USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Franklin County, Massachusetts .. > Part 8
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On August 27, 1873, Mr. Cheney married Miss Martha Ward. She was born December 25, 1850, in Warwick, being a daughter of William and Zebiah (Sandin) Ward, the for- mer of whom was born April 15, 1800, and died in August, 1868. His wife was some years younger than he, having been born April 12, 1819, a few weeks prior to the birth of Queen Victoria. Six children were born to
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Mr. and Mrs. Ward; namely, William J., Harriet E., Stephen G., Martha A., Oliver D., and Charles F. Mr. and Mrs. Cheney are the parents of two children : Henry W., born June 24, 1874; and Carrie E., born August 5, 1875. In politics Mr. Cheney is a sound Republican. Religiously, he is a conscien- tious believer in the Universalist faith. He is a member of the Orange Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; and both he and his wife are valued members of the Eastern Star Lodge.
AMUEL H. ATHERTON, a manu- facturer of soaps, residing at Ber- nardston, was born May 25, 1820, in the town of Greenfield, Mass., son of Joseph, Jr., and Martha (Chamberlain) Ather-
ton. His grandfather, Joseph Atherton, Sr., settled in Greenfield when the place consisted of only a few houses, and was a sturdy pioneer and successful farmer, prominent in all town affairs. He served as a minute-man in the War of 1812, and died in the town of Gill, April 6, 1834. His wife died March 3, 1844. Of their nine children, Ralph and Oliver died . young ; but Olive, Allen, Merry, Joseph, Jr., Horace, Hepzibah, and Henry grew to maturity.
Joseph Atherton, Jr., was born in Green- field, August 3, 1789, but grew to manhood in Bernardston; he afterward learned the trade of blacksmith in Greenfield, and this calling he followed the rest of his life. He had a shop, and carried on the business in Bernards- ton for a number of years, being a good mechanic and industrious citizen, commanding the respect of all who knew him. His last years, however, were spent in Hartford, Conn., where he died in middle life, at the age of fifty-two. His wife, Martha Chamberlain, died when about sixty-seven years of age.
They were the parents of eight children : Joseph, Martha, Newton, Bartlett, Samuel H., Henry, John, and Elizabeth. All except Henry grew up and married, but three only are now living, namely : Martha, who became Mrs. Webster, and resides in Akron, Ohio; Samuel H. ; and Elizabeth, who is now Mrs. Burr, of Hartford, Conn.
Samuel H. Atherton was educated and grew to manhood in Bernardston, where he has re- sided continuously since 1865. When a lad, he learned the shoemaker's trade, but never followed it to any extent. He was engaged in various lines of business, but for the last twenty years has been in the manufacture of soap, and is now at the head of the firm of S. H. Atherton & Son, who have a lye and soap factory in Bernardston. Mr. Atherton also has a farm in this town, and successfully carries on dairy and general farming, finding a home market for all his products. He has always been conscientious and diligent, not only in the management of his own private affairs, but in all duties pertaining to citizen- ship. For seven or eight years he has been Selectman and Tax Collector, which latter office he still holds. In politics he is a Democrat, and he and his wife are members of the Universalist church.
Mr. Atherton was first married in 1843, when twenty-three years of age, to Roxanna Kingsley, who died in 1845. He was again married in 1847, to Abbie S. Taft, who died in 1881. In 1882 Mr. Atherton was married to Mrs. Marian (Atherton) Plummer, widow of Jason H. Plummer. She was born in Ber- nardston, June 26, 1819, daughter of Horace and Rhoda (Cushman) Atherton. Horace Ather- ton, a blacksmith by trade, was a native of Bernardston, and died in that town at the ad- vanced age of eighty-seven years. His wife, Rhoda Cushman, was born in Greenfield, and
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died in Springfield when thirty-three years of age. They had five children, four of whom are now living, namely: Rhoda, now Mrs. Cush- man; Clessem C .; Joseph B. ; Marian (Mrs. Atherton). The other was a daughter, Lu- cinda S. Mrs. Marian Atherton had two chil- dren by her former husband, Henry H. and Horace O. Plummer, both deceased. Mr. Samuel H. Atherton had four children, who died quite young, and has one son now living, Adelbert S. Atherton, born October 13, 1851. Mr. Adelbert S. Atherton married Mila H. Allen ; and they have five children, as follows : Lilia G., Fred S., John C., Raymond, and Abbie E.
AMUEL STILLMAN DEXTER, a prominent business man of Frank- lin County, is a leading citizen of the town of Orange, where his birth occurred March 4, 1829, the day on which Andrew Jackson was inaugurated President of the United States. He is a son of the late Ben- jamin Dexter, Jr., and is a lineal descendant of Thomas Dexter, who came to Massachusetts from England in 1630, was admitted a free- man at Lynn in May, 1631, owned eight hun- dred acres of land in what is now Saugus, and was interested with others in establishing there the first iron works in America. He was one of ten men of Saugus - namely, Edmund Free- man, Henry Feake, Thomas Dexter, Edward Dillingham, William Wood, John Carman, Richard Chadwell, William Almy, Thomas Tupper, and George Knott - who, under date April 3, 1637, received from the Plymouth Colony a large grant of land on Cape Cod, permission having been given them, as stated in the records, "to view a place to sit down and have sufficient land for threescore fami- lies upon the conditions propounded to them by the governor and Mr. Winslow." Thus
was begun the settlement of Sandwich, which was incorporated as a town in 1639.
Thomas Dexter settled in Sandwich, but afterward removed to Barnstable. He lived to the age of fourscore years, at his death leav- ing three children: Mary, William, and Thomas, Jr. William Dexter was born at Pine Island, Mass. He married Sarah Vin- cent, was a large landholder and an influen- tial citizen, and died in 1694, leaving the following children: Mary, Stephen, Philip, James, Thomas, Benjamin, and John. Ben- jamin Dexter, son of William, became a wealthy man, owning one thousand acres of land in the town of Rochester on Buzzard's Bay. He was an active worker in political and religious circles, and gave to each of his children a fair start in life. He and his wife, Sarah Arnold Dexter, reared eight chil- dren, namely : Noah, born March 26, 1697; James, born July 22, 1698; Benjamin, born March 4, 1700; Sarah, born July 25, 1702; Josiah, born July 12, 1704; Constant, born September 17, 1706; Samuel, born September 14, 1708; and Ephraim, born May 27, 171I. Samuel Dexter, fifth son of Benjamin and Sarah, was a pioneer settler of Athol, Worces- ter County, going there in 1736, and in- vesting largely in land, eventually becoming one of the leading farmers of the town. He subsequently moved to Hardwick, where he died at a ripe old age. He was a steadfast member of the old Whig party, and held several of the important town and county offices. The wife of Samuel Dexter was Mary Clark, and they were the parents of the following children: Joseph, born September 2, 1733; Samuel, born October 13, 1734; Ichabod, born in 1736; Mary, born July II, 1743; Sarah, born May 8, 1745; and Ben- jamin, who was born November 28, 1747.
Benjamin was the youngest child born to
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his parents, Samuel and Mary Dexter. At the age of twenty-one years, being then a resident of Athol, his native town, he married Hannah Stone; and they removed to the town of Orange, where he bought a farm of three hun- dred acres, which he carried on for a while very successfully, also filling many important town offices. He afterward disposed of that property, and bought a tract of land in Rich- mond, N. H., where he was engaged as Presi- dent of the Richmond Turnpike Company, and also carried on general farming until his death, February 22, 1818. His widow rounded out nearly a century of life, her age at her death, June 3, 1841, lacking but a few days of ninety-seven years. Benjamin Dexter and his wife were Quakers in their religious belief. Their family circle included nine children, namely: Hannah, born December 5, 1770; Simeon, born October 31, 1772; Benjamin, born November 24, 1775; Lucy, born Decem- ber 24, 1777; Phœbe, born September II, 1779; Betsey, born July 6, 1782; Susannah, born October 7, 1784; Sally, born November 19, 1786; and Mercy, born June 17, 1788.
Benjamin Dexter, Jr., was born in Orange, and received the advantages of the early schools of the town. There being but two sons in the family, his services were needed on the home farm, where he was a faithful worker until after attaining his majority. When ready to settle in life, he bought of his father two hundred acres of land in the place of his nativity, and engaged in agricultural pursuits, being one of the most enterprising and progressive farmers of the locality. He subsequently bought two hundred more acres of land, and carried on mixed husbandry and stock-raising until his decease, at the venera- ble age of eighty-three years. He was a prominent Whig, and filled various local pub- lic offices, and was an active member of the
Congregational church. He possessed excel- lent judgment in affairs, and was often called upon to settle estates, his integrity and honor being unquestioned. He was four times mar- ried. His first wife, Hepzibah Ballard, lived but a few months after their marriage. His second wife, Anna Barrett, died in young womanhood, leaving one child, Hepzibah, who was born December 25, 1802. Betsey Legg, who became his third wife, died July 29, 1818, leaving seven children, namely: Stephen, born September 5, 1804; Anna, born March 3, 1806; Amasa, born December 3, 1808; Moses, born January 26, 1811 ; David, born April 10, 1813; Aaron, born July 12, 1815; and Joseph, born March 31, 1818. The maiden name of his fourth wife was Frances Tuttle. She was born March 9, 1788, and was a daughter of Jedediah and Lucia (Smith) Tuttle.
The Tuttle family originated in England. John Tuttle, the grandfather of Jedediah, sailed from that country in 1635, on the "Planter," and was one of the early settlers of the town of Ipswich, Mass. His son Simon, the father of Jedediah, settled in Winchendon, Mass., being one of the well-to-do farmers of that town. He was a veteran of the Revolu- tion, serving as Captain of a company at the battle of Bunker Hill and at the taking of Burgoyne, besides participating in many of the most important engagements of that memorable struggle for independence. Mrs. Lucia Smith Tuttle was lineally descended from Christo- pher Martin and Thomas Rogers, who were passengers in the first voyage of the "May- flower," Thomas Rogers being, it is said, a direct descendant of John Rogers, the martyr. Jedediah and Lucia (Smith) Tuttle reared ten children, as follows: James, born August 10, 1780; David, born December 2, 1782 ; Jede- diah, Jr., born April 18, 1785; Frances, born March 9, 1788; Clarissa, born November 2,
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1790; Electus, born February 8, 1793; Silas, born May 8, 1795; Eli, born July 5, 1797; Ainsworth, born January 1, 1799; Sarah, born January 5, 1802 ; and David, born January 19, 1806. Mrs. Frances Tuttle Dexter was a woman of great energy, strong common sense, and high religious principle. She became the mother of four children, namely : Simeon, born August 30, 1822; Betsey, born May 30, 1825 ; Samuel Stillman, born March 4, 1829; and George W., born April 6, 1831.
Samuel Stillman Dexter acquired his ele- mentary education in the public schools of Orange, and afterward pursued his studies successively at the Shelburne Falls Academy, the seminary at Gouverneur, N. Y., the West- field Normal School, and the Lancaster Normal School. He then taught school for seven years, and subsequently engaged in business fifteen years in his native place, where he bought a tract of standing timber, which he manufactured into lumber and placed upon the market, he in the mean time becoming the owner of some valuable real estate. His next employment was that of a civil engineer, land surveyor, and conveyancer, which he still carries on, in addition to the care of his vil- lage and town property. He also has the care of several estates in the town, acting as agent for the owners, whose homes are elsewhere. Mr. Dexter is a man of untiring energy and business enterprise, practical and progressive, and is one of the sterling citizens of the town, very popular and highly esteemed. Mr. Dex- ter was united in marriage in 1855 to Maria C. Dewey, who was born in Westfield, Mass., February 18, 1831, daughter of Roland and Maria K. (Weller) Dewey. Her father was born in 1796, and passed away in 1861. He was a Democrat in politics, and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Dewey and his wife were the parents of
the following children : Evelina, Roland, Ed- ward, Maria C. (Mrs. Dexter), Alfred, Al- fred T., Frances, and Eugene. Five chil- dren have come to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Dexter, a brief record of whom is as follows : Hermann F., born October 13, 1858, now a publisher in San Francisco, married Ella Browning, and they have two children, Ruey and Dewey Browning Dexter; Caroline, born September 5, 1860, is the widow of Martin W. Mayo, and has one child, Ella C .; Edward M., born October 2, 1864, now a chair manufacturer at Black River, N. Y., mar- ried N. Gertrude Boyce, and they have one child, Raymond H. ; John B., born August 3, 1866, died January 9, 1868; and Maurice L., born May 3, 1869, now a mechanic, living in Orange, married Martha E. Foskett, and they have had three children - Albert M., Gladice M., and Roland F. The latter died August 4, 1895.
In his political views Mr. Dexter is a straight Republican. He takes a deep inter- est in local affairs, and is especially active in advancing the educational and literary inter- ests of the place. He has served with fidelity on the School Board for ten years, as library committee for an equal length of time, and has held the office of Justice of the Peace for twenty-three years. He is likewise an influ- ential member of the Board of Trade. Relig- iously, he is a valued and active member of the Congregational church.
Mr. Dexter's long practice as engineer, sur- veyor, and conveyancer has given him a full and intimate acquaintance with the local his- tory of the section of the country in which he resides. This knowledge has been freely util- ized by him in the preparation of a number of articles which from time to time have appeared in print, and which are of much value, both from a literary and an historical point of view.
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RIAN D. CANEDY, a young and enterprising farmer of Heath, was born at Whitingham, Vt., July 17,
1857. He is a son of Dennis and Jane B. (Lake) Canedy, and grandson of John Canedy, a prominent farmer of Colerain, who married Susan Stowe, also of Colerain. John Canedy died at the age of fifty, and his wife at the age of seventy-five years. Their children were : John, Susan, Louisa, Roxanna, Lucy, Joel, Levi L., and Dennis. Dennis Canedy, who was born in Colerain in 1828, purchased a farm at Whitingham, Vt. ; and, after success- fully engaging for some time in general farm- ing, he sold his property and embarked in mercantile pursuits at Jacksonville, Vt. A fire destroyed the building, and he lost his entire stock ; but, nothing daunted, he built a larger and more convenient store, which he stocked with general merchandise, and con- ducted business on an extensive scale. He subsequently sold this business, and engaged in teaming from Jacksonville to Greenfield, Mass., employing a number of horses and becoming very prosperous. At length pur- chasing a farm of two hundred acres, situated in the central part of the town of Heath, he here followed agriculture for a period of four- teen years, and then sold the property and bought his present comfortable home at Shel- burne Falls where he is passing his declining years in retirement. His wife, who was a daughter of Borden Lake, a prosperous farmer, died at the age of sixty-three years. She was the mother of seven children, as follows: John D., Ira, Herbert, Orian, Nettie, Nellie, and Edward R., an account of whose career appears upon another page of this work. Dennis Can- edy was prominently identified with public affairs, and served for some time as Town Clerk at Heath.
Orian D. Canedy received a good common-
school education, and resided with his parents until twenty-one years of age, when he adopted farming as an occupation, for some years till- ing soil owned by others. He then purchased the F. Ward farm at Heath, which consisted of one hundred and sixteen acres, and, after successfully conducting it for six years, sold it and bought the farm of two hundred acres for- merly owned by his father, where he has since resided. He keeps about fifteen cows, mostly grade Jerseys, together with some extra fine, heavy draft horses, and aside from farming does considerable teaming.
Mr. Canedy married Miss Elizabeth B. Maley, daughter of John and Mary Maley, of Westboro, Mass., where her father was a pros- perous farmer. Mrs. Canedy's mother died at the age of fifty-one years. She raised a family of seven children; namely, John, Hannah, Mary, Katie, Emma, Charles, and Elizabeth. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Canedy has been blessed with four children : Mary J., who died at the age of two years; Nettie M. ; Luella J. ; and Charles E.
RS. CELESTINA P. (PHIN- NEY) COOLIDGE, widow of
the late Asa Coolidge, Jr., is a native of Franklin County, having been born February 25, 1830, in New Salem. Her grandfather, Noah Phinney, was a pioneer set- tler of this section of the county, having re- moved from Bridgewater, his native town, to Orange, where he bought a tract of heavily timbered land on Walnut Hill. This he labored hard to clear, and before his demise, at the age of sixty-eight years, he had im - proved a good homestead property. He was twice married, and was the father of twelve children, namely : Noah, Cyrus, Olive, Betty, and Celia by the first marriage; and Ansel,
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Salmon, Jason, Edmund, and a twin sister who died in infancy, Lottie, and Cynthia by the second.
Jason Phinney, the father of Mrs. Coolidge, was born on Walnut Hill, and, having been carly initiated into the art of agriculture, se- lected farming as his life occupation, engaging in it in Montague, Conway, and Ludlow. He finally settled in Orange, where he bought a well-appointed farm, on which he spent his declining years, dying at the age of seventy- eight. He married Ruth Tyrer, who preceded him to the other world, dying at the age of seventy-one years. They were the parents of eight children; namely, Ruth E., Eliza P., Mary C., Elon C., Lydia W., Salmon, El- mina G., and Celestina P.
On May 1, 1848, Miss Celestina P. Phin- ney and Asa Coolidge, Jr., were united in marriage. Mr. Coolidge was born at Natick, Mass., May 1, 1803, being the son of Asa Coolidge, Sr., who was born in the same town in 1772. The elder Asa Coolidge was a car- penter by trade. He purchased the Orcutt farm in New Salem (now a part of Orange), at that time in almost its original wildness, very little of the one hundred acres being cleared, and removed thither with his family from Natick, arriving on the first day of May, 1810. With characteristic energy and ambi- tion, he labored to place the land under culti- vation ; and it soon yielded to his judicious treatment, becoming richly productive. He crected a house for his family, and barns for his produce and his cattle, and at the time of his death, which occurred when he was fifty years old, was a prosperous man. He was active in town affairs, and the last eight years of his life was Tax Collector for New Salem. November 27, 1797, Asa Coolidge, Sr., mar- ried Anna Jenkinson. She was born in 1773, and bore her husband ten children; namely,
Faithe, Avery, Asa, Almira, Mary and Sarah (twins), Napoleon B., Orara, Hannah, and Benjamin. She was a quick and active woman, and lived to the advanced age of sev- enty-three years, many of them being years of widowhood.
Asa Coolidge, Jr., was just seven years old when his parents took possession of the Orcutt farm, the day of their arrival being his birth- day. He was reared to agricultural pursuits, and at the death of his father bought the inter- est of the other heirs and took possession of the homestead. He was a man of integrity, sound ideas, and of a kindly and charitable nature. In the welfare of his adopted town he took a genuine interest, being in his younger days an ardent Whig, and becoming identified with the Republican party after its formation. He was a member of the Univer- salist church. Thirteen years prior to his decease he fell from a tree, injuring the base of the brain and causing permanent heart trouble; and, though physically active, from that time he was mentally incapacitated for business. He died March 2, 1885, nearly eighty-two years old. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Coolidge was blessed by the birth of nine children, of whom the following is a brief record : Georgianna E., born September II, 1850, is the wife of Moses E. Butler, of Orange; the second child was a daughter, who died in infancy; Mary C., born March 18, 1855, married David Lewis, of Westfield, and they have seven children; Inez C., born January 14, 1857, is the wife of Jerome Cut- ter, of Wendell, and has six children; Nellie R., born July 2, 1859, is a trained nurse, re- siding at Quincy, Mass. ; Asa B., born May 18, 1861, married Mary E. Blagbrough, and they live on the old homestead; Benjamin S., born August 18, 1864, resides with his mother ; Hattie M., born July 30, 1870, is the wife
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of L. W. Taylor, of Orange; Vernon M., born August 17, 1874, died when a lad of twelve years.
Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Cool- idge has added to the improvements of the farm, having erected a new house and barn ; and the homestead bears visible evidence of the thrift and enterprise which first estab- lished it and by which it has been perpetuated. She is a woman of more than ordinary ability, has been a wise and judicious mother, attend- ing closely to the education and training of her children, and has fitted them for the re- sponsibilities of life. She is an earnest mem- ber of the Congregational church, and- is greatly respected throughout the community where she has spent so many years.
ANIEL J. GALE is an extensive and successful farmer and prominent citizen of the town of Heath, and is a descendant of one of the old settlers of the town. He was born on the farm on which he now resides, and of which he is the owner, August 23, 1842, son of Philip and Susan (Johnson) Gale. His paternal grandfather, Luther Gale, was a native of the town of Petersham, Worcester County, Mass., born March 31, 1779, during the Revolutionary War.
Luther Gale was one of the early settlers of the town of Heath. He was a large land- owner, and settled on the farm now owned by William E. Gleason, clearing off much of the heavy timber. He was for a time engaged in the lumber business in Maine, but soon re- turned to Massachusetts. He died in the town of Heath, March 17, 1864. His first wife was Sally Spooner, who was born January 3, 1781, and died December 20, 1821, and by whom he had the following children : Esther, Philip,
Otis, Sarah, Lucretia, Luther, Daniel, and Henrietta. His second wife, to whom he was married October 31, 1822, was Nancy Spooner, who was born May 30, 1787, and died January 16, 1866. Her children were: Mary C., Elizabeth S., Nancy A., and George C. Luther Gale was a Whig in politics, and served as representative to the State legislat- ure in 1817, 1826, 1834, 1838, 1841, and 1843. He also held several different town offices in his day, was Selectman of the town in 1809, and was one of the most popular and best-known citizens of this locality.
Philip Gale, his second child, and father of Daniel J. Gale, whose name appears above, was born in Maine, July 4, 1804. He worked with his father until manhood, and then started life on his own account, travelling through the country peddling "Yankee no- tions." After some years of this itinerating he bought the homestead, and in 1858 built the present house, which is a good, substantial dwelling, and resided on the farm until his death, September 18, 1865. He was a mem- ber of the legislature, Lower House, in 1860; and he had also served his townspeople as a School Committee-man and Assessor. His wife, Susan Johnson, lived to be seventy-nine years old. They were Unitarians in religious belief, and were the parents of three children : Daniel J., Philip S., and Henry A.
Daniel J. Gale, after acquiring a fair amount of practical education in the schools of his town, commenced to make himself use- ful on the farm, and also acquired a knowledge of the carpenter's trade. He remained under the paternal roof, taking care of his parents in their latter years, and on their death came into the possession of the old homestead, in which he now has three hundred and thirty acres of choice farm land. He has built a fine large barn, and improved and replaced other build-
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