USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 57
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His great-great-grandfather on the paternal side, Thomas Davis, of Albany, N.Y., is be- lieved to have been a descendant of Robert Davis, of Falmouth, Mass. He married, about 1720, Catherine Wendell, of Albany, of the famous Knickerbocker family, founded by Evert Jansen Wendell, from whom both Oliver Wendell Holmes and Wendell Phillips claimed descent. Thomas Davis removed from Albany to North Carolina in or about I730.
Seven years later his son Thomas, who was born in 1722, came to Plymouth to be edu- cated under the care of Elkanah Morton. In 1753 he married Mercy, the daughter of Barn- abas Hedge, of Plymouth. He was a member of the expedition against Louisburg. After his return he became interested in navigation, and had a large trade with the West Indies, Spain, France, and along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, being one of the leading ship-owners and prominent business men of the busy town of Plymouth. In the year 1782 one of his vessels, the schooner "Harmony," commanded by Nathaniel Carver, laden with corn from North Carolina, was overhauled and
captured by Horatio Nelson, afterward Lord Nelson, the celebrated English Admiral; and the Captain was held as a prisoner, being compelled to 'pilot the English ship through comparatively unknown and intricate passages out of the way of the French fleet, which put out from Boston for its capture. Once safe from the French, Nelson put the Captain ashore. This incident is related with further particulars in Mr. William T. Davis's "His- tory of Plymouth." The following is a copy of the certificate now in the possession of Mr. Davis, given by Nelson to Captain Carver: -
This is to certify that I took the schooner " Har- mony," Nathaniel Carver, master, belonging to Plym- outh, but on account of his good services have given him up his vessel again. HORATIO NELSON.
Dated on board His Majesty's ship " Albemarle," 17th of August, 1782, in Boston Bay.
This is the only autograph of Lord Nelson in this country, and is valued accordingly.
Thomas and Mercy (Hedge) Davis became the parents of six sons, all of whom were emi- nently successful in their varied lines of life- work. The eldest, William, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in 1758 in Plymouth, and died in 1826. Like his father, he was a large ship-owner, and en- gaged in trade with the West Indies, France, Spain, and Holland. He married in 1781, Rebecca, the daughter of Nathaniel Morton, a descendant of George Morton, who came from England in the "Ann " in 1623.
The next son of Thomas was John, a gradu- ate of Harvard College, who was for some time Comptroller of the Currency in Washing- ton, and for forty ycars a Judge of the United States Court for the District of Massachusetts. He was for a long period President of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Thomas, another son, was the Treasurer of Massachu- setts for six years, and was the President of
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the first insurance company in Boston. He is buried in the old cemetery on Boston Common.
Samuel, the fourth son, was a noted anti- quary, and a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, as was also the fifth son, Isaac, who was an intimate friend of Daniel Webster. Wendell Davis, the sixth son, was a graduate of Harvard, and a lawyer by pro- fession. He was the father of the late George T. Davis, of Greenfield, a well-known Congressman.
William and Rebecca (Morton) Davis were the parents of four children: William, the father of William T., born at Plymouth in 1783; Nathaniel, a lawyer, and a graduate of Harvard College, who practised for several years in his native town of Plymouth, was elected to the Massachusetts Senate, was a member of the Executive Council, President of the Pilgrim Society, and a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society; Thomas, a bachelor, who, although an invalid, conducted a successful business for several years, living in Boston, where he was a Director of several insurance companies and financial institu- tions; and Elizabeth, who, after the death of her first husband, Alexander Bliss, a law partner of Daniel Webster, married the emi- nent historian, George Bancroft.
William Davis, the eldest son of William and Rebecca, was engaged in business with his father for many years. He was married in 1807 to Joanna, the daughter of Captain Gideon White, of Shelburne, N.S., who, being a stanch royalist, served during the Revolution as an officer in the British army in Jamaica. He was a descendant of Pere- grine White, the first child born of English parents in New England. After the war Cap- tain White settled in Shelburne, where he re- mained for the rest of his life.
Mr. William Davis died in 1824, leaving
five children - Rebecca Morton, who first married Ebenezer Grosvenor Parker, and sub- sequently George S. Tolman, of Boston; Han- nah White, who married Andrew L. Russell, of Plymouth; Elizabeth, who died in infancy ; Charles Gideon Davis, a Judge of the District Court, for further particulars of whom see the sketch of his life; and William T., of whom this is a slight biography.
William T. Davis was born at Plymouth, March 3, 1822. He was fitted for college at the Plymouth High School, and was graduated from Harvard in 1842. Then he studied med- icine for a time at the University of Penn - sylvania, and subsequently spent a year in Europe. After his return he studied law, first in the office of his brother Charles, who was then in Boston, and finally at the Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the bar in Boston, November 9, 1849. He opened a law office in the same city, and remained there practising until 1853, when he went to Plym- outh and engaged in business.
He was a member of the Board of Select- men for seventeen years, and has been on the same Board at various times since then, hav- ing been the Chairman of the Board for many years. He was a member of the School Com- mittee for six years, and President of the Plymouth National Bank for a period of twenty. Moreover, he was President of the Plymouth Gas Company, President and Vice- President of the Pilgrim Society, and is still a Trustee of the same organization. Added to that he was State Senator in 1858 and 1859. In 1872 he was a Presidential Elector for the Republican party, and in 1876 a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Cincin- nati. In 1895 he was appointed Chairman of the Old Colony Commission. He was Chair- man of the First Parish Unitarian Committee for fifteen years.
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Mr. Davis has been engaged in literary work for a number of years, and has published several volumes, among which are: "The His- tory of Plymouth," "Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth," "A History of Newburyport, Mass.," "Historical sketches of some Massa- chusetts Towns (twenty-five)," and "History of the Bench and Bar of Massachusetts." Mr. Davis also edited the "Plymouth Town Rec- ords " in two volumes, and is now engaged in editing a work entitled " A History of the New England States," which is to be written by a corps of able writers, and is to make its ap- pearance within a year. Mr. Davis has deliv- ered addresses on many different public occa- sions, and a great number of lectures on his- torical subjects, being, it is needless to say, extremely well qualified for this sort of intel- lectual work.
On the 19th of November, 1849, he was married to Miss Abby Burr, daughter of Thomas and Lydia Coffin (Goodwin) Hedge, of Plymouth. Mrs. Davis died August 12, 1894. His children are: Abby Warren, born in 1854, who married Alexander Jackson, of Boston; Howland, born in 1855, now a New York banker, who married in 1885, Anna, daughter of William Shippen, of New York; Katharine Wendell, born in 1859, who resides at home; and Alice Whitworth, born in 1864, who married Dr. Henry R. Hitchcock, of Hyde Park, Mass.
P JLIJAH AMES is one of the oldest resi- dents of Marshfield, and his life has been such as to win and hold the respect of all who know him. He was born in this town, July 9, 1816, the son of Elijah and Abigail (Ford) Ames. His family is an old and honored one, including among its mem- bers, the late ex-Governor Ames of Massa- chusetts.
Elijah Ames, Sr., was born in North Bridgewater (now Brockton), and settled in Marshfield when a young man. Endowed with marked character and ability, he took a promi- nent part in public affairs, affiliating with the Republican party in the latter part of his life, and served as Selectman of Marshfield and as Representative to the State legislature. His death occurred in Marshfield in 1866. His wife, Abigail, was a native of this town. One of their children besides Elijah is living --- Samuel A., in Riverside, Cal.
Elijah Ames was educated in public and private schools in his native town. In his seventeenth year he entered on an apprentice- ship to a carpenter and joiner in Boston, and served a little over four years. Returning then to Marshfield he was engaged for a series of years in contracting and building, and for a short time in the manufacture of wooden ware. The mill in which this industry was carried on was destroyed by fire, and he did not attempt to resume business. About forty years ago he settled on his present farm at Rexham Terrace, Marshfield, a generous estate of some two hundred acres. In the long term of his residence in Marshfield Mr. Ames has wit- nessed many radical changes here, especially along the water front; and he still takes a deep interest in the progress of his native place.
Deacon Ames, as he is familiarly called,. was married November 26, 1840, to Sarah A. Thomas, who was born on the farm at Rexham Terrace, where she is now living. Her par- ents, Waterman and Sarah D. (Thomas) Thomas, were natives of Marshfield. Her mother was the daughter of a John Thomas, and was a descendant, it is said, of William Thomas, a gentleman of Welsh extraction who was in Plymouth in 1636, and a few years later settled in Marshfield. His grand-daughter,
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Mary Thomas, married Simon Ray, of Block Island. Briggs Thomas, father of Waterman Thomas and paternal grandfather of Mrs. Ames, was a Major in the Continental army. He was a son of Colonel Anthony and Abigail (Alden) Thomas. Colonel Anthony Thomas, born in 1719, was son of John and Lydia (Waterman) Thomas, and grandson of Samuel Thomas, whose father, John Thomas, first, came over in the "Hopewell " in 1635. Abi- gail Alden, wife of Colonel Anthony Thomas, was a great-grand-daughter of John Alden, the successful rival of Miles Standish. Ten chil- dren have been given by Providence to Mr. and Mrs. Ames: Sarah D. T., wife of Dr. Azel Ames, of Chelsea, Mass. ; Mary A., wife of Edward Ames, of Dorchester; Elijah, in Amesville, Mont. ; William, in the same place; Lucy T. and Ray T., with their par- ents ; and John T., George W., Waterman T., and Elizabeth F., all deceased. Deacon Ames in his younger days took an active inter- est in local politics, but is now content to leave these matters to men of fewer years. He and his wife are highly esteemed members of the Congregational church, in which he has held the office of Deacon for nearly half a century.
HILANDER COBB, a well-known merchant of Kingston, was born in this town, January 23, 1818, son of Charles and Polly (Bradford) Cobb. Mr. Cobb comes of a sturdy race. His grand- father, Seth Cobb, was a descendant of an early settler of Plymouth County; and one of his ancestors, Ebenezer Cobb, is said to have attained the age of one hundred and eight years. Charles Cobb, father of Philander, was a native and lifelong resident of Kingston. He followed the trade of a shoemaker in con- nection with farming; and he died in 1830.
His wife, Polly Bradford, who was a descend- ant of Governor Bradford, became the mother of several children, of whom Philander, the subject of this sketch, is the only survivor.
Philander Cobb was educated in his native town of Kingston. At the age of sixteen he began to follow the sea, and later became mas- ter of a schooner. He was engaged for ten years in the coasting and foreign trade, and transported the rails used in the construction of the railway from Plymouth to Kingston. In 1845 he began his career as merchant at his present location in Kingston, opening his store upon the day that the first train on the Old Colony Railroad was run through; and for over fifty years he has continued to con- duct business without interruption. He makes a specialty of groceries, but handles dry goods to some extent, and also carries a gen- eral assortment of miscellaneous articles likely to be called for in a first-class country store. In politics he is a Democrat, and has taken a prominent part in public affairs. He served eighteen years upon the School Board; and he was a member of the Board of Selectmen, Assessor, and Road Commissioner for several years. In 1878 he was a member of the House of Representatives, in which he served upon the Land and Harbor Committee. He was nominated by his party for the State Senate, but was defeated by his opponent after a very close contest. He was appointed Col- lector of Customs at the Port of Plymouth by President Cleveland, during the latter's first administration, and served in that capacity during a portion of President Harrison's ad- ministration ; and the faithful and competent manner in which he performed his official duties placed him high in public esteem. Mr. Cobb wedded Marcia R. Otis, daughter of Charles T. Otis, of Boston. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge in Plymouth.
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LISHA W. HALL, late a retired mer- chant of Marshfield Hills, and a repre- sentative progressive citizen, de- parted this life a few weeks since, February 15, 1897, at his winter home, 259 Beacon Street, Boston. Mr. Hall was a son of Harvey and Charlotte (Tilden) Hall, natives of Marshfield, and was born in this town, February 10, 1828. His paternal grandfather, Danforth Hall, was a son of Luke Hall, who was a Loyalist in Revolutionary times, as were many of the people of Marshfield in those days. He went to Canada, leaving his family here, and returned after the war was over.
Danforth Hall was one of the first mer- chants of Marshfield Hills (then East Marsh- field), and was a very successful business man. Harvey Hall was a ship carpenter. He was a lifelong resident of this town, and died here in December, 1891. His wife, Charlotte Tilden Hall, was a member of an old Colonial family, the Tildens having originally settled on the North River in Marshfield and Scituate. Elder Nathaniel Tilden, from Kent, England, came to Scituate before 1628, as we learn from Deane's History. Elisha Tilden, Mrs. Hall's father, was a house carpenter by trade, and was prominent in East Marshfield as a contractor and builder, erecting a number of churches and public buildings. Of the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Hall, five are living: George H., in Plymouth County ; Joseph O., in the town of Plymouth; Char- lotte A., who married C. J. F. Sherman, of Boston (deceased) ; Elizabeth C., who married James O. Hood, of Geneseo, Ill. (deceased) ; and Sarah B., who married James Burbank, of Taunton (deceased).
Elisha W. Hall was well educated, having attended public and private schools in East Marshfield, evening schools in Boston, and in addition taken a special private course of
study. His business experience was gained early ; for at the age of fifteen he entered the employ of Mr. Elijah Stearns, a merchant in Boston. He was engaged as clerk in Boston seven years, and then returned to Marshfield Hills, or East Marshfield, and entered the store that was formerly his grandfather's, but which the latter had sold a few years previ- ously. He there managed a successful busi- ness until 1895, when he retired. Mr. Hall established a reputation as a wise and con- servative business man, and was Chairman of the Railroad Sinking Fund Commission from the time of its establishment.
On October 29, 1854, he was united in mar- riage with Sarah, daughter of George H. Weatherbee. Six children blessed their union, namely: Henrietta; Winthrop T., who has succeeded his father as manager of the mercantile business; Flora A .; Sarah B. ; and two who have passed away.
Mr. Hall was Chairman of the Republican Town Committee of Marshfield for a great many years. Prior to the establishment of the Republican party he voted with the Whigs; and he was Postmaster of East Marshfield for some time under Whig administration. He was one of the prime movers in establishing the East Marshfield Public Library, and at the time of his death was a Trustee of that insti- tution. He was appointed a Trustee of the Ventress Library Fund, and was so largely in- strumental in the furnishing of the building and the collection of books that the whole may be said to be a monument to his ener- getic, prompt, and wise administration.
As a Free Mason, he was affiliated with Corner Stone Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Dux- bury. He was a prominent and liberal mem- ber of the Unitarian church of Marshfield, and was for years on the Standing Committee. The handsome residence at Marshfield Hills,
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ELISHA W. HALL.
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so long the home of Mr. Hall and his family, commands an enchanting view of sea and shore, and is one of the finest and most attrac- tive places in this beautiful village.
EORGE F. WELCH, proprietor of the leading department store in Scituate, was born in this town, May 30, 1859. . He is a son of E. Parker and Mary L. (Collier) Welch. His paternal grandpar- ents were Michael and Sarah (Brown) Welch, the former a native of Ireland, the latter of Scituate, Mass. E. Parker Welch is a native and lifelong resident of Scituate. He has been for years extensively engaged in general farming, owning one of the largest farms in Scituate. In 1879 he started in the mercan- tile business with his son George F., under the firm name of E. P. Welch & Son. In 1891 he sold his interest to his son and retired. His wife, who was born in Scituate, died in this town in 1895. The following children were born to them: Charles P., George F., William Henry, Mary Emerson, Minnie Lin- coln, and S. Edith.
George F. Welch was reared on his father's farm and educated in the public schools of Scituate and Hingham. He has been engaged in trade since 1879, when he was the junior partner of the firm, and since 1891 has been sole proprietor of the business. Started on a small scale, the enterprise has been developed year by year until now it is one of the most extensive and prosperous in Plymouth County. The main store building is a three-story struct- ure fifty-five by eighty-five feet in dimension. On the first floor are all kinds of hardware, tin, and wooden ware, agricultural imple- ments, stoves and furnaces, paints, oils, etc. ; on the second floor furniture and fishermen's supplies; and on the third floor furniture and
miscellaneous articles. Mr. Welch also deals in coal, lumber, hay, straw, and wood and builders' and masons' supplies of all kinds. Energetic and enterprising, he is still enlarg- ing the scope of his business, recognizing no limit to his operations. He gives employment at present to sixteen persons.
Mr. Welch was married in October, 1882, to Hattie M. Brown, of Scituate, and has two daughters - Marion C. and Edith M. Politi- cally, he favors the Republican party. He is a Mason in good standing, belonging to Satuit Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Scituate. He is highly respected in his native town, where his enterprise and ability are fully rec- ognized.
ALTER E. DAMON, a civil engi- neer of Hanson, Plymouth County, Mass., was born in Boston, Novem- ber 22, 1860, son of Elijah and Phœbe (Besse) Damon. His great-grandfather was a native of the town of Pembroke, now Hanson, where he followed farming, and was one of the most prominent men of his locality. He married Deborah Soper, of Pembroke, Mass., and they had four children. Elijah, the eldest son, was born in Pembroke in April, 1797. He attended school until he was sixteen, and then engaged in farming. He subsequently became prominent in town affairs, serving as Select- man, besides representing his district in the legislature. He married Emily Josslyn, daughter of Isaac Josslyn of Pembroke, and by her had five children - Emily, Elijah, Will- iam, Angeline, and George.
Elijah Damon, father of Walter E., was born in Hanson, November 3, 1829. He was educated in the public schools, and became a manufacturer, carrying on a successful busi- ness in Boston and other large cities until 1875. Then returning home he engaged in
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farming. He took an active interest in town affairs, and officiated as Selectman for one year. On November 19, 1859, he was united in marriage with Miss Phobe Besse, daughter of Captain Ansel Besse, of Warcham, by whom he had five children - Walter E., Emily, Lilla, Annie, and Harry.
Walter E. Damon received his early educa- tion in Cleveland, Ohio, going from there to the Adams Academy of Quincy. On June 27, 1883, he was graduated from Harvard Col- lege. In politics he is independent. In 1894 he was elected Selectman, and has served for three years. He was also one of the principal promoters of the Hanson Town Library. The maiden name of his wife, to whom he was married on December 24, 1884, was Ada M. Beal. She is a daughter of George Beal, of Pembroke.
APTAIN FREDERICK STANLEY, of Scituate, Keeper of the United States Life-saving Station at Fourth Cliff, is well known on the South Shore, being one of the oldest members, in point of service, of the noble corps of life-savers in the employ of the government. He was born in Boston, Mass., January 27, 1845, and is of Irish extraction. He attended the Boston public schools until twelve years of age, and then went to sea as a cabin boy, in course of time becoming an able seaman. He followed the sea until he was twenty-three years of age, circumnavigating the globe more than once, doubling Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, and visiting the principal maritime countries of the globc. The harbors of Lon- don, Liverpool, Havre, Cronstadt, Calcutta, Australia, New Zealand, and the Brazilian ports became almost as familiar to him as old Massachusetts Bay, and before he was twenty- five years old he was an all-round citizen of
the world. Retiring finally from the sea, he engaged in fishing and gathering sea moss at Scituate. In January, 1880, he was appointed a surfman at the Fourth Cliff Life-saving Sta- tion, and on October I following he was given charge of the station. Captain Stanley is a brave and active man, well fitted for his responsible position. He resides at Third Cliff, where he erected a home in 1873.
On September 16, 1868, he was united in marriage with Miss Julia Flynn, a native of Ireland, and five children have blessed their union -- William S., Mary A., Ellen F., Thomas P., and Margaret. In politics Cap- tain Stanley is independent. He is a public spirited citizen, actively interested in the wel- fare and progress of Scituate.
NOS M. STODDARD, of the Boston Ice Company, has a fine farm of two hundred acres in Marshfield, and is regarded as one of the permanent and valuable citizens of the town. He was born in Led- yard, Conn., June 26, 1824, a son of Ebenezer and Lydia (Williams) Stoddard. His grand- father, James Stoddard, was a native and life- long resident of Ledyard, which in his time was known as Groton. Ebenezer Stoddard resided in Ledyard, where he was engaged in general farming and milling. He and his wife Lydia were the parents of seven children, five girls and two boys: Fannie; Ephraim; Julia; Clarissa; Charity; Enos M., the subject of this sketch ; and Susan.
Enos M. Stoddard was reared on a farm in Ledyard, and educated in the common schools. In 1847 he went to Boston, and since 1848 he has been interested in the ice business in that city and vicinity. In 1851 he started a business of his own in Boston, some years later forming a partnership with Phineas
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Smith under the firm name of E. M. Stod- dard & Co. Their business prospered, and they had so large a trade that they ranked among the prominent financial concerns of the city. The firm was eventually merged into the Boston Ice Company, whose teams now are seen daily in all parts of the "Hub" and in the suburbs. Mr. Stoddard is a self-made man, gifted with the will power and the sagacious judgment necessary to success in life. In 1869 he purchased the farm in Marshfield on which he now makes his home; and, though his fortune was made long ago, he finds pleas- ure and profit in raising farm produce. He was married in 1868 to Carrie Gove, of Haver- hill, Mass., and has two sons living - Charles D. and Enos.
G. DICK, proprietor of the Lincoln Mill at North Scituate, was born in Denmark, March 6, 1852, son of Hans C. and Louise Dick. Mr. Dick was reared and educated in his native country, and at the age of nineteen he emigrated to the United States. His first summer in America was spent as a fisherman at Cohasset, Mass. He next found employment as a sailor on board coasting vessels, later entering the ser- vice of the United States government. For several years he was employed alternately as fireman and seaman in the revenue, marine, and light-house service. He subsequently shipped as fireman on board the steamship "Cleopatra," plying between New York City, Mexico, and the West Indies. The vessel was wrecked in the West Indies; and Mr. Dick, having escaped with his life, returned to the United States, and again entered the revenue service, in which he remained for eleven years. In 1890 he settled in North Scituate, and has since been engaged in his present business.
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