Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 22

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 22

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HARLES VICTOR CARPENTER, one of the leading merchants of

Southbridge, son of Dr. Patrick Carpenter, was born April 2, 1830, in Eastford, Windham County, Conn. Of English origin, he is a descendant of one of the early families that settled Milford, Mass. His paternal grandfather, Uriah Carpenter, was a lifelong resident of Ashford, Conn., where he was successfully engaged in farm- ing. Patrick Carpenter was born in the part of Ashford, Conn., now included in Eastford. After a thorough course of study he was grad- uated from Williams College with the degree

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of Doctor of Medicine. Having begun prac- tice in Eastford, he afterward followed his profession there until his death, which oc- curred in May, 1834. He married Esther Burnham, who belonged to an old and well- known New England family. They reared two children, namely: Patrick Henry, who died April 16, 1893; and Charles V., the subject of this biography.

Charles Victor Carpenter passed his boy- hood in his native town, receiving his educa- tion in the local schools. In 1848 he came to Southbridge, and found employment with Oliver Ammidown, who then had a store in the Comstock Building. He subsequently worked for Captain Luther Ammidown & Sons, whose store was located on the site of the present library building. In 1852 he went to Worcester, Mass., as a clerk for the firm of Chamberlain, Barnard & Co., now the Barnard, Sumner & Putnam Company. There he had as associate clerks the late George Sumner and Otis Putnam of the present house. In 1859 he returned to Southbridge, and entered the employment of John Edwards. Two years later he and Mr. Edwards united in the firm Edwards & Co., and thereafter conducted an extensive dry-goods business until 1872, when the senior partner retired. The firm was succeeded by that of Carpenter, Irwin & Co., of which Stephen P. Irwin, Jr., a former clerk, who was thoroughly familiar with the business, was a member. This part- nership lasted until 1880, when Mr. Carpenter opened a store of his own in the Whitford Building, at the corner of Main and Hamil- ton Streets. Later he formed a copartner- ship with Calvin D. Paige, and for a time carried on business in the Edwards Opera House Block. The firm was subsequently changed to Paige, Carpenter, Colburn & Co., and is now the Paige, Carpenter Company. The corporation's store is the largest one that is entirely devoted to dry goods in the south- ern part of Worcester County.

In 1873 Mr. Carpenter was a Representa- tive to the State legislature, where he served on the Committee on Prisons. He is a trus- tee of the Southbridge Savings Bank and a stockholder of the Southbridge & Sturbridge

Street Railway Company, of the local gas company, and of the Southbridge Electric Light Company. An active and prominent Mason, he belongs to Quinnebaug Lodge and to Phonix Council, of which he is Past Re- gent and Past District Deputy. In the South Congregational Church he is a Deacon, hav- ing served the society in many of its commit- tees, including the one that had charge of the erection of the present church edifice. The first of his two marriages was contracted in 1854 with Lucy M. Haynes, who was a daugh- ter of Deacon Henry Haynes, of Sturbridge, and who died in 1856. The second marriage was made on June 8, 1858, with Sarah J., daughter of Stephen P. and Sally R. (Rem- ington) Irwin. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter, two are now living, namely: Cora L., the wife of F. W. Boulton, of Spencer, Mass .; and Josephine I., the wife of C. H. Edmunds, of Southbridge.

OSEPH BLAIR, one of the most enter- prising and prosperous agriculturists of Warren, was born in this town, Sep- tember 19, 1838. A son of Captain James Blair, he is a grandson of James Blair, who was the founder of the Blair family in Worcester County. Captain Blair, who spent his eighty-three years of life in Warren, was prominent alike in business, military, and political affairs. For many years he commanded a company of local mili- tia, was an Overseer of the Poor for a number of terms, and during the larger part of his life he was a member of the Congregational church. His wife, whose maiden name was Anna M. Hutchins, was born and bred in Killingly, Conn. Of their children, three survive, as follows: Mary A., the widow of A. W. Lincoln, late of Warren; Henrietta V., the wife of Theodore Bishop, of Verona, N. Y .; and Joseph, the subject of this biog- raphy.

Joseph Blair received his early education in the common schools of Warren, finishing in the high school. Trained to agriculture from his youthful days, he has since followed the same occupation. He is now the owner

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of a valuable farm of one hundred and fifty- five acres, on which he raises abundant crops and live stock, and keeps a dairy, having some fine specimens of cattle. A strong Republi- can in politics, he is actively interested in ad- vancing the educational and moral interests of the community. Under a former school sys- tem he served as director of his school dis- trict.

On January 30, 1862, Mr. Blair married Miss Anna M. Dale, who was born in Salem, Mass., a daughter of Joseph Dale. Of their three children, Joseph A. and Mary are de- ceased. Their only living child, James R., is a chemist in Boston.

J OSEPH BUBIER BANCROFT, one of the foremost citizens of Hopedale, for many years connected with the Hope- dale Machine Company, which is now incorporated with the Draper Company, was born in Uxbridge, Mass., October 3, 1821, one of the ten children of Samuel and Mary (Bubier) Bancroft. He is a descendant in the eighth generation of John and Jane Bancroft, who came to America from London in 1632, settling in Lynn. From John Bancroft' the line of descent is traced through Thomas, 2 Thomas, 3 Samuel, + Samuel,5 Samuel,6 Sam- uel,7 to Joseph B. 8

In early manhood Mr. Bancroft learned the trade of machinist, which he followed in Woonsocket, R.I., Putnam, Conn., and in Medway, Slatersville, Uxbridge, Whitins- ville, and Worcester, Mass. Coming to Hopedale in 1846, he joined the "Hopedale community," and was appointed superintend- ent and treasurer of the Hopedale Machine Works, which then employed but three men. This small force was gradually increased until the disbandment of the community, whereupon the business passed into the control of Messrs. Thwing and Bancroft. Subsequently Mr. Bancroft, becoming a partner with Eben and George Draper, took charge of the cotton ma- chinery department, this connection lasting for some years. Shortly after the Civil War, when General William F. Draper became a member of the firm, Mr. Bancroft became gen-

eral superintendent of the works, which posi- tion he filled until recently. He is now vice-president of the Draper Company. Mr. Bancroft is interested in various other busi- ness enterprises, among them the Milford Gas Light Company, of which he is president. As a useful and public-spirited citizen he has been deservedly honored with responsible official positions. In 1864 he represented the town in the General Court, and served on the Committee on Engrossed Bills. For several years he was chairman of the Selectmen of the town of Milford, of which town Hopedale was then a part. After the division of the towns in 1886, he was chairman of the Selectmen, of the Road Commissioners, and of the Over-

seers of the Poor. He has also been delegate to numerous Republican conventions, besides serving on various town committees. In earlier life he was active in Masonry, and he is now a member of Montgomery Lodge, F. & A. M .; Mount Lebanon Chapter, R. A. M .; and of Milford Commandery, K. T.

Mr. Bancroft was married September II, 1844, to Sylvia Willard Thwing, who was born in Uxbridge, June 26, 1824, a daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Mowry) Thwing. He has had ten children - Eben Draper, Charles Eugene, Minerva Louisa, William, Walter, Anna Minerva, Mary Gertrude, Charles Fred- erick, Lilla J., and Lura Belle. Minerva L., William, and Walter, who were triplets, died in infancy. Charles Eugene died on March 27, 1849. Anna M., who taught for some years successfully in the Fairhaven, Hopkin- ton, and Milford High Schools, is a lady of cultivated literary taste, and belongs to sev- eral educational clubs in Milford, Worcester, and Boston. Mary G. married Walter P. Winsor, of Fairhaven, Mass., cashier of the First National Bank in New Bedford and one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Fairhaven. She has four children - Wal- ter P., Jr., Anna Bancroft, Bancroft, and Allen Pellington. Charles Frederick Ban- croft died September 14, 1868. Lilla J. mar- ried Howard W. Bracken, head draughtsman of the Draper Company. She was educated at Greenfield Academy, and taught in the high school at Hopedale for some years before her

JOSEPH B. BANCROFT.

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marriage. Lura Belle is the wife of Charles M. Day, who is general superintendent of the Draper Company, secretary of the town Board of Streets and Highways, and one of Hope- dale's most popular citizens. Mrs. Bancroft died April 20, 1898; and Mr. Bancroft is now erecting a very handsome memorial library, which, upon its completion, will be presented to the town of Hopedale.

BEN DRAPER BANCROFT, the eld- est child and now the only living son of Joseph B. and Sylvia W. (Thwing) Bancroft, was born in Hopedale, Mass., August 27, 1847. He received his education in Hopedale, Milford, and at a pri- vate school in Providence, R.I., where he took a course in civil engineering. Return- ing to Hopedale in October, 1864, he assumed charge of the accounts in the office of what was then the E. D. & G. Draper Company, a few years later becoming the purchasing agent of the firm, which position he still holds. He also has general charge of the offices of the Draper Company. One of the most capable and thoroughly posted men in the business, his efficient services are appreciated at their true value by the management. He is also treas- urer of the Glasgo Yarn Mills Company, of Glasgo, Conn., and of the Glasgo Thread Mill, of Worcester, Mass., a director in the Mil- ford Water Company, and has been treasurer of the town of Hopedale since its incorpora- tion in 1886. He also for a short period man - aged the American Architect, which is now conducted by the Messrs. Ware. He is treas- urer of the Unitarian parish in Hopedale. Mr. Bancroft is active in politics, and perhaps few men in the State wield a more potent local influence than he. He has taken part in Republican conventions since he was twenty-one years old. He was also manager of the two successful campaigns of his noted kinsman, General William F. Draper, now United States Ambassador and Minister Plen- ipotentiary to Italy, in his candidature for the United States Congress. He is a member of the three local organizations of Free Masons, was for two years Commander of Milford Com-

mandery, K. T., and is therefore a member of the Grand Commandery.

On September 9, 1874, Mr. Bancroft was united in marriage with Lelia Coburn, who was born September 14, 1846, a daughter of Alonzo and Eliza (Curtis) Jones Coburn. He has two children: Alice Coburn, born July 3, 1876; and Joseph Bubier, born Febru- ary 26, 1880, who is now fitting for Harvard College in a private school in New York.

ERBERT E. CUMMINGS, of North Brookfield, a general merchant and the proprietor of the North Brook- field Creamery, was born April II, 1852, in Leverett, Franklin County, Mass. A son of Charles Cummings, he comes of English origin and of Revolutionary stock. His great-grandfather, Gashon Cummings, fought for independence in the Revolution. The father, born and reared in Spencer, Mass., subsequently resided in different Mas- sachusetts towns, and died February 21, 1895, in North Brookfield. His wife, in maiden- hood Eliza Wadsworth, born in Woodstock, Conn., was a grand-daughter of a Revolution- ary soldier and a direct descendant of Chris- topher Wadsworth, who was one of the orig- inal settlers of Duxbury, Mass., and is said to have come from England in the "Mayflower." The Wadsworth coat of arms is a handsomely ornamented shield, surmounted by a winged globe, on which stands an eagle with wings outspread, with the motto, "Aquila non capit Muscas," on a scroll beneath the shield.

Having been taken to Spencer by his par- ents when he was four years old, Herbert E. Cummings was practically educated in that town. At the age of fifteen he went with the family to New Braintree, Worcester County, and three years later he came to North Brook- field. Here he was first employed on a farm for a few years. This occupation he gave up to become a clerk in the general store of Dun- can & Delvey, for whom he worked seven years. In 1880 he and Sumner Holmes, in the firm Holmes & Cummings, started a mer- cantile business, and subsequently conducted it for two years. Then the partnership was

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dissolved, and Mr. Cummings has since been the sole proprietor of the store. He carries a complete stock of dry goods, boots and shoes, groceries, flour, and provisions of all kinds, including creamery butter, of which he makes a specialty, it being the product of the North Brookfield Creamery, which he has owned since 1893. Fraternally, he belongs to the North Brookfield Lodge, I. O. O. F .; and to the local grange, P. of H., in which he has served as Overseer.

On November 15, 1876, Mr. Cummings married Frances A., daughter of George Har- wood, whose death occurred at his late home in North Brookfield, March 5, 1897. Mr. Harwood was a prominent agriculturist of North Brookfield, served in many of the town offices, and for several years was a trustee of the local savings-bank. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cummings are members of the First Congre- gational Church.

OBERT A. BECKWITH, Postmas- ter of Southbridge, was born on Fisher's Island, N. Y., June 26, 1865, son of Wilson and Eunice (Beebe) Beckwith. Both the Beckwiths and Beebes are old Connecticut families. The latter are directly descended from Governor Winthrop. Wilson Beckwith, born in Ches- ter, Conn., in 1812, spent the active period of his life engaged in agriculture. He is now residing in Monson, Mass. By his first wife, whose maiden name was Tiffany, there were two sons - Henry and Samuel. Samuel Beckwith served for one year and three months in the Civil War as a member of Company E, Twenty-second Regiment, Connecticut Volun- teers, and died immediately after his return. Eunice Beebe Beckwith, Wilson Beckwith's second wife, a daughter of Manley Beebe, of Millington, Conn., became the mother of seven children. Of these, our are living, namely: Belle, who married Leonard Rath- bun, and resides in Monson; John F., an en- gineer at the Flint Granite Works in that town; Robert A., the subject of this sketch; and Pearl, the wife of Charles C. Keep, also of Monson. The mother died in 1880.

Robert A. Beckwith was educated in the public schools of Monson, Mass. After the completion of his studies he worked for one summer as a farm assistant. Coming to Southbridge in 1881, he entered the employ of the American Optical Company. With the exception of one year spent as a clerk in the clothing store of J. A. White & Co., of this town, he remained with the Optical Company sixteen years. Beginning with fifty cents per day, he in the course of time reached a posi- tion commanding a good salary. After spend- ing three years in the gold room, he was trans- ferred to the steel department as assistant foreman.

For a number of years Mr. Beckwith has been closely identified with local politics, having served as the secretary of the Republi- can Town Committee; and he was appointed Postmaster by President Mckinley in 1897. On October 22, 1890, he married Lizzie E. Chamberlain, a daughter of Freeman and Mary A. (Marcy) Chamberlain, of Southbridge. Mrs. Beckwith is the mother of one daughter, Eunice May, who was born in May, 1895. Mr. Beckwith is Past Grand of Southbridge Lodge, No. 47, I. O. O. F .; Past Chancellor of Armor Lodge, No. 87, K. of P .; and a member of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation. Some years ago he united with the Central Baptist Church, which he serves in the capacity of assistant superintendent of its Sunday-school.

UMNER HOLMES, a prosperous merchant of North Brookfield and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in this town, December 27, 1833, son of Hartwell and Amanda (Stoddard) Holmes. He comes of the same stock as the late Oliver Wendell Holmes. His grand- father, Hartwell Holmes (first), was a native of Connecticut. The father, born in Wood- stock, Conn., came to North Brookfield about the year 1820, and here followed the shoe- maker's trade in connection with farming for the rest of his life. Amanda Stoddard Holmes, his wife, was a native of this town.

After leaving the public schools Sumner

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Holmes engaged in shoemaking, and followed it until 1862. Then he enlisted as a private in Company F, Forty-second Regiment, Mas- sachusetts Volunteer Infantry, for nine months. Soon after he was promoted to the rank of Third Sergeant, and he served for one year under General Banks on the Lower Mis- sissippi. Having been honorably discharged in 1863, he returned home, and immediately became the foreman in the bottoming depart- ment of E. & A. H. Batcheller's shoe fac- tory, having charge of an average force of four hundred and fifty men. This position he held until the fall of 1880, when he resigned. In 1881 he formed a partnership with H. E. Cummings, under the firm name of Holmes & Cummings, for the purpose of engaging in a general merchandise business. After two years Mr. Holmes became the sole proprietor of the store, and conducted it until 1891, when he adopted his present line of trade. He now carries a large stock of hardware, cut- lery, farming tools, paints, oils, wall papers, mouldings, etc. His business has already reached large proportions, and his popularity is sufficient to insure his future prosperity.

In politics Mr. Holmes is a Republican, and he was formerly a member of the Repub- lican Town Committee. He has served as Constable and Overseer of the Poor; was Se- lectman for a number of years, being the chairman of the board during the greater part of the time; and he was once a candidate for the legislature from the old Eighteenth Dis- trict. For some years he was the chief en- gineer of the fire department, and the Holmes Engine Company was named in his honor. At present he is a Justice of the Peace. By his marriage with Mercy P. Eaton, of John- son, Vt., he has had three children, namely : Olive A., now the wife of James E. Miller, of Warren, Mass. ; Julia L., the wife of Will- iam B. Gleason, of North Brookfield; and Charles S. Holmes, who is no longer living.

Mr. Holmes was formerly Worshipful Mas- ter of Hayden Lodge, F. & A. M., of Brook- field, from which he was demitted in order to become a charter member of Meridian Sun Lodge, North Brookfield, of which he is a Past Master. He is also a comrade of Ezra

Batcheller Post, No. 51, G. A. R. In relig- ious belief he is a Congregationalist, and he attends the Union church.

REDERICK S. HUNT, of Rutland, a manufacturer of patent ironclad veneer baskets, roving cans, and lumber, and a dealer in hard and soft wood, was born in Worcester, Mass., on June 7, 1855, son of Frederick S. and Amy (Stockweather) Hunt. His father, a native of Bolton Corner, was a peddler of Yankee notions in early life. Later associated with M. E. Shattuck, he be- came a manufacturer of cigars in the firm of Shattuck & Hunt. He died in 1864. His wife, who was born in Mansfield, Conn., is still living in Rutland. Their children were: Amy E., Alice S., Frederick S., William J., and George E.

Frederick S. Hunt, the subject of this sketch, grew to manhood in Rutland, receiv- ing his education in the public schools here and at Worcester. He first began to earn his own living by working at farming. When twenty-one years of age he engaged in the lumber business. He now owns a portable mill, and manufactures both long and short lumber. In 1892, at West Rutland, he started in a small way the making of veneer cans and roving baskets for use in cotton- mills. To-day, so far as is known, his fac- tory is the only one of the kind in the world. Owing to the increase of his business he erected his present premises in 1895. The machinery used is made expressly for this kind of work, and much of it has been invented by Mr. Hunt. The business, which is in a flour- ishing condition, is steadily increasing in its scope, and employs eighteen workmen the year around. Mr. Hunt expects soon to be able to manufacture entirely from raw mate- rial. He devotes his full attention to busi- ness, and all details come under his super- vision.

At the age of twenty-seven years Mr. Hunt was united in marriage with Abbie G. Wales, who was born in Rutland, daughter of Ivory and Rebecca (Sargent) Wales. Of this union seven children have been born; namely,

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Frederick S., Edson I., Gertrude, Waldo, Bertha, Bernice, and Harold. Mr. Hunt and his wife are members of the Congregational church. In politics Mr. Hunt is a Republi- can. He has served the town as Assessor for a period of eight years.

OSEPH SAUER, a Civil War veteran, proprietor of the German-American Hotel, Worcester, Mass., was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, January 29, 1839. His father, Wendel Sauer, entered the French army as a substitute prior to 1812, and afterward followed the trade of a shoe- maker. He reared a family of six children, two of whom are living, namely: Jacob, aged seventy-six years, who resides in Germany; and Joseph, the subject of this sketch, who is the youngest, and is the only one that came to America. The father died at the age of sixty- one years, and the mother at fifty-one.

Joseph Sauer was educated in the common schools. When fifteen years old he came to the United States, landing at New York after a passage of thirty-two days. He was for some time employed in a woollen-mill at Broad Brook, Conn .; and, coming to Worces- ter in 1859, he found work in the Allen & Wheelock pistol factory. He afterward worked in the Crompton loom shops and still later in the carbine factory of the Ballards, with whom he remained until they moved their business to Newburyport. During the Rebel- lion he enlisted as a musician in the Fifteenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, with which he served one year; and in connection with his regular duty in the band he nursed the sick and wounded in the hospitals. In 1865 he established a German restaurant on Front Street, and he has ever since carried on a thriving business. Twenty-three years ago he built the present German-American Hotel, a four-story brick building, the café and din- ing-room being located on the ground floor, while the three other floors are divided into thirty - four well - ventilated sleeping - rooms. This hostelry enjoys a liberal patronage. Mr. Sauer is one of the best as well as the most experienced German restaurateurs in the city,

and through energy and an earnest desire to please his patrons has acquired a competency.

On August 13, 1864, Mr. Sauer was joined in marriage with Caroline Meyer, who was born in Wittenberg, Germany, April 25, 1841, and came to America with her parents when seven years old. She has one sister living. Her father, Francis Meyer, died at the age of sixty-five, and her mother lived to be seventy-five years old. Mrs. Sauer has had five children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, died when twenty-one months old; and a son also died in infancy. The living are: Carrie, wife of Julius Ehlers, of Hart- ford, Conn., and mother of two sons; Minnie, wife of Herman Klingle, of this city; and Emil, who is a pupil at the high school.

LARENCE H. PARKER, a prosper- ous merchant of Coldbrook Springs, in the town of Oakham, and an ex- member of the legislature, was born in this town, October 31, 1849, son of Daniel M. and Mary A. (Brigham) Parker. His grandparents, Moody and Milicent (Moulton) Parker, were natives of Lyman, N.H., of which the parents of each were pioneers. Daniel M. Parker, born in Lyman, November 3, 1817, has carried on an extensive lumber manufacturing business in Oakham for many years. His wife, Mary A. Brigham Parker, was born in Rutland, Mass., June 12, 1829. (For a more extended account of the family see the biography of Daniel M. Parker.)

After acquiring a good public-school edu- cation in his native town, Clarence H. Parker joined with his father in carrying on the mills, a connection that lasted until 1882. Then he withdrew in order to engage in trade. He now conducts the largest general store in this locality. He is also interested with his son in manufacturing Parker's Pure Flavoring Extracts and an excellent cough remedy known as "Pinelene." In October, 1871, he was united in marriage with Ida M. Bemis, of this town, daughter of James C. and Mary B. (Washburn) Bemis. Mr. Bemis, who has been in the employment of the Boston & Al- bany Railroad Company since 1873, and is

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 22

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