USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Biographical review, containing life sketches of leading citizens of Essex County, Massachusetts > Part 7
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After attending the public schools, Edward Payson Shaw spent a year under the instruc- tion of the well-known teacher, Master George Titcomb, and then was a pupil of the Loudon Academy in New Hampshire. At the age of twenty-two he bought out Lovett's Boston Express, and conducted it under the name of Shaw's Boston Express for the ensuing eight
years. Selling his express business in 1871, Mr. Shaw succeeded William H. Swasey in the firm of Sumner, Swasey & Currier, an old and well-established house doing a large busi- ness in flour and produce, having numerous connections in other States and owning several vessels engaged in domestic and foreign trade. In 1879 he purchased Commercial Wharf in Newburyport, together with the business in- terest attached thereto. A few years later he established the People's Line of steam- boats. In 1884 he organized the company which built the Black Rocks & Salisbury Beach Railroad, connecting it by steamboats with the Newburyport & Amesbury Street Railroad, and with others running east, west, and south. Mr. Shaw was the first contractor engaged by the United States government in building the jetties at the mouth of the Merri- mac and deepening the water on the bar, with the object of making Newburyport a " harbor of refuge." In the performance of this work he furnished about one hundred thousand tons of stone, which he took from a quarry opened by him in the upper part of the city in 1882. Having sold his interest in the Newburyport & Amesbury Street Railroad to parties in Boston and Salem in 1886, he immediately proposed to build a similar road to Plum Island and upon it. The project was under- taken. He was chosen president of the cor- poration; and in thirty days he had completed three miles of the road on the island, had con- structed a steamboat pier extending into the Merrimac River, had the cars running, had remodelled and enlarged Plum Island Hotel, had rebuilt the bridge and draw connecting the island with the mainland, and was ready to begin laying the three miles of track necessary to reach Market Square and connect with the Amesbury trains. About that time, also, tak- ing for the nucleus of a system the Black
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Rocks & Salisbury Beach Railroad, which had proved one of the most pofitable lines in the Commonwealth, he extended it up the beach, nearly to the Hampton River, and then built a line back to Salisbury, from which point Amesbury was soon tapped, Seabrook at the New Hampshire line, and afterward New- buryport. The system has been still further developed recently by connecting Amesbury and Merrimac with Haverhill, and now covers thirty-three miles of road. He organized and has since been the president of the Newbury- port Car Company, which is engaged in the manufacture of street cars. For several years he was president of the Newburyport Board of Trade. He was a director of the First Na- tional Bank of the city for fifteen years, and is now its president. Among the pieces of real estate improved by him is the Merrimac House, now bearing its original name, the Wolfe Tavern, which in 1887 he purchased, repaired, and refurnished. Another valuable piece is Shaw's Hall, a large block erected by him upon the site of the house in which he was born, and now tenanted by nine social organizations. Woodland Place, which has been his residence since 1875, is one of the finest estates in the city. The rest of his property consists of dwellings in the city.
On December 24, 1867, Mr. Shaw was mar- ried in Cambridgeport, Mass., to Annie Pay- son Trott, a daughter of James Fullerton and Frances Jane Trott, of Bath, Me. Born of their union were seven children, of whom one, Grace Hodgdon, is deceased. The others are : Edward Payson, Annie Bartlett, James Fuller- ton, Lizzie Sumner, Samuel Jaques, and Pau- line. A Republican in politics, Mr. Shaw has taken a prominent part in public life. After serving in the Common Council of Newbury- port for two years, he represented the city in the State legislatures of 1881, 1882, 1888,
and 1889, and was a member of the State Senate for the terms respectively beginning in 1892 and 1893. In 1895, when H. M. Phillips resigned the office of State Treasurer, Mr. Shaw was chosen by the legislature to serve in that capacity for the remainder of the term; and in November, 1895, 1896, and 1897 he was successively elected to the office on the Republican ticket for the current term. No doubt the future has still higher honors for him. A self-made man, his career is a remarkable illustration of what can be achieved by native ability.
G EORGE W. HOOPER, a leading merchant of Manchester, was born in this town, December 9, 1855, son of William and Sallie (Colby) Hooper. An account of his ancestry and family may be found in the sketch of Franklin K. Hooper, which appears on another page of this work. The subject of this sketch received the ele- ments of a practical education in the public schools of Manchester. At the age of fifteen he obtained employment as clerk in the store of W. V. Crafts, grocer. After working in this capacity for about four years, he became a member of the firm, the style of which was then changed to Crafts & Hooper. The firm continued in business until the death of Mr. Crafts, when Mr. Hooper became sole proprie- tor. He deals in groceries, hay and grain, kitchen furnishings, and smallwares. A man of strict business habits, he has been highly successful. He uses three delivery teams, and takes orders from house to house. His patrons are sure of fair treatment, and know that anything bought in his store will be exactly as represented.
Mr. Hooper married Carrie S., daughter of Charles A. Cheever, of Manchester, and has
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three sons - Alfred C., George, and Lewis S. He is a Republican in politics, and fraternally a member of Magnolia Lodge, I. O. O. F. Mr. Hooper's success has been due partly to his possessing a natural aptitude for business, but chiefly, perhaps, because he has concen- trated his energies upon one thing, instead of dissipating them upon various successive ob- jects.
J AMES H. PERKINS, Selectman of Wenham, was born here, October 29, 1828, son of Nehemiah Perkins, Jr., and Eliza (Edwards) Perkins, who were na- tives respectively of Wenham and Beverly. The Perkins family is an old and highly respected one in this section. The original ancestor in America was John Perkins, who came from England in 1638 or 1639, and settled in Ipswich. John Perkins, brother of Nehemiah, grandfather of James H., was a soldier of the Revolution; and Edward Per- kins, another brother, was a privateersman in the War of 1812. Nehemiah Perkins, Jr., was engaged in the manufacture of shoes, and conducted a farm. He spent the greater part of his life in Wenham, but lived for a time in Hamilton, Mass. For some years he served as sexton and undertaker.
James H. Perkins grew to manhood in Wenham. His early education was limited to what he could acquire in the district schools, but close observation of men and affairs in later life largely extended his knowledge. He early began shoemaking ; and upon reach- ing his majority he engaged in the retail boot and shoe trade in Lewis Street, East Boston. In 1857 he sold out his business in order to go into that of manufacturing boots and shoes in Wenham. Subsequent to this he was occupied with farming for a time, and later he successfully carried on a meat and pro-
vision business in Wenham. About 1889 he retired from active business life, and has not since returned to it.
Mr. Perkins married Mary E., daughter of Abraham Dodge, of Wenham, who is now deceased. Mrs. Perkins died in January, 1892, having been the mother of eight chil- dren: Edward A .; Frank E .; Fred F .; Emma A .; Charles A .; James H., Jr. ; Alonzo C .; and George H. Emma, the only daughter, is the wife of George W. Patch, of Wenham. Mr. Perkins has served for a num- ber of years on the Board of Selectmen, also as Assessor and Overseer of the Poor of Wenham. He has been a member of the Republican Town Committee, and has taken an active part in local politics. The family spend the summer at Baker's Island, where Mr. Perkins has a cottage.
OULTON BATCHELDER, a cor- poration officer and a popular citi- zen of Lawrence, was born in Plainfield, Washington County, Vt., De- cember 7, 1836. A son of Jonathan and Wealthy (Ketchum) Batchelder, he is a grandson of Moulton Batchelder, an English- man, who was an early settler of the Green Mountain State, and who reared three sons. Jonathan Batchelder, also a native of Ver- mont, was a farmer. He died about the year 1843, in the prime of life, leaving a widow and seven children. Widow Batchelder died in 1863, and was buried in Plainfield, beside her husband. Of their family -three sons and four daughters - two sons and two daugh- ters are living.
Moulton Batchelder was reared on the home farm, and received a common-school educa- tion. He worked for a blacksmith during one winter. With that exception he was on the
MOULTON BATCHELDER.
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homestead until IS56, when he became a resi- dent of Lawrence. Here he was a watchman in the Bay State and the Washington Mills until 1862. In July of that year he enlisted as a private in Company C, Fortieth Massa- chusetts Volunteer Infantry, for three years. In the service he was made successively Cor- poral, Fifth Sergeant, Orderly Sergeant, and Second Lieutenant. Resigning his commis- sion in February, 1864, he returned to Law- rence, and took up again the duties of watch- man in the mills. A few months later, however, he enlisted in Company K, Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, for one hundred days. Commissioned First Lieutenant, he completed his term of service, guarding Con- federate prisoners at Fort Delaware and de- fending Washington. He was mustered out, and came back to Lawrence in October, 1864. Soon after he was appointed patrolman here, and he subsequently acted in that capacity for a number of years. He was Assistant Mar- shal for several years, was for two years the keeper of the jail under Sheriff Herrick, and was City Marshal for five years. In 1881 he resigned the last-named office to accept a gov- ernment appointment to the State district police. In this body he had served for twelve years and nine months when he resigned to accept his present position, which he has effi- ciently filled for the past three years.
In 1859 Mr. Batchelder was married to Miss Mary Jane Rowe, of Plymouth, N. H., who died December 6, 1896, aged sixty-two. She was the mother of two children: Lillian, who died in infancy in 1863; and Chase M., who is now a shipper in the Everett Mills. Mr. Batchelder is a Republican in politics. He is a member of Needham Post, No. 39, G. A. R .; of the Massachusetts Commandery ; of the Loyal Legion since May 1, 1894; and of the Home Club for over twenty years, hav-
ing been a director thereof for several years. The Home Club is a model organization, with a membership limited to one hundred and seventy-five. In its rooms good order always prevails, for no ardent spirits are allowed on the premises. Neither politics nor religious belief debars a man from membership. The rooms are at 306 Essex Street, and Mr. Batch- elder's office is on the same floor and con-
nected with them. Since his wife's death the most of Mr. Batchelder's leisure time is spent in the club-rooms. He has a cabinet filled with the trophies captured during his professional life. Among these are three fine game-cocks, stuffed, which were captured be- fore they engaged in the battle for which they were pitted. A man of striking appearance and genial character, he is one of the most popular public men in the city of Lawrence.
OHN BECKFORD HILL, senior mem- ber of the firm of John B. Hill & Son, dealers in watches and jewelry, is Beverly's oldest merchant now in active busi- ness, having opened his store here in 1844. He was born in this city, September 25, 1824, son of James and Sally (Beckford) Hill. The paternal grandfather, also named James, born in Ireland, town of Carrickfergus, Antrim County, with two brothers, Hugh and Peter, and two sisters, came to this country in 178S. He settled in Beverly, where he began as a fish merchant. Having been very success- ful, he was later the owner of a number of vessels. The maiden name of his wife is not known.
James Hill, youngest son of James, Sr., and the father of John B., born in Beverly in 1792, died in 1829, aged thirty-seven years. Like his father, he was interested in the fish- ing business, and owned many vessels. He
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married Sally Beckford, who was born in Bev- erly in 1798, daughter of Captain Benjamin and Ruth (Obear) Beckford. Her father, a Revolutionary patriot and a sca captain, who settled in Beverly after the war, made many voyages between Salem and Russia, and died in 1810. After the death of her husband Mrs. Sally Hill taught school, both public and private, in Beverly for a number of years. She died in 1849, aged fifty-one years. Her children were: James, Nancy S., Benjamin B., Sally B., and John B. James, who was a shoemaker by trade and Town Clerk of Beverly for a quarter of a century, died in April, 1879. He married Mary Curtis, of Beverly, and had two children : James Arthur, who married Kate Pease, of Salem, and has one son, Walter; and William Curtis, who married Georgia T. Town, of Beverly, and has two children - William Webster and George Jackson. Nancy S. Hill, who died in November, 1896, married William P. Friend, now also deceased, and left four children - William S., James H., Nan S., and Charles H. Friend. Benjamin B. Hill, who died in March, 1879, married Elizabeth A. Perkins, who is also deceased, and left one daughter, Elizabeth A., now the wife of Pierce Bell, of Beverly, and the mother of one child, Grace P. Bell. His only son, Benjamin B., Jr., who was a soldier in the Civil War, is now deceased. The only survivors of James and Sally Hill's children are Sally B., who was born in 1821, and John Beckford Hill.
John Beckford Hill acquired his education in the public schools of Beverly, after which he went to Salem and learned the jewelry and watchmaker's trade of Edmund Currier, with whom he remained four years. In 1844 he opened a store for himself in Beverly, where to-day he is the only merchant still in trade of those who were then in business here, and
with one exception the only survivor. He took in his son, John Franklin Hill, as part- ner in 1870, and since that time the firm name has been John B. Hill & Son. His son now has charge of most of the business. He was the treasurer and secretary of the Beverly Gaslight Company for twenty years, and he is now a trustee of the Danvers Savings Bank.
On December 30, 1852, Mr. Hill was united in marriage with Caroline E. Perkins, daughter of Benjamin F. and Elizabeth (Mur- ray) Perkins. Of the four children born of the union, three are living - Sarah Elizabeth, John Franklin, and Charles Flanders. Sarah E., who is the wife of Theodore Taylor, of Beverly, has no children. John F., who mar- ried Anna B. Adams, of this place, has three children - Marjorie B., Karl Franklin A., and John B. (second). Charles F., who mar- ried Liefa T. Perry, of Beverly, Mass., has no children, and now resides in Cambridge, Mass. Mr. Hill is an Independent in poli- tics. He was Assessor of Beverly for twenty- one years, Overseer of the Poor for many years, and Town Auditor at one time. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, and was Mas- ter of Liberty Lodge of Beverly for twelve years. He has also been a member of the Sons of Temperance for twenty-seven years, and he belongs to the Knights of Pythias of Beverly. Both he and Mrs. Hill are members of the First Baptist Church, of which he was clerk from 1856 to 1876.
ILLIAM HENRY SEVERANCE, of Lynn, who represented the Twelfth Essex district in the State legislature of 1897, was born January 12, 1857, in Bangor, Me. His parents, Howard K. and Jennie (Severance) Severance, were both natives of that city, and there spent the
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larger part of their comparatively brief lives. In 1862 the father enlisted in a Bangor com- pany of volunteers, and was at the forefront in some of the battles of the Civil War. He never returned to his home, having, without doubt, met death while bravely facing the enemy. His wife, completely prostrated by this belief, died within a short time.
Left an orphan at an early age, William H. Severance was thus prematurely thrown upon his own resources. Prior to the age of eleven years, he attended the district schools of Brad- ford, Me., and that vicinity for a part of each year. Thereafter he began to earn his living. During the first three years he worked in a brush factory at Pushshaw Falls, Me. Then he followed the cooper's trade in different places for ten years, being principally em- ployed in Cambridge, Mass. In 1880 he came to Lynn; and, opening a meat and pro- vision market on Pratt Street, he carried on a thriving business there until 1895. He then established a steamboat express business be- tween Lynn and Boston, which he has success- fully carried on since.
Since coming to Lynn, Mr. Severance has had an active part in municipal affairs, his sound judgment making him a most useful official. In 1893 and 1894 he was a member of the Common Council, serving during the first year on the Committees on Incidentals, and Laying out and Altering the Streets, and in 1895 on the Drainage and Claims Commit- tees. In the fall of 1896 he was elected to the State legislature for the term of 1897. Fraternally, he is a member of Winnepurkit Tribe of Red Men, Lodge No. 55; of Peter Woodland Lodge, K. of P., No. 72; and of Glenmere Lodge, No. 139, I. O. O. F. For the past three years he has been a director of the Lynn Co-operative Bank. On August 8, 1883, he was married to Miss Lizzie J. Meade,
of this city. Five children have blessed the union, four of whom are living; namely, Vic- torine W., Clara N., Frederick E., and Will- iam M.
ANGDON HEALEY HOLDER, the proprietor of the oldest baking busi- ness in the city of Lynn, is a son of Nathaniel Holder, who was born in Marble- head. After his marriage with Hannah D. Morgan, of Salem, Nathaniel located in Lynn. In 1848 he opened a bakery, begin- ning on a modest scale. Before his retire- ment from active life in 1882, he had built up a thriving trade.
Langdon H. Holder was born in Lynn, March 10, 1846, and was here reared and educated. At the age of sixteen he began assisting his father. Finding the occupation congenial to his tastes, he continued at it, learning the details of the business. Since 1882 he has had the entire charge of the es- tablishment. The bakery has been located on its present site for forty-eight years, and is a well-known landmark of the city. Mr. Holder, who believes that anything worth doing is worth doing well, takes especial pains to have all his goods pure, healthful, and otherwise of the best quality; and his numerous patrons have not been slow in recog- nizing this fact. He has an extensive trade in the community where his life has been spent.
Mr. Holder has served his fellow-citizens in important offices of trust and responsibility. In 1887, 1888, and 1889 he was a member of the Common Council, in the latter year being chairman of the Committees on Fuel, Street Lights, Public Property, Almshouse, and the Poor. In 1890 and 1891 he was a Represent- ative to the State legislature, in which during his first term he was a member of the Com-
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mittee on Pay-rolls, and during his second term he was on the Prisons Committee. He was appointed by the Speaker of the House to attend the New York Centennial in 1890, being the only member from Essex County thus honored. In 1892 and 1893 he was a member of the Board of Aldermen. In his first year in that capacity he was chairman of the Committee on Drainage, Fuel and Street Lights, and Public Property; and in 1892 he was chairman of the Committee on Drainage. In politics he is an unswerving Republican and a faithful worker in its ranks. In 1893 and 1894 he was a member of the Republican City Committee, and he is now a member of the Republican Club of Ward Six.
On October 28, 1868, Mr. Holder was mar- ried to Miss Ella M. Jackson, who died April 15, 1893. She bore him six children, of whom five are living; namely, Alice J., Amy L., Ernest W., Bessie D., and Everett T. Amy L. is the wife of William Morrison, of Lynn. On June 12, 1894, Mr. Holder mar- ried Miss Anna S. Nutter, of Lynn. They have no children.
AVID LOWELL DEARBORN BALCH, a retired carpenter and builder of Amesbury, was born inl this town, October 13, 1828, son of Dr. Israel and Nancy (Goodwin) Balch. The father was a graduate of Dartmouth College and one of the most successful physicians and surgeons of his day in this locality. His rep- utation extended far beyond the limits of Amesbury and its vicinity, his opinion and advice being frequently in demand by his brother physicians throughout the county. He was especially noted for his charitable dis- position. Electricity, then a new object of investigation, had a keen interest for his
mind. His mechanical ingenuity enabled him to invent several valuable electrical ap- pliances as well as to construct many of his surgical instruments. In his younger days he taught in an academy, thus acquiring an inter- est in educational matters that he retained throughout the rest of his life. He assisted many young men in their college preparations. Earnestly devoted to his profession, the long rides and constant exposure to all kinds of weather it demanded from him gradually undermined his constitution ; and he died July 7, 1858. Dr. Balch was prominent in public affairs, was connected with the Masonic fra- ternity and various medical societies, and was an active member of the Unitarian church.
David Lowell Dearborn Balch was educated in Amesbury, and has always resided here. He was for a number of years engaged in business as a carpenter and builder, and he served as Road Surveyor for twenty-five years. Some time since he retired after a prosperous business career, and he is now passing his time in quiet leisure. On January 10, 1854, he was united in marriage with Judith A. Boardman, daughter of Offin Boardman. Her father was a representative in the sixth gener- ation of an old Essex County family, members of which were active in Colonial and Revolu- tionary affairs. Mrs. Balch is a direct de- scendant of Captain Offin Boardman, who with others formed the boat's crew that captured a British vessel off Newburyport Harbor during the struggle for independence.
EORGE WALDRON WORCES- TER, M. D., a well-known physician of Newburyport, was born in Wind- sor, Vt., September 1, 1860. A son of Chauncy and Adeline (Waldron) Worcester, he is descended in the eighth generation from
DAVID L. D. BALCH.
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the Rev. William Worcester, one of the first settlers of Salisbury, the first pastor located there and a County Commissioner. The Worcester family is one of the oldest in the county, and has produced men noted for honesty and integrity, and eminent in profes- sional and literary lines.
Chauncy Worcester, also born in Windsor, was a farmer in that town. Held in high es- teem by his fellow-townsmen, he was chosen to fill various offices of responsibility and trust. A Unitarian in religious belief, his creed was well expressed in the constant help- fulness and kindliness of his daily life. He married Adeline, daughter of Samuel Walden, of Windsor. Now seventy-seven years old, she is the eldest of nine children, all of whom are still living. One of her sisters has recently celebrated her golden wedding. Chauncy and Adeline Worcester had five chil- dren, of whom three are living. These are : a daughter, who is a trained nurse in Boston ; Frank D., who is a practising physician at Keene, N. H. ; and Dr. G. W. Worcester, the subject of this sketch. George Waldron Worcester fitted for college at the Green Moun- tain Academy in South Woodstock, Vt., and then entered the University of Vermont at Bur- lington. Later he studied at the Hahnemann College in Chicago, graduating therefrom in 1883 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Since that time he has taken two post-gradu- ate courses, one at the Polyclinic Institute of New York in 1891 and one in 1894 at the Post-graduate Hospital of New York City. Also he has taken a course in microscopy, and has given much attention to surgery. After spending four years at Springfield, Vt., where he had a large practice, he came in 1887 to Newburyport, succeeding to Dr. Bolton's prac- tice. He was subsequently associated with Dr. B. G. Clarke, ophthalmologist, for nearly
a year. Since coming to Newburyport he has built up a large practice. His unquestioned skill and the large number of cures he has effected have gained a reputation that might be envied by a much older man. He is a member of the Homoeopathic Medical Society of Vermont, of the Massachusetts Homœo- pathic State Medical Society, of the Ameri- can Institute of Homoeopathy, of the Gynæco- logical and Surgical Society of Boston, and of the Essex County Homoeopathic Medical Society. Of the last named he was the presi- dent for one year and the secretary and treas- urer for two years.
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