USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 34
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B ENJAMIN S. ATWOOD, a well- known business man of Whitman, Plymouth County, Mass., owner and manager of one of the best-equipped box factories in America, was born in the town of Carver, Mass., June 25, 1840. His parents werc Reuel and Abigail S. (Tilson) Atwood.
The first progenitor of the family in Amer- ica was John, a native of England, who came to our shores and settled in Plymouth more than two hundred and fifty years ago, less than a quarter of a century after the landing of the Pilgrims. He married, and had several chil- dren, including three or four sons, one of whom died in Plymouth; while tradition says that another dropped the first two letters of his surname, his posterity being thereafter known under the name of Wood. Stephen Atwood settled on Cape Cod. Mr. Benjamin S. Atwood traces his descent from Nathaniel Atwood, who settled in that part of Plymouth which in 1709 was sct off as Plympton, and in 1790 was incorporated as Carver, and whose son Nathaniel was a Deacon in the l'lymouth
church. He married Mary, daughter of Jona- than Morey; and their son, Lieutenant Na- thaniel Atwood, marricd Mary Adams, of Kingston.
The next representative of the ancestral line was Ichabod Atwood, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He was a farmer, who also dealt in wood, lumber, and charcoal. His wife, Hannah Shaw, was a daughter of Captain Nathaniel Shaw, who commanded a company during the Revolutionary War. Na- thaniel Atwood, son of Ichabod and Hannah, inherited the paternal acres, and, following in the footsteps of hi's father, became a farmer and a dealer in wood, lumber, and charcoal. His entire life was spent in Middleboro, Mass. The maiden name of his wife was Zilpha Shurtleff.
Their son, Reuel Atwood, was trained to agricultural pursuits; but, when he attained his majority, he was engaged in teaming, and for a number of years drove the stage, meeting his death by accident at the age of fifty-six. Abigail S. Tilson was the name of the fair maid whom he led to the marriage altar. She was a native of Carver, being a daughter of Ichabod Tilson, who was born in the same town. Mrs. Abigail S. Atwood lived to be sixty-five years of age, and was the mother of seven children.
Benjamin S. Atwood attended public schools in Carver and Middleboro, and at the age of sixteen commenced to earn his own living. Until the breaking out of the Civil War he was employed in a lumber-mill. In April, 1861, at the first call for troops, he enlisted for three months in Company H, Third Massa- chusetts Volunteer Infantry, and went to Fort- ress Monroc. At the expiration of his term of service he was discharged, and returned home. Soon after, however, he was commissioned First Lieutenant by Governor Andrew, and
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later enlisted for nine months in Company B, Third Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He then went to New Berne, N. C., and served in that State until his period of service expired. Receiving honorable discharge, he returned home, and for a time thereafter was employed in a box factory. In October, 1866, he went into business for himself, becoming a box manufacturer in North Abington. Two years after he went to Abington, coming in 1873 to Whitman. His present plant was built in 1894. The main building is two hundred and fifty feet long, the storehouse being two hundred feet. This factory has every kind of the most improved machinery which can be utilized in the manufacture of boxes, being one of the best in the country.
In politics Mr. Atwood affiliates with the Republican party. Fraternally, he is a mem- ber of Puritan Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; Old Commandery, Knights Templars, Aleppo Temple, of Boston; and Post 73, Grand Army of the Republic. In religion he sym- pathizes with the Unitarians. On September 24, 1862, he was united in marriage with Angie F. W. Weston, of Plympton, Mass.
APTAIN GEORGE H. BROWN, a master mariner of proved courage and capability, with a worthy personal record, was born in Rochester, now the town of Marion, Plymouth County, October 12, 1841. His father, for many years a resident of this place, married Miss Hannah Blanken- ship, who bore him five children; namely, George H., Addie, Jared, Mary E., and Maria L.
George H., the elder of the two sons, was reared and educated in Marion, attending both public and private schools. At the age of sixteen, fascinated by the thrilling tales of
sea life so frequently spun in his hearing, he went on board the whaling vessel "Admiral Blake " as a common sailor, and for fifteen months cruised on the Atlantic Ocean. The following five months he spent on the coaster "Simpson Hart," being afterward on the brig "Samoset "; and later he was in the merchant marine service, sailing on the Black Diamond Line to London. In 1871 he shipped as quartermaster on the steamer "Alhambra," plying between Boston and the British prov- inces, being away two months, and continued in that service for five years as second mate and mate. In 1881 he was given charge of the steamer "Carroll," which he commanded until 1893, carrying passengers and freight from Boston to the British domains. For thirty-six years Captain Brown followed the sea, visiting many foreign ports and once doubling Cape Horn. He met with few accidents in his various ocean trips, his most serious disaster being in the fall of 1888, when the good ship "Carroll" narrowly escaped wrecking, the pilot house being torn away. One mate was lost overboard, and the vessel came into Boston Harbor with its flag at half-mast. Since his retirement from the sea Captain Brown has not been engaged in active busi- ness pursuits.
On March 29, 1871, he was united in mar- riage with Miss Mary L. Handy, daughter of Noah D. and Cynthia E. Handy, of Marion. Of the three children born to captain and Mrs. Brown, one, Franklin C., died March 18, 1895; and two promising sons - William C. and George H. T. - are now living. Po- litically, the captain has the courage of his convictions, and votes independent of party strictures. Socially, he is a member of two prominent organizations of Marion, belonging to Pythagorean Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and to the Sons of Temperance.
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ILLIAM H. FEARINE, a well- to-do and highly respected agricult- urist of Wareham, Mass., was born December 22, 1835, in the house that he now occupies. Here also his father, William S. Fearine, and his grandfather, Benjamin B. Fearine, first opened their eyes to the light of this world, the former having been born De- cember 6, 1804, and the latter October 31, 1755. This house has been built more than two hundred years, and has been occupied by several generations of the Fearine family, the first having been Isaiah Fearine, the great- grcat-grandfather of William H., and the next, Benjamin Fearine, his great-grandfather.
William S. Fearine, son of Benjamin B., succeeded to the ownership of the paternal homestead, on which he resided during his entire life, being engaged in farming until his demise in 1861. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah C. Barrows, bore him five children, namely : Elisha: William H. ; Charles W .; Mary, the wife of William B. Goodall; and one who died in infancy. Will- iam H. and his sister Mary are the only sur- vivors. The father was active in the manage- ment of town affairs, and served as Treasurer and Collector several years.
William H: Fearine, the second son, re- ceived his preliminary education in the dis- trict schools of Wareham, after which he at- tended a private school for a while, and then took a course of study at the academy in Meri- den, N.H. He remained on the home farm, becoming practically acquainted with its labors until twenty-four years old, when he established himself here in the mercantile business Disposing of his goods a few years later, Mr. Fearine returned for a while to the home farm, but was subsequently employed as a clerk for nine years by the Parker Mill Com- pany. He has since devoted his time to the
cultivation of his land, owning a farm of about one hundred acres, on which he is engaged in the various branches of general agriculture.
Mr. Fearine was married September, 1859, to Miss Delia A. Wing, daughter of Captain Benjamin Wing, and sister of George F. Wing, of Wareham. Of this union six chil- dren have been born, three of whom - Charles W., Flora M., and George C .- have passed to the life immortal. Those living are: An -. janette D., William H., Jr., and Mary. In politics Mr. Fearine is identified with the Democratic party. He has served his fellow- townsmen as Clerk, Treasurer, and Collector since 1884, besides holding other positions of minor importance. He is likewise Justice of the Peace and Notary Public, and is a member of the American Legion of Honor.
EMERICK MARBLE, a retired car- riage manufacturer of Hingham Centre, Mass., was born October 7, 1819, son of Demerick and Olive Allen (Easterbrook) Marble. Gershom Marble, "the progenitor of all who have borne this surname by birth in Hingham and vicinity, was in early life a mariner, and a temporary resident of Charlestown, Mass., where his first wife, Mary, died December 30, 1694." He subsequently removed to Hingham, where he resided on Beechwood Street; and in 1697 at Scituate he married Waitstill Ingle. He died August 6, 1725, aged sixty, survived by his second wife, who died in Hingham, November 14, 1728. David, their fourth child, was born in 1706, and married December 27, 1732, Abigail Joy, who was born here March 22, 1713, daughter of Prince and Abigail (Tower) Joy. By this union there were four children, the second, Luther, born in 1735. He mar- ried Priscilla James, the date of whose baptism
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was May 10, 1741. Her parents were Thomas and Hannah (Holbrook) James. Luther Mar- ble was a mariner, and was lost at sea.
James, the eldest of his four children, was born in Hingham, November 3, 1760, and married June 7, 1785, to Fannie Stodder, daughter of Reuben and Elizabeth (Glover) Stodder. She was born here June 10, 1766, and survived him, subsequently marrying, April 24, 1802, Reuben Thurston, who also died. June 12, 1808, she married John Bras- lin for her third husband. She died August 3, 1833. James Marble died April 26, 1801, at the age of forty. He was also a mariner, and resided on South Street. From his union with Elizabeth G. Stodder there were seven children.
Demerick, first, the fifth child, was born here, July 18, 1794; and on December 7, 1818, he formed a matrimonial alliance with Olive Allen Easterbrook, daughter of Gorham and Susanna (Gorham) Easterbrook. She was born at Barnstable, Mass., October 28, 1798, and died December 24, 1868, aged seventy years. Demerick Marble, first, was lost at sea in the schooner "Globe," of which he was Master, March 30, 1823. He left one child, his namesake, Demcrick, the subject of this biography.
Demerick Marble availed himself of the educational facilities afforded by the common schools, although he was not permitted to attend many seasons. At the age of fourteen and a half years he went to Boston to learn the painter's trade, remaining one year. He then returned home, and in 1835 went to work at the carriage maker's trade. He was industri- ous, and had a successful business career in this enterprise for fifty-six years, during forty-two of which he was in partnership with Bela H. Whiton. In 1891 he retired from the arena of business, but he is by no means idle.
On July 31, 1842, Mr. Marble was united in marriage with Deborah H. Gross, a daugh- ter of Jacob and Olive F. (Burr) Gross. Mrs. Marble was born in this town, Junc 25, 1823. She has had four children - William D., Thomas Burr, Arthur D., and Charles Hawkes. William D. Marble was born in Weymouth, Mass., March 15, 1845, and died in Hingham, May 8, 1850. Thomas Burr Marble, born here November 2, 1848, died October 30, 1851. Arthur Demerick Marble, born here April 10, 1853, is a civil engineer, and resides in Lawrence, Mass. He married Mary A. Richardson, and they have a bright young daughter, Marion Wright Marble. He is a natural artist, as his works bear evidence. He is likewise much interested in biographical work, and has compiled a number of interest- ing family sketches. Charles Hawkes, born in Hingham, July 11, 1858, married on July 17, 1884, Estella L., daughter of Rcuben and Sarah J. (Dyer) Sprague.
In politics Mr. Marble formerly affiliated with the Free Soil party, but since the Re- publican party was organized he has voted continuously with that body. Officially, he has long been prominent, serving as Select- man and Assessor nine years, as Representa- tive in 1859 and 1860, and now as Auditor. He has been a Trustee of the Hingham Insti- tution for Savings since 1877, and a Director of the Hingham Mutual Fire Insurance Com- pany for a quarter of a century ; and hc also served as Overseer of the Poor and on the School Board for a number of years. Frater- nally, he is a member of Old Colony Lodge, A. F. & A. M., having taken the third degree in March, 1859. He joined the Old Colony Lodge; Independent Order of Odd Fellows, about fifty years ago, and was an active mem- ber thereof until the surrender of the charter to the Grand Lodge in 1853.
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Personally, Mr. Marble is a man of strong convictions, and is very outspoken ; but he has respect for the opinions of others, and is highly esteemed in this community. Financially, he has acquired sufficient means to live comfort- ably, owning a fine residence besides other property. He was reared by a Baptist mother, but he is a man of liberal views, in religion being a Universalist who is inspired by the faith, which he is able and willing to discuss at all times. He now attends the First Uni- tarian Church, where his father and ancestors formerly worshipped, and affiliates cordially with the society.
AVID H. CANNON, M. D., a pop- ular physician of Mattapoisett, was born in this town, October 19, 1843. His parents were James and Elizabeth (Cobb) Cannon. The father was a native of Matta- poisett, the mother of Marion ; and David was their only child.
He acquired his early education in the pub- lic schools of his native town and in Peirce Academy at Middleboro. Before settling down to the serious preparation necessary for his professional career, he travelled consider- ably, and engaged in different lines of industry, his experience giving him a broad acquaint- ance with human life and character. When he was nineteen years of age, he shipped as a seaman on a whaling vessel, which was out thirteen months cruising in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1866 he taught school in Jackson County, Ohio; and, returning to Mattapoisett in the spring of 1867, in the fall of the same year he shipped as a sailor on a merchant vessel bound for Holland and England. This trip consumed almost a year, and after his return he was in the mercantile business for a year. He then took up the study of medicine
with Dr. William W. Sweat, of Mattapoisett, with whom he was associated some three years ; and he was graduated at Harvard in 1873. Opening an office at Acushnet, or Long Plain, he practised there until the autumn of 1882; and for three years following he was in practice at Harwich. In the autumn of 1885 he settled in Mattapoisett, where he has a large and successful practice.
Dr. Cannon was married in 1875 to Miss Elizabeth F. Gibbs Hoyt, and has three chil- dren - Ethel F., Susan B., and Celia G. A Republican in politics, he is popular with both parties, and has been elected to a number of public offices. He is at present Inspector of Horses and Cattle for the town of Matta- poisett. He has been a member of the Board of Health for seven years, and a member of the School Board for eight years. He is affiliated with the Masonic order, belonging to Pytha- gorean Lodge of Marion, and with the Har- vard Club of New Bedford. Dr. Cannon is a member of the Methodist church.
EV. DAVID B. FORD, a retired clergyman of Hanover, Plymouth County, Mass., was born in Scitu- ate, Mass., son of Michael and Sarah (Jacobs) Ford. He was reared on a farm in his native town, and, after attending the district school, fitted for college at Hanover Academy, subse- quently, in 1841, going to Brown University, Providence, R. I. Four years later he was graduated from that institution, and entered Newton Theological School, being graduated therefrom three years afterward. In 1848 and 1849 he was assistant instructor of Hebrew in Newton. Being ordained pastor of the Can- ton Baptist church, he was settled there for three years, returning in 1854 to the old homestead, where he lived until 1885. Dur-
JEREMIAH T. RICHMOND.
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ing the mean time he had preached at Marsh- field, Mass. ; and he has resided in Hanover since that time. Mr. Ford is a man of literary ability, having been the author of sev- eral books and pamphlets, among which are : "Studies on the Baptismal Question," pub- lished in 1879; "Centennial History of the First Baptist Church of Marshfield," in 1888; and in conjunction with A. N. Arnold he issued in 1889 a "Commentary on Romans." "The Life-work of Isaac Backus" and "New England's Struggles for Religious Liberty," the former published in 1893 and the latter in 1896, are also among his works. He has given up preaching, and now devotes his time mostly to denominational publications. In 1859 Mr. Ford was united in marriage with Lavina Sherman, of Marshfield, by whom he has had five children : Thomas A., who died in infancy; Angela B .; Chauncy D. ; Edith G. ; and Howard I.
ON. JEREMIAH TINKHAM RICH- MOND, who was in the Massachu- setts legislature in 1892-93, is one of the foremost citizens of Abington, actively interested in business, political, and social affairs. He was born in Taunton, Mass., March 24, 1829, a son of Ruel and Reliance (Tinkham) Richmond. The father was a well-to-do farmer on the banks of the Taunton River. He died September 8, 1879, in his seventy-sixth year. The mother died April 3, 1844. in her thirty-fifth year. They had eight children. The four now living are as follows : Jeremiah Tinkham, of Abington; Charles Ev- erett, born June 17, 1833; Zeruah Frances, born September 6, 1835; Mary Ann, born June 28, 1842, all natives of Taunton.
Jeremiah Tinkham Richmond, the eldest of the four, and the special subject of this bio-
graphical sketch, was educated in public and private schools in Taunton. At about the age of twenty-two he entered into the retail shoe business in Taunton. In 1864 he removed to Abington, where he entered the employ of Nash & Jones, shoe manufacturers, having charge of the machinery. He set up and operated the first New Era pegging machine in this county. The firm soon after changed to Nash & Beal, Mr. Richmond remaining in their employ for a period of sixteen years. He invariably transacted all business in- trusted to his care in such a way as to win the confidence of those by whom he was employed. He is now Trustee and Auditor of the Abing- ton Savings Bank, and a Director of the Elec- tric Light and Power Company of Abington and Rockland.
Mr. Richmond was married May 26, 1851, to Miss Almira H. Dean, of Raynham, Mass., daughter of O. S. and Lodicea (Hall) Dean. Her grandfather, Seth Dean, was an officer in the Revolutionary army. To Mr. and Mrs. Richmond six children were born, five of whom are living: Frank R .; Alice D., wife of H. A. Beal; Clara M., wife of W. C. Lean ; Charles O .; and George T. The youngest, Jesse H., was born November 6, 1865, and died January, 1884. Mr. Richmond has eight grandchildren, as follows: Walter Tinkham Richmond, born November 9, 1888, son of Frank R .; Helen Reed Beal, born March 13, 1885; and Mira Dean Beal, born June 25, 1887 - children of H. A. Beal; Jessie L. Richmond, born March 26, 1883; and Grace Evelyn Richmond, born May 30, 1891 - chil- dren of Charles O. Richmond; Alice R. Lean, born October 10, 1884; Edith Moulton Lean, born September 3, 1889 -children of William C. Lean; Louis Hall Richmond, born August 30, 1885, son of George T. Richmond - all living in Abington except-
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ing the children of Charles O. Richmond, who live in Whitman.
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In politics Mr. Richmond is a Republican. He has efficiently served the public in a number of important offices. While in the legislature, he was on the Committee on Prisons, in 1892 and 1893 he was a member of the Town Board of Registrars, and he has been for some time on the School Committee of Abington. As a Mason, he is a member of John Cutler Lodge and Pilgrim Royal Arch Chapter; and he is Past Commander of Old Colony Commandery, Knights Templars. An active member of the Congregational church, he was for ten years superintendent of the Sunday-school.
AMUEL C. STETSON, of Marsh- field, is one of the most highly re- spected citizens of the place, a self- made man, who has accumulated a com- petency, and is spending his declining years in quiet retirement. He was born March 30, 1823, in Hanover, Mass., which was also the birthplace of his parents, Samuel and Lydia (Thayer) Stetson.
The founder of the family in Plymouth County was Cornet Robert Stetson, an English- man from Kent, who received a grant of land on the North River in the town of Scituate in 1634. He became a noted Indian fighter, and it was in military service in the colonies that he earned the title of cornet. Samuel C. Stetson's grandfather, Nathaniel Stetson, was a native of Hanover, Mass., and lived for a number of years in that town. Two of his sons, uncles of Samuel C., served in the War of 1812.
Samuel Stetson was a farmer; and, besides tilling the soil, he followed mechanical pur- suits. He lived for some time in Kennebee
County, Maine, and moved from there to Pem- broke, Mass., and thence to Marshfield, where he died in 1876. In politics he was an old- line Democrat. Of his children, two are dead - Lydia T. and Catherine A .; and three are living, namely: Julia A., widow of Alfred Belcher, of Randolph, Mass .; Samuel C., the only son; and Eliza T., widow of Henry T. Crossley, an English gentleman.
Samuel C. Stetson was about six years old when his parents removed to the State of Maine. As they remained there and subse- quently in Hanover but a short time, he acquired his education mainly in Pembroke, Mass., where he grew to maturity. He at- tended the common schools in the winter sea- son until about fourteen years of age, and the knowledge gained in boyhood has been supple- mented by extensive reading and practical business experience. He remained on the farm until about eighteen years of age, and then learned boot and shoe making. This trade he followed for over thirty-five years, at the same time managing a farm ; but he event- ually gave his whole time and attention to the pursuit of agriculture. In the fall of 1892, retiring from active work, he left the farm, and moved to the village of Marshfield, where he has since lived, enjoying the leisure earned through long years of industry and prudent management.
Mr. Stetson was married November 3, 1850, to Susan W. Sprague, a native of Marshfield, daughter of Luther and Lydia (Lewis) Sprague, both of this town. Mr. Sprague, who was a carpenter, died in 1842. Mrs. Stetson has a sister and brother living, namely: Mary F., widow of Jeremiah Estey, of Sharon, Mass .; and L. Edward Sprague, in Marshfield. She is the mother of two chil- dren : Susan A., wife of E. Melvin Sampson, of Brockton, Mass. ; and Lydia E., deeeased.
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Mr. Stetson, like his father, is a member of the Democratic party. He is a Mason, be- longing to Corner Stone Lodge of Duxbury, Mass. His circle of acquaintance is a wide one, and among the residents of Marshfield none are more highly esteemed than he and his wife.
ARREN B. SMITH, Cashier of the Home National Bank of Brockton, Mass., was born in Provincetown, Barnstable County, February 10, 1859, a son of William W. and Mary C. (Johnson) Smith. His father was a native of Barnstable, Mass., his mother, of Provincetown. His family is well known on the Cape, his maternal grand- father, Timothy B. Johnson, having settled in Provincetown at an early date. This worthy citizen, who was a sail-maker, followed his trade there for many years, also dealing in ship stores, and was prominent among the business men of the place. He died at the age of sixty years. His wife, formerly a Miss Betsey Hager, of Waltham, Mass., bore him eleven children, six of whom are now living.
William W. Smith, son of Timothy, and father of Warren B., was a boat-builder, and followed his trade in Provincetown for forty- five years. He was a first-class workman, and, besides building many whale boats and seine boats, he built a number of life-boats for the government. He died in 1895, at the age of sixty-six. He and his wife reared but two children : Warren B., the subject of this sketch; and Willie M., who lives in Salem, Mass.
Warren B. Smith obtained his education in Provincetown, leaving the high school at the age of seventeen, to accept the position of clerk in the Seaman's Savings Bank in his native place. After five years of competent service there he resigned in 1881, to take the
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