days, and settled in this part of Essex County. Francis, after coming here, married a Miss Chapman, and lived to the venerable age of ninety-one years. Among his children were two sons, Elisha and Jo- seph. Elisha's son, Ephraim Brown, having
reached the age of seventy-nine years, died on March 28, 1842. His wife Elizabeth had preceded him to the grave, having passed away September 4, 1824.
Thomas Brown spent his entire life in this town, chiefly engaged in farming. In IS22 he purchased the farm now owned and occu- pied by Mrs. Brown. The estate, which was originally owned by Governor John Winthrop, subsequently became the property of Charles Baker, who built the present residence, and afterward sold the homestead to the Brown family. On March 26, 1839, Mr. Brown mar- ried Elizabeth Brown, a daughter of Joseph Brown and a grand-daughter of the Francis Brown above mentioned. Joseph Brown, who was drafted into the Revolutionary army, was twice married, successively to Elizabeth Per- kins and Martha Perkins, sisters. Five chil- dren were born of the first marriage, and two of the second. The latter are: Elizabeth, the widow of Thomas Brown; and Mary, the wife of William Foster Wade, of Ipswich village. The father died September 10, 1842, aged ninety-two years. His second wife died No- vember 21, 1850, at the age of seventy-one years. Further details of the family's history may be found in the biography of Gardner A. Brown, which appears on another page of this volume.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown reared five children, namely: Warren, a sailor, who died in 1859, at the age of twenty-one years, in Pernam- buco, Brazil; Augustine, who died April 29, 1884, aged forty-three years; Horace, who carries on the home farm; Otis L., a tanner and currier; and Mary Elizabeth, the wife of John Jay Sullivan, of Ipswich. Mr. Sulli- van, born in Bellingham, Mass., July 19, 1857, is a skilful machinist and draughtsman. Endowed by nature with great mechanical and inventive talent, he has already secured
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patents on several machines used in the manu- facture of shoes. His marriage with Miss Brown was performed October 21, 1880. They have one child, Inez Brown Sullivan. Mr. Thomas Brown dicd at his home in Ips- wich, March 24, 1889.
OHN MASON PETTINGELL,* a re- tired manufacturer of Amesbury, was born in Newburyport, Mass., in 1862. A son of Andrew Haskell and Mary (Nash) Pettingell, he is a descendant of Richard Pet- tingcll, born in Staffordshire, England, in 1618, and came to Salem, Mass., in 1638. This ancestor settled in Newbury in 1650, and became a man of considerable property. His son Matthew was a felt-maker. Nathaniel, son of Matthew, followed farming on the old homestead in Amesbury. Moses, the son of Nathaniel, besides serving as a soldier in the French and Indian War, was engaged in the coasting trade, and was a fisherman and farmer. His son Eleazer was also engaged in fishing and farming.
Moscs Pettingell, son of Eleazer and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a farmer in early life. He became a person of mcans, and acquired much influence in the community. He was a typical country gentle- man of the old school, dignified and formal. In his capacity of Justice of the Peace he set- tled many estates, and was for many years a Deacon in the Old South Presbyterian Church of Newburyport. His name is to be seen upon the militia roll of 1812. A man of lit- erary taste, his collection of books formed, at the time of his death, the most extensive li- brary in Newburyport. His wife Mary was a daughter of Caleb Haskell, of Newburyport.
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