USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Franklin County, Massachusetts .. > Part 6
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On the Ist of January, 1877, Mr. Hale was united in marriage to Miss Harriet B. Has- kell, who was born March 27, 1853, the daughter of A. K. and Esther B. Haskell.
Her father is now deceased, but her mother is living in Bernardston. Mr. Hale and wife hold liberal religious views, and in politics he adheres to the Republican party. They have no children. Mr. Hale is doing an excellent business, and is highly respected by all who know him. We are happy to present his por- trait in connection with this brief sketch of his busy and useful career to date.
EORGE W. MAYO, a skilled me- chanic of Orange, Mass., son of Ben- jamin and Louisa (Brattle) Mayo, was born at North Orange, May 14, 1832. He is a great-grandson of Benjamin and Dolly (Goddard) Mayo, the former of whom was born May 15, 1750, and the latter January 16, 1757. The great - grandparents, who were well-to-do people, carried on a farm, and for a number of years kept the old tavern at North Orange. They had a large family of children, some of whom died in infancy, their names being handed down to children of a later birth, as follows: Benjamin, Nathan, Calvin, Dolly, Stephen, Esther, Lucena, Roxie, Dolly, Will- iam, and Roxie.
Benjamin Mayo, the second, was born at North Orange, November 24, 1777, and was closely identified with the agricultural inter- ests of his native place during his entire life, which was but forty-seven years. His first purchase of land was that of the Frost estate, where he farmed successfully, and in addition kept a public house, giving good entertain- ment to man and beast. He married Esther Cheney, who was born in 1781, and was a descendant of a prominent family of this county. She lived until 1860, rearing her only child, Benjamin Mayo, the third, to habits of industry and thrift.
Benjamin Mayo, third, was born at North
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Orange, March 7, 1805, and during the days of his youth and early manhood assisted on the home farm, which was located on the turnpike, managing it for some time after the death of his father. He subsequently purchased and occupied the Levi Cheney farm, and in course of time erected new buildings, besides mak- ing other valuable improvements. Here he departed his life in 1881, his death being uni- versally regretted. An uncompromising Dem- ocrat in his political views, he served the town faithfully as Selectman, and for three terms was representative to the State legis- lature. He was liberal-minded, and was a sincere Universalist in his religious beliefs. His wife, whose maiden name was Louisa Brattle, was born at Erving, November 4, 1805, and died in 1884. Five children were born into their household circle, namely : George W. ; Nancy B., who died young ; Ben- jamin W., who served bravely in the late Civil War; Orena L., who died in childhood ; and Carrie W. F., who became the wife of William O. Ballou, and at her decease left two children - Nettie L. and Belle C.
George W. Mayo was reared on the parental homestead, and received a practical education in the common schools. When twenty-two years old, he went to Michigan, where he was engaged for a year and a half in a chair factory and saw-mill. Returning to Franklin County, Mass., Mr. Mayo worked as a cabinet-maker the following eight years at Tully, and then came to Orange, where he was first employed as foreman for the J. S. Dewing Company, and was next with the Levi Kilbourn Company, where he remained nine years. Since that time he has held his present position with the New Home Sewing Machine Company, being one of its most trusted and valued employees. Mr. Mayo's politics are firmly embodied in the principles of the Republican party, and
his religious faith is that of the Universalist denomination.
On February 14, 1861, Mr. Mayo was united in marriage with Abby M. W. Mayo, who is a native of North Orange, born Novem- ber 24, 1843, being a daughter of Caleb and Mary W. (Ward) Mayo, the former having been a native of the same place, born Septem- ber 15, 1808. When only seven years of age, Caleb Mayo was bound out to a neighboring farmer, and for many years worked for his board, clothing, and schooling. He afterward learned the wheelwright's trade, and carried on a successful business in Tully for eight years, when, being burned out, he opened a store at North Orange ; but five years later he sold out, and removing to Orange worked in a cabinet-shop for twenty years. He was a man of iron constitution, vigorous and hearty to the end of his long life of eighty-five years, his death then being the result of a cut on his hand, which terminated in blood-poisoning. He was a strong Republican in his political affiliations, and religiously was an active mem- ber of the Universalist church. His wife, who died at the age of seventy-five years, was the mother of seven children; namely, Sarah W., Desire G., Hannah A., Henry H., Abby M. W., Roxie J., and Daniel F.
The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Mayo was Stephen Mayo, who was born in Orange, Feb- ruary 2, 1783, and who died here in 1870. He was a progressive and practical agricultu- rist and a citizen of integrity. In April, 1804, he married Mary Cheney, who was born July 20, 1784, and lived to the age of eighty-six years. They reared a large family of chil- dren ; namely, Levi, Nancy, Caleb, Nancy B., Esther, William, Mary C., Dolly, and Roxie. Two children only have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mayo, the elder of whom, Mary L., born September 23, 1879, lived but one day. Their
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other, a promising son, named Henry A. Mayo, was born November 21, 1883. The pleasant and attractive home of the family is at 26 High Street, a fine location, in a house built by Mr. Mayo in 1873.
MOS D. ELMER, a well-known resi- dent of Northfield, proprietor and manufacturer of Elmer's Pain-kill- ing Balm, was born in this town, August 10, 1830, son of Amos and Sally (Woodard) Elmer. Mr. Elmer's father, who was a native of Vernon, Vt., resided upon a farm in North- field a few years, and then went to Montague, where he continued to follow agriculture for some time. He subsequently removed to Shutesbury, and finally returned to Northfield, where he passed the remainder of his life, dying at the age of eighty-one years.
His wife was a daughter of John and Sally (Drury) Woodard, the former a farmer, thought to have been of Scotch descent, who resided in Northfield. It is recorded in the family genealogies appended to the History of Northfield that Mr. John Woodward, as the name is there spelled, was from Norwich, England, was a soldier under Burgoyne, and, being taken when his army was captured, some time after enlisted in the American army, in which he served two years, being discharged by General Knox at West Point in October, 1783. Mr. and Mrs. Amos Elmer became the parents of six children, three of whom are still living, namely: Amos D. Elmer, whose name appears at the head of this sketch; John Elmer, a resident of Readsboro, Vt .; and George Elmer, residing in Providence, R.I. The mother died at the residence of her son, Amos D., October 14, 1890, at the advanced age of eighty-six years. She was a member of the Congregational church.
Amos D. Elmer passed his boyhood days in Montague, and at the age of thirteen years began life as a farm laborer, working by the month. He later found employment in the lumber-mills, where he was occupied until reaching the age of twenty-four, when he went to work in the broom-shops in Amherst, where he was employed for a time, later following the same occupation in Northfield. He then commenced the manufacture of medicinal rem- edies, and placed upon the market an article that was known as " Adhesive Salve," later introducing his " French Remedy," which found a ready sale. In 1865 he began the manufacture and sale of "Pain-killing Balm," a medicine which immediately sprang into popularity, and made a name for itself without the expenditure of a small fortune in advertis- ing, being sold entirely upon its merits. His preparations are shipped from Northfield to all parts of the country, the business being in a flourishing condition, the legitimate result of Mr. Elmer's energy and business ability.
On November 27, 1856, Mr. Elmer was united in marriage to Marietta Coburn, daugh- ter of Leonard and Dolly (Lucas) Coburn, of Bernardston. Mrs. Elmer was born April 10, 1837. Her father was a prosperous farmer, who, after residing in Bernardston for several years, died in Greenfield, at the age of fifty- five. Her mother, who was a native of Glas- tonbury, Conn., had a family of six children, five of whom are still living. She died in Hartford, Conn., at the age of sixty-five years.
Mr. and Mrs. Elmer have one son, Alton D., who was born in Northfield, October 21, 1868. He has a good education, being a grad- uate of the Mount Hermon School, of the first class, and is occupying a position on the edi- torial staff of the Boston Journal. He is a member of Park Street Church of Boston. Mr. Amos D. Elmer is a Unitarian in relig-
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ion. He and his wife are among the most prominent and respected residents of North- field.
LONZO GRAVES, of Heath, Franklin County, Mass., for many years a prac- tical mechanic and now engaged in agricultural pursuits, was born in the neigh- boring town of Greenfield, December 14, 1829. His parents were Horace and Bathsheba (Mitchell) Graves, the former of whom was a native of Greenfield, where he acquired the trade of a printer and book-binder, and fol- lowed that occupation through life. The first wife of Horace Graves died, leaving four chil- dren : Horace, Ashley, Esther, and Martha. His second wife, Bathsheba Mitchell, also had four children; namely, Lucius, Irene, Alonzo, and William H., who died at four months. The father, subsequent to his second marriage, moved to Troy, N. Y., where he con- ducted a very successful business, and died at the age of fifty years. His widow became the wife of Robert Clark, who died aged sixty, while she, having a vigorous constitution, lived to reach the advanced age of ninety-six years, and was remarkably active to the last. She was a daughter of Moses and Lydia (Hale) Mitchell, her father being a prosperous farmer of Bernardston.
Alonzo Graves was left fatherless at the tender age of three years. At nine years of age he commenced to earn his own living, being employed as chore boy on the farm of Colonel A. Smead, where he was obliged to milk nine cows, both morning and night, together with attending to other duties equally arduous; and at the end of his four years' ser- vice he received from his employer two dollars. Tiring of farm life under such con- ditions, he then went to Bernardston; and, after learning the blacksmith's trade of B.
Snow, followed that occupation for some years in that place and at Brattleboro, Vt. He next entered the employ of John Russell at the cutlery works in Greenfield, remaining there two years, and was subsequently engaged in the same business, both at Shelburne Falls and Conway, going from the latter place to Windsor, Vt., where he ran a trip-hammer machine in the manufacture of table forks. Later he was foreman of the Bay State shops at Northampton, Mass., for a period of two years, and from there he went to Kenosha, Wis. Continuing in that State, he worked for the Racine Hardware and School Furni- ture Company, and then became a contractor for them. Failing health led to his return to New England; and in 1892 he settled at Heath, where he purchased a farm of one hun- dred and eighty acres, known as the Hunt place, and cheerily resumed the occupation of his early years. Since acquiring possession of the property, he has effected many notice- able improvements, having completely remod- elled the buildings, and is now progressing very satisfactorily in the dairying and stock- raising business.
On November 24, 1853, he was united in marriage to Miss Eleanor D. Temple, of Heath, daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth (Stone) Temple, and grand-daughter of Solo- mon Temple, who was one of the very first set- tlers of the town. Solomon Temple purchased one hundred and thirty acres of wild land, which hc cleared into a productive farm, and died at a good old age. His children were : Nathaniel, Richard, Benjamin, Asa, Abigail, Thankful, Lucy, and Solomon, Jr. The last, who was born in 1782, succeeded to the pos- session of the old homestead, where he died at the age of eighty-four years, his wife having been called to rest at the age of forty years. Mrs. Graves's brothers and sisters were: Na-
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thaniel, Mary, Hamilton, Otis, Richard, James, and Elma E. Subsequent to the death of his first wife, Solomon Temple married Fanny Flagg, who survived but three weeks; and for his third wife he wedded Mrs. Marsh, who bore him two children: James C. and Fanny. He served in the war of 1812, was a Whig in politics, and was a Congregationalist in his religious views.
Mr. and Mrs. Graves have had seven chil- dren : Herbert A., who was born May 14, 1855, and married Sarah A. Hallock; Clar- ence H., who was born May 14, 1857, married Ella M. Gormley, and has one daughter, named Florence; Lizzie, born October 16, 1859, who wedded Ira D. Canedy, and has two children - Eva M. and Ella J. ; Charles F., born August 22, 1861, and now residing at home; Richard, who died at the age of five years ; Jeannette I., born September 4, 1866; and Reginald S., born May 10, 1869. Mr. Graves is a Republican in politics and liberal in his religious views.
ORENZO P. MUNN, farmer, a highly respected citizen of Gill, Franklin County, Mass., a representative of one of the oldest families of the Connecticut valley, was born in this town, September, 2, 1815, only son of Seth, Jr., and Gratia (Wright) Munn. Mr. Munn is a lineal de- scendant of Benjamin Munn, who was an early settler of Hartford, Conn., but who removed to Springfield, Mass., in 1649, after fighting in the Pequot War, and whose son John was wounded in a battle with the Indians at Turner's Falls in 1676. John Munn, second, born in 1712, son of Benjamin, second, and grandson of the first-named John, settled at Gill in 1739, and improved his farm, upon which he resided until his death. He reared
a family of eight children. His son Seth, grandfather of Lorenzo P., succeeded to a part of this farm, which he carried on with prosper- ous results, and died at the age of fifty-four years. It is stated in the History of the Con- necticut Valley that he served in the Rev- olutionary Army in 1779. His wife, Selina Janes, a native of Northfield, where her family were early settlers, died at the age of fifty-eight years, eight months, and twenty-two days. They had seven children, four sons and three daughters.
Seth Munn, Jr., one of their sons, succeeded to the possession of the old homestead by purchasing the rights of the other heirs, and became a very successful farmer and a man of influence in the community. He was by nature an earnest seeker after knowledge, a great reader of books; and he was, above all, a very able Bible student. He married Gratia, a daughter of Oliver Wright, who belonged to one of the oldest families of Northfield, and they were the parents of six children, of whom three are still living, namely: Lucretia, widow of Uriah Tracy; Abigail, widow of James D. Merdough ; and Lorenzo P. Munn, our subject. Seth Munn, Jr., died at the age of eighty-seven; and his first wife, Gratia, at the age of fifty-three years. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and prominent in Sunday-school work.
Lorenzo P. Munn received a fair education, attending the district school and also a private school in his native town; and he has resided at his present home during his entire life, with the exception of some short intervals in which he made visits to the West and South. When of sufficient age to drive oxen, ride a horse, or handle a hoe, he commenced to assist his father in the labors of the farm, in time becoming proficient in the various branches of agriculture, to which in his long period of
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activity he has devoted his energies with sat- isfactory results. He now cultivates seventy of the original one hundred acres of land, and the adjoining farms upon each side of his property are occupied by his sons.
In 1838 Mr. Munn married Ruth Severance, daughter of Orin Severance, of Gill, and she became the mother of four children, as fol- lows : Mary Sophia, who married John Delvey and reared two of her four children, John and Nellie; Charles, who married Sarah Ripley, and has three children, Grace, Frank, and Mary; Chandler, who married Nellie Moore, and has two children, Lewis C. and Lucy ; Sarah, a maiden lady, who died at the age of thirty years. Mr. Munn's first wife died at the age of fifty-four years; and he wedded for his second wife, Sarah Cleflin, a native of Canada, a daughter of Luther Cleflin, whose father, Samuel Cleflin, came from Eng- land. Luther Cleflin moved to the vicin- ity of Ogdensburg, N. Y., when his daughter Sarah was two years old. He lived on a farm and followed the trade of a mason until his death, which occurred at the age of fifty-four years. Mrs. Munn's mother, whose maiden name was Orpha Andrews, was born in Ver- mont, and died at the age of eighty-two years, having reared eight of her ten children, three of whom are still living; namely, Sarah (Mrs. Munn), Mabel E., and Clara, wife of Willard Hastings, of Gill.
Mr. Munn was formerly a Whig in politics, having cast his first Presidential vote for Gen- eral Harrison in 1840, but has been a Repub- lican since the formation of that party, and, although he has been frequently solicited to accept public office, has always declined. The family are members of the Methodist church, and Mr. Munn and his sons are very prominent in both the church and Sunday- school.
LBRIDGE ADAMS, a retired manufact- urer and well-known and highly es- teemed citizen of Shelburne Falls, Franklin County, was born in Brookfield, Mass., February 24, 1818, son of Silas and Tirzah (Morey) Adams, and grandson of Jesse and Miriam (Richardson) Adams.
Henry Adams, the progenitor of this branch of the Adams family in America, came from England and settled in what is now Quincy, Mass., about 1630. His sixth son, Joseph, was great - grandfather of President John Adams. Jesse Adams, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a son of Abraham, grandson of John, and great-grandson of Henry Adams's seventh son, Edward Adams, who settled in Medfield, Mass. Jesse Adams was born in Brookfield, Mass., June 20, 1755. Like the majority of his contemporaries, he turned his attention to agriculture in early manhood, purchasing a farm in his native town, and spent his life as a progressive and successful farmer. He served in the Revolu- tionary War as a private more than two years. Jesse Adams died on September 24, 1827. His wife, Miriam Richardson Adams, bore him several children, including four sons and two daughters, who grew to maturity, as fol- lows: Charles, who became a successful phy- sician ; Asa; Silas; Amasa; Catharine; and Cynthia, Mrs. Bowen. The mother lived to be over eighty years of age.
Silas Adams was also a native of Brookfield, Mass., his birth occurring there on October 18, 1786. He remained with his parents and cared for them during the declining years of their life. At their death he became the owner of the old homestead, a farm containing about one hundred and twenty acres of land, which he continued to carry on with profit. His death occurred on July 29, 1842. His wife, Tirzah Morey Adams, who was born August 29,
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1790, was a daughter of Ephraim Morey. They became the parents of four sons and a daughter, namely : Simon A. and Elbridge, both of whom died in youth; Elbridge; Frederick A. ; and Lorinda. The mother died November 27, 1882, a little over forty years after the father's de- cease. In politics the father was a Whig, and in religious views he was liberal.
Elbridge Adams, who grew to manhood on the old homestead, received a good practical education in the district schools of Brookfield. At eighteen years of age he learned the trade of a shoemaker, and continued to follow this vocation with profit for twelve years. He then came to Shelburne Falls, where he was en- gagcd as an overseer in the grinding and finishing room of the Lamson & Goodnow Cutlery manufactory, remaining in that posi -: tion for twenty-seven years. Mr. Adams next engaged in business for himself, purchasing a building on Mechanic Street, which he remod- elled and fitted up for the manufacture of paper boxes, an enterprise that he followed with profit for fifteen years, and in which he employed about ten assistants. At the expi- ration of that time he sold the business to H. A. Bowen, retaining the building, which he still owns. Mr. Adams then practically retired from active business life, although he is now superintendent of the cemetery, a position that he has held for eight years. In 1852, when High Street, which at that time was a rye field, was laid out, he purchased a lot and built the house in which he now resides. His was the first dwelling erected on the street, and was then considered quite out in the country; to-day High Street is one of the best streets in the village, and has many fine residences. In front of his home are two noble elm-trees, which he set out at the time of building. He also owns a large tenement- house, which he has remodelled.
Mr. Adams has been twice married, his first union being with Miss Sirilla Gavitt, daughter of Ephraim Gavitt, to whom he was married in 1842. She died in 1882, at sixty-one years of age, leaving. two children : Henry E., born June 22, 1855, who resides in Beverly, Mass. ; and Lorinda Ann, born January 6, 1843, now the widow of Joseph Merrill, by whom she has one child - Martha A. On October 10, 1883, Mr. Adams married Mrs. Angeline Vincent, daughter of Newell Phelps and Hannah A. Bassett Phelps. Her father was a successful agriculturalist of Clarksburg, Mass., where he was also engaged in the vocation of a carpen- ter. He is a supporter of Republican princi- ples, and takes a keen interest in public affairs. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps are the parents of five children, Mrs. Adams being an only daughter. The sons are : Edgar C., Henry, Edwin E., and George W.
Mr. Adams is a stanch Republican, and has always taken an active interest in town affairs. For eight years he rendered faithful and acceptable service as a member of the Board of Selectmen. He and his wife are active and influential members of the Universalist church.
RANCIS H. WRIGHT, a well-known farmer of Northfield, was born in Bos- ton, March 2, 1838, son of Phineas and Elizabeth (Heath) Wright. Mr. Wright's grandfather, Phineas Wright, Sr., was a na- tive of Westford, Mass., where he followed agricultural pursuits and passed his entire life. His son and namesake, Phineas Wright, was born in Westford, and at the age of twenty-one years engaged in the trucking business in Boston, which he carried on for some years, later relinquishing that to enter the grocery business on Bromfield Street, and for many years was well and favorably known in busi-
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ness circles. He engaged to a considerable extent in other ventures, finally retiring from mercantile life and settling upon a large farm at Northfield, on which he remodelled the house and made other improvements. He enjoyed a long career of prosperity a farmer, and died at the age of eighty-four years. His wife, Elizabeth, was a daughter of Samuel Heath, of Nashua, N. H., and they were the parents of two children : Phineas H., who was a business man of Boston, and died in Northfield on March 3, 1856, aged thirty-four years ; and Francis H., the subject of the pres- ent sketch. The mother died at the age of seventy-nine years.
Francis H. Wright was educated at a school in Bernardston and the academy in Northfield, and, after finishing his studies, he entered as a clerk the freight department of the Fitchburg Railroad, where he remained for several years. After his mother's death he took charge of the property which fell to his possession. He has since continued to reside at the old homestead, with the exception of a few short intervals, during which he has visited California and has given his attention to some business inter- ests in Boston.
At the age of twenty-five years Mr. Wright was united in marriage to Miss Cynthia Brown, daughter of William and Cynthia (Shattuck) Brown, of Northfield. Her father was for some years an extensive manufacturer of brooms; he removed from Northfield to Wisconsin, where he passed the remainder of his life. Mr. and Mrs. Wright reared three sons, as follows : Hammett, who married Miss Christina Sauter, of Greenfield, and is in busi- ness in Boston; William E., who is with Beemis, Call & Co., of Springfield; and Fred- erick P., who is in the hardware business in Boston. Mrs. Wright died on October 13, 1888. Mr. Wright is a Republican in poli-
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