USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 53
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Warren Litchfield was educated in the dis- trict school, and reared to agricultural pursuits, working on the farm between schools terms. He has been engaged in general farming throughout the greater part of his life, and has
the independent nature and sturdy constitution which his mode of life is so apt to foster. His integrity and sterling character have won the confidence and esteem of his townsmen.
Mr. Litchfield was first married to Julia Litchfield, who bore him one daughter, Julia W., now deceased. On January 25, 1843, he was united to Helen, daughter of Abram and Rachel (Nichols) Litchfield, all natives of Scituate. This lady, who is yet living, be- came the mother of eight children, four of whom have passed away. Those living are : Rachel N., the wife of William Burrows, of Scituate; Stephen, who also resides in this town; Helen, A., the wife of Chester Sylves- ter, of Campello, Mass. ; and Nettie, the wife of Harry Bates, of Braintree, Mass. In poli- tics Mr. Litchfield is independent, favoring always the candidate whom he thinks most capable of serving the interests of the people. He has served on the School Committee, and for a time was Road Surveyor of his district. Mr. Litchfield was formerly a member of the Debating Club. His wife is a member of the Baptist church. Both she and her husband are types of the sturdy and fearless pioneer stock which has done so much for Plymouth County.
ELHAM W. BARROWS, who died in Colorado in 1890, was a native of Carver, Plymouth County, Mass. He was born on January 31, 1829, and was a son of Lothrop and Sally (Shaw) Barrows. His paternal grandparents were Andrew and Sarah (Perkins) Barrows.
He was reared on a farm, but having no taste for agriculture decided to learn a trade. Ac- cordingly, in early manhood, he went to work in an iron foundry, first in South Carver and then in Watertown, remaining at this occupa- tion till the fall of 1861, when he enlisted in
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Company C, Eighteenth Massachusetts In- fantry. He was eight months in the service, and in that time he suffered all the hardships of a soldier's life, taking part in the terrible seven days' retreat under Mcclellan. At the end of eight months, on account of physical disability, he was discharged with the rank of Sergeant, and returned to Carver, where he lived for some time on a farm. When partly recovered he resumed work in the iron foundry at Watertown.
In 1877 he went to Albion, Boone County, Neb., locating on a homestead claim, and re- siding there seven or eight years. He then went to Colorado, where he had a son with whom he lived; and he journeyed subsequently to California. He was in poor health when he made this trip, and he soon returned to Colo- rado, hoping to be benefited by the pure dry air of that State; but disease had made such deep inroads on his constitution that recovery was impossible, and he died in 1890. His remains were forwarded from Colorado, and were in- terred in the Central Cemetery of Carver. Mr. Barrows was a charter member of the Plymouth Grand Army of the Republic Post. He was an enterprising and ambitious man, and was a popular member of society; and his death, occurring as it did when he was removed so far from home and old friends, aroused uni- versal interest and sympathy for his bereaved family.
Mr. Barrows was married in 1854 to Miss Priscilla J. Shaw, who was born in Carver in 1832, a daughter of Captain Joseph and Hannah (Dunham) Shaw. Six children were the result of this union : Joseph W., Ellis H. (deceased), Pelham A., Laura L., Hannah B. (deceased), and Frank E. While Mr. Barrows was in the West his wife removed to the pleasant home where she now lives. She is a lady of ability, culture, and self-reliance, and
has for some time been acting as Postmaster's assistant at Carver. A sketch of her father, Captain Shaw, may be found elsewhere in this volume.
APTAIN JOSEPH SHAW, formerly well known in Carver and vicinity, the son of Lieutenant Joseph Shaw and his wife Lydia, was born in this town, February 17, 1782, and was descended from early settlers of the Old Colony. Captain Shaw devoted himself mainly to farming throughout his active life, but in the winter months he worked in the old blast foundry. He took a keen interest in civil and political affairs, and became one of the leading men in the community. He was appointed Captain of a company of State militia, and in the second war with Great Britain was drafted for service in the army. Owing, however, to illness in his family, he was unable to respond to the call, and furnished a substitute, Mr. Benjamin Har- low. Captain Shaw died September 26, 1855.
By his first wife, Sarah Murdock, whom he married in 1804, he had six sons, the eldest, born in 1804, the youngest in 1814. The fol- lowing is a brief record in order of their births: Joseph died unmarried in 1865. Linus, who died in 1854, married Dicy Allen in 1833, and had George H. and Linus A. (who both served in the late war), Jeannette H., Arlotha M., Calvin R., and Betsy. Bart- lett married in 1833 Almira Atwood, had one child, and died in 1835. Martin was born and died in 1811. Dennis, who died in 1875, married Emmeline Skinner, and had Will- iam B., Henry and Henrietta (twins), Albert, Charles, Emmeline, Susannah, and Apollos. He and his four elder sons served in the Civil War, two of them being wounded. One son died in the regular army. Harrison Shaw married Adaline Bent, had eight children -
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William B., Sarah M., Deliverance, Charles H., Emma B., John, Mary, and Erastus, - and died in 1861.
Captain Joseph Shaw married Hannah Dun- ham, his second wife, in 1818, and by this union became the father of nine children, namely : William H., who was born and died in 1819; Nathaniel, born 1820, died in 1821 ; Ebenezer; Francis; Sally M .; Hannah M. ; Oliver; Priscilla J. (Mrs. Pelham W. Bar- rows) ; and Bartlett. Ebenezer Shaw, born in 1823, was married first in 1848, to Nancy Bisbee. Their children were: Frederick, Aravesta, Josephus, and Eugene E. He mar- ried the second time Hannah Dennison, and their children were: Fred W., Aravesta B., Elmer F., Bartlett, and Myra. Ebenezer Shaw was a man of much business ability. He built at Middleboro an iron foundry, which he conducted for some years. The foundry was eventually burned, and at the time of his death, in 1889, he was residing in Carver. Francis S. Shaw, born in 1824, married Abbie Southworth in 1849, and died in 1885. Their children were thirteen in number, but only two are living - Emma L. and Jennie. Sally Murdock Shaw, born in 1826, was married to Ira C. Bent in 1847. Their children were : Ellen F., now Mrs. Philander J. Holmes ; and Nathaniel Warren. Hannah M., born in 1827, married Eli Atwood in 1850, and died in 1892; she had one child, Betsy S.
Oliver Shaw, born February 5, 1831, mar- ried Miranda Atwood in 1855, and had Al- ton E., and Bradford O. and Bartlett E., twins, all now deceased. Oliver Shaw learned the trade of iron moulder, and in 1863 he was called upon to take charge of the Miles Pratt & Co.'s Stove Works at Watertown as Super- intendent. He remained thoughout his life with this firm, and from 1877 was one of the directors of the corporation. A stanch Repub-
lican in politics he served as Selectman for fifteen years; and in 1894 he was elected to the State Senate from the Second Middlesex District. Mr. Shaw's financial and business abilities were of a high order. He was one of the organizers of the Watertown Savings Bank and a Trustee of that body from its incorpora- tion. He was also President of the Union Market National Bank from 1893 until his death, December 26, 1894. He was a member of Company K, Third Regiment of the State militia, from 1852 to 1857. Mr. Shaw was well known socially, and belonged to the Mid- dlesex Club of Boston, and to the Village Club of Watertown. He attended the Methodist Episcopal church.
Bartlett, youngest son of Captain Joseph and Hannah Shaw, born March 12, 1835, also learned to be a moulder; but when, in 1861 the war broke out, inspired with enthusiasm for the preservation of the Union, he threw aside the implements of industry and assisted in raising a company in Carver. He was ap- pointed Orderly Sergeant of this company, and later was promoted to the rank of Second Lieu- tenant. Owing to the sickness of his superior officer, he was placed in charge at the second battle of Bull Run, and lost his life in that engagement. As he gallantly led his com- mand he gave the direction, " Boys, keep cool and fire low." He had scarcely said the words when he fell dead with a bullet in his fore- head. He was an exemplary young man and greatly beloved by all his comrades.
APTAIN JOSEPHUS DAWES, a retired shipmaster of Duxbury, was born in this town, April 7, 1820, the son of Abraham and Deborah (Darling) Dawes. Deborah Dawes was a native of Dux- bury, and her family was of Scotch origin.
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Abraham Dawes was a native of Kingston. His ancestry will be found in a sketch of Cap- tain James H. Dawes, which appears upon another page of this work.
Josephus Dawes attended the public schools of his native town at intervals until he was fourteen years of age. When he was seven years of age he began to accompany his father upon fishing trips along Massachusetts Bay ; and he assisted in disposing of the fish in Bos- ton. At the age of fourteen he shipped before the mast on board a vessel which was com- manded by his elder brother, the late Captain Allen Dawes; and he sailed with him in the coasting and foreign trade until he was twenty- one years old. He was then able to command a vessel himself, and his first voyage as master was made in the brig " August," which was owned by Joseph Holmes, of Kingston. He afterward commanded various vessels belonging to Mr. Holmes, in whose employ he sailed for nineteen years. He was subsequently part owner and master of several merchantmen, among them being the barks "Fruiter," " Jehu," and " Valetta."
In the years of 1852 and 1853 Captain Dawes spent his time in the northern and southern mines of California. At the close of the second year his old love for the sea re- turned to him, and during the next ten years we find him engaged in the Mediterranean fruit trade. At this time he was making many of the fastest passages on record. For four years he traded on the Chinese Coast, visiting all the principal ports. His last vessel was the " Annie W. Weston," in which he traded be- tween San Francisco and England. For over thirty years he was a successful as well as a fortunate master-mariner, never meeting with a single disaster or loss of a man at sea. During his long experience he doubled Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, circumnavi-
gated the globe several times, and visited the principal parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. In one of his voyages to the Cape of Good Hope he was obliged to conceal the name of his vessel under a canvas on account of the nearness of the " Alabama," which was commanded by Captain Semmes.
Captain Dawes wedded Sally Freeman, daughter of the late Bradford Freeman, of Duxbury. She accompanied him upon many of his voyages, thus proving herself a loving and faithful companion, who did not hesitate to brave the dangers of the sea in order to be with her husband in the hour of peril, should such be the case. She died April 2, 1887.
Captain Dawes has three children, as fol- lows: Wilfred C., who is Chief Inspector of the Money Order Department of the Boston Post-office ; Frank H., a resident of Haverhill, Mass. ; and Eunice F., wife of Henry C. Tan- ner, that city.
Although the Captain passes his winters in Haverhill, during the summer he occupies his pleasant residence at Island Creek Station, in Duxbury, amid the haunts of his childhood and close beside the sea, which was for so many years his home. He is a member of the Uni- tarian society of Duxbury.
UDSON EWELL, of Marshfield, who has been Chairman of the Board of Selectmen for a number of years, was born in this town, October 23, 1840. His parents were Ezra D. and Frances L. (Wash- burn) Ewell, and his paternal grandfather was Isaac Ewell, a resident of Marshfield.
Henry Ewell, the first of this surname in the Plymouth Colony, married in 1638 Sarah Annable, daughter of Anthony Annable, who came over in the "Ann" in 1623. Their son, Ichabod, born in 1659 .in Scituate, had
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sons, it is said, who settled in Marshfield. Ezra D. Ewell, son of Isaac, was born in Marshfield, and made his home in this town up to the time of his death. He was a stone mason by trade, and worked also at various other occupations. His wife was born in Taunton, Mass. They were the parents of the following children : Frances M., Judson, Kim- ball W., Adeline W., and Antoinette C.
Judson Ewell was given good educational opportunities, attending the public schools of Marshfield and Hanover Academy. He began at eighteen to learn the blacksmith's trade, and served his time with Waldo Bradford in North Bridgewater (now Brockton), Mass., working with him until 1859; and he was sub- sequently employed as a journeyman in differ- ent places. In January, 1862, he enlisted in Company G, Second District of Columbia Vol- unteers, and was assigned to the army of the Potomac, General Griffin's Brigade, General Morrell's Division, and General Fitz John Porter's Army Corps. He was in the battle of Antietam, September 17-18, 1862, and took part in a number of minor engagements while attached to the army of the Potomac, his regi- ment being subsequently on detached duty on the lookout for John S. Mosby and his gue- rillas. Mr. Ewell was promoted to the rank of Sergeant of Company G, and served in that capacity about a year. While in action against the Confederates he had a number of narrow escapes from death and imprisonment.
Experiencing his share of the. hardships of a soldier's life, he was also privileged to enjoy the pomp and glitter of military display in social affairs. During the last year and a half of his service he was a member of the band of the Second Regiment, District of Columbia Volunteers, and played at the fair for the benefit of the Sanitary Commission in the Patent Office at Washington. Honorably discharged
in October, 1865, he returned home; and in 1867 he opened a forge of his own in Marsh- field, which he still manages. He has been very successful in financial matters, doing his work well and paying strict attention to business.
Mr. Ewell has been twice married. His first wife, Maria (deceased), was a daughter of the Rev. George Leonard, of Marshfield Hills. She bore him four children, of whom but two survive, namely : Leonard G., born February 6, 1873; and Emmeline W., born June 14, 1877. The others were : Walter, born Novem- ber 1, 1870; and George L., born July 8, 1881. His, second wife, who was formerly Miss Julia F. Rogers, became the mother of five children, the eldest being Grace, born September 21, 1883, with whom they were soon called to part. The four now living are : Ralph J., born December 5, 1885 ; Marion R., born January 30, 1888; Ezra G., born March 21, 1890; and Edna F., born October 4, 1891.
As a public man Mr. Ewell is very popular. He has served as Chairman of the Republican Town Committee; was first elected to the Board of Selectmen in 1883, and has been hon- ored with re-election every year since; and as Chairman of the Board he has given universal satisfaction. He is a member of North River Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Hanover, Mass., and a charter member of David Church Post, No. 189, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he was one year Com- mander.
AMES W. O'NEIL, one of the partners of O'Neil & Howes, successful contrac- tors of Brockton for interior house finish, was born in 1854, in Brechan, Forfar- shire, Scotland, near Kirrimuir, the home of Barrie, the novelist. His father, William
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O'Neil, also a native of Brechan, is still living there, being now seventy-two years of age, and an Elder of the Free Church of Scotland. His mother, Elizabeth (Webster) O'Neil, now deceased, was a daughter of Will- iam Webster, a farmer of Brechan. They had five children - David W., William, James W., Mary, and Alfred. David W. is a member of the firm of Bradley & Currier, New York City, and of Freeman & O'Neil, of Claremont, N. H. The New York firm, whose place of business is located at the corner of Hudson and Spring Streets, are counted among the most extensive dealers in sashes, doors, and blinds in the United States. William is employed in a car- riage factory in Waterbury, Conn .; Mary is the wife of George Priest, of New Haven, Conn. ; and Alfred is employed in the linen mill of Lyman Scott at Brechan, Scotland.
James W. O'Neil was educated in his native town. At the age of ten years he went to work in a flax-mill. Subsequently, he was employed in the office of the Brechan Adver- tiser for eight months. Then, owing to trouble with his eyes, he was obliged to seek outdoor employment. Accordingly, he learned the carpenter's trade under Alexander Smith, of Brechan, with whom he worked for about four years. He came to this country in 1872, and obtained employment in W. F. Badger's stair- shop on Wareham Street, Boston. There he remained some five years, and then for six years had charge of the stair department for Freeman & O'Neil, of Claremont, who have a large plant and do an extensive business. After spending another year with Mr. Badger in Boston, he came to Brockton in 1884, and entered into a copartnership with William E. Howes for the manufacture of interior house and store finish, such as mouldings, stairs, and mantels. The firm started in a small way by hiring a room in A. C. Thompson's wood-
turning factory on Railroad Avenue, and which remained their place of business for three or four years. In October, 1888, they purchased Howard & Clark's furniture factory, where they have carried on their business since, and now employ about a dozen men. They have filled some costly and extensive contracts, in- cluding the interior finish of Emerson's shoe store on the corner of Water and Washington Streets, Boston; a handsome drug store in Marlboro, Mass. ; Goldthwaite's drug store on Main Street, Brockton; and some twenty others in this vicinity.
In 1880 Mr. O'Neil married Adele, daugh- ter of Archibald Atherton, of Claremont, N. H. Of the four children born to him, two are living - Amy E. and James Donald. Mr. O'Neil votes the Republican ticket. He be- longs to a number of social orders, including Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Brock- ton, and the American Benefit Society of this city, of which he is President. A member of the Baptist church, he takes an active interest in its welfare, and has been superintendent of the Sunday-school.
YMAN E. COPELAND, a member of the firm of L. E. and E. Copeland, milk dealers and successful general farmers of West Bridgewater, was born here June 24, 1848, a son of Lyman and Susanna (Holmes) Copeland, both natives of Plymouth County, Mass.
Salmon Copeland, the father of Lyman, was a grandson of Jonathan Copeland (son of Will- iam and grandson of Lawrence, of Braintree), who married Betty Snell in 1723, and settled in West Bridgewater. Lyman, who was a life- long resident of this town, devoted his energies almost entirely to farming. In politics he was a Republican, and a leader in local affairs; and
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though not a church member, he was an attend- ant of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died December 26, 1884. Two of his chil- dren are living, namely : Lyman E., the direct subject of this sketch ; and Edmund, who was born June 20, 1852. A younger brother, Wil- ton, born August 14, 1858, met his death by accident in December, 1886, being run over by the cars. He left a widow and two children. Mrs. Susanna H. Copeland, who still lives at the homestead, was born on May 9, 1817, and has now nearly completed her eightieth year.
Lyman E. Copeland grew to manhood on the farm where he now resides. After attending the public schools of West Bridgewater he was a student for a time at Brockton Academy and later at the Bryant and Stratton Commercial College of Boston, where he was graduated in 1867. It is now about twenty years since he started in his present business, selling milk at retail in Brockton. His brother Edmund is a partner in this enterprise, which has proved a profitable one to them. They are also success- fully engaged in general farming.
Lyman E. Copeland and Miss Louise F. Hartwell, of Brockton, were joined in marriage on February 26, 1880. They have two chil- dren : a son, Wilton; and a daughter, Myrtle L. True to the political instruction and example of his father, Mr. Copeland has ever been a faithful supporter of Republicanism. Fraternally, he is a member of St. George Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Campello, Mass.
EACON GEORGE W. BAILEY, formerly one of the most prominent and highly respected business men of North Scituate, who died at his home in this town, January II, 1891, was born in Scituate, August 1, 1830, son of Job and Lydia (Wade) Bailey. His parents were natives of Scituate,
and he was a representative of highly reputable ancestry on both sides of the family.
George W. Bailey as a boy availed himself of every advantage offered by the public school system in his day. He was by nature a studi- ous seeker for knowledge, and in his youth he devoted his spare time to the reading of the works of Josephus and other standard authors. At the age of twenty years he decided to engage in business pursuits, and, establishing himself as a shoe manufacturer upon a small scale at North Scituate, he entered upon his business career with an energy which promised success from the start. When Mr. Bailey began shoe business he formed a copartnership with Mr. Jotham W. Bailey, under the firm name of G. W. and J. W. Bailey, and this association continued for twenty years. After that the subject of this sketch continued the business alone, but under the name of G. W. Bailey & Co. As his prosperity increased he enlarged his facilities, and for many years em- ployed an average of fifty hands. The firm of G. W. Bailey & Co. became well-known in the shoe trade, was financially successful, and con- tinued in active operation until the death of its founder.
The late Mr. Bailey was prominently identi- fied with the progress and development of the business interests and with the general im- provement of the town, and was one of North Scituate's most progressive and public-spirited citizens. He took a deep interest in local affairs; and as Chairman of the School Board, over which he presided for a number of years, he rendered valuable service in behalf of public education. His death, which took place as above stated at the age of nearly sixty-one years, was not only a serious blow to the indus- tries of North Scituate, but removed from the community one of its most valuable and esteemed citizens, a man of noble nature and
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an affectionate disposition, the home circle which he so ardently cherished being deprived of a loving husband and an indulgent and de- voted father. In politics he was a Republican, and for many years he was connected with the Baptist church as Deacon, Clerk, and Treas- urer. Mr. Bailey was especially a benevolent man. The widow and the fatherless always found in him a helper and a friend; and he was ever ready to assist with his means any good cause.
On November 26, 1856, Mr. Bailey was united in marriage with Hannah W. Briggs, who, with one son, Herbert B., now teller of the Boylston National Bank, Boston, and resid- ing in Wollaston, Mass., survives him. Mrs. Bailey was born in Scituate, daughter of James Sylvester and Selina (Curtis) Briggs, and her ancestors for several generations were residents of this town. Walter Briggs, founder of this branch of the family in America, bought a farm in Scituate in 1651, and it is said "was long a useful man in the plantation." The "History of Shipbuilding on the North River," by L. Vernon Briggs, contains many interesting par- ticulars in regard to the Briggs family, several members of which have been prominent ship- builders. From this volume we learn that Walter Briggs had a son, Lieutenant James Briggs, whose son Benjamin, born in 1695, was the father of James, born November 16, 1735, who held the office of Town Clerk twenty-five years, and was known as "Clark " Briggs. He died in 1834, aged ninety-nine years. His son, Joseph, born in 1776, was the father of James Sylvester Briggs, and grand- father of Mrs. Bailey. The Briggs family built ships at Hobart's Landing, probably as early as 1750, James, born in 1719, being the first builder of this surname. James Sylvester and his brother, Barnabas W., built at the Harbor as early as 1834.
Mrs. Bailey occupies the homestead, and has for a companion her sister, Mrs. C. M. Gray. These ladies are quite prominent in social circles, and are members of the Baptist church.
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