USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Part 7
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Mr. Howard was married November 25, 1852, to Mary K. Hayward, who died a few years later, leaving two children: Edith F., who is with her father; and Mary J., deceased. He was married again October 5, 1858, to Elizabeth B. Taylor, his present wife. By this union he has no children. Mr. Howard has been a member of the Unitarian church in West Bridgewater for nearly half a century.
RANCIS M. SHAW, a well-known business man of Brockton, Mass., is a gentleman of wide and varied experi- ence in life. He has served his country in time of war both in the army and navy ; has travelled far and journeyed in distant lands ; and has held numerous positions of trust and responsibility, serving the interests of inipor- tant industrial enterprises, and lending a hand sagaciously to the conduct of public affairs.
He was born November 3, 1825, at Rayn- ham, Mass., being a representative of the fourth generation of Shaws in that ancient town of Bristol County. Joseph Shaw, his
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great-grandfather, was the first of the name in Raynham, where he was engaged in farming. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary Army, and in his last years received a pension from the government. Joseph Shaw married Celia Wade, and had four children - Joseph, Samuel, Silas, and Polly. He died at sixty- seven years of age.
Samuel Shaw, his second son, was a Rayn- ham farmer, and was also a house carpenter. He had exceptional talent for music, and taught singing-school in winter evenings in the neighborhood. His wife, Abigail, who was a daughter of Seth Hall, of Raynham, lived to the age of eighty-seven years. Their children were: Mary; Samuel, Jr. ; Deida- mia; Isaac H. ; Susan; Linus H. ; and Abi- gail. Samuel Shaw, Jr., the father of Francis M., was born on the family homestead at Raynham, and resided there to the end of his days, dying at the age of eighty five. In his old age he drew a pension for his services in the War of 1812. He married Rachel Shaw, and they had seven children. The three now living are : Caroline E., Francis Marion, and James Harmon. The other four were: Alan- son and William Wallace, who died each at about forty years of age; Oliver Perry, who died at thirty-five; and Andrew Jackson, who died at eighteen. The mother died in 1840, aged forty-eight years. The house where the parents spent their married life and in which they were all born is now over two hundred years old : it is occupied by the son, James H. Shaw.
Francis Marion was the second boy in this patriotic family to bear the name of a martial hero. In his early years attending the dis- trict school, a mile from his home, he ac- quired a good knowledge of the common Eng- lish branches. The school-room was heated from a fireplace, on whose ample hearth, in
winter days, blazed a fire of huge logs and brushwood. The furniture and all the appli- ances were of primitive fashion. But text- books were well conned, hard sums were tri- umphantly ciphered out, minds grew attentive and alert; and not the least valuable lessons learned were of resolute self-reliance and vig- orous endeavor.
At the youthful age of fourteen Francis M. Shaw joined the army of wage-earners by going to work in a nail factory. He was next, for about a year, employed in the East Taun- ton Iron Works; and from there he went to a manufacturing place on the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania, still later finding a situation in the Duncannon Iron Works - all this before he was eighteen. At that age he took a new departure, embarking on the "William and Eliza," a four-boat whale ship, for a four years' cruise, sailing around Cape Horn, stop- ping at Valparaiso and the Sandwich Islands, both on the outward trip and the return voy- age, spending at one time six months at Hon- olulu. In 1846, fifty years ago, they were taking in oil at Japan; while in the China Sea they were in a typhoon, and had a narrew escape from destruction. At the Cannibal Islands they engaged in traffic with the na- tives, bartering beads for hogs; and young Shaw there sold the king's son a violin that he had made himself. Among other places that he visited on his voyage were the Samoan Islands and New Zealand.
Reaching home on the Fourth of July, 1848, a man of twenty two, with mind broadened and matured, he shortly after went into the shoe business, some branch of which he followed for five or six years. Then he bought a thirty-acre farm, and built a small shoe factory. In this he set up the first pegging machine that was brought into Raynham. In 1860 his factory was burned down, and in 1862 he removed to
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Abington Centre. In the following summer he enlisted in the Ninth Massachusetts Bat- tery, and, being sent into the field, reached Gettysburg just after the battle was over. Orders coming for the discharge of all sailors from the ranks, Private Shaw enlisted on the United States Steamship " San Jacinto," and was appointed paymaster's steward. At Key West, where the steamer touched, the yellow fever was raging. They there took on Ad- miral Bell, and returned to New York, whence they were ordered to St. John, N. B., after the pirate Sims. Losing two boats in a gale off Cape Hatteras, they put into Kittery Navy Yard, and from there went to Fortress Monroe. While cruising among the Bahama Islands on the watch for rebel vessels, the "San Jacinto" was wrecked on No Name Key, and went to pieces. They remained on the island eighteen days, subsisting on what could be saved from the wreck; and for water brought to them in boats by the natives the captain paid three hundred dollars in gold. The men were res- cued by the United States Steamship "Talla- poosa," which took them to Boston. They had saved ten thousand dollars from the sunken ship.
On receiving his discharge in July, 1865, Mr. Shaw went back to Abington, but soon removed to Brockton. For some time he trav- elled for David Whittemore & Co., manufact- urers of shoe machines, putting up machinery in Boston and vicinity. In 1871 he went abroad in the interests of Mr. Whittemore, and sold machines in London and Glasgow, and visited also Dublin, Paris, and other places, being absent eight months. Receiving word while at Hamburg that the Whittemore man- ufactory had been burned, he returned to Massachusetts. In the year 1873 he had charge of the Boston Shoe Machinery Com- pany's exhibit at the Vienna Exposition. Among other illustrious visitors who came to
view the American machinery were the Em- peror Francis Joseph and his wife, the em- press. Mr. Shaw availed himself of the op- portunity afforded by this six months' sojourn in Europe to visit the Alps and other points of interest.
Returning to Massachusetts, he bought out a factory on High Street, Boston, and for three years carried on the business of manufacturing pasted insoles and heel stock. His next en- terprise was undertaken in Brockton, where he established the leather and remnant business on Railroad Avenue, and the Naphtha Ex- tracting Works on Centre Street, now carried on under the name of F. M. Shaw & Son, from which he retired on account of failing health, since which time the business has been carried on by his son, Francis E., under the same firm name. Previous to this last venture Mr. Shaw had bought an interest in the Bos- ton Rivet Company, and, as a representative of the company, had made in 1875 another visit to Europe. He has crossed and re- crossed the Atlantic twice since that time - namely, in 1883 and 1885 - and has also trav- elled in California and other parts of the great West.
Mr. Shaw was a Know Nothing during the short existence of that political combination in the fifties. He has been a stanch Re- publican since the organization of the party ; and he was a delegate to the convention at Worcester that nominated for the chief magis- tracy of the State John A. Andrew, since re- nowned as our great and good war governor. Mr. Shaw has served as a member of the Coun- cil of Brockton for two years. He belongs to Fletcher Webster Post, No. 13, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he was chaplain seven or eight years; and he has served as a delegate to four Grand Army Conventions, including that held in Denver.
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In religious faith he is a follower of Sweden- borg, and is a member of the New Jerusalem church in Abington. Mr. Shaw has been twice married. His first wife, formerly Miss Mary L. Eaton, of Raynham, died leaving six children - Emma E., Linus H., Alice L., Francis E., Mary E., and Samuel. In 1861 he married Harriett B. Bates, daughter of Rufus B. Bates, of Cummington, Mass. Mrs. Shaw is the mother of one child, a son, Nor- man B. Alice L. Shaw married D. T. Bur- rell, of Brockton; Mary E. Shaw is the wife of Sidney Perkins, and lives at Savin Hill, Boston, Mass. ; Emma E. Shaw married Ed- ward Bryant, and lives in Brockton; Linus H. Shaw married Abbie Dunham, of Plymouth ; Francis E. Shaw married Hattie E. Wilde, of Brockton; Samuel Shaw, unmarried, is a member of the firm of Leonard & Shaw, of Middleboro; and Norman B. Shaw married Lila S. Copeland, of Raynham, and resides in Brockton, and he is a member of the Opera House Orchestra of this city.
ON. JAMES CUSHING LEACH, of Bridgewater, who died in 1895, was one of the able men of Plym- outh County, actively identified with the in- dustrial, agricultural, financial, and political life of this section of the State. A son of Alpheus and Elizabeth Cushing (Mitchell) Leach, he was born in Bridgewater, July II, 1831. His parents were natives of Bridge- water, connected with the oldest families of the vicinity, his father being a lineal descend- ant of Giles Leach, who settled in this town some time prior to 1665. Another ancestor of the subject of this sketch was the Rev. James Keith, the pioneer minister of Bridgewater.
Alpheus Leach had a small farm in this town, and here the boy James grew to man-
hood, obtaining his education in the district schools. In his seventeenth year he began to learn the carpenter's trade with Ambrose Keith, a prominent builder, for whom he worked a number of years; and for some time thereafter he was employed by J. E. Carver, of ;Bridgewater, cotton-gin manufacturer. In 1870 he started in business for himself, manufacturing oil-proof paper, used in the manufacture of boots and shoes; and he also dealt in various kinds of shoe findings. This enterprise he conducted up to the time of his death with unvarying success. As his ability as a business man became known, he was drawn into connection with prominent enter- prises of various kinds, his integrity and good judgment making his co-operation most desir- able. He was a Trustee and a member of the Investment Committee of the Bridgewater Savings Bank for a number of years; a Di- rector of the Brockton National Bank; and, a member of the Plymouth Agricultural Society for a long term of years, he served on the Board of Trustees, and was active in its man- agement. An ardent advocate of public schools, he was always ready to foster educa- tional progress, and, as one of the Trustees of Bridgewater Academy, took a deep interest in the welfare of that institution.
He was elected on the Republican ticket to the Massachusetts legislature, and served two terms, in 1893 and 1894; and in 1895 he was returned to the State Senate. In both Upper and Lower House he served with distinction on the Committees on Banking, and was also a member of other important committees. Mr. Leach was commissioned Justice of the Peace by Governor Rice in 1877. No less prominent in social than in business and po- litical affairs, he was a member of Fellowship Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Bridgewater; Har- mony Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of the
Eighty itchie
James & Beach
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same place: Brockton Council, Royal and Select Masters; and Bay State Commandery, Knights Templars. He believed firmly in the good accomplished by religious organiza- tions, and was a liberal contributor to the Central Square Church of Bridgewater. His death, which occurred October 3, 1895, was widely mourned, and each citizen of his native town felt that he had lost a personal friend. His remains rest in Mount Prospect Cemetery.
Mr. Leach was married April 29, 1860, to Phoebe, daughter of Marcus and Hannah (Leach) Conant, of Bridgewater. Mr. Conant, who is a native of New Hampshire, is living in Bridgewater with a daughter, Mrs. Alfred Hall. His wife was born in
Massachusetts. She died in 1889. Mrs. Leach, who was born in this town, is a gradu- ate of the Bridgewater Normal School, and taught for some time before her marriage. During her husband's lifetime she took an active part in society events, and she is widely known and esteemed. She had three children, who died in infancy. Her dwelling on Pleas- ant Street, erected by Mr. Leach in 1869, is one of the handsome residences of Bridge- water, a town noted for its beautiful homes.
UMNER KEITH, dealer in coal, lime, cement, fertilizer, and hay, is one of the prominent and sub- stantial business men of Bridgewater. He was born in this town, November 20, 1833, a son of Edwin and Saba (Hooper) Keith, both natives of Bridgewater. On the paternal side he is of Scotch origin, descended from the Rev. James Keith, a native of the "land o' cakes " and a graduate of Aberdeen Univer- sity, who, immigrating to America, located in what is now West Bridgewater. Here the Rev. Mr. Keith was active for years in evan-
gelical work, and was one of the best known of the pioneer preachers in Eastern Massachusetts.
Isaac Keith, of the third generation from the Rev. James Keith, lived in Bridgewater, where his son Edwin, the father of Sumner Keith, was born in 1800. Edwin Keith was engaged in the manufacture of cotton gins, and was one of the organizers of the well-known manufacturing house of Bates, Hyde & Co., of Bridgewater. For a number of years he was superintendent of the works, at the same time being a member of the firm. Active in local politics, he was a prominent member of the Whig, and later of the Republican party. He died in 1860. His wife, who was born in 1804, died in 1881.
Sumner Keith attended the common schools of his native town and Bridgewater Academy. He learned the blacksmith's and the machin- ist's trade, becoming a practical general me- chanic, and from his sixteenth to his twenty- eighth year was a workman in the employ of Bates, Hyde & Co. Then, on the death of his father, he succeeded to the position of superin- tendent. This position he held thirteen years, resigning in 1873 on account of ill-health. In 1876 he started in his present business ; and as a merchant he has been very successful, building up a large trade. Mr. Keith's career has been an honorable one, his success being achieved through native ability, good judg- ment, and diligent application ; and he has the confidence of the entire community.
He was married in 1869 to Sarah, daughter of Edward Mitchell, of Bridgewater; and by this union has three sons - Edwin, Charles M., and Joseph W. In politics he favors the Republican side. A public-spirited citizen, he takes a deep interest in the welfare of his native town, and has served on the Board of Selectmen. He attends public worship at the New Jerusalem church.
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EORGE A. WHEELER, the subject of this sketch, is one of the well- known men of Plymouth County, and is a descendant of William Wheeler, who came over from England in the old Colo- nial days. His great-grandfather, William Wheeler, of a later generation, served as a sailor in the War of the Revolution, was wounded and taken prisoner in an engagement, and afterward lost his life in attempting to escape.
William Wheeler, the next in line, son of the patriotic sailor and the grandfather of George A., served in the War of 1812, and afterward followed the calling of shoemaker and small farmer, living to a good old age and rearing a numerous family. Among the many . sons was Albert D. Wheeler, who was a shoe- maker by trade and was also a well-known teacher of vocal music. He married Rachel S. Bourne, of Hanson.
George A., their only child, was born in Rockland, Mass., formerly a part of Abington, June 6, 1842. In the following year his par- ents removed to East Bridgewater, in which town he passed the years of his boyhood, at- tending the district school and also the acad- emy for a short term. In 1859 he entered the State Normal School at Bridgewater, and, graduating in February, 1861, assumed the duties of teacher in one of the public schools of the good old town of Halifax the following fall.
Answering the call of President Lincoln for "three hundred thousand more," he enlisted August 6, 1862, in Company D, Thirty-eighth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, for three years. On the 8th of the same month he was married to Miss Eliza J. Darcy, of East Bridgewater, and on the 26th left the State with his regiment to face the dangers and hardships of war. Serving under General
Banks in Louisiana, he took part in the battles of Bisland, also serving through the siege of Port Hudson and taking part in the assaults on the works, May 27 and June 14, 1863, receiv- ing slight wounds in the two last engagements. In 1864 he again served under General Banks in the Red River campaign, participating in the battles of Cane River and Chalk Plains. In August of the same year he was transferred with his regiment to Virginia to serve under General Sheridan in the valley of the Shenan- doah, there being engaged in the battles of Berryville, Winchester, or Opequan Creek, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, that being the last battle in which his regiment was engaged.
Receiving his discharge at the close of the war, he soon resumed his duties as a teacher, having charge of schools in East Bridgewater and Whitman until 1871. In 1870 he re- ceived from Mayor James Bates, Sheriff of Plymouth County, his first commission as Deputy Sheriff, a position which he still holds, having served continuously up to the present time. Mr. Wheeler resided in East Bridgewater during this time, holding various town offices until 1883, when he was trans- ferred by Captain A. K. Harmon, Sheriff of the county, to Brockton. In 1884 he was appointed City Marshal, holding that position until his resignation some three years later. He is a member of Justin Dimick Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at East Bridgewater ; a charter member of Satucket Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of the same place; a charter member of Damocles Lodge, Knights of Pythias; also a member of Satucket Chapter and Bay State Commandery, Knights Templars, of Brock- ton. He served as probation officer for the city from 1885 to 1891, when he resigned the office upon his election as Alderman. Mr. Wheeler still resides in Brockton, holding the
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position of auctioneer, Deputy Sheriff, and Crier of the Supreme and Superior Courts of the county, and doing a general business, in which he is assisted by his son, F. Parkhurst Wheeler, born September 26, 1869, who, like himself, is an only child.
J OHN M. STETSON, general manager of the Bridgewater Iron Company, is of the fourth generation of his family connected with this long-established industrial enterprise. A native of Bridgewater, Mass., he was born February 25, 1853, and is a son of George B. and Mary L. (Sumner) Stetson. The Stetsons are of English origin, the Bridgewater branch being descended from Cornet Robert Stetson, one of the early Co- lonial settlers of Massachusetts from the mother country.
Captain Abisha Stetson, great-grandfather of the special subject of this sketch, was one of the incorporators and original members of the firm of Lazell, Perkins & Co., of Bridge- water, iron manufacturers, afterward merged into the Bridgewater Iron Works; and his son Nahum, John M. Stetson's grandfather, was for over half a century agent, treasurer, and manager of the concern. A prominent citizen of Bridgewater, Nahum Stetson displayed ability, in public as well as private affairs, representing the district in the State legis- lature.
George B. Stetson, son of Nahum, is a native of Bridgewater, a well-known and respected citizen. He, too, has been con- nected with the Iron Works, acting for a long period as general selling agent. His wife is a native of Pawtucket, R. I. Mr. and Mrs. George B. Stetson have three sons living : George W., in France; John M., in Bridge- water; and Nahum, in New York City.
John M. Stetson, the second son, the date of whose birth is mentioned above, was edu- cated in the public schools and the academy of Bridgewater and in Anthon's private school in New York City. He was employed for some time as a clerk in a cotton broker's office in New York, and in 1871 was engaged as clerk and book-keeper for the Bridgewater Iron Works. Performing his duties intelli- gently and faithfully, in the daily routine of his work he became thoroughly familiar with all the details of the extensive business ; and in 1886 he was made general manager of the concern.
In 1874 Mr. Stetson was united in marriage with Ruth B., daughter of Dr. James C. Swan, of West Bridgewater, and by this union has become the father of three children - Mary L., Harriet S., and James S. An es- teemed member of the Republican party, Mr. Stetson has served for two years as Selectman of Bridgewater. He is well advanced in Ma- sonry, being a member of Fellowship Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Bridgewater; a charter member of Harmony Chapter of the same place; a member of the Council at Brockton, Mass. ; and also a member of the Knight Templar Commandery of Brockton. Belong- ing to one of the old and respected families of the place, he is esteemed by his fellow-citi- zens not only for his connections, but also for his own personal worth.
EORGE FEARING REED, who was born in Abington, Plymouth County, Mass., May 31, 1834, son of Ezekiel and Cephisa (Studley) Reed, is a progressive farmer, owner of a fine estate of six hundred acres, which has been for generations in the possession of the Reed family.
John Reede, the immigrant ancestor, was
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brought to this country by James Garrett, of Charlestown; and, as Garrett was unable to pay their passage, both were sold in 1653 to Michael Pierce, of Hingham, for seven pounds. They served till 1662, and Reede then found his way to Scituate. There he married Mary Winter, of Plymouth; and the couple subsequently moved to Marshfield, and thence to Kingston, Mass. John Reede was the progenitor of the Marshfield Reeds; and the majority of his descendants have remained in Plymouth County from his day to the pres- ent -a race of sturdy farmers, with here and there a statesman and able financier. John Reed, who was Lieutenant-Governor of Mas- sachusetts, 1844 to 1851, was a member of this family. Charles Reed, Esq., Mr. George F. Reed's brother, who is a graduate of Yale College, is a prominent member of the New Haven bar, now retired from professional work, and an ex-judge of probate.
George Fearing Reed attended private schools in Abington and a private academy, and finished his schooling at Williston Semi- nary, Easthampton, at the age of eighteen. He was first engaged as clerk in dry-goods stores in Kingston and in Plymouth, and then for six years was employed as book-keeper by 1. Faxon & Co., of Abington, Mass., and Charleston, S.C. From 1859 till 1885 he was in the shoe business as a member of the firm of Nash & Co., and in the latter year he assumed management of the old Reed home- stead. Besides attending to the culture of several acres of his land, he has the best- equipped saw-mill in Plymouth County, oper- ated by electricity ; and this mill has a large annual output. Mr. Reed is a worthy repre- sentative of his family, industrious, able, and progressive.
He was married May 31, 1855, to Maria Antoinette Faxon, of Abington. One child
was given to them - Althea Cephisa, who died May 16, 1891. In politics Mr. Reed is independent. As a member of the Odd Fel- lows fraternity, he belongs to Pilgrim Lodge, No. 75, Nemasket Encampment, No. 44, and Grand Canton, No. 18; and he is also a mem- ber of the Grand Lodge and the Grand En- campment of Massachusetts.
RLANDO W. CHARLES, M.D., a well-known medical practitioner of Pembroke, Plymouth County, Mass., was born in Fryeburg, Oxford County, Me., August 20, 1856, being the son of Simeon, Jr., and Rebekah (Woodman) Charles. The family on the paternal side, distinctly Puritan, descended from John Charles, who settled in Charlestown in 1636. John Charles, the fourth of that name, a native of Brimfield, Mass., was one of the original proprietors of the town of Fryeburg, where his son Simeon was born October 27, 1787. They were pub- lic-spirited citizens and influential in promot- ing all the important enterprises of improve- ment in that vicinity, particularly in estab- lishing schools and a church.
Simeon Charles, Jr., son of Simeon, lives on the farm formerly owned by his parents, a large and valuable tract of exceedingly fertile land in the valley of the Saco River. In their native town the family is distinguished for honesty, fair dealing, temperance, and general uprightness of character. Simeon, Jr., mar- ried Rebekah, daughter of John and Sarah (Evans) Woodman, of Sweden, Me. Joshua Gammage, grandfather of Mrs. Woodman, was a soldier in the Revolution, and with other veterans was present at the celebration of the completion of Bunker Hill Monument in 1843.
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