Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 33

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 33

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William A. Kilbourn prepared for college

at Phillips Exeter Academy, and was gradu- ated from Harvard University with the class of 1858. For the succeeding fifteen years he was engaged in educational work. About the year 1873 he took charge of the agricultural property of the Thayers in South Lancaster, consisting of four large farms, of which he has since acted as general manager.

In 1862 Mr. Kilbourn married for his first wife Ellen Levington, of Boston; and of that union were born two children - Robert B. and Ellen L. The last named married Arthur Mann, and is the mother of two children -- Maud and Ellen C. Mr. Kilbourn's present wife, whose maiden name was Abbie F. Goss, has borne him eight children, namely : Martha, wife of George L. Willard, of Somer- ville, Mass .; Elizabeth F. ; Arthur; Mary; Alice M .; Annie G .; Ruth B .; and Wal- ton G.

In politics Mr. Kilbourn is a Republican. He has served as Moderator at town meetings for twenty years, has rendered valuable ser- vice to the community as a member of the School Board, and is also Overseer of the Poor. He is a Past Master of the Lancaster Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, has been sec- retary of the Worcester County Agricultural Society since 1883 and a member of the State Board of Agriculture for the same length of time. Mr. Kilbourn attends the Unitarian church.

OHN H. LEFAVOUR, of East Brook- field, manager and treasurer of the Parmenter Manufacturing Company, was born in Beverly, Mass., October 19, 1834, son of John and Nancy (Woodbury) Lefavour. He is of Huguenot ancestry. His parents were natives of Beverly, as was also his grandfather, Amos Lefavour. The latter was a seafaring man. John Lefavour, the father, was for many years identified with the shoe manufacturing industry in Beverly, in which city he died in 1872.

John H. Lefavour was educated in the pub- lic schools and at the Beverly Academy. He was associated in business with his father from 1864 until the latter's decease. Subse-

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quently he became book-keeper and general superintendent for the firm of David Lefavour & Son, shoe manufacturers of Beverly, which position he retained for a number of years. In 1892 he came to East Brookfield as man- ager and treasurer of the Parmenter Manufact- uring Company. This well-known concern is engaged in the manufacture of brick, and carries on a large business, employing in the busy season an average of one hundred and twenty-five men. Under Mr. Lefavour's able management its capacity to fill orders has been fully tested.

Mr. Lefavour married Mary A. Richards, of Wenham, Mass. He has three children; namely, Howard R., Mary A., and John. Mary A. is the wife of Allen H. Bennett, cashier of the Beverly National Bank. As the official head of the most important indus- try in East Brookfield, Mr. Lefavour is one of the chief contributors to the prosperity of the town. Politically, he acts with the Re- publican party, and he has served with ability upon the Town Committee.

ANIEL W. MITCHELL, Select- man of Southboro, who has had charge of the Boston & Albany Railroad property at Cordaville for more than thirty years, was born in Newfield, York County, Me., February 13, 1830. His parents, John and Susan (Davis) Mitchell, had six children. The father settled on wild land in Newfield in 1812, and established a home- stead there. One of the leading residents of the town, he served on the Board of Selectmen for many years. Thomas, the eldest child, in early life was educated in the public schools and later in the academy at New Market, N.H. He subsequently followed the voca- tion of teaching for many years, and, later settling on the old homestead, has since filled all the important offices in town. He has two sons living : Thomas Edwin, who lives on the old homestead; and John W., who is engaged in mercantile business in Worcester. John, the second son of John and Susan Davis Mitchell, was educated in New Market, N.H., and was actively engaged in the ministry in

Maine for a number of years. He had one son, Francis A., who graduated at Bowdoin College, Maine, studied medicine with Dr. J. D. Mitchell at Jacksonville, Fla., and later settled at Bridgton, Me., where he had an ex- tensive practice.

Another son of John and Susan D. Mitchell, Joseph D., a student of Parsonfield Academy, studied for three years with Dr. Jackson, of Boston, and graduated at Harvard Medical College. He had a large practice at Calais, Me., on both sides of the St. Croix River, for three years. Then he received an injury that made him an invalid for a time, and he went to Jacksonville, Fla., for his health. He was unable to walk when he arrived there, but his health steadily improved, and after a time he resumed practice. Having earned over a thousand dollars in a few months, he decided to remain in Jacksonville. At the time of the war he was worth over a hundred thousand dollars. He was a strong Union man; and General Sherman, when in that part of the South, was his guest. This fact aroused the enmity of the Southern sympathizers; and, when Sherman retired from the city, Dr. Mitchell's property, like that of others in sympathy with the North, was destroyed, and he was compelled to flee. He had planned to co-operate with General Sherman in an effort to bring Florida back into the Union, but his plan failed. He then came North, obtained an appointment as surgeon in the Eighth Maine Regiment, and served until the close of the war. For some time he was in charge of the Beaufort (S.C.) Hospital. When the army disbanded he returned to Florida, where he died about five years ago. He had two sons, Neal and Solace, who were educated re- spectively at Amherst and Harvard. Both became medical practitioners, and are among the leading doctors of Jacksonville. Neal is chairman of the Board of Health of that city, which position he held also at the time of the yellow fever epidemic a few years ago.

Daniel W. Mitchell acquired much of his early education at Parsonfield Academy. He spent one year in New Brunswick with his brother, Dr. J. D. Mitchell, who was practis- ing there; and for ten years he managed the

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homestead farm at Newfield. He taught school for nine winters while in charge of the farm. When he was about thirty years of age he came to Southboro; and for three years he had charge of the Fayville railroad station here, under the old Boston & Worcester Rail- road. He was then appointed station agent at Cordaville, at that time a thriving manufact- uring village; and he has now entered upon his thirty-third year in that office. His real estate interests are extensive. He has spent several winters in Florida at his orange groves, which he bought in 1880.

Mr. Mitchell was married to Anna S. Davis, a school teacher of Newfield, Me. Their only son, Elmer Lincoln Mitchell, who was educated in the public schools of South- boro and in Worcester Business College, has been connected with the B. & A. Railroad for several years. He has developed a special talent for mechanics and invention, and has obtained patents on several valuable inven- tions, one of which is an electrical railway time signal. He has taken several trips to Southern California and Florida for his health. Though actively interested in town affairs, Mr. Mitchell, Sr., is quite averse to holding office. While in Newfield he served for six years on the School Board, and he has been for three years on the School Board of South- boro. He has been Selectman of Southboro since 1896. It is now some time since he be- came a member of the Masonic order.

AMES E. ANDREWS, superintendent of the J. H. Parker shoe factory at Berlin, was born in this town, Septem- ber 12, 1865, son of George H. and Adeliza J. (Howard) Andrews. His father was a native of Boylston, as was also his grandfather, James Andrews. The latter, previous to his death, at the age of thirty- three years, was engaged in mercantile busi- ness in Worcester. George H. Andrews in early youth resided for a time in Worcester. Learning the shoemaker's trade, he followed it subsequently in Boylston. He enlisted as a private in Company K, Fifty-third Regi- ment, Massachusetts Volunteers, with which

he served nine months in the Civil War, and was discharged with the rank of Corporal. Upon his return he resumed shoemaking, and has followed that occupation in Berlin most of the time since. For some years he served the town as Constable. His wife, Adeliza J. Andrews, is a daughter of Rufus Howard, formerly a basket mnaufacturer of this town. She has reared a family of three children, of whom two are living: James E., the subject of this sketch; and Nettie.

James. E. Andrews began his education in the common schools of Berlin, and later took a business course of study in Boston. He learned the shoemaker's trade in Berlin, and since 1885 has been superintendent of J. H. Parker's factory, which manufactures rubber boots with leather soles, men's shoes, arctic socks, jackets, and similar articles.

In 1885 Mr. Andrews contracted the first of his two marriages with Flora M. Babcock, daughter of William T. Babcock, of this town. She died at the age of twenty-six years, hav- ing been the mother of one son, William H. Mr. Andrews's present wife was before mar- riage Nettie McFarland, of Jamaica, Vt.

In politics Mr. Andrews is a Republican. He is now serving his third year as a Select- man, and is also Overseer of the Poor and a member of the Board of Health. He is a member of the Clinton Lodge, No. 199, I. O. O. F., of Clinton; is connected with the Order of the Golden Cross; and has been commander of the local camp of the Sons of Veterans.

ILLIAM H. MELLEN, chairman of the Board of Selectmen of Athol, was born in Spofford, N. Y., No- vember 9, 1842. When but four years old he came to Orange, Mass., and his education was received in the schools of that place. In 1861 he enlisted for three years in Company A of the Twenty-first Massachusetts Regi- ment, and, joining the Ninth Army Corps under General Burnside, was in the battles of Roanoke, Newbern, Camden, and second Bull Run. He was injured in the last-named battle, and afterward did detail service at

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Portsmouth Grove, R.I., at the Orderly's headquarters until his honorable discharge, May 5, 1864. From that time to 1868 he conducted a furniture business, and from 1868 to 1894 he carried on a lumber and saw-mill business. He owns a tract of land which he has laid out in building lots, and he has erected several houses. His own dwelling was built twenty years ago.

During the past three years much of his time has been given to public duties. He has held the offices of Selectman, Assessor, and Highway Surveyor continuously since 1894 -four years; he was elected chairman of the Board of Selectmen in 1896, and now holds that office; was an Overseer of the Poor in 1895-96; a member of the Board of Health, 1894-95; and is now a member of the Athol Board of Trade. Many important works have been completed during his term of service as a Selectman. Three grade cross- ings - the School Street, Main Street, and Chestnut Hill - have been abolished; the electric railroad, which is now owned by a home company, has been built; the sewerage system, with its twelve miles of pipe, has been laid; and nearly two miles of State road in Athol connecting with about the same amount in Orange has been built, making a first-class thoroughfare between the two villages. All of these have required much of Mr. Mellen's time and attention, and the work has been done in a thorough and substantial manner. In the spring of 1897 he was elected a com- mittee of one to defend the town in lawsuits.

In political principles and affiliation he is a Republican. He is a member of the Re- publican Town Committee, and has attended the different party conventions and served on committees. As a member of the Massachu- setts legislature, session of 1897, he served on the House Committee on Military Affairs. Fraternally, he is a charter member of Corin- thian Lodge, K. of P .; a member of the Uni- formed Rank, K. of P .; a member of Poquaig Club; and a member of the H. V. Smith Post, G. A. R., in which he has served two years as Commander.

On July 7, 1864, Mr. Mellen was married to Miss Gertrude E. Squires, of Herkimer

County, New York. They have two children, a son and daughter, namely: William D. Mellen, who runs a grocery store at Athol; and Mabel A., wife of Albert E. McReel, an electrician, who is now superintendent of the electric railroad at Exeter, N. H.

OHN R. BLACK, for a number of years a member of the Board of High- way Commissioners, East Brookfield, was born in Worcester, Mass., October 28, 1833, son of Amos R. and Hester E. (Brigham) Black. He is of English origin. James Black, his paternal grandfather, was a prosperous farmer of Barre; and one of his brothers is said to have imported the first smut-faced sheep to this country. Mr. Black's father was a native of Barre, and his mother of Boylston, Mass. The former was an extensive contractor in his day, a member of the firm of Dawson, Black & Co., of Worcester, who did the ballasting and stone work on the construction of the Worcester & Nashua Railway.

John R. Black was educated in the public schools and at Worcester Academy. When a young man he took contracts for gravel and stone work in Worcester and the vicinity. About 1863 he was appointed Street Commis- sioner of Brighton, Mass., a position which he capably filled for eight years, doing much to improve the highways and thoroughfares of that town. For the succeeding five years he acted as superintendent of the Wellington Stock Farm at Lexington, Mass. Moving subsequently to East Brookfield, he was chair- man of the Board of Highway Commissioners there for three years. He later became super- intendent of the C. P. Blanchard Stock Farm at Brookfield, remaining in that capacity sev- eral years, after which he returned to East Brookfield, and was again elected Highway Commissioner. At the present time he is en- gaged in general farming.

Mr. Black married for his first wife Abbie E. Clark, who bore him three children, of whom the only survivor is Charles A. Black, of Worcester. His present wife was before marriage Harriet E. Prentice, of Millbury,

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Mass. Politically, Mr. Black is a Republi- can. Progressive and enterprising, he is in favor of all practical measures for developing the resources of the town. He attends the Baptist church.

ILLIAM N. FELTON, proprietor of Valley View Farm, Bolton, and chairman of the Board of Select- men, was born in Boston, Mass., December 25, 1835. His father, Joel Felton, was a native of Marlboro, Mass., as was also his grandfather, Joel, the latter being an indus- trious farmer. Joel Felton, the father, went to Boston when a young man, and for several years was engaged in the grocery business there. In 1836 he came to Bolton, and, set- tling upon the farm where his son now re- sides, he devoted the rest of his active period to agriculture. He died in 1886, at the ad- vanced age of ninety-four years, having re- tained much of his accustomed vigor until the last.

William N. Felton began his education in the common schools of Bolton, and was one of the first attendants at the Houghton High School. For several years thereafter he as- sisted in carrying on the home farm, later assuming its entire management, and caring for his parents during their declining years. Valley View Farm consists of one hundred acres of excellent tillage and pasture land, the soil, which is deep and fertile, being well cul- tivated. Hay and grain are its chief prod- ucts, and the splendid pasturage facilities are taken full advantage of by the proprietor, who keeps a large number of cows and supplies a milk route in Hudson.

In 1861 Mr. Felton married Sarah M. Blood, who was born in Jamestown, N. Y. Her father, Amos F. Blood, who was formerly a painter and a farmer, is still living, and resides in Sterling, Mass. She is the mother of three children, namely: William H., now a resident of Seattle, Wash. ; Everett M., a prosperous farmer of Hubbardston, Mass. ; and Arthur S. Everett Felton married Gertrude Hodges, and has four children - Earle, Will- iam, Hazel, and Grace. Arthur S. Felton

has charge of his father's milk business in Hudson.

Politically, Mr. Felton is a Republican. He was formerly Overseer of the Poor and a member of the Board of Health, and he has been chairman of the Board of Selectmen since 1892, a period of seven years. He was for a number of years Master of the local grange. He attends the Baptist church, of which Mrs. Felton is a member.

ONATHAN COE BRADFORD was for many years a valued citizen of Mil- ford. Born in Smithfield, R.I., on Christmas Day, 1828, he was a son of James H. and Sarah (Aldrich) Bradford. He learned the mason's trade in his native place, and in later years employed the man of whom he learned it. Before the Civil War broke out, when the town had about three thousand inhabitants, he came to Milford, and soon had a prosperous business as a contracting mason. He was a capable and energetic business man, as well as a skilled workman. Nearly all the principal business blocks built in Mil- ford up to the time of his death were his handiwork. The handsome brick house in Bow Street, which was his home for fifteen years, and many of the largest Hopedale fac- tories were also erected by him. The work- manship of all these buildings is of the very best. Mr. Bradford had no desire for politi- cal honors, while he earned and easily kept the esteem of his fellow-citizens. His integ- rity throughout his eminently successful busi- ness career gained for him an enviable repu- tation. No man with whom he had dealings had ever occasion to question his statements, and his word was considered as good as his bond. Much interested in the Masonic fra- ternity, he was identified with the three local bodies : Montgomery Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Leb- anon Chapter, R. A. M .; and Milford Com- mandery, K. T.

Mr. Bradford was married on Christmas Day, 1855, to Angeline Nelson, who, born March 16, 1829, is a native of Sutton and a daughter of Nathaniel T. and Silence (Kenny) Nelson. The children of the marriage were:

JONATHAN C. BRADFORD.

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Walter S., Ada N., and Lillian A. The family also included Charles Henry Brad- ford, an adopted child. After the death of Mr. Bradford his widow married Charles Porter Skillings, of Portland, Me., now de- ceased.

UY W. GARLAND, M.D., chair- man of the Board of Selectmen of Gardner, was born in East Plain- field, N.H., December 11, 1844, son of Na- thaniel and Mary (Elkins) Garland. The fam- ily name, which is of Saxon origin and means "gleaned from the land," has been spelled in various ways, as Garlon, Garlin, Garlen, and Garling. It was common in England in the fifteenth century; and an ancestor of Peter Garland, the founder of the name in New England, located in Wales. Peter Garland, who was a native of Wales and a mariner, em- igrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ac- companied by his wife and several children; and his name is mentioned among the freemen of Charlestown as early as 1637. One of his descendants went to New Hampshire. Na- thaniel Garland, Dr. Garland's grandfather, who resided in Boscawen, N.H., was commis- sioned Second Lieutenant, November 5, 1775, in Moses Yeaton's company, of Pierce's Island. Nathaniel Garland, Dr. Garland's father, who resided in East Plainfield, was a wheelwright by trade and a man who stood high in the estimation of his neighbors. His wife, Mary, was a daughter of Richard Elkins, of that town.

Guy W. Garland acquired his early educa- tion in the public schools of Manchester, N. H., and Lowell, Mass. His medical studies were begun at the Harvard University Medical School and completed at the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1867. Locating in Gardner immediately after receiving his diploma, he built up an extensive practice, enjoying in a high degree the confidence of his patients. He is now prominently identified with local affairs, being chairman of the Board of Selectmen, upon which body he has served for eight years.

Dr. Garland married Lavinia M. Upton, of Gardner, Mass., a daughter of Nehemiah Upton. Mrs. Gardner traces the origin of her family to the Norman Conquest, when sur- names first came into use in England. The first to establish the name in America was John Upton, who settled in Salem, Mass., in 1658, and was the progenitor of a numerous posterity. Dr. Garland has two children : Frederick E., born in 1875, who is a graduate of Harvard University, class of 1898; and Paul N., born in 1885, who is a student in the public schools. Dr. Garland belongs to Hope Lodge, F. & A. M .; Ivanhoe Com- mandery, K. T .; and William Ellerson Lodge, I. O. O. F.

B URTON B. MURDOCK, dealer in boots, shoes, gentlemen's furnish- ings, and hats, located in Tracy Block, Webster, was born in North- field, Mass., January 1, 1840, son of Ben- jamin B. and Eunice (Alexander) Murdock. His father, who was born in Townshend, Vt., was a merchant in Northfield for some years, but in 1884 came to Webster. His mother was a native of Winchester, N. H. Of a fam- ily of six children, Burton B. Murdock is the only survivor.

Mr. Murdock's early education was received in the public and high schools of Northfield, and at the age of twenty years he went to work in a general merchandise store in that town. After remaining as a clerk for three years, he started business for himself as a dealer in general merchandise at Erving, Mass., where he continued for about four years. Going then to Royalston, he engaged in the same line of business there, remaining about ten years. In 1875 he came to Webs- ter, and started his present business, in which he has been very successful. His close at- tention to the wants of his customers, his promptness in filling all orders, and the fair dealing that has characterized all his business transactions, have won for him the public esteem and a long list of patrons.

In 1869 Mr. Murdock was united in mar- riage with Abby K., daughter of John Pills-

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bury, of Winchester, Mass. Of this marriage there are two children: Florence Jessie, born in 1875; and Edgar B., born in 1877. Flor- ence J. was educated at Webster, in the com- mon and high schools, and at the Worcester Normal School, from which she graduated in 1895. She is now a teacher in Worcester. In 1896 she and her brother made a trip to the Pacific coast, visiting San Francisco and other places of interest. Edgar, who is a graduate of the Webster High School, class of 1896, is now a clerk in his father's store. He has been a director in the Webster National Bank for a number of years, and is also a member of the Investment Board of the Five Cents Savings Bank.

1 SAAC FOLLETT, a retired tanner of Hubbardston, was born in this town, July 25, 1822, son of Isaac and Lucy W. (Rice) Follett. Samuel Follett, the paternal grandfather, who was an early settler in Hubbardston, came from Attleboro, Mass., and, locating upon a farm in the north- westerly part of the town, resided here for the rest of his life. He married first a Miss Met- calf and for his second wife a Miss Smith.

Isaac Follett, father of the subject of this sketch, was a lifelong resident of Hubbards- ton, and his active years were spent upon a part of the homestead farm which he acquired by inheritance. He was an industrious farmer and a worthy, upright man. In politics he was in early life a Whig and later a Demo- crat. He died at the age of sixty-four years; and his wife, who was a native of Templeton, lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and one years and one month. They were the parents of nine children, all of whom grew to maturity, and three of whom are now living, namely: Charlotte, who resides in Hubbards- ton; Isaac, the subject of this sketch; and Mary Ann, who resides in Gardner, Mass., and is the widow of Moses Wheeler. The others were: Eliza, Lucy, Rusha, Sarah, Jonah, and John.

Isaac Follett was educated in the district schools. He lived at home with his parents until twenty-one years old, and what money

he earned previous to his majority he gave to his father. Subsequently he served an ap- prenticeship to the tanner's trade with Wood- ward & Warren, and still later learned the currier's trade in Grafton, Mass. Returning then to Hubbardston, he worked for his for- mer employers as a finisher for some years, later going to Monson, Mass., where he was employed as a journeyman until engaging in business as a member of the firm of Warren, Tobey & Co. Severing his connection with that concern a year later, he went to East Templeton, where for the succeeding three years he was associated with Warren Simonds. After selling his interest in the business car- ried on by Mr. Simonds, he was for a short time employed as a finisher at Stafford Springs, Conn. From the last-named place he returned to Monson, and continued as a journeyman currier until about 1884, when he retired to his farm in Hubbardston, where he has since resided.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 33

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