Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 92

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

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During these years of his life in Dana, Mr. Richardson was a prominent factor in local public affairs, serving as one of the Selectmen and Overseers of the Poor for sixteen years, such was the confidence of his fellow-citizens "in his ability, good judgment, and fidelity to the interests of the town. In 1853 he was a member of the convention to revise the Con- stitution of Massachusetts. His judgment both in matters of public importance and of private interest was frequently sought, and his opinion, if followed, generally found to be cor- rect. He was well versed in the principles of common law. In politics he was a Republican.

On March 31, 1836, Mr. Richardson was united in marriage to Caroline Chipman, who was born in Petersham, December 10, 1811. She was the daughter of Perez and Hannah (Mason) Chipman, natives of Barre, Mass. Her father was a lineal descendant in the fifth generation of John Chipman, who came to New England between 1630 and 1640. John Chip- man married for his first wife, in 1646, Hope Howland, whose parents, John and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, came over in the "May-

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flower " in 1620, and were married a few years later. Mrs. Richardson's maternal grand- parents were Daniel and Tabitha (Jenkins) Mason.

Samuel H. and Caroline (Chipman) Rich- ardson, were the parents of five children, namely : George M. and Charles C., who are both machinists and reside in Worcester; Mar- tha J. and Ella L., who reside in Dana; and Mary C., wife of George H. Joslyn, of Ware, Mass.

In 1885, after thirty-eight years spent upon the farm, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson removed to Dana Centre, where the remainder of their earthly lives was passed, Mrs. Richardson en- tering the life immortal on January 31, 1895, and Mr. Richardson following her the next day, February I. On February 4 the some- what unusual ceremony of a double funeral was held at the Richardson residence, and a large number of acquaintances and friends gathered to offer their last tribute of respect to the de- parted. Chief among the commendable charac- teristics of this worthy couple was a profound veneration for God and a deep love for all that is beautiful in nature. Both were firm believ- ers in the Universalist faith.

J OSEPH P. HAMMOND, who died in Worcester, Mass., February 27, 1890, was a man of strictest integrity, quiet and unostentatious, with large faith in mankind, a strong love for home and kindred, a loyal affection for his mother country and his native State; also for the city in which the largest part of his life was spent. He was born at Oakham, Mass., August 13, 1823, a son of John and Adaline (Stone) Hammond. Many of his Quaker traits were derived from his paternal ancestors. According to the pub- lished genealogy of the family, he was seventh in descent from William Hammond, a lifelong resident of London, England, the line being William1; Benjamin,2 who came over with his mother in 1634, and settled at Sandwich, Mass. ; John3; Jabez4; Elijah5; John6; and Jo- seph P.7 William Hammond married Eliza- beth Penn, said to have been an aunt of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.

From his maternal ancestors the subject of this sketch inherited a quiet, deep, religious nature. He was a thoughtful man and a care- ful reader. He yearly subscribed for a number of periodicals that treated of fruit farming and flower culture. He paid for these and for books also, as he never enjoyed anything until it was paid for. He was like the Quakers in religious matters, in politics, and also in re- gard to debts. In 1878 he took possession of his portion of his father's farm in Worcester, and here did a successful business in raising fruit and vegetables. He also raised flowers, simply to have them to bestow on others. This, his last business venture, was very much enjoyed, more so than any other of his life, for it was more congenial. He loved to do things for others, which few in our rushing age will stop to do. His home was on Lancaster Street.

On June 2, 1855, Mr. Hammond married Miss Ellen N. Robbins, of Wilton, Me. She died in April, 1874, leaving one son, now of Barre, Mass. He is a useful man. He comes often to his old home, and is always kind to every one. On June 14, 1876, Mr. Hammond married for his second wife Eliza A. Young, of St. Stephens, N. B. Mrs. Hammond's father, John Young, was a descendant of a family that came from Holland to America in the middle of the seventeenth century. He was the third John in line. The first John was born in Hol- land; the second in Marblehead, Mass .; the third, Mrs. Hammond's father, in St. Ste- phens, N. B. He married Julia A. Smith, of Wiscasset, Me., a niece of John Smith, who was governor of Maine in 1812.

ENRY K. TAFT, who was actively identified with the manufacture of straw goods in Worcester County during the greater part of his active career, was born in Upton, Mass., November 18, 1842. He graduated at Westfield Acad- emy. At an early age he began to earn his own living by working in one of the numerous straw shops of his native town. This occupa- tion he also followed for a while in Boston. In 1867 he came to Westboro to assume charge of the blocking department of George

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N. Smalley's factory. At the end of a year he was promoted to the stock room, where he continued until the establishment of the Na- tional Straw Works. In this factory he was superintendent of the stock room until his admittance into the firm in 1875. Ten years later, when the H. O. Barnard Manufacturing Company was incorporated, Mr. Taft was made its vice-president and the general manager of the factory, responsible positions, which he ably filled throughout the remainder of his life. He was a man of rare executive ability, had an accurate knowledge of the business, and he managed the factory, which often employed nearly one thousand hands, with ex- ceptional tact and judgment. A fine represent- ative of the self-made men of New England, he made a record that may well be an encourage- ment and stimulus to the industrious and am- bitious youth of the present generation.

Prominent in local affairs, public-spirited and generous, Mr. Taft was one of the prime movers in establishing the electric light plant in Westboro and in starting other beneficial projects. In 1882 he built the beautiful resi- dence on High Street that is now occupied by his widow and son. On February 7, 1869, he married Miss Annie E. Clark, of Walpole, Mass. Their child, George H., who was born February 5, 1876, is now in Andover Acad- emy, preparing for Harvard. Mr. Taft died of pneumonia at his home in Westboro on May 29, 1887.

HARLES A. RICE, one of North- boro's best known residents, is a man of strong personality, outspoken and honest, and claimed as a friend by every man, woman, and child in this section of Worcester County. "Charley " Rice, as he is familiarly called, was born in Northboro, Mass., on the first day of May, 1826, son of Anson Rice and a grandson of Asaph Rice.

Asaph Rice was engaged in teaming between here and Boston for many years, his route being a paying one. Standing six feet and four inches in height and finely proportioned, he was a giant in physical strength as well as in intellectual powers. As an able and fear-

less debater he had few equals in the whole country side. It is claimed by the older resi- dents of the vicinity that, if he had had the educational advantages freely offered to the boys of this day and generation, his powers of oratory, his clear-headed common sense, and his rare good judgment would have won him a national reputation. Anson Rice spent his life in Northboro, for the larger part of the time as a general merchant. He was promi- nent in town affairs, having served as Justice of the Peace most of the time, as Postmaster for many terms, and as Town Clerk for thirty years. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Lucy Sherman, six children were born, namely: Martin, a hardware manufact- urer, who died in Springfield, Ohio, in 1891 ; John A., a noted hotel man, who died in Chi- cago, Ill., in April, 1891; Myron Granville, of Saginaw, Mich., who is the general agent of the North-western Railway Company; Mary, whose first husband, Rasious Jones, died in Cincinnati, Ohio, and who is now the wife of W. M. Sherman, of Alabama; Solon Wood, who is in business in Leadville, Col. ; and Charles A., the subject of this sketch.

Charles A. Rice really began his active career when but seven years old, as at that age he frequently drove an extra two-horse team to Cambridgeport for his grandfather, who used to tie him to the high seat and hand him the reins. At the age of twelve years he often took passengers to Boston in season for a late train, starting in the evening and returning before breakfast the next morning. In 1842 he became an express agent on the stage line owned by John Rice, with whom he lived much of the time, the stage route being a long one. He was an expert coachman, driving his team of two, four, or six horses with skill, and for some years was the only expressman doing business between this town and Fitchburg, Worcester, Providence, Boston, Keene (N. H.), and other places. After the establishment of the railway the stage started from Shrewsbury and went to Westboro, whence passengers, mail, and express continued the trip to Boston by rail. The last trip of the coach was made on Thanksgiving Day in 1856, but Mr. Rice continued to carry the mail until the following

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ERASMUS HASTON.

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April. When the Northern Division of the Old Colony branch of the New Haven system was extended from South Framingham, he be- came express messenger on that road, and when the line was continued to Fitchburg he accepted the local agency of the Fiske Express Company. In 1897, after fifty-five consecu- tive years of service in the express business, he resigned, and has since devoted his time to the management of his livery stable, which he es- tablished in 1848 in the barn built by his late father. He now keeps comparatively few horses, a marked change in the livery business having taken place in the last half-century, the cause of which is not hard to determine when note is taken of the close proximity of the steam and electric cars and the number of bicycles that hourly pass the stable.

In politics Mr. Rice is a sound Democrat. As Selectman and Assessor for many years he has rendered valuable service to the town. He likewise served Worcester County as Sheriff for fifteen years. In March, 1849, he married Angenette M. Otis, a niece of Judge Mellen. They have two sons, namely : Edwin Fay Rice, who was a printer in Boston for a time, and has been employed in the Boston Public Li- brary for the past thirteen years; and Charles Henry Rice, the Treasurer and Collector in Northboro.

RASMUS HASTON, who for upward of half a century was prominently iden- tified with the manufacturing and agricultural interests of North Brookfield, Mass., was born April 18, 1812, in Belcher- town, Hampshire County. His parents, Philip and Rebecca (Ranger) Haston, died in early life, the mother in 1814 and the father in 1819. Being thus left an orphan at a ten- der age, he was bound out to Timothy Work, on whose farm he labored, day in and day out, attending school in the winter until he was nearly twenty-one years old. When leaving that farm, his employer, as full compensation for his faithfulness, presented him with a suit of cheap clothes. Subsequently he worked for a neighboring farmer, who paid him twelve and one-half dollars per month. Then he

learned the trade of filing and finishing augers, an occupation which he was obliged to abandon after two years, as it was detrimental to his health. Learning next the trade of bottoming shoes, he followed that for a quarter of a cen- tury, in which time by good management he accumulated the sum of six hundred dollars. This he had the misfortune to lose .in the panic of 1837. In the ensuing summer he farmed twenty-two acres of land on shares, and realized two hundred and fifty dollars in cash. After working at his trade during the next winter he bought in the spring three hun- dred acres of land, situated in the town of Greenwich, Mass. This, after working on it for a short time, he sold at a profit. He after- ward purchased the estate on the Spencer road in North Brookfield known as the Bush place, which he carried on several years, at the same time being engaged in shoemaking. Receiv- ing then an advantageous offer for the prop- erty, he accepted it without hesitation, and for a while devoted himself exclusively to his trade. In 1847, with characteristic foresight, Mr. Haston bought a tract of land containing twenty-seven acres, in what is now the village of North Brookfield. This property he divided into lots, from the sale of which he derived a good income. Having given up his situation in Batcheller's shoe factory in 1861, he was thereafter engaged in farming. Although he had received no special educational advantages, he was always interested in the cause of educa- tion, and he and his worthy wife presented to North Brookfield the handsome granite library building which is the pride of the townspeople.

Mr. Haston was first married in 1847 to Abigail Whiting, who died in the following year, leaving no children. On April 12, 1849, he married Miss Elvira Shedd, who was born in Vermont. Her parents, Zachariah and Lydia P. (Proctor) Shedd, were both natives of New England, the birthplace of her mother having been Rockingham, Vt. Two sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Haston - Martin P. and Arthur P. - neither of whom is living. Mrs. Haston is a member of the First Congrega- tional Church, of which her husband was a reg- ular attendant and liberal supporter. Pio- neers of this part of Worcester County, during

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their residence in North Brookfield they wit- nessed the transformation of it from the small hamlet it was when they took up their abode in it fifty years ago into a thriving manufactur- ing town, being themselves important factors in the work. In politics Mr. Haston was a stanch Republican. He died at his home in North Brookfield, March 13, 1895.

J AMES F. STRATTON, an able busi- ness man and a public-spirited resident of Milford, was born in this town, Sep- tember 25, 1854. A son of John Stratton, he comes of Irish ancestry. His father was for years a leading spirit in the Democratic party organization of Milford. After completing the regular course of the public schools of his native town James F. Stratton attended Bryant & Stratton's Com- mercial College in Providence, where he took a full business course, including the subject of banking. Then 'he entered upon a business career, which has been attended with gratifying success. At the present time he is engaged in the manufacture of cigars, is agent for Frank Jones Brewing Company, and is connected with other enterprises, all of which are in a pros- perous condition.

Since he attained his majority Mr. Stratton has taken an active interest in public affairs and held some of the important town offices. For over twenty years he served on the Demo- cratic Town Committee, for eighteen years he has been chairman of the District Committee, and he was formerly a member of the State Central Committee. He has also been a trus- tee of the Milford Public Library, was clerk of the committee appointed to superintend the erection of Memorial Hall, and as chairman of the Committee on Sewers he rendered valuable service to the town. In 1884 he was first elected Representative to the legislature from this district, which at that time included the towns of Milford, Upton, Mendon, and Hope- dale; and he was twice re-elected. He had the distinction of being appointed one of the monitors of the House; was for three years clerk of the Labor Committee; and was ac- tively identified with the passage of many not-

able acts, including those relating to the weekly payment of wages, free text-books, em- ployers' liability, and that of restricting the hours of labor for women and children. He was the first to introduce a bill relative to arbitration between employers and workmen, which became a law after three years of per- sistent fighting on his part. The pen with which the late Governor Robinson signed the act was presented to him as its author. An eloquent and effective speaker, he stumped the State in company with the late Governor Rus- sell, and has served as alternate delegate to several national conventions.

For the past twenty-five years Mr. Stratton has been a leading member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. At one time he was the president of the local and State organizations. He was frequently a delegate at the national gatherings, and at the last annual meeting of the State organization, which was held in Brockton, March 31, 1898, he served as chair- man of the Committee on Resolutions, and delivered one of the most eloquent and inter- esting addresses heard by the assembly.

YMAN LEIGHTON, the president of the Clinton Wall Trunk Manufactur- ing Company and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Upton, Mass., November 28, 1843, son of Hazen and Lydia (Aldrich) Leighton. The father, who was born in Maine in 1796, passed the greater part of his life in Upton, where he died in May, 1869, aged seventy-three years. Lydia, his wife, who was born in Massachusetts in 1810, became the mother of six children, three of whom are living; namely, Amelia, Lyman, and Hazen. The mother died March 15, 1896, aged eighty-six years.

After receiving his education in the common schools Lyman Leighton learned the carpen- ter's trade. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in Company B, Twenty-fifth Regiment, Massa- chusetts Volunteers, which was raised in Worcester County. Although the long marches and constant exposure of army life during the Civil War seriously affected his health, he persisted in accompanying the regi-

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ment to North Carolina, where he took part in three battles, receiving a slight wound at Ro- anoke Island. At length the doctors recom- mended his discharge on account of physical disability. In March, 1863, having recovered his health, he re-enlisted in Company D, Third Heavy Massachusetts Artillery, with which he served until September, 1865, par- ticipating in considerable active service, and being promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Upon his return to Upton he resumed his trade. Later he carried on business in Mil- ford, Mass., and Dennisonville, Conn. He lo- cated in Clinton in 1871, since which time he has acquired a wide reputation as a reliable and skilful builder. He erected the Wire Goods Company's mills, Daggett's Block, and the Young Men's Christian Association Building in this town, the Greendale church, a hotel at Narragansett Pier, and one hundred and eigh- teen dwelling-houses, including the Craft resi- dence in Ridgefield, Conn., and many fine residences in Waltham, Somerville, and Bos- ton. In 1892 he became associated with others in purchasing the patents of the Clinton Wall Trunk Company and forming the Clin- ton Wall Trunk Manufacturing Company, of which he has since been the president and his daughter the treasurer. The wall trunk manufactured by the company, which can be opened while standing close against the wall, has a large sale in this country and Europe. The company also produces hand-bags, sashes, doors, blinds, and all kinds of building mate- rial, and carries on a lumber yard. The pres- ent factory, which is one hundred and sixty by fifty feet and three stories high, built ex- pressly for its present use, is equipped with modern machinery.

In 1866 Mr. Leighton married Caroline S. Clark, a native of Connecticut and a daughter of Ollin Clark. Mrs. Leighton has had five children, four of whom are living, namely : Carrie Amelia, the treasurer of the Clinton Wall Trunk Manufacturing Company ; Albert, who married Carrie Mack, and is the foreman of the trunk factory; Mary; and Frank. Frank is employed in the shipping department of the factory. Mr. Leighton is a Republican in politics. In Masonry he has advanced as 1

far as the Council. He is also connected with Clinton Lodge, the encampment, and the canton of the I. O. O. F. ; has occupied the important chairs in the Order of the Golden Cross, and is a member of the Grand Lodge of Massachu- setts, a member of the Knights of Pythias, and a comrade of E. D. Baker Post, No. 64, G. A. R. Mrs. Leighton is a Baptist. The other members of the family attend the Con- gregational church.

UBBARD S. DOANE, a leading farmer and milk producer of North Brookfield, was born in this town on February 4, 1839, son of Roland F. and Amanda (Shedd) Doane. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Doane, master mariner, a native of Eastham, resided in North Brookfield for many years.

Roland F. Doane, who was a native of the town, lived here until his death in 1891, with the exception of a short time spent in Ver- mont. He engaged in agriculture, and for several years operated a saw-mill. He was a thoughtful and intelligent man, and was inter- ested in all progressive movements, particu- larly in educational matters, and served for a number of years on the School Committee. He was a member of the First Congregational Church. His political principles were Re- publican. His wife was a native of Vermont. Of their children the following named are liv- ing : Freeman R., a sketch of whom together with further mention of the Doane family may be seen on another page of this book; Hub- bard S .; Edwin; Lydia A., now Mrs. Gilbert, a widow; Ellen R., who is the wife of Ethan Allen Harwood; and Jonas M.

Hubbard S. Doane grew to manhood on his father's farm, and during boyhood attended the common schools and subsequently the high school of his native town, failing not to profit by his educational opportunities. For four years Mr. Doane owned a saw-mill, and was engaged in the manufacture of lumber; and later for twenty years he was foreman of the same mill, the proprietors then being A. and E. D. Bacheller. In 1879 he bought the estate upon which he has since resided, and

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which comprises about ninety acres of excel- lent farming land. He carries on both gen- eral farming and dairying. Mr. Doane was a volunteer soldier in the Civil War, enlisting on the last day of September, 1862, for nine months. He was, however, in service for nearly a year, not being discharged until Au- gust 20, 1863. He was a member of Company F of the Forty-second Regiment of Massachu- setts Volunteers, and was with General Banks in the New Orleans expedition, where he was assigned on guard duty. He is now a member of Ezra Batcheller Post, No. 51, G. A. R .; also of Woodbine Lodge, I. O. O. F., at North Brookfield. Both he and his wife are members of the First Congregational Church and of the North Brookfield Grange. In politics Mr. Doane is a Republican.

Mr. Doane was married on November 28, 1867, to Sarah J. Smith, a native of Rutland, Mass., and daughter of Moses B. and Chloe (Broad) Smith, both of whom were born in Holden. Mr. Smith resided for many years in Rutland, and his death occurred in that town. He was a well-known Republican. Those of his children who are living are as follows : Lucy A., who is the widow of Elliott W. Boyce, of Spencer, Mass. ; Moses M., who resides in Rutland, Mass. ; Samuel C., of New- ton; and Sarah J., the wife of Mr. Doane. Mr. and Mrs. Doane have three children, namely : Amy J., who is the wife of Carleton D. Richardson; Jennie E. ; and Leon A.

EACON BENJAMIN ALDEN NOURSE, whose life of threescore years was spent in Westboro, was

born here, July 19, 1836. His father, Joseph Joslin Nourse, was son of Ben- jamin Nourse (born November 30, 1768, died May 20, 1861), who was a son of Daniel and Sarah Nourse, who moved here from Framing- ham. His father died in the prime of a vigorous manhood, leaving his widow with one child, B. Alden, then an infant. His mother- was born in Grafton, January 7, 1813, daugh- ter of Timothy Merriam, and is still living in Westboro, on the old homestead, with her son's family. Deacon Nourse always recog-

nized the fact that he was indebted to the training that he received from his mother and to her wise counsels for his career of honor and success.

After attending the district school in his younger days, Benjamin A. Nourse was forced to relinquish the hope of a college education, in order that he might assist his widowed mother in the management of the ancestral farm. He made the most, however, of every opportunity granted him for adding to his store of knowledge, and under the tutorship of Mr. Silas C. Stone pursued the high-school course. He labored faithfully in every posi- tion in which he was placed, and, it is need- less to add, most successfully ; and he was for years one of the foremost farmers of this part of Worcester County. He was interested in young men, and often had one of them with him on the farm to teach him his methods. He rendered efficient service to the town as a member of the School Committee for several years, and also as Selectman from 1872 until 1876. In the latter year he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives from this district, and in 1896 was re-elected to the same branch of the legislature. On Monday, February I, a few weeks after he had entered upon his second legislative term, he was stricken with apoplexy, and on the follow- ing morning he quietly passed away. The whole community mourned his death as that of a personal friend, a brother beloved, and especially was this the case in the church. In the House he had been appointed a mem- ber of the Committee on Charitable Institu- tions ; and but a few days prior to his demise he, in company with the other members of that committee, visited the Westboro Hospital for the Insane and the Lyman School. After his colleague, Representative Cook, of Mil- ford, announced his death in the legislature, a committee appointed by the Speaker at- tended the funeral, accompanied by the Ser- geant-at-arms, J. G. B. Adams, and, on motion of Mr. Cook, the House, as a mark of respect to the deceased, adjourned.

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Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Part 92

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