Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 24

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 24

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Andrew L. Nourse, who has resided in Bolton since infancy, was educated in the common and high schools of this town. At the age of twenty years he enlisted as a private in Company I, Fifth Regiment, Mas- sachusetts Volunteers, with which he served nine months, participating in the battles of Kingston, Whitehall, Goldsboro, and Gum Swamp. After his return from the army he taught school for a time. He then bought a farm, which he sold a year later, and for the succeeding ten years was engaged in various business enterprises. In 1873 he purchased bis present property of three hundred and eighty-five acres, from which he has cut a large quantity of wood, and where he is now extensively engaged in general farming and dairying.

In 1876 Mr. Nourse was united in mar- riage with Maria A. Newton, daughter of Horatio and Rebecca Newton. Her father was a prosperous farmer, who spent the greater part of his life in this town. Mr. and Mrs. Nourse are the parents of six children - Arthur H., Richard E., Fidelia E., Grace M., Ethel R., and Alice S., all of whom reside with them.

Politically a Republican, Mr. Nourse has served efficiently in various town offices. For a number of years he has been chairman of the Board of Assessors and of the School Committee. He has been for several years a Selectman and a member of the Board of Health, has served as Road Commissioner and as a trustee of the Public Library, and in 1892 he ably represented this district in the legislature. In all matters relating to agri- culture and its advancement he takes a lively interest. He was the first Master of Bolton

Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and is now a trustee of the Worcester East Agricultural Society. He also affiliates with the war vet- erans, being a comrade of Post G. K. Warren, No. 172, G. A. R. He attends the Unitarian church, of which he is treasurer, and his fan- ily is connected with the Sunday-school.

RANCIS LUTHER CHAPIN, one of the most prominent business men and financiers of Southbridge, was born in Enfield, Hampshire County, Mass., April 27, 1844, son of Luther and Hannah (Conkey) Chapin. He comes of old Colonial stock planted in Central Massachusetts more than two hundred years ago, being a representative of the family founded by Samuel Chapin, who, with his wife, Cicely, came to New England between 1635 and 1640, sojourned for a time at Roxbury, Mass., there became a freeman in 1641, and in 1642 removed to Springfield, in the Connecticut valley.

From Deacon Samuel Chapin, the immi- grant progenitor, to and including Francis Luther, the subject of this sketch, the line of descent is as follows: Samuel,' Josiah,2 Seth, 3 Seth, Jr., 4 Josiah, 5 Stephen, 6 Luther,7 Luther, 8 Francis Luther.9 Josiah Chapin, son of Sam- uel, "inherited," it is said, "superior natural abilities, and added to them valuable acquire- ments for the practical business of life. He was an eminent land surveyor, apt in public affairs, and an enterprising pecuniary econo- mist." He was married three times, and was the father of fifteen children, all but the youngest of whom were born in Braintree, Mass. About 1682 he removed to Mendon, Worcester County. He lived to be ninety- two years of age.

Seth Chapin, Jr., grandson of the first Jo- siah, born in 1692, son of Seth and Bethiah (Thurston) Chapin, married Abigail Adams, of Braintree, daughter of Joseph Adams and a half-sister of Deacon John Adams, father of the elder President Adams. Josiah Chapin, second, son of Seth, Jr., married and settled in Milford. Stephen, his eldest son by his wife, Rachel, born in 1745, married Rachel Rawson, lived in Milford, and had eight chil-

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dren. Of these, Luther Chapin, Sr., the fifth, born March 22, 1777, married March 5, 1796, Mary Wedge, daughter of Jephthah Wedge, of Milford, and settled in Pelham, Hampshire County, Mass., where he was engaged as a general trader for many years.

Further particulars concerning this branch of the Chapin family may be found in the History of Milford, by the Rev. Adin Ballou, to which we are indebted for most of the fore- going genealogy. Among the numerous de- scendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin, of Springfield, many have distinguished them- selves in professional and in business life and in the military service of the country. One of the foremost pulpit orators for a long period in the middle of the century was the Rev. Edwin H. Chapin, D.D., pastor of the Church of the Divine Paternity, New York City. In Philadelphia, a few years since, died "a wonderful old man, the venerable William Chapin, perhaps the leading educator of the blind in the United States." He was for many years the principal of the Pennsyl- vania Institution for the Blind at Philadel- phia. For several years James Gillespie Blaine, then a young man, was employed by him as an instructor. Mr. Chapin continued in active service as principal till the winter before his death, at eighty years of age.

Luther Chapin, Jr., the father of Francis Luther, was born in Pelham in 1805. He carried on general mercantile business at Enfield, Mass., during the active period of his life, and died in 1882. His business ability and sound judgment made him especially eligible to public office, and he served as Rep- resentative to the legislature in 1844 and 1864. He married Hannah Conkey, of Pres- cott, Mass. They had six children, three of whom are living, namely: Sarah E., who completed her education at Mount Holyoke Seminary, and is now a teacher of classics in Easthampton, Mass .; Charles S. Chapin, treasurer and general manager of the Wash- burn & Garfield Manufacturing Company, Worcester, Mass .; and Francis L., the sub- ject of this sketch.

Francis L. Chapin acquired his elementary education in the common schools of Ware,

Mass., and was fitted for college at the high school in that town. In 1862 he occupied the position of Assistant Postmaster in Ware, and later he entered the employ of the Ware Sav- ings Bank as a clerk. In June, 1864, he en- listed as a private in the Worcester City Guards, under Captain Robert H. Chamber- lain, for one hundred days' service in the Civil War. This company, which was at- tached to the Sixtieth Regiment, Massachu- setts Volunteers, under Colonel Ansel D. Wass, spent the greater part of its stipulated term in guarding Confederate prisoners at Camp Morton, Indianapolis, Mr.

Ind. Chapin was made Second Sergeant, and later became Second Lieutenant of an unattached company. After his discharge he resumed his former position in the Ware Savings Bank. In 1865 he was offered a clerkship in the Southbridge Bank, which up to that time had carried on business under the old State system. Accepting the offer, he was in a short time advanced to the position of cashier, and was later appointed general manager.

Mr. Chapin has rendered valuable aid, both by his means and influence, in developing the business resources of the town and introduc- ing public improvements. He is treasurer of the Southbridge & Sturbridge Street Rail- way Company; he was for a number of years president of the Water Supply Company, whose charter he was instrumental in secur- ing; and he acted as general manager during the construction of the works. He is a trus- tee of the Southbridge Savings Bank, a mem- ber of the Board of Investment, and was chair- man of the committee which superintended the erection of the present bank building. He was also chairman of the committee hav- ing charge of the construction of the Young Men's Christian Association Building and the Congregational church. During his residence in Southbridge he has settled a number of es- tates, and is a trustee of several at the present time.

In 1869 Mr. Chapin was united in marriage with Sarah Bell Lawton, daughter of Joseph R. and Sarah L. (Mallalieu) Lawton. She is a sister of Bishop W. F. Mallalieu of the Methodist Episcopal church, who has travelled

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extensively in Europe and the Far East, and is now a resident of Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Chapin are the parents of six children, namely: Florence E., who was born July 30, 1873. and completed her education at Mount Holyoke Seminary; Mary Louise, who was born March 14, 1875, was educated at a private school in Springfield, Mass., and is now the wife of H. H. Morse, of Southbridge, where he is superintendent of the street railway; Mabel E., born on October 15, 1870, who spent some time abroad after completing her education, and is now the wife of H. S. Cheney, of Southbridge, a member of the American Optical Company; Ruth M., born December 11, 1876, who attended Vassar Col- lege. is now Mrs. Frederick W. Parks, of Fitchburg, Mass .; Sarah C., born on March 12, 1880, who is now attending Miss Porter's private school in Springfield; and Edward L. Chapin, born January 25, 1886.

In politics Mr. Chapin is a Republican. For twenty-four consecutive years he held the office of Town Treasurer, to which he was elected regardless of party lines. As Repre- sentative to the legislature in 1884 he was assigned to the Finance Committee. He is a member of the Congregational church and treasurer of the society, and is a comrade of Malcolm Ammidown Post, No. 168, G. A. R.

ALTER P., BENJAMIN E., AND ELBRIDGE G. GUY, who, under the firm name of the Guy Furniture Company, carry on an extensive business in three large buildings, 517 to 527 Main Street, Worcester, are natives of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, and sons of Timothy and Eliza- beth Clapp (Perry) Guy. Their father, Tim- othy Guy, who was born in Dover, Mass., Oc- tober 3, 1809, was a son of Benjamin Guy, a native of the same place and a school teacher by occupation. The first American ancestor of the family was Timothy Guy, who came from Bristol, England, and settled in that part of Dedham that was afterward incorporated as the town of Dover. He was a man of power- ful physique, and served as a soldier in the French and Indian War. He was also a mem-

ber of the famous Boston Tea Party, and gave the war-whoop as the signal to throw the tea overboard. In 1748 he married Martha Plympton, of Medfield, Mass. The paternal great-grandfather of the three brothers whose names begin this sketch, Benjamin Guy (first) married Deborah Morse, a native of Sherborn, Mass., who died in 1835, aged ninety-four years. Their son, Benjamin Guy (second) the next in line of descent, married Sarah Smith, of Medfield, in 1805.

The Guy Furniture Company is one of the largest establishments of its kind in New Eng- land outside of Boston. It occupies seven- teen floors of a capacious building, which are heavily stocked with parlor, dining - room, chamber, library, kitchen, and miscellaneous furniture, carpets, crockery, and glassware, lamps, ranges, parlor stoves, and bicycles. The concern has branch establishments in Brockton and Springfield.

ILDER U. BARNES, a leading agriculturist and milk producer of North Brookfield, was born in Hard- wick, Mass., February 12, 1840, son of Harvey and Harriet (Gregg) Barnes. Both his great- grandfather, Jesse Barnes, and his grandfather, Asa, belonged to that place. While his mother was a native of Boston, Mass., his ma- ternal ancestors, the Greggs, were of Scotch origin.

Reared to manhood in his native town, young Barnes attended the common schools there. Like most men of his generation born in the country districts, he had but limited opportunities for acquiring knowledge in his youth. However, such as they were, he used them to good advantage. Fired with patriot- ism and eager to take some part in the great conflict between the North and the South, Mr. Barnes enlisted for the war in September, 1862, joining Company K, Forty-second Regi- ment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and remained in service until August of the fol- lowing year. He was with General Banks in the expedition against New Orleans, where his company was detailed to lay a pontoon bridge and guard it. After his discharge from the

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army he returned to Hardwick. In the spring of 1873 he came to North Brookfield, and set- tled on the farm which has since been his home. This farm, comprising one hundred acres of land, is in an excellent state of culti- vation. Much historical interest attaches to it because it was formerly owned by General Rufus Putnam, of Revolutionary fame. In politics Mr. Barnes is a Republican. He is a member of the North Brookfield Grange and of Ezra Batchellor Post, No. 51, G. A. R. At present he is Constable of the town.

On April 20, 1864, Mr. Barnes was married to Rhoda J. Fay, a native of Hardwick and a daughter of Timothy and Mary (Hammond) Fay. The father, also a native of Hardwick, was a Lieutenant in the State militia, and served on the School Committee. His surviv- ing children are: James P., who resides in Hardwick; Rhoda J., now Mrs. Barnes; Mrs. Larrissa Ashcroft, now a widow, residing in Springfield; Augusta, the wife of George Woods, of North Brookfield; and Mercy A., now Mrs. Pepper, also a widow, residing in North Brookfield. The mother was born in Worcester County. Mr. Lindsay, a great- grandfather of Mrs. Barnes, was a sea captain at the time the Revolutionary War broke out, and his ship was one of the first fired on by the British. Mrs. Barnes is a member of the Union Congregational Church at North Brook- field. Her children are: Fred W., Jennie M., George H., Herbert W., and Addie L. Jennie is the wife of Frank Holman, and Addie is the wife of Arthur H. Burdick.

EV. WILLIAM GARDNER TUT- TLE, who for ten years prior to his death, which occurred August 5, 1897, resided in Worcester, Mass., was a man of eminent worth and strong person- ality, whose influence rested like a benedic- tion upon the people and the place. He was born September 25, 1819, in Littleton, Mass., which had been the home of his ancestors for generations.

The Tuttle family is supposed to be of Welsh origin. The name is derived from "Tuthill," which in former centuries was

applied to artificial mounds used for pagan worship, and, it is said, was evolved from "Thoth," the Egyptian god of wisdom and the inventor of art, science, speech, and letters.

John Tuttle, the founder of this branch of the family in New England, came to Massa- chusetts in the good ship "Planter " in 1635, and, settling in Ipswich, was a man of promi- nence in that town, which he represented at the General Court in 1644. The line was continued through his son, Simon Tuttle, 2 Simon, Jr., 3 Samuel, 4 William, 5 Thomas Sparhawk,6 to William Gardner.7 Many of the descendants of John Tuttle have won dis- tinction in professional and literary circles, notable among them being Nathan Dane, founder of the Harvard Law School ; the Hon. William Prescott; William Hickling Pres- cott, the historian; and members of the Hale family. Simon Tuttle, Jr., settled in Little- ton in the early part of the eighteenth century, and on the farm which he reclaimed from the wilderness his descendants for several genera- tions were born and brought up.

Thomas Sparhawk Tuttle was born on the Littleton homestead in 1796, and in after years succeeded to its ownership. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Butterfield, was a descendant of William Longley, who died in I680.

William G. Tuttle acquired his early educa- tion in the common schools of Littleton and at the Groton Academy. He subsequently pre- pared for college at Phillips Academy, An- dover, where he was graduated in 1842. He received his Bachelor's degree at Amherst College in 1846, was graduated at the Andover Theological Seminary in 1849, and on April 17 of that year he was licensed to preach. For several months he filled the pulpit of the Congregational Church of Littleton, in which he had received his first religious teaching outside of the home fireside and with which he had united when young. On June 25, 1851, he was settled at Harrisville, N. H., where he remained until forced to resign on account of ill health in 1860. On October 10, 1861, after a long rest, he accepted a call to the First Congregational Church at Ware, Mass.,

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and during the twenty-six years that followed his labors. in that community were abundantly blessed. His health again becoming under- mined, he resigned his pastorate on April 2, 1887, much to the regret, not only of his pa- rishioners, but of all the townspeople. Re- siding in Worcester, he preached in Holden, Mass., for nearly a year; and in 1889 he preached for ten months at Lake View, in Worcester, his ministerial work being after- ward confined to supplying temporarily pulpits in or near Worcester. His last service was on March 1, 1896, when he administered the communion to his former church in Ware.

Numerous were the tributes paid to this good man after his departure, and none were more hearty and sincere than those that came from them who had known him the longest and had loved him the best. One who had known him through boyhood, youth, and manhood said, "No one ever touched him without be- coming better, and his briefest visits were an honor and an inspiration." A man of tender, loving spirit and broad sympathy, unselfishly devoted to the higher interests of humanity, he found fellowship with all who sought to build up righteousness.

On July 31, 1851, Mr. Tuttle married Har- riet Elizabeth Wallace, of Milford, N. H. Of the children born of this union, two are liv- ing, namely : Harriette Wallace, who for sev- eral years was a member of the faculty at Wellesley College; and Edward Gerry, a prominent physician and surgeon of New York City.

J OHN B. WELLS, a venerable resident of Rutland, son of Rossiter and Emily (Butler) Wells, was born at Wethers- field, Conn., December 26, 1817. His maternal grandfather, John Butler, who was by occupation a farmer, and who fought in the war of the Revolution, died at the age of seventy years. Rossiter Wells, born in Wethersfield, was a lifelong farmer in that town, and died there at the age of eighty-eight years. In politics he was successively a Whig and a Republican. His wife, who was born in the same town, lived to be eighty-five

years old. Both were members of the Congre- gational church. Of their nine children, eight sons and one daughter, the daughter, Rossiter, Stephen, and Albert are deceased. The survivors are: John B., Israel S., Levi W., Frank, and Isaac N.

John B. Wells remained in Wethersfield with his parents until about seventeen years of age, when he went away to learn the cabi- net-maker's trade. This he subsequently worked at until the Civil War broke out. In 1842 he came to Rutland, locating in New Boston. He lived there for a time, and then moved to another place. He bought his pres- ent homestead in 1848. Here since the Civil War he has carried on general farming. On June 13, 1850, he was married to Emily R. Sawtell, who was born in Phillipston, Mass., May 26, 1823. Her parents, Henry and Re- becca (Farnsworth) Sawtell, were both natives of this county. The father, who was a farmer, died in Petersham at the age of forty-two years. The mother lived to be ninety-four. Mr. and Mrs. Wells have one daughter, Mary L., the wife of William H. Maynard, of Rut- land. Mrs. Maynard was born on December 29, 1858. Her husband, who is a farmer, was born in Fitchburg, Mass., November 29, 1853. Their children are: Louise E., born October 15, 1892; and Frank W., born Au- gust 20, 1896. Mr. and Mrs. Wells had a son, who lived only a few months. Both are mem- bers of the Congregational church. In poli- tics Mr. Wells is a Prohibitionist. He has served the town for two years as Selectman and for two years on the Board of Overseers of the Poor. Mr. and Mrs. Wells are among the few couples in town who have spent nearly a half-century of wedded life together. Their home has been a most happy one, and they have many friends.

HARLES N. SHEPARD, a promi- nent agriculturist of Warren, son of the late David Shepard, Jr., was born on the farm he now occupies,

August 9, 1836. His homestead was re- claimed from the wilderness by his great- grandfather, William Shepard, who was one of

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the original settlers of the town. It has since been owned and occupied by his descendants, including Mabel B. Shepard, of the sixth gen- eration, the little daughter of Herbert N. Shepard, and the grand-daughter of Charles N. William was born March 15, 1725. His wife, Eleanor, was born August 3, 1733.

David Shepard, Sr., son of William and the grandfather of Charles N., was born on this farm, and, with the exception of a few years spent in New York State, was here occupied in farming throughout his active life. David Shepard, Jr., born in New York State, was brought up in Warren, and in its public schools received his education. After the death of his father he came into possession of the home farm; and from that time until his demise, which occurred December 19, 1885, he was actively engaged in farming. He mar- ried Lucinda Woods, of West Brookfield, Mass. Of their children, four are living, namely : David W., of Warren; Charlotte F., the wife of F. W. Keyes, of Warren ; Charles N., the subject of this sketch; and William H., of Cleveland, Ohio.

Having passed through the public schools of Warren, Charles N. Shepard completed his education at the Monson Academy, an institu- tion of some note in his day. Afterward, choosing farming for his life occupation, he assisted his father in the management and improvement of the ancestral homestead, to which he has since succeeded. A man of sound judgment and well-versed in agricult- ure, he has been eminently successful as a general farmer and dairyman. Keeping fine graded cattle, he makes a specialty of produc- ing cream, which he ships to Worcester, Mass. In politics he is an adherent of the Republican party. For one year he served his fellow-townsmen as Selectman. He has been a member of the Quaboag Lodge, F. & A. M., of Warren, for about forty years.

On December 20, 1864, Mr. Shepard mar- ried Abby R. Bowen, a native of Ware, Mass., which was also the birthplace of her parents, Sylvester and Nancy (Eaton) Bowen. Mr. Bowen, who belonged to an old family of Ware, served for several years as Selectman and Assessor of his native town. Darius

Eaton, a maternal ancestor of Mr. Shepard, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Bowen reared several children, of whom the survivors are: Mrs. D. S. Ellis and Ellen M. Bowen, both of Rome, N. Y., and Sylvester W. Bowen, of Wendell, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Shepard's only child, Herbert N., resides on the ancestral homestead with his parents. He married Grace M., daughter of W. E. Patrick, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen of Warren, and has one child, Mabel B., born April 1, 1896. Mrs. Shepard is an active member of the Congregational church, of the Home Missionary Society, and of the Woman's Auxiliary Society.

LIVER GOODNOW, a venerable and highly esteemed resident of Paxton, son of Oliver Goodnow, Sr., was born August 4, 1816, in Newfane, Wind- ham County, Vt. He comes of English stock. It is said that his paternal grandfather, John Goodnow, who resided for many years in Needham, Mass., was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War. The father, who was born in Needham, Mass., after his marriage with Catherine Ball, of South Hadley, Mass., re- moved to Newfane, Vt., where he was success- fully engaged as a farmer until his death, in the fifty-eighth year of his age. Regarded as a man of ability and good judgment, he was a Selectman in Vermont for several years.

Oliver Goodnow, the subject of this sketch, received a good education in the public schools of Newfane. At the age of eighteen he went to Boston, and was there employed for a brief time by Dr. Walter Channing, one of the prominent men of that city. Two years later, in 1836, he became a clerk in the store and hotel of Harvey Wilson in Paxton. Subse- quently, after learning the trade of a boot- maker, he worked for thirty-four consecutive years in the employment of Lakin & Bigelow, boot manufacturers in this town. Since that time he has been prosperously engaged in farming.

A Republican in politics and interested in the welfare of the town, Mr. Goodnow has served for five years as Selectman and Over-

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seer of the Poor and for two years as Assessor. He is an active member of the Congregational church, in which he sang for threescore years, being for about half of the time the leader of the choir. At the United States District Court in Boston in 1883 he was the foreman of the grand jury. He served as Justice of the Peace for two terms of seven years each, and he is a trustee of Worcester County Agri- culture Society. In October, 1838, he was married to Abigail M. Abbott, who was born in Paxton, Mass., daughter of Aaron Abbott, formerly an esteemed resident of this town.

ASON B. HILL, a prominent and in- fluential resident of North Brookfield, was born here, December 11, 1820. A son of Kittredge and Sarah (Bigelow) Hill, he is a grandson of Thomas Hill, who in earlier days was a leading resident of North Brookfield. Both of his parents were born here. The father in early life was a teamster. Later he became one of the well- known farmers of this section. He held vari- ous town offices, and also represented the town in the legislature. Of his children, four are living, namely : Kittredge, who resides in the State of Indiana; Nancy E., a resident of North Brookfield; Jason B. ; and Lewis E.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 24

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