USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Hampshire County, Massachusetts > Part 36
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Christopher W. Paige received his educa- tion in the schools of Prescott. At the same time he acquired familiarity with the details of farm work. After finishing with school, he worked on the home farm for some time longer, and then for the succeeding twenty- five years in miscellaneous callings. These included stock trading, peddling, fur dealing, and trapping. In 1867 he purchased the old home farm, and has since been successfully engaged in its cultivation. This is said to be the oldest farm in town. The dwelling-house, which was built in 1810, is a fine type of the old-style New England family residence, gen- erously planned, with large airy rooms. At the time of its erection it was one of the best houses in the locality, and in the many years that have passed since that time it seems to have lost little of its stability.
On April 9, 1845, Mr. Paige was united in marriage with Mary E. Bigelow, a native of North Brookfield, born March 25, 1825, daughter of John and Betsey (Maynard) Bige- low. She died August 3, 1895, after com- pleting over fifty years of married life. She was highly esteemed by all who knew her, and was a faithful Christian wife and mother. Three sons and three daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Paige, as follows: Mary Jane, who died in infancy, living but seventeen months; Charles W., who lives with his father; John C., also on the home farm; Mary B., wife of Reuben Horr, a farmer of Pres- cott; Warren B. and Nellie Belle, living at the old home.
Mr. Paige votes with the Democratic party. He has been and is still one of the most active citizens of the town, and is respected and loved by all who know him. He is a member of the Congregational church, which he and his wife joined in 1875, and has served as a church official. Though he has lived
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nearly three-quarters of a century, he con- tinues in active occupation upon his farm; and much of his leisure time also is spent out of doors. He takes much interest in a varied collection of fish with which he has stocked a pond on his estate, and he may be often seen engaged in feeding his finny pets.
REDERICK A. DAYTON, Superin- tendent of Streets at Northampton, Mass., was born in his present resi- dence, February 27, 1856.
Mr. Dayton is a son of Charles Dayton, who was born in 1807 in Norwich, Conn., and in 1837 married Abbie Brown, the daughter of Brigham Brown, of Leicester, Mass. After their marriage the parents settled on the fifty- acre farm in this town. In addition to tilling the soil, Mr. Dayton established the first milk route in Northampton, carrying the milk from house to house suspended from his broad shoulders by means of a yoke, often sixty quarts at a time. He was very enterprising, and became quite influential. He was High- way Surveyor for many terms. He and his wife were among the early Methodists of this place, worshipping with that denomination when their meetings were held in the Town Hall. They had seven children that grew to maturity. They were as follows: Henry E., an artist, painter, and decorator, who died in the summer of 1894, leaving one son, George E .; Franklin O., for many years a prominent business man of Chicopee, now living retired in Springfield; William H., formerly a part- ner with his brother Franklin O. in Chicopee, who died in May, 1884, leaving a widow ; Hammond B., a machinist, and for many years a gauge and tool maker at Smith & Wesson's, who died in January, 1883, leaving a widow, who passed away about a year later; Julia E.,
wife of C. E. Hubbard, of Hatfield, and mother of Dr. Hubbard, of South Hadley ; Ellen M., wife of G. W. Fitch, a dairy farmer in Amherst, who is the son of George C. Fitch, a wealthy farmer; and Frederick A., the subject of this review. The mother died in 1881, having reached threescore years and ten. The father died in February, 1884.
Frederick A. Dayton was educated in the grammar schools of Northampton. After reaching the age of twelve years, he was unable to attend school except during the winter months. He assisted on the farm of his brother-in-law during the summer season until he attained the age of sixteen. In the spring of 1873 he began to work at the car- penter's trade, which he followed for fourteen years. In that period he became the head mechanic and builder for Smith & Livermore. In 1885 he bought the Justin Thayer farm, adjoining the old Dayton homestead, and en- gaged in farming and dairying. He succeeded to the milk business of his father, but con- ducted it on a much larger scale, employing fine teams to take the milk over the long route. He was very successful during the eight or nine years in which he was employed in this way. He brought his farm to a high condition, and built a fine stock barn for the accommodation of his dairy of twenty cows. In all Mr. Dayton had the assistance of a kind-hearted and wealthy uncle, Lucien Brown, of Philadelphia. He sold his farm in June, 1894, to the Boston & Maine Railway Company at a handsome profit. He intends soon to build a family residence on Washing- ton Avenue.
Mr. Dayton was first married May 12, 1874, to Rebecca McCandless, who died in 1885, leaving one daughter, Abbie B., the wife of Arthur O. Sanford, of Springfield. They had another daughter, Hattie R., who died in
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1883, at the age of six years. Within a year of his first wife's decease Mr. Dayton married Laura H. Clapp, the daughter of R. W. Clapp, of Westhampton, a descendant of one of the early settlers of that town, and a rela- tive of the first ordained minister of West- hampton. Two children have come of this union, namely: Laura C., born in 1889; and Frederick A., Jr., born in 1892. Mr. Day- ton belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics is a stanch Repub- lican. He has filled his present position as Superintendent of Streets for the past three years, giving universal satisfaction to all.
AMUEL ALLEN, a very successful farmer and prominent resident of Belchertown, was born at Prescott, Mass., August 14, 1828. His father, Ros- well Allen, was born at East Windsor, Conn., in the year 1798; and his grandfather, Sam- uel Allen, was a lifelong resident of that State.
Roswell Allen received a good common- school education, and in his young manhood taught school. In 1824 he married Beulah Chapin. and they had a family of eight chil- dren. In 1828 he moved to Prescott, where he continued to reside until 1845. He then removed to Belchertown, and settled upon a farm of two hundred and thirty acres, situated in the central portion of the town. He con- ducted this farm very successfully during the remainder of his life, and died on April 28, 1868. He was a Whig in politics, and was a member of the legislature during the years 1839 and 1840.
Samuel Allen made the most of his oppor- tunities for procuring an education in the common schools and at the Hopkins Academy. He was an apt scholar and afterward an apt
teacher. He commenced teaching school at the age of sixteen, and continued in that call- ing for the greater part of the succeeding fifteen years. He also engaged in land sur- veying both in his native town and the adjoin- ing counties. But finally, attracted by the independent life of a farmer, he purchased in 1860 the property on which he now resides, and has since been prosperously engaged in farming.
Mr. Allen has been twice married. His first marriage, which was performed in 1857, was with Levica Sherman, daughter of Thomas Sherman, of Ware, Mass. They had four children; namely, Elizabeth S. A., Mary L., Roswell, and Thomas. Of these Eliza- beth married J. B. Ellis, of Crockett, Tex. The mother died February 26, 1879; and Mr. Allen wedded for his second spouse, in Octo- ber, 1881, Mrs. Sarah E. (Rice) Walker, daughter of Lyman and Nancy (Bugbee) Rice, of Belchertown. Mrs. Allen's first husband was Henry L. Walker, son of Lyman and Mary (Gilbert) Walker, of Belchertown, where he was a successful farmer and resided his entire life. He died at the age of twenty- nine years, having been a member of the Con- gregational church and also an active worker in the Sabbath-school. Mr. Allen was for a period of twenty-five years a member of the School Board, and has always manifested a lively interest in all matters relating to edu- cation. He is independent in politics, and Mrs. Sarah E. Allen is a member of the Con- gregational church.
TILLMAN S. DOWNING, a worthy representative of one of the old families of Enfield and one of the few who have continued to reside on the homestead of their fathers, was born in En-
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field, August 12, 1823, son of James and Rox- ana (Firbush) Downing.
James Downing was born in Boston in the memorable year of 1775. Early in life he learned the trade of a shoemaker, and followed that vocation for many years. He also en- gaged in farming on a small scale, moving to Enfield about 1814, where he settled on the farm now owned and occupied by his son, Stillman S. He reared a family of sixteen children. Of these four survive, and are as follows: George W. Downing, a successful agriculturist of Enfield; Smith Downing, a large fruit-grower and farmer in the State of New York; Jerome F. Downing, a large land- owner of Erie, Pa., where he is also engaged in the insurance business, being prominently connected with the North American Insurance Company; and Stillman S. Downing, who is next to the youngest of those now living. It may be further said of Jerome F. Downing that he is a very successful man. Besides his property in Pennsylvania, he owns seven thou- sand acres of land in North Dakota, six thou- sand of which are under cultivation. As general agent of the North American Insur- ance Company he has the direction of two thousand men. The father died on the old home farm, eighty-three years of age, and the mother in the fifty-sixth year of her age.
Stillman S. Downing received a good prac- tical education in the district school. As a child he showed considerable mechanical abil- ity in the erection of miniature chimneys and old-fashioned fireplaces from soft brick, which he cut up for the purpose. He was only seven or eight years old when he began to learn the trade of a mason. He has done a great deal of the mason work in Enfield and vicinity, and still continues to follow that avocation to a limited extent. He has also engaged in general farming. Besides enlarging the old
farm left to him by his father, he has bought another of one hundred and fifteen acres in Belchertown, this county, making in all about two hundred acres. Mr. Downing is essen- tially a self-made man. During all his life he has enjoyed most excellent health, never having had occasion to call a doctor to his home. On October 8, 1856, he was united in marriage with Miss Ruth Carter, who was born in Canada in January, 1824. He has one daughter, Eliza Downing, just now absent from home. His wife died August 11, 1877. In his political relations Mr. Downing is a stanch Republican, while in matters concern- ing religion he is liberal.
RVING B. HAYES, M.D., a well- known and very successful physician of Florence, Mass., was born at Farming- ton, N.H., March 17, 1862. His father, Benjamin F. Hayes, was born there in 1813, his grandfather, David Hayes, in 1787, the latter having been a son of Joseph Hayes, whose father, Benjamin, was a son 'of Peter Hayes and a grandson of John Hayes, who emigrated from Scotland, and settled at Dover, N.H., in 1680. David Hayes wedded Eliza Furber, daughter of Richard Furber, and successfully followed agriculture in Strafford County, New Hampshire, where the family have resided for a period of over two hundred years. He raised a family of two sons and four daughters, who grew to matu- rity, and of whom Dr. Hayes's father and his sister Deborah, wife of Jonathan Seavey, of Rochester, N.H., are the only survivors. David Hayes died at the age of seventy-two, in the year 1859; and his wife survived him about six years. Mrs. Benjamin F. Hayes, whose name before marriage was Elizabeth Waldron, was born at South Berwick, Me., in
IRVING B. HAYES.
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IS17, and is still active at the age of seventy- eight years. Her father was the sixth consec- utive Richard Waldron, descended from William Waldron, brother of the famous Major Waldron, first President of the once republic of New Hampshire. The original ancestor, who came to America from England in 1634, and was known as Recorder William Waldron, settled at Dover, N.H., then a part of the Colony of Massachusetts, in 1636. The family, numerous members of which have distinguished themselves in different walks of life, have resided in Strafford County, New Hampshire, for many years, occupying a posi- tion of wealth and influence. Dr. Hayes's maternal grandmother was a daughter of Rich- ard Kimball. of New Hampshire. The par- ents of Dr. Hayes. who were both teachers in early life, were married in the month of December, 1841. They reared five children, three sons and two daughters: Mary A. Hayes married R. G. Hayes, of Dover, and died at the age of twenty-one; David resides at the old homestead, having a wife and one child; Lizzie K. also lives at the home; Dr. J. G. Hayes, of Williamsburg, Mass., has one son. . Irving B. Hayes, the third son, received his primary education in the common schools, and at the age of fourteen began his higher studies under the tuition of his brother and his cousin. At the age of seventeen he entered Dartmouth College, where he was graduated in 1883, when he was twenty-one years old. He followed civil engineering for three years, and then studied medicine at the University of New York, graduating from Long Island College Hospital in 1889. He commenced the practice of his profession in Atlanta, Ga., where, in company with his brother, he re- sided until 1893, when he came to Florence, where he now has a very large and exceed- ingly profitable practice. He is a searching
investigator into the scientific principles of his useful profession and one of the coming lights of the regular school of medical practice.
On January 29, 1895, Dr. Hayes was most happily wedded to Miss Agnes F. Crier, of Florence, daughter of John and Sarah (Irwin) Crier. Her parents were natives of England, and are now deceased, the father having first passed away. The mother, being left a widow, succeeded in providing her daughter with a good education, which was obtained at the schools of Holyoke and in Boston. Mrs. Crier became well known and highly respected in Florence, where she was actively engaged in church work; and Miss Crier was a very successful music teacher previous to her marriage. Dr. Hayes is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Medical Society of the Hamp- shire County District and a Master Mason. The pleasant home where he now resides was purchased by him in 1894.
R USSELL L. ROBERTS, a respected citizen of Northampton, was born in Gill, Franklin County, Mass., No- vember 10, 1824, son of Alsetus and Betsey (Robinson) Roberts. His paternal grand- father, whose wife was a Miss Brooks, was a farmer in Gill; and in that town Alsetus Roberts was born and passed his life, dying in 1853, at the age of fifty-eight. Mrs. Rob- erts was born in Greenwich, Mass. She came of a long-lived family, her grandmother, Sarah (Smith) Robinson, living to the age of one hundred and two years, and her brothers and sisters outliving the allotted age of man. Mrs. Roberts died aged ninety-two years. The surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. Rob- erts are as follows: Russell L., the subject of this sketch; Horatio N., a dentist in Alton,
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Ill., who has one son; Holland F., a farmer in Gill, unmarried; Lyman A., a printer in the employ of the government for the past ten years at Washington, who has a wife, one son, and two daughters, and who served three years in the Civil War. Those deceased are: Sarah C., Holland, Smith, and Mary Jane.
Russell L. Roberts was reared to farm life, attending the district school regularly until ten years of age. After that, until he was eighteen, he went to school only in the win- ter, working upon the farm during the summer months. When a little over nineteen years old, he bought his time of his father for forty dollars, and worked four years in the woollen factory. He was then employed for a while at cutlery work in Shelburne Falls; and in 1854 he moved to Portage, Wis., where he worked at carpentering. He finally came East to take charge of the farm of his father- in-law, which he now owns. He removed to Northampton in 1891, taking up his abode at 68 High Street, in the comfortable dwelling which he erected in 1884. Besides his home property and the farm which formerly be- longed to his father-in-law, he owns two lots in Northampton, where he grows corn and potatoes. Mr. Roberts has retired from active work, and is living quietly at his home on High Street.
On September 27, 1847, Mr. Roberts was united in marriage to Reuma R. Haynes, of Guilford, Vt., daughter of Asa and Sally (Briggs) Haynes, the former of Guilford, the latter of Leyden, Mass. Asa Haynes was a notable man in his day, strong mentally, phys- ically, and spiritually. He was a carpenter by trade, and was active in evangelical work, a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal church, preaching forcibly and earnestly. At one time he had charge of the Methodist Episcopal church at Hatfield. He broke one
leg three times, the third fracture crippling him for life; but the brightness of his spirit was undimmed, and he prcached eloquently from his bed of pain. He conducted a farm for family nceds; and this, as already stated, Mr. Roberts, his son-in-law, took charge of and owns to-day. Asa Haynes died in 1868, in his eighty-fourth year. His wife died in 1861, at the age of seventy-eight. At the time of her death nine of their twelve children were living. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes left no property, but were tenderly cared for in their last days by Mr. and Mrs. Roberts. Mr. Roberts's mother also spent her last years with them.
Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have had five chil- dren, all of whom have passed away. Two died in infancy, and Leuetta A. was fatally scalded when but a little over four years old. Russell J. Roberts died in December, 1885, aged thirty-eight years, leaving a widow and two children, one of whom, William H., is with his grandfather. Emerriah Roberts, who was a jeweller at Northampton, died in November, 1886, at the age of thirty-one, leaving a wife and one daughter, Lulu May Roberts. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts belong to the Methodist church, of which he has been a member nearly fifty years, and which she joined when five years of age, receiving bap- tism by immersion at that time.
YMAN RICE, a lifelong resident and a prosperous farmer of Belchertown, was born there, September 29, 1812. His father, Horatio Rice, also a native of Belchertown, received a good com- mon-school education, and, adopting agricult- ure as an occupation, purchased a farm in his native town about the year 1810. Here he resided for the remainder of his life. He
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married Elizabeth Allen, daughter of Edward Allen, of Belchertown. The five children that blessed their union were: Almena, Lyman, Elvira, Horatio, and Marcus. His wife died on November 22, 1822; and he passed away in 1871, aged eighty-four years.
Lyman Rice attended the public schools of his native town, where he became proficient in the common branches of study. He was reared to an agricultural life. Until he was twenty years old he resided at home, where he assisted his father upon the farm, thereby acquiring the practical knowledge necessary to make a successful farmer. He then purchased a small piece of property. Later he added to this until he had a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. It is situated in the south- western part of the town. Under his wise management it has become very productive, and now yields him very satisfactory returns for his outlay.
Mr. Rice has been twice married. His first wife, whose maiden name was Nancy Bugbee, was a daughter of Nehimiah Bugbee. The ceremony was performed November 2, 1837. By this union he had two children, as follows: Sarah E., born August 23, 1838, now the wife of Samuel Allen; and Jennie C., born August 23, 1840. His second wife, Sophia A. Rice before marriage, daughter of John and Jerusha Rice, of Springfield, also became the mother of two children: Edward Lyman and George Allen. Mr. and Mrs. Rice are members of the Congregational church.
HARLES HERBERT KELLOGG, junior member of the firm of Daniels & Kellogg, grocers, of Northamp- ton, was born in 1858 in the town of Hadley, son of Benjamin A. and Sarah (Moody) Kel- logg. Benjamin A. Kellogg, now a resident
of Northampton, was born in Hadley in 1832, son of Charles Austin Kellogg, also a native of Hadley, who was born in 1803. Charles Austin Kellogg was a very prominent man of that town, in which he spent his entire life of fourscore years, being a prosperous farmer, a leader in public affairs, and an adherent of the Democratic party. He married Maria Augusta Cook, who died at the good old age of seventy-five years. The maternal grand- father of Mr. Kellogg, Alvin Moody, was also an influential citizen of this county, belong- ing to one of the oldest of the South Hadley families.
Charles H. Kellogg was given every oppor- tunity for obtaining a substantial education, being a regular attendant at school until his eighteenth year. At this time he was sus- pended from school privileges on account of the misdemeanor of another pupil. He sub- sequently served an apprenticeship at plumb- ing in Northampton, and worked at that trade for four years. He then entered the employ- ment of Allan Clark and J. A. Ross as clerk in their grocery store, where he remained for seven years. At the end of that time, being familiar with the details of the business, he formed a partnership with Charles A. Daniels for carrying on a similar business, and bought out the firm of C. H. Boyden, since which he has been prominently identified with the mer- cantile interests of this city.
Mr. Kellogg was united in marriage No- vember 9, 1888, with Miss Ada M. Day, of this city, a graduate of the high school and the daughter of Luke Day, a prominent city official. Since their union they had one child, Mabel, who died in 1893, thirty-two months old. In all the walks of life Mr. Kellogg is esteemed by all who know him as an able and upright business man, a devoted husband, a kind neighbor, and a loyal friend.
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He is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a Master Mason. In politics he is a Republican, uniformly casting his vote for the candidates of that party.
ON. SAMUEL MILLS COOK, a public-spirited, influential citizen of Granby, was born in that town, No- vember 1, 1822. He represents one of the most respected pioneer families of the dis- trict. His father, the late Deacon Perez Cook, who came in boyhood to Granby, was born in Hadley, married Hannah Clarke, a native of the town, bought a farm here, and was afterward identified with the best inter- ests of the place, occupying a prominent posi- tion among the town and county officials. He and his wife lived to a venerable age, dying on the old homestead, now occupied by the subject of this sketch, successively, in 1876 and 1879. Eight children were born to them, as follows: Henry, Hervey, and Henry (second), all of whom died in infancy; Sarah Louise, the first-born, now living in Minne- sota; Samuel Mills, of this sketch; Henry, who died at the age of twenty-one years; Angeline, formerly a teacher in Tennessee, now residing with her brother, Mr. S. M. Cook; and Hervey S., who also resides with Mr. Cook.
Samuel Mills Cook, who acquired a good education in his youthful days, began the bat- tle of life at the early age of fifteen years, his culture, perseverance, and self-reliance being his chief endowments. At the age of sixteen years he was appointed a teacher in the dis- trict school at Belchertown, where he had taught but one term when he was promoted to the village school in the centre of the town. He spent a year here when, being desirous of advancing his own education, he entered the
Belchertown Academy as a pupil teacher, under Mr. Joshua Pearl, at the same time availing of every opportunity to pursue his own studies. Then he taught with Mr. Pearl in the Warren Seminary for a time, subse- quently going from there to Chicopee, where he had charge of the grammar school for seven years. Mr. Cook was next professionally employed at Limestone Springs, S.C., where he taught mathematics and languages for a year. After this he abandoned teaching. He set out for St. Cloud, Minn., but stopped en route at Minneapolis - then a small village, containing but eight hundred souls - and for two years carried on a successful lumbering business. In 1858 he came once more to Hampshire County, where, in addition to farming, he engaged in paper manufacturing as a member of the well-known firm of Taylor, Cook & Co., proprietors of a paper-mill in South Hadley. He subsequently received severe injuries in the mill, after which he returned to his present farm, where he is liv- ing practically retired from the activities of life. His estate is finely improved and amply supplied with substantial and well-arranged buildings and all the necessary machinery and implements for general farming conducted according to the most approved methods. He is also interested in the lumbering business, owning ten thousand acres of timbered and prairie land in Minnesota.
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