Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 103

Author: Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Boston, Biographical review publishing company
Number of Pages: 1238

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts > Part 103

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A comrade of General A. R. R. Sprague Post, No. 24, G. A. R., Mr. McClellan has been serving as Post Commander, and is now Adjutant. At the time State Commander Bil- lings was in office Mr. McClellan was one of his aids. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and of the Worcester Society of Antiquities, and he is

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Past Master of Grafton Grange. By his mar- riage with Miss S. Elizabeth Dodge, of Graf- ton, he has two daughters, and by a former marriage he has two sons. The latter are: James H., of Worcester, who is a travelling salesman; and Arthur L., who resides on the homestead farm.

AMUEL WALLACE ARMING- TON, Postmaster of Holden, a well-known merchant and the pro- prietor of Pine Grove Farm, was born in St. Johnsbury, Vt., February II,; 1837. He was brought to Holden when about two years old by his parents, Nathaniel K. and Betsey (Carr) Armington, who made their home in the western part of the town, on what was then known as the Davis farm, where the father was engaged in farming and in the wood and lumber business. In his early years he assisted his father in the woods and about the farm when not attending the common schools. At the age of sixteen he went into a store as clerk; and during the eight years following, with the exception of a year spent in Vermont, he was connected with a mercantile business in either Holden or Worcester.

At the outbreak of the Rebellion, Mr. Armington desired to enlist, in spite of his somewhat delicate health. His parents, how- ever, dissuaded him, assuring him that he would be of greater service to his country by helping forward the regular business in his immediate vicinity than he could in active warfare, which would soon exhaust his strength and render him unfit for further usefulness. However, after the disaster at Ball's Bluff, he could be restrained no longer. . When the call came to fill up the Fifteenth Regi- ment, which had lost many men, he answered it. In 1862 and 1863 he saw heavy service, sharing in the marches of the regiment, and taking part in nearly all the battles in which it was engaged. Sustained by his courage and enthusiasm, he seemed to endure the hardships incident to soldier life with as much fortitude as his more robust comrades. At Fair Oaks and again at Fredericksburg

he was wounded, but not seriously either time. On November 27, 1863, he was taken prisoner at Mine Run, Va., and afterward for more than a year was confined in rebel prisons at Belle Isle, Andersonville, Charles- ton, and Florence. When at last on De- cember 16, 1864, release came, he was so changed in appearance that even his closest friends would have found it difficult to recog- nize him. A period of rest and recupera- tion followed, and, before he was sufficiently recovered to enter the service again, Lee had surrendered, and the much longed-for peace had come. He was mustered out in June, 1865. Two of his brothers, Alonzo C. and Henry C., also fought in the great struggle. The former, who was a member of the Third Vermont Regiment, was killed in the seven days' fight; and the latter, who belonged to the Ninth Maine Regiment, lost his life in front of Petersburg, at the blowing up of the fort. Both lie in unknown graves.

When again able to go into business, Mr. Armington took charge of a store in Holden. After managing it for three years, he bought it in 1868. He is still in active business, and keeps a line of drugs, patent medicines, fancy and toilet articles, books and stationery. Since 1877 he has resided at Pine Grove Farm, which under his management has become 'one of the most popular resorts in this district for city people. He has served the town in various positions of public trust, and always to his own credit. He was Postmaster from 1866 to 1885, and has been again serving in that capacity since 1889. He was Town Clerk for the years 1868, 1869, and 1873, Town Treasurer for the same length of time, was re-elected Town Clerk in 1893 and still holds the office, was Selectman in 1881, and afterward a Representative to the legislature for one term, 1887. One of the most active and efficient comrades of Post No. 77, G. A. R., in this town to-day, he was its first Commander.

On October 8, 1865, Mr. Armington was married to Harriet Shaw, of Dresden, Me., who died May 22, 1884. She was the mother of two daughters: May Josephine, born May 28, 1868; and Fannie Louise, born June II,

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IS72. The former died on December 13,

1877. Fannie on May 17, 1895, married Henry L. Phillips, of Holden, and now re- sides with her husband in Hartford, Conn., in winter and in Holden during the summer. Mr. Armington is one of the popular men of Holden. His genial temper and cordial good will have made for him many friends, his well-known business integrity commands the respect of all with whom he has dealings, while the personal sacrifices he has laid on the altar of the nation entitle him to the last- ing gratitude of his fellow-citizens.

HARLES R. BARTLETT, of Rut- land, son of Charles and Elizabeth M. (Reed) Bartlett, was born here on October 13, 1842. He is a grandson of Levi Bartlett, a great-grandson of Daniel, and a great-great-grandson of Henry Bartlett, who emigrated from England to this country in early Colonial times. The first representative of the family in Rutland was his great-grand- father, Daniel, who came here about the year 1750, among the first settlers of the town. He bought land of one Israel Davis, in the eastern part of the town, and was there engaged in farming during the remainder of his life. He married Mary Barker, of Concord. Members of the Bartlett family of this generation served in the War of the Revolution.

Levi Bartlett, grandfather of Charles R., was also a farmer, and spent his life in Rut- land, where he died at an advanced age. His family consisted of four sons and three daugh- ters, none of whom are now living. Charles Bartlett, the second son, who was born in Rut- land on January 20, 1802, was likewise a life- long farmer in this town. He was a Captain in the State militia, and held numerous town offices, including those of Selectman, Assessor, and Overseer of the Poor. In politics he was successively a Whig and a Republican. He died at the age of seventy-six. His first wife, Elizabeth, was a native of Rutland. She died when about forty-eight years of age, leaving two sons - Francis G. Bartlett and Charles R. The former is now a member of the Board of Selectmen of Rutland, and resides on the old

farm. The second wife, whose maiden name was Eunice Howe, died when about eighty years of age. Her son, Walter H. Bartlett, is one of the well-known farmers of Rutland.

Charles R. Bartlett attended the town schools here, and subsequently entered Wilbra- ham Academy. He left the academy before completing the course, and in 1861 enlisted in Company B of the Fifty-first Massachusetts Regiment. In the war, with his regiment, he took part in the North Carolina campaign. After receiving an honorable discharge in July, 1862, he returned to Rutland, and for the next fifteen years gave his attention to farming. In 1883 he built the Muschopague House, and since then has devoted his time chiefly to his hotel. The name Muschopague is from an Indian word meaning clear and cool. The house is fitted with all modern appliances, and has accommodations for about a hundred guests. As the patronage increased, additions have been made to the building. The locality is one of the most charming spots in New Eng- land in which to spend the heated season. From Rutland, on a clear day, which is the highest town centre between Boston and the Berkshire Hills, the altitude being one thou- sand two hundred and twenty feet above tide- water, forty peaks can be counted. Seventy- five miles toward the north are the Green Mountains of Vermont, fifty miles to the east are the Blue Hills of Milton, and forty miles southward rise the highlands of Connecticut. Interesting points in the immediate vicinity are the Putnam memorial monument on the old farm of General Rufus Putnam, and the State Institution for Consumptives, which is now in process of erection, and which will be the only one of its kind in the United States. The hotel is open only during the summer, and A caters only to the best class of patrons. well-equipped livery on the premises furnishes facilities for driving through the surrounding country, and all who have availed themselves of this privilege have been enthusiastic over the fine condition of the roads and the charm- ing scenery. The service in the house is un- excelled, and the management is constantly en- deavoring to find ways of increasing the comfort or amusement of the guests,

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Mr. Bartlett was married in 1862 to Mary Elizabeth Davis, who, born in Rutland on De- cember 18, 1840, died in June, 1879. She was the mother of three sons; namely, Charles A., Fred R., and Herbert D. For a dozen years or more Mr. Bartlett was Assessor, Over- seer of the Poor, and a member of the School Board. He has been a Selectman of the town for some years past, being now the chairman of the board, and he is the superintendent of the town water works. In 1878 he represented Rutland, Holden, Paxton, and Leicester in the legislature. His religious faith is the Ortho- dox, and for many years he has been a Deacon in the Congregational church. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member, and was the first Commander of George C. Marshall Post, No. 136, G. A. R., at Rutland. Much interested in local history, he has written a very interesting sketch of the town of Rutland. He is a leader in every movement looking toward the progress or welfare of his native town, and every worthy cause finds in him a generous and powerful promoter.

DEANE FISHER, one of the best known men of Westboro, has been a resident of this town since his birth, on September 22, 1812. He comes of Revolutionary stock, his paternal grandfather, Samuel Fisher, having served six months in the Revolutionary army, after which Samuel settled with his wife, Rena Deane, on a farm in the village of Westboro, where during the remainder of his life he took an active part in town affairs.

Nahum Fisher, father of S. Deane, was one of the leading agriculturists of Westboro and an influential citizen. He did much of the surveying in this locality, wrote deeds and other legal papers, was Justice of the Peace, and served at various times as Select- man, Assessor, and Overseer of the Poor. Fully conversant with the political conditions of his day, he, as an old-line Whig, repre- sented his district in the General Court of Massachusetts. He married Betsey Harring- ton, who bore him ten children, two of whom are now living, namely : Charles, a re-

tired business man of Byron, Ill .; and S. Deane, the subject of this sketch.

S. Deane Fisher was educated at the West- boro schools and the Westfield Academy, and, though he established himself at once as a farmer, taught school in this locality for eight successive winters. Imagine entering the school-room door on the first morning of the term and being confronted by ninety pupils, ranging in age from five to twenty-three years, equipped for the term's work with text - books by every known author, no two pupils of the same grade having the same book. This state of affairs Mr. Fisher and his con- temporaries met and mastered. He subse- quently turned his entire attention to the care of his father's large farm, of which he owned a part; and in 1840 he began shipping his milk to Boston, being the first dairyman in this section of the county to thus dispose of it. In 1858 he became agent for the Westboro Milk Company, of Boston, milk dealers, and as their representative in the towns of North- boro, Westboro, Shrewsbury, Grafton, and Upton for twenty-five years, or until his re- tirement in 1884, he kept all the accounts and paid the farmers of those towns for their dairy products. While in this business he handled, on an average, seven hundred cans, or five thousand, six hundred quarts of milk a day. In the meantime Mr. Fisher sold his farm and moved to his present substantial and pleasant residence in the village of Westboro. He has been a lifelong and consistent member of the Evangelical church, which he has served in various official capacities, and has always taken an active and intelligent interest in political and town affairs. He is now serving his thirteenth consecutive year as chairman of the Board of Assessors. He distinctly re- members meeting Lafayette, who passed through this town on his way to Boston in 1824. In 1840 he was a member of the Mas- sachusetts General Convention held in Boston, at which Daniel Webster presided.

Mr. Fisher married January 14, 1846, Eliza A. Davis, a daughter of Francis Davis, of West Boylston; and they have one son, Francis Davis Fisher. The latter, who was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of

S. DEANE FISHER.

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Technology, was first assistant engineer at the excavation of the Hoosac Tunnel. To him was due a share of the credit for the almost marvellous feat of engineering skill by which the two forces of workmen from opposite sides met in the heart of the moun- tain, at a point varying but three-eighths of an inch in a distance of five miles. Mr. F. D. Fisher had charge of the construction of the Boston Water Works through Welles- ley, after which he was for several years engineer for various Western Railways. At present he is general manager on the Croton Dam in New York. He married Miss Sarah E. Dix, of Groton, Mass., resides in Brook- lyn, N. Y., and has three daughters.

DWARD B. LYNDE, the well-known proprietor of the Westminster Provision Market, was born in Westminster, December 7, 1853. A son of John and Lucy (Kendall) Lynde, of this town, he is a de- scendant in the eighth generation from Thomas Lynde. This ancestor, who was born in Eng- land in 1593, emigrated to Massachusetts, set- tling in Quincy. Subsequently he moved to Charlestown, where he was made a freeman in 1634 or 1635, and where at one time he owned the land upon which the Massachusetts State prison is now situated, it being then known as Lynde Point. He was by trade a maltster. He served his townsmen as Selectman for a number of terms, held other public offices, and was a Deacon in the church. His son, Ensign Thomas Lynde, located in Malden, as did also Joseph, son of Ensign Thomas, and Joseph, son of Joseph. The second Joseph settled in Westminster in 1741, and his son, the third Joseph, also lived here. Benjamin, son of the third Joseph, lived for a time in Westminster. This Benjamin's son, also named Benjamin, and the grandfather of Edward B. Lynde, lived here throughout his life, as also has Mr. Lynde's father, John Lynde.

Mr. Lynde received his education in the public schools of his native town and at West- minster Academy. His first employment for wages was in a chair factory. In 1877 he bought out a market that had proved a failure

under its former management, and he has since given his entire attention to its affairs. Since it came into his hands it has been quite prosperous. His courteous treatment of his patrons, his promptness in meeting all obliga- tions, and the strict fairness with which all his transactions are conducted could not fail of success. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In the Congrega- tional church, of which he is a devoted mem- ber, he has served on the Parish Committee for several years.

Mr. Lynde was married in 1875 to Florence Barron, a daughter of William B. Barron, and formerly a teacher in the public schools of Westminster. Mrs. Lynde's great-grandfather, William Barron, and her grandfather, William Barron, Jr., fought in the Continental army, having enlisted from the town of Keene, N. H. The children of this union are as follows : Lester E., who was born in 1879; Grace F., who was born in 1883; and Elwin B., who was born in 1887. The two younger children at- tend the public schools here. Lester, after graduating from the high school, pursued a course in the Mount Hermon School for Boys at Northfield, winning numerous prizes, and finally at graduation a scholarship in Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. He is now studying at this institution.

ILLIAM H. HACKETT was a prominent business man of Worces- ter for a number of years. Born May 3, 1827, in Kennebunk, York County, Me., he was a son of William and Lydia K. (Dutch) Hackett. The Hacketts came from England in the eighteenth century, settling in Maine soon after their arrival in the country. William Hackett was a merchant of Kenne- bunk. Mrs. Hackett also came of an old Maine family.

William H. Hackett was educated in an academy of Kennebunk, and received his early business training in his father's store. When he was seventeen years old, he obtained a clerkship in the dry-goods house of Chandler & Co., Boston, Mass. Having saved his earn- ings, he subsequently opened a small dry-goods

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store in Newburyport, Mass., which he man- aged for some time. Seeking a larger field in 1845, he started another dry-goods store in the Lincoln House Block at Worcester. In 1849, a favorable opening in the general grocery trade having presented itself, he formed a part- nership with George S. Howe, under the name of Howe & Hackett. Their store was at the corner of Thomas and Main Streets, this city. The business was successful from the start. In 1875 Mr. Hackett bought out Mr. Howe, and moved to 305 Main Street. Here he continued up to the time of his death, which occurred July 9, 1887. A shrewd and careful business man, he made few mistakes, and was almost invariably successful. He steadily en - larged his business until he had one of the largest retail grocery stores in Worcester County. For many years he was a trustee of the Worcester Mechanics' Savings Bank. Courteous and affable, he made many friends ; and he loved his home, and did all within his power to make it pleasant. While constantly supporting the Republican ticket in national elections, he voted independently in local con- tests, favoring the candidate most likely to further the interests of the people. He was a member of the Second Parish Unitarian Church for a number of years. Fond of sport from his boyhood, he found much pleasure in fishing during his leisure seasons. In 1865 Mr. Hackett was married to Susan E. Alden, of Brookfield, Mass., a daughter of Seth and Persis (Rice) Alden. She is a lineal descend- ant in the seventh generation from John Alden, of Plymouth. The Rices, also, are an old Colonial family, having come to this country in 1638. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Hackett are : Mary A., Anna D., William Alden, and Susan E. Mary A. is now the principal of the Worcester Cooking School; and William Alden is a clerk in the employ of the State Mutual Life Insurance Company.

ARSHALL WALCOTT, a leading farmer and dairyman of the town of Bolton, residing at Wattoquo- tock, on the road to West Berlin, was born on September 25, 1844, on the farm

which is now his home. His parents were Jonas T. and Mary (Knight) Walcott. His paternal grandfather, Josiah Walcott, was a native of this part of the State and by trade a carpenter. He spent the last years of his life in the town of Stow, Middlesex County, and died there at a good age.

Jonas T. Walcott was brought up in Stow, was educated in the public schools, and re- mained in his native town until he reached his majority. Learning the carpenter's trade, he worked at it for a time in Hudson, but subse- quently secured employment in a mill. In 1840 he came to the farm now owned by his son, and lived here until his death at the age of seventy-five. Besides farming he did a good business in buying up wood lots and cutting timber. He and his wife, Mrs. Mary Knight Walcott, attended the Unitarian church. She was born in that part of Bolton now comprised in the town of Hudson, where her father, David Knight, was a prominent farmer and mill- owner. Mrs. Walcott died in 1874, having been the mother of five children, all of whom are living, namely : Lucy, who married Rufus R. Wheeler, of Berlin; David K. ; Marshall; Albert E. ; and Charles F.

Marshall Walcott lived with his parents until he became of age, receiving his education in the common schools and in Bolton High School. Going to Clinton at the age of twenty-one, he there spent two years in learn- ing the carpenter's trade. He then went to Hudson for a year and subsequently to May- nard, where he was in the employ of the Assa- bet Manufacturing Company for seven years. After that he went back to Clinton; but, his father dying two years later, he came to take possession of the homestead farm of ninety- seven and one-half acres, which he has since carried on most successfully. A number of the well-arranged and ample buildings now to be seen on the place have been built since Mr. Walcott came back here. About ninety acres of land situated in the town of Berlin are in- cluded in his estate. He keeps sixteen cows, and markets butter in private families in Clin- ton, but also carries on general farming, and raises some years as many as nine hundred bushels of corn.

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In 1868 Mr. Walcott was united in marriage with Clara S., daughter of Oliver Whitcomb, a well-known carpenter of Bolton. Mrs. Wal- cott was born in Bolton, and is one of a family of four children. She is the mother of five children, named as follows: Minnie E., Ever- ett M., Myron L., Julia C., and Ida M. The two eldest are graduates of the high school.

In politics Mr. Walcott is a Republican. He has served the town in various official capacities, having been Selectman for nine years and chairman of the board for part of that time, Overseer of the Poor for eight years, Assessor for five years and chairman of the Board of Assessors, member of the Board of Health for nine years, and Road Commis- sioner for several terms. He is a charter member of the local grange organization, and has held the office of Treasurer, Overseer, and Master in that body. He has been one of the grange lecturers, and has written a number of articles for the local grange and for the New England Homestead. Mr. Walcott is also re- porter for the United States Agricultural De- partment at Washington. He is a member and has been president of the Farmers' Club of Bolton, and has been trustee of the Worcester East Agricultural Society since its organiza- tion, and was its vice-president for the first two years. Mr. and Mrs. Walcott attend the Unitarian church.

EORGE F. WOODBURY, M. D., late a successful practising physician in the city of Worcester, was born in Sutton, Mass., on October 16, 1851, son of Charles and Jerusha (Merriam) Woodbury. His great-grandfather, Jonathan Woodbury, who was a Captain in the Revolutionary War, lived in Sutton, dwelling in the same house in which several generations of the family have since resided, and which is still owned by the Woodburys. The family has produced men of ability and honor, whose services to the town have been recorded in its written history.

Here were born both Dr. Woodbury's grand- father and father. As, a boy Dr. Woodbury worked on the homestead farm until about fif- teen years of age, when he came to Worcester,

Here he entered the employ of the Ware, Pratt Company, a leading clothing house. After re- maining here a few years, in which he care- fully saved the money he earned, he returned to Sutton and began to study medicine, this profession having been his choice from early boyhood. Although he had much to contend with, he resolved that nothing should hinder him from ultimate success. His preparatory work had to be done at home, as he was with- out sufficient means to pay tuition fees. In 1879 he passed the entrance examinations and was admitted to the medical department of Harvard University, where he was brought into association and competition with young men many of whom had all the advantages of high- school and college training. It might have been expected that his class standing would not be altogether satisfactory ; but his strength of character and fine natural abilities, aug- mented by the rugged discipline of his pre- vious life, put him at once on a good footing. He remained in the medical school three years, his record during that time being exceedingly honorable and creditable. After his gradua- tion in 1882, he spent a year in Boston in special study, and in 1883 settled in Worces- ter, where during the remaining years of his life he devoted himself assiduously to the prac- tice of his profession. He died in June, 1893.

The memorial adopted by the Worcester District Medical Society shows the manner of man he was and the high regard in which he was held by his fellow-practitioners. It says in part :-

"His first years in the city were very dis- couraging. He was simply waiting for his opportunity; and when it came, through the kindly assistance of another physician, to whom he always acknowledged his great in- debtedness, he entered upon a large, useful, and successful work. His death seemed most untimely, in that it snatched him away in the midst of growing labors and developing oppor- tunities. The summons came when he seemed at his best, and when he was making plans that implied consciousness of strength and faith in ' length of days.'. . . A man's personal ap- pearance has often much to do with his success,

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 103

Author: Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, pub Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Boston, Biographical review publishing company Number of Pages: 1238

Author: Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Boston, Biographical review publishing company
Number of Pages: 1238