Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 61

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 61

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Mr. Davis was reared in the Unitarian faith, and he sang for years in the choir of the church in Gardner. He died May 23, 1888, aged seventy years. The first of his two marriages was contracted with Betsey T. Jackson, of Gardner, a daughter of Isaac Jack- son, of South Gardner, Mass. At her death she left one child, Walter A. On the second occasion he married Mary S., daughter of Sheriff Francis Buttrick, of Fitchburg, who is now living with her own family. (Many of the facts given above are taken from the Fitchburg Sentinel Souvenir.)

Walter A. Davis, only son of Mayor Davis, was born in Fitchburg, July 13, 1846. But seven months old when his mother died, he was taken by his father's aunt, Betsey War- ren, who lived in Hubbardston, Mass. With her he remained until he was thirteen years of age, when he came to Fitchburg. Having previously attended school in Hubbardston, he graduated from the Fitchburg High School in 1865 and from Williams College in 1869. In his class at Williams were men who have since distinguished themselves in public life, including Mayor Chapin, of Brooklyn; Mayor J. B. Thatcher, of Albany, N.Y .; and Judge J. W. Campbell, of Ohio. Mr. Davis was in the chair business with his father from 1870 till 1877, when they closed up that branch of their affairs. In July, 1880, he entered the employ of the Fitchburg Railroad Company, and on January 3, 1887, he was elected City Clerk of Fitchburg. He has now been in office twelve years, having been re-elected an- nually since. He is also one of the auditors of the Fidelity Co-operative Bank. In 1874 Mr. W. A. Davis was married to Fannie A., daughter of Cornelius Bogart, of West Fitch- burg, who was a foreman for Crocker, Bur- bank & Co., and served in the City Council for three years. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have two daughters: Edith Lovell, born in 1875; and Bessie Jackson, born in 1878. Edith gradu- ated from the Fitchburg High School, and is now attending the Fitchburg State Normal School. Bessie graduated from the high school in the class of 1898. Mr. Davis is a Templar Mason, belongs to King David En- campment, I. O. O. F., and is a member of

the Fitchburg Athletic Club and of the Fitchburg Historical Society.

EACON DAVID WILDER HILL, a prominent resident of Westmin- ster and a native of Royalston, Mass., was born February 14, 1822, son of Jonas and Lucretia (Moore) Hill. Oliver Hill, the father of Jonas, was one of the early settlers of Royalston. Jonas died there at the age of thirty-three, leaving his wife with two small children, David Wilder and Sarah. Sarah became the wife of Silas Howe, of Westboro, where she died leaving three daughters. The widow of Jonas Hill subsequently married Ephraim Gale, who died a few years later, and then Mr. Gould, with whom she lived in Guilford, Vt. She had no children by these marriages. Her last years were spent with her son, David Wilder Hill, and she was ninety-two when she died.

When his father died, David Wilder Hill was about seven years old. He lived with his mother until he was seventeen, attending the common school and an academy for a time. That was before the mother's second marriage. Then he began to learn the painter's trade in Westminster. with a Mr. Kendall, working by the year, and receiving for the first year one hundred and twenty-five dollars and his board. He remained with Mr. Kendall for ten years, working chiefly at house, chair, and carriage painting. About the year 1851 Mr. Hill and Joel Merriam, Jr., formed a partnership, and worked up quite a business in buying, paint- ing, and selling chairs. They separated after ten years, since which time Mr. Hill has con- ducted a house and carriage painting business. He now employs several men. At one time he did the painting for a shop manufacturing settees. His experience in the business covers a period of forty-six years. He also handles paints, wall paper, etc.

Mr. Hill has been married four times. In

May, 1847, he was married to Ellen Brigham, of Westboro, who died about a year later. He next wedded Caroline Wheeler, of Westmin- ster. She bore him one daughter, Jennie, who became the wife of Dr. W. H. H. Shepard, of

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this town, and died a young woman, leaving three children -- Grace, Edna E., and Herman A. Deacon Hill's third marriage was made with Lucia Butterfield, of Fitchburg. One daughter was born of this union; namely, Jessie Louise, who became the second wife of Dr. Shepard. Surviving the Doctor, she is now the high-school teacher at Westminster. Deacon Hill's present wife, formerly Mary Goddard, of Orange, Mass., has no children. In politics Deacon Hill was formerly a Free Soiler, and since the dissolution of that party he has been a Republican. He has attended various political conventions. For thirty years in succession he served his town as Treasurer. He has also been a Selectman. In religion he is a Congregationalist, and he had been a Deacon of the church for twenty- five years, when he resigned that office. He has often acted as a delegate to church con- ferences.

MOS BURDON, formerly an enterpris- ing business man of Sutton, was born in this town, September 29, 1799, son of Salmon and Polly (Taylor)

Burdon. He was a representative of the fifth generation in descent from John Burdon, a na- tive of Durham, England, who was in business at Danvers, Mass., in 1720, and about the year 1728 came to Sutton as a pioneer.

John Burdon's son John, born in Danvers in 1726, was the father of a third John, born in 1747, who was the grandfather of the late Mr. Amos Burdon, of Sutton. Grandfather Bur- don owned a good farm, which he cultivated during his active period; and this property is still in the possession of his descend- ants. Besides being a good farmer he was able to do any kind of mechanical work without study. In early life he taught school. A desire to accumulate knowledge being always one of his chief characteristics, he was a tireless reader, and acquired a wonderful know]- edge of general history. His accomplishments were varied. He acquired a wide reputation as a singer, and he was so good a mathematician that at one time he computed an almanac. He served the town as Assessor for the years 1789,

1795, 1799, and 1808. He lived to be over ninety years old. In his religious belief he was a Baptist, at the age of twenty-one joining that church, of which he became a deacon. He was well versed in theology, and he really edu- cated a young minister, who had been obliged to leave school on account of the failure of his eyes. The maiden name of the wife of John Burdon, grandfather of Amos, was Lucy Sibley. She was a descendant of one of the thirty families who originally settled in Sutton.

Salmon Burdon, the father of Amos, was a lifelong resident of this town, and for many years was a leading spirit in public affairs, serving as a Selectman in 1825, 1826, and 1827 and as a member of the School Commit- tee in 1835. For thirty-six years he was a Deacon of the Baptist church. His wife, Polly Taylor Burdon, belonged to a leading family in this locality, some of whose mem- bers had received a college education, and some were the owners of considerable prop- erty. Her mother, who was a Rist, was also well connected. Her grandmother's maiden name was Goodwin. Her brother, Samuel Taylor, was a town leader, and was sent several times as Representative to the legislature. He was a man of great independence of thought, in religion subscribing to no creed, but emi- nently practical and sensible in all things- a man to command respect.

Amos Burdon, the subject of this sketch, was reared and educated in Sutton. At the age of twenty-two he went to Michigan, mak- ing the journey by team, as there were then no railroads. Investing quite largely in real es- tate in Michigan, he later sold this property to good advantage. Returning to Sutton, he engaged in tilling the soil upon a farm of two hundred acres; and about 1850 he bought a mill and water-power privilege, which he fitted up for the manufacture of shingles. A man of excellent business ability, he made good use of his opportunities; and at his death, which occurred March 27, 1881, he left a good estate. During the years 1840, 1841, and 1842 he served as a Selectman. He was an Assessor for the years 1845, 1846, and 1847, and for several years he served as Over- seer of the Poor.

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Amos Burdon married Lorinda Lackey, daughter of Joshua and Azubah (Davenport) Lackey. Her grandmother, Dorcas Wood- bury Lackey, was the grand-daughter of Ben- jamin Woodbury, who came to Sutton in 1734, and a descendant in the sixth genera- tion of John Woodbury, one of the first set- tlers of Salem. Amos and Lorinda (Lackey) Burdon were the parents of five children, namely : Ann, born in 1832; Alvira D., born in 1837; John, born in 1840; Lucius L., born in 1847; and Martha Janette Burdon, born in 1853. Ann, who married Moses Johnson, and resided in Worcester, died in 1891. She had four children, namely : George, a graduate of the Massachusetts School of Technology, now an assayer in Worcester; Wayland, who is married and resides in that city ; Arrolyn L .; and Lorinda B. Johnson. Alvira D. Burdon, who is a graduate of the State Normal School at Bridgewater, taught school for twelve years, was a book-keeper five years, and is now resid- ing at home with her mother. John Burdon, who is a contractor of Hartford, Conn., has been married twice. Both wives are deceased. He has two living daughters - Emma and Cora. Emma married F. S. Currier, of Clare- mont, N. H., and has two children - John Burdon Currier and Amos Currier. Cora married Woodruff McKnight, of California, formerly of Pittsburg, Pa., and has an infant daughter, Kate McKnight. Her husband, Woodruff McKnight, died last June, 1898. Lucius L. Burdon is a machinist by trade and a mechanic of marked ability, possessing no small share of inventive genius. His wife died April 17, 1898, leaving two children : Lura, born in 1870; and Grace, born in 1884. Lura married Ernest Blanchard, of Whitins- ville, and has one son, Carl. Martha Janette Burdon married for her first husband Carlos D. Lamb, of Charlton, and had two children, only one of whom is now living; namely, Lizzie Lorena Lamb. Mr. Lamb died, and Mrs. Lamb married George L. Simpson. Mrs. Burdon is still living at the homestead.

In a manuscript genealogy, compiled by Dr. Bennett F. Davenport, now in the rooms of the New England Historic Genealogical So- ciety, Mrs. Azubah Davenport Lackey, mother

of Mrs. Burdon, is registered as the daughter of William and Tamasine (Bigelow) Daven- port and grand-daughter of William, Sr., and Sarah (Richards) Davenport, her grandfather being set down as a son of Richard Davenport, second, whose father, John Davenport, was a son of Richard Davenport, first, who came over from England in 1628, and after living in Salem for a few years removed to Boston, and was captain of the castle in Boston Harbor.

R EV. BENJAMIN WOOD, who was for more than half a century pastor of the First Church in Upton, Mass., was born September 15, 1772, in Lebanon, N.H., where his parents, Captain Joseph and Anna (Palmer) Wood, had settled when the place was but a wilderness. They were from Mansfield, Conn.

Captain Joseph Wood was born in 1725. He had twelve children, and ten of them at- tained adult years and were married; namely, Samuel, Marion, Jane, Joseph, Ephraim, Anna, Roger, John, Benjamin, and Luther. Carefully trained by pious and industrious parents, these children were early led to walk in ways of wisdom and virtue; and three of the sons became ministers of the gospel. The eldest, the Rev. Samuel Wood, pastor of the church of Boscawen, N.H., married Eunice Bliss, of Lebanon. He fitted a num- ber of young men for college, among his pupils being, as is well remembered, Daniel Webster when a youth of fifteen. Marion Wood married Stephen Colburn, of Hartford, Vt., and had ten children. Jane Wood mar- ried Asa Colburn, of Tunbridge, Vt., and had ten children. Captain Joseph Wood, Jr., married Sarah Gerrish, of Boscawen, and had fourteen children. Captain Ephraim, who served in the Revolutionary War and was afterward a pensioner, married Martha Jack- son, of Boscawen, and had eleven children. Anna Wood married Elias Marsh, of Sharon, Vt., and had seven children. Captain Roger Wood married Achsah Tilden, of Lebanon, and had six children. Captain John Wood married Persis Hyde, and had eleven chil- dren. The Rev. Luther Wood married

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Wealthy Marsh, and had nine children. Ben- , jamin, the third son to enter the ministry, was fitted for college by his brother Samuel, and was graduated at Dartmouth in 1793. He pursued his theological studies at first with his brother, who was then settled at Bos- cawen, and later under the Rev. Dr. Emmons at Franklin, Mass. His first sermon at Upton was preached in June, 1795. He was called to be the minister of the church in De- cember of that year. He accepted the call in March, and was ordained and settled June I, 1796. The years of his ministry that fol- lowed, nearly fifty-four in number, were years of faithful, continuous, almost uninterrupted labor. "He was permitted to witness eight seasons of the special outpouring of the Spirit and the ingathering of more than four hundred persons to the fold of Christ." His last ser- mon was delivered on the last Sunday in March, 1849, not many days before his pass- ing from earthly scenes, which took place on the 24th of April following. In this farewell discourse, as it proved to be, from Proverbs iv. 7, 8, beginning, "Wisdom is the principal thing," he earnestly addressed the young on the subject of religious duty.

During the brief period of illness that fol- lowed "he uniformly enjoyed great peace of mind. Not a cloud was permitted to obscure his spiritual vision. Faith and patience sus- tained his soul under the violent assaults of disease and in the conflict with death. To the last he retained his mental faculties in full vigor. Those great and glorious doc- trines, which he had so often and with great clearness presented to this people, were his joy and support in view of death. He was a man of great excellence. He was a gentle- man and a Christian. The kindness of his heart, the warm, overflowing sympathies of his nature, and the suavity of his manners won the affection and esteem of all who knew him. As a Christian he was cheerful and earnest. The vivacity of his mind and the kindliness of his disposition gave peculiar beauty to his piety. But it is as a preacher of the gospel that he was best known. He was a sound and discriminating theologian, a faithful, efficient, and popular preacher.

There was an aptness and vivacity in his in- structions, a clearness in his statements and reasoning, that, aside from any peculiar ex- cellence of voice and manner, would have made him an interesting and engaging preacher. No one can read his discourses without being impressed with this peculiar- ity. He sought to be appropriate on all occa- sions; and he seldom, if ever, failed. In all this part of the Commonwealth he has been greatly beloved, and here his memory will long be cherished."

The Rev. Benjamin Wood was married on February 17, 1797, to Miss Betsy Dustin, a descendant of Mrs. Hannah Dustin, of Haver- hill. Mrs. Wood was born July 9, 1772. She died September 16, 1845, having been the mother of eight children - Betsy, Palmer, Fanny, Philena, Willard, Maria Merrill, Lue Ann, and Hannah Fisk. Betsy, born Novem- ber 23, 1797, married Cheney Abbott, of Holden. Palmer Wood, born April 15, 1799, married Experience Chapin, sister of Judge Chapin, of Worcester. Fanny Wood, born March 1, 1801, married Captain Orra Wood, of Upton, and had seven children, two of whom are now living; namely, Willard S. and Caroline A. Philena Wood, born Febru- ary 10, 1803, married George Perry, of Upton, and died June 7, 1885. Samuel Willard Wood, born October 28, 1806, died February 12, 1838. Maria M., born February 19, 1809, married Artemas Beaman, of Westboro. Lue Ann Wood, born June 30, 1812, married Clark Wood, of Boston, and died February 22, 1858. Hannah Fisk Wood, the only sur- viving child of the Rev. Benjamin Wood, was born September 19, 1814. She was married in 1837 to Colonel David C. Wood, of Upton, and is now (October, 1898) a widow living in Boston. She has recently made a copy of the family records in convenient form for pres- ervation. Miss Caroline A. Wood, named above, is the only descendant of the Rev. Benjamin Wood now (1898) residing in Upton.

Two sermons of the Rev. Benjamin Wood, together with the one preached at his funeral by the Rev. H. A. Tracy, have been published in pamphlet form. The first of these was

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preached by Mr. Wood on the occasion of leaving the old meeting-house in Upton, De- cember 31, 1848. It was a word of retrospect and farewell. It spoke of the gratitude and reverence due to the memory of pious ances- tors, of the faith they cherished, and of the importance of the doctrines and duties that had been taught from the old desk. The sec- ond was preached at the dedication of the new Congregational meeting-house in Upton, Jan- uary 3, 1849, from the text, Psalm Ixi. 4, "I will abide in thy tabernacles forever; it shall be my home as long as I live." It dwelt on the importance of public worship. "We are ready to grant," said Mr. Wood, "that the old house and the old minister are soon to pass away. We rather marvel that they have stood so long. ... But the old religion, in which are comprised the great doctrines of the Scriptures, preached by Christ and the apostles, . . . will never, never wear out. . . . Not merely for ourselves, but for our poster- ity, our children and our children's children, is this home erected. Could the parent leave to his child a better legacy - better to him than gold?" In closing he said, "To see this church and society, with whom and for whom I have labored more than fifty-two and one- half years, worshipping in a new house before I relinquished the ministry or departed hence, has been my ardent desire. To-day I have seen that for which I have desired and prayed. Bless the Lord, O my soul! But, after all, it is but for a little time that I may expect to meet you, my dear hearers, in this house. My age forbids the expectation. ... Here in this pulpit abler men will preach. Here may the church receive a richer blessing. Here may her love, her faith, her songs, and her prayers abound."

ILMER I. BALCOM, M.D., an able physician of Whitinsville, was born in Grafton, Mass., December 22, 1856. He is a son of Madison and Rebecca (Cook) Balcom, the former of whom is now a member of the firm of Balcom & Johnson, merchants of Whitinsville. Dr. Balcom's brother, the Rev. Frederick A. Balcom, who is a graduate

of Williams College and of the Hartford The- ological Seminary, is now pastor of a Congre- gational church in Saylesville, R.I.

After graduating from Williams College, Elmer I. Balcom entered upon his medical studies at the University of Michigan, and subsequently completed them with a post- graduate course in New York City. Locating at Whitinsville in 1884, he has since built up a large and lucrative practice through an un- tiring devotion to his professional duties, thereby attaining to a prominent place among the leading medical practitioners of this sec- tion. He is a self-made man, having paid his way through college with funds procured by his own exertions. Aside from his profes- sional skill he possesses other commendable qualities, which have gained for him the es- teem and confidence of the community.

By his marriage with Miss Bertha Peckham, who was formerly a successful teacher, Dr. Balcom has become the father of three chil- dren, namely: Ralph I., born June 16, 1889; Velma M., born February 4, 1892; and Ruth, born October 30, 1895. The Doctor takes a lively interest in all matters relative to the general welfare of the town. His handsome residence on Railroad Avenue, which he built some six years ago, adds much to the beauty and attractiveness of the residential part of Whitinsville.

OSES B. HEYWOOD, chairman of the Board of Road Commis- sioners, Sterling, Mass., was born in Fitzwilliam, N. H., May 6, 1827, son of Rial and Betsey (Palmer) Hey- wood. Rial Heywood, who was a native of Winchendon, Mass., began industrial life there as a farmer, but subsequently removed to Fitzwilliam. In 1828 he came to Sterling, and purchased a farm three miles from the vil- lage, where he resided until his death. He built the house now standing. His wife, Betsey, was born in Sterling, daughter of Jo- seph Palmer, a successful farmer. Nine chil- dren were born to Rial and Betsey Heywood, but only four are now living; namely, Sophia, Moses B., Waldo, and Warren. The mother

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ELMER I. BALCOM.

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died at seventy-two years of age. Both par- ents were attendants of the Unitarian church. The father took an active interest in town affairs.

Moses B. Heywood passed his boyhood on the farm, and attended the sessions of the com- mon school. At twenty he left home and went to work at the carpenter's trade, which he followed as a journeyman for a short time, subsequently engaging in business on his own account. He built a number of houses in Lancaster and adjoining towns, and also erected the female college at Elmira, N. Y., which occupied him for three years. He fol- lowed carpentry as a contractor for about ten years, then came to Sterling and took up farm- ing in connection with lumbering, which he continued for ten years. Since that time he has followed farming mainly, but also owns a blacksmith shop, which receives part of his attention.

In 1848 Mr. Heywood married Maria R. Nichols, daughter of Samuel H. and Nancy E. (Fletcher) Nichols. Her father was a car- penter. Of his five children, Mrs. Heywood is the only survivor. She is the mother of four children - Josephine A., Hattie M., Emily G., and Frank F. Josephine A. Hey- wood married Walter A. Atwood, a broker in Fitchburg, Mass., and has one child, Harry H. Atwood. Hattie M. Heywood married George T. Gale, a merchant in Harvard, Mass., and has one child, Frank H. Gale. Emily G. Heywood married Arthur H. Turner, a farmer in Harvard, Mass., and has one son, Earle. Frank F. Heywood is a dyer in Fitchburg, Mass.

Mr. Heywood is independent in politics. In 1872 he was elected to the Board of Select- men, and served four years, during three of which he was chairman. He has served two years as chairman of the Board of Assessors, was Overseer of the Poor 1872-76, chairman of the board, and in 1875-76 a member of the Massachusetts legislature. His record as a Road Commissioner covers a period of twenty years of faithful service. From 1877 to 1882 and from 1892 to 1897 he was chairman of the board. He is a member of the Farmers' Club which he has served as president and

trustee; a member of the Worcester County Agricultural Fair; a member of Trinity Lodge, F. & A. M. ; and of the Masonic Re- lief Association.

G EORGE G. HOWLAND, who carries on a successful business as a grocer at 296 Grafton Street, Worcester, was born in Spencer, Mass., October 28, 1846. Son of Pardon and Almira (Gulliver) How- land, he is a representative of the eighth gen- eration of this branch of the Howland family. whose immigrant progenitor, Henry Howland, who arrived at Plymouth from England pre- vious to 1625, was probably a brother of John Howland, one of the original "Mayflower" Pilgrims. A genealogy of the family, written by Franklyn Howland and his mother, of New Bedford, Mass., was published in 1885.

From Henry' the line of descent is traced through Samuel,2 Joshua, 3 John, + John, 5 to James Howland,6 father of Pardon Howland, all of whom were thrifty, upright men. James Howland,6 who was born October 10, 1776, moved from Spencer to Brookfield, where he engaged in farming. On January 24, 1799, he married Catharine Bemis. She was born in Spencer, June 24, 1778, daughter of Joshua Bemis; and she died September 9, 1859. They had a family of eight children, the fifth being Pardon, George G. Howland's father.

Pardon Howland was born in Brookfield, December 17, 1811. He was a carpenter by trade, and spent the greater part of his life in Spencer as a contractor and builder. He died in January, 1887. His first wife, whom he married May 5, 1837, was Ursula Calkins. She died October 1, 1839; and her sister, Eve- line, whom he married in June, 1841, died February 5, 1842. His third wife was before marriage Almira Gulliver.

George G. Howland was educated in the public schools. Learning the carpenter's trade when a young man, he worked with his father for some years, or until October 8, 1872, when he was joined in marriage with Caroline R. Stowe, daughter of Luther and Caroline (Bigelow) Stowe, of Worcester, Mass. Luther Stowe was a shoemaker by

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 61

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