USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 35
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place of book-keeper in the Home National Bank of Brockton, with which he has now been connected some fifteen years, winning the con- fidence of all with whom he has had dealings. He was promoted from the office of book- keeper to that of receiving and paying teller of the bank, and in 1894 he assumed the duties of cashier, to which he has since given his at- tention. He is a man of ability and integrity, eminently fitted for the responsible position which he holds.
On March 12, 1884, Mr. Smith married Stella Fish, daughter of Silas D. Fish, of Provincetown. Mrs. Smith was born in Hy- annis, Mass. She is the mother of two chil- dren - Minnie Warren and Rosamond Grey. Mr. Smith takes no active interest in politics, preferring to devote his best energies to busi- ness. He is a member of the Commercial Club of Brockton, and belongs also to Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Satucket Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. He attends Unity Church (Unitarian) of Brockton.
NDREW M. WOOD, Treasurer of the Middleboro Savings Bank, was born in Middleboro, Plymouth County, Mass., May 22, 1853, son of Andrew Cobb and Lucy Ann (Miller) Wood, and comes of old Colonial stock, numbering among his remote ancestors Captain Miles Standish, the famous military leader of the Pilgrims; also John and Priscilla Alden, whose daughter Sarah was the wife of Alexander Standish, son of Miles. The line was thus continued : Ebenezer, son of Alexander and Sarah Stan- dish, was the father of Moses Standish, whose daughter Sarah married Ephraim Tinkham ; and Sarah Tinkham, their daughter, married Peter Wood, and was the mother of David Wood, who married Olive Cobb. The last-
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named couple were the parents of Andrew Cobb Wood, the father of the subject of this sketch. Their home was in Middleboro.
Andrew Cobb Wood, who was a man of much practical ability and force of character, was in trade for a number of years, dealing in wood and lumber, and was quite successful financially. A very popular citizen, he was elected to several offices of trust on the Re- publican ticket. For many years he was Chairman of the Board of Overseers of the Poor; and he represented the town in the State legislature in 1865 and 1866. He died in February, 1896, nine days before his eighty-second birthday. His wife, who is now seventy-nine years of age, is living with her son Andrew M. Her parents were Alden and Millison (Lovell) Miller, of Middleboro.
Andrew M. Wood acquired his education in the schools of his native town, including the high school and Peirce Academy. He earned his first wages in a store, was next employed for thirteen years in the Bay State Straw Works, and then assumed the duties of his present position, Treasurer of Middleboro Savings Bank, to which he was appointed in 1885. Mr. Wood is an able accountant, and his character and social qualities are such that hi's relations with all are pleasant, wherefore it is deemed desirable to keep him in the posi- tion he now occupies.
Mr. Wood was married November 30, 1875, to Miss L. Ardelle Perkins, daughter of Isaac and Betsy (Pratt) Perkins, both of whom be- longed to old representative families of North Middleboro. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have one child - Theodore N., born March 9, 1881.
In political preference Mr. Wood is a Re- publican. He is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Poor, and is at present act- ing as clerk of that body, having been elected to fill a vacancy. He has also been clerk of
the Middleboro Fire District for seven years. In all his official duties he displays keenness of perception, soundness of judgment, and strict integrity of purpose.
T HEODORE LILLEY, a skilled shoe worker of Brockton, was born in 1819, son of Joseph and Arathusia (Lovejoy) Lilley. He is a descendant of a family whose members were distinguished for bravery during the Revolutionary War. His grandfather lost a leg at Bunker Hill, afterward fought under command of the renowned Paul Jones, and continued to serve until the close of the war. His wife lived to be eighty-six years of age. They had five children, all of whom lived to be old but Joseph, the father of the subject of this sketch. He was a ship-carpenter by trade, and had some military experience, being taken prisoner by the Indians during the War of 1812. He married Miss Lovejoy, an Eng- lishwoman, by whom he had two children: Thomas, who is now eighty years old, and a resident of Somerville, Mass .; and Theodore. Joseph Lilley died in 1822, and his wife about eight years later. He had a brother, John Lilley, who was in the cane and umbrella business in Boston for half a century, his sign being one of the oldest in the business sec- tion. His sons now continue the enterprise. Theodore Lilley, direct subject of this sketch, was educated in the public schools of Brock- ton and Boston. Left an orphan at the age of eleven by his mother's death, he began to seek means of self-support, and applied himself to learn shoemaking, which he mastered in all its details. He has followed his trade for over sixty years, and has been a resident of this city since 1831. During all this period he has never had occasion to strike for higher wages. In politics he was at first affiliated
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with the Whigs, but later became a member of the Republican party.
Mr. Lilley has been twice married, his first wife having been Annie R., daughter of Charles Keith, of Campello. She died Janu- ary 21, 1882. She had three children, two of whom are now living in the West - Clara Anna, at Blue Mound, Ill .; and Mary Alice, who lives in Decatur, Ill. Clara Anna married Frederick H. Henshie, February I, IS70, and has two adopted children. Mr. Henshie has served as Postmaster, Alder- man, Town Treasurer, and has held other positions of trust and responsibility. Mary Alice married John G. Harvey, of Kentucky, October 29, 1866. Mrs. Harvey has three living children - Ellis T., born January 19, 1870; William Keith, born December 26, IS71; and Albert G., born September 5, 1874. Mr. Lilley's second matrimonial alli- ance was formed December 10, 1884, with Mrs. Frances A. Prescott, of Wakefield, who was born in Washington, Me., daughter of Andrew and Mary Sukeworth, of Washing- ton, Me. Her first husband died December 21, 1881. Mr. Lilley is now practically re- tired from business, but still continues to look after his real cstate.
APTAIN ELISHA P. SPRAGUE, a retired ship-master of Marshfield, has visited nearly every known quarter of the globe; and his mind is richly stored with general information and interest- ing anecdote. He was born in Duxbury, Mass., November 20, 1822, a son of Captain Jonathan and Ruth (Phillips) Sprague. Cap- tain Jonathan Sprague, who was a son of Jona- than Sprague, of Marshfield, was born and reared in this town. He followed the sea for a number of years, and had a varied experience
in the coasting, the West India, and the foreign trade. He died in 1832. Two of his children are living: Elisha P., the subject of this sketch; and Angeline M., whose home is at Marshfield Hills, Mass.
Elisha P. Sprague was ten years of age when his father died. He was educated in the common schools of Duxbury, remaining at home until he was sixteen years old. Then, adopting the vocation followed by his father, he took to the sea, and in ten years passed through the various grades of promotion to the rank of captain. Among the vessels which he commanded were the brig "Trenton," of Duxbury, on which he sailed for five years, making a number of foreign voyages; the bark "Tallyho," trading between Archangel, Russia, and Boston, Mass .; the ship "Ocean Eagle," trading between Calcutta, India, and Boston ; the ship "Metcor," on which he madc one voyage, between Boston and Mediterranean ports ; the "Josiah Quincy," of which he was master some five years, making a number of foreign voyages; and the ship "Marshall," which was in his charge about a year and a half. This vessel was captured at the time of the war at New Orleans by the Confederates, and was burned by them. His last vessel, the "Merchant," which was engaged in foreign trade, was in his charge some eight years. Captain Sprague retired from the sea in 1870, and has since spent most of his time in his pleasant home in Marshfield. From his quiet retreat here he can look back to stirring scenes in his younger days ; and his knowledge of the world and of all classes of humanity is an unending source of pleasure to himself and others.
Captain Sprague has been twice married. His first wife, Sarah T. Stevens, who was born here, March 15, 1828, died April 26, 1849; and on October 1, 1853, he was united
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with Lucy A. Cushman, of Duxbury, who was born August 7, 1835, daughter of Briggs and Lucy (Keen) Cushman, who were both natives of that town. Mr. Cushman, who was a car- penter, died in 1883. By his second union the captain has two sons: Francis B., born October 25, 1854, at South Framingham, Mass. ; and Marshall P., born September 2, 1860, in South Weymouth, Mass .; and one daughter, Nellie R., who was born September 8, 1865, and died June 6, 1868.
Captain Sprague votes the Republican ticket. He is a Mason, belonging to Corner Stone Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Duxbury. Mrs. Sprague is a member of the Congrega- tional church and of the Ladies' Benevolent Society connected with it. The captain and his wife take an active interest in all social events of importance in the town, and are very popular members of the community.
ILLIAM E. SPARROW, M.D., has been actively engaged in the practice of medicine in Mattapoisett for nearly half a century, and has also long been identified with the business and political life of the place. He was born in the adjoin- ing town of Rochester, April 21, 1824, a son of Josiah and Minerva (Millen) Sparrow. His early boyhood was passed on a farm ; and, when he was sixteen years old, he entered a drug store in Mattapoisett, where he was em- ployed as clerk until his professional studies were completed.
When he was eighteen years of age, he began to study medicine with Dr. Newton South- worth, of this town; and in 1847 he entered Yale College, where he was graduated in 1848. He immediately started in on professional work, and had established a good practice in Mattapoisett when the war broke out.
Answering the call for surgeons, he was located at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., in 1863, and in 1864 was in Virginia, and was acting assistant surgeon, following Grant in the hospitals. This military hospital practice made him an expert in the most difficult cases of surgery, and also broadened his experience in treating fevers and other diseases incident to army life, so that, when he returned to his quiet Mattapoisett home, few physicians in the locality could compete with him in profes- sional knowledge and skill. Dr. Sparrow has been for many years proprietor of a drug store in this town. In 1867 he undertook the man- agement of some lumber-mills in the town of Marion, which are yet under his control; and for fifteen years he has been interested in cranberry culture, owning extensive meadows in Marion.
Dr. Sparrow was first married in 1852 to Sophronia S. Holmes. She died in 1865, leaving four children - William E., Jr., Eliz- abeth H., Solomon E., and Frank Miller. The eldest son, William E. Sparrow, Jr., qualified as a civil engineer, but is now en- gaged in manufacturing in New Bedford; Elizabeth Sparrow is the wife of Ward P. Del- ano, of Worcester; and Solomon E. Sparrow is a graduate of West Point, and holds the rank of Lieutenant in the United States Army. The youngest son, Frank M. Spar- row, is a graduate of Harvard, and is now a practising attorney in New Bedford. Dr. Sparrow contracted a second marriage in 1868 with Mrs. Eliza Harding, daughter of George Dunham, of Martha's Vineyard, but has no children by this union.
In political matters he favors the Republi- can side. He was first appointed to public office in 1856, when he was made Deputy Postmaster of Mattapoisett. In this capacity he served until 1866, when, the Postmaster,
EDMUND HERSEY.
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Benjamin F. Barstow, dying, Dr. Sparrow succeeded him, and was in office until 1893. He has been a member of the Town Board of Health for forty-five years, and a member of the School Committee for more than twenty years. Dr. Sparrow attends the Congrega- tional church.
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SAAC GILMAN STETSON, a retired merchant and the present Postmaster of South Hanover, was born in the town of Pembroke, Plymouth County, Mass., August 7, 1826, son of Isaac O. and Emily (Josselyn) Stetson, he being the only child.
He was educated in the district school and at Hanover Academy. He remained at home until 1859, then came to South Hanover, and entered the store of E. Y. Perry as clerk. After a few years he purchased an interest in the business, and the firm name was changed to E. Y. Perry & Co. Mr. Stetson subse- quently bought out Mr. Perry's interest, and conducted the store alone. In 1870 he erected the store now occupied by E. W. Phillips, where he carried on a successful general mer- cantile business until 1890, a period of twenty years. Although he then retired from trade, he still continues to hold the office of Postmaster, in which capacity he has now served for thirty-five years. This and the management of his farm occupy his time quite fully. In 1846, fifty years ago, Mr. Stetson was joined in marriage with Miss Jane R. Oldham, daughter of A. W. Oldham, of Pem- broke. Three of their four children are living, namely : Emily, wife of S. W. Bailey; Fred ; and Grace, the wife of E. W. Phillips. Their other child, Mary, died in infancy.
Mr. Stetson is a Republican politically, and in 1885 was a member of the State legis- lature. He has also served as Selectman for
about ten years, being for a portion of that time Chairman of the Board.
IDMUND HERSEY, of Hingham, in- structor in farming at the Bussey In- stitution in Jamaica Plain, the School of Agriculture and Horticulture con- nected with Harvard University, and superin- tendent of the Bussey Farm, was born in Hingham, August 7, 1823, son of Samuel F. and Persis (Hobart) Hersey.
The original founder of the family in America was William Hersey, who emigrated from England in 1635, and in the fall of that year settled in Hingham. He became identi- fied with the town government, and was promi- nent in its affairs until his death, which took place in 1657 or 1658. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1671. Their son John was born in Hingham, and here followed the trade of a tailor for the greater part of his active life. He was serving as a Constable in 1701, and he died at the age of eighty-six years. His wife, Sarah, a native of Dedham, Mass., lived to be eighty-three years old. They were the parents of eleven children; and of these Daniel, the next in line, was the eighth.
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Daniel Hersey was born in Hingham, as was each succeeding ancestor down to the sub- ject of this sketch; and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Mays, is thought to have been a native of this town. He was a cooper by trade, and he also carried on farm- ing. The house he lived in is still standing on Hersey Street, in a good state of preserva- tion. Daniel and Mary Hersey reared a fam- ily of five children, Isaiah, Mr. Edmund Her- sey's great-grandfather, being the fourth-born. He was a cooper and a farmer, and he lived to be eighty-two years old. He wedded Margaret Sprague, of Hingham, a descendant of William
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Sprague, an early settler; and they were the parents of eight children, of whom Reuben, the next in line, was the youngest. The mother lived to the age of eighty-eight years.
Reuben Hersey, grandfather of Edmund, followed the cooper's trade in connection with farming, and was eighty-eight years old when he died. He was a member of the Unitarian church, and in politics was a Jacksonian Dem- ocrat. He married Mary French, a native of Weymouth, Mass .; and they reared a family of six children, of whom Samuel F., above named, was the second-born. Mrs. Mary F. Hersey died at the age of sixty-four years.
Samuel F. Hersey was a lifelong resident of Hingham; and, like his ancestors, he learned the cooper's trade, which he followed to some extent. He was, however, particularly inter- ested in agriculture as a science; and, as an experimental farmer, he derived considerable local notoriety. He attained the advanced age of ninety-three years. His wife, Persis Hobart, became the mother of four children, as follows: Persis, who was born in 1814, married Isaac Cothrell, of Hingham, and is the mother of six children - namely, Isaac, Eliza- beth, Sarah, Albion, Edward, and Addie; Mary French, who was born in 1816, married Elijah C. Cothrell, of this town, and has three children living - namely, Elijah L., Reuben H., and Nellie; Samuel, who was born in 1820, whose wife, Ciseline Stoddard, of Hing- ham, died leaving no children; and Edmund, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Persis Hobart Hersey lived to be seventy-six years old. Representatives of each generation of the Hersey family were members of the old First Church, whose earliest pastor was the Rev. Peter Hobart. It is a fact worthy of mention that representatives of five genera- tions of the family have erected dwellings on Hersey Street, the origin of whose name is
obvious; and all of these houses are still owned in the family. Daniel built in 1730; Isaiah, in 1753; Reuben, in 1776; Samuel F., in 1813; Cedar Hedge was erected by Ed- mund Hersey in 1851; and Reuben H. Coth- rell has also built a residence on Hersey Street - and all are within a quarter of a mile of each other.
Edmund Hersey was educated in the public schools of Hingham; and, when a young man, he learned the trade of a cooper and box-maker with his father. He continued to work as a journeyman for some years; and in 1848 he invented a machine for the manufacture of boxes, which revolutionized the trade. This invention, which practically did away with hand work in the box manufacturing business, is now used in all factories throughout the country ; and after introducing it, and assuring himself of its success, its inventor relin- quished mechanical pursuits. Mr. Hersey next entered the field of journalism as agri- cultural editor of the Massachusetts Plough- man, and remained with that well-known paper for eight years.
At an early age he displayed a taste and capacity for agricultural pursuits ; and, when nineteen years old, he began to make scientific experiments upon a small plot of ground given him by his uncle. As he grew older, he de- veloped his genius in this direction, and acquired a vast amount of practical knowledge relating to the elementary principles and ad- vanced methods of agriculture. His home- stead property in Hingham consists of fifty acres, which has afforded him ample opportu- nity to forward and accomplish many impor- tant experiments ; and probably there is not a more able, progressive, and successful agri- cultural scientist in the State to-day than is Mr. Hersey. In 1890 he became connected with the Bussey Institution in Jamaica Plain,
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a department of Harvard University ; and he is now instructor in the theory and practice of " farming, and superintendent of Bussey Farm, which is used for experimental purposes.
Mr. Hersey has been twice married. His first wife was Mary C. Hobart, daughter of Ebed Hobart, of Hingham. She died at the age of sixty-one years, leaving one daughter, Fanny, who was born in 1854, and is the wife of James E. Perry, of Pepperell, Mass., and mother of two daughters - Lizzie F. and Lillie. Mr. Hersey's present wife was before marriage Clara S. Sherman. She is a native of Scituate, Mass. By this union there are no children.
Mr. Hersey has been a member of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture twenty- one years, and is to-day the oldest elective member of the Board. For five years, by unanimous election, he was President of the Agricultural Society of Hingham; and for ten years he was also Trustee of the Hingham Savings Institution. In politics Mr. Hersey is a Republican. He has held several impor- tant offices, and was Overseer of the Poor for some years. He was for three years State statistician, and in that period he greatly im- proved the system of obtaining statistics .- He is a man of original ideas, who possesses the skill to prove their utility; and for the past six years, as agricultural editor of the Old Farmer's Almanac, he has placed many of them within reach of the practical farmers of this Commonwealth.
UTHER WHITE, contractor and builder, of Marshfield, Mass., was born in Plymouth, Mass., April 13, 1829, a son of Thomas F. and Hannah (Clarke) White. Mr. White is a scion of one of the old Pilgrim families famous in the his-
tory of the Bay State, being the seventh in lineal descent from Peregrine White, the first child of English parentage born within New England limits, whose birthplace, it will be remembered, was the cabin of the "May- flower," then at anchor in Provincetown Har- bor. He was named Peregrine to commemo- rate the wanderings or peregrinations of the Pilgrim fathers and mothers. Peregrine White married Sarah Bassett; and their son Daniel was the father of Benjamin and grand- father of Benjamin White, Jr., who was the father of Luther, first, and great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Thomas F. White, who was a son of the first Luther, was born and reared in Marshfield. He devoted his life to the pursuit of agriculture, and was also engaged in teaming to some extent. His death occurred in April, 1889. Mrs. White, who was born in Plymouth, died in Marsh- field in 1876. They were the parents of the following children: Mary, wife of Thomas Thurber, of Attleboro, Mass .; Luther, the subject of this sketch; Peregrine F., now in Worcester, Mass. ; Sarah, wife of Henry Bos- worth, of Pembroke, Mass. ; Edward, living in Quincy, Mass. ; Betsey, widow of George J. Peterson, of Marshfield; and Hannah T. and Mehitable M., deceased.
Luther White was educated in Marshfield, his parents removing from Plymouth to this town when he was five years old. His school- ing was limited to the winter sessions of the district school, and ended when he was sixteen years old. At the age of seventeen he began to learn the carpenter's trade at Dorchester, Mass., with David Bartlett, a well-known builder of that place, and served four years; and he afterward worked for Mr. Bartlett as a journeyman some twelve years. He remained in the vicinity of Dorchester until 1876, re- turning then to Marshfield, where he has now
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made his home for twenty years in succession. As a contractor and builder, Mr. White has the confidence of the public. He has finished a number of important contracts, including resi- dences at Brant Rock and Green Harbor and the Ventress Memorial Hall in. Marshfield, now the town hall and high school. Mr. White has made his own way in life, winning the general respect always accorded success.
He married Miss Mary A. Church, daughter of the late John Church, of Pembroke, Mass. Mr. White votes the Republican ticket. He is a public-spirited citizen, always in favor of progress and improvement.
APTAIN JAMES BURGESS, a prom- inent citizen of Wareham, Mass., son of John and Hitty (Linnell) Bur- gess, formerly of Orleans, Mass., has followed the sea for forty-seven years, and is now living at ease on the farm where he was born, Octo- ber 5, 1815. On this farm the earlier days of his boyhood were spent ; and the educational advantages with which he began active life were very scanty, the fund of knowledge which he now possesses having been mostly acquired in the inductive school of experience. When only twelve years of age, he shipped as boy on a coasting vessel, and in course of time was advanced to the position of able seaman. He was in the coasting trade nine years, or until he was twenty-one, and became very familiar with the Atlantic shore. He then shipped as mate of a merchant vessel at Boston, and ten years later he was captain of a merchant- man. In this capacity he sailed for twenty years, visiting many parts of the globe and doubling Cape Horn several tinies.
In all this period he never lost a vessel, and he established a reputation for reliability that was worth more than his salary. When he
became captain, he purchased shares in the vessels which he sailed, and was soon in com- mand of an independent income. In 1874 he returned to the paternal farm, his birthplace, which has now been his permanent home for twenty-six years. He has thirty acres of land, and is very comfortably and pleasantly situ- ated. Captain Burgess won success by his own unaided ability and strength of purpose, stur- dily working his way upward, beginning as a penniless ship boy, and gradually attaining his present prosperity.
He was married April 27, 1856, to Miss Margery J. Robinson, of Nova Scotia, who died February 3, 1877, leaving one child, John S. ; and he subsequently married, March 20, 1878, Miss Helen M. Baker, daughter of Mark Baker, of North Conway, N. H. He has no children by his second union. Captain Bur- gess votes the Republican ticket, but takes no active part in politics. He is a member of Social Harmony Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Wareham. One of the oldest citizens of the town, he is widely known and highly re- spected.
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