Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 27

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 27

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The maiden name of Mr. Barr's wife, who is a native of Leicester, Mass., was Leonora Partridge. Of her three children, Alton H. and Anella are living. In politics Mr. Barr is a Republican. For six years he was a Se- lectman of Spencer, and for one year of that period the chairman of the board. An es- teemed Mason, he is connected with the Ma- sonic lodge at Spencer. He holds the respect of his associates, not only because of his un- tarnished business record, but because of his personal worth and companionable qualities.

ENRY E. BABCOCK, one of Bolton's most prosperous farmers, son of David and Elizabeth W. (Walcott) Babcock, was born in this town, May 4, 1833. The grandfather, Josiah Bab- cock, a native of Fitchburg, Mass., and a tanner by trade, settled upon a tract of wild land in Bolton, where he cleared a farm, erected a tannery, and followed his trade in connection with farming. He died at the age of eighty years. David Babcock, who was

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born in Bolton, after learning the shoemaker's trade, was engaged in that calling for many years in Bolton, where he acquired the repu- tation of a fine workman. He lived to be eighty-seven years old. His wife, Elizabeth, who was born in Stow, Mass., daughter of Silas Walcott, became the mother of seven children, five of whom are living; namely, Nathan, Henry E., Edward B., David M., and John C. Of these the only one residing in Bolton is Henry E., the subject of this sketch. The mother lived to be eighty-two years old. Both parents were members of the Society of Friends.

Henry E. Babcock completed his education at the Friends' Academy in Providence, R. I. After leaving school he learned the trade of a shoemaker, and was subsequently employed in the shoe shops of this locality until he was thirty-five years old. Then he took charge of the homestead property, and has since been engaged in dairy farming, shipping milk to the Boston market. He successively married Emily B. Upham, of Amherst, N. H., who died at the age of thirty-two years; Mary Southwick, of Millville, Mass., who died at thirty-six; Mary Searle, of Hollis, N. H. ; and Dorcas H. Aldrich, of Uxbridge, Mass., his present wife. His first wife had one daughter, Sarah E., who married William J. Woodworth, and now has three children - Albert S., Zella, and Dorothy Woodworth.

In politics Mr. Babcock is a Republican. He served for many years as chairman of both the Selectmen and Overseers of the Poor, and he was an Assessor for some time. For a number of years he has been officially con- nected with the Patrons of Husbandry, the Farmers' Club, and the Worcester East Agri- cultural Society. He attends the Friends' Meeting, and is at present the treasurer and one of the overseers of the society.

REDERICK A. CURRIER, a promi- nent banker of Fitchburg, was born in Worcester, Mass., December 24, 1851, son of Festus C. and Joanna M. (Allen) Cur- rier. His paternal grandfather, Edward Cur- rier, was a Revolutionary patriot. He joined

the American army in 1776, and acted as ser- vant to General Washington's staff until old enough to enter the ranks. He became a reg- ular soldier in 1778, and served to the end of the war.

Festus C. Currier, above named, son of Edward, was born in Holliston, Middlesex County, Mass., October 6, 1825. An able financier, he was for some years the head of the well-known insurance and steamship agency of F. C. Currier & Son, with head- quarters in the Rollstone Bank Block, Fitch- burg, which agency he founded in 1868 on becoming a resident of Fitchburg. Under his able management the business grew to large proportions. In 1875 he was appointed to the State detective force by Governor Gaston, and was placed in special charge of the inspec- tion of manufactories and public buildings, his duties calling him to visit nearly all the factories in the Commonwealth. Upon the expiration of his term of office, without re- questing a reappointment he returned to the steamship business, which he combined with insurance, his insurance agency being for sev- eral years one of the largest in this part of the State. He has now given up insurance, but retains his interest in the steamship agency, handling railway and steamship tickets, for- eign drafts, and investment securities. He was for eight years or more a director in the Fitchburg Co-operative Bank. In 1891 he was one of the organizers of the Wachusett Mutual Fire. Insurance Company, of Fitchburg ; and he served as vice-president and superin- tendent of its agencies until the business was discontinued in 1896. He was thirteen years secretary of the Massachusetts Mutual Aid Society. For a number of years he was treas- urer of the Worcester North Agricultural So- ciety, and he served as its president in 1888.

A Democrat in politics, he has been elected to a number of important offices. He served on the Board of Aldermen of Fitchburg in 1874, 1875, and 1881 ; was a candidate for County Commissioner in 1874; and in 1880 he polled a large vote as candidate for the leg- islature. In 1884 he ran on the Cleveland ticket as candidate for Presidential elector, and in 1886 he was nominated for Congress. In

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the subsequent election he ran far ahead of his ticket, and reduced the majority of one of the strongest Republican candidates in the State forty per cent. Personally as popular with the Republicans as with those of his own party, he was a dangerous opponent in the political field during the years of his public activity. His wife, Joanna, who was a daughter of Abram Allen, of Belchertown, Mass., died May 2, 1894. They had four children, three of whom died in childhood, the only survivor being Frederick A., the special subject of our sketch.

Frederick A. Currier was reared in Hollis- ton, and there received his schooling. He has been a resident of Fitchburg since 1869, and may be said to have grown up in the insurance business. For a number of years he was the junior member of the firm of F. C. Currier & Son; and he is now head of the firm of Cur- rier & Blanchard, with headquarters in the Rollstone Bank Building. He has for four years been president of the Fitchburg and Leominster Board of Underwriters. He was for six years connected with the management of the Fitchburg Opera House, and for five years he was secretary of the Wachusett Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Like his father, he is a Democrat, and is also very pop- ular with the members of the other great party. He was appointed Postmaster in 1887 by Pres- ident Cleveland, serving two years under his administration and retaining the office two years longer under President Harrison, thus filling out a four years' term, from 1887 to 1891. Upon his retirement a petition, bear- ing the names of seven hundred leading Repub- licans, asked for his retention as Postmaster. Mr. Currier was four years secretary of the Worcester North Agricultural Society. He was elected in 1896 secretary of the Fitchburg Co-operative Bank; and he still holds the office, this institution being one of the largest of its kind in the State. He served on the Board of Aldermen in 1896 and 1897. He is a member of Aurora Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he was secretary for twenty years; of Thomas Chapter, R. A. M .; Jerusalem Com- mandery, Knights Templar; and of Hiram Council of Worcester. He also belongs to

Mount Rollstone Lodge and King David En- campent, I. O. O. F. He is on the Board of Trustees and is one of the Examining Com- mittee of the Worcester North Savings Insti- tution of Fitchburg.

Of late Mr. Currier has taken a great inter- est in local historical matters. He was one of the originators and incorporators of the Fitchburg Historical Society, and has contrib- uted several papers to their historical collec- tions. His paper on "Postal Communication, Past and Present," brought out the following in the Fitchburg Daily Sentinel: " Mr. Currier received Friday from the Post-office Depart- ment at Washington, through N. M. Brooks, superintendent of foreign mails, a copy of L' Union Postale, the official journal published monthly by the International Bureau of the Postal Union at Berne, Switzerland, dated September 1, 1895, the leading article of which is a review, with extended extracts, of a paper on the 'Postal Service,' read before the Historical Society of this city by Mr. Currier." The article, like all others in this publication, appears in French, German, and English, in parallel columns. Mr. Currier also received an autograph letter from the Postmaster-General of the German Empire and one from the Postmaster-General of Spain, complimenting his work. The following is from the Boston Herald : -

"Mr. Frederick A. Currier is one of the most valued members of the Fitchburg His- torical Society, which has done and is doing a remarkably interesting and effective work in the lines upon which such organizations are usually active. He has prepared a number of important papers the last two years, which will appear in the regular volume to be published by the society before the holiday. But for private distribution he has caused to be printed two papers of especial importance, under the title of 'The Old Taverns and Stage- coach Days.' The longer titles of the papers are 'Tavern Days and the Old Taverns of Fitchburg' and 'Stage-coach Days and Stage- coach Ways.' The papers make one hundred and eight pages of the usual book size, and are exceedingly interesting and rich in historical data, Mr. Currier has written quite a number

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of other valuable historical papers. He has a genuine love for this sort of work, and his papers combine a great deal of unique infor- mation, interesting and pertinent 'color,' all presented in a charming literary style."

ORATIO MOORE, a farmer and dairyman of New Braintree, son of Jonathan and Eunice L. (Moore) Moore, was born in Rutland, Mass., May 24, 1834. He comes of English origin. His paternal grandfather, also named Jona- than, who was probably a native of Brookfield, Mass., served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. This Jonathan was for many years an industrious farmer of Holden, where he died, November 10, 1843, at an advanced age. His farm, which was located in the southern part of the town, is now included within the water system of the city of Worcester. He was three times married, and he became the father of four children. These were: Patty, Jona- than, and Newell, by his second wife; and William, by his third wife. He was a mem- ber of the Congregational church.

Jonathan Moore (second), who was born in Holden, November 20, 1805, resided in his native town until after his marriage. About the year 1830 he bought a farm in the northern part of the town of Rutland. Five years later he went to the Chamberlain farm in the south- ern part of the town, whence in 1863 he re- moved to what is known as the Bartlett farm, located in the eastern section. In 1870 he removed to Rutland Centre, purchasing a farm of thirty-eight acres, which he occupied for the rest of his life, and on which the large Mus- chopeague Hotel was erected. He died May 16, 1878. Originally a Whig, he joined the Republican party at its formation. He was a member of the Congregational church. His wife, Eunice, whom he married May 28, 1828, was born in West Boylston, Mass., November 5, 1806. Her children were: Horatio, the subject of this sketch; two girls who died in infancy; and Mary, born July 13, 1841, who died August 22, 1845. The mother died Au- gust 6, 1879.

Horatio Moore began his education in the

public schools of his native town, and com- pleted his studies at the Wilbraham Academy. He assisted his father until he was twenty-two years old. Then he bought a farm in Rut- land, where he continued to till the soil for some twenty years. In 1876 he moved to his present farm in New Braintree, containing two hundred and seventy-five acres. Here, engaged in general farming and dairying, he keeps fifty head of cattle, some of which are full-blooded Durham ; and he cuts one hundred tons of hay annually. Since he came here he has made various improvements upon the land and buildings.

Mr. Moore has been three times married. On June 18, 1856, he contracted his first mar- riage with Ann M. Fletcher, who was born in Rutland in 1833, daughter of David W. and Sally (Esterbrook) Fletcher. She died in October, 1868; and on October 6, 1869, he married Lena Lovering, of Woburn, Mass., who died January 11, 1874. His present wife, formerly Miss Emma A. Stone, whom he mar- ried March 23, 1876, was born in Rutland, December 13, 185.1, daughter of Stillman and Jeanette A. (Rice) Stone. Her father, a pros- perous farmer in his time, was born in Rut- land, July 14, 1816; and her mother was born in the same town, November 7, 1821. Still- man Stone served the town as Selectman, As- sessor, and Collector. In politics he was a Republican, in religious belief a Congrega- tionalist. He lived to be seventy-four years old. His widow is now residing in Worces- ter. He was the father of five children, namely : Stillman N. and Martha R., both of whom died at the age of thirty-three years ; Merrick A., who married Rosamond A. Brooks, of Reading, Mass., on October 6, 1875, and now resides in that town; Emma A., who is now Mrs. Moore; and Henrietta M., who is unmarried. Stillman N. Stone married Sarah J. Davis, of Barre, Mass., and left two children - Nelson T. and Pearlie. Martha R. Stone married Darius A. Putnam, and left one daughter - Winifred J. Mr. Moore's first wife bore him three sons, namely : William F., an engineer, born March 27, 1860, who married Lulu P. Goodnow, of Rutland, and has one daughter, Gladys; Her-

HORATIO MOORE.

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vey F., born November 9, 1862, now a mar- ketman in North Brookfield, who married Jennie Wellington, and has two children - Carroll F. and Mildred E. ; and Chester H., who died at the age of eleven months. By his second union he has one daughter, Ida M., born December 25, 1871. Ida married E. L. Havens, of New Braintree, and has two children - Lucy M. and Stanley M. Havens.

In politics Mr. Moore is a Republican. While residing in Rutland he was a member of the Board of Assessors. Besides serving in the same capacity in New Braintree, he has been a Justice of the Peace for a number of years. For two years he was the president of the Worcester County West Agricultural So- ciety, and he is now a trustee. He is also a trustee of the Worcester Agricultural Society and a vice-president of the Spencer Agricult- ural Society. He is a Past Master of the Rutland Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and Mrs. Moore is a member. Also a member of the Congregational church, he serves it in the capacity of Deacon.

THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION of Southbridge, Mass., was organized December 31,

1882. The movement of which that event was the result originated with a meeting of the young men of the Congregational church and their pastor, the Rev. Joseph Danielson, held in the latter part of the preceding No- vember, to organize a society for the benefit of the young of their own denomination. After discussing the project the conclusion was reached that an organization open to the young of all churches was the pre-eminent need, and a proposal to establish a branch of the Young Men's Christian Association was favorably received. With this purpose in view corre- spondence was at once opened with Charles K. Ober, the assistant State secretary. Then fol- lowed a meeting in the vestry of the Baptist church. A short time later, in the vestry of the Methodist Episcopal church, another meet- ing was held, at which Mr. Ober was present, and considerable enthusiasm was aroused. On the following Sunday announcement was made

in the various churches of the town that a meeting would be held that evening in the Baptist church vestry to further consider the proposal. On this occasion the participants expressed great interest in the movement. The outcome was the meeting of December 31, 1882, at which the Southbridge Young Men's Christian Association was formally organized by twenty-eight young men, many of whom are now among the representative business men of the town. From this inception the growth of the association has been rapid. It is now one of the finest equipped and most active organi- zations of the kind in New England.

When organizing, the association adopted the constitution of the International Committee, and elected George W. Wells as president, F. M. Smith vice-president, W. P. Taylor secretary, and J. E. Clemence treasurer. Subsequently rooms for the use of the asso- ciation were secured in the block containing Edwards Hall. Here at a meeting held Jan- uary 6, 1883, forty-four new members were welcomed by the association. On January 15 thirty-five more names were added to the mem- bership roll. The total membership now is three hundred. The growth of the society and the desire to extend its usefulness de- manded better accommodations; and at a meeting held July 28, 1884, it was voted that the profits from a festival, to be given at some future time, should be set aside as the nucleus of a building fund. To the small sum thus acquired were added from time to time such subscriptions as interested persons donated. On July 21, 1885, the association became a corporation under the laws of Massachusetts. Three years later, when the building fund amounted to twenty-five thousand dollars, the association felt warranted in buying the site of the present building, which was then valued at fifteen thousand dollars. Through the lib- erality of the people of Southbridge, a few of whom gave large donations, the treasurer's report at the close of the year 1891 showed the building fund to be forty-one thousand and twenty-one dollars. In the early part of that year a Building Committee, consisting of F. L. Chapin, George W. Wells, and Jacob Booth, had been appointed. Then at the

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meeting held October 3, 1892, the association voted to authorize this committee to receive plans and specifications for the new building. The erection, which was in charge of H. P. Cumming & Co., of Ware, Mass., was com- pleted in 1893. This beautiful edifice, three stories in height, is an ornament to the town, a credit to the architects and builders, and the pride of the association. On the first floor of the main building are six stores and the post- office, and in the annex are two stores below and a tenement upstairs. The reading-room, game room, parlors, and two lecture rooms (a large one and a small one) are also on the first floor. The second floor, devoted to the work of the junior department, has five class rooms. In these, under the instruction of competent teachers, various branches are taught, including book-keeping, arithmetic, penmanship, mechanical drawing, English and French, and stenography. On the third floor are the janitor's rooms and dormitories.

REDERICK BRYANT, a prosperous farmer of Petersham and a veteran of the Civil War, was born on the Beaman place, so called, January 30, 1831. A son of Artemas and Mehitable (Wilson) Bryant, he is descended from Anraham Bryant, who re- sided at Reading, Mass., and was made a freeman in 1673. His great-grandfather, Samuel Bryant, came to Petersham in 1750, and bought fifty-six acres of land in the south- eastern part of the town. Samuel enlisted in Captain John Wheeler's company of minute- men, which belonged to Colonel Ephraim Doo- little's regiment ; and he marched with it to Concord on April 19, 1775. After the Revo- lutionary War he purchased a farm which had formerly belonged to Captain Thomas Beaman, a Tory who guided the British troops from Boston to Concord, and whose estate was con- fiscated by the Massachusetts authorities. Joel Bryant, the grandfather, occupied this farm; and Artemas, the father, succeeded to its ownership. Artemas was an industrious farmer, and also followed the trade of currier. His wife, Mehitable, a native of Petersham, was a daughter of Major John Wilson,

Frederick Bryant was educated in the public schools. Afterward he assisted his father in farming, and worked at the currier's trade until the summer of 1862. Then he enlisted in Company F, Fifty-third Regiment, Massachu- setts Volunteers, under Captain Mudge and Colonel John W. Kimball. With the rank of Corporal he served upon the Lower Missis- sippi. When the regiment was ordered to ac- company General Banks on the Red River expedition, he was detailed to guard duty at the camp in Algiers, La. Honorably dis- charged in September, 1863, he returned to the homestead farm. For the past twenty years he has been an Assessor, and the chair- man of the board for sixteen years. He is a comrade of Parker Post, No. 123, G. A. R., of Athol, Mass.

Mr. Bryant married Mary Hapgood, a native of this town. Her great-grandfather, Asa Hapgood, was a member of the Committee of Safety at Barre, Mass., during the war for independence; and when forty-nine years old he enlisted in Captain Henry's company for service in Rhode Island. Mr. and Mrs. Bry- ant have five children, namely : Walter A., who married Carrie Felton, and has five chil- dren - Harry Felton, N. Agnes, Leroy, Al- bert Ray, and Charles F .; Nellie W., the wife of Herbert W. Gale, of Gardner, Mass. ; Winifred, who married Frank L. Gates, of that town, and has two children - Inez and Carl L. ; Charles H., a Boston merchant, who married Ada E. Bailey, and has two children - Alice M. and Herbert F. ; and John M. Bryant, who is engaged in business with his brother in Boston.

TP IERRE LEONARD COUILLARD, M.D., who for many years has been the leading medical practitioner of Manchaug, was born February 28, 1850, at St. Martine, on the Chateauguay River in Canada, son of Joachim and Cather- ine (Doutre) Couillard. The Couillard fam- ily claims to be the oldest in Canada. Guil- laume Couillard, a French emigrant, was the first white settler to break the soil on the Plains of Abraham. Early in this century

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Dr. Couillard's grandfather removed from Quebec to St. Martine, and settled on a farm which has since been the home of the family. Joachim and Catherine Couillard had several children. Two sons, who are now deceased, were lawyers in Montreal. Besides Dr. Couillard, the only living son is Antoine, who is an agent for the Wilson Manufacturing Company of Montreal. A daughter, Alphon- sine, resides on the old home in St. Martine with the mother. Joseph Doutre, now de- ceased, who was a well-known attorney of Montreal, was a cousin of Dr. Couillard.

After receiving his preliminary education in the schools of his native town, Pierre Leonard Couillard went to the College of St. Thérèse. He subsequently became a student in the College of L'Assomption, and gradu- ated at Victoria College, Montreal, as a phy- sician. After receiving his degree he settled at once in Manchaug, where for the past twenty-three years he has watched over the health of the community. Many have been the hours of suffering which his ministrations have rendered less painful, and many the diseases which his skill has vanquished.

By his marriage with Noemie Provost, daughter of Charles and Julie (Gaucher) Pro- vost, the Doctor became the father of three sons and two daughters. These are: Edouard J., born April 6, 1881 ; Charles A., born Feb- ruary 7, 1885; Bertha Antoinette, born No- vember 20, 1886; Jean Jacques, born Decem- ber 15, 1892; and Noamie Elizabeth, born May 15, 1897. Edouard is now a student at the high school in Northbridge, and Charles is attending the grammar school in Manchaug. Dr. Couillard is a member of the Massachu- setts Medical Society and of the Thurber Medical Society of Milford. He is a Demo- crat in politics, and is now serving as secre- tary of the Democratic Town Committee.

LIAS PARTRIDGE MORTON, agent of the Stevens Linen Works of Web- ster, where he is a prominent resi- dent, was born in Augusta, Me., on September 7, 1842, son of Cornelius B. and Adaline (Partridge) Morton. He comes from Plym-

outh Pilgrim stock, his first ancestor in this country being George Morton, who was born in England in 1585 and came to Plymouth, Mass., in 1623, on the ship "Ann.".

George Morton was married in Leyden, Holland, whither he had gone from England, to Julianna, daughter of Alexander Carpenter. The line of descent from George Morton to the subject of this sketch is through Ephraim, who was born in 1623 and married Ann Cooper; Eleazer, whose wife's given name was Rebecca; Nathaniel, who was born in 1695, and married Mrs. Rebecca Clark Ellis; Ichabod, who was born in 1726 at Sandwich, Mass., and who married Deborah Morton; and Mordecai, who was born at Middleboro in 1773, married Priscilla Bennett, and died at Winthrop, Me., in 1835. Mordecai Morton was the father of Cornelius B. and the grand- father of Elias P. Morton. Ebenezer Ben- nett, father of Mordecai's wife, was one of the men who answered the alarm call on the day of the battle of Lexington, 1775, as was also Ichabod Morton.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 27

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