USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts > Part 68
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Captain Richard's son Samuel resided in Woburn, and was a Selectman in 1675. Prior to 1725 Henry Walker, son of Israel, removed to Hopkinton; and his son Henry, 5 born in 1701, was one of about a dozen men who perished in the expedition against the West Indies in 1740-41. Solomon Walker became a soldier, and, it is said, "spent three years in the old French War, in which he had a thigh and three ribs broken." Solomon Walker, Jr., who was born in Hopkinton in
1777 and died in 1827, settled in Natick when a young man, and engaged in the boot and shoe business. He served through the War of 1812. His wife was Mary Washburn, of Natick, a woman of great piety and force of character. They had nine children, Samuel being the seventh.
Shortly before his father's death Samuel Walker was given to his brother Emory, who was a manufacturer of boots and shoes in Mil- ford; and a year after he was set to work at stitching boots. When he was eleven years of age he was put out on a farm belonging to Rufus Thayer, of Milford, where he remained for the next four years. He then returned to his brother; and a year later, when sixteen, he bought his time, and began to engage in con- tract work, in which he was so far successful, that at the end of a year he was able to dis- charge his debt to his brother. At twenty he had saved one hundred and twenty dollars, and in June, 1842, he engaged in manufactur- ing boots and shoes on his own account, sell- ing in Boston and Providence. His ventures proved so successful that by the time he was twenty-three he had saved a thousand dollars, and with this he built a small shop in South Main Street. Selling his stock, and renting his shop to Robert Fullerton, in April, 1845, he went West to make some collections for his brother Emory. During his absence of about a month he cleared only enough to cover his expenses; and as his shop was burned two or three days after his return, and Mr. Fuller- ton was thereby bankrupted, he was again left without capital, and had to start anew.
He had in the previous February married Lucy Elizabeth, daughter of Colonel Lewis Johnson, a hardware merchant of Milford, and through her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Lucy Jones Parkhurst (daughter of Nathaniel Alden Jones and grand-daughter of Anthony and Elizabeth (Alden) Jones), a descendant of John Alden, of the "Mayflower." Mrs. Walker was a woman of fine presence, keen wit, and true to her Pilgrim ancestry in all her ideals of thought and religion.
Beginning again the manufacture of boots and shoes, from that time on Mr. Walker did an increasing business. He opened a store
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for the sale of his goods in Fulton Street, Boston, which was then the centre of the wholesale boot and shoe trade in that city. For several years before the Civil War he em- ployed about a hundred convicts from the State prison in the manufacture of coarse goods for the use of slaves in the South. On account of the dulness of the market in 1860 he had accumulated a heavy stock, and early in 1861 he sold the whole lot to a Southern firm at a big discount, and thus lost by the breaking out of the war about fifty thousand dollars. It was now proposed to him by Gov- ernor Andrew and Warden Hayes of the State prison that he should undertake the manu- facture at the prison of cartridge belts and other leather equipments for the soldiers of the State. In a short time he had not only the convicts but every man he could employ in Milford at work, and was able to supply a regiment a day. He also manufactured for other States. Having supplied the urgent need of the government in less than a year, he returned to his former line of manufacturing, which had again become profitable. In 1862 Mr. Walker established a store in Chicago, which was in successful operation until the great fire of 1871, when it was destroyed with a resulting loss of seventy thousand dollars. In 1872 another heavy loss was encountered by the burning of the Boston store, which had been removed the previous year to Summer Street. The insurance in this case was, how- ever, so well placed that a loss of only nine- teen thousand dollars accrued, and this was covered by the profits of the year.
In 1868, when his factory was running at its fullest capacity and was the largest in the State, he attempted to have the brother of an old house servant taught the trade of boot treeing. A strike of every man in the factory was the result. They belonged to the order called Knights of St. Crispin, which at- tempted to dictate the number of apprentices each employer should have. For months the strike continued. His friends warned Mr. Walker that his life was threatened, and urged him to go armed. This he refused to do, fearing that he might be tempted to use a pistol if he had one. But the fighting blood
of his ancestors was aroused, and he refused to give up the control of his business to his workmen. The struggle lasted three years, during which time his factory was gradually filled with non-union men. These were in- timidated and annoyed, until finally Mr. Walker brought suit against Michael Cronan, the leader of the order, for ten thousand dol- lars' damages to his business. Mr. Cronan had been told by his associates to fight Mr. Walker till "eternity's bells should ring." They approved of all he did, and promised to stand by him; but, when he found himself liable for these heavy damages, the men he had been trying to help all deserted him. Mr. Cronan then published a statement in the Milford Journal of July 22, 1873, a part of which read as follows: "I had more to expect from the generosity of the man whom the Crispin Order delegated me to break down than the justice of those with whom I co-oper- ated. Mr. Walker had the courage, without regard to cost, to face us, although we boasted sixty thousand strong. I, for one, have seen enough of man's infidelity to man. I believe the laboring man should strive to elevate him- self; but he must do it in this free country by industry, sobriety, and intelligence, which all may acquire. Artificial methods and combi- nations may promise well in the beginning, but are certain to end in miserable failure."
In 1873 Mr. Walker retired from business with an ample fortune, honestly acquired, and settled to the enjoyment of rural life on his fine farm of two hundred acres that he had bought a few years before, and on which he built a beautiful residence. The estate is known as Harvest Hill. It is situated about a mile south of Milford, in South Hopedale, and is now the home of his daughter, Mrs. Day.
Many years ago Mr. Walker was president of the Home National Bank of Milford, which he founded, and was connected with various other monetary institutions. He was an upright, large-hearted, whole-souled Christian gentleman, and his chief delight was in quietly and unostentatiously doing some act of kindness which might lighten the bur- den of a fellow-man. Many instances of his
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great generosity, wide sympathy, and patient endurance of misfortune are remembered and often referred to. He had a great fondness for children, and it was not unusual to see several urchins riding with him in his car- riage, while he took great pleasure in talking with them. Children were sure of a joyful time when invited to be his guests, as was often the case; and no labor was too great to make their visit delightful.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker were the parents of six children, of whom these three are living: Henrietta, who was born on April 2, 1847; John Parkhurst, born in November, 1862; and Sophia, who was born on August 7, 1864. Henrietta is the widow of Martin N. Day, who was a prominent business man of New York City. Her children are: Samuel Walker Day, a student of the Brooklyn Poly- technic Institute and now a broker in New York; Paul, a graduate of Harvard in the class of 1896, now a draftsman with the Draper Company; Edward Bliss, also a gradu- ate of Harvard and a civil engineer, now con- nected with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; Lucy Elizabeth, who is a student at Smith College; and Henrietta Hamlin, who is in the Hopedale High School. Sophia Walker, who married Edgar Piper, re- sides at Hillside in Medford. She has two sons - Samuel Walker Piper and Raymond Alden Piper. John P. Walker resides in Bloomington, Ill., on an estate left him by his father. He has one child, Lucy Elder. His wife was the daughter of one of the lead- ing physicians of that city, Dr. William A. Elder.
RANCIS DEXTER NEWTON, Deputy Sheriff of Worcester County, was born in Southboro, August 31, 1848. A son of Judge Dexter and Arethusa (Brigham) Newton, he comes of old Colonial stock by both parents. In 1656 Richard Newton, an early settler of Sudbury, was one of thirteen petitioners to the General Court of Massachu- setts for the organization of the town of Marl- boro. He settled in that part of Marlboro which is now Southboro, and there, in the two
hundred and forty years that have since passed, a race of energetic and progressive men have perpetuated the name of Newton.
Amos Newton, Francis D. Newton's great- grandfather, was a wealthy citizen, owning a large estate. He was one of the minute-men at Lexington in 1776. His son, Stephen Fran- cis D. Newton's grandfather, who was also a large land-owner, lived on the Newton home- stead in Southboro, and was prominent in town affairs. At his death he left a large amount of property to each of his children.
Dexter Newton, who was Stephen Newton's youngest son, was born in Southboro, January 13, 1823. For a generation he ranked as the leading citizen of the town, and he did a large part of the legal business there. He was a surveyor and auctioneer, was a trustee of es- tates, wrote deeds and transacted a large amount of probate business, and he was Jus- tice of the First District Court at Westboro for eleven years. A man of great executive abil- ity and rare good judgment, he was honored by his native town with every public office within its gift. He was Town Assessor for thirty consecutive years, served many years on the Board of Selectmen, was Moderator at the town meetings with very few exceptions for twenty- seven years, and was twice elected to represent the district in the State legislature. He was in the Massachusetts House of Representatives when the Boston Water Works began to take land in this section, and there worked zeal- ously for the interest of Southboro and other small towns, and served on the Prison Com- mittee. He was a man of literary taste, and wrote a history of Southboro for the County History, which was published shortly before his death. Judge Newton died in harness in September, 1889. His wife is a member of a famous old Colonial family descended from the pioneer John Brigham.
Francis Dexter Newton was attending the Southboro High School when the war broke out. In July, 1864, when he was fifteen years and eleven months old, he enlisted in Com- pany E, Fifth Massachusetts Volunteer In- fantry, and was afterward in active service for some time at Baltimore and in the forts about Washington. After his return he learned the
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painter's trade, which he followed for three years. He then worked in the store of John and Francis Wright for five years, after which he formed a partnership with John and Francis Wright, and the firm purchased the Fayville general store, now managed by Francis Wright. At his father's death Mr. Newton took up the work dropped by the older man. He transacts a large amount of miscellaneous legal business, acting as auctioneer, Notary Public, and Justice of the Peace. For a number of years he has figured prominently in local politics, and is at present serving on various town committees. He has been chairman of both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Assessors.
Mr. Newton was married January 18, 1870, to Miss Ella A. Strickland, of Palmer, Mass., who died in July, 1875. On September 18, 1879, he was again married to Miss Ellen J. Milan, of Milford, Mass. ; and they have one son, Roland S., who is in Phillips Exeter Academy, preparing for college. A Mason in good standing, Mr. Newton has been three years Master of St. Bernard Lodge, of South- boro. He is prominent in Grand Army circles.
ENRY A. GOODRICH, a successful clothing merchant of Fitchburg, was born in this city, November 22, 1830, eldest son of John and Mary A. (Blake) Goodrich. His first known pa- ternal ancestor in this country was William Goodrich, of Watertown, Mass. The name Goodridge or Goodrich has been identified with the history of Fitchburg since the incor- poration of the town. One of William's de- scendants came with its first settlers to Fitch- burg. David Goodridge, the great-grandson of the latter, though a man of but limited means, was a leader in the community. He was a member of the First Provincial Con- gress and a Deacon of the First Church in Fitchburg. Two of David's great-grandsons were lifelong and honored residents of Fitch- burg. John Goodrich died in this city in April, 1888, at the advanced age of fourscore.
The education of Henry A. Goodrich in- cluded courses in the Fitchburg High School
and Fitchburg Academy. One of the eight boys enrolled for the first term of the high school, he is the only one of them who has remained in Fitchburg. In 1849, at the age of nineteen, he obtained the position of over- seer in a woollen-mill. During the four years ensuing he saved his money, and in January, 1855, was able to buy out a hat and furnishing store under the Fitchburg Hotel. So success- ful was he here that in a few years he estab- lished a branch store in Belding & Dickinson's Block, Fitchburg, and another in Brattleboro, Vt. Eventually, consolidating his two Fitch- burg stores, he made his headquarters in 1869 in Belding & Dickinson's Block. In January, 1885, he moved to his present handsome and commodious quarters in E. M. Dickin- son's new block. He is now the senior part- ner of one of the leading clothing firms of the State. Mr. Goodrich has been largely inter- ested in local real estate, and was at one time half-owner of the L. J. Brown Block, which interest he subsequently sold to Mr. Brown. In 1868 he bought the American House prop- erty. Afterward he erected the Goodrich Block and another on Day Street. In 1874 he sold the American House, and in the same year he became a stockholder and director in the Haskins Machine Company. This last venture proved a disastrous one. He was active in organizing the Fitchburg Board of Trade, and was one of its first vice-presidents ; and he was president of the Merchants' Asso- ciation in 1887. He is one of the trustees of the Worcester North Savings Institution, President of the Fitchburg Board of Trade, and a Director of the Safety Fund National Bank. During the war he was treasurer of the Fitch- burg Bounty Fund, collecting and disbursing over twenty thousand dollars, which sum was afterward refunded by the town. After the battle of the Wilderness he, together with Dr. Alfred Hitchcock and E. B. Hayward, was sent to look after the sick and wounded Fitch- burg soldiers in the hospitals at Fredericks- burg and Washington.
Mr. Goodrich was married in December, 1856, to Harriet, daughter of John and Har- riet H. Stebbins, of Vernon, Vt. His only daughter, Emma L., is the wife of W. L.
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great generosity, wide sympathy, and patient endurance of misfortune are remembered and often referred to. He had a great fondness for children, and it was not unusual to see several urchins riding with him in his car- riage, while he took great pleasure in talking with them. Children were sure of a joyful time when invited to be his guests, as was often the case; and no labor was too great to make their visit delightful.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker were the parents of six children, of whom these three are living: Henrietta, who was born on April 2, 1847; John Parkhurst, born in November, 1862; and Sophia, who was born on August 7, 1864. Henrietta is the widow of Martin N. Day, who was a prominent business man of New York City. Her children are: Samuel Walker Day, a student of the Brooklyn Poly- technic Institute and now a broker in New York; Paul, a graduate of Harvard in the class of 1896, now a draftsman with the Draper Company; Edward Bliss, also a gradu- ate of Harvard and a civil engineer, now con- nected with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; Lucy Elizabeth, who is a student at Smith College; and Henrietta Hamlin, who is in the Hopedale High School. Sophia Walker, who married Edgar Piper, re- sides at Hillside in Medford. She has two sons - Samuel Walker Piper and Raymond Alden Piper. John P. Walker resides in Bloomington, Ill., on an estate left him by his father. He has one child, Lucy Elder. His wife was the daughter of one of the lead- ing physicians of that city, Dr. William A. Elder.
RANCIS DEXTER NEWTON, Deputy Sheriff of Worcester County, was born in Southboro, August 31, 1848. A son of Judge Dexter and Arethusa (Brigham) Newton, he comes of old Colonial stock by both parents. In 1656 Richard Newton, an early settler of Sudbury, was one of thirteen petitioners to the General Court of Massachu- setts for the organization of the town of Marl- boro. He settled in that part of Marlboro which is now Southboro, and there, in the two
hundred and forty years that have since passed, a race of energetic and progressive men have perpetuated the name of Newton.
Amos Newton, Francis D. Newton's great- grandfather, was a wealthy citizen, owning a large estate. He was one of the minute-men at Lexington in 1776. His son, Stephen Fran- cis D. Newton's grandfather, who was also a large land-owner, lived on the Newton home- stead in Southboro, and was prominent in town affairs. At his death he left a large amount of property to each of his children.
Dexter Newton, who was Stephen Newton's youngest son, was born in Southboro, January 13, 1823. For a generation he ranked as the leading citizen of the town, and he did a large part of the legal business there. He was a surveyor and auctioneer, was a trustee of es- tates, wrote deeds and transacted a large amount of probate business, and he was Jus- tice of the First District Court at Westboro for eleven years. A man of great executive abil- ity and rare good judgment, he was honored by his native town with every public office within its gift. He was Town Assessor for thirty consecutive years, served many years on the Board of Selectmen, was Moderator at the town meetings with very few exceptions for twenty- seven years, and was twice elected to represent the district in the State legislature. He was in the Massachusetts House of Representatives when the Boston Water Works began to take land in this section, and there worked zeal- ously for the interest of Southboro and other small towns, and served on the Prison Com- mittee. He was a man of literary taste, and wrote a history of Southboro for the County History, which was published shortly before his death. Judge Newton died in harness in September, 1889. His wife is a member of a famous old Colonial family descended from the pioneer John Brigham.
Francis Dexter Newton was attending the Southboro High School when the war broke out. In July, 1864, when he was fifteen years and eleven months old, he enlisted in Com- pany E, Fifth Massachusetts Volunteer In- fantry, and was afterward in active service for some time at Baltimore and in the forts about Washington. After his return he learned the
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painter's trade, which he followed for three years. He then worked in the store of John and Francis Wright for five years, after which he formed a partnership with John and Francis Wright, and the firm purchased the Fayville general store, now managed by Francis Wright. At his father's death Mr. Newton took up the work dropped by the older man. He transacts a large amount of miscellaneous legal business, acting as auctioneer, Notary Public, and Justice of the Peace. For a number of years he has figured prominently in local politics, and is at present serving on various town committees. He has been chairman of both the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Assessors.
Mr. Newton was married January 18, 1870, to Miss Ella A. Strickland, of Palmer, Mass., who died in July, 1875. On September 18, 1879, he was again married to Miss Ellen J. Milan, of Milford, Mass. ; and they have one son, Roland S., who is in Phillips Exeter Academy, preparing for college. A Mason in good standing, Mr. Newton has been three years Master of St. Bernard Lodge, of South- boro. He is prominent in Grand Army circles.
ENRY A. GOODRICH, a successful clothing merchant of Fitchburg, was born in this city, November 22, 1830, eldest son of John and Mary A. (Blake) Goodrich. His first known pa- ternal ancestor in this country was William Goodrich, of Watertown, Mass. The name Goodridge or Goodrich has been identified with the history of Fitchburg since the incor- poration of the town. One of William's de- scendants came with its first settlers to Fitch- burg. David Goodridge, the great-grandson of the latter, though a man of but limited means, was a leader in the community. He was a member of the First Provincial Con- gress and a Deacon of the First Church in Fitchburg. Two of David's great-grandsons were lifelong and honored residents of Fitch- burg. John Goodrich died in this city in April, 1888, at the advanced age of fourscore.
The education of Henry A. Goodrich in- cluded courses in the Fitchburg High School
and Fitchburg Academy. One of the eight boys enrolled for the first term of the high school, he is the only one of them who has remained in Fitchburg. In 1849, at the age of nineteen, he obtained the position of over- seer in a woollen-mill. During the four years ensuing he saved his money, and in January, 1855, was able to buy out a hat and furnishing store under the Fitchburg Hotel. So success- ful was he here that in a few years he estab- lished a branch store in Belding & Dickinson's Block, Fitchburg, and another in Brattleboro, Vt. Eventually, consolidating his two Fitch- burg stores, he made his headquarters in 1869 in Belding & Dickinson's Block. In January, 1885, he moved to his present handsome and commodious quarters in E. M. Dickin- son's new block. He is now the senior part- ner of one of the leading clothing firms of the State. Mr. Goodrich has been largely inter- ested in local real estate, and was at one time half-owner of the L. J. Brown Block, which interest he subsequently sold to Mr. Brown. In 1868 he bought the American House prop- erty. Afterward he erected the Goodrich Block and another on Day Street. In 1874 he sold the American House, and in the same year he became a stockholder and director in the Haskins Machine Company. This last
He was venture proved a disastrous one. active in organizing the Fitchburg Board of Trade, and was one of its first vice-presidents ; and he was president of the Merchants' Asso- ciation in 1887. He is one of the trustees of the Worcester North Savings Institution, President of the Fitchburg Board of Trade, and a Director of the Safety Fund National Bank. During the war he was treasurer of the Fitch- burg Bounty Fund, collecting and disbursing over twenty thousand dollars, which sum was afterward refunded by the town. After the battle of the Wilderness he, together with Dr. Alfred Hitchcock and E. B. Hayward, was sent to look after the sick and wounded Fitch- burg soldiers in the hospitals at Fredericks- burg and Washington.
Mr. Goodrich was married in December, 1856, to Harriet, daughter of John and Har- riet H. Stebbins, of Vernon, Vt. His only daughter, Emma L., is the wife of W. L.
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Humes. His sons were: John S., who died in infancy ; and William Henry, a young man of marked ability and great promise, who died March 24, 1894, after having nearly com - pleted a four years' course in Tufts College. Mr. Goodrich was a strong anti-slavery man and a member of the first Free Soil Town Committee of Fitchburg. His first Presiden- tial vote was cast for John P. Hale. Al- though a member of the Republican party since it was organized, he has independent views, and has not always agreed with the measures of his party. In 1870 and 1871 he was in the State legislature, serving two years on the Hoosac Tunnel Committee at the critical period in the history of that enterprise. At the time of the organization of the city government he was on the Board of Assessors. He was the citizens' candidate for Mayor in 1885, when his ticket was defeated by a wave of radical prohibition, regardless of the fact that Mr. Goodrich was practically a temper- ance man. He has been for several years on the Board of Trustees of the Fitchburg Public Library. A member of the Massachusetts Mutual Aid Society from its organization, he was elected its president in 1887. In 1892 he was Presidential elector from the Fourth Massachusetts District.
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