Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 55

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 55

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Mr. Dresser was married October 1, 1843, to Miss Mary C. Bartlett, of Petersburg, Va. She died in October, 1864, leaving three chil- dren, namely : Henry Bartlett, who died De- cember 13, 1895; Mary C., wife of S. K. Edwards; and Franklin D., paymaster and book-keeper of the Central Mills Company. His second wife, Mary N. Mclaughlin, of Wickford, R. I., died in 1871, four years after their marriage. £ On April 30, 1873, Mr. Dresser married Mrs. Hannah M. Reynolds, of Brooklyn, N. Y. He is a Mason, belonging to Quinnebaug Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he was the originator. He has been asso-

ciated with the Baptist society for more than forty years, and is a regular attendant of pub- lic worship.

RANK L. JOHNSON, superintendent of the Worcester County Truants'

School at Oakdale, Mass., has been at the head of this institution from its begin- ning, and by his wise management has made it a model school and home for the children placed under his control. He was born in Springfield, Vt., August 29, 1854, a son of Rawson T. Johnson. His grandfather, Elisha Johnson, was born in the Green Mountain State, and early became a pioneer of the town of Londonderry, where he bought a tract of wild land, and erected a log cabin. By toil- ing early and late with axe, plough, and hoe he succeeded in improving a comfortable homestead, on which he and his faithful help- mate passed their remaining days, and reared their thirteen children to lives of industry and usefulness.

Rawson T. Johnson was born in Vermont, July 10, 1835, and until sixteen years old as- sisted his parents on the home farm. He afterward worked in a cotton-mill a few years, and then learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for a while in Londonderry. Re- moving to Springfield, Vt., in 1847, he set up a smithy in that village, and in the years that followed he built up a patronage that extended for miles in either direction, so that when he sold out in 1893 he had the largest shop and trade of any blacksmith in the State. On March 11, 1845, he married Adeline Albee, who was born in Londonderry, Vt., a daughter of the Rev. Horace Albee, a noted preacher of that locality. Five of the six children born of this union are now living, namely : Fred L., superintendent of the Electric Light Com- pany in Lynn, Mass. ; Charles W., foreman in the machine shop of Lamson & Jones in Springfield, Vt .; George, superintendent of schools in Andover, Mass .; Flora, wife of Charles L. Fairbanks, a farmer in Springfield, Vt. ; and Frank L., the special subject of this sketch. Both parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, which the father

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has served as steward and trustee for thirty- five years.

Frank L. Johnson spent a considerable part of his boyhood upon a Vermont farm, where he laid the foundation of a vigorous body. He had the schooling of a country town, the Barre (Vt.) Academy, and of the Montpelier Semi- nary. Then in 1879, securing through the influence of a friend the appointment of school- master on board the United States steamship "Swatara," he sailed away from Boston on a cruise around the world, thereby ingraining geography as only travel can fix it. There were forty apprentices, whom he was to instruct in rudimentary knowledge. Their first stop was at Gibraltar, and then they touched at Malaga, Malta, and Port Said. From Malta he made a run up through Italy, and from Port Saïd he went to the Holy Land; thence to the Suez Canal, Aden, Bombay, Indian Ocean, Strait of Malacca, Bangkok, Amoy, Foo Chow, Japan, the Inland Sea, Yokohama, Nagasaki, and a multitude of other places. While in Japan he had the misfortune to be seriously injured on shipboard by falling down an open hatchway. This necessitated his transferal to San Fran- cisco, whence he returned home by way of the Isthmus of Panama, landing in New York about two years after his departure from America.

Having been discharged from the navy, Mr. Johnson entered the Normal School at Castle- ton, Vt., whence in due time he was gradu- ated. He was then superintendent of schools in that town a year. He next came to Worcester, Mass., as a special student in our Normal School, and between his two periods in this school he taught in Holden. In 1885 he became principal of the grammar school in Spencer. His success was so manifest that at the end of the fourth term he was promoted to the superintendency of the schools of that town, forty-two in number, with a corps of forty-four teachers. During his six years' stay in that place he made the schools of Spen- cer noteworthy in many ways. The houses became models of neatness; and Captain Dyson, State Inspector of Buildings, alluded to them as " banner buildings." His liking for electricity and his ingenuity combined to

make pupils and teachers move almost as by clock work. The school buildings were re- modelled, new sanitary arrangements being in- troduced, the various classes were regraded, and a new course of study was established.

His round-the-world travels have furnished Mr. Johnson with an almost inexhaustible fund of information, which he has frequently util- ized in giving lectures. In fact, a large part of his school training was paid for by his lect- ures. One theme aside from those devoted to his travels is, ""What shall I do for my son?"

When the County Commissioners of Worces- ter County, the Hon. Henry G. Taft, of Ux- bridge, the Hon. Emerson Stone, of Spencer, 'and the Hon. Charles J. Rice, of Winchendon, had progressed so far with the establishment of the new truants' school in Oakdale as to nominate a superintendent, they did not have to look long for their man; for they found him very near at hand, the superintendent of the Spencer schools, a gentleman who had won a reputation far more than local. Assuming the duties of his position on November 1, 1891, Mr. Johnson was from that time until the com- pletion of the buildings constantly on the grounds, everywhere planning and directing the work. An enthusiast in the matter of electricity, he so strung wire about the prem- ises that from his office he can now signal and direct almost everything in the school. On

February 20, 1892, the school opened with twenty boys, and the number now averages about forty-five pupils a year. Since its es- tablishment two hundred boys and twelve girls have been under his instruction, the larger part of whom have gone forth to fill good posi- tions and become useful men and women.

On November 28, 1878, Mr. Johnson mar- ried Flora Vale, who was born in 1860 in Bondville, Vt., a daughter of Edson Vale, a carpenter and builder, who is still living in that village, and has six children - Sylvan, Melvin, Adella, Mrs. Johnson, Mark, and Bertie. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have two chil- dren -- Vera A. and Marion C.

Politically, Mr. Johnson is a Republican in his affiliations. Fraternally, he is a promi- nent member of the Masonic order, belonging to Spencer Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he

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was chaplain four years; to Worcester Chap- ter, R. A. M .; to Hiram Council; and the Princes of Jerusalem, of Worcester. He is a member of Good Will Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Spencer ; and of the Encampment, of which he has been Marshal. He was likewise Marshal of the Royal Arcanum of Worcester; for four years he was District Deputy Grand Marshal of the Eighteenth Masonic District; and he has been lecturer of Wachusett Council, No. 339. He is also a member of the West Boyls- ton Grange. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church; and in the Sunday-school, held every Sunday after- noon at the Truant School, he is the superin- tendent, being ably assisted in its management by Mrs. Johnson, who as matron of the school has charge of all the domestic arrangements of the building.

HE WORCESTER COUNTY TRU- ANTS' SCHOOL, which was com)- pleted in the latter part of the year 1891, has by its success added new weight to the fact, long since demonstrated, that, if we would make the bad good, we must do some- thing besides punish. This school is in Oak- dale, the first station north of West Boylston on the Boston & Maine Railroad, which is here crossed by the Massachusetts Central ; and thereby the school may be readily reached from all parts of the county.

Quite too long a certain element among our boys had been sent to the Reform School at Westboro or, as in this city, to the Truant School at the City Farm. Having the life- long interest of the boys at heart, the County Commissioners, the Hon. Henry G. Taft, the Hon. Emerson Stone, and the Hon. Charles J. Rice, decided to erected a centrally located building, and in it to gather such lads as home surroundings had failed to properly train.

Worcester County does not command a finer outlook than that which may be had from the west porch of this structure. Having decided upon a central place for the school, the com- missioners could not have done better than they did in taking this slope of thirty-six acres, Upon it the sun shines the entire day ;

and the vista of fertile fields, threading rail- roads, and busy factories must prove in the years to come an inspiration to the lads whose home this is to be. Leaving the cars at the Union Station, the visitor retraces his steps and finally takes quite a climb up a new road, through what will be eventually a beautiful park appendage to the grounds. By a gradual ascent this leads up to the building, which during the warm months of the year is sur- rounded by the greenest of lawns. His eyes rest upon a commodious structure, two stories and an attic high, in the shape of a Greek cross. The length north and south is one hundred and thirteen feet, east and west ninety feet ; yet, so well adjusted are the parts, the arms of the cross seem to be of equal length. The walls are of brick with mottled Conway trimmings. The north and south wings are each thirty-four by twenty-five feet, while the west main frontage is about sixty feet in length. The impression on nearing the edifice is imposing and happy at the same time.

Under the direction of the superintendent, Mr. Frank L. Johnson, about a mile of insu- lated wire has been put in, over which an electric current carries messages to the various portions of the building. We walk up the gravelled path to the front door, and one of the boys opens it in response to the bell. Enter- ing the main hall, we find at the left the super- intendent's office, a spacious room, and at our right the reception-room. Farther east, on the north side, is the family dining-room, which is separated by windows only from the much larger room where the boys take their meals. Returning to the hallway, we enter the library adjacent to the beautiful school- room. Here is shelf room for more than a thousand books, with a large table in the centre. Here the call boy, with an electric indicator above him, sits ready to answer sig- nals. To select books for these shelves is one of the most delicate and at the same time most important tasks for the immediate future. Then we pass into the school-room. It must have been a revelation to most of the unkempt urchins who have come here to be trained for a noble and useful manhood. More than one-

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half the school children of New York City are very far from having such comforts as this room affords. All day the sun shines upon it; and, with a sunny teacher within, glorious results are being wrought from work done here.

Ascending an easy flight of stairs, we may enter the dormitory in the south wing, where each boy has a bed of his own. This room is quite as large as the school-room, being just over it. The ceiling is finished upon the rafters, and, should there be fifty boys here, all will have good air. The bedsteads are of iron with wire woven springs, whereon are laid hair mattresses good enough for a king. The attendant sleeps in an adjacent room, hav- ing windows connecting. A small room on the west side has numbered spaces, where each boy on going to bed hangs his apparel. On the north side, just over the boys' dining- room, is the large room to be devoted to actual manual training; and it looks as though Worcester's mischievous boys were receiving what is denied to the good and well-behaved.

In the attic is the tank, fed from a living spring on the hillside, which supplies all parts of the premises. Also here is ample space for rainy-day play and for drilling, which the boys are taught. Down stairs the ample kitchen, with its range and oven, the room for sewing, the refrigerator, and the rooms for attendants invite attention. Descending still farther, we find the laundry, the lavatories for the boys, the bath-rooms, the heating appliances, and the gas machine. The system to which these lads are subjected is admirable; but nothing in the whole scheme will strike an outsider more favorably than the individual bath-rooms. There are sixteen of them, supplied with hot and cold water. Contrast such conveniences with the great tub into which fifty boys at Westboro used to plunge at once. Truly, the world moves. Every boy places his out- of-doors footwear in a box, provided and num- bered, and dons a pair of slippers before going up stairs. When he enters the institution, his old clothing is either sent home or destroyed. He is clad in a nice blue uniform, and when he goes away he is given a good suit.

On the farm of thirty-six acres there is work for the boys. There is little idleness,

nor is it all work; for Mr. Johnson has re- served an excellent base-ball field. On the pond made for the newly built ice-house the boys may skate in winter. South of the school is a very large and convenient barn, where six cows and a span of horses are kept. Of course, as much work as is reasonable is ex- acted from the lads, for their own good and for that of the public.

What will come of it? After going over and through this palatial outfit, one is pos- sessed with the notion that boys will have to be driven away rather than restrained, for the restraint is no more than that of any good home. Nay, there is danger that its fame will so pass out that boys will play truant that they may be sent here; for to the vast majority of the lads whose temporary home this is to be it will be to their real home surroundings like a palace instead of a hovel. This manner of dealing with juvenile offenders is an experi- ment, but in competent hands it must prove a success, for it is right. The County Commis- sioners have done what will redound to their credit for years to come. The Commonwealth is watching the Worcester County experiment.

LINY S. DOANE, the chairman of the Board of Assessors of East Brookfield, a former Postmaster, and for many years a leading manufact- urer here, was born in the town of Brookfield on the last day of July, 1825, son of Joseph and Achsah (Stevens) Doane. His grand- father, Asa Doane, who was the first of the family in Brookfield, came here from Plym- outh, Mass. Asa is said to have been of Scotch origin, and his ancestors were among the early settlers of Plymouth. In the old country the family must have belonged to the nobility, as it had a coat of arms.

Joseph Doane, who was born in Brookfield, subsequently removed to East Brookfield, and for many years carried on a smithy here. His wife, Achsah, born in the northern part of the town, was a daughter of Jeduthan Ste- vens, who was the first settler on the site of the village of East Brookfield. He built the dam here, and also the iron foundry, which is

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said to have been the first in Worcester County. He was a man of considerable wealth and much influence. During the Rev- olutionary War he was a soldier in the Ameri- can army. For many years he was Selectman of the town. His living children are: Rox- ana, Sharon P., Lyman, and Pliny S. Rox- ana, who resided in Brookfield, and was the widow of the late George Forbes, died April 10, 1898. Sharon P. resides in Sacramento, Cal. ; and Lyman in Wellfleet, Mass.

After leaving the common schools, in which his early education was obtained, Pliny S. Doane learned the machinist's trade at East Brookfield, and subsequently conducted a ma- chine shop here, manufacturing hay cutters. His partner in this enterprise was George Forbes, and the business was conducted under the name of Forbes & Doane. At the end of several years the company was dissolved, and Mr. Doane was afterward successfully engaged for a quarter of a century in the manufacture of carriage wheels, under the name of George Forbes & Co. Then he made awl hafts for several years. This business he abandoned when appointed Postmaster of East Brookfield by President Harrison, in which capacity he served the town for four years.

Mr. Doane was married on May 30, 1852, to Marion F. Merritt, a native of Warren, Mass. Her parents, Jasper and Charlotte W. (Cutter) Merritt, were natives respectively of Palmer and Ware, Mass. She is the mother of four children - Elsie M., Hattie A., Charles P., and Walter S. Elsie is the wife of John M. Bartlett, of Meriden, Conn. ; and Hattie is the wife of Arthur H. Knight, of Springfield, Mass. Charles P. resides in Web-

ster, Mass., and Walter in Worcester. Both parents have been members of the Baptist church in this place for nearly forty years, and Mr. Doane has been a Deacon and the chair- man of the Church Committee for a length of time. Mrs. Doane at the present time is the president of the Ladies' Benevolent Asso- ciation of East Brookfield and vice-president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. In politics a Republican, Mr. Doane has ren- dered valuable services to the party as a mem- ber of the Republican Town Committee, For

one year he has been Selectman of the town and for twenty-one years Assessor. He is also a member of the School Committee; and he has been Overseer of the Poor, one of the Board of Fire Engineers of Brookfield, and Sealer of Weights and Measures and Surveyor of Wood and Lumber. He is now serving his third term as a Justice of the Peace for the Com- monwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Doane is highly esteemed by his fellow-townsmen.

HARLES F. HITCHCOCK, the pop- ular merchant of Gilbertville, was born in Brimfield, Hampden County, on July 3, 1831, son of Abner and Susan (Gardner) Hitchcock. The first repre- sentatives of the family in this country were three brothers, who came from Ireland, and of these Samuel was the direct ancestor of Charles F. Hitchcock. The Hitchcock gene- alogy, which has been published, gives an interesting account of the circumstances lead- ing up to and following their arrival in this country, as well as information concerning other of the early members of the family. Jesse Hitchcock, grandfather of Charles F., was born in Brimfield, and spent his life in that town, engaged in farming and in shoe- making. The maiden name of his wife was Stebbins.

Abner Hitchcock, who was also born in Brimfield, besides carrying on farming and shoemaking, operated a grist and saw mill. During the earlier part of his life he resided in different places. His last years were spent in the town of Ware, where he died on May 3, 1868. He was a member of the Congrega- tional church and for many years a Deacon. In politics he was successively a Whig and a Republican. At one time he represented his town in the legislature. His second wife was before her marriage with him Nancy B. Law- ton. His first wife, born in Wales, Mass., April 15, 1789, who died in Ware on February 27, 1857, was the mother of his eleven chil- dren. These were born as follows: Calvin, March 22, 1817, in Homer, N. Y. ; Alvan, Sep- tember 17, 1818, in De Ruyter, N. Y. ; La- vonia, May 4, 1820, in Brimfield, who is now

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the widow of the late B. C. Moulton and a resi- dent of Ware; Elizabeth, September 18, 1822 ; Susan, February 8, 1824; Abner D., Febru- ary 26, 1826, now a resident of Ware; Vashti S., December 8, 1827, who is now the wife of G. Marsh, of Ware; Esther F., twin sister of Vashti, unmarried and living in Ware; Eliza- beth G., November 15, 1829; Charles F., the subject of this sketch, as above mentioned ; and Sarah J., February 23, 1834, now the widow of Chauncy P. Hide, and residing in Ware. Of these Alvan died on April 10, 1893; Elizabeth on October 3, 1822; Susan on January 2, 1892 ; and Elizabeth G. on June 2, 1872. Susan was the wife of Smith A. Hall.

Charles F. Hitchcock's youth was spent in different towns, and his schooling was some- what interrupted by frequent changes of resi- dence. He resided with his parents until about eighteen years of age, when he entered the general grocery store of A. & J. H. Peters at Ware. After remaining here for about a year he spent four years in the capacity of clerk with Field, Leland & Co., of Enfield, Mass. Then he returned to Ware, and en- tered the employ of David P. Billings. After working for Mr. Billings for about a year and a half he engaged in agriculture on the farm of his wife's father. This property he subse- quently bought, and for the ensuing nine sea- sons gave his full attention to general farming. Believing, however, that better opportunities for earning a livelihood existed in a mercantile business, he opened the store now so well known and so much patronized by the people of Gilbertville in August, 1863. He is now one of the oldest storekeepers in the town of Hardwick, and has the full confidence of the public. His farm of one hundred and thirty acres is in excellent condition. Its fine set of buildings, surrounded by a beautiful and well-kept lawn, were erected in 1884.

On November 17, 1853, Mr. Hitchcock was united in marriage with Hannah M. McClin- tock, who was born in Ware, February 17, 1833, daughter of Levans and Plythenia (Gould) McClintock. Mr. McClintock came of Scotch blood, and was a hard-working farmer. Born on December 6, 1797, he died

on February 22, 1855. He was four times married, the first time to Lucinda King, who, born on November 23, 1793, died on July 28, 1827. The second marriage was with Plythenia Gould, who, born July 10, 1792, died on April 17, 1833. On the third and fourth occasions he was successively wedded to Ann Davis and Caroline Hunter. Mrs. Hannah Hitchcock was the mother of six children, of whom Mary E. died at the age of thirty-one years; Anna M., at the age of nine years; and William K., when an infant of four weeks. The three living are: Susan, Frederick A., and Claribel. Susan, now Mrs. Brown, a widow, resides with her father. She was born on April 23, 1855. Frederick A., born May 26, 1857, is a member of the firm of C. F. Hitchcock & Co., and is now practi- cally the manager of his father's store. He is enterprising and progressive, and understands thoroughly how to perpetuate the good name and credit of the business. He married Clara M. Packard, of Ware, and is the father of Charles F., Harold M., and Ruth H. Hitch- cock. Another son of his, Ralph P., is de- ceased. Clara, Mr. Hitchcock's youngest daughter, born on July 8, 1863, resides with her father. The mother died February 12, 1894. Mr. Hitchcock and his family are members of the Congregational church at Gilbertville. In politics he has been a Re- publican since the formation of the party. Fraternally, he is a member of Mount Zion Lodge, F. & A. M., at Barre. Throughout his life he has been very industrious, to which fact, instead of to luck or chance, he owes his success.

EORGE E. ALLEN, of Barre, a

6 dealer in agricultural machinery, was born at the old Allen homestead, where he now resides, January 20, 1828. A son of George S. and Lucy B. (Winslow) Allen, he traces his ancestry to Walter Allen, who came over in the "Mayflower." The homestead in Barre has been in his family's possession for nearly one hundred and forty years. The first of his ancestors to settle here was his great-grandfather, Jonathan

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Allen, who was born in Sudbury, Mass., March 3, 1730. When he was a young man Jonathan came to Barre, bringing with him eighty apple-trees, with which he planted the first orchard in the town; and he erected the fourth frame house in the town. His death occurred on October 4, 1822. He married Hannah Smith, who, born in Barre, October II, 1739, died September 30, 1823.

Captain Josiah Allen, the grandfather of George E., was born in Barre, January 17, 1765. Succeeding to the homestead, he re- sided here for the rest of his life. He mar- ried Keziah Harding, who was born in Barre, February 10, 1771, daughter of Abijah and Sibyl (Adams) Harding. George S. Allen, son of Captain Allen, was born at the home- stead, May 20, 1803. He carried on the farm with unusual activity, was one of the stirring business men of his day, and died February II, 1845. in the prime of life, while on a business trip to Worcester. In politics he was a Whig and in religious belief a Congre- gationalist, being a member of the local church. His wife, Lucy, who was born in Barre, April 29, 1804, had six children. Two of these are living, namely: George E., the subject of this sketch; and J. Harding Allen, a resident of Barre. The others were: Zenas C., Lucy E., Charles G., and Sibyl. The mother died September 11, 1881.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 55

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