USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Franklin County, Massachusetts .. > Part 24
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RS. NANCY A. CHAPIN, who owns and occupies one of the finest farms in Gill, beautifully situated near the Connecticut River, a part of the estate left by her husband, the late Eliphas Lyman Chapin, was born in this town April 19, 1820, daughter of Horatio and Eunice (Davis) Roberts. Her father was also a native of Gill, born July 25, 1789, son of Ebenezer and Submit (Brooks) Roberts, and grandson of John Roberts, a farmer who removed to Gill with his family from St. Johnsbury, Vt. Ebenezer Roberts died in Gill on February 17, 1832, having carried on for a number of years a farm owned by his wife's father, Dan- iel Brooks, one of the early settlers, who had a quarter section of land.
Horatio Roberts was the fourth in a family of seven children. He lived at the parental home till his marriage, when he purchased a farm near by, on which he resided for a num- ber of years; but in the latter part of his life he removed to East Charlemont, in the western part of the county. He died in 1864. His wife, Eunice, was the daughter of Joseph and Azubah (Morton) Davis, of Guilford, Vt., where she was born, July 23, 1797. Her father was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and was a soldier of the Revolution. Mrs. Chapin remembers sitting on the knee of her grand- father Davis, when she was a child, and listening to the stories of the war. The grandmother, Mrs. Azubah Morton Davis, daughter of David and Mary Morton, outliving her husband, received a pension in her old age. She died at the home of her son-in-law, Mrs. Chapin's father, in 1846, aged eighty-six years. Horatio and Eunice D. Roberts were the parents of nine daughters, of whom seven are still living, namely: Nancy Azubah, Mrs. Chapin; Rhoda, Mrs. Alonzo Thayer; Calista, who is Mrs. B. Rice, of East Charlemont ;
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Martha, widow of Horace Patterson, of East Charlemont ; Esther, who married Edwin Bod- well, of Shelburne Falls; Jane O., Mrs. David Thayer, of East Charlemont; and Marinda, widow of David Fisk, of Springfield, Mass. The mother united with the Congregational church in 1821 ; and her last days were passed in East Charlemont, where she died March 9, 1864.
Nancy A. Roberts in her girlhood acquired a limited education in the district school. This, however, was but the beginning, not the finish, as she has continued to keep her mental faculties in healthful activity, and with the usual happy results. Early desiring to be use- fully employed and to have the means of self- support, she learned the trade of a tailoress, at which she became a skilful worker. She was married October 25, 1844, to Eliphas Lyman Chapin, who was born in Gill, April 1, 1815, son of Ebenezer Chapin, the father being an early settler who came here from Mendon, Mass., and settled on a farm, where he spent his life, rearing a large family of children. Eliphas L. Chapin subsequently became the owner of the Chapin farm, on which he and his wife resided some twenty-five years, and then came to "The Old Purple Homestead," the present home of Mrs. Chapin, where he died June 23, 1890, at the age of seventy-five.
Three children of Mr. and Mrs. Chapin grew to maturity, only one of whom is now living, namely : Edward Sumner Chapin, born November 16, 1857, who married Sarah Can- ning, and has two children, Harold C. and Edward Radcliff. He is engaged with a busi- ness firm in Boston, and resides with his fam- ily in Cambridge. Ellen L. Chapin, only daughter, born September 30, 1845, who was educated in Bernardston and became a teacher, died November 20, 1874. Frank Wells, the elder son, born January 15, 1850, married
Lizzie E. Graves, of Guilford, and died Octo- ber 31, 1886, leaving two children - LeFor- rest Earle and Winfred Ernest. He had stayed on the Chapin homestead, taking charge of it after the removal of his parents to the Roswell Purple place.
AMES M. HALE, a well-known farmer and life-long citizen of Bernardston, was born in this town, May 5, 1833, son of Israel Porter and Auralia (Cushman) Hale, the father having been born in Bernardston in 1807, and the mother in Greenfield in 1804. Mr. Hale's grandfather, Israel Hale, who was born May 8, 1766, was generally known throughout this region as "Leftenant " Hale, being in the State militia and left-handed, to which peculiarity the popular pronunciation of his title was supposed to have reference. He came from Connecticut with his father when a lad of nine, and was one of the first settlers in Bernardston. He learned farming, and in company with his brother acquired a large tract of land situated on the present site of Bernardston, where he erected the residence now owned by Alanson P. Hale. He was a large, well-built man, weighing two hundred and five pounds, unusually strong and vigor- ous, and was both sociable and genial. Strict and upright and honorable in his intercourse with others, he was held in high esteem by his neighbors; and many of the older residents of Bernardston to-day remember him as a good citizen and a warm friend. He was a Unitarian and liberal supporter of the church and other benevolences. In politics he was a Whig. He died August 25, 1850, on the farm now owned by his grandson, Alanson P. Hale, at the age of eighty-four years. He was twice married. His first wife, Jemima, was born December 31, 1764. The name of
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CHARLES SHEPARD.
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his second wife was Elizabeth. His five children, all by his first wife, were as follows : John, George, Joseph P., Israel P., and Phi- lander, four of whom grew to manhood.
Israel Porter Hale, son of Lieutenant Israel Hale, became the owner of the old homestead in Bernardston, and followed the business of general farming to the end of his days. For several years he held the office of Selectman, and he also had in charge the settlement of various large and small estates. He and his wife were noted for their hospitality, and both were members of the Unitarian society. He was a Republican in politics. He died on the old home farm, May 29, 1883, at the age of seventy-six years, his wife surviving him over nine years, dying July 24, 1892, at the ad- vanced age of nearly eighty-nine years. They had four children, all of whom are now living, namely: Huldah, wife of S. B. Slade, of Greenfield, born November 6, 1831; James Monroe Hale, the subject of this biographical mention; Alanson P., born March 23, 1835; and Loretta A., now the wife of Hiram Norton.
James M. Hale, having spent the early years of his life in securing an education in the dis- trict schools of Bernardston and in Goodell Academy, remained at home, attending to farm work and taking care of his parents as they gradually came to feel the infirmities of age. Mr. Hale has been a general farmer all his life, and now owns about one hundred acres of the old farm, where, in connection with his general farming, he carries on a fine dairy. All the buildings and improvements that to-day make it a beautiful home. have been added by his untiring energy. Mr. Hale's success in farming is due in great measure to the fact that he is not afraid of hard work.
In 1856, on January I, he married Janette S. Slate, who was born in Bernardston, April
27, 1834, daughter of Seorem B. and So- phronia P. (Snow) Slate. Mr. Slate was born in Bernardston, September 5, 1801, and his wife in the same town, July 5, 1803. He was a successful farmer and prominent citizen, and for a number of years Selectman, being at the time of his death a supporter of the Demo- cratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Slate were both members of the Unitarian church. She died January 11, 1856, and he on March 6, 1866. They had seven children, three of whom, Mi- nerva P., Ellen P., and Sheldon S., are de- ceased. Seorem B., Jr., a retired farmer, who has held many public offices, resides in Green- field. Janette S., as mentioned above, is the wife of James M. Hale. Julia S. became the wife of A. P. Hale, and resides in Bernardston with her husband. The other son is George P. Slate, a farmer, living in Hinsdale, N. H. Mr. and Mrs. James M. Hale have no chil- dren. They are both members of the Unita- rian society, and Mr. Hale is a Republican in politics.
R. CHARLES SHEPARD, of Whately, is a clairvoyant physician, well known in this locality for his successful treatment of many serious cases. His birth occurred in the town of Alstead, Cheshire County, N. H., on February 17, 1838; and he is a son of Gardner Shepard, a native of the same town, whose father, Simeon Shepard, moved into the State from Connecti- cut, and settled as a pioneer on a tract of wild land in Alstead. Grandfather Shepard died when he was about seventy years old.
Gardner Shepard was reared to an agricult- ural life; but, after attaining his majority, he entered mercantile business, which he carried on with good success for several years, and then returned to the old homestead, where he resided until called to lay down the burden of
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life, in his seventy-first year. By his first marriage he had three children, two of whom died in early childhood, and the other survived until a few years ago. His second wife, Sarah Merrifield, of Marlboro, Vt., became the mother of nine children, of whom but three survive, namely: Susan, who married Oliver
Shepard; Sumner G. ; and Dr. Charles Shep- ard, of Whately. Mrs. Sarah M. Shepard passed into the spirit life at Alstead, N. H., aged sixty-one years. Although she and her husband were formerly adherents of the Ortho- dox Congregational faith, in their later years they became thoroughly converted to modern Spiritualism.
Charles Shepard received his education in his native town, passing through both the com - mon schools and the high, and resided with his parents at the old homestead while they lived. At the age of twenty-two years he first became aware of the healing power with which nature had endowed him; and he immediately began to use it in his neighborhood, with results which were not only of exceedingly great benefit to many sufferers, but in some in- stances quite remarkable and entirely unac- countable. He continued in active practice at Alstead until failing health made it advis- able for him to seek for a time a more mild and salubrious climate; and the winters of 1878, 1880, and 1882 were passed by him in Florida.
In 1875 he came to Franklin County, Mas- sachusetts, and, after boarding for some time in South Deerfield, moved to his present resi- dence, which is one of the most pleasant local- ities upon the river. His farm, which he rents, consists of about thirty-six acres of fertile land, thirty-one of which are under cul- tivation, and the rest covered with small tim- ber. He still continues to practise, and has effected many permanent cures in this locality,
having been successful in some cases from which physicians of the regular schools were forced to retire. In religious matters Dr. Shepard is of the liberal school of thought, and in politics is strictly independent, always seeking to support the candidates whom he considers the most able and qualified to hold office. To him modern Spiritualism is a fact ; and he not only does not hesitate to proclaim his sincere belief in the mysterious power of which he is a living exponent, but always de- fends and explains it whenever an opportunity presents itself for him to do so. A good like- ness of Dr. Shepard graces another page of the review.
OLLIN P. WHIPPLE, a wide-awake, energetic, high-minded business man, is an extensive dealer in stoves, fur- naces, and plumbing supplies, his store being located on Miles Street in the village of Greenfield. He was born in March, 1842, at Windsor Locks, Conn., within a short distance of Warehouse Point, where his father, Joseph Whipple, was born in 1819.
The latter was left an orphan at the early age of seven years, being the youngest of a family of three sons and two daughters thus bereaved. He began the use of tools at an early period of his life, exhibiting the genius of a natural mechanic; and, being bound out to a man who was interested in his welfare, he had learned the blacksmith's trade before he was sixteen years old, and two years later he had charge of a shop. In 1837 he and his brother Henry went to New Jersey, where he took a job of making picks, and, being a very rapid and skilful workman, was soon earning three dollars a day, while the other men were making but two-thirds of that sum. He was very ingenious, and won the reputation of being able to make anything composed of
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iron or steel, his specialty being the man- ufacturing and relaying of axes and edged tools. His first wife was Eveline C. Pinney, whom he married at Windsor Locks, January 1, 1841.
One year of their wedded life they spent at New Jersey, and one year at Springfield, Mass., the remainder being passed at Windsor Locks, where the death of Mrs. Eveline C. P. Whipple occurred in 1862. She left five children, namely: Rollin P., of whom we write; Isadora, wife of F. G. Strickland, of Poquonock, Conn., and the mother of four chil- dren ; Eveline C., widow of Julius Chapman, of Windsor Locks, who at his death left three sons; Ida, who married Harris Hatha- way, and, dying in middle life, left three chil- dren; and Lillia T. (Mrs. L. A. Morand), of Windsor Locks, who has one child. Joseph Whipple subsequently married Jane Shepard; and he lived until February, 1891, when his body was laid to rest in the Windsor Locks cemetery. Few have had more earthly friends than he, and few are more deserving, he having been a man of purity and honesty, firm in his convictions and fearless in their expression. In politics he was a stanch Democrat; and besides having been for many years a Select- man, Assessor for a score of years, and a Con- stable when the position required an officer of nerve and courage, he twice represented his district in the State legislature.
Rollin P. Whipple early showed an inclina- tion for the blacksmith's trade, and when a lad began to strike for his father, spending much of his leisure time when out of school in the shop. He remained at home until 1871, when he came to Greenfield as agent for the Weed sewing machines, which he had then handled for two years, making large sales. In the fall of 1876, desiring to be established in some permanent business, Mr. Whipple em-
barked in the hardware trade, forming a copartnership with M. L. Farnsworth, with whom he was engaged for two years, carrying on a successful business under the firm name of Farnsworth & Whipple. In 1878 Mr. Whipple purchased his partner's interest, and has since that time continued alone, being a leading dealer in his line of goods, with a firmly established and completely stocked store, vying in its appointments with any similar plant in the place. The marriage of Mr. Whipple with Mary E. Squire, the daugh- ter of J. R. Squire, of Monson, was solem- nized October 4, 1871 ; and their home has been enlivened by the birth of two daughters, Grace and Florence, accomplished and winning young ladies, the elder being a student of art ; and the younger, who is a pupil in the high school, bidding fair to excel in music, being gifted with a sweet and strong soprano voice. Having been rocked in a Democratic cradle, Mr. Whipple is an advocate of the political faith in which he was reared, and has served his fellow-townsmen as Water Commissioner. He is well advanced in Masonry, being a Knight Templar; and he attends and supports the Congregational church, of which Mrs. Whipple is an active member. In 1887 the family moved into their present residence, at No. 45 High Street, which was built by James Vick's son, and has a firm foundation, resting on the solid rock, being one of the finest and most commodious dwellings in the vicinity, and a delightful place to visit as well as a beautiful home to live in.
RS. JULIA AMIDON BROWN- ING, a highly respected resident of Rowe, Franklin County, Mass., is the widow of Arthur Browning, who was a successful jeweller and a popular and much
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esteemed citizen of this town. Mr. Browning was a son of Horace and Catherine (Wells) Browning. Horace Browning came to Rowe from Rhode Island, his native State, and here worked at his trade as a carpenter, erecting buildings and always making improvements. His wife's father, Colonel Noah Wells, who was an early settler of Rowe, purchased and cleared a large tract of land, and became a prominent citizen of the town, living to an advanced age. Horace and Catherine (Wells) Browning here spent their wedded life, both dying at the age of sixty years. He was a Republican in politics, and rendered accept- able service as a member of the School Committee. In religious belief he was a Unitarian. They were the parents of ten children, of whom two died in infancy. The others are : Wells, Sarah, Frederick, Arthur, Katie, George, John, Nellie.
Arthur Browning, whose birth occurred in Rowe on January 6, 1843, remained at home during his youth, receiving his education in the schools of his native town. He then went to Greenfield, where he learned the jeweller's trade, at which he worked until September 9, 1862, in the second year of the Southern Re- bellion, when he enlisted in Company A of the Fifty-second Massachusetts Regiment, and served one year. Not being very strong, his health gave out; and he was then obliged to return home to his father's. It was restored under influence of the pure mountain air. Later on he went to Northampton, where he was successfully engaged at his trade several years ; and he was afterward employed in Boston in the samc line. He died on May 2, 1882, at the early age of thirty-nine years. In political affiliation he was a Republican, and was a member of a post of the Grand Army of the Republic. His marriage with Miss Julia F. Amidon was solemnized Sep-
tember 2, 1872; and their union was blessed by the birth of a son, Frederick A., born Jan- uary 20, 1875, who is now a clerk for B. T. Henry in a general store at Rowe, and is well educated and a promising young man.
Julia F. Amidon was born in Rowe, being a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Fuller) Ami- don, who were highly respected people of this town, where her father was a prosperous farmer. Daniel Amidon was the son of Solomon Ami- don, and the brother of Lucy, Roger, Joseph, Solomon, Harry, and Elbert, all of whom lived to a ripe age, some even to the advanced age of ninety. Harry Amidon, now, 1895, eighty-six, is the only surviving member of this large family. Mr. E. E. Amidon, an uncle of these brothers, now aged seventy-four, lives with his niece, Mrs. Julia Browning. He has always been an important business man in town, owning and running the village store for forty years. He is a man of fine judgment, and much respected and beloved by all who know him. There is much that could be said of the Amidon family : many pages might be filled in telling of their honesty and upright- ness of character and benevolent disposition. They could be relied on as stanch helpers in all good works, and were Republican in politics.
Mrs. Browning resides in the village of Rowe; and during the summer season her pleasant home is filled with city boarders, to whom she has proved herself a most agree- able and satisfactory hostess. She is a well- read and highly intelligent woman, capable in business, and an active worker in charity and in other matters pertaining to the welfare of the community, holding as a consistent Unita- rian - she and her son being members of that church, as was her husband - that "practical religion is summed up in love to God and love to man."
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DWARD F. REECE, manufacturer of taps, dies, and screw plates, has been identified with the business interests of Greenfield for nearly a quarter of a century, and is well known throughout this part of Franklin County as an upright and honorable man in his dealings. He was born in Bir- mingham, England, which is noted for the extent and excellence of its hardware manu- factures, in 1842, and is a son of Joseph Reece, a native of the same place, who was born in 1805.
Joseph Reece was the youngest of a family of six sons, four or five of whom were soldiers in the British army, and fought against Napo- leon, two being in the battle of Waterloo, where one was shot in the neck. Two or three of his brothers were under the command of the Duke of Wellington during the Penin- sular campaign, and were with him at the storming of Badajos, April 6, 1812. Joseph married Elizabeth Tucker, a native of Ches- ter, England, whose father was an officer in the British army, under Wellington. In 1847 they emigrated to America, having a very quick passage of thirty days, in the good ship "Constitution." They came over here with means of their own, the father having sold out his machine-shop at Birmingham before leav- ing. He had much natural mechanical in- genuity ; and, while serving his apprenticeships of seven years each at the jeweller's trade and as a machinist, he made several valuable in- ventions, among them being the hook and eye machine, which finished one hundred and twenty-five hooks per minute. He was also the first to make the composition button with an eye, at Florence, Mass.
After his arrival in Massachusetts he was at first a little homesick and discouraged, and had serious thoughts of returning to England with his family, but fortunately met with
A. P. Critchlow, for whom he worked some years in the shop at Florence, and later at his home, making numerous practical inventions, one being the round steel belt hook for the prevention of friction. He continued in active work at Florence until his decease, in 1868. His widow outlived him many years, dying in 1891, at the advanced age of eighty-six years. They reared a family of six sons and three daughters, of whom Lucretia died at the age of nineteen years, in New York City; and James, the youngest son, who learned his trade of tool-making of the father, died at East Hamp- ton, Mass., in 1888, aged forty-one years, leaving a widow and four children. The liv- ing are : William Alfred, a retired tool manu- facturer, residing in Florence; Virginius J., a resident of Greenfield; Reuben G., a well- to-do farnier in Williamsburg, formerly a tool-maker for the Wiley & Russell Company, now a widower, his wife having died in Green- field; Edward F., of whom we write; and Henry, a retired tool-maker, of Florence.
Although he had but a limited amount of schooling during his youthful days, Mr. Reece is well informed on all the leading subjects of the day, having been a continuous student and a reader of the best books of the time. He early developed the mechanical ability which he had inherited, and since ten years of age has worked as a mechanic or machinist, having been for six years employed as a tool-maker for the Florence Sewing Machine Company, in which his father-in-law, Carlos Humphrey, was interested. In 1870 Mr. Reece came to Greenfield, and in company with his brother, Virginius J. Reece, established the manufact- ure of screw plates, on which they have three valuable patents. In 1889 Mr. Reece sold his interest in the factory to his partner ; but four- teen months later, owing to the ill-health of his brother, he bought the entire business
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and has an excellent trade. The factory was erected in 1881. It is situated on the corner of Wells and Devens Streets, and gives em- ployment to about six or seven men, the prod- ucts being sold principally through the New York and Boston jobbers, one man being em- ployed at each end of the line.
On August 29, 1867, at Northampton, Mr. Reece was married to Addie E. Humphrey, daughter of Carlos Humphrey. The two chil- dren born to them are well settled in life. Their son, Edward J., a mechanic at Orange, Mass., is married, and has one daughter. Their other child, Maud H., is the wife of Edward Wilbur, of Greenfield. Mr. Reece is held in deserved esteem as a loyal and useful citizen of his adopted city, and both he and his good wife are valued members of the Baptist church.
ARL E. DAVENPORT, a prosperous farmer of Colerain, was born in that town, July 22, 1852, son of Edward Davenport, Jr., and Marietta (Maxam) Daven- port, and grandson of the Rev. Edward and Lurena (Andrews) Davenport. (For an ex- tended account of the Davenport family, see the sketch of the life of Jonathan E. Daven- port, on another page of this volume.) The Rev. Edward was born in Dorchester, Mass., September 6, 1774. The greater part of his mature life was spent in Colerain; and the time not devoted to the duties of his calling as a minister of the gospel of the Baptist faith was spent in agricultural pursuits. He was a well-educated man for his day, and, being energetic and persevering, commanded success in all he undertook. He died December 8, 1863, at the age of eighty-nine. His wife, the grandmother of our subject, was born March 1, 1792, in Ashfield, Mass., and was the mother of several children.
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