USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 58
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The Lincoln grist-mill privilege on Bound Brook has been in use since 1691 or 1692, and has a propelling force of about ten horse- power. Mr. Dick is now the owner of the mill, and he is carrying on a profitable busi- ness. He deals in all kinds of grain and feed, hay and straw, and employs several delivery teams.
Mr. Dick married Abbie A. T. Morris, daughter of the late Joseph Morris, of Scitu- ate. In politics he is a Republican. In his business transactions he displays ability and integrity, and he has gained the respect and esteem of his fellow-townsmen. He is a Master Mason, and a member of the Masonic Lodge in Cohasset.
HARLES J. SPRAGUE, a contract- ing painter of Brant Rock, is one of the successful business men of this locality. A son of Joseph and Pamelia (Keen) Sprague, both natives of Duxbury, Mass., he was born in that quaint old town, January 5, 1853. The Spragues are an old family of Duxbury. Captain Joseph, who was a son of Jonathan Sprague, followed the sea until about thirty-five years of age, and then settled on a farm in Duxbury, where he died in 1891. His wife still survives, being now seventy-four years old. Three of their children are living : Isaac J., residing in Colorado; Sarah K., wife of Elliot Low, of Roxbury, Mass. ; and Charles J.
Charles J. Sprague was educated in public and private schools in Duxbury. He left home at the age of nineteen, and served an apprenticeship to a carpenter and joiner in South Boston, Mass., working at the trade some seven years in all. His health failing, he moved to Brant Rock in 1878 with the hope of bettering himself, and here worked at the
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carpenter's trade for some time, eventually establishing a good business as a contracting painter. Mr. Sprague is a thoroughly experi- enced builder, and his manner of fulfilling a contract is always satisfactory. He has charge of a number of summer cottages, and during the summer he keeps a number of livery teams for the use of visitors besides letting pleasure boats. He has been prosperous in all his business ventures, his good judgment, probity, and strict attention to business winning the confidence of his patrons.
Mr. Sprague was married April 4, 1883, to Marion, daughter of George H. Tucker, late of Norwood, Mass., and has one daughter Marion P., born February 6, 1884. In poli- tics he favors the Republican party. He is a public-spirited citizen, always in favor of any project for the improvement of the town of Marshfield.
AMES DAMON, of Scituate, a descend- ant of one of the Colonial settlers on Kent Street, John Damon, who came to Scituate when a minor, before 1633, was born in Scituate, August 10, 1819, a son of John and Rebecca (Litchfield) Damon. The first John came to this country with an uncle, William Gillson, who was one of the "men of Kent," and settled permanently in Scituate; and, beginning with his children, several gen- erations of the family have had birth and rcsi- dence in Scituate, the line connecting him with James Damon, including Experience, Ichabod, Josiah, and Josiah, James Damon's grandfather. The last-named gentleman was a fisherman of Scituate, and died in this town. His son John, father of the special subject of this sketch, was engaged in mackerel fishing until he was forty years old. After that he followed the pursuit of agriculture at Farm Neck up to the time of his death. A success-
ful business man and good manager, he was highly respected by his townsmen. In poli- tics he was a Democrat. He died in 1869, in his seventy-fourth year. He had been mar- ried three times, and was survived by his third wife, his nephew John's widow, Hannah Damon, who died in 1889, having borne him no children. His first wife, Rebecca Litch- field, mentioned above, bore him five chil- dren, two of whom are living: Xoa, wife of Richmond Torrey, of Brockton, Mass .; and James, of Scituate. By his second wife, Al- mira White, he had three children, of whom one, John B., is living.
James Damon was reared and educated in Scituate. He began in boyhood to accompany his father on fishing trips, and, after he was twenty-seven years old, was engaged for a number of years in the mackerel fisheries as an employee of others, having command of a fishing schooner for some time. While fol- lowing the sea, he saw . much of the world, visiting, among other places, the Carolinas and, the West Indies; and he has many inter- esting tales to tell of scenes and customs in ante-bellum times. When Fort Warren in Boston Harbor was in process of construction, Mr. Damon was employed by the government as mate of the "General Warren," a schooner used to convey the workmen back and forth be- tween Boston and the fort, and to carry sup- plics and builders' materials. He was occu- pied in this way some thirty-two months, and was subsequently first mate on a light-house and buoy tender plying between Cape Cod and Portsmouth, N.H. About 1860 he retired from the sca, and turned his attention to agri- cultural pursuits. He was two years superin- tendent of the Quincy (Mass. ) Poor Farm, but with that exception has lived in his present dwelling, which he erected in 1850. During his long and active life Mr. Damon has wit-
CORNELIUS F. BRADFORD.
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nessed many changes, not only in Scituate, but in and around Massachusetts Bay; and he takes a lively interest in the march of prog- ress.
On November 28, 1845, he was married to Abigail W. Green, a native of Northboro, Mass., daughter of John and Sallie (Harring- ton) Green ; and they have one daughter, Sarah R. She graduated from the State Normal School at Bridgewater in January, 1877, and, after devoting some time to primary work in the public schools of Scituate, was elected principal of the grammar school at North Scituate. This position she has held for thir- teen years, winning respect and love as a capable and conscientious teacher. Mr. Damon, who is a Republican, served for some time on the School Committee of Scituate. Mrs. and Miss Damon are members of the Baptist church.
ORNELIUS FRANCIS BRADFORD, senior partner of the firm of Bradford, Kyle & Co., manufacturers of insu- lated electric wire at Plymouth, Mass., was born in this town, March 4, 1845, son of Captain Joseph M. and Anna R. (Raymond) Bradford.
Mr. Bradford's father's grandparents- were Cornelius, first, and Elizabeth Bradford, who resided in East Falmouth, Mass .; and their children were: Cornelius, second; Ephraim ; Rebecca; William; Josiah; Thankful; Bet- sey; and Mary. The elder Cornelius Bradford had two brothers, Edward and David Bradford, the latter of whom lived in Kingston, Mass. Cornelius Bradford, second, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a resident of East Falmouth. He married Mary Baker, daughter of Barney Baker; and two children were born to them - namely, Joseph M. and Celia Nye. The daughter became the wife of Newell Ray-
mond, son of George Raymond. The second Cornelius Bradford died in 1820; and his widow, Mrs. Mary Baker Bradford, married for her second husband Francis Nye. She lived to the age of about eighty years.
Joseph M. Bradford, only son of Cornelius and Mary, was for some years a shipmaster of New Bedford ; but he finally relinquished sea- faring, and, when his son Cornelius F. was two years old, removed with his family to Zanesville, Ill. Captain Joseph M. Bradford married Anna R., daughter of George and Priscilla (Shaw) Raymond ; and they were the parents of six children, as follows : Joseph E., Adreanna, George Russell, Cornelius Francis, Seth Russell,' and Anna Robinson. The father survived six years after settling in the West ; and the entire family died in Zanesville, with the exception of Cornelius and his brother George.
Mrs. Anna Raymond Bradford was a repre- sentative of that branch of the Sampson family of Plymouth County which was founded by Abraham Sampson, who came to this county in 1629, and is said to have been a brother of Henry Sampson, who came over on the "May- flower " in 1620. William Sampson, son of George and grandson of Abraham, was born July 8, 1695. He married Joanna Vaughn, August 24, 1721; and his daughter Zilpha became the wife of Joseph Bryant, of Plymp- ton. Ruth, daughter of Joseph and Zilpha (Sampson) Bryant, married William Shaw, of Middleboro, in 1780. Their children were : Phebe, who died November 21, 1806, aged seven years; Eleazar, who died November 9, 1806, aged twenty-four; William; Priscilla, who married George Raymond, a native of Boston, and was the mother of Anna (Mrs. Bradford) ; Harvey; Ruth, who died May 29, 18II, aged twenty-one years; Sarah; Mary; and Cyrus,
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Cornelius Francis Bradford, after a resi- dence of six years in Zanesville, came to live with his grandparents, George and Priscilla Raymond, in Plymouth; and he acquired his education in the schools of this town. When his studics were completed, he engaged for a time in shoemaking, later working in a tack factory for a few months, after which he entered the employ of his uncle Charles, a furniture dealer, with whom he remained for eleven years. He then carried on a pattern and repair shop on Middle Strect for twelve years, at the expiration of which time he be- came an employee at the Plymouth mills. In 1890 he formed a partnership with John Scott for the purpose of engaging in the manufacture of insulated electric wire, inaugurating an enterprise which has since developed into large proportions. A few months later E. L. Edes bought Mr. Scott's interest; and the firm was Bradford and Edes until Mr. Edes retired, when Nathaniel Morton was admitted as a partner, the firm being changed to Brad- ford & Morton. William S. Kyle became interested in the concern a short time later ; and the firm now known as Bradford, Kyle & Co. transact a large and constantly growing business in their special line.
On October 4, 1866, Mr. Bradford was united in marriage with Mary E. Fuller, daughter of George and Mary (Thomas) Fuller, of Plymouth. Mr. and Mrs. Bradford have one daughter living - Anna R., who is the wife of Adoniram J. Smith, an employee at the factory, and has two children: Leslie Bradford, born March 6, 1892; and Ellen Porter, born March 23, 1896.
Mr. Bradford has a wide circle of acquaint- ances, with whom he is a general favorite; and he is highly respected as an enterprising citizen, whose efforts in expanding the indus- trial resources of Plymouth have greatly bene-
fited the general community. He is the inventor of the machinery used in his manu- factory to cover the wire for electrical pur- poses, and he received a patent about eight years ago. He is a charter member of the Plymouth Yacht Club, which was organized six years ago; and he has built and superin- tended the building of eight yachts. In poli- tics Mr. Bradford supports the Republican party.
AUL MOTT, a highly esteemed resi- dent of Scituate, was born in the adjoining town of Hingham, Septem- ber 17, 1813, a son of Joseph and Lydia (Churchill) Mott. Joseph Mott was a son of Stephen Mott, an early settler in Scituate, and was born in this town. During his active life he followed the trade of a ship-calker in Scitu- ate and the vicinity. In politics he was a Jacksonian Democrat. He was almost ninety- three years old when death called him from earth. His wife was a native of Hingham.
Paul Mott was a young child when his par- ents removed from Hingham to Scituate, and in the district school of the latter town he acquired his education. He began to go to sea with the mackerel fishers when only thirteen years old, and every summer for a quarter of a century found him in the fishing fleet. At the age of seventeen he began to learn calking with his father, and served until he attained his majority. After that he worked at the trade winters for twenty-five years or more, rising to the position of master calker. He worked in a number of places along the South Shore, finishing many important contracts in Cohasset especially. In 1885 he retired from active work, and has since enjoyed the leisure to which he is so well entitled. Mr. Mott has been prudent as well as industrious, and is well endowed with this world's goods. The
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burden of years sits lightly on his shoulders, and his boyhood seems but as yesterday. He has lived in the same house in Scituate fifty- seven years.
Mr. Mott's first wife, who before marriage was Miss Lydia Vinal, bore him eight chil- dren, five of whom are living: Marion L., wife of Thomas F. Bailey, of Scituate; Helen, wife of Wallace Wilcot, of Cohasset ; Leroy, residing in Scituate; Lydia, who resides at home with her father; and Lucy, wife of Wal- ter Damon, formerly of Scituate. The present Mrs. Mott, whose maiden name was Eliza Page, was born on the Cape. Mr. Mott votes the Republican ticket. He takes an active interest in town affairs, and has served on the School Committee of Scituate.
DWARD H. BONNEY, wholesale and retail fish dealer, occupies a prominent place among the business men of Scituate. He was born in the neighboring town of Marshfield, January 28, 1841, a son of Cephas and Deborah Ann (Soper) Bonney. (A further account of the Bonney family may be found in the sketch of William F. Bonney, of Marshfield.) Cephas Bonney was born in Hanson, Mass. A moulder by trade, he re- sided in Marshfield for many years, working at his trade most of the time. His wife also was born in Hanson.
Edward H. Bonney was educated in the pub- lic schools of Marshfield. He left his native town at the age of nineteen to engage in the fish business at Scituate Harbor, and from a small and modest beginning developed a large and prosperous trade. For a number of years he was engaged in packing fish, principally herring, mackerel, and cod; and he was en- gaged in the retail coal trade for over a quarter of a century, selling that branch of his busi-
ness in 1895 to George F. Welch. He now manages an extensive wholesale and retail trade in fresh fish and lobsters, shipping to Boston, Brockton, and other places, besides meeting the demands of his local trade. Mr. Bonney is a self-made man, whose success has been fairly won. He was married April 8, 1860, to Louisa F. Bates, of Scituate, daugh- ter of Caleb Bates (now deceased), and has two children : Ada F., wife of George V. Ye- netchi, of this town; and Ernest L. In poli- tics he favors the Republican party. In busi- ness in Scituate since 1860, he ranks among the substantial citizens of the town, and is widely known and highly esteemed.
LBERT L. ALGER, wholesale milk dealer, owns a good farm of one hun- dred and fifty acres in West Bridge- water, and his house, which was built in 1806, has sheltered generations of Algers. He was born in this town, March 27, 1839, son of Ward and Elizabeth L. (Howard) Alger, both natives of West Bridgewater. His great- grandfather, Nathan Alger, was an early settler in the Alger neighborhood; and his grandfather, Willis Alger, was born here. Ward Alger passed his life in his native town, dying in November, 1892. In politics he was a Republican; in religious belief, a Baptist. His wife died in April, 1894. They were the parents of three children : Mary Elizabeth, the eldest, deceased; Luther W. ; and Albert L., the subject of this sketch.
Albert L. Alger acquired his primary edu- cation in the schools of the district. With the intention of qualifying himself as a civil engineer he began a course of study at Middle- boro Academy, but, changing his mind, did not complete it. Giving his attention to dairy farming, for which his extensive estate offers
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admirable facilities, he has developed a thriv- ing business which brings him a generous annual income. In social matters relating to agriculture he has long taken a prominent part, exercising the authority born of experi- ence and knowledge of this sphere of industry. Ile was for six years a Trustee of the Plym- outh County Agricultural Society; was two: years superintendent of the agricultural grounds at Bridgewater ; and he is one of the leading members of West Bridgewater Grange, No. 156.
Mr. Alger was married November 21, 1858, to Miss Flora Williams, of Raynham, Mass., daughter of George and Harriet (Bassett) Williams; and three children have blessed their union. The eldest, Hattie F., a gradu- ate of the State Normal School at Bridge- water, is the wife of Clinton P. Howard; the second child, Lucia, who also is a Normal School graduate, is teaching in Somerville, Mass. ; and the youngest, George, a graduate of the commercial department of Bristol County Academy, who attended the Massachu- setts State Agricultural College at Amherst for two years, but was obliged to give up his studies on account of ill-health, is in the retail coal business at Westdale, Mass.
Mr. Albert L. Alger was for three succes- sive years, 1893, 1894, and 1895, a delegate to the Republican State Convention; and he was for four years Treasurer of the Republi- can Town Committee. In all local political movements he takes an active part, and his opinion is received with respect. He is well advanced in Masonry, being a member of Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M., Satucket Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and Bay State Commandery, Knights Templars, all of Brock- ton ; also a member of Aleppo Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Boston; and he is affiliated with Howard Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of
West Bridgewater. A member of the Baptist church at West Bridgewater, he has officiated as Deacon for some time, and has served on the Finance Committee of the church. Of a genial and obliging disposition and public- spirited, Mr. Alger is widely and favorably known throughout the county.
UTHER KEENE is one of the oldest native residents of Hanson, born May 23, 1805, son of Ebenezer and Me- hitable (Phillips) Keene. The family are of English origin. Martha Keene, a widow, came to America with her five children in 1638, in the ship "Fortune." She settled in Marshfield; and from her was descended in direct line Isaiah Keene, the great-grand- father of our subject, who was born in Pem- broke, now South Hanson, and took part as a drummer-boy in the battle of Bunker Hill. He was engaged the greater part of his life in farming. His wife, a Miss Bisby before mar- riage, became the mother of a large family of children. Their son, Isaiah Keene, Jr., was born in Duxbury, and on reaching maturity took up his father's occupation of farming, which he followed with good success. He married Lydia, daughter of James and Lydia Vaughn, of Hanson; and they had several children. Ebenezer Keene, the eldest son, and father of Luther, was born in Hanson, February II, 1782, and was a lifelong resident of this town. He was a successful farmer and a prominent citizen, being called upon at different times to serve in various town offices. He married Mehitable Phillips, daughter of Lock Phillips; and they had ten children.
Luther Keene, direct subject of this sketch, was the eldest child of his parents. He was educated in the public schools, and subse- quently engaged in farming with his father.
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He also went into the business of manufact- uring charcoal, for which he found a ready market in Boston, transporting it to that city with an ox-team twice a week. Mr. Keene has always been prompt to perform his duties as a citizen. He takes an intelligent interest in public affairs, and has held several town offices, having served two years as Overseer of the Poor. He was at one time Captain of the Hanson militia, and was very popular in mil- itary circles. Mr. Keene married Almira, daughter of Jonathan Reed, of East Bridge- water. He and his wife had three children - Leonard, David, and Sophronia. Leonard, the only survivor, is employed in Boston as a machinist, but resides in North Weymouth.
APTAIN CHARLES W. SOULE, of Scituate, is an able and wide- awake citizen who has travelled ex- tensively and taken an active part in military, mercantile, and political affairs. He was born in Rockland, Mass., February 23, 1833, son of Josiah and Sophronia (Jenkins) Soule, and is descended from George Soule, one of the "Mayflower" Pilgrims.
Josiah Soule was a native of Duxbury, Mass., and a son of Josiah Soule, Sr., of that town. He learned the hatter's trade in his youth, and worked at it for a number of years in Scituate; then engaged in shoemaking, eventually establishing a manufacturing busi- ness. Until 1856 he was a Jacksonian Dem- ocrat. He then joined the new-born Republi- can party, around whose standards all opposed to slavery were rallying, and was faithful to its principles the rest of his life. Mr. Josiah Soule was a lifelong resident of Plymouth County. He died in Rockland in June, 1886, aged eighty-six years. His wife, Mrs. So- phronia J. Soule, was a native of Scituate,
Charles W. Soule entered the world of trade at the age of fifteen, obtaining a clerkship in a store in Rockland, Mass. He remained in this establishment a number of years, eventu- ally purchasing the business and conducting it successfully for an extended period. In 1858 he went West, and in that then wild country he had many thrilling experiences. He was one of a company who travelled from Leaven- worth, Kan., to Denver, Col., with mules and wagons, camping on the plains at night. The journey, which is now made so quickly by rail, consumed twenty-six days, and was at- tended with many dangers from Indians and wild beasts. Arriving in Denver, which bore little resemblance at that time to the beautiful city of to-day, Mr. Soule engaged in mercan- tile business. In the latter part of 1861 he returned to Scituate; and on August 24, 1862, he enlisted as a private in the Forty-third Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteer Infan- try. On the organization of Company F he was chosen Captain. Mustered in September 12, 1862, his regiment was incorporated with the Eighteenth Army Corps, and was sent to North Carolina to join General Foster's com- mand. Here Captain Soule participated in the battles of Goldsboro, Kingston, and White- hall, serving eleven months, though he had enlisted but for nine. After receiving his discharge, he returned to Plymouth County. He subsequently went to Tennessee, and opened a store; but the South did not suit him, and he finally returned to the old Bay State, and was engaged until 1872 in mercan- tile business in Rockland. In that year he obtained a position in the paving department of the City Corporation of Boston, which oc- cupied him some two years and a half ; and he was afterward engaged in other business in Boston until 1886, the year of his permanent settlement in Scituate,
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Independent in politics, reserving the priv- ilege of voting for the best candidate irrespec- tive of party, Captain Soule has long been actively interested in public matters. He served as Selectman of Rockland and as a member of the School Committee, and was elected from that town to the Lower House of the State legislature in 1869. An active Grand Army man, he was Commander of George W. Perry Post, No. 31, of Scituate, for two years, and is still a member of that body.
Captain Soule was married May 29, 1855, to Annie E., daughter of Captain John and Abigail T. (Ford) Manson, all natives of Scituate. Mrs. Soule's grandparents were Captain Nehemiah and Hannah (Lincoln) Manson. Captain Nehemiah Manson, who was a master mariner, served in the Revolu- tionary War. His wife was a member of the family to which President Lincoln belonged.
John Manson, Mrs. Soule's father, followed the sea from early youth. He was a great many years in the employ of William F. Weld & Co., having charge as Captain of different vessels of their line, mainly in the New Orleans and Liverpool trade. This was before the time of transatlantic steamers, and Captain John Manson transported many emi- grants from Liverpool to American ports. He commanded the "Meridian," in her day the largest merchantman afloat ; and the last ves- sel under his charge was the "Golden Fleece," in which he made three trips from New York and Boston to California, doubling Cape Horn. Two of his sons and a grandson succeeded him in the same occupation. The Captain was at first a Whig and later a Repub- lican, and represented his party in the Massa- chusetts legislature in 1868. An upright and conscientious man, who always respected his neighbors' rights and privileges, he was held in the highest regard by all who knew him.
He was a constant attendant of the Unitarian church. He died in Scituate, July 14, 1889, aged eighty-four. Five of his children are living, namely : Annie E. (Mrs. Soule), Cap- tain John L. Manson, George W., and Captain Edmund S. Manson, all of Dorchester, Mass. ; and Helen M., wife of Dr. George O. Jenkins, of 510 Broadway, South Boston.
Mrs. Soule was educated in public and pri- vate schools in Scituate and at Wheaton Semi- nary, Norton, Mass. She is prominent and popular in society, and has served efficiently for some length of time as President and Treasurer of the Woman's Relief Corps, at- tached to George W. Perry Post, No. 31, Grand Army of the Republic. She is also a Daughter of the American Revolution. Three children have blessed the union of Cap- tain and Mrs. Soule : John M., a citizen of East Weymouth, Mass., and Charles S., in Somerville, Mass., both being in business with wholesale houses in Boston; and Captain Arthur L. Soule, a resident of San Francisco, master of the bark "Martha Davis," en1- gaged in the sugar trade between San Fran- cisco and Honolulu.
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