USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 54
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|LISHA WINSLOW ELLIS, dealer in general merchandise at Manomet, a part of Plymouth, Plymouth County, Mass., was born near Sagamore, October 29, 1837, son of Elisha and Priscilla (Crowell) Ellis. His birthplace and that of his father was the old tavern situated in the village of Ellisville, South Plymouth, which was the home of his paternal grandparents, Thomas and Rebecca (Burgess) Ellis.
His grandmother Ellis was born November 29, 1779, in Sandwich, daughter of Elisha Burgess, who was born in 1743, son of Zac- cheus Burgess. Jacob Burgess, father of Zaccheus, was a son of Jacob, first, and grand- son of Thomas Burgess, who arrived in Salem, Mass., with a small family in 1630, removed to Sandwich (Sagamore), Mass., in 1638, and died in 1685, aged eighty-two years.
The maternal grandparents of Mr. Ellis were Paul and Sally (Sears) Crowell, who re- moved from East Dennis, Cape Cod, to Saga- more in the early part of the century.
The children of Elisha Ellis and his wife Priscilla were: Elisha Winslow, the subject of this sketch, commonly known as E. Win- slow or E. W. Ellis; Priscilla Ann, born in December, 1840, who died in June, 1842; Priscilla Crowell, born January 4, 1845; Nathan Crowell, born December 1, 1847, who died in January, 1891; Thomas Prince, born in November, 1849; Sarah Sears, born Febru- ary 10, 1852; Edmund Sears, born December 31, 1853, who died in Florida in December, 1890; and Benjamin Franklin, born in Novem- ber, 1857. The father was a farmer, and was
ELISHA W. ELLIS.
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a lifelong resident of Plymouth. Elisha Ellis passed away in 1892, at eighty-six years of age, his wife, Mrs. Priscilla Ellis, having died in August, 1880, aged sixty-eight.
E. Winslow Ellis, their eldest child, grew to maturity on the home farm in Plymouth, ac- quiring his elementary education in the primary and grammar schools of his native town. He then for two terms attended Phillips Academy at North Andover, Mass., whither he went in September, 1855; and in 1856 he went to the Providence Conference Seminary, located at East Greenwich, R. I., which he attended for five successive terms. Returning home in 1861, he took charge of a coasting vessel as master ; and in that capacity he sailed for four years, always owning an interest in the vessels which he ran. Having the misfortune to lose his vessel in 1865, he went to Worcester, Mass., where he learned the machinist's trade, serving an apprenticeship of two years at the shops of E. Holbrook. He then removed to Boston, and was employed in the Old Colony Locomotive Works for nine years, acting for the last half-decade in the capacity of foreman of his department. In 1880 he went to Chi- cago, Ill., where he was superintendent of the mechanical department of Swift & Co., beef packers, for nine years. After spending two years at Omaha, Neb., for the company, in 1889 he resigned, and, returning East, settled at Natick, Mass., where he had purchased a place, and where he resided for about eighteen months. Removing thence to Plymouth, he erected a dwelling and a store, in which latter he conducts a thriving business in general merchandise, including hay, feed, ice, builders' hardware, and the like. Since the winter of 1892 Mr. Ellis has officiated as Post- master at Manomet.
On November 8, 1863, Mr. Ellis was united in marriage with Miss Gertrude Nichols,
daughter of Otis and Sarah (Clark) Nichols, and they have had two children. A daughter, Birdie H. Ellis, born August 25, 1866, in early womanhood was married to George De Loriea, of Chicago. She died in that city on July 1, 1892, shortly after the birth of a daughter. This little girl, Truellis De Loriea, a native of Chicago, now in her fifth year, has lived with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, ever since she was four days old. The other child, also a daughter, was born in April, 1868, and lived but four days.
ON. EBENEZER T. FOGG, for many years the leading merchant of Norwell village and one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of this place, was born in South Scituate, now Norwell, October 30, 1826, and was one of seven children of Ebenezer Thayer Fogg.
As a lad he was sent with his brothers and sisters to the public schools of Scituate; and at the age of seventeen he went to Boston to serve an apprenticeship to a ship-joiner. Having learned the trade, he worked at it for a number of years in the old town of Scituate, of which Norwell was then a part; and he after- ward opened the large general store in Norwell now managed by. Litchfield & Curtis. For twenty-nine years prior to 1886 he conducted this business, and during that time he made an extended acquaintance with the people in all the towns about and gained universal respect and esteem. No one doubted Mr. Fogg's integrity ; widows came to him with business entanglements; men named him in their wills as executor. He settled a large number of estates, and always with scrupulous honesty and a judgment in business that was considered by his fellow-townsmen almost infallible.
In all matters touching the affairs of the
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town Mr. Fogg was actively interested; and he was always a leader in any movement look- ing toward the general good of the community. His fellow-citizens showed their appreciation of his abilities and his disinterestedness by appointing him to various positions of public trust. For over a quarter of a century he was Postmaster of Norwell, for forty years he was Town Clerk, and from 1861 until the time of his death he was the Town Treasurer. For over thirty-five years he was a qualified Justice of the Peace, and for many years a member of the School Board. In 1880 Mr. Fogg was sent as Representative from this district to the Sen- ate of the Commonwealth and served for two terms. While in the Senate he was a member of the committees on fisheries, on roads and bridges, and on woman suffrage. Well known as a capable financier, he was appointed Re- ceiver of the old Scituate Savings Bank, and was Treasurer of the South Scituate Savings Bank from 1860 until his death. He was also a Director in the Hingham Fire Insurance Company of Hingham, Mass.
Mr. Fogg and Miss Helen L. Smith, of Duxbury, were married on October 5, 1859. Three sons and a daughter were born into their home, namely: Ebenezer T., the eldest son, who is a shoe manufacturer of Cambridge, Mass. ; George Hichborn, who died in infancy ; Helen H., the wife of Walter R. Torrey, a prominent citizen of Norwell; and Horace T., who is a rising young lawyer in the county.
Hon. Ebenezer Fogg died February 1, 1897, lamented by all who had the good fortune to know him. In religious views a Unitarian, he was an active and benevolent member of the Norwell church, and had been for many years Treasurer of that organization.
Horace T. Fogg, the youngest son, received his preparatory education in the public schools and in the academy at Duxbury and at Thayer
Academy in Braintree, graduating from the last named in 1886. In September of the same year he entered Harvard in the class of 1890; and he remained in the University until 1893, when he graduated from the Law School and was admitted to the Suffolk County Bar. He has an office at 31 Milk Street, Boston, and another in Norwell; and in the three years since beginning his career as a lawyer, owing somewhat to the prestige of his father's name as well as to his own ability, he has gained a large number of clients, and his success may be considered as assured. He is a member of Phoenix Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Hanover, Pilgrim Chapter, Royal Arch Masons of Abington, and Old Colony Commandery of Knights Templars; also of North River Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. On the death of his father he was appointed Treasurer of the South Scituate Savings Bank, which he had been identified with for three years as a Trustee. He was also appointed Town Treasurer.
HARLES E. TISDALE, leading member of the Cochesett shoe manu- facturing firm of C. E. Tisdale & Co., successors to E. Tisdale, who established the business in 1848, was born in Cochesett, Plymouth County, Mass., February 6, 1853, son of Edward and Amanda (Ripley) Tisdale.
Edward Tisdale, the founder of the business in which his son is now engaged, was a native of Sharon, Mass., where he was born in 1822, son of Colonel Israel Tisdale. He received in his youth a good common-school education. When he began the manufacture of boots and shoes, the work was done entirely by hand; but, as his business increased, he enlarged his plant, putting in machinery, until, in 1862 or 1863, the present dimensions were attained.
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The factory is equipped with modern machinery and steam-power, and can furnish employment to fifty hands, although one-half that number is the average at the present time. Mr. Ed- ward Tisdale continued to conduct the business until 1892, when he was succeeded by his son. He died December 6, 1896. Mrs. Tisdale died November 29, 1869. Five of their chil- dren are living, namely : Charles E. ; Alice, wife of J. Nelson Harris, of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Frank S., in Cochesett, Mass .; Lizzie, resid- ing in Boston; and Mary, the wife of A. H. Alger, of Brockton. A daughter Dora has passed away.
Charles E. Tisdale, the eldest child, re- 'ceived his early education in the Cochesett public schools and at Bridgewater Academy, after which he took a business course at the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College, Bos- ton. He began his business career as a dealer in general merchandise in Cochesett, conduct- ing a store here for several years; and after that he entered the employ of his father, whom he served a number of years as book-keeper, salesman, and superintendent of the business, finally in 1892 becoming a partner in the firm of C. E. Tisdale & Co., with which he is still identified. They make a specialty of the man- ufacture of fine calf, satin calf, and veal calf boots and shoes, welted, machine-sewed, stand- ard screw, and pegged. Their Boston office is at 91 Bedford Street.
In 1885 Mr. Tisdale married Alice L. Pack- ard, a daughter of the late Nahum Packard, of West Bridgewater, Mass.
For seven years Mr. Tisdale has served as Collector and Treasurer of West Bridgewater, and in 1896 he was elected to the office of Selectman. His father has been a member of the State legislature. Fraternally, Mr. Tis- dale is a member of St. George Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at Campello, Mass. He is a Trustee
of the Howard Fund for the support of the Howard Seminary for Young Ladies and a Free High School for both sexes. Since his father's death Mr. Tisdale has been acting Postmaster of Cochesett.
OHN F. LUCE, who was formerly a mariner and is now an ice dealer, is an important factor of the industrial inter- ests of the town of Marion, Plymouth County. The only child of the late Captain John G. Luce, he was born on October 17, 1852, in the house which he now owns and occupies.
Captain Luce began life as a sailor boy, and for more than thirty years followed the sea, being Commander and part owner of many vessels. He visited various parts of the globe, and in his last years his mind was filled with reminiscences of his voyages. He died November 8, 1888, aged nearly fourscore. His wife, Nancy C. Hammond, was a native of Marion, and she lived there until her death, which occurred in April, 1867, at the age of forty-seven years.
John F. Luce acquired a good common- school education in the village of Marion, and at the age of fifteen years went to sea with his father, under the Captain's tuition becoming familiar with the duties of cabin boy and deck hand. Going then to Boston he obtained a situation on the Nickerson line of steamers running from that city to Halifax, N. S., and in the latter part of his sea life he was a mate. Mr. Luce then returned to the place of his nativity to care for his father, who was in feeble health, and has since been prosperously engaged in his present business. He is well known throughout the locality as a man of good business principles and methods, honest and upright in his dealings. He has served his fellow-townsmen as Selectman six years, hav-
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ing been Chairman of the Board two years, and as Assessor and Overseer of the Poor the same length of time. In politics Mr. Luce is a stanch Republican, never swerving from party allegiance.
On October 29, 1896, he was married to Miss Louise Blankinship, daughter of Seth and Katherine G. Blankinship, of Marion.
ENRY J. CURTIS, President of the South Scituate Savings Bank, is an influential citizen of the town of Hanover, where he has taken an active part in the conduct of public affairs. He was born in Scituate (now Norwell), June 2, 1822. His parents were Stephen and Mary S. Curtis, both of whom died when he was very young.
At the age of thirteen Henry J. Curtis came to Hanover to live; and two years later he was obliged to assume the real duties of life, sup- porting himself from that time on. When six- teen he went to work at the shoemaker's trade, and this was his occupation for several years. In 1848 he removed from Hanover to South Scituate, and resided there till 1864, when he returned to Hanover. He next entered a store in Hanover as clerk, and followed that occupa- tion for several years. Having gained a practi- cal knowledge of the business and wishing to embark in some trade or occupation in which he would receive larger returns for his labor than he had realized heretofore, he opened a general store at Assinnippi, and conducted a prosperous business there until 1872, or about fifteen years, since which time he has lived retired, having laid by ample means for his needs. Although deprived of educational ad- vantages in his youth, his quickness of obser- vation and careful reading have stored his mind with practical information, and he is a notable type of the self-educated man.
In politics Mr. Curtis is a Republican. The first public office in which he served was that of Town Clerk of South Scituate, being elected in 1850, and serving until 1855. A year later, in 1856, he was elected to represent South Scituate in the Lower House of the State legislature; and again, in 1871, he was elected from South Scituate and Hanover, the two towns forming one representative district. From 1872 to 1876 he served as Selectman, Assessor, and Overseer of the Poor of Han- over; and he has held the office of School Committee several years in this town. He was appointed Justice of the Peace" by Gover- nor N. P. Banks, and has often been called upon to settle estates of deceased persons through the probate courts. He has been one of the Trustees of the South Scituate Savings Bank thirty-seven years, its Secretary for twenty-six years, and is at the present time (1897) President of said bank.
In 1848 Mr. Curtis was married to Miss Abbie S. Jacobs, daughter of Ichabod R. Jacobs, Esq., and his wife, Clarissa Jacobs, of South Scituate. They have no children. During his whole life Mr. Curtis has been in- terested in the Universalist church, and with his wife has been constant in attendance at the church services.
RESCOTT H. JACKSON, a well- known citizen of Brockton, where he carries on business as a contractor and builder, was born in East Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Mass., August 8, 1859, his parents being Abner C. and Lydia S. (Wade) Jackson. His grandfather, George Jackson, a native of Halifax, Plymouth County, was for a number of years profitably engaged in nail manufacturing. Abner C. Jackson was born in Halifax, and received his education in the
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CHARLES S. GLEASON.
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common schools of that town. He afterward settled in East Bridgewater, where he carried on a large business as contractor and builder, doing work in most of the towns in Plymouth County. He was a master of his craft, and when at the height of his active career was said to be the best framer and builder in the county. He was in business for fifty-five years; and he still resides in East Bridge- water, being now eighty-four years of age. By his wife, Lydia S., who was a daughter of John Wade, of Halifax, Mass., he had eight sons, of whom four are living; namely, John A., George W., Abner, and Prescott H.
Prescott H. Jackson, who was the youngest child of his parents, received a practical com- mon-school education. At the age of eighteen he became an apprentice to the carpenter's trade, coming to Brockton in the spring of 1877, and serving three years. He then went into business in company with A. E. Wood- ward, under the style of Woodward & Jackson, and the firm lasted for about two years. Since severing his connection with Mr. Woodward Mr. Jackson has conducted business alone. He has built several school-houses and public buildings, besides private residences in Brock- ton and the vicinity. In 1881 he married Lizzie H. Nash, daughter of Henry F. Nash, of North Bridgewater. He has one son, Ralph Prescott, who is attending school. The fam- ily attend the Universalist church of Brockton. Mr. Jackson is a member of the Commercial Club, also of Damocles Lodge, No. 16, Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a Re- publican.
HARLES S. GLEASON, M.D., a descendant of Thomas Gleason, who came from England in 1760, and a promising young physician of Wareham, Mass., was born on February 8, 1865, in
Oakland, Kennebec County, Me. He is a son of Benjamin and Caroline V. (McIntire) Gleason, and one of a family of ten children, as follows: Carrie E., B. Frank, Laura B., Lincoln, Charles Shuman, Harry C., Chester E., Susie N., Howard P., Arthur A., all to-day living, the youngest, Arthur A., being now twenty-two years of age. Dr. Gleason's great-grandfather, Elijah Gleason, was born in Pomfret, Conn., in 1771 ; his grandfather, Bryant Gleason, a soldier of the War of 1812, was born in Waterville, Me., in 1793; and his father, Benjamin Gleason, was born in Canaan, Me., March 8, 1828.
Charles S. Gleason obtained his early edu- cation in his native town, attending the com- mon schools, the high school, and Oak Grove Seminary, Vassalboro, Me. He subsequently took the prescribed course of study at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Kents Hill, Me., where he was graduated in 1888. The following four years he was a student of the Boston University School of Medicine, from which he received his diploma in 1892. Dur- ing the last two years at Boston University he was resident physician at the Consumptives' Home, Roxbury District, Boston. After his graduation Dr. Gleason succeeded Dr. George H. Earle at Wareham, where he is fast building up a lucrative practice, his skill and prompti- tude already winning for him a good patronage. During his college days he earned his own way, receiving no financial assistance. He is a close student in his profession and a deep thinker upon all matters pertaining thereto.
Politically, the Doctor is a stanch Republi - can. Fraternally, he is identified with the Masonic order, being a member of Social Har- mony Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Wareham ; of St. Paul Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Boston; and of Boston Commandery, Knights Templars. Dr. Gleason also belongs to various
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medical associations, notably the Massachu- setts Homœopathic Medical Society, the Mas- sachusetts Surgical and the Gynæcological So- ciety, the Boston Medical Society and Ameri- can Institute of Homoeopathy. In Wareham he is serving as Chairman of the Board of Health.
ENRY HOWARD NORTHEY, of Scituate, is the proprietor and mana- ger of the "Old Oaken Bucket Farm," on which is the well made famous by Samuel Woodworth :-
" How dear to this heart are the scenes of my childhood, When fond recollection presents them to view ! - The orchard, the meadow, the deep-tangled wildwood, And every loved spot that my infancy knew ; The wide-spreading pond, and the mill that stood by it, The bridge, and the rock where the cataract fell ; The cot of my father, the dairy-house nigh it,
And e'en the rude bucket that hung in the well,- The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket,
The moss-covered bucket that hung in the well."
Mr. Northey was born in Scituate, October 28, 1828. His parents were Joseph and Han- nah (Wade) Northey. His family has long been established in Scituate. His grand- father, Captain Joseph Northey, a lifelong resident here, was a descendant of one of the early settlers, John Northey by name, whose infant son figured in connection with the early struggles with the Indians. The town was unexpectedly attacked during the absence of the said John; and the distracted mother fled to the garrison house, leaving her infant son asleep and unprotected in the cradle. The Indians entered the dwelling, and, having sat- isfied their curiosity in regard to some bread baking in the oven, departed, leaving the child unharmed, as was soon ascertained by a party from the garrison-house.
Joseph Northey, Jr., father of Henry How- ard, and foster-brother of the author of the
"Old Oaken Bucket," was born in Scituate, and passed his life on the farm now owned by his son. Ile served in the War of 1812, and was for years Lieutenant in the State militia. His wife also was born in this town. They were the parents of four sons - Joseph, Har- vey D., George, and Henry Howard, the third, who is the only one of the family now living.
Henry Howard Northey was reared amid the scenes of farm life, and educated in the public schools of Scituate. He succeeded his father as manager of this farm, and has been engaged in agricultural pursuits practically all his life. The famous well is situated quite near his house, and the water is as sweet and satisfying as it was when the poem was written. Mr. Northey is one of the leading farmers of the town, and has been for a number of years a Director in the Marshfield Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
In 1866 he was united in marriage with Ellen Harrub, a native of Scituate, daughter of Darius and Matilda (Schultz) Harrub (both deceased) ; and three children have blessed their union: Mary Alice; Isabel, wife of Charles Thompson Murray; and Samuel Woodworth (deceased). Mary Alice is a graduate of the Scituate High School and the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. Isabel is a graduate of the Scituate High School and Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. Mr. Northey, who is a Republican, has served on the Scituate Board of Selectmen for a number of years. A Unitarian in relig- ious preference, he is a Trustee of the church at Scituate Centre.
AMES N. CHAMBERLAIN, a suc- cessful real estate dealer of Brockton, Mass., was born in Conway, N. H., March 15, 1837, son of James Otis and Betsy
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(Hill) Chamberlain. He belongs to an old English family, the original ancestors in America being, it is claimed, three brothers who came hither in the Colonial days, two of them settling in Eastern and Western Maine, respectively, the other brother settling in Vir- ginia. Thus the traditional account. Savage, however, mentions a number of early settlers of this name, among them Henry Chamberlain, of Hingham, who came in 1638; Edmund (or possibly Edward), of Woburn, who removed to Chelmsford in 1655; Thomas, of Woburn, 1644; William, of Boston, 1647; Richard, of Portsmouth, a Counsellor in 1682.
John Chamberlain, father of James Otis, was a faithful tiller of the soil in Conway, where two of the family still reside, one other being in North Carolina. During the War of 1812, Grandfather Chamberlain voluntarily laid down his hoe for a musket. James Otis Chamberlain was extensively engaged in farm- ing and lumbering, being a drover for twenty- five years. He married Betsy, daughter of Henry Hill, of Bromfield, Me., and they be- came the parents of seven children, all of whom grew to maturity ; namely, Marshall, James N., Clarinda, Julia, Tryphemia, Will- iam, and Nancy. Clarinda married Mr. Dol- oph, of Conway; Julia married Albert Pack- ard, of Brockton; and Tryphemia became Mrs. Samuel Waterman, of this city. Nancy mar- ried William Rounds, of Brownfield, Me., and she has since died. The father and mother, who were religiously prominent in the Baptist church, both passed to the life immortal at the age of seventy-three.
James N. Chamberlain, after acquiring a fair knowledge of the common English branches, left home when he was twenty, going to Danvers, Mass., where he worked one year. Alternating a year of work with a year of study, he finished his education, attending
Goshen, Parsonfield, and Sandwich Academies. He also paid the expenses of the schooling of his two sisters for two years. He then re- turned to Danvers and worked at the shoe busi- ness, doing contract work for I. P. Boardman, and subsequently for Ira P. Pope. In Octo- ber, 1865, he came to Brockton, where he en- gaged in shoe contract work; and while thus engaged he invested in real estate, buying a piece of land about nineteen rods by four and a half rods, situated on the corner of Belmont and Bret Streets in this city. He bought it for four hundred and twenty-five dollars, and later sold a part of it for eighteen hundred dol- lars, thereby proving his good judgment in in- vesting. In' 1884 Mr. Chamberlain opened a general merchandise store, in which he did a safe business for nine years, selling out the plant in the spring of 1893 to his sons, to whom he gave their time when they were but sixteen years old. Mr. Chamberlain has en- gaged with success in breeding fancy pigeons, lop-cared rabbits, and other pet stock, receiv- ing for the birds from one to twenty-five dol- lars a pair. In view of the fact that he was ninety-three dollars in debt when he first com- menced speculation, his financial success is all the more marked.
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