Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 12

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

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from all the adjoining towns - Upton, South- boro, Hopkinton, Northboro, and Grafton. After a year or two Mr. Belknap withdrew from the firm to engage in the commission business in Boston, and Mr. Rice subse- quently conducted the market at the same stand for a period of forty years. By strict economy, industry, and honorable dealing he acquired a handsome fortune and the esteem and confidence of the people.

Mr. Rice had a varied experience in the management of the affairs of the town, hav- ing been repeatedly called to high and re- sponsible duties, which he invariably dis- charged with fidelity and marked ability. He represented the town in the legislature in 1855. The records of the Town Clerk show that from 1843 to 1878, a period of thirty-five years, he held either the office of Overseer of the Poor or Selectman, and often both to- gether, and that throughout the larger part of the time he was the chairman of both boards. He was Selectman for eleven years, a period exceeded only twice in the history of the town. At the time of the dedication of the soldiers' monument, in June, 1869, he was chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and at the dedicatory exercises, according to the town records, "he made a fitting speech in accept- ance." He served the Agricultural Society both as its president and treasurer, and at the time of his death he was one of the directors of the savings-bank and a member of its Board of Finance. In politics he was identified with the old Whig party. He was an es- teemed and honored member of the Ancient Order of Free Masons. A sympathetic friend and counsellor to the poorer classes, his deeds of charity were dispensed in such an un- ostentatious manner that it could be truthfully said of him, his left hand knew not what his right hand did. His death, which occurred at his home, February 11, 1879, was the re- sult of eleven days' illness with typhoid pneu- monia.

On October 15, 1838, Mr. Rice married Miss Jane Nourse, of Northboro, Mass. She is a daughter of Theophilus Nourse, of Berlin, Mass., and a grand-daughter of Dr. Benjamin Nourse, also of Berlin. Three children came

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of the union, namely: Charles Amory, born April 26, 1840; and Jennie Maria and Louise Sophia, twins, born June 28, 1847. Charles Amory Rice was for a number of years con- nected with the baggage department of the Boston & Albany Railroad at Boston. Dur- ing the Civil War he enlisted in the Forty- third (Tiger) Regiment of Boston, and served in the Carolinas and Virginia. He first mar- ried on April 6, 1866, Lizzie B. Wakefield, of Lyndon, Vt., who had one son, Charles Pliny, born January 1, 1870. This son has been employed for eleven years in the office of J. A. Frye, a boot and shoe manufacturer of Marlboro, Mass. In September, 1876, a sec- ond marriage united Charles A. Rice with Ella J. Cleveland, of Guilford, Vt., who also had one son, Arthur Parkman, born November 29, 1879, now a student at the Chelsea High School. Jennie Maria Rice was for fourteen years connected with the Western Union Tel- egraph Company; and Louise Sophia Rice married James A. Kelly, of Boston, Mass., on November 28, 1878.

ILLIS MARTIN WELLINGTON, one of the best known residents of Oxford, was born in this town, March 9, 1844, son of William and Irene (Kidder) Wellington. He is a descendant of Roger Wellington who came from England in 1630 and settled at Watertown. His great- grandfather, David Wellington, who lived in Worcester, rendered valuable assistance to the cause of independence during the Revolution- ary War. William Wellington, his grand- father, owned and occupied a farm located upon the road between Oxford and Worcester. The father, who died in 1872, was a railroad contractor for a number of years, and also carried on a farm in this town.

Willis Martin Wellington graduated from the Oxford 'High School. In his youth he worked upon the home farm. When a young man he began to assist his father in superin- tending the crews of workmen employed by the latter in building railroads. After the father died, he and his brother continued the business left by their deceased parent.

Afterward they had been actively engaged in fulfilling contracts for about seventeen years, when Willis M. practically retired from busi- ness. He is interested in the Oxford National Bank, of which he is a director.

Mr. Wellington married Emma F. Copp, a daughter of Jesse W. Copp, of Oxford. She is a descendant of the Copps for whom Copp's Hill, Boston, was named. Her great- grandfather was David Copp, of Killingly, Conn. Her grandfather, William Copp, settled here in 1832, and was a Deacon of the church. William Otis Wellington, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Wellington, born on November 18, 1874, graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the class of 1895, and is now a civil engineer in Boston. In politics Mr. Wellington is a Republican. He has served with ability as a member of the Board of Selectmen, was an Assessor for seven consecutive years, and Town Treasurer two years. Appointed Post- master by President Harrison in 1889, he served in that capacity until some time after the election of President Cleveland. He was reappointed by Mckinley. Efficient public service was also rendered by him as a mem- ber of the State Board of Agriculture for three years.

J OHN C. GIBBS, a well-known resident of Brookfield, was born in Warner, N. H., January 12, 1826, son of Tyler and Mary E. (Greenleaf) Gibbs. His father and his grandfather, William Gibbs, were natives of Hopkinton, Mass; and his mother was born in Worcester. He accom- panied his parents from Warner to Worcester when six years old, and shortly after he went with them to New London, Conn. His educa- tion was begun in the. Quaker village school, near the last named city, and completed at the New London Academy. After leaving the academy he was employed as a grocery clerk in the grocery of C. W. Strickland & Brother, of New London, until he was twenty years old. Then he went to Norwich, where he served his apprenticeship at the machinist's trade with Hugh Wilson & Son. In 1850 for a short

WILLIS M. WELLINGTON.

WILLIAM B. RAMSDELL.

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time he was the second engineer of the steam- boat "Jersey Blue," plying between New Haven and New York, after which he resumed his trade in Norwich. Beginning in 1852, he was employed as an engineer by the Heyward Rubber Company of Colchester, Conn., for four years. Moving to Fitchburg, Mass., after this, he spent some time in the employ- ment of the Putnam Machine Company. Coming to Brookfield in 1860 as master me- chanic for Kimball & Robinson, shoe manu- facturers, he continued with them and their several successors, the E. Twitchell Shoe Company and George H. Burt, for a number of years. He subsequently became the engineer of a steam mill belonging to John C. Kimball, in which capacity he worked until his retire- ment some time ago.

On March 31, 1858, Mr. Gibbs was united in marriage with Louisa Smith, of East Had- dam, Conn., a daughter of Abner C. and Hope (Marshall) Smith, both natives of that town. Her grandfather, Captain Jeremiah Smith, was a Revolutionary soldier; her uncle, Captain Azariah Smith, served in the War of 1812; and her brother, Benjamin Smith, was among the defenders of the Union in the Civil War. In politics Mr. Gibbs is a Republican. A public-spirited man, he takes an earnest inter- est in the welfare and prosperity of the town. He is a charter member and was the treasurer for a number of years of Hayden Lodge, F. & A. M., of Brookfield, which was organized in 1864. In the Congregational church, with which he and Mrs. Gibbs have been united for many years, he is a Deacon and the treasurer of the society.

ILLIAM B. RAMSDELL, of War- ren, the president of the Warren Board of Trade and the vice-presi- dent of the Warren Savings Bank, was born here, June 2, 1825. A son of Homer and Betsy (Stockbridge) Ramsdell, both of whom were natives of Hanover, Mass., he is a de- scendant of Joseph Ramsdell, in Plymouth, Mass., in 1643. Joseph's son, Samuel, set- tled on the site of the present town of Hanover in Plymouth County. Samuel's son, Joseph,

who was the father of Homer Ramsdell, bought the farm in Warren, which has since been in the possession of his descendants. Homer, then about nineteen years old, accom- panied by his brother Joseph, came in 1800 to Warren, which was then called Weston. He was a leading man in town, and for many years was a member of the Board of Select .. men. His death happened at Warren in De- cember, 1850. Besides his son William, there is one other living child; namely, Mary E., who is the wife of Joseph K. Makepeace, of Springfield. Reared on a farm here, Will- iam B. Ramsdell was chiefly occupied in agri- culture until 1864, when he began the manu- facture of boots and shoes. After following this business until 1884, he retired. For a short time he was in company with Mr. B. A. Tripp under the firm name of Ramsdell & Tripp. His early education was obtained in the common schools of Warren, in a private school, and in the academy of Warren. By

careful and systematic reading he has kept himself well informed on all topics of general interest. When a young man he studied civil engineering ; and for thirty years, in addition to his other business, he did more or less sur-

veying. He has served Warren as Selectman and Assessor. Since the organization of the Board of Trade he has been its president. The savings-bank, of which he was one of the founders, owes much of its prosperity to his good judgment and efficient action. He has been one of the trustees of the institution since its organization, and he is its vice-presi- dent and a member of its Board of Investment.

In politics Mr. Ramsdell is a Republican ; but he does not feel obliged to indorse every measure of his party, and he often votes an in- dependent ticket. He married Mary A. Makepeace, of West Brookfield, daughter of the late Augustus Makepeace. Of his four children, Homer A. and William B. are de- ceased. The others are: Jennie M., who is the wife of George M. Faulkner, the treasurer of the Slater Engine Company, of Warren ; and Emma A., who is the wife of Joseph D. Hast- ings, a well-known druggist of Warren. Mr. Ramsdell has the respect of all who know him.

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1 AUL S. LINCOLN, Postmaster at Southville, town of Southboro, was born in Acton, Mass., in 1858. His parents moved to Ashland when he was four years old. After graduating from the high school in that place, he learned shoe- making. In 1886 he formed a partnership with C. S. Jones for the purpose of engaging in the grocery trade in Southville. The firm conducted a successful business until 1892, when they sold out and dissolved. Mr. Lincoln immediately purchased another store and started again. This he had carried on for about three years, when, in December, 1896, the place was totally destroyed by fire, causing a severe loss, as there was no insurance. After this he re-established himself in busi- ness in connection with the Post-office, having been appointed Postmaster by President Harri- son in 1891 ; and he still retains the position. Born of his marriage with Clara Hill, of Ash- land, are two children - a daughter, now aged fourteen ; and a son, aged eight years.

Local public affairs have absorbed a great deal of Mr. Lincoln's attention, as his well- known ability makes him especially eligible to town offices. As a member of the School Board he has rendered good service in behalf of public education, was a Constable for some years, and is an Overseer of the Poor. He is Past Master of St. Bernard Lodge, F. & A. M., of Southboro; a member of Mayflower Council, No. 58, of Ashland; and of the Pa- trons of Husbandry, of Southboro.

TEPHEN HALL EAMES, of West Upton, the foreman of the blocking department of the Knowlton Straw Factory, was born in Upton, Febru- ary 16, 1850, son of David F. and Sarah T. (Whitney) Eames. His immigrant ancestor, Thomas Eames, who was a brickmaker and a mason, came to this country in 1634, and three days later fought in the Pequod War. Rec- ords show him to have been in Medford from 1652 to 1659, occupying a water privilege on the banks of the Mystic; to have owned a house and eight acres of land in Cambridge in 1664 and 1665; and subsequently to have be-

come an inhabitant of Sherborn, on territory now within the limits of Framingham. In 1669 he built a house and barn on the southern slope of Mount Wayte. At one time during King Philip's War, when he was absent from home in Boston, the Indians swooped down upon his defenceless family and set fire to his buildings. His household at that time con- sisted of his wife, eight or nine of his chil- dren and one or two of his wife's children by a former marriage. His wife and five of the children were murdered after a desperate re- sistance, in which the woman used hot soap as a means of defence. The other members of his family were carried into captivity, whence three of them, Margaret, Samuel, and Na- thaniel, subsequently managed to escape. At that time he lost all his worldly possessions with the exception of the two horses that he had taken with him to Boston. He estimated the value of his buildings and other property at three hundred and thirty pounds. As in- demnification for this he received from the General Court a grant of two hundred acres of land, and recovered two hundred acres more from the Indians. This Thomas Eames was a Selectman in 1678 and a member of the com- mittee appointed to build the first meeting- house in Sherborn. He dropped dead on Jan- uary 25, 1680.

Samuel Eames, born in 1664, who was capt- ured by the Indians, was the direct ancestor of Stephen Hall Eames. After being carried away by the Indians he spent from February until the following May in captivity. He then managed to escape and make his way to a white settlement by looking for the plant called by the Indians English foot and by the whites plantain, now so common in all parts of New England, but which was never found here until the white men came. Samuel was twice married - the first time in 1689 to Mary Death, and the second time in 1698 to Patience Twitchell. His son, Jonathan, who was born in 1711, married Abigail Goldbing, and settled in Holliston. Jonathan's son, Reuben, lived and died in Holliston. Reu- ben's son Moses, who was born in 1764, was an Ensign in the militia. He settled in Upton, and died here in 1828. Moses, sec-

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ond, son of Moses, first, was born in 1787. In 1809 he married Nancy Fay, who bore him thirteen children.

David F. Eames, son of Moses and Nancy Eames, born in 1813, was for many years en- gaged in butchering and in the meat business in Upton. Subsequently he forsook these oc- cupations, and, having bought a fruit farm, he engaged in its cultivation, at the same time carrying on a large stone business. He was a member of the farmers' club, and on many occasions he took premiums at the local fairs. Remarkable for his generosity, he was espe- cially liberal to the Congregational church, of which he was a member. His wife, Sarah, came from the same family as Eli Whitney, of cotton-gin fame. She was the mother of the following children: George J., born in 1840, who died in infancy; Emilie W., born November 1I, 1842; Harvey A., born Febru- ary 7, 1845 ; Herbert L., born June 13, 1847, who married Grace Nicholson in 1882; Stephen Hall Eames, the subject of this biog- raphy ; and Frank M. Eames, born October 22, 1856. Emilie W. Eames graduated at Mount Holyoke Seminary, and subsequently taught school for a number of years. She married H. B. Harvey, of Meriden, Conn., and died July 18, 1897. Harvey established a straw business in New York City, and in 1877 built at Bay Ridge a large factory, which was struck by lightning in 1890 and burned. He is now in California for his health.

Stephen Hall Eames was educated in the public schools of Upton and at Wilbraham Academy. He went into the straw factory soon after leaving school, and in time rose to his present position. He has now charge of about ninety operatives, and is looked upon as one of the most valuable men in the employ of the company. He is an active member of the Congregational church, and in politics he is an ardent Republican. On February 1, 1872, he was married to Flora E. Rockwood, daughter of James A. and Jane M. Rockwood. His children are : Burton E. and F. Leroy. The former, who was born September 25, 1875, graduated from the town high school at the head of his class, entered Worcester Polytech- nic Institute, class of 1897, and is now a

teacher of mathematics and an assistant in physics at that institution. F. Leroy, who was born May 6, 1882, is now pursuing a course of study in the Upton High School.

The men of the Eames family have been, for the most part, of great size and commanding stature. They have also been distinguished for ability and energy, and have filled posi- tions of usefulness and influence. The family prize very much the crest and coat of arms granted to Sir Henry Eames, K. G., several centuries ago.

WARREN NYE, a well-known citi- zen of Milford, now retired from active business life, was born in Montpelier, Vt., on January 24, 1822, son of Iran and Ores (Willey) Nye. The father owned some six hundred and forty acres in the en- virons of Montpelier, and was engaged in lumbering and stock-raising on an extensive scale. At his death he was ninety years old. He was an active member of the Orthodox church.

J. Warren Nye spent his early life on his father's farm. When twenty-one years of age he came to Lowell, Mass., and was there en- gaged for some years in making boots and shoes. In 1854 he went to Illinois, where he remained for six years in the general merchan- dise business in company with his brother. Although highly successful in this venture, he eventually sold out and returned to Massachu- setts, locating in Worcester. Here he and George G. Hildreth conducted an undertaking business for five years. At the end of that time he disposed of his interest, and formed a partnership with John M. Wood for carrying on the same business in Milford. This con- nection lasted until four years ago, when Mr. Nye retired. His quick sympathies especially fitted him to discharge the oftentimes difficult tasks that fell to him. He won many warm friends by his conscientiousness and other sterling qualities of mind and heart. In social life he is a genial and companionable gentle- man.

Mr. Nye is a Master Mason and a member of Montgomery Lodge in Milford. By his

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marriage with Abilena Perry, a daughter of Dana Perry, he is the father of three children, namely : George Waldo Nye, who is in the railroad business in Chicago; Charles Dana Nye, who is in a book and stationery business in Worcester; and Nellie Mulissa, who was for fifteen years a successful school teacher in Millbury, is unmarried, and resides with her parents.

ON. RODNEY WALLACE, of Fitchburg, the donor of the Wallace Library and Art Building, was born in New Ipswich, N. H., December 21, 1823. His parents were David and Rox- anna (Gowen) Wallace. Starting at the age of twelve to make his own way in the world, he hired out to a farmer for forty dollars for the first year, with the privilege of attending school during eight weeks in the winter. This forty dollars was the nucleus of a large fortune; and the eight weeks of schooling was the foundation of a fund of knowledge gleaned here and there, as opportunity offered, that has fitted him for prominent positions of trust and responsibility. At the age of sixteen he began to drive freight teams from Bellows Falls, Vt., and Rindge, N. H., to Boston, re- turning with loads of merchandise.

In 1843, when he was twenty years old, Mr. Wallace entered the employ of Dr. Stephen Jewett, of Rindge, N. H., the proprietor of Jewett's celebrated medicines, and subse- quently travelled as his agent through five of the New England States. Leaving Dr. Jewett's employ in 1853, Mr. Wallace formed a copartnership with Stephen Shepley in Fitchburg, and engaged in the sale of books, stationery, paper, and cotton waste by whole- sale. The business was at first conducted under the name of Shepley & Wallace and then under the style of R. Wallace & Co. On July 1, 1865, the partnership was dissolved and the business divided, Mr. Wallace taking the cotton waste department, which is still under his management, and has since grown to large proportions. He handles waste to the amount of a quarter of a million dollars yearly. On December 31, 1864, he and three partners

purchased the Lyon paper mill and Kimball scythe shops at West Fitchburg, and began'to manufacture paper under the name of the Fitchburg Paper Company. In January, 1869, he purchased the interest of his partners and became sole owner of the property. Since then he has added largely to the original plant, erected many dwellings for the employees, a depot, and two mills complete, with all the most modern improvements. Four machines are in operation, and the mills produce twenty- five tons of paper daily. This enterprise has been in existence for upward of thirty-three years without change of name. Since 1864 Mr. Wallace has been a director and the presi- dent of the Fitchburg Gas Company ; and from the same date, with an interim of one year, he has been a director of the Putnam Machine Company. Since 1866 he has been a director of the Fitchburg National Bank, since 1877 a partner in the Fitchburg Woollen Mill Company, and since 1878 a trustee of Smith College, Northampton, Mass. He is also a director of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a trustee of the Fitchburg Savings Bank, a director of the Fitchburg Railroad Company, a director and a large stockholder in the Parkhill Manufacturing Company, and he has been intrusted with the settlement of sev- eral large and important estates.

On December 1, 1853, Mr. Wallace was married to Sophia, daughter of Thomas In- galls, of Rindge, N. H. She died June 20, 1871, leaving two sons - Herbert I. and George R., who are associated with their father in the management of his business. On December 28, 1876, a second marriage united him to Mrs. Sophia F. Billings Bailey, of Woodstock, Vt., who died November 9, 1895. For politics he has had little ambition, yet he has been elected to several important offices. In 1864, 1865, and 1867 he was Se- lectman of Fitchburg. In 1873 he repre- sented Fitchburg in the General Court ; and he was unanimously renominated the following year, but declined re-election on account of his health. He was State Councillor through- out the whole administration of Governor Long, in 1884 he was a delegate to the Na- tional Republican Convention, and in 1889-90

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he represented the Eleventh Congressional District in the National House of Representa- tives. Mr. Wallace has liberally aided nu- merous undertakings for the benefit of the city. The Wallace Library and Art Building, which was erected by him in 1885 at a cost of eighty-four thousand dollars, and presented to the city of Fitchburg free of all conditions ex- cept that "it should be under the care of the Board of Trustees of the Public Library for the time being, and be used for a free public li- brary, reading-rooms, and art gallery, and for no other purpose," is a monument to his mu- nificence and public spirit. The building is admirably adapted to the use for which it was intended, and is a constant source of profit and pleasure to all classes of citizens. Mr. Wal- lace also built and gave to the town of Rindge, N. H., the home of his first wife, a brick edi- fice with brownstone trimmings, for a public library, to which use it was dedicated in 1894.

ECHARIAH F. YOUNG, Clerk of the Board of Assessors, Fitchburg, was born in Athol, Mass., March JO, 1821, son of Joseph and Sophia (Field) Young. His paternal grandfather was David Young, who at an early date settled in Athol, where he cultivated a farm during his active years, and reared a family of six sons and five daughters. The sons were : Reuben, James, Moses, David, Joshua, and Joseph.

Joseph Young, Zechariah F. Young's father, was born in Athol, Mass. In early life he followed the carpenter's trade, which he subse- quently relinquished in order to keep a hotel. His wife, Sophia, who was born in Northfield, Mass., became the mother of four children, one of whom, Joseph, was killed in the battle of the Wilderness. The only one now living is the subject of this sketch.

Zechariah F. Young was educated in the common schools of his native town and at the academy in New Salem, Mass. In his younger days he was employed as a hotel clerk, being connected at different times with hostelries in Greenfield, Northampton, Am- herst, and Northfield. He was also engaged in farming to some extent. In May, 1847, he

came to Fitchburg as time-keeper for the en- gineers engaged in building the Vermont & Massachusetts Railroad; and when the line was opened he was appointed to a position in the freight department. Some four years later he was made general freight agent in Fitch- burg, and continued in that capacity until 1878.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 12

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