USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Franklin County, Massachusetts .. > Part 46
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76
397
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
fore the muskets of the British regulars at the battle of Bunker Hill; while another of the family, Moses Sanderson, a brother of Jonathan, served throughout the Revolution- ary War.
Jonathan Sanderson's son John was born in Petersham. Worcester County, Mass., in 1767. In addition to carrying on general agriculture, he was a tanner and currier, and quite a wealthy man for his day. He was acciden- tally killed by a yoke of oxen on his farm in 1830. He married Lydia, the daughter of Dr. Morton, of Athol, Mass .; and of the two sons born to them but one grew to mature life - John Sanderson, Jr., father of John H., of whom we write. Mrs. Lydia M. Sanderson lived to the venerable age of eighty-three years, dying in Bernardston, her body being laid beside that of her husband in the rural cemetery of Petersham.
John Sanderson, Jr., was born in Petersham in 1814, and at the time of his marriage set- tled on a farm in Bernardston, Mass., where he has since resided, being one of the practi- cal and well-to-do agriculturists of Franklin County. The maiden name of his wife, who died on the homestead in 1890, was Mary Osgood. Her parents, Elihu and Ruth (King) Osgood, were prosperous members of the farming community of Wendell, of which town they were natives. They reared four of their five children, two of them being now living, namely: Elihu C. Osgood, of Green- field; and Samuel M. Osgood, of East Milton, Mass. Of the union of John and Lucy O. Sanderson six sons and three daughters were born; and, with the exception of a son named Lucien, who died at the age of eleven years, all grew to maturity. Three sons and three daughters are still living, all being residents of Franklin County, except Lucien, who is a dealer in fertilizers at New Haven, Conn.
John H. Sanderson was educated in the dis- trict school and at Powers Institute, and then began active life as a clerk in the Franklin County Bank, which was established in 1840. In 1862 he left his place there as teller to accept a similar position in the Springfield Bank, where he remained three years. He then started in an entirely new enterprise, forming a partnership with Cyrus Wilkinson and going to Savannah, Ga., where they en- gaged in a wholesale and retail saddlery busi- ness for two years. In 1867 the firm removed their stock to Chicago, Ill .; and two years later Mr. Sanderson returned to Bernardston. Since 1873 he has been at the head of the Warner Manufacturing Company, which is profitably engaged in the manufacture of baby carriages, hardware, and cutlery. Mr. San- derson is one of the able business men and financiers of Greenfield, and for the past nine years has served with fidelity as President of the Franklin County Bank, besides being a stockholder and Director of the Electric Light Company and a Trustee of the Green- field Library Association. Socially, he is a prominent and influential member of the Masonic fraternity, and in politics affiliates with the Democratic party, being a member of the School Committee.
On May 7, 1879, Mr. Sanderson was mar- ried to Jeannie F. Smith, a daughter of Gen- eral Walter Smith, who was for many years Deputy Collector of the port of Mobile, Ala. Mr. and Mrs. Sanderson have a pleasant home on Main Street, not far from the library. They greet their many friends with cordial hospitality.
.
20,
FRANK BROWN, one of the promi- nent men in Rowe, Franklin County, Mass., was born in this town, March 1829, son of Joseph R. and Sally
398
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
(M'Cloud) Brown, and grandson of Noah and Judith (Short) Brown. Noah Brown bought one hundred and fifty acres of unbroken upland in Rowe, where he was one of the first settlers, and, building a log cabin, established a home. He had a strong constitution and was fully qualified for the work he had undertaken, clearing and cultivating his large farm with tireless energy, and filling besides numerous offices in the town.
His son, Joseph R., was born on the home- stead, June 7, 1788. He was sclf-educated and remarkably well-informed, making the most of chance opportunities, as cducational advantages were not so universal then as now. When a young man he bought a stock of goods which he sold from door to door. Stores were far apart in those days, and his business pros- pered. After twenty years of mercantile life he bought a small farm, later adding to it until he had one hundred and sixty acres of land. Here he settled down to farming and stock-raising, and many of his improvements are in evidence to-day. In politics he was a Whig and a Republican, and in religion a Unitarian. He was twice married, his first wife, Sally M'Cloud, died at the age of thirty- six, leaving five children, one of whom is named at the head of the present sketch. His second wife, Antis R. Donaldson, borc two children - Esther D. and Louis N.
J. Frank Brown helped about the farm in boyhood, meanwhile attending the district school. When about twenty-seven years of age he went to Ogle County, Illinois, to take charge of a large farm; but, not finding the West congenial, he returned home and en- gaged in agricultural pursuits until 1862, when he enlisted in Company B, Fifty-second Regiment, as Sergeant, under Captain A. P. Nelson and Colonel S. H. Greenleaf. His term of service covered eleven months, one of
the engagements in which he took part being that of Port Hudson. When discharged he returned home, and again enlisted in the Sec- ond Massachusetts Light Horse Artillery, taking part in the siege of Mobile. After his discharge, in June, 1865, he settled on his father's farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he had purchased and where he lived for twelve years, making many improvements in the land and buildings. He then bought the farm upon which he now resides, which was known as the Star farm and which comprised one hundred and eighty-four acres. It is a fine estate and has large orchards and beauti- ful shade trees. Mr. Brown has repaired and remodelled many of the buildings; and the house, which was built over a hundred years ago, and was intended for a hotel, is a fine specimen of domestic architecture. Among other buildings erected by Mr. Brown is a cider - mill, where he has manufactured as much as ten tons of sweet cider jelly in a year, shipping it to different markets East and West. The view from the farm is magnifi- cent ; and the place is a favorite resort of city people, some seasons bringing forty - five boarders. Mr. Brown also has a fine dairy, and usually keeps about thirty head of cattle. In addition to all this, he is now interested in job printing and wholesale and retail stationery business in Greenfield.
On September 14, 1854, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Mary E., daughter of Samuel and Content (Walker) Stockwell, of Monroc, and grand-daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Blanchard) Stockwell, of Whiting- ham, Vt. Thomas Stockwell was a farmer and also conducted a cooper's business at Whitingham. He lived to be eighty - five years old. He was twice married and had ten children, six by his first wife, and by his second wife four. Samuel Stockwell, Mrs.
399
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Brown's father, settled early in Monroe, where he bought a farm and also carried on shoemak- ing and cooperage, his life of seventy-two years being a very busy one. His first votes were cast in the Democratic interest, but later he changed his views and joined the Republi- can party. He was Selectman, Assessor, Poor Master, and School Commissioner for several terms, serving with credit to himself and his constituents. In religion he believed in the doctrines of the Universalist church.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown have had seven chil- dren, namely : Frank H., born February 15, 1857: Emory W., born September 5, 1858; Newton H., born June 25, 1866; Fred L., born October 2, 1868, died in childhood; Her- bert S., born July 10, 1870; Gertrude K. M., born August 31, 1873; and Errol C., born March 27, 1878. Frank H., who is a grad- uate of Powers Institute at Bernardston, and was for seven years Principal of the Oakman High School at Turner's Falls, is now in the stationery business with his father at Green- field. He married Emma Russell, and they have two children: Winifred R. and Regi- nald F. Emory W. is a mechanic at Miller's Falls; he and his wife, Anna R. Amidon, have one child, Earl W. Newton H. and Herbert S. are in the printing and stationery business with their father, the former married to Almira E. Dewey, the latter to Alice M. Plympton, who has one child. Gertrude K. M. is now in the State Normal School at Westfield.
In politics Mr. Brown is a Prohibitionist. He has always taken an active part in the town affairs, has served the Board of Select- men, has been Assessor and Poor Master four years, and Constable and Tax Collector for two years. He is a member of the post of the Grand Army of the Republic at North Adams. He has been for many years a mem-
ber of the Unitarian church at Rowe, serving on the parish committee as chairman of the board, and has always taken a very active part in church work. He filled for some time the office of local agent of the Society for the Pre- vention of Cruelty to Children, and he was appointed United States census enumerator for his town in 1890. Mr. Brown has been called up by the Probate Judge to settle four differ- ent estates, a substantial recognition of his good judgment and practical ability.
HARLES C. FLAGG, a well-known and highly respected citizen of Con- way, Franklin County, who is suc- cessfully engaged in the lumber business, was born on the old Flagg homestead, in this town, January 7, 1839, son of Samuel and Rhoda (Macomber) Flagg. His grandfather, Eleazar Flagg, a native of Grafton, Mass., was one of the pioneer settlers of Conway. By trade he was a carpenter, but he owned a farm in the northern part of the town of Conway, and de- voted the greater part of his time to agriculture. He died there at eighty years of age. His wife was before marriage Miss Sarah Warren.
Samuel Flagg, who was born on the family homestead, remained with his parents after he had grown to manhood and cared for them as long as they lived. When they had both de- parted, he purchased the interests of the other heirs and thus became the owner of the farm, which he continued to carry on with profit up to the time of his death, at seventy-one years of age. His wife, Rhoda Macomber Flagg, is still living. They reared six children - three sons and three daughters ; namely, Charles C., George W., Fanny E., Susan W., Eleazar F., and Hattie M.
Charles C. Flagg, the eldest child, lived with his father and mother until he was six-
400
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
teen years of age. He then went to work in a saw-mill for William B. Fay, with whom he remained until Mr. Fay's death, in 1879. Mr. Fay made him heir to the property, which consists of a planing and saw mill with ten acres of land, and since that time Mr. Flagg has continued to conduct the business with good results. He obtains his supplies of tim- ber from the surrounding woods, and turns out about five hundred thousand feet of sawed lum- ber each year, for which he finds a market in the immediate vicinity.
In 1860 Mr. Flagg was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Brown, a daughter of Isa- iah Brown. She was born in Conway, Mass., where she received her education and grew to womanhood. Their union has been blessed by the birth of nine children, eight of whom are living, namely : Charles D., who married Miss Bertha Quinn, and has three children - Allie, Eva, and Eugene M .; Mary C., who is the wife of Donald McFarland, and has two chil- dren - Mary Isabelle and Everett; William M .; Grace E .; Edith E. and Elwin C., who are twins; Lottie S. ; and Alice Maud. Alton E. died aged nine years. In political affiliation Mr. Flagg is a Democrat. He has served acceptably in town office for several years.
ATHAN C. BREWER, a well-known shoemaker, residing in the town of Montague, Mass., was born in Wen- dell, Franklin County, March 4, 1815. His father, Samuel Brewer, was a son of Nathan Brewer, a farmer in that town. Samuel Brewer received his education in the district schools of Wendell, his native place. When old enough he took up farm pursuits, and on coming of age he entered into the possession of the old homestead, where he continued to reside till the approach of declining years,
when he came to Montague, remaining here till his death, at the age of ninety-five years. He was a man of some prominence in his time, being one who took an interest in the affairs of the town, and from time to time held vari- ous offices. He was one of the Selectmen twenty-five years, an Assessor and Town Clerk several years. He also held the rank of Colo- nel of the old militia, his practical ability and strong traits of character marking him for a leader among his townsmen.
The maiden name of his wife was Miss Fanny Watts. She was a farmer's daughter, and was born in Worthington, Mass. Of their seven children three are still living, namely : Martha, wife of Benjamin Fay; Nathan C., of this account ; and Mary, wife of John Paine. The deceased are : Caroline, Sarah, John W., and Aurelia. Their mother died in Montague at the age of eighty-eight. Both parents were members of the Congregational church. Mrs. Brewer's grandfather was also a Deacon of the church in the town of Wendell.
Nathan C. Brewer was educated in the com- mon schools of his native town, and remained on the farm with his father until twenty years of age. He then learned the trade of shoe- maker, which he followed in Wendell two years and in Grafton one year, then going to Worthington and later coming to Montague, where he has continued to reside since 1841. Mr. Brewer built his present house the fol- lowing year, and, having been here over half a century, naturally notes with interest the fact that but one other person now lives in the vil- lage who can show an equally long residence.
In 1836 Mr. Brewer was married to Miss Aurelia B. Marble, a daughter of Silas Marble. She was born in Worthington, where her father was a farmer and resided most of his life. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer reared four children, three of whom are now living;
JAMES L. POWERS.
403
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
namely, Catherine, Harriet, and George. The other, a son Charles, was in the Fifty-second Regiment during the war, but returned and died later in Colorado. Catherine, wife of Horace Stratton, residing in Gill, has two children - Herbert and Clesson, the latter being married and the mother of two children. Harriet, widow of Thomas Burnham, has three children: Walter; Mattie, wife of Herman Silo, who has one child; and Willie. George married Miss Jennie Falcom, and they have four children - Charles, Miriam, Nathan, and Corinne. Mrs. Aurelia B. Brewer died at the age of fifty-nine. Mr. Brewer married for his second wife Mrs. Mehala Durkee, a daughter of Henry Burnham. Her father carried on for a time in New Hampshire the business of a clothier; but later, having removed to Mon- tague, settled down as one of the old citizens of the town, it being his native place. His wife, Mrs. Sophia House Burnham, was the mother of eleven children, six of whom are still living. She died in Montague, at the age of forty-five years.
Mr. Brewer is a Republican in politics; and he and his family are members of the Con- gregational church, in which he has held vari- ous offices and with whose prosperity he has been identified, his wife also taking a promi- nent part in the societies and charitable work of the church and Sunday-school. Mr. Brewer has likewise held the rank of Captain in the State militia.
AMES L. POWERS, a practical and progressive agriculturist of New Salem, is the worthy representative of one of the original settlers of this town, in which he was born June 19, 1824. The first immigrant of this family name in Massachusetts is sup- posed to have been one John Powers, or Power, who settled in Charlestown, Mass. ; but little
appears to be known of him. From a geneal- ogy of the Powers family by Amos H. Powers, of Chicago, published in 1884, we learn that James L., the subject of the present sketch, is a descendant, in the eighth generation, of Walter Powers, whose name appears in the Middlesex County Records in 1654, and who married, in 1660, Trial Shepard, and settled in that part of Concord, Mass., that is now Littleton. John Powers, grandson of Walter, was the first schoolmaster of Littleton. He married Elizabeth Robbins; and one of their children was Reuben, born in 1714, who mar- ried Isabel Wheeler. In 1743, Reuben Powers settled in Shutesbury with his family, which included five sons; namely, Asa, Reu- ben, David, Stephen, and Jesse.
Asa Powers was born November 25, 1742. Having grown to manhood, he bought five hundred acres of forest-covered land in what is now New Salem, then a part of Shutesbury, on which he erected a log cabin and proceeded to clear a farin. He endured all the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, work- ing untiringly, often in the midst of dangers. The family lived mostly on the productions of the land, the nearest markets, which were many miles away, being reached by means of a pathway marked by blazed trees. He and his wife are said to have had five children, the eldest, a son Asa, Jr., born January 30, 1766; the third, a daughter Lovina, born August 17, 1771 ; the fifth, a son Robert.
Asa Powers, Jr., succeeded to the ownership of his father's farm, and, continuing a tiller of the soil, he became one of the foremost farmers of his day. In the latter part of his long life he sold the farm proper to his son Chester, and built a commodious house for himself near by, this being the house now owned and occupied by his grandson, James L. Grandfather Powers was a prominent member
tot
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
of the old Whig party, Captain of a company of State militia, and also a Captain in the War of 1812. To him and his wife, Louisa Fel- ton (sometimes written Lois), ten children were born, as follows: John, Chester, Re- beeca, Samuel, Alfred, Louis, Roswell, Anson, Robert, and Proctor.
Chester Powers was born on the farm now owned by his son, William L. Powers, and there spent his long life of seventy-five years. He was an enterprising and prosperous agri- culturist, and made many improvements on the paternal homestead, including the erection of new farm buildings and the house now stand- ing. He married Sarah Lamb, a smart, capa- ble woman and an active worker in the Congregational church, of which both were members. They reared the following ehil- dren : Charles D., William LaForest, James L., Harrison Gray Otis, Arsula, Sarah, Ada- line, and Lavina.
James L. Powers received a fair education in the district schools of his native town, and at the age of fifteen left home to earn his own living. He worked for the farmers of the vicinity until arriving at man's estate, when he bought the old home of his grandfather, and here began farming on his own account. Mr. Powers has since bought and sold other farms, and, in addition to general husbandry, has been at times extensively and profitably en- gaged in lumbering, buying wood lots, from which he has cleared the timber and made it ready for the market. The house he now oe- cupies was built, as above mentioned, by his grandfather, more than a century ago; and this he has made over into one of the finest and most conveniently arranged dwellings to be found in this vieinity. His farm is small and well-kept, and its neat appearanee bespeaks the diligence and thrift of the owner.
On November 25, 1851, Mr. Powers was
united in marriage with Lucy J. Jones, a na- tive of Stratton, Vt., born December 8, 1830. Her father, the Rev. Nelson B. Jones, was born in 1806, at Wardsboro, Vt., and was for fifty years an active minister of the Baptist denomination. He lived eighty-three years ; and his wife, whose maiden name was Lucy K. Glazier, lived to the venerable age of eighty-six years. They were the parents of seven ehildren : Lyman G., Jason D., Lucy J., Frances C., Adaline D., Adelaide H., and Nelson B. Seven children also eame to brighten the home of Mr. and Mrs. Powers, of whom we reeord the following: Eva G., born September 3, 1852, married Eugene S. Brown, was afterward killed by the cars; Cora I., born August 13, 1854, died at the age of twenty; James L. died in infancy; George A., born December 24, 1859, now a grocer at Athol, married Mabel S. Houstan; Freddie M. died when a year old; Myrtie A., born January 16, 1866, is the wife of Herbert N. Leach, of Worcester, and has one child, Cora M. ; Ernest L. died when only a year and a half old. Mrs. Powers is a faithful and valued member of the Baptist church.
In his political affiliations Mr. Powers is a decided Republican. His ancestral tree hav- ing been long planted in American soil, in the breezy Northland, he is naturally a thorough- going patriot, and is one who proved his loyalty and his valor by serving in the ranks as a defender of the Union in the war of the Rebellion. A portrait of this highly re- spected eitizen, easily recognized by his ac- quaintanees, may be seen on a neighboring page.
ILMAN N. WATSON is a well-to- do farmer of Leverett, and also owns a saw-mill, which he successfully operates. He was born in this town Mareh
405
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
15, 1832, and is the son of Horatio N. Wat- son, a native of North Leverett. The grand- father, Samuel Watson, who was a farmer, was born, it is believed, at Princeton, and, when a young man, settled in Leverett, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was the father of a family of eight children.
Horatio N. Watson, son of Samuel, was reared to farm life, and also carried on a suc- cessful business in the manufacture of chairs made of pine strips which were carved by hand. After devoting himself to this indus- try for twelve years, he returned to the culti- vation of his farm. He was a Democrat and a prominent man in his town, serving several terms as Selectman, and was a Representative to the State legislature in 1839 and 1850. He died at the age of eighty years. His wife was Sarah B. Leach, daughter of Leniuel Leach, a blacksmith of Shutesbury. She became the mother of six children, three of whom are still living, namely: Truman M. ; Gilman N. ; and Henrietta M., who married Norris S. Henry. The mother died in her fifty-eighth year.
Gilman N. Watson resided with his parents until his majority. He worked as a journey- man at the sash, door, and blind business, at Athol, at Erving, and at Greenfield for over ten years. On August 21, 1862, he enlisted in Company F, Fifty-second Massachusetts Volunteers, and served nine months, receiving his discharge at Greenfield. He then returned to Leverett, where he was for a time employed with his father in farming, and later rebuilt the saw-mill upon the site of the one formerly operated by his father, succeeding to the pos- session of the mill and farm at the latter's death in 1880. The property consists of about one hundred and fifty acres, well located and fitted with fine buildings; and there Mr. Watson has resided, the mill and farm taking up his entire attention.
In 1854 he was united in marriage to Laura Gilbert, daughter of Lucius and Eliza (Taylor) Gilbert, a native of this town, where her father was an early settler. Mr. and Mrs. Watson have had three children : Clifton H., an engineer ; Effie V., who married Eugene D. Smith, and died at the age of thirty-six years ; and Rosabel L., who married E. E. Chalmers, a lawyer in Montpelier, Idaho, and has two children -- Maurine and George.
Mr. Watson was formerly a Republican in politics, but now votes with the Democratic party, as did his father. He is interested in the local government and has been an Assessor for eight years. He is a member of the Bay State Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Montague, having joined the craft in 1868, and has served as Senior Warden. He is also a member of Armstrong Post, No. 150, Grand Army of the Republic, at Montague, of which he has been Commander two years and was Quartermaster six years. In religious belief he is a Spirit- ualist.
ORACE W. FIELD, a veteran of the Civil War, is a prosperous farmer of Leverett Centre and also a dealer in corrugated steel roofing. He was born in Hatfield, Hampshire County, on January 24, 1846, his father, Abner Field, having been a native of Sunderland, and his grandfather, Walter Field, a native of Leverett. Abner Field, after his marriage, purchased a farm at Hatfield, which he occupied for some years, and then selling it removed to Whately. Later he purchased a farm at Sunderland, which he carried on for a period of three years. He finally settled at Leverett, where he died in 1893, aged seventy-seven years. His wife, Wealthy Putney, daughter of John Putney, a life-long farmer of Goshen, Hamp- shire County, Mass., became the mother of
406
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
four children, all of whom reached maturity : Maria, who married Deacon William Ashley ; Horace W .; Charles; and Susan, wife of Moses Field, who, although of the same name, is of another family. The mother died at the age of sixty-two. She was a member of the Congregational church, as was also her hus- band, who was very prominent in Sunday- school work.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.