Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 122

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 122

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett were the parents of four children, namely: Anna Elizabeth, who was born May 9, 1855, married James Phillips, Jr., of Fitchburg, and died March 14, 1893; Louis Deblois, Jr., born December 19, 1856, died March 7, 1862; Gerry Barstow, born No- vember 9, 1858, in East Boston, residing in Fitchburg; Francis William, born June 8, 1861, in Fitchburg, and now a resident of this city.

Mr. Bartlett was a member of the Fitchburg Water Committee in 1866, and served as a member of the City Council one year, being present at every meeting during the year. He also served on the Highway Committee. He was an active member of the Mechanical Ap- prentices' Library Association, of Boston, serving as librarian and corresponding secre- tary ; was a member of the Massachusetts Char- itable Mechanics' Association; of the Fitch Historical Association ; and of Atlantic Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Marblehead. He was a Jus- tice of the Peace for many years. He attended the First Parish (Unitarian) church.

ENJAMIN WOOD ABBOTT, who was long a respected . resident of Worcester and one of the foremost auctioneers in New England, was born in the town of Holden, Mass., in 1822. He was the only son of Chenery Abbott, tavern-keeper of that town. His mother's name in maidenhood was Betsy Wood. He received his early education in the common schools of his native town, and during his spare time worked for his father in the tavern. Here he was thrown in contact with many travellers from the outside world; and, his ambition being aroused, he determined to leave his native town and seek a more favorable field for the development of his energies. Before leaving Holden he had achieved success as an auctioneer; but the neighboring city of

1OIS

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Worcester, which was growing rapidly in size and importance, seemed to offer unusual in- ducements, and he decided to locate there and follow the occupation for which he had already acquired a taste. He was so successful that he soon opened a store and auction room on Main Street, near Franklin Square, where he developed a large business, gaining a reputa- tion for faithfulness and fair dealing.

Property of all kinds passed through his hands ; and he soon became known as the lead- ing auctioneer of Worcester County, his busi- ness aggregating hundreds of thousands of dol- lars annually. After a few years in that location Mr. Abbott's services were so much in demand that he decided to give up his store and devote his time exclusively to auctioneer- ing outside, with an office at Main and Walnut Streets. He soon began to make a specialty of horses, and established a stable for the sale of them, together with carriages and wagons, on Summer Street. His business in this line often took him to New York and other cities, and he was considered one of the best judges of horse-flesh in the East. His auction sales, which were held every Saturday, were always well attended and were often extremely enter- taining, for Mr. Abbott had a ready wit and a rare fund of humor which never failed to highly divert his auditors. He was the soul of honor and uprightness, and never stooped to misrepresentation in order to effect a sale. Indeed, in his desire for candor and square dealing he would often, in selling horses, point out defects which they possessed. His judg- ment was often sought in matters of impor- tance, in appraising estates; and no man had more friends or fewer enemies than he. With his forceful nature, dry wit, never-failing good humor, he was a "character " and a most in- teresting and picturesque figure in the life of the city. In politics Mr. Abbott was a Re- publican, and took a special interest in local affairs, but never desired or accepted any office. His business career was most successful, and he acquired a comfortable fortune. He died December 17, 1884.

Mr. Abbott married Susan Knowlton, daugh- ter of Daniel Knowlton, of Holden. They had three children - Ann, Frank, and Jennie,

all of whom were born in Holden. Ann be- came the wife of Mr. J. B. Willard, of Worces- ter. Jennie married Mr. George P. Mattoon, also of Worcester. Mrs. Mattoon is the lead- ing teacher of dancing in this locality, her school having the largest clientèle of any in Worcester County. Her attractive personality has been a potent factor in her marked success.

The old Abbott Tavern in Holden was built by Mr. Abbott's grandfather, and was kept by members of the family for three generations. It is still standing and is an historic landmark.

ILAS VINTON, a late resident of Grafton, was born in Dudley, Mass., January 23, 1819, son of Ezra and Sally Vinton, who were prosperous farming people. He received his education in the schools of Dudley and Southbridge. At the age of twenty he came to Grafton, and for the five ensuing years worked as a farm hand. In October, 1852, over forty-six years ago, with the means he had acquired, he pur- chased the livery business which is now con- ducted by his son. Some time later he pur- chased land and went to farming. He ran the stage to North Grafton in connection with his livery, and was engaged in teaming at North Grafton, being first employed by Jonathan Wheeler, a very wealthy man. He served on the Board of Selectmen for two years, and was Overseer of the Poor and Road Commissioner for quite a number of years. His death oc- curred in Grafton, November 23, 1898.

On November 24, 1853, he married Anna E. Hunt, daughter of Jeptha and Abigail Hunt, of Gloucester, town of Chepachet, R. I., where her father was a successful farmer. Frank E. Vinton, the only child of Silas and Anna Vin- ton, obtained his early education in the public schools.

Subsequently, after a course at the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College, he obtained employment in the grocery store of George K. Nichols, with whom he remained two years. He next held a position as book-keeper for Gibbs & Allen. Owing to poor health, in 1883 he spent a year in Denver, Col., after which he made a stay of eight months in Chey-

---------

JOHN BROOKS.

IO2I

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

enne. He also visited Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. For about a year he was with the California house of Sis- son. Crocker & Co., who furnished the sup- plies and Chinese help for railroads as far east as Ogden. In 1886 he returned to Grafton and became his father's partner in the livery business, which he now carries on alone. In 1895 he entered the bank as accountant and cashier, and now performs the same duties at times. During the past two years he has been Street Commissioner. His wife was formerly Susie S. Forbush, daughter of Justin Forbush, f Grafton. He is a member of Franklin Lodge, F. & A. M. ; of the Royal Arch Chap- ter at Millbury; of Hiram Council, of Worces- ter; and of Worcester County Commandery, K. T.

J OHN BROOKS, a retired lumberman of Templeton and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Brooks Village, this town, May 4, 1828, son of John and Sarah (Fairbanks) Brooks. Stephen Brooks, his grandfather, who was twice married, and was one of the early settlers of Templeton, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and died in this town at a good old age. The father, who was a lifelong resident of Temple- ton, for many years kept a tavern at Brooks Village, located upon the old Boston & Al- bany turnpike. He also carried on a farm, and was one of the best-known men of his day in this locality. In politics he was indepen- dent. He died at the age of eighty years. Sarab, his wife, who was born in Framingham, Mass., had five children, of whom John is the only one living. The mother lived to be about eighty-three years old.

John Brooks, the subject of this biography, having begun his education in the common schools, completed it at the Winchendon Acad- emy. Afterward for thirty years he was asso- ciated with Isaac Bourn in the lumber business. In 1864 he became a member of the firm Hawkes, Bourn & Brooks, which carried on the furniture business some fifteen years. Later he was a member of the firm Bourn & Brooks, furniture manufacturers, until he sold his in-

terest to Lucien Hadley and George W. Bourn. Since then he has been engaged in agriculture. He is one of the most extensive cattle dealers in the town. Besides his farm of ninety acres, he owns about six hundred acres of outlying land. In May, 1861, he went to the front as Second Lieutenant of Company A, Twenty- First Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, and subsequently served for over a year in the Civil War, participating in the battles of Roanoke, Newbern, and Camden, and winning promotion to the rank of First Lieutenant. Afterward- sickness in his family compelled him to resign from the service.

In 1864 Mr. Brooks was united in marriage with Ann Richardson Howe, of Templeton, a daughter of Lemuel B. Howe. Mrs. Brooks has had four sons, of whom Leonard S. died at the age of nine years. The others are : Edwin A., John, and Charles H. Charles is residing in Royalston. In politics Mr. Brooks is a Re- publican. At one time, when chosen Select- man and Assessor, he declined to serve on account of business pressure. He is a trustee of the Baldwinsville Savings Bank, and has acted in the same capacity for the Athol Agri- cultural Society for the past twenty years. An esteemed comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic, he belongs to the post at East Templeton. In religious belief he is a Uni- tarian, and with Mrs. Brooks he attends the church of that denomination.

RLANDO WHITNEY NORCROSS of Worcester, successor to the Nor- cross Brothers, contractors and builders, of national reputation, was born October 25, 1839, in Clinton, Me. His father, Jesse S. Norcross, was a native of Wayne, Me .; and his mother, Margaret Whit- ney Norcross, was a native of Westboro, Mass.

Jesse S. Norcross was an unusually capable mechanic, and for many years was engaged in building saw-mills in the lumber manufactur- ing districts of the Pine Tree State, including Wayne, Clinton, Bangor, and Old Town. Toward the latter part of his life he removed to Salem, Mass., and from that city he went

1022

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

to California, where he died in Benicia in 1850.

Orlando Whitney Norcross was educated in the public schools of Salem. His first em- ployment was in the leather business with James C. Stimpson. He subsequently learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed until enlisting in the Fourteenth Regiment, Massa- chusetts Volunteer Infantry, later known as the First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. After serving three years in the Civil War he returned to Salem in 1864, and, in company with his brother, James A. Norcross, engaged in the building business, which at that time; gave no promise of attaining the magnitude it has since acquired.

Their first notable building operation was the Congregational church in Leicester, Mass., erected in 1866; and this was followed shortly afterward by another church in North Adams. The growth and development of Worcester, at that time unusually brisk, led the Norcross Brothers to locate in this city, where their business began to expand rapidly; and the ability displayed by them in the construction of several large buildings here caused their estimates on work in other localities to receive favorable consideration, thus giving them the opportunities for ad- vancement which they have so effectually used.

Within the three years 1868-70 they built in Worcester the Crompton Block, the First Universalist Church, and the Worcester High School, and had begun operations in Spring- field, Mass., building there the South Con- gregational Church. In 1872 they took the contract for the Hampden County Court- house, Springfield, and in 1873 began Trinity Church in Boston, Mr. Richardson's archi- tectural masterpiece. Subsequently they exe- cuted other notable work of Richardson's design. In the six years 1873-79 they con- structed the Norwich Congregational Church at Norwich, Conn. ; the beautiful All Saints' Church, Worcester; the Cheney Block, Hart- ford, Conn .; the Latin and English High Schools, Boston; the Gymnasium and Sever Hall, Harvard College; the Ames Library and Town Hall, North Easton, Mass. ; the

Woburn Library, Woburn, Mass. ; Trinity Church parsonage, Boston; and the Newport villa of Mrs. Annie W. Sherman.

During the eighties they greatly extended their operations, building the City Hall at Albany, N. Y. ; the Allegheny County Court- house and Jail, Pittsburg, Pa .; Chamber of Commerce, Cincinnati; Howard Memorial Li- brary, New Orleans; Turner and Lionberger Buildings, St. Louis, Mo .; Marshall Field Building, Chicago, Ill .; New York Life In- surance Buildings,at Omaha and Kansas City ; Presbyterian Church, Albany, N. Y .; Law- renceville School, Lawrenceville, N.J .; and Crouse Memorial College, Syracuse, N. Y. Within the same period they built in New England the Yale Memorial Building; Har- vard College Law School Building; a Ver- mont University Building; the Durfee High School, Fall River; Crane Memorial Hall, Quincy; Malden Library, Malden; Fiske Building, Syndicate Building, and other busi- ness structures; also the First Spiritual Temple and the Algonquin and Art Club Buildings, Boston ; Burnside Building, Worcester ; the South Framingham and Springfield stations on the Boston & Albany Railroad and the Union Railroad Station at Hartford; Baptist Church at Newton; and Grace Church, New Bedford. In New York City they built the Union League Club-house, Union Theological Seminary, and St. James Episcopal and Holy Trinity Churches; and in various cities throughout the country nu- merous pretentious and costly private resi- dences. They also constructed the Soldiers' Monument at West Point, N. Y., the largest polished monolith in the world; and the Ames Memorial Monument at Sherman, Wyo., on the highest elevation of the Rocky Mountains crossed by the Union Pacific Railroad.

Their later work includes the Ames Build- ing, Chamber of Commerce, Tremont Build- ing, Youth's Companion Building, Devon- shire Building, State House Extension, and Exchange Building, Boston; Industrial Build- ing, Telephone Building, and Banigan Build- ing, Providence; also the Rhode Island State House; Dormitory Building and Commence- ment Hall, Princeton College; Perkins Hall,

1023 .

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Conant Hall, and Fogg Art Museum, Har- vard College; Society for Savings Building, Hartford, Conn .; State Mutual Life Assur- ance Building and City Hall, Worcester; College for Teachers, New York; residence of the late Colonel Elliot F. Shepard, Scar- boro, N.Y .; Bloomingdale Asylum, White Plains, N. Y .; Library, Physics, and Natural Sciences Buildings, Columbia College, New York; Equitable Building, Baltimore; Cor- coran Gallery of Art, Washington; New Eng- land Building, Cleveland, Ohio; Chemical and Physical Laboratory, Amherst College.

The facilities at their command, which are both numerous and varied, include, besides ex- tensive wood and iron working shops in Worcester, stone-yards in Boston and Cleve- land, Ohio, and granite, sandstone, slate, and marble quarries in different States. On January 1, 1897, Orlando W. Norcross pur- chased his brother's interest in the business ; and the present operations, which include the new Union Station, Boston, are being completed by him.

In May, 1870, Mr. Norcross, married Miss Ellen P. Sibley, of Salem, Mass. Of his five children, three are living; namely, Alice Whitney, Mabel Ellen, and Edith Janet.

In 1875 he served upon the committee of experts appointed to examine the condition of the Federal Building in Chicago, and the re- port of that body was afterward verified. He takes an active interest in local public affairs, and is an earnest advocate of temperance. Prior to the Rebellion he belonged to the Salem Cadets.

DWIN L. BURNHAM, one of the most respected residents of Westminster, was born in Montague, Mass., April 29, 1833, son of Silas and Martha H. (Dewey) Burnham. He is of the fifth generation in descent from Josiah Burnham, of Montague, the line being: Josiah, Daniel, Silas, Sr., Silas, Edwin L.

The will of Josiah was probated in 1763. In it he mentions his wife, Margaret, and seven children. Daniel Burnham, born in 1745, son of Josiah, served as a private in

Captain Grover's company, Colonel Will- iams's regiment, on the Lexington alarm. He had nine children. He died in 1810. Silas Burnham, Sr., born in 1770, married Aurelia Robbins, and died in 1840. He had fifteen children. The younger Silas Burnham was a prosperous farmer of Montague, and oc- cupied the farm that was formerly owned by his father, Silas, Sr.

Edwin L. Burnham received his education in the public schools and at the Montague Academy. Learning the trade of piano-case maker, he followed it as a journeyman for about seventeen years, and was for seven years foreman of a factory. In 1867 he came to Westminster, and, in company with C. T. Damon, purchased the Westminster bakery, which they carried on together for some time, or until Mr. Damon's withdrawal. The firm of E. L. Burnham & Son then conducted the business for five years, at the end of which time they sold out. Mr. Burnham next turned his attention to agriculture and to the real es- tate business, which have since constituted his chief occupations. With the exception of two years spent in Carthage, Mo., he has con- tinued to reside in Westminster. He has handled much property in this region, and he also built one mile of the State road. Taking an active interest in public affairs, he served for nine years upon the Board of Selectmen, was superintendent of streets for five years, and for some time was Overseer of the Poor. He represented his district in the legislature during the session of 1884, serving on the Election Committee. His public services have been faithfully performed, and have re- sulted in benefit to the community.

December 4, 1856, Mr. Burnham married Laura G. Damon. He has had four children, namely: George A., born in March, 1858, who died January 28, 1859; Nelson D., born September 8, 1859, who died October 8, 1867; Arthur G., born May 4, 1863; and Martha B., born August 10, 1868. Arthur G. Burn- ham married Alice Hodgman, and resides in Malden, Mass. He has two sons: Edwin L., born March 10, 1887; and George H., born September 25, 1897. Martha B. Burnham married Archie L. Rugg, of Worcester, and

---

1024

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

has one daughter, Laura M., who was born in 1892. Mr. Burnham is a member of the Con- gregational church. He has served upon the Parish Committee for six years, and for nearly thirty years has sung in the choir.

G EORGE MANN, a well-known and highly esteemed citizen of Leicester, Mass., senior member of the Mann & Stevens Woollen Company, of East Brookfield, was born the first day of January, 1835, in the neighboring city of Worcester.

His father, Billings Mann, Sr., was born' and reared in Worcester, and there he learned the details of woollen manufacturing. In 1851 or soon after, he removed to the town of Leicester, and founded at the village of Mannville the business of manufacturing woollen goods, in which he was engaged until his death, which occurred in December, 1879. Billings Mann, Sr., was actively interested in the local affairs of Leicester, and served faith- fully several terms as Selectman. He mar- ried Harriet Daniell, a native of Dedham, Mass., and had ten children, three sons and seven daughters.

George Mann received his higher education in the Leicester Academy and an academy at Thetford, Vt., and when but a youth began working for his father in the woollen-mills. After the removal of the family to Leicester he became connected with the mills at Mann- ville, first as an employee and afterward as a partner with his father, the firm then being Billings Mann & Co. After his father's death Mr. Mann and his brother, Billings, Jr., suc- ceeded in the ownership of the mills at that village, and for several years conducted the business under the firm name of George Mann & Brother. In 1897 this firm was merged into the Mann & Stevens Woollen Company, the factory at Mannville was closed, and the entire business operations were transferred to East Brookfield. Mr. Mann, while carrying on a large and profitable business as a woollen manufacturer in East Brookfield, still retains his former residence in Leicester.

In 1862 he resigned his personal ambitions for a time, and, enlisting for nine months in

Company F, Forty-second Massachusetts Vol- unteer Infantry, did duty principally in New Orleans under General Banks. For three years he served as Selectman of the town of Leicester. He is known as a loyal supporter of the Republican party. He belongs to the George H. Thomas Post, No. 131, G. A. R., of which he was Commander one year; and is also an active member of Morning Star Lodge, F. & A. M., of Worcester; of Eureka Chap- ter, R. A. M., of that city; and of the Worcester County Commandery, K. T., of Worcester.

EORGE SESSIONS, a well-known citizen of Worcester, now in his eighty-fifth year, retired from active business, bears a name that has been repre- sented in New England more than two hun- dred years. Mr. Sessions was born on Octo- ber 23, 1814, in the town of Heath, Mass. His parents were George, Sr., and Lucenia (Lombard) Sessions, the mother a native of Brimfield, Mass. His paternal grandfather, Samuel Sessions, came to Massachusetts from Pomfret, Conn.

Being the youngest of a large family, Mr. Sessions at the age of seventeen started out to see the world, and at length settled in Worcester, where for a while he worked at farming. After that he was employed for twelve years at the State Lunatic Asylum. At the expiration of that time he in company with a Mr. Howe, under the firm name of Howe & Sessions, engaged in the manufacture of tools used in the shoemaker's trade. This firm was located on Central Street, in what was known as the Heywood building, and conducted a successful business for about ten years, when Mr. Sessions disposed of his in- terest to his partner.

In 1850 he was appointed City Undertaker by Governor .Levi Lincoln, then Mayor of Worcester; and, as he was the only under- taker in the city at that time, he had charge of all interments. Danforth B. Cummings was associated with him, their establishment being located on Summer Street, between Thomas and School Streets; and, on the withdrawal of

٠٠

- ٠٥-٠٩

JAMES J. SAWIN.

1027

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Mr. Cummings in 1852, Mr. Sessions formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Horace G. Mirick, under the firm name of Sessions & Mirick, which continued the business for seven years. A number of years later Mr. Sessions took his sons into partnership, the business including the management of a large factory giving employment to twenty-five craftsmen. besides several travelling salesmen. Mr. Sessions held his appointment as City Undertaker till about three years ago, when he resigned. His natural aptitude and thorough understanding of his business gave him pres- tige with the majority of citizens, and during his long, active career he directed the funerals and burial of many noted members of the com- munity. During the Civil War he displayed his patriotism by burying free of charge many soldiers who died, and whose bodies were sent home for interment.

Mr. Sessions and Mary G. Mirick, of Hol- den, Mass., were married on October 4, 1838, and they celebrated their golden wedding in in 1888. Mrs. Sessions died about three weeks later, October 21, 1888, leaving three children - Waldo E., Frank E., and Mary Lucina. Mr. Sessions now makes his home with his daughter and her husband, Mr. C. G. Warren. For three years his business has been carried on by Waldo E. and Frank E. Sessions, under the firm name of George Ses- sions & Sons.

J AMES JULIUS SAWIN, for many years a manufacturer in Worcester, Mass., was perhaps better known for his inventions. The posthumous son of James Julius and Miriam Fairbanks (White) Sawin, he was born in Natick, Mass., July 4,

1842. The father, born in Templeton, Mass., where his ancestors for three or four genera- tions had been engaged in the manufacture of lumber, was a shoemaker by trade, and worked thereat in Natick until his early death. His widow, left with three young children to rear and educate, being endowed with true New England thrift and courage, faithfully per- formed that duty.

Mr. Sawin grew to man's estate in his

native town. He was a dry-goods clerk for several years of his earlier life. Reared to habits of industry and economy, he saved money while thus employed, and in 1870 turned his attention to a closer study of the treatment of leather with naphtha for the pur- pose of extracting the oil, a subject in which he had long been interested. Recognizing the need of a quicker and less expensive process than was at that time used, he made various experiments with the naphtha, and in 1875 was granted his first patent, another being granted him in May, 1877. His invention had for its object the treatment of leather to be used in manufacturing harnesses, belts, heels, soles, innersoles, uppers, and filling for boots and shoes. In making shoes a large amount of stock was always wasted in the small pieces known as "upper leather, " the oil that it con - tained preventing its use. After these small pieces had been subjected to the process which he patented, they could be profitably utilized in manufacturing heels. Taking into partner- ship a Mr. Wilson, he established a plant for extracting oil from leather scraps and manu- facturing these scraps into heels. This busi- ness he carried on successfully for several years as head of the firm of Sawin & Wilson. In 1882 he purchased his partner's interest ; and, coming to Worcester, the centre of the boot and shoe trade in Worcester County, he located a plant on Shrewsbury Street, where he continued the process of converting leather stock and scraps into heels ready for finishing by the manufacturers. Here he had built up a very extensive and lucrative business when he died, in September, 1896. While, like most other inventors, he lost by infringements on his patents, he managed to reap the chief benefits.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 122

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