Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 130

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

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tified with the early growth of this Common- wealth. He thus traces his descent in the male line from John Whitney, who was born in England in 1589, settled in Watertown, Mass., in June, 1635, and died June 1, 1673 : John,' John, 2 Nathaniel, 3 William, 4 William, 5 William,6 Amasa,7 Webster, & William W., 9 Elisha M. 10 .

John Whitney' was the father of nine chil- dren, all by Eleanor, his first wife, whom he married before coming to America. She was born in 1599, and died in Watertown, May II, 1659. On September 29 of that year he mar- ried for his second wife Judith Clement. John Whitney 2 was born in England in 1620. He married Ruth, daughter of Robert Reynolds, of Watertown, in 1642, and had ten children. Nathaniel Whitney, 3 born in Watertown, Feb- ruary I, 1646, married Sarah Hagar, born Sep- tember 3, 1651. They had eight children. William Whitney, 4 born May 6, 1683, died in Weston, Mass., January 24, 1720. His wife, Martha Pierce, was born in December, 1681. They had five children." William, 5 the eldest, was born in Sudbury, Mass., January II, 1707. By his union with Hannah Harrington he had three children, William 6 being the eldest ; and by his second wife, Mary Chadwick Pierce- Whitney, he had seven children. He married for his third wife Margaret Spring and for his fourth wife Mrs. Sarah Davis.

William Whitney 6 was born in Weston, Mass., April 10, 1736. He settled in Win- chendon in 1774, and died in this town, July 10, 1817. He married Mary Mansfield, of Newton, who died December 5, 1815. They had a family of seven children. Amasa Whit- ney,7 the fifth of this group, was born in Win- chendon, June 16, 1777. He acquired consid- erable prominence as a woollen manufacturer. His death occurred February 2, 1852. His wife, Mary Goodrich, who was born in Win- chendon, March 20, 1779, died June 11, 1852. She was the mother of seven children. Web- ster Whitney,8 the eldest of these, was born in Winchendon, October 6, 1803, and died April 19, 1872. He was for some time engaged in the woollen business with his father, but later entered the employ of Baxter D. Whitney, a manufacturer of machinery in this town, and

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was thus occupied for the rest of his life. He was quite active in public affairs, and served as Town Clerk for forty years. He married Eliza Parks Whitman, born in Stow, Mass., January II, 1801, and died March 4, 1867. They were the parents of three children, of whom William W. was the second. Two are living, namely : Eliza C., the eldest, widow of William Beaman, having three children liv- ing - William D., Charles D., and Caroline E. ; and Lucy E., the youngest, widow of Ar- chus S. Kimball.

William W. Whitney, father of Elisha M., was born in Winchendon, May 5, 1833. He obtained his education in the common schools and at Phillips Academy, Andover. At the age of eighteen he commenced his apprentice- ship with Captain Ephraim Murdock, a wooden- ware manufacturer, with whom he remained until twenty-seven years old. He then entered into partnership with his father-in-law, Elisha Murdock, a brother of his late employer. The concern, which began business as Elisha Mur- dock & Co., made rapid advance in the methods of producing woodenware, and, upon the retire- ment of Mr. Murdock in 1862, James A. Whit- man, a cousin of Mr. Whitney, was admitted to the firm, with which he was associated for the seventeen years following. Mr. Whitney continued the business alone from 1879 to 1884, in which year his son, Elisha M., was admitted to partnership, the old firm name of E. Murdock & Co. being still retained. Will- iam W. Whitney was a man of strict integrity and unusual business ability. He devoted his entire energy to the enterprise, which under his management continued to be the largest woodenware manufactory in New England; and through his progressive tendencies the plant was constantly improving its facilities and in creasing its output. He was particularly free from selfish desires, and all movements insti- gated for the general good of the community received his earnest support. He was a di- rector of the Ware River Railroad Company, a trustee of the Winchendon Savings Bank ; and, as he possessed the intellect to conceive and the ability to execute, these enterprises were materially benefited by his advice. For twenty years he was an active member of the Uni-

tarian church, and served upon the Executive Committee. William W. Whitney died April 25, 1890.

Sophia Morse Murdock, whom he married January 22, 1857, was born in Winchendon, March 30, 1837, daughter of Elisha and Ro- anah (Morse) Murdock. Her grandfather was Ephraim Murdock, and an account of the pa- ternal ancestry will be found in a sketch of her father, which appears elsewhere in the REVIEW. On the maternal side she is a de- scendant in the ninth generation of Joseph Morse, first, who was born in England about the year 1587. He arrived in New England about 1635, settled in Ipswich, Mass., prior to 1641, and died in 1646. Dorothy, his wife, had three children. Joseph Morse, sec- ond, who died in 1690 married Hester Peirce, of Watertown, and had a family of eight children. Deacon John Morse, the next in line, was born December 28, 1638. He was among the first settlers in Lancaster, Mass., and died July 28, 1702. His first wife, Anna, bore him one child, and died previous to 1666. On April 27 of that year he married Abigail Stearns, who died in Watertown, October 15, 1690. Of this union there were ten children, John being the third.

John Morse was born March 15, 1669-70. His first wife, Elizabeth, left three chil- dren. On January 7, 1702, he married Heph- zibah Stone, who bore him five children. Henry Morse, Sr., the eldest of these, was born September 14, 1704, and lived in Attle- boro, Mass. He married a Miss Follet, and had a family of eleven children. Henry, Jr., the fourth child, born July 22, 1734, passed the greater part of his life in Swanzey, N. H. On March 20, 1755, he married Esther Pidge, by whom he had seven children. Isaac Morse, the youngest, Mrs. Whitney's grandfather, was born November 29, 1775, and died in 1850. His first wife, Miriam Spofford, born Decem- ber 6, 1775, daughter of Deacon Jeremiah Spofford, of Jaffrey, N. H., died August 21, 1819. She had ten children, of whom Mrs. Whitney's mother was the fourth-born, and none are living. For his second wife Isaac Morse married Frances Abbott Stevens, who bore him six children, The only survivor is

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Laura A., wife of Andrew Parker, of Brook- lyn, N. Y. William W. and Sophia Whitney were the parents of but one child, Elisha M., the subject of this sketch.

Elisha M. Whitney acquired his education in the public schools of his native town and at the Adams Academy, Quincy, Mass. His active life began at the age of eighteen, and since his father's death he has managed the enterprise in a thoroughly business-like manner. Like his late predecessor, he avails himself of every opportunity to introduce modern improvements in the way of machinery and other equipments. The business, which was founded by his grandfather, has kept pace with the times, both as regards the character of its products and its financial standing; and the various changes which take place at the factory from time to time denote an expansion in its output.

On January 31, 1889, Mr. Whitney married Mary M. Whitney, born in this town, April 23, 1860, daughter of Baxter D. and Sarah Jane (Whitney) Whitney, of Winchendon. Her father is an extensive manufacturer of ma- chinery and one of the foremost business men of this locality. Mrs. Whitney is the mother of two children : William W., born September 27, 1892; and Emily, born November 21, 1894.

It is worthy of note that Mr. Whitney's great-grandfathers, Amasa Whitney, Ephraim Murdock, and Isaac Morse, who were contem- poraries and prominent business men of this town from the year 1800 to 1825, lie buried in adjoining lots in the old Winchendon cemetery.

HARLES P. STREETER, for many years a highly respected citizen of Millbury, was native of New Hampshire, born July 11, 1836, in the town of Fitzwilliam, Cheshire County, which is just over the line from Massachusetts. His parents were Thomas Jefferson and Olive (Stone) Streeter.

Thomas Jefferson Streeter lived on the old Streeter farm, which has been in the family for over a century, and at the present time is occupied by a son. Besides attending to his

farm duties he did a good business in lumber- ing, having a saw-mill on his farm. At his death, on February 16, 1861, at the age of fifty-eight, he left a property of twenty thou- sand dollars, all of which he had acquired by his own efforts. His wife was born in Can- ada, December 25, 1810; but in 1812, on the breaking out of the war, her father hastily removed to Hubbardston, Mass., rather than take up arms against the States. When her husband died she was left with ten children, of whom the youngest was but two years old. They had lost two in infancy. She lived a widow for thirty-four years, dying on Decem- ber 28, 1895, aged eighty-five years and three days. She was a woman of remarkable activ- ity and energy, and reared her children to lives of usefulness. The children were: Har- mon; Charles P. ; Amro W. ; Emma L., wife of James Townsend; Almansur J. ; Adelia S., wife of Henry Carr; Fred; Frank; Ella A. ; and Walter.

Equipped with a common-school education and a knowledge of the lumber business, Charles P. Streeter left home at the age of twenty-one to make his own way in the world. For a few years he did teaming in Winchen- don, Mass. He next engaged in the express business between Millbury and Worcester, and later in teaming and wood dealing. He died on January 25, 1898, aged sixty-one years, six months, and fourteen days, he being the first to die of the ten children living at the time of his father's death.

On November 24, 1863, Mr. Streeter was joined in marriage with Mary E. Poland, of Winchendon, daughter of S. B. and Betsy (Wheeler) Poland. Mr. Poland was a carpen- ter by trade, and also followed farming. He died in February, 1872, seventy years of age. At the time of his death he was a resident of Millbury. Mrs. Poland passed away in 1883, seventy-six years of age. They rest in the Winchendon cemetery. Their children were : Wheeler; Sarah M., wife of A. G. Liver- more; Mary E., wife of Charles P. Streeter ; Charles T. ; Julia A., wife of Samuel Al- drich; Ellen G., wife of Alvah J. Rice; Olive E., wife of Silas G. Wood; Martin L. ; Stella E., wife of Charles A. Gould; and Addison

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B. William Poland, grandfather of Mrs. Streeter, was a pensioner of the Revolution. He had eleven children. The first death was that of a daughter at the age of twenty, after which the family circle remained unbroken for forty years.

Mr. and Mrs. Streeter lost an infant daugh- ter, and there are two daughters living ; namely, Edith R. and Lilla M. Edith R., a graduate of Wilbraham Academy and of the Teachers' College in New York City, is a teacher in Brooklyn, N. Y. Lilla M., a grad- uate of Millbury High School and of the kindergarten department of the Teachers' Col- lege, is a kindergarten teacher in the Worces- ter public schools.

In politics Mr. Streeter was a Republican voter. He served his town in the office of Street Commissioner many years. He was a Mason and member of Hiram Council.

RED A. TARBOX, Chief of Police of the city of Newton, appointed under the new city charter on May 2, 1898, was born in Biddeford, Me., on May 7, 1861, his parents being Abijah and Sophronia (Pitcher) Tarbox. He is a lineal descendant of John Tarbox, who settled in Lynn, Mass., before 1640, and subsequently died there. The immigrant is said to have been the scion of an influential English family. Samuel Tarbox, grandfather of Fred A., was a soldier of the Revolution, and served in Captain Nathan Merrill's Company.

Abijah Tarbox, who was a native resident of Biddeford, was an office-holder there for thirty-six years in succession, being Marshal of Biddeford for two years, Provost Marshal during the Civil War, Overseer of the Poor, and for several years Assessor of Taxes, also serving one term as Deputy Sheriff of York County under General Burbanks and one under Robert M. Stevens. He was always ready to champion the cause of the weak against the strong, and was one of the most efficient agents of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. His death occurred on May 8, 1896, at the age of seventy-one years. His wife, Sophronia, the daughter of William

Pitcher, is still living at the age of seventy- five. Of her five children, but two sur- vive - Harry and Fred A.

Fred A. Tarbox in his boyhood attended the common schools of his native city, and subse- quently began the study of law in the office of Hamilton & Haley at Biddeford, remaining there three years. In 1889 he was appointed United States Deputy Marshal and in March of the same year agent and treasurer of the Hardy Machine Shop. Resigning the former of these two positions in 1890, he then became Marshal of Biddeford, and remained in office for four years. Elected to the School Board of Biddeford in 1894, he served as an active member of that body until February 16, 1895, when he went to Fitchburg to assume the duties of Chief of Police. While he held the position the police force of the city was in- creased by the addition of four members, mak- ing thirty men in all.

Mr. Tarbox was married on December 25, 1887, to Francena C., daughter of William Jenkins, of Corinth, Me. Active in fraternal societies, he is a member of Dunlap Lodge, No. 4, F. & A. M., of Biddeford, Me .; of Bradford Commandery, No. 4, K. T. ; of Port- land Consistory ; and of Aleppo Temple, Bos- ton. He is also a member of the State Chief of Police Association and of the Fitchburg Athletic Club. Mr. Tarbox attends the Uni- versalist church.

G EORGE W. COOK, a prominent resi- dent of Barre and one of the Com- missioners of Worcester County, was born in Petersham, Mass., March 22, 1853. He is a son of Ellis and Mary (Loring) Cook, a descendant of Major Aaron Cook, who was born in England in 1610, and arrived at Dorchester, Mass., in 1630. In 1636 Major Cook went to Windsor, Conn., where he re- sided until 1660. Afterward he removed to Northampton, Mass. ; and he died September 5, 1690. He was successively married to a Miss Ford, Joanna Denslow, Elizabeth Nash, and Mrs. Rebecca Foote Smith. Captain Aaron Cook, son of Major Cook, baptized February 20, 1640, was married to Sarah

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Westwood, May 30, 1661. They were the first couple wedded in Hadley, Mass. The Captain was a prominent resident of that town in his time. He served as a Selectman for eleven years and as Representative to the General Court for the years 1689, 1691, 1693, and 1697. His death occurred on September 16, 1716. Lieutenant Westwood Cooke, son of Captain Aaron, born in Hadley, March 29, 1670, married Sarah Coleman in 1692, was a Selectman in 1705 and 1706, and died June 3, 1744. His son, the Rev. William Cooke, who was born June 20, 1696, married Jane Sewall, was the pastor of a church in Sudbury, Mass., for forty years; and died November 12, I 760.

In the fifth generation of the family the letter e was dropped from the name. William Cook, son of the preceding William, born Sep- tember 6, 1727, died in his thirty-first year, July 21, 1758. Samuel Cook, son of this William and Mary Cook and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born Febru- ary 18, 1753. Samuel Cook volunteered in Captain Timothy Bigelow's Company, minute- men, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775. By his marriage with Lydia Parmenter he became the father of ten children. The youngest of these, Ellis Cook, born May 27, 1819, who was a lifelong resident of Petersham, followed farming industriously during his active period, and died June 12, 1871. A Republican in politics, his religious belief was that of the Baptists. His wife, Mary, who survives him and resides in Peters- ham, became the mother of three children, namely : Sarah J., born November 24, 1846, who died August 27, 1882; Samuel F., born May 9, 1849, who died August 4, 1891 ; and George W., the subject of this sketch.

George W. Cook attended the district schools and the Highland Institute in Peters- ham. When his studies were completed he became a clerk for Wetherill & Mudge. In 1874 he came to Barre, where he found em- ployment in the same capacity with Fol- lansby & Dearborn. About 1877 he formed a partnership with Charles H. Follansby for the purpose of carrying on a general store. Later, associated with George R. Simonds, he

was in business until 1889. Then he opened an insurance agency, which at the present time represents twenty of the leading fire, life, and accident companies. Having been a prime mover in securing the present water system for the town, he hastened the construc- tion of the works, which, started in 1894, were completed in 1895; and he is now vice- president of the company and the superintend- ent of the works.

On March 13, 1878, Mr. Cook married Mary L. Davis, a daughter of James F. and Lydia (Holden) Davis, the former of whom is a' prominent business man of Barre. In poli- tics Mr. Cook is a Republican, and for several years was a member of the Republican Town Committee and of the party's district commit- tee. He has served as an Assessor, was for- merly a Special County Commissioner, and has been a regular member of the board since 1893. He attends the Unitarian church.

OSEPH BIGELOW LAWRENCE, for many years a leading furniture dealer of Worcester, was born in Harvard,

Mass., on September 28, 1812, son of Stephen and Lucy (Bigelow) Lawrence. He was descended from John Lawrence, who was born at Wisset, England, and came to Water- town in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The ancestral line in England has been traced back to Robert Lawrence, of Lancashire, knighted as "Sir Robert of Ash- ton Hall,"' A. D. 1191. (See Genealogy of the Family of John Lawrence. )

Stephen Lawrence, who was a native resi- dent of Harvard and a wheelwright by occupa- tion, was one of the first to withdraw from the Trinitarian congregation and become a Uni- tarian. His wife, Lucy, who was born in Har- vard, was the daughter of Squire Roger Bige- low, a Revolutionary soldier. The Bigelows, many of whom have been noted for ability or prominence in industrial or professional lines, were among the earliest Colonial settlers.

Joseph Bigelow Lawrence, left motherless when he was a lad of eight and fatherless when he was only fifteen, had a somewhat lonely and unhappy youth. His education was received

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in the district school, which at that time was in session only three months in winter and six weeks in summer. In his early years he worked beyond his strength on the farm. But after the death of his father a brother in Bos- ton invited him to come to that city, where two older brothers were already at work. He was set to learn the trade of brush-making, and he acquired enough mechanical skill to enable him to become proficient in the art of cabinet- making, for which he had a strong liking. At twenty-two years of age he had saved some money, and, with his carefully guarded capital he went to Nantucket, which was then in its days of greatest affluence, and there opened a furniture store. This proved in every way a successful undertaking. Afterward Mr. Law- rence entered into the lumber trade, and be- came very successful.

In 1849, shortly after hearing of the discov- ery of gold in California, Mr. Lawrence, in company with Joseph Sturgis, of Nantucket, and others, bought and fitted up a vessel, in- tending to sail for San Francisco, but at the last moment he decided to remain in the East. Coming that same year to Worcester, he formed a partnership with William B. Tabor; and the two gentlemen bought ont the furniture store of E. G. Partridge, near the corner of Main and Walnut Streets, and started in business under the name of Tabor & Lawrence. A few years later John D. Chollar and A. B. R. Sprague were added to the firm, and a second store was opened. This was situated at the corner of Main and Exchange Streets, and was in charge of Messrs. Lawrence and Sprague; while the old store was in charge of Messrs. Tabor and Chollar. Though in reality under one man- agement, the two stores were carried on under different names. In 1855 the cabinet shop was burned; but the firm recovered from this loss and went on with their business, having even greater success than before. They be- came the leading furniture dealers in the county, and not only did they secure the pat- ronage of the best class of buyers in the city, but their sales to persons residing outside often reached large figures. Mr. Lawrence was the expert buyer, and had the full management of the cabinet-making department.

Shortly before the Civil War Mr. Sprague withdrew from the partnership, and at about the same time Mr. Lawrence sold out his in- terest in the Tabor and Chollar store, and re- moved his business to the American House Block at the corner of Main and Foster Streets, where he carried it on under his own name. The occurrence in 1861 of a disastrous fire destroyed all his stock; but the insurance on it was recovered, and upon the rebuilding of the block Mr. Lawrence again opened business. He continued at this stand until 1875, when the loss of investments, caused by the panic of Black Friday in 1873, together with heavy expense connected with the legal settlement of an estate of his wife, forced him into insol- vency. Obtaining a discharge, however, he resumed business, and operated successfully until 1884, when by the unwarranted inter- ference of one of his creditors he was com- pelled to relinquish its control. Although supported by all other parties with whom he had dealings and desired by them to continue, his advancing years and the uncertainty of se- curing justice and being free from unwarranted interference, caused him to prefer retirement to risk of further loss. His death occurred February 10, 1888.

On November 1, 1836, Mr. Lawrence was united in marriage with Harriet Coleman Pink- ham, of Nantucket. She is a descendant on her father's side of Richard Pinkham, who came to Nantucket from the Isle of Wight, and married Mary Coffin, a grand-daughter of Tris- tam Coffin, the most prominent man among the first settlers of Nantucket. Harriet Pierce, wife of the Rev. Cyrus Pierce, principal of the first normal school in Massachusetts, was a near relative of Mrs. Lawrence. The Swain family also are akin. Of the seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, three died in infancy. George C., who died in January, 1890, was a soldier in the Civil War, serving in the Fifty-first Massachusetts Regiment. Later he was in business in Worcester with his father. Everett, who was born in Nantucket, now resides in Boston. Susan Louisa, who was born in Nantucket, and Harriet P., who was born in Worcester, reside in this city.

Mr. Lawrence was a man of great energy and

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business capacity, and as a merchant held a high rank. He was kindly by nature, sociable, and a warm friend. An ardent champion of any cause in which he believed, he was ever ready to show his colors, and. his efforts in behalf of temperance were active and effective. He was a Past Grand of Odd Fellows Lodge at Nantucket. As a Mason he was a member of Monticute Lodge, No. 100, at Worcester, of the Morning Star organization of Masons, of the local commandery of Knights Templar, and of the Royal Arch Chapter. He belonged also to the State Guard, which was organized to protect property and repel mobs. He was a leading member of the Church of the Unity. He never entered into politics.

G EORGE NEWTON, a

farmer of Worcester, was born on August 17, 1820, a son of Guy Stafford and Dorothy (Davis) Newton. At this date he and a younger brother, who resides in Minne- sota, are the only survivors of a large family. Mr. Newton now resides with his wife and son at 763 Pleasant Street, Worcester, Mass.

ARMI M. PARKER, a well-known manufacturer of Fitchburg, was born in Merrimac, Hillsborough County, N. H., August 8, 1835. He is a son of Elkanah Phillips Parker. James Parker, their English ancestor, settled in Groton, Mass., in 1638 or 1639, and died at eighty- four years of age. He was active in town, church, and military affairs. He represented the town in the General Court in 1693. H was Captain in the militia, and served in King Philip's, King William's, and other Colonial wars. Josiah, son of James, born in Chelms- ford, Mass., in 1655, was a Captain in the militia, and served in the war with the Ind- ians, being in command at Groton in 1706. Thomas, son of Josiah, born in Cambridge, Mass., December 7, 1700, graduated at Har- vard College in 1718. He was settled pastor of the church in Dracut, Mass., in 1720, and ably filled the position during the remainder of his life, a term of forty-four years. He

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 130

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