USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Franklin County, Massachusetts .. > Part 61
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Francis Boyden remained with his parents, receiving a good practical education in the district school, and caring for his father and mother during their last days. At their death he inherited the farm, which then contained two hundred and twenty-seven acres, his father having added to the original estate by the purchase of between seventy-five and eighty acres of land. Like his father, he was
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a successful agriculturist, and also profitably engaged in the business of a live-stock dealer. In politics he was a Republican, and took an active interest in the welfare of his town, which he served acceptably in office. He was a member of the Greenfield Agricultural Soci- ety. Francis Boyden died at forty-one years of age. His wife, Martha Jones Boyden, a daughter of Ira Jones, of Conway, is now -- 1895 - living with her sons at the old home- stead, aged forty-nine.
Charles L. Boyden has thus far spent his life on his birthplace, where he is successfully engaged in general farming, making a spe- cialty of dairying. His farm is very produc- tive, said to be one of the best in the State; and he has recently made substantial improve- ments by the erection of new buildings. On September 27, 1893, Mr. Boyden was united in marriage with Miss Mary Pfersick, daugh- ter of John Pfersick, of Ashfield, Mass., where she was educated. Their union has been brightened by the birth of one child, Charles Sumner Boyden. In political affilia- tion Mr. Boyden is a Republican, and he and his estimable wife are consistent members of the Congregational church.
EREMIAH PRATT MORGAN, who is practically retired from the active pursuits of life, has been a resident of Greenfield since the autumn of 1888, owning and occupying a fine and handsomely ap- pointed house at 84 Federal Street. The reader will view with interest the portrait of this gentleman, which appears on the page opposite. He is a native of Franklin County, having been born September 15, 1827, at Northfield Farms, where his paternal grand- father, Noah by name, was an early settler.
Noah Morgan took up a tract of unimproved
land in that town, and from the almost path- less forest hewed out a good farm, on which he reared his large family of children. He was twice married, his first wife bearing him six children; and after her decease he formed a matrimonial alliance with Mrs. Mary (Hol- ton) Robbins, the widow of Aaron Robbins, by whom she had six children. Of this second union six more children were born, one of them being Elisha Morgan, the father of him of whom we write; so that Noah Morgan's household included eighteen children. He was a man of superior intelligence and abil- ity, sincere and upright, and with his wife belonged to the Universalist church. He lived to a good old age, but his widow sur- vived him many years, attaining the remarka- ble age of ninety-seven or ninety-eight years.
Elisha Morgan was born on the paternal homestead at Northfield Farms in 1793, and was there reared to agricultural pursuits, to which he subsequently added the trade of a blacksmith, in the course of his life accumu- lating quite a goodly fortune; and, notwith- standing that he was defrauded of a portion of his hard-earned possessions, he left quite a valuable estate at his death in 1856. The maiden name of his wife, to whom he was wedded in 1815, was Harriet Ruggles. She was born in the town of Montague in 1795, being the daughter of a farmer of that place. Of their union ten children were born, and of these three sons and five daughters grew to maturity, and seven are now living, namely : Minerva, wife of James Dewing, a manufact- urer of furniture at Orange, Mass .; Mary, wife of I. O. Luey, of Miller's Falls; Jere- miah P .; Marshall, who lives at Erving; Harriet, wife of Henry A. Pratt, a retired teacher; Elisha, a resident of Springfield; and Fidelia, the widow of Dr. Hoffman, who died in California in 1876. The mother sur-
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JEREMIAH P. MORGAN.
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vived her husband a score of years, dying in IS76. Both parents were people of robust constitution and fine physique, tall, well pro- portioned, and of erect figure, their mental and moral natures being as well developed as their physical. Religiously, they were firm believers in the faith in which they were reared, and were valued members of the Uni- versalist church.
Jeremiah P. Morgan was graduated from the district school at the age of thirteen years, and at once began working in his father's shop, before long being able to make and set ox shoes. turn horse shoes, and do other work in iron. When seventeen years old, he car- ried on the shop for his father, the following year establishing a smithy of his own in the town of Montague, where he carried on a thriving business for some time. Since his retirement from active cares Mr. Morgan has rented his shops at Turner's Falls, and also the farm property belonging to him and his wife. although he looks after it closely, and works sufficiently at his old trade to keep in practice by shoeing the horses employed on the farm.
Mr. Morgan was married January 1, 1856, to Miss Eliza Adams, a native of Greenfield, and a daughter of Peleg and Lucinda (Han- cock) Adams, the former a native of Long- meadow and the latter of Northbridge. The mother died in early life, in 1840, leaving a babe of six weeks, besides three older chil- dren, of whom Mrs. Morgan is the only one now living. Her father was subsequently twice married, but reared no other children. Mrs. Morgan's paternal grandfather, Andrew Adams, was born in Northbridge, and was a prominent merchant of that town for many years. He married Betsey Chapin, who bore him three sons and one daughter; and in 1803 he moved with his family to Greenfield, where
he purchased a large farm, containing several hundred acres. Mrs. Morgan now owns a portion of the estate, which, after his decease in 1826, was divided among the heirs. Mrs. Morgan is a woman of intellectual ability and cultivation. Having received a good academ- ical education, she taught school six terms previous to her marriage. But one child has blessed their union, Elizabeth P. Morgan, a graduate of the Greenfield High School, now pursuing a course in French and English lit- erature at the Prospect Hill School. Mr. Morgan is one of the esteemed citizens of Greenfield, progressive and practical in mat- ters relating to the general welfare. He has served as Assessor, and was formerly a Republican in politics, but is at present a Populist.
EWIS PORTER, the genial and popu- lar landlord of the well-known Ash-
field House, which is pleasantly located in the picturesque town of Ashfield, was born in the adjoining town of Hawley, July 28, 1837. In the annals of Franklin County the name of Porter has long held an honored place, it having first appeared here in 1774, when the Rev. Nehemiah Porter ac- cepted the pastorate of the Congregational church at Ashfield. He was born in 1720 in Ipswich, Mass., was educated for the ministry, and was there engaged in clerical labors until he came to Ashfield, where he lived to a ripe old age. His children were: Nehemiah, John, Ebenezer, Joseph, Hannah, Samuel, Rebekah, and Sarah.
John, the second son, familiarly known as Deacon John Porter of the Congregational church, was the progenitor of the subject of this sketch and one of the progressive farmers of Ashfield during the first half of his long life. He subsequently removed to Leba-
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non, N. Y., where he departed this life well ad- vanced in years. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Mabel Flower, four children were born : Ebon, Mabel, Sally, and Ebenezer.
Ebenezer Porter learned the trade of a car- penter and builder, and followed this in con- nection with farming for many years, but later in life paid more attention to mechanical pur- suits, for which he had a particular talent. He was a man of prominence in local affairs, a faithful member of the Whig party, and in- clined to liberal views in religion. He was first married to Anna Phillips, who died in the prime of life, leaving six children: John, Levi, Philip, Joshua, Ebenezer, Jr., and Mary A. He subsequently married Eunice Avery, and they both rounded out long lives of more than fourscore years.
Ebenezer Porter, Jr., the father of Lewis, was born in Buckland, and there obtained a practical knowledge of agriculture as carried on in those days. In early manhood he bought a place in Hawley, on which he lived many years, engaged in general farming, and also working at his trade as wood turner. His last years were spent in South Deerfield, where he died, aged eighty-two years. His wife, formerly Sally Sprague, died when but thirty-seven years of age, having borne him six children, two of whom died in infancy, those living being: Achsah, Levi, Lewis, and Elizabeth. He was a man of great force of character, intelligent and progressive, was a sound Republican in politics, and liberal in religion.
Lewis Porter was an unusually bright and active lad, ambitious to begin earning money, and at the age of twelve years went into the cotton-mills at Colerain, where he worked ten years, being from time to time promoted until he reached the responsible position of over- seer of the weaving department. He was next
employed at Haydenville, by the firm of Daw- son, Warren & Hyde, in the manufacture of jewelry and gold pens, at which trade he be- came very skilful. He remained there until after the decease of the senior and junior partners, when he accompanied Mr. Warren, the remaining member of the firm, to New York City. Mr. Spadone was then taken in as partner; and the business continued under the firm name of Warren & Spadone, Mr. Porter being made superintendent of their works, a position which he filled with ability and fidelity, receiving a large salary therefor, in the succeeding seventeen years. Then, after engaging for four years in the brass de- partment as a manufacturer, Mr. Porter came to Williamsburg, Mass., and for some years conducted the Orcutt House. In 1883, seiz- ing an advantageous opportunity, he pur- chased the Ashfield House, which he has remodelled and enlarged, having built thirty- eight additional rooms, the house now con- taining fifty-seven, and having ample accom- modations for eighty or more guests. It is largely due to his efforts that this beautiful town has become a summer paradise for people who seek relief from the dusty streets and parched pavements of the city. Mr. Porter has not only arranged and beautified the spa- cious grounds about his house, setting out handsome shrubs and shade trees; but, having bought the Malby lot, containing thirty-two acres, with a beautiful grove bordering on the lake, a short distance from the hotel, he has spent much time and money in adding to the charm of its natural scenic features. Mr. Porter has also enlarged the barns connected with the hotel, and has a fine livery. From all this it should go without saying that the Ashfield is a well-kept house, its proprietor an ideal host, ever attentive to the comfort and enjoyment of his patrons.
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Mr. Porter was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Watkins, a daughter of Almiran Watkins, on October 2, 1862. She died at the early age of twenty-nine years, having given birth to twins on September 9, 1864. Lewis. the son, died in infancy. The daugh- ter. Mary E., married Thomas Wells, of Will- iamsburg, and is the mother of six children, one of whom. Mary E., has passed to the life beyond. The names of the five living are as follows: Harry L., Howard, John, Perley, and Roger W. Mr. Porter subsequently mar- ried Ellen Wentworth, a daughter of William Wentworth ; and of this union one child was born, Walter L., who married Anna Daniels. Mr. Porter takes much interest in his adopted town, and has contributed generously to enterprises conducive to its welfare and prog- ress. In politics he is a steadfast Republi- can, though not an office-seeker. He is prom- inent in Masonic circles, belonging to the Hampshire Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Hay- denville. to the Gate of the Temple, Royal Arch Masons, of Brooklyn. N.Y., to the Northampton Commandery, and to the Eas- tern Star Lodge.
ALTER W. CARPENTER, suc- cessfully engaged in general farm- ing, stock-raising, and dairying in the town of Shelburne, owns and occupies one of the finest-improved farms within its limits. On March 22, 1833, he here first opened his eyes to the light of this beautiful world; and here he has since lived, a patriotic, useful, and valued citizen. Of his ancestral history but little is known.
His father, George W. Carpenter, was born in the town of Upton, and when a boy came to Shelburne, where he grew to man's estate. Industrious and frugal, he eventually saved
sufficient money to buy from Parker Dole the farm now occupied by the subject of this sketch; and he continued successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, at the age of seventy-five years. He enlisted in the service of his country in the War of 1812, going as far as Boston with the volunteers, but not being in active service. Politically, he was at first a Whig, but was identified with the Republican party from the time of its for- mation. His wife, Anna Dole Carpenter, was born on this same homestead, and here spent her life, her death occurring in the sixty- ninth year of her age. Both parents were sincere Christian people, belonging to the Congregational church, and being among its most generous supporters. Seven children were born to them, one of whom, Mrs. Maria Anderson, died at the age of forty years. The others are as follows: Sarah, widow of Alfred Andrews, living in Shelburne; Lydia, wife of Edwin Andrews, also a resident of Shelburne; Miss Bethiah Carpenter, of Winsted, Conn., an experienced and highly competent school-teacher, having taught suc- cessfully more than one hundred terms; Do- rinda, widow of Orlo Smith, residing in Winsted, Conn .; George Parker Carpenter, the elder son, a resident of Williamstown ; and Walter W., whose life story to date is briefly given below.
Walter W. Carpenter acquired a practical education in this his native town, com- pleting his school life at the Shelburne Falls Academy. Being the youngest son, he was kept at home to assist on the farm; and, finding the occupation both profitable and pleasant to his tastes, he selected it as his life work, and has devoted his energies to the development and improvement of the homestead property, to the ownership of which he succeeded. It contains two hundred
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acres of rich land, and in its management he has shown extraordinary skill and wisdom. In addition to tilling the soil, Mr. Carpenter pays a good deal of attention to raising fine graded stock, and keeps a large dairy, the two latter industries yielding him a goodly in- come. The house in which Mr. Carpenter lives is pleasantly located, commanding a fine view of the picturesque scenery of the sur- rounding country. It is a commodious brick structure and one of the oldest houses in this locality, having been erected by Parker Dole in 1812, and is still in excellent preser- vation.
On Thanksgiving Day, in 1861, Mr. Car- penter was united in marriage with Miss Ellen Wilder, a native of Shelburne, born in 1837, being a daughter of Joshua Wilder. Five children have been born into their pleasant household, but the Angel of Death crossed the threshhold "ere sin could blight or sorrow fade," and bore to the bright land beyond two sons: George, seven years of age; and Francis, an infant of eleven weeks. The three children now living are: Maria, the wife of David Long, a farmer and sawyer, residing in Shelburne; Dorinda, wife of Charles Loomis, a carpenter and joiner, also in Shelburne; and Frank W., a farmer, re- siding on the parental homestead. Mr. Car. penter is a tried and true Republican, and has a good war record. He enlisted June 21, 1861, in Company H, Tenth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Ozro Mil- ler, and was at the forefront in the battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks, at the latter place being seriously wounded May 31, 1862, after which he was honorably discharged, being incapacitated from further service. He is liberal in his religious views; and Mrs. Carpenter, a woman of true worth, is a valued member of the Congregational church.
IRON BROWN, a well-to-do farmer of Sunderland, Franklin County, Mass., was born in the adjoining town of Whately, August 2, 1830, son of Chester and Hattie Sanderson Brown, the former of whom was a native of the same place. Mr. Brown's great-grandfather, Ed- ward Brown, emigrated, it is said, from Eng- land, first settling in Connecticut and later in Whately, where he passed the remainder of his life. John Brown, Mr. Brown's grand- father, was a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, and after its termination followed agri- culture as an occupation in Whately, where he attained to a prominent position among his fellow-townsmen, residing there until his decease.
Chester Brown was reared and educated in Whately, where he followed agriculture, and at the death of his father, Lieutenant Brown, succeeded to the possession of the homestead, on which he resided for many years. He died at the age of sixty-two years at the home of his son Miron in Canada. His wife was a daughter of Asa Sanderson, a farmer of Whately, where her grandfather was an early settler. She became the mother of thirteen children, five of whom are still living, namely: Almira, wife of William B. Hamil- ton ; Lucy, wife of Edson Merritt; Miron, whose name heads the present sketch; Eliza, wife of Stephen Sanderson; and Mary, who married John White. The mother passed her declining years at Whately, where she died at the age of seventy-five.
Miron Brown commenced his education in the schools of Whately, and completed his studies at the Williston Seminary and the Shelburne Falls Academy. After attaining his majority, he was employed by his father for about a year in the manufacture of wagon shafts, rakes, broom and brush handles, and
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then went to Toronto, Canada, where he es- tablished himself in the wholesale boot and shoe business, in which he continued for a period of ten years. At the expiration of that time, owing to the death of his father, he sold his business, and returned to the old homestead in Whately, whence he shortly- moved to his present home in Sunderland, where he has a small farm of about thirty acres, which he devotes to the cultivation of tobacco and onions and to dairy interests.
In 1851 he was united in marriage to Eliza J. Sanderson, whose father, Samuel Sander- son, was a native and a lifelong resident of Whately. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have five children, as follows: Diana C .; Lizzie M., wife of Charles Marvin, of New York, and mother of four children - Bessie, Charles, Marguerite. and Julia; Ella, who inarried Frederick H. Osgood, and has four children - George, Vivian, Frederick, and Champion B. ; Chester E., who wedded Kate Vale, and has one child, named Dorothy; Champion M .; and Henry D., who is now deceased. Mr. Brown was formerly a Republican in politics, but now votes with the Democratic party. He is a Master Mason, being con- nected with the lodge in Conway. In relig- ious belief he is a Unitarian. The family attend the Congregational church.
ENRY S. SWAN, one of the leading business men of Shelburne Falls, a well-known and much esteemed public official, was born in Halifax, Vt., February 16, 1829, son of Salmon and Mar- iam (Harris) Swan. Salmon Swan was born in Marlboro, Vt., and there received his edu- cation. He settled in Halifax, Vt., where he purchased one hundred acres of uncultivated land, which he cleared and converted into a
homestead, building a good house and barn. As years went on he added to his property, and became quite a wealthy man. His wife, who was a native of Halifax, Vt., was the daughter of John Harris, of that town, a man of many accomplishments, who served in the Revolutionary War, winning quite a reputa- tion in the army as a cook, was a civil engi- neer and a competent farmer. He was also quite a politician, and, when electioneering in behalf of a popular political candidate, fell from a bank, and was fatally hurt. He was a stanch Whig, active in the interests of his party; and in religious belief he was a Uni- versalist. Mr. and Mrs. Swan had eight chil- dren - six girls and two boys.
Henry S. Swan received a good education, graduating from the high school in Halifax, Vt. At the age of twenty he started to learn the carpenter's trade, at which he worked for twelve years. In 1853 he purchased some land, and built a house in Shelburne Falls, near Clement Street, and in this town was en- gaged as a builder for seven years. In 1860 he formed a partnership with H. A. Bowen ; and the firm conducted a successful furniture business for two years, at the end of which period Mr. Swan purchased his partner's share. He built an addition to the building, and largely increased the trade, at that time doing some manufacturing. He now has the only furniture store in the town, and has an extensive patronage. He also takes contracts for paper-hanging, and is a competent under- taker.
On September 9, 1862, Mr. Swan was united in marriage to Miss Sophia M. Wilder, daughter of Israel Wilder. Their home has been blessed by six children, namely: George H., who married Mary Churchill, of Shel- burne Falls, and has one child; Herbert W., residing in Shelburne Falls, married to Nellie
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L. Blanchard; Minnie, wife of the Rev. F. W. Whippen, in St. Albans, Vt., who has five children ; Carrie and Francis E., in Shel- burne Falls, the former the wife of W. A. Johnson, and mother of three children; and Annie, who is with her parents.
Mr. Swan is a stanch Republican, and has filled many offices. He has been Deputy Sheriff twenty-seven years, and has served as Selectman, Assessor, and Poor Master. He is active in all town affairs, and takes an es- pecial interest in the fire department. So- cially, he is a member of Mountain Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and is Past Grand of Ale- thian Lodge, No. 128, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and his wife are active members of the Universalist church, he being a member of the finance committee. Mr. Swan has dealt extensively in real estate, and is at present a large property owner. His residence at 63 Bridge Street is beautifully located, overlooking the rapids.
P DMUND B. STEWART, a leading citi- zen of Colerain, prominent as a farmer and stock-raiser and as a member of one of the oldest families in the town to-day, was born here, October 26, 1835, son of Luther and Belinda (Barber) Stewart. He is of Scotch descent, tracing his lineage from the clan of Stewarts of Scotland, a race in- cluding the royal house of this name, from which many of the sovereigns of Europe have descended. Its progenitor was Walter Fitz- alan, who was Lord High Steward of Scotland in the twelfth century; and, the office being made hereditary, the family thence derived its name. A noted early noble was John Stewart, Earl of Buchan, born about 1380. Some of the clan emigrated to the north of Ireland with other Scotch people after that country
had been brought under English rule, and lived there for two or three generations with- out intermarrying with the natives. The first of this branch of the family to come to Amer- ica was John Stewart. He was one of sixteen men who, with their families, in 1719 began a settlement in New Hampshire, which they named Londonderry, from the famous city in the province of Ulster, Ireland.
The great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, bearing the family name of John Stew- art, came to Colerain from New Hampshire at an early date, but died in New York State in August, 1818. His wife, whose maiden name was Ann McClellan, died in 1801. They had nine children, Enos, the grandfather of Ed- mund B., being the third. He had a farm of his own; and he carried his produce, together with that he bought in large quantities from the neighboring farmers, to the Boston mar- ket, realizing a generous income from his transactions. He was an old-tiine Whig, and was liberal in his religious views. His death occurred on November 29, 1856. His wife, to whom he was united on December 6, 1787, was Lucretia Clark, a member of one of the early families of Leyden which are now ex- tinct, besides the Clarks being the Chandlers, the Taggerts, the Pecks, and the Morrisons. The latter were among the very first to make their home here, the Clarks coming a little later. Enos and Lucretia (Clark) Stewart had eight children, born between 1788 and 1807; namely, Lydia, Sally, Enos, Luther, William, Ann, Matilda, and Polly.
Luther Stewart was the fourth child born to his parents. His life was spent in Colerain ; and, besides attending to his farming inter- ests, he had a large lumber business, having established the mill now owned by Mr. Alex- ander. In 1820 or 182t he moved on to the farm where Edmund B. Stewart now lives, and
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