USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Hampshire County, Massachusetts > Part 25
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The late Christopher Meekins was a Repub- lican in politics; and, although most eligible for public office, he always declined to serve. He died at the age of seventy years. Mrs.
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Meekins has had three children, namely: Thomas W., who was born July 13, 1855, and now has charge of the home farm; Sarah L., who was born October 22, 1859, married Edward Cleary, and resides in Searsville; and Charles C., the eldest, who died in 1887, aged thirty-eight years. Mrs. Meekins is a lady who possesses many sterling traits of character. She is endowed with intellectual faculties of a high order, and has been an untiring reader of standard and instructive literature.
EORGE P. DICKINSON, a retired merchant and Treasurer of the North- ampton Gas Company, was born in this town, July 13, 1822, son of James S. and Betsey (Pomeroy) Dickinson.
His father, born in 1780, was a leading merchant of this section of the county. He was intimately associated with the best inter- ests of the town, and represented his district in the State legislature. He was very suc- cessful in his financial affairs, leaving at his death, which occurred in 1824, a substantial property. His wife was a daughter of Quan- tus Pomeroy and the grand-daughter of Gen- eral Seth Pomeroy. They reared a family of five children, two of whom died. The others, besides the subject of this sketch, are: James S. Dickinson; and his sister, Mary C. Dick- inson, both residents of Toledo, Ohio.
Mr. Dickinson received his education in the district school and in the academy and select school. When sixteen years old, he went to St. Louis, Mo., to clerk in a hardware store for his brother-in-law. Four years later he returned to Northampton, where he engaged as a salesman for two years. He then became the partner of his employer; and for the suc- ceeding two years they did a good business, under the firm name of Hopkins & Dickinson.
Buying out his partner, Mr. Dickinson con- tinued the business alone for two years more, and then formed a copartnership with a Mr. West and his son, under the firm name of West, Dickinson & Co. In 1856 the firm dissolved; and Mr. Dickinson went to Brook- lyn, N.Y. Here he embarked in trade with another Mr. West, with very satisfactory results. The firm carried on a prosperous and extensive business until 1878, when Mr. Dickinson, whose health was somewhat im- paired by his close attention to business, sold out to his partner, and returned to the scenes of his early life. In 1880 he bought the land, and erected upon it his present commodious residence, which is one of the finest and most attractive of the elegant dwellings on Elm Street. With its vine-clad front and situation in the centre of a shady lawn, it presents a charming appearance to the passer-by. Mr. Dickinson has also invested in other real es- tate, is a shareholder in the gas works, and treasurer of the company.
June 27, 1849, Mr. Dickinson was united in marriage with Mary Robinson, a daughter of Dr. Robinson, of North Adams. Their only child, Anna M., married Franklin Ed- wards, of Northampton; and they have two sons. In politics Mr. Dickinson is a Repub- lican. He has satisfactorily served his con- stituents in the City Council, of which he was a member for five years, being its presid- ing officer two years. He is a Trustee for the Northampton Institution for Savings, and is a member and has been for several years an Assessor of the First Congregational Church.
HARLES RICHARDS, Town Clerk and Treasurer of Enfield, was born in that town, September 30, 1818, son of Ephraim and Susanna (Chennery ) Richards.
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Mr. Richards's father was probably born in Ashford, Conn., in 1774. He settled in En- field in 1812, and was one of the early manu- facturers of Enfield cloth. He also engaged in mercantile enterprise. He was a success- ful business man, accumulating a considerable amount of property; and he became promi- nent in public affairs. He was an anti- Mason, a Whig, and later a Republican. When the town of Enfield was . incorporated, he was its first Treasurer, and held that office for three years. In 1820 or 1821 he served as a member of the Board of Selectmen. He was for several years a Representative to the General Court in Boston. Subsequently, de- siring to retire from public life, he made his wishes known to his constituents. These re- fused to allow his name to be withdrawn as a candidate, whereupon he agreed to treat the whole town if they would accede to his re- quest. This proposition was immediately ac- cepted, and it is alleged Mr. E. Richards most religiously kept his promise. He was well informed upon all public issues of the day, and was a conscientious public official of the old school. He died in Enfield, aged eighty-eight years. His wife, who was born in Holden, Mass., February 5, 1785, became the mother of nine children, eight of whom reached maturity; and four are now living. They were: Alona M .; Fanny F., now Mrs. Babcock, and residing in Boston; George L .; Susan P .; Charles; Charles, second, the sub- ject of this sketch; William H .; Dexter N. ; and Isaac N .- the last three residents of Bos- ton. The mother died in 1872, aged eighty- seven years.
Charles Richards received his education in the schools of West Brookfield and Southamp- ton. Upon the completion of his studies he served an apprenticeship at the jeweller's trade in Northampton; and, after remaining
in that occupation for five years, feeble health caused him to suspend active employment. Upon his recovery he engaged in mercantile business, and was also one of the organizers of the Hampshire Flax Company, with which he remained connected for three years. He conducted business in Enfield as a member of the firm of Bryant & Richards for about three years, at the expiration of which time he re- tired from the firm, and has since devoted his attention to public affairs. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1853, was an in- spector of the Monson almshouse in 1855 and 1856, was appointed a Justice of the Peace and of the Quorum in 1857, and on May 28, 1864, became Trial Justice, an office which he held until the establishment of the District Court. He was appointed Coroner on April 23, 1872; Notary Public in 1875, census enumera- tor for 1880, 1885, and 1890, and is at present Town Clerk and Treasurer, a position which he has occupied since 1882. He has long been prominent in educational matters and has served as a member of the School Board.
Mr. Richards has been twice married. His first wife, whom he wedded September 21, 1841, was Caroline Clark, of Northampton. She died January 5, 1872, leaving four chil- dren, as follows: Charles E., who was born March 21, 1845, and resides in Waltham ; Edward S., born January 12, 1847, now a commercial traveller for a Boston firm; Jo- seph C., born January 1, 1857, an undertaker of Boston; and Fred B., born May 29, 1859, now a Congregational preacher in New York City. On December 18, 1872, Mr. Rich- ards married for his second wife Lorana S. Hunt. She was born in Prescott, May 17, 1842, daughter of Horace Hunt. Her father, who was born in New Salem, was engaged in mercantile pursuits for the greater part of his life. He died at an advanced age, and his
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wife is now residing with a son in Athol. By their union Mr. and Mrs. Richards have two children, namely: Carolinc C., who was born October 30, 1873, now a teacher in Boston; and Raymond H., born December 9, 1877, attending school in Monson.
Mr. Richards is one of the oldest and most widely known residents of Enfield. He has been an able and faithful public official for many years, and is still actively engaged in attending to public business. He sustains the time-honored title of Squire with dignity, and is a living landmark of the town. Mrs. Richards is at present serving upon the School Board, and is a member of the Congre- gational church.
AMES CLAPP, the owner of a choice farm in Ward Seven of Northampton, which with its fine residence and out- buildings commands the attention of the pass- er-by, was born here on March 27, 1827, son of Henry and Nancy (Root) Clapp. His grandfather, Thomas Clapp, of Westhamp- ton, died in 1795, while yet in the prime of life, leaving a widow and five children. Mrs. Thomas Clapp, who before marriage was a Miss Kellogg, died in her eightieth year.
Henry Clapp, who was born November 5, 1789, was a blacksmith by trade, and success- fully followed that vocation for many years at Roberts Meadow. Hc owned a farm of one hundred acrcs; and, being in other respects in good circumstances, toward the close of his long life he retired from active business. He died in 1882, at nearly ninety-three years of age. His wife, Nancy Root, was a daugh- ter of John Root, of Roberts Meadow. They were married August 17, 1815; and during the years that followed their household circle was made cheerful and stirring by the advent of six sons, who became stalwart men with an
average height of six feet. They were named : Edward, Nelson, Henry, Anson M., James, and John C. Their father in his younger days was also a man of fine physique, measuring five feet ten inches in height; but during his latter years he suffered from rheumatism, and was in consequence somewhat lame. Their mother died December 15, 1869, aged sev- enty-nine years. The remains of both parents are sleeping in the Northampton cemetery. Edward, who kept the Northampton toll-gate for many years, died April 28, 1867. He was the father of one son, Edward T. Clapp, now residing in Northampton. Nelson Clapp, a successful agriculturist of Westhampton, is unmarried. Henry Clapp, born in February, 1822, died May 27, 1888, leaving no family. He, too, was a prosperous farmer. Anson Morris Clapp is a carpenter of Florence, Mass. John Chapin Clapp, who was born July 16, 1831, is a mechanic, residing in Florence.
James Clapp remained with his parents on the homestead, received a good common-school education, and was reared to the vocation of a farmer. He is the owner of several hundred acres of good farming land, and, keeping a dairy of from twenty to twenty-five choice cows, makes a high grade of butter, which finds a ready sale among the best families of Northampton. His present commodious and attractive farm-house was built on the founda- tion of one that was burned in 1894; and the barn, which is one of the largest and best in this vicinity, was erected in 1883.
Mr. Clapp was married October 11, 1860, to Miss Juliette Amelia Miller, who was born in Williamsburg in 1835, and was the only daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah (Hunt) Miller, of Williamsburg and Belchertown, Mass. She had four brothers, of whom only one is now living - John Hunt Miller, of Marlboro, Mass. The father, a prosperous
Mr. and Mrs. JAMES CLAPP.
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farmer, died January 25, 1863, at fifty-nine years of age, and the mother on December 13, 1873, at sixty-two years of age. Juliette A. Miller was educated in the high school and at the academies of Williamsburg and East- hampton, and before marriage was for some years a successful teacher. Her brothers also enjoyed good educational advantages, and John Hunt Miller taught school in his younger days. Edwin Harrison Miller, her eldest brother, was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy, and was stationed on the Mediterranean Sea during the greater part of the Civil War.
Mr. and Mrs. Clapp have three children : Henry Miller, Annah Juliette, and James Root. Henry Miller Clapp, a farmer in Westhampton, now president of the water works and one of the leading young men of the town, which he has served acceptably as Selectman, is also active in church work, and is President of the Christian Endeavor Soci- ety. He married Miss Aurelia Montague, a graduate of South Hadley Academy, who was for several years a teacher in Northampton; and they are the parents of a son and daugh- ter - Myron Miller Clapp and Esther Parsons Clapp - the whole family being members of the Congregational church at Westhampton. Annah Juliette Clapp is the wife of Dr. William L. Higgins, of South Coventry, Conn. James Root Clapp, a young man of twenty-three years, who was educated in Northampton, is unmarried, and resides at home. Mrs. Clapp has been a member of the Congregational church since she was sixteen years of age.
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ILLIAM A. SMITH was born Feb- ruary 24, 1825, in the town of Granby, where he holds an honored position among the men of the place. As a
worthy representative of the citizen-soldier element of Hampshire County, he is deserv- ing of special mention in this biographical volume. His parents, Medad and Pamela (Dickinson) Smith, were born and bred in Granby, and, with the exception of six years spent at Chicopee Falls, were residents of the place until their death. The father, a farmer by occupation, after his return from Chicopee bought the farm now owned and occupied by his son. Here both he and his wife spent their last days, her death occurring April 4, 1842, and his April 20, 1858. They had a family of nine children, namely: Edmund, Abigail, Irene, Edmund (second), Harriet, and Emma, deceased; and Lucas, William, and Elizabeth living.
Mr. Smith, the subject of this sketch, ob- tained a substantial common-school education in the district and high schools of his native town. On attaining his majority he left home, and for two years worked by the month for neighboring farmers. Having saved some money, he subsequently purchased the old home, where, with the exception of the time he spent in the army, he has since lived. At the time he bought it the farm contained but thirty acres; but as the years rolled on he added more land, so that now his property contains one hundred and forty acres, being at the same time in a good state of cultiva- tion.
On August 25, 1862, Mr. Smith enlisted in the service of his country. He was mus- tered in as Third Sergeant of Company H, Fifty-second Massachusetts Volunteer In- fantry, under Captain Perkins, the regiment being commanded by Colonel Greenleaf. In December, 1862, he, with his comrades, left New York, going to Ship Island, where they joined the division commanded by General N. P. Banks. Proceeding to the inouth of
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the Mississippi, they landed at New Orleans, going thence to Baton Rouge, where they remained some time. His company was then stationed at Plaquemine for five weeks, whence they marched to Port Hudson, where a slight skirmish ensued. A detachment was then ordered to St. Gabriel, and, after a stay of eight days, to Donaldsonville; thence they went to Brashear City, where they embarked on a steamer going up Grand Lake. Their next destination was Opelousas, and then Barrett's Landing, where they narrowly escaped capt- ure by the rebels. Returning to Brashear City, they found themselves pursued by the enemy, but reached the place in safety by means of night marches. The regiment afterward went back to Baton Rouge, and then to Port Hud- son, where the enemy surrendered. Although the term of enlistment expired on July 9, 1863, the men remained on duty until July 23, when the company embarked, and sailed up the river to Cairo, Ill., where they boarded the cars for Greenfield, Mass. There, on August 14, 1863, Mr. Smith received his honorable discharge, and at once returned to his family.
On November 24, 1859, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Caroline Miller, a native of Ludlow, Hampden County, and daughter of Zebina and Polly Miller. She had four chil- dren, namely: Hattie; May; Edwin, who died at the age of ten years ; and Carrie. She died July 23, 1886. A Republican in poli- tics, Mr. Smith is a stanch advocate of the principles of that party. He has been Select- man of the town for several years, and has also filled the office of Assessor. He is a member of the Charles C. Smith Post, No. 83, of South Hadley Falls, which he has served as Junior Vice-Commander, Senior Vice-Commander, and also as Chaplain. Re- ligiously, he is a valued member of the Con-
gregational church, in which he has acted for a score of years as Deacon.
HARLES MILTON KINNEY, a re- tired marble and monument dealer of
Northampton, was born in the town of Sunderland, Bennington County, Vt., in 1818. He traces his descent to Sir Thomas Kinney, a nobleman of England.
His grandparents were Benjamin and Martha (Harris) Kinney. Benjamin, who was a carpenter and joiner, came from Eng- land to this country, settling in Connecticut ; and his wife was a native of Norwich, Conn. Their union was blessed by the birth of a son and daughter. The son, whose name was Joel Kinney, received a mechanical education from his father. He took an interest in pub- lic affairs, was a Democrat in politics, was for thirty years a Justice of the Peace, served ac- ceptably as a member of the legislature of Vermont, and held many town offices. He married Miss Clarissa Ford, a daughter of Charles and Annie (Harris) Ford. Though both of Mr. Kinney's grandmothers bore the name of Harris, they were not related. His parents were married January 15, 1814. They lost their first-born, a son, and two other children. They reared three sons and two daughters, of whom two sons and a daughter are now living: F. J., Charles Milton, and Laura. Benjamin Kinney, deceased, born in 1820, became a sculptor, and won for himself quite a reputation in his art. His specialty was the cutting of busts, both in marble and in cameo. He was also a man of literary talent, besides possessing a natural gift for his chosen profession. F. J. Kinney, who resides in Worcester, Mass., is one of the leading market gardeners and florists of that city, and also devotes considerable attention
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to fruit-growing. One of his sons, Lorenzo F. Kinney, is Professor of Horticulture in the Agricultural College of Rhode Island. He went to Europe to complete his education, and ranks high as a teacher in that branch of study. Laura Kinney, who never married, is now upward of eighty years of age, and is living on the old farm on which their parents spent their lives.
Charles Milton received a good, practical education in the common schools. When in his eighteenth year, he taught school for one winter in Mexico, N.Y. He then learned the trade of a marble cutter in Pittsfield, Mass., where. when he had served an apprenticeship of six months, he was engaged at two dollars per day. He seems to have inherited his father's skill; for he made such progress in his chosen avocation that some years later, in 1845, he was able to open his shop in Northampton. Here he conducted a thriving business for thirty years, and then retired from active participation in mercantile life. He is a member of the Northampton Grange, and he and his wife are members of the Uni- tarian Society.
He was married on June 1, 1842, at Barre, Mass., to Miss Submit Walker, of that place. Her mother was a cousin of General Samuel Lee, of Revolutionary fame. Six sons and two daughters were born of their union. Two sons died in infancy. Martha Ann, the wife of Thomas L. Irwin, died in 1882, leav- ing one son, Phillip L. Irwin, who is now a lad of thirteen years, and has lived with his maternal grandparents since his mother's death. His father died December 19, 1892, at thirty-nine years of age.
A brief account of the living children fol- lows: Albert is a successful dealer in monu- mental work in Milford, Mass. Charles Walker, who was born in Northampton on
August 15, 1845, succeeded his father at the head of the firm. He is President of the City Water Board, and has served with honor on the Common Council. He was married in 1872 to Miss Eva M. Collins, of Springfield, Mass., who died in 1879. He was again married in 1880 to his present wife, who was Miss Harriet J. Annable, by whom he has one son, Charles M., a youth of thirteen years, who is attending school. Fred Kin- ney is a piano tuner and a performer on the flute. Edward is a book-keeper in Holyoke, Mass. ; and Ella Lee, the wife of William H. Abbott, of Holyoke, has three sons and three daughters.
Mr. Kinney erected a home on Phillips Place, where he resided for fifteen years; and in 1860 he purchased a farm of thirteen acres on Prospect Street, near Dickinson Hospital, where he built a fine brick house and outbuild- ings, and set out some choice fruit and shade trees, which have now grown into an orchard that produces a good variety and quantity of apples, pears, grapes, and other fruits. He lived there for thirty-two years, celebrating with his wife their golden wedding on June I, 1892. Among the many tokens of regard left them by their numerous friends and acquaint- ances on this occasion were a gold-headed cane from the Northampton Grange and a side- board from their children. Mr. Kinney sold his farm in the September following, and pur- chased his present home at 134 King Street.
ILLIAM E. COONEY, a promi- nent citizen of Northampton, was born in Haydenville, Hampshire County, Mass., November 13, 1855, son of Michael and Rosanna (Martin) Cooney and grandson of William Cooney, a farmer in County Tipperary, Ireland.
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William Cooney died in his prime, of ty- phoid fever, leaving a widow, five daughters, and one son, who emigrated to America in 1840. Four of the daughters are yet living in Chicago, Ill., and in Massachusetts. The family made the voyage in a sailing-vessel, consuming nine tedious weeks. Shortly after his arrival on American soil Michael Cooney, the father of William E., found work as a laborer in Brooklyn. Subsequently he re- moved to Leeds, Mass., where he was em- ployed in the woollen-mill, and later entered the button factory in Haydenville, where japanned buttons were manufactured. Find- ing that outdoor work suited him best, he en- gaged in trucking, doing the teaming for the cotton company and the brass company. He was an enterprising and successful man, and at his death owned a good home in Hayden- ville, besides considerable other property. In politics he was a Democrat, a leading man in the party. He died in 1883, at the age of sixty-three years. Mrs. Cooney was a native of King's County, Ireland, and was married in Chicopee in 1845. She died December 31, 1891, in her sixty-fourth year. She and her husband were the parents of five daugh- ters and two sons, namely: Katie, who died in childhood; Rose, wife of William D. Lar- kin, of Haydenville, who has passed away, leaving one daughter; Michael E., proprietor of the Hotel Florence; Ella, in the millinery business at Northampton, successor to Cooney & Larkin; William E., the subject of this sketch; Lizzie, wife of Thomas H. Gilfoil, proprietor of the City Hotel; Anna, wife of John T. Keating, an attorney in Northamp- ton.
William E. Cooney received his early edu- cation in the common schools of the town, and at fifteen entered the office of the North- ampton Free Press as "printer's devil." He
served an apprenticeship of three years, and afterward worked at the case nine years. In 1877, in company with John T. Dewey, he opened the Nonatuck House, now the City Hotel. In this hotel he was interested four years, Mr. Dewey in the meantime selling his share to William D. Larkin. In 1881 Mr. Cooney, in company with Mr. Parnell, opened a wholesale liquor store, under the firm name of Parnell & Cooney; and the enterprise proved to be a very profitable one. In 1895 Mr. Parnell bought the entire business, and Mr. Cooney retired.
On November 18, 1874, Mr. Cooney was married to Kate, daughter of John and Mary (Powers) Roach, of Waterford, N.Y. Mrs. Roach died when quite young, leaving four children, the youngest, Mrs. Cooney, being but two years old. Mr. and Mrs. Cooney have lost one son, Martin James, who died when two years old. Their other children are as follows: Michael M., a young man of nineteen, who is engaged in the manufacture of bricks; William S. and Austin E., aged respectively eleven and eight years; and Bernard Joseph, two years old. Mr. and Mrs. Cooney are members of the Roman Catholic church. Their pleasant home, which is situated at the corner of Park and State Streets, was erected by Mr. Cooney in 1883. Mr. Cooney is a man of diversified knowledge, having travelled extensively in the West and South, especially in Texas, New Mexico, and Minnesota.
LIVER H. CURTIS, an old resident and a well-to-do farmer of Amherst, was born in Willington, Tolland County, Conn., March 30, 1811, son of Will- iam and Mary (Holt) Curtis. Mr. Curtis's father was a native of Connecticut, who fol- lowed the trades of tanner and shoemaker the
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greater part of his life. He owned a farm of one hundred acres in Willington, which his sons conducted. He died in Willington, aged eighty-six years. He was a member of the Congregational church. His wife, who was a native of Willington, became the mother of nine children, as follows: Sanford, William, Horace, Sarah H., Alford, Wilson W., and Harvey, all of whom are now dead; Oliver H., the subject of this sketch; and Selden Curtis, who resides in New London, Conn. The mother died at the age of eighty-eight.
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