USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 31
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officiated as Quartermaster for twenty-three years. He attends the Congregational church.
APTAIN JAMES H. DAWES, of Kingston, Mass., has seen much of the world, having circumnavigated the globe several times, and having lived the adventurous life of a California miner in 1849. He was born in Duxbury, Mass., July 20, 1826, a son of Abraham and Deborah (Dar- ling) Dawes.
Members of the Dawes family were early settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, though not, so far as known, among the first comers. A William Dawes, a bricklayer by trade, was living in Boston in 1646. He had three sons - Ambrose, William, and Robert. It was a William Dawes of a later generation who joined Paul Revere at Lexington during his memorable ride to arouse the minute-men, and, when Revere was taken by the British and carried back to Boston, proceeded with Sam- uel Prescott to Concord, arousing the patriots on the way.
Captain James H. Dawes's great-grand- father, Ambrose, of Duxbury, and his grand- father, Ebenezer Dawes, were well-known citizens of this part of the State. His father, Abraham Dawes, who was born in Kingston, Mass., was a seafaring man, engaged in the coasting trade a great many years. He died April 12, 1868. His wife was born in the old town of Duxbury. She died November 4, 1859. Of their children the two now living are : Captain Josephus Dawes, in Duxbury, Mass. ; and James H., in Kingston. The others, who have passed away, were: Captain Allen A. Dawes and a sister Harriet.
James H. Dawes was reared and educated in Duxbury. He went to sea at the early age of fourteen, and within six years had risen
through the different degrees of rank to the responsible position of captain. At the age of twenty he commanded the brig "Balize," owned by Joseph Holmes, of Kingston, Mass., for whom he subsequently commanded a num- ber of vessels in the coasting and foreign trade. He was in Mr. Holmes's employ for a number of years, his term of service being interrupted by a season in California. In 1849, his ship being in port in Boston, he decided to join a party bound for the gold fields, and went by sailing vessel to the Isth- mus of Panama, which he crossed on foot, taking a steamer on the other side for San Francisco. Four years of roughing it among the mining camps were sufficient for Captain Dawes; and in 1853 he returned to his native State, taking the route by which he had set out. Again assuming charge of a vessel, he was in the foreign trade for some time; and he was afterward engaged in superintending the building of ships at East Boston for himself and others. Not content to leave the sea alto- gether, however, he subsequently sailed to foreign ports as commander of different ves- sels, his own and those of other ship-owners, until 1881, when he retired to his home in Kingston. Captain Dawes might write a very interesting book on the countries he has visited and the sights he has seen. He has sailed in nearly every oceanic body of water on the globe, and several times has doubled the southern extremities of the continents, the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn; and he has an inexhaustible store of anecdote. The captain is a Trustee of the Boston Marine Association, office in the Chamber of Com- merce, Boston.
He has been twice married. His first wife, who was Abbie D. Chandler, of Vermont, left two children - John C. and Flora L. The latter is the wife of George D. Bartlett, of
JAMES H. DAWES.
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Plymouth, Mass. His second wife, to whom he was united on June 25, 1857, was Mrs. Lydia J. (Sampson) Bradford, daughter of Rufus and Sally (Gibbs) Sampson, of Dux- bury, Mass., and widow of Samuel Brad- ford, of that town. By her first marriage she had three children, of whom she has been bereft; and she bore Captain Dawes one daughter, Laura M. On many of Captain Dawes's voyages his wife accompanied him.
The captain votes the Republican ticket. He is a charter member of Corner Stone Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Duxbury, and is very popular in the community in which he lives, he and his family taking an active part in all social events of importance. The cap- tain and his wife are attendants at the Uni- tarian church.
R. GEORGE F. MORSE, a popular and successful physician of Carver, was born May I, 1840, at Middle- boro. this county, son of Ira and Betsy (Red- ding) Morse. He represents one of the oldest families in the country, being a descendant of William Morse, who was a passenger on the "Mayflower." Those of the Morse family directly descended from William Morse have resided in this general section of the States. The great-grandfather of Dr. Morse, also named William Morse, was a farmer of Mid- dleboro; and his paternal grandfather, Jona- than, followed the same occupation in Carver. Ira, a son of Jonathan, and a native of Carver, was engaged in general farming at Middle- boro. His wife, Betsy, was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Zaccheus Redding, esteemed farming people of Taunton, Mass. Of Ira's seven children, two still survive. He passed away March 30, 1856, in his fiftieth year, and his wife on October 17, 1863.
Dr. Morse acquired his early education in
the common schools. In Carver, at the age of sixteen, he began working at the shoemaker's trade, and thereafter followed it until his twenty-sixth year. Having prosecuted a course of reading in medicine in the mean while, he then devoted himself exclusively to the study in the office of Dr. George F. Wood, of Plymouth. Here he spent three years, during which he often came into con- tact with homeopathic physicians. At the termination of that period he established him- self in his profession at Carver, where he has practised very successfully for eighteen years, giving his entire time and attention to his chosen calling. The last winter was the busiest season that he has experienced in his entire career.
On March 15, 1870, Dr. Morse married Mrs. Lucinda Maxim, a daughter of James and Ruth Dunham, to whom she was born at Carver, January 31, 1839. Dr. Morse takes an earnest interest in the town, and is an active promoter of its social and civic welfare. In his political views he is identified with the Republican party.
G EORGE B. SANFORD, of Lakeville, a veteran of the Civil War, was born May 23, 1827, in Haverhill, Essex County, son of Fitz William and Lucy San- ford. He received his early education in Haverhill, where he lived until twelve years of age. Then, after spending a year in New Salem, N. H., he went to Groveland, Mass., and there learned the trade of tanning and currying. After working as a tanner some three years, he learned boot-making, which he followed at intervals in different places for thirteen years. He made shoes in Atkinson, N.H., for two years; and for a number of years following he was engaged in the same
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linc in Stoneham, Mass. His next place of residence was Auburn, N.H., where he was engaged in farming until President Lincoln's call for volunteers induced him to join the army.
Enlisting August 8, 1862, in Company A, Tenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, Mr. Sanford was mustered in as a private at Manchester, N. H. He was first under the rebel fire at Fredericksburg, out of which he came without a wound. Subsequently he passed safely through the siege of Suffolk, which lasted twenty-three days. Assigned then to the engineer corps, he went to Ports- mouth, Va., where he was engaged for a year in work on the fortifications. After this he rejoined his regiment at Yorktown, and par- ticipated in the engagements of Drury's Bluff and Cold Harbor, the siege of Petersburg, and the action at Chapin's farm. In the latter he was wounded in the right wrist by a piece of. a shell, and was subsequently under the care of doctors and nurses for six or seven months. In this period he was in the field hospital, in the City Point Hospital at City Point, Va., the hospital at Hampton, and the Webster Hospital at Manchester, N.H. By a telegram received May 18, 1865, he was dis- charged from military service; and for two years thereafter he was able to perform little work of any kind, as he was obliged to carry his right arm in a sling. He lived in Auburn, N.H., until 1869, when he moved to Manchester, and engaged in farming for a while. At a later date he received an appointment as night watchman, and subse- quently followed that calling in Manchester for eight years. In 1880 he moved to Lake- ville, where he has since been engaged in farming and poultry raising. Mr. Sanford votes the Republican ticket. He kceps up his connection with his comrades of the war as a
member of Post No. 3, Grand Army of the Re- public, of Manchester, N.H., and is a promi- nent member of the Royal Arcanum.
DWARD I. BROWN, of Rockland, Mass., manufacturer of Goodyear welts, is a self-made man who has climbed from the bottom to a high round of the ladder of success. A son of George F. and Sarah M. (Nerburt) Brown, of Nantucket, he was born on that island, January 17, 1860.
George F. Brown, the father, sailed from Nantucket on a whaling vessel in 1849 for California, doubling Cape Horn, and making a long tedious journey. His brother, who accompanied him, died in 1895, leaving a fort- ' une of a million and a half; but he himself was not so favored. He served in the Union army throughout the Civil War, receiving a serious wound, and, after peace was declared, returned to California, where he died at the age of forty-one. His death seemed the more untimely from the fact that the Browns are a long-lived family, many nearly attaining the century mark. Mrs. Sarah Nerburt Brown is now living in Nantucket. She has reared three children - Mary M., Elliott M., and Edward I.
Edward I. Brown was given scant educa- tional opportunities, being obliged to go to work at the early age of nine years. He was first employed on a farm at Newton Upper Falls, and subsequently in a cotton-mill in Rhode Island two years, later in Vineyard Haven, where he served a three years' appren- ticeship to the harness-making trade, in Marl- boro, Mass., one year, and in Boston one year. On his removal to Rockland he worked at harness-making, and afterward for six months engaged in stitching and sewing on welts in a shoe shop in Rockland. Being naturally
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something of an inventive genius, he patented a thread for shoe sewing-machines, which has been of great value to the trade. After spend- ing some time as a travelling salesman for J. R. Leeson & Co., of Boston, he returned to the shop; and some time later he started his present business, in which he has been very successful. Mr. Brown manages the welt fac- tory, and at the same time he sells his own goods on the road. Some idea of his business ability may be gained from the fact that his sales last year amounted to over one hundred and fifty-three thousand dollars. He has never felt the lack of educational training; for he has the natural gift of adapting himself to circumstances, and by observation and experi- ence he has qualified himself as a business man, learning by practice alone without studying theory. Having travelled exten- sively, he has a broad knowledge of men and affairs. He is well informed on all matters of current interest, and is a self-made man in more than a business sense.
Mr. Brown was married November 23, 1881, to Alice G. Baker, of Rockland, and has been blessed with four children: Carroll Winslow, aged fourteen; Esther Lyle (deceased) ; and Chester Nerburt and Bessie Linwood, aged re- spectively ten and seven years. He has a pleasant home at 26 Vernon Street. In poli- tics he is a Republican. He belongs to three social organizations - the Sons of Veterans, the Narragansett Boot and Shoe Club, and the Norfolk Club of Boston.
UCIUS H. DOTEN, until recently the foreman of the granite yards of Rox- bury, Conn., was born in Plymouth, this county, May 10, 1832, son of Joseph and Jerusha (Bartlett) Doten. The family de- scends from colonists who came in the " May-
flower." Joseph Dotcn, who was born near the birthplace of his son, the subject of this article, made his home in Plymouth County until 1851, when he migrated to California by the isthmus route. He died in California a few months after his arrival. His wife, Jerusha, who was a native of Manomct, and a daughter of George and Sylvina Bartlett, bore him six children, namely: Joseph M., who now resides on Water Street; Frances B., who died in 1894 in California, whither shc went in 1850; William W., who passed away in 1856; Lucius H., the subject of this article; Abbie M., who died in 1855; and Andrew J., whose death happened in California in 1854. The mother died in 1840.
Lucius H. Doten passed his boyhood on the paternal farm. At the age of eight years he was left motherless. In his seventeenth year he started out for himself by engaging in fishing, which calling he followed during the seven successive summers. Hc then served an ap- prenticeship of one year in Quincy, Mass., at granite-cutting, and afterward followed that trade in different cities throughout the Eastern States. In 1884 he received the appointment as foreman of the granite yards at Roxbury, Conn., in which capacity he served efficiently until February, 1896. He is now engaged in trout raising at Plymouth.
On November 12, 1862, Mr. Doten married Miss Mary A. Holmes, who was born in Plymouth, daughter of Galen R. and Juline E. (Valler) Holmes. Mr. Doten and his wife became the parents of four children, namcly : Frank W., born October 20, 1864, who died on November 21, 1864; Lucia N., born March 6, 1868; Abbie A., born July 18, 1870; and Charles R., born August 15, 1873. Lucia became the wife of Nathaniel F. Hoxie, a native of Plymouth, to whom she bore three children, namely: Fanny A., born January
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18, 1888; Mary F., born February 2, 1892; and Lucius H., now deceased. Abbie became Mrs. George J. Sampson, and has a son, William S., who was born November 1, 1893. Mrs. Doten passed away April 12, 1890. Mr. Doten is a Mason of Plymouth Lodge. In politics he supports the Republican party. His religious principles are those of a free thinker. He has always made historic Plym- outh his home, and he has resided on his present estate for thirty-four years.
LONZO CUSHING, a well-known business man of Hingham, and a Director of the Savings Bank, is a native of the town. He was born on Decem- ber 15, 1827, son of David and Mary S. (Lap- ham) Cushing, and is a representative of the eighth generation in descent from Matthew Cushing, a native of Old England, who settled in Hingham, Mass., in 1638. He mingled prominently in town affairs, and also officiated as Deacon of the church. His wife, whose maiden name was Nazareth Pitcher, was a daughter of Henry Pitcher. They were married in 1613, and had five children, of whom Daniel was the eldest child. He was born in Hingham, England, in 1619, and was twice married, his first wife being Lydia Gil- man, a native of England, by whom he had six children. By his second marriage with Elizabeth (Jacob) Thaxter, of England, there were no children.
Theophilus, the fifth child of David 'and Lydia (Gilman) Cushing, was born in 1657. He married Mary Thaxter, of Hingham; and eleven children were the fruit of their union. Abel, the fifth child, was born in Hingham in 1696. He was a farmer and miller, and served as Selectman for many years. He mar- ried Mary Jacob, of IIingham, and was the
father of ten children, the third a son, David. He was born here in 1727, was twice married, and by his first wife, Ruth Lincoln, had five children. By his second marriage with Mabel Gardner there were twelve children, Charles W. Cushing being the third child, and the grandfather of the subject of this biography.
He was born in Hingham in 1766, became a sailor, and eventually a sea captain, but sub- sequently settled on a farm in South Hingham. He married Deborah R. Jacob, of South Scitu- ate, Mass. ; and they had eleven children. David, their fourth child, was born in Hing- ham on October 2, 1801, and carried on farm- ing all his life. He married Mary S. Lap- ham; and they had eleven children, eight of whom are now living - David, Alonzo, Michael L., Otis, Sidney, George, Ferdinand, and Isabella.
David Cushing, the eldest son, married Mary J. Sherman, and by this union had five children, one of whom is now living, Marshall Henry. Michael L. married Josephine Kim- ball, of South Scituate; and they had nine children, seven of whom are now living - Herbert K., Minnie J., Susie J., Charles E., Jessie L., Bertram, and Nellie F. Otis mar- ried Caroline F. Hersey, of Hingham, and became the father of five children, four of whom are now living - Flora G., Anna F., Abbie R., and Lewis H. Sidney married Sarah E. Corbett, of this town; and they were the parents of two children - Albert L. and Waldo. George married Deborah E. Cushing, daughter of John Cushing (a descendant of Matthew by a different line) ; and they had two children - Wallace G. and Ralph E. David Cushing, the father, was a Democrat in politics and a Universalist in his religious belief. He died at the age of eighty-six, and his wife passed away at the age of eighty years. Alonzo Cushing, the second son of David,
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after completing his education in the schools of his native town, went to Boston to learn the carpenter's trade, and remained there five years. Returning to Hingham, he con- tinued to follow his trade until 1860, when he opened a general merchandise store, utiliz- ing his carpenter shop for that purpose for twenty-nine years thereafter. Many fine resi- dences here bear witness to his ability as a builder. Later Mr. Cushing became identified with the Hingham Insurance Company, which he has served as Director for twenty years, during the last five of which he has also offici- ated as adjuster. He has also been a Director of the Hingham Savings Bank since 1891. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. Fraternally, he belongs to Old Colony Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Hingham.
On January 15, 1852, he was united in marriage with Martha A. Cushing, daughter of Loring and Martha (Hersey) Cushing, of Hingham. By this union there are two chil- dren : Alonzo F., born November 29, 1857; and Lizzie H., who was born on July 11, 1860. Mr. Cushing is a man of estimable qualities and a prominent citizen. He built his present residence in 1851. In their religious belief Mr. and Mrs. Cushing are Unitarians.
OREST WILLIAM SWIFT, a mem- ber of the well-known firm Edgar & Co., of Brockton, was born in Ware- ham, Mass., in 1865, son of James R. and Lydia C. (Burgess) Swift. James R. Swift, who was mate of a ship, for the last three years of his life kept a grocery store in Ware- ham, Mass. In 1852 he was united in mar- riage with Lydia C., daughter of Covil and Lorena Burgess, of Sandwich, Mass. They had two sons: Edgar Francis, who is em- ployed in a shoe shop; and Forest William
the subject of this sketch. The father died in 1866. Five years later the mother married Asahel Southworth, of Stoughton, Mass.
After acquiring his education in the com- mon and high schools of Stoughton, Forest William Swift attended the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College in Boston. In 1881 he entered the employ of Edgar & Co. as clerk. Subsequently he was put in charge of their hosiery and underwear department, which position he filled for ten years. On February 1, 1895, he was admitted to the firm as part- ner. In politics Mr. Swift is a Republican. He belongs to Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; Satucket Royal Arch Chapter; Bay State Commandery, Knights Templars; and Aleppo Shrine of Boston. He is also a mem- ber of Harmony Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and of Massasoit Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1886 he was married to Nellie, daughter of George and Sarah Faulk- ner, of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Swift have two children : William Arnold, aged five; and Miriam Burgess, who is seven.
SAHEL SOUTHWORTH, a former resident and manufacturer of Stough- ton, Mass., was born there in 1813, son of Consider, also a native of that town, and a manufacturer of spool cotton and cotton yarn. He, who was familiarly known as "Colonel Southworth," resided in Stoughton all his life. Besides Asahel he had four other children - Lyman, Jedediah, Amasa, and Al- mira. Asahel, the eldest child, attended the common schools of Stoughton, and then sewed cotton in his father's mill. Subsequently he became a manufacturer of woollen yarn in West Stoughton, where he carried on the in- dustry for several years. In politics he was a Republican. He was affiliated with the
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Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In his religious opinions he was a liberal, and he attended the Universalist church. Mr. South- worth was twice married, the first time to Louisa Kinsley, who had four children. These were: Consider (deceased), Consider (second), Mary Anna, and Hattie. His sec- ; ond marriage was contracted in 1871 with Lydia C. (Burgess) Swift, as already stated. Mr. Southworth died in 1879. By the second marriage there was one child - Elmer Kins- ley, who resides in Lynn, Mass.
IDWARD G. KNIGHT, a well-known carpenter and builder, the only con- tractor in Hull, Plymouth County, Mass., was born in Troy, N. H., November 7, 1840, son of Martin and Bitha B. (Gould) Knight. His paternal grandfather, Elbridge Knight, was a farmer and miller who lived to a good old age. He and his wife, Betsy Knight, had fourteen children.
Martin was the third son of his parents. He was born in Sudbury, Mass. ; and, after acquiring his education, he became a teacher in Troy, N. H. He subsequently removed to Hull, where he was engaged in teaching for a year, and where he bought a farm and estab- lished his home. He officiated as a member of the School Committee for several years. On April 16, 1837, he was married to Bitha B. Gould, daughter of John and Bitha (Bin- ney) Gould, of Hingham, Mass. By this alliance there were five children : Albert L., born December 1, 1838; Edward G. ; Eliza J., born January 29, 1843; Charles H., born February 19, 1845; and Winthrop, who was born June 29, 1851. The father and mother were both highly respected members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Martin Knight died on January 8, 1894.
Edward G. Knight at the early age of two years removed with his parents to Hull, and there acquired his education. Having a nat- ural aptitude for mechanics, he learned the carpenter's trade without serving an appren- ticeship, and at the age of twenty-two bought a chest of tools and started in business. His first contract was for a four-hundred-dollar house, which is still standing. For fifteen years he was the only carpenter in town, and he is now the only contractor. He has contin- ued building with gratifying success for thirty-four years, and among the many fine residences erected here by him is the one that was owned by the late John Boyle O'Reilly. Mr. Knight has also built many sail-boats, and now has many contracts to build houses. In 1872 he established Knight's Express between Hull and Boston, which he continued until the spring of 1895, when he sold out.
In politics Mr. Knight is a Prohibitionist. In, the year 1892 he cast the only vote in the town on that ticket, but in 1895 there were twenty-three Prohibition votes in Hull. Offi- cially, Mr. Knight has been prominent, having been Town Treasurer for twenty-four consecu- tive years, Overseer of the Poor and Selectman for nineteen years, Assessor and Constable for several years, also Highway Surveyor, and from 1861 to 1887, with the exception of three years, Collector of Taxes. In 1894 he was nominated on the Prohibition ticket as Repre- sentative, and had a plurality in his own town, which speaks well for his popularity here. He was, however, defeated at that time. Fraternally, he is identified with Old Colony Lodge, No. 108, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Hingham, and the Rising Star Division, Sons of Temperance.
On December 8, 1868, Mr. Knight was married to Miss Elizabeth A. R. Adams,
EDWARD G. KNIGHT.
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a native of Royalton, \'t. They have two children - Grace W. and Albert E. Grace W. Knight married Francis Haseltine, Princi- pal of the Whiting School, Lynn, Mass., and they have one child, Ruth Haseltine. Albert E. Knight married Lizzie Follansbee, of Prov- idence, R. I. ; and they have one son, Harold. In religious belief Mr. Knight is a Methodist, having been converted to that faith in January, 1887. For two years he officiated as Superin- tendent of the Sunday-school, and he is now a devoted Christian and church member.
YLVANUS BOURNE, a highly es- teemed citizen of Halifax, was born in this town, April 4, 1839. His parents were Abram and Mary A. (Harlow) Bourne, both natives of Halifax. They had eight children - William, Sylvanus, Daniel W., Mary W., Francis, Eliza, Eunice, and Hittie. Sylvanus, who was their second son, was educated in the common schools. On reaching the age of nineteen years, he went to California ; but, finding no better chance to make money there than at home, he returned the same year. Choosing the occupation of a farmer, he began actively to till the soil, and also engaged quite largely in charcoal burning. With the exception of six years spent in Bridgewater and the short period in Califor- nia, he has resided since birth in Halifax, where he owns and conducts a farm of about seventy acres. At the breaking out of the Civil War he responded to the first call for militia, and served three months, during which he was at Fortress Monroe and Hamp- ton, and took part in the expedition to Nor- folk, Va. Mr. Bourne has served six years as Selectman of the town. He belongs to Post 124, Grand Army of the Republic, of East Bridgewater, and also to the Association of
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