Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 111

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 111

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Stearnes L. Davenport was educated in the public schools of Providence. After complet- ing his studies he entered the jewelry business, which he followed for four years, but gave it up in 1876 and came to North Grafton, where he engaged in dairy farming on what is known as the Knowles Place. Selling that property a year later, he leased his present farm, which is located north of New England Village. In 1880 he purchased the property, which he has since improved by the erection of a fine set of modern buildings. The barn is provided with a large refrigerator for cooling the one hundred and twenty-five to one hun- dred and thirty cans of milk which he ships to Worcester daily. A second barn contains a score or more of box stalls, affording comfort- able quarters for his own horses, besides several that he boards for city owners. An overhead reservoir furnishes pure spring water, forced

thither by the aid of a steam pump. His dairy is supplied with the latest improved machinery and apparatus, including a centrifugal separa- tor, which is capable of extracting the cream from the milk in a few moments; and the entire premises bear evidence of the characteristic energy and thrift of the enterprising owner.

On January 31, 1879, Mr. Davenport was united in marriage with Miss Jennie A. Hawes, daughter of Abel L. and Emily H. (White) Hawes, of Grafton. Mr. and Mrs. Davenport have seven children; namely, Alice, Cora O., Walter H., Raymond, Stearnes L., Jr., Gladys, and William. Alice is attending Mount Holyoke College. Cora O. and Walter H. are pupils at the Grafton High School.

Mr. Davenport is serving at the present time as a member of the Board of Selectmen. He belongs to Evening Star Lodge, No. 102, I. O. O. F., the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Royal Arcanum, the American Benefit Society, and the Grafton Grange, Pa- trons of Husbandry, in all of which he takes an active interest.

OHN GALLISON KING, a man of eminent attainments and for many years a leading member of the Suffolk County bar, was born in Salem, Mass., March I, 1819, and died at his late home in Boston, Mass., January 28, 1888. His par- ents, John Glen and Susan (Gilman) King, resided in Salem throughout their wedded life, the father, John Glen King, being a distin- guished attorney, for years at the head of the Salem bar.

Mr. King spent his boyhood and youth in the historic city in which he was born, and was there fitted for college. After his gradua- tion from Harvard University in 1838, he began the study of law with his uncle, Ellis Gray Loring, a noted Boston lawyer, and on being admitted to the bar opened an office in the Brazer Building on State Street. He built up an extensive and lucrative practice, and won distinction both in legal and business circles. A man of sound judgment and versa- tile talents, refined in his tastes and of ready wit, which, however, was never exercised at the

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expense of his friends, he easily won the good will and friendship of those with whom he was intimately associated, and was universally re- spected. He shunned the publicity of the po- litical arena, but was ever an earnest sup- porter of the principles of the Republican party.

HARLES D. CLARK, of the firm of George H. Clark & Co., of Worcester, Mass., is a brother of the late George H. Clark, of whom a brief sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Clark was born July 22, 1838, in New Ips- wich, N. H., a son of Daniel and Malinda (Start) Clark.

Left an orphan at an early age, he scarcely knew what it was to have a home in his youth. When ten years old he went to Carlisle, Mass., to live on a farm with an uncle, for whom he worked eight years. While there he attended school a short time, which was almost his only opportunity in boyhood to acquire an education. In 1856 he secured a situation in the Suffolk Cotton Mills at Lowell, Mass., and was there employed until the breaking out of the Civil War. Enlisting then in the Sixth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which was mobbed while passing through Baltimore on its way to the defence of the national capital, he served nine months, when he was honorably discharged. On returning from the scene of conflict Mr. Clark resumed his position in the spinning department of the Suffolk mills, where he remained until he met with a very serious accident in 1866, his left arm being entirely taken off by the machinery.

Coming subsequently to Worcester, Mr. Clark entered the employ of his brother, G. H. Clark, with whom he learned the paint, oil, and varnish business, and in the course of a few years was given the general oversight and to a large extent the management of the shop. In 1877 he was admitted into an equal part- nership with his brother, the style of the firm being George H. Clark & Co. His brother being an invalid for more than two years (his death occurring in March, 1897), Mr. Charles D. Clark practically had entire charge of the

business during that time. The firm is now carrying on an extensive wholesale and retail trade, with dealers in all parts of Worcester County, in manufacturers' and builders' sup- plies, as well as paints, oils, and varnishes. It is one of the oldest establishments of the kind in Central Massachusetts, and is considered one of the most reliable, its integrity and high standing having never been questioned. Mr. Clark is rated as one of Worcester's conserva- tive business men, yet progressive when occa- sion demands. Though not an active politi- cian, he takes an interest in public affairs, and his vote is always cast in favor of good govern- ment. Personally, he is widely respected.

Mr. Clark was married December 30, 1860, to Miss Dora Wheeler, of Peterboro, N. H. Mrs. Clark died March 19, 1890, leaving two children : George A., who is now connected with his father in business; and Harry A., who is a student at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

G EORGE M. PIPER, for a number of years prominent among the merchants of Worcester, was born in this city in April, 1845. He was the son of William and Sarah (Rice) Piper. His mother was a daughter of Martin Rice, of Marlboro, Mass., and a descendant of Deacon Edmund Rice, an early settler of Sudbury and Marlboro and founder of the Rice family in New England.

William Piper was born in Amherst, N. H., in 1802. At an early age he came to Worces- ter, where he later on entered into the restau- rant business. His health failing, he gave up this business, and then turned his attention to real estate. In 1837 he built the block at 419 Main Street, known as the Piper Block; and in 1857 he built on Front Street the first the- atre in the city, known formerly as Piper The- atre and now known as the Front Street Opera House. For many years it was run under his management. Having amassed a handsome fortune, he retired from active business life at the age of sixty years. He died April 21, 1864. His wife and two children, Phoebe Caroline and George Martin, survived him.

George M. Piper, after completing a course

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of study at the Worcester Classical High School, began the work of life as book-keeper in the wholesale boot and shoe store of E. A. Goodnow, of this city. His term of service there was evidently not a very long one. Going to Boston to study chemistry and phar- macy, he spent seven years in the store of Car- ter, Russ & Co. ; and then, having mastered the details of the drug business, he returned to Worcester and entered into partnership with George A. Fairbanks to carry it on at whole- sale and retail in this city. Their establish- ment, located on Front Street, near Main, was one of the largest of its kind in the State. In 1872 the firm made an assignment, and Mr. Piper at this time retired from active business.

In 1868 Mr. Piper married Nancy H. S. Clark, daughter of Thomas A. Clark, of Worcester. Mr. Piper died on March 19, 1892. He is survived by Mrs. Piper and two children - William Sanford and Susan Sarah. Though unostentatious and always disinclined to enter the political arena, he was an inter- ested observer of the course of public events, and could be counted upon to work for the cause of good government whenever necessary. Widely known, he possessed the confidence and respect of all responsible citizens.

MOS BROWN, formerly a prominent merchant of Worcester, was born in Charlton, Mass., in 1796. His par- ents were Ebenezer and Bathsheba (Merriam) Brown, both natives of Charlton, the father being a farmer by occupation.

After attending school in his native town Amos Brown decided to enter mercantile life. Becoming interested in the cotton business, he took up his residence in Georgia, and bought from Southern planters the raw material, which he sold to Northern manufacturers, receiving good financial returns. Later he came to Worcester, and, forming a partnership with Colonel Calvin Foster, engaged in the hard- ware business. After continuing in trade here for some time, the firm was dissolved, and Mr. Brown went to Lafayette, Ind., where he be- came associated with a partner in the dry- goods business. They occupied one of the

largest buildings in that city, their trade ex- tending over a wide territory; and the enter- prise proved a financial success. Five years later Mr. Brown returned to Worcester, and, foreseeing the future growth of the city, in- vested his capital largely in real estate. He owned a pasture at the corner of what is now Sycamore and Charlton Streets, through which he cut a thoroughfare, naming it for his native town. This property he sold at a later date. His excellent business ability and sound judg- ment enabled him to accumulate considerable wealth; and he continued active in business until his death, which occurred February 15, 1848, at the age of fifty-two years. He had won a high reputation for his honesty and thorough business methods, and is remembered by some of our older citizens as one of the progressive men of his day. He was a Whig in politics, and was positive in his opinions; and, although his business enterprises for many years threw him in the company of slave- holders, he was strongly opposed to the traffic in human beings.

On July 16, 1829, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Mary W. Rider, of Charlton, daughter of Isaiah and Pamelia (Towne) Rider and a representative of an old and highly rep- utable family of this locality. She was a grand-daughter of General Salem Towne, who served as an officer in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War. Mr. and Mrs. Brown . were the parents of three children, namely : Sarah, who was born April 6, 1831, and died September 4, 1832; Harriet, who was born January 12, 1833, and died June 13, 1834; and Mary, who was born August 13, 1838.

ALENTINE SHELDON, whose death occurred in Worcester, Mass., April 27, 1896, was for several years one of the most prosperous and progressive business men of this city and the leading meat dealer. He was born in 1850 at Nelson, N. H., a son of Charles and Sally (Felt) Sheldon.

Charles Sheldon was a prominent citizen of Nelson during a large part of his active life, and for a number of years did a substantial

_ .. .

J. FRANKLIN HEBARD.

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business there as a cattle dealer and a butcher. In 1871 he removed with his family to Ware, Mass., where both he and his wife spent their remaining days, the date of his death being October, 1881, and of hers February 18, 1883.

Valentine Sheldon acquired a practical edu- cation in the public schools of Nelson, and when twenty years old accompanied his parents to Ware, this State. Entering the meat shop of his brother, W. C. Sheldon, he worked for him until he had mastered the details of the trade, when he embarked in business for him- self as a meat dealer. Three years later he sold out, and, going to Springfield, opened a market in that city, where he carried on a good business for some time. In 1876 Mr. Sheldon decided to transfer his business to Worcester. He located on Trumbull Street, and, having put in a good stock of provisions and meat, soon developed an extensive trade. Wide-awake and alert to attract custom, he was the first marketman in the city to inaugurate a system- atic reduction of prices, a proceeding that won for him the name of the "cut-rate butcher." His trade grew so rapidly in the next few months that he sought new quarters at the corner of Front and Church Streets, where he remained until 1894, when he vacated the build- ing, that it might be torn down, and moved into one that stood directly opposite. Previ- ous to this time he had opened two other mar- kets, one at the corner of Washington and Gold Streets and one on Winter Street, and during the last years of his life he successfully con- ducted the three. In 1894 Mr. Sheldon intro- duced into Worcester the plan of holding auc- tions several evenings a month, and by this novel method sold immense quantities of meat. His customers included, besides many of the leading families of the city, a number of the hotels of this vicinity; and though he had many competitors as a meat and provision dealer he steadily held his own trade, which was extensive and profitable.

A genial, whole-souled, frank-spoken man, with a pleasant smile and hearty laugh, he made friends wherever he went. Devoted to his business, he did his duty to the munici- pality and State as a true and good citizen, but gave no time to public service of any kind.

Fraternally, he was a member of the Masonic Lodge of Ware, Mass .; of the Worcester Lodge of Elks; and in 1889 was made an hon- orary member of the Worcester Continentals.

Mr. Sheldon was twice married. His sec- ond wife, formerly Henrietta Nickerson, sur- vives him, and likewise one son, Charles Wal- lace Sheldon, a student in Springfield.

J OSIAH FRANKLIN HEBARD, of North Brookfield, formerly a leading contractor and builder and a dealer in lumber, was born at Sturbridge, Mass., on the twelfth day of April, 1823. He was the youngest of the eleven children of Eleaser and Violet (Walker) Hebard. A very young child when his mother died, he was taken charge of by his uncle, Chester Walker, of Sturbridge, until he was about nineteen years old. His educational opportunities were limited to those offered by the district schools. In his nineteenth year he came to North Brookfield, and here began learning the trade of carpenter and joiner, working with Dexter Stoddard. After acquiring his trade and spending some years at journey-work, he started in business for himself as a contractor and builder, which was his chief occupation for the rest of his life. A very careful and painstaking workman himself, when he came to be an employer of other men he required from them the same degree of attention and skill that he would have exercised himself. Hence it was generally known that any con- tract intrusted to him would be faithfully car- ried out. In connection with his contracts he did a considerable trade in lumber.

Mr. Hebard was a Republican in politics and prominent in local affairs. Shortly after the Civil War he represented the town in the legislature. He enlisted for the war as a private in the Forty-second Regiment of Vol- unteers, was in service subsequently with Gen- eral Banks in the expedition to New Orleans, and had served for nearly three months more than the nine of his term when he was dis- charged. He first married Martha Whiting, a daughter of Josiah Whiting, of North Brook- field, Of this union two children were born

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- Marietta and Osman F. - both of whom are now deceased. His second marriage was con- tracted with Mrs. Mary Gilbert, whose first husband, Lyman H. Gilbert, of this town, serving as a private in Company E of the Thirty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment of Vol- unteers, was killed in battle near the Weldon Railroad. Her father, William F. Doane, was a native of this place, and resided here throughout his life, engaged in farming and shoemaking. He was a son of Captain Jo- seph Doane, who, born in Eastham, Mass., commanded an old-time whaler, and a grand- son of Benjamin Doane, a native of Cape Cod, who was the first of the Doane family to settle in North Brookfield. William Doane was a Republican in politics. He died on December 14, 1890. His wife, Mary P. Shedd Doane, was born in Springfield, Vt. Of their children three are living; namely, William F., Mary, and George P. All reside in North Brookfield. Mrs. Hebard is a member of the First Congregational Church. She is much esteemed in North Brookfield society. Mr. Hebard died December 9, 1889.

ON. ERASTUS JONES, the princi- pal of the firm E. Jones & Co., boot and shoe manufacturers of Spencer, was born here on September II, 1825, being the youngest son of Dr. Asa and Lucy (Dunbar) Jones. His grandfather, Eli Jones, was a farmer in the neighboring town of Charlton, where the Jones family, said to have been of Welsh origin, were early settlers. Phineas Jones, a brother of Eli, was a patriot soldier in the Revolutionary War. Asa Jones, who was born in Charlton, after studying medi- cine for a long period, was a practising physi- cian in Spencer. In 1817 he married Lucy Dunbar, a native of Leicester and a daughter of Thomas and Lucretia (Smith) Dunbar. Their children were: Mary White, Eliza, Asa Thomas, Lucy Dunbar, and Erastus.

Erastus Jones was educated in the public schools of Spencer, completing his course of study at the high school. His tastes and ener- gies leading him to prefer a commercial life to the routine of a profession preceded by a

long period of preparation, he early chose the sphere of activity in which, with constancy of purpose, applying himself diligently and saga- ciously, he has won substantial success. Be- ginning in his later youth as a workman in a boot and shoe shop of Spencer, he gradually mastered the shoemaker's trade. In the year of attaining his majority he became a partner of his elder brother, Asa T. Jones, and with him subsequently, in the firm A. T. & E. Jones, carried on the boot and shoe business in Spencer for sixteen years. The present firm of E. Jones & Co., comprising Erastus Jones and F. E. Dunton, manufacturers of boots and shoes, which has existed since 1860, has its factory and offices on Main Street, where a large number of men and women are regularly employed. The following, quoted from a local print, shows the character and standing of the house : "Its management has been marked by a prudent, conservative business policy, though sufficiently liberal to adopt all modern methods and improvements in equipping the factory and in the production of the most desirable and salable goods, which find a market all over the United States, and are sold exclusively to the jobbing trade. The plant now comprises a five-story structure, eighty feet long, with two ells of like dimensions, and has a capacity of two hundred dozen pairs of boots and shoes daily. The members of the firm are among our most highly regarded and influential townsmen, and take an active interest in public affairs."

Mr. Jones has been the president of the Spencer National Bank since its organization in 1875, and for more than twenty years he has been the president, a trustee, and a member of the Board of Investment of the Spencer Sav- ings Bank. He has been Town Treasurer of Spencer for a number of years, and has also served in the capacity of Town Clerk. In 1874 he was a Representative in the State legislature, and in 1896 and 1897 he was State Senator for the Fourth Worcester Senatorial District. During his first term in the Senate he was in the Committee on Banking; and dur- ing his second term he was the chairman of that committee, being also a member of the Committees on Taxation and on Printing. He is an earnest and consistent Republican in pol-

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itics. In 1850 he married Mary I. Starr, a daughter of John B. H. Starr, of Thomaston, Me. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have four children - Lucy I., Julia F., Mary P., and Everett Starr. Lucy I. is now the wife of Dr. Charles L. Kingsbury, a homœopathic physician of Bos- ton, Mass. Mary P. is the wife of Albert Sauveur, of Boston. Everett S. Jones, a grad- uate of Harvard College, class of 1890, is in Berlin, Germany, at present. Both parents are members of the Congregational Church of Spen- cer.

OHN FORBES SUTTON, who was connected with the Coes Wrench Com- pany at Worcester, Mass., for more than twoscore years, was born in Nor- wich, Conn., September 9, 1830, son of Thomas and Lucy (Forbes) Sutton. The father and his brother John came from Eng- land to Worcester when young men. Opening a wheelwright's shop on School Street, at the present stand of George T. Atchison, they car- ried on a prosperous business for several years, and there built the first covered wagon used in this city. After his second marriage Thomas removed to Norwich, Conn. A few years later he returned to Worcester County, and in New Worcester purchased a farm, which he managed successfully. On an adjoining estate he bought a grist-mill. The narrow highway that led to the mill was named in his honor Sutton Lane, and is so called to-day. Thereafter until his death in 1847 he carried on milling in con- junction with agriculture. He was twice mar- ried. His first wife, Sarah Gates Sutton, died when young, leaving him three children. He subsequently married Lucy Forbes, who bore him twelve children. Of his fifteen children, five are living, namely : Thomas, of Marlboro; Charles, of Elwood, Ia. ; Mrs. John Adams, of Boston; and Mrs. Jane Bootman and Mrs. W. F. Knowlton, both of Worcester.

John F. Sutton was less than a year old when his parents returned from Connecticut to Worcester, where he received his education. In his boyhood he assisted his father on the farm and in the grist-mill, thereby becoming somewhat familiar with business ways and

methods. Soon after the death of his father he took what little money belonged to him, and, purchasing a stock of groceries, opened a store at Webster Square, where he conducted a fair business for nearly two years. In 1852 he gave up the store to accept a position with L. & A. G. Coes, makers of the celebrated Coes wrench. His energy and intelligence won the esteem and confidence of his employ- ers, who promoted him from one shop to an- other until he had mastered the trade. He was then made superintendent of certain depart- ments, and in 1878 was appointed foreman of the factory. The latter position he held until 1895, when on account of failing health he was forced to resign. Thereafter he lived in retirement until his demise. He was a man of strong personality, with a keen sense of jus- tice, who commanded in a marked degree the respect of all with whom he was brought into contact.

Mr. Sutton attended the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, and was a member of the Central Lodge, I. O. O F. On November 18, 1856, he married Miss Lizzie M. Rey- nolds, a daughter of Addison and Elizabeth (Rogers) Reynolds. On the paternal side she is of Scotch ancestry and a descendant of a family that was for many years prominent in Maine. She and her daughter, Emma Louise, survive her husband. The daughter is now the wife of Charles P. Hardy, of Worcester.

OHN HERBERT DANIELS, one of the best known citizens and most repre- sentative business men of Fitchburg, was born in Worcester, Mass., January 27, 1845, son of Thomas Eaton and Lucy (Sherwin) Daniels.

Several generations of the Daniels family have had birth in this country. Verin Dan- iels, grandfather of John H., was a pioneer builder and contractor of Fitchburg, and erected a number of saw-mills near this city. He spent the latter part of his life in the West, dying there when about seventy years old. Thomas Eaton Daniels, the father, was a ma- chinist and the inventor of the Daniels planer, which he manufactured for some time in

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Worcester. HIe subsequently removed to

Fitchburg. He was a member of the Baptist church and a highly respected citizen. His death, which took place in 1884, was regretted by a wide circle of friends. His wife, a daughter of Zimri Sherwin, of Townsend, died in 1867. They had six children, of whom John H. was the youngest.

John H. Daniels graduated from the Fitch- burg High School in 1863, and subsequently took a course at a commercial college. He began his business career at the age of nine- teen as clerk in the Provost Marshal's office in Greenfield, in which he was employed in 1864- 65. For the next twenty years he was con- nected with the Fitchburg Railroad, first as clerk in the freight office, then as freight cashier, and later as ticket and freight agent. In 1884 he came into possession of a fine tract of land, embracing one hundred and fifty acres and including what had been known as the Daniels farm, lying by the side of the Fitch- burg Railroad between Fitchburg and West Fitchburg; and he proceeded to develop it as a manufacturing centre, subsequently giving much of his time to this enterprise. He at- tracted manufacturers by the gift of suitable land for a site for their factories, opened streets, and encouraged the building of stores, schools, and dwellings. As the result of his efforts and public spirit, within a few years a thriving community was established, which now numbers several extensive manufactories, employing a large number of hands, many dwelling-houses, a public and a parochial school, a French Catholic Church, and thirty stores.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 111

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