USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Franklin County, Massachusetts .. > Part 74
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Rufus Graves, son of Levi, next succeeded to the ownership of the estate, and was a very prosperous farmer. He built an addition to the residence, and made other improvements on the farm. For many years he was closely identified with public affairs, serving as a Selectman, Assessor, Town Treasurer, Col- lector, and Overseer of the Poor. He died April 21, 1889, at the age of seventy-eight years. Rufus Graves married for his second wife Mrs. Julia Nutting Dane, widow of George Dane, and daughter of Bryant Nut- ting, of Hatfield, who was a stone-mason by trade. She was a member of a large family. By her union with Rufus Graves she became the mother of two children: Lemuel F. and George R .; and she is now living with the latter in California.
Lemuel F. Graves received a good educa- tion, attending the district schools and the
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Deerfield Academy, and by assisting his father upon the farm early became thoroughly proficient in the various branches of agricult - ure. Having inherited the property, he has since continued in the footsteps of his prede- cessors, with the simple variation of embrac- ing and practising more modern ideas, farm- ing methods having necessarily passed through many stages of improvement since his great- grandfather sowed the first crop on the land, over one hundred and forty years ago. His farm consists of one hundred acres, thirty-five of which he cultivates, being engaged in gen- eral farming, but making a specialty of to- bacco, which offers the best inducements in the way of profit.
Mr. Graves was happily married on Febru- ary 5, 1891, to Miss Mary T. Higgins, daugh- ter of Henry S. and Triphenia D. (Wood) Higgins. Henry S. Higgins resided at different times in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Florida, and was vari- ously engaged as a merchant, a manufacturer of brooms, and a farmer. The latter part of his life was devoted to farming in Whately, where he died in June, 1894, in his seventy- first year. In religious belief he was a Meth- odist, and he was officially connected with the church in Whately many years. His wife was reared by her parents in the Congrega- tional faith. She was a daughter of Eliphaz H. Wood, who lived to be eighty-five years old, dying in 1895, having been the father of ten children. Mr. and Mrs. Higgins were the parents of five children, namely: Tri- phenia ; Ellen F., who married Seth B. Stone; Mary T., Mrs. Graves; Henry Sereno; and Jennie.
Mr. and Mrs. Graves have one daughter, Jennie Elvira, a bright little girl of three years. In politics Mr. Graves is a Republi- can, and is one of the leaders of his party in
this district. In 1894 he was elected a mem- ber of the Board of Trustees of the Smith Charities at Northampton. In religious be- lief he is a Congregationalist.
UFUS M. HICKS, a prosperous farmer and mason in the town of
Hawley, Franklin County, was - born in Readsboro, Vt., March 20, 1830, son of Joseph and Polly (Walker) Hicks. His grandfather; Gideon Hicks, who served in the Revolutionary War, was a successful farmer of New Hampton, N.H., where he lived to an advanced age. Gideon's wife, Molly (Walker) Hicks, bore him six children : Jonathan, Jacob, Gideon, John, Joseph, and Lucy.
Joseph Hicks, who was born in New Hamp- ton, N.H., settled in Monroe, Mass., where he purchased a farm. He sold it five years later, and bought a place in Rowe, where he lived for ten years. In that time he made various improvements, erecting new buildings and remodelling the old ones. Then he went to Zoar in the town of Charlemont, and engaged in the tannery business, besides keep- ing boarders. He afterward purchased of M. Hawkes the present homestead of his son, a farm of about forty-five acres of land, where he died at the age of fifty-five years. His wife, Polly (Walker) Hicks, lived to the age of sixty-eight years. They were the parents of eleven children: Emily, Emerson, Mar- sena, Cyantha, Calvin, Angeline, Rufus, Mi- randa, Harriet, Wesley, and Mary. Both par- ents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, while in politics the father was a Democrat.
Rufus M. Hicks, who was twenty years old at the time of his father's death, purchased the home farm, and cared for his mother.
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Besides making other improvements, he has since remodelled the barn and erected a sub- stantial residence. He keeps a small dairy, and in addition to his general farming he en- gages to some extent in butchering and ma- sonry. On February 25, 1860, Mr. Hicks was united in marriage with Miss Eliza Hamill, who was born in County Kerry, Ire- land. Her father, John P. Hamill, was a successful farmer, and also followed the trade of carpenter. He died at the age of fifty-five years ; and his wife, Mary Hamill, died at the age of sixty years. Ten children were born to them, namely: John, Thomas, Henry, Michael, Patten, J. Patrick, Mary, Margaret, Ann, and Eliza. Mrs. Hicks came to Amer- ica in 1853, and, after living in several places, finally came to Charlemont, where she first became acquainted with Mr. Hicks. Their union has been blessed by the birth of five children : Henry A., born January 20, 1861, residing in Charlemont, married to Miss Ethel Thayer, and father of one child, Archie L .; Lewis M., born March 11, 1863, married to Miss Carrie Norwood, and father of three children; Hattie E., born September 4, 1865, wife of William Teahan and mother of one child; Joseph A., born February 4, 1868; and Emma F., born January 7, 1872, who is a teacher.
Mr. Hicks's political faith is Democratic. In religious belief he and his wife, who is a noble and charitable-minded woman, are Sec- ond Day Adventists.
DWARD C. FOWLER, Deputy Sheriff of Franklin County, is one of the best- known and most popular men of Orange, being a conspicuous factor in its po- litical and social circles. He is a bright, brainy, far-sighted man, possessing great ex-
ecutive ability, and in the many responsible positions in which he has been placed always performed the duties assigned him with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all con- cerned. He was born in the city of Concord, N.H., January 1, 1853, being the worthy de- scendant of Philip Fowler, who was born in 1 590 in England, and emigrated from there to Massachusetts, settling in the town of Ips- wich, Essex County, in 1635.
Asa Fowler, the father of our direct sub- ject, was born in Pembroke, N.H., February 23, 18II, being the ninth son of the eleven children born to Benjamin and Mehitable (Ladd) Fowler. He received his education at the Pembroke district schools, Blanchard Academy, and Dartmouth College. After being for a short time principal of the acad- emy at Topsfield, Mass., he began the study of law with James Sullivan, Esq., at Pem- broke, and in 1834 went to Concord, where he entered the office of the Hon. Charles H. Peaslee. In 1845 he was sent to the legis- lature as Representative, and again served in the same capacity in 1847, 1848, 1871, and 1872. He likewise had the honor of being appointed by the Governor as the New Hamp- shire delegate to the famous Peace Congress which assembled in Washington, February 1, 1861. He was a Director of the State Capital Bank, of the First National Bank of Concord, and also a Director of the Man- chester & Lawrence Railway Company for several years.
Asa Fowler was one of the most able law- yers of the State, and practised several years, having been admitted to the bar in 1837, and retiring in 1877. He had served five and one-half years, 1855-61, as a Justice of the Superior Court. Broken in health through his arduous duties, he visited Europe for rest and recuperation. His death occurred in
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California, April 26, 1885. An appreciative biographical notice is found in the interesting volume entitled "The Bench and Bar of New Hampshire." He married Mary Knox, a woman of culture and refinement and an es- teemed member of the Unitarian church. They were the parents of five children : Frank A., George R., Clara M., William P., and Edward C.
Edward C. Fowler was graduated from the high school of his native city; and, having marked mechanical inclination and ability, he early took up railroading, being first em- ployed as brakeman, but was soon promoted to the position of engineer, and for some time ran the Northern Pacific express train. Going then to Boston, Mr. Fowler was em- ployed on the Old Colony Railroad until 1878, when he resigned his position, and came to Orange, which has since been his home. Buying the Captain Bridge farm of one hundred and thirty acres, he made many and substantial improvements, erecting new buildings and repairing the old, fitting them up with modern conveniences. He estab- lished one of the finest dairies ever kept in the town, and raised some very fine stock, in- cluding horses and cows, often receiving from sixty to one hundred dollars apiece for the latter. Having been appointed Deputy Sher- iff in 1883, Mr. Fowler disposed of his farm and valuable stock, and moved into the vil- lage; and, with the exception of three years, he has since held this important office. He has also been the incumbent of others equally responsible, having served as Chief of Police fourteen years, as well as Notary Public, and for six years as Selectman, Assessor, and Overseer of the Poor, being chairman of the board three years. For three years he was Superintendent of Streets and Overseer of the Sewer Department, having been one of the
committee instrumental in the construction of the latter, and one of the committee under whose auspices the beautiful new thirty-four- thousand-dollar school-house was built.
Mr. Fowler was united in marriage with Miss Sadie A. Watson, daughter of Enoch and Rhoda (Hilliard) Watson, two children being the fruit of this union, of whom Sadie, the first-born, died in infancy, the other being Mary J., who was born May 20, 1887. Mr. Fowler is prominent in several social orders, belonging to Orange Lodge, A. F. & A. M., to Crescent Chapter, and to the Orange Commandery, being also a charter member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and likewise of the New England Order of Protection.
LFRED REED, a prosperous and well- known farmer of Rowe, is a native of Stamford, Vt., where he was born January 30, 1844, son of Thomas and Polly (Sibley) Reed, and grandson of Oliver Reed. The latter was also a resident of Stamford, Vt., where he was successfully engaged in agriculture and owned a considerable tract of land. He was a man of enterprise and thrift, and took an active interest in the welfare of his town, where he lived to the advanced age of ninety years. He was the father of three children : Marsena, Enos, and Thomas.
Thomas Reed, whose birth occurred in Whitingham, Vt., chose the business of lum- berman, and began it when a young man by purchasing a tract of woodland in Stamford, Vt. Here he erected the first steam saw-mill ever used in that town. This proved a profit- able venture, and he continued to run it for several years. While doing so, he bought and cleared other tracts of timber land to sup- ply the needs of his mill. He finally settled
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on a farm he had purchased in Whitingham, and there the remainder of his life was spent. He was Republican in politics, and was a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife, a daughter of Philo Sib- ley, bore him eight children: Henry, Cyn- thia, Winslow, Alfred, Mary, Adeline, Otis, and Ashton.
Alfred Reed remained at home until his sixteenth year. He then engaged in farming, at which he worked by the month until 1862, when he enlisted as a private in Company F of the Sixteenth Vermont Regiment. At the battle of Gettysburg he had a finger shot off. After a year's service Mr. Reed returned home, and during the succeeding two years was employed in his father's mill. He then purchased one hundred and twenty-five acres of land in Whitingham, Vt., and again turned his attention to agriculture. Five years later he sold this land, on which he had made sub- stantial improvements, and came to Rowe, where he bought the Amidon farm of seventy- four acres, together with a piece of woodland containing twenty-seven acres. He now re- sides on this place, and is successfully en- gaged in general farming and dairying, having, in addition to his sheep and cattle, fourteen milch cows, principally of the Durham breed.
On May 24, 1868, Mr. Reed was married to Miss Elnora Amidon, daughter of Daniel and Polly (Fuller) Amidon. They have one child, William E., born June 21, 1872, resid- ing on the farm with his parents, and married to Miss Susie Dill.
Mr. Reed belongs to the Republican party, and has rendered faithful service in various town offices. He is a member of the C. D. Sanford Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of North Adams; and he and his wife are con- sistent members of the Congregational church of Rowe.
R. CHARLES W. CLOUGH, a successful and highly respected phy- sician of Conway, Franklin County, Mass., was born December 29, 1856, son of Charles and Julia (Sanders) Clough, and grandson of Caleb Clough. Charles Clough, who was a native of New Hampshire, spent twenty years of his early manhood in Boston, where he successfully engaged in various occupations. He then returned to the place of his birth among the northern hills, and, purchasing a farm, settled down to agricul- tural pursuits, which he followed with prof- it during the remainder of his life. His wife, Julia Sanders Clough, was also a na- tive of the Granite State; and there she grew to womanhood. Their union was blessed by the birth of three children -two sons and a daughter; namely, Flora, John, and Charles W.
Charles W. Clough remained with his par- ents until fifteen years of age, receiving his early education in the public schools. He then went to work for himself, first securing a position in the shops at Lynn, where he was employed for twelve years. He next studied medicine under the guidance of Dr. Walker, of Boston, and later on attended Vermont Col- lege, from which he was graduated in the class of 1888. That same year he engaged in the practice of his chosen profession in Conway, where he has a large local patronage, and is meeting with good success.
In 1879 Dr. Clough was united in marriage with Miss Cora E. Grieve, who was born and reared in Haverhill, Mass., and is a daughter of Thomas Grieve. Their home has been brightened by the birth of one child, a son, Harry G. Clough. Dr. Clough is a member of Morning Sun Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Conway, also of Suncook Lodge, No. 10, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows.
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EMUEL CROSS, who has the distinc- tion of being one of the oldest native- born citizens of Ashfield, the date of his birth being April 18, 1812, is the son of a representative pioneer of this section of Franklin County. During his fourscore and more years he has witnessed wonderful changes in the general aspect of the country. In his boyhood days neither railways nor tele- graph or telephone lines spanned these broad acres, and few of the other evidences of mod- ern civilization then existed.
Lyman Cross, father of Mr. Cross, was born in 1791 in the town of Buckland. Dur- ing his earlier years he worked at various em- ployments, and likewise learned the cooper's trade. When a young man, he came to Ash- field, then containing but a few scattered houses; and on the present site of the Ash- field House he erected a building, in which he opened both a cooperage and a tavern. He was very popular as a host, and entertained the larger number of the travellers and team- sters that passed through the place. He was very successful in both branches of his busi- ness, which he continued until his decease in 1860. His wife, Lydia Howes before her marriage, died in 1863, aged seventy-three years. They had six children, namely : Louise, wife of Allen Phillips; Lemuel, the subject of this sketch; Roxie, married to J. Crafts; Marinda, wife of J. Bennett; Sarah, married to N. Gardner; Lyman, married to Electa Gilbert ; and Ann Eliza, wife of C. B. Dickenson.
Lemuel Cross received a common-school education. He has constantly added to his knowledge by reading, and is to-day well in- formed on all topics of general interest. As a boy he began assisting his father in the cooper's shop, thereby acquiring a thorough mastery of the trade. After working at it for
some years, he left it to manage the stage line from Ashfield to Deerfield. Later he bought his father's property, and, having built an ad- dition to the house, continued the business of the hotel until his retirement. In the latter days of his connection with it he was assisted by his son-in-law, Amos D. Daniels. Mr. Cross has also dealt largely in real estate in this vicinity, and has built several houses, being very successful in all of his enterprises, and accumulating an abundance of this world's goods. He has always held an honored place among the substantial residents of the town, and by his uniform kindness and genial ways has won the confidence of all who know him.
Mr. Cross has been twice married. His first wife, Lucretia Amsden before marriage, a faithful helpmate in his early days of strug- gle and toil, died March 15, 1880, leaving one child, a daughter, who married Amos D. Daniels in December, 1858. Mr. Daniels has three children, namely: Arthur B., Treas- urer of the L. L. Browne Paper Manufactur- ing Company, married to Ida Williams, and the father of three children - Bessie, Mill- ard, and Rupert; Anna L., wife of Walter Porter; and William L., married to Lizzie Sears. Mr. Cross subsequently married Mrs. Lydia Hall, a daughter of John C. and Abi- gail (Morris) Comings. She was born Au- gust 8, 1831, and first married William Sears, who died at the age of thirty-six; then N. Dyer, who died at the age of fifty-four years; and afterward Enos Hall, who died in the sev- enty-fourth year of his age.
LMON A. SHIPPEE, a prosperous farmer, lumberman, and general busi- ness man of Rowe, is a native of Searsburg, Vt., where he was born July 28, 1858, son of James S. and Mary C. (Roberts)
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Shippee. His grandparents lived in Saratoga County, New York, where the grandfather, James S., was a successful farmer. The latter served in the Revolutionary War, and lived to the age of eighty years. His wife died at the age of fifty years. They reared five children : Sam- uel S., Polly, Harriett, Lydia, and James S.
James S. Shippee, Jr., whose birth occurred in Haddam, Saratoga County, N. Y., in 1796, learned the trade of a shoemaker, and settled in Whitingham, Vt. He afterward returned to the old homestead, where he died at the age of eighty-four years. In June of 1821 he was united in marriage with Miss Mary C. Roberts, who was born in Whitinghain, Vt., November 8, 1805, daughter of Horace and Martha (Bullock) Roberts. The children of this union were nine in number, as follows: James H., who married Evelyn Bose, and lives in Colorado; Leander E., who died in youth; George C., also deceased; William E., who married Miss Eliza Wilson, and is engaged in farming in Vermont; Alford W., who married Miss Eliza Mills, and is a me- chanic; Warren, who died in youth; Almon A .; Marcus L., residing in California; and Luella C., deceased.
Almon A. Shippee when a lad of eleven years left home to seek his own livelihood. With but ten dollars in his pocket, he went to Troy, N. Y., where he found that remunera- tive jobs for a boy were scarce. However, he soon secured employment, driving a team at fifty cents per day. This was not the bo- nanza he at first thought it. As his board cost him seventy-five cents per day, his money soon gave out ; but his stock of courage was far from exhausted. A Mr. Clapp, who had learned of his circumstances, got him a better position with Mr. Garry, a contractor engaged in moving buildings. After this he had vari- ous employments, including timber cutting in
the Adirondacks and livery-keeping at Day, N.Y., but finally returned to the old home- stead, where he engaged in lumbering. Later on he removed to Rowe, and bought the old Parsonage farm, which contained eighty-five acres of land. In 1890 his house was de- stroyed by fire; but, instead of rebuilding, hc purchased an adjoining place, known as the Bullard farm, consisting of two hundred and forty acres of land, and there crected a com- modious residence and barn. Besides these he has made numerous other improvements, including the establishment of an excellent dairy of grade Jerseys. He is also engaged in sheep raising, and has bred some of the finest horses to be found in the county. He carries on his lumbering business on the Wilcox lot, also owned by him, containing one hundred and sixty-five acres of land, and where he employs as many as sixteen men.
On September 10, 1876, being then eigh- teen years of age, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Canedy, daughter of Milo and Susan (Pike) Canedy, the former of whom was a successful farmer and hotel-keeper. She died at the age of twenty-eight years, leaving two children: Thomas M., born March 29, 1879; and Herbert F., born De- cember 28, 1881. In politics Mr. Shippce is a stanch supporter of the Democratic party, and is liberal in his religious matters. Still in the prime of life, Mr. Shippee is a note- worthy example of a self-made man, the result of indomitable energy and perseverance.
OTTLIEB FRICK, until lately a resi- dent of the town of Erving, is a worthy representative of the indus- trious and thrifty German citizens of this great country, who have contributed so largely to its advancement and prosperity. He was
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born July 26, 1849, at Wittenberg, County Friedenstick, Germany, where his father and his paternal grandfather, both named Gottlieb Frick, spent their lives, the latter being a farmer. The father learned the carpenter's trade when a young man, and was a builder and carpenter the larger part of his life, dying in the place of his nativity, at the age of threescore and ten years. He married Marie Homberger, also a native of Wittenberg, daughter of Johannes Homberger, and they became the parents of eight children, of whom the following five are now living: John, or Johannes, a carpenter, in Wittenberg; Gott- lieb; George, a coachman, in Germany; Martin, a tailor, living in his native land; and Anna, the wife of John Schaltz, of Ger- many. One son, Christian, who grew to ma- ture years, was a shoemaker by trade, and died in his native town. The mother died at the age of forty-nine years. She was a fine type of the industrious and energetic women of her country, and, like her husband, was a conscientious member of the Lutheran church, rearing her children to the same faith.
The subject of this sketch bravely bade adieu to his country and his immediate friends when a youth of eighteen years, and came alone and almost without means to this coun - try in search of fortune, if not fame. He re- ceived a good education in the public schools of his native land, but knew nothing of thc English language at the time of his emigra- tion. On his arrival in New York he first stoppcd awhile with a farmer on Long Island, a friend, but soon returned to New York City. He was then penniless, not even having the necessary two cents to pay his fare across the ferry. A warm-hearted American gave him a ticket, and from that time Mr. Frick's inter- ests have been with his adopted country. He worked for a short time at the cabinet-maker's
trade in New York City, coming thence to Franklin County, and continuing in that em- ployment some four years. He then began working in the piano factory of Stillman & Funk, with whom he remained two years, being next employed for eight months by J. E. Stone, of Erving. Returning to New York City, Mr. Frick resumed work for his old employers, going from there to Williams- burg, Pa., where he was engaged in a planing- mill for three years.
The succeeding six years Mr. Frick was again in the employ of Mr. Stone, of Erving, resigning his position to accept a similar one in the piano factory of Henry P. Miller at Wakefield, Mass., where he established a home, living there eight years. From Wake- field he removed to Cambridge, becoming foreman in a piano factory, where he had the supervision of ninety-five men for four years. On his return to Franklin County Mr. Frick came to Farley, and established the Frick Piano Company, a stock company, of which he was general manager, with J. B. Farley as president and D. E. Farley treasurer. In 1893 Mr. Frick planned the building, forty feet by one hundred feet, to which he added a drying-room, forty feet by twenty feet. Here he kept a force of twenty-two men in constant employment, turning out about twenty-four piano cases per week, for which the company found a ready sale, their merits being fully recognized by the dealers. Hc built up an extensive trade, but has recently left the company, owing to business changes, and is now a resident of Cambridgeport, Mass.
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