Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 21

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 21

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ALTER FREDERICK BROOKS, treasurer of the Worcester Corset Company, was born in this city, January 13, 1859, son of Charles Edwin and Elizabeth Capron (Fanning) Brooks. His father was born in Worcester, August 15, 1824, and his mother was a native of Con- necticut and a daughter of Henry Wilson and Sarah (Hale) Fanning.

Mr. Brooks is a representative of the ninth generation of the family founded by Captain Thomas Brooks, who, with his wife, Grace, came to New England, and settled at Water- town in 1631. This is the ancestral line: Captain Thomas,1 Deacon Joshua,2 Ensign Daniel, 3 Deacon John,4 Captain Samuel, 5 Deacon Samuel,6 Deacon Nathaniel,7 Charles Edwin, 8 Walter Frederick. 9

Captain Thomas Brooks was one of the orig- inal proprietors of Concord, Mass., whither he removed in 1635, and resided there the rest of his life. Deacon Joshua Brooks, who was born about the year 1630, married Han- nah Mason on October 17, 1653, and lived in Concord. Ensign Daniel Brooks, son of Dea- con Joshua, born in Concord, November 15, 1663, married Ann Merriam in 1690. His son, Deacon John Brooks, who was born Feb- ruary 12, 1701, married Lydia Barker. Cap- tain Samuel Brooks, son of Deacon John, was born March 16, 1729-30, and was the first of the family to settle in Worcester, coming here about the year 1750. He married Mrs. Han-

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nah Davis Brown. Deacon Samuel Brooks, only son of Captain Samuel, was born in Worcester, Mass., June 10, 1755. He re- moved to Haverhill, N.H., and was Register of Deeds for Grafton County many years. He married Ann Bedel Butler, March 8, 1789. Ann Bedel was a daughter of Colonel Timothy Bedel, of Revolutionary fame, and had pre- viously married Dr. Thaddeus Butler.

Deacon Nathaniel Brooks, second, the grandfather of Walter Frederick, was a son of Deacon Samuel, and was born in Haverhill, N. H., October 3, 1797. His parents removed from Haverhill with a large family of chil- dren, and settled in Stanstead, Canada, where they died and were buried, leaving descend- ants who have been well and honorably known in public affairs, among them a son Samuel, who was a member of the Canadian Parliament. At the age of twenty-one Nathaniel Brooks settled in Worcester, Mass., the home of his aged grandfather, who had died the previous year, 1817. He acquired prominence in pub- lic affairs prior to its incorporation as a city, serving as Selectman and in other town offices, and as a member of the General Court for two years. He was a Deacon of the Old South Church, and was highly esteemed for his many excellent qualities as a citizen and neighbor. He died November 3, 1850. His wife, Mary Chadwick, who was a member of the family for which Chadwick Square was named, was born in Worcester, July 3, 1794. She died August 31, 1876. They were mar- ried on April 8, 1822, and they had ten chil- dren. The only one of the family living is Mary Chadwick, who was born November 27, 1828, and is now the widow of John Ander- son, formerly of the firm of Anderson, Heath & Co., Boston.

Charles Edwin Brooks completed his educa- tion at the Worcester Academy. When a young man he left the farm to enter mercan- tile life. After a service of four years in the office of the Daily Spy he entered the grocery business as a member of the firm of Brooks & Stearns, whose store was at 8 Front Street. He carried on business there ten or twelve years. During a part of the war of the Re- bellion he served as Commissary at New-

bern, N.C. Upon his return to this city he became associated with his brother Horace and his brother-in-law, David H. Fanning, in the Worcester Skirt Company, which was afterward changed to the Worcester Corset Company. He was treasurer and librarian of the Worcester County Horticultural Society from 1879 until his death, which occurred December 22, 1890. On December 2, 1851, he married Elizabeth Capron Fanning, who, with two sons, Arthur Anderson and Walter Frederick, survives him. Nearly seventy- six years of age, Mrs. Brooks is still bright and active. Her father, Henry Wilson Fan- ning, named above, was of the sixth genera- tion in descent from Edmund Fanning, who settled at what is now Groton, Conn., in 1653. (For further notice of that family see sketch of David H. Fanning, which appears elsewhere in the REVIEW.) Her mother was of the well-known Hale family, of Connecti- cut. Ella Brooks, only daughter of Charles E. and Elizabeth C. F. Brooks, died at the age of four years. The Rev. Arthur Ander- son Brooks, the elder son, a graduate of Har- vard University, class of 1879, and the Di- vinity School, class of 1884, was ordained and installed in 1885 minister of the Third Congregational (Unitarian) Society, Green- field, Mass. He resigned his charge in 1896, and is now abroad for study and recreation.

Walter Frederick Brooks, the subject of this sketch, was graduated at the Worcester High School, class of 1877, fitted for college. Preferring, however, a business life, he en- tered the employ of George Crompton, and was in the office of the Loom Works about two years. The succeeding eleven years he was with William H. Morse, banker; and in 1891 he, in partnership with J. F. Rock, leased the Worcester Theatre, which they carried on for three years. In January, 1896, he was elected treasurer of the Worcester Corset Company. Needless to say, his qualifications for this responsible position enable him to administer the financial affairs of the concern in a most satisfactory manner.

In politics Mr. Brooks is a stanch Republi- can. He is a member of the Worcester County Commandery, Knights Templar, Order

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of Masons; of the Worcester Society of An- tiquity; the New England Historic Genealog- ical Society, Boston; and several other well- known organizations. He resides at 54 Queen Street, Worcester.

B ENJAMIN A. JOURDAN, one of the best known men of Upton, was born in Grafton, Mass., in 1832. His father was David Jourdan, who came from Connecticut, and for many years was engaged in the provision business in Grafton. David also dealt quite extensively in cattle and sheep, which he collected in large droves from various places and resold to farmers in other localities.

While still a boy, Benjamin A. Jourdan became familiar with the meat business. At the age of twenty-one he went to Upton, and engaged in business for himself. From that time until his retirement in 1895 he dealt largely in meat, which he purchased at Brigh- ton and of the neighboring farmers. Some years ago he embarked in the ice business in Upton, storing his crop in an old school-house until better accommodations could be pro- vided. He now disposes of about nine hun- dred tons per year. Also engaged in agricult- ure, he owns a good farm. In public affairs he has been conspicuous for many years, being a leading supporter of the Republican party in this section. His efforts to forward the best interests of the community are heartily appre- ciated by his fellow-townsmen. He is now serving his fourth year as chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and he has been a mem- ber of the Board of Assessors. He was a Representative to the legislature in 1880 and 1895, serving in both terms upon the State House Committee, in which he helped to for- mulate the plans for enlarging the building. He has also presided at town meetings.

Mr. Jourdan first married Ann M. Bellows, formerly a well-to-do resident of Farnums- ville. Her father was for many years a hotel- keeper, and also owned a good deal of land, upon which he built houses for sale. His last days were spent in retirement upon his farm. Mrs. Ann Jourdan was the mother of

two children, both of whom died young. She died in April, 1893. A second marriage united Mr. Jourdan with Lizzie M. Gould, the adopted daughter of James Gould. Mr. Gould, who had previously been a fisherman at the Cape, followed the shoemaker's trade in Upton and Milford for a time. Subsequently he returned to the Cape, and was following his first occupation again, when his boat upset in a squall, and he, with two others, was drowned. Mrs. Jourdan was then thirteen years old. Mr. Jourdan has been the presi- dent of the Farmers' Club, and has on vari- ous occasions been marshal. He was made a Mason in Franklin Lodge.

EACON JAMES S. MONTAGUE, formerly a prominent business man of Brookfield, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Sears) Montague, was born in Cambridge, Vt., March 19, 1818. The father, a native of Bennington, Vt., born July 6, 1781, spent the greater part of his life in Cambridge, where he followed the carpen- ter's trade in connection with farming. Serv- ing as a soldier in the War of 1812, he took part in the battle of Plattsburg; and he was a leading spirit in town affairs. His wife, Elizabeth, who was born in Arlington, Vt., in July, 1783, was at the time of her marriage residing in Sutton, Conn.

James S. Montague was educated in the common schools of his native town. In his youth, when not occupied with his studies, he assisted his father at the bench and upon the farm. When a young man, having come to North Brookfield, he worked at shoemaking there for some time. In 1843 he located in Brookfield, where he engaged in currying leather. Then he began the manufacture of boots and shoes, which he carried on success- fully for a number of years. In 1873 a pul- monary affection, which eventually proved fatal, compelled him to relinquish active busi- ness and live in the South during the winter for the next few years. Afterward he trans- acted considerable fire and life insurance busi- ness. Upright and honorable, he had the confidence and respect of his fellow-towns-

SULLIVAN G. PROCTOR.

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men. As Selectman, Town Treasurer, and Representative to the legislature he rendered efficient services to the community. In poli- tics during his later years he was a Republi- can, having previously sided with the Free Soil movement and been a zealous abolition- ist. For thirty years in the Congregational church, he acted as a Deacon and led the singing; and he was an earnest advocate of temperance. He died December 15, 1879, in his sixty-second year.

On June 2, 1843, Mr. Montague married Rhoda B. Potter, of North Brookfield, a daughter of Dr. Cheney and Lucy (Hunter) Potter. Dr. Potter, a native and for some years a Selectman of that town, was a well- known physician, with a large practice in North Brookfield, Spencer, Oakham, and New Braintree. He died in his fifty-fourth year. Of his children, there are three survivors : Rhoda B., who became Mrs. Montague; Laura H., the wife of William Montague, of North Brookfield; and Lucy H., the wife of James Pickens, of Middleboro, Mass. The late Deacon Montague was the father of three chil- dren, namely : Lucy E., the wife of W. W. Brown, a prominent lumber dealer of Port- land, Me .; Laura E., who is no longer liv- ing; and William F. Montague, now a resi- dent of Riverside, Cal. Mrs. Montague still occupies the homestead in Brookfield, and is sincerely beloved by a large circle of friends, who deeply appreciate her rare traits of char- acter. She is a member of the Congrega- tional church.

ULLIVAN G. PROCTOR, a re- tired business man of Fitchburg, was born in Reading, Vt., July I, 1808. His father, John Proctor, a native of Westford, Mass., was engaged in farming and carpentering during his active period, and lived to be ninety-one years old. John Proctor married Betsy Snow, of Lunen- burg, Mass., and she died at eighty-four. Of her eight children, Sullivan G. is the third and the only one living.

Sullivan G. Proctor served an apprentice- ship at the blacksmith's trade with his half-

brother, Daniel Works, in Fitchburg, and later learned the machinist's trade with Martin Newton, a prominent man of the town. While yet a young man he engaged in the machine business on his own account, doing repairing and all kinds of iron work for a number of years. Subsequently he became associated with Luther Howard in the livery business on Oliver Street, under the firm name of Proctor & Howard. Three years later his partner withdrew, and Mr. Proctor continued the busi- ness alone for three years, when he sold out to his former associate. Afterward, in company with Nathan Tolman, he started in the iron business upon the site now occupied by Nicho- las & Frost's store, and continued there until the building of the railroad. Then the firm of Proctor & Tolman erected Rollstone Block, and removed their business to the basement of the new building. Some years later Mr. Proctor sold his interest to his partner, and after the latter's death he bought of the heirs a half-interest in the building. Once more associating himself with Luther Howard, he took a contract that employed him for six years, to prepare the wood used by the loco- motives of the Fitchburg Railway from Charlestown to this city and for the Vermont & Massachusetts Railway from Fitchburg to Brattleboro. About 1860, in company with I. C. Wright, he purchased the hardware store carried on up to that time by a Mr. Wallace, and occupying the site of the present Dickin- son Block. Two years later that business was sold to Woodward & Fairbanks, and Mr. Proc- tor engaged in the coal business in company with James F. D. Garfield, under the firm name of Garfield & Proctor. A short time later he withdrew from the concern in favor of his son, George N. Proctor, who is still a member of the firm; and the elder Proctor has since been engaged in attending to his real es- tate interests.

In 1833 Mr. Proctor married for his first wife Mary Newton, daughter of Martin New- ton, of Fitchburg. She died in January, 1881, leaving one son, George Newton Proc- tor, born July 31, 1842. On October 30, 1882, Mr. Sullivan G. Proctor married for his second wife Sibyl Jaquith, a daughter of John

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S. and Sarah B. Jaquith, well-known people of Ashby, Mass. George N. Proctor married Mary Newton, of Rochester, N. Y., and has two sons : George N., Jr., born December 10, 1882; and James Sullivan Proctor, born No- vember 4, 1884. In politics Mr. Proctor was originally a Whig. Later he became a sup- porter of the Free Soil Party, and he has acted with the Republican party since its formation. He is a member of the Unitarian Parish. His business life has been successful as well as ac- tive, and he is widely known and highly re- spected as one of Fitchburg's representative citizens. Mr. Proctor occupies a pleasantly situated residence on Newton Place, which he erected in 1835.

LIVER B. E. CHIPMAN, a retired baker of Southbridge, was born in Mendon, Mass., June 17, 1838, son of Stephen R. and Phœbe (Cass) Chip- man. The paternal grandfather was Stephen Chipman, a resident of Barre, Mass. The maiden name of his wife, whom he wedded in 1796, was Ann Henry. He died on Decem- ber 17, 1827, and she in 1830.

Stephen R. Chipman, the father, who was born in Barre, July 4, 1798, followed the painter's trade in Mendon during his years of activity, and died in July, 1849. His wife, a daughter of John Cass, was born in that part of Mendon now Blackstone, July 1, 1806. Her father, born December 29, 1761, who was a son of Jonathan and Abigail (Salisbury) Cass, and came of English stock on the father's side, died in 1844. He married Jo- anna Hunt, who was born October 28, 1762. They had twelve children, of whom Phoebe was the eleventh-born. Stephen R. and Phœbe Chipman were the parents of three sons : Stephen R., who followed the painter's trade in Uxbridge, Mass., and died there, leaving a widow and two sons - James and Edward Chipman; William H., who is now employed at a spool and bobbin factory in Woonsocket, R.I .; and Oliver B. E. Chip- man, the subject of this sketch.

Having attended the public schools of Northbridge, Mass., Oliver B. E. Chipman

was employed as a farm assistant for several years. Then he came to Southbridge, and opened a bakery in Pellett Block on Main Street in 1866. With the exception of two years he followed that business until 1895. On April 30, 1871, he contracted the first of his two marriages with Ellen M. Macomber, a daughter of William and Mary Macomber, of Sturbridge, Mass. Of that union there were two children : Lillian I., born in May, 1873; and Oliver E., born in May, 1874. Both died in infancy. The mother passed away in 1875. At his second marriage Mr. Chipman wedded Julia A. Sibley, a daughter of Russell and Cyrene (Hall) Sibley, of Spencer, Mass., and a descendant of an old Sutton family. Her great-grandfather and grandfather were both named Paul Sibley; and the maiden name of her grandmother was Livermore. Mrs. Chip- man is the mother of one son, Frank Sibley Chipman, born May 30, 1877, who is a gradu- ate of the Southbridge High School.

Politically, Mr. Chipman is a Republican. At one time he was chairman of the Board of Selectmen, having been a member of that body from 1893 to 1898. In 1897 he was ap- pointed Superintendent of Streets. As a public official he is laboring diligently for the best interests of the town. He is a Master Mason, and belongs to Quinebaug Lodge. His religious belief is the Universalists' creed.

B EDWIN HARRIS, one of the lead- ing merchants of Milford, was born May 18, 1830, in Marlow, N.H., a . son of Almon .and Phœbe (Sheldon) Harris. He is of Scotch ancestry, and is said to be a descendant of one of three brothers who were impressed into the English army, from which they deserted and came to Amer- ica. One located in Maine, one in Medway, Mass., and one in Rhode Island. The brother who settled in Medway (from whom the sub- ject of this sketch is descended) went thence to Nelson, now Harrisville, when a young man, and there carried on a successful woollen manufactory. An active man, of military temperament, he served as a soldier in the

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Indian wars. His wife, whose maiden name was Twitchel, was born in Dublin, N.H. They had six sons and three daughters.

Bethuel Harris, the paternal grandfather of B. Edwin, was a widely known woollen manu- facturer, and resided in Nelson, N. H., which place is now known as Harrisville. His third son, Almon, was born in Nelson in the year 1800. He continued his father's business in that town very successfully until 1826, when he married Phobe Sheldon, and moved to Marlow, N.H., where he carried on a woollen business. In 1847 he moved to Penacook, N. H., and built the Dustin Island Woollen Mills, where he continued in the same busi- ness until his death, September 15, 1876. His wife, Phoebe, bore him three sons, namely: Ezra S. Harris, who was a prosper- ous woollen manufacturer in Penacook until his death in 1892; Almon A., now a retired woollen manufacturer; and B. Edwin, the special subject of this sketch.

B. Edwin Harris was educated in the pub- lic schools of Harrisville. After the removal of the family in 1847 to Penacook (then known as Fisherville) he worked in his father's woollen factory there until attaining his majority. Starting then in life on his own account, he secured a situation with the firm of Sears, Johnson & Putnam, wholesale clothiers in Boston, Mass., with whom he re- mained five years. In 1855 he came to Mil- ford, and embarked in business for himself as junior member of the firm of Woodward & Harris, dealers in clothing. One year later he purchased his partner's interest in the store, which he conducted under the name of B. E. Harris until 1888. In that year he ad- mitted his son, B. Edwin Harris, Jr., as junior partner of the firm of B. E. Harris & Son, under which style the business has since been carried on, notwithstanding the son's death in 1895. Since the latter event Mr. Harris has carried on the business alone, hav- ing one of the most complete gentlemen's fur- nishing and clothing houses in this section of the county. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. He is known as a man of excellent financial ability, is president of the Home National Bank of Milford, and has been

treasurer of the Milford Gas Company for over thirty years.

On October 18, 1865, he married Abbie Mellen Eames, daughter of Charles T. Eames, of Milford. They have had five children, namely : B. Edwin Harris, Jr., who was born November 11, 1866, and died November 9, 1895; Amelia Claflin, born April 7, 1868, who was educated in Lasell Seminary at Au- burndale, Mass .; Frank Sheldon, who was born November 19, 1871, and died July 22, 1873; Helen Sophia, born March 14, 1875, and Mary Capen, born November 5, 1877, both of whom are students at Smith College, Northampton.

ILLIAM G. KEITH, senior mem- ber of the firm Keith & Hiscock, dealers in hardware, stoves, etc., in East Brookfield, was born in Chesterville, Me., December 22, 1855. A son of Joseph and Mercy (Gale) Keith, he is a descendant of a Presbyterian clergyman of distinction who was an early settler in Bridgewater, Mass. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Keith, Sr., was a resident of Chesterville. The father, who spent his lifetime in that town, followed the trade of a wool-carder and cloth-dresser. The mother was a native of Knox County, Maine.

William G. Keith resided in Chesterville until he was fifteen years old. Then he went to Wilton, Me., where he served an appren- ticeship of seven years to the tinsmith's trade with H. S. Houghton. After some further time spent in Mr. Houghton's employment at journey-work, he came in 1879 to East Brookfield, and started in business on a small scale as a jobber and dealer in stoves, tinware, etc. In 1894 he began the erection of his present building, known as Keith Block; and in January, 1895, the firm of Keith & Hiscock was established in their new store, containing three floors and a basement, all of which are devoted to their business. The concern car- ries a large and varied line of hard and tin ware, including stoves, plumbing supplies, kitchen utensils, furniture, undertakers' goods, and other salable merchandise. One

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of the most successful in this part of the county, the store is the main source of supply for a large territory.

Mr. Keith contracted his first marriage with Etta Wilkins, of Wilton. His present wife, in maidenhood Millie E. Fay, is a daughter of Warren G. and Mary H. Fay. Mr. Fay, who was for many years the proprietor of the woollen-mills in East Brookfield, died here in 1893. Mrs. Fay resides with her daughter, Mrs. Keith. In politics Mr. Keith is a Re- publican, and he has been a member of the Town Committee for a number of years. For three years he was an engineer of the fire de- partment, and for the past four years he has been a Justice of the Peace. He is connected with Goodwill Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Spen- cer; and with the Knights of Pythias of that town, in which he is Colonel of the First Massachusetts Regiment, Uniformed Rank. He is also a member of the Republican Club of Boston. His business enterprise has been of much benefit to the town. The loyal inter- est he displays in all matters relative to the town's welfare is duly appreciated by the com- munity.

AVID BEMIS, a well-known and highly respected resident of Leices- ter, who was a member of the Leicester Wire Company for a num- ber of years, was born in the town of Spencer, this county, November 25, 1832. A son of John and Lucretia (Brown) Bemis, his pater- nal ancestors were among the pioneers of Spencer. John Bemis, son of David, was born in that town. While he was a carpenter by trade, the latter years of his life were spent on a farm, where he died in 1853. Lucretia Brown, whom he married, was a native of Paxton, Mass.

David Bemis, his grandfather's namesake, grew to manhood on the homestead farm, near Upper Wire Village, Spencer, receiving a fair knowledge of the common branches of study in the district school of his neighbor- hood. Shortly after reaching his majority he lost his father by death. He then entered the employ of Richard Sugden, in the wire-

mill at Wire Village. Not long after he came to Leicester to work for Charles Sibley, a manufacturer of hand cards; and a little later he became an employee of J. & J. Murdock, manufacturers of card clothing, with whom he remained eight years. Following this for five years he was with Woodcock & Knight in the same line of business and subsequently for a time with the Sargent Card Clothing Com- pany, of Worcester. Returning then to Leicester, he worked for several years in the employment of Horace Waite & Co., who were also manufacturers of card clothing. After this he and Cyrus Howard, in the firm of Howard & Bemis, took up the manufacture of wire in Leicester. Some years later the com- pany was merged into the Leicester Wire Company, with which Mr. Bemis was identi- fied for several years. Afterward for a time he was in the employ of J. & L. Woodcock, card clothing manufacturers of Leicester.

In 1860 Mr. Bemis was united in marriage with Abbie B. Johnson, of Worcester. Of the three children born to them, none are now living. The confidence reposed in Mr. Bemis by his townsmen is shown by his election as Water Commissioner of Leicester in 1891, in which capacity he served four years in suc- cession. For a number of years past he has been a trustee of the Leicester Savings Bank. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the First Congregational Church of Leicester, in which he holds the position of treasurer.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 21

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