Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 75

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 75

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RICHARD A. LEONARD.

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" Artemas Leonard, who was born in Taun- ton, spent the greater part of his life upon a farm in Raynham, and was for many years a member of the Baptist church. He died when about seventy-five years old. Mercy, his wife, who was a native of Plymouth, came of Puritan ancestry. Her father was for twelve years a member of the Board of Selectmen in that town. She became the mother of eight children, of whom Richard A., a brother, and a younger sister are the only survivors.

Richard A. Leonard was educated in the common schools of his native town. After finishing his studies he began to learn the trade of a leather cutter. He never followed that occupation, however, preferring another line of business. For some time he was en- gaged in selling machines upon the road. In 1869 he received a flattering offer from the Buckeye Mowing Machine Company to become their local agent in Fitchburg; and, although he was at the time serving as Postmaster in Raynham, he resigned and took charge of the company's business in this city. In 1877 he engaged in the same line on his own account. Later he met with reverses; but, after paying off his indebtedness, he erected upon the site of his present factory a small building, in which he began the manufacturing of boxes. From a small beginning his business has de- veloped into an extensive enterprise, as the result of an energetic policy which he inaugu- rated at the start; and at the present time he is furnishing manufacturers and packers with durable boxes.

In 1855 Mr. Leonard was joined in mar- riage with Lurana E. Crane, of Raynham, a daughter of Captain Henry H. Crane, who was formerly an officer in the State militia. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard have two daughters liv- ing, both of whom are graduates of the Fitch- burg High School. Their only son, Roscoe A. Leonard, died March 1, 1897. In poli- tics Mr. Leonard is a Republican. He as- sisted in organizing that party in Raynham, served as chairman of the Town Committee, was Postmaster for seven years, and was for six years a member of the Fitchburg Common Council from Ward Three. He represented the city in the legislature in 1886, and was

renominated for the following term, but was defeated by eleven votes. While a member of the House he served as clerk of the Com- mittee on Prisons, and was mainly instrumen- tal in securing the passage of the act increas- ing the salary of the County Commissioners of Worcester County. Mr. Leonard is a member of the Fitchburg Merchants' Asso- ciation, and for three years served upon its Board of Directors.

EORGE A. FERGUSON, a represent- ative farmer of Westboro, was born January 13, 1844, in Troy, Me., a son of Samuel Butman Ferguson. He comes of thrifty Scotch ancestry and honored Revolu- tionary stock, a fact of which he is justly proud. Two of his great-grandfathers served as officers in the Revolutionary army.

William Ferguson, the paternal grandfather of George A., lost a leg in the War of 1812, during an attempt of the enemy on Camden, Me. He afterward became a pioneer settler of Troy, Me., where by indomitable and per- severing labor he hewed out a homestead from the wilderness. Samuel B. Ferguson was en- gaged in agricultural pursuits in the towns of Troy and Pittsfield, Me., until 1856, when he removed to. Westboro, Mass., with his family. Here he resided until his death, at the age of sixty-three years, when he was accidentally killed by being thrown from his wagon while returning from the home of a neighbor whom he had been assisting. He married Emeline N. Tilton, of Charleston, Me., and they reared three sons; namely, George A., H. C., and William Marshall. H. C., who is now a real estate dealer at Stillwater, Minn., enlisted at the age of fifteen years, and served as a drum- mer through the Rebellion. William Mar- shall is now living on the old Westboro home- stead.

In 1862, when eighteen years old, George A. Ferguson, following in the footsteps of his patriotic ancestors, left the Westboro High School to enlist in Company C, Thirty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which un- der General Wells, who was a fine discipli- narian, had the credit of being one of the best

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drilled regiments in the service. With his comrades he was at first on guard duty in Washington, then at the rifle pits in Alexan- dria for six months, and he was later at Harper's Ferry. He afterward actively par- ticipated in the engagements at Winchester, Piedmont Bridge, and Fisher's Hill, as well as in many less important skirmishes. At the battle of Cedar Creek he was wounded in the arm by a bullet and taken prisoner, and on October 19, 1864, the day of the famous ride of Sheridan, he with other prisoners was marched in hot haste ninety miles in three and one-half days by the rebels, who desired to keep them from Sheridan. Reaching Rich- mond on Sunday morning, Mr. Ferguson was escorted past Libby Prison, in which many of his comrades were confined, to the hospital, to have the wound in his arm attended to. On February 17, 1865, he was exchanged. After a month's furlough he was detailed as Orderly, and continued on duty at Annapolis, Md., until mustered out of the service, June 25, I865.

On returning to Westboro Mr. Ferguson lived for three years on the home farm, and then purchased his present estate, near the vil- lage, formerly known as the Deacon Forbes place. The house on this property was built in 1746. He has since carried on the various branches of general farming with undoubted ability, and all his operations have met with success. He takes an active interest in town affairs; and he is a member of the Royal Ar- canum and the Grafton Grange and a charter member of the Westboro Post, No. 80, G. A. R. On April 6, 1870, he married Miss Abbie O. Leland, daughter of Rodney Leland, a well- known and prominent farmer of Grafton, Mass.

EBECCA BARNARD, M.D., a suc- cessful practising physician of Worcester, a daughter of Dr. Franklin and Maria Ann (Plum- mer) Barnard, late of this city, is a native of Andover, Mass. Her father was born in Har- vard, Mass., in 1809, and her mother was born in Andover in 1812.

Robert Barnard, her first paternal ancestor

in New England, was one of the original set- tlers of Andover, his name being tenth on the list of freeholders. Robert Barnard, second, grandson of the first Robert, removed from Andover to Marlboro, Mass., and a grist-mill in that town was owned by him and his de- scendants for over eighty years. John Barn- ard came to Worcester in 1760, and Benja- min Barnard, great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, settled at Harvard the same year. Dr. Barnard's grandfather, Benjamin Keep Barnard, inherited his father's farm of two hundred acres, and that property is still in the family's possession. He lived to be over ninety years old, as did also his wife.

On the maternal side Dr. Barnard is a de- scendant of Daniel Poor, of Andover, and of General Enoch Poor, an officer in the Conti- nental army during the Revolutionary War. Her mother was a daughter of Hezekiah and Betsey Simpson (Poor) Plummer, of Andover. Her great-grandmother, Lovejoy Poor, pur- chased in Salem a negro child whom she called Salem Poor; and the History of Essex County says that he displayed unusual courage as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and on one occasion shot an English general.

Dr. Franklin Barnard, the father, studied with Dr. Samuel Thompson, the originator of the Thompsonian method of treating diseases, which he practised successfully in Worcester for over fifty years, coming here in 1840. He owned the property extending from 174 to 183 Main Street, inclusive. He was a modest, unassuming man, who made his profession the principal aim of his life; and, although sev- eral times solicited to accept public office, he declined. Dr. Franklin Barnard was the father of four children, namely: Anna M., wife of Parker Holden, of Worcester; Re- becca, the subject of this sketch; Esther, wife of Frank Savery, of Malden, Mass .; and Caro- line, who married Allston Huntress, of Bos- ton. The father died in 1889, leaving a good estate; and the mother died in 1885.

Rebecca Barnard began her early education in the Worcester public schools, and com- pleted it at the Baptist Academy. She taught in the city schools for fifteen years, and during that time she was not absent from

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her post of duty a single day. Her medical studies were pursued at the College of the New York Infirmary, New York City, N. Y., and, after serving as an interne at the hospital connected with that institution, she began the practice of her profession in this city. Her vigorous constitution gives her much physical endurance, and she has on many occasions demonstrated her skill. Although constantly busy with her profession, she has found time to serve upon the School Board two terms of three years each, and her knowledge of educa- tional affairs was exceedingly valuable to that body. She is a member of the Boston, the New England Hospital, and the Worcester District Medical Societies.

Her residence at 184 Main Street is an old estate of considerable historic interest. It was built about the year 1760, and bought by William Eaton in 1794. The property was inherited by Mr. Eaton's daughter, Sarah C. Eaton, who in 1879 sold it to Dr. Barnard, with whom she resided for the rest of her life. Miss Eaton died in 1887, in the room in which she was born eighty-seven years before.

ON. DAVID H. MERRIAM, the fourth Mayor of Fitchburg, was born in Essex, Essex County, N. Y., July 3, 1820, being one of the seven children of Josephus and Betsey (Rand) Mer- riam. His father died in 1828; and the year after his mother moved with the children to Fitchburg.

Here David H. Merriam carried on the car- riage and harness business from 1842 to 1847, and then studied law with the Hon. Nathaniel Wood and Ebenezer Torrey. In 1850 the duties of taking the census of this district fell to him, as the President appointed him Assist- ant Marshal of Massachusetts. After having been admitted to the Worcester County bar and appointed a Justice of the Peace by Gov- ernor George S. Boutwell in 1851, he prac- tised law in Fitchburg for thirty-seven years, and held for the same length of time a com- mission as Notary Public, Justice of the Peace and Quorum for the Commonwealth. Mr. Merriam in 1858 was admitted to practice in

the United States courts by the Hon. Judge Sprague, being the first lawyer from Fitchburg admitted to practice in that court. In 1868 Governor Alexander H. Bullock appointed him Special Justice of the Police Court of Fitch- burg, which office he held until the time of his death.

He was a Commissioner of Insolvency for nineteen years. For a number of years he was a member of the School Board, and was elected to a number of offices besides those di- rectly connected with his profession. In 1861 he was on the Fitchburg Board of Selectmen, and that same year he was in the State legis- lature, serving on the Judiciary Committee and on the joint committee of a special ses- sion to provide for the families of the soldiers by passing the State aid laws and similar acts. In 1863 he was appointed by President Lin- coln Provost Marshal of the Ninth District of Massachusetts. This office he held until the close of the war, being honorably discharged October 15, 1865. He was Mayor of Fitch- burg in 1877 and 1878. The duties of every office conferred upon him he performed in such a manner as to win and keep the confidence and esteem of his fellow-men. He was an honored member of E. V. Sumner Post, No. 19, G. A. R. Judge Merriam died October II, 1888. At the time of his death he was the oldest of the Fitchburg attorneys in point of practice.

He married Dora, daughter of Gilbert B. Hayes, of Shelburne Falls, Mass. Mrs. Mer- riam and three children are living - Elizabeth D., David H., and Charles H.

The eldest son, David H. Merriam, was born in Fitchburg, July 6, 1869. He ac- quired the rudiments of his education in the Fitchburg public schools, and studied law in his father's office. In 1890 he was appointed money order clerk in the Fitchburg post-office by Postmaster Currier. In February, 1892, at the age of twenty-three years, he was ap- pointed Register of Deeds for the Northern District of Worcester County by the County Commissioners, being selected from a large number of applicants. In the fall of 1892 he was elected Register of Deeds, and has held the office ever since. He is Vice-President

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of the Fitchburg Athletic Club, and was for some time its treasurer. He married Grace, daughter of George A. Lawrence (deceased), of Fitchburg, and has one daughter, Evelyn.

Charles H. Merriam, the youngest son, is Assistant Register of Deeds. He is a mem- ber of the Fitchburg Athletic Club.

HARLES MERRILL GOULD, form- erly assistant superintendent of the factory of the Graton & Knight Manufacturing Company, of Worces- ter, Mass., was born in Rockingham, Vt., February 27, 18II, and died in this city, March 16, 1896, aged eighty-five. He was a son of Thomas and Caroline O. (Read) Gould, and was of sturdy English stock, being on his mother's side of the sixth generation from the Pilgrim fathers.

Jacob Gould, the emigrant ancestor of this branch of the Gould family in America, came from England in the early part of the eigh- teenth century, and settled in the vicinity of Boston. Two of his six children took up their abode in Dedham, Mass., where Jedediah N., the grandfather of Charles M., was born April 17, 1750. In 1778 Jedediah N. Gould married Elizabeth Sanderson, of Petersham, Mass. Some years after he removed with his family to Chester, Vt., where he died in 1808. He had nine children.

Thomas Gould, the next in this line, was born in Dedham, Mass., January 16, 1784, and died in Camden, N. Y., June 14, 1864, aged eighty years, four months, and twenty- eight days. A man of good mental ability, noted for his sound sense and firmness of character, he left the impress of his strong and noble nature on his descendants. On April 12, 1808, he married Caroline O. Read. She was a descendant of Peregrine White, who was born on the "Mayflower."

Charles M. Gould was one of a family of nine children. He was educated in Rocking- ham, Vt., and he afterward learned the black- smith's trade, which he followed there several years. He subsequently became a contractor for bridge building; and, when the Boston & Worcester Railroad was opened in 1835, he

was in the employ of that company. In 1840 he came to Worcester to live, continuing his connection with the Boston & Worcester Com- pany, which about that time began the exten- sion of its road westward; and during the twenty years of his employment he con- structed nearly every bridge between Boston & Albany. For a number of years after es- tablishing himself in this city he lived in one of the corporation houses, at the corner of Grafton Street . and Bloomingdale Road. In 1851, nearly a half-century ago, he erected for his own use the first dwelling-house built on Providence Street and the second on Union Hill. Worcester was a young city, with but eight thousand inhabitants ; and his new home, which is now quite near the centre of its busi- ness section, was then a long way from town. Ten years later Mr. Gould gave up railroad work, and, opening a silver-plating shop at the corner of Grafton and Temple Streets, carried on a successful business for a few years in the plating of rifles and pistols for the Civil War. He also made some inventions. The most noted of these was a submarine light, the first ever invented, which during the war was shown at Havre de Grace, Md., and then placed upon the market. It was also exhib- ited at Washington, D.C., at Buffalo, at the Crystal Palace, New York, and in England. The original lantern, until recently in the possession of the family, has been given to the American Antiquarian Society. When the Graton & Knight Manufacturing Com- pany, after the close of the war, began tanning leather and making leather belts in Worcester, Mr. Gould became superintendent of their fac- tory, and had charge of the construction of their tannery. He remained with this com- pany until his demise, and during the entire period of thirty years was scarcely a day absent from his post.

He was a lifelong Republican, loyal in every respect to his party, but never held pub- lic office. He was the founder of the Protec- tive Union, now doing business at 24 Front Street. Upright and honest, highly respected by all who knew him, he was a valued citizen and a most desirable friend. He was a Uni- versalist in belief and practice, and regularly

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attended the church of that denomination, al- though he was not a member. A man of great physical vigor and strong constitution, he had but six months' illness in all his life.

Mr. Gould married Rebecca Harris, of North Searsport, Me., on April 17, 1834, and their golden wedding was celebrated on April 17, 1884. This was a most enjoyable occa- sion for themselves, their relatives, and numerous friends, and was made more so from the fact that on that evening their daughter, Caroline R., who was the widow of David Angus of Nova Scotia, was united to her second husband, William A. Peirce, of Worcester. Nearly six years later, De- cember 20, 1889, Mrs. Gould passed to the life immortal. Mr. and Mrs. Gould are sur- vived by four children; namely, Mrs. Caro- line R. Pierce, Mrs. Henry C. Graton, Mrs. G. W. Gilmore, and Charles F. Gould. Mrs. Pierce has three daughters - Mrs. Caroline M. Strong, Mrs. Lizzie G. Blanding, and Mrs. Hattie Williams, all of Worcester. Mrs. Graton has some merit as a poet. She wrote a poem for her parents' golden wedding, and she has written two books. Charles F. Gould married Frank C. Walbridge. They have three sons - Clarence Eugene, Clifton Henry, and Lubertia, two of whom are married. A lady from Fitchburg, formerly Miss Jenny Spotgord, is the wife of Clarence Eugene Gould.

RTEMAS C. SMITH, a well-known contractor and builder of Oakdale, Mass., was born in Holden on March 6, 1843, son of Moses and Viola (Carpenter) Smith. The family was first represented in America by two brothers, Job and John Smith, who came from England. John had a son, Moses, born June 13, 1718, who was the next in line of descent John, son of Moses and grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in the vicinity of Boston, April 7, 1761. He settled in Holden, and spent the remainder of his life there as a farmer.

Moses Smith, son of John and father of Artemas, was born March 13, 1807. £ He was

also a farmer, and resided at the old home- stead, where he died at the age of seventy- nine. His wife, Viola, who was born in Gardner, was the mother of eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity, and three of whom are living; namely, Silas A., Artemas C., and Howland A. Mrs. Viola Smith died at the age of sixty-eight. Both parents were members of the Congregational church and later of the Advent church. Moses Smith was a prominent man in both denominations. He took a deep interest in the welfare of the church, and gave liberal financial support.

Artemas C. Smith spent his early years on the old homestead which had been settled by his great-grandfather, and attended the com- mon schools. At seventeen years of age he enlisted in Company G of the First Massachu- setts Cavalry, and subsequently served for three years and two months, taking part in twenty-nine battles, or all the battles of the Potomac, among them Gettysburg and Cold Harbor. At Mine Run he was wounded, and later he was taken prisoner, but was fortu- nately recaptured the same day. He was discharged from the army with the rank of Ser- geant, having been promoted for brave and meritorious conduct in the fight at Mine Run. After a winter spent with his parents he went to Northbridge, where he worked as a carpen- ter. Some time later he formed a partnership with a Mr. Hagar, and carried on carpentering in South Boston. Subsequently removing to Hyde Park, he remained there for a year, doing business in company with a Mr. Purdy. Since 1870, when he came from Hyde Park to Oakdale, he has carried on a prosperous and lucrative business in this town and the sur- rounding country - in fact, the largest busi- ness of any man here in his line. Nearly all the mills in this locality, a number of churches, and many dwelling-houses have been built by him.

In 1867 Mr. Smith was married to Carrie E. Darling, who died two years later at the age of twenty-six. His second wife, who was be- fore her marriage Abbie C. Hastings, was born in Douglas, Mass., and was the daughter of Nahum Hastings, a merchant of this town and a prominent citizen. She died in 1887 at the

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age of thirty-eight. Mr. Smith has three children, by name Raymond, Carrie, and Her- bert L.

In politics Mr. Smith is a Republican. He has served the town for four years as Se- lectman and for the past two years as As- sessor. He has also been a member of the Board of Health, and was for a number of years Constable. He has been a member of the Republican Town Committee, and has been sent as delegate to both State and county conventions. Fraternally, Mr. Smith is a Mason, and has filled all the chairs in Boylston Lodge, being Master for two years. He is at present treasurer of the Lodge, serving on his third year. He is also a member of Hiram Council, Eureka Chapter, of Worcester, and George D. Wells Post, No. 28, G. A. R. He is one of the directors of the Security Savings Bank.

2 EORGE BARNES, a widely-known and respected resident of Northboro, son of Edward Barnes, was born in Marlboro, Middlesex County, Mass., July 29, 1815. His paternal grandfather, Colonel Ed- ward Barnes, was a prominent farmer of Marl- boro. Colonel Edward owned and occupied the farm originally cleared from the wilder- ness by his grandfather, Richard Barnes, in the earlier Colonial days. He graduated from Harvard College with the class of 1775, and during the Revolution was Lieutenant Colonel in the regiment of Colonel Ward, of Shrews- bury, and commanded a regiment at the battle of Bunker Hill. Subsequently he served in the State legislature, was a member of the Constitutional Convention, was Selectman of Marlboro during the greater part of his active life, and was County Commissioner at the time of his death, which occurred November 16, 1803. Mr. Barnes's father married Lucy Brigham. She had eight children, of whom three became physicians, namely : Dr. Charles Barnes, of Uxbridge; Dr. Edward Barnes, of Marlboro; and Dr. Henry Barnes, of North- boro, Mass. Besides George and Charles men- tioned above, two other children are living : Lucy, the wife of Artemas Jones, of Marlboro;

and Ruth, who is unmarried, and lives on the old homestead. The father died at the age of seventy-eight years, and the mother at the age of eighty-six.

George Barnes completed his education at the Worcester and Greenfield Academies. He subsequently lived on the parental farm until the spring of 1838, when he removed to Northboro, and opened a store in company with Frank Eager. Shortly afterward he pur- chased his partner's interest, and thereafter conducted the business alone for seven years. Disposing then of his store and stock, he bought his present farm which is very pleas- antly located midway between the villages of Westboro and Northboro. In addition to gen- eral farming Mr. Barnes was actively employed for forty years in civil engineering ; and he has probably measured every plot of ground in town, besides doing much surveying in the neighboring towns of Berlin, Boylston, and Westboro. In politics he was formerly a Whig. Later he became a strong supporter of the Free Soil party, and he is now an ad- herent and supporter of the Republican party. He has been thoroughly identified with the leading interests of the town, which he has served in various capacities. For seven years he was Town Treasurer, for ten years Select- man, and for an equal length of time he was an Assessor. He is an official member of the Uni- tarian church, in which he was superintendent of the Sunday-school for many years; and he was formerly the treasurer of the parish.

On November 10, 1842, Mr. Barnes mar- ried Anna, daughter of Cyrus Gale, of this town. She died a few years after the mar- riage, leaving one daughter, Anna Gale, who is now the wife of Charles Stone, a merchant in Marlboro, and has two children - Ethel Annie and Cyrus Gale Stone. The latter, who married Myra Usher, of Danvers, Mass., has had two children -- Mariana Osborne and Helen Russell, of whom the latter died Janu- ary 2, 1899. On May 6, 1853, Mr. Barnes married for his second wife Mary W. Lincoln, a daughter of Jairus Lincoln and a grand- daughter of Professor Henry Ware, of Cam- bridge. Three children have been born of this union, namely : Edith, who was educated

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 75

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