USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 25
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Benjamin W. Robbins, whose circumstances in boyhood left him but few advantages, ac- quired his education by his own individual efforts. Born and reared on a farm, he be- came in early life inured to the hardships of agricultural life. Yet, appreciating its inde- pendence, he followed the precedent of his forefathers, and became a farmer. In 1860, when twenty-five years of age, the estate he now owns was intrusted to his charge. It
contains one hundred and fifty acres of good land. For a number of years, besides general farming he has been engaged in the culture of cranberries, now a staple product in the fall and winter markets. In 1862 he wedded Miss Lydia M. Hammond, who bore him five chil- dren. These were: Annie H., who became the wife of Theron M. Cole; John S .; Lucian T .; Evelyn F .; and Morris F. Evelyn has been a student at the Normal School at North- field. In politics Mr. Robbins is a Republi- can, and represented his district in the State legislature of 1882-83. In the capacity of Fire Warden, which office he has held for a number of years, he has been very efficient. He is an esteemed member of the Congrega- tional church of Carver.
IVERETT T. LINCOLN, Deputy Sheriff, auctioneer, and dealer in carriages and harness, is one of the busy and enter- prising citizens of Middleboro, Mass. He was born in this town, January 16, 1851, and is the only son of William and Juliet (Sher- man) Lincoln.
The Lincoln family is of English origin. Among the early settlers of Hingham, Mass., were: Thomas Lincoln, the "cooper," who came about 1635 or 1636; Samuel Lincoln and his brother Thomas, the "weaver," about 1637; Sergeant Daniel, 1644-5; Stephen Lincoln and his brother Thomas, the "hus- bandman," 1638; and Thomas Lincoln, the "miller," who came to Massachusetts in 1635, settled first in Hingham, and some years later removed to Taunton. His three sons - Thomas, John, and Samuel - were all resi- dents of Taunton.
Mr. William Lincoln's father, Lewis Lin- coln, who was an able mechanic, was a suc- cessful self-made man. He came to Middle-
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boro when seventeen years of age, and died here at the age of eighty-six. His wife died at the age of sixty-two. They had two chil- dren - William and one who died in infancy. William Lincoln, like his father, had natural mechanical ability. When twenty-one years of age, he started in the carriage business in Middleboro, manufacturing and selling, and did not disdain to work at the forge himself, fashioning tires and springs. This was in the days when carriages were made mostly by hand, and until the advent of factories he had a large and lucrative business. Since ma- chine work became common, his business has been confined to selling carriages. Mr. Will- iam Lincoln, being in feeble health, has for some time left the management of affairs in his son's hands. His wife, whose maiden name was Sherman, is a native of Carver, Mass.
Everett T. Lincoln enjoyed good educa- tional opportunities, taking an advanced course of study at Pierce Academy. At the age of seventeen he went to work at his father's forge, and for a number of years was engaged with him in the manufacture of car- riages, the name of the firm being L. Lincoln & Son. He is an able business man, know- ing how to care for the property accumulated by his father and how to add to his own re- sources by careful investment. He is a mem- ber of the Board of Investment of the Middle- boro Savings Bank and one of the Trustees of that institution.
Mr. Lincoln married May 7, 1871, Miss Lizzie Bartlett, of Plymouth, Mass., daughter of Frederick Bartlett. In politics he favors the Republican side. His ability and force of character are recognized by his townsmen, and he has been elected to a number of offices of trust and authority. He was Constable eight years, and has been Deputy Sheriff two
years; and he was formerly connected with the fire department. He belongs to Mayflower Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; and to Lodge No. 665, Knights of Honor. Together with his parents he is an attendant at the Baptist church; and, though he is not a church mem- ber, he is interested in the welfare of the so- ciety, and for two years has been Treasurer of the Baptist Cemetery Association.
EORGE T. DEFREES is a well- known dry-goods merchant in Hing- ham, Mass., dealing also in fancy goods and furnishings. He was born in Bos- ton, July 25, 1832, son of William and Martha (Milner) Defrees. The family is of English ancestry. William, the father, came to America in early manhood with his brother, a sea captain, who assured him that the country was a desirable one to live in. William De- frees was a baker by trade, and continued his business in Boston. The maiden name of his wife was Martha Milner. They had eight children -- William H., Maria, Elizabeth C., Martha H., George T., Joseph S., Emily Jane, and Charlotte M. But two of the family are living to-day: William H., a resident of Southboro, Mass., now at the age of seventy ; and George T., the subject of this sketch. The father died at the age of forty-six years, and the mother at fifty.
George T. Defrees, the fifth child of his parents, had excellent educational privileges in the Boston schools; but at the age of fourteen, preferring work to study, he engaged to make himself generally useful in Charles Cook's paper store. He was subsequently employed by the Remick Brothers, dealers in millinery and fancy goods, remaining with them for a number of years. Later he worked for Kinmouth & Co., dealers in dry goods and
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ribbons, and then returned for a time to Remick Brothers, becoming familiar with all the de- tails of the business. Failing health obliged him to quit work when the Civil War broke out, but he was anxious to do something for his country. He therefore enlisted in the Hospital Corps, and was detailed to Colum- bian College Hospital, where he had charge of the clothing distribution. There he had a heart-rending experience of the horrors of war; and, being obliged to sleep in a tent, he con- tracted neuralgia, from which he suffered for seven years. In 1867 he began the dry-goods business for himself in Brookline, Mass. ; but, ill health compelling him to abandon it, he sold out. As soon as he was sufficiently re- cuperated, he embarked in a similar enterprise in Quincy, Mass. After a successful busi- ness career of eight years in that town he came to Hingham, May 12, 1884, where he continues the same line of trade, with which he is thoroughly familiar.
Twenty-nine years ago Mr. Defrees was united in marriage with Frances Daggett, daughter of Warren and Clara (Gould) Dag- gett. Her ancestors came from Maine. Mr. and Mrs. Daggett had three other daughters: Eliza, deceased; Addie, who resides in Ash- mont ; and Emma, a resident of Boston.
Mr. Defrees has uniformly cast his vote for the Republican party. Fraternally, he be- longs to Tremont Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Boston, in which he has for some time officiated as Chaplain. He is also identified in the membership of Massasoit Encampment, the Merrimont Lodge, No. 617, Knights of Honor, and the New England Accident Insurance Company. In religion he is an Episcopalian. Personally, he is a genial gentleman, who is an important social and commercial factor in this town. Mr. and Mrs. Defrees reside on Hersey Street.
A MOS B. PAUN, M.D., has been for nearly twenty years a resident physi- cian of Middleboro, and during his term of active professional work has won the regard and respect of his townsmen. He was born in New Bedford, Mass., October 18, : 1846, a son of John and Sarah (Tripp) Paun.
His father, John Paun, was born in Kings- ton, R.I. He was engaged for a number of years in manufacturing and refining oil in New Bedford, making a specialty of the fine oil obtained from the sperm whale. The latter part of his life was spent on a farm in Lakeville, where he died at the age of seventy- seven in 1872. His wife was born in 1801 in Fairhaven, Mass., and was a daughter of Cap- tain Gilbert Tripp, who was master of a vessel, and was also a skilful cooper. Mrs. Paun died at the age of eighty-four. She was the mother of nine children, namely: Sarah, William, and Benjamin, deceased; John H., living in Lakeville; Deborah, Charles, David, and Ellen, deceased; and Amos B., whose name stands at the head of this sketch.
Amos B. Paun entered learning's gate through the common schools of New Bedford. He was eight years old when his parents re- moved to Lakeville; and there he worked on the farm for a while, subsequently attending Crossman Sisters' School and Pierce Academy in Middleboro. A little later, after he had begun the work of life, he had the misfortune to fracture his ankle; and this circumstance, curiously enough, led to his adopting the pro- fession of medicine. At the time the acci- dent happened he had a good position, which he filled with such efficiency that it seemed likely he would make his mark in the com- mercial world; but, now that he was unable to stand, he was obliged to give it up. The care of the broken ankle was a subject that caused great anxiety. His father and the family
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physician were afraid that, if bones were taken out and other painful processes entered into, the patient would die; but the young man was not satisfied with such a diagnosis, and began to study for himself. The trouble subse- quently yielded to proper surgical treatment. Following his first investigations in the realm of anatomical and medical science, he read with Dr. Charles H. Thomas for four years, and in 1865 entered the University of Penn- sylvania, where he was graduated cum laude in 1869. He was an enthusiastic student, and had the best of special instruction. In Sep- tember, 1869, he opened an office in East Taunton, Mass., where he remained two years ; and after that he was in North Middleboro four years. In 1877 he removed to Middle- boro, and for some time his home and office have been at 108 Oak Street. He is a skilful and successful physician and surgeon, and has a large practice.
Dr. Paun married Miss Deborah A. Thomp- son, a native of Thompson's Mills, Ill., daughter of Isaac and Anna (Thompson) Thompson, and has one son, Edgar Amos, born February 24, 1882. Mrs. Paun is a de- scendant of John Thomson, or Thompson, who came to Plymouth in 1635, it is said, and who married Mary Cook, daughter of Francis Cook, one of the "Mayflower " Pilgrims.
In politics Dr. Paun favors the Republican side, and while residing in East Taunton he took a lively interest in local matters; but his professional work now demands all his attention. A genial and hospitable gentle- man, he is very popular in society, and is a prominent member of several fraternal organi- zations. He is a Mason; is Past Chief Patri- arch of Colfax Encampment, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; belongs to Sippican Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men, of New Bedford; to New Bedford Lodge, No. 73,
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and to the Commercial Club of Middleboro. Mrs. Paun is a member of the Baptist church, and an active worker in the Women's Chris- tian Temperance Union.
J ACOB OSBORN SANBORN, the effi- cient principal of the Hingham High School, was born in Loudon Centre, N. H., on July 6, 1840, son of Daniel L. and Ada S. (Moore) Sanborn. His great-grand- father, Captain John Sanborn, a native of Kingston, N.H., was a farmer, and one of the early settlers in Loudon, N.H., where he owned and cleared many acres of land. He served in the old State militia. He was appointed on September 5, 1775, First Lieu- tenant of the Tenth Company, Thirteenth Regiment of militia in the colony of New Hampshire; and his commission is in the possession of his grandson, the subject of this . sketch. He subquently became Captain. He married Ruth Rand, and they had five chil- dren who grew to maturity. Captain Sanborn and his wife lived to a good old age.
Edmund, their youngest child, was a farmer and miller in his native town of Loudon, N. H., for many years. In politics he was a Democrat and officially prominent, serving the town as its Representative to the legisla- ture. In religion he was a Free Will Baptist. His wife, whose maiden name was Ruth Griffin, was a native of Loudon. They had nine children, five of whom are now living. Mrs. Ruth G. Sanborn lived to be over eighty, while her husband attained the advanced age of ninety-three.
Daniel L., the third child of Edmund and Ruth (Griffin) Sanborn, was born in Loudon, N. H., where he was engaged in farming all his life. In politics he was a Republican;
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and he served as Constable for many years, being also Captain of the State militia. He married Ada S. Moore, and they were the parents of six children, namely: Jacob O .; Ruth J., deceased; Joseph T., now residing on the old homestead, and whose wife, Fannie Cleverly, died without children; Charles F., a resident of Loudon, N.H. ; Mary E. Bus- well, wife of John L. Buswell, of Loudon, N. H., and mother of two children - Abbie E. and Frank W .; and Ada Estelle Sanborn, who died young. The father and mother at- tended the Free Will Baptist church. They lived to the age of fifty-six and sixty-five re- spectively.
Jacob O. Sanborn, after acquiring his early education in Loudon, N.H., fitted for college at New Hampton, and was graduated at Dart- mouth College in the class of 1864. The year following he took charge of the South Hingham Grammar School, remaining until the spring of 1866, when he accepted the man-' agement of the Cradock Grammar School in Medford, Mass., which position he continued to fill until the fall of 1868. From that time until 1872 he had charge of the Winchester Grammar School. Mr. Sanborn then accepted the principalship of the Hingham High School, which he has ably filled for twenty- four years. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. He is President of the Board of Trustees of the Hingham Public Library.
On October 30, 1869, Mr. Sanborn was united in marriage with Louise Attelia Slader, daughter of Edward and Almira A. (Hunton) Slader, being the only child now living. Mr. Sanborn is highly esteemed as a citizen and a teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Sanborn are both members of the Congregational church at Hingham, in which he has officiated as Deacon for the past ten years.
ON. GEORGE M. HOOPER, of Bridgewater, Mass., manufacturer of building brick, is one of the well- known public men of this vicinity, having held various town officers and served two terms in the State legislature. He was born in Bridgewater, September 1, 1838, and is a son of the late Mitchell and Jane (Mitchell) Hooper.
His first ancestor in this country came from England in 1635, and settled in what is now Wakefield, Mass. From the immigrant's youngest son, John Hooper, who located in Bridgewater in 1700, George M. Hooper is a direct descendant, in the sixth generation. The family has produced soldiers as well as financiers and statesmen, Hezekiah Hooper, Mr. Hooper's great-grandfather, having fought in the Revolutionary War, and Joseph Hooper, his uncle, in the War of 1812.
Mitchell Hooper was born in Bridgewater. An active Republican, he represented this district in the State legislature in 1861. He died October 15, 1886. His wife was born in Enfield, Mass. She, too, was of Revolution- ary stock, being a grand-daughter of Thomas Mitchell, who was a soldier in the Continental army under Washington. Mrs. Hooper died in 1891. Of the children born to this couple, three are living: George M., the subject of the present outline sketch; Lucia H., wife of Henry T. Pratt, of Bridgewater; and · Eliza- beth L., widow of Frederick A. Barker, now residing in Cambridge, Mass.
George M. Hooper attended the Bridgewater Academy and Pierce Academy at Middleboro, and was graduated from the State Normal School in this town in 1857. After teaching school for a year, he engaged in the manufact- ure of building brick, and has followed it up to the present time. For a number of years he has served as clerk and Trustee of the
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GEORGE M. HCOPER.
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Bridgewater Savings Bank; and he has been Treasurer and is now Secretary of the Plym- outh County Agricultural Society.
Mr. Hooper has been twice married. His first wife. whose maiden name was Mary E. Josselyn, was the mother of eight children, six of whom are living, namely: Jane M., wife of Emery E. Kent, of Salem, Mass .; Louise, wife of Arthur D. Ferguson, of Allston, Mass .; George M. and Frederick W., of Bridgewater; Mary E., a graduate of the Bridgewater Normal School, who is teaching in a private school in Elizabeth, N.J .; and Mitchell, residing with his father. The present Mrs. Hooper was before marriage Miss Catherine Mitchell, of Bridgewater.
Mr. Hooper is a strong Republican in poli- tics. He represented Bridgewater and East and West Bridgewater in the State legislature in 1888 and 1890; and for several years he has been a member of the town School Com- mittee, presiding for three years as Chairman of the Board. A prominent Mason, he be- longs to Fellowship Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Bridgewater, of which he is a Past Master ; Harmony Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of the same place, of which he is a Past High Priest ; and Bay State Commandery, Knights Tem- plars, of Brockton. He is connected with the New Jerusalem church (Swedenborgian). Mr. Hooper and his family are esteemed mem- bers of the community in which they dwell, prominent in all the important social events in Bridgewater.
ENRY D. ALLEN, who has been identified with the agricultural in- terests of Plymouth County through- out his active life, was born March 9, 1824, in Marion, on the farm where his father, Reuben Allen, was born, lived, and died,
His great-grandfather, John Allen, settled here in Colonial days. Weston Allen, the paternal grandfather, purchased and improved the Allen homestead, and here reared his chil- dren to those habits of industry and economy that afterward made them good and valued citizens.
Reuben Allen succeeded to the ownership of the ancestral acres, and was chiefly engaged in agricultural pursuits. He marricd Phœbe B. Blankenship, who borc him seven children; namely, Polly H., Matilda L., Sallie S., Henry D., George F., Charles Weston, and . Lorenzo T. Charles Weston died at the age of five years.
Henry D. Allen was bred and educated in his native town. He attended the public schools during his boyhood, and on the home farm received a practical training in agricult- ure. He resided on the old homestead prop- erty until 1894, when he removed to his present snug farm, where he is engaged in general agriculture on a small scale. Mr. Allen has always taken an active and intelli- gent interest in all matters pertaining to the town and county, and has ably served the town in its most important offices. For eight years he was Selectman, Assessor, and Overscer of the Poor, a member of the School Committee for three years, and Highway Surveyor for a number of terms. Politically, he is a stanch adherent of the Republican party. While a member of no religious organization, he is in sympathy with the work of all the churches.
On June 10, 1847, Mr. Allen married Miss Eliza W. Delano, a daughter of Benjamin and Thankful (Delano) Delano. His wife has had four children, as follows: Charles H., who died March 13, 1850; Mary O., whose death occurred November 2, 1863; Annie D., the only surviving child; and Henry T., who passed away November 7, 1888.
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HARLES HAWKES MARBLE, an enterprising member of the well- known firm of Rich & Marble, plumbers and hardware merchants of Hing- ham, Mass., was born in Hingham Centre on July 11, 1858. He is the youngest son of Demerick and Deborah H. (Groce) Marble, and is of the seventh generation in descent from Gershom Marble, the original progenitor of the family in Hingham and vicinity.
He was a mariner in early manhood, and a resident of Charlestown, Mass. He was twice married. His first wife, Mary, died in Charlestown on December 30, 1694, when she was a young woman; and he subsequently removed to Hingham, where he resided on Beechwood Street. In Scituate, Mass., in 1697 he was married to Waitstill Ingle, who died in Hingham, November 14, 1728. Ger- shom Marble died August 6, 1725, at the age of sixty.
David, fourth child of Gershom and Wait- still (Ingle) Marble, was born about the year 1706. On December 27, 1732, he married Abigail Joy, who was born in Hingham, March 22, 1713, daughter of Prince and Abi- gail (Tower) Joy. Four children were the fruit of this union. Luther, the second child,
was born in 1735. He married Priscilla James, daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Hol- brook) James. She was baptized May 10, 1741. Luther Marble was a mariner, and met the fate of many that do business in great waters, being lost at sea. His eldest child, who bore the name of James, was born in Hingham, November 3, 1760, and was married June 7, 1785, to Fanny Stodder. Her parents were Reuben and Elizabeth (Glover) Stodder. She was born in Hingham, June 10, 1766; and after her marriage to Mr. Marble they resided on South Street. James Marble also was a scafaring man. He died on April 26,
1801, at the age of forty. By his matrimonial alliance there were scven children. His widow was married on April 24, 1802, to Reuben Thurston, who lived but a few years after; and on June 12, 1808, she married her third husband, John Braslin. . She passed away August 3, 1833.
Demerick, third son of James and Fanny (Stodder) Marble, was born in Hingham, July 18, 1794. On December 7, 1818, he was married to Olive Easterbrook, daughter of Gorham and Susanna (Gorham) Easterbrook. She was born in Barnstable, Mass., October 28, 1798, and died on December 24, 1868. Demerick Marble was lost at sea March 30, 1823, while in command of the schooner "Globe." He was the paternal grandfather of the subject of this biography.
His son, Demerick Marble, Jr., was born in Hingham, October 7, 1819. After availing himself of the educational opportunities afforded by the common schools of that time, at the age of fourteen and a half years he went to Boston to learn the painter's trade. A year later, however, he returned to Hing- ham, and worked at the carriage-maker's trade. In 1849 he formed a partnership with Bela H. Whiton, which lasted for forty-two consecu- tive years, when Mr. Marble retired from the arena of business, having been engaged in all fifty-six years in the carriage-making industry.
In politics he formerly affiliated with the Frec Soil party; but since the formation of the Republican party he has been identified with the latter organization, invariably casting his vote for Republican candidates. An active and public-spirited citizen, Mr. Demerick Marble has served efficiently in various town and State offices. For many years he was on the School Committee, for nine years he was a Selectman, and he is at present Town Auditor. In 1859 and 1860 he was Representative to
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the State legislature. Since 1877 he has been Trustee of the Hingham Institution for Savings, and since 1871 a Director of Hing- ham Mutual Fire Insurance Company.
Fraternally, Mr. Marble is identified with Old Colony Lodge, A. F. & A. M., having taken the third degree in March, 1859; and for over half a century he has also been a member of Old Colony Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Reared by a Baptist mother, he was thoroughly indoctrinated in that religious faith. He subsequently be- came a Universalist, and is ever ready and willing to state intelligently the reason for his belief. He is a man of strong convic- tions, but is not opinionated. He is an attendant of the old Unitarian church in Hingham. Mr. Marble has accumulated a good property, and stands high socially.
Mr. Demerick Marble and Deborah H, Groce, who was born in Hingham on June 25, 1823, daughter of Jacob and Olive F. (Burr) Groce, were married on July 31, 1842. They became the parents of four sons. William Demerick, the eldest, who was born in Wey- mouth, Mass., March 15, 1845, died in Hing- ham on May 8, 1850. The second, Thomas Burr, born in Hingham, November 2, 1848, died October 30, 1851. Arthur Demerick, the third son, now city engineer of Lawrence, Mass., was born in Hingham, April 10, 1853. He is a natural artist, and is also the family historian, having compiled a number of inter- esting biographical sketches. He married Mary A. Richardson, and has one daughter, Marion Wright Marble.
Charles Hawkes Marble, the youngest child of Demerick and Deborah H. (Groce) Marble, was born in Hingham on July II, 1858. He attended the public schools, and was subse- quently graduated at the Hingham High School, standing well in scholarship. For a
time he officiated as Assistant Postmaster at Hingham Centre, and was assistant to the Li- brarian of the Hingham Public Library. He then entered the employ of I. W. Loring, to gain an insight into the mysteries of plumbing and tinsmithing, remaining with him eighteen months. He afterward returned to the post- office for another period of service. In 1879 his present partnership with Atkins S. Rich was formed, the enterprise having been estab- lished by Mr. Rich five years previously. Mr. Marble's business tact and popularity make him an important factor of the concern. They. employ from six to eight men, their work cov- ering an extensive territory. In 1880 they bought a new business plant to better meet the demands of their steadily increasing trade.
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