Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 88

Author: Biographical Review Publishing Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Boston, Biographical review publishing company
Number of Pages: 1238

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Mr. Dodge collected and published in 1897 a small pamphlet containing two school dis- tricts, names of teachers for one hundred years, and historical matter relating to the school districts. Mr. Dodge was a member several years ago of the New England His- toric and Genealogical Society, Boston. He was also corresponding member of the Wis- consin Historical Society located at Madison, Wis. During the year 1898 Mr. Dodge com- piled and published a pamphlet of thirty-two pages, containing eleven hundred names from inscriptions in six cemeteries in Sutton, giv- ing the names of persons, time of their de- cease, and their age, which work was favora- bly received.

Mr. Dodge has been a member of St. John's Episcopal Church, Wilkinsonville, the past forty years, and most of the time either one of the vestrymen or wardens. He has also been

a delegate to nearly every convention of the diocese of Massachusetts held in that period in Boston. He was chosen a delegate to elect three bishops of said diocese - namely, Paddock, Brooks, and Lawrence.

Mr. Dodge married Miss Lydia H. Wood, daughter of David Wood, of Nantucket, Sep- tember 13, 1853, and has the following chil- dren : Herbert W., born January 13, 1855, married Jean McLeven. He spent eight years in Raton, N. Mex., employed in railroad offices, and at present resides at Sutton. Ella M., born February 24, 1857, married Charles M. Holland, who is proprietor of Woonsocket (R. I.) Nursery and a florist. Sarah E., born February 17, 1860, married Henry L. New- ton, of Shrewsbury, where they reside. Fred- erick A., born October 6, 1861, married Cora J. Powers. He settled in Saundersville, where he is extensively engaged in the grain and mill- ing business. Lucus R., born December 14, 1863, married Maria Goddard. They reside in Milford. He has been engaged the past seven years on railroad. (See, for more par- ticular account of Reuben R. Dodge, New England Historical Register, January number, 1885; History of Sutton; Rawson Memorial; and Dodge Family History.)

ILLIAM M. BLAKE, retired manu- facturer of Westboro, Worcester County, was born October 2, 1820, in Roxbury, Mass., where his father, Joseph Blake, who married Eliza McClure, was in business as a morocco dealer for many years. Joseph Blake was a native of Wakefield, N. H. He was a son of Joseph Blake, Sr., a well-to- do farmer of that town.

William M. Blake attended the public schools of Roxbury until fifteen years old, when he went into a dry-goods store in Boston as a clerk. On becoming of age he estab- lished himself in the dry-goods trade on his own account, and continued in the same three years. He subsequently served as a clerk in Keith's music store for a while, and after that he was head clerk in a South Boston brewery until 1848, when on account of failing health he resigned his position. Moving soon after-

WILLIAM M. BLAKE.

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ward to Westboro, Mr. Blake began the man- ufacture of sleighs in the village; and during the ensuing thirty years, or until warned by failing health to retire, he carried on an exten- sive and prosperous business. Being a skilful workman, particular to have the productions of his shop perfect in finish, he won an extended reputation for turning out a fine class of sleighs, and readily found a market. Men from Boston, Providence, and neighboring towns and cities came personally to buy direct from him.

Mr. Blake enlisted May 2, 1864, in the Fifth Massachusetts Infantry, was stationed at Camp Meigs, Readville, Mass., and mustered out August 2 of the same year. In politics he has always been an active Republican. Besides serving as Assessor several years, he was a member of the Board of Select- men in 1878, 1879, 1893, and 1894. He is the oldest living member of Hockomocko Lodge, I. O. O. F., to which he has belonged for twenty-five years. Mr. Blake married Oc- tober 29, 1845, Emily H. Cloyes, daughter of Gardner and Harriet (Bowman) Cloyes, of Framingham. Mrs. Cloyes, who though over ninety-six years old is bright and active, lives with Mr. and Mrs. Blake. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Blake; namely, William F. and Clara Augusta. William F. Blake en- listed at the age of sixteen years in the Second Rhode Island Infantry, and served until the close of the war. He took part in five heavy engagements, and was at Appomattox and wit- nessed the surrender of General Lee. He died at the age of thirty-five years. Clara Augusta Blake married Myron E. Hutchins, of Water- bury, Vt. On August 6, 1897, she died very suddenly, leaving her parents childless in their old age and almost prostrated under their heavy burden of sorrow.

R OWSE REYNOLDS CLARKE, M. D., who was for many years the leading physician of Whitinsville, and whose name will always be associated with the educational history of the town, was born in Kingston, R. I., February 12, 1823. A direct descendant of the famous

Dr. Clarke of Colonial days, he seems to have inherited much of his ancestor's love for schools and higher education. He graduated from the Harvard Medical School in 1846, and in the following year came to Whitins- ville, where he practised until 1862. In the early summer of that year he was appointed army surgeon and assigned to the Thirty- fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, then being organized at Camp John E. Wool in the city of Worcester. Here he was a stranger to almost all the officers, though he was known to have possessed a large prac- tice in his own and in neighboring towns and to have enjoyed a high reputation in his profession. To quote the words of Colonel Lincoln, the commander of the regiment : "The impression he made upon us at his first appearance was favorable. He was of a mod- est and unassuming demeanor, generally easy of address, though at times a little brusque in manner, of quick perception, deliberate in con- clusion, sound in judgment, and clear and direct in speech. Above all, he soon showed that he was possessed of entire conscien- tiousness of purpose." He showed the lat- ter characteristic conspicuously in refusing volunteers who had been accepted by the officials of the different towns in their haste to fill the quota assigned to them, but whom he recognized as physically unable to endure the hardships of actual war. For this he was se- verely criticised by the press; but subse- quently, in camp near Alexandria, when the sick list had grown to a fearful length, the officers must have wondered what the limit would have been had the Doctor been less faithful in the discharge of his duties. The men were warmly attached to him, and nowhere did the natural kindliness of his heart, his quick sympathies, and his professional skill show to better advantage than during his ser- vice in the army. He was at Harper's Ferry and in the Shenandoah Valley with Sheridan's division, and at Appomattox Court House, Piedmont, Cedar Creek, and Richmond, Va. Before he left the service he was appointed brigade surgeon.

After an absence of three years, during which time he had gained remarkable skill as

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a surgeon, he returned to Whitinsville, and once more took up the more prosaic though equally useful duties of resident physician. He always kept abreast of the times in medical practice, and was thoroughly conversant with every advance made in the healing art. His quickness and clearness of judgment and his practical common sense were remarkable. His diagnosis of disease seemed to have the acute- ness and certainty of intuition. His col- leagues in the profession esteemed him highly, and regarded him as an expert in the treatment of many diseases. He was a member of the Massachusetts and Worcester County Medical Societies, also of the Thurber Medical Society of Milford.

Beginning some twelve years before he be- came a surgeon in the army, the Doctor's con- nection with the public schools lasted through- out the rest of his life. He was the chairman of the School Board for a period covering many years, and until a professional superintendent was hired he had charge of all the schools. The value of his services to the town in this position cannot be overestimated. After his death, resolutions expressing the deep regret caused by his loss were adopted by all who had been his associates in this educational work. The teachers, the pupils of the high school, the agent of the State Board of Education, and the leading educational paper of New Eng- land, the Journal of Education, all paid tributes to the value of his work. The editors of the High School Gatherings devoted an entire issue of their paper as a memorial to Dr. Clarke. Resolutions of loss and condolence were also passed by the Masonic lodge with which he was connected and by the General Court of Massachusetts, of which he was at the time of his death a member. As soon as he was elected to the legislature he was recognized as a person eminently fitted to deal with educa- tional matters, and was assigned to the Com- mittee on Education. His sudden removal from that committee was a source of deep regret to all who knew his worth and his peculiar fit- ness for the position.

The Doctor was greatly interested in the Social Library, was for some years its libra- rian, and at the time of his death was the pres-

ident of the association. He also took a strong interest in the Chautauqua movement. For a long time he was a trustee of the Whit- insville Savings Bank and for years the Medi- cal Examiner for Southern Worcester County. He was a member of King Solomon's Temple Lodge, F. & A. M., at Uxbridge. In relig- ious belief he was a Congregationalist. His death occurred on February 4, 1888.

EORGE B. BRIGHAM, who was for many years a leading boot and shoe manufacturer of Westboro, was born in this town, October 4, 1818, son of George B. Brigham, Sr. The father was reared in Waterford, Me., his native town, whither some of his ancestors had emigrated from Worcester County, Massachusetts. He mar- ried Nellie Fay.

When a lad of nine years the subject of this sketch went to live with the family of Elijah Forbes, near the reservoir now owned by the town. He remained with Mr. Forbes until he was sixteen, when he became an in- mate of the household of David Warren. For a period he attended the district school for ten weeks each year. At the age of eighteen he entered the Worcester Manual Training School in order to learn the use of tools. In the following year he began to work at the trade of shoemaker, and afterward for two years he had charge of the factory of Thomas Stone. Forming then a partnership with Moses Newton, he manufactured shoes during the ensuing four years. In 1843 he estab- lished himself in Boston as a dealer in gro- ceries and produce, in company with Silas Stone, of Boston, and Elijah Morse, of West- boro. After a year's experience in that line he sold out his interest in the firm to his part- ners, and during the next five years resided in Sherborn and Westboro, dividing his time about equally between farming and trading. From 1849 until 1857 he was superintendent of Daniel F. Newton's boot and shoe manu- factory, and at the same time, in company with John H. Pierce, carried on a substantial business as a lumber manufacturer and dealer. In 1858 he embarked in the manufacture of

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boots and shoes on his own account, and throughout the rest of his life carried on an extensive business in this town, employing a large force of help.

In politics Mr. Brigham was a straight Re- publican, and served his fellow-townsmen in various capacities. He was for several years Assessor and a member of different town committees. In 1887 he represented his dis- trict at the General Court, being a member of the House when the hotly contested question concerning the division of Beverly was brought before it. He united with the Bap- tist church when but seventeen years old, and was for a number of years the superintendent of its Sunday-school. He was always ac- tively interested in matters pertaining to the town, and was a prime mover in having the history of Westboro published

On April 10, 1844, Mr. Brigham married Caroline Jones Leland, of Sherborn, a daugh- ter of John and Sally (Bickford) Leland. She died February 14, 1858, leaving six chil- dren, of whom Ella Lucille died at the age of fourteen. The others are: Atherton Fon- telle; Carrie Georgiana; John Leland; George Bickford, of this town; and Bertram Fay, of Brockton. On January 9, 1859, Mr. Brigham married Mary Phipps Homer, a daughter of Michael and Susan Phipps Homer, of Hopkinton. They reared five children -- Frank Fontelle, Horace Eugene, Lillie Jo- sephine, Marion Homer, and Ernest Phipps. Mr. Brigham died January 27, 1891.

FLAGG BROOKS, a well- LIJAH known and respected resident of Worcester, was born in this city, August 22, 1820, son of George W. and Eu- nice (Flagg) Brooks. His paternal grand- father was a resident of Worcester in the latter part of the eighteenth century ; and he is a de- scendant of Thomas Brooks, who came to this country from England.

After attending school in his native town for a short time in his youth, Elijah F. Brooks accompanied his parents to Canada, where his studies were continued. He returned to Worcester after a few years, and entered a

boot and shoe factory, where he learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed through- out his active life. He was first employed as a journeyman in the factory of Otis Corbett. After remaining there for a few years he went to work for Hiram French, in whose establish- ment he was advanced from time to time until he became one of the leading workmen. After remaining in Mr. French's employ for twenty years he retired in 1869. He died on April 4 of that year at the age of forty-eight years, seven months, and thirteen days. Faith- ful in the discharge of his duties, he had the respect of his fellow-workmen and the esteem of his employers. At the breaking out of the Civil War he was desirous of enlisting for the defence of the Union, but was prevented from doing so by ill health. He was much attached to his home and family, and had few interests outside of the domestic circle. With strong religious principles, he acted them in his daily life, and his example was one for good among his fellows.

On February 12, 1853, Mr. Brooks mar- ried Mercy Woodward, of Princeton, daughter of Jason and Mary (Clark) Woodward. The Woodwards have been residents of Worcester County for many generations, and the Clarks were an old and highly reputable family of Hubbardston, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks were the parents of three sons, as follows : George Woodward; Charles, who died in Oc- tober, 1858; and Frederick, who died in Au- gust, 1860.

George Woodward Brooks was born in Worcester, March 19, 1854, and has inherited the best traits of his father's character. He was educated in this city, and after leaving the high school became a clerk in the Boston & Albany freight office. He was promoted several times, and continued in the employ of the company for twenty-three years, his faith- ful service being thoroughly appreciated by his employers. In 1895 he resigned and en- tered the employ of the Logan, Swift & Brig- ham Envelope Company, of this city, manu- facturers of envelopes. He married Lillia Frances Howe, and has one daughter - Bertha Mildred. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

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THEO HOMAS SANDERS, the treasurer of the Southbridge Printing Company, was born in Fall River, Mass., Febru- ary 28, 1845. His parents, James and Mar- garet (Henry) Sanders, were natives of Lan- cashire, England. The father, who was born in 1811, emigrated to the United States in 1843. After settling in Rhode Island he followed the business of a color mixer in printing factories until 1850. Then he en- tered the printing business. His wife, whom he married in this country in 1844, became the mother of seven children, five of whom are living, namely: Sarah, who is the wife of William S. Henry, and resides in South- bridge; Margaret L., who married Charles P. Lincoln, of Hartford, Conn .; James H., the superintendent of the Southbridge Printing Company's works; William H., also an em- ployee at the works; and Thomas, the subject of this sketch.

Thomas Sanders was educated in the public schools of River Point and Providence, R.I., and at the River Point Seminary. His knowledge of the cotton print business was obtained under the direction of his father at the print works in Crompton, R.I. Having come to Southbridge in 1870, he and his brother, James H., in 1874 engaged in busi- ness under the firm name of T. & J. H. San- ders. In December, 1884, this firm was incorporated as the Southbridge Printing Com- pany, of which Mr. Sanders has since been the treasurer. It does a large business in printing and finishing cotton goods woven at other factories.

In August, 1875, Mr. Sanders was united in marriage with Ella F. Olney, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Olney, of Sturbridge. Mrs. Sanders is the mother of three children: James O., born May 25, 1876; Robert W., born February 10, 1880; and Mary Elizabeth, born January 2, 1887. James O. Sanders, who is a graduate of Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass., and of the Emerson School of Oratory in Boston, is associated with the Printing Company. Robert W. is now attending an Industrial School of Chem- istry in Germany. In politics Mr. Sanders is a Republican, and he is and has been the

treasurer of the Republican Town Committee for a number of years. He was a member of the Board of Selectmen in the years 1880, 1881, 1882, 1894, 1895, 1896, and 1898. A Mason of high rank, he belongs to Quinebaug Lodge; Doric Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; Hiram Council, Royal and Select Masters of Worcester; St. John's Commandery, Knights Templar, of Providence, R.I .; the Lodge of Perfection in Worcester; Aleppo Temple of the Mystic Shrine, Boston; and to the Mas- sachusetts .Consistory, thirty-second degree, Scottish Rite. He has occupied the impor- tant chairs in Phoenix Council, Royal Ar -- canum, and in Armor Lodge, Knights of Pythias. In 1896 he joined the Ancient and Honorable Artillery of Boston, and accom- panied that famous organization on its recent trip to Europe. As a business man he has acquired a wide reputation for energy and sound judgment, which have frequently been displayed to advantage in developing the in- dustrial resources of Southbridge. He at- tends the Baptist church.

ARVEY CLARK, a well-known resi- dent of Gardner and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Ashburn- ham, Mass., January 2, 1841, son of George and Sarah (Adams) Clark. He comes of Revolutionary stock. Two of his ancestors on the paternal side, his great-great- grandfather and his great-grandfather, both named David Clark, enlisted at Ashburnham as privates in Colonel Ira Whitcomb's regi- ment on April 26, 1775, the elder Clark in Captain Robert Longley's company and the younger in that of Captain David Wilder. Mr. Clark's grandfather, Levi Clark, was a lifelong resident of Ashburnham, as was also his father, who cultivated a farm during his active years. Mr. Clark's mother, Sarah Adams Clark, was a daughter of Daniel Adams and a grand-daughter of John Adams, of Westminster, Mass.

Harvey Clark acquired a common-school education. His father dying when he was about two years old, he resided with relatives, assisting them in farming until September,

THOMAS SANDERS.

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1861, when he enlisted as a private in the Twenty-fifth Regiment, Massachusetts Volun- teer Infantry. He served two years in North Carolina, and was for nearly a year at- tached to the Army of the James, with which he saw considerable active service, participat- ing in the battle of Cold Harbor and other en- gagements. After the siege of Petersburg his regiment returned to North Carolina, and from there was sent North to Worcester, Mass., where he was honorably discharged in October, 1864. He subsequently entered the employ of the Heywood Brothers in Gardner, and has resided here ever since.

Mr. Clark married Adeline P. Hinds, of Ashburnham; and his only child, Ella, is now a book-keeper in the Gardner office of the Heywood Brothers. He is prominently iden- tified with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, being a charter member and Past Grand of William Ellison Lodge and a member of Gardner Encampment. He held the appoint- ment of District Deputy for several years, has been Assistant Grand Instructor for the past six years, was the first presiding officer of Sabin Lodge of Rebekahs, and is regarded as one of the best exponents of the work in this locality. Mr. Clark is also a member of the Masonic Order, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Grand Army of the Re- public.

G EORGE H. CLARK, who was for forty years or more connected with the mercantile interests of Worcester, Mass., as an extensive dealer in paints and painters' supplies, died at his late home on Salem Street, this city, March II, 1897, after a patiently borne illness of two years. He was born at New Ipswich, N. H., May 2, 1832, a son of Daniel and Malinda (Start) Clark, the former of whom died in 1842.

Owing to the death of his father Mr. Clark was thrown upon his own resources when but a boy, and after working a few years in New Ipswich went to Antrim, N. H., where he was employed by his uncle, Caleb Clark, a farmer, for five years. Going thence to Ashburnham, Mass., he painted pails for the Winchester

Brothers, woodenware manufacturers, a few months, and then began to learn the trade of a house painter of Mr. Kendall, of Leominster, Mass. Coming to Worcester in 1854, he se- cured work with Mr. Gerry Hutchinson, a painter, whose shop occupied the present site of Mr. Eddy's carpenter shop on Norwich Street. In 1855 Mr. Clark opened a store for the sale of paints, oils, etc., at 6 Norwich Street, where he built up a large and lucrative trade, which he carried on until his death. For more than a score of years he attended to the entire business himself; but as it devel- oped, and new departments were added, he admitted into partnership his brother, Charles D. Clark, who was junior member of the firm of George H. Clark & Co. from 1877 until the death of the senior member, and who dur- ing a large part of the time was practically the manager of the business. Mr. Clark was for a while vice-president of the New England Paint and Oil Association.

Mr. Clark was a stanch Republican in poli- tics, and though not an aspirant for official honors represented Ward Four in the Common Council in 1863, 1864, 1867, and 1868. He was a prominent member of the Worcester Lodge, I. O. O. F., of which for a quarter of a century he was one of the Hall Committee. He was also an honorary member of the Worcester Continentals, and was for some years an active member of the Commonwealth Club.

Mr. Clark married Lucy M. Barnard, of Vermont. She died in 1896, leaving one son, Albert H., born October 4, 1863, who has succeeded to his father's interest in the busi- ness, and is now head of the enterprising firm of George H. Clark & Co.

RS. AMY G. FERGUSON, of Millbury, is a daughter of the late John Martin, for many years a substantial business man of this section of Worcester County. Her father was born in Barrington, R. I., April 24, 1818, and there worked as a carpenter and wheel- wright in his early manhood. Coming thence to Millbury in 1856, he was for a time em-

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ployed in the cotton waste business with Joseph Merry, and was afterward associated with Warren Sweetser as a foundryman, their shop being located on the site of the present Atlantic Mill on South Main Street. He suc- ceeded Mr. Sweetser, and continued at the old stand until the shop was burned, when he purchased land and built a foundry near the C. D. Morse factory, where he was in partner- ship for a number of years with W. R. Cun- ningham. After the retirement of Mr. Cun- ningham, Mr. Martin carried on the business alone until he sold out to the firm of Calvin & Bennett. In the spring of 1894 he bought an interest in the plumbing and hardware trade of James H. Ferguson, and until his death, March 23, 1897, was junior member of the firm of James H. Ferguson & Co. A man of sterling integrity and good financial ability, he was successful in all his operations, and through his own exertions acquired a fine prop- erty, including a farm of sixty acres, upon which he settled in 1870. He was for a num- ber of years one of the trustees of the Millbury Savings Bank. One of the strong Republicans of this locality, he served his fellow-townsmen as Assessor and Selectman for several terms. On November 16, 1861, he was made a Mason in the Olive Branch Lodge, F. & A. M., and at his death was buried with Masonic honors.

In October, 1840, Mr. Martin married Amy Smith, who was born in the town of Smithfield (now called Lincoln), R. I., January 5, 1821, and died in Millbury, April 25, 1897. They reared five children, as follows: Mary, who was twice married, her second husband being Horace Aldrich, and died August 1I, 1885, leaving three children; Emily S., who mar- ried Lewis B. Olney, of North Providence, and died February 2, 1874, aged thirty years; Jer- emiah, a resident of Springfield, Mass. ; John H., who died February 2, 1894, leaving two children; and Amy G., who is now Mrs. Fer- guson.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 88

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