USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Hampshire County, Massachusetts > Part 30
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of age, leaving two children; Alfred H. Richardson, living in Gilbertville, Mass., where he is engaged as the paymaster of the George H. Gilbert Manufacturing Company ; and Almer F. Richardson, the subject of this sketch. The mother died in 1869, sixty-thrcc ycars of age.
Almer F. Richardson spent the early years of his life on his father's farm. At sixteen years of age he began to work out by the month on neighboring farms during the sum- mer; but he attended school in the winter season, passing in due time from the district school to the Ware High School. In June, 1865, he obtained a position as clerk in the general store of P. D. Willis, with whom he remained two years. The following year he had a similar position in the store of Harding, Woods & Co. at Barre, Mass., the next in the clothing store of Virgil Guild in Ware, the next two years in the general store of Calvin Hitchcock, and the next two years with C. F. Hitchcock & Co., of Gilbertville. On Febru- ary 20, 1874, he came to his present store, and entered the shoe business as a partner of Calvin Hitchcock & Son, which afterward be- came the firm of A. F. Richardson & Co. On January 1, 1883, Mr. Richardson pur- chased his partners' interests, and has con- ducted the business alone since that time.
He was married on October 5, 1880, to Miss Amie L. Newton, a daughter of Stephen E. and Thirza L. (Pierce) Newton, of Hard- wick. She died on July 26, 1881, leaving one daughter, Edith L. Richardson, who was then but three weeks old. Miss Richardson is now fourteen years old, and is her father's constant companion.
In general elections Mr. Richardson votes the Republican ticket. He has served one term of seven years as Justice, and has been reappointed for another term. In March,
1876, he was elected Town Clerk; and he has held the office continuously since that time. Ex officio he is a registrar of voters, and has a part in the naturalization of voters. He also docs some probatc business, being frequently engaged in the settlement of es- tates; and for fifteen ycars hc acted as the auc- tioneer of that section. He is a member of the corporation of the Ware Savings Bank. In both business and political life he has won the respect of his fellow-citizens.
ON. BARNEY T. WETHERELL, widely and favorably known as a wealthy and influential resident of Southampton, is numbered among the leading agriculturists of Hampshire County, wherein a large part of his years of useful activity have been spent. He was born in Plymouth County, October 14, 1822, son of Tisdel and Elizabeth (Reed) Wetherell.
The father of Mr. Wetherell was a native of this county, and here grew to maturity. When a young man, he went to Plymouth County with a drove of cattle, and, being pleased with the locality, remained there some time, engaging in the work of laying stone walls. He also cultivated the acquaintance of a Miss Reed, whom he married, and a few years later returned with her to Worthington, where he lived a year, going thence to Hol- yoke, which was their place of residence until they finally went back to Plymouth County. Both he and his wife spent their remaining years in Middleboro, his death occurring in 1830, and hers in the same town in 1834. They were the parents of four children: Bar- ney T. ; Samuel, now a resident of Holyoke; Amanda, deceased, who was the wife of Mr. Henry Caswell; and Elizabeth, widow of H. Leonard, residing in Easthampton.
BARNEY T. WETHERELL.
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Barney T. Wetherell acquired a practical education in the district schools in Plymouth and Hampshire Counties. At the age of twenty-one years he began working for him- self; and in addition to general farming, which he carried on in Southampton, he was employed in getting out barrel staves, a most profitable industry. Ambitious, sagacious, and enterprising, not afraid to venture in new fields, he subsequently engaged in the manu- facture of matches, still continuing his agri- cultural labors. In 1860 Mr. Wetherell bought twenty-eight acres of land, the nucleus of his present extensive farm, which now contains two hundred and twenty-five acres, he being one of the largest landholders of this vicinity and the heaviest tax-payer in the town. Fortune has smiled on his undertakings; and in the management of his farming interests he has met with excellent success, raising each year large crops of corn, hay, and tobacco.
In his early days Mr. Wetherell was identi- fied with the Whigs; but on the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks, vot- ing that ticket until 1882, since which time he has cast his vote independently. He has ever taken an intelligent interest in politics, and has borne a conspicuous part in town and county affairs, serving efficiently in various local offices; and in the years 1890 and 1891 he represented his district in the State legis- lature, performing the duties of his position with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his worthy constituents. Socially, he is a member of the Golden Cross Society of South- ampton.
On August 10, 1842, Mr. Wetherell was united in marriage with Adelia Maria Sted- man, a native of Manchester, Conn., where her father, Reuben Stedman, a lifelong resi- dent of that State, was then employed as a book-keeper. The golden anniversary of their
wedding day, marking a half-century of happy companionship, was celebrated in August, 1892; but a year later, on September II, 1893, Mrs. Wetherell passed to "fuller life beyond." Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wetherell, namely: Georgia Annie, the wife of Mr. C. McLean, a prominent busi- ness man of Hartford, Conn .; Helen Adelia ; Arthur B., a well-known physician of Hol- yoke and a valued member of the Masonic fraternity; Lois Stedman, wife of William Smith, of Holyoke; and one child who died in infancy. These children were all the re- cipients of excellent educational advantages, some being fitted for teachers, and one being a graduate of Harvard Medical College.
A faithful likeness of Mr. Wetherell will be recognized among the numerous portraits that illustrate this volume of local biographies.
WIGHT PARKER CLAPP, a mer- chant of New York, whose family resides in Belchertown, was born in this town, November 22, 1834. He is a descendant of Captain Roger Clapp, who emi- grated from England to the Colony of Massa- chusetts Bay by the ship "Mary and John," and settled in Dorchester, Mass., in the year 1630. Captain Clapp in time became one of the foremost men in the colony. He was for many years Commandant of the fort in Boston Harbor, and was buried with military honors in the King's Chapel burial-ground at Boston in the year 1690. His descendants for two or three generations were closely identified with Colonial affairs; and for an extended account of them the reader is referred to a work entitled "Memories of Roger Clapp," which was issued by David Clapp in 1844, and may be found in the rooms of the Massa- chusetts Historical Society.
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Mr. Clapp's father, James Harvey Clapp, who was born at Northampton, March 5, 1792, was son of Ebenezer Clapp, who was born in the same town in 1730. Ebenezer Clapp was a son of Ebenezer, whose birth occurred in 1707. Ebenezer, Sr., was a son of Samuel Clapp, who, born at Northampton in 1677, died in 1761. Samuel Clapp was a son of Preserved Clapp, who, born at Dorchester, November 23, 1643, died September 20, 1720. Preserved Clapp was a son of the original an- cestor of the family in America, Captain Roger Clapp, as above mentioned. Preserved Clapp moved to Northampton in early life, and purchased land, upon which he settled, becoming one of the first settlers of that town, where he engaged in agriculture. He was Captain of the town, Representative to the General Court, and Ruling Elder in the church. His son Samuel inherited the home- stead, where he resided his entire life. His third wife, who was Mary Sheldon, of Dor- chester, together with the Rev. John Will- iams, was carried into captivity by the Indians of Deerfield in 1704. Ebenezer Clapp, who succeeded to his father's property, served as a soldier in Captain Phineas Stevens's com- pany during the French and Indian War, and fought at "Number Four," now Charlestown, N.H., in 1746. He was succeeded in turn by his son Ebenezer, Jr., who married Nancy Tileston, of Dorchester, and moved to Pitts- field, where he died.
James Harvey Clapp, subsequent to com- pleting his education, which was obtained in the common schools, settled at Belchertown in 1812, and married Marilla D., daughter of the Rev. John Francis, of Pittsfield, in 1815. Their eight children were: Juliet; John Fran- cis, who founded the Belchertown Public Li- brary; Ann Sophia; Everett; Jane Marilla; James Henry; Edward Lyman; and Dwight
Parker. James Harvey Clapp was prominent in public affairs, having served the town as a Selectman, and having been County Commis- sioner, and a Representative to the legislature for three terms. He was one of the proprietors of the old Boston and Albany stage line. A man of the most rigid integrity, he had the sin- cere respect of the entire community. His de- cease occurred in his eightieth year, on April 23, 1871.
Dwight Parker Clapp was very carefully educated, as were his brothers and sisters, in the common schools and the Monson Acad- emy. Upon finishing his education, he im- mediately entered mercantile life in New York City, becoming a very prominent and successful merchant. In 1865 he wedded Miss Illie Crawford, of Cleveland, Ohio. Their only daughter, Illie Crawford Clapp, who was born in Brooklyn, is now the wife of William Burr Hill, a very successful attorney of that city, having one son, William Burr Hill, Jr., whose birth occurred in May, 1892. The children of James Harvey Clapp have al- ways shown an affectionate interest in the welfare of their native town, of which the magnificent public library, founded by John Francis Clapp, is ample testimony.
John Francis Clapp, eldest son of James Harvey Clapp and founder of the Clapp Memorial Library, was born in Belchertown in the year 1818. By his will, probated in Brooklyn, N.Y., August 8, 1882, he be- queathed in trust to his brothers, Everett and Dwight P. Clapp, the sum of forty thousand dollars for the purpose of establishing a pub- lic library in his native town. By judicious investments the trustees increased the legacy to nearly forty-seven thousand dollars. The library building was commenced in the sum- mer of 1883, and finished in 1887. A charter was granted the Clapp Memorial Library Cor-
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poration by the Massachusetts legislature on March 31 of the same year. The library was dedicated on June 30, and opened to the pub- lic on the following September I.
The library grounds have a frontage of two hundred and thirty-eight feet on South Main Street and a depth of two hundred and sixty- eight feet. The building, which is in the form of a Latin cross, is one hundred and two feet in length and from forty to fifty-five feet in breadth, with an octagonal tower at the junction of the cross section and main build- ing sixty-five feet in height. It consists of a basement and two stories, and is built of Longmeadow brownstone, the roof and tower being covered with red tiling. A reading- room and stage are on the first floor, and are so arranged that they can all be thrown into one large auditorium, twenty-six feet in height and capable of seating five hundred persons. On the second floor there is a di- rectors' room, and in the basement a room for classes. The present shelf capacity is fifteen thousand volumes, which, with slight altera- tion, can be increased to thirty thousand. At the north and south ends of the building are two large and beautiful memorial windows. The north window, presented by Mrs. Susan M. D. Bridgman in memory of her husband, Calvin Bridgman, who bequeathed four thou- sand dollars for the support of a public library, represents music. The south window was presented by Everett, Edward, and Dwight P. Clapp in memory of their brother, the subject being literature, and the figure symbolical of thought and repose.
The library now contains six thousand vol- umes, besides numerous periodicals and news- papers of the day, and is open daily in the afternoon to the reading public. It is an im- posing structure, the main feature of the town, and a monument to the generous founder and
his sympathetic and noble-minded brothers, who have shown in various ways the interest they take in the welfare of their native vil- lage, all of whom are successful merchants in the metropolis. Everett, Edward, and Dwight P. have fine country residences for the purpose of spending the summer months with their families on their native heath.
USTIN W. KEITH, Town Clerk of Pelham, was born in Palmer, Hampden County, Mass., February 7, 1847, son of Ariel Cooley and Lodica (Daniels) Keith, the former a native of Enfield, born June 15, 1816, the latter a native of Ludlow, born May 26, 1821. Mr. Keith's paternal grandfather, Daniel Keith, was born in Bridgewater, Mass., in 1780. He owned a farm in Ware, and was actively engaged in agriculture dur- ing the greater part of his life. He died in Belchertown at the age of sixty-three years. His wife, whose maiden name was Lydia Frost, was a native of Ludlow. She was the mother of ten children, all of whom grew to maturity, but are now deceased. In politics Daniel Keith was a Whig. He and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church.
Ariel Cooley Keith, the father of Justin W. Keith, spent the early part of his life in New York State. He was for some years en- gaged in selling silverware, travelling from place to place, and visited many different States in the pursuit of his calling. In 1839 he purchased some land in Belchertown, and was engaged in farming on it for three years. Becoming dissatisfied with this life, he tried other ways of earning a livelihood. He finally settled in Palmer, Mass., where he was overseer of the Fondack Cotton Factory for nearly fifteen years. He performed his work in an efficient manner, was very popular with
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the help, and was estecmed by his employers. But his health, impaircd by the indoor work, compelled him to resign his position; and then for a short time he engaged in the livery business in Palmer. In the fall of 1857 he moved to West Pelham, where he resided many years while occupied in farming. His farming ventures turned out well this time, and the result was that he became the owner of considerable real estate in Pelham and in Fondack village. In 1870 he moved to the home where his son now lives, and there his last years were spent. He died December 2, 1880. In politics Mr. Keith was a Republi- can. He took a prominent part in town affairs. He was Town Clerk and Town Treas- urer seven years. He was also Assessor and Tax Collector. His religious views were lib- eral.
On May 9, 1839, Mr. Keith was married to Lodica Daniels, daughter of Justin and Pru- dence (Shaw) Daniels. The father was a na- tive of Ludlow, born in March, 1792, the mother of Palmer, born in September, 1793. Justin Daniels (the maternal grandfather of our subject) was a prominent citizen of Lud- low, who owned and industriously cultivated a large farm in that town. It is said that he was the owner of the first carriage ever seen in the town. His last years were spent in Wilbraham, where he died January 17, 1866. His wife had preceded him to the grave, hav- ing died in August, 1863. In politics Justin Daniels was a strong Whig, and he took an active part in the town government. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Epis- copal church. They had two children: Mrs. Keith; and Marcus, born January 12, 1824, who resides on the homestead in Wilbraham. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Keith but one is now living: Justin W., the subject of this sketch. Ellen J., who was born Octo-
ber 29, 1844, died September 3, 1845; and Elmira J., born June 23, 1840, died October 26, 1853. Mrs. Keith is still living, resid- ing with her son, Justin W. Like her par- ents, she belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church.
Justin W. Kcith was a boy of ten when his father removed to Pelham, and in that town he has resided for nearly thirty years. He received a good common-school education, and early engaged in farming, which eventually became his chief occupation. He now owns seventy-five acres of land, a large part of which is cultivated.
Mr. Keith was married in Boston, Novem- ber 28, 1890, to Mary A., daughter of David and Emeline A. (Paull) Shores and grand- daughter of Silas and Abigail (Stacy) Shores. The grandparents came originally from Taun- ton, Mass. Silas Shores was a Congrega- tional minister, and in early life was a mis- sionary. He had charge of a parish in Shutesbury for some time, and, when in- capacitated for evangelical work by ill health, settled on a farm in that town, and there died at the age of sixty-one. His wife lived to be eighty-three years of age. The following children were born to them: Jemima, wife of Henry O. Bragg, of Foxboro; Mary C., wife of Warren S. Bragg, of Cambridgeport; and David, the father of Mrs. Keith. David Shores worked at farming in his early youth, and later engaged in the manufacture of char- coal in Shutesbury. In 1865 he moved to the eastern part of Pelham, where he now re- sides, carrying on general farming and char- coal burning. His average annual output of charcoal is fifty-two carloads - between fifty thousand and sixty thousand bushels. Mr. Shores is the largest land-owner and tax-payer in the town of Pelham. In politics he is a Republican. He served for some time as Se-
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lectman, but his business cares are too great to allow of his holding public office. Mr. Shores was married December 7, 1845, to Emeline A., daughter of Nathan and Melita (Fish) Paull, the former of Berkley, the lat- ter of Shutesbury. Mr. Paull was a carpen- ter, and was also actively engaged in farming. In politics he was first a Whig and then a Republican. He and his wife were members of the Congregational church. They were the parents of seven children, of whom four are living, Mrs. Shores being the oldest. Lucy A. is the widow of Stillman Clark. Lucetta H. is the widow of Windsor Smith, and resides in Warsaw, N. Y. Nelson W. resides in Shutesbury. The following chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Shores: Silas S., born in Shutesbury, February 23, 1847, a pension and insurance agent and Justice of the Peace in Pelham; David H., born July 17, 1849, a resident of Hyde Park, Mass .; Benja- min, born July 27, 1851, Assessor and Over- seer of the Poor in Pelham; George H., born July 13, 1854, a resident of Springfield, Mass. ; Jonathan E., born January 28, 1857, a blacksmith of Springfield; Charles B., born April 27, 1859, a carpenter in Amherst; Mary A., wife of Justin W. Keith; Nellie M., born in Pelham, November 24, 1869, who is still with her parents. Frank L. died Au- gust 27, 1865, in his seventh year. The two elder sons of Mr. Shores, who reside in Pel- ham, are unmarried. They are actively en- gaged with their father in the charcoal busi- ness. Mr. and Mrs. Keith have no children.
In politics Mr. Keith is independent, but favors the Republican party. He takes an active part in the town government. For thirteen years he has been Town Clerk and Town Treasurer. He has also been Tax Col- lector, and has filled other offices. He is a member of the order of A. F. & A. M., be-
longing to Pacific Lodge of Amherst and to the Chapter at Northampton. In his religious views he is liberal. Mrs. Keith is a member of the Congregational church.
ENRY C. DAVIS, one of the leading attorneys of Ware, was born at Three Rivers, Mass., on October 22, 1843, son of Benjamin and Cordelia (Buffington) Davis.
His grandfather Davis, who also bore the Christian name of Benjamin, was born in Ox- ford, Mass., in 1774, son of Craft Davis. He was a farmer in humble circumstances, and the larger part of his life was spent in North Brookfield and in Ware. He died in the latter place in 1860, at the advanced age of eighty- six years. He married Miss Theodosia Barnes; and their union was blessed by the birth of three sons and six daughters, all of whom lived to maturity, though two of the daughters died in early womanhood. The only survivors are: Dr. W. G. Davis, of Schenec- tady, N. Y. ; and Mrs. Sarah Brooks, the widow of James F. Brooks, residing at Stafford Springs, Conn. Of the deceased, Mrs. Nancy Goodwin died at Springfield, Mass., in her eighty-sixth year, leaving two children. Mrs. Cynthia Loomis, who resided in Ware, died aged eighty-eight years, leaving one daughter. The Rev. William Davis lived to be eighty- six years old, and left at his death six daugh- ters and a son, the Rev. William P. Davis, of Lebanon, N. J. Mrs. Almira Whittaker, who was born in 1802, died at the age of ninety- three years. The mother survived the father by two years, dying in 1862, eighty-six years of age. Both rest in the Ware cemetery.
Benjamin Davis, Jr., who was born in Ware, July 16, 1811, spent his early years on his father's farm. He afterward turned his
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attention to the manufacture of cotton goods, which he followed with success for many years. He removed to Palmer, Mass., in 1836, re- maining there until the spring of 1846, when he settled in Ware. Here he continued in the cotton-goods business until 1860, when he re- tired, taking up his residence on a farm sit- uated about one mile from the village of Ware. He always took an active and prominent part in local and general politics; and, being a man of high principles and strong character, he was one of the leaders in all worthy enterprises. He was sent to the legislature in 1858, and for over twenty years he served as Assessor. He was a Democrat until the starting of the Free Soil movement, and was always a Repub- lican after the fusion, about 1855. While holding the office of Assessor he was stricken with paralysis, from the effects of which he died within a year, on June 16, 1890, seventy- eight years of age. His wife, Cordelia Buf- fington, to whom he was married on May 4, 1836, was born in Connecticut, and was a daughter of Royal Buffington. The latter afterward removed to Palmer, Mass., where he followed the vocation of an agriculturist with success. He reared a family of four sons and four daughters, of whom two sons and a daughter are now living. These are: Jesse M. Buffington; Dwight Buffington, of Ware; and Mrs. Cynthia Aldrich, of Springfield, Mass. Their mother died at the age of sixty- nine years. Their father afterward entered into a second marriage, and lived to be eighty- seven years of age. Mrs. Davis bore her husband nine children, an infant son who died and four sons and four daughters who attained maturity, as follows: Benjamin F. Davis, who is extensively engaged in farming in Ware; George R. Davis, the Director-general of the World's Fair; Henry C. Davis; Jennie C., the wife of Albert L. Harwood, of Newton, Mass.,
where her husband is an able lawyer and in- fluential citizen ; Helen A. Davis, a retired school - teacher living at Newton Centre, Mass. ; Mary A. B., the wife of Myron L. Har- wood, of Ware; A. J. Davis, who is engaged in a general insurance business and is a large real estate dealer in Ware; and Georgia F. H., the wife of A. L. Demond, of Chicago, Il1.
Henry C. Davis acquired his education in the public schools of Ware, at Williston Semi- nary, and at the Harvard Law School, graduat- ing from the latter in the class of 1868, after two years spent there. He was admitted to the bar in January, 1868; and, after about six months spent in the office of Bacon & Al- drich at Worcester, he opened the office which he now occupies. He is a man of strong characteristics and superior legal attainments, qualities which have brought him a lucrative practice. He is interested in various enter- prises in his town, and does a large business in real estate and insurance.
On May 4, 1876, the wedding anniversary of both his father and his brother, Andrew J., he was joined in marriage with Miss Jennie A. Demond, of Ware, a daughter of Lorenzo and Jane (Masden) Demond, and a grand- daughter of Alpheus Demond. The latter at one time owned a large portion of the town of Ware, including the sites of the large facto- ries; and he was a leader in public affairs. Mrs. Davis has now two brothers living, namely : Alpheus Demond, of Rochester, N. Y. ; and Arthur L. Demond, of Chicago, Ill. She has borne her husband three sons and two daughters, as follows: Henry C. Davis, Jr., living at home; John A. Davis, a youth of sixteen years, who is attending the high school; Marion, fourteen years of age, who is also in the high school; May, ten years of age; and Arthur L., who is seven years old.
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In his political relations Mr. Davis is a Republican. In 1874 he was sent to the State legislature. He has also served in other pub- lic offices, among which may be mentioned that of chairman of the School Committee, of which board he was a member for about twenty-five years. He is a member of King Solomon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. His wife, a most estimable lady, is a member of the Congregational church of Ware. They reside at 12 Elm Street.
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