Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 2

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 2

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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Munroe Brothers' machine shops when he was eighteen years old. Later he turned his at- tention to civil engineering and assisted in laying out the Fitchburg Reservoir. He also worked for the city as assistant with J. Parker Snow for some time. Then he resumed his trade, and followed it for the four ensuing years. In 1882 he and his mother engaged in the hotel business at the old Holly Tree Inn. After they had carried on this house for six or seven years, they bought the property num- bered 339 Main Street, added an extension forty feet long and three stories high, and there opened Hayward's Temperance Hotel in August, 1890. In March, 1891, Mr. Hay- ward sold his interest to his mother, who is still carrying it on. He then purchased the Drury House Dining-room, which he con- ducted until March, 1896, when he sold out. Since then he has been engaged in the real estate business.

In December, 1890, Mr. Hayward married Lila M. Russell, a daughter of Andrew and Mary Russell, of Townsend, Mass. He has one son and two daughters. In politics he is a Republican. A strong advocate of tem- perance, he vigorously opposes the granting of liquor licenses. He is a member of Mount Rollstone Lodge, No. 98, I. O. O. F.

ON. WILLIAM TROWBRIDGE FORBES, Judge of the Courts of Probate and Insolvency for Worces- ter County, was born May 24, 1850, at the old Forbes homestead, West Main Street, Westboro, Mass., son of Deacon Ephraim Trowbridge and Catharine (White) Forbes.

This family is of Scotch origin; and the name Forbes, still pronounced in Scotland in two syllables, appears in the early town records of New England as Forbes, Farrabas, Farrw- bush, Forbus, Furbush, Furbish, Farebush, and otherwise. In Burke's "Heraldry " it is stated that the surname of Forbes was assumed from the lands of Forbes, County Aberdeen, Scotland, granted by Alexander II. (1249) to the progenitor of this noble family.

The first ancestor in this country of the

branch of the family under immediate con- sideration was Daniel Forbes, or, as written by the town clerks in New England after the broad Scotch pronunciation, Farrabas. From the best information obtainable it is probable that he was born at Kinellar, Scotland, about 1620. He was, it is thought, one of the Scotch prisoners taken by Cromwell at the battle of Dunbar, September 3, 1650, eight thousand of whom were sent to the English colonies. He married, according to the Cam - bridge records, March 26 (or 27), 1660, Re- becca Perriman, supposed to have been a sister of Thomas Perriman, of Weymouth, and of Frances Perriman, who married in 1654 Isaac Andrew, of Cambridge. Daniel Forbes was in the employ of Edmund Angier, to whom he conveyed land granted to him by the town of Cambridge. His wife, Rebecca, died May 3, 1677 ; and he married second, May 23, 1679, Deborah Rediat, of Concord, born in 1652, a daughter of John and Ann Rediat (or Redyate), of Sudbury. Residing successively in Cambridge, Concord, and Marlboro, he died in the last-named town in October, 1687. His widow subsequently married Alexander Stewart. He had eight children - Daniel, Thomas, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Samuel, John, Isaac, and Jonathan.

Deacon Jonathan Forbes (or Forbush), son of Daniel and Deborah (Rediat) Forbes, was born in Marlboro, March 12, 1684, and died at Westboro, March 24, 1768. He was a prosperous man, owning large tracts of land, besides a good farm and saw-mill. He was active in town affairs, serving as Constable, Moderator of town meetings, and Selectman, and was a Deacon in the church. He mar- ried January 2, 1706, Mrs. Hannah Hayward Farrar Holloway, widow of Adam Holloway, of Marlboro. His children were nine in num- ber - Mary, Dinah, Daniel, Thankful, Jona- than, Abigail, Patience, Phinehas, and Eli.

Deacon Jonathan Forbes, Jr., son of Deacon Jonathan and Hannah Forbes, was born Feb- ruary 3, 1715, in that part of Marlboro subse- quently incorporated as Westboro. He mar- ried in Westboro, November 23, 1738, Joanna Tainter. Their children were: John, Jona- than, Phinehas, Mehitable, Joanna, Joanna

WILLIAM T. FORBES.

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(second), Sarah, and Hannah, the four last named of whom died young. Deacon Forbes, Jr., died in November, 1756. His wife sub- sequently married a second and later a third husband.

Deacon Jonathan Forbes, third, the next in line of descent, was born March 1, 1746, and died June 5, 1805. He married July 2, 1772, Sarah Brigham, who was born April 18, 1751. Their residence was in Westboro, Mass. Their children were: Moses, Jonathan, Hol- land, Ephraim, Sarah, Elias, Nancy, and Achsah, all of whom attained maturity and married. Mrs. Sarah B. Forbes was a daugh- ter of Moses Brigham. At her death, Au- gust 20, 1827, she bequeathed a Bible to each of her grandchildren, forty-five in number.

Captain Jonathan Forbes, fourth, otherwise called Deacon, son of Jonathan, third, and Sarah (Brigham) Forbes, was born December 6, 1775, at the Forbes homestead, West Main Street. in Westboro, Mass., where he always resided, and where he died January 5, 1861. He taught school when a young man. He was a Captain of militia as early as 1813, and in that year he was also elected Deacon of the Evangelical church, holding the latter office forty-eight years. He held most of the town offices, and was a natural leader in church and town affairs. It is said that he was always chairman (de facto) of every committee on which he served. He married January 17, 1802, Esther, daughter of Ebenezer and Esther Chamberlin, a niece of Judge Edmund Trowbridge. The following is a brief record of their children: Sarah Brigham, born April 16, 1803, married the Rev. Charles Forbush, of Upton, Mass., and died August 22, 1851, her husband having died in 1838, five years after their marriage; Julia Miranda, born June 25, 1804, married the Rev. John Wilde, who died in Alexandria, Va., in 1868; Jona- than, born November 26, 1806, died January 24, 1820; Daniel H., born September 13, 1809, married Jane Jemima Baker and, sec- ond, Mary Avery White; Esther Louise, born June 22, 1810, died October 3, 1812; Moses, born September 25, 1812, married Eliza L. Southwick; Ephraim Trowbridge, born March 25, 1815, married Catharine White; Eliza

Sophia, born January 7, 1821, died un- married August 14, 1881.

Deacon Ephraim Trowbridge Forbes, the father of the subject of this sketch, received his education in the common schools and at Andover Academy. He taught school in Westboro and Southboro, and for many years was a member of the School Committee. He was active in church work, and was a Deacon of the Evangelical church. In 1842 he mar- ried Catharine White, born July 25, 1815, daughter of William and Nancy (Avery) White, of Westboro, formerly of Roxbury, Mass., and great-great-grand-daughter of Cap- tain Samuel Adams, father of Governor Sam- uel Adams.

After marriage Deacon Ephraim T. Forbes resided on the farm formerly owned by his father and grandfather at the juncture of West Main Street and the road to North Grafton. His death occurred August 2, 1863. His children were: Catherine Salome, who was born September 12, 1845, married March 12, 1867, Charles Brigham Kittredge, and resides at Glyndon, Minn. ; Esther Louise, born June 17, 1847, who resides in Westboro, and is un- married; William Trowbridge, whose name appears at the head of this sketch, and whose history follows; Francis White, born May I, 1852, who married first Jane A. Nason and second Fannie E. Hooker; and Susan Eliza, born September 20, 1854, who died December 30, 1860.

William Trowbridge Forbes, the date of whose nativity has been already given, fitted for college in local schools, the Allen Classi- cal School at West Newton, Mass., and under the instruction of the Rev. James Tufts, of Monson, Mass. At Amherst College, where he was graduated in 1871, he received first prize in mathematics, Sophomore year, and a German scholarship, Junior year. He was class historian, one of the editors of the Amherst Student, and a member of his class crew in the regatta of 1870 on the Connecti- cut River. On leaving college he went to Constantinople, Turkey, and for three years was instructor in mathematics in Robert Col- lege. While there he made a geological sur- vey of the vicinity of Constantinople with Dr.

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George Washburn, the president of the col- lege, collecting about two thousand fossils, many of them being new varieties, of which casts were exhibited at the Vienna Expo- sition.

On his return to America he studied law at Worcester with Bacon, Hopkins & Bacon, and for three years was Standing Justice of the First District Court of Eastern Worcester. He resigned this position in 1879, and prac- tised law in Westboro, Mass., until he was appointed in 1888 Judge of the Courts of Pro- bate and Insolvency for Worcester County. This position he now fills. He has held many of the town offices in his native place. He represented his district in the State legis- lature in 1881-82 and in the Senate in 1886- 87. He served on the Committees on Liq- uor Law (being House chairman) and on the Judiciary, Probate and Insolvency, Election Laws, etc. In 1887 he prepared and carried through the legislature laws abolishing taxa- tion for church purposes, and providing for the incorporation of churches without a parish- or religious society. He has taken much in- terest in local history, preparing a sketch of the history of Westboro for a county history, and assisting in the work on the town history published in 1891. He is a member of the American Antiquarian Society, and has been president of the Worcester Congregational Club.

On February 5, 1884, he married, in Worcester, Harriette Merrifield, daughter of William T. and Maria C. (Brigham) Merri- field, of Worcester, Mass. Judge Forbes and his wife are the parents of six children, namely : William Trowbridge Merrifield, born April 23, 1885; Allan White, born June 20, 1886; Cornelia Brigham, born July 14, 1888; Katharine Maria, born September 23, 1889; Esther Louise, born June 28, 1891 ; and Mal- colm Stuart, who was born November 22, 1892, and died February 4, 1893.

ALTER HARRIS HOWE, for- merly a well-known and highly re- spected resident of North Brook- field, was born in New Hampshire, May 5,

1827. His parents, Timothy and Lucretia (Whiton) Howe, removed to Underhill, Vt., when he was a very young boy. Later his father went to Melrose, and died there in his ninety-second year. Young Howe grew up in Underhill, remaining there until his twenty- first year. His early education was obtained in the common schools of that period. After- ward, becoming fond of books, he was con- sidered unusually well informed on all the leading topics of public interest. In 1848 he came to North Brookfield, and entered the employ of the Batcheller boot and shoe manu- facturing concern. Here his diligence and natural capabilities attracted the attention of his employers, and in course of time he was promoted until he became foreman of the sole leather department. In this position he often had charge of a large force of men, with whom he was very popular. He seemed able to obtain the best work his men were capable of and at the same time to win and retain their good will. Politically, he was a Repub- lican. His wide range of reading awakened his interest in public affairs, and he was one of the most progressive and public-spirited men in the town. He had much natural abil- ity as a musician, like his father, and was for many years a member of the choir in the First Congregational Church, of which, also, he was a communicant. His death occurred on April 25, 1884.

On November 26, 1851, Mr. Howe was married to Rebecca B. Whiting. Her par- ents, Lewis and Roxana (Parks) Whiting, were natives respectively of Hingham and Lincoln, Mass. Mr. Whiting resided for some years in North Brookfield, was identified with boot and shoe interests, and carried on some farming. His other surviving children are: Phœbe W., who is the widow of the late Henry Deland, of North Brookfield; and Mary F., who is the wife of Thomas H. Reed, of Worcester. Mrs. Howe resides at the

Howe homestead. She is a member of the First Congregational Church, and has been active in the social affairs of the town. Be- fore her marriage she was a school teacher, and she taught for four years in this town and for about five months on Cape Cod. She was

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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

the mother of two children, both of whom grew to maturity, but are now deceased. They were: Carrie M., who was the wife of L. H. Tucker, and resided in North Brook- field; and Marion T., who was the wife of H. G. King, and was also a resident of the town.

A" BNER SMITH, a venerable and re- spected resident of Spencer, Mass., was born March 27, 1816, in Mar- low, N.H. A son of John and Mary Smith, both natives of New Hampshire, he comes of English origin. His paternal grandfather, also named Abner, who was born and reared in Lyme, Conn., was a Revolu- tionary soldier.

Until he was about ten years of age, the present Abner Smith remained in the town where he was born. Then, in the spring of the year, he went to Sutton, Vt .; and in the following fall his parents became residents there. Returning to Marlow two years after, he made his home with his grandfather for the ensuing three years. At the end of that time he went back to Sutton, and spent the remainder of his minority there. A remark- able incident of his life during that period was the driving by him of fourteen head of cattle from Sutton to Leominster, N.H., a distance of one hundred and fifteen miles, in four days. At that time, when roads were poor and travelling was difficult, this was con - sidered quite a feat. Shortly after reaching his majority Mr. Smith made a brief visit to Charlestown, N.H. About the year 1840 he came to Massachusetts, and was for a while in the employ of William Stevens, who kept a hotel at East Brookfield. As at that time not less than fourteen stages stopped at Brookfield every day, he saw a great many people, and picked up a large amount of inter- esting information. For a short time after his marriage he resided in Marlow, N. H. Returning eventually to East Brookfield, he engaged in teaming there. Since 1851 he has resided in Spencer, and for many years of that period he has followed agriculture. When a younger man he used to purchase horses,

cattle, hogs, and sheep in Canada, and sell them, generally at auction, in Spencer. He now owns about four hundred acres of land, on which he is engaged in general farming.

Mr. Smith has held some of the minor town offices, and is well known and well liked among his townsmen. A self-made man, the credit of his success in life is entirely his own. In 1841 he married Adeline Stevens, who died on June 30, 1890. She was a de- voted member of the Baptist church. Of her five children, William is deceased. The others are: Frank A., Rosetta, Lucy A., and Emma L. Rosetta is the wife of Her- bert Lovejoy, a prominent manufacturer of women's clothing in Boston. Lucy A. is the wife of Eugene Carpenter. Emma L. is the wife of W. Draper, of Boston.

ILAS A. GREENWOOD, who conducts a flourishing insurance business in Winchendon, was born in Hubbardston, Mass., December 6, 1854, son of Alson J. and Martha G. (Moulton) Greenwood. His great-grand- father, Abijah Greenwood, about the year 1770, accompanied by his brothers, Moses and Levi, went from Holden to Hubbardston, and spent the rest of his life upon a farm in that town. Abijah joined the American army at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and participated in the battle of Bunker Hill. He died January 9, 1814. By his first wife, whose maiden name was Rhoda Pond, and who died July 16, 1782, he became the father of three children. On October 3, 1783, he mar- ried Elizabeth Marean, who bore him two children, and died February 15, 1814.

Silas Greenwood, the youngest child of Abijah and the grandfather of Silas A., born in Hubbardston, November 19, 1786, was a prosperous farmer throughout the active period of his life, and highly esteemed as a public- spirited citizen. In politics he was a Whig, and he held several town offices. On Decem- ber 8, 1811, he married Julia Daniels, who made him the father of four sons and four daughters. Of these, Silas Newell, Julia, Hannah, 'Abbie D., and Alson J. are living.

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Silas N. successively married Calista Heald and Susan Browning. His daughter, Eva, born of his second marriage, became the wife of Walter White and the mother of four chil- dren. Julia is the widow of the late Joseph Cheney Murdock, and has five children - Lorey L., Alfred C., John G., William C., and Abbie L. Hannah is the wife of John G. Allen, and has two children - Abbie and Harry. Abbie D. Greenwood married the late John Browning, and has one son, Henry H. Browning. Grandfather Greenwood died March 12, 1857, and his wife on January 9, 1864. The latter was a member of the Uni- tarian church.

Alson J. Greenwood, the youngest of his parents' children, was born in Hubbardston, September 27, 1829. Succeeding to the ownership of the homestead, he has since fol- lowed general farming there successfully. He has also carried on lumbering. In poli- tics he acts with the Democratic party. For twelve consecutive years he was a member of the Board of Selectmen, and he has also served as an Assessor. His wife, Martha, born in Hubbardston, July 9, 1833, is a daughter of Sewall and Polly (Hunting) Moulton. She became the mother of five children, as follows: Sewall Elliott, on Sep- tember 15, 1853; Silas A., the subject of this sketch; Arthur D., May 23, 1858; Grace, February 3, 1862; and Harrison, August 31, 1863. Sewall Elliott married Charlotte Smith, of Grafton, Mass., and has three chil- dren - Lucius, Arthur, and Dorothy. Arthur D. married Susie E. Kelton, of Hubbards- ton, and has one son, Ashton H. Grace is the wife of Ernest A. Woodward, of Hub- bardston, and the mother of Harold, Sher- man, Helen, Lyman, Alson, and Ernest Woodward, Jr. Harrison married Alice E. Priest, of Gardner, and has two children - Howard P. and Grace. Alson J. Greenwood and his wife are still residing at the home- stead in Hubbardston.

Silas A. Greenwood was educated in the common schools and in the Wesleyan Acad- emy at Wilbraham, Mass. Afterward for five summer seasons he was employed at the Prospect Hotel in Princeton, for one year as

clerk in the grocery store of Charles Davis in Hubbardston, and for two years he was in a dry-goods store at East Boston. In 1876 he entered the fire insurance business as a solic- itor in Hubbardston. Coming to Winchendon in the following year, he established an agency which has steadily grown in impor- tance since. He is now transacting an exten- sive business throughout this section. Some time ago he and his brother Harrison opened a ranch agency in Gardner. He has been the treasurer of the Winchendon Co-operative Bank since its establishment, a director of the Westminster National Bank of Gardner, and a leading spirit in all movements for de- veloping the business of the town.

On November 25, 1879, Mr. Greenwood married Sibyl H. Browning, a daughter of James and Ann W. (Whittemore) Browning, of Hubbardston. Mrs. Greenwood is the mother of one son, Robert B., who was born in Winchendon, May 23, 1884. Mr. Green- wood is an Odd Fellow, and has been an ac- tive member of the local lodge for the past fifteen years. Both he and Mrs. Greenwood are members of the Unitarian church. In politics he is a Republican.

R OBERT B. WHEELER, who owns and cultivates one of the most produc- tive farms in Berlin, son of Amos and Lydia (Randall) Wheeler, was born where he now resides, March 19, 1835. He is descended from early settlers of the

town. His grandfather, Peregrine Wheeler, The was a lifelong resident of South Berlin. father, who was also born here, after conduct- ing a farm in the place for some time, sold that property, and bought the farm where his son now lives, and occupied it for the last twenty-five years of his life. He died at the age of seventy-six. He was elected to sundry town offices, including those of Assessor and Surveyor of Wood. Lydia, his wife, who was a daughter of Reuben Randall, a prosper- ous farmer of Richmond, N.H., became the mother of eleven children, of whom seven sons and two daughters grew up. Three sons are still living - Rufus, Oliver S., and

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

Robert B. The mother died at the age of forty-seven years. Both parents were Quakers.

Robert B. Wheeler completed his education at the Friends' School in Bolton. Since his youth he has been engaged in cultivating the home farm, having succeeded to its ownership after his father's death. He has devoted his attention to general farming and the raising of vegetables for the Clinton market. In pol- itics he is a Republican, and he has been a Selectman for nearly twenty years. He has also served upon the Board of Health; was Assessor. Overseer of the Poor, and Road Commissioner; and has been Cattle Inspector since that office was created. Taking much interest in agricultural questions, he has been the treasurer of the local grange for two years. The family attend the Friends' Meeting.

In 1861 Mr. Wheeler first married Nancy M., daughter of Thomas W. Wheeler, of Bol- ton. She died in 1890, aged forty-eight years. His present wife, in maidenhood Marion Jeffrey, is a native of Scotland. Of his six children by his first wife, five are liv- ing, namely: Alice, who married farmer George H. Dow, and has two children - Sarah and Ruth; Gilbert H., a farmer in Bol- ton, who married Ida Burnham, and has two children - Leon R. and Bernice; Bertha M., who married Walter Cole, also a farmer of Bolton, and has two children - Raymond and Mabel; Laura A., who married John Taylor, a railroad employee, and has two children - Harold and Robert; and Amos C. Wheeler.

LEXANDER G. WILLIAMS, propri- etor of a large department store in Barre, Mass., was born in this town, February 28, 1849, son of Elbridge and Harriet (Randall) Williams. His father was a native of Dana, this county. For some years he was engaged as a hatter and merchant in company with Mr. Oakes in Athol, Mass. Removing to Barre in 1849, he died here in 1852. He was a man of unusual energy and industry, and his untimely death was the cause of general regret. His wife was a native of Petersham, Mass. They were

the parents of seven children, three of whom grew to maturity, and two are living, namely : Mrs. Jane Brown, of Williamsville; and Alex- ander G., the subject of this sketch. After the death of Mr. Williams, Mrs. Williams was again married, and, surviving her second husband, died in widowhood.

Alexander G. Williams had limited oppor- tunities for attending school, as he was obliged to begin work at an early age in order to contribute toward his mother's sup- port. When sixteen years old he was able to manage a farm, and by his labor he paid up about two thousand dollars of debts left by his deceased step-father. At the age of twenty-one he engaged in the clothing busi- ness where John Bartholomew now is. Later removing to Williamsville, he there continued in trade until meeting with reverses; and about the year 1873 he entered the employ of Harding P. Woods, a merchant in Barre, as a clerk. When Mr. Woods retired, Mr. Williams succeeded to the business in com- pany with M. J. Hillman, a fellow-clerk, with whom he was associated until Mr. Hill- man's death in 1886.

Mr. Williams purchased the land and build- ing of the Woods heirs, and has since con- ducted the business alone. When, in No- vember, 1892, the old store was burned with a large portion of its contents, entailing a heavy loss only partly covered by insurance, Mr. Williams, alert and stirring, a man of ex- cellent executive ability, embraced the op- portunity for a new enterprise, the establish- ment of a large department store. For this purpose he erected the Williams Building, which was completed in 1893, is a model of its kind for convenience, and is an ornament to the town. It is entirely finished in natural woods, and is neat and tasteful. The base- ment has a cemented floor, and is divided into compartments for the storage of the several lines of goods; for instance, there is a room where nothing but kerosene oil is kept. A tank holding some thirty barrels occupies one side of the room, and faucets are conveniently arranged for drawing the oil. There is also a room for the storage of full barrels. Another room is devoted to paint oils, another to fruit,

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

another to vegetables, while the centre is used for flour and various groceries. In a room directly under the street entrance to the store are located two large boilers, which supply steam and hot air for heating the en- tire building. The cellar extends under the piazza, and this part is used for the storage of coal, which can be conveniently delivered from the street above. Every department of trade is represented by full lines of goods of the best quality, affording the public facili- ties for shopping never before enjoyed at home; and the liberal policy that has charac- terized the establishment from the first has, as was anticipated by the far-sighted proprie- tor, succeeded in winning appreciation and patronage.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 2

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