USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 51
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EORGE H. WEATHERBEE, of Marshfield Hills, Clerk and Treas- urer of the town of Marshfield, was born in Boston, Mass., November 29, 1831, son of George H. and Sarah B. (Clapp) Weatherbee. The Weatherbees are of Scotch extraction. John Weatherbee resided in Billerica, Mass., and in that town his son, George H. Weatherbee, Sr., was born.
This gentleman settled in East Marshfield now Marshfield Hills, about 1832, and was engaged in mercantile business here for a number of years, at the same time extensively manufacturing ready-made clothing for An- drew Carney, of Boston, Mass. He was a very successful business man. About 1857 he removed to Scituate, where he died in 1877. While residing in Marshfield he was Overscer of the Poor for a number of years. His wife was born in Scituate. Of their children, the following are living: George H., the father's namesake; Sarah B., widow of Elisha W. Hall, late a prominent citizen of Marshfield Hills; Georgiana, wife of Daniel Howard, of South Natick, Mass. ; Amanda, wife of S. N. Bissel, of Providence, R.I .; and John, in Scituate, Mass.
George H., the elder son and the special subject of this sketch, was one year old when his parents came to East Marshfield, and in this town he acquired his education, attending public and private schools. When he was sixteen years old he entered the employ of Haughton, Sawyer & Co., a dry-goods firm of Boston, Mass., and was with them five years.
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Returning then to East Marshfield, he was in trade for a number of years as partner with Elisha W. Hall, under the firm name of Hall & Weatherbee. He subsequently started an independent mercantile business in East Marshfield, which was very successful. Mr. Weatherbee is practically a self-made man, and has carved his fortune with his own hands. He is Treasurer of the Railroad Sinking Fund of Marshfield.
On January 13, 1859, he was united in marriage with Martha W. Bartlett, of Plym- outh, Mass., a descendant of John Alden, whose quaint romance has been made famous by the poet Longfellow. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Weatherbee, namely: Martha B. (deceased) ; Mabel R., wife of W. C. Boyden, sub-master of the Girls' Normal School at Boston, son of Pro- fessor A. G. Boyden, principal of the State Normal School, Bridgewater; Blanche, assist- ant teacher in the West Roxbury High School at Jamaica Plain, Boston, Mass. ; Alice, wife of S. C. Morehouse, of Fair- field, Conn. ; Charles G., a grammar school principal in Newton Upper Falls, Mass .; and George, a civil engineer employed in Brockton, Mass.
Mr. Weatherbee, who is a Republican, has been in office as Town Clerk and Treasurer since 1894, and is also clerk of the Registry of Voters and a Justice of the Peace. He has been a member of the School Committee for six years. As a Mason he belongs to Corner Stone Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Duxbury. He is a member of the Unitarian Society, and for some fifteen years was Sunday-school superintendent. In every position which he has occupied he has performed his duties faith- fully and efficiently, and no citizen of Marsh- field stands higher than he in the esteem of his fellow-men.
APTAIN ZENAS H. CROCKER,
proprietor and manager of a lumber and coal yard at Marion, Plymouth County, was born August 25, 1845, in the village of Wareham, a son of Walton N. and Elizabeth (Swift) Crocker.
He was educated in the public schools of Wareham. At the age of seventeen years he shipped before the mast on board a merchant vessel, on which he remained two years. He gradually worked his way upward to the posi- tion of second mate, thence being promoted to that of first mate, and at the age of twenty- seven years he was given command of a vessel. For twenty years thereafter he sailed as master of different vessels, in some of which he was part owner, being engaged in general freighting and in foreign trade, his ventures proving generally successful. In 1891 the captain retired from seafaring pursuits, and two years later removed to Marion, where he has since carried on a thriving business as a dealer in lumber and coal. Captain Crocker is a firm Democrat politically. He is identi- fied with the Masonic fraternity, being a mem- ber of Pythagorean Lodge, of Marion. Re- ligiously, he is a communicant of the Epis- copal church. Captain Crocker married Miss Mary H. Hathaway, daughter of Captain John K. Hathaway, of Marion, their union being solemnized January 6, 1896.
ATHANIEL WILLIAMS CUSHING, a former resident of Hanson, was born there January 29, 1812, son of Charles and Abigail (Collamore) Cushing. The family is of English origin, the earliest known ancestor, having been Peter Cushing, of Norfolk, England. Peter's son, Matthew, who was born in 1588, embarked in the good ship "Diligent," with his wife and five chil-
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dren for America in 1638. He first settled in Boston, but moved to Hingham, Mass., in 1660. His son John, born in England in 1627, was for many years a Deputy in the Plymouth Colonial Council. After the colo- nies were united he served as Representative in the legislature. He married Sarah, daugh- ter of Nicholas Jacobs, and settled in Scituate, Mass., where he died in 1708.
The next in the ancestral line was John Cushing, Jr., who was born in 1662, and died in 1737. He was Justice of the Superior Court of Plymouth County from 1710 to 1728, and thereafter Chief Justice of the Supreme Court until his death. He married Deborah Loring, of Hull, Mass., by whom he became the father of Elijah Cushing. Elijah located in that part of Pembroke, now included in the town of Hanson, and there spent the remainder of his days upon a hired farm. His son Na- thaniel, by his wife, Elizabeth (Barstow) Parker, was a farmer and lifelong resident of Hanson. Nathaniel was united in marriage with Lucy Turner, and their son Charles, a native of Hanson, born in 1770, at the age of sixteen years settled on a farm in the west precinct of Pembroke, now included in the northern part of this town. Here he spent the remainder of his life, and died in April, 1843, at the age of seventy-three. He mar- ried Abigail Collamore, of Scituate, who sur- vived him but two days.
After acquiring a good education, Nathaniel W. Cushing became a teacher. He inherited the old home acres, and thereon subsequently became a successful farmer. In politics he was a Whig, until the formation of the Re- publican party, when he joined that organiza- tion. He was much interested in the cause of education, and rendered efficient service as a member of the School Committee for many years. Being a great reader, he was well
posted on current events. Of a genial dispo- sition, his guests found in him a cordial en- tertainer. He died February 21, 1895, in Hanson, of which he had been a lifelong resi- dent. He was twice married. On the first occasion he was united to Sally Blake, of South Abington, Mass., who died in 1839. The maiden name of his second wife was Rachel C. Thomas. Her parents were Ira and Betsy (Cushing) Thomas. She died Jan- uary 22, 1892, leaving four children - Sally Blake, Charles, Nathaniel, and Frederick. Sally now occupies the old homestead; Charles, who resides in Neponset, Mass., mar- ried Alice T. Briggs, daughter of Thomas and Eliza A. Briggs, of North Pembroke, and grand-daughter of Esquire Alden Briggs, and has had two children - Lucy Turner and Annie T. ; Nathaniel married Mary S. Holmes, of Pembroke, and has one daugh- ter, Maude T; Frederick married Elvina V. Ellis, of Wareham, and has one son, Frederick Arthur.
ILLIAM H. MYRICK, an enter- prising and successful hardware merchant of Kingston, was born in Orleans on Cape Cod, April 17, 1834, son of Captain William and Mary (Cobb) Myrick. Both parents were natives of Cape Cod. The father, who followed the sea for the greater part of his life, becoming a ship- master in the merchant service, passed his last years in Duxbury, Mass., where he died in his eightieth year. His wife, Mary, was a daughter of Captain Elkanah Cobb, a native of Cape Cod, who became a sea captain when he was twenty-one years old, and served in the United States Navy during the War of 1812. Mr. Myrick has in his possession a chair capt- ured by Captain Cobb in a naval fight of that
ISRAEL OAKMAN.
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period. The Captain spent his last years in Eastham, Cape Cod. The surviving children of Captain Myrick are: William H., the sub- ject of this sketch; James, a resident of Dux- bury; and Jerusha, the wife of Rufus Halli- day, of Duxbury.
After attending the common schools of Dux- bury in his early boyhood, William H. Myrick considerably increased his stock of knowledge by a carefully selected course of reading. At the age of eleven years he shipped on a fish- ing-vessel bound for the Grand Banks. After- ward he spent four summers engaged as cook upon similar voyages, and in the winter he went to sea on a coaster. When eighteen years old he began to serve an apprenticeship of three years at the tinner's trade with W. R. Drew in Plymouth. After his time expired he served as foreman of the shop for a year. Then he opened a tinware store in Kingston, where he has since remained in business. As trade increased he enlarged his facilities, and added hardware to his stock. At the present time he carries a full line of hardware, tin, and crockery ware, and has a large and profit- able business. In 1878 he erected the Myrick Block, in which his store is now located.
Mr. Myrick wedded Frances D. Weston, daughter of the late Captain Harvey Weston, of Plymouth. Born of the union were five children, of whom William W. and Mary Frances are living. Mary married George Frederick Standish, and they live in King- ston. Mrs. Myrick died August 12, 1884. Mr. Myrick is a member of the Unitarian church. In politics he is an active supporter of the Republican party, and he has ably served upon the School Committee and as Overseer of the Poor. He is a Mason of Corner Stone Lodge of Duxbury. A progres- sive and public-spirited citizen, who can be depended upon for aid in forwarding any meas-
ure introduced for the benefit of the commu- nity, he is highly esteemed in the town.
SRAEL OAKMAN, contractor and
builder, of North Marshfield, is a
member of one of the old and reputable families which constitute so large a part of the population of this ancient Plymouth County town, a portion of the ancestral dwell- ing in which he resides, and which was his birthplace, having been built about two hun- dred years ago. He was born February 18, 1828. His parents, Constant and Wealthy (Carver) Oakman, were both natives of Marsh- field. (For further particulars of the earlier generations of the Oakman family, see biog- raphy of Colonel Hiram A. Oakman given in this work.)
Constant Oakman, who was a farmer, was a lifelong resident of Marshfield, his homestead being the one now occupied by the subject of this sketch. An upright, kind-hearted man, he was widely known and esteemed, and in the latter part of his life was commonly called Uncle Constant by all who knew him. He took a very active part in local politics, favor- ing the Democratic side in his last years. He was a member of the Unitarian church. His death occurred in March, 1877, his wife having passed away in 1865. Three of their children survive, namely: Israel; Howard W., residing in Boston; and Rachel B., wife of Andrew L. Damon, of Marshfield.
Israel Oakman received his education in the common schools of Marshfield. He began to learn the carpenter's trade when eighteen years old, and served an apprenticeship of nearly three years with Samuel G. Alden, a contractor and builder of East Bridgewater, who at that time managed an extensive busi- ness. After finishing his apprenticeship,
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Mr. Oakman was employed for a number of years as a journeyman, and then started in business as a contractor and builder in East Boston. There he remained for a number of years, returning to Marshfield in 1856. A skilled workman and upright business man, Mr. Oakman has the confidence of the public, and in the past forty years has erected a great many buildings in this locality. He remod- elled his own residence in 1856-57, and has made many improvements on the farm - a generous estate of one hundred and thirty acres.
He was married in 1852 to Anstrice W. Hatch, a native of North Marshfield, daughter of Samuel and Laura (Hatch) Hatch. Mr. Hatch, who was a saw-mill proprietor and farmer, died in 1881, and his wife followed him in 1882. Of their children two besides Mrs. Oakman are living - Marcellus and Sam- uel F. Hatch. Mrs. Oakman graduated from the Bridgewater Normal School in 1848. She is the mother of three children : Ida A., wife of Theodore Moorehead, in the custom- house service in China; Israel H., in Marsh- field, Mass .; and Emmeline L, wife of Nel- son E. Bryant, also a custom-house employee in China. . Israel H. Oakman was born Au- gust 5, 1857. He married November 25, 1883, Fannie T. Damon, daughter of Gran- ville D. and Frances (Tilden) Damon. They have four children now living; namely, Philip B., Wealthy C., Walter F., and Israel H., Jr. ; and they have been bereft of three - Theresa Louise, Florence Tilden, and Irving Howard. Israel H. and his family live in the old Oakman house with his father, his children representing the sixth generation that has occupied the homestead.
In politics Mr. Oakman is independent, vot- ing on principle, and not on party feeling. He has served as Constable in Marshfield.
He and his wife attend service at the Unita- rian church.
They have a wide circle of acquaintance, and are highly esteemed members of society.
ILIJAH T. CLAPP, a highly esteemed resident of Greenbush, was born in Scituate, Mass., September 8, 1826, son of Elijah and Harriet (Ford) Clapp, both likewise natives of Scituate. He is a lineal descendant of the Dorchester Clapps. Roger Clapp, who was the founder of the family, emigrated from Dorchester, England, and landed at Hull, Mass., about the year 1630. He subsequently became a military com- mander of Boston, and owned a large estate in Dorchester, Mass., where many of his de- scendants are still residing. Both paternal and maternal ancestors of Elijah T. Clapp served as soldiers in the French and Indian Wars, and in the struggle for independence. Thomas Clapp, his grandfather, who was a na- tive of Scituate, and a tenant farmer on the Stockbridge estate in this town for many years, served as a Captain in the War of 1812. His father, Elijah Clapp, who followed the trade of blacksmith during the active period of his life, died in his eighty-ninth year. His mother lived to be nearly ninety years old. The other surviving children of his parents are: Julia, the wife of George Spaulding, of Boston; and Mercy F., the wife of George Manson, of East Boston. His brother, Peleg F., who served as a soldier throughout the Civil War, participating in several important battles, died in 1895.
Elijah T. Clapp acquired a meagre educa- tion in the schools of Greenbush. At the age of thirteen he began to learn the black- smith's trade with his father. Afterward, succeeding his father, he followed it until he
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was sixty-five years old. He, in turn, has been succeeded by his son, William H. Clapp, who is also engaged in the grain and ice busi- ness. His shop was the first blacksmith's stand established in Greenbush. He owns the old Stockbridge mill, together with the land in the vicinity of the pond which is named after the Stockbridge family. In the winter season he does quite an extensive busi- ness in sawing shingles.
Mr. Clapp wedded Ann R., daughter of Thomas Clapp, and became the father of seven children - Elijah T. Clapp, Jr., Helen A., William H., Harriet F., Everett L., Richard, and Frederick. Helen A. is the wife of Frederick Rogers; and Frederick is now de- ceased. In politics Mr. Clapp is a Republi- can. He contributed much toward securing the many improvements which have taken place in Scituate during his time. His suc- cess in life has been attained through industry and perseverance. In his religious views he is an orthodox Congregationalist, and he is a member of the society of that denomination at Scituate Centre.
OBERT H. MOOREHEAD, now living in retirement, was formerly a prominent business man in Marsh- field. He was born August 30, 1814, in Duxbury, this county, son of John and Dinah (Miller) Moorehead. The parents, both of Scotch descent, who were natives of the north of Ireland, came to America a few years be- fore the birth of Robert H., and settled in Duxbury, where the father followed his trade of weaver for a number of years. In 1826 John Moorehead moved with his family to Marshfield, and there, after spending the rest of his life occupied in agriculture, he died in his seventieth year. Of his children, Robert
H. is now the only survivor. James M. died January 6, 1897, in New York City.
Robert H. Moorehead's schooling, received for three months each winter, ended when he was sixteen years old. He acquired the rest of his good, practical education by extensive reading and intelligent observation. In his seventeenth year he began to learn the blacksmith's trade with Nathaniel Stevens, who was blacksmith and edge tool manufact- urer. After the lapse of a little more than four years, Mr. Stevens was obliged by ill health to retire from business, and Mr. Moore- head conducted the shop in his own name for a number of years. Subsequently he spent several years in shoemaking, and then for two years in the employ of the Old Colony Rail- road, having been the first railroad agent in Marshfield. His next venture was in the mer- cantile line as a retail dealer in coal, flour, wheat, grain, and hay, in Marshfield. After a prosperous career in this business, he sold it in 1895 to Henry Carver, and has since en- joyed the leisure earned by long years of ac- tivity.
Mr. Moorehead has been twice married. His first wife, in maidenhood Sarah P. How- land, was a daughter of Arthur and Sarah (Porter) Howland, of this town. She died after bearing him six children. Of these Theodore, now a leading official in the custom- house service at Shanghai, China, is the only survivor. His second marriage was con- tracted with Mrs. Rebecca P. (Dingley) Sampson, a daughter of Isaac Dingley, and the widow of Charles Sampson. She has also passed away. In politics Mr. Moorehead is an independent. He was for five years Select- man of Marshfield, and for equal periods As- sessor and Overseer of the Poor. Also, for the ten years after its organization, he was Treasurer of the Marshfield Agricultural So-
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ciety, and he had been elected for the eleventh year, when he resigned.
EORGE H. DAMON, of Scituate, the superintendent of Upham Brothers' shoe factory in Stoughton, Norfolk County, was born here, November 7, 1833, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Litchfield) Damon, both also natives of Scituate. His grandfather, Reuben Damon, likewise born in this town, who was a descendant of an early settler of the district, and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, followed the sea for a living. Henry Damon was a lifelong resident of Scituate. In his younger man- hood he also followed the sea, commanding a number of schooners, while his later years were occupied in farming. In politics a Free Soiler and a Republican, he took a prominent part in local affairs, and served for some time as Selectman. Captain Damon was an active member of the Congregational church, on ac- count of which he came to be called Deacon Damon. He died in 1879 on the farm now occupied by George H. Damon, his only sur- viving child.
George H. Damon acquired his education in the public schools of Scituate. In his boy- hood he went to sea with the mackerel fleet during the fishing seasons. After attaining his majority he learned to make boots and shoes, and worked at that trade as a journey- man for a number of years. He then built a shop on the homestead farm, and there exe- cuted contracts from shoe firms, employing at one time as many as fifty hands. In 1885 he was appointed superintendent of the shoe factory of Fogg, Vinal & Co., at Rochester, N.H .; and in August, 1888, he was made superintendent of the shoe bottoming depart- ment in the factory of Edwin Clapp, of East
Weymouth, Mass. About eight years later he became superintendent of Upham Brothers' Shoe Factory, the duties of which he has since discharged to the satisfaction of his em- ployers.
Mr. Damon was married in 1855 to Harriet L. Brown, a native of Scituate, and a daughter of Captain Samuel Brown. Captain Brown, like Mr. Damon's father, was a seafaring man, and commanded a vessel when he was eigh- teen years old. After spending his last years on a farm in Scituate, he died in 1891. Mr. and Mrs. Damon have had six children, four of whom are living. The latter were born as follows: George W., on May 4, 1858; Henry E., on July 27, 1861; Frank A., September, 1874; and Benjamin L., on December 7, 1876. The others were: Chester, born De- cember 12, 1866, who died June 10, 1889; and Jessie F., born December 12, 1856, who died February, 1858. The father is a member of the Republican party. He has made many friends in his business relations, and is highly esteęmed by all who know him.
APTAIN NATHAN P. GIBBS has had a remarkably successful and fort- unate career as a scaman - success- ful, as his ventures were lucrative; fortunate, for he met with no serious mishap while on the high seas. He was born in Wareham, Mass., November 28, 1827, son of Seth D. and Delia P. (Perry) Gibbs, of Sandwich, Mass. He was one of a family of eight chil- dren. His brother, William P. Gibbs, is the only one besides himself now living. Their father was a mariner.
The boyhood of Nathan was passed on a farm, and his early education was limited. At the age of sixteen he shipped on board a whaling vessel, and was gone from home fif-
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teen months, cruising in the Atlantic Ocean. The adventurous life pleased him, and he bade farewell to the quiet fields of agriculture, shipping next as seaman on a merchant vessel from Boston. At the end of this voyage he was fully qualified as an able seaman, and his next birth was as second mate. At the age of twenty-five he was master of a vessel, and that year ( 1852) he discovered on Little Bird Island a rich deposit of guano. In 1854, tak- ing with him a crew of sixty men, he settled on this island, and began to dig the guano for the firm of Sampson & Toppin, of Boston, and P. S. Shelton, of the same city. When his men had been at work for about seven months, the Venezuelan government, discovering them, put an end to their operations, and the affair made some little trouble between Venezuela and this country. It was afterward satis- factorily settled by the United States govern- ment. Captain Gibbs followed the sea for forty years, and for twenty years was in the California trade. In 1882 he retired, and set- tled permanently on the farm where he now makes his home in Wareham. His farm covers some fifty acres, and it is now a valu- able estate.
Captain Gibbs was married in 1854 to Miss Hannah Churbuck, of Wareham, daughter of Captain Willis Churbuck, and has two chil- dren - Nathan A. and Edna F. The daughter is the wife of Harry E. Churbuck, of New Bedford. In politics the Captain is inde- pendent, making cause with neither party. He is a Mason in good standing, belonging to Social Harmony Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Wareham.
IZRA SMITH, a prominent resident of Marshfield, was born February 16, 1823, in Duxbury, this county, son of Captain Jacob and Deborah (Cushman)
Smith. Captain Jacob Smith, who was also born in Duxbury, followed the sea for thirty years or more, and was the captain of several vessels. The latter part of his life was spent in farming in Marshfield, where he died some fifty years ago. His wife was a native of Marshfield. Of their children Jacob Smith, of Westford, Mass., is the only other one living.
Ezra Smith acquired his education in the common schools of Duxbury and at Lexington Academy. He was in his eighteenth year when his parents removed to Marshfield. Since then he has resided in this town, iden- tifying himself closely with its growth and progress. His time is given chiefly to agri- culture, which he carries on in a progressive and enterprising way. His farm is one of the best in the locality. A member of the Repub- lican party, he attends the town meetings and caucuses, and exercises much influence in matters of public importance; but he leaves the cares of office to others.
Mr. Smith was married April 9, 1851, to Sarah J. Bessey, a native of Duxbury, and a daughter of Marshall and Sarah B. (Sampson) Bessey. Mr. Bessey, who was born in Bridge- water, Mass., died in 1842. Mrs. Bessey, who belonged to a leading family of Plymouth County, was descended from Henry Sampson, who came to Plymouth with the family of his uncle, Edward Tilly, in the "Mayflower." He was too young to sign the, compact of No- vember II, in the cabin of the "Mayflower " in Provincetown Harbor; but he was enumer- ated in the assignment of land made in 1623, and in the division of cattle in 1627; and he was admitted a freeman of Plymouth Colony in 1637. Although made one of the original grantees of Bridgewater in 1645, he settled permanently in Duxbury, of which he was ap- pointed Constable in 1661. "This," says
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